Claiming Destiny
By Nevyn Slash
New Mando'a words used in this chapter:
K'olar! - Come here! Get over here at once!
Ori'vod - big brother, sister, comrade
Vor entye - thank you
K'oyacyi! - Come back safely. Stay alive!
Gar ru tal'onidir ni dinuir mirjahaal. - You sweated blood to give me peace of mind.
Ba'geder'ye - you're welcome
Vode - brother's, sister's, comrade's
Kar'ta - heart
Ni ru baatir gar. - I was worried about you.
Cyare'ika - sweetheart
Meash'la - beautiful, handsome
Keldabe - helmeted forehead kiss
Kar'taylir darasuum. - I love you eternally.
Riduur – spouse
Chapter 07
By the time the ship docked at Ziost's orbiting station, his crew was geared and ready to go. Once on the station, they were given a brief debriefing. Imperial military forces on Ziost had stopped responding to orbital comm signals. Worse, for some unknown reason, the military had turned on the civilian population. They were advised to travel to the hot zone to acquire more information.
Together they took a shuttle down to the planet and landed in the endangered outpost. From there it was a crazy few hours as they fought their way through possessed soldiers, officers, and Jedi before the latest group they were facing in a damaged bunker were cut down by Lana's red lightsaber upon her timely arrival. Skoldolfr signalled his team to fan out and keep watch as Lana approached him.
"So you've arrived. Good. There's much to be done," she said in way of greeting upon reaching him.
Skoldolfr crossed his arms and his fingers dug into his forearms as a wave of vertigo came and went. When it passed he spoke, glad that his helmet's voice modulation hid the tightness in his voice. "I can't help but notice you aren't possessed."
"I've been practicing my mental resistance ever since Yavin 4. Still, resistance has not been easy," she said. "The Jedi you fought belonged to the Sixth Line. SIS commandos who follow their own addendum to the Jedi Code, hence the name."
Skoldolfr was so focused on keeping a rising headache at bay while focusing his attention on Lana and the mention of SIS that he failed to notice an approaching copper-skin-toned man with a shaved head in an Empire uniform until he was nearly upon them.
"'There is no contemplation, there is only duty,'" the man said as he approached. "Great point of view – so long as they're working for you." He turned to Lana. "Pardon the interruption. I sent a probe droid to look into that crashed shuttle, Minister Beniko. It's empty."
Lana nodded and then turned her attention to Skoldolfr. "This Is Agent Rane Kovach," she introduced. "He's been something of a rising star in Sith Intelligence here on Ziost."
"Alright, fine." Skoldolfr did not care about learning the man's name or anything else about him. He likely would never see the man again after this mission. Something Agent Kovach had said stood out to him for reason, however. "Tell me about this crashed shuttle."
"We believe Theron Shan attempted to slip onto Ziost unnoticed and was shot down," Lana said.
She continued but Skoldolfr could not hear any of what she said due to the rushing of blood in his ears as his mind filled with panic. Theron had been shot down? How was that possible? No, that question was not important. What was, was finding the man and ensuring that he was alright. Agent Kovach had said that the shuttle was empty when they found it. Skoldolfr refused to consider the possibility that that was because Theron had been thrown from it as it had been crashing down and was now lying somewhere dying or already dead.
He reached up and activated the communicator in his helmet. "Torian."
"Reading you," came the immediate reply.
"K'olar! I have a mission for you," Skoldolfr ordered, his voice tight. While the helmet voice modulation would disguise it, Skoldolfr had no doubt another Mandalorian, such as Torian, used to such voice distortions, would be able to hear it.
Torian's reply was immediate. "Yes, sir."
Lana and Agent Kovach had stopped talking upon realizing they no longer had his attention. Now both of them were looking at him with slight frowns of irritation on their faces at the interruption. Skoldolfr ignored them and turned to Torian who ran up and came to a stop beside him half a minute later.
