Peek-A-Boo! ((Baba))

[Fromikeable]

4 years ago...

Ruan:

Horst belched, allowing the musty flavor of his Corellian Whiskey to resurface in his taste buds. The belch was loud, obnoxious, and quite frankly pungent, but when you were in a bar with other loud, obnoxious, and pungent people, no one tended to care.

The engineer chuckled warmly, remembering the joke Giog had exclaimed to the entire tavern before departing. The joke had been something insensible and childish, but then again that was why people liked Giog's sense of humor; it was simple.

"Remember Adams," Horst spoke over the noise, trying to communicate with the soldier next to him. "Be up and ready by noon tomorrow." The soldier, Adams, nodded dreamily, casting doubt that he had really heard his CO. Instead the soldier got up from his stool and fell trying to turn around. Horst chuckled softly before getting up and hauling Adams to his feet. The drunken Spec Ops agent smiled and tried to respond.

”Thankin’ Cap’n Majure!”

Horst gave him a playful push toward the door. ”Ahhh, get outta’ here ya’ drunk!” Adams laughed dazedly before stumbling out the door and into the night beyond.

Horst reclaimed his seat and looked around. The entire squad had gotten leave tonight, and they had spent it toasting, boasting to, and roasting each other. It had been a night laughs with the occasional drunken brawl mixed in. Ultimately it had gone smoothly, and Horst was sure that the combatants would make up tomorrow; they always did.

Horst sighed and viewed the bar. It was late out, but the entire establishment was still filled with drunken soldiers and the sound of frivolity. It made the engineer smile; these men saw some horrible things, but it was nights like these that made it all bearable.

”Barkeep! Hit me again.”

[Poludnica]

Ambient

I need to get drunk. Quickly.

He downed another drink but still felt barely a tingle. Cursing how uneconomical his body was when it came to drinking, Yu asked for another shot of Corellian ale. It was one of his favorites though the fact his mother liked it too would always lay shadow over this particular pleasure. Especially after unpleasant try to reconcile with his parent who upon hearing her son was on Ruan just made him promise he wouldn't visit her. She didn't want a stain from the past to muck up the ambient of her perfect family life. So be it.

The young man...half-man took a seat in the farthest, darkest corner of the bar so no one would spot him. Neither his fellow trainees nor a superior. The half-Firrerreo just wanted to get blitzed in peace. A loud, ear drilling belch echoed in the bar which was met with cheers and laughter. Few more rambling sounds joined it as if to make a contest out of it. It even forced Yu to burp silently but comparing to other sounds, this one was puny and pathetic. Just as his good humor today.

”Stupid b...” The robotic, digital noise got into the way of his cuss and Yu's brown eyes fell on a battered machine. ”Where is my drink?” The young near-human demanded but the robot just fell to the side, letting go of few sparks as its artificial life faded away. ”Does this mean I have to walk toward a counter?” He asked but the droid didn't answer.

Kicking away the useless heap of junk, the petty officer made his way toward the center of the bar. There were people everywhere, most of them humans which only made Yu more uneasy as his golden skin was easily spotted, especially in wraith like light seeping from above. ”Oi! Good man, can you give me...me...” Voice with a heavy Corellian accent trailed off once Yu saw another patron trying to make order.

Major Stellar... Yu's jaws clenched. The man had been putting him through good paces during training which was not that bad but...The near-human knew he sometimes had too big mouth for his own good but talking back to your training officer and earning ten more lapses put this meeting in a very different light.

Yu didn't like the man. He was big, burly and mean. Bu he also seemed very scary. An inch taller than Sivan and twice his size in terms of raw muscles Horst looked like a mountain that would could kill by only falling on a person. I am so on leave... Defiance crossed his thoughts, causing the young soldier to duck under the counter. Hopefully no one saw...No one aside from a bartender who peered over to look down at the strange petty officer. ”Go away! “ Yu whispered, shooing the man away.

