Private Runaway

[Cynthia Solus]

Cynthia stood there hands pressed against the table in the Hall of Alor's as she looked down at the several data pads laid out in a chaotic order. Rava and Bir was also there as they spoke amongst themselves and occasionally interacting with a hologram of the ever expanding city of Darsuum Yaim. "Look here, this area used to be fields yes?" He said turning his head to her. "Yeah, back when we started this place." Rava responded. "Well if you remember that land is no longer fertile because if consistently placing the same crops. What if we develop this land into the new paddocks for the beast masters."

"Yeah I think I get where you are going. The manure will make the land fertile again it is a good idea and worth trying. The upside is at least moving the animals over that way it gives them an area that is not frequented by overhead shuttles."
"Not only that but it will put an end to the complaints about the smell too. Though not all of them, we will of course want to keep a few where they are."
"For the enforcers right. Though with the space we are making we can turn that into something containing the waste better. Perhaps we could keep a percentage to turn into compost. There is a fair amount of civilians that can make use of it. I mean even though this is now a small city, dose not mean we can't live off the natural resources. Cynthia was very clear with that. Planning must be done with the land in mind."

"Having natural areas not only increase moods but it helps fight back the air from becoming polluted. Biggest benefit of living on a forest world is the clean air. I would rather not be the one to be blamed for ruining its beauty." Cynthia said with a smile that quickly faded as she let a sigh out. Pushing herself back she raised her arms and stretched. "You both can take a brake if you like." Both hands clasped around the buy'ce that sat near the corner as she moved around the table towards the door to make her way outside.

As she had, Cynthia found herself shielding her eyes from the sun that was bright. At least to her eyes that had been used to a dim lit room for the past couple of hours. Pulling out a small blunt she bought it to her lips and used her gauntlet to light it. Taking a big drag the woman held it for a moment before releasing a cloud of smoke that blew off into the wind. The woman walked over to a bench that was outside the Hall of Alor's.

She was there for some time after finishing the recreational drug feeling relaxed allowing herself to soak in the sun. That was until Delphine came rushing over. "CYNTHIA!, Rava…. where is she?" The woman said in a rush of words only stopping to take a deep breath mid sentence. "Inside. What's up Delphine?" The alor asked. "Come with me." From her body language she was panicked. This was strange, she was normally quite calm and collected. For her to be like this something must be seriously wrong. She quickly followed Delphine inside.

"RAVA! RAVA!" Delphine shouted as she pushed the door open into the main hall. Her wife looked over. "What's up Delphine." She said in a calm voice wondering what was going off. It was the same for Cynthia and Bir. "Its Vhela." The woman pulled her buyce off showing tears streaming down her face and the expression that showed worry, fear and many others. "She's...
our daughter is gone. Left a note."

"What do you mean she is gone? She ran away?"
"Yes. Here read this." Delphine sent the note to the projector.

Dear moms, by the time you have read this you will have noticed that I have packed my gear and left.
Tell Jaick I am sorry for also taking his beskad, I hope someday to return it.
I want you both to know I love you, this is nothing either of you have done.
You are the best parents anyone could ask for. I am sorry.​

Love Vhela.

​

Cynthia quickly read through the short note then without hesitation she turned her attention to both Delphine. "I will set out see if I can find her. Delphine for now return home, in case Vhela comes home. Rava, co-ordinate with the enforcers to keep a look out around the city. Bir contact the ports find out if anyone matching Vhela has been seen trying to leave on a ship just in case." She raised her hand to the forehead of her buyce rubbing in with her fingers and thumb. "On it boss."

"Wait you expect me to stay at home while my daughter has ran off out there on her own?" Delphine said snapping at Cynthia. "Yes, Delphine I do. Jaick was on an active battlefield her age. Vhela has been trained just as much if not more so that him, she can take care of herself. She is almost considered an adult okay. She cannot have gotten far okay so believe me when I say, we will find her." She kept her voice calm and clear as she spoke to Delphine. "Bu ─" "No buts just listen to what I have told you."

"Ca. Tap into the camera network and track Vhela and send a message to Jaick, tell him to keep an eye on his mom, make sure she stays home." Cynthia said as she left the Hall of Alor's.

