Ask Sweet Release

[Crix Dolan]

The Raider snapped into existence. There was a tense moment where everything seemed to come to a stand still. No one moved, no one even seemed to breathe, until Terra’s voice said, “This is it!”

Dolan had borrowed some gear from the Eclipse guys, he couldn’t exactly go barging in wearing his normal gear. There were cameras all over that ship and even now as the chaos of battle spread it’s wings he knew the enemy’s protocol was to alert their superior’s. Anything that caused an issue with their bottom line was something Czerka refused to tolerate. This attack needed to be fast.

Crix was running. The familiar dump of adrenalin pumped through his veins. His expression flattened. No cocky grin, no smart ass remark, just dead eyes looking for their next victim. Crow stepped up behind one of the eclipse raiding squads.

“Welcome to the party Crow, looking forward to seeing you work,” said some green merc. Crow just nodded. He didn’t have faith the young man would see the end of the day, but his cynicism had been wrong before.

Harken’s voice came across the com, “We’re banking into our attack run, boss, get in close and follow us, first raiding party prepare to move!”

Crow fought a smile from his face as the voice of his mentor came over the line.

This was it. This was his only chance to take back his child and remove himself and Kara from under Czerka’s thumb.

Terra’s ship shuddered, slipping into evasive maneuvers as the muffled sounds of combusting ships rattled the hull as they closed in. Suddenly, the ship slowed, the door before him hissed open and blaster fire lit up the space between his squad and the enemy on the other side.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone go down, he called for the charge, the Eclipse boys knew their work and went to it. Crow’s pistols flourished in his hands spitting death with each pull of the trigger. With each step he moved further into the Raider, he got further away from the corpse of the young man who’d spoken to him earlier.

Two of the Eclipse squad fired off portable shields that opened nearly spanning the corridor into the Raider.

Crow barked into his comm, “Contact made, moving forward.”

The Enforcer started a three count and burst out at two. He fired twice, once from each gun. The first bolt snapped back the head of a battle droid and the second slammed into the chest of a security officer. His squad pressed the attack meticulously picking off the enemy one by one. They managed to defeat their welcoming party and breached the Raider.

Now the real mission began.

“This is Alpha team, we’ve made entry and are moving to our first objective,” Crow stated in a voice as calm as someone taking a leisurely stroll.

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

Crow may have been calm, but Terra wasn't. Or at least, not quite. She had been in a few firefights in her life and even more dogfights, but it never failed to get her heart pounding.

She fell in with the flight of the other pirates but broke off at the last moment, angling for one of the external docking ports. The privateers breached the door, and poured through followed by Terra who - although it wasn't normally her take - was down with the boarding party and falling into step beside Crow or Crix or whoever he was.

Her hand gripped the handle of her pistol tightly, heart pounding, but she had had much more training since the days when she had accidentally shot Crix. That was far behind her now. With impending death hanging in the air, Terra couldn't help but wonder if she'd make it through this. It would be just her luck that she would. Trying to die, but unable to find it.

But any sort of death wish would have to wait. She swung around the corner of her cover and fired down the hallway with her pistol, sending a single shot into the chest of one of the troopers at the far end and watching him crumple as more return fire poured down the hall at the boarders. (11/20)

We need to find an alternate route! See if any of the rooms connect to a parallel hallway! she suggested to Crix as the exchange of blaster shots continued.

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan]

Just after he’d reported in, he spotted a flash of something he hadn’t expected. Terra was in place behind him. She fired down the hallway then called for them to find an alternative route. From his position he could see the merit in her advice. He spotted a maintenance corridor off to their left.

“There!” he nodded, “You and me, the other’s will just slow us down, c’mon!”

Crow broke from cover making a dash for the corridor. The men in the squad he’d joined fell in to cover he and Terra’s move. He’d never realized how nice it was to have professionals at your back protecting it rather than trying to put holes in it. He could get used to that.

In typical shoot first ask later fashion, Crow didn’t try pressing the security panel, he shot it a few steps away and the door hissed open. He covered Terra until she was in the hall then followed.

From the other side, he closed the door and locked it.

Crow turned to Terra, “You sure you’re up for this? I know you’re looking for a blaze of glory, but you could also go out sipping mai tai’s on Rishi.”

He’d give her a moment, but there was a look in her eye he knew he couldn’t talk down. They were in it, might as well save the sappy shit for victory or hope they had a moment before death.

