Aurelian, who had spent the last few days on vacation, remained on the outer terrace while his father's meeting had started elsewhere in the estate.
The night air over the Arcturus grounds felt cooler than usual, carrying the distant hum of ships moving through the orbital lanes above the capital world.
From where he stood, he could see transport lights cutting through the dark sky in long, clean lines, some descending toward the main starport while others lifted back into orbit with the kind of steady control you expected from one of the Alliance's strongest family territories.
Beside him, Astra stood with her hands behind her back, calm as always, watching the same traffic overhead.
Aurelian glanced at her and smiled faintly.
"You've been looking at that same lane for five minutes."
Astra turned her head toward him without losing that calm expression.
"I was just thinking about where these ships were going."
"Of course you were."
