#m4-sk

Gacen felt calm, he hadn’t left Risha’s side since arriving on Gabredor Prime, the planet was so weird it was so remote but also so beautiful, he had to admit he hadn’t been looking at the planet's beauty much though. He looked down at her lying in his arms and smiled, she really had waited for him, their love was real, he stroked her hair as she looked up at him still looking as smarmy as ever but clearly happy he was here. It was impressive she’d managed to get this set up in five years but not surprising, she could do anything when she set her mind to it and he’d help her whatever it took, he wasn’t a coward anymore.

Gacen frowned thinking to himself “so how do you think Sumalee is going to react when she sees me, throw me down the stairs or just groan” Risha laughed shaking her head at him

She smiled “she doesn’t hate you that much just the right amount, that sweet spot I found too” Gacen faked a gasp acting all offended “oh come on don’t make me feel bad dumbass” she sat up putting her forehead against his

Gacen smiled “I know I’m just kidding I’ll do my best to convince her despite the fact I’d rather just stay here with you, I only just got back and now I have to go again” he pouts at Risha who to no surprise doesn’t jump to comfort him

She tapped the comm link she gave him “you may go but I’m not letting us seperate that easy you better talk to me the whole time i spent ages getting these encrypted so it’s safe for us to talk” Gacen smiled at her 

He teased “awwww you did that for me you must really love me” Risha smirked rolling her eyes

She leaned forward “don’t flatter yourself or I’ll be forced to divorce you” Gacen chuckled right back to their old routine

He faked surprise “you wouldn’t dare” Risha chuckled to herself clearly happy to have her ‘dumbass’ back

Risha winked “oh just watch me” she pulled him in close for what he assumed would’ve been a snide comment but as she did her face softened and she just hugged him tight

Gacen hugged her back “aw Rish I guess we can’t quite go back to what we were, a few things have changed after all” she nodded squeezing him tight “it’s ok it’s ok though I promise I won't turn this off ok” She let him go wiping her eyes and smiling

She punched him playfully “you better not we can’t have anything bad happening to the future Queen's husband” Gacen smiled at her laughing to himself what an odd nickname

He tested his comm “testing one two, ‘Rish...loves... me’ you getting that ‘best...I am…the...best” Risha put her hand on her forehead

She chuckled “I’m already regretting giving you that but yes it does work” she tests her own “and you should be able to hear this ‘No...he...isn’t’” Gacen gasped comically as she spoke

He smiled “well it seems to work Rish” he looked out the window “has M4-SK prepared the ship” Risha nodded following him to the door “and he understands his ‘role’ right he seems eccentric even for a droid” Risha shrugged holding onto his hand

She sighed “I dunno probably he may be weird but he gets really in character so is much more reliable if he gets caught just don’t give him too much backstory or he’ll try to work it in” Gacen made a mental note to avoid that

Gacen took her hands and smiled “thanks Rish I promise I’ll be back in a flash with Sumalee” he pulled her into a long kiss after which neither really wanted to let go holding each other for a few minutes

Risha eventually broke away “well you best be back soon I have other things I need you for” Gacen gave her a quizzical flirty look “I don’t mean that! I mean other missions, come on Gacen that stuff goes without saying” Gacen chuckled squeezing her hands before turning to walk to the ship

Once in the cockpit he turned on the comm link leaning against the wall “hey girl I hear your home alone want some company” a long elongated sigh came back through with what sounded like a stifled laugh as well

Risha tutted “you are the worst I swear” Gacen strolled to the cockpit and sat down in the pilot's chair

He responded “yeah but I’m your worst it’s too late to back out now you admitted how cute you find me” M4-SK looked at him quizzically but didn’t press the issue 

Risha groaned “are you gonna be like this the whole trip” Gacen knew what the answer was but just whistled innocently…

Later they were coming up on Wayland and M4-SK had been asking questions “if I may I’d like to know a little more about my character” Gacen had done his best to avoid answering questions so far but he couldn’t hold out forever

Gacen groaned “you’re a protocol droid for me a travelling mystic” he gestured to the robes he was wearing that vaguely resembled the Jedi robes he’d seen during his time in the republic

Risha came through the comms “ooo wow what a mysterious hermit of course he has magic powers why not show me a few” Gacen rolled his eyes she’d been making fun of his outfit non stop

M4-SK rubbed their chin “yes I’m aware but do you really think people will buy you as a mystic what if I played the mystic” Gacen frowned at him what was so unconvincing about that

