The Dark Edge Chronicles - Clan War

Spooks

It took a good hour to go through the plan he had hammered out for the operation, and then another fifteen spent answering questions before Lash was finally allowed to slip free of the lilith squad and make his way back onto the flight deck.

"Well played, boss," Narcist quietly complimented as he dropped into the pilot's seat once again. "It was the perfect blend of alpha prime power, and emotional vulnerability to get them to see past their own emotional blinders and buy into your plan."

"Aye," Truk said as he looked up from the controls. "I agree, just without all that emotional stuff. I think you headed off a crisis."

"I hope so," Lash said sincerely. "I just told the truth that was in my heart. I'm just glad it was something they were willing to listen to and I didn't get a knife in the ribs." He then let his eyes also scan across the readouts and displays. It didn't take him long to be satisfied with what he was seeing.

"Looks like we're on target. Sixty two minutes to Halle." He stood once more. "I think it'll be prudent to make myself available for the next sixty to our liliths."

As the two Ventru nodded in agreement, Lash once more made his way back into the passenger bay. This time, however, he wasn't immediately swarmed. With a slight smile of satisfaction on his lips at seeing the liliths working on their armor and gear, or discussing one point or another of the plan Fiadh had explained for them, he angled towards the galley.

Warming up some 'O' negative from the cooler, and grabbing a protein bar, he found a seat near the back of the empty eating space knowing full well he wouldn't be alone for long. And, as soon as his buttocks hit the chair, Isla stepped into the galley, followed by Cassie, the two immediately making a line straight to him.

"Ladies," he greeted them before taking a sip of the body-temperature blood that he had decanted into a mug.

"Lash," Isla said with a hint of anxiousness as she sat beside him, Cassie on the other. "We were hoping for some pre-battle tricks to calm the jitters."

"I haven't even gotten into a fight on the playground as a child," Cassie confessed, looking fierce with her Maori tattoos, but sounding anything but.

"Mmm," Lash said, taking another long swallow from his mug to wash down a bite of the protein bar. "I like to have a nap before the fighting begins."

"A ... nap?" Isla repeated. "Like in a bed? Alone?"

"Generally. A soldier never knows how long they will be asked to carry on fighting. Sometimes a battle stretches into days, and even weeks. So they sleep and eat whenever they can, usually in place, after gulping down as much food as possible, as quickly as possible, without getting sick."

"But there's only an hour before the fight begins," Isla pointed out.

"True," Lash admitted, finishing off the protein bar before draining the last of the blood in the mug. "Just remember, only the direst of circumstances will result in you having to fight. For the better part of this encounter, you'll be staying aboard Nighthawk Three in an overwatch position. Outside of that, focus on the little things. Like getting your armor on. Checking your Stinger. Making sure you know your role down to the letter. Then go over them again."

He stood to walk to the auto-washer and slid his mug inside before discarding the bar's wrapper. When he turned away from the disposal, Isla was nearly right on top of him, Cassie beside her.

"Are you sure we can't just take a nap together?" she asked. "You can have Cassie and I both at once!"

A slight smile touched Lash's lips at the suggestion.