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It was a good way to describe Maliphant’s piercing gaze, quiet and dangerous as it was. It didn’t seem to hesitate for even a moment, and it alone could have forced the guards to tense their weapons - as he looked as much the part of an assassin, as he did give off the feeling of a Sith Lord; corrupted by the endless abyss of the Dark Side in more than a few ways. His resume expanded on and on…
It was relatively easy to see this, when he ignored the tea that was poured.
And yet, he acquiesced when Srina spoke, leaving that intensity for a few moments to watch her; carefully understanding everything she said, whether Junko did or not. She was his Queen, afterall - and who was he to deny royalties words? Yet, as he turned back with a seemingly cruel smile - his voice came dripping with a molten silver that spoke of his charisma;
Deep, carefully crafted notes twinged his tone,
“If it is the economic support you require, I can guarantee the support of the IGBC - should you prefer construction isolated as you have been; otherwise the Exarch could surely bring Confederate Engineers to your planet.”, he said with a quick glance to Srina, testing if speaking was overstepping his boundaries.
“Though, in all of that; I must say…”, he leaned forward, if only slightly - glancing down to smell the tea. It was certainly a good vintage, but Maliphant was never much the fan of tea. He pushed it away - less so a sign of disrespect, as much as tastes. It reeked of the light, and his golden corrupted gaze glanced up to Junko with a piercing attention.
“... I didn’t hear a yes. I apologize for assumptions, but I imagine we must be at an understanding about the situation Atrisia is in, and you intend to work with us - correct?”
The sound pulled Kaden out of his thoughts. Odd that a duck had found its way to where Kaden was. It was such an odd thing that Kaden did the only sensible thing he could do, he bent down and picked up the duck. It seemed like the thing to do if the duck would allow it.
Kaden liked animals. He had never had a pet of his own. Certainly his life had never been one which allowed for a pet. There had been too many moves, and too much hell, literally. There was something about the comfort of an animal that could make one forget their troubles, and this duk was doing exactly that for Kaden.
"Daisy would just eat you up," he said to the duck before realizing his choice of words, "oh... not literally," at least Kaden was sure. Duck was too greasy and tough anyhow. It was a lot like eating goose. Kaden was much more of a red meat man, and Daisy seemed to be more of a red meat kind of gal. The duck was safe.
A few steps were taken over to part of the fence wall of the outdoor dojo Kaden was intent on rebuilding. Leaning against it, he pet the duck's head as looked out over the mess.
"This is where I learned how to use a bes'kad properly," he said to the duck. "Hopefully I can find some of the wooden boken's we used. Those hurt like all get out when you got hit with them, but it was much better than getting sliced up by the real thing. I used to have some scars on my hands from making mistakes, but then I died, and the Netherworld changed me up a bit."
Kaden did not know why he was saying to the duck. It sounded insane coming out of his mouth. At least no one could hear him. A smile tugged at his lips. There was one thought. He was certainly lucky that Daisy kept him around considering how insane his life sounded. Had he not haunted her it would not have been believable.
Reaching into his pocket, Kaden pulled out bits of a ration bar and offered some to the duck.
A decade ago, if someone told her that a reemerging CIS would one day reach out to incorporate Atrisia into their fold Kurenai would have laughed. Though as her mother sometimes said, 'As long as the probability isn't zero, by necessity, anything can happen', though she knew full well it wasn't just chance. Unlike Empires and republics, the Confederacy was different, each planet had an invested interest in staying together, be it trade, protection or help with internal issues. In addition, the strong and well maintain leader ship kept the CIS on an ever expanding path, those in power being experienced and knowledge about their fields. Following their higher ups, but also having room to voice their own views to prevent any one person from becoming all powerful tyrant with millions of brain washed disciples... unlike a certain power to their east.
Still, that didn't mean things would be easy and in a certain way Atrisis would be a challenge, though in a separate manner. Unlike past worlds this one was well grounded and independents, partially due to the constant attacks by a certain Sith Lord but also due to its cultural uniqueness compared to the rest of the galaxy. Though for herself that was only the tip of the iceberg as this was her home planet, the place where her new and old family resided, a place where she held sway and a vested interest. Such could be for better or for worse due to her other station of office in the CIS among the Master Council of the Knights Obsidian, there would be only one way to fine out.
Having spent the early parts of the day visiting her home, making sure the recent invasion attempt Mythos had not caused any problems Kurenai had promptly gotten prepared for the CIS delegation that would be meeting with Junko. If any past experience was to be adhered to most likely Ms Talon would be a part of if, though any accompanying members were unknown. Donned in a traditional and surprising bright Kimono she quickly made haste to Keda Grove, the guards stationed there easily letting the women through, being a personal friend of the princess had it's perks.
Moving through the grove it didn't take long to spy the current delegation going on between the representatives and as intuition had it Srina was here. As for figure beside her their presence was unknown but considering the size of the CIS these days it was not surprising to come across such circumstances. Approaching the trio, she made her presence known with a small flare in the force, coming to stand off to the side between the two parties, give a customary bow to both. "Greetings your majesty, I apologies for being late as I had family matters to attend, have I missed anything important". "Miss Talon, it is always a pleasure to see you taking the lead in negotiations, I hope to be of use as a mediator in these discussions".
Kirk stood and smiled trying to hide his chuckle from the droid's reaction to its crushed blaster, but quickly turned his attention back to the general and spoke on his comment to the Ministry of War's oversight on all military operations. "Yes sir, I'll definitely keep that in mind sir. I'll put in the requisition for the relief we need right away. I'll also establish contact with the other bases. If you need me general I'll be going back to setting up the Life Engine."
Once he finished his sentence, one of his gran senior engineers ran into the command center with urgency and spoke to him. "Major we have a problem." He whispered. "Make it quick Heyk, General Kalypso's here." He replied attempting to be subtle. "It's the Life Engine." The gran engineer said concerningly
"Oh no." Was all he could say when he ran out of the command center to where the Life Engine was and the installation team were staring at terminals in shock and disbelief. "What's wrong with the Life Engine?!" He said to his software engineering team who were at their terminals that overlooked the entire system, Kirk looked at it and stared at one of the terminal's screens as it glitches while one of the engineers tried to fix it "Someone got a virus into the system, Major."
"Contain it! EVERYONE TRY TO CONTAIN IT!"
Kirk ran to his office to see if his terminal was doing the same thing and it was, it was too late though, he was locked out of the Life Engine's system. Kirk walked out of his office defeated while the engineers were scratching their heads who were also locked put of the system. "Scan the system and find out where the virus came from, once you figure it out tell me immediately guys." Kirk quickly made his way to find General Kalypso and inform him of the news. "General. We just had a cyber attack on the Life Engine. My team is trying pinpoint where it came from and I'm going to put the base on alert."
She had killed many to protect Atrisia. Far more than she had ever killed as a Marksmen. How many had she butchered? With blaster cannons? With Lightsabers? That extended bit with the chainsaw? The explosives she had frantically ordered dispersed throughout the city blocks from the wall in a desperate attempt to halt the seemingly unstoppable army. After that it had all been a blur of killing. Of Ripping. Of Tearing. Mythos had tried to make her go berzerk and kill her own. It had almost worked. She had barely snapped out of the frenzy he had nearly driven her to in time.
After that there had been just ruthless killing of abominations and clones, and the extreme trauma, combined with her brain damage, made it otherwise impossible for her to remember how the rest of it ended.
