Ask Cantonica The Soldier

Cahir Ryn was still getting used to… everything, since he had first woken up. The darkness of carbon freezing had given way to a cold darkness that faded into lights and sounds and a life that was foreign to the man. He had awoken with little memory, brief flashes that came and went. Strange dreams that had him waking up from sleep cycles drenched in sweat and grabbing for his blaster or Vibroblade. The contrast of these dreams to the daily life he had found himself in was staggering. He barely knew who he was. But there was one thing he did know.

He was a soldier.

The familiar feel of aiming down the sights of a blaster, the comfortable grip of a Vibroblade in his grasp. The way his armor felt like a second skin, shifting around him as he walked the street of Canto Bight felt comforting among the crowds.

The well dressed men and woman who walked without hurry or care through the brightly lit streets gave him a wide berth as he led the Client to his destination. He was glad for the space as his eyes scanned faces and bodies, identifying hidden weapons by their subtle shapes under suit jackets and dresses. The rifle cradled in his arms got a few looks, followed by glances at the Client.

Weapons exemptions weren't cheap on Canto Bight.

The Client was a wealthy man according to everything that Cahir knew. Trill Vanik, Cahir had learned the man's name over the countless hours he spent guarding him, day and night. The man had other bodyguards as well, a pair of them brought up the rear now as they walked towards the casino resort where the Client was no doubt going to do more gambling. Not that Cahir had learned the Client's name first hand, merely picked it up along the way.

Cahir had quickly learned that he wasn't a person to the Client, just an expensive set of furniture that was there to take a blaster bolt for him if the situation arose. A suit of armor to stand behind him at board meetings and private deals, tough and menacing. A pair of gauntlets to push anyone around who needed pushing, fists to beat in faces that needed beating and break the knees that needed breaking. And Cahir had to do it all whether he wanted to or not. Usually he was just indifferent to it all though.

The Casino’s open doors rose before the group and Cahir's eyes flicked about the entrance. He turned his head to clear the corners as they walked through. His eyes scanned the balconies, HUD optics zooming momentarily. No hidden gunmen or patiently waiting assassins so far.

”Entrance clear.” He said bluntly into the comlink and proceeded forwards. He kept his eyes moving, observing first passively about the room before focusing down on individuals. He kept pace with the Client and his other guards as the Client approached a roulette table, no doubt preparing to blow more money on a single roll than he paid his whole retinue of guards. Not that he paid Cahir. He had already paid for Cahir before the soldier ever woke up from carbon hibernation.

@Volene

Cahir paid little attention to the game his Client was playing after a cursory visual sweep of the men running the game, the players, and the onlookers. He noted a few possibly concealed blasters and other such items, but the general attitude and body language of the individuals wearing them were non-threatening. Trill Vanik was just another rich man like them, idling away the time with sums of money that would be life changing to most. The evening was proceeding in a routine manner.

The gentle rolling of the roulette ball sounded just above the low murmuring din of the casino before it stopped with a loud click into place. A loss for the client, Cahir noted.

The bodyguard gave a sideways glance through his vision slit as the Client's body language changed suddenly. He had seen the man lose larger sums than this on a single hand of sabaac or a roll of the dice so what happened next was anything but routine as Trill Vanik eyed his other guards one by one before shouting at them to leave him. Not Cahir of course. The man had paid far too much money for him to send him away due to a fit of shame. Trill Vanik hardly considered “Cahir” a person anyways. It was hard to feel embarrassed in front of an expensive tool or piece of machinery.

”Sir, I don't think-” Cahir started as he eyed the retreating bodyguards, not pleased to be losing the extra sets of eyes despite not entirely trusting them. He didn't finish the sentence as the Client turned on him.

”Shut up.” Trill Vanik hissed angrily, face red with anger and shame. Cahir's jaw clenched shit as the direct order countermanded the concerns he was about to voice about the developing lack of safety in the situation, the soldier helpless to disobey as something within his brain forced him to comply. The Client continued speaking, a quiet hissing that still doubtlessly carried to at least a few ears.

”That's right, you don't think.” Trill poked Cahir in the chest to punctuate his words, finishing each sentence with another poke. ”I didn't buy you to think. I bought you to obey. To protect me. And to be quiet about it. So stay quiet and do. Your. Job.” He finished breathlessly before turning back to the roulette table with a huff, glancing at the wheel for a moment before pushing more chips forward to the replace the ones he had just lost. ”10,000 on red twelve."

Cahir stood silently as he was commanded, but he bristled internally at the order. He had been doing his job. Now it had only gotten harder as he worked his mouth. Silently, he tested the boundaries of the most recent command and attempted to speak but found himself unable. Frustration rose within him as he scanned the crowd again, bristling at the dressing down and the further handicap he had just been handed as he tried to do his job like he had been ordered to.

@Volene

Cahir gritted his teeth silently as he turned his head to expand his peripheral vision, widening his view of the room as he tried to puzzle a way around the explicitly clear order he had been given. It wasn't the first time he found himself hampered by an unseen force within his own mind due to a foolish order from the man, and he doubted it would be the last.

It was through this very foolishness that he found himself with zero options as his eyes widened behind his helmet as a foreign voice flooded into his mind.

The shock took a moment to register as he felt something… no, someone, take up residence inside his head. He looked around, shaken, as he tried to identify the source. And then instinct, or perhaps training forgotten but safely stored somewhere in the recesses of his empty mind took over.

C4HR-57N. C4HR-57N. C4HR-57N. C4HR-57N.

