Time was of the essence. The sooner they get to Kyozist, the better. The reactor ran far beyond the red line as Vara pushed the cruiser past its limits. Regularly switching between primary and auxiliary coolant pumps, or even running both at once. Items had to be cut to save power, even with activating the emergency generators to run simultaneously and provide as much power as was needed. One such item that had to go down for the duration was the simulators; of which Green team would be relieved if not for the fact that simulator time was replaced with more PT.
Though, despite it all, there was still the matter of another request Aero made: the promotion party. A good time to announce all the promotions for the unit and address the matter of the one hooked team. Not the most ideal circumstances, but it was now or never with Green Team aboard and underway. Taking them aboard Kyozist, still wired up to the network, would spell disaster for everyone involved. They may have been a day out still, but most of the mechanically-inclined members of the team were sharing the brunt of mitigating failure. A ship this size was not meant to run this quickly this long and it showed.
Even so, the trio of medics made themselves useful outside of tending to Rem in making preparations for the party. The Commander passed down a list of snacks, sandwiches, and desserts to be prepared in-advance. Drinks and beverages were a given. Finally, after much preparation and delay, the time had come.
Evening mess rolled around, but rather than by team to continue assigned duties rotating smoothly, the Commander passed a missive to team leaders for all of them to attend at the same time. An unusual request, but a welcome one to Green Team who always had to wait until the last rotation and usually ended up getting scraps of the preferred items. Nobody went hungry but when a particular dish or side was someone's favorite, it didn't last long.
Aero practically buzzed with excitement despite wearing her work overalls and being covered head-to-toe in oil, grease, and other filth rolling around the deck in Engineering all day. A wide grin and sparkling eyes. She knew what this was all about and was glad it had finally come! Finally! Something fun! Even if they were dangerously close to blowing their ship up!
Kiara and Dorum also assisted with the preparations, waiting cloaked in the kitchen per instructions from the commander. Jur, meanwhile, kept working at replacing parts in the reactor; only after he finished the most recent swap of cooling pumps would he be able to get to the occasion himself. Only so often one could rework a pump without an overhaul until it was no good.
Vara, much like Rem, would find herself missing out on the festivities. Someone had to fly and it was up to her. Though she'd have a guest on the bridge in the form of the resident loner. "Shouldn't you be down with the others?" She looked over her shoulder briefly to the man.
"Maybe, may as well see how you were faring." Kazak stepped over, offering her a glass of Vortian liquor with a pair of ice cubes. "Besides, hate for you to not have any of what's left before it's gone."
"Thanks," she took the glass, pondering briefly on what to say, only to be interrupted.
"To the first rogue mission this team is on." Kazak smiled, their glasses clinking together before they took a drink.
The intercom hissed and popped before Aero's voice filled the bridge.
"Hey, Vara? Jerkface up there with you? He's missing out!"
"Aye, he's up here." Vara glanced over at Kazak. "Hey, jerkface, told you."
"Yeah, yeah." Kazak rolled his eyes, leaving Vara with her glass as he made his way back down to the lift, mumbling.
Everyone else curiously milled about. The prepared table of food and refreshments was a magnitude better than the usual standard slop they endured. Did they partake or wait until given permission? Thankfully, the appearance of Vult and Corr set it to rest as everyone snapped to attention, announcing their presence.
"At ease," Vult casually saluted, standing before the gathering. "I know this is a bit unorthodox and unexpected, but time and circumstances left me in a "now or never" ordeal. At the recommendation of one of our own, a compelling argument that we "never do anything fun" as it was put was made. Today, we change that."
The Commander turned, gesturing to the catered table.
"Courtesy of none other than your local medical staff, the feast before you is yours to partake in. However, business first before we cut you loose. I know some of you need to get back to work so I will keep this brief as possible."
Reaching into his uniform chest pocket, Vult procured a dataslate to read from.
"First order of business. Green Team, Radec, front and center."
As ordered, Orkos and his squad quickly and orderly sorted themselves out at parade-rest to face the rest of the unit.
"I'm sure most of you have seen our newest additions running around the ship. Green Team is our third squad to help alleviate our personnel appropriation issues. They will act as their own operational team in the future, but until then, they will fill in for those of us that are unable to muster. Those of you that haven't, formal introductions are in order. Green-1, lead off."
"Sublieutenant Orkos. I was previously of the 524th Mechanized Infantry within the Elites on Vort. Radec was in my unit as well at the time"
"Sergeant Aren. Green-2, formerly Irken Elite and currently Sublieutenant Orkos' second-in-command."
"Corporal Lorlo. Green-3, formerly Irken Elite, Tech Specialist."
"Corporal Deris, Green-4. Formerly a motorpool Trooper. Mechanical specialist and combat engineer, at your service."
"Private First Class Chavsa, Green-5, callsign Magnet. Fighter pilot extraordinaire…and shuttles too, I guess."
Radec smirked, standing at the end of the line.
"Private First Class Radec. Purple-4. Name it, I've done it. You wanted the best, here I am."
His emphasis on the team name earned him a jab in the side from Chavsa. "Cool your jets, bub."
"Alright, settle down," Vult lightly contested their competitiveness and camradire. This was meant to be a casual affair. Mostly. "As I stated, these are our newest recruits and are getting up to speed on how we do things around here. Be patient with them. None of them came from Special Operations. I turned all of you into Spec Ops, we can turn them into Spec Ops…but first…"
Having discussed this prior, Kazak's appearance into the room being one of the signals to proceed needing the manpower for it, he continued around past behind the parade-rest Green Team. The cadre of officers consisting of Aero, Haxx, Corr, and Vult had been up there from the start…why was the sniper joining them…and the tallest medic with the golden eyes?
