บท 76: Roland Firemane: Son of Aiden
I don't own star wars
Have you ever had a dream that was a memory? I have one. It's vivid, and clear and it always shows up around my birthday…
It's about my Dad, my Mom, and my Mama… oh let me make something clear. I have two mothers, three if you included Aunt Scarlet, Mom#3 and 4 if I believe dad married another one in secret but when he said that Mom would punch him and he'd laugh… but my dad was a bit of a 'playboy' in his younger days. He mellowed out after starting his family. His HUGE family… but he was still very… active, it's weird to think about it now but he was a freaking machine!
Anyway… getting off track. I was… fourteen I think. My sister, Circe, had moved to Coruscant to follow her dream of becoming a holo-vid star…
You've heard of her probably, Circe Bessana? she's been in a lot of stuff lately. Tattooine Dream Girl. Children of the Jedi. Spy Wars 1, 2, and I think 3 was coming out later this year, she got help from Aunt Scarlet on those. Anyway she's a big thing now, she was always big to me, I'm her brother, but everyone knows and loves her. She looks like Mama so she's beautiful, and she has my dad's hair so she's exotic… I lost a few friends over my sister, but I also lost a few bullies BECAUSE of my sister, she can be pretty vicious.
Dad says it is a little brother's duty and job to protect his big sister. Just like it was a big sister's job to take care of her little brother… Dad has two big sisters of his own, so he knows the score. Anyway, my memory dream, I'm getting off track…
What was I saying? Right. When I was fourteen I get out of bed and go for a glass of water when I heard dad talking with someone I didn't recognize… I stayed hidden, but I could barely hear them talk. He was a Chiss, I think; tall, blue, Handsome I guess, and barely older than I was. He had this beautiful blonde woman with him, wearing an imperial uniform way too tight for her, and too much really for a boy my age. Anyway, they talked for a long time, the Chiss being patient and calm with my dad, who was not amused at all by the conversation.
Finally, when he left my dad looked… nervous. My dad barely ever looks nervous. He looked nervous when he had to give his opinion on Mama's performance on stage for the first time. (Luckily, she was great) He looked nervous during family dinner gatherings when my Imperial Aunts and my Republic Aunts would visit, and he looked nervous when I accidentally lost control of his rifle when he was teaching me to fire it.
But then he went into his room and talked for a long time with Mom and Mama.
"…He can't stay with us for this, he won't be safe…" my dad said.
"We could send him to Circe on Coruscant, he'd love staying with her! And Scarlet would be there!" Mama said.
"That's not fair to Circe. She just got her first big part, she won't be able to look after her brother and focus on that. And who knows if Scarlet would be called off somewhere with Baleen. No Aiden, we need someone else." Mom said
"We are not sending him to Tolara and Kavilla! They won't be able to spend any time with him at all! I don't care if they have scores of 'troopers' to protect him he won't be safe with her as Moth and Kavilla as an Admiral." Mama replied.
"Look you two are making this more complicated than it has to be. We'll send him to Caradoc, if anyone can keep him safe it's his uncle… especially since I don't know how long it would be…" he sighed softly, "…Maybe it would be better if you two stayed with him too."
"No!" my mom said immediately, "You can't fly the ship remember? At least not well…"
"And I told you what would happen if you tried to leave me." Mama said, and I could tell they were going to get mushy. They often did.
I quickly went to my room and tossed and turned for hours…
Then I woke up in my bed… I sighed sadly and sat up. That night had been almost four years ago, I was now on the cusp of Eighteen and I hadn't seen my parents for that time… They had packed my possessions and my training weapons. Dad and Mom had both tried to instill close and long-range ability in me, something about a mistake dad had to correct, Explaining to me that they had to take care of a 'problem' they flew me in the ship/guest house to Kashyyyk to see my uncle.
Now my Uncle Caradoc Sith-Killer is AWESOME, and to be fair Kashyyyk was beautiful in its way. Even now Caradoc was a wookiee among wookiees. Often I would see wookiee females draping themselves off him, and if it wasn't for the fact that he was married he might have acted on it. He killed a sith once, two if you believe him and not my dad about a guy named Toxitus… But he was more than happy to take me into his village, setting me up in a nice treehouse just on the borders of it…
…My parents told me they loved me and told me they'd be back as soon as they could…
…And I'm still waiting… I couldn't explain it but I 'felt' them… I believed they were alive somewhere in the galaxy and just couldn't make it home. Or I was a delusional idiot, I wasn't a jedi or a sith and I couldn't lift a cup with my mind or shoot lightning from my hands…
I just accepted my life as it was… which wasn't bad but… I could really use sentient company that wasn't furry you know? I had a few contacts back on Luna IV but after a while it just seemed pointless to do so. I told them about trees, and more trees, and my uncle taking me hunting and could only be interesting so many times…
…I really missed girls… and when I told my Uncle that he laughed and said something along the lines of. "You are just like your father…" and since I've been told I look just freaking like him I don't know how I felt about that…
But I went downstairs as I fully woke up from my 'birthday' dream, sighing as I went to my cupboards and took what dried meat and fruits I had left. Caradoc was taking me hunting today, actually a highlight. Because if it wasn't hunting, it was training… and Caradoc trained me to fight with a vibrosword; those sessions hurt.
