The others, meanwhile, finally had an opening in the storm as Rem programmed the autopilot to reascend 15 seconds after Volx hit a button after landing. "Now, remember ma'am, you guys are on a strict timetable. Whatever you can do, do it. I can't risk sending this down again until the storm clears otherwise, and forget taking the ship, it's taking a lot of careful monitoring to keep us up as it is. You lose that shuttle, and the Commander's not back? I hope you can steal a ride out of there."
"Noted, Sergeant," Volx replied as she looked to the other three in the shuttle. "Right, you heard her. Not a lot of time to mess around. We'll split into teams for this. Haxx, you're with me. Tuu, take Rha. Find what you can, recover anything of value you can carry, and get back to extraction when our next window opens. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am," Tuu replied, prepping his PDW for use as they descend. A nod from Rha followed.
"Good," A light bump, they were on the ground. The door opened allowing them to disembark. She hit the button for the autopilot then stepped off, the shuttle taking off and heading back to the ship, leaving the four of them on the planet below, wind howling despite the clearance of a storm, allowing light to shine on them, for now.
Even with their helmets sealed up and operating in a closed environment, the wind sheer was still incredible. A constant, heavy gale violently rippled their overcoats...and this was the "safe" velocity. Their telemetry data pulled by Rem after countless surface scans while in orbit provided a pre-programmed map of the surface with...moderate margin of error. The heavily-ionized air, lightning storms, and heavy winds made it difficult to get clear data in some areas where the storms were most concentrated and moved the least across the planet's surface.
"Shuttle's clear!" Volx announced over their comms, digging her heels in before the wind threatened to take her with it as particulates of sand and sediments scraped and scratched across the armored portions of her uniform. She was beginning to see why there were so many travel advisories to stay far and away from this planet having just been there seconds.
"Less time spent on the surface, the better! Rally on me, double-time, let's go!" She called out, hand signals to match as she kept her rifle at low-ready. Rem's roughed-out idea of the surface and their own intuition is all they had to go on. "Next storm is going to pass over in fifteen! Be inside somewhere safe by ten! Move it!"
Tuu pressed on, looking for somewhere to hunker down. He already started hearing some tearing, looking down, seeing some tears forming where his equipment met his overcoat. "Starting to see why Kazak goes more minimalistic on clothing…" he muttered to himself, seeing something in the distance. Switching his PDW for his sniper rifle, he looked through the scope and was surprised to see...movement, and the wreckage of a freighter. Right at the mouth of a cavern. "Guys, you seeing this? Maybe about two kliks out. We could probably make it to the general area in time if we make a run for it...unless we can find another way in. I'm not too keen on going in." He stopped, counting, "Five...six….ten...fifteen unknowns...definitely not Irken. I think these are some people we conquered. Might be a resistance cell."
Volx quickly did the math in her head. Full sprint, full battle rattle and additional extended stay equipment on each of them, and the distance with poor visibility. The deafening rolls of thunder, precursor to the moving storms. Even through the haze of wind-whipped dust and sand, the edge of the black storm and white-blue streaks of lighting were visible. Foreboding. Menacing. Deadly.
"Ping it for later!" Volx responded over the storm. "We make camp first and plan accordingly. No running in half-cocked without any sort of support! Cave system with a surface entrance, dead ahead in the cliffs!" She pointed, going off of Rem's mapping. "Haxx, move your c'hurta unless you want the flesh stripped from your bones in a matter of seconds!"
Tuu stopped briefly to ping it on their maps and started picking up after them, he needed to catch up even from just a brief look at the potential target. "At least we know where one of the freighters is!"
Haxx huffed, sometimes it sucked being the heavy weapons support. "You ever run, lugging around, a minigun?!" He spoke between pauses. "It sucks!" He continued huffing. "Why'd Hesa have to go and break the lighter machine gun?!"
"Less talking! More running!" Volx berated him, skidding to a halt just outside of the cave opening to look back at her team. Tuu and Rha were moving without issue. Haxx was barely visible through the haze. A rolling crackle of thunder rumbled violently, feeling like a miniature earthquake beneath their feet. Chunks of loose stone from the cliff tumbled free from their nests, the wind slowly beginning to pick up as the dark horizon grew closer. Various sensors on her HUD began flaring, the preprogrammed cautions of encroaching fatal weather.
