Dead World

The narrative follows a veteran commander who leads an outlaw band of Free Companions to escort a commercial survey across a remote, ice-bound world where refugees from a destroyed planet serve among them. A hardened newcomer from the refugees provokes loyalties, grudges, and choices that test the Company's brutal code and the commander’s past compromises. Contracts, shifting alliances, and the United Galaxies' uneasy oversight frame raids and battles that culminate in catastrophe on the frozen surface, exploring exile, honor, and the human costs of wandering soldiers. The tone balances action with reflection on belonging, duty, and the impossibility of returning home.