"Theron's shuttle was shot down. Agent Kovach will give you the shuttle's last coordinates. I –" He took a calming breath and continued. "Find him for me. Make sure he is safe."
Torian nodded. His helmet hid his expression but Skoldolfr knew it was deadly serious. "I shall find your cyare, ori'vod."
"Vor entye," Skoldolfr said. "K'oyacyi, Torian!"
Torian nodded and wasted no time in marching up to the agent and demanding, "The coordinates. Now."
Agent Kovach hesitated and turned a questioning glance to Lana. Skoldolfr did not give her a chance to speak. "Now!" he barked.
Agent Kovach pulled the coordinates up and sent them to Torian who wasted no time running for the exit.
"Care to explain what that was about?" Lana asked, her voice chastising.
"No. Unless there is anything else, I have a mission to continue."
She narrowed her eyes and was about to respond when her communicator chirped. She tapped her com to answer it and listened to whoever was on the other side. Then, "Yes, I'm on my way."
She looked back at him. "I'm needed everywhere, all at once. I've already lingered too long here. Agent Kovach has a plan to help stem the bloodshed. We'll talk later" She gave him a lingering, meaningful look before turning and striding away.
As Lana walked away, Agent Kovach stepped closer. "I've heard of you. The Grand Champion. Good to have you in my corner."
Skoldolfr grunted and his fingers twitched with anxious energy. The desire to take off after Torian and track Theron down was a strong impulse that was difficult to ignore. It made focusing on Agent Kovach's words difficult. He was able to focus enough to get the general grasp of the conversation. That in short, he had to place the outpost armoury in lockdown.
"That won't be enough," Skoldolfr said.
"No, it won't," Agent Kovach agreed. "But we have to start somewhere. I'll go on ahead. Be your eyes and ears." Without waiting for a response, Agent Kovach turned and walked off.
Skoldolfr sighed. He doubted the agent would actually be much help. Knowing there was not much time to spare, and wanting to get the mission over with so he could go to Theron, Skoldolfr recalled his team and the four of them set off toward the armoury. With Mako on slicing detail, Blizz on long-range artillery, and Zale on point, it took them no time at all to dispose of the opposition they came across on the way to the armoury.
They were within eyesight of the armoury when his helmet communicator came on and Torian's voice came through. "I've got him, vod. He's injured. Hit his head in the crash. I did what I could. Where are you?"
Relief flooded his system, making him shake slightly with it. 'Theron's alright,' he mentally chanted as he signalled a brief halt and closed his eyes. 'He's alright.' Fear for the man had been a constant companion as he fought his way through hordes of mind-controlled personnel. To know Theron had survived…
"Gar tu tal'onidir ni dinuir mirjahaal," Skoldolfr solemnly said. "Vor entye."
There was a slight pause. When Torian spoke next he sounded shy. Even with his helmet disguising his voice, Skoldolfr could still pick it up. "Ba'geder'ye, ori'vod."
"We will be at the armoury," Skoldolfr said next as he signalled to his companions to continue forward.
"On our way," Torian answered and closed the connection.
After taking care of the possessed individuals inside the armoury and recovering some anti-air scanners and putting them to use, Skoldolfr used the computer console in the building to shut down the air defence turrets. "No more shuttles getting shot down now," he muttered as he worked. "Kriffing world. Shooting down Theron. Ugh." He kicked the panel and then for good measure shot it until it was a smoking ruin. "Serves you right," he told it as he sheathed his pistol.
"Was that really necessary?" Agent Kovach asked as he approached another console. Skoldolfr did not answer him and after a few seconds, Agent Kovach shook his shaved head and checked one of the other consoles in the room. "I can confirm that the defences are down. Between those weapons and the armoury, they have lost a lot of their killing power. Should be able to start evacuation efforts as well. The fewer potential targets on Ziost, the better."
