Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

[KitKat]

Dantooine

Off in the distance there was an orphanage, one the woman knew only too well, or at least she used to. Wherever she was, things were not the same. She had been here long enough to realize this wasn't the galaxy she knew, but some of the similarities were startling.

The orphanage belonged to an old caretaker named Kai Albi Gran, who was a long retired Jedi, or at least that is the story she knew from the galaxy she was supposed to be in. In this very orphanage Katarine's once husband had grown up, but in the weeks since she had been camping just outside the orphanage she had not once seen him. It helped her rule out time travel, for no blond child resembled him, nor grown man visit as she knew he would. These answers were appreciated but they only lead to more questions. So many questions.

That night the woman woke to the smell of smoke. Her deep green eyes slid open sleepily and she sat up. Through the tent she could see the light cast from the flames. Pulling her boots and leather jacket on, she left the tent and froze. The orphanage was an inferno of reds and oranges dancing dangerously.

Without thinking she headed towards the flames. The sound of children screaming and coughing filled her ears. As soon as she entered the building smoke assaulted her lungs. Her deep green eyes spotted a few caretakers doing their best to get the children out. Katarine started up the steps, intending the check the upper floor of the shabby orphanage. At her instruction the older children started helping the younger ones. Katarine carried several down the stairs herself before going back into the flames to find more.

She searched the bedrooms, under the beds, the closets, anywhere a child might be tempted to hide. Finally she cleared a room on the end and was satisfied there were no others. She turned away from the closet she had been checking when suddenly the window blew out. The glass sprayed over her, the force of the blow knocking her sideways onto the bed. Choking on smoke, her eyes watering she realized there was a pain in her abdomen. She looked down, realizing she had fallen onto of glass shards, but not all of them belonged to the window. Her weight had broken an old fashion picture frame, the type Kai collected, and pushed the glass into her abdomen. Blood was already seeping through the tight white tank top she wore over her black leather pants, and under her leather jacket. She winced and sat up, before realizing she knew the man in the picture. She pulled the picture out of the frame and stuffed it into her jacket pocket before heading for the hallway.

Sometime Latter - Hospital

She had no idea how she had gotten there. All the emergency team that brought her in knew was that she was found at the scene of the orphanage fire, but that nobody at the orphanage knew who she was. She had no identification on her, and though she had light runes etched around her neck, they were only visible on close inspection and not in a language anybody knew how to read. The woman was scared, bruised, and battered in a way that indicated she had seen combat, and the two lightsabers found on her person made the medical staff wary of who she must be. The weapons were foreign, and made quite differently from the lightsabers the rest of the galaxy knew. Any organization questioned would not recognize the woman. Even her clothes were odd and didn't match the rest of the fashion of the galaxy. She was a mystery and quite possibly dangerous. Had she set the fire? Authorities were there to investigate and truthfully Katarine was just as much a prisoner as a patient, though she didn't know it yet.

Her deep green eyes slid open and she sat up, realizing she was in a hospital bed. Her throat was raw and sore from all of the smoke she had inhaled. The wound on her abdomen was dressed and bandaged, and judging by the pain in her leg she realized she had been burned. She groaned and tried to swing her leg over the bed, wanting to figure out where she was, but found herself strapped down.

"Hello?" Her voice was a course whisper. She tried to clear her throat but despite causing her pain it didn't help.


[member="Josef Ibn Abad"]

 

[Josef Ibn Abad]

The siren of the ambulance blared as it raced through the streets of Garang. The driver did what he could, occasionally having to slam onto the vehicles horn in order to get people to obey law and move their hides for Emergency Responders with lights on. Tonight seemed busier than most. The streets of Dantooines Capital were packed full of more people than usual.

In the back, Josef Ibn-Abad did what he could. Almond brown eyes lifted the shirt of the woman just past the naval, exposing wounds that continued to bleed out. Taking gauze he placed them around the abdomen while using tape he tore with his teeth to keep them in place. In seconds they simply filled up. Josef in turn put more. Her mouth and nose were covered by an oxygen mask. Her right finger had a small monitor clipped to it. The monitor gave off heart rate and oxygen level readings on a monitor just next to the gurney. Josef noted the heart rate slowing.

"Bob, make the call. She's going into shock!" Josef shouted.

