Frequent Flyer

[Prennis Keeoli]

{ Location: Secondary school, Rwookrrorro }​

{ Outfit }​

{ Tag: [member="Voph"] }​

~ † ~​

"Now," began Prennis as she walked up the isle, "the first thing we want to do when we find a person who is unresponsive and not breathing normally is call for help." She stopped at the back of the classroom and turned to look out over the desks, most of which were occupied by Wookiee students, but a few humans and humanoids were present as well to reflect the relatively recent immigration numbers. The children of Silver Raiders and Spacies, perhaps? "Show of hands: who knows the number for Kashyyykian emergency services?"

She was again in Rwookrrorro, but this time not to stay for an extended period of time, but just for a few days. Between her time in the city and with the Wookiees that came to see her at the Rest's Halls of Healing, her Shyriiwook had improved substantially, though. The understanding of, at least, so she had left her Babel unit off and in her purse.

The Halls of Healing thought it time to provide planetwide services, and they chose to begin with outreach to local schools. Right away, Prennis had volunteered to teach some basic emergency aid classes. Today, the topic was cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Tomorrow's would be first aid.

Most of the sophomore's rose their hands and, as she walked back down through the desks, she called on one. "That's right, very good. Everyone, remember that number. 112."

It gave her something to do. Ever since defecting, she had learned the important of self-care and taking time off, but she was especially in need of some preoccupation now, since reports of the Resolve's incident at Tanaab. A ramming maneuver gone awry. Reportedly no survivors. As horrible as it was, how Prennis had left things with its commander made it even worse.

She shook away the prickling tears and sidestepped around the torso-and-head dummy laying on the hardwood floor. "I need an assistant, please."

~ † ~​

A page from Doctor Ipsi cut her lesson short, Prennis leaving the rest of the day to the teacher's discretion so she could hurry off to the spaceport. There, a shuttle waited for her and a couple local nurses. Once they were all accounted for, they were briefed: a battered Confederate ship had since docked at the Fenris Shipyards, and the personnel there had requested medical assistance.

As soon as they arrived, Prenn and her team reported to the hospital wing. There, she changed into spare scrubs and a coat that were uniform station personnel. Soon after, she was directed to the burn recovery unit. "Nurse Prennis Keeoli from Silver Rest," she told the nurse that came up to meet her, indicating to her ID card. "What's the prognosis?"

 

[Kyyrk]

LOCATION: Fenris Shipyards, Medical Facilities, Burn Unit​

WEARING: Kinesium Armor (In Sig)​

TAGS: [member="Prennis Keeoli"]​

​

Voph's fist clenched. He tried to sit up, but was forced back down by the medics strapping him down to the hover stretcher. As the Resolve withdrew from Tanaab, he'd finally collapsed. Body pushed beyond any normal limit that could be asked of it. If not for the Nanite Vest he wore, Voph may very well have been dead. The world swam around him as he was hurried off the Resolve. He vaguely saw the acting commander speaking with the Locke and Key representative, and Voph could only assume it was to initiate repairs on the vessel, while the wounded were being offloaded. Voph tried to sit up again, and weakly gasped, "Dex. Find....Dex..."

Voph didn't need to be pushed back down. He fell back of his own accord. Consciousness left him for a moment, the blood loss he'd suffered beginning to take its toll. The Vest had been holding him together, but its effectiveness was about to expire. He needed proper medical attention. It was clear to see that he'd only fared as well as he had because of his armor. Burn scarring could be seen through the bloodstained gaps in his armor, but the extent of the damage was yet to be revealed.

One of the Octarchy medics, the one that had found Voph in his meditation chamber slumped against the wall, walked alongside the hover stretcher as he was taken to the proper ward. The Medic had sent word ahead. Proper blood type, stitching kits, everything they would need to patch him up. As the stretcher moved into place alongside the bed, the Medic enlisted the help of station staff to move the wounded man over to the bed, and began undoing his armor. Some pieces slid off easily. Others had to be forcibly removed from their entanglement with other pieces, others had to be cut away.

