บท 61: Burning Roots
I don't own star wars.
I woke up to the smell of vanilla… which was weird because I fell asleep to the smell of cinnamon. I blinked bleary-eyed in the darkness at Yura's silky smooth back. Well... beneath her thin tank top and her tight black underwear, breathing slowly in her slumber.
They must have switched on me again. A while back the three of them; Scarlet, Yura and Milky, decided to see if I would even notice who I went to bed with. I did: I'm not a pig. But that didn't stop them from doing it again and again as a joke. Nuzzling her neck gently as I closed my eyes I pulled her warm body closer to mine. Hearing her softly moan at my attentions in her sleep my eyes closed as if her heartbeat was a lullaby…
Only to be rudely awakened by a violent ringing coming from my nearby draw. "Force Fucking…" I grumbled as Yura groaned angrily awake and I scrounged around in the draw looking for the offending com. I ripped it out and turned it on. "WHAT?!" I snarled at it, nothing quite like being woken up seconds before going back to sleep.
"Aiden, listen to me." Zero's voice echoed over the com, "Whatever you're doing right now, drop it and go to Kashyyyk. You need to find-"
"Oh come on Zero what is it this time?" I grumbled only for him to roar angrily over the com interrupting me and even making Yura look at it a little disturbed.
"Aiden shut up and listen! You need to find a man named Roland Firemane. Talk to him, trick him, threaten him, it doesn't matter but get him off Kashyyyk! Take him anywhere else!"
"Another living piece of blackmail material?" I mumbled quietly, only for Zero to growl over the com.
"Your mother wants him dead. Isn't that enough? Go to Kashyyyk. And Aiden, only you can meet him… if he sees any more than one person approaching his home unannounced he will shoot first. I'm sending you his last known location to give you a general idea where on the planet to land and to look" He hung up and soon the com buzzed as it received the information, and I was starting to really dislike him… especially since I knew he was playing me like a fiddle.
I dropped into the bed in frustration rubbing my eyes. "Short-round."
"Aiden it's the middle of the night and there aren't any hidden vents in this ship…" Yura groaned, lying her head comfortingly on my chest. "…I'll get us there, just-"
"Yeah, boss?" Short-round said suddenly standing at the foot of my bed.
"Holy balls!" I sat up staring at him, "…How long have you been there?" but realizing I didn't want to know I shook my head. "…We need to go to Kashyyyk, can you get us going?" I tossed him the com.
"Sure boss I got it…" he replied easily catching the device and moving out of my room as quietly as a mousedroid. I watched him go for a moment and shook my head.
"…That guy could teach sith infiltrators on how to move…" I lay in bed staring up at the ceiling for a moment, but thanks to Zero and a jump start from Short-round I was far too wound up to go back to sleep now…
"You're telling me…" Yura mumbled, and suddenly I had a… rather lucrative solution. My hand lowered down her back, and gently rubbed her soft butt through her underwear and she looked at me. "…Really? Right now?"
"Well is a long flight to Kashyyyk…" I said, gently pushing her onto her back as she smiled coyly up at me and hung over her as I leaned down. "…And I'm not sleepy anymore…"
"Well lucky me…" she said sarcastically but I could see the humor in her eyes as I kissed her, she moaned softly as her lips parted and our tongues wrapped around each other. My hand slipped under her panties and I slipped a couple of fingers inside her, her pussy lubing up as I probed. I kept kissing her as her legs stretched on the bed, her toes curling in the sheets as she moaned around my tongue, suckling on it intently and begging for more.
I stroked her lekku, and suddenly she tightened around my fingers, screaming into my mouth as she came hard. I gripped her lekku firmly after that, not hard enough to hurt her she was sensitive there but enough to let her know exactly where my hand was. I let her ride the orgasm for a moment, her body arching up slightly trying to spread it out or keep it going. Then she dropped back onto the bed, and I began again, slowly.
"Is it my turn?" she asked gently, pulling away and letting her hands caress my increasing erection. She licked her lips longingly but strangely I didn't want that right now. I pushed her panties aside, and stripping myself down I quickly pushed inside her, feeling her tighten around me as she gasped in surprise. I pressed myself fully down onto her, pinning her to the bed as I lifted my hips and slammed down into her, moving back and forth as she wrapped her arms and legs around me, gasping and moaning in my ear.
She lubed my up fairly quickly inside her, her inner tunnel clenching around my length as if afraid to let go. I licked and nibbled her lekku as she gasped in delight, her legs and hands rubbing against me, encouraging me for more. I was close, and as usual, I knew exactly where I was putting it. "Cumming." I whispered softly into her *ears, "I want to cum inside you."
