A Helping Hand

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa gave a small hysterical laugh at Kaili's calm words of advice, but still did not open her eyes. It took several moments of controlled breathing for her to feel calm enough to open her eyes and let go of the wall of the cave. "Thank you, Kaili." she smiled, her voice far calmer than she truly felt. "I can't climb down, the last thing you need is a old woman seizing up because she let her fear get the better of her. No, we'll jump. It'll be over quicker."

As always when fear was close at hand, the serpent in the back of her mind stirred, she could feel her mocking laugh. A woman who had helped devour worlds was scared to climb down a little cliff. Her expression darkened momentarily, hating Layil and the memories that she dredged up. Face set, she walked towards the opening and stood at its edge, staring out across the sea of green. Teth's jungles truly were beautiful, teeming with life the calls of the creatures within it drifted up towards them, creating a more calming affect than her breathing had done.

She cast a smile at Kaili over her shoulder, and stepped off the edge.

The first few seconds took her breath away, taking away any chance of scream that may or may not have lurked in her throat. She was reminded briefly of Coruscant during the Omni crises, when she, Darron and Seydon had had the floor blown from beneath their feet. She had relied on Darron then to slow her, to calm her. She had been so heavily dependant on him throughout their relationship, but now? She took solace in her independence and in the strength that she had gathered in herself since being apart from him. It was this thought that drove all fear from Rosa's heart and allowed her to focus. Drawing the force about her, she slowed her descent adjusting her path with a small telekinetic nudge as to avoid the branches of the trees as she passed between them.

Leaves slapped at her face as she passed beneath the canopy, and she bit back a curse as she landed a little heavier than intended, twisting her ankle. Limping out of the way for Kaili, she massaged it before stretching out in the force to find their thieves.

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

“Wait, you- what?” Kaili tried to ask but it was already too late. Rosa leaned out over the ledge and Kaili’s eyes went wide as she rushed to the ledge. A hand reached out for her but it was too late. By the time Kaili reached the ledge herself Rosa had already fallen a good bit. Kaili blinked for a second before she backed away from the ledge mouthing yet another quiet ‘what the fark.’ Well, there was no point in staying here, was there? She had to follow Rosa, and right now that only meant one thing.

Kaili closed her eyes and let in a deep breath.

Here went.

Feet rushed towards the ledge and she jumped. The secret was to focus yourself for the landing, to take your mind off the fall itself and prepare for the landing. Only problem was that when you weren’t all that unfamiliar with the feeling of a free fall — or rather, had bad memories of it — focus wasn’t something that came all that easily. Kaili struggled to find her focus between staving off the panic of memories and the idea that she was falling. She felt the ground in her mind grow ever so rapidly, no that wasn’t the ground and it wasn’t that far away. Or rather, it was, but there was something else there.

A tree. There was a tree there.

Kaili tried to focus on the tree, to dampen her fall and she would succeed. To a point. A loud crack echoed through the woods as Kaili continued to fall through the tree’s crown. A sensation began to burn in pain as if someone had just set her on fire, something felt wrong. Her back caught the rest of her fall as she hit the ground accompanied by a thick branch. The girl struggled to breathe for a second. Her ribs hurt, her leg as well. The world grew blurry and she struggled to keep her eyes up. Shaky arm raised towards the sky and the gaping hole in the tree’s crown.

Two ribs, an arm and a leg. It all hurt. It was all broken.

The arm slumped down. She needed a moment to rest. She’d be back up in a sec.

 

[Rosa Gunn]

The crunch of a branch and the sickening crack of bone snapped Rosa's attention away from the pirates and to a Kaili full of pain. "Oh feth, Kaili!" Rosa was at her side in an instance, splintering apologies. "Stars Kaili, I just assumed...I'm so sorry...should have checked..." She ran her hands over Kaili's body checking for where the broken bones were.

