A Block did not greet Elias as much as measure him.
Near the training mats, Kikaru Yirazawa watched him with her arms folded and her posture too straight to be comfortable. Short blond hair framed a face that had already decided discipline was more useful than kindness. Her uniform looked modified for movement, armor panels fitted over dark green fabric with nothing loose enough to catch.
Dot hovered near Elias's shoulder and looked past her.
"One of the Ikonas is waving at me from the couch, and I choose to consider that progress."
A snake-like Ikona coiled around a man's forearm and flicked its head in Dot's direction. Across the room, a bird-shaped one perched on a red-haired woman's shoulder while the woman pretended not to watch the newcomer.
Elias felt the attention settle on his badge: Low Perception Watch.
Wonderful first impression, if humiliation was the goal.
Oliver stepped beside him and raised his voice enough to cut through the room.
"This is Elias Kael, eighth assignment to A Block. Treat him under the same rules that applied when each of you arrived. If you start something, I will assume you want additional supervision."
That earned more attention than Elias did.
Oliver pointed toward the sleeping pods. "Kael, move your gear into the open pod, change, and report back at the top of the hour. Medical testing comes first, and the walk is ten minutes if you do not stop to ask philosophical questions at every locked door."
"I will save my best questions for the locked doors with guards."
"That was not meant as encouragement."
Oliver looked over the block once more. "The prior A-08 occupant has been transferred to D Block. Intake numbers will increase this week. When we reach forty confirmed bearers, command will begin wider trials. Until then, keep to your assigned regimen and avoid making the staff regret giving you furniture."
He left through the sealed door.
Silence held for about three seconds before Kikaru crossed the room.
She stopped close enough that Elias had to decide whether stepping back would look weak. He stayed still and accepted being inspected like an unclean knife.
"Kikaru Yirazawa is my name here," she said. "Current top performer in A Block. If you want to test yourself, ask before wasting my time."
Elias held out a hand. "Elias Kael, current bottom performer in at least one visible category, and nice to meet you."
Kikaru looked at his hand and did not take it.
"You are older than I expected."
"You are blunter than I expected," Elias said, and Kikaru answered without blinking. "That saves time for everyone involved."
"Usually it just gets me in trouble."
A man on the couch laughed without getting up. He had a knife in one hand and kept flipping it end over end with a carelessness that made Elias's palm itch. The shard at the handle caught the light whenever it turned.
"You two done establishing dominance, or should the rest of us keep pretending the provisional badge is interesting?"
Elias lowered his hand. "I have done enough fighting today, so if dominance can wait until after medical testing, I would appreciate it."
Kikaru's expression moved by a fraction.
Not approval. Less dismissal, maybe.
The man on the couch caught the knife by the handle. "Good luck getting everyone to cooperate because we all got stabbed by shiny space junk. These little creatures do not make us a team; they make us monitored."
The snake Ikona lifted its head as if offended.
The man ignored it.
"The sooner testing ends, the sooner I go back to my country and spend a week doing nothing useful."
"That is technically a functional plan," Elias said. "Not a noble one, but a plan."
"Noble plans get people volunteering for extra pain."
Kikaru watched Elias's reaction.
He could feel it. She was not only judging strength. She was checking whether he would try to give a speech.
He did not.
"I am not here to recruit roommates into a cause before I find my bed," Elias said. "But the Doctor mentioned requirements, and the military is already treating us like a shared problem. Pretending we are separate might feel good, but it will not stay true."
The red-haired woman near the wall lifted one eyebrow. Nobody else answered.
That was fine.
Elias adjusted the pack on his shoulder and looked toward the row of pods.
Eight metal capsules lined the far wall, each one labeled and sealed. The last one glowed with his temporary assignment.
A-08.
Dot drifted beside him. "The room has decided you are official."
"The room has poor judgment so far."
He started toward the pod with every pair of eyes following him differently.
Curiosity from some, suspicion from Kikaru, and amusement from the man with the knife.
Elias had been in A Block for less than five minutes, and already he understood one thing clearly.
No one here wanted to be managed.