The Honorable Ones

[Zanthier Madine]

[ location - FIV Pellaeon ]​

[ tag - [member="Luther Ando"], [member="Cassius Droma"] ]​

​

They should have returned from the surface by now. Both Doctor Terrani and Nurse Baric.

But they hadn't. Their mission had been when they left, and still was, need-to-know--and Doctors Madine and Launderslaug did not need to know as far as the military was concerned.

"Speculating is pointless, Kiearan," snapped Madine at her colleague as she nursed a warm mug of cafe between her interlocked hands.

The brunette medical assistant rose his eyes from furiously taping on his datapad--finishing some intake reports, he said and may have been, but his incoherent mumbling suggested his mind was elsewhere. Wherever his friend was and engaged with ideas of whatever she was doing. He pushed himself up off the wall and began, "Zanthier, don't you--?"

"Yes, I do, believe it or not," she corrected cooly before standing. Taking one more short sip of the bitter liquid, she continued, "Terrani might be a little" what was the word? "...unorthodox and Rausgeber might not trust her loyalty right now, but she's good First Imperial and a better doctor." A naive humanitarian who had her nose so close to the scalpel--her proverbial grindstone--that she failed to see factionality didn't and would never fit well into the First Order, but the fact of the matter was that it needed her. The last members of Alacrity medical group continued to stand by her because of it, in spite of her shortcomings and with great respect for her innate gift for medicine and the wide breadth of it that she had mastered.

"I get it, you think all I care about is the promotion I'll get if she doesn't come back, but that's not fair. She's my friend too." Madine knit her brow thinking about it but still managed to give Launderslaug a stern look. Soon after, though, she resigned and sighed, "I'll...try the Security Bureau office."

With that, Madine inched her chair out from under the table with the backs of her calves and strolled out of the staff room onto the main medbay. She wasn't too keen on visiting the local branch of FOSB again; she had yet to ask them about Terrani's status specifically, but they hadn't been very helpful to her in the past. They didn't seem to like cooperating with the navy.

Fortunately, Madine wasn't given much time to second guess herself because her destination was only one deck above medical.

"Good day," the black-haired woman greeted the redhead sitting behind the front desk. "I'm looking for some information." Thinking that was all she had to say, Madine began idly looking around until gravitating back to the receptionist's expectant stare. Madine then cleared her throat. "All due respect, but...I was hoping to speak to an agent if one is available."

 

[Luther Lewis]

FIV Pellaeon

The red-headed receptionist in question was Amanda Sharp, a small petite woman hired for her cutting stares and curt tongue. She saw her job as filtering out the riff-raff, making sure the agents were only bothered with important matters. Doctor Madine was already giving her a headache, though she could not be entirely blamed for her bad mood. Agent Ando had arrived a week ago and the Intelligence Officer had been driving her up the wall. She had been hoping she would get a nice break from her work while most of the Bureau were on Sullust, but the blasted man had jumped aboard and started asking her to pull out all sorts of files. She hadn’t even had time for a cup of Caf.

“Of course you do” Sharp said in response to Madine, pushing away the folder she had been working on. She brought up the computer and absently hit the keys. She knew Ando was the only agent available, but she wanted to waste the Doctor’s time, so she pretended to search for appointments. The small cruelty gave her small rush, which almost made up lack of Caf. “Ahhh yes, Intelligence Officer Luther Ando is available for enquiries” Sharp said, with her best fake smile. “Please sign in here. You’ll find him in the room at the back”.

​

​

Change was in the air, not just for the Bureau but for all of the First Order. His position didn’t entitle him to know what was going on but allowed him to get a sense of what was happening. Power shifts, locked sessions behind door and surprise reassignments made him wary. The latter was pertinent to him, instead of serving down on Sullust with his colleagues, he was stuck on ship with asset recovery. The job wasn’t unusual in itself, it was quite routine. But the FOSB was never involved. All Station Chief Lentz had told him was there was going to be ‘in-house cleaning’ and that started with making absolutely sure that nothing was missing. Only the Bureau could be trusted with such a task, apparently.

What was most bizarre was that ‘assets’ included ‘personnel’ and trying to track the location of each member of the FIV Pellaeon was a source of great frustration. He was pretty sure he had made an enemy of the ship’s receptionist after assigning her the minor duties he had no time for.

‘Speak of the devil’ he thought as the PA system on his desk crackled to life. “You have a Doctor Madine to see you, agent” Sharp’s name was appropriate, Luther had never heard so much veiled contempt in a someone’s voice. Luther frowned and activated the speaker system. “Send her in” he replied. A visit from the medical personnel was a surprise, though he suspected the reason for her visit. With a deep sigh, he closed the report he was reading. There was a short knock on his door. “Come in” Luther said.

| [member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"] | [member="Zanthier Madine"] |​

 

[Cassius Droma]

He could see now that it would be more difficult than previously thought to convince the good doctor of his innocence. Revealing his true identity as a Jedi would not help matters, if Force Order indoctrination had done its due diligence. All he could do now was try to be as kind as possible, to help her get off of this rock. At least, that was the plan.

