A Drawing of Three

[Darth Vulcanus]

The black speeder rolled through the skies of Corellia, moderate speeds as to not look suspicious. Titun sat back in the front seat, alone and trembling as he hung on the mission at hand and what had transpired over the past week. Irridius had done the unthinkable, he'd taken First Fleet and fled the Galactic Empire. Thousands were killed in the mutiny and those who were left were on a 24/7 watch by the Grand Admiral's most trusted officers.

Titun had stayed because he had heard of the extended hand offered by the Galactic Empire to the Iron Empire. They hadn't accepted as far as he knew but that show of mercy meant they were not looking for war. They were looking to ally with those he had come to hate. Now he was left to wonder if it had been worth it all along. If it had been worth it to flee with Irridius.

The Grand Admiral had a way of getting what he wanted that chilled even Titun. The Death Trooper and the team sitting in the back of the A-A6z speeder had been sent to kidnap a child. Not just any child either. The child of Keira Ticon. Apparently, the Grand Admiral had been using his resources within the Galactic Empire rather loosely after the battle at Myrkr. He had sent the intelligence hounds on a hunt for leads on Keira, pulling favors from mid-ranking officers to keep the operation going.

Titun wasn't sure what exactly had been found, but Irridius seemed all too happy to send him and his boys on this operation. According to the brief, the child was twelve years in age and currently holding residence with a known Force-User. It had taken days to find the residence, days after that for the units posted to camp out the house to actually spot the kid.

Now the final pieces were in place. The target was-

Titun clenched the wheel, remembering for a moment just how young his 'target' was.

The child was leaving his house alone and all that was left was to pick him up, one way or the other.

 

[Reid Zambrano-Ticon]

This was the first time Reid had been on Corellia, but he soon found out that he didn't exactly mind it. His mother had told him stories about what it was like growing up here, showing him pictures of her old house and what his grandparents had looked like. From all that she had said it seemed like a great place to live, and so naturally, with the curiosity of any child, he asked her why she'd left all of it behind. It was then she'd grown quiet, and despite his age he knew that he shouldn't have asked. With a hushed voice his father had pulled him aside, explaining with generality what had happened, leaving out most of the details given his youth. There were some things even the child of a Zambrano and Ticon didn't need to know until later, and the exact family history was one of them.

His uncle had regaled him with similar tales, though those he told had more of a lighthearted edge to them, and it was clear he was avoiding the past that had never been revealed to him. His mother had been twelve when her parents died, his father had explained, which meant that his uncle had been even younger and likely didn't remember much - or even want to. Uncle Nik hadn't spoken any further of the Ticon line than all he had to tell and what had already been said, and so Reid had decided for once to leave well enough alone. In time he would no doubt be told the whole truth, but he could tell that it upset his mother too much to talk about it, and being a soldier her life was already stressful enough as it was.

At the present moment he had just departed his current residence, set to walk the streets of Corellia with promises not to stray too far. Since as long as he could remember he'd never had one concrete place to call home, being shuffled around from planet to planet seemingly on a whim, though he knew inherently it was to keep the entire family safe. For the majority of his early childhood he'd been raised on Voss, but since then nothing had stuck with him particularly as home. Within the past few days he'd decided he could get used to Corellia, but he surmised that wouldn't last long. He would have liked to visit his mother's old home, but had already been told it had burned down. It was unfortunate, but he supposed that she hadn't wanted to remember it anyway.

With his hands in his pockets he meandered, trying his best to get a feel for his surroundings using the Force like his mother had taught him, his brow furrowing in concentration. After a few moments he was able to get a vague impression of the immediate area, but nothing stuck out to him other than the sheer amount of people in the vicinity. He was far from fully trained and his skill was rudimentary at best, but even with his limited ability it was still something he was proud of. Releasing his grasp on the ethereal he continued on, relying on his senses that he knew and understood as opposed to that sixth one he hadn't quite gotten the hang of just yet. Already it was going to be a long day, but he'd always been taught that the boring days were the best ones. They meant you were safe.

[member="Titun"]

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

@Reid Zambrano-Ticon

"Target has left the residence, walking East on Solo Boulevard."