[Fromikeable]

Horst drummed his fingers patiently on the counter as the barkeeper took his sweet time making his way down the bar. As the patron of the tavern fulfilled each of the orders given to him, Horst slowly became less and less enthused. Most everyone Spec Ops had left, save for a few stragglers here and there, and the rest of the crowd Horst didn't know. He took a minute to listen; one table sounded like a bunch of guys yelling, either with laughter or sobs. Another sounded like a drinking game. Still another seemed to be a drunken quartet.

The engineer kept his eyes peeled on the bartender as an orange-skinned kid came up and asked for something in a thick Corellian accent. The accent was native to Horst's little borough on the planet, but the engineer knew enough about his second home (not that the first one had really ever seemed like home to him) to know what its people sounded like.

The guy was a young one; Horst guessed early 20's. He looked pretty human, but his skin was orange, and a few odd features made Horst think he might have some other genes floating around. Maybe Firrerreo or something like it. He looked familiar...

Wait a second. That's that smart mouth PO. Horst's look hardened a bit. Over the last few weeks he and the Rancors had been assigned to run the new-blood Spec Ops through its paces. Horst had taken up the task with a high standard, and his group of lacke- er, trainees had come out of it a little begrudgingly. Horst didn't blame though, and had justified it as saying they wouldn't mind it so much when the training saved their sorry hides at some point.

One trainee, however, had been particularly vocal in his displeasure. Throughout the entire thing the kid had cracked jokes and been snide, albeit quietly. Once, when Horst was demonstrating proper shooting posture and the blaster he was using jammed, the kid had made some comment aloud, queuing a nice little laugh-fest from the trainees.

They paid for it with 15 laps with sit-ups between each.

Still, Horst might have been annoyed, but he wasn't angry. Not now anyway. His mood was too good and his caring too little for him to really hold it above the kid.

Hell, I'd hate me if I was training myself.

The kid suddenly looked over, and his skin color practically disappeared. He literally dropped down, trying to hide beneath the bar and stools. His apparent surprise coaxed a nice chuckle out of the major, who forgot all about his drink.

"Front and center Petty Officer!" Horst called jokingly, pretending to utter an order. The major wasn't sure why he wanted to see the snide trainee.

Maybe it was just someone to talk to. Maybe it was for a little well-deserved pay-back.

[Poludnica]

The bartender only shrugged in response and went to fix the drinks, not really sure what to make out of the soldier's odd behavior pegging to either his strange, alien ways or just being hammered like a pin. Both things were not something unusual on Ruan. ”Kids these days...” The aged, rotund human muttered, vanishing back in the kitchen to see if his gruel wouldn't kill anyone

The ruse didn't work, which was to be expected. Yu's heart skipped a beat when loud, rumbling order echoed through the air. The young soldier's jaws clenched, especially when his ear read vague hints of amusement ringing in the human's words. Sivan remembered the fifteen laps like it was yesterday, actually his muscles still couldn't figure out if they are about to die or would just last in a constant agony. And for what? For a rowdy, jammed pistol joke? Uptight, major, pr*ck. Hehe, Major pri*ck.Oh Yu, you're a card.

Still an officer was an officer and Yu first jumped under the counter, hitting his head hard enough for the near-human to let out a yelp of pain and surprise. Stars exploded before Sivan's eyes but he managed to crawl from his unconventional hideout and stand at attention. ”Sir!”Yu exclaimed in a perfect salute, not wanting to give any more reasons to possible punishment, though his narrowed, brown eyes betrayed defiance. The inner eyelids also moved toward the irises which only added to the young soldier's expression of annoyance and anxiety.

The major looked neither particularly angry nor drunk which only led Yu to believe he was doing it for his own and others amusement. Small bursts of laughter were already appearing here and there as in tensed silence everyone was waiting for the little drama to unfold. Sometimes Sivan thought his fellow brothers in arms were worse gossips hens than a bunch of old ladies sitting on a perch. They just craved for something to happen that would lift the overbearing feeling of boredom from the mundane life in between missions.