"W-what else is new…" she moaned with a laugh, but tightened her limbs around me, silently begging me to release inside her. You know it was cute when she acted like I was forcing myself on her… but today I felt a little bolder.
"…I want you to tell me where to cum." I said, looking into her golden eyes. She looked a little surprised at that, and when I didn't answer… I slowed down.
"H-hey… what are you-?" she began, suddenly thrusting up to meet me, she was close as well and didn't like the fact that I wasn't moving at my normal pace. "A-Aiden come on…"
"Where do you want me to cum?" I said again, whispering softly. "You should just tell me… It's really a simple question."
"Y-you… you always cum inside." She said sourly, "Just hurry up I'm close!"
"Where do you want me to cum…" I said again, keeping a steady pace but not so quick as to fire accidentally.
She grit her teeth angrily, then looking deep into my eyes she declared harshly, "INSIDE damn it! Give me that fucking LOAD!!" she screamed the last word as I suddenly sped up, feeling her orgasm hard on my length as I roared into the pillows and slammed my hips against her. Firing deep and hard into her as I kept her pinned to the bed and my hips to hers. "Fucking fill me…" she moaned, silently screaming her pleasure.
"Fuck I love you…" I groaned, recovering from my release, it was fucking mind-blowing to hear her actually say it. "There's nothing hotter than hearing you ask for a creampie…" I kissed her again, but she seemed fairly distant, a little coy.
"I just didn't want you to cum all over the bed… I love these sheets." She said but returned my kisses affectionately. She gasped suddenly, looking down at our connection and glaring up at me. "…Did you just get hard again?"
"Force I hope not." I said a little teasingly, gently caressing her breasts through her shirt as I lay on top of her, "…I'm freaking tired…" I closed my eyes, taking in her scent as her hands gently caressed my back.
"Could you at least roll over?" she mumbled, "You're heavy." I obliged, spooning her from behind as the ship made its way, off planet and into space toward Kashyyyk. My eyes closed as she giggled slightly feeling my erection against her body… "…You're such a perv."
I woke up again about thirty minutes before we landed. Kashyyyk was a big place but there were only a few ports where humans could colonize. Everywhere else was apparently too dangerous, either from the wildlife or the locals… Most Kashyyyk wookiees don't like strangers, republic, Imperial or hutt. And ever since the 'cold war' between the Imperials and the Republic was in effect it had become substantially more hostile as both groups tried to establish permanent bases on the planet. Yes, the wookiees were more heavily leaning toward republic, but trandoshan slavers and other scumbags were still rampant on Kashyyyk and the republic doesn't really do anything about it. Not that Imperials are much better, but most wookiees agree that as long as the Imperials get their 'cut' they won't cut down trees trying to enslave wookiees of their own.
Personally I wondered who would be dumb enough to piss off a wookiee.
"I could follow you." Yura said as I strapped on my gear, "It'd be pretty easy."
"I'll be fine. Zero said to go alone or the guy will start shooting." Milky handed me my com, and I slipped it into my pocket, "If I get in trouble I'll call okay?" I said smiling, "Go wake up Baleen and Scarlet and have some fun. Get a drink or something, but stay close to the ship if we have to leave in a hurry."
They waved me off and I made my way through the rather wonderfully designed port. Built into the massive trees the walkways twisted and turned leading to various prefabs and apartments. Wookies and humans walked side by said conversing in… well wookiee roars mostly but that wasn't quite important. I needed to find Roland Firemane… so I went to find the best place to start.
It was still early morning when I entered the cantina, so only a few occupants were frequenting it now; a handful of wookiees and other species as I quickly approached the counter. The grizzled old bartender, a human man missing a pinky finger eyed me and spoke friendly enough. "Hello. What can I get you?"
"Something to go." I said simply, smiling politely as I placed a credit chip down, a big one. "…And you can keep that if you can tell me where to find Roland Firemane."
He eyed the credits for a momentm hesitantly, and for half a second his eyes wandered to the corner of the room behind me. But shook his head as I was about to look. "Don't." he said firmly. "…Behind you, there is a wookiee." He whispered, taking the credits and slipping them under the counter. "…Caradoc. He's the biggest guy in here, black-furred with flecks of grey. Best hunter and warrior on this side of the planet; He comes in every other day to sell me my 'daily special'. If you're looking for Roland he's the one to ask… but…" he began slowly, handing me a rather warm-looking loaf of bread. Apparently, my 'something to go'. "…You might want to reconsider."
