Ask The Search

[Darth Invictus]

The planet grew in size in front of his view with each passing second as his ship flew closer and closer to it. After encountering the creatures, Ender managed to slip a hard-drive from Riley when she hadn't been looking. She was a doctor and had locations and possible locations of where the infection could be or where it could spread. One of the locations that he was nearest too was one on Dantooine. He had never visited the planet before but the coordinates on the datapad led him to where he needed to go and that's all he needed. The ship flew through the atmosphere of the planet and pierced through it like a spear.

After a few minutes, there was an open clearing and he directed his ship towards it when he spotted it. When the metal belly touched the ground, the ship came to a halt as it was thankful for the reprieve. The cockpit door hissed with steam before opening and it allowed him to hear the sound of wildlife and rushing water from outside. With the assistance of the force, Ender lifted himself up from his seat and onto his feet right outside as he planted them in the soft dirt. He pulled out his datapad to examine the coordinates again. There were small notes from another for each location and the one he was at displayed the rate of infection and how fast it had managed to come to another planet.

Ender was still learning about the creatures and this was just another opportunity for him to do so. He didn't have Reily with him and he would have appreciated the expertise that she had acquired around the subject but he wasn't that lucky. Either way, he needed to get answers and he would get what he was looking for. He engaged the security protocols of his ship before following the datapad instructions as he slipped into the forest to chase after the coordinates. The mask that had become quite famous over the past few weeks was left on his ship and the two weapons he carried were his vibro-sword, which was in its sheathe, and his lightsaber, which was hidden underneath his robes.

They brought him to a sort of bustling village but it appeared under quarantine. White tents were pitched up and activity flowed throughout the entire village from people in lab coats and guards. It had been a while since Ender acted on the information he received and it seemed the people in the village went through the ringer as villagers were carried on stretchers to different tents. His eyes flicked between the scientists and guards and he made his way towards the camp as he slipped past the security and started to walk around to examine what was going on.

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

When she was summoned by the Board of Galactic Health, the Doc could do little but acquiesce. For the last two days, she had been shuttling patients back and forth from quarantine--thankfully, this disease seemed nonlethal by any method apart from fluid-to-fluid contact, or through biting or scratching... but some of these patients were beyond human. Screams filled the air, and eventually gave way to snarling, slobbering growls as they all went from brain-dead to almost animalistic, practically mobile corpses.

Needless to say, she was not amused.

She had to take a breather, before she would snap and accidentally kill someone, and she stalked out, face smoothed out to a blank mask, but lips a thin line, amber eyes sharp. Anger boiled in her veins, made her ache to snap, and it pulsed in a red haze over her mind.

I could be doing so much more than helping some gouty farmers and their walking dead problem, she thought darkly to herself, the echo of rage cooling with each step. She pulled a cigara free from a carton in her pocket, and lit, exhaling to another bellow of inhuman rage from a distant tent, and then taking another drag. She stood on the outskirts, content to take a breather from the stench of decay and blood. But someone skulked on the outskirts themselves; someone with a sword.

She didn't remember their face, but something of their presence... reminded her of someone. Her gaze flicked away, and she took another drag. The emotional output from the others around her were too much, it was making her want to snap again and clear away all this infection...

It would be so easy, wouldn't it... she sighed, then glanced again at the stranger. Some hapless new recruit, perhaps?

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender easily navigated through the camp as he tilted his shoulders to avoid contact with anyone that passed near him. He encountered the creatures before or at least a mutation of them and knew that it could really only be transferred through saliva. Either way, he did his best, for now, to avoid contact all together to not risk anything. The camp wasn't horrid but it wasn't in great condition either as wounded people and supplies were transported from tent to tent. The screams and snarls echoed in the distance and it was all enough distraction for him to just easily walk around.

He remained undisturbed but then he felt a surge of anger that stood out like a sore thumb and the hairs on the back of his neck rose. Ender stopped in his place before slowly turning to find a woman staring at him and smoking a cigara. His gaze was brought up to lock with hers and he held it for a few moments as his head tilted slightly. There was something... different about her but he couldn't quite sense it completely. But before the two of them could do anything further, screams and calls for help erupted from the center of the camp. If the doctor turned to look back at Ender, he would already be gone as he went further in the camp.

