Feb 19th 202? Zentraedi Battle Cruiser
designation “The Cook”
Officers Sparring Room
“Your skill is impressive Kyra!” Hadron grimaced as he nursed
his arm. The swelling was already
beginning due to their sparing being vicious and full contact. There was no malice, this was true Zentraedi
combat, focused, powerful and efficient.
“I train sir. The Micronians and the Praxians have martial
styles common to their races, I integrated elements into out own.It has proven effective.” Kyra replied. “That sir and the frequency of out training
has led me to become familiar with your fighting style”.
“There is predictability in my actions? A flaw, one that I shall need to address!” Hadron exclaimed with embarrassment,
recollections of his first hand to hand combat defeat to Xander surfacing yet again. He was not accustom to loosing, the shame of that defeat had been a
bitter pill indeed. Yet his duty to the troops stationed under him overshadowed
such feelings.
“More prominent if you are unfocused Sir. Perhaps you
require release.” Kyra stated
flatly.
“Release? I do not understand what you are….”A scarlet blush creeping up his neck due to
embarrassment. “ Kyra …I…Well.”
“It has… Worked for you previously.” Kyra replied factually. “I find myself more focused for several
days after one of our wrestling sessions.” Wiping sweat from her brow, Kyra
straightened from a fighting stance, this session was clearly over.
“ Hadron , I understand your reservations. Initially, on learning of these acts, I too felt
nauseated. However, the focus that once
can achieve in the days afterwards, far outweighs individual feelings.”
Straightening himself, Hadron
realised to his embarrassment, that THIS
was the issue. Feelings. Far more than sentimental attachment, like a
warrior to his preferred weapon, he felt
something for Kyra . The revelation shook him, as too the
understanding that she would not, could not, possibly feel the same way.
“Very well, perhaps you are correct. Let us utilize my
quarters for this session, I need to ice my arm anyway, and there are
facilities to sanitize ourselves afterwards.” Hadron submitted.
“What is wrong with me?
Why am I actually looking forward to this?”he pondered, maybe the focussed state of mind that he would achieve afterward
might shed some light. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“What are these messages?” Kyra stood, silhouetted by
the light from the sanitation cubicle, peering at the scrolling messages on the
Commanders Interface terminal.Oblivious
to her nudity, or the look on Hadrons face as he ran his eyes over her form. “Sir?”
“Just ghosts from the past, messages unanswered from last
time we were in this system.” Hadron
replied waving a hand dismissively at the terminal.
“This is not the first time this vessel has been in this
system. Over a year ago this vessel was
tasked as part of an emergency formation to extricate a Robotech Masters
Mothership. The Invid had tracked them
here, they were under sustained assault. We engaged, provided the distraction required for the Grand Masters to
escape, but the resulting damage was too severe.”
“You were abandoned in system?” Kyra asked turning from the terminal, perhaps just a hint of
concern in her voice. The stain of shame,
of potentially becoming Non-Combat
casualties, ingrained collectively as one of the Zentraedi’s greatest concerns.
“Losses were significant, radiation leaks were killing the
men, we were declared casualties.The messages
were automated by old system surveillance satellites, data collection. Wanting to determine our status and how long
it would take us to perish.”Hadron
spat, irritation and disgust adding a harshness to his words that he had not
intended.“ Ignore them, messages from
the grave.”
“Some of these time/date stamps are recent, are you sure?” Kyra pushed back.
“Look if you must, they restarted not long after we
re-entered this cursed system.” Hadron
grunted pushing himself off the bunk and pacing swiftly to the sanitation
cubicle.
Written in Zentraedi, Kyra
quickly reviewed the first message. Her mouth going dry as she reached the
bottom line. She opened the next, running
back up the list with mounting trepidation. Overall the theme of the messages
was the same.
Another new message popped up, just as Hadron emerged from the cubicle, wet pale blue skin glistening.
“Enough, turn that off!” He demanded, reaching out to shut
the screen down.
Viper fast, Kyra reacted
reflexively, striking a nerve cluster in his arm. The knee to his ribs, that sent him crashing onto
his bunk, however was correctly aimed and intentional.
“YOU ARROGANT, BRAINLESS, FOOL!” Kyra spat, rage and venom in her voice making Hadron flinch more than the pain lancing from his possibly fractured
ribs.
“I WON’T GO BACK THERE; YOUR INACTION HAS KILLED US ALL!”
Bellowing with rage she struck the room door control and fled down the passage.
Looking down at their
crumpled uniforms strewn around his room, Hadron
winced in pain as he struggled to the terminal.
MAINTENANCE
RECALL
Flashing intermittently on the command screen as a
preparation counter cycled in to the red stage of a 15 minuet count down.
