Private In Dreams

[Gailen Keldau]

ACKLAY
EN ROUTE | MANDALORE
TAG: Yael Kandar
GEAR: In bio

BLOOD​

What a nightmare.

The war effort had been going well against the Alliance. But it had come at a cost. With most of them on the frontlines, there weren't many on the homefront. All the critters that had been driven out so diligently, had crept back into Enclave territory. They were pulled back to deal with it. Gailen suspected the Guildmaster had a hefty say in that. Kranak wouldn't have yielded otherwise. Not with the momentum they had.

But that wasn't what weighed so heavily on the Keldau.

What had happened on Kiffu all those months ago had chipped away at his usual level head. Yael had come back, crippled by a man who Gail now hated with all of his being - the spawn of the man responsible for the fall of Mandalore.

Casualties happen in battle - it was an integral part of it. Gailen had made his peace with it long ago and accepted it as a daily. But when it touched your heart, it was different. Something inside his girl had snapped and for that, the child of one of the most ancient of Clans in existence would never stop until that Jetii no longer breathed.

Whenever he was home, he'd devote his time to Yael. It tore him apart to see her like that, but they made it work. Even went to Zeltros together with the others to take a breather from death and destruction. Had fun, despite the wheelchair.

But even those small pockets of happiness didn't last.

He had been on Lyran, rooting out some more scumbags, when it had happened. He had known that she was on Kamino to see if the doctors there could get her to walk again. But when he got home after a hard campaign against some mercs, he learned from her father that she had fallen into a coma while she was there.

The news shattered his world. When he was not wearing out the threshold of the hospital wing on Kamino to see for himself if she had woken up, he was in the tavern back home. When he wasn't there, he was giving new meaning to the ruthlessness of Clan Keldau on the battlefield. Every petty criminal or minor Sith hiding out in the territory, carried the face of the man that had caused all of this. It did something to your being, watching your loved ones suffer daily and there's nothing you can do about it. You could be the Galaxy's best warrior or hold all the power, but when something you can't fight destroyed all you hold dear, all that power and strength gets stripped away.

You become nothing.

News this time came from one of his Karjr buddies that had recently returned from Tatooine. Yael was there? How? Confusion...questions wracked him apart. If her father had known about the discharge, he would have told Gailen. Their initial meeting had been rocky at best. The Keldau knew he had a reputation, so the old Karjr definitely knew that too and didn't let him forget it. But, somehow, with all the turmoil surrounding the one they both loved, they found trust in one another and even friendship in a way. Gailen couldn't fathom why neither of them knew that she had woken up and had been discharged.

He needed answers, at least.

Mouse had never flown so fast before to reach the desert planet, only for them to be too late. The hangar attendant at the spaceport told them that she had just left with some others on their way to Mandalore.

The basilisk's hyperdrive once again strained at the seams to reach them before they reach their destination.
://: I'm getting a reading for a ship carrying a Concordian code. Could this be them? Want me to drop into their tail? ://: asked Mouse after a while.
Gailen almost gave the word to just drop out like a bat out of Haran, but reined himself in just in time. No use doing something stupid and getting everyone killed unnecessarily.
"Wait, make contact with them first." he said in resignation.
Mouse did as he asked and a few seconds later a communication line was open. Gailen took a deep breath to steady himself.
<Su cuy'gar, Vod. Alor'ad Gailen Keldau, seeking permission to dock with a basilisk starship. I wish to speak to one of your passengers.> he said through the comms. He did feel the need to clarify one detail, however.

<I come in peace.>

 

[Yael Kandar]

AFTER HOURS

~just pretend that I'm in the dark~

TAG: Gailen Keldau
GEAR: In bio

​

EN ROUTE | MANDALORE

...

...

...

“Yael? Hey, it’s alright, it’s just a dream…”

Where am I? The lights are too bright to see, to the point of abhorrent pain. It aches all over my head; eyes, ears, brain, down my spine to the tailbone. My heart is beating a couple of dozen beats more than it should. It’s cold too, I can feel goosebumps all over my skin, hairs up on alert, yet in contrasting fashion, my sleeping garments are drenched in sweat.

