My Name is Solomon Crae

[Canino]

Up close I could smell her scent - a combination of durasteel and something delicate, almost flowery. Something…her. Delicious.

 

Hmmm, that sounds romantic to me....

You may be subtle about it Hoyden, but I catch subtle:cool:.

[iamthehoyden]

Hmmm, that sounds romantic to me....

You may be subtle about it Hoyden, but I catch subtle:cool:.

Subtle...I like that, hehe.

 

11 – Deadly Virtues

 

Warning:

Contains brief descriptions of torture and references to r*pe. I've spoiler-ed the iffy part and provided a plot point summary at the end if you decide to skip that part.

 

Skari paused the speeder on the mountainside, just inside the treeline. The road snaked down to the lakeside hamlet nestled in amongst the forest-swathed mountains. Snow had fallen the night before, ringing the steel blue lake in soft white edges. Fellinassra had the quiet busy-ness of a resort town in the morning. The tourists were still in bed, but shops were being opened, speeders were bringing in supplies. People moved about. Perhaps one of them was Akko Nadras. Perhaps their search would be over, and Crae would leave.

 

"I'm freezing here, can't we hunt bad guys inside?" Gault complained beside her.

 

She rolled her eyes and started the speeder down the steep path. Torian was bringing Blizz and Mako in on a second speeder in an hour. No point gaining unwanted attention with a convoy. Skari stopped in front of a perfectly rustic-but-expensive-as-hell cafe where rich people bought kaffa that... She stopped. Where rich people bought the same kaffa she drank now. Having money to burn was weird.

 

"Good, I could use a drink," Gault said, getting out of the speeder and stretching, "you rushed me out the door without so much as a bite to eat."

 

"Stop your effing complaining," Skari said absently, scanning the area for Crae or Akko Nadras as Gault ducked inside the cafe. The few old holos they'd found had refreshed her memory of her one-time employer. Funny how she mostly remembered Nadras's sneer when in all the holos he had a wide, friendly smile. A mask for the camera.

 

"Get some sleep, mama?" A smooth rich tenor asked from behind her. Her skin pr*ckled as she turned around, blaster in hand. Crae stood there, his lean silhouette dark against the clean snow.

 

"Did you?" she threw back, unsettled by the adrenaline hitting her bloodstream.

 

He chuckled. "I've been busy."

 

"No dead bodies, I hope," she said with a scowl, glaring at him.

 

"Not yet," he said with a slight grin, "saved him for you."

 

"Nadras?" she asked with a gasp, "That bastard's actually here??"

 

His smile twisted into a grimace for a second and then was gone. "He has an estate on the western slope," he said, pointing at one of the huge mansions tucked onto the gentle rise between mountain and lake, "Vacation home. But his caretaker was there."

 

"Was?" Skari said with a raised eyebrow.

 

"I moved him.

 

Skari ducked into the cafe, ignoring the startled proprietor. "Gault. We're leaving," she snapped. She stalked out and jumped into the speeder, impatiently waiting as Gault exited the building with a cup and pastry in hand. Crae slid into the seat beside her. Gault raised an eyebrow at the hunter and got in the back.

 

"Where?" she demanded, glaring at Crae, "Is he in one piece?"

 

"Sounds like someone's been a busy boy this morning," Gault said behind her.

 

Crae smiled, his eyes focused ahead on the road. "Three miles on the south road. Left turn."

 

"If you've hurt some innocent bystander, I'll have your head, Crae," she growled and started the speeder. They traveled in silence, Crae pointing out the completely hidden left turn that led back into a shadow-darkened ravine that hadn't been hit by the morning sun yet. A small hunting cabin was half buried in the snow, a narrow track of footprints leading to and from the porch.

 

Skari stopped the speeder and jumped out, the snow reaching half way to her knees. She stomped to the cabin, vividly aware of Crae beside her. He reached the door first and opened it, bowing mockingly as she entered. She shot a look at Crae when a faint sob hit her ears from the back room. She drew her blaster. "After you," she said grimly, motioning Crae towards the sound. He grinned and headed for the door to the room.

 

 

"Holy sh*t," Gault whispered as Crae opened the door. Skari felt her stomach roll as she brought her blaster to bear on the lean golden man with the wicked smile. Somewhere inside she'd really hoped he wasn't the monster she knew him to be. A human male sat, unnaturally rigid, in a wooden chair that brought back, all too clearly, the first time she'd seen Crae. She, however, had apparently been lucky. She felt bile rise up in her throat. Metal wire had been pierced through the man's wrists, ankles, and the skin on the back of his neck, literally pinning him to the chair. Blood trickled from the piercings. Tears streaked the man's face as he looked, wide-eyed, at them, not daring to move.

 

"Give me one good f**king reason I shouldn't kill you," she whispered to Crae, rage shaking her voice although her aim was steady.

 

He cocked his head at her, "Interesting. That was the same question I asked him only a few hours ago. Do you want to know what he said?"

 

Skari shot past his head, close enough she knew he felt the heat of the bolt. His eyes and smile widened. "That's my girl," he whispered. "Tell her what you told me," he ordered his captive in a sharp, clipped voice, his eyes never leaving hers.

