Work Text:
Brel cussed softly to himself as he glared through his servo skulls eyes at his cyber-mantle. The tech was partly dismantled parts resting across the work bench in front of him so he could try and get to a shorted circuit and memory module following the latest mission.. plus some other general upkeep like replacing some warped brackets and cleaning away any dust.
The items unfortunately were near impossible to access from the front unless he removed his bionic heart and lung… a far too extensive process for something that should’ve been simple.. but he was starting to wish he had.
His dendrites for the most part were forcibly deactivated due to the location except for a couple small ones, and even with the light and angle provided by his servo skull it was still something of an awkward process.
The sound of his rooms door opening however had him jump and promptly loose the screw drive that had been cradled in his dendrite when the action disrupted its hold. A curse rattled out as he slumped momentarily against his work bench. Flesh fist clenching before he vented a sigh. The servo skull simply swiveling to ‘glare.’
Valdek stood at the entrance to his work room. An almost sheepish tilt to his shoulders. “My apologies, brother, we didn’t see you at the training grounds like usual and you didn’t respond to a vox hail… Are you ok?”
Another sigh seemed to echo from the Techmarine though he didn’t turn to face his squad leader. “I’m fine. Just tending to some minor issues following the last mission and running routine maintenance checks while I’m at it.”
The answer received a nod, along with a thoughtful head tilt, “Would you like assistance?”
“No.” The answer was delivered rather abruptly. Clearly startling the other Marine if the subtle twitch he saw was any indication.
The servo skull turned away from Valdek then, floating outwards to locate the screw driver.. just in time to watch the scion walk over and pick it up all the same.
An annoyed noise left Brel, “I can handle it.”
Valdek only ruffled his hair, taking in the minor damages he spied through the open panel. “Of course you can, but you’ll be here all night cursing up a storm.”
Without waiting for permission he simply started unscrewing the damaged parts. Valiantly ignoring how the Techmarine had tensed and letting silence settle until he needed a new tool, or requested the damaged part.
-
The silence continued unbroken for what felt like decades, even if Brel's internal chronometer insisted it had only been around ten minutes, and it had began to dawn on the Blood Raven that Valdek hadn't taken the opportunity to ask invasive questions as other members of the Inquisition had during his time in the Deathwatch. This would have put others at ease, knowing their past was not questioned and their presence not scrutinized.
Brel, politely, was not "others".
"Why are you doing this?" Brel queried, a little harsher than he intended to "What do you seek to gain by trying to grace my good side?"
He heard Valdek laugh, though his hands failed to jolt from the careful work he was doing.
"I need reason to seek company from a cousin from another chapter? Perhaps I desire these riveting accusations of spying, or to be met with hostility when asking about basic protocols because I enjoy it?"
Brel had expected these words to be spat out as if they were venom, but Valdek had remained neutral when recounting their earlier meetings
"No. Such sarcasm is not fair on you, Brel. I know of the Aurelian campaign and I know of your chapter's scism during it. It was unfair of me to assume you would respond better than what you did. Especially when my own chapter is infamous for more abhorrent practices."
Brel remained silent after that, indeed an unsanctioned inspection of Valdek's history had turned up a multitude of angry red flags that already cemented Brel's view of the captain.
"I...apologize." Brel managed to muster "It is hard to trust somebody, especially after my chapter's history."
"Indeed." Valdek said, placing the current tool back into Brel's mechadendrites and stepping back "Then again, if I had a captain like the late commander Boreale I'd keep tight lipped about it too."
Brel could have taken that as a slight, angrily defending his chapter history and possibly even coming to blows with Valdek right then and there.
And yet, he found himself laughing. A weight lifted from his chest instantly, and before long he felt his mind clear.
Perhaps he had been wrong about his new captain.
Perhaps this was a new beginning.