Ask Aftermath

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Denon had dealt a devastating blow to the FWA. The planet, along with Spirana, was now firmly under Sith control. It was a decisive victory that left many reeling, and the impacts would be realized only with time. For the Jedi, however, this was simply yet another battle in their ongoing war. There would be casualties, there would be grieving, there would be learning, and there would be preparing to fight another day.

Sevrin had returned from his offworld padawan training to help assist with the Denon aftermath. The Sephi made his way over to a clinic that was aiding a fair amount of survivors. He saw the signs for MorataCorp all over the place, and he was familiar with the rising company.

Sevrin knew that they were helping treating the Jedi, and he had arrived to look for any other survivors. While they had attempted to keep strict records of everyone, it was always a gamble with tracking padawans. He could only hope he wouldn’t find out about more padawan casualties beyond the severely injured ones that returned from the fight.

He felt slightly out of place, and he certainly stood out like a sore thumb. Sevrin gave a puzzled look when he was stopped and asked for identification at the entrance. He began to explain who he was and that he was a Jedi.

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

Ever since the beds of Chateaux Vidalis began to fill, the headache began to ramp higher. To add to it, Silvi was being a bit cranky at night, and she would not sleep unless Ilana was there to hold her. Despite her best attempts at rest, there were dark circles under her eyes, and they burned with a gritty lack of sleep as the emotional crescendo stacked higher along with the injured bodies.

Gritting her jaw, she had to suppress the urge to snap several times, instead, resolving to disdain with icy glares and short, clipped answers. But there was something else that preyed on already frazzled nerves.

One staff member approached her of a Jedi Knight, and she exhaled sharply, nostrils flaring at the thought of more of those zealots in this place. Hadn't they damaged enough of the galaxy with their religion? How many more families did she have to deal with, their emotions slamming against her fracturing mental walls and their grief threatening to swallow her over and over? How many times would she have to watch their smug karking broadcasts on the holonews?

The business couldn't be better, and she kriffing hated it.

Heels clicked down the hallway, amber eyes narrowed. Even in an entryway of white pristine, he stood out. Silver hair, pale. The air dropped with an icy chill as she coldly regarded the man before her, eyes narrowed. In her hands was held a chart; with a deft flick of a finger, it was powered down.

"Can we help you?" she rasped, her voice low as she stepped past the flustered Mirialan nurse attempting to talk to him about patient confidentiality and appointments. The pain in her temples lanced to a higher degree, and her fingers dug slightly into the datapad, attempting to will the pain and exhaustion away.

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sharp eyes flicked over towards the woman as she appeared, a chilling aura emanating from her that almost threatened to line his skin with goosebumps. Their surroundings momentarily blurred into an abstract, and his silver gaze fixed into her ambers like a knife thrown clear across the hallway. His expression betrayed nothing, but his eyes cut through like a fine scalpel and pulled away layers. It was ice that would bite right back at her in ways inexplicable to them both.

The moment passed as soon as it appeared and he was already turned and making his way over. He gave no indication that anything was off, but it was a moment planted away into his psyche. He would meditate on it and pull that thread further later.

Sevrin towered over her as he came to a stop across her. He recognized by now that she was the CEO. As someone that also specialized in the healing arts, he could sense sharp jolts of pain through her. Sev raised a hand, his fingers gracefully moving as he began to speak, “Sevrin Valtiere and I’ve come to inquire about any Jedi student or padawans you may have here.”

She would feel the pain from her head rapidly dissipating by the time Sev uttered his next words with a casual shrug, “Jedi Knight,” His hand returned to his side. He found that showing a direct demonstration often convinced others that healing was helpful. Eyes flicked past her towards the beds that filled up the clinic, “I can also offer my healing services if people won’t be disturbed by my wizard tricks.”

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

Just as there had been a lascalpel examination from the Doctor, so in turn, she had been sharply examined. Though there was no shift to expression to betray the slightest hint of a reaction, from within something stirred within her memories, and the rest of the world faded, for the briefest second of time. When he approached, she drew to her full height, and even despite her own taller-than-average height, he towered over her, and she found herself squaring her shoulders defensively.