Knock Knock Knock…
I frowned. Caradoc didn't knock. Caradoc entered, I went to the door and opened it to find a woman there dressed in a brown delivery uniform holding a large package.
She was… distractingly gifted in the chest department, her uniform barely buttoning up to display her blue-skinned cleavage. She smiled and held the package towards me, I'm a little ashamed to admit I wasn't looking at her face but she didn't seem to mind. "Here you go sweetie. I need you to sign right here…"
"What?" I asked surprised as she shoved the reader in my face, and I absently sighed the bottom. Slightly disappointed that she was already walking away, her brown shorts hugging tightly to her shapely body as she held her cap low and mounted a nearby speeder bike.
"Happy birthday." She smiled, and quickly speed off, skillfully navigating the forest trees.
I stared at the package, and sure enough, there was a crude 'happy birthday Roland' written on it. I went back inside and began to open it just as Caradoc kicked in my door, laugh jovially as he wrapped a thick furry arm around my shoulders. "Good Morning my boy! And a joyous day of birth for…" he paused as I ripped open the packaging. "…What's that?" he asked as I opened it and he stared at it me.
…It was dad's rifle… his modded rifle that my Aunts gave him when he enlisted, well forced to enlist… but he had it when he left me here so long ago. I hefted it reverently in my hands, aiming down the sights as I adjusted the barrel for accuracy and spread. "…Dad's rifle." I said amazed.
"Who sent it?" asked Caradoc, lifting the box upside down and shaking it as if expecting it to talk. It only served to jostle a communicator with a note to clatter onto the table. He tossed the empty box away and we looked at the note together.
'Happy birthday, hold onto me' and the communicator hung to the note as I hesitantly slipped it into my pocket. Folding the note and leaving it on the table. "…Uh… Caradoc?"
The big wookiee shrugged, "I don't know what to tell you… perhaps Aiden sent it back to you from wherever he is." Then he smiled fondly and gave me a one-armed hug, "…It's a good sign yes?" his smile was infectious, I rested the rifle on the table and smiled back.
"Yeah… ready to go hunting?" I asked, and he laughed happily
"Always! Bring the rifle we can practice with that. I'll get my bowcaster!" he cheered happily and with that we left, leaving my home and heading to the dark floor of the forest.
I wasn't bad. But I wasn't my Uncle. It was hard to believe that a wookiee so old could be so great and effective at hunting, but I heard they only really deteriorated when they were close to death. Which meant despite his greying black fur he was nowhere close.
…But holding my dad's rifle after so long… the last time I held it I almost shot a few holes into the house. So, as I pressed it to my shoulder and took aim at the wildlife I was at first concerned. It was lighter than a bowcaster, and probably would have less of a kick… but I took aim and waited patiently, my Uncle nearby. This was my mark, my kill, if I missed there would be no other consequence than my Uncle's disappointment. Which to be fair wouldn't last long…
But I didn't miss it and our target dropped. A smoking blaster hole in its head. "Ha ha!" he laughed triumphantly, clapping his hand onto my shoulder as we approached, "Fine shot!" he released a wookiee roar of pride and I tried my best to join him, but I didn't have the tone for it. "A fair effort." He laughed with me as my holo-com rang. I quickly answer it to find a beautiful Cathar girl with shoulder-length bright red hair that hung like a shimmering curtain around her face. She smiled beautifully at me.
"Hey Roly." She said breathlessly with a soft, soothing velvet tone. Like a lounge singer, I think Mama compared it to once.
I smiled back at her, I would always be happy to see her. "Hey Circe."
"Happy birthday." She smiled and looking over my shoulder at the grinning wookiee she waved a little more cheerily, "Hello Uncle Caradoc!"
"CC!" he grinned, "You must come visit! Your brother cries for you in his sleep!" he laughed ruffling my hair teasingly as he went to retrieve our kill.
"I do not!" I blushed after him as she continued to grin, "I don't." I said childishly. She spoiled me, I admit it, I was a sis-con sometimes.
