Kylus hauled the final gravity crate up the Strider's loading ramp, the heavy metal clanking against the reinforced deck plates. The lower hold hummed with activity as the crew secured their newly acquired mountain of black-market military hardware and universal space chips.
Reva paused near the back of the cargo bay, her keen eyes locking onto a specific reinforced container. She raised her kinetic rifle and tapped the side of the box with the barrel.
"Captain," Reva called out, her finger hovering over the trigger. "We have a problem. This crate is actively shivering."
Xavier walked over, gesturing for Kylus and Rin to flank the container. "Pop the latch."
Reva kicked the locking mechanism. The lid sprang open, revealing the Abyssal Weaver squeezed between two illegal dark matter drive coils. The towering demon had completely shed his elegant corporate silk, now wearing a tattered, oil-stained mechanic's jumpsuit that barely covered his obsidian scales.
