A Helping Hand

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa caught the crowbar with nimble fingers, head cocked at smile on Kaili's face. There was an excitement there. Rosa shook her head, jamming the end of the crowbar into the crate nearest to her and putting her weight on it to lever it open. It was not an easy task when one had a broken arm but she managed, just about.

Kaili's mutterings drew her attention and she watched the girl with an amused smile. It was like she'd taken a child into a candy store and then given it the opportunity to show off. 'Look what I can do!' Rosa humoured her, not only because she found it entertaining, but because Kaili had chosen not to walk away after seeing what she'd seen.

"I'm rather looking forward to it actually." she replied with a wide smile.

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

There was a grimace on Kaili’s face as she realized exactly what state Rosa was in. So wrapped in her own mind was she that she had forgotten that no more than an hour ago she had broken one of her arms, and that no more than fifteen minutes ago she had patched it back up again. The last crate was open and Kaili approached it to continue with the same ritual, forming an image of what the components were while cross-referencing them with the image the computer said it was missing. Once all components were catalogued Kaili would quietly sit down in the middle of the room with both knees poking into the dust that was spread across the floor.

Eyes closed as Kaili began to focus. It seemed straining at first but it quickly faded until a grin spread on her lip instead of a grimace. Component after component would slowly begin to rise out of the crates until they were all hovering in the air above them. They began to circle around Kaili for a second as she raised her hands towards their respective direction. Transistors flew through screen sockets and attached to their slots, microchips would begin to twirl and dance into their spots until all that remained hovering in the air was the screens as they circled above the technomancer’s head, each of them also finding their own spot in their respective sockets.

A loud crackling sound slowly spread through the room, but no pops. The grin on Kaili’s lips grew even wider as she slowly opened her eyes and rose from the ground again to look at Rosa, a single hand raised by her side, pinching her thumb and middle finger together above the palm of her hand.

They slid against one another, a snap reverberated for a single second before the hum of computers began to fill the room in full like a choir in warm-up. She had been successful, the computer purred with life and Kaili would take that for what it was.

Good. It was good. Duh.

“Two minutes. Tops.” The kid grinned at Rosa. “Okay, five at most.”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa watched with interest as Kaili delved into the force in a way Rosa had not witnessed before. Her connection with the technology was like Rosa's connection with plants. She could bend it to her will, but also had a great love and respect for its natural course. She took a few steps back to avoid the floating parts and also to get a greater view of what was happening.

It was a giant and incredibly complex jigsaw to Rosa, but to Kaili it was a series of simple steps, a process she thoroughly enjoyed judging by the smile on her face. Within minutes the whirlwind of parts slowed, the distinct and welcome hum of power rose from the machines around them as Kaili got to her feet, grinning like a cheshire cat.

Rosa, overwhelmed with joy at seeing it all working, closed the gap between the two and pulled Kali into one armed hug. Drawing back with a hand on her shoulder. "That was incredible Kaili!" she moved to the nearest consoles, watching the incoming data as it tried to establish what else around the temple was in need of repairs. Damage reports were seemingly unending, but at this point Rosa didn't care. "I'd have been here for weeks," she exclaimed turning back to the girl. "Thank you."

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

The smidgen of guilt that washed over Kaili as Rosa gave her a single-armed hug forced the smile on her face to twist into a slight grimace at the actual realization of what she had done once the rush of selfish pride had passed her by. For the most part Kaili had been called one of the more humble people that others had met, or so she had heard, but most people had also not seen the way she acted or behaved when she was in her zone. She knew the rarity of her own breed, and as such she had grown at least a small ego at knowing how she had mastered the obscure art of droids and machinery. Perhaps it was a leftover from Mechu Deru’s darksided roots, or perhaps it was something she would rightfully have a reason to be somewhat proud of.

Regardless, she never let it get to her head. She knew better than to do that. Pride was the precipice to anger, anger to hate, and just about everyone and their mother had heard that saying by now. She tried her best to always be as humble as she could because humility was a better alternative than pride was. It wasn’t forced, not really, but the sentiment to keep it up was still there with good reason. Nobody needed another technobeast creating madwoman out there, and especially not Kaili for whom the mere thought would go against every single fundament she had set up for herself.

As such, once Rosa had finished complimenting her, Kaili would merely lean her head to the side with a shrug and a smile. She would let a small piece of pride fuel her ego but not more than necessary. Too much humility was a problem too in the end. It was all about the healthy middle ground, and that was exactly what Kaili strove for in most things.

