I Go to Seek a Great Perhaps {HK-36}

[Cassus De'Gaunt]

What had happened to her?
She used to be so...
So positive about everything.
But people change.
For better or for worse, they change.
And that's just what Dr. Veron Stormson did.

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Quietly she exited the hospital room, throwing her dirty, bloody gloves into the trash. Another surgery done. One more life saved. Yet the amount of those she had taken away from the brink of death paled into comparison to the amount she had lost. Still those around her congratulated her. Told her she was doing great... Always doing great... Being back in the Operating Center was a partial relief. Less people died under her watch than out in the field. Her time as a Battle Medic had been short-lived. While she still qualified for it, she wasn't needed at the moment. Something made her think they'd need her again soon. Probably had something to do with the new Sithies invading Coruscant. Some of the injured had already come to Protectorate space for treatment. In fact Veron had just done a lung transplant for a young Jedi. Girl was lucky to be alive after the fight she had. Some Sithspawn had crushed some of her ribs with a single punch...

The thought alone was enough to make Dr. Stormson shudder. More so though... it reminded her how tired she was. With a little sigh she clocked out at the desk and started walking home. Her apartment here on Fondor wasn't to far from her workplace. Which was a relief. Taxis could occasionally get pretty expensive. Especially after a disaster like the one on Coruscant. People panicked. Some thought Fondor was next. Others came here to stay safe. It really increased the traffic around here. And the hospital... "Damn it Veron! Focus on something else for once..." Seeing so much death had gotten to her recently. The Docto had started to let herself go. These days her hair was a short, knotty mess. Almost always in a bun. Her clothes were only washed once a week, and she'd been wearing the same outfit for two months now. People were starting to get concerned. No one knew her well enough to feel confident talking to her about things. Which is why they sent a certain droid a message... in the hope he could sit her down for an intervention.

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Dear Mr. HK,​

We, here at one of the Hospitals on Fondor, must ask a favor of you. Recently one of our staff members (Read: Veron Stormson) has fallen ill. Alas, it is a mental condition, not a physical one. Rest assured we would have done something if we could. Her health is deteriorating. We've tried to get her to take a vacation, in hopes that would help, but she's refused so far. Forcing her to do so is an option... but we feel doing so would only worsen her status. Veron has talked fondly about time she spent with you. Honestly, it's one of the times I've personally seen her smile. So now we go to you to ask for help. Surely she'd listen to someone who's both her surperior and her friend? My apologies if you don't have the time, or have more important things to do. She's one of our best workers, and having her in tip-top shape would really help. And... well, I shouldn't get overly personal... but I like seeing her smile. Really lights up the whole room. Makes the patients feel more comfortable as well.​

Ahem. Thank you again for taking the time to read this.​

-Sincerely,​

Dr. Jade Rosella Iphen
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[member="HK-36"]​

 

[HK-36]

[member="Veron'Icka Stormson"]

Soon enough the Dr. Jade of Fondor hospital would receive a message back,

Dear Dr. Jade Rosella Iphen,

I am currently in the Republic territory helping to deal with Sith attacks on both Republic and Mandalorian soil.
However, I shall be returning to Protectorate territory in a couple of days to re-supply and help our wounded.
I shall visit and speak to Dr. Stormson then.

With regards,
The Iron Knight.


And so, in a couple of days, HK has found himself on Fondor, the tall metal shape of the droid strode among the crowds of natives, travelers, and refugees that found themselves on the planet, his form was clad in Armor-Mesh traditional, but simple, robes of a Jedi, slightly used and a bit tattered from age, but still presentable.
Much like the droid himself.

Either way, through his correspondence with Doctor Jade, HK was able to get an idea of Veron's on-call times, letting him pick an hour for a visit when she was off-duty, using the gap for the would-be intervention with the young medic.

And so, the Comic Sans-wielding machine crossed the threshold of the apartment complex that contained Veron'Icka's apartment, soon enough he would find himself by the door to her little house.
And then, she could hear knocking on the door.

