Chương 4: Chapter 4
Tanya Kryze
Mandalore, orbit
Space, the final frontier for human exploration in my life as a salaryman, and the domain of penny and dime novels in my second. I never thought I would get to leave earth in either life In my first life, even with some of my most optimistic projections for how my retirement may go, I assumed that space travel would remain the domain of the ultra-wealthy, and as for my second life, well, unless Schugel had come up with rocket to get me from Europe to the Americas(even then I doubted I even leave low orbit), space travel was a fantasy.
But here I was, it took nearly 100 years and jumping three different lives, but I was in space, and though it was somewhat hampered by the artificial gravity of the Aka'jor-class shuttle, space without atmospheric interference was something I had never seen.
Though I do admit I was at first mesmerized with these new experiences, the spell did not hold too long. After all, I was just looking at the blackness of space with twinkling lights, nothing particularly spectacular about it.
That being said, this was the first time I left the solid ground in this life, so I put on a good show for Bo-Katan, asking questions about the satellites and other orbital debris we passed on our way out of Mandalor's orbit. She seemed to enjoy answering my question so I counted this strategy as working.
The operation was proceeding as envisioned, I had managed to prevent my brother from coming along, which meant it was just me and my dear aunty Bo. A perfect opportunity for her to brainwash me into their cult… if I was a dumb child. Instead, this became a perfect opportunity for me to ingratiate myself deeper into Bo's inner circle. Making her believe I was falling for her schtick would allow me to find out if her goal was less than noble when it came to training me. If she attempted to push me to sign in to anything, I would have something to bring Satine and have her removed from this program. If Bo instead continued to only try to entice me with old ways, then she was a fine teacher, and I could let this little training continue without issues.
Besides, it was unlikely that anything too dangerous would even happen. if Bo had wanted me dead or to harm her sister through me she had ample opportunities, at the range and when she had me tossing grenades, an accident could have happened at either time and she could get away with it. Of course, she would be hounded about the affair and be forced to flee Mandalore, sure, but if the goal was to harm Satine through me that would be accomplished. Since neither of those happened I was sure I was safe with Bo on a physical level.
Plus I really wanted to know what was on the planet Kalevala that had immediately sprung to Bo's mind when I asked about protection. I had a theory, but a theory is not worth much, until you can test it.
Looking out the windows, were they windows? I had to look into the details of ship construction when I had more time, but anyways, looking out the windows, I was able to watch the sand yellow planet shrink as we flew away from my "homeworld". It really was in a sorry state, centuries of warfare had left nothing living outside the domes and cubes that dotted the surface, and when compared to Concordia, the planet's green and brown moon, you could see the extent of the damage: complete and utter ecological collapse.
If I was not tied to the royalty of the planet, I would most likely be looking into pulling up stakes and finding somewhere greener to live. This harsh death world was not for the weak and faint of heart. If something went wrong with the life-support systems of a dome or cube, your chances of survival dropped to near-zero fast.
But I was connected, so I would have to deal with that desert world. Though I questioned why there was no attempt to rebuild the world quicker. If they have spaceships and access to trade markets across the galaxy it should not be that hard to turn back the clock a bit. And with the tech base I had seen since I arrived in this world, I did not believe they could not terraform a planet if they wanted to.
Perhaps there was something I was overlooking, but locking everyone up in the cities and centralizing... oh… the new Mandalorian doctrine relied heavily on the premise that pacificism should be the goal, that their people should not need to fight, and that they needed to join the galaxy in peaceful cooperation. A lofty goal, but when your populations were made up of nomadic clans and tribes, that was hard to achieve.
Being out on the frontier had a tendency to breed hardy people, people who wanted nothing more than to be left alone (often with violent deterrence), so how do you get such a population to sign up with your overarching government, instead of just moving on to another planet? You hold power and provide the only safe place on the planet.
Everyone who could leave the decimated world had, all that was left were the stubborn and those who could not, and so their only hope was the New Mandalorians, who promised peace and safety. Most likely when they realized just how bad the state of the planet was, they decided to focus on domes and cube projects to get people hooked on the New Mandalorian government projects. Similar things had happened in my first life, China and Russia having some stellar examples of the failure of such wide-reaching projects. But those being about forcing industrialization and urbanization, power was already in those governments' hands. This most likely was a simple way to make sure new Mandalorian culture stayed in power until they were considered as mainstream Mandalorian culture.
It was a devious plot, and to implement it would take some iron determination since you were technically prolonging the damage of the planet and any pain that caused for your benefit... the question was did Satine know about this? Presumably, she would be the one implementing this plan, however, considering she was willing to break bread with her sister on the other side of the political scale, I doubted she would be willing to punish the planet in such a way, even if it limited the area for rebellion. I would have to look into the politics of the situation more. Perhaps I was looking too deep into it (something I would admit I did too often), which had gotten me in trouble more times than I would like as an aerial mage.
