Post by Mara on Jun 16, 2009 19:50:49 GMT -5
Name: Zulu [pron. ZOO'loo]
Original Name: Meliin "Mel" Bravor [pron. meh'LEEN (mehl) bra'VORE]
Age: 24
Race: Human
Birth place: slave quarters outside Colony Three, Ylesia
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 210 pounds
Eye color: dark brown
Hair color: dark red
Appearance: A tall young man, he doesn't look awkward in his body at all, as it is all toned and muscular. He has light olive skin and dark brown eyes with epicanthic folds at the edges, a small representative of his mixed ancestry on his father's side (all human cultures), giving him a slightly exotic look. But perhaps the most startling mark of his appearance is what he inherited from his mother: his dark red/auburn hair. He keeps it cut short, sometimes so short that it sticks out, giving it a somewhat sloppy, spiky appearance. There is also a small swath of white hairs above his left temple due to an injury suffered as a youth.
When on a job, he wears all black from his boots to his neck, with black trousers, shirt, jacket, calf-high boots with shin covers and sometimes a mask and cape (which he only wears when stealth isn't involved, as it would give away his location too easily as he moved). Despite his tall height, this clothing helps him blend into shadows along with his training. Strapped to his back are his two vibroswords; he also keeps various other weapons hidden about his person and clothing, such as small daggers, knives, and throwing stars.
But when he is at Green Meadows during downtime after a mission chip erasure, he wears more comfortable clothes to help as he trains more and is involved in the various lessons. Generally this consists of some loose trousers made of soft, stretchy material and a short-sleeved shirt of the same material, yet not as loose as the pants. Both items are in the company's traditional green colors.
Personality:
Before the chip: Mel is your typical outgoing 3-year-old boy. He loves to play his favorite games with his friends. And he also loves learning, especially anything related to languages, being quite studious in this area, though his knowledge is still rudimentary at this age.
After the chip: Zulu has relatively no personality to speak of. He's a cold-blooded killer, using emotions only when it might help him complete a mission. Otherwise, on his own at the complex, he's pretty devoid of anything resembling a personality or any personal emotions. He strives to be his best.
After the chip degrades: TBD
Profession: Assassin
Skills: Green Meadows Assassins Training;
Can speak/understand a variety of languages including but not limited to: Bocce, Bothan, Durese, Galactic Basic, Huttese, Rodese, and Twi'leki
Equipment:
Vibroswords: two 1-meter long swords, vibro switches, durasteel
Color: Silver blades, black hilts
link coming soon
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 8
Intelligence: 7
Speed: 8
Leadership: 2
Unarmed: 5
Melee Weapons: 8
Ranged Weapons: 3
Specialized Combat Skill - Dual regular swords: 9
Specialized Non-Combat Skill - Stealth: 7
Ship Name: N/A
Bio:
Meliin Bravor was the unfortunate offspring of two slaves working for Plorba the Hutt on Ylesia. Originally from Umgul, Yol and Jelda Bravor had been captured in a pirate raid on their planet years earlier. In a series of events, they, luckily together, ended up moving from their original slave market and through multiple owners to Ylesia to serve in Plorba’s household. Most of their jobs entailed grunt work—cleaning and repair—with Jelda doing the former, Yol the latter. They got to know many of the other slaves in the Hutt’s care, learning that they, despite being slaves, enjoyed being in his employ. For Plorba was not a harsh master, unlike most of his kind. Perhaps this was because of his lower rank in the organization on Ylesia, allowing him not much financial give, or because he truly cared for his slaves, finding them a necessary evil. Yol and Jelda did not care for the Hutt’s reasons; they were to be well taken care of.
They had been married about 17 years, working for the Hutt almost 15 of them, when Jelda unexpectedly found herself pregnant. Normal couples would have been overjoyed at this type of news, but the Bravors were slaves. Despite Plorba’s benevolence, they weren’t sure what would become of their child. In their time with the other slaves, no one else in the Hutt’s employ had ever had a child. They Bravors were the first couple enslaved in his compound, and the other slaves were too genetically difference to conceive children, though some tried. Because the Hutt was not rich, they were unsure whether he could afford one slave—Jelda—to be ‘out of commission’ for to long to take care of their child. And so it was this great unease of the knowledge of the unknown, with no precedence to guide them, that overshadowed their happiness.
At first Jelda tried to hide it, working alone as much as she could manage, wearing looser clothing (the hot summer helped). She also made a pact with her husband that he show no more concern for her than he usually did. That fact that the couple was advanced in years helped in the first months of their deception—being thought beyond childbearing years was welcome in their case. By now Plorbano longer worried about his slaves reproducing.
However, Jelda could not keep her secret for long. In the instances she found herself working with the other female slaves, some of them began flashing her knowing glances. Before long, even her loosest tunics and dresses were beginning to tighten. What was originally thought as a woman packing on pounds in her middle age morphed into whisperings behind her back.
