A mission style thread of course

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel nodded. Théo was the right sort of Jedi in Sorel’s eyes. He was thoroughly dependable and took his role seriously but not himself. Someone that transcended the title of fellow Jedi and could also be considered a friend. At least if they both got out of here alive, she mused.

And the news that the tunnel was a way of accessing the hangar without having to bump into anyone along the way was a significant bonus to their plans. And a lack of people to avoid ought to mean they could travel more quickly – a second positive.

The way ahead was bathed in darkness. Sorel was about to use Force Sight to guide her way and was relieved that Théo decided to use his saber instead. Every ounce of energy she could conserve was possibly going to make the difference between a successful mission or not. She was sure they would prevail – but was unsure at what cost.

They progressed quickly enough and Sorel noticed the debris ahead too. But it took Théo to encourage her to look up. The markings were disturbing. They were too irregular to be man-made but their pattern made no sense. At least not to Sorel. But she’d encountered enough horrors in the galaxy to be on her guard now – even more vigilant than she had been.

She nodded at his words and thought. She could sense their surroundings further and find something of note – or simply waste unnecessary energy. Caught in a dilemma, she focused on the task in hand. The hangar needed to be destroyed, along with the ships it contained. It was the only hope for lasting peace. And one of them needed to get there to execute the plan.

Any potential risk endangered both of them. She could not allow that to happen. So she closed her eyes and formed a three-hundred and sixty degree mental map in her head. She was advanced enough to see through walls and so she could sense individuals to their left and right as well as above and below them. But she disregarded their presence.

What caught her attention was significantly larger. It was directly ahead of them, and it was moving their way. And as if it sensed her probing with the Force, it speeded up – and could only be fifty or so metres ahead of them now.

“There–“ she said and pointed ahead. Soon it would be illuminated by the glow of Théo’s saber.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

The hairs went up on the back of his neck, a chill ran down his spine, the force sounding an alert as deafening as the silence that had experienced in this place. Instinctively, Theo moved forward to put himself between whatever was coming, and Sorel, it was a Heavenshield thing, she would have to learn to live with it. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, the unknown the driving factor, and he sensed it too.

The white light of his saber blade, bleed up the tunnel enough to give them a little distance before whatever it was came into view. Theo followed the line of Sorel's finger pointed and before they knew it, the largest cheshire grin greeted them and closed in fast. It was a big Nexu with full intent of eating them both. "Now we know why the tunnels are abandon". Obvious as this was, and with little requirement to be stated, he had to keep the change in situation light. If for no other reason then for his own nerves.

"Don't suppose you have animal friendship in your bag of tricks Sorel, cause I don't". And if she did not drastic measure would need to be taken and so Theo gripped his saber with two hands and took stance. He doubted there would be any reasoning with the Nexu, but maybe they could stun the beastie somehow, even if it is with a hard measure. They could not run, they could not afford the time to go back so the problem needed to be dealt with now.

Was there a plan? they needed a plan. Theo bolted forward to confront it, at least try and distract it enough and long enough so Sorel could implement something before he was ripped to shreds. The closer he got, the larger the Nexu .. "bad plan". And the Nexu positioned to pounce pulled strength to it's hind legs and flew through the air, claws splayed toward Theo.

​

[member="Sorel Crieff"]​

 

[Sorel Crieff]

No sooner had she sensed the oncoming creature and indicated it to Théo than he stepped in front of her and placed himself in immediate harm’s way. She registered his intent and decided a chat was in order. But not here and not now.

Sorel had faced many foes before and many of them were creatures. But if she were the sort to keep a list of adversaries and if she took delight in ticking them off, this would be a first for her. Except she didn’t – although it didn’t stop her reflecting on the fact she knew of its prowess.

And part of her wondered if its presence is what forced the locals to abandon the tunnel – or if it was placed here to stop people using it. And given they were unlikely to receive an answer from the Nexu itself, she decided to park the matter of conjecture for now.

