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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Saga [DDC 2015] The Chronicles of I-5YQ (Updated 12/22/15-Complete)

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by Ewok_Slayer, Jan 9, 2015.

  1. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    LOL on the conversations and the "object lesson" :p with the holovid! Something tells me that wasn't the best way to figure out romantic process. =D=
     
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  2. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    Catching up, catching up... Here's a review for entries 35-46.

    This team have a knack for picking planets that aren't exactly suited to them, don't they? First Yavin IV with its dark side presence, then Myrkr and its gaps in the Force... I'm curious to see if and how they will discover the ysalamiri and vornskrs and how they will manage that.
    I loved this sentence because it encapsulates so perfectly Myrkr's out-of-the-way feeling. No wonder Talon Karrde would eventually choose that place as his smuggling base. Again, I'm curious to know how many of the residents are aware of the planet's Force-negating ability and realise that this is, to a large extent, why they're being left alone.

    Also, I wasn't particularly surprised that Norro would be the first to find a job. The kid survived Despayre on his own for many years, he's gotta be resourceful :)

    But of course what really shines throughout these entries is I-Five's growing awareness of both his Human and droid sides, and his developing relationship with Magash. It was great to see how being a droid comes in handy when dealing with a Zeltron trader [face_laugh] And then, I reached the "exposure therapy" bit in entry 44 and I laughed. out. loud. Yeah, right. They're going to be "clinical" about it :rolleyes: As Norro put it very aptly, “I thought you two were already dating.”

    The description of the holovid seen through I-Five's eyes was positively hilarious!
    [face_rofl]

    ... and I-Five's conclusions even more so.
    It's a good job I-Five won't be really courting any Human women in the near future, because if these were his conclusions he's in for a helluva surprise.

    I can't wait to see where this goes next. My sixth sense tells me that the Myrkr forest has a few adventures for them, and I'm incredibly eager to see how you will resolve the I-Five/Magash situation.
     
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  3. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    LOL on the dating and the comments on the love making
     
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  4. Ewok_Slayer

    Ewok_Slayer Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2004
    At least he wasn't watching a skinholo. :p

    Thanks. I am going to have them find out a little about the flora and fauna of the planet in a couple posts down the road. As for I-Five coming to false conclusions...I think he realized the movie was not a good example of courting behavior and was being a little sarcastic with his comment. The trouble is he still is not fully prepared for this experiment...but in reality who is? We all enter the courting scene as teens or young adults and most of the time we are clueless. It is basically something you learn by doing.

    Thanks! I'm glad you liked it.

    This post is a set up for their next little adventure. It is short, but I hope you find it interesting.


    ~

    ~

    ~

    Entry 47

    Recovered Memory

    In the last few weeks I have thoroughly enjoyed participating in the exposure therapy/courting research. Magash and I decided the best course of action was simply to enjoy each other’s company. We would have meals together (although I don't partake), go supply shopping with one another, and pursue recreational activities jointly. Initially we had planned on observing Jax and Sacha’s interactions and mirror their behavior. Unfortunately, Sacha and Jax are too far along in their relationship to act as a model for early courtship standards. Magash needs a slow introduction to male-female courting behavior. Jax and Sacha’s wooing techniques are far too advanced and innovative for Magash and I to duplicate at this point in the experiment.

    This week we are to accompany Norro to a school picnic that is to take place on the shore of a scenic inland lake. When Norro initially told me about the event he was unsure about attending. After conversing with the young man I discovered his trepidation was over his scars and not wanting his friends to observe his disfigurement. I finally convinced him that it was perfectly acceptable to swim with a shirt on. “Wearing a shirt is sensible because ultraviolet light from a stellar body can cause damage to the skin of humans and other near human species,” I informed him.

    At that point Norro flexed his slim biceps and said with a smile, “Okay, I’ll tell them I’m wearing a shirt because my stellar body might dazzle the ladies if I don’t.”

    “By stellar body I am referring to a sun,” I clarified.

    Norro’s smile turned to a broad, toothy grin. “That’s right. I’m your son…with a stellar body.” He broke out in laughter, amused by his own joke. “And since I am legally the son of Magash and Fyve Pavan will you two be there as my parents?”

    I nodded. “I will be honored to attend as your father. I will ask Magash if she will be willing to pose as my wife for this event.”

    “Oh, I’m sure she will.” He winked as if to say he knew something I didn’t. “I’ve seen you two together all snuggly on the couch and watching holovids together.”

    I couldn’t help but smile at that comment. It is an indication that Magash and I are successfully mimicking human/Zabrak romantic social behavior. “Norro, you do understand that Magash and I are not in an amorous relationship, but are instead conducting an experiment.”

    The young boy laughed out loud. “I learned about experiments in school. You start with an idea and then you do an experiment. If you get an expected result you have to repeat that experiment over and over before you can say it was truly successful and not some fluke.” He gave me a mischievous grin. “So if you practice kissing you are going to have to repeat it over and over.” He then puckered his lips and made a kissing noise.

    I pointed down the hallway of our rented house. “That’s enough of you. Go to your room young man.” I tried to sound stern, but a tinge of levity could be heard in my voice.

    Norro’s face fell, unaware that I was teasing. “I was just joking, I-Five.”

    “So was I,” I said with a smile. “I was practicing sounding like a father. Obviously my experiment was a success. Should I continue chastising you to ensure my initial result wasn’t happenchance?”

    My teenage ‘son’ rolled his eyes and groaned. “No, I think you have perfected the uptight and overbearing parent persona.”

    I chuckled and reached out and gave his shoulder a friendly squeeze. “I’ll talk to Magash. How about the rest of the family?”

    He shrugged. “Everybody’s invited. We are supposed to bring a dish to pass, but my boss at work donated frozen bantha burgers and buns, so we’re covered.”

    I smiled warmly. “It sounds like fun.” I gestured for him to follow me. “let’s go talk to Magash.”

    As Norro predicted Magash was willing to accompany us to the event. This brought about a minor problem…what to wear and could I swim? “I do not own swimming shorts. I also cannot remember if my HRD body has enough buoyancy to make entering a lake prudent.” I turned to Magash. “Do you own a swimming outfit?”

    The corners of her mouth curved up slightly. “If I was to swim across a body of water during a hunt I would wear a water resistant body suit made of reptile skin and with leather straps to tie down my various weapons.”

    I chuckled. “Well, I don’t believe we will need to do any stalking and killing of the enemy during a school outing. What would you wear for recreational swimming?”

    She gave a light shrug of the shoulder. “The women in our clan would swim in the nude.”

    “Alright!” Norro said a bit too enthusiastically.

    I elbowed him slightly on his side and made an expression of annoyance. “Please remember she is supposed to be your mother. The thought of seeing a parent unclothed usually disturbs most humans. Try to keep in character.”

    “Oh yeah, sorry.” He looked a Magash while making an effort to scrunch up his face into a look of disgust. “Ewww! Mom! That’s gross! Nobody wants to see you naked! Yuck!”

    Magash frowned at the boy and I gave him another nudge with my elbow. “I think you were a little extreme with that statement.”

