Get Critcher

I don't own Star Wars.

I stared at the scar in the mirror. A vicious, nasty thing spread over my chest like a crater. I can see the cybernetics just under my freshly healed skin. I clenched my hands, clawing the air. No pain. I stretched my arms above my head, bent, twisted, moved steadily, then faster.

No Pain. No impediment… Only anger. And a feeling of anxiety…

For months I have lain in bed, healing, and recovering, with very little interaction with the world and the galaxy, only from what my crewmates and my family have provided. Oriana sees and speaks to me at least three times a day. Nerri consistently tends to my already healing wounds, Lala is… mostly just supportive, she spends most of her time without uncle Aiden.

I fell weaker… slower. But I'm not… I find myself imagining wearing my claws late and night, feeling them click and retract again and again.

Critcher killed my friends, and then brought one of them back as a C.R.O.W. She shot me…

No Pain. No Impediment. Only Anger… and fear.

"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering…" I blinked, and stared at Master Lidia as she sat across from me… I forgot she was there. "Say it Kallus." She said firmly as I stared back into her eyes.

Something had changed in Master Lidia. She had been speaking to Yura, often and at long intervals… a woman who was once a sith assassin, or infiltrator. A woman who lives a happy life, in love, with my uncle Aiden and his many wives. Though 'wives' is something of an understatement, two of them are almost constantly off world.

"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to Hate. Hate leads to Suffering." I said, but took a deep breath. "…I am not a jedi."

"No." she said as she sat on the chair, watching me studiously as I continued to stretch and move. "You are not Kallus you are a formidable warrior. But you are flawed, blinded by your berserk rage…" she turned to me. "…You cannot defeat Critcher on anger alone." I flinched. "Do not think I don't know what you're planning…"

"…You can't stop me." I said as she seemed to take that with a small amount of surprise.

"I think I can." She said confidently, but I took a breath. She probably could… easily.

"…He killed my friends." I said, showing her their numbers tattooed on my shoulder. "He killed them." I repeated, "…And I've let him run around long enough."

Lidia stood up from the chair, standing before me. "…How are you even going to get to him Kallus?" she asked softly, "He'll see you coming from a mile away." I scowled.

"Oriana will have a plan." I said, before walking past her and out of my room. I marched down the stairs. "Oriana." I shouted abruptly as Oriana appeared, looking at me almost apologetically. "Stop sending Lidia into my room if she's not going to help." I said as she stared at me.

"Kallus. You CAN'T just go after Critcher." She declared with some finality as I stared at her. "As your oldest friend. As someone who LOVES you." She said, resting her hands on my chest. "Please. Let it go!"

I stared at her, barring my fangs. I'd never hurt Oriana… "…I need to get Critcher."

"If Kallus Kane kills Critcher Cromwell it will cause a family civil war." Oriana noted, "Kallus I can't let you-"

"Then stay here, I'll do it myself."

"Kallus don't-" I moved past her, heading towards the armory with my gear as everyone appeared, trying to stop me. "Kallus don't make me-" began Oriana looking, conflicted as I grabbed my Claws. "Kallus! HEEL!"

…

The word… echoed in my brain. And I found my body obediently shutting down… the next thing I remember. Is waking up back in my room. I shot up in a cold sweat, looking at my hands in horror as I looked around the darkened room… it was dark outside, I remember it being sunny earlier what just happened?

I got off the bed, and moved to the door… it didn't open. I tried again but it stayed shut. I roared my frustrations and slammed my hands on the door. "Open! This! UP!" I reeled back my hands to slam the door but it suddenly opened, and I stopped. Aiden stood there…

"…Sit." He said patiently, staring me down… I could probably snap him like a twig, but he was far braver then most gave him credit for. "Sit." He repeated almost kindly.

"Kallus! HEEL!" the word echoed in my brain again and snarled.

"I am not a DOG!" I barked.

"No. You are a well honed." He put his hand on my chest, and easily pushed me back into the room. "Sharpened weapon. Elegantly raised and designed to be a PERFECT warrior, an obedient killing machine." He stared at me sadly. "…You mother, bless her had good intentions. But even now…" he sighed, "…Kallus. You were indoctrinated and trained to be the perfect obedient soldier for the empire." I stared at him. "Your mother. Trained you to be that way…"

"…What?" I breathed as Aiden sighed again.

"…There were many attempts, many different training methods, and the one that worked was on you." I stared at him and sat down on the bed.

"What?" I repeated again as Aiden sighed.

"…You were conditioned to protect Oriana." Said Aiden, "a prototype experiment to train a perfect bodyguard, a loyal soldier. Honestly I thought she would try and get you out of it but clearly not even she had enough pull to stop it."

"She just… what?" I stood up. "…I was an experiment?"

"Not you specifically but the training you underwent. Yes." He replied softly, taking a breath. "Listen to me. You were Conditioned. To protect Oriana. Specifically." He said, "That was the training. To obey her, to protect her."

"…Did you know this?"

"No. Newt doesn't tell me shit. This is all stuff Ori told me in the last few hours." He replied angrily, "FUCK Kavilla." He shouted angrily, as I loomed angrily over him.

"Is that why she's not here?"