As the four red eyes scanned them both, she remembered it could see in the infra-red spectrum and so darkness would not help them any. But Théo’s saber was throwing up sufficient light to work by and once she added her own sabers into the mix, they would negate the creature’s advantage.

But before she could activate them, Théo’s question made her pause. And his chivalrous – albeit slightly annoying – decision to step front and centre gave her a short window to seek an alternative solution to the encounter. She didn’t even bother to reply to his question – time was pressing – so she instead closed her eyes and reaching out with the Force sensed for any powerful emotions. And there was quite a cocktail to choose from and given her fellow Jedi’s demeanour, she knew none were associated with him.

So she latched on to the most powerful and followed it – like following a computer’s command back along a cable to the CPU. She had picked fear. The creature was predisposed to fight at the best of times but they were not prone to bouts of fright. But as she reached the creature’s mind, images presented themselves – clearly foremost in ‘her’ mind. How did Sorel know the creature was a ‘she?’ Because the images were of young. They were newly born and the maternal instinct to protect and feed them had kicked in.

Fortunately these mental manoeuvres were quick to perform – but a solution was going to present a challenge, especially once they engaged with the creature. So Sorel raised a hand and threw the Nexu to one side. It missed Theo on the way past and landed softly, immediately turning to face him once more.

Taking advantage of the few more seconds she was afforded, Sorel maintained the mental connection with the creature and shared new visions and hopefully more positive emotions.

She shared an image of the young being protected by another Nexu. This hopefully would quell the defend at all costs response. Then she projected a sensation of being full – both for the Nexu and the young. There was no longer a need to kill to eat.

How much time this would buy them, Sorel was unsure. Or even if the Nexu would take the new impulses. And they still had to get past it – which was an entirely different challenge.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

As the Nexu flew by, Theo ducked for cover thankful the splayed claws did not take hold and thankful to Sorel for intervening. He was trying to protect her - much to her annoyance he sensed - knowing she was fatigued and any use of the force would drain her more. He allowed himself a slight grin at the thought of her being annoyed with him, and if she was to chastise him over it, he more then looked forward to that. His grin widened and considering the circumstances, his grin would look out of place.

He turned ready to face the marauding Nexu once more, however, Sorel's influence was starting to take effect, at least for now. The Nexu paused, head shaking side to side as if trying to rid itself of a pest, something irritating .. annoying. Yet, it calmed, the want for the kill quelling and the Nexu began to pace in the tunnel unsure of what to do next. It still held them as enemy, a threat and it aggressive nature bubbled within itself. Theo edged closer to Sorel, taking slow steps deliberately placed to not excite the Nexu with sudden movement.

He aided her in the use of the force and entered the mind of the Nexu, although he had never done this before, he could sense what Sorel was doing and would give it a go. Learning on the run! the only way to train. He projected a sense of fatigue, trying to place upon the Nexu's mind it was time for a nap and as his concentration continue in conjunction with his sideways steps, he quickly found himself beside her. Eventually, the Nexu began to circle, its head lowered looking at the ground trying to find a napping place and finally it sat to curl up head resting on it's rather large paw. Eyes still watching them however, all four of them flicking from he to Sorel.

Back away slowly, don't make eye contact. The general rule under these circumstances, however, it was not that simply not until that Nexu was asleep. He hoped Sorel had enough driving force to sedate the creature, blood thirsty flesh ripping creature or no, it had a right to live along with any creature in this galaxy. And if it had been displaced and put here for devious intent, it was not it's fault.

​

[member="Sorel Crieff"]​

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was tired. Physically, from all of the exertions and poor diet over the past few weeks but also in her connection with the Force. She knew of a Meditation technique that would allow a Jedi to re-invigorate themselves in situations such as these and decided it was a Force ability she needed to find out about and practise the moment she got out of her current predicament. But for now she simply had to draw on whatever reserves she had and plough on.

Fortunately, it seemed Théo had enough energy for both of them – at least that’s how it seemed to her. And so as he joined her in controlling the beast, she allowed him to provide more of the energy and she instead focused on controlling the process.

