illphated
The Martian dusk never truly brought darkness—only the shifting glow of neon skies. Beneath the pulsing billboards and the hovering city spires of Crimson Haven, the five riders thundered across the red dunes, robotic steeds kicking up clouds of Martian dust under the twin moons.
They were family—not by blood, but by bond.
Juno, the matriarch, led the charge. Her cybernetic eye glowed blue, scanning for movement with every breath. She’d raised all four of them after the last war left their home smoldering. Now, she was riding again—for her grandchildren.
Beside her, Ares, the quiet one, had once been a weapons engineer. His gauntlets pulsed with old tech—illegal, forgotten tech from the Terran Exodus. He’d sworn never to use them again… until last night.
Behind him rode Kael and Riko, twins of opposite temperaments. Kael, the schemer, always had a device for every crisis. Riko, the brute, didn’t need gadgets—her fists, reinforced with alloy and vengeance, were enough.
And in the back, always watching their flanks, was Lina, youngest but sharpest. She never stopped scanning the sky. Because it wasn’t just bandits on the ground—they were being followed. The Children of Eclipse had taken the family’s kin for ransom, believing no one would dare cross the Red Barrens to get them back.
They were wrong.
Thirty-seven hours they rode without rest. Past dust storms that turned blood-red, over collapsed skyrails and forgotten colonies. They dodged raiders, outwitted AI sentries, and passed through ghost towns still haunted by rogue droids.
And when they arrived at the outpost—half-dug into the canyon wall like a parasite—they didn’t hesitate. The gate burst into flames before the guards even realized they were under attack.
The battle wasn’t long. It was swift. Brutal. Beautiful.
Juno found the children in a stasis cell, frightened but unharmed. As she cradled her granddaughter in her arms, tears slipped down her metal cheek. Kael joked to lighten the mood, and Riko punched him—gently this time.
They didn’t ride for vengeance. They rode for love.
And under the neon-pink sky, with Crimson Haven’s glow behind them and the children safe between them, the five family members rode home—not as heroes, but as protectors.
Because on Mars, family is the only thing worth saving.