There was something about his eyes that was familiar, but the name, the voice was wrong, and for a moment, she was puzzled. It was a familiarity that pinged in the back of her mind, and yet even as she tried to push through the mental slog that was her memory, the sharp pains began to ease, and there was the faintest shift of something within amber eyes.

Surprise.

It was gone almost as soon as it appeared, but for a fleeting second, he would have seen that he caught her off guard. It was frozen over with a glacial chill once more, and she nodded once, curtly. "If you wouldn't mind, then. Discussing patient confidentiality of religious preference isn't discussed in public areas; please, come to my office."

It wasn't much of a request, but she would do her best to seem accomodating. After all, she had extended the services of this abode as a health recovery and retreat; it was only recently that she was forced for it to become triage as well. At his last sentence, she glanced up into his features once more, and there was the faintest of nods given.

"I will ask patient preference. But please understand that several of my patients have previously expressed bias against Force Users." This was no real exaggeration; between the assault against President Thorn on Naboo, and Jedi and Sith interfering in the galaxy, many of her non-aligned clients expressly confirmed paranoia, and even fear, against these religions. And she would firmly adhere to calling them such; perhaps Corran's bias had touched on her slightly, but nonetheless, she would do her best to treat this male fairly as a representative of his people.

So she would turn, and begin leading him to her office, not far from the main lobby.

Though it was once a private residence, most of the lower floors were converted into recovery suites, while the upper areas where servant droids once resided converted into suitable staff quarters. It was no large facility to her dream of scale, but for now, it would do.

"Would you care for any refreshment?" she asked coolly, swiping her hand over the ident to her office. "Tea, perhaps, or water?"

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

There was something almost unnerving about her, but he couldn’t quite place it. While he healed her, he felt that icy chill yet again, the hairs on the back of his neck standing. He remained silent as she spoke, simply nodding in agreement to respect her wishes.

The Sephi had to hunch to enter the office, most doorways not built for his stature. He walked in and took in sight of his surroundings before taking a seat. He surveyed her quietly as she asked her question. At first glance, the gaze was intense and almost uncomfortable.

“It’s a shame that there is such a fear of the Force,” He said as his fingers gingerly moved to float over two glasses and a water jug. It arrived at the table and he reached over to pour them both a glass, sipping from his quietly as his gaze focused on the water instead of her.

“There could very well be those in this building that possess the skill without knowing,” Sevrin mused aloud. The silvers flicked back over towards her, his expression betraying nothing.

“Are you displeased with my presence here?” He asked flatly, his inflection calm and level.

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

His gaze was sharp, and she could feel his continual observation even as she moved. The lightest breeze drifted through the space as she continued past the desk, opening one window to allow in the fresh air. She had been trapped indoors all day; the stale air and enclosed space was starting to feel repressing.

The room itself was simple and plainly adorned. Unlike the almost lavish appearance of the entrance, this place was practically spartan, apart from the multitude of plants in a wide variety of color and size, from all parts of the galaxy. Taking the glass he offered, she didn't drink right away, but instead settled into her own seat, setting her datapad aside.

Like him, her expression betrayed nothing, but there was something else that needed to be addressed. "I have a Knight in my care," she responded calmly, "but there have been several others that were unresponsive, and remain anonymous patients until someone may identify them." But he had asked...

She slowly eased back into her seat, gaze raking over his expression and pose with the sharp eyes of a physician, as though to dissect layer by layer the Jedi before her to puzzle him out. When she did speak again, her voice was a low, quiet rasp, equally as flat.

"I have no qualms with you personally," she answered, inclining her head. "I apologize if I seem socially unrefined, but I cannot pretend emotions I do not have." Blunt, bald facts; it was not him directly that nettled her. "But my professional opinion finds the several exceptions that your sect proves to be both infuriating and puzzling. The eternal debate between science and religion," she offered with a slim hand, and though her lips twitched with the faintest hint of a smile, the warmth did not quite defrost the icy veneer in amber eyes, "will not resolve. I find it... troublesome."