    Norro gave a mock look of surprise. “Oh I’m sorry. How about. Ewww! Mom, I don’t want to see that.” He gave me a furtive glance before breaking into a broad grin. “But other people might like seeing you unclothed.”

    My brow drew together in irritation as I turned to face the boy. “Norro…”

    Before I could finish my sentence he was shuffling out of my way and down the hall. “I know, ‘Go to your room!'” He laughed before disappearing into his bedroom.

    I turned to Magash and smiled. “I think we need to go clothes shopping.”
     
  5. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    [face_laugh] [face_laugh] Norro is having waaay too much fun teasing Magash and Five. [face_mischief]
     
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  6. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Love the father and son banter
     
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  7. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    Someone has got to find the "off" button to stop Norro from teasing I-Five non-stop.
    [face_laugh]

    I want to see everyone's reaction to Magash swimming in "a water resistant body suit made of reptile skin and with leather straps to tie down my various weapons". But first, I want to see the clothes shopping. Please tell me that the next adventure is clothes shopping!
     
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  8. Ewok_Slayer

    Ewok_Slayer Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2004
    Thanks. He had a sense of humor while on Despayre, so I assume he would be more jovial now that he is free.

    Thank you. I don't know if the relationships are strange to the reader. At first Norro was very close to Sacha and then Jax, but lately he has gravitated toward Magash and I-Five. I think he realizes Jax and Sacha will soon have a baby and less time for him. I don't think he is jealous, but he understands the reality of the situation. He grew up in a prison colony and was probably watched by a number of women in a "it takes a village" type of situation. I think he would naturally bond with multiple people.

    Thank you! To be honest, I had no intention of writing the shopping scene, but since you are one of my loyal readers and seem so excited, I decided on writing a bonus type of entry. I hope you like it. :)

    ~
    ~
    ~

    Entry 48

    Recovered memory

    Magash, Norro and I have just returned from the local clothing shop to purchase swimsuits. I had asked Den, Jax and Sacha if they wanted to go to the lakeside get-together but they declined the offer. Den said Sullustans, being a burrowing species, are not fond of standing water. Flooded warrens are a deadly catastrophe in their society and because of this the fear of drowning is the most common phobia among his people. Sacha declined saying pregnancy, the hot sun, and swimsuits are not a good combination. She told Jax he could go ahead without her, but he decided to stay at the house and relax.

    So it was just the three of us at the apparel store looking for appropriate clothing. Norro picked out a pair of nondescript, knee length shorts to wear. I chose a similar garment, but Magash asked me to try on a different pair that she thought would be more visually appealing. I took the swimming garb and went into the dressing room while Norro and Magash waited outside on a small bench provided for the customers. When I exited Norro started laughing so raucously that he began to hyperventilate. I looked down at the outfit confused as to what he found so amusing.

    “What?” I asked him.

    He pointed to the tight, brief-cut swim outfit and grinned. “Can you get them any tighter? Wow! That suit leaves no doubt about the anatomical correctness of Human Replica Droids.” He made a face and curled up his top lip in an expression of distaste. “And they're white!” He cringed with a shutter. “Gross. It looks like underwear.”

    I frowned at him. “Norro, when I said to stay in character I meant while around other people. There is no need to pretend while we are among ourselves.”

    He laughed. “Who’s pretending?” He shook his head. “Please find something else.”

    Magash rolled her eyes before giving me the once over. “I find that cut rather pleasing to the eye. Plus, it is practical to wear tight clothing while swimming. It is harder for a predator to capture you if you do not have loose clothing for teeth to latch onto.”

    I turned to Magash and gave a placating expression. “Perhaps I should purchase a pair similar to Norro’s. I do not wish to stand out at this event. I would like to keep secret the fact that I am a human replica droid.”

    “Yeah,” Norro agreed. “Baggy is the way to go.”

    I nodded in agreement before changing back into my clothing. I then selected a pair of black boxer swim shorts to purchase.

    Magash gave a shrug of her shoulders and picked out a few outfits to model. She disappeared in the dressing room for a few minutes and then came out wearing…almost nothing. It was a very skimpy two-piece swimsuit that caused something within my thoracic cavity to flutter.

    “Oh Force!” Norro exclaimed before laughing. “You’re supposed to be my mother, not a Kuat pleasure slave.”

    My eyes narrowed as I stared at Norro. “And what do you know of pleasure slaves?”

    His eyes went wide before he gave me a sheepish look. “I grew up in a prison colony. I know a lot about a bunch of things that a kid my age shouldn’t know about.”

    Magash looked at me expectantly. “What do you think?”

    I stared at her blankly, not knowing what to say. It looked wonderful, but it was a bit too breathtaking. “I think it might be overly revealing for a school venue. Is there anything with…more fabric?”

    She chuckled before she went back into the dressing room. A few minutes later she came out wearing a one-piece suit that was cut high on the hips. It also had a plunging neckline that gave a tantalizing glimpse of her cleavage. “What about this one?” she asked.

    Norro looked over to me and smirked. “Dad, you better bring a blaster. You are going to have to fight off all my male instructors once they get a look at Mom.”

    The smile slipped from my face when the reality of the situation hit me. The goal for the exposure therapy was to locate a mate for Magash. What if she finds an interested suitor at the picnic? Am I going to have to endure a fictitious divorce to nullify our fabricated marriage and then be forced to watch her date some male instructor at Norro’s school? It was a somewhat distressing thought. I have become very fond of Magash, but once she finds a mate I doubt a male suitor would tolerate my close association with her.

    I thought back to my conversation with Jax. He said he didn’t believe I thought this situation through…and perhaps he was correct. Although Magash appears to value my companionship and our goals are similar—wanting to find a life companion—there is one big difference; Magash wants a bonded mate to father a child with her. That is something I cannot do. No matter how close we become, her future belongs with a human or Zabrak, not with me. I will have to come to terms with the fact that soon I will have to distance myself from her so she can devote herself to an organic male.

    I was pulled out of my musings by Magash waving hand in front on my face. “I-Five, what do you think of the swim outfit?”

    I gave her a glum smile. “It is beautiful. All eyes will be on you.”
     
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  9. divapilot

    divapilot Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2005
    I just caught up. This is such a great story. I love how they all work together to support each other. Jax and Sacha are going to be wonderful parents - the baby must be coming soon! I love how I-Five and Magash fit together so well. They are both "fish out of water" so to speak, and so they are exploring these new cultures and emotions together.

    And Norro steals the show. He makes me laugh every time.

    Great writing! ;)
     
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  10. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    fun update with the swimming and 'not' swimming for some. When comes the baby?
     
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  11. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Fun! Five is starting to realize that he'll have to "give Magash up" eventually. :( Not an easy thing. [face_thinking] Very nice bit of humor to lighten things.
     
  12. Ewok_Slayer

    Ewok_Slayer Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2004
    Thank you. I-Five and Magash would make a good couple, but she does want to have kids, so that complicates matters. And, although she might like or even love him as a friend, that doesn't mean she would be open to a romantic relationship with him. I think there is one thing that works in I-Five's advantage is the Dathomir witches don't have droids. It is hard to develop a prejudice toward droids if you don't have contact with them. It would be like if everybody in a country thought blue-eyed people were inferior and it was taboo to marry a blue-eyed person and you show up in the country...you wouldn't naturally have the same belief and might find the taboo odd. This of course is not exactly the same thing, but I do think having a relationship with a sentient HRD would be easier for somebody not accustomed to seeing droids as subservient.