[Fromikeable]

The PO took a moment to hit his head on the bar he was using as a hiding place before jumping up to a proper salute. Horst took a minute to look the PO's salute over; it was perfect, save for the utter look annoyance etched over the kid's face. Horst stared back, steely-eyed, trying to read his trainee. The kid's eyes were practically trying to scream insults at the major.

I know, I know, I'm the bad guy. In Horst's experience, it was easier to hate someone than to justify them. Even still, the engineer had no intention of trying to keep dislike among his men. He always tried to show them that he might be a hard-ass, but he was a fair hard-ass. After all, friends listened more than subordinates.

"At ease, PO," Horst ordered jokingly again, cracking another smile. The bar crowd had taken notice, with a few soldiers laughing at the PO's salute. Horst knew what they were all after; a few yells, a disagreement, and finally a brawl. He'd like to rob them of their wishes if at all possible.

The engineer patted the stool next to him, indicating its vacancy. "Have a seat. Tell me your name while you're at it." Hors then waved over the bartender, who had reappeared from the kitchen.

"Another Corellian Whiskey. Get the kid a refill on me."

[Poludnica]

The expression of anger vanished from the youthful face as the eyes widened in surprise. Was this some kind of trick? Eyeing the major with a growing suspicion, Yu relaxed his posture. The older soldier seemed to be very amused which only triggered more uneasiness withing the near-human but without seeing any other choice, Yu sat down. It would be bad to show now how much he didn't want to be there.

”Uhm...Petty Officer Yuddrathi, sir. I mean...name...right. Sivan. Petty Officer Sivan Yuddrathi, sir!” The young man finally gathered his wits, though not before few more chuckled rippled through the air. Yu's expression became even more sour with a frown marring his normally soft features. He couldn't decide if it were troubles he got himself in or something else entirely. For now it was better to place safe and the half-Firrerreo pulled away a bit in his chair.

An officer buying a simple grunt a drink. Yu bit down on his lip in confusion, exposing a sharp fang while at it. He didn't protest though, simple nodding. ”Thank you, sir.” The near-human felt really stupid about this all, suspecting some kind of elaborated trick. When the bartender came over with two glasses, Yu couldn't decide if to take a sip. After a moment of pondering he decided it would be rude to just plainly refuse and took a small, careful gulp, feeling his throat closing up on the burning liquid.

Sivan coughed and wiped his mouth with a sleeve of his uniform. His mother would certainly get heart palpitations seeing him behaving like some urchin taken from streets but it was just one of those things Yu didn't care about – to have manners. Even when around officers. This said, the young soldier couldn't stand the fact how Major Setallar made his wits to vanish, leaving only a bad taste of a social anxiety. It made Yu frown some more.

[Fromikeable]

Petty Officer Yu sat down wielding a helluva of face. Horst didn't need to be a Jedi to sense it; that kid didn't want to be here at all. His look only became more distasteful as he sipped the whiskey Horst had bought him. The major tried to imagine what he seemed like to the trainee right now.

Probably a pushy, hard-case slave-driver. Horst's smile dampened. The training he was putting the new-blood through was necessary, but even still he didn't want to give the image that he was without mercy. He knew from training the Ackley's Foot; soldiers needed to be pushed, but they also needed to be supported. You weren't supposed to hold their hand, of course, but a pat on the back here and there helped form a relationship, and friends always fought better than regular subordinates.

"Easy Yuddrathi. You look like you're gonna seize up and fall over." Horst looked over at his trainee, hoping to ease soldier's obvious discomfort. A few drunks over at a table on the other side of the bar were still chuckling at his calling. Horst shot them a serious glance, and after a minute to run it through their intoxicated heads, they got the message and canned up.

The engineer finally swigged his whiskey up to his lips, emptying half his glass. The contrast of his enjoyment of the strong liquor to Yu's notice of its harshness reignited Horst's smile.

"So, how long have you been Spec Ops Sivan?"

[Poludnica]

The officer's remark made Yu's natural golden shin of skin to pale, making him look almost greenish but to the boy's credit, he took a bit of control over his features. The expression of displeasure turned into one of indifference, only occasionally marred by a hint of worry.

