One More Troubled Soul

[Shalimar]

Nar Shadaa, a haven for criminals, smugglers, crime lords, and mercenaries alike. The deeper down you went in levels the worse things got and the more one found the law lacking. Shalimar knew this a little too well. The place however, had been a sort of sanctuary from the kind of people and beings she feared most.

You see, Shalimar was an experiment. She'd been born from an ovum in a test tube created to study the effects of mixing human and animal DNA. In her case the chosen DNA was of a feline nature, leaving her with many cat like qualities some more noticeable than others. A lab had been her home living alongside people like Madeline Kahoshi, and Moira Skaldi. Though she hadn't quite worked out that neither were human. Both were HRDs.

After having enough of being poked, prodded, and experimented on Shalimar finally managed to escape their grasp. It was a lucky break. Unfortunately Shalimar had been running ever since. She could barely stop to catch her breath. And when she escaped, she had no funds, nothing to her name. All she could do was steal what she needed most and hope to escape notice from the authorities. Though that didn't always work out. In those moments she could only pray that she managed to be fast enough to avoid them.

And so she came to Nar Shadaa. The lower levels with the scum of the galaxy the girl had managed to mostly blend in. Still, a face like hers was one that was remembered. And with Archangel and Madeline still looking for her with a notable price on her head, she attracted the wrong kind of people from time to time.

Having been weeks since her last meal, and looking oh so thin, tired and weak Shalimar was desperate. The only thing she could do was take what was needed. In that moment, it was money. Money so she could purchase what she needed, and maybe with some luck find something more than an abandoned building to take refuge in. Of course, her luck she chose the wrong person to steal from. The man she'd chosen as her target happened to be a hit man for one of the local crime syndicates.

This wasn't what she had in mind. Not at all as she dove down a darkened alley, seeking a way out, or a place to hide. Anything to escape the four men behind her. It had just been a few hundred credits. It wasn't that much in her eyes. But for the man she'd taken it from, it wasn't about the money. It was the principle of the matter. You simply didn't steal from someone like him. And a cute thing like her? Well she was bound to sell well on the slave markets - after he roughed her up a bit.

Turning the corner, Shal found herself in small but crowded market place. Her keen ears could still hear the men behind her but she'd gained enough distance to be safe for a second or two. Glancing to an empty stall she dove behind it to try and hide. All she could do was hope they'd not look too hard for her. Not when her body was growing weary and her legs screaming for her to stop, and rest. As long as she'd been without food, she had little chance to take that group head on. No. And as much as she wanted them to stop searching, that too was unlikely. For now, all she could do was watch and wait. If she had any manner of luck at all maybe they'd split up to cover more ground. In that she'd have a show as she might be able to take on each individual. Maybe.

Biting at her lip, she drew blood as she willed herself to calm down. Breath Shal, in and out. Slower. She told herself as she strained to catch any recognizable sound of them, or a whiff of their scents. Anything that might give her a clue of what was happening behind her. Panting heavily, she drew her knees up to her chest and rested her head against them as she closed her eyes. Please, go away. Please don't look here. Don't find me. Just leave. Leave. If only she could be so lucky.

But she wasn't. She heard movement above her, and her eyes snapped open as she felt a hand curl around her wrist. Feth! Shalimar winced as the larger man jerked her to her feet and drew back a fist. The woman lashed out, kicking, clawing, scratching, any body part she could get a hold of. Sharpened finger nails raked across his face leaving behind five deep wounds. "That's a mistake girl!" He hissed before throwing her against the wall. And now Shalimar could see his friends emerging from the crowd.

"Really?" She growled. "I'm told scars add character." That might not have been the best thing to say as he launched himself at her once more.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Shalimar"]


There were problems in the Galaxy that could be solved through diplomacy, debate, rational discussion or Jedi conclaves so boring that everyone attending fell asleep. Alas, there were many that required the application of high-velocity projectiles, high-explosives, sharp objects, offensive space magic, laser swords or a combination of all of the above. Verily, brute force was an unjustly maligned way of achieving one's objectives. Such as saving a lady in need from being assailed by a group of pathetic scum.


