Private Fortify

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna awoke to the sound of the baby coughing. Worry overrode everything else, and she immediately got up to go check on Serena.

Or tried to. The moment she tried to put weight on her legs, she collapsed on the floor in a heap.

It was a struggle to get back up again. Her knees wobbled and her arms felt like jelly. There was no pain, only weakness—and all the while, that awful coughing from the baby's room.

It was pitch black in the room she was in. Cato's apartment was in a basement; no windows to let in natural light. Blinking until her eyes compensated for the darkness, she forced her body to reform, flexible skeleton shaping itself around the atrophy of her muscles. It wasn't pretty to look at, but it got her to the crib. Inanna checked for anything that might be in Serena's mouth, obstructing her throat. Nothing. Was she sick? She was afraid to try and hold her. Where was Cato? What was going on?

There was a curious sense of hollowness in her malleable bones, as if she'd been shot full of holes, then sewn back together haphazardly. But then, that was what had happened, wasn't it? She wasn't entirely sure. She didn't remember much, except that she had been somewhere on Narsh with Cato and Alicio.

Both of them? Now that really sounded strange...

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

The sound of hurriedly shuffling footsteps stopped at the doorway behind Inanna, and soon after the flick of a switch gave the room a bit of dim, warm lighting, just enough to see without any harsh illumination. Cato was there, quietly huffing and clutching a bag in his hand. He looked concerningly different from his usual jovial expressions and cavalier attitude; The young man's eyes were baggy and bloodshot, and his fresh face now broken out with shadowed scruff. Even his hair and clothes were a bit more disheveled, like he had been putting in the bare minimum to look presentable. His gaze flicked back and forth between Inanna and Serena, before he finally spoke in a tired, weak voice, "…What're you… what're you doing up?"

There was a barely discernible glimmer of hopefulness in his eyes when he looked at her, up and moving, alive. Even though his words seemed to indicate he found it less than desirable. Cato stepped forward and laid down the bag at the end of the mattress and placed a hand on Inanna's shoulder as if to guide her back down, "Please, stay in bed."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna turned around at the sound of shuffling footsteps. “Cais ned’jin,” she whispered upon seeing him standing in the doorway. “You look...” Awful, but then so did she. She must’ve looked like a strange monstrosity kneeling on the floor by the crib, her figure and features twisted and gnarled by her injuries. Only her eyes were her own.

"…What're you… what're you doing up?"

“I woke up,” she said, not knowing how else to answer.

How much time had passed? She wanted to ask him. But she heard another hacking cough from Serena, and pictured tiny lungs spasming beneath delicate rib bones. “She’s sick,” she said. “We need to get her to a doctor, or something...”

Of course, that really meant Cato needed to get her to a doctor. Inanna was in no condition to really go anywhere. A spear of guilt pierced her as she looked at him, his disheveled state, how tired he was. “I’ll go back to bed if you’ll go with me,” she said. “We’ve got to take care of her first.”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Fair enough. Though Cato hardly had the energy to quip over it. He made no comment on her physical state either, even as he studied her intently, as if searching for some crucial flaw that would cause her to unravel. They each had their attention pulled back to Serena when she coughed, "I know," Cato whined, grabbing the bag he had brought in, "I got some medicine, I just-- It's been a lot…" Clearly whatever he'd been dealing with between Serena and Inanna had taken a toll on him.

Cato opened up the back, which contained a needless syringe and a bottle of opaque liquid, "Reliable doctors are pretty hard to find here…" He spoke in a hoarse whisper, plunging the syringe into the bottle and extracting a dosage, which he lowered to Serena's lips. She squirmed a bit, not taking too well to the medication, especially as she coughed again and caused some of it to spittle back up. Cato frowned, and cleaned it up with a small towel before finishing.

"…How are you feeling?" He asked Inanna cautiously, still vigilantly watching their daughter.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna watched him administer the medicine, one hand reaching into the crib to comfort Serena. Reliable doctors—was that why she was here, rather than in a hospital? No… There had been a reason for this. She knew what it was, she just couldn’t remember…

“I’m supposed to be dead,” she murmured, realization dawning on her. “That was the plan.”

Sacrifice herself for her friends. Die for the people she loved, and put an end to the terror. That had been her decision. Yet she was alive. She had survived the onslaught. Something told her the Star wasn't only to thank for that.

