Just By Chance

[Revenchent]

Sector twenty seven was one of the quietest regions held within the confines of Zenith Prime. It was designed for one big reason in mind; to be out of the way. Unlike the rest of the military world, Twenty Seven was a quiet secluded forest, populated by many of the small animals imported from neighboring worlds.


It was seclusion, a place for the men and women of the Confederacy to escape to if they needed a break, and was often used by Templars to assist in deep meditation. All major structures in the region were a five minute walk from a quiet lake, and it was all relatively well sheltered. Light seeped weakly through the treeline, giving the region a comfortable feel to it.


Small look out posts were stationed throughout the forest, but droids were all that maned them. The pseudo resort was one of a few in the region and only about nine or ten organice were occupying it. Each temple-like building was outfitted with living quarters, kitchens, electricity, and garages filled with recreational vehicles. It should have been a paradise.


Calico pushed himself out of the bed, staring out through a paned window as thin strands of light illuminated his face. His beard was starting to grow back, and he looked rather tired lately. The Marshal threw on a simple brown coat over his white undershirt and strolled on out to the back lawn.


He shoved his hands in his pockets, listening to the sounds of the forest, walking about in the damp grass careful not to trample any of the many flower beds planted. Galaar was brain dead, and it would be a few weeks before anything could be done about it. The stress had thrown Calico out of whack. His work routines had gone to osik.


This little getaway was his attempt at clearing his head, and so far, it seemed to be working. He went on strolling, whistling a quiet tune to himself as he took in the peace.


@[member="Keziah Denko"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

Zenith Prime

Keziah had come here on her own with @[member="Krest"]'s permission of course to do some meditation on her own and to explore the planet. He said she was doing well and deserved some down time as did he. She was sure with all his other responsibilities he didn't have time to relax. This was the first time that she had been without him and while she kind of missed him it was nice that he trusted her enough to be able to go off on her own. She had first of course had to promise to not get into any trouble before going. Keziah wasn't planning on trouble. She just wanted to relax and smell the flowers.

The red head had gotten up rather early this morning as she was accustomed to doing and had decided to take a quite stroll by the lake. It was far too early for anybody else to be up but Keziah didn't mind, she rather enjoyed the peace and quite the lake brought. Coming across a nearby bench she plopped down.

Sighing happily she glanced out over the water which seemed to sparkle in the rising sun. Things were looking up for her and Keziah couldn't be happier. She felt truly blessed to have all these wonderful things in her life. Keziah trained very hard but she also understood the need for balance. She didn't want to miss out on the wonders of the galaxy either and she was glad her master understood this.

She had been sitting there for a good ten minutes listening to the birdy chirp when she heard a different sound as if someone was whistling. Surprised Keziah jumped up from the bench and went to investigate the sound. It wasn't long before she came across @[member="Calico Tal'Verda"] .

"Hello," she smiled and waved. "Lovely morning isn't it?" This morning she had thrown on a simple yellow sundress for the day as it was comfortable.

 

[Revenchent]

At least the forest was rather nice. The Marshal's mind had been in a thousand places at once, ranging from the treaty with the Republic coming up, to buying warra-nuts for as many of the Dreadguard as he could. Their metabolisms were always overclocked to keep up with their increased aging, so sugar was a must.

I could go for some warra-nuts myself.

A softer voice that he had never heard before broke the ambient sounds of the forest, though it wasn't sharp enough to make him jump. The Commando turned sharp on his heel, expecting one of the Gurlanin spies to have come with news about the events unfolding on Atrisia right under the Fringe's nose.

Instead, he was greeted by a pretty young woman who seemed to have a much better handle on being relaxed then he did. "Erhm, hello, ma'am." He managed, looking slightly uneasy. His stomach tied into knots, and threatened to constrict him from the inside out. Young women scared him.

"Yeah...very lovely. A lot quieter than Fort Tal'verda." He tensed up slightly, head canting to the right as he tried to study the woman. She didn't act like a Gurlanin. Not at all.

@[member="Keziah Denko"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

He seemed a little uneasy around her which was rather confusing to Keziah. She normally was approachable or at least she thought that she was approachable. The young woman sniffed the air wondering if it was her smell or something that was off putting but it couldn't be that. She had taken a shower the night before and this morning she had put on flower smelling perfume. It must be something else.

"Fort Tal'verda? Where is that?" She still hadn't been most places in the confederacy so she was clueless as to where that was or really what it was. It was a little embarrassing but that didn't keep her from asking after all if she didn't ask Keziah wouldn't know. "I hope I'm not bothering you. I just heard the whistling and went to investigate. I thought I was alone out here."

