“That’s the idea.”
His mouth flattens. “You think civilian status will make you free of consequence.”
“No,” I say. “I think it will make the consequences mine.”
That lands.
He inclines his head once, not respect exactly, but acknowledgment. “High Command will be informed.”
“Do that.”
He turns to go, then pauses and looks back at me.
“Media channels are already carrying secondary fallout,” he says. “You should know before you step outside.”
A muscle in my jaw tightens. “What fallout?”
Saal glances at his slate. “League legal circles are circulating informal employment guidance regarding Selene Ardent.”
I feel the chamber narrow.
“What guidance.”
He reads it with obvious distaste. “‘Procedural breach, media contamination risk, adversarial institutional conduct.’” His gaze lifts to mine. “In practical terms, she is being blacklisted.”
Pellorin goes very still beside me. “That fast.”
Saal’s tone is dry. “Institutions move quickly when protecting themselves.”
The information lands with all the grace of a blade.
I had known some version of it would happen. Of course I had. Saal practically predicted it before the verdict. But hearing it confirmed, hearing the language already spreading through League legal channels like antiseptic poured over an amputation—it turns anger into something denser.
Colder.
Pellorin breaks the silence first. “Where is she now?”
I already know.
“Outside,” I say.
The chamber no longer contains anything I need.
The administrative custody officer returns at the worst possible moment, carrying what appears to be my release packet and a look of determined relevance.
“Varos, your reduced-security transfer can proceed once?—”
“Now,” Pellorin cuts in.
She blinks. “Once processing confirms?—”
He smiles at her with all the warmth of a knife drawer. “Confirm faster.”
Saal, to his credit, steps aside and says, “Coalition will not contest immediate reduced-security release.”
The officer hesitates. Her eyes flick from Saal to Pellorin to me, as if hoping one of us will transform into someone more manageable.
No luck.
