Private Last Transmission

[Sophelia Ardemark]

A flat frown in the inky air between them. She noticed where his hand went. That shift of discomfort. The sharp, raw edge of pain. She could sense that through the force. She doubted he'd let her try to heal him again.

Soph settled for leaning her head back. Staring up at the maze of roots above them. Head canting - listening to the noises the creatures of the night produced in the jungle beyond their little safety nook. She stayed awake well past when she heard Jackson's breathing become steady that signaled sleep.

Only once did something large enough, with a shadow, shift by their opening.

It was gone before she even had a moment to go rigid. Seemed like they'd made the right call to hunker down for the night. Get rest. Her lids drooped again. And eventually, she fell asleep too.

The caterwaul of birds woke her first the next morning. And those first ribbons of light peeking over that dense horizon. Bringing a promise of something new. Eyes flickered to Jackson and his slumbering form. He seemed peaceful enough. Quietly, she stirred and crawled free from their temporary sanctuary.

Stretching stiff muscles, she could make out some very large tracks of the creature she'd gotten a glimpse of last night. Its footsteps went in the opposite direction of the trail they were following for Itz. At least they had that going for them. Taking out a canteen, she took a sip. Then popped open a ration bar. Biting down on it and nearly cracking her teeth.

Blue narrowed on it. Teeth clenched and she hissed. "Disgusting."

Jackson Lesan

 

[Jackson Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Sophelia Ardemark

Jackson woke to birds making enough noise to convince him that subtlety was not a concept the jungle understood.

For several seconds, he remained beneath the tangled roots with his eyes closed and took inventory of everything that hurt. His ribs still answered when he breathed too deeply, but the sharp edge from the night before had faded into something duller and more manageable. Rest had accomplished what stubbornness had spent most of yesterday preventing.

When Jackson finally crawled out from beneath the roots, he found Sophelia already awake and attacking a ration bar with considerably less success than he would have expected from someone who had survived a crash, pirates, and a snare.

He caught her muttered verdict and glanced at the bar in her hand.

"That bad?"

Jackson stretched carefully before his attention dropped toward the ground near her. The amusement disappeared when he noticed the tracks pressed deep into the soil. Whatever had passed their shelter during the night had been large enough to leave impressions considerably bigger than either of their feet.

Jackson crouched beside one of them and studied it for a moment. The tracks led away from the direction they needed to travel, which was about the best news the jungle had offered them since they arrived.

"Guess we had company last night."

He looked toward the path Itz had taken and then back toward the enormous tracks.

"At least it wasn't interested in us."

Jackson lowered himself beside Soph, and a wince pulled briefly across his face as his ribs protested the movement. It was still there, but the pain faded much faster than it had the day before. He rested a hand against his side for a moment and caught the way Soph's attention immediately shifted toward him.

Before she could say anything, Jackson shook his head.

"The sooner we find Itz, the sooner we'll both be okay."

There was no bravado behind the statement this time. Jackson knew he was not completely healed, and he knew Soph had exhausted herself badly enough to lose consciousness yesterday. Neither of them needed another argument about who was fine.

He pulled out one of his own ration bars and examined it with considerably less enthusiasm after watching Soph nearly lose a tooth.

"We eat, drink, and then we move. No climbing trees, no healing anybody unless somebody's actually dying, and preferably no more hanging upside down."

Jackson took a cautious bite and immediately understood her complaint. His expression flattened while he forced himself to chew.

"Okay. You were right. That's disgusting."

Once he had managed enough of the ration to call it breakfast, Jackson washed it down with water and pushed himself carefully back to his feet. His ribs complained again, but they held, and that was enough.

Morning light made the path easier to read than it had been the evening before. Jackson stepped toward the faint trail and found where the disturbed vegetation continued farther into the jungle.

"Still here."

He glanced back toward Soph before starting forward, keeping his pace measured instead of immediately trying to make up for the hours they had lost.

"Let's go find her."

 

[Sophelia Ardemark]

"At least it wasn't interested in us."

"Probably smelled the ration bars and decided upon a better path," corner of her mouth slanted upward at Jackson. Bright blues snapping to his side. Flat frown on her face. "You're not going to let me get near that are you?" A quiet huff. Arms crossing stiffly beneath her chest as she fell alongside him, traipsing up the winding jungle path.

Ahead, she heard some loud voices.

Sticking a stiff finger against her lips to Jackson, not that she had to warn him...well, scratch that. That Corellian lip of his needed warning. She crouched low and parted a set of large leaves, looking through a space between verdant. A pirate's camp. And tied to a post on the outer end was Itz. She was bound and gagged. Blood trickled from one corner of her mouth. Soph nearly growled. Fingers clenching into fists at her sides as she saw a Weequay standing before Itz.

