She contacted Hravik and asked whether a family tracing specialist could join the investigation.
He agreed, adding that the station council had established an emergency fund for displaced witnesses and their dependents.
The fund would pay for housing, medical care, and independent legal assistance without requiring anyone to make a public statement.
Vela listened to the explanation and asked whether accepting help would give Helix control over her decisions.
Sepha said it would not.
The girl stared at the emergency case on the table.
She had been carrying it for so long that freedom from its weight felt unfamiliar.
Then she asked to accompany the rescue ship.
Sepha refused gently and explained that the platform might still contain dangerous biological material.
Vela argued that she knew her mother’s habits and might recognize clues the adults would miss.
Sepha acknowledged that this was true, but said there were ways to help without entering a hazardous site.
She invited Vela to review the station diagrams with the authorized investigators in a secure room.
The girl accepted reluctantly.
Hamish later told Sepha that Vela reminded him of his younger sister, who had once attempted to repair a farm tractor by insisting that the engine should simply be less stubborn.
Sepha asked whether the repair had succeeded.
Hamish said the tractor had survived but refused to discuss the matter.
The rescue mission departed two days later with a public health officer, two independent investigators, a small security team, Sepha, Imani, and Hamish.
The ship carried protective medical supplies, recording equipment, and portable environmental sensors.
It did not carry a crowd of reporters.
Hravik had refused requests for a live broadcast because vulnerable witnesses did not deserve to become entertainment while they were still in danger.
Before departure, Vela gave Sepha a folded cloth with a small blue flower sewn into one corner.
She said her mother had made it during a quiet winter and that the cloth helped her remember home.
Sepha promised to return it.
Vela corrected her.
It was not a lucky charm, she said.
It was something to show Nerin so that she would know who had sent the help.
Sepha placed it in a secure pocket beside her medical identification.
The flight to the mineral dust field lasted seventeen hours.
During the journey, Imani trained the investigators to recognize signs of altered maintenance records without disturbing potential evidence.
Sepha prepared treatment protocols for toxin exposure and for patients who might have been held without ordinary medical care.