”I am sorry, sir. I didn't mean to look like this. I hope my current look is not as obnoxious.” He said, not really giving off it was a joke or a serious claim. Light, brown eyes frowned when Yu heard snickering coming from another table but the Major's stern gaze put it to silence. It made Sivan to relax a bit. Enough to take another sip from the glass. This time without choking.

The young soldier leaned slightly in his seat, feeling aching muscles which remind Yu about the yesterday's training and additional fifteen lapses. He was tempted to ask of the older human could make it through those paces without a heart attack but refrained. Stellar looked not even reaching his forties which put him in his primes as far the species' life span went. Being raised among humans, Yu lacked the long term view his father possessed and couldn't put in a perspective that in few hundred years the Major would be but a mere, dead annoyance. Horst Stellar was here and now and could very well make Sivan's life much more difficult than it already had been.

”Finished my initial training couple of weeks ago, sir.” Yu responded truthfully though was tempted to say 'last five decades'.

[Fromikeable]

"It's fine Yuddrathi." The kid was really tensed up for someone who was supposed to be at a bar. Horst softened his look a bit, trying to be slightly more comforting. Then again, when you were a large-built, muscled human with more arm hair than a Wookie and a completely tortuous training regime, you could only seem so comforting.

"Don't consider me your CO tonight." Horst leaned back in his stool, stretching his arms outward before taking a deep breath. He himself was still pretty sore from the day's training; he made it a point to try to work himself to at least a fraction of that at which his trainees were working. It was only fair, of course, but beyond that Horst needed to stay in shape as well.

"Tonight, I'm not Major Stellar the trainer. Tonight, I'm just another drunk trying to talk to you." To solidify his point, Horst put down his arms, and finished off his whiskey.

Yu then detailed his own Spec Ops record... if you could call it a record. By the sound of it, he was fresh out of... actually, that was a good question.

"Where did they grab you out of, Yuddrathi? Army?"

[Poludnica]

Dark, chocolate eyes fixed on an empty glass as Yu was pondering ordering another. After this one even Stellar looked kind of ...smaller and less bulky. Despite very similar height the major made an impression of being much larger. Square even. It also appeared on his rectangular, heavy features.

Slowly the tension began to let go and Yu decided Stellar didn't plan anything outwardly cruel or mean. Maybe the guy actually felt bad after forcing Sivan to make dozen more laps. Not every CO was there to get him, hopefully. The fact that Horst didn't seem to hold any grudge for the smartass comments only made Sivan to respect the Major more.

”I will try, sir.” Yu said but without much of assurance. The near-human would most likely choke first than call his superior by name. Stellar stretched, making him look even wider. How come this man could even pull his own weight was beyond Yu. The half-Firrerreo was on a polar opposite – lean and slim, built for speed, agility rather than strength. Actually Sivan felt tired from looking at the hulking mass of muscles before him.

”I am honored you wanted to talk to me, sir.” Now that was idiotic line and Yu knew it as soon as it left his mouth. ”I mean...You seem nice, sir.” Good show, Sivan, good show... The young soldier had an urge to hide under the table. ”I think I need another drink.” Yu just sighed, giving up on making it sound right and waved at the bartender who kicked his another droid to work.

”Navy, sir. I enlisted three years ago.” The boy responded, not sure if to add any details. If there even were any.

[Fromikeable]

Yu seemed a bit put-off by Horst's apparent ease made the engineer chuckle softly. The near-human responded awkwardly, still referring to his superior as "Sir" rather than just use his name. Horst was inclined to ask, but was a little too buzzed to care and a little too interested in his trainee to deviate his line of questioning.

Horst scratched his chin as the bartender's bot arrived. "What did you do in the Navy to get recruited?" Horst raised a hand, and began to count a few of the reasons he had heard on his fingers. "'Outstanding combat performance'? 'Superb leadership qualities'?"

