A few hours later, Caden was back on his feet.
Not fully. Not even close. But close enough.
The med staff had patched him up, stabilized the wound, and run him through recovery until he was at least functional again. He still felt the pull in his side when he moved too fast, but he ignored it and made his way back to the Intelligence Wing.
When he stepped into the room, the others were already there.
Blade looked up first. "Good. You're just in time."
Caden slowed near the table, glancing at the holo-map in the center. "For what?"
Blade rested one hand on the table's edge. "We were discussing how to stop this thing."
Blue Riot looked more irritated than tired, which said a lot. "Yeah. So far, none of my usual methods are working."
Renn Varos stood beside the display, eyes locked on the shifting data. "Because this isn't a normal target. We can't keep approaching it like one."
Caden stayed quiet for a second, looking at the map, the red movement line, the attack pattern markers. Then he spoke.
"If he's a hunter…"
The room went still.
Caden stepped closer, eyes narrowing slightly as his thoughts started connecting.
"…then we have to stop thinking like a task force."
Blue Riot glanced over. "Go on."
Caden pointed at the movement path on the holo-screen. "We keep chasing him at full speed, trying to corner him with force and reaction time. That's what he wants. He's faster in bursts. Smarter in chaos."
Renn folded his arms. "So?"
Caden looked up. "So we stop acting like soldiers clearing a target… and start acting like predators looking for a meal."
That got all of them paying attention.
"Not faster," Caden continued. "Longer. Relentless. Patient. We don't sprint after him, we wear him down. Track him. Pressure him. Stay on him until he makes a mistake."
Blue Riot's expression shifted first. He nodded slowly, then more firmly. "Ohhh. Yeah. I see it."
Blade looked at Caden a little differently now. "We go in as hunters."
Renn gave a small nod. "Not bad."
Then he tapped the screen again.
The map zoomed in.
"Good thing you said that," he muttered. "Because he moved."
A new red marker flashed.
"He's closer now."
Caden frowned. "Closer where?"
Renn enlarged the terrain overlay.
"A forest planet. Nearby."
Blue Riot cracked his neck. "Good. Less travel. More hunting."
The room shifted instantly after that. No more theory. No more circling ideas. The plan had changed, and everyone felt it.
This time they wouldn't be chasing something they didn't understand.
This time they were going to stalk it.
The locker room was quieter than usual.
Everybody was gearing up, but the energy was different, more focused, more deliberate. Less like soldiers rushing to another emergency, more like a team getting ready for one specific kill.
Caden was tightening the straps on his armor when Blue Riot stepped up beside him.
For a second, he didn't say anything.
Then,
"Hey."
Caden looked up.
Blue Riot kept his eyes on the lockers in front of him. "About before…"
Caden already knew what he meant.
"It's fine," he said. "I knew what this job was."
Blue Riot shook his head. "Still."
He finally looked at him. "Sorry you got hurt."
Caden leaned back against the locker. "You didn't stab me."
A short breath of a laugh escaped Blue Riot, but it didn't last long.
"You're starting to contribute," Riot said after a moment. "Not just in the field. On the team."
That landed harder than Caden expected.
Blue Riot crossed his arms. "You're not fully there yet… but you're close."
Caden nodded slowly. "Yeah."
Then, more quietly,
"I think I'm starting to get what this place is."
Blue Riot gave him a faint smirk. "About time."
Caden smiled a little.
"…And yeah. I think I'm starting to feel like part of the family."
Blue Riot didn't say anything to that.
He just gave one small nod and turned toward the exit.
"Good," he said. "Then let's go hunt."
A few minutes later, the team rolled out.
No wasted chatter. No loose energy. Just the low hum of engines, the clink of gear, and the understanding that this mission had changed.
They weren't responding anymore.
They were pursuing.
And somewhere on that forest planet,
Something dangerous was finally about to be hunted back.