 

It was apparently all it took for the man to begin talking, as fast as possible, his words stumbling over each other. "Please! You gotta get me out of here! He's crazy! Man, I told you, that sl*t wanted it! She never means it when she says no! Get me out before he kills me!"

 

Skari's body shook as though a bolt had hit her. She slowly lowered her blaster, her eyes still caught in Crae's gold ones. "He was r*ping a woman?" she whispered hoarsely.

 

"A girl," Crae said quietly, sober for once, "Twelve, maybe thirteen."

 

"Aw sh*t, aw sh*t," the man moaned behind Crae.

 

Gault's hand on her shoulder broke Skari out of her shock. "You do what you need to," he said quietly. She nodded, memories of too many broken women, too many tooth and claw fights to keep from being one of them, fighting skills bought through heart-pounding desperation, battering her head.

 

Crae silently flipped his knife out of its sheath and handed it to her, handle first. "I told you, I saved him for you."

 

Skari took the knife.

 

 

***

 

The three of them were silent as they left the cabin. Skari stopped on the porch and looked out at the blindingly white snow. It was pure. Clean. She stepped down into it. Staining it red. Crae walked past her to the speeder, his own footprints red as well. "Did you ask him where Nadras was before I got there?" she called to him.

 

"Quisoto in the Tabrel Sector," he said tightly, "My brother's killer lives in my own hunting grounds."

 

"Huh," she said, "how bout that."

 

 

Plot Point Summary:

 

 

1) They got the location of Akko Nadras from his vacation estate's housekeeper/guard - it's a planet in Crae's old stomping ground.

2)The housekeeper/guard was a s. predator. Crae caught him in the act. (off-screen)

3)He saved the kill for Skari.

4)Skari almost killed Crae for torturing an innocent person until she learned of the guy's guilt.

5)We (the reader) find out that Skari's fighting skills were learned fighting off such people.

6)She tortures the guy to death (off-screen).

 

That's the crux of it.

 

 

[iamthehoyden]

12 – Green Monster

 

I searched out the Devaronian when we got back to the ship. It only took a second or two for him to notice me in the doorway of the medbay.

 

"Yeah?" he said, standing up straight, crossing his arms, his legs braced. The snake was becoming less snake-like. Perhaps those horns on his head were for more than show.

 

"You knew," I said, leaning against the door frame, flipping my knife in my hand, "what she was going to do."

 

Gault's eyes narrowed. "So did you, apparently."

 

I shrugged slightly, "I knew she'd want to crush the insect. I didn't anticipate she'd be so...thorough."

 

"Your point being?"

 

"I'd like to know why."

 

He snorted. "Not going to happen."

 

"Tell me this, at least," I said, my knife spiraling through the air a bit faster, "are the people who scarred her insides dead?"

 

"Why do you want to know?" the Devaronian asked, suspicion in his tone.

 

I caught my knife, looked down at it. "So I can kill them if they're not," I said to the knife.

 

Silence filled the space. I looked up at Gault. I hated him in that moment. He knew why there were shadows in my cat's eyes, why she had walls thicker than any I'd seen on Dromund Kaas around herself. The intimacy of her past was his. I wanted it for my own. My envy ate at me.

 

"You'd have to kill a lot of Nar Shaddaa bottom feeders," he said finally.

 

I thought for a moment and then nodded. "That can be done."

 

***

 

I didn't sleep that night. Instead, I lay on my pallet, using my blanket as pillow, feeling the cold on my bare chest. The ship is never completely dark. It's never completely quiet. The smells are metallic and chemical more than biological. The air is always chilled, the heat leached out by the thin metal walls. I looked up at the camera I knew was pointed at me. My cat didn't sleep in her room at the top of the ship. I didn't think she slept much in her captain's chair either, eyes always watching, alert in her cold cave. Alone with her thoughts. I wanted those thoughts.

 

I got up, bypassed my normal night routine, and headed for the bridge. But she didn't ask what I wanted when I stepped into the space. I moved around her captain's chair and stopped, stock still. She was asleep; the day had caught up with her.

 

I smiled. She was beautiful. Her forehead smooth of worry, her hair sliding out of its topknot. She looked...peaceful. I'd been waiting for such a moment. It would be a simple thing to kill her like this - the best way to do it. She would never wake up. I looked down at the knife that had come to my hand as if called and then back down at her. All that fire, snuffed out of the world. I'd never know her secrets. Never hear her swear or laugh again. My chest ached a little. Indecision is a strange thing - a sentient thing. Beasts don't wonder; they act. The snake strikes, the wasp stings, the wolf tears. I envied them, their simplicity.

 

***

 

Skari woke suddenly, her eyes going directly to Crae's monitor, cursing her inability to stay awake. It was harder when she was warm. Warm. She blinked a couple times, looking down at the unfamiliar blanket that covered her. She frowned as she caught a faint scent. Metal and...tea? She looked back at Crae's monitor. The man seemed to be asleep, wearing nothing but his loose pants in the chilled ship. She settled back into the chair, her brows drawn tight in thought.

[thatghost]

"Lack of sleep makes you...vulnerable."

I knew that was foreshadowing that line made me shudder when I first read it but now- not so shudder-y. As creepy as his obsessions are, my sympathy for Crae has been stirred up again. That there's a romantic lurking around somewhere in that psychotic psyche...huh, that might be even scarier...