A Nikto and an Aqualish stood arguing not too far away. Soph wasn't sure how many others there were. All she saw was a hand raise toward Itz's face from that Weequay. Soph didn't hesitate. There was a tug in the force and a force bubble snapped around Itz's bound form and the pirates slap hit a hard barrier. He swore.

"WHAT THE KRIFF IS GOING ON!"

Soph started forward without thinking about it, breaking through those leaves and bushes. "Leave her alone!" Then a bunch of blasters were pointed at her.

 

[Jackson Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Sophelia Ardemark

Jackson noticed Soph looking toward his ribs and, for once, decided he was not going to argue with her about them. "Later," he said quietly. "You can check them later."

The voices ahead cut off anything else he might have said. Jackson immediately lowered his posture when Soph raised a finger to her lips, although the look he gave her made it clear he did not need the reminder. He followed her toward the thick leaves and looked through the narrow gap she had opened.

Itz was alive, but the relief Jackson felt lasted less than a second. He saw the blood at the corner of her mouth, the restraints, and the Weequay standing over her. His jaw tightened as the pirate raised a hand toward Itz's face. Soph reacted first, and the blow struck her barrier instead of their prisoner.

Then Soph stood.

Jackson stared at her for half a heartbeat in complete disbelief.

"Soph, don't you dare—"

She was already crashing through the foliage.

Jackson closed his eyes for the briefest second and exhaled through his nose.

"Why do I even bother?"

Then the blasters came up.

Jackson pushed through the leaves after her just as several barrels settled on Soph at once. Whatever exasperation he felt vanished beneath instinct. The Force surged through him and accelerated everything as he crossed the distance between Soph and the nearest pirate before anyone could fire.

His blue blade snapped to life in motion. The first blaster came apart before its owner could pull the trigger, and Jackson pivoted through the strike into the next weapon. He severed the barrel cleanly, turned through the movement, and cut another rifle in half before the pirate holding it had time to react.

Jackson kept moving with controlled precision, targeting weapons instead of bodies. Every strike removed another threat until smoking pieces of blasters hit the ground and the nearest pirates were left staring at useless halves of their weapons.

He stepped between Soph and the group, settling into a guarded stance with his saber angled low. His breathing remained controlled despite the ache beginning to pull beneath his ribs again.

"Run, and you get to live."

There was no humor in his voice now.

One of the pirates looked toward a sidearm, and Jackson shifted just enough to make the warning unmistakable.

"Move for another weapon, and it's over."

The man froze.

Jackson kept his attention on the pirates, but his frustration finally slipped through when he spoke toward Soph.

"I had a plan, you know."

His eyes flicked toward her for only a moment.

"It lasted right up until you decided to charge an armed pirate camp by yourself."

Jackson turned his focus back toward the Weequay standing nearest Itz.

"Step away from her. Now."

The blue blade hummed steadily between them while Jackson held his ground.

 

[Sophelia Ardemark]

"I had a plan, you know."

"I had it handled." She hissed with a click of teeth. Two more pirates stumbled out of a ten. It was clear they were hung over from some afternoon binge session. Soph snapped her fingers and the force bowled them over. Not enough for any permanent damage. Just enough to knock them on their rears.

Honeyed brow rose innocently in Jackon's direction as a trill of excitement zipped through her chest. She'd never seen pirates let alone fight them. Reminded her of the stories her father used to tell her at bedtime.

"See?"

Those pirates before Jackson with the bones of their guns smoldered and on the jungle floor did freeze. They offered each other silent looks. Trying to calculate what the move was next. "Oh I wouldn't," Soph spoke to them as she strode forward, sliding in front of Itz. Even as she half-tured, to work on loosening the knots of the girl's bindings.

"Don't want to cross him. He's Corellian. A bit of a live wire." Soph managed to get Itz free. The other girl groaned and Soph quickly draped one of her arms around her shoulders. Her other arm snaking around the girl's waist as she took on her weight. Haughty expression - that mask, faltered. Itz needed help. And Soph needed a moment quickly to figure out how bad things were.

"Run," she spat to the pirate closest to her.

 

[Jackson Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Sophelia Ardemark

Jackson gave Soph a sidelong look when she called him a live wire, and this time he let the grin show.

"She's not wrong."

His saber stayed lit while Soph worked Itz free. The blue glow washed over the clearing and caught on the smoking remains of the weapons Jackson had already cut apart. He shifted just enough to keep himself between the pirates and the women, making it clear that getting to them meant getting through him first.

When Soph told them to run, Jackson looked over the group and gave a small shrug.

"I'd listen to her if I were you. You never know what I might do if I go crazy."

His eyes dropped briefly toward the ruined blasters at their feet before returning to the pirates.