BANG. An APEB round leapt out of the barrel of a Cylix bolt pistol and sailed towards the ruffian who'd just been so unkind to throw her into a wall and was launching himself at her. His aura radiated cruelty, sadism and an absurd sense of entitlement that masked his own inferiority. Luckily the bullet had remarkable killing credentials as far as his kind was concerned.


Head on impact would penetrate most personal armour except the heaviest, thanks to the Munroe effect it would inject lethal metal fragments at hypersonic speed. A stream of the aforementioned particles would impact upon the target site, piercing it and tearing it apart from the inside. An armoured target would fare even worse because while the bullet would exit an unarmoured one like a dum-dum round, the payload would not be able to do so in such a case and tear the target to pieces.


Now that this one has spent two paragraphs with gun porn, we shall move on to the plot. The aforementioned criminal individual with the immoral designs upon Shalimar would suddenly experience a lot of pain as the round left a hole inside his back and moved on to his chest. Collapsed lung? That was quite possible. Dying in a pool of your own blood with an exploded lung really sucked.


He fell, cried out in pain and wheezed, coughing up blood. One young redhead stepped out of the crowd, clad in a sleek leather catsuit that hugged her gorgeous body and accentuated her delicious curves...oh, wait, this is not supposed to be a parody, so she was dressed practically like a spacer. Her combat boots were good for showing depraved manlings their boundaries by kicking them in the nuts. "Take it from someone who went to hell, it ain't fun." She was the sort to use corny one-liners. "Sod off." Her smoking hot bolt pistol was levelled at the rest of the thugs.


Naturally they had to choose the path of bravery and foolishness. "Feth you!" one of them snarled. "I remember you, Kallikora. I'm cashin' in on that bounty, queen!" A common thug could not be expected to be particularly eloquent, though that might be an interesting subversion. BANG Then the gun roared again and he was hit in the kneecaps.


Ouch. Another launched fired his blaster rifle at her, but she seemed to catch the bolt with her hand. Her face contorted in pain and burns were clearly visible on her hand, but she seemed to absorb the bolt's energy. "You like hurting women, you piece of chit? But can you take it?" Her eyes glowed a bright crimson, she snapped her fingers and his hand combusted.


Why was she here? Because the Great White Wolf had sent her a vision. This was the long-awaited Firemane: Next Generation spinoff, rated 9/10 by the Holonet Movie Database. Why not 10/10? Bigoted Coruscanti reactionaries moped because women weren't stuck in the kitchen and the sapphic leads were not randomly killed off.

 

[Shalimar]

If truth be told help in the form of a redheaded stranger had been the last thing that Shalimar had expected. If anything given her weakened state she expected the fight to go unnoticed as most were, and get drug off to heavens knew where. The likely result was slavery, or worse.

The noise of the APEB round pierced the air and Shal winced as the noise hit her sensitive ears. Her attention momentarily drawn to the young woman who'd come to her rescue as the brute's body fell to the ground, bleeding out.

As much as she wanted to take a moment to figure out just what was going on, there wasn't time. From the corner of her eyes, she saw movement. With what little energy she had, the blonde leaped up and onto the counter of the stall she had taken refuge in, just in the nick of time as an improvised bat shattered against the duracrete behind her. She turned in time to bring a boot to the man's face, knocking him hard into the wall, stunning him for a brief moment.

Then it was the smell in the air, fire. It's properties were entirely unique and something that stirred up a primal fear in her. In that instant she only wanted to run. Unfortunately that wasn't an option as the last thug standing recovered and lunged for her legs. He ripped her down from the counter and pulled her to the ground.