    I think she is around 7 months at this time. She should have the baby by the end of this year's diary.

    It is difficult for I-Five. I think he understand that he is not a good candidate as a mate to Magash, but what he doesn't like is the fact that if Magash does find a mate it might end his close association with her. It is doubtful that a man would want to move into the house with so many people. If Magash stays as a crew member he might have a long friendship with her, but the future is uncertain and I think that saddens him.

    Thanks everybody for reading. This next post is a set up for their next adventure.

    ~
    ~
    ~
    ~


    Entry 49

    Recovered Memory

    After our last cargo run we used the profits to pay the rent, food and we purchased a pre-owned speeder. It was a fairly large speeder that can seat six people, plus there is a small cargo area in the rear. Norro refers to it as the lame family speeder. He wanted us to purchase a two-seater with retractable roof. Sacha vetoed that idea by asking if she was to put her future baby in the cargo compartment when she drove anywhere with Jax. This vehicle is perfect for us. The back seats can fold down into the floor making an enlarged cargo area. This allows it to double as a cargo speeder for our trading profession.

    Today was the day of Norro’s school picnic, so Norro, Magash and I boarded the speeder and drove to ‘The Bantha Grill’ diner where we picked up the donated Bantha patties and buns from Norro’s employer and placed them in a portable cooler at the rear of the speeder. When we arrived to the lake I was surprised by the amount of people at the outing. Entire families were present and represented ages from babies to what appeared to be grandparents.

    I was relieved that I purchased the baggy swim trunks. Most of the men wore a similar type of swim garment. A few of the women were garbed in two-piece swimsuits, but the style was a bit more modest than the one Magash had tried on. Most women wore one-piece suits or simply shorts and a shirt. Magash and I opted to arrive at the event with our suits on under our tunic and trousers. Norro wore his swim pants and shirt and was ready to swim…that is if he knew how to swim. When researching the buoyancy of my chassis I decided to ask Norro if he had ever swam on Despayre. That is when I discovered he never swam in open water. I was going to keep him out of the lake, but Magash promised she would stay with him. She is a self-proclaimed excellent swimmer and I don’t doubt her word.

    I parked the vehicle and dropped the cooler at the nearest grill. Magash brought a blanket for us to sit on plus a small backpack with various items such as sunblock and pest repellant spray. As soon as we sat down Norro saw some of his friends wading in the water and ran up to them. I became nervous as he walked into the lake until the water was past his waist. Magash grinned at my fatherly concern and stood, “I will make sure he doesn’t drown.”

    She stripped out of her trousers and tunic revealing her captivating bathing suit and toned body which resulted in a number of males turning to gaze at her beauty. Even the older teenage boys appeared entranced by her appearance. I cannot blame them. She is extremely stunning with dark shoulder length hair, piercing green eyes, and facial tattoos that give her an alluring and exotic appearance. She trotted off and waded out into the water making sure she kept a little distant from Norro so not to appear as an overly protective mother.

    A few minutes passed before a man walked up next to me. “Is she your wife?”

    I looked up to find an older gentleman blocking my sunlight. “Yes,” I said as I stood and put my hand out in greeting. “Fyve Pavan. I’m Norro’s adopted father.”

    The gray haired, bearded gentleman shook my hand with a smile. “I’m Jamen Lodden. I have Norro in my biology class. I was told he was a war orphan and is doing a lot of catching up when it comes to his education.” He dropped his hand and stared out to the water. “He’s a good kid. I’ve never seen someone with such a sense of wonder. He wants to learn everything.”

    “I am happy to hear that. We adopted Norro about a year ago. He had no formal education prior to the adoption. I have been teaching him to read and write basic.”

    “You are doing a good job.” He raised his hand up to shield his eyes from the glare and gazed out to the lake. “Uh oh.” He dropped his hand and turned to me. “You might want to introduce yourself to the two men talking to your wife. They’re our local womanizers. They are extremely flirtatious, but they usually stay clear if a muscular husband is in the wings.” He reached out and grabbed my hand and shook it. “I’ll let you get to your wife. What’s her name?”

    “Magash.”

    “I’ll let you go save Magash from our two foremost lecherous instructors.” He stepped away and gave me a wave goodbye.

    I turned and watched Magash interact with the two men. She didn’t look distressed by their company. Perhaps the exposure therapy was working. I did not wish to interrupt her while socializing, but I did walk close enough to hear their conversation with my acute droid hearing.

    “Yeah, I teach physical education at the school,” the larger more muscular human said to Magash. “Hektor, over here,” he pointed to a smaller but toned human male. “He’s a mathematics instructor…meaning he’s boring.”

    The smaller man rolled his eyes. “I think he means intelligent. My friend, Viscar, here finds academic pursuits tedious.”

    “No,” Viscar disagreed with a smirk. “I love pursuing things.”

    I must admit I bristled with irritation when Viscar raked his gaze over my friend’s body and eventually stopped to focus on her bosom. Magash, on the other hand, didn’t appear to notice the men’s preoccupation with her cleavage. In fact she didn’t seem to give them much notice at all. She all but ignored them while she watched Norro play.

    The interaction between the three was almost comical. As the two men continued to boast about their mental and physical strengths Magash was trying to suppress a yawn. I can’t blame her for being bored; these men loved talking about themselves. I would interrupt and save her from the mind-numbing conversation, but that would defeat the purpose of the therapy. Magash should interact with organic males. Unfortunately Norro did not appear to hold the same belief. He splashed up to Magash and said, “Hey Mom, where’s dad?” Before she could answer he turned to me standing on the beach and waved. “Oh there’s Dad. Hey dad!” He waved enthusiastically before addressing the two men. “Dad’s a veteran of the Clone Wars. He wasn’t a clone, but he was on the frontlines. He’s a great fighter.”

    I groaned to myself. Norro either didn’t like these two men, he didn’t want Magash finding any mate to marry or he noticed her aloofness and decided to give her an out. The two men turned and looked to where Norro was waving and spotted me. Not knowing what to do, I simply waved to the group…and that was the end of Magash’s first attempt at interacting with potential mates. They immediately said their farewells and waded off in a different direction. Once they were gone Norro went back to playing with his friends. Since possible suitors no longer occupied her attention, I decided to join Magash. I stripped down to my shorts and waded out to my friend who smiled brightly at my approach.

    “The therapy is working.”

    I paused mid-step. “Oh…you are interested in one of those men?”

    And incredulous expression tugged at her lips. “No, but I was able to suppress the urge to drown them.”

    I chuckled at that comment as I strode up to my ‘wife’. “That’s a start.” I turned to watch Norro splash with his friends. “He’s having fun.” I startled when Magash sidled up next to me and snaked am arm around my waist, mimicking the actions of other women and their mates nearby. I looked to her and smiled warmly. “You are not going to attract a mate if you are publicly affectionate with me.”

