Where I call home

[Valkren Calderon]

Colonel Valkren Calderon stopped the Skyfall ground vehicle (Weapon removed) directly in front of a set rusted metallic gates, with electric guard rails branching off of the ends, going for miles in either direction, cropping off the Calderon’ family’s own little slice of Alderaan. He put the vehicle in park, the tires gripping tightly at the muddied road below the vehicle, before looking over to the clone that sat across from him in the passenger seat.

“Want to give me a hand with the gate?” He asked Marl, crawling out of the doorless-truck and planting his boots in the dirt. It was early morning, with no signs of the sun coming about for several hours, so the headlights of the truck were the only thing that let their eyes get a clear idea of what they were working with on the gate. Beyond the metallic guards was a dirt road that went over a hill and out further to a small compound-like set up in the distance.

He had asked his fellow ranger to tag along with him on this trip to Alderaan, well simply because his mother had finally felt the need to sell the farmstead finally. Grandmaster Yune had advised him that he should move his family to a farmstead on Voss, due to the risks that his position put his family in. He hated the idea of selling the place where he grew up at, but it was a sacrifice that needed to be made. So, he brought his ally here to help them get all the sithspit that didn’t sell with the ranch and help him transport it back to Voss. With Marl here, he could also spend more time to get to know one of his future NCO’s.

Calderon looked up at the title of the ranch, well branded with ‘Calderon,’ of course, before he reached for the lock. He placed a seemingly age old key in a lock that seemed like it wouldn’t keep out any form of intruder, letting the gates free for them to push open.

“We give her a push and then you drive my truck through so I can close it up!” The young soldier stated, digging his boots into the mud as he began to push the heavy gate.

For most of the trip to Alderaan, he had remained silent, as sharing information about his family was not his favorite thing to do after the loss of his father and older brother. This, however, needed to be done, and who would be best to trust than someone he knew was loyal to the dot, at least he thought that was the case with Marl.

At least that's what he hoped all of his people were like.

Valkren didn't show it, but the twenty-eight year old had not seen his family in well over a year, and was a nervous wreck inside. He had always wanted to stay away to keep them safe, as his own father had done before. Yet, everything seems to catch up with him, so finally here he was, facing the risk and dealing with it.

(Open to Silver-Jedi and friends, just send a dm before.)

[member="Marl"] | [member="Arisa Yune"]

 

[Marl]

Marl helped his CO push the gate open, it creaked as they pushed forward. Valkren had asked Marl to accompany him on his trip to his families farm. It was a very beautiful peaceful place to live, something that Marl would've liked to live after the Clone Wars ended. Marl went back to the SGV and drove up past the gates and Valkren closed it behind them. The colonel got back in the vehicle and Marl continued driving down the dirt path, he looked over to his CO, who was trying to not look nervous, Marl wanted to say something to put him at ease, but what would he know? The closest thing to family he currently has is RC, who was just a Clone like him.

Marl looked over to Valkren, "Colonel, if I may, I once knew a wise Jedi, like Grand Master Yune, who used to say something for situations like this. He would say 'Named must your fear be, before banish it you can.' The guy was a bit of a nut, but I hope that helps the slightest, sir."

[member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Valkren appreciated what Marl was trying to do for him, but this was something that simply had to be faced head on by himself. He crawled up into the truck's passenger seat after locking up the gates behind the pair. The colonel blinked as his family's compound came into view.

"Never could understand most Jedi.."

The SGV pulled through another gate, where Marl would have pulled the truck under a set of sheds utilized for storing their vehicles. Valkren would climb out, stepping around the the bed of the truck to remove a duffle bag to bring inside. He waited to be sure that Marl was close behind him before walking back towards the two-story house that was the center focus of the compound. Two lights illuminated the porch, revealing an aging mother in what seemed to be a nightgown and a robe that was closed tightly to avoid the cold. Her weary smile barely visible in the dim lights showed the happiness she held as she spotted the approaching soldiers.

"So..It takes me selling the place to finally get you to visit." Her voice cracked, speaking up as the pair grew closer to the porch.