With a mere nod, they made their move. A step forward, a quick kick to the back of the knees of each of the new recruits, and manipulation of their wrists saw the muzzle of their sidearms unkindly shoved into the backs of their heads. Naturally, there was a cacophony of chaotic scuffling, surprised swears, and feeble attempts to extradite themselves that were properly squashed by the hardened soldiers.
"Do NOT resist or I WILL shoot you." Vult glowered as he managed Orkos. "You are going to listen to me and listen closely. Are you going to listen or do I need to shoot you?"
"Quit resisting," Kazak flipped the switch on his Vortian machine pistol to automatic for emphasis as Radec fought him. Hesa additionally drew her Vortian plasma revolver and pointed it right at Radec's face for further emphasis.
Having their newly-inducted commanding officers suddenly shove guns to the back of their heads was startling…but watching as other members of the team drew their own weapons to join in, they quickly settled down. They were dead to rights and complying or death were their only options. It was just like the detention center all over again.
Only after each of them individually settled down aside from attempting to glance back at them and be promptly manipulated to force their eyes forward did Vult begin to speak again.
"I have had this conversation under different circumstances with the rest of my team, but my hand has been forced with our current assignment. I lack the time or courtesy to give you the same because of where we are going," The Commander calmly spoke despite the cold muzzle of his pistol in the back of Orkos' head.
"What the heck is this?!" Aren demanded, earning herself a firm push from Aero's pistol.
"Shhh, shh, shh…Commander, continue."
"Thank you, Aero. I evaluated all of you personally for a reason. Not only for your skills, but for your mentality. Your beliefs. Your ideology. How you perceive one another and the universe around you. All of you exhibit similar characteristics: You are inquisitive. You are intrusive. You notice wrongs around you and try to do the right thing. Not just for yourself, but others.-"
"I knew this was too good to be true!" Chavsa snarled, struggling against Sula's iron grip.
"Next one of you that opens their mouth before I'm done is going to lose teeth. Shut. Up." Vult threatened. Silence followed. "...I preface with these things to remind you why you accepted my offer. Why all of you chose to follow me and join this team. Clearly I do not take recruitment lightly. I cannot take unnecessary risks and none of you will threaten what is in motion here."
He was not interrupted this time as Green Team listened intently. The eyes of their supposed teammates fixated upon them with…indifference? Some even keeping a bead on them as a precaution with their own weapons? Why weren't they trying to stop these crazy officers?
"My team is disconnected from the Control Brains. My team no longer blindly bends to the will of our PAKs or the Tallest. Each and every one of us are free-thinking, free-willed, and independent in mind and body. The strange physical traits you've noticed? The removal of our hormonal inhibitors. This is what natural maturation looks like."
So they unplugged themselves? How? How were they still alive? This didn't make any sense! What came next made even less.
"Jur, Dorum." Vult called out to their invisible specters in the room. "Introduce yourselves."
Jur stepped in from outside after a couple bangs on the door from Rha. The suited Vortian's mask off, a filthy towel in hand as he wiped coolant from his hands. He gave Aero a thumbs up, the coolant pump installed.
All of Green Team's jaws collectively dropped, stunned at the sight of a Vortian aboard their vessel…casually walking about. They were at war! Why were they on the ship?! How did they get on the ship?! So many questions unanswered!
From the kitchen, two more stepped out and into view. Dorum in his own suit much like Jur's as he took a seat near Rha. Kiara, in her bulky prototype suit, stood in front of the lot of them and looked them over.
"These three and the other currently at the helm are your "ghosts" you've asked me about. Doors randomly opening and closing, things going missing or being moved. Introduce yourselves."
Jur nodded to them, "Chief Petty Officer Jur'Orpos, Ervaus Team, Ohnmatu, callsign Wires. I've been helping Aero and Vard keep this bucket of bolts running lately. The one at the helm is Commander Vara'Qoris, callsign Night Witch, same team as me."
"Petty Officer Dorum'Charsis, Char Team, Ohnmatu, callsign MAC. I've also been at the helm lately. Otherwise I'm something of a CQC type and Grenadier."
Kiara smirked, "Brigadier General Kiara'Zharic, VDF, former garrison commander at Sub-Zero Station." The highest ranking person on the ship and she was a Vortian.
Between being stunned at this revelation and Vult's stern warning, none dared speak.
"These men and women are our friends. A war where we met as enemies no longer matters. Before you are quick to call me "traitor", remember where you came from. Remember where I saved you from. Certain death. Deletion. A cessation of existence. I didn't do it for my own gratification, but to bring like-minded individuals together for a common goal. That goal is change. Change on a mass scale. To give everyone the gifts bestowed upon all of us and seek a quickened end to the madness of pointless conquest."
Vult allowed his words to settle in the annals of their wracked minds. This was a lot to take in all at once under duress. They needed to clearly and completely understand the precedence of what was to come next.
"We are currently on-course to a hidden, top-secret research facility belonging to the Vortians. I am going to give them the Irken Genome we are tasked with transporting to copy. This is to put us one step closer to ridding our species of PAKs entirely and never be subservient to our creations again. We are actively committing treason and will continue to do so until it is no longer sustainable for us. At that point, we will go rogue and join the resistance efforts against the Empire in full capacity."
"My brother's unit," Kiara added, referring to the three Ohnmatu operatives on board, "are already aware of your status. It's thanks to this covert arrangement that the six of you are even sitting here right now. SIS intended to nuke Tallum, killing everyone Vortian and Irken alike. We worked together and put a stop to that. The Federation at large continues to fight the Empire. We may have lost Vort, but the war is far from over."
Waiting until Kiara concluded her statement, Vult nodded, continuing.
