Ask The Last Good Thing In My Life

[Nevizkas]

The conflict between the Hutt's and the Empire left many displaced persons, refugees and victims of war in various states of distress or worse. While fighting lingered on in distant parts, the true price paid, remained behind, as it always did. Citizens forced into picking up the pieces of their lives through the rubble, families torn apart or lost entirely.

But there was those whose responsibility began in chaos and turmoil. Their job to offer support and mend the broken, to save and prepare those who thought they had lost it all, for the new chapter in their life, even if they were yet to see it as such. The unsung heroes of conflicts were the ones who dove in to rescue and mend the broken, their care saving lives and preventing disaster of an unimaginable scale, all without politics or religion being invested.

It was one of these such camps that the former Sith Master arrived at after travelling alone from Thule. The bare minimum of care had stabilised her fragile frame, but the battered woman was both scared and scarred with wounds across her entire body, extensive damage around her throat and of course a broken wrist. With all that had gone on, someone with her injuries seemed to blend in with the others, all waiting their turn for whatever medical care could be freely offered.

For her part, the swollen, quiet creature waited in line, barely recognisable to anyone who might have known her. A million thoughts running through her mind at once, worries about the future and her inability to provide for the family to come. The looming dread of knowing what lay inside her, whose it was and what implications that could mean. Her failure to secure a future for this baby, her legacy in ruin.

The severing of her connection to the force was numbing, and no amount of explanation would be able to fathom the depths of despair she lay in because of it. Despite being in the midst of a crowd, she had never felt more alone and afraid, a feeling so very foreign to her.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

Fear. Clove felt nothing but fear as she carefully walked through the first aid camp, ignoring the eyes she felt burning on her. Were they really on her? Well, she didn't know, but it felt like they were staring at her. In truth, she had no idea what kind of camp she had joined, whether it was a Star Guardians' or a regular camp. She simply searched for one in the Empire space, close enough for Altair's men and women to come over for protection if needed. Because, well, returning to the field was a big step. Perhaps it was a too big step for her at the time.

The last time she was somewhere similar, she was there. With those flaming eyes and the promise of something bad happening. A promise that was fulfilled. So that begged the question, what if she saw Vahl again? What if she came across another Sith?! Then there was the other worry: could she still be useful without the Force? But she was still there, following her therapist's advice to keep looking for things that made her happy. So she did her best, despite her extreme discomfort, using her medical training to mend whatever wound she could.

As the line of unfortunate victims of war drew incredibly long, Clove seemed to have calmed down enough that her hands no longer shivered when she inserted a needle through flesh or stuttered when she spoke to a new patient. She felt herself slowly return to her element, even more than when she worked on mending animals. It got to the point where she felt comfortable enough to take a closer look at the line, curious to see who was standing there.

It was all depressing and bleak, which she had expected. War was horrible, and there were no winners; no one emerged victorious, even if it felt that way for a brief moment. And so, everyone standing there looked worse for wear, bruised and battered, bleeding and some even lacking a limp. What she hadn't expected to see was a Pureblood Sith. Clove wasn't exactly up to date on current events; her energy was mostly spent on fixing herself and being a good mother to Zara, but the Sith and Empire weren't exactly friends, as far as she could remember. Then again, the Pureblood Sith could've been part of the Empire? ... Eh.

But it wasn't just the bright red skin that drew her attention. Something else was going on, something the half-Annfyn didn't notice at first. But as she kept looking, the realization hit her with such force that it felt like a speeder rammed into her guts. The Pureblood stood there with her shoulders slumped, her head unmoving, and most strikingly, a hollowed empty stare in her eyes. A glance that showed absolutely nothing but loneliness, desperation and worry. It felt familiar. As if she looked into a mirror from the past.

While every inch in her mind screamed to turn around and run, Clove's feet carried her forward. Away from the camp, towards the line. Towards the Pureblood, whose suffering was so audible that she could hear it without the Force. She wasn't sure what drew her to the woman like a magnet, but she was standing next to her in no time, wide chocolate eyes staring at her. And without saying anything, she extended her hand.

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tag @Xorism ​

 

[Nevizkas]

Each night, as she lay her head down to sleep, recent events continued to haunt her. One of her closest friends destroyed and slain by their mutual friend, who in turn then did the same to her. His rampage of death and destruction was within her ability to stop, so why couldn't she? Why had she failed at such a critical juncture that would see a loss of station, power and all that she had valued?

Waking several times, each nightmare more potent than the last and each ending with a mocking laughter as she was left for dead, poked and prodded like carrion. Suddenly, the pureblood's attention was drawn to a woman appearing next to hers with an outstretched hand. Staring for a moment, unsure of what to expect from the gesture other than initially assuming that she was being asked to leave, she hesitated.

Except that wasn't the case and with a slight reluctance she offered her hand to this stranger whose warm eyes offered her a chance. Nevizkas would have burst into tears at such a revelation if she had any left to give, her red, puffy cheeks giving that away.

Being led into a small tent nearby offered the small amount of privacy available to anyone needing medical attention in the aid camp wasn't likely to last, but it was a start. A measured comfort, getting out of the heat, nonetheless was welcome as she took a seat at the makeshift station.

To any physician, it would be fairly obvious that the pureblood woman had suffered a neck injury, with heavy bruising and swelling along her windpipe evident. The way she clutched her left arm also showing signs of a broken wrist. Not to mention the numerous lacerations and week old scabs that weren't healing well and were slightly infected across her body.