Voph, meanwhile, was reliving the same memory he always did. A kiss. A smile. The chamber flooded in red light. A scream. A lightsaber protruding from his gut. Over. And over. It began to blur together, further and further into madness Voph descended, unable to wake from his most haunting nightmare. A final kiss to the woman that had been his wife. A scream as his son stabbed him in the back. Crumpling to the floor, only to fall endlessly until Voph saw the scene play out again. A final kiss good by. But as he stepped back, he realized it was not Sovryn, but Prennis standing before him. Again, the chamber bathed in red light, but this time, the blade erupted from Prennis's chest, not his own. Voph felt himself sinking to his knees as the armored titan behind her withdrew the lightsaber to allow her crumpled corpse to fall to the floor. Voph could only stare in horror at the sight of himself standing over the lifeless body of the lone friend he had.

The next he knew, his hand was gripping the arm of the Octarchy Medic. His arms were shaking. They were still trying to get his armor off. Deep down, Voph felt rage. His breathing was heavy and rapid. Stay awake. He had to stay awake. He vaguely heard the Medic briefing the other personnel. The Resolve had come under fire. The Bridge had been destroyed. Teams were sweeping through the deck trying to find survivors. The Commander was in bad shape. Voph felt a haze descend upon him as needles and sensors began to pierce his arms. His charred flesh blackened under the light of the operating table. The wound above his heart had re-opened, and a team was already working to attempt to close it. So close to such a vital organ. It was a miracle he was even alive.

But as the Sedatives began to run through Voph's veins, fear crept in with it. He couldn't sleep. Not now. He had to stay awake. His face knotted together and his fist clenched as pain seared through him. The numbing agents hadn't kicked in yet. But the medical staff had no choice. Voph's legs bucked and his arms curled inward in a subconscious effort to curl up. Medical staff had to hold him down. Breathe. Breathe. Voph took one shuddering breath, a tear running down his cheek from the pain. And from a distance, he heard a voice. "What's the Prognosis?"

Prennis.

Instinctively, Voph's right hand reached out towards the sound of the noise. Prenn. She needed to know. Needed to know he was ok. Voph realized his head was leaning to the side, looking for her. His mantle had been removed, leaving his empty sockets visible for the world to see. Now was not the time for social niceties or modesty. There was a life in need of saving.

As Prennis was led into the unit, a station medic stepped over. "Bad. Multiple cuts, extensive burns, internal bleeding, scattered puncture wounds from flying debris, one nearly rupturing the heart. Ship staff tells me they had to induce a coma and slow life functions just to get him here. Had he been any closer to the bridge of that ship, he'd likely be a fine paste right now. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's only alive right now because of sheer damn will..."

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

{ Tag: [member="Voph"] }​

~ † ~​

"So, extensive blood loss leading to death, if we're not fast." She began uncoiling the stethoscope from her neck, then shrugging off her white doctor's coat. "Let's be fast then, huh?" She didn't wait for an answer as she rushed through the door into the patient room Voph lay in, and threw her discarded things into an empty chair against the wall. "Have we--?" she began, turning to the medics. As she neared, she could see through the gaggle of nurses to the patient, and she recognized Voph for all his injuries. Despite herself, she gave a ghost of a smile.

It stalled her for only half a second. The situation's urgency brought her back so she could start over, "Have we considered tetanus?" "No, doctor," one of the nurses said. It was probably an assumption, made because of how Prennis had taken charge. Oh, well. Close enough, thought Prenn. There would be plenty of time later to correct the misnomer.

She put a gloved hand on the shoulder of a medic holding Voph down, standing by the bedside. Wordlessly, the two switched positions. Stooping slightly, she peered at his neck. What she thought initially her diagnostic monocle's HUD confirmed. "The left jugular is distended. Traumatic free wall rupture. We'll need to resect the infarcted tissues. Someone get me a hydration drip."

Behind her somewhere, there was acknowledgement and assent before a pair of feet hurried out the door. Prennis wasn't listening very intently, though, but focusing instead. She hovered her left hand over Voph's chest. The black gauntlet released a swarm of microscopic nanobots, which quickly searched for the source of organ failure. In a few moments, the blood pressure vital displaying on the wall stabilized. Its alarm also stopped blaring, leaving a very distant ringing in Prennis' ears.

"You'll be okay," Prennis breathed, looking down at her friend. "I'll give you something for the pain, and the anxiety. Trust me, it'll be okay." She glanced back up to one of the remaining medics. Pointing from one to the next down her list, she ordered, "10 milligrams nullicane, 10 liquid antistress, 15 imobilin, and, uh, 19 meters of synthflesh and -skin."