Flo-Ghi-Van, a Cerean female, uncannily well-versed in human culture and one of Jelda’s few true friends within the Hutt’s compound, drew her aside one day during the slaves’ brief lunch break. Relieved to finally be able to confide in someone, Jelda told Flo-Ghi-Van everything, all her fears. The other female consoled the woman, and she promised to come up with an idea to help her and her child. There was no telling what the Hutt, though caring, would do with another slave to feed. His generosity could only go so far. Jelda urged her friend to hurry; if she started wearing her husband’s bigger clothes more frequently to hide her growing belly, others would get suspicious. That night in their quarters—rare private ones granted by the Hutt because of their relationship—Jelda told Yol about her conversation with Flo-Ghi-Van. He dearly hoped the Cerean could come up with something, or at least defend their child’s value to the Hutt when he was born.
The fateful day came without any word from Flo-Ghi-Van. In fact, Jedla hadn’t seen her in months, assuming she had been assigned to another work detail. It wasn’t until much later that the Bravors discovered the Cerean’s true fate—she had been killed for snooping in the Hutt’s personal business. Her death had been portrayed as an unfortunate accident in the large washing machinery, but the Bravors knew the truth. Their friend had paid the ultimate price (there had been rumors of the Hutt losing more money and becoming more aggravated), and they were back to square one.
Try as she might, Jelda could not completely hide her labor and delivery from the other slaves. They Bravors had prayed that their child would come quietly in the night, but whichever gods were out there hadn’t been listening. Jelda, working alone as was her usual the last couple months during the pregnancy, had her water break during the middle of her shift. She tried to work on, knowing that many women had labor lasting many hours. Cleaning up the mess, she moved on, ignoring her sparse contractions. But before long, she had to pause in her work, doubled over in pain, every 20 minutes. Then it was 15. 10. 5 minutes apart came the pain. Close now, less than 2. And she still had an hour left before she could return to her quarters and have her husband at her side. Jelda was glad for the loud cleaning equipment she kept running, hoping to drown out as many of her outcries as possible.
Finally her shift was over, and she was able to return home and wait for her husband and the delivery of her child. She made her way slowly, having to make many stops because of the pain. A few slaves passed Jelda, showing concern, but she waved them off, feigning indigestion. Jelda went directly to her bedroom, the pain unbearable. She crawled on her bed, hoping Yol would return from his work soon. Despite the predicament the birth put the couple in, she still knew her husband hid a little happiness within his heart, as did she.
When Yol came home, he was surprised to find his wife on their bed, writhing in pain. He ran to her, talking her hand, trying to soothe her in any way he could but knowing it was not enough. The pain was evident in her eyes. Jelda’s husband prayed again, this time asking that all would be well with his wife and child, that it would not be a difficult birth. Perhaps they would be able to beat the odds, surviving the ordeal of having a child at their advanced age.
Without any available medical help, afraid to ask the Hutt for anything, Yol and Jelda were alone at what was supposed to be the happiest time of their lives. Carefully he undressed Jelda and tried to make her as comfortable as possible. He held her hand, encouraging her when she said it was time; the baby was coming. Jelda pushed, screaming, willing the child out of her. Yol mouthed another prayed. And then, suddenly, it was all over. There was a sharp scream, but it did not come from Jelda. Yol rushed from his wife’s side to the end of the bed, picking up his son where he lay amid the birthing fluids. He cleaned him up, wrapping him in a sheet and brought him to his mother. The Bravors were now a family of three with their son, a melding of his father’s olive skin and dark eyes and his mother’s dark auburn hair. Al thoughts of their uncertain future were gone for now. They happily and tearfully looked over their son. A name was chosen—Meliin.
But their happiness could not last for long, and the Bravors knew this. They still had no idea what they Hutt would do if he found out about the child. With Flo-Ghi-Van gone, they no longer had any other friends in the slave quarters they could completely trust. They day after the not so little Mel was born, Jelda called in sick, using her many years of faithful service to her advantage. Yol continued to work, repairing various mechanical things in the Hutt’s employ. Jelda used her time at home to recover from her long and exhaustive labor. The large baby mixed with her advanced age had not made the birth easy by any means. She was very tired, and Mel preyed on all her attentions. Jedla dreaded the day, though, when her ruse of illness would no longer work. Who would take care of her baby?
