The conference room was usually reserved for mission briefings, debriefings, and meetings in general. It didn't really fall under any of those three in particular, but the room would play host rather well to Corr trying to find out what the Irk is going on. It seemed as if chaos had ensued no sooner than Vult was nearly fallen by a mislabeled Janitorial Drone. If he wanted to keep control and order, something must be done.
Those in question consisted of Vard, Sula, Rha, Tuu, and an unconscious Haxx, still out cold from a powerful punch to the jaw. All he managed to do was bleed on himself and everything in transit before being Sula had a chance to stitch up the remnants of his face around his jaw. She already knew he wasn't going to be happy when he got a look at it.
Corr, on the other hand, was furious, but held within reason. No matter how murderous his rage may have been, he was in command, and reminded himself of his responsibilities and risks that came with the job. The 5 of them sat in their respective places around the oval table, Haxx more or less sprawled out in his as he lay there, Sula beginning treatment by cleaning the wound and soaking up the blood. For something that was non-threatening, it sure bled a lot.
"Medical Officer, is he going to be fine for the time being or do you need to do treatment right away?" Corr respectfully asked in an attempt at being civil, but his expression spoke otherwise.
"It…can wait, Sir," she promptly informed, even though it could have been her pass out of this situation, she needed to be present as well for being involved. Shadow Strikers may have relied on deception in the field, but they never lied or deceived one another.
"Okay…" He nodded, sizing all of them up promptly as he clasped his hands together before him, seething "which one of you would like to tell me what happened in full to result in this?" He motioned to Haxx…it was pretty self-explanatory.
Silence engulfed the room for a moment as they looked at one another, unsure as to what to say. Corr was already angry at them, saying the wrong thing could only further entice it.
"I'm not going to ask again," Corr pressed, agitation in his voice, "one of you better speak up before you forget what sleep is as I put you through your double workload of training day in, day out…for a month."
They all shifted uneasily at that statement. It was a test of wills, whomever cracked first was going to be the one that spilled the beans…it was no surprise it was Vard.
"Captain, Sir," He stood up at attention.
"Yes, Sergeant?"
"I…I left my post after Haxx came down to relieve me for mess. Not only did I do that, but I allowed him near the prisoner, against your orders…Sir."
"On what grounds, pray tell?" The Irken Captain continued, still upset, but focused on hearing his comrade out.
"…There…were none, Sir," he admitted, embarrassed by his lack of usual upstanding focus on orders, "I found Sergeant Haxx…annoying, pestering me, so I sought out the wrong solution….I take full responsibility for my actions, Sir, and will meet whatever punishment you have in store to discipline me without incident."
The Captain studied him hard, his hands clasped before him as he peered over them at the nervous Vard.
"…You are free to go, Sergeant," Corr waved off, catching him off guard.
"Sir?"
"I said go, Vard," he reiterated without force, "at least you were respectful enough to my command and honorable to yourself and this unit to own up to your mistakes…" he turned to Rha and Tuu, "which is more than I can say for the others present."
Vard wasn't about to take his good fortune for granted, he had work to do anyway. Vult's cybernetic replacement was almost complete.
"What did I do…Sir?" Rha questioned unbelievably, remembering Corr's rank. "If it wasn't for me, genius here would have shot the prisoner and made all this effort for nothing…Sir." He pointed accusingly at the unconscious Irken across the table from him.
"We were holding him down, Sir," Tuu added, more respectfully than the Corporal. "He was a danger to the prisoner and himself, so we acted as such."
"I see…" Corr answered, his fingers interlocked before him, "Sula, were they instigators in this charade or did they simply do as they say? I want the truth, all of it, otherwise none of you are going to like me very much over the next month."
"Well…there is one small addition to that I may have overheard," she stipulated, gesturing with her fingers. The pressure had gotten to her, hiding anything at this point would have meant consequences for all of them. "Seeing how Haxx is, well…Haxx, they made a wager on how long and when it would be before he managed to get himself hurt by the prisoner."
The topic of conversation was beginning to stir, waking from his forced slumber.
"Oh really?" Corr sarcastically spoke in a surprised tone, "you two betting on when one of your fellow squadmates was going to get himself maimed for his own stupidity?"
Sula silently mouthed "sorry" to the two of them, distraught on her face. Rha simply nodded in acceptance, assuring her she did no wrong. Neither him nor Tuu were the type to hold a grudge over anything, especially something such as this. Sula had only done what was asked of her.