To put it mildly.

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin listened politely as she finished speaking, taking sips of his water here and there. His gaze never left hers, always unwavering and always piercing. It was difficult to tell what went on inside his mind, but it was not on purpose. It was a trait of those in his family and his entire race to be reserved and stoic by nature.

The revelation about the Knight tracked - he assumed she referred to Knight Ryker. Sevrin had done his research to identify where he had been taken, and he assumed the Jedi was under decent care. The Sephi focused back on the conversation at hand, eyebrows slightly raising as the first hints of expression on his face at her words.

“It is not the absence of emotions,” He stated flatly, “But what you are overtly projecting without perhaps realizing,” Sevrin left it at that, deciding to purposely move onto her next points of topic. He would only broach the other topic if she pulled that thread, “The frustration is understandable. Consider that we simply do not have the means to empirically study this particular field of science. Thousands of years ago even things like storms and natural phenomena occurring around us were considered mysterious works of an entity we could not study. With time, we grew to understand them and study them empirically.”

Sevrin observed her, knowing she would be caught off guard by his perspective. It was different from how most Jedi viewed the Force, “I’m not going to say the Force is mysterious. I am going to say it is mysterious right now,” He gazed at his palm where a very small flame formed, “And we are understanding it the best we can given our realm and limitations of comprehension.”

Silver gaze flicked back to her, “As a medical professional, your concerns only lie with the wellbeing of your patients. As long as they are treated and healed, does the means to get there matter?”

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She kept her expression schooled into a cold mask of calm patience, allowing him his time, and space, to speak before mulling over a reply. Projecting, was she? Perhaps... as of late, her control had been slipping away, perhaps a weakness due to Lt. Velt's previous proximity. Perhaps she was losing her edge, and the lines of professionalism were beginning to blur.

Still, his responses intrigued her; amber eyes blinked once at his comparing the knowledge of the Force to storms and ancient 'mysterious' phenomena. Certainly, it was difficult to quantify this supposed 'entity' successfully, but she had spent years studying it. There were many points he brought up that merited competitive debate, but how much to reveal she knew, how little? Instead, she took a small sip of water, moving little else apart from blinking.

However, there was the subtlest touch of bristling at his flat commentary of what her concerns were; white brows drew together, and her jaw clenched slightly. Her patience was already frayed enough by the multitudes of emotions from those in her care; she didn't deserve being observed in this way. "Of course it matters," she answered shortly, setting down her glass and folding her hands in her lap. "Every person in my care, every being in need of aid, is a new case study. What might cure one could kill the other. Every step I take is affected by evidence, study, trial, and error. Every patient, even," she pointed beyond him, "is met with exacting standards of care, to streamline care for their race, gender, age, and planet of origin. The why and how is what makes the galaxy run; there is no mystery to what I provide. But I must ask," she continued, "what the Force is to you. I have heard many answers; I am curious." The mask cracked ever so slightly during her reply; he would have sensed an element of annoyance, exhaustion, even a slight touch of anxiety coupled with frustration. However, as before, the mask settled once more, and she was again the calm image of a woman in her element.

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin picked up on two very curious things: One was the slightest crack in her resolve where emotions came through and two was her complete lack of reaction to the fire in his palm. No matter how many times someone had been around a Force user, it was a rare trick that would catch most non Force sensitives by surprise. The Sephi filed the information away as the flame disappeared and he took another sip.

He was unwavering through the small tirade. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard before, and he wouldn’t go on the defense. His silver gaze fixed back on her, his eyes always searching and unraveling where they could, “I will tell you what the Force is not,” He began calmly, “The Force is not a disease or a curse. The Force is not something to be ashamed of. The Force does not mean you can only explicitly conform to one...religion or the other. Such Orders exist mainly to help guide the ways to wield the Force. Without guidance, it becomes difficult to manage and temper.”

Sevrin remained silent for a few seconds before he continued, “The Force to me is as natural as being born with the ability to speak, to hear, to see, to feel. The Force is in every aspect of my being, just as it is for anyone with the gift,” His gaze remained curiously on her for a lingering moment before he added, “Whether they accept it about themselves or not.”

