Wookiee Kung Fu

[Fabula Caromed]

Kashyyyk Orbit
The Bloody Pilgrim rocketed out of hyperspace in a fashion not unlike it had done for years. The ship had some personality by now, the kind that only experience and about a decade of love could give it. Fortunately, it seemed to be in a good mood today, and Fabula Caromed didn't have to do much to keep it happy. Setting the autopilot, she tapped the comm button on her control panel once and spun in her chair. "Fable, we're here. We should make landfall in a few minutes. Al, please join me in the cockpit." Her intercom needed a little work. There was just a hint of a squawk to it.

Within a few seconds of coming out of hyperspace, the Pilgrim got a hail. Right on cue. Fabula tapped her comm again. "This is private transport Bloody Pilgrim, requesting permission to land. We are not fluent, but we have a protocol droid on-board." No response for a moment. That gave enough time for the aforementioned droid to quietly clank in.

L1-AL-0998, a droid that Fabula had procured explicitly for this trip, moved with fluid ease. She'd made sure that he was programmed with Shyriiwook, because neither she nor Fable knew even the slightest bit of the native tongue. If this little outing was to have any shot at success, it would be through this protocol droid. Naturally, Fabula had taken to calling him Al, because she of all people knew what lack of individuality did to a mind.

"Yes Mistress? How may I serve you?" Al's voice was always so calm, so receptive, despite the fact that his existence was almost literally to be her voice-slave. It was more than a little depressing, but Al didn't seem to mind.

Fabula smiled a little and patted the copilot seat beside her. "The first of many, Al. It may be a while until you switch off of Shyriiwook. I need you to help me negotiate a landing sequence with the local docking authorities, and I don't see any reason to make them uncomfortable by having a bilingual conversation."

The droid complied with the same fluid movement as before. "I shall endeavor to do my best, Mistress."

 

[Fable Merrill]

Fable was waiting at the gate when the ship pulled down to the surface - mostly because she was excited, partly because she liked disregarding safety rules by opening the hood a little early to feel that 'landing' wind in her hair. Kashyyyk was gorgeous, there was no doubt - trees above, grass below, blue water and green leaves in every direction. An oasis of uncomplicated and unapologetic nature in an industrialized, rules-filled Galaxy. Who could blame her for not being able to wait? Who could fault her for the child-like grin of excitement she bore?

She was in paradise, with the person in the Galaxy she admired most. "Mom, I'm disembarking." Fable reported though comms as she slipped her trail-worn jacket off her shoulders and tied it around her waist. Plain white shirt, plain black trousers, a pistol on one thigh and a saber on the other. Fable was brimming with excitement, and with that thumping, eager energy came strength. Pausing only a moment to make sure her boots were laced, Fable threw herself from the Bloody Pilgrim, just for the exhilarating pleasure of dropping twenty feet or so from the ship to the surface and scrambling out of the LZ so she was clear of the engines.

One of the nearby safety drones wasn't too pleased about this minor violation, but for once, Fable's reflexive apology was delivered with a smile. She stood aside and watched her mother's ship land, her braided hair fluttering wildly in the wake of the Pilgrim's powerful engines and the altitude of the star port.

Even the air tasted better, here. She couldn't wait to explore.

 

[Fabula Caromed]

Al was the second to disembark the ship, shortly behind Fable and quietly urging her caution. Fabula would have loved to be there to see her daughter's face when she laid eyes on unspoiled wildlands for the first time in her life, but landing the ship without crashing was higher on her list. When the Pilgrim was locked down and the docking fee had been wired to the local authorities, the elder clone slowly strolled down her own boarding ramp, hair flying in a wave to one side as the wind caught it. Much, much longer hair than Fable by this point, combined with her standard black top and shorts, would help the Wookiees tell those humans who all looked alike apart.

Especially considering Fable and Fabula actually did look alike. Not helping speciesism, Fab^2.

"So? How about it? Everything you'd expected?" As she got to the bottom of the Pilgrim's ramp, it raised behind her, and Fabula stood with one hand on her hip as dramatically as possible. Endless canopies of green stretched out behind them, dark branches of deep shadows, tree trunks hundreds of feet thick, only marred by the wooden and steel Wookiee architecture allowing the lot of them to walk among the clouds and birds. "I hope so, because we'll be here for a while."