"This is not up for debate. This is not an argument of semantics. I don't want your opinions and I certainly do not want my authority to be questioned. Everyone present entrusts me with their lives and I them. Without question. Knowing this, I present you all an ultimatum: Join the movement or die here and now. The Empire will not notice your deaths and no one will miss a handful among untold billions dead from battles raging across the universe. Your bodies will be thrown into the cold vacuum of space, lost forever. I will not answer questions. Choose. Join…or die."
Emphasizing just how serious he was, the safety of his pistol was then flicked off with an audible click behind Orkos' head. This man would not hesitate to pull that trigger. None of them would. The lone new addition to Purple Team was the first to answer.
"Jeeze…all ya had to do was ask," Radec muttered. "Join, obviously."
"Yeah," Chavsa spoke up next, "didn't have to do all this malarkey. I'm in."
"Unhook me and get just revenge? Yes, please." Aren huffed. "Like my brains where they are."
"I'm in, I'm in, just please don't kill me." Deris spoke, mostly out of fear and self preservation.
"Orkos! Lorlo!" Aren hissed at her squadmates with insistence. Now wasn't the time to delay.
"Like I said at the detention center," Orkos finally responded, "command me and I'll do whatever needs to be done. I have no loyalty to the people who wanted to kill me for conducting a tactical withdrawal."
"I am commanding a clear answer from you. Give it. Now."
"It's an emphatic yes, Commander," Orkos clarified. "My loyalty is to you, not them."
"Lorlo! Say something!" She persisted through grit teeth, growing agitated with him. "They will SHOOT you if you don't!"
Hesa walked over to Lorlo next and put her pistol in his face as the last hold out. "It's time to choose."
The silent tech specialist, slow as could be, took a deep breath, "Join."
Green Team wasn't the only ones relieved there would be no bloodshed today. Vult and company collectively breathed their own sighs of relief, relenting in their restraintment of the newest additions to the team. Orkos and Aren were more reserved in their return to their feet, turning to face their commanding officer. Radec much of the same. Deris was almost afraid to stand in fear of repercussions. Lorlo slowly made his way to his feet. Chavsa, face twisted into a scowl of anger being at their mercy and a gun to her head, didn't hesitate to show her displeasure. She swiftly turned around and kicked Aero square in the shin.
"OW! You little-!"
"Knock it off!" Vult barked. Both of them immediately stopped. "All of you. Infirmary. Now. Aero and Vard will get you all unhooked. It's simple and painless. After that, come back to the mess hall."
"You heard him, hop to!" Aren, fulfilling her role well enough, seeking to motivate her team. "I'm hungry and don't want Lieutenant Haxx eating everything first!"
Green Team filed out of the room, Aero and Vard following after them. A large and final weight to be lifted free of the team's shoulders.
Haxx laughed as he immediately went for a piece of cake, a wide grin at Aero as she left.
Kazak flipped his machine pistol back to safe and holstered it, grabbing a piece of bread from a basket. "All in a day's work." The sniper whistled and refreshed his glass of liquor and then saw his way to the door.
The Commander's face turned to the ceiling, closing his eyes with a long, deep breath.
"You okay, Sir?" Sula queried, genuinely concerned.
"More than okay. Once they're unhooked…we don't have to hide it anymore around each other aboard the ship. No more Tuu incidents at risk. We are all in the know and on the same page moving forward. Couldn't ask for a better outcome."
Hesa came over to Vult, her pistol holstered, and wrapped an arm around his waist. "I'm glad we didn't have to shoot anyone. That one time with Volx was almost too much…and we still had a hole in the infirmary wall from that."
"An excellent reminder and story to tell if it's ever questioned." The Commander huffed, mentally stopping himself from instinctively keeping his distance from Hesa around others. This was an unofficial, informal affair. Surely the others also took notice to him not giving her any preferred or special treatment. If anything, she got additional duties to be an example to follow.
"So…is that it?" The one-eyed medic queried, helping herself to a soda. "Those guys get unplugged and we're gonna stick it to the Empire?"
"Subtly stick it to the Empire at first, but yes," Vult smirked at her wording. "Goal is to play them for fools. Be the inside source of intel for the Vortians and resistance. Once they catch on, we already have places to go and contacts made. We're playing pretend until that happens."
"Neat. Like we're secret agents or space pirates…ooo, what about pirate secret agents? I've already got an eyepatch!"
"Only until you have a cloned eye, doofus," Zutel quickly corrected her as she sipped on a bottle of Vortian beer. "You need depth perception back, quickly."
"...but the eyepatch is cool." Posa answered, downtrodden.
"Not as cool as depth perception." Sula countered, for once not ripping into her and cutting her some slack. "Rem would appreciate you not smearing food paste all over her face with only one eye between the two of you."
"Precisely. Plus we've all seen your marksmanship scores take an absolute nose dive recently." Zutel added in as Kiara joined them. "You don't want them taking your weapons away because you can't hit the broadside of a barn now do you?"
"...be less stuff to carry." She considered.
"And twice as useless. You're a combat medic. Not a medic. Combat is part of that too." Sula clarified in good nature.
"Yeah, you're a combat medic. What good is an unarmed medic if you get shot?" Zutel also added in. Remember, I almost took a slug to the head in that shuttle."
"Yeah? Try a faceful of grenade shrapnel!"
"Now, now, you two," Kiara joined in, "the Commander here needs his three medics at their best and if one of them isn't up to the task she might be downgraded to janitor."
Hesa laughed, "Yeah, if she wants to be a pirate, make her swab the decks like one."
"May as well be that!" Posa scoffed. "I can't even begin to tell you the gross things I've had to do in the past few months! I have swabbed the poop deck! Poop deck of the S.S. Rem!"
