By the time Aurelian left the fabrication yard with Lysara and Astra, the next step was already waiting for him.
He had barely crossed back into the central administrative wing when Astra, who was following next to him, informed him that Seris and Meren had sent word from the bastion.
They had spoken with the awakened population under their oversight and reached an initial result much faster than most ordinary groups would have.
That did not surprise him much. Once awakened minds understood that the choice before them was real, they usually made up their minds quickly.
The long hesitation came before that, when everything still felt uncertain, and no one knew whether the future being offered to them was genuine or just another cage with a cleaner shape.
"Bring them through," Aurelian said as he stepped into the command room.
A few moments later, Seris and Meren appeared on the main display through a stabilized link from the bastion.