I nodded and took the bread, placing it into my mouth as I turned to look. My eyes widened in surprise at the sheer size of the wookiee in a corner booth chomping down what I can only assume is a kashyyyk native dish. At his side was a heavy bowcaster, and what looked like a customized gamorean cleaver. With a long two-handed handle and an axe blade bigger than my head. It had all kinds of odd technical components on it; it looked really cool at least.
Well at least it was somewhere to start. So, I ate my bread and stood up to talk to him just as he got up as well, grabbing his weapons and heading out without another word, ducking his head as he went through the door.
I followed him out, and he led me down a few ramps and walkways, he moved quickly for a big guy but at least he was easy to spot in a crowd. Not that there was one… everyone seemed to give the wookiee a wide berth and I was starting to think I should do the same. Finally, he got onto a wooden lift, and realizing if he went to the forest floor I'd lose him indefinitely I quickly ran onto the lift just as it began descending to the ground level.
But… then I realized that I was utterly alone with the wookiee… and his strangely ruby-red eyes stared coldly at me as I stared back… I did not think this through. He was studying me, appraising me; obviously trying to determine whether or not I was a threat… and I couldn't help but notice his hand tightened on the shaft of his axe.
Finally, I decided to break the ice. "Uh… Hi?"
The wookiee snorted and I took off my hat, it seemed kind of pointless to wear it under the dark canopy… but seeing the sudden look on his face, I realized that for some reason that was a mistake to take my hat off… he got a good look at my hair, and he roared what could only be a wookiee battle cry. I was off my feet before I could even argue, dangling helplessly over the edge of the lift as he held me in one hand, arm outstretched by the neck. Deciding that I didn't want to die by strangling I grabbed his arm and pulled upwards, trying to keep breathing.
Then my translator decided to start working again. Or perhaps his wookiee roar was just that, but then he spoke. "SPAWN OF KANE!!" he snarled/roared, and I could not help but curse my bitch of a mother. If I didn't like my hair color so much I'd dye it.
"Wait! WAIT!!!" I tried to convey, slapping his furry muscular arm desperately as I, unfortunately, looked down. If he dropped me at this height… well, I'd be essentially paste. "I'm not here for her! I'm just looking for Roland Firemane!"
God damn it, wrong choice of words apparently… He let go… with hardly even a second glance, turning to walk to the center of the lift as I began plummeting. Immediately… I primed my grapnel, which was becoming my absolute favorite tool ever, it shot and slammed into the bottom of the lift and pulled me up. I hung there for a moment then grasped onto the edge just in case the grapnel lost its hook.
I don't know if he knew I was still here… but I didn't feel him stomping on my fingers so that was a good sign… but he also dropped me over the lift because of red hair and green eyes, and while that was a trait of the Kane family for sure, it wasn't like we were the only ones in the galaxy to have that particular coloring. The forest floor finally came into view and I yanked the grapnel from the lift and leaped onto the grass as the lift hit the ground.
In my opinion, he actually looked impressed to still see me alive… and the fact that I was flattered at that was quickly overwritten by the fact that he was barring down on me, brandishing his ax in both hands. I had heard of the toughness of wookiees, the real warriors have been known to shrug off blaster fire. And judging from the sheer size of this one, it might have been a better idea to hit him with the ship then try and shoot him..
"I don't want to fight!" I said, pulling out my slugthrower, and a blaster pistol set on stun. I would try to stop him one way or another, "I just want to talk!"
"Silence Kane Spawn!" roared the wookiee and he charged, moving with amazing speed for one so big. I fired off three stun rounds from my pistol into him, but he dodged the first one and the other two barely slowed him down as I quickly ducked, dodged, and scrambled away from his swinging ax.
I fired my slugthrower at his feet, and that made him pause as I quickly moved away, aiming higher up this time. "Stop! I'm not with Altora!" I said firmly, "I just need to talk to Roland!"
But the powerful wookiee warrior was having none of that, he cracked his neck menacingly and once again began approaching but hesitated and turned his head just as a massive trio of lizard looking things scrambled out of the dark.