After that, though? What was the plan? Cassius wasn’t entirely sure. His original intent was to hijack the Gozanti-class freighter and take them to the nearest neutral space station. Now, that was out of the question. Worst case scenario was the First Order finds them and Terrani tries to turn him in. Then he’d have to run again, deeper into the forest.

If he could just convince her, though…

Cassius squinted at the wound, trying to assess it. “I’d say go ahead and get about six inches – fifteen centimeters.” He gave her a once over, his expression turning somber as he could see… sense just how much distress she was in. There was a conflict within her, a mix of swirling emotions that didn’t how to get out.

Compassion for an officer of the First Order – something he never thought he’d have.

“We’re going to get through this,” he tried to assure her in a calming voice. He reached out his hand, ready to take the needle and thread.


[member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"] | [member="Zanthier Madine"] | [member="Luther Ando"]

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

/ [member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Luther Ando"] \​

†††​

Aes'ona nodded in agreement of Cassius's assessment. She finally severed the loop of the seam and carefully pulled on one side to allot approximately fifteen centimeters. The black lining begun to slump towards the doctor due to gravity and no longer being fully attached to the outer layer. She put the article aside and tied the thread to one end of the pin needle before tying a knot at the end of the thread as well.

With a few tugs to make sure the little knots were tight and a moment's hesitation, she handed the crude implement over to the undercover pirate. In her hesitation, she gave the water container a sidelong look. The periodic metal scratching coming from the inside and the small puffs of steam rolling out of the mouth meant that the water was trying to boil. It wouldn't be long now, and, if she was just a little patient, she would be able to properly sterilize her tools and irrigate her wound.

But it wasn't that she was impatient. Balance knew they had all the time in the world here on this uncharted moon.

The doctor just couldn't care less if she got an infection.

She chewed on her lip again shortly before bringing her gaze up to Cassius. It was becoming a dangerous mindset, the one she was drowning it, and she knew it. Overwhelming guilt caused risk-taking behaviors--who knew?

"Start on your right," she explained, "about half a centimeter from the end of the wound and ninety degrees to the skin. If the needle stalls, try twisting your hand in a circular motion. Since we don't have a needle holder, we'll just do a simple run. Just pull the skin together." She paused, giving him time to catch up if he needed to. "It felt straight, so it shouldn't be too complicated until you get to the very end. Do your best to tie it off."

"Can I--?" she began to ask before she realized that the question was ridiculous. Without the option of painkillers, local anesthesia, or evacuation, her instinct was to hold this man's hand, but he needed both for the procedure he was about to undertake.

Instead, she stood just to sit back down cross-legged and inched closer to Cassius. Closing her eyes, she nodded. "Whenever you're ready."

 

[Zanthier Madine]

And in she came, taking her left hand out of the white lab coat that hung over her uniform in place of her jacket. "Agent Ando," Madine began with a small, professional smile. "Doctor Zanthier Madine." Stepping forward a polite distance, she offered her right hand in a handshake. "I don't think we've met, but I've heard you know my boss, Aes'ona Terrani?" She remembered that they had worked together for a time--on Fondor, was it?--but just in case the officer needed a reminder, she added, "The medical adjunct to the Grand Admiral."

Somewhat awkwardly, Madine shifted her weight from one leg to the other. "Of course, you are aware of the...business on Sullust. I do not wish to overreach my purview, but both her and the nurse assigned to assist her have yet to be accounted for. I was under the impression that Naval Medical Service had already left the planet." She did not know for sure, as she had not heard the order come from the bridge, but she had noticed that most if not all of the rest of the medical officers sent to the planet had returned steadily over the last few standard hours.

"Please tell me that she's just caught up in a monster of a debriefing."

[ tag - [member="Cassius Droma"], [member="Luther Ando"] ]​

 

[Cassius Droma]

He nodded as he absorbed the information she gave him. Seemed simple enough… he eyed the wound on her temple, squinting and tilting his head slightly. He did this when looking at puzzles or problems he wanted to solve. Looking down at the needle and thread in his hand, his brows furrowed for a moment. Wasn’t there something different about the needles they used back at the med bay?

“It helps if this is curved, right?” he asked, and without waiting for an answer, he moved his hands out of the doctor’s line of sight for a moment. Since he was so close, he could move it behind her under the guise of just trying to work the metal. Rather than brute force it, however, he merely held it between his fingers and bent it with the Force. After a fake grunt to simulate effort, he said, “Ah, there, got it.” He pulled his hands back, and the needle now had a perfect curve to it.

