Ethan stretched as he stepped out of his ship, taking a deep breath as the bustling sights and sounds of Valeris City greeted him. After days of high-iy missions and the stant pulse of adrenaline, a day off to recharge was exactly what he he sun cast a warm glow over the markets and narrow streets winding through the merary hub. Valeris, with its gritty charm and diverse crowds, had started to feel like a sed home.

  As he wahrough the market, he took his time browsing the various stalls, which dispyed everything from on pos to exotic foods from distaors. A few traders reized him from previous visits, nodding in aowledgment. Although he preferred to keep a low profile, the familiarity was wele.

  His first stop was a on maintenance shop tucked in a er of the market. The shopkeeper, a tall, green-skinned alien named Hovrek, was already at work fiuning a set of bster parts.

  "Back agaihan?" Hovrek's gravelly voice rumbled as he gnced up from his workbench, his deep yellow eyes narrowing slightly in a friendly way.

  Ethan nodded, setting his gear on the ter. "Just a maintenance check. Figure I'd be wise to keep everything in top shape."

  Hovrek chuckled as he ied Ethan's favorite pistols and armood pn. You'd be surprised how many e in here with half their gear held together by lud duct tape." He ran a diagnostic, occasionally muttering to himself.

  After a few minutes of adjustments and tune-ups, Hovrek hahe equipment back. "Looks like you've been keeping it in good dition, but your odule's responsiveness is a bit sluggish. I'd repce it when you , it might not hold up to heavier fire much more."

  "Thanks, Hovrek. I'll make sure to keep that in mind," Ethan said, seg his gear ba pce.

  As he left the shop, he made a mental o upgrade his odule soon. Valeris's markets were filled with gadgets ahat could provide an edge, and it didn't hurt to have a few reliable tacts like Hovrek to help maintain his equipment.

  tinuing through the market, Ethan stopped at a gadget and equipment store that catered specifically to meraries. It was busy with ers browsing specialized ted gear, so he quickly restocked on essentials: ammunition, smoke and psma grenades, and a few pact EMP devices that he could easily ceal. The devices were powerful enough to disable most eleic loall drones, a tool he'd e to appreciate during his missions.

  With his supplies replenished, Ethan headed toward the guild headquarters to take care of a few administrative tasks. Weaving through the crowds of meraries and locals, he noticed a group of children pying ireet nearby. They were huddled around a small droid toy, their excited chatter turning to disappoi as the droid seemed to malfun, its parts scattered across the ground.

  Ethan paused, croug down with a small smile. "Need a hand with that?"

  The oldest of the children nodded eagerly. "It's broken! you fix it?"

  Taking a quick look at the toy, Ethan saw that a couple of wires had e loose—likely from the wear and tear h handling. After a few adjustments, he hahe toy back to the child, now fully funal.

  The kids cheered, eyes wide with gratitude. "Thank you!"

  Ethan chuckled. "No problem. Take good care of it, all right?"

  As he tinued on his way, he felt an ued warmth from the iion. Living the life of a merary meant he rarely had moments like these. But helping out a few locals, fixing a toy here, and assisting a vendor there....it reminded him of the everyday simplicity he hadn't experienced in a long time.

  Arriving at the guild, Ethan walked up to the ter where Kael, the guild's secretary, was busy managing data on a sleek holo-dispy. Kael gnced up, givihan a quiod.

  "Ethan. Baore training already?" Kael asked, a hint of curiosity in his tone.

  "Not quite. Just here to extend the hover truck rental," Ethan replied. "I'll a little longer, just in case."

  Kael tapped a few ands on his s, processing the extension. "All set. And remember, the guild offers dists oals if you're staying in the area loerm. Just a heads-up if you're pnning on stig around Valeris."

  Ethan filed away the advice. "Appreciate it. By the way, anything new in stoembers?"

  Kael perked up, clearly pleased by the question. "We just received some tactical gear from the Aldarouild-exclusive items: upgraded armor, medkits with enhananobot healing, as with advanced s and vision modes. Not cheap, but they're well worth the points if you're looking to upgrade."

  Ethan browsed through the sele Kael dispyed on the holo-s. The items were high-quality, and he was tempted to pick up one or two. However, he decided to hold off for now, keeping his points in reserve until he had a clearer idea of his needs for future missions.

  "What about high-paying tracts?" Ethan asked, nodding toward the s showing active jobs. "Anything big?"

  Kael apping on a few options. "There's a high-paying esission from a wealthy t and a bounty posted by a regional cil. Both are exclusive, high-reward tracts, though they require a solid track record. You're close to qualifying for these types of jobs. Keep up yood work, and it won't be long."

  Ethan appreciated the encement. Although the lure of bigger payouts was strong, he knew he'd need more training before diving into high-stakes work. "Thanks for the info, Kael. I'll keep it in mind."

  As he exited the guild, the sun was higher, casting a warm light over the lively streets of Valeris. He decided to grab a quick meal at a small food stand he'd e to appreciate on past visits. The owner, an elderly woman with wrinkled blue skin and a warm smile, greeted him.

  "Long day ahead?" she asked as she served him a steaming bowl of delicious Kynaran stew.

  "Not today," he replied with a slight grin, taking a spoonful of the hearty meal. "Just taking it easy. Needed a break from the usual routine."

  She chuckled, a deep, throaty sound. "Everyone needs rest now and then, even tough meraries like yourself."

  They shared a brief, easy versation while he finished his meal. Ethan savored the rich fvors, enjoying the simple pleasure of good food and a warm meal. When he'd finished, he thanked her, feeling refreshed as he moved on.

  Walking through the market agaihan helped a few more locals with small tasks. He moved a few crates for a shop owner, and even caught a runaet for a family he market's edge. These little moments, while mundane, added a sense of normalcy to his life on Valeris, grounding him in the reality of the world around him.

  As the day drew to a close, Ethauro his ship, a sense of te settling over him. The city of Valeris was rough around the edges, filled with meraries, traders, federatioives and thugs, but it was also brimming with everyday resiliend life. Despite the chaos of his profession, he felt ected to this p a way he hadn't expected.

  Settling bato his seat in the cockpit, he took a final look at the vibrant city below before closing the hatch. Tomorrow, he'd resume training and dive bato honing his skills, but tonight, he'd let the calm of the day linger, carrying him into a well-deserved, restful sleep.