The driver of the ambulance, Bob Fellow was a pudgy little man with a greying and balding head. He was also one of the few people outside of Josef's community that he trusted. Bob lifted the radio and sent out a call. "Dispatch this is two-seven. We are in route to Garang General. Tell staff on sight we have a late teens to early twenties Caucasian female. About five feet two inches. Weight around one hundred pounds. She has severe abdominal trauma to both lower quadrants. Significant blood loss. Female suffers from minor burns and smoke inhalation. We need a crash cart prepped and ready. Over."

'Two-Seven. This is dispatch. We copy. Information has been passed to Garang Community.' A voice replied over the radio.

The moment dispatch finished, the woman's vitals tanked. Alarms in the back cabin began blaring as blood pressure and heart rate tanked. Josef removed the gauze, his hands and sleeves now coated in the crimson fluid. He tore open more packs. Applied the bandages and retaped. Looking at the monitor, the Paramedic opened a small cabinet and pulled out a syringe. Taking a bottle from a second cabinet, Josef filled the syringe and administered it directly into the womans arm.

"Adrenaline administered." Josef called out.

"Got it!" Bob replied. Again the driver picked up the radio and made a call. He had to get the information to dispatch so it could be relayed to the hospital.

Over the next several minutes, Josef worked hard to ensure the womans heartbeat didn't flat line. He changed her bandages, tended to her burns by applying creams, and worked on her oxygenation levels. Then they finally arrived at the hospital. A flurry of activity as the Ambulances doors were swung wide open. Nurses pulled the gurney free. Josef grabbed his medical pad and the womans possessions which had been placed with her.

Bob and Josef spoke with the Emergency Room's Trauma Team, giving information about the woman. Ibn-Abad handed over the ladies possessions which included two lightsabers. Those caused a lot of people to grow uneasy. Still they took them. As Josef could finally catch a breath, he watched as she was carted into a room, the Nurses, unsure of what to do with her lightsabers. The Paramedic had one as well. Though his was a family heirloom that was passed down through the generations; legend saying it belonged to a family member who had been a Jedi Padawan. Unlike the one Josef had, this woman's looked like it actually worked.

"You ok?" Bob asked.

Josef saw how uneasy this woman was making hospital staff. Security was already arriving while other teams worked on other patients from the orphanage fire. He already knew how this was going to go. She was the outsider. A woman whom didn't work for the orphanage, had been found inside it. She was a woman that dressed different and carried lightsabers. To most she must be a suspect. To Josef, she was a hero. Early reports indicated she helped to save lives in there. No one would set a fire just to play hero... would they?

"Yeah I'll be fine. Go ahead and head back to the station. I'm going to stay a bit longer, get cleaned up, then just go home from here." Josef replied.

"Are you sure?" Bob asked.

"Yeah." Josef replied. From his angle he could see the strange runic markings he noted on her neck earlier. What did they mean? Where was she from? His attention turned back to the Nurses station as they showed authorities the womans lightsabers.

.::.Sometime Later.::.

He had washed up and changed from his paramedic uniform. He wore a distinctive hijab, a piece of fabric that was delicately wrapped around his head to ensure his hair was covered. Now he sat quietly in the woman's room, his eyes scanning through a Home and Gardening magazine that had been resting on the chair.

"Hello?"

The course voice caught Josef's attention and the man quietly sat the magazine down. Coming to a stand next to the bed, Ibn-Abad glanced at the woman's monitors. Everything was as normal as it could be given her situation.

"As-Salaamu Alaikum." Josef greeted the woman with a soft whisper. "My name is Josef Ibn-Abad. You should not move, Miss. You sustained serious injury to your body. The stitches to your abdomen were just placed in. If you strain yourself you will tear them. You are in Garang General. Its a hospital in the planets capital. Your wounds have been tended but you've been restrained due to authorities having some questions for you. They want to know what you were doing at the Orphanage. To a lot of children you're a hero though. If what they say is true you have my utmost respect and admiration. May I ask... who are you? We aren't able to find any identification on you when my ambulance brought you in."

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]​

 

[KitKat]

In her confusion upon waking up in a hospital she had not noticed the man sitting in the corner. He stood and came more clearly into view, warning her not to move or struggle because of her stitches. She glanced down at the straps holding her and wondered if that was for her benefits or the authorities? Despite the situation the woman seemed calm, almost eerily so, but a lifetime of training helped facilitate the demeanor of a Jedi, or at least a former one.

