The days following the battle passed in a blur of recovery and tension. Camilla worked tirelessly with the medics, tending to the wounded and ensuring the soldiers were stabilized before the next wave of chaos could hit. Though the fighting had subsided for now, the tension in the air was palpable. Everyone knew it wasn't over—not by a long shot. The insurgents were still out there, regrouping, and the Senate's forces were pushing harder than ever to exert their control over the Citadel.
Camilla couldn't shake the feeling that the quiet between the battle's aftermath was just the calm before another storm. And yet, despite the looming uncertainty, there was something else that weighed on her: Aiden. She hadn't seen him much in the days following the operation, and even when she did, he se
