Cole stormed across the room, staring her straight in the face as he suddenly and quickly became very up close and personal with her. Nearly nose to nose he looked her directly in the eye with a kind of defiant rage.
His voice was harsh whisper, but as he spoke each word his voice almost trembled - as if he were struggling to contain them.
"Because there's gonna come a day, Shayl, that I'm going to be forced to climb into the cockpit with you on my wing, or vice versa. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow - but some day. And if you ain't got the guts, the reflexes or the balls to handle the ol' Serpent Seven, then I want to know before I find myself in the crossfire between the Colonial Fleet's supposed-best and some crazed frak-head looking to make a name for himself on the underside."
He took a breath, but he seemed almost to shake, "It's called getting to know your squad mates. Idle chit chat. Shooting the breeze. It's supposed to help build some trust - or didn't they teach you that in the sims, Ensign?"