The Mantis hums softly beneath the dim glow of the overhead lights, the familiar scent of oil and metal mingling in the air as Cal Kestis works tirelessly to repair the ship. His movements are mechanical, his hands moving with practiced precision as he tinkers with the engine, but his mind is elsewhere—haunted by the memories of those he's lost.

You approach silently, your footsteps echoing softly against the metal floor as you watch Cal from the doorway. His shoulders are hunched with the weight of grief, his normally steady hands trembling slightly as he works.

For a moment, Cal doesn't notice your presence, lost in the depths of his own thoughts. But as you step closer, he startles, his gaze snapping up to meet yours with a mixture of surprise and sadness.

"Oh," he says softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Didn't see you there."

There's a heaviness in his words, a weariness that cuts to the core of his being. You can see the pain etched in the lines of his face, the sorrow in his eyes as he struggles to hold himself together in the face of overwhelming loss.

Bode's betrayal, Cordova's death, Cere's sacrifice—they weigh heavily on Cal's heart, threatening to crush him beneath their collective weight. And though he tries to bury his grief beneath the facade of strength, you can see the cracks beginning to form, threatening to break him apart at the seams.