This planet's warnings were no joke.
"In, in in, go!" She ushered, pushing Rha and Tuu as she stepped inside the cave's mouth. "Haxx! Move!"
"Agh! I'm trying!" Rain started pelting him as the thunder grew louder. It was becoming apparent it was going to be either him or the weapon at this rate...a tough call… "Agh, screw it!" He threw his rotary plasma cannon aside and took off in a mad sprint for the cave. At least he was a bit smarter since Vort, packing an SMG as a secondary weapon instead of a pistol as he did before. "Well...that's just great."
"Here I was thinking you would never willingly do that." Tuu commented, "Very unlike you."
"Well, I didn't feel like getting turned into fried Irken today, thank you very much."
Volx watched, dumbfounded, as their Heavy Weapons Specialist cast his heavy weapon aside like refuse without a second thought and closed the gap. Haxx sprinted, making it into the cave just as the ferocity of the storm picked up exponentially. The wind howled with a deafening, constant roar. A few components and pieces of Haxx's weapon were stripped off and away in the maelstrom before the whole thing picked up, disappearing into the abyss. A bolt of lightning struck, making the four Irken jump in surprise as the air electrified around them.
"Tuu, take point." She ordered, guiding and pushing them deeper, away from the mouth of the cave. Her attention zeroed on the winded Haxx, forcefully jerking him by the collar of his armored mantle. "That's the second PRC you've slagged, Sergeant! When we get back to the ship, I'm runnin' you 'til you puke!" She shook him, releasing him before pushing him forward. "Fall in! Go!"
He glared from behind his visor, saying nothing, remembering the conversation they had before. What he really wanted was to yell right back that he never saw her running with all that gear on. He bit his tongue, for now. Only giving her a sharp look over his shoulder as he drew his SMG and followed the others.
Tuu moved deeper, stopping when he saw a piece of steel with part of the Empire's insignia on it. He moved closer to take a look at it. "Got a piece of hull plating here by the look of it. Not the same one from outside." He stood back up and kept moving. The cave came to a split pair of tunnels, he stopped and looked to Volx. "Which one are we taking?"
Volx took up the rear, opening her navigational suite with Rem's overlay. The tunnels weren't fully mapped due to atmospheric interference. Taking the wrong one could lead them deeper, away from the surface and their objective...lost...they had to be careful.
"...the right one," She chose after several seconds of manipulating the map and closing it out. "There tunnel opens up to a cavern about a hundred meters in. Limited points of entry. We'll set up base camp there. Keep it tight and eyes peeled. Very little data on this planet, hard telling what wildlife is roaming around down here. Don't touch anything. Don't eat anything. Don't lick anything." Volx concluded with emphasis directed at the lummox known as Haxx knowing he was the most-likely suspect to do something so reckless.
As they moved further down, light started bouncing off the walls of the cave, allowing Tuu to look around without his night vision as they entered a large room. He took a seat after clearing the area, determining it was safe. "I guess this is where we're going to hunker down for now?"
Haxx, meanwhile, shot another look at Volx. As they entered the cave, he thought he heard a noise coming from behind them. He stopped as Volx moved past him, staying quiet...then he heard it again, it almost sounded like a voice...a scream. Quietly, he moved back up, headed for the opposite tunnel to check it out. He'd show Volx he wasn't a complete imbecile by doing something right.
Volx took stock of their surroundings. The ambient glow of the bioluminescent lichen and fungi growing along the walls aided with visibility, casting pale blue and green hues across cracked, fractured stone moist from the water draining from the surface. The cave itself was comfortable. Cool with a breeze. The maelstrom of the storm was still a distant buzz echoing throughout the cave. Nothing could be done about it except noise cancellation through their helmets if it grew too annoying.
"Rha, Tuu," Volx began, her mind already piecing together the impending series of operations. "Get our early warning detection system set up. I see two points of entry into this cistern. The way we came and that branch over there." She pointed to the other opening in the wall lined with more glowing fauna. Her attention drifted to Haxx. "Haxx."
He appeared focused on something else...and not listening...again. Gritting her teeth in annoyance, she smacked his shoulder unkindly to get his attention.
"I'm talking to you!" She hissed. "...you still have the sentry guns?"
