No one takes care of you quite like family

[Shae Kalin]

The Renolds crew had been on Generis for days helping with the rescue and relief efforts in the wake of the quakes that ripped through the planet. Shae had seen so much death in those caves and it wearied her; not just in body but in her soul, it hurt to think of all the people lost to the quakes. Add to that the exhaustion of having not slept in days, Shae was dead tired; even when some of the Mandos had managed to catch little power naps, Shae had worked non-stop tracking the people buried under all that rock until she was ready to collapse. Kenna might have said something to her as they walked up the ramp into the ship, but Shae didn't even hear it, the Ruferalahuin woman was just so out of it.

Shae staggered down the corridor to her bunk, tugging her mask off and hanging it on her belt, then she unzipped her old, tattered armorweave suit and peeled it off her torso to reveal a myriad of bruises and abrasions up and down her arms and peeking out from the sweat soaked tank top underneath. She didn't realize it, but she was leaving a trail of blood on the deck plating as she walked, her paws all cut up from the rough cave terrain. She'd stopped several times in between rescues to have her feet patched up and bandaged, but she would go right back into the caves to keep searching, reopening the wounds on her paws. Her paws had been patched up again before leaving, but somewhere between the triage center and the ship her wounds had reopened yet again, bleeding through the bandages. But she couldn't even feel it, she was numb to her core.

When Shae finally reached her quarters, she didn't bother stripping off the rest of her suit or removing her gear, she simply flopped onto her bed with a heavy exhale. Part of her knew she should probably go take a shower; it would help remove the smell of blood and dust from her nose as well as ease the tension in her aching body, but now that she was on her bunk she couldn't move. She was just... so tired. Sleep, she needed sleep, she would tend to her other needs later...

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

It had indeed been an especially long few days for Malcom and his crew on the earthquake rocked world of Generis. The relief work was endless, and there never seemed to b enough hands to help. The losses in life and property had been appalling. It had always been easier for Malcom to understand the death and destruction that always followed battle. It was the entire reason after all that armies would come against each other for.

But to see a world brought to its knees by nature was just something that didn't make sense to him. Didn't these people think if they were going to build on an earthquake prone planet, that they should build a but sturdier than normal? Or was such building to costly and or time consuming. At this point it didn't matter. They now paid for their greed, impatience, or lack of forsight.

During the battles or time spent doling out relief aid, Malcom had grown fond of the people he now called his crew. None of them came together under good circumstances, but in the end they all seemed to pull together and work well as a team. Taking a long draw from a canteen, he thought on this reflection.

Malcom had always worked solo before, never really appreciating the company of most people he came in contact with. But the more they worked together, the more they started to feel like an extension of his family. After a few more minutes consideration, Malcom made a decision. Standing up, he headed back into his ship.

Coming up to Shae's room, he walked in while giving a couple knocks on the bulkhead. "Shae, you got a minute?"

[member="Shae Kalin"]

 

[Shae Kalin]

"Mhmm" came her muffled reply. Shae barely had the strength to answer him or raise her head to look at him, yet somehow she managed to sit up on her bed, wincing as she moved. Though she preferred to keep to herself in between jobs, she had always gone out of her way to please the Captain, anticipating what he wanted so she could take the initiative to get things done before he could even ask. Shae was lonely; she no longer had anyone to call family or clan, and she was desperate to garner his approval so that he would not turn on her and send her away. Most everyone she had once held dear eventually turned on her when they learned of her unusual dietary needs, but Malcom already knew and she had been so careful not to let it become a problem while she was a part of his crew. Even still, she had kept her distance in a way, trying not to let herself get too close on the off chance she would be made to leave; she tried not to show it, but these people had become so important to her and she was terrified that now he was here to ask her to leave. Had she done something wrong on Generis, had she not worked hard enough? Or maybe he didn't like that she was walking around in a practically worthless armorweave suit with a bloody bow on their missions? He paid her well enough, she could have gotten new equipment by now, she simply hadn't had the time! In the back of her mind, she tried to figure out what she had done wrong and pleaded silently that he was not here now to ask her to leave...

