Brother, Is That You?

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

It would have usually been a mundane evening for Cassiopeia. She was finished teaching for the day and her lesson plans were thought out. It was a great day to read a book, catch up on chores, etc. She had made a plan, though. She would meeting with someone who might be able to find her brother.

It had been a couple weeks since she heard about it from over the HoloNet - a group of raiders that frequented planets, usually killing, stealing, and taking slaves. She had heard that they had frequented her home planet, Chroma Zed, several times over the past decade. Normally, she wouldn't think anything of it - there was plenty of raiders and evil people in the galaxy. It was a matter of life that she accepted. It was just that something seemed to strike her about them. She wasn't exactly sure.

When her parents were killed, the raiders had taken most of the valuables from their home (which, luckily, most of the valuables were in the ship and not in the house.) She never found her brother's body, but it was easy to assume he was killed. She never had the closure she wanted, or better put, needed. It was just a feeling that these might have been those raiders - and they might not be - she had to at least find out. Worst case, it would be over before they knew it. Best case? They find her brother - dead or alive - and maybe she can move on with her life.

They had agreed to meet at a pub on Cerar Kandosii. She wore her hair in her usual bun and wore her usual dress - she didn't really want other people to know about her plan. She was probably being paranoid, sure, but she did not want to jeopardize the goals, especially if her brother was still alive. Not to mention, it would really just look weird going to a pub in a more formal attire.

After arriving at the pub, she took a seat at a table that seemed at least slightly secluded from everyone else. Now, it was just time to wait for him to show up. Hopefully, he would.

[member="Milo Ren"]

 

[Milo Ren]

A call for help. Not exactly a rare thing these days, but this one struck a chord with Milo for reasons he knew all too well. A woman had lost her brother to a band of raiders, and he had agreed to help her on the sole reason that it was possible that he was now a slave. The former Ren couldn't help but to sympathize with the woman. He had lived a life of slavery for years, and still bore the scars.

Milo walked into the pub they had agreed on meeting in. His faded leather jacket, worn boots, and double-barreled flechette launcher holstered on his right hip told any potential trouble makers to back off. So did the intense look upon his otherwise handsome face. Searching his way throughout the establishment, he finally found the woman, sitting alone in a secluded section. He pulled a chair and sat down, eyeing the woman. Plain clothes, it seemed, were a deliberate choice. She didn't want to draw attention to herself. Good. Milo could see the two of them getting along smashingly.

"Milo. We spoke earlier. About tracking your brother."

He didn't bother to extend a hand to shake, and his tone was gruff and laconic. Milo wasn't a people person. It took a lot to warm up to the exile.

[member="Cassiopeia Caranthyr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Cassiopeia was nervous as she waited for the man to show up. She hoped this would work out. She fiddled with her fingers and watched the people in the pub, hoping she hadn't missed him. It was going to be hard talking her brother, her parents, but she knew she had to do it. If there was any chance, it felt like now would be the only time.

She could tell when he walked in. He was fairly intimidating but she wouldn't deny it, a pretty handsome guy. She also knew he could probably kill her pretty easily. Not that he would, just that he could. That was probably most people, though.

She stood and gave a small curtsy as he sat down. Not one for big introductions, it seemed. That was fine, this was business after all. "Cassiopeia, I'm glad you made it. I hope the trip here wasn't too troublesome." She reached into a small slit on her skirt, on her right arm to pull out a couple holodisc, plus a couple photos of her brother. She was discreet about it as she slid it to him on the table.

She kept her voice low, although most people in the pub didn't seem to really care. "His name is Jacob. Here is some photos of him, they are about 3-4 years old though. He would be 12 now." He would most certainly look different, but some of the features might remain the same. "The holodiscs have some HoloNet recordings I took, talking about the raiders that have been hitting Chroma Zed. The Net is calling them Dollkim sellers, I don't know if you've ever heard of them." She nearly bit her nail as she spoke, slightly nervous, and mostly avoiding his bright green eyes.