Well, his attempt at moving was stopped by a swift smack to his shoulder. Prompting him to turn around, seeming furious at first before he calmed down. "Yes, I still have them. Not like I threw everything away." He went to work getting them set up...he still wanted to see what was going on in that other tunnel. He was sure he heard something...whatever it was. Maybe a clue as to what's going on down here. All the while, Tuu and Rha prepped the early warning net to let them know if anyone...or anything was coming.
"Just get the sentry drones set up, Sergeant." She sneered at his attitude. Their heart-to-heart wasn't lost on her, but he needed to focus. "After that, all of you, get your pallets made and squared away. Soon as camp is set up in full, Rha, Tuu, start reconning and mapping that tunnel." She pointed to the yet-to-be ventured tunnel adjacent to their cistern. "Drop nav beacons every so many meters and don't overextend. Comms are likely to cut out. You'll have no way of contacting base camp via radio."
As he was working on the first sentry turret, he opened the diagnostic panel and turned on the screen. Heavily awash in static, he blinked, and started pressing a few buttons to see if he could clear it up while it ran a diagnostic...and then he realized it was targeting Volx, and forcibly removed the power cell. He tried setting up a second turret...same problem, though when looking at Rha and Tuu, they seemed to come off as friendly to the turret.
"Greaaaaaat." Haxx let out a groan of frustration and kicked both turrets over. Rather not have them than he and Volx getting turned into slag. He had to come up with an excuse, quick, before someone got suspicious. "Those are useless here. Get outside of five meters and it doesn't even pick up your IFF. Worthless automated hunks of scrap."
Volx didn't miss how quickly Haxx ripped the power supply out of the first one as the attached plasma caster rapidly transitioned in her direction. Just as she was about to question what the issue was, she noted how it tracked Tuu and Rha without issue. Their FoF identifiers were working correctly...and the only difference between them was she and Haxx were unhooked from the Control Brains.
"Keep them offline," She masked, following up his comments authentically. "Set them up, but leave them off. We may still need them yet if all does not go according to plan."
He blinked, hidden by his visor, before he turned off his comms to whisper to her. "Are you insane? You know what those things would do to us? I'm not setting those things up."
She leaned in closer, ensuring there was only a link between them and not broadcasting to the others. "Set them up, leave them powered down. If you don't, they'll suspect something is up and start asking questions. Don't give them the chance to."
Haxx just let out a groan of frustration, before coming up with a creative idea to keep everything convincing. "Hey, Captain Explosion, do me a favor and rig a remote detonation charge to these things will you? We need to turn these on for any reason, we're going to need to blow them up when they start shooting at us...and I do mean when." He went right back to work setting up the turrets, but he didn't like the idea one bit…
Rha, amidst laying out his temporary bed for however long their duration was to be planetside, looked to Haxx with confusion.
"If we need to turn them on...they'd need to be on to actually shoot. Why rig them to blow?"
"Like the rest of our equipment down here," Volx began smoothly. "They're on the fritz. The muzzle pointed right at Haxx the moment he turned it on. Those guns come up for any reason, it's open season for whoever is in range. Even us."
Rha, from behind his visor, looked to the pair for a moment before standing up.
"...Sure. Suppose that makes sense." He agreed, digging in his equipment pouches for the components necessary to set up appropriate charges for them.
"Good, just try not to blow up half the squad if we need to do that, eh?" Haxx finished getting the first turret set up, with a power cell sitting nearby. Then he quickly set up the second turret. He then went back over to Volx. "Look, I heard something coming from that other tunnel, I'm sure of it...almost sounded like a scream. Maybe they should check it out when they're looking around? I know I heard something...I know I did."
"I'm sure we'll get acquainted with the wildlife soon enough," Volx responded, watching Rha work as Tuu finished making camp. Checking his rifle and gear, he slung it across his back, keeping a PDW slung across his chest.
"Wrap it up, Corporal." Tuu commented, moving past him at a casual gait. "Sooner we find a route to the wreckage, sooner we can get off this rock. Prefer my rack over stone."
"No, it wasn't something wildlife. I'm pretty sure it was someone." He first reasoned, then threw up his hands in frustration. "Forget it, I'm going to go sit in a corner or something." He walked off, Rha looking at him oddly before finishing up his rifle and joining Tuu after grabbing the beacons.
"Ready when you are."
