i haven't even drink my morning tea yet and people are already annoying

Sometimes I get into the trap that I can't tell whether an art was made with AI or not, but when people say it's AI because the creator gives fake ass edgy titles like "this is my suffering" and shit, and I look at all MY edgelord art with potential edgelord titles... well :DDDD We arrived on that level that all art should be titled like ART No. 465465/2026 so people won't find you AI. :D Crazy times. 

[FANART] -- A'den's happy place --

I think A'den just want to be left alone, doing his own things that actually makes him happy.

( Click to collapse )

[TRIPLE ZERO] Chapter 1: Quality Null Class

|| Republic Commando: Triple Zero || 2006 || Book series || Military, Sci-fi || 18+ for violence and harrowing themes ||

“I can train them,” he said. “What are their names?”

“These units are numbered. And I must emphasize that they're unresponsive to command.” Orun Wa persisted as if talking to a particularly stupid Weequay. “Our quality control designated them Null class and wishes to start—”

“Null? As in no di'kutla use?”

The sentence in English was weird for me, but in the Hungarian edition, they used the mando'a word di'kutla as in Kal asked whether the kids were mentally disabled. Just a trivia I find interesting.

[TRIPLE ZERO] Chapter 1: Tiny Assassins

|| Republic Commando: Triple Zero || 2006 || Book series || Military, Sci-fi || 18+ for violence and harrowing themes ||

Okay, the entry of the Nulls is just brilliant.

It really shows that we are not seeing ordinary children here. They are not harmless. They are not someone to be underestimated. They are already trained to kill, and now these people want to get rid of them. Except this one singular dumbass, Kal Skirata...
But let's go back to the start:

“Well, I'm keeping my end of the deal?” Skirata adjusted the fifteen-centimeter, three-sided blade that he always kept sheathed in his jacket sleeve. Two Kaminoan technicians walked serenely across the floor of the facility beneath him. Nobody had searched him and he felt better for having a few weapons located for easy use, including the small hold-out blaster tucked in the cuff of his boot.

The knife is actually very important to Kal, but the centerpiece of the scene is actually the blaster of his boot.

Skirata was not a man who easily fell prey to sentimentality. But this did the job just fine.
They were children: not soldiers, not droids, and not units. Just little kids. They had curly black hair and were all dressed in identical dark blue tunics and pants. He was expecting grown men.

Kal not just gotten sentimental and lost all his professional attitude toward this job, he lowered his guard around the kids. I mean, who wouldn't? But Kal decided they are just little kids. Nothing out of ordinary (if we don't count that they are 6 mini-jangos)

The boys huddled together, and it ripped at Skirata's heart in a way he wasn't expecting. Two of the kids clutched each other, looking up at him with huge, dark, unblinking eyes: another moved slowly to the front of the tight pack as if barring Orun Wa's path and shielding the others.
Oh, he was. He was defending his brothers. Skirata was devastated.

I think this was GENUINE. Ordo PROTECTED his brothers from the adults. But still, the boys are continuously gave those signals, that they were harmed, tormented, and are scared. They are looking vulnerable in Kal's eyes.

“These units are defective, and I admit that we perhaps made an error in attempting to enhance the genetic template,” Orun Wa said, utterly unmoved by their vulnerability.

(...)

“Chief Scientist Ko Sai apologizes, as do I,” said Orun Wa. “Six units did not survive incubation, but these developed normally and appeared to meet specifications, so they have undergone some flash-instruction and trials. Unfortunately, psychological testing indicates that they are simply too unreliable and fail to meet the personality profile required!”

“Which is?” said Jango.

“That they can carry out orders:'

Orun Was says they are DEFECTIVE and the reason they are deemed defective that they are not obedient. They don't obey to orders. They are not reliable. They cannot be trusted.

The kids' gaze darted between Skirata and Jango, and the doorway, and all around the room, as if they were checking for an escape or appealing for help.

I think this is straightforward, they wanted to find a potential way to escape somehow.

Then Skirata registered terminated and his instinct reacted before his brain.
His clenched fist was pressed against Orun Wa's chest in a second and the vile unfeeling thing jerked his head backward.

“You touch one of those kids, you gray freak, and I'll skin you alive and feed you to the aiwhas—”

Kal heard the word terminated and he totally went berserk. It's like he didn't even recognized what he heard. For him, these kids were still vulnerable and scared kids, and evil people wanted to execute these kids.

He yanked his arm out of Jango's grip and stepped back in front of the children. They were utterly silent. He dared not look at them. He fixed on Orun Wa.

Kal NOW physhically stood in front of the children so HE can protect them with his own body if needed.

Skirata half turned to check on them, and their gazes were locked on him: it was almost an accusation. He glanced away, but took a step backward and put his hand discreetly behind him to place his palm on the head of the boy defending his brothers, just as a helpless gesture of comfort.

But a small hand closed tightly around his fingers instead.

