The promise

[Nova Elgrin]

Her eyes were directed at the sky of pastel blue and rosé. Dawn. It was so pretty...
Nova lay in the snow, the had crawled through the fabric of her clothes and stiffening her limbs. Thick, white clouds hung above her. Snowflakes danced towards the ground, some meeting with their siblings that covered the earth, others landed on Novas face, got tangled in her lashes or quickly died to the heat of her skin. Her chest rose and sunk in a deep interval. She was sore and bruised all over, even blinking seemed to cause her pain. Had she ever felt so exhausted before? She couldn't tell.
Just a few arm's lengths away from her lay the body of a young girl. Her red hair garlanded her like a wreath of blood. Nova was able to spot her profile. In death she looked even younger...
Novas hand clenched to the hilt of her saber. It was so cold. She would try to get up...she just wanted to rest a few minutes. She felt endlessly tired. Her lids felt heavy, and so she gave in and closed her eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Several hours earlier.

Nova felt uneasy. Even though she was more than grateful for the aid of her companion, the calm of master Glorra didn't comfort her in their situation. While on their search for her father, they had found themselves under a sudden attack. It wasn't savage enough to destroy their ship and they had been spared the need of a emergency landing as well, yet the Aurora had been damaged and they were forced to land on the nearest planet. It was a planet called Fest, a celestial body almost fully covered in ice. It wasn't a particularly inviting place yet it was habitable, judging from the small city Nova could see in some miles distance. Or was it even a city? It could have been one gigantic building complex as well? The letters MED proudly glowed in red, yet she couldn't see much more of it as the rest of the word hid behind rocks and fins.
They had inspected the shell already, and it was clear that the needed some mechanic on this matter. If the force had been able to mend steel as well as flesh, well...
The winds were harsh and pulled and draged on them as if it wanted them to walk a certain direction. It wasn't night, but the new morning wasn't born yet as well. Nova looked for her warmest clothes. Soft yet thick cotton in anthrazict colours, highletend by some blue embroideris and patterns. "I wonder who they were.." she muttered. Master Glorra gave her an intense look, yet managed to smile "If it's the forces will, we will know...in time" That didn't sound too satisfying, yet Nova noded. Maybe she was right. The ghost in the force was, after all, merciful. Right?
For some time they just walked silently. Then a coldness not caused from their frosty environment reached for Novas heart. Master Glorra had stopped just as abruptly. "I know" Nova heard her clear voice "I feel it as well" the woman next to her reached for her lightsaber. Following her example the younger one did the same. She looked towards the sky. A dark ship of flowing, almost elegant design appeared and landed in some distance. Nova protected her face from the awhirled snow and peered into the direction of the vessel. The ramp was lowered and out of the black belly of the ship she could see two human shapes detach from the shadows. When they neared, Nova could see a man whos features were of a strange agelessness. His skin was unnaturally pale and reddish veines subtly pervaded the area of his eyes. Under his hood there were curls of dark brown.
Next to him stood a girl, tall-grown and slender, with flaming red hair and just as red eyes. Nova heard master Glorra and the man talking, yet her own focus was so much directed towards this darkness she didn't find herself able to listen. What was this hissing voice she heard in head? Only when the strangers hand reached out in an unexpected movement Nova was torn out of her stasis. Out of the corner of her eye she could see how master Glorras was pushed against one of the rocks that stack out of the ice like thorns. There was an awful noise to hear. It sounded like cracking..
Nova screamed and hurried besids her companion."Master!" she fell on her knees next to the Jedi. She wanted to help her, but her body was little more than the one of a broken doll. She didn't even know how to touch her without further hurting her. "Master!" she wailed. The blue eyes of her counterpart met her. "Don't die..." Nova whispered "Don't die...please" She gently streaked the cheek of the elderly woman. And when all reflection abandond the bright blue, Nova sobbed just once before getting up and turned aginst the sinister pair opposit of her. The green of her saber awoke. Within moments she was filled with so much fury she couldn't even decide whom of the two she wanted to see fall first.
The man granted her a smile, almost gentle. He seemed...pleased? The thought alone let her anger grew even quicker. "You will pay!" she called, half because she meant it, half to encourage herself. The man noded "A reckoning amounted in blood.." was this amusement in his voice? "Go on then. Make it happen" He gave the girl next to him a subtle look.
The redhead stepped forward. Her fragile hands rose and freed herself form her coat. This girl wasn't much older than herself...and she wore her body, her smile like a weapon. She activated her saber. The blade was of pure crimson.

The fight that bursted between the two young girls was intense,, and none of the two were willing to grant he other one the slightest ground. Thusts were carried out and thusts were dodged and countered. The snow hissed whenver a blade kissed it, and white clouds raised. After several minutes, both of them had pushed themselves to the limit. Nova finally managed to disarmer the girl, yet lost her own weapon just a breath later. Her hand snapped out and tried to pull it back. So they found themselves not too far from each other, each of them trying to get ahold of the remaining weapon. She could see her opponents face. Fine pearls of sweat covered her forehead. Slightly and yet undeniable the hilt moved towards the redhead. Panic filled Novas mind. But it was not her mind, yet it was intuition when she stopped pulling and pushed instead. The sudden lack of counter pull had the hilt shooting toward the young Sith. Nova activated the saber thourgh the force, and witnessed the green blade piercing her enemys chest. Disbelief grew in the red eyes and disbelief was relfeced in green eyes. The girl fell like a marionette whichs threads had been cut. Nova wasn't given the time to feel victorious or think about if she even did feel victorious, as bolts rained down on her. She felt her knees giving way. The next she felt was the cold on her back. Her lungs seemed to be on fire. The stranger neared and knelt next to her. Would she die like this? Her eyes found the Sith and met his gaze of golden amber. He smiled. It was half sinister, half mild. He whispered something and Nova's eyebrows furled. Then blackness took over her.

When she awoke her body didn't feel like hers anymore. When she tried to move her finger tips or toes, it hurt and burned like she was on fire.

She looked at the sky. Dawn....it was so pretty..
@Padmé @FinnSimmons

(OOC: sorry for poor quality, really struggled with this one)

 

[FinnSimmons]

Finn's search had been going on for a while. He was almost certain that the girl was moving about, making his search all the more harder. For days he had been jumping back and forth, trying to get a reading through the force and triangulate her location. He could still feel the strong pull towards her yet the area he had narrowed her location down to had a circumference of several thousand light years. His small ship had been refueled several times already and using most known, some less known and some secret hyper routes he had been flying all through the known galaxy to find the proper directions as to where to go. It was not helping that the force at no point got any more specific about where he was supposed to go. There was always only this slightly vague feeling of having to go into a certain direction. He had tried auto-navigation, letting the force guide his flight towards the girl, but he had almost flown to close to a supernova and that would have ended his trip really fast. In fact though it had actually ended his trip. Luckily though it had been the safety features of the hyperdirve that had ended the flight. They had forced the ship back into real space and prevented a terrible accident from happening. So still he was looking for a way to find the girl. Days were passing bye, every new try resulting in the same disappointingly inaccurate directions. The data he had gathered over the course of his search did not add up to form a clear enough picture for him to find her. He could make out a certain movement, her whereabouts had clearly changed since he had started his search. Only why had she moved? Had she not realized that changing locations would make it harder for him to find her? He guessed as much bit she was a child still. She probably had not even thought about that. So finding her would be harder than he had initially thought.

After having found nothing of use so far he moved into the area of space he had managed to narrow her location down to. From there he tried to do the same as before. Follow the strange pull that the girl was generating. Yet the directions did not become any more specific than they had been. Navigating according to a feeling was harder than he had thought it would be. The force kept being capricious and did not give him any more specific hints. No more dream-visions with Nova either. So he could not even ask her where she was. The only thing that he did know and could feel more every day was that he needed to find her. The sense of urgency was growing and he could tell that there was some unknown threat hanging over the girl. What added to his feeling of unease was that he felt like he was being watched by someone. Of course being alone in a spaceship far away from any inhabited planets or space stations that feeling was ridiculous. Yet it persisted throughout his travels.

