The command hall thrummed with life, soft blue lights rippling across high-tech interfaces. Holographic panels hovered in front of Ethan, the Fortress now partially functional and responsive to his commands.
But what consumed his focus wasn't the repair logs or system diagnostics.
It was the Survivor Log.
Survivor Log Status: EMPTY
[Current Population: 1 (Commander Ethan Cross)]
Initiating external bioscan...
Ethan tapped the interface, and a 3D projection of the region emerged—a devastated cityscape stretched across a fractured landmass, radiation zones marked in red, ruins blinking yellow, and one faint pulsing green dot… moving.
Lifeform Detected – Status: CriticalLocation: Sector A-17, 3.6 km northeastClassification: CivilianCondition: Malnourished, Injured
Recommendation: Immediate Retrieval
Auto-marked for Priority Rescue Operation.
"Still alive…?" Ethan murmured, eyes narrowing.
He studied the terrain. The roads were choked by collapsed skyscrapers and unstable wreckage. Radiation hotspots peppered the direct path, and unknown hostiles registered intermittently on the outer scan edge.
But none of that deterred him.
He opened his personal locker and suited up—military-grade exo-armor, slightly rusted but still serviceable. He holstered an old plasma sidearm, grabbed a compact medkit, and activated a reinforced oxygen mask.
The system chimed as he prepared to depart.
[Quest Initiated: Rescue Operation – Civilian Lv.0]
Objective: Secure and return the survivor to Fortress Omega.
Rewards Upon Success:• +10 System Credits• +2 Fortress Morale• Basic Survivor Shelter Expansion Unlocked
Optional Bonus: Provide Medical Aid on Site (+5 SC)
Ethan keyed open the main gate, and the outer hatch whirred to life.
Beyond it... lay a dead world.
Skies were cloaked in crimson clouds, and ash drifted like snow across broken towers. The once-bustling metropolis was now a field of death—twisted metal, shattered glass, and scorched earth.
He stepped out, and the Fortress sealed behind him.
[Time: +23 Minutes into Rescue Operation]
The city groaned as Ethan moved through its corpse.
Every alley was a risk. Every corner could hide scavengers—both human and not.
At one point, a shadow flickered past a collapsed wall. His hand hovered near his weapon, but no threat emerged.
Finally, he reached Sector A-17.
The life signal grew stronger, pulsing faster on his scanner. Ethan quickened his pace, clearing a rusted gate, and heard it—
Whimpering.
He moved rubble aside and spotted her.
A girl—no older than 16—curled under a collapsed bus stop. Her leg was crushed beneath a steel beam, face pale with dehydration. She looked up at him with eyes so wide, so filled with disbelief, that he almost flinched.
"You're… real?" she whispered.
"I'm taking you somewhere safe," Ethan said, kneeling.
She didn't resist as he pulled out the medkit, injecting her with a nanite stabilizer and splinting her leg.
[Optional Bonus Completed – Field Aid Delivered]• +5 System Credits Granted
He lifted her gently, scanning the area once more before retreating through a longer, safer path back toward Fortress Omega.
[Time: +1 Hour, 48 Minutes into Operation]
The main gate hissed open.
Inside, the girl stirred in his arms, blinking against the sterile lights. Ethan carried her into the medbay, freshly powered, and laid her on the reactivated diagnostic bed.
[Rescue Operation Complete]
• Civilian Survivor Secured
Rewards Granted:• +10 System Credits• +2 Fortress Morale• Basic Shelter Pod x1 (Auto-deployed)
Bonus:• +5 System Credits (Medical Aid Bonus)
Total Earned: +17 System Credits
[Survivor Log Updated – Population: 2]
A soft ding echoed through the control room.
The System wasn't just giving points. It was evolving.
A new interface appeared.
[Fortress Management Update]
New Features Unlocked:• Shelter Pod Deployment• Survivor Role Assignment• Nutrition and Sanitation Stations (Tier 1)
Current Survivor:Name: UnknownStatus: Civilian Lv.0Skills: Undetermined
Auto-generating ID Card…Assigned Role: Rest & Recovery
Ethan leaned back in the chair, watching the girl sleep under the warm glow of sterilizers.
One saved.
Tens of thousands to go—maybe millions, scattered across the ruined planet.
But it was a start.
And he had a Fortress, a System, and a mission.
He stood up.
"Next," he muttered.