"Uh," he said, caught off track as the woman rose up and came towards him slowly. She towered over him, looking to be as tall as his commando boys. Her base skin was a very light purple, almost dusty, while there was a much darker tone of the color zigzagging and dotting over different areas of her fur.
"Well, Kal," Anamanra said, looking pleased,"Looks like you get to meet-
"Karlotte," the humanoid said easily, leaning down to grasp his elbow firmly. He nodded, his tongue taking refuge somewhere at the back of his mouth. He didn't see the raised eyebrow the technician sent the woman.
"She's an ori'vode of Thyme," Anamanra finally said, never taking her eyes away from her,"She'll show you around to all her favorite spots and see if she's there."
"Eh, I wouldn't want to waste her time..."
"You couldn't waste too much of her. There's plenty to go around. Big personality and all. You'd think she was a different person."
"Either way," the old sergeant grunted as he walked out the door,"I know my way around pretty well. I'm sure I can find her."
The Cathar raised and eyebrow at her sister as soon as Skirata couldn't be heard.
Anamanra raised both.
Karlotte tilted her head slightly, a wild look in her eye.
Anamanra lifted her chin, a troubled look in hers.
Karlotte shrugged, her eyes jumping back and forth a few times before smirking. She turned from the room, listening to the melodious music of her sister's laughter as she headed after the old sergeant.
You had to make a joke about that?
How could I not with what you're doing.
Don't screw this up for me.
Why hide? He's a good man.
I have not doubt. It's the old sergeant, experienced fighter, devoted father, and survival extrordinar I'm scared of.
Skirata turned slowly when the soft pitter patter of feet coming towards him, not really surprised when the purple beauty came to his side and slowed to match his limp. He shrugged it off and kept walking.
He had never seen a live Cathar but he had seen pictures of Sylvar as well as Cado, so he had a basic picture. Her nose was smaller than Sylvar's, but without a doubt she was a Cathar.
"It's rude to stare," she finally said in amusement as he continued to stare at her fully.
"Don't mean to be," he said, shaking himself out of it,"it's just-"
"You're wondering how could there be a Cathar clone when they were extinct by your kind millennias ago," she said with a knowing smile not looking at him or breaking stride.
"Pretty much."
"To say it simply, they found some old Cathar bones somewhere and took what little DNA they could to clone it into a beautiful reject."
"How modest."
"I try to be. There's enough vanity around here as it is."
Skirata chuckled and they continued on.
Months went by as Skirata waited with Karlotte to see any hint of Thyme. But the Cathar was wonderful company. She regaled him with stories of all the missions she had been on as well as the clever tricks she played on many sisters and mongrels alike that had Skirata's sides hurt.
But there was something surrounding her that dampened his spirits a little. An air that radiated worry with nervousness. It wasn't there when she first started escorting him around. It slowly grew on her as the days went by. Skirata tried to write it off as worry for her sister, but he didn't know what tot think about the nervousness.
Other than that, she was a wonderful girl. Filled and overflowing with life and mischief that made her eyes open and friendly. Her outgoing nature made him feel old, but in a good way. Terrible shot, when they went on the range once but her aim with a knife was astounding. She told him it was because she needed to feel what she was holding to be sure, and she couldn't hold a bullet to make it go where she wanted.
"Me, too, sometimes," he said as he aimed and knocked her knife away with his three sided one.
Niner looked confused,"She wasn't in the barracks?
"If she was, she didn't show herself...and her vod didn't recognize her."
Omega squad had just come back from a their tour with the Marits. Three months with the lizards and their cannibalistic ways had them glad to be home...with a kitchen that didn't serve dead, finely chopped grandmothers in soups.
"That's surprising. Thyme doesn't hide...unless she's teasing someone," he commented as they passed. Skirata had a feeling his name should have been on the end of that sentence, but he let it go.
"Well, are you going to keep me in suspense? What she look like, son?"
"She's kind of hard to miss, buir. She's cloned from a humanoid the-"
He cut off abruptly and came to a stop the same way that made Skirata nearly lose his balance. Niner's brow furrowed as he turned back around and scanned the area behind him.
