Leo had sent Commander Cassian and the troops back to HQ.
He told Cassian he had some things to take care of, and Cassian didn't question it—orders were to be followed, not debated.
Without delay, Cassian and the troops packed up and began their march at 1700 hours.
Leo stayed behind in the valley. He needed time to think.
His mind kept circling back to his talk with the Sovereign—about everything. About the Speed of Discovery, about the Speed of Understanding.
There was a lot to unpack, and Leo wanted space to process it all.
The valley around him felt… off.
He had already scouted it before, thoroughly even. But something in his gut told him that it still held secrets.
Something was here—he could feel it. It wasn't logic guiding him anymore, it was pure instinct.
He began moving through the valley again, letting his senses guide him. But instincts alone weren't enough. They only told him something was here. They didn't tell him what to look for.