The goosebumps intensified as I felt a hand caressing my back. I can’t help but squirm at the touch, a gesture which they realized quickly, and into a profuse apology.

I’m on a ship, I slowly recall. A ship to Mandalore. With two Bounty Hunters, no… followers, I found on Tatooine. Hera, the girlfriend, the sniper, sitting across from me.

She didn’t ask too many questions, instead offering to fix me dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast. Time doesn’t exist anymore when you are a God. Theron also joined us on the table, leaving the ship on auto-pilot. Besides a couple quips, it was rather a quiet meal. Unlike the previous ones. We had our share of laughs, perhaps Hera is still trying to grasp what she just witnessed. A scared and scarred animal.

Fear is the mind killer.

Silent… until an incoming comms came to save the day.

<Su cuy'gar, Vod. Alor'ad Gailen Keldau, seeking permission to dock with a basilisk starship. I wish to speak to one of your passengers.> he said through the comms.

That’s his voice, but different. There’s a certain node of pain and weariness, perhaps even bitterness lingering between the frigid, practiced words. That’s Gailen Keldau’s voice, the gallant man who saved the young, overzealous Yael Kandar once amidst the fire and blood on Rishi. The charming man who swayed me with his ravishing locks, devilish smile, and sweet, sweet words. The devoted man who I share my heart and love with. He sounds different now, but that doesn’t take away even just a little bit. My heart still thumps as intense as it did when he kissed me for the first time, illuminated by the Moon’s silver light reflections on the riverbank of the Da’lepar Valley.

And that pains me even more to do what have to be done.

I gave a signal to Theron, asking to take over the comms. I took my Buy’ce off, letting my raw, unfiltered voice out, words leaving my mouth.

”Su cuy’gar, cyar'ika…”, those words were subconsciously left hanging, inviting Gailen to once again reunite with his lover.

​

 

[Gailen Keldau]

ACKLAY
EN ROUTE | MANDALORE
TAG: Yael Kandar
GEAR: In bio

GLASS HEART​

”Su cuy’gar, cyar'ika…”

That voice.

Those words.

Emotions warred within him for a minute, striking him dumb. The relief of hearing her clashed with the betrayal of her just vanishing without a word to her loved ones. The hurt of not being trusted enough to know what she was doing.

"Sorry for not trusting you earlier."

How hollow that apology of long ago sounds now.

He tore apart the jaws he didn't realise he'd been clenching.
<I assume that's permission to dock then.> he said flatly before severing comms. He drew in a shaking breath before releasing it again.
://: Gailen? ://:
The Keldau didn't know it was possible for a droid to sound concerned, but there it was in Mouse's questioning word.
"Let's drop out and dock with them, buddy." he said hoarsely.
He could almost hear the droid thinking before doing his rider's bidding.

Few moments later, Mouse was latched onto the side of the ship.
://: Don't tear yourself to pieces, Gail. Leave if that's what's going to happen. ://: the basilisk told him as he got out. Despite all their bickering on better days, the two were thick as thieves.
"Thanks, buddy." he said before disappearing into the hallway.

It was the longest walk of his life. The ship wasn't that big and the living area not that far, but it took him forever to reach it. Stalling. Not sure how he would react if he actually saw her. Trying to keep himself together and not shatter to pieces. But he reached it far too soon. Reached the doorway. Stood there for a moment, regarding what used to be his lover sitting at strangers' table.
"Yael." His voice was hollow, face empty.

He couldn't make any more words come out.

 

[Yael Kandar]

AFTER HOURS

~just pretend that I'm in the dark~

TAG: Gailen Keldau
GEAR: In bio

EN ROUTE | MANDALORE

"Yael." His voice was hollow, face empty.

Oh, how much the hollowness in Gailen's voice shattered my heart. I know, from the moment that I heard his voice, that I have to be prepared to face him, to face the fact that I, once again like I once did, left him in the dark. He wasn’t supposed to know, at the very least he wasn’t supposed to know my whereabouts. Yet it didn’t change the fact that he’s here, speechlessly standing right across the table. His face pale; almost certainly tired, perhaps exasperated. His voice, there is no word but hollow to explain it. It ruptured me deep in my soul, and I don’t even want to imagine what he feels at this moment.