That elicited a series of laughs from the gathering. Finally, No more doom and gloom about life or death matters with critically wounded patients. Rem was well on her way to a full recovery, sans legs and eyes, but constant care, no more.
"Maybe if you get the eye we keep bugging you about, you won't have to do that much longer!"
Jur grabbed a soda and some snacks nearby and stopped near the group, "Hey, General, if you see Aero, tell her I had to get back to work. Need to rework this coolant pump I removed. Already lost one as it is."
Radec was the first one back in the room as Jur left. Zurrak came back with him as he went to watch the process. "Commander, Vard wanted me to tell you that Radec was…pretty much already there by sheer coincidence. He noticed some patched up damage on his PAK; broken receiver so he's been getting nothing from the Control Brains. Also turns out his hormonal inhibitor was damaged, said it was like Aero and you'd understand what that means. He's all good now though."
"So I've been perfect all along," He smirked.
"Roll it back, Private." Vult tempered, semi-serious. "Hubris has been the undoing of many. Don't join them."
"Bah, I'll be fine. Don't you worry none."
"That makes me worry even more. Go enjoy yourself. That's an order."
"Yes, Sir!" He saluted with a smirk.
One-by-one, the members of Green Team were given the same treatment as the rest of the unit. Not a man or woman among them now had the influence of the Empire coercing their actions or the constant, looming threat of deactivation for deviating from standards or saying the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time.
They returned to the ongoing festivities, all assembled once more save for Rem and the occasional departure for Vard or Aero to check on something. By now, most of them had made the switch to some intoxicating beverage of choice in moderation. Duties still needed to be fulfilled and the vessel managed under the circumstances…but a little to drink would be acceptable.
Bottle in hand, Vult stepped up onto one of the tables, fishing his dataslate out once more.
"Everyone! Listen up! Don't worry 'bout parade rest or any of that. Do this real quick since I've already handed pins out and most of you know. Just making it official. Updates to the roster are, as follows: Aero has been promoted to Lieutenant as Red-2. Haxx has been promoted to Lieutenant as Purple-2. Hesa has been promoted to Sergeant. Vard has been promoted to First Sergeant. Rha has been promoted to Sergeant Major. Posa has been promoted to Corporal. Some of these were out of dire necessity, but all of them have been rightfully earned."
He raised his drink.
"Congratulations to all of you. Keep up the good work and lead by example. Show Green Team why you belong here and what they need to strive for!"
A cheer of appreciation and applause resounded around the room, eventually quieting down once more.
"Other roster changes are as follows: Sergeant Major Rha is indefinitely down as inactive. Most battlefields aren't wheelchair-accessible unfortunately. It is temporary until we can secure the materials and time to fashion you new legs. Enjoy the down time!"
"Yeah, Stumpy! You lucky fuck!" Haxx called out and raised his beer bottle up, Rha returning the favor with a grin and a shake of his head.
"Another indefinitely inactive member is our resident Navigator and pilot, Rem. Not sure if word has made it around, but she is conscious now and steadily recovering. Stop by and visit her when you can and let her know how tough she is enduring what she did and bouncing back from it. I couldn't ask for a better group to face certain doom with."
"Also congratulate her on her promotion to Sublieutenant!" Corr added, "She'll be confirmed as our ship's captain when she's back up and mobile. Lot of us owe her our lives."
"I'll drink to that!" Rha called out from his seat as he took a swig of his liquor.
While Vult had been addressing everyone informally, Hesa had poured out a line of shots along the table. Carefully making her way around the room, she handed the small glasses out to each present, Irken and Vortian alike. She got Vult's attention, handing his up to him.
"Everyone got one of these?" He searched the room for affirmation. "Good…I want to propose a toast. A toast to the brave, fearless men and women that I've faithfully served alongside since Praxxus 7. A toast to the newly-inducted, whom I expect great things from and one day, express similar sentiments when asked of their service. A toast of good fortune in our days to come, that we may be successful and our people rejoice once duty is done and the work concluded. A toast of forgiveness sought from our friends and that they can once again come to trust us after all we have done…"
Something unprecedented happened. The iron-willed, staunch, calculated commanding officer that never faltered no matter the situation…choked up a little. His deep blue eyes shimmered in the overhead lighting he stood all the closer to on the table. Grief and mourning buried to keep the unit moving forward. The living needed him. She understood and expected nothing less.
"...and a toast to the fallen. Let not their sacrifice be in vain. Let it mean something. Let all that we do from this day forward mean something. Because, no matter the blood, sweat, and tears shed…it will ALL mean something…and that day, those of us who live to see it, will rejoice. A return to form unlike any other, a heritage stolen, returned! We WILL become the Irken we were always meant to be!"
He held his glass higher, enticing the others to do so in preparation.
"Unto the bitter end! Never falter! Never fail!"
Haxx visibly wiped away his tears as he thought of Volx with Vult's words. But it sparked a fire within him. That desire for revenge that lay under the surface to avenge Volx.
"Victory or death!"
A resounding cheer followed from his teammates.
"Victory or death!"
Down the hatch their drinks went. Some smoother than others, but not a complaint given.
"Everyone, enjoy yourselves within reason. Last thing I need is everyone hungover at Kyozist Station. There will be a time and place to cut loose, I promise. Just bear with me 'til then."
"Ain't like we got a choice!" Radec chimed in, much to their amusement.
"That's true, but a choice made nevertheless. Carry on!" He concluded, hopping down from the table.
Hesa smiled at him as he came down, "Nice speech"
The General, meanwhile, shot Radec a glance with his remark and shook her head, returning to her glass of Vortian wine. "Quite the loud mouth, isn't he?" She looked to the chair-bound demolitions expert turned Sergeant Major.