Laertia had snapped awake in a bacta tank, freaking, frantically banging about the reinforced tank, missing her cyborg arm. Through the mask giving her oxygen, she saw Westenra, the gladiator Android that had fought alongside her through the horrific battle was on the other side, still looking like she was dressed as a hoplite. A pale skinned athlete of raven hair, wielding a silvery katana, slung over her back.
The tank started to drain. She was in pain and didn't care, she wanted out.
She ripped off the mask as soon as the pod was open, slick with bacta in simple black undergarments, her skin a tombstone pallor in contrast to the Android's more natural skin tone. Her messy, short hair almost obsidian as opposed to Westenra's simple black.
"Julia!" Westenra exclaimed as Laertia scrambled back in fright for a second.
"Julia, calm down!" The Android repeated as she rushed over to her, the scarred Jedi Shadow's face twisted with fright and uncertainty about her surroundings.
"Shhh...calm down. Its okay..." Westenra assured her.
"Wherr amz I?" Laertia hissed in fright, dark gray eyes darting everywhere.
"We're aboard your ship. We were found among the survivors..." The Android answered. "You were badly injured. The Atrisian Government sent for your ship , The Absolution of Loste, which was in storage on Tython after my clan, House Li-Ves treated you. You patch up remarkably fast."
Laertia began to slow her breathing. Westenra smiled reassuringly, the Android's hyperpheremones already inducing an extremely euphoric calming effect.
"Wherrz Moya? Wherrz dhuh fraytuh I caymez heerz inn?"
Westenra frowned. "They have found neither your caretaker nor your ship."
Laertia's face hardened. She wasn't leaving Atrisia until she knew whether they were dead or not, Moya and her rabbits. She could handle the loss of a vessel, however precious. Moya's death, and the Death of her rabbits, would break her.
Laertia forced herself up.
"Werr goinz aftuh dhemz..."
"Not yet you aren't."
"Exxkuze Mee?"
"You need to eat." Westenra said firmly. "Or you'll be useless out there."
Thirty minutes later...
Laertia quietly ate the rice Westenra had prepared, in the converted IGV-55 vessels mess area, vastly larger than her own mess area on her small freighter. Westenra gave away much of her Android nature with each moment. She was a lot like Moya in that sense. When Moya was moving and talking and doing stuff fluidly one could not tell. But it was when she was still that you noticed how unnaturally precise each twitch of the head or eye was, how a sudden movement of the arm or leg was utterly mechanical.
So it was with Westenra. There was also one other thing that didn't seem right. There was a purple glint, faint but noticeable at the center of her eyes. She was cute. Gorgeous, actually, Laertia noted clinically as she ate--but you could still tell, when she was sitting absolutely still, just like you could tell with Moya, that something wasn't 'quite' right.
Still, Laertia had fought alongside her, so she was willing to trust her. For the time being.
"My clan would like to extend to you an offer of membership, considering you're one of the reasons I'm still among the living." Westenra spoke, smiling that small, coy smile.
Laertia, well aware a royal house of Atrisia having your back meant resources, back up, and possibly even credits, knew it would be unwise to not accept.
"I acceppttz..." Laertia said in response.
Westenra gave a fist pump. Precise motion. Inhumanly so.
"Delighted. The Atrisian Government also awarded you for your efforts to repel the invasion..." Westenra added, picking up a large case and setting it on the large, square dining table. Laertia stopped eating, curious, and opened it.
Inside was a signed letter of thanks from the military, along with a number of items...the letter explained each as well as their function.
Laertia's eyes widened as she read and then examined the contents...the first two items were simple relics that did not instinctively register in importance, but the last two, however, did.
She dropped the letter in shock as she read the final description...
"What's wrong?" Westenra asked, genuinely worried for her new friend.
(Zelda Acquisition Theme Plays)
(New Items acquired!)
Item: ECHANI VIBROBLADE (SHIKOMIZUE VARIANT)
A vibrosword with minor cryonic effects, cut down and fitted to be hidden in a shikomizue, but otherwise identical in all aspects to a typical echani vibroblade. This particular example belonged to a Jedi Knight active on Atrisia during the Gulag Era. An Antique, but effective if used properly.
Item: PEARL OF THE FLAME MATRIARCH
A rare Mustafaran Lava Crystal cut into the shape of a perfect sphere. A relic of the heretical Jei Priestess Cidd Cinndurr, killed for plotting rebellion against an ancient emperor of Atrisia. Can be installed in a lightsaber to deadly effect.
Item: LIGHT-YARI OF MORRIS
An antique Lightsaber-Spear with a collapsible, cortosis-weave shaft, emitting a flat Lightsaber blade when a crystal is installed. A relic taken from a slain Jedi named Morris Crownwraithe, father of Laertia Io. No crystal currently installed. This item appears to be an irregular, last minute addition, with a message from the Amalgam:
Why would I not track this down unless you really were like a daughter to me?
Item: HEART OF LYSANDRA
A Baas' Wisdom crystal that once belonged to Lysandra Crownwraithe, Jedi Knight and mother of Laertia Io. This last item appears to have been an irregular, last minute addition, with The Amalgam leaving a message with the crystal:
If this is not proof that I love you, Daughter, my 'firstborn'...what is?
(Gratuitous suit up montage)
Laertia wasn't sure what the message claimed was the truth until she held them in her hands. They felt so foreign, and yet familiar, with a coldness that chilled her as she held the glowing navy blue crystal, placing it carefully in the chamber within the spear shaft, which resonated through her bones...
The blade that ignited was a navy blue aura with a white core. She gave it a spin. She wasn't used to a weapon this size.
For this, and this alone, when she found and killed The Amalgam, she would be sure it would be painless and quick, unlike what she originally planned.
Her Black Knight Chitin had been badly damaged and was pretty much unfit for service at the moment, but Laertia had been careful enough to immediately have a reserve armor moved to the ship upon purchase. One that could fly.
She strapped an experimental tri-barrel blaster chaingun, modeled as a slightly smaller version of the B2 Battle Droid cannon to one arm mount, its clip able to contain about three hundred shots. It packed a wallop, but she had to fire in bursts often during testing.
Westenra watched her prepare, fascinated by the change in demeanor.
"I'll help you search. Members of House Li-Ves must stick together." she offered.
"I ain'ts abboutz tuh turnnz downnz free hellpz..." Laertia muttered, heading to the attached Tie Shuttle on the Absolution. "Yoo pylutz. I'mm notz leeguhlly allowwedz tooz."
Westenra nodded and went ahead of her, Laertia began to meditate on the way down, feeling for any trace of Moya...
Location:Atrisia Wearing:This Objective: Take on the weight of a world Tagging:John Locke
The silence that followed her query was a little too long for her liking. For a split second, she imagined that the Minister of Science would refuse. His features were handsome, as they always were, and she found a certain level of distraction. It was something she could ill-afford but it couldn’t be helped. Removing his memory of her, hiding his affections, had done more harm than good. Gianna had to admit that in the end— Kyyrk
was right. It hurt. It ripped at her insides…
But at least he was whole, and he, was all that mattered.
John smiled and approached. Her heart ached. Gianna didn’t know how to do anything other than bury that pain. She suspected that his affections, or, his hate would wrap around her were it not for the dire emotions that bubbled up from the villagers. Pain and suffering swept through romantic notions like a vibroblade. It was all-consuming. Green eyes flickered when he agreed to help. Where did she need the supplies? “Follow me, please. This will be a…Difficult session.”
She wanted to warn him. He wouldn’t like what he saw, but, she didn’t want the men and woken working diligently in the medical tents to think he couldn’t handle himself. He was one of the strongest people she knew. The sterile field had a heater, almost never used in this area, but the atmospheric changes made it a requirement. Gianna watched one of the surgical droids crank it up to maximum. At least it provided some warmth. Her robes were powder blue, though, the outer layer seemed almost too cheerful. Too thin for the chill.
