Private A Healing Hand

[Aleena Aryss]

Location: Coruscant Temple
Tag: Amani Serys

With a slow and steady descent, the shuttle touched down on the Landing pad that extended far out from the entrance of the Temple. Now that it was officially opened once again, Jedi who had been stationed in Temples all across Alliance Space were returning to use it as their main hub. But especially on the healer front, a call had been sent out for available Jedi to return. Both to meet and coordinate with the newly appointed Chief Healer, and to get a better idea about how many Healers were available for assignments.

Aleena was one such Jedi — a relatively fresh Knight with little experience, but her heart was in the right place, and all she wanted was to use her healing hands to help as many people as she could. So when the call came, she was on the first flight to Coruscant.

Having been born in a family of farmers, she was used to being surrounded by more nature, yet Coruscant had its own charm... if you could look beyond the lower levels and slimy politicians everywhere. It's the vast amount of people that made the difference to her, and just feeling how powerful it made the Force through all that life being together on a single planet.

"Welcome to the Temple, Knight Aryss," the droid pilot said as Aleena stepped out and looked at the massive temple. "Thank you!" she called out with a bright smile before she turned and began the long walk up to the entrance, where she hoped to meet with Amani soon. She had no real idea what to expect, but she was excited to get started again.

 

[Amani Serys]

Chief Healer.

The words were still strange to hear in reference to herself. If anything, even more now than before. The reopening of the temple had been a night for celebration (and drunken padawan misconduct), but today that title meant work. Her first official order of business since accepting the role was a simple meet and greet with one of the newly-arriving healers. Easy in concept, however Amani couldn't help but feel a little performance anxiety.

She marched quickly down the halls, still messing with her hair with one hand, and scrolling through her datapad with the other. The healer's file displayed for the umpteenth time since this morning: Aleena. The name's exceptional similarity to one Alina made her wince. She shook off that train of thought. Just another wholly unnecessary distraction on top of a plate full of them.

The temple doors opened and Amani stepped out into the rush of air, hoping to meet the new arrival halfway. As luck would have it, they had both reached the top of the perron around the same time. The mirialan plastered a welcoming smile onto her face, "Aleena Aryss? Amani Serys… Chief Healer." The corner of her mouth twitched up in response to her own title, "Welcome to the Jedi Temple."

Aleena Aryss​

 

[Aleena Aryss]

Location: Coruscant Temple
Tag: Amani Serys

What now?

She made her way up the staircase and reached the plateau leading up to the entrance... but should she go in? Should she wait outside to be brought in? Aleena blinked and ran a hand up through her blonde locks. Just be calm, she reminded herself as she stared at the large doors that were still closed. But as if by some miracle someone had heard her panicking deep inside, they opened and a Mirialan woman stepped out.

Aleena recognized her instantly from the files and from having heard about her recent promotion.

To present herself properly, she clasped her hands together in front of her lap, kept her posture straight, and dipped her upper body into a respectful bow, "It's an honor to meet you, Knight Serys. I've heard much about you," she said with a polite smile. "Thank you for welcoming me here, it's my first time visiting the temple, and... it's a little overwhelming."

Looking up, it was definitely even bigger than she imagined. It made her visibly nervous.

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani chuckled awkwardly, offering a less professional half-bow in response, "Please, you're gonna make me blush. Just Amani is fine." She cleared her throat and stood up a little straighter, "But likewise, Knight Aryss." They were desperate for a more stable roster of healers, and Aleena answering the call was a welcome relief.

Amani turned around to look at the monolithic structure behind her, then back to her fellow knight with a reassuring grin, "I know the feeling. But really it's not so bad. I think you'll feel at home here in no time." She gestured back toward the doors, and began walking to lead her inside.

"Remind me, where have you been operating before all this?" Amani glanced down at her datapad file briefly before putting it away, preferring to hear the woman's story in her own words.

Aleena Aryss​

 

[Aleena Aryss]

Location: Coruscant Temple
Tag: Amani Serys

"Just Aleena is fine, Knig-" she paused and smiled somewhat nervously, "...Amani," she corrected herself and glanced up at the structure again as Amani turned around. A perfect excuse not to just get lost in her embarrassment. When the Mirialan turned back to her again with a grin, Aleena offered a polite smile.

