Catch the Stars ||Keith Kogane||

43

The mission was supposed to be cut and dry. A simple scouting assignment to fill their time between training matches and, in Trip's case, between diplomacy lessons. It would only take a few days if they did everything right and didn't mess around.

But there's always the chance that you can come up against something unexpected when you're on the field. Surprises happen all the time, to every team. It doesn't matter how experienced you are or if you're the second in command, you're never truly prepared for everything.

Trip learned this the hard way. And she was reminded of it constantly. 

"It looks good from back here," Vlad says through their coms, "I doubt there's anything out there the four of us couldn't handle."

He was talking more to himself than to the rest of them. To make himself feel better about being one person short. Trip appreciated the commentary because it made her feel better about it too. But Haylie had been too sick to go with them. Her coughing and retching would have made her more of a problem than anything if she had followed them. Trip ordered her to stay at the ship, not budging even when she whined and stomped around like a toddler.

"Sure," She can hear Haron saying in the earpiece, "next drink after training says you just jinxed us."

Trip lifted a hand up to press the button, "I want in on that."

"Guys. Focus." Clara cut their bet short with her demand.

You would think she was in charge of the mission with how she acted. But she'd been that way since Trip had met her. Always wanting to be in the lead, to be in charge. It had probably physically hurt her to know that she would be taking orders from a kid like Trip, who she constantly tried to give "tips" to when they were stuck together on the field.

"Relax," Vlad tells his sister, "this isn't Zarkon we're going up against."

They had split up to take on the area they were approaching from different angles. Trip hadn't been thrilled about the idea of everyone being on their own, but they had to make up for being short a person. The woods were thick, like the ones at home, and getting a wider view of it now would help Olympian troops that would be landing in a few weeks.

"Just keep your head in the fight," Clara pushes, "and remember, we're just here to scout the area. Do not engage with any hostiles."

Trip frowns, stopping her walk through the trees mid-step, "Clara," she says with a hand pressed to her ear, "you like forgetting who's in charge, don't you?"

There's no response from the girl directly, just the snickers of the boys who always egged on their fighting. Trip was willing to bet another drink that she was cursing her out from her section of the woods, probably throwing in hand motions to make herself feel better.

The two had never gotten along. Clara was one of the many people in town who hated everything to do with the Galra. That meant she hated the blade as well, and everything they did. And what they did was save Trip and bring her to Olympia, triggering the events that led them to this moment. To her being bossed around by a teenager.

Vlad, however, was the exact opposite of his sister. He was ecstatic to have been chosen to be on the second's squad. The boy was constantly smiling and welcoming every newcomer to town that he came across. It was a shame that he was a few years older than her. Trip could've used him as a friend when she was fresh off the Blade's ship. But she was happy to have him as a friend now. He didn't care that she was only 16, he listened to her orders like she was already the commander.