He put his hands on his hips “um first of all rude and second of all droids can’t do magic it’s literally impossible” M4-SK tutted clearly disagreeing

He continued “maybe in your small minded universe but in the acting world anyone can be anything” Gacen had a look of disbelief on his face and leaned back whispering into the commlink

He asked “does he have any idea this isn’t a play?” why of all the droids was he stuck with this one

Risha responded equally unsure “Honestly I don’t know I’ve told him over and over but he just seems to ignore me so eventually I just gave up” Gacen sighed of course

He sat back up “hmmm maybe a good idea as an experiment but for now we need to nail this so I’ll play the mystic” M4-SK shook his head going back to co-piloting

He tutted “fine but it’s your funeral when the reviews come in” Gacen just decided to ignore him as the planet of Wayland came into view, it was a mainly mountainous planet with many trees dotted around and as they brought the ship down they found there was a decent number of inhabitants they landed close by and soon encountered the Crystal skinned humanoids.

After a quick translation from M4-SK and a crude drawing of a togrutas montrals they were directed towards a mountain with a flat plateau in the side of it, overall it seemed promising now it was just about convincing Sumalee to come with him

As he walked up the mountain he continued to talk to Risha “so why do you think Sumalee came here I thought she was a respected member of the jedi” Gacen put his hand up against the wind as it blew his cloak back he felt very out of his element

Risha responded quickly “I’m not quite sure apparently it’s one of those ‘strong in the force planets” Gacen got that vibe he wasn’t sure why “and you know she was never really the most ‘by the code’ Jedi” that was true 

Gacen smiled “I mean she knew us that’s pretty not by the book” she had given them far too many favours and pardons over the years

Risha agreed “exactly it may just be that she wanted to strike out on her own” Gacen guessed that was possible

He shook his head “well let’s just hope that she’s more agreeable to smugglers named Gacen than before” Gacen hoped so anyway he didn’t ever appreciate being on the wrong end of a lightsaber

He made his way up the mountain and by the end his feet were as sore as can be he was not a climber, he leaned on the stick he’d found to use as a walking stick. “Yes I made it oh my god I’m so tired” he took a moment to rest 

Risha teased him “oh you poor thing whatever will you do” Gacen rolled his eyes looking up at the rest of the Plateau

He saw at the end there was a figure floating in the air seemingly meditating, he recognised the montrals and hoped this had all been worth it.

She turned and lowered herself to the ground “you have come here seeking answers mystic? Well go ahead ask away” she lifted her hood revealing the red skin of Master Sumalee

Gacen gritted his teeth ready “well not exactly” he took his own hood off with a cheesy grin “I actually came here seeking you, what’s up girl how’ve you been” Sumalee’s expression dropped

She sighed “oh fuck” she strode towards him “what do you want Gacen and if you’re going to ask me where Risha is I don’t know” she folded her arms and turned away

Gacen held the back of his neck “weeeeeelll I actually may have the answer to that question” Sumalee turned around her face softening “and I’ll tell you if you listen to my proposition” Sumalee seemed to consider it for a few seconds

Sumalee led Gacen to the mountain wall where she pulled up a datapad “so um Sums where are we going” Sumalee messed with the datapad and the rock shifted into an entrance

She rolled her eyes “I thought I’d protect my home with a hologram to stop people like you barging in” she walked into a large chamber full of what Gacen could only describe as Jedi Shit “and don’t call me Sums” she glared at him causing him to shudder

Risha laughed through the comms “yeah she hates that nice job remembering it” Gacen chuckled Risha had come up with it before they’d even met but he’d co-opted it

Gacen smiled as he started to look at a stack of weird looking relics “says you Rish” he teased as Sumalee made herself comfortable

Risha just tutted “touché” Gacen picked up one of the relics and the others toppled across the table as he fumbled trying to keep them stable

He swiveled round to Sumalee who looked less and impressed and smiled awkwardly “if you’re quite done messing up my home tell me why you’re here” Gacen put the relic back down and walked over awkwardly

Gacen stammered “well you see I came here to ask for your help with something” Sumalee raised her eyebrow at him “Risha needs your help but I can’t explain why too much incase there are spies around” Sumalee frowned but nodded understanding her concern

She considered it for a long second “I see I suppose if she’s exercising discretion I can understand why, this isn’t some scheme of yours is it” Gacen thought about it

He held his neck “I mean technically it’s a scheme but like on a grand scale” he could hear Risha sighing at him through the comms “it’s a good cause though i promise you that I can tell you more about it on the ship” Sumalee nodded standing up and collecting a few things

