Private Fragments held close

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

Wearing : Executive Protection Armor (Crimson)

With Vera Mina (Wearing Bloodscrawl Matriarch Raiments )


Landing Zone Contents

Atrisian Pathfinder

Luxury Class Sail Barge

Lake.

Flower field

Picnic Table

Time: Morning

Guest: Thel Bloodscrawl


"I'm... nervous..." Nathan admitted as he stared in the mirror.

There were no weapons. Everyone there didn't need the extra protection, being deadly enough on their own. They didn't want to scare the boy. They had to send the message that what he was walking into would be different from what he was leaving.

It was part of Arianna's deal. And the Deluge's. And Percival.

The Android boy's death... someone who for all intents and purposes was his grandson, and at the hands of the Cult, had filled him with a sorrow he thought he would never feel over anyone but Lysandra again.

No matter what he did, he lost family to the Cult.

He had barely known Percival, but the pain was the same.

And now he had to honor the request of that Grandson to adopt and care for who, effectively, was Percival's son.

The others had given him his space in the aftermath of Khemost. Letting him get himself together.

It was an unparalleled victory. They had smashed Laertia's false utopia in the jaw, inflicting losses greater than any she had ever inflicted on others. House Io survived...the half that had defected to them as a subfaction, with all the goodies that brought. The other half was licking it wounds, bleeding out, trying to stuff in axe wounds from Arianna's treachery to The Parliament.

It had reduced what would have taken decades to a matter of months. But it had cost him family. It tasted like ashes in his mouth.

Nathan genuinely HAD wanted to get to know Percival. But the Cult has always come between that. For that, his resolve to slay Syd Celsius was as firm as ever. Even though she had not only gotten all her knowledge back, but also inflicted on The Battalion what the Battalion has nearly successfully done to her in Korriban--total absorption. She was more powerful than ever. She was twice as powerful now than at her absolute peak at the Bryn'adul War.

Due to his unwanted bond, he was now as powerful as she was... potentially.

But she had way, way more experience...

And they both knew that the absolute destruction of the Cult and it's Demon was all that kept him from settling things.

He realized he had one thing that might give an edge. He now had someone worth fighting for. Dying for.

While Syd...

Syd had only Starlin Rand, and his path was his own now...Syd would not involve him in their dispute, not endanger him by getting him in the middle of something THIS personal. So personal it overrode his "programming". Nearly every last major horror and tragedy of his life tied into the Cult...to her. It had infected his existence, murdered him and did worse to his wife. And now she has absorbed and dominated the persona of the one who had murdered his parents.

And now her wretched cult had decapitated his Grandson.

That was why, however genuinely good a man Nathan was otherwise trying to be, however many Jedi or civilian he saved, he would not relent in his desire to see her dead for all that she has done. It wasn't even about Light or Dark anymore.

It was a nightmarish Gordian Knot, and could only be ended by cutting it.

One of them must die. Or both of them must die. But the last echoes of the Gulag Plague must be silenced...once and for all.

But now was not a time to dwell on the future. It would still potentially be years before the Cult under Laertia could be completely routed, but at least not decades.

But they both knew nothing could be settled until the Brain Demon was finally slain and forgotten. With the weapon they had stolen, what Arianna claimed it could do, they might be in reach.

Vera, his wife, wearing her crimson dress that matched his own three piece suit in terms of color, rose from her elegant seat. Defecting House Io droids held a sort of respect for her, as her design and programming had helped create them. The integration was being conducted in secret, and slowly. They had curiously encountered little difficulty so far. Their experience with the Cult had so utterly revolted them that all they wanted to do was get as far away from that as possible. It was easier to trust one of the very Androids they were derived from and the Cult-hating father of their hopelessly corrupt Mother than anyone else right now.

The House Io experiment was a failure. None, not even Laertia, could deny it any longer.

"You're too tense. Relax your muscles...this is an organic you will be dealing with. Not a lethal HRD, Force User or Black Ops Assassin. An ordinary. Teenage. Boy."

"I barely know what ordinary is. But I know the kind of life he had there, not knowing if the next moment would be the end. Dealing with the Cult."

Vera sighed. "Turn around."

The forgotten Knight turned to his wife.

"Smile. Like we practiced."

Nathan managed a small, uneasy one. He had been practicing. True moments of him smiling were extremely rare, and he usually didn't realize he had done it until after the fact. Consciously, easily doing it was still a mountain to climb.

Vera sighed. "Oh dear..."

"Too unfriendly?"

"Not unfriendly...more like...toothache..." Vera replied, trying not to smile.

