What hides beneath, waiting in the dark (Ord'ika)(complete)

[Rianna Organa]

[member="Ordo"]

"OH ner runi, Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum" She closed her eyes it would be a dream to fade into the background of the galaxy to have everyone forget them and perhaps for a while they would be extremely happy with it and who knows maybe they'd have a child of their own. Maybe they could forage out a cabin in the mountains Rianna knew in her heart that they could be happy that way. But. It would always nag at them both that they had left their duty, their honor behind.

"We can work toward that goal Jas'ika, you and I both know that it would always be at the back of our minds what was happening in the galaxy" She smiled at him. She clung to him as if he were life itself, the water was growing cooler. She could have easily warmed it by turning on the faucet, but there were other things to do this night, and something more for her to discuss with him. The Sith still hung at the back of her mind, and seeing her Jas'ika taking pleasure in torturing her, so hard, was there darkness hiding within Jas'ika that she would need to find isolate, and draw out. She would have to be careful how she proceeded, dark energy could be so tricky.

"I think I should be with you no matter where you are, that it is time that I become part of the Mandalorians so that we do not lose sight of one another so much" She had given this some thought, and while she served among the Silver Jedi the planet they occupied was secret and she hated keeping secretes from him, it tore at her heart to not be able to tell him.

 

[Ordo]

[member="Rianna Ordo"]

Ordo looked a little surprised as he listened to his riduur. Was this real? He didn't know what to say at first. Having his dear one with him! Having her always close! It was too good to be true. He didn't mind spending time divided between their homes but having her completely out of reach and not even knowing where she was had been a trial. He embraced her tightly and smiled like the fool he was.

"I would love that more than you know." He said not able to hide the happiness from his voice.

He looked at her and noticed the water had cooled considerably since they had gotten into the bath. He didn't know how she felt but he was thinking they should get out soon.

"Are you ready to get out and plan our trip to Mandalore, or did you have other things in mind?" he said with a playful grin and a wink.

Rianna, close by him and rarely separated. It was all he could hope for and likely just what he needed.

 

[Rianna Organa]

Rianna smiled, "I have something in mind but it can take place anywhere" she gave him that look, "but let us plan a trip and find something to eat. I know I don't have anything mandalorian dearest but there are other things to have" Rianna slowly pulled away, it was like leaving half of herself there.

"Being with you is what I desire most we have had so little time together really" She moved to the edge of the tub bringing herself up on the edge as she reached for a robe, "there is some netr'a gal though to warm us, and we'll have to raid the fridge" She pulled the robe and slid off standing there she grabbed the other robe and hoped she had judged right in size..she held it out to her riduur.
"I have a few ideas too that I hope would help the mandalorians" She smiled, doing a little dance. "ready to come out?"

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

Ordo watched as she pulled away. They were still very much newly weds. The time they had enjoyed was some of his happiest but between duties and fighting, they had both been separated far to often. He turned a little red at her look in spite of himself. It was funny how things could be ignored in one situation and affect you another. He braced his hands on the sides of the tub and pushed up to his feet after she asked if he was ready to come out.

"My heart just got out," he said, "I guess it's time for the rest of me to follow."

He reached out and took the robe. He nearly wrapped it around his waist before he realized it wasn't just a big towel. He slipped his arms into the sleeves and stood in front of her tying the slightly short robe closed.

"Ready." he said then with a closed mouth smile.

He was going to enjoy being able to actually spend time together but he wondered if she would love him the same as she did right now. His smile continued as he moved closer and gave her another hug. There was so many emotions so many things he wanted to say. Life had battered him so many times and yet here he was with Rianna. He deserved nothing like happiness but here it was in his arms. Everything he wanted to say about how glad he was for her was left unsaid. A small squeeze was all he could manage before he stepped back.

"Lets go raid that fridge." he said as he smiled at her.