“You’re welcome.” Kaili smiled wide at the healer’s joy. In the end all she wanted with her work was to get the reaction she got from Rosa right now. To feel appreciated for what she could do. “I do what I can.”

“The computer seems to say that there is a serious problem in some of the doors around the temple grounds, but I am not so sure that’s a technical issue as much as roots and the likes having intruded upon their mechanisms.” Kaili placed both hands against the console and brushed away the dust that covered it. “This dust won’t do.” She shook her head. “I’ll make sure the droid I make you keeps this place clean as well. This dust won’t be good in the long-term for the computers.”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa grinned, droids to happening housekeeping and the repairs? A bonus all round. "That would be very helpful, thank you. I can manage the roots, shouldn't take me too long."

Rosa looked over the lost of doors that were marked as urgently in need of attention. "Can you get the lifts moving while I handle the doors?" She looked up suddenly, realising she was making assumptions about Kaili staying to help. "That is of course, if you are staying? I understand if you can't, force knows you've got enough to handle without me adding to it."

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

Kaili had one of them at home. She had to admit it made for a rather lazy day, but it wasn’t exactly like she was going to stop herself from making droids just because it made her life easier. If anything she would let herself continue doing just exactly that because of the same reason. Making life easier was a good way to sum up Andromeda in the end.

“I can handle the lifts, but depending on what state they're in the repairs might take a bit longer and we might need to call in others to help with that. I’m talking, you know, actual parts missing which I can’t really fix.” In the end the fact that the looters had all the missing parts of the computer was something both she and Rosa had to be appreciative of. It made life alot easier. “I’ll come along and help you with this, but I think I might need to leave after that. Responsibilities and such.”

They stepped out into the hallways again and began walking over to the first spot of trouble. Kaili looked at Rosa and smiled. “So, you know how to plant surge I take it?” Her brow perked. “Mara, my friend, once dated a man who was Zelosian. Well, he was actually a childhood friend of ours, but he was uh… Something else.”

“Sheltered, perhaps? Innocent? He was a weird… Weird oddity.”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa chuckled. "Horticulturalists generally are a bit odd. I think its the fact that a lot of them would rather spend their lifetime talking to plants rather than people. I learned from Boolon Murr, an ithorian and a pacifist, used to hum a lot." There was a slight nostalgia in her smile then but it was gone after a moment.

"I know the Merrill's fairly well. Been helping Jorus out with various shenanigans for years, oddly enough he seems to land himself in situations that require a healer. Think he's calmed down a little with age though. I was on Kaas when Rave died...my husband was closer to her, used to take contracts from her. As for Mara, I've not had a great deal of contact with her... helped evacuate the jedi off of Yavin after the incident with the mandalorians at her request though...."

She trailed off in thinking for a moment as they reached the first lift in the atrium. "How is Mara?"

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

To say that Hylo had been ‘a bit’ odd would be the same as to call an acklay just ‘a little’ dangerous in the sense that they were both understatements. The kid was young, yet by most human standards he was old. A living plant as he was, horticulture came naturally to him. And Kaili could understand preferring to talk to things that weren’t human. Before Allyson, all Kaili had really had were droids. Droids of her own making no less. In retrospect it was a bit socially incestual at best.

At least Rosa knew the Merrills then. Kaili frowned at the mention of Rave. Bad memories that she wouldn’t really bring up. Bad memories that were ultimately had with good intentions, but bad memories nonetheless. A hand instinctively reached for her head to rub it for a second before her hand dropped. Images of technobeasts and their virus flashed again and Kaili shook her head to drop them.

It was Rave’s gift to her. Forbidden knowledge that the girl was afraid to delve into.

The conversation shifted to Mara’s well-being and quite frankly there was just one thing that Kaili could do. Her arms were thrown wide in a massive shrug. “I don’t fething know anymore.” There was a sense of panic or even fear behind the words.

“She has written her books on the Mandalorians and won’t let the past rest.” Kaili frowned, it wasn’t a conversation she liked to bring up. “She is obsessed with them and I worry where it will take her.”

“She was at Ilum when the Mandalorians attacked.” Kaili sighed and looked at Rosa. “It… Damaged her.”

“... I was there recently to put the spirits of all those children to rest.” Kaili closed her eyes to make the images go away.