Nathan quickly turned to the mirror and did the smile.

"Chit, it IS a toothache kind of smile..." he admitted.

Vera's hands went to her hips as she considered his situation.

"Here..." she advised, turning him to face her.

"Acting normal is partly a belief that, in the moment, you are normal..." Vera said. "You have to believe you are normal in here..." she said pointing to his chest. "So don't think about the act. Just think about who you would be if you didn't have to worry about the Cult, which you don't, at the moment..."

Nathan's next smile attempt improved. Enough it passed Vera's protocols.

"Much better..." she encouraged.

"You think I worded that letter I sent him correctly? I hope he wasn't weirded out by the welcoming present..." Nathan muttered.

"I don't think anyone could have prepared something better under the circumstances..."

"I helped destroy everything he grew up in." Nathan reminded himself. "Even if he does stay, he's bound to have mixed feelings..."

He frowned.

"What's wrong?" she asked, clasping his hands.

"He's slightly older than I was when Elaine Tear paid my home a visit. And like the visit I paid to his home, it ended in fire and blood...

He looked at himself in the mirror.

"Perhaps that's The Force's final punishment of me..." he mused. "In the end, I become to Khemost what Elaine Tear was to Castle Bloodscrawl."

"Elaine didn't try to rescue anyone..." Vera reminded him.

"It doesn't make me any less the fanatic, Vera..." he whispered.

"Wrong. You evacuated everyone who rejected the Cult. You're trying to give even their Droids a second chance. That is not the action of a fanatic, Husband..." she trailed, stroking his face gently.

"That is the action of someone who learned something from their experiences..." she reassured. "You keep telling me mercy is better. Now is the time to start believing that what mercy you could show was the right call."

"You might be able to convince me..." Nathan replied. "But he's a teenage boy that had all he knew torn from him. It's up to him to decide if he agrees with that assessment..."

"Just focus on making him feel as welcome as possible." Vera encouraged. "Let him ease in and don't do too much too fast trying to impress him."

"I'm dressed to impress...we all are." he pointed out. "I just hope he's hungry..."

Later on.

Nathan sped down the road in an experimental landspeeder that had an older, long forgotten variation of his family's logo on the side. It had a deliberately antiquated style--Nathan hadn't wanted to spook Thel by pulling up in something intimidating.

He really hoped the welcome package hadn't been too much.

Kytrand was becoming slightly more developed. The dirt road he was on was a sign of this. People liked keeping things simple. Safe. None of the clog of Coruscant.

Thel should be arriving by shuttle at the landing site. Nathan intended to take him for a nice long ride across the country, chat along the way, before taking him to the lake for a meal with him and Vera.

Nathan was still on pins and needles as he pulled up to the dirt clearing used for a landing site in the grass, pulling out a flair and tossing it to signal the incoming shuttle...

 

[Thel Bloodscrawl]

The boy stood in the cockpit, looking out the window at the planet spinning below, arms crossed over his chest and expression pulled into a scowl. He didn't want to be here, didn't want to talk to some billionaire bacta-selling philanthropist, and definitely didn't want the rich guy to start acting like his dad.

Sure, some part of him was grateful he hadn't been left completely alone after the Battle of Khemost. Uncle Percival had been his world, a calm respite from the craziness of his mother and the Cult. Now that he was gone, the boy didn't know what to do or where to go. He liked to think the rest of the galaxy wasn't as insane as House Io had been, but he didn't know for sure. He'd never been to any planet other than Khemost before.

The shuttle received its landing signal, and Thel was ushered to his seat. While he buckled up, his thoughts turned back to the billionaire philanthropist. Nathan Bloodscrawl. He'd heard rumors that this guy was the Matriarch's father, but he had his doubts. Wouldn't her pops be, like, thousands of years old by now?

He sighed. What would the two of them even have to talk about? They had nothing in common. The only thing Thel he had to look forward to was benefiting from this old dude's wealth. He might have no family anymore, but at least he'd be living a life of luxury.

As the shuttle landed, Thel unbuckled himself and forced his feet to start moving. He descended the loading ramp carefully, eyeing the field of tulips as if he were afraid they might attack him. He'd never seen such flowers, let alone such a wide open stretch of land before. A breeze ruffled his reddish hair. It even smelled strange here, earthy and green and dirty compared to the sterile arcologies and starships he was used to...

His gaze finally landed on the red and black landspeeder and the man in the sharp suit seated inside it. For a moment he simply stared at Nathan, before one corner of his mouth curled up in a lopsided smirk. "Are you Nathan Bloodscrawl?" he asked.

