Chapter 1 — Parade-Ground Perfect
Gray dawn washed Fort Reynolds in steel and symmetry.
Formations gleamed. Boots mirrored the sky. Uniforms were knife-sharp, breaths held, eyes forward. On mornings like this, discipline wasn’t a guideline—it was the air everyone breathed.
The gravel’s crisp crunch announced General Marcus before he came into view. Every soldier knew that rhythm: inspection, precision, consequence.