Shalimar's reactions just weren't as good on this day. At least not enough to prevent her from tumbling down to the ground and acquiring all manner of cuts, scrapes, and bruises along the way. As he managed to pin her, the woman was looking fast for a weapon of any sort. Anything she could use to end this before she ended up dead. A glint of metal caught her eye. A sheared piece of durasteel lay just within reach. And as she grabbed it Shal took one hard hit to her cheek bone, crying out. Though, she didn't let it deter her from her weapon.

Reaching she wrapped her fingers around the metal shard and with all she had left in her she plunged it into his throat as deep as she could manage. Her aim had been good, ripping open one of the major arteries and cutting a hole in his windpipe. Blood poured out fast and all he could was clutch at his neck as she pulled the shard back. He only had seconds to live if that. Using this moment, she pushed him back off her her and got to her feet. Blood covered her clothing, and seemed to be everywhere. It's scent almost overwhelming for her. At least, it blocked out the scent of the flames for a moment.

As adrenaline from the fight was starting to fade, pain quickly replaced her strength. Shalimar tossed the bloody shard aside, realizing she'd cut her hand deeply in the process of ending the thug. And now, the weariness rolled in as she tried to take a step but found herself on her knees, panting heavily. She glanced back to the redhead, hoping that woman would be able to manage alone. Because at this moment, Shalimar wasn't much use to anyone.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Shalimar"]


One thug was left standing. Well, as a matter of fact he was not really standing since he'd taken an APEB round to the kneecap. This made standing, let alone walking rather difficult. So he lay there on the ground, clutching his wounded knee. Blood was seeping out of the injury. Anger and fear leaked from him. There was a time when this might have hurt Elpsis' empathy, but not anymore. She had become better at controlling it. Moreover, he clearly deserved the pain he was in.


"You fething queen. Back off, or I'll kill her!" he snarled and suddenly pulled a frag grenade from his belt. His shaking fingers were on the pin. "I will drop it!" Sheer spite was written across his features. It reminded Elpsis a bit of a story Cora had told her once. About how a certain tin pot dictator had blown up Corellia's shipyards and helped wreck the planet purely because he was sulky about losing his toys.


Her lip curled in disgust. "I believe you." Then she pulled the grenade out of his grasp, tossing it far and wide into the air. There was a loud, deafening boom that made her ears ring and shards of shrapnel rained down upon passerbys, who sought cover behind the various market stalls or scattered. People on Nar Shaddaa were used to lunatics shooting at each other in the streets. The shockwave still thrust her to the ground, and she rolled back to her feet. "Y'know, I was going to let you go. But after that, I'm feeling mean. Internal combustion it is." The thug looked shocked and more than a little fearful. But there was no reprieve for him. Suddenly his chest began to grow and expand. His face turned red, he screamed in agony as his lungs were cooked from the inside, then his chest exploded like a balloon.

 

[Shalimar]

Shalimar could only helplessly watch as the final thug raised the grenade, threatening her life directly if this mysterious redheaded heroine didn't leave him be and back off. People were scattering left and right, trying to get out of harm's way. And she found herself looking for any way out that didn't require much strength or energy.

Shalimar ducked as the shockwave hit her, her ears ringing loudly. She looked up in time to watch the final scene play out, cringing when the last thug finally expired. The smell hit her first, so overpowering that it made her feel instantly a little sick. With him dead, she only relaxed slightly. Shal wasn't the most trusting of people under the circumstances. Though there were few that could blame her.

Taking her injured and still bleeding hand she put a bit of pressure on the wound for a second as her attention turned back to the redhead. "Thank you." She said quietly as she slowly clutched at the market stall to try and get to her feet. Her hope was that this wasn't just another mercenary or bounty hunter that was going to try to turn her in. Hoped that she wasn't just going from one terrible situation to another.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Shalimar"]


The acrid scent of burnt flesh tickled Enyo's nose. Her face wrinkled in digust and she a wave of nausea wash over her. Even a pyromancer did not enjoy the smell. Unless they were really weird. Anyone who yammered about how much they loved the smell of napalm in the morning needed a clobbering. However, the thug had deserved his agonising end. You used to run with folks like that, y'know. Or sell toys to them, the traitorous inner voice was annoying, but it had a point. Yeah...I did, but I'm different now.