 

[Cynthia Solus]

As Cynthia got outside again she went straight for her speeder throwing her leg over the body. With a push of a button the engine came fully to life as she got her feet onto the two peddles out front. As the speeder reversed it would whip around. Pushing hard on the throttle the BARC rushed through the streets.

Knowing the less populated streets and using the instruments in her buyce Cynthia avoided hitting anyone or damaging property. "Cynthia, I have gone through the footage of the last twelve hours and tracked Vhela leaving the city boundaries alone. It looks as though she went equipped with her armor and a full backpack."

"Thank you Ca, least now we have a lead to go off and we know she has not tried to leave the world. First things first I need my gear." She did a slight chuckle to her self as she thought. "When was the last time I said those words." It took around ten minuets to get home not her fastest time but her almost reckless driving cut the commute in half and then some.

Hopping off the speeder she saw the two dragon hatchings playing about on her front lawn. It had become a normal sight these days. Though never far Sev'rala was watching them. Walking in the front door she pushed it two behind her and took a right into the living room. Her eyes wondered looking at the Piano by the large corner windows, then to the couch with a heap of blankets thrown about. There where some empty mugs on the table she had not gotten around to clearing up yet. Though now they would have to wait a bit longer.

She walked to the far side of the room where her multi weapon, her shotgun and sniper rifle was. She considered taking her SMG too. In the end she took it. Vanquo may seem safe, though Cynthia knew there was a few predators that lurked. Even what she did not need at the time later she could always leave on the speeders weapon racks.

For now with all that on her she knew that the land out side the walls was bountiful so the only other thing she got was her canteens from out the kitchen cupboard. Just as she was about to leave there would be a series of clanks coming from behind. "Master, are you off on a hunt." The IG droid asked.

"You can call it that. Vhela ran away so I am going out to track her down." Cynthia said as she turned around. "That is a shame. I am getting rather.... how do you fleshbags say it. Frustrated. I want to allow my core programming to do its job. I require the need to hunt things." It was the same old story. Yet the IG droid seemed rather keen staying around Cynthia. "Soon IG... soon. I understand you more than you know. I am just waiting for star to return home first. For now, I need to protect my people. If you would keep an eye out around here."

One of the few eyes of the IG droid watched as Cynthia walked past. "Well she better hurry up." The droid said in a way that made Cynthia think of a ill tempered teenager. Still she could not agree more on that sentiment.

As she left pulling the door closed she began to place her equipment onto the speeder ready for the journey ahead.

 

[Cynthia Solus]

Cynthia rode through the streets of Darasuum Yaim. With one hand on the bar she pressed a button on the speeder activating the pair system for the holocom. "Call Bir." She said and in moments the holo image was displayed. "Good news bad news, Vhela did not try to make it off world. Though she has left the city roughly a couple of hours ago. I will pick up on her trail so you need not worry."

"Well we will take the good news at least. I will update Rava and Delphine for you. Is there anything you need me to do Alor?"
"Well, my guess is she has gone east. Though to cover ground perhaps get the beast masters searching the other directions too. Make the range to thirty miles, I doubt she'd make it that far in one day."
"Okay I will work with them. That way we are covering bases inside and out. I will com you if anything gets turned up. Bir out."

Just as the call ended Cynthia had cleared the last gate. Slowing down her speed the mandalorian began to traverse the forest. A small press on her gauntlet caused her Visor's HUD to change. Life forms got a reticle around them with information of what kind of animal was. Though a quick look around there was no sign of anything that registered as human. That was to be expected, when someone usually ran away for real, they went for it. Least that is experience in past requests where some nobles son or daughter ran away from the oppression of their families. Though there was a few times she helped her target and allowed them to disappear. Something of a more rare case where the kid was vulnerable. Usually a charred corps or any unidentifiable body was enough to throw the families off.

Some time went past as she kept a slow pace. The flora was becoming dense the further in she went causing her to weave around. Though that did not become a viable option. A beast would do better traversing this terrain. Cynthia bought the speeder to a stop and collected her equipment from off the racks. She looked up seeing only speckles of the orange sky above. Night would be coming soon, meaning Vhela would have set up some kind of camp if she followed her training.

