"Come on, try it again." Canderous beckons standing over me after knocking me flat on the mat for the fifteenth time today, I've lost count what that makes for the grand total of since we started sparring, which isn't improving my mood. I'm sweaty, sore all over from muscles not used to being abused this way, frustrated that no matter how long and hard I try I can't hit the large freak of nature! It doesn't help that Canderous turns out to be such a hard-ass about it; always demanding that I: get back up, keep your arms up, swing from the hip, no use the end of your palm to strike not your fist! Yelling things in Mandoa whenever I'm too slow.
"Why are you doing this Canderous?" I heave out a sigh looking past his offered hand to stare him in the eye, finally asking the question that had been bothering me ever since he announced he would begin my "training" that evening in the back alley of the Cantina, but was to afraid to voice until now in case he changed his mind. "Don't get me wrong I'm thankful for the lessons..." Once I have some distance from them and cool down enough to think on what I have to prepare for, if I don't figure out how to return home before the Sith occupation.
"You want to quit, quit." He gruffs turning away from me heading for the other end of the mat to retrieve a water bottle. Scowling I jump to my feet yanking my towel from it's spot on the dusty floor of the under-construction Upper city apartment complex long since abandoned for one reason or another.
"I'm not quitting," I state firmly my voice muffled when I drag the towel down my face before dabbing at my sweaty neck. "I just want to understand why your so... So intent on pushing me as far as I can go and then farther still, when anybody else would have just showed me some self-defense tricks and called it good."
"Is that all you want to learn, tricks to keep some Chakaaryc from trying to have his way with you?" He asks almost as if he expected more from me yet coming across like he couldn't care less. Distracting me from the fact he still hasn't answered my question, probably.
"I wouldn't be showing up here every morning if that was the case." I answer irritably crossing the distance between us catching the bottle he tosses to me, and what would be wrong with learning just the self-defense; it's not like I have any intention of picking a fight with anyone. The fact that I know Sith will pick a fight with me once Revan gets here, whoever she or he may be, is the reason I keep coming back for more. "Stop changing the subject already and answer the question please."
"At the rate you get into trouble you'll end up dead by tomorrow," he smirks, is that approval in his voice? "Someone's got to teach you how to pull your own ass out of the fire. Cause I'm not going to do it next time." Without warning he smacks the bottle from my hand taking a fighting stance as it bounces on the mat. "Now actually hit me this time or your doing laps around the promenade again."
And, a withering glare is awarded to whoever can guess: who was doing laps around the Tarisian governmental buildings while this part of the world was just waking up, along with the sun. By the time I stumbled back to the clinic huffing, Dr. Forn and Gurney were already opening the clinic. "Ah, there you are Kylie," Dr. Forn greets before fully looking up from the crate he was packing. "Are you alright, your face is all red?"
"Happens every time I do my morning run Doc." I smile waving him off keeping my face down as I walk past him for the sink in the back splashing water on my face to try and cool down the embarrassing tomato red I know my it's pulsing with. I'm not over weight, last I checked I was well within a healthy weight for all 5'6 of me, just out of shape I guess. Hiking and biking were always a regular activity of mine back home just not used to such intensive running that my legs burn left feeling like noodles at the end of. "You guys are here early, whatcha packing for?" I ask as I towel off referring to the three large durasteel crates that clutter the small interior of the clinic including the duffel Gurney is packing.
"Today is the day out of every other week that Gurney takes over the Clinic for me while I travel to the Under City delivering these relief supplies." He straightens getting that absent far off look, I noticed after my second day here Zelka gets whenever he finally realizes that he forgot a step along the way which pretty much happens every time he gets wrapped up in his work. "Didn't I tell you?"
"No, I don't think you did." I smile politely shaking my head, glancing at Gurney before coming to a sudden decision. "Can I come and help, I've never seen the Under City?" And I don't want to be stuck with all the work while he slacks off knowing Zelka won't be around, like he does every time Doc's on call.
"Of course," Dr. Forn lights up suddenly tossing me a duffel it's contents clinking against each other as I struggle to catch it, while Doc continues oblivious with excitement. "Then I can bring those green house lamps I couldn't find room for! You can handle the weight right?" I shrug nodding, how heavy can they be?
