Beneath the Waves

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Noelani Kai"] | Gala - Kai Family Home



Judah hadn't been to Gala in years. Scratch that, before Makai had even been born. Perhaps before he had even married Thessa? Issues with the planet had often came into play with his not visiting. It was often Sith controlled. Battle torn. Citizens were often taken as slaves due to the unstable nature of the area. From what he knew the area was starting to turn around and had improved over the years. Progress is always easily reversed however, especially in a 'verse that loved war.


He hadn't expected to come back to the planet without Makai though. At one point or another he imagined the boy would want to tour his ancestral home and learn more about the Kai Family. Judah would be learning more about the Kai Family alright - learning he had been placed as guardian for a fourteen year old girl.


Surprising. There was still an extensive branch of the Kai family around, Thessa had numerous brothers. Who knew how many cosuins, aunts and uncles. Judah hadn't expected to be named guardian with so many family members running around. He didn't particularly mind - during his marriage he always hoped for a big family.


Hand came up and scratched his salt-and-pepper beard, taking in the tropical surroundings of the fishing village. According to directions he was at the right one, now to see if he could find the right Kai.

 

[Skyler]

"...but you promised that I'd..."

"Enough," Byron gave his niece a stern-look. When he looked at her like that, it always made the scars across his right cheek seem darker, like he'd just caught that shrapnel from the explosion yesterday instead of eight months ago. Back when Daddy was still alive. "You can't stay here. We've just gotten our freedom back. It's not stable. Kriff. It's not even safe for Judah to meet you here. You deserve better Noel. Look around."

Iced-azure gaze tore itself away from her Uncle's face and looked around the beach. Few huts remained standing. Most galans had fled to underwater cities and cave systems but even those weren't safe. Bombs could reach far beneath the water's depths and they had. The beach was littered with debris of war and there was a thin haze of smoke that still clung to the sky.

But it was home to Noelani. All she'd ever known. And Byron was asking her to - no, making her leave. This was where the mother she'd never known died and where the last memories of her father were. Fingers reached up and clutched the piece of fire coral around her neck, knuckles going white along brown skin.

Byron stepped back and looked down the beach. "I think that's him. C'mon. There are still pockets of resistance around. No time to be caught in the open. Remember the rules, Noel?"

How could she forget?

Never trust an outsider. Cover your tracks. Don't stay in one place too long.

She gulped but found she couldn't move until Byron snapped. "Noel! Right now." He turned to the man he assumed was Judah. Looked like him from pictures. "Judah Dashiell? I'm Byron Kai. This is Noelani, your niece. Sorry to cut things short but you two should get off planet as soon as you can. Things aren't exactly stable around here yet." Byron couldn't help the nervous look around. There were a few huts smoldering int he distance.

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Eyes took in the surroundings while waiting on [member="Noelani Kai"] to emerge. It seemed most Galans had the idea to flee underwater, live their for an unspecified period of time. It appeared much of the fighting was guerrilla style , hitting and running with local troops. He was concerned about the Kai family. Judah had enough money to get them all out - have them settle on another tropical water planet. He also understood the need to stay behind and fight as well yet as he got older Judah often wondered at what cost.


Judah extended his hand in greeting towards Byron.


"I wish we could have met in better circumstances. I've brought along a faster ship of mine, don't worry. I'll keep her safe as well, don't worry. Dac is where you can find me once you're ready to bring Noelani home."


Eyes drifted over to the teenage girl. He was pleasantly surprised to see curly hair - something he thought was a typical Dashiell trait and not a Kai one. Seemed to appear it ran on both sides of the family at this point. Judah could see a bit of Makai in the girl, typical Kai traits that seemed dominate throughout the entire family.


"Miss Kai?" Judah looked to Noelani. "I'm ready when you are. Don't worry, I promise you'll return someday."

 

[Skyler]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

She noticed the curly hair first. Much like her own. The ashy-air weaved through unruly tendrils pushing against scaled-skin. Iced-azure gaze seemed to shift into a darker green-grey. As stormy as the rough seas.

Byron looked away, knowing the look his niece was giving him. He pushed her gently forward. "She's ready. Go. I know you'll take good care of her."

Fists clenched at her sides as she felt suddenly untethered. Everything she loved or had loved was here. Jaw clenched. She refused to let this stranger or Uncle Byron see her cry. No. No. She wasn't going.

Boots planted firmly in the sand and arms crossed. But then there was an explosion down the beach. She felt a firm shove on her shoulder.

"Go!" Byron yelled and un-shouldered his rifle.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Hand came up, firm but gentle, to push on the back of [member="Noelani Kai"]'s shoulder. Judah hadn't been surprised by the explosion down towards the end of the beach. Judging from the thick air it was something that had been going on for some time. His new charge didn't seem surprised by the explosion either, something that worried him. The girl was too young to be unphased by such things.


Judah at this point was all but pushing the girl towards his ship. He could understand not wanting to leave. To stay behind and cling to what she knew. Now wasn't the time to explain he knew how Noelani felt. There would be plenty of time for that later.