The engineer then looked slightly to the side of his drinking mate. "They snatched me out of the army. Something about 'Specialized Skill Set', 'Ability to Inspire Troops', and a few others." The engineer tapped his glass, indicating to the bot that he was also in the market for a refill. "I never paid much attention to the papers. I just knew I had done right with my men."

Horst blinked, ending his little reminiscent voyage. He tended not to focus on the past. Instead, he focused on the young soldier before him. Considering the attitude and potential skill, Yuddrathi reminded Horst a lot about the Ackely's Maw. He had some serious skill and a sharp mind, but used them both to be the squad fool. Still, Horst saw a lot in him, and hoped to help him, even if only a little.

"I'd like to think I still do."

[Poludnica]

The man's chuckle made Yu tense up a bit. Was he just funny or simply pathetic? The young soldier took a deep, alcohol soaked breath. Fortunately he had almost no hangover unless the amount of the ale intake became unreasonable. Then again did something like 'too ridiculous amount of an alcohol' even existed? Certainly not in his dictionary.

It became easier and easier to talk as the anxiety was being slowly washed away but the drinks. Yu relaxed in his seat, completely. ”I uh...” He was not really sure if the major wanted to know the exact rank and duties or just skills. ”I think it was shooting, I am pretty good with sniper rifles. Generally guns. Even in the dark but it's not really a skill as much as natural ability.” Sivan shrugged, only after a moment realizing he had forgotten to add something important.”...Sir..” The boy finally remembered and scratched his head. His usually unruly, brown locks were shortened to a simple buzz. And it were itchy for some reason.

In before Stellar began to share his own story an involuntary burp escape the young soldier. By now, he didn't even bother to cover his mouth. He was not sure what to respond to that, really. As a trainer Horst was a hardass, not very inspiring but it was something different than any real battle. After a moment of silence Yu decided to be diplomatic for once.

”I believe you still do, sir. I mean...I had fun the last few days. Minus the whole fifteen lapses thing.” The near-human nodded eagerly, hoping Stellar wouldn't know it was a bit of far-fetched possibility after his performance during the training. It was partially true after all, he did have fun up until the wicked, unfair punishment for an innocent joke.

[Fromikeable]

Horst grunted in acknowledgement as Yu described his Spec-Op-worthy skill, which was apparently shooting. Horst knew that it sound like it, but that being dragged into Spec Ops just for pulling a trigger well enough was a monumental feat. After all, anyone could shoot like a pro if you trained them well enough. The guys who were brought in because they could handle a rifle? Those were the guys that didn't want staring you down a mile away.

That's when the engineer nearly fell out of his chair laughing. "Fun? Ahahahahaha!" For at least the next two minutes, Horst held his stomach with arms, trying to ease the pain of his sporadically jumping diaphragm. After a moment, he finally managed to reign in his breathing enough to speak.

"Don't lie Yuddrathi. I've pulled you kids through the armpits of existence and back, and you've hated every second of it." The laughter finally ended, and Horst got serious. Beyond being important to know, he wanted to make his intentions crystal clear.

"Don't be afraid to tell me I've been the worst the last few weeks. I know it. I've tried to be. But I'd rather you all hate my guts now and be prepared for the jobs you'll face than love me now and get shot your first mission." Horst knew how stupid and corny it sounded, but it was the truth.

"I kick the crap out of you so that the rest of the galaxy doesn't get to."

[Poludnica]

I guess it is better to make him laugh than angry... Yu thought to himself, watching a sudden explosion of mirth that shook the Major's body. Patiently, the near-human waited with a small, lopsided smile on his lips praying Stellar wouldn't get some kind of a seizure. Murdering a superior didn't look good in anyone’s record. ”Yeah...” Sivan commented with fake grin, nodding again. He felt like a bloody fool.

”They were not...these bad armpits, sir.” The young soldier wanted to add 'and unshaven' but stopped himself just in time, not wanting to get into troubles for being a rude smartass. By the Force, this laughter was annoying, more like a bantha's roar. ”But if you would prefer me to hate it ,sir, I will. With passion.” Yu said with serious expression. He didn't like being called a kid, even by human standards the near-human could still be considered rather young and inexperienced. By Firrerreo ones, he was still a toddler.