"What can I do for you, Captain?" Shae asked wearily as she leaned against the bulkhead her bunk was bolted to, giving no indication of how afraid she was in this moment; well, no indication other than the fine tremble that had set into her lithe frame, but that could just as easily be written of as fatigue or the aching of her tired body.

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

Malcom walked in and sat down on the available chair seeming like he was not wanting to bring up what he wished to discuss. This couldn't be further from the truth of course, but he had never broached the subject with someone, so he was having difficulty figuring how exactly he should bring up the topic.

"Well, nothing really. I actually wanted to talk to you about your time on the ship with the crew." There was another pause as he tried to collect his words.

"In Mandalorian society, when someone has proven themselves to a point. It becomes customary for that person to be invited into the culture...adopted as it were."

"I guess to be quite frank, with your time here, you have become a part of the crew in a way that makes you seem more like family than a simply hired hand." It was obvious by his movements, that he meant what he said but felt funny saying it aloud.

"So in short, if you'd be interested, I'd like to adopt you as a sister and as part of Mandalorian society within clan Renolds, there it is."

He then waited for her response, not quite sure how she would take the invitation. It probably sounded silly at best and laughable at worst in her eyes. But it really was a show of respect an affection that he normally wasn't comfortable sharing with anyone, save for the precious few that had earned his respect.

[member="Shae Kalin"]

 

[Shae Kalin]

His opening statement had her worrying about her place here little bit more, but by the time he had finished his offer to 'adopt' her, all she could do was stare in wide-eyed amazement at her. Her wanted to make her a part of his clan? Well, she was way too old to be his sister, she could easily be his grandmother several times over!

"You want to adopt me?" she asked haltingly, almost afraid to believe it was true. He was offering her a family! She wanted to accept right away, but part of her simply couldn't believe it was true. "I don't know what to say!" she said, blinking a few times as she tried to make sense of all this. She wouldn't dare decline his offer because she knew he did not make this offer lightly, but she was finding it difficult to say yes; after the events on Generis, this offer was a bit of a shock to her system and she found her thoughts coming to a screeching halt. Still, the lure of family was appealing to her and a small smile found it's way on her face. She was still so completely amazed, he wanted her to be part of his clan!

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

His eyes sort of looked around the room as if trying to find the words on how to respond to what she said. "Well....a yes or no would suffice I suppose." He said with an awkward chuckle and shrug of his shoulders.

"I'm sorry. Perhaps my offer was rude?" He asked slightly concerned, starting to wonder if what he asked was an insult in her culture some how. "For my people, it's actually a sign of respect and affection...."

His body language depicted a person beginning to feel out of place. "...I honestly didn't mean it as though you were lacking anything or needed anything from me or my people...." He finished rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

[member="Shae Kalin"]

 

[Shae Kalin]

"Yes! Of course, yes," Shae replied, finally finding some semblance of cohesive thought. "I'm sorry, it just came as such a surprise. I've been alone for a very long time now, I guess I had given up on the idea of ever being part of a family again, so your offer left me stunned," she confessed wearily, leaning her head back against the bulkhead. As she closed her eyes, a single tear burned its way down her cheek as she released a relieved, shuddering sigh. "And to think, when you came in, I thought you were going to ask me to leave..."

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

Malcom settled into a more at ease stance with her next words as he chuckled again. Though her final words had him raising an eyebrow. "Say what now? Why in the galaxy would I get rid of you? Despite our first ....interaction, you have proven yourself a loyal, capable, and trustworthy part of the team." He rattled off the different things if they were obvious matters of fact. The notion of throwing away a good person and hard working member of the crew had just never even come to his mind.

"Though..." her captain said after another moments contemplation, "...We'll have to have you meet the rest of the family, and get you set up with more....clan specific gear." He added with a wink. "Speaking of, you about ready to get off this rock? I think our time here is about finished. Replacements i saw coming in at the landing area a couple hours ago."

