>>5662650The Kakari’s lips curl into a grin. “None of that. Stand up, Jedi Wanderer! Stand tall and proud. King though I may be, but a legend bows to no one.”
Now you know he’s deliberately taking the piss out of you. He’d done the same dog-and-pony show of hyping you up when he debriefed you about the death of his father.
And wouldn’t you know it? His Basic’s improved in leaps and bounds since your departure. There’s the long, elongated ‘ssss’ sounds that occasionally manifest, but you can hardly blame him. With a tongue that long, and a jaw that sharp, one would be hard-pressed to speak normally.
Troxl’s eyes turn towards Arotta. His eyes widen with a flash of recognition. “I remember you. You were the one who wolfed down so many fruits, and chased me through the jungle when I stole them away.”
Your lover coughs harshly, ears burning red. But she makes an acerbic retort: “Wasn’t just the fruits, your highness. You guys flinched half a metric ton of MREs from our supply depot.”
The king shrugs. “Perhaps, perhaps not. It might have been a vision that the False Mother bestowed upon you.”
Now that’s interesting. In spite of the distance between Amagi, Kakarit and wherever the hell Jombaral went, Troxl isn’t about to use her real name.
But Arotta grins. “I like this one, pink skin.”
Ten years ago, you might have made a smart remark about how one cold-blooded lizard can easily relate to another. And while you think(?) that togruta are reptilian, it wouldn’t be worth the beating you’d get during the next of your spars. Or, if late night holodramas were to be believed, the couch in lieu of sharing a bed.
Now, you merely chortle. “Your highness…” you begin, but Troxl cuts you off.
“You’ve more than earned the right to use my name.”
“…Troxl, then. Right…how’ve you been?”
Despite centuries of living under ground, the Kakari seem to be doing well. Their immune systems, weakened by generations of living underground, are slowly adapting to the dry and arid environment of the Great Plains. There had been more than a few health scares, but those affected were largely the elderly and the newborn hatchlings – most had the opportunity to adapt aboard the <span class="mu-i">Globus</span> during the evacuation from Kakarit.
The development of New Nest is markedly slow, but nonetheless ongoing. Favoring function over form, the Kakari focus the bulk of their labors on the settlement’s infrastructure, building up walls and clearing space for future projects. One of their ongoing projects is the creation of an artificial river, diverting water from the lakes and rivers formed by mountain snowmelt. As it just so happened, the twi’lek engineer was selling Troxl on building a hydroelectric power plant until they could extend power from the closest fusion reactor.
(cont.)