"Apparently I'm a live wire."

That did more than another threat would have. The first pirate backed away, then another followed, and the rest quickly decided the fight was not worth it. Jackson watched them retreat into the jungle until the sound of their movement faded beyond the trees.

Only then did he lower the saber and deactivate it.

"Good choice."

Jackson turned toward Soph and Itz, and the humor disappeared when he saw how heavily the aide was leaning against her. He moved in beside them and took some of Itz's weight, adjusting her carefully between himself and Soph.

"We take her back to the village."

Jackson glanced toward the jungle in the direction they had come from.

"The Squibs know this place better than we do, and we'll have shelter there. You can look at her properly once we're inside."

The possibility that the pirates might regroup still bothered him, but dragging an injured Itz deeper into unfamiliar jungle made even less sense. At least the village gave them walls, people who knew the terrain, and a place to stop long enough to figure out what condition she was actually in.

Jackson looked toward Soph and gave a small nod.

"We move fast, but we don't run her into the ground."

Together, they started back toward the village, carrying Itz between them while Jackson kept an eye on the jungle behind. The path felt shorter going back, though every step reminded him that his ribs had not completely forgiven the last two days.

 

[Sophelia Ardemark]

"Okay. Good plan." She breathed, noticing the shift in weight as Jackson supported Itz's other side. Head swiveled side-to-side as they trudged ahead through the path. Which was tricky. It was barely a path and wide enough for one - not three. Soph had to step around large roots, trees, and bushes. It made sense to keep Itz in the middle. Still, frustration crawled across her brow at their pace.

Slower than sailing on Tapani during a nearly breezeless day.

She knew those pirates wouldn't give up. Whatever Itz had been hiding had been worth shooting them down in the first place. Still, she let the zip of adrenaline keep flowing through her veins. Nothing like the promise of death to keep a pep in one's step.

Thoughts dragged to Itz beside them.

She was barely walking. Barely conscious. Worry pooled in her gut. It wasn't good.

"In the tree with the elephant ear. Thetreetreetree. elephant...ear," Itz began muttering. Soph's arm tightened around the girl's waist. Ahead, she could see the curling smoke of the Squib village. Good, they were almost there.

Jackson Lesan

 

[Jackson Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Sophelia Ardemark

Jackson adjusted his grip beneath Itz's arm as the path narrowed again. Every root and low branch made carrying her awkward, and his ribs reminded him with every uneven step that they had not completely recovered. He ignored the ache as much as he could and kept Itz centered between himself and Soph.

Then the aide started talking.

Jackson looked across her toward Sophelia.

"In the tree with the what?"

Itz repeated herself, but the words only became less coherent. Jackson's expression tightened as he listened to the strange rhythm of her muttering. Whether it came from exhaustion, whatever the pirates had done to her, or something else entirely, she was clearly not thinking straight.

"She's getting worse."

He kept his voice low enough that Itz would not hear the concern in it.

"Once we get her inside, we need to figure out what they did to her."

The smoke ahead should have been reassuring. Instead, Jackson slowed when the first edge of the village came into view through the trees.

Something was wrong.

The Squibs had been moving everywhere when they left. Now the settlement felt too still. Jackson caught movement between two huts and stopped completely when he recognized the shape of a blaster rifle before he recognized the pirate carrying it.

His jaw tightened.

"They beat us back."

Jackson carefully guided Itz behind a broad tree and helped Soph lower her enough that they could keep her hidden from the village. He leaned forward just enough to look through the vegetation again. Pirates moved between the huts now, and several Squibs were being held together near the center of the settlement.

Jackson pulled back before anyone could notice him.

"We can't walk her in there."

His frustration showed, but this time he kept it under control. Charging into another group while they were supporting an injured woman would only get Itz caught again, and Jackson had no intention of handing the pirates a second chance.

"We need to know how many there are and where they're keeping the Squibs before we do anything. If we hit them, we do it once and make it count."

His attention shifted toward Itz when she muttered about the elephant-ear tree again. Jackson studied her for a second before looking back toward Soph.

"And even if we clear the village, we're still stuck here."

That problem had been sitting behind everything else since the crash, but finding Itz had kept Jackson from thinking too far beyond it.

"Our transport is finished, and the pirates are the only people we've seen with ships."

Jackson looked back toward the settlement, this time with a different calculation behind his eyes.

"So maybe we stop thinking about those ships as theirs."

He glanced toward Soph.

"We get the Squibs free, we figure out what Itz was trying to tell us, and then we find out where those pirates landed." His expression hardened slightly. "Because I'm done walking across this planet."

 

[Sophelia Ardemark]

Soph's attention remained on Itz as they lowered her to the ground with the cover of the large, twisted tree. Lips twisted downward. Heart dropped at the news with the village. Teeth clicked together. Jaw tightened.

