Ruger knew one thing for certain—now was not the time to make a choice. Not yet. The battlefield wasn't just in space or on Earth; it was in the shadows, in whispers, in information left unsaid. Every move had to be calculated, every decision weighed. Lives depended on it.
At the training facilities, the prototypes continued evolving, far surpassing the potential extracted from the stolen Rikapud technology. It was clear—the more they reverse-engineered, the more they realized how little they truly understood. But Ruger wasn't about to trust the unknown, nor the people around him.
He needed a failsafe.
Quietly, secretly, he embedded a hidden protocol into the suits. A contingency. With a single command, he could seize control of them from anywhere in the world. For now, it was just a precaution… but paranoia whispered otherwise.
If his father—his real father—was one of the Rikapud, how deep did their influence go? How much of this world did they already control? The thought burrowed into his mind, festering. He didn't just distrust the Rikapud. He distrusted everyone.
The idea of being a lone wolf wasn't just appealing—it felt inevitable.
Training and Distance.
His combat training intensified. Nkhensani led his sessions, her sharp focus unshaken. Grappling was her specialty—close-quarters, precise, intimate. She noticed things others didn't. The subtle stiffness in his movements, the way he kept his teammates close yet emotionally distant, as if maintaining a barrier. Faked camaraderie. Forced trust.
She wasn't blind.
One evening, after another grueling session, she invited him to dinner—just the two of them.
She had a feeling he'd refuse. He didn't.
A Dinner of Unspoken Truths.
Ruger wasn't oblivious. He knew how this might look. He'd been in relationships before—he wasn't some soldier too hardened for emotion. But this? This was different. It wasn't about attraction or flirtation, though their training had put them in plenty of compromising positions.
It was about something more dangerous.
Trust.
Nkhensani didn't press him with questions, didn't pry where she knew she wouldn't get answers. Instead, she watched. Studied.
Let's see what kind of person you really are, Ruger.
And in turn, Ruger studied her. Every word measured, every silence between them more telling than any conversation. It was a dangerous game, and neither of them knew the rules yet.
A Hidden Project. A Dangerous Path.
Despite the growing bond with his squad, Ruger couldn't afford to trust them—not fully. Not yet. The fear of betrayal ran too deep. He needed something of his own.
Behind the scenes, away from the prying eyes of the Black Council, he worked on something—his own suit. One that surpassed anything the government or the Rikapud had conceived. A suit designed not just for war on Earth, but for war in the stars.
A suit that could survive the vacuum of space.
Because deep down, Ruger knew—
The fight wouldn't stay on Earth forever.