The Wolf Pack

Chapter 77

Kriari was bored.

For the first time in her life, Commander Kriari Foreas was bored out of her fucking skull. There was a whole lot of sitting around and reading trade and cargo manifestos in the search for kidnapped beings. What was worse, Captain Price had informed them that after Soap passed out when they were first taken, the Trandoshan ship had made several other stops. and during one of them, they had caught Farah and Alex as well. So now they were reading intercepted messages and cargo manifestos from said Trandoshans in an effort to find not only the person they called Ghost -the irony of the name still amused Kriari-, but also Garrick, Farah and this Alex person.

She missed Wolffe, terribly too, which was not really helping in making her feel more at home. Art could only do so much when the rest of the growing crew knew each other as well as she and the clone did. She had the nagging feeling that when they outnumbered them, the distance would grow and clear lines would be drawn. She wasn't really looking forward to that. Not that she didn't want to help Soap and now Price, but something about well trained soldiers from an unknown planet, with not only years of experience but far more training than her and Art had combined was making her uneasy. She had to find a way to close the gaps and strengthen the bonds between all of them so that it wouldn't become an issue in the future.

Maybe asking them to train her... Or not, that would put them in a position of power and that she could not do. There was a semblance of authority she and Art had to maintain. Maybe an exchange of sorts? The wisdom of experience in exchange for knowledge of the galaxy? That could work, especially with how both her and Art had been trained. Kriari knew several languages and hundreds of planets' histories and politics, and Art was extremely well versed in all matters mechanical and regarding weaponry. Without them, Soap and company would not be able to fly the ship, let alone fix it if anything were to happen.

"Feeling homesick?"

The voice was not one she was used to, so it took all of Kriari's self control not to jump out of her skiing and consecutively kill Price where he stood.

"More like missing the amount of duties I had. picking through galactic records in search of a handful of people is a lot less exciting" I admitted as he sat opposite her at the common room's table.

"Ah yes, who wouldn't agree? I myself quite dread the paperwork to be honest, all these screens have started to hurt my eyes after some years..." He shared casually.

Kriari knew. Price was not here for small talk. He was too conditioned by his work, too used to finding the fastest most efficient route to his destination -and there was always a destination or a goal- to dally in pleasantries. Kriari knew, and so she waited. She knew the game, if she wanted the information, to know what Price wanted, she should never be the one to ask first. She had taken part in dick measuring contests before.

She had never lost.

Price was smiling softly, pleasantly as he looked into Kriari's bored, neutral expression. She had perfected this look after years of mission briefings with difficult leaders and winning every single staring contest with every small dicked man that dared question her, and there had been many.

"So you are that old, huh?" She teased, but she knew with every cell of her being, without needing to rely on the Force, that this man was dangerous, maybe even more so than Ventress.

"Laugh all you want, kid, I've heard it all, but there is still a reason why it's me that's the Captain and I assure you, it is not my age..."

Kriari nodded and acted dismissive, putting a sly smirk on her face that she knew would be perceived as sarcastic, pedantic almost. She didn't want to be this man's enemy, but she also wanted to get a measure of him. The amount of respect she would give and the consideration she'd have when he spoke would depend on that assessment.

Price simply stared and then smiled. But it did not reach his eyes.

"You've played the game before, and you're good at it, I'll give you that," he said calmly, softly, almost as if he was telling her a secret, "But you better not be a threat, Love, because I'd put a bullet in between your pretty, golden eyes before you could even think to hurt my team."

Kriari smiled. There it was.

"I was wondering what brought you here, but believe me Captain, I am not a threat to you or your team unless you force me to be one," she said pleasantly, with a sweet smile on her lips and the threat of suffering in her eyes, "and I do suggest you do not force me to be one, or I'd have to show you the true meaning of fear".

"There is little that phases me anymore, Love"

Kriari smiled and was honest for the first time in her life with herself and another being when she said:

"You have never met a Dark Side user".

***

"You need to talk to the general, Wolffe, this is getting ridiculous" Sketcher was reaching the limits of his patience with his brother. Sometimes, Wolffe could be a real dickhead, and without Kriari there, there hadn't been anyone to point it out because most of the crew just didn't want him to explode in their faces, "He did tell you who she was with and gave you a fucking lead on where to start looking, didn't he?"

"She tried to kill herself and he kept it from me for three months" answered his brother icily, with a finality that to someone else, would have indicated the end of the conversation.

"And what would you have done with that information huh? It's not like you can fix all of Kriari's problems!"

"She was doing better because I was there for her!"

"Do you hear yourself? You talk about this as if it were some sort of merit to take credit for her healing! Kriari is the only person capable of doing the work and heal herself. You and your dick won't do that, however magical you think it is"

Wolffe turned around in a blaze, his ego struck and his love and intentions for Kriari questioned had triggered him and a very deep, dark insecurity he held close to his heart ever since he met her. What if his feelings for her were fabricated? What if his intentions towards here had been implanted into his genes? What if he didn't truly love her?

Both his eyes held a dangerous glint that Sketcher tried hard not to flinch from. Wolffe looked livid as he had ever seen him. He had seen the man worried, annoyed, in love, concerned, confused and shining with pride. But he had never seen Wolffe as angry as he was now, as if something Sketcher had said had hit the mark, truly struck him.

Wolffe did not speak, he was trying to restrain himself, Sketcher noticed, and that scared him the most. He knew, deep inside him, that Wolffe would hurt him if it meant he got to keep Kriari safe in the end, and if calling Wolffe out on his dickhead tendencies somehow became an obstacle in his search for that goal, he would not hesitate to eliminate him.

"Careful now," Wolffe said in the end, with a wicked smile and manic eyes, "I have my limits too, brother".