Three States of Survival

On a tidally locked Earth, survival is divided into three states.The scorched sunside is lethal on the surface, but far below the crust it sustains vast underground cities. Here live the Foundationers—those who maintain the world's energy, industry, and infrastructure from within stone and steel, trading sunlight for stability.The frozen night side belongs to the Darklings. In perpetual cold and darkness, survival is nomadic and tribal, shaped by motion, risk, and hard-won freedom. There are no guarantees—only what you can protect, trade, or outrun.Between them lies the twilight band, a narrow, habitable strip of permanent dusk. It is here that warmth, light, and access are tightly controlled by the Enlightened elite, who rule not through force alone, but through permission.Tabya Calver is a Foundationer, born into the working class beneath the sunside, raised to serve a system she was never meant to question. Supporting her family means obedience—meeting quotas, following rules, and staying invisible.When Tabya is unexpectedly pulled beyond the boundaries of her assigned place, she is exposed to a version of the world she was never meant to see. The assumptions that once kept her safe begin to unravel, and the rules she's lived by reveal deeper, more dangerous edges.Moving between the underground, the twilight cities, and the frozen margins beyond, Tabya is forced to confront a system that doesn't collapse—it functions exactly as designed.Three States of Survival is a dystopian science fiction novel about class, power, and what it costs to remain alive in a world built to keep you in your place.