Sweat trickled down Blake's spine as he tracked another patrol through the monocular he had borrowed from Korrn, marking their route against the mental map he'd built over the last hour. The alien sun beat down mercilessly, but he remained perfectly still, letting the heat wash over him while he gathered intelligence. Through their strengthened bond, Kitt fed him constant updates on enemy movements and energy signatures, helping him build a comprehensive picture of the compound's defenses.

"That's the fourth rotation showing the same pattern," Kitt noted through their link. "They're maintaining consistent intervals."

Blake allowed himself a slight nod, careful not to do anything that might draw attention to his position. The regularity was both helpful and concerning - it meant the guards were well-trained enough to maintain discipline, but perhaps not experienced enough to vary their routines. His attention drifted to the northern wall again, where the [Sand in the Gears] title seemed to pull his focus toward specific weak points in the structure.

Through his title-enhanced perception, Blake could see how the wall's construction created natural stress points—places where different materials met at awkward angles, or where hasty repairs had compromised structural integrity. More than that, he could sense how those weaknesses connected to other systems—power conduits, communication lines, defensive emplacements. The title's influence felt like invisible threads connecting various failure points, showing him exactly where to apply pressure for maximum effect.

"You're seeing it too?" Kitt asked, her presence a steady warmth in his mind.

"Yeah," Blake replied silently. "Like a blueprint highlighting all the ways to make everything go wrong at once." He adjusted his aim slightly, centering on a particular junction where several key systems intersected. "Hit that spot right, and we don't just breach the wall..."

"We take out their power distribution, compromising internal security systems," Kitt finished. "And the resulting structural cascade will block their fastest response routes."

Blake's finger rested lightly against Verdict's trigger guard as he continued to study the target zone. The weapon hummed almost imperceptibly, spatial energies gathering in its modified core as Kitt prepared for the shot. Through their shared awareness, Blake could feel her making minute adjustments to the weapon's systems, optimizing everything for this single crucial moment.

The wait stretched on, minutes bleeding into almost another full hour as Blake remained motionless, conserving energy and maintaining absolute focus.

Finally, a brief flash of light from the southern perimeter - Mara's signal that all teams were in position and ready to move. Blake took a slow, controlled breath, settling deeper into his shooting stance as he prepared to take the shot. Through their bond, Kitt's presence sharpened to laser focus, all of her own considerable attributes dedicated to supporting this one critical action.

"Verdict's core is full," she reported crisply. "And I've been cycling mana through the weapon's channels for more than long enough to qualify as 'warmed up'. I'm ready on your mark."

Blake made one final microscopic adjustment to his aim, letting his enhanced perception and the title's guidance show him exactly where to place the shot. He could feel the massive potential energy building in the weapon, like holding back an ocean with his fingertip. His awareness expanded, taking in every detail of the target zone—the subtle movements of guards, the hum of power systems, the structural weaknesses that would turn this single shot into a cascading disaster for Rax's forces.

Let's go, he thought at Kitt.

He breathed out and squeezed the trigger.

The weapon's discharge was almost silent—a soft rasp as space rent open and healed rapidly in the wake of his attack. The projectile crossed the intervening space in an eye-blink. Blake tracked its path through the enhancements to Verdict's sights, watching the mysterious cobalt energy weave between atoms as it streaked toward its target. For a fraction of a second, reality seemed to hold its breath.

Then the singularity bloomed.

The initial gravity well formed exactly where Blake had aimed, right at the junction of several critical structural supports. Metal screamed as it was twisted inward, power conduits rupturing as they were pulled into the growing sphere of distorted space-time. Guards caught in the effect zone were yanked off their feet, their bodies stretching grotesquely as they were drawn inexorably toward the center of the anomaly.

Blake counted silently, tracking the expansion of the effect. Three... two... one...

The detonation, when it came, was magnificent in its devastation. The released energy burst outward in a shock wave of kinetic force, turning the carefully contained gravity well into an expanding sphere of destruction. The northern wall didn't so much break as it did disintegrate, transforming into deadly shrapnel that scythed through nearby defensive positions. Power systems overloaded in chain reactions, sending cascading failures through the compound's infrastructure. Secondary explosions bloomed in the wake of the initial blast as ruptured power cores and damaged weapon systems added their energy to the chaos.

Through the [Sand in the Gears] title's influence, Blake could track how each failure fed into the next, creating a perfect storm of systemic collapse. Communications went dark as relay stations were destroyed. Emergency backup systems tried to activate but found their power feeds severed. Automated defenses either shut down or went into dangerous diagnostic loops, their targeting systems confused by the spatial distortions still rippling through the area.

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Blake watched through his scope as the dust began to settle, revealing the full extent of the damage. The northern section of the compound had been transformed into a nightmare of twisted metal and sparking electronics, with secondary fires beginning to spread through the wreckage. Surviving guards scrambled in confusion, their organized patrol routes now blocked by debris and structural collapse. Through enhanced hearing, he could pick up the sounds of shouted orders and frantic communications as Rax's forces tried to respond to an attack they didn't yet understand.

"Demiurge's tits," Kitt whispered in his mind, her tone caught between awe and professional appreciation. "That was... that was something else entirely. I didn't expect the chain reaction to work quite that well."

