Night had fully fallen over the colony, and the pale glow of the street lamps was now the only thing allowing anyone present to see anything at all.
Akram entered the HQ, carefully staying behind the bandit who had just called out to him; without wasting a second, he slipped back into the shadows to avoid being noticed.
In front of him, on one side, the pack of Sand Bandits was gathered, drinking Vulkania's entire rum reserve without restraint.
On the other side, Vulkan survivors — mostly women — remained silent, enduring insults and abuse from the bandits, unable to do anything about it.
Among them, one man caught Akram's attention as his face was being crushed under Kravash's boot.
"F-Fuck, okay-okay, I said it! I'll do it! Please, stop!" the young man screamed, while Kravash pressed his metal-soled boot down on his skull.
Elliot… Akram thought, recognizing the face of Vulkania's logistics leader.
He wasn't a great warrior, but he possessed vast knowledge about this new world; it wasn't surprising that the bandits had — for now — spared him.
"GOOD, ELLIOT! LET'S HEAR IT FOR HIM! SUCH BRAVERY!" Kravash shouted, theatrically raising his arms toward his men.
They answered in unison, shouting and laughing, further humiliating Elliot, whose tears spoke clearly of his shame.
"Thanks to Elliot! Who's going to open the door for us and let us take care of his little friend! Such courage, Elliot! HAHAHAHAH!" Kravash continued, laughing hysterically as he finally removed his boot from the young man's face.
Elliot bit his lip in rage; there was nothing he could do but endure it.
Akram continued to observe the scene silently, arms crossed, hidden in the shadows.
Elliot got back up, head lowered, his ego and hope completely shattered, and walked toward the walls where several of his comrades stood, just as broken as he was.
Akram seized the opportunity and slid along the walls until he stood right beside Elliot.
"Elliot, don't lift your head, don't look at me, don't speak — it's Akram," he whispered.
Elliot's eyes, which had been completely drained of light, suddenly came back to life at the sound of his name.
As he began to turn his gaze toward Akram, Akram stopped him immediately.
"Don't look at me, I told you."
Elliot straightened his head again, swallowing hard; he almost didn't recognize Akram anymore — his demeanor was completely different.
"Listen to my instructions carefully. I won't repeat them. I know your memory — I trust you," Akram added.
Elliot didn't respond; he simply nodded slightly.
"Go to the storage room on the east wall, near the research center. Open the secondary valve of the third tank — not the main one — the small rusty one at the bottom," Akram began, without hesitation.
"Then remove the ceiling duct cover and come back here. Don't touch anything else. Tell Leyla to get ready — quietly," he added.
Elliot didn't react immediately, his gaze still hidden in the darkness.
But when he finally raised his head, his eyes were filled with hope and determination. He stood up without another word and discreetly slipped out of the room.
Elliot headed toward the storage room; it wasn't considered dangerous and therefore wasn't guarded — unlike the research center.
He narrowly avoided drawing the guards' attention, using the darkness to his advantage.
Once inside, he carried out Akram's orders, not without difficulty.
During the final task, when he removed the ceiling duct cover, it accidentally fell. The sound of metal hitting the floor echoed through the room, alerting nearby guards.
Elliot felt his blood turn cold; he had only seconds before they found him.
"Who's there? What the hell is this?!" one of the bandits shouted.
By slipping behind the storage room, pressed against the outer wall, Elliot narrowly avoided the guards' line of sight.
"Forget it, must've been that other bitch hiding again… We'll deal with that whore later, you'll see," another bandit said.
When the footsteps faded away, Elliot finally let out a deep breath.
He then moved toward the research center and climbed up to the ventilation grille.
"Leyla? Leyla! It's Elliot!" he whispered.
No response.
Elliot hesitated — maybe she was too cautious to answer, maybe too weak… or worse.
He stopped himself from thinking further.
"Get ready. Akram is here. He has a plan."
Then he withdrew and slipped back into the shadows, discreetly returning to the HQ.
Inside the research center, Leyla was curled up, her face bruised and swollen, a bloodstained knife clenched in her hand.
A body lay beside her, its face disfigured, frozen in an expression of terror — the corpse of a Sand Bandit she had executed herself.
Leyla slowly raised her head, brows furrowed, eyes filled with rage… but now also rekindled with hope after hearing Akram's name.
***
Akram stood in a corner of the main HQ room, dimly lit. He carefully avoided any conversation to remain unnoticed, but he knew it wouldn't last long.
Elliot joined him and lightly bumped his shoulder against Akram's, signaling that the mission had succeeded.
One bandit noticed the interaction — and drew the wrong conclusion.
"HEY! Who the hell do you think you're bumping into, you little shit?!" he shouted.
He rushed Elliot and slammed him to the ground.
Attention immediately shifted to the young man; several bandits surrounded him and began beating him mercilessly.
Under his bandana, Akram felt his breathing quicken, sweat running down his forehead.
Shit, I have to act — they're going to kill him… he thought, as his companion desperately tried to shield his head and stomach.
"That's enough, I'll finish this bastard myself!" one of the bandits yelled, drawing his blade and pointing it at Elliot.
Akram turned his gaze toward Kravash, hoping for him to intervene.
But Kravash merely kept sipping his rum, laughing, without lifting a single finger.
Akram had no choice left.
He placed his hand on the patched guard of his blade and prepared for combat.
But just as he was about to strike—
A deafening explosion roared through the building, shaking the walls and making the lights flicker violently.
The bandits — Kravash included — panicked.
"What the fuck is going on?! What is this shit?! Are we under attack?! TO ARMS!" Kravash shouted, blade in hand.
Akram slowly exhaled and regained his composure.
Phase one of his plan had begun.