Private Touched

[Arlo Renard]

The late Kai Bamarri, once a larger than life figure, was reduced to a doll-sized hologram hovering above a projector. The file from which the projection had originated was small, indicative of a brief message. But clearly whatever it said was important, since it was, essentially, his will.

“Hi Alicio,” Kai began, soft-spoken as ever. “If you’re watching this, it means I’m dead. I saw it coming, and you probably did too, since you can see the future now.

“Anyway, I don’t care about having a funeral or any memorial service, so don’t worry about that. Probably not many people would come anyway. Or there will be a lot of people who treated me like trash while I was alive showing up because they’ll suddenly feel guilty after I’m gone.” Scowling, he shook his head and made a dismissive gesture. “Forget it.

“You and Amani are welcome to take any of my stuff. Whatever you don’t want, I want you to bring to these coordinates. Don’t ship it, bring it in person. There’s someone there named Gerda. Everything goes to her, including Sophie. Don’t share the coordinates with anybody else or bring anyone with you. It has to stay a secret. If you let the loth-cat out of the bag, I’ll haunt you.”

He paused, as though considering how to end his last message. His eyes closed for a moment, and when next he opened them, it was like a barrier had crumbled. “I trust you with this, Alicio, because you’re one of the best people I’ve ever known. If anyone is going to do this right, it has to be you. You’re getting to the point where you can defend yourself, and you won’t need me anymore. But I hope that when I die, I’ll at least have saved you one last time. That’s all I can really hope for. To not be alone at the end, and for my death—and my life—to have not been in vain. A job well done.

“Okay good, okay fine. That’s all. Love you. Bye.”

The message ended and the hologram faded away, leaving behind coordinates to a farmhouse on Cophrigin V.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

It had been... difficult, cleaning out Kai's apartment.

For the first hour or so, all he did was kneel on the floor, petting Sophie with a distant look in his eye. He couldn't prove it, but the large wolf seemed to know what had happened, curling up next to him, and loosing the lightest of whimpers. They shared in each other's pain for a while, before Alicio finally got to work.

After a half-day of reflection and trying to keep himself busy with packing and cleaning, Alicio's borrowed Alderaanian shuttle finally broke Coruscant's atmosphere, and Alicio punched in some coordinates. They weren't the one's Kai had given him, though; he had taken the Bamarri's last words to heart, and would make a few cautionary jumps before finally arriving over Cophrigin V. Alicio piloted the shuttle down, his jaw setting.

"Well, Sophie," he said absently, pressing a few buttons to begin the landing sequence. "This is the place."

The ship finally began to touch down where the coordinates specified, a dark-cloaked Alicio waiting at the off-ramp as it hissed open.

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

Sophie seemed to recognize the farmhouse. She sniffed the ground leading up to a nearby tree, then barked excitedly up at the branches.

“Sophie!” There was a rustling of leaves, then a pair of bare feet appeared, dangling from the branches. A young girl fell out of the tree, landing gracefully on the ground, and immediately began loving on the Warghest.

Eventually, the girl looked up at Alicio. Her broad grin faded. “You’re not Kai,” she said. “Who are you?”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio followed Sophie out of the ship, lingering behind the energetic wolf as she found... a young girl.

The Count studied her in his future vision before he'd even seen her. She was young, a child by every account. He couldn't help but wonder how Kai knew her. Finally, he watched her drop, and start petting Sophie, who obviously knew her too. Alicio stayed a respectful distance away, until he was acknowledged.

"No, I'm not," he said, sadness underscoring his soft smile. "My name's Alicio. But Kai is one of my... best friends." His lips scrunched as he approached, sitting down gently, his back resting against the rough bark of the tree.

"He told me I could find Gerda here."

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

A small child she was, maybe four or five years of age, though not an ordinary human one. The girl had an oddly cartoonish look, like an animated character brought to life. Her smile was too wide, her eyes too big; her hair defied gravity and her clothes were improbably fine and delicate for a kid playing outside, rolling around in the dirt, climbing trees, and hugging up to shaggy Sophie.

Her expression brightened after Alicio introduced himself. "Kai is my friend too," she said. "He comes to see me, and he brings Sophie. And sometimes he brings me and Andromache stuff."

"He told me I could find Gerda here."