The wait for him docking Mouse and making his way to the living area did buy me some time, yet in those times I couldn’t do anything to help face my fear. Of losing him.

Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.

Walking towards him, careful enough to not startle him, yet quick enough so he wouldn’t be able to elude before our eyes make contact, I closed the distance between us so that we were standing toe-to-toe, and we could feel each other’s breaths and hear each other’s heartbeats.

In this moment of weakness, I can’t even think of the two companions I have on the table.

Oh how much I want to get lost in his solemn brown eyes, to taste his lips on mine, to rest my forehead on his, to take a moment to rest. To heal. Just spending my whole life with him, two kids and a rustic cottage on Kestri. Him teaching foundlings the way of Mandalore, me spending my life in service of the Mandokarla. Such is a dream of a vod. A fairy tale that just isn’t possible for our people. Not in our lifetime.

As hard as my heart beats for him, as much as my eyes want to betray my posture, as much as my emotions want to betray my resolve, I must push forward. I regret I did not confine Gailen in on my decision, but it’s not a reason to stop.

I still have to make it to Mandalore. Alone.

“Gailen, my love.” I glanced back to his eyes after a few seconds of lingering looks on his shoulders, saying as few words as possible to mask the anguish in my soul.

​

 

[Gailen Keldau]

ACKLAY
EN ROUTE | MANDALORE
TAG: Yael Kandar
GEAR: In bio

GLASS HEART​

He couldn't move.

Even if he wanted to. Running had never been part of his vocabulary. It didn't exist in his Clan, it didn't exist in him. Face your fears, lest they destroy you. Did he fear this discussion? Perhaps a little. This woman had tamed him. Had gripped him with her entire being and had settled him in such a way that no other woman had enjoyed even the slightest of his attention in any way. Not even on Zeltros.

She was the only one who had captured his heart.

He watched her approach him like he was a skittish horse. Perhaps that's what he looked like. If he'd been anyone else, he probably would have bolted. But the blood of the ancients coursed through his veins. Him staying put would probably mean his death one day.

He knew there was a very real, however slight, chance that he could lose the person he held most dear. How he wished it hadn't come to this. How he wished that they could return to that moonkissed riverbank right in this moment. When things were more simple. No war with the Alliance. No Jedi taking everything away from them.

And then she was there, in front of him.

So close, he could feel her breath, the warmth of her body, her smell. It nearly broke him. His hand involuntarily lifted as if to take her in his arms. But he caught himself, hand curling into a fist before lowering back to his side.

“Gailen, my love.”

He remained still, eyes closing briefly, trying to stem the emotion that threatened to spill over. Then he opened them to look past his greatest weakness to her companions still at the table.
"Could you...give us some privacy please?" he asked them, heart beating like a thunderous drum.
The man nodded once before both of them disappeared into the cockpit.

Gailen then looked back down at Yael, emotions cycling through his eyes for a moment. He saw many thoughts reflected in her own. She had never been conventional. That's what drew him to her. She had an exceptional will. As he got to know her, had grown to love her, he learned to give her space when she needed it. Probably only her family could claim to know her better than he did. It wasn't easy, sometimes, being the one who held Yael Kandar's heart.

Looking at her now, the love he held for her was no less than ever before. The relief that she was standing again, that she was awake again, was great. He had questions - confusion that needed clarification. But in that moment, standing so close to her, emotional weariness overwhelmed him, broke his resolve. A long sigh left his body before he leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers, giving in to the fatigue.
"I...missed you." The soft words left him before he could stop them, the weary silence broken.

He let out another sigh before stepping back and turning away, running a hand over his tired face. He rested his hands on his hips as he gazed at the wall for a moment, collecting himself once more. He needed to soldier through.

"You know why I'm here." he finally said, turning to face her once more. "Does trust mean so little to you? To do it again? And this time, you included your family, your father, in your distrust." He shook his head. "Why, Yael? Why couldn't we at least greet you back into the land of the living before you took off?" He wanted to tell her that he had almost lost her, that he'd almost lost himself, that he had spent every moment he could spare at her side, waiting for her to wake up. But he couldn't reveal that vulnerability. Not in these uncertain waters they were in now.

