The wind howled, a deafening roar that swiped at her cloak as she dropped into the darkness. Windows streaked by, flashing like lightening. She gasped but the air was sucked out of her, drawn up by wintry fingers that pressed against her exposed neck. A second later her helmet materialized around her. She sucked in a grateful breath.

Her HUD activated. The computer giving her an approximation of her distance from impact. Her cheeks flushed as a jolt of electrical adrenaline crackled through her veins, energizing her like a lightening strike. With a silent call, she summoned her seeker from its place on her back. The slick moon silver orb popped free. It's blurred form rushed down past her. Reaching out she tethered herself to it, grinning with wicked satisfaction that she was outside of Ina's field of manipulation.

The seeker slowed as the numbers on her HUD dwindled into double digits. Korsha followed suit, her motion slaved to the seeker. She pushed back on the tether, allowing her legs to reach out and touch the wall. Her feet slapped as she raced down the wall, the ground rushing up at her. Then all at once she jumped, used the seeker as her anchor and twirled through the air. In that moment, caught between those two forces, she found herself wondering if this was what freedom felt like.

She landed.

Like feather's upon snow.

She stood. The seeker hovered next to her like a devoted companion, never straying too far from her side. The orb pressed up next to her side, pushing up her arm as she gazed at her surroundings. Down here in the murky depths of the city, a dismal gloom coated everything. Korsha's eyes narrowed, her night vision activating. Unlike what she'd expected, this cavernous like underbelly wasn't dirty. At least not dirtier than any other city.

She gazed up the street and saw a distant streetlamp. It's light burned an amber triangle whose edges were defined by the darkness that surrounded it. Though the light remained, it was pressed in upon by the darkness. Down here the shadows were territorial. Things not easily moved or dislodged. Korsha drew upon that as she allied herself with them by pulling up her hood.

"I grant you purpose." She whispered to the seeker as she fixed her ship in her mind's eye.

The seeker pushed up, lifting her hand before drifting away. Korsha tethered herself to it once more as it set off. Together they ventured through the lonesome labyrinthine lanes and blackened alleyways. All along the way she marveled at the cavernous way the city felt from down here. This was ground level but they might as well have been underground due to the shadowed towering edifices that jutted up, challenging the celestial heaven's above with their rigid prideful posture. She remember seeing the city from above. It's bristling spike like buildings all huddled together. She'd have never imagined it would be like this.

The seeker’s pulse quickened, matching the throb of her anxious heart as they turned a corner, its soft hum a soothing lullaby amidst the cacophony of distant city sounds. As they exited an alleyway, Korsha felt her tether slip. She instinctually released her hold and fell back. The same slick oily oppression gathered around her, cutting her off from her magic.

Once she was back in the safety of the narrow alleyway, Korsha pressed her back against the cool stone wall and gazed out. The seeker had dropped low to the ground and was now creeping along, slow and methodical so as to not draw attention. Her gaze arced across the streets until she found a group of patrolling speeder cops. There were three of them, each leaned forward on their bikes as they appraised a hologram.

Her helmet zoomed in and she cursed through clenched teeth. The bluish glow of a projected holographic image cast an eerie luminescence onto their faces, the subject of their scrutiny - her.

Her breath hitched as she realized the person presenting her image was another technomancer. Either Thatcher's distraction hadn't lasted as long as she'd hoped or Ina had already put out an alert. A sense of dread washed over her. She could feel the technomancer's miasmic aura constricting her arcana. She checked her map. She'd been making good progress.

Turning back she saw the technomancer drop his hand, the hologram dying away. The odds were lousy that there were more prowling nearby. Retreat was her only option. Yet, turning back to the seeker, she had an advantage they couldn't negate.

Falling back into the alleyway, she gathered the seeker up into her arms. The shell gleamed, its intricate patterns of swirling runes shifting as shadows undulated like fish beneath the surface of the placid waters. It vibrated in her hand, the spirit's essence having gathered like water within a well before overflowing and trickling out around it. She knew it she was using her witchlight she'd see the hazy fog of its vitality swaying in the air like gentle eddies.