"Chit." She swore again, placing a hand on Kaili's pale forhead. "Relax Kaili." she said softly, forcing the girl into a slumber. Bones were far easier to fix when the subject was completely relaxed. She worked quickly and carefully, knitting her ribs back together first, to ease her breathing And lessen the chance of Kaili waking and holding something.

Rosa plunged herself into the force, forgetting for what felt like an age, that there was anything else but Kaili and her injuries. Torn muscles repaired tightening bones together as they two knitted together. It didn't take her long, but by the time she was done, Rosa was drained.

It'd been a while since she'd healed anyone, even herself. She slumped against the tree, closing her eyes she let the force flow through het, regenerating her own strength while waiting Kaili to wake naturally. She couldn't cure shock, only rest could do that.

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

Kaili felt the ease as it spread out across her mind. The blurriness of the world seemed to fade into black as the young girl went limp in the healer’s grip. It was like a dream almost, to witness the mending of flesh and bone. Her own bones no less. It reminded her of the way her dreams used to be, but in reverse. The rending of bones and muscle, the tearing at the seams and the screams of pain. Monsters biting and becoming the wound, absorbing whole shapes of people into their own being like a gelatinous blob seeking to devour all in its path.

All the dead people she had seen that day.

All the people that she had killed when the ship had crashed.

The people she had lost up until now, not limited to Maila or Allyson.

Allyson.

Kaili’s pulse kicked into gear, her heart began to pound against her chest as she squirmed in her sleep. The dirt shuffled behind her, first in seeming unease before it turned into an outright shake. The girl woke up with a scream, seating herself in an upright position.

“Allyson, no!” It was an involuntary twitch as she began to frantically look around her. Where was she? She had never been here before! Eyes set on Rosa. “Rosa!”

“Rosa, chit!”

“Rosa!”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Kaili's distressed cry sounded like a million miles away, while she drifted in the force. Its was the half panicked repetitions of her name that brought Rosa back to heraelf with a nasty jolt. She sat bolt upright, and was at Kaili's side in an instant, pulling her into a reassuring hug.

"Hush now," she said softly, "I'm alright, just resting." She drew back holding Kaili by the shoulders and gazing at her intently. Even without her empathy, Rosa could see that Kaili, was not alright. It took a moment for her to recall the name that Kaili had shouted, and understanding seemed to pass over her features.

"How do you feel?" Rosa asked her. She didnt want to pry, everyone had their fears and demons, and not everyone wanted to share them.

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

There was little Kaili could do, or wanted to do, than let the hug last for as long as it could. It was comfort in a moment when she so desperately needed it. Rosa would make them part regardless and the kid couldn’t help but look at the ground. Her hair covered her features. Kaili took a deep breath. How did she feel? Well,

“Like I just saw my girlfriend die again.” Kaili shook her head. “She didn’t, but there was a time when she almost did and there was nothing I could do.”

The kid would swallow air to try and find the words, but her head merely shook again. “That’s all I want to say about that.” She stood up. “We should go. They’ve already got a head start on us.”

“Think they heard that scream, or?”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

The emotion rolling off Kaili wrenched at Rosa's heart. She knew that fear, she felt it every time Seydon fell out of contact for his work was dangerous and he had failed to return home in the past for months, even a year. Leaving her heart full of terror and sorrow. A lump formed in Rosa's throat, and she blinked hard. But just like that, iron gates seemed to fall around Kaili as she tried to shut her pain away, looking instead for a distraction. Rosa swallowed, cleared her throat and stood up after her.

"They've not moved, its possible they've made camp." There was a storm coming, she could feel it in the air about them, despite the clear skies above the canopy. "As for whether they heard you," she shrugged "there's a lot of dense jungle between them and us, chances are the sound was muffled enough for them to think its was nothing but a wild animal." She placed a hand on Kaili's arm, and tried to find words to convey that she understood her pain, that it was OK, but as her lavender eyes searched the techno-geeks face she saw a hardness there that was not to be disagreed with.