"Do we mean so little to you?" was the question instead.

 

[Yael Kandar]

AFTER HOURS

~just pretend that I'm in the dark~

TAG: Gailen Keldau
GEAR: In bio

EN ROUTE | MANDALORE

"I...missed you." The soft words left him before he could stop them, the weary silence broken.

My heart shattered to pieces hearing his defeated words betraying his resolve. Feeling his forehead on mine. His long, trembling sigh in my ears. His drumming chest against mine. So close, so divine. What have I done in my past life to deserve such a sincere man?

More than anything in the world.

Words left unsaid, for my body cannot express how much I miss him without letting my last line of defense crumble. Instead, a deep sigh shakily leaving through my nose. And my eyes closed. And my mind in an imaginary life I made for the two of us. An escape from the truth standing in front of me. What has he done in his past life to deserve such a wretched woman?

I lifted my hand to cup his cheeks, to feel him, to lean on him as my last resort. Yet he was faster to turn away.

Don't leave, it's my fault.

And he was faster to turn back and asked the question.

"Do we mean so little to you?" was the question instead.

I knew that it would come to this. That he would ask the question. But that didn't prepare me for anything. Because the truth is…

"The truth is, I was scared, Gail…"

Fear is the mind killer.

"I was scared that I would have backed off from doing what needed to be done if I saw you, Dad, Emam, or Mevia beforehand."

Half-truth. I don't know who to trust, not my family, not the Gods, not even myself.

"I didn't contact you, because…"

I'm selfish. I know what's best for myself. I didn't want to be stopped. I didn't want to hurt you. I failed to face my fear.

"I was scared because at that moment my faith was so little, and I felt so small…"

I can only feel the tears that had silently drenched my face from the moment that Gailen had turned his face from me. The tears that I've tried my hardest to hold ever since I heard his voice on the comms, for the very first time in months. The tears that brought with the pain of missing him, of hurting him, but also the terror and the horror left buried in the shallow graves on Kiffu.

Not my hands, not my legs, not even the rest of my head. I just stood still. Reddening eyes fixated on him but staring at nothing. A mind begging to be left alone. A heart yearning to be loved. A soul screaming to be saved.

​

 

[Gailen Keldau]

ACKLAY
EN ROUTE | MANDALORE
TAG: Yael Kandar
GEAR: In bio

HOLD ON FOR YOUR LIFE​

"The truth is, I was scared, Gail…"

The words pulled at his heart.

He looked at her then. Really looked at her as she spoke and the last wall of defence crumbled into dust. She looked so lost. So fragile. So begging for a safe haven without ever saying it. He knew her too well.

Gailen closed the distance with two steps, his arms around her before either of them could talk themselves out of it. He just pulled her against him and just held her for a moment, his chin resting on her head.

Eventually, he pulled back just enough to look into her eyes.
"You don't ever have to be scared with me, cyar'ika. You should know that by now." he told her, tucking a stray lock behind her ear. "I can't speak for your family, but you know I wouldn't stop you from whatever you need to do. I'd help you instead." He pulled her closer again. "I love you far too much to ever stand in your way, Yael."

He stepped back, giving her her space. She got ornery if cuddled too long.
"What is it that you need to do that couldn't wait?" he asked her. He felt exhausted after the emotional rollercoaster, but strangely relieved to now have given in to his heart. But he still needed to know why they were kept in the dark. What could be so important that she couldn't see them first? He just hoped she'd actually tell the truth.

"Please don't push me away again."

 

[Yael Kandar]

AFTER HOURS

~just pretend that I'm in the dark~

TAG: Gailen Keldau
GEAR: In bio

EN ROUTE | MANDALORE

Gailen pulled me into his embrace, and that was just what I needed to break away from the almos imminent downward spiral. It's like all of the sudden he is him and I am me and we are back on Kestri, spending every possible moment together, in between trainings and the war councils.

The time when the enemy was unambiguous and the dream was shared by a strong, united Enclave.