She was silent for a couple minutes walking around her home before she came back with a backpack “alright let’s go” Gacen’s eyes widened that was a lot easier than expected

He stammered “wait that’s all it took I was expecting more push back” Sumalee frowned at him as she used the force to pack a few things quickly into her backpack

Sumalee shrugged “you said Risha needed my help, I’d only not help if it was your plan but your inability to explain it means this is her idea so I’m in” Gacen didn’t know wether to be insulted or flattered

Risha seemed pleased “nice one Sumalee I knew I could count on you” Gacen smiled as Sumalee finished packing

He led her back outside “alright well we’re grateful for your help Sumalee” he looked to see M4-SK waiting for them “oh and this is our protocol droid M4-SK he’s kinda eccentric” Sumalee nodded at him and ignored his greeting

She sighed “everything is with you two I’m hardly surprised” Gacen feigned surprise as he was common to do

He shook his head “how dare you we are high class not eccentric” Sumalee gave him a long silent look “ok fine but we’re noble criminals you know that” Sumalee conceded as they made their trek back down the mountain. A little ways down Gacen got curious “so uh why did you come to this place I thought you were pretty popular in the Jedi order” Sumalee looked off pensively 

She sighed “after the Eternal Empire attacked I like many Jedi became disillusioned with the Jedi in their current form, through this path we’d lost so many, The Hero of Tython and the Barsen'thor missing, Master Yuon, Bakarn and now the Grand Master had disappeared clearly something was wrong with the cycle of endless war between the republic and the empire it had left us open to a greater threat, I decided that for the Jedi to survive we would need to look more critically at ourselves” Gacen nodded trying to look intellectual and understand but really taking in very little

Sumalee looked around her “I came here to Wayland as it’s a Nexus of force energy” Gacen was totally lost “more specifically a mix of light and dark energy, the Barsen’thor had advocated for not cutting off our emotions and the longer I’ve been here the more I’m inclined to agree” Gacen blinked why had he asked this

Risha laughed “I could’ve told her that years ago” Gacen smiled he had a feeling she had a few times

Sumalee continued “I’ve never been the most traditional Jedi and that may be what we need right now, with the emergence of the Alliance and it’s cooperation between Jedi and Sith it seems like the cycle may be able to be broken but only with the right people” Gacen did understand that the republic and sith would never stop fighting it’s why him and Risha had been able to profit of it so much

Gacen nodded “yes I suppose so war is a thing that people do” he immediately regretted saying that there was no wisdom there and Sumalee had a confused look on her face as they arrived outside his ship. He quickly changed the subject “well! Here we are, my ship come aboard and we can discuss the plan” Sumalee nodded following him as he set up the holo to broadcast Risha, He sent M4-Sk to the cockpit to begin piloting the ship back to Gabredor III.

Sumalee folded her arms “so what exactly do you two want this time” Gacen turned on the holo as Risha appeared and Sumalee’s rough exterior immediately softened

Risha had a huge grin on her face “hey Sumalee long time don’t tell me you’ve gone straight edge” Sumalee rolled her eyes but was clearly grinning sincerely

She shook her head “never, but regardless it’s good to see you again Risha” Gacen smiled “so why did you send your boyfriend instead of yourself” Gacen frowned he was more than that

Risha folded her arms “first of all he’s my husband not my boyfriend Sums” Gacen nodded backing her up

Sumalee nodded sarcastically “right of course silly me I guess I just forgot” Gacen pouted she clearly hadn’t changed that much

Risha just rolled her eyes “I sent him because if I show my face it can cause collateral damage on Dubrillion” Sumalee face crossed with understanding as she nodded

Sumalee smiled “of course you’re going after Dubrillion I should’ve known you’d take your responsibility eventually” Risha nodded clearly not appreciating the slight condescending tone

Risha continued “yes well unfortunately King Actavarus has only gotten more paranoid and dangerous and as a result we’ll have to be very careful about our approach” Sumalee seemed to understand as Risha explained

Sumalee smiled “and you need a figurehead that wouldn’t be too irregular to form a movement against Dubrillion and it’s corrupt government” Risha nodded clearly glad to tell someone her plan

She raised her eyebrow “well yes that’s part of it but also I believe you’re a rather competent advisor and familiar with war, after all ‘war is a thing people do’” she teased at Gacen

Gacen scrunched up his face “hey I’m sorry ok I’m not so good at the wise comments” they both smiled at him as he pouted

