Just By Chance

[Revenchent]

"Well...I'm certainly glad he did." The well of confusion stirring within Calico suddenly stilled. The bit about the speeder made him laugh, quietly, of course, but it wasn't the thing that made him stop.

There were few beings who would openly acknowledge seeing the clones as people, not property. Many of them had died a long time ago. Visri had died. Jain had died. The whole Skirata clan--as he knew them, not the corporate abomination that was the Mandalor-- were all gone. He was still here though, and so was Keziah, and she had the right ideals.

"I am a clone, yeah." All the anxiety, the worry, was gone. "The way you fe--" He stopped himself, instead giving the girl's hand a gentle squeeze. It was a show of affection, a start, and he was happy not for the first time that she couldn't sense his emotions. The soldier would have been embarrassed. I'll make it short.

"Well, to keep it simple, I was bred on Kamino with the rest of the initial Clone Army. I was supposed to be an ARC, failed, was gonna get terminated for such, one of the Sergeants, Rav Bralor, saved my shebs. Shipped me off to the Republic Commando battle groups. I ended up leading a squad, fought on Geonosis, Dxun, and a lot of other worlds. Made it through the war, actually." He paused for a moment, taking only a second to swallow. He spoke quickly to avoid an emotional outburst. "Had a lady, Jedi slotted her during Operation Knightfall. Served the Empire for some time, my boys and I were deployed to recover some ghost ships. It was filled with droids. They overpowered us, shoved us in carbonite."

The Marshal took a moment to look over back into the treeline. To his relief, no one was eavesdropping. He hadn't bothered to check, a possibly fatal mistake. He was distracted, and suddenly, he understood Bralor's warnings about your sense being nulled by an attractive woman. "Got out, banged out of Corrie, ended up in the Confederacy. Now I...lead things."

The soldier took the moment to slip his arms around the girl's waist. If he was going to do this, he would do it right, Mando style. "So....you were interested in me, is what I'm guessing, hmm?" He flashed the goofy, disarming smile again. He could go from the stone cold field marshal to the sappy kid in the blink of an eye. Some people found it disturbing. When he himself saw it in the other clones, it broke his heart.

@[member="Keziah Denko"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

She kept quite as he explained his story of how he came to be in the confederacy. Keziah was very glad that he hadn't been deactivated for if that happened she never would have gotten the chance to meet him. He didn't have to say it but something told her that this Jedi woman had been important to him but didn't make it out alive. "You must have seen a great deal of things. I think the traveling and seeing new worlds would be fun but perhaps not the war part so much." She could only imagine how many men he lost during those battles.

"Lead things? Like your own division?" The thought that he lead the whole military here never crossed her mind. The Grand Marshall would certainly never be here of all places nor would he be talking to a simple apprentice so he had to run a division. That was the only other option that made sense to her.

"Yes, I am interested in you" she replied surprisingly confident. He seemed interested too otherwise he wouldn't have placed his arm around her waist. "I take it you may be interested in me? I would like to see more of you."

@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

"Well...I head the Confederacy military." He mumbled, almost to himself. It was a nice title, sure, but it drove people off. The life of a leader was lonely when it came to the end of the day. "Grand Marshal...but that's not important!" Calico grit his teeth as he almost spat out the last bit. It wouldn't be fair for things to be ruined now. For once, things were going perfectly.

No exfills, no need for emergency CQC, no di'kulta Death Watch masquerading as Mando'ade...It's not Endex. Not yet.

"War is what we were bred for, but I have to admit, it's pretty shoddy. I'm willing to fight for my freedom though. Mine, my boys and girls, and whoever throws their lot in with us." He paused, head tilting slightly to the side. She was straightforward, and that set a rock in his stomach. Confidence was something Mando women needed, and, even if she wasn't Mando'ade, it still caught him off-guard.

"Perhaps." He almost teased; opting to push his luck. The clone leaned down to press his lips to hers, the bundle of nervous, worried nerves that he was screaming in the back of his mind for him to stop and give some thought to what he was doing. Thinking was his job though, and frankly, he was tired of it.

