Private Clean Up Crew

[Inara Basai]

Mathieu dispatched the last rakghoul, the corridor lit up with the blaster bolts fired. And the shadows were still and quiet once more. Her mind was racing too fast to truly process his words – 'It feels like they're still alive.'

Jolting into motion, Inara walked briskly alongside Mathieu. It was a good thing he remained alert and aware of their surroundings because her mind now had a singular focus – the injured Ithorian. She turned into the doorway, spotting the badly injured alien. She grimaced at the sight of his mangled arm, and the bites that left angry red marks on his skin.

Touching her vest, she lifted a vial of rakghoul serum free – there were three equipped. Stepping closer to Matheiu, she pressed the vial into his palm and lingered long enough to say, “If anything happens to me... just take that and run.”

There was an earnest look in her eyes, a concern for Mathieu's safety – without even a single thought for her own. It wasn't just part of her job as a medic, it was just Inara's away. Kneeling down next to the Ithorian, she pulled out her scanner and took a moment to assess his wounds. As she worked, she noted that there was already a frothy foam forming at the corner of his lips. His muscles were taut and tight as he writhed, it was rather painful looking.

As Inara's hand took hold of the next vial, preparing to load it into her stimpak. But the Ithorian's arms flailed wildly, knocking the vial out of her grasp. The glass shattered against the nearby wall, and the serum was lost as it seeped out onto the floor. She blew out an audible breath and quickly loaded the last vial into the stimpak, and she held tight to the Ithorian's good arm to hold it still.

Pressing the stimpak to his neck, she dispensed the serum and held the Alien as steady as she could.

After a few moments, the Ithorian seemed to settle and fall limp.

“He's stable – in that he won't be able to infect us,” she started, glancing up to Mathieu as she prepped an injection of bacta. Focusing as she gave him the infusion, she knew that time was short. Working quickly - almost frantically - she applied bandages where she could to stop the bleeding. “We've got to get him back, he needs to be evacuated or he's not going to make it. Can you carry him?”

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

His eyebrows pressed together as he gave her a look showing his lack of understanding. Mathieu took the vial she gave him and pocketed it but bent down to look her in the eyes "I'm not leaving you" The Morellian spoke with conviction, for he did not understand under what circumstances he would have to leave her and with that, it was obvious that they would stick together.

The Padawan sure felt silly when he didn't help her keep the pained Ithorian under control. It was not foreign to him to help medics hold people down - on battlefields it was commonplace and during his days as a mercenary, he had seen quite a few of those. With a light shake of the head to ensure that he was still awake, he moved closer to her and put one hand on the poor alien's shoulder and the other on the wrist, holding the entire limb stead for her to work on.

Anyone with some experience would probably be rather impressed. At least that's what the Morellian thought, studying her efficiency and speed. "That's great" he commented, looking at her happily. Naturally, relaxing was not appropriate for the moment and Inara seemed rather well aware of that as she continued, still seeming to be in the mindset of a medic.

"Yeah, no problem" the answer came almost immediately and was soon followed by a quick "Just, let me know if I damage anything." And with that, he slided his blaster arm in under the alien's leg and his free arm under the shoulders. This way, firing a few shots would still be possible and after the recent events that seemed like a good option to have. If the situation had been different, carrying the civilian over his shoulder would have been preferable, seeing as it was both easier and made defence much more of a possibility. Not to mention that it was less tiring. But with the extensive injuries found on the body, it was not quite as possible as one might have hoped.

With quick steps, Mathieu started making his way back towards the exit they came in from and back out onto the streets. The same eerie silence and darkness which had marked it earlier was still there, but this time, the Padawan was filled with adrenaline and urgency. He whispered the words "Hold on, buddy" whilst rushing towards the base and would be able to maintain a good pace for most of the trip.

Inara Basai

 

[Inara Basai]

Inara knew there was a saying in the Rangers about not leaving their fellows behind. She didn't expect to be left behind, not really. But if there was a chance for her companions to make it out – she hoped they'd take it. Her job meant taking care of others, so they could live on, even if she couldn't do the same.

It was a sobering thought, to be sure.

But there was a definite swell inside when Mathieu had voiced that he wouldn't leave her. Words that she took to heart, even though she said nothing. With the Jedi's help, the Ithorian had a chance, and Inara turned her focus to getting him out of here.

She helped support the injured alien as Mathieu gently lifted him, and she grabbed her blaster pistol and held it ready. They'd already cleared the way in, she did not anticipate much trouble getting out. At least, she hoped there wouldn't be any more rakghouls to contend with. As Mathieu stepped out into the hall, she followed right on his heels – turning to point the blaster down to dark corridor for a moment to cover him.

And though they were steadily moving away from the scene now, she thought she heard ominous growling in the distance. A shiver went down her spine, but it was too much for just two of them to handle. A strong pang of guilt accompanied this realization.

“The way ahead looks clear,” she whispered, flashing Mathieu an appreciative look. “Let's inform them about this location – they'll send more support.”

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Their teamwork seemed to be improving - maybe it was easier with her being a ranger and Mathieu having a fair amount of battlefield experience from his Mercenary days. He felt relatively safe having her watch their rear as they made their way towards the secured zone.

Despite the injured alien mumbling on about something which was way too hard to decipher, Mathieu also seemed to hear the distant growling but few thoughts went to that now. His one objective was to get the Ithorian back to camp. For now, he let what happened beyond that fall on Inara's shoulders. When she mentioned that it looked clear, he kept going at a high pace and only nodded and let out a quiet "Sure"

Before long, the familiar provisional tents and barricades of the camp could be seen. While Mathieu had started to slow down a little to conserve energy, he was rather far from exhaustion. When they arrive, he didn't hesitate to continue carrying the man onto the medical shuttle before leaving it to make more space for the shuttle staffers and medical professionals who knew what they were doing. It was a bit hard to keep track of everyone in the hazmat suit-filled turbulence that formed upon their arrival. He was sure that Inara would become a rather central figure, seeing as she had knowledge of the Ithorian's condition and what treatment they had given him before arriving. Still, he would try to find the girl, and would roam around the camp a bit until he did. If she had disappeared onto the shuttle, he would eventually give up, at least content in remembering that she had made it into the safety of the camp. And with that, he would go back to the changing room and switch back to his armour whilst his weapons were decontaminated.

/End Thread?

Inara Basai