She regretted it now.
No one wanted to see spring lilies or pink peonies when they were in pain. If anything—They just wanted the agony to stop. Gianna picked up an off-white apron on the way. John was carrying a mixture of bandages, synth skin, sterile dressing, painkillers, bacta, and anything else she could possibly need. When she looked to the face of her first patient the chill to her body was nothing compared to the cold in her soul. It was youngling. A child.
For the briefest moment, she wondered how the cosmos could be so cruel. How could it allow such a travesty? She had worked so hard, for so long, healing so many wounds, saving so many lives, that it felt inconceivable that such a young girl could be lost now. She could not fail on Atrisia. Would not.
Gianna stepped beside a medic that was struggling in more ways than one. Exhaustion radiated from the brunette, a result of sleep deprivation, and the Jedi Knight rest a soft hand on her shoulder. The sooner they stemmed the bleeding the better chance the young female patient would have. “Need a hand?”
Another nurse reached over to wipe the medics brow, then, she shook her head. Determined. “I’m good.”
Gianna paused. It was a lie. She couldn’t recall hearing a larger falsehood in the entirety of her life. The medic probably thought that there was nothing she could do, not on any level, because they were all tired. They were all drained. She just had to keep working. The flame-haired woman felt her expression soften. The Force moved in her, so soft, so light that it blessed the corner of the triage tent with goodness so pure that the shadows retreated. “You are. But, you’ve done enough. You got us here. Let me carry her across the finish line for you.”
The medic hesitated, before turning, to fully look at the Jedi. Unspoken words flowed, a mutual understanding met, and Gianna stepped in. The nurse that assisted offered her sterile spray for her hands and the Knight readily accepted. The same nurse pulled her hair back and hid it in a cap while she pulled a white mask up. Gloves on. It was time to work.
Her hand moved and a tool lifted from the tray John held. It snapped to her hand and the Knight got to work. There was a lot of internal damage, bleeders, and she would need to correct it before utilizing the Force. By the time Gia finished she was bloodied up to her wrists. The youngling was stable. A strong heartbeat. “You’re a fighter aren’t you…”, the Knight murmured, before moving, to dispose of her gloves. A new blanket draped itself over her. “Just…Keep fighting. You can do it…”
Healing hands released their own light once Gianna lay them near to the younglings’ body and focused. It was soft. Achingly gentle, like the first rays of morning, but it served more of a purpose than warmth. Through the Force, she would accelerate the healing process. No longer did it seem that the girl had just passed through major surgery, but, days. Color returned to her cheeks.
Gia stepped back and breathed.
One healing, even limited, didn’t bother her. But how many here required it?
How many could she save?
Biting softly her lower lip she glanced back at John as she removed her soiled apron. She would get another along the way. “She’ll make it.”, she murmured, speaking more to him, than anyone else. The soft goodness in her core affirmed it. Yes.
Kalypso turned his head as the Major's mouth curved upwards at the corners, in what organics knew as a smile, or grin. Typically a shine of happiness, or joy, or in some cases, humour. Though the last of the three seemed to speak truest, for as the Major smiled, Kalypso's greatly enhanced audio receptors picked up a sound that organics had called laughter, or a chuckle. Typically related more to humour than the other options. The break in formality earned the Major a stern five second glare from the General.
It was not unusual for a human General to do so, infact, that's what made it so unusual in the first place. It had been the first hint of true emotion or true sentience in any of the Confederacy's droid stock. Not even among the Super Tactical Droid's could a habit like this be found, though it was very similar to how the Super Tactical Droid's so frequently looked down upon organics. The General's smouldering gaze was lifted from the Major as an engineer walked into the tent, without any due respect for the senior ranks holding a meeting.
The General kept his audible protest to a minimum, though he expressed his displeasure by re-clasping his metallic hands behind his back, all four, into the pairs they had been when he had departed from his shuttle. His gaze now followed the engineer, where it rested inbetween the Major and Senior Engineer. He was surprised that the Senior Engineer had not so much as addressed or acknowledged the General's presence, as was atleast decent when interrupting so abruptly.
While the Major appeared to enter a frenzied state at the news of the Virus, the General simply shook his head. Both to the virus, the incompetence that allowed it to penetrate the systems, and the lack of discipline he had found in the Major. Such an event needn't warrant the panic displayed by the Major, much less expected. If he had been a junior officer, instead of a Major, in charge of a Forward Operating Base, then it might be tolerated. Yet as the Major ran from the Command Centre, the droid's gaze tracking him, Kalypso turned, doing what he had been built to. He lead. He knew the situation, yet a decisive and clean end to the virus was not an option, no, improbable, but not likely.
Yet a swift stall could be provided. The Droid General's voice turned from the smooth, civilised programming, likened to that of a Politician, to a rough, commanding frame that boomed with authority that demanded respect and action. He walked forward towards the centre of the room, though it was unnecessary, as his voice could be heard much further than this camp if he deemed it necessary.
"Communications Officer, send a message to the C.N.S. Salvatore, within Orbit, transmit Code 36-Beta-4, direct for the ranking Bridge Officer. Lock down all transmissions to the base, send them through a relay network before they have access. Put the base on low alert. Perform a broad scan of all droids within the base, and send for all organics to line up at their barracks, have NCO's perform roll call, my BX droids will perform an inspection. Leave the engineers unaware to these happenings."
Kalypso then turned again, making his way outside of the command centre, towards the Major's Office, before being intercepted by the Major himself. Kalypso's approximation of impatience was atleast somewhat evident by the way he regarded the interruption.
"Major, you speak nothing new to me. The Base has already been put on alert, my command ship has been notified. a Tactical Droid and two squads of BX-Series Droids are already boarding a shuttle to this base. Inbound and outbound communications have also been locked-down, and are being heavily monitored. All inbound transmissions must go through a relay network, at our mercy, before they can even connect directly to a communications console. Of course, you might know this if you had stayed in the command centre. However, I require access to your terminal to combat the Virus."
The General began his walk towards the Major's office again, for he would not be ignored. Every nanosecond gone was a nanosecond longer the Virus had to serve it's purpose.
Kirk sighed slightly as he followed General Calypso to his own office while his engineers were trying to remove the virus from the Life Engine's system. Heyk, the gran engineer walked up to him to inform him of the damage. "The virus locked us out of accessing the terraforming functions. No damages to the system have been made so far."
"Activate firewalls and do what you can to contain it, We have to what we can to remove it."
Kirk continued his pace beside the general who had growing impatience with Kirk. But he wasn't thinking about that, the Life Engine was a huge priority for him and it was his job to make sure this thing worked properly. As soon as they entered his office, Kirk rushed to his terminal to access what he could. He quickly contained the virus through a firewall that would take a long time to bypass and give him enough breathing room to try and remove it. "They didn't damage any of the systems general, I'm going to remove it now that its contained." He said as he got into the Life Engine's drive which contained things like the data on Atrisia's atmosphere and its actual functions. From what he could see, nothing was deleted which was a relief. But the virus was still there and Kirk had to delete it while it was dormant.
He stared at his screen not minding the general at all as he was trying to use the necessary countermeasures to pinch away at the virus and heal what remained. Like a human body, Kirk did whatever he could to facilitate removal of the infection. His heart started to pound as his hands went away at his terminal, fearing that at any minute the virus could've deleted the Life Engine's data drive. But with a bit more effort and with some sweaty palms Kirk sighed in relief as he removed the virus from the Life Engine. Kirk kept the firewalls on and activated a protection software that protected a general range of Confederacy tech.