The sounds of the battle outside the door were muffled but the intensity could still be felt in the floor. They needed to find a manifest. Trix had been kind enough to explain that Crix’s son was listed under “Joy Bundle” on the list. From here on out it’d be them against anything this ship had to throw at them. He just hoped the professionals on the other side of the door kept the main force busy.

As they proceeded down the hallway Crow pulled out his datapad and projected a map of the ship. They were a little red blip on the three and their objective was a yellow one. They had a ways to go, but their little hidden passage would drop them pretty close.

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

Maybe that'll still be in the cards, she said as he asked if she was sure about this. Maybe she'd go out sipping mai tai's, but that was almost worse in its own way. The "going out" process wouldn't be nice and it wouldn't be quick.

Crix started looking through the information on the manifest, and she kept her blaster raised, letting its barrel swivel across the hallway ahead of her as well as the empty galley at the far end.

Don't think that was ever how it was gonna end for me, she said.

Blasterfire continued to tear through the ship, and she glanced over to see the display that he had pulled up, presumably the one that showed where his son was being kept.

No survivors? she said. It was somewhat based on logic and somewhat based on revenge. Ultimately, she left it up to Crix, but there was a certain amount of improved protection for Crimson Dawn's mercs if there were no witnesses.

Either way, she pressed onward in the direction of the objective, hoping they would find Crix's son alive and dreading what would happen if they didn't...

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan]

Making it to the manifest was easier than he’d hoped, which was saying something. Czerka had been ready for the usual rabble, but they hadn’t been ready for a concentrated attack and from the sounds of battle raging around them, it was clear the Blue Star’s were earning their keep.

The grim reality in her resigned response made it clear she’d exhausted her resources. He was thankful for the helmet he was wearing, because his expression was a deep seeded scowl. He was caught between desperation and anguish.

Who he was warred with who he wanted to be.

They reached the manifest and he retorted, “I’m not sure it’s meant for any of us.”

Crow found the item he was looking for and added the location to his map. They were close. It wouldn’t be long before he ripped the leverage out of these bastard's hands. Terra asked if they were leaving survivors, “Nah, no survivors.”

A few minutes later they’d made it to the door. His heart was hammering in his chest. His hands white knuckled his blasters, shaking and left them shaking with fury.

“Here we go,” he said, best warning he could manage before he opened the door.

The durasteel door hissed back and five beings were startled into existence. The first to speak was a doctor, or at least a scientist judging by the long white coat, said, “What IS the meaning of this!?”

Crow shot him dead.

As the body crumpled to the floor, right leg bent at an awkward angle, The Enforcer said, “Anyone else moves, and you’ll end up like him.”

It was a lie of course. As soon as his son was in his arms, they were all dead. Halfway to the crib he stopped. The baby wailed startled by the blaster shot. Crix’s breath caught in his throat. His little boy had raven colored hair and dark eyes…

…but this one…

…was blonde.

“Who the fuck is that?!” he screamed at the nearest nurse. Tears filled the woman’s wide almond eyes as her lips quivered while she stammered through, “JCN-27607…”

“Where the fuck is Dismas!?” he bellowed, his blaster leveled at the woman’s face. Out of the corner of his eye Crow saw a quick movement and his dove to the right. He came up with both guns up and started blasting.

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

Terra's own helmet hid the expression on her face, but it wasn't one of either joy or sadness, merely a determined resignation. If this failed, she refused to just wither and die, choking to death inside her own body and her out would be her own. She'd lived her life to the fullest, never afraid to take a risk, and she'd go out on her own terms as well.

But such insights weren't for the here and now. Instead, she focused on the shooting, making their way through the ship with a blaster in hand, gunning down anyone who got in their way until they reached the "nursery."

Of surprise to absolutely no one - not even Terra - babies didn't like blasterfire, and as Crix gunned down one of the doctors or whoever he was, Terra made her way over to start perusing through the medical records - hard copies - and tossing finished pieces on the floor.

What a load of useless information. Half of it was financial and diagnosis codes and a mixture of other useless information that she tried to quickly sort through.

That was when the blasterfire opened up again, tearing through the room and a stray shot even injuring the nurse who Crix had been interrogating.

Terra dove for the floor but not quickly enough (2/20). One of the blaster shots slammed into her side as she headed for the ground, knocking the wind out of her and slamming her into the counter that she had moved to take cover behind.

At the other end of the room, the pair of marines who had burst into the room attempted to pin down Crix, one laying down covering fire while the other moved in an attempt to flank him and put a blaster shot in his side as well.