"Eh, yeah he got a mouth on him, that's for sure."
"Fits right in with this bunch then," Vult commented, standing next to Hesa. "Leave it to Haxx and Corr to dial him in. Their team, their problem until it becomes my problem and none of them will be happy."
"That's the spirit!" Kiara laughed, finishing off her wine. "Be right back," she made her way across the room towards the counter, taking the open wine bottle and refreshing her glass.
The Commander stood there, surveying the scene and taking it all in. The team he assembled, the men and women dutifully loyal and trusting their very existence to him on the longshot hope of complete and total liberation of their entire species. They had broken off into their smaller groups, banter and laughter alike while they merrily ate and drank. A forlorn expression spread across his face.
"Unfortunate she couldn't have been here to see this."
"I know." Hesa moved herself closer to him, "I know…but if she could see Haxx now, what he's becoming, I think she'd be proud of him and all of this."
A humorless huff escaped Vult, shaking his head before raising his eyes.
"She'd probably tell me this is a massive waste of time and resources better spent on training…but secretly be enjoying herself." His attention drifted to Haxx, near Rha, Radec, and Zurrak conversing. "...I hate the price paid to bear that fruit but she would definitely be proud."
A pause. Consideration. Realization.
"I…forget sometimes to what depths I'm entrusted by them. They…unquestioningly follow me. Mostly. Loyalty even the Empire would be envious of…and do so believing I will protect them. Do what's best for them…and sometimes I wonder if I am doing what is best or what I think is best."
"Is a life of servitude really better than this?" Hesa quietly slipped an arm around him. "I personally rather have this. Granted even with the…lack of time needed to address them privately. I'm sure all of our new guys would've gladly made this choice. You saved their lives once already."
"Then threatened them to save them again. I am beginning to think I have a savior complex." Vult semi-seriously spoke with a smirk at her.
Aero, amidst loading up a plate of food to take with her back to Engineering for the duration of…whenever, took notice of how close Hesa and their commanding officer were. Attention immediately garnered as she approached with a wide smile on her face.
"Enjoying yourself, Aero?" Vult queried casually as she came to a stop.
"Sure am! This is almost the best day ever!"
"What's the best day ever?"
"Why, the day I was hatched of course!"
"Ah, right, of course. How could I forget?" Vult smiled at her antics.
"Soooo…I have a question for you twoooo…" She began, rocking back and forth on her heels. "Are you two…together?"
Vult furrowed his brow, playing up his confusion as he looked to Hesa.
"Together? I'm not sure, are we together?"
Hesa just rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "You tell me, big guy."
The pink-eyed female snickered at their banter and body language.
"You are, aren't you? Is that why you saved her at Sub Zero Station? Lurve at first sight?"
"No, that is not why we saved her at Sub Zero Station," Vult clarified with emphasis with a huff. "...that came after I finally got myself unhooked and we had some one-on-one time to ourselves on Irk during the undercover operation."
"Got to know each other far more personally." She smiled and then blinked, deciding to spare the details, "Very personally. It just took off from there for us though. We've been keeping it quiet around here because, well, you know. The whole thing of some of the others being hooked up and what not."
"That and you don't want anyone to think you're playing favorites, right?"
"Right…probably a bad deal for her, all the extra duties she gets just to keep that from happening." Vult smirked, looking at Hesa.
"Nothing I couldn't handle," she grinned right back at him.
"I think it's sweet. Everyone deserves to be happy, even you, Sir." Aero smiled at him earnestly before biting her lip in hesitation.
"Working on it. Seeing all of you happy makes me happy…and you look like you got something on your mind."
"I doooo…but it's not really important. Silly stuff."
"I'll tell you if it's silly or not, Aero. Try me." Vult teased her, genuinely curious about her apprehension.
"You…seem to know a little bit about this…stuff, yeah?" She gestured to him and Hesa.
"A little."
"Right, so…y'see…there's this…friend of mine…she really likes this guy…but she doesn't know if he likes her back…and they're coworkers, and she's sorta his boss, so it's already weird." She cryptically spoke, fooling no one.
"Has she tried asking him if he likes her or not?" Vult played along.
"Nnno? I don't think so. She might be afraid to."
"Tell her she might want to try going for it," Hesa joined in, also playing along but she figured she had some idea of what was going on too. "Take it from a machine gunner, sometimes you just need to let the hammer drop and go for it, fear or not."
"Being clear and direct works too," Vult acknowledged, trying to remember how things came to be between them on Irk. "...essentially what happened with Hesa. Extremely blunt, to the point, and clear. Discussion was had…and…here we are."
"You make it sound so easy though."
"Don't have to overcomplicate it. If there's anything I know about you, Aero, is you certainly feel things. Extremely empathetic towards others since being unplugged-"
"And concussed! Don't forget that part. Tak ragdolled me."
"...and concussed. You feel very strongly and…most of the time, those feelings tend to be correct. Instinctual, even."
"Yeah…but they're all…weird and…ooky."
"Ooky?" Vult's brow furrowed in amused confusion.
"Yeah! Ooky! Y'know…" Aero gestured about her person, mostly toward her midsection. "Ooky!"
"Kinda, but once you get it all out in the open it…stops being that and it turns into something else entirely." Hesa looked to Vult with a smile before looking back to Aero. "In my case, being upfront about it really cleared the air. What transpired after was…somewhat clumsy, but extremely worth it as we just picked up things based on sheer instinct. It's natural in such a way that I can't…truly describe it."
Vult smirked at the pink-eyed female knowingly.
"So you haven't just asked Vard about any of this yet?"
"Not yet, no- HEY!" She frowned at him, pointing. "You tricked me!"
