"Don't worry," Zara said, her hand firm on Ira's shoulder. "He'll be fine." Her voice was steady, a lifeline cutting through Ira's trembling doubt.
"Still, he is risking everything. Shouldn't we fo and help him?" Ira asked more to herself than to her friend.
"We should respect his orders. Didn't we agree to listen to him?" Zara empathized making Ira look at him before a sudden realisation hit her.
"But… is this—" Ira started, her words faltering.
"Stop!" Zara snapped, sharp and sudden, silencing her before she could finish.
"Remember where we are." Her tone carried an edge, like she was guarding a secret. Ira clearly knew something that Theo and Ariella didn't which only deepened rhe mystery.
Ariella's sensors caught the exchange, a flicker of intrigue sparking in her circuits, but she let it slide—for now.
She was more preoccupied with Theo, her reckless captain who seemed to magnetize trouble at every turn.