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan]

Super heated plasma spit from his twin blaster as Crow indiscriminately dealt death to anyone who moved in the room. The closest marine lunged for him but only managed to get his head snapped back by The Enforcer’s blaster. The second one vaulted his buddy and knee’d Crow’s helmet so hard it spun the damn thing around.

Crow’s blasters slipped from his fingers as he collided with the ground. The taste of blood sent him over the edge. He gave full control over to Crow and a reaper’s toothy smile split his hidden face as he felt his adversary land on him. One leg pinned Crow’s right arm to the ground, but his left managed to snag the knife from his boot.

The Marine grabbed Crow’s head and slammed it on the ground. Once. Twice— Shunk

The arms holding the sides of his helmet tensed. Crow drew the blade back and then hit the marine again and again and again. Something warm, wet, and sticky, began to seep through his gloves.

So, he hit the guy two more times for good measure. With a groan and a wheezing sigh the tension in the man relented and Crow shoved his lifeless body to the side. He pulled his helmet off. His nose was crooked and leaking blood. The Enforcer “Fixed” it with a cringe worthy pop. His chest heaved. His mind was still reeling as the high-pitched ringing in his ears began to decrease as the wailing child’s voice took prominence.

With a grunt he pushed himself up getting to his hands and knees. The dead eyes of the nurse glared at him. Her last expression was one of intermingling shock and horror. Crow’s breath was still ragged as his gaze fell on Terra.

Crix was up and running, the room was small so he didn’t have far to go. He hit his knees and saw the hit. He winced involuntarily, but he refused to believe what he was seeing.

“Terra!” he yelled, reaching out, but unsure where to touch or how to help or what to do. “No–no, no, no!”

Panic wheeled up in him like a tsunami and it took everything in him to lock it down. The baby’s crying wasn’t doing his frayed nerves any favors, but that wasn’t important now.

“C’mon, we gotta go, you gotta get up,” he urged.

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

Terra felt splitting pain through her side where the shot had struck and she felt a wetness soaking her shirt. Her breath came in with great effort and she knew that she had gotten her wish... in a way. If she'd wanted to survive, she'd have stayed in her ship, but she'd come aboard, and now she paid the expected price.

And yet a baby's cry filled her ears. A baby's cry that according to Crix wasn't the right child. A bitterness filled her mouth at the realization that she had still failed.

Kriff, not even... a payoff, she said, pushing herself to her feet even as she clutched her side.

New signal dropping out of hyperspace! It's big! she heard over the comlink. In other words, they didn't have time to waste. No time to find a med bay or even do a patch up job.

Get the kid... scuttle the ship, she said, choking the words out through shooting pain in her ribs. She stumbled forward and caught herself even as she almost fell.

Get it done! she snapped, knowing that Crix was going to try to help her, and she clearly wasn't having any of it.

We need to get... back to the ship, she said, heading in that direction even as the privateers started rigging charges in the corvette's core. Best way to burn away the evidence was to literally burn it away.

She headed back toward her ship and stumbled aboard, clearly in no position to fly, but knowing Crix was more than capable.

Take the stick, she said, strapping into the copilots seat, leaving a trail of blood behind as she strapped on her seatbelt, the world already starting to spin as she pawed through her belt for a medkit.

 

[Crix Dolan]

Terra struggled to her feet. He moved to help and she shut him down. He wanted to argue, but there was something in her expression that warned him not to. Crix reached out when she went still as the message came through. Everything was going to shit. She didn’t have to say anything, he knew it was from her posture.

Terra confirmed his theory and he swore under his breath. The let down of this was starting to feel like a crushing weight on his chest. He’d been so sure, so fucking sure his son was here, and all he’d gotten for it was a friend killed and blood on his hands. It made him sick. The Tiefling’s order snapped him back to reality.

“Yeah, got it.”

Crix snatched his helmet and guns from the ground before picking up the baby. The little guy had a hell of a set of lungs on him. As he held the kid, the little guy started to calm. His little arms curled around hugging himself. He looked about the same age as Dismas. His little lids fluttered open revealing a pair of piercing baby blue eyes. Crix held that little gaze for a moment, before pulling the little one close and following after Terra toward the ship.

The Enforcer entered Terra’s ship and she put him in the pilot seat. He could see she was fading, he had to get her help. He strapped the baby to a harness in a seat and prayed the little shit wouldn’t jump out. He didn’t need a dead baby on his conscious.

Terra’s ship came to life in Crix’s hands as he took the stick. He undocked them from the Czerka vessel and whipped around. Harken and his boys were moving to support any last resort attacks from the enemy, but none came. The hit was clean. Ships all around them started elongating then winking out as they jumped to hyperspace, and Crix quickly followed suit.