People ran throughout the camp, fear dripping off them as they flailed their arms while the guards ran in the direction they were coming from. The sound of blaster fire filled the air as did the screeches of the monsters that got hit by them. Ender moved through the camp with a graceful speed as he slithered between the tents and towards the sound of the fighting. People ran past him in droves and he had to shove a few out of the way to get through.

One of the people, in fact, turned out to be one of the creatures and it turned on Ender and nearly sank its teeth into his neck. He was able to get his hands up in time to get them in between the two before pushing it off. The vibro-sword slid out of its sheath smoothly and when the creature lunged again, it would be met with the blade piercing under its chin and through its head. With a sharp twist, there was a sound of cracking bones before the blade was yanked out and the body dropped to the floor. The volume of blaster fire was dwindling and the screeches were becoming louder. The guards were losing ground.

Ender's gaze scanned the area around him for some sort of research station or tent for information about the virus. He found one or what at least appeared like one before stepping through the covers. He didn't plan on staying long for this whole place to be overrun.

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

Things could never stay peaceful, could they?

With the screams, she sighed... and flicked the remainders of the cigara away, snagging her blaster and vibroblade. She would have to contemplate the stranger later; the moment there would be screams she turned away, and began to sprint back to camp. People streamed past, some screaming, some firing wildly. She staggered to one side, then nimbly twisted as one shrieking nurse was cut short by an attacking resident, then abruptly stopped flailing and was dropped.

It screamed wordlessly and began to charge. She stepped forward, and as before, she could feel her anger channeling through, bringing her clarity, her senses sharp as, instead of bringing up the stun blaster, she sliced across the creature's throat, then sank it with a satisfying crunch into the creature's skull, watching with a remote sense of satisfaction as it gurgled and finally stopped twitching.

She yanked it free with a scowl, feeling its' blood spatter her white coat. A shame, she just got it dry-cleaned.

You could use what you learned... the voice hissed in her mind, sinister, cool, familiar. Her own voice again... but different. She frowned, brushing it aside for now.

Another creature wordlessly screeched at her, and she turned away, running instead for the closest tent she could find. Far better to bottleneck anything shambling her way than---

She sensed someone at her back, but she wasn't going to turn around and address just who it could be next. Hopefully they wouldn't be a useless companion and actually help her to get rid of these vermin.

A shame she couldn't simply obtain a few specimens for further clinical trials...

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender didn't notice the doctor slipping into the tent before him but he easily stepped past the flaps as they closed behind him and shut out the chaos from outside. He turned around and that's when he saw the woman but before he could process that quickly, the creature that had followed her stepped in from the flaps that were on the doctor's side of the tent. Its hand was outstretched for the woman but with a sharp tug of the force, the creature's leg would be turned to an unnatural angle as there was a sound of a snap. It fell to the ground and before it could get up, his vibro-sword came through the air and was plunged through the back of the creature's head.

Ender pulled out his weapon before his gaze flicked over to Llana, his eyes traveling up and down her figure to inspect if she was more of a threat then anything else. She had her own sword but she didn't seem aggressive with it for now against him. His gaze held on her for a few seconds awkwardly however like he was staring past her and directly into her soul to see who she really was. But a short time after that, he lifted his sword and pointed it in a certain direction everyone else was running, "You should get out of here while you can."

He didn't realize that she was a doctor and when he turned around, he tossed his sword on the nearest table to him before he started to comb through the research equipment. Everyone always ran when it came to these creatures. Ender moved aside flasks and other equipment as his eyes scanned over the notes and such. He didn't know if what he was looking at was completely worthless or valuable research that could explain the disease. Either way, he continued to comb through the papers and such for anything that stood out to him while the sounds of screaming and screeching happened outside constantly.

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She had raised her vibroknife, entirely prepared to attack the zombie-like creature before her, when a whisper of something familiar ghosted past her senses. Surprise made her stagger back slightly, and as the leg snapped and was quickly dispatched. This one... was he like Kai? And if so... her mind was rapidly calculating, and when he stared up at her with scrutiny...

Ilana stared right back, with intense scrutiny as well in those amber eyes as though to also puzzle him out.

She snorted at his comment, and a faint scowl flickered across her features. "You mean flee like a helpless, scared little tauntaun? Forget it."

If he realized, she was absolutely calm. She wasn't trembling or hysterical; if anything, the greatest emotion she could dredge up the energy to feel was annoyance, and even that was being smoothed away to nothing. One creature shambled past, and she was prepared to fight, but it found a less armed victim.

