The air in the Omni-Stellar conference room was chilled and sterile, smelling of recycled air and anxiety. The wall was a single, seamless viewscreen showing a silent, rotating logo. Around the polished black table, three figures sat under the harsh glow of overhead lights.
Jax Vellor, Head of Planetary Security, a man with a jaw so tight it looked carved from stone, stared at the two security officers standing stiffly before the table. The lead guard, Goran, shifted his weight, his hammerhead face slick with sweat.
"Let me make sure I understand this," Vellor said, his voice dangerously quiet. He tapped a finger on the table. "A child. A Cerebrian orphan with no combat training, no resources, and a data cube that could trigger sector-wide sanctions… managed to not only evade your team but was then openly protected by a group of off-worlders in the middle of a crowded thoroughfare. And you… retreated."