Chapter 3; Adjacent Stripes and Diverse Pilots
"Okay, sure- I'll admit my appearance may be confusing to many. You ask 'what the heck are you?' and I hardly have a reply for you. All I know is that, when they took me in, they labeled me as a jaguar. Does it really matter much anymore? I stopped caring about the questions of 'what am I?' when I was old enough to figure out that I was different in some way.
'Yet you might say that it'd be important to know what I am. If you're so hot about knowing, just realize that I'm some sorta feline with white stripes marking me much like a tiger's. I just don't have as much strength or bulk as they do, and that's it. Lemme ask you something in return, however- if you were orphaned by parents who obviously didn't want you around or who aren't even going to be found anytime soon, would you give a fuck about finding out about who you are?"
~Kajex Firedrake, giving out a long-winded explanation of himself to somebody who is currently at gunpoint.
The loud sounds- clangs, bangs, minor explosions, scratches, spark blows, welding screeches and sonic booms- filled the vast space on the twentieth floor of the building. Opened on all sides save one, with docking bays both below and above, ships poured into it, out of it, or simply hovered patiently, possibly ready to receive someone's manifest. Their pilots were neither at hand within them, nor idle. The chatter of many Lylatians helped to fill the already near-deafening collection of various sounds. It was an enigma to figure out how one was speaking to the other, save that probably one could read another's mind or lips (if any were present).
Yet even so, a pair of Lylatians did manage to speak through the din, in calm tones of voice. The volume around them seemed like nothing. Indeed, had there not been any activity going on and the hangar bay hollow, their voices might have been low enough so as not to stir an echo.
Diego sat upon a box of undelivered goods, looking out and around at the activity around him. Below, sitting on the ground with her back against the boxes, sat a female Siberian tiger. She was clothed in khaki pants and a brown leather jacket with which her sleeves were rolled up, opened to reveal a green shirt. Among other things, a blaster was strapped to her thigh, allowing easy access. Her expression showed nothing except the air that she might well have been bored, depressed, or both. She spoke no words until Diego spoke from his perch.
"Say, how's that arm of your, Trig?" he asked casually.
Trigger shrugged. "It pains me no more, it doesn't," she said, a flowing Scottish accent coming from her voice. "I'm surprised, yet, that I was still alive after that cut. Ya would've though Tarry would've directed an injured lass to medical, now, don't you think?"
Diego shrugged in turn. "I think Tarry thought you could handle it. It wasn't more than about a minute before you had used your bandana as a tourniquet. It was a nasty slit though."
Trigger nodded, a growl emanating from within her throat. "Aye, it was. It hurt like a muthafucker and bled like a bitch. I can't wait ta nail that bastard in the head- just a fast draw and a quick tug at the gun-hook… he'll be mine, I wager. Ain't a body who has succeeded me in a draw."
Diego looked down at her with interest, though she could not see him. "Really… that'd be something to see actually. I'd like to see you two as rival mercenaries for a while. Maybe you'd learn to appreciate each other?"
Trigger snorted. "Appreciate a low-wages hunter who thinks he can take advantage of women? Not likely, I say. He'll learn to keep a fair distance from me, sooner or later."
Diego nodded. "He is cautious of you, to let you know."
Trigger blinked, then looked up at Diego. "He… he is?"
Diego nodded again. "He asked me to keep an eye on you, make sure you didn't do anything like that again. You were fast on the trigger, you know. I saw that he had only a nanosecond or two left to dodge your shot. He did it, but he was rattled by it, though he won't show it."
Trigger snorted again. "What makes him think I'd do anythin' like that again, eh? If I've already proved my point, he'd do well ta stay away from me, lest he want another shot fired in his direction, aye?"
There was a long silence between them. The noises within the hangar bay continued at their deafening volume. A ship had just lifted up from the lower hangar port and was speeding away, the burst of fresh engine energy filling the hangar with a gust of harmless ozone-scented fumes and another sonic boom. Trigger's white hair, colored orange towards the tips, waved wildly as the gust blew it around.
After a while longer, Diego shrugged in response to the answer Trigger had given him. He had reflected on this, as he did with many other things, and jumped down from his perch. "Well, does it matter? I have a feeling he may not even come back. You know Tarry was looking into getting some pilots. I heard from him yesterday that he wanted Kajex to join our faction as a unit pilot." He circled around the boxes, looking around at a few of the ships.
Trigger blinked, getting up and turning to look at Diego incredulously. "That stupid feline was asked to join us? I'll bet a fine credit that he would've been blasted to dust in a matter of seconds, I would."
"Perhaps you would wager against his skill, but you didn't see his exceptional flying skills, did you? The cat has more slit in his eye to see out of while he's in a ship than a toad has a length of tongue. The pilots who attacked the custom's point say he would have been impossible to shoot down. You may well have found your match, Trigger."
"Oh, aye, that's what you think, eh?" she challenged, rising on the balls of her feet and waving a clenched fist while Diego's back was turned from her. "I'd maul him in space-combat, and ye know that better than anybody else does, you do!" She calmed down, however, taking what had been said before into consideration. "Still, what does it matter? Ye said so yerself that he might not be coming back anyway. Not like it would have mattered, anyway, since he'd probably be takin' orders from me…"
Diego looked back with a smile, shrugging. "Sure, Trigger, sure…"
"Oh, ye don't believe me? Tarry would take me as his first choice and you know that, too!"
Before she could speak more, however, she caught movement coming from the hangar bay entrance. A black feline stepped in, clad in a pair of jeans and a green jacket. She turned her head slightly, then hissed as she recognized the jaguar. Her good paw reached low and gripped the handle of her weapon, but before she could draw, Diego grasped her arm and shook his head.
She blinked, not knowing what to say, and instead reluctantly obeyed with the suggestion. Her paw left the handle, and she only folded her arms and fumed as Kajex approached. As he came close, she shot him a cold look.
Kajex, however, was one to read such signs. Indeed, she did seem angry and hostile towards him, but he could sense a bit of fear within her, as well. As if to confirm this, she moved back a pace or two as he came within four feet of her. He met her eyes for a moment, locked them with hers as she glared in hatred and wariness. As he returned a look somewhat similar (though with the thoughts of hatred and wariness absent), her own gaze faltered and she seemed to become exposed to his look. She immediately looked away and down, trying to ignore him.
When this moment had gone by, he turned to Diego. The lizard seemed a bit baffled by his presence. "Kajex… I didn't think you'd still be here- I gotta say that I'm pretty surprised. I would have thought you'd leave by now."
