The command deck was already operating at full capacity when they arrived.Officers moved between stations with practiced efficiency while streams of tactical data flowed across the massive displays dominating the center of the chamber. The atmosphere was tense, but it wasn't chaotic. Every movement had purpose, and every order was delivered and executed without hesitation.Momentum had already replaced celebration.Selene entered first, followed by Ronan, Tristan, and the surviving elite operative. The mission had ended only recently, and the strain was still visible on all of them. Their injuries had been treated, but fatigue lingered beneath every movement. No one mentioned it because there were more pressing concerns.“Strike team confirmed,” an officer announced.Several displays immediately updated as a three-dimensional projection of Astra Divide Relay expanded above the command floor.The difference was obvious.The Velmora-controlled section flickered with widespread instabili

The atmosphere on the command deck grew noticeably heavier.Tristan was the first to react.“Calista, stop.”She shook her head before he could say anything else.“No, Tristan. You don't understand.”Her eyes remained fixed on Lucien's image on the main display, as though looking away would somehow make everything worse.“He wouldn't do this without a reason. After everything that's happened, he wouldn't just fly into an Arken fleet and surrender.”Her voice wavered despite her effort to keep it steady.She opened her mouth to continue, but the words refused to come. For a moment she simply stood there, struggling against the fear she had been trying to suppress ever since Lucien's transmission appeared.Then she turned away from the screen and looked directly at Ronan.The hope in her eyes was immediate and painfully obvious.She crossed the room before anyone could stop her.“Ronan.”Her voice had dropped almost to a whisper.“You can talk to them. They'll listen to you.”Several off

The silence in the room lingered.Lucien’s last words still hung in the air, calm and certain, as if they had already settled into place long before anyone else could react.Ronan stood where he was, his gaze fixed on Lucien.He did not respond immediately.Then he spoke.“I don’t believe you.”The words were flat. Direct. Without hesitation.Lucien didn’t react.Ronan took one step closer, just enough to make the distance between them feel intentional.“You didn’t come here to surrender,” he continued. “And you didn’t come here to help us.”Lucien held Ronan's gaze, but the officer's expression never shifted.“But none of that answers my question.”Silence settled over the room once more. The hum of the containment systems seemed louder in the pause that followed.“You said Velmora let you leave, and you said something bigger is coming.” Ronan folded his arms across his chest. “Maybe that's true.”Lucien said nothing, waiting.“Or maybe you're doing what you've always done,” Ronan con

The command chamber was already filled before the projection activated. This was not a room meant for ordinary briefings. The scale, the positioning, and the presence of those inside made that clear. Generals stood across the chamber in composed silence, each representing a different sector of Arken’s military command. No one spoke. No one moved unnecessarily.They were waiting.Lucas Crowne stood among them, his posture steady, his gaze fixed on the central projection space. His expression remained unreadable, but his attention was absolute. A direct summons from the throne was not something that came lightly.The projection activated. Light gathered at the center of the chamber and formed into a clear figure.King Aurex.The moment he appeared, the room settled into a deeper stillness. Every general straightened slightly. When he spoke, his voice was calm and controlled.“Report the current state.”One of the senior generals stepped forward. “Velmora’s primary core ship within Astra

The offensive continued to gain momentum.Beyond Astra Divide Relay, Arken fleets advanced along newly established routes, securing one strategic position after another as supply lines stretched deeper into contested space and forward units pushed into sectors that had previously been inaccessible.Reports arrived steadily across the command deck.“Forward node secured.”“Enemy resistance limited.”“Interception successful. No casualties reported.”At first glance, everything appeared to be unfolding exactly as planned.Standing near the main projection, Tristan watched fleet markers advance across the display before saying, “We're pushing them back everywhere.”Selene kept her attention fixed on the tactical map.“Not everywhere.”Tristan glanced toward her as she highlighted several sectors farther from the main advance.“They've abandoned these positions completely.”“And?”“They haven't abandoned the others.”Ronan followed the highlighted routes in silence, and the longer he studi