Valkren shook his head, attempting to hide a smile. "It's good to see you, Ma." He threw his bag down, wrapping his arms around the woman in a tight embrace and giving her the usual kiss-on-the-cheek, before letting go only to turn to the clone that was accompanying him.

"Momma, this is Marl..He's a Ranger. Come to help you move to Voss." It was almost as if the young colonel's demeanor had changed completely.

The woman looked to the strange face, her smile re-appearing as she offered a friendly embrace to Marl aswell. "Karen Calderon, proud mother of this stupid child."

[member="Marl"]

 

[Marl]

Marl stuck out a hand but was instead greeted with an embrace.

"Nice to meet you ma'am. You've raised a wonderful young man," He stood there awkwardly for half a second, and embraced her back.

It was a strange feeling being treated as a person, rather than a clone trooper. He decided not to bring it up, why would they care? The conflict was ancient and it seemed nothing had directly influenced from the war. The good news, however is that there are Jedi in the Galaxy, despite the Sith technically winning the war. Marl decided not to dwell on the past. and went back next to Valkren.

"So sir, any other members of the family living here?" Marl asked.

 

[Valkren Calderon]

"Pfft..Wonderful, you been brainwashing this one with your lies Valk?" The mother remarked after the embrace, folding her arms over her chest as a way to keep the robe closed that she donned that morning.

Valkren looked to his aging mother, before shaking his head once more and speaking up soon after Marl's question. "Erin home?"

With this, his mother sighed, almost saying in a 'matter-of-fact' way, "She is, doubt she'll be getting up for work though..She went out last night with some friends. To your old spot." Suddenly the colonel was shot with a glare that not even he could find cover from. His 'old spot' was a location a few miles from the farmstead, where a combination of boulders and crooked and curved trees made for the absolute best party location, hidden from the unwise eye. It was him and his brother's favorite spot during their adolescent years, and he only knew that his little sister was following directly in the footsteps he had once walked in. Valkren offered his mother a shrug, before listening to her next statement intently.

"Also..I know you boys are here to work whenever that sun comes up..But one of the fences out near your fathers' shed stopped workin." She'd smile the same aging smile that was spotted when the pair were arriving, a smile that was familiar to Valkren oh too well.

"Think you can go work on the damned thing for me? For old times sake?"

Valkren smiled again, looking at the deck beneath his boots as he stood on the porch next to his mother, before stepping down into the dirt next to Marl. "Sure thing, Ma. Just wake up Erin for me, we're going to need breakfast." He winked, before patting Marl on the shoulder to direct him back towards the truck they arrived in. Valkren eventually clambered into the open seat of the SGV, getting comfortable behind the wheel of the vehicle, before placing the steering column into drive.

"Marl, you know you don't gotta' call me sir when we're out here, right?" The young officer asked this as he began to pull the truck out from underneath the shed, following a path that left the compound and went in a complete opposite way of the gate they had first arrived at. Valkren knew that Marl was a clone-era soldier, bred for war just like RC was. Still, every man has their little bit of human in them..He just wanted to find out if his friend in the passenger seat had any human left after years of combat.

[member="Marl"]

 

[Marl]

Marl looked at him, and smiled.

"Oh of course not, I'm just practicing is all, I don't know if I told you this but I was a commander in the Clone Wars, not many times where I had to call anyone sir." He said smiling.

Truth was, this was one of his first day's with his new CO, he was trying to make a really good impression. Marl sat in the car and Valkren began to drive on the dirt path to his father's shed.

"As for this fence, I'm not sure how much help I'll be," He said truthfully, he hasn't much experience outside of anything but using weapons.

"However, I'll do what I can, Valkren." he gave him a respectful nod.

[member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

The colonel cocked a brow before looking across the inside of the truck to his friend. "A commander? I read your dossier when you were recruited, but no one brought that to my attention."

The SGV went slightly airborne for a moment, as Valkren wasn't paying attention to his speed or the conditions of the road that he had been going down.

Valkren looked back over the hood of the vehicle, taking it off of the dirt path to venture off toward the supposed location of his fathers shed. "As for the fence, simple wiring..I can show you a thing or two about it." He'd state this as they passed the shed, going for directly for the fence that had the short in it, as Valkren had previously known the spot to act up before.

As they grew closer, the young officer spoke up suddenly.

