The old Echo Bloom lattice chamber on Eden Prime no longer hummed with uncontrolled energy. Technicians had stripped out the raw resonance arrays months ago and installed fixed lighting panels, reinforced seating rows, and a central dais for meetings.
The space now functioned as the main governance hall, holding over two hundred people on any given session day.
Station administrators in gray uniforms mixed with academy instructors in plain tunics and guild leaders from the rim stations who still carried the worn tools of their trade on their belts.
Elara sat at the center of the dais. Lira stood to her right, tablet in hand, while a rotating group of rim representatives occupied the left chairs. Today's crowd filled every seat. The air felt thick with impatience.
Governor Harlan's holo-image appeared on the main display, sharp despite the transmission lag from his station. "The grants keep coming, which is good. Food, parts, medicine.