Dark brow went up at the little pep talk and the petty officer pondered his next answer carefully, not to hurt the big man's feelings or he could be even worse on possible future trainings. After a moment Yu decided there was no point in arguing over if it was really this horrible and just tell the truth. Drinks helped with that anyway. ”Yeah...you were a kind of jerk but I am not sure we hate you. There was this one CO that called me per 'mutt'. I think he was worse.” Yu didn't feel it was necessary to give a true background to this story, especially if it was Sivan who pissed the officer off first.


Yu smile at the final declaration, this time genuinely.

”As long as I will get to kick the crap out of someone too later on.”

[Fromikeable]

"Honestly, Sivan, I'd rather you hate it." Horst didn't mind that his troops liked him, but the point of this training wasn't to have fun, and by the sound of it, Sivan was either lying, or Horst wasn't doing a good enough job.

Yuddrathi finally smiled then, and said it was all alright so long as he could get the chance to kick the crap out of someone else. Horst smiled at the young man's eagerness; a key part of being a good soldier was having enthusiasm. Horst was sure that this excitement was a result of Yuddrathi really wanting to beat up his CO, but nevertheless it was the response he had been aiming for in the last few weeks.

"You will Yuddrathi, believe me." Horst clapped the young sniper on the shoulder and gazed into his eyes, trying to be serious despite the slight haziness of his booze. "You're gonna fight everything from pirates to armies. You'll be everywhere from farms to front lines. Take it from an old war-dog; you'll go places."

Horst then removed his hand from the sly Petty Officer and began to think, trying to deduce what he could do help relax his trainee. The engineer appeared to be slowly easing him out of his shell, but the PO still seemed rather reserved and shy.

"Now I'll tell you what I'm gonna do," Horst uttered, placing his legs on the ground and standing up. The world seemed a little lopsided for a moment as Horst had to recollect his balance, but ultimately the alcohol didn't seem to be too deterrent of his motor control.

"Now I know you're pissed at me for the last few weeks, and I'm still a little mad at you for being such a smug bastard. So we're gonna both let off some steam." Horst patted his cheek his with his hand. "Hit me as hard as you can." The Major's mind protested a little, but Horst was pretty sure this was a good idea. The simplest forms of stress-release were usually the best, although that could've just been the alcohol talking.

[Poludnica]

It seemed his CO had a gift of finding a downside to everything, even soldiers not hating him. Yu's one eyebrow went up at the Major's comment. ”Yessir, I hated it.” He said, trying to say something to keep Stellar had no 'but' about. Regardless the truth, Sivan rarely really was an honest man unless the matter seemed serious. Chit chat with a tipsy officer didn't count as one of those, especially since neither of them would really remember it a day after.

Yu listened to his superior, trying to look very serious and sober. Neither of the two were truth. Though one thing the Major said did caught his interest. ”Ugh, I grew up among farms, I went to the military to escape them.” Trying to ignore the surprising clap on a shoulder. In truth it felt so strong, the near-human almost lost his balance. Was Stellar really a human or just a hairless wookie with that grip? ”Thank you sir for your words of wisdom.” Sivan stated, trying to retain an expression of lofty seriousness.

Then Stellar got up, looking even more like a mountain of a man. Yu blinked and instinctively pulled himself up, eying the Major with a growing suspicion. His own balance was good as were the motor skills. Alcohol didn't seem to influence the young soldier much, aside maybe from little euphoric mood. He was never sure whether it was his human Corellian or Firrero part that made very hard for him to get blitzed, but now the petty officer was really happy about it. Stellar, however, didn't look overly sober. Especially when he spoke up...

”I uh...I am not ….like ...” Yu didn't really know what to say at this point at the offer of letting some steam off coming from his CO. ”I am not really into...uh....” Sivan rarely had problems with finding proper words but this time they failed him. Certainly there was a way to be diplomatic about telling Stellar how the proposal came through but then the older human explained what he really had in mind. It felt even more out of place. ”What?” The near-human asked suddenly, staring at the Major as if he was indeed a hairless wookie.