Had she known whom Calico was she probably would have acted differently or have even been nervous. As it was she just thought he was a normal guy probably in the military here on leave. It was for the best though as it made things less awkward well at least for her.

"I'm Keziah it's nice to meet you! Have you ever been here before? This is my first time and so far I really like it." Despite her horribly childhood she still had a bubbly warm personality which she hoped would help him warm up and not so uneasy.

@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

"It's the capital of Zenith Prime. Near the northern Ice Caps." He opened his mouth to sting along more facts, but those would likely be seen as boring. The Marshal simply stared for a moment, caught off guard by her overtly friendly attitude.

"N-no, not a bother at all." He tugged at the collar of his shirt, an old nervous habit. "My name is Calico. Odd name, but it stuck." He took a few careful strides toward her, careful to look down at her face. Anything else would be shameful to the way he was raised.

"Never been here, no, but I like it. The quiet is a little weird." He shoved his hands in his pockets; easily a head or two taller than the woman. "I needed to clear my head, so I'm taking a few days out here, and I swear, I'm not being a sobby soldier. Just too much work coming up lately."

The soldier did indeed look over worked. His eyes had a tired look to him, and his small, nervous smile looked ready to falter. Things just difficult these days. On the bright side, he did seem to ease up, though only slightly.

"Why are you out here, Miss Keziah?"

This is so odd...

@[member="Keziah Denko"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

"So, your stationed there? Cool, is it a place worth visiting? I mean I have never been on a military base before and am wondering if it's worth seeing." Keziah was always bubbly and happy as she felt there was no reason not to be. Even when things were not going well she always had a sunny outlook on life. Things were great now and nothing would change that. She wouldn't allow anything to change that.

Even though Calico said he was alright his actions spoke differently. She would drop it though as she didn't want to make him even more uncomfortable than he currently was. "It's nice to meet you Calico! I'm sure your used to action and a bunch of people so I can see how the quite would be odd for you. It's nice though right? It gives you a chance to breath for once and relax."

She didn't enjoy being left with her own thoughts on most occasions as Keziah never anything nice to think about until now. It was important though now that she be on her own so that she could think about everything. She needed to learn to focus. "I don't think your a sobby soldier just because you need to clear your head. We all need to do that from time to time." She smiled shaking her head a little.

"I'm here because I need to learn to focus my thoughts, my emotions and I need to learn forgiveness. I don't want to be able to use the Force out of anger. I'm not an angry person. I don't want to be so before I continue my training I need meditation and I thought this would be the place to get it."

@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

"Stationed would be a...word for it. I oversee the important things." She doesn't know who I am. Good. "My job generally involves staring at the soldiers doing the real work. I just sit on my shebs lately."


The Marshal plopped down a nearby wooden bench. It would do. He set his hands on his knees and did his utmost best to maintain eye contact with the girl. He was less uneasy now and more along the lines of intrigued. "Tal'verda is nice to visit. Lots of flashing lights, sometimes an explosion or two--if you swing by on the weekend you'll get to see the drunken NCOs dancing. I think it's a game they have, dunno yet."

He stared up at her without a care in the world. The girls was distracting, and frankly, Calico needed that at the moment. "I suppose you're right. My old training Sergeant would have ripped me a new on for it, but..." He reached across the bench and tapped it with his knuckles, an indication to sit down. "You're a force user, so you must be wise about that sort of thing."

Templars are everywhere these days.

Calico simply stared at the girl, in a way that many people would have asked him to stop being so rude, but he knew nothing better. A rifle had been set in his hands at three years old, yet, no one had taught him how to deal with females. The only relationship he'd had was the result of a very pushy Chiss woman who had happily worn the pants. Now though, he had to rely on what he knew--which wasn't much.

"Forgiveness isn't too hard. I have to use it with my boys. A lot. You just have to be ready to love those people for who they are, even if they make stupid decisions."

@[member="Keziah Denko"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

"Do you ever miss doing stuff? Sitting around just watching seems really boring to me. I want to get out there, do things. Make a difference in the galaxy." What she wished to probably didn't sound original but it was what she hoped to do with the help of her master of course. She couldn't just prance out there with no training.

"Explosives? For training purposes?" She questioned plopped down next to him. Keziah doubted that there was actual fighting out there. It had to be for tests.

