The atmosphere in Block O was thick with the scent of ozone and the rhythmic clank of heavy machinery. Khalid entered the Army Meeting Hall, a vast, utilitarian space where the air was cold and the walls were draped in blood-red banners. Each flag bore the crest of a Ram’s head—the ancient, stubborn symbol of the House of Ghazzawi.

  As he stepped onto the polished floor, the sound was deafening: thousands of boots clicking together as every soul in the room dropped to their knees. "Long live Your Highness!"

  The military might of the Ghazzawi family was staggering. They commanded one billion active personnel on Eremos and another 300 million stationed in the occupied shadows of Oros. This titanic force was organized into battalions led by Majors, all reporting to seven High Generals who answered only to the head of the house.

  Among the kneeling men, one stood up with a measured, disciplined grace. This was Zaid Ghazzawi.

  Zaid was the eldest son of Suleman Ghazzawi, born to a sub-human concubine two years before Bilal. He was a living testament to the "Barrier of Nature." Despite his Human father, Zaid was anatomically a sub-human; he possessed no Vakra, no crimson eyes, and no hope of ever ascending to the throne. In this universe, the union of a Human and a sub-human produces an offspring that resembles the sub-human parent entirely. While the Law allows these children to carry the prestigious surname—a tactical move by Humans to provide the sub-human masses with a false sense of upward mobility—they are barred from Human affairs. They are the elite of the "low," but they can never be "high."

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  Zaid looked at Khalid, his eyes reflecting a mixture of fraternal loyalty and military pragmatism. "Brother," he said, his voice steady. "What is your command?"

  Khalid surveyed the maps of the star systems projected in the center of the hall. "Prepare twenty of your strongest, most elite men," he commanded. "I am going in first."

  A heavy silence fell over the room. One of the other Generals, a veteran of a hundred skirmishes, stepped forward, his face pale. "Your Highness... that is beyond dangerous. You are the last True Human of this line. We cannot risk the extinction of the house on a vanguard raid."

  Khalid’s head snapped toward the man. His crimson eyes flared with a sudden, violent intensity. "Are you questioning my decision, General?"

  The man recoiled as if struck, his knees hitting the floor again in a panic. "No, sir! Forgive me!"

  Zaid stepped into the gap, his tone softened but firm. "Brother, it is a suicidal move. The Mallick defenses are—"

  "I didn't ask for a lecture on probability, do as I say" Khalid interrupted, his voice like grinding stones. "Tell the Head of Intelligence to find us a way to slip in undetected. I want a silent entry. I don't want to hear another complaint, another doubt, or another word of caution."

  Khalid turned on his heel, his black bisht billowing behind him as he exited the hall. He left the one of the most powerful men on the planet standing in stunned silence.