    She made a soft snort. “I don’t want to rush into anything. I am just starting to feel comfortable interacting with you in a more… intimate manner. I think I need more practice before initiating contact with any possible suitor.” She gave my waist a squeeze as she laid her head on my shoulder. “He looks so happy.”

    I watched Norro laugh with his three male classmates as they roughhoused and splashed each other enthusiastically. “His life has changed dramatically and for the better. He appreciates life fully.”

    “He does,” Magash said with a nod before falling into a contemplative silence. After a few moments she turned to me. “The women in my culture are doing themselves a great disservice. Men can be more than workers and breeding stock. We have effectively cut ourselves off from establishing any meaningful relationships with half of our population and we turned our own sons into slaves.”

    I nodded somberly. “That’s true and maybe things will change, but we’re supposed to be having fun now and not contemplating such serious matters.” She gave a gasp of surprise as I scooped her up in my arms and held her over the water. “I think I will toss you into the lake. Isn’t that what happened in that Holofilm we watched, Gorgeous Vixen? The Jedi playfully tossed the female heroine into a lake to get her into the mood for more amorous activities.”

    “You really weren’t paying attention to that holo, were you?” Magash laughed. “I believe he tossed her into a wastewater treatment pond before jumping in himself. They needed to disguise their scent from the tracking neks.” She smirked with a chuckle. “But yes, they did find time to fornicate after climbing out of the sewage. I don’t think you will get the same result in a pristine lake.”

    A mock frown crossed my lips. “Unfortunate.” I was about to set her down on her feet but she reached down with an arm and splashed water in my face. I recognized this behavior as the initiation of a ‘splash fight’. Having never participated is such an activity I am unaware of the rules, therefore I decided the most discernible way to win this encounter was to unceremoniously dump Magash into the lake. As soon as she hit the water I reconsidered my decision as I remembered she knew how to fight while submerged. To my great relief Magash resurfaced sputtering and laughing.

    “I will get my revenge,” she laughed. “When you least suspect it.”

    I gave her a good-humored grin. “I find your threat oddly stimulating. Perhaps the holovid was correct about danger arousing intense sensual feelings within humans.”

    She rolled her eyes as she pulled her hair back away from her face. “This is such an odd conversation. Is this the way people talk while courting?”

    I shrugged. “I don’t know. If you find it objectionable I will stop.”

    “Not objectionable.” She shook her head. “Just different. I am surprised that I enjoy such playful banter.”

    At that moment Norro ran up to us while pointing to the shore. “The burgers are ready. They’re calling us to come in to eat.” He ran past us and fell into a queue leading to the grill.

    I turned and offered Magash my arm. “We should get you a plate of food before the seared animal flesh gets cold.”

    She linked her arm in mine and smiled. “Let us do so.”
     
  13. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    =D= Yup, the therapy is working LOL Magash is getting more comfortable. Love the banter, musing on culture, and the burgers, just the mention of burgers. =P~
     
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  14. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Love to see Norro having fun and Magash and Fyve's observations.
     
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  15. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    Ooh, there was an entry about swimsuit shopping just for me? Thank you so much!

    And of course, it was the hilarious scene I could expect from you.
    I almost choked on my coffee with this -- and with the teasing that followed. Norro and "Mom" don't have the same idea of what 'visually appealing' means [face_laugh]
    Besides the obvious LOL factor, what is great in these scenes is how you mark the differences between your characters' background, and Magash is particularly well-portrayed in this story. She just operates on a set of values that is entirely different from everyone else and she's completely oblivious to the reality of the non-Dathomiri world. I'm really, really curious to see how you'll handle her relationship with I-Five in the end. Whatever you come up with, I know it will be interesting.
    [face_rofl] Another only-in-Magash's-mind moment. The scene with the two sleazy pigs was priceless, but I'm always amazed at how you use these bits of humour for character development. And then this:
    This wasn't part of the therapy, but it's wonderful to see Magash so well-integrated in the group that she questions her own culture.
    Good grief. These two make such an unlikely pair... I wonder how Norro can cope with them :p
     
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  16. darth_treyvah

    darth_treyvah Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 26, 2005
    If and when this goes badly for I-Five, I can see him giving up his Human Replica Droid chassis in an attempt to become an artificial being again: removed from the emotions that had been exploring and that had gotten him to that point. Because I don't think he quite understands just what kind of fire he is ultimately playing with and I know IRL many people would wish to distance themselves from those kinds of feelings when things go wrong so many times. Or he'd eventually see it as an experiment that just didn't work out. But I could be wrong. We will just have to see what happens.
     
  17. Ewok_Slayer

    Ewok_Slayer Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2004
    Thanks. I personally think they are perfect for each other, but I don't know how that would work with her wanting a family.

    Norro is the person in this story that just blurts out things that everybody is avoiding talking about. He forces everybody to face their dilemmas and talk about things.

    I am glad you liked the bathing suit scene. I don't know much about Dathomir Witches other than what was written in the books. If they showed up in any TV shows I don't know about them, so I am glad you believe she is in character. Norro does love everybody in the group. They are his saviors. I think he was more attached to Sacha at first but she is preoccupied with the impending baby, so Norro is now drifting toward I-Five and Magash.

    I can see that happening. In my story the HRD body sends more sensations to his droid brain, but he is sentient no matter what chassis he is occupying. So although giving up his HRD body might make things a little easier, he will always be plagued by human emotions. It is Legends Canon that he is truly sentient and in the profic novels I-Five began to have a weak Force signature. Nobody in the profic novels could explain how an inorganic droid can be sensed in the Force as a living thing. It makes you wonder if a soul comes from the Force derived from all living things or is it something else?

    Thanks everybody for reading.
    ~
    ~
    ~
    ~
    Entry 50

    Recovered Memory

    Magash and I worked out a system to hide the fact that I do not eat. We put two bantha burgers on one plate, which we placed between us on our blanket we sat on. She would take a bite of her burger and then place it on the plate. I would take her partially consumed burger and pretend I took a quick bite out of it. Meanwhile she picked up my untouched burger and started to consume it. We would continue in this manner until she was no longer hungry…then Norro ate any leftovers we had. I sometimes wonder if the intestinal parasite that once afflicted him was back. I suppose it is more likely that the boy has reached puberty and is in the middle of a growth spurt.

    After lunch Magash went to talk to a group of ladies leaving me sitting on the shore with Norro. That was good because I wanted to talk to him privately. “Norro, why did you scare off those two men talking to Magash?”

    He made his ‘do I really have to talk about this’ face. “I didn’t scare them off. They walked off.”

    I sighed as I turned to face the boy fully. “You made a concerted effort to inform them Magash was attached and unavailable.”

    He shrugged but didn’t deny it.

    “Why did you do that? You know she wishes to find a mate.”

    Norro averted his eyes and pulled in a deep breath. “I don’t want her leaving. If she finds a husband she’ll leave.”

    I nodded. “That is a possibility.”

    He raised his gaze and glared at me. “Why would you want that? Don’t you like her?”