@[member="Keziah Denko"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

Wait? What? He was the Grand Marshal? The Grand Marshal was walking along with her hand in hand flirting back and forth the whole time. The title was something she didn't expect however it wasn't important. Well, it was but it didn't scare her off. Keziah really did like him.

The kiss caught her off guard and she at first wasn't sure how to react. A part of her wanted to run away and hide while another part of her wanted more. The latter won out as she leaned into the kiss returning it with one of her own. Keziah wanted him to know that the kiss most defiantly was wanted.

Once there lips parted she was left breathless with her head spinning. The short kiss that they shared between them only left her wanting more and as such she pressed her lips against his for another kiss. This kissing thing was nice, really nice. She liked it a lot. "Wow," she blinked as their lips parted again. Words honestly could not describe how she was feeling so instead Keziah stayed silent drawing him in close to her. She hoped he enjoyed the little kisses as well.

@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest coughed lightly. He was watching from the sidelines pretty much the entire time @Calico Tal'Verda and @[member="Keziah Denko"] were talking. He was never too far from his apprentice during any of her training, and today wasn't an exception. He stepped out from the shadows, his arms crossed over his chest. A large frown was plastered across the Zabrak's face and he eyes Calico much like a father would eye the boy trying to date his daughter.

"Wow indeed." His voice was calm, collected. But a fraction of violence hanged on each syllable. It wouldn't be hard to see that he was trying not to punch the Grand Marshal. Lets see how long that lasts.

 

[Revenchent]

It was a wonderful little moment.

Calico felt his heart threaten to jump out of his chest, a sound of surprise escaping his lips as she pressed in for a second kiss. Got a moment, it was only him, and this wonderful young woman that he had met by chance. There had to be a reason for it; perhaps it was the way of the galaxy, putting two lonely soul together like this.

"Treat me like this and I might just stay around." He held Keziah close for the moment, and for the first time since Knightfall, thought of a life outside of the military for himself. He always wished it for his boys, he loved them to tears, but he hadn't truly seen himself making it out of the Army. It was his life, simple, unchanging, and now he was doubting it. Only slightly, but it crept at the back of his mind.

I want more than the hand I've been dealt. I'm a man, as much as my boys. I can indulge myself.

"So, Miss Templar, would yo-" The all too familiar voice of a very angry Zabrak cut him off. He tilted his head to stare at Krest in all his snoopy glory. The Commando loosened his grip on the girl, though he did not let her go just yet.

"Ah..Krest. We were..discussing the finer point of the force...she was showing me an..empathy ability...thing." the words just kind of fumbled out of Calico's mouth. He had no idea what to say, and frankly, there was no training to fall back on here. "You...enjoying the lake, too?"

Shab...shab, shab, shab. Di'kutla arueti.

A man who had a bit of social experience would know to let the girl go at this point. Calico was not that man. He just stared at Krest, dark eyes clearly puzzled. What was he so angry about?

@[member="Krest"] @[member="Keziah Denko"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

The kisses was wonderful, everything couldn't have been going better. Dare she even say that she could be falling for Calico. She was perfectly happy as it seemed he enjoyed the kiss as well until Krest appeared out of the shadows.

He looked angry and Keziah had a good idea of why he was. It wasn't any of his business though and why was he lurking in the shadows spying on her. Didn't he trust that she could take care of herself? He was going to ruin everything, her chance at happiness. It made her want to cry almost.

Hand still holding Calico she looked to Krest. "Your spying on me, us? Do you not trust me?" She paused for a moment doing her best to not get upset. "Yes, I kissed Calico and I liked it a lot. I want to see more of him if he'll have me."

Nobody said happiness would be easy but she was willing to fight for it. She felt that she and Calico had something special and she wasn't willing to just let him go. It would be something she would very much regret if she didn't get a chance.

There was really only one thing that she could do now is see what Krest wanted and how Calico reacted. She believed that the Grand Marshal shared her feelings. She saw fireworks in there kisses and she had a wonderful day with him. This couldn't just be the end. "Being with Calico wouldn't change our training Krest. I deserve a personal life, happiness after all I have been through." She wasn't begging him, she was telling him how she felt. If Krest found someone she would be happy for him and wish him the best.

