The central tactical table hummed to life, projecting a cool, blue topographical map of Vardency across the dim command hub.
The three-dimensional rendering flickered slightly, struggling to process the data through the depot's damaged servers. It illuminated the faces of the Vanguard leaders gathered around it. Roachaline leaned over the projection, the red and violet shards at her chest casting a harsh, conflicting under-light against the blue holograms.
Elias stayed near the back of the room, kneeling on the polished concrete as he packed the remaining gauze and coagulant gel into the canvas medical bag. He kept his movements slow and deliberate. His fractured ribs throbbed a dull, persistent rhythm, a lingering reminder that he was entirely human in a room full of monsters.