[member="Shae Kalin"]

 

[Shae Kalin]

Shae shook her head slightly. "No, it's nothing against you that I thought that, it's just what usually happens. I guess I'm too... abnormal to be accepted anywhere. Some groups have tolerated me for a while, but then eventually I'm asked to leave, sometimes I'm even chased off... It gets tiring after a while, and when someone approaches me for 'a talk', well, that's what it usually means," Shae explained sadly. "I've always been on the outside looking in, so your offer really was a shock. And I am definitely ready to get out of here. Though... before we go meet your family... I think I might need some time to, uh... go hunting," she said awkwardly, her eyes darting to the cold box where she usually kept her 'food' so he would know what she was talking about. Shae knew how much it could disturb the others to see her consuming sustenance from a sentient source, so she kept anything she scavenged in a cold box in her room away from everyone else's food. "I was going to ask for some personal time, but then we got called to Generis and... I'm really hungry," she admitted. Before, she could have easily gone another couple of weeks before getting this hungry, but after so many days of constant exertion and fatigue, it had accelerated her need for sustenance. Add to that, Malcom was Force sensitive and he was smelling so good right now... Not that she would ever harm him, she would rather starve than harm a friend.

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

Malcom smirked at her final request. It still just didn't compute fully how it all worked. Malcom would kill someone in a fair fight....or if he thought a person was about to start a fair fight....or if he was being paid...or if there was a woman involved....ok, especially if there was a woman involved. But eating people just to stay alive. When did that get fun? Still the force or nature or whatever loved diversity.

An uncomfortable chuckle escaped his lips one last time. "No worries, darlin'. Do what you got to do....quietly. And don't take too long. We got to be breakin' atmo pretty soon." He finished with a smirk.

[member="Shae Kalin"]

 

[Shae Kalin]

Shae really didn't want to hunt the people here, there had been more than enough loss here already and she typically did not like going after innocents anyway. It was easy to take what she needed when she was paid to do a job where her employer didn't care if there were survivors. It was even easier when a target was wanted dead. But to go out and just kill someone?! No, maybe she could find an animal with a high enough midi chlorian count to hold her over until the next job...

"Thank you, Captain," she said, scooting to the edge of the bed and resting her paws on the floor. It was then that she noticed the blood trail she had left on the floor. Oh, she would have to clean that up later... But somehow in her fatigue-addled mind she didn't connect that blood on the floor with her paws and how hurt they were, and when she put her weight on her paws, she released a pained whine and sagged back on the bed. Oh, that was thoroughly unpleasant!

But she was too proud to ask for help. She had done fine on her own for all these years, she could tend to herself! With a trembling hand, she fumbled around the pack she was still wearing to find a medkit, then pulled her raw, bleeding feet back onto the bed to patch them up.

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

He was about to turn away when he noticed how rough her coordination was for caring out whatever she was trying to do from the corner of his eye. The pained whine that entered his ear caused him to raise and eyebrow and look to her. Quickly searching for clues as to what may have caused it, he saw the bloody footprints that led to her struggling form. "Shae...." he started in disbelief but paused for another moment to put his thoughts and understanding of the situation together.

"Have you seriously been working yourself to death?" He asked with a sigh. The question was really rhetorical as it was obvious she had been. "There is no way you are going to be able to pull off what you need alone." He thought on the situation a moment. "Once you have taken care of your feet, finish off what supplies you have for sustenance. When you are finished. Come find me in my room. I'll go help you with your search." He turned to leave again to give her some privacy, but then added with a friendly wink. "That's an order. No going off without me."

He had an idea how stubborn she could be when it came to her pride. He was in fact the same way in many things. But he wasn't about to let his crew...his family go off on a mission that could get themselves killed. Not alone anyway. Malcom would support his family and crew as best as he could no matter what challenges they faced. Just the same as he could count on them to do the same for him.

[member="Shae Kalin"]

 

[Shae Kalin]

"I wouldn't say I've been working myself to death, just to the bone," Shae offered with a weak smile. "The caves were very rough on my paws, and I didn't take any breaks... Maybe I did work myself a little too hard," she admitted sheepishly. Now that she was looking back on things, she could acknowledge that it had been rather foolish to work herself so hard, but she wouldn't have been able to rest while there were still people down in those caves!