The watch team reported via closed communicator, to which Titun responded by swerving into the adjacent Skylane and tearing around the corner of a Corellian Engineering's main office. There was a rolling wave of screeching horns as he dipped through traffic, descending through the sky lanes at speeds that blurred the cityscape outside. It wasn't until he turned onto Solo Boulevard that he finally hit the breaks, slowing to a crawl that inched him down the street.

He fidgeted in his seat when he saw the brown haired child. Tugging at the collar shirt he was wearing in place of his armor, he slowly lifted it over his waist and unholstered the blaster pistol on his side. His vision narrowed, his breath shaking as he set the blaster in his lap and out of view from outside either window. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply through his nose.

"Target sighted" he forced out, coldly as he opened his eyes and looked squarely at the innocent boy walking towards his vehicle, "approaching now, stand by"

There was dead silence as the truck pulled up beside the boy, Titun looked around at the suburban houses on the street with a mock confusion. Rolling down the window, he looked out at the boy. He had plenty of his own anxiety to fuel the confusion he was forced to feign.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry. I know this must be weird but can you tell me how to get to the spaceport from here, I think I turned down the wrong sky lane. This hunk of junk's nav computer is busted."

 

[Reid Zambrano-Ticon]

Being lost in his own world as kids his age were wont to be, the slow approach of the strange speeder caught him off guard, causing him to start slightly when the man within began to speak. Immediately he took notice that the stranger happened to be Chiss, and while this certainly wasn't his first time interacting with a non-human - his mother was a Mandalorian, after all - it was rare to see individuals of his particular species on a planet like Corellia. But he supposed that explained why he was so lost, especially given that he was presently heading in the opposite direction needed to reach his destination. While he was no expert and certainly didn't know the ins and outs of the streets, he did know how to get to the nearest spaceport easily enough.

Taking a few steps forward, he pointed in the opposite direction the man had been driving. "You just took a wrong turn, is all. Head back the way you came and pull onto the main skylane, and stay on that for three miles before you take the second exit on your right. That should take you to the closest spaceport." He'd paid close enough attention when he first arrived, he figured, and even if he wasn't exactly right his directions were likely close enough to get the man well on his way where he needed to be. Offering a crooked smile, he couldn't help but to study the inside of the speeder for a moment before bringing his focus back to the task at hand, his smile turning a bit more sheepish as he realized he'd become distracted by the speeder itself.

"If you need repairs there's a shop on your way to the spaceport, and there should be a tourist office there too, if you want a map. It's not that difficult to get around once you know where you're going." He hadn't stepped very close to the stranger's vehicle, only walking forward as far as he needed to in order to be heard. He'd been warned of the dangers of unknown individuals just like any other child, and perhaps even more so, given his rather unique parentage. Growing up he'd been cautioned not to trust many people, but he was still just a kid, and prone to the genuine kindness those so young often harbored. Even still his mother's warning rang in the back of his mind, and so he stayed back. It was better to be safe than sorry.

[member="Titun"]

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

@Reid Zambrano-Ticon

Titun could only smile. He'd forced his fear deep into his gut, barred it behind discipline and training. There was no place for second thoughts and doubts now. He was on a mission and if he hesitated he could get his team killed. No kid was worth watching that happen. So, he watched and observed as Reid took in the speeder gave him incorrect directions to the Spaceport before moving on to mention the speeder and repairs.

"Know a lot about speeders, do you? I used to be really into them when I was your age." Titun informed truthfully, reaching a hand out the window and patting the side of the truck, "Afraid this thing is not worth a second look though."

The child's eyes diverted from his for just a split second, distracted by the hand on the truck. That's all it would take. The stun bolts had struck Reid twice before he could even breathe to reply. Just like he was trained, Titun put two rounds in the boy's chest and a third in his head; knocking the boy to the duracrete in an unconscious pile.

"Go, go! Grab him!" The back doors flew open and five men, clad in armor weave and masks, toppled out. E-11Ds were drawn from their overcoats, four of the men over watching the sidewalks and streets as the fifth ran over and slung the unconscious boy over his shoulder. "Let's get the kark out of here!"