@[member="Krest"] @[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest more or less ignored @[member="Keziah Denko"]. His focus was on the Grand Marshal. @[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]. Surprisingly, his gaze softened as the man seemingly refused to move his arm from Keziah. The Zabrak was a hardened man. A man brought up on the pinnacle of bloodshed and war, something that has always affected him. Always caused a deeper rage within him.

But today wasn't like that. He knew the Marshal, even with all their misgivings and friction he trusted him. Mostly. He stepped right up to the Mandolorian, a ghost of a grin on his face. "You're from a warrior clan right? Isn't it customary to fight the girls protector before you get a kiss?" This was a jest. He had no intention on fighting Calico, and, at least in Iridonian culture, the female was the one to fight. He reached up with both hands, setting each on their shoulders.

"Not really a matter of not trusting you. Just wanna make sure Calico here plays it safe, if you know what I mean. Pregnancy involves emotional outbreaks, something I'm trying to teach you to control." He continues to smile a Keziah, then turns his gaze to Calico. His eyes darken, flashing with his hidden rage. "Though I'm sure it goes without saying. Hurt her, I order 66 you."

 

[Revenchent]

Pregnancy. That meant children. Hah, nope!

"No issue there ner'vod. I uh....don't think I'm ready for kids. They'd have my gett'se." The Templar's rapidly changing demeanor was off putting. Calico had been ready for a verbal duel, as often followed the two of them being in the same vicinity. It wasn't anything truly hostile, just their own odd form of friendship.

"Yeah, Tal'verda. Came to find out the clan died out a few years back. I'm going to fix that, hopefully." The Marshal gave a slight half shrug. "Order sixty-six me? I'd have to try and take over the government for your plan to come into fruition." He grinned, big and wide. "I doubt that will be necessary."

She's very standoffish when she wants to be. Good stuff, Mando'karla. I'll talk to Galaar about it...when he's better.

Calico's attention went back to the theoretical source of the little stand off. He have her a small half-smile. "Yeah, I'd have more of you. No need to worry about that." He shot his gaze back to Krest. "No babies."


@[member="Keziah Denko"]
@[member="Krest"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

Pregnancy? Haha...No.

"Don't worry Krest. I'm not planning on getting knocked up." She had no time for babies right now. The young woman was more focused on her Templar training and getting herself grounded. She would have no idea what to do with a baby. It was definitely not in the cards right now.

She was trying really hard not to turn bright red over his comment. Keziah maybe native but she knew what protection. At least he wasn't trying to give them both the birds and the bees talk. That would be very awkward but she wouldn't be surprised if he had a side conversation about that with her.

What really surprised her was how calm her seemed to be about this whole thing. She expected a fight but the only thing he was doing was threatening Calico in a fatherly type way. When Keziah really thought about it was kind of sweet.

Her heart fluttered a little when the Grand Marshall said he wanted to see more of her. She probably would have said something or kissed him again but not in front of Krest.

"So...Krest what are you doing out here in the bushes?" She still wanted an explanation as to why he was out here in the first place. "I know you have better things to do than spy on me. Surprise training session?"


@[member="Krest"] @[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Darth Ferus]

Krest slid his hands behind his head. He had no intention of sticking around much longer now, but he'd at least answer her question. As he turned to leave he let out a laugh, a grin on his face. In truth his hiding in the bushes was his surprise training. Simple lesson, one he hoped she'd pick up on at least.

"Just showing you that there are eyes everywhere. When you think you're most relaxed, someone will come. My plan was to surprise you later on, see if you could react fast enough, but this worked too. Always expect the unexpected." He walked off then, not bothering to look back. He ruined the moment enough, but he was sure it would be salvaged.

Just be safe.

@[member="Keziah Denko"], @Calico Tal'Verda

 

[Revenchent]

"Always the unexpected." Calico grumbled under his breath, mentally kicking himself for not setting up some sort of surveillance equipment. Normally, he would have lined the forest with tiny strip cams and the occasional pressure plate. It was what he was trained to do, but he'd been a bit distracted. You couldn't afford to be comfortable when alone, even on Zenith Prime, even this out of the way.

He titled his head toward the bit of weight in his pocket, a DC-15, just in case. "Enjoy yourself Krest....I'll keep her sharp while you're gone."