I think they were Katarns. But I had never seen one in person before, but I knew they were deadly and aggressive… so I turned my attention to them instead as one of them scrambled towards me, its monstrous jaws wide and ready to chomp down. And as I fired another shot of slug down its gullet it certainly did…
But apparently, that only attracted more of them. Three more of the lizardlike creatures scrambled from the darkness surrounding Caradoc and I but numbers were not important apparently as Caradoc bisected one with his ax as it tried to leap on him. Catching another leaping Katarn on the end of his haft he spun it, slammed it on the ground and slit its throat in one fluid movement. But didn't see another one sneaking up from behind him.
I reacted quickly, aiming my pistol at the thing I caught it in the eye. It gave out a horrific shriek as Caradoc reached around with a mighty paw and slapped the creature away before once again slamming his ax down onto it. Killing it in a mighty stroke. Quickly moving away as another charged me I fired repeatedly into it with my blaster pistol before finishing it off with a slugthrower at close range, shredding it to pieces as Caradoc pulled his boltcaster from its holster and one-handed fired into the last of the Katarns, burning a huge hole in its side.
"Well that worked out better than-…" I began but didn't finish. Caradoc was suddenly on top of me, and with a swing of his paw smacked me in the face. And everything went black…
…I felt naked and, yet I was wearing clothes. I shook myself awake and struggled to move but my hands were bound behind my back and I was being hung upside down by… a meat hook… oh great. My feet were bound together, and the hook was slipped into the loop.
There was a low 'tap tap tap' of wood and I turned my head to see the black-furred wookiee eyeing me coolly as I hung there, tapping his paw on a wooden butcher block. Getting a good look around I realized I was in some sort of smokehouse for a meet. Various slabs of meat, probably indigenous to Kashyyyk were hanging around me and that didn't help with my current mood at all. I was getting very distinct horror-holo vibes.
"…You know when I imagined dying I always thought it'd be a heart attack…" I said, groaning as my voice vibrated in my head and a headache suddenly made itself known. "Being butchered never actually came up…"
Caradoc snorted, apparently annoyed with my voice. Silently he stood up and headed towards a nearby door left the room. Leaving me alone among hanging animal carcasses. Sith, angry trandoshans, bombed palaces, an exploding star destroyer… butchered like meat. Out of a long list of things that have almost killed me and this one certainly seemed like a step back.
What seemed like hours but was probably only minutes later. The door opened once again, letting in a soft humming sound and a gentle tap on the floor as a bearded man in a wheelchair entered into my view. He looked young, but his greying red hair and lines around his green eyes told me he was actually much older than he looked, he didn't have legs, lost apparently long ago at the knees he got around on his very mechanically advanced wheelchair.
But that wasn't really important… what was important was the obvious family resemblance… and once he began speaking in a Dromund Kaas accent… well that sort of confirmed it.
"So…" he began, and it was then I realized he was holding a smaller version of a wookiee bowcaster. "You have been looking for me?" he said, calmer than the eye of a storm.
"Yeah." I said, studying his features. "I uh…" I was actually at a loss for words. But I quickly found them, "…Are you… who are you?" okay I didn't find a lot of them.
"I'm Roland Firemane. Former Imperial Colonel and lead ground officer of the Kashyyyk Pacifier Campaign." Caradoc snorted indignantly behind him, and he waved his hand. "I said former." He repeated glaring at the wookiee. "We went through this." he added slightly embarrassed.
"O-kay…" I said slowly, I hadn't heard of any sort of campaign. Must have been before my time, well obviously, and it also must have been considered a failure. The academy does not talk about campaigns that end in failure unless they end in catastrophic failure. "So… you need to get off the planet." I said, remembering why I was here.
He looked at me like I was crazy. "…No." he said indignantly, "Look boy. You don't get to tell me what to do." Then suddenly eyeing my hair, and eyes… he too saw the look of recognition. "…What's your name boy?"
I sighed audibly, "Aiden Kane." He went rigid, but he was obviously not shocked. I could tell he had figured it out before he even asked. "I'm technically Altora Kane's son…"
He sniffed again, eyeing me with a sort of proud dignity that most officers tended to have. "So… she sent her actual progeny to kill me?"
"Nope." I replied quickly and that seemed to throw him off. He turned to Caradoc who also seemed just as confused. "I don't work for my bitch of a mother. I work for Watcher Zero… sort of. He kind of just told me to get you off the planet."
He laughed "That old fool… he must be, 60? 70? By now." He laughed again. "Have you met him? Is he a black-haired human man? About this tall?" he held up his hand high in his seat.
But I shook my head, "No. Watcher Zero is a Chiss…"
"Hmm." He said, he seemed rather impressed by the news. "Really? Well, why would the 'new' Watcher Zero want me off the planet?"
