My Right Hand

[Revenchent]

The glowing rivers of Sector Six were beautiful. Its neon blue glow was so vibrant that it could be seen from space. These rivers were connected with Zenith Prime's very core. They were the planet's life-blood, for lack of a better term. The massive spires on either side of the rivers helped to keep the nutrient filled water pure and warm. These rivers fueled the power for the entire planet, and they needed to be maintained.


They also happened to be one of Calico's favorite locations on Zenith Prime. Sector Six was far south of the equator, away from the majority of the training grounds, fortresses, and vestiges of civilization. The only social interaction you would normally found out here was with the droids who constantly kept the lake maintained.


The Commander took in a deep breath, wrinkling his nose at the smell of concrete. That was what this section of the planet was, anyway, concrete. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and sighed. The favorite hunter, the one who had passed his test and delivered the doctor, was supposed to meet him here.


He turned on his heel and put his back to the river, adjusting his plain black shirt as he made sure his Belbulab still sat where it had been carefully set down. The sleek, silver fighter reflected the neon colors in a charming display back at Calico. One thing was for certain: this world was home.


Let's hope she lives up to this.

@[member="Ven"]

 

[Kaprosuchus96]

Ven was beginning to feel even smaller than she'd felt before: she knew the universe was big but it seemed to be growing even more so with each new planet she visted. The Falleen female let off a sigh as she stepped out of a small speeder and onto the concrete that made up this so called "Sector Six", giving the piece of machinery a quiet glare as she moved to walk around it and towards the river, needing to walk around the fighter. She didn't spare her gaze for this ship either, looking it over and letting out a shudder, "Fighters are.. so small.. at least it's bigger than that sorry little speeder." Ven glanced unhappily back at the speeder she'd rode here, wishing that she could've had her Quicksilver Dragon instead, but navigating through these spires didn't sound or look like a fun ordeal.


Ven took a deep breath as she stopped right at the nose of the fighter and peered towards the river, looking for the man who'd requested her presence. After the last ordeal's success she was not expecting for her expertise to be called on again, though it didn't completely surprise her that it had happened. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat as she neared the clone Commander. Adjusting her leather jacket as she walked up to him, stopping five feet or so from him, cocking her head to the right, "Quite a view." She states after a minute, looking past him at the neon blue river.


@[member="Commander Calico CC-247"]

 

[Revenchent]

A small smile formed on the Commander's face. Ven, at the very least, was punctual. he made no move to shake hands, this wasn't formal. It wasn't official. It just was. "It is, isn't it?" Calico half-turned to the right, putting the river in his field of vision as well as Ven.


"It's amazing what Vong Shaping can do. It made this, it helped keep my boys alive, it gave us a home." A sense of pride coated his tone as he motioned out toward the neon river. "Here, no one can call my boys and girls meat-droids or military assets. They're people, sometimes more human than the average citizen if you ask me."


You're rambling. Stop.


Calico smoothed out his shirt and straightened up. His dark brown eyes settled on Ven's, arms folding over his chest. "You helped them more than you really know, Ven- -He made sure to use her first name--"I'm working on giving them long, full lives. That scientist was only the start. There's more to be done."


He bowed his head slightly, a show of very real gratitude, and turned back toward the river. "Tell me, Ad'ika, how do you know Krest? I like the man, he's a good lot, so I'm a bit curious." That was right out of left field. Calico wanted to know how this woman thought, before he gave her something truly important.

@[member="Ven"]

 

[Kaprosuchus96]

[SIZE=10pt]Ven looked the Commander over and cocked her head to the side, glancing at the river once more, wiggling the end of her nose, nodding slowly as he not only thanked her, but also explained there was more. She was eager to help out more and so far, even just with only one operation under her belt, she felt at ease and comfortable around the few she’d been around so far. "You really care about them. A lot. It’s… refreshing." The Falleen female stated, setting her hands on her hips. She contemplated his last statement, as well as[/SIZE] perked one brow at what he’d called her, and even though she was curious as to what it meant, she decided to skip that question and jump right into answering his.