Nathan Bloodscrawl​

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

"That's the rumor..." Nathan called back to Thel Bloodscrawl in his absolute best attempt at light hearted, which he barely pulled off.

(Cutaway of Doc Holiday shooting Kyle Reese.)

"Welcome to Kytrand. Hop on in."

Once Thel had done so, Nathan sped up, the wind breezing past their hair.

"I regret taking this long to finally arrange for your arrival. But the raid on Khemost caused chaos on our end despite how careful we tried to be. And...I...I needed to come to grips over Percival..." Nathan explained.

"He was my Grandson for all intents and purposes. His death...hurt." Nathan admitted, clearly not used to showing weakness with an admission like that.

"I take my promises seriously, Thel. So, believe me when I say that I have every intention of looking out for you the way he would have wanted. The way your...Mother... would want..." Nathan said carefully.

"Provided, of course, you are willing to give me an opportunity. You're not a prisoner, Thel. Of me or anyone else. If you want to take that care package and run after today...I'll understand. I've been where you been. I was younger than you when...when..."

Nathan composed himself as the wind blew past his face, his expression a thousand yard stare.

"...when some overpowered nightmare with an army came and set my home on fire..." he finally admitted. "Even though I had other problems at the time...the anger was still there. The uncertainty...buried..."

The flower plains of pink tulips could be seen for kilometers.

"Neither of those things ever left me..." he said. "But with time...and distance...I learned to dull the pain. To manage it. I rebuilt my life from that of what was basically a child soldier. And I want to help you rebuild yours, Thel..." he continued. "Considering what happened at Khemost...I know I owe that to you. Maybe you won't agree with that assessment. But I still...feel it..."

He began to spot the lake in the distance, the Venture Class Star Galleon parked by it.

"If you do decide to stay you won't have to worry about prim and proper image for the public. House Bloodscrawl sticks to the Shadows. We don't advertise. The power we have obtained is subtle, with minimal or no force exerted if at all possible. Galaxy doesn't even know I'm the CEO. Jedi Order thinks I'm just some Padawan serving as a Courier."

(Cutaway of The Courier exploding a Super Mutant with a frag grenade + Bloody Mess Perk)

"You won't be asked to do anything stupid like photo ops or sponsoring. None of that madness. All you need do to be a proper member is follow The Three Directives: Serve The Public Trust, Protect The Innocent, Uphold The Will of The Force...if possible on that last one, but the first two are a definite must. As long as you do that...and as long as you show some general respect among us...we'll give you wide leeway in how you conduct yourself, and you'll always be welcome amongst us..." he said to Thel as they got closer and closer to the lake...

 

[Thel Bloodscrawl]

Thel paused for only a moment, his eyes roving over the landspeeder. "Sick ride," he said, hopping into the passenger seat.

The engine revved and they were off, speeding down the dirt road. The boy couldn't help but enjoy the wind in his hair and the warmth of the sun on his skin, almost putting his feet up on the dashboard before thinking better of it. The flowers all around them seemed to be harmless after all.

Nathan started talking, but Thel wasn't really listening. He only started paying attention when the old man mentioned three directives he would have to follow. The boy grimaced. Of course there had to be rules. He couldn't just mooch off of this guy and his House until he turned eighteen.

"I don't have the Force," he said. "Everybody in House Io got tested for it. I don't have the middle-chlorines or whatever." Nor did his parents, though it hardly mattered once Mom became the Deluge. She gained the power from the other Witches all mixed up inside her.

He wondered how she was doing. Part of him hoped he would never have to see her again.

"I can totally do the other two, though." He ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "Are we headed to your place?"

Nathan Bloodscrawl​

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

"Sorta...I technically have multiple homes but due to my requirements to remain mobile..."

The Landspeeder came to a stop in front of the Atrisian Pathfinder , painted an obsidian color with the same sigil on the landspeeder, emblazoned on the side.

Nathan hopped out of the speeder.

"Look, you're not going to understand over night. For now, don't be intimidated by the directives. It just boils down to not being a jerk to innocent people, hurting them, stealing from them, etcetera...and helping them if they need it." Nathan assured Thel Bloodscrawl as he walked to the vessel by the large lake, a sail barge ready to take off.

"Today is not a day to think about that stuff. Today is a day to...relax...as best you can..." Nathan added, not quite sure how to word it. Thel had the same attitude he had possessed deep down at that age, buried underneath the reprogramming.

Vera, looking like a FOX, strided out of the vessel with, to Nathan's surprise, Sera, clad in red like her Mother.

