Star Wars: Vode An (closed for Apollo Wilde and BewareTheDream)

[Apollo Wilde]

A bit of unease was good. It meant that Tonny wouldn’t be taking any liberties. He pulled further into himself - she respected it, insomuch as she could, by not closing the distance. Clinical masquerading as peaceful. With that unspoken ‘respect’, there was still a bit of tenderness in how she adjusted the bandage.

And she listened. There was much to what he said as well as what he didn’t. She allowed herself a small smile as he spoke. There were those in her adopted family - her family - that spoke much of the same way of Mandalore. And she supposed, deep down, that there was a reason for it. Someone needed to stay behind; had to want to stay behind.

It would be all too tempting for her to suggest that they go to Shili - just to give him a reason to come with them - but it was quickly tempered by the fact that he might also have the urge to look up this unnamed Togruta. That was the last thing that they needed. Though he seemed docile (even in the wake of all of this), she wasn’t eager to figure out what his breaking point was. A docile Tonnovar was easy to handle.

His voice pitched up, and she looked sharply at him. He has a point.

“I’m sure it’s not beyond either Raeth’s or…your father’s capabilities to warn your friends.” A hand across the tops of his thighs, sliding quickly to his knees, kept him in place. Her touch was light, but her grip suggested the strength of durasteel, and a silent reminder that she could easily ground him in a more unpleasant manner should he test her. “If they haven’t already. I’d find it odd if your father didn’t prepare something in advance.”

Or didn’t have a way to explain what happened to sweep it as much under the rug as possible. Even if he wasn’t aware of the attack, he’s heard of it by now.

“Stay put. We don’t want you potentially injuring yourself worse,” looping her hands under his knees, she lifted and shifted his body simultaneously, settling him back into the bed. “Give me the names of who you want contacted, and I’ll pass them along.” The thick flap of the sheet filled his ears as she snapped it back over him, tucking him in like a youngling. “The more you rest, the sooner you can heal - and the sooner we can establish contact.”







“See if these people have already been contacted,” her voice came behind Raeth. “I told him that we’d warn his friends left behind. If Prime hasn’t already gotten to them.” She moved quietly as ever with the same nonchalant deadly intent. “He seems attached to a Togruta - she’s gone back to her home planet, no telling when. It’s the only place he’s apparently ever wanted to visit, so if you want my opinion, we should avoid it at all costs.”

She crossed her arms now, her eyes taking in the mute silver of the ship’s interior so familiar to her. “There has to be a certain amount that Prime is covering up for. Say that he didn’t know that Tonnovar was deposited here - or for how long. That could mean that he doesn’t know how many clones there are. And why was Tonnovar put here? Was it Prime? Tonnovar says he doesn’t remember anything save waking in this field as a teenager. Something like that. You had a whole childhood. Maybe it’s possible that they weren’t implanted memories - but things that did actually happen.”

Forgive me for what I’m about to do next.

“Maybe that was part of all of the experiment. Turn you loose; see which ones would come back of their own accord. I think…” She pressed her tongue into the inside of her cheek before she spoke next, “That Tonnovar might be a failure. And a bigger risk. I don’t think he’s a Force-Void. Outside of a glitterstim addiction, I can’t explain his calm any other way. And his acceptance? No crying, screaming - nothing. Either he’s being pulled along on invisible strings or knows more than he lets on. He’s too calm and I don’t trust it.”

 

[BewareTheDream]

A lifetime on a farm had shaped Tonny into a muscular man. If he really wanted to wrestle Saudaji, he probably could have made her break a sweat before she inevitably won. But there was barely any fight in him. Blind, anxious, and exhausted, he struggled against her briefly before he gave in. If he was embarrassed by how easily she tucked him into the cot, he didn’t show it.

“My sisters and brother,” he responded when she asked for names. “Dewi and Adi Frimkin on Commenor. Ayu and her wife on Yulant. My baby sister Citra travels around; in her last email, she said she was going to Ord Mantell next.

“Everybody else I know is on Tanaab. Please, make sure they’re okay.” That was the last thing he said before he settled down and Saudaji left the medbay.