I watched him for a moment, "…You mean he didn't put you here? He's not using you to blackmail anyone? Or… something I don't know, he's weird."
"All watchers are. Look boy." He said firmly, leaning forward in his chair, "The only person that put me here is my daughter…" his eye twitched slightly, and strangely a small smile twisted on his lips. "My bitch of a daughter…"
Well… that sort of confirmed it. This guy was my grandfather…
"…We're going to get along great Gramps." I said with a soft scoff.
He glared at me, "Don't call me that… so Altora didn't send you. But why should I trust you? I've been here almost thirty years boy, utterly forgotten by my own daughter-"
"Your bitch of a daughter."
"-so why would I listen to her progeny?" he continued unabated but unable to contain a soft smirk at the 'correction'.
"Because I didn't even know about you until about a day ago." I said honestly, trying as hard as possible to convey that honestly with everything I had. "My bitch of a mother never talked about her family. It never even occurred to me that she wasn't always a 'Kane'." He watched my face, his frown obvious and thoughtful. "I assure you… if I had known about you before now I would have come to see you sooner. Why are you even here? What happened to you?" then suddenly I felt dizzy. And realized I was hanging upside down for a long time and the blood was rushing to my head. "…Why am I so dizzy?" I mumbled, my eyes rolling slightly.
He rubbed his surprisingly well-kept beard, and actually circling me in his wheelchair, he finally spoke again to Caradoc. "…Cut him down. Bring him into the house." Caradoc grunted, but it seemed he didn't like the idea. Easily removed me from the hook and carried me on his shoulder outside following Roland.
The smokehouse was a small cottage not far away from a large hollowed-out tree that had been converted into a large home inside. Roland's chair had folded the wheels up and turned into a hover chair that glided across the bumpy terrain. I briefly wondered what kept the wildlife away but then I saw a collection of strange radar dish-looking tripods in several corners sounding the area. Sonic inhibitors: they emitted a frequency that kept most angry animals away.
Roland landed on the porch under an awning outside his hollow tree home Caradoc tossed me, still bound, into a nearby lounge chair. Apparently, it was for the wookiee himself considering the size of it. Roland frowned at me for a moment as my head began to feel better. "…What do you actually know about me?"
"Nothing." I said honestly, "Again I didn't even know you existed. I always thought my bitch of a mother crawled out of The Maw and climbed her way through the ranks…"
He scoffed annoyed. "…Your mo- Altora." He corrected, leaning back in his chair as Caradoc wandered into the house. "Was my superior officer around the end of my career. She was still a Firemane then, but engaged to your father. Commanding her own ship and already wheeling and dealing. I personally was content with my position, I liked the action, I liked the purpose." He stared off into the forest, if I squinted I could see a strange reflection… there was a beach or water in that direction. "…It was the end of a large open conflict with the republic…" he began, his mind elsewhere. "The wookiees had allied with them of course so an uprising had naturally occurred. I was sent to quell it…" he scoffed.
"It was stupid… they should've just let the damn walking carpets keep the planet…" Caradoc roared angrily inside the house and he rolled his eyes, "I know! Sorry." He added dismissively. "So I was sent down, leading a battalion… over there." He pointed west, "About a mile that way. And the local wookiee tribes had united to force us back. Led by a local hero." He then jerked his thumb over his shoulder into the house, "That local hero. He fought a sith in close combat and killed him."
"You fought him?" I asked confused, looking between the house and him, "Why is he here then NOT killing you?"
"I'm getting to that." Roland replied dismissively. "Days. Our forces fought for days. Giving. Taking. We were essentially at a standstill. He may look like just a regular wookiee but Caradoc was a tactical genius." Caradoc roared again, and Roland rolled his eyes. "IS a tactical genius. Finally, after about a week of fighting, I decided I needed to call for reinforcements… I asked for HELP." He spat the word out bitterly, "…So Altora came leading three-star destroyers…"
I strangely saw where this was going. And I was right…
"In the middle of an open battle she glassed the area with ship fire." He snarled bitterly, "Her own damn father and she blasted the area almost immediately after arriving! I lost everything and everyone, but the Empire got its victory…"
"Is that how you lost your legs?" I asked, looking at them.
"…No." he said coldly, "…The battlefield was a twisted hellhole of scrap, blood and bones… and I crawled through the wastes, looking for anything and anyone… somebody other than me must have survived. And I was right… he gestured to the house again. "…Caradoc had been impaled by shrapnel… he was bleeding to death. It would've been so easy to kill him but I decided to take him captive. Patch him up, as I finished a group of soldiers landed in transports, at first I thought they were to help the survivors…"
I shook my head. That's not how mother operated… she had fired on her own people in battle. Sure that was an Imperial thing to do, but they tended to give warnings before that happened.
