Chapter 95: Strangled Events
The heavy-set man grunted. "And if they refuse orders? If they decide their own path is more important than their mission?"
"They won’t... at least the majority." The Chairwoman’s voice carried across the table with unwavering confidence. "We are all fighting for the same thing, and that kind of unity is not as fragile as you believe. Those who waver, those who hesitate—they will be corrected, just as any soldier would be."
"’Corrected?’" The man arched a brow, skepticism thick in his tone. "That’s a polite way of saying you have a contingency plan. Care to share it?"
The Chairwoman’s expression remained unreadable. "Our contingencies are already in place. The System has dictated a reduction to ninety Shard Bearers within two weeks. Those who remain will be the ones capable of following orders, adapting, and proving they deserve the investment placed in them. The rest will... sort themselves out."
That made the table fall silent.
A man with close-cropped silver hair leaned forward, his knuckles pressing into the table. "So we let them fight it out?"
"No." The Chairwoman shook her head. "We let the natural course of selection take place. We observe. We intervene if necessary, but we do not coddle them. The Shard Bearers are not fragile, nor should we treat them as such. Those who falter now would have faltered later when it mattered most."
A woman near the far end of the table, her uniform crisp and adorned with insignia marking years of strategic command, adjusted her seating. "And if they turn against us? If they see us as an obstacle instead of an ally?"
"Then they will have proven they are a liability."
The Chairwoman didn’t blink.
The implication hung heavy in the air.