Before he could start, the doctor seemed to cut herself off from asking a question. Cassius’s right eyebrow quirked up. He was about to ask her to clarify, but instead she readjusted her position and indicated her readiness.

“Alright,” he breathed out, without much confidence. He moved even closer, so that he could have all of the leverage he needed, only inches away from his ‘patient’. Face hardening in concentration and determination, he raised the needle and thread. At the same time, he began to call upon the Force, using it to help soothe the pain he was about to cause, if only incrementally.

Cassius began the suture, working slowly and meticulously, only tugging at the skin when it was needed. He made sure that the needle only went skin deep, and the curve he put into it would help it come out the other side without needing to maneuver too much. He kept his breathing steady so that his hands wouldn’t shake or slip.

“Let me know if it hurts too much,” Cassius muttered as he worked, his brows furrowed in utter concentration. He found it somewhat difficult to perform the complex motor function of the suture and focus on healing at the same time. This was just surface level, though – the last and only time he’d helped heal someone, back on Naboo, he had dived deep in their psyche, finding their physical as well as emotional pain. Although he was confident he could do it again, there wasn’t any need for that now.

After a few minutes, he was tying it off. “There… I think that’s good,” he said, reaching to his datapad on his belt and handing it to her. The screen was fractured, but she would still be able to see her reflection inside of the glass.

[member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"] | [member="Luther Ando"]

 

[Luther Lewis]

Luther felt a painful throb start behind his eyes. It started at the first mention of Terrani, and he attempted to ignore the migraine as he searched his desk for the folder he wanted. Madine continued talking, finishing just before Luther found what he was seeking. He pulled the big folder from a drawer and let to fall on the desk with a loud ‘thump’. He opened it up to show the first page, a picture of a strawberry-blonde woman was stretched across the page. Underneath the picture a name was printed: ‘Aes’ona Terrani’. The dossier contained all the First Order knew about the doctor, including history, commendations and warnings. Luther respected the woman but, from an FOSB standpoint, she was a troublemaker. A colleague of Luther’s had argued that she had her priorities backwards. In the hospital, she apparently had a penchant for raising cain, but was also one of the best medical professionals serving within the Order. Thus, minor transgressions were often overlooked. Terrani always seemed more loyal to her patients than she was to the First Order.

He shook himself out of his reverie and flicked to the back of the folder. “Terrani was assigned to Ahab Protocol, which is coming to a close” Luther said. The majority of Y’Bishi was processed and the operation was becoming largely automated. Luther pulled out the latest report. “Her duties were concluded and she was requested to RTB” Luther continued, handing the report to Madine. “She was registered as boarding a transport vessel on Sullust, but the ship never reached the FIV Pellaeon”. Anything Luther missed could be found in the report that Madine was reading.

The Pellaeon had been drawn back into First Order territory, as per orders from Grand Moff Fortan, and was no longer located above Sullust. Therefore there was a greater distance to travel to reach the vessel, which was another source of issues for Luther. “Pirates are an inherent risk on the Rimma Trade Route, but anything could have happened” Luther said. “We’re pursuing all options, but resources are tied up”. Luther leaned back and ran his hand through his hair. It was starting to get long, one of the perks of not being a front-line solider anymore. “I have patrol craft in the area but, unless something crops up, results are unlikely to be forthcoming”. Luther hesitated before he continued. “Look Doc, it doesn’t look good. Terrani’s the good sort, but my hands are tied without any leads”. The phone on his desk started to ring and he moved to pick it up. A throaty voice came through the speaker. “Sir, we’ve found an escape pod in empty space outside Sullust”. The man on the other end was a recon sergeant, a part of the aforementioned patrol group. Luther nodded as the man continued before eventually finishing with: “Send them here if they are well enough”. Be put the phone back into its cradle and sat in thoughtful silence. He looked up at Madine.

“Do you know a Nurse Baric?”

​

| [member="Zanthier Madine"] | [member="Cassius Droma"] |​

 

[Zanthier Madine]

Absent-minded as she listened to Ando relay what she had come for, the young doctor began to flip through the middle of her superior's file. Warning after warning after infraction stretching back to complaints from FIMS Mountbatten: Failure to report a suspected criminal. Possession of non-approved medicine. Cohorting the enemy. Prolonged absence ((x, x, x, x)). Unannounced absence. Premature medical release, obstructing an investigation. Those had been selected as Terrani's largest disruptions.

At least she had the good sense to not finish her Humane Treatment Standards guidance addressed to the cabinet. Or, rather, thank the Leader that Dermin had been able to convince her to abandon it because "you're neglecting your primary duty to pursue your secondary."

Zanthier rubbed her eyes as the agent answered the phone before folding her hands in her lap and sitting back. Ando was doing little to mask his exasperation, so she saw little reason to put up much of a front herself.