"They opened fire the instant they saw me…" he scowled, "I was outnumbered, outgunned, and quickly running low on ammo… then Caradoc woke up." He smiled, "That furball ripped into them like a rancor in a tauntaun herd…" he slapped his leg gently. "…But in one last act, they threw a grenade. I dove at Caradoc pushing him out of the way but not quick enough to avoid the blast. I lost my legs then… and gained a life debt. After that Caradoc took me to his village… they tended my wounds, fixed me as best they could…" he sighed, gesturing around, "There were some tensions between us for a few years, but we got over it… now here we are. Caradoc is still the best hunter around, and I fix things mechanically…" he tapped his wheelchair, "…I have to tell you I never thought I'd spend my retirement here…" he said softly, "…Always thought I'd settle on Ryloth…" he grinned fondly. "…Force. I miss Twi'leks…"
So that's where I get it from.
I watched him for a moment, he seemed to be done. "…Well… I don't know why. But Zero sent me here to take you away… so maybe Ryloth isn't so farfetched…" but suddenly Caradoc roared, and Roland sighed sadly.
A small compartment opened in the right arm of the chair, and deposited several pills were into a small chamber as Caradoc returned with a wooden cup of water. Without pause Roland tossed the pills into his mouth, nodded his thanks to the wookiee, and drank the water like he was dying of thirst. "…Best butler I've ever had." He joked, referring to Caradoc, then sighing again he looked at me sadly, and slowly shook his head. "…I'm not leaving Aiden." He said softly.
"Why not?" I asked a little annoyed that I was still bound.
"…Aiden I'm in my seventies… I take more pills in a day than the number of stars you can see in the sky right now..." I looked up. There was an awful lot even under the canopy of the massive trees. "Quite frankly… I'm not going anywhere."
Caradoc stood imposingly beside him, enforcing the statement. I sighed, "Look… I don't know why I was told you need to leave. But I bet it's for a good reason."
"I'm sure it is." he said, taking a gnarled callused hand and putting it on my shoulder, it was surprisingly comforting. "…But Aiden I plan to die here… on this planet. One way or another… I have a very nice spot picked out near the battlefield." He turned to Caradoc. "…You can cut him loose."
The massive wookiee snorted, but he pulled a sharp knife from his belt and sliced my restraints. I rubbed my wrists and ankles as I got off the chair. "Look… you need to at least prepare, set traps or something. You shouldn't just lie down and die…"
He laughed, Caradoc too, "Seriously? Aiden just because I'm not leaving doesn't mean I'm going to roll over and die… no. They can try and kill me as much as they want. The obvious word there is try." He slapped his wookiee friend on a muscular shoulder and the massive warrior smiled. "Get the boy his things." He said politely, "Please."
The wookiee re-entered the house and soon returned with a bundle of my weapons that I promptly placed securely on my person. But still, I stayed, looking at my grandfather, I didn't want to leave him here… but I couldn't take Caradoc in a fight that was for certain. "…I don't want to leave you here…" then thinking about it I pushed forward before he spoke. "Come meet my girlfriends." I said suddenly, then adding a little more lecherously, "…You'd like Yura my Twi'lek girlfriend for sure."
His eyebrow rose at that, "…Your girlfriends?" he questioned curiously, looking a little… impressed? At the word.
"Well there's also Milky, and Scarlet… Newt's not here and Baleen's not really my 'girlfriend' and Xalbaia-"
His eyes narrowed suddenly, "Doctor Xalbaia? She's on your ship? Your mother's personal doctor?" he scowled but not in anger, more like curiosity. "Why?"
"Oh she pissed off a lot of people…" I noted dismissively, "I'm just keeping her alive for now. Oh, and she brought a dog so that's a bonus. I love that dog."
Roland actually laughed… shaking his head fondly. "…You turned out alright for a Kane…" he said softly, legitimately… proud of me. I think. "…I'm happy to see your mother didn't ruin you."
"Well… the Kane siblings are pretty close to each other. my bitch of a mother couldn't break that… I'm closer to my sisters than she is."
"…You have siblings?" he asked, sounding a little sad now. "…What are their names?"
"Twins. Tolara and Kavilla." I said, suddenly patting myself down. "Actually, I have a picture." I pulled out a holo-disk from my pocket and a picture of us together appeared as I handed it to him… taken in happier days.