"Marl, where do you consider home?" Of course the colonel knew of Kamino, but that's not what he wanted to hear. There had to be some other place that had something that just binded the clone to it; wether it be people, family, lovers, drugs, guns, or booze..There had to be something.

[member="Marl"]

 

[Marl]

"Yea, next time you're looking in ancient archives, look up the 107th Siege Battalion. Our armor was truly fearsome. We were known as the Bloods, due to our blood smeared armor, by a few fellow battalions and legions." Marl said chuckling, it became their battalions look after more than a couple guys were smeared with Geonosian blood during the battle of Geonosis.

However, the next question hit... well... home, for Marl. Home? Certainly he was born on Kamino but that wasn't home to Marl, Not since before the clone wars, definitely not now that there's no more clones or any Kaminoans that he knew. During the war home was a Venator-Class Star Destroyer, but that was only because his troops and Jedi he was assigned with were there, without them, it's just a husk of a ship. The only place Marl truly has felt at home is...

"Voss," He said with certainty, Since his time with the Silver Jedi, Marl's life had drastically improved. He wasn't just some clone or some soldier to them, he was Marl, he was family, not because they were from the same test tubes but because they genuinely accepted him. Even the Jedi master who he was assigned to during the clone wars forgot that from time to time.

"Voss is my home" He smiled. "And you, Valkren, you are someone who I'm proud to call brother." Marl said with a smile.

[member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

"I'll have to do just that," Valkren said as they reached the section of fence that did not have an eerie blue glow about it, telling Valkren exactly where the lack of power was. He stopped the truck, before looking over at Marl, then back over the hood as the headlights of the SGV lit up the fence clearly.

The bloods..He made a mental note to research the unit. He always wished to know more about the men working under him, and even more about his friends.

It was hard to hide the sudden smile that attacked him when Marl mentioned Voss, and especially about being his brother. He had always considered his men as family, but a statement such as that one got him. Ever since the loss of his missing older brother, there was a void in that spot. He stowed the emotions, even though the smile was begging to show up.

"Ah kark, we're not going to hug are we?" He stated, throwing the vehicles steering column into park, clambering out of the doorless vehicle and moving to the bed of the truck to grab a set of tools. He was glad the clone had found a home, and he was happy that it was with them on Voss.

"Give me a hand with this panel, will ya?" The young officer stated, dropping his tools to move to one knee, placing his finger tips along the edge of said panel to attempt to remove it.

[member="Marl"]

 

[Marl]

Marl looked over to him and laughed. "Of course not." Valkren then asked him to help him with the panel.

The panel looked pretty beat up, and it seemed to have been here for a while. Slightly rusted and beaten up, Marl reached over and the both of them tugged at the rusted plate, it creaked as they pulled harder on it.

"Well kark man, how old is this thing?" Marl realized that this farm probably had been in his family for generations, after all this land here would probably be worth a pretty penny. The panel finally opened after about a minute of tugging,

"So, what was it like growing up here?" Marl said trying to learn more about Valkren.

[member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

The panel creaked and came off with only a great deal of force, causing the young colonel to stumble backward slightly once they ripped it free.

"Too friggin' old." He'd state, stabilizing himself on the SGV's hood, blocking one of the headlights momentarily. The soldier would push off from the hood and kneel down by the now open panel, revealing an entire mess of wiring that looked way too old to even transfer any power at this time.

He gripped the edges of the open section, leaning down as much as possible to check the insides of the control tower. Valkren pondered Marl's question about his time here on the farm. It brought back a mess of memories and a mix of emotions. He could recall the grimace he had on his face every morning, waking up before school for work. He remembered him and his brother sneaking beers into his father's shed. The barbecues, where he had seen everyone of his neighbors happy in one place. He also remembered the wars; his father shipping out, then his brother..Neither coming home.

"It was good for me." Valkren said after the moment of silence. In truth if he hadn't grown up here, he wouldn't have grown up to be the man he was today..Whatever kind of man that was.

"Good work ethic..Good people..Oh, and the girls loved a good cowboy." He said this almost calmly, with a smirk tugging at his lips as he began to go to work on the wiring.

[member="Marl"]