Packing up their equipment as they went, everything was ready when the window opened once more. Some of the extra weight spread out between the healthier three, though mostly burdened on Haxx, to see Rha able to move outside with little issue. Sula waited in the hangar for them to return, taking the injured Corporal as they disembarked.
Kazak looked up from his seat at Aero's workbench, she and Vard busy at work on a brand new prosthetic forearm for Vult, the Lieutenant looking in on their progress. "Well, looks like you can finally repaint the dropship, Aero. It's done getting sand blasted every time it went down and came back up empty handed."
"Greaaat…" She droned unenthusiastically from behind a welding mask as she seemed deep in another project before continuing. "I'll get right on that. Thanks."
Corr smiled, walking with a cane, wanting to see the others as they returned from the planet below. "Glad to see everyone's alive."
"Captain, you gotta hear Rha's story once Sula's done with him. It's...something." Haxx blurted out.
"I'm sure it is, Sergeant. I'll speak to him once he's well." He turned his head to face Volx, "The Commander wants to talk to you before you start on your report on what happened down there."
Volx nearly buried her elbow deep in Haxx's side for him to be quiet before she overheard Corr's words.
"...Yes, Sir." She obeyed, casting a glance at Haxx. Hopefully he was smart enough to read her expression and not speak further on the matter.
"Oooowwww," Haxx rubbed his side but looked at Volx. "I'm...gonna drop this stuff off and get cleaned up. Yes." With that, he started walking off in a different direction. Vult himself was down in the brig again. The two suited Vortians were clearly more amicable now than before with him. They knew they had an ally when the time was right. As a rather dusty Volx came down the hall, the two looked over.
Vult stood at her entry into the room from the lift. "Lieutenant, good to see you again."
"Commander," Volx snapped an appropriate salute. "Captain Corr said you wanted to see me, Sir."
"I do...but it appears that can wait a little longer." He commented in regards to her disheveled appearance. "Why don't you go wash up, get some chow, and we can debrief in…" He checked the time on his wrist. "Two hours?"
"Yes, Sir." The onyx-eyed woman nodded, preparing to leave with some relief. Light, no more darkness. Fresh air. Dry surroundings. Hot food. Clean water.
Jur spoke, finally putting two and two together. "I finally recognize your scar." He started, pointing right at her, you're the one Nomad was talking about. The one he got into a sword fight with back on Praxxus."
Vara shot him a look, only getting a shrug in return. He saw no harm in sharing the information.
Volx stopped in her tracks at the prisoner's comment. The blood in her veins chilled as she slowly turned in realization.
"...what did you just say?"
Vult, knowing his subordinate well enough by now, did his best to mask his concern as he looked between the parties.
"Is...everything alright, Lieutenant?"
Jur looked to Vult, "The guy who gave her that scar, he's one of us, with Athka Team. Goes by the callsign of Nomad. I know the guy anywhere, always packing an officer's vibrosword. He told the story about how he got into a melee fight with several Irken from spec ops. He mentioned one he slashed with his blade right down the face. It only struck me just now that...the Lieutenant here is the one he was talking about."
The casualness of it. The tone. The memories. The pain. The temporary blindness amidst a full-scale warzone. The stress of the assignment she just came off of. Feelings for Haxx. Dealing with Tuu. Gar. The Drones. Haven. The Control Brains. The Tallest. Their purpose. Their sacrifices. It reached a boiling point as the wrong nerves were played off-key in a terrible song.
Volx lunged for the bars with enough force to rattle them, startling everyone present. The normally calm, cold, collected Lieutenant was looking more and more like their resident hotheaded Heavy Weapons Sergeant. Her attempt to formulate some semblance of speech was cut short as Vult pulled her back by the collar, forcing her back to the opposite wall with an assertive, open palm to her shoulder.
"What has gotten into you?"
Panting, teeth grit and grinding, she struggled to pull out of Vult's influence, only to be pinned back harder with the aid of his augmented strength. However tiny but mighty she may have been, she wasn't going anywhere.
"Stand down, Lieutenant." He asserted more firmly.
The commanding voice of her superior seemed to ring through the cloudy haze of anger. Her tense body relaxed, simply leaning against the wall she was pinned to.
"...I'm good."
"Are you?" The concerned Commander queried.
"Yes, Sir. I'm good, Sir." She sounded off, catching her breath.
Hesitantly, he slowly released her. A moment of awkward silence filled the air until she straightened out her dusty uniform before continuing on with Vult's previous orders, leaving the three of them be.
