Glass Half Empty (Calico, Zius)

[Rusken Shaxx]

Zenith Prime. Ships sailed through the open sky with a sort of peculiar grace as cadets and their drill instructors sounded off with commands of motivation and order. The grassy hillside waved gingerly and gracefully with a soft breeze as the sun set over the horizon- just above the mountains, casting a beautiful spectacle over the rest of the base below. Zius sat upon said hillside, lost in thought as his gaze appeared empty but at the same time fixed upon the base of operations where various tasks and orders were being carried out. Cruisers and frigates and the like came and went with a purpose or perhaps a mission to embark on.

A sigh escaped the young man's lips as he stood. The hole-riddled and battle-torn trench coat embraced the sun rays and cast a shadow-show of many holes as light danced through the aftermath of countless blaster bolts that had passed through.

Life was getting better it seemed. There was a peace time for once in his always-militant life. It felt like he was finally in control for once in a very, very long time. Was it too good to be true? Was all the fighting and struggle a means to an end, or was it an endless loophole he was bound to fall through each and every time? Right now was just to live in the moment with the conflict in the back of his mind. Such scenic beauty confused him on the inside, still lacking some of the human traits that most normal people would understand if they had a mediocre life. Zius was not so fortunate. He was still on the inside, a prisoner of a different creation. Something the Sith had modified and constructed to be uncaring, cold, apathetic to the whims and desires of a curious mind.

A sigh escaped him as he shrugged his shoulders, he headed down toward the military base.

@Calico Tal'Verda

 

[Revenchent]

I really need to get ready for that meeting but...a walk won't hurt.

The Grand Marshal was effectively shirking his duties. The meeting with the Republic was coming up very soon, hours to be exact, and he had no idea how to go about it. He strode by the men who drilled, exercised, and trained together, and willed himself to yearn for the simpler days. Sure, he had been a slave to a regime unwilling to fight its own wars, but at least his purpose had been clear.

Now, Galaar was brain dead, his idiotic Strill Lord Cabur was in Calico's hands, and politics was rearing its ugly head. To put it simply, Calico was exhausted lately. The golden haired strill stuck right by his side as he strode past the men and women, dressed in full Katarn plates and generally looking intimidating. He was looking for Advanced-Recon-Commando candidates, and he would have them.

A familiar being in its usual odd choice of clothes caught his attention. With a grunt, Calico started at a steady march up the hill. It took him a few minutes, but he arrived in a timely manner. The Commando reached up to remove his helmet, and tilted his head slightly forward to look at Zius.

"I never took you for the meditating type son." The Strill clambered its way up to Zius's side, and began to coat his boots in its sticky slobber. "Ga'ika left me Cabur to look after while he's...away."


@[member="Zius Aurus"]

 

[Rusken Shaxx]

Zius blankly watched the Strill as it made its acquaintance with his boot. Lovely. He ignored the incessant drooling of the critter to pay attention the the familiar commander, his red cybernetic eye shifted about as the pupil widened and shrunk briefly while scanning the clone that had become more of a friend than just a comrade in battle. He shifted his posture, rolling his shoulders.

"I was just thinking. Meditating isn't really my style, but I do manage to find the time to clear my conscious and ponder."

He took a few steps passed Calico and continued to look on to the busy activities and training of the base. Memories of the few battles he and the other clones had been through and succeeded. They were strong, a fierce fighting force that never halted on a heel in the wake of any opposition. Not even dragons. But now one was dead behind the eyes and the others were injured severely. Zius could remember what it felt like to be broken and hopeless, but they had pulled through despite the melancholic losses and shortage of soldiers. Brave soldiers.


"What do we do from here? Our losses are not many, but they aren't exactly shrug-worthy. I feel like I've failed in some way, trying to attack that fething dragon as if it meant the end of everything. I fought foolishly and for that I am ashamed; although, I can't help but think about how far we've come. What's been done just for the sake of others."

He looked to Calico, actually showing an emotion for once that painted his face with shades of repentance and contriteness. He was grieving in his own way, but didn't let much of it bleed through to his exterior. Goodness comes in many forms, and not all heroes and good men are the light of the way, but can sometimes be the darkness that harbors a fire that can shine brighter than any pure soul with the best of intentions. Sometimes heroes don't get a happy ending.

