The war room was relatively small, an offshoot of the bridge proper, but it was very busy—not with people per se, but machinery, screens, and a general air of unease. These upper floors were much different from the rest of the Aerie; there was no effort here to make things seem organic, or comfortable, or really even habitable. It was sterile in a different way than the medical ward, not to be clean, but rather, to be primed. 

At the center was a round table whose surface was a screen, upon which were dozens upon dozens of smaller windows. Two or three other people sat on the far side, busy, blind and deaf to everything else. Besca and Dahlia were stood at the side closer to the entrance. They both turned to Quinn when she entered.

Besca had her phone up to her ear, and conveyed her odd mixture of worry and ‘[i]I’m happy to see you[/i]’ through a brief smile. Dahlia hurried over to Quinn, hugged her quick. 

“[color=skyblue]There’s a problem with Casoban,[/color]” she said. She looked a bit distressed, like she didn’t have time to word what she was saying any more delicately. “[color=skyblue]Something about a dispute over trade routes with Helburke. Apparently it’s a really big deal for them. They’re dueling over it.[/color]”

Besca gripped one of the chairs and dragged it like she meant to throw it, only stopping herself at the last moment. “[color=gray]How did you agree to this![/color]” she shouted. “[color=gray]How am [i]I[/i] hearing about it after the [i]press[/i]! I’m your f—I’m your [i]commander[/i]![/color]”

Dahlia winced. “[color=skyblue]She’s talking to the Board…ah…Casoban is losing pretty badly. They were going to accept an offer of aid from Eusero, but Toussaint intervened. It would have dissolved our partnership. He talked to our Board, got them to agree to let us step in as their proxy. But, uhm—I think…I think something’s wrong.[/color]”

There was a sharp [i]CRACK[/i] as Besca’s phone impacted the far wall. Her hands went to her face, pressed hard, then she all but collapsed leaning against the table. “[color=gray]Everyone with a college degree get [i]out[/i]. [i]Now.[/i][/color]”

She didn’t have to say it twice. In moments the scant crew had cleared the room, and it was just the three of them left. Dahlia hurried over to her, taking her by the shoulders and coaxing her down into a chair. Besca’s hands shook, she brought them back to her face and rubbed hard at her eye. 

“[color=gray]Quinn…[/color]” she breathed, voice quavering. “[color=gray]Quinn I’m so sorry…[/color]”