She really had no idea if this information would even really help. Sure, the photos might. They might even have to go back to home world to find more information. Probably, at least. The Holo recordings? She had no idea. He might or might not know about them. She knew money would be the next conversation. Luckily, she had been saving tons of credits. She'd find out if she had enough pretty soon.

[member="Milo Ren"]

 

[Milo Ren]

Milo's brow furrowed at the mention of the raiders. Dollkim sellers. They were a particularly nasty band of muscle that definitely didn't have any qualms about murder, slavery, and theft. He hadn't had any run ins with them, so their combat capability was yet to be seen. He didn't fully trust other people's reports. Still, their reputation spoke for itself.

"Your brother is probably dead. If not, he's a slave. Dollkim take lots of slaves, sell them to whoever'll buy. If he hasn't been sold yet, he's probably dead. Dollkim work the slaves that don't sell as ammo monkeys or use them for entertainment."

He said all this flatly, looking Cassiopeia dead in the eye as he spoke. It was better to be flat out with something like this, rather than beat around the bush. Milo began to rifle through the pictures, looking at her little brother.

"Cute kid. It's a shame."

The former Ren stood up and began to make his way to the exit of the pub. He wasn't about to risk his neck fighting through hoardes of raiders to find a kid who may or may not be dead. Not without some serious motivation, anyways.

[member="Cassiopeia Caranthyr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Cassiopeia carefully watched his reaction. It wasn't good. He thought about it. Cassiopeia was practically on the edge of her seat, waiting for him to react.

Her stomach quickly fell. She stared at him as he spoke. He didn't care - of course, why would he? It wasn't his brother. He'd seen plenty of awful things, presumably, why should he even want to help her. Dead or a slave. If not sold, he'd been used a... Ammo monkey. It nearly made her sick.

She stayed quiet as he looked through the stuff he gave her. She made no facial expression when he called Jacob cute. Then, he stood up. Her eyes widened, although by now blurry with the tears that were forming. The emotional toll it was taking made the chair shake a little, due to her uncontrolled Force she has.

She stood up, ready to chase him. "Wait, Milo. Please." Oh great, here come the tears. Her voice was breaking up and tears began to slide down her cheeks. "I... I don't know if he's alive, but I feel like he is. And this is my only chance to find him." She nearly whispered it, "I can give you money, my ship... Anything I can." Her outdated, freighter ship... Definitely not a fair trade, but hey, she was desperate.

She sat back down, "He's alive. You're my only chance." Was he alive though? She really had no idea, but she suddenly felt like he might be.

[member="Milo Ren"]

 

[Milo Ren]

Milo stopped. The tears flowing down the woman's face...if he left now, he could be free. No harm, no foul. But it wasn't right. It may have been the practical thing to do, and if he were a different man, he would've done it. Just left her there with her tears and pictures. But no. He wouldn't do it. He couldn't. In a brief moment of introspection, he thought about his own mother, how frightened and desperate she was when her own son ran off to explore the galaxy. He sometimes wondered if she still pined for him. Since his freedom and through the various paths he had taken, he hadn't gone to visit her once. It was heartbreaking, and for a moment, he could feel the same hurt in Cassiopeia.

Turning around suddenly, Milo gave the woman a look, as if to tell her to stop making a scene. Then, with a sigh, the former Ren spoke.

"Fine. I want 10,000 credits, here and now, and once we do what he have to do, I'll decide what my second half of payment will be."

With an impatient glare, the hardened man grabbed Cassopeia's arm and lead her outside the pub. Might as well get a move on.

"I'll find your brother, but don't be shocked. That's all I'm going to say."

[member="Cassiopeia Caranthyr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Cassiopeia didn't really know what to do. If he was dead set on no, she'd maybe have to try to find someone else. She was lucky to find him - luckier that he even agreed to meet her. Maybe she'd never be able to find Jacob. Maybe he was dead.

