Private The In-Law

[Alicio Organa]

"Even if there isn't, I'm not leaving your side."

Alicio hadn't placed that burden on Ran. They'd just met, after all- he didn't want his tendency to leap into trouble at a moment's notice to doom her along with him. But she was more than willing to stay, putting her life on the line for a politician she just met, and a gaggle of guards she knew barely anything about.

He smiled, and nodded quietly. "Alright then. Get ready."

The seconds ticked down, and both defenders ignited their sabers. Alicio spared a glance at the Mirialan's pure-white blade, and a hidden grin caught him. Ran and her cousin were alike in more ways than one, it seemed.

Seven forms came rushing around the corner, caught off-guard by the duo standing their ground. They wore regular GA guard outfits, but their murderous intent was all-too-easy to sense. They stopped their charge short, and began to fire their carbines.

Alicio stepped forward into the tide, blade flashing in looping circles to catch as many blaster bolts as possible, turning aside what he could, and stepping aside what he could not. His fighting style was immediately obvious- graceful, defensive, ponderous in it's conservation of energy. It would almost seem lazy, were it not for the intense focus in his face. He always seemed to know just where to step, just how to block, and exactly how little he should turn his head to barely avoid a streak of red.

Suddenly, Alicio swiped his hand to the side, causing the assassins' weapons to err off course, guided by an invisible force. "Go," he said calmly, creating an opening for the Jedi to do her work.

- Ran Serys -

 

[Ran Serys]

Defending back to back or side by side, there was no safer place for Jedi to be. To Ran's knowledge, Alicio was no Jedi but he had been trained in the Jedi arts. For this reason she felt nigh invincible swatting laser fire, and sidestepping blaster bolts in stereo. She moved with a similar grace and focus as the Alderaanian Leader. Tight movements informed by instinct, experience, and the smallest amount of future sight dominated her side of the exchange. The force was with them.

With a flourish, Ran sent another blaster bolt back at their assailants as Alicio yanked at their weapons through the force. He'd created an opening for her and she capitalized. Through the force, she once again doubled, almost tripled her speed. In the briefest moment, Ran closed the gap between her and the gunmen and bisected their wayward weapons at the base of the muzzle. Any assassin that grabbed at another weapon was swiftly and non-lethally dispatched by Ran's choice of fist, elbow, knee, or heel. She was a green whirlwind that descended upon them. Then they were downed and she wasn't.

"It'll be sometime before these fellows will be a threat again," Ran declared as one of the assassins grabbed her leg and groaned in pain. That was the wrong choice. One well placed kick was all it took for Ran to put him to sleep, and one well placed kick was freely given. "As I was saying, let's go get your guard."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

It was as if they had been fighting together for years.

Alicio deactivated his blade as Ran defeated the last of the assassins, rolling the hilt across his knuckles in thought. He'd created the perfect moment for her, but he hadn't expected just how much the Jedi would be able to capitalize. It was... "Impressive," he finally said, the glitter of respect in his eye.

"As I was saying, let's go get your guard."

He nodded. "Keep close." No longer mired down by his fellow politicians, Alicio led the way, his cape catching the air and flowing like a river behind him as he ran. Every once in a while, he would take a sharp turn, leading the duo through confusing twists and turns. All the while. his eye was on the Future, guiding them to his people while running into as few people as possible.

They did come face to face with two jogging assassins at a sharp turn, but Alicio was ready for them, launching them into the ceiling with the Force, and running under them before they could peel off and hit the ground. He wasn't pulling punches. Not when his people were in danger.

Finally, the sound of blaster bolts, and the clashing of... swords?... came from ahead. The Abzu carried vibroblades, but they would only use them if the opponent also had melee weapons. His caution was overwhelmed by his relief, however. "We aren't too late," he huffed, slowing to let Ran overtake him. "I don't have a clear picture, but I sense danger! More than our last fight!"

"Ready?"