 

[Rianna Organa]

[member="Ordo"]
He always said words that made her melt where she stood and when he spoke now he could nearly make her cry from the emotions that it stirred within her. If anything ever happened to him it would kill her. She wanted to throw herself back into his arms and when he reached to hug her she held on longer, "Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum. Ni copad darasuum"

They began to walk towards the kitchen She had seen it in his aura perhaps he did not know. "Ord'ika you know Jedi have a basic skill set and then they develope higher skills for their chosen line of work. I as a healer can fight but choose not to, and as a healer I am highly attuned to other people. Sometimes I must block it out to remain sane." She would not beat around the bush with him she would tell him straight.

"There's something you're concerned about, it shows in your aura it flashes blue for a moment with tiny flecks of black when something is bothering you" She looked up at him from under her dark lashes. "I feel emotions they touch my skin almost and wash over me." There were times though that it did not come through as easily but today with Ordo she sensed him. It was hard when they were alone as they were usually entangled with one another blocking her senses, well more like over whelming them.

 

[Ordo]

[member="Rianna Ordo"]

He looked at her. Those brown eyes and soft features had always captivated him but the heart underneath was what had made him love her. He thought about telling her not to worry about it but he knew she would anyway. He gave a sad smile and nodded in response at first.

"Guess I should have known all of that." came the gentle rumble of his deep voice.

He didn't shy away from touching her. He stayed close. He wasn't trying to hide things. He had only wanted to save her the worry. However, as it was he would just tell her the truth.

"I worry a lot Ri'ika." he said his voice low, "What if with so much time together you love me less. What if I can't protect you and the clan like I should. What if I'm not strong enough to be the man you all need me to be? It just worries me that I won't be what I need to be when I need to be it."

 

[Rianna Organa]

Was it a concern the reality was that Ordo waged war at the command of his Mand'alor, and he did it quite well. Rianna was a healer and did her best to avoid battle though there were times in the past she had not succeeded. Many had been quite surprised by their marriage so different were they. She had taken all of ten minutes to think about it when she said yes. "I do not think I could love you less, not ever." He did not take pleasure in loss of life neither did she.

The last sentence, I won't be what I need to be when I need to be it. "You are everything you need to be My Ord'ika, my Jasper. Have you not raised your daughters to protect themselves? Are they not mando'ade. Their fears are that they are not mandalorian enough, that they will not meet your expectations." Rianna stopped reached up putting her hand to Ordo's cheek, "The clan is strongest when it is together you do not have to protect it alone the children will stand shoulder to shoulder with you, I will stand with you." She smiled as she rubbed his cheek, "you are always what you need to be just by being yourself." Truth was this tenderness that he had it was what was often what was exactly needed, but their strength lay not only in him but in their bonds as a family, as a clan. She knew she would never be able to allay all of his fears but in knowing he had them gave her more comfort than seeing him dressed in his armor. "I will remind you as often as I can that I love you, the clan loves you, and we do not live in fear that you will not be there, we live knowing that you live and we are fortunate to be apart of your life"

They should always have truth between them even if it meant worrying. Rianna drew away to find a plate, she set it down on the counter. "Perhaps you will see that I am too weak and wish for yourself a different kind of riduur." She had concerns of that, what if she was not strong enough to live according to mandalorian law. She looked down and then back up. Seems they each had concerns.

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

[member="Rianna Ordo"]

Ordo looked at his wife and recognized the direction his worries had gone. His riduur was one of the best people he could ask to be around and it was no secret that he loved her. Her words were a comfort and a reminder that he wasn't alone, that they were a clan a family and no one person carried the full load. When she mentioned not being strong enough and that he may want a different kind of riduur he looked at her and made sure their eyes met as he leaned in and rested his forehead on hers.

"If you were weak then I'd be your strength. If you were tired, I would be your resting place. If you were lost, I'd light the way." he said quoting a poem he once read during his down time, "Never think that I would ever want to exchange you. You are more to me than just a companion, ner runi. You're my everything."

