Watching Leo stand so high up, striking the classic Titanic pose, both V and Lucy exchanged glances of concern, their faces showing identical expressions of unease over Leo's mental state. "Leo, if you've been too stressed lately, maybe you should take some time off, yeah?"
"Time off? I feel great. Actually, I think I've never felt better mentally." Leo wiped sand from his tactical goggles. "Are you two thinking this place is just a ghost town, nothing worth seeing?"
V and Lucy glanced at each other again, and in a silent display of agreement, they both deliberately avoided looking at him. "You said it, not us."
Leo laughed. "That's right. Today it's just a ghost town, but soon, it'll be a new beginning. A starting point."
V and Lucy both looked completely confused. "A what?"
"A starting point, a beginning... alright, I won't be cryptic." Leo climbed down from the rooftop and walked over to them, his expression serious. "I'm planning to start a private military company here."
"A company?" V didn't really understand what a private military company was, but she knew what a company was. Her eyes swept across the rattling windowpanes, rust-covered roll-up doors, and wind-blown streets buried in sand. It was hard to associate all this with the word "company."
Lucy asked curiously, "Just the three of us?"
Leo nodded. "Yeah, for now it's just us three. But don't worry. When it comes to recruiting, it's about quality over quantity. It's fine to start small, but loyalty is non-negotiable."
V walked over and patted Leo on the shoulder. "I don't really get what you're trying to do, but whatever it is, I'm with you."
Lucy added, "Me too."
"Thanks, I knew I could count on you two."
V smiled. "If you're serious about this, does that make me and Lucy the company's founding members?"
Leo thought for a moment, then said, "Yeah, I'll make sure you get your shares. I need to figure out the specifics first, but once I've got it sorted, I'll let you know."
V suddenly got a bit upset. "What the hell kind of talk is that? After everything Lucy and I have been through with you, you think we're the type who'd care about that?"
But Leo shook his head, replying sincerely, "Clear accounts, even between chums. Since we're setting up a company, everything has to be done properly. Even if you don't want it, I'll still give you your shares."
The atmosphere had become so serious and formal that V started to feel awkward. Leo wasn't trying to hoard the profits or brush them off with empty promises—he was laying it all out. And even if she didn't say anything, inside, her heart felt warm.
Lucy asked curiously, "So, what's the name of the company?"
"I've already got one."
Lucy crossed her arms behind her back, tapping the ground with her foot. "Let's hear it then."
.............
........
.
Aurora Private Military Company—Aurora PMC for short.
Leo named it Aurora—not just for its poetic ring, but for what it represented: the first light of day, a symbol of renewal and resistance. In a world overshadowed by megacorps and engineered despair, Aurora stood for the idea that something better could still be built.
It wasn't just a company. It was a collective—formed not by contracts, but by loyalty. A shared will to push back, to protect, and to rebuild on their own terms.
Aurora PMC wasn't born to serve power. It was born to stand against it.
Staring off into the Badlands, where wind turbines loomed in the distance, Leo dialed Panam.
"Hey Leo, what's up? Didn't expect you to call."
"Panam, are you back in Aldecaldo territory? Or still in Night City?"
Panam had fallen out with her clan—notably with their leader, Saul. Frustrated, she left home and headed to Night City. Under Rogue's arrangement, she partnered with Nash, who later stole her ride and cargo. With Leo's help, she not only got her things back but also scored a huge payday by assisting him in extracting Hellman from Militech.
Leo's situation was different. He'd been forced to flee when the Bakkers were swallowed up by the Snake Nation. Panam, meanwhile, just had personal beef with Saul. If she let it go, she could return.
Sure enough… "Yeah, I'm back with the Aldecaldos. You got something for me?"
Panam had a good impression of Leo—not just because he helped her out in her worst moment, but because she saw real opportunity working with him.
After a few pleasantries, Leo got to the point. "You've still got Saul's number, right? I've got a job for the Aldecaldos. Need to talk to him."
"What kind of job?"
"Do you really want all the details?"