Tanya Kryze
Kalevala, orbit
Kalevala was alive, that was the best way to start to describe its difference from Mandalore Prime. From orbit, you could see the greens of planet life, mixed with the yellow of the desert sand. From what I knew of Kalevala, unlike Mandalore, which was dealing with complete ecological collapse, Kalevala was still somewhat livable, and though it was dealing with similar issues. it was thriving under New Mandalorian rule, with even fine wines and silks were produced on this half dessert world.
Without knowing the economics of the entire galaxy, an undertaking which I doubted anyone could succeed at, I could only guess based on my understanding of the basics of the sector economy as to how much of the national income came from those products.
This provided a nice possible alternate reason why Mandalore seemed to be slower in coming back. Why spend money to get one planet up running again when you could just improve the income of the one that worked fine?
But those were thought for another time, at the moment I belted myself into the shuttle seats as we began our descent towards the planet. Looking over to my left I noted Bo-Katan had not belted herself in as we came into the upper orbit.
I shook my head at her risk-taking. We had seat belts and we might as well use them.
Bo, for her part, noticed me looking her way and chuckled "Don't worry kid we won't crash, besides, seat belts won't really do anything unless you are in the atmosphere, if we start crashing up here we burn up long before we hit the ground."
"A lovely thought," I muttered before pointing out, "but what if something happens once we're in the atmosphere?"
"Well if there is no reason to just ditch the ship and jet pack away then, then that's the time to put the belt on."
'How could I have forgotten personal flight?' I thought, shaking my head "Well let's hope we don't need to do that, as I don't have a jetpack." I said matter of factly.
"Yet." Bo responded, causing me to turn my head, to see a sly smile on her face. She was up to something to do with jet packs? Well, now that was an interesting piece to the puzzle.
I didn't have too much time to ponder this though, as the ship cut its way through the atmosphere. I expected a lot more turbulence than I got, though I still held on tight to the armrest. The transition from space to another planet was too smooth in the end, my preconceptions of pilots fighting to maintain control were tossed out by something that felt as smooth as a train ride. It's not a great loss, really, but I imagine I looked very silly holding the armrest in a death grip down from orbit to the planet below. Thankfully, Bo didn't notice or didn't care, as she said nothing on the matter as the ship leveled out and started flying west(at least I believed it was west, hard to tell when to change planets).
"See? Nothing to worry about, perfectly safe," Bo said as she laid out a course in the control panel, "we should be seeing the old estate any moment now, look right there."
Looking where she was pointing, I saw a white structure rising from the sands around it. Looking closely, I first thought it was one of the cubes cities that dotted Mandalore surfaces, but it had some features that reminded me of something older. What I was looking at was a mix of castle and cube, the estate they had been referring to was not some manor, it was a fortress, and now it made sense why Satine hadn't been there in years.
Castles and fortresses were military installations, no matter if they also could serve as homes, the pacifist leader had to stay far away from such structures unless necessary.
"Fortress Kryze, one of the last standing house castles on Kalevala and in my opinion one of the greatest." Bo said as she sat back in her seat. "You will not find one as beautiful anywhere in the system, most fortress homes that could compete for that honor got blown up and bombarded from orbit over the last century, but even before then, most folk only used them for their intended purposes, and left them at that. Granddad, I mean your great grandfather, believed that home should, no matter the intended purposes, have an air of splendor to it." She supplied as we got closer, taking the ship on a long loop around the building so I could get a look at it.
It was rather a beautiful thing to look upon, the white wall of the cube-like castle glimmered in the sun and was very functional. If I had to guess, there were five levels of building set above the sand, but who knows how deep it went?
"Father, your granddad conquered of course and kept the paint job up, even added a few towered over the years, more for a look than what they could do for defense. Your father wanted to add on to the building himself, leave his mark on the old family house, but things did not end up going that way." Bo commented, sounding tired. "Since the end of the Clan Wars, the place has been basically abandoned and left to itself. Some of the minor clans that part of house Kryze contribute money to keep the place looking in good condition, but no one lives here really.
"So in a sense, it has become a family vault that contains our past, a monument to old times for our extended family to visit once in while?" I said as I looked the building over. This was useful, I could run with this, "Being left alone is a sad fate for such a grand building, but as long as people still care for it, the house can still serve to protect the history of the family that built it." I attempted to signal my interest in protecting history, which I figured would earn me points with Bo, and as I turned to look at her face, and saw the smile I knew, I hit my target.
