Ylesia

[Badim Soilding]

It had been a long chase. H6 had gone to Bakura to investigate a lead on one of the contacts Candrog had had during the… development of Subject 001, however the hell they developed that thing he wouldn’t know. H6 had gone dark, com-silent, but he did send out information that the lead had moved off since the time of Subject 001’s development, so H6 sent he was with Sara and would join them soon. They didn’t know where the scientist had gone, but they’d track her down eventually if this current lead didn‘t spark any information. And if they couldn’t, Clare had a list of names connected to Subject 001, and she was going to question them all, until she found out whatever Subject 001 is, where it was and destroy it. Clare’s changed. Badim recalled. She’s not who she is anymore, she’s obsessed with the last loose end of Candrog’s, Badim had been there before with Dirod. He knew where she was coming from.

Of course though, he didn’t like it at all. She changed too much, she seemed like she was going to blow at the first chance she could. Badim had set the Starwind-yacht, Killer’s Fate II, down on a backwater tropical world within Hutt Space, along the Shag Pabol. Ylesia. Close, but still far away from Badim’s homeworld of Nar Shaddaa. Rumor had it that there was a cult that ruled this world for a while before the legendary Han Solo shut it down. The scorched and still damaged yacht landed in Peace City. At least no one would steal the scorched, barely running ship, even if they knew if was a yacht.

Badim could tell, for a fact, that Clare would be off without him if he didn’t shut down the engines and power down. Finishing that he moved to the boarding ramp, Clare already halfway down it’s plank.
“Clare.” He spoke up, his E-11 loosely in his hands. “Wait up.”

Clare shot him a glance. Turned away and huffed.

Their target was a Mon Calamari by the name of Resth, Doctor Resth. Apparently, from what could be found in the dossier from Candrog’s skyscraper, he had been the chief in charge of the project. Subject 001 was grown, described as a biological weapon of powerful importance to Candrog. Millions of credits of spice and slave money spent on this, and Clare was going to tear it down. The dossier never said anything on his field of expertise, but Badim knew Clare didn’t care, just that he spilled on what Subject 001 is and how she can kill it. Maybe afterwards, she’d be normal again. Hell, he probably wasn’t going to be normal anymore, since Clare’s ectopic pregnancy. Such great times, fighting evil with Tseneca and her crew, being together with Clare. Then Bespin happened.

Nightmares of that night still recur in Badim’s sleep. He wasn’t over it, and neither was Clare. How she even survived the first few days of grief was beyond him. He knew he was on the brink of chaos.

Clare tapped her feet impatiently. Badim tilted his chin downwards, looking down on his clothing. It hadn’t changed much, an off-white gray muscle shirt, loose black pants with intersecting white lines up one leg. A yellow backpack for supplies, spare ammo clips and Badim’s vibroblade was strapped to his back, a single strap across his chest with a comlink attached to it.

“Are you coming?” Clare said.

“Are you going to be like this forever?” Badim retorted. She obviously ignored it, instead taking it as a signal to move on, whether Badim meant it as one or not. He didn’t. A sigh and he followed his once significant other in her mission. It was the only thing he could do, he owed her that much. He’d saved her life, she had saved his, he traveled across the galaxy to try and find her supposed killer, while she escaped her killer and tried to find him and expose her framed death. They had done so much for each other, and he hoped this would bring them together again once it was over. It was a hopeful thought, but they had mutually fallen away from each other, he just wanted things back to the way they were. Besides, he’d give anything for Clare to not act like an angry bitch towards him and anyone who got in her way.

Here, they’d travel in silence until they found their way to Doctor Resth’s office. A biochemical medical laboratory founded some thirty years ago. They still didn’t know what went on there aside from medication.

