.･ ̣ ✵ ･ *.
⠀⠀⠀ CYI HAS DECIDED that she likes Cara. They're sitting in the tavern with Mando, and Cara's telling them about her time as a shock trooper.
⠀⠀⠀ "Saw most of my action mopping up after Endor," she's saying. "The brass wanted it fast, quiet. They'd drop us in, no backup, no air support, no nothing.
⠀⠀⠀ "Sounds delightful," Cyi mutters.
⠀⠀⠀ "Yeah, fun times," Cara agrees. "After we won, things changed. Politics shifted. and all of the sudden, we were peacekeepers. Stealth op missions turned into protecting delegates, suppressing riots of scared, broken people. Not what I signed up for."
⠀⠀⠀ "How'd you end up here?" Mando asks.
⠀⠀⠀ She shrugs. "Let's call it an early retirement. Look, I knew you were Guild. Thought you had a fob on me. otherwise I wouldn't've come at you so hard."
⠀⠀⠀ "Yeah, that's what I figured," Mando sighs. "I should have asked Cyi to talk with you first."
⠀⠀⠀ Cyi glances at Cara. "I would've said 'crik no' and left" she admits. "No offense."
⠀⠀⠀ Cara smiles. "None taken," she says. "Although for the record, I wouldn't've hurt you."
⠀⠀⠀ Something in her tone tells Cyi she's not lying, and it occurs to her that she wouldn't mind staying with this soldier until she can find a way back home. She still doesn't quite trust Mando's offer.
⠀⠀⠀ "What about you?" Cara asks. She's talking to Mando, but Cyi answers anyway.
⠀⠀⠀ "The two of us-" she juts her chin at the kid "-are Guild bounties. Mando here got us both. Had a change of heart and busted the kid out."
⠀⠀⠀ "I see," Cara says. "Not you?"
⠀⠀⠀ "I wasn't part of the plan." Cyi shrugs. So what if that knowledge stings a little? "Right place, right time and all. I saved his ass; he gave me a ride."
⠀⠀⠀ Cara looks across the table, and Mando nods. "That is the gist of it," he agrees.
⠀⠀⠀ Surprise flits across Cara's face. "Oh," is all she says.
⠀⠀⠀ "What did you think the situ was?" Cyi snaps.
⠀⠀⠀ "I didn't really have an idea."
⠀⠀⠀ "Mmh," Cyi mutters. Well, for all her muscles, the soldier sure can't lie.
⠀⠀⠀ It's Cara who changes the topic. "Well," she says, "this has been a real treat, but unless you wanna go to another round, one of us is gonna have to leave, and I was here first."
⠀⠀⠀ "Fair," Mando agrees calmly.
⠀⠀⠀ No, Cyi wants to say. No it's crikking not. Go another round, Play dirty. Or leave, and let me stay.
⠀⠀⠀ She realizes, quite suddenly, that she wants to stay on this planet of trees, of cool, bright air, of peace and calm. And who's to stop her?
⠀⠀⠀ The shock trooper for one, I guess. And the bounty hunter who carted you off in the first place. Still, why not give it a shot?
⠀⠀⠀ "In that case," she tells Mando, "it's been great knowing you. I'm going to look for more civilization. Thanks again for the soup."
⠀⠀⠀ Actually, the soup, like most other food, was disgusting, because Cyi can barely taste anything. She knows what it should taste like, but alas.
⠀⠀⠀ Mando watches her for a long moment, head tilted. Odd how that gesture is somehow comforting.
⠀⠀⠀ Cara's glancing between her and Mando, and Cyi wonders again - crossly - what her first assumption of them was. "There's a krill farm about two miles southwest of here," she says. "Good folks. If you want, I can show you the way."
⠀⠀⠀ "That'd be stellar," Cyi says. "Thanks."
⠀⠀⠀ She cannot shake the feeling that she's betraying Mando somehow, though what she owes him is crikking beyond her.
⠀⠀⠀ Mando stands and picks up the kid. "The Crest needs several repairs" he says. "I'll leave tomorrow afternoon."
⠀⠀⠀ Cyi isn't sure what she's supposed to do with this information. Maybe Mando gets that, because he adds, "If you change your mind, my offer still stands."
⠀⠀⠀ Then he's gone, and Cyi is trying to figure out what the crik to make of him.
⠀⠀⠀ LIKE THE REST of Sorgan, the village is beautiful. Dozens of neatly dug, clear blue ponds circle a cluster of ramshackle huts, and the afternoon sun bathes the world in gold. Cyi tilts her face to meet it, eyes closed.
⠀⠀⠀ Cara brought her to the outskirts of the town, although she was gone by the time anyone spotted Cyi. But they welcomed her with open arms anyway, and now she's staying with an elderly couple.
⠀⠀⠀ The sun is beginning to set, and she's sitting on the porch beside Nir. They sip on spotchka and watch distant figures scurry around the ponds.
⠀⠀⠀ "What happened to your leg?" Cyi asks, because that's why Nir's beside her, and not with his husband; there's a deep gash on his left leg.
⠀⠀⠀ Nir's dark eyes sadden, and he stretches his bad leg out. "Well Cyi," he says, "our little world isn't always as peaceful as it is now. Klatooninian raiders live in the forests. They come out once in a while and take whatever they want."
⠀⠀⠀ "We've learned to hide when that happens," he adds softly. "They don't come to kill, but they will if you try to stop them."
⠀⠀⠀ He pats his leg. "They came yesterday morning. I had a run in with one of the ugly bastards."