Jur and Vara were prepared to defend themselves behind the bars if they had to, but quickly put distance between themselves and Volx. When she left, Vara just shot a strong glare at her subordinate. "Did you really have to set her off?"
"I guess she still holds a grudge after all this time."
"You would too if you lost a subordinate to some sword wielding Irken."
"Can't say that I blame her," Vult reasoned, turning his attention back to the two of them. "She just came back from a weeks-long operation on a hostile world and has been out of radio contact. Could be stress. Could be nerves. Everyone has their limits and lines that should never be crossed...I know mine as well, unfortunately."
"My apologies, sir."
Vara moved back to where she was before the outburst with Volx. "So...what is your next move? Any new orders you have to keep following for the time being?"
Vult was mildly surprised his opposite "enemy" respected his rank for a moment. Maybe they weren't the only ones capable of change after all. Assured Volx wasn't going to be returning again and making another scene, the Commander took his seat once more before the bars.
"Until my Tech Specialist gets the...receiver I need up and going, I'm stuck in a holding pattern, I'm afraid." Vult admitted. "All I can say on the matter for obvious reasons. Only that the General's father is looked after and in friendly hands in return for this information and capability."
"Figured as much when you showed us those coordinates and that he wasn't returning with you. That datapad from Vaeggar only confirmed it." Vara seemed more relaxed than before after all that new information from Vult after they came back. Now they weren't prisoners so much as they were stuck in limbo waiting for the go ahead. "All of this just took a rather crazy turn…"
"Tell me about it," Kiara said, sitting on her cot, "I'm just glad to hear Gantas is alive and watching out for me."
"I'm also surprised he was holding out on one suit for you, General. We could've used an extra operative in the field."
"I suppose even family matters in a time like this."
"Those of us who still have any left…"
"Not that you need reminding...but there is hope," Vult attempted to reason. "I'm doing what I can...I only wish I could expedite the process. Overplaying my hand will be disastrous for everyone involved. The card game taught me that well enough."
"Of course, though it doesn't make the loss for those of us who know of them any less difficult." Vara hesitated, taking a breath, "One of my kids decided to be a ground pounder. He was on Praxxus this time around. Told me it was a typical deployment swap with another unit and he'd be back home in six months. I doubt I'll be seeing him again…" A pause, looking up at Vult, "That's what drove me to volunteer for Devastis. I can't speak for the chief, but that was my reason."
"For what it's worth...I'm sorry," Vult solemnly spoke. "...maybe one day we won't need these bars." He concluded with a sigh, rising to his feet. "We'll talk more later. I need to debrief my team that just returned."
"I hope that day comes soon." She gave him a firm nod. He was certainly a unique Irken in her view, and now that they were both conspirators in a revolution within the Empire? Someone could've told her this would've happened months before, and she would've called them insane. Reality could be stranger than even the best fiction…
Volx arrived promptly, cleaned up and in a fresh uniform. Haxx followed soon after, though rather casually dressed and with a cup of Vortian bean water as Volx woke him up from his snooze at his desk chair for this meeting. Tuu was the last to arrive, freshened up and in a clean uniform himself. Sula was just wrapping up telling Vult the extent of Rha's injuries, leaving him as he continued to the briefing room so she can return to the infirmary.
Their commanding officer and leader of the unit entered the briefing room. Salutes were exchanged with the announcement of officer on deck. Vult approached his terminal at the table.
"As you were." He addressed before opening a blank file to begin the written record of events. "Lieutenant, your report?"
"Our primary objective was done, Commander. We've determined the whereabouts of the Empire's missing freighters. Given the surface conditions, it would be impossible to make any attempt of asset extraction. We should make the recommendation in our report that High Command route new ships to Destructia to avoid further losses." She paused, getting all of the official matters pertaining to the objective out of the way. "The mission wasn't without complications. Corporal Rha was briefly taken prisoner and stripped of his equipment. However, he conducted himself well, escaped and fought back using enemy weapons, even with the extent of his injuries that I believe our resident Medical Officer has filled you in on by now."
"She has. Rha is going to make a full recovery and will be green in a matter of days. Sula has him on a strict regimen of rest and light duty." Vult addressed, skimming through page after page of the records kept by Volx regarding their assignment over the past several weeks planetside.
