Ch 50: Standing Still
Three months had passed since Kael and Mira arrived in Gron, yet time felt strangely different here. It wasn't the desperate, frantic rush of survival they had known in the Blanks. There were no patrols to evade, no wasteland horrors lurking behind the next dune.
For the first time in years, life was… still.
Kael wasn't sure if he liked it.
He sat at his workbench, carefully disassembling a salvaged energy cell, its outer casing corroded from time and exposure. The workshop was dimly lit, the hum of cooling fans filling the air as sparks danced from a welding torch in the corner.
Kael wasn't the only one drawn to Gron's underground tech scene. The city's ability to function independently of the Consortium had fostered an entire subculture of tinkerers, engineers, and smugglers—some with noble intentions, others just looking to make a profit.
He had already made a name for himself in the right circles. His ability to repurpose old tech into working systems had earned him steady work, both legal and otherwise.
Today's job was simple: stabilize an unstable power source for a local factory. But as he worked, his mind drifted.
This wasn't a challenge.
He knew how to fix it, and it would take him no more than an hour. The same was true for most of the work he had taken on recently. It was useful, sure—but was it enough?
"You're overthinking again."
Kael glanced up to see Lira, one of the shop's more experienced technicians, leaning against the doorway.
"That obvious?" he muttered.
Lira smirked. "You've been staring at that cell for ten minutes. Either you're having a philosophical crisis, or you're trying to fix it with your mind."
Kael sighed, setting his tools down. "What's the point of fixing things if nothing ever changes?"
Lira raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly do you want to change?"
He didn't have an answer.
Mira, on the other hand, was restless in a different way.
She had spent the first week in Gron doing nothing. The second week, she tried to find work, only to realize she had no idea what she was even looking for.
She didn't belong with the mechanics and engineers. She had no patience for the merchants and traders. She even considered security work, but the idea of standing at a gate all day made her want to tear her hair out.
Gron was a good city—clean, efficient, self-sufficient. Its people didn't live in fear of raiders or the Consortium's reach.
But Mira felt out of place.
She had spent so long fighting, surviving, moving forward. And now? There was no forward.
Just stillness.
She found herself at a small training hall one evening, watching fighters spar in a makeshift ring. It wasn't military combat—more of a refined street-fighting style, fast and precise.
One of the fighters, a wiry man with a scar across his jaw, noticed her watching.
"You interested, or just judging?" he asked, stepping out of the ring.
Mira shrugged. "Maybe both."
The man smirked. "Step in, then. Let's see what you got."
Mira hesitated, then nodded.
The moment she stepped into the ring, her body remembered what to do. The weight shift, the balance, the way she sized up her opponent in an instant.
The fight was quick. A few exchanges, then Mira swept his leg and pinned him before he could react.
The man tapped the mat, laughing. "Damn. You've done this before."
"Something like that," Mira muttered, pulling away.
"Name's Orin," he said, standing up. "If you're looking for work, there's always a place for someone with your skills."
Mira frowned. "Doing what?"
Orin smirked. "That depends. You looking to fight for sport? Or something else?"
She didn't answer right away.
Because the truth was—she didn't know.
Later that night, Kael and Mira sat outside their small apartment, watching the city lights flicker in the distance.
"You ever feel like we're just… waiting?" Mira asked.
Kael exhaled. "Yeah."
She glanced at him. "What are we waiting for?"
Kael thought about it.
And for the first time, he wasn't sure.