Casting the inner monologue out of the metaphorical airlock, she quickly headed over towards the injured, bleeding woman. "No problem, I'm...," she did not know how to finish her sentence. I saw you in a dream. The Force...or the Great Wolf, told me to save you. Either or both. Presumably saying that would not go down well. "Not gonna hurt you," she reached out to try and help the stranger stand. She winced when she saw in what a poor shape the woman was. "I got a ship nearby. I can patch you up," she offered.

 

[Shalimar]

Shalimar was trembling as Elpsis approached. Nervously she glanced to the street around them and then back to the girl. Breathing hard, she tried to take a step backwards from the redhead. It took everything she had to stuff her instincts to run aside, and stay put. Though even if she'd chosen to follow her natural fight or flight response, she'd not have gotten far.

However, her knees threatened to give way. At this point Shal gave a tired nod. "Okay." Her single word, almost breathless as she looked anxiously to Elpsis. "Not usually this bad." The blonde mumbled softly. Finally she grabbed for Elpsis for support, knowing she was in rough shape and not going to get far on her own. "I ... I don't even know your name."

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Shalimar"]


Seeing how difficult it was for the poor woman to stand, Elpsis held on to her, lending her strength to help the stranger stabilise herself. "Name's Elpsis Elaris. What's yours?" she asked while trying to lead the poor, bleeding woman away from the market. Some people gave them odd looks. A few of these were covetuous and conveyed immoral intent. Elpsis puffed up her Force Aura and radiated serious 'don't mess with me or I'll set you bitches on fire' vibes.


"Ain't far from here. Just around that block," she tried to sound encouraging, though she could imagine how agonising every step must be for the woman. As for the thugs who'd been killed earlier, carrions were already looting their corpses.

 

[Shalimar]

"Shalimar." She said softly as she nervously looked around. "Just Shalimar." A last name wasn't something she had. And even Shalimar was just a name she'd picked herself to avoid the fact that much her life had been spent only knowing herself as a number in a lab. She was just a simple experiment.

Now feeling the young woman's support made moving a little easier for her. All she really needed was some honest rest, in a quiet place, a little food and her hand bandaged and in a few days she'd be fine. Though she was a novice force user, and not truly even aware really, she wasn't sure what exactly it was with Elpsis but she felt the shift and instantly felt like the girl was the kind of person you didn't mess with.

She gave a small nod, "I can handle that just .... tired." The blonde paused, "Hungry too. Tired and hungry." She gave a shrug, though her body was aching she mostly ignored that. Her cheek still stung badly from where she'd been hit but that too was ignored. "A little rest, a little food, I'll be fine." At least that is what she believed.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Shalimar"]


"Shalimar," Elpsis repeated after the blonde. "That's a nice name." The journey back to her ship was not long, though she could imagine how painful each step must have been for her new friend. The foul, rankid air of Nar Shaddaa invaded her nostrils as they made their way through the crumpled districts. Unsurprisingly, no one had bothere to collect the garbage in a while. Bad air, dark alleyways and garbage-covered streets infested with scum ready to stab a knife in your back at any moment...Nar Shaddaa had never changed and Elpsis doubted it ever would. Such was the way of the Galaxy.


However, she guided Shalimar towards her landing spot with unerring precision. A couple toughs were standing watch, but a credit chit ensured the goons would shut up. This was the universal currency on the Smuggler's Moon. The couple thugs who'd been killed earlier had already been forgotten. More bodies to feed the maw that was Nar Shaddaa.