 

[Fable Merrill]

"Even better." Fable promised, beaming. She was very much a citizen of the cities - most of Fable's work involved a seedy crowd or a criminal element, after all. She'd been born to a metropolis, and spent most of her time in them. But something about the wild called to her, soothing her heart and whipping her spirit aflame. It was as though the Force itself beckoned her to the trees, inviting her to dash along leaf-covered soil and dive into pristine waters.

Fable fell in beside her mother out of habit, hands behind her back - But eyes to the canopy. "It's amazing." Was all she had to say on the matter - simplicity was rarely a real virtue, but in this case, even Fable's limited vocabulary wouldn't have been improved by more words.

Al thunked and clattered forward, a soft beep coming from somewhere in his torso. "Mistress, I believe your presence is requested on the planet's surface." He reported in a stiff manner, waggling his arm. "Shall I arrange transportation?"

 

[Fabula Caromed]

Nodding, Fabula flashed Al another smile. "Yes, thank you. There's no rush, though. I don't think Fable and I are done up here quite yet." The Shadowlands were reputed to be their own stunning brand of gorgeous and wild, and it was no doubt that the strange and wonderful sights far below the trees, but this might be the only time that Fable could see this for quite a while. Fabula was going to give her every minute she could. Them. She'd never been here, either.

But at least she had a vague idea of what was going on. "See those?" The elder clone asked as she gestured to a nearby tourist trap with what looked to be immense, misshapen cutlasses on display in the front window. "Wookiees are very much creatures of tradition. Those are called ryyk blades. They're the weapons young hunters are given when they descend into the Shadowlands below, to prove themselves against the wildest heart of Kashyyyk."

They were also known to be ridiculously heavy. Fabula had always wanted to see if she could use one with any degree of proficiency. A world of Wookiees didn't hold much more threat to her than a hardware store.

 

[Fable Merrill]

Fable grinned and briefly took Fabula's arm. "We should get a couple before we leave." She confided in a conspiring, playful tone. "Challenge mother to a duel, and whip out a pair of those things? I'd bet she'd throw something at my head!" The younger clone laughed. The idea of bringing a pair of cartoonishly oversized blades to bear against a career sword fighter might have been foolhardy, but it WAS funny.

Fable grinned and pulled Fabula forward into the shop, just to have a look around. Maybe she'd buy a hat or something. "I'd thought to get Razelle a bowcaster, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea - she takes her weaponry pretty seriously, you know?" While Fable had no doubt that Bowcasters were flipping rad, she'd never seen Razelle express so much as a passing interest in such a weapon - and the only thing worse than giving a useless gift was giving a useless gift that made you look stupid for thinking it was a good idea.

Maybe she'd get Razelle a hat, too.

 

[Fabula Caromed]

Fabula couldn't help but snicker quietly, grabbing Fable by the waist and pulling her in close. "Oooh, no. Don't you go overestimating how much we've got with us to spend on souvenirs." The only proper punishment for this was a noogie, administered posthaste. "Most of the credits I've with me right now are for food and lessons. I guess you'll just have to deal with returning from Kashyyyk a martial artist, instead of bringing back an armory full of too-huge weapons."

Goofballs, the both of them.

Of course, they couldn't really do much buying of anything without Al. He was off somewhere arranging for transport to the Shadowlands, and out of the three of them, he was the only one who spoke Shyriiwook. They weren't going to be doing many monetary transactions without a translator, but that was okay. It was enough for Fabula to simply spend time with Fable in a gorgeous place, surrounded by people who understood one of their primary problems.

It might have been too subtle for Fable to perceive, but Fabula could taste the undercurrent of Rage through the whole planet. Wookiees were known for their violent, destructive tempers. An entire species acting as the embodiment of her most treasured tool. The perfect biologically designed engines of destruction, naturally evolved into a peaceful race of quiet craftsmen and hunters. Kashyyyk felt far more like home to Fabula than Taris ever would, and she'd never even been before today.

 

[Fable Merrill]

Fable laughed and struggled in vain to escape the noogie - But when Fabula Caromed got her mits on you, you did not easily escape. That was fine with Fable, though: both women spoke the same language of physicality, and had always enjoyed a relatively active relationship as mother and daughter, even if they looked like twins.