A Family Matter

Badim Soilding

Clare Velez

_________________
"No One Deserves To Die, Except For Those Who Do."

[Clare Velez]

They needed to be subtle. Clare had given her blaster to Badim, he knew to hide the weapons in his backpack so they would appear as just people walking in. She didn’t need to alert the Mon Calamari to their presence. He would find out later though, when she started interrogating him. She nodded to Badim after he zipped his pack up, and they walked into the lab-slash-clinic. Not only did they produce medication and supply it to the Hutts that ruled this place, even though it didn’t smell like a Hutt place or have as much scum around, they also supplied it to people with prescriptions or who needed it. That didn’t stop the staff from dealing with the shady-side of the Underworld however, as was apparent with Doctor Resth.

The desk clerk looked up from her papers as they approached. She was a blonde human with blue tinted glasses to match her eyes. Clare knew something was wrong when she noticed her name tag. Jan Nams. Another person on the list. The scientist that was supposed to be on Bakura. Her eyes instantly widened.

“You!” Jan’s shout echoing in the empty waiting room of the clinic portion of the laboratory.

Clare didn’t know why Jan would have recognized her, but played along. She placed her hands on the desk and stared down on the blonde woman. “Yeah - Me. Is Doctor Resth in? I’d like to pay him a visit-”

Clare dropped her head. Jan ran off screaming for Resth while she went. She looked up at Badim, jerked her head in the direction Jan had gone. He shrugged and unzipped his backpack, pulling out his E-11 and her DH-23. She inspected it, something was off on the weapon, has been for days. She just couldn’t nail it down, but something looked different on it. She couldn’t find out what was wrong with it now, she had a scientist and a doctor to chase.

Badim took the lead while they ran after the woman in the lab coat. At the end of a long hallway was a large durasteel door with Dr. Resth inscribed. Jan was running straight towards it, in fact already halfway through it. Clare sped up her pace, surpassed Badim and slammed her side against the durasteel door before Jan, and someone else, could close and lock it. She was able to slowly push it back, but Badim was the one who slammed his own side against the door, knocking the scientist and her help down. Clare’s blaster was leveled with Badim’s, aiming at Jan and a Mon Calamari. Doctor Resth.

“Resth.” Clare panted. “How nice to finally meet you.”

“Look, you don’t understand--” Jan tried to speak up, but Clare had what she needed. The Mon Calamarian. She loosely aimed her blaster at Jan and fired her blaster. When she saw she was still breathing but knocked out, she realized what was different with her blaster. Permanently set to stun. “Frakker.” She glared at Badim. He shrugged once more, stepping into a corner of the room so he could get a vantage of the whole room while Clare continued on.

“I’ve been down this road, I know what’s going to happen.” Badim resolved in a low tone. She knew what had happened with Jelahan Loren, how Badim had tortured him before almost killing him. Sara had that pleasure. Clare would deal with Badim later for getting in her way.

“Clare, wait!” Resth interjected, knowing of his use to her, he took the chance to stand up, his hands in front of himself in an attempt to show no harm. Wait.

“How the frak do you know my name?” Clare hissed, aiming her blaster, stun or not, at Resth. Then she realized he had worked with Candrog, he must have known of her involvement with him. Though, even that didn’t add up, the fat twi’lek never spilled anything on Clare’s employment with him.

“Because you’re…” He lowered his head, grief of his duties evident in his eyes. “Subject 001.”

Clare and Badim’s eyes widened at the same time, Badim had even dropped his E-11. How? What?

She did the only thing she could think of at the moment…She pulled the trigger on her DH-23.

Clare Velez

Badim Soilding

[Badim Soilding]

It had been a few hours since Clare had stunned Resth. They sat in his office, door closed and locked, in complete silence. Silent stare offs, tracing lines on the speckled floor and quietly tinkering with blasters and different weaponry. How could Clare be this Subject 001? It didn’t make sense, or maybe it did and Badim was just searching in the wrong place. He wanted to say something, You couldn’t have known, It’s what Candrog did to you-whatever that is-and it‘s not your fault, you haven’t done anything bad, maybe you’re superhuman and just don‘t know it. He chuckled at the latter one. If only everyone could be badass like those non-Force Sensitive super heroes in holo-films. He sighed. People just had to make due with what‘s given to them. When life hands you Muju, make Muju Juice, as the term goes.