"There we are. It ain't much, but it does its job," Elpsis remarked when they finally reached the freighter. All in all, there was nothing fancy about it. It was the sort of utilitarian, rugged craft that was ubiquitous on the Outer Rim. She entered the necessary key code, the landing ramp was lowered and she helped Shali up.

 

[Shalimar]

"Thank you." Exhaustion rang so clearly in her voice now as they kept moving. The harsh scents in the air around her, were hard to ignore with her keen sense of smell. There were sometimes downsides to certain feline traits. She still hadn't been able to shake the nervousness and anxiety away, not yet anyway. Trusting people had never been her forte. Too many people gave her reason to be suspicious and mistrusting of even the kindest and simplest acts. Though, she hadn't met Elpsis until now. And good folks seemed few and far between. Given a little time, no doubt, Shalimar would relax.

She only watched as Elpsis handed out the credits to get the men to move along. Her eyes came to rest on the ship, and the faintest of smiles appeared on her lips. Only then did she really breathe a sigh of relief. "Honestly, I wouldn't care if it were the ugliest ship in the galaxy, as long as it kept me safe and on the move." Her lips twisted into a frown, "I never really have stayed anywhere for long. Granted, it was funds or criminals that made it impossible to stay put. Life's been kind of rough." She didn't want to go into too much detail just yet. No, she wanted on the ship first and off the planet before she'd explain much more about her life and how she came to be where she was.

"You're very kind, Elpsis. Just want you to know, I do appreciate it." Now inside the ship, Shalimar could only feel a sense of relief. Complete relief. There wouldn't be thugs to chase her here. Her only worry was a single redhead. And right now, Elpsis hadn't given her a reason to not trust her. She'd rescued her, saved her life and was helping her to get off this rock. "You heading anywhere particular?" She asked, wondering where the destination was for the young woman. Though, she hadn't asked yet, she also wondered what had brought her here in the first place. It didn't seem the sort of place for anyone but people like her, on the run, criminals, slavers, and other scum.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Shalimar"]


Fortunately, Elpsis did not feel like prodding. Instead she led Shalimar up the ship. The landing ramp closed behind them, sealing the freighter off. "Tygara, ultimately. Why? You got anywhere you need to be?" she asked.


It occured to her that she didn't know a thing about the woman beyond her name. A couple weeks ago travelling to a gangster-infested hellhole just to save someone she'd seen in a dream would have seemed insane to Elpsis. What had changed? She was not sure, but it felt like the right thing to do. Since when had she cared about that? It was all her mother's fault. Maybe Laina's, too.


Anyhow, she guided Shalimar into the medbay. It was not exactly endowed with the latest high-tech medical gear, but it ought to suffice, and the bed was comfortable enough. "Lay down there." Elpsis had not learned how to heal yet, so she would have to do this the old fashioned way. She rummaged a bit in a closet before returning with a first aid kit and some bandages.

 

[Shalimar]

Shalimar sighed, "In truth, I'm not heading anywhere. There's no where I really need to be either. Not at all. I just need to keep moving really. The price on my head makes that sort of necessary." The blonde had little doubt that this was going to lead to questions, questions that would not be comfortable or pleasant. "What's on Tygara for you?" She asked, hoping to keep the conversation away from any awkward questions.

Coming into the medbay Shalimar couldn't help but be reminded of the labs she'd spent so much time in. At the door, she hesitated for a long moment before finally walking into the room. At this point, she was shaking quite noticeably, more than a little frightened. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and finally headed over to the bed. It took her a moment or two more before she could will herself to get on it. And it took her a little more time, before she actually could lay down.

"Please, be gentle and tell me what you are going to do, before you do it. Medbays and the like aren't exactly something I'm comfortable in." She said, her voice wavering just a little as she spoke. "I get jumpy, and nervous." That's an understatement and them some Shal. She told herself.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Shalimar"]


"On the run, with no one to trust, hunted, always gotta make sure no one's sticking a knife in your back?" Elpsis asked rhetorically. Shalimar did not need to answer. Truth be told, the redhead did not expect one, she just wanted the woman to see that she understood, even without knowing her history. At least a little bit.