Unfortunately, they new mother would not have to think about the possibilities for long. A few days later, on the morning of the day she had told the Hutt he would resume her cleaning duties, Jelda couldn’t get out of bed. She was feverish and in much pain. Yol tried to console his crying baby, but Mel’s needs could not be met by his father alone. He talked to him, rocked him, sung to him, anything to keep the newborn quiet enough so as not to alert any other slaves nearby or, worse, the Hutt or his cronies. With no one else to turn to, Yol felt helpless as he watched his wife delirious in bed, as the blood began soaking through the bottom half of the sheets. Yol’s cries of anguish melded with that of his young son’s as he watched his wife’s life slowly ebb away, unable to do anything to stop what was happening. After almost 18 years of marriage, Yol Bravor was left to pick up the pieces of his life and figure out how he would survive without his wife. And with his son. He dearly missed Jelda’s wisdom.
Jelda’s body was placed in a small cemetery outside the Hutt’s residence. There was no service; the day carried on as always. No other slaves were permitted to pay their respects, not even the woman’s husband. Knowing that the Hutt’s patience was wearing even thinner now these days, Yol made a difficult decision but the one that he thought would give Mel the best chance at a good life, one he would not gain living in fear in the slave quarters on Ylesia. One night, after tending his screaming hungry baby the best he could, Yol packed up Mel and made for the main center of Colony Three, the city where the Hutt had his residence. With a kiss good-bye, the man left without a second glance, tears glistening in his eyes, his child screaming from the steps of the local orphanage.
The next couple years of Meliin Bravor’s life went by much easier than his first days after being born. Though he was no longer living with is parents, he was well taken care of at the orphanage. The orphanage was unusually prosperous, since wealthy families in Colony Three on Ylesia and throughout the system donated money to it to keep up appearances and throw off attention to their more shady dealings. So the children at the Lesh Orphanage had three meals a day, plenty of toys and regular attention to hygiene. They lived better lives than most of the people in the city.
Meliin was one of the happiest babies at Lesh Orphanage, turning into one of the caretakers’ favorite toddlers to be around. He never fought with the other kids; Mel played easily with whomever he was near, no matter the age of the other child and despite his large size for his age. The boy with the shock of red hair and ever-so-slanted eyes could disarm any of the women at the orphanage with his toothy smile.
The women working at Lesh Orphanage had many rules, one of which was making sure the children in their care got a good education. The older children were taught all the same subjects and topics they would have learned in any of the city’s best schools; the patrons of the orphanage had spared no expense. The younger kids were left to more freer means of education, learning as they played with each other and their caretakers. By the time they were about two years of age, Mel and some of the other young kids could form simple complete sentences, recite the alphabet in Basic and name off their colors.
Also by this time the two to four year olds had formed relationships with each other, breaking off into familiar groups for play time. Mel and two other boys near his age, a Miraluka and a Rodian, could always be found in the common room of the orphanage participating in some mischief or other. One of their favorite games to play was their version of hide-and-seek. The three of them would first build some small forts and contraptions throughout the large room using toys and some of the more lightweight pieces of furniture. Knowing they couldn’t use the entire building for their game, they had gotten used to using the common room when it was empty except for Mel, Eega the Rodian and Wes the Miraluka. After setting up their obstacles of forts and hidey-holes, they boys would take turns hiding and finding. Though the blind Wed could see through the Force as all his kind could, he was only two and not yet well-versed in the skill. And so the three were pretty easily matched in this game of hide-and-seek. Mel, despite being the tallest of the three, quickly became the best one at hiding, almost always being the last one found by Eega or Wes. He figured out which areas best disguised his figure, sometimes curling up around himself and squeezing into areas on wouldn’t think possible. Indeed, his playmates had a hard time finding him a few times because Mel was not in the more obvious hidden locations. One of his favorite tricks was to pull his shirt over his head to hide his red hair. Earlier he had realized that feature had given him away to Wes and Eaga, despite his good hiding place.
One day, a few months after Meliin Bravor had turned three years old, a well-dressed distinguished-looking man came to the orphanage. Over the years many children had been adopted at throughout Colony Three and other cities on Ylesia. Most had gone with caring couples unable to have their own children. But for a few, the women at the Lesh Orphanage showed concern for what was held in store for them. But they could not choose to be picky for fear of losing their patrons and donations.
So it was that the appearance of this human male to the orphanage did not alert all the children—instead they were excited at the possibility of leaving for a real family. No matter how great their time at the orphanage was, all the kids there hoped for a real family. However, the caretakers at Lesh Orphanage felt a little wary at the man’s presence. He came alone and did not seem like the fatherly type. But the women could do nothing but stand by and watch, wishing the best outcome for the child he chose to take with him.