This supposedly 'easy mission' kept trying to take them out.

"I need to check her. Why don't you scout the perimeter and report back? We get the numbers and then we decide to move."

Sophelia hovered her fingers over Itz's muttering form. Golden brows tugging together in concentration as her lashes fluttered closed. The force moved through her. Stronger since she'd been able to rest. And that night's sleep. The soft, golden glow drifted from her hands along Itz's prone form.

Without opening her eyes she added.

"And don't do anything stupid, Jackson."

She continued her work. Sensing, feeling. Getting an idea of what was wrong with Itz. The force whispering its direction. And then she found it. Her expression flattened.

It wasn't good.

Jackson Lesan

 

[Jackson Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Sophelia Ardemark

Jackson looked toward Soph when she told him not to do anything stupid, and one eyebrow lifted.

"I make no promises."

The answer came automatically, but the grin that followed was brief. He could see how quickly her attention had narrowed onto Itz, and whatever she had sensed had already changed her expression. Jackson did not need to know the details yet to understand that Soph needed time and quiet to figure it out.

"I'll be careful."

That promise carried more weight.

Jackson left them beneath the cover of the twisted tree and moved through the vegetation along the edge of the village. He kept low where the jungle allowed it and used the thicker growth to break up his outline. The pirates had settled into the Squib village with the confidence of people who thought they had already won. That worked in Jackson's favor.

He counted as he moved.

Two near the path they had used earlier. Three more around the central cluster of huts. Another stood watch near what looked like a storage structure, while two others moved between the Squibs they had gathered together near the center of the settlement. Jackson waited several minutes before he was satisfied there were no more hiding inside the outer huts.

Eight.

That was manageable.

The captives complicated things.

Jackson shifted farther around the perimeter until the jungle opened enough for him to see beyond the opposite end of the village. The sound of an engine reached him first, followed by a glimpse of metal through the trees.

His attention sharpened.

The pirates had landed their ship beyond the village.

Jackson stayed where he was long enough to study the approach. It was not large, but it was intact, which already made it the most beautiful spacecraft he had seen in his life. A pair of pirates guarded the path toward it, bringing the total closer to ten. That made things harder, but it also solved another problem.

Jackson circled back toward Soph instead of doing anything that would justify her warning. He found her exactly where he had left her, still focused on Itz. The look on Soph's face stopped him from immediately giving his report.

"Is she okay?"

He crouched beside them, and his attention went briefly toward Itz before returning to Soph.

"I've got about ten pirates. Most of them are concentrated inside the village, and they've got the Squibs together near the center. We can't just rush them this time."

Jackson paused long enough to acknowledge the obvious irony in saying it to her.

"The good news is they brought us a way off this planet."

He nodded toward the far side of the settlement.

"Their ship is down beyond the village. Two guards that I could see." His gaze moved between Soph and Itz while the plan started forming. "We get the Squibs clear first. Once they're not sitting in the middle of whatever happens, we deal with the pirates and take the ship."

Jackson looked down at Itz again.

"But before any of that, is she able to move?"

 

[Sophelia Ardemark]

Jackson Lesan

While Jackson had been scouting and after Soph had determined the cause of Itz' situation, she'd leaned into listen to the manic woman. The Senator's aide was smart. Too smart. And Soph knew, even the babbling of someone sick and possibly dying had to have a meaning behind it - especially someone like Itz.

So, she'd left her for a moment. And found something and stashed it in her pants pocket. She'd been hovering and concentrating back over Itz's prone form when Jackson returned. Blues opened and flickered up to her fellow padawan.

"She's poisoned," Soph said. Expression stony with undertones of sadness. "I can't do much for her. I can slow it but...she really need an antidote. One I bet they have," chin tipped toward the pirates beyond the brush. Soph stood. "New plan. You and I take down the guards at the ship. We fire on the village and help even the odds of ten-to-two. You a good enough shot to do that?"

"Can you carry Itz?" Soph drew a metal cylinder from her belt and pressed a button. It extended into a beskar staff. "Come on. Let's go take out some guards and get that ship." She knew a pirate ship had to have some kind of guns on board. She just hoped she or Jackson could shoot good enough to scare or hit them away from the village without...hitting those squibs. Waiting for him, she snuck forward through the trees and in the direction he pointed to where the ship had been with those two guards.

To her credit, she did not charge out into the open. This time, she sent a blast of force energy that would knock the two guards into each other.

 

[Jackson Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Sophelia Ardemark

Jackson's expression hardened when Soph gave him the diagnosis. Poison explained the delirium, but knowing the cause did not make the situation any better. His attention settled on Itz for a moment before shifting toward the pirate ship hidden beyond the village.