Just then one of the doors hissed open. Skoldolfr spun towards it, his hand going to his towards his blaster but froze upon seeing who was entering. Torian entered first, weapon drawn as he quickly checked to ensure the room was secure. Upon spotting Skoldolfr, he nodded and then gestured behind him. Only then did Theron enter. Skoldolfr wasted no time in striding forward to cross the room towards the two of them as Theron looked to Torian and rolled his eyes.
"I can take care of myself," he said.
"Of course," Torian easily replied. "You are a capable warrior. But you are my vode kar'ta. Ensuring your safety is my current mission.
Theron sighed, looking as if he had heard this statement before and was no more enlightened as to its meaning. Then he turned and spotted Skoldolfr who had stopped a mere six feet away.
Skoldolfr gulped and his hands clenched at his sides as he saw the injuries on Theron's face. Those were just the visible ones. How many more were the man's clothes hiding? Without thinking about it, he closed the distance between them and gathered Theron into a gentle embrace.
"Ni ru baatir gar, cyare'ika." He pulled away just enough to softly press his helmeted forehead against Theron's bruised one in a keldabe kiss. "I have missed you, mesh'la."
"Uh… hi," Theron said.
Only then did Theron's posture register. The man was stiff and had not returned the embrace or leaned into it in the slightest. That, combined with the five months of silence from the man, was a clear message. Theron did not feel the same about Skoldolfr and did not appreciate being held without his permission. Skoldolfr's throat tightened and he had to fight against the hurt that wanted to well up. He could not make Theron love him. He had to accept that the man was entitled to feel differently. Maybe it was past time Skoldolfr backed off. Message received loud and clear.
Still, he was reluctant to let go. He slowly released Theron and indulged himself in one last touch. He wished he was not wearing gloves as he softly cupped Theron's uninjured cheek while doing his best to once again commit Theron's face to memory. Even injured, Theron was still incredibly handsome. If this was the last opportunity he had to be close to his soulmate, he was going to make sure he never forgot it.
"Kar'taylir darasuum," he softly said just as Theron turned his head away to break the contact. Skoldolfr stepped back and then turned to walk several paces away with his back to everyone else in the room. He closed his eyes as the pain of loss ripped through him and it took several deep breaths and a full moment to compose himself. He could feel the headache that he had managed to keep at bay threatening to turn into a migraine. As he felt the shakes start, he quickly turned and walked past Theron and Torian and out the door to stand just outside.
Right before the door shut, he heard Theron start to ask, "What's wrong –"
Left to himself for a bit, he allowed the shakes to come because holding them back for long was more painful. As the nausea built, he pulled out a small ration bar and ate a couple of tiny bites to settle his stomach. He tucked the rest away even though he knew he should finish it. He hadn't eaten yet that day but his stomach clenched at the thought. As he pressed his helmet against the hall wall he closed his eyes just in case the area started to spin. Roughly three minutes later he was still standing there with his eyes closed when the door swished open and light steps approached. He knew from the tread that it was Mako even before she spoke.
"Torian is keeping Agent Kovach and Agent Shan from coming out here to find you."
Skoldolfr grunted to indicate he had heard. His head was pounding and all he wanted was to go back to the shuttle and return to his ship.
"He seemed worried about you," she said, her voice gentle and hesitant, as if unsure she should say anything.
"Who?" he asked, his usual strong voice sounding weak to his own ears.
"Theron."
Skoldolfr gulped sudden bile and sighed. "That's not enough."
"I know," Mako said, sadly. "What happened?"
"Hope," Skoldolfr responded with a self-deprecating chuckle. "I had somehow managed to hold onto it even though Theron has not responded to any of my messages. His reaction in there? It was a clear message that he just is not interested in me."
Mako reached out and placed a small hand on his forearm. "He has been through a lot today. He was shot down and the Jedi he brought in to help were turned against us. He has likely lost a lot of friends. Give him time."
"He's had five months, Mako. How much more time can I give him before I can't give him anymore?" Skoldolfr asked, finally opening his eyes and turning his head to look at her. She was so young and pretty. Despite the harrowing mission so far, her dark hair still neatly lay about her face and her brown eyes were alert. "Why couldn't I have just been interested in you?"
