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“Are all you Omega vod’e like this?”
Niner was staring ahead to the inner cabin before he looked over, confused for lack of words. He'd resumed close stance aside Boss after fast intervention between Atin and Sev, both one good jab from duking out past transgressions. He's never seen Atin that riled up in the months past Qiilura, and from how the other three responded, neither did they. Seeing Atin heaving tremble afterwards ducking from him and Sev made him wonder if maybe he hadn't seen the signs enough.
Niner checked the coordinates through his buy’cee filters for home and pulled it off. The drowsiness for home were making wayward signs around his eyes; he could feel them drooping.
Ka'ra he's just wants to sleep a thousand years.
“I’m not following?”
Boss stared at him like he expected Niner to know the answer for his sudoku question.
“The way you four are just from Atin and Sev talking. How emotional you get.” Boss answered coolly, tucking his helmet away to greet Niner’s face with his own.
Elsewhere on board somebody coughed. The Fearless shuttle hummed in motion with the g-force surrounding it's shuttle and Niner felt as much off with this vod mannerisms as his brain did trying not to manually program down.
Boss face in ways reminded Niner of Kal'buir own.... buir comments of late about the state of their predicament in the grand scheme of the war.
Niner’s hackles raised.
“The way you four move to Skirata tune, you know that’s not healthy right?” Boss spoke unaware of Niner’s growing annoyance. “I understand you were raised by Skirata but this?" Boss' neutral face yelled displeased in his eyes. "Vau never liked how Skirata trained his men, always placed Skirata as marking you lot for failure.”
“Oh now?” Niner heard himself say. His lips pulled together in some effort to remain civil, his gloved palms twitched for violence. What in the deepest haran is going on here?
“Not my words, just translating.” Boss said, exhaling loudly. “Though I somewhat see what he mentioned…” Boss eyed him. “Like you all would shatter the second your Kal’buir doesn’t coddle you-"
“Say that again.” Niner turned to his face, ears burning. A wave of mortification clawed out any thoughts of quiet appreciation he had moments before, now he was pissed off.
"He wasn’t like this when he shook my hand, is this because of Atin?" came to mind staring off Boss; uncaring how he looked in the moment.
“It's logical to play it curt, he's playing off what he saw from his vod’ika." Rationalizing any reason for his ire.
"If that were the case when he didn’t tell Sev off like I did Atin…..he meant all of it." Niner realized swallowing down the lodge of discomfort in his throat. Atin never speaks on his old team save a spoonful of terse words every now and then, depending on the acted upon incident. They didn't seem like bad vod'e, just men ready to get this over with as much as he did.
Even so, did that necessitate his words?
On second thought-
Niner ate his anger down, down, down into his stomach until it regurgitated back out his face.
“Say that again.” He whispered harshly, jabbing his gloved finger to the man’s chest plate. Hard. Firm enough and tinged with enough fresh betrayal to make Delta’s squad Sergeant sway a little.
“You shouldn’t get upset.” Boss responded casually, as he were discussing snacks or verpine polish. “Did you hear me say it was a bad thing? Or did Daddy Kal teachings decide how you four interact with people?”
Again someone coughed, harder this time with spit behind it if you can picture it. Please let it be Fi, he's done good keeping his mouth shut this whole while.
Niner stared at the man dumbfounded as the vivid imagery of clobbering his face seemed plausible. They all just dealt with a close life-or-death call at the expense of Sicko and here Delta was starting osik over lousy tomfoolery?
This was not what he had in mind boarding the Fearless shuttle.
Kark this.
It took sighting the faint freckles on Boss nose bridge to realize how close he stood appromimately in Boss’s face, startling him from his spite. He swallowed his embarrassment down so fast the sensation made his taste buds water.
“That was uncalled for.” Niner double back twisting his index knuckle into the kartan wearer chest. The slow methodical pace of his act made Boss shift in place then didn’t, like he couldn’t be bothered to shake how uncomfortable he might be.
Niner moved his palm up to the midway point of his brace stilling himself. One of Delta’s men already noticed their entanglement, and this seemed a pitiful reason to start another fight. He looked to their leader and felt nothing more than discontentment.
“Gar ba’slanar ni solous. Survair.” Left Niner throat before he’d say something he’d likely forget.
“Deal with yours and I’ll tend to mine. Vod. And let me tell you something else Sarge.” Leaning in millimeters over from the blank face watching him, he methodically patted a rhythm on his haalas’gam.
“I don’t particularly mind whatever happened between you all and Atin, it’s not my business to know. It’s not my business but this attitude your men got with mine? It won’t fly with me.” Niner smiled with teeth barred like metal razors culled to cut at the slightest touch.
“Maybe, just maybe instead of mocking us crybabies you go tend to yours.” Niner tapping stop abruptly.
“Ka’ra knows you need it.” he finished tersely jerking his hand back like it burned him. Niner stepped away then to the middle of the hangar bubbling over with quiet frustration and confusion.
"-That wasn’t supposed to happen, why did he do that? Kal’buir would be so disappointed in him, he’s supposed to stay cool headed and rational-"
And like some eight sense tied to past night chats Darman walked over. He walked up to him with the same casual air he awaits Niner or vice-versa, wooly blankets wrapped in their living space apartment hallway after long days like today.
“Ready to go back?” Darman asked, slapping his back with enough heat to ground Niner from his whirling mind. He casually looked to Delta’s Sergeant like he wasn’t judging him and back to his serge unbothered. “Hey.”
“Yes Darman.” Niner answered relieved at this familiar gesture pulling him in, Darman hand looping infinite circles on his back like he could feel it. He tried not squirming to what felt like eyes watching them.
“What happened with him Ner’ika.”
“Just sarge to sarge talk nothing exciting.” Niner reached to rub tension knots behind his ear. “We’ll be fine Dar let’s just....” he whistled out the rest frustrated. “Just wait until we get home okay son? Best we can do in the moment anyway.”
Darman looked at Niner unimpressed and crossed his arm ready to address the issue. “Liser gar gotal’ur bic?”
“Ni ganar at, ni liser’t ve’ganir Kaden jqon ibic.” Niner smiled. “What, you want to gossip over him with cake and tea later with the others? We’re not Senator daughters in prep academy.”
“I don’t know, I’d pay good creds to see Atin whip a hand fan to buddy’s face over there.” Darman grinned. “Then you can act out like you did with Hokzan.”
"Di’kut !” Niner couldn’t resist laughing, making Darman grin in retaliation. This whole day was shifting to the wrong side for too long, but at least he has his brothers.
Thank all the stars in the galaxy he has them.
“Go back with the others, we'll talk later.” He gently shoved Darman away.
“Imma hold you to that Sarge.” Darman said mid-shove back to join the rest of Omega. “Don’t forget.”
“I won’t.” Niner said quietly, turning to re-join Boss but not before placing on his buy’ce . He looked to the man’s own buy’ce and at the lack of reaction looked away, glad his buy’ce shield his shame.
Solemn in stance down to his heel arch Niner rejoined Boss with nothing short of tolerance, just vague acknowledgement. He tuned into the number coordinates in his helmet and set himself for the remainder of their trip.
If Atin’s old squad were all like this then for his team he’ll need to watch them closely. It’s too early to tell but it likely won’t take long before they’ll have to work together, the war doesn’t allow luxuries to pick and choose. By then hopefully their endgame won’t be stiffly watching another ready to shoot off. He doesn’t mind having new vod to rely on, who knows.
Should the side-eying standoff settle down, maybe... maybe he can stand aside Boss and laugh over fuck all. The one thing they can share behind the frontlines.