"Why, Sera, you were able to make it..." Nathan trailed. "I thought business had delayed you another week..."

"Deal fell through. I, particularly, needed the week off." Sera replied.

"Besides, I enjoy our little breaks together. And hello, Thel. My name's Sera Mina." she said respectfully with with a quick, casual bow.

The Androids in front of Thel were not like those of House Io. Those often looked too perfect skin wise, and their movements were too precise.

But these were House Li-Ves designed biots. They had none of those tells, or character tics. Their movements were utterly human like, their skin tone and pattern having all the usual subtle imperfections on real humans. They even acted the way real humans spoke and acted. It was why Laertia was wary of antagonizing Nine Lives even at the height of her power--Laertia might not be able to spot the assassins Nine might send in response to any aggression.

Vera smiled pleasantly to Thel.

"A pleasure to meet you Thel. I'm Vera Mina. I'm Nathan's Wife and Sera's Mother." Vera spoke, her ivory skin glowing in the sunlight. "We're all very pleased you could be here with us."

Nathan felt an inward swell of relief. Vera was much more personable to others than he.

"We hope you're hungry..." Vera said to Thel, gesturing to the picnic table, where a set of plates that each had a small, freshly laid out, buttery fruit strudel slathered in frosting along with a cup of something that smelled like mint. The smell wafted over to Thel, hinting of cinnamon.

"A minor appetizer for now..." Nathan said, taking a seat at the table with Vera and Sera "When we're over the lake I'll prepare lunch."

When Thel had joined them, Nathan took a sip of the mint cocoa.

"Are you enjoying Kytrand, so far?" he asked Thel, wanting to ease him into the conversation with them rather than just launching into details.

"Most of the planet is like this. Undeveloped. It's what I like about it in comparison to somewhere like Coruscant. Damn city will choke you if you're in it long enough..." he added.

"That is where he and I differ...I'm a big city type..." Sera said, taking a bite of Strudel.

"This guy? He took me camping a month back. Total nightmare. The Mosquitos pursued me like they had a vendetta..." Sera joked as she gestured to Nathan, and Nathan made a small, unforced smile as he took a bite of the small treat.

"I used to like the city. Sera's young, she has time..." Vera said taking a sip of her cocoa.

"I found, over time, that I enjoy ship life more...I find the hum of the systems comforting..." she mused. "I was born on a starship, in fact..."

"Riverside..." Nathan admitted, taking another sip, waiting for Thel to compose his thoughts...

 

[Thel Bloodscrawl]

"Sorta... I technically have multiple homes but due to my requirements to remain mobile..."

"Nice," Thel remarked with a smirk.

He was a typical teen with a short attention span and little appreciation for the finer points of House ethics. Nathan seemed to realize he was boring the boy and dropped the thread of conversation just as they arrived at the lake.

Upon exiting the landspeeder, they were met by two dark-haired women, Vera and Sera. Though they shared a resemblance (and were both very attractive), one looked older than the other. Mother and daughter, Thel correctly assumed. Lacking the ability to sense otherwise, he also assumed they were both Human.

"Cool," Thel said after they introduced themselves, evidently having grown sheepish in their presence. Vera was Nathan's wife, which technically made her his guardian as well. He pushed thoughts of his mother down, instead turning his attention toward the appetizer. He was definitely hungry, as evident by the way he practically inhaled the fruit strudel. The mint cocoa's sharp taste gave him pause after the first sip, though he continued to drink it.

"Are you enjoying Kytrand, so far?"

"Sure," Thel replied. "I like visiting new places." He didn't have much opportunity to visit other planets back on Khemost. "Those, uh, those flowers we passed by on the way here—what are they called?"

The conversation turned to the topic of what sort of environment everyone preferred. Thel didn't have much experience to go on. "I was born on Khemost," he said. "It's covered in snow. We lived in domed cities on the surface. Climate controlled. It was okay, I guess..."

He stared at the always rushing snow by his window. Midas ran like clockwork now. The parts the Matriarch wanted to run like clockwork, anyway. The oldest ruins in the city were reserved as Cultist territory. You only went to those places if you were a worshipper or desperate. Someone always had a reason to be desperate. As his Mother had explained it, it was simply a delightful waiting game to see who among the Population wanted something bad enough to play Cultist Lotto.

The other children sat anywhere else but near him. Thel didn't mind. He'd lived long enough with his Mother to understand their paranoia was completely justified, which is a terrible thing for one so young to understand...