His credentials passed with flying colors, his ID presenting him as Mr Orel Baroni of Ralltiir, a local businessman there. After completing all his paperwork, Mr Baroni took his time wandering throughout the building, checking out all the children around the ages of three and four. This particular interest of the businessman didn’t fall with suspicion on the ears of the caretakers. They were used to adults coming in with their requests of either newborns or toddlers, sometimes children near ten. During his walk, Mr Baroni happened upon the common room where Mel, Wes and Eega were enjoying a game of hide-and-seek along with a few others who had joined their group over the last couple years. At the time the Ralltiirian businessman looked in, half a dozen young boys of various species were turning the room almost upside down, obviously looking for yet one more friend. Finally, they found him, out popping Mel, half a head taller than the rest with his dark red hair a contrast to the neutral tones of his clothing. Smiling, Mr Baroni entered the room and went to approach the grinning winner of the game he had just witnessed. He congratulated Mel and then asked him to take a walk with him. Mr Baroni explained to Mel that he had been looking for a smart little boy to take home to Ralltiir, that his wife was looking forward to finally having a child. Mel’s eyes were wide; finally after three years he might have a real family! He got on fast with the man he thought of as his new dad and accepted his offer. Having been one of their favorites, the women at the orphanage were sad to see Mel leave them, but they felt with almost complete certainity that the nice Mr Baroni was the real deal, a perfect father for their little Mel. And so, after packing up his few clothes and other items, Mel departed the orphanage on Ylesia for Ralltiir with Mr Baroni on his starship. The little boy was excited for the next chapter in his life to begin.
However, everything turned upside down after the pair landed on Ralltiir. At first, the young boy didn't think it was completely odd that Mr Baroni was taking him to something that looked a fair deal larger than a house. He thought perhaps the man was very rich or something like that. In any case, Mel was just excited to meet his new mother for the very first time. The older man took the red-haired boy into the complex of buildings, escorting him past a couple security checks. It was then that Mel began to get a little worried and looked up at the man holding his hand. He wasn't scared, not yet, just apprehensive and a bit worried.
He didn't know it at the time, but the place he was being led into was indeed not Mr Baroni's large but weird mansion. Nor was his name Baroni. Mel Bravor was entering the ground floor cover for the Green Meadows assassins operation. The hallways he was currently walking through, the man's hand gripping his even tighter, were designed to look like a medical training facility and lab, something completely harmless to any prying eyes. Having never been to a hospital before, Mel had never seen anything like the place before. It was large and white, devoid of anything that could be pleasant, the complete opposite of the brightly colored orphanage from whence he came. The red-haired three-and-a-half year old was no longer just a little apprehensive. The tight grip on his hand from Mr Baroni was frightening him, and he wanted to go back to the Lesh Orphanage on Ylesia. He wanted his friends and his caretakers. He didn't want to be here.
After feeling like they had walked for hours, but only really about 30 minutes, Mr Baroni and Mel had arrived at a turbolift. The man swiped a card and completed a retinal scan before the doors opened. With a smile that looked to Mel to be a bit fake, like his caretakers would use when telling him and his friends that immunizations wouldn't hurt, Mr Baroni pulled the boy into the 'lift. They rode down a few floors before the transport stopped again. The man gave Mel another unnerving smile before grasping his hand again and leading him down yet another hallway. But this one felt different to Mel. A difference that just reinforced his fear and couldn't stop a tear from squeezing out the corner of an eye. He had always been so confidant at the orphanage with lots of friends, doing well in his lessons. But now he was in a strange place being almost dragged by some strange man that he realized now was probably not his new dad.
Stopping in front of a doorway, the man opened it up, nodded at Mel and pushed him inside, not entirely gently. Mel never saw Mr Baroni again. After staring into the hard durasteel of the door for a moment, he turned around to look at the room. A woman was looking at him, standing next to a weird-looking chair with what looked like a metal hat attached to the top of it. She smiled at him, and this time Mel believed it was genuine. He walked towards her and climbed into the chair when she indicated so. Some of his fear was gone, strangely, and his curiosity had kicked in again. With her back to him now, the red-haired boy wasn't sure what she was doing, but her calm demeanor had settled him. Something that, if he had remembered the experience later, he would have been grateful for. Because what came next hurt. A lot.
The 'hat' was placed over his head, covering him down to his forehead by the woman. Suddenly he felt a biting pinching pain in his head. The worst pain Mel had ever felt in his short life of less than four years. A gasp and squeal escaped his lips. He began feeling confused and sleepy, seeing memories of his life at the orphanage. The more recent ones followed by the older ones, like a holovid of his life running backwards. Then they were gone. The boy began wondering where he was, peeking under his metal helmet, experiencing what an older child or adult would describe as amnesia, when he got very sleepy. His eyes closed, and the one known as Mel Bravor ceased to exist, replaced by his designation of Zulu.