 

"Deadly Virtues" is just wow. Deeply disturbing subject matter, incredibly well-written. Thank you for the spoiler tags- they gave me time to brace myself

[MilaniGrey]

*om nom nom nom content*

*also om nom Skari/Crae*

 

<3

[iamthehoyden]

"Deadly Virtues" is just wow. Deeply disturbing subject matter, incredibly well-written. Thank you for the spoiler tags- they gave me time to brace myself

Thanks! I never want to add in content like that just for kicks, so I'm glad it had impact and that the spoiler tags were helpful.

*om nom nom nom content*

*also om nom Skari/Crae*

 

<3

Moar content! Oh wait, this is content I'm supposed to provide? Darn it!

Fine.

 

13 – Solving For X

 

Skari opened her eyes. Naps. She'd been reduced to taking naps. She swung her feet off her too-large bed and leaned over, looking for her ship shoes. The room was, in many ways, untouched from its former occupant. Spare, slightly shabby, like the rest of the ship. She pulled on a short-sleeved shirt, slid into a pair of loose cargo pants, belted her blasters on, and wound up her hair by habit. She pinned the spiral with an extra sharp hair pin, checked that the Nantellan was tucked away, and unlocked the door. Across the stairwell, she could see Mako and Gault working away on the bridge computers. The two of them glanced at Skari as she walked into the space.

 

"Look who's finally up," Gault said with smirk.

 

"You could have slept longer," Mako said, "We have things covered."

 

Skari waved away the suggestion. "I'm fine," she said as she examined their set up. Mako and Gault sat side by side on the bridge. The slicer had taken over two of the consoles, leaving the con man with only one. The fourth still flipped continually through the ship's security feeds. "What are you looking at?" she said to Mako.

 

"Crae mentioned that Quisoto's main moon had an abandoned Imperial base on it. I'm checking to see if there are any remaining satellite feeds to tap into."

 

Skari glanced over at Gault who was frowning as he flipped through files. "That piece of sh*t we ran into on Nadra's estate isn't out of the ordinary for this guy. His crew is dirty, and coming from me, that's saying something. I've been running through the files on people who have been on and off Quisoto in the past year. The who's who of people nobody else will work with show up on a pretty regular basis."

 

"What do you think?"

 

He shrugged. "Don't know. Could be he doesn't care who he keeps on his payroll. Could be no one else will work with him. I'll keep looking." He grinned up at her, "Some of these guys even rival what we've got camped out in the hall. Speaking of which..." He flipped over to the security monitor and switched through cameras till he found Crae emerging from Blizz's space. "When did he..."

 

"Sh*t." Skari turned and left the room, half running down the stairs, past where Torian was working on his techstaff exercises.

 

"What is it?" he asked as she moved past him.

 

"Crae came through here?" she asked, vaulting the steps to Blizz's space.

 

"Yeah..."

 

She started breathing again when she spotted the little Jawa happily digging through his pile of scavenged pieces and inventions.

 

"*Hi Boss!*"

 

Skari waved at him. "Blizz, did Crae come in here?"

 

"*Crae worried about plan. Crae no think Blizz can fight! Blizz show him!*" He pulled out his rocket launcher and mimed a couple shots.

 

Skari smiled tighlty. "I'm sure you did." She left the room. "Did you see where he went?" she asked Torian.

 

"Kitchen. Guy's always in the kitchen," he muttered as he went back to his exercises.

 

Skari nodded and took the steps two at a time and then headed for the kitchenette. The room was empty, although the mug steaming on the counter showed he'd been here recently. She looked around more closely. There were new spices in the rack near the stove, small pots of herbs under a growing light. Skari jumped as she felt a rough finger stroke the puckered scar on her upper arm. She jerked her head around, heart pounding. Crae dropped his hand, his eyes intensely bright, the light reflecting off the gold.

 

"Don't touch me," she snapped, hating the slight shake in her voice, "And wear a damn bell, would you?"

 

A slight mocking grin twisted his lips. "I didn't scare you, did I?" He stepped closer, his eyes bright as they slid down her body. "I wouldn't want to do that."

 

She felt her cheeks go purple at his intimate tone, her stomach twisting into knots.

 

"Where did you get that mark?" he asked, his eyes shifting back to hers. He tilted his head slightly to the side.

 

"None of your f**king business," she snarled, taking a step back.

 

He frowned a bit, reached out towards the scar again. She jerked away. "What were you doing in Blizz's room?"

 

Crae leaned back again, that slight frown still on his face. "Haven't seen a Jawa fight unless cornered. They're scavengers and builders, picking the meat off metallic carcasses and constructing new creatures. Fleeing animals."

 

"Blizz is different," Skari said, watching him carefully as he moved around her, picking up his tea.

 

"So I saw," Crae said. His lip quirked, "A bit of a puzzle, like his boss." He took a sip of tea.

 

"I don't like you bothering him, okay?" she said sternly, edging towards the door.

 

He smiled fondly at her and took another sip of tea. "You're awfully cute when you're protecting your cubs."

 

"You're really messed up, you know that?" she growled at him in frustration, leaving the room much faster than necessary.

[iamthehoyden]

14 – Hunting Grounds

This one's mostly new.