"I will meet you shortly," Shae said as she continued to tend to her torn up paw pads, bandaging her feet tightly so they would be less likely to start bleeding again. She decided to suffer the pain and forgo pain killers as they would dull her senses. Then she pulled the top half of her suit back on, wincing as her aching body protected this action. She lowered her feet back to the floor and slowly padded over to her cold box to check what food she had left. She didn't have much left, and given that it was old and cold it didn't sate her hunger nearly enough, but she did as she was told and ate what she could, then grabbed her bow. Taking slow, painful but steady steps, she headed for Malcom's room, knocking at the door before letting herself in without really thinking about what she was doing.

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

As she walked in, she would here a growling sound from the cage in Malcom's room. But nothing appeared to be inside. That was at least until Urz got to see who it was that was walking into his masters room. It was then the chameleon like hound changed back to his normal colors to be seen and stopped growling. It was still getting used to interacting with others that weren't its master, but by now it was at least neutral to semi friendly with recognized crew.

Malcom had his helmet off and was running some cool water through his hair. It had been a long day, and life inside an armored suit could get warm at times. Hearing the knock at the door and the growling of his hunting dog, the man turned around to see Shae walking in. "Ready to go?" He asked while small droplets of water fell from his hair and into his face and down his neck. "Let me just get my helmet and rifle, and we can head out." Picking up the two items, he quickly secured his helmet in place and shouldered the heavy sniper rifle he was known for.

"Let's go." He said as he moved toward the cage and opened it up. "Come Urz. Time to play." He said in a neutral tone as he walked out with Shae. "So. Got any area in particular you think we should head to?"

[member="Shae Kalin"]

 

[Shae Kalin]

Shae looked down at Urz in his cage and woofed at him, inciting a bit of extra excitement in the hound. Urz only answered to his master, and Shae would never seek to subvert that, but Urz saw her as little more than another hound, so his behavior around her was a little different than the rest of the crew. Not by much, he would still snap at her given half the chance, but they worked in cooperation with each other very well.

"I have really lowered my standards on what is deemed 'ready', but I am ready," Shae replied, following Malcom out of his room. "I'd like to stay away from the populated areas, so I won't be tempted by them. Instead, I'll try to hunt some of the natural wildlife, see if maybe I can sniff out something non-sentient that is strong in the Force." Shae was uneasy about taking him on a hunt, even just to hunt a beast. Shae loved hunting, loved hunting with others, but this kind of hunt was very personal; she had never asked anyone to procure food for her like this and having him with her made her feel vulnerable. Not like she had much of a choice, she was already weak and vulnerable right now...

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

He gave a nod to her reply on where and what she wanted to hunt. It was then something at the back of his mind started nagging at him. A way he might be able to help Shae with her dietary needs that will finally keep them all safe from reprisal if someone finally caught her that cared.

So as they started heading out he thought he might ask. "Hey Shae, have you ever heard of a teretatek? They are a force sensitive monster of sorts. You may have heard if them as Jedi killers." Pulling up his data pad, he brought up a file he had on them and handed her the data pad. "I ask because I was curious if you think these might serve as a good food source for you?"

[member="Shae Kalin"]

 

[Shae Kalin]

"I do not know them by this name, but I am familiar with them," Shae said, looking over the datapad with the info for terentateks. They were Dark-side creatures who also had an affinity for consuming Force sensitives, but unlike Ruferalahuin the terentateks did not require this consumption to maintain such a strong connection to the Force, it was an innate part of their physiology. "I have concerns with their affinity for the Dark side of the Force, but other than that, they would be more than adequate. Properly preserved, one of those could feed me for a long time, though I do not see myself trying to take down one of these beasts; I am good, but not that good," she admitted, returning the datapad to him as they trod away from the rescue camps and populated areas of Generis. She watched Urz dart ahead, letting him search for any signs of wildlife tracks for her so she and Malcom could talk for a moment. "You've never shown this sort of concern for my food supply before. I've done what I could to ensure this wouldn't ever be a problem and I am content with scavenging from kills made on the job," she stated, not quite defensively, but she did somewhat feel the need to defend her methods.