"I did, that was very uncalled for." Vult played up, speaking fluent sarcasm. "...all I ask is you keep things cordial and professional when it's time to work, okay? What you do in private is none of my concern, part of the day is yours to reflect and relax, after all."
Kiara made her way back over with a plate of food, hearing the conversation that was going on. "Remember what my dad and I said?" She brought up that conversation from the brig, "Lots of instinct."
"Yeah, well, hard to tell if it's instinct or indigestion when you don't know what your instincts are." She scowled. "...how do you not make it weird?"
"Make what weird?"
"This!" She gestured to Vult and Hesa again. "You're a higher rank than her, orders, all that stuff…how do you not make it weird?"
"We talked about it and made it clear to each other that work was separate from us and that still needed to be followed. Not on-mission or doing Empire-related things? No need for the chain-of-command. Boundaries."
"What he said," Hesa affirmed. "Basically, when we're not on the job and it's just the two of us, rank doesn't matter."
Aero nodded understandingly, taking all the advice in from two of arguably the most experienced in those recent discoveries. Taking a deeper breath, empowered, she slammed the rest of her drink and set the bottle down on the table.
"Thanks for the advice, Commander…and you too Hesa! I…should go…"
Awkwardly, she took her leave. Not for the door. Rather, she approached Vard, amidst conversation with Lorlo and Deris across the room. Her presence garnered the group's attention.…and she casually picked Vard up and placed him under her arm, limbs dangling.
"Uhh…bye guys?" The Communications Specialist nervously waved, uncertain of what to think or do at that point. Wasn't the first time she picked him up, but never so casually or directly without an explanation. That left him equal parts curious and concerned.
Without another word…or explanation, she left with her plate of food for Engineering and her crush casually tucked under her arm like luggage. She was advised to talk. Talk they would.
Vult struggled to not laugh as his metal palm clasped his face. "Oh, Irk, what have I done…"
"I think you've just helped Aero score her boyfriend in a hilarious fashion." Hesa pointed out and snickered.
Even Kiara let out a chuckle, "In all my years I've never seen that before."
"I am sure I'll hear all about it from him very soon." Vult shook his head, the whole affair garnering many laughs from those who caught the spectacle. "...honestly hope she doesn't hurt him if anything happens. Can't have people down and out for asinine reasons right now."
"No kidding," Kiara looked around, noticing Kazak had long since left but also Corr returning with Calla in tow. He clearly didn't like leaving her alone. "You have fresh blood, you're out two of those you trained. Not a good situation."
Corr took Vard's place in the conversation. "Lorlo, you'd certainly find this interesting as a tech guy. This is Calla, and she's inside this first generation PAK from centuries ago."
"I'm younger than I look." Calla casually joked in stride. "Corr and the others haven't traumatized you yet, have they?"
"They…put guns to our heads and made us swear allegiance?" Lorlo awkwardly spoke, unsure of how else to put it.
"You're here talking to me, so apparently you passed."
"You said…centuries old?" How old is it?"
"She. I'm not an "it"...and it isn't polite to ask a lady's age. If you must know…four…hundredish or so? Corr likely give you a more accurate number with his historical ramblings."
"If the documents we found in Processing Center Seven are correct…it's about four hundred and sixty years, and that's when the facility under General Krad shut down." Corr looked right at Lorlo, "And if you call her an it again I will banish you to the outer darkness. Do I make myself clear?"
"Y-yes, Captain."
"Stop picking on him. It's strange getting to know me…nice to hear all of you having a good time. Nice change of pace for once. Wish I could be there proper."
"We'll make it happen, dear. We've secured…the…genome…Ah, fuck." Corr just remembered and it slipped his mind. "We haven't tried to unlock the thing yet." His attention turned to Deris, "I'm going to need you later. Between Vard, Jur, and yourself, the three of you may be able to crack the lock without making it look like it was tampered with. IIA will be none the wiser."
"Or…before you waste your time and possibly get all of us killed…reach out to Byte since he likely orchestrated this in the first place if this is typically handled by IIA?"
"...That's a far wiser course of action and I should do that instead." Corr shook his head, "Sometimes I forget that we don't need to do everything ourselves."
"It's fine. I know you can't help it. That is where the "special" comes into special forces, right?"
Lorlo struggled to hold back a snicker of amusement at Calla's comment.
Deris failed to hold back his laugh as he burst out in a fit of it.
"Don't laugh, probies. You're part of that group now, too."
"That's right, welcome to the short shuttle, you two nitwits." Corr smirked.
"...Lorlo, I think we just ended up owning ourselves." Deris let his head hang in defeat.
"Next time you two should think twice on what you do around Calla." Corr smirked, "She's quite the firebrand, but it's something I love about her."
"Let's go talk to Byte before you say something else either of us will have difficulty explaining to strangers, yeah? Sooner you do that, sooner I get out of this thing, and sooner I can smack you when you do things like that."
"Yes, dear," Corr quietly left the two who resumed snickering at the predicament the Captain found himself in. Quite humorous. The two watched as the General made her way back to the counter for yet another glass of wine. She was having quite an enjoyable conversation with the Commander and Hesa who…had their faces pressed together? That was something.
Before she could reflect further on the Commander and his subordinate's association, she quickly found herself in the company of Radec. The berry-eyed, dark-skinned male slid up next to her.
"Question of curiosity for ya…Vult said all of ya been on this ship the whole time we've been here an' then some…how long, 'xactly?"
"Me? I lost track of the time." She leaned against the counter to sip on her wine. "Months, easily, ever since they cleared out my duty station for you guys. As for the others? Vara and Jur have been here ever since their little rampage on Devastis ended a while back and Dorum's been here the least amount of time. They bought him on board when they went to help you guys break the siege around Tallum."