With a quick twist, the shell cracked open. A tempest of azure poured out, carried on silent ethereal wings. Moths, like living gems, danced around her in a swirl of fluttering wings and muted adoration, glistening as they twirled through the air. They gathered around her, a whirlpool of iridescent wings catching the dim light of the backstreet, their soft rustling akin to whispered secrets shared between friends.

For several heartbeats she closed her eyes and fell into their presence that now surrounded her. It was like being in the eye of a hurricane, winds whipping all about her. Yet those powerful gusts didn't reach out and grab at her cloak. Opening her eyes she saw they disturbed nothing, not even moving the small crumpled up paper that lay nearby on the hard ground.

With the swarm freed, Korsha drew upon her connection to the spirit. It was the one power that the technomancer's couldn't take from her. In their presence she felt less like a fugitive, a mage, or even a failed servant. In their presence she found peace, the kind that comes from knowing there were many paths that still lay ahead.

A gentle wave of her hand, the azure swarm scattered like fragments of a shattered sky. Strings of ethereal luminescence trailed behind them, evanescent remnants of their essence. These wispy trails wove through the air, shimmering with a faint otherworldly glow, tracing the moth's chosen path from that of the endless possibilities she could have taken. Each delicate strand represented a guiding thread, illuminating a choice that lay before her. She chose a gossamer whisper, following its transient trail as she backtracked through the alleyway. Around her unchosen trails faded, dying away as her choice solidified.

The moths continued to spread out before her. Those she hadn't chosen, reorienting themselves in a never ending kaleidoscope of azure possibilities. She raced along, following them through their tangle of potentialities as she weaved through Megara's sullen streets. She passed various people as she made her way through alleys or paused every now and then to catch her breath. They paid her little attention, less so for her guides as they hadn't the eyes to see them.

Korsha continued pushed forward, her lungs hot and burning like a forge. Her breaths came out in heavy sputtering pants. Yet every time she checked her map she was drawing ever closer. She lost herself in the intertwining of her choice and the moths life, death and rebirth. Their emissive bodies offered a distraction, a spectacle of dance, a choreography of light and shadow that she had somehow become apart of. They skimmed the streets, darted into buildings, and returned, whispering their findings in hushed flickers of cerulean light.

One brought her up short as it burst into a glistening constellation of azure dots that formed her outline. The azure ghost stiffened and was thrown to the side. Korsha halted, choosing instead to press herself against the wall. Several moths collapsed. The path was now cut off. Korsha couldn't sense any technomancers but they might be concealing their power, waiting to ambush her once they had a visual.

Her eyes darted at the myriad of paths before her. Another moth blossomed into her image. It to was hiding. Yet her arms shot up to protect her face before her body collapsed. Whatever was coming wasn't something the moths had faith that she could win against. Taking their advice, she eyed one particularly bold moth who'd darted into a rusted grate. Grabbing a coin from her pocket she tossed it up and jumped once more drawing on her arcana.

She reached the ventilation gate, using her suit's forearms to prop herself on the fire escape and the edge of the vent. Her face dropped, contorted in disappointment as the coin plunged to the ground, making a sharp clinking noise when it hit the cold pavement below. Wasting no time, she pulled the vent free, her heart spiking as the metal groaned.

"What was that?"

"Let's check it out."

She scuttled into the tight space, grabbing the vent's gate and pulling it behind her. She activated her omnivice and used the fabricator to create a small patch that would hopefully keep it from tumbling down and exposing her newest path. She cut the light off as two figures stood at the edge of the alley. She turned and crawled, not wanting to stick around.

She followed the moth's trial for several minutes and through at least a dozen turns before reaching a maintenance room. Dropping down, she listened. Nothing. She eyes the moths who were all moving through the door ahead. Seems like only one way to go. She thought with a wry smile as she grabbed the handle and emerged out into a quaint hallway. The walls were ruddy and worn. The hall was filled with the mouth watering aroma of foods. As she passed the many doors that lined the hall, she could hear faint noises within. Conversations. Entertainment systems. Laughter. Families. She knew exactly what kind of building this was. An apartment.