It took him days to finally find a more specific clue as to where the girl could be. The pull towards her increased steadily and with every passing hour he felt as if he could tell more clearly that she was somewhere close by. Yet her exact location still remained a mystery. He could not even narrow it down on a sector let alone a star system or planet. He kept up his search and finally got drawn towards the Atrivis sector. For some reason the force had called him her ewith an ever growing sense of urgency. The danger Nova was in had caught up to her. She was threatened by something or someone. He could feel an icy cold start to grab at his heart and choke it with sharp and frosty claws.

He was coming down core wards along the Relgim Run when Novas presence in the force suddenly vanished for him. He had the ship drop out of hyperspace and landed just at the edge of the Fest system. It was there that he waited nervously. Had she died? No, he was sure he would have felt something more than just nothing. So he stayed and waited. He watched his sensors pick up ships coming and going from the System and the planet in the system. All together there was little traffic to speak of though. A few individual freighters came and went and hardly any passenger ships. There was nothing special going on. Finn turned to the holonet for a moment and checked the important news but there too was nothing that gave him any clues.

So he sat and waited. He dosed of for a while and a particular bad dream about his mother had him jolt up in his seat. The last thing he remembered from his dream was his mothers death glare. His hand shot to his side where an old scar started hurting again while the screams of long dead men echoed in his mind. With that feeling still fresh it took him a moment to realize that he could feel Novas presence again. This time there was no question where she was though. Below him, on the planet Fest he would find her. The force revealed his final destination, now that he had make his contribution to the search and was close enough she revealed to him where he would find Nova. Down below there was a place he was now drawn to. The location of his young friend.

Novas presence was distinct but Finn could tell that it was weakening and doing so quickly. So hast was prescribed Finn moved the thrust lever forward all the way and let the ship rocket forward towards the planet, adjusting the orbit in a manner that he would plummet down almost vertically towards the ground. He activated the thermal shielding of the craft and watched the altitude counter tick down.

When the atmosphere began plasma soon began to form all across the bow of the ship and enveloped the shield. For a short while that was not a problem, but soon the issue of his aproach vector being too steep came into play. The heat buildup became to much for the shield to handle. Red warning lights flared up and alarms went of. Finn flipped a switch and the sound of the alarm died down. Against the red lights flashing he could not do anything. The ship was shaking violently now and more and more warning signs lit up.

>>Thermal shielding falling!<<

>>Hull temperature critical!<<

>>Reactor levels critical!<<

>>Fuel line temperature rising!<<

>>Cooling capacity exceed!<<

>>Engine temperature exceeding safe levels!<<

>>Emergency engine shutdown imminent!<<

>>Aerodynamic control surfaces not responsive!<<

>>Landing gear unable to deploy!<<

>>Life support minimal!<<

>>Warning! Protective gear advised!<<

>>Warning! Emergency engine shutdown imminent!<<

Shortly after that he could hear the engine shut down and with a terribly frightening sound. In free fall the ship dove towards the planets surface. With one hand Finn donned the emergency oxygen mask. Without the ventilation of the life support system it was safer that way. He held on to the controls and felt the pressure on his chest increase as the inertia dampeners failed slowly under the strain of overheating. Then, suddenly the first warning light turned off.

The plasma sheath surrounding the vehicle faded and the view of glowing red, orange and yellow was exchanged by fluffy white clouds. The temperature of the hull was slowly dropping and it moaned as the sudden change of temperatures had the heated metal constrict. The cold air of the upper atmosphere was now cooling the red hot metal of the hull. One by one the control surfaces became operational again. Yet they did not gain back their full efficiency. For a while he was still plummeting towards the ground at high speed. Then the engines - after a few sputters - started back up again. With his maneuverability back he steered the ship hard and activated the repulsor drives. He needed to stop the downwards fall and get into forward flight again. With the altitude meter racing towards zero he did not have much time left. A stressed creaking sound went through the ship as the battered primary and even the secondary hull were put under more strain yet somehow, miraculously held together. This surely was a sturdy little ship.

As he shot through the atmosphere the clouds faded and his view was taken up by a crisp blue sky. In the distance it was slightly red and after checking his heading he realized he was flying towards the night side of the planet. For someone dawn was just breaking. For Finn the ground was drawing ever closer an with eyes closed he begged the ship to not let him down. The ship was still struggling to adjust the course properly and the nose was still pointed more or less straight towards the ground with the atmosphere getting thicker each second he gained control though. The repulsor drive was also struggling to adjust the flight path and change it into a forward one.

In front of him a mountain came into view. While the ship raised its nose slowly upwards Finn could tell that it would not be fast enough for him to be able to fly over the mountain. He would hit it. The ship would smash into the mountainside and shatter on impact. Probably with a theatrical explosion that would sprinkle the mountain with hull fragments and whatever remained of the charred human pilot. So to avoid that terrible fate Finn diverted al available power to the propulsion systems. With a loud and worrying creak of the ship and a feeling of getting run over by an invisible truck the ships nose jumped upwards. Sadly it still wasn't enough. Straight on ahead was the mountaintop and the ship was headed straight for it. In a ancient protective but useless instinct he raised his hands in front of his face, and closed his eyes to protect himself from the force of the impact. Finn waited for everything to turn dark but noting happened. With a sound of shattering glass the ship shot straight into the mountaintop. In shock Finn opened his eyes again only to see snow and ice slowly slide off the transparisteel window of the cockpit. The ship was careening towards the next mountaintop. He must have hit a snow cornice he realized and thanked the force for his luck. Frantically he reached for the controls again and pulled the nose of the ship up. This time the controls had enough of an impact on the flight path that he shot just over the crest of the mountain, raising snow and leaving it swirling in the ships supersonic wake. His speed was still unreasonably high and that negatively affected the ships maneuverability. So with every option he had he tried to slow down the ship and adjust his course towards the weakening aura he could feel in the distance. Nova needed his help. With the shock of having almost died still sitting deep in his bones he had to steady his hands on the controls. Finally though when the ship had stabilized, the speed was now down to reasonable levels, he switched on the autopilot and jumped out of the pilot seat. With trained ease he slipped out of his clothes and into the enviro-suit that was part of the ships complement. His own clothes could do nothing to protect him from the cold and he could imagine more fun things than loosing a limb to frostbite. After locking the helmet and making sure the seal was tight he jumped back into the pilot seat. Finn took over controls from the computer and adjusted the course. He was getting closer, he could tell, but Nova's aura was fading. The ship was already shooting across the landscape at high speed and drawing a tail of spray behind it. Snow was being sent flying and some melted in the heat of the engine, leaving a temporary furrow in the icy white wasteland.

He would almost have missed the facility that was close by. He did indeed not see the large glowing sign that spelled MED in the distance. He just barely saw the complex out of the corner of his eye when he passed it a few kilometers off. The thunderous sonic boom that Finn's ship dragged behind was heard by the inhabitants of the facility though and most turned to look what was causing all the ruckus. Finn's main focus was on a small smoke column in the distance. His eyes were close to burning holes in the windshield so intense was his stare. He knew that Nova was up ahead. The smoke ahead had him relive his mothers last coughs and the bloody sputters retched forth as she had died painfully and tragically in his arms. He had never met the girl outside of his dream-vision, yet he felt connected to her far beyond friendship. The thought of loosing her was like a knife poking at a barely healed wound, threatening to re-open it. He steered the ship into a tight turn and within a moment burned most of the speed that the ship was flying at. The sheer force of the maneuver knocked out the inertia dampeners for a moment and had him feel his body get pressed into the seat by many g's of force. He would feel sore tomorrow.

With a groan and metal scraping against metal the landing struts extended out from the hull and the ship's hull moaned when the aft legs touched the ground only to skitter across the snow and ice for seconds upon seconds. Only when the nose of the ship came down all the way and the front strut came to touch the ground the ship started to properly decelerate and within moments, after a careening half turn, came to a stop several hundred meters away from the smoking space ship that Finn had seen from the distance.