Bo turned the ship around and came to landing on the platform that hung outside of the tower, being stickler details I noted we parked in such a way to minimize the time we would spend outside. This piqued my interest but before I got a chance to ask about it, Bo was already out of her seat and heading to the back of the ship. Unbuckling myself I got up and followed behind the armored woman, she was at the back of the ship grabbing her helmet and putting it on. That seemed odd. We were in the middle of nowhere, why would she need a helmet I thought.
"Here catch" my thoughts were interrupted by Bo tossing a full-face covering glass mask to me. Grabbing it out mid-air and looking at it before asking the question that came to my mind first. "Aunty Bo? Why do I need a gas mask?"
"Not a gas mask, more of atmofilter mask, desert around here got bombed a lot over the years, one of the wars used chemical weapons and that left the sand toxic. We have equipment that can clean us off inside, and technically the chemical is nothing too bad but it is best to minimize your contact with the stuff." Bo said as she pressed some button on her wrist guard coughing slight hiss from her helmet.
I blinked a couple of times then shook my head at just how to matter a fact that had been dropped on me, I might reconsider this whole deal if I knew I was going nuclear bomb site. Well, not much to for it now, I was here, and it would just look suspect if I attempted to pull out now. Pulling my hair back I fixed the mask to my head, slight hiss signaling it was secured.
"Ready to go!" I said with a more chipper tone than I was really feeling, as I looked up at Bo. Nodding her head she pressed a button and stepped outside, quickly walking across the landing pad towered a pair of doors. I followed right after looking back to see the ship's doors auto close behind us.
Bo moved a bit faster than me and got to the door pressing a code into the wall panel. The door responded and she stepped inside a darkened room sealed off by another set of doors, from the rest of the building. Wasting no time I stepped inside, which apparently singled the doors to close. The moment that happened, the room blew down with air most likely removing any sand particles that would be stuck on us in that short time we had been outside. Soon as that was done Bo pulled off her helmet and placed it on a shelf of the far left wall. I followed her example and took off my mask, placing it next to her helmet.
"So are we going to need to decontaminate when we get back on the ship?" I asked, noting there was no such system on transport craft.
"Yes, not really up to you. Decom really for those who walked or flew but everyone has to go through the same door so might well Decom everyone as free service. If you are worried about toxic sand though there is a shower near the back of the craft." Bo said, placing her guns beside her helmet, "any blaster stays here if you got them?"
I looked at her then looked at myself and my lack of any weapons "don't think that something we need to worry about." I mentioned before I continued. "I didn't see a shower, on the ship?"
"Left side, behind the blaster rack, and yeah old rule dad had he only wanted family carrying blades in the house, weapons stayed stowed unless times of war. " Bo responded by answering both questions as she walked toward the second door and began to type in a code.
"Sensible.." I began before the location of the shower hit me, there was an empty closet next to the blaster rack, that I assumed had been for an armor storage area. I had to admit I was impressed by the space usage of Mandalorian design.
The door opened revealing a well-decorated entryway pillar of marble lining the hallway before splitting off in several directions. Bo took a few steps in before looking to her right and smiling, stepping through after her I looked up to the wall she was looking at and tripped up a bit.
On the wall was a painted mural of an older bearded white-haired man in bronze and pine colored Mandalorian armor, mirror seemed to tell the story of some defense the cuibish art simplifying the story a bit but seemed to show two forces fighting, with the man and his force standing in middle one leg up on edge of battlement as he carried his helmet in the crook of his arm, and held a silver sword aloft as if challenging all comers.
It was ridiculous looking and reminded me of a bit of European artwork from the 18th century in how grandiose it looked. I was stumped on how to respond to this thing.
"Ah right, well Tanya meet your granddad, Adonai Kryze senior, warlord of and protector of Kalevala." Bo said with a bemused tone bringing me back to reality. I was related to a man who had propaganda painted on the wall entryway.
I could only really hope that whatever had inspired that power move was not genetic. "He really sprung for something that would leave an impression didn't he?" I said, taking my eyes away from the affront to humbleness.
Bo let out a laugh before saying "Yeah he was one for dramatics." before she turned and started walking down the hallway. "He wanted people to know why Kalevala was not doomed to ruin like Mandalore was during the most recent civil war, that it was his force of arms and diplomatic tack, not the new Mandalorian pretty words, that kept the planet secure."
"Was he against the new Mandalorians?" I asked, trying to get a sense of the man who seemed to be Bo's role model from the way she talked about him.
"Nope, but he never thought they would grow further than minor power in the system, said'' she changed her voice perhaps trying to mimic her father "'they paid their taxes and help clean up the mess from the older generation,' as long as they do that he had no issue with them, and had several friends among their number. Which is why he trusted they would be able to keep Satine safe on Coruscant during the clan wars."