*****

Raeth was standing by the table in the cockpit. Over the years, he had used that table and its built-in, touch panel computer to conduct research, plot out navigational routes, and develop numerous schemes. On several occasions, he and Saudaji had even made love on top of it. The table was off and Raeth’s datapad was on top of it when Saudaji entered. He turned around at the sound of her voice, showing her a look of disappointment on his face.

“Hm? Ah, of course.” If Saudaji had a list to hand him, he took it, scanned it quickly, and then handed it back to her. “His siblings. Yes, I read up on them before we landed. I have some mercenaries in mind whom I’ve worked with in the past — they’re reliable and know how to shadow. I’ll contact them soon and see if they’re available to do some babysitting work.”

Raeth stepped around the table, wordlessly inviting Saudaji to stand beside him. Even if she didn’t ask, he explained why he was feeling disappointed. “The code that Prime taught Tonny is really basic. I figured it out right away.” He tapped his datapad, which still had an encoded produce ad on it. “You take the first letter of every other word, and it spells out a phrase. On this one, the phrase is ‘All clear, staying alert.’ I had hoped for something challenging, but I guess Prime started Tonny off on easy mode.”

He listened attentively when Saudaji explained what Tonny said about his past. He flinched when she spoke the phrase “implanted memories.” It was only a micro expression, but Saudaji would have seen it as clearly as a beacon at night. She would have also noticed how his jaw clenched almost imperceptibly and how he couldn’t make eye contact with her as she spoke of experiments.

“He’s an odd duck,” he said, trying to sound placid. “As to whether or not he’s a Force Void, the only way to be sure is to put him in front of a Force User and see if anything happens. Most of the Force Users I know want to kill me, so that option is at the bottom of the list.”

Raeth looked Saudaji in the face. “Unless you have any suggestions.” The two of them hadn’t talked about Mahoroba at all in the past several months. Raeth never even brought up his name. This was the closest he came to doing so.

There was a beat or two of awkward silence before Raeth picked up his datapad, did some searching, and then handed it to her. “It’s not conclusive, but there’s another way to check: a blood test to determine a sentient’s midi-chlorian count. Miss Wellspring already took a blood sample from our guest and sent me the results.”

Raeth didn’t explain what midi-chlorians were because he assumed Saudaji already knew. But in case she needed a refresher, the info was there on the datapad, written below Tonnover’s blood test results. Midi-chlorians were sentient, microscopic organisms that lived in the cells of all living beings. Many scientists, doctors, and Force Sensitives believed that midi-chlorians were what connected sentients to the Force, while many others refuted the theory, mainly because they disapproved of science being used to explain and quantify a spiritual force.

Raeth didn’t give a fig about the spiritual aspect of the Force, but he always loved science, so of course he chose to believe the midi-chlorian theory.

A high midi-chlorian count—or M-count—within a sentient’s cells indicated how much potential they had in the Force. An average living being’s midi-chlorian count was around 2,500 per cell. Force Sensitives typically had M-counts of over 4,000. According to his blood test, Tonny had an M-count of under 200.

“His M-count is roughly the same as mine,” Raeth said. “But like I said, it isn’t conclusive. There are sentients with drastically low M-counts who can still be affected by the Force. It’s rare, but it happens. In order to be positive, we’d need a Force User.”

Raeth went silent then, for what Saudaji had said about experiments stuck with him. It also occurred to him that what he was suggesting were more experiments on his clone brother. The image of two identical mice in a maze suddenly popped into his mind, and he couldn’t shake it.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

“Seems like he had quite the family,” offered after she listed off the names. “I’m not entirely sure how much of a problem that’s going to be moving forward.” The set of her mouth suggested annoyance. It’d been a while since she’d had a “target” that had…complications. Having to comb through her mind to figure out how she dealt with such things in the past was going to be troublesome - rather, something that she wished she didn’t have to deal with.

Might as well kick over an ant’s nest.

