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canon:ace30:chapter17 [05/04/2026 14:39] – removed - external edit (Unknown date) 127.0.0.1canon:ace30:chapter17 [05/04/2026 14:39] (current) – ↷ Page moved from chapter17 to canon:ace30:chapter17 kkurzex
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 +======   CHAPTER 17 — Assessment   ======
 +
 +The Afterlife hadn’t changed.
 +
 +----
 +
 +That was the first thing Ace confirmed.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Same entrance.
 +
 +Same lighting.
 +
 +Same pressure in the air—
 +
 +----
 +
 +not physical—
 +
 +----
 +
 +intentional.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Inside—
 +
 +----
 +
 +nothing had shifted.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That mattered more than anything.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +They stepped in.
 +
 +----
 +
 +No pause.
 +
 +----
 +
 +No announcement.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Movement adjusted around them.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Subtle.
 +
 +----
 +
 +Precise.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Recognition—
 +
 +----
 +
 +not of who they were—
 +
 +----
 +
 +but of what they represented now.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +V didn’t say anything.
 +
 +----
 +
 +They didn’t need to.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +The room already knew:
 +
 +----
 +
 +something had been tested—
 +
 +----
 +
 +and had not broken.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That was enough.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +They reached the bar.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +This time—
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue looked up immediately.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue Amendiares didn’t speak.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +She watched them approach—
 +
 +----
 +
 +and this time—
 +
 +----
 +
 +she didn’t measure.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +She evaluated.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A few seconds passed.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Then—
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…You’re still standing.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Flat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace stopped at the counter.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“So are you.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A fraction of a smile.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue’s gaze flicked between them.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +No injuries.
 +
 +----
 +
 +No visible strain.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That told her more than words would.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Padre’s place is still there,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not a question.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai nodded once.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Yes.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue leaned back slightly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…And?”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai didn’t elaborate.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“It remains unresolved.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Silence.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That answer—
 +
 +----
 +
 +was not what most people would have given.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue understood it anyway.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…Good,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +V blinked.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…Good?”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue didn’t look at them.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“If it was gone,” she said,
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…I’d be asking what you replaced it with.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That landed.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace didn’t react.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Paid,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Direct.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue’s eyes shifted to her.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Yeah,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…you are.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +She reached under the counter.
 +
 +----
 +
 +No rush.
 +
 +----
 +
 +No drama.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A small device slid across the surface.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai picked it up.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +The interface responded immediately.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Numbers.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +High.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Confirmed.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Transfer received,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue nodded once.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“That’s the easy part.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That got Ace’s attention.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Next.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue’s gaze shifted—
 +
 +----
 +
 +not to the object—
 +
 +----
 +
 +but to Mai’s hand.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…You kept it,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not surprised.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Just—
 +
 +----
 +
 +noting.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai didn’t answer.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +She didn’t need to.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue exhaled quietly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Yeah,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…figured you would.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“That thing’s still wrong.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Shammy tilted her head slightly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +The air around the bar—
 +
 +----
 +
 +held.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +But thinner.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“It stopped pushing,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue’s eyes flicked to her.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…For now.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That was the correct answer.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai spoke.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“It will attempt resolution again.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue nodded slowly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Yeah.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A pause.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Which means it’s worth more now.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +V let out a quiet breath.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…You’re kidding.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue didn’t smile.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“People don’t pay for problems that are finished,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“They pay for ones they think they can control.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That tracked.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace crossed her arms.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Then who.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue didn’t answer immediately.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Because the answer mattered.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Her gaze moved across the room—
 +
 +----
 +
 +not looking—
 +
 +----
 +
 +checking.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Then back to them.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…I’ve got a few options,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“None of them clean.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai nodded.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Expected.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue leaned forward slightly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“But here’s the thing,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +This time—
 +
 +----
 +
 +her voice shifted.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not louder.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Sharper.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“You don’t move that through normal channels.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Silence.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace didn’t react.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Then we don’t.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue held her gaze.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A second longer than before.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…Good,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That was the test.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Passed.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +She leaned back again.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Relaxed.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +For the first time—
 +
 +----
 +
 +slightly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“You’re not mercs,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Not a question.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A statement.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai answered.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“No.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue nodded.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Yeah,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…I figured.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A pause.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Then:
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…That makes this interesting.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +V shifted slightly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…That’s not always a good thing here.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue ignored them.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +She was already thinking ahead.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Padre was step one,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“You want to stay ahead of whatever that thing turns into—”
 +
 +----
 +
 +Her eyes flicked briefly to the object.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“—you don’t wait for it to come back.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai processed that instantly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Then we move first.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue nodded.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“There it is.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace didn’t need more.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Target.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue’s expression didn’t change.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…Working on it.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A small pause.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Then:
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…But if I were you?”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +That got their attention.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“I’d assume that wasn’t the only one.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Silence.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Heavy this time.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Because that—
 +
 +----
 +
 +changed the scale.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Shammy exhaled slowly.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +The air held.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +But not comfortably.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Mai’s grip tightened slightly—
 +
 +----
 +
 +not on the object—
 +
 +----
 +
 +on the implication.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace didn’t react.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Good,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue raised an eyebrow.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…Good?”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Ace met her gaze.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“Then we’re not chasing.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +A beat.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“They are.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +Rogue smiled.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +This time—
 +
 +----
 +
 +genuinely.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…Yeah,” she said.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +“…you’re going to do just fine here.”
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +And for the first time since they had entered Night City—
 +
 +----
 +
 +they weren’t just surviving it.
 +
 +----
 +
 +----
 +
 +They were becoming
 +
 +something the city
 +
 +would have to account for.
 +