The first was a strong pain medication. The second was for the anxiety, also as promised, and the third was a paralytic to make the surgery go smoother. And to limit any further injuries Voph may have accidentally done to himself. It took about half an hour for the former's effects to be felt in their entirety, but the two latter kicked in much more quickly. The last were for the preliminary, temporary skin grafts, done after the myocardial rupture was opened, cleaned of dead tissue, and mended with biologic glue. Together with Voph's now-charred skin and the bacta cast on the very top, they provided multi-layered healing to his battered body.

Still, Prennis prayed it was enough. She had done it in the scrub room as she washed up. And now she did it in her sleep, for, following her part of the excruciatingly long surgery, she now slept in a far corner of the observation room next door. At some point, another doctor had been called to relive her. She had bowed out but refused to leave.

Instead, she had fallen asleep on top of the counter, knees-to-chest, head leaning carefully against the glass, still in her soiled scrubs.

 

[Kyyrk]

LOCATION: Fenris Shipyards, Medical Facilities, Burn Unit​

WEARING: Medical Tunic​

TAGS: [member="Prennis Keeoli"]​

​

It was some time before Voph realized that the din had faded to quiet. A still, unearthly quiet. Voph turned to look behind him at the growing light. There, among the mist and ashes, stood a door. He recognized it, and it filled him with dread. But he knew what he must do. He took a cautious step forward. Then another. From afar, he heard a voice. Dex. "You could have saved us." Voph set his jaw. They couldn't get him. They wouldn't. He paused at the door, and pushed it open.

In front of him lay the chamber. He knew it instinctively. As the final moments of the fight that had destroyed a family played out, Voph could only watch from the doorway. But it had changed again. No longer was he witnessing his own final moments. But instead, watching in horror as the armored colossus struck down an unarmed doctor. A hand was on his shoulder. "You're going to kill her, Voph. Same as you killed me."

Voph started awake. The paralytic hadn't entirely worn off yet. His head jerked up, but immediately slammed back down into the pillow. In fact, if someone hadn't been watching, his movement hadn't even been noticeable. The gentle beep of his heart monitor filled the room at intervals. Nothing else moved, save for the rise and fall of his chest. His fist clenched, then unclenched as he took a deep breath to calm himself. He lay there, not ready to move, or do anything that might alert the medical staff that he was awake. He wasn't sure how long he'd been out, the chronometer on the wall wasn't tuned for his species.

He sighed quietly, casting his gaze out beyond the bounds of the room. It was then that he realized that Prenn was sitting in the next room. An observation room, by his guess. He stirred slightly, and lifted his head to gaze more intently within. It hurt, of course. The painkillers had worn off, and a deep throbbing pain was beginning to seep into his very bones. His head laid back down, and Voph moved his arm carefully to call his mantle to him. It was gingerly placed upon his face so that his sockets could be hidden. Then, he began to focus. Many of the minor cuts, wounds, and burns began to knit themselves together under his influence. It was a slow process. But he had time.

Deep down, he was...glad that Prenn had stayed near. It was nice to know that someone was watching over him. That someone cared. His arm remained flopped to the side, hanging off the edge of the bed, and his fist clenched again as another wave of pain washed over him. And he realized that it was....calming. He might have failed. But he was alive. Pain was the one constant he could rely upon. His sole companion. He reached out through the Force. Much as he didn't want to be disturbed, deep down a part of him wanted to see Prenn. And he figured, based on her huddled figure sleeping on the counter in the next room, she'd want to know he had made it through the night.

It was no physical force that stirred Prenn. But a whisper. A gentle caress on her shoulder. Or at least that's what it felt like. Prennis. Voph's voice. And yet...not his voice. As if he were the thoughts in her own mind. Voph became aware that he was mostly bare, save for the undergarment that had been placed on him, and the blanket covering his lower half. He thought for a moment that he ought to cover up. But she'd likely seen it anyway. The tapestry that was his body.

Scars and wounds winding every which way. Medical science was good. But the longer a wound went without care, the harder it was to patch. And Voph had many. It was easy to see his history carved in flesh, every bit the warrior and admiral he claimed to be. The wars had taken their toll on him. And yet he still seemed young for his age and experience. And for all the world, Voph wished to rip the synthetic skin from his body. But he decided best not. Prennis would get mad. And that was not a fight he was confident he could win right now...

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

{ Tag: [member="Voph"] }​

~ † ~​

Prennis. The voice was quiet and far away, but not Voph's nor quite hers. Still, it matched her thoughts in the moment. Wake up, darling. The tone was calming; the sound simultaneously unknown but familiar. And the caress. A soft hand, warm skin. Somehow, that felt familiar too.