She initially sensed he had joined her in the mind of the Nexu – his thoughts felt familiar to her given they’d communicated telepathically before. It was, to Sorel, akin to recognising a voice. And then she sensed he was projecting a new thought into the Nexu’s mind – one of fatigue to the point of sleep. Given they’d already allayed any fears over her brood, she was entirely hopeful it would work.

So Sorel sought familiar thoughts the Nexu was accessing as it prepared to lie down and using Théo’s power, she amplified them. It was enough to get it to lie down and present no present danger, although they couldn’t quite get it over the line to actual sleep.

As they slowly backed away, Sorel augmented the other thoughts – safety and physical well-being. A Nexu that felt its family was safe and that had a full stomach finally gave into the impulse to close its eyes. They blinked a few times before closing for longer periods of time and finally they remained shut.

As it’s fur rose and fell in a calm rhythm, Sorel encouraged Theo to speed up slightly – but she did not let go of the connection to the Nexu until they had built up quite a head-start, should it awaken and decide to take exception to being lulled into sleep.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

It took little to encourage Théo to move faster as the Nexu finally closed it's eyes and fell into a deep sleep. Sorel and Théo would have limited time to get out of the vicinity a safe distance, before the 'spell' would be removed. However, his brow etched in concern as he could feel Sorel's further depletion of the energy. She would not allow him to provide her with needed energy, nor assist her in any way save for the mission at hand and so Sorel Crieff is stubborn. That much he learned on his trip, and it was frustrating but also and probably more importantly, admirable. The Gods know that his father would never admit to being this way, but he is, and mother too both of which would rather plunge their sabers into their own hearts, than succumb to the darkness.

Once they had reached a good distance away from the immediate danger, Théo allowed himself to voice his thoughts. "Are you sure you are alright Sorel", he turned to her with all the purpose of helping her writ on his face. Then he turned to look about their location and soon found what appeared to the a place on which she could sit and rest for a moment, he would not brook refusal and so lead her by the elbow to the low ledge and nodded for her to sit. "We can rest just for a moment until you regain some strength". He stood ready to accept any words she might throw at him because of this gesture, any chastisement but he would not be moved. So now who is the stubborn one.

Théo grasped his scanner once more, holding his saber high to shed as much light as possible his attention was taken by the read outs. "The exist to the tunnel is around that corner five hundred meters ahead", he informed her without lifting his gaze from the screen. And yet it was silent. No sound of fire could be heard from the battle raging above them, this further influenced his brow sending them into a downward peak. A lull in the battle maybe? or maybe something was wrong. He flicked the switch on the device, scanned for life forms which threw up the sleeping Nexu, at least that was a blessing. Nothing else was present in the tunnel save for them.

"Let me help you", he said softly to her and he bent on a knee before her and rested a hand on her's and he would appeal to her through her sense of purpose and resolve. "You will be in danger in this state, and in this state little help to anyone". Whether she liked it or no, Théo would protect her out of his sense of duty to protect a Jedi Master, and moreover, a good friend.

​

[member="Sorel Crieff"]​

 

[Sorel Crieff]

It was almost impossible for a Jedi to hide from another Force user if they were tired. It manifested itself so obviously – especially when they combined efforts to complete a task.

And Sorel was not about to explain away her fatigue, or justify it or even try to pretend it didn’t exist. So she planned to ignore it. The truth would hang between them – unspoken but ever-present.

“I’m good,” she replied, side-stepping the direct question. “It didn’t touch me at all.” She realised her attempt to ignore the point was futile and so took a seat for a few moments and meditated – clearing her mind of thoughts and emotions for a minute or so. It was similar to having a quick nap. She wasn’t full of energy but she felt refreshed. “OK, rest over, let’s press on.”

She watched as he checked their whereabouts and was pleased the end of the tunnel was so close but could not supress a scowl at his suggestion he help her further. “Do the maths. Or math, whichever version you learned. Your energy plus my energy equals a total. Transferring some to me won’t increase the sum, just redistribute it, or maybe reduce it slightly. I have skills at my disposal that don’t require the Force if it comes to it, and the sooner we blow that hangar to kingdom come, the happier I’ll be. Then I can take as much rest as you wish. I promise.” Her tone was soft but firm. She was clearly not annoyed but she did not appear to want a debate on the subject.