"I hope so, it's very different from what I'm used to." Following Amani's gesture, Aleena began to walk after the Chief Healer, looked around at all the statues and decorations, and tried to take in just the sheer size of this Temple. It was crazy to think how much history was contained to just this place alone, and now she was standing here herself.

But after a moment, a question pulled her attention back to the other Jedi, "I've traveled between some smaller Enclaves, and for a while, I've been in the outer rim helping address food shortages. I'm a healer but I've also studied botany and one of the few skills I feel comfortable with is affecting nature with the Force."

She paused a moment and looked back at Amani, "But when I heard what happened on Tython and in the core, I had to answer the call to come back and help here. I don't have the war experience most of you do, but I'll do my best to help," she said with a kind, but a more timid voice. Fighting had never been her thing, and the idea of being involved in major battles terrified her. But she couldn't keep hiding from it forever.

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani led them into the edifice and through its vast halls, where the noise pollution of Coruscant's infinite cityscape seemed to nearly vanish upon entry. For a building so grand in scale, its interior appeared sparsely populated, leaving just the two of them largely uninterrupted.

She listened to Aleena explain her previous work, and looked at her with genuine curiosity, "Really? I always found that a fascinating ability, though I never quite mastered it myself." She could apply it, but in a limited scope. Having someone more predisposed to such a skill around would be quite nice, "I've been trying to do a bit of redecorating around the medical wing. Just stuff to make it a little more… pleasant. Maybe you could help keep some of the plants I've been adding in shape." Amani smirked, acknowledging that it was a rather trivial use of such a power. But also, undeniably convenient.

The mention of Tython earned a solemn nod, "I think that spurred a reaction out of many Jedi across the galaxy. Myself included. I'd been away from those matters for a few years until I heard about what the Maw was planning. Now-" She gestured broadly around them, "Here I am." A Jedi once more. A Knight. And yes, the Chief Healer of the Order. The fact that war experience may be necessary was a dour one, but Amani to at least assuage some of her concerns, "As long as you're a good healer, that's enough for me."

At worst, she could simply keep her focus on the back lines, helping evacuated casualties rather than being thrown into the actual center of the battle. But that was a topic for a different time. Now, all they needed to worry about was getting her settled in and familiar. "There's not many of us, but we're a tight-knit group, with a lot of experience to go around. It'd be nice for you to meet some of the other healers, but they might all be busy right now." Just another example of how straining their duties could be at times, "They're all quite easy to get along with. You'll like them."

Aleena Aryss​

 

[Aleena Aryss]

Location: Coruscant Temple
Tag: Amani Serys

"I'd love to help with that! Sometimes I feel like interacting with plantlife is easier than with people," she said with a bright smile that quickly shifted into a more nervous one, as she realized how awkward that sounded. "I mean... I uh, am alright with handling plants but I can help people too, of course..."

She cleared her throat and forced herself to shut up for a moment.

Aleena just listened to Amani's story regarding Tython and nodded in response. She hadn't been there herself, so she never wanted to make any assumptions or statements about how tough it must have been — she would simply never understand. But the stories she read were still more than enough motivation to be here, "I'm glad you decided to return and help. From what I've read, it has been very much necessary. I will do my best to help like that as well."

The two then continued through the halls, and while she glanced around to take it all in, Aleena made sure Amani had all her attention as she spoke, "I'd love to meet them, and I'm sure I'll get the chance soon." She beamed a smile and gently swept aside some blonde locks. "On the topic of being busy, where do you think I'll be most useful now? I'd like to get started and help as soon as I can."

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani chuckled, dismissing the woman's perceived awkwardness, "Honestly can't say I blame you." People were messy, confusing things. Plants could be fickle, but at least they didn't have anything to say or do back to you.

"I won't lie to you, the workload can be heavy at times. Given, as I said, we're relatively short handed. But each extra pair of hands will make it a little easier to bear for us all." Better to be upfront about it than throw Aleena into a situation she wasn't prepared for. Not that Amani had many concerns about her performance to begin with. It's not like she was entirely new to the concept of being a healer.