In moments like this I remember my family; Dad and Emam, my day ones. I remember Mevia, the best friend I could've asked for, I remember Dima, Reggie, and Celt, Rhys and Sahan, even Elise. I remember the Wardog and the tales of the Quartermaster, and I remember, despite everything, our heroic leaders; Uncle Vren, Jorhaar'ir Runi, and Akaan'alor Kranak.

But most of all I yearn for my home, Gailen Keldau. The blessed man that is both my rock and my biggest weakness.

How I wish that we're wearing normal clothes, or nothing at all, so that my head could rest on his collarbones, so I could feel his heart thumping on my cheek, so I could let my tears drenched his body. Instead it's the cold Beskar'gam, leaving me yearning for any form of comfortable heat.

Yet he pulled back and instead captured me with his gleamy stare.

"You don't ever have to be scared with me, cyar'ika. You should know that by now." he told her, tucking a stray lock behind her ear.

Oh how I wish that you know how hard these past months have been for me, how the lost time and memories are replaced by a stinging burn of sehnsucht. The agony over anything and everything. The visions and nightmares taking turns possessing my sleep.

"I can't speak for your family, but you know I wouldn't stop you from whatever you need to do. I'd help you instead."

How painful it is to tell him that he can't help, that this journey is for me and myself alone.

He pulled her closer again. "I love you far too much to ever stand in your way, Yael."

"Gailen…"

"What is it that you need to do that couldn't wait?" he asked her.

How much I wish that this moment could last for eternity, that I could just be his and not the Divine Figure leading my people into glory.

So, instead of answering him, I pulled him close and captured his lips with mine. Yearning. Claiming. Ravaging.

"Gailen… can I just be yours for tonight."

I whispered to his ear. If the answer has always been within me all along, then I need to surrender myself to my deepest desire. To let go you have to give in, and to give in you have to let go.

"I will tell you everything… but right now I just need this… I need you…"

Because who knows if this is going to be the last time. If he leaves after I told him the truth. If the Gods decided to take me away from him, from the world. If I ended up on a path that took me away, from everything that I was, to everything that I meant to be.

​

 

[Gailen Keldau]

ACKLAY
EN ROUTE | MANDALORE
TAG: Yael Kandar
GEAR: In bio

HOLD ON FOR YOUR LIFE​

Her answer wasn't exactly expected.

It captured him, starting to chip away at the last of his resolve. It was heavenly, giving in to the moment, savouring her touch, her smell, her taste. To hold her again after months of watching her still form, wishing she would come back to him. The exhaustion of months of anger, hate, worry and loss released into answering her longing with his own.

"Gailen… can I just be yours for tonight."

The words warred within him. He wanted nothing more than to just have the moment last. To forget the hurt, the abandonment, the confusion. To just be with the woman that had wholly tamed him. That had captured his heart. Had become home to him.

But that small part of him couldn't just let go.

He broke the kiss, withdrawing just enough to rest his forehead against hers with a sigh.
"Yael..." he started.

"I will tell you everything… but right now I just need this… I need you…"

Gailen sighed again, but didn't move away. Couldn't let her go again. His exhausted mind couldn't fight anymore, but still wanted answers.
"Swear it." he said softly. "Swear on the Manda you'd tell me. Please." Mortal promises could be broken, like she had when she had, once again, left him in the dark. But he knew she wouldn't dare break word with the Ancient Ones.

If she did, something was seriously wrong.

He deeply hoped she'd confide in him this time. If he couldn't be at her side for some reason, he could at least put things in place to not let her get electrocuted or killed. He wouldn't survive another case like that. It already almost snapped something inside of him. To have her here now, so close he could still see the droplets from the tears in her lashes, he couldn't let go again.

Please don't leave me in the cold.

 

[Yael Kandar]

AFTER HOURS

~just pretend that I'm in the dark~

TAG: Gailen Keldau
GEAR: In bio

EN ROUTE | MANDALORE

"Swear it." he said softly. "Swear on the Manda you'd tell me. Please."

I took a deep breath and sighed at his request. I don't even know where shall I start the story. The visions or the nightmares. The background or the endgame. Which version of Half-truths to keep him close, to keep his trust.