Kajex sighed, shook his head. "I'm wondering myself why I'm still here. It's not for the credits, I'm sure… but Tarry said to give it a whirl for at least a week, with wages."
Diego laughed, a deep and almost infectious chortle that would have made Kajex smile if the situation were different. "So, you'll be joining us in flight then?"
Kajex sighed, shrugged. "Again, if you know why I'm still here, tell me so I can solve it." He looked in Trigger's direction. "I don't want to be here… I especially don't want to be around her."
Trigger overheard his, despite the low voice Kajex was using. "Aye? Is that so then, Firedrake? Then best you just leave us be and take yer damn credits then. I want nothing ta do with the likes of you either."
"I'll take my leave when I see fit," Kajex snapped back. "As it is, I need to get a few credits to make sure I'm insured for the rest of this year, and I don't need you to make things difficult for me while I'm earning the. So do us both a favor and gag yourself."
"What would you mean by that?" she growled back, tail swishing in excitement and pent up rage. "Ye cannah tell me what ta do, tailpipe! Lest ye want ta see the nozzle of my blaster shoved down yer throat, I'd suggest ye stop that kinda talk and gag yerself!"
Kajex took a hostile step forward. Again, it looked like she would falter, but her slightly lifted leg did not take another pace backward yet. She fared fangs at him in response, with a growl for good measure. He growled back in response, and the air seemed to be able to choke anybody from the pure tension.
Diego interjected. "Whoa up, you two, whoa up. We don't want a literal cat- fight on our claws, now do we? Calm down, Kajex, she's in one of her usual moods. And Trigger, I'd suggest that you remain silent here."
Trigger looked at Kajex one last time with fiery eyes, then sighed and turned to Diego. "Look, I'll be up in Hangar 54 to see if our ships are repaired yet. Give me a buzz when you're done with him, aye?"
Diego nodded approvingly. "Good idea. Cool down for a while. I'll call you when we're ready to come down."
She was about to reply, perhaps something saying that if 'come down' involved Kajex's presence, that she would have preferred to have him not come (in a colorful arrangement of curses, snarls and swears, no doubt). But instead, catching a challenging, furious look from Kajex (who obviously suspected that she would go savage, tongue-wise), she closed he muzzle, looked down and nodded silently. She turned away and left.
Diego watched her go, and sighed. "Sorry about that, Kajex. I hope you understand her behavior…"
Kajex nodded. "I do- she's angry that I injured her the day before, and probably wants to peg me down in any way she can. I understand- it doesn't mean I'll tolerate it, however."
Diego nodded. "I'm watching both of you, as a warning. I'd hate to knock some skulls around to get you two to be of sound mind to each other. You two are probably the best pilots we have in the unit, and you'll have to trust each other up there."
Kajex sighed, turned away. "Another reason why I'm reluctant. I don't trust her. If she covers flank with me somewhere in front, she might well find it a good idea to slam a missile into my back. I think I've angered her enough to make her do that, truthfully, even though it's nothing new."
"So you don't trust her at all?"
"She nearly put a bolt in my head, Diego," Kajex replied. "If you were in my boots, would you trust her?"
Diego shrugged, nodded. "You have a point, I'll confess. You can't expect to trust her. As well you shouldn't trust anybody. But right now, she's not your enemy. She may well be your rival, perhaps even a hateful person to you, but not your enemy. She knows likewise, as well, and I don't think she'll be bothering you any."
"I hope not," Kajex said. He looked around. "I had noticed it before, but I didn't have a chance to say anything about it- this hangar bay is pretty unique. You get as many ships as I'm seeing everyday?"
Diego shook his head. "Not really, to tell you the truth. Most of these ships are parked here for prolonged docking; their pilots having been attacked by pirates whom we think have connection to our rival businesses. It's actually a pretty new thing nowadays, but I suppose there's no real surprise about it, is there? What with Venom and all invading…"
Kajex nodded. "Agreeable. You'd expect something like pirate organizations to take advantage of others." He looked around. "Who are we currently friendly with, in any case?"
"Corneria. Most would say that, if it had been taken down in only a few nights, it wouldn't be worth putting our trust in; yet we do. Besides, up until Triple-Star Tech. came up, Arspace was and still is, in some ways, considered the best aspect of Corneria itself. They make some pretty stable ships, and if you couple it in with good pilots and a company that modifies ships and vessels as well as this one, then we've got ourselves a sharp air force to look forward to."
The jaguar shrugged. "Stands to reason, I guess. It isn't about the justice and righteousness about it though, is it?"
Diego frowned. "What, are you kidding me?" His voice had sounded serious. "Of course it is. Why would you think it otherwise?"
Kajex sighed. "I don't find myself flattered by heroic deeds done by others. Nor do I, for that matter, care much about them. This is my own point of view on things, you'll understand it, right?"
Diego's serious air had gone back to its normal, carefree mode. "Ah. Only for the credits, eh?"
"Only for the credits."
Diego shrugged. "Well, to each their own. You may find yourself being drawn into this war a bit more than you expect, I think."
"I don't plan on staying that long," Kajex replied.
"I wonder," Diego said to himself. He shook his head and motioned for the jaguar to follow. "Well, as long as you're here, I might as well show you the pilots. We go them all rallied up last night, around 10:15. We needed a few days to get them together, but we finally did. You'll follow me, please."
He motioned the jaguar to the right with a single claw, walking in the direction of a large ship. This vessel, unlike the rest, was parked outside the hangar bay, connected only by several magnetic clamps and an extendable bridge that led into it. The vessel itself was a slim ship. A wedge shape was towards the front, and connecting it was a boxlike figure at the back.
As they entered the hallway within the bridge, it became apparent that the boxlike shape was actually a series of hangars, mounted one on top of another, and side-to-side. Four of them there were, but what Kajex couldn't see was another set of hangars on the other side. Smaller ships, star fighters and the like filled these, and from only a brief count, he was amazed to discover that each hangar bay held near a maximum of 50 ships- over four squadrons for each hangar.
"Holy shit…" Kajex said, blinking. "This thing is massive. Do you even have living quarters onboard that thing? It looks like you've filled the whole thing with nothing but ships…"
Diego nodded. "She's actually a lot bigger on the inside. That's not to say that her hull is thin and weak, of course. She can take damage like the rest of them, fortunately. We call her the Nebula."
Kajex nodded. "I must admit it's a well deserved name. She may not be as big, but she has the firepower to cause one…" He shook his head. There were only a few things that could impress him. This was one of them, however. He spotted a small group to their left, within a hangar, looking out on the insect-sized people below them. They seemed to be waiting for something. He assumed them to be the pilots for the team.