But Badim had spied Clare looking at her blaster curiously. If it hadn’t had been for Badim’s self experience with shifty revenge, Resth would have been dead as with his scientist gal. He couldn’t help but wonder what was going through her head, if she was thinking, if he hadn’t rigged her gun to fire in stun only, could she just end it? Follow along with her self mission of wiping out the last loose ends of Candrog’s dreadful gang from Nar Shaddaa?

Jan stirred first, a low groan all too similar to one of a hangover. Badim had slowly started to feel that way over the past month of following along with Clare’s ultimatums. She had changed so quickly before his eyes, so obsessed with getting rid of Candrog’s last assets, ones he couldn’t even use now that he was in the grave, that it was the only way he could coop.

Clare glanced at the woman from her corner of the room, slumped down with her knees tucked underneath her, still inspecting her blaster. Jan didn’t make any hostile moves and scooted over to the Mon Calamari to see if he was harmed. Clare didn’t pay attention to her.

Then Resth himself stirred.

Clare leveled her blaster towards the fish-person while he regained consciousness, standing up so she had the advantage of height. Badim on instinct stood himself, his E-11 loosely pointed at everyone. He didn’t know if Clare was mad with revenge, if she was somehow going to manage to kill the Mon Calamari, the scientist and then herself.

Resth and Jan joined Badim’s gaze towards Clare, all three wondering what she was going to do. And what she did, surprised Badim.

She dropped her blaster and slumped to the floor. “Tell me.” She asked intently towards the doctor and scientist. The two looked at each other, Resth nodded and struggled to stand up. Jan being a little more able to move, helped him into a chair before resting her head against Resth’s desk.

“Well…” He began, his sight falling to the floor while he recalled. “Where does one begin?”

Badim and Clare listened while Resth recalled everything with his involvement with Candrog and Subj--Clare. It had all started twenty-five years ago on Nar Shaddaa. Candrog was at the top of the criminal realm, in fact at a time where Urnath Dirod was his only rival. Funny how that frakking Duro came into the recollection. Candrog’s hand was none other than Clare Velez. But the Clare he knew was only twenty-three, how did she fit into this Badim had asked.

“I’m getting there.”

Resth explained that he had been briefed on Clare’s history, loss of friends and family in deadly raids from rival gangs, before Candrog had taken over, that inevitably led to her joining Candrog’s just cause. She led strike teams of gang members against other gangs, wiping out all aside from Dirod. She was then promoted to his own personal services as an assassin. Dealing with political figures, gang leaders threatening to rise up, and an eventual attempt on Dirod’s life. That’s where she had finally failed. Her body was shipped back to Candrog as proof of her failure, and Candrog sent her away to be properly buried, after he killed the messenger.

A year later, Candrog’s uncontested rule of his sector of Nar Shaddaa, outside of the Hutts, came to an end. His minions fled for other gangs, creating a flurry of blossoming gangs across the sector. Dirod had even expanded his rule, half a year before Badim was even conceived. Candrog was desperate, he still had money, millions. He could do whatever he pleased, but he used it all to regain his best assassin and tactician. He went to the place where Clare was buried, her beauty preserved from cryogenics. It had also kept her DNA intact.

He hired a team of scientists and doctors notorious in the field of the now banned act of cloning. He spent a year in that itself paying the team as he gathered them, then the work began. Spending credits in successfully cloning the dead woman. The thought of referring her to that chilled Badim’s spine. How could this be real?

In all, after millions of credits worth of black market equipment, they cloned Clare. Candrog still had two loyal servants, who became the surrogate parents of Clare. Teela Irris. Her husband, Kel Irris, also being loyal to Candrog was forced to comply with his wife taking another child. Kel took the Velez name and Teela took it as well, changing their one year old son’s name, Shen, as well to accept the last name.