@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

(Sorry I took so long to post man. RL issues came up. ))

Many looked upon Zius and saw a monster. A murderous marauder who existed simply to sate a blood-lust. Even more turned or even ran in terror when the young man made public appearances. Not Calico. The Grand Marshal saw a boy, alone and trying to cope with a world that hated him. How cruel the galaxy was.

"We establish this Alliance with the Republic. Then we work on finding the clone aging cure, and help Galaar get back up on his feet. After that, I'm finding all you lads pretty young ladies to come home to."

The fatherly tone was all natural now. It emerged more lately than it ever had before. Calico found that his loneliness could be filled with the lives of young men and women who needed a solid rock to rely on. Someone they could always turn to, no matter how badly thing were ruined, because he loved him. That was Calico's defining feature; not his skill with a weapon, his leadership, or his combat record. It was the boundless love he had for anyone who would ask of it. It was something he tried to wanted Zius to feel, because Zius was one of his boys. Zius was one of his sons.

"Ad'ika, don't you kriffing dare let yourself think that way." The Commander clamped a hand on Zius's shoulder, a rock to steady the boy if he needed it. "You gave it your all. You've put your life on the line for my boys--your boys too-- since day one. You've saved lives, and you fight for all the right reasons. Our wounded will get better, they will stand back up, and they'll join us at the local tap-caf in no time."

There was a meeting, a very important one, but it could wait a few minutes. "We've come extremely far. Look at this." He motioned with one free hand all around them. "This planet is our home, and we carved it. We earned it for our people. You earned it. You're family son, one of my boys, and I can make that official if you want."

He stared at the cyborg that some would consider a monstrosity, compassion heavy in his eyes. He meant the words.

@[member="Zius Aurus"]

 

[Rusken Shaxx]

That feeling of fatherly embrace hadn't been something he felt since they fought the Kursed. He shifted his shoulders again and blinked a couple of times as he felt something stirring within him; love? Acceptance? He wasn't quite sure what it was, or even why the emotions were flooding in so easily since he typically felt nothing at most times. It was beautiful in a way... feeling this humanistic sense of relief. No one else shared the empathy that Calico had done, treated him as a person and not just another weapon in an arsenal. He gave a look to the welcoming Grand Marshal, inhaling a bit before responding.

"I..."

He looked down at his feet before looking back up, struggling to convey the proper words. No one had ever shown him any true friendship.

"Thank you, Calico. I admire your ability to care; unfortunately, I am still conflicted. It is nothing against your offer, but it isn't exactly easy for me to accept all of this at once. Your service to the Confederacy is one to be upheld as a golden standard, and the Republic will do well to respect your authority and presence. I will make sure of that."

Zius gave a brief nod and a weak smile as he patted the hand on his shoulder. Life was definitely easing up, and despite all the consequences of being what he was, the anger and the bitterness was slowly beginning to shift and fade. Things wouldn't be easy, but Zius would pull through.

@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

I broke through to the lad. Good.

"It's no rush son." Calico gave his shoulder a light squeeze. "No rush at all. Just know that, at the very least, the Dreadguard will be there for you. That includes Galaar, when he pulls through, and he will pull through."

He let his shoulder fall to the side, and his kindly smile remained. The cruel reality of it all, if anyone took the time to notice, was that Calico was almost the same age as those he cared for. he sacrificed his own youth for the betterment of those close to him, as he had been taught to do. He had always been the dad, it was a way of giving a sense of purpose beyond greed or power.

It also helped him forget.

"Yeah, let's hope the Pubs agree to everything. I'd like to make sure the freedom of our people is secure. I'm not a huge fan of the Republic, but I'd like to avoid blowing them off the galactic map in the future." The Marshal turned to stare at the sea of soldiers below. " 'Course, I could just be going soft."

A peaceful silence took over after he spoke. Nothing but the soft caress of the wind and the distant orders from yelling drill Sergeants could be heard. "Do me a favor, son." Calico turned partway to give Zius a half glance. "Learn a trade. You an I might have been built for war, but our masters are gone now, so, learn a trade, and at some point, settle down and be content."

He paused to take a breath. "War comes with its own glory, but when there is no one to fight, and you have no one waiting for you at home, you realize how much it all ends up being pointless. That's not something I, or Galaar, want you lads to go through."

