[Ask] Finding himself

[SwordZX]

It had been over a year and a had since Kad'tal had been in this part of Concordia. And six monthes after meeting Graves. He was back where he grew up. He and Graves had a mission here, but before it started he was going to visit his Fathers family. He had learned the importance and meaning of the word since he started traveling with the protector. He was now at the door knocking.

A tall man answered the door, and saw the young man standing there. Surprise was on his face when he said. "Kad'tal come in!" He opened the door wider and let him in. "What have you been up to since you ran away?" The man said.

"Uncle, am am ashamed to say this but I was a thief on the streets for a year. But a Mandolorian Protector took me in and has been training me to become one myself." Kad'tal informed his uncle.

"What is the man's name?" His uncle replied.

"Wallace Graves" Kad'tal responded to him.
His Uncles eyes widened. "Did you say Graves?" he said as he got up and left the room. Coming back with some paperwork. "Your mother was a Graves before She married your father. Maybe you are related?" He said.

Kad'tal thanked him and met back up with Graves.
"I have a personal question to ask you, what are you're parents names?" He said as he looked at his mothers birth certificate.

 

[batumshakalaka]

Graves watched the boy walk up to the door. He waited patiently, smoking a cigarette. He wasn't thrilled about coming to visit the boy's family, the kid needed more time to separate himself from streets.

Kad'tal came back to Graves, worry fringed his face. "I have a personal question to ask you, what are you're parents names?"

Graves was puzzled by the question, but there wasn't any real harm in answering the kid. "My father's name was Dalvine Graves, my mother's was Tia Graves. Why do you ask?"

 

[SwordZX]

"My father's name was Dalvine Graves, my mother's was Tia Graves. Why do you ask?" Kad'tal's jaw dropped when he heard those words.

"T... Those are the names on my Mothers birth records... What does this mean? Did you know my mom was you're sister all along!?" Kad'tal was upset and confused.

 

[batumshakalaka]

Graves was silent while he thought. He rolled another cigarette and lit it before he put his response into words. "I didn't know I had a sister, if that truely is the case." He flicked the cigarette from the left side of his mouth to the right before continuing on, "I suppose my father coud have lied to me, but thinking back I don't think I have asked if I had any sisters, it was just me and him for as long as I could remember.

"We will have to look into this more when have more time. For now let's focus on the job at hand. Where to now?

 

[SwordZX]

Kad'tal was satisfied with Graves' answer that he never knew that they may be related.
"Yes we will have to explore more of that later. You were the one that brought us out here for a mission or something we had to do. What was it?" Kad'tal said to the man. "Didn't you say you needed to investigate a lead on some terrorist group in this part of Concordia?"

 

[batumshakalaka]

"Yes, but I only have one lead into the group. They aren't well trained or well armed, but they got there hands on some potent explosives. We need to find where they are holding them before they can use them to cause any harm."

Graves looked at Kad'tal, his face stern. Follow me. Graves led them to the very bar where he had been drinking just before meet Kad'tal for the first time. The place was just as dingy now as it was then.

"Our lead is inside. I'm going to go in and have a few drinks, you stay out here. When he leaves ill ID him, then you are to trail him. Staying out of sight and do not pick a fight with out me. Ill be trailing a good distance behind you. I wasn't meant for stealth. Think you can handle it?"

 

[SwordZX]

"Yes, I can handle it." He said to Graves. They were outside the bar that Kad'tal had stalked Graves from and tried to steal one of the rippers. Kad'tal looked at the rippers on the mans side and then at his own shining just as brightly. "I want to thank you for taking me in that day. I apologize for my actions and attitude. You have done so much for me." He said to Graves.

Graves went into the bar and came out a couple hours later. Following the man out. Graves made eye contact with Kad'tal and then looked at the man. Kad'tal waited a little than started following. Staying in the shadows. Stealth was still his specialty and had practiced daily in his armor to be as quiet as possible. Even when moving fast to get out of the light.

Kad'tal peeked around the corner and saw five more men with the guy from the bar. He looked back at Graves an motioned for him to come over. "Our lead is with five others." He whispered to Graves.

 

[batumshakalaka]

Graves watched Kad'tal take off after the target. Moving swiftly from shadow to shadow. He had no doubt that Kad'tal would go unnoticed, but how well he follow his intructions?

Sure enough, Kad'tal beckond to Graves. He could see the target with four other men. Kad'tal was trying to whisper to Graves but they were to far apart for him to make it out. Graves switched on his comlink. "Good work tailing him. Keep it up and stay on the target don't worry about the other men yet. They may not be involved. Remember to trail him all the way to the hideout. We don't make a move unless we think the explosives are in our reach."

"Remember, this isn't about killing a few thugs, it's about saving the lives of the innocent. If we strike too early we may only excellerate their plans. Think Kad'tal, I know you can do this."

Graves stood back to watch the how the young Protector would respond.

 

[SwordZX]

"Affirmative, I will keep an eye on him." Kad'tal waited for the group to break out. He followed their lead into the junkyard. "That shack there was where I lived. If the hideout is here its probably in the underground caves. Not many know they are down there." He said. He watched him go into one of the entrances. "I will follow him in. You should stay out here. Some parts are really tight, and frankly they would hear you coming." Kad'tal said to Graves on his com link.

 

[batumshakalaka]

"Just remeber not to get into a fight." Graves said. He was a little worried about the boy. "Contact me when you have a visual on the explosives."