Blake allowed himself a grim smile as he watched chaos bloom through the compound. The title's influence was fading now, but he could still see how thoroughly they'd managed to disrupt Rax's carefully ordered defenses. In a single shot, they'd transformed a fortified position into a scrambling mess of confusion and broken systems.

Even as he appreciated the chaos, he felt the immense drain on his resources hit him. Colors felt washed out and the edges of his vision were dim. He needed a minute.

It was Mara's turn to capitalize on the opening they'd created.

* * *

Mara's fingers trembled slightly as she raised the signal flare, the small device feeling impossibly heavy in her hand. Around her, fighters crouched in the shadows of twisted metal hulks, weapons ready but faces tight with tension. She forced herself to breathe slowly, steadying her grip as she aimed the flare skyward.

This was it. The moment that would determine if all their planning, all their careful preparation, would amount to anything. She thought of the lives depending on her decision - not just the fighters gathered here, but everyone who had suffered under Rax's cruel regime. The weight of responsibility pressed down on her shoulders like physical force.

The scar on her neck itched, a phantom reminder of everything at stake. Mara touched it briefly, remembering the night she'd earned it. The night she'd lost so much more than blood. No - she couldn't afford to get lost in those memories now. Her people needed her present and focused.

She squeezed the trigger.

The brief flash of light seemed to hang in the air for a heartbeat, a silent signal carrying all their hopes and fears into the alien sky. Mara lowered her hand, eyes fixed on the distant rise where she knew Blake waited. Though she couldn't see him from this distance, she could picture him perfectly - that deadly stillness, that focused intensity she'd witnessed during their planning sessions.

Nothing happened for several long seconds. Mara felt sweat trickle down her spine despite the relatively cool air. Had something gone wrong? Had Blake missed the signal? Or worse, had they already been discovered?

Then reality... twisted.

There was no other word for it. The air itself seemed to fold inward at a point along the northern wall, creating patterns that hurt her eyes to look at directly. Mara watched in stunned fascination as the distortion grew, pulling chunks of metal and machinery toward its center like water spiraling down a drain. The guards caught in its effect... she forced herself to look away from their fate, her stomach churning.

The explosion that followed wasn't like anything she'd ever witnessed. It wasn't just force and fire - it was as if space itself had decided to tear itself apart. The wall didn't merely break; it ceased to exist in any recognizable form. Power systems chain-reacted in spectacular fashion, sending arcs of energy crackling through the compound. Secondary explosions bloomed like deadly flowers, each one precisely placed to maximize the chaos.

Mara felt very, very small.

She'd known Blake was dangerous - you didn't survive long in the scrapyards without learning to read people, and everything about him had screamed 'predator' from the moment she'd met him. But this... this was something else entirely. This wasn't just combat skill or tactical knowledge. This was power on a scale she struggled to comprehend, wielded with terrifying precision.

The dust hadn't even begun to settle, but already she could see how completely the single shot had transformed the battlefield. Where there had been an imposing fortification, there was now a nightmare of twisted metal and sparking ruins. The organized patrols they'd studied so carefully were thrown into complete disarray, their carefully planned routes now blocked by debris or simply gone entirely.

"Ancestors preserve us," someone whispered behind her. Mara realized she'd been holding her breath and forced herself to exhale slowly.

The display of raw power should have frightened her - and part of her was frightened, a primal response to witnessing forces far beyond her understanding. But mixed with that fear was something else: hope. Because that devastating capability wasn't being wielded against her people. It was being used to protect them, to give them a chance at something better.

Looking at the destruction Blake had wrought with a single shot, Mara felt her resolve crystallize into something harder than steel. If he could do this—if he was willing to unleash this kind of power to support their cause - then they couldn't fail. Not today. Not when they finally had a real chance to end Rax's tyranny once and for all.

She turned to face her gathered fighters, seeing the same mix of awe and determination reflected in their eyes. They'd all witnessed what Blake could do. Now it was their turn to prove themselves worthy of such an ally.

"This is our moment," Mara said, her voice carrying clearly despite its low volume. "Everything we've fought for, everything we've lost - it all comes down to this." She drew her knife. It was just something she used around the shop, not a real weapon, but the worn grip familiar and comforting in her hand. "Rax thinks he's untouchable behind his walls and his warriors. We just showed him how wrong he is."

She could see backs straightening, grips tightening on weapons as her words landed. These weren't just scared people anymore—these were fighters ready to seize their destiny.

"Teams One and Two, move through the breach," she commanded, gesturing with her blade. "Teams Three and Four, flank around to the secondary targets as planned. Watch for debris and stay alert—Rax's people will be disoriented, but that makes them more dangerous, not less."

The fighters began moving with practiced efficiency, breaking into their assigned groups without hesitation or confusion. Mara felt a surge of pride seeing how far they'd come from the disorganized rebels they'd been just months ago.

She waited until the teams were in position, counting seconds in her head as she watched the chaos continue to unfold in the compound. Timing would be critical - they needed to strike while the defenders were still reeling, but not so quickly that they'd be caught in any secondary explosions or collapsing structures.

The moment felt right. Mara raised her blade, the metal catching the alien sunlight.

"For everyone Rax has hurt," she said, her voice carrying the weight of years of pain and determination. "For everyone he's killed. For our future." She brought the blade down in a sharp arc. "Attack!"