    “Of course I like her, very much so, but she wants to find a bonded mate, like how Jax and Sacha are life companions.”

    He lowered his gaze and stared at the pattern on the blanket we were sitting on. “Why can’t you be her companion? She likes you, you like her. Then we can be a family.”

    “Norro, I am a droid.”

    “A sentient droid,” he pointed out.

    I nodded in agreement. “True, but I am still a droid. Magash wants a child. I can’t give her that. I can’t be her mate. It’s an impossibility.”

    Norro snorted. “I don’t believe in the impossible. Are you saying to me that having a relationship with Magash is more unbelievable than me getting rescued from a prison planet by the last known Jedi in the galaxy and his sentient droid friend?”

    I smiled slightly realizing what he just described pushed the boundaries of probability and bordered on preposterous. “Although your rescue was somewhat miraculous it does not change the fact that I am physically incapable of fathering a child.”

    He waved me off looking angry.

    “Norro, I will always be there for you.”

    I expected an argument, but he simply said, “I know.”

    I scooted over to where he sat and put an arm around him. “Even if Magash marries and moves away she could still work in our trade business. And in that case, you would see her regularly.”

    “Maybe,” he muttered under his breath. I gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before I stood and helped him to his feet. “Stop worrying about the future. Anything can happen.”

    “Will you remember that?” he asked.

    I looked at him confused. “What do you mean?”

    “Will you remember that anything can happen and you should stop thinking about things you believe are impossible?”

    I smiled at the boy. “I will. I promise.”



    Entry 51

    Recovered Memory

    We stayed at the party until dusk. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I intermingled with a number of individuals and I believe I have successfully portrayed myself as an actual human and not a droid. At times I wondered if it was ethical to pretend I am someone I am not. I addressed this issue with Magash who dismissed my worries by saying, “We all pretend we are someone we're not to some degree. Nobody wishes to reveal their true selves and all their foibles.”

    We crowded into the speeder as the sun went down and began our drive back to the city. Norro was chattering excitedly about how he wants to learn how to swim. Magash promised to teach him at a later date.

    We were making our way down a desolate backroad when a small human figure ran out in front of our vehicle waving his or her arms. I slammed on the reverse thrusters and halted the speeder meters from a young boy, probably no older than twelve.

    “That’s Nik!” Norro said while looking over my shoulder from the backseat. “He goes to my school.”

    By now the boy was at my driver side window pounding on it frantically. I exited the speeder to see what is upsetting the child.

    “I need help!” Nik managed to say while struggling for breath. “My big brother fell out of a tree and is hurt. He’s breathing but I can’t get him to wake up.”

    By now Norro and Magash had exited the vehicle and stood next to the distraught child. Magash pulled out her comlink, “I’ll call an air ambulance.”

    The boy nodded his head vigorously. “Yeah, but we need to get him out of the forest. It’s getting dark.”

    I put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I’ll go out and stay with him until the ambulance arrives. We shouldn’t move him. He might have a spinal injury.”

    The boy shook his head frantically. “No, he’ll be dead by then.”

    “I’ll go and treat his wounds until the professionals arrive," I reassured the boy. "We shouldn't move him though. It might aggravate his injuries.”

    Young Nik looked at me like I was stupid. “Once it’s dark the Vornskrs will find him and eat him. We need to get him out now.”

    I looked to Magash questioningly not knowing what the boy was talking about. She simply shrugged her shoulders.

    “Isn’t that a local legend?” Norro asked with a disbelieving tone. Obviously he has heard about these Vornskrs.

    The youngster looked at us in confusion but then his brow went up knowingly. “That’s right, you just moved to the planet.” He pointed to the forest. “Vornskrs are real. They're nighttime hunters. They're like a cross between an akk dog and a nexu.” He pointed to the darkening sky. “They’re probably on the hunt already. We've got to go get my brother.” He started to walk toward the forest but I grabbed him by the tunic collar. “No, you stay with Norro in the speeder. Keep the doors closed and the windows up. Somebody needs to tell the emergency personnel where we went when they arrive. Magash and I will go and get him. What direction and how far into the forest is your bother?”

    Nik took a few deep breaths as he thought about his answer. He lifted his arm and pointed in a northerly direction. “I think he is about three smashball fields in that direction. He’s at the base of a tree.”

    “That’s about four hundred meters,” I told Magash as I opened the vehicle’s back cargo area and pulled out a glowrod and held it up. “I have a light.”

    “What about blasters?” Nik asked.

    I shook my head. “We just came from a school picnic. We didn’t bring weapons.”

    “I have a vibroblade.” Magash returned to the passenger side and pulled out the small backpack she brought to the beach.

    I raised an eyebrow. “I thought you had sunscreen and pest repellant in that.”

    She pulled out the vibroblade and gave me a shamefaced smile. “Some pests are bigger than others.”

    I had to chuckle at that remark. I supposed I should have known she would never venture out without some sort of weapon. “Let’s go then.” I turned to the two boys. “Both of you, inside the speeder and lock up.” Magash and I then ran in the direction the boy had indicated.

    As soon as we stepped under the tree canopy visibility dropped dramatically. I know I have infrared sight, but I can’t remember how to activate that particular feature of my optical sensors. At this moment my eyesight is probably only fractionally better than Magash’s.

    I turned when I heard a soft gasp coming from my friend. “What’s wrong?”

    She looked completely bewildered. “The Force. I can’t feel the Force.”

    “Then go back.”

    She shook her head. “No, lets hurry and get the boy. I don’t need the Force to track or fight. Jax, Sacha and I have avoided the use of the Force for months now.”

    I was about to argue, but I knew she was right. We needed to get this done before night completely fell. “Let’s hurry then.” We moved quickly over the twig and branch littered forest floor. I was surprised when Magash pointed to the left and said, “Nik came from that direction.”

    I looked at the ground and didn’t see any footprints. “How do you know?”

    She crouched and looked at the soil before standing and moving in the direction she indicated at a faster pace. “I am a hunter. I have been tracking animals since I could walk. I see fresh indictors of a bipedal creature moving along this line.”

    “So it isn’t one of those animals Nik described?”

    She shook her head. “I don’t believe so.” She stopped and frowned. “It’s getting too dark for me to see, even with the help of a glowrod.”

    “I supposed we should keep going in this general direction then.”

    We travelled another fifty meters before we heard movement. It was the snap of twigs as something moved in the distance. “Could it be the older brother?”

    Magash cocked her ear toward the sounds and listened for a moment before shaking her head. “Whatever it is, it is on four legs and big,” she whispered. I was about to respond but she flung her hand up indicating me to be silent. “A second animal is approaching. We need to find the boy…now.”

    Frustration welled up within me. Here I was weaponless, nearly blind in the dark and unable to discern whether a blade of grass was twisted from human movement or bent by a strong wind. Another loud crack sounded from behind us and Magash stopped, clutching her weapon tightly. “One has moved in from behind us.” She turned a full circle, listening and squinting into the darkness. "This is bad.”

    If Magash thought a situation was bad, it must truly be dire. I became very nervous for the safety of the boy and my friend. “How bad?”

    “If we were in that stupid holovid we probably would be kissing right about now.”