“That’s going to be a pain,” she moved closer to him, resting her chin on his shoulder momentarily. “I wish Prime was all-seeing enough to have this taken care of for us. What an inconsiderate old man.” Her arms looped around his waist in response to his silent tells. She hated mentioning Prime, or any of this, more than she had to, but at this point, it was inevitable. Distracting him while they were talking wouldn’t be the best way of handling it either. Still, she laced her fingers together, trapping him in her arms, but put a small amount of distance between them, no less than a few inches from her chest to his back. “We know that Tonnovar” - using his full name kept him ‘othered’ - at least, when he was out of sight - “Is a clone,” quick and fast, ripped the band-aid off, “but other than being an exact genetic copy, I don’t think it can be assumed that everything was copied. Prime may be some sort of prodigy - as are you. Maybe you’re closer to him than Tonnovar is.”

That was something that she hadn’t thought of - Raeth being an ‘enhanced’ clone. If they were able to pre-program memories into him, then surely it wouldn’t have been a difficult task to tweak his mental capacity. One more thing that needed consideration.

As Raeth craned his head around to face her, she let go of his waist, sliding around to rest against the table in front of him. Face to face, her head tilted down for a moment as she considered, before looking up to him. It’s so easy to get lost in his eyes. Caressing the side of his face, she touched her forehead to his. Grounding silently, her breath warm on his face. Then she inched back again, a soft chuckle as he mentioned ‘Force Users.’ “…I didn’t spend the last decade or more or my life chasing them down to kill them to make friends.” She sucked on her lower lip, thinking, before letting go. “It’s possible that there’s someone in Yukaku that is Force sensitive. Considering…” Mahoroba, that placid, small smile of his, fading like autumn leaves. So selfless. So loyal. So…inhuman. She shook her head. “No. I won’t have us going back to Mandalore. Not under these circumstances.”

Sliding over to allow him to go through the data pad, and then hand to her, she idly scrolled through it. It told her things she knew on a cursory level; things she hadn’t cared much about. If she couldn’t feel it, it was as tangible as the air she breathed. “Let’s not worry about that now - him being a Force Void. It won’t do us any particular good now. If there’s a Sith after us, they can pick me up, no matter how hard I try. Lost that ability years ago. The best I can do is mask my intent. So instead of coming across as death walking, I blend in. But I can’t erase myself all together. We can get word to his family, then contact Prime. He’s the one I really want,” she set the data pad down on the table. “I’m tired of dancing on his strings. And he’s got to have something in mind. He talked about bringing down the Sith - but how? Sounds like a big game. And why bother us about Tonnovar? He - I mean Tonnovar - clearly doesn’t know much. Or he’s the best liar in the world. And I can’t figure out how those two fit together - or why he should even care.”

 

[BewareTheDream]

Raeth relaxed in Saudaji’s arms, and when she placed her chin on his shoulder, he immediately nuzzled his cheek to hers. Gently, he grasped her forearms, and he did not let go until she released her embrace and slid around to be in front of him. She moved like a jungle cat — smoothly, silently, dangerously. He only had a moment to admire how she moved before they locked eyes and he forgot everything except how much he loved her.

They touched foreheads, and Raeth soaked in the dual warmth of Saudaji’s palm on his cheek and her breath on his face. He detected just a hint of Jun-lime pie on her breath, the pie she had eaten after things had gotten weird between them in bed and before they were attacked.

Quickly, Raeth brushed aside those unpleasant thoughts and instead focused on how nice this moment was. Eyes closed, he wished he could remain with her like this forever. But they had work to do and questions to answer, so when Saudaji leaned away and resumed their conversation, he resisted the urge to lean toward her so they could keep touching.

When Saudaji openly wondered how Tonnover and Prime fit together, Raeth made a guess right away. “I suspect Prime likes him. Maybe even loves him like a son. Frimkin’s life was comfortable until today, and all the evidence suggests it’s real, not fabricated.” Not like my childhood. “If Prime had anything to do Frimkin getting this life, then he probably cares for him like a parent should.”

At that moment, Raeth felt a pang of jealousy so sudden and unexpected it bewildered him. For a couple of beats, he just stood there, staring at the floor and blinking rapidly. Then he stepped away from Saudaji and stared at the hyperspace glow beyond the viewport, hoping she didn’t notice something was wrong.

