#kix ask

Treat!

Why must you hurt me like this 😭😭😭😭

This turned out longer than I planned.

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Kix was beyond ready to stretch his legs. Sitting in his jump seat for the last couple hours with this knees pressed against the co-pilot’s seat in front of him had caused some major cramps. They were headed back to Takodana to resupply.

Maz’s Castle on the planet hadn’t been the only gathering place for unsavory types. It had just been the most popular. Once there, they’d refuel and restock their freeze dried food stuffs. Kix was hoping to find time to visit a place for some actual food. The freeze dried stuff was real, but it reminded him too much of military food.

They landed not too far outside a small town, the weekend market was in full swing. A perfect place to get supplies. And real food. Smells drifted up from pop-up cantinas and food carts. Some Kix recognized from his travels around the galaxy, and some that were foreign to him. He felt like he had been everywhere, but there were still places he hadnt even heard of.

Kix and Quiggold were tasked with getting the food, Kix had some medical supplies he needed to restock as well. They stopped at a food cart and ordered a chunky stew with meat and vegetables. Kix had no idea what the meat was, he didn’t understand the Artiodac who ran the cart. But the vegetables he recognized.

“Finally, something hot and I didn’t have to heat it.” Quiggold muttered, sipping his cup of stew. He sighed contently. Kix smirked and lifted his own cup to his lips and took a sip. He looked around at the patrons of the market, trying to see how many species he can name.

“What’s on your list for medical supplies?” Quiggold asked, checking the medic pack Kix had for the list. He checked their credit limit to make sure they had enough. No answer.

“Kix?” The Gabdorian looked up at his comrade, who had his cup paused halfway to his lips. He was frozen in place. A strange look on his face. Quiggold placed his cup down on a table.

“Hey, Quiggold to Kix? What’s wrong? What are you staring at?” The peg-legged first mate followed his friend’s stare to a woman.

“Oh, yes. She is very pretty. But we don’t have time to gawk at the ladies. We need to finish our shopping.” Quiggold took Kix by the wrist and tried to pull him along. The former-clone stayed put.

“Kix, do I need to pull-“ Quiggold’s threat to pull rank was cut short when the medic’s hand suddenly crushed the cup of stew, the hot contents didn’t seem to phase him. He was now mouthing something, but the noise of the market made it hard to hear. Quiggold was alarmed now, he had never seen Kix act like this. His eyes were still locked on the woman, who was levitating an apple in front of a dark-skinned man.

“Come on, Rey! Quit playing! I don’t think Jedi used the Force for this!” Finn said, reaching for the fruit. The woman used the Force to pull it just out of reach, giggling playfully. She was oblivious to the strange man staring at her.

“Captain, we have an issue. I think something is wrong with Kix. I can’t get him to respond. He’s conscious, sort of. I think he’s saying something like ‘good soldiers follow orders’, but I have no idea what that means.” Quiggold used his comm unit to contact Captain Ithano, Reveth, and Squeaky who were haggling over fuel. Just then Kix dropped the cup and charged the woman full speed, Quiggold only having time to yell at him to stop.

Rey felt a sudden change in the Force, a warning sign. But she didn’t really need it, since she could hear the startled screams of market goers as a man ran towards her at top speed. He was fast and almost too close for comfort. The apple dropped to the ground with a thud as Rey used the Force to push the man back and into a cart selling blankets. The man rolled and got to his feet easily. She didn’t want to kill him, but she didn’t want to die either.

Finn intercepted the man just as Rey ignited her lightsaber defensively. The tackle knocked both men to the ground and Finn initially had the upper hand, but was quickly overpowered by Kix. He was immensely stronger than Finn, the former Stormtrooper was soon pushed aside. Kix hadn’t once taken his eyes off his prey. A Jedi. The latent order from over half a century ago sparked when he had seen her levitate an apple. The words “Jedi” and “Force” sealed her fate when the old chip still implanted registered the terms.

Kix got to his feet, but Finn grabbed his legs and pulled him back down. This man looked familiar. He needed another look at his face. Finn had studied the history of the Stormtrooper Corps. It had been required and he considered himself a history buff. He managed to get the man onto his back and Finn pinned him. Take away the beard, trim the hair back to a military high-and-tight....

A red-skinned, female Twi’lek then bodyslammed Finn, knocking him off Kix.

“No, no! He’s trying to hurt my friend!” Finn tried to explain, looking up to see Rey raise her ignited saber. The man didn’t appear afraid, he looked intent. Determined. Rey Force pushed him back one more time, the man managed to keep his footing. He knew how to fight around the Force. That was the icing on the cake for Finn.

“He’s a clone!” Finn yelled in realization, a look crossing the female Twi’lek’s face. The Crimson Corsair tackled his comrade, and managed to hold onto him tightly. The man struggled fiercely against the hold. Quiggold sedated Kix using one of the syringes from the man’s medic pack.

Finn shoved Reveth off him and scrambled to his feet, Rey looking relieved and startled at the same time. He approached the famous Captain Ithano and was blocked by a Gamorrean. Finn raised his hands to show he was unarmed, watching the Crimson Corsair get to his feet, holding the sedated clone up. Finn had read about the clones and had gone through the histories of some of the famous ones, Commander Cody, Commander Wolffe, Captain Rex. He had read about them being phased out of service and replaced with birth-born soldiers. He had heard Kylo Ren rant about how the clones had always been superior to the current ranks of Stormtroopers.

Finn had read military reports on the actions of some of the clones. But he also liked to indulge in conspiracy theories from time to time. One rumor was that there had been control chips implanted in the clones. And that, once activated, these chips caused the purge of the Jedi Order. Finn had always regarded it as rumor, since he couldn’t find any clear military record of such a device.

“He’s a clone, isn’t he. From the Republic days.” Finn spoke to Quiggold, who looked at Captain Ithano for guidance. The Captain gave his first mate a small shrug, Quiggold nodding to Finn. Finn looked back at Rey, who looked confused. She didn’t know anything about the clones. All she knew was that this man was hell-bent on attacking her. Captain Ithano began to grow uncomfortable with the attention his crew was getting, hauling the medic over his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry ma’am. I have no idea what just happened. He has never behaved like that before.” Quiggold apologized to Rey, who was able to sense his sincerity. She felt something new in the Force. A sense of calm and confidence. She could feel a powerful Force-sensitive nearby. She looked around, her eyes landing on a Togruta woman standing at the edge of a nearby stall. She hadn’t been there a moment ago, Rey was sure of that. Rey blinked and she was gone.

Captain Ithano and his crew arrived back at the Meson Martinet and lowered the loading ramp.

“What are we going to do? We can’t have him doing that. What if we don’t catch him in time?” Quiggold asked the Captain, who remained quiet.

“Perhaps I can help.” Said a voice from behind them. The crew spun around, spotting a white-cloaked Togruta woman. The woman lowered her hood to reveal long white and blue striped montrals and lekku.

“And who are you?” Reveth asked, eyeing the woman suspiciously.