Chapter Text
Kix rubbed his eyes.
He had been typing for hours, writing, after a suggestion from Quiggold.
”Have you ever thought about writing a biography?” Quiggold had asked just the other day.
Kix had looked up at him.
“A what?”
”A biography,” Quiggold said. “You know, where you write down your life story? A lot of people make them, interesting folks, but I’ve never heard of any being made by a clone, especially a clone like you with quite the story to tell.”
Kix shrugged. “Yeah… I don’t think people would be that interested in a clone biography.” He said, looking back to his cereal floating in blue milk, the cereal box sitting on the table next to him where a cartoon nexu smiled at him in an unsettling way.
“Hey, a lot has changed in fifty years, clones aren’t so… common anymore,” Quiggold said, shifting where he stood. “Even besides that, your story is unique. Serving alongside the Jedi General, Anakin Skywalker, and attending his, and every clones’ injuries in your legion, going on adventures into places untold.”
“And from what you told us, that’s barely even scratching the surface! You had that vital information of the Separatist’s and the Emperor’s plan, and you were going to tell everyone about it even before they caught you,” Quiggold continued. “Sure, you’re a little… late now, delivering that information, but it’s still juicy stuff.”
Kix poked his cereal. “I don’t know, Quiggold… that’s kind of personal.”
“It’s a biography, Kix, it’s supposed to be personal.”
Quiggold put a hand in his shoulder from where he stood. “It’s just an idea , I’m certainly not going to force you to do any writing,” He said. “You usually don’t have too much to do when we’re in-between jobs, and I thought it could keep you occupied with so much on your mind. I’ve noticed that you kind of get lost in-thought, and I figured this could be… I don’t know, a therapy or something. I hear stuff like this can help.”
Kix set his spoon on the table and looked at the Gabdorin. “That’s a mighty kind thought of you,” He said. “Have I been that noticeably ‘lost in-thought’?”
Quiggold had nodded.
Kix said to himself. “And I thought it was my job to keep an eye on you guys.”
He stood up. “Alright, I’ll think about it. But no promises, got it?”
Quiggold nodded. “Of course. It’s just an idea. If this doesn’t work out, I may have to rope you into the captain’s knitting circle.” He smiled before walking away.
Kix had shuddered.
That was two days ago. Kix had been typing for the past few hours in his room. Quiggold’s idea was a decent one, Kix had found. He had looked on the HoloNet to if there were any clone biolographies but the search results only came up with Carving the Republic: The Real Story of Count Dooku.
Since then, he had tried to do more research on what happened after his time in cryo. The crew of the Meson Martinet had told him the broad strokes of it, but he needed more details and context, and pirates weren’t typically known to be historians.
Well, aside from Reinifec, Pirate Queen and self-proclaimed Queen of all Historia.
(So he had been reading up on pirates too, sue him)
The notes he has been taking were very informative. It seems almost immediately after being grabbed by the Seppies, things had all started going to osik.
But as he had unfortunately found, the Empire that had rose up during his absence really liked restricting and censoring certain pieces of information, like giant chunks of history before the Empire.
He probably should have expected that.
Kix looked up as a rapping sound came from the other side of his door.
“Come in.” He said.
The door slid open and there stood the captain.
Kix was surprised to see him. Not that he should have been, it was his ship after all, and the captain had checked up on him every once in a while since making it back from Ponemah.
Ithano walked into Kix’s cabin and have him a look.
“What?” Kix said.
Sidon Ithano, as Kix had learned, was a fair and quiet man. Maybe quiet wasn’t the exact descriptor, but the Crimson Corsair didn’t waste words whenever he chose to speak. Being one of his rescuers and current captain, Kix respected him, almost reminding him of certain Jedi Generals with the self-assuredness he’d witness from the captain in the time that Kix had been on board.
But Ithano was also annoyingly persistent at making sure his crew was taking care of themselves.
Ithano made a gesture.
Kix rolled his eyes. “I appreciate the concern, captain, but I’m getting enough sleep.”
He had a strong feeling that Ithano was raising a brow beneath his mask.
Ithano pointed at the datapad in Kix’s hands and made another gesture.
Kix nodded. “Yeah, it’s going pretty well,” He said. “I’m mostly just doing some research and taking notes right now. I haven’t really started-started yet.”
He set the datapad down.
“Do you need anything, captain?”
The Crimson Corsair made an almost bleating sound.
Kix hadn’t known any Delphisms before meeting the captain, but he’d always been a fast learner and had learned on the fly within the past few weeks that he’d spent with crew and their captain (though not without making a few mistakes, mixing up honking with squawking, and leading to a confused Kix waking up very early to go to a non-existent meeting he’d thought was happening in the lounge that was apparently scheduled for the next day).
”You got another score for us?” Kix asked. Ithano nodded and tilted his head towards the door, indicating he’d told the rest of crew.
Ithano made another gesture, a shooing-like motion. Kix chuckled.
“Alright, I’ll finish these notes up and head to bed soon,” He said. “You should too, captain.”
In his time aboard the Meson Martinet, Kix had discovered that the Crimson Corsair had a bad habit of staying up late, either hashing out schematics or getting enthralled by his own knitting and forgetting the time. Which would occasionally lead to a tired captain the next day.
Kix could relate.
He has spent many sleepless nights awake taking care of the vode, after (and ahead) of battles and skirmishes. Ithano being the captain that he is, spent a lot of time planning to make sure whatever job or score he found would pan out favorably. And Kix had always taken his own job as a medic seriously, not afraid of threatening his superiors to make them take a rest or have a check-up.
And was starting to see that this new role wouldn’t be so different.
Ithano made a sound of affirmation and hand-waved him off. Nodding at Kix before he left.
Kix thought back to when Sidon Ithano had miraculously arrived alive from Ponemah. While it had taken a few weeks for the captain to have made his way back, the rest of the crew had made Kix comfortable as they all waited. They asked him some questions and he answered as much as he could.
Ithano had later pulled him aside to have a talk with him. He had sat with Kix, in his cabin as he had informed Kix what had happened in the last fifty years.
Kix had felt cold.
He hadn’t realized he had been crying until Ithano offered him a handkerchief.
After he finished speaking, the captain looked down at the floor as he sat next to him. Kix had barely noticed that Ithano had unmasked himself at the time, only registering the captain’s face through blurry vision, as he held his mask in his lap.
Kix felt Ithano place a hand on shoulder, out of comfort, as a show of their newfound camaraderie
After some time had passed. The captain had put his mask back on, and had made sure Kix knew he had options, that Kix knew he didn’t have to stay with the pirate crew just because they saved him.
Kix had waved off Ithano’s concerns.
“I don’t have anywhere else to go.” He had said. “A lot has changed, from what you’ve all said. And I’d like to stay here, with you all, if you’ll have an old clone medic.”
Ithano and the crew had, of course, accepted him. And the rest was history.
Now, Kix was clicking off the light in his cabin, and made his way over to his bunk.
As he got in, he thought about his biography.
I don’t even know if I’d want to publish it, if I ever even finish it.
But like Quiggold was getting at when he gave me the idea, it’s personal, it’s for me, and I haven’t even started it yet. I guess I’ll have to see how I feel if— when, I get to the end of it. Kix thought to himself, before drifting off into sleep.