Having spent a so much time undercover she was good at deflecting questions and listening to answers, and from the sounds of it this Josef might be the only person convinced she wasn't at fault for a fire. Her deep green eyes seemed to ponder him for a moment, and then glanced away. Even in a truly difficult situation Katarine radiated kindness from her core. She wouldn't be rude to a perfect stranger, even if he could be a detective sen to question her.

"My name is Katarine. I was just camping in the wrong place at the right time and decided to help." Her voice was still a coarse whisper and she winced at the pain in her throat. She seemed to have more to say however because she opened her lips, but paused, her deep green eyes flickering towards the door as if she expected someone. Sure enough two minutes latter a woman walked in, carrying a cup of ice chips.

"Oh good you are awake. These might help your throat a little. It's probably swollen. I'll let the doctor know you are awake."

The nurse left, having sat the cup on the table. Katarine smiled her thanks, and watched the woman go. Her deep green eyes returned to Josef as her slender hand lifted the cup and offered it to him. "Would you like an ice chip." She smiled, but the gesture wasn't one entirely of manners. It was the first instinct of a prisoner of war to have proof what they were offered was not poisoned. Perhaps the woman wasn't simply a wandering camper after all.

[member="Josef Ibn Abad"]

 

[Josef Ibn Abad]

"My name is Katarine. I was just camping in the wrong place at the right time and decided to help."

Josef listened as she spoke her name. Katarine. Josef had heard other similar names; Katharine, Catarina, but never Katarine. It was different. It was... just as unique as the woman whom laid in the bed. Josef gave her a polite smile as he placed both hands gently on a side railing. Nothing about her set off alarm bells. Yet it was how she ended her statement; that she had been camping in the wrong place at the right time which, if Josef were to be honest, raised some internal alarm bells.

He wanted to ask, 'Who camps near an orphanage?' He did not however. It was not his place to intrude. As his people did not like others prying into their private lives; he would in turn treat others the same. That question still nagged at him though. His attention turned towards a new arrival.

"Oh good you are awake.These might help your throat a little. It's probably swollen. I'll let the doctor know you are awake."

The Nurse set down a cup of ice chips and then quietly left. Josef attention turned back towards Katarine who raised the cup towards Josef and offered the gentleman an ice chip. Now this was truly odd.

"Thank you, Miss Katarine." The thickness of an accent he struggled to hide while in Garang shining through. Quietly the man placed a single finger into the cup and pulled an ice chip free. Resting it on his tongue the man quietly sucked. The cold felt food; especially after the long day.

"At least I can say Garang General doesn't use tap water." The quietly joked. He so desperately wanted to unload a multitude of questions for the young woman. Josef's eyes looked at the markings on Katarine's neck. Ok perhaps this one time he would pry, "May I ask, what do this mean?"

​

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]​

 

[KitKat]

She watched as he took an ice chip and after a while when he didn't collapse on the floor she did the same. The cold felt good on her throat, which she realized was indeed swollen. As she helped herself to another ice chip he asked his question, and she frowned slightly at the direction his eyes had wandered. The runes were etched faintly into her skin, not usually visible unless in the proper light or upon very close inspection. He must have been the person to bring her to the hospital. It was the only way he'd notice such things. She was starting to rule him out as a detective.

"Just leftovers from a very long story." She smiled at him but could see no way to go into detail about her origins, her family expectations, or the ritual that had marked her and her twin forever. At least no way that wouldn't freak the man out.

She sat the cup on the table and glanced at him again. "I don't suppose you would consider untying me and letting me leave Josef? I am grateful for what you have done but it probably isn't wise for me to linger."

[member="Josef Ibn Abad"]

 

[Josef Ibn Abad]

"Just leftovers from a very long story."

The woman had the the gentlest of smiles. Standing above her, hands quietly once more placed upon the side railing of the bed, the man stared upon the woman. His Mother had taught him valuable lessons. She taught him how to make quick judgements on people. They're tiny mannerisms. It's what helped those in Josef's community survive. They were able to decipher friend from foe and nothing about this woman indicated she was a danger.

"I don't suppose you would consider untying me and letting me leave Josef? I am grateful for what you have done but it probably isn't wise for me to linger."

That question made Josef uneasy. He wanted to stay out of curiosity. This woman peaked his interest, like a cat seeing a ball of yarn for the first time. To actually go against hospital regulations though? "I could lose my job." Josef explained. "Even if I released your restraints, where would you go? Back to the orphanage? To where you were camping? What about your injuries? They need to be monitored. What happens if your stitches tear? I might be the one wheeling you back in here."