The Sephi offered her a small smile, and it was clear the gesture was rare from him. It almost looked uncharacteristic on his face, “Healing is an option that will always be offered to your patients when you permit it. Nothing will ever replace the efforts of doctors or what you are doing here. Our abilities are limited in nature, but we will always aid those that ask for it. It will never be forced, just as our presence will not be. I have come here to ease a burden, not add more.”

Sevrin tilted his head just slightly before he spoke again, “What does the Force mean to you?”

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

Seeing the man smile brought up an odd feeling in the Doctor's chest. A flicker of guilt, perhaps, for possibly being indeliberately antagonistic, or perhaps far colder than this man deserved. Unlike in the presence of Sith, such as Malakai or Hal, she didn't feel that continuous, low-lying edge of tension. The possibility of assault, even violence, around the people she trusted, or from them. Even, to a degree, from Master Hannibal, she felt unease, mistrust. Yet in this Knight's presence, he had been nothing but matter of fact, even polite.

She was the first to break eye contact, closing her eyes briefly. Sighing quietly, as one hand rubbed the bridge of her nose, she contemplated the words he gave to her, sorting her own muddled thoughts. Even here, from this distance, the emotions of others were a continual assault of pain, worry, fear, anxiety. Small, dull needles that pricked at her subconscious until her patience grew thin.

"I'm... sorry."

The words were spoken haltingly, the foreign taste of them bringing out a faint grimace. "I don't mean to be snappish. It's been... a trying time. But speaking of the Force... puzzles me. Not a single person has been able to explain it to me in a way that I can affiliate." She lowered her hand, gazing at him again, shoulders slumping slightly as though shrugging off a weight. "I have seen... droids, destroyed like they were tissue paper." A memory, of a B-1 security droid crushed in her hands. A B-2 assault droid, thrown through a wall with little more difficulty than a flick of the wrist. Strong arms around her as Hal jumped from her ship, free-falling and suddenly, lurchingly, slowing to a less-destructive fall. "Impossible feats of strength and raw fury." A Sith woman, her face twisted into a sneer of fury and delight and cackling even as she burned.

She took a sip of water, gaze focusing once more. "To me, the Force seems a wealth of untapped potential, but with great risk. There seem to be many that cannot control themselves with this power... many who would subjugate and become the aggressors at all costs. It seems a precarious balance of control... and the risk of influence, to fall, is all the greater for those with certain ambitions." Amber eyes leveled; once more, the cold chill of control settled over her mind, her shoulders.

For the first time in a while, the Doctor felt herself ease slightly, and she wasn't sure if this should trouble her or not. Simply that she was too tired to really care.

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

The way the apology crossed her lips suggested to Sevrin that it was a very, very rare occurrence. He said nothing in response, calmly watching her as she continued speaking. He was not too unlike her when it came to taking in data, parsing through it and then forming an opinion. He found that whatever came out of his mouth was significantly more productive as a result.

Sevrin watched her for a moment before speaking, “Is it so different than the thin line doctors walk when they are responsible for the lives of others? At any point you can make a mistake or administer the wrong thing and a life slips away. At any point you can choose to administer the wrong thing and a life slips away. No one would be the wiser as you have multiple policies protecting you from such things if you cover your tracks well,” Sevrin paused for a moment before continuing, “But you don’t because it’s the right thing to do. So is the case of Force users. What one chooses to do with a power that can be applied with devastating consequences is the definition of the interpretation of the Force.”

The Sephi eyed her for a few moments before a faint smile crossed his face, “Have you considered the possibility that you may be Force sensitive?”

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

So simple an explanation... but for the first time, there was someone that understood. So many that assumed her moral code was bound with the galactic standard, that life was a life, but it was so much more than that. She had a choice, who was a patient, a sentient, and who wasn't. It was a conscious choice she made, to heal or to harm. She had to commend the Jedi that.