The ship looked intact enough but was clearly damaged somehow. Not enough to destroy it, but apparently to force it to the ground. Was she in there? No, she wasn't. Wherever she was, she was cold. Bitterly cold. He could feel her waning aura but it was so faint it was hard to tell where it was exactly. Left, right, in front or behind him? He got out of the pilot seat, opened the aft ramp and stormed out of the ship, only barely remembering to take his weapons with him. He stepped out of the ship and instantly felt his boots sink a few inches into the fresh snow. In the twilight of dawn it was hard to tell rocks and snow from a body. Finn would not find her easily. To give himself an advantage he turned on his shoulder floodlight and grabbed the bio scanner from the utility belt of the suit. The screen came to life with a faint green glow and showed nothing but empty space around him. He switched to different bands to make sure he was not missing Nova's faint life sign but there was nothing showing up. The force had proven a less than ideal and somewhat moody ally in this endeavor so far, only dropping hints when it felt like it. Now technology was failing him too. This was truly hopeless. How could he find her here?

That was when his foot hit something hard on the ground, that moved in a strangely familiar way when he kicked it. Upon looking down he saw clothes stick out from below the snow. Without hesitation he dropped to the floor and started to dig away the few inches of snow. He uncovered a strangers face. Some girl with flaming red hair he had never seen before, who even in death carried the taint of darkness in her. It wasn't even as pronounced as in Finn, but it was there non the less. A quick look at her cold dead eyes told him everything he needed to know. The Sith, how had they gotten here? What had Nova gotten into? Why was there a dead Sith girl? He looked around and realized that Nova could not be far away. This girl was dead. Nova must have gotten injured or been to worn out to get back to the ship after getting in way over her head. Only moments later he found the dead Jedi master. He did not stay with her long, but dropped an emergency beacon next to her dead body before he continued his search.

He was feeling the last flutters of Novas Aura when he finally stumbled onto a small snowdrift. Behind it a head of blond hair stuck out of the icy ground. The body covered in freshly fallen snow she looked as if she was sleeping in a comfortable bed. A strange vacant expression on her face, the eyes directed skyward let him fear the worst. Was she gone already? Was he too late? Oh cruel fates, to lead him here only to watch her die. Anger and rage boiled up in him for a moment before he called himself to action and picked the girl up. She was frozen stiff but as if she was actually fading she weighed nothing so he lifted her up in his arms and with big steps marched back to the ship. He would have to get her into an emergency blanket and warm her up. Life was slipping from her with every second and he did not want to let her die. With steely determination his will compelled the force to do his bedding and let a force field flicker to life around him, keeping away the cold winds that were dragging on her clothes and stealing more of her precious and already so scarce body temperature. The air inside the bubble even started to warm. Even before he had entered the ship she was no longer cooling out. Still though her body was dangerously close to shutting down and he did not know how many hours it would take to thaw the girl. Would she survive that long?

He remembered that he had seen a group of buildings in the distance when he had flown here just a short ways back. Whatever he could do for the girl in the back of his ship he would be able to do better in a house with room and maybe he could even get some help. With that thought in mind he packed the girl into a emergency blanket and started the ship back up. It took the engines two tries to get back into doing their assigned job, but within minutes he was in the air and headed towards the facility he had nearly missed earlier.

The way there was far less spectacular than the one from orbit to the surface but no less nerve wrecking. His mind was racing and his thoughts were in disarray. There was a rage and anger he had trouble suppressing. Nova had been attacked by Sith. Finn did not like that one bit.
And he wanted to bring that Sith girl back to life to kill her all over again. But slowly and painfully this time. With all the finesse his mother had unknowingly and unwillingly taught him over the years. He only stopped his flow of thought when he had to land. This time it was a quick and clean landing. He got out of the ship with Nova in his arms and the force field up again. The snow that fell onto it slipped of the shield and the inside was toasty enough for Novas clothes to start steaming. With his helmet of his head he walked towards the Facility and called out with his deep booming voice.

“We need help.”

He loudly called and already someone was coming his way to help. Finn felt gratefulness rise up inside of him and it pushed back the rising tide of darkness. Maybe here they could prevent Nova from fading completely. That thought gave him hope.

 

[Padmé]

Against all hope, Jeyne Merrik, M.D., managed to not only to secure a meeting with the -Inter-Galactic Centers for Disease Control Prevention, but also the board of directors for Physicians Physicians Without Boarders. Armed with a singular objective, Merrik entered the board meeting armed with information to secure a vote in her favor. When the meeting commenced, Merrik drew upon her time on Chandrilla- where she honed in on her convincing public speaking skills. After all, calling upon two agencies to make an exception in allowing a none agent to oversee a team of researchers was no small task.

"Dr. Merrik,"
The strong, authoritative voice of the Director of the Inter-Galactic Centers for Disease Control Prevention echoed in the large chamber. The man's glasses now of and in his hand, he narrowed in on Merrik's eyes.

"Tell me why you think we should forgo a standing rule, which by the way I see as a liability, to allow you to spear head the findings of the mystery Nubian disease outbreak?"
While Merrik isn't a charlatan by any means, she lacked the research knowledge that the Inter-Galactic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention preferred. More over, she is a surgeon, not a trained infectious disease agent, nor does she hold a degree in infectious disease control, she's had several encounters and first hand account of dealing with infectious diseases.

Her eyes now dead on the Director, Merrik spoke with a firm voice.
"Sir, you're correct. I am a trained cardiovascular surgeon. But in the past five years, I have personally conducted many epidemiological investigations, and assisted with several outbreaks, including outbreaks of measles, typhoid, cryptosporidium, and multidrug-rresistant tuberculosis, and as of last week, a mystery disease on Nubia."
Turning to face the Nubia Minister of Health, Jeyne Merrik continued with the same fervor and vibrato in her voice.

"The Nubian Minister of Health, sitting next to you, can attest to the impeccable work my team performed last week during the said Nubian mystery outbreak. This is not merely a sentimental experience, the future depends upon this. While the MED board is not expected to make an exception to the standing procedures, it is incumbent upon the board to aide in the facilitation of swift resolution of the new Nubian mystery disease."
With that, Merrik ceased her argument. Minutes later, the board excused Merrik and the none voting members of the meeting from the board room. The wait alone nearly caused Jeyne to lose hope, but with all difficult task hoping beyond the physical evidence was all one could do. Approximately an hour later the Dr. Merrik and the others were called back inside the board room.

Glasses back on his old eyes the man spoke.
"All right, Dr. Merrik, the research team is yours, but there are two proviso."
The same board member spoke with a hint of relenting undertone.

"One, you have one month. Two, the current director of Inter-Galactic Centers for Disease Control Prevention's orders still stand. Meaning, you abide by his rules."
A small smile surfaced on Merrik's porcelain skin. She wanted to hug the old hag, but suppressed the feeling.

"Oh and one more thing, I better not catch a wind of this on the HoloNet, ZNN or what have you. We're not some reality HoloNet show you know? Keep the respectability of our research center in tact. Doing this only because of your first hand experience with the Nubians. IF it was up to me, as opposed to the Board, my answer would be no."
"Yes, sir. Of course. The uttermost respect."
Merrik replied, all the while trying to contain her elation concerning the unprecedented decision.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two days later.

Fest

The ice-covered picturesque mountain planet provided the perfect isolated area needed for the research team. Aside from the occasional check in from the Inter-Galactic CDC Director, not another soul knew of the happenings inside the MED facility on Fest. Shortly upon arriving at secluded MED facility on Fest, Dr. Jeyne Merrik delved straight to work. Unlike previous works, this team was filled with none that Merrik knew. In keeping with the proviso of the Board agreement, Merrik wasn't allowed to work with her own team of researchers, therefore the inner happenings of the teams started off a tad awkward. Nonetheless, Jeyne made the best she could with the team. She kept abreast on the daily happenings, and made it a point to be in the know, irrespective of how small of a progress the team was making on the mystery disease.

About three days into the research, the team made headway. While making a routine observation of the mystery disease, Jeyne identified acute similarity among a strain of another mystery disease on Mandalore. Upon confirmation of her findings, the entire thing made Jeyne a bit annoyed- knowing the possible backlash that could follow, given her background with her own clan. While deep in thought, making observations inside a petri dish, security called for Jeyne.

