Hikri twisted the final bolt on the coolant valve and wiped her hands on her overalls. The hum of the repair settled into a steady rhythm. She crouched in the narrow tunnel, tools spread around her boots, and allowed herself a small smile. One day, she'd be the best repair tech on this station. Everyone would need her skills. They'd have to accept her then, hybrid or not. The valve clicked softly behind her as she packed up her kit. She crawled forward through the maintenance shaft toward the main junction. Her reflection caught in the sleek metal portal ahead—yellow eyes glowing back at her in the dim light. She turned away quickly. The portal led deeper into the station's core, where the real work waited. Complex systems. Difficult repairs. The kind that stumped the official maintenance crews. She slipped through the portal entrance and dropped into the larger tunnel below. Her boots hit the grating with a soft clang. Row after row of pipes stretched in both directions, lit by strips of blue light. Temperature regulators lined the walls, their displays flickering. This was where she'd prove herself. Junction after junction, repair after repair, until her work spoke louder than her bloodline. She pulled out her scanner and swept it across the nearest panel. Three fault codes blinked red. She cracked her knuckles and got to work. The first regulator took twelve minutes. She replaced two burnt connectors and reset the flow sensor. The second needed a full rewire. Her fingers moved fast, stripping cables and splicing connections. She pulled a sleek data pad from her belt and logged each repair. The device tracked every fix, building a record she'd need later. When the official crews found her work, they'd see the completion codes. They'd know someone skilled was operating in these tunnels. She finished the third regulator and checked the pad one more time. Nine repairs this cycle. Not bad. She tucked the pad away and headed deeper into the tunnel. More work waited ahead, and every completed job brought her closer to her goal. Voices echoed from the junction ahead. Hikri froze. She pressed against the wall and listened. Two maintenance workers, maybe three. They were arguing about a damaged floor panel near the main corridor. Sparks were shooting out. People were complaining. The official crews hadn't fixed it yet because the wiring was too complicated. Hikri waited until their voices faded, then moved toward the access shaft. Her chance. If she could repair something the trained crews couldn't handle, they'd have to notice. She climbed up through the shaft and peered through the vent grating. The damaged panel sparked twice, orange light flashing across the metal floor. She checked both directions, then slipped out. Her tools were already in her hands before her boots touched the ground.