Giving a slow nod, the faintest of grins touched her lips. "You would not be the first to ask me this. Sometimes, I'm curious myself how much being Sensitive entails. But..." she steepled her fingers, gazing at him over them. "I will permit you to 'heal'. I ask that I may observe. But... I will have to ask a favor of you."

She hesitated, lips thinning a moment. "It has to do with procuring samples..."

--

The Telomere, a Quad-5 with a repurposed hangar, was beginning to the end of the hyperlane getting close to an infected port. "MC has recently agreed to a vaccine research facility," she spoke up calmly. "Unfortunately, some of my samples were difficult to harvest, and the donors were expired. Your assistance is appreciated." She hesitated, eyes focusing as they were brought out of hyperspace, the dingy, grim world of Nar Shaddaa loomed.

It had been so long since she had come to this place... but how much of it had changed.

"I only need a minimal of one specimen, preferably recently infected."

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin was thankful for the ride to Nar Shaddaa, but really it was for something he would otherwise never do in a million years. If the Sephi didn’t have compassion for the galaxy, he could simply let AMS run rampant without ever worrying about it. However, he was called to a higher purpose to help in any way he could to stop it, and he was grateful that people like Doctor Morata were willing to take risks to make it so.

He cast a sideways glance at her as she spoke, eyebrows raising just faintly at her words, “Only one? Recently infected? I should've known it'd be so simple,” He stated dryly. Recent samples were near impossible to get on account of most organics having evacuated from the planet. Most of the infected on the planet had been like that for months and morphed into bigger and deadlier beasts.

Sevrin’s gaze lingered just a moment longer when he looked at her, not having seen her without a lab coat and formal attire before. He would casually glance away if she caught him at it, his face always bearing a serious expression.

“I hear Nar Shaddaa is under new management,” Sevrin remarked as he gazed at the surface. There had been a recent Holonet address that was rather violent in nature from Preef Callo. Sevrin’s thoughts drifted to a new rising problem in the form of the Crymorah Syndicate in addition to the Sith and AMS. The Jedi could never catch a break.

It wasn’t too long before they landed and Sevrin slowly rose to stand. Most ships weren’t too comfortable for his tall frame and he found his legs often cramped. Sevrin grimaced as a series of cracks and pops erupted from him unwinding himself. He followed Ilana off the ship, doing a last check to ensure he had his saber.

“Any recently infected may still be at a quarantine facility that’s still standing,” He explained as they walked, “Most of them have been broken out of with the infected flooding the tunnels,” The tunnels were the stuff of nightmares, and he sincerely hoped their little adventure wouldn’t lead there.

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

By now, she was used to dry quips and plain statements. In fact, the blessed lack of outward emotion was almost calming to the Arkanian; though she did not trust the male yet, he would be useful for a companion. Though she would have requested Corran, he had to chase down the Sith, and she was loathe to put him at risk again. Instead, she shrugged on her armored coat, tucking her hair into the collar and grabbing the stun blaster; the ascension cord could be used as an improvised hogtying mechanism if need be.

The blades were a necessity too, but for alternative reasons.

"Mmm," was her primary response at first, a quiet hum of acknowledgment. "I saw the recent changeover... I can't say I feel too much pity for slavers." Disdain almost dripped from the last sentence, but her features remained cold, disengaged.

"We won't have to stray far from the surface; many here will claw out their way to make a living one way or another, virus or not." When they exited, she took care to lock up the ship. "Thankfully, I won't need a recent specimen..." she rasped dryly, one white brow arching slightly. "It would just be easier to contain and subjugate for transport--"

She didn't get much further than that when a few streets over began some panicked yelling, followed by blaster fire.

Sparing him a single glance, she gripped her blaster tighter, darting towards the sounds of violence in a calculated, graceful stride.

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin stared at her blankly as she responded just as blankly. Terrific, someone that was just as dry as him. It wasn’t something he ran into often, but it certainly meant there would be no light hearted conversations on this mission seeing as how he wasn’t the best in that department to begin with. While he preferred to be reserved, it began to occur to him it made for some very frosty interactions.

