Ch 59: Personal Pursuits

Kael woke up later than usual. His body had adjusted to the rigid schedule of working in the factory district, but today was different—his first full day off in weeks. No power grids to inspect, no underground tech jobs, no late-night chases through the city's industrial underbelly.

He sat up, stretching the stiffness from his back, then reached for the small holo-pad on the bedside table. The soft blue glow of the interface flickered to life, displaying a list of ongoing personal projects. Most were half-finished, some abandoned, but all were pieces of the knowledge he had been steadily accumulating over the past three months.

He had learned more in this city than he had in years.

Morning – Circuits and Code

The workshop Kael rented was small—barely enough space for a single workbench, a 3D metal printer capable of fabricating small precision components, and a wall-mounted datapad he used for research. It was cluttered with salvaged components from old Consortium terminals, broken sensor nodes, and whatever he had managed to scavenge from Gron's underground markets.

He grabbed a damaged processing unit from his pile, setting it onto the bench. A month ago, he wouldn't have known where to begin. Now, he at least understood the basics—power routing, circuit logic, the difference between hardened neural cores and standard computational matrices.

With careful precision, he used a fine-tip soldering laser to repair a burnt-out connection on the unit's primary logic gate.

He ran a test.

The small diagnostic slate lit up, indicating partial functionality.

Kael exhaled, smirking to himself. Three months ago, he would've thrown the entire thing out. Now, he was learning to rebuild.

Midday – Chemistry Experiments

After a quick meal from a street vendor—a skewered mix of grilled protein and engineered greens—Kael returned to his workshop for another experiment.

He pulled out a sealed containment vial filled with a translucent liquid—an industrial solvent repurposed from Gron's old chemical plants. Carefully, he poured a small sample into a glass container, then introduced a reactive catalyst.

The liquid frothed, shifting in color.

Kael noted the reaction speed, comparing it to previous trials. This particular mixture was something he had been working on for weeks—an adhesive compound with resistance to high temperatures and corrosive environments. If he could refine the formula, it could be useful for both mechanical repairs and—potentially—combat applications.

He jotted down some notes.

His chemistry had improved drastically. Before Gron, he understood only the basics—enough to mix rudimentary explosives or stabilize medicinal compounds. Now, he was learning polymer synthesis, reaction kinetics, and the properties of advanced materials scavenged from pre-war ruins.

The more he understood, the more he realized how little he actually knew.

Afternoon – Mathematics and Physics

Kael took a break, sitting by the window of his workshop, flipping through a contraband textbook he had bought from one of his underground contacts. It was filled with handwritten notes—someone else's attempt at decoding higher-level physics.

He had never been formally taught, and much of it still escaped him.

But he was starting to see patterns.

Simple kinematics helped him understand projectile motion better. Thermodynamics explained why plasma turbines required specific cooling systems. Even electromagnetic field theory, while far beyond his grasp, hinted at why energy weapons worked the way they did.

He wasn't a scientist.

But he was becoming a problem solver.

Evening – Awareness of the World

As the sun dipped behind the towering structures of Gron, Kael found himself sitting atop one of the city's elevated walkways, watching the distant power containment towers blink in steady intervals.

Three months ago, he had only thought of the Consortium as the dominant force in the world.

Now, he knew better.

Through whispers in Gron's underbelly, through old data fragments, through conversations with smugglers and technicians, he had started piecing together the truth: there were others.

Factions operating at the same level as the Consortium. Some were hidden, some were distant, but all were players in the game of power.

He still didn't know who they were.

But he knew one thing.

He wasn't ready to face them—not yet.

For now, he would keep learning.