Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jul 11, 2017 20:17:18 GMT -8
The conflagration had come as expected, though the results weren't so. Kaine and his men waited for the initial heat blast from the missile detonations to dissipate, which had the unfortunate effect of giving the Sand Lightning craft plenty of time to clear the area. What was left behind was scorched earth, some even melted to glass from the heat and pressure, and one burning Sandcrawler.
Seeing no further hostiles, Kaine signaled the men to move in, keeping clear of the burning crawler. His buy'ce pinged, and a small text popup announced the presence of laminanium.
Laminanium wasn't something that grew on trees, even if Tatooine had trees. The best known use for the regenerable metal was in the skin armour of the Tendrando Arms YVH series of battle droids. That confirmed it, the Jawas did have the YVH droids once owned by Clan Australis. Unfortunately, his airstrike had clearly done for a great number of them. As that thought went through his head, the fire reached the Sandcrawler's fuel cells, with predictable results.
Kaine hit the deck, along with his men, as a colossal explosion blew the crawler apart. His comm beeped, coming in from the lead fighter.
General! You alright?
Kaine stood up, noting the jagged shard of hull plating that had come to a stop just inches from where his head had been.
We're still here. The crawler's gone, along with the droids that were here. We'll have a quick look around, try to work out who these Jawas were.
The pilot responded. Confirmed. Be advised, we track the two fleeing crawlers outbound with what appears to be TIE Uglies in escort.
That gave Kaine more pause. Armed, mobile Sandcrawlers, and now aircraft too. Clearly the second group of Jawas were something completely new. The unknowns were piling up, and Kaine was very aware that he and his men were afoot, and a good deal unprepared to deal with this new threat. Considering his options, Kaine acknowledged with a click and closed the comm. He took a moment to clear his mind and approach the dilemma afresh.
They hadn't come prepared for an organised, armed opposition, and he wasn't going to waste lives on worthless bravado.
Another comm message beeped, this one marked as relayed via the HoloNet all the way from Mandalore. Kaine opened the connection, noting the cheeky sod had reversed the charges.
Kain'ika, it's Zeka. I think you'd better come back to Manda'yaim. There's a new Mand'alor. That made the decision academic for Kaine. He'd have to head to Mandalore. That meant pulling back to Mos Eisley until he could return with reinforcements. He sent Darzeka a quick text acknowledgement, and then went to a Clan-wide frequency.
Squadron, get a track on those fleeing crawlers. Don't engage, stay well out of range, but find their base of operations if you can. We're pulling back to Mos Eisley, and we'll hold there till I can bring back reinforcements from the Clan. Clicks acknowledged the orders, and Kaine and his men finished their scans of the area to be picked over once they were ensconced back in town.
Putting the column of smoke from the burning crawler to their rear, the Mando'ade headed back towards town.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jul 11, 2017 10:52:04 GMT -8
Parliament in a pub.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jul 10, 2017 16:50:11 GMT -8
I'm keen. It was a much loved part of the site and i'd like to see it revitalized.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jul 10, 2017 6:08:34 GMT -8
Night had fallen, and Kaine's group had covered the desert between Mos Eisley and the location of the three sensor contacts. The terrain appeared to be a mix of sand hills, rocky outcrops, and bare, flat desert. Kaine had made sure to keep at least a hill or two between his group and the target location, and there had been no overflights spotted, so there was a better than even chance the Jawas weren't expecting company. Never one to leave things to assumption, Kaine took three men forward with him to scout, sending a four man team each way to flank the position.
Kaine reached the rise, and careful not to silhouette himself against the summit, belly crawled the last few feet, letting his helmet's rangefinder peek over the top, and beheld the three sandcrawlers. There was a fire, and he could see Jawas moving around.
It looked just like what they expected to find. Camp for the night. Kaine was about to signal the teams to move in when he stopped himself. The Jawas were tossing something onto the fire. Risking being spotted, though he saw no one on sentry duty, Kaine lifted his head just high enough to let his visor get a view, and zoomed in with the built in macrobinoculars. What he saw made him swear.
OSIK! The surprise made him blurt it out with volume, and instantly the other thirteen Mando'ade experienced a rush of adrenaline hearing the alarm in the General's voice. Kaine caught himself, and his voice returned to normal, though he was alarmed now. Two of the sandcrawlers didn't look like your average Jawa hauler. For starters, they looked armed, and didn't have tracks. Repulsors, he thought.
Only one of those crawlers is standard. The others are different. Armed, and look like they're on repulsors. Something's not right here. Plan B.
They hadn't discussed a Plan B. One of the more seasoned men voiced their shared concern.
General, what's Plan B?
He got a chuckle from Kaine as reward.