After what seemed like a minute of walking- the bridge's length being quite long indeed- they reached the end of the hallway at last. The hatch was open ready to receive the two. They stepped into the ship, a warm wave of air hitting them both at once. A pair of guards looked them over, but backed away when they saw Diego's huge frame. Diego muttered something to them, which they responded to with confirmed tones of voice.
As soon as he had finished, Kajex asked a question. "These pilots… are any of them the originals from Halo Flight?"
Diego thought for a moment, then nodded. "Two of them, actually. The rest of them decided to try and disband, but the two remaining pilots refused to give up their positions and leave Halo Flight. The rest of the pilots whom you're going to meet are all new to space combat, and only one of them I know well enough to say that you'll want to keep her around."
They made for their left; in the direction of the hangar bay that Kajex had spotted the waiting group. Coming to door that opened in response to their movements, this same hangar bay revealed itself to Kajex, this time from an inside point of view. They stepped in, the inner hangar being oddly quiet. The group of pilots that Kajex had spotted approached them.
When they had gotten within 15 feet of them, Diego motioned the jaguar to stop. He stepped forward, until he was exactly in between the jaguar and the group of pilots.
"Well, I guess we're all assembled here, except for Trigger. She won't be in for another few minutes and in any case, she'll need a little time to herself. I'm certain you've been anxious to find out who'll be in charge of the team; just yesterday, we finally found a volunteer for the job. This is Kajex Firedrake, a mercenary for hire who recently took on a job for us. Under a few agreements, we've convinced him to stay for a while, at least a week, so don't get too comfortable with him around, because he may not be around long enough."
Kajex stepped forward, not needing any cue or gesture that indicated he could do so. The group was diverse, from his point of few. They did not make up a full squadron of twelve pilots, of course, but if one could count himself and Trigger, then the total came to eight. There was one avian, two canines, a female skunk, a newt and a raccoon.
He stepped forward and the pilots, who had been standing at attention in a rigid and static fashion, only stood in place. Kajex almost laughed, but kept himself from doing so, though it was more difficult for him to keep from grinning. "At ease," he said, a bit incredulously. He turned to Diego. "Where the hell'd you get these people, Diego- the Cornerian Air Force?"
Diego took Kajex aside, turning away from the pilots. "Er, you may want to watch what you say." He lowered his voice, looking at the female skunk and one of the two canines. "You've gotten the Corneria part right- the majority of them came from the academy. The skunk right there, though, just got out of reform school, but she's been known to still be a bit sensitive…"
Kajex sighed in exasperation. "You're kidding me…" He put a paw to his head. "I should've said no, dammit, no…" He looked up. "I expect I'll have to put up with the same kind of attitude, with them standing up so straight that they'd come in handy as piper cleaners with shorter fur?"
Diego laughed softly, shook his head. "Not at all, actually. The canine there, the Doberman- he got out of boot camp as well. He's pretty tough in a fight, but I don't think he'll cause any problems. He'll do as he's told." He looked at the rest. "As for the remaining pilots, some of them have families connected to the companies, so they actually volunteered after being rejected by the Air Force. Delta," he said, motioning to the newt, "has actually done some work for us in the past. She's no older than you are, but she works also as a technician and she'll come in handy, especially if you need a ship diagnostics check."
Kajex sighed, still a bit wary. "Well… fine then… I'll put up with them if I need to." He looked them over again. "How skilled are they?"
Diego stepped back, claws held up. "Hey, you're the commander here, Kajex. You find out. I only know some of them." He handed him a paper from his back pocket. "Here are their names and former occupations. Use it if you need to find out what each one specializes in."
Kajex nodded, took the paper and stepped forward. "Well, as long as we're here, we might as well get a few things straight. First of all, I hate the formalities, so you can ditch calling me 'sir' or anything close to it. It's not hard at all for you to forget that, or so I hope. If you need to call me anything, just call me Kajex. Got it?" A few of them nodded, while others simply returned a glance that signaled that they would certainly refrain from using formal titles. He looked at them one by one, placing their species to their names. "Squall Daniels?" he said, looking at the falcon.
The falcon rose, not much taller than Kajex himself and nodded. "That's me." His tan head feathers, which were lighter than his darker brown plumage, had been pushed backwards in a manner that made them fall behind his shoulder. His eyes held an unusual calm that made Kajex stare for a moment before replying.
"You've been logged in as communications ships. Your designation is Ring 3. Welcome aboard." The falcon and sat back down silently. Kajex blinked and gave a rare smile. "Good to meet you, too."
The falcon looked up, confused, then stood. "Oh, sorry. I'm just…er… feel a little out of place, that's all."
Kajex nodded, rolled his eyes. "Trust me, I know that feeling." He continued. "Delta Jacobs?"
The female newt stood up, gave an enthusiastically informal salute. She had a smile that almost annoyed Kajex, but she talked with a confident, upbeat tone that indicated that she was hard to get down, and made it hard for others to be so. "Right here! Nice to meet ya, Kajex!"
As much as her smile would have been annoying to others, he took no irritation from her cheery greeting, and in fact was a bit towards it. "You as well, Delta. You're in charge of ship repair and diagnostics checks before and after flight. I trust you'll keep to your job?"
Delta nodded, still smiling. "Trust me, if I didn't know had to fly, then fixing ships and checking them out would be all that I'd do."
"Good; I'm glad that at least one member of this team indicates they're devoted to their assigned duty," Kajex said. "Aaron Elias?" His eyes caught the form of a short male raccoon.
The raccoon looked up at Kajex. Something about him made him stand out more than the others, but Kajex couldn't put his claw down on it. It was a mix between hopefulness and trust. Though it was not shown in his face or his movements, it was easy to spot nevertheless, within his eyes. "At your command."
Kajex shook off the feeling and nodded. "You'll be tactician for our team. You've been through officer schooling, I assume?"
He nodded "Yes sir, I have." He immediately winced and grit his teeth. "Oh, uh… sorry about that."
Kajex waved it off. "One mistake, that's all it was. I just don't want to hear it during flight time." He was about to speak, but he sensed the raccoon had more to say. "What is it?"
Aaron opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, he seemed to think better of it and shook his head. "Never mind… it's nothing." He sat back down, seeming to drift into his own thoughts.
Kajex shrugged. "Lyre Richards?"
The Doberman rose and gave a curt nod to Kajex, to which Kajex returned.
"You've got specialties in weapons tech. Have some sorta knack for it?"
The Doberman shrugged. "You could say that." He looked up with a small glare. "Just don't be overheating your cannons too much, because it takes long enough to repair 'em and more time to replace the charge mechanism."