"There's a man holding a young woman at the main entrance."
Said the Security guard while watching Jeyne at work.
"So? Your point?"
Jeyne uttered- slightly annoyed. In her mind no one knew of the MED facility, thus having visitors, let alone strangers enter the secured facility made Jeyne questioned the security of the building.

"Oh, yes, pardon me. The man asked for help. I figured you're a doctor and all."
Jeyne uttered not a word for she sensed a familiar presence. One that she knew without a shadow of doubt whom that aura belonged to. She had to, for Jeyne after all holds a token, a bond of sorts, that directly correlates with the presence. Said token is now in a form of a lightsaber- housed underneath her garments. There was no need to be alarmed- given the nature of her current work, but Jeyne nonetheless prefers to be armed than to ind herself unarmed in case of an incident. Any properly trained Mandalorian would agree.

Leaving the secured control room, Merrik followed the security officer to the main entrance of the MED building. Just as she'd suspected Jeyne found herself in the presence of Finn Simmons. Even with the enviro-suit he adorned, Jeyne spotted the man merely distance away. What surprised Merrik above all, never mind the odds of meeting on Fest without prior knowledge, was the young pale looking woman in his arms. There was something peculiar of the girl.
Upon further investigation, Dr. Merrik surmised the young girl was the cause of the interruption.

"Quick, this way."
Dr. Merrik summoned Simmons to her office. Given the nature of the building, there was no proper chamber to house ailing patients. Jeyne didn't bother to make inquiries, or pleasantries for that matter. A girl's life was at stake.
"Ra'al,"
Calling on the Security guard, Merrik gave the man clear instructions.
"Make haste and turn on the heat in my office. There are heat pads in the supply closet, collect two and return them to my office."

Thankfully, Ra'al never once questioned the tight security protocol Merrik just broke and made haste, per the Doctor's instructions.
Merely minutes later, Merrik, Finn and the young woman were inside a much warmer are of the building- Merrik's office. The large sofa in the room was converted into a bed. Jeyne remained silent the entire time; her focus was on the soul at hand. Without wasting a second, the Surgeon removed the damp outer clothing the young girl had and replaced it with dry clean sleeping blanket. Since she had a pulse, thank Manda, Merrik focused on getting the heat pads ready. In the midst of it all, Jeyne could help but notice two things; a missing fifth digit, and the familiar aura the girl exuded. Even so, not a word about her observation was uttered...

 

[FinnSimmons]

When Finn saw Jeyne walk towards him, acompanied by a security officer he did not think about the lucky circumstance that had her be the one to show up to help him with this dire situation. He appreciated though that there was someone he knew and someone he trusted to be able to deal with this situation. She was a god doctor and with her around the girls chances were better than with just him caring for her. He had dropped the force field around him to allow Merrik to come closer. She inspected the girl for a while and quickly decided to bring her inside. Finn followed Jeyne quietly and while he did so he only noticed the surroundings of the facility in passing. The nature of the place was still a mystery but right now not one he cared to resolve. Merrik could tell him later. For now Nova was the one thing that was important.

Jeyne lead him into her private office and told him to lay the girl down on the pull-out sofa after quickly turning it into a bed. After that he stood back and let Jeyne do her thing. He looked at the floor while Jeyne was partly undressing the girl, getting her out of the damp and cold clotes. When the security guard came with the heat packs Jeyne started readying them and Finn watched her nervously. Was that all she could do? Was there not something else they could try? Thawing her from the outside would take a while.

When Merrik was done with the heat pads Finn pulled up a chair and sat down close to the sofa. He would sit there until the girl woke up. There was nothing else to do. And if it took days for her to wake he would stubbornly sit here and not move. For now though he felt quite scared by the girls paleness. With only her head sticking out and the look the clean white sheet gave her she might as well have been dead and on a coroners table. Thanks to Jeyne he knew though, that she was indeed still alive. Hopefully they could keep her that way.

When Jeyne was done with her work she stood next to him and probably much to her surprise he reached out, touched her hand and gave it a affectionate squeeze. “Thank you.” He uttered and looked up at Jeyne from his chair. Was that a smile on his face? If it had been it was gone quickly and Finn returned his attention to the young girl on the sofa, watching over her.

 

[Padmé]

In the past week alone at the MED facility, Dr. Merrik had only being at her home twice. She spent two nights straight at the facility, scared to walk away from the little progress she'd made with the mystery disease. In those three days, she transformed her executive suite office into a chamber of sorts; complete with a make shift bed. Today, however, she saw the relevance of her 'strange request' as the Director of Inter-Galactic CDC called it.

Ra'al, the Security, slowly grew in his professional relationship with Merrik. The man turned the other eye when Jeyne protocol and stayed those said nights. In fact, Simmons and the young woman whom accompanied him are not supposed to be inside the MED building,let alone the executive chamber, however, given that Merrik talked to Ra'al, the man turned the proverbial eye.

Once the damp clothes were replaced by dry clean covers, and several hot pads, Merrik made yet another request from Ra'al. Given that she did not expect to treat patients, Merrik did not have her portable heart monitoring machine with her, nor her medical bag. Ra'al was thus sent on an errand to collect said items from Jeyne's flat. Finn appeared calm, given the state of the young girl's condition which didn't come as a surprise to Jeyne for she knew the man enough to almost judge his tension level. She need only take one long look in his eyes to ascertain his level of comfort.

In the past year alone, the pair have partook of two unplanned, but yet relevant experiences together. Both experiences culminating in being a catalyst to a resolution, and simultaneously drawing them apart for some strange reason. It thus surprised Jeyne when Finn purposefully, but gently took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Surprised by Simmon's action, Merrik turned to give him a quick glance. Their eyes crossed, albeit momentarily, although Jeyne didn't think anything more of the impromptu affection.

"Thank you."
Two words which spoke volumes.

"What's her name?"
A rather strange reply, but one which nonetheless deserved to be asked.

Ra'al soon returned with the medical bag and portable equipment. Dr. Merrik quickly took the items while giving the security guard a knowing look. Ra'al would soon exit the executive chamber to do exactly as Merrik wanted- cock up an explanation and a plan to keep the Director of Inter-Galactic CDC scheduled visit postponed. It'll afford Merrik enough time to keep the young girl stabilized and return to her work at the research center at a later hour. The strange but familiar aura about Finn, continued to linger around the young girl while the Doctor proceeded to set up the portable heart monitoring system.

 

[FinnSimmons]

Finn had leaned forward in his chair, now sitting on the edge of the seat. While Jeyne was busy attaching a medical device to the young girl Finn started to tell her about how it came that they were here.

“Her Name is Nova.” He said to answer the easiest of all the questions that Jeyne wanted answered. The question for the girls name was only the beginning. He could understand that she would want to know why he had carried some young, frozen half to death girl into her quarters. Who was that girl to Finn she probably wanted to know and so did he. “I met her in a dream, a vision.” He shook his head. Both words didn't accurately describe the experience. “I guess it was a bit of both. I don't really understand it, not even now.” Having had many meetings with Nova over the course of months that was saying something. The nature of their bond was still hidden from him. “Somehow one day we found each other and shared this dream-vision and for many months now we have met that way in our sleep. I never knew who she was until quite recently.” He told Jeyne and then kept quiet for a moment while Jeyne was doing something important with one of the medical devices she had hooked up to Nova. “I had never seen her face, only ever felt her presence, seen vague outlines of a humanoid shape. Until a few weeks back when for some reason we met face to face in a dream. Since then I have been looking for her. The force has been a fickle ally in that undertaking, only giving me a vague idea about where to go yet telling me of an impending doom hanging over my young friend here.” It had almost felt as if the force had tortured him on purpose if he thought about it. “But a few days ago the feeling got stronger, more defined. I knew that she was in danger and that danger had finally caught up with her.” He remembered dropping out of hyperspace in the Fest system and loosing any trace of Nova for a while. That had been more torture. Not knowing if she was still alive or not. Fearing the worst yet clinging to hope. It had reminded him of the value of not having attachment. “I finally found her on Fest. Not far from here.” He held in for a moment. Did he have to tell Jeyne about the Sith? He did not want to keep it from her. “Somehow Nova has gotten herself involved with some Sith.” He felt anger well up inside himself. Feelings of revenge and a thirst that only death would be able to quench. But he forced it back down the dark hole from whence it had come from. “One of the Sith is dead. I think there were more than one though.” He said and told Jeyne about the dead Jedi he had found “For there was also a dead Jedi and you don't just kill a Jedi.” He said and was sure that there must have been another Sith. One stronger than the dead girl he had found in the snow next to Nova. “Whoever attacked Nova and her Jedi companion left her in the snow to die.” He said and again anger started to try and creep up out of its hole. “I came just in time. Maybe a bit too late.” he said and maybe jeyne would understand what he meant. Not so he could have saved the Jedi, no. But he would have liked to get his hands on that other Sith.