He seemed to pause for a moment. She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes quickly with her hands. She couldn't be crying in the middle of a pub. She was about to grab her pictures and the tapes and leave in defeat.

He began to speak, though. He wanted 10,000 credits. She nodded eagerly. She could do that - granted, she'd no longer have any savings. The second part of payment... She wasn't sure what she'd be able to get him. Probably the ship - it was probably worth more than 10,000 credits. Either way, she couldn't say until he would tell her.

She at least could breath a little easier. She made sure her eyes were no longer leaky. She snatched her picture and the holodiscs right in time for him to grab her and begin walking outside. Dang, he didn't want to waste any time. That was good, though. That was what they needed. Every minute counted.

She nodded, "I can transfer them to you. Thank you, thank you so much." She followed him, although she could prefer a little less manhandling. His grip was a little too tight.

"I know." That was all she could really say about it. She knew he might be dead, but she had to hope he was still alive.

[member="Milo Ren"]

 

[Milo Ren]

"Don't thank me yet. We're going in my ship. Send me the coordinates."

Milo let go of Cassiopeia's arm. He had chosen to take his own ship, because, quite frankly, he wanted to be able to leave in an instant if it went downhill. It was a risky job. Still, the credits never hurt, and he had promise of future payment as well, even if that nagging voice in the back of his head told him it was a lost cause and a waste of time.

The former Ren lead Cass to his ship, an older, but sturdy, Corellian Corvette. It had at first been a diplomatic vessel, with no offensive capabilities whatsoever, but Milo was quick to change that. She was now bristling with weapons, a true gunboat. With a press of his datapad, the loading ramp hissed and lowered.

"Get in."

Once Cass made her way aboard, she would be greeted by a knife held to her throat. A young woman, not over 18, in plain clothing and sporting a buzzcut would growl out.

"What the kark are you doing here?"

Milo stepped forward, coming into the woman's view.

"She's with me, Freya. Heel."

"Yes, father."

Instantaneously, Freya sheathed her knife and sauntered off, not before giving Cassiopeia a hard glare. Milo did a quick once-over to ensure his client wasn't harmed, then proceeded to pretend as if she wasn't held at knifepoint at all.

"Make yourself at home."

The ship was large for a trio, and most of the ship itself was bare, lacking furnishing or decoration. Milo would enter the cockpit, preparing his vessel to take off, and Freya kept a close eye on Cass, following her around wherever she moved aboard her ship.

[member="Cassiopeia Caranthyr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

She nodded, "Still. Thank you." Although, she wasn't entirely sure the coordinates exactly where. She presumed Chroma Zed. She proceeded to give him the exact coordinates of Chroma Zed, including where her small village was via her comm. She was a bit nervous about returning there - it would bring back a lot of old memories.

She scanned the ship as they got to it. She didn't have anything but the clothes on her back. She did have her daggers, at least - but not her crossbow. It made her a little nervous to leave without them, but she knew not to ask questions or concerns. She didn't want him to change his mind, at least.

Once the landing pad was down, she nodded. Sheesh, this guy was bossy. She was paying him for this, after all, he didn't have to be a jerk about it.

It was right after she boarded that a woman had a knife on her neck, which made Cassiopeia scream. Holy sh*t, this guy is actually a bad guy himself. She was going to die before she even left the planet.

When this woman, Freya, let her go, Cassiopeia gave her a hard glare back. Goodness. She gave a glare towards Milo, too. Couldnt' he have given her a warning? "Yeah, I'll try to make myself at home after I almost got gutted," she muttered under her breath. She didn't really know what to do, so she would find some place to sit awkwardly, slightly close to the cockpit. She didn't want this Freya to end up killing her.

 

[Milo Ren]

"Heard that. If she wanted you dead, you would be," Milo would call out from the cockpit. In response to that, Freya gave Cass the slightest, snarkiest grin, then promptly returned to watching her like a hawk.

