Night on Deoxy Prime was harsh.
The red star never fully disappeared. It sank behind dust and toxic clouds, turning the sky a dull red. Wind pushed grit across the fortress windows with a dry scraping sound, like something outside feeling for weak spots.
Eli Zenith stood alone in his father's office.
Nothing there was made for comfort. The furniture was heavy and plain, built to survive damage. Maps and tactical screens covered the walls. A long crack in one panel had been repaired but not hidden.
Wilson Zenith had ruled from a war room.
Not a throne.
A chime sounded.
"Enter," Eli said.
Commander Carrow stepped in, boots coated in red dust. He stopped exactly three steps from the desk and stood straight, posture rigid enough to be training or protection.
"You asked for leadership profiles, my lord."
Eli did not turn right away. He watched the dark land beyond the city, where searchlights faded into nothing and movement sometimes appeared where sensors showed nothing.
"LieutenantCarrow," he said quietly, "why should I trust you?"
Carrow did not react.
"Because I did not die with your father," he said.
Eli turned to face him.
"I was supposed to escort him on that mission," Carrow continued. "A security problem delayed me. By the time I arrived…"
His jaw tightened once.
"…there was nothing left."
Silence filled the room.
"I asked to be sent here immediately," he said. "Not for promotion. For atonement."
Eli studied him. Calm pulse. Steady breathing. Direct eye contact. No fear, no performance.
"Anyone can pretend loyalty," Eli said.
"Yes, my lord."
"Anyone could decide I am weak and remove me."
"If that were my plan," Carrow said calmly, "I would not stand this close to you."
A faint hint of amusement crossed Eli's face.
"Why not serve Voss?" he asked. "He was strong."
Carrow answered immediately.
"Voss protects soldiers," he said. "Your father protected the region."
A small but important difference.
Eli let the silence stretch, then nodded.
"For now, I accept your service."
Carrow inclined his head. "Understood."
"The profiles."
"Yes."
Seven holograms appeared above the desk, lighting the room in pale blue.
"Begin," Eli said.
Administrator Garran Voss
A huge figure appeared first. Scarred, powerful, dangerous.
"Former head of security at Military Depot Twelve," Carrow said. "Acting defense administrator."
Footage showed Voss fighting large mutated beasts, covered in dark blood while soldiers gathered behind him.
"He led from the front. His units had the lowest death rate."
Not a politician.
A shield.
"He values survival more than obedience," Eli said.
"Yes."
Intelligence Director Lysa Ren
A thin woman replaced the image, silver implants shining along her temples.
"Genius level analyst. Mutation: weak clairvoyance."
Complex prediction models formed around her.
"She combines data with brief flashes of future insight. Accuracy above normal limits."
Quiet danger.
"She plans for events that have not happened yet," Eli said.
Commodore Alric Hale
An older man appeared, mechanical arm moving with a faint hum.
"Commander of mech forces. Engineer."
Vehicles shifted behind him as if pulled by invisible force.
"Magnetic control. Short range, very precise. Can tear machines apart or reinforce structures during battle."
Someone who could build or destroy defenses.
Doctor Selene Aris
Selene appeared next, looking tired but determined.
"Student of your father's combat medic," Carrow said. "Now chief medical officer."
She knelt beside a wounded soldier as broken bones repaired themselves.
"Mutation: biological control. Accelerates healing, stabilizes shock, redirects body energy."
Eli remembered her concern.
"She wanted me alive," he said quietly.
"Yes."
Commander Ilya Voren
A fast moving figure appeared.
"Recon commander. Elite scout."
Footage showed him crossing terrain faster than tracking systems could follow.
"Extreme speed mutation. Considered the fastest person on the planet. Former personal guard to your father in the field."
Trust earned under fire.
Useful.
Administrators Pell and Venn
Two final figures appeared.
"Pell. Minor light manipulation. Logistics."
"Venn. Structural reinforcement ability. Mining and infrastructure."
Not fighters.
But needed.
"Essential support," Eli said.
"Yes."
The images faded.
Silence returned, broken only by the wind outside.
Eli walked slowly around the desk, thinking about the seven people who could hold the region together or tear it apart.
He stopped.
"Commander," he said, "your mutation."
Carrow answered immediately. "Optic manipulation."
He pulled his rifle smoothly, keeping it pointed at the floor.
Eli did not move.
Carrow raised the weapon toward a blank wall and fired.
A red beam shot out.
Then split apart in midair.
The light scattered into several strands, bent sharply, then rejoined several meters away.
The combined beam burned a clean hole through the armored wall.
Metal glowed at the edges.
Smoke drifted upward.
Carrow lowered the weapon.
"I can bend or redirect light energy, including lasers," he said.
Eli stepped closer to the hole.
"No mirrors. No lenses."
"None needed."
Very useful.
Very dangerous.
"You could fire around corners," Eli said.
"Yes."
"Or redirect incoming shots."
"Yes."
Eli looked back at him.
"And blind someone permanently."
Carrow did not deny it.
"Yes."
Silence again.
Outside, dust storms thickened, deepening the red glow and stretching long shadows across the city.
Eli returned to the desk and placed his hands on it.
"Summon them tomorrow," he said. "All of them."
"Yes, my lord."
Carrow hesitated slightly. "You have not rested since arrival."
Eli looked out at the dark land beyond the walls.
"I will rest," he said quietly, "when this region stops trying to kill itself."
Far away, something roared. Deep. Heavy. Not entirely animal.
Deoxy Prime did not sleep.
Its new Warden would not sleep either.