Again?

[Kurt Meyer]

Naboo - Theed
[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt stepped off of The Eve's ramp with a smug smile on his face.

The former Courier was more than pleased with how things had gone over the last few months, aside from the small hiccup that he had encountered. By and large mostly everything had gone his way. He had invented a new type of starship drive, he'd built his own ship, he'd successfully completed his first year of University, and between all of that he had even managed to get Jamie a fantastic gift.

Sure he had been kidnapped at one point by Rogue Imperials, but that had all worked out thanks to his new Jedi Friend.

The truth of it was that Kurt couldn't have been happier. Everything seemed to be perfect, and he was ready to sweep Jamie off her feet. His life was on a definitive upswing, and at the moment it felt like nothing could kick him off of it. His smirk didn't die down as he wandered out of the Hangar bay and headed into Theed Starport, one of the RSF officers waving to him as he recognized Kurt.

He shot the other man wave, turning down the hall and heading past a gaggle of teenager.

"Did you hear the Queen is in the hospital?"​

Kurt stopped in an instant, his heart dropping. Had something happened to Jamie?

"Oh yeah! I wonder what happened they ha-"​

The Former Courier rounded on the Teenager. "What Hospital? Where? Who? What happened?"

His voice boomed out for a moment, the girls practically jumping as the young man interrogated them. Their eyes nearly popped out of their heads as he waited for their answers, but each one of them seemed to be completely and totally stunned. Eventually one of them managed to stutter out an answer, giving him the name of the Royal Hospital of Theed, the place where the Monarch was always cared for.

Without a second of hesitation Kurt broke off into a sprint, rushing as fast as he could to Jamie's side.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

She opened her eyes slowly. Everything ached. Her chest, back, arms, all of it felt as though it had been pinned beneath a speeder. She remembered Vrak of course, his goons, and Mariya fleeing on a speeder. Had she escaped? Despite her injuries that was the only thing on her mind, whether or not her efforts had been in vain, or whether her half sister had managed to elude the Sith's forces with her life. Over her face was a mask, her body suspended in a liquid bacta tank.

How long have I been out?

Her eyes closed once more...

Muffled voices rose her from unconsciousness some time later, though her eyes still felt heavy, she could make out some of the words being exchanged by the medical droids, as well as a dialog with a number of people. Results of tests and scans, piecemeal questions regarding the events leading up to her arrival, and rough estimations of recovery time were all she could half discern from her state of alertness, and through the tank.

Mariya? Where are you?

All she wanted was to hear that girl's voice, to know everything was okay.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt sprinted his way across Theed as fast as he could. The idea of taking a speeder never even entered his mind, a state of panic and utter befuddlement trapped his thoughts on just making sure that Jamie was okay.

He ran as fast as he could, not stopping for water or even a breath.

The former Courier had no idea how long it took him, but eventually he burst through the door of the hospital. Sweaty, out of breath, and almost entirely out of energy Kurt looked around like a mad man. Half a dozen patients sat in the waiting room, some families were scattered about and a few doctors and nurses were standing talking to one another. Some people glanced at Kurt, though they didn't really seem to pay him much attention, it any at all. After a moment Kurt stepped forward, cutting through the lobby and heading towards the front desk.

”Where is Jamie?” The nurse behind the desk gave him a confused look. ”Jamie! Jamie Pyne! THE QUEEN!”

The nurse blinked in shock as Kurt screamed at her.

“Sir I can't just tell you wh-”

Kurt interrupted her before she could even finish her sentence. ”I'm her boyfriend it's fine. Just tell me where she is.”

The Nurse stared quietly, frowning and then slowly looking over towards one of the doctors who had taken notice of Kurt. The man shifted slightly and then raised a finger to his head, slowly rotating it in a sign that Kurt might have a screw loose. After a few seconds the nurse picked up the phone at her station.

Kurt let out a growl and then pushed himself away from the desk.

”Fine.” He said exasperated. ”I'll find her myself.”

