The corpse of the irradiated lizard Kaiju sat silent and bloated inside the containment pod of Orion-X. Its molten-colored eyes had long gone dim, but a strange hum still vibrated from deep within its core, like dying embers stubbornly refusing to go cold.
Outside, the planet R22 whispered in low tremors again, as if nature itself mourned or warned.
Inside the cockpit, Kael tapped open the private comm.
> [PRIVATE LINE ESTABLISHED: COMMANDER RYSSA]
Her voice came through almost immediately—clear, firm, but layered with something deeper.
> "You found a uranium cavern? And the Kaiju were... feeding directly from the rocks?"
"They were grazing on metal like livestock," Kael said, leaning back as the stabilizers powered up. "Teeth like reinforced blades. One of them took a bite out of Ravager's shoulder and dented the outer casing."
There was a pause. Then a softer tone.
> "Are you alright?"
Kael blinked once.
"I'm standing."
> "That's not what I asked."
Before he could answer, Tyren called from the lower hold.
"Secured and sealed. That lizard's heavier than my entire Brawler," he grunted. "What the hell is it even made of?"
Kael muted Ryssa's line for a second.
"Are we clear for departure?"
Tyren gave a thumbs-up. "Let's punch it."
As Orion-X lifted from the surface of R22, the fading light turned the hull golden, casting shadows across Kael's tired face. When he unmuted the line, Ryssa's voice was still there.
> "Kael…?"
"I'm fine," he said at last.
> "Good. Return to base immediately. Bring the carcass. And Kael… thanks. Again."
He didn't respond.
Instead, Tyren slid into the co-pilot seat and smirked. "Tell me I wasn't the only one who heard it in her voice."
"Drop it."
"You drop it. That woman talks to you like you're a rare jewel. What is it with you and deadly women?"
Kael grunted. "I don't trust easily. Especially not flirtations."
Tyren leaned closer. "Maybe not, but her tone? That was worry. Not manipulation."
Kael turned to him, face calm but voice sharp.
"Don't mistake concern for love. People are concerned when their tools break."
Tyren scoffed. "Right. And I'm the Emperor of the Andromeda colonies."
---
The Helios Ark was waiting. The docking bay buzzed with urgency as soon as they arrived. Medical staff, hazmat researchers, and technicians moved like swarms of white and black, all converging on the dead lizard Kaiju.
Even in death, the creature steamed—its blood reeking of charred metal and sulfur.
"Looks like it'll explode any second," one technician muttered.
"No sudden pressure. That skin could be reactive," said another.
Kael and Tyren didn't wait for orders. They walked straight toward the Armory Vault.
The automated doors scanned their identities and opened to reveal a dazzling row of new mecha parts. A pair of engineers met them with grim approval.
> [UPGRADE LOG — RAVAGER Mk III]
Core servo frame reinforced.
Agility tuning module integrated.
Adaptive impact shield initialized.
> [UPGRADE LOG — BRAWLER]
Gauntlet torque boost active.
Heavy-plated stabilizers attached.
Tyren stared. "They weren't kidding. These are elite-grade parts."
Kael said nothing, running a hand along Ravager's rebuilt shoulder.
And then she arrived.
Ryssa, hair tied back, jacket unzipped just enough to show command stripes and confidence. Her boots clicked with a rhythm too precise to be casual. She stopped two feet from Kael and looked directly into his eyes.
"You two did good," she said. "That lizard… it's a game-changer."
Kael crossed his arms. "You don't say."
She leaned in slightly. "And you? You've always been a game-changer."
Tyren groaned under his breath. "Here we go again."
Ryssa turned slightly to him. "Am I being obvious?"
"Painfully."
"Good."
She turned back to Kael, ignoring Tyren's snort.
"I want to offer you a… private reward. Real food. Clean quarters. Even a little music."
Kael stared at her. "I don't need anything."
"Everybody needs something."
"I just want my mech. And peace."
Ryssa smiled and whispered, "That's not what your eyes say."
Kael's jaw clenched. "I'm not falling into old traps."
She winked, walking away. "That's what makes you interesting."
---
Later that night, Tyren found Kael in the maintenance bay. The blue hue of maintenance lights cast long shadows across Ravager's armor.
Kael stood there, unmoving, as if the mech was an altar.
"You ever gonna let her in?" Tyren asked softly.
Kael didn't look at him. "I let people in once."
Tyren nodded slowly, leaning against a crate. "That was before we got spat out of the sky and burned to death in a metal tomb."
"I trusted them. And they buried me."
"Still, not everyone's them."
Kael turned, finally meeting his eyes. "Not yet."
---
Meanwhile, in the Science Division, researchers were in chaos. The Kaiju's internal organs were like glowing webs—metals laced with crystalline threads that shouldn't exist in nature. One report whispered about synthetic compounds lodged inside the beast's spine.
Something artificial.
Something engineered.
And not by nature.
---
Back in her quarters, Ryssa watched the debrief logs, pausing on each frame where Kael stood in his Ravager. She caught herself smiling.
"Shiny swords don't win wars," she repeated Kael's quote under her breath.
"No. But neither do lone wolves."
She slid open a drawer,
revealing a case labeled: [PROJECT: BLACK TALON // CLASSIFIED]
Inside was something glowing faintly.
The next phase was coming.
And Kael was at its heart—whether he liked it or not.