Into My Own

[Thessa Kai]

@[member="Judah Dashiell"]

"I forgot you were such a screw-up when we first met," a roguish grin spread arcross aqua-lips. "Really? Things she made you do?" It was hard to joke around but she was able to lose herself in Judah's smile and his gaze. Though the seriousness of their jourey was still there as was the seriousness of all that Judah had just said and proposed. Hand playfully pushed his arm. "Hey, I was nothing but professional!"

Crossing her arms in mock indignation, she leaned back in her chair and mock-glared at Judah. Face turned more thoughtful as the lights flashed, signaling their exit from hyperspace. "And you're not going back for my brothers alone. Don't even think about doing it because I could never handle that hair being cut," the smallest of smiles flickered across her face before she re-strapped the safety belt on, turning toward her duties as co-pilot.

She knew that avenue wasn't finished and there would be more discussions later but for now they were at a stand-still. Besides, they had Judah's sister to focus on now.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Thessa Kai"]


Smirk crossed his features, wanting to get one last jab in. "So you admit you like my hair. I noticed you're always grabbing on wh-" Final words were cut off by the notification that they were about to leave hyperspace. Bringing the crash webbing back over his form, he couldn't help but glance at the mermaid. Although he couldn't finish his comment, it was still highly amusing.


Stars reverted back to normal and the planet of Saleucami filled the viewscreen. Brown with streaks of putrid green, the oasis in the vast expanses of desert.Sighing, Judah was quiet for a long moment, staring.Shaking his head slightly as if to bring himself out of the trance, Judah pulled out his personal comlink and looked at the coordinates. There was no traffic control, no landing authority. He had to input the location and hope for the best. Siren banked towards the planet, moving towards the darker side of the planet, where night had started to fall. Or perhaps the sun was rising. It was hard to tell from his perspective.


The Siren came to rest down on the edge of a desert on a homestead at the edge of one of the tiny,tiny towns that dotted the planet. Shutting down the vessel, Judah unhooked himself and looked back over at Thessa.


"Lets get goin'"


Grabbing a bottle of water for the mermaid, Judah took her hand with his free one as they exited the ship and crossed the barren space to the home. Boots crunched against half-dead grass as they approached the porch, standing together in the pale exterior light of the home. The weather was still stifling hot and dry, even without the sun present.


Reaching out, he knocked on the door of the town Doctor and waited.

 

[Shar'tala]

@[member="Thessa Kai"]

Dr.Saldo heard the vessel winding down from the back room. He had been keeping a close eye on the Dashiell girl. She looked quite pale and needed transport to a real medical facility soon. It seemed her brother had arrived, luckily for the girl not any later. The elderly Wroonian shuffled to the door, answering almost immediately. His graying hair was tussled and blue skin had a sheen to it, almost as if he had been sweating the arrival.

"You're the Dashiell boy I assume? I can tell by the hair....Come in, come in."

Waiting until the pair was inside his home, the Doc wasted no time. Immediately he was moving towards his back room, beckoning the two new arrivals.

"Right this way. I'm afraid you're going to have to take your sister off planet and quickly. Broken bones, internal bleeding. I don't have any human blood on hand and as you know its scarce to come by."

 

[Thessa Kai]

@[member="Judah Dashiell"]
A look of thanks passed before her eyes, taking the water. She took several huge sips, tucking it back into her satchel as they entered the room where Judah's sister was being cared for. What was it with this family and hair?

Oh.

The kid did not look good. "Sparky, come here, take one end of the stretcher." Moving into position on the opposite side, she took the other end in her hands, worried gaze looking down on the human girl. The astromech droid wheeled into position. "Judah, Judah." Voice was oddly calm and quiet as she broke through whatever shock he was currently feeling. "The systems on the ship are still powered up. We've got to move. Now. Talk to her. Take her hand."