Then he broke into a sprint.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Just how long she had been in that tank she wasn't sure. It could have been hours, days, or weeks. Periodically she felt the energy to open her eyes and peer into the room, but even that was exhausting. The few times she had the room was empty, save for a medical droid stationed nearby to monitor her status in the event that anything changed and required immediate attention. At some point she was disturbed by the muffled sounds of what appeared to be an alarm of sorts.

Perhaps someone had removed their restraints or escaped from their room without consent?

Regardless it seemed like the medical droid had programming to secure the room it was stationed within, thereby barring the door that led into room number 87.

That small spectacle was the most Jamie was able to observe from her position, and yet the act of monitoring the motions of the droid was in itself tiresome, and once again shortly thereafter, her blue eyes closed.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt rushed through the hospital, dodging security droids and guards alike.

It was an almost intricate dance, sweeping through the grasp of one Guard while snaking his way through another. He moved fast, faster than he ever remembered doing before. A curse echoed from one of the guards as he jumped passed his hands, lips thinning as he ducked low and glanced into one of the rooms. He did this over and over again, peering through small windows or cracked doors to try and get even a glimpse of Jamie. It was quick, fast, and the alarm blared the entire time.

He had no idea how long he did this, no idea how long it took, but eventually he found her.

Through the tiniest window within a heavy wooden door he saw a bacta tank, and almost instantly his eyes were drawn to the figure within. Jamie floated there, her hair gently coaxed around her as the Bacta slowly healed her wounds. His expression changed, his eyes lighting up for just a moment as a small smile tucked at his lips.

She was in bacta.

She was alive.

It was all he could think when he saw her, not even realizing that when he came to a stop two guards that had been following along with him this entire time finally managed to catch up to him. They pounced like Nexu, tackling Kurt and sweeping him off his feet in an instant. He crashed to the ground with a hard thud.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The droid approached the door, curious of the commotion being had just outside. Two guards had lunged at Kurt and taken him to the ground, quickly restraining his hands into binds and pulling him from the floor with a very rough handling. With the man apprehended, one of the guards radioed in and the alarm was then silenced. The droid stood watch at the door, observing through the window as the guards began to drag Kurt away from the room where the Queen was resting in.

By the time the woman had opened her eyes again, the droid was blocking the view of the window. All that the queen could see was a durasteel frame standing idly by the door as if it were some kind of guard now.

The nuisance of the blaring siren had subsided however, which meant the migraine she had been on the verge of catching would subside with it.

What exactly is going on???

Her curiosity would have to wait. She wasn't quite in a position to ask questions, stuck in the tank with a breath mask over her face.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"WAIT WAIT!" Kurt screamed at the top of his lungs as the guards wrestled him, one of them pulling out some restraints. His eyes popped open and he tried to wriggle free, though that really only made things worse. He saw one of the guards ball his hand into a fist. "I know her!"

The Guard's rolled their eyes.

He could tell what they were thinking of course, that he was some mad man in love with the Queen of Naboo. It was a fair assumption really, especially given that Jamie was quite renown in the galaxy. It was something he himself had thought about while away, though not until now had he realized that it might actually be a problem for him. He shirked slightly as one of the men tried to grab his arm, shifting just so that he could free his hand enough and dig into his pocket. "Look!"

From his pants he pulled out his wallet, letting it fall onto the floor.

"Look at the picture!" It was a small piece of flimsy, old school, tucked into the right side of his wallet. The picture was of Jamie and him standing together on Spira, taken just before they had started their trip by Jamie herself. "Look!"

One of the guards shifted slightly, giving the wallet a look just in case or perhaps for amusement.

As soon as he did his face paled slightly, his grip on Kurt slipping as he picked up the wallet and gave the picture a closer look. He frowned, taking the photo out of the wallet and inspecting it for just a moment as he determined that it was real. His hand went to his friend's shoulder, grabbing him and pulling him off Kurt.