I should have known better. Those heating lamps roughly two feet in diameter, made of durosteel, and each weighing about three pounds are crammed in my backpack that's half my size rising over my head half a foot when I have it strapped on. It's pretty funny looking actually, if I don't lean forward whenever I'm standing still like we are now riding in the Lower District Lift I start to tip over. This could be embarrassment induced paranoia but I could swear that all the stares we got traversing the Upper walkways lingered on me the longest and I heard more than one snicker behind me as I hobbled past.
"Hey Doc, I probably should have asked this sooner, but are we planning to cart all this stuff through the Lower City streets like we did on the Upper walkways?" I ask nervously grabbing the crates on the hovering flat bed cart for balance, I really don't want to add "getting mugged" to the list of new things I got to experience in a galaxy far far away.
"Oh no, I have an arrangement with a man named Gadon Thek, his people will escort us to the Under City Lift in exchange for the medicine in the first crate. Gadon is..." He begins hesitantly probably wondering how an off-worlder would react knowing he makes deals with a gang leader, not knowing the way things work on Taris, someone might think Zelka is willingly supplying a treacherous gang with drugs to abuse.
"I know of the Hidden Beks and how Gadon looks out for the people down here Doc," I interrupt putting the Doctor at ease. "What does he do with the medicine though, distribute it to those that need it?" How would that even be feasible? I first arrived on Taris in the Under City before I got shot and... well I didn't have to walk far to know the poor people in the Undercity aren't the only ones who need aid.
"He stocks his protected clinic within the Hidden Bek base which anyone in need can have access to, well until Brejik took over the Black Vulcars. They attack the Bek's at every turn." Doc makes to explain more but fortunately I'm saved from a rehash of the game's , I mean world's history (still hard to believe this is all real sometimes) when the lift rumbles underfoot finally settling at the bottom of who knows how many levels. My relief from finally being free of the longest elevator ride of my life, is short lived when an imposing Wee-quay armed with a blaster greets us when the doors part.
"Doc, glad you could make it." The Wee-quay greets with a wicked toothy grin. Completely unperturbed by the blaster fire arcing at his buddies behind him as they return fire at an enemy beyond my view. My first hope is that they're the Hidden Beks meant to escort us, but when I look over at Dr. Forn's grim expression and tense body language opposite the Wee-quay arrogantly leveling his blaster on me, a cold knot forms in my stomach knowing it's the other way around. Shit.
"Now your going to step out slowly handing over your gear or the little girly gets it." He sneers backing away from the lift doors giving us room to exit keeping me firmly in his sights as I slowly remove my bulky pack, cold sweat forming on my ribs. Any other circumstances and I would have made a quick but inevitably lame come back at the 'lil girly' comment, but fortunately I'm not so stupid as to mouth off at the guy holding the gun. "Kalik help me grab the gear!" He shouts out not taking his beady eyes off us as a green Twi'lek from the three men returning fire breaks off from his cover behind the idling hover car just as a blaster bolt takes him down mid-sprint as he tried to make it past the gap in the street that separates the car from the lift.
Hearing his partner cry out as he went down the Wee-quay takes his eyes off me looking back shocked and before I even realize it my body is in action following Canderous' voice barking orders in my head: "Turn to your side right foot forward, grab the blaster, bring you right elbow down hard into his midsection, when his grip loosens and he doubles over in pain ram the butt of the rifle into his temple."
It almost works as well as I've practiced with Canderous, since he's not wearing any armor the force of my elbow stuns him into releasing the rifle cept for one hand gripping the barrel loosely, not enough to stop me from using both of mine to drive the butt of the weapon back at him; his head much closer to me now that he's bent over in pain. He tries to straighten and recover the blaster when someone behind him screams "Detonator!" followed immediately by an ear-splitting detonation just as the weapon connects under his chin snapping his head back. As he falls backwards onto his butt, I fumble to turn the barrel around managing to train it on him in time, frantically blinking away the big black dots in my vision, burned there from the detonator blast.
Blood trickling down his lip the Wee-Quay glares up at me enraged, and for a split-second he tenses like he's going to rush me regardless of his blaster I have trained on him. My finger twitches over the trigger as every muscle in my body coils up with tension, please don't...
"Stay seated or it'll be the last thing you do!" A woman yells armed with a blaster which she also aims at him while her teammates flank the dented and smoldering vehicle where the grenade had detonated killing the other two fighters. The Wee-Quay snaps his head in her direction looking so pissed I thought he was still going to try it, but when he sees he's the last one of his men still breathing he begrudgingly lifts his hands in surrender grinding his teeth, and burning a hole into me with his glare. Apparently picking me to blame for his predicament, great, try looking in a mirror buddy.
