"Both," Balede Sugandomer said, cutting through the tension in the room.
"Both scenarios are tricky." He leaned back in his chair, the metal creaking beneath his weight. "I would lean towards the latter to minimize the casualties."
A pause. Heavy. The kind that made everyone hold their breath.
"You know..." Balede's jaw tightened. He stopped himself, teeth catching his lower lip. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter. "The pressing matter for them are—" He bit down harder this time, the words fighting to stay inside. "Their people. Held captive. That's what's driving them."
It was true. The Earthians couldn't think about anything else. Every strategy session circled back to the same desperate question: How do we get them back?
Inside Jasmine's suite, the air felt too still.