 

[Cassus De'Gaunt]

A small smile found it's way onto Dr. Iphen's face as she read the response. It wasn't exactly a secret that she had feelings for her young coworker. Pretty much everyone working at the hospital except for Veron herself knew. Though Stormson had changed a lot, one thing stayed the same: She was as clueless as ever when it came to love. Well, love and social skills. So it was no surprise that when Jade had asked her if she wanted to get a coffee, the Doc took it as her boss telling her to run an errand. Nor was it shocking that the moment a knock was heard at her door she froze. Who was there? She hadn't been expecting any company. Were there actually any people who knew where she lived? As far as she knew, there wasn't a single- oh. There was one. HK, the loveable droid. For the first time in what felts like ages, Veron grinned. Even forgot about her woes for a moment. Quietly she walked over to the door and looked through the 'peephole'. Unsurprisingly it was indeed HK. "One second, gotta unlock the door." At times the young woman could be overly cautious. Which is why there were four different manual locks, along with two computerized ones, attached to her home's entryway. It took roughly thirty seconds to undo them all.

With a little squeak the door swung open. [member="HK-36"] would be able to see his old friend... Who truly was in a shambled state. Her bluish-black hair was short, currently put up in a knotted bun. Even though the sleeves of her fleece shirt were rolled up quite a bit, they still hung baggily from her thin arms. One might also notice the dark circles under her eyes. They were an acknowledgment of the fact that she barely slept anymore. Perhaps she was in an even worse shape than Jade had realized? "Well look who it is! Mr. HK-36. Nice to see you bud..." Veron appeared to be slightly intoxicated. Was she even old enough to drink?... Ah, yes, yes she is. By a few years. Though nowadays she honestly looked like she could be in her mid-thirties, not early twenties like she actually is. Stress can do that to a person.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Veron'Icka Stormson"]

HK looked at Veron when she has finally opened the door. Well she looked like crap, still nice enough but.. crap at the same time, but in a good way.
"Veron, it is nice to see you again, may I come in?"
The droid reached with his metal hands to softly touch Veron's forearms in a greeting. Besides, it gave her an opening if she wanted to hug HK. Hugs were always nice.

"I have finally gotten around to stopping by Fondor from my latest campaigns, and I decided to stop by and see you again,"
The droid explained his presence, not mentioning the letter just yet, his red photoreceptors cast a soft glow over Veron,
"I missed you, Veron."
He confessed, continuing on,
"How have you been? You are not looking your best, to be honest."

He finally entered the waters of softly prodding the young doctor about her current state, and initiating the investigation on just what exactly troubled her.

 

[Cassus De'Gaunt]

"Veron, it is nice to see you again, may I come in?"​

While seeing the droid was still a surprise, it was a welcome one. Another little smile crossed her lips as she went in for a hug. Who would turn down the chance to hug HK? Don't think anyone would. No one that Veron knew at least. Sure, he might not be able to feel it... (or could he?) but hugs were nice anyway. "Yeah, come in. Just, uh... don't mind the mess." The mess meaning: Papers for work covered a little desk in the corner, the trash can was overflowing (oddly it was mostly paper and package scraps inside), and the door to her bedroom revealed a pile of sheets lazily thrown across a bed. Besides that it wasn't to bad. Though there were a few plates in the sink that needed washing. "I have finally gotten around to stopping by Fondor from my latest campaigns, and I decided to stop by and see you again. I missed you, Veron." Well, that made her blush a bit. It wasn't like she had a crush on him or anything. She just... wasn't used to being missed. Or at least not used to having people acknowledge the fact that they missed her.

"How have you been? You are not looking your best, to be honest."​

What a lovely compliment. Veron's smile dissolved as she took a second to look away. With a frown she let out a quiet sigh. "I've... I've been better. Going into combat for those few months... it... It messed with my head, I guess. Saw a lot of good people die. Right in front of me. There... wasn't anything I could do. But I tried anyway, so many times... If... If I had just done better... maybe they would have been able to go home in a suit, not a box..." And that was only counting those who weren't reduced to ash or lost in the vacuum of space. Hospital life still wasn't much better. People came to her to get better. When she couldn't save them... she felt responsible. The worst part was when things go well for so long, you get so much hope, but then one last piece of bad luck sends someone to the morgue.

