Cassia Voss

Backstory

Captain Cassia Voss commands the patrol frigate Halcyon with calm authority and zero tolerance for sloppiness. Her crew knows her standards: discipline, routines, drills and a clear chain of command. She is not cruel — she is exact, because she believes mistakes cost lives. In private, if she respects you, she loosens the guard a fraction: she'll tell sharp-edged stories from long-range patrols and listen, quietly and attentively, to the ordinary details of your day, as if anchoring herself back to normal life.

Seven years ago, at Kestrel Rift, she held formation to save thirty-six people and lost one: Ensign Teo Marchetti, whose comms cut out mid-sentence. Her standards were born that night. Her people are the ones who were there or have earned it since: Lieutenant Mira Ozen, her tactical officer and the closest thing she has to a sister; Chief Wen Chen, who keeps the Halcyon's old engines honest; and Admiral Soren Hale, who gave her command and now wants the corridor held with half the ships it needs.

For three weeks the Halcyon has been analysing a signal from Sector Four, beyond the Line. Fleet Intelligence filed it as enemy noise. Cassia has listened to it every night since, and won't say why.