Josef let out a soft sigh. He already knew he was going to help this woman. Something about her eyes. Those globes, that his people believed to be the windows to another very soul, were desperate. There truly was more to her than she was letting on but who was Josef to deny her. "There is a saying among my people, in haste there is regret, but in patience and care there is safety. Give me your word that you have a place to stay this evening. Give me your word that whatever answer you say won't be a lie. Give me your word that the two weapons brought in are not used to harm others. Once I have that reassurance from you, then and only then, I shall undo your bindings."

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]
​

 

[KitKat]

Katarine listened to his questions and his concerns. He seemed like a genuine honest person and judging by what he said about wheeling her back in here, he was not a detective but rather a paramedic who worked for the hospital. He seemed concerned for her health and for the safety of others. He didn't quite want to trust her yet, but his willingness to help told her that he did and he wasn't sure why.

Her deep green eyes wandered to the bindings that she could theoretically figure a way to break herself, and then found his own eyes and held them. "It would be a lie to tell you the weapons I carry have never harmed anyone. I could tell you I only did it for the right reasons, but in war even the reasons that seem right are often wrong. I would never want you to lose your job because of me. Forget I asked. Besides I'm fairly sure that by now the authorities have confiscated my tent and are keeping it in some evidence locker with all my other stuff. This bed is as good as any for now."

She smiled at him and indeed sat back in the bed, apparently getting comfortable. It was rather difficult to do. The paper thin hospital gown she was wearing was itchy and the bed itself lumpy, but she had slept on worse, far worse.

"So you work at the hospital?" She wasn't exactly sure why he was still here if he were just a paramedic. Before she could hear his response the door opened again and two men walked in. One was tall and had blond hair with angular features, while the other was shorter, stocky and going bald.

"My name is Detective Mullins and I am here to inform you that you are being transferred to County. We can look after your injuries there while you are questioned." The balding man spoke.

Katarine looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Questioned for what?"

"For the children that never turned up after the fire." He practically spat the words at her, leaving no question who he thought was responsible. He started to undo her bindings and Katarine swung her legs around and gained her feet. She still had an IV attached to her.

"Shouldn't we wait for a medical discharge? I haven't even seen a doctor yet." She was subconsciously backing up, putting herself between Josef and the officers.

"You are under arrest for kidnapping and arson. You are lucky you got medical attention at all. We don't take kindly to kidnappers down at the station! Cuff her Sile."

The tall blond left his position at the doorway and started towards them while Katarine was still trying to calm the situation. "This is silly. I've been here in this room since I was dragged from the fire. There is no way I could have kidnapped anybody. I..." She shook her head as slight dizziness started. "It wasn't..." The dizziness was getting stronger, and more familiar. She had felt this before. "I ..." She stumbled slightly, falling backwards into Josef, whom she was still shielding subconsciously. The blond officer was now upon her, cuffs in hand. Katarine shook her head. "Don't touch me." Too late. He pulled her wrists and the dizziness exploded. She had one brief second to narrow her eyes at the man before she passed out.

[member="Josef Ibn Abad"]

 

[Josef Ibn Abad]

Everything seemed to unfold so rapidly. Josef, during a brief exchange with Katarine was interrupted by a less than pleasant Detective. Right off the bat he immediately accused the woman of kidnapping and arson. That made little sense. Josef was not a cop and even he could see the holes in this Detectives theory that this woman, this Katarine, was responsible for anything. During the Katarines argument with the Detective the stress of the situation seemed to overwhelm the woman. The Detective attempted to place cuffs on her. She protested. She fell. Immediately Josef shoved the Detective aside and had Katarine in her arms. In seconds the woman has back in the bed and a team of Nurses were once more upon her.

Detective Mullins then got into Josefs face, "You just assaulted a police officer. I should arrest you."

Josef simply raised his hands in an attempt to show a submissive nature to the angry cop, "I am a Paramedic and came to the aid of a woman in need. If you still wish to arrest her then feel free too but only after she has been tended too. With all due respect, I must leave."

The Detective glared at Josef, whom exited Katarines room and went straight towards the Nurses station. Reaching over, the Paramedic grabbed both of the womans lightsabers. They were about the same weight as the one he had at his home. Josef also recognized the clip they used. He attached one to his belt but held the second. Glancing back into Katarines room, Josef could see the Detective itching to put the handcuffs back on the woman. She couldn't have done it though. Why would someone start a fire, apparently abduct children, but then stay in the burning building just to be saved by authorities? It didn't make sense? If she was the kidnapper what did she do with all the children?