There was another pause, Haxx looked like he was about to speak until she shot him a look. He only looked right back at her. With a certain loudmouth silenced, she continued, "That said, given Corporal Rha's actions under the circumstances, he deserves a promotion to Sergeant." She slid her condensed, finalized report to him across the table, though what she said was definitely the summary of events...for the record.
Tuu, while present, remained quiet. His soured expression was difficult to mask as Volx gave a glowing recommendation for Rha's promotion. He had been captured, why reward failure? Why reward a mistake?
"You said Rha was captured?" Vult addressed, finally looking up from the information presented to him. "Is this your endorsement as his commanding officer despite being compromised and potentially endangering the rest of the unit and the mission at-large?"
His tone was not accusatory, but cursory. The marksman held out for hope yet that sanity and logic were going to win in the end.
"Captured, yes. Potentially endangering the mission, yes. I can't deny either of those points. However, he conducted himself well in escaping and attempting to not only rejoin us but retrieve his lost equipment. I'm backing my recommendation, Commander." She glanced at the two others with her, pausing again, "I've also included my personal notes with that purely for your reference. Nothing that's vital to the overall report we need to send in." Among those were the real reasons for Rha's promotion, the presence of an enclave of semi-free Irken...as well as her reasoning for demoting Tuu to Corporal.
About the time Volx brought up the personal notes, he started stumbling across them in the report. His sifting slowed dramatically as he read them more carefully. The status of the freighters. The status of the facility. The status of the crews...Tuu's behavior...and how Rha actually managed to escape and survive the ordeal against the odds.
Tuu, glancing between his squadmates and their superior, couldn't take it anymore. He cleared his throat before speaking.
"Permission to speak freely, Commander?"
"Floor's yours, Sergeant. I'm listening." Vult returned, multitasking with reading Volx's personal notes.
"I have not personally seen Lieutenant Volx's report, but I feel it necessary to speak on the matter while we're on the topic."
Vult paused, looking up at the marksman.
"About what in particular, Sergeant?"
"Rha's escape from being captured, Sir. He didn't do it alone."
"You assisted him?"
"No, Sir, I did not. Neither did Sergeant Haxx or Lieutenant Volx."
"...and he did not escape without assistance."
"Yes, Sir."
"Who helped him then, Tuu?"
"Crewmen from the captured freighters, Sir." He informed, his gaze shifting to catch Volx and Haxx's reactions while his head remained fixated. "...Drones."
Volx kept a straight face while Haxx's demeanor visibly shifted, the heavy weapons expert glaring right at him. Though, for once, he actually kept his mouth shut...didn't stop his eyes from staring at Tuu like daggers. Volx said nothing, knowing such details were included within her notes.
While Vult had that knowledge already in hand, he felt the tension in the room. A confirmation of events taking place planetside.
"Drones, Sergeant…?"
"Yes, Sir. Drones. Rha convinced them to fight their way out-"
"While you ran away. Like a coward." Haxx interrupted.
"I didn't "run away". I ran for help." Tuu corrected him. "I know it's hard for you to understand with your short-circuiting brain sometimes, Haxx, but radio waves don't travel through solid rock very well."
"Enough, both of you." Vult cut in before Haxx could respond. "You're professionals, act like it."
"Yes, Sir." Tuu obliged.
If it's out in the open now, it gave her the ability to speak on it fully. "He was just the nudge they needed. From what the Corporal was telling us as we walked back, there's one particular drone named Gar who really had a bigger mind than many Drones. Honestly, I agree with him that Gar has the capability of becoming an NCO if it wasn't for his assignment. Gar was trying to convince them it was better to fight than languish there. What Rha did, aside from nudge them in that direction, was give them the direction they sorely needed. He's a hero to them, sir. I've never seen anything like it before...and he did what should be impossible."
Vult wasn't so dull he was missing the point Tuu was trying to make. Rha didn't escape without help. He had help from the other Drones. Drones that should have had zero prowess in combat, let alone successfully liberate themselves. Volx's figures in her notes estimated there to be nearly four intact freighter crews, alive and well, still on the planet. Protocol dictated they should have been deactivated. Yet again, a familiar situation he found himself in.
"I know this assignment has been trying on all of you. Being on-mission for so long, non-stop, and beneath adverse conditions is sure to wear down the resolve and patience of even the most seasoned veteran." Their commanding officer reasoned, doing his best to diffuse a clearly growing issue among the ranks. "The task was completed, to the letter, with great success. You completed your objectives and reported back without incident. That is a successful mission in my books."
"And the surviving Drones, Commander?" Tuu was quick to add at Vult's placation.