The engines were warmed up. Milo took off from the landing pad, then gunned it. Within moments, the trio was breaking through the atmosphere of Cerar Kandosii and heading into space. Once the planet's orbit had been left, Milo inputted the coordinates to Chroma Zed and punched it, sending them into hyperspace.

"Come here real quick. Got a few questions for you."

If Cass entered the cockpit, Freya would follow, hovering behind her. There was an empty seat; the copilot's. Cass could sit there or stand. Either way, Milo didn't care.

"You know how to kill?"

[member="Cassiopeia Caranthyr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

She couldn't really argue with that. Freya made a snarky smile and Cassiopeia shrugged a little with only a slight smile. At least she had feelings and wasn't just a watchdog for him. Why'd she call him father, anyways? He must've been pretty young to have a kid.

In either case, it was only moments later that they were in orbit of the planet, and only a few moments after that they were in hyperspace to Chroma Zed. It felt... Strange, going back there. It had been 2 years since she was last there. She knew she was going to have to get over being there. She wasn't going to be able to visit her parents graves that she dug and put them in. She didn't have time to mourn again. And based on Milo's attitude, she'd probably be there then dragged out.

Milo's voice snapped Cassiopeia out of her thoughts. She perked a brow and walked into the cockpit. She wouldn't sit because she wasn't offered. She did, however, watch Freya follow her like she was prey.

Cassiopeia nodded, "I do. I usually just incapacitate. Knife to the leg or something... But yeah, I have killed people before." She had only killed a few people in her lifetime, but really, who hadn't been forced to kill people? The galaxy wasn't exactly peaceful. However, she would only kill someone in self-defense. "I have excellent aim." She patted her left arm, and both legs where she kept her throwing daggers hidden. She showed him one of the daggers. "Skilled with a crossbow too, but... Didn't really have time to grab it," she mostly murmured as an after thought.

[member="Milo Ren"]

 

[Milo Ren]

"Knives. Good. They're reliable. I have a few blasters in the ship's armory as well. You help yourself when we land."

He motioned to the seat, since Cass wasn't about to sit down without being told.

"Once we touch down, you do everything I tell you to do. Deviate from one thing, one word of my command and what happens to you is your responsibility. We'll start from your old village and find out where the raiders camp from there. My best guess is they have some sort of forward operating bases near settlements to facilitate quick raids. Shouldn't be hard to track."

Freya took her gaze off of Cass and turned to Milo.

"Can I come?"

Milo raised an eyebrow in thought for a second. He supposed it was fine. The girl had to go and learn to fend for herself, after all.

"Yeah. Same thing goes with you. Listen to me. Except I suppose I'll actually save you if you run into any trouble."

Freya smirked slightly and Milo cracked a smile, the first one since the entire job had started. It brought a sudden youth to his face, a joy residing in him that centered around his adoptive daughter. The former Ren extended a hand, and Freya put hers in his.

[member="Cassiopeia Caranthyr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

She nodded. That's why she liked them. He motioned to the seat and Cassiopeia hesitated, before deciding to sit down. She looked out the window to the space warping around them and sighed. She couldn't believe she was going back, maybe to find her brother. She didn't really know what to do if he was alive - how would he adjust? Could she raise him effectively and safely, especially after the trauma he's probably went through? She shook her head. He might not even be alive - she'd get to that when she had too.

She nodded, "Okay. I figured that already." She didn't or expect him to take care of her. She could do that by herself. She'd do her best to listen. She nodded, "Yeah, that makes sense. I'm not sure if Jacob would still be at one that close though, especially if... If they sold him." Her voice, initially confident became shaky as the words came out. This was stuff she had been ignoring, suppressing for years. She couldn't find any information, so she could only ignore. This, this all made it real.