Kajex nodded. "Alright, we'll practice proper cannon usage to lessen your workload. It doesn't mean you won't be working, though."
"Tell me something I don't know," the Doberman responded, almost as if he wanted Kajex to hear him.
Kajex raised an eyebrow. "Got a problem with it?"
"As long as people aren't getting on my back about it, no. You, on the other hand…" he trailed off with a bit of a challenging grin. "Stay outta my business and I'll do the same."
Kajex leaned forward with narrowed eyes. "Get used to it, then. I ain't gonna put up with any bullshit, coming from either you or anybody else. You have me go through it, then you will have a problem with me."
"It's not like I don't already," the Doberman growled, peering at Kajex.
The Doberman copied Kajex's stare and they held this for about a minute, daring the other to speak and break the silence and their patience, during which there seemed to be a tension in the air. A single movement or noise, it seemed, would set them off much like a spark to flammable gas.
Then, without warning, both of them simultaneously laughed out loud. Their chuckles filled the hangar bay and confused the group of pilots. For a moment it seemed like there would be a fight, but all of the sudden, these seemingly hostile people were laughing for no reason they could comprehend.
The Doberman grinned. "I think I'll get used to you, Kajex. Your attitude doesn't faze me, but I respect that mine doesn't faze you, either."
Kajex nodded, also grinning. "I think flying alongside you should be interesting." He looked back at the paper. "Tekion Lupis?"
The other canine, a male wolf, stood and nodded to Kajex. "That's me, Kajex."
The jaguar nodded. "Your job is customs and language… you also have credentials in troop weapons, or so this says."
Tekion nodded. "They want me around in case anybody decides to set a bomb or something. Don't ask me why, but I think my piloting will come in handy."
Kajex shrugged. "I have yet to see if it can. Let's hope what you say is true, though." He continued. "Trace Sarrin?"
The skunk timidly raised her paw. "Um… that's me, sir… erm… I mean Kajex…" She tried to smile, but one could tell that she was nervous beyond reasoning.
Kajex nodded. "I hope your not as timid in a starfighter- no offense, but it seems you're almost scared to be here. None of us are going to eat you," he said, with a partial smile.
She nodded, but remained silent, looking away.
Kajex continued. "So… this is the group that I'm going have to take on, then…" He sighed. "Well, I can't say I'm thrilled, but you don't look so bad. I just need to figure out what skill you have." He looked them over, then frowned. He turned to Diego. "You had said that there were two members of Halo Flight that had originally been there before. Who are they?"
Diego laughed. "Well, I'm one of them, actually. I've been assigned to this flight group, to make sure you do well and to aid you with any duties you may have. I'm glad to be on your flight, though, Kajex," he finished, extending a claw.
Kajex blinked, but smiled gratefully inwardly, giving a grin outwardly. "Is that so… then this should be interesting. I'm at least glad that you'll be helping- you seem like the type who knows what he's doing." His smile faded slightly. "Still… who's the final member?"
Diego hesitated. "The last member is… the original commander's daughter…"
"Ach!! Who the fuck decided ta put these tools here?!" Trigger snarled to herself. She had barely avoided tripping over a toolbox, and only a quick recognition of the item and even quicker reflexes had kept her from doing so. She stumbled forward and regained balance.
All that knew her (which weren't many at all) knew the look in her eye she currently had now, indicating that she was not one to be bothered at the moment. To those who didn't, she made her feelings quite clear. She smacked back a thread of her orange-tipped white hair and had gone stomping off as soon as she had gotten out of Diego's sight. Thus, not a word was spoken to her.
She could barely believe that she would be flying alongside such a fool, an extremely dangerous person who had done her a great deal of harm. No excuses from Tarry would keep her from at least snarling at him for a good half-hour or so. She had been glad Diego had stopped her from doing anything hostile, but had also resented him for being neutral between them both. She would have rather that he had stayed out of the conversation- at the least, it would've given her a free shot at Kajex's head.
The tiger made it to a terminal and logged in. A series of nameplates appeared, and she went through each one. According to the log, most of the ships had been repaired and were space-worthy. There were only 3 of them that weren't fixed properly yet, and at the moment, these vessels were being taken care of. There seemed little more to but wait, it seemed, and this surprised her a little; she wondered briefly if Tarry had planned that far ahead so that they'd be ready at moment's notice.
Another thought crossed her mind, and she moved her paws across the keyboard to see if her presumption was, in any way, valid. Each nameplate on the ship was linked to an owner on the team; the computer she was using had this information in it. The list ran up. She scanned it over it with her green eyes. Within a few minutes, she went storming off, knocking over two technicians in her rage.
The screen read clearly the names. And the name Kajex Firedrake had been accompanied in slot 1.
Within another few minutes, she was onboard the Nebula. One of the guards blocked her path, but then saw the look in her eyes and instead backed off. She sneered at him once, then stomped past him, moving towards the hangar bay. Her thoughts were rage, and there was only person she could take it out on.
She saw him in the middle of the hangar with the pilots in front of him. None of them had noticed her entrance; not even Kajex. She rushed forward, her boots causing her little noise. Still, no one noticed her approach. Then, as Trigger raised a clenched fist and brought it back behind her shoulder for her final lunge, Kajex turned in place, not expecting to see her.
She caught him off guard. With a roar, she let her rage out, bringing her fist crashing against Kajex's left jaw. He fell over, and she tumbled on top of him, but refused to let up on her attack. He brought his paws up, catching one of her arms, but she bit his arm hard, causing him to growl in pain. He let go with one of his paws and caught her other fist before she could use it.
"You bastard!!!" she screamed in his face, struggling to get out of his grip. "How the fuck could you do this to me?! That was my father's place, dammit! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!!!" Tears of rage and grief ran down her face, which made Kajex pause and look on in shock and confusion. Her very eyes, gazing on him, made him feel exposed, guilty… even though he knew he had no reason to feel this way.
Diego ran up to her, trying to pry her off. She would not get up easily, instead trying to hit Kajex more, screaming foul obscenities at him, a string of angry and injure-inspired curses. He only looked on, shocked and feeling unjustly guilty.
With a final pull, Diego was able to get her off of the jaguar. All strength and anger seemed to fall from her, and an unrestrained orchestra of sobs went into Diego's chest as she cried, mourning her loss of her father, and the loss of what remained of his legacy, of which had been taken by the one whom she now vowed, wordlessly, would be her mortal enemy. She could not even look up at Kajex, not even to see the injuries she had caused him, not even to see that, for no reason that even Kajex could put his claw on, he was feeling culpable.