⠀⠀⠀ "That recent?" Cyi asks.
⠀⠀⠀ "Mmh," Nir grumbles. "Tiro's got twice his work now,"
⠀⠀⠀ It occurs to Cyi that she should offer to help. She really doesn't want to though. They've fed me, she scolds herself. And they've offered to let me stay with them.
⠀⠀⠀ Crik.
⠀⠀⠀ "Can I help him?" she asks.
⠀⠀⠀ Nir glances down at her, old eyes crinkled. "I'm sure there's something you could do," he says. "You're welcome to run down and ask him."
⠀⠀⠀ Crik, Cyi wants to say, I was hoping you'd say no.
⠀⠀⠀ On the bright side, if she works, these people can hold nothing over her. Or maybe more accurately: Cyi won't feel like she owes them anything.
⠀⠀⠀ She downs the rest of her spotchka, thanks Nir again, and picks her way down to the krill ponds.
⠀⠀⠀ TIRO SETS HER to mending nets and traps. They're heavy, and she can see why he doesn't want Nir dealing with them.
⠀⠀⠀ Cyi is surprised to find that she doesn't hate the work, and even more surprised to find that she's not bad at it.
⠀⠀⠀ Admittedly, the fact that she's got a robot showing her what to do might be part of that. Little blue pictures overlay her normal vision, and Cyi 2.0's bright little letters string instructions across her retinal screen.
tie tightly.
> i'm not that stupid
take nothing for granted.
and that end goes under, not over.
⠀⠀⠀ This second part comes as Cyi begins to reweave a slash together. "Crik," she mutters, because Cyi 2.0 is right. Again.
⠀⠀⠀ Eventually, Tiro lowers himself down beside her, and Cyi lowers the trap. Tiro's gray hair catches the setting sun's light as he bends his head to examine her work.
⠀⠀⠀ "Impressive," he says. "You have experience?"
⠀⠀⠀ "Yeah," Cyi lies, because what else should she say? The truth? I actually have a computer built into my mind that's been giving me directions. Yeah, no.
⠀⠀⠀ "Well done."
⠀⠀⠀ Cyi runs a hand along a charred slash in one of the net. Not usual wear and tear for krill traps, unless krilling is more exciting than she thought.
⠀⠀⠀ "The crik did this?" she asks Tiro.
⠀⠀⠀ The old man twists the slashed net in gnarled fists. "The damned Klatooninians," he spits. His voice trembles, and he bows his head. Cyi wonders just how close Nir came to death, and how terrified Tiro was.
⠀⠀⠀ "Apologies," he rasps a second later. "It'd seem I'm still shaken."
⠀⠀⠀ Well, this is awkward. "Don't apologize," she says. "You have every right to be."
⠀⠀⠀ And before she can think better of it, she adds, "I might know someone who can help."
⠀⠀⠀ Tiro's weary eyes meet hers. "Unless this someone has an army," he murmurs, "I doubt it'll be any good."
⠀⠀⠀ "Well chum," Cyi answers, "I don't know him all that well myself, but he seems like a one man army to me."
⠀⠀⠀ Now he's interested. "Who is this?"
⠀⠀⠀ This might not be my best idea, she realizes. What if Mando says no? But Nir and Tiro deserve a chance, and she decides that she'll figure out whether it's a good idea later.
⠀⠀⠀ "There's a bounty hunter in the forest," she says. "He leaves in the morning, but send someone now, and you might find him."
⠀⠀⠀ Tiro stands abruptly. "You're sure?" he asks.
⠀⠀⠀ "Look, I can't promise that he'll help you," Cyi answers, "he's not the nicest guy I've ever met. But he's out there."
⠀⠀⠀ "Worth a shot," Tiro mutters.
⠀⠀⠀ "Caben!" he hollers. Across the pond, one of the younger villagers snaps his head up. Tiro beckons him over.
⠀⠀⠀ "There's a bounty hunter in the woods. I don't know if he'll help us, but we can still ask. Gather as much coin as you can and go find him."
⠀⠀⠀ "Yessir," Caben says.
⠀⠀⠀ When he is gone, Cyi and Tiro make their way back to the cabin.
⠀⠀⠀ "Thanks for not putting that on me," she says.
⠀⠀⠀ Tiro smiles "Thank you for telling me."
⠀⠀⠀ The rest of their walk passes in easy silence, and when they get to the cabin, Nir is waiting on the porch. A craggy smile splits his face when Tiro tells him that they might - might - have a solution to the raiders. The look they share erases any doubt Cyi had about her decision.
⠀⠀⠀ THAT NIGHT, THEY eat dinner together, and Cyi's glad she helped Tiro with the nets. She's starting to get worried that their generosity won't have limits.
⠀⠀⠀ It's dark out when they bid her goodnight, and Cyi settles on the couch. She lies awake for a long time, listening to the wind in the trees and wondering if Mando will come. Finally, she curls under the thick blanket and closes her eyes.
⠀⠀⠀ "Good night," she whispers to no one. It makes her feel less alone, and eventually, she falls into a dreamless sleep.
.･ ̣ ✵ ･ *.
classes start monday,
so there's a very good chance
that i'm going to slow down on this again.
hopefully, i can update every other week,
but we'll see 😭
i'll probably post status updates
< ew that sounds like facebook >
about wired on my profile, so
(this is shameless)
feel free to hit follow :)
also, most importantly:
this chapter's dedicated to the amazing
jvst_JARVIS
who left a ton of comments and literally made my week.
thank you <3