Di'kut popped out to give a pregnancy lecture...I would've done the same. Good lad.

Calico rested his hand at Keziah's hip, taking a moment to glance over at the amber light of a setting sun, reflecting off of the lake. "For the record..." He looked down to meet her gaze. "I'm not to into knocking you up either. Not right now." Basic, chakaar, basic. "Not that it was my...intention...wasn't...isn't!


@[member="Krest"] @[member="Keziah Denko"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

She groaned a little wondering why everything needed to be a lesson. The young woman knew it was for her own good but still. There were times that Keziah just wanted to shut out the galaxy. It seemed though that she couldn't do that as yes danger lurked from every corner. The only place that was safe was your home and even that she was sure was debatable.

As he left she waved goodbye with her free hand. He was gone for the moment which left her alone again with Calico for the rest of the evening hopefully. The sun was just beginning to set on the lake and it would be quite romantic to go watch it finish setting alone. Away from prying eyes.

"Oh so your plan is to knock me up later but not right away?" She winked at him giggling a little figuring that he had completely messed that up. It was kind of cute actually that he was getting flustered in front of her. "The sun is just beginning to set over the lake. We could go watch it?" She smiled at him as she looked up into eyes.

@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"] @[member="Krest"]

 

[Revenchent]

Romance, for Calico, was a generally alien concept. Visri had never been one for it, and the closest he had ever seen it was between Jain and Galaar. Occasionally during urban operations he would come across a couple or two. They always seemed to be preoccupied, and he hasn't exactly been exposed to the civilian element of the Republic during his service. Fox Squad was deployed almost exclusively on the outer rim up until Operation Knightfall, and even then, the GAR only gave leave to clones near the very end of the war.

On the other hand, he understood the beauty of a sunset, and that must have been significant to this romance thing. "Of course...Keziah. I don't have anything else I'd want to be doing." He made a conscious effort not to call her ma'am. "And I...wasn't implying...yes...no! Forgive me, I'm not very good at this."

The Marshal was red faced, though, that seemed to be common place lately. "As much as I'm enjoying this evening, I feel it's unfair not to warn you about what you're getting into."

He turned her toward the lake, and stared out at it as he spoke. "I work outside of the morally gray area. I do bad things for the sake of the Confederacy, for my people. In the future, I won't always be home, and I want to reclaim my Mandalorian heritage. My offspring would be raised Mando'ade, if they come about. I'm also aging at twice the rate of a normal man, blame the Kammies, working a cute but it may be impossible."

Calico took a deep breath, arm tightening slightly around her waist. He was a no-nonsense man when it came down to it. Life could be played like a TacOps deployment. It wasn't a good idea to commit to a target with a squad member, unless that member knew all the details first, and agreed. It was, according to Calico, only logical.

@[member="Keziah Denko"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

"It's alright, I'm not very good at this either. It's all quite new to me. Your doing just fine." Lately she had been exposed to many new things that she hadn't before. Until Krest found her she had never been off her home planet or in a ship for that matter. She had been quite sheltered at home even after her father stopped drinking. Her parents had wanted to protect their children all of a sudden. It had all been quite silly to her and Keziah had never taken any of it too seriously. She had played along for a bit pretending that everything was alright.

When it came to relationships she didn't have a good track record. She had a bad relationship with her parents and even though she had loved her siblings they had ultimately left her. Keziah now had Krest whom she considered a good friend and kind of like the father she never had but wanted. She was quite smitten with Calico and they had just met but she knew nothing about love. She had terrible role models.

"Well, since your laying it all out the line it's only fair I do the same. I'm not perfect myself. I had a childhood which has left me emotionally and physically scared. I can get over emotional and lash out for the silliest of reasons. I can be clingy at times and impatient." She paused for a moment wrapping her arm around him. Keziah accepted him for who he was. If he thought his little speech would scare her away he was mistaken. She was here for him. "I'll miss you terribly when your gone but know I'll be home waiting for your return and worrying of course. We can raise any children we may have as Mando'ade." Keziah was also going to help him find a cure for the aging issue and if that meant she dabbled in poisons and the like that is what she would do.