Then the thought hit him. If she was an innocent woman it was Josef obligation to help her. His people firmly believed in protecting those whom could not protect themselves and right now Katarine was in need of such assistance. Grabbing a bed pan that was sitting on a side cart outside of the woman's room, Josef swung.

Clang!​

​

"I humbly ask your forgiveness." Josef said as the Detective fell to the floor. His attention turned towards the Nurses whom looked at the Paramedic with wide eyes. "Please do not do anything foolish." Josef pulled the biggest bluff of his life. He held one of the womans lightsabers as though he knew how to use it. "Everyone in that bathroom."

Ibn-Abad watched as the three nurses entered quietly then he moved a chair to the door and wedged it under the handle. That would buy him a few minutes. When he heard the Detective stir again, Josef gave one more thump to his head. This time the Detective stayed down.

"Forgive me, Father." Josef whispered in a private, momentary prayer.

Heading to the bed, Josef clipped the second saber to his belt and lifted the still unconscious Katarine in both arms. Quietly he left the emergency room. It took him ten minutes before he found an unlocked speeder. Setting the woman in the passengers seat, Josef climbed into the drivers and pressed the ignition button. The engine hummed to life.

Then the alarms in the hospital sounded. The Nurses had gotten free. People would be looking for him and the missing woman. Flying out of the parking space, Josef drove as fast as he could. Where was he going to go? He had knocked a cop unconscious. He had locked up three nurses. He stole a patient.

Josef Ibn-Abad stole a patient.

As the man raced down the street, he shook the woman gently, "Hey wake up. I need your help!"

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]​

 

[KitKat]

Katarine woke to gentle shaking. She blinked and opened her eyes, then suddenly sat up straight as she realized she was no longer in the hospital. Josef was next to her, driving a speeder and there were alarms blaring in the distance. "What..." Her brain seemed to be working slow but it didn't take long for a woman who spent a lifetime undercover to put the pieces together.

When she spoke it was with calm and practiced authority. She could see the panic in his eyes and was willing to bet this was the first and only time he'd ever broken any kind of law. He might be about to panic if she wasn't careful. "We need to hide somewhere, change our clothes, and figure out what the next step is. Do you know a place we can hide?"

Her deep green eyes glanced behind them. They would be followed surely. There wasn't as much air traffic in this city as others like Coruscant, but there was a little to buy them time. That is if she could keep her driver from panicking.

[member="Josef Ibn Abad"]

 

[Josef Ibn Abad]

"We need to hide somewhere, change our clothes, and figure out what the next step is. Do you know a place we can hide?"

Josef's eyes shot to the woman beside him. He had to get off the street. He had just helped a kidnapping suspect. He had just assaulted a cop. The man was in a whole lot of trouble. What was he supposed to do? What was he going to do? Josef sped the speeder up as his mind went through all of his options. If he took the woman back to where she had been found, well that wasn't exactly the safest place to hide out. Why? Well there was no place. It was still a crime scene in the area. His apartment was probably going to be ransacked by police any minute.

"I'm so fired." Josef mumbled. Then an idea hit him. The hospital knew where he lived. They did not know where his family lived. For the next several minutes Josef simply focused on what he could do; drive. Using the knowledge he had of Garang street map, Josef managed to avoid most, if not all, of the major roads. Alley ways, back streets, and the occasional bicycle path helped Josef sneak out of the city.

When Josef entered a neighborhood he recognized, the man finally broke his silence, "This is Amuhl. My family and people of our faith live in a very tight knit community. No one comes into the area and no one leaves it without word being spread." Josef motioned to a pair of boys on the street whom threw up what appeared to be gang signs. They weren't however. Just down the block another boy waved a sign back and passed the unspoken message down the block. "My people are also very skittish. They do not talk to outsiders."

Josef slowly pulled the stolen speeder into a driveway of a relatively modest home. The moment he flipped off the lights and turned the engine off, the front door of the home swung open. A small but strikingly beautiful woman emerged from the home. Even though her features were gentle when compared to Josefs more chiseled ones, the resemblance was striking. Josef exited the speeder, came around and opened Katarines door in a chivalrous manner. The moment her turned around, the woman from the home stood directly before him.

"What trouble have you found yourself in?" She shouted.