Thel looked at his benign and beautiful surroundings. The life in the meadows and the lake; the little family which, compared to his own, seemed so ordinary. It was all so... pleasant. Peaceful. They were having a picnic, for feth's sake.

"I think I'll like this place better," he finished slowly, sipping his cocoa.

Nathan Bloodscrawl​

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

"The flowers are called Lysandra Tulips." Nathan answered. "They're some of the most beautiful flowers on Kytrand. Wait until you see the water lilies at night here...they glow..." Nathan emphasized as the various perfumes of flowers wafted over the lake, mixing with its scent.

Everyone listened as Thel Bloodscrawl opened up about life on Khemost before admitting he liked this place better.

"That's good to know. Come here whenever you like, regardless of whether you choose to stay amongst us, personally," Nathan replied. "This planet is hidden."

"There's a lot here to explore, actually. Lakes, valleys, deserts, all teeming with flora and fauna. Kytrand is an oasis..." Vera commented as she sipped more cocoa.

"One we would prefer to keep as unblemished as possible..." Sera added.

"Despite being often mobile..." Nathan confirmed, looking around.

"You know...this is the perfect place for flying kites. My father did it all the time on Ession..." he remarked quietly.

He gave a bemused snort. "Even he had his silly moments..."

They ate strudel quietly for the next few minutes.

"Now, Thel, we're a mobile family. We go all over Alliance space setting up and maintaining a humanitarian relief network so we can enjoy moments like this all the more..." Vera explained to Thel as she finished the last of the Cocoa in her cup.

"But we also understand that you were a Citizen-Soldier on Khemost...and that certain ideals do not simply vanish overnight just because you rejected the government that promoted them..." Sera said. "We are aware that self reliance, independent thought was encouraged in House Io to a degree. We encourage those things here, but... differently."

"If you involve yourself in the House's deeper business, we want you to be able to choose tasks that can take what you were taught and use it in a positive way..." Vera explained calmly. "Not to kill, unless in extreme scenarios like the defense of self or others...but we recognize it is a dangerous galaxy. There are many who would see what we are trying to set up for billions of people fail. Peace will not always be an option."

"You will be given the level of responsibility you feel best able to handle. It will be simple levels of it at first. Later, should you become more invested in the House's success, you may choose a greater level of involvement and the subsequent amount of responsibility that comes with it...but only should you feel deep down that you are ready for that." she finished.

"Um...what are your skills?" Sera asked, trying to be cordial.

"We won't judge..." Nathan promised. "I was forced to grow up in an extremely dangerous environment myself. People often tried to kill me also."

 

[Thel Bloodscrawl]

Lysandra Tulips. Thel silently mouthed the word, intrigued but not fully willing to commit to this new interest just yet. After all, being into flowers wasn't exactly cool.

The Bloodscrawls chatted about Kytrand, their charity work, and kites. Thel was content to sit and listen, enjoying his cocoa, when Vera and Sera suddenly addressed him directly. Ah. Of course. He was the bantha in the room. Er, on the lakeshore?...

He understood. He wasn't exactly thrilled at being singled out as the offspring of violent terrorists, but he knew it wasn't far off the mark. Thing is, he didn't fully comprehend just how much he had been brainwashed. He could barely tell the difference between House Io and Cult ideology half the time, let alone where his conditioning ended and the "normie" beliefs of the rest of the galaxy began. House Io was all he had ever known.

"Um...what are your skills?" Sera asked, trying to be cordial.

"We won't judge..." Nathan promised. "I was forced to grow up in an extremely dangerous environment myself. People often tried to kill me also."

"Um." Thel scratched his head. "I like to blow chit up? With explosives. And I like to snipe people before they know I'm there." It was probably rather telling that, when asked what his skills were, he defaulted to combat abilities.

Nathan Bloodscrawl​

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

Nathan and the others listened as Thel told them his skills...

"Combat Skills. We expected that. Most of the defectors have them. I have similar skill sets." he admitted. "We would be happy, however, to provide access to flash training in any profession you wish...we can make certain you are prepared for your future no matter where you go.

(Cutaway of Liam Neeson randomly killing people with his bare hands)

"If you should wish to apply your current skills though, we are setting up a Hostage Rescue Organization..." Vera added. "There is always a use for those skills there."

"There's a solid chance they would get a regular work out though just living with us," Sera pointed out. "Sometimes our humanitarian efforts become...messy...and it requires a more hands on approach. Like expeditions to deliver medicine and weapons to border worlds threatened by the Sith. Saboteurs and pirates also try to attack us."