Once that crises was averted, he turned to General Kalypso who stood above him. "The virus was removed sir, we're now able operate the Life Engine without any interruptions. We have protection installed but that will only stall another cyber attack."
Despite the fact that this whole affair was Kirk's responsibility especially with his failure to imitate the countermeasures necessary before the Life Engine, he knew that was his priority and that Atrisia needed this to fix their atmosphere. But Kirk knew better than to make excuses for his failings, then again he and his team could continue with their mission with the proper security measures. But the threat that hacked into their system was out there somewhere and Kirk had to make sure this wouldn't go down as failure. "General I accept full responsibility for the attack on the Life Engine. Whoever hacked into our systems is still out there and its only necessary I assist in tracking down whoever did this."
Well, not really, but it was as close as Duckie had ever come, the giant was so tall that up here it looking like all the grass waving around his feet was a tiny ant, not the giant forest that it truly was. The duckling peered down over the edge of Kaden’s hand, a contented sound escaping his throat. He was safe up here, none of that bad food or water could get to him. That there was no food up here didn’t even occur to the Quacklord, someone, somehow, the giant one would provide.
Although, not immediately, it seemed he wanted to talk, to look at the badland. This entire planet was bad, the sooner Duckie found his way back to the ship the sooner he could beat up that monster again and make it take him home. For now though…he was hungry.
“Quaack”
The man didn’t seem to get the message though, his fingers stroking along the duck’s back as his voice came in a quiet contemplation. It seemed that there was something about the badland that meant something to the man. Still, it wasn’t what Duckie wanted, his head swinging, the twig in his beak tapping against the man’s fingers. There it was the food!
Head bowed, the duck’s beak pressed against the offered food.
During her time with the Mandrogora, Shamira had been allowed to take the time to experiment with plenty of different type of medicine, salves, and plants. Finding ways to combine those was much more difficult, and it seemed as though she was one of the only ones attempting anything like it. Of course, there was Scàth Mhaolàin
, but his types of study seemed more…ritualistic than her own. She was a witch, similar to the rest of the Mandrogora, but her approach to many things was much more scientific. Her room had become filled with books of botonny, advanced and simplistic, as she attempted to learn as much of the culture of plants as possible. Alongside that was the beginning of her study of anatomy, being able to diagnose the most minor of internal injuries with a few waves of her hand. At the moment, localizing the pain was her main focus, that way she could focus on treating it.
All this had culminated into the beginning of her creations of medicine, which is what the redhead worked at for a good long while now. One of her first combinations was a couple of different types of berries, sourced from multiple locations inside the forest on ryloth, pasted together thoroughly into a sticky, clear substance. It was stingy to the touch, but some of the healing properties of the berries were able to make their way through the skin to accelerate the healing process. Of course, this was all in theory. There wasn’t exactly a multitude of injured subjects to test on in the castle. It worked well enough on some injured animals. She thought.
Shamira had spent the first few hours of her time on this planet, having traveled with a crate full of berries, smashing as many of them as possible, then scooping the healing salve into small, hollowed out nuts. Through her experimentation, she found that the two halves could be sealed with a little bit of fire on the tip of her finger. They would be much safer to travel in this sealed up state. After spending most all of her time sat at a table near the back of the prepping area, creating her homemade medicine in mass quantities, there was at least a small crate or two.
When a worker walked up, intent on bringing the crates and putting them with the rest of the bacta, Shamira was quick to leap up from her chair and wave him off. “wait wait!” She said, grabbed the crates and hoisting them up herself. “These are..more powerful than just regular bacta. I’ll deliver them to the nightmother myself.” The redhead flashed the man a smile before starting out of the tent, trudging along with the crates in hand until she saw, and reached, the tall white skinned woman. That same smile was given to her nightmother, placing the crates near her while looking up at Vytal. “Couple of crates done. If I had known we were coming here, I would’ve had at least a few more ready already. I’ve been working as fast as I can.”
In a galaxy engulfed in waring powers, it was easy at times to forget about the damage that was left behind on the smaller planets. Those that weren’t some large name, galactic power that had plenty of economy to be able to rebuild itself. The smaller ones that would seemingly have an endless stream of repairs to do to even approach the level of civilization that was there before the battles. Even with the laundry list of repairs that were typically left, the scars left on the people would take much, much longer to heal. On Atrisia, a planet that they had been involved in a conflict over only a few days prior, the Confederacy strived to accelerate that healing process.
With Kirk Tektus and General Kalypso fully repairing the life engines, the planet already had a head start. Others helped in their own ways, such as John Locke
and Srina Talon
, but there was many a hand attempting to get the planet helped and along it’s way toward restoration. Of course, much like Rome, this planet would not be built, or rebuilt, in a day. However, with the power of the Confederacy behind it, then Atrisia would become the beautiful planet it was before the conflict yet again, and it’s people would be healed both of mind, and of body.
Daisy wasn’t wearing armor because there supposedly wasn’t a need for it. This was a restoration gig, but, she'd tripped and fallen on some gravel. Chit. That stung. But, she would be fine. The tall blonde Mandalorian hadn’t been around for the extra-insane warfare that had gone down not three days prior on Atrisia. In all honesty – She wasn’t supposed to be here. She hadn’t planned on being here. There was a lot of work to do on Haseria. Fields to till, irrigation to set up, and some thirsty brothers and sisters to booze up at the Sierra Blanca. “S’allright—Ah’m five by five. Don’ ya’ll worry about me you just worry about you.”
There were plenty of settlements and villages that could use a little free labor. She wasn’t skilled at healin’ or nothin’ so specific, nor, did she contain the vocabulary for politics. But she was strong. She could move things, help hold beams, rebuild, and paint. Carpentry wasn’t really a “skill” on Haseria so much as it was a requirement. If they wanted it? They had to build it from scratch.
At first—The Atrisians didn’t seem to much like her. They were nice enough, sure, but trust was earned. She certainly didn’t expect to be welcomed with open arms. Wary glances, she could take. She had been exiled from her homeworld a hot minute ago. Disdain? Dislike? Even a little disgust? She could deal. The Americus, simply for her Clan name, had been through much worse.
So, she came down in her gunship, left it in the designated spot, and did what was asked.
No more no less.
The warm sun and fluctuating weather left her occasionally freezing cold, or, like she was burning up. The air felt charged. Someone had mentioned that some Force related boogaloo had gone down here but Daisy couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Her connection to the invisible hoodoo that bound everything together was tenuous as best. Midday would find her palm sanding a doorframe for a building that would soon be completed. There were intricate details that a machine, or a droid, would probably just mess up.
“Country roads, take me home…”, she sang softly, lightly, so as not to annoy anyone working nearby. “To the place I belong. Warm Haseria…Mountain mama. Take me home, county roads…”
It was an old song that she always went back to when she was tasked with mindless work. It was good for this too. Sanding was really the unsung hero of any project with wood. It took a long time and the results were always subtle. With a nice stain? Yessiree—This would right nice.
After about a half-a-days work it was time for a break. Hydration, too. She downed about half a water bota in thirty-seconds before signaling to the foreman that she was going to take a walk. She’d been hunched over the door for so long that her back made her feel like an old woman. She shook blonde curls and a little dust flew out, more or less, causing her to have a sneezing fit.
A few of the Atrisians gave a good-natured laugh, but, Daisy had the presence of mind to blush while she walked down a little path. Not for the first time she felt something tugging at her.