"Then we get her on that ship."

Soph's question about shooting earned a small nod.

"I'm a good enough shot."

He was considerably more comfortable behind the controls of a starfighter than firing a blaster from the ground, but shipboard weapons were another matter. Jackson had spent enough time around cockpits and flight systems to know his way around them. If all they needed was enough precision to put fire around the pirates without turning the Squib village into a crater, he could manage that.

Then Soph asked whether he could carry Itz. Jackson looked down at his ribs. They were going to hate him.

"Yeah."

He crouched beside the aide and carefully worked one arm beneath her knees while the other supported her back. The moment Jackson lifted, a deep pull ran through his side. His jaw tightened, and for a second he had to stop himself from immediately putting her back down.

The pain sharpened when he straightened.

Something along his ribs shifted just enough to send a hot line through his side, and Jackson sucked in a short breath through his teeth. Soph's healing had done enough to keep him moving, but carrying another person through uneven jungle terrain was apparently where his body intended to draw the line.

Jackson adjusted Itz closer against his chest anyway.

"I've got her."

He followed Soph through the trees, moving more carefully than he wanted. Every root forced him to adjust his footing, and each correction tugged harder at the injury. By the time they reached the edge of the clearing, a dull ache had become something sharper again, and Jackson could feel the muscles around his ribs tightening in response.

When Soph stopped near the edge of the clearing, Jackson lowered his center of gravity as much as he could without jarring Itz. The two guards stood between them and the ship, neither apparently aware that the Jedi they had been hunting were already within striking distance.

Soph did not charge this time. Jackson almost felt proud of her.

The Force slammed into both guards and sent them crashing together before either could bring a weapon around. Jackson moved immediately, carrying Itz forward while the pirates struggled to recover.

"Nice."

One of the guards managed to get a hand around his blaster.

Jackson stopped.

His lightsaber flew from his belt into his waiting hand, and the blue blade ignited with a snap. He could not move with the same speed while carrying Itz, so he did not try. Instead, he extended the saber toward the pirate and fixed him with a look.

"I wouldn't."

The guard looked from Jackson to Soph, then toward his partner still sprawled beside him.

The blaster dropped into the dirt.

"Good decision."

Jackson deactivated the saber and continued toward the ship. The boarding ramp was already down, which saved them the trouble of figuring out how to break inside. He made it only partway up before his boot landed awkwardly against the ramp and his torso twisted to keep Itz from slipping.

Pain tore through his side.

Jackson froze and nearly lost his footing. His shoulder hit the bulkhead hard enough to keep all three of them upright, but the impact drove another jolt through the injured ribs. For several seconds, he could not do much more than breathe shallowly and hold Itz against him.

"Okay," he managed through clenched teeth. "That was worse."

He pushed away from the wall once the worst of the pain passed and forced himself the rest of the way inside.

The interior smelled exactly like Jackson expected a pirate vessel to smell. He did not waste time deciding whether he wanted to know what caused it. The first compartment with something resembling a bunk was enough.

Jackson carefully lowered Itz onto it and immediately bent forward, one hand braced against the edge of the bunk while the other pressed hard against his ribs. His face tightened as he waited for the pain to settle.

"Find their med supplies. If they poisoned her on purpose, there's a chance they kept the antidote here."

Jackson straightened more slowly this time. The movement cost him, and his breathing remained shallow even after he was upright.

"I'll get us powered up and see what this thing has for guns."

The sounds coming from the direction of the village reminded him that the Squibs were still surrounded. Jackson started toward the cockpit, but the hand lingering against his side made it obvious that carrying Itz had done more damage than he wanted to admit.

"We scare the pirates off the Squibs, get everybody clear, and then we get Itz off this planet."

He looked back toward Soph before disappearing down the corridor.

"And somewhere between here and orbit, you're looking at these ribs again whether I like it or not."

 

[Sophelia Ardemark]

Jackson Lesan

She didn't miss it. Any of the way Jackson's posture stuttered. The small stiffening. The slight hesitations. The moments of very clear pain. Fingers tightened along her staff, frustration racing through her bones. Then a whisper of guilt.

Maybe she shouldn't have asked him to carry Itz.

Worry wormed its way into her thoughts.

She bit down on her lip. Scooping up one of the pirate's blasters, she set it to stun and didn't hesitate to shoot them both. Their bodies thumped to the ground unceremoniously as she followed Jackson up that ramp. Setting the blaster and staff to the side, she began rummaging around the ship as Jackson headed to the cockpit. A worried glance to where he set Itz down. She knew they were running out of time.

"And somewhere between here and orbit, you're looking at these ribs again whether I like it or not."