"We...uhhh....we're sorry? But you can't ju-"

"I know, just...kark." He pulled himself off the ground, his arm, side, and leg aching from the tackle. "I just need to see her."

The guards looked at one another, and it seemed for a moment that they wouldn't let him through, but after a second more they stepped aside. Perhaps it was Kurt's urgency, perhaps it was the fact that Naboo was still a free democracy, but it didn't matter. They watched him carefully of course, but with a gentle push he opened the door and stepped into Jamie's room.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The medical droid stationed in the room stepped back a few paces as the door swung open. Its head swiveled, body angling slightly to observe the guards body language which indicated that the man entering hadn't manage to elude and avoid them in order to enter. Its protocols required that it relay half a dozen safety precautions to the man who was clearly not a doctor or nurse, doubly so given that the droid had a database of photo identification stored in its memory banks.

"Sir, for sanitation purposes please do not place your hands on the tank, and if you are it is imperative that you step out of the room immediately."

It stamped in its mechanical fashion closer to Kurt. "Please, sir, proper medical protocol dictates a sanitized environment for patients during recovery."

She could hear muffled voices again through the tank, clearly robotic this time, something about cleanliness.

Presumably the doctors had returned, the droid relaying rather similar messages she had partially heard over and over again, after which she would be alone for another incalculable amount of time before the next check-in. During her periods of semi-consciousness, this had become a rather clockwork series of events that she slowly began to tune out.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"It's fine." Kurt said as he waved the droid off.

The former Courier was half mesmerized by Jamie floating in the Bacta. It was an odd sight, seeing her suspended there, and the wounds on her body were more than obvious. There were cuts, scrapes, and even a few injuries that were far more obvious. A large wound on her abdomen, appearing as thought something had pierced through her entirely. He frowned slightly, stepping closer and nearly running into the droid as he ignored it entirely.

He half turned towards the machine as it nearly ran into him, nudging it to the side. The thing could very likely break him in two if it really tried, but with a quick scan it would be able to at least tell that Kurt wasn't an immediate threat.

As long as he followed the rules anyway.

"Is she awake?"Kurt asked the droid, half looking back while still keeping an eye on Jamie to see if she reacted. "Jamie?"

He called out to her, stepping close to the Bacta tank but not yet touching it. He had heard the droid, and he didn't want to get thrown out. Not now when he could actually see her. His lips thinned as he looked through the glass and past the bacta, seeing her eyes closed.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"The patient has periods of consciousness, though the degree of the patient's awareness varies from time to time."

The medical droid chirped back in response Kurt's question. "The patient has not yet exhibited more motor functionality than rapid eye movements thus far."

Medical terminology for she might be aware, or she might not...

The glass was relatively thick, sufficiently so to withstand delicate taps on the glass and even perhaps an average strength human's force if punched, but it was still thin enough that the woman within could hear the muffled voices, one of a droid and one of a human male, just beyond. It was the second voice that sounded familiar to her, and in her present state was enough to mildly open her eyes. Vision was blurred due to the liquid surrounding her, and it took several moments for her eyes to focus on what was at first just a shadow standing before her, but slowly the shapes came into greater focus.

Kurt?

She forced her eyes open a bit wider to see, to confirm who she was looking at.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He listened to the medical droid for just a few seconds , almost as of he believed the damn thing. Concern crossed features, but as soon as Jamie opened her eyes he felt nothing but pure elevation.

A broad smile spread across his face.

This was all that he cared about. The fact that Jamie was okay the fact that she survived, the fact that whatever pain she had survived. He looked at her, watched her for a few seconds, and found himself utterly speechless. He wanted to say something, console her, but he found himself utterly speechless.

Kurt couldn't remember how many times they had done this.

One of them would get hurt, they would dance around it, and then eventually they would tell eachother. It was all too familiar in their relationship, and he couldn't help but find it funny in a weird sort of way. He smiled at her, not touching the bacta tube but raising his hand in a small wave.

He was here for her.