 

[Padmé]

Through her peripheral vision, Merrik caught Simmons returning to his seat. Given that there really wasn't a whole lot for Finn to do Jeyne could understand his on dilemma. Careful not to move the young girl too rigorously or at all for that matter knowing that jarring movements in severe cases of hypothermia can trigger dangerous irregular heartbeat, Dr. Merrik took every measure to only move the girl ever so gently. Looking down at her chrono, Jeyne gently held the girl's wrist; her two fingers strategically placed on the inside wrist . She quickly made an observation of her eyes. A few seconds later, Merrik took the girl's temperature again, and broke her long silence.

"Steady pulse, no dilated eyes, and 89.9 F temperature."
In other words, the young girl is out of the critical stages of hypothermia, although constant monitoring will be needed. Proceeding without eye contact with Simmons, Dr. Merrik attached the portable heart monitoring system on the young girl. Once that task was completed and she could see the reading on the electronic device, she took a more clam approach. It was then that Finn started to answer Merrik's initial question about the young girl.

“Her Name is Nova.”
"No surname, I surmise?"
Jeyne thought silently to herself. Finn need to delve more than he felt comfortable in sharing' even so knowing a bit more would settle the myriads of questions that swirled around Jeyne's head.

“I met her in a dream, a vision.”
The Mandalorian's eyes popped up. For an intelligent man such as Finn, Jeyne couldn't believe her ears. Meanwhile there was more to the story than Jeyne had surmised. Finn shared the circumstances surrounding his meeting with the young girl. Had Jeyne encountered this story ten years ago, she would have politely ended the discussion and advised Finn to seek medical help. However, since Merrik's awakening and ultimate surrender to the ways of the Force, she can now see how the tale Finn just shared could be true. In many ways, Merrik felt relieved, and even less concerned about the man's sanity. In all the years she'd known Finn, not once had he mentioned another soul- beyond that of his dead mother. At least he now had someone, beyond his droid, to share the joys and cares of life with; a spirit beyond mere friendship. Jeyne might be wrong, but suddenly, the aura Merrik sensed at the sight of Finn and Nova made sense. The two were somehow related, she thought. Furthermore, for all she knows, she could be wrong, and this very moment could all be a dream as well.

The entire situation started to really fell like a dream until Finn mentioned another dead soul.
“One of the Sith is dead. I think there were more than one though.
For there was also a dead Jedi and you don't just kill a Jedi.”
Instinctively, Merrik moved her hands down by her side, for underneath the hidden garment was a lightsaber. The decision to carry said weapon warmed Jeyne's heart knowing that her fate laid not in the hands of Ra'al the security guard, but in her own hands, should the said Sith trail Finn's location to the MED facility. Should the Director of the Inter-Galactic CDC catch wind of the current happenings, Merrik will definitely find herself answering to more trouble than she could explain.

"Let's hope no one trails you two to this location."
She paused, second guessing her pending words.

"Remember the mystery disease on Nubia?"
A rhetorical question rally- given the fact that the incident occurred less than a month ago, and Simmons was instrumental with the first response triage team.

"That's why I'm here, and also why I left you in haste the last time we met. No one is opposed to be in this facility. Top secret research. I say that to say this-"
Should said Sith trail you to this location, my professional involvement with the secret research would not only be terminated, but other dire repercussion would follow. A lot is at stake, but I'm willing to get Nova at minimum stabilized and then hopefully transported elsewhere."
Now looking down at the monitoring device, Merrik exhaled. Nova was making progress.

 

[FinnSimmons]

Finn remained in his chair. He had as of yet not moved from the position he had taken up. He would remain here until Nova woke. If she did. He was feeling more hopeful than before. But he also wasn't stupid. Hypothermia was dangerous. The girl wasn't out of the woods just yet. Still Jeyne's concerns about the Sith had him shift his attention back to the good doctor. “Don't worry, they are gone. Whoever they were they thought they were leaving her to die.” He said and it was clear he did not like that they had first harmed her and then left her there.

“If they were coming here we would know.” He said and meant the two of them. It wasn't too hard to notice the terrible chill of the dark side that came with a Sith being close by. There was worse things than it, like powerful dark side artifacts and dark side nexuses but especially the later were rare and spread through the galaxy far and wide.

“We are safe from them. The cold is the only threat right now and it is a threat only for her.” He said and looked towards the pale girl lying under the white sheet. She looked like she was dead. Only if he payed close attention he could see her chest rise ever so slightly under the covers. She wasn't dead, but had gotten close enough. Her aura wasn't fading any more but her life force was low. He was thinking of using some of the knowledge he had picked up fro his mother to help her but he did not dare tap into that dark cesspool of temptation. Not even now. “Can you do anything more to help her?” He asked and looked at Jeyne with some expectation. She was a doctor after all. She had to have more ways of helping her that this.

 

[Padmé]

Listening to Finn's words concerning the disappearance of the Sith did not give Jeyne any assurance. In fact, it merely intensified her belief that the Sith is merely lurking and waiting for the opportune moment to strike. her lightsaber would need to stay with her- hidden for now'; or at least she be be assured otherwise.

“Can you do anything more to help her?”
"Yes."
The Doctor's affirmative response was one that came with a price. I hefty one at that.

"I need to draw your blood."
She hesitated to go into details concerning the blood transfusion.
"Let's hope to Manda that you two match. If not, she'll be in dire need."

Without much hesitation, Finn immediately gave his arm as though to say, "go for it." Within minutes both Finn and Nov were tested. Just as Dr. Merrik had hopped, both Nova and Finn were a match. In fact, the pair appeared to be be related. She kept that detail to herself. For now.
"Perfect match. Thank Manda."
Jeyne's Mandalorian ways tend to slip up every now and then. More so today.

Wasting not a moment, the Surgeon quickly hooked up the pair and commenced the blood transfusion process. While this wasn't a last resort in the healing process, it was critical. For that Merrik made every effort to act tactfully- despite her somewhat limited equipment. Hope was on the horizon.

 

[Nova Elgrin]

Her sleep was dreamless. Losing consciousness was a mercy of nature at times. There was no sense of time or space, just comforting darkness wrapping her like black velvet. Only when her body was stable enough to permit some flickers of a conscious mind, nightmares came crawling from the cages in which Nova used to lock all dim thoughts up. She saw master Glorra die, yet again, and was unable to save her, yet again. She saw the girl with the flaming red hair, the wind whipping up the scarlett streaks till they were just as wild as the fire that granted them their nuance. She saw the man, how the corners of his mouth lifted gently. Nova heard his words of good bye for her. What did he mean by what he was saying? It didn't make sense...

Her body didn't express the struggle her soul was fighting. Truth spoken, an ordinary observer with no link to the force or not medical knowledge would have guessed she didn't belong in a bed but a coffin or on a pyre, depending on the tradition of her culture. Luckily she wasn't surrounded by ordinary people.
Hours passed by, but slowly life started banishing the paleness from her features. Her cheeks and lips coloured in the soft red tint of youth again. Her lashes began fluttering, discreetly first, yet more pronounced just a few heart beats later. Then the tiny hairs of dark blonde lifted and revealed the intense blue underneath. Her gaze started wandering, only very slowly, hestitating almost. Bright, neutral white with not a hint of warmth to it streamed the room she found herself in. The young Elgrin could feel her body, but her feet and hands still felt a bit numb. Also her bruises were sore, though it didn't really bother her. She was covered by a warm blanket, and as she could feel the soft fabric on her toes and legs she wondered what had become of her clothes. Her fingertips twitched. Her head felt like it was filled white clouds, it turned straight thinking into a difficult process.