 

Every creature must have a den, and for many of the robber barons and pirate kings who scuttled about below the notice of the Hutts, the den was Tabrel. I’d hunted it for years. My territory. A hunter’s territory is a sacred thing. He must know it, intimately. What the creatures who inhabit it eat, where they sleep, when they mate. Their habits are shaped by their environment and, in turn, the environment is shaped by their habits. He learns its history, sees it change as the seasons turn. It is his.

 

The world below was blue, swirling with clouds. Peaceful from this vantage point in orbit. Quisoto was a backwater planet in this lawless sector, lacking in the wild port life of Janar or the exotic slave markets of T’taank. The quiet outskirts of the thieves’ den.

 

My brother’s killer was below. After all this time, in my sights, soon to be in my grasp. Quisoto was an unexpected lair. It was on the doe’s list, but near the bottom, almost off it. I crossed my arms across my chest, watching the swirl of clouds below. It didn’t matter. The politician had lost his respectability, had fled with his treasures from his old haunts, and soon would lose his life too. I was looking forward to that moment.

 

I braced one arm on the plastiglass in front of me, staring down at the planet. I'd failed Malek. His safety had been my responsibility. I'd killed bullies that gave him trouble, stolen food to feed him, kept him safe, even from himself. But in the end, even after sabotaging his application to the SIS and dragging him to a quiet accounting job on Kasnee 8, I'd failed. I could nearly taste Nadras's blood sprayed into the air, metallic and sharp. Soon, I thought.

 

And then, when he was gone…I glanced over at the blue-skinned woman standing beside me and grinned.

 

“…in, out. This needs to be quick,” she was saying, “Crae, are you listening?”

 

“Hush, sweetheart, this will be no challenge.”

 

She glared at me. “Don’t call me sweetheart,” she growled.

 

My grin widened. Once Nadras was dealt with, my cat and I had unfinished business to attend to.

[MilaniGrey]

The tension between those two is delicious.

[kabeone]

*shivers* not sure what kind of shivers

[iamthehoyden]

The tension between those two is delicious.

All the most delicious things aren't good for you, lol.

 

*shivers* not sure what kind of shivers

The fun kind, of course

 

(Is regretting saving her next chapter on her computer at home cause she'd really like to post it right now...grrrr....)

 

Thanks everyone who is reading whether you're commenting or not. Hope you're enjoying the story so far!

[Canino]

Really great, again!!! Ugh I love this so much! I wish I had the writing skills of you, mine are ok, but nothing like this. But whatever, I need more Crae. He sounds so hot... my closeted gayness seeping out:eek:. Oh well, I'm young-I have plenty of time to find a real life Crae. Hope you have a good trip wherever you are. Write more soon:D!

[iamthehoyden]

Really great, again!!! Ugh I love this so much! I wish I had the writing skills of you, mine are ok, but nothing like this. But whatever, I need more Crae. He sounds so hot... my closeted gayness seeping out:eek:. Oh well, I'm young-I have plenty of time to find a real life Crae. Hope you have a good trip wherever you are. Write more soon:D!

Crae's hot. Not gonna lie.

Your fascination with dangerous men isn't healthy. It could get you into trouble someday.

Shut up, Crae. Just go grin at something while you flip your knife or something.

*chuckle*

 

Luckily I wasn't on a long trip - just to work and back So content incoming....

****

 

 

15 - Weak Spot

 

Warrens. The doe's linkages to the elderly Imperial satellites had shown the compound Akko Nadras had built in the mountains of Quisoto. His own little kingdom, swarming with his personal army - a collection of diseased predators held together by credits. The satellites had also shown a minor entrance, little more than a den hole, about five hundred feet east of the central security hub, highlighted on the power grids like the center of a spider's web. The satellites and power grid, however, showed nothing of the warren of tunnels Nadras had built underground.

 

I touched the wall of the tunnel: damp plascrete, cool to the touch, the smell like stone with metallic undertones. Dark, lit only by the floating light droids we'd brought. It was taking extra time for our trio to reach our quarry. On the other side of the compound, the others were causing a diversion, but if we took too long they could be overrun. Such a pity.

 

Nadras was proving to be formidable prey with qualities I had not anticipated. Impressive really, given his start as a minor senator representing a tiny mining colony. Clearly, he excelled at camouflage and deception: a valuable ability for a politician, but even more important for a politician with deep reaches into the underworld. I’d known his love of camouflage, but the warrens concerned me. They were new, not of the pattern I’d put together. An anomaly.

 

I refocused on my cat ahead of me, loaded down with heavy armor and explosives. She moved smoothly through the dark tunnels, her attention focused, movements sure, a hunter in her natural element. Beautiful. The armor did little to disguise her figure, her curves, made for touch. My smile widened at the thought.

 

Light bloomed out of the darkness ahead. The tunnels were at an end - the room ahead was large, storage by the looks of it. We'd have to take out their security cameras or we'd have them on us like fleas on a dog.

 

The shuffle of footsteps and low mutter of voices hit my ears a heartbeat before Skari froze. She paused for a split second before she charged into the room, her pistols blasting at the mass of guards who were lying in wait, eyebrows drawn down, a slight sneer on her face. Damn woman was too exposed. I swore at her under my breath, rolling behind one of the crates that were piled in the corner. My sniper rifle blasting. Mako stayed in the tunnel entrance, shooting around the corner. Some of Nadras's men fled, some hid, but a pack of them ran right for my cat who didn't seem to know the meaning of cover. I gritted my teeth and shot another one in the face.