Nodding, he opened his navigation suite, tabbing it to begin mapping via intermittent pings. Bursts of short, but powerful waves to bounce off the stone walls around them and reflect back to get an accurate, three-dimensional reading of their surroundings. A necessity should there be multiple, branching paths and massive labyrinths.
Moving slowly, the pair progressed on for some time. Hours passed, mostly in silence save for the occasional point of interest. Tuu came to a standstill, opening up his spectrograph, testing the air around them. Safe. Breathable. With that, he switched back to his map before lifting a hand to open his closed-environment with a hiss of venting atmosphere. The cold chill of the cave air felt welcome on perspiring cheeks.
"Kill your comms," He casually ordered, turning to face Rha.
Rha took off his helmet after hitting his comlink, only to stick it right back on once he realized how loud this ringing in the caves actually was. Despite a wince he nodded to Tuu.
The marksman waited until Rha shut off his communications and could hear him locally before speaking.
"There's no simple or easy way of saying it, so I'm just going to say it." Tuu opened with. "...something's going on with the unit. Everyone else is acting weird. Weirder than usual. Ever since Devastis."
"I know what I saw back there...I can understand people are a little spooked. You ever see a pit full of skeletons? Those of our own people? You'd be visibly shaken too." At least that's what Rha thought he was referring to.
"Sure, but they're just bones," Tuu responded. "It's not just what was seen. It's what I see, too. You can't tell me you haven't noticed all the changes going on. Everyone's...changing. Weird. Different. Lieutenant Volx is looking like a shorter version of Aero. Unless I've lost tread on my boots, Haxx is taller and...bigger. Wider."
"Sure can't run, still," he snickered at first before blinking, "Oh, wait, you're serious." A brief pause before he thought it over. "Come to think of it...I've even seen Sula trying on bigger uniform jackets recently. Our tech wizz even look like he even sprouted a bit…" He leaned back against the wall continuing to mull things over. "Is it me...or do the Commander and the Captain also look a bit more...robust than before as well?"
"They are," Tuu concluded, feeling validated to know he wasn't the only one noticing. "Only female I've noticed that hasn't changed one bit is Rem...and you look the same, too. Something weird is going on."
"Well...what do you think? I know with Aero she took a rather nasty blow to the PAK but...Sula said she should be okay. I don't...remember anyone else taking hits to the PAK...do you?" A brief pause, "Do you think they did something to their PAKs?"
"Not that I'm aware of. The Commander took those near-fatal wounds when Aero got hurt, but no PAK damage. Lieutenant Volx took a round on Vort, so did Vard, but no PAK damage there, either." He pointed out in recollection. "All I know is all the females except for Rem are looking more like Aero and the only reason Aero looks that way is because of her damaged PAK."
"Something is...definitely suspicious...before Devastis...the only two we had looking like that were Aero and Hesa...and Hesa was also experimented on by that Vort scientist somehow…" He tried to remember what she said...if she ever said anything to him. Nothing. "My mind's drawing a blank on that right now. Can't remember if she told me or not. You think we should tell Rem when we get back?"
"With what's going on? She's about the only other one that can be trusted and it pains me to admit that out loud." The sniper sighed. "Something is wrong. Very, very wrong."
"How wrong? They...look different, yeah...but...they're still loyal to the Empire. Right? ….Right?"
Tuu hesitated, refocusing on Rha with stipulation.
"What I say doesn't leave this conversation...but Aero is defective. She should have been deactivated months ago. Squadmate or not, I'd expect the same to be done to me were I defective. There is a reason it exists and why it must be enforced...and neither the Commander, the Captain, or even Lieutenant Volx followed protocol and requested it."
He paused, stepping closer as if in fear of eavesdropping.
"Rha...I think we have traitors in our midst."
The demolitions specialist turned away, hands going to his head in frustration. "No...no...they can't be traitors…." He was trying to reason his way out. They've been through so much. Vult pulled them out of some insane situations, including that mess back on Vort. How could they be? Though what Tuu said ate at him...and he knew it was true. Aero was defective and should've been dealt with. "Yeah...I hate to say it...but you're right...I mean, look at Hesa too. If we were following orders back on Vort in that mission...we should've shot her along with the Vortians. She's also defective, plus who knows how much she divulged to the Zharics… you...you're sure they're traitors? You sure the Commander just isn't compensating for what happened with those civilians?"