She smiled in a hope of sealing the deal.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

He had plenty of it, energy that was and even though her words were sound, the point was to transfer some strength to her. It would not have weakened him in the slightest, in fact he had plenty of it to go around and that was just with Valkyri strength. But there would be no arguing with Sorel, it was easy to tell her mind was made up and would not be move no matter what he said. He returned her scowl with a frown, "Maths", would be his only response to the argument his reference to his version.

With that he turned to continue down the tunnel to the exit and the games would begins. Theo's frown had not left his face, he was not happy that Sorel, in his mind, was putting the mission at risk, peoples lives at risk. If she was incapable of performing what was required due to the fact she is depleted then she should stand aside. Was it willfulness or pride that caused her to deny this? he would not know, but all the same it concerned him. And as he strode toward the light at the end of the tunnel, he reminded himself of all the times he had been the same way, to head strong to believe he could not do his duty.

His demeanour soften somewhat, as he stopped at the exist. Plumes of black smoke snaked up into the air from the surrounding destruction over the village, twisted metal and rubble of buildings rested in a spray of dust that began to fall and settle on the ground. There was a toxic smell in the air, of burning fumes and waste and the place looked apocalyptic. A sobering sight for anyone to witness regardless of the wealth of experience in battles, it is never made easy to see it first hand.

"Right", he said softly to himself to set determination. And as Sorel would reach his position he turned to her once more, this time it was her turn to take the mission forward as she had been here longer then he and had a better understanding of the lay of the place. The hangar was but fifty meters or so ahead of them and inside the ships were all but ready to take to the skies once more. Theo pulled the rifle off his shoulder he had been carrying for her and handed it back to Sorel with a questioning look in his eyes, before once more checked his and re-primed it. Once that was done, he looked around to see if there was any signs that they had been detected or that there had been a trap set for them. For who knew just how deep the treachery had dug it's claws.

​

[member="Sorel Crieff"]​

 

[Sorel Crieff]

“Me too,” Sorel smiled as she replied. After all, it was an abbreviation of mathematics, not mathematic. But that was an aside they had little time for right now.

She sensed he was not happy with her decision but she knew her own mind and abilities. And it was nothing to do with rank, she was a Jedi, the same as him. She did not pretend to know more than him or any other Jedi on matters of the Force or military strategy, or any other subject. Bar one.

She knew more about Sorel Crieff than he did. By some margin. Was she aware of her own single-mindedness? Yes, and she had factored that into her decision. And she firmly believed that together they would succeed and at very worst she would ensure Théo was successful.

But the potential debate had to be over. They may have disagreed but they were on a mission. The plan was the plan and until she could no longer support that plan, she would continue. Once she felt compromised she would share the information and they could decide on the way ahead. But Plan A was still in play.

The sight that greeted them was one she was familiar with. She’d seen it too often over the past few months. She’d evacuated so many villages like this one. She’d buried the dead too – many of them children. Perhaps that was what fuelled her determination. Was she too close? She hoped not.

Sorel focused on the objective and blocked the scenes of the decimated village from her mind. Despite Théo’s diligence, she re-checked the rifle before cradling across the folds in her arms.

“I suggest we split up.” Sorel indicated she would skirt the area in front of them to the North – it was the further distance but offered the greater cover. “Get as close to the hangar to take a clean shot without taking unnecessary risks and getting too close.”

“Once we’re both in position, we should both take the shot. Better it is blown up twice than not at all. And may the Force be with you.”

With that, Sorel hugged the land as she moved out. Every now and then she threw a look back, to check on Théo’s progress.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

He never did like any plan that had them split up, whether it was Sorel or anyone else, but in this case it made sense to do so. It did not stop his face from forming concern over it, but if there was to be a trap then it was best that at least one of them would not fall into it, and that would leave the other to continue on. The mission was paramount, the success of the mission was the end game. For a brief moment, he watched Sorel move off clinging to the cover as best she could where provided for her, he could only hope she was not spotted or recognised. There was no telling which way the eyes of the betrayers were placed.