"Right now, we're still just running through the tail end of our cases from Teta. Nothing too crazy, but some are still recovering, so we need to continue with check-ups and physical therapy for some." Thankfully there was a little bit of a lull, even if it still meant a consistent workload. But there was always a surge in the aftermath of a battle. Amani wasn't looking forward to the next. Nor did she ever.

"I was thinking I'd start by pairing you up with one of the other healers, or maybe even just myself, and you can help out while you get a feel for things. Afterwards you'll be able to work a little more freely. How's that sound?" She looked back at Aleena, then quickly flicked back to gesture ahead "Healing Halls are just up here."

Not long after they would enter the main wing. The inside was quiet, and empty, spare a medical droid tending to some routine duties at the front console. As mentioned, there were various plants sat or hanging throughout the room, giving it a more natural serenity. In contrast, the walls were largely austere, something Amani hoped to have changed in the near future with the help of one artistically-inclined padawan. There were rows of doors leading to various exam rooms and operating rooms for differing levels of emergency, with a larger set of doors in the far back opening up into a multiple-occupancy wing of beds, for when they became particularly crowded with cases.

But for today at least, things were slow. Amani looked back to her fellow knight, awaiting her reaction.

Aleena Aryss​

 

[Aleena Aryss]

Location: Coruscant Temple
Tag: Amani Serys

"It isn't much better away from the Core either," Aleena said with a more somber smile, "So I'm used to the lack of rest, but it won't be a problem. I'll be happy to help," she said with more confidence and determination than she had shown thus far. As terrified as she was of the battlefields, helping around here as a Healer was something she could definitely do.

So when Amani then answered her question and made a proposal, she happily agreed with a dip of her head, "That sounds wonderful, thank you. It'd be an hono-" she paused and smiled sheepishly, "I'd love to get a chance to watch you work and learn from you, but I'll pair up with anybody who has the time for it."

The two then made their way up to the Halls of Healing, and after entering, she just quietly stared around with widened eyes. Compared to what she was used to, this was just amazing, and her impression did little to hide that, "There's so much equipment and space here... I've worked in tents where we put stretchers on boxes and used those as medical beds. This place has everything!" she called out excitedly before she calmed herself down again to avoid more embarrassing moments.

"I can't wait to get started here, even though it will likely get very busy."

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani reciprocated a nod, "I worked in the Outer Rim for a few years. It can be tough." There was a trade off with different parts of the galaxy; Further away from the Core, you had (generally) less cases, but it was made no less complicated thanks to the fact that resources and medical tech were harder to come by. Meanwhile, further in, you had the opposite problem.

Aleena found the arrangement satisfactory, even getting caught up in a bit of professionalism again, to which Amani chuckled, "You're fine. I'd be glad to have you along."

Once inside the healing halls, her lips spread into a smile as Aleena took everything in, "That's what I said," Amani concurred, "All that work outside the Core, into this? I still feel a bit spoiled." The temple was at the heart of galactic civilization, its medical wing manned by talented healers and supplied by some of the finest in the Core. One would be hard pressed to find a better hospital (save the amount of staff on hand). "Just all the more help we can offer to others."

"Any particular specializations you have? Force healing tends to be pretty all-encompassing, but I'm always curious as to our members' more mundane expertise-" Before she could inquire further, an audio system chimed for their attention. Amani looked over to the main console where the medical droid had now stepped aside for her to fill in. She scanned the new popup, and blinked, "...A transfer from the Galactic City Medical Center." For ages, the center had a high speed transport tunnel between itself and the Halls of Healing, for more critical cases. These days such requests felt relatively rare, outside of wartime casualties. She looked at Aleena with a faint smirk, "Guess you're gonna get started right away. We're the only two staff on deck, c'mon."

Amani guided her to a backroom stocked with medical gear, "If the medcenter's bringing them here, then it's probably critical," She slapped on a pair of latex gloves, and held out a hand passively to Aleena, "Don't stress. We're gonna work through it together. Just treat it like any of your other past cases, kay?" With a final bump of the woman's shoulder, she would lead them back out toward the emergency drop-off, "There should be a med droid arriving with to give us the debrief. Let's go."

Aleena Aryss​