Chaos, Order, then Balance

Posted on Thu Sep 27th, 2012 @ 9:14am by Kip Hoddai

794 words; about a 4 minute read

Chapter: Chapter I: Web of Fate
Location: Nar Shadda Spaceport
Timeline: MD -18, 2340 local

Kip keyed access to the shuttle’s hatch and entered the airlock, allowing the cyclers to take away the polluted external atmosphere and to replace it with purified natural-ish internal air. He stepped out to find Ef waiting for him to take his clothes to the fresher’s clothing compartment while the Devaronean headed into the bathing side.

As he did, the droid used the tips of his fingers to hold the offensive garments as far away from himself as possible.

Both of Ef’s eyebrows went all the way up and he made gagging noises. “For once I’m glad I’m not organic and cannot vomit,” he stated baldly, “You smell like burning fe’kew.”

Kip half-turned to look back over his naked muscular scarred red back at Ef and grinned, “I think I walked through some burning fe’kew on my way back.”

“Eugh,” the droid shook his head and stalked away as Kip went into the lav and the fresher.

Thirty minutes later he emerged, a comfortable loose charcoal linen tunic and pants on, his tail free and swaying around on its own with the tufts of black fur poking out from his forearms and calves. He plopped down in the pilot’s chair next to Ef and sighed, leaned back and shut his eyes.

Ef looked at him, took a scan and then got up and went into the back of the shuttle to make a few sounds. He came back with a tray, a steaming mug on it and a bowl of hydrated noodles with various pieces of protein in it and a little vegetation necessary for healthy Devaronean biochemistry. He had a bottle of well-used spices set next to it and set it down but just enough noise to rouse Kip from his doze.

“Eat that,” Ef ordered him and took the other seat and turned it to face Kip, staring at him implacably.

“’Not hungry,” Kip said sleepily.

Ef’s brows dropped over the tops of his sensors as the lower shields came up to give him slits to glare at his partner with, the light coming from the sensors turned bright red as well. “Eat. It. Now. Or. I. Will. Feed. It. To. You.”

Kip grinned, sharp incisors and interlocking shark-like teeth and leaned forward, taking up the eating sticks in the right hand and the spice bottle in the left, adding a liberal amount. “Yes sir mister Ef,” he quipped and began to slurp up the noodles and pick out the protein chunks, the leafy bits sticking to the noodles as going into his mouth with the noodles and sauce. In a minute he had finished that and sat back with the scalding hot tea, sipping at the steaming beverage as his tail curled around his neck contentedly, acting if the mug and the contents were much cooler.

“That was passable Ef,” he pronounced and belched softly, “not quite like Mom’s but pretty good anyway.”

“So what did you learn?” Ef asked him, a think tentacle-like limb having emerged from the underside of his left forearm and linked into the universal jack to record what Ef had collected.

“’Master’ Axion is a Sith,” he said calmly, “moderately strong as well. His Cult is trying to get at something, which I assume are the crystals or shards, currently in the possession of one of the two top-Hutts in the local syndicate, Grogga. There’s a bit of a turf-scuffle going on, not an open war yet and it seems that Zorba the Hutt and Axion may soon be discussing an alliance. Axions group is getting more powerful, of course, and a mutual alliance makes sense if Axion wants to have a sufficient power base to move from. At the heart of it, Zorba wants the turf and Axion wants the crystals and it’s the most logical plan, for now, for him to pursue.”

Ef paused as the computer absorbed the data and he began some cross-checks and some exceptionally ‘soft’ inquiries in the local net. “I’ll assume you’re going to do the F’sari Gambit?” Ef asked, referring to a move in Trikeeda in which one changes stance without being obvious about it, ready to spring an attack on a pre-determined target for a high-yield result from a single touch.

“I haven’t decided firm yet,” Kip shook his head. “Still too many variables I haven’t nailed down.”

“Are you going to let Grogga know about the alliance between his enemy and the Sith when it happens then?” Ef asked with a quirked eyebrow.

“’Balance requires assistance’,” Kip quoted an ancient Ulix simile of justification and smiled broadly.

Ef snorted.

“’From Chaos, Order, then Balance’,” Ef quipped back.

“Just so.”

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