Her eyes creaked open before she could quite place either sensation. The lights were somewhat dimmed, but still blinding. To cope, she groaned and rubbed her eyes with the back of one of her hands. Then it seemed she suddenly remembered where she was, and turned her body to look out of the glass. She couldn't see it in its entirety, but she saw that one of Voph's arms was no longer on the bed, and so probably hung at his side.

She swung her legs over the side of the counter, hopped to the floor, and padded into the other room. As she neared Voph, she checked the chronometer on the wall, and then the charts at the end of the bed. No medicine since the last dose, it seemed, but it wasn't time for another quite yet. Sighing, she began chewing gently on her lower lip. She didn't want him to overdose, or Force forbid form a habit, but she also didn't want him to wake up in excruciating pain. Just one look at him told her he'd been through more than enough already.

One of the more minor cuts slowly closing on a display screen showing the extent of injuries under the fake flesh and bandages drew the nurse's attention. She did a double take before setting down the paperwork and squinting at the screen to examine the process. "Fascinating..." she muttered to no one but herself.

 

[Kyyrk]

LOCATION: Fenris Shipyards, Medical Facilities, Burn Unit​

WEARING: Medical Tunic​

TAGS: [member="Prennis Keeoli"]​

​

Voph remained still, concentrating on curing his wounds as Prennis entered the room. She hadn't noticed he was awake yet. Difficult to do with a species lacking eyes. He drew a deep breath, then sighed quietly. "It always amuses me to hear beings like you speak of our ability like that." His head turned to the side to stare blankly at Prenn from behind his blindfold, and his hand reached out towards Prenn, an invitation to take his hand. An...odd gesture, but one of comfort, even if he was the one hurting. "I can't remember the last time someone was waiting for me to wake up."

He smiled at her softly, though it faded as another wave of pain washed over him. He grit his teeth, and let his head fall back against the pillow. "Everything hurts. Haven't felt like this since..." Voph trailed off as he tried to recall. "Since the war, some time. After the Fall of Commenor." Voph sighed quietly. The beep of his monitor overpowering the silence that otherwise would have befallen them. He felt a tear slip down his cheek. Aklin was dead.

The closest friend Voph had ever had. Save for his brother in arms, Arvalker. Gone. Just like that. Not even a chance to say goodbye. Voph let his arm fall limp at his side. "It never gets any easier. Decade after decade, battle after battle... You would think I would learn to just...stop." Voph's voice sounded weary. He seemed....old. Tired. Worn down. The weight of the world, nay--the galaxy, rested upon his shoulders. And it was curshing him, bit by bit, piece by piece. "After Zakuul....the Survivors learned to...move on. To forget our loved ones. We didn't want friends. We didn't want loved ones. We knew they would be taken from us all the same. War didn't care. But.... I never could."

Voph sighed again. He turned his head to look at Prenn. "I never moved on. I kept thinking that somewhere...somehow there was a way to end it. To let people live in peace. Some thought I was a fool. Others a heretic. Peace was a lie. We all knew it. Lived by it. But I wanted to believe that all the death and destruction had to mean something..."

As the minor wounds slowly finished knitting themselves back together, Voph lay back on the bed again. He was silent for a long while, before he finally admitted what he desperately wished wasn't the truth. But it was. "I'm...glad you're here Prenn. You're the only friend I've got left..."

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

{ Tag: [member="Voph"] }​

~ † ~​

His nurse was only slightly startled; she had been half expecting a doctor to waltz in behind her, not for Voph to seemingly wake suddenly and speak. She explained herself, "It's not that I forget but don't really understand to a point it's not so fascinating anymore." And then she did, taking his hand gently to avoid applying too much pressure. "Well, it's my pleasure. I'm glad you pulled through surgery."

A deep frown etched itself in her face as he mentioned his pain. When the two succumbed to silence, she looked over to the vitals monitor in order to visually track the steady noise. When he spoke, her attention drifted down to him again and, with a pulled-up sleeve and a side relatively clean of her scrubs, she dabbed at Voph's wet cheek. She wanted to interject, to offer comforting thoughts, as he continued, but she didn't. She let him say his piece.

