Months passed and all of them slowly learned to get along better. Creed and Tadem stopped fighting so much and actually became decent friends, making Dawn all the happier. Specter and Skate kept them all in line and Kuli watched the kittens. They were like a little family living out in the middle of space. However, they still came down from time to time to refuel and restock and today was one of those days.
They'd set down on a small trading post not far out from the core worlds. Specter and Skate had gone to get things in order and left Kuli, Sunny, and Cloudy onboard the ship.
Creed, Dawn, and Tadem were allowed to wander the station on their own, so long as they were careful. Even together, and even with Dawn and Creed's training, they were still fugitives and there were more than enough people in the galaxy who would steal Tadem solely for his race.
Therefore, they stuck together most of the time and didn't wander too far. Creed wanted to go look at all the different weapon's shops, though, and Tadem wanted to check out the food. Their plan was to inspect the weapon's shops, then loop back around and search the markets for something that would help Tadem survive the three hours until dinner.
Plus, they all wanted something sweet.
"Hey, can we go in here?" Creed called back, looking over at his two brothers. Dawn lifted his head first, his short white ponytail--his hair was long enough that Specter insisted he pull it out of his face--bobbing up with his head.
"Yeah, you go in, me and Tadem wanna stay here and look at this for a minute," he said.
Nodding, Creed slipped into the shop, looking around. The first thing to catch his eye was the wall of knives. He already had a sword, so while he didn't mind looking, he was content with carrying Haze's sword. But he hadn't had a decent set of knives in years. Not since he'd stolen some at the age of 8. They'd been swiftly confiscated, and about three days in solitary containment had deterred him from stealing any more.
Here he could buy them, though, and while he didn't have many credits, Specter had sent him and the other two each with 100 credits of their own to spend.
Creed's dark eyes flicked across the wall, assessing each blade. He picked out every detail, unaware of the middle-aged Cathar man stepping up to the counter.
"Can I help you, young man?" the shopkeeper asked loudly, breaking through Creed's momentary focused.
Creed's eyes flickered down to the man and he stepped to the counter some, nodding. "Which one of those would you consider to have the best blade for throwing?" he asked. "I noticed you had several longer and thinner bladed knives, which would be alright, but their handles are too short and not balanced. Do you have any with the right balance?"
The older man pursed his catlike face and looked up at the wall, his green eyes following the same path Creed's had before he looked away and instead knelt behind the counter. "Indeed, I believe I have some but they aren't on the wall. Most of those are close combat or decoration knives," he said, then came up with three different sets. He pulled one knife out of each set and laid it in front of Creed.
"Here, these are the best balanced for throwing. The grey hilted one is lighter and has a specific shape to be thrown longer. The one with the coppery blade is a bit heavier but has a better balance to it. The last one is a new blade I've been working on. May I ask why someone your age is so interested in throwing knives?"
Creed looked up at the man and shrugged, using the line Specter had taught him when people asked about his odd weapons interest. "It's a hobby," he said.
Despite being a clone, most people didn't recognize him when in plainclothes and Specter said that was a good thing. Creed wasn't sure entirely how, but he went with it.
"I see, well feel free to pick them up and test their balance. There's a dart board on the other wall, if you trust your skill," he said. "Just don't damage my shop."
Creed nodded and picked up the first knife. He tried to balance it on one finger and twirled it between his fingers some. It was indeed light, but almost too light. He struggled to keep a grip on it and eventually caught the hilt and laid it back on the counter. He tested the second blade similarly, found it to have a better grip but its balance wasn't nearly what the shopkeeper had said it was. The hilt was almost too heavy.
After settling that one on the counter, Creed picked up the last blade and held it in his hand a moment. He looked over the more intricate design, impressed by that alone for a moment. Then he tried to balance it once more and found it balanced with ease. He threw it up some and caught it, twirling it between his fingers. It had a good grip, a good feel, and a preciseness to it he liked. He smiled a bit, continuing to test it out with different tosses from one hand to the other, feigned draws, and more twisting and twirling among his fingers. He spun it around his forefinger, then his eye caught the dartboard and he turned on one foot, catching the hilt between his thumb and forefinger before hurtling the knife at the dartboard.
It hit dead center.
Creed smiled. He walked over there and pulled the blade carefully from the dartboard, then moved back to the counter and looked up as he heard the shopkeeper shuffle back inside.
"You have some skill, for a hobbyist," he said with a bit of a smile.