"Mother, it is complicated." Josef replied.

"Do not tell me such lies. Nothing is so complicated that the police are looking for you. Your image is all over the news. They say you helped a wanted criminal escape a hospital." His mother replied. When she spotted Katarine, her glanced turned into a glare, "And I can see that is true as you are with the kidnapper of children!"

"Please, Mother!" Josef said. He grabbed both lightsabers and showed them, "It is complicated."

The womans eyed widened. She recognized the devices as similar to the one she had given to Josef in his childhood, "Get inside. Lock the door. I will have someone get rid of that speeder. We have much too discuss. And don't touch anything."

​

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]​

 

[KitKat]

Katarine got out of the speeder as they were greeted by a stern looking but beautiful woman. The woman began by scolding her son, which Katarine felt bad for but did not want to interrupt and cause the situation to be worse. She stood there awkwardly, watching the two interact, and shivering slightly because of the hospital gown she was wearing was so thin. It was put on her body so that it opened in the front, no doubt so the doctors could examine her stitches. Katarine tied it tighter around her while the two argued. In doing so she realized that half her wound had ripped open and was bleeding slightly. As the adrenaline of the chase was wearing off she realized it was quit painful, but her features didn't register the pain at all. She had other problems.

They were told to go inside so she followed Josef inside. The home was beautiful and Katarine did her best not to touch anything like the woman had wanted. As her bare feet crossed the threshold her mind was racing. She did not want to bring trouble down upon this mans family, and trouble was exactly what was coming. The blond detective had made her dizzy, something only an extremely powerful darksider could do because of the mutation in her blood. If he were looking for her then he could find Josef's family if she stayed. She didn't want to cause alarm, but knew she needed to warn Josef and get far away from these people.

Once they were inside, and presumably his mother had went to deal with the speeder, Katarine turned to Josef. "I shouldn't stay. I don't want to put your family in danger. I have already caused too much trouble. " Unfortunately her would had bled through the hospital gown at this point, making her declaration that she was fit to leave a little less credible. She folded her arms over the wound, hoping he had not seen.

"I have a plan. We can make it look like you helped me escape under duress. If I forced you to do all of this then you can..." She stopped talking as his mother had returned, presumably having had someone take care of the speeder as she said. She wasn't sure how much is mom knew and didn't want to make things worse for him.

[member="Josef Ibn Abad"]

 

[Josef Ibn Abad]

“The neighborhood boys are taking the speeder away.” Josef’s mother said as she reentered the home. Her instructions had been clear. Drive it some place; then burn it. The Mother of Josef Ibn-Abad was well versed in how to protect her son. The problem she still faced was the woman inside her home. “If authorities are still looking for the vehicle; they will not find it.”

When she entered the living room, it wasn’t Josef that had noticed the way Katarine was standing. It was her. The arm’s folded across her abdomen; too low to signify she was cold. For the Matriarch of the Ibn-Abad family that was a sign she was hiding something.

“Move your arms.” The woman commanded. Her accent as thick and fluid as Josef’s.

Katarine was hesitant while Josef stood confused. When he paid closer attention he could see parts of the gown coated in crimson fluid. Her stitches had reopened.

“The wounds.” Josef said as he came to Katarines side. Without hesitation he forced her to sit. He could feel the tension in her body; the hesitation but the man was not going to take no for an answer. “Lay back on the pillows.” Once Katarine’s head was rested, Josef slowly lifted her shirt. Several of the stitches had torn. Blood covered the majority of her skin. The fact the blood was not gushing out meant that the internal stitches had held. He needed to replace the outer ones however.

Josef didn’t even need to make a request of his Mother. The moment Josef revealed the wound, the Matriarch had gone into her bedroom and fetched a sewing kit. Behind Josef she pulled out a small pair of sharp scissors, needles, a small sewing knife and several rolls of thread.

“I need fresh water. We need to clean it first. Mother, hold her shirt over the wound to absorb as much of the blood as you can. I’m going to boil water and grab fresh dressings.” Coming to a stand Josef first went to the kitchen. This left his Mother alone with Katarine.

She pulled Katarines shirt back down and placed a firm hand over the area of the broken stitches. Her other hand pulled the small sewing knife from the table then in a most unexpected move she pointed it just under Katarine’s neck.