Théo moved off in the opposing direction, a short sprint over open ground before finding his own cover behind some debris from the near by fallen building wall. He looked for Sorel only to see a flick of long black hair vanishing behind a corner, he could not use the force to 'track' her, it was to dangerous to do so else if there was other force users among the enemy. He would pull his signature around him as best he could to minimalise his presence, but to a strong force user he would be detectable.

Moving from cover to cover, Théo finally found position suitable to take the shot. Looking into the hangar he could not see the refueling barrels, there was simply to much in the way, ships, crew and all manner of machines and vehicles. He was contemplating yet another move to open a line of sight deeper into the hangar when one of the ships moved to take off already refueled and ready to enter the attack once more. The ship took off and now revealed the barrels. Crew personnel stood back and watched, one of them rolling the spent barrel to the back wall and went to get another. There was two sets of barrels it seemed, close by each other .. one set empty. This gave Théo an idea, the spent barrels equally as volatile and the full ones now brimming with explosive fumes.

If Sorel could manage to hit the full fuel barrels, Théo would aim for the empties cause a major reaction to the initial explosion. There was no way in which Théo could see Sorel now, nor get a message to her and so it was up the will of the force to have them fail or succeed. He checked his surroundings, there was no one around him, no one had detected him as yet and so he prepared himself and the rifle and took line of sight. And waited.

​

[member="Sorel Crieff"]​

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Missions evolved – as did the plans that enabled their successful conclusion. Sometimes things went smoothly and other times you had to change objectives on the fly – or mix things up. This was something Sorel was comfortable with, and she invariably applied the Code and its tenets to her approach. Plan for success. Then plan for failure – but always plan for success first.

Working together was the ideal but at this stage, one of them getting off the shot was all that mattered. Two vantage points worked better than one. Two targets were harder to deal with than one. Two variables were harder to contain than one.

Yet despite their relative distance apart, Sorel still felt as one. They shared an objective and a way of operating. And they had each other’s back.

Sorel had yet to encounter another Force user on the planet, but she took nothing for granted. In a fresh state, she would have entered White Current and rendered herself invisible even to fellow Jedi, let alone conventional scanners. But she needed to conserve her energy and so she relied on stealth, cover and the light to aid her avoidance of detection.

The hangars were busy – which was a blessing and a drawback. It meant the ships had not taken off yet, but it also limited a clear line of sight. She considered moving to a better vantage point but that would risk her being seen. So she remained still, relying initially on the fact that hustle and bustle meant movement and a clearer shot might present itself soon.

She was aware that, despite an expectation that a hangar was a static environment, it was anything but. She glanced across at Théo but at this distance, she had no time to explain her delay or coordinate activity. So she relaxed and emptied her mind of emotions and focused on where she believed the barrels of fuel to be.

The window of opportunity was small and so she did not hesitate to take the shot when it presented. She could only see a square metre of one of the barrels – that appeared when a ship was moved – but it was enough. She gently depressed the trigger and as she did so, she changed her aim marginally. It was a reaction to the Force and she trusted it as she always did.

And sure enough, no sooner had the bolt left the rifle than a gust of wind sprung up from nowhere. But her revised trajectory had compensated for this and the shot was true. The ensuing explosion was as spectacular as it was deadly. Yes, she would have taken lives and had there been a way to avoid this, she would have gladly taken it – but the deaths of thousands, if not tens of thousands were likely to have been prevented by the single shot and so when she reflected on the act, she would be able to reconcile the act with her interpretation of the Code.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Intense concentration on the situation had focused Theo's mind to singular purpose, narrowed his distractions to open up to the force on a wide scale. His ability and skill in the use of the force to be aware of his surroundings heightened to the point nothing was left 'unseen'. He could sense her, in the distance like a white beckon pulsing with energy and her focus equal, if not more, focused and determined. The ripples of the force flowed between them, and outward to the objective and in a split second he felt her intent, a pull on the force that spoke of action and event only seconds away from passing. He trusted in this, this feeling and without hesitation he released the bolt from the rifle. It would only be but a heart beat after her shot and his was true to the mark. The initial explosion amplified once the barrel full of fumes was pierced triggering a domino effect and the hangar became engulfed in flame and black smoke.

