Hi, everyone! I'm back with chapter 7 of Calling of Hearts! Sorry I've been away from this story for a while, but I've been trying to get ready for college, and I've been working on other stories… and, I admit, I've been distracted by this game that I've been playing for a few months now! It's called Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, and they've added Embo in as a character!
And I bet you all realize just how much I like Embo. He's my fav!
Anyway, yeah, sorry for being so distracted, but I'm back now, and I'm getting to work!
If you don't know the disclaimers, please refer to the first two chapters.
When Embo and Sugi returned to the former's house, they were holding hands, hearts light, and looking at each other with pure love in their eyes.
Almost everyone had either left or gone to bed, the only other person still up being Ahsoka, who immediately noticed their changed behavior.
"Where were you two? What happened?" she asked, but the two of them just smiled at her.
"You'll find out in the morning," Sugi said, going with Embo to the stairs.
When the newly-engaged couple reached Embo's bedroom, Sugi quickly went into the next room, and came back out wearing her nightclothes. Embo was already wearing a flannel nightshirt and matching pants when Sugi came into his room, and was fluffing the pillows on his bed.
"I love you," the Zabrak said softly, kissing her fiancé's cheek. Embo hummed softly, pulling her close, and carefully resting his forehead on hers.
"I love you too," he murmured, silently cursing the fact that he had to wear his mask. Then, the two of them got into bed together, and they quickly fell asleep, Sugi's head on Embo's chest, and Embo's left arm around Sugi's shoulders.
Morning came, and with it, the excitement of Christmas! Embo and Sugi were the first ones downstairs, the former going to make coffee for the latter, and the others soon followed.
"Good morning, brother," Kendo yawned, stretching his arms as he came into the kitchen.
"Merry Christmas," Embo replied, looking up from the bacon he was frying. Sugi sat at the table nearby, drinking her coffee. Kendo noticed the familiar ring on her finger instantly. He smiled behind his mask; he knew that his brother loved the woman deeply, and that Embo must be ecstatic that she accepted his proposal.
No matter what anyone else might say, Kendo felt honored that he would soon be able to call her 'sister.'
Once everyone had arrived and eaten breakfast, they gathered in Embo's living room, seating themselves on various couches, armchairs, and cushions; their spots being where their now-filled stockings had been moved to. Then, seated beside Sugi on a forest green loveseat, Embo spoke up.
"Everyone, before we all begin opening gifts, Sugi and I have an announcement to make." Everyone looked at the two of them curiously, and Sugi finished for her fiancé.
"You see… as of last night… Embo and I are engaged!" She took Embo's hand, eyes sparkling," We're getting married!"
Everyone (except Kendo) stared at the couple, eyes wide and their mouths open in shock. Then, there was a gleeful squeal, and Latts ran over to hug them both!
"Congratulations, guys!" she gushed, "I always thought you two were meant for each other!"
"Well, it's about time you popped the big question, pal," Cad chuckled, "You two… I could see from the very start that you two were in love. Took all I had sometimes to keep myself from locking you two in a closet together…"
After a barrage of questions and congratulations, the all started focusing on the presents. As the youngest, little Miia picked the first gift. She toddled over to the tree, and picked up a small, rectangular box with silver wrapping paper.
"It fo' you, Mastew Windu!" she said cheerfully, carrying the present over to him. He smiled a little, accepting the gift, and soon had it open. His amber eyes widened.
It was a perfect replica of an AT-RT walker; each delicate piece skillfully crafted. Its legs were in a standing position, but moved smoothly when Mace tried it. Then, when he looked around for an explanation, Embo spoke up.
"Naya asked me to build that for you. After Tanoka gave me the schematics, I stayed up for a whole twelve hours building it." Mace then looked at the little Korun girl, who giggled happily.
"Merry Christmas!" she chirped, then said, "now pick a present!"
The Korun man studied the gifts piled under and around the tree, then selected a gold-wrapped gift with a red bow, summoning it to him with the Force. Looking at the tag, he said, "This is for Obi-Wan, from Tanoka."
"Oh?" Kenobi queried, summoning the gift to him. The box was abou a foot in length, eight inches tall, five inches wide, and surprisingly heavy. When he ripped off the wrapping paper and opened the box, however, he looked a little confused, as he pulled out the item contained within. "What is it?"
The object was made entirely of metal, and shaped like a kind of cat. Long, jointed legs moved easily, the metal paws tipped with razor-sharp claws, and blasters mounted on the shoulders. Just behind the shoulders, a riding seat rested on the flexible spine, which extended past the back legs to form a tail that was half as long as the rest of it. A set of handlebar controls, similar to those of a speederbike or an AT-RT, rested just at the base of the neck of the model machine, the neck connecting to a catlike head with sharply-angled optics and jaws holding deadly-ooking fangs.
"It's a model of my newest invention," Tanoka said proudly, smiling confidently. "I call it the Cheetah All-Terrain Attack Transport, or CAT-AT. It's a military vehicle I based off of an Earth predator called a cheetah. Equipped with high-powered blasters above the shoulders, long-range targeting optical sensors, and a small cannon contained within the jaws, this vehicle can also double as an attack droid if needed. I programmed an A.I. into the full-sized version, which has the main directives of both obeying its assigned rider, and keeping him or her alive. If the rider is killed, it will act on its own, following commands for support when they are given, and may even choose its new rider during the battle."
"What is it made of?" Obi-Wan asked, impressed, and Tanoka grinned.
"Took me a little while to find a light enough metal that could withstand anything the Separatists could throw at it.." she admitted with a shrug, "but then, Embo allowed me to study his hat. Those scorch marks? Burned paint. The metal itself is completely undamaged, and it's been taking hits for… how many years now?" She glanced at Embo, who leaned back, looking up in thought.
"Let's see… I got it from Cudar when I was selebrating my coming-of-age on my eighteenth birthday… I'm almost 28 now…" He looked to Tanoka. "Nearly a decade."
"Right. Nearly a decade of abuse, and the metal isn't even scratched. Plus, it's light. So, with Embo's permission, I sent his helmet through a scanner, analyzed the molecular composition of the metal, and saved it in the databanks of my replicator," the Togruta explained, still smiling. "I used my replicator to construct the pieces, and I put it all together."
They all went on to opening all they presents (Sugi nearly made Embo pass out by hugging him so tight he couldn't breathe when she opened the gift he made for her. It was a pair of Kyuzan knives with sheaths made from the dark green, scaly hide of a dragonlike creature called a Kirado), sharing laughter and having a good time.
And that's chapter 7! I'm going to try to type up the epilogue, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to post it, because aside from all the videogame distractions, I'm also now in college, trying to get an agriculture degree so I can go on to breed animals!
Ever since watching some snake breeding videos, I've started imagining Embo living in a home where he breeds gorgeous and adorable snakes as a hobby XD. I can only imagine the expressions on his parents' faces if/when they come to visit and just see snakes EVERYWHERE! XD
TO BE CONTINUED...