- Ran Serys -

 

[Ran Serys]

More danger. The thought echoed in Ran's mind. She let her own senses travel but was met with nothing but uncertainty as the battle raged beyond the door separating them from the Abzu Honor Guard. Still, Ran would continue as the life of a Jedi Guardian was filled with danger. For her, there was no other way but to meet Danger head on.

"Ready!" Ran declared before a moment of silence came about from beyond the door. Then a tiny beeping was heard through the durasteel. With the sound of a heavy blast, the door rocked and exploded forward out of its track. With little time to move out of the way it smashed into Ran first. It made contact with her head and then her body. She felt the intense pain of impact radiate out as she tumbled along the ground, then she went unconscious.

Hitting her body altered the now dented door's trajectory. There was only a slight chance it would have also smashed into Alicio, unless the King managed to avoid it. If Ran had remained conscious, she would have hoped he did.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

That moment of silence was the worst thing Alicio could've heard. Then, a burst of danger from the future!

"Get d-"

The King was just able to duck out of the way before the door exploded outward, the taste of metal hitting his tongue. He was unscathed, but he wasn't able to help Ran before she was down for the count. Shaking his head, Alicio made a snap decision.

He wouldn't be able to move the Jedi in time. There was only one choice.

Alicio leapt through the door, blade flashing with violent intent. Stop the danger, then triage.

It was some time later before Alicio was kneeling before the fallen form of Ran, hand outstretched over her face. Healing energy poured from between his fingers, soothing and sure as he tried to coax her back to consciousness, a focused, grim expression on his face.

If she were to awaken, a few things would become entirely apparent. For one, Alicio was missing his right hand. There wasn't any gore, though. Broken wires and electronics decorated the stump, betraying his bionic limb. Secondly, he'd been cut a few times- once over his brow, causing blood to spill into a shut eye, and once on the arm, which he gingerly held at his side. And finally...

They were alone. No guard. No enemies. Just Alicio and Ran.

"C'mon..."

- Ran Serys -

 

[Ran Serys]

Ran blinked her eyes. Her brain felt like molten lava inside her head. Her body felt like she'd taken a head on collision with about twenty different speeders. Focus on her sight pulled away from the attention the pain demanded. Alicio's visage hovered above her. She noted his bleeding and bruising, missing limb and damaged circuitry. She noted the silence. He'd lost men, and she thought maybe a part of himself along with them. Still he had enough energy to call on the force. She could feel his touch on the force as it helped to heal her.

Ran tried to reach out and grab his organic hand to stop him, but the bones in her arm popped and cracked and shot pain into the rest of her body. "I'm sorry, Alicio." She groaned, "I'm sorry." She repeated with a mix of tears running down her face. Selfish, selfless, and pained. She felt as if she had failed him. She did fail him. He was alone. And now they were here. "Are they all gone?" She asked after the Honor Guard. She hoped for a positive answer, but based on Alicio's face it was hard to imagine one.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Don't move," Alicio said, his face dark, as if set in granite. "I'm not as good at healing as Amani. This is... difficult, as is."

Ran's wounds were severe. It had taken all his focus to wake her up, and it would take nearly all the energy he had left to get her standing. But his training didn't fail him, as he continued to give, the Force rushing over Ran's form, seeping into her aches like warm water.

"I'm sorry, Alicio. I'm sorry. Are they all gone?"

He recognized the guilt in her tone, and it hurt him. He understood the feeling, all too well. The seer took a moment to answer, obviously tumbling his next words in his head. "My guards... they knew the risks. They were Shi'ido; they could've melted away into the shadows, whenever they wanted. They chose to buy us time, and it was their sacrifice that gave me a chance, in that fight." A heavy breath left his nose. "And the assassins..."

"It's... just you and me." He hoped she wouldn't look past him, into that room. It wasn't pretty. If he hadn't been so outnumbered, he would've tried non-lethal takedowns. But with his back against the wall... he had to be ruthless.