When asked about Baric, the doctor sat up, suddenly hopeful. She answered, "Yes. He's one of the nurses stationed aboard and was assigned to Terrani to assist her with her duties. Has he returned?" A pause of realization followed and then Zanthier furrowed her brow. "Alone?" The doctor allowed for another pause, this time sighing heavily.

"Look," she added softly, trying not to sound accusatory--she was mad at what she thought the Order was trying to pull over her head, and that was greater than him. He has been nothing but helpful admittedly and, if her conspicy was accurate, Ando wasn't likely to even be involved. "I've heard concerning rumors from the OGM ((Office of the Grand Moff))." She buried her hands in her coat pockets to try to contain the sudden anger eclipsing her momentary hope. "About trouble-making individuals resigning." The insinuation was left hanging in the air between the two officers as Zanthier repositioned her lab coat to cross her legs.

The file open on the desk in front of Zanthier bore almost all Aes'ona's past transgressions and even extrapolated her future ones with simple pattern analysis and statistics. A troublemaker extraordinaire. It was a miracle--for her--that the First Order had chosen to put up with her for so long. Now they didn't have to. Keeping a missing person missing was analogous to a resignation without the paperwork.

"I don't know how much camaraderie you have towards Doctor Terrani--" Zanthier nodded her head sideways "and she does have her head in the nebulae--but--"

A single knock sounded, effectively cutting off the black-haired doctor. When told to come in, the door opened to a male, brunette nurse in typical First Order crimson and black scrubs. He walked into the room, nervously holding both ends of the stethoscope hanging around his neck. It brought attention to the red scabbing abrasions on his knuckles. Zanthier's eyes widened at his wounds. Kark... "I was told you have some questions about Helldiver, sir," he addressed to Ando.

[ [member="Luther Ando"], [member="Cassius Droma"] ]​

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

/ [member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Luther Ando"] \​

†††​

​

Aes'ona tried not to tense up too much, but she couldn't help it. "I'd be more concerned if it didn't hurt," she commented through grit teeth to lessen her movement. But she wasn't prepared for just how much it would. At first, she scrunched her eyelids but then forced herself, only somewhat successfully, to relax.

It seemed to be an eternity, but Cassius finally withdrew his hands and offered her the broken datapad that was only good as a mirror now. As she reached to take it, she gave him her jacket to wipe off the blood on his hands. "Good looks," Aes'ona commented, moving the datapad to examine his handiwork at different angles. She managed a smile and a short laugh through the phantom stabbing pain in her temple. "I'll send you my certification when I get back to--"

Again, she didn't finish her thought. Momentarily, her gaze fell into her lap before she pushed herself up off the ground to stand. "Well, that's that." She didn't stumble, but she did bend back over to alleviate the sensation of blood rushing to her legs turned painful thanks to her injury.

When she could, she resurfaced. She looked down at Cassius. "What's...uh, next?" she asked slowly, first furrowing her brow at the both of him and then shaking her head to form him back into one.

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius took the jacket and began to wipe off his hands, tugging at each individual finger to get the blood off. Even when he was done, though, there was still a bit of a reddish-hue stained into the skin. He grimaced as he looked down at the nearly boiling water. Should’ve gotten some water that wouldn’t be boiled, he said as he instinctively wiped his hands on his pants for good measure.

His attention turned back to the doctor as she started to act... rather odd. She didn’t finish a sentence, and her speech pattern was slightly off. Standing didn’t prove easy for her either, it seemed. He stood, concern lacing itself into his features even more so than it had already. Terrani seemed to squint at him and shake her head – was something wrong with her vision.

“You sure you’re alright?” he asked, his hand coming up to almost assuredly touch her bicep, but stopping just short. This woman probably still thought of him as a scoundrel, after all. “I mean, I’m not the doctor here, but maybe you should sit for a while, even lie down. That knock to your head could have caused a concussion, right?”

At this moment, Cassius was thinking more and more about the survival of this First Order doctor. If she were to die due to some sort of injury that he indirectly caused, everything he would have done on the Gozanti cruiser would be for nothing. He had no intel, no pirates to turn in… well, dead pirates were better than active ones, he guessed. To get a net positive, however?

This doctor needed to live.

[member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"] | [member="Luther Ando"]

 

[Luther Lewis]

“I’m a man of great patience” Luther began. “But even I have little tolerance for wild accusations”. His voice hardened at the end of the sentence and he gave Madine a look that made it clear he would talk no more on the matter. Such things did happen of course, the Bureau was willing to entertain many methods for dealing with difficult people. But the likelihood was proportional to the value of the subject and, in the eyes of the FOSB, Terrani was still useful.