@[member="Zius Aurus"]

 

[Rusken Shaxx]

"Being alone is all I've done for the past years; better yet, I've been nothing more than a cog in the war machine of the Empire."

He shifted his hands to the front, holding them in one another as he also gazed upon the routine of the base below. Honestly, Zius was at a loss of words. Nothing profound enough could escape his lips to show how grateful he really was to have such support from someone who hardly knew him. Peace was a hard pill to swallow, being out of battle felt too foreign and empty. He had practically forgotten what it is to be a human.

"I've been holding my own ever since they changed me. Do you know how many innocents I've destroyed? Their children, their futures are dust because of what I was meant to be. The Sith were, in a sense, my benefactors. They rewarded my services with more violence and credits and enhancements. Enjoyable is how I would describe it. Killing is killing to me, it makes no difference what the target is. I guess you could say I've become desensitized to what pain from another being sounds like. All the screams are nothing more than melodies."

Zius would never stop being hungry, blood-thirsty. Even when knowing his actions were well beyond any moral restraint. He was programmed in a sense, nothing mechanical was promoting such murderous tendencies except for what the Sith had taught him. No mercy, no weakness. Words were weak and to cripple was cowardice... it would only prove useful to obliterate and reap what the dead had sown for their own families. He was a bastard son of machines and malice. Perhaps his own drive to do what he sought as right would be his own undoing.

@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

"We're here now, son, so alone can no longer be your state of mind. Empire is gone too, all we have to do is make sure it stays gone."

The Marshal gave a short, reassuring nod. It was the best he could manage. He didn't know what haunted Zius's mind, but he suspected it was something gruesome. "We were all used, all conditioned."

You most of all.

"You just have to work past it. Your inner demons are the most powerful obstacles in your way. Don't let them win. The past is the past, you can't change that. Cin vhetin ad'ika. A virgin field of snow. Now is your time to start over and be the man you want to be. Not some pawn."

Time was growing short, and Calico couldn't miss this meeting. He threw his arms around Zius without the lad's choice, and gave him a strong hug. "So you don't let these black thoughts rule your mind son. You're more than what the Sith wanted to be, more than the Sith ever could be. You're a man with unique traits that set you apart, just like us."

He pulled away and cast a short glance off toward the training ground. Hopefully, Zius had taken the message to heart. The boy had a father whenever he needed one. "I need to see to this meeting. Stay strong, son." He began to make his way toward the hill, just slow enough for Zius to have his final word, if he wished.


@[member="Zius Aurus"]

 

[Rusken Shaxx]

The cold of steel armour adorned by a warrior is only as frigid as their own heart. Life is cruel, society rejects many and creates something ugly. What makes it so? What drives men and other creatures to lash out and wrought desolation upon the soul of an innocent? The will to make suffering a reality. Children shed tears when they lose something beloved, such as a father or even a hero. Someone to look up to. Warriors aren't supposed to shed tears, they bring death. Their fathers and forefathers are to teach discipline and emotional sturdiness, reinforced with a redoubtable passion. Their beating hearts are meant to be frozen by the solid embrace of said armour, concrete and steadfast with unrelenting fury.

But even the coldest of steel can be warmed by the scarce kindness hidden among the galaxy, even in the farthest of places.

Even the loneliest of children can find the same beacon of hope again. All it takes is to reach out.

Zius was stunned by the sudden embrace of the Grand Marshal. His expression remained blank as he had a flashback of the moment he saw his father for the very last time during the fight with the fearsome Jhaega.

"It's alright, son. We loved you... we always loved you. No matter what you do or what path you've chosen, we cannot forget our child. You've made us proud."

Tears began to well up in his singular eye as he stood motionless, accepting the gift of generosity and overwhelming love. He closed his eyes and allowed Calico to depart for but a moment before stretching his arm out to catch his shoulder as he started walking off to his meeting. He couldn't just let him walk away without telling him his thanks for simply being there.

"You've done something no one else could accomplish; gain my trust. I am thankful for your dedication, Calico."

He'd give the Grand Marshal a final salute of gratitude and the utmost respect, watching him walk away with an almost melancholic feeling in his gut. A soft breeze kissed his cheek as a universal sign that a wound in his spirit had been mended. One step at a time, he was determined from this point to do as the fatherly figure had suggested. The tides will die down to a peace and he will seek his redemption.

He would forge his own true path.