Private In Shiraya's Sight

[Malcoma Hesse]

Following Finding Malcoma​

Suddenly, she was aware again.

Of the soft light filtering past her eyelids.

Of the sweet smell of flowers she couldn't identify.

Of idle chatter just far enough away to blend into meaningless sounds.

A smile broke across Malcoma's face, happy though heavy with painkillers. That must have been a few of her girls. Whose voices, though? Maybe Vahleet and...Lomya? No, Tenot. Or...no, it didn't matter.

All that mattered was that they were safe on Denon—all of them, together. That they had gotten off of Coruscant in time—

The blonde's smile shattered into panic, pieces scattering across the room as she flung herself up. Now she could sense the things that delirium had somehow obscured completely: the undertones of sterility and beeping of a vitals monitor. She relaxed as quickly as she had tensed, the muscle in her forearm easing around the IV needle stuck in it. A cursory glance of the room suggested that it wasn't of Sith design and too sophisticated to be associated with ruffians like the slavers who had kidnapped her. Still, she didn't discard caution altogether. She hadn't survived all she had by stumbling through it unaware, hoping for the best outcomes.

Her attention whipped to the door as footsteps approached. Adrenaline had sharped her senses and while she couldn't identify the topic of conversation now, she could tell that the involved speakers were definitely not her girls. They were almost certainly nurses given the hospital setting.

Though the door remained closed for a few moments more, the impression of a figure coming through it came to her. She blinked. A raven-haired woman in tan Jedi tunics smeared with some blood. A bird—and, what was the name?—a convor on her shoulder.

The woman's name eluded her. Some memory in Mal's mind obscured it like a single cloud on an otherwise clear day.

Seo Linn​

 

[Seo Linn]

The soft hiss of the door preceded Seo's entrance by only a moment.

She stepped quietly into the room, pale blond hair pulled loosely back from her face, tan Jedi tunics threaded faintly with gold catching the warm light of the Naboo medical facility. There was nothing dramatic about her appearance, no armor or visible wounds, only the calm attentiveness in her gold eyes and the lightsaber resting openly at her hip.

Seo slowed slightly when she realized Malcoma was awake. Relief crossed her expression first, subtle but unmistakable. "You are conscious," she said softly.

Her voice carried the steady calm of someone trying not to overwhelm a person who had already endured enough. She remained near the doorway at first rather than immediately approaching the bedside, allowing Malcoma a moment to orient herself.

"My name is Seo Linn," she continued gently. "You are safe. You are in a medical facility on Naboo." Her gaze flicked briefly toward the monitors before returning to Malcoma herself.

"Efret brought you out of the transport that was taking you toward Quesh," Seo explained carefully. "She intercepted the vessel before it reached its destination and got you here alive. The doctors said you lost a significant amount of blood before arriving."

Seo's expression softened slightly. "They also said your arm was severely injured," she added quietly. "There was extensive damage, but the surgeons were able to stabilize you."

Only then did she step a little closer, enough to be present without crowding her.

"The nurses said you had been unconscious for quite some time," Seo continued. "They were not certain when you would wake." A faint pause followed before a small, reassuring smile touched her lips. "But you did."

Malcoma Hesse