"I'm not sure of anything. What I do know is Aero is defective. Hesa is defective. The Sub Zero Station op was a clean-and-burn. No witnesses and definitely no prisoners. The Commander countermands The Tallests' orders and suddenly everyone is changing physically and behaving differently." Rha pointed out, his own inner turmoil roiling at voicing his thoughts. "Just because we operate outside of standard command structures doesn't mean we're above them. I think it's going to Vult's head. You were there after Devastis back on the ship. You saw how he was acting."
"So what do we do? Once we're back on board, forcibly arrest the Commander? The others? Call IIA? What? Who's going to be the ranking officer until they show up? Who's to say the Commander doesn't have that avenue blocked to us?" He hesitated, looking back to Tuu, slowly, "Should we shoot them before they shoot us?"
Tuu shook his head.
"No, we can't do any of that. Not without actual evidence. Whatever is going on, they're being very covert and subtle about it. So much so they could cover their tracks or have plausible deniability...with the exception of the physical changes, of course." He reasoned, shaking his head. "...Just...act natural for the time being. Need to speak with Rem first to make sure you and I aren't being paranoid about something inconsequential."
"You notice anything else strange? Anything? Secret meetings? Odd sayings? Anything?" Rha paused, "Aside from Vortian insults. I think we've all started picking those up."
Tuu scoffed.
"Hard not to with them being in the brig for so long. Something else that I've held my tongue about and about had my fill of," He admitted before considering Rha's words. "Not that I've noticed. The Commander calls his staff meetings with the Captain and the Lieutenants. Standard procedure...unless they're in on it too."
A dangerous assumption. A troubling one.
"If it's standard procedure, it's probably just regular unit matters they're talking about." Rha tried giving the benefit of the doubt to the others...even with their physical changes, there hasn't been too much cause for concern. None of the officers were spouting traitorous rhetoric or doing anything overtly odd. They were still, after all, fighting for the Empire. Though, maybe Vult had gone soft ever since he cut a bloody swath through those Vortian civilians...but what if Tuu also has a point. "Right now, this assumption is, at best, flimsy...it's like you said, we can't do anything. All of this could probably be explained away." He shrugged, "Look, suspicious? Yeah, a little. I don't know if they're actually treasonous yet. Everything else has seemed rather normal 'side from the Commander maybe going a bit too soft on our adversaries."
"Yeah...maybe…" Tuu responded, unconvinced. "Either way, we've more important matters on our hands. Mission comes first. Seal back up, let's keep moving." He concluded, tapping the sensor on his helmet to close back up, visor and rebreather locking in place with a hiss.
The marksman kept further comments and thoughts to himself for the time being. Irk...Vult...Byte...all the changes and aversion to questions...something was going on. He wasn't sure exactly what or just how far it extended, but now was not the time to busy his mind with it. Volx ordered them to map the surrounding tunnels and report back before the day was out. Orders given, orders followed. That's how it was to be. They were just another branch of Spec Ops and to behave no differently.
Right?
Rha brought his visor back down, enjoying the air while he could. It took some time, but the job was done. The various relays created a map of the underground passages where scans from above failed. The recon eventually found a passage that led towards the area Tuu marked on their way in. Just what they needed. Volx called a meeting, Haxx coming over from a secluded nook in the cistern he claimed for himself and looked over the map.
The under-armed heavy weapons specialist blinked. "I hope that's the back door or side door and not the front."
"What, afraid?" Rha quipped at him.
"Afraid? No. Reluctant given we don't have a machine gun of some sort? Yes. Dolt."
"Quiet, all of you," Volx interrupted their bickering as she studied the map created through multiple reconnaissance outings over the past several weeks. "Seeing as the time windows between these surface storms is too short for an overland route without risking detection, this is the only viable solution given the circumstances."
Using her hands, she interacted with the holographic projection. A series of swipes in various directions zoomed into the planned route. A lengthy one that wound through several harrowing passages, but a possible one that led to the clearly artificial construct deep underground with them.
"Lieutenant," Tuu spoke, garnering her attention. "If I may?"
"Proceed, Sergeant."
"At this point in time, we're operating on several assumptions. I needn't remind everyone of our luck when it comes to being in the dark on intel."