He would always be.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

She couldn't smile, not with the rather large breath mask over her face. She thought the gesture though, perhaps some weird way hoped he would think that she was thinking of smiling back, even if that was absurd. As he waived his hand her eyes slowly followed his hand before settling back on him and focusing once more. There were no restraints to the tank of any kind, but the weight of her own body against her muscles, even with the weightlessness of the bacta felt a difficult feat to move herself.

Her fingers outstretched, and with a bit of effort three of them pressed lightly against the glass. It only lasted for a few short moments, feeling herself losing the energy to maintain herself in an awake state.

But hopefully that small signal was enough comfort for him.

The droid caught sight of the momentary movement in the tank, standing beside Kurt looking inward at the queen. "That is the first time the patient has moved in several days. I will document her file."

Sitting down at a terminal that faced the large tank the droid began entering information on Jamie's present condition.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He smiled broadly, recognizing the gesture for what it was.

The former Courier knew Jamie. Knew every little ounce of her. Much of their relationship had been spent apart, one of them on Naboo and the other traveling all around the galaxy. Despite that however they knew each other better than most. Every little bit of themselves was an open book. For a moment Kurt stayed completely silent, and then he took a small step forward.

”I'm here for you.” He told her, speaking loud enough so that she would hear him through the glass. ”I'll stay until you get out of there.”

He glanced around the room. ”Until you're better. “

Kurt didn't care about school. He didn't care about money. He just wanted Jamie to get better. So much of his life have become more fulfilled because of her. He'd gone to school, grown up, and become a better all because of Jamie.

Without her he was half of what he could be.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

​

Some days later...

Jamie had finally been removed from the blasted bacta tank. Her wounds had closed, newly formed skin covering the injuries she had sustained, yet small whitish markings still left their stories on her body from the encounter with Vrak. The doctors had said they may vanish with time, but she may find them also linger. Though the wounds were no longer life threatening, her body still ached, and she needed assistance to move about for any period of time that was longer than the washroom to her bed. Frustration at her own body was a rather common occurrence, and the revelation of all the things someone took for granted now that it was difficult came crashing into reality like a speeder at full throttle.

In the mean time her ministers and handmaidens had been taking care of the day-to-day duties, yet she demanded to be kept in the loop of anything mildly important.

"I hate feeling useless and dependent." She scowled, looking at the datapad in her hand. "I should be doing things, not laying in bed."

Her double, Skyela, was sitting by the window as well. She'd come to check in on Jamie periodically, sit with her for a time, and converse, or simply to lend an ear to the Queen's ranting.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt smiled slightly.

”Just give it some time.” He assured her. ”You'll be back in the middle of it in no time.”

The former Courier sat in a small chair just besides Jamie. He had been trying to make himself as small as possible for the last few days, especially when Jamie had her more official visitors. He knew that he didn't exactly fit in when it came to more fancy functions, but Jamie was the Queen of Naboo and he tried to at least take that as seriously as possible. It was important to her, so it was important to him.

Simple as that.

”Besides.” He told her. ”At least you're getting a good amount of sleep now.”

Something she'd been lacking before this whole ordeal.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

She sat back, looking up at the lofted ceiling above her from the bed. For a long while she was silent, contemplating thoughts within her own mind. Vrak had escaped again. He'd abducted her sister, nearly forced her off world with him and into who knows what kind of terrible slavery. He'd killed so many people this time, so many innocent lives lost. Lost because she couldn't stop him. He needed to be stopped. Nobody in her family would be safe until he was sealed away for the rest of eternity. She was certain of it now that he'd gone after Mariya, now that he'd found his way to her family's estate.

For half a moment she wanted him dead, rather than imprisoned.

It certainly would be a guarantee that he could never harm anyone again, even if it wasn't her within her beliefs.