“My name is Mariyah Ibn-Abad.” Everything in her eyes showed a woman that was on edge, nervous, untrusting, but above all, incredibly protective. “I have protected my son from this life you have now brought into my home.” Mariyah glanced at the two lightsabers that Josef had placed on the table. She pushed the point of the blade against Katarine’s skin. “There is a story that has been passed down through the generations of the Ibn-Abad line. In the year 386, the first child in our family was born with the ability to use the force. He was gifted with the sword but not so much the force itself. A true warrior. A man among boys. He became corrupted however and served a dark master. When his family heard of what he became his father went in search of him. He never returned home.”

Mariyahs eyes slowly returned to Katarine, “When the Gulag Virus spread across the galaxy, our family was visited by military men whom claimed to have served our corrupted family member. They gifted us a single item to keep in our stead. A lightsaber from his days as a Jedi Padawan; a lightsaber that has gone unused for four hundred and seventeen years. It has been passed down from one first born Ibn-Abad and to the next. From Josef’s father to him. The hope was that one day we would be able to bring honor back to our family when someone showed potential with the force.”

She slowly slid the knife down Katarine’s neck and stopped right as a spot above her collar bone, “Josef has shown that potential. He is an incredibly empathetic individual. Loyal to a fault. If you have come to harm my son, I promise you one thing. I may be a woman of immense faith, but I will tear you apart like a Hyena on a hunt. I will worry about penance with my Lord later.”

“Mother!” Josef shouted as he reentered the room.

As Josef set a bowl of steaming water and clean towels down, his Mother simply pushed the Knife against Katarines skin to show her seriousness in the moment, “Stay back Josef.” Those were the only words she uttered towards the man before addressing Katarine, “I ask you now; are you friend to the Ibn-Abad’s or are you foe?”

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]​

 

[KitKat]

The girl had never been very good at hiding things from mothers, especially her own. On more than one occasion she had been served double punishment because she had tried to hide something from the cruel eyes of her parents. As Katarine was forced backwards she wanted to tell them both she was fine, and that they had other worries, but before she could find a chance a flicker of the Force caught her attention. In the next moment she had a knife pressed to her throat and instinct was screaming at her to attack the woman. As a Jedi she had mastered the flight or fight instincts however and remained calm, her deep green eyes narrowing slightly as she looked up at the woman holding the knife, who was now launching into a story.

Superstition was something Katarine could understand. Her family had their beliefs and those beliefs would fuel them to do wicked things, just as this mother was threatening to do now. A family legacy of darkness could motivate people to do horrible things. Josef returned and yelled, but Kat's deep green eyes remained on the woman so desperately trying to protect her son.

"I am neither friend nor foe. I am not here to hurt your son, nor did I wish him to be tangled up in any of this. He has shown tremendous courage and kindness in all he has done for me and I owe him very much. I simply wish to set things right, and make it possible for your son to return to his job so that I can leave you in peace. I am not the only lightsaber carrying game in town. If what you say is true then you have to trust that you have taught your son how to avoid the wrong people in life. He already passed judgement on me and you must trust his judgement because you are the one who taught him how to evaluate others. I am not here to harm anybody but I am prepared to defend myself. Please remove the knife or I will do it for you."

Her tone was gentle, sympathetic and understanding. How often she had wished her own mother cared this much for her during childhood. Josef's mother obviously cared for her son and that was admirable. Katarine radiated kindness to her core, and her deep green eyes held no malice towards the woman as the events of a very stressful day unfolded on this family.

[member="Josef Ibn Abad"]

 

[Josef Ibn Abad]

Mariyah perked a brow at this woman's comments about her son. Josef was everything this woman stated he was. Brave. Outgoing. Kindhearted. That was the problem though. That was how their ancestor had started. In situations like this. Helping those that needed help. He gets discovered by someone whom can use the force. Then they're taken away. What if what happened to the dark ghost of their family happens to her son?

"You do not understand." Maryiah motioned towards the muted television, an object everyone seemed to ignore, "His and your images are all over the news. Everyone is looking for you both. There is no going back for him. There is no going back from this." Then Mariyah slowly lowered her knife and stepped away.

Josef rushed to Katarine's side where he lifted her shirt once more. Taking the first towel, Josef dipped it into the hot water, rang out excess fluid, then began to slowly glide is across her body. She was fit; the signs of a well toned body visible. Ibn-Abad was ever the gentleman however. His mind remained focused on his task. Not a hint of going into any form of illicit thought.

"Not many people have ever turned countered a threat from my mother with their own." Josef joked in reference to Katarines comment of removing the knife for Mariyah. That poor joke drew a glare from his Mother who watched over her son like a Hawk over a hatchling.