When brilliant aquamarine eyes landed on a familiar pair of broad shoulders she understood. Kaden was here. How had she not realized it before? Maybe it was the messed-up balance in this place. She carried herself down the hillside toward what looked to be a few ruined buildings and a lake. She could hear his deep baritone on the wind. It was a lot of sad things. Being hit? Who was he talkin’ to?
After a moment she caught sight of his companion.
A duck.
Her hands rose up and covered her mouth whilst she snorted, eyes sparkling, but without a word.
The duck made Kaden smile. It was cute, and Kaden could easily see him taking the wandering quackmeister back to Haseria and giving it a home. It seemed to like the ration bars enough, and Kaden knew he had feed, bread, and other things the duck would find even more enjoyable than the gritty bland favor of a ration bar. There was work to do, but unless Kaden used the force, many of the beams and posts in the way were not going to be possible to move.
A familiar sound landed on his ears as a floral yet sawdust smell wafted up toward his nose. Kaden recognized the floral scent. Pink Lily, along with the snort, marked the person walking toward him as none other than Daisy Americus
herself.
Another smile pulled at Kaden's lips. The duck helped pull Kaden out of his head enough that whatever he thought was bothering him about being on Atrisia was gone. In truth, he should have talked with Daisy about it, but instead he poured his heart out to the animal in his arms. That is what they were good for sometimes.
"Hey you, there is someone I want you to meet, this is Daisy. She's my cyare." Beacause the duck understood that Kaden was introducing it to his girlfriend.
Kaden chuckled as he walked over to Daisy and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He offered her the duck to hold if she wanted to take it before taking a small step back.
"You smell nice," he said genuinely. Kaden loved the smell of her perfume mixed with the fragrance of the wood she had sanded. There was something intoxicating about it.
His arm motioned to the area around them as though he was showing it off with a bit of pride.
"I know this doesn't look like much, but this is where I lived for four years. From ten to fourteen, before making my way back to Mandalore. What do you think?"
Kaden reached over to pat the duck on the head. Even though he was trying to have fun with it, Daisy would be able to see in Kaden's eyes how much the place meant to him. There was happiness to it that perhaps she was unfamiliar with when it came to the subject of Kaden's past.
"And you... you still haven't told me if you like it either..."
Location: Artisia Wearing:This Objective: Take on the weight of a world Tagging:Gianna Aegis
It was said that people were made of layers…like a parfait. When he’d been younger John hadn’t believed that in his youthful naivety he’d thought that had just been a story. That people were who they were one thing, one face, one layer. That people were simple to understand and anyone who thought different was just overcomplicating things. He’d been naïve. The more he experienced, the more he met people, the more he got to know them the more he realised that people were far far from the straightforward beings that he’d originally thought. A wry smile touched the man’s lips as he imagined his 6-year old self railing at the thought as his eyes cut over to his companion.
The Jedi…his feelings around her, they were as complicated as they came.
He wanted to be angry, to grasp her by the shoulders and try to shake some sense into her but…he couldn’t. He couldn’t ask her what she’d been thinking because he knew, in the midst of tears and the outpouring of grief she’d explained everything. She’d just been trying to protect him.
That was the truth that cut, like a nail driven deep into his soul. She’d done everything to try to protect him. It was a simple truth, but there in that statement, the truth of the woman was laid bare. She cared, enough that she’d done what was unthinkable to her, went against every one of her instincts just to protect him. Even though it had torn her apart from the inside. If he closed his eyes John could till see here, there in the warm sunlight of the Spritegate Shore. There was always a beauty to Gianna, but that day it had been almost ethereal. As if she’d been fading away.
In the face of that, John felt the heat of his anger cooling, shifting into something else. He wished…no that was unfair. He wished she’d talked to him but she had. She’d been honest and he hadn’t taken it well, he could remember that now…but even knowing that, knowing all that…he was here. There was nowhere else that he wanted to be. It was just…confusing. He’d tried retreating into his work, into the calm of numbers and engineering. It hadn’t helped. He missed her, worried about her. In the end that truth cut through all the fog of confusion, he cared.
The woman he saw taking charge of the medical station, the one easing the nurse out of the way was a far cry from the woman who’d greeted him that day in Spritegate. Gianna seemed more solid, more herself now than she had. The truth was John had never seen the woman in the middle of an emergency like this before, had never seen this side of her. He knew it existed, that this was what she did, he’d seen her in the villages taking care of cuts and bruises as the villagers flocked around her like it was a party. This though, this was something completely else.
Layers. Another layer of the woman revealed.
He could see the singular focus Gianna applied to her patient, the way the world faded, that the woman lost herself in healing the person right in front of her. The care, the concern radiating off her. Was this what it had been like for her? All those days she’d just sat in his lab as he worked on a problem, on some new invention that had absorbed him?
It was…nice.
Seeing her in her element like this, where she belonged, where she wanted to be. The cyborg could have stood here all day just watching Gianna work, watching the concentration writ across her face, brow wrinkly slightly as she focused. Soft words of encouragement slipping from her lips. The care and love that radiated from her. John had always said that Gianna was light, the light of all that was good in the world and that was never truer than right now.
He loved her, that fact had never been in doubt to the man, not since Taanab since the moment he’d stumbled into her tent to find her slumped over her desk. Now, despite everything he still loved her, perhaps more than ever.
The truth was the Minister could have watched her work forever, watch her lose herself in the care and healing that was her passion and calling. John was used to walking into a room, commanding it by virtue of his position, of his personality but he’d never been happier to fade into the background. This wasn’t his place, this wasn’t his arena it was hers. He was just happy to be here to watch her, to help in any way he could, even if it was just holding a box.
The Jedi had warned him that it would be difficult and John could see the energy, the work that had gone into just one healing, and there were more, tents full of people who needed help, who needed the attention of the healers. And they’d respond, she’d respond. She always did, working and giving till she had nothing left, then pushing that little bit more, working a little bit harder. Till she had nothing left, and he’d be there to help where he could along the way, to catch her when she fell. There was nothing else he could do. Nothing else he wanted to do.
He could see the colour return to the girl’s cheeks as Gia finally stepped back, the girl on the bed slumbering peacefully, looking nothing like someone who had just been through life-saving surgery. He could hear Gia’s quiet assurance, the soft affirmation that the girl would be ok.
“Yes, she will.”
John’s reply was equally quiet, a whisper meant for her ears alone. He wasn’t just talking about the girl, not entirely. For a moment his eyes danced to look at the Jedi before glancing away. She’d be ok, they both would.
The box made a soft thud as the man lowered it to rest on the edge of the bed, hands reaching up slipping the sweater from his shoulders, holding it out to the woman.
“You looked cold and…I don’t really need it.”
It was a nothing, a small gesture. It was everything, it was a promise. A promise that they’d be ok, that he’d be here. Next to her, supporting her. That she’d only need to turn and he’d be there. That she’d always find him right there.
The Darkness had corrupted the sky. The dead were still being removed from the streets. Even the galaxy's notorious war economy would take time to make the place fully up and running. There was so much enemy dead to loot. Laertia, when barely in her teens had watched people who fenced weapons looted from high end bounty hunters or warriors. The trade was seemingly both treacherous and worse, endless.
The Black Knight of Nar Shaddaa retraced her steps from the initial battlezone. There had been nowhere to run. The burned and blasted cityscape still had fires that were being put out even days later. Some of them caused by her. Many more of them caused by the strange Jedi Syd Celsius. Laertia wondered if she had survived. It'd be a shame to lose her.
