Chapter 26: Gavin Azi'skar

Thellus Asteroid, Dressel System

Azi'skar woke up with a yawn and rolled over, looking at the chronometer. 0936. My first full night of sleep in… don't even remember.

A line of full-spectrum lighting shone into the room through a crack in the curtains. It's morning. Grav'shtarn was the only district in Thellus that dimmed the exterior lighting at night.

He rolled over and looked back to Zerir and began contemplating her. At age thirty, Azi'skar thought Zerir was pretty in her own way but almost too young for his tastes. Almost.

Well, that was surprisingly simple, Aziskar smirked to himself. Even for Bothan standards, that was simple.

He turned on the holonet with the volume off. Subtitles appeared in mid-air. The news was recapping a speech he had given yesterday after the arrest of six Bothan Marshals. Six. No one heard about the seventh—that feral Colonel still in hospital.

Azi'skar had no idea what the Marshals could have possibly been up to, but he wanted to get ahead of the jingoism. Frame this as: the Marshals need to be held accountable to local law. They are here to support our law enforcement and keep Thellus safer, not to do whatever the hell they want. We need them, but they cannot be a rogue force.

As for the seventh Marshal, Azi'skar did not want to start an anti-Marshalcy riot. A Federal Marshal, who was drunk and high on adrenaline, had viciously assaulted and bit two Thellus cops.

In two days, Azi'skar thought, once the news forgets what had happened, I will release those six Marshals, to resume their duties, transfer, be court martialled, whatever the hell Marshalcy wants. His plan for that feral Colonel was to repatriate him back to Bothawui once he awakens from his coma. Tav Mi'zya will certainly face a court martial. You don't just get to attack people and get away with it. You don't—

"—Pam grum, erz dosk kor yalom." [Clan Leader, good morning,] Zerir yawned.

The serious grim expression melted from Azi'skar's snout. He smirked, staring into her light green eyes. [Good morning.]

o-o-o

The smell of toast, cocoa, and baking Bith beans filled the kitchen. Outside the dining room windows, full-spectrum light shined brightly on the green Kavris vines and grass lining the yard of the Grum's Mansion.

"Phųdhų khų thųną khųrn ųbhąyįth, phąm ghrųm." [I can make breakfast, Grum,] Zerir growled, nervously poking her snout above the baking beans. She cautiously sniffed the raw cocoa powder Azi'skar had dropped on them.

[Zerir, I got that cocoa from Botha'ahir. Don't worry,] Azi'skar grunted impatiently. [Go sit down,] he ordered, pointing into the dining room.

As Zerir walked out of the kitchen, Thot Ni'mai emerged from the stairwell.

"Pam ibask grum, erz dosk kor yalom." [Good morning, other Clan Leader,] Zerir said to Thot in a cheerful tone. "Zom erz pa Hakorsk?" [Where's Hakorsk?]

Thot blinked in shock at the unconventional greeting, sniffing the air furiously. [Good morning. Hakorsk is still sleeping. Gavin? I did not know—]

—Zoc emerged from the stairwell and yelped dramatically. "Pam shar! Erz pa Zerir pan—Erz pa Zerir—" [Dad! Is Zerir—is Zerir—] he stammered.

Zerir scowled at Zoc.

[Is Zerir going to be my new mom?] Zoc blurted out.

Zerir's fur swirled nervously. Her snout hung open in shock.

Thot shook his head as if that were the stupidest question he had ever heard, snorting.

[Uh… no,] Azi'skar growled cautiously.

Zerir gave a huge sigh of relief. Her fur relaxed.

Azi'skar smirked. [Zoc. You are eighteen years old and—]

"—Esh seventeen!" Zoc snarled angrily in Askar Creole. "Nokiz remember my age!"

"You are turning eighteen next month," Azi'skar snarled back. "You don't kriffing need a new mother."

"Dad! You never asked me if it was okay to kriff my boss!" Zoc yelped. "Nokiz even asked! You kriffed my boss! Do you know how awkward this is for me?"

As they talked about her, Zerir looked back and forth, to Azi'skar, to Zoc, back to Azi'skar, and so on. Her fur began to twitch impatiently.

"Do you want any beans on toast?" Azi'skar growled cautiously.

"Sure!" Thot said with a smile.

"Dad! You esh changin' the subject," Zoc said sternly.

"Maybe the subjec' should jus' be changed," Zerir grunted with a Spacer shrug.

Zoc turned to her and opened his snout to say something, then closed it. His fur swirled nervously.

I wonder what could make him so afraid of her, Azi'skar wondered to himself. He had not been told the full details of exactly how everything transpired on Ohma-D'un. He had no idea of the full extent of the trauma they had experienced.

Azi'skar carried two plates of toast with Bith beans on top to the dining room, giving one to Zoc and one to Zerir. Then he returned to the kitchen and prepared one for himself and one for Thot.

Zerir cautiously took a bite of hers. She bit down slowly as if afraid it might be dangerous.

[How was your day, Captain?] Zoc sighed.

[Good,] Zerir mumbled out after swallowing a bite.

[I've been thinking,] Azi'skar said slowly as he took a seat between Zerir and Zoc. [Since you are my only son still living in the Grum's Mansion—]

[—But dad! My life is not in order! I can't move out yet!] Zoc yelped in terror. [Can't believe you would do this to me!] he growled in a pleading whine.

[That's not what I am saying at all,] Azi'skar snarled. [All of my kids except for you have families of their—]

[—Shara doesn't have kids,] Zoc growled, stomping his feet under the table, quaking in terror. [And I am just seventeen!]

[Yeah, well Shara likes women,] Azi'skar retorted. His fur stood on end. Stop interrupting me Zoc! No, that sounds too angry… [Zoc, please stop interrupting me. Can you do that?]

[Yes dad,] Zoc growled nervously.

[Good,] Azi'skar snorted. [Okay, this has nothing to do with you having kids. Although, I imagine you will pick up chicks much more easily,] he remarked crudely.

Thot raised an eyebrow.

Zerir scowled.

[Since you like living here so much, Zoc, how would you like to be Grum?]

"WHAT?!" Zerir yelped in a panic. "Zoc! Grum! You esh crazy!"

"Captain," Azi'skar snarled, flashing his teeth. "I—" he said nothing else, imagining his angry snarl would be sufficient. He expected Zerir's fur to swirl nervously like it usually did when he got angry. He expected her to growl an apology and grovel.

Instead, she snarled, "you esh senile, old man! Firs' you put cocoa on beans! Now you make Zoc Grum!" she yelped. After taking a huge gulp of air, she stood up from her chair and stormed out of the dining room. Before leaving through the front door, she growled, "Zoc, I like you, but you esh a total nincompoop. Grum, he esh gonna destroy the whole system if you put him in charge." Her fur stood on end showing no sign of nervousness.

Azi'skar's fur gave one nervous flick. Well. That was unexpected.

Trigger trotted to the door, holding Zerir's datapad. "You forgot this," he growled.

"Thanks," Zerir huffed, then slammed the door dramatically.

Thot giggled, pounding the table with his fist.

"WHAT?!" Azi'skar snarled.

"Sorry," Thot chuckled, controlling his laughter a bit. "You Askars! I never thought I'd be glad to have Askar cousins."

Zoc stared down at his plate. His fur swirled nervously.

"Why did Zerir call you a nincompoop?" Azi'skar growled suddenly. "What did you do to set her off?"

"Dad, I—" Zoc stammered then gulped. His voice died.