And while Teela Irris-Velez and Kel Velez cared for Candrog’s precious asset and his key cornerstone for the success for the Black Stars, he went to try and rebuild his order. That was where Resth’s involvement with Candrog ended, though he was continually sent holographs of Clare as she grew to insure her body grew correctly. Since, despite Candrog’s wealth, he couldn’t afford a growth enhancement procedure, similar to the one used on the Clones in the long ended Clone Wars. But that talent had been lost to the Cloners when the Empire rid themselves of the rebellious xenos, revealed sometime later.

So, Candrog had to slowly shape Clare’s life from the background, the only other thing Resth knew was that Teela and Kel were killed when they refused to let Clare continue to be shaped in Candrog’s image. Resth instantly tried to do good with the credits earned by churning out as much medicine as possible to try and make penance for working for the murderous Candrog.

And he finished, the story finished he looked between Badim and Clare. He swallowed hard, “There was a reason for you trying to find me and my assistant, isn’t there? Surely it wasn‘t to just hear about you, Clare.”

“You mean Subject Zero-Zero--”

“I don’t like using that term, aside from answering your question earlier before you stunned me, it pains me to know I was helping create you for the sadistic plot Candrog had in store for you.”

“Had being the key word.” Badim spoke up, Resth looking at him curiously for an answer. “Candrog’s dead. Killed by her herself.”

“By G-- Joyous! That tyrant is finally dead!”

Clare remained silent. Her hand running to her stomach while she thought of what to say. Badim took over while she worked out whatever was in her head.

“To answer your other question.” Badim began, his eyes turning to Clare. “Clare was here to torture you about what Subject Zero-Zero-One was. Thinking it would solve all of our problems by dealing with his last assets.”

Resth squirmed at the words. Badim raised a hand and laughed. “I’m sure she’s changed her mind on that front. Right, Pateesa?”

She ignored him. For the past month she had been hostile towards him if he used that nickname since finding out about Subject 001 on Nar Shaddaa. At least that was a hopeful sign of progress.
“Well, you don’t need to worry about her, I’m the one with the blaster that can kill, her blaster can only stun for now.”

Resth sighed in relief, as with Jan.

“What were the risks with…cloning me?”

Resth settled himself in his seat before speaking. “Plenty, unfortunately. One, you could have not been conceived at all. Two, you could have been rejected or consumed by your mother’s reproductive systems--”

“Anything that could happen later in life? Like today?”

“There… was a theorized risk in respiratory function, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with you. Another was reproductive--”

“Oh-” Badim spoke up in surprise at the mention of the word. He almost gasped Resth said respiratory.
“Shit!” Clare had yelled in continuation, tucking her head between her legs.

“What-”

Badim stood, slowly making his way towards Clare half expecting a stun bolt between the eyes. But she just breathed heavily. He saw next to her and wrapped his arm around her, she leaned against him and pressed her face to his chest, her hair hiding her features from his sight. He patted her shoulder genially to assure her it was okay to let it out.

Resth just sat there with Jan, unsure what had happened, after a time of relative silence, Badim answered.

“She had an ectopic pregnancy a month ago.”

Resth’s eyes opened so wide, Badim thought it wasn’t possible for the Mon Calamari.

Badim Soilding

Clare Velez

_________________
"No One Deserves To Die, Except For Those Who Do."

[Badim Soilding]

Badim began to power up the Fate, the revelation on Clare actually being a clone hours past. She didn’t take it well at all. He didn’t take it well either. Never would he have known that she was a clone if they hadn’t raided Candrog’s skyscraper weeks ago and started this chase for these scientists. All this time Badim had thought this Subject 001 was a sort of biological abomination, little did he know it turned out to be his beautiful Ex. Could he look at her the same, knowing now she’s a clone? Of course he could, how else could he? She was a person, someone who had grown up in life just as he had, not the year old adults used during the Clone Wars.