"This way." she said instead, letting her hand drop and moving forward. The forest bent aside to let them pass, before folding back to normal behind them. Rosa hummed, no particular tune but its seemed to reverberate through the force as she tapped into the life force of the jungle and bent it. There was so much energy here, but it was innocent and light. The further they moved forward the more they came to feel the dark energy ahead of them. Not powerful, not even a force user, but malice bred darkness and the pirates camp was certainly full of it.

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

Dense jungles indeed. Kaili tightened her hands into tight fists before she let the tension go. The sound of thunder called out from the distance above. A hand grabbed at her arm and Kaili would turn to look. She was used to it all, the act of stowing away emotions or keeping them under wraps. As a child she had always had a temper, and this would simply have to fall in line under the rest of her woes. Time would come when she would find a means to relieve some of it. Under most circumstances it was full-contact sparring, but part of her didn’t find that it worked as well anymore. The frustration just didn’t go away and she knew very well why that was.

“Good, that means we have the element of surprise.” Kaili tried to smile. “For our conversation.”

Following along with Rosa there was little Kaili really wanted to do but merely stare at the ground and think on what it was she had seen in that dream. In her life too, technically, but it applied to both. One influencing the other. Her heart weighed and Rosa had proved able to listen…

“So uh,” Kaili started. “I know we pretty much just met, and we’re technically business partners, but I just…”

“I really need to talk to someone.” Kaili sighed. “About life.”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa could feel the turmoil Kaili's emotions behind her, swelling for to burst. If she didn't do something about it soon, she would internalize it and that never had good results.

Rosa stopped humming as Kaili spoke up, then she stopped walking and turned to look at Kaili. "Oh I think we can safely say we've reached the realm of friendship without any issues." She replied studying Kaili again.

"You mean you need to talk about Allyson?"

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

“Yes.” Kaili nodded and looked at Rosa. “She’s my girlfriend, but…”

“She don’t remember me.” The girl then closed her eyes with a drawn out sigh. “She worked with the SIS and the Galactic Alliance during their attack on Anoat. I don’t know the full details of her mission, but the station she was on ended up going critical and up in flames while she got spaced.”

“The lack of air must have strangled her brain or something, that’s what the doctor said, and it caused damage.” Kaili bit her lip, sucked it in with the hopes of staving off the tears, but it was in vain. “She forgot the last four years. Forgot me, and what we shared during those years.”

“Now, I’ve been trying really hard to make her remember, but nothing seems to bite.” Kaili dragged her hand through her hair. “I can’t just tell her who we are. I want her to remember for herself, I can’t force that concept on her.”

“And then there is my brother who nearly died in the very same explosion.”

“He is critical, the doctors are keeping me updated, but everything is just…”

“It’s a lot.”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa's heart broke as Kaili spilled everything out, her iron gates collapsing under the weight of her pain and sorrow. It was like being hit with a tidal wave and the lump Rosa had swallowed back earlier reformed, her own eyes sparkling with tears as she reflected Kaili's pain. SHe stepped towards her and pulled her into an embrace, hugging her tightly, a hand stroking her hair as the tears spilled over.

Memories were funny, triggered by the smallest of things, like a smell or a sound. She recalled Je'gan Olra'en, a master of force illusions and mentality. He had the ability to wipe memories away, or at the very least block them out, but there was always a way to bring them back. She would never dare try something herself, she was nowhere near as powerful, nor as skilled. Simply trying could be catastrophic, and yet...there had to be something she could do to help. To do nothing simply wasn't in her nature.

"You poor child." she murmured. "I knew a man once, who could do thing with memories.... I think this is the first time I've actually missed him." She sighed. "Perhaps there is something I can do to help?"

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

How long ago had it been that Rave Merrill had used her memory contraption on Kaili? While it had without a doubt worked, respite it had offered on the girl was temporary and in the end had left her with a headache that could only be described as infernal. It was only later that Kaili had found out the master alchemist had embeded knowledge upon the Taliths mind that she had stowed away for later. It regarded the technovirus, and if ever there was one thing Kaili knew better than to play with it would have been that particular aspect of Mechu-Deru. The calm she had gotten was temporary, but the knowledge was not, and that worried her the most.

