Ask Coruscant Only Stars Shall See

[Bast Emblai]

The nurse’s face was grave, tired. Large circles hung under her eyes and the gloves she took off daintily were streaked with blood. ”Ms. Emblai. Ilana Morata is in labor. Your presence was requested in her birth plan. Please follow me.” Bast rose slowly, feeling the blood rush from her head. She had been in such a hurry she had forgotten to drink for likely ten hours. Something felt stuck in her throat, like a growing, painful tumor slowly cutting off her breath.

They walked through a maze of sterile white hallways. A sudden wave of dizziness overwhelmed the woman and she swayed slightly, grabbing one of the railings that lines the wall. The growing mass pressed against her stomach. White knuckles clenched the railing harder. She closed her eyes. Do not vomit. Do not vomit. The nurse paused and put a hand on her shoulder. “You aren’t about to go into labor, too are you?” She joked, but her eyes were prying. Inhaling sharply, the Lieutenant’s mouth twitched, but not into a smile. “No.” She swallowed back bile. The other woman’s eyes lit up in understanding. “I am so sorry I should have asked. Are you squeamish about blood?” As if to reinforce the point, a pained scream echoed from a nearby room. “No.“ During her years at CorSec, Bast had attended an emergency childbirth class, learned how to deliver a child if she were a first responder. Blood did not affect her. How weak did the nurse think she was? She had endured excruciating pain, witnessed death, sat through autopsies. Blood was nothing. The nurse cast a doubtful glance.

In that moment, Bast wished she could prove herself. Prove she deserved to be there. In the indignity of childbirth, in the groans and the hair plastered with sweat and the tears, there was dignity and pride. The women did what their mothers had done since the beginning of time. There was a sacredness, a fulfillment that took place. The pain was unbearable yet never regretted. A bond was forged from the suffering. A bond life had deemed her unfit for. She would never know if she were strong enough to be a true woman, to fulfill her lot because she would never be able to. The sting of the lack of choice infuriated her. The woman rarely pitied herself, yet the vile jealousy at the unfairness of the galaxy made her hate herself. This was a moment of joy. She could not, would not ruin it for her closest friend and the woman she respected.

The nurse paused at a door and typed in the combination. It chimed and slid open. A curtain around the bed maintained privacy for the couple behind it. A rasping cry of pain came from Ilana. Through the thin, faded fabric, Bast could see the vagues shape of the bed and the outline of her partner, hunched and murmuring assurances. The nurse had quietly left. It felt wrong to intrude. The doctor was so... vulnerable. Surely she would not want Bast to see her in such a state. Corran’s gentleness was intimate in a way that she had never seen before. Despite her invitation, she was not welcome.
The heavy breathing, interrupted by groans grew closer together. Bast looked at the clock on the wall. Roughly one minute apart. Did they know she was there? The attending physician seemed to be getting ready. The next screech made Bast wince in empathy. Would she choose this if she could? She didn’t know.

The energy in the room changed with a sudden release. Expectation baited the Ranger’s breath as she stood outside the curtain. A quiet, distraught voice penetrated her ears shrilly. “What’s wrong with her?” Her heart dropped. The nausea returned. Tension made it hard to breath. A single gurgling cry cut through the stuffy air. Bast realized she had been holding her breath. The next moment was one of commotion. Both parents cooed and talked. The intruder rested her head against the cool wall before making an entrance. The time hadn’t felt right earlier. Hopefully they wouldn’t mind. Slipping through the curtain, she stood stiffly in the corner of the room, a bittersweet smile gracing the tired face. “Welcome, Little Sylvi.”

@Killa Ree
@TerranSteel

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

Her panic had given way to gratefulness, shoulders slumping as she held the small bundle in her arms. Blue eyes tracked the finger, but the expression was one of wide wonder. Even now, Ilana was aware of nothing else but the immediate trio of them, and looked over at Corran. The smile was there, but exhausted. She was so tired.

The arrival of Bast was recognized by the woman's own voice, and she glanced over, giving the woman a slight, grateful nod, before glancing up at Corran. "Would you want to hold her?" and then to Bast as well, gauging their expressions. She could hold on for a little while longer, and seem in control. But she was so tired, even now she could feel it pulling her back, promising a deep rest. "Be careful of her head."