Reaching over to the button panel of the speeder she pressed the return home function. With luck she may come across a beast that will let her ride it. For now the woman was on foot. "Cynthia, it could be a good idea to get some height maybe see if we can see any tracks near by." Ca said through the internal speakers. "Yeah, good idea." She looked up once more sizing the local trees. Picking one that looked the most sturdy she started with a running jump to get some height. The deep grooves of the bark gave her some place for her hands to grasp. Though the spaces for footing was another thing. Still Cynthia made due and began her climb up reaching the first branch.

"Starting to think bringing the pack would have been a good idea now." She said laughing for a moment before being cut off by a grunt as she leaped to the next branch. Pull up, balance, jump was her process. Each time looking at the branch to visually take the risk of it taking her weight. The way up she made good choices and reached a good vantage. "Now let us see." Cynthia said wrapping her legs around the one she was on. Every few moments the wind caused the tree to sway a little, enough so that it was noticeable. Taking out the macrobinoculars and clipping it to her Buyce she looked around for anything noticeable or subtle. A foot print, broken flora, tracks of any kind. Carefully she looked. "Ca, see anything yet?"

"Not ye... actually possible. Let me show it on your HUD." The AI said as a red highlight showed up. It was a series of broken twigs on a bush. It looked like it had been cut clearing a path. "Well guess we check it out." Cynthia took the macrobinoculars off stashing it back into a bag before drawing out a length of grapple wire from her gauntlet. Securing it around the branch and checking its hold the woman moved her leg over and moved to hang from the branch slowly putting her weight onto the wire. Once her full weight was on it she started her decent. Cshukkk the sound echoed from the branch. Cynthia stopped for a moment as she looked at the base of where the branch was attached to the trunk.

Without any pause for her to think the branch snapped centimetres behind the line. Her back landed into a few branches on her way down till been jolted to a stop. "Ahhhgk!" Cynthia bounced and swung about feeling pain in the joints of her shoulder. She could not pull up with that arm. She looked down seeing there was still some drop left. Though nothing that would injure her further. Pulling her Multi-weapon out she swung cutting the line. No more branches was in her path and she landed with a deep thud as the knee of her cybernetic leg made impact with dry dirt. "Feth, my arm." Cynthia said lifting it with her other. "It appears to be dislocated."

"No kidding Ca." Cynthia said snapping sarcastically a little. With much pain she began to rotate her arm around until the shoulder joint until popped back in its socket. It took a few minutes but she was able to move it again. Taking in a deep breath and a long exhale due to the pain she stood up straight. "Sorry for snapping."

"It's fine from your memory I can understand just how much that hurts." Her voice came across as calmer than Cynthia's was right now. Though that was the perk of being an AI like Ca. She knew from Cynthia's memory from what pain was supposed to feel like. Though Ca herself never felt it. It just means that she can be sympathetic and be there as a reassuring voice. Taking a few more moments to breath the woman made her way over to the bush to inspect it. Not even getting right up close to it. It was obvious that these where broken by a heavy blade. While not all where cleanly cut the majority where. From here it was easy to work out her path.

 

[Cynthia Solus]

The pain in her shoulder was ever present. Cynthia just hoped that the pain would die down relatively soon. For now the woman just needed to keep it still and let things settle. Looking onwards she could see small footprints here and there in the patches of dry dirt between the littered floor of twigs and dead leaves. "The trail goes this way. We will keep going and hope that Vhela has a camp set up." She said and let out a low sigh.

The walk would probably be a quiet one in a relative sense. There are many animals that filled the forest some noise some not. One that thrived these forests was the reptile Anchi'baburu. She did not understand why but these little critters glowed around certain people. She was one of these people. The red bioluminescence was a sight to be seen especially in great numbers around their quarterly mating cycle. Once or twice people had thought it to be fire.