@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

"Alright. Whenever I'm in town, you visit me." It was simple and short. A declaration of their relationship if anything. Calico was simple like that. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her brow as the sun descended slowly past the shimmering lake.

This was a nice trip. A wonderful trip.

"And I'll help you with your training." He didn't know what else to really say. The soldier was happy, ecstatic even, but he had no real words. These things had always seemed a bit beyond him. Calico understood that, while a flesh and bone man, these things were as difficult to him as if he were a droid. Nothing was going to ruin it though, not this one.

"We both had shoddy childhoods. At least we're on the same playing field." He huffed a quiet laugh as the sky evolved into a myriad of reds and oranges. Night would fall soon, but they still had a moment. "My boys are...well..it's going to be something explaining to them, heh. I try to pair them off with nice ladies, help them live normal lives. I love them dearly, they're my life, my soul."

It was clear from his tone of voice that he was passionate about the other clones. He wanted her to understand that integral part of his life. He reached downward and began to twirl her hair, old habits died hard. "Though, I can make quite a bit of room for another, if you want. Could be fun." Calico shrugged, flashing that disarming smile more than ever now.


@[member="Keziah Denko"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

"I'm sure that they will be happy for you. I bet they have been hoping you would find a nice lady of your own and settle down too." It was easy to see how passionate he was about his boys and how much he loved them. She reckoned that he would do anything for him. He obviously placed their happiness over that of his own. "I would like to meet your boys." Since the other clones were an important part of his life she wished to meet them. Hopefully they would like her and she would pass the bro test.

The thought of making room for another didn't sound that bad and it could be fun with him. The young woman wanted to focus on her training at the moment. She needed to learn to protect herself at the very least and she wanted to be a little more grounded. "I wouldn't say no to the idea," she smiled. "It would be very cute and fun." She had to admit, a mini one of them running around would be adorable. "I should focus on my training at the moment though at least till I get to knight but I wouldn't mind it."

They may have had just met that day but it felt perfectly natural to be talking about their future together and the possibility of children. Those were the types of things couples talked about. Keziah had every intention of making this work. "Do you normally stay at Fort Tal'verda or at the Capital?"





@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]

 

[Revenchent]

She thought I meant...I mean...oh gods.

"Oh, dear, I meant for you not..." He trailed off slightly, face brightening by the second. "Down the road cyar'ika. Far down the road. I'm not sure how I would do with a child." That was all very fast thinking....then again, with the way the galaxy was, that was how it had to be.

I have to keep her safe too now.

"Of course you can meet them. they'll like you. You treat me well." One more, spoken with almost childlike straightforwardness. Tomorrow, he would have to begin setting up the meeting with the Republic. That could wait. He had tonight, and it wouldn't be wasted. "Tal'verda is the capital of Zenith Prime. If you meant Bothuwai, no, too stuffy. Too much fur."

Calico twisted about to come up behind her, slipping his arms around her midriff. This was what normal people did, wasn't it? Spoke of the future, children, enjoyed an evening with their special someone. He supposed it didn't matter. "You should come out here more often. We have a Templar Enclave...my apartment is rather large."

Don't be odd.

"You wouldn't have to go far."

@[member="Keziah Denko"]

 

[Keziah Denko]

Without a word she turned and buried her head into Calico super embarrassed as she just had totally misinterpreted what he said. He had meant that he had room for her in his life. She at this very moment felt like a complete idiot.

She hoped they approved of her. Keziah had no thoughts of ever not being kind to him. It was a best practice in her opinion to treat others the way you wished to be treated. She wouldn't even be mean to him or ignore him.

She could train at the Templar Enclave and than go see him when he was around. It would be perfect! Keziah was sure that she could get Krest to train more out here. "I defiantly will make a point to come out here more often especially when I know you'll be home."

She sighed happily leaning against him as he held her in his arms. Keziah felt safe and happy here with him. In this moment everything was right with the galaxy. Nothing could possibly go wrong. "You'll have to let me know when you are home so I can come visit. I'm sure with your position your gone a lot." The one good thing about being the new girl was that people were not looking for you constantly and nobody but Krest cared where you went.
@[member="Calico Tal'Verda"]