"I swear…"

I took his hands on mine, caressing him under my thumbs, eyes shut.

"on the Manda…"

And Kad Ha’rangir and Hod Ha’ran. A promise in the name of the Old Gods and the New. A promise in the name of my love for this man. For my home. The one I will kill for, the one I will die for.

"I will tell you everything, what happened, what will happen."

And so I took his hand and dragged him to my chamber, wasting no time to take him as mine, at least for the night.

——​

It's the first sleep I had since waking up from my coma that wasn't possessed by prophetic visions or macabre nightmares. On the nape of my neck I could feel Gailen's soft breath. So pure. So serene. I can't help but wonder how much he is masking from me, the pain and struggle that he tries to hide.

Last night he showed some, how my situation and subsequent disappearance affected him, and later on how much he missed me. But I can't know for sure, how he really is, and how he will digest the information that I'm going to tell him.

I have to know.

Slipping past him and out of the bed wasn't a challenge. I've done it dozens of times, along with cutesy notes and whatnot. Yet seeing him in his sleep, imagining what his first reaction will be waking up to an empty bed, that makes me nauseous. I had to grasp on my last line of resolve to not kiss him, waking him up, and just get down with it. But this has to be done.

So I quietly left my chamber, still in my disheveled pajamas, dragging my half asleep body to the ship's dock, to Gailen's closest confidant.

"Hey Mouse…"

I walked in slowly, not to startle the idle Basilisk.

"Been a while since, you know…"

It brought back the memories of the war and our life beforehand. Mouse has been the ever-present witness to our relationship. The dates and the battles, the heated arguments and the passionate touches, the happiness and griefs we shared.

Mouse knows Gailen, the real him, behind the mask of a charismatic player and ardent soldier. He probably hates me for making Gailen feel the way he does. I would hate myself too in that position.

It wouldn't surprise me if he chose to explode at me, displaying his disgust over how I've been acting. And that would break me to pieces. Yet I have to know. I have to ask him the question. I have to face my fear.

"How is Gailen? Truly?"

​

 

[Gailen Keldau]

ACKLAY
EN ROUTE | MANDALORE
TAG: Yael Kandar
GEAR: In bio

HOLD ON FOR YOUR LIFE​

It didn't go as bad as he thought, then.

Gailen didn't come back, so the basilisk assumed that they were staying the night. Mouse would have known if it turned into a bloodbath. He was linked to Gail's vitals after all. So the droid had settled in for the night, recharging. Thankfully he was left alone.

For the most part, anyway.

It was still early. Too early for the organics on the ship. But somehow, one had made it down here.

"Hey Mouse…"

The basilisk lifted his head, regarding the cause of this turmoil for a while. He had always enjoyed her company. He'd almost grown as protective of her as he was of Gailen. He did it because his rider cared more for her than for himself.

But when he had to choose, he would always choose Gailen.

://: Yael. ://: came the droid's rumbling monotone. ://: You are up early. ://:

"How is Gailen? Truly?"

Mouse regarded her a moment before deploying, rising up to his full height. Just as fast, he lowered his head with a growl, the rotary cannon whirring in her face, even though it never primed.
://: If you run again or push him away after I tell you, I will shoot you down myself and pick up the pieces of his shattered soul alone afterward. ://: he rumbled in her face before rising up to his full height again. She'd know he wasn't kidding. She had seen him in action on countless occasions. Knew that he would do everything in his power to protect his rider. And that power was immense.

://: He is a mess. The only times I read him as sober was when we were flying to Kamino. To you. I will not relay the mileage he put on me, travelling to that planet. For him to just sit there, hoping you would wake up. ://: he finally told her. ://: We hardly ever spoke. He barely ate. I just flew him back and forth. When he wasn't with you, he was killing every opposition to the Enclave in sight while in a drunken stupor. You disappearing like you did, changed him. It was as if he became the droid and I became the organic. ://: It made the basilisk bristle, recounting the months of turmoil Gailen went through. The amount of times he had to carry the Alor'ad back home from the tavern because the man couldn't even walk. The rotary whirred again. He had been tasked by his previous rider, Gailen's father, to look after his child. Rhed Keldau made sure the programming could not be overwritten. Mouse would keep to that programming until the day he got permanently shut down.