    I grimaced. “That’s bad.” I turned to the sound of movement off to my right. I could probably hear the noise more distinctly than Magash, but I didn’t have her hunting experience to interpret the sounds. “If I knew about the local carnivorous fauna I would have brought a blaster.” A crashing sound in the distance increased my apprehension. “Magash, let’s get you back to the speeder. I’ll come back and look for the boy.”

    The light was dim, but it couldn’t obscure the indignant expression on her face. “Do you think I can’t defend myself?”

    “No,” I whispered fiercely. “But we are not armed for this encounter. If these animals are on the hunt they may not see my inorganic body as a source of food. They might totally ignore me.”

    “They might ignore you,” she said pointedly, “but they might not. They possibly hunt by movement and not smell. They could damage you permanently. I will not leave you here alone and run away. You did not run from the fight when those men came for me at that hotel. I owe you my life. I will not abandon you now.”

    I could hear more and more large animals approaching as I fought a growing panic welling up deep inside me. I was not concerned for myself, but for my friend. If Magash got hurt I will never forgive myself. I didn’t say anything out loud but my internal monolog went something like this, “I need my fully functional droid memory back! I need my memory! I want to be in full control of my droid functions. I need my infrared optics so I can see the predators, find the boy and help defend my friend.” The frustration became overwhelming. I looked down at my hands and noticed them trembling. The shaking increased and morphed into a feeling of vertigo before my droid brain suddenly and inexplicably powered down.
     
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  18. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Now they are in deep trouble.
    Loved Noro discussing Magash with I-five
     
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  19. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Yup, I agree with both sentiments. They also need someone with a working lightsaber. :eek:
     
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  20. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    Entry 50

    Fyve -- ahem, sorry, I-Five -- is discovering that being the sentient "father" to a teenager is more difficult than to just pretend, isn't he? Norro sees him and Magash as family and he can't accept that his family is actually planning to break up. I have a feeling that all this "pretending" business is going to come and bite them in the butt at some point.

    Entry 51

    Ouch, ouch, ouch! I have a baaaad feeling about this. I kind of expected vornskr trouble at some point -- I mean, why be on Myrkr if you aren't going to run into them? -- but I expected that the trouble would be Magash. I never saw this coming! And now what? Magash is going to have to save the day? [face_nail_biting]
     
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  21. darth_treyvah

    darth_treyvah Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 26, 2005
    The ending of the last Entry could be the result of a panic attack, but with I-Five and especially from what I've read about in the books, there could be a lot of different things going on: especially with his last thoughts before the darkness.

    Also, Norro lost his family. Here he is finally finding another one that resembles a mother and father, and even the rest of the crew: and especially after everything he went through on Despayre of course he is going to have a visceral reaction to Magash potentially leaving them. It might, in his mind, break up his family. But that said, Norro is also wise for his years when he talks with I-Five about impossibilities. But I suppose he would have to be after everything else in his life, along with his latent Force-sensitivity.

    As for my earlier comment, I could see I-Five *attempting* to distance himself from feelings if he were hurt by Magash leaving, but I think he's too far gone now. He can't just reboot himself back to an earlier phase. I suppose a mind-wipe might work, but that would be extreme and tragic. Besides, as you stated already, he was already different even before getting the chassis. It is just so good to see a Star Wars fic that actually deals with artificial intelligence with a sympathetic perspective.
     
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  22. Ewok_Slayer

    Ewok_Slayer Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2004
    Thanks. The next post is action and I am not great at describing action. I hope you enjoy it.

    That would help, but if they got caught with a lightsaber they may be jeopardizing their anonymity. They don't want anybody to suspect they are associated with a Jedi Knight. They are just lucky that Magash brought some sort of weapon.

    I think the pretending is going to get harder for both of them. I thought vornskr problems would be the best way to bring up some danger. I really don't want an Inquisitor showing up because that will mean they need to leave and I only have one more month before this dairy is over. I need to wrap things up. Thanks for reading.

    A panic attack is correct. He has been having these problems for a while. I would hate to think of I-Five having to do a mind wipe to cure a broken heart. :( I hate sad endings. I will figure something out.

    Thanks everybody for reading!
    ~
    ~
    ~
    ~
    ~
    Entry 52

    I am unable to ascertain the length of time I remained nonfunctional. I eventually awoke and I found myself lying on the forest floor with Magash leaning over me, her face etched with worry. “I-Five, wake up.”

    I gazed up at her as I reoriented myself. It was then I realized that I regained my memories. I remembered everything…my life as a droid, my time with Lorn Pavan, the first time I met Jax. I blushed slightly as I remember the prolonged and sensuous kiss I gave Magash after my second head injury, but most importantly, I now remembered how to access all my droid programs and abilities. “Magash,” I whispered. “My infrared is working.”

    She gave a relieved sigh. “Thank Allya.” She stood and helped me to my feet. “Can you fully assess our situation?”

    I looked around to the various heat signatures stalking us or crouching in the trees. “The situation is not good.”

    “How bad?”

    I let out a frustrated breath. “If we were in a holovid we would be attempting to deactivate a bomb while copulating on the back of a stampeding rancor.”

    Her eyes went wide as she gazed at the darkness around us. “Too bad we aren’t in a holovid.”

    I wasn’t sure if that meant she wished this wasn’t a real situation or that she would have found the danger I described as appealing.

    I motioned for her to follow as I continued in the direction Nik had travelled, tracking the faint heat contour of his footprints on the forest floor. I moved swiftly. So far the animals circling us have kept their distance, but I am certain it won’t take long before they strike. It is possible they were waiting for reinforcements so they could attack as a pack.

    In the distance I saw the red glow of something lying in the grass at the base of a tree. “There’s the boy.”

    Magash and I ran up to the youngling to determine his condition. He was alive and breathing, but remained unconscious. As I knelt by the boy Magash remained alert, her vibroblade at the ready. I reached around to the back of the boy’s head and felt a large bump, but I could not determine if he suffered a spinal injury. I had no way of knowing if moving him would exacerbate his injuries or not, but at this time I didn’t have much choice. We needed to get away from the vornskrs.

    As I was evaluating the boy’s injuries I heard Magash’s vibroblade activate. I looked over as she grabbed a fallen branch off the forest floor and started to whittle it into a deadly looking spear. She saw me looking at her and explained. “To kill with a vibroblade the animal would have to be on top of me. A spear will put some distance between me and a predator when fighting.”

    “Good thinking.” I gently lifted the boy off the ground and started backtracking to the road. “I think putting as much distance between us an the vornskrs is the optimal plan. Let’s hurry before they get brave and attack.”

    I walked as quickly as possible without jarring the poor boy too much. I could see the infrared heat signatures of three large animals circling around us. So far they remained about twenty meters from us, but their proximity was slowly closing in. I heard movement from the tree canopy and spotted another large creature crouching in some low branches. “Move to the left,” I whispered to Magash. “There is something in the branches ahead.”

