Concrete dust crunched under the heavy treads of the Vanguard transport rover. The suspension groaned as Torqa steered the vehicle through the fortified barricades. Elias braced his boots against the floorboard. His fractured ribs throbbed with every pothole.
Marcus sat rigid beside him. The tech recruit stared out the scratched window. The intact Federation city sprawled around them. Tall apartment blocks rose against the gray sky. Streetlights hummed with steady electrical power. Civilians navigated the open markets, bartering for scavenged goods. Red Vanguard banners draped across every intersection.
Roachaline Vaslix had built an empire inside a quarantine zone.
The rover banked hard. Torqa drove them toward the massive government building dominating the city center. Armed patrols flanked the entrance. The soldiers wore mismatched Federation armor stripped of official insignias.
Torqa slammed the brakes. The vehicle ground to a halt.
"Out," Torqa commanded.