Leading the way furth into the building we passed several other paintings of various family members, I assumed most of them were older than grandfather though few of the artworks seemed to show split off families and other clans loyal to our house, their symbols being shown somewhere on the painted wall.
I would continue on without issue before I stopped at what looked like a painting to a younger version of the grander father a blond man who stood across from a dark-blond-haired woman in what looked to be in some kinda wedding ceremony, he also looked a bit like what Korkie would look like when he was older I thought.
"Oh yeah, figured you spot that," Bo said she stopped before coming back standing next to her, " Adonai Kryze junior and Tanya Keldau."
"Father and mother." the cubist artwork was not to my liking, but I could see the resemblance to some photos I had seen before, I really did not feel much for those people on the wall, they were technically my parents but I had never known them, they died before I really come to consciousness again, but I attempted to look suitable intrigued and sad for Bo, I had to keep up the appearances after all.
"My father had this commission on their marriage day, wanted it to be immortalized, Adonai thought he looked stupid in it but it was father's house, so he decided what goes on the walls." Bo said with a smile.
"What about mother?' I asked more for formality than any real interest.
"Ah, she was fine with it, didn't care much for pomp, but was just happy to have a family again," Bo said, shaking her head. "The Keldau were already a nearly non-existent clan in the last civil war, and said civil war did not do them any favors, she believed she was the last."
I nodded my head, not really sure what to say to the information. Being X script had put her as an orphan of another orphan… he needed to hire a better writing staff.
My silences seemed to be taking as morning as Bo patted me on the head, and said "Let go see what I came here to get your, that should improve the mood." she began walking towards the east side of the building heading for an entryway to a tower by the looks of it.
I followed behind her as she led the way up the stairway. We went up three or four floors. It felt like before we came to a set of doors. Bo stopped at the Door and turned toward me. "Alright, you're ready to keep this secret right?"
I nodded my head, "Of course."
Smiling Bo turned toward the door, pulled out a knife and slipped it in to crack off the door, she jiggled it a bit with the air of someone who had done this before, and a moment later the door sprung open."And we're in", Bo said, stepping inside, motioning me to follow.
Stepping in after her I saw we were in a room not too dissimilar from my own back on Mandalore, a bit more decorated than I had mine but basically the same comfortable bed, good work desk, closet full clothes only real big differences were the armor stand in the corner. The armor in question was small looking to have been made for a female in her early teens, painted in bronze and light green. "Bo whose room is this?"
Walking over towered armor, Bo picked up the helmet from the stand and looked it over before tossing it to me. I caught it as she began, saying "Satine's, she left her armor behind when she went to Coruscant and as far as I know never bothered coming back here to do anything with, still sized for when she was 14, so it should fit your no problem."
"Isn't this stealing?" I pointed out as I looked over the helmet, the helmet looked a bit like Bo favoring the almost Y-shaped visor over the standard T I have seen in most of the artwork.
"Nope, Satine abandoned the armor, and as Kryze you have the right to pick it up." Bo said, taking the armor off the stand and putting it on the bed.
"Okay but I'm not going to be able to walk in my room and keep this secret, aunt Satine is going to notice a pair of armor showing up in my room."
"We'll keep it aboard my ship for now, and will figure out what to do about a permanent home later. Besides you need it for jet pack training anyways, the armor and helmet set up is better than not having them. It is also cheaper in the long run than renting out part of the armor every time we want to train you how to fly.
"That is a good point." I granted as I looked down at the visor, as much as I dislike how close to the line of criminality this is, she made several good points, and there was no reason to say no to this. If Satine ever found out, I could play dumb and just say I didn't know the details of its acquisition.
Looking at the helmet, I tried to pick my brain about what paint job to put on the helmet. I started looking into Mandalorian color theory, each color means something, and since understanding what that means could give me a better idea of what a person was looking for in life as well as being a way to easily signal what I wanted from other Mandalorians if I ever needed it. Light green was related to the search for peace, something that fell well inside the Satine charter, and bronze was a sign of nobility, the overall meaning of the armor was Noble search for peace. She lived up to that armor color really.
Looking up I saw the Bo was loading the armor into a bag she found under the bed, her armor colors gray, dark red, and yellow, messaging of that was in mourning, defiance, and remembrance, the overall messaging then was something like standing for the last I would assume which would explain why Satine was annoyed by Bo color scheme.
"Alright all loaded up let's get going kid." Bo said, hefting the bag over her shoulder. " There are few other things we can check out around the castle before we have to get back to Mandalore, and we don't have a lot of time to do it."
Nodding my agreement I followed along behind carrying the helmet in my hands as we went.
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