"Don't tell me what to do. I already had that on my agenda," she piped from the small medbay. Desperately searching through the drawers. There! Hands tugged out a row of vials that were clearly labeled. Anti-toxins.

"I think I found the anti-dote!" Soph called, excitement ringing in her voice. "What's the weapons situation?" Soph braced herself, as she felt the engines rumble to life beneath her. Searching the vials, she picked one up and headed over to Itz.

 

[Jackson Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Sophelia Ardemark

Jackson heard Soph call from the medbay just as the ship's systems finished waking around him. Displays flickered to life across the battered cockpit, accompanied by several warning lights he decided were problems for later. He lowered himself into the pilot's seat carefully, but even that small movement pulled sharply along his side. His hand settled against his ribs while he waited for the pain to ease enough for him to lean toward the controls.

"Good. Saves me the trouble of reminding you."

The excitement in her voice when she announced the antidote mattered considerably more.

"Give it to her."

Jackson's attention moved across the unfamiliar controls. Pirate ships were rarely known for standardized cockpit layouts, but flight systems were flight systems. He found the weapon display after a few seconds of searching and brought the targeting system online.

"We've got guns." His eyebrows rose slightly as more information populated the display. "Actually, we've got a lot of guns."

Jackson eased power into the repulsors, and the ship lifted just enough for the landing struts to clear the ground. The vibration rolling through the hull immediately found every place his ribs had been aggravated over the last two days. His breath caught, and he leaned harder into the seat while one hand pressed against his side.

He forced himself to breathe shallowly until the sharper pain faded, then brought both hands back to the controls. The village appeared through the forward viewport as he guided the ship above the trees. Jackson could see the pirates scattered among the huts and the Squibs still gathered near the center, which eliminated any thought of simply firing into the settlement.

His fingers moved across the targeting controls while he studied the village below. He angled the ship so the weapons faced the open ground beyond the pirates rather than the captives, but reaching toward one of the secondary displays pulled at his ribs again. Jackson winced and stopped halfway through the motion before changing position and using his other hand instead.

The injury was getting harder to ignore.

Jackson selected the forward cannons and deliberately placed the targeting reticle several meters beyond the nearest group. A short burst tore into the empty ground beside the village, throwing dirt and vegetation into the air without touching any of the huts.

The pirates scattered for cover, exactly as Jackson hoped.

He swung the ship slightly and put another burst into the jungle on the opposite side of them, boxing the group away from the Squibs instead of firing directly into their position. The maneuver forced him to twist toward the side display, and a sudden stab beneath his ribs made his grip tighten around the controls.

"Come on," he muttered through clenched teeth while he watched the pirates move. "Take the hint."

Several broke toward the trees. Jackson kept the ship hovering above the village and used another carefully placed volley to drive the remaining men away from the captives. By then, every vibration from the engines had become a steady ache through his side, and a faint sheen of sweat had gathered along his forehead that had nothing to do with the jungle heat.

"Looks like they're running."

Jackson kept the cannons trained away from the Squibs while the last pirates disappeared into the vegetation. He lowered the ship slightly once the center of the village was clear, but the change in altitude sent another jolt through the hull and forced him to brace one hand against the console.

He stayed there for a second longer than he intended.

Then Jackson opened the comm toward the rest of the vessel.

"How's Itz?"

His voice was steady enough, even if his breathing was not quite as even as it had been before.

"Once the Squibs are clear and she's stable, we're leaving. I don't care where she and whatever she was carrying were supposed to go next. The first friendly port with an actual medical facility sounds perfect."

Jackson leaned back carefully in the pilot's seat and pressed his palm firmly against his ribs again. He was going to need that medical facility too.

 

[Sophelia Ardemark]

Soph jabbed the antidote into Itz's neck. She hovered over the Senator's aide for a tense moment, settling herself in the force and watching closely. The force at her fingertips and ready. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, Itz's tensed expression began to relax. Soph monitored her vitals as they settled.

"Thank the stars," she muttered as the ship lurched. She caught herself on the edge of Itz's table. Knowing Jackson was at work scaring off the pirates. Satisfied that Itz's condition wouldn't suddenly deteriorate, Soph made her way through the belly of the ship toward the cockpit.

To the other patient.

She grimaced, seeing how much Jackson was clutching his side. Blues flickered out the viewport. "I think they're gone and good, Jackson." A gentle hand reached forward and squeezed his shoulder softly as she slipped into the co-pilot's seat. "The pirates will be coming after us, now. Even though we have their ship. We should get out of here. Itz is stable. That antidote seems to be working. At least, right now."

A breath as she eyed where his hand clutched.

"Can you get us into hyperspace? Then you should join Itz in the medbay and give me a proper look at that." Hand motioned where he was clearly hurting. Concern pinching honeyed brows. Lower lip curling downward.