"Okay, sure- I'll admit my appearance may be confusing to many. You ask 'what the heck are you?' and I hardly have a reply for you. All I know is that, when they took me in, they labeled me as a jaguar. Does it really matter much anymore? I stopped caring about the questions of 'what am I?' when I was old enough to figure out that I was different in some way.
'Yet you might say that it'd be important to know what I am. If you're so hot about knowing, just realize that I'm some sorta feline with white stripes marking me much like a tiger's. I just don't have as much strength or bulk as they do, and that's it. Lemme ask you something in return, however- if you were orphaned by parents who obviously didn't want you around or who aren't even going to be found anytime soon, would you give a fuck about finding out about who you are?"
~Kajex Firedrake, giving out a long-winded explanation of himself to somebody who is currently at gunpoint.
The loud sounds- clangs, bangs, minor explosions, scratches, spark blows, welding screeches and sonic booms- filled the vast space on the twentieth floor of the building. Opened on all sides save one, with docking bays both below and above, ships poured into it, out of it, or simply hovered patiently, possibly ready to receive someone's manifest. Their pilots were neither at hand within them, nor idle. The chatter of many Lylatians helped to fill the already near-deafening collection of various sounds. It was an enigma to figure out how one was speaking to the other, save that probably one could read another's mind or lips (if any were present).
Yet even so, a pair of Lylatians did manage to speak through the din, in calm tones of voice. The volume around them seemed like nothing. Indeed, had there not been any activity going on and the hangar bay hollow, their voices might have been low enough so as not to stir an echo.
Diego sat upon a box of undelivered goods, looking out and around at the activity around him. Below, sitting on the ground with her back against the boxes, sat a female Siberian tiger. She was clothed in khaki pants and a brown leather jacket with which her sleeves were rolled up, opened to reveal a green shirt. Among other things, a blaster was strapped to her thigh, allowing easy access. Her expression showed nothing except the air that she might well have been bored, depressed, or both. She spoke no words until Diego spoke from his perch.
"Say, how's that arm of your, Trig?" he asked casually.
Trigger shrugged. "It pains me no more, it doesn't," she said, a flowing Scottish accent coming from her voice. "I'm surprised, yet, that I was still alive after that cut. Ya would've though Tarry would've directed an injured lass to medical, now, don't you think?"
Diego shrugged in turn. "I think Tarry thought you could handle it. It wasn't more than about a minute before you had used your bandana as a tourniquet. It was a nasty slit though."
Trigger nodded, a growl emanating from within her throat. "Aye, it was. It hurt like a muthafucker and bled like a bitch. I can't wait ta nail that bastard in the head- just a fast draw and a quick tug at the gun-hook… he'll be mine, I wager. Ain't a body who has succeeded me in a draw."
Diego looked down at her with interest, though she could not see him. "Really… that'd be something to see actually. I'd like to see you two as rival mercenaries for a while. Maybe you'd learn to appreciate each other?"
Trigger snorted. "Appreciate a low-wages hunter who thinks he can take advantage of women? Not likely, I say. He'll learn to keep a fair distance from me, sooner or later."
Diego nodded. "He is cautious of you, to let you know."
Trigger blinked, then looked up at Diego. "He… he is?"
Diego nodded again. "He asked me to keep an eye on you, make sure you didn't do anything like that again. You were fast on the trigger, you know. I saw that he had only a nanosecond or two left to dodge your shot. He did it, but he was rattled by it, though he won't show it."
Trigger snorted again. "What makes him think I'd do anythin' like that again, eh? If I've already proved my point, he'd do well ta stay away from me, lest he want another shot fired in his direction, aye?"
There was a long silence between them. The noises within the hangar bay continued at their deafening volume. A ship had just lifted up from the lower hangar port and was speeding away, the burst of fresh engine energy filling the hangar with a gust of harmless ozone-scented fumes and another sonic boom. Trigger's white hair, colored orange towards the tips, waved wildly as the gust blew it around.
After a while longer, Diego shrugged in response to the answer Trigger had given him. He had reflected on this, as he did with many other things, and jumped down from his perch. "Well, does it matter? I have a feeling he may not even come back. You know Tarry was looking into getting some pilots. I heard from him yesterday that he wanted Kajex to join our faction as a unit pilot." He circled around the boxes, looking around at a few of the ships.
Trigger blinked, getting up and turning to look at Diego incredulously. "That stupid feline was asked to join us? I'll bet a fine credit that he would've been blasted to dust in a matter of seconds, I would."
"Perhaps you would wager against his skill, but you didn't see his exceptional flying skills, did you? The cat has more slit in his eye to see out of while he's in a ship than a toad has a length of tongue. The pilots who attacked the custom's point say he would have been impossible to shoot down. You may well have found your match, Trigger."
"Oh, aye, that's what you think, eh?" she challenged, rising on the balls of her feet and waving a clenched fist while Diego's back was turned from her. "I'd maul him in space-combat, and ye know that better than anybody else does, you do!" She calmed down, however, taking what had been said before into consideration. "Still, what does it matter? Ye said so yerself that he might not be coming back anyway. Not like it would have mattered, anyway, since he'd probably be takin' orders from me…"
Diego looked back with a smile, shrugging. "Sure, Trigger, sure…"
"Oh, ye don't believe me? Tarry would take me as his first choice and you know that, too!"
Before she could speak more, however, she caught movement coming from the hangar bay entrance. A black feline stepped in, clad in a pair of jeans and a green jacket. She turned her head slightly, then hissed as she recognized the jaguar. Her good paw reached low and gripped the handle of her weapon, but before she could draw, Diego grasped her arm and shook his head.
She blinked, not knowing what to say, and instead reluctantly obeyed with the suggestion. Her paw left the handle, and she only folded her arms and fumed as Kajex approached. As he came close, she shot him a cold look.
Kajex, however, was one to read such signs. Indeed, she did seem angry and hostile towards him, but he could sense a bit of fear within her, as well. As if to confirm this, she moved back a pace or two as he came within four feet of her. He met her eyes for a moment, locked them with hers as she glared in hatred and wariness. As he returned a look somewhat similar (though with the thoughts of hatred and wariness absent), her own gaze faltered and she seemed to become exposed to his look. She immediately looked away and down, trying to ignore him.
When this moment had gone by, he turned to Diego. The lizard seemed a bit baffled by his presence. "Kajex… I didn't think you'd still be here- I gotta say that I'm pretty surprised. I would have thought you'd leave by now."