There was a short knock on the door. “Enter” Luther said and Baric entered. The nurse was worse for wear; messy hair, dark patches under his eyes and some light wounds. Luther gestured to one of the chairs and said: “Are you alright?” Baric gave a small, hesitant smile. “Yes sir” he replied, wincing as he sat down. “Very good” Luther said. “I have a first aid kit around here somewhere, I’m sure Doctor Madine will want to have a quick look at some of your wounds”. Luther directed Madine’s attention to the top of the file cabinet, where the kit was buried under a stack of papers. “I’ll just be asking some questions, then you’ll be transferred to the medbay for recovery. Sound good?” Baric nodded as Luther finished.

Luther prepared the report and poised his pen to write down the response. “I’ll need you to tell me exactly what happened” Luther said. “Start from when you boarded the transport on Sullust”. Baric swallowed and began to speak. “We had finished up with…” He looked sideways at Madine and then focused back on Luther. “…our mission” he continued. “And we were due back on the FIV Pellaeon. We were supposed to have a TIE escort, but the pilot said they were running late and couldn’t wait”. Baric’s eyes took on a haunted look. “Do you know the name of the pilot?” Luther asked. Baric hesitated, then shook his head. “Didn’t catch it sorry”.

Luther gestured for Baric to continue. “Later, we were traveling along the Rimma, about halfway I think” Baric was staring at his feet now. “I had left the crew quarters to grab food from the Canteen when the ship lurched. I fell and hit my head” he absently rubbed the back of his scalp. “I don’t know how long I was unconscious, but I woke to pirates on the ship. They were grabbing the crew and killing anyone who disobeyed” The man shuddered. “I had hidden in the kitchen, but I could hear them. I…I..was scared…” he was spluttering now. “I knew I needed to call for help b-b-but I was paralyzed with fear. It took all the strength I could to crawl to the nearby escape pod”. The man slumped down, defeated. “I launched the pod, and later I was picked up by the Order”.

Luther waited for the man to recover before he started his questions. “Did you see the pirate ship from the escape pod” Luther asked. “I think so, yes” came the reply. “What was the model?” Baric paused before he answered. “I’m not sure, looked like an old Imperial vessel. Was maybe…ummmm…70 metres?” Luther nodded and brought up his datapad. He put the data in a few fields and passed it to Baric. “Look through these pictures until you recognize it”. Baric nodded and started swiping through the entries. After about two minutes, he paused and nodded. “This is the one, Gozanti-class”. Luther took the datapad back and examined the page. He picked up the phone and dialed a number. “Get me Sergeant Anders” he paused, waiting for the transfer, before continuing: “Anders, cross-reference our list of recovered vessels with a Gozanti-class cruiser and send me with the results”. He hung up.

“You are dismissed” Luther said. “Some more agents will swing by later, Nurse Baric, when you are feeling better. They’ll get the specific details from the story. For now, though, you may rest”.

| [member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Zanthier Madine"] |​

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

/ [member="Luther Ando"] | [member="Cassius Droma"] \​

†††

"I-I fine--" Aes'ona paused to shake her head and then corrected herself, "I feel fine." She rose a hand to hold her head, loosely cupping her temple to avoid disturbing her suture. "In all likelihood, probably, but we can't sit around wasting time."

The beacon was probably the most pressing issue not, as they had boiled water, fire, and some form of shelter. She wasn't hungry just yet so unless Cassius was, the food problem could be addressed later. The doctor turned in the direction of the skid marks she had noticed immediately after the crash and tried to take a few steps in that direction. It must have been a lack of depth perception or a bout of vertigo, but she stumbled backward. Before she could fall, she couched to sit back on the ground.

"...Well, maybe just for a little bit," she allowed, glancing over at Cassius.

 

[Zanthier Madine]

Setting her jaw, Zanthier looked down to her lap.

Yes, there was no good way to say something like that, to an agent no less. Still, it felt good to have off her chest, dismissed or not. Part of the woman knew she was being ridiculously paranoid, but another, small part of her still questioned whether the FOSB would have even pursued this case if Zanthier had not made this visit to Ando's office.

When she was addressed after Baric's entrance, Zainthier stood to dig through the filing cabinet. After finding the medkit, she returned the paperwork she had displaced before kneeling beside the nurse. As he and the agent spoke, she, mini medical scanner switched to silent, moved around Baric in order to take a preliminary account of external and any internal injuries:

Mostly lacerations. Minor internal bleeding and bruising. No broken bones. But an unusually high pulse, likely due to a long-lived, but now-dwindling, adrenaline rush, if his dilated pupils, beads of sweat on his neck, and anxious verbage were telling.

It took all of the doctor's self-control to not ask about Aes'ona when Baric recalled the pirates killing First Imperials that wouldn't go along with their kidnapping quietly. She managed to keep her head down, focused on her work. Likewise, when the nurse left, she bit the question down. Instead, she asked the next, most logical one: "Can I be of any assistance, Agent?"