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

Malcom already had a few ideas for food preservation. He'd have to ask his brother about countering darksided effects thought. He was the tech head of the family after all. Malcom was just a captain. Still, that part was the least of his concerns when she mentioned her last comment. He tilted his head as he looked at her, obviously not really understanding her question. "As your captain my responsibility is to find work, make sure you are supplied to carry the work out, and get you paid for your work. In this I'd like to think I have done a fair job."

He stopped walking though to look her straight in the eye. "As family...the soon to be Aliit'buir of our clan, and your brother, my job is to make sure you don't simply survive, but thrive. You aren't just a hired hand any more, darlin'. You are apart of the clan, and the Mandalorian people as a whole. You are family. Remember that." He finished with a nod while smiling. With that, he continued on allowing her a chance to reflect on his words.

It was a fairly easy concept for him to wrap his head around as Mandalorian culture was based on this type of thing. They even had sayings devoted to the ideal. But it could be difficult at times for outsiders brought in to fully grasp...at least at first.

[member="Shae Kalin"]

 

[Shae Kalin]

"Family and clan was always an important part of my father and mother's culture, but they did not share the same culture, and each was an outsider to the clan of the other. To my father's people, I was an aberration, deformed because my parents had to use genetic modifications to reproduce, and because of that I look so little like my father's people... And to my mother's people, I was a monster... Were it not for my mother's devotion to protect me, I truly believe her people would have killed me when they found out what I needed to do to survive," Shae replied softly. She was tired, she didn't want to be hunting right now, and it showed in the weariness of her stride and the slump of her shoulders. But she knew she needed to do this, so she persisted. And in a way, it was kind of like a bonding moment for her and Malcom; he was claiming her as family, and he was right that it was now his responsibility to make sure she thrived, so maybe it was the right thing to have him by her side in this moment. She was still uncomfortable sharing this hunt with him, but it was still right.

Shae's posture suddenly changed when she noticed Urz sniffing at some tracks. She became more alert, her body tensing in preparation for the need to spring into action like the natural predator she was. She knelt beside Urz, breathing in the scent of the creature that had walked through here not long before. This was a good find, and she made a chirping sound to Urz to indicate her approval of it. The large hound-like creature snapped at Shae's ear almost playfully, then continued tracking the trail. Shae shook her head, wiping Co-tamp saliva off her furry ear, then rose to follow, drawing an arrow and setting it on her bow, but she kept her bow low and slack until she was ready to fire.

"I have known what family is only for a small portion of my life, but I do remember what it means," Shae continued, this time much softer now that they were actively tracking something. "All the same, I don't think you can fully appreciate just what this offer means to me. I have been alone for a very long time..."

[member="Malcom Renolds"]

 

[Malcom Renolds]

"That's....terrible." He said softly moreso to himself than anyone else. The thought of treating a fellow clansman in that way simply didn't compute. It went against everything it was to be Mandalorian. "I'm sorry to hear it. It sounds like it was rough."

Malcom smiled at her assertion however, that what was offered meant a lot to her. It was a good thing too. Malcom had never invited anyone into the clan as he had her just then. So it was nice to know she was taking it seriously. Even though she was apart of the family and clan now, he still didn't know much about her race. It was curious that she mentioned being alone for a long time. Perhaps not in of itself moreso than how she said it.

Raising a curious eyebrow he asked, "If you don't mind my asking...how old are you? It's just with the way you say things some times, you make it seem like you are far older than you look." He really wasn't trying to be insulting. Malcom was simply curious. With her no longer as just a hired hand, he wanted to get to know the things he hadn't already picked up on. So while he waited for her response, he casually watched Urz take off in the direction most likely to bring up some animal that could serve their purposes.

[member="Shae Kalin"]