Ch 81: The Decision to Leave

Mira sat in her apartment, leaning back in her chair, the dim glow of her terminal casting shadows across the room. The walls were lined with notes, datapads, and scattered mission logs—remnants of jobs completed, names of clients she never questioned before, and trails of whispers that had led her here.

She let out a slow breath, rubbing her temple.

She had enough to keep living the way she had—taking contracts, making money, staying ahead of the competition.

Comfortable. Simple.

But as she stared at the data she had gathered, she realized something.

The world beyond Gron was already in motion.

And if she stayed in place, she wouldn't just be left behind.

She'd become irrelevant.

🔹 The Breaking Point

It was the mission request that pushed her over the edge.

An encrypted file had come in earlier that evening, hidden under layers of routing proxies, bouncing between servers across multiple territories before reaching her.

She decrypted it with ease.

At first glance, it was just another high-paying job. A high-risk extraction, with minimal details on the target or why it mattered.

But then she saw the client signature.

And her blood ran cold.

She had seen this mark before—on an old contract, buried in a job she barely remembered. Back then, it had been just another assignment. Another payout.

Now?

It was a loose thread that tied her to something bigger than she had realized.

Someone she had worked for in the past was playing a deeper game.

And Mira had been a piece on their board without even knowing it.

She clenched her jaw.

She wasn't going to let that happen again.

🔹 Packing Up

Mira moved through her apartment with purpose, sorting through her belongings.

Some things had to be left behind.

She sold off most of her excess gear, weapons she no longer needed, and anything that could tie her to Gron. Money wasn't a problem—contacts in the underground were always willing to pay for untraceable equipment.

What she kept was only the essentials:

Her primary weapons—a reliable sidearm, a modified rifle, and a combat knife that had saved her life more times than she could count. A tactical vest, light enough for mobility but reinforced for protection. A data slate loaded with everything she had gathered—evidence, connections, and encrypted files she didn't yet understand. A single, unmarked keycard. Given to her long ago by a man who had warned her about moments like this.

She stopped at the door, taking one last look at the apartment.

She had never been sentimental, but something about leaving it behind felt different.

Like she was closing a chapter she hadn't realized was ending.

She exhaled sharply and stepped out.

🔹 The Final Message

Before heading to the transport hub, Mira slipped into an abandoned alleyway and connected to a private, secured node.

The recipient of the message didn't have a name—only a cipher address that had remained dormant for years.

She hesitated for only a second before typing.

"Leaving Gron. Following the trail. I know you've been watching. If you're still alive, you know where to find me."

She hit send.

If she got a response, she'd know she wasn't alone in this.

If not… well, it didn't change what she had to do.

She disconnected, wiped the terminal, and walked away.

🔹 The Road Ahead

The transport station was crowded, filled with traders, mercenaries, and travelers moving in and out of Gron.

Mira bought her ticket with untraceable credits, boarding a freighter bound for the outer territories. She found a seat near the back, pulling her hood low as the engines hummed to life.

As the city lights of Gron faded behind her, she felt something she hadn't in a long time.

Anticipation.

The world beyond was waiting.

And this time, she wasn't just a pawn.

She was ready to see the board for what it really was.