[SIZE=10pt]Ven looked at the river for another minute or so before taking a deep breath and turning her gaze on the clone once more, "Krest? You could say we grew up together. He and I lived together for eleven years before I… Left home." She picked her words carefully; still unsure as to if she should divulge everything just yet. "You could say he’s the one that actually took care of me, as opposed to my parents." She dropped her arms to her side and stood up straight, taking a deep breath, "He's the only family I have in existance." She tried not to sound bitter as she let those last words escape her lips. "His opinion and safety matter to me, though if you asked him, he'd probably say mine takes presidence over his, or at least that's what he said before I left home. I'm not sure if his statement would be the same anymore." Ven seemed to laugh softly at the thought of it.[/SIZE]


@[member="Commander Calico CC-247"]

 

[Revenchent]

Calico paused for a moment to take a breath. His head cocked to the side as he spoke.
"Of course I do. People treat them like droids. Sure, they're clones, but overall, they're just young men with a horrible situation." He chewed down on his lower lip to keep himself from dotting more over the clone situation. Now wasn't the time.


"Huh, you've known him for hat long?" He raised a brow, the surprise evident in his voice. That was reassuring to say the least. Krest, while a bit off, was a reliable young man.


You know you're young too.


"Oh, I'm sure it would." The Commander huffed a quiet, rough little laugh. "He's more than overprotective when it comes to his allies. He's well on his way to becoming a Templar Master...good lad." He paused to turn back toward the river. Its neon glow was vibrant as ever, casting an exotic blue light on his tired features. Coupled with the graying night sky and the massive maintenance toward; the scene was absolutely breathtaking.


You're not an old man yet. You should be flirting with this woman, or whatever young people do. Not giving out jobs that affect the entire clone population. This isn't what Bralor wanted for you.


"Tell you what, my brother Galaar and I are taking bets on how long it takes for him to make a move on you." He cracked a small little grin and fixated his attention on Ven.
"I'm sure you've heard about Operation Weedkiller. I promise, it was a humane operation. All civilians harmed were casualties caused by the corrupt CEO. We just went in to clean up the kitchen after the fire." His tone dropped to a more serious octave.

No, flirting wasn't on his agenda. There were far more important things to garner his attention. Besides, women could be terrifying in a situation like that. He had no right to indulge in things like that until every one of his brothers--his sons were free to do it themselves.

"I promise I didn't call you out to an all but abandoned river in the middle of the country side for a social call." A hint of humor laced his tone. "We're deploying to Nar Haaska tomorrow...it's going to be a covert op. I've transferred the ops report to your datapad but...I have a separate objective for you. You won't be arriving with the CIS group, if it interests you."


@[member="Ven"]

 

[Kaprosuchus96]

Ven nods gently, "Eleven years is a long time of having a overprotective red Zabrak be a thorn in my hind, but you know, he was there when I needed him, when my parents weren't." She shrugged, setting her arms across her chest to sort of hug herself. "After the last two years though, it'll be a while before our relationship will ever be back to what it used to be, and even then it will be like sibling rivalry, so you're bet is going to fall through." She grinned, "Have fun losing your credits." She warned him before shaking her head, laughing a bit, "Asides, he's built up an immunity to Falleen pheromones unlike most people I know." The twenty-six year old points out, shifting from one foot to the other.


She was silent for a few minutes, thinking of this "operation" he was talking about and gave him a curious glance, "Actually, I haven't heard about it at all; you'll have to tell me some other time when you're not briefing me about this Nar Haaska ops." She held a light hearted tone about her with a smile spread across her lips after realizing that she might have come off as rude. Being incredibly interested (whether she ended up working her part on her own or not) she turned fully towards him so as to give him her full attention. "I'm definitely more than interested in diving into danger once more. Is there anything you can tell me that you couldn't send to my datapad, obviously something that is... appropriate? I can't seem to think of the term." She frowned but shook her head, waving it off.