"I'll try to make time. I'm too busy wrapping up Spy Games 3 now, and then I have some shoots on Nar Shaddaa for a short noir series. But I'll also try to get you tickets for the premier of the movie so we can spend some more time together."
"The last time I showed up to one of those the tabloids said you were 'dating a younger man'." I teased, and she blushed, pouting angrily.
"And then I corrected Jatthu To-Meg by ripping his editor a new one… then ripping his speeder a new one. Not that I will admit to that 'horrible accident' Thank you Mama for your genes…" she kissed a very tight bicep as she flexed. Mama had 'strengthening treatments' in her younger days, and those sort of passed on a little to Circe when she grew a little more. She couldn't exactly match Mama but she was still pretty strong. Once rivaling Caradoc in an arm-wrestling contest. Though I think he was going easy on her.
"You sure you want to risk it?" I asked, she was a rising star… I didn't want to ruin it for her by being some rumor to pick at.
"Between you and those idiots, I will always pick you." She smiled, "…Anyway I called to wish you a happy birthday and I did, get anything good?"
"A hard day of work with Caradoc." I said rolling my eyes and showing her Caradoc wrapping up our catch.
"Nice." She laughed, as I turned her back to me.
"And uh… this…" I showed her the rifle and she stared at it a little concerned.
"That's… isn't that dad's rifle? But I thought he took that with him, right?"
"Yeah… Caradoc says it might be a sign that they're okay… wherever they are." I noted, my mind wandering off to who knows where… ashamedly meeting some pretty alien girls… and quickly returning as my sister began speaking again.
"Well… be careful okay? It's really weird that it showed up out of nowhere, how did you get it?"
"Sent through a package delivery. I had to sign and everything…" I said, shouldering it and approaching Caradoc. "Well it still works fine at least."
She just stared but nodded slowly, "Well… okay, but I'm going to tell Aunt Scarlet. She'll want to know about it… She's worried a lot about dad too. She doesn't talk about it much when I see her though, but I can tell. Besides this might cheer her up."
I nodded, agreeing with her, "…Tell her to visit?" I asked hesitantly, anything to see someone else from my extended family.
Circe smiled and blew me a kiss, "I'll ORDER her too… she'll love to drop in. I love you. I'll call again soon okay Roly?"
"Love you too." I smiled, and we turned off the com. Caradoc lifted our big lizard kill onto his shoulders and began walking back to our 'wagon' of corpses to help us carry it back to the village. "…I miss her… I miss them."
Caradoc nodded sagely, "…I know. But remember, Aiden, Yura and Calypso wouldn't abandon you…" he stared at me fiercely, "…They wouldn't… Aiden's too much like your grandfather to do that." We began walking back together in silence, I wanted to say something, anything… but I had no words. Today, which should have been special was just… average.
…When dad was a little over my age he ran away from home, met mom, met Mama and had a collection of adventures that led to him becoming content and happy with his life… and honestly, I couldn't even imagine doing that… I think it's because the first time I'd meet a girl I'd be too tongue-tied to say anything cool.
"…How about we spar when we get back?" Caradoc asked excitedly, breaking my train of thought. "… It's been awhile and I wouldn't want you to get rusty."
"No, just broken." I grumbled with a smile. Mom had taught me all kinds of things with a vibroblade, even though she could use one of those fancy 'lightsabers' that 'are not a toy' according to dad. But Caradoc was a completely different beast. More used to a vibroaxe than a blade so while mom had finesse Caradoc had raw power…
He chuckled, "You have talent Roland. We shouldn't waste it." I sighed exasperatedly and accepted my fate as a punching bag.
Outside my Kashyyyk home was a round circular area that used to house livestock but now functioned as a training area when we spared, Caradoc had regulated some other wookiee's to tend to our catch and I had retrieved my training saber from my room. I leaned my father's rifle against a post nearby, it seemed to weird not to have it out of sight…
…I think I was just being sentimental.
But that feeling of sentimentality was beaten out of me by my Uncle who came at me with his training saber with intent to kill, luckily these things were blunt and designed to sting not hurt. Didn't really help me though. Caradoc has killed sith lords! An eighteen-year-old guy would barely stand a chance.
Our 'weapons' banged rapidly together as we fought, I had the advantage of speed at first. But Caradoc had amazing reflexes, not just strength, praising me as I almost hit him and scolding me as I stumbled… it was after my third loss that Caradoc's oldest son, Barradowwa, called Caradoc away. My wookiee wasn't bad but it sounded like he said something about strange outsiders in the ports. Caradoc, declaring himself the victor but praising my progress while ruffled my hair fondly and went with his son to check them out.