“I’m weak and wobbly, but not in pain,” she said. Turning from Serena to Cato, she caught a vague recollection of him crying over her. She reached out tentatively, resting a hand on his shoulder. “What about you?”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

"As far as anyone else is aware… You probably are," Cato said with a bit of strain. Just implying her death seemed to cause him some grief, "'Cept Alicio," Or anyone he might have told, if he did.

Hearing Inanna at least wasn't in any pain at the moment brought a small measure of relief, "Let me know if it does start to flare up. I've got meds for you too," He pointed a thumb first at the bedside table, where a few bottles and containers were scattered, then pointed towards the kitchen, where more were presumably stored.

When she asked how he was, Cato sighed, and slowly sat down on the bed. He looked at her, failing to muster a more reassuring expression, "You were shot to hell, Inanna. I uh… I really thought I lost you there. Thought I still might lose you for a while after. That I'd come in and check one day and you'd just…" He trailed off and looked down. Perhaps the worst was finally behind them now, if Inanna was up and cognizant, "Now with Serena being sick it's… it's a lot." Not that there was any waver in his determination to fight through it. Keeping his family together was all he really had.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

“Alicio made it out too.” That was good. That was what she had hoped for. “He better not have told anyone. As long as everyone thinks I’m dead, that whole cursed mission might have been worthwhile after all. Free Lao-mon has their corpse, and the Maw will take care of the rest.”

It was really starting to come back to her now. The Last Hand. Vashti and Alicio at the table. If one of us has to die, it can’t be him. Blasters trained on Cato. The stunned look on Alicio's face when Inanna offered herself as the sacrifice. The memory of pain, flesh blistering under a hail of blaster fire, holes burning through her.

Cato sat on the edge of the bed. Inanna sank down next to him, a ghostly figure. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, clinging to him as if the physicality of his body could prove that she was not some wraith from beyond the grave.

“I thought they were going to shoot you,” she said, raising a hand to his face. She was missing a finger, burned off by a blaster bolt, but she could feel the stubble on his cheeks bristling against her palm. “I couldn’t let that happen. I had to do something. I—” Caused you a lot of suffering and anguish, didn’t I? “I’m awake now. I’m back, and I’m not going anywhere. I’m retiring. It’s over, it’s all over…”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato shrugged. There had been little to no contact with anyone since, so whatever Alicio was up to, he couldn't say. As Inanna sat down beside him, he leaned a little closer.

“I thought they were going to shoot you,”

Another shrug, "Probably would have," It was a sacrifice he would've made, if it came down to it. But she had other plans. And in her plan's defense, it did technically result in all of them making it out alive. Not that it was lacking in distress. "I hope so," Cato said plainly, resting his hand over hers. This life wasn't sustainable. They knew that. But a true reminder of their mortality was a harsher wake up call than he could've imagined. Whatever loose ends he still had on Nar Shaddaa needed to be tied up, so he could finally put be a father and put his family, well and truly, first.

Still easier said that done.

"D-do you need anything? Anything I can do to help? You're still kind of…" He paused to find the right words, finally revealing the slightest hints of a smile, "…a work in progress." Cato gestured broadly at her.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

“Just hold me,” she said softly.

Serena had stopped coughing, the medicine soothing her throat. It was quiet, for a little while.

“I can fix this,” Inanna murmured. “Not the weakness, that won't go away until I've recovered more, but the falling on my face and looking misshapen I can do something about. Although I’ll have to compensate for the loss of body mass by making myself smaller. Should probably start disguising myself, too. Don’t want to risk being recognized…” She winked one golden eye at him. “Any ideas?”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

That he could do. They just sat there for awhile in the newfound silence. Serena was resting, Inanna was up. There was at least a modicum of normalcy to the otherwise mess of a situation. When Inanna spoke again, Cato was pulled back from idle thoughts and a blank stare, "Ideas?" He asked with a tired smirk, "Shit Inanna, you're the shapeshifter here."

Cato rubbed the back of his neck, and shrugged, "So you're just gonna- Change your identity?" He sounded a bit hesitant at first, if just because he found the idea of pretending that he had 'moved on' or whatever to be unpleasant. But it's not like forcing her to stay cooped up in the apartment was a serviceable alternative, "How do you think Serena's going to react?" Somehow he didn't expect her to fully comprehend the sudden change.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

“Being able to look like anyone or anything does have its drawbacks. I have so many options, it’s hard to narrow them down. It's like trying to figure out what to watch on the holo.” She shrugged and started to shift. Portions of mangled flesh smoothed over, gaps filling out, until looking at her, one would never guess how badly she’d been injured. All the scars and still-healing wounds were on the inside, at the cost of a few inches of height.