"Ohhh…Irk, my face," Haxx groaned, touching a hand to his wound, instantly remembering what happened. He shot up rigid, Rha sitting across the table from him. "You I'kveda paratu!" The injured Irken cursed as he attempted to stand up and retaliate against him. The Captain forced him back into his seat with surprising gusto, enough to put fear in his eyes.
"Sit down and shut up," Corr sternly ordered, returning his attention back to Rha and Tuu, "regardless of him deserving it or not, your nonchalant attitude towards his well-being disturbs me greatly. I highly suggest that you learn to value and support one another for what we're prided on. We're Shadow Strikers, we need no one but our comrades in this unit, if you lack that…you have nothing. What do you think you are? A bunch of hotshot, glorified Invaders?"
"No, Sir," the duo replied in unison.
"…I hope that we don't have any further matters such as this from this point on," Captain Corr added, eyeing both of them, "as for a…reminder to remember that, the two of you are going to clean up the brig and the mess that Haxx made all the way here."
"Why can't Haxx do it, it's his own blo-" Rha attempted, only to stop mid-sentence at the glare he was getting from Corr. He definitely had what it take to command respect…and fear from those beneath his command, "…er, Yes, Sir, right away."
"Good to see we have an understanding, Corporal dismissed."
With a prompt salute, the duo exited the room. Corr's full attention was now directed to Haxx, whom seemed to be touching the wound, then quickly retracting in pain upon doing so.
"As for you, Sergeant…would you mind telling me why you thought it was necessary to disobey direct orders, my orders at that, to stay away from the prisoner, force Sergeant Vard to abandon his post, and ultimately result in your current predicament."
"Umm…I'm sorry and it won't happen again?" He attempted cautiously, cracking a smile with it, only to cringe in pain from his still-open wound.
"If you would hold still, I'll stitch it back together," Sula commented, prepared with surgeon's gloves and the necessary tools.
"Nice try," Corr stated, narrowing his stare at him, "Haxx…you're a good soldier, you're knowledgeable in your trade, highly skilled at that….but you lack discipline. Discipline doesn't stop when training is over with or when the mission is complete. This isn't a game, vacation, or anything of the sort."
"Yes, yes, very serious business for the Empire, blah, blah, blah, big deal!" He snapped in response, irritated more by his wound as he yelped in pain, "Come on, Sula! You're supposed to be putting it together, not tearing it apart!"
"Stop moving or it's only going to hurt more then."
"I'm a reasonable man, Haxx, which is lucky for you. I suggest you watch your tongue when you talk to me, are we clear?"
The tone warranted seriousness quite well.
"Yes, Sir….sorry, Sir."
"Now, before this becomes a…serious problem, you need to start acting of what is becoming of your position, of this unit. Am I saying act like a lifeless robot? No, far from it. What I am saying is we all may be squadmates and friends, but this is our job, this is work, not play. There is time for play every now and again, but with the prisoner, especially as dangerous as she is, on board, orders and protocol must be followed. I told you what to do was in your best interest, you defied them, and look at the consequences."
It almost hurt how much Corr was right, and he hadn't even raised his voice in anger towards him. Haxx knew regulars in the Armada that would gut you in a heartbeat for pulling what he just did.
"I understand, Sir, and would it be possible that I could take my…reminder," he motioned to his face, "and call it a lesson learned?"
"I'm afraid not…your punishment to make you remember what happens when you defy my orders will be…one week, latrine duty."
"One week!?"
"…One month latrine duty, then. I want it sparkling, Sergeant."
He shut his mouth before he could protest once more, knowing it was only going to continue to grow in length. Sure, a day here and there as part of the rotation wasn't bad, but doing it constantly was a horrible fate to say the least. So…much…dookie.
"Yes, Sir," Haxx forcefully said through a seething smile. "I'll get on right on that as soon as I'm done her-OWWW!!!"
"For the last time, Haxx, hold still!" Sula reiterated, annoyed. "Every time you move, you're only making it worse."
"So let me get this straight, Vard," Vult commented from his resting position in the medical ward of the ship. "You and Sula are going to attach that," he pointed to the array of mechanical components that appeared to fit together to form an artificial forearm and hand, as previously informed, "to what's left of my arm, and it will move and act just like the real thing?"