“... I don’t want to talk about this.” She was quite clearly at unease. “She is the last pillar I have. I don’t want to think about losing her too. Not now.”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

"Hey." Rosa said sharply, catching Kaili's elbow and bringing her to a halt. "That is enough Kaili! You are allowing your fear for your brother and for Allyson to seep into everything else, keep going on it will consume you entirely." Rosa released her grip on her arm and let out a sigh shaking her head slightly. "Mara has a father who would tear down entire establishments to protect her, force only know whats he would do to prevent her from falling to the dark side. And I've not even begun to contemplate what her mother can bring to the table. Or even her friends."

"Mara will recover. Have a little faith in her."

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

Her arm was grabbed and Kaili’s teeth would expose themselves in a scowl. She was in control of herself, she always was. She knew how to deal, she just had different methods than this ‘Rosa Gunn’ had. Did she seriously think Kaili didn’t know what Jorus would do? Kaili’s brows furrowed, her mouth closed as the arm was let go of and let it fall by her side.

“I have faith in my friend.” Kaili muttered. “I don’t have faith in myself that I will be there when she needs me.”

“I have already lost everyone else, is it so fething far-fetched to fear Mara will be next? I can’t keep anyone I care about alive, and I can’t for the life of me find something to believe in. I have no purpose, I have no goal. I just wander, Rosa. I wander until my winning ticket comes up and I too bite that bullet.” Kaili shook her head. “What do I have except my fears and my anger? Who do I have except myself? Where am I when I lose Mara too? Where the feth am I heading?”

“Part of me is just accepting it, another roars for retribution.”

“Part of me wants to die, a greater part of me knows better.”

“It’s all about who I listen to, and right now I know that I want to watch the Alliance burn for what they have done to me. To Allyson. I want their whole organisation to crumble and die, but I know that it’s not me talking. It’s a part of me, but it’s not me.”

“I am in control of my own emotions for as long as I let myself have that control.”

“... It’s only a question of how long I want to keep it up. I've already reached my breaking point once."

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa gave Kaili a slightly pitying look. She understood where she was coming from for she had felt much the same once upon a time. She had wanted to tear Mikhail shorn into a thousand peices for taking away her happiness, she'd wanted to ruin the Republic for abandoning her and worst of all she'd wanted to beat Darron Wraith for not being there when she'd needed him most. But, she'd not done any of them...she'd found it in her heart to forgive them all. Although, where Shorn was considered, this was more a punishment for him than death.

But there was a great difference between Kaili's story and hers. Kaili feared loss, because she hadn't really lost yet. The threat loomed over her and it was the unknown that brought fear. For how could one possibly see living without a loved one, without first living without them. Some life lessons were cruel, but essential.

"You might find yourself surprised by your own ability to maintain that control even when everything you love is gone, Kaili." She said softly. "I'm sorry for your pain, and i wish there was something i could say or do that would alleviate all this for you. But from where I'm standing, i see so much more in you than your anger and your fears. I see your passion, I see your love and your desire to help everyone you can reach. I have faith that no matter the outcome of all of this, you will stand tall. I believe in you, and, no matter what, I'll be here for you."

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

“I’m sorry, are you saying I would be better off with everyone I love dead?!” Kaili burst, her mouth running agape in surprise and anger both. “Because it sounds a lot like you’re saying these people-”

The girl buried her face in her hands before dragging her fingers across her face like a claw looking to tear it from her head. This wasn’t her, and that was not what Rosa was saying. Not at all. A loud groan of pain burst through gritted teeth as she struggled to regain composure.

“No, that is not what you are saying.” She grunted, keeping her nails digging ever so softly into the skin of her cheeks. “That’s not what anyone is saying.”

“Thank you for your faith, Rosa, but… In the end it will probably be in vain, I’ve- I’ve already failed more than once.” The girl let her hands fall from her face and onto he chest where one of them would find it ever so prudent to try and stroke and choke the life out of the other. “I had a moment where I screamed, the other where I also… In a sense… Desecrated a holy ground on Ilum in sheer anger.”

“I’ve had anger issues my entire life, it’s just a matter of time.”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

"Maybe." Rosa shrugged, "but its not for you to decide whether my faith is in vain. The fact that you recognise your anger for what it is, that you can look back at what you've done with remorse is a good sign. when you start justifying your actions...then we can talk about whether my faith is misplaced or not."

She reached out a hand and gave Kaili's shoulder a little squeeze. "Now, are we going to fix these damn doors or shall I fetch a bottle of something for us to drown the misery's of what might happen?"

[member="Kaili Talith"]