The Association evaluation lasted five days, officials examining every aspect of coalition operations while Director Kaelen observed with expression that revealed nothing about her intentions. They inspected defensive positions, reviewed administrative records, interviewed settlement residents, counting population and cataloging resources with bureaucratic precision.
Misha handled most interactions, her administrative expertise navigating the documentation requirements while preventing excessive access to sensitive information. The balance was delicate, show enough compliance to satisfy evaluation criteria while protecting operational details that Association didn't need to know.
"Your population has doubled since protected status was established," one official noted, reviewing census data that showed ten thousand people across coalition territory, "growth rate exceeds sustainable development parameters for independent governance."