What did they expect, not properly securing the field and leaving valuable research to amateur wannabe researchers?

She heaved a sigh, but the faint tinkling of bottles being brushed aside gave her pause, and she turned to look.

For a second, she paused, just staring... and then rolled her eyes.

"You know, their research notes are worthless."

She reholstered her blaster, but held her vibroblade at a nonthreatening angle, calmly watching him as the screams went on. Occasionally, the tent would shudder as someone flailed against the tough exterior before obviously being ended, but since they weren't patients, her concerns for them were slim.

But perhaps... this one could be of use to her. Definitely a curiosity she couldn't wait to puzzle out...

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender's gloved hands continued to explore the table when he casually replied back to her, "Yes, that is exactly what I mean." People attempted to act tough and he had other things on his mind instead of keeping an eye on the woman who would flee at the first sign of trouble. But a few moments into his search, he could feel... nothing from the woman behind him and it was unusual. Ender was the one who was more of a closed book with his emotions hidden by his own hand and the woman was doing the same thing.

But he didn't sense any anger or intention of harm and he continued his search. It was evident that he wasn't making any progress as he had no clue what any of the scientific lingo met or the diagrams. The woman made a comment and it made him pause where he was before making him slowly roll his eyes to himself. Ender grabbed his sword on the table and slid it into his sheath as he turned around and took a few steps towards Llana. There would only be a small distance between them as he towered over her and stared down at her with his silver gaze. "So, clearly you're not just some civilian and know something." The woman appeared to distance herself from the researchers at the camp with her word 'their'. Was she like him and trying to find information?

The screams and snarls were getting louder and closer. Ender, however, stood as still as a statue, his gaze still locked on Llana's amber one as he waited for her to answer. "Where are the notes that aren't worthless then?" The commotion outside was acting like a clock and they wouldn't have long before the tent they stood in was overran. But Ender continued to stand there and wait like it was just another day for him.

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

When he towered over her, she merely gave him a flat, amber-eyed stare. If she could cross her arms she would, instead she allowed him to narrow that distance. Ah, so he finally clued in she wasn't one of them. Smart man, at least smarter than the camp that was being overrun.

"Good observation," she remarked dryly, slightly arcing a white brow. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say the coat gave me away." If he knew his insignias and symbols, he would recognize the Doctor's own insignia on both her arms and on the lapels; a simple green cross, universal symbol of physicians everywhere. Most of those in the camp didn't even wear these. If he didn't, oh well. She didn't care one way or the other.

"They aren't notes, they're specimens," she remarked, the brow lowering. As if to punctuate her statement, a loud, bestial roar shook outside the tent, and heavy footfalls began thumping hard. "I was hoping to obtain one for study, but--"

One side of the tent suddenly burst inward as a heavy body slumped in. It must have once been human, but where fingers once were, long claws sprouted. The stench of decay filled the room, and the Doctor visibly flinched away at the stench, eyes watering. The creature tilted its' head to stare at them with milky blue eyes... and uttered a bellow, clawing past the remains of the tent towards them.

From behind, another creature answered. A female humanoid, their race undistinguishable from the lack of skin. It staggered towards them as well; it looked like time was up.

A pity. She anticipated at least taking one of them in for vivisection, but here they were practically crawling into their laps. She raised her vibroblade, and yet...

Her other hand remained empty. She needed at least one hand free to deflect them, after all, and with her own private studies, it was time to put practice into effort. It finally managed to claw towards her with a screech, and she lashed her hand out, wrapping the thing in stasis just long enough to stab the thing in the head.

Hopefully her companion could handle his own opposition with as much lethal grace as he had before; the female lunged towards them, her own claw-like appendages slashing downwards towards his neck and torso, their rattling cries attracting the attention of others.

They wouldn't have long before their precarious situation would be overrun with shambling, murderous corpses.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender could only arch his own eyebrow in response to her remark as he peered down at her coat. It was covered in blood and pretty much hid it but she did get him. It was his first time witnessing the insignia but he memorized it quickly to know in the future who was responsible for dealing with the disease. With the insignia and bloody coat, he got the picture. She started to explain there weren't any notes but specimens and that wasn't a great help for him.

Before she could explain further, one side of the tent suddenly opened and a massive almost monster-like creature with claws stumbled in and directed toward them. Ender's sword was already out of it's sheathe with the blade pressed along his forearm as he was about to cut it down before it could get close. But another creature came through on the side that they were on and he spun on his heel to face the newcomer while the doctor dealt with the big one. These creatures were different than the ones he meant in the cave and that highlighted how mutatable and deadly this disease was.

