Cassian had never been inside The Hollow before. And if he was being honest, he'd have preferred to keep that streak going.

It wasn't as bad as some of the Wards' more infamous crime dens, but it wasn't far off. The place reeked of cheap liquor and desperation, neon lights pulsing off the walls, too many bodies packed into one space. It was the kind of place where you could get shot for looking at someone too long.

Which was exactly why Selyna walked in like she owned it.

Cassian adjusted his collar, stiffly following her lead. People noticed them immediately. Because, of course, they were in uniform. Eyes flicked their way, quick judgments being made.

He could already feel it. They weren't welcome.

He leaned toward Selyna, lowering his voice. "This isn't exactly a friendly spot for C-Sec."

Selyna just grinned. "That's the fun part."

Cassian gritted his teeth. She wasn't taking this seriously. This was a shake-down, not some off-the-clock bar crawl.

Selyna moved through the crowd with the confidence of someone who had been here before. Cassian followed, feeling like a target was being painted on his back with every step.

She finally stopped at a booth in the back. "Hey there, big guy."

Cassian looked up. An elcor sat across from them, hunched over a glass of something Cassian was sure could strip paint.

His heavy, slow voice rumbled out, tone as neutral as ever. "With apprehension: T'Veyna. I do not recall inviting you."

Selyna just smirked. "Yeah, well. I don't need an invitation."

Cassian already had a headache. The elcor – Brannic – didn't offer them a seat. Didn't even look at Cassian. "With frustration: I am a businessman. I have no interest in C-Sec interruptions."

Selyna leaned against the table, all casual arrogance. "Yeah? Well, my boss thinks you might know something about our missing persons case."

Brannic's voice remained level, slow. "With dismissal: I do not deal in people. Only goods."

Cassian stepped forward, arms crossed. "Then you won't mind answering a few questions."

Selyna's smirk twitched.

Cassian had said the wrong thing. Not because it wasn't accurate. But because Brannic was the kind of guy who didn't answer questions unless he had a reason to.

And right now?

They weren't giving him one.

Selyna exhaled, shaking her head. "See, Cassian, this is why nobody likes talking to cops."

Cassian shot her a sharp look. "You know we're cops, right?"

Selyna just shrugged.

Cassian turned back to Brannic, straightening his posture. "Look. Three people have gone missing. Someone moved them quietly. If you've heard anything–"

Brannic sighed, setting his glass down. "With growing irritation: I have nothing for you. I suggest you leave."

Cassian felt the window closing.

But before he could say anything, Selyna moved. She slid into the booth across from Brannic, propping her boots on the seat beside her like she had all the time in the world. Then she grinned.

"Brannic, buddy." She leaned in. "You and I both know you hear everything that happens in this Ward."

Brannic's expression didn't change.

Selyna's grin widened. "So let's make this easy. You give me something, anything, and we walk out of here, no reports, no heat. Just another quiet night."

Cassian clenched his jaw. This was not how they were supposed to be doing this. He wanted to say something. To call her out, rein her in, remind her this wasn't how C-Sec handled interrogations. But the truth was, he didn't know if he had a better play.

Brannic let out a slow breath. "With annoyance: I do not wish to be involved in your affairs."

Selyna tilted her head. "Yeah, I figured you'd say that."

Then she grabbed his drink and downed it in one go.

Cassian closed his eyes, inhaling sharply. This was a disaster.

Brannic moved faster than Cassian expected. One second, he was still seated. The next, he was slamming a heavy fist into the table.

Cassian's hand instinctively dropped toward his sidearm – but he didn't draw. Not yet. One wrong move, and this whole place would light up like a fuse.

A few patrons turned toward the noise. Cassian tensed. This was about to go sideways.

Selyna wiped her mouth, completely unbothered. "That hit a nerve?"

Brannic stood.

And so did three guys at a nearby table.

Cassian barely had a second to register what was happening before the first one swung at Selyna. She ducked under it, grinning like she was enjoying herself.