Kajex sighed, shook his head. "I'm wondering myself why I'm still here. It's not for the credits, I'm sure… but Tarry said to give it a whirl for at least a week, with wages."
Diego laughed, a deep and almost infectious chortle that would have made Kajex smile if the situation were different. "So, you'll be joining us in flight then?"
Kajex sighed, shrugged. "Again, if you know why I'm still here, tell me so I can solve it." He looked in Trigger's direction. "I don't want to be here… I especially don't want to be around her."
Trigger overheard his, despite the low voice Kajex was using. "Aye? Is that so then, Firedrake? Then best you just leave us be and take yer damn credits then. I want nothing ta do with the likes of you either."
"I'll take my leave when I see fit," Kajex snapped back. "As it is, I need to get a few credits to make sure I'm insured for the rest of this year, and I don't need you to make things difficult for me while I'm earning the. So do us both a favor and gag yourself."
"What would you mean by that?" she growled back, tail swishing in excitement and pent up rage. "Ye cannah tell me what ta do, tailpipe! Lest ye want ta see the nozzle of my blaster shoved down yer throat, I'd suggest ye stop that kinda talk and gag yerself!"
Kajex took a hostile step forward. Again, it looked like she would falter, but her slightly lifted leg did not take another pace backward yet. She fared fangs at him in response, with a growl for good measure. He growled back in response, and the air seemed to be able to choke anybody from the pure tension.
Diego interjected. "Whoa up, you two, whoa up. We don't want a literal cat- fight on our claws, now do we? Calm down, Kajex, she's in one of her usual moods. And Trigger, I'd suggest that you remain silent here."
Trigger looked at Kajex one last time with fiery eyes, then sighed and turned to Diego. "Look, I'll be up in Hangar 54 to see if our ships are repaired yet. Give me a buzz when you're done with him, aye?"
Diego nodded approvingly. "Good idea. Cool down for a while. I'll call you when we're ready to come down."
She was about to reply, perhaps something saying that if 'come down' involved Kajex's presence, that she would have preferred to have him not come (in a colorful arrangement of curses, snarls and swears, no doubt). But instead, catching a challenging, furious look from Kajex (who obviously suspected that she would go savage, tongue-wise), she closed he muzzle, looked down and nodded silently. She turned away and left.
Diego watched her go, and sighed. "Sorry about that, Kajex. I hope you understand her behavior…"
Kajex nodded. "I do- she's angry that I injured her the day before, and probably wants to peg me down in any way she can. I understand- it doesn't mean I'll tolerate it, however."
Diego nodded. "I'm watching both of you, as a warning. I'd hate to knock some skulls around to get you two to be of sound mind to each other. You two are probably the best pilots we have in the unit, and you'll have to trust each other up there."
Kajex sighed, turned away. "Another reason why I'm reluctant. I don't trust her. If she covers flank with me somewhere in front, she might well find it a good idea to slam a missile into my back. I think I've angered her enough to make her do that, truthfully, even though it's nothing new."
"So you don't trust her at all?"
"She nearly put a bolt in my head, Diego," Kajex replied. "If you were in my boots, would you trust her?"
Diego shrugged, nodded. "You have a point, I'll confess. You can't expect to trust her. As well you shouldn't trust anybody. But right now, she's not your enemy. She may well be your rival, perhaps even a hateful person to you, but not your enemy. She knows likewise, as well, and I don't think she'll be bothering you any."
"I hope not," Kajex said. He looked around. "I had noticed it before, but I didn't have a chance to say anything about it- this hangar bay is pretty unique. You get as many ships as I'm seeing everyday?"
Diego shook his head. "Not really, to tell you the truth. Most of these ships are parked here for prolonged docking; their pilots having been attacked by pirates whom we think have connection to our rival businesses. It's actually a pretty new thing nowadays, but I suppose there's no real surprise about it, is there? What with Venom and all invading…"
Kajex nodded. "Agreeable. You'd expect something like pirate organizations to take advantage of others." He looked around. "Who are we currently friendly with, in any case?"
"Corneria. Most would say that, if it had been taken down in only a few nights, it wouldn't be worth putting our trust in; yet we do. Besides, up until Triple-Star Tech. came up, Arspace was and still is, in some ways, considered the best aspect of Corneria itself. They make some pretty stable ships, and if you couple it in with good pilots and a company that modifies ships and vessels as well as this one, then we've got ourselves a sharp air force to look forward to."
The jaguar shrugged. "Stands to reason, I guess. It isn't about the justice and righteousness about it though, is it?"
Diego frowned. "What, are you kidding me?" His voice had sounded serious. "Of course it is. Why would you think it otherwise?"
Kajex sighed. "I don't find myself flattered by heroic deeds done by others. Nor do I, for that matter, care much about them. This is my own point of view on things, you'll understand it, right?"
Diego's serious air had gone back to its normal, carefree mode. "Ah. Only for the credits, eh?"
"Only for the credits."
Diego shrugged. "Well, to each their own. You may find yourself being drawn into this war a bit more than you expect, I think."
"I don't plan on staying that long," Kajex replied.
"I wonder," Diego said to himself. He shook his head and motioned for the jaguar to follow. "Well, as long as you're here, I might as well show you the pilots. We go them all rallied up last night, around 10:15. We needed a few days to get them together, but we finally did. You'll follow me, please."
He motioned the jaguar to the right with a single claw, walking in the direction of a large ship. This vessel, unlike the rest, was parked outside the hangar bay, connected only by several magnetic clamps and an extendable bridge that led into it. The vessel itself was a slim ship. A wedge shape was towards the front, and connecting it was a boxlike figure at the back.
As they entered the hallway within the bridge, it became apparent that the boxlike shape was actually a series of hangars, mounted one on top of another, and side-to-side. Four of them there were, but what Kajex couldn't see was another set of hangars on the other side. Smaller ships, star fighters and the like filled these, and from only a brief count, he was amazed to discover that each hangar bay held near a maximum of 50 ships- over four squadrons for each hangar.
"Holy shit…" Kajex said, blinking. "This thing is massive. Do you even have living quarters onboard that thing? It looks like you've filled the whole thing with nothing but ships…"
Diego nodded. "She's actually a lot bigger on the inside. That's not to say that her hull is thin and weak, of course. She can take damage like the rest of them, fortunately. We call her the Nebula."
Kajex nodded. "I must admit it's a well deserved name. She may not be as big, but she has the firepower to cause one…" He shook his head. There were only a few things that could impress him. This was one of them, however. He spotted a small group to their left, within a hangar, looking out on the insect-sized people below them. They seemed to be waiting for something. He assumed them to be the pilots for the team.