Jackson Lesan

 

[Jackson Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Sophelia Ardemark

Jackson looked toward Soph when her hand settled on his shoulder. The concern in her expression was impossible to miss, and this time he did not try to hide behind a joke. He gave her a small, grateful smile before turning back toward the controls.

"Yeah. I can get us out."

The fact that Itz was stable took some of the pressure out of his chest. At least one thing had finally gone right. Jackson pushed the ship higher through the atmosphere, though the climb was not kind to his ribs. Every vibration from the engines seemed determined to remind him how much damage he had done to himself since the crash, and by the time stars replaced the jungle through the viewport, his breathing had gone shallow again.

Jackson ignored the pain long enough to bring up the navicomputer and feed in coordinates for the nearest friendly system. The ship was unfamiliar, stolen, and probably carrying half a dozen mechanical problems he had not found yet, but the hyperdrive indicator came back green.

"Good enough."

He wrapped one hand around the hyperspace controls and pulled. The stars stretched into brilliant lines before the ship slipped into the blue-white tunnel of hyperspace, and only then did Jackson finally let his shoulders drop.

"We're clear."

He stayed in the pilot's seat for another moment before pushing himself upright. The movement hurt enough to stop him halfway, and his hand immediately went back to his side. Jackson waited until the pain settled before finishing the motion, and this time he did not pretend Soph had not noticed.

"Alright. You win."

Jackson made his way back toward the medbay with considerably less stubbornness than he had shown over the last two days. The adrenaline that had kept him moving was finally wearing off, and without a pirate camp, missing aide, or crashing ship demanding his attention, there was nothing left to distract him from the state of his ribs.

He stepped into the medbay and glanced toward Itz first. Seeing the aide resting more peacefully than before eased some of the tension from his expression.

"She looks better."

Jackson moved toward the second examination bunk and carefully sat down. A wince crossed his face when his ribs compressed, but he did not argue with his body this time. He reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head slowly, avoiding any sudden twist through his torso.

Without the loose shirt hiding him, Jackson looked leaner and more defined than most people probably expected. Years of training, flying, climbing, and field work had left him surprisingly toned through the shoulders, chest, and abdomen, though the bruising spreading across his side ruined most of the effect. Dark purples and blacks marked several ribs where carrying Itz and taking the ship had aggravated the injury again.

Jackson set the shirt beside him and looked toward Soph.

"No argument this time. Do your thing."

He leaned back enough to give her room to work, although one hand remained near the worst of the bruising. His eyes drifted briefly toward Itz before returning to Soph.

"For the record, I still think carrying her was the right call. My ribs can complain all they want."

 

[Sophelia Ardemark]

Jackson Lesan


Relief flickered across her face as those stars elongated and they entered the whirl of hyperspace. Even though she knew the airsickness would creep in soon. She followed him back toward the medbay.

“It’s not about winning, Jackson,” a click of her tongue as she gently chided him. A glance to Itz. Her face in a much more peaceful state. “Yeah, she’s going to be okay.”

Eyes sharpened to the deep mottled bruises across his fair skin. Colors that bled into the hard contours of his chest. “Jackson,” she breathed. Guilt gnawed around her. Another emotion twisted against her. They’d been through a lot and she cared about him. He’d proven himself to be a good partner. He’d cared about others over himself. He reminded her of someone she’d lost on Tapani.

“This is bad.” Stepping in closer, her hand pressed lightly against his shoulder. Carefully supporting him as she urged him to lie down. Oh-so-slowly. “Just…try to relax. Jackson, you could’ve punctured your lung.”

A small grouse with no bite, only worry.

Fingers lifted to tuck ribbons of gold behind the shell of one ear as she hovered over him. Digits extended, a breath above his skin. The force pooled around her and then she got to work. Eyes closed, letting her senses take over. A soothing warmth extended from her fingertips, working internally in Jackson’s ribs. Broken fragments began to knit together. Piece by piece. Mending and setting. Even the bruises began to fade and disappear on his skin.

A soothing balm as things began righting themselves back to a normal state. This time it was easier. This time she had more reserves. She knew she might feel a little tired, later. More and more she was becoming aware of her limits. Even as that line shifted and grew. Limits expanding. She was in no danger of passing out this time.

That golden glow like starlight still pooled from her palms and into him. Soothing. Mending. Until the bruises faded away completely. Lashes fluttered, blues cracking open as she looked at her work. A relieved smile struck across her face, briefly lighting it up.

“There. Should be as good as new.” Hands lowered to her sides. Fingers brushing against the thing she found in the jungle. Remembering.

“Oh. I meant to tell you. I found a datachit when you were scouting. I think Itz hid it before she got captured. I’m going to see what’s on it. I think we have a right to know.”