But that wasn't what she first asked about as the two women's eyes met properly for the first time. With a distorted voice, on account of some vocal damage incurred from the neck injury, she spoke with such visceral fear behind it. "I can't feel my baby." Such a statement, both haunting and frightening also provided a clue in the enigma that was Nevizkas, as to why she had come here.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

Clove ever so gently took the woman's hand in her own and guided her to a more private tent at her own pace. She felt no eyes, no gazes as she walked past the people this time; she was too preoccupied with making sure the Sith Pureblood didn't fall or stumble and end up safely on the station. It wasn't the softest bed in history, but it served its purpose.

During the walk the half-Annfyn already caught several looks of the injuries, but now that she lay there under the light it was all too clear just how damaged she was. Her bones were broken, her already red skin was a burning crimson in places, indicating infections, and her throat appeared to be about to collapse on itself. She considered escorting the lady to a hospital and getting a Bacta-tank for her, but something in her gut told her that the woman would not allow it. Thus, even before their eyes met, Clove had already created a plan for taking care of her using the less sophisticated tools.

That plan was shattered when she heard the woman's fearful voice. Fear that would have sent goosebumps up her spine, and dread that made her heart tear at itself. And she understood the woman just by saying those five words. She must've fought, resulting in those injuries, and somehow lost her Force after. She had to have lost the fight as well judging her state, and depending on the culture she came from...

Was she all alone? Was that why she was driven to a first-aid camp?

Clove shook her head, shaking her thoughts away. "Let's check out your baby, okay? Please stay right here." She spoke with a soft voice full of care and a layer beneath that was full of pain for the woman. It was foolish to be concerned about the baby first when the mother's condition was so bad, but her aching chest drove her to the nearest portable ultrasound machine. She'd been in her shoes before, somewhat. It was terrifying to suddenly feel nothing after feeling everything, every sprinkle life had to offer, the flutter of one's heartbeat, the colorful auras of one's soul. To feel nothing after knowing those experiences, especially not a living child growing in your body... She took the ultrasound machine's handles and rolled it back to the opal white-eyed woman.

"Okay... Let's see." Clove said after sitting down next to the Sith Pureblood and rolling her shirt up to reveal her stomach. She applied the gel to her belly, which was lukewarm due to the planet's atmosphere, before lowering the transducer against her skin and gliding over it while staring at the screen. It took some searching, especially since Clove hadn't done ultrasounds in a long time, and she admittedly became a little nervous. But just as she was about to brace herself for the worst, the smallest silhouette appeared. The baby was still incredibly tiny, around 8 weeks if Clove had to guess. Tiny, but large enough to catch the faintest pulsing of cardiac tissue, sounding like a heartbeat. That faint heartbeat rang through the tent, sounding almost like a symphony.

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tag @Xorism ​

 

[Nevizkas]

Nevi sat there with a confused, sad look perched upon her face as they waited nervously for the results to show up on the screen. She was hardly certain of what she would even do if the outcome was poor, with everything else in her life torn from her hands, this wouldn't entirely be out of the question.

The tenuous seconds ticked by like an eternity, pain wrapped around each one as thoughts zapped around her mind for either conclusion. She'd never admit it to anyone now, but one such thought would be to imagine how her life would have developed had she not met the father. A life turn asunder for a blunder in judgement? A moment of weakness cost her life in exchange for this one? A terrible thought for a would be mother, but there it did remain.

A small pulse lit up the screen as the two pairs of eyes remained glued, causing the pureblood to release the breath she hadn't realised that she had been holding. Tears formed below her eyes, looking at the tiny nugget that she could barely grasp lay within her abdomen even as the wand moved.

"Thank...you." She muttered against the hoarse vocal cords, eyes transfixed to the screen in wonder. At that moment, she simply forgot all the other injuries she sustained, searing the image into her memory.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

Clove let out a deep breath of air, one she had held since she began to feel a little more nervous. Seeing it on the screen, seeing that tiny beginning of life and assuring the woman that her child was still right there, it made the entire room feel lighter. As if their entire room had transformed into a little hut of glowing happiness, right in the middle of a medical camp filled with pain and suffering.

"You're very welcome." Clove gave a tiny smile, her focus leaving the screen when she heard the sound of the woman's voice. But before she could even think about her neck, she couldn't help but notice the tears welling up in her eyes. Everything drew her in, compelling her to help the Sithblood. "I'll take a few echos for you to take with you. After that... We'll have to examine the rest of your body. Because your body needs strength and healing to carry a kid." She paused. "Try not to talk for now though, spare your vocal cords."

Normally, she'd remove the wand straight away, ignore rendering the echos and do everything she could to heal the wounds. The Sithblood was so battered that even simple tasks like breathing and talking had to hurt. But that didn't feel right, not right now. The mom seemed to be so happy to see her child on the screen that she couldn't take it away quite yet. So Clove took her time, delicately running the wand over the woman's skin to find the best places and taking three echo renders.

After doing everything at a snail's pace to give her the time to take in the sight on the screen, half-Annfyn lifted the wand from the woman's abdomen while the machine exported the three echos onto a hologram. She reinserted the wand into the machine and used a cloth to clean the gel from the woman's skin before reaching for the hologram disk. Clove removed it from the machine and placed it on a small table next to the makeshift station. "There... That's all yours. Nobody can take that away now."

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tag @Xorism ​