I accepted my loss gracefully, and the fact that would soon be in a hot shower gratefully. As I entered, I heard something… vibrating nearby. Looking at the table I saw the communicator that had come with dad's rifle. I had left it there when I went to change for my sparing practice.
I immediately picked it up and answered, "Dad? Mom?... Mama?" I waited, holding my breath… then.
"…Sorry sweetie, but no.' It was a strange holo-com, the words appeared to vibrate on the screen and quickly vanished. No sound. Completely silent. 'Did you like your present?'
I stared at the strange device as the words vanished, inwardly I was annoyed but. "Where did you get it? Where's my dad? And my moms and…"
The screen interrupted me, "I'm sorry. I can't say."
"So you know!?" I saind angrily, checking around myself for some reason as if thinking whoever was communicating with me would appear. "Why won't you tell me?!"
The com was silent for a long time, then… the words appeared again. 'I'm sorry. I can't say. But I can tell you that you need to leave Kashyyyk."
"…What?" I scoffed angrily, tossing the com onto the table as if it burned. "No! Why would I have to leave?!"
'Because there's a bounty on your head… you need to get it off.' The com typed, and I stared at it gobsmacked.
"What? You're lying." I said, "You're just a hunk of junk trying to screw with me." I glared at 'dad's rifle' I wasn't even sure that it was anymore. "…This is some stupid cruel joke."
'Sweetie… in a little while Caradoc's going to come back in a rush. You need to tell him 'that Hutts have long memories.' Do what he says. Keep this com on you. And stay safe.' I scoffed dismissively but then the screen appeared again. 'Don't answer the door!'
Knock knock knock
My head snapped to the door, "Oi? Anyone home?" came a voice I didn't recognize with an odd republic accent… it definitely wasn't imperial, thank you Aunt Tolara and Kavilla. "…Eh, it was 'olways a longshot…" my foot slowly took a step forwards.
Then the screen silently appeared again, 'DO NOT ANSWER THE DOOR!' it repeated and…
I obeyed.
"Waltzing matilda…" hummed the voice, "Waltzing matilda, you come a waltzing matilda with me…" it got softer and softer, singing the strange song. I relaxed, and the screen rose again.
'Pack your things. Find Caradoc. GO TO TATTOOINE! You need a hutt to call off the bounty. STAY SAFE.' I reacted appropriately, a brief moment of panic then I agreed that this was all crazy… I packed a few things and tried to call Caradoc but he wasn't answering. Damn. I'll go to his house, at least that's safer than…
But as I went to the door and opened it. A tall man stood there, leaning on the pathway rail opposite my door. He had a few angry-looking scars on his face and a calm pink skin and purple hair, he wore light armor and a long duster coat with a matching wide-brimmed hat with what looked like teeth decorating the rim. He grinned at me. Dropping a cigarette he was smoking to the floor and smiling politely at me as he stomped it out. "Allo…" he said friendly enough. "…Goin' on a trip?"
…I'm a little ashamed to admit that my 'flight or fight' response settled on flight and I slammed the door half a second before something sharp and deadly slammed into the wood and pierce deep right around where my shoulder was if it had been opened.
"Where were you on this one!?" I yelled into the com before backing away as there was a loud thump on the door.
"Come out laddo I jes want to… ah fuck it. I'm goin' tea get paid boy! Come out and mek it easy!" Bang! Went the door as he foot connected with it. I scrambled for dad's rifle and the com, slipping it into my pocket as I aimed the rifle dead on the door as it banged again.
"'am getting that contrat laddo!" he shouted, "Yoo can mek it easy or 'ard!- ARGH!!"
There was a boom like a thundercrack and at thud outside followed by a low whining moan and crying. "Get out of the way Tagler. I was here first." Came a cold, modulated voice. Then a far more patient and subdued knock.
"Open the door." The new voice said coldly, "Now."
"Yeah. No." I said, in reply and my flight of fight response settled on FIGHT and my rifle opened fire on the door. Peppering it with black burns as I hit full auto.
When I finally stopped, the voice spoke again, still very calm "Fair try. But now your door is weakened…"
It exploded into splinters as a heavily armored boot smashed it down. A tall green Twi'lek with a scared right lekku: three evenly parallel slashes close to the skull. The Twi'lek stepped in covered head to toe with heavy Mandalorian armor and a half cape over the shoulder hiding his/her arm and a painted mechanical mask. If I wasn't being attacked right now looked kind of cool and probably provided a lot of neat bounty hunter stuff.
"You're wanted alive. So, don't make me stretch the definition." The twi'lek said, it was hard to tell if he/she was a man or a woman thanks to the armor and the mask. But as a twi'lek I wanted it to be a woman so. She it is.