"In theory…yes, Commander," he nervously spoke, "Sula would know more about the extent of damage present, but after calibrating everything and crunching the numbers, it should read your natural nerve signals and move as such. I apologize that it isn't exactly inconspicuous, the Empire isn't too keen on creating prosthetics for soldiers, so I had to use spare parts in the workshop, mainly SIR components. I've already started work on another version that will hopefully look as realistic as possible."
"This will do just fine, I assure you," Vult smirked, "I picked you for your technological prowess, Sergeant, I now see that my choice was correct."
The doors to the ward parted pneumatically, Sula walking in with her array of tools and a quickened pace.
"Sorry, Commander, we had a little…incident with Sergeant Haxx, I'll be over there in one moment," she spoke, cleaning her hands off and finding a new pair of surgical gloves. "Has Vard told you of the procedure and how it is going to go yet, Sir?"
"No he hasn't, Medical Officer, enlighten me….what was that about Haxx?"
"Depending on how well your wound has healed," she ignored his question as she gathered the necessary tools and chemicals to perform the operation, "with Sergeant Vard's assistance, we are going to remove the damaged tissue, attach the cybernetic frame to your existing bone, fuse nerve endings with the electronic receptors, and assemble it. It's rather straight-forward and shouldn't take too long."
"I hope you're using anesthesia."
"Of course, Sir, full anesthesia will be administered…as soon as I find where I put it," Sula trailed off as she searched her medical cabinets
"Can I make a request?" Vult spoke, watching her dig through the cabinet.
"Yes, Commander?"
"Can you make it local anesthesia…I would like to watch you do this procedure," he logically stated. "I'm rather interested in how this is going to work."
Sula looked over at Vard, whom simply shrugged, unsure to what to suggest. She was the medical expert after all, not him.
"With all due respect, Sir, it is much safer if you are completely under. I don't want to risk sending you into unconsciousness with shock from extreme pain."
"I'm not a smeet, Sula, I can take it," he assured, more or less disguised as an order. "I've never heard of this kind of procedure in my life, I want to watch it take shape. You'll find out quickly if you didn't give me enough painkillers or not."
Swallowing in nervousness, she simply nodded, re-calculating the amount of sedative she was to administer locally. She could appear to obey his request and inject the amount to fully sedate him, but the Commander wished otherwise. Much like everyone else in the unit, she held the utmost respect for him as a commanding officer and friend. If he wished to see her perform the procedure, then so be it…no pressure at all.
"I think you missed a spot there," Tak taunted, pointing at the blood-smeared floor through the bars.
"Just ignore her," Rha said under his breath, Tuu within earshot as they were on their hands and knees, scrubbing the vicious, emerald liquid with vigor. Irken blood had a tendency to stain…everything, and was notoriously difficult to clean from many surfaces because of its oily nature. To top it off…it smelled something fierce…something horrible. If the aroma could be compared to anything, a combination of sulfur, rotten eggs, and a hint of garbage completed the unpleasant combination.
Rha was yet to cross another being that smelled so bad in any way, shape, or form in the galaxy than his own race. As simple as Irken physiology was, it seemed it required the most disgusting elements to the senses to function properly.
"Could I get something to drink, the aftertaste is terrible," the rogue Irken continued, Rha finally slamming the scratching sponge into the bucket beside him with a splash of cleaning solution, standing up. He stood up, facing Tak, but kept his distance unlike what Haxx had done.
"You're in no position to be asking for anything, Tak," Rha recognized her by name, "yes, he's an idiot and probably deserved it, but you're pushing your luck. I'm starting to actually agree with Haxx for once…maybe it was a good idea to just eject you out the airlock."
"You're just saying that because I hurt your friend,' she continued in a tone that would anger anyone. "I thought you were different from the rest of this lot…guess I was wrong, you're just another murderous, psychotic idiot that blindly serves the Empire."
Just as Rha was about to reach through the bars and completely lose it, Tuu stood up casually.
"Don't do it, Rha, that's what she wants," he commented coolly as he dried his hands off, "She wants you to do it, she's playing mind games with everyone now. She's already gotten under our skin with this and ticked a bunch of us off, now she's working off of it. Emotions cloud judgment and concentration, she'll seize the opportunity and make a break for it first chance she gets. "
"Well, at least one of you is intelligent," Tak chastised coldly, "you should be proud of yourself for figuring that all out on your own."
"Which is the reason why we're going to have to disobey Corr's gag order on her," he said to Rha, surprising him.