"That's me!" She pointed to herself, hopping from foot to foot with excitement. “I’m Gerda, and you’re Alicio. Hi Alicio!” She waved to him even though she was standing right in front of the melancholic Count, then became fascinated by the buttons and decoration of his clothes, pointing to them with small thin fingers.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio tried his best to understand the young girl before him, but he couldn't quite wrap his head around her features. Everything was exaggerated to the extreme, which was equal parts adorable, and mildly off-putting. At first, he assumed she was Shi'ido, but quickly discarded the idea. Young Shi'ido couldn't shapeshift this well.

After another moment of thought, he simply gave up on understanding her at all, simply giving her a subdued smile. "Hi Gerda," he responded, his heart nearly bursting from his chest.

Noticing Gerda's fascination with his clothes, Alicio smirked, and removed his cloak, offering it to the little shapeshifter. "Here."

"Could you get... Andromache?" It didn't take long for his face to fall again. "Tell him Kai's friend Alicio is here?"

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

The cloak was fastened by a silver brooch in the shape of the crest of Alderaan. Gerda was as much fascinated by the brooch as she was with the cloak itself, prancing around happily once it was laid upon her shoulders. The lower half would be covered in mud by the time she was done, but perhaps it was worth the inconvenience to give the child joy.

“She’s in the house,” Gerda told Alicio, before running up to the door with his cape trailing behind her. She stretched her arm upward to reach the handle, opening it and disappearing inside. Moments later, a woman appeared in the doorway. She looked perfectly ordinary, with her bland face and nondescript clothes, but there was something slightly off about her. If Gerda’s aura was strange and dark, then Andromache’s did not exist. She was not alive.

A droid.

“Won’t you come in, sir?” she asked, holding the door open for him. Gerda jumped up and down beside her with excitement.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

“She’s in the house.”

Alicio nodded in understanding, adjusting his hair slightly in nervousness. Gerda didn't understand why he might be here. But a potential parent or guardian would. He didn't want to be the one to explain to a little girl why her friend wouldn't come to see her anymore.

Alicio finally stood up once Andromache made herself known, absently adjusting his collar. He'd given his cloak to Gerda with no expectation of getting it back, but he suddenly wished for the extra layer. The dour Count hid his hands behind his back, his flimsy smile draining.

He walked into the house, noting immediately the... flavorlessness... of Andromache. Still, he bowed his head slightly to her. "Thank you, Ma'am."

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

Sophie trotted along behind Alicio, her tongue out and panting. The interior of the little farmhouse was small and rustic, with the bare minimum of technology. Gerda and her caretaker were living off the land like Ukatian peasants.

Andromache leaned back against the kitchen countertop. “Can I get you anything?” she asked. “Something to drink, perhaps?”

“I want some juice,” Gerda announced, then added, “Please?”

She was handed a gallon of juice, which she proceeded to chug in a matter of seconds. If her appearance and aura hadn’t been enough, the quickness with which she downed the entire jug would be a dead giveaway. Gerda was like Kai, whether related to him in some way or a member of the same Sithspawn species.

Andromache’s eyes never left Alicio. “To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit, Mr…?” she prompted, though she didn't sound very pleased to see him.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio hesitated at the doorway a little longer than he should have, only fully entering the room as Andromache asked him about refreshments. He frowned, still lingering near the entrance, but chancing a little out of the way. "No, thank you."

A smile fought through his dour attitude when Gerda asked for juice, but it was quickly restrained again. He'd only ever seen Kai consume something so quickly, which clinched it in his mind. She was Sithspawn, like him. Perhaps that was why his discretion was so important, he mused.

“To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit, Mr…?”

"Organa. Alicio Organa." Alicio found her eyes, noting their intensity. "Kai... um..." He broke eye contact, instead finding Sophie. "I'm here to give his things to her." A nod towards Gerda.

"He passed. Saving my life."

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

Andromache evidently recognized the name. “The Senator of Alderaan,” she identified him. “Welcome.”

And with that final pleasantry, Alicio bore the bad news. Silence fell. Gerda understood what Alicio’s words meant, but she could hardly fathom the concept of death at her age. “Kai died?” she asked in disbelief, still clutching the jug of juice. “Kai died?”