The woman launched herself at Ender with her claws outstretched but the creatures had never been too deadly when it was just one of them. It was only when they were in a horde and he easily stepped to the side as he swiped his foot and took out one of the woman's legs as she came at him. She stumbled forward and slammed her jaw in a metal table, it bending her head unnaturally as there was a crunch. He didn't hesitate as he brought his foot down on the woman's spine and snapped it in half with a sickening crunch. The creature writhed on the ground as it tried to get up with a shattered spine but he quickly brought his blade through the woman's head and killed it.

When he was finished, Ender snapped his head toward llana as he stared at her for a moment with a peculiar look. "You're Force-sensitive?" He didn't know how he didn't catch it at first but it was clear she had no problem revealing her power. Was she a Sith? Was she a Jedi? Or was she just one of those lost souls like he used to be? Those were questions that would have to be answered later as Ender stared at her for a second but turned his head toward the tent flaps closest to him and peered outside. It was carnage as there were fires and the dead running around as they chased after whatever food they could. But one of the creatures had heard the commotion and howls from the tent and directed it's attention to them. It let out a couple of howls and more of the creatures swarmed to it as they started to sprint toward the tent.

Ender started to back up from the entrance as he turned around and walked to the side of the tent, "We need to leave." He slashed his vibro-sword in a vertical line, cutting the fabric of the tent and creating an entrance for the two. He quickly stepped out and checked both directions before heading deeper into the research camp. The vibro-sword rested in his hand tightly as he kept it close to his side. "Do you have your own lab or something similar?"

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She didn't even glance; she just ripped her own blade out of the creature's skull, lips twitching faintly. "No shit."

Perhaps not the wisest of responses, but she wasn't up for entertaining others over Force sensitivity; she still found it a hard pill to swallow, and even though she was beginning to grow used to her abilities, she was all too aware that she was only barely scratching her capabilities. She followed after him, still clenching her blade, then followed.

She was pacing with him, as unruffled as ever. The blood, the smoke, the howls of these undead things.. none of it seemed to even remotely tap into what few reserves of emotion she had left. For now, the coast was clear... but the sound of one more barrage of blaster fire made it clear why there were so few. Bodies littered the ground; some began stirring, but most of them remained inert, eyes wide.

"You could say that; my practice is mobile."
Four creatures stumbled out from a burning lab tent; three of them were in flames.

One stared at the alive pair, and shrieked, dragging the attention of its' burning compatriots, who lurched towards the pair of them. She brought up her own blade, and lashed out towards the closest one, squeezing until the skull caved inwards with her will. However, that meant the other three had time to lurch closer, one of which lashed towards Ender, the other two taking either flank of the pair.

Did he happen to know this was the way of the ships, she thought absently. And if so, would I have time to collect specimen samples...

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

The woman didn't seem to care much at all that she revealed her powers haphazardly. It was a complete 189 for Ender as he was used to others and himself trying to aide their allegiance as best as they could. He thought about snapping back but the two of them needed to leave. He was angrier at himself for not having noticed that the woman was sensitive to the force as it could have gotten him killed if hadn't been as willing to team up.

Thankfully, the two didn't run into any resistance at first when they exited from the tent. Ender was in the lead and he navigated the two of them through the makeshift camp. He ignored the bodies and the screams that erupted throughout different parts of the camp as the two of them needed to escape. Well, at least he had to in case the doctor didn't have any information and was just going to be a weight attached to his leg. When she commented that her practice was mobile, Ender stopped and turned to look at her, "In translation does that you mean don't have a lab at all or you have a ship?"

Before he could ask any further questions, a group of the creatures spilled out from a tent and immediately locked their attention on the two of them. He spun around to face the new threats that charged at them and his sword was at the ready to greet them. The doctor dealt with the first one and Ender stepped to the side to put some distance between them and give them both room to maneuver in the space. His blade lashed out like a whip and it struck the neck of the first creature that approached and cleanly sliced through the flesh to lop off the head.

The other creature that was on fire lunged at him but he had no intention of getting close to it. The vibro-sword was thrown in response and it impaled the head of the creature as its head snapped back from the impact. It fell to the ground with a cloud of dirt that extinguished the flames. Ender turned back around to face the doctor, "You know this camp better than me. Lead the way to your ship or out of here." The camp was in disarray and she would know the best routes to take in order to avoid any further conflicts.

