The comm channel stayed quiet for three full seconds after Lila finished talking.
"Explain," Brooks said finally. "All of it. Right now."
"Sirius Prime." Lila's voice came through steady despite everything. "You all remember the account Team Seven gave. Commander Cassandra wanted to bomb the planet to kill Kruel outright, before Noah ever stepped in and handled it himself. That's not a new idea. That's precedent."
"That's one four-horn," Angel said. "This is a five."
"I know what it is." Lila kept going before anyone could cut in further. "Think about the actual record. Humanity's faced two four-horns total. Both times we won, the Supreme General was physically present. Every other time we've beaten a four-horn since, Noah was the one standing there doing it. Kruel, a few months back, that took Noah pulling off something nobody else in this faction could replicate. That's the actual math. Two certified variables, and neither one of them is anywhere near this planet right now."