"Lieutenant Volx countermanded beneath the circumstances. Tuu...surely you don't believe the four of you could have cleanly handled asset denial with so many surviving crewmen from the vessels." Vult cut to the heart of the matter, turning the burden of proof back on his subordinate. "I am not in disagreement with your observation of protocol, but as I've said in the past...we don't get to pick and choose the playing field and timing. Sometimes things are beyond our control. From this report...they are of no issue or harm. They cannot leave that planet without risking deactivation."
Volx shot a look at Haxx, knowing he would've said something in retaliation. She knew exactly what Vult was getting at. There was some tense silence for several moments, silence she broke by clearing her throat. "There would have been three of us and hundreds of them, Sergeant. Even with our weapons and armor, we would've been overwhelmed and eviscerated. You know that as well as I do deep down."
Tuu wanted to refute his superiors' assessments of the report and their own first-hand experiences. He would have been hypocritical to deny it as even he went back for help once Rha had been captured by the slavers. He settled for a long sigh and a nod.
"...Yes, Ma'am."
Vult shuffled to the end of the report, double-checking the personal notes made by Volx before lifting his head once more.
"Is there anything else to add to this?" He queried. "Otherwise I will begin preparing it to send to Irk...or the Tallest should the Massive reappear between now and then."
A small part of him guiltily wished it wouldn't.
"Nothing, Commander, everything I could think of for the final report and your review is in there."
"Very well. Haxx, Tuu, Dismissed." Vult nodded, standing from his seat with the dataslate.
Volx watched as Haxx and Tuu left the room, the door closing behind them. She let out an audible sigh. "Now that I'm not so worried about what's being said, Commander...I must admit I have concerns about Tuu. I'm sure you saw my note, but Rha was fully prepared to gun him down if he tried to kill the drones. I'm worried about unit cohesion. We can't really be effective if we have to worry about some of the squad wanting to shoot each other in the back."
The Commander made sure to lock the door after their departure before addressing Volx in full.
"I did, and yes, that is deeply concerning. However, Tuu cannot be faulted. He is following PAK programming and protocol. Not unlike the crisis that you faced not too long ago." He gently reminded her with a sigh. "We are at an impasse. At this point, those remaining beneath the influence of the system have no motivation or logical reasoning to undergo the same procedure as the others. Rha, potentially with enough influence and explanation, but he will still be deeply conflicted."
"Yes...that close call…" The Lieutenant's mind wandered back to when she almost followed protocol herself for a few brief moments. "I feel bad for Rha. At least we know he's a potential for later." There was a pause before she looked him in the eyes, "Sir, what did you mean an impasse? Did something happen while we were down there?"
Vult looked to his shorter Lieutenant. His expression conflicted. More complexity. More risk. Hesitation. Surely she would be understanding what had transpired...and what that meant for them in the future...right?
"...What I tell you cannot leave this room, Volx." He began sternly. "I am still trying to think of how to relay it to Corr. Kazak already knows. I don't know if you noticed earlier, but Dr. Zharic is no longer in our custody. I released him to the Vortian Federation as a gesture of good faith. I did so after following coordinates provided by Corr from the intel he has been working on from Irk. That intelligence came from an Administrator."
As he spoke, he brought up the condensed, concise report of the operation on Irk while they were on Devastis, offering it to her to look over. He waited until she had a solid understanding of the events that took place before continuing.
"The Administrator was not Irken. Not...living. A synthetic construct operated remotely on the behalf of another known as Byte. The coordinates that Corr recovered from the information Byte provided through that construct led us to a very remote, secret location beneath the authority of the Vortian Federation. A research station embedded into an orbiting alien construct. A civilization that predates both Irken and Vortian, likely the source of their advanced technology and weapons through reverse engineering."
He paused, searching for the words. Thus far, he had only filled her in on what had taken place in her absence. Certainly areas in need of further answers, but not the bomb he was about to drop on her. Even after their mutual understanding and being unhooked from the system...he wasn't sure the others would be as amiable as he, Kazak, and Vard.
"Byte...made contact with this facility a long time ago, to their surprise. Byte pointed us in the direction of this facility...and I spoke with Byte again while there. You remember how Vard noted our security clearance was likely our saving grace from deactivation? I discovered the real reason why...and what his intentions are."
Volx nodded in understanding at his request and read through the report before sliding it back to him. This news about Byte was...interesting to say the least. It raised a number of questions, namely as to who this Byte was. Though, whatever her Commander was about to say may reveal that. "Yes, that because of our high rating. Was he wrong? What is his intention?"