After what seemed like a minute of walking- the bridge's length being quite long indeed- they reached the end of the hallway at last. The hatch was open ready to receive the two. They stepped into the ship, a warm wave of air hitting them both at once. A pair of guards looked them over, but backed away when they saw Diego's huge frame. Diego muttered something to them, which they responded to with confirmed tones of voice.
As soon as he had finished, Kajex asked a question. "These pilots… are any of them the originals from Halo Flight?"
Diego thought for a moment, then nodded. "Two of them, actually. The rest of them decided to try and disband, but the two remaining pilots refused to give up their positions and leave Halo Flight. The rest of the pilots whom you're going to meet are all new to space combat, and only one of them I know well enough to say that you'll want to keep her around."
They made for their left; in the direction of the hangar bay that Kajex had spotted the waiting group. Coming to door that opened in response to their movements, this same hangar bay revealed itself to Kajex, this time from an inside point of view. They stepped in, the inner hangar being oddly quiet. The group of pilots that Kajex had spotted approached them.
When they had gotten within 15 feet of them, Diego motioned the jaguar to stop. He stepped forward, until he was exactly in between the jaguar and the group of pilots.
"Well, I guess we're all assembled here, except for Trigger. She won't be in for another few minutes and in any case, she'll need a little time to herself. I'm certain you've been anxious to find out who'll be in charge of the team; just yesterday, we finally found a volunteer for the job. This is Kajex Firedrake, a mercenary for hire who recently took on a job for us. Under a few agreements, we've convinced him to stay for a while, at least a week, so don't get too comfortable with him around, because he may not be around long enough."
Kajex stepped forward, not needing any cue or gesture that indicated he could do so. The group was diverse, from his point of few. They did not make up a full squadron of twelve pilots, of course, but if one could count himself and Trigger, then the total came to eight. There was one avian, two canines, a female skunk, a newt and a raccoon.
He stepped forward and the pilots, who had been standing at attention in a rigid and static fashion, only stood in place. Kajex almost laughed, but kept himself from doing so, though it was more difficult for him to keep from grinning. "At ease," he said, a bit incredulously. He turned to Diego. "Where the hell'd you get these people, Diego- the Cornerian Air Force?"
Diego took Kajex aside, turning away from the pilots. "Er, you may want to watch what you say." He lowered his voice, looking at the female skunk and one of the two canines. "You've gotten the Corneria part right- the majority of them came from the academy. The skunk right there, though, just got out of reform school, but she's been known to still be a bit sensitive…"
Kajex sighed in exasperation. "You're kidding me…" He put a paw to his head. "I should've said no, dammit, no…" He looked up. "I expect I'll have to put up with the same kind of attitude, with them standing up so straight that they'd come in handy as piper cleaners with shorter fur?"
Diego laughed softly, shook his head. "Not at all, actually. The canine there, the Doberman- he got out of boot camp as well. He's pretty tough in a fight, but I don't think he'll cause any problems. He'll do as he's told." He looked at the rest. "As for the remaining pilots, some of them have families connected to the companies, so they actually volunteered after being rejected by the Air Force. Delta," he said, motioning to the newt, "has actually done some work for us in the past. She's no older than you are, but she works also as a technician and she'll come in handy, especially if you need a ship diagnostics check."
Kajex sighed, still a bit wary. "Well… fine then… I'll put up with them if I need to." He looked them over again. "How skilled are they?"
Diego stepped back, claws held up. "Hey, you're the commander here, Kajex. You find out. I only know some of them." He handed him a paper from his back pocket. "Here are their names and former occupations. Use it if you need to find out what each one specializes in."
Kajex nodded, took the paper and stepped forward. "Well, as long as we're here, we might as well get a few things straight. First of all, I hate the formalities, so you can ditch calling me 'sir' or anything close to it. It's not hard at all for you to forget that, or so I hope. If you need to call me anything, just call me Kajex. Got it?" A few of them nodded, while others simply returned a glance that signaled that they would certainly refrain from using formal titles. He looked at them one by one, placing their species to their names. "Squall Daniels?" he said, looking at the falcon.
The falcon rose, not much taller than Kajex himself and nodded. "That's me." His tan head feathers, which were lighter than his darker brown plumage, had been pushed backwards in a manner that made them fall behind his shoulder. His eyes held an unusual calm that made Kajex stare for a moment before replying.
"You've been logged in as communications ships. Your designation is Ring 3. Welcome aboard." The falcon and sat back down silently. Kajex blinked and gave a rare smile. "Good to meet you, too."
The falcon looked up, confused, then stood. "Oh, sorry. I'm just…er… feel a little out of place, that's all."
Kajex nodded, rolled his eyes. "Trust me, I know that feeling." He continued. "Delta Jacobs?"
The female newt stood up, gave an enthusiastically informal salute. She had a smile that almost annoyed Kajex, but she talked with a confident, upbeat tone that indicated that she was hard to get down, and made it hard for others to be so. "Right here! Nice to meet ya, Kajex!"
As much as her smile would have been annoying to others, he took no irritation from her cheery greeting, and in fact was a bit towards it. "You as well, Delta. You're in charge of ship repair and diagnostics checks before and after flight. I trust you'll keep to your job?"
Delta nodded, still smiling. "Trust me, if I didn't know had to fly, then fixing ships and checking them out would be all that I'd do."
"Good; I'm glad that at least one member of this team indicates they're devoted to their assigned duty," Kajex said. "Aaron Elias?" His eyes caught the form of a short male raccoon.
The raccoon looked up at Kajex. Something about him made him stand out more than the others, but Kajex couldn't put his claw down on it. It was a mix between hopefulness and trust. Though it was not shown in his face or his movements, it was easy to spot nevertheless, within his eyes. "At your command."
Kajex shook off the feeling and nodded. "You'll be tactician for our team. You've been through officer schooling, I assume?"
He nodded "Yes sir, I have." He immediately winced and grit his teeth. "Oh, uh… sorry about that."
Kajex waved it off. "One mistake, that's all it was. I just don't want to hear it during flight time." He was about to speak, but he sensed the raccoon had more to say. "What is it?"
Aaron opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, he seemed to think better of it and shook his head. "Never mind… it's nothing." He sat back down, seeming to drift into his own thoughts.
Kajex shrugged. "Lyre Richards?"
The Doberman rose and gave a curt nod to Kajex, to which Kajex returned.
"You've got specialties in weapons tech. Have some sorta knack for it?"
The Doberman shrugged. "You could say that." He looked up with a small glare. "Just don't be overheating your cannons too much, because it takes long enough to repair 'em and more time to replace the charge mechanism."