A pretty brown haired IO unit had her back to them, looking over a data pad and checking on crates. Niner's eyes narrowed in on her and his set his DC over his shoulders before walking up to her and gently flicking her ear.
She grinned widely up into his face when she leaned back to see who it was,"Hallo~"
"Hello," he said back easily and picked up a lock of hair,"And what's all this?"
"My question first," she said, turning around to look at him properly,"How's you know it was me? Instinct?"
"No," he said smiling,"I could smell your shampoo."
She lost her grin to stare up at him blankly for few moment before bursting into laughter,"Kriff!"
"You still put it on a little thick," he teased her as she continued to laugh,"I could smell it past all the oil and metal."
Skirata felt his jaw drop a few milimeters.
"Oh, quit it," she chuckled and punched him lightly in the arm,"I thought it was a real love connection that let you sense me!"
"It might be there...maybe if you toned down on the ocean breeze, I could sense you before I smell you!"
She laughed again as Skirata shut his jaw and swallowed heavily at the look of peace and bliss on Niner's face as she hugged him close.
"You di'kut," she said, pulling back to smile,"Always ruining the romance."
"You mean prodding at it until it starts bleeding," he said, kissing her on the temple and herded her towards the waiting Skirata,"Speaking of prodding, I want you to meet buir, finally.
"Actually...we've met," she said smiling over to Skirata. He looked her over, trying to recall if he had met. He couldn't think of anyone right then, there hadn't been many IOs on Coruscant at the time.
"Well I look a little different now," she said, mock glaring at him as he gave her skeptical look,"Let me..."
She looked around for something on her figure, batting away Niner's hands each time he tried to help before sighing irritably and letting him find...whatever needed to be found.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she said to Skirata,"buuuut...Buir talks very highly of you and told us how much you love Niner and all your boys and I knew-"
Niner mumbled something as a button on her wrist was pressed and the look dissolved around her.
"You'd be on edge about me," she finished and a familiar figure took her place. Skirata felt himself go numb as all expression slipped off of her face.
"Thy'ika," Niner murmured as she gazed back at him evenly,"I'll be back. I need to check on the vod real fast."
"Alright," she said and turned, grinning at him,"Don't be long or I'll show your buir just what I do to get your attention."
The words flew right past Skirata as "Karlotte" turned back to him and smiled a little.
"She tricked me," he thought numbly,"She's been talking and following me this whole time..."
Skirata took a deep breath to pull himself together...if just for outside benifit. When he did, he shot her a look. She shrugged at the silent question.
"I didn't want you to be biased of me. Not many people trust IO units because of our beauty and job."
A small part of his anger flew out of him. It was a rational explanation. The same thing happened to him when he first met Ordo's wife, Besany. She went beyond the comfort level of beauty as well.
"Aaaand," she said with a knowing grin,"I didn't want the extra maternal suspicion on top. Brought my chances down very low."
Skirata gave her that point with a chuckle,"Old habits die hard. I wanted to make sure you were not controlling him-"
"And hurting him," she said knowingly.
"Yes...I know some of your vod have mind powers...I don't want you to force him into anything. I had to make sure."
"What makes you think I'm not now," she asked as she leaned against one of the crates.
"My gut's telling me."
"Glad it likes me. What about you?"
Skirata raised an eyebrow. The woman had grit...and a mouth on her. She was challenging him with her posture, stance, and eyes.
Very different from "Karlotte".
He took on the challenge, unable to back down. Neither one looked away and tention grew thick in the air.
Finally she smirked, looking down,"I'll take that as a maybe."
She pushed off the crate and went to leave...but stopped at the last minute to face Skirata again.
"Just so you know...I do have a power," she warned him. She paused a moment to look over to Niner with a look Skirata used to give his late wife when he was many years younger,"but it's not mind control."
Author's Note:
Redone Version
The conclusion? Well, we'll have to see in other stories, da? :D
Pleeeeease tell me if this is any good. I'm a little edgy about the ending...
Skirata and Niner belong to Karen Travis's Republic Commando books.
Thyme is mine
Read, Review, Enjoy
