Saying Goodbye
*On the corrie landing pad, seconds after touchdown*
Bite: Dank farrik, I do not remember larty landings being this rough...
Hssiss: Aw, vod'ika, the landing wasn't any rougher than to be expected. You're just feeling them more. You could have strapped in, you know?
Bite: Not a chance, I haven't needed to strap in for a landing since that drop where a seppie EMP took out our systems, and Switch nearly sent us into a mountain.
Switch, from the pilots seat: Hey! We agreed that the mountain wasn't my fault! And anyway, my landing was perfect.
Hssiss: Sure, vod, perfect.
Switch: Bastard...
Manda, Bite was going to miss his vode. The brass wouldn't let the rest of his squad escort him to the surface, so only Hssiss as his corporal and Switch as pilot were given clearance to say goodbye to him. He knew from experience that his squad rarely ever got shore leave, so it would most likely be a long time before he saw them again. As the LAAT/s door started to lower, the finality of it all hit Bite like a speeder.
Bite: You're going to visit me, right? You will still have my comm code too, and I know that you di'kut'e can use a comm and-
Hssiss: Bite, vod'ika, breathe. Yes, we will visit you. Yes, we will comm. We couldn't stop Atin if we tried, you know that. You are going to be ok, Bite, Commander Blackout said, so remember.
Bite: Yeah, I remember.
Switch: It will be ok, Ori'vod! You'll see!
Oh, how Bite hopes Switch is right.