Private A New Stage

[Darth Ventrix]

All of the medical machines that Taa Nul brought to bear on the body within the capsule succeeded in keeping her alive. But she wasn't quite conscious. There was just too much damage that needed to be repaired first.

Hours soon turned to days with nothing but the machines making noise in the room. Or the ocassional footsteps by medical personnel and that of Setrus himself whenever they came and went during what could best be described as an incubation period.

It wasn't until late one night that she began to wake up. Her eyelids fluttered before opening up, taking in the sight of the room that she was in. It was dimly lit due to the hour, yet there were so many machines...

Moving hurt. She lifted her left arm slowly, moving her hand towards her face so that she could feel the mask that helped her to breathe. Tears started to fall as she tried to recall what had happened. She didn't even know where she was. All that she knew was that she hurt and that some part of her felt as though it was missing.

Maybe this too, was a dream....

 

[Taa Nul]

Morcus reached out to gently squeeze Kay's hand when she awoke, to comfort her. "Easy now. You've been through quite the ordeal, my dear.", he said. He looked rough. Definitely hadn't shaved the last few days. He didn't want to leave Kay's side during the process to save her life, after all. "Your at one of my private medical facilities, on Hoth. You've been....in an incident. Suffice it to say, you were most fortunate I was on my way to visit you when it occurred. I thought I'd lost you for a while there, daughter of mine....", he said with a sigh.

"My physicians were able to save your life, thank the force. How are you feeling?", he inquired, still holding her hand. He tried to hide his rage and sorrow about what'd happened behind a comforting smile, but it was obvious he was not coping as well as he had hoped.

Darth Ventrix

 

[Darth Ventrix]

She squeezed his hand in return, though her strength was far weaker than his own. Her eyebrows rose as Taa Nul mentioned that she was on Hoth. That was quite the distance from her shoppe. Just how long she had been unconscious, she wasn't sure.

Her eyes wandered the room for a moment, taking in her surroundings and the machines that worked hard to save her, before returning to Morcus. She could feel his emotional pain that he tried to hide, and her own feelings were a mix of grief and confusion.

"I hurt...Thank you for saving me, Father. How....how bad is it? How do I look?" A little bit of vanity there and of course she wanted some tea. However the rebreather made that a bit impossible for now.

 

[Taa Nul]

Morcus smiled when she responded. Lucidity was an excellent sign. "As regal as always, my dear daughter. I spared no expense on your suit and implants. I tried to have them be made as comfortable and aesthetically pleasing as possible. You....suffered a lot of damage. More than Bacta could ever fix. We've had to....replace a lot of organs with cybernetic replacements, and this new suit will need to be worn to keep you fully functioning. It's not ideal, but I could not bare losing you, I....", he said, unable to hold back tears, simply giving Kay a hug. ".....Whoever did this to you will pay, Kay. I will see to it personally."

He turned to gaze at one of the doctors, who nodded, departing to give them some privacy. "I....havn't notified your family yet. I figured you might want some time to adjust, or to break it to them yourself....", he said with a sigh. He didn't know what to say to Caedyn or Loreena about what he'd had to do to save their mother.

Darth Ventrix

 

[Darth Ventrix]

She nodded slowly as she listened to Taa Nul explain her condition, her tears growing as his were. She painfully sat herself up a little to take a look, noting the new hardware that was still binding itself to her. His hug was a welcomed one and she held it for as long as he did.

After it broke she lay back down. "How long has it been? Do they all think that I'm dead?....I will need some time, yes." She took hold of his hand once again, not wanting to be left alone, yet wanting to lighten things somewhat. "But first thing's first....Am I able to drink any tea?" She had never had cybernetic anything before, let alone organs. Would they be able to accomodate food and drink?

 

[Taa Nul]

Morcus chuckled softly at her tea comment. "Of course. The cybernetics can handle disgestion just fine, for the most part. Just try and avoid solid foods. Tea should be fine, though.", he said, before informing her how long she'd been out. "We got you here about two weeks ago. It's taken that long to repair you with the best physicians and technology money can buy. And, presently, yes. I'm sure they might've felt your death, hence why none of them have come looking thus far. Your presence was....faint when I found you. At the knife edge of death. I gave some of my own essence to pull you back from death's grasp.", he said. It'd taxed him for a few days, but his strength had returned by the time Kay had woken up.

"Your physical recovery should be swift enough thanks to the suit, though you may need to....reconnect with the force. The cybernetics will likely have thrown you off, in that regard. If you so choose, I....would be honored to reteach you myself. I can help you channel your pain, as well as harness your emotions into more useful outlets.", he said. A lone protocol droid wandered into the room, carrying a small metallic chest which it held out to Morcus. He took said case, before holding it infront of Kay. He gently pried it open, revealing an ornate Sith lightsaber within. "This was my first lightsaber......after I left the Jedi Order all those decades ago. It would honor me if you'd take it as your own, Kay."

Darth Ventrix

 

[Darth Ventrix]

"I guess that puts Bantha steaks out. I always could cook it well." Still, at least she could have her favourite means of comfort. It was what she was always known for, but it was always what she could rely on to comfort her when there was no one to do so.

