"So what you're saying is—you want the Aldecaldos to handle transportation and smuggle certain goods into the city?" Hearing Saul summarize
"So what you're saying is—you want the Aldecaldos to handle transportation and smuggle certain goods into the city?"
Hearing Saul summarize the idea, Karl gave a slight nod.
"That's the gist of it. You handle the shipments outside the city. The NCPD will deal with the checkpoints. Then 6th Street takes it the rest of the way. We've got every link in the chain covered—just need your approval. So? You in?"
Interested?
Despite Karl's calm tone, Saul's mind was in turmoil.
How could he not be interested? It was obviously a solid, long-term cash cow. As the leader of a nomad clan, Saul knew exactly what it meant to have a fully secured smuggling route with both gang and law enforcement involved. Once it was set up, they'd be rolling in eddies.
This wasn't just a deal—Karl was basically saying: "Hey, we struck gold. Want in?"
Refusing would be madness. Forget just handing it to this small Aldecaldo faction—if they'd offered it to a core branch of the clan, even the top brass would've come crawling for a shot.
It felt like winning the lottery. Still, even caught up in the excitement, Saul kept a healthy amount of caution.
A nomad who's spent years grinding it out in the Badlands—even if they seemed "straightforward" compared to city folk—knew one basic rule:
If you're not family and there's big money involved, why you?
Even if Karl's team didn't want to work with sketchy gangs like Maelstrom, there were other well-established nomad clans near Night City with solid reputations.
The Aldecaldos had only recently returned to the region. Their supply lines were still being figured out. Meanwhile, other clans had been running the area for years.
In other words, the Aldecaldos weren't the logical first choice.
Reputation? Other clans had that too.
Experience? Others had more.
So why pick them?
The more Saul thought about it, the more suspicious it felt.
After a long silence, he finally asked the key question:
"Why the Aldecaldos? Around here, the Red Ochre clan are the veterans, right?"
Red Ochre was a nomad group with deep roots near Night City. They'd been running reliable supply routes for ages. Logically, they should've been the first pick.
"Why the Aldecaldos, huh?"
As soon as Saul asked, Karl understood the hesitation. But it wasn't exactly easy to answer.
He couldn't just say, "V mentioned it and it sounded good, so we went with it."
No one would believe that a potentially massive, highly lucrative operation had started from a casual suggestion. But… that's exactly what happened.
Karl had realized that NCPD Deputy Commissioner Johnson was in desperate need of funds to arm his officers. At the same time, Oliver's father—now head of 6th Street—was also scrambling to find new sources of income. While they were talking, V casually mentioned the Aldecaldos...
Wait a sec.
Karl suddenly remembered something.
The name "Aldecaldos" wasn't unfamiliar. Not just from the news—he'd come across it while looking into someone's background before. But where?
His brain kicked into overdrive—and then it clicked.
"Because of Panam."
The moment Karl said the name, Saul froze.
And so did the rest of the Aldecaldo guards nearby.
It was like no one could believe what they'd just heard.
"You said... Panam? You mean that Panam?"
Saul asked, still stunned.
"Panam Palmer. If that's her full name, then yeah—that Panam."
Karl gave V a sideways glance. Now he got it—why V had mentioned the Aldecaldos so casually. Of course. He was thinking of her. Karl had already noticed something odd between those two when they'd first met.
Still… hadn't Panam split from the clan?
Why was V trying to throw business at her people now?
Maybe it wasn't a full-on break. Maybe it was just a fallout—temporary. If she planned to return someday, then tossing some business her clan's way made sense. After all, Panam was a friend.
"Who's Panam? Why's everyone so shocked? And how come we've never heard of her?"
Jack, Oliver, and T-BUG were all buzzing on comms.
Karl glanced again at V—who was unusually silent today—and replied, "V's friend. She's cool. I'll introduce you later."
"Ohhh... got it. The nomad girl you mentioned after that abandoned hospital job, right?"
Jack and Oliver instantly made the connection. T-BUG was quiet for a second, then added:
"Did not see that coming, V."
V remained silent.
The sudden tension caused by Panam's name faded after Saul gestured for everyone to relax. But Karl's team could feel the shift—Aldecaldo guards were still serious, still alert, but something in their posture had eased.
"So... you and Panam," Saul said, choosing his words carefully. "What's your relationship?"
He said "you," but didn't even glance at the others. His eyes were locked on the buzzcut young man who radiated that unmistakable nomad vibe.
"Good friends," Karl answered with a grin—covering for V.
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