And truth be told, she had never studied much psychology. She often referred patients to a therapist, but, in this case, she could empathize in her own way. Sure, she had friends in this corner of space, the 'better' one, who knew who she was to differing degrees, but she still felt lonely. There were stretches of time that felt like years where she would be by herself on a planet where next to no one knew just who she was and why she was here.

"That's what friends do," she said with a gentle smile. Friends. "I need some breakfast," she added, glancing at the clock. "Will you be okay for a minute or two?"

 

[Kyyrk]

LOCATION: Fenris Shipyards, Medical Facilities, Burn Unit​

WEARING: Medical Tunic​

TAGS: [member="Prennis Keeoli"]​

​

Voph smiled as Prennis expressed happiness at his pulling through surgery. "Hmph. I've survived worse, I'm afraid." He waved the girl off at her mention of food. He was fine, of course. "I think I can stave off death that long." Voph laid back on the bed, turning to look around the room. His hand reached out, and a small object flew across the room, landing in his palm. He held it for a moment, running a thumb across the blackened surface to reveal a dark metallic sheen underneath. "When you return there is something we ought discuss."

Voph said nothing more until Prennis had left the room. She couldn't hear it, of course, but the small pyramid in his hand was singing. Not in a manner that could be detected by one's ears. He sighed quietly, looking at this small device. It had been with him on Tanaab. It was precious to him. And he'd risked valuable lives to recover it. Funny, how an object with such a history could come to mean this much to him. But his brush with death meant that, if his suspicions were true, it was time to begin preparations. He set it on the bedside table, and as if on cue, the small pyramid opened, revealing a holoimage. It was Voph, but...younger. Not as scarred. Not as broken. Long black hair reaching down to between his shoulder blades, pulled back in an elegant restraint. His robes formal and pristine. The lightsaber that hung at his waist gleamed silver against the black robes, an intricate mantle of bone covered his eye sockets.

"Stand fast, traveler. For the knowledge you seek is troublesome, and dangerous. If you proceed, you shall do so at your own risk. Understand that knowledge is a burden. And the burdens found here are plentiful."

A moment of silence. Then the holocron spoke again. "Welcome back, Voph. Do you wish to add a new entry, or review an existing entry?"

"Update access authorizations."

The device was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "Please state name, rank, and authorization key for new authorized user."

Voph was quiet for a moment. Most of what this device contained was...terrible. Dark. Damning. But...she was the only one Voph trusted with it. Not that she would understand some of the finer points. "Prennis Keeoli. No Rank. Authorization key: 'Bright Moon Day.'"

The holocron made no action for a moment, then nodded. "New user registered. Full access to all functions granted."

Voph nodded, and on cue, the device shut off. He sighed quietly. The rest of the Galaxy would soon come to know. But Prennis was his friend. She deserved to hear it from him. Directly. He laid back in his bed, and waited for her return...

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

{ Tag: [member="Voph"] }​

~ † ~​

"Sure." Prennis nodded at Voph's request before slipping out in the hallway. The cafeteria was further away from the burn unit than she had thought it might be. A few floors down, she entered the main mess. In interest of not keeping Voph waiting too long, or bringing into his room fragrant solid food that he could not have, Prenn opted to avoid the main galley for a small caf stand.

About five minutes later, she returned with a silver energy capsule pinned to her scrub's breast pocket. A single pellet was in her hand, which she popped into her mouth before picking back up Voph's charts.

Another glance at the clock; again, not time for another dose yet, so she set the datapad back down.

"Don't strain yourself," she warned, nearing the bedside, "but what's on your mind?" Something was on hers, but it could wait a while. Medical due diligence, but nothing particularly urgent, unlike the impression she she got from him.

 

[Kyyrk]

LOCATION: Fenris Shipyards, Medical Facilities, Burn Unit​

WEARING: Medical Tunic​

TAGS: [member="Prennis Keeoli"]​

​

Voph was idly fingering the small pyramid in his hands when Prenn returned. He lay so still otherwise, one might have thought he had fallen back asleep. Voph sighed quietly. What was on his mind? Too much. He gestured silently to his side. A wordless warning that Prennis ought sit down. Voph did not speak yet, seeming to be wrestling with what to say. "I...Have not been entirely truthful with you."

