The eastern command passage was narrower than Aurelian expected.
The walls had once been part of the old Vhaloric command structure, but the Compact had covered much of the original surface with newer panels, security wiring, and reinforced weapon mounts.
Red emergency lights ran along the floor, giving the entire corridor a dull glow that made every shadow look deeper than it was.
Rhoswen moved first with her shield raised, while Astra stayed close to the right wall and watched the corners ahead.
Aurelian followed them by several steps, carrying four support frames, leaving the rest to guard the route back toward the research sector.
Eirenne remained linked through the local network.
"Commander Yarric has sealed the western access routes," she said. "He is moving the remaining command staff into the central pit and pulling soldiers away from the upper offices."
"He knows we are coming now," Aurelian replied.
"He knows someone entered through the eastern checkpoint. He may not know who."
Rhoswen glanced back.
"That will not last long."
Aurelian agreed.
The passage bent sharply and opened into a small security station. Two guards stood behind a reinforced desk, while another soldier was reaching for an alarm control near the rear wall.
Astra fired before the man’s hand reached it.
Her shot struck the control panel, filling the room with sparks.
Rhoswen crossed the distance almost at once, using the edge of her shield to knock one guard’s weapon aside before he could fire. The support frames took the other two down and restrained them against the floor.
The whole room fell silent again in less than ten seconds.
Eirenne entered the local station through the damaged alarm panel.
"Yarric just received a partial warning."
"How much did he get?" Aurelian asked.
"Only that the eastern security point has been breached."
Rhoswen looked toward the next door.
"So now he definitely knows."
"Yes," Eirenne said.
Aurelian stepped around the ruined desk and checked the passage beyond. The door had not closed yet, but heavy locking bars were already moving into place.
"Open it."
Rhoswen drove her shield between the narrowing doors while the support frames gripped the edges. Metal groaned as the locking system tried to force them shut.
For several seconds, neither side moved.
Then Rhoswen pushed harder.
The door slid open again with a violent scrape, and Astra shot the exposed lock before it could try a second time.
Rhoswen pulled her shield free.
Aurelian looked at the bent frame and nodded once as they continued deeper into the command compound.
The next section was no longer empty.
Compact soldiers had formed a defensive line across a wide junction, using overturned tables, storage cases, and mobile barriers for cover.
Two heavy weapon teams had been placed behind them, while a combat frame waited near the rear.
Yarric was no longer trying to delay them with scattered guards.
He was gathering everything he had left.
Aurelian studied the position for only a moment.
"Astra, right side. Rhoswen, hold the center. Eirenne, shut down the lights when we move."
"I can give you twelve seconds of complete darkness before their emergency power starts."
"That is enough."
Aurelian raised his weapon.
"Now."
Every light in the junction disappeared.
The Compact soldiers opened fire blindly.
Their first shots struck walls, barriers, and the empty corridor where they expected to find Rhoswen.
She was already moving.
Her shield hit the first barricade hard enough to break it apart. Astra fired through the darkness with calm accuracy, disabling the heavy weapons before their crews could adjust to the loss of visibility.
The emergency lights returned.
By then, the defensive line was already broken.
Rhoswen stood in the middle of the junction with one barrier crushed beneath her feet and three soldiers on the ground around her.
The support frames rushed past on both sides of her, using stun weapons and restraint lines against anyone who had not already surrendered.
The combat frame at the rear tried to charge.
Astra hit its left knee.
The machine stumbled but did not fall.
Rhoswen turned just as it reached her.
She caught its arm against her shield and twisted the entire frame sideways, using its own momentum to send it crashing through the remaining defensive line.
The impact scattered Compact soldiers and left the machine trapped beneath broken tables and damaged wall panels.
Aurelian walked forward while the support frames secured the survivors.
One of the heavy weapon officers tried to crawl toward a fallen sidearm.
Aurelian stepped on it before he could reach it.
"Enough."
The man looked up at him, breathing hard.
"They will never let you leave this place."
Aurelian kept his voice calm.
"Your commander is preparing to destroy everyone beneath us, including your own people. You should think carefully about who you are protecting."
The officer looked away.
He did not answer.
Eirenne scanned the local systems.
"Central command is one level below. Yarric has moved the demolition key into the command pit."
"Can he activate it immediately?"
"Not yet. The sanctuary still recognizes your temporary authority, which means the final sequence needs both Compact access and a manual release from the old command console."
Lysara joined the channel from the preservation hall.
"That console may recognize Aurelian, but only if he reaches it before Yarric damages the interface."
Aurelian looked toward the floor display.
"Can Yarric destroy it?"
"Yes," Lysara said. "If he destroys the old console, the demolition charges can still be activated through local triggers, but he will lose the ability to control them as one system."
Rhoswen understood the problem.
"He could send soldiers to each charge."
"Exactly," Lysara replied. "And there are too many charges for us to stop them all."
Aurelian turned toward the stairs leading down.
"Then we reach the console first."
The central command level had been built in a circular chamber beneath the compound.
The outer ring held communication stations, tactical displays, and security controls, while the center dropped several meters into a command pit surrounded by reinforced glass. A single bridge connected the outer floor to the pit.