 

Everything froze when Skari dropped to the ground.

 

One moment she was standing dead center in front of the oncoming rush, as indomitable as a rancor, and the next she was down. And then it all went too fast.

 

My heartbeat slammed into my ears, chest pounded, lungs sucked in air. Blood. On her armor. Spreading fast. Had to move faster. Muscles remembered what to do. Quick. Messy. Get them down. Stand up. Get shot at. Cause that's what happens to idiots who stand in the middle of a gun battle.

 

Rage blasted my system, hot and unfamiliar. I snarled. I was going to kill that woman. Make her promise not to do something so stupid again. Headshots. Two more down. Room clear except those two rats wedged behind the storage container. Skari's kitten was blasting her with green mist. She still hadn't moved. Focus. Sprint. Jump. Pounce. Snap. Kick. Vault the container. Land next to my cat.

 

She was still. The blaster bolt had hit a weak seam on her armor; a lucky shot. I brushed back that black lock that always fell forward on her forehead with a shaky hand, smearing blood on her blue skin.

 

Mako made a sound of near-panicked frustration. "I am almost out of kolto and the bleeding..." Her breath hitched.

 

"Don't you dare," I snapped at her. She gulped, but nodded. "We need more kolto and something to pack the wound," she said. I moved quickly around the room. Vibroknife silenced the moaning of the wounded. Packs had minimal supplies. I gathered what was there and brought it to this girl who was going to bring my cat back to life.

 

"I c-can't get her armor off," she gasped, pulling at the chest guard. My knife made quick work of another set of Skari's armor. "Quit staring at me and fix her," I growled. I stood. I paced. I crouched. She finally sat back on her heels, looking down at her red hands. My stomach bottomed out.

 

"She's dead, you're dead," I snarled, unable to hear anything over the buzz in my head, reaching for my knife, blasting awareness back into the doe's wide eyes.

 

"Crae," Skari's faint voice halted my lunge, "stop threatening my crew." Her eyes were open only a slit, the tiniest bit of red visible beneath the lids. Air flooded my lungs.

 

"You stupid woman!" I roared at her, wanting to shake her so bad, "Are you trying to get killed?!?"

 

"That a bad thing?" Laughter threaded through her barely-there voice. I sat back on my heels, put one shaking hand over my eyes. What was wrong with me? I opened my eyes and looked around the room and then up at the blinking security camera.

 

"Sh*t." I'd forgotten it. Reinforcements would be on the way. "Can we move her?"

 

"Uh, I think so," Mako said uncertainly, strapping the remaining kolto packs to Skari's torso with gauze, "she won't be able to walk though."

 

"Can you use this?" I tossed her my sniper rifle. She caught it, her bloodied hands didn't slip, and she checked the magazine as though she knew what she was doing. Little girl surprised me every now and then. She nodded, and I could hear her contacting the others, telling them to fall back.

 

I went down on one knee next to my cat. "Hold on," I murmured, slipping my hands under her. Careful. Controlled movements. I set my jaw and lifted. She gasped as her torso flexed. I stood, cradling her. "You ok?"

 

"Uh huh," she said, breathing heavy.

 

I tried to ignore the vise that had clenched down around my chest. "Liar."

 

"Shut up, Crae." She wrapped her arms over her wound, air going in and out of her nose in blasts.

 

I hated that she was in pain. Hated it. Wanted to yell at her all over again. Wanted to hold her close. Listen to her heart beat. Shake her silly. I followed Skari's cub out of the warren and considered the real possibility that I may have lost my mind.

[irishfino]

Oh Crae, you psychopathic romantic you.

[icecreampants]

I absolutely love this story! Keep up the good work.

[MilaniGrey]

Have I mentioned how much I love Crae/Skari? Just om nom nom nom

[iamthehoyden]

Oh Crae, you psychopathic romantic you.

Aw, I like that: Crae, the Psychopathic Romantic. Hehe

 

I absolutely love this story! Keep up the good work.

Glad you like it!

 

Have I mentioned how much I love Crae/Skari? Just om nom nom nom

I like them a lot too

 

Thanks for reading, guys!

[iamthehoyden]

16 – Redirection

 

I sat next to her bed in the sparse medical bay. Ship needed a kolto tank. There was a supplier on Coruscant who was sloppy with security. All I needed was a cargo hauler and some fake paperwork and we could have one here in a few days. I leaned forward in my chair, my hands clasped together, elbows on my knees. Wouldn't be soon enough, but it would be here for next time. Next time. My chest tightened. I sat back, looked up at the riveted ceiling.

 

This wasn't lust. I knew my hungers for food, women, fighting. This was something different. Oh I wanted her. No doubt there. But she was vulnerable here, at my mercy. I should have been either finishing the job those mercs had started or walking out, making my plans for finishing off Nadras. Here I was, unable to leave. Hating the pain that etched her face, wanting to fix it, somehow, someway. Raging because I knew that she'd do it again. Some other day, some other time, she was going to do the same blasted thing. I stood up, the chair slamming in to the wall behind me. I paced back and forth, running a hand over my scalp.

