In less than a day, Aurelian led Solenne and Rhoswen to the dead world mentioned in the clue.
This time, he did not bring Astra with him. She remained over Larkspur Haven, where the situation still needed a steady hand more than another gun.
Astercourt stayed with her as well, continuing the slow work of turning temporary control into actual order, something that could hold even after the fighting ended.
When the fleet reached the dead planet, the view below them was bleak, making it hard to look at; you would always sigh and want to stay away from here, and all of this is because of what it represents.
There were still traces of civilization on the surface, old building clusters, road grids, launch platforms, and broken industrial zones, but everything had long since been swallowed by silence and neglect.