"Having the correct vocabulary or not, I'm interested." Ven stated, her eyes betraying her emotions as they sparkled with interest and adventure.


@[member="Commander Calico CC-247"]

 

[Revenchent]

Pheromones. Faleen have Pheromones. Kriff, how did that slip my mind?

"I'll reword it as...donating credits to the treasury of Clone rights, or something like that." The banter was nice. It eased tension, made people easier to work with. She would have to like Calico if she were to be trusted with the jobs not even the Archon could know, after all.

"Wasn't aware Krest was that talented. Even more for the dossier...and...should I have worn my bucket. I don't take kindly to attractive women making me do illogical things." It was a joke, of course, but it sounded...odd. He stood in silence for a moment, mentally kicking himself, and simply nodded.


"But yes, there is some information that doesn't need to be recorded. If you look at the record, it shows the resistance really sparked up after a droid arrived. Officially, no one knows what the droid is. Un-officially, Galaar and I ran into them the day we were released from Carbonite." He paused to whip out his own datapad. What came up seemed to be a spider like droid, with a number of green lights and four manipulators. It was repulsive.


"They're very resilient, and very smart. I have no idea on what it takes to put one down, but they're sentient. Sentient like you and I, they don't act like droids...I want this subject brought back alive, Ven. I'll be accompanying teams on Nar Haaska, but I want you ready to pounce the droid and bring it in." He paused to search her expression. "Officially, we will have never seen it after Nar Haaska. In reality, you'll deliver it to my quarters on Zenith Prime. We can discuss everything else after that."


@[member="Ven"]

 

[Kaprosuchus96]

Ven tried to keep her laughter to a minimum, but her attempt failed and she ended up just covering her mouth with the back of her right hand and snickering behind it. Shaking her head she sighed and just decided not to respond to his "bucket" comment, shaking her head, "Just watch it, Commander. I don't take kindly to men who begin to do illogical things." She smiled widely, glad that this conversation wasn't awkward, at least, not from her side of it it wasn't. At least he wasn't completely fawning over her, like most usually ended up doing, and it usually ended up with her blaster pointed at whichever body part or extremity was closest and, at that point, would make it easiest for them to give up and back off. "And most men who do illogial things around me end up with the muzzle of my blaster against their torso."


Her expression grew serious and she looked almost emotionless and calm when he spoke of the droid, wiggling the end of her nose, "Krest may know of a way to incapacitate a droid; he's half droid after all, I swear." she shakes her head and sighs, "The first thing I think of is an EMP or the like but he would know better than me. I'm a mechanic on ships, not droids, haven't really practiced on them. But. I can do it, and I will do it." Ven looks at Calico with complete and utter determination and seriousness. "I will have to find some sort of transport maybe, or find a way to.. control it?" She frowned and stubbornly wiggled the end of her nose, "I'll figure it out before you're deployed." The Falleen stated, setting her jaw, "It will be done, Commander."


@[member="Commander Calico CC-247"]

 

[Revenchent]

Calico shoved his hand into his pockets and stared for a moment. Was there anything else that needed to be covered? No, he didn't really think there was. "Yes, well, I happen to wear Katarn kit, so it'll take more than a pee shooter to the chest to get to the soft parts inside." He paused, chewing down on his lower lip as he thought up what else to say. "And who said I was illogical? I like to think I'm rather on the ball."


He took a moment to chance one last glance back at the neon river. He decided that he would build a home here, one day. For now, he resided in Fort Tal'verda, but one always needed a retirement plan. Some place to get away when all the action was over. "I'm certain you can. I'll leave it to you to decide when to pounce, just deploy during or before our arrival."

The Commander folded his arms behind his back, and gave the Falleen a slightly concerned look. "And try not to get shot. Finding good help is oddly difficult in this era." It was a joke, of course, but it conveyed the serious meaning nonetheless.