There are four others with the woman, who are still on edge, even though the blaster fire has ceased their attention is entirely focused on between keeping the prisoner under guard and watching the perimeter for reinforcements, unlike their leader who I suppose is trusting them to handle it as she deals with us. "Fast work kid," The woman comments as she approaches us her voice coming out rough and loud, I keep my weapon trained on the Wee-Quay not feeling remotely safe enough to let it go, my legs starting to tremble from the after effects of adrenaline. "Sorry we weren't here to greet you Doctor Forn, The Black Vulcars swooped in on their shuttle as we were making our way to the lift and it took everything we had to reclaim it." Unlike the Black Vulcars this woman with dark skin, short shorn black hair wore an armored jumpsuit like the dualist at the Upper City Cantina. She like the rest of her men looked well trained and well equipped, prepared to defend. "Two of my men will take the Vulcar and our medical crate back to base. We shouldn't encounter any more the rest of the trip." Nodding to her men they proceed to gather our things the Wee-Quay snorts, yelling about the dozens of Vulcars waiting to gun us down on the streets. Before he's silenced with the butt of a rifle, tied and escorted down the street ahead of us.
"We're certainty glad that you stayed to help Cineer, and that you won out when you did." Zelka thanks her clearly relieved that the seething Vulcar is no longer among us as he slips his pack back on. "Oh, this is my assistant Kylie Fletcher she's new to Taris. That was - surprising how you managed to disarm that man, are you alright?" He gently places a hand on my shoulder, the look he gives me says he didn't think I had it in me. I'm just relieved it actually worked!
"Well I'm not shot and the ringing in my ears finally stopped. So I'm fine, considering." I smile but it comes weaker than I wanted. I'm trying to shake it off like they are, but I don't think I'm ever going to get used to being shot at or even near as the case was. Not to mention the surviving bad guy made it pretty clear this wasn't over for him, I really hope that's the last I see of him. "What do the Beks plan to do with him?" I gesture toward the departing group with my new weapon having no intention of surrendering it either, the game had more Vulcars shooting at Revan down the street and I'm not going to be unarmed when we meet them.
"Traded back to his gang most likely. Gadon is intent on trying to rekindle good will with Brejik. Personally I wouldn't be so merciful to those scum." She spits after the Vulcar. Before turning to look me over, I have no clue what her thoughts were, but she looks pointedly at the blaster. "Do you know how to use that?"
"Yes, my dad taught me." Sort of, he did teach me and I do have experience shooting but just: hunting rifles like our 243, my hunting bow and my dad's 380 pistol so I'm stretching the truth a bit, hoping the same principles can be applied just minus the bullets. "Good you're going to need it where we're going, if your ready let's move out." She says satisfied with my answer I guess. I nod that I'm ready to go, quickly swinging the pack back on switching hands to hold the blaster while adjusting each strap, before taking my place on one side of the hover cart, Doc on the other, with the two other Beks taking up our rear.
We make it past Javyar's Cantina and the Bek base in silence and without incident. I guess that's why Cineer thought she could relax enough to chat. "So your new to Taris huh, where you from and why in the galaxy would you come here?" She asks over her shoulder catching me completely off guard. Uhh...
"Kylie came here from Ord Mantel." Dr. Forn quickly answers for me apparently thinking the same as I did that Korriban wouldn't go over as well as it did with him. But geez, I know nothing about Ord Mantel in this time line! "She's training as a Doctor Abroad for the Peace Brigade." The Peace Brigade actually exists in this time line?
"Good for you, it's reassuring to see kids doing something that actually contributes to something bigger than themselves, we're glad your here with Zelka, too few people on Taris give a damn about the folks down here or in the Undercity like Dr. Forn here." She says as she returns her focus to where we're heading and I sneak a glare at Zelka demanding with my eyes "Really, you couldn't come up with something a little simpler!", his shrug said something like "It worked didn't it?", I shook my head. How am I going to keep track of all my back stories at this rate?
Once we said good-bye to Cineer and the others and began our inevitably long ride down to the Undercity I had to ask, "I don't know much of anything about Ord Mantel; for instance has the war reached there, did the Mandalorian war?"
He gives me an odd look, probably wondering why I know so little about the two major wars of both our life times. "No, other than the Mandalorians raiding it when they first started attacking the Outer Rim, Ord Mantel has been a refugee world."
"So what made you think of the Peace Brigade?" I ask quickly before he can question what kind of life I had on Korriban not to know anything about what are probably the major headlines of the war.