"This is very true." Nathan agreed. "I like to think that I have done my best to make House Bloodscrawl dissimilar from what L--"

He stopped. Went silent. He couldn't even say her name out loud.

"I mean, from what...The Parliament...twisted House Io from what...what it's...founder...originally...might have intended...to what it had become once the Raid came for it..."

Nathan was clearly visibly struggling even mentioning the anathema the daughter of Lysandra had become. When he saw what was regularly taking place in the streets, and knowing Lysandra's daughter was its author...he felt his desire to brutally kill Syd increase to the point it made her wince and drop to the ground half a sector away on her ship, hyperventilating.

"Forgive me... talking about this matter is difficult. Let me start again."

He took a deep breath.

"I like to think..." he began, "That House Bloodscrawl is different from House Io in all the ways that matter."

"But in some areas, we...may have some...overlap when it comes to family fighting alongside each other. That's the most generous way I can think of putting it. But I must stress, most times we try to use non lethal means. It's only up against a truly dangerous opponent, like a Sith, that the gloves would come off. But I would also make many accomodations for us as a family if you never wish to touch another weapon as long as you live. We want you to be happy with us, not feeling like you've traded one madhouse for another." Vera said to Thel Bloodscrawl

"Thel...tell me more about House Io. We've only talked to the long time vets. They're exhibiting signs of severe depression in some cases. Heart break, it seems, over what their leader became..." Sera asked. "The Model 1's seem particularly devastated..."

"They said House Io wasn't so horrible at first..." Vera said as delicately as she could. "What was your view on it, before the Rebellion?"

 

[Thel Bloodscrawl]

Flash training? "Isn't that stuff dangerous?" Thel asked. "Like it can make you go crazy."

They mentioned something about a Hostage Rescue Organization. Thel nodded along to show he was listening, but didn't give any committal answer. He wasn't exactly interested in picking out a career yet. Nor was he certain he wanted to go into the family business.

Watching Nathan, he suspected the old man wouldn't take kindly to Thel freeloading. That was fine. He'd go to school and do his chores and whatever else was required. But for the time being, the boy wanted to be left alone. He still hadn't processed the destruction of all that he had ever known.

"Forgive me... talking about this matter is difficult. Let me start again."

Thel blinked. He had become lost in thought and missed much of Nathan's slowly-spoken spiel about House Io. Probably for the best.

Vera was more to the point.

"We want you to be happy with us, not feeling like you've traded one madhouse for another."

"That's good," Thel muttered. I'll believe it when I see it.

Sera wanted to hear more about House Io from an insider's perspective. Thel shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really know what to say. For me, House Io was normal. Training to fight, having weapons around... It was just the way things were." He had only recently become aware that these things weren't "normal" for kids his age outside of House Io. "There were all types of alien races, Neutralizers, and Cultists. But we were all Citizens. I didn't see much difference between them. They were all just... people.

"Uncle Percival was my godfather. He was like a dad to me, I guess. And my mom..." He hesitated, clearly very reluctant to talk about her. A swift and sudden change came over him. One could practically see him closing off, something in his eyes shutting down as his expression settled into a defiant scowl and his gaze grew hard.

"Look, I know you don't like House Io. But I'd rather not hear your judgments of us, okay?"

Nathan Bloodscrawl​

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

"No one is judging, Thel. No one at this table is fit to. Least of all me..." Nathan said in an attempt to quell that perception.

"We ask because we want to integrate the defectors into our house safely and properly for both sides. The answer you gave, even if you don't fully understand why, is very valuable." Sera explained.

"Slightly more than half of House Io's organic population--minus the Cultists obviously--along with all their ships, weapons, and equipment--split off to join us. A good portion of those were from Khemost, including people from the schools you went to," Vera added. "The Colossus of Shadows is in our possession now. Most of the Droids and Biots defected to us also, including the prototypes."

"Every effort was made to evacuate those who wanted to defect. I give you my word on that." Nathan assured. "But enough of sore spots. We have enough of those in our lives and we aren't here to mope."

Once everyone was done at the table, it was time to head to the Luxury Class Sail Barge for a trip over the lake...

A half hour later...

The sale barge glided lazily over the lake with everyone aboard.

Nathan had decided on a light lunch. Grilled Nerf, Fruits, and Bread. He prepared the cuts himself in view of his family, feeling completely strange and foreign yet elated, spacious furniture on the deck, with a disco ball sparkling overhead with no explanation. Nathan could not stand the pop music of the modern era, but he let Thel Bloodscrawl pick whatever he wanted to listen to... provided there was no cursing in it. It could be the most Force Awful, Auto-Tuned, Vapid and Shallow absurdity imaginable, just no cursing...