 

I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and looked over. Mako was standing in the door. "What are you doing?" she asked suspiciously.

 

Skari struggled back to consciousness, ripping my attention back to her, "Mako...where's the others?"

 

"We haven't heard from them," Mako said, worry in her voice, walking over to check the bandages.

 

"Have to...find them..." Skari tried to pull herself up. I pushed her back down carefully, pulled the blanket up over her body, rested a hand on her cheek. My cat's face is beautiful. Slightly tilted eyes, high cheekbones. Refined aggression in blue. I ran a thumb down her scars.

 

"Sleep, mama, I'll save your cubs."

 

She slipped back under, and I stood, walked to the door. "Take care of her," I growled at Mako.

 

"Wait, what are you...." I ignored the doe's sounds as I stepped out of the room. My chest ached. I rubbed at it. Why couldn't I walk away? I should. But Skari waking up to find her cubs gone hurt something inside. I walked down the corridor to get my gear, shaking my head.

[iamthehoyden]

17 - Bad For Your Health

 

Skari woke up slowly. The bed under her had been covered with a blanket that smelled slightly of tea, but did little to cushion the metal of the medical equipment. She heard mechanical breathing and looked over at the other bed. Torian was hooked up to a respirator, his body bruised, battered, wrapped in gauze, and reeking of kolto. She wrapped an arm across her still-healing wound and sat up, gasping at the pain. Mako came through the door in a rush.

 

"Oh thank goodness, you're awake," she said, "Lay back down before you hurt yourself."

 

"Gault? Blizz?"

 

"They're fine, minor injuries," Mako said, checking Skari's wound, "Crae got them out."

 

"Crae?" Skari vaguely remembered him saying something about cubs, but the rest was a fuzzy blank.

 

"Couldn't believe it when he came back in carrying Torian. Gault and Blizz in tow. Checked on you, threatened me again, and then left."

 

"He's gone?" Skari asked, surprised at the way her stomach had bottomed out.

 

"Muttered something about kolto tanks and left. Most of his gear's still here though, even most of his knives. I think he's coming back."

 

Skari scowled at the blip her heart did. Stupid. Always the stupid with that man. She looked over at Torian. "We could use a kolto tank."

 

Mako walked over to her boyfriend's side, "He's in rough shape. Gault tells me he refused to surrender when Nadras's security teams flooded the area. Fought till he blacked out."

 

Skari smiled sadly. "Surrender really isn't his style," she said.

 

"I don't know if I can do this," Mako said quietly, running her fingers through Torian's hair, "be with a Mandalorian."

 

"It's not an easy life," Skari said.

 

"He was talking about kids the other day. Wants to raise them as Mandalorians," Mako hiccupped a little, her breathing hitching, "I love him, but I don't think I can do that."

 

Skari was silent. Relationships weren't her thing, but she did know Mandalorians, and more than that, she knew Torian. Raising his children to be Mandalorian wasn't negotiable.

 

"Not the time to make those decisions," she finally said, "let's get him back on his feet first."

 

Mako nodded, wiping away the tears that had been sliding down her cheek. "You're right. You need to lay down, rest."

 

Skari slowly lowered herself back down, the deep aching pain in her gut intensifying and then fading slightly. "Did he really go after kolto tanks?"

 

Mako shook her head, "That man is crazy."

[thatghost]

considered the real possibility that I may have lost my mind[/Quote]

Of course from his perspective he himself was utterly sane but at ^that moment...love eet!

[Canino]

Wow, that was good. I told you romance was in the air! *gloats to himself* Why can't I have Crae here, next to me. Threatening me in his hotness....

[iamthehoyden]

Of course from his perspective he himself was utterly sane but at ^that moment...love eet!

Glad you liked it!

 

Wow, that was good. I told you romance was in the air! *gloats to himself* Why can't I have Crae here, next to me. Threatening me in his hotness....

Crae's version of romance is a little...uh...well, you'll see, lol.

[iamthehoyden]

18 - And What Have You Done With My Crew?

 

 

The ship had been quiet for days.

 

Not that Skari could hear much from the effing medbay, but what she could hear sounded like...normal. Blizz was working away in his workshop, welding who knows what at all hours of the night. Mako was in and out, checking on her and Torian, cheerfully meeting all her questions with instructions to rest. Gault popped in every now and again, but mostly she just heard him muttering to himself a lot as he walked past with datapads.

 

There was a distinct lack of tension, fear, and paranoia. Which, given that Crae had returned last week with the brand new kolto tank where Torian was now floating, was...weird. Crae had tried to get her into the tank, but Torian needed it more, and that was the end of the discussion. She'd thought for a moment he was going to knock her out and put her in himself, but it hadn't come to that. Instead, she'd been confined by her slicer-turned-medic-turned-jailer to the medbay with strict instructions to sleep.

 

F**k that.

 

Skari sat up slowly, breathing through her nose as the pain in her gut slowly subsided. Slowly was the key. Fast movements hit her like a ton of plascrete, but if she moved slow enough, the pain was manageable. She stood - slowly - and made her way to the door in the loose pants and tank top Mako had helped her change into that morning. She pushed her hair out of her face and wished she could stand to put her hands above her head to pin it up as usual. Every muscle was stiff.

