Ch 64: A Life in Shadows

Mira had always lived in the fringes of society. Even as a soldier, she had existed between the lines—never fully belonging to the Consortium, never fully trusting the mercenaries she worked alongside. But in Gron and beyond, she had carved out something close to stability.

It was a cold kind of stability, built on contracts, violence, and the knowledge that she was always one job away from being hunted.

The Routine

Her mornings were spent maintaining weapons, tuning optics, cleaning gear. The Pryder-99 sniper rifle required careful maintenance, but it wasn't her only tool. She had her old sidearm, a modified pulse pistol for close encounters, and a combat knife that had saved her life more times than she could count.

After that, she spent time gathering information—checking underground channels, visiting arms dealers, or meeting old contacts who fed her whispers about upcoming contracts.

The city's mercenary network was thriving. Gangs, corporations, and rogue factions all needed killers. It paid well. But the jobs were getting messier.

That was the thing about Gron—on the surface, it was a paradise, but underneath, power struggles were everywhere.

The Work

Some days, Mira took low-risk jobs—bodyguard work for people too rich or too paranoid to travel alone. Easy money, no killing required.

Other times, she was hired for target elimination—not always high-profile, but always clean and quick. She never took jobs that involved senseless violence. She wasn't a monster, just a weapon for hire.

Lately, she had been taking more lone assignments.

Her latest job had her trailing a smuggler suspected of selling classified data to an unknown faction. The pay was good, but something felt off. The moment she took the contract, her name started circulating.

It meant one of two things: either someone was watching her or she was walking into a trap.

Some nights, after a job was done, she sat alone in the small apartment she had rented—a sparse, windowless room in a rundown district.

She thought about Kael.

He had always been planning, always thinking ten steps ahead. Where was he now? Still buried in his tech work, probably. He had a mind built for building things. She had a mind built for destroying them.

For the first time in a long while, she wondered if she was getting too comfortable in this life. If she kept going like this, what was at the end of it?

Another contract? Another kill?

She leaned back in her chair, exhaling slowly.

She had work in the morning. No time for doubts.