"My family lives on Tygara. Well, I only met them recently, but yeah. Long story. Lie down. I won't hurt you. Promise." Her tone had softened considerably. It had become far gentler than the gruff one she normally used. So she opened the med kit. So far the redhead had not manifested any Force healing abilities, but she knew first aid. It had been kind of a necessity given her profession and, how shall we put it, life style. Going to a hospital had often not been an option.


She winced slightly when she saw Shalimar's nasty injuries. "This'll need stitches. I'll start with cleaning and disinfecting," she commented. After she cleaned her hands with antimicrobial soap and put on a pair of gloves, she applied gentle pressure with a bandage to still the bleeding then, used water to clean the wounds, trying to remove as much dirt, bacteria, blood and grit as possible to reduce the risk of infection. Antibiotics were applied to help keep the surface moist and discourage infection.


"I haven't got disinfectant. Wait a sec. I'll get...honey," so she quickly skipped out of the medbay and headed for the small kitchen. Well, as much as a freighter had one. Soon she was back with a jar of honey and began to apply it. It worked well enough as a germ killing solution. This went on for a while, then she cleaned it. "Ok. Gonna numb with the wound, apply stiches and then bandage it. You with me?"

 

[Shalimar]

Shalimar nodded, sighing heavily "Pretty much. I've not known anything else really but this. A life without safety or trust in anyone or anything. Rather pathetic, don't ya think?" She said with a shake of her head, "Life's supposed to be about making connections, doing things that matter, finding love, family, friends..." She shrugged as her voice trailed off. For a long moment she said nothing more. The sadness was so clear despite her efforts to hide it, her eyes gave it away. "But I guess not everyone gets that fairy-tale, or the happy ending." For her part, she always thought her life would be like this with no escape from the endless running.

"Ah, I see." Shal said quietly as she took another deep breath before laying back on the bed. "I know you've said it, that you won't hurt me. Hearing those words and believing them are two separate things." The woman sighed again, "And I don't say that to hurt you or nothing. Just, every last person I've met or known has hurt me or betrayed me. So, trust takes time." Even as she said those last four words, Shalimar wasn't sure she actually believed them.

Still shaking slightly, Shalimar watched every last movement of Elpsis looking for any possible harm that might come from her. "I kinda figured on that. The metal sliced deep, but it was all there was to use as an improvised weapon."

Shalimar actually hissed as Elpsis cleaned her hand up. It was taking quite a bit of her energy to stay still and let the redhead help her when every part of her wanted to flee the room and find a dark corner to hide in, much like her feline counterparts would do. At this point, Shal looked ready to cry at any moment. "I'm with you." Her voice was trembling as she closed her eyes now, not wanting to watch anymore. "Just be careful." She reminded once more.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Shalimar"]


"S'ok. I used to feel the same. Spent a lot of time on the run," Elpsis remarked. She was trying to show empathy, but at the same time didn't want to make the conversation about herself. Or make Shalimar think she was just showing false sympathy.


She looked up and gazed into the woman's eyes. The blonde seemed to be trying to resist the urge to flee and find some place to hide from the world. Tears seemed ready to drip from her eyes. "I'll be careful. Promise. I'll make you sandwiches afterwards." Then she started to numb the wound by applying an ice pack to relieve pain. This went on for a while, before using an Eldorai herbal cream.


"Ok. Getting to sitches now. There'll be some scarring." Stitching would be unpleasant, but there was no way around it. So the young redhead got started, trying to be as gentle as possible in the process. After all, the poor woman had been through enough.

 

[Shalimar]

Shalimar nodded, it helped to at least know the redhead had been through similar. She sighed and waited now, letting Elpsis work on the wound. She swallowed hard before turning her head away, no longer interested in seeing what was going to be done. That made it a little easier to ignore the urge to run. "Sandwiches sound good." She said quietly, as her stomach rumbled to remind her just how hungry she was.

