Commander Yarric stood inside it.
He was larger in person than in the records, wearing heavy command armor with a dark coat fixed over one shoulder.
A thick scar ran from the side of his forehead to the edge of his jaw, and his right hand rested near a metal key unit attached to the main console.
Around him stood nearly thirty soldiers.
More waited across the outer ring.
The moment Aurelian entered, every weapon in the room turned toward him.
Rhoswen raised her shield.
Yarric did not order them to fire.
Instead, he looked at Aurelian across the chamber.
"So you are the Human commander."
Aurelian stepped into view behind the shield.
"Aurelian Arcturus."
"I know the name now."
"Then you also know why I am here."
Yarric looked toward the tactical display, where the lower preservation halls were marked in blue.
"You are here because you believe those people belong to you."
"They belong to themselves."
That answer drew a quiet laugh from Yarric.
"That is a pleasant thing to say when you have armed ships in orbit and soldiers inside their homes."
"This is not their home," Aurelian said. "It is their prison."
Several soldiers around the outer ring shifted slightly.
Yarric noticed.
His expression hardened.
"They were dying when we found them. Their machines were failing, their leaders were gone, and they had no way to defend themselves. The Compact gave them food, power, and purpose."
"You gave them guards."
"We gave them an order."
"You forced them to work."
"They had knowledge we needed."
Aurelian looked around the chamber.
The soldiers here had probably heard the same explanation many times. Perhaps some believed it. Others simply followed orders because it was easier than asking what those orders meant.
Yarric raised his chin.
"You came into Compact territory during a war, attacked our forces, and took control of a strategic facility. You can hide behind whatever noble words you like, but this is still an invasion."
Aurelian did not deny it.
"Yes."
The simple answer seemed to surprise him.
Aurelian continued.
"I invaded because your commander planned to kill everyone in the lower halls rather than lose control of them. I will not apologize for stopping that."
Yarric’s hand moved closer to the key unit.
"You think you have stopped anything?"
Aurelian saw the motion.
So did Astra.
Her weapon shifted only slightly.
Yarric noticed that too.
"If I remove this key," he said, "the demolition network will enter emergency control. Every local station will receive permission to activate its charges."
"Then do not remove it."
Yarric smiled.
"You do not command me."
"No," Aurelian said. "But I am giving you a chance to keep your soldiers alive."
The silence across the chamber became heavier.
Yarric looked at the people around him, perhaps checking whether they still stood firmly with him. Most did, but not all.
Eirenne spoke quietly through Aurelian’s private channel.
"I can cut power to the outer ring, but the command pit has its own supply."
"How long?"
"Eight seconds before backup systems restore the room."
Aurelian watched Yarric’s hand.
"Can you lock the bridge?"
"Yes."
"Do it when I move."
Yarric’s eyes narrowed.
"You are running out of time, Arcturus."
"So are you."
Aurelian raised his left hand slightly.
The outer ring went dark.
At the same moment, the bridge locks engaged.
Yarric pulled the key.
Astra fired.
Her shot crossed the chamber and struck the metal unit in Yarric’s hand. The key spun away, hit the reinforced glass, and fell into the command pit.
Gunfire filled the room.
Rhoswen planted her shield at the entrance, catching the first barrage while the support frames moved around both sides.
Aurelian stayed close behind her and fired at weapon mounts, exposed power units, and the hands of soldiers trying to reach emergency controls.
The darkness lasted only a few seconds, but it broke the defenders’ formation.
When the lights returned, Astra was already halfway around the outer ring.
She moved from station to station, forcing Compact soldiers away from the consoles before they could send local activation orders.
Rhoswen pushed forward through the center.
Several soldiers tried to surround her, but the narrow path between the stations made it impossible to attack together.
She drove one group back with her shield, while the support frames restrained those who had fallen.
Inside the command pit, Yarric shouted orders.
"Activate the local network! Open the western link!"
Eirenne blocked both commands.
"The western link is closed," she told Aurelian. "He is trying to reach a separate transmitter."
A new marker appeared inside the pit.
Aurelian saw the device mounted beneath the central console.
"Rhoswen, bridge."
She turned immediately.
The bridge had locked in its raised position, leaving a gap between the outer ring and the command pit.
Rhoswen did not slow down.
She ran to the edge and jumped.
Her armored frame crossed the distance and landed inside the pit hard enough to shake the floor. Several soldiers lost their footing.
Yarric turned toward her.
For the first time, his confidence slipped.
Rhoswen brought her shield down on the transmitter before he could reach it.
The device broke apart beneath the strike.
"Carefully," she said.
Yarric drew a heavy sidearm and fired at close range.
The shot hit Rhoswen’s shoulder and forced her back, but it did not break the armor.
She looked at the mark.
"That was rude."
Yarric fired again.
Rhoswen caught the second shot on her shield and drove forward.
Their collision sent both of them into the central console.
Yarric was strong, stronger than most Compact officers Aurelian had faced, and his armor clearly enhanced his movement.
He struck Rhoswen across the side of the helmet and tried to force her away from the console.
It did not work.
Rhoswen caught his arm and twisted.
The armor joint locked.
Yarric tried to bring up his other weapon, but Astra reached the pit from the opposite side and shot it from his hand.
He froze.
Rhoswen forced him to his knees.
Across the outer ring, the remaining Compact soldiers saw their commander fall.
Some continued fighting.
Most did not.
One by one, weapons hit the floor.
Aurelian crossed the bridge after Eirenne lowered it and entered the command pit.