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She lunged forward, brushing aside a clawing arm and jerking her blade up through the soft under its' jaw to right into the brain; she had to twist hard to yank it free, and more gore spattered her uniform. She grimaced visibly, jaw grinding at the man's questions. "It's small, but still a lab," she replied, her low voice still a rasp. "In my ship... I don't need much cargo space."

Truth was, she was getting bored of this place. From the sounds of things, what few survivors that existed wouldn't for much longer, and though it seemed her companion was adept at handling his own, it would be rude of her to leave him to survive on her own.

That, and she had the gut feeling he would survive, and having her face be known by someone that could have been one of the ones to harm a coworker/boss of hers... would not work out well. Plus, if he was friendly enough... who would know. Perhaps he would teach her more than the things Kai did... help her to understand better why, sometimes, it hurt so much to control, to not lash out and to not embrace the raw feelings within...

She instead nodded, turning away from him.

"Ships would be wiser." She replied, stalking away with an authoritative air. "I'd hate to leave someone alone in such a backwoods place anyways. Follow me."

For the most part, they were left undisturbed; it seemed most survivors might have attempted to flee for the ships, but many had not made it. A shame, for the camp itself hadn't been particularly large... but you'd have thought, with the minor local guard acting as a policing force, they would have been more useful.

Still.

It would be wisest not to exchange names just yet; he seemed like a mistrustful type. And there was also the question of his own transportation... but it would have to wait.

So far the coast was clear... so close she could even see her ship.

Perhaps they would make it out of here in one piece.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

It was a weird relationship between them. Both of them didn't know each other's name or anything about each other at all but it seemed they were tied together for now. After the creatures were dealt with, her studies were a combination of a lab and ship and he was thankful for that. That meant they wouldn't have to waste time in the camp and could just immediately head to the shipyard.

The doctor led the way and Ender followed behind her, his sword still in his grasp as his eyes scanned left to right. It seemed most of the infected were preoccupied with munching on other inhabitants of the camp. It gave them some reprieve and let them somewhat peacefully make their way to her ship. When they finally reached the array of ships, he glanced at the doctor and saw where her gaze was directed to determine which was her ship. With his long stride, he quickly made his way to the ship that he believed was hers and waited by the entrance.

Ender turned around to face and that's when he saw an assortment of infected grouped together and slowly heading towards their direction. "We need to get this ship in the air right now." He murmured to the doctor as the group of infected all turned to stare at them. The one in the lead opened it's dislocated mouth and let out a guttural scream as some sprinted toward them and others ran on all fours. They were closing the distance and they were closing it fast.

The first lunged in the air and he was met with the vibro-sword as it nearly cut the infected in half as its body fell to the ground quickly after. He could hold them off while the doctor got the ship up and running. Ender could hop on the last second and he slashed his blade once more to cut down another infected.

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

"Right."

She sprinted in, and headed straight for controls. However, at the roar of the zombie-like beings she paused for a second, hands over takeoff controls. She could just as easily leave him to the mercy of the growing horde, and leave for herself. Return later to retrieve a living specimen for a live study sample...

But she couldn't, not really. He had answers. And surely such an experienced combatant would be a useful ally. So instead she powered up her Quad-Five, allowing the ramp to hover. "Get in!" She bellowed down in his direction, and if he jumped in, the ramp would raise, and she would begin to go up into the atmosphere.

However... she wasn't leaving planetside just yet. If he had his own ship, it would be no difficulty of hers to simply deposit him there and go on her own way. She would wait until there was a safe place to orbit without interruption. She had questions... but they would have to wait until she would know for sure if he was on board or not.

And if any of the undead decided they, too, would want to be passengers.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

The engines came to life and rumbled awake behind him. It was just in time as the rate of infected continued to grow exponentially as they flooded toward the ship. The doctor managed to get it in the air with the ramp opened for him to jump in and he didn't hesitate. Ender launched himself toward it and rolled down the ramp as it started to be retracted back. Through the cracks in the side as it closed, he was able to see the creatures try and jump after him and latch onto her ship.