He took it, eyeing the two women in the picture standing on either side of me. "…I would have liked to have met them." He said softly, his mind far, far away. "…what are they like?"
"…Imperial to anyone but me." I said, and he nodded in understanding.
"…Fine women then." He said, grinning at me. I nodded grinning as well, but then something… wrong… shifted through me and Caradoc was suddenly rigid. He ran back inside and returned with his war axe. Scowling around at the air as Roland slowly gripped his bowcaster. "… It's too quiet."
I wasn't a native to Kashyyyk. So I didn't really understand what was happening... but I had a bad feeling about this. Caradoc let out a soft yowl, and amazingly silent for someone of his size he quickly slipped into the forest vanishing completely. I scowled, and quickly replaced my translator. "What did he say?"
Roland sniffed and turned inside the house. "…Battlestations." He said coldly, and with the air of an Imperial commander. I followed him into the house as he quickly went to one of the nearby windows and glanced outside carefully placing his bowcaster onto the window sill. I took another window also watching outside, readying my modded rifle.
"…You don't have to be here." He said after a moment of silence, "You could go out the back."
I could. Something in the back of my mind told me that I should. But unfortunately, my sense of loyalty to my family still applied to him. He hasn't disappointed me yet, so I was prepared to go out in a blaze of glory for him… I'd do the same for Tolara, Kavilla and anyone on the ship, even to some extent Xalbaia.
"If someone wants to get to you they're going to have to go through me…" I said firmly, keeping my eyes outside into the darkness. "What about Caradoc is he going to be alright?"
Roland smiled, "If anything you should pity the men sent to kill me."
As if on cue… the forest suddenly lit up like a light show as flashes from blaster fire suddenly erupted in the dark. Occasionally I'd see bodies, brief flashes of death as the warrior wookiee came down on them hard. But unfortunately, as the first sign of the attackers appeared it wasn't enough. Half a dozen generic troopers entered the area and instantly began firing on the house.
One was suddenly knocked back as Roland's bowcaster ripped into his armor and I promptly opened fire. Taking down two in quick succession. "Good shot!" Roland shouted encouragingly as I kept up a suppression fire. A bowcaster hit hard, really hard, but it had a slow fire rate. I ran distractions and he picked them off. I have to admit it was a little odd to have actual encouragement in a firefight.
And Roland" Roland was calm. Collected. A professional soldier if I had ever met one and honestly even though I went to an entire academy full of them… he was different. Maybe it was from a time when soldiers were better vetted or maybe it was from years of experience…
The last soldier went down as Caradoc's ax split him in two from behind before quickly approaching the house and roaring. "I count more!" he quickly entered and snarled angrily, "There are many. Your standard imperial tactics at work, they've set off all the traps."
Roland and I shared a similar scowl as we realized it. Of course, they'd send in the fodder first to drain our defenses. "Well other than hold up here do we have a plan?" I asked looking at the old soldiers for guidance.
Roland slowly shook his head, "We're too blind here. We need more information…"
Caradoc scowled, "I count a dozen more. Much more heavily armed." He then eyed Roland coolly, "They have a sith with them."
"…Well well don't spare the expense Altora." Roland mumbled. "Aiden keep a lookout… I need to get something, Caradoc give me a hand."
"Is it a lightsaber?" I asked nervously as an outline of troopers appeared in the tree line. "Because if there's a sith we probably want a…" I sighed as they came into view... I saw Cipher 3… and a very unfortunate familiar face. "Kaath-Tyi." I grumbled.
"Caradoc can handle the sith." Roland said confidently, "His ax haft has a shield generator that'll allow him to block a couple lightsaber hits it gives him a fighting chance. Keep the soldiers away…" he said.
"Well, they're here…" I said, "I can see them."
"Then shoot them." He said calmly, whispering fiercely with Caradoc as he lifted out an old blaster rifle from a trunk and came back to the front hitting a button on his chair as a wall of steel shot up from the floor blocking the wall and the door.
"Okay that's… kind of cool, what is this?" I asked, firing into the crowd of troopers through a gap as they dove for cover.
"A steel reinforcement." He said, also providing suppressing fire. "Aiden. I want you and Caradoc to go out the back and take them from behind."
"What? No, I'm not leaving you here." I said scowling at him, but he rolled his eyes.
"Well I can't do it. We'll get them in a pincer." He scowled as Kaath-Tyi effortlessly deflected blaster fire completely unconcerned but strangely not approaching. "And we need to deal with that one as fast as possible."