It was sappy, but he didn't much care. He loved her, he lived for his family, all of them, but she was a part of him. She was more than just family they were an entity all it's own. He didn't want their marriage to be just to individuals struggling to stay together, he wanted them to be one unit that nothing could tear apart.

"What have we got I'll start the cooking." he said finally getting to the food and feeling a lot better.

 

[Rianna Organa]

He may not have known it but she liked sappy, she liked the hints of romance and bonds. She was of Alderaan they loved the arts. She smiled at him touching his arm gently reassuring him his forehead against hers. "ner kar'ta" He had given her what she needed that little bit of assurance that even though she was not a warrior that wielded a weapon, that she was still what he wanted. She would not think on that again. She hoped.

There were many things that lay beneath, emotions, insecurities, fears they each had them, and they each needed the other. "We have some bantha, seems they keep stuffing that in the cooler. There is also some kind of tuberos vegetable that smells of the dirt it came from.

"Let me get it, you can prepare how you want to cook it. With a reminder, if you choose to cook outside the Manka cats have been near lately.' She grinned again, and if you look outside and some something that appears to hovering with a long leash on it, that is a thranta which I will teach you to ride" Rianna pat his arm, kissed his cheek, there were things to do. Her Ord'ika no one ever saw him like this except her, and the clan.

How would some of them react to know he quoted poetry.

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

[member="Rianna Ordo"]

He smiled at the thought of bantha steak and tubers as the meal they would share but when she mentioned the Manka cats and thranta he had a temptation of an entirely different kind. He looked outside wondering just how he wpuld fare against one of the wild cats of Alderaan. It was a strange part of the man perhaps to some, he fought he pushed himself to be the best and tested his skill against what he could, but now was not the time and he pushed the thought aside for the moment.

"I'll look forward to it." He said and meant it, "how would you like your steaks? Well done or more rare?"

He carried the foods to the cooker and began to prepare the meal inside while he began to hum to himslef. Would she a Jedi have ever thought she would marry a Mandalorian like him, who was as domestic as he was a warrior and maybe more so?

 

[Rianna Organa]

How would she like her steak, "medium" rare was too close to living, and well done too close to burnt. She was concerned about the manka cats they had been very bold as of late, the grounds keeper had said there were fresh tracks at the edge of the tree line. But what were they doing so far down the mountains they rarely came this close unless food was scarce. It troubled her.

Now the thranta much gentler, easier to handle. There were only a few places they could be found one other place - Bespin. She looked over at Ordo though in his armor he would look best a top a rancor, or some other fierce creature she had no doubts he would take to handing the thranta just as easily, and look just as commanding. She smiled thinking on this.

She began to wash the tubers getting the dirt from them. She looked out the window, she thought she heard something. Slowly she walked over to the doorway to the garden looking. Her gaze shifted to the mountainside. No. This was not possible not now. She closed her eyes and listened only with her ears it would be distinctive. She heard nothing. She looked back inside. "Ord'ika I think we should check the treeline"


[member="Ordo"]

 

[Ordo]

[member="Rianna Ordo"]

Ordo looked up from preparing the meat for the cooker and walked over to Rianna with a look of concern.

"What is it?" He said quietly, "Is there something wrong?"

He looked at the tree line and stepped out the door to see if he could see or here anything. He didn't have his HUD this time and couldn't cycle vision modes. He thought for the briefest of moments he saw movement in the shadows but it was barely a second and he could have easily told himself he had imagined it.

"Is there someone there." he said in a moderate tone, "He neither wanted to yell nor be too quiet."

He turned to look at Rianna.

"I'll go check it out." He said as he began walking toward the trees with eyes scanning the area.

