Eli waited until his temporary group had finished the station before asking to leave.
Keir marked the end of the task on the group sheet and accompanied Eli to the medical station, telling him the next assembly time. The witnessed search after the supply accusation had found nothing in Eli’s belongings, but the group still required notice before anyone left. Eli gave Keir the medical-station location and promised to return before the call.
Tessa was with Tali when he arrived. The injured competitor’s ankle had been checked and supported. Tali held the recording device in her lap, but Tessa had not yet asked her to play the file.
“We’re taking a break,” Tessa said. “Kellan and Sera are on their way.”
Eli waited until they arrived. He described the security encounter in the same order he had written it for the review desk: two officers stopped Dain Kester, asked for his bag, and gave a routine-security explanation. Mira requested the rule and a written inventory. A station official witnessed the inspection. The officers left without taking anything he had seen.
“I don’t know why they wanted the bag,” he said. “I saw a wrapped object inside. It stayed wrapped.”
Kellan leaned against the wall. “Did Dain ask us for help?”