She didn't tell Fabula that she had a little extra spending money thanks to her most recent fight, but Fable would let her know eventually. Most likely in the form of a gift or something at the end of the trip. That sounded like a sweet plan, right?

Fable leaned briefly against her progenitor, glancing up the miles-high trees they weren't even close to at the top of. "You know, mom." Fable began with a little grin. "I bet we could get some rope from the Pilgrim and climb down one of these trees like a mountain." It sounded overly difficult and time consuming when they could just get a shuttle, but... hey. Adventure. Wouldn't be the first time Fable had climbed something she shouldn't have, just for the sake of doing it.

 

[Fabula Caromed]

You know...

Because Fabula had done something very similar on Coruscant a few years back. And Fable did need to deepen her trust in the Force. It wasn't like they couldn't survive it...and it would be cheaper than a shuttle. Plus, there was no doubt it'd be fun. After a few seconds of thought, Fabula couldn't see any perceivable downside. "Well, now that you mention it..." A moment later, it hit her, and she punched her palm softly as if she'd just had an intense scientific epiphany. "No, wait. That would mean our Al would have to take the shuttle on his own. It would be extremely rude to make him wait."

It was a fantastic idea, though! They really needed to look into that later. Fabula stole one of Fable's conspiratorial smirks and leaned in as if discussing some evil secret. "But let's keep that in mind for later. It sounds really fun, and I don't want to leave this planet without trying it." Oh Force how did they even function without Lynn there to keep them from blowing themselves up to see if it would hurt?!

 

[Fable Merrill]

Fable furrowed her brow and considered this for perhaps a moment longer than a healthy adult should need to. "Oh, gosh - You're right." She realized, looking mildly upset. "I'm sorry, I forgot completely about Al's feelings." Fable quietly breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she'd been saved from doing something inconsiderate towards their third companion. She'd have to apologize as soon as they reunited.

That said, that they were only postponing their common-sense-suggested-suicidal base jump into the monster-infested hellhole that was Kashyyyk's surface made Fable grin. It sounded fun as heck, after all. Satisfied for now, Fable looped a return arm around Fabula and beamed.

"Let's get something to eat before we find the shuttle? My treat." Fable 'suggested' proudly. Not only did she have the credit to treat her mom for once, she'd been studying up on conversational Shyriiwook for the past week and was confident she'd be able to kind of manage.

Speaking of confidence, she'd improved her own by leaps and bounds in the past year.

 

[Fabula Caromed]

Well, they were on a schedule...but since when did a Fab- miss an opportunity to meander aimlessly? Their Wrruushi tutor was waiting already. He could stand to wait a few more minutes, and he had the company of Al, too! Fabula crossed her arms under her monolithic chest and nodded resolutely. "I think lunch sounds like a fantastic idea, Fable." Provided they could find someone who spoke Basic, anyway.

She brought her hands up into a stretch taaaaall above her head and looked around. "That said...I don't think we'll have much luck ordering food around here without Al. Do you have any ideas for that?" Fabula and Fable, put together, could think almost as quickly as one whole person. Hold your applause. They might blow a gasket with this.
[member="Fable Merrill"]

 

[Fable Merrill]

"I was planning on waving credit at somebody cooking things and hoping for the best." Fable admitted with a bright smile, hooking her arms behind her back as she casually strolled alongside her progenitor. It was a simple plan, one she'd done before. Sure, it likely meant she'd get fleeced, and even worse, it sometimes resulted in food she didn't like, but hey - What was adventure without a little risk? And food-based risk was the best kind if risk, because either way you got to eat something!

They passed something that looked like a food stand, and through a series of complicated gestures and pointing, managed to secure slices of some savory meat in pita breads, covered with vegetables and a sweet yogurt sauce. Delicious! With food obtained, the clone and clone ambled casually in the direction of their objective, trading off between eating and chatting with the smooth and seamless comfort implied by the fact that they were, on some level, the same dang person.

"So, for the time being at least, I think I'm mostly going to focus on my own life." Fable explained as she planted her behind in the seat of a shuttle. They'd somehow found the one going where they needed to be. "It isn't that I'm breaking up with Razelle - I still love her, and I'm pretty sure she loves me. But I need to figure out who and what I am, and I can't do that while I'm waiting for her, you know?" Fable picked a proper pepper from her pita pocket and popped it into her mouth to punctuate. Or emphasise.