"My father," she paused looking down to her hands for a moment which were now folded in her lap. "My father wasn't a very nice man especially when he was drunk." The young woman sighed looking back to Calico. "I am trying to let go and forgive him for everything. Talking about him is depressing though, I'm sorry. I'm being depressing. I have a feeling we both don't need that. Only fun things!" She nodded with a smile.

"Do you participate in this drunk dancing? It sounds both fun and funny. It sounds worth going out there to see."

@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

She didn't seemed troubled by him, and that was a start. A welcome start. "Ma'am, you don't know the half of it." He paused for only a moment. "I was a Commando for the majority of my life. A promotion landed me behind a desk, not a fan."

The Marshal titled his head partway to the left. "I figure a lot of people want to do that. Go for it, just do it for the right reasons." She's just like Visri.... "Officially it's training. Off the record, my boys and girls enjoy fireworks in the evening. We've got more ordnance than we could even burn through in a war. They use it for recreation sometimes. P for plenty."

His expression softened slightly as the topic went unto her father. The woman seemed be an open book, then again, this sector tended to have that effect on people. "Were you okay?" He asked almost like a child. "I had no father, but I read quite a bit about them. I try to be one to whoever needs one." He reached over and set a gentle hand on her shoulder, the only way he knew of how to comfort people. "I did have a mom, kind of. Our training Sergeant was good to my squad."

The smile made him melt. It was all the little similarities between this girl and Visri. It simultaneously broke his heart drew him back to days when life was much simpler.

"Me? Well, I'm a bit large in the midriff to be dancing, and alcohol and I aren't the best of friends." He felt the heat rush to his face; like an embarrassed child.

"I uh...was never good at the dancing bit"

@[member="Keziah Denko"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

She would have thought a promotion would be considered a good thing but here it seemed not to be so. The thought of going from out there in the fields to a paper pusher sucked. Since he was higher up couldn't he do what he wanted? She assumed that things were not that simple otherwise he would have done it already. Keziah didn't know how high he was up but she assumed pretty high the way he spoke about his boys and girls.

Keziah was just starting out however one day she would move up herself and when that happened she vowed to not just sit behind a desk. She didn't think that she would do very good behind a desk. The young lady wanted to help those whom came from broken homes like hers and she could only do so if she was in the action.

"Evening fireworks, that sounds nice. I saw fireworks from my window once. They are very pretty and I'm sure that they appreciate you allowing them to use them for fun. I hope you get the chance to watch them sometimes and aren't too busy even with your promotion your still allowed to have fun."

She only could smile when he asked if she was alright. The young woman had survived her childhood, it was simple as that. If she was alright or not was a different sorry. Keziah would be alright. "Thanks but you know I'm not five anymore." She giggled slightly. "I'm not sure I need a father but I could always use a friend," she smiled. He didn't seem to have had parents either and it made her wonder what happened to them however that would be rude. It seemed though that he grew up in the military.

"I'm not sure how I would do with alcohol. I have never had it before but I can dance. I could teach you!" Jumping up from the bench Kenzie reached to Calico to pull him up to as she was going to teach him to dance or at least try.

@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

"Well, if you were five, I'd be severely concerned for my mental health...though, by technicality, I'm only fourteen. Going on thirty biologically however."

It seemed life drove its own course. He hadn't expected to run into anyone out here, not now, but he was happy that he had. The woman, almost dwarfed by him, pulled him to his feet with relative ease. How could he say no?

"Well, I mean, if that's what you want." The Marshal mumbled slightly under his breath, clearly embarrassed, though not in a particularly negative fashion. "So, are you a dance master on the side, or is this just recreation?" He added quickly, an attempt at a joke, albeit a bad one at that. Either way, he was grinning big and wide.

What was I out here for again?

"Fun isn't..usually on the schedule, bit if you want to see fireworks, I could uh..arrange that."

@[member="Keziah Denko"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

"I am a dance master!" She giggled shaking her hips a little before spinning around. Keziah was happy to see that he wasn't unwilling to learn to dance and have some fun. This was more about unwinding than it was about the actual dancing part. They both were supposed to be on some sort of getaway after all.

"Normally I dance around to music but since I don't have any the chirping birds will have to do. First lesson is to just swing your hips. There really is no wrong way to dance as nobody is watching." After giving her little explanation she demonstrated by swinging her hips a little.

Taking his hands she tried to get him to dance along with her hoping it would be less embarrassing if she did.

Before she had the chance to start lesson two she heard him mention something about fireworks. This caused her to stop moving to answer. "I would love that. You could do that for me?"