She was experimenting with different skin tones, fading from several shades of human into more alien colors like pink and green and blue, when Cato posed a rather important question. “Only for a little while,” she assured him. “Long enough for everything to die down, at least.” She had noticed his hesitation, and it wasn't hard to figure out why he was reluctant. "Don't have to pretend I'm your new girlfriend, you know. I could be your sister or something. Although that might make things even more complicated..." Not to mention a bit weird. "Or just a friend, I don't know. Hell, I could even be a dude." That suggestion was clearly meant to make him laugh.

“I don’t know. I’ll still feel the same in the Force, but… it’ll probably confuse her. Poor baby.” But what other choice did they have? “Do you think I should just stay in the apartment, then?” She didn’t know how long it would take, exactly. Hopefully not years. Staying inside with Cato and Serena would be far from miserable, but it wasn't exactly ideal.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato snorted and how casually the two concepts were compared for someone like her. It was always a curious sight to behold, seeing Inanna shift in real time. He couldn't help but watch, mesmerized by an ability that was, quite literally, alien to him. She picked up on his hesitance quickly, with her suggestions lightening the mood, if also making it more confusing, "I'm not sure which of those suggestions would be weirder," In all likelihood, acting as if it was a new relationship would play out the best, if just because it was the closest to truth. They still had their private lives together, where they didn't have to pretend in front of others.

"True," The Force signature would help, probably. Or just make the baby more confused. He grimaced. It was hard to say without really going through with it. Cato was quick to shut down her other idea, "No. No, can't do that to you," Maybe in the moment it seemed tolerable, but he could only imagine the idea of being trapped in a basement for… who knows how long, to be a bit maddening. In time Inanna would likely be dealing with a bad case of cabin fever. Cato sighed, "I don't know. There's just- So much to think about."

"What do you want to do? It's your body, Inanna. Your power. How do you think is best to use it?"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

“Uh, well, let’s just say there’s a reason why I avoid male forms. I can look the part, but that’s about it.”

Then there was the matter of her ID and bank accounts. She could get fake identification, enough to allow her to travel at least. It would involve a lot of paperwork, but feasible. The question was, did she really want to bother creating a whole new identity for such a short amount of time?

Sure, why not. You’ve done it before.

Cato’s flat refusal to have her just stay indoors until things blew over further sealed her fate. The fate of Inanna Yomin, that is. She stood up, peeling off clothes now too big for her shrunken frame.

"What do you want to do? It's your body, Inanna. Your power. How do you think is best to use it?"

She turned to him. “The new girlfriend story seems to make the most sense. But I won’t do it if you object.” Splaying her palms, she smirked. “This body belongs to you, too, you know. And yours belongs to me, so…” The smirk gave way to a more tender expression as she knelt down at his feet and pulled his shoes off, then reached up to unclasp his belt. “Take better care of yourself, Cato. Get some rest…”

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato blinked as Inanna stood up, and shrugged in resigned agreement, "It'll be… weird to get used to. But we'll know the truth, at least." She smirked at him, and he seemed to hold his breath as she spoke, before finally cracking a smile, "I ever tell you that I'm damn crazy about you?"

…

After some much needed R&R, Cato had the most restful sleep he'd gotten since Inanna's near-death experience. But like so many of the other times before, he was still stirred into wakefulness by the sounds of Serena's cries. He twitched harshly, then pulled himself up off of the bed in groggy fashion to reach her crib. The baby was mewling, her little voice hoarse and weak. Cato frowned, and began a search for the medicine, "Shhh… Just a second, honey, I'm sorry. Daddy's trying…"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Cato agreed to the plan. Once the matter was settled, everything else would fall into place.

“Mm, no, that’s a new one,” she replied, lifting his shirt up over his head. “But the feeling is mutual.” She leaned in to kiss him. “You’ve been taking care of everyone else, now I’m going to take care of you.”

---

She’d slept so much as of late, and yet Inanna had no trouble falling asleep again. But once again she was awoken by Serena crying and Cato fumbling around desperately for the medicine.

“Is this it?” she asked, handing him a bottle which looked like the one he’d used earlier. Reaching into the crib, she scooped the baby up and sat on the edge of the bed. Serena lay whimpering against Inanna’s chest, feverish pink against cool blue.

“What is that stuff, and where did you get it?” Inanna asked.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato spun around to the sound of Inanna's voice, startling slightly, "Jeez— Yes," There was a bit of an uncanny valley effect with whatever experimentation Inanna was doing with her appearance. Not fully different yet; Some parts of her original identity still remained, in combination with a few distinct alterations. It was going to take some getting used to an unfamiliar face in their home.