As she and Sparky manuevered the stretcher out of the small Doctor's house, she nodded to the man. "Thank you doctor. We'll take it from here." Voice lowered so Judah wouldn't hear. "What about the rest of the family members; have they been notified?"

 

[Shar'tala]

@[member="Thessa Kai"]

Jinny's eyes barely opened at the noise the two newcomers were making. Gaze tracked the pair moving about the room. The woman was unfamiliar but immediately took charge of the situation, making a noisy little droid get one part of the stretcher. Jinny couldn't place her finger on the man. Dr. Saldo mentioned he was going to call her brother, the other brother as he had put it. If this was Judah the man was a virtual stranger to Jinny. Nothing like her memories as a child, or the few holos that had hung in the rickety farmhouse.

The jostling only caused more pain, Jinny realized they were headed outside. Maybe to a hospital. Maybe back home. She wasn't sure.

Meanwhile, Dr.Saldo placed a wrinkled blue hand on the shoulder of the scaled woman. He looked disappointed, perhaps even sad. He spoke equally lowly, his words would be difficult to hear - both in volume and meaning.

"Mother is in zero shape mentally. She just buried her husband and eldest son."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Thessa Kai"]

Judah just happened to stare at his sister. Partially because he expected to see a ten year old girl. Nor did he expect to see his sister looking so terrible. Pale, weak and clearly in pain. Thessa was calling his name but sounded so distant,underwater. It was as if he was frozen in place, unable to move an inch. It wasn't until Sparky had bumped into him and gave a warning click that he was indeed in the way did it register.

Thessa was talking to the eldery Wroonian. She was good like that - picking up his slack when it mattered.

Taking the stretcher from her hands, Sparky and Judah took over. It was luck he had set the Siren down so close.The pair weren't exactly trained medical professionals and had a bit of difficultly loading the girl in the guest cabin smoothly. Judah could have easily carried his sister, but was afraid the unsupported action would cause more damage than a few bumps into the walls.

"Change of plans Sparky. Set course for Handooine, its in the Republic territory now. And closer."

The astromech beeped several times before disappearing, leaving Judah to tend to Jinny. Another blanket over her small form and he dug around in the medkit, seeing what was on hand that could be useful.

 

[Thessa Kai]

@[member="Judah Dashiell"]

Iced-azure gaze widened as her face paled. She was stunned, speechless. Thank the stars Judah was already gone and in the ship. Suddenly, tears wanted to well-up in her eyes. "Th--thank you. We'll return. We have to take care of the girl first." Fists clenched at her sides, trying to stay inside of reality and sanity.

Yes, they had to take care of the girl.

She turned to go but something nagged at the back of her mind. "What happened here; who did this?" For a moment, she lingered a few precious seconds in the doorway, hearing the ship being fired up from behind.

 

[Shar'tala]

@[member="Thessa Kai"]


"Republic and local militia type forces have been rowing at one another for awhile now. We had a Star Destroyer actually crash into our planet. Been a mess...I think the Republic controls Saleucami now. Not sure."

The elderly Doc could only shrug. Civilians were caught in the middle and there was only so much they could do. Survival until the Galaxy sorted itself out and the dust settled. Looking out at the unusual colored vessel, he looked back at the woman.

"You might want to get underway."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Absolutely nothing in the MedKit. Judah had forgotten how much it had been used during their constant back and forth with the Sith Lord. Between all that had happened, it had fell extremely low on his priority list of tasks. Frustrated, the kit was just placed next to his sister in case they needed a bandage or something similar. Watching Jinny, she was in and out, often just staring at him as if he had two heads. Probably the drugs from the old Doctor...hopefully.

Leaving the girl for a moment, Judah went down the cockpit to see what the holdup was, yelling at Sparky.

"Why haven't we hit atmo and beyond yet?!"

Indignant whistles and beeps informed him Thessa wasn't on board. The ramp hadn't been closed and there were no signs of her on the internal security system.

"Where the hell is she? Taking a tour?"