And now she had Taa Nul doting on her like a caring father. There was little doubt in her mind that her children would do the same if they happened to show up like he did. It made her wonder how they were coping with the loss of both of their parents.

She gave his hand a light squeeze as he told her of him giving him a part of herself in order to save her. It was no wonder that she could feel him more than she had before. They were connected because of his sacrifice.

As he explained the results of the injuries sustained, it revealed to her why things had felt...different. "So that's why I feel that something is missing....It's the disconnect." Her brows furrowed as she looked to a datapad that lay on a table, focusing as she tried to do something so common as lift it up with the Force. Yet it wouldn't budge. She sighed a little in spite of her failure. "This too, could take some time, but I will gladly accept your offer to teach me. I do, afterall, owe you my life."

The rebreather hid her smile at the sight of the box and the lightsaber within. She reached in and picked it up, studying it in both of her hands. It had been the first time that she had touched a lightsaber since she was Empress of Zakuul in what seemed like another lifetime ago. "It's beautiful. Thank you. I'll take good care of it." She set it back in the box and then winced a little as she sat herself back up. "Is it too early for me to try to stand?"

 

[Taa Nul]

Morcus smiled. "Not at all. You should be able to try by now, I think. Just take it nice and slow.", he said, extending a hand to gently help her sit up on the edge of the bed. "You might be sore for a long while, but it should subside for the most part after a while. Try and let the cybernetics help you breath naturally. Don't resist them.", he said with a nod.

A nurse gently peeked through the gap in the doorway to keep an eye on things on the off chance Kay ended up needing additional assistance. Morcus kept a gentle grasp on her while she tried to stand up to make sure she didn't topple over. "Nice and easy, now."

Darth Ventrix

 

[Darth Ventrix]

Nice and slow. Don't resist. All of that was easier said than done. She took hold of his hand and pulled herself up. Some of the muscles didn't quite seem to work properly, giving her some strain which caused her some pain. She winced and held her breath, which in turn caused her more aggitation as it went against the mechanical organs in her body.

Still she didn't give up, sitting herself up fully on the bed. Letting Taa Nul keep a hold on her as she moved to stand up, wincing as her muscles activated to give her some semblence of balance. She squeezed his hand, determined to try to walk across the room. "Don't let go..." She didn't want to fall. That was sure to hurt a lot.

 

[Taa Nul]

Morcus certainly wasn't letting go, keeping a firm grasp on Kay to stop her from toppling over. "Steady, now. Don't move too fast. Stand still for a little while and regain your balance first. You need to get used to it.", he said, guiding her over to a pair of rehabilitation railings on the other side of the room. "Support yourself with these and try to walk. Hold on tight and take as much time as you need. There's absolutely no rush, and I'll be here as long as you need me to be.", he said with a soothing smile and tone of voice, hoping to cheer her up, remaining close by on the off chance she nearly fell over again.

A lone medical droid entered the room to observe, casually humming away to itself while it made a few notes on a datapad about his patient's status. "The cybernetics have been implemented nicely, my lord. Lady Arenais shouldn't have too much trouble adapting to them after some time recuperating here.", it said with a nod.

Darth Ventrix

 

[Darth Ventrix]

This was going to take some time to get used to. But she really enjoyed having Taa Nul there as the doting father-figure. She had never experienced such a thing and for a moment it reminded of the due care that Veiere had given her when she was in the final days of her pregnancy.

A huge part of her was missing, yet she couldn't pin down exactly what it was. It could be due to what she lost in the explosion, with the new cybernetic implants. It could be the loss of her husband, their Force Bond and every part and position that she had earned was stripped from her through various means. Or it could be something else entirely. One thing was for certain and that was that she didn't feel whole.

She gripped onto the support bars once she was led to them and held her breath. Although she couldn't hold it for long as the cybernetics wouldn't allow it. And so she took that as her cue and started walking one step at a time, using the bars for support and balance, especially the balance. "This feels... strange. Like walking in a dream, but not. I know how this should feel...but it's different. It's like trying to grab a small object from the floor while wearing big, thick gloves. You know how it should feel and how easy it should be to pick it up. And yet it's not as straight forward as that. Does that make sense?"

 

[Taa Nul]

Morcus gently nodded. "You'll get a feel for things again eventually, my dear. It's just a case of time and relearning things. Your body suffered great trauma. It needs to....readjust, as it were.", he said with an understanding smile, still staying close incase Kay started to struggle. "Just take it slowly. We can take as long as we need. I'm not going anywhere."

Darth Ventrix

 

[Darth Ventrix]

Not going anywhere. No one had told her that in quite some time. Although Veiere had wanted her to move to Kashyyyk with him, she refused, not wanting to bring him more harm or enemies at his door like with what happened on Commenor. He had suffered enough of that. But now it didn't matter at all. He was dead and she pretty much is too.

Her movements were slow, so that there was less of a chance of stumbling over her own feet. "I'll do my best. It's lucky that I'm patient, I suppose." She was never one to lose her patients or her cool. But now it could be different. She was different in a lot of aspects, and this was the time for discovery. Part of her energy seemed to drain with her efforts at walking, but the implants dutifully took over, which was strange. "One day we'll look back on this and laugh, right?" That was the hope anyways. It gave her something to cling to besides those bars.

Taa Nul