Bomb the osik out of them. Heads down, be ready to move. He got clicks in acknowledgement, then flicked over to squadron frequency, taking a moment to minimize the volume.
Squadron, come in. The lead pilot's voice came in, mercifully muted to a dull roar. General! Kaine grinned. It carried in his voice just enough for the men to hear. Muun'bajir time. Two of our lambs have big fangs. Light them up.
Kaine uplinked his helmet's holocam data to the pilots, the two beastly-looking sandcrawlers highlighted. Oya. The pilot got a good look at the fat juicy ground targets, and repeated his initial statement with feeling. OYA!
On the ground, Kaine and his men ensured they were dug well in behind solid cover. Within minutes, four black shapes came directly down from orbit over the target, laser cannons and concussion missiles raining down ahead of them. The black Bes'uliik fighters broke away in pairs close to the ground, heading away at opposite points of the compass.
The two targets, which appeared unshielded, would have little to no warning of the attack, coming as it did from stealthy aircraft approaching from directly above. Two concussion missiles per target, plus a rain of laserfire would be plenty to take out an armoured strongpoint, and was really overkill for a couple of sandcrawlers. Kaine had assumed in giving the attack order, with upgraded propulsion and added weapons came armour and the chance of shield. The fighters broke one pair north, one pair south, and would break clear, but be ready to re-engage if there was further need, once Kaine and his boys surveyed the outcome.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jul 10, 2017 5:38:02 GMT -8
Alright, alright, alright. Fine.
I'll come back, and maybe finish any story-lines I left in limbo.
Also, if the people that are left on the site are up for it I'd want to try some different RPs. Nothing too dangerous. Heh. Hah. I would love a chance to atone for that awful one-liner during the Myrkr battle.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jul 6, 2017 5:14:31 GMT -8
Fourteen Mandalorians in full armour made their way out of Mos Eisley and into the outskirts, where the desert began.
Streets and buildings gave way to endless sand, broken only in places by bare red rock. The shifting sands quickly hid the passage of even the largest heaviest vehicles, and so there would be no tracking the Jawas that way.
In any case, Kaine had a faster option. Four black streaks shot overhead, waggling their wings in salute. The Bes'uliike would cover the ground, and pick out the concentrated metal of the Jawa sandcrawlers; a YVH droid was simply too small to be easily detected, and deactivated, they wouldn't be moving. Over the previous day, they had made passes over the surrounding area every hour, and with some difficulty, isolated the moving masses of metal from the iron-like deposits native to Tatooine.
Czerka Corporation had once invested billions to set up mining operations on Tatooine, hoping to exploit the vast riches. Unfortunately for the Czerka shareholders, the ore had turned out to be worthless, due to some sort of mineral degradation. Dejected, the company had left Tatooine, and abandoned its assets. The Jawas of Tatooine, ever the opportunists, had purloined the mining vehicles and converted them into mobile workshops and markets. Unfortunately for the Jawas, as Kaine Australis saw it, this time they'd purloined his valuable assets, and he wasn't going to leave them behind.
Standing among the group of fourteen, Kaine's helmet comm beeped, and he activated it with a blink. He immediately regretted it as the pilot's voice boomed into his ear. GENERAL!, We have three contacts, only six klicks from your position. They appear to be laagered for the night. Been there three hours, and it's getting dark now.
Kaine muttered a response, knowing he didn't need to shout, the mic took care of the volume. Some Mandos never got that point. Good work vod. Return to orbit. Kaine out. He cut the comm before he endangered his eardrums, then clicked to the squad's frequency.
Quick little stroll into the desert, lads, and we'll see what these Jawas have to say for themselves. They're not known for fighting, but three sandcrawlers means a small horde of the buggers, so stay alert, don't get complacent. He tapped his own helm with his fist for emphasis. He got nods from some of the men in reply.
Heads up, let's move. The squad moved out into the sands, in a wide formation, good separation, heading out to the Jawas' position. At the leisurely pace they were setting, they'd arrive just after nightfall.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jul 6, 2017 4:52:42 GMT -8
The death of the EU.
Still stings if I think too hard or read one of the old stories, but I don't get the pang of loss when I think about Star Wars anymore.
Does that mean Darth Disney won? I certainly still dislike Episode 7. Does that mean i'm old?
I still think the EU was a better story than the new canon. I suppose you can't really judge till 8 and 9 are out, but the new books aren't anything near as good as the old. The one i've most enjoyed was the novelization of Force Awakens because it explained SO much the movie didn't, it actually made me enjoy watching the movie a little more too. Every other novel has been worse than the Jedi Prince Ken storybooks. (i realise this is probably slightly subjective..)
Thoughts, anyone?
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jul 6, 2017 4:44:18 GMT -8
Heading to Tatooine for a bit of old-school fun. Room for a bunch of Mandos hunting Jawas with stolen YVH droids?