Risha continued “either way I need someone who can contact those on my side of the cause without arousing suspicion of my involvement” Sumalee nodded starting to understand

She frowned “but what if they find out that we’re friends that’s not exactly a secret” Gacen gritted his teeth knowing what was coming next

Risha shook her head “no problem I’ve erased any record of our involvement from the holonet” Sumalee looked surprised and almost angry

Gacen thought it would be best to intervene “don’t worry Sumalee she did it to everyone even me” that seemed to calm her down a bit 

Risha sighed “yes and genius here spilled his involvement to the Dubrillion forces so he can’t be it, he’ll handle relations with other people and hopefully later direct missions” Gacen shrunk down a bit to be fair at the time he hadn’t known the specifics and may have been drugged

Sumalee took this all in and smiled “this all sounds rather agreeable I certainly would like to help free a planet it would be good to fight for the right side again” Risha smiled clearly pleased with the outcome

Risha grinned “perfect we’ll discuss the next steps when you get back I’m excited to see you” she shut off the holo and spoke into Gacen’s ear “that went pretty well thanks for softening the blow of removing all our interactions” Gacen nodded he understood why she had to

Sumalee looked around the ship “I swore I’d never set foot on this tin can” Gacen gasped for real this time this ship was a masterpiece

Gacen pouted “hey this ship has plenty of class and I’ve cultivated a good atmosphere” Sumalee rolled her eyes clearly not agreeing

She grinned “is that why it smells like Bantha cheese” Gacen didn’t even know how to respond to that his mouth agape for a good few seconds 

Gacen glared at her “take that back this ship has been my baby for 15 or so years” Sumalee just smirked walking off to make herself at home she was gonna be helpful but almost definitely problematic…

Soon they’d returned to Gabredor and Risha came out to meet them instantly wrapping Sumalee into a hug “it’s good to see you and free of those Jedi know-it-alls we’re gonna have so much fun together” Sumalee smiled awkwardly not sure what was happening

Gacen laughed “yeah 5 years with no one but Guss and the droid for company has made her more affectionate it’s wild” Sumalee nodded at least this they could agree on

Risha rolled her eyes “speaking of” she pulled Gacen in for a long kiss which admittedly he had missed even if it had only been a few days

Sumalee frowned “should I go inside and wait” Gacen nodded and she awkwardly walked inside as they continued

A couple minutes later they made their way in where they found Sumalee rearranging the furniture to make it neater “ah there you are, are your libidos sorted out I assume we have a lot to discuss” Risha nodded leading them to the war room

She chuckled “yes we should be fine it’s like he said 5 years apart has made us a little more grateful for what we have” Sumalee sighed clearly not understanding

She looked Gacen up and down “I can’t imagine why” Gacen shook his head he should’ve expected the sass but still

Risha brushed it off “ok so next steps is finding someone to support us, I may have some wealth of my own but I’d rather get an army and experienced operatives we can trust. Last time Ash and I suggested the Alliance as the most trustworthy if volatile option” she turned to Sumalee “do you have any thoughts on that?” Sumalee looked at each of the options for a second

She nodded “I was honestly going to suggest the same I have become a bit disillusioned with the Jedi but much more in the Republic after Saresh’s term as Chancellor, and my thoughts on the empire I believe are obvious” Gacen smiled he didn’t know much of politics but was glad all three of them had suggested the Alliance

Gacen frowned “so we should send someone over there right, I guess Sumalee could go and convince them to help” Risha seemed to brush that idea off to his and Sumalee’s surprise

She shook her head “actually I think it will be best if you go Gacen” Gacen was surprised he was no diplomat “you’re most likely to be speaking to Lana Beniko who I believe you’ve met before but more importantly is a sith” she looks at Sumalee “something tells me her and Sumalee meeting could end less civil” Gacen nodded that did make a lot of sense and from what he knew of Lana she was pretty cool they could come to an agreement. Risha smiled surprisingly genuinely “besides I think it would do you good to go and see it, and I’ll be in your ear the entire time just like last time” Gacen let out a sigh of relief that would make things easier

Sumalee frowned “wait you were talking to him the entire time?” Risha nodded “I should’ve known no wonder he was somewhat tactful” Gacen sighed he guessed he had to get used to that

Risha folded her arms “either way you don’t have to go immediately now that Sumalee is here we can discuss our plans for what comes next” she gestured to the planet on the war room map “and once Ash gets back maybe devise a strategy for taking Dubrillion” Gacen nodded he did wonder how Ash was getting on