Cahir repeated the string of numbers and letters over and over in his mind like a mantra as he looked around. He didn't know what he was looking for, couldn't think about what he was looking for as he repeated the pattern over and over in his mind. He turned around, putting his back towards the Client as he assessed the room, searching for the threat.

C4HR-57N. C4HR-57N. C4HR-57N. C4HR-57N.

The mantra continued in Cahir's head as he continued to scan the room. He paused for a moment as the question bubbled up in his mind. The numbers, he knew them, but he had no idea what they meant. A brief flash of memory crawled towards the forefront of his mind and he shoved it down behind the repeating numbers. A simple flash of standing among rows and rows of armored men.

C4HR-57N. C4HR-57N. C4HR-57N. C4HR-57N.

His eyes scanned the crowds and balcony, looking for any faces that seemed intent or focused on him or the Client. A woman's face, judging by the voice that had penetrated his mind. Behind him, Trill Vanik cheered as he won, completely and blissfully unaware of what was going on with his bought and paid for bodyguard.

@Volene

Cahir continued to repeat the mantra in his head even as the voice spoke again. Ask him nicely? Hard to do when he couldn't even talk when told to stay quiet.

C4HR-57N. C4HR-57N. C4HR-57--

The repeated serial number cut off suddenly as he caught sight of the Client hurling himself to the ground with a screech. Cahir whirled and raised his blaster rifle at the crowd and found... Nothing. His eyes scanned the crowd, searching for the threat but was only faced with a quickly startling and milling group of people who seemed none to happy to have a blaster pointed in their direction. He glanced down at Trill who was busy issuing him new orders.

He didn't have to be asked twice.

Threat or no, Cahir burst into action. He maintained the grip on his rifle's grip with one hand, holding it level towards the crowd as he reached down with his other hand and grabbed Trill roughly by the arm, hauling him up with his hand clamped around the man's arm like a vice grip. He had said to help him, nothing said about being gentle about it.

He felt a small feeling of satisfaction at the mild rebellion as he maintained the grip and hauled him through the crowd, holding him close to shield the Client with his body as the crowd parted before his swivelling rifle barrel. Nobody seemed particularly excited about staying in front of the weapon for longer than they could take to get out of the way.

He wasn't sure what threat the Client had perceived, but he wasn't about to miss out on the opportunity to usher him out of the casino and back into the street. As soon as they broke out into the fresh air, Cahir released the client for a moment to motion to the pair of bodyguards who waited outside to fall in as he began to move the Client out into the street to make their way back to he resort penthouse.

@Volene

Cahir was practically dragging Trill Vanik back towards the main entrance to the casino, clearing a path with the menacing barrel of his rifle. He could tell by the expressions of many among the crowd that what he was doing was outrageous to them, threatening the lives of many of the galaxies rich and powerful. He didn't care.

And then the strangest thing happened.

Two women burst from the crowd beside him and the Client, shouting something about voting on a budget and, grabbing at him and his arm that held the rifle.

There was a brief hesitation as the situation baffled him, only briefly though. After half a second of doubt, Cahir ripped his rifle arm free from the woman's grasp, muscling free as he raised the weapon up like a club and was about to strike her with it when a voice echoed in his head.

Stop.

Cahir froze.

It was the Client's voice, wasn't it?

He glanced at the Client who gave no indication that he had just spoken, too busy shaking himself free of Cahir's grasp and smoothing his rumpled clothes as he looked around at his peers and equals staring at him and his outrageous bodyguard.

@Volene

The situation, already bad, was quickly spiralling out of control. The woman screamed and fled back into the crowd, whatever brave insanity that had urged her forward at Cahir having left her. The bodyguard turned to face the pair of casino staff who had approached, their hands near their pistols as they informed Trill Vanik that it was time for them to leave.

Cahir watched the exchange with a mild detachment as things quickly devolved further. The guards insistent. The Client petulant and spoiled. Cahir waited, confused by all the strange things that had happened so far and still eyeing the crowd, uncertainty gnawing at him when he saw a shift in the Client's demeanor.

The way his childish fury turned into a sharp smirk. Arrogance and pride, with a undertone of cruelty. The look he got when he was about to order Cahir to hurt someone.

“Open fire.”

The order came. Cahir's response was automatic, without thought as he flicked the safety off on his rifle. The weapon moved and then jerked to a stop as the voice, Vanik's voice, boomed in Cahir's head.

He froze.

It was only then that Cahir was able to think about what he had almost done. The pair of casino bouncers eyed him warily, their hands now holding the pistols half drawn from their holsters. He glanced at Trill who's face seemed to be twisted with emotion. Anger, pride. Shock. Realization.

Cahir wasn't sure what had changed, what the voice had done. But he knew he had to act on it, fearful that it could all be undone with a single word from the man.

"We will leave." He said with a nod to the bouncers as he flipped the fire selector on his rifle to stun. Trill started to sputter as Cahir turned away from the bouncers who he had ordered his bought dog to cut down. Cahir raised the rifle and pulled the trigger.

A blue stun bolt tore through the short distance between them before Trill Vanik could utter a comprehendible word. The man collapsed to the ground amidst a sudden murmur of wealthy whispers. Controversial, a bodyguard stunning their employer. Forget the fact he had just ordered the man to open fire in a crowded room.

Cahir bent down, swept up the crumpled heap and tossed him over one shoulder like a rag doll. He turned to look at the two bouncers who still had hands on blasters. He gave them a nod. Then he scanned the room one more time, looking for... What? Who? Whoever had done this for him?

"Thank you." He whispered, inaudible under his helmet as he turned and walked out of the casino, wealthy luggage in tow. He had just created... A lot of problems for himself.

@Volene