Chapter 57: Admit it?
Nox knew being rude to them was not going to work. He looked at their faces and saw nothing but stubborn resolve. ’This isn’t working,’ he thought, ’yelling at them is like yelling at a brick wall.’ Kendra was still talking, her hands on her hips as her voice got louder.
"So you’re just gonna walk off? After everything we did? What about the party, huh?"
He needed a new plan. He had to get them to stay put without another big fight. He couldn’t just tell them they were weak, because that would just make Kendra want to prove him wrong.
’Okay, think. What do they want to hear?’ He remembered what Auraelia’s message had said about them trusting him. He had to use that.
He held up a hand. Kendra actually stopped talking, surprised by the gesture. "It’s not that I’m ditching you," he started, his voice was different now, more serious. "It’s the opposite, actually."
Kendra squinted at him. "The opposite? What’s that supposed to mean?"
"This mission... it’s going to take me out of the city," he explained, looking from one to the other. "I don’t know for how long. While I’m gone, someone needs to be here, holding things down." He paused for a moment. "Someone needs to build something. And I can’t do both at once."
Yeda tilted her head, looking confused. "Building something? You mean like, with hammers and stuff?"
"No," he said, shaking his head. "I’m talking about a base. An organization. A place where we can all gather information and get stronger." He leaned in a little, his voice dropping. "This world is a mess, and it’s only going to get worse. We need a headquarters, a place that’s ours."
Vasa’s expression shifted just a little. "A forward operating base," she stated, her voice even. "That is a logical and strategically sound objective."
"Exactly," he said, pointing at Vasa. "But I can’t be the one to build it. I have to go deal with this other thing." He made sure to look at each of them. "So I need you guys to do it for me. For us."