Two weeks later. Terra felt heavier than usual. Fuel levels had dropped from concerning to critical, entire districts had reduced power consumption. Night patrols were shorter, training drills had been cut in half, even the air defense grid had begun operating in rotation to conserve energy. In the strategy room, Mira stared at the digital fuel log projected across the table. The numbers were cold and unforgiving, red indicators blinked next to storage hubs that had once been full. She leaned back in her chair slowly, her fingers pressing against her temples. “Why the hell would they burn this much on patrols? F*cking hell!” She snapped. In one sharp motion, she swept the stack of physical files off the desk. Papers scattered across the floor and a glass of water tipped over and rolled away. The doors slid open and Jace walked in with Gordon behind him. Jace’s expression mirrored hers, though he kept it contained. One of his sleeves hung empty, he had removed his mechanical arm a

Mira found out about Jace’s meeting with Michael through one of Gordon’s informants. She stood in the strategy room, the message tablet still glowing in her hand. Her jaw tightened as she read the report again, “This is f*cking unacceptable…” The door slid open and Jace walked in, unaware that she already knew. “You went behind my back.” Mira said without turning around. Jace stopped mid-step, his eyes widening slightly, “How did you-?” “You met him.” She cut in sharply and finally faced him, her crimson eyes faintly glowing. “You thought it was smart to approach Michael without telling me?” “I was trying to fix a problem.” Jace strained, “Fuel is running dry and soldiers are exhausted. Civilians are scared, Mira. We can’t keep pretending everything’s fine.” “That was not your call to make.” She snapped, “You offered a ceasefire! Seriously?” “I offered a conversation.” He corrected, “There’s a difference.” Her eyes burned brighter, “You even lied to him!” “I had to.” She la