As I finished the last bite, the noise in the hall faded. One by one, spoons were set down, even from those who hadn't finished.
"You can keep eating," I said, louder than necessary. Still, the quiet lingered.
I stood, pushed my chair back, and left the dining hall, the quiet murmur of lingering conversations fading behind me.
My footsteps echoed down the steel-lined corridor, each one pulling me further from idle talk and closer to the weight of the day ahead.
The command room greeted me with its familiar dim light, the wide map spread across the central table like an unspoken challenge.
Blue Star to the west. Valkcross to the north. Commoner Union far to the north east too far to be here without a deal. Selene's fingerprints were all over that move.
I drew in a slow breath. This plan might be the last calm step before everything went to hell.
The map was pristine, no scribbles, no arrows, just raw territory and distance.
