Child of Mine

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Of his children, Talaya was the most precious. He loved his sons as any father should, but one's youngest always held a special place in the heart. The girl had grown in the years he'd been away serving causes that weren't his own. He hadn't spent the time with her that he would have liked.

With that in mind, he'd called for the young woman to meet him at the gates of the Ebon Fort. It served as their home within the Reach; a small fortress upon the summit of one of Naboo's greatest mountains. It was here the Rade children had been raised in relative secret: taught the dangers of the galaxy, politics, how to handle firearms, and for those touched by the force, how to use it.

So far as Graxin knew, Talaya was not the latter. That was good. It would keep the Jedi and the Sith from trying to put their claws in her. The girl had a good heart, but she hadn't yet experienced the galaxy. She didn't know the dangers either group presented.

Her father would make sure she learned.

Clad in his dueling leathers and a fur cloak that hung from his shoulder, Graxin waited at the gate. He hadn't bothered to tell her why she'd been called, but that was part of the fun, wasn't it?

[member="Talaya Rade"]

 

[Talaya Rade]

A young woman, extended brown hair lathered in white suds, found herself enjoying a comforting bath. Alike most, or alike few, she sang, cleansing her body after another simulation was ran to improve her combat proficiency earlier. She'd pause in the midst of singing, hearing the hushed tone of a familiar feminine voice. "Tally!" She began, "T-..I know that's you in there. Taaally~ Guess what?" Talaya would grunt, turning off the water. "Yeah!? What is it already!?" She questioned. "A certain someone is here to see y-" -- "Save your breath, man. I know he isn't actually here.Too busy being a badass in space, ya know?" Her brows squinted in annoyance, turning sideways. "B-..but he's actually here, Tally. At Ebon Fort." The young woman's heart would flutter briefly, a empty yet promising sensation of glee hoisting her out of the water.

"You better not be lying." She'd hear chuckling from behind the door, the informant returning down the stairs. Drying her hair and looking into the mirror, she'd look at herself--more specifically toward the grayish blue hues her father's genetics had granted her. "Wonder how long you'll stay this time.." She muttered, opening the door after preparing herself for the day. With haste, the slightly eager Talaya made way for Ebon Fort. In time, she found her eyes lifting upward as Ebon Fort came in view, herself dressed in a khaki blouse and rather tight-fitting jeans. She'd make out a taller figure in furred and leather clothing. Her teeth briefly clenched, a rush of unconfirmed emotions impacting the female as she approached.

"...Well hey, you." She'd begin with a half-cocked grin, arms folding lightly.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Graxin had seen to it that Talaya would not be turned into a ballroom flower like his sisters had been. Though a Naboo nobleman, he did not enjoy the political games of the planet's higher echelons. His daughter had never been raised for them. Of course, she understood the basics of it all, as she would have to were she to ever rule the Reach in the future, but she hadn't been taught to be the perfect little lady. Little Tally had been given the room to grow into her own woman, and with all the combat training her brothers had received.

The gods knew she would need it in the near future.

He felt her long before he saw her. Despite his recent choices, the force still eagerly responded to his call. He could feel his own flesh and blood from across the galaxy. From a few dozen meters, Talaya was like a beacon within it. A beacon that filled him with joy and a mix of other feelings he did not wish to address. He had not ever been gone particularly long, but he'd always had duties to attend to.

He only hoped his children understood that.

"Bug," he cracked a warm smile and practically charged the girl; pulling her into a big bear hug and kissing her on the brow. This was his child, his blood, the most important thing in the galaxy to him, and he had missed her. "My duty is done. I won't have to leave without you again." He pulled away, "How've you been?"

[member="Talaya Rade"]

 

[Talaya Rade]

Her eyes lightened swiftly at the approach of her father, her crossed arms opening up abit before she was hoisted upward and into the embrace of her father. "W-..woah, woah there!" She called out, feeling alike a french fry being mushed to be drenched of its grease. With a kiss, she'd been reduced to temporarily breathless, herself being placed down shortly after and questioned. Her face expressed awe, confusion but more importantly: glee. "Me? Uh..Good, I guess. Lots of training, ya know? Same ol', same ol'." She placed her hands into her back pockets, looking down briefly then back up. "What about you, Pops? What stories do you have for me this time?" She chuckled, the brief laugh shortly falling short before her head lowered once more, her face slowly shifting from glee to sadness as her grayish blue eyes began to tear up and her face grew slightly red and shriveled. The very words, "Without you again," though she had hidden it for a matter of seconds, shook her very core. It was the words she had waited seventeen years to hear. She watched her tears fall, as if in awe at her own actions. "..N-..never again?" She questioned, cracking somewhat of a grin as she chuckled. "Y-..you're joking, right?"

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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He rumbled with quiet laughter as tears stained her eyes. He had feared Talaya would not wish to see him. He'd been gone almost a year on this most recent escapade, but his venture had proven fruitful. The Dark Lord of the One Sith was dead by his hand: his dominion shattered and his most prominent Sith Lords absconding to the south to form their own power base. Divided, the Sith would be far easier to conquer than otherwise. Graxin allowed himself to savor the thought as Talaya spoke of her training.

"Never again?"

Graxin affixed his child with a soft smile. His hand fell to rest on her shoulder and squeezed. "Not so long as I can help it Talaya." He could only hope his sons received him with the same love.

He turned to face the Ebon Fort and stared up at its walls. No man would ever breach it from the ground. The air was a different story - that would need to be fixed if Talaya was going to live here. He sighed.

"We struck a deadly blow to the Sith, Bug, but now we need to make sure Naboo is safe," his gaze fell to his daughter, "Walk the walls with me. I need to tell you a story."

[member="Talaya Rade"]