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jul 5, 2017 3:40:55 GMT -8
So what's happening with this? Looks awesome.
Anyone wanna organize a battle? It's been ages and ages. Would prefer to be on whoever's "losing" the war's side, if only because it makes more sense the desperate side would be calling on a grizzled old Mando scruffbag.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jul 5, 2017 3:35:18 GMT -8
I moved our HQ to the pub. Seems to be working so far...
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jul 5, 2017 3:34:09 GMT -8
Describe your character in a sentence: A lazy alcoholic with a foul mouth that occasionally stops slacking to lead commandos. Old Man Australis. Type of interaction sought: Anything anywhere anytime Preferred location(s) or scenario(s): Random encounters with no notice - Planned RP. Anything goes. Force or Non-Force preferred: Anything goes.
As a former Mandalore Kaine's going to be someone that there are extensive public records on, so it's no stretch that he might be recognized by your character.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jul 4, 2017 3:47:59 GMT -8
As someone who was heavily involved in the first few shows, I can say theres no way to keep everyone happy. You need a team of people dedicated to putting themselves last to be involved in planning running/presenting and organizing. We never had a shortage of people willing to help and contribute, and the community very much got behind us and helped make them fun and inclusive.
With the right attitude, and a few good dedicated people, it can be done.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jul 4, 2017 3:42:15 GMT -8
A slight flash of bluish light and a flicker across the starfield precded the arrival of a single Mandalorian Bes'uliik fighter into the Tatooine system. Bathed in the light of the twin suns, the fighter angled toward the desert world and rocketed toward orbit. Several minutes later, another, larger flash preceded the arrival of a flying relic.
The "relic" was an elderly, to put it kindly, model of bulk freighter that had gone out of service centuries before. Not one section of hull seemed to match the others in colouration, or, if a scan brushed across to find out, metallic composition. She'd been rebuilt so many times from scrap and spares that any parts from the original vessel were a distant memory. A none-too-clean nameplate matched her IFF as the Venerable Trader, out of Concordia.
Kaine Australis, in the Bes'uliik wasn't broadcasting an IFF at all. Anyone that could detect the sleek craft as a Bes'uliik knew enough to leave well enough alone, and no civilian or day tripper would even pick him up on scanner.
The former Mand'alor keyed his comm. I hope you haven't brought the geriatrics to match the ship.
The Venerable Trader's captain, venerable himself at 78 years old spluttered and reached for the comm to let out an irritated retort, but an armored arm and gauntlet in black and green got there first. We thought you'd be enough to satisfy quotas, old man.
Kaine grinned behind his visor. Su'cuy'gar, nervod. What have you brought then, you cheeky shabuir?
Darzeka Australis, owner of the gauntleted arm that had gotten to the comm first, long time second in command of Clan Australis, and thirty five year veteran himself responded lightning fast to his alor's jibe. Would a shabuir have brought you fifty likely lads and their kit, after two years of no word?
Despite having prepared himself, that stung Kaine. Zeka was dead right, he'd abandoned his lads. He needed to make that right. Kaine resolved, this time, he'd do right by them. Time to show the younger lads what it meant to get knocked down and keep getting back up. Once more, unto the breach, and all that poetic nonsense.
The pause was only a microsecond longer than normal, which told Darzeka his point was well recieved. Kaine's response was barely delayed. I suppose you can have the job then. Mos Eisley Spaceport, I think, then straight to the outskirts and rendezvous. If we go near Chalmun's we'll be here for weeks. Business first, let the lads know.
See you dirtside. He cut the comm, opened the throttles, and dropped from orbit, leaving the ancient freight hauler to wallow its way into a stable orbit and drop a pair of shuttles, which matched Kaine's course towards Mos Eisley...
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jun 16, 2017 22:28:43 GMT -8
Approximately two years had passed, and Kaine was still at the bar. He'd been kept alive by a steady stream of spilled ale and tihaar, along with water and cleaning products that had overflowed the rim of the bar and dripped into his mouth. Enough soggy peanuts and crisps had floated in to keep him sustained while he slept off the mother of all benders. Somewhere in his mind, the scream of what was left of his sanity finally broke through the fog of ale and spirits and woke the slumbering buckethead.
Kaine's head lifted an inch off the hardwood of the bar. Just enough so that he didn't drown in the immediate explosion of vomit that painted the back of the bar, causing the barman to spit curses. Once empty, the big man wobbled unsteadily to his feet, his atrophied muscles screaming in protest at the abuse. A combination of determination and the aid of his armor kept him mostly upright, as he staggered and stumbled out of the exit. As he emerged into the night air of Keldabe, he tripped over a bin and fell. Pawing at his belt, he managed to fumble his comlink up and rasp into it.