Of course she had asked herself if it was possible to heal a memory in the force, but she didn’t know what was worse. The fact that it’d be a memory forced into remembrance or the fact that it was something Allyson might forget soon enough again. Kaili wouldn’t be able to live through that, she just couldn’t.

“I don’t know.” Kaili sobbed. “I have experience with memory repairs and fixes from Rave Merrill.”

“I don’t want the risk it entails.” The kid sniveled. “I want her to remember me on her own, I don’t want to risk her forgetting me completely or just remembering me for a short while.”

“I just want her to remember me. At her own volition and pace. I can’t force this on her.”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa tightened her hold on Kaili as she sobbed her reply. Though her expression darkened at the mention of Rave Merrill. She never had been found of the woman who so often called her husband from her. "Oh Kaili, I didn't mean that. I can't pretend that I know anything about how to deal with memories. I can read them, but I would never dare try to play with them."

She drew back a little taking Kaili's face in her hands, brushing away tears with her thumbs. "Perhaps I can help with your brother? Lessen the load a bit."

She pulled her back onto the hug letting out a long sigh. Perhaps all she need was to cry until she had no more tears left.

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

Kaili let the hug happen. Her brows burrowed into the raven haired master’s shoulder with little regard to the discomfort that her puddle of tears left Rosa with. It just felt good to cry, something she hadn’t felt able to do since before she found out Allyson was still alive and in that moment it had ended with a devastating scream of grief and agony on the surface of Ruusan where they had made a promise that they were one another’s. Not a proper engagement, but a promise to one day do it. A promise to make a promise. Kaili had gotten Allyson’s wedding band in the girl’s black box.

It had torn her apart inside.

And then she found out Allyson was alive after all.

The emotional roller coaster just didn’t end.

“How?” Kaili sobbed yet again into Rosa’s shoulder.

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa stretched out in the force, seeking to calm Kaili, to reassure her that she was not alone, all the while, a hand gently stroking her head. "I'm a healer, Kaili." she reminded her softly "I know the Alliance will have their own, but it can't hurt to have another set of eyes. As for Allyson..." she paused for a moment. "If you don't want to force the memories on her then you need to look for triggers. Smells, sounds...experiences, things that might unlock doors in her mind to allow the memories to come back to her...Like where you went on your first date, the first drink you shared. And Kaili,"

She drew the girl away from her, acutely aware of how wet her shoulder had become, and placed a hand under her chin to make her look at Rosa full in the face. "You are not alone, that much, I can promise you." She smiled warmly.

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

“I think my father is with him, and my mother.” Kaili sniveled. “I can’t. I just… Can’t.”

“I’ve seen death, I have felt it and I don’t want to feel that around my brother as well.” In a sense she was running away from the risk of having to be present in case her brother died. It was a concept that was as frightening to her as any other, if not more so because it was her brother. He had been there when she was a child and he had been there for her temper tantrums. He had been cause of many of them as well, but he had always been there. Always offered advice, always offered a joke or a smile, and now he was stuck in a hospital bed and Kaili couldn’t even return the favor.

Rosa grasped her chin and drew her in for a moment of reassurance.

“I feel alone.” Kaili sobbed. “I have never felt more alone.”

“But you are right.” She tried to smile. “I’m not.”

“I still have Allyson, even if she doesn’t remember me.”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

"Kaili, death is not something to be afraid of. You do your brother a great dishonour by avoiding him at time like this." her voice was slightly stern. She understood that it wasn't truly the death itself that frightened her, but the thought of losing someone she was evidently close to. "For all you know, feeling his sisters presence, might just be what he needs."

She took her by the shoulders. "You must have faith. Faith in Allyson's love for you, faith in your brother and faith in the force. If you allow yourself to get lost in the 'what ifs' and the selfishness of you own fears, you will miss moments and regrets will creep up to haunt you. The force brought you and Allyson together and it will bring her back to you before you know it."