[ [member="Luther Ando"], [member="Cassius Droma"] ]​

 

[Cassius Droma]

Her speech patterns were off – she didn’t seem to be focusing well. When the doctor stepped forward, she seemed off-balance. Cassius instinctively stepped in to close the distance between them, and as she stumbled, he put a hand on her back to help steady her. His brow knitted and mouth in a frown, he looked her over once more.

“Whoa there,” he said, kneeling back down to where she was now. “Tell me – what are the symptoms of a concussion?” If he had to take a wild guess, she probably had one. Or maybe it was some type of other heady injury, he wasn’t sure. Cassius remembered back to when he’d been severely injured in his A-wing during a hyperspace jump. He’d sustained massive internal damage, and if it wasn’t for Jedi Healers, he probably would have been a vegetable.

If he could reach into her mind, he’d be able to find out what was wrong… or at least, feel what was wrong. Then, he had a chance to fix it. “Look, maybe you should just lay down for a while, close your eyes. I can try and scrounge up some food, as well as look for the beacon.”

Really, he needed her in a state where he could try to heal her head injury without her noticing.


[member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"] | [member="Luther Ando"]

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

/ [member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Luther Ando"] \​

†††​

It took a few beats for the doctor to answer the question. In the meantime, she simply blinked at Cassius and finally answered, "Uh, severe headache, nausea, confusion, nausea..." She trailed off as she lost hold of her train of thought, a dazed look washing over her. When he spoke again, her wondering gaze snapped back to his, momentarily present one again. Towards the end of his suggestion, she shook her head emphatically. "I don't want you to do that all on your..." she paused to suck a pained breath through her teeth "...own." She had already forgotten what he was offering to go do, but it must have been a lot.

She didn't have any more energy to expend arguing though. Her pulse thundered under her skin above her temple and, at any given moment, her head felt one more beat from splitting in two. She could taste the metal in her blood on her tongue, likely from smelling the dried fluid around her stitched wound.

Slowly and carefully, Aes'ona lowered herself into a laying position on the ground. "If you need help..." Again, she couldn't foster enough focus to finish her question. Instead, her eyes fell closed and a quiet sigh left her lips as she welcomed the very slight alleviation of pain that came with resting.

 

[Luther Lewis]

Luther held up a finger as the phone once again rang. He picked up the receiver, listening to Ander’s report on the other end. “Prep a transport, I’ll check it out myself” he said, placing the phone back in its holder. He turned back to Madine. “The best thing you can do is return to the medbay and continue your duties, Doctor”. Luther glanced at the phone and sighed as he realized she probably wouldn’t leave until she received an explanation. “That was my recovery team. They said they didn’t have a Gozanti-class on-ship, but one had been spotted along the patrol route. I’m leading a team to investigate the wreck”.

Luther rose from his desk, navigating through the large piles of documents that were slowly taking over his office. He moved to the door to show the Doctor out. “This doesn’t change my assessment of your superior’s situation. I’ll keep you updated when I can, but I think it is best you prepare your staff for the eventuality that Terrani might not return…”

​

FIV Pellaeon - Hangar
Equipment: G-11F Blaster Rifle, Enviro-suit.

The hangar was busier than usual, which for the crowded area meant that they were fighting for space. Luther walked along the eastern wall of the hangar, dodging left and right as troopers and workers alike ran past. He had taken a dose of his medicine just before leaving and could feel the stiffness and pain in his legs starting to ease. Any trip out of that claustrophobic office of his was good not just for his body, but for his soul too.

He finally reached the spot where his ship was docked. The ‘Zephyr,’ a Fortan-III heavy corvette, sat snugly between two larger vessels. As he approached, he was greeted by Sergeant Anders. “Agent” the man said, giving a snappy salute. The man had a perpetual ruddy complexion and often sported a wide smile. He was well liked and had been headhunted for promotion several times, all of which he had refused. “At ease, Anders” Luther replied, with a grin of his own. “Is she in flying shape?” The man nodded, gesturing towards the crew running in and out of the vessel. “We didn’t expect you to take-off so soon, but she should be ready to go in a few moments”. He relied on Anders far too much. The man was responsible for most of the recovery of vessels and was invaluable to the agent.

“Excellent” Luther replied. “Let’s board, time is not on our side.”

 

[Cassius Droma]

He sighed as the doctor finally agreed to lie down, but the exhale was laced with worry. She seemed to be deteriorating more and more by the second. Part of him feared what would happen if he were to go looking for the beacon now, in her state. The other part knew that the beacon was the only thing that could save her in case his healing powers weren’t up to the task. He quickly scanned the area. Nothing here seemed to be threatening – any type of aggressive fauna didn’t live here, it seemed. Or, at the very least, they were nocturnal.

