"Two minutes!" Zara's voice was a sharp crack of lightning in the chaotic, shaking chamber. "We have to get everyone off this planet now!"
The word went out. On the bridge of the Odyssey, Emma's hands flew across her console, her mind a whirlwind of calculations. The apathy wave was gone, and the crews of the Bastion Alliance fleet were shaking themselves awake, confused but ready.
"All ships, this is Commander Emma," her voice broadcast across the entire fleet, calm and clear despite the chaos. "We are beginning a full-scale emergency evacuation of Asylum.
All transport shuttles, cargo haulers, even fighter ships with extra seats—I want them all heading to the surface. We have millions of civilians to save and less than two minutes to do it. Move!"
It was a logistical nightmare, a task so huge it should have been impossible. But this was what Emma was born to do. She became the calm center of the storm.
