She let out a heavy breath, then pressed the link. “Go for Rake.”
“Prius statute, Rake?” Lugen’s gravelly voice rang through—thin, tinny, and distant.
“Sorry, sir,” Adequin began. “Protocol calls for delta clearance or higher when reporting matters relating to SC security. I wasn’t sure what this would be classified as—”
“It’s fine, Excubitor. What’s this all about?”
Adequin hesitated. She’d run this conversation through her mind dozens of times, but now, she had no idea where to start. She cleared her throat and pressed the link. Might as well hit him with it up front.
“Sir, the Divide is collapsing, and moving inward at an increasing rate.”
“What?” he said, incredulous. “Who gave you that report?”
“No report, sir. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“You’re still out there?”
“Yes, sir. And the Argus…” She cleared her throat. “It’s gone, sir.”
“Where are you?”
“Kharon Gate, which has been abandoned. Sir, have we withdrawn from the Divide?”
Lugen hesitated. “That happened weeks ago.”
Adequin clenched her teeth. She already knew it was true, all the signs pointed to it. It was another thing to hear it confirmed. She took a steadying breath. “Why weren’t we informed?”
His tone grew disconcerted. “I don’t know, Rake.”
“And the Apollo Gates too? That oculus at Poine claimed Eris and Zelus have been decommissioned as well. Why? What’s going on?”
“I wish I had answers for you, I really do. But none of this is my jurisdiction.”
“Have the other Sentinels been informed? We just heard from the Typhos, they didn’t know either.”
“Shit, Rake…” Lugen clicked off for a few long seconds, then came back on. “Something’s not right. Get Kharon operational and come back here, directly to me. We’ll sort this mess out on this end.”
“Wait, sir,” she said quickly, “we found something out here. Viator technology. We might be able to use it to stop the collapse, but we need soldiers, resources. Backup.”
“That’s not your responsibility, Excubitor. You and your crew need to return to Legion HQ.”
“But, sir, there are dozens of other Sentinel ships still stranded—thousands of soldiers. They’ll need arks, and that could take weeks. The crew of the Typhos has hours. If a rescue’s not already incoming, we might be the only ones left that can help.”
“I … I’ll look into it. I’ll try to get a hold of Praetor Teign, confirm ships have been sent.”
Adequin let off the link and sat back, digging her fingers into her scalp.
Jackin scoffed. “Like hell they’re sending anyone.”
She nodded slowly. He was right. Like hell they were.
Whispers rose up behind her, but her addled mind ignored them. This was what she’d wanted, what she’d been waiting for—a definitive course of action, an order. But she’d barely been able to save twenty of her own soldiers. And there were over a thousand people on the Typhos.
“Rake, you still there?” Lugen asked.
“Sir, I…” She swallowed a lump in her throat and leaned forward. “Sir, I have to go.”
“What? Rake, wait. What’s going on? Is your gate operational?”