“I won’t be long,” he assured her, giving her one more once-over before starting to head off. Luckily, it seemed the scar they placed into the earth didn’t extend but too far. There was no need for his psychometric abilities here – their past was clearly etched. For the most part, there was debris of hull plating and electronics that looked somewhat useless – the plating could be washed off and used as hot plates to cook food on, maybe. There was an intact oxygen that might prove useful at some point, but Cassius left it where it was for the time being.

He stole a brief glance over his shoulder to make sure the doctor wasn’t watching him. She was about fifty meters away now, still next to the fire. Slowly, Cassius closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. He reached out, trying to visualize the component that he needed and where it was. There was so much in the path of destruction they had created on their entry… it was like trying to find a specific pebble in a stream.

His eyes snapped open, and after walking to the north for about ten meters, he found a small, metallic box. There was a glass face, and after wiping it off with his thumb, he found it read in bold Aurebesh: EMERGENCY BEACON. It didn’t seem too damaged, either – the wires and connectors still looked intact. A sliver of hope working its way into his mood, he began to walk back towards the escape pod and their makeshift camp.

[member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"] | [member="Luther Ando"]

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

/ [member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Luther Ando"] \​

†††​

Aes’ona tried not to pay attention, but the constant pain behind her eyes made it difficult to tune out and rest. She was hyperaware of every small audio stimulus sounding from anywhere near her, and so, Cassius’s footfall as he returned were no expectation.

Ssssskkk...

The doctor furrowed her brow painfully, an instinctual reaction of confusion as the natural sounds of twigs snapping and leaves crunching underfoot faded into artificial static. Had she been less debilitated, she might have recognized the aura for what it was, a precursory episode before a larger seizure.

Suddenly, Aes'ona's heart plummeted into her chest; she felt the need to vomit lurch upwards in her throat, somehow against gravity. It felt internally like she falling, but the external symptom was that she had gone completely and unusually limp against the dirt. Then she tried to reach out for some sort of handhold to convince herself that she was still on solid ground, but she only began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Cassi--!" was all she managed to yell before the lack of oxygen cut her short. At this point, she was convulsing. Her eyes shot open, though she was only greeted with more darkness. A glossy glace overtook her blue orbs and her pupils dilated, indicative of simultaneous dissociation and fear.

A small, but wholly coherent, part of her now recognized what was happening for what it was, though the exact cause still eluded here. For her sake, hopefully Cassius could find it.

 

[Cassius Droma]

He had just made it to the pod, his back to the campfire, when he’d heard his name. A panic shot through him and he whipped around, unsure of what he’d see. She was going through what looked like a seizure. Immediately, Cassius went to her, dropping the beacon on a bed of soft leaves. Kneeling, he raised his hands… and realized he had no idea what was happening, or even remotely how he could help. Didn’t it help to hold people down during a seizure?

No, this had to be related to her head injury. Some sort of hemorrhaging had started, perhaps. This wasn’t something he could suture or cure with a simple medical kit. Terrani needed a hospital – or… perhaps…

Taking in a deep breath, he placed a hand over her forehead, and closed his eyes.

Suddenly, he was in a dark chamber of sorts. The floor seemed almost wet, and a thick fog hugged low to the ground. The only semblance of a barrier to this dimension were crystalline-like structures that would occasionally glitter from the ambient light. He could see his breath as he exhaled, but it didn’t feel cold. This seemed similar to the way he’d healed the man on Naboo, but… more, somehow. As if he were physically in the doctor’s mind.

In the distance, there was a large red glowing orb. A fractal pattern determined patches of light and dark, like it was a star without the intense light it gave off. There was an almost organic quality to it as it pulsed and throbbed. He approached, and he could feel heat coming from it, along with a sense of pain and anguish. This was the source of her pain – whatever it was. Looking down to his hands, he noticed a blueish light coming from them… perhaps a representation of the light side of the Force.

Reaching up, he slowly touched the red orb with his fingertips before placing his palms on it. At first, the heat was intense, and Cassius grimaced as he fought back the pain. The opposing energies swirled together, creating a purple hue. Cassius concentrated more, and it started to shift to blue. A wave of blue energy rolled across the red sphere, completely changing it in a matter of moments. Withdrawing his hands, the sphere then shrank until it was completely gone, leaving him alone in the void.

He sighed in relief. It was healed… or so he thought. Just as he about to close his eyes once more to bring himself out of it, he spotted something at the edge of his vision. Another tinge of red, but it was on the ground of the void. Slowly, he walked towards it, noticing that it too pulsed like the orb before. This was weaker, however… or rather, it was deeper. Was this perhaps some sort of underlying issue, one that could cause problems down the line? Maybe, and Cassius figured while he was here, he might as well try to fix it.