"Not entirely, but not as you think or the reasons why." Vult began, accepting the dataslate back before shutting it off. "...Byte, assuming that is his actual name...is a System Administrator on Judgementia, Volx...and he is orchestrating a revolution...through us."
She sat there dumbfounded, unable to believe that those words just came out of his mouth. Assuming it was a joke, the usually cold Lieutenant actually laughed. After several seconds of laughter, she calmed down enough to speak again, "Seriously, sir, that's hilarious, and I needed that, but what's the real reason?"
Vult was taken back by her response. Not the one he was expecting.
"...Volx, I made contact with the Vortian Federation's highest-ranking naval officer on that station. I walked away alive. This is not a joke. Byte is using his assigned position and clearance to ensure the Control Brains do not see what we are up to. Would you like to speak to him for yourself?"
The laughter died down as he continued and she blinked, "Oh...Oh you're serious…" She leaned back in her seat, running her hand over her face. "A revolution? Is that even possible?" There was a stunned silence before she looked to him, "Si-Vult, we don't know anything else other than this way of life. If we went through with this, what would we replace it with? This, is this real?"
Vult held his hands up for her to slow down as her mind already raced on the matter.
"I...I don't know if it is. All I know is that it has been no coincidence that events have transpired as they have. Byte is very well-informed and knows everything. This unit. Its members. Our operational history. All of it. Byte sees...potential given the leeway we have been granted. I am beginning to believe that. I would even go as far to say he somehow knew we would cross paths with Dr. Zharic to further his plans."
He sighed, starting to pace as he did his best to remain composed.
"This way of life is all we know, yes...but it has uses outside of its current application. Byte sees that. I can reason with him as far as that is concerned. He is not asking us to rebel. Not yet, anyway...only to know that we need to start planting the seeds for the movement to grow. To...cooperate with the Vortians...our enemies near and far...pass on intelligence we are privy to. Names, locations, dates...that sort of thing."
Vult paused, turning to face her fully.
"Volx...there is only one outcome of our assignment: death. The Empire expects all of its soldiers to lay down their lives without question...and for what? Another...pointless conquest? Another subjugated species to do what? Serve the Tallest drinks? To turn someone's home and the cradle of their existence into another factory of death and destruction to continue our spreading plague of warfare? When does it end? Where does it stop?"
The Lieutenant sat there in silence and thought about what she saw back on the planet. An injured Corporal leading drones in a fight...drones who, by their own programming, should have not had a chance. Their people still had some instincts deep down, something she and Haxx discovered first hand, instincts that couldn't be suppressed or removed entirely. Irken were capable of much, but under the Tallest and the Control Brains, what other outcome could there be? What she saw in Gar, her team, she saw potential, great potential to do a great many things.
Yet, in the eyes of the system, they were all expendable, organic mechs.
"I don't know if there's even an end goal to this. The Vortians didn't want this war with us. We imposed it on them...this is conquest for the sake of conquest. Have we gone mad...or has being unhooked finally awaken us from a nightmare that we've been trapped in?"
"We're acutely aware of our actions now. There is no blocking of stimuli, no lack of physical response or psychological response. We are no longer prisoners to our PAKs. True, absolute freedom to do as we will...Byte wants to make it so all Irken experience this. To choose our assignment. To choose whom we follow and why. Our purpose is our own, not the will of others," Vult spoke, somewhat impassioned. "...but unless we take great risks to life and limb...none of it will be possible. The only outcomes I see unless we intervene are someone, somewhere will be too great a match for the Empire and our species will experience all it has imposed on others a million times over...or we place our trust in Byte and his plan and see it through or die trying. For the first time in our lives, we would be fighting for something worth fighting for...not doing as commanded and told by others."
"If you think it's worth fighting for...now that I know we have so many things we've missed out on before? I may be unsure, but, why not? If we're going to die anyhow, may as well do it doing something right for a change." He was right, no blocking anymore, it was all out in the open, all of it. They're all almost as free as Calla was hundreds of years before. Even if they still nominally relied on the PAK for continued survival, in every other sense, they were free.
"You said nothing leaves this room, right?" Her hands fidgeted in her lap at first as she took a few breaths trying to find the words. "You're right about being aware of it all and how nothing's blocked. I was genuinely as frightened as Aero when I saw that pit on Devastis. Then there was back on that planet...this is going to sound...rather unbecoming in a way, but…" she swallowed, figuring she may as well get it off her chest, "While Rha and Tuu were doing their recon I expected to go without a hitch. Haxx and I...coupled."