 

She could make out faint voices upstairs on the bridge, so she headed that way. Things needed done, strategies needed planned, and damned if she was going to rot in medbay while Nadras retrenched. The steps took forever. She had to stop multiple times, gritting her teeth and hanging onto the railing, but she made it to the top where she stopped short.

 

On the bridge, Crae stood behind Mako and Gault, who were seated at their consoles. He was pointing at something on one of the screens. "People who use that design. They tend to locate their safes in corners, underground. Squirrels hoarding nuts for the winter."

 

Gault rubbed his chin. "Now that you mention it, I've seen a few of those designs myself. Had a job on Corellia years ago. Three days of charming the heiress to a sizable shipping fortune to find where they'd hidden the family jewels. Under the floor, corner of the main building. Not bad, Crae, not bad." Skari blinked at the respect in Gault's voice.

 

Mako tapped in a few commands. "So if Nadras is hoarding what he got as kickbacks, they're probably here, here, and here."

 

"Perhaps," Crae said thoughtfully, "I suspect Nadras is the type that rarely has one place he goes to ground. But he likely has something in those spots." The three of them looked...cozy.

 

Something drew Crae's attention, and he looked back, meeting her eyes. He quickly closed the distance, and Skari froze as he reached her and slid his arm around her back.

 

"Sit down," he murmured, entirely too close.

 

"You shouldn't be up," Mako scolded from her seat, "that wound is only partially healed. Soon as Torian's mended, you're going in the tank. Couldn't believe..."

 

Mako's chattering continued in the background as Skari reluctantly allowed Crae to guide her onto the bridge where she sat down, stiff, wary. Crae's arm was solid and sure as he eased her down into the chair. She tried not to concentrate on how good he smelled up close, how warm and muscled he was, his face hovering just above her own, the way her heart was pounding.

 

He let go of her as soon as she was settled, and she sucked in a shaky breath. He moved around the bridge with his typical grace, his movement smooth as he poured tea from a portable kettle into a sturdy mug and brought it across the room. His brows were drawn down, his face serious as he offered her the mug, watching her closely. She slowly took it, although she certainly had no intention of drinking something Crae had made.

 

"...Gault and I were thinking about clearing Nadra's accounts, but Crae said he probably has credits tucked away. Crae says we should have a shot at cornering Nadras if we can choke off his credit supply. We already found one escape route too. Crae looked at the satellite feeds of the mountain and spotted it in like five seconds. Why aren't you drinking your tea? You don't think....? Oh, honestly! It's fine!"

 

Mako snatched the tea. Skari lunged to grab the mug back a scant second after Mako had taken a drink and gasped as the movement jarred her stitches. Badly. She closed her eyes and focused on breathing, her arms wrapped around her stomach. In. Out. In. Out.

 

"I'm so sorry!" Mako said in horror, her voice faint as the pain ate up Skari's conscience, "I never thought..."

 

"You okay, hun?" Gault asked quietly.

 

Skari nodded slowly, her eyes still squeezed shut. The warm hand rubbing up and down her back felt good for a moment until reality returned.

 

"Crae," she gritted out.

 

"What do you need, sweetheart?"

 

"Get out."

 

He leaned down to look into her eyes and then grinned slightly. "There's that fire," he whispered. He slid his fingers through her hair in a caress that was far too intimate and then left the bridge. Skari let out a breath she'd been holding.

 

"What the f**k is going on here?" she growled, still holding her stomach.

 

She glared at Gault as he glanced at Mako and at the door Crae had departed through. "While you were recovering, we started putting together a plan to take Nadras out."

 

"We."

 

Gault shrugged. "I've been watching him, but so far he's been up front. I've checked out his suggestions. Even had Mako run a couple of them past your friend, the major."

 

"You dragged the Republic military into this?" Skari groaned.

 

"Hate to admit it, but the guy's been helpful. Has Blizz making some custom surveillance cameras to plant in Nadras's compound. Set up a watch schedule since we're down a couple people. Even took out one of Nadras's assassins."

 

Skari raised an eyebrow. "Assassins?"

 

"We kicked the hornet's nest," Mako shrugged, "Least that's what Crae says."

 

"What else does 'Crae say'?" Skari said with an evil glare at the two of them.

 

Mako exchanged another glance with Gault that had Skari seething. "I think it's time you went back to the medbay. You need more pain meds," Mako said, starting to pull Skari up from her chair.

 

"Why?" Skari grumbled, "Did Crae say I needed them?"

 

Mako sighed and continued to pull her up. Skari got to her feet feeling childish and unneeded and entirely too vulnerable. The fact that Crae was standing at the top of the stairs, leaning against the railing, his arms crossed as he patiently waited for the two of them, didn't make her feel any better.

 

"What?" she snapped when they reached him.

 

He cocked his head to the side, watching her.

 

"What are you planning, Crae?" she demanded, searching his face.

 

"To get you to medbay in one piece," he said with a slight grin, reaching for her.

 

"No!" she said, panicked, not daring to move too fast for fear of setting off another wave of pain.

 

Mako sighed. "Either he carries you down or Gault does."

 

"I walked up them. I can f**king walk down them," Skari growled, reaching for the railing.