“I’d better contact those mercenaries. They’re usually in high demand, so if I don’t message them right away, they might disappear for another job.

“Keep me company while I do?”

Raeth sat down in front of the Patient Pylat’s information and communication hub, a bank of computer monitors situated a few feet behind the pilot’s chair. Multiple monitors had readouts of the ship’s condition, navigational information, or other data. Others displayed camera footage from different parts of the ship’s interior and exterior. One monitor showed Tonny in the medbay.

Raeth focused on one of the monitors so he could begin typing out encrypted messages.

*****

“We’ll be exiting hyperspace in sixty seconds,” Raeth announced over the speakers, something he rarely had to do when it was only him and Saudaji onboard. He was seated on the pilot’s chair with Saudaji nearby. “Frimkin, just relax, hold onto the sides of your cot, and you’ll be fine.”

The Patient Pylat lurched back into realspace. To Raeth, who had long since gotten accustomed to the peculiarities of hyperspace travel, going from hyperspace to realspace felt as easy as parking a speeder. But he knew this was Tonny’s first time, so he watched him on the medbay monitor to make sure he didn’t fall out of his cot or show any visible signs of hyperspace whiplash. His clone brother seemed fine, so he turned away from the monitor to look at Saudaji.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever seen it, but that’s Tirahnn,” he said, gesturing out the viewport to a small, dull gray planetoid. “It’s a shithole. There’s a small criminal organization that operates out of this sector that uses it as their hangout. Other than that, there’s nothing interesting about it.”

Using the navigational computer, he began to make the calculations for their next jump. “This is the last stop we’ll make on the Perlemian Trade Route, and the last stop we’ll make on any major hyperroute for the next forty-eight hours or so.

“We’re going off-grid for a while. First to Berri, then the Gelviddis Cluster, and then to Ktil where we’ll change things up a little.” There was more to his plan to lose anyone trying to tail them, but unless Saudaji asked for the details, he didn’t elaborate.

He finished the jump calculations just in time to notice something on the medbay monitor. “Looks like Tonny’s eyes have healed. He’s headed this way.”

Tonny entered the flight deck soon after. Miss Wellspring hovered beside him, one of her appendages extended so he could hold onto it. He was unsteady on his feet, a common side effect experienced by those going through hyperspace travel for the first time.

Raeth swiveled his chair around and got a good look at his clone brother. “Good to see the bacta did the trick.” Tonny no longer had a bandage over his face, and his eyes barely had any visible scratches around them. The skin around his eyes was shimmery with moisture; if he had been crying, the evidence would have been hidden by bacta residue. “How are you feeling?”

“Truth be told, I’m feelin’ a little queasy,” Tonny replied as he looked around the flight deck. Raeth studied his brother’s face. To him, Tonny looked like a child in a toy store, gazing at all the shiny devices and blinking lights in wonderment. If he recognized any of the equipment, he hid it well. “But all things considered, I’m okay.”

“Good! Then grab a seat and brace yourself,” Raeth said, swiveling his chair back around. “We’re about to make another jump.”

Without giving Tonny enough time to take the nearest seat, Raeth steered the Pylat’s nose away from the ugly planetoid of Tirahnn and then pushed the hyperspace lever forward. The vessel once again blazed out of the star-speckled blackness of realspace and re-entered a dimension of swirling colors. Caught by surprise, Tonny stumbled and would have fallen if Miss Wellspring wasn’t there to catch him.

Raeth had a little smile on his face, but he forced it away before he stood up. “We’ve got a little under twelve hours before we arrive at our next stop. Gives us plenty of time to chat.”

Raeth explained that he had hired mercenaries to find Tonny’s siblings, shadow them, and keep them safe if anyone tries to do them harm. For a while, Tonny listened in silence. It seemed as though he was taking his time to process everything Raeth told him. It was a lot, so Raeth gave him time to process.

“Can these mercenaries be trusted?” Tonny eventually asked.