Whatever relief in speaking on a very taboo subject was felt was quickly overshadowed by the Lieutenant's next statement. Vult's brow furrowed in a brief moment of confusion as he deciphered what she awkwardly stumbled over verbally. Then it hit him, clear as day.
"Cou-...oh...I see." He managed, raising his brow briefly in mild surprise of consideration. Really? She and Haxx? Not exactly the most expected...but in a strange way, it made sense based on their established relationship outside of superior and subordinate. Regaining his composure, he looked to the fidgeting Volx.
"...well...that makes you the second woman to experience such to the best of my knowledge then."
The second? The fidgeting stopped as she focused on her commander. "I'm guessing you're speaking from personal experience…" there was silence and then a chuckle, "She's very lucky then, Vult. Who is she?" She had a guess, depends on if Vult liked someone more on the meek side or with a lot of confidence. There was even a bit of relief apparent from how she sat up and leaned forward, knowing she wasn't alone in this among the team.
"If I tell you, it stays in this room." He reasoned. "Only fair seeing as you asked the same of me."
"Of course. As you said, whatever's being said right now doesn't leave this room."
Leaning to sit on the edge of the table near Volx more casually, he folded his arms in careful consideration of actually telling her or not.
"...Hesa." He revealed, putting his thoughts together. "We were working our covers on Irk, sharing living quarters. Got to know one another over the duration of the mission. Things...naturally progressed and we were in agreement to proceed forward. I don't regret it in the slightest. Word of caution though...I don't know to which extent you intend to be with Haxx...just be mindful of your surroundings. Not everyone is so open to the idea as of yet."
"I can keep a lid on things, Vult, there's no need to worry about me." But...she wasn't the one to be worried about, was she? No, that distinction went to their resident dolt. She knew Haxx was smart, maybe he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut on this one. Then again, he blew up at Tuu not even a few minutes ago. "I'll even make sure loudmouth keeps his trap shut. We'll keep things quiet. After all, now I know I'm not the only one enjoying our newfound freedoms in this way." Also looked like one of her guesses were right.
"It would behoove you to make sure of that." Vult nodded. "As I said, just be cautious. I won't deprive you of exploring what you're feeling now or how it makes you feel. Tuu, Rha, and Rem are still a point of contention that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. Especially with what I just told you."
"Of course. I won't tell him about what you told me involving Byte." Rha may come around yet considering his experience, but Tuu and Rem were unknowns. After a few moments of silence, she couldn't think of anything else she wanted to add in. "Anything else you need me for?"
"One more thing," Vult began, remaining leaned against the table as his gaze drifted to Volx's own. "...anything you want to talk about what happened in the brig earlier?"
That…
Visions in her head of a Vortian in a Navy uniform stumbling upon her and her team and the lot of them caught up in a swordfight. Going blind in one eye for a time thanks to that, watching the others fall one by one. Losing Norb, someone who was practically just like Haxx, to a fatal blow. Then forced to run before she could avenge him.
"That...one they called Nomad...back on Praxxus, I was in a melee fight with a sword wielding Vortian. He didn't tell a single lie...but he spoke so casually…" One hand clenched into a fist, "I swore I'd kill him the next time I laid eyes on him, or die trying. One of those he killed in my squad was named Norb, and he was just like Haxx in so many ways. The fool got himself killed and I blamed myself ever since...and why I initially didn't trust Kazak coming in. I didn't want something like that happening to Haxx, or to any of us."
Vult nodded understandingly as she spoke and explained in full. All he knew of Volx prior to extending the offer to join the unit he was putting together was she was one of the forward-most extended units on the ground at Praxxus 7 in IDI. She returned alone. To have engaged the enemy at their strongest and emerged a survivor spoke volumes of her character. Something that was growing with complexity each time they spoke since unhooking her from the Control Brains.
"While I would never deny you the opportunity, I hope that day never comes," He spoke aloud. "...the sooner we can get ourselves sorted out and focus on the real enemy, the better. Until further notice, however, we are to proceed as normal."
"Understood…" she rose from her seat, saluting Vult and walking to the door, unlocking it, but turning her head and giving Vult a rare smile before heading out. Even if her commander may hope the day never comes, she still hopes for her chance to get back at that Vortian for what happened that day.