While he was asleep, anesthetized, the woman pulled her tray of instruments closer and started her incision. Having done this many times before on other young children, boys and girls, the procedure was quick and methodical for her. She knew exactly where to cut to insert the chip, the reason the red-haired boy had been brought to the Green Meadows complex. The newly christened Zulu would be implanted with his Reactive Emotion stabiLizing InterfaCe (or RELIC) chip, the first step in the real purpose of the large facility: to become one of the deadliest assassins in the galaxy.
more coming soon
RP Sample: coming soon
Password: Trouble with Tribbles
Original Name: Meliin "Mel" Bravor [pron. meh'LEEN (mehl) bra'VORE]
Age: 24
Race: Human
Birth place: slave quarters outside Colony Three, Ylesia
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 210 pounds
Eye color: dark brown
Hair color: dark red
Appearance: A tall young man, he doesn't look awkward in his body at all, as it is all toned and muscular. He has light olive skin and dark brown eyes with epicanthic folds at the edges, a small representative of his mixed ancestry on his father's side (all human cultures), giving him a slightly exotic look. But perhaps the most startling mark of his appearance is what he inherited from his mother: his dark red/auburn hair. He keeps it cut short, sometimes so short that it sticks out, giving it a somewhat sloppy, spiky appearance. There is also a small swath of white hairs above his left temple due to an injury suffered as a youth.
When on a job, he wears all black from his boots to his neck, with black trousers, shirt, jacket, calf-high boots with shin covers and sometimes a mask and cape (which he only wears when stealth isn't involved, as it would give away his location too easily as he moved). Despite his tall height, this clothing helps him blend into shadows along with his training. Strapped to his back are his two vibroswords; he also keeps various other weapons hidden about his person and clothing, such as small daggers, knives, and throwing stars.
But when he is at Green Meadows during downtime after a mission chip erasure, he wears more comfortable clothes to help as he trains more and is involved in the various lessons. Generally this consists of some loose trousers made of soft, stretchy material and a short-sleeved shirt of the same material, yet not as loose as the pants. Both items are in the company's traditional green colors.
Personality:
Before the chip: Mel is your typical outgoing 3-year-old boy. He loves to play his favorite games with his friends. And he also loves learning, especially anything related to languages, being quite studious in this area, though his knowledge is still rudimentary at this age.
After the chip: Zulu has relatively no personality to speak of. He's a cold-blooded killer, using emotions only when it might help him complete a mission. Otherwise, on his own at the complex, he's pretty devoid of anything resembling a personality or any personal emotions. He strives to be his best.
After the chip degrades: TBD
Profession: Assassin
Skills: Green Meadows Assassins Training;
Can speak/understand a variety of languages including but not limited to: Bocce, Bothan, Durese, Galactic Basic, Huttese, Rodese, and Twi'leki
Equipment:
Vibroswords: two 1-meter long swords, vibro switches, durasteel
Color: Silver blades, black hilts
link coming soon
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 8
Intelligence: 7
Speed: 8
Leadership: 2
Unarmed: 5
Melee Weapons: 8
Ranged Weapons: 3
Specialized Combat Skill - Dual regular swords: 9
Specialized Non-Combat Skill - Stealth: 7
Ship Name: N/A
Bio:
Meliin Bravor was the unfortunate offspring of two slaves working for Plorba the Hutt on Ylesia. Originally from Umgul, Yol and Jelda Bravor had been captured in a pirate raid on their planet years earlier. In a series of events, they, luckily together, ended up moving from their original slave market and through multiple owners to Ylesia to serve in Plorba’s household. Most of their jobs entailed grunt work—cleaning and repair—with Jelda doing the former, Yol the latter. They got to know many of the other slaves in the Hutt’s care, learning that they, despite being slaves, enjoyed being in his employ. For Plorba was not a harsh master, unlike most of his kind. Perhaps this was because of his lower rank in the organization on Ylesia, allowing him not much financial give, or because he truly cared for his slaves, finding them a necessary evil. Yol and Jelda did not care for the Hutt’s reasons; they were to be well taken care of.
They had been married about 17 years, working for the Hutt almost 15 of them, when Jelda unexpectedly found herself pregnant. Normal couples would have been overjoyed at this type of news, but the Bravors were slaves. Despite Plorba’s benevolence, they weren’t sure what would become of their child. In their time with the other slaves, no one else in the Hutt’s employ had ever had a child. They Bravors were the first couple enslaved in his compound, and the other slaves were too genetically difference to conceive children, though some tried. Because the Hutt was not rich, they were unsure whether he could afford one slave—Jelda—to be ‘out of commission’ for to long to take care of their child. And so it was this great unease of the knowledge of the unknown, with no precedence to guide them, that overshadowed their happiness.
At first Jelda tried to hide it, working alone as much as she could manage, wearing looser clothing (the hot summer helped). She also made a pact with her husband that he show no more concern for her than he usually did. That fact that the couple was advanced in years helped in the first months of their deception—being thought beyond childbearing years was welcome in their case. By now Plorbano longer worried about his slaves reproducing.
However, Jelda could not keep her secret for long. In the instances she found herself working with the other female slaves, some of them began flashing her knowing glances. Before long, even her loosest tunics and dresses were beginning to tighten. What was originally thought as a woman packing on pounds in her middle age morphed into whisperings behind her back.
