The training room felt suffocating in the silence that followed Lucas's admission. His teammates stared at him with expressions ranging from confusion to outright shock. The holographic training systems had powered down, leaving them in the sterile white light of the room's basic illumination.
"Your family owns a star system," Sophie repeated slowly, as if saying the words again might make them make sense. "Like... actually owns it?"
Lucas nodded, his grip tightening on the envelope. "Three planets, two asteroid mining operations, and yes, a private military force that's been fighting Harbingers for over two centuries."
"Two centuries?" Diana's voice was sharp with disbelief. "That's impossible. Harbingers only arrived on Earth nearly a century ago when the seed crashed into our core."
"No," Lucas said quietly. "That's when they arrived on Earth. But you know they've been moving through the galaxy much longer than that."