Kryze. Vos. Report.
Kaine's commanders, surprised to hear his voice after such a long absence, took several moments to respond.
This is Kryze.
Vos here. Is that you, General?
Kaine coughed for a full minute and then spent time clearing his throat before he was able to respond.
I'm not dead. Status report.
As the senior, and fleet commander, Kryze spoke first.
Not good, sir. I had to put most of the ships into cold storage. We've got two frigates operating with skeleton crews, but that's it. The good news is we've got two full strength squadrons available. Taris and Enceri can be at Mandalore in two days. Provided we can find the personnel I can have the fleet up and running within two weeks. That was better than he'd dare hoped. Amauri took the shine off the good news.
I don't have a lot of good news sir. Most of the Clan went their separate ways after a year, we declared you dead. Our supplies and arms, well, there's no easy way to say this, but they're gone.
I cannot believe our commandos would steal from their Clan, even if I was dead.
They didn't, sir. Most of the equipment ended up on Tatooine.
How in blazes did it get there?
Jawas, sir. It was Jawas.
Kaine took a moment to curse before responding. Kriffing JAWAS!
What was that, sir?
He swore under his breath. Never mind. Assemble the fleet. Call in everyone that will come. I want the best you can do here in a week, leave the rest, and meet me on Mandalore. You too Vos. We'll assemble what's left of the Clan aboard the fleet and come up with a plan. Vos, I want two squads to meet me in Mos Eisley. I'm going to Tatooine.
Once they'd acknowledged his orders and cut the connection, Kaine returned the comlink to his belt and rose to his feet, stomping off in the direction of the spaceport. A combination of shock and the cold air seemed to clear his head, and his gait steadied the further he went.The Jawas were going to get a rude shock.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jun 16, 2017 21:54:45 GMT -8
Clan Australis will return and support the Mand'alor.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jun 16, 2017 21:48:26 GMT -8
Looks like I picked a good time to return!
Seriously though feel free to remove me, 2 years inactivity is more than enough.
I plan on being around though.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jun 16, 2017 21:45:05 GMT -8
I'm sort of baaaaaack, sort of....
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Oct 10, 2015 14:29:59 GMT -8
Alright, everyone that isnt already there, get your shebs to the 'Baat.
We've got work to do.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Oct 10, 2015 14:25:54 GMT -8
I gave it a second and third readthrough and have a more balanced verdict;
It's not a bad book, but it's certainly not great either.
Personally i'm not a fan of Wendig's writing style, and frankly for a dude who claims to be a SW fan and EU connoisseur, he makes a lot of errors. There's a lack of description of the vehicles, aliens and technologies mentioned in the book, which makes it hard to read with no frame of reference.
For the record, I actually thought the so-called controversial part with the gay character was very cleverly done, and I enjoyed that scene. I do sincerely hope that this doesn't lead to references to homophobia. Star Wars has racism and sexism, it doesn't need more crap from our world.
And that leads to my main glaring issue with this book. I like Star Wars for many reasons, one major one is the setting; A Galaxy Far Far Away. That means I dont like seeing references and terms from our galaxy instead of SW. I could list examples, but if you read the book, im sure they'll jump out at you. In the EU books, the authors always tended to invent SW equivalents for real-world terms and objects, and I guess I was expecting more fo the same.
My final thoughts;
The book is an average story that's just barely a star wars story. The author seems either out of his depth, or overwhelmed by the gargantuan task of writing a new canon. I hope they get someone who knows what they're doing to write the next one, or coach this fellow or something.
From now on, i'll be thinking of the book as Star Wars : Aftertaste
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,029
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Oct 10, 2015 14:15:02 GMT -8
There were moments in one's life where time seemed to stop entirely, and just take a back seat to the moment at hand. Kaine's reconnection with his daughter, and the resolution of their issues, it had been emotional, and for a length of time, Kaine lost himself in joy.
His arms wrapped around his little girl, Kaine held her tight, his eyes squeezed shut, and rested his head gently on top of hers, just holding her close to his chest. He felt his heart banging out a tattoo, and was sure it was pounding hard enough to be felt through his armour plate.
All of his being wanted nothing more than to stand in this spot forever, feeling the waves of joy and true happiness that had been so rare and precious during his lifetime. Slowly, but inexorably, his sense of duty began to get his attention though, and he forced himself to come back to the present.
Kaine, unwillingly, let his arms relax and leaned back to look into his daughter's face.
It's a new beginning for us. Together, we will build the future. And he gave her his best grin, the kind that made his eyes sparkle with a fire of purpose they hadn't held in decades. Certainty and resolve filled him.
Let the rest of the galaxy tremble. Manda'yaim's coming. OYA!
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