@[member="Ven"]

 

[Kaprosuchus96]

"I'll most definitely jump in there either when you and the boys get deployed or slightly after. I'll know before you're all out there. I'll send a holo or something." The Falleen female shrugged before smiling faintly and laughing. "You don't want me getting shot, Commander? I'm pretty sure I signed up for this with the knowledge that it'd be dangerous. I wasn't planning on living forever anyways."


She wore a wide set smile, hands now resting on her hips before shaking her head, "Does one operation even count as enough for me to be irreplaceable? I have to disagree. I'm not high enough on the food chain yet." Ven stated.


@[member="Commander Calico CC-247"]

 

[Revenchent]

"Forgive me for having morals." Calico chided, arms folded behind his back. Should he say more? Try to get personal? "You report to me. That's pretty important, I think, so again, if you die, I will be upset." His tone was oddly firm for a moment.


"And don't get any ideas about that." He added quickly as he looked over toward his fighter. All he had needed to say was done. All that really mattered now was what Ven thought. "Remember, me being upset is not good for the galaxy, save it some grief." A hint of humor laced his voice. He let a small smile slip as he waited for whatever her final word would be


It was about time they went to work.

@[member="Ven"]

 

[Kaprosuchus96]

"Morals are good. Makes you sane; makes you human." She smiled at him reassuringly and nodded, "I don't plan on dying yet, Commander, but I also don't plan to exceed your.. How would you say it... Expiration date. I don't want to die of old age, let alone grow older and older while my friends waste away." She thought back to part of why she'd ran from Falleen to begin with; she was nothing like other Falleens out there. "I don't plan on hurting any of my friends in any way, Commander. Never again."



Her tone was determined, as was her expression and the emotion within her eyes, at least until he pulled the crack about the fighter, where a deep set grin engraved itself into her face. Ven chuckled, clasping her hands in front of her, pretending to be innocent, "Why Commander Calico, I haven't the foggiest idea as to what you mean." Her voice had a faint humor to it, and was only partially laced with sarcasm.



She stood there for another moment or so with her arms across her chest, as she stared at the river, "Question..." She paused for a moment before looking back at him, "Why'd you call me that? Why'd you call me... Attica?" Her expression grew into a frown, feeling as if she had pronounced it wrong. Ven looked at him for help, curious and confused.


@[member="Commander Calico CC-247"]

 

[Revenchent]

"You'd think differently about that expiration date if your clock was ticking down twice as fast." He pointed out. "Though, as long as you don't bite it on this op, I'll be satisfied." Calico motioned toward her speeder.


Need to get moving.


The Commander began to walk over toward his fighter, stopping mid-step next to the Faleen. "Oh, I'm sure you don't." He shot back, a hint of mischief in his tone, and then, it was gone completely. "Ad'ika. Child, son, daughter, all of the above in Mando'a. Forgive me, it's an old habit."

 

[Kaprosuchus96]

She blinks, nodding faintly before cocking her head to the side, "Daughter? Really?" She wiggled the end of her nose, curiosity peaking, following him back towards the vehicles before stepping up to hers, "I'll figure out what to do about the droid." She stated firmly, looking at him, nodding, "And old habits don't bother me." She states, smiling faintly after stepping into her speeder, "Thanks for filling me in, Commander." Ven waved a quick goodbye as she started up her speeder, "I'll send you a holo when I'm prepped!" She calls out as she gets ready to set back out towards the hangar where her ship is.

@[member="Commander Calico CC-247"]

 

[Revenchent]

"Don't judge me for the way I talk." He chided, climbing into the pilot's seat of the Belbulab. It was time to get underway--Nar Haaska needed them. Hopefully, Ven would do the job right. Calico had faith in her. "I'll be waiting. Make sure you send chocolate too, I love chocolate."

With that, his fighter closed. It lifted up rather quickly, and shot vertically up into the sky; directly toward the Ge'hutuun.

@[member="Ven"]