As soon as the starscape conflgrated into the mottled blue hue of hyperspace he’d jump up from the captain’s seat and rush to Terra. As he approached he saw the stain on her side. He clenched his jaw. They were nowhere near a medical facility and the med kit he could see her fumbling with wasn’t gonna do shit.

“Terra… I— It’s…”

What could he say? What was there to say? How sorry he was for not being there when she’d needed him? How she’d sacrificed her own life to help him save his son in spite of it all. It should be him bleeding out…

“Hey, try to calm down, take a breath,” he put a hand on her shoulder. “You got me drunk last time I got shot, lemme repay the favor?”

Afterall, if she was gonna go, she might as well go drinking mai tai’s.

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

Terra settled into the seat and patched up the wound on her side. It was probably the worst wound she'd taken, but she was a Tiefling: she had two livers, and if she lost the first one, she had redundancy, right?

Don't give me that look. I'm not dead yet. Get me to a medcenter, she said. Even she wasn't sure it would actually work, and did she really want it to? Yes, she did. She refused to just give up on things without a fight. She'd given her all to fighting this illness, and knew there was no happy ending, but that didn't mean that she couldn't tooth and nail her way through this.

Fair enough, she said as he offered to make her a drink. Could be worse, she supposed. She could be alone.

As he went to fix a drink, he would be able to feel the ship shudder and drop out of hyperspace as Terra angled the ship down toward one of the moons of some unknown world. Quick scans revealed the atmosphere was breathable, and Terra wanted to have some fresh air before it all went to pieces.

She lowered the ramp at a beautiful cliff overlooking a spectacular valley below. A nice, peaceful place... well, except the crying baby, but she wasn't going to bring him out here as she stumbled out to sit on a tree stump.

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan]

Crix picked up the baby and took him with him into the lounge to make the drinks. They didn’t have any milk, but a little whisky would probably do the kid good after everything he’d just lived through. The Enforcer washed his hands then stuck his index finger into the amber liquid before rubbing it on the child’s gums. The little guy’s eyebrows shot up appraisingly, and Crix laughed.

Kid’s were funny that way. Even in the darkest moments their innocence was illuminating. The little guy's eyes adopted that heavy lidded look again and Crix couldn’t help but notice how much it reminded him of his father’s stoic gaze.

“I’m sorry,” Crix blurted. Emotion already stung the back of his eyes and threatened to strangle his words.

He’d failed. His actions had put this kid directly into the line of fire and he’d done it without a second thought. JCN-27607 yawned. The little gasp that escaped his lips was followed by an adorable little burp. The kid was tired as hell.

Terra’s ship shuddered underneath him as it came out of Hyperspace. A few moments later they were putting down and he was holding two old fashioneds as he made his way down the boarding ramp. JCN’s cries were weakening as he slowly began to slip off to sleep. By the time Crix hit the ground and took in the view, the little guy had drifted off.

The Enforcer held out the glass to her. She was still as beautiful as the day they met. His wry grin spread across his face.

“Ya know, gunshot wounds look really good on you.”

Crix wasn’t a doctor, but he’d seen men die from smaller wounds.

“Alright, let me have it. C’mon, this is the best chance you’re gonna get. Tell me what a piece of shit I am,” he said, taking a sip of his drink while simultaneously lighting a cigarra.

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

Terra heard Crix approaching and laughed as he mentioned the blaster looked good on her.

Ugh, don't make me laugh, she said, pressing her hand harder against her side.

Pft, we've all got blood on our hands. You think mine are clean? she said. She knew who she was and she knew what she had done to climb from street rat racer to one of the heads of Crimson Dawn. She knew the bodies she'd put in the ground and the people she had hurt. And now, just like everyone else, she would meet her end.

Tell Mars goodbye for me, too, she said (@lizziie). I wonder what'll happen to Dawn, she said. Perhaps it was one of her regrets that there was no obvious successor and Dawn... it had faded again in its own way, taking severe hits and Omega would fall back to its infighting that it had always been before her arrival.

She could feel the blood seeping between her fingers and the first edge of the sun peaking over the horizon. Her hand fell down to the blaster on her hip and drew it, laying it across her lap. It didn't take a genius for Crix to figure out what her intent was in the move.

You should go, she said quietly. She didn't want that picture to be the last one he had of her, and there was no turning the tides back now. I'm sorry we couldn't find your son, she said. Perhaps Harken would still help him and they would still be successful, but her chapter in this tale was done.

