Solar Guardians

Origins of the Solar Guardians

When the Collapse hit, the power went first.

Grids failed within days. Fuel stopped moving. Transformers burned out. Whole parts of the city went dark and stayed dark. Elevators froze. Water pumps stopped. Clinics lost power and people died.

The people who knew how to fix these things did not leave. Maintenance workers, solar contractors, and off-grid technicians stayed behind because their skills still mattered. They pulled panels from rooftops. They stripped wire from empty malls. They dragged batteries out of flooded basements. They wired together whatever still worked.

They did not call themselves a faction. They were small crews keeping a few lights on so people could drink water, charge radios, and survive another night.

Then raiders learned where the panels were.

When panels were burned or stolen, people died soon after. Water stopped. Clinics shut down. Communication went silent. The crews learned fast that power systems had to be defended, or nothing else mattered.

That belief hardened over time. Keeping power running stopped being just work. It became a rule they would kill for.

How Belief Replaced Practical Work

As the crews grew larger and fought more battles, their thinking changed.

Solar power was no longer just a tool. It became the last thing in the world that could still be trusted. The sun rose every day. Panels turned that light into life. If the panels failed, everything else followed.

They started treating solar sites like sacred ground. New members were trained beside working arrays. Damaging a panel became more serious than theft or assault. Anyone who endangered the grid was treated as a threat to everyone.

Over years of fighting and merging crews, these groups became one force. They took the name Solar Guardians.

Their core rules were simple:

• Power must never go out.

• Power goes first to those who help protect it.

• Anyone who destroys solar systems is treated as an enemy.

They did not hide what they believed. They told people directly: order only exists if the lights stay on.

Captain Anya Brights

Anya Brights was a systems engineer before the Collapse. She built one of the first stable power networks in the ruins that became the Solar Sprawl.

She organized repairs. She set clear rules. She pushed other crews to share parts, schedules, and defenses. When disputes came up, she settled them fast.

People followed her because her grids worked and stayed working.

Under her leadership, the Guardians stopped acting like loose crews and started acting like an army with engineers at its core.

Organization and Roles

The Solar Guardians run on strict structure.

Captain Brights leads everything. She controls both military decisions and technical policy. Her authority comes from her history, her knowledge, and her refusal to bend rules.

Below her, the Guardians are split into clear roles:

• Grid Commanders manage specific power zones. They are responsible for repairs, output, and keeping systems running.

• Field Captains lead armed patrols. They guard convoys, protect power sites, and clear threats.

• Sunward Priests train new members and enforce discipline. They teach both skills and belief.

At the ground level, Guardians fall into two groups:

• Lines do the work. They climb towers, replace panels, fix wiring, and rebuild systems.

• Lances fight. They guard the Lines, defend sites, and attack anyone threatening the grid.

Equipment and Weapons

Guardian gear reflects their purpose.

They wear powered suits with armor, temperature control, and strength assist. The suits are easy to see and marked clearly so people know who controls the power.

Some suits carry small solar surfaces to power internal systems. This lets Guardians operate longer without resupply.

Weapons are chosen for control and endurance. Rifles, energy weapons when available, and standardized firearms are common. Heavy units use railguns, coil weapons, or heat projectors powered by solar charge.

Drones scout, watch roads, and support patrols.

Every weapon and suit is tracked. Losing gear or letting it fall into enemy hands is treated as a serious crime.

How Orders and Decisions Work

Information flows upward. Patrol reports, sensors, and civilian tips go back to command centers.

Commanders decide priorities based on threat and risk. A damaged panel, a nearby shambler nest, or raiders near a cable route are all handled through the same system.

Once a decision is made, it is followed. The Guardians do not like changing plans.

This makes them effective. It also makes them rigid.

The Solar Sprawl

The Solar Sprawl is the Guardians’ main territory.

Before the Collapse, it was half-built city blocks and broken highways. Afterward, it became a ruin.

The Guardians cleared it piece by piece. They killed or drove out raiders and infected. They rebuilt power routes and tied everything together.

Today, the Sprawl is covered in panels. Rooftops, parking decks, and plazas hold arrays. Thick cables run through armored conduits. Batteries sit behind fences and guard posts.

Substations control the flow of power. Housing clusters around them.

People who live there agree to Guardian rules. In return, they get stable power. Lights work. Water pumps run. Devices can be charged on schedule.

Life is still hard, but it is safer than outside.

Who Gets to Live There

Entry into the Sprawl is controlled.

Refugees can apply, but approval depends on skills, behavior, and usefulness. Technicians, medics, laborers, and fighters are favored.

People seen as unreliable or resistant to rules are turned away.

The Guardians are honest about the trade. You give up freedom. You get light.

Power Quotas and Discipline

Every building and household has a power limit.

Basic power covers lighting, water, and minimal comfort. Extra power must be earned through work, service, or skill.

Using more than allowed leads to cuts. Tampering with meters or running illegal devices leads to inspections. Inspectors arrive armed and can seize equipment or force relocation.

Punishments are public. Power cuts. Removal from good housing. Expulsion from the Sprawl.

The Guardians believe fear keeps the grid safe.

Life Under Guardian Control

Many residents support the Guardians.

Shamblers rarely break through. Raiders are hunted quickly. Clinics stay open. Children grow up with light at night.

Others hate them.

Privacy is limited. Independent projects are shut down. Speaking against power rules can be treated as sabotage.

Most people comply because the alternative is worse.

Some secretly steal power or run hidden lines with help from smugglers. If caught, they lose everything.

This is life in the Solar Sprawl.

The lights stay on because the Guardians are willing to enforce that rule without mercy.