"My daughter joined at the start of the Mandalorian War, it seemed a likely explanation." He shrugs suddenly becoming distant.
"I didn't know you a had a kid, what's her name?" I don't know why I never thought of Zelka having a life outside the clinic, I guess when he never spoke of anything outside of work I just - kinda assumed that he didn't have one. Maybe he didn't buy my story about where I'm from and doesn't trust me enough to introduce me to his daughter, or he does and doesn't want me hanging around her with such a sketchy past, that I don't talk about. For all he knows I'm a runaway dark jedi who fled the academy there or something. If that's how he feels, why hasn't he turned me in yet then?
"Her name was Oriana..." Oh, damn. Of course I had to make his omission of his daughter about me. When are you going to learn to take the time to read a person before speaking.
"Was?" I ask gently; yeah I know that's a stupid question, but I've already made this agonizingly slow elevator ride, awkward and painful for him. The least I could do is listen about his loss, I mean it helps to talk about it right? "I'm sorry Zelka, we uh we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." I add hurriedly, self-consciously rubbing the end of my shoulder strap between my thumb and forefinger, simultaneously rubbing my sore shoulder with the other hand, unsure where to look or what to say.
"It's been around five years now Kylie, I'm okay with talking about her." He says offering a small smile before taking a deep sigh his eyes looking off into the middle distance towards the lift doors. "Her mother was killed in an accident, when she was still so little," He demonstrates lowering his hand to mid-thigh. "So I raised her on my own while working as a doctor at a government hospital, being party to Taris' broken health system. I guess growing up, Oriana got exposed to my disgust for having to work at a hospital that would wait to treat someone even if they were bleeding out, just to make sure they paid for treatment up front or were Human Uppercity legal citizens." The bitterness in his voice is almost palpable, I've never seen this side of him, I certainty understand it though.
"Well, once she completed her apprenticeship and was a Doctor in her own right she, she wanted to make a difference..." He continues with obvious pride, his expression softening. "You know, you kinda of remind me of her, always at my side at the clinic, comforting patients as she studiously watched everything I did committing it to memory so she could repeat it. Always full of questions too, like you..."
"... I wish I could've met her, she sounds like someone I would have liked to be friends with..." I tell him softly hoping I'm not being presumptuous, but I do mean it, someone raised with Zelka's selfless kindness and moral conviction who actually took it to heart, joining the Brigade as an adult; well people like that are hard to come to by. "What happened to her?"
"Buried, under a collapsing building she and her team were trying to dig survivors from. After the Mandalorians bombed the southern continent of Malastare." He answers so quietly my ears strain to hear before closing his eyes bowing his head, and for once I know to respect the silence, her life, with a moment of silence. Reflecting on how she spent her life helping others brought down by war; not contributing to it.
"That was five years ago Kylie, a day doesn't go by that I don't think about her or her beautiful mother. But I'm fine, I've had my mourning period, I know she would want me continuing my retirement, taking pleasure in helping those I can."
"I'm still sorry for your loss Zelka, the galaxy's loss too honestly, few people spend the time they have like she did... And Dr. Forn, I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record but, thank you, again for helping me and taking me in." I tell him when a pang of guilt hits my gut and I feel like I'm going to be sick. I mean how do I plan to repay his kindness? By abandoning him and everyone else on this planet the first chance I get before Malak gets here killing every man, woman and child. I know the friggen future, and I'm not even considering trying to change it for the better! I realize how impossible that sounds but doesn't everyone say how the smallest thing changed in the past could have far reaching consequences for the future? What if I could somehow find out when the Endar Spire launches and warn them about the ambush over Taris?
Okay admittingly not the most well thought out plan and it doesn't hold water after consideration, but I have to try. At the very least, I owe it to Zelka.
.
A/N's: I'm trying to give the Kotor characters more of a voice now that I think I've introduced Kylie. Like giving Dr. Zelka Forn a backstory and make him more real Explain, why Canderous feels the need to mentor Kylie. And get her introduced to the Hidden Beks since I plan for Kylie to be interacting with them a lot in the future.
And I do intend to explain soon why The Emperor's Hand from SWTOR would be on Korriban in this timeline and the identity of the mysterious Sith woman who inadvertently saves Kylie's life. Next up we're going to explore the Undercity, make some friends with the Outcasts and get the first inkling of a plan to try and do something, anything to take on the monumental task of changing the future. But will she succeed?