@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

"Of course you are." He shot back, beaming down at the girl. He was grinning, though he wasn't aware of that. For the moment, Calico wasn't the Grand Marshal, or even the Sergeant of Fox Squad. He was a young man enjoying the company of a woman; something denied to him by his creators and his masters. The Clones of this day and age weren't denied the baser human luxuries, but he had always felt guilty when he thought about pursuing them.

Guilty for enjoying himself while Comic was dead. Guilty for wasting his time while the clock ticked for his boys. Guilty for not leaving the GAR a day early--then Visri would have survived. All these thoughts played through his mind as she took his hands and did her little dance.

"Am I doing it right?" He laughed as he tried to imitate he movements. Needless to say, it wasn't pretty.

The soldier stopped as Keziah stopped, completely following her lead. His face reddened slightly as she inquired about the fireworks. "Well...yes, if you wanted me to. I could arrange it." His eyes went down to their feet, then darted back up to meet hers. "If you uh...wanted."

@[member="Keziah Denko"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

"Yes, your doing good. Really good." She laughed a little as she watched him try to dance along with her. He was right, he couldn't dance but than neither could she. It didn't matter though, they were having a really good time.

The last time she had fun like this. Well, she couldn't really remember the last time that she had fun like this. She never was able to do things like this during her childhood and she reckoned from what she knew about him that he hadn't either.

"I would like that," she smiled lightly trying not to blush however she could feel her face beginning to get hot which probably meant she was turning red. It was just nobody had ever offered to do anything for her before like this.

"The key to dancing is to just sway with the music. You can't go wrong. I can show you more dancing later when we get some music. It will be easier and more fun that way and I promise that it will just be you and me. Nobody will be watching us."

She had yet to realize it but she was still holding onto his hands as she talked.

@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

"Just you and me, eh?" The soldier tilted his head slightly forward, an amused grin on his face. He liked this, he liked it a lot. A little voice in the back of his head told him that it was wrong, and that he should focus back unto preparing for the summit with the Republic. Another voice told him to go with it and enjoy himself. he chose to follow the latter.

"Careful what you say; you're pushing all the right buttons." Calico didn't know if that sounded charming, or creepy. It just seemed like that right thing to say as they danced to nothing, midday coming and going without a care in the world.

"If you...wanted to visit Fort Tal'verda, I could arrange for that..--whenever you'd like!" He gave her hands a gentle squeeze. It was a nice little moment, and he was going to enjoy it. "I am curious though."

He glanced over toward the temple-like building, a short walk down one of the pathways. The lake glittered with faint sunlight down the other side of the path. I wonder if anyone's noticed we're gone. Probably not.

"Does this still count as training? Technically, you are relaxing." The Marshal grinned like a teenager, and his heart fluttered. Love was a fleeting thing; yet, something that came easily to Calico. He loved people who needed a father the moment he met them, and was open about it. Perhaps this was the beginning of the same, in different form?

@[member="Keziah Denko"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

"Ooo, pushing all the right button for what," she giggled slightly unknowingly pulling him closer to her. "Yes, I would love to visit Fort Tal'verda. Watching fireworks with you under the stars sounds really nice and I know I can get the time away to do so whenever you have the chance to set it up."

She would have said tonight however he too was here to get away, nobody could set something like that up that quickly plus a trip to Fort Tal'verda gave her an excuse to see him again, not that she needed one. Nobody had ever really gone out of their way before to do anything for her like this. It was quite flattering really and the idea of watching fireworks with him under the stars was very romantic. It was like something she saw in old movies and she couldn't help but what it for herself with him.

The warm her fuzzy feeling that she was feeling right about now was one she couldn't describe but she liked it. She had never felt this giddy, happy and carefree before. It was a wonderful feeling that she wanted more of. Keziah couldn't explain it but she was drawn to him. Whatever this was she wanted to explore it.

"We are both relaxed and enjoying ourselves which is what we came out here to do so I think mission accomplished."

This "training" wasn't anything like what Krest put her through daily but it wasn't supposed to be. She was here to relax and rejuvenate. Keziah also wished to see a little of the planet while she was here.

"Did you just get here? We could explore the surrounding area or something together. Take a walk along the path? She much rather go with him than alone. It would be more fun with him.



@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

"Dunno, you tell me?" The soldier raised a brow, grinning like an idiot in the process.

People often regarded the clone forces as unfeeling, autonomous, subhuman, and not in the alien way. They were bred for warfare, and while they excelled at it further than any normal man could hope to achieve, they were looked down upon by the very people they were bred to protect; people they fought for without choice, for fear of early termination. That thought rode in on a carriage of doubt in the back of Calico's mind--if she knew he was a clone, then this could be a simple game. Perhaps she didn't know, and would think worse of him when she learned of such.