He followed the doctor off the ship, curiously eying the blaster in her hand. While it wasn’t something he expected from her, he wouldn’t exactly rush to her rescue now as he trusted she knew how to use it. Filing that fact away, his keen ears picked up the blaster shots. His very sensitive ears picked up a lot of activity and voices.

Sevrin walked towards it, feeling a sense of dread rising at the back of his thoughts. Their path would take them towards where they could now clearly hear the commotion.

“They may be in trouble,” He stated quietly as he picked up the pace to make his way over.

Within moments it was revealed that it was a large group of people consisting of humans, rodians and other races. They all looked like criminals, and it was apparent they had simply been firing blasters into the air to create the illusion of distress.

A large speeder vehicle suddenly pulled in behind the two, boxing them in.

There was a large, bearded man that was almost as tall as Sevrin who stared at them both. He had a wide grin on his face, “Thank you for bringing a ship over. Would you kindly just roll over an’ die now?”

Multiple blasters were trained on them while others in the group rushed over towards where the ship was parked.

Survivors had gotten desperate on the planet. If there was even the slightest hint of a ship coming in, they would do anything to hijack it to find passage off the planet.

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She should have known better. The lack of emotions negatively filling the space, the emptiness of it all. So many things and more should have keyed in better, but she brushed off the anticipation simply because it seemed circumstantial. She should have known better.

Staring down the crowd of blasters calmly, and then the male, his words filtered through with a cold stare. She was already tired, annoyed, and dealing with the assault of multiple emotions. Jaw gritting, amber eyes narrowed. At least the man said please... but he asked it of the wrong person.

"No."

It was a flat, empty word, spoken with all the emotion of a printout. "Touch my ship, you won't go far."

These were weak-minded people. Desperate for a route off-planet. Besieged by the dead...

And then suddenly, it seemed as though there was a sound. A single low, deep-throated moan, and heavy footsteps. Panicked faces began to turn, to look for the source of the sound, to listen. Fear would begin to spike and ramp as the sound seemed to lure closer, blasters beginning to turn elsewhere. Whispers of alarm and terror grew into raised voices, to people beginning to turn and move in panic, as she quietly focused. Feeding on their terror as those that were closer to the ship began to sprint in panic. It was taking effort, but she was getting tired of this constant scrabble for survival.

She wouldn't have to wait long to strike.

Just the same as she could sense emotions, empathically connected as powerfully as she was, there was a flip side to it. Influencing and increasing their fear, their paranoia, and above all, the need to survive another day without getting mauled. And what was the worst thing to fear above all?

The AMS victims didn't lurk far away from the boundary of the living.

But as others would turn, she lashed forward, pressing the barrel hard against the man's chest, her face a cold mask.

"Shoot, and they'll come. Run."

However, she was equally prepared to take evasive action should their self-preservation be a lesser priority. And hopefully, the Jedi would help in turning the minds of these terrified criminals. It would be a pity to use her stun weapon on such sentients.

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Theme​

Sevrin was about to talk them down or prepare for a fight. What he hadn’t expected was what came next. He felt a surge in the Force that caused him to whip his head to regard the woman next to him. The Force pulsed powerfully and it wasn’t in a way he was familiar with. It was the Force but twisted to however she pleased to wield it. All of a sudden, all of their previous interactions and her questions about the Force all made sense.

The people turned with their blasters, and panic set into their faces. Sevrin watched it all play out, drawing the Force to himself as he began to sense the crippling fear in these people.

There was something the Doctor hadn’t banked on.

These people had lived in fear every day. They had lived in despair. They had given up hope. Their only hope had been the ship. And now they saw that small sliver taken. The noises, the sense of dread, all of it was fuel to a flame that was already there. It was the raging inferno of chaos that ignited from the sparks already set by despair and abandonment.

Hopelessness.

That was the end result of so many ugly things mixing at once, and it spiraled out of control in the minds of those present. It spiraled out of the grasps of either of them, like water slipping through fingers. Because it came from them. Because it was already there. Sevrin and Ilana didn’t exist for these people anymore. There was only the sound of the infected. There was only the horrid stench of rotting corpses. There was only the sick sense of doom at the pits of their stomachs. There was only that final chime of their clock resounding their last hour. There was only that reminder of their families and loved ones they had lost. There was only that blissful promise of seeing them again.