A physical contact was made. Kal's one hand got occupied.

“No, they're not units.” The little hand was grasping his for dear life. He reached back with his other hand and another boy pressed up against his leg, clinging to him. It was pitiful. “And I can train them.”

The little boys getting really physical with him.

AND THEN IT HAPPENS:

And then the little lad grasping his leg suddenly snatched the hold-out blaster from Skirata's boot. Before he could react the kid had tossed it to the one who'd been clinging to his hand in apparent terror.

The boy caught it cleanly and aimed it two-handed at Orun Wa's chest.

“Fierfek.” Jango sighed. “Put it down, kid.”

But the lad wasn't about to stand down. He stood right in front of Skirata, utterly calm, blaster raised at the perfect angle, fingers placed just so with the left hand steadying the right, totally focused. And deadly serious.

Skirata felt his jaw drop a good centimeter. Jango froze, then chuckled.

“I reckon that proves my point,” he said, but he still had his eyes fixed on the tiny assassin.

Jango indeed got his surprise:

“We could do with a few wild cards,” Jango said carefully, moving between Skirata and the Kaminoan. “It's good to have some surprises up your sleeve for the enemy."

The boys realized that Kal Skirata is the weak link among the adults. And also with a gun in hand's reach. And they used this to their advantage. I think they were able to connect that Kal is TOUCHED by their presence. That this vulnerability lowers Kal's defense more and more. And it worked. Kal DID NOT EXPECT this to happen, that he will be played like this.

But even if they deceived Kal, his kind heart wasn't unrecognized by the Nulls after all... 

[TRIPLE ZERO] Chapter 1: Kal is so proud of these little assassins

|| Republic Commando: Triple Zero || 2006 || Book series || Military, Sci-fi || 18+ for violence and harrowing themes ||

What little we know about the Nulls, we know from their body language. That they are scared and they want to runaway, but they can't. They are like trapped animals with no escape. And nothing is more dangerous than a wild animal who can't escape. Because then the only escape is TO ATTACK.
This is a trauma reaction. Flight or fight. And the Nulls choose to fight when seeing the opportunity. It wasn't a fight they could won, but they won't go down without one.
This guy, this Skirata behaved so differently than the adults they have met before. Behaved differently than the Kaminoans, behaved so differently than Jango.

Kal Skirata was so emotional and so ANGRY FOR THEM. The guy was angry, because the Kaminoans wanted to hurt them. And I think the Nulls understood this. They knew that this guy won't hurt them, this is why they knew they can use him.

I think the biggest test came after this - nobody knew this was really a test. Maybe not even the Nulls themselves. But Kal passed. Because Kal's behavior was consistent. The Nulls misbehaved -- and Kal did not punish them. Kal didn't change his mind about them, saying: ok, fishpeople, you were right, these boys are nuts, send them to the incinerator.

Kal truly became a safe person:

The kid clicked the safety catch. He seemed to be checking it was off.

“It's okay, son,” Skirata said, as gently as he could. He didn't much care if the boy fried the Kaminoan, but he cared about the consequences for the kid. And he was instantly and totally proud of him—of all of them. “You don't need to shoot. I'm not going to let him touch any of you. Just give me back the blaster.”

The child didn't budge; the blaster didn't waver. He should have been more concerned about cuddly toys than a clean shot at this stage in his young life. Skirata squatted down slowly behind him, trying not to spook him into firing.

Kal wouldn't have mind if Orun Wa dies but he feared for the boy's life. Boys maybe dangerously smart but clearly couldn't think that far. Not yet. But Kal is already so proud of them. These little warriors playing him like a fool. These little survivors. Kal makes a promise: nobody can and will hurt them.

But if the boy had his back to him … then he trusted him, didn't he?

Maybe this implies that Ordo already gave his trust to Kal the moment he had the blaster in his hands. Or maybe when Kal furiously charged at the Kaminoan. That if Ordo kills the Kaminoan, then Kal won't punish him.

“You touch one of those kids, you gray freak, and I'll skin you alive and feed you to the aiwhas—”

“Come on … just put it down, there's a good lad. Now give me the blaster.” He kept his voice as soft and level as he could, when he was actually torn between cheering and doing the job himself. “You're safe, I promise you.”

I SO ADORE how Kal is also bloodthirsty but trying to be a responsible person here for the sake of the children. :D

The boy paused, eyes and aim still both fixed on Orun Wa. “Yes sir.” Then he lowered the weapon to his side. Skirata put his hand on the boy's shoulder and pulled him back carefully.

“Good lad.” Skirata took the blaster from his little fingers and scooped him up in his arms. He dropped his voice to a whisper. “Nicely done, too.”

Kal giving him a loud praise for obeying. But secretly giving a praise for the little boy for deceiving him. This. This is everything to me. This is so fucking everything to in their relationship. Especially that Ordo being a great actor and deceiving Kal will return later in the books, holy shit...