Theo ducked for cover as the shock wave raced toward him pushing dust and loose debris along the ground and through the air. He could feel the effect of it against his back as the metal he hid behind pushed against him and the radiant heat almost suffocating as the intense fire devoured oxygen around them. Theo began to cough, after he sucked in air to his lungs, and stumbled to his feet in order to try and get out of there.

But he would not leave without Sorel.

It was almost overwhelming the sensation of life extinguished entering the force, he felt everyone of them. But he pushed onward toward Sorel's location, running across open ground now shrouded in billowing black toxic smoke, but before he reached her there was yet another explosion. One of the larger ships in the hangar had sustained much damage in the explosion and was ablaze but once the fire had ruptured the fuel tank it exploded fracturing the ship and sending chunks of hot metal in all directions.

The last thing Theo remember was the flash of yellowish light and bright white light flashing in his eyes before everything went black. His body lay on the ground bleeding from the hit of the metal from the lower torso and legs, part of his leather jerkin melted to his skin with the radiant heat and his breathing became shallow.

​

[member="Sorel Crieff"]​

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Plans always had repercussions. Perhaps Sorel hadn’t though the outcomes through. Or maybe she had and had pushed them aside for the sake of the mission. For to destroy all these ships and make the hangar inoperable took a significant explosion. And to get close enough to take the shots that Sorel and Théo had made – logic said they were in the blast radius. But they were no suicide bombers – they were Jedi. Their task was to save lives. Sadly that meant taking some – but it was inevitable. The Code was clear on this matter – it was entirely acceptable to take a life to complete a mission. Yes, there would be a stain on Sorel’s aura – that was how it worked. But the fact that the act was done for the greater good mitigated the blemish. It did not eradicate it, but it did diminish it. For every life taken strengthened the dark-side. It was inevitable. But if her actions were true, then she would have equally strengthened the light-side. Only time would tell.

Jedi had amazing reflexes, based upon their connection to the Force. Sorel’s Echani training had heightened them even more. So the explosion and subsequent damage played out in almost slow-motion in Sorel’s eyes.

First there was the light. Sorel had to look away, such was the intensity of the series of explosions. Then came the sound – slower to reach her, despite her proximity to the blasts. It was a sonic blast that knocked her off her feet – which ended up being a blessing in disguised. Because closely following the sound wave was debris – and intense heat. Beyond that her recollection of what happened was non-existent.

The flash had momentarily activated all the photoreceptor cells in her eye, making vision impossible for approximately five seconds, until the eye restored itself to its normal, unstimulated state. It left her with an after-image for a considerable time, impairing her vision – causing it to be slightly blurred. And the loud blast led to a temporary loss of hearing, and disturbed the fluid in the ear, causing a loss of balance.

Sorel didn’t think she lost consciousness – but she couldn’t be sure. She knew she was flat on her back and lying near the low concrete wall she’d taken cover behind. The fact she was a few metres from it suggested the blast had moved her a distance.

She opened her eyes and the stars above were fuzzy. She blinked a few times but it didn’t make anything clearer – but at least she could see. And there was a ringing in her ears. As she moved to a kneeling position, she toppled over – her balance was clearly off. Breathing deeply, she crawled over to the durasteel and sat up, leaning against the metal. It was now she realised her robes were shredded and bits of shrapnel were embedded in her skin. Her chest had taken the brunt of the force but her arms too were impacted. Judging by the wounds, she must have flung her arms across her face just in time.

She glanced around and saw a body – Théo. She drew in another deep breath and dug into her reserves of energy and crawled across the space between them. It seemed to take an eternity, but her senses told her he was alive – but in a bad way.

