The fire crackled.
No one moved.
Oris stared at Kael from across the cave like he was staring down a ghost he wanted to exorcise. Tyren sat stiffly, arms crossed, while the others—the girls, the rescue squad—watched in tense silence, sensing something was about to erupt.
And it did.
Oris stood, knocking over the fuel crate with a loud clang.
"You know what I heard today?" he said, voice brittle with rage. "From the rescue team? What they're calling you up there?"
Kael didn't look up.
"They call you the rogue." Oris spat. "The unhinged asset. The walking wreck."
Still, Kael didn't flinch.
"Oh, but that's not the best part," Oris continued, stepping closer, jaw clenched. "One of them—some green recruit—said you're like a broken gun. Cool to look at, but no one wants to pull the trigger."
Kael slowly raised his eyes.
And Oris snapped.
"You think you're the only one with scars?" he shouted. "You think you're the only one who got thrown away? No, Kael. You're just the only one too proud to get back up!"
The cave held its breath.
"You walk around like you're carrying the weight of the galaxy on your back, but newsflash—you're not special. You're just a bitter, selfish coward who would rather rot in this hole with your damn mecha carcass than admit you need help!"
Kael rose to his feet slowly.
"Oh, don't give me that look," Oris growled. "You think Ravager is your loyalty badge? It's a metal box, Kael. Just like your skull."
Kael's fists clenched.
"You let everyone here bleed for you. And for what? So you can keep playing tragic hero in your own little drama?"
Vireya tried to step in, but Oris raised a hand.
"No. Let me finish. He needs to hear this."
Oris took a breath—and kept going.
"You're not a leader. You're a goddamn anchor. Every step forward we take, you pull us ten steps back with your guilt, your pride, your ghost stories about betrayal. We all got burned, Kael. You're not the only one with ashes in their mouth."
He walked up to Kael, chest to chest.
"You don't inspire us. You exhaust us."
Kael's lips parted slightly, but he didn't speak.
"You know why Ravager doesn't fall apart under you?" Oris hissed. "Because it's just as broken as you are."
Silence.
Then a slow step back.
"Unit 404 is dead," Oris said, backing away. "And maybe that's a good thing. Because I'm done following a man who'd rather hug the bones of his past than fight for the people still here."
Kael stood still. Not even his breathing showed.
Just those eyes. Cold. Empty. Glowing with something old and buried.
Vireya whispered, "Oris… maybe that was too far—"
"No," Oris muttered, turning away. "It was exactly far enough."
---
Kael didn't move for a full minute after Oris disappeared into the deeper chamber of the cave.
Then he finally spoke.
"Not broken."
The others turned.
Kael's voice was soft. Not weak. Just quiet in a way that felt… dangerous.
"I'm not broken."
He turned, picked up Ravager's charred chestplate again, and stared into the burned metal like it held the universe inside.
"I'm still alive," he murmured. "And that's enough."
---
Elsewhere — Battleship Ivory Glare
Commander Ryssa Faelan leaned back in her chair as the replay from the rescue team's black box finished.
"Well, damn," she muttered, tapping her nails on the screen. "Didn't think he'd break this fast."
Her second-in-command, Vrann, cleared his throat. "Still want to move on the retrieval plan?"
"Oh, more than ever," she grinned. "A weapon with a cracked barrel is still a weapon. And this one bleeds hate."
She flicked open the transmission to High Command.
"Prepare a case for reassignment. I want Kael of Unit 404 tagged as a Priority Reclamation Asset."