 

[Thessa Kai]

@[member="Judah Dashiell"]

Face hardened and she was already halfway to the ship by the time the doctor offered his warning of post haste. She wanted to throw-up. Launching into the ship, fist slammed down on the gears to raise the ramp.

She winced, hearing the tail end of Judah's outrage.

For once, she didn't yell or argue back. "I'm here." She slid into the pilot's seat without saying another word as they took off and put the planet in their after burners. "Sparky, alert the medical team on... Handooine we're coming in hot."

A short beep of confirmation followed.

"Judah. Go back to your sister. She needs you. Sparky and I can handle things up here," eyes remained glued to the viewport even though they didn't have to be.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Thessa Kai"]

Undoubtedly, Judah would have to apologize for his heated words later on. Too much was going on right now to properly fix the situation between himself and Thessa. Hand moved to squeeze her shoulder briefly, as if to say I'm just frustrated. Leaving the cockpit silently, Judah took the short trip down to the guest cabin. His sister lay motionless and pale still. Pulling over the small desk chair, Judah came to sit by her bedside, taking her hand into his.

Her hand was terrible cold and incredibly small next to his. Giving a small squeeze, he wasn't sure what to do.There wasn't much he could do but sit and wait.

 

[Shar'tala]

@[member="Thessa Kai"]

The annoying sound of machines beeping woke her up. Light streamed in from between blinds, falling across her bed. Brows knitted in confusion though, this wasn't her bed. Or her room. Or her planet. Sterile and cold, it took Jinny a long moment to realize she was indeed in some sort of hospital. Everything smelled and tasted sickly-sweet for some reason. Light pink scars covered the arm that was broken, along with her leg that had suffered the same fate.

Looking around the room, fresh flowers sat at her bedside, along with a overly cute stuffed nerf. Laying against the side of her bed was something even more curious. A woman with scales. Jinny had no idea who this lady was. Perhaps she was confused about Jinny's true identity. Adjusting herself on the bed, Jinny reached out and touched the fish-womans hand.

"Ma'am?Excuse me...Ma'm please wake up." Jinny pleaded in her backwater drawl. "Ma'am I think you are visiting the wrong patient."

 

[Thessa Kai]

@[member="Jinny Dashiell"]

Lifting her head, she blinked the last sleep from her eyes as they focused on Judah's sister.

Oh God, Judah's sister.

Stomach wrenched, not knowing when the best time would be to tell Judah the rest about his family. "Hey," she gently squeezed Jinny's hand. "You're okay. Because for awhile we though..." voice trailed off. Where was Judah? "I'm Thessa Kai. I'm...Judah's fiancé. I came with your brother as soon as we found out about your...condition. You hungry, do you need anything?" Free-hand came up to rub the kinks out of her shoulder as she sat there in this semi-awkward exchange.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Thessa Kai"]

Judah had been trying to check in with his folks. Between the war and lack of any real personal technology it was near impossible. One normally had to contact the dry goods merchant and go along down through the grapevine, but at this point it didn't matter. Jinny would be well enough to travel back home shortly. Maybe. It had been touch and go for what seemed like the longest. It was probably the first time in a day or so he had actually left his sisters side.

Stepping back into the room, he found the sister in question awake and talking to Thessa. Coming up behind the Galan, warm hands replaced hers, massaging her shoulders. Pausing, he briefly mussed up his sister hair like any big brother would.

"Nice to see you back in the land of the living baby sis.How are you feeling? Look better than three days ago, thats for sure."

 

[Shar'tala]

Jinny looked at the woman named Thessa curiously. She looked tired and there was no way the young girl was going to bother her for anything. Wasn't a responsibility of this poor woman anyways, she wasn't family. Well....not family yet but apparently soon. It was odd, waking up and finding she was going to be a sister-in-law sometime in the near future. Jinny wanted to know more about Thessa but was stopped when Judah entered and messed with her hair.