://: Hurt him again, Yael, and I will be forced to take you out. ://:

He had needed it.

The night had been a release from the emotional prison he hadn't realised he had been in for months. To let go of the pain, the anger, the sadness, the longing. To just hold onto the love. It was like a mountain had lifted from his shoulders.

He was fast asleep when she left him in the morning. Like so many times before, he hadn't felt her leave the bed, but this time there was no note. No trail to follow. It was the cold, the emptiness, next to him that woke him and no message of "I'm in the kitchen." It made him realise once more that nothing from the night before had been resolved. It still stretched like an ever-growing chasm between them.

Gailen wasn't sure how much more of it he could deal with.

With a sigh, he got up and slowly got dressed. No use rushing. What was to happen, would happen regardless. He finally donned his beskar'gam. It was looser than usual. The straps were on their last holes. Soon, he would have to add more to be able to tighten it more. Either that or see Kranak or another medic about the continuous weight loss.

Later.

It was when he picked up his helmet that he heard it. The muffled comms could be heard. The Keldau frowned before putting on the helmet to hear better. The only one linked to his armour indefinitely, was Mouse, so why would the droid be contacting him?

://: Hurt him again, Yael, and I will be forced to take you out. ://:
Gail's blood went cold. That wasn't good. He yanked off the helmet before rushing from the room and toward the dock. Had the droid forgotten that he was still linked to the comms system? Was Gailen supposed to hear that? Either way, he couldn't let it devolve further.

Bursting into the area, he held up his hands, looking at both Mouse at his full height and Yael looking frail and small in her pj's on the ground.

"What in Haran is going on here?"

 

[Yael Kandar]

AFTER HOURS

~just pretend that I'm in the dark~

TAG: Gailen Keldau
GEAR: In bio

EN ROUTE | MANDALORE

://: If you run again or push him away after I tell you, I will shoot you down myself and pick up the pieces of his shattered soul alone afterward. ://: he rumbled in her face before rising up to his full height again.

To say that Mouse was furious is an understatement. I've never seen him show his emotions like this before. His stature completely dwarfed me, now lying on the ground, and for a moment he sounded like an organic. More than Gailen did, even. Rotary cannon on my face and he wouldn't even need that. A big slap would end my defenseless body all the same. Maybe this is the end.

://: He is a mess. The only times I read him as sober was when we were flying to Kamino. To you. I will not relay the mileage he put on me, travelling to that planet. For him to just sit there, hoping you would wake up. ://: he finally told her. ://: We hardly ever spoke. He barely ate. I just flew him back and forth. When he wasn't with you, he was killing every opposition to the Enclave in sight while in a drunken stupor. You disappearing like you did, changed him. It was as if he became the droid and I became the organic. ://:

"Oh, Gailen…"

I expected that me disappearing would've had that effect on him, but I have no idea that my condition also did. I didn't know that he had spent that much time beside me, waiting for a miracle. And I didn't even bother to ask, because to me it just made perfect sense that he wasn't by my side when I woke up, probably on a mission somewhere. Because that's who we are. Enclave's crème de la crème, only war and glory in our mind.

I would react the same way Mouse did if someone hurt Gailen that way. The same way I did. It would make my blood boil and I would hate their gut. I would hunt them til the end of the galaxy. And that's what makes me so scared of my feelings for him.

Last night really sparked all of it back inside of me. No matter how much I want to lie to myself, that I'm made for something much better, that I am the one whom my tribe is going to rally behind, that I am the one that's going to bring glory back to the tribe of Mandalore, I would throw all of that in a heartbeat for Gailen. That no matter how high my dreams are and how great I am destined to be, with Gailen I am happy. I feel at peace.

Is it even possible to come to terms with such juxtaposition, to balance between what I need to be and what I truly wanted.

://: Hurt him again, Yael, and I will be forced to take you out. ://:

I don't want to but it just feels like an inevitability.