Andromache’s face remained expressionless, though she broke eye contact with Alicio to glance down at the little girl. “How did it happen?” she asked, looking up at the Senator again. “I know he was working for you as your bodyguard. That was where the money he sent us came from—”

She broke off as Gerda began to sniffle and whimper. A Sithspawn of her type would weep with their whole body, their form losing its shape and melting like wax. Andromache reached down and scooped her up, holding her close as she started to cry. Sophie whined faintly, shifting her weight from paw to paw.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio winced at Gerda's words, flinching as if they physically pained him. He'd hoped to sail it over her head, so her guardian could explain the concent with a bit more tact than he could. But she knew, at least to some extent, what that meant. He only could nod at the little girl's question, growing silent.

Andromache's follow-up was interrupted by Gerda melting into the ground in tears. Alicio had to look away, a hand making a pass at his face briefly, before turning back. He didn't step forward; he doubted Gerda saw him as a source of comfort anymore, now that he was the bearer of terrible news. He just let the android console the little girl for a moment, before responding.

"It was on Chaldea. There was... What seemed like the end of the world. We were evacuating refugees, and... he saved my life." Alicio folded his hands in front of himself, still as ice. "Dragonfire. It... he didn't suffer."

"I..." He paused. "I understand if you need time. I can... help unload his things, then you can be free of me." He wanted to talk more with them. Ask them so many questions. But he could read the room well enough to know when space was needed.

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

Gerda clung to Andromache, sobbing inconsolably. But the android possessed inhuman patience and a total devotion to her charge. She used Alicio’s cape as a covering for the melting little girl, wrapping her up in it and rocking her gently.

“Chaldea,” Andromache echoed the name softly, not due to emotion but simply for the sake of not disturbing the child, who was gradually beginning to quiet down. “Kai used to tell her he would take her there one day. To see the mermaids and the dragons.”

She fell silent. As is often the way with toddlers, Gerda eventually cried herself into a merciful sleep.

“You can bring his things in,” Andromache said in a whisper. She had a frank, matter-of-fact way of speaking, probably the result of her robotic nature. “I suppose Gerda could find some use for them. If not, we may sell them for credits. Will that be all?”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio stood in reverent silence as Gerda slowly cried herself out, sleeping peacefully. He could barely keep his eyes off her, the dark mix of emotions obvious behind his overcast-day eyes.

“You can bring his things in. I suppose Gerda could find some use for them. If not, we may sell them for credits. Will that be all?”

The gears began turning in Alicio's head, causing his mouth to pull into a thin line. Selling his things for credits? That meant Kai was likely their only source of income. Alicio made no move to leave yet, instead canting his head to the side. He had to ask.

"Who... was Kai to you? To her?"

- Arlo Renard -

 

[Arlo Renard]

Andromache considered him for a few seconds before replying, “I am a Machine Mother, built to bear the Sithspawn progeny of my master, Darth Transitus. Before Gerda was born, I escaped and ran away. There was a safe haven for Sithspawn on Coruscant which welcomed me. Kai was there. He was only a boy then, scared and angry. When he learned what I was carrying, he advocated for termination. He didn’t want another Sithspawn like him to come into the world and suffer as he had. The others did not agree, and so Gerda was allowed to be born.

“The sanctuary did not last, and we were left alone again. I found a place for us to hide, an apartment in the lower levels, but it wasn’t safe. That is where Kai found us. He had changed. He wanted to help.

“But a woman had followed him there. She insisted that the Jedi had to take us. Kai would not allow that. He tried to erase her memory of ever having seen us. She fought back, then went to the Jedi to have him arrested. Before they arrived, Kai sent us to Cophrigin V, vowing to keep us a secret no matter what it cost him.

“We have been here ever since. He sent us money regularly. Sometimes he would visit us and bring Sophie with him.” The Warghest perked her ears at the mention of her name. “We are isolated here out of necessity. Gerda cannot be around organics for too long, or she may eat their minds. She’s too young to know how to control herself.”

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio's eyes didn't leave Gerda as her guardian spoke, icy eyes putting the puzzle pieces together as Andromache relayed their story. Some of it, he knew. Kai's attack on Iris Arani . His imprisonment. He'd never pressed Kai about it, determined to move forward with Kai, rather than living in a past he may have regretted.

In retrospect, perhaps he should have asked, before it was too late. That was the worst part of living with the Future a glance away. Hindsight was always a slap in the face.

Alicio finally tore his eyes away from Gerda. "That seems like a lonely life. For both of you." He bowed his head awkwardly, as if to excuse himself. "I... I'll go get his things, now. And..."

"You won't have to worry about selling them. I'll continue to support you both." With that, he escaped back towards the ship, before his generosity could be questioned.

- Arlo Renard -