For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Ethan Walker moved through his days without the weight of war pressing down on his shoulders. No urgent distress calls, no high-stakes firefights, no desperate st stands. Just the quiet, methodical process of preparing for what came next. The war against the Bck Sun Syndicate was over, but Kynara was still patching its wounds. Settlements and outposts bore the scars of attacks, and bases once crawling with Syndicate forces were now makeshift shelters for dispced civilians. Even though the enemy had been defeated, there was still plenty of work to do.

  Ethan, however, had his own priorities. His ship had been grounded since he crash-nded on Kynara, its systems inoperative after the rough descent. Now, with the help of the Mercenary Guild's engineers and credits avaible, he could finally see to its repairs. At the same time, he needed to restock supplies, upgrade his gear, and take on small jobs to assist in the city's recovery. Despite pnning to leave soon, he couldn't turn his back on the people who had fought beside him.

  His first stop was Rhorix's Arms & Outfitting, a well-known supplier of high-end weaponry and survival gear. Rhorix, a four-armed Vennari with cybernetic optics, greeted him with a nod as he entered. Ethan moved through the aisles, scanning the inventory for what he needed. He stocked up on nutrient capsules, long-sting rations that contained a full day's worth of sustenance in a single bite-sized pill and self-purifying water packs, which could filter out toxins even from irradiated environments. He also picked up medical kits, each containing everything from neuro-stims to regenerative biofoam, essential for sealing wounds mid-battle.

  His sidearm, a high-powered ser pistol, had served him well, but he needed a fresh supply of psma-overcharged cartridges, designed for high-intensity energy bsts. As for his ship, ammunition was restricted to the Mercenary Guild, requiring special clearance to purchase. After filing a request, Ethan secured high-velocity railgun rounds for his ship's autocannons and Seeker-Css Smart Missiles, capable of tracking targets through electromagnetic interference.

  Before leaving, Rhorix handed him a small holo-case with a grin. "Consider it a parting gift, Walker. Custom shield modutor. Should keep your new suit from getting fried too quickly next time." Ethan nodded, sliding the device into his pack. "Appreciate it."

  His next stop was Krelos Industries, one of the few tech suppliers still operating at full capacity. His old combat suit had not survived the battle against Drakor, the st warlord of the Bck Sun Syndicate. It had done its job, kept him alive, but it was beyond repair. He needed something better.

  After a few hours of adjustments, he walked away with a customized combat exosuit, designed for both defense and mobility. The adaptive nanoweave armor provided exceptional durability, dispersing kinetic and energy-based attacks across its surface. A short-duration cloaking field allowed him to become invisible for up to fifteen seconds, useful for evasion or setting up an ambush. The reinforced servo-assisted framework gave him 250% enhanced strength, while the AI-linked HUD system provided real-time battlefield data, integrated with a multi-spectral visor for tracking enemies across various wavelengths.

  Flexing his fingers inside the armored gloves, Ethan felt the suit's subtle hum of power. It was lighter than his old one but far deadlier. He wasn't pnning on jumping into another war anytime soon, but trouble had a way of finding him.

  Despite his preparations for departure, Ethan couldn't ignore Kynara's reconstruction efforts. Over the next few days, he took on low-risk mercenary assignments, securing trade routes from bandit gangs, helping resettle civilians in salvageable outposts, and escorting Federation engineers to repair critical infrastructure. One particur mission saw him leading a team of technicians into the wastends to restore a downed communications rey. Even in peacetime, the dangers hadn't disappeared. A group of Bck Sun stragglers tried to ambush them, but Ethan put them down quickly with well-pced pistol shots, followed by a tactical EMP bst to disable their remaining forces.

  With each completed task, Kynara edged slightly closer to stability, but Ethan knew the battle for its future had just begun.

  As his ship's repairs started, Ethan met with the Mercenary Guild's engineers to review the diagnostics. They had managed to restore its primary thrusters, increasing acceleration by fifteen percent, while the hull pting had been reinforced to withstand extended travel. The deflector shields now included an enhanced kinetic dampener, allowing them to absorb more impact from enemy fire. Most importantly, the ship's AI-assisted targeting module had been restored, improving combat accuracy by thirty-two percent.