Knowing that the plan was worth a try I nodded, and spying Cipher 3 I pointed him out. "Aim for the blonde. He's a Cipher Agent, Altora's personal one."
He nodded and kept firing as Caradoc and I quickly headed to the back, "Aiden." He said coolly, putting down an unlucky trooper with a well-aimed shot. "…Use your slugthrower on lightsabers." He said a flatly. "Lightsabers do not do well against them…" Well, good advice was good advice.
I followed Caradoc out the back as Cipher 3's voice roared over the blaster fire. "Roland Firemane! Come out and I promise it will be quick and painless!" I brandished my slugthrower as we circled around them through the foliage.
"Come a little closer and I promise the same!" Roland replied, before opening fire in a wide spread. "I know the tricks of the trade and I have a few of my own!" as we circled closer, I took a deep breath and began to move toward their backs aiming carefully as I approached…
But suddenly Caradoc grabbed me… and pulled me back into the shadows. "What are you-!?" I began, but with a look on his face… a look of utter disappointment and shame he wrapped his arms around my mouth and yanked the slugthrower out of my hand. Backing away as I struggled against his might.
What the fuck was he doing!?
We were far away… but we still felt it… The tree exploded in a ball of fire.
"NO!" I screamed into the wookiee's hand as the troopers, Cipher 3 and Kaath-Tyi were flung backward by the shock and the shrapnel. Moanfully the wookiee groaned, he actually sounded sad as he easily dragged me away from the burning tree… I saw the shapes of Kaath-Tyi and Cipher 3 struggle to their feet as their troopers, too close to the shrapnel and shock wave lay dead or dying on the ground…
Caradoc suddenly picked up speed, moving through the forest easily, carrying me as if I was lighter than air until finally after what seemed like an hour he let me go. And stood there as I began pacing, trying to vent the fury and anger now rushing through me.
"WHAT THE FUCK!!" I roared at him, tears in my eyes as I ran my hands through my hair, "WHAT THE FUCK!?" I repeated.
Caradoc, stared me down, but he wasn't cruel or kind… merely accepting. "…Roland wanted me to make sure you survived…" he said finally, "…And I did."
"HE BLEW HIMSELF UP!" I roared him, "My family! My grandfather!" I shoved the wookiee angrily, but he just stood still as I stumbled away from the force, "He didn't even try to fight back! He didn't ask me!"
Caradoc however, gently put a hand on my shoulder, steading me… strangely it felt comforting as well. "…Roland was dying… slowly. Steadily… Painfully. he most likely would have passed within the year." I watched his face, he was actually sad; grief-stricken even. "…It was something I could not protect him from. My life debt to him would go unfulfilled. But with you, that changed." I stared at him, confused, but he continued. "He wanted to go out fighting. Like a soldier. He asked me to keep you safe and get you away. And I have..."
I wanted to hit something, someone, anyone… I felt cheated and pissed off. I found out I had a grandfather and lost him within hours. I finally thought I had a father figure to look up to, and considering my other two options were Tohmas the deadbeat gigolo dad, or Zero who I'm starting to think doesn't look out for my best interest I felt… miserable.
"I need to go back there and kill them." I said firmly, brandishing my slugthrower and heading back in that direction but Caradoc stopped me. "You saved me. Fine." I said bitterly, trying to shrug off his massive paw. "Thank you. Now let me go kill a couple of assholes."
But Caradoc stood firm. Proud. He clapped his hand on my shoulder. "…I made a promise to your grandfather before we left that I would protect you… my life debt has gone unfulfilled, so I wish to transfer that oath to you." That made me pause. I stared at the warrior wookiee in a strange new light. He rather comfortingly wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and lead me away into the forest. "…We will have our vengeance for our fallen Grandson of Roland." He said proudly, firmly. "And we will honor his memory…"
I sniffed away tears of frustration and looked up at the wookiee, who strangely seemed warmer than he had ever been so far. He had been surly, unwelcoming, and quite frankly dangerous… but now I had that on my side… and as the lift to the tree tops came into view I realized I had a connection to my recently discovered grandfather that would follow me around…
And he carried a really cool battle axe.
End of Chapter.
Some will call foul on me adding a wookiee, AKA the Chewie expy… but I promise, as with most of this story so far it will all work out one way or another. Besides like Killa in 'Blackjaw and Cub' (maybe even sooner than I'd like) Caradoc will be more important one day.
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