Chapter 27 · The Battle They Erased

The coffin opened with a sound like a mountain splitting.

A slab of transparent armor burst outward and spun across the command deck. It struck the bulkhead hard enough to dent the alloy. Frost and black fluid sprayed into the air. Inside the ruined coffin, the older Kellan Vey lifted one hand.

Every abandoned warframe on Seventh City answered.

Their heads snapped toward him in perfect unison. Hundreds of dead visors ignited beneath the storm, red targeting glyphs blooming across the city’s towers. The machines had been kneeling in streets, alleys, and collapsed transit tunnels. Now they rose, joints grinding, weapons unfolding from their backs.

Brom Hark swore and shoved Sable behind a broken console. “Tell me that isn’t him.”

“It’s him,” Sable said.

Kellan’s spine burned.

The Crown Directive tightened around his nervous system like a hand closing around a throat. Ancient symbols crawled across his vision. AUTHORITY CONFLICT. SUCCESSION PROTOCOL. ASH MARSHAL SIGNATURE: ACCEPTED.

Then another line appeared.

PRIMARY COMMANDER: KELLAN VEY. SECONDARY COMMANDER: KELLAN VEY. CONFLICT RESOLUTION: PURGE.

His knees struck the deck.

The storm outside flashed white.