The Mid–Sector 101 — Shathar Planet.
"….."
Hedrick sat motionless before the massive holographic map platform, elbows pressed heavily against its cold metallic frame, both hands clutching his head as though he were trying to contain a storm of thoughts threatening to tear through his skull. His posture alone looked like that of a man who had not slept in days, a commander carrying the weight of an entire starfield on his shoulders.
Before him hovered the detailed projection of the Cosmic Hammer Starfield, a region of space whose major worlds he had once conquered, stabilized, and brought under absolute control. Under normal circumstances, the sight would have been mesmerizing: glowing star clusters scattered like jewels, swirling nebulae blooming like cosmic flowers, and vast curtains of luminous dust drifting through the void—each cloud hiding stories of ancient wars, migrations, and civilizations long forgotten.
But Hedrick saw none of that beauty.