As the ship continued to rise, creatures that tried to hold on just eventually let go as they plummeted back down to the ground. Ender stood there for a moment, breathing hard as he eventually slid his weapon back into its sheathe. He waited there for a moment as if another round of creatures would tear down the ramp and suddenly flood in the ship. When nothing happened, however, he eventually turned away to meet with the doctor.

Ender eventually found her in an open room of the ship and she would see him glancing around the ship as he drank in the details. She had already revealed that she was force-sensitive and didn't know where her allegiance was but there is a more occupying predicament than that one. There was a sort of awkward silence between them but Ender eventually broke it as he asked her a question, "How much do know about the disease?" He had limited information, to say the least, and he wondered if that was universal or if there were actually some answers out there.

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

They broke atmosphere and she put the ship onto autopilot to orbit when she finally left the front console to confront her newfound companion. She watched as he seemed to take in her ship; the quarters were neat, sparsely kept, except for in the rear hold, which though once may have been specifically made for cargo, was now retrofitted into a small laboratory/physician's examining room. And even that was minimal to look at; no bacta tanks (yet, she added mentally), simple diagnostic equipment and an array of tools of her trade.

She withdrew another cigara, but kept it unlit at his question for now; she knew smoking in a ship wasn't the wisest idea for her air filters, but honestly she hardly cared. He didn't seem the type to indulge, so she simply slipped the carton back into her pocket, and leaned back against one blank diagnostic console, sighing.

"There's not much to tell until I get a live specimen, unfortunately," she replied simply, shedding her coat nonchalantly for a sterile wash. She honestly felt like she needed a quick leap into a wash herself, but it would have to wait. The plates were removed first; beneath that she wore a simple black shirt, and the slacks were mercifully less spattered. However, she wasn't going to completely undress.

She had questions as well.

"They only transfer via fluid exchange; originally, a bite or scratch would do it, but even accidentally having fluid on an open wound can transfer it now." Amber eyes stared at his own silver-blue calmly, gauging a reaction and finding very little. For some reason, that annoyed her. "They mutate according to how long of exposure to the pathogen within the host; I'm assuming by week three they resemble very little to their origin species, evolving claws, sharper teeth, enhanced senses and heightened strength. Some have even evolved strains of caustic spittle."

She glanced down at the cigara, and sighed again, tapping it against her arm. "I do not know its' real origins... just the supposed cause." Her lips pursed, and then she stared at him levelly, her voice cool. "I don't care who you are, quite frankly, but I'm curious... why were you there? I wasn't alerted we requested any backup."

Being as blunt as possible was better than dancing around the subject. He was a possible threat, but that didn't rouse her curiosity; rather, his own arrival was the more pressing question. And from what little she learned from Kai... he was a Dark Sider, possibly. He had briefly explained the Sith and Jedi, but honestly, she only cared for that knowledge the Grysk had. He had control, it seemed... and so did this man.

She envied him, and it made her want to know more. She watched him carefully, still trying vainly to glean any glimmer of emotion or recognition from the man. She was able to read others easily; this enigma puzzled her.

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Well, she hadn't been lying. Her lab was mobile and it caught the attention of Ender for only a few moments. It meant she would actually be one of the few who could actually discover answers and not just stumble around and hope a solution hits them in a face. As she undressed, he remained where he was and leaned against a nearby wall as he waited for her. It wasn't comforting to know that she would need a live specimen as well and needed to actually start the research.

When the doctor mentioned that the disease was transferred from scratches and bites, she would get her first peek into how he felt as visible confusion would cross over his face. That wasn't his experience and he wondered exactly how varying this disease was or if it meant something else entirely. He remained silent as he listened to the side effects and recalled the infected he came across when he ran into the cave with Reily. When she asked why he was there and subtly implied that he could have been backup, it caused his eyebrow to arch slightly in response.

"I'm not backup, your camp didn't manage to get any signal out before the attack happened. My own curiosity brought me here. There was chatter of the disease touching the ground on the planet and a possible research camp." Ender's mind, however, couldn't stop circulating back to the point the doctor made that the disease could be transferred by scratch as well. She would be able to see that he was wrestling with something internally.

"Docter I hate to inform you but your information is wrong." Ender turned around and grabbed the hem of his clothing to lift it to his shoulders. With her being a doctor, she would be able to recognize a surgical line expertly done that traveled down the entirety of his spine. Besides that, she would be able to see an assortment of scratches all along his back that varied in deepness and length. It was obvious they were old and that he was still human. Ender only held up his clothing for a moment longer before dropping it and turning back around to face her, "Either this disease is mutating faster then we realize or what we know about it is wrong."