Clare, on the other hand, would beg to differ. She was convinced she was a mistake after this ordeal. She sat in the co-pilot’s seat in silence, quietly helping in bringing the ship online. He glanced over at her, her cries had since dried, but she looked distraught, as if she was going to burst at the lightest mention of the word clone. Otherwise her expression was stone cold and focused in getting off planet. A pair of footsteps came up behind them, a slight jump from years of instinct forced it’s way through his body, even though he knew who was there.

“Yes, Doctor?” Badim asked, looking the Mon Calamari in the eyes. To his left was Jan, both of them in their lab coats.

“May I speak with you, Soilding?”

“Sure.” Badim said, standing from his seat and brushing the fish’s shoulder. “And call me Badim.”

Resth nodded and he followed Badim to the lounge while Jan stayed in the cockpit with Clare. Badim took a seat on the bolted down, red leathered chair. Possibly Reek hide, he never did ask Lucas before they entered hyperspace on it’s interior, so he’d just have to guess for now. He reached over one of the arms, while Resth took a seat of his own, and grabbed a Shaddaa Beer. Hutta Brand. High alcohol content, and that flavor that was just like every other beer. Tasted like cold piss, smelled of different herbs, but that didn‘t alter the taste of--
Badim sighed, brought back to the doctor sitting across from him. Badim took the beer bottle and pinned the cap against the metal table in front of him, also bolted down. With a fist to the neck of the bottle, the cap went flying off. He’d pick it up later, or let one of the barely operating cleaning bots collect them.
“What’s this about?” Badim asked, taking a sip of his beer. Realizing the Calamari might be a drinker himself, he offered one to him.

“I’m good, thank you.” Suit yourself. “It’s about Clare.”

Badim gestured for Resth to continue, and after collecting his thoughts for a moment, did.

“Since it seems you’re the Captain of this ship, I would like to ask if you could use a medical staff, Doctor Nams and myself--”

“Woah, I thought you were talking about Clare here, not a job.”

“We’re not looking for pay, Badim. We were discussing about it, and want to make right on our part of cloning Velez.”

Badim chuckled. “Don’t know if Clare would like you around.”

“We could help her.” Resth moved his hands around in miniature air-circles, trying to help himself think Badim assumed. “I don’t know how, but it’s better than nothing.”

Badim leaned forward, looked at Resth and thought hard. It couldn’t hurt to bring them aboard, even if they couldn’t help Clare and undo some of the flaws with the cloning, they’d get medics out of the deal. Badim scratched his signature scar that slit his lips from a close call with a blade, then brushed his hand across his cheek to the right of his right eye where another scar was. That one was more recent, during one of Clare’s searches. Same weapon, different thug, less luck.
“I had already taken the liberty of packing my things and inspecting your infirmary. Jan and I could begin immediately and--”

“Alright alright alright.” Badim waved on the third and, “You’ve got the job. But you‘re going to need some new clothes, can‘t stand the lab coat look, and neither will Clare.”

Resth stood and stretched out his arms, studying his coat with a disappointed sigh. “Very well, but you know those Hutta beers are horrible for your health, correct?”

Badim lifted his beer to the new ship’s doctor. “Like any other, Doc.” He began to take a sip.

“Suit yourself,” Resth shrugged. “But it’s a mixture of alcohol-”

Uh-huh. Badim gulped.

“Herbs.”

Whatever. Almost finished.

“And Hutt piss.” Badim’s eyes widened. “Terribly un-distilled, as a matter of fact.”

Badim began to cough and spit what piss was in his mouth, trying desperately to expel the contents of his stomach as well as the beers he had had in the last month. The engines started and Resth shook his head. “I’ll be in the infirmary.”

You better frakking be…

Badim Soilding

Clare Velez

_________________
"No One Deserves To Die, Except For Those Who Do."