The news landed in the silent room like a physical weight. Rex leaned back, the command chair creaking softly from his weight. He wasn't looking at a report of conquest but of scouring. A mop-up operation on a graveyard world.
"Understood," he finally said; the word felt heavy on his mouth. "Secure the orbit. Maintain the blockade. Ensure nothing... gets out."
"Acknowledged." The screen went dark, leaving Rex alone in the gloom, the image of a world already dead hanging in the air between him and the empty viewer. Outside, the war thundered on, but in here, there was only the cold, quiet understanding of what they were truly facing.