Nathan felt something approaching being normal as he prepared food.

Vera had set a table, flashing her husband a small smirk as she watched him cook, using a recipe he had watched his mother make.

The smell of flowers wafted across the lake as he cooked, and he finally set the food down on the plates. It was a modestly sized plate, designed not to overstuff.

"Enjoy..." he said, sitting down, a glass a fruit juice raised slightly.

"To...those we have lost..." he said quietly...

"And to those who remain with us still..." Vera added, raising her own glass as Sera did...

 

[Thel Bloodscrawl]

Nathan's reassurance did seem to have a calming effect on the boy, though the scowl didn't leave his face. He listened as the old man revealed how many Ioans had defected. Thel's eyebrows rose, surprised by the numbers. People he went to school with had joined the Bloodscrawls? That was to be expected, he guessed, but it was still wild to think about. He didn't really have any school friends to ask about - the other kids were too terrified of his mother to befriend him.

But there was one person he hadn't heard from since his arrival on Kytrand. "Uh, Mr. Bloodscrawl?" he addressed the family patriarch formally. "I was wondering if you might know what happened to a certain General Purpose Neutralizer named Chloe Io." She had been his nanny since he was a baby. Unlike with Percival, there had been no official confirmation of her death or evacuation yet. But perhaps Nathan could find out what had happened to her.

"Every effort was made to evacuate those who wanted to defect. I give you my word on that." Nathan assured. "But enough of sore spots. We have enough of those in our lives and we aren't here to mope."

Thel boarded the barge with the others. He was surprised when Nathan gave him control over the aux. A hint of a smirk curling one corner of his mouth, he put on... Glitch: The Kyber Chronicles. Definitely showing his youth, but at least every track was seamless. It made for good background noise, the boy thought.

While the tunes played, the boy drifted toward the railing, looking down as they floated over the surface of the pristine lake. "It reminds me a little of Naboo," he commented. "I've seen holos of their Lake Country in school." But the holograms couldn't convey the peace and tranquility of still waters. Only being there in person could give the full experience.

Behind him, Nathan was cooking a meal. Thel could smell it over the flowers. Was that actual nerf meat he was grilling, or a synthetic imitation? The bread smelled fresh. He wondered if the fruit had been freshly picked. That was the true measure of a person's wealth in this galaxy - whether or not they could afford real food.

When the meal was served, Thel was among the first to sit at the table. The growing boy could've eaten what was on the modestly sized plate and gone back for seconds, maybe even thirds. He was already cutting into the nerf when Nathan invoked a toast. Pausing, he quickly dropped his fork and knife and picked up his glass, raising it with the others.

"And to those we have yet to meet."

Nathan Bloodscrawl​

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

The meal had been pleasant, with relatively little conversation at this point. They offered Thel seconds if he thought he could handle it.

Nathan then stood up. The rest of the immediate family had joined.

They had arrived via a small repulsor barge, that connected to theirs, with a ramp extending to allow for boarding.

Melissa Bloodscrawl , clad in red, was the first on deck, and in her hands was a long, pink box that was gift wrapped which she set on a nearby sofa.

Meleena Bloodscrawl was next, her own outfit as bright a red as Melissa. She carried a gift wrapped box, this one smaller.

Melinda Bloodscrawl was last, her nanite body morphed to look like she wore a dress as red as that of her sisters. Her gift box was in-between the size of her two sisters gift boxes.

"So glad you could make it aboard, dear siblings..." Nathan said to them, as he went over, the three hugging him one by one before looking over at Thel.

"Hi Thel!" Melinda, looking like and coded to be the youngest of the three sisters.

"Thel, these are my sisters Melissa, Meleena, and Melinda..." he said gesturing to them by the order they had stepped aboard.

"It's nice to meet you, Thel..." Meleena said warmly.

"We were so excited to meet you, we pooled together to get you gifts, but we were not certain what you would like and what you wouldn't, so...errr...keep that in mind..." Melissa added last with a perky smile to Thel Bloodscrawl

OOC:

Melissa's gift: Bloodscrawl Jedi Armor + Healing Blaster Type A

Meleena's Gift: Ionized Stun Pistol

Melinda's Gift: Minotaur Suit

 

[Thel Bloodscrawl]

Thel was a growing boy. He was just finishing up his seconds when three other women boarded the barge, and quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth.