“Oh yes, they’re quite skilled,” Raeth replied. “Quite expensive, too. I’m paying them extra on top of their normal fees to ensure they do the job well. So rest assured, your family is in good hands.”

Tonny looked at Saudaji, as though he expected her to give her own assurances.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

She didn’t have much to offer while Raeth spoke - enjoying the closeness that they shared. That finally had started to come so naturally, as she stopped fighting it. True intimacy, venerability - it was all there. And how she’d managed this far without it, she wasn’t entirely sure. Nor did she want to be without it ever again.

Soundlessly, she slid into his lap as he began to type out the messages. Subconsciously, she averted her eyes, allowing him a bit of privacy - deftly disguised as her shifting to get a bit more comfortable. Rather than trying to be salacious, she meant to offer him additional comfort - pressing close as she turned over what he said. She had caught those intense moments of…nothing less than pain - and like she was sure he was attuned to her, she didn’t address it directly. Inevitably, there were things that they noticed about each other - hard not to - but intimacy also came with the discretion to when to let things go.

Why would he humor one…son…? Is it that Tonnovar was the first? He shows no Force sensitivity - nor does he seem to be a void. There’s nothing special about him. The Sith must’ve thought the same, for they’ve left him on his own all of this time. It’s not that they didn’t have the resources - unless -

Is it possible that he actually IS Prime’s natural born son?

No; couldn’t be. But…it could be possible, could it not? Maybe with additional genetic tampering…

Her head rested against his chest. The dull throb of his heartbeat lulled her eyes closed, though sleep was still far away. The smell of him, the knit of his shirt. Left hand slipped to cup his left knee. So many questions - no answers. None that Tonnovar would have. Though I do wonder if he’s got some sort of opioid link in his brain; he’s been far too calm this entire time.

Could she seduce him?

No. No. No - I’m not going to humor that. That dammable attraction; worming through her logic. Enough to make her want to scream. It’s not that he couldn’t be seduced, came the soft whisper, just that it would take a little more…time. Imagine that: Tonnovar, in all of his farming glory, squirming, flushed… “It…it’s not right,” coming from those parted lips, dusted with stubble. He’d be aroused, certainly, so, so unsure - little inexperienced farmer, and Raeth watching -

…

…This is a problem. It’s been established in this head that Tonnovar is Tonnovar; he’s not Raeth. He looks just like him, with a few differences, so an attraction makes sense. No one is arguing that. The problem is that I want to…

“So,” her voice came out in a high squeak. She cleared her throat; swallowed. Started again. “So..” a sigh as she pivoted, regretfully leaving the warmth of Raeth’s lap to stand. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve got more questions than answers and I don’t like where my mind keeps taking me.”

Lifting a few inches onto her toes, she slowly lowered herself back down - a calf exercise, nothing uncommon for her to do. But one of her tells (childish as it was) when it was the two of them. “Which is always towards Tonnovar’s pants. I keep telling myself that it's because he looks like you, and that should be the end of it, but it's not. And then I’m trying to justify it to see if I could potentially get more information out of him by playing it sweet.” There wouldn’t be a need to elaborate further. “It would take time - he’d eventually crack, that, I have no doubt, but I don’t think it’d be worth it. All I’m thinking about is the fun I’d have in the process.”

A bit of a crooked, wicked smile there. Healthy bounce of lekku against her shoulders as she lowered herself, in time for him to make his announcement. “That’s nice of you,” a soft kiss pressed to his cheek before she was pulling away again. “You know,” teasing, testing the air between them, “I don’t think I would’ve been as deviant in my desires until I met you,” right hand on his chest, reducing down to her pointer finger as she ran it down his chest, poked in the small indent of his navel, before a feather light touch to the base of his cock. The last thing that they needed to do now was to start a marathon fuck session - and she knew it wasn’t the time - but she had to do something to undercut the heaviness of her words.

“I don’t know if it’s the thrill of the chase or something deeper. I haven’t been this fixated on someone until you,” the faint flush of her cheeks charmingly girlish, brick red against the milky jade of her skin, “But it’s frustrating. If he’s more open with me, I think it has more to do with my being a woman than anything else, let alone attraction. Thinking in circles won’t get me anywhere - hasn’t so far.”