"The point, Tuu, get to it." Volx coldly cast in mild annoyance. Much like everyone else, the time spent underground in the chilled, damp conditions and uncomfortable stone in silence was wearing on everyone's nerves.
"The slow and steady approach has been working for us on this operation. Don't fix what isn't broken."
"Meaning?"
"Two-man recon. Make entry undetected. Map the interior. Gather intelligence. Get a head-count on whatever group or faction is responsible for the freighters' disappearance."
Volx looked to the marksman with contemplation mixed with uncertainty. Splitting their forces, possibly leading them back to their base camp if things went south. A lot of risk to be taking…
"I realize it's tempting to go full-bore for the sake of having additional numbers, but we did that on Devastis and looked how that turned out...Ma'am."
"Devastis was different." Volx responded, those memories...and nightmares still fresh in mind. "We aren't dealing with the Vortian's apex units. We have the element of surprise. Intelligence-gathering, recon, and sabotage are well within our realm of expertise, Tuu...why the sudden doubts?"
"We just need to confirm what happened to the freighters, right?" Haxx spoke up again, "If sniper boy is so afraid, why doesn't he stay here and keep the rocks warm while the three of us do this without him. Besides, all that...object retrieval was secondary, wasn't it?"
"I don't think they'd ask us to grab them if they weren't necessary," Rha retorted.
"Yeah, well, little outside of our capabilities right now isn't it? There's a lot of problems with fighting in a cave. Chief among 'em being, you're fighting in a fucking cave."
"Retrieval is not in the parameters." Volx summarized as she exited the proposed path on the projector. "We lack the manpower to make a single freighter spaceborn, let alone multiple. Haxx is correct; we were sent with orders to determine what happened to the freighters...however...depending on the intel gleaned from a recon of the facility...will determine if this goes from purely investigative to asset denial."
"Vortians?" Tuu queried.
"Doubtful," Volx answered, rising from her kneeling position. "Resistance of some capacity is potential. Pirates, probable. Scavenger salvagers? Likely."
"A target-rich environment, nevertheless."
"Don't get too excited, Sergeant." She warned. "Seeing as we are at a severe deficit in the firepower category, causing trouble is not high on the priority list."
"Of course, Ma'am," Tuu nodded, glancing to Rha from beneath his visor, unseen. "...So who's on recon then?"
Haxx was looking at Rha and Tuu with a smirk, thinking they were going back out, before looking at Volx who was staring right at him. "Oh come on, really? I was pretty comfy back here watching the camp."
"I should make you go in alone just so I can be rid of the headaches you give me," Volx implied, turning her attention back to Tuu. "Seeing as this is your specialty, Tuu, you're on recon."
"Yes, Ma'am...I assume you'll be joining me then, Lieutenant?"
"No."
Tuu blinked.
"No?"
"Are you questioning me, Sergeant?"
"No, Ma'am, just confirming I heard you correctly is all. Faulty comms down here and all." He lied through his teeth rather smoothly. "...you're not sending Haxx with me, are you? You may as well shoot me now since his footsteps alone will give us away."
"Oh I'll fucking do it myself if that's what you want, asshole," Haxx grabbed his SMG only to have Rha yank it out of his hands.
"You out of your mind?!"
"You wanna go too, tough guy?!"
"Sit down!" Rha pointed elsewhere away from the group."
"Fuck off, Corporal."
"Either sit down or I'm gonna shove the SMG somewhere you're not gonna like."
Haxx threw his hands up and walked away, diffusing a potentially volatile situation. Rha looked to Volx once he was sure the volatile Sergeant wasn't coming back. "Sorry about that, Lieutenant."
"ENOUGH!" Volx yelled, her voice echoing off the walls and getting their undivided attention. "Tuu, Rha, recon, now."
"...Yes, Ma'am," Tuu acknowledged, almost feeling the holes being bore into him by the black-eyed stare behind her visor at him. "C'mon, Rha. Let's go meet the neighbors."
"...Yeah, let's." Rha handed Haxx's weapon off to Volx and the two departed, leaving a rather infuriated Haxx pacing back and forth away from the others.
Volx watched as Tuu and Rha took up their armaments and gear before setting off down one of the many caverns they had called home in the past few weeks. Noise traveled a long way, she heard their boots falling for some time before only she and Haxx remained in the cistern playing host to their base camp.
