Lucius gave a quiet nod, but his voice, when it came, cut cleaner. "And graveyards breed ghosts. We need to decide what kind of memory we're building here, one that stinks of war, or one that survives it."
"We don't have enough men to hold the borders and rebuild the ether system simultaneously," General Halbrecht said. "And the Shadow teams are already stretched. Gregoris?"
Gregoris leaned forward slightly. "We can deploy two full units for containment and intel sweeps, but not reconstruction. If you want compliance, not rebellion, you'll need someone the people trust. Someone visible."
Paul Blake snorted. "Good luck finding that among the rubble. These people watched their mayors report to soldiers and priests who burned records and taught children to spy on their parents. You think they'll line up for ration cards stamped with our crest?"