Kneeling down, he placed his hand on the ground much like he did the orb. Something, like an instinct, told him to also draw upon his psychometric abilities. He did, and the ground below him began to crack and splinter. Suddenly, it caved in, and he fell through into blackness…

Flashes. Images. A planet he’d never been to before, but for some reason, felt familiar. A home, a family with a little girl. Things were happening too quickly around him to fully process what was going on, but he could feel a flood of emotions. There was a sense of family, a home, followed by a fear of separation, of loss. A scream filled his mind, and a single word came crashing into his ears:

“Prennis!”

Cassius’s eyes snapped open and he inhaled deeply, recoiling and sitting back, barely catching himself from falling into the fire. He was back on the moon, by the campfire. In the real world, mere moments had passed. His breathing was intense, as if he had just woken from a nightmare. Psychometry was always a dangerous ability, as the practitioner usually felt the emotions associated with whatever past event they were seeing. Just what exactly had he found in there?

“Aes’ona?” he asked, his breathing becoming calmer as he came back to a kneeling position beside the doctor. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he asked, “Prennis?”

[member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"] | [member="Luther Ando"]

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

There were a few moments of calm, brought on by Cassius's intrusion, in which the doctor's erratic movements ceased and she appeared to only be sleeping. As he fell through the red scar in her mind castle, she fell victim to her episode again. At first, the pain was excruciating as Cassius pulled himself back to the safety of reality, but then her body's activities lessened once more. Now, she only appeared as if she was having a bad dream.

In the world behind her eyelids, still involuntarily sealed, she thought this was what it would be like to float in space if she was a Diathim. A pure black vacuum surrounded her in which she, though a small and somewhat uncomfortable pressure sat atop her, did not feel suffocated in the slightest. And to her surprise, she didn't feel scared either.

"Prennis!"

The calm shattered and nothingness gave way to a tanned sand sea. Bright light reflected off the sides of the monstrously tall barchan dunes into Aes'ona's eyes, postponing her realization that her line of sight was much lower than it normally was. Energy jolted up her spine as if her name had just been called, but it hadn't be. Not only was that carrying call not her name but she seemed to be running away from it.

Wait...why even--? she began to think before a younger voice overlapped hers, J-just behind this corner...!

Out of nowhere, a yardang sprouted from the ground. It was clear to Aes'ona that she had no control over this dream when 'she' cowered behind the outcrop. Over the heavy breathing of whoever she was following, Aes'ona barely heard footsteps crunching in the sand, nearing the hiding place.

Hiding. So they were hiding.

The First Imperial didn't have long at all to ponder the why of her realization until something clamped around 'her' forearm. "There ya are, ankle-bitter," a deep voice came, crackling through the all-too-familiar voice modulator of sunbonnet. And, when her figure was yanked up and around, surely enough, she was met with the vision of a stormtrooper with a blood red pauldron. "A'most not worth the trouble."

Then she gasped, either in the dream or in her head, she wasn't sure. His pure white armor somehow retained its shine even in his sandy environment, and on the side of his abdominal plate, she saw her seven-year-old self. Then, her world went black.

"Aes'ona." Taeir, her father, was calling out now. Almost instinctively, she tried to flinch back. It was her name, but it...seemed wrong. "Time to wake up."

Then she did. She knew it was a ridiculous thing to do, but she reached out with her mind in an attempt to remember the calmness of the Force that Cedric Grayson had used more than once in attempts to ease her panic on Carida, but it proved fruitless. It had been only half a standard year since then, but she had already forgotten the warmth that the Light offered.

Slowly, the doctor's eyelids unclenched, and then it was another moment before they opened. As they did, she reached out blindly to find Cassius. She remembered where she had left herself, even if she was currently more than a little disoriented, and had a notion of his proximity thanks to the sound of his voice. When she found his forearm, she gave a gentle squeeze, either to reassure him that she was alright or herself that he was real.

She sighed heavily as the last bit of adrenaline drained from her veins. In its stead rushed confusion. She began, attempting to prop herself up on her left elbow, "W-wha--? Arg!" As soon as she leaned her weight back on it, red-hot pain erupted in the joint. It seeped up her arm into her shoulder, but she was able to quickly let go of Cassius and switch her hands so that her right was now supporting her and her left was cradled in her lap. Once she was situated in a sitting position, she looked up to Cassius. She couldn't understand why, but she had a feeling the whatever had unlocked it her mind he had seen as well, either completely or in his own way.

So she asked, "What was that?", voice soft due to physical and mental exhaustion. The memories, her memories apparently, were nothing but a chaotic haze now, even seconds after reliving them. The people, their voices, the place, seemed so familiar but yet so foreign. The life she had somehow forgotten.

"W-who am I?" was her next question, the answer hidden under her tongue.

/ [member="Cassius Droma"] | [member="Luther Ando"] \