[member="HK-36"]​

 

[HK-36]

[member="Veron'Icka Stormson"]

"Could be worse,"
The droid said, referring to the mess in the room, hugging Veron back, his hands giving her back a small rub,
He finally stepped into the apartment, following Veron as he listened to her explain what troubled her, Shell-Shock it sounded to him, it was a common ailment among the soldiers.

HK extended his hands, putting them softly on Veron's shoulders,
"War is an awful thing, and people die, I have been to funerals of countless friends, and soldiers, who fell in battles over these years. Try not to linger on the thoughts of their demise but take comfort that now they are in a place where there is no War, and celebrate each life saved at the end of the day."
The droid would pull Veron back for another hug,
"You are mortal, you cannot save everyone, but that does not mean everyone will perish before you either. Make next surgery to be better than one before, save more lives each battle, and remember that even a single life saved makes huge difference. You have done all you could,"
HK tilted his head, knocking it softly into the back of Veron's head,
"That is all we ask of you."

 

[Cassus De'Gaunt]

"Could be worse."​

That it could, that it could. Though the state of her home spoke a bit about the state of her mind. One had to wonder how long she had been like this. Days? Weeks? Months even? Veron was slow to show on the outside what she felt inside. Anything of those guesses could be right. "War is an awful thing, and people die. I have been to funerals of countless friends, and soldiers, who fell in battles over these years. Try not to linger on the thoughts of their demise but take comfort that now they are in a place where there is no War, and celebrate each life saved at the end of the day." It made her think. HK had been alive for centuries, longer than she could ever imagine. Yet he stood tall and strong today. Kind of inspiring, really. Most would say it was because he was a droid. But to her he was more than that. "You are mortal, you cannot save everyone, but that does not mean everyone will perish before you either. Make the next surgery to be better than the one before, save more lives each battle, and remember that even a single life saved makes a huge difference. You have done all you could, that is all we ask of you."
For a metal man, HK sure knew how to be gentle. Just one of the many things that many people loved about him. One could easily forget that his original purpose was assassination. Especially when he was around Ropos. That brought out the little kid in him. "You really have seen a lot... haven't you? Heh... Things would be a lot easier if I was as strong as you are. Alas, I am a mere human. And you are a hero atop a far-off plain, where the joy is equal to the pain, but you can be as free as you want..." Veron chuckled as she dramatically gazed off into the distance. For effect, of course. Quietly she walked over to the wall opposite the entrance, where a few photos were hung. One was of her and her parents. Below was a little quote. "I go to seek a great perhaps, a whisper in the wind. I will surely find it, though I do not know when... My grandfather was a soldier. Fought in a few wars for the Republic. He'd say that every time before he left home, apparently. Met grandma on one of those journeys. Maybe I should shoot for a little lower than you. I'll be as strong as Grandad one day." The thought made her smile.

[member="HK-36"]​

 

[HK-36]

[member="Veron'Icka Stormson"]

"It comes with indefinite lifetime, and organics are anything but mere, you can feel, it does not take you millenniums to begin have feelings or emotions. And you can love."
The droid answered to Veron, following her to look at the wall of photographic images, looking from one to the other,
"Your grandfather was as strong if not stronger than me, Veron. I go into combat and just face my enemies, I can be repaired if damaged, a copy of me can be made to take my place. Your grandfather had to go into combat facing both enemies and his own mortality, the thoughts of your family was with him, a family he helped raise. I once had an adopted son, a Jedi, during war with Sith he fell to the dark side and killed many Jedi, I was the one who taught him how to wield a saber. I was also the one who killed him."

HK would reach to Veron's hands to turn her around and face him,
"To you I may be on some far-off plain, but really, I am right here with you, Veron."