He thumbed over his shoulder towards Jur across the room, surprised.
"Wait…that guy and the one at the helm were responsible for the shenanigans on Devastis? Really? Figured it was more than two of ya, but we didn't notice any of ya sneakin' 'round, so either we suck or you're just that good."
"Maybe a bit of column A, maybe a bit of column B." Kiara smirked, watching the man who left previously return for his plate of food he clearly forgot to grab before, "But, yes, he and Vara apparently did quite a number on you guys, just the two of them. Then these guys got real creative and managed to find a way to compromise these suits." She gently knocked on her own bulkier one for emphasis. "These are damn fine pieces of technology, though. Have to admit it was a bit fun screwing around randomly opening doors and seeing the look on your faces."
"Looks like solid pieces of kit." Radec commented with a huff. "...I almost started to believe this ship was haunted the way Deris an' Lorlo were goin' on. Imagine you had to come up with somethin' creative to break the monotony 'round here."
"Before you guys showed up we were busy helping out around here a bit with the commander having guys injured and all. Then you came in and…yeah, we decided to have a little fun." She paused to take another sip of wine. "Ever stop to think why he didn't take you guys to the detention level or the bridge on your tour?"
"Not really. I was glad to be off Devastis. Saw the inside of a brig 'nuff there, didn't need to see the one here. Did find the bridge bein' off-limits a little odd but figured it was some Spec Ops protocol stuff. If I needed to know, I'd be told, that sort of thing." Radec reasoned with a shrug, sampling his drink. "Your father's the one that made this unpluggin' business all possible, yeah?"
"He is, yeah. Actually wasn't his original intent." A brief pause as she looked around the room again, "Right about now I'm glad it didn't come to be even with the price paid for it. The original intention was to use the station to broadcast a signal out to all the Irken PAKs on Vort and Praxxus. Deactivation signal that mimics what was sent by your Control Brains. Basically, would've killed every single Irken attacking us in an instant."
"Been a shame if that happened." Radec took a drink, leaning on the counter casually. "Wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet present company…or avoid deactivation, 'course. All of this sounds like a win-win to me, it's only gonna get better."
"Beats beating dead, which also would've been my case if this were the lot to carry out orders mindlessly. Not to mention one of your teammates." She took another sip of her drink. "The gods have a very interesting sense of humor…"
"They certainly do. Universe has a weird way of shakin' out in the end. Everything that happens happens for a reason, just go with it." He shrugged with a pursed expression. "...your time aboard here changed any opinions 'bout us?"
"About the Empire overall? No; bunch of scumbags and traitorous backstabbers still. About you guys in particular? You guys have proven yourself to keep your word, trustworthy. Only on this very small level have I changed my mind about Irken to an extent."
"Figured as much. Good reason why I agreed to jump at the chance for a little payback. Perhaps this Irken can change your mind?"
"Change my mind how?" Kiara looked at him with an arched brow.
A smirk spread all the wider across his maw into a grin.
"I was thinkin' of openin' up…diplomatic relations. Get to know one another a little better outside of rank-and-file on a more…personal level."
So this one got it faster than most it seemed. She chuckled and shook her head. "Nice attempt, but green isn't my favorite color. You at least have the moves a lot quicker than some of the others here."
He shrugged. Worth a shot.
"I've…had a little more time to adjust to all of this. Maybe not you, but it'll work on one of ya. Guaranteed."
"Will it now?" She turned to face him, leaning against the counter. "Tell me then, how many women have you managed to successfully bed so far?"
"A lady never asks an' a gentleman never tells," He cheekily turned the phrase around at her, taking a drink. "Occasionally there's…oddities in the field among us. Males an' females just like me. Either they came busted from the factory or combat did somethin' to 'em. Occasionally it gets overlooked…I might've gotten my first taste of this in a foxhole one night with a gal in my unit. Both of us thought that was it an' there was no way out. May as well try it. Good time. So technically, to answer your question, only one due to circumstance, but that ain't no reason to polish up social skills."
"Guess the Empire doesn't think of everything," she chuckled. "Fair enough. We'll see if you actually succeed or not before the war ends now will we"
"C'mon…you gotta admit I'm pretty smooth. You thought I was funny, I had you goin'."
"You're a smooth talker, that is true. Now, while I won't jump into the sack with you. Tell you what," she paused to lean in and give Radec a kiss on the cheek. "For your effort, wise guy."
"I'll call that a win," He chuckled, a good sport all around. "Plenty of y'all 'round at this place we're goin' an' I'm sure we won't be strangers in the future."
"Maybe not. I have a feeling we're all going to be in this for the long haul one way or another."
Meanwhile, in engineering, Jur grumbled as he worked on the pump he removed prior to his introduction at the party. At this point the trio were cannibalizing parts from the other broken pumps. Only enough left to rework this pump one last time…then it was just a matter of holding until they got to Kyozist. They were sure to have plenty of parts there. Might have to make pipe fittings, but that would be the least of their concerns.
The Engineering deck aboard the vessel never before had been in such chaotic disarray. Aero ran a tight ship, literally, and kept it as pristine as the hangar. Today, it looked like the aftermath of a broken sewage pipe. Coolant, oil, and grease pooled around the powerplant. The ever-present creaking and groaning of metal under stress left them to wonder what was going to violently fail next. Thankfully, a blown seal or burst valve, as designed, were the main culprits. Anything else could spell trouble for the crew working around it.
The doors parted with Aero's presence, gaining access to Engineering. A plate overladen with a wide variety of snacks and food from the catered table in one hand…and a short-statured Communications Specialist firmly tucked under her opposite arm. Only once they had made it across the observatory catwalk to the control room was he permitted to stand on his own two feet again.