"Why? The last thing I want to do is anger him twice in one day."
"You're more than welcome to open that cell door and go in there to try to tie her up, but at the moment, she's not going anywhere. Just leave it as it is and call it a lesson learned."
"…I don't know, Tuu."
"I'll take the heat if there is any, don't worry," He assured, resting a hand on his comrade's shoulder. Tuu may not have shared much about himself and talked seldom, but Rha knew if the time ever were to come, he could trust him with his life. Despite personality differences, it went the same with all those present in the unit, it was a part of everyday life to rely heavily on one another in order to function.
"I promise I won't bite…hard," Tak deviously grinned, only to be startled as Rha struck the cell bars with the metal rod that Haxx had earlier, clanging loudly.
"Quiet," he ordered, pointing the rod at her with a hard stare to match, "another negative remark out of you and you'll be sleeping the rest of your stay here from a drug-induced nap."
Even for someone as strong-willed and rebellious as Tak, she knew when it was time to admit defeat for the time being. Maybe she was wrong…maybe they all weren't idiots like Haxx.
As Rha and Tuu finished with their punishment for their hand in the Haxx incident, Vult was through with his procedure, and it was an astounding success to say the least. The cold metal and constant whirring of servo motors was going to take some time to get used to, but overall, it was much more welcome that relying solely on his left arm for everything.
More or less to be informed of the happenings in the past couple of days, he sought out his second-in-command, Corr. Much had happened, indeed, and being confined to the medical ward, he only managed to hear passing blurbs from Sula or whomever came in or by for a moment. Leader of this unit, it was his right and a necessity to know what was going on, after all.
"Sir…excuse me for not being able to clarify the first time," Corr unbelievably asked of Vult, "but what is it that you're wanting to do again?"
"I didn't stutter, Captain," Vult made clear, studying his new appendage.
Just as Vard had promised, the cybernetic replacement was doing the job thus far, quite articulated for something mechanical, and other than appearance, his mind was fooled into believing that nothing had happened at all.
"Commander…what you speak of is dereliction of duty. Are you sure you're feeling well?"
"Corr, think about it," Vult quickly responded, watching the volume of his voice in case of eavesdroppers due to the sensitivity of the information. "there is no way in Irk that she is merely a Janitorial Drone, after what happened planetside, I'd like to think that I know of all what she's capable of and exactly how dangerous she really is."
"I understand that much, Commander, but our orders were explicitly clear to recover her and return her to Dirt." Corr attempted to reason with his commanding officer and friend, "but simply letting her go and lying to the Tallest…that compromises our integrity as a unit serving the Empire. Sir, that is on the grounds of treason for disobeying orders, and we're well aware of the following punishment."
Vult nodded, letting out a sigh in understanding.
"I picked you for those virtuous qualities, but for your trust and loyalty to me as well, Corr," Vult spoke, resting his artificial hand on his shoulder. The Captain immediately noticed how heavy and inorganic it felt. The dull metallic luster further conveyed the idea around the segments of his claws, the flexible bands that interlocked between them and allowed for as close to natural movement as possible.
"You are loyal to me, aren't you, Corr?"
"Of course, Commander, I'd give my life for you and the Empire if need be." Corr quickly responded. He'd be offended if anyone else other than Vult had questioned him.
"In that order?"
"…I-I'm not sure I follow, Sir."
"Do you place your loyalty to me below that of the Empire or above? I built this unit on individual integrity and performance as a whole. One of us is to fail, we all do, likewise, we succeed as a whole, not individually. You're not a bunch carbon-copy soldiers that are as easily produced as they are killed due to a lack of coalition or true self-worth.
I pulled you and the others from the common ranks and gave you that possibility. My loyalty rests in you and the others, Corr. Without my unit…I am nothing. All of you directly reflect my worth as a commanding officer….I don't wish to compromise the relationship I share with my soldiers through conflicting interests. If you or anyone else aboard feel that you aren't comfortable with doing this, then I'll leave it as such."
In the deepest part of his spooch, Corr felt what the Commander spoke of. It was true that the Shadow Strikers were indeed different. Quite possibly some of the most varied and eccentric soldiers in the entire Armada brought together beneath one individual, only relied on themselves and no one else, and from behind the eyes of their very people, they made the impossible possible.
"So…what's it going to be, Captain? You with me on this one?" Commander Vult requested of him once more.