Graves began a sweep of the junkyard, checking the perimeter for anything suspicious. Everything looked to check out. Now he just had to wait.

 

[SwordZX]

"Yes sir, I won't get into a fight without you." He smirked while saying that. He was already in the tunnel. He didn't have to go far when he saw them. The explosives were there but also was a pile of nuclear weapons.

Kad'tal stepped back around the corner and whispered into his com. "I found the weapons, there are about ten men in there with a large pile of explosives. But they have at least five nukes, this is worse than we imagined. You want me to stay in or come out?" Kad'tal asked Graves.

 

[batumshakalaka]

"Stay put, I'm coming to you." Graves made his way through the tunnels to Kad'tal's position. He glanced into the room and saw the ten men Kad'tal had reported. Four of them were loading the explosives, along with the nuclear weapons onto a cart of sorts. The other six were exceptionally well armed for a rag tag group of terrorists.

Death Watch He thought to himself. He didn't think these were actually Death Watch members. They would never have let Kad'tal and Graves get so close without their knowing. But they could be supporting these terrorists.

"You take the two farthest from the explosives. I don't want you hitting them on accident." He said to Kad'tal, "We will go from there. Just don't shoot the explosives." Graves let out a deep breath, "Three... Two... One... Go!"

He turned around the corner of the tunnel and drew both rippers in one fluid motion. He fired rapidly, but the smoothness of the action was astounding. He dropped two of the terrorists and wounded a third badly before they even knew what was happening. Definitely not Death Watch. He thought.

 

[SwordZX]

"Go" Kad'tal drew his rippers, turned the corner and dropped to his knee's in a quick motion. He shot at the men Graves told him to shoot. He missed on the first shot but the next two struck and killed the men. But five more of the goons were still alive. Kad'tal shot and wounded one more of them.

 

[batumshakalaka]

The men inside the cave were obviously caught off guard, they scattered into cover while Graves picked off another one of them. Their return fire forced him back around the corner. "We can't let those explosives out of our sight Kad'tal." Graves told the young mando.

As if in response he heard a cold voice call out from the cave. You two, ditch the remaining explosives. Get that cart out of here. The other lot of you keep the intruders pinned down.

Graves groaned as he heard the voice issuing orders. Kad'tal, how well do you know these tunnels? Can we head them off?"

 

[SwordZX]

"If they haven't changed anything then that tunnel has only one outlet. But you aren't going to like where it leads. It is right in the middle a gang hideout. There is no way to head them off without coming into heavy fire."

At that Kad'tal peeked around the corner to see where the remaining men were. Once he established thier postions he rounded the corner shot and killed the two men that were wounded.

"The only way is to follow them and take the explosives from them. We may have to use one to take out the hideout." Kad'tal said to his uncle.

 

[batumshakalaka]

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. If we can get the explosives from them before they get there then we don't have to do anything." Graves said looking around the corner he fired two rounds into the chest of an unarmored terrorist. The two men ordered we just leaving the room, pushing their cart of explosives.

There was only one guard left in the room, he fired at Graves but missed badly. Graves put a slug through his head. "Let's go." He said to Kad'tal as he stood up and walked into the empty room.

 

[SwordZX]

Kad'tal followed after Graves through the tunnel's. It didn't take long to catch up to the remaining men. They were pushing the cart full of explosives and nukes.

"What is the plan, Graves?" Kad'tal said to the man.

 

[batumshakalaka]

Graves didn't respond to Kad'tal. They had only one option, get the explosives before the men reached the hideout. Graves rushed up behind one and slit his throat with his Sol'kad. His companion let out a gasp before Graves covered the man's mouth and slammed him up against the wall of the tunnel, the Sol'kad resting tenderly under the man's throat.

"Here's the deal, friend." Graves said in a guttural voice. "I'm going to remove my hand from you mouth and your going to quietly tell me how man men are up ahead. It would also behoove you to note whether or not they know that we are here. If you comply you won't end up like your partner. Understand?"

The man had lost all the color in his face and so slowly he nodded. Graves removed his hand. "I don't know how many up ahead."

"Guess." Graves growled.

Ten to twenty. They don't know your here yet.

"Good. Your coming with us." Graves put away the knife and pulled out one of the rippers, spun the man around and shoved him back down the way they had come. "Kad'tal grab the cart."

 

[SwordZX]

Kad'tal followed orders to grab the cart. He was careful not to hit any bumps on the way. The reached the tunnel with the other explosives. "I'll grab these explosives here. If you want I'll meet you up top." Kad'tal said to Graves. As Kad'tal was finishing strapping all of the explosives up. He heard footsteps coming though the tunnel from the hideout side. He pulled out his rippers and got ready to take care of whoever came through.

 

[batumshakalaka]

It twisted Graves stomach to leave the kid but there was little he would be able to do as long as he had to keep this fool at gun point. "Hurry and get the explosives on the cart, there is t time to mess around. Do it fast and do it right." He told Kad'tal.

He shoved the barrel of his fun into the back of the captured terrorist, "move scum." He barked. They made there way outside back to the junkyard. Graves hadn't had anything to tie the guy up with but there had to be something here in the yard.

He found some old wiring and tied the man up to a broken down speeder. "If I see you've tried to escape ill shoot you in your other kneecap." Graves said.

The man looked confused, "my other kneecap?" Graves breaded the ripper into the guys knee and pulled the trigger. He could hear the man still screaming as he headed back down the tunnels to Kad'tal.