Despite the solemn mood, she giggled briefly. "You're not interested in females, remember? Besides, you would still have met with this situation."
"Do you think I can trade in? Torian would make a great riduur."
She shook her head and lightly swatted his arm. "No pouching my boyfriend."
Skoldolfr grinned though Mako could not see it. "Don't worry. I like him better as a vod'ika. Don't forget to invite me to the wedding."
"Torian says they are small, private, intimate affairs. You know this," Mako said. Colours were muted when seen through the tint of his helmet's faceplate, but he was sure Mako was blushing.
"The after party then," Skoldolfr allowed. He sighed and assessed his state of being. The shakes had stopped, the nausea and vertigo were curbed for now and the headache, while still there, had not turned into a migraine. He was as well as he was going to get for now. He slowly drank some water from his canteen before pushing himself away from the wall. When he was ready he headed for the doors. "Best not keep them waiting any longer."
The two of them entered and immediately all eyes in the room turned to them. Mako went to join Blizz and Zale, and Torian left Theron's side to follow her. Skoldolfr approached Theron and Agent Kovach who were standing together by one of the intact computer terminals. They both watched his approach and while Skoldolfr was grateful for the way his helmet hid his gaunt features from his companions and friends, he still wished he could see the true colour of Theron's peridot eyes.
He stopped a fair distance away from Theron to give the man space, putting him closer to Agent Kovach. "What did I miss?" he asked the pair of them.
"You would not have missed anything if you had not left the room," Agent Kovach said. "We don't have the time to spare for your theatrics."
Skoldolfr fixed an unimpressed glare on the man even though it was hidden by his helmet. "You failing to catch me up is wasting even more time."
The man huffed.
"You didn't miss much," Theron assured. "We need to discuss ways to stop the emperor."
"Do you have any ideas?" asked Skoldolfr.
"No. Just that we have to try something. The ways things are out there, without Torian, I don't think I would have made it this far. Soon as I crash-landed, the Emperor's puppets started coming for my shuttle. Maybe figured on some easy kills inside. Did the only thing I could think of. Rigged the ship to overload, fried everything in and around it. Tried to shield myself but still scrambled half my implants."
The more Skoldolfr learned about what Theron had gone through, the more relieved he was that he had sent Torian out to find Theron and make sure he got to the armoury safely. Even though he had seen for himself how well Theron could handle himself in a crisis. The bit about Theron's implants being scrambled alarmed him the most. That must have been painful to go through. Skoldolfr wouldn't know as he did not have any implants himself but it sounded like something that would hurt and or cause headaches. After this conversation, he would have Mako check Theron over.
"That stopped the attack?" Skoldolfr asked. Electrical shocks being able to snap possessed individuals back to themselves would be useful.
"They went down, yeah. Some of them got back up, but they seemed out of it. Not possessed – dazed."
What followed was fifteen minutes of shocking some possessed soldiers that had chosen just then to approach their building, waiting for them to awaken, and questioning them to confirm their status, before releasing them. As the two released men ran for the exit, Agent Kovach spoke up.
"So now we know: shock them unconscious and the tie is severed – for a while, at least. Hit enough of them hard enough and they'll be out a good, long while."
"Yes, but how do we do that?" Theron asked Agent Kovach.
Agent Kovach frowned in thought. "I have some ideas. I need to consult the New Adeasta municipal systems."
"You going to need a hand with that? Some backup?" Theron offered.
Skoldolfr's jaw tightened and he wanted to voice a protest. He did not like the idea of his injured soulmate going back into danger. Speaking out against Theron's offer would send the wrong message though: that he did not believe Theron could handle himself. As much as he hated the idea of letting Theron go, he would have to. Especially as he had no say in what the other man did.
"No. I'll be in touch," Agent Kovach answered and Skoldolfr felt himself relax. For now at any rate.
Agent Kovach walked toward the exit and Theron looked at Skoldolfr. "Well, he seems confident. Is he any good?"