Yu looked left, then right. Scratched his head. ”Is this an order, sir?” The young near-human asked with confused expression. Not everyday a CO would ask him for a punch.

[Fromikeable]

"If it has to be, Yuddrathi." Horst patted his cheek again. "You and I both know we'd like nothing more than to beat the crap out of each other."

Horst's mind was running in a daze at the moment. Whatever sense was left after the alcohol's coup de' tat silently pushed against the engineer's conscious mind, trying its best to keep his face in one piece. On the other hand, however, was the pure simplicity of the idea. Horst was pissed at this PO. Yuddrathi was pissed at his CO. Why shouldn't they just settle it the easy way?

"I order you punch me in the face."

[Poludnica]

Yu flickered his brown eyes left and right. A small crowd began to observe them. If worse came to worst , at least he had witnesses it was an order. A more alarming thought flashed in his mind, breaking through the alcohol haze. But that means he can beat me too, doesn't it? Yu considered his chances of surviving such encounter. Stellar was big, burly and a veteran. Though time favored Sivan as well as did fast regeneration. Even if he lost it would be the CO that would suffer more pain. All in all, it wasn't a bad trade.

”Everyone's heard it! That was an order!” He chuckled, arrogant smile flashing, showing off a pair of inhumanely large canines. Casually he walked over to the Major and using all his rage harbored since the first day of the Stellar's special training he threw a punch. Aiming straight for the hairy cheek.

The crowd began to cheer seeing some excitement for the first time in days. The bets were made and happy soldiers stormed bar for more drinks. Violence always made everything far more insteresting, regardless one's species.

[Fromikeable]

Horst's head whipped to the side as Yu slammed his oddly-colored fist into the Major's cheekbone. Horst's alcoholic haze was thoroughly broken only to be replaced with another of physical shock. If he hadn't remembered to clamp shut his jaw, he'd surely be spitting out teeth.

Somewhere, a small crowd was gathering, whispering, cheering, and betting. Horst couldn't tell where at that moment; he was a little busy. The crowd seemed particularly riled by the punch, with all in attendance having a field day over it.

The shock wore off after a moment, and Horst regained his senses. The strike had indeed gathered out the bar-goers, and they were indeed placing bets. Pain rang throughout the engineer's face like a pin had been stabbed into his skull, and any and all calamity that Horst may have still had quickly vanished, leaving only...

"Ha!" Horst immediately straightened out, his back becoming straight and tall. His eyes flashed in rage; he had meant it when he had said this PO had pissed him off to no end, even if he had tried to downplay it. Horst flipped to the side a stool and kicked off the ground, half sprinting, half leaping at Yuddrathi. As the distance closed, Horst extended his arms, aiming to grab the young Petty Officer and slam him to the ground.

[Poludnica]

He felt small pain resonating in his arm when the pale, golden fist connected with Stellar's face. And that felt good...To know the veteran did winced in pain and to see the bastard was not smiling so smugly anymore.

This was for the lapses.

Yu grinned, knowing for the first time he could hit his superior with absolutely no consequences. At least not in terms of martial law . His physical health was a different matter. The cheers exploded after this blow, like from a bunch of excited apes. Sivan liked attention and he didn't mind. He even turned to face the crowd with his hands up in the air. That was not the first nor last mistake coaxed by the boy's own arrogance. He underestimated how quickly the older human could reel from a blow directly to his face.

A sound came out as a warning but Yu was too drunk and too distracted by his own little victory to move entirely out of the way. His natural reflexes were fast, inhumanely so but it was of no use when your opponent was behind your back and very, very angry.

I 'm such an idiot. Rang in his head when powerful hands grabbed him and pushed on the ground. Yu fell face first into the dirty floor, barely able to stretch his hands and protect his nose from being crushed. Stellar was much stronger which immediately showed in a way the young near-human was pushed into the ground. Still feeling pain ringing in his chest, the petty officer tried to kick himself to the standing position.