He waited for Prennis to make her choice to sit or stand before continuing. "When we met on Commenor... I led the terrorists to believe I was a Jedi. I...led YOU to believe I was a Jedi." He fell quiet for a moment. "But I never joined the Jedi." Voph paused, his words seeming to catch in his throat. He never was a Jedi. Prenn might be able to guess where he was going with this. "I wanted to. So...desperately wanted to...become someone worthy of recognition and respect. I beg with them. I pleaded with them...to...FIX me." Voph was being....honest with her. But he didn't care. None of that mattered any more. It had destroyed him before. And it would continue to destroy him. Someone needed to know.

"The Jedi turned me away. Said...that I was too far gone. That I would be given a day to leave, then I would be hunted down and destroyed." He turned his head to look at Prenn and offered her a sad smile. "So...of course I wouldn't tell the Jedi who you are. What you've done." A tear rolled down his cheek, as his voice dropped to a whisper. "How could it be worse than what I've done?" Voph laughed, almost a scoff, and shook his head gently. "I...I want you to have this." Voph handed Prenn the small Pyramid. "If...if something should ever happen, know that it's a second chance."

Voph laid back against the pillow, taking another deep breath. "I cannot run from who I am any longer. From what I am. But I felt it only right that you should know first. My name...the name of the man I used to be, is Kyyrk. Kyyrk-Xho Verros..." It sounded strange on his tongue, as if speaking of a stranger. Voph wasn't even sure that Kyyrk existed any more. "Voph...was a title. Given to me for my actions during an ancient and long forgotten war. A title that still haunts me to this day. Darth Voph." The name still felt terrible on his lips. A shudder ran down his spine. The name was a reminder of all he'd done. All the evil he'd caused. But...it was necessary, wasn't it? Wasn't it? His breath caught in his throat as the anxiety welled within him. He'd admitted who he was. And now that he'd said it, he almost regretted it. What would Prenn think of him now?

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

{ Tag: [member="Voph"] }​

~ † ~​

Prenn chose to sit. She began listening with a soft, encouraging smile and a small nod, but then she also fell silent, still. For the first time in a while, she didn't know how to react, but the more she heard, the more she understood how he had palated her confession. When Voph finally looked at her, she offered her own smile, a little bit forced but genuine in both its sadness and offer of comfort. She tugged down the sleeve of her doctor's coat, not caring for a moment about how unsterile her quick walk down and back from the cafeteria had made her, leaned over, and gently wiped at Voph's undereye.

While the idea he had, not quite lied to, but misled her left a bitter taste in her mouth, she understood. They had met up many times various places, yes, but when she thought back she couldn't recall one good time he had to bridge this topic before now.

"...It's not a competition, sweet thing." It was all she could think to say, voice soft but warm. The petname came out of thin air, but somehow it felt fitting given the situation. She frowned slightly at his laugh, but accepted the triangular holocron. The weight was instantly heavy in her hand, regardless of its actual weight, worsened by the following narrative - his reasons for gifting it to her. "Voph, I--"

She cut herself off, allowing him to pick up the silence once again. Sitting back almost involuntarily, Prenn thought the names to herself as he said them. Kyyrk, Darth Voph... Immediately, she shook her head, sat the pyramid beside her in the chair, and sat forward again. Her hands extended, one after the other, seeking out one of Voph's. If she found it, she held it between hers. "Voph," she began, tone not harsh but with an unmistakable edge of annunciation. She refused to call him a name that, as far as she was concerned, was not his. It was reminiscent of how she preferred not to be called Aes'ona any longer.

A long pause followed as she thought of what to say. "If you're giving me a second chance," she said, glancing over to the gift, "I'm giving one to you too."

 

[Kyyrk]

LOCATION: Fenris Shipyards, Medical Facilities, Burn Unit​

WEARING: Medical Tunic​

TAGS: [member="Prennis Keeoli"]​

​

Voph's fingers curled around Prenn's hand as she held his own. He felt...relief. She understood. Past transgressions did not define you. Were it not for the intense pain beginning to seep into his bones, Voph might have danced around the room. Might. He sighed quietly, bleeding off some of the anxiety that welled within him. Voph smiled softly at Prenn. "Thank you," was all he said for a long moment. Barely a whisper. He offered her hand a gentle squeeze with his own, a silent gesture of his gratitude for her understanding.

"I...guess I've always known that balance would be had before the end. But it brings a small degree of comfort to know that at least some modicum of forgiveness was granted before the end." Voph shifted in the bed slightly, attempting to find a more comfortable position. "I am glad that our paths have crossed, Prenn. It comforts me to know that people like you still exist in this galaxy. For all the horrors it may contain..."