The Insiders: Episode 4 - Hand of Destiny

*"Sometimes the most courageous choice isn't running away from danger, but walking steadily toward your fate."*

With the threat of permanent discharge still lingering like a shadow, Bran steps into the harsh corridor lighting outside Cropper's office. His dendricals tremble inside the unfamiliar yellow glove—a temporary privilege that feels more like a ticking countdown than a reprieve.

Behind him, the rhythmic "thwack, thwack, thwack" of Miss Cripps' cane against her open claw follows him down the corridor, each strike a reminder of how close he came to having his essence painfully extracted and ejected into the void.

As Bran navigates the flexishell corridors, he faces a critical decision: take the quick but dangerous S-tube shortcut to the Captain's office, or choose the longer, safer route. The old Bran would have risked everything for speed, but something has shifted inside him. "Rushing gets you dead faster than being late," the Chief's gruff wisdom echoes in his mind as he makes the more difficult, prudent choice.

An unexpected encounter with Automotons brings a moment of surprising connection when Grex, recognising Bran's yellow-gloved fate, offers a gentle gesture of solidarity. Even these creatures, relegated to the ship's underbelly, show more loyalty than Bran managed during the first coup—a realisation that stings with shame but strengthens his resolve.

At the Nexus, Thalma and Louise's conjoined form greets him with their characteristic contrast of excitement and efficiency. Through their exchange, Bran discovers he's not merely meeting the Captain—he's facing a full review board examining the L3 Station incident.

In Meeting Room Four, the assembled might of The ALEx's command structure awaits. As reports of widespread damage and hundreds of injured crew members fill the air, Bran notices something strange: Nora claims to have sent him to check a blockage that only he and Sher Gar had theorised moments before the accident.

With all eyes upon him, Bran makes another crucial choice. Instead of blurting out his suspicions, he remains measured and thoughtful, presenting evidence that the L3 incident wasn't random but a deliberate attack on The ALEx itself.

As Captain Higgs considers his testimony, Bran finds himself at another crossroads—but for the first time, he faces it with clarity rather than fear. Whatever comes next, he's ready to embrace it with eyes wide open.

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The difference isn't in what happened.

The difference is what you do with it.