Flo-Ghi-Van, a Cerean female, uncannily well-versed in human culture and one of Jelda’s few true friends within the Hutt’s compound, drew her aside one day during the slaves’ brief lunch break. Relieved to finally be able to confide in someone, Jelda told Flo-Ghi-Van everything, all her fears. The other female consoled the woman, and she promised to come up with an idea to help her and her child. There was no telling what the Hutt, though caring, would do with another slave to feed. His generosity could only go so far. Jelda urged her friend to hurry; if she started wearing her husband’s bigger clothes more frequently to hide her growing belly, others would get suspicious. That night in their quarters—rare private ones granted by the Hutt because of their relationship—Jelda told Yol about her conversation with Flo-Ghi-Van. He dearly hoped the Cerean could come up with something, or at least defend their child’s value to the Hutt when he was born.
The fateful day came without any word from Flo-Ghi-Van. In fact, Jedla hadn’t seen her in months, assuming she had been assigned to another work detail. It wasn’t until much later that the Bravors discovered the Cerean’s true fate—she had been killed for snooping in the Hutt’s personal business. Her death had been portrayed as an unfortunate accident in the large washing machinery, but the Bravors knew the truth. Their friend had paid the ultimate price (there had been rumors of the Hutt losing more money and becoming more aggravated), and they were back to square one.
Try as she might, Jelda could not completely hide her labor and delivery from the other slaves. They Bravors had prayed that their child would come quietly in the night, but whichever gods were out there hadn’t been listening. Jelda, working alone as was her usual the last couple months during the pregnancy, had her water break during the middle of her shift. She tried to work on, knowing that many women had labor lasting many hours. Cleaning up the mess, she moved on, ignoring her sparse contractions. But before long, she had to pause in her work, doubled over in pain, every 20 minutes. Then it was 15. 10. 5 minutes apart came the pain. Close now, less than 2. And she still had an hour left before she could return to her quarters and have her husband at her side. Jelda was glad for the loud cleaning equipment she kept running, hoping to drown out as many of her outcries as possible.
Finally her shift was over, and she was able to return home and wait for her husband and the delivery of her child. She made her way slowly, having to make many stops because of the pain. A few slaves passed Jelda, showing concern, but she waved them off, feigning indigestion. Jelda went directly to her bedroom, the pain unbearable. She crawled on her bed, hoping Yol would return from his work soon. Despite the predicament the birth put the couple in, she still knew her husband hid a little happiness within his heart, as did she.
When Yol came home, he was surprised to find his wife on their bed, writhing in pain. He ran to her, talking her hand, trying to soothe her in any way he could but knowing it was not enough. The pain was evident in her eyes. Jelda’s husband prayed again, this time asking that all would be well with his wife and child, that it would not be a difficult birth. Perhaps they would be able to beat the odds, surviving the ordeal of having a child at their advanced age.
Without any available medical help, afraid to ask the Hutt for anything, Yol and Jelda were alone at what was supposed to be the happiest time of their lives. Carefully he undressed Jelda and tried to make her as comfortable as possible. He held her hand, encouraging her when she said it was time; the baby was coming. Jelda pushed, screaming, willing the child out of her. Yol mouthed another prayed. And then, suddenly, it was all over. There was a sharp scream, but it did not come from Jelda. Yol rushed from his wife’s side to the end of the bed, picking up his son where he lay amid the birthing fluids. He cleaned him up, wrapping him in a sheet and brought him to his mother. The Bravors were now a family of three with their son, a melding of his father’s olive skin and dark eyes and his mother’s dark auburn hair. Al thoughts of their uncertain future were gone for now. They happily and tearfully looked over their son. A name was chosen—Meliin.
But their happiness could not last for long, and the Bravors knew this. They still had no idea what they Hutt would do if he found out about the child. With Flo-Ghi-Van gone, they no longer had any other friends in the slave quarters they could completely trust. They day after the not so little Mel was born, Jelda called in sick, using her many years of faithful service to her advantage. Yol continued to work, repairing various mechanical things in the Hutt’s employ. Jelda used her time at home to recover from her long and exhaustive labor. The large baby mixed with her advanced age had not made the birth easy by any means. She was very tired, and Mel preyed on all her attentions. Jedla dreaded the day, though, when her ruse of illness would no longer work. Who would take care of her baby?
Unfortunately, they new mother would not have to think about the possibilities for long. A few days later, on the morning of the day she had told the Hutt he would resume her cleaning duties, Jelda couldn’t get out of bed. She was feverish and in much pain. Yol tried to console his crying baby, but Mel’s needs could not be met by his father alone. He talked to him, rocked him, sung to him, anything to keep the newborn quiet enough so as not to alert any other slaves nearby or, worse, the Hutt or his cronies. With no one else to turn to, Yol felt helpless as he watched his wife delirious in bed, as the blood began soaking through the bottom half of the sheets. Yol’s cries of anguish melded with that of his young son’s as he watched his wife’s life slowly ebb away, unable to do anything to stop what was happening. After almost 18 years of marriage, Yol Bravor was left to pick up the pieces of his life and figure out how he would survive without his wife. And with his son. He dearly missed Jelda’s wisdom.