Cassian wasn't.

Because now it was a full-blown bar fight.

Selyna moved like she'd done this a hundred times before. Cassian moved like he wanted it to be over. He blocked a hit from one of Brannic's guys, twisting the attacker's arm into a lock, slamming him into the bar.

Selyna, meanwhile, was laughing. Cassian turned and saw her throw an elbow into a batarian's gut before kicking his legs out from under him. She wasn't just fighting. She was having fun.

Cassian hated everything about this.

Eventually, the last guy hit the floor with a groan. Selyna exhaled, rolling out her shoulders.

Brannic was still standing. He didn't look pleased.

She dusted herself off and grinned at him. "So… still don't wanna talk?"

Brannic let out a slow sigh "With resignation: I hate you."

Selyna smirked. "That's fair." She turned back with a wink. "Next time, just pour me a drink and spare the bruises."

Cassian and Selyna walked out before backup arrived.

Cassian's jaw was still tight. He could feel bruises forming on his arms, and he was pretty sure he was going to get an earful from Bailey.

Selyna, on the other hand, looked like she'd had a great night.

Cassian exhaled sharply. "You're insane."

Selyna just laughed. "You're welcome."

Cassian wasn't sure what pissed him off more, the fact that she wasn't taking this seriously…

Or the fact that her plan worked.

The bullpen wasn't quiet. But it felt quieter than it should have been.

Cassian and Selyna stepped in, both still bruised from the Hollow – physically and otherwise. His collar was wrinkled, her lip was split, and neither of them was speaking.

Until Selyna smirked.

"Well," she said, stretching her arms over her head, "that was almost fun."

Cassian didn't answer. He was too busy rubbing his shoulder, trying to decide whether to ice it or saw it off. "You call that fun?"

"You didn't bleed. That's a win in my book."

Cassian shot her a sidelong glare. "You started a fight with an elcor."

Selyna grinned. "Correction: I escalated a situation with an elcor. Who technically started it by serving shitty liquor."

Cassian groaned and slumped into his chair, dragging a hand down his face. "I'm gonna get written up. Second day on the job, and I'm already making an enemy out of Logistics."

Selyna flopped into her seat beside him, utterly unbothered. "You're welcome for the education."

Across the bullpen, Jace and Leila were already there – stationed at opposite sides of the coffee station, trying very hard not to talk to each other.

Or maybe trying not to look like they were trying not to talk to each other.

Leila stared at the mug in her hand like it had personally offended her. Jace leaned against the counter, arms crossed, eyes fixed on a datapad he clearly wasn't reading. The air between them crackled – not with flirtation exactly, but with something charged and unresolved.

Selyna caught it immediately.

She leaned toward Cassian, dropping her voice just enough to make it not subtle. "You think they hooked up last night or just thought about it real loud?"

Cassian choked on his breath.

Leila's head snapped around. "What the hell?"

Jace lifted his gaze with a slow, exhausted blink. "What did you just say?"

Selyna didn't flinch. "I'm just saying, the tension's palpable. Like you're one caffeine shortage away from either punching each other or – "

Leila raised a hand. "Don't finish that sentence."

Cassian coughed into his fist. "Spirits, Selyna."

"I mean," she added, like this was a debate on a message board, "something had them both walking in here like their lives flashed before their eyes."

Jace exhaled like he was praying for divine intervention. "We were doing recon."

Selyna raised a brow. "Uh-huh. Was the booth dimly lit?"

Leila rubbed her eyes. "I hate this job."

Cassian tried not to laugh, and failed. He shook his head, leaning back in his chair. "This squad's gonna fall apart before the week's out."

"Fall apart?" Selyna scoffed. "This is the best squad I've ever had."

Cassian arched a brow. "It's the only squad you've ever had."

"Exactly. Best by default."

Leila was still trying to pull the topic back into orbit. "Are we seriously doing this right now?"

Selyna shrugged. "You started it. With your… lingering eye contact."

