Captain Selene stood in the House Aurin convoy compound,sat reviewing the latest dispatch with carefully controlled expression.
The communication crystal pulsed with an encoded message from Republic command: Northern trade route cleared. Crawler threats eliminated. Safe passage to Central restored. Departure authorized at commander's discretion.
She read it three times, processing implications with the kind of cold forethought that had kept her alive through two decades of convoy operations.
The route's open, she understood. We can finally leave this nightmare.
Her hand moved to the roster—fifteen Academy candidates officially assigned to her transport. Fifteen names that represented the Republic's investment in future Adept-level or more capability.
Fifteen slots that might now be… fewer.
