Unity fractures again—this time without blades.
Rethan’s fingers dig into the back of my chair.
“They abandon you publicly,” he says under his breath.
“I do not own them,” I reply.
Voss watches the exodus with careful neutrality.
“This fragmentation complicates recognition,” he says.
“It clarifies it,” I answer. “You negotiate with those who remain.”
He studies me for a moment.
“You accept permanent territorial loss?” he asks.
I look once more at the red lines.
Three trade corridors gone.
Two mining clusters relinquished.
A buffer zone that cuts deep into what was once central Badlands transit.
The cost is not theoretical.
It is visible.
“Yes,” I say.
Rethan’s breath catches audibly behind me.
“You cannot—” he begins.
“I can,” I interrupt.
The Alliance advisor glances at Voss, who nods slightly.
“Then we draft preliminary recognition terms,” Voss says.
As the projection shifts to formal language, another alert pulses along the chamber’s periphery.
Elara’s name scrolls across independent system feeds.
“League confirms Analyst Vance resignation effective immediately,” the ticker reads. “No diplomatic immunity retained.”
The shift in the room is immediate.
The League observer stiffens.
Voss turns his head slightly toward Elara.
“You have severed your clearance,” he says.
“Yes,” she replies evenly.
“You stand here without institutional protection.”
