Ethan stepped out of his ship, stretg as he took in the cool evening air of Valeris City. After days of intense VR training and pushing his body to its limits, he finally felt he'd earned a night of rexation. His muscles still ached pleasantly from his ret endurance exercises, and the idea of a good meal at Nara's was too tempting to pass up.

  The tina was alive with its usual buzz of versation and ughter as he ehe warm lighting and familiar atmosphere spilling out onto the street. Nara's was a favorite spot for meraries, traders, locals and travelers alike, a pce where they could unwind after long days. Tonight, the tina acked, with groups sharing stories over drinks and the aroma of rich spices filling the air.

  Nara spotted him from behind the bar, a broad smile spreading across her face as she waved him over. "Ethan! About time you came ba here. Heard you've been running yourself ragged with all that training."

  Ethan chuckled, making his way over. "You could say that. Thought it was time I got a proper meal."

  Nara handed him a menu with a nod. "Well, I'll make sure you get the best we've got tonight. Anything special?"

  He gnced over the menu, settling on a hearty dish of spiced fish-like creature and roasted vegetables. Nara nodded approvingly and passed the order to the kit, while he found ay booth in the er with a view of the bustling room. As he settled into his seat, he noticed a few familiar faces scattered throughout the tina. Meraries he'd seen in passing at the guild or around the city. A couple of them gave him a nod, a subtle aowledgment.

  As he waited for his meal, he took in the lively se around him. versations ebbed and flowed, and though the usual ughter and banter filled the air, he couldn't help but notice a certain tensioh it all. Nearby, a group of meraries spoke in hushed voices, their expressions serious as they discussed ret events.

  "Something's got the syndicate worked up tely," a tall, grizzled merary said, his voice just loud enough for Ethan to overhear. "They've been hittilements harder than usual. No one's sure why, but it's like they're furious over something."

  A seerary, a young woman with short-cropped hair and a scar across her cheek, leaned in. "I heard the same. They're raiding supply routes and even hitting targets that don't make any se's like they're trying to send a message."

  The first merary frowned, shaking his head. "It's more than that. They're desperate, shing out at anything that moves. Whatever's going on, it's making them sloppy and a lot more dangerous."

  Etha his expressioral as he listened, his mind rag. He knew what had the syndicate on edge: the intel he'd brought in from his st mission. The Bck Sun Syndicate had been experimenting with a rare alloy capable of influeng minds, and his disruption of their operations had likely thrown their pns into chaos. The guild had cssified the intel as top secret, so few khe real reason behind the syndicate's ret fury. To the average merary, it simply looked like the syndicate had gone on a violent spree.

  As his meal arrived, Ethan o Nara in thanks, sav the rich, spiced fvors with every bite. The food was warm ay, a wele break from the usual nutrient capsules on his ship. He kept one ear on the nearby versations, learning more about the meraries' perspectives on the syndicate's activity.

  "I've been stationed here for over a year now," another merary muttered, his voice tense. "Never seen them act like this before. It's like something snapped."

  "Could be they're under new leadership," the woman with the scar suggested, swirling her drink thoughtfully. "Sometimes a power shift make even the nastiest gangs more uable."

  Ethan gnced up at her, sidering the theory. It ossible, he supposed, but he knew better. His ret irike had disrupted the syndicate's pns, and now they were scrambling tain trol. Still, he kept quiet, letting the others specute.

  As he finished his meal, one of the meraries from the nearby table caught his eye, raising a gss in a casual salute. "You're Ethan, right? The E-rank who took on a deadly supply job and brought a bunch ees not too long ago?"

  Ethan nodded, choosing his words carefully. "That's me. Just doing my part."

  The merary gave a low chuckle. "Well, whatever you did must've left a mark. The syndicate's been more vicious thaely. If I didn't know better, I'd say someoepped oail."

  The others at the table murmured in agreement, each of them sharing their own theories on what might have triggered the syndicate's ret behavior. Ethan listened quietly, keeping his expressioral. He didn't firm or deny anything, letting the meraries specute. The secrecy of his mission's details riority, aeo keep it that way.

  After a while, the versation drifted to other topics. Ethan leaned ba his seat, enjoying the familiar energy of Nara's . The ti alive with ughter and banter, a f remihat, despite the syndicate's violent streak, there was still room for camaraderie and e. He let himself rex, sav the feeling of belonging that had started to take root since his arrival in Valeris.

  At one point, a stocky merary with a rough beard raised his gss, catg Ethan's eye again. "Here's to keeping out of the syndicate's line of fire!"

  Ethan lifted his own gss with a smile, his voice calm but firm. "And to those who make it ba one piece."

  Their gsses ked, and a ripple of cheers echoed through the nearby tables. Etha a sense of camaraderie wash over him. Respect among meraries wasn't given freely, but he'd earned a bit of it here, even if they didn't know the full story.

  As the evening wore on, the versations around him shifted to lighter topics. A few meraries traded tips on the best ways to survive guild training, one of them boasting about his endurance run that left half the trainees passed out in exhaustion. Another bragged about his high score in the guild's VR target simutions, challenging anyone nearby to beat his time.

  Ethan chuckled as he listeempted to throw in his own VR results but deg against it. He was here to rex, not pete, and he khere'd be plenty of time to push his limits ba training.

  Eventually, one of the meraries leaned over, curiosity in his eyes. "So what's for you, Ethan? After all this training, you gearing up for something big?"

  Ethan shrugged, keeping his tone casual. "Just staying prepared. Things are getting tense around here, and I want to be ready for whatever es."

  The merary nodded, a look of uanding in his gaze. "Smart move. Syndicate or not, this pce is getting more dangerous by the day."

  Ethan offered a small smile. Even in a pce as votile as Valeris, there were moments of solidarity among meraries, times when they looked out for each other despite the risks.

  As the tina began to empty, Ethan finished his drink, nodding a quiet farewell to Nara as she cleared the bar. She smiled warmly, her expression approving.

  "Good to see you taking a break, Ethan. Seems like you've got a good head on your shoulders," she said, wiping down a gss.

  He returned her smile. "Thanks, Nara. And thanks for the meal."

  As he stepped outside, the stars twinkled faintly above, their light casting a soft glow over the quiet streets. With a renewed sense of purpose, Ethan headed back to his ship, ready to tiraining and preparing himself for whatever challenges y ahead.

  The syndicate's ret as served as a remihat he should get back as soon as possible into the chaos out there.