It began with the bearded man Ilana threatened. He had a glassy eyed look as he slowly lifted his blaster to his head and fired a shot.

As if an orchestra following a conductor, each and every single person surrounding him lifted their blasters and began to shoot themselves in the head. Such was the path out when there was nothing but despair, where there was no hope. Blasterfire resounded in a rhythm as multiple single shots were followed by thuds. Some were mere teenagers just having joined in to find shelter. Those that did not have blasters were shot by others out of mercy.

“ILANA!” Sevrin shouted, “NO!”

He whirled around and grabbed her by the shoulders, slamming her back against the dumpster behind her. His eyes were wide with shock, though there was no anger there. There was only sorrow, “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, ILANA?”


@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

It had been pure instinct, a gut reaction. To twist it, and return it. The anger. The helplessness, the fear and despair. The rottenness of the galaxy fed deep within her mind, and these people were only a small fraction of the many that scrabbled and killed for that very reason.

However, nothing prepared her for what happened next. He would see her eyes widen, as fear and grief suddenly painted vividly across her features. Her hands trembled, then lifted, her voice rasping hard.

"NO!"

The voice didn't come from her, but twinned with her, an echo, a cry. It was a tear into her psyche, a crashing cacophony against her very thin morals. Every surrender, every blaster shot was another wound, another pain, and she jerked as though they had shot her themselves, bile rising in her throat.

It was being slammed back that snapped her gaze. Her head whipped back and teeth rattled, snapping a gasp and grunt. Wide, panicked eyes stared back into those of silver, and he would see within the true soul of the Doctor.

She was terrified. Years of fear, of fury, of clawing to survive every second, would burst out at once, surrounding him with echos of their pain, their panic, and hers with it, threaded like a dark string. Years of it, long, long years of torment and the mind of a woman constantly surrounded by the emotions of all but always alone.

Bile burned in the back of her throat, but it was choked off as a tight twist of fear curled around it. The same tendril that smothered them now began to choke her as well. And suddenly, she could sense the Sephi's emotions. Sorrow, bright and hot, pierced through, and she let out a shuddering exhale as her knees gave out on her.

If it wasn't for his grip, she would have slumped to the ground. Nausea swirled, and she wrapped her hands around his. For the first time, the mask was gone entirely.

"I... It was a reaction," she whispered thinly, feeling her heart begin to ache as her breathing began to quicken, to burn. "I didn't... I felt it. All of it. A small push, they were meant to run..." She had wanted them to run. To go away. But once again, blood was on her hands, and though she curled her hands around his, she didn't push them away. Rather, she seemed to be holding on, gripping back with a desperation that had been years in the making, snuffed out slowly with the cold mental protection of her own design. But his own emotions, layering over those in the crowd, also affected her. Her vision began to darken, as she could feel the walls of panic slamming in with the grief.

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin heard the shriek from her that sounded almost unnatural. And he knew it only half came from her, half in the plane of the Force. She wielded the weapon without understanding its strength. She wielded it carelessly in a way that could pose danger to herself and everyone around her.

He had slammed her against the dumpster with both hands, but one of them had drawn his saber before he even realized it. The hilt hovered close to that delicate neck as his other hand pinned her firmly against the metal wall behind her. The sorrow in his eyes had quickly hardened to cold ice.

He was a Jedi Shadow.

It would be a simple press of the emitter and the blue blade would lance through her and permanently end yet another potential threat to the galaxy. The time for forgiveness was especially over for those that committed mass murders for their own benefit. The Shadow was methodical when it came to these scenarios. There were no ifs or buts. There was no remorse. There was only the cold, calculated methods of a Jedi Shadow that knew how to compartmentalize everything. How to do the right thing.

Until he saw those eyes.

They were not the eyes of the same woman he had met a day prior. He saw pain, he saw agony, he saw remorse, he saw regret, he saw pain. He saw everything he had felt from the survivors that now littered the streets. Sevrin felt her grow weak against his grip and his jaw tightened, the hilt pressing against her bare skin from when she shifted.

