Private I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead

[Colette]

The rain smacked against her cheek and nose in her final moments of life. She could feel the beckoning call of sleep and the attention of the medevac forces approaching through the force. Ko was stable, Ko was safe, and if this was to be her inevitable end she was proud of where it had taken her. There were no tears, no struggle or desperation for more 'life.' She would die in service to someone else, ensuring their life for hers. There was no greater sacrifice or deed she could think of.

Darkness tugged at her consciousness and slowly pulled her into the grave. She let out a content breath and let it take her. For all intents and purposes, as far as Colette Noble was aware - she was dead.

And yet no more than a second passed. A light appeared at the periphery of her vision, her head spun with a strange sense of uneasy comfort. Something wasn't right with this. Something was wrong, something was very wrong. A panicked breath filled her lungs with air. No wait, that couldn't have been right. The dead didn't breathe, they didn't feel pain.

And there was no stopping it. It just kept coming. Wave after wave after wave of immense pain. She tried to but every move she made caused her body to feel weak, unresponsive. The light grew brighter, twisted and turned into vaguely humanoid shapes.

"--waking up!" The voice was barely audible, just out of reach.

Suddenly something pushed against her face, her nose and chin. Breathing got easier, got more heavier by the moment until eventually the light was snuffed out again and the dark overtook her.

And then, yet again, no more than a second later she awoke again. This time with a twitch. A sharp breath filled her lungs with air, this time with considerable ease. The lights in the room were dimmed, the sound of raindrops on windows reverberated around the room. Her mind registered the hospital before she could even really comprehend it. It must have been the sterile smell.

The kid's vision was still blurred, but there was someone there. Or at least it seemed like it. She tried to say something but her voice didn't carry as much strength as she'd have wanted. A grunt of discomfort pushed its way past her lips and then another one. The headache was coming back. Who was this person by her bed, and where was she?

Was this… No? This supposed death felt a lot like living, so… She was… Alive? How?

Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

The halls of the hospital blurred past her. Valery moved fast, her boots striking the polished floor in hurried steps. One hand clutched the front of her jacket, fingers curled tight in an effort to keep herself composed. The other grasped onto Kahlil's, her grip far tighter than she probably realized. She couldn't help it.

She had been told the news only minutes ago. Critical condition. Touch and go. Those words had rung in her head like the tolling of a bell, poisoning every thought she had tried to hold steady. Her daughte r— their daughter — had come so close to death. And now she was here.

Alive, but barely.

The second they reached the room, Valery barely paused before stepping inside. The sterile scent hit her first but she pushed it aside immediately when she saw her. Colette lay motionless in the hospital bed, her body pale beneath the sheets, her chest rising and falling in slow, shallow breaths. Valery's steps faltered. She swallowed hard, but it didn't stop the sharp sting in her throat, didn't stop the tears that had already welled up and begun slipping down her cheeks.

She reached Colette's side, hesitating only a fraction of a second before kneeling slightly to be closer to her, to see her. To take in every injury, every bandage. Her hand trembled as she reached out, brushing a damp strand of hair from her daughter's forehead.

"Look at her, love…" Valery whispered, her voice raw with disbelief. Her gaze flicked up toward Kahlil, searching for something — anything — to help make sense of this.

"She's hurt."

The words barely made it past her lips. A truth she could see, but still couldn't quite accept.

Colette Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

There had always been a distance between him and Colette.

Her past he knew, her present he knew. They lived in the same home. They were family. But they weren't close, not like Valery and Colette were. She didn't need a father, perhaps didn't even want one. There wasn't anything wrong with that in Kahlil's mind. Valery had chosen to be part of the Epicanthic culture, but he wasn't going to force Colette to do the same. The freedom to choose was what he wanted her to have more than anything.

She was, however, very much his daughter.

If Valery was hurrying, Kahlil was sprinting. He came to a stop beside Valery, blinking rapidly as he saw here there. Hut. Their daughter, hurt, this badly. He wasn't quick to calm. It took a moment before he was able to take a breath and gently touched Valery's shoulder. "She is. But she's alive" Right now, that's what mattered. There were many who weren't.

It was what he was telling himself to stay calm, at least.

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Colette]

Kahlil Noble / Valery Noble

There was truth in that. Colette and Kahlil had never been particularly close in part thanks to her difficult relationship with the very concept of 'parents,' but she still loved him for the presence that he had in her life. Once the blurred figures cleared up, and once she realized it was the two of them she felt herself ease back into the bed with a relieved sigh.

"I'm not dead." She tried to speak, but it was no more than a whisper. "I thought I was dead."

Her attention set itself on Valery for a while before she did the same with Kahlil. If ever there was proof that Colette was in fact alive it would have been the presence of these two. Nothing would happen to one without the other pulling them back out. Hell or heaven, as long as one was alive neither would hold the other unless they both went.

The same couldn't be said for Colette, or so she hoped. And that alone was reason enough to believe that she was, in fact, still alive.

"What happened? Where am I? I was… On Woostri, bleeding out, and then— no, now — I'm here."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

The warmth of Kahlil's hand on her shoulder grounded her. It was steady, solid — an anchor in the storm raging inside her. Valery didn't lean into it, didn't let herself break apart in the moment, but she felt it. Felt him. And she loved him so much for it. She drew in a shaky breath, blinking quickly to clear the fresh well of tears before she focused entirely on their daughter.

