a trooper thing
“You looked back,” Vik says, not looking up from where he’s reviewingthe latest orders of detonite. Technically, it’s a task he could handle on his own, but Kymet knows by now that the moment she takes her eyes off him, he’ll start testing just how far he can go before she’s caught up with him.
Better not to risk it, and guarding him isn’t nearly as aggravating as she once thought it would be. It’s refreshing to be around someone so blunt, and to be blunt right back at him without worrying about being on task.
“What?”
“At the Gauntlet. You looked back when we were leaving.”
She folds her arms and leans back against the wall. “Being suddenly cryptic is Yuun’s thing, not yours.”
“Right, I forgot the question.” She can’t see his face, but by his tone she’s sure he’s rolling his eyes. “Why?”
“It was a major victory for the squad, and for the Republic. It was one of the biggest things we’d ever accomplished. It meant a lot but... you already know that.”
“That you eat, breathe and shit for the Republic? Yeah, that’s not news.” It’s the kind of apathetic condescension that would normally rile her, but this time it’s almost idle. Only Vik would manage to make insults the same as small talk. “But there’s another reason.”
“You sound pretty certain of that.” And she’s curious, but she’s not sure curiosity is worth hearing him out.
He grunts, almost a laugh. “It’s been nearly a year since you chased me down on Balmorra. I’ve seen you work, I’ve seen you fight...” He turns to her and smiles, though his expression is far from soft. “You like to see the blast, just as much as I do.”
“Given I’m not a demolitions expert whose only purpose in life is affected by how much I can blow up at any given moment, I don’t think we’re that alike.”
“Oh sure, you’ve got all those moral hangups, but there’s a reason you’re in Havoc Squad, and it’s not because you believe all those nice things about freedom and duty.” He raises a hand to forestall her. “You looked back because you wanted to see the Gauntlet blown to pieces. Just like you want to see the Imps dead and their bases blown to scrap. Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because you want to be the one to have done it.”
“Because that’s my job,” she says, finally cutting in. “It’s what I’m good at.” Maybe if she’s curt enough, it won’t give him any ideas – not that she can fully admit he’s wrong about her. Of course she’s a good soldier, she’s worked hard at that, but... it’s not just duty pushing her forward. There’s something about the heat of cannonfire and the wreckage of a Havoc victory that feels right. Personally having had a hand in it means more to her than she can put words to.
It still doesn’t mean she’ll actually tell Vik that he’s right. Balmorra was enough of an example of what happened when people listened to him, and there’s no telling when a personal discussion will unfold into one of his scams.
Kymet can’t quite loom over him when he’s just a bit taller and even more muscled, but she steps away from the wall, allows steel to trickle back into her spine and anchor her shoulders.
“I’m just saying, if you ever feel like cutting loose... we could have a lot of fun together. Imagine it, Boss – hitting their stations, their ships, leaving nothing behind. The Gauntlet would be just the start. We could stop waiting around for Senators and the SIS and paper pushers to tell us where to go, what to do.” He spreads his arms, warming to the topic. “Don’t tell me you haven’t been itching to get out under their thumb this whole time. Or are you going to wait until the SIS or High Command covers its ass again and throws us all away like the Deadeyes?”
That hits closer to home, and she presses her lips together. Where Havoc would be once the war is over is a question she’s tried not to ask herself. The examples of the squad before hers, and how the SIS was handling the Deadeyes are things Kymet has thought long and hard about, with no easy answers. Is this how it happened for the defectors? Was what they did eventually more important, more vital, than who and what they did it for?
Or was it only until the balance between what they owed the Republic and what the Republic owed them tipped too much? “You’ve said enough, Vik. More than enough.”
He smiles again, crooked and wry. “And here I’d gotten my hopes up.”
“Did you really think you could get me to abandon the squad? Prioritize chasing thrills over my duty?” she says, fighting to keep her voice even. Raising it feels too much like a loss, like he’s succeeded in getting at her. “I fight for the Republic first. For its protection and its freedom, which is more than killing Imps or even winning this war. But that’s not something I’d expect you to understand.”
“Could’ve just saved your breath and stuck with ‘no, shut up’.”
She sucks in a breath and wishes, not for the first time, that the Beacon had a brig that she could lock him in for a few hours. “I’m getting there. You’re not going to bring this up again – with me, or with anyone else, or the next conversation we have will be much less pleasant. Are we clear?”
“Yes sir,” he snaps off, too smarmy to actually be sincere. Vik really does have a talent for making her want to punch him. “Won’t ask if you’re tired of being yanked around by generals who sit around on their ass again, sir. But really, Boss – I figured it was worth a shot.”
“Was it? Because I’m a few seconds away from kicking your ass, Vik.” As she figured, this doesn’t sway him much, and she takes a grim pleasure in the dawning fear in his eyes as she adds, “And confining you to the ship to do requisition forms for the rest of the squad for the next month. Dorne deserves a break, and she’s been going on about these new forms that make the experience thrilling.”
“Okay, I get it – keep my mouth shut or you make my life miserable. You don’t pull your punches.”
“Yeah, well, you deserve it. You’ve been at this inspection for half an hour now – get out of here before you get any other bright ideas.”
He tips her an ironic salute, but at least his expression is a good deal less satisfied. Vik’s as much of a pain in the ass as he is an asset – this is about as much of a victory as Kymet could escape.
Still, maybe she can dent his mood for a little longer.
“Dorne?” she says into her comm. “When’s your next round of requisitions for the ship?”
“They’re due in two days, Major. May I ask why?”
“Bring Vik along this time while you fill them out. Make sure to explain all of what you’re doing to him. Thoroughly.”