The woman pressed on, the sounds of branches braking underfoot and the light now nearly gone, enough so that even though there was the remaining hints of light when you looked up the forest was nearly pitch black. There would be no way Vhela would be able to continue. Not in this light, Cynthia was always prepared for this kind of situation. Her visor turned to green as night vision came to life. Every few moments a line would from top to bottom of her HUD, something that started to happen with it ever since the battle of Wayland. Ever since she waged war against her sisters true killer.

Just the thought of it made her feel hints of rage and sorrow. It was so long ago, long enough that she was sure if it was not for the statue and photos she'd have forgotten her sisters face. Damn I can barely remember how her voice sounded. She thought to herself keeping her eyes forward. "Ca?" Cynthia said in a soft yet downhearted tone. "Do... do you ever think what will happen when we... go?" The question was filled with a silence that felt like it had lasted a while. Then finally her holoprojector activated. Ca would appear in her form but looking away into the distance.

"Sometimes, yes. I know that my life is not in my own hands; I rely on you for my existence. The same time, I know this way gives me more purpose than other AI's that exist. It is possible they may some day exist in solitude and forgotten. Left alone to become insane to become corrupted by a silence in the end only to loose who they are. I feel it's a fate worse than the end. In a way being the way I am makes me feel... mortal and I know I will never be alone. Neither will you be because we have each other, inseparable."

She turned to face Cynthia. "But that is not why you asked the question is it?" Ca asked knowing just by the tone of Cynthia's voice. Something else was wrong. "It's.... It's nothi─" Ca held her hand up to stop Cynthia. "You are thinking of Yasha again aren't you." The woman nodded and turned her head a little. "Yeah." She let out a long and low sigh. "I said I would follow her to the ends of the galaxy. I looked up to her with such awe. She gave us, our DAMN people everything. For what?" She closed her eyes holding back the tears swelling in her eyes. "To be killed, to be tossed away because she was in that FUCKING PATHETIC PEICE OF TRASH'S WAY!"

Her breaths became heavy as she balled up her right fist. "And where was I? I was here, escorting the dead and bringing back wounded husbands and wife's, mothers and fathers. I should have been there, I should have been at my sisters side." The holo projector moved closer, Ca getting back into Cynthia's sight. "That may be so, but even if she was here now. She'd have told you that there was nothing you could do and what you was doing was just as important as the battle."

"Still I feel as if I could have done something. It still hurts when I think about it." Even though Ca was just a hologram, it was almost like Cynthia could feel the weight of Ca's hand on her shoulder. "I know it does, that hurt may never do so but that is also a good thing. It means she meant something to you. I know she would be proud of you too. I mean you have given our people everything you have. You haven't even taken a day off in the last two years unless everyone forced you. Even then you still sat at home working. Every day you give everything. Even if it seems small to you, its huge for them."

Cynthia sniffled as she lifted her Buyce to wipe her hand on the fabric of her glove. "I am only doing what is expected of me." She said lowering her Buyce as she began to walk once more. The holoprojector would return to its spot on woman's hip. "Also you know you can talk to me. It can be hard to talk about but never say its nothing. You bottle up to much and it eats at you. Runi vod would give you such a back hand if she knew." Cynthia gave out a very light chuckle. "Yeah.... and then some."

 

[Cynthia Solus]

Cynthia pressed on with the soft crunch beneath her feet. In her mind she was still mulling over everything that she had just exploded about. It seemed that any time she was alone that the past was all she could think of or some other problem that plagued her in the back of her head. She hated alone, she hated not being stuck into anything that would draw her mind away, these thoughts that made her just explode. Suppressing them felt like an unsteady crutch to get by day to day. Though that was not the only reason she delved so deep into work. Her sister would have done the same, Cynthia would never reach the same level as Mandalore the infernal, no way anyone would be able to take the mantle she left. It did not mean Cynthia would not try.

Over five hundred thousand depended on her, needed guidance, needed her protecting hand. Right now that hand was extending to Vhela. She did not care what others said when they went on about needing to take brakes. Cynthia had her priorities and herself was at the bottom of a very long list. After twenty minutes of walking, the woman looked up as she reached a small clearing in the dense forest. The sky was now glittering in the low light. Even through the green HUD she could make out the shapes of a nebula. Her eyes averted down back to the tracks. Vhela seemed to have walked over this area quite a bit given that footprints come back and forth. Certainly a good spot to find the dried tinder when light started to go.