@TerranSteel @Kestrel

 

[Corran Velt]

Exhaustion was starting to grip her more than him. No amount of jumping around the galaxy, in and out of engagements, compared to the laborious marathon of childbirth. And yet Ilana still smiled at him. An immense feat of strength and Corran could only smile back with equal parts gratitude and affection. The Arkanian had gone through a trial he could barely fathom and brought their child into this world. Could he ever be thankful enough? She could have asked him to capture a moon made of pure Kyber to honor her and he would have done it without hesitation in this moment.

A familiar voice detached the young father's attention from mother and child and to the newcomer. His best friend greeted his sight. "Bast!" Corran exclaimed with a tired smile. Shaky hands wiped away the tears in his eyes. "I'm so glad you're here. Come closer. Look at her." He motioned to his side. Having the Corellian ranger present was fortifying. The partners had actually taken care of an infant together for a day during a particularly troublesome incident. Bast had been an incredible caretaker; displaying all the best qualities of mother. Having her to witness the child was both meaningful and gave the blond ranger courage for what offer came next.

Ilana's question caught him off-guard. Corran blinked and turned his head to face back at her. He swallowed hard, arresting his fears and sending them from his throat to his chest. It didn't stop that bantha-in-headlights look. "Yeah, I'll... hold her." A combination of instinctive parental care and Ilana's fatigued condition provided an invigorating potion for the new dad to overcome hesitancy. Following the Arkanian doctor's advice, he took the baby with care and cradled her head gently in his arms.

She was so light. A fragile container of all potential in the universe. Uncertainty and fear coldly gripped his lungs and heart. If he was holding her too tight or too rough. If he was hurting her. Icy tendrils of doubt began to fester. But then tired, half-lidded sky-blue eyes stared back in Corran's own. A small match ignited. It caught small tinders of determination and began to rise to a true fire. Fear melted away and receded into the depths; replaced by a glowing warmth. He held the baby closer to his chest but ever-so-carefully. "Oh, Silvi. You're incredible," the father whispered. Wiped out from the ordeal of entering the world, the white-haired baby only stared curiously back. Corran tenderly swayed Silvi in his arms in a loving, bouncy rhythm. There was no thing so precious in his life than her.

From kneeling by Ilana's side, Corran looked up at Bast with starry eyes. "Do you want to hold her? She's so good with people already."

@Kestrel @Killa Ree

 

[Bast Emblai]

Even the beeping of moniters seemed to steady as the bundle lay, squirmy and crying, in her mother‘s arms. Ilana was glowing, all signs of pain and struggle gone. For the first time, there was no coolness in the golden eyes. They were a warm amber, a quiet fire. The mother glanced up at her with a quick smile before returning her attention to her child. Bast smiled back. It was a genuine smile- one of congratulations and admiration. The bond between mother and child was so strong the Ranger was not even sure the doctor had torn her eyes away long enough to see the responding smile. The expression faded. What was it like, she wondered, to be so tied to something by nature that one would die for it, despite having only known it a matter of minutes? What was it like to be loved completely and utterly back? She stared, eyes soft and dull, at the new family, the three figures huddled together. It was not for her to know, after all.

At the sound of her somewhat gravely voice, Corran turned. His face was blotchy. He wiped away a tear, not that he had to. Did the man truly think she would think less of him for crying? They had been together through more than most could imagine. It was her own emptiness that felt wrong. She was sincerely happy, but something in the pit of her stomach had settled near her feet. And she was ashamed. Nodding almost imperceptibly at his invitation to see the child, she approached the bed, as quietly and meekly as if it were a deathbed rather than one that ushered in life.

Silvi was beautiful. The small rolls of red skin, the piercing blue eyes, the matted, damp silver hair all perfect in their newness. An indescribable feeling of wonder overcame her as she considered the innocence, the opportunity that would grow and develop from the small thing. The fact that life could come from something so fragile and helpless was mystifying and Bast was drawn in by the mystery. This time her lips split into a full smile.

Her partner had taken the child. Ilana, despite the exhaustion written clearly on her face by the bags under her eyes, kept careful watch. Corran looked as if he were terrified he might drop Silvi. Rather than reassure him, she looked away to give them a moment to themselves, hazel eyes only swiveling back when he offered the child to her. She was not sure if he saw the wetness in them. Looking to Ilana for permission, gentle hands supported the head and body, lifting the bundle tightly to her chest, rocking it back and forth, back and forth, though for her own comfort or Silvi’s she was unsure.


