The adjustment was subtle at first. Lucien was still contained. The chamber remained sealed, the suppression field active, and the restraints unchanged. From the outside, nothing about his status had shifted.But the way he was used had.Requests came more frequently. Not commands or interrogations, but consultations. Data was brought to him, not extracted from him. Strategic projections were adjusted based on his input before they were finalized.It was never announced, but it became clear.“Run this through Lucien.”The phrase appeared more than once across the command deck.No one questioned it.Because the results justified it.Arken advanced further. Velmora’s responses continued to misalign with Arken’s movement. Interceptions were avoided before they formed, and engagements ended before they escalated.Everything moved forward with a precision that felt too clean.Ronan stood at the edge of the command deck, watching the projections shift. He did not speak, because there was no