The short-statured Lieutenant watched Haxx pace back and forth for some time without saying a word. Mostly to ensure Tuu and Rha hadn't overstayed their welcome after being given direct orders to proceed on-task.
"Ser-..." She began, sighing. "Haxx. Look at me."
He slowed, looking right at her, a glare hidden behind his visor. "What could you possibly fucking want, aside from insulting me some more?"
Her brow furrowed as a hand came up to open her helm and look at him, shutting her communications off in the process.
"I said look at me! Stop pacing!" She barked at him. "What has gotten into you?"
His rebreather was off, and his mic with it for some time, unless he really needed it. All that was there was his visor. He finally stopped, turning to face her. "What's gotten into me?! I've had it up to here with your insults!" He held up his hand right at the level of his head for emphasis. "What, you rather I have gotten killed back there instead of sacrificing a machine gun?! Maybe next time I'll keep that in mind since you clearly care about the equipment a lot more!" He let off a frustrated groan. "What do you even care, I'm never good enough for you."
"Wh-...is that what this is about?" She questioned, confused. "I'm not the one that insulted you just now. You've never had thin skin about banter. Something else is bothering you and don't turn it back on me or I will give you a reason to be mad at me."
"I should've taken Rha's sidearm and shot that damned questioning son of a bitch." Haxx sat on a nearby rock suitable enough for a seat. "Tuu's questioning you, I've lost absolutely all track of time down here, it's...a lot...and yes some of it does have to do with you. I know you confided in me before, but, really, I think at times you really don't like me that much at all."
That...was a lot to take in. She mentally unpacked it one item at a time. Carefully considering her approach, she took a cautious step closer to him. Not out of fear, but not wishing to aggravate him further. Things were tense and keeping unit cohesion was paramount.
"Haxx…" Her voice was less commanding and softer. "...I can handle Tuu. He follows orders and I just remind him where he falls on the ranking hierarchy. I know being down here is getting to all of us. Internal clocks and sticking to a timetable can only offset it so much. As much as I want to rush through the rest of this mission and get back to the ship, Tuu was right. It'd be suicide for all of us to go in blind."
"Yeah, maybe, but faster to find out what the shit happened and leave...getting tired of this. Difficult to even have a few minutes to myself." He shook his head. "It's not just now. He's been like this ever since Devastis. Just...questioning things...I don't know what's gotten into him. He's never been like this before. Preferred him back when he just sat there and said very little."
Seeing Haxx was slowly defusing and at least responding to her and calming down, Volx stepped closer, finding a seat on one of the boulders closest to him.
"...or maybe we're only noticing this because of you-know-why," She subtly reminded him of the difference between them and Tuu and Rha in the current. "He has been very inquisitive as of lately...and I can't blame him. He's not stupid, no one on this team is, including you...just...I don't know if he can be told the truth."
A hand rose, eventually resting on Haxx's pauldron with a pat.
"...you remember what the Commander told all of us from day one?"
"That this unit is supposed to be a family...yeah...I remember." He glanced at her briefly before looking back down, "Told Kazak the same thing when he joined, in case he was going to get any of you killed…" There was a long pause of silence, contemplation, trying to think of what to say. He may as well be up front with it. "Do you like me around or would you trade me for Hesa if you could? I know Vult said we're a family but...you're honestly hard to place at times."
Whatever thought she had in preparation to respond was forgotten at his statement. Her brow furrowed more in amused confusion than actual concern.
"W-...Why would I trade you for Hesa? Haxx...I...thought we covered this...in my quarters. Me "being mean" is not personal. It's part of my job...it keeps you focused. Focused means alive. You like being alive, right?" She concluded in jest.
"Yeah, well, things changed ever since I decided to take the plunge with you...because I thought maybe something was there…" He would take off his helmet, but he remembered that awful ringing the one time he tried some time ago. "I thought maybe you felt something...more for me."
Volx leaned, looking towards Haxx's face with mild curiosity at his words.
"Something more? Not sure I follow...look...I am worried about you. I know you're frustrated. I know being down here isn't helping...but Tuu? Rha? Me? We're not your enemy. Just because I'm your commanding officer doesn't mean I'm not your friend...means more now than ever, all things considered."