"My mind doesn't feel any more rested than I did in that tank." She barked, "He's a menace. He callously ordered my sister's death that night, then tried to kidnap her and force her off world with him. I need to stop him somehow before he tries this again. He's too dangerous to ignore anymore." Jamie shook her head, looking towards Kurt and knowing full well what his reaction would be, as well as the expression he would make. "He'll come after anyone close to me it seems. Nothing is off limits."

Jamie had only seen Mariya twice since waking up, particularly because she was recovering from her own injuries as well.

"I need to get stronger." She said quietly, before closing her eyes. How she would do that she didn't quite know. "If it hadn't been for Titan, well..." She left the thought unspoken.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt reached out, gently wrapping his fingers around Jamie’s hand. This was something he couldn't claim to be familiar with. She had tried multiple times to explain the force to him, but in truth he still didn't quite understand much of it. He was ignorant, he fully admitted that, but he wasn't dumb enough to not understand he was a threat, but the nuance of Sith and Jedi?

That was beyond him.

”Alright.” Kurt said with a shallow nod. He knew that Jamie would have to get stronger, knew that she would want to fight. There wasn't much that he could do about it, not with how stubborn Jamie tended to be. The best that he could do was support her, be there for her, and he intended to make that clear.

”But I'm there with you.” His eyes met hers. ”Every step of the way.”

The expression he took on was serious, more so than he had ever made before when talking to her. ”This won't work anymore Jamie. Every few months one of us nearly dies, every few months we have to update each other…”

He trailed off for a few seconds then gently squeezed her hand.

”I won't have that anymore.” He nodded, more to himself than to her. ”I want to be there for you, every step of the way. I don't care how dangerous.”

He was sick of suddenly finding out the love of his life almost died. Sick of telling her the same had almost happened to him. He wanted to be at her side, even if it meant he had to endure all manner of difficulty.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

She looked towards him, her head lowering and eyes opening. A curious look fell upon her, one brow elevating slightly higher than the other in mild curiosity and confusion.

"What do you mean then?"

Jamie wasn't entirely certain what he was getting at by his words. Just up and relocating himself like it seemed he was implying, to her, sounded like a rather knee-jerk reaction. "You're moving to Naboo?"

Not that the woman was opposed to having him closer, but it felt more like he was doing it perhaps for the wrong reasons.

Not to mention he'd be even further from his own family. Tatooine wasn't exactly their neighbor, and Jamie knew that he was close with his parents, though she had still yet to meet them.

"Are you sure about that?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He considered for a moment more, and then slowly nodded.

Kurt had always been one for knee jerk reaction. He had always decided on things quickly and never really thought about most things that he did. This though? This was something he had been considering for some time. Jamie and him had been apart since the beginning, and because of the lives they lived they inevitably ended up in danger every single time. It had happened three times now, and each time it nearly broke their hearts.

Kurt didn't want to deal with it anymore. ”I'm sure.”

He told her with a nod.

”I can finish my university courses through the holonet.” He knew that already. ”I haven't seen my mother and father much more than when I was a courier anyway.”

Kurt shrugged. ”I want to be with you Jamie, I want to see you more, and…”

He trailed off. There was no easy way to say it of course, but slowly he went on.

”I'm sick of this happening.” Kurt admitted. ”I don't want to show up and see you hurt. I'm not a force user, but i want to be there for you, protect you, do what I can.”

It was the simple truth. He didn't want to be apart from her anymore. "I love you, that's what matters."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Well that was unexpected...

She hadn't been quite prepared for Kurt's answer to the situation to be well then I'm going to move here... That was anything but what she expected.

The bewildered look lingered for a while more as she studied the man sitting beside her. It would potentially pose some logistical issues for her doubles, but nothing that couldn't be worked out. It would mean he'd end up with his own security detail, and he'd have to put up with her family a lot more often than as was normal. Though on the other hand he'd get to bond more with her sister, which she enjoyed the idea of. Though that did raise a particular question...

"Any thoughts on where you'd stay?"

Was he implying that he would just live on Naboo? Or was this more of a let's live together sort of thing.

Kurt was all over the place now and she wasn't sure how to read his words.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]