Finally however she realized someone was next to her. She found him in the force before her eyes could in the real world, yet when they did, they met with something so similar, it could have been a reflection. They shared a long look. She wanted to smile, she really did, but then all the impressions of master Glorra and the redhead claimed her heart. She had always just seen him in dreams.....so...by the stars, please...
"Am I dreaming?" her voice was so weak, calling her words a whisper would honour them in a way they didn't deserve. It was hard to hear any emotion in this few words and yet they sounded....pleadingly.

 

[FinnSimmons]

The hours had ticked by slowly. Each minute seemingly stretching out and lasting forever. For a while he believed his suits chrono to have suffered damage from the cold. He had kept his suit on for the simple reason that he did not have any clothes with him. Everything was still in his ship. Eventually he would have to go back and pick some of that stuff up. Well, depending on how long they were going to stay here. For now Finn was not able to determine how long the girl would take to recover from her ordeal. Not that he was familiar with normal peoples recovery time. He had always lived on a vastly accelerated Sam timetable. So he did not know how long normal people took to get over things like this. Nova had been in a fight. With a Sith no less. That took his toll on someone. And she had lost someone in that fight. Finn of course did not know how close the Jedi and Nova had been, but he imagined they had not traveled together as complete strangers.

He had witnessed Novas emotional side, so a death would surely have an effect on her. He hoped that she would not start crying in front of Jeyne. He wasn't sure he could comfort Nova with doctor Merrik around.

When the girl finally started to wake they had been anticipating the moment for a while. Her temperature had risen slowly but steadily. In the force he could tell that she was on the mend. Even though her body - and her soul - would take time to recover fully from this brush with death.

“She is waking up!” He said to Jeyne and looked over his shoulder and at the good doctor. A wave of gratefulness washed over him. The force had put her in the right place at exactly the right time. Jeyne would probably call it happenstance.

Nova spoke with a weak voice, thankfully the room was quiet so he could understand what she was saying. He smiled. It was one of his typical smiles. Faint, over quickly and it didn't quite reach his eyes. “You are not dreaming. And you are safe here.” He told her to assure her. Her heart could use all the affirmation it could get. She should not feel afraid right now. He pointed to Jeyne and introduced her to Nova. “This is doctor Jeyne Merrik. She is the one who saved your life.” He Told Nova and reached out for the girls hand. Through the white sheet he gave the hand a reassuring squeeze and stood up. “If you don't mind I will leave you with Jeyne here for a while. Don't worry, she's a friend. You are completely safe with her. You should rest some more anyway and I have two bodies to bur... bury.” He explained and averted his eyes. He hoped the young girl would understand. “Is it alright if I leave her with you for a while, Jeyne? I won't be long.” He asked and looked at his friend.

 

[Nova Elgrin]

He shattered her hopes, and the faint smile he granted her didn't miligate the blow one bit. It wasn't his fault though. It was her own responsibility. Her mind finally began to complete the picture when the paralysis loosend its tight shackles. Master Glorra had been her fathers sister-in-law, so she had been more than eager to help, as she had believed him dead. Master Glorra had been a healer more than a warrior, focused on mending flesh and spirit alike. Nova had just travelled with the woman a few days, but the warmth in her voice whenever she shared a story about Novas father had been a greater comfort than the young one could have hoped for. Nova had lured a healer into this task, and even the knowledge of how the Jedi couldn't have spared anyone else because of the rebuilding of Tython, or how passionate master Glorra had been to join her, it still felt like Nova herself had murdered her...
Her throat started burning but her eyes didn't have any tears to shed. During the last couple of weeks Nova had cried so many more times than it actually was in her nature, maybe each human being had just a limitied number of tears for a period of time? It sure felt a bit like it.

Novas gaze met the young woman she was introduced to. She was a tall and slender appearence with pleasant features in which a vigilant pair of eyes rested. Black bangs fell roguishly into her forehead. She seemed nice, but Nova was very cautious when it came to doctors. They often said scary things or - even worse- said nothing at all. Also many of them had cold handes when they touched one all over. The cyborg ones in particular...She had thought about this when she met the last doctor as well. Still she didn't want to seem ungrateful so she smiled for the lady doctor "Thank you, Doctor Merrik" with every syllable her voice gained strength and volume.
The squeeze Tyûk gave her hand let her smile flourish like a blossom, yet it quickly wilted when she realized it was her left hand. She didn't want him to feel. He had ever only seen her whole. Unmaimed. Her expression turned even sadder when he stated he had to leave. What if he wouldn't come back? Just like her father. What if she would all too soon needed to find two persons she cared about? A cold that had nothing to do with her medical condition flooded her chest. Supporting herself with her hands Nova somehow managed to push herself up so she could sit. Dizziness was her reward.

Her blue found the one of her confidant. The little interruption of his words didn't stay hidden from her, yet she believed him. "Please don't go. The one is not for you to bury, but her family, and the other one..." Nova paused, or at least her voice did >>maybe a grave of ice is just fitting to cool down her fury...<< She also thought about how she saw no reason to not let the tundra wolves feed on her, but then again Nova loved animals, and the flesh of a slain Sith was poison for sure. She didn't know if he also heard the echo of this rather sinister toughts...It didn't sound like the daughter Alister Elgrin had raised. But Nova couldn't forget about master Glorras death. The only thing waiting out there for her was her ship, and in it her best friend and her loyal droid.

 

[Padmé]

About an hour after the successful blood transfusion, the young girl starred to awake. Given the care that she'd administered, Dr. Merrik wasn't surprised by any means.

“She is waking up!”
"Of course she is.That's the point of this entire process,"
Jeyne interjected. It wasn't meant as an insult by any means. While she hoped Finn took her comments in jest, she wasn't planning on explaining herself. Besides, there was more to do at hand, which is exactly what she did.

Taking care not to move Nova too much, Dr. Merrik removed the blood transfusion cords; needles from both Finn and Nova, and disposed of them. Much of the conversation was surrounded around the pair anyways.

Minutes later, Jeyne contemplated upon how she should break the news to Finn and Nova. Knowing Finn, he'd most likely prefer to be the one to inform Nova concerning the recent discovery.
“Is it alright if I leave her with you for a while, Jeyne? I won't be long.”
Ahh. The perfect moment to break the news.
Merrik thought.
Apparently, she wasn't the only one who saw the opportune moment. Rustling emanated from the make shift sofa/bed.
"No, child. Stay in bed."
Jeyne silently protested upon seeing the young girl making the effort to rise up.
"Medical protocol. You're still far too weak to move about. Hypothermia is a serious medical issue."
Her words were uttered with no sweetness. In fact, it was more of a command than a suggestion.

"Thank you, Doctor Merrik"
"It's my pleasure child. I'd do anything for Fi-"
Her words cut short. Purposefully.
"...I mean for my patients."
She finished with a forced smile.

Turning her attention on Finn, Jeyne summoned her outside the executive suite.
"Actually, there's news for you two that you need to hear first."
Dr. Merrik started to talk once she was certain they were alone.

Leaning in, as though to kiss him, Dr. Merrik continued.
"Nova is your sister, Finn.
That's why I was able to immediately administer the blood transfusion."
Just as quickly as she'd leaned in to Finn's ear, the Mandalorian backed away. Other responsibilities still awaited her.

At the back of Merrik's mind she hoped none would inform the Director of the Inter-Galactic CDC, or the board for that matter.

 

[FinnSimmons]

Finn stood there for a long moment. The words that Jeyne had spoken took their sweet time registering in his mind.

“Nova is your sister, Finn.”

He hadn't really paid any attention to anything after that. His usual ten parsec stare had turned into a vacant gaze. He seemed to be looking straight through the wall and at something far, far behind it. Slowly the wheels behind his skull started to churn and thoughts once again filled the vacancy that Jeyne had created by telling him those fateful words.

“Nova is your sister.”

