The Council Chambers were designed to intimidate.

High ceilings. Formal seating. The full five-person panel arranged above the single chair where the subject sat. Everything about the room was built to make whoever sat in that chair feel small.

I sat in that chair in my uniform and Cassian's jacket, and I composed myself.

The jacket still carried a faint trace of his scent. It was a small comfort, but I needed it.

Five council members watched me from above. Their expressions ranged from ...