Blake stepped through the cramped corridor, ducking under a hanging bundle of cables. The metal deck plates creaked under his boots. Mara followed close behind, her footsteps light and careful.

"Watch your head through here," Blake said, pushing aside a partially detached panel.

The air grew warmer as they approached the power relay section. A low hum vibrated through the walls, punctuated by sharp crackles of electricity.

They rounded the final corner, and Blake stopped. Eland sat cross-legged on the deck, his massive frame hunched forward. Thick power cables snaked from exposed panels into his hands, their metal ends gripped tight in his fingers. Blue-white sparks danced across his skin, casting strange shadows on the walls. The air above him rippled and distorted like heat waves off hot asphalt, but more violent, more alive.

Another burst of energy arced between the cables and Eland's shoulders. His eyes remained closed, his breathing steady despite the raw power flowing through him.

"Holy shit," Mara whispered.

Blake leaned against the bulkhead, crossing his arms. "So, Mara, meet Eland. He's our resident power converter."

Eland's eyes opened, amber light dancing in his irises. "A pleasure to meet you properly. I'd shake your hand, but I'm a bit tied up at the moment." Another surge of electricity traced blue lines up his arms.

Blake's jaw tightened. All this power coursing through his friend while he stood there doing nothing. He forced a smirk. "And Eland, this is Mara. Found her digging through trash outside."

Mara's mouth hung open. She stepped closer, squinting at the arcs of energy. "I've heard stories about cultivators channeling power, but I've never..." She trailed off as Eland shifted his grip on the cables, redirecting the flow with a casual twist of his wrists. The ship's hum deepened to a steadier pitch.

"Just a bit of basic energy work," Eland said. "Though I must admit, the light show is rather dramatic."

"Basic, he says." Blake shook his head. "Next thing you know, he'll be juggling balls of plasma or something."

"I have a sect-mate who can do that," Eland interjected helpfully.

Blake sighed and collected himself, shedding most of his frivolous demeanor.

Blake stepped away from the wall, drawing Mara's attention back from the light show. "The truth is, Mara speaks for most of the local scavengers. The ones with sense. The ones who don't bend the knee to that asshole from last night."

Mara's fingers traced the edge of her scavenging pouch. "We're tired of his methods. He's turning our home into a warzone."

Eland's head tilted, the motion sending ripples through the energy field around him. He lifted one hand from the cables, palm up, inviting her to continue.

"There are dozens of us," Mara said. "Maybe more. When word spread about outsiders successfully pushing back against Rax's people, I knew I had to find you." She glanced between Blake and Eland. "We need help. Real help, not just scavenged weapons or supplies."

Blake watched Eland's expression shift - subtle movements he might not previously have caught on the man's inhuman features. He keyed into that feeling, examining it. He felt the Attributes at work. Awareness guiding him to pay attention to Eland's body language at the right moment, his Perception catching the minute shifts in musculature, and his Affinity seeming to help him parse out and sympathize with the foreign expression.

He was endlessly fascinated by the implications of the System. The way he could step back and analyze the workings of his entire self. But he brought himself back to the present. It was enough to know that Eland had moved on from his initial wariness and was now openly curious about the girl's plight.

Blake shifted his weight, studying Mara's face with the same dedication he had his friend's a moment before. He wanted to know if she lied to him.

"Let's talk specifics, Mara." His tone was cold again. Professional. He had to ensure she saw them as authority figures with whom she should share intel. "How many people does Rax have under his direct command?"

"At least two dozen dedicated warriors. A lot more men on the salvage teams." Mara's fingers tapped against her leg. "Rax's group have consolidated most of the ranged weaponry we've found or built."

"I can see that being an issue," Blake said.

"Yeah…" Mara agreed glumly. "Let's see… At least five of them have cybernetic enhancements—they're Rax's core squad. I don't know anything about their levels, just that they're strong enough to fight off anything coming up from underneath the salvage."

Blake's head snapped up. "Wait—things coming up from underneath?"

The hum of electricity filled the silence before Mara spoke again. "You didn't know? The salvage fields aren't just surface-level. There are layers upon layers, going down for miles. And in those depths..." She rubbed her arms. "Things live down there. Twisted masses of flesh and metal. Some look like they were once living creatures, others like they were once machines. Most are both."

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The memory of teeth and claws flashed through Blake's mind. The creature he'd fought his first night here suddenly seemed less like an isolated incident.

"They hunt in the dark," Mara continued. "Sometimes they tunnel up through weak spots in the debris. We lose people that way. Especially during the dim season, when the light's too weak to keep them down."

Eland's voice cut through the electrical crackle. "The one you encountered your first night, Blake—that was a juvenile. Probably separated from its pack. The adults are far larger, more aggressive." Another surge of energy coursed through the cables. "They don't surface often, but when they do... Well, let's just say there's likely a reason Rax's people have maintained control despite their unpopularity."

Blake rubbed his jaw, memories of Afghanistan flooding back. "It's not the first time I've seen this playbook. Back on Earth, we'd sometimes find villages paying protection money to the local warlord. Not because they liked him—they hated his guts. But he had guns, fighters, and most importantly, he kept worse things away."