Corr thought for a moment, lulling over the possible outcomes. He was loyal beyond no other to Vult and his fellow Shadow Strikers…but the Empire was supposed to be first and foremost over everything, especially when they dealt specifically with the Almighty Tallest themselves when it came to orders.
"…I'm yet to have a reason not to place my full trust in you, Sir," Corr cautiously spoke with a smirk, "so I don't have a viable reason at this time not to."
With a huff of satisfaction, Vult patted the Captain on the back gently.
"It will only take a moment, Captain," the Commander assured, exiting the room with a wave of his cybernetic hand, "you have the bridge until I return."
"Yes, Sir!" Corr saluted from attention.
He may not have said it, but he truly did think it.
"What could they possibly benefit from by going through with what the Commander had planned?"
Tak was finding it more and more difficult to keep her sanity as time drug on within the confines of her cell. The time only passed by so fast developing intricate plots of escape and/or painful death to those that had the tenacity to imprison her, the mighty Invader Tak.
"…no, no, they're far too trained and prepared for something like that," she mumbled to herself, seeming to map out a plan of attack in her mind. "As soon as the cell opens though, I need to seize the opportunity and take out the guard, there would only be 9 more left after that, even less if they aren't in my way to the hangar…if I can find it, that is…this ship isn't standard build in the Armada, I know that much."
Out of frustration and boredom, she sat down once more, leaning back against the wall once more with a sigh. She turned and spat into the corner, the taste of Haxx's blood refused to vacate her mouth no matter what she did. As much as she wanted to do damage to the idiot, she was now regretting it for the simple fact the only thing Irken blood did worse than smell was taste.
"You're in an awfully talkative mood for someone that was unconscious the last I saw of them," A voice questioned, startling her. She looked up in surprise to see the Irken Commander that she nearly killed. His tone didn't warrant negativity, so she was courteous to respond similarly.
"You're looking well after coming within a sliver of dying," she chided, quickly reverting to her usual cold self, "if you came looking for an apology, you're wasting your time, Commander. The only thing I have to say or regret is that I didn't finish the job."
"Well…" Vult began, taking a seat in the chair, "I'm aware of that, and just to let you know, Dro-…Tak, there's no ill feelings from me. I was following orders, and you apparently didn't want to be apprehended for your own reasons."
"How very astute of you to notice, what gave it away?" She sarcastically responded.
"I suppose you're not in a talkative mood after all," Vult began, standing up once more casually, "I was here to discuss negotiating your release, but it seems you hold too much ire in you as it is."
"Wait, wait, wait, what was that?" Tak became interested as she ran to the bars, sticking a single hand through to gently grasp Vult by the sleeve of his uniform in hopes of stopping him. "You're going to let me go?"
"…It's a possibility at this point, but that's what negotiations are for."
Normally, she would remain rigid in her resistance, but something about this soldier, this Spec Ops Commander, struck her as odd. Under any other circumstances, she'd expected to be beaten senseless for information by a Spec Ops soldier, but something was peculiar about him, about all of them aboard this ship…it made it easier to relate to and proved progress could be achieved without violent tactics. He merely stepped forward in such a casual and impersonal manner was enough to peak her interest, especially after what she had done to him. Deep down, she was actually somewhat relieved that he had managed to pull through and looked as good as ever.
"If it means you'll let me go free as a bird, I'll tell you anything you want to know," Tak immediately opened up, "you're more than aware of how much I don't want to go back to Dirt, Commander."
"Which is precisely why I'm even thinking of making such an offer," Vult concluded, finding his way back to the chair once more. Seeing the desperation in her eyes, he already knew he had the advantage, "it's obvious enough as it is, but I don't think you're a Janitorial Drone at all, so why don't you tell me what I want to know."
"What might that be?" Tak responded, folding her arms across her chest.
Vult decided to find somewhat common ground with her, both being members of the Armada, different ends of the spectrum maybe, but she was honorable in her own regard.
"If you have prior Invader training, Invader expertise, and to top it off, Invader equipment…why are you programmed as a Janitorial Drone on Dirt? Shouldn't you be out conquering a world for the Empire? Off somewhere, prepping it so soldiers, much like myself, can come in and bleed for it, just for the Empire to turn it into something worthless?"
"I detect animosity towards Invaders," she pointed out with a raised brow.
"My personal opinions, a discussion for another time," he responded to assure it was nothing personal towards her, "so are you an Invader then?"
"I…would have been, yes."