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She watched his expressions closely; the confusion, his consideration of her statements. One in particular seemed to catch his focus; and so, when he spoke, she calmly listened, arms still crossed. She honestly wasn't surprised that he wasn't there to help... and she wasn't surprised his focus was more so on the wealth of possible research that was there. Honestly, that was one of the reasons she stayed on, but it was useless. They chose researchers unwilling to delve into living specimens due to pesky family members, or those that were still alive, and refused to vivisect patients that held potentials for turning to ascertain just how the disease affected limbs and motor function.

However, when he mentioned she was wrong she flashed back from her introspection, amber eyes burning with a sudden, intense scrutiny. When he turned she crossed the distance almost silently, intensely focused on the scratches, hands hovering for a second over the surgical scar... before she stepped back.

If she had touched, she perhaps would have alarmed him. Most people flinched at the coldness of her hands... it wasn't something she intended to have happen, it just was.

She gave him distance also because she needed it to scrutinize him intensely the moment he turned around, head tilted slightly. "Interesting..." was her only response, one finger tapping on her lower lip in thought. "Perhaps... but it wouldn't be the first time my acquired data would be wrong," she muttered, more to herself than to him. But then her gaze flickered back, sharp and assessing once more. "Or perhaps there really is immunity."

@Orbit

 

[Darth Invictus]

Ender didn't have to see her be able to sense her closing the distance between them to examine the scars better. Even though she didn't touch him, he could feel the coldness radiating from her hands when she hovered over his skin and he instinctively took a step forward before he turned back around to face her again. It was clear the new revelation of how it didn't transfer through scratches wrestled with her mind and came to the possibility that her data could be wrong.

Then Ender saw the flick in her gaze as it changed from her usual observant one to something else entirely as she looked upon him like a specimen himself. He already shook his head before she could get too far in her own thought process, "I'm not immune unless I'm not the only one. I met a scientist and she was scratched as well." He added the second comment just to make sure his point got across, "If you try to use me as a test subject, you'll quickly lose a hand." Ender's relationship had never been good with doctors, the long and perfect scar down his spine being evidence of that.

A specimen seemed to be what everyone wanted but the two of them had more pressing matters at hand before that could be worried about. "We need to return to your camp. The infected will remain there for a few days to feed on what they can most likely before they'll move on. That gives us a window before they spread." Ender glanced around the room once more but when his eyes went to the scientific equipment, the answer he was searching for to his question seemed less likely. "Do you have any ordinance on this ship at all? Anything will help." If they didn't clear the camp, it could be a few weeks or even less then that before the planet could fall. Just at the camp, the two of them could see how infective the disease was and it would wreak havoc if it was wrought loose on the planet.

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She felt her face twist into a scowl when he mentioned her using him as a test subject. Even she had standards... and even those deaf to the Force could have seen the insult he inflicted on her. Immediately, her amber eyes flashed an icy gold, and she drew herself up, jaw gritting tightly in controlled anger over sore pride. She could feel her cheeks flush with the outrage of it, making snow white turn a pale rose on her cheeks and ears.

"Not to worry, I wouldn't dare want to use you even if you were one of those monstrosities," she seethed icily, arms crossing tightly beneath her bust. "Even I refuse to test a living, breathing, verifiable test subject if they are willing and able to confirm permission," she snapped, and then wondered why he rankled her ire so much. Instead she turned away, stalking to the other side of the room to give them distance, spine stiff but the air almost charged with sore pride.

She knew it was fair for him to assume she wanted to use him; and would have, if he wasn't human and not of sound mind. He was not her patient, and therefore, she had no right to use him for information. But it still galled he assumed she would; just what kind of doctors and researchers had he been surrounding himself with? She allowed for a few moments of silence while she willed the furious pounding of her heart to slow, and her breathing to settle. Calm, she needed to be calm, to focus... Finally, she began to settle, turning to face him once more, her features closed off.

"My only ordinance," she spoke calmly once more, willing her jaw to unclench and her shoulders to drop, "was by order of the Board of Galactic Health, in accordance with the Free Worlds... and the only people that have given me a fully functional array of certifications for myself. I am simply a physician, and researcher." Her words were measured, steady.

"But sending a message would take too long... I can't let these test subjects begin a planetwide pandemic like others have been subjected."

@Orbit