 

[Rianna Organa]

"Not alone you won't" Not that she didn't think he could handle whatever was out there but just as they had started toward the treeline there was a blood curdling scream the rippled through the valley. Rianna stopped and turned toward the direction the scream came from, she looked at [member="Ordo"] . "i got a bad feeling" Rianna took a few more steps ready to run when there was the gentle sounds of the bells telling her someone was at the door, which once silenced was followed by pounding.

"MiLady! Lady Organa!" Rianna headed back inside toward the front door, pulling it open quickly she looked upon the young man standing there, "My Dad's been hurt can you come?" Rianna nodded. "I need my medical kit wait here" and some clothes she reminded herself. She felt pulled in two directions the safety of those around them and the safety of her riduur. She slipped into their bedroom and donned the quickest thing she could think of.

She looked for her bag all well calling to Ord'ika, "There's been an injury" She had not asked what, she had a feelng she knew. Everything hid in shadows it seemed within the darkness stalking their prey. "I have to go! Do you want to come?"

She found the bag and made sure everything was in it as she waited for Ordo to answer.

 

[Ordo]

[member="Rianna Ordo"]

She had a bad feeling she said and Ordo knew her well enough to know that "bad feelings" from his riduur were to be listened to but in truth he, for once, could feel this one too. He heard the scream but kept his eyes on the tree line as he backed toward the house slowly.

"I'm right behind you." He called as he finally turned and walked inside. He grabbed his old bowcastor from his Verd'goten and followed Rianna. Ordo had been trained as a mando on Kashyyk by a wookie mando after his adopted father died of wounds and he felt nostalgic lately.

He was right behind his wife the whole way to the injured man. The older fellow looked as if he had been attacked by a large predator, and Ordo knew predators.

"Where was he when it happened?" Ordo asked the son.

"Near the trees making his rounds." The son replied.

"Stay near the house." Ordo said as he pulled the string back on the bowcastor. "Rianna see what you can do I'll just take a look."

He felt wrong trying to instruct people, it must have been habit. He put his armored hand on his wife's shoulder and stepped toward the trees still in view. There was a low growl in the darkness as he drew near. He quickly put on his helmet and cycled vision modes. A large heat signature was just inside the trees crouched low.

"I think it's a..." Ordo began as the huge beast leapt out straight at him, Ordo got a single shot off which passed just beneath the beast as it pounced. He dropped his weapon and drew on the force as his hands went up to grab the cat's forepaws. The cat was heavy and pushed Ordo to his knees as he held the beast paws.

"Manka cat" Ordo said straining against the creature's substantial strength.

 

[Rianna Organa]

Rianna looked down at the man, my god the wounds were horrid the animal had shredded his skin claws pierced clear to the bone, as blood spilled out. She was listening to Jas'ika speak, when she felt it his hand on her shoulder, she turned and looked up at him, "becareful" she knew he was strong and that he could handle almost anything.

She put her mind back on the patient, the controlled young man next to her tried hard not to cry as he watched his father. The bleeding was the concern, with wounds this deep it could very well be a nicked artery. She used the force to slow the bleedng and search for the broken path within his body. All while using the cloth of his shirt to absorb the blood. The blood smell, it would draw. Then the growl echoed toward them.

MANKA! She turned too late to warn him the cat was already standing on its hind legs baring down. "JAS'IKA!" She looked to the young man, she couldn't order him to help he was still shocked, she couldn't leave her patient for surely he would die from blood loss, BUT she could not lose her rid'uur.

"WATCH THE TEETH AND CLAWS!" The tusks protruding from either side of its mouth. Rianna fueled by emotion a dangerous unbalanced place for a Jedi Healer raised her hand to push the cat off. But that would not stop it.

