Heart of Steel

Chapter 7: Request

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"Nah."

"What do you mean no?" 

"I don't like you. And you're havin' me work with a Nikke squad like them? Have you lost it? Are you tryin' to get me killed?" 

"It isn't like you to be off-put with working with any bucket of bolts before, what makes them any different?" Syuen crossed her arms. 

"Most Nikkes aren't going to blow my brains out the minute I turn my back, ya'know?" Vulca pointed out, once more turning down the offer. 

"Come on! You always pull some sort of stunt when I come to you for things. I'm willing to pay so can't you push down that little hatred we have and help me out?" Syuen placed her hands on her hips and scowled at Vulca. He merely leaned against the wall and shook his head affirmatively.

"Nah. Go bother some other commander." Vulca brushed her off and went to leave the hangar. Syuen tried to block him but when you're that tiny, it doesn't do much. Then, Syuen noticed the tarp in the hangar and went towards it. 

"Wha- Get away from that!" 

"Or what? Afraid I'll spill what you're working on to the higher-ups? Are you even permitted to build something this big?" She said moving closer. She's too close for comfort. Knowing her, she'd either rat him out or steal his idea and slap Missiles branding on it. Sorry Missilis Branding. Regardless the two stared each other down until Vulca conceded. Giving a brat that much power . . . what were they thinking? Vulca wasn't even sure how she got to the position with that attitude. 

"Ugh, fine, I'll hear ya out, just get away from it." Vulca conceded. Syuen grinned, strutting over and grabbing him by the collar so he could look her in the eyes. 

"That's much better. I'd go as far as to say you'd make a great right-hand man if you weren't so asinine." She smirked. Vulca swatted off her hands in disgust and backed away. 

"Fuck off." 

"Fuck you too." Syuen replied mockingly. 

"One of these days I'll have to tell the Central Government how immoral you are. Maybe then you'd leave me alone." 

"Right. Whatever. Nothing you can say or do will stick! Don't try anything funny. And if I go down, I'm dragging you down with me. Who was the one who took pity on you and gave you mission after mission to do huh? And this is how you repay the hand that feeds you? If I knew you'd be an ungrateful ass, I'd have that project of yours shut down, or better yet take it for myself. So watch. Your. Tone. " Syuen hissed. The two stared at each other hatefully. After a long pause, Syuen let out a sigh and crossed her arms. The sound of her heels clicking rang through the large space as she walked over to the desk. Making a sweeping motion, she brushed various blueprints, tools, and the like off his workbench, sitting down on his desk in the process as if to mock him.

"So like I said., what I want you to do is head up with this squad. They're heading up into a place full of Alva particles and so if anything happens, I can't detonate them if they try any funny business." She said, crossing her legs. It took Vulca a second to register what she said.

"Detonate them?" 

"I just put some bomb collars on them to keep them in check." 

"Are you INSANE?!" 

"Well, you didn't seem too eager to work with a criminal squad and NOW you're up in arms about them having bombs on them? Make up your mind, Vulcy." Syuen teased. Vulca didn't deny his preconceived notions about the squad when Syuen mentioned they were criminals. 

"Plus they're from the Outer Rim, the more the merrier after all! You riff-raff get along well, don't you? " Syuen laughed haughtily. 

"You're makin' me start to reconsider agreein' to command them, just get to the point."

"Well, I want you to go to this specific region." Syuen showed Vulca the map on her phone. "I heard reports of a Pilgrim being in that area. I want you to try making contact and following that establish a line of communication. Imagine the funding Missilis would get from securing an ally in the Pilgrims, and imagine the funds you would be able to procure for your project."

A Pilgrim? Vulca thought back to the incident that affected him dearly. Enough that it still haunts him in his dreams. It was a haze but he swore he met and was saved by a  Pilgrim then, however, no one believed him in no small part due to the mental stress and blood loss he endured, being laughed off and called a Lunatic. Remembering her appearance was difficult but the one thing he recalled was the scent of sake and a blur of lavender.

"Helloooo? Earth to Vulca?" 

"When do we have to leave?" 

"Oh, that was . . . a lot more eager than before. I like it. Well, you guys are leaving tomorrow to try and catch up to her. I'll color in some extra rewards for you if you can establish reliable contact instead of it being a one-off." Syuen said, strutting forward and patting me on the back,

"Sorry, about the workbench though. Not really, you ought to clean it up every once in a while." She laughed as she left. Vulca sighed to himself, before realizing.

"And you ought to look where sit every once in a while." Vulca pointed out, as Syuen had sat near some motor oil, which in turn got on her white skirt. After a few obscenities, Syuen stormed off, not before grabbing Vulca's jacket to wrap around her waist. Despite her diminutive stature, she had the vulgarity of a sailor when she was mad. 

"You better establish contact or else, I'm making your life a living hell and making YOU my servant." She jabbed her finger accusatorily before storming off. As began the process of picking up all the things she had knocked to the floor he sighed and muttered to himself.

"I hate her so much sometimes." 

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