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan]

Terra’s smile was a welcomed sight. It was selfish of him, but everyone deserved a last laugh. “Sorry,” he lied.

Crix agreed to tell Mars, and when she asked about Dawn he said, “Who knows, maybe an Old Crow will throw his hat in the ring.”

The prospect of leadership wasn’t something he’d ever planned for, but when your enemy was Imperial Czerka having as many guns as you could get your hands on was vital. But that was his problem, not hers.

Terra got quiet and then pulled her gun. He looked down at the weapon, then back up to her. She told him to leave. He didn’t move.

“No, I don’t think I will.”

He took a drag off his cigarra, while holding her gaze. “I’m not taking off on you this time. Do what you gotta do, but you’re not doing it alone.”

It was suddenly hard to swallow. Their time was just about up. The sun was cresting the horizon bathing the landscape in golden rays. It was almost heavenly. He didn’t know what to say to her apology, so he just said, “Yeah, me too.”

Crix took a final drag on his cigarra then flicked it over the side of the cliff.

“I’m glad we got to share this,” he said looking out over the view.

“Thank you, for everything,” he smiled, “Even the blaster bolt to the arm.”

@Phoenix

 

[Terra Lanris]

Terra hoped that one of them would take it over. Crix or Mars would have been the logical choices, but Crix's absence brought that into question. If he returned to Dawn, maybe he'd be able to do something with it, but she doubted he wanted the responsibility. He'd always fancied himself something of a shooter, and she could respect that. It was part of why they had always worked so well together.

Me too, she said when he said he was glad they shared this, and she was glad that someone was there at the end.

She went through her pockets and pulled out her datapad that she unlocked, some cash, and a comlink before handing them across to him.

Send me out into space. Somewhere nice, she said. To most, a burial in space might not have been a nice thing, but for Terra, it was the only way she was going to go. No one in her family had graves, and space had always been her home.

She thought back to that first time they'd met and how she'd shot him. How uncomfortable and terrified she'd been, and how she'd scraped by to get Terra Nova off the ground. She wished she had more time, but that wasn't how the galaxy worked.

Take care of yourself, Crix. Use whatever of my resources you need to find your son. They're yours and Mars' now, she said, laying her hand on the pistol. She looked out at the sun was it came to its fullness, coating the sky in a mixture of red and orange.

She took a single deep, pained breath and there was an ear splitting crack that filled the air before Terra Lanris finally found rest.

 

[Crix Dolan]

Crix watched as she made her choice. He stayed true to his word and remained by her side until the end.

Terra’s body crumpled unceremoniously to the ground. The last dregs of her life blown away by the kiss of her blaster. Crix found he was sitting. He didn’t remember doing it, but he was. He couldn’t look away from her.

“How many more friends am I going to out live?” he asked.

Only the baleful howl of the wind answered his question and he couldn't help but acknowledge the wisdom in it’s wailing. Not to be out done, JCN started screaming. Crix let out the breath he’d been holding. With the release of that pent up breath he broke.

Years of grief poured out of him and The Devil of Denon cried like a baby.

Racking sobs laced with the pain of his loss shook his body until he was physically spent. He laid there looking up at the brightening sky and let out a shaky breath. He sat up pulling a cigarra from his pocket and lit up.

He picked up Terra’s body and carried it into her ship. He’d promised to send her off somewhere nice and he’d be sure to do that.

Raxus. A few days later….

“I’ve already told you… his parents were killed by pirates on the way here. I’m not his guardian,” said Crix. The unimpressed look on the woman’s face was accentuated by the premature fine line wrinkles on her brow and around her eyes.

She closed her eyes and took a breath. “Fine, Mr—”
Crix cut in, “Kross.”
“Thank you, Mr. Kross. I’ll take the child then,” she replied in a tone that was more annoyed than anything else.

Crix suddenly found himself having second thoughts. Was he doing the right thing? Was this the best he could do for this kid? It didn’t matter. He wasn’t fit to be a father. He couldn’t even save his own son.

The Enforcer held the little guy up, looking him in those piercing baby blue eyes one last time. JCN’s lip curled harshly and tears started to well in his eyes. Then the woman’s hands wrapped around the baby and she took him. The child began to cry. A noise that had grated on Crix’s nerves for days and yet he felt like he wanted to join in with him. As she carried JCN away the little baby stared at Crix. A tear slipped down The Enforcer’s cheek, and he wiped it away.

Once the proprietor returned she had him fill out some routine paperwork. The last thing he did was write down the little guy’s name.

Jacen Dolan.

End.​

@Phoenix