Freya was coming, which should be fun so long as she didn't decide to stab Cassiopeia in her back. It was also nice to know that she would not be saved in the event of things going sour. She couldn't help but wonder if all people like him were like that. She let her gaze focus on the warping space, although it did put a little warmth in her heart when he took the girls hand and smiled. She wasn't entirely sure she'd want to be saved if things turned south, particularly if her brother was indeed dead.

It did warm her heart a little bit, though, the smile that came across Milo face. He lit up. Even Freya's smirk was adorable. They were family. It had to be nice to have that. Cassiopeia kept her gaze elsewhere, not wanting to interrupt their cutesy moment.

 

[Milo Ren]

Several hours passed, with the trio passing the time with idle chitchat. Milo made sure to remind Cass several times to ensure payment had been made to his account. Then, they arrived. Chroma Zed. Within the planet rested lush forests, mountains, and waterfalls. It was where their opposition rested, and where they'd find out where Jacob was.

The corvette touched down next to Cassiopeia's home village. As soon as the landing gear met earth, Milo got up, beckoning for Cass to follow. Freya did as well. The former Ren led them to the ship's armory, which housed an impressive amount of ordinance. Pistols, rifles, slugthrowers, even a lone gaffi stick was hung up on the wall. In several cabinets sat power packs for all the ranged weapons. Ammo was in supply.

"Load up."

Milo grabbed several more flechette shells for his double-barrel, putting them in his ammo loops that sat on his belt. Freya grabbed a blaster pistol, slapped a power pack in, and grabbed several for her own reserve. The former Ren then reached into one of his leather jacket's pockets, producing a lightsaber, which he deftly looped onto a spot on his belt reserved just for the blade. He gave Cass a look, seeing if she noticed the iconic weapon and what it implied.

"Just in case."

[member="Cassiopeia Caranthyr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

It was a slow several hours for Cassiopeia. She was lost in her thoughts for most of it, but she did manage to chitchat with Freya and Milo. Cassiopeia got fairly annoyed by Milo badgering her that the money had been posted to his account. It had been, he just needed to check his account.

When they entered Chroma Zed, her stomach dropped. Half of her just wanted to give up. He was probably dead anyways. The other half wanted to deal with it. She felt like he was alive - that was the only reason she fought so much for this. She watched as she saw the beautiful planet past by as the ship went to land near her home village. Cassiopeia mentally was preparing herself for a rough day. Even if everything went perfectly, it was going to be a painful day.

She followed Milo towards their armory and she was fairly impressed. She grabbed extra daggers, and replaced her hidden slot that initially had photos and holodiscs. She grabbed a blaster rifle, an actual knife, and some spare battery packs. She also took one of their backpacks to hold the extra materials. She kept the rifle pointed down, but had it prepared to be fired if necessary.

She carefully watched Milo, particularly with his weapon that he chose and put in. He had a lightsaber. She could see him looking and she nodded. He had the Force. That meant Freya probably did, too. Hell, even she did even if she had no idea how to use it. It was kind of weird but somewhat relief that he had the Force. He was still a jerk, though.

She knew the way to the village from where they landed, so she began to head out of the ship first. Hopefully, she wouldn't get chewed out from Milo for that. "There is a lot of native Chromans around here, but they're in the ground mostly, so we shouldn't really run into anyone else. They don't really bother with people on the surface. Other villages on the surface are pretty far away from here." She was pretty sure no one had begun occupying the village, either - after all, it was practically a bloodbath beforehand.

 

[Milo Ren]

"All right. Take me to your old house."

Milo and Freya stuck behind Cass, letting her lead the way. After all, she would be the one to know the most about the region. They still kept a close eye on her, though. If there was trouble, the two would be ready to deal with it. Milo had his weapons, and if that failed him, the Force could finish what blasters and his blade couldn't. Freya also had her blaster at the ready. Most opponents would be quick to underestimate her, a small, petite young woman, but they'd quickly find themself outmatched: Freya was a skilled telekinetic, able to kill and break others with ease. Between the two of them, they were a force to be reckoned with. They would see if Cass could pull her weight as well.