He words were small, whispered, but they were all she needed to feel reassured.

Valery sniffled, her fingers curling slightly against the sheet near Colette's side. The relief flooded through her, cutting through the fear, but it didn't stop the ache in her chest.

"You're here," she murmured, her voice thick but certain. "You're safe."

She wanted to wrap her up in her arms, to hold her, to feel her warmth and promise her everything would be okay. But she didn't — Colette was still fragile, still hurt, and Valery wouldn't risk hurting her further. Instead, she just stayed close, letting her presence speak for what words couldn't.

When the question came, Valery swallowed hard.

"I don't know the details yet," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just… I only just heard that you had gotten hurt. That you were transferred here." She exhaled sharply, eyes flickering over Colette's injuries, as if trying to piece it all together herself. "We came right away."

And she would have crossed the entire galaxy in a heartbeat if it meant getting to her daughter. Her hand brushed against Colette's gently, just enough for her to feel it — just enough to let her know she wasn't alone.

"Are you feeling okay?" Valery asked before shifting aside enough for Kahlil to also join them. His support was just as important as hers, after all.

Colette Kahlil Noble ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Here and safe.

It was true, though, it didn't do much to alleviate the concern still in Kahlil's chest. He was hovering. He knew he was, but it didn't stop him from it. He gave space, the kind needed for her recovery, but he was there, still smiling his calm smile as he tried not to push his worries onto his daughter. That was the last thing he'd want to do, certainly.

Which was also why he was letting Valery speak for them both. He wasn't going to add anything more, not while it was clear Colette was still getting her bearings. Just a silent, stead presence for now.

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

The tally would be:

1. A firm bandage around her waist
2. A wrapped shoulder
3. Bags under the eyes

As far as visual damage went it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but underneath all of that it was pretty worn down. Colette unknowingly to herself dragged her thumb up and down along Valery's hand for comfort. She tried to put on a brave face but she lacked the energy to do so.

"I'm… Fine." She tried to speak clearly but felt her tongue twist itself in exhaustion as she went. "Actually, no." The kid groaned and writhed in her bed. "I feel like chit."

She let in a deep breath and began to look around, get a grip on the situation of where she was and what had happened. The cold, painted pale green walls were as sterile as they got. A small but bulky television screen clung to the wall with a reinforced durasteel arm and she could have smelled the plastics in the floor had it not been for the wear and tear embedded in it. This whole room was built for easy cleaning for as little money as possible. Most likely a cheap solution to a big problem.

Colette felt her eyes close for a moment. The dryness of her eyes burning against the back of her eyelids like that of a child refusing to close her eyes to delay its inevitable sleep. A wet inhale cracked her wide open with a big yawn.

"I was with Ko." The kid groaned and shuffled yet again. "Three… Sith."

"Dread. Fear. Two lovers. Echani and… Something else. Interloper."

"Echani was… Strong. Flew in the sky, tried to get in my head."

"... Chokeslammed her to the ground instead."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery's fingers tightened just slightly around Colette's hand, her heart swelling at the small, absent brush of her daughter's thumb against her skin. It was something so simple, but in the wake of nearly losing her, it meant everything. Then she heard the words.

Three Sith.

Her jaw clenched. The fire in her eyes burned hotter, barely restrained beneath the steady surface she tried to maintain.

"Cowards," she muttered under her breath.

She wanted to tear them apart, to hunt them down and make sure they never had the chance to do this again. That instinct burned in her, raw and unrelenting. But she swallowed it down, exhaling slowly through her nose. That wasn't the right way. She blinked, glancing at Kahlil for just a second, as if reminding herself of what mattered — of what had pulled her from that path before. Then, her attention returned to Colette, softening just slightly, even as the rage still simmered beneath the surface.

"You took on three Sith," Valery murmured, brushing her thumb gently across the back of Colette's hand. Her voice was steady, firm, but full of something far deeper than just pride. "And chokeslammed one?" She huffed a quiet, amused breath, her fingers curling ever so slightly. "That's my girl."

But as much as she admired Colette's spirit, as much as she was so incredibly proud, there was still so much left unspoken. So much she wanted to say but held back.

Kahlil Noble Colette ​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Yeah, that certainly sounded like something Colette would do. Kahlil idly lifted a hand, pulling over one of the chairs as he took a seat beside Colette's bed. Close, not too close. It was certainly a balancing act on his part, but one he had no issue with making work. He didn't want to leave her side right now. Vera was with the triplets, Aris was as ever unharmed physically, at least.

Colette was the one he felt needed them the most.

"Get some more rest. We'll be here when you wake, Colette."

Valery Noble | Colette

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble / Kahlil Noble

"No, I'm fine." Colette insisted and tried to push out of bed but found no strength to do so. "I can…" She tried again. And also failed. Again. "Ugh."

She let in a deep breath and exhaled her frustrations.

"The… Triplets probably need you." She groaned. "Or Vera. Or Aris."

"There's probably…" She exhaled in exhaustion, livid as she was that she couldn't move properly. "Some fire burning… Somewhere."

"I just need a breather. I'll get out of bed, and…" She tried, yet again, to get herself out of bed without success. "Uuuuughh…"