  Standing on the repair deck, Ethan watched as the calibrations were being done to his ship. His preparations were going smoothly. His ship was rapidly getting repaired. His weapons were stocked. His suit was upgraded. Now, all that remained was to decide where to go next.

  Ethan was in the middle of a routine check on the newly installed auxiliary power system aboard his ship when his comlink pinged. He recognized the incoming ID immediately, Darrik Voss, the Mercenary Guild Branch Leader. The urgency in Darrik's voice was palpable, even through the distortion of the signal.

  "Walker," Darrik's voice crackled, "You need to hear this. The Federation's got something unusual brewing. Meet me at the guild's hall. It's important."

  Ethan closed the diagnostic screen on his ship's console and made his way to the guild's command hall. The guild headquarters was a sprawling complex of holo-screens, war maps, and long tables filled with mercenaries discussing contracts, missions, and the aftermath of recent conflicts. As he entered the room, Darrik stood next to a central holo-dispy, his rge frame dwarfed by the blue-tinged projections of the sector's political maps.

  "This just came through," Darrik said, gesturing to the transmission hovering in mid-air. "It's from Lirien Vossel. And it's not good news...or maybe it is, depending on how you look at it."

  Ethan stepped closer, squinting at the flickering data stream. The transmission was brief, almost curt, as if someone had gone out of their way to scrub the details. Still, the words were clear:

  PRIORITY MESSAGE - KYNARAN FEDERATION GUARD SECURE CHANNEL ORIGIN: ASHEN PRIME, GOVERNOR'S OFFICE TO: FEDERATION ALLIED PARTNERS IN THE ASHEN SECTOR

  SUBJECT: GOVERNORSHIP TRANSITION

  EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, THE ASHEN SECTOR IS UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP. THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR HAS BEEN TRANSFERRED TO TALLIN KRELL, FORMER VICE-GOVERNOR OF THE ASHEN SECTOR.

  THE PREVIOUS GOVERNOR, RENN VALCOR, HAS BEEN DEPOSED BY THE ORION FEDERATION'S 6TH FLEET, LED BY ADMIRAL DORAN KANE, DUE TO SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION AND TREASON.

  FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS AND DETAILS WILL BE PROVIDED ONCE A NEW DIPLOMATIC INITIATIVE IS IN PLACE.

  Ethan's brow furrowed. Tallin Krell. He didn't know the name. The sudden rise of a vice-governor to full power was unusual in itself, but the swift deposition of the old governor, Renn Valcor, caught Ethan's attention even more. From what he read of the Ashen Sector's restricted information, Valcor's leadership had been deeply tied to widespread corruption, manipution, and questionable alliances with the bck-market syndicates such as the Bck Sun. But to hear that the Orion Federation's 6th Fleet, commanded by Admiral Doran Kane, had forcibly removed Valcor meant that something major had shifted in the sector's political ndscape.

  Ethan leaned in closer, scrutinizing the message. "The Orion Federation doesn't intervene unless there's something huge at stake. A coup like this, with such a well-executed military operation behind it, tells me there's more going on than they're letting on. It definitely has to do with the war on Kynara."

  Darrik's eyes narrowed. "I don't like the timing of it. We've just gotten past the worst of the Bck Sun Syndicate war, and now this happens? It could be good or it could be bad, but whatever it is, it's going to ripple through this sector and beyond."

  Ethan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Valcor's removal, this isn't just about some petty power grab. Corruption and treason? That could mean a lot of things, including dealing with criminal organizations led by Federation traitors like the Bck Sun and Drakor Krenna. I'm guessing the Orion Federation didn't act out of altruism. They must have had their own reasons."

  Darrik nodded, his cybernetic eye flickering with what seemed like hesitation. "Exactly. The Orion Federation is known for making strategic moves, but they're also calcuting. They wouldn't remove a sitting governor unless there was something worth more to them than the status quo. Maybe they've got a new game pn for the Ashen Sector now. Either way, it's troubling. Krell's a wildcard, we don't know enough about him to predict what he'll do now that he's in charge."

  The data stream flickered for a moment, and the words on the holo-console shifted as the transmission finished. Ethan felt a cold weight settle over him as he absorbed the implications. For all of Kynara's victory in the war against the Bck Sun Syndicate, it had only paved the way for even more instability in the sector. The corruption that had festered under the old regime was being repced by something unknown, and Ethan had no idea where it might lead.