"I was drinking coffee!"

"You were making a scene." Selyna turned to Cassian, whispering, "They were totally making eyes over the coffee filter."

Cassian raised his hands. "Leave me out of this."

Jace was already walking away. "I swear to God."

Leila muttered, "I'm transferring squads."

And then – perfect timing, like she knew how badly they needed a reset – Nyxara walked in.

She moved through the bullpen with her usual calm, her steps steady and precise. But her expression was anything but casual. She didn't pause. Didn't nod to anyone. Just walked straight to the table, dropped a datapad onto it with a soft clunk, and said:

"Found something."

That shut everyone up.

Jace stopped mid-step. Leila turned. Selyna blinked.

Cassian sat up straighter. "What kind of something?"

Nyxara didn't even look at them.

"Bailey's waiting in the briefing room." Her voice was cool. Steady.

"Bring your bruises," she added, almost as an afterthought. "You're gonna want them."

And just like that, the jokes stopped.

The squad followed her out – quiet now, focused again.

Because the case wasn't just theory anymore.

It was real.

By the time they filed into the briefing room, the tension had settled into something taut and humming.

Cassian slid into his seat with a quiet wince. His shoulder ached from slamming a guy into a bar. Jace leaned against the wall like he hadn't decided if he was going to sit or pace. Leila tossed herself into a chair like she was done pretending she wasn't exhausted. Selyna dropped into hers with all the casual confidence of someone who'd enjoyed the chaos way too much.

And Nyxara?

Nyxara was already standing at the head of the table, omni-tool glowing, waiting for them to catch up.

She didn't waste time.

"Found something," she said again – same tone, same calm precision.

Bailey stepped in a moment later, pausing at the door like he was bracing himself for whatever came next. "Alright," he muttered, crossing his arms, "someone tell me this shift wasn't a complete waste of resources."

Nyxara didn't even blink. She sent a pulse from her omni-tool to the room's holo-projector, and in an instant, a storm of data burst into the air – encrypted lines, dense code, raw file logs.

Then, with another flick of her wrist, the encryption broke. The clutter dissolved. And a single document hovered in its place.

A cargo manifest.

The room stilled.

Cassian leaned forward instinctively, eyes narrowing. Leila let out a slow breath. Jace's jaw locked, shoulders squaring. Selyna just watched it all unfold with a knowing look – like she'd seen something like this before, and it had ended ugly.

Bailey frowned. "Explain."

Nyxara adjusted the projection, highlighting one line of text that repeated across the manifest:

Lot 317 – Processed for Departure.

"The transmissions weren't distress signals or ransom notes," she said. "They were logistics files. Shipping records. Someone's been moving people like product."

Leila muttered a sharp curse. Jace ran a hand down his face, slow and deliberate. Cassian couldn't look away from the words glowing in the center of the table.

Bailey didn't move. But something in his expression shifted. "You're saying they're not missing."

Nyxara's mandibles flicked. "No. They were collected. Categorized. Dispatched."

Jace pushed off the wall, stepping closer. "Then we don't sit on this."

Bailey's gaze swept over all of them. "Then find out where they are."

And that was it. No more debate. No more tension between partners. The squad fell into motion like they'd done this a hundred times.

Jace and Leila took transport logs and security footage – cross-referencing dock movement with public shuttle manifests. Cassian and Nyxara dove into warehouse leases and falsified identities, sorting fake company names like puzzle pieces. Selyna called in a contact she "definitely wasn't supposed to know" from her Eclipse days and asked the right question with just the wrong amount of patience.

It took less than an hour.

A warehouse buried near Zakera's eastern shipping yard. Rented under a fake corporate license, tagged with a shell business front. Shipments logged in, nothing logged out. And in the attached manifest logs?

Lot 317.

Nyxara leaned back, arms folded. "It's them."

Jace turned to Bailey. "We're going after it."

Bailey didn't hesitate. "Then gear up," he said. "We move now."