"Come on, I promise its not forever."


Just long enough to give the girl a chance to survive. A rest in the storm that had been Gala. Judah kept his hand on her shoulder, ushering the teenage girl up the ramp.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[double post again? Geez]

 

[Skyler]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

"Uncle Byron!" The yell came out more like a strangled whisper as her boots left the debris littered beach and shifted onto metallic surfaces. She'd never been on a ship before. Well. A starship.

But anger overtook wonder.

She wasn't mad at Judah. Apparently Uncle Judah. She was mad at everything else. Stormy eyes finally lifted to the man who shared the same wild hair. But there was only one thing on her mind.

"Window. Where's the window? I want to - need to look out."

Panic started clawing and rising in her chest. She had to see Byron one last time. The beach. The ocean. The thought of running back down that ramp did cross her mind. But she doubted she'd get very far and she didn't know how to override any locks.

Not yet.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Judah was sympathetic to [member="Noelani Kai"]'s plight. The poor kid was being ripped away from her entire life. It was difficult to understand - any fourteen year old would have trouble understanding the fact their safety was paramount. Shock and wonder was quickly turning to anger,panic and fear.


"Come on, cockpit has a 180 view. Its safer too in case someone tries to shoot at us."


Judah had the girl follow him. He had brought the sleek and fast Sirena, a present he had bought for Thessa Kai at one point. It had been too fancy for her with supple bantha leather and exotic wood grain interiors. Judah quickly took it over and mainly used it for business.


The old salvager sat down and worked on getting them out of here. He had left the engines running and a free hand started to type in nav coordinates for Dac. Sirena lurched, moving back to the bright sky.

 

[Skyler]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

She frowned and nodded quickly. She wasn't a girl of many words. It's not like she'd grown up with lots of idle conversation or joking. Or even any peers. Most times she seemed a girl beyond her years. War did that. And growing up as the only young girl in a world full of rebels and soldiers who were mostly Galan men.

Footfalls left a trail of sand as she quickly followed after this new uncle.

She immediately glued herself to the viewport once in the cockpit. Face pressed against the glass as well as her palms. Weight shifted on her feet as her stormy-blues swept across the landscape. The beach grew smaller. Her home grew smaller. With a sudden flash, red laser fire lanced across the hull of their ship and warning lights lit up the cockpit. Stumbling back, she slammed into Judah's chair, wild curls cascading over her face.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Noelani Kai"]


"Apparently someone doesn't like where we landed."


Hand stabilized the girl was warning klaxons went off. Warning lights were flashing through the cockpit at an alarming rate,another shot fired at them. Judah let the girl lean against him, moving to divert power to the shields. Lights immediately dimmed to emergency lighting to fortify the shielding. Judah worked quickly, pushing the Sirena up higher and faster, past the atmosphere.


"Well be hitting hyperspace soon, buckle in. Next stop Dac."

 

[Skyler]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

Wide-eyes blinked. With no small amount of effort, she managed to pick herself off Judah and his chair, fighting gravity and the sudden kick in the ship's acceleration to fall into a free seat. Fingers fumbled with the buckles, scale-speckled skin catching the eerie dim lighting of the cockpit. She felt another shudder as fire hit them from behind.

Hands fell to wrap around the armrests in a death-grip. Brown skin across knuckles seemed to turn white. Gulping, her eyes closed as the seat and cockpit continued to shake. She'd never done space travel before and she honestly thought this was it.

They were going to die. Especially because of those lights elongating into white lines.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Close one."


Judah watched the lines change to white and drift into hyperspace. Their next stop was Dac, back home to the tropical mansion and back to normalcy - for him. It would be a new normal for [member="Noelani Kai"] but Judah was confident the girl would adjust slowly over time. There were a lot of questions he had for her - schooling, expectations, if she could fly or not.


Judging from her white knuckle reaction to the jump gave him some suspicion she most likely couldn't.


"You can relax now. We've got a bit til we reach Dac. You didn't bring anything that I saw so we'll have to stop before we hit home and grab some essentials."

 

[Skyler]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

Eyes slowly opened. Sure enough, the cockpit stopped rocking so much. Her grip didn't loosen right away though. She didn't exactly trust all this. Space was an ocean she couldn't breath in. Something she only heard stories of from her dad and uncle about how dangerous it was. Plus what happened when ships did explode? Were bodies just doomed to float through space forever? Did they decay out there?

The teen shivered and finally relinquished her grip, feeling something wet slide down her arm.

Blood?

Must've jabbed it on something sharp when she was knocked around. The girl didn't even wince at the sight, not phasing her at all. She'd seen blown off limbs and half missing faces. This was nothing.

"Didn't have much to bring even if there was time to grab it." Free hand drifted up and fingered the coral necklace around her throat. It was the only thing she had left of her family and the only thing she really cared about bringing. "Sorry," she muttered, feeling shame for the first time in a long time.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Cold? Space tends to do that. Going to get a little worse deeper into our trip. The vessel can only create so much heat but its still going to be chilly considering you're used to the tropics." Judah noticed the cut and motioned to it. "Come on, I'll bandage you up and get you something warm to wear."