"We haven't got all day."

[member="Cassiopeia Caranthyr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

She nodded as she stepped onto the ground. It wasn't too far of a walk, luckily, but still a good 30-45 minute one from where he landed. The jungle had already grown up around the area. She could only wonder what her little town looked like now.

She heard a snide comment and she glared towards Milo. He really wasn't a pleasant company. "Maybe if you guys had some hovercraft in that big empty ship of yours," she muttered under her breath. If he wanted to be sassy, she could be too. Plus, it wasn't like he was broke - he had 10k sitting in his bank account now. And goodness knows how much he had sitting in their to begin with.

"We're here." She nearly whispered as she came up the path. She stopped for a moment, her memories of growing up flashing through her. "First time I've been here since... Since then." She said quietly. She shook her head of her thoughts and walked into the village.

The village itself had blood stains and skeletons of the bodies that weren't claimed or buried lay in the street. The ground still had the stains of blood. It made Cassiopeia shiver. She stopped in front of her old home, a long line of blood from outside going in, along with streaks on the door. It was small, but big enough for the small family she used to have. She stared at the entrance for a second. Only a few feet away her dead parents were buried. "This is it," she whispered.

 

[Milo Ren]

Milo took in the village, all the old bloodstains and clean skeletons splayed throughout the area. His face remained neutral, but inside, he felt his anger build up.

"Karking hell."

Freya's eyes grew hard as she took in the carnage. She would make sure that the bastards who did this received a quick, merciless death.

As Cass led the two to her old hut, Milo stepped forward, examining the door. He took off his glove, then turned his head back to the women.

"Hope this works."

Placing an open palm on the dried blood, Milo was hit by flashes of emotion and memory. Fear. Pleading. Screams. The acrid scent of carbon scoring and smoke. And there it was. A young boy being dragged away by two raiders, leaving this parents to smolder in the hut.

So, he was definitely not killed. Not on the spot, anyways. Now, to find him. 4 years was way too large of a gap to track him down conventionally. They'd have to find a raider and beat the tar out of him until he spoke.

Milo turned back around to Cass, replacing his glove as he spoke.

"Jacob wasn't killed here. They dragged him off, so he was definitely intended to become a slave. Now we gotta find him. Take me to the nearest camp. I'll make 'em talk."

[member="Cassiopeia Caranthyr"]

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Cassiopeia felt sick. Not in a physical way, but in an emotional way. It used to a beautiful, lively town. Happy. Caring. Now, everyone was dead. She really didn't even know how many people survived. She was just lucky (was it luck, though) during the attack. Maybe she could have helped defend the village if she'd been there. Or maybe she'd just be dead or slave with them.

She felt her eyes sting as she stared at her old home. It was an emotional experience. She let Milo do his Force thing and she walked to the side of the house. She took a look at the makeshift graves of her parents, the graves that she made. Their rocks were already wearing down but it looked like they were deep enough that no animals tried to get to them. The guilt of not being there suddenly became a lot heavier.

She perked a brow as she heard Milo speak. His voice brought her back from her thoughts and re-grounded her, at least momentarily. Jacob wasn't killed. He was... Well, maybe alive. At least they wanted him as a slave. "It's about a 3-4 hour hike Northwest, unless they've moved." she pointed in the general direction of the camp. It also went up part of a mountain.

 

[Milo Ren]

Milo contemplated his choices for a moment. A 4 hour hike would leave them tired, not ready for prolonged combat. It was best to get there faster with his ship, although they'd lose the element of surprise. Still, they'd also have superior firepower in the corvette...

"Get back to my ship. We're flying there."

With that said, Milo began to make his way back to his vessel, expecting Cass to follow. He hadn't really given her time to grieve. No, it was better if they kept their heads clear and moved on. He needed everyone to be their best when it came to taking on the raiders.

[member="Cassiopeia Caranthyr"]