- Ran Serys -

 

[Ran Serys]

Alicio tried to assuage Ran's feeling of guilt. His words helped her little but she understood more about the Shi'ido and mor about the man and leader Alicio was. Ran turned her head to the room but she could see little through her rattled brain and the stinging tears of guilt.

"You and me." Ran echoed and disregarded Alicio's orders to not move. She reached her hand out again and then put her feelings to the force. She was not an experienced healer but she'd do her best to heal one of the closest people she had to family in the entire galaxy. At that moment she didn't want to be his burden, she wanted to be there for Alicio. So as the force moved through her, and then him, something clicked. She completed a circuit. A strange circuit in and of the force. A sort of special melding. Healing energy that pumped through Ran to Alicio and back continued faster and stronger than the last. With every moment the energy became more concentrated and more potent. Ran healed at an accelerated rate and with her vision still blurry from concussion and tears, she hoped it was the same for Alicio. And she would question this special ability later.

"We need to go." She groaned but breathed a little easier. Her body was feeling lighter. "We need to make sure the dignitaries and representatives made it away safely." She sat up and her eyes focused on Alicio.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Don't." Alicio's hard-iron gaze pierced the Mirialan, staring into her soul. "You're no more responsible for my people's deaths than I am. I brought them here, and they died protecting me. If you blame yourself, you'll have to blame me twofold." He would happily hold that burden for her.

Then, something odd happened. It was like his energy was being redirected back at him, reflected and magnified between them. Alicio had never experienced that before. It was... odd, but not unwelcome. The cuts on his body completely sealed, leaving only bloodstains to mark their passing.

Something to explore when they weren't in imminent danger.

"We need to make sure the dignitaries and representatives made it away safely."

The senator hummed an affirmative, standing with surprising ease, and offering his remaining hand to help Ran up. "Our ride is gone, but there might be a functioning escape pod on the station. Then we can contact the Gift, if it's safe."

If Ran took a look at the room with the busted door... she'd see a gruesome sight. Limbs without bodies, torsos ran through by a thin lightsaber blade, and assassin corpses riddled with rivering burns, as if scorched by electricity. Alicio didn't look that direction. He knew what he'd see.

- Ran Serys -

 

[Ran Serys]

"Then let's get to that escape pod." Ran acknowledged as she brought herself to her feet. Before they left Ran looked into the battle ravaged room. She needed to see the destruction herself and take her thoughts on it into the future. She didn't wince from it. She scanned to remember unblinkingly. Another battle she missed. Another battle with consequences she couldn't help undo. It was selfish but no matter what Alicio said to her, she couldn't help but feel guilty, and still in the face of those feelings she looked upon the scene to honor the lost Shi'ido warriors. "Let's go." She said following Alicio out and to the location of the remaining life pods.

Ran felt their first meeting was a disaster, an ill omen on the future of their relationship. She could only hope this mission wouldn't color her relationship with Alicio, Amani, and their children who Ran had yet to meet. She debated asking Alicio a few questions but struggled to speak through the concussion. She followed in silence and sat in silence until they're escape pod was picked up by their allies.

[Exit Thread]

Alicio Organa ​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio frowned at Ran as she paused to see his handiwork. He hadn't exactly shown mercy, like she had against their previous opponents. Maybe if he was just a little stronger, could see just a little further, he could've...

No. Don't do that to yourself, Organa. You're okay, and so is Ran.

Bringing her to the escape pod, Alicio closed the hatch, and shot them into space. A short communique with the Gift told them that the delegates had made it safely away, and that they were willing to continue negotiations. It seemed a threat making itself manifest had convinced at least a few of them of the necessity of unity, and perhaps they were inspired by the bravery of a few lightsaber-wielding warriors, if the senator had to guess.

"Thank you, Ran. For today," was all he said.

It didn't feel like victory, but he would be alive to tuck his children into bed tonight. That was what mattered. And for that, he owed the Jedi a lifetime of thanks.

- Ran Serys -