"She's never had to use the command phrase before so she's… feeling a little guilty." Aiden replied apologetically. "So uncle Aiden will fix it." he shrugged. "…We can't let you leave Kal. And… unfortunately, nobody here is going to help you do it."

I stared at him, before moving forward but he stood firm, standing between me and the door. "You are angry Kal, I get it…" he said, "But you being angry won't allow you to kill Critcher. You can't just get out, get in your ship and chase after him. You don't know where he is, you don't have a real plan to get close to him, and lets be honest Kal you're not a thinking man. Someone points. And you fight." He said firmly.

I suddenly lashed out, grabbing his shirt and lifting him from the floor, but even then my uncle was fearless. "Your conditioning protects Oriana." He said, "But you're my nephew. And I love you… are you really going to beat up an old man?" he said plainly as my anger built.

But he wasn't wrong… and it quickly dissipated.

"…No." I said, letting him go as he sighed.

"…You need to be calm Kallus, you need to be rational. And let's be honest you need to be directed, guided." He reached into his pocket, and handed something to me… a com? "You need to know that a friend of yours, Rykkr, acquired a bit of information about Critcher's location. And that I may have already given that information to Aida… who will use it appropriately as soon as she gets here to speak to you and convince you not to do anything rash… because you should definitely, listen, to Aida."

I stared at him, as he didn't meet my eyes. He patted my shoulder, glancing over his own as if expecting to find one or any of the others listening in before adding. "…Get some rest." He said patiently, "…And maybe look under your bed later." He turned, and walked out of the room, before shutting the door behind him with an ominous his, and a lock.

I turned, kneeling down to reach under my bed, pulling out my armor case… opening it, to find everything I was going to need.

…

Aida arrived in a shuttle in the morning. Bringing with her lieutenants Jazzle and Adale… as well as Patch, and for some crazy reason. Emila Cromwell. They stayed outside as Aida entered, chatting animatedly with Oriana as I viewed them from the VERY secured window of my room. Aida, carrying a bottle of what appeared to be Aiden's favorite Dromund Kaas wine…

It was just a few minutes, but eventually… the door hissed open. Oriana and Aida stood outside as she looked at Oriana, and nodded. "I'll speak to him." she then entered the room, straight-backed and upright. Watching me curiously as I stared at her.

"…Did you know I was conditioned to protect Oriana?"

"Yes." Replied Aida. "…If it makes you feel better my own conditioning didn't really take. And I was cloned." She replied casually as I sighed. "…Put your armor on Kallus." She said coolly as I blinked at her. "…We'll be leaving in a minute." She said as I took a breath, nodded and reached under the bed. "Uncle Aiden will have everyone drinking that wine bottle soon enough." She said.

"What's the plan?" I asked with a growl, already applying my armor and my claws, flexing my fingers. Seeing them pop out and back in again, before standing up in full armor.

"…Get to Critcher and kill him." declared Aida straight faced. "…He's gotten far to inconsiderately annoying… I've had to step my plans up a little because you were shot. But they're still perfectly in place…" she rolled her eyes, "He was NEVER going to stop with just you. Critcher and Daemon were always going to try and kill the heirs of Kane… they've been trying for months, years even, my entire campaign in the outer rim… honestly Kallus he tried to glass you from orbit it should've been a given."

"…I don't have your brain."

"No, you don't. Not for yourself. But I am more than willing to loan it to you every now and again." she noted, as her com beeped, and she checked it. "…Alright." She said patiently, tilting her head toward the door. "Let's go." We walked out of the room, and down the stairs.

"A-Aida… you…" Oriana, was the only one standing… but even then she was leaning on the wall, everyone else was on the floor… "You… why?"

"Have a nice nap Oriana." She said kindly, "We'll see you soon."

"No…" she mumbled, trying to move but only flopping over as I caught her. "Don't Kal this is a mis…take." I held her tight, and kissed her forehead before lifting her from the floor and laying her down on the couch. After a moment of… taking her in, I growled and followed after Aida…

"Kal." Patch immediately said, approaching me once I walked out of the house. "Are you alright? How's your chest?" he asked concernedly as I smirked at him, fondly. Clapping a hand on his shoulder and walking past him.

"…Good enough." I said quickly, before eying Emila who swallowed nervously as I stared into her Sapphire blue eyes, then turned to Aida. "…What about her?"

"What about her?" replied Aida patiently. "…Emila is a loyal supporter of the Empire I don't know why you should be concerned about her or her you…" she then nodded to Jazzle and Idale. "…Besides this won't work unless she brings you in." Jazzle and Idale, secured restraints around my wrists, leading me to the shuttle.

Emila breathed a sigh of relief, Patch resting a comforting hand on her shoulder as she smiled at him. Good for Patch. They set me down into a seat, and secured me as Aida stared at me before taking a sigh of relief. "…I have many failsafes, Kallus." She said softly, "…But in case this doesn't work? I will blame you." I flexed my fingers, and glanced at her.

"Tell me what to do." I said coolly.

"What you do best. Kallus Kane." She said softly, nodding to Jazzle, as she sat into the pilot's chair… and taking off. Towards Aida's Destroyer.

I'm coming Critcher.

End