The drop from hyperspace didn’t so much as shake her - but she lowered herself down to her heels. “Inner Rim?” She'd silently tracked his path through the stars. Her brows rose. It seemed counterintuitive to keep heading inward instead of outwards. “Why not the Outer?” It’d mean a longer trip, but the potential for exploring into further reaches…somewhat tickled her. The last thing we need is an adventure for adventure’s sake, she silently reprimanded herself. “I haven’t been out that way in a while - and that might actually be to our advantage. I think we should avoid heading closer to the Core; I don’t trust him not to want to run-”

Stopping herself - and unsure of how much he’d heard - she turned to face Tonnovar. Of course, he seemed entirely calm about his circumstances. As the hapless man stumbled, there was something close to pity in her eyes, before she looked to Raeth doing his best to not laugh. At that, she had to allow herself a small smirk. Ade.






By the time Tonnovar had gotten settled - aided by Miss Wellspring before she retired to the Med Bay -, Saudaji’s face was as calmly neutral as it got. Like many of her race, her default face was a frown of sorts: severity pulled between a sneer and haughty by her long scar. She let Raeth do the talking - naturally - though she did her best to settle her body language into an alert, but non-threatening pose; made easier as she put the holo table between them. Sitting across from him, she crossed her legs languidly.

“Your family will be safe - no more threats than what usually occurs on a farm.” Hint of a smile as she kept her distance. No time like the present.

“You appeared on the Firmkin farm as a teenager - spent your time there until…well, now. Did Prime ever mention anything to you about what might’ve been before that time?”

He’d said before that Prime was ‘evasive.’ Putting it lightly. She tried to keep the annoyance from reaching her face. But…what if that’s an implanted memory as well? I’ve assumed that he was telling the truth. The farmhouse was lived in; he’s got a trail. I don’t think that part of it was faked. But can that even be ruled out?

A twitch of her lekku; a Twi’lek gesture that didn’t quite have a Basic equivalent - somewhere between “Fark,” annoyance, acceptance, and anger all rolled into one, but with varying degrees of severity. I’m thinking in circles. I have to work with the information we have now. It can be picked apart later. Right now, we know he was raised by the Frimkins. That’s it. And that they’ve passed. He has family. They have memories of him. There are local records of him.

“Did you ever wonder what your life was before you met the Frimkins?” Keep it open-ended. Or…

“I’m from Ryloth. Originally,” her voice didn’t change in its cadence; though there was a suggestion of lightness. I’ve talked to him the most. Assumably. Maybe he’ll open up if we talk. “Like most Twi’leks, I guess. I was young, maybe 4, 5? Somewhere in that age group. Then the Mandos came. I used to think I was abandoned,” a blatant lie, as Raeth would know, “And there was a part of me that always wanted to know who my folks really were.” She traced a slow oval on the holo table. How many times had she been bent over it, or pushed Raeth onto it? And yet there wasn’t so much as a smudge on its surface. Sebastian really was a wonder.

“I mean, I eventually found out. It wasn’t this complicated,” and the smallest smile then, the expression softening her face and brightening her eyes, bringing a sort of sublime beauty to her face. The sort of smile that would cause a man to stumble in his steps, or thank whatever gods that he worshipped that it was turned on him. Completely without guile or world-weariness. “So it’s not quite the same. But not entirely far off, right?” Leave it open - let him fall into you a bit. Extraordinary circumstances. Provide something comfortable. “But if anyone asks, I’m Mandolorian. You haven’t seen me all kitted up in beskargam - it’s a sight.” There was pride there; she’d worked hard to earn it. “My folks, the ones on Mandalore - they were the ones who told me where I’d come from. Ades - children - are pretty much raised by the whole, all of the bajur - ah, sorry.” A pause as she searched for the Basic, “Bajur is like…schooling, but not just going to a building in front of a teacher. But everyone contributes to bajur. So everyone becomes buir; vod - mother and father, brother and sister. Seems like we might be much in the same situation now.”