Finally, after walking devastated streets littered with burned corpses from where part of Celsius's rampage through the streets had killed hundreds from the fires, they at last reached the area where her old Dynamic Class Frieghter was parked, Laertia silently clutching the first evidence of her birth parents she had ever had like it was a lifeline, despite being clad in heavy armor.
Westenra's unnaturally precise walk made softer footfalls than Laertia's heavy thuds as she stared at the blank spot where her ship had been. She could not sense Moya. Already her brain played tricks on her, the increased stage fright she was experiencing at the unanswered question of her ship and Moya's fate.
What would she do without her rabbits? Without Moya? They were her world. The only piece of sanity she had left. Her pseudo little sister Uri had abandoned her, Ursula was dead, (she would later learn Ursula was much much worse than dead.) the rest of her family in the Marksmen were dead or soon to be because she could not track them down.
Moya and the rabbits were what kept her from becoming completely unglued. That was part of why she had almost wished for death during The Slaughter at The Wall: she knew very well her only remaining family might be dead already. She wasn't ready to face the galaxy without them.
That bit with the chainsaw had been fething sweet though.
I mean, Holy Chit, how many abominations and heretics had she fething turned into confetti with that thing? (Approximately 451 before the motor finally gave out. It wasn't as impressive as she thought.)
"If your ship is not here, then that means it was taken..." the biot. "It could still turn up..."
Laertia looked around the landing site, clutching her first actual family heirloom, that felt increasingly cold to her as she examined the area, still strewn with dead.
"We keepz lookinnz..."
"I'm so glad you joined the Family..." Westenra spoke, trying to distract her new friend. "The Li-Ves is always in need of brave warriors."
Laertia did not respond, instead trying to feel for some trace, any trace, of where her family was. Some scent, some trail--
Westenra tackled her in the nearly deserted city block as a cloud of nine inch silvery needles impacted deep into the ground where she had been seconds before.
Laertia was up, hauling the biot to her feet as she used her spear to swipe another swarm of needles away from them. She was getting a feel for the spear. Westenra spotted their attacker, on a nearby roof with her telescopic vision. A woman in a white set of robes and the mask of a serpent.
"There." Westenra pointed out to Laertia.
The Jedi Knight threw her spear, teleporting the thrown spear in mid flight behind her attacker, spearing her through the chest, the freezing blade of her mother's crystal within her Father's hilt not only tearing through the tissue, but freezing the parts it pushed out as it exited her.
Westenra moved in front of Laertia, taking three needles to the chest, sprinting at the second thrower, a man in the same outfit as the woman, who flung silvery needles out of his long sleeves as Westenra got closer, deflecting the projectiles with her Katana, spinning it and her body endlessly as his throwing got more and more frequent and frankly desperate. He only really started to freak as she got within range and was still deflecting the lethally fast projectiles at point blank range. A Katana came out, along with a tanto, but the biot dodged his slashes and stabs, flipping and twisting around his combat space to evade his weapon, until with a final leap she threw a fist out, knocking him out cold.
More of the white robed and masked warriors sprang from the ruins.
"Whoo duh fethz arr yooz?!" Laertia growled at them, as Westenra went back to join her.
"We of the Silver Needle Shinobi have long sought vengeance on you, Laertia Io." Their leader said in Atrisian, a man with more elaborate white and gold robes and a dragon mask concealed under a hood, balancing on a twisted girder from a fallen building. "You and your master Ursula destroyed our enclave during one of your many past rampages on our world--"
Laertia's arm mounted blaster chaingun erupted in his direction, forcing him to look really awesome as he back flipped to avoid the fire. Westenra, despite being programmed for an inhuman sense of empathy and mercy, could not help but be amused at him getting cut off like that but the smiles soon stopped as dozens of white costumed men and women converged on them. Laertia, not fully used to the spear, suffered significant nicks to her armor as she essentially was being forced to relearn how to dodge and parry attacks, but it wasn't long until instinct kicked in, allowing her her first up close victory as she jammed the freezing blade into the throat of a Kunoichi, freezing the neck solid as she violently flung the body into the nearby wreck of a building, impaling her on wood splinters, grabbing anothers neck and making him gush blood from the eyes as she activated her jet pack, impaling 007 more , teleporting the spear out of their bodies just in time to spear another through the skull. The biot resorted to nonlethal but painful measures, fists and legs crushing knees and elbows, as there was simply no other way for her to end the fight decisively without resorting to lethal measures.
"KILL THEM!" The Master Shinobi roared as dozens more sprinted from the ruins...
Location: Artisia Wearing: Feathers? Nothing special, just threw this on Objectives: 1) Be cute 2) Get fed 3) ??? 4) Profit Tagging:Daisy Americus|Kaden Farr
Another giant!
The adventures of the Quacklord seemed to be a neverending parade of one giant after the other looming over him with their evil plans and their lack of feeding and petting him, though his current giant did seem alright. Never fear readers, honest citizens of the Confederacy! The Quacklord would smite them all and return with the good foo....ohh she smelt nice.
The duckling peered up at Daisy, beady black eyes open wide, blinking at her for a moment before he turned and twisted before settling down in her hands, nibbling on the last crumbs of the ration bar he'd managed to purloin before the first giant so rudely got rid of him. See if he cared, he was with the nice one...plus her hair was the same colour as him, almost. People couldn't have everything now.
Snuggling down the duckling peered around, it looked like this place had seen better times as if his best friend had passed through looking for food. Come to think of it, he hoped Garza was ok. It had been a while since the duckling had checked in on his slumbering friend. He'd have to go check on him. his next adventure! The Quacklord and sleeping beauty! He'd been purloining blankets and covering his sleeping friend with them while he slept, he was just so big and it was hard to get them through unnoticed. But blankets were snuggly and warm and he wanted his friend to wake up in a good mood.
Maybe there were blankets around here he could liberate, it certainly looked like no-one would miss it wit the worn-down state of the building they'd be more concerned with other things. Who knows, maybe the nice smelling one would help him, they could carry a lot of blankets between them. His head craned back, looking at her questioningly.
Location:Atrisia Wearing:This Objective: Take on the weight of a world Tagging:John Locke
The Jedi Knight looked up when she heard John speak. His voice was an anchor. She knew that he hadn’t been with her on Tanaab, however, she hadn’t realized that he’d never seen her in the field. It wasn’t something she talked about often. She a long moment she simply stood still. Listening to the vitals of the youngling chime in a steady rhythm. It assured her that she had made the correct choices, that, she hadn’t somehow harmed the girl by conserving her strength.
She blinked—Almost unseeingly when John offered her his sweater. Gianna was hesitant. But, a howling wind caused her to accept. The chill that ran through her bones made her teeth chatter. Were she not attempting to use her gifts sparingly she might have resorted to Tapas.
“…Thank you, John.”
Her fingers wrapped around the sweater and she slid it over her shoulders carefully. It was too big by far, but, his residual warmth was more than welcome. She found herself curling into it whilst a comforting scent wrapped her. It was him. All, him. Everything she seemed to need, yet, nothing she could ever have. “Let me know if you need it back. I can manage with the Force if I need to.”
Gianna tried to remain even with him. Now that he had his memories back, it was impossible to stay away, but, she had to police her every breath. Her every word. The wrong attention to detail would fill her eyes with unshed tears. It weakened her. It made her less sure, less stable, because her heart overflowed with honeyed warmth and profound sadness every time he crossed her mind. He had silently proclaimed that he would always be there. She…She could do nothing more than accept.
Accept—That he could be there. Yet, she would have to keep him at arm’s reach.