The Vortian took a glance at Vard and Aero in the control room briefly before returning to his work.
"Um, Aero, why did you carry me away so suddenly?" Vard asked, now that she set him down in the control room.
"Because…" She began in a sing-song manner, setting the plate down on the nearest control panel, careful that it didn't slide off into the floor. "I wanted toooo…have a chat with you. About things…and stuff."
"Oh-" Vard blinked in surprise before looking around for a chair and bringing it over to take a seat to look at her. "So what do you want to talk about?"
She blinked, an awkward smile growing increasingly nervous by the second. The conversation with the Commander and Hesa replayed over and over in her head…but here she was, suddenly struggling to find the words.
"Uhhh…well…" Aero's uncertainty drug on, averting her gaze with a nervous bite of her lip. "There's something I neeed to know-, NO…talk about, yes, talk about, that's it. With you! It's…nnnn…not…normal?"
Why was this so hard?! It was just Vard! Well, not just Vard, but someone she was more than familiar with. Her friend! Wasn't like he was a complete stranger or anything.
Vard's confusion only seemed to grow. He blinked, quiet for a few moments. Did she need encouragement to get whatever it was out of her head? It was worth a shot.
"Aero, you know you can tell me anything."
Her hands gripped her curly antenna, tugging down in frustration with a growl.
"I knoooow!" She whined, allowing them to spring back to their whirly selves. "I trust you with anything, even my life! I dunno how to…word any of this, or start! It's all weird an'...okay…calm down, Aero, deep breaths…"
Listening to her own advice, pink eyes closed momentarily with a slow, deep inhale and matching exhale before opening them once more. Vard was still there, in the chair, looking at her with concerned perplexion.
"...you give me indigestion and make me feel ooky."
"Indigestion?"
"Yeah!" Aero nodded with gusto. "Indigestion…sorta. My spooch feels all…weird an' ooky. It's like indigestion…but there's no food! Just…there…but only when I'm around you!"
Wait, this feeling…he knew it. He felt the same around her. Was that what this was about? He paused in silence once more thinking of what to see.
"Aero…are you trying to say you like me?"
"Well, of course I like you, ding-dong. You're my friend!" She knowingly spoke in amusement, completely missing what he was implying.
"No, no, Aero, I mean liiiiiike like me."
Having been verbally slapped with the obvious, her expression fell in realization. A pursed, anxious smile of the tiny variety drew her attention to the floor between her boots. The indigestion was returning full-force and she felt feverish. Was she sick?
"...m'be," She muttered with a small shrug.
The stumbling was less a lack of social skill. If anything, she was among the team's experts on that front, if not a little boisterous. No, this was noncommittal. Uncertainty. A sense of dread and apprehension at his answer…she was afraid to hear something in response she didn't want to. Sula had told her much of Kazak's behavior. His rejection. His complete lack of utter disregard for her thereafter…she didn't want to find out what that felt like. Not from her best friend.
Vard remained quiet, but he motioned for her to come closer to him, a bit of a smile on his face.
His silence gave her great concern until she saw the smile on his face and the gesture to come closer. She had went from boldly snatching him up from the party to a nervous mess…but Hesa's words came through in that moment: Drop the hammer and go for it.
Rather than indulge him, her lengthy arms reached out, hands picking him up once more beneath the arms, and pulled him off his feet. Face to face, she mimicked what she saw Hesa had done before and pressed her mouth to Vard's in a…what was it called? Kiss?
The indigestion flared, hitting an all-time high compared to before inside her. Her temperature rose, cheeks visibly flushing. The feeling…the sensation…magical. Intoxicating…just touching his mouth with her own! This was awesome!
Exactly what Vard was hoping for as he gripped Aero's shoulders. Lips met, something felt…right about it. After some time he pulled back to look her in the eyes. The shorter man seemed quite visibly relieved.
"The feeling's mutual, Aero. I was worried you didn't feel the same."
The prior nervousness melted away as the doofiest smile graced her bright green cheeks, pink eyes sparkling. So she wasn't about to be shattered to a billion pieces and turn into a grump like Sula over it. Life was kinda cool sometimes.
"Yeah, wellll…" She began, unable to formulate a proper sentence with a wag of her head side-to-side. "...was…yeah. Just yeah." A giggle followed.
"Yeah…" He wanted this to last.
"Good thing it is, huh? Otherwise this'd be suuuuper awkward."
"Could be worse, right? Sula told me about jerkface. I…also asked her about how I was feeling before."
"You did?" She earnestly queried, surprised. "Small universe, huh?"
The euphoria and giddiness of knowing Vard felt the same way about her as she did him was almost overwhelming. How many people could say that they were that close with their best friend? Her grasp shifted, pulling the shorter male in closer to her with a proper hug, arms easily enveloping him, a hesitant bite of her lower lip.
"...can I be greedy an' get another one?"
Vard was more than happy to oblige until he was interrupted by a thunderous noise coming from the reactor. His eyes quickly glanced at the controls and his eyes widened. No sooner than the infamous sound of a burst pipe echoed, the panel lit up with several visible alarms. Obnoxious warning noises and flashing lights. Neither were good.
"Daaang it…" She sighed, disappointed as she quickly granted Vard his freedom. "Back to it, I guess…maybe later though? After all this craziness is through?"
"Yeah, we need plenty of time together." Vard nodded to her.
"Guys, a little help here! This thing looks like it's about to go critical!" Jur yelled from inside the engineering space itself. Part of him was wondering if this ship would even make it.
"Coming!" Aero announced, turning back to Vard. "You know the drill in here, don't spray me with boiling-hot coolant!" She concluded, jogging out of the control room to assist Jur in slapping another proverbial bandage on a hemorrhaging wound of a reactor.