The air in the hidden chamber of the rogue asteroid base was thick with the smell of ozone, recycled air, and the distinct, electric tang of conflicting ideologies. Roewi’s bastion was no longer just a concept; it was a series of caverns and tunnels, their walls smoothed to a glassy finish by the Orb of Foundation’s gentle persuasion. It was a womb of potential in the cold dark, and now, it was hosting its first, fraught gathering.
They stood in a rough circle under the soft, bioluminescent glow of fungi Roewi had coaxed from the asteroid’s mineral-rich substrate. Roewi himself was the calm, tired center. To his right stood Myra, her arms crossed, a data-slate held tight like a shield. To his left was Kael, the former Marauder leader, his hydraulic-enhanced frame making the cavern seem sm
