Cassian had always known the Council didn't tolerate prolonged deviations, but understanding that in theory never prepared anyone for the moment pressure stops being indirect and assumes form, voice, and consequence, because when the call came that time, there was no margin for benevolent interpretation, no space for subtle maneuvers, only the cold realization that time had run out.

The meeting was imposed, not suggested, set at a neutral point in the territory where neutrality only ...