"Thanks, I think." Trying to smooth her unruly hair down, it was time for her questions now. Mainly to Thessa, even though she hadn't seen her brother in a long time, Jinny imagined he was still the same."How did he convince you to marry him? I mean...I think you're going to be a great sister in law to me...but....Judah?Really?"

She looked to him.

"Hows Ma and Pa?Can we go home soon?"

 

[Thessa Kai]

She relaxed beneath Judah's touch, letting her fingers linger on his hands for a moment before her attention returned to Jinny. She almost laughed at her first question but was quickly sobered by her second.

"Believe me, he was a real screw-up when we first met. I'm sure you were familiar with what a mouth he had," she smirked. "No, but he and I -uh, have been through a lot. I can't imagine what life would be without his shaggy-haired head at my side." Reaching up, she squeezed Judah's hand again. "You've gotta be starving though, kid." Standing, she fell next to Judah's side and nudged him lightly.

She needed to speak with Judah, alone.

"Maybe we can see what kinda food we can go scavenge. Right Judah?"

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Thanks for the glowing review of my past darlin' "

Squeezing Thessa's hand back, he felt the nudge at his side and looked at her questioningly. Why his Galan counterpart felt the need to suddenly leave his sister was beyond comprehension at the moment. Maybe Jinny had said something to her. Perhaps he was already being a terrible brother to his sister by not offering her food or drink. The teenage girl had been under for many days, so it seemed logical. Or maybe it was a teenage girl issue. Without his mother here, Judah hoped Thessa might help him out in that department if the need arose.

"I'm not a salvager for nothing. I'm sure we can scrape up some decent food, even if we have to go outside the medcenter to do so."

Making Jinny sit back, Judah covered her with a thicker blanket and turned the holovision on.

"Thess and I will be back shortly. Try to get some rest, huh?"

Taking the Galans hand once again, he walked out with her in search of food.

 

[Shar'tala]

@[member="Thessa Kai"]

"He is a major screw up. Maybe...maybe you can tell me more before you drop me off on Saleucami?"

Jinny looked hopeful.She wanted to know more about the mysterious woman and the brother who she barely knew. At least they looked relatively happy. With her brother being overprotective, tossing on a thick blanket and turning on the entertainment system, Jinny tried not to roll her eyes. It was just Judah....and she did just get hurt. Probably scared them all beyond measure. Picking up the colorful stuffed nerf and putting it at her side, Jinny called out her meal request.

"Chaka noodles....and a piece of jogan fruit cake.....Make that two pieces."

 

[Thessa Kai]

@[member="Judah Dashiell"]
Nodding to Jinny, she took Judah's hand and didn't speak until they were well away from his sister's room.

"Judah...," he would recognize the tone being off. She didn't know how to begin. Roche, fighting sith master, and crash landings were a lot easier than this.

"Just wait." Keeping hold of his hand, she pulled him to a stop, avoiding his eyes. "I spoke with the doctor back when you took Jinny to the ship. He had something else to say about your family." Finally, iced-azure gaze lifted to meet his dark eyes. "Your mom is the only other survivor." Now she was holding onto both of his hands as she stood in front of the man she loved.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

@[member="Thessa Kai"]

Coming up short before they reached the outside doors, Judah paused and faced her, curious. With the news about his father and older brother, the salvager went extremely quiet. Judah wasn't sure how to process the information. Staring off into space beyond Thessa's gaze, he tried collecting his thoughts a little. Scattered all over the place, he was mourning the loss of both family members and trying to figure out how to take care of the surviving two.

"I'm sorry you had to be the one to tell me."

Taking a deep breath, he'd deal later. Thessa didn't know his family, this wasn't her responsibility. He had too much to do for the family now. There was no time to break down and rage about the fact he just lost two important people.

"I'm probably going to have to stay behind a little longer on Saleucami. You can go back home...its just....Ma is going to need me for a bit. I don't like the idea of her and Jinny living alone out there and its about time for a second harvest to be brought in..."