[member="Ordo"]

 

[Rianna Organa]

[SIZE=10.5pt]The manka was strong its powerful paws came down on [member="Ordo"] even as he held its mouth open with his hands it was a show of strength. The natural instincts of the manka pressing its chances against the skills and experience of the mandalorian field marshall. The open maw dripped saliva as it salivated waiting to sink its teeth into the soft flesh of the man who wrestled with it.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Rianna had pushed the creature only for it to shake its head as if bothered by insects it pushed its weight onto the chest of Ordo. The mandalorian fell backwards as now the cat had all fours on Ordo. Rianna could see the slight shake in his arms as he held the great cat off. The piercing yellow eyes of the cat blinked the orbs closed a low deep growl could be heard from the very pits of the stomach of the creature.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Rianna saw how the great claws tried to sink into Ordo's flesh once again seeking a held to change position. If the cat could find a moment of reprieve there was no doubt it would sink its teeth into Ordo and drag him into the trees.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]The man who had been attacked moaned again his fever had spiked Rianna turned quickly looking him over her hands feeling his head, and then looking to the color of his lips. The fever had come from no where, the fever....and then a thought had struck her cat scratch fever? Usually it was more gradual began as a swelling but this time, this variation was quick. The cat was infected.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]"ORDO don't get bit!" it was already too late for such a warning, the claws of the cat had already made several lashes on her riduur. Blood oozed forth but the cat was tiring, Ordo's strength had endured she could see him pulling the jaws further and further apart. Pain creased Rianna's brow she hated to see such things the cat was sick that was the only reason it was here hunting as it was. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Ordo grunted a sound began soft and slowly growing, "aaaaaaHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" then a snap was heard and the cat moved no more. Its full weight fell on top of Ordo. Rianna rushed forward and tugged on the animal as it's headed lolled to one side Rianna looked down at Ordo red face, sweating and smling. She laughed, "are you ok?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]He looked up at her, "YES!" he yelled with a great feeling of victory. "As strong as it was I was able to match it" Rianna nodded, "Yes riduur, you did"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]She looked again to the family that had called them there, "I need to check you, the father is infected and you might be too" Her great warrior with the strength of ten men, the conviction of twenty and a heart as big as Alderaan.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Ordo pushed the cat to the side as if it weighed nothing, and then moved to his feet. He reached over and put his hand on Rianna's shoulder. "That was invigorating"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Rianna realized that Ordo must feel a great sense of power knowing he had beat the great cat with his bare hands. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Then they heard the low mewing from the trees. Rianna and Ordo each turned at the same time, "did you hear that?" Rianna moved closer, Ordo was at her back watching to be sure no other great beast would leap forward to claim another life, or scratch his riduur.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Rianna could feel it, small. "its kit" Rianna kneeled down and then using animal speak she called to it softly reassuring, and yet she felt sadness the mother had been providing for the cub and now the cub was on its own.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]The orange colored cub with its small spiked teeth moved toward Rianna still hesitant but hungry. Rianna held out her hand to let it smell her. The great yellow eyes looked up at her and in that moment Rianna was lost.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Looking back to Ordo, "Can we keep it?" [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Ordo looked a bit hesitant, "cyar'ika it is a wild animal it will always have that as part of it" Wild did not make tame well.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Rianna nodded, "I understand but" She looked back at the cub who was now laying down as if waiting for them to decide, "the force brings us the most amazing things" She looked back at him, "and people."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Ordo could not resist that look in her eyes the way she asked without really asking. She was the most gentle of women and he could not deny her this. "Only if you can take care of it" He laughed he felt as though he were talking to one of the children.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Rianna smiled, "I have already a name Edee it means teeth" And there was anything that Edee would have it would be a mouthful of teeth. Rianna scoope up the cub carefully, "she needs to eat" Rianna looked to the family, "give him the antibiotic every four hours" then she looked at Ordo, "let's go home so I can check your wounds"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]They walked in almost silence each in their own thoughts. The manka had come from the dark, and they had discussed the dark thoughts they each harbored and confessed to one another what they were. Only they would know what had happened with the Sith. What no one would know was that it had opened a doorway that in the future would be used to fracture the great mandalorian.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]fini[/SIZE]