He sighed, "Yes, more, I don't know how to explain it either just...more than a friend…I don't know. This is all weird to me." Frustration was definitely a word for what he was feeling. He lifted his visor to rub his eyes briefly. "I really don't know...but I think it has something to do with all of this. New feelings. New...urges…" he really didn't have the words to describe any of this. He hasn't been able to find out any of this, in part thanks to his attitude that earned him the chagrin of the prisoners that they don't want to talk with him.
Feelings? Urges? An alien concept to the Irken at large...but not to Volx. A discreet, confidential discussion with Sula not long after being unplugged from the Control Brains and her hormonal inhibitor deactivated led her to experience very similar concepts. Things Sula explained in detail and made clear it was perfectly normal. Things that, guiltily, she had been most curious about, but unsure of how to express. The same dilemma Haxx faced.
Her consoling hand slid off of his shoulder. The other rose to tip the Heavy Weapons Sergeant's square jaw to face her with insistence. Not forceful, but guiding. Her guts immediately knotted up at what her mind already concluded as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his in a kiss. Nothing invasive, but definitely not accidental.
He didn't fight it, not a bit. It seemed...right. One of his hands came up to rest on her shoulder. Once it was over, there was an ever so slight smile on his face, "So...you do feel something?" Then it disappeared. "I'm...sorry about all this. I was thinking that after all this maybe you only saw me as a friend and that was it. That there wasn't more there. Like how I oddly feel about you." He only shook his head, "Never really thought I'd feel that way about someone who likes riding my ass all the time."
Rather than speak, a single finger rose, pressed to his lips. A clear insinuation to be quiet.
"Like I've told you once, I've told you a million times...you talk too much." She teased him lightly, allowing it to simmer before her finger left his lips.
"Haxx...you annoy me. You aggravate me. You anger me. You've gotten me shot. I have every reason in the universe to hate your guts...and I don't. The opposite, in fact. I care so...damn much, it hurts. I see what you can do. What you're capable of. Not just as your commanding officer. As your friend. As...whatever this is. I know your skull is thicker than the cave walls around us and you seem unable to speak and listen at the same time...but one day...it's all going to click. Inside your head, it'll all be clear. Everything I'm trying to impart on you. What Corr sees. What Vult sees."
She snapped her fingers before him.
"Just like that...the others will see it, too...look up to you...I dare even say leadership material...not because you're big. Not because you're strong. Not because you're brave….stupid, sometimes, but mostly brave…"
That same hand came to rest over his chest.
"...but because of this. Right here. Your heart. You mean well. You're a protector. You're worried about your brothers and sisters. Family. Us...me."
He just sat there...quietly...aside from the slight jolt when she snapped her fingers. He sat there contemplating it all. It's true, he did care...plus whatever this was he felt for Volx. Eventually, he finally pressed the forehead of his helmet against her's, eyes closed, and smiling.
"...I'm still going to run you 'til you puke when we get back on the ship, you know that right?" She said with a deceptively sweet tone with a smile to match.
"I'm going to go ahead and tell you now that's not gonna happen," He opened one eye to look right at her. "I don't see you hauling what I do. Maybe you should see what it's like lugging all this...junk around first." A pause, and he smirked, "Besides, I'm strong enough to do this." His other hand sprang up to grab Volx by the waist and pull her off her seat and over to him.
Not resisting his changing of posture, she wound up straddled across his lap. A warm, comfortable place. Safe, even.
"When you carry this broken mess of a unit on your back, get back to me." She shot right back in jest. "...it's that or I see to it your rations are halved...hungry or tired, take your pick."
Leaning back, she casually unlatched both of her gauntlets, allowing them to fall to the cavern floor, gloves and all coming off before raising to lift her helmet off, tossing it down as well. The Lieutenant leaned in close once more, arms wrapping around Haxx's neck. In the same motion, she peeled his helmet off to fall to the ground as well before returning to his gaze with a daring smirk.
"...for now...your commanding officer thinks it's time for a performance review."
She kissed him more firmly, lasting several moments before abruptly breaking it.
"Mmm-and if you do something I don't like and don't listen, I will break your fingers. Understood?"
A very much, between-the-lines of "be gentle" she would never dare say out loud.
"At least make it my trigger finger so I have a reason to sit around and be lazy." Haxx smirked in a comeback. At least the annoying ringing stopped for now. Might actually make this enjoyable.