He paced a few steps, boots scuffing against the deck plates. "Taliban, ISIS, cartels—they'd set themselves up as the only thing standing between civilians and whatever horror they were afraid of. Sometimes it was rival groups, sometimes religious persecution." He glanced at the shifting shadows beyond the corridor. "Here, it's whatever's crawling around in the dark down there."

"The protection racket's as old as civilization," Blake said. "Rax probably didn't even plan it this way. But he's smart enough to know that as long as those things keep coming up from below, people will think twice about challenging him. Even if they hate everything he stands for."

Mara slumped against the wall, her braid swaying with the motion. "You understand perfectly. Our clan used to trade with others across the salvage fields. We'd share resources, knowledge." Her fingers traced a pattern on her sleeve. "Now we're trapped in Rax's fortress of paranoia, watching good people die because they dared to suggest working with outsiders."

A sharp crack echoed through the corridor as another surge of energy coursed through Eland's frame. "Which raises a critical question." His voice carried over the electrical hum. "If Rax falls, who maintains the defenses? Who coordinates the response when those creatures emerge?" He shifted his grip on the cables. "A power vacuum could prove more devastating than Rax's regime."

Blake's gut tightened at the implications. Eland had cut straight to the heart of it - the same challenge he'd seen too many times before. Removing a tyrant was the easy part. What came after determined whether you'd helped or just made things worse.

"Our people know how to fight," Mara said. "We're not helpless. But Rax..." She crossed her arms. "He's hoarded the best weapons, the working vehicles. His inner circle gets first pick of any military tech we salvage. The rest of us make do with whatever's left."

Blake chewed on the problem, evaluating the situation. They needed a plan that would not only take down Rax but also ensure the clan's survival afterward.

"Alright," Blake said, locking eyes with Mara. "We need to be strategic about this. First, we identify key resources Rax has hoarded. Weapons, vehicles, anything that gives him an edge."

Mara nodded, her eyes sharp with determination. "I can help with that. I've been mapping out the supply routes and stockpiles in secret."

Blake returned his focus to Mara. "We need to rally your people quietly. Any open dissent will tip Rax off. We gather everyone willing to fight and organize them into strike teams that will secure anything Rax's goons don't already have on hand."

Mara's fingers drummed against her leg. "There's a small group of us who meet in secret. I can bring them in on this."

"There's another angle we haven't addressed," Eland said. Blue sparks reflected in his eyes as he shifted his grip on the power cables.

Blake's shoulders tensed. "You mean the fact that they're all cultivators?"

"Precisely." Eland's massive frame sagged forward, the cables pulling taut. "And I'm afraid I won't be much help. The damage was worse than anticipated. The ship's power system needs constant attention for at least another two days, possibly more. You'll be facing them alone if you can't find a way to delay."

Mara's hand dropped to her side. Her face drained of color. "Alone? But..." She looked between Blake and Eland. "Rax is a 3rd circle cultivator! We don't have anyone close to that level of power."

Blake watched Eland's face, catching a glint of amusement in those alien eyes despite the strain of channeling power.

"Third circle." Eland's voice carried a note of derision beneath the electrical crackle. "Rax forced his way up through brute force and, if my hunch is correct, a small pharmacy of looted supplements. His foundation is house of cards, waiting to collapse in on itself." Another surge of energy traced blue lines across his shoulders. "Strip away his cybernetics and cheap tricks, and you'll find someone barely worthy of early second circle."

Blake's eyebrows rose. The way Rax had strutted around, Blake had assumed the man possessed real power to back up his swagger.

"But I saw him..." Mara's voice trailed off.

"You saw what he wanted you to see." Eland adjusted his grip on the cables. "He seems like a big talker. Probably leads through charisma and intimidation more than demonstrable strength. I'm guessing he made a few key examples out of people to show off, hiding how much those feats of strength likely cost him. He's a paper tiger."

"That's all well and good," Blake said. "But I'm currently at the bottom of the power ladder. I'm going to have to fix that before I run into someone who can outlast my offense."

Eland released one of the power cables, the energy arcing and sputtering before settling. He reached into a compartment near his leg and pulled out what looked like a sleek silver brick with rounded edges.

"Here." He held it out to Mara. "Zephyr, configure this for basic local communication protocols."

The device chirped and lit up with a soft blue glow. "Done," Zephyr said. "It's a direct line to me, I'll handle encryption over network."

Mara turned the device over in her hands. "Ship-comm?"

"Correct, backup device for ship maintenance. No real range, but it's what we've got," Eland said. "I know the Skaeldrin, and I can see the grease stains under your nails. I imagine I can count on you to rig some basic communication relays?"

Blake watched Mara examine the tech with careful fingers.

"Of course," she responded slowly. "Though I could probably get what we need to create a higher bandwidth ad-hoc network that would allow messaging and data. Might be useful if I can get the kids to set up some cameras or something."

Eland's massive frame straightened, sending another cascade of energy through the cables. "Now that's the type of can-do attitude I'm used to from the Clans. Wonderful. That just leaves you, Blake."

"Aye?"

"We need to address your cultivation." Eland's eyes fixed on him with laser focus. "Your current level won't be sufficient against Rax's enhanced fighters. Even paper tigers have claws."

Blake's jaw tightened. He'd been thinking the same thing. "What did you have in mind?"