Foundation: 1

In a sun-scorched, post-apocalyptic Australia, survival is not earned-it is calculated.Within a rigid caste system governed by a relentless points ledger, families live under constant surveillance by the ruling Crown Tier. Each month, the system demands balance. The family with the lowest tally is chosen.Their children are taken.Led to the compound gates and offered beyond the walls, sacrifice is reframed as order. Silence is enforced. Grief is punishable. If a parent breaks, the consequences escalate.Mara Hale has spent years mastering control. As a patrol operative, she understands the rules-and the cost of breaking them. But as her family's tally begins to fall, control becomes something far more dangerous: a liability.Beyond the walls, something waits.And inside, the system is tightening its grip.