They echoed in his head and only with great difficulty did he manage to start the thought process that was required to understand the statement to the fullest. He was an only child. That much he knew. His mother had not had another baby after she had had him. So she could not be his sister. For she obviously wasn't his mothers child. Yet his mother was not his only parent he remebered. The thought plunged itself in to Finn's heart like a searing hot knife. His father. Long years had gone bye since Finn had wasted any measure of time thinking about the man. Now he was struggling to scrape together all that his mother had ever told him about the man. It did not alleviate the feeling of being stabbed into the chest instead it even made the feeling worse. She could not be, she was nice. So pure and untainted. She was more his opposite than anything. How could she be related to someone like him and even worse, his father. Also she had grown up with a Jedi. Her father had been one. She had told him that. And Finn's own father was no Jedi. So this made no sense.

Yet, when he turned and looked back at the young girl he could not help but see the semblance. Her aura had been familiar from the very start. And now that Jeyne had told him he recognized the signs that he had been unable to read before. It was no lie what Jenye had told him. The realization hurt him more than anything in his life had ever hurt him. Still it did not make sense. How could they be related when her father was not his father and his mother was not hers? A doubt overcame him and he could not suppress a tear from forming in his eye. If what he feared was true. He didn't have the courage to finish the thought.

>>Oh please don't let it be true!<<

He thought and brushed a lonely tear from beneath his eye. He cleared his throat and the teary mood he had been in just seconds ago was brushed away just like the lonely tear had been. His defenses went up quickly, like emergency bulkheads in case of a hull breach. Where just seconds ago his aura and feelings had been readable for those with the force at their disposal and his mood no secret to them, they were now hidden behind a sheer impenetrable wall. He made like a blank piece of flimsi plast and became unreadable.

“Rest like the doctor told you!” He snapped at Nova and forced his voice back into a normal tone after he realized how he had just sounded. “I have to go.” He explained but still sounded unaffable. “Some things should not be put off till later.” He mumbled and looked at Jeyne. He could not get himself to smile at her and his face continued to change into a frown. “I will see what I can do about your friend.” He told Nova coldly, before he stepped towards the door. He angrily punched the control panel and squeezed through the sliding door when it was but half open. I must have looked as if he was running away from something.

 

[Nova Elgrin]

When the doctor told her to lay down she did as commaneded, yet with a rebellious spark in her eyes. A quite "I'm not a child, doctor..." couldn't be surpressed however. Why was everyone calling her a child? She was not five years old anymore, and her body had slowly began declaring her as a woman some time ago. She realized the crook of her arm was a bit sore, and spotted a little prick which clearly was rather fresh. Medicine most likely. Good thing she had been unconscious, she hated needles.

When Tyûk and the Lady doctor turned away from Nova, her eyes follwed them discreetly with concerned expression. What were they talking about? Seconds later she could feel how Tyûks aura changed. The young girl could tell someting upset him, there was also a certain amount of confusion, blended with a wide variety of other feelings, too much to read them one by one. The blink of an eye later however emptiness filled the space that had been before ruled by emotion. But as Nova could still see him, she knew he guarded himself. She tried to get through his armor, yet quickly stopped doing so as she realized she couldn't penetrate it, and also if he didn' want to share what burdend him, she should take the honorable path and respect it.

When she saw herself confronted by his harsh words and the coldness in his voice, she couldn't help but to flinch. She felt the urge to dissent, but the coolness that defined his attitude left her silent. Experiencing this sudden change of heart that seemed to come over him, made her feel as alone and left behind as many weeks ago when she had been separated from her father. It hurt. When she saw how much in a hurry he seemed to be to get back into the snowstorms out there, she wondered if he'd return at all..
Her gaze caught the one of the young doctor. The womans expression didn't give away too much, but she didn't seem too pleased with the situation herself.
"He will come back, will he?" Her view got blurred when salty waters rose in her eyes like the tide rose to the edges of stony shores. She was speaking rather quietly as if she was afraid he could still hear her "Did..did I say something wrong?" She felt guilty without knowing why.

 

[Padmé]

Silence.
Not the sort of response the Mandalorian Doctor expected from Finn. Had this conversation occurred a few months ago, Merrik would have completely lost it. Who as he to give her the silent treatment. For all she knows, she was merely a messenger. One could hardly blame the Doctor for delivering such news.

Before Merrik could make her way inside the executive suites, Nova was already concerned. Far too concerned, but understandable- given her current predicament. Maseterless, with a stranger whom for all intents and purpose could very well be another Sith. How was Nova supposed to know? Finn's assurance wasn't enough, thus the moment each question was asked, Jeyne immediately gave an answer.

"He will come back, will he?"
"Your guess is as good as mine.
Jeyne interjected while entering and closing the office door.
"Finn has his own way and I'm afraid nothing you or I can do would change that."
The Doctor continued.

The girl was full of questions!
"Did..did I say something wrong?"
"No child. No."
Merrik assured her.

"Finn?"
"He told me his Name is Tyûk"
"That's a question for Finn to answer. This I know, he is whom he says he is."

While Merrik would like to call Finn other names, she know that deep down, the man is as authentic and real as the come. Even though sometimes, his sheer lack of humaneness, such as the moment before them, makes Merrik want to punch him. Nothing major of course- just enough to bring him back to reality.
Now with a more scared demeanor, the girl asked yet another pertinent question.

"Is he angry with me?"
"Oh child, Finn is not angry with you. The only thing he's angry with is himself. He thinks he failed you by not coming soon enough"
"He saved me? But he said you..."
"Indeed, Finn saved you. Had he not heeded to the voice that beckoned him to you, you will not be laying on my office sofa. He had to get to you first. My work, I'm afraid, would be naught without Finn's own work. Does that make sense?"
Silence fell - albeit momentarily. Seconds later, the pair met face to face. A gaze that spoke volumes.
"I can trust him, can I not?"
"Yes. You have my word on that. "
Jeyne hoped this wasn't the one case where Finn decided to fail her. Manda help her if he does!

 

[FinnSimmons]

Finn stepped out of the room and when the door slid shut again behind him he stopped. He leaned back against the wall, next to the door, and rubbed his face to clear his head. He stood there for a while and forced everything he had been thinking about to the back of his mind. There were other things to be done now. Things, important things, he had to take care of. So with the help of Ra'al the security guard, Finn quickly found his way back out of the facility. Once there he put the helmet of his enviro-suit back on. It was freezing cold outside and he did not want to use the force to protect himself. He was using it in other ways already. Once he had entered his ship and started the engines back up he slowly let his mental barriers fall and when he was a sufficient distance from the facility he dropped them completely.

The flight back to Nova's ship - or was it that of the dead Jedi? - was short and once he was back there he landed his ship close to the emergency beacon he had dropped next to the dead Jedi's body. The Jedi's corpse he would leave untouched for now but the dead Sith girl's body had to go. So before he went out of the ship he activated the repulsor lift engine and the landing struts, made sure they would keep the ship steady and grounded and then activated the port side engine of the ship. Then he went out to find the body of the Sith girl. It wasn't to hard to find her. With snow covering her and all he lifted her lifeless body up and went about his gruesome task.

A short while later Finn stepped back into his ship. He had been doing his strenuous work for more than an hour now and he as sweating inside his suit. Thankfully the suits systems were more than able to deal with that issue. The first thing he did once he was back inside his ship was to turn of the port side engine again. Now what he really wanted was to do something about the gray dust on his suit. He took the suit of and actually took the time to clean it thoroughly. Only after dong that did he put it back on and made his way to the nearby ship that either belonged to the dead Jedi outside or to Nova. For now he only needed to know what was wrong with it.

A short inspection later he had found the damaged sections and had figured out that he was able to repair it. He could patch the ship up well enough to make it space-worthy again and allow for it to be flown of this snowball. He did not want to go snooping through somebody else's ship though, so he did not start with the repairs. There was time time to do that later. For now he made sure that the body of the Jedi woman was still intact. He made sure a solid, protective layer of ice covered her body and then he left her there for later. The beacon would tell him where to find her body for at least a few days so there was no rush. After doing all this he felt comfortable with returning to the facility. He knew with some certainty that the bodies of darksiders were best not left lying around. So after the dead Sith girl had been dealt with and the state of the ship which Nova had used to come here had been established to be 'not too bad' he boarded his own ship and flew it back to the facility.