"I have not worked with him long enough to say. Lana vouches for him though," Skoldolfr responded diplomatically.
"'Lana Beniko. Minister of Sith Intelligence.' Who'd have thought it, right? When I met her on Manaan, she was in over her head. Seemed to be."
Skololfr wanted to sigh. Just like back on Yavin, talking about Lana was the last thing he wanted to do. Instead, he said, "I know what you mean. She's not always what one would call 'direct'."
"You don't have to tell me. My bruises still have bruises thanks to her little deception on Rishi. Still, who am I to talk?" Theron said.
Skoldolfr's anger flared at the reminder of that event. He would never be able to forgive Lana for arranging to have Theron captured and tortured.
"You are one to talk, Theron," Skoldolfr denied. "You are much better than that. You wouldn't betray someone to get captured and tortured by the enemy. You wouldn't risk someone's life like that."
Theron ran a hand agitatedly through his hair. "I should never have sent my team here. I made a bad situation worse, and now –" He cut himself off as a beeping sounded. Theron pulled out his communicator and glanced down at it. "And now I've got a priority holocall. Great." He did not sound happy about that.
Which was no wonder when it was revealed that the caller was Republic Supreme Chancellor Saresh. Who was definitely not pleased with Theron or willing to listen to anything he had to say about what was going on on Ziost. She had her own agenda and part of it was an insane expectation for Theron to have already faced the Emperor head-on and taken him down. She was in the middle of further chastising Theron by telling him she expected him to cooperate from now on when Skoldolfr could not listen to her anymore. Theron looked miserable at being berated by someone that had no idea what was really going on and as it was a direct supervisor of sorts, he had no way of talking back. Skoldolfr did not have the same issue.
He strode forward until he was between the two of them and fixed the hologram of Chancellor Saresh with his best helmeted glare. "You are done here. Call back when you have something important to say and you are willing to listen to people that know more about what is going on than you do."
"Just who do you think –" Without waiting for her to finish, Skoldolfr reached out and killed the connection on the holoterminal.
"You should not have done that," Theron said, his voice, which Skoldolfr loved to listen to, sounded weary.
Skoldolfr turned and stepped closer to the other man. "I did. Theron, you may not want anything to do with me but you are the most important person in the universe to me." Theron's beautiful eyes widened at that and Skoldolfr ached to reach out and pull the man close again but knew his touch would not be welcomed. "I am not going to stand by and listen to someone speak that way to you."
"What are you saying?" Theron asked.
Skoldolfr sighed. "I'm saying I've sent you no less than fourteen messages over the course of the last five months and you have not replied to a single one. I'm saying that you are precious to me but I finally understand that you don't feel the same way." Skoldolfr smiled sadly and he felt his eyes start to water. Any Mandalorian would be able to hear the tears in his modulated voice now. "Which is fine." He paused to compose himself so his voice wouldn't crack. "No matter what happens, I will always support you. Even if it will not be from by your side."
"Skoldolfr, I –" Theron started to say but at Skoldolfr's head shake he quieted.
"You don't have to explain yourself, cyare. You can't help the way you feel. I accept that. And while I have no right to ask it of you, I am still asking you to be careful out there. Take a break. Get some rest. Let someone else handle things for a while. Gar shuk meh kyrayc. I'm going to have Mako look you over. She has implants too. Let her help you."
"Skoldolfr –"
"Sorry, Theron but I have to go. I have an insane Emperor to stop. And being around you right now hurts too much." His voice cracked on that last part and before Theron could protest, Skoldolfr strode away to where Mako was standing and waiting with the others. He pulled her aside and quietly asked her to check on Theron and catch up when she was done. She nodded and Skoldolfr turned to the others instead of watching her cross the room to his soulmate.
"Come on, you three. We have a shuttle to catch." We waited while they quickly gathered their gear and then lead the way out of the doors and away from the armoury.
~*~End of Chapter 07~*~