After all they’d been through? She didn’t care about senators and their secrets.

 

[Jackson Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Sophelia Ardemark

Jackson let out a slow breath when Soph told him it was not about winning. He knew that, even if some stubborn part of him had spent the last two days treating every disagreement like something he could muscle his way through. This time, he did not argue. When she urged him down, Jackson let her guide him onto the examination bunk. The movement still pulled at his side, and a faint grimace crossed his face before he settled back against the padding.

"Yeah," he admitted quietly when she mentioned the lung. "That probably would've been bad."

There was no joke behind it.

Jackson watched her for a moment as she leaned over him, then let his head rest back and closed his eyes. The warmth from her hands spread through his ribs almost immediately, and this time the relief came deeper. The sharp ache that had been following him since the crash began to loosen as bone and muscle settled back into place.

His breathing changed first.

For the first time in what felt like 2 days, Jackson drew a full breath without pain catching halfway through it. He opened his eyes again and looked down at his side. The bruising had faded until only clean skin remained over the hard lines of his ribs.

"Okay."

A small, surprised smile appeared.

"That's a lot better."

Jackson pushed himself up carefully, almost expecting the pain to return, but it did not. He rolled one shoulder and tested a deeper breath before looking back toward Soph.

"Thank you."

The words came simply this time.

Then she mentioned the datachit. Jackson's attention sharpened immediately.

"You found what?" He swung his legs over the side of the bunk and sat upright, the earlier exhaustion replaced by curiosity. "Yeah. We absolutely have a right to know."

Jackson glanced toward Itz, then back toward the chit in Soph's hand.

"Whatever was on that thing got our transport shot out of the sky, got the pilots killed, got Itz poisoned, and nearly got the Squibs caught in the middle of it."

His expression hardened slightly.

"I'm done being the last person in the room to know what the mission actually is."

Jackson nodded toward the datachit.

"Put it in."

 

[Sophelia Ardemark]

Relief at the way Jackson moved. The way his skin turned back to normal. She knew - sensed - everything was mended and back in place but it was another thing seeing the results come together. Head shook and her voice lowered, eyes flickering to Itz.

"Not here," Silently, she turned and headed back toward the cockpit.

Itz was loyal to Dominic Praxon and she knew the aide would report everything to her boss. Without knowing what was on the datachit, she didn't know if she wanted even a chance of Itz knowing she and Jackson looked at it. She doubted Itz was with it enough to listen...but just in case.

Confident they wouldn't be overheard, Soph got out her comm and plugged in the datachit, stepping close to Jackson so she could share her screen as the information scrolled across. Several words and files immediately stuck out ot her.

Moon sized prison.

Weaponized.

Strange occurrences happening within - CLASSIFIED.

Then a set of coordinates.

Golden brows lofted. "This just got more interesting. Why do you think a Senator of the Republic wants this info?"

Jackson Lesan

 

[Jackson Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Sophelia Ardemark

Jackson followed Soph into the cockpit and leaned closer when she connected the datachit. His attention moved quickly across the files as they populated the screen, and whatever relaxation remained after having his ribs put back together disappeared.

A moon-sized prison was enough to get his attention.

Jackson folded his arms loosely across his chest while Soph scrolled through the information. The classified references offered frustratingly little explanation, and the coordinates only gave them another question instead of an answer.

When Soph asked why a Republic senator would want any of it, Jackson stared at the display for several seconds before shaking his head.

"I don't know."

He did not try to manufacture an answer simply because she had asked.

"Maybe the senator knows what it is. Maybe he knows what happened there. Maybe somebody just convinced him this was something he needed to know."

Jackson looked toward the coordinates again. Whatever the truth was, people had already been willing to shoot down a transport, kill the pilots, and poison Itz to keep this information from reaching its destination. That made guessing feel particularly stupid.

"But I know somebody who might be able to find out." His expression shifted as the thought settled into place. "My uncle… Judah."

Jackson nodded toward the classified files on Soph's screen.

"He's a Shadow. This kinda of thing is basically what he does."

If there was something buried behind those coordinates, whether it was a hidden program, whoever built the place, who controlled it, or why somebody wanted the whole thing kept quiet, Judah would know where to start looking.

Jackson glanced toward the corridor leading back to the medbay.

"We don't say anything to Itz yet. She nearly died protecting this, and we still don't know how much she knows or what Praxon told her."

His attention returned to Soph.

"We copy the data, put everything back exactly the way we found it, and let her deliver the original."

Jackson looked once more at the words on the display.

"Then we ask Uncle Judah what we're actually looking at."

A faint crease formed between his brows.

"Because after the last two days, I really don't feel like taking a senator's word that this is none of our business."