Why am I so anxious?

"I'll make sure to do that when I make it back to FleetOps." He resolved to simply enjoy himself for the moment. "You can go ahead and tell your master I helped with that training [/] then. I could use the credit." Calico was beaming, and he knew it.

He took her by one hand, and started off down the path toward the lake. To any onlookers, they would look like your average young couple enjoying the day together. It was a step toward normalcy that Calico had never truly yearned for, but was happy that he had the opportunity to try. It was nice.

"Well, I will say you've made my day infinitely times better." He said simply, more like a fact than a compliment. "Are you one of the Templars? I might know your teacher."


@[member="Keziah Denko"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

She doubted Krest would enjoy hearing that she spent her time with a soldier or any guy really. Ever since she had been found by him he had been quite over protective of her almost as if he was her father. It was cute in a way really and Keziah thought of him that way too. He had taken her in, given her food, a bed and taught her so he was the closet thing thing she had to one. She was telling him nothing about Calico but he didn't need to know that.

She couldn't help but already be excited about get the opportunity to see fireworks with him. "I'll make sure to tell him though I doubt he will be pleased." She could hear it now that she was going to get an earful from him for just talking to a guy. It wasn't like she ever did this type of thing. In fact, she never did this type of thing. He would be the first person she ever liked if that was what she was calling this.

"My day is a lot brighter now that I have met you,"she turned as they walked to smile at him her fingers intertwining with his as they continued walking. Meeting him was the highlight of her day and she was glad to have run into him. "I'm new to the Templars. Krest found me and brought me into the fold about a month ago. His training isn't easy but I'm learning a lot. I want to be an asset to the confederacy which has become my home now. Have you always been here?"

Keziah wanted to get to know more about the man she obviously liked. She had spent enough time speaking about herself and in truth there wasn't much more to say about herself that was nice. She much rather keep the topics happy.

@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

Krest. She's one of Krest's apprentices. Well...my luck was never exceptional.

"Krest? Ya, I've met him." His tone was rather neutral for the moment. He and Krest had a conflict of morals back on Nar Haaska. the issue was resolved, and the Templar Knight had garnered Calico's grudging respect, even his friendship, but things was still a little tense. It served as a constant reminder as to how bringing a force user around could be negative for the important things.

Then again, Keziah was a force user, and she made his heart jump up into his throat. "Good guy, we've served together a few times." The soldier paused at the edge of the lake. The sun was high overhead; beginning its descent toward the other side of the planet. Calico surmised that it was about noon. "You're very passionate." He stated it like a fact, like before. It was meant to be a compliment; such things were difficult to grasp for the clone.

"And I'm glad you ended up in the Confederacy. We're one of the only vestiges of freedom in the galaxy, not counting the Republic. It's dangerous out there." He swallowed heavily at her question. "Well...not always. It's a long story. Very long. I'm one of the original models." He leaned slightly forward, a bit closer to her height, and cracked the most disarming grin. "Arcee-Two-Four-Seven, at your service. I started in the Republic."

I really shouldn't spill my guts, but I want to. Odd.

"The story might bore you honestly, though, we have the time, if you're really interested."

@[member="Keziah Denko"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

"He saved my life,I'm not sure where I would be now if he hadn't found me." She never would forget the day he found her huddled in the corner hungry and cold. It was one of her lowest points and she never wanted to go back there.

"I'm glad I ended up here as well. Everyone is very kind to me thus far and I think I can get used to this freedom thing. It's nice being able to do things I never have before like the other day I tried to pilot a land speed and crashed almost immediately." She giggled a little remembering the mess she made.

Keziah fell silent for a moment as she just listened. He spoke of himself as just a model whom started off in the Republic. She may have just met him but she already saw him as much more than just a model or a clone. He was no different than she was at least in her eyes. "So, that would make you a clone?" She paused again this time she stopped walking as well. She needed, wanted him to understand how she felt.

Keziah may not have gotten out much but she knew that many saw clones as second class citizens. She wanted Calico to know she didn't share those sentiments. She didn't wish to make a big deal about it though because in truth it wasn't one. She still liked him all the same. "The fact that your a clone doesn't change anything. Your no different than the rest of us. I hope you know it doesn't change the way I feel about you." She hadn't exactly explained her feels to him but that didn't matter, it wasn't like they had changed. She was sure it had taken guts for him to open up to her like that.

"I would love to hear the story, I'm sure it's not boring."

@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]