 

Crae didn't give her a choice, picking her up carefully while ignoring the torrent of curses Skari rained down on all their heads. By the time they'd reached the bottom of the stairs, she'd settled into sullen silence. Crae took her into the medbay, setting her down on the bed. He pulled the blanket up over her and ran a finger down her cheek. She jerked away, glaring at him. He grinned and left.

 

"Should have killed that f**king a**hole when I had the chance," she muttered to herself.

 

Mako frowned at her. "Crae has been great, you know, you really should give him a chance."

 

Skari stared at her. "Why are you, all of a sudden, Crae's cheerleader?"

 

Mako started rearranging the bandages in the supply cabinet. "I just think you're being a little harsh. You didn't see him when you got hit. The man freaked out." She looked over at Skari with a very serious expression on her face. "I think he's in love with you."

 

Skari blinked. "You're crazy," she muttered, shaking her head, "All of you. Crazy. The man is a psychopath. It doesn't matter that he's got those gold eyes and that voice. He is insane and violent and is probably trying to figure out how to kill us all in our sleep right now."

 

Mako grinned, "So you do like him."

 

Skari groaned and covered her face with her hand. "We're all going to die."

Edited January 5, 2013 by iamthehoyden

[iamthehoyden]

19 – Lures

 

 

It takes time for wild creatures to come to your hand. Time, patience, slow movements, something to peak their curiosity, and food. These are your weapons against the natural survival instinct that tells creatures to run from all strange things. They must become accustomed to your presence, familiar with your habits. Animals can become used to almost anything, even things they would normal fear. Familiarity equals comfort.

 

The doe was the first to trust. With Skari and her lover hurt, she needed stability, a sense of security. Easy to offer. Trivial really. The ship's security was a mess anyway. Skari had been taking on everything herself so they had no back-up plan. The holes were obvious; it took little to remedy the situation. Nadras had, of course, become aware of us. A new location helped. Removing the trackers he sent after us helped more. I do enjoy hunting hunters. Enlisting the doe's help in clearing our digital trail worked both to make my cat's home more secure and to bring the cub more easily to my hand. Soon she was eating what I brought her. A simple conquest.

 

The Jawa was more skittish. I admired his animal instincts. He trusts easily, but not completely. Curiosity, as with many creatures, is his weakness. A short list of notes detailing what we would need for surveillance was like a piece of grass to a kitten. It lured him from his cave, gained his attention. He emerges occasionally with his inventions, but has yet to come to my hand, darting back when I get too close. But I am a patient man.

 

The Devaronian plays a deep game. It is rare to run across such a one. He trusts only so far, always checking, verifying, looking for the angle. I am wearing him down, though. Wearing him down with facts that check out and plans that are sound. He checked the meals I made for the crew dozens of time before he finally ate without fear.

 

"Said yourself there are lots of ways to administer poison, guess I'll take my chances."

 

It was the nerf steak that won him over. Seared and juicy.

 

The young Mandalorian does not like me. He glares at me from across the kitchen as I make our meal, leaning stiffly against the door frame. I have not had as much time to work on him. With his wounds healed, he spends much of the day training, regaining muscle and reflex.

 

"Come and eat," Mako calls to him from her seat at the table.

 

"Not hungry."

 

"It's really good," she says, taking a bite.

 

"Bit bland for my tastes."

 

She rolls her eyes at him. "Not everything has to be Mandalorian food."

 

He leaves. She groans, takes two more quick bites, and follows him.

 

Their pairing is unstable. Two different creatures bound together by proximity. But they have different habits, fight for different reasons, eat different food. They are not opposites to bind together. They are creatures of different elements and neither will survive long in the other's world.

 

My cat is the largest challenge, which intrigues me all the more. Her skittishness is not born of natural wariness, but of past hurts. I know that even after I gentle her to my hand, she will remain that wild creature. Her fire is a part of her, the core of who she is. Gentling her will take time. I must be patient. I must move slow, and yet keep her aware of me, curious. And the right food to lure her out...

 

Skari stepped into the kitchen cautiously but without pain. My kolto tank had healed her wounds, this time. My teeth clenched for a moment at the thought of next time. She needed someone to protect her, and she was unlikely to protect herself.

 

She sniffed the air. I smiled to myself, putting my worries aside. My lure had worked.

 

"That smells like...how did you get food from Granak's all the way out here?"

 

I walked across the small space with Rodian food in hand. "I made it."

 

Skari raised an eyebrow. "What?"

 

I smiled, "Hungry?"

 

She blushed, purple blooming lightly across her cheeks. She scowled. "No."

 

Her refusal to give in to what she obviously wants is amusing. "You sure?"

 

"I don't trust your cooking, Crae, stars know what you've put in it."

 

I took a bite of my own cooking and set the dish on the table.

 

"You should learn to trust me," I said, walking back to the stovetop, "the benefits are...delicious."

 

Oh the things I would do to her. I looked back at her to find her frozen, blinking a couple times, with that flush spreading across her face. I grinned. Apparently I am not the only one to think such thoughts. I turned back to the stove and heard her bolt from the room. I looked at the table and smiled. The Rodian street food she loved was gone.

 

All wild creatures have their weaknesses.

Edited January 5, 2013 by iamthehoyden

[irishfino]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! He's so adorably insane!!

[MilaniGrey]

Delicious.