"What happened?"
Tak recollected for a moment. It didn't take long, that day was forever burned into her memory, especially after what a certain Invader managed to do.
"Long story short of it all…Zim managed to ruin…everything."
"I'm sorry, did you just say Zim, as in Invader Zim?" Vult picked up on, his antenna perked upon hearing the name from Tak.
"Yes, the worst excuse of a living…thing in the entire Empire," she shook her fists, "through his idiocy, he knocked out half the power for Devastis…the very same half I was to take my final exam in. Instead, I was locked in my quarters and missed it, hence me…reassignment to Dirt. You are aware of that incident, aren't you?"
"I've heard of it, yes," Vult nodded, more knowledgably of it than she had thought him to be, "I had just shipped out right before that happened. So Zim is responsible for your current predicament and assignment?"
Tak nodded in agreement. This moment clearly took the prize when it came to awkwardness. Sure, she had been semi-reasonable up until she bit Haxx, but having a civilized conversation with the very individual she had nearly killed was strange at best.
"You're after revenge against Zim for ruining your life then is it?"
"No, it's not about revenge," Tak attempted to remain calm, frustrated that everyone thought that was her sole reasoning behind abandoning her post. "I'm a better Invader than he'll ever be. I may not officially be one, but I will find him and take his fake mission from him. I'll turn it into something even the Tallest would be proud of, and be granted my Invader status that I rightfully deserve."
"What about Zim though?"
"What about him?" She promptly responded, "If he gets in my way, he'll pay the consequences…dearly at that. I'm not one for vengeance, but if he presents a problem, I won't hesitate to do what no one else in the entire Armada will and must…deactivate a defective. I will be an Invader, mark my words, Commander, one way or another, I will become one."
"I wouldn't want anything less for the pathetic excuse of an Irken to be horribly maimed in some way or another," Vult responded, clenching his artificial hand tightly with a quick clang of metal, "it was because of him Impending Doom I failed, because I lost over 80% of my squad, and then forced to turn tail and retreat. Much like yourself, I was disgraced that day. I, too, don't believe in vengeance, but Zim is most deserving of punishment for what he has done to the Empire in his existence. It took all my resolve when I bumped into him at the Great Assigning a few days ago to not throttle the life out of him."
Tak huffed a bit of a laugh.
"I didn't think it was possible for someone else to hate Zim as much as I do," she smirked. "So…now about the possibility of letting me go and find him so we can do both of us a favor."
"It is a possibility…if you make a deal with me first."
"…what kind of deal?"
"I let you go and continue pursuing whatever it is that you're after with Zim and all, I'll even point you in the right direction. We have a Voot Cruiser we can spare that can get you back to your ship, loaded with supplies and necessary tools to finish your repairs…that is if you're willing to help me out." Vult finished with a hint of questioning on Tak's behalf.
"You name it, Commander, I'll do it," she responded, borderline of desperation, but she remained composed.
"A…favor," Vult spoke, "it may not be anytime soon, but I truly can't think of anything at the moment to get from you for your release, so a favor it is. You stay in contact with me, and when I need it…I'll call it in.
This will be something you can't refuse, Tak, I assure you that much, because if you do and don't own up to your end of the deal…well, you haven't seen any of us angry yet. We were just following orders when we took you in, and I'm sure you don't want 10 of the Empire's best at your heels with the intent to kill, now do you?"
"…deal, Commander," Tak finally answered with a glimmer of hope after a moment's thought, "but not before I take care of Zim and taking his mission first."
"Reasonable enough, Invader," Vult acknowledged with a grin, offering his cybernetic hand through the bars of the cell, "shake on it so I know you're someone of their word."
Hesitant at first as she eyed the result of her surprise tactic she implemented against them, Tak finally took hold of Vult's hand, feeling it unnervingly wrap around and grasp her own in a in a handshake. His ice-cold metallic claws looked incredibly intimidating, but surprisingly welcome at the moment considering the offer he had made.
She half-expected him to crush every bone in her hand and three fingers out of resentment, but beneath the hardened veteran exterior was a compassionate leader that knew there was something more to being in charge than simply commanding troops.
"When will I expect this favor to be asked of me, Commander?" Tak questioned as Vult retracted back through the bar, turning the tumblers on the locked cell door.
"With us…things are quite unpredictable," he mentioned, opening the door with a smirk, "but we'll stay in touch. Don't call us…we'll call you."