Aurelian had not known how close Karven Spire had come to becoming another tragedy until the reports began arriving in full.
From orbit, the planet looked calm. Cold clouds moved over the industrial belts, city lights spread across the dark side in hard lines, and the governor's fortress was only one marked point among many on the tactical map.
It was easy to forget, from that height, that one order from a defeated man could have poisoned whole districts and left the Arcturus family inheriting a world full of fear, sickness, and resentment.
That was why he did not allow himself to look away from the details.
The space battle had ended. The station had been captured. The relay had been preserved. But the planet itself was still a problem, and unlike a ship, a planet did not surrender simply because its weapons were gone.
Cassian knew that better than anyone.