Cynthia followed the path of footprints till she could spot the glow of a fire. She did not go straight in to confront the girl. Instead Cynthia crouched down and called Rava. "Hey, I found her. Let Delphine know she is safe okay." She heard a sigh of relief from the other side. "Thank frick. I will let Delphine know. You found out why she ran away?" Rava asked in a relaxed tone. "Not yet, I've not gone up to her yet. Look, neither of you have planned her Verd'goten right?"

"Not yet, no. We've been so busy these past few months that we have neglected to plan for it."
"Well, I mean this is a bit out there but I can watch over her from a distance. We both know Vhela, she can be a bit irresponsible sometimes and impulsive. Something she definitely picked up from Adara." Cynthia chuckled lightly. "However we both also know that she is ready for this. After all she would not do something like this without a reason. Talk to Delphine, see what she says first. While you do that I will go talk to Vhela."
"Okay, yeah I will run this by her."

The call would end and Cynthia stood up, carefully approaching the campfire. Vhela was knelt by the fire stirring a small pot of food unaware of the woman coming from behind. She turned off the green night vision as she sat down on a fallen tree trunk. "You know, you should be more aware of what is around you at all times." Her words scared the living hell out of the girl. "Frik me." Her hand was placed over her chest as she fell off to the side startled. "Of course they sent you auntie Cynthia."

The Alor chuckled as she took her buyce off placing it on the ground by her foot. "Actually your mom wanted to run out here herself. It was me that told her I'd find you." Her eyes moved to watch the dancing flames flicking in random patterns. "I'm not going to ask you why you ran away Vhela… but how you went about it was all wrong. You made Del and Rava worried. Family needs to be able to talk it out, if you can't talk to them come to me, Bir, Kad any of us." The girl pushed herself back up onto her knees and looked down at the ground. "I know it was wrong of me, and I wanted to come to you but my ori'vod said not to, because he was of no help. I told him wanted talk to you instead but he told me not to bother you because you are dealing with so much already."

"Your brother was wrong. I always have time for family and for the clan. It's my purpose to be there. Even if it seems small I am here." Her tone was soft masking the pain from earlier still, but being here started to dull it. "Well... my friend... boyfriend went missing a nearly two weeks back on his verd'goten. No one knows where he went but he told me before he went his plan. Haro's plan should have gotten him to the beacon in five days, it's been twelve." Cynthia looked at Vhela and nodded. "Okay. Makes sense why you charged head on out here." The woman slid down from off the log onto the ground to rest her back. "I can't really tell you off for something I would do, all I can do is support you through this."

Vhela looked at Cynthia with a half smile. "Thank you, I mean it. I feel like mom would have told me not to interfere. Also they would maybe freak out if I told them I had a boyfriend. We planned to tell our buir's after we both had our verd'goten. So please can you keep that a secret?" The woman nodded, smiling back at the girl. "Yeah I can do that." The com would begin to go off beeping in a pattern. "Cynthia here."

"I talked to Delphine. She does not like it but I got her to agree... She wanted me to ask you if Vhela told you why she ran off." The girl looked at Cynthia worried and curious how she was going to spin it. Cynthia had taken notice of the look. "She did yes. Her best friend went missing a few days back. She was worried that something happened to them and that their buir has not been proactive about the situation. If you ask me I would do the same thing honestly."

"Mhm, yeah we know you would. Tell her she has the go ahead, but you can't assist unless it's dire." She spoke like a mother Nexu, wanting the best for her kid. "She can hear you."
"Ohh, right umm. Vhela?"
"Yes mom?"
"Consider this as your Verd'goten, Cynthia will be there to watch you from a distance but she can't help you. If you find your friend you will signal her to get a shuttle to your location okay?" There was worry in her voice, a worry that her little girl was growing up and that there were untold dangers out in the wild. "Wait really?" Her tone changed immediately after hearing what Rava just said. "Yes, just be safe, remember everything you have learnt. Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum." The call ended but Vhela's face lit up like it was a life day.