Back inside the safety of the Lugger, silence reigned.
The flickering glow of internal lights washed across weary faces. The air was thick not with heat or smoke, but with indecision. No one had spoken a word since their narrow escape from the mutated Kaiju. Only the hum of the engine, the soft whir of medical drones tending to minor injuries, and the occasional mechanical beep dared to disturb the stillness.
Kael sat near the open med-bay, arms crossed, gaze locked on the reinforced hatch that led outside.
Tyren leaned forward with both elbows on his knees, a rare look of actual contemplation on his face. Ziya sat cross-legged near the nav console, her fingers tapping nervously on her datapad, though she hadn't typed a single word. And Ryssa stood silently beside Kael, arms folded, her normally confident posture slightly slouched under the weight of what they had just seen.
"Three full squads," Kael finally said, voice low but sharp. "Gone. Not a signal. Not a trace. Just… gone."
Ziya bit her lip. "You think it was those Kaiju?"
Kael's eyes didn't move. "No. I think it was something worse."
Tyren looked up. "We don't even know what that worse is. All we know is whatever's happening down there—it's organized. Not instinctual. There's coordination. Communication. Strategy."
"And mutation," Ryssa added grimly. "Rapid, unpredictable mutation. The longer this goes on, the more dangerous it becomes. If those things ever find a way to leave this planet…"
Ziya let out a shaky breath. "It would be a massacre."
For a moment, the tension hung like a blade over them.
Kael leaned back against the wall. "So. Do we report this?"
Tyren scoffed. "And say what? That we disobeyed direct orders, snuck back into a classified sector, and found Kaiju gods crawling out of radioactive hell? You think they'll thank us?"
"They'll lock us up," Ryssa muttered. "Brand us reckless. Unstable. Maybe even delusional. We've all seen what happens when people bring back the truth the higher-ups don't want to hear."
Kael nodded. "They'll either call us liars… or threats."
Ziya's voice was small. "But if we don't report it, no one will know. What if this escalates?"
Kael looked at her. "It will escalate. That's inevitable now."
Tyren stood up slowly, stretching his back. "But at least it won't be blamed on us. Let them stay blind until they're ready to see. Because right now? They're not."
---
Meanwhile, in the Central Battleship Command Room
Dozens of high-ranking officials sat around the oval meeting table. A massive holographic display projected R22's terrain with flagged coordinates, last-known signals of the deployed squads, and now—just red X's.
All of them.
General Isador, a scar-faced veteran with a calm voice but furious eyes, rose to his feet.
"All three deployment squads—annihilated. Not even black box transmissions made it out. R22 was classified as a 'manageable high-risk sector.' That's what you all signed off on." His voice grew harsher with every word. "Now tell me, how do we explain this?"
No one answered.
A younger officer cleared his throat. "Sir, some are still investigating. It could be mechanical failure. Equipment errors. Localized disasters."
"Three separate squads?" Isador's voice was flat. "Simultaneously? No. This wasn't malfunction. This was slaughter."
A cold silence followed, until another commander finally spoke. "What about Kael? Tyren? Ryssa? Weren't they last recorded in R22 before the blackout?"
There was a pause.
Then a response from the Intelligence Officer. "They returned just before the blackout began. No full report has been submitted yet."
Isador frowned. "Why not?"
"They claimed standard exploration and environmental observation. Said they were 'preparing' the data. Nothing more."
A murmur ran through the room.
---
Back aboard the Lugger
Kael exhaled through his nose and rose to his feet.
"Then it's settled. No report."
Tyren smirked faintly. "I didn't write one anyway."
Ziya looked conflicted. "Are you sure? This could help—if someone responsible reads it."
Ryssa looked at her gently. "And if someone dangerous reads it?"
The room went quiet again.
Kael turned to them all. "We know the truth. And the truth is too heavy for people who only carry medals and not scars."
He picked up his gauntlet and slotted it into Ravager's interface, silently powering down the last auto-logs of their trip. "We keep this between us. Until we're ready."
Tyren cracked his neck. "Until they need us more than we need them."
Ziya looked at each of them. "So what now?"
Kael met her eyes.
"We prepare. R22 has changed. And it's not just a graveyard anymore."
Ryssa stepped forward beside him.
"It's an evolving battlefield."
Outside the viewport, R22 loomed once more. Still. Silent. Unfo
rgiving.
But something in its depths had awakened.
And this time, they wouldn't be caught unaware.