They would remain with the young girl until another medic came back to watch over her. It didn’t take long. There were plenty of bodies that could monitor, but few, with the necessary skills to stabilize everyone that had gotten caught in the debris or crossfire. From there she was ushered to a new victim. A new apron was placed about her form while the sleeves of the sweater were tacked up high. Gianna moved from one person to the next, working without pause, to ensure that they saved as many as possible. Eased the pain to as many as possible.
She excised and debrided burns, amputated and reattached limbs, regrew them, staunched bleeding, drained wounds, ligated bleeders. First, she utilized modern medicine to save them. Then the sufferers passed beneath healing hands. Gianna kept going. Hoping, that their wounds would be her anodyne. A dozen and a half beds later, she was exhausted, but still too worried to rest. Hours had passed. But, there were still many, many more than needed help.
The patients in the north camp were as stable as they were going to get. The operating tables were empty for the time being. The thought of going out into the cold, to start working with a new camp, of feeling that cold, crushing silence, was anathema. But, Gianna needed to do something. There was no sitting around. There was no time to wait or recover.
There were a few Atrisian militia-members standing guard. They were trusted, just enough, but still under watch. They also didn’t seem to believe the threat was over. One of them stood impassively near the exit with a faint cloud of breath-fog issuing from within his cowl at slow, regular intervals. It was still chilly but they’d at least acquired enough blankets and heat-paks to keep the patients sufficiently warm. The local militia seemed rather unaffected by the cold. It was impressive.
Gia stopped by each patient before preparing to move to the next camp. She reviewed each chart, each set of notes, and checked the wounds she had not treated. The Jedi Knight could tell an infection on sight. Occasionally, by smell. “This man…He will need Spectacillin. Twice the normal dosage—Every eight hours.”
It was one of the most common antibiotics. A broad-spectrum RNA polymerase inhibitor that was capable of stopping the most virulent bacteria. It then bound to GC rich sequences located in the minor grooves of DNA and caused rapid reconstruction—Expedited healing. It wasn’t bacta, but, it was powerful. It was a perfect option for worlds without a steady supply. “And you’ll need to keep his fever down with analgesic suppressors.”
“You can use the bota muscle-poppers in a few different ways. Most prescribe them for patients with more human in their species-tap because they’ll derive the most antibacterial and antiviral benefits. The further the patient gets from human the more the injections change. It will be an analgesic and a pain killer. Use it only when typical narcotics have no effect.”
There were a lot of patients. Gia felt like she could visit all of them, talk to all of their caregivers, and there would still be a hundred more. Transfers had yet to begin. Even though they were all stable, many, would need more care than they could give on the ground. Muscle poppers would help with that. The only problem was, even with them, they wouldn’t last long. If Gianna could get her hands on enough bacta she might be able to make a suspension that could treat hundreds. She knew the dosages and proportions of the active ingredients to the carrier solution like the back of her hand.
It was just a matter of the supplies arriving intact. Bacta, no matter the world, wasn’t cheap.
Soon enough she had done all she could in the first camp. She bundled up, carefully, and prepared to leave for the next when she noticed that one of the guards was breathing unevenly. Gianna couldn’t see his face but she could feel pain. A dark, almost black substance, had coated the front of his cloth armor. “Sir…Are you injured?”
No response.
“Can you hear me?”
He gave a solid grunt, but, when he lifted his head, she could see that his face was covered in sweat. He was pale. Clammy. She breathed in deeply. “You can’t stand here like this…You need a bed. Treatment.”
“No, young lady. I am fine where I stand.”
“No.”, Gianna repeated softly, tilting her head, so she could catch his eye. There was a softly stubborn glint to luminous jade orbs that John would surely come to know. It meant that arguing was futile. “You won’t be able to help anyone if you collapse. The longer you wait—The worse it will be.”
The man grunted again and Gianna sighed. Patiently, she held out her hand. “At least let me have a quick look before we head out. I promise it won’t take long.”
It took some doing, but eventually, he relented. Gianna leaned forward to check the sucking wound to his abdomen and her shoulders tensed. “It’s not…That bad.”
Lying, definitely, a lie. It was worse than bad. She was shocked he could stand at all.
“Just a moment…”
Gianna drew on the same well of bright, warm, wonderful light that had blessed so many others. Her hands crossed to concentrate the Force and press it into the guard. Energy swirled and chased away the angry red lines of the injury until they faded to a soft pink hue. When she pulled away, she noted he was breathing easier and was watching her with wide, wide eyes. “You…you should still follow up with someone.”
Vertigo hit. Hard. She backed up, and almost stumbled into John before she caught herself. Gianna forced a smile on her face and made sure that it was comforting. The last she wanted to do was grimace.
“Take care.”
"How did you...I mean. Yes. I will. Thank you."
Gianna needed air. Quickly, and something to eat. Something to replenish the energy she had used.
It didn’t matter that Kaden was introducing her to a duck. He could have been introducing her to a rock and she still would have felt heat flush to her cheeks. It wasn’t every day that she got to hear someone call her theirs. Though, it was happening now more than it used to. “And who might this be?”, she questioned, intrigued, by the fluffy yellow avian that Kaden was carrying. The kiss to her forehead made her blush deepen whilst hiding a stammer.
He offered the small creature to her and she accepted, though, with hesitant hands. She was afraid to hurt it. She gathered up the duckling near to her chest and watched it eat a little bit of a ration bar. Daisy was familiar with all manner of domestic animals but this one had a little gleam of intelligence. Even when it quacked, she smiled, and could only really think of trying to find something else to feed it.
“He’s so sweet…Where did you find him?”
Kaden mentioned that she smelled nice and if possible—She blushed harder. “Ah’ve been workin’ up the hill makin’ new doors all day. Lotsa elbow grease. Ah bet ah could use a shower more than anything.”
Holding the Duck close she looked to see what Kaden had to show her. It was a rather dilapidated building that, perhaps, had been beautiful once. Aquamarine eyes squinted softly whilst she tilted her head. It caused some of her shining curls to fall over her shoulder near the duckling in her arms. “Ah think it could use a little love but…Ah can see it. Ah think.”
Daisy could tell that Kaden was holding something in. A little bit of happiness that he hadn’t known for a long time. It warmed her that someone, anyone, in this place would be happy. Even the communities that were untouched mourned for the losses of others. They seemed to rise up, one by one, and make themselves known. She had heard what she thought to be drums in the distance. But, she couldn’t be sure. She blinked—What was she supposed to like? “The duck?”
She brought him up a little and nestled his soft feathers against her cheek. “Oh, ah love him.”
It clued her in a moment later that he was probably talking about this place. Atrisia. Or his old home where he had spent a good chunk of his formative years. “The lake is lovely. Ah just…Ah think ah overheard a little bit ah like less.”
“Getting’ hit with sticks? Makes me want to hit ‘em back.”
Daisy had a solid huff at that. Mr. Quack would agree with her, certainly. She let go of the creature with one hand to pull the water skin from her shoulder. She didn’t know how long Kaden had been here. Going without food was one thing, but water? “Here. Have a drink… “
She wrapped herself around the duckling again. He would be lucky if she ever let go.
"No idea," Kaden answered the blonde as she asked about the duck. "I was just working here, one of those broody moods you always feel bad when I fall into, and he just started pecking at me."
The beskarhearted Mandalorian smiled. There was nothing about the scene Daisy walked in on which would indicate he had such a hard heart, but the woman knew where the cracks in the metal which encased his heart were. She had found her way past them, and seemed to always do so instantly when she came around the former ghost. It made him happy, she made him happy, and Kaden was thrilled when she took the duck to hold it.