@Killa Ree
@TerranSteel

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

Seeing Corran's expression made it worth it. The joy, the exhilaration, the nervousness, the pride. Seeing him, kneeling by her bedside, touched a warmth in her that she hadn't expected. She reached a hand over, lightly grazing his cheek, and a tender smile touched her lips. "I've never seen you with stubble... you'd look good with a beard," she teased quietly, but then sighed.

She felt weak, thin and wrung out, and her hand slipped from his cheek, head slumping back onto the pillow. Though she wanted to hold Silvi once more, she felt herself slipping away, and falling into unconsciousness. Her last thought was how nice it would be to have a home of their own.

Just a quiet place to rest.

@TerranSteel @Kestrel

 

[Corran Velt]

Corran's gaze floated upward as the tiny newborn was lifted up into Bast's arms. In his own grasp, Silvi had taken up his whole world. Only when being held by another did he realize how truly small the child was. Half the size of a pillow and looking just as soft. Just as before, on that case, her maternal instincts soothed the infant with swaying rhythm. It looked as natural as the dawn sunrise. A small glimpse of the Corellian woman's face revealed wet crescents holding firm in her eyes. Corran tilted his head to observe the infant and professional partner both. Whatever she was feeling, he understood the tears at least. A monumental joy had come into the universe and no amount of stoicism or discipline held back the raw, real emotions. The blond man pleasantly grinned at Bast. Her being here meant everything.

Snowflakes brushed Corran's cheek; as soft as the first touch of winter. He leaned into the icy hand and cupped it gently with his own warm palm. Ilana's smile immediately drew his gaze. So rare, affectionate, and never taken for granted. Diamonds mattered little compared to her smile. He rasped a chuckle, eyes still a little teary, "You think so? Every dad needs a beard phase." His own father styled a beard for a decade. Corran throatily laughed again as his own clever retort came to mind, "I'll end up look-"

Ice slipped from his face, wintery fingers weakening before finally losing all grasp. The blond man's genuine smile slowly downturned into a soft frown. Ilana was gone; drifted into unconsciousness. For a moment, he remained kneeling, observing the sleeping mother. He then rose from his knee and solemnly laid Ilana's hand upon her.

Like a ghost, a nurse drifted silently into the delivery room and appeared next to Bast almost as soon as she arrived. "We'll need to take the baby for some standard tests," the nurse said in a well-practiced, firm whisper, "It's best to do them while the mother is resting." It didn't sound like a suggestion. Silvi was soon expertly swaddled and in the care of the nurse. Corran stopped her just before she turned to leave. "You'll bring her back to be with Ilana once you're done. She'll want to be with her child." He glanced at the sleeping Arkanian, using his best intuition of her wishes. The nurse scrutinized the blond man with a thorough stare. She must have deemed the orders from the armored mercenary-looking figure acceptable because she supplied a curt nod and a customer-service smile. "Of course, we'll bring her right back." Nurse and newborn both vanished as silently and swiftly as the former had arrived.

That left the two Rangers standing alone in the sterile white room. Silvi had generated such energy and thrill just be being present. A star coming to life in the cosmos. Without her presence, everything seemed still and dimmer. The heart-rate monitor beeped lowly as the only audible sound. Corran looked at Ilana with impassible features. Her hair matted with sweat, clinging to her forehead and cheeks. Eyes sunken in and scoured of all energy. She still was radiantly beautiful beyond words.

"I think I'll stay and look after her," He said without prompting, still facing away from Bast. Ilana had stood vigil over him after the pyre of Sector Ranger HQ. For days even. He would do the same if necessary. Corran turned his head to meet the eyes of his fellow ranger. "I'll catch up. Promise." They both still had the raid awaiting them. Deep in the hellish depths of Nar Shaddaa. He knew duty would summon him back there, but for now, he'd stand watch for the most important things to him - mother and child.

After Bast had departed, Corran moved a chair next to her bedside. He stopped to look at the sleeping Arkanian once more. She looked like she was getting restful sleep, at least. The young man leaned over and tenderly kissed her forehead and sat down without allowing a sound. His would stand guard until she woke. Until Silvi and her were reunited. Just as she had done for him.

//END THREAD

@Kestrel @Killa Ree