Title: The Empire Strikes Back

Chris's POV

Amara had done it.

I was already pacing in the main control room, eyes flicking between the screens as reports came flooding in. The rebellion was crumbling faster than I could have imagined. My people were everywhere, dismantling the opposition from the inside out, cutting their communication lines, disorienting them, turning their strength into chaos.

Amara had set the stage. She was the hand that pulled the strings, the unseen force guiding the empire's wrath.

I looked to the report detailing Classic's sudden withdrawal from the alliance. I wasn't surprised. It had always been a matter of when, not if. Classic always played for himself, always waiting for the right moment to jump ship.

But Skylar... Christiana... they had never expected her.

I leaned back, watching the chaos unfold across the empire. The streets would be flooded with whispers, but I knew they would soon learn: betrayal comes with a cost.

And in this empire, that cost was alwals paid in full.