A New Path Forward

Lena sat alone in her quarters, the room dimly lit by the soft glow of the stars outside. Her fingers brushed against the cold surface of a worn map, a remnant from the early days of the war. She had been given time to process her situation—time to think about what had been taken from her and what still remained.

The core was no longer at her disposal, and with it, the overwhelming power it provided. The loss was still sharp, still fresh, but there was something else now too—an ember of clarity that had begun to burn inside her. She was no longer tethered to something alien, something that had been manipulating her emotions and decisions. In a way, it felt like freedom.

But that freedom came with a cost. The Alliance was fractured, and Lena knew that the road ahead would be difficult. Regaining their trust wasn't going to be easy. She couldn't just rely on speeches or promises. She needed to prove herself—prove that she still had what it took to lead.