"Hey, I gotta screen the gigs, right?" It wasn't that Panam didn't trust Leo—she was just curious. If he wanted to talk directly to Saul, it had to be something big.
"Company security."
Panam nearly lost it. "Fuck! Who the hell wants to be corpo security?!"
Leo wasn't offended. "A thousand eddies a day, per head. Paid daily. No beef with any gangs, no convoy runs. Just need folks to watch over a ghost town in the Badlands and keep the Scavs and Raffen Shiv from causing trouble."
Panam was stunned, silent for a long moment. "A thousand eddies… per head… per day? Wait there, I'm getting Saul! Don't hang up!"
Leo watched, half-amused, as Panam rushed into the Aldecaldo camp like a whirlwind.
Hmm, no matter who it was people tend to change their toon when they hear "eddies." However, in this case, it was more so that they held some trust for one another beforehand.
Saul, a well-built middle-aged man with arms thicker than most people's legs, looked up. "Panam, what's going on?"
"Saul, big job! Leo, tell him exactly what you told me. Oh—and this is Saul, our clan leader."
"Mr. Saul, nice to meet you. I'm Leo, founder of Aurora PMC. I need ten of your best to guard a site for me. Not much risk—just keep scavengers and the Raffen Shiv away. I'll pay each person one thousand eddies a day. What do you think?"
"Aurora PMC? You're a… corpo?"
Dakota who was listening from the side widened her eyes, nearly blurting out "corpo dog," but managed to swallow the insult before it slipped out.
Saul, on the other hand, remained composed. He was surprised, yes, but mostly confused—why bring such a sweet deal to them? And who the hell was this "Aurora PMC" he'd never heard of? As someone who'd wandered for half his life without ever finding the right leader, Saul wasn't the type to believe in lucky breaks.
"Why us?"
"Because you're nomads."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
To city folks, "nomad" wasn't a compliment. They often couldn't tell nomads from the Raffen Shiv, lumping them all together.
"Didn't Panam tell you? I used to be a nomad myself—from the Bakkers."
Saul's expression softened. "The Bakkers? I heard the Snake Nation took them…"
Leo nodded. "Yeah, that's why I left and came to Night City."
Panam jumped in. "So what's this Aurora PMC thing anyway?"
"It's my company. Just got it started."
Both Saul and Panam didn't quite know what to say. Their expressions didn't escape Leo's notice.
He smiled. "Alright, I get your hesitation. And it's fine. If you're not interested, we can pretend this was just a friendly call."
Saul hesitated. "Where exactly is the site?"
"Rocky Ridge. That's where my company's based."
Panam was surprised. "That ghost town? You're setting up a company there?"
"Exactly. So—are you in?"
….............
.......
.
A few hours later, three rugged Badlands-style vehicles rolled up from the distance. V and Lucy instinctively reached for their weapons, but Leo stopped them.
"Relax, they're friends."
As the vehicles pulled up and parked, V and Lucy recognized one of the women in front—someone they'd seen at Afterlife once.
Mitch stood with his hands on his hips, looking around. "So this is the place we're guarding?"
Leo nodded. "Yeah. You can start today."
Scorpion, dressed like he'd just walked off an Assassin's Creed set, commented bluntly, "No offense, but does this place really need guarding?"
Panam, on the other hand, pounded her chest with pride. "Don't worry, Leo. As long as we're here, not even a scrap's getting stolen by the Raffen Shiv."
"I knew I could count on you. But aside from security, I'll also need you all to clean out the junk scattered around this town."
Panam's eyes widened. "Are you treating us like scrap collectors now?"
Panam stood with her hands on her hips, glaring like she was about to start a fight. She looked like a desert cat—cute, but fierce enough to treat vipers like snacks.
Leo didn't flinch. He just smiled. "No, I'm treating you like friends. When I've got a job that pays, I think of you first."
Mitch chuckled like an old junk picker. "That's what I like to hear. But don't short us a single eddie."
"Don't worry, you'll get paid. But don't slack off either. If anyone gets fired for slacking or anything else, I don't want any drama."
"Don't worry," Mitch replied. "The Aldecaldos keep their word."
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