No matter; He shook his head and took the bottle, giving Serena another dose. Inanna's question made him pause, and purse his lips, "…Don't get mad-" Not a great start, "So, reputable doctors are uh, pretty hard to find on Nar Shaddaa. So I finally just decided to go to someone I knew. He's a uh… a drug dealer, basically. B-but I trust him!" Cato quickly assured, "He doesn't deal in like, illegal spice or whatever. Just stuff people need access to." The closest thing this forsaken moon had to a pharmacist.

"It's keeping things from getting worse but- I don't feel like she's getting any better…"

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna was now short and blue. She hadn’t really changed anything else about her appearance yet. At his startled reaction, she self-consciously cast her gaze toward the closest mirror and winced. It did look weird.

But they had more important matters to attend to at the moment. She held Serena while he administered the medicine, frowning.

"…Don't get mad—"

Her eyes narrowed, but she let him say his piece.

"So, reputable doctors are uh, pretty hard to find on Nar Shaddaa. So I finally just decided to go to someone I knew. He's a uh… a drug dealer, basically. B-but I trust him!"

“Eyam To’pol,” she muttered exasperatedly. It was another Shi’idese expletive, this time of a religious bent. Inanna only got religious when things were bad. Grabbing the bottle from him, she scanned the label. “...Cato, this is literally just cough syrup!”

She was not mad at him. He was clearly trying, bless him, but this wasn’t right. “We need to get her to an actual doctor,” she said. “She’s running a fever. Probably needs antibiotics. This stuff is just treating the symptoms, not the sickness.”

Temporarily placing Serena back in her crib, Inanna hurriedly got dressed. Remembering that she was only half made up, so to speak, she grabbed a random fashion holomag she found lying around and flicked through it, imitating the first image of a model that didn’t make her want to hurl.

Serena started to cry when she returned to the crib to pick her up. “I know, I know, I look like a stranger and you’re sick and miserable and life is just awful,” she murmured. Inanna wasn’t feeling all that great herself, but she’d do whatever she had to for her daughter. "Maybe you should take her, since you don't look any different," she said to Cato.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato seemed to almost literally deflate, the realization a proverbial kick while he was already down. He looked at the bottle to confirm as much with his own eyes, then just stared blankly at nothing, feeling like a complete idiot. With everything at stake, he was still messing up.

"…Yeah. Okay," Cato stood up and finished getting dressed himself, "Where then? Can we reach somewhere off-world?" He wouldn't have dared leave Inanna here alone while she was incapacitated, but now that she was up and moving, perhaps that possibility was back in the cards. If it wouldn't take too long, anyway. Cato nodded at her suggestion, taking Serena so that she could at least latch onto a familiar presence. "Shhh," He rubbed her back as she quietly whined, reaching down at an awkward angle to grab a few more of Serena's things before the left, "You good?" He asked Inanna.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

“Off-world?” Was medicine on Narsh really so bad that they would have to leave the planet just to get proper care for a sick baby? “I don’t know. What’s the closest planet or space station with decent healthcare facilities?”

They couldn’t afford to spend days traveling through hyperspace. Inanna kissed Serena’s head as she passed her over to Cato, worried at the clammy feel of the child’s skin.

“I’m fine,” she said. “I’ll feel a lot better when she’s taken care of.”

---

Aboard their ship, she pulled up the galaxy map in the navicomputer. “We’re close to Silver space. Don’t they have those mobile hospital ships?”

There were ways to track the movements of said ships through space. Determined, Inanna tapped into the network, looking for the closest available Rejuvenator. “There’s one near Irith. Barely a half hour through hyperspace.” She turned to Cato. "You used to be with the Silvers, right?" Whether that would have any impact at all, she didn't know, but it seemed like a good shot.

Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato shrugged, "Would you trust any doctor from here on the very first meeting?" There was likely somebody serviceable, but the time it could take to find one wasn't really worth the risk in his mind. Simply too many factors at play. Anywhere else, it was just a matter of finding a pediatrician. "Probably somewhere in Silver space," He With Serena in hand, he made for the door, "Me too…"

---

"Do they? I dunno," Cato asked, rocking Serena. He didn't exactly keep up. But it would likely be as good a stop as any, if so. Inanna managed to track one nearby, then turned to him, "I did. Yeah," He peered at her more studiously, "Why?"

Inanna Harth​