Nathan introduced them as his sisters: Melissa, Melenna, and Melinda. After meeting Nathan's wife and stepdaughter, Thel was no longer stunned by their beauty; clearly Nathan came from a good-looking family and had great taste in women to boot. "Nice to meet you, too," he said politely.

The trio of blonde sisters all wore red dresses, though each garment was unique and seemed to reflect some aspect of their personalities. Melissa was the most modestly dressed of the three sisters, with a gown that draped softly over her figure; the shade of red she wore was almost pink. Thel immediately pegged her as the "leader" of her siblings. The second sister, Meleena, was clad in a much more vibrant lipstick red with an ultra feminine floral lace pattern and a flirtatious plunging neckline. Finally, Melinda's was the simplest of them all, a smooth no frills dress in a darker, muted shade of carmine red. Thel wondered if she was into sports. Something about her appearance made her seem the most active of her siblings...

His gaze was drawn to the gifts they had brought for him, a bit of color rising to his cheeks. "Oh, uh, you didn't have to do that..." He wondered if he should've gotten them some gifts. It was too late now, he supposed. Maybe he could get them something later. Not wanting to appear rude or ungrateful, he accepted the packages and carefully unwrapped them.

Other kids his age would've settled for a holo game or a hoverboard. Thel had never had a normal childhood, and so had no frame of reference. On Khemost, he might get cake and a new gun or other weapon on special occasions like his birthday. So he didn't bat an eye at the suits of armor and blasters. At least the guns were non-lethal this time. "Thanks," he said, turning over the healing blaster in his hands. "We had these back h—Um, back on Khemost. The Medical Neutralizers would use them to heal people..."

More specifically Seraphine had one. She was a friend of Percival's. He wondered what had become of her, too. An awkward silence threatened to fall as Thel continued to trace the lines of the Healing Blaster Type A with his fingers, lost in thought.

Nathan Bloodscrawl​

 

[Nathan Bloodscrawl]

It bears mentioning that right around the time Thel Bloodscrawl had finished his last plate, at the exact moment he wiped his mouth with the napkin was the moment Moya exploded with them none the wiser.

As they watched Thel trace his hands over the blaster, Melissa chirped.

"There was much to admire in the ethos of the Medical Nuetralizers. Over ninety five percent of that model defected to our side..." Melissa said softly. "This is a noble device, created with noble intentions. The Nuetralizers as a whole were crafted with noble intentions also...even if that purpose ended up ultimately being strayed from as time went on. Their accomplishments deserve remembering. Deserve to be passed on to others."

"By the way...I've been meaning to ask..." Sera trailed. "What happened to the Countess? She helped organize the defection and she helped you kill The Battalion. So where is she?"

"I'm keeping an eye on her. Arianna Belasko is somewhere secure..." Nathan answered casually to Sera.

(Cutaway of Doug Quaid with a towel around his head)

(Doug Quaid (Sarcastically): No chit?)

Sera raised an eyebrow but said nothing further

The three sisters were deeply relieved by their gifts being accepted. They spent the remainder of the day chatting with one another, before the time came to withdraw from the lake at evening back to the Star Galleon, where Thel was shown his for-now guest room , which would be his assigned room (He could redecorate it at that point) when he became part of them. They had spent the rest of the evening basically relaxing.

Nathan felt unsettled. The meeting had gone well...

...yet...

"What is it, Nathan?" Vera asked as she got ready for bed behind a changing screen poking her head up above it after everyone else had retired for the evening. "You look upset..."

Nathan, already in red cotton pajamas, sighed.

"It's not the meeting. The meeting went good..." he replied. "I think he's going to stay.

"Then what?" Vera asked, walking out in a semi-transparent red nightgown and laying down on the black sheets next to him.

"I can't explain it..." Nathan said. "It just feels...it feels like...like..."

(Cutaway of The Collage using Moya's form to lure prey in the Coruscant Underworks)

"...like something bad happened. Somewhere...yet I can't describe it..." He answered.

Vera raised an eyebrow.

"Don't ignore your instincts, but don't let them eat at you..." she advised, drawing closer. "You're not going to figure out what's wrong by laying awake in bed..."

"I suppose you're right..." he admitted.

"We can figure it out in the morning, dear..." Vera replied smoothly...

Nathan nodded, snapped his fingers, and the lights went out.

"Now... let's run a few error checks..." Nathan said slyly.

Vera giggled in the darkness...


Meanwhile...

A Citizen Energy Sword lay on Thel's pillow when he went in later. It hadn't been there before.

There was a note next to it:

A parting gift.

It was your father's.

Signed, Rebecca (Rebecca's name was written in unsteady hands.)