Jelda’s body was placed in a small cemetery outside the Hutt’s residence. There was no service; the day carried on as always. No other slaves were permitted to pay their respects, not even the woman’s husband. Knowing that the Hutt’s patience was wearing even thinner now these days, Yol made a difficult decision but the one that he thought would give Mel the best chance at a good life, one he would not gain living in fear in the slave quarters on Ylesia. One night, after tending his screaming hungry baby the best he could, Yol packed up Mel and made for the main center of Colony Three, the city where the Hutt had his residence. With a kiss good-bye, the man left without a second glance, tears glistening in his eyes, his child screaming from the steps of the local orphanage.
The next couple years of Meliin Bravor’s life went by much easier than his first days after being born. Though he was no longer living with is parents, he was well taken care of at the orphanage. The orphanage was unusually prosperous, since wealthy families in Colony Three on Ylesia and throughout the system donated money to it to keep up appearances and throw off attention to their more shady dealings. So the children at the Lesh Orphanage had three meals a day, plenty of toys and regular attention to hygiene. They lived better lives than most of the people in the city.
Meliin was one of the happiest babies at Lesh Orphanage, turning into one of the caretakers’ favorite toddlers to be around. He never fought with the other kids; Mel played easily with whomever he was near, no matter the age of the other child and despite his large size for his age. The boy with the shock of red hair and ever-so-slanted eyes could disarm any of the women at the orphanage with his toothy smile.
The women working at Lesh Orphanage had many rules, one of which was making sure the children in their care got a good education. The older children were taught all the same subjects and topics they would have learned in any of the city’s best schools; the patrons of the orphanage had spared no expense. The younger kids were left to more freer means of education, learning as they played with each other and their caretakers. By the time they were about two years of age, Mel and some of the other young kids could form simple complete sentences, recite the alphabet in Basic and name off their colors.
Also by this time the two to four year olds had formed relationships with each other, breaking off into familiar groups for play time. Mel and two other boys near his age, a Miraluka and a Rodian, could always be found in the common room of the orphanage participating in some mischief or other. One of their favorite games to play was their version of hide-and-seek. The three of them would first build some small forts and contraptions throughout the large room using toys and some of the more lightweight pieces of furniture. Knowing they couldn’t use the entire building for their game, they had gotten used to using the common room when it was empty except for Mel, Eega the Rodian and Wes the Miraluka. After setting up their obstacles of forts and hidey-holes, they boys would take turns hiding and finding. Though the blind Wed could see through the Force as all his kind could, he was only two and not yet well-versed in the skill. And so the three were pretty easily matched in this game of hide-and-seek. Mel, despite being the tallest of the three, quickly became the best one at hiding, almost always being the last one found by Eega or Wes. He figured out which areas best disguised his figure, sometimes curling up around himself and squeezing into areas on wouldn’t think possible. Indeed, his playmates had a hard time finding him a few times because Mel was not in the more obvious hidden locations. One of his favorite tricks was to pull his shirt over his head to hide his red hair. Earlier he had realized that feature had given him away to Wes and Eaga, despite his good hiding place.
One day, a few months after Meliin Bravor had turned three years old, a well-dressed distinguished-looking man came to the orphanage. Over the years many children had been adopted at throughout Colony Three and other cities on Ylesia. Most had gone with caring couples unable to have their own children. But for a few, the women at the Lesh Orphanage showed concern for what was held in store for them. But they could not choose to be picky for fear of losing their patrons and donations.
So it was that the appearance of this human male to the orphanage did not alert all the children—instead they were excited at the possibility of leaving for a real family. No matter how great their time at the orphanage was, all the kids there hoped for a real family. However, the caretakers at Lesh Orphanage felt a little wary at the man’s presence. He came alone and did not seem like the fatherly type. But the women could do nothing but stand by and watch, wishing the best outcome for the child he chose to take with him.