A nod of his head was the answer Daisy received to her revelation of what she had been up to. Kaden knew too well how skilled she was with detail and finishings. His house on Haseria had some of her more delicate touches riddled throughout it. There were certain things that elbow grease and muscle alone could not accomplish. Sometimes one needed a keen eye, something Daisy certainly seemed to have.
Her blushing did not go unnoticed. Manda she was cute when she got all flustered. Even if there was only a duck as an audience, Daisy still found cause to let her cheeks turn color. She reacted in ways Yasha did not, and Kaden loved her even more for it. His head canted as he looked at the duck wondering what the animal might think of their behavior, but he shrugged. It wasn't like the webbed footed creature could voice its opinion anyway. Though, Kaden swore the quacks carried enough variation in tone that it was trying to communicate with them.
At least Daisy seemed to like the place. Kaden wasn't even sure if Baiko left it to him, but the grounds held so many memories for him.
Water was offered, and Kaden took it. He did not know how long he'd actually been there. If he had to guess it was likely as long as Daisy had been working on the doors just over the hill she'd come down. He took a sip from the water bota, then a larger drink. He was more dehydrated than he thought.
Kaden handed the bota back before reaching into his pocket for the remainder of the ration bar. Offering it to the duck Kaden used the extended arm as an excuse to wrap Daisy into his arms.
"Now this duck... great wing man," he teased.
"It wasn't bad here you know, and those sticks kept me from getting cut up. Baiko taught me personally how to use a sword. It was like anything else related to close quarters combat or hand to hand even. You get knocked down and you learn from it, get better if you let it make you better."
Kaden looked out at the lake and extended his index finger as he pointed toward the dilapidated dock.
"Used to go swimming out there after training was over, especially on the hotter days. Not too much different than today actually. Then back this way," Kaden turned the blonde and the duck toward where the house lay in ruin. "was where I lived. There isn't much left after the battle here, but... yeah ner cyare, I was thinking I could restore it. Would give us a lake house to escape to when we wanted it."
The mandalorian turned them all back toward the lake as cool breeze seemed to blow off of it. There were so many happy memories in this place that even as he spoke Kaden could feel some of the beskar which surrounded his heart chip away. A long sigh left his lips as mischievous washed over Kaden's face.
"You wanna go for a swim..." Kaden pat the duck on the head. "What do you say boy, you think we can convince her to go for a completely spontaneous jump in the lake?"
The Atrisian Delegate was polite enough not to tear her down for her lack of political prowess. Still, came the question of history. Specifically, when it came to the Confederacy. Srina only had one mindset when it came to digging up ghosts. They were neither here nor there. Remembered, recalled, loved, or hated—It was all part of a world that Srina did not exist in. Still. Her head nodded slowly with the timeline that Junko drew upon. “I understand. However, this is a time in which the past, especially, the exceedingly ancient past must die. The present calls. The future beckons.”
The Confederacy had come to carry hundreds of systems, thousands of worlds, and never had they besmirched their own people. Naysayers liked to wax poetic that they had no vision. No drive, no standards, and no identity. They all had one thing in common: Past grudges, and unrelenting ego. Srina was often sent as an emissary because she held neither of those things. She held no inflated sense of self, even if, the nation referred to her as their Dread Queen. It was only for the terrifying way that she tended to descend into battle. It a sobriquet. Not, a real title.
The only one she had that mattered to her was that of an Exarch. Even with that—It only mattered because she was duty-bound. She served her people. Not the other way around.
The snow white-haired woman settled down neatly in one of the empty chairs, ensuring, that Maliphant was beside her. The Exarch moved with her Advisor in such a way that proclaimed they were very much so in sync. The very same way that a moon orbited a planet, bound, and held by gravity did they follow the path the other presented. Gracefully. No mistakes. “After the fall of the Core at the hands of the Sith Empire we became adept in providing aid. We assume nothing, but, provide where we can. There is no greater feeling of failure than arriving too late.”
Srina would not pick up on the insults that had been provided previously, mostly, because the CIS hadn’t arrived as conquerors. They had only responded to a distress call from a friend that was endangered. That was the only reason they had traveled this far north. Loyalty. She was no savior, no sovereign, and didn’t require the admiration of anyone. Fondness and mutual understanding could make her tasks easier, but in the end, she was performing her duties as required.
Tea was poured. Srina, often drank it.
She picked it up carefully and nodded her head in appreciation. The sip she took was soft, barely seen, from the way she held her hand before she set it back on the table. The pale-skinned woman could feel the hesitance that Maliphant held and she quietly rest her hand atop his beneath the table. Fingers threaded, though, not holding. Poisoning her was a mistake that few nations would dare make, especially, one that had just admitted a crippling weakness. “Maliphant is correct. If your militia has been depleted the Confederacy can offer droids, if needed, to supplement the workforce and security. We can also patrol your airspace to ensure safety along trade routes.”
Srina listened quietly while Junko Ike fully explained the achievements and prosperity of Atrisia. There were many things to be proud of. Efforts to be praised. An increase in trade was typically to the benefit of all parties as effective commerce was the first step to securing a stable economy and burgeoning independence. All of the information provided painted a clearer picture of the nation they were reaching out to, however, it still seemed to skirt around the issue.
Maliphant—Prepossessing as he was blunt brought the conversation back full circle. The pair were incredibly similar in appearance, though one was Echani, and the other was not. His eyes were golden while her own were a stark silver. Both held long white hair, pale skin, and an otherworldly disposition that could make it difficult to look too long. She was the ice. Plain, and solid. Compared to her he rode fire. With every word, the tones dark, and deep. Strange how different they actually were.
His question was important. Clarity, was key.
Srina paused in responding as a familiar presence washed over her. A woman with sable-hair that she had not seen in quite some time met her eyes. Recognition filled her and she inclined her head softly in greeting. Yes, she remembered Ms. Yumi well. They had fought for similar circumstances in the past and the Exarch knew that the Master had an even head on her shoulders. “Sit with us, won’t you?”, Srina invited, forgetting, that it might not have been her place to do so.
When it came to the rules and niceties of dealing with royalty, she was not noble, and could only respond with the ways she had been taught. Poised, vigilant, and cold.
“I do believe that we are, thus far, understanding one another. I have explained my predilection for speaking plainly and it seems to be amenable. Master Yumi, Darth Maliphant, my advisor.”
She introduced the man at her side before turning back to the topic at hand. Catching up with Ms. Yumi held a certain appeal, however, this was a moment that she dared not waste. Duty, always came first. “Often, my advisor is correct. It seems that he is once more. That is the heart of the matter. As I have stated…We would prefer to work with governing bodies. We do not lay siege and disrupt your current climate. Our concerns lay with the people. After this day we consider you as such.”
“Nations…They will come and go. It is simply the way galactic powers are. One grows, spreads, and then some larger power cuts them down. Over and over. I do not know if the Confederacy will last forever, though, a biased hope would have me declare it so. What I do know…Is that we are here now. We’re here, present, and offering aid for nothing more than cooperation and the possibility of fruitful future.”
They could simply sweep by this world and continue through the system. Leave it to the isolation that it craved, and see, how that faired. It felt wrong. To have a people under their umbrella, but, unable to reap the benefits? It made no sense. “I would urge you to choose carefully. Master Yumi can attest that what I have stated this far is the truth. She has seen it, many, many times.”
Srina fell silent after that. She had, for the most part, stated her peace. She picked up the teacup and took another sip. Again, she wasn’t sure what Junko was talking about. It was quite decadent, flavorful, and soothing. Hopefully—Her words, and honesty, were heard.
Junko Ike
│
Srina Talon
