The people didn't just need help...they needed hope.
So she built something unusual: a store. Not just any store, but one that sold both weapons and food. Its neon sign read: "Hope Supermarket."
At first, the locals were skeptical. Many thought it a trap set by the aliens.
But as time passed and no harm came, curiosity overtook fear.
Those who entered discovered shelves lined with advanced weaponry, blades, rifles, rolling pins, colanders, and pans, all designed specifically to counter alien physiology.
There were also food supplies, real, tangible food, not synthetic nutrient gels.
To buy them, customers deposited their local currency into a glowing exchange box, receiving a card preloaded with purchase points.
It didn't take long for word to spread.
The desperate survivors of Zeptis began to gather outside her shop in droves, whispering of the mysterious "merchant" who had brought hope to their dying world.
As weeks turned into months, their battles began to shift.
