“You nearly sent me reeling!” Bardon, the other Xianans, with brighter purple skin than Girrick, yelled at Karuk, backing up Resko.
Karuk stood up straighter as he unbuckled his uniform. “You didn’t listen.”
“I listened! You don’t listen!” Bardon cried, shoving him back.
The wall of anger hit him just a second before Bardon did. Karuk slammed against the wall of the airlock, his feet still tangled in the suit, magnetized, so he couldn't move his feet for the moment.
Everything hummed with pain before Karuk righted himself. Jerked off the rest of his suit, and took a breath.
They were ready to fight.
He brought up his hands to engage.
Bardon came at him.
Karuk was ready this time, and dodged the attack, twisting out of the way, and Bardon fumbled forward, catching himself on the wall.
He spun, and Resko jumped to his side.
The two felt like a wall of hate coming right at him. He shifted his position, aware of the exit that was being blocked by the other members of the team. The chamber gave very little space for a full physical fight.
Regardless of the space restraints, Karuk wasn’t letting anyone slam him into another wall.
“You don’t belong?—”
“Hey!” Came a voice from the other side of the chamber.
It was the foreman. His thick features, including his distinctive round nose, dominated the doorway. And he did not look happy at the moment. Tusks that Karuk didn’t realize he had appeared.
“He started it!” Bardon yelled.
“I don’t care who started it. Get out here! Knock this fodder off!”
The team lined up and started marching out of the tunnel.
Each one shoulder-shoving him, because he wasn’t in the line with the rest.
Cher, the female, glared at him. Again. “You’re in the way.”
Karuk stepped back, giving her, and the rest more space, and waited until they filed out before he left.
The foreman gestured for him to move along.
Karuk followed.
Just as he got back into the main part of the station, the foreman put his hand on his shoulder. “They’re just testing you.”
Karuk nodded. “Doesn’t feel like a test.”
“You’ll be fine.”
Karuk glanced at him. “Why are you encouraging me?”
“We need the help here.”
He didn’t believe him. “Don’t.”
“What?” The foreman asked.