"You do realize I have you dead to rights right?" I asked, aiming my rifle at 'her' and stepping back towards the steps that led up to my room where there was a window I could escape from.
The left eye of 'her' mask whirled for a moment, then flicked slightly. "…You spent a majority of your magazine on the door and need to reload. I'm willing to bet you only have three good shots left." Then more ominously added, "…They won't work on me."
"Doesn't mean I won't try." I said and fired…
One Two Three. 'She' dodge the first two and the last signed 'her' cape. But she tossed it over her shoulder and lifted a really sweet-looking triple barrel blaster. I moved on instinct, diving to the side as the thundercrack returned and burnt a hole in my floor where my legs had been seconds before. 'She' scoffed as my gun clicked empty and 'she' approached.
I rolled to my feet as she raised 'her' other arm out to me, bending 'her' wrist down, there was a pop as a long rope and cord flew out and wrapped around me. Bolas? Really? I tried to break free but it was a durasteel cord, and 'she' approached and grabbed my shirt.
"…You're the son of Aiden Kane? I'm not impressed." 'she' said insultingly. Dragging me easily towards the now open door.
"Firemane." I spat angrily at 'her'. Struggling against her grip, damn she was strong.
"Be quiet or I'll knock you-"
There was a loud, angry, echoing roar that shook the very trees the moment 'her' foot stepped outside my home. Two heavy wookiee paws slammed powerfully down onto the twi'lek, splintering the very floor of the wooden pathway. 'Her' shoulder pauldrons were dented and sparked violent energy and I realized that it was some sort of power suit. It would explain her reflexes.
Caradoc bodily lifted the momentarily stunned Twi'lek high above his head and hurled 'her' bodily over the side of the path with an angry roar. "STAY AWAY FROM MY BOY!!" he commanded sending 'her' plummeting to the forest floor far below.
Still in deep wookiee rage he glared at my damaged door and the whimpering Tagler on the ground nearby, clutching painfully at his smoking arm before grabbing it by the burn. Tagler shrieked like a girl, "W-what?! What do ya want!?"
Caradoc lifted the man from the ground painfully, before roaring into his face, "Why are you after my boy!?"
"T-there's ah… SHIT. Fuckin bounty on 'es 'ead!" he whined, cringing. "Hutt cartels put it out!" then as if hoping for leniency from an angry wookiee added, " 'e's wanted alive! I wasn't goin tea 'urt' 'im!"
"…You threw a knife at my door." I noted, finally getting the bolas off me.
Tagler looked into my uncle's face and sheepishly shrugged before being bodily hurled through my wall where he lay very still. "Hutt cartels?" he said nervously. "…Why would they have a bounty on you?"
"…Hutts have long memories…" I said, remembering the words. "…This." I held up the com, "The thing that came with my dad's gun it said to tell you that."
Caradoc's face crumpled in thought, then his eyes widened. "…Tattooine. We need to go to Tattooine right now." He grabbed my arm, "Pack anything you might need, weapons food, and credits."
"Don't have those." I said sheepishly shrugging, credits weren't really used on Kashyyyk except in the republic colonies and I don't go there. Everything else is just barter. But Caradoc waved his hand impatiently.
"It's fine I have credits. Go hurry and meet me at my home." He stared at the still body of Tagler and snorted, "I better have the warriors take a look around."
It didn't take me long to pack, a few sentimental things like pictures and my coms. But I also took my extending saber mom gave to me. This wasn't a training saber, it was made by my dad's buddy Short-round for mom's 'she's not going to tell me her age' birthday. It easily fits into my pocket and I could bring it out if I needed it. My only regret is that I didn't have extra ammo for dad's rifle. But I could deal with that later as I went into the village. Greeted by dozens of wookiees who had no idea that I was just almost killed. Well kidnaped but still…
…When Caradoc returned we were escorted by half a dozen warriors to a nearby republic colony. Where we bartered for a passage and boarded for tattooine. As I sat in our cabin and stared out the window at Kashyyyk and the few waving onlookers sending off their loved ones I noticed a recent acquaintance…
The scarred lekku twi'lek walked through the crowd, apparently looking for me… damn 'she' was tougher than 'she' looked. And 'she' looked pretty tough, to begin with… I leaned back away from the window until we took off, breathing a sigh of relief as Kashyyyk became a distant green orb in our rearview.
Then my pocket vibrated and I took out the com.
'You handled that as well as your parents sweetie…" then there was sort of a smiley face on the end as a period before the screen vanished and it was silent.
My eyes slowly closed… and sleep took me.
End of Chapter
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