The familiar setting dredged up long forgotten memories from the depths of her soul. Their murky shadows playing across her mind as she continued to follow her moths. She shook her head free, severing the lines that had been drawing up the edges of those old scars. Though with her reaction, she wasn't so sure they'd ever healed. How did one heal from death and the responsibility that comes with wielding it. Whether intentionally or not.

She shook her head. Focus.

She followed them to a stairwell. Took it down. Entered a well lit lobby and thanked the Imperial Goddess it was empty. She crossed the room, her bootsteps only a soft sigh against the firm beige carpets. Exiting the building, she leaned forward, checked her moths and ensured she was clear. She sprinted across the street, diving into another alley where she once more clung to the shadows like a specter.

She continued through the city, it's cramped interior seeming to open up as she ventured further from its core. She was starting to see more and more people. Many wearing worker clothes or -her eyes widened as she saw a cabby trudging towards her car. The disheveled woman, sipped from a drink as she yanked the door open. Several moths were swirling around the cab.

Racing over Korsha flagged the woman down who was grateful for such an early gig. She was even more pleased when Korsha offered her credits and a tip to ensure they expedited their journey. Korsha settled into the backseat and sighed as they lifted from the streets. Her moths drew themselves back into the seeker and Korsha closed the shell with a hard snap. Thank you, she thought to the spirits within the seeker as she cradled it in her arms. This time she didn't mind the chaotic rollercoaster ride as her cabby expertly dove in and out of various lanes. Within minutes she'd arrived at the starport.

Handing over the funds, Korsha turned and let the seeker reset itself onto the back of her armor before sprinting across the starport. It was bustling with activity as crews boarded their ships while others worked to offload their cargoes using hulking acrenas whose thunderous steps competed with the whine of engines. The port was awash in brilliant lights, some from the control towers while others came from the ships themselves. Korsha traversed through the organized pandemonium until she found her ship.

Racing up the ramp, she sent a command to Koklan. A second later the lights flickered on before her as she entered the ship. The engines rumbled to life, a thunderstorm gathering upon the horizon. She sprinted down the hallway and exited onto the bridge.

"Set course for these coordinates."

"Coordinates confirmed.

Minutes later the ship lifted off, the viewport swaying away from the cityspace of shadows and neon lights to the canvas of space. The taste of anxiety was sour on her tongue, the dwindling adrenaline leaving a metallic taste in her mouth. She dropped into a nearby seat, her gaze fixed upon the starry expanse. Come on... Come on...

Korsha leaned back in her seat, the comfortable embrace of the pilot's chair grounding her amidst the chaos of her thoughts. The ship trembled beneath Hyperion III's atmosphere as fiery fingers grabbed at its body, trying to bring it back down. Then they were free. Korsha held her breath as she eyed the counter that was ticking down from forty-five seconds. That's how long it would take to line up the hyperspace corridor.

She rerouted the ship's radar to her omnivice where she squinted at the various IDs that were now displaying before her. So far nothing seemed out of place. The timer continued to drop. It was slow. Agonizing. Her eyes darted from the radar to the timer. Back and forth in an endless loop.

Two ships broke away from their formations, making a b-line straight for her. An icy dread choked her as she examined the readouts. They had gravity well generators. She'd been discovered. Her eyes jumped back to the timer.

"Incoming transmission."

"Deny it."

"Transmitter is overriding."

Korsha turned to see Ina's image appear on the console.

"You are to stand down."

"Not a chance." Korsha said, "I'll call you when I find the assassin."

"If you do this you will be classified as a renegade."

"Initiate lockdown protocol-"

His trick was cut off by the instantaneous jump to hyperspace. The sudden jolt of the ship lurching into that other dimension sent a surge of relief thought her. The ship settled into a rhythmic hum as they were no longer in danger. Getting up Korsha staggered over to the command console and let out a yawn. Weariness dripped off her, blurring the edges of her mind.

Yet she knew the journey had only begun but out here in the silence thrumming resonance of hyperspace she could allow herself the liberty of resting. Yet as she made her way down to her bed, she couldn't shake the last label Ina had called her and was no doubt having the rest of the Dominion call her:

Renegade.