    In the distance I could see a light and I realized it was the speeder’s internal glow panel. Norro probably turned it on as a beacon for us. He’s a smart kid. We were close, no more than one hundred meters from the vehicle. The creatures tracking us, possibly sensing they might lose their prey, attacked. I could hear movement from behind and the snarl of a large beast crashing through the underbrush. “Behind us Magash!” I quickly, but gently, placed the boy on the ground and looked for a weapon. Magash called out and tossed me her vibroblade as she repositioned her spear to intercept the rampaging animal.

    I stood next to Magash while using my various droid senses to keep track of the other creatures. The vornskr in front of us leapt out of the brush, his rows of razor sharp teeth bearing down on us. Magash didn’t hesitate. She brought her makeshift spear up and impaled the creature through the neck causing the animal to shriek and convulse. As the animal took his dying breath I saw something swing up from the impaled vornskr and speed toward Magash’s head. I leapt out and grabbed the rope-like object before it connected with my friend’s skull. I looked down and realized I had seized the animal’s barbed, whip-like tail.

    Magash looked at me surprised. It is obvious she did not see the danger until I intervened. “Thank you.” She pulled the spear out of the animal and thrust it firmly into its chest to ensure it was dead.

    “It is I that should thank you.” I looked around and saw two more animals slowly approaching. “There are two to our rear and one to our left in a tree.” The animal in the branches bounded from its perch and ran toward us. “I’ll get this one. Guard the boy.” I activated the vibroblade and moved toward the rushing animal. When the vornskr jumped I used my enhanced speed and strength to duck under the airborne predator and thrust my vibroblade up, eviscerating the creature from his sternum to pelvis. There was a spray of blood and a primal scream from the beast as it landed behind me, panting and whipping his tail back and forth like an angry nexu. When the tail hit the ground I stepped on the barbed tip and cut the tail off at the base.

    I then positioned myself next to Magash. “We probably should move while we have the advantage.” As soon as the words left my voice modulator I realized the commotion had attracted additional animals. “There’s more of them now.”

    Magash looked around the darkened forest unable to see what I can see. “How many?”

    I looked around and counted. “There are eight more.” I picked up the boy. “We should make a run for it. Most are to our rear. There is only two between us and the road.”

    She nodded in agreement and we ran. Magash was beside me moving at a fast clip. I could run much faster, but there was no way I would leave her behind. I stopped suddenly when I saw more animals coming from the forest across the road, moving past our speeder and running toward us. “We have more trouble. Some are coming toward us from the forested area from the other side of the speeder. I really hope Norro heeded my words and rolled up the windows and kept the doors closed.”

    I frantically tried to figure a way out of this mess. At this point we were completely surrounded, Magash was Force-blind and armed with a spear while I had a small vibroblade. If these were neks we could climb up a tree and wait for help, but these animals appear quite capable of ascending to high branches. I put the boy back down on the ground and picked up a broken branch and made my own spear. I glanced over to Magash who had a grim look of determination on her face. I wanted to say something to her, tell her I’m sorry for not being able to protect her, but I kept those thoughts to myself. I know she would interpret those words as me not having confidence in her fighting abilities. Still, I was sad that we might die tonight and neither of us reached our goal of finding a bonded mate.

    She must have noticed my glum look and frowned. “I have hunted Ssusarian Dragons, killed Kodashi vipers and tamed Rancors. I will not let these small carnivores harm the boy.”

    I immediately felt embarrassed that I ever doubted our ability to extricate ourselves from this situation. “I have no worries,” I said to her evenly. “I may not have a blaster,” I gave her a wink that I doubt she could see in the darkness. “But I have a Magash, which is an infinitely more deadly weapon.”

    She chuckled softly as she watched the approaching shadows. The one closest to us crouched down, raised his back haunches and wiggled his backside slightly until it looked like a sprinter in the start position. With a burst of fury the animal rushed forward growling and howling a bloodthirsty scream. I swung the butt of my spear and connected with the beast’s head and then brought the spear forward and stabbed a second vornskr following close behind. Magash had dispatched a third animal by piercing his abdomen. The vornskrs howled and thrashed on the ground as the remainder of the pack ran toward us. My confidence began to falter as I saw a blur of red thermal images converging on us. I realized these might be my last moments with my friend and I did not wish for us to part ways without her knowing how I felt about her. As I swung my spear, connecting with the lead animal I called out to my friend. “Magash, just in case we don’t get out of this. I want to tell you something.”

    I heard the distressed call of a vornskr and Magash’s heavy breathing from the exertion of fighting. “What?” she managed to say.

    “I just want to say thank you for being my friend. If I could pick any person to be my life companion, it would be you.”

    I was hoping to hear some heartfelt words on her part, but she no longer had time to talk. Most of the vornskrs now focused on her, walking around me just to attack my friend. This confirmed my earlier belief that the animals might not see me as food. I intercepted two of the animals intent on making a meal out of my friend before returning to her side as she frantically fought off three more of the creatures. I tried to fend the monsters off, but one finally broke through our defenses. I heard Magash cry out in pain before she dropped to the ground. I stood over her keeping the beasts from injuring her further. “Magash, what happened?”

    When she spoke I could hear the pain in her voice. “My leg. I don’t think it is too bad.” She tried to stand, but fell back to the ground. “I can’t walk. Take the boy and go.”

    The tip of my spear pierced the side of a rampaging carnivore spraying more blood over us. “I will never leave you behind.” The words came out bravely, but I could see the futility of my actions as five more beasts quickly converged on our position. I reached over and grabbed the boy, dragging him adjacent to Magash. She pulled the unconscious child close to her, protecting him as much as she could with her body.

    As the beasts stalked forward I knew there was no way I could fight all of them off. Before they could pounce I dropped down and used my own body to shield Magash and the boy. Perhaps if they didn’t find my inorganic outer skin palpable they would lose interest and go away. I would regret losing this human body, but I would live on in another chassis. All that mattered now was Magash and the boy’s safety. “You should have taken him and ran,” I heard her whisper to me.

    “I could never live with myself if I did.”

    There was a bloodcurdling howl from one of the creatures as he ran and leapt up to make the killing blow. I threw my arms around Magash’s head and waited for an impact that never occurred. Instead, the loud report of blaster fire echoed through the forest. The approaching animal screamed and landed dead just centimeters from my head. I glanced over my shoulder and saw two vehicles with flashing lights parked near my speeder as a group of men fanned out through the forest, approaching our position, and shooting the nocturnal predators that were minutes ago intent on killing the three of us. The remaining vornskrs hesitated for a moment before turning and bounding off into the forest. “Over here!” I called out to the men. “Bring a stretcher or a backboard. We have an injured boy.” I rolled off Magash’s back and gazed at her in relief. “Are you injured badly?”

    She looked down at her leg and grimaced. “I can’t feel my leg.”

    I examined her leg and realized one of the barbed tails had penetrated her calf. Before I could further assess the damage three uniformed law enforcement officers and two medics were at our position. One medic, carrying a backboard dropped down next the unconscious boy, the other assisted Magash.

    I stood and brushed off the dirt and gore from my tunic and trousers.

    “Are you injured, sir?” The question came from one of the police officers that was scanning the forest for vornskrs.

    “No.”