He stared at her as she whispered her words, every wall of ice she had put up shattering and collapsing before his very eyes. Sevrin’s gaze was as piercing as ever, but they looked at a woman unraveled now. He could still hear the echoes of the blaster bolts in his mind. But as he looked at her, he knew she would carry this with her. She was already carrying it.

Sevrin opened his mouth to say something, but he could hear a horde of infected. The series of bolts had been loud enough to lure a massive army of infected. The Sephi felt Ilana grip his hand in terror, barely standing from the impacts of what happened. The saberhilt slowly returned to his hip - that was something he would have to meditate on for hours.

“Can you walk?” He asked quietly. The maneuver she pulled was more powerful than some fully trained Jedi managed, and he knew right away she had very little control of the aftermath. He took one look at her and made the call.

Sevrin didn’t give her a chance to respond before he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in. Without warning, he leapt high in the air with the aid of the Force to land atop the dumpster. From there he leapt again atop the back of a speeder. He kept taking long, tall leaps, working to get to higher and higher ground as the infected rushed in all around them.

He went till he landed on the roof of a low building. He gently set her down and stepped back, his face devoid of expression. Sevrin looked at her for a moment before turning away. There was nothing he could tell her that she wasn’t telling herself already.

For now he gazed down at the massive hordes of infected surrounding them on all sides. His face was solemn. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. What kind of Jedi would he be if he abandoned her now to the chaos that was her own mind? If he just watched her fall into the exact path that led to darkness? Sevrin turned back to look at her again.

“It is not a curse, Ilana…” He said very quietly, “It is not a curse...It is untempered.”

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She was only aware of the hilt when cold metal touched her throat. And for the first time, her thoughts weren't on herself, but her daughter. Mingled with the odor of burnt flesh and the echoing pain of the dead, she felt her thoughts begin to close in, to collapse. Numbly, she was aware he said something or asked it. Her head bobbed ambiguously, unable to push through the black haze that swarmed her vision.

When he began leaping, however, she let out a low moan of terror, feeling bile rise up to burn the back of her throat. She turned to press her face against him and shuddered. When he released her she staggered a few steps away, collapsing to her knees to retch violently onto the dingy, filthy tiles. Cold sweat beaded down her forehead, neck, and back, and she gasped for air, wiping off her mouth. The black fog began to recede, but the emotions still ricocheted in her head, the phantom pains still singing in her bones.

His words made her look up. Even now, kneeling, she felt the effects of height, of moving too quickly. But words threatened to crowd out, a thick myriad of them and she had to swallow them all back, fear still pulsing a staccato beat in her heart. "It feels like one," she rasped, her voice thin, tired. "To feel every emotion, every life... all the time." She shuddered hard, and the grit from the roof rubbed into her palms, chafing them.

"To never have any peace or real control... to ignore it," came a thread-thin whisper. "I never asked for this." She remembered the Temple with Roland, denying the Dark Side. How she foolishly declared she didn't need it. She wanted to be furious, to anneal the planet of Nar Shaddaa with her rage, but all that was left was a keen and aching sorrow. "I do not want to be untempered," she rasped, swallowing hard. "I... have tried to hold back for so long, but this..." Her face turned even paler, and she swallowed hard, digging her nails into the roof. "I am a doctor." Do no harm, hmm? A low voice rasped in the back of her mind smugly, and if she closed her eyes, she could see the smiling skull visage, the lit cigara. Funny, never thought you could be so weak, Doc. All she wanted was answers. Peace from always being tormented unwillingly by the masses of the galaxy. "I've never understood," she murmured numbly. "I just wanted answers... you were the first to answer."

Amber eyes stared up at him, bleak and exhausted. But... other sounds began to filter in. The zombie hoard. It was funny, but... the thought of pursuing a sample seemed so small now. A minor thing, and yet necessary. Swallowing hard, she pushed herself up from the ground, but staggered, the backlash from before leaving her rattled, and for once... unsure of what to do next.

@Sreeya