MON, 06:00 Barracks Waking up

The shrill siren pierces the cold air of the barracks, signaling the start of another day on Udarnik-15. As the harsh ceiling lights flicker to life, they cast their intense glow over you and your fellow pilots - Wanda, Ada, and Regina - as they stir from slumber. The sudden jolt rouses you all from your dreams with a start, for every morning it only serves as an unsettling reminder of endless combat alerts and precarious living.

Groggy and disoriented, pilots peel themselves away from their mattresses. They quietly rub sleep from their eyes while shuffling towards the narrow windows to gauge what lays ahead. Positioned rows apart within a vast expanse of emptiness marked by 112 identical iron beds, these young souls appear isolated even amongst one another.

Through bleary eyes squinting against the brightness beyond, you take in the familiar desolation outside. The brutalist concrete structures loom menacingly over Tselina-7's vibrant landscapes – grey cancerous growths on an otherwise beautiful canvas smothered by Soviet authority. As dawn emerges, so too does a new day filled with orders awaiting to be carried out.

Around you, Soviet propaganda posters cling doggedly to walls worn down by time and decay; revered symbols that once instilled patriotism into countless generations now serve as cruel reminders of dead heroes' broken destinies. Mingled amongst them stand stoic portraits of military leaders past and present – some lauded for past glories while others await recognition within this forsaken colony.