Kajex nodded. "Alright, we'll practice proper cannon usage to lessen your workload. It doesn't mean you won't be working, though."
"Tell me something I don't know," the Doberman responded, almost as if he wanted Kajex to hear him.
Kajex raised an eyebrow. "Got a problem with it?"
"As long as people aren't getting on my back about it, no. You, on the other hand…" he trailed off with a bit of a challenging grin. "Stay outta my business and I'll do the same."
Kajex leaned forward with narrowed eyes. "Get used to it, then. I ain't gonna put up with any bullshit, coming from either you or anybody else. You have me go through it, then you will have a problem with me."
"It's not like I don't already," the Doberman growled, peering at Kajex.
The Doberman copied Kajex's stare and they held this for about a minute, daring the other to speak and break the silence and their patience, during which there seemed to be a tension in the air. A single movement or noise, it seemed, would set them off much like a spark to flammable gas.
Then, without warning, both of them simultaneously laughed out loud. Their chuckles filled the hangar bay and confused the group of pilots. For a moment it seemed like there would be a fight, but all of the sudden, these seemingly hostile people were laughing for no reason they could comprehend.
The Doberman grinned. "I think I'll get used to you, Kajex. Your attitude doesn't faze me, but I respect that mine doesn't faze you, either."
Kajex nodded, also grinning. "I think flying alongside you should be interesting." He looked back at the paper. "Tekion Lupis?"
The other canine, a male wolf, stood and nodded to Kajex. "That's me, Kajex."
The jaguar nodded. "Your job is customs and language… you also have credentials in troop weapons, or so this says."
Tekion nodded. "They want me around in case anybody decides to set a bomb or something. Don't ask me why, but I think my piloting will come in handy."
Kajex shrugged. "I have yet to see if it can. Let's hope what you say is true, though." He continued. "Trace Sarrin?"
The skunk timidly raised her paw. "Um… that's me, sir… erm… I mean Kajex…" She tried to smile, but one could tell that she was nervous beyond reasoning.
Kajex nodded. "I hope your not as timid in a starfighter- no offense, but it seems you're almost scared to be here. None of us are going to eat you," he said, with a partial smile.
She nodded, but remained silent, looking away.
Kajex continued. "So… this is the group that I'm going have to take on, then…" He sighed. "Well, I can't say I'm thrilled, but you don't look so bad. I just need to figure out what skill you have." He looked them over, then frowned. He turned to Diego. "You had said that there were two members of Halo Flight that had originally been there before. Who are they?"
Diego laughed. "Well, I'm one of them, actually. I've been assigned to this flight group, to make sure you do well and to aid you with any duties you may have. I'm glad to be on your flight, though, Kajex," he finished, extending a claw.
Kajex blinked, but smiled gratefully inwardly, giving a grin outwardly. "Is that so… then this should be interesting. I'm at least glad that you'll be helping- you seem like the type who knows what he's doing." His smile faded slightly. "Still… who's the final member?"
Diego hesitated. "The last member is… the original commander's daughter…"
"Ach!! Who the fuck decided ta put these tools here?!" Trigger snarled to herself. She had barely avoided tripping over a toolbox, and only a quick recognition of the item and even quicker reflexes had kept her from doing so. She stumbled forward and regained balance.
All that knew her (which weren't many at all) knew the look in her eye she currently had now, indicating that she was not one to be bothered at the moment. To those who didn't, she made her feelings quite clear. She smacked back a thread of her orange-tipped white hair and had gone stomping off as soon as she had gotten out of Diego's sight. Thus, not a word was spoken to her.
She could barely believe that she would be flying alongside such a fool, an extremely dangerous person who had done her a great deal of harm. No excuses from Tarry would keep her from at least snarling at him for a good half-hour or so. She had been glad Diego had stopped her from doing anything hostile, but had also resented him for being neutral between them both. She would have rather that he had stayed out of the conversation- at the least, it would've given her a free shot at Kajex's head.
The tiger made it to a terminal and logged in. A series of nameplates appeared, and she went through each one. According to the log, most of the ships had been repaired and were space-worthy. There were only 3 of them that weren't fixed properly yet, and at the moment, these vessels were being taken care of. There seemed little more to but wait, it seemed, and this surprised her a little; she wondered briefly if Tarry had planned that far ahead so that they'd be ready at moment's notice.
Another thought crossed her mind, and she moved her paws across the keyboard to see if her presumption was, in any way, valid. Each nameplate on the ship was linked to an owner on the team; the computer she was using had this information in it. The list ran up. She scanned it over it with her green eyes. Within a few minutes, she went storming off, knocking over two technicians in her rage.
The screen read clearly the names. And the name Kajex Firedrake had been accompanied in slot 1.
Within another few minutes, she was onboard the Nebula. One of the guards blocked her path, but then saw the look in her eyes and instead backed off. She sneered at him once, then stomped past him, moving towards the hangar bay. Her thoughts were rage, and there was only person she could take it out on.
She saw him in the middle of the hangar with the pilots in front of him. None of them had noticed her entrance; not even Kajex. She rushed forward, her boots causing her little noise. Still, no one noticed her approach. Then, as Trigger raised a clenched fist and brought it back behind her shoulder for her final lunge, Kajex turned in place, not expecting to see her.
She caught him off guard. With a roar, she let her rage out, bringing her fist crashing against Kajex's left jaw. He fell over, and she tumbled on top of him, but refused to let up on her attack. He brought his paws up, catching one of her arms, but she bit his arm hard, causing him to growl in pain. He let go with one of his paws and caught her other fist before she could use it.
"You bastard!!!" she screamed in his face, struggling to get out of his grip. "How the fuck could you do this to me?! That was my father's place, dammit! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!!!" Tears of rage and grief ran down her face, which made Kajex pause and look on in shock and confusion. Her very eyes, gazing on him, made him feel exposed, guilty… even though he knew he had no reason to feel this way.
Diego ran up to her, trying to pry her off. She would not get up easily, instead trying to hit Kajex more, screaming foul obscenities at him, a string of angry and injure-inspired curses. He only looked on, shocked and feeling unjustly guilty.
With a final pull, Diego was able to get her off of the jaguar. All strength and anger seemed to fall from her, and an unrestrained orchestra of sobs went into Diego's chest as she cried, mourning her loss of her father, and the loss of what remained of his legacy, of which had been taken by the one whom she now vowed, wordlessly, would be her mortal enemy. She could not even look up at Kajex, not even to see the injuries she had caused him, not even to see that, for no reason that even Kajex could put his claw on, he was feeling culpable.