 

[Nikola Ticon]

Nikola had decided that while he didn't entirely mind babysitting by itself, he wasn't exactly prepared for children by any means, let alone those that reminded him far too much of how he and his siblings had been at that age. He'd found himself wondering on more than one occasion just how his sister did it, let alone how their parents had managed, with a house full of Ticon children. He could only imagine what it must have been like with six of them running around at once, not to mention when the cousins still came by to visit. Things were comparatively quieter in the present day, though it quickly became apparent that the typical headstrong attitude of the family hadn't been diluted even when the bloodline was mixed.

While he had given his nephew permission to walk the streets alone, that didn't necessarily mean all was as it seemed. He knew full well what dangers were present even in a seemingly quiet neighborhood, and after what his sister had told him about her recent reconnection with a man that had quickly turned into a new enemy he'd been on guard, never quite letting the kid out of his sight. In no way was he the same caliber of warrior as his sister, but he'd been trained by first the New Jedi Order and next his own expertise, and that was enough to put him on the level with any average soldier, or so he liked to think. If the Imperials wanted to hunt the family even here, he would be ready.

The sound of blaster fire reached his ears before he saw what was happening, and he cursed himself for not being fast enough to keep up, ducking out of the sidestreet he'd been walking and sprinting down the main road, lightsaber snapping into his palm and igniting with a flourish of azure. He didn't risk anything of the offensive nature just yet, not wanting to endanger his nephew more than he already was. With speed augmented by the Force he did all he could to close the distance between himself and the unknown speeder.

[member="Titun"]

 

[Darth Vulcanus]

The face of the man was instantly recognizable, they had all been briefed on him and so as soon as he ducked around the corner; hell broke loose. Jax opened up from the back of the van, shredding the line of speeders parked by the sidewalk with a hail of blaster rounds from E-11D. Windows shattered and metal twisted as the squad scrambled back into the speeder, Reid in tow.

"Hit the karking gas!" Jax screamed, closing one of the truck's doors as he continued tapping the trigger; sending waves of blaster bolts and Nikola as he dipped through the cars. Titun put the gas pedal to the floor and the speeder lurched into the air, Jax still firing out of the back while screaming a string of obscene curses into Nikola's direction. "Fek, fek, fek! Get us to the shuttle, boss!"

"What the kark do you think I'm doing, Jax? Just keep Karking shooting." Titun pulled hard onto the main skylane, Jax slamming the door closed as the neighborhood fell out of sight.

"Cor-Sec is going to be crawling all over us, goddamnit!"

"Shut the hell up, that's an order! Don't karking lose it now, Jax, you sonofabitch."

 

[Nikola Ticon]

Blaster bolts sparked against his saber as he batted them away, and as the hail of blasterfire continued he took cover behind a row of parked speeders which were soon enough shredded in quick succession, the crumpled durasteel providing adequate protection until speeder departed, leaving him alone on an empty street. Broken glass crunched under booted feet as he stepped out from his impromptu shielding, lightsaber extinguishing and finding its way to being hooked at his waist once more. Nikola knew he wouldn't be alone for long, as the strange vehicle and its armed passengers had likely already been called in to CorSec, who were no doubt already well on their way to the scene.

It took scant few minutes for sirens to be heard in the distance, and even less until speeders marked with the familiar logo of the Corellian Security Force pulled up. After explaining the situation and making it known that he was a Green Jedi he jumped into the passenger seat of one of the speeders, the entourage that had arrived taking off at breakneck speeds in the same direction as their adversaries. While none of the officers had said anything outright, he'd seen the look in their eyes when he mentioned the name Ticon. Although it had been nearly two decades since the crime empire was brought to its knees, it seemed their legacy still lived on. Had the situation been different, he would have perhaps found amusement in that. But there were more pressing matters at hand.

"It's that one." He pointed at the speeder attempting to make its escape, and the CorSec speeders wove their way through traffic in hot pursuit. With his nephew in the back and so many civilians about there would be no blasterfire in order to bring the speeder to a halt, and so they would have to rely on either the success of a blockade or the vehicle coming to a stop of its own accord, the latter of which was unlikely until they reached their destination.

[member="Titun"]