She reached him and wondered what might have been if she’d taken some energy from him previously. She was almost spent and he needed help right now.

Tutaminis. It was her one hope. She’d studied Master Shan’s Holocron so many times now, she was quite advanced – but there were certainly options she’d yet to utilise fully – and what had just sprung to mind wasn’t precisely text-book. But it was all she had.

The plan was simple. To draw potentially harmful energy into her body and channel it. With additional effort, after absorbing the energy, the user could utilise it to heal her wounds or manifest other Force powers.

Plan for success, she told herself as she unclipped one of her sabers and activated with a snap-hiss. The golden light bathed them both as she assessed the worst of Théo’s injuries. She was solid in Force Heal – but more of a field medic than a Healer. But right now that would have to do. All she had to do was stabilise him until they could find a proper medic.

All. One syllable. Three letters. Yet such a significant word in the context of the here and now.

“Hold on,” she said, unsure if her words were for Théo’s benefit or her own. And then she shifted her grip on her saber and held the blade itself. There was no burning or loss of fingers. Instead she drew in the energy – some of which she had to use just to continue to hold the saber. But the residue she channelled through her body. Up her arm, across her chest and down through her other arm. Her hand was on Théo’s lower torso and where she was touching him, a pale glow appeared. Her hand appeared to be illuminated from within and she consciously pushed the energy into his body, concentrating on his bleeding. Her hand moved across the open wounds and one by one she managed to close them all, stopping any further blood flow.

Next she focused below the skin and sought any source of internal bleeding. Thankfully this was minimal and not affecting any major organs. Once more she focused on closing the wounds and stop the remaining blood loss.

His burns she could do little for and so his breathing was her next task. She used the Force to effectively pump his lungs. He may have endured a broken rib or two and she might aggravate those wounds but evacuating his lungs of smoke felt the greater need right now.

She could visibly see the smoke leave his lungs and she suspected there was internal damage – but that was beyond her capability. And soon his breathing was steady – which was a plus – and in her not precisely expert opinion he was stable.

She deactivated her saber and was aware that, despite her ability with the technique, her hand was blistered and the pain was starting to blossom. She closed her eyes and lay beside Théo. Her good hand activated a homing beacon on her belt and she spoke softly as she succumbed to the pain in her hand. “We’ll be fine,” she said to her companion, her voice faintly delirious. “Another routine mission successfully completed. A piece of cake really.”

Whether it was her fatigue, or over-exertion with the Force – or even her injuries – she didn’t know…but she drifted into a peaceful sleep, a smile on her face. A bloody end to a civil war had been averted – at least for now. If she recovered quickly enough, she might be in a position to broker peace talks. But with her diplomatic skills? Maybe best left to someone else. Right now, she needed a nap.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

A flicker of consciousness returned to Théo, and with it a sensation of heat.

His mind drifted, swimming with images that did not make sense to him, random flashes of events of the past both of his youth and more recent. It was a strange heat, not one that devoured like that of the explosion but life giving, a restoration and renewal and his body began to heal. The pain seemed to subside only to return in other places and his lungs burned but even this began to wan, and his chest rose and fell with more regularity. He was unaware of how this was happening, at least in this moment, but the extremes that Sorel went to in order to heal him would never be forgotten. Had he known, he would have stopped her from causing such aggressive pain and injury to herself. In a galaxy where nothing is impossible, there are some things that are, and stopping Sorel Crieff was one of them.

Stability returned to his body, not his mind however, and being aware of Sorel next to him was like something from a dream. But her words filtered through, and gave him a sense of relief .. she was alive and with him and all he heard from her soft voice was the word 'cake'. "Kavasa frosting", the only words able to be spoken by him as his mind tried to find reason.

Time seemed to have vanished, the only thing real around him was her and the ground pushing back against his body as he lay heavy upon it. Eventually, help would arrive and both of them would be lifted to safety and medical assistance, and both of them would receive that well earned rest.

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[member="Sorel Crieff"]​

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