With a shrug, Creed laid the third knife set in front of him. "I'm more of an enthusiast," he said simply. "How much is the third knife set?" he asked, reminding himself that he needed to consider the cost.
The man reached up, stroking over the long beard-like hair of his chin before answering. "It's untested, so I'd say, 100 credits per knife," he said. "You can return it with full refund if it breaks."
Creed frowned and looked down at the set, his heart sinking a little. He stuck his hands in his pockets, feeling the credit chip Specter had given him. Even adding that to his own small savings, it wouldn't be enough. He could afford one knife, but it just didn't seem right not to buy them as a set.
Sighing a little, he nodded. "They're really nice, but I'm afraid they're a little expensive for me," he said, trying not to look as crushed as he felt as he looked up at the shopkeeper.
The man leaned forward on the counter, though, looking at the knife set. "How much would you offer for them?"
Creed paused and looked at them, hesitating before answering. "Sir...I think you've priced them well, I simply don't have the funds," he said.
"Well, what funds can you offer me?" The shopkeeper persisted.
Creed gripped the credit chip quietly, rubbing his thumb over it thoughtfully. "I've got 100 credits I can offer you, sir, but that's all I was alloted for this trip."
The shopkeeper nodded and straightened up. He put the other two sets away and put the third set back together, laying it in front of Creed.
"Then I will take 100 credits for the whole set," he said.
Creed blinked. 100 credits for both knives? Knives as high quality as that ought to have been 100,000 credits. He was silent a moment, but as he looked at the shopkeeper, he could see the man was intent on giving him these knives for whatever he could offer.
"I...I can't--"
"Yes, you can, son. The price of the set is 100 credits, take it or leave it."
Creed stood there a long moment, looking at the knives, thinking. Would Specter be mad if he spent all 100 credits on knives? It wasn't like he could truly use them. They were just something he collected. He wasn't a soldier anymore.
"I...Thank you, but you deserve to be paid the full amount for those knives. They are wonderfully crafted, but as I said, I'm only an enthusiast and they would serve someone else better," he said.
The shopkeeper nodded, but he didn't move to put them up. Creed started to turn but paused when he saw that. "Sir?" he asked, feeling awkward.
"I see your dilemma, young man. You feel as though you're cheating a man out of his money by taking a discounted price. You're not. I think there's more to you than a mere enthusiast, kid, and the way you came in here, you knew what you were talking about. You're not a collector, and you deserve this set," the man said.
Creed's eyes flickered down to the sheathed knives and his hand went back to his pocket, fishing out the credit chip. He nodded, and took a deep breath, looking back up at the man. "Thank you," he said, finally handing over the credit chip.
The shopkeeper smiled and took the chip, scanning it, then handing it and the knives to Creed. "Stay safe, son," the man said.
Creed nodded and turned, heading out of the shop. He smiled a bit to himself, glancing down at the set. The man was right, there was a little more to him than just an enthusiast.
"Creed!" Tadem called as Creed walked outside. Both Tadem and Dawn came running up, and Tadem made a whining noise. "Can we go eat now? I'm starving..."
"Yeah, let's go," Creed said with a smile. As they turned, though, Dawn glanced over at him. "How much did you spend on them?" he asked with a knowing look.
Creed smiled and shrugged. "Less than they were worth."
Dawn rolled his eyes. "You're gonna turn into some crazy weapon's hoarder someday," he laughed.
"Aren't I already?" Creed asked with a grin.
The three of them walked down away from the shops and found a row of vendors selling everything from fruits and vegetables to the rarest sweets and desserts. They walked down a few rows before Creed and Dawn could practically see the drool gathering in Tadem's mouth. The young Zabrack was hungry.
"Hey, Tadem, whatcha want?" Creed asked as they stopped. Tadem's eyes darted up to him and then flickered around.
"All of it?" he whined hungrily. Creed and Dawn laughed a little and Dawn grabbed his arm.
"Why don't you start with some of those meat rolls you were eyeing earlier, just to get something in your system before we move onto sampling the whole selection," Dawn said.
Tadem nodded vigorously and the three of them backtracked to the vendor and bought three of the meat rolls, two cooked, and one raw for Tadem. Creed was still getting used to the fact that the Zabracks all ate raw meat, but the more he thought about it the less gross and strange it was.
