"Hey, Panam, what are you doing here?"
Mitch walked over and sat down beside Panam before asking.
"I don't know… I've just got a bad feeling."
"Hah, that doesn't sound like you, Panam. You've always been the type who's afraid of nothing."
Mitch spread his arms in an exaggerated gesture, making Panam chuckle, though she quickly pulled herself together.
"Thanks, Mitch, but I'm serious. Something feels off."
"…You're not still mad at Saul, are you?"
"Fuck off. Can you not bring him up? Just hearing his name pisses me off!"
Panam, who had been uneasy just moments ago, immediately snapped at the mention of Saul.
"Yeah, that sounds more like you. But honestly… Saul's way of thinking is a bit… hard to accept."
Mitch teased her, then let out a sigh.
"He wants to deal with those corpo dogs. Does he not realize they're all money-hungry bastards?"
Panam scoffed.
"That's true, but I can kind of understand what he's trying to do. You know the state the family's in right now. He's trying to find a new way forward. It's not hard to see why…"
"I don't get it."
Panam cut him off before he could finish, leaving Mitch with a helpless look. He glanced back at Scorpion, who was standing not far behind them.
Mitch did not think much of it. Panam was still in her twenties, hot-blooded and stubborn. It was normal for her not to understand Saul's decisions.
Scorpion shrugged, signaling there was nothing he could do. He turned to leave, but then noticed a large cluster of lights in the distance, with sand whipping through the air.
"Hey, something's wrong!"
Panam and Mitch immediately looked over. Panam got up at once, grabbed her sniper rifle, and peered through the scope. A familiar symbol came into view.
"It's the Wraiths!"
"Damn it. Move. Get back and warn everyone. Tell them to prepare!"
Mitch and Scorpion's expressions changed instantly as they rushed to their vehicles.
Panam ran straight to her motorcycle without hesitation.
Vroom—
"Use the comms. Tell Saul to get ready ahead of time!"
"Got it!"
"Boss, someone's up ahead!"
Kochi leaned forward as the cybereye in his socket rotated, locking onto Panam in the distance.
"That's gotta be Aldecaldos. Go, catch up!"
Karel let out a cold laugh and gave the order.
"Woohoo!!!"
The Aldecaldos were involved in smuggling, and with PROJECT's recent demand surge, they must have made a fortune.
A greedy glint flashed in Karel's eyes as he watched his crew surge forward.
In reality, though, the Aldecaldos had only made a small profit from smuggling. It barely eased the family's situation, and they were still struggling overall.
Many people wanted to profit off price differences, but they would compare options, weighing PROJECT's security services against Aldecaldos' smuggling.
PROJECT was safer and not expensive, so unless someone was trying to cut corners, almost no one chose the Aldecaldos. Even when they did, they still faced price suppression from the groups operating out of Night City.
This was why Saul wanted to establish ties with the corporation. At the core of it all, PROJECT's presence was choking the family's ability to survive.
In the region around Night City, the balance of power between the Nomads and the Wraiths was far from equal.
It usually took several Nomad groups working together to stand against the Wraiths. The biggest difference was numbers. The Wraiths had close to a thousand members.
The Aldecaldos, on the other hand, only had around five hundred in this area. That figure only applied to those near Night City. Across all regions, the Aldecaldos numbered in the tens of thousands.
This came down to how Nomad groups were structured.
The Nomads were a vast collective divided into seven kingdoms, also referred to as states.
Within them were kingdoms, tribes, clans, and families. The largest kingdom once had over a million people, making it a force that could not be ignored.
The Aldecaldos outside Night City were just one clan within the Aldecaldos state, not the entirety of it.
Meanwhile, Saul had already made preparations after receiving word from Mitch and the others. The Wraiths and the Nomads had always been locked in a deadly rivalry. After all, the Wraiths were largely made up of those cast out from the Nomads.
"Hold it."
Karel narrowed his eyes at the distant flames and headlights, immediately realizing the Aldecaldos were ready.
"Karel, what the hell are you trying to do?!"
Saul's unmistakable voice rang out, sharp and full of authority.
Karel grinned.
"Hah. The Aldecaldos are asking what we want? Tell them what we want!"
"Kill them all!"
"Take their money!"
"I haven't had a new woman in ages!"
The shouts behind Karel grew louder and more chaotic. Saul heard every word, his expression turning grim. After making a hand signal, he spoke again.
"Karel, since you haven't attacked yet, I'm assuming you want to talk. Say what you want."
"Money, cars, guns. We want it all."
Karel barely paused before laying out his demands.
"Not happening."
Saul rejected him immediately. Money alone might have been negotiable. They did not have much to begin with.
But guns and vehicles were out of the question. Those were what kept them alive.
"Heh. Then there's nothing to talk about. Move!"
Karel waved his hand.
The Wraiths behind him burst into excited laughter as they charged toward the Aldecaldos in a swarm.