Judah waved a hand at her 'sorry', clearly not bothered by having to make the pit stop. He was just secretly hoping he wouldn't have to go into one of those glittery teenage girl only stores. The kind that smelt like disgusting perfume ,played loud and horrible pop-music and charged an arm and leg for glittery scraps of clothing. Judging from [member="Noelani Kai"]'s current look he wouldn't have to worry about the girl wearing crop tops and all too short shorts everywhere.


"Don't worry about it. Figured you probably wouldn't appreciate wearing the clothes of a teenage boy is all. Uh...its just been us guys for years so you're going to have to help me remember what teenage girls need or do."

 

[Skyler]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

Brown shoulders shrugged. Bringing up her fingers, she let out a wad of spit and rubbed it on the bleeding cut. "Just a scratch." Probably wouldn't gross Uncle Judah out since he'd just mentioned being just 'us guys.' It had been 'just us guys' for Noel and as long as she could remember too. She had no idea what a typical teenage girl looked or acted like.

Unbuckling the crash-webbing, she stood and followed after Judah.

Brow scrunched up in confusion. "You have a son? And what about Aunt Thessa?" Though, Noel had never met the woman, she'd just heard stories of her Aunt's flying skills from her dad.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

[member="Noelani Kai"]


Judah resisted the urge to roll his eyes - Noelani did something he expected of a younger Makai. He stopped by the refresher and grabbed a bandage and ointment either way. What his new charge failed to realize was she was now facing a whole host of bacteria,viruses and diseases her body hadn't had exposure to. One scrape could turn a bit more serious quick - at least until she got used to a bit more than diversity than just Gala.


"I do have a son, Makai. He's sixteen now - Thessa had him shortly after we were married. He's half-Galan so you'll be in good company."


Noelani continued her questioning as he went into the guest cabin. Some of Makai's things were still tucked away in drawers. He found an assortment of long sleeved shirts and handed them over to the girl to try out in a moment. Judah moved to take of her arm first.


"Hold still a moment." Judah set to work - both on the cut and her question. "Thessa and I are divorced. Due to something that happened she's at a long-term treatment facility. Your grandparents and I think an uncle or two are also around. Makai should be visiting her soon - I'll send you with him. I know Grandma and Grandpa Kai will be thrilled to see you."

 

[Skyler]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

She stayed silent as he worked. They had basic medical treatment on planet. Whatever they could smuggle. Still. All this seemed a lot cleaner. Free hand came up and tucked curly hair beneath one ear.

"Dad said I met my grandparents once when I was a baby, before most of our family left planet. I obviously don't remember, though."

When he was done, she inspected the treatment. No more blood left. Dark-blue shirt was quickly put on. It was a bit long and saggy but made sense of it belonged to a slightly older teenager. He must've had broader shoulders. It was weird to have that much material over her scales. Felt funny.

Maybe she wasn't so much alone after all.

Then again, how could any of them understand what she'd been through?

 

[Judah Dashiell]

In true 'Dad' fashion, Judah fixed [member="Noelani Kai"]'s sleeves by rolling them back just slightly. Ingrained habit from when Makai was younger and in some ways, the teenager was very much a young girl still. In others she might have been a battle hardened old man.


"Like I said, they are going to be thrilled to see you. They are pretty decent people."


Judah started to collect the trash from his bandaging.


"Its going to take a bit to arrive on Dac. You're free to wander around and explore if you like, this cabin will be yours the duration of the trip."

 

[Skyler]

[member="Judah Dashiell"]

"Okay," she said quietly. Iced-azure gaze seemed to not be so stormy with swirls of lighter blues rather than navy. "I'd like to be alone for awhile." She muttered and sat down on the bed. Legs drew up to her chest and arms encircled them. Back was firmly turned to her uncle and chin rested on the tops of her knees. If she closed her eyes, she could still picture her dad's face quite clearly.

And hear the rumbling rasp in his voice.

Shoulders slumped forward, teeth gnawing slightly into her lower lip as she quietly waited for Judah to leave.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Judah gave [member="Noelani Kai"]'s shoulder a fatherly squeeze but didn't say anything. Words wouldn't have helped at this moment, nothing was going to help the girl besides some time. During the trip Judah gave Noelani the space she wanted. The poor girl wasn't fully aware how much her life was going to change once they landed on Dac. The old man entertained himself by catching up on business, stopping by every so often to peek in on his new charge.


Once they had gotten to Dac it wasn't a straight shot to the home. Judah kept private bays on New Heurkea, the closest city to the swath of private islands that contained Noelani's new home. Heurkea wasn't overly busy as the capital city but the floating city was a major hub, especially for fishermen and mining operations out in the extremely deep oceans.


Judah set foot off the vessel, datapad and work in hand. He could already smell the salt in the air despite being in the near-middle of the floating city. Eyes checked to a nearby bay, the atmospheric shuttle sitting quietly, waiting to be used on the trip back.


"You got a favorite junk food? We can pick that up too, gives me an excuse to get some for myself."