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6.4 - Rock and Fire Part 2

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Hoki stopped just short of turning the corner and hugged the wide doorway on instinct.

 Out the corner of her eye she had spotted her query - Scarlet had marched down one of the service passages, heading for a side doorway probably intended as a fire-escape. Kolme had diligently followed after her and now in the narrow echo chamber of the tall, narrow corridor, Hoki could hear the two going at it once more.

"Scarlet, Scarlet! Would ya' wait just one damn minute!" Kolme jeered.

As Hoki carefully peered around the corner to get a better view, she watched as Scarlet stopped in her tracks, turned around and began striding back towards Kolme with one hand pointing insidiously towards him;

  "Where do you get off old-man eh? You think this is funny or have you just gone completely senile. This ain't some stupid game!"

Kolme held firm, standing up-straight more so then usual;

 "Don't ya think I know that for Sun's sake? I mean it, we have a chance here, and whether you like it or not, I ain't letting you throw that away."

Scarlet seemed to visibly bristle, as though her long flowing hair were a mane poised to attack. She slammed one hand hard against the silvered walls of the space, causing a loud metallic 'clang' to reverberate out - "Excuse me? The heck do you think you are man? You think I haven't tried, I've done everything you can think of and more to keep my people alive, and every, every time they die! It's a damn war Nilas, we can't stop that, we chose to be here.

 People die, it's normal, I'd expect this from some whelp on their first tour, not a damnable old fool like you!"

"This Time is Different."

Hoki held her breath, Kolme had said it in a completely level tone and in all sincerity, which if anything had only added to its impact as the words seemed to bounce around the walls.

Scarlet rose her arm and strove forward - Punching in low gravity is harder than one might imagine - But Scarlet made it look easy as her fist flew through the air, aimed squarely at Kolme's face.

In a single brisk movement, Kolme's own hand swung upwards and grabbed Scarlet's with flourish, the force of the impact pushing him all the way back to a few inches from his face, centimetres from a broken nose. His eyes never flinching, all as his loosely held dress jacket slid from his shoulders, floating dramatically into the air behind him.

 Scarlet's face seemed to snarl as she glared at the balled fist now held firmly in place by Kolme's hand;

 "This ship is good, the Vijaiks are ours ta' modify and Nate will do as we tell him. I'm telling you this is different."

Scarlet's response was more ferocious this time, her tone held its usual bite but with an almost sorrowful edge;

"And I'm telling you it won't matter, I've seen it all Nilas. I've had teams of 25, all rank C+ or higher who got wiped out like dust from the corner of yere' damn eyes. Heck I've had B+ tier Casnels of my own and it made no difference.

 I still always end up by someone's death-bed, do you understand that?

 That moment when you know you've failed them, when you know that every corpse is on your hands, that you have to write yet another batch of letters to grieving parents, widowed spouses and orphaned children - 'Your son died heroically in service of what he believed, & for the good of his nation', ha!

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Absolutely bullshit, they died because I was wasn't good enough Kolme Nilas! They weren't brave in the face of death, they were screaming, begging for their mothers as they burnt alive in metal caskets, and not one, not a single one of them died for anything - We lost the war a decade ago and again half that since! And we'll probably fail again this time for all I care.

 I stood by the bed-side of my own damn Naikima and watched him, a B-grade pilot, an Ace in his own right - Wilt away from years of fighting and dieing and ya know what - No glory, no parade, no nothing, no one gave a shite. What in God's name makes you think this time'll be any damn different!?"

Kolme paused for only a moment before answering Scarlet's vitriol filled rant;

 "Sabban comes back."

"You What?"

"I thought I'd given up too, seen too many die to keep trying, to have anymore hope left in me - But, every-time he comes back, it was just me for the longest time, 'Last Nemo Standing Nilas' he called me once - And yet he's still here.

 Grumpy feck these days but that's understandable enough. The lad always comes back in one piece and so do you and me, all of us have that bad luck don't we?

 Ain't that enough proof for ya? Enough to make it worth trying one more time, one last go at keeping someone alive in these endlessly bloody wars?"

Kolme let go of Scarlet's fist, which dropped gently to her side as she stared at the man. Gone now was the rampant anger and resentment of a moment ago, replaced with something nearer disbelief.

 After another moment she turned and began, albeit less aggressively this time, to walk away from Kolme - Softly shaking her head all the while.

"Scarlet, what about Hoki? I get why you don't wan'na be chummy' with me but why her eh? She's a strong pilot, good head on her shoulders. I'd probably act the same in your position but that ain't no reason to take it out on her is it?"

Scarlet stopped once more, though not turning to make eye contact this time; "I told you, I ain't looking to drag around or teach children, especially know-it all ease droppers."

Hoki's heart fell, she pulled herself back from the corner she had been using, nearly tripping in the process.

 Despite this Kolme kept talking as though oblivious to Scarlet's last comment - "So what about Una then? I couldn't make you tutor her, ya' chose that yourself."

Scarlet simply shook her head with more certainty, "Just killing time, that's all this is."

 Again she started walking, still not turning to face Kolme;

"I'll guard the princess - Hell I'll even try to be 'nicer' but not for your sake or anyone else's on this ship, I've got a reputation to keep that's all. Yes I'll go on your stupid mission but I will not play naïve games, their blood will not be on my hands again."

And like that she was gone, exiting via the fire escape of some kind.

With a bit of reluctance Hoki caught the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding and peered around the corner once again.

 Both the resolve and earlier slyness had drained from Kolme's face. He stood silently with his back against the same wall Scarlet had earlier slammed.

Hoki couldn't help but think he suddenly looked both very small and very... tired. His unnaturally tanned skin with its myriad of stress lines, the sparse greying hair and his relatively short stature.

 With one hand clutched to his face, he reached the other inside his trouser pocket in-search of something, before realising it wasn't there - Removing his hand, he let his eye's stare up at nothing in-particular, his ruffled jacket floating gracefully past his line of sight like some ridiculous slow motion black bird.

Hoki decided it best not to interfere any further.

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