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Late at night, the Badlands welcomed a rare moment of peace. The howling north wind had gradually died down, leaving a silence so heavy it felt structural. Looking up, Kael could see the night sky dotted with a scattering of stars—a sight almost entirely erased in Night City by the oppressive neon glow and smog. Perhaps this was the only luxury the vagrants of the wastes enjoyed over the city folk.
The group sat around a campfire, fresh meat sizzling on a hot iron plate. Nash had hidden quite a few high-end supplies in his vehicle's freezer; judging by the packaging, he must have robbed a high-tier corporate smuggler. No one cared about certifications. Panam, the only lifelong Nomad among them, had a stomach tempered through a thousand trials, her poison resistance long since redlining.
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
Valerie (V) raised a bottle of red wine and downed half of it like it was water. Panam, thinking the wine was watered down, followed suit. It didn't take long for the alcohol to hit.
As their gazes began to drift, the difference in their physical hardware became clear. While Panam needed tools to move the heavy armored vehicle components earlier, V could simply shoulder an engine block and walk away. This raw strength was comparable to industrial-grade Gorilla Arms.
Jackie swallowed hard just watching her. He realized that if V were ever fitted with military combat-chrome, he'd likely lose in close quarters. This made him even more determined to recruit her.
"Valerie, what are your plans for the future?" Jackie asked, cutting straight to the point.
"Plans?" V was stunned. Lone Nomads rarely thought about tomorrow when today was still a struggle. Unlike Panam, V's tribe had completely disbanded; her soul had long been without a 'Home' directory.
"Join us," Jackie said enthusiastically. "Become an Edgerunner. You've seen our boss's torque. The name BT is legendary."
V turned to look at Kael. He was currently occupied with teasing the kitten in his arms, looking like anything but a Night City legend. "Oh~ cute little kitty..."
"Ahem, Kael," Jackie nudged Kael. "Recruiting here. Cooperate."
Kael looked up, eyes flickering with clinical indifference. "That's not how you recruit, Jackie. You need to be practical. V, ten thousand Eurodollars a month as a base salary. You in?"
"I'm in!!" V agreed instantly. Hesitating for a second would be a disrespect to the eddies.
"Let's get this straight: I'm selling my life, not my body," V added, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Kael.
"Not even if I pay extra?" Kael teased.
"If it's you... I could consider it," V said, lightly stroking her chin.
Jackie cursed inwardly. Turns out she's a sucker for a handsome face. In reality, V had stayed single because she looked down on the men of the wastes. She was a bit of a clean freak—a trait that made her a psychological outlier in the desert. Panam, for instance, was considered "hygienic" by Nomad standards, despite not having showered in over a week.
Kael advanced V three months' salary so she could find an apartment in the city. "I don't want to keep sleeping in a tin shack with people pissing on my door," she muttered.
Just as the sky began to brighten, Kael led the group toward Nash's primary hideout.
"Twenty hostiles inside. I've sent you the tactical overlay," Kael said, initiating a link. "In one minute, I will breach their ICE, kill their comms, and disable their automated defenses. Then, it's up to you two."
Kael wanted to practice his Netrunner techniques. The Raffen Shiv's network defenses were laughable—Night City wasn't exactly exporting high-tier security protocols to the desert.
"What about the loot split?" V asked.
"Equal shares," Kael replied, tossing her his custom Kenshin pistol. "Use this. Put that handmade junk away."
V caught the gun. The moment her hand hit the grip, she felt a connection. Kael's Kenshin looked standard on the outside, but the internals had undergone dozens of multiversal iterations.
The operation began. Nash's camp was located in an abandoned tunnel, dark and cramped. As Kael uploaded a daemon, the tunnel's automated turrets suddenly pivoted and opened fire on the Raffen Shiv.
"Shit?! We've been hacked!!"
The chaos was absolute. V and Jackie moved through the smoke like ghosts. V's reaction speed was a system-shock; she zeroed a Wraith before Jackie could even raise his rifle. Panam provided long-range support with Overwatch, her personally modified sniper rifle.
In minutes, the gunfire died down.
"Woohoo! We're rich!" Jackie shouted, prying open a cargo container. Inside were piles of high-end parts and supplies.
"It's too much to move into the city without drawing heat," Jackie noted. "We'd lose half to bribes."
Kael looked at Panam. "You know trustworthy Nomad tribes. The Aldecaldos could use these supplies."
Panam hesitated. She had run away after a fight with the clan leader, Saul. But she knew her family was starving because of a supply shortage. "They can't afford the price for this haul."
"Everything is negotiable," Kael said. "I'm establishing operations in the Badlands. Night City's soil is already claimed by the corps. This land is vast, and with the right tech, the ROI will be massive. Think of it as making a friend."
Kael saw Panam's silence and turned to V. He knew he had just assembled a team that could change the trajectory of the wastes.
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