It didn't take too long to get back and once he was there he checked his chrono. He had been gone a few hours all together and luckily enough had not thought about what Jeyne had revealed to him just before he had left in such a hurry. Now though, in proximity to his sister the thoughts could no longer be kept buried and they fought they way back to the forefront. So as to keep this new secret a secret he made sure to raise his mental barriers again. When he stepped back into Jeynes office it felt weird. His eyes darted to the improvised bedside. Nova seemed to be sleeping. At least her eyes were closed.
He walked over to Jeyne who was in the room and asked to speak to her her away form the bed and Nova. After a last glance over his shoulder he spoke to Jeyne in a hushed tone. “Thank you for keeping this between the two of us.” He said and gave her an intense look. “You know what I mean.” He said and it was both a question and a statement. “She mustn't know!” He told her and sounded very insistent. “She can never, ever know!” He said and trailed of a bit in the end. After staring into Jeyne's eyes rather intensely for a long moment he turned away from her and sat down on a chair next to the bedside Nova was resting on. His hand again reached out to touch that of his sister. Her delicate little hand vanished completely beneath his. “How is she doing?” He asked Jeyne and still used a hushed voice. If only as not to startle the girl resting right next to him.
While he waited for Jeyne to tell him her diagnosis he contently looked at his sisters sleeping features. Through the sheets Finn could feel that the warmth had returned to Novas body and tell that she was not in any immediate danger any more. When he felt Nova's steady pulse he smiled one of his usual smiles.

Jet this time the smile lasted and even broght a light to his eyes.

 

[Padmé]

In the hours that Merrik spent hidden in her executive suite with Nova and Finn, not a single call or interruption came through. The Mandalorian Surgeon surmised Ra'al the head of Security had indeed made precautions on her behalf.

Minutes after Merrik was certain the staff had left for the day, she left her suite. It wasn't unusual for Jeyne to spend all day and night at the MED facilities. What was unusual was for her to also not return home for a quick clean up. With the current situation at hand, the latter remained nearly impossible. Not to mention Finn's long absence.

As Nova laid back in the suite, Dr. Merrik called upon Ra'al. Another trip to Jeyne's flat was in order. Not once did Ra'al hesitate about the request; in fact Jeyne could tell he seemed rather excited about it all.

Not too long thereafter, Ra'al returned to the MED facility with the requested necessities; a change of clothes for Jeyne and a set of new clothes for Nova. Nova's set of clothes will not be a perfect fit, but close enough. Quickly thanking the man, Jeyne sent him out to his station once more. Shortly after Merrik sensed an aura about the building.

"Stay here Nova. This will only take a moment or two."
Deep down Jeyne could tell Nova was concerned. Not only has Finn been absent for hours, but there seems to be no sign of him. At least Nova was now out of the medical danger zone and has a bit of life in her.

"Manda help me if this is the Sith Finn mentioned."
Jeyne thought quietly to herself.
As she got closer to the CCTV room, she saw no signs of anything amiss. What she did see was a small freighter hovering down by the back of the facility. Now moving with haste, she located Ra'al heading towards the back of building.

"It's only Finn Dr. Merrik.
Ra'al quickly assured Jeyne.
"Very well then."
Said she while returning to her suite. As much as she'd prefer to hide the ship, lest someone tip off the Director, she could not. The best action was to move the girl and Finn to her flat. Quicykly.

As expected, Finn entered Jeyne's executive suite within minutes of his return, at which point she took a sigh of relief. Even with her current concern at the Mandalorian allowed Finn a few moments to settle in with Nova.

"We need to move. "
Jeyne began without making eye contact with Finn. She took the change of clothes for Nova, handed it to her while simultaneously speaking:
"My flat is not too far away from the facilities. You're both welcome to stay there as long as you'd like."

Now looking down at her gold chrono, she surmised the three could still make it out of the MED facility without being seen. Merrik can return to the research laboratory and continue with the little progress she'd made prior to the pairs entry.

 

[Nova Elgrin]

It was half sleep, half meditation that had kept her eyes closed. In collecting her spirit she found the strength to summon the force to her aid. And it served her well. Where her fingertips had felt numb and her bruises sore, her body now quickly began recovering beyond the standart human pace. Warmth filled her body, starting from her chest, lowering to her stomach, her belly while at the same time rising to her thoat, her head, and at the end, spreading to her limbs. Another kind of warmth accompanied the heat of her body later on, and Nova knew its source very well. Her ears caught a hushed voice, yet the words fled her sense of hearing as she only surfaced slowly back to reality. Through the warm and yet thin sheets she could feel his hand, gently covering hers. For a moment she wished the fabric wouldn't have divded them. Nova openend her eyes. Her gaze found her dream-woven friend. An intense look was exchanged, yet none of them both would say a word. This time Nova managed to smile. It was one of her typical smiles. Sweet and with a distant echo of the cheer of a child. "Hey..." the bright soprano of hers formed the word with a silvery hint, just like a little bell.

Her hand slipped away under his, when she sat up. This time there was no conseqnce following doing do. No dizziness, no discomfort. The only thing still in uproar was her heart. She still saw Master Glorra's blue eyes. It had been an intense shade, almost like aquamarin. The thought of her husband now being a widower felt like a dagger through her ribs....she could cry when she would return to her ship. Tears were time-consuming. And she had everything, but time.
Nova knew she wasn't fully recovered yet, but she was sure capable of standing, talking, and most importantly, flying a ship. The young girl accepted the clothes the Lady doctor gave to her with a thankful nod. Tyûkneeded not even a gaze of hers, as he had the modesty to turn away when she was slipping in the pair of trousers. As they seemed to be the doctor ones, they were of course too big, but Nova helped herself by rolling up the pant legs. Then she put on the black cardigan and did the same to its sleeves. Nova would have been quite unhappy with the even more childlike appereance the too big clothes gave her, but as there were no reflecting surfaces, she was spared that knowledge.
Shen she heard the brunettes invitation to her flat, Nova hesitating, before meeting her eyes. Her expression was determined but polite "Thank you doctor. But this won't be neccessary. I can't stay here for any longer. I need to continue my journey as fast as possible. I just want to pay the amount of credits I owe for my medical care." Nova was a good girl. Of course she wouldn't leave with receiving a piece of service without paying for it. The good doctor wasn't a slave after all! Except for a slave of her own conscience maybe, like the doctor Nova had encountered on Corruscant.
Without waiting for the doctors response (Nova thought it would take time to issue an invoice) she turned her head towards Tyûk. Or Finn? She wondered if he was carrier of even more names? For the moment she decided to call him, as whom he had introduced himself to her "Tyûk, I know I've caused you enough trouble already but..would you mind taking me to my ship?" She would have loved to spend more time with him..but there was no time, no time...

 

[FinnSimmons]

Finn watched the girl sit up and he didn't know if he should let her. He figured though as long as Jeyne did not start objecting vehemently it should be alright for Nova to get up. When she made attempts to slip out from beneath the covers Finn felt pretty uncomfortable and turned away. Not only was she a child, she was his sister. There were things he didn't need to see, nor did he want to. So he waited patiently for her to get dressed. When she was finally clothed in a pair of Jeyne's pants and a sweater he turned back around. Only to have to stifle a laugh. She looked ridiculous in the grown woman's clothes. Still she made the best of it, rolling up the pants legs. Then she politely thanked Jeyne and offered to pay for the medical treatment. He wondered where this girl had gotten the notion that Jeyne would ask them to pay for her help. Still, If anyone did pay for it, he would. For some weird reason his mind did not allow for any kind of flexibility or compromise in that regard. “If Jeyne want's anything in return for her help that will be my concern ... mine alone!” He told his sister and sounded very definitive in his statement.

Yet when she told him she wanted to go back to her ship he was a bit surprised. She was in no condition to go off on her own and he was not about to let her. She had just about escaped the grasp of death and he had no intention of letting her head towards the next disaster. Still, with the ship being in need of repair he was sure she would not be able to take of without some help. So he formulated a plan. “ As long Jeyne says it is alright for you to leave I will take you back.” He told Nova and looked towards Jeyne as to get her approval. If she had an issue with the girl leaving Nova would find herself back in a bed in no time.