His credentials passed with flying colors, his ID presenting him as Mr Orel Baroni of Ralltiir, a local businessman there. After completing all his paperwork, Mr Baroni took his time wandering throughout the building, checking out all the children around the ages of three and four. This particular interest of the businessman didn’t fall with suspicion on the ears of the caretakers. They were used to adults coming in with their requests of either newborns or toddlers, sometimes children near ten. During his walk, Mr Baroni happened upon the common room where Mel, Wes and Eega were enjoying a game of hide-and-seek along with a few others who had joined their group over the last couple years. At the time the Ralltiirian businessman looked in, half a dozen young boys of various species were turning the room almost upside down, obviously looking for yet one more friend. Finally, they found him, out popping Mel, half a head taller than the rest with his dark red hair a contrast to the neutral tones of his clothing. Smiling, Mr Baroni entered the room and went to approach the grinning winner of the game he had just witnessed. He congratulated Mel and then asked him to take a walk with him. Mr Baroni explained to Mel that he had been looking for a smart little boy to take home to Ralltiir, that his wife was looking forward to finally having a child. Mel’s eyes were wide; finally after three years he might have a real family! He got on fast with the man he thought of as his new dad and accepted his offer. Having been one of their favorites, the women at the orphanage were sad to see Mel leave them, but they felt with almost complete certainity that the nice Mr Baroni was the real deal, a perfect father for their little Mel. And so, after packing up his few clothes and other items, Mel departed the orphanage on Ylesia for Ralltiir with Mr Baroni on his starship. The little boy was excited for the next chapter in his life to begin.
However, everything turned upside down after the pair landed on Ralltiir. At first, the young boy didn't think it was completely odd that Mr Baroni was taking him to something that looked a fair deal larger than a house. He thought perhaps the man was very rich or something like that. In any case, Mel was just excited to meet his new mother for the very first time. The older man took the red-haired boy into the complex of buildings, escorting him past a couple security checks. It was then that Mel began to get a little worried and looked up at the man holding his hand. He wasn't scared, not yet, just apprehensive and a bit worried.
He didn't know it at the time, but the place he was being led into was indeed not Mr Baroni's large but weird mansion. Nor was his name Baroni. Mel Bravor was entering the ground floor cover for the Green Meadows assassins operation. The hallways he was currently walking through, the man's hand gripping his even tighter, were designed to look like a medical training facility and lab, something completely harmless to any prying eyes. Having never been to a hospital before, Mel had never seen anything like the place before. It was large and white, devoid of anything that could be pleasant, the complete opposite of the brightly colored orphanage from whence he came. The red-haired three-and-a-half year old was no longer just a little apprehensive. The tight grip on his hand from Mr Baroni was frightening him, and he wanted to go back to the Lesh Orphanage on Ylesia. He wanted his friends and his caretakers. He didn't want to be here.
After feeling like they had walked for hours, but only really about 30 minutes, Mr Baroni and Mel had arrived at a turbolift. The man swiped a card and completed a retinal scan before the doors opened. With a smile that looked to Mel to be a bit fake, like his caretakers would use when telling him and his friends that immunizations wouldn't hurt, Mr Baroni pulled the boy into the 'lift. They rode down a few floors before the transport stopped again. The man gave Mel another unnerving smile before grasping his hand again and leading him down yet another hallway. But this one felt different to Mel. A difference that just reinforced his fear and couldn't stop a tear from squeezing out the corner of an eye. He had always been so confidant at the orphanage with lots of friends, doing well in his lessons. But now he was in a strange place being almost dragged by some strange man that he realized now was probably not his new dad.
Stopping in front of a doorway, the man opened it up, nodded at Mel and pushed him inside, not entirely gently. Mel never saw Mr Baroni again. After staring into the hard durasteel of the door for a moment, he turned around to look at the room. A woman was looking at him, standing next to a weird-looking chair with what looked like a metal hat attached to the top of it. She smiled at him, and this time Mel believed it was genuine. He walked towards her and climbed into the chair when she indicated so. Some of his fear was gone, strangely, and his curiosity had kicked in again. With her back to him now, the red-haired boy wasn't sure what she was doing, but her calm demeanor had settled him. Something that, if he had remembered the experience later, he would have been grateful for. Because what came next hurt. A lot.
The 'hat' was placed over his head, covering him down to his forehead by the woman. Suddenly he felt a biting pinching pain in his head. The worst pain Mel had ever felt in his short life of less than four years. A gasp and squeal escaped his lips. He began feeling confused and sleepy, seeing memories of his life at the orphanage. The more recent ones followed by the older ones, like a holovid of his life running backwards. Then they were gone. The boy began wondering where he was, peeking under his metal helmet, experiencing what an older child or adult would describe as amnesia, when he got very sleepy. His eyes closed, and the one known as Mel Bravor ceased to exist, replaced by his designation of Zulu.
While he was asleep, anesthetized, the woman pulled her tray of instruments closer and started her incision. Having done this many times before on other young children, boys and girls, the procedure was quick and methodical for her. She knew exactly where to cut to insert the chip, the reason the red-haired boy had been brought to the Green Meadows complex. The newly christened Zulu would be implanted with his Reactive Emotion stabiLizing InterfaCe (or RELIC) chip, the first step in the real purpose of the large facility: to become one of the deadliest assassins in the galaxy.
more coming soon
RP Sample: coming soon
Password: Trouble with Tribbles