    “I need help with the boy,” a medic said as he finished strapping the child to the backboard. One of the police officers grabbed one end of the board and the two trotted off toward the parked air ambulance. I addressed the second medic. “How bad are her injuries?”

    The man cut off the barb from the tail and slowly pulled the tail spike from her leg. “The barbs are poisoned with a paralytic. She should regain motion in about an hour. The pain may last up to twenty-four hours, but I can give her something for that when we get back to the ambulance.” He put a bacta patch over the wound and then stood. He bended over to pick up Magash, but I shooed him away. “I got her.” I scooped Magash up in my arms and held her close to my body. As I gazed down at her scratched face and blood soaked clothing, my HRD programing activated a shuddering breath to accentuate the overwhelming relief I was now experiencing.

    The remaining law enforcement officers looked at the dead animals surrounding our position and gave an astonished whistle. “I’ve never seen anybody survive a vornskr attack like this.”

    “We were extremely lucky you showed up when you did officer,” I complimented the man, trying to pull the focus off of Magash and me. We didn’t need the police looking into our background. “Do you need a statement, officer? Or can I bring my family home?”

    He stepped over the dead vornskr carcasses as he followed us to our speeder. “I’ll just get your name and address and we can do a follow up interview later. You both probably want to clean up and get that leg looked at.”

    I gave the officer a nod as I quickly carried Magash to the ambulance. The injured boy was inside being treated as Nik sat next to his brother crying. I sat her down on the tailgate of the speeder as a medic looked up the dosing guide for a zabrak and injected a painkiller into her arm. “This should ease the pain. Keep her off her feet for a day. Change the bacta patch regularly and bring her to the town doctor tomorrow for a follow up.”

    I steadied Magash as she began to sway. I looked to the medic. “Should she be dizzy?”

    His brow furrowed as he looked over his dosing directions. “No, a female zabrak shouldn’t have any problem with the dosage I gave her.”

    “She is a zabrak/human hybrid,” I pointed out.

    The medic’s eyes went wide. “Uh oh.” He grabbed his datapad and punched in some information. As he read the words scrolling on the screen he gave me a sheepish look. “Sorry. I overdosed her.” He waved his hands indicating that I should let him finish. “She’ll be fine. She’ll feel no pain, but she might be a little loopy.” He looked at her and back to me. “You are her significant other, aren’t you?”

    I wasn’t sure why he asked that question. “Yes.”

    He smiled widely. “Well, then no problem. If you were a passing stranger that helped, then I probably wouldn’t let you drive her home.”

    “And why is that?”

    He chuckled slightly. “Because this drug suppresses the parts of the brain that govern behavior…it can decrease inhibition just like alcohol.”

    ‘That’s just perfect,’ I thought sarcastically.

    I grabbed my friend up into my arms, causing her head to roll to the side and eliciting a very uncharacteristic giggle.

    “I will keep an eye on her. Thank you.” I turned to the law enforcement officer that I spoke to earlier. “You said you need our name and address.”

    “Yeah.” The officer typed our contact information into a small datapad before sliding it into the side cargo pocket of his uniform. “You two are heroes. That boy would be dead if it wasn’t for you.” He went to pat me on the shoulder but then thought better of it upon seeing pieces of internal organs stuck to my clothing.

    “I’ll contact you tomorrow.” He pointed to Magash’s leg. “I hope you feel better soon.”

    “Thank you,” she mumbled.

    That medicine was really starting to kick in. Magash’s behavior became increasingly erratic as I carried her to the speeder. “You were great out there. You fight like a woman,” she praised me in a voice slightly louder than was necessary.

    I suppressed a laugh. “Coming from a Dathomir Witch, that truly is a compliment.”

    As we approached the vehicle Norro rolled down his window, his face ashen and looking shaken from the experience. “Are you two okay?”

    “Yes, we're fine," I reassured the boy. I went to the passenger side door and gently set Magash down on the ground so she could balance, or at least try to balance, on her uninjured leg. She fell forward, grabbing my shoulders for support and leaning her head on my chest. “I feel great!”

    “I can see that.” I opened the door and prepared to place her on the seat when she startled me with a kiss. I was so shocked that I barely had time to react before she pulled away.

    Her face scrunched up. “You taste like raw meat.”

    I reached up and wiped the blood off my face with the sleeve of my tunic, which I soon realized was just as filthy. “Let’s get you home.” I went to guide her into the speeder but she put an arm out and pushed me away slightly. “Wait! Take off your clothes.”

    My jaw dropped as she leaned against the speeder door and pulled off her tunic revealing her swimsuit underneath. I stopped her before she removed her trousers. “Magash, I don’t know what you have in mind, but…” I threw a thumb in the direction of Norro. “Remember, Norro is in the speeder.”

    “What?” She cocked her head to the side looking confused before she burst out in an inebriated laugh. “We’re covered in blood.” She removed her trousers while leaning heavily against the speeder door and then pointed to my clothing. “Strip down to your bathing trunks so we don’t stain the seats.”

    “Oh,” I said with a chuckle as I removed my outer clothing and then helped her into the seat.

    Norro must have heard the entire conversation because he started laughing hysterically. “Dad, what did you think she meant?”

    I grimaced knowing Den, Jax and Sacha would know about this particularly embarrassing conversation the second Norro walked into the house.

    Remember, Norro's in the speeder,” Norro mimicked my voice before snorting loudly.

    I picked up the bloody clothing, opened the back hatch of the speeder, and threw our stained outfits into the empty cooler. As I walked to the driver’s seat Norro continued to laugh at my expense.

    “Norro,” I said. “Would you like to walk home?”

    He shook his head. “Oh, no way. I want to get home as soon as possible and tell everybody what you said.”

    I gave a forced smile as I climbed into the driver’s seat. “I’m sure you do. Magash and I killed a dozen blood thirsty predators and saved a child but you are probably going to gloss over all of that and mention my one perplexed comment that you found amusing.”

    The boy smiled widely. “I won’t gloss over your heroics…I am just going to lead with the funny comment.”

    Magash tried to suppress a grin as she reached out and patted my thigh. “Ignore him,” she slurred. “Let’s get home and into a shower.”

    Norro busted out laughing once again.

    “Norro,” I said sternly. “She meant one at a time.”

    "Okay," Magash chuckled. “That’s good too.”

    “This was an amazing day,” Norro laughed. “I can’t wait to tell everybody about it.”

    I took in a deep breath and blew it out. Obviously regaining my droid memories did not make me immune to frustration. That thought did get a smile out of me, though. I was back to normal and I didn’t feel any different emotionally.

    I started the speeder and made our way home.
     
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  23. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    =D= Riveting at the start and relief at the end and count on Norro to be amused [face_laugh] Definitely an unforgettable day! I am glad Five has all memories back and hmmm emotions haven't changed either. I am glad he said what he needed to say also. :)
     
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  24. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    a great day for him recovering his memories just at the right moment. Norro is fun[face_laugh]
     
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  25. divapilot

    divapilot Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2005
    "You taste like raw meat." Best line ever. Of course, she would know what that might taste like. Great action, very funny scene with the uninhibited Magash, and Norro is as snarky as ever.
     
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