The cold and intense stare-down between me and Mouse's cannon is suddenly interrupted by rapid clanking footsteps, getting closer and closer.

"What in Haran is going on here?"

Oh crap. It's Gailen, standing right in front of what seems to be a violent encounter. This is not a good look. To make it worse, Hera and Theron did pick up the noise and are now also involved in the altercation.

"Get that cannon out of her face or I'll shoot your master!"

Hera shouted at Mouse, her blaster pistol planted on Gailen’s neck. This could get really ugly, real fast. Gailen could eliminate the two bounty hunters, then what? That wouldn't achieve anything, just him killing two vode and the guilt that's going to haunt him the rest of his life. Or Hera does shot Gailen and Mouse would eradicate the whole ship. So many horrible outcomes just from a simple miscommunication.

So, with my dried out voice and remaining energy, I pleaded everyone not to do anything stupid.

"Calm down, okay. Everything's alright. Just two old friends catching up with life."

​

 

[Gailen Keldau]

ACKLAY
EN ROUTE | MANDALORE
TAG: Yael Kandar
GEAR: In bio

WEAPONS OF WAR​

Things escalated out of his control.

Gailen had barely interrupted what was definitely a primed topic for Mouse, when he felt the barrel of a gun against his neck. The Keldau wasn't one of the greatest warriors in the Enclave just because of his name. He had earned it well over. He could take out this woman without even trying, but what would that achieve? Him either subduing or killing a fellow Mando'ad for no reason other than a misunderstanding.

But Mouse was a different story. The already upset basilisk's photoreceptors flashed red as the rotary actually primed up in the direction of the women with a weapon against his rider, a yellow hue filling all six barrels. Gailen knew he wouldn't hurt Yael without true reason, but the change to the basilisk now, was instantaneous. It could turn ugly quicker than someone could blink.
"Stand down, Mouse!" the Alor'ad said, holding out a halting hand toward his droid while staying completely still with the blaster to his neck.
://: Gailen...://: his companion growled, squaring into a firing stance that Gailen knew so well.

"Calm down, okay. Everything's alright. Just two old friends catching up with life."

Gailen kept his eyes on Mouse while Yael spoke, knowing full well where the danger really was. This bounty-hunting woman had never seen a basilisk in action, or she wouldn't have done what she did. He just hoped she had enough presence of mind to listen to Yael. Trusting the love of his life to handle her companions, he only spoke to the one who could pull the entire ship apart.
"It's fine, Mouse. Really. Go back to idle. I'll handle this." he said, still holding a calming hand out to his life-long friend.
Mouse's red photoreceptors regarded him for a moment, a rumbling growl emanating from the droid, before the yellow hue subsided from the barrels and his robotic gaze returned to electric blue. The large, menacing posture of the basilisk returned to a more normal one before he folded down to the ground again, idle but still keeping an eye on everyone.

Gailen finally felt the barrel leave his neck and Hera stepping away. He stepped forward, between everyone and Mouse before turning his back toward his idle and oldest friend to regard the group.
"I would never raise a weapon against a Vod, but Haran'gir hear me, do that again and I will have no choice but to consider you Dar'manda for raising a weapon against another Mando'ad and forsaking the Resol'nare." he told Hera, very much the warrior he really was, his usually tired face nowadays fully awake and shining at the prospect of battle. "I forgive your ignorance this time, but I ask you to not make this mistake again if you value anyone or anything on this ship." The man had been conspicuously silent throughout the confrontation. Gailen suspected he had more brains than his partner - knew that the standoff would be futile. Hopefully next time, he would rein her in before she could do something stupid again.

His eyes turned to the cause of all this confrontation and confusion. The person that he would kill for, but who giving your heart to, comes at a cost. His face softened, almost returning to sadness-tinged exhaustion. He stepped back to stand next to Mouse, resting his hand on the mechanical shoulder of his friend.
"I'll be here for a few minutes. I'll meet you back in the room in a few." he told Yael. She would know from his statement that all of this mess would end today either way. The choice would be hers. Either she let him stand alongside her with whatever endeavour, like he always had, or she persists on pushing him away and he walks out of her life for good.

Either way, he was done with this limbo.