"What else do you wanna try? That stays within our budget," Dawn asked as they finished off their second lunch. Creed glanced around with Tadem this time and together they settled on getting some fruits, then grabbed a few different deserts before going to find somewhere to sit and eat what they'd gotten. It didn't take long for all of it to be scarfed down, and by the time they were done Creed was happy, Dawn was full, and Tadem was still licking the taste of frosting and raw meat off his fingers.
"What time is it?" Dawn asked, glancing lazily at his chrono.
Creed cocked his head to read it and answered, "it's almost time to head back. Do you want to get back to the ship early?"
Dawn nodded tiredly and Tadem agreed after a moment. "I wanna take a nap before Specter has us help load everything on the ship," Tadem insisted as he curled up onto the bench and pressed right into Dawn's side, yawning.
Dawn touched his head and rubbed around his spiky horns, nodding. "A nap sounds good."
Creed rolled his eyes and got up. "Well then, c'mon you lazy bums," he teased, but honestly, he wanted to join them in that napping idea.
Tadem yawned, letting out a lazy whine, but he got up anyway and Dawn got up slowly. Creed laughed a little at them and led them back towards the ship docks.
They arrived as the fuel pump ships were moving away and Creed keyed the entrance code to the ramp, allowing the other two to go ahead of him aboard the ship. He brought up the tail end and just punched the close on the ramp before following Dawn and Tadem tiredly, not waiting to ensure the ramp actually closed.
He followed them into the living room where Tadem flopped on a couch and Dawn flopped down next to him, letting Tadem wrap him up in his arms. Dawn closed his eyes and yawned as Tadem settled down happily, purring softly under his breath. After putting up his knives, Creed sat down beside the two of them and soon flopped over as well, adding to the little warm pile. Tadem grinned when Creed curled up with them and it wasn't long before two of the three brother's were asleep.
Creed didn't fall asleep immediately, just kind of dozed, happy and safe. He couldn't help this gut feeling that something was off, though. He didn't know what it was, and part of him just wanted to tell himself it was just his stomach twisting after all the food, but he couldn't rid himself of the feeling.
He eventually gave up on shaking it off and got up, leaving Dawn and Tadem to nap as he headed down through the inner rooms of the ship. He heard the soft sounds of Kuli talking to Sunny and Cloudy as he passed their room. Sunny was older than they'd originally thought, about 13 or fourteen, but he was severely stunted in size, putting him at the height and build of an 8 or 9-year-old, which had originally led Kuli to treat him like a tiny kitten. The older Zabrack still doted on all of them like they were babies, but he gave Sunny more freedoms now that they were aware of his age. Cloudy on the other hand was a baby, barely even 5. He was probably doted on the most, and they were all okay with that. He was adorable.
Creed moved past their room, though, moving deeper into the ship as he began searching for anything amiss. He walked through all the halls, and finally returned to the front of the ship, moving towards the ramp.
The ramp that was still lying open.
Creed's eyes widened some and he jumped to grab the control box to close it. He hadn't even thought to stay and double check that it closed all the way, he'd just followed Dawn and Tadem. No wonder he couldn't shake the feeling something was off, he'd left the whole ship open and defenseless. He hoped Specter wouldn't be mad.
Creed touched the button to get the ramp to close and waited as he watched it inch slowly up. He felt a bit of a chill run down his spine and just shook it off, making sure to watch the ramp carefully this time, his finger hovering over the controls.
"Open the ramp."
The voice was soft, suggestive, and accompanied by a strong arm snaking around his throat before Creed could answer. He felt the tug to do as the voice said affecting his mind and deliberately threw the controls away from himself. He knew better than to give into these force tricks.
"No," he choked out as the arm suddenly constricted his airflow. He stiffened and grabbed at the arm, his mind reeling as he tried to remember how to get his attacker off.
There was a soft hiss in response to his denial and Creed felt something tighter gripping his throat. He couldn't breathe at all, but this sensation was inside his throat, clutching his windpipe. He gasped, seeing black spots before his eyes.
"Go to sleep," the voice growled softly as Creed began to relax as he struggled to get air into his lungs. The black spots took over his vision, though, and he slumped down as it all faded away.
Creed could hear faint voices in the background of the blackness, but he was unsure how much time had actually passed. He couldn't see a thing, couldn't move his body, couldn't even feel his limbs, but he could hear. He thought he could pick out Specter's voice, or maybe it was Skate's. Dawn's was in there somewhere. They were calling, a name, over and over. Shouting it, sounding desperate to find it's owner. Repeating it in a futile effort for an answer.
"Creed, where are you?"