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

Yes it was! Why didn’t anyone seem to understand that?! Kaili had lost everyone she ever held close and it was hard if not impossible for the girl to feel at least a little bit paranoid that the force that pushed the galaxy onwards despised her on such a basic level that it refused to let her ever experience any kind of happiness. The second Kaili pushed her fear aside that Allyson wasn’t going to go anywhere she was taken from her, and then as an added dose of salt upon the wounds she had also managed to forget who Kaili truly was and what they had.

She didn’t offer any response to what Rosa said about it, choosing instead to listen to her message about hope and faith. She was well-aware about the what-ifs, more often than not having wished it was she who had died in the ship crash when she was a child, but she had once vowed to put that part of her aside. For Allyson. For her brother.

“... Yeah, it is.” Kaili sighed. “And yes, I hope she will remember me.”

Eyes set on the road again. As much as she enjoyed this conversation, or rather felt it was something she most likely had to have whether she liked it or not, there were pressing matters to attend to.

“We should go.” She shook her head. “Those parts might get away.”

 

[Rosa Gunn]

Rosa gave Kali a searching look before nodding in agreement. Confident that Kaili's wavering emotion was back in check and she would be able to focus she turned towards the direction of the pirates, stretching out once more in the force to ensure that their prey was still within reach. They hadn't moved and that gave Rosa the impression they had made camp for the night. That made things all the easier for them. Leading on she continued to manipulate the jungle around them, granting them a clearer and easier path.

It took them less than half a hour to reach the encampments edge, jovial voices cutting through the jungle towards them. Clearly they were a little more than pleased with their haul and had opted to celebrate before taking it off world. Rosa crouched low, peering through the undergrowth at what lay ahead of them. The four she had seen in the temples memories were not alone, she counted eight of them in total, some lounging around on crates that had been shifted to encircle them, others picking through their prizes and assessing the full value of what they'd gathered.

A fire was burning in the centre, ration packs shoved in the embers to cook. Rosa glanced sideways at Kaili. "Ready?" she asked. The force drew in around her, her body charging with tutaminis before she rose from her position and stepped boldly into the camp.

"Good afternoon." she said pleasantly. The effect was instantaneous, a ripple of movement as weapons were snatched up and swung in their direction, a stiff silence settling over them. "I believe you have some items that belong to me, I'd like them back please."

[member="Kaili Talith"]

 

[Kaili Talith]

[member="Rosa Gunn"]

Eight, and they were far between. Kaili frowned for a moment as Rosa asked whether she was ready or not. Truth told Kaili wasn’t really ready, but Rosa proceeded to step into the open and the girl would do the same right behind her while working double time to put her regular methods to work. The force seeped not into Kaili but the men’s rifles and pistols one by one as a wind seemed to sweep into them. They remained pointed at the two women, yet they all began to hiss as Kaili’s eyes wandered in a chain from person to person.

“Oh really?” One of the thugs outright laughed at Rosa, his voice drowning out the hiss from his plasma cartridge with a deeply amused laughter. “And why would we do that?”

“Because right now we hold the upper hand.” Kaili said, stepping forward. “Drop your guns, let’s talk this through, or things will start to get messy real soon.”

They all looked at each other for a moment before laughing in even greater hysteria. Who did this girl think she was, trying to threaten them? She looked unarmed, hardly a threat to anyone. They didn’t believe her for a second. One man began to look at his pistol with worry. The man one would presume to be the leader, a man with a scruff and a voice like gravel turned to look at him.

“Yo, what’s wrong?” He asked of his soldier.

“My gun, boss. It’s making a noise.” He replied to his superior.

“Well take it out and put it back in then.”

The man reached for the cell in his gun.

“I wouldn’t.” Kaili stopped him.

The soldier stopped dead in his tracks as the leader perked his brow at Rosa and then Kaili.

“Alright then, ladies. What do you want?” He sounded serious.