"Okay." The single word nervously whispered as she did all she could to keep her mind away from what Elpsis was doing. "Scars, I don't mind. They are just proof that you were strong enough to survive. Scars certainly aren't something to be ashamed of." She winced a couple times and had to fight the urge to close her hand while Elpsis finished stitching her hand up.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Shalimar"]


"I hear chicks totally dig the scars," Elpsis said cornily, then coughed slightly when she realised that probably wasn't the most appropriate thing to say. This was not that type of patient/doctor game! "Err, yeah, moving on." So she finished up applying butterfly stiches to Shalimar's poor hand.


She made sure the wound was clean, then covered it with a bandage. "It'll itch for a bit, but don't scratch it. Gotta change the bandage every day to keep the wound clean and dry and prevent bacteria from popping up," she spoke. "Back in a bit. Anything that comes out of the food dispenser is total chit, but I got some fruit and sandwiches." Having spoken these words, she got up and walked out of the medbay, heading for the tramp freighter's galley. Shalimar would be alone for a couple minutes, before Elpsis returned, carrying a tray. It contained a few sandwiches, an apple and a glass of blue milk.

 

[Shalimar]

Shalimar smiled a little, "Perhaps. I certainly don't mind em. Can't speak for everyone though."

with her wound finally stitched and covered, Shalimar pulled it towards her chest, cradling it protectively. "I'll try not to. It's hard to ignore the itching. At least it was last time I needed stitches." The blonde sighed and nodded. "Thank you." She said softly as she sat up on the bed, keeping her injured hand close to her chest as she watched Elpsis leave.

When the redhead returned, all Shalimar could focus on was the food the young woman had in her hands. She managed to wait until Elpsis had sat it down to reach for the milk first, drinking nearly half almost at once. She'd been so thirsty. Finally she pulled it away from her lips to take a deep breath, seeming so relieved. "I know I've said it a dozen times already but I really appreciate this, the help, the food. I can't even remember the last time I had a real meal. I'd stolen some creds from those thugs, to try and get food. That was why they were after me. It wasn't a ton of credits or anything, but I guess it was offensive enough that I dared take something from them." The woman then reached for the sandwich taking a large bite out of it. "I wasn't looking to cause problems, truly. Though, I seem to do that with little effort regardless of what I'm doing. I don't want to think of what would have happened had you not shown up when you did. I couldn't have taken them all alone, not with as weak as I've gotten with having so little to eat."

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Shalimar"]


"Nar Shaddaa's a chithole. Can't go anywhere for a drink or take a stroll on the market without gettin' shot, stabbed or poisoned. Or someone trying to nab you for the slave market," Elpsis commented knowingly. Well, maybe her description was a bit over the top, but not by much. The moon was a gaping maw that swallowed up all who came here. Desperation, greed and fear permeated the foul air.


"Ain't the kinda place you wanna be alone on. Anyway, I can get the bird in the air and we'll be off this rock. It'll take about a day to reach Tygara." It was just a normal freighter with few bells and whistles, so it didn't have a special snowflake hyperdrive.


However, talk was cut short on her when there was suddenly a loud growl coming from outside the medbay, followed by the pounding of very heavy feet. A big feline appeared in the corridor outside. He resembled a lion with an extra pair of legs and had a glorious mane. His tail was short and unadorned, with a small furry patch at the end. His mouth was full of razor-sharp teeth. He looked a bit confused, eyes darting from Shalimar to Elpsis.


"Easy, big boy. That's Shalimar. She's a friend," Elpsis emphasised to make sure the Cylix got the hint. She approached the majestic beast without any hint of fear and reached out with her hand to ruffle his fur and magnificient black mane. "Shali, this is Leo," she declared happily. Leo licked her hand and then marched over towards Shalimar. He sniffed her a bit, picking up on a, in his opinion, very familiar scent!