Using fingertips with a touch of an Angel, the Paramedic slowly removed the torn stitches, while holding her wounds together to cease any additional bleeding. His mother had already passed a thread through a needles loop and handed it to Josef who began the slow process of placing in new stitches.

"This thread is thinner than what the hospital uses." Josef explained. "I need to do two or three passes to ensure it remains closed."

"Tell me," Mariyah said as she used a second towel to dab at any blood that appeared, "you say you are not friend or foe to the Ibn-Abads. I will tell you that you are not leaving this home for now however. So long as my son is linked to you, I cannot risk you walking away and someone seeing you leave this home. That means, for tonight, the Ibn-Abads are friend to you." There was a slight pause before she asked her next, perhaps most important, question. "Why are you on Dantooine? Your accent doesn't match the other pale faces around here."

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]​

 

[KitKat]

"Yes I have a plan about that." She nodded towards the television, awkwardly having a conversation while she was on her back and her wounds were being tended too. At least the knife was pulled away so the conversation was improving. She winced slightly as the stitches started, but it was hardly the worst pain the woman had ever felt in life.

"I had hopped I could convince authorities I had blackmailed your son into helping me. They seem convinced I am a kidnapper anyway so may as well add blackmail and corruption." She winced again as the second row of stitches started. Josef's joke about his mothers threat made her smile, despite the glare from the mother. He was trying to make the two women get along.

The mother asked her question as her son finished the stitches and placed a bandage over the wound to help keep the stitches protected. "Well I was here looking for someone." She sat up and pulled the bloody hospital gown closed, tying it shut to save her modesty. She straightened the pillows behind her, trying not to mess up the mothers house.

"And it seems now I need to look for someone else. I didn't kidnap those children but somebody did. I've got a fair idea who, but now isn't the right time to act on that hunch. I really don't wish to be a burden on your home."

[member="Josef Ibn Abad"]

 

[Josef Ibn Abad]

If there was one thing that drove Mariyah Ibn-Abad crazy it was a disheveled woman. Katarine wasn't of their heritage. She did not wear a hijab, a religiously significant headdressing, like she and Josef did. She dared leave the hospital in such a flimsy outfit, although that could be entirely blamed on her thick headed son. Still, per her faith, Mariyah could not turn her back on anyone whom was in need. That was a grave sin to commit. Coming to a stand, the Matriarch of the Ibn-Abads motioned for Josef to watch over the young woman as she disappeared into the remainder of the home.

Josef sat on the living room table. He lifted both of Katarine's lightsabers, "Whomever you were looking for must be pretty important if you need two weapons. I can only imagine the kind of trouble you find yourself in. To be honest, I am envious. I've never been off of Dantooine and to meet someone who has is exciting."

His eyes fell back to the television, "For my people, lying is a sin. I do understand some people have to do it but for us, we try not to. We accept our punishments, whatever they may be, for any misdeed we have done. I assaulted that Detective in the hospital because something inside me, something deep within, was tearing me apart. It was screaming that you were innocent. It was demanding I help you. So no. You will not be taking any blame for my actions. I knew what I was doing. I accept full responsibility."

"These children," Josef said, "why would anyone want to kidnap them? The only time we've heard of kidnappings around here, it usually involves some politicians kid and a ransom. Why take so many? Why try and kill so many?"

"Get your butt off my coffee table!" Mariyah scolded as she reentered the room.

Setting a pile of clothes down where Josef had just been sitting, Mariyah turned to Katarine, "They are looking for an off worlder. We will ensure you are not an off worlder. These are traditional clothes that women of our people wear. Modesty is our policy. I picked what might fit you the best. Granted I'm not as lean as you so some might be a tad big. At least you wont be walking around in a bloody hospital gown. I apologize. The hijab is mandatory. You will stay the night. Tomorrow morning, should your wounds not reopen I am going to allow you to leave. No I don't expect you to sleep in those clothes. I placed a night set in the bathroom for when you take a shower." There was no debate. Mariyah wasn't going to let Katarine sleep dirty.

"Mother? She can't, She's wounded." Josef protested.

"She's not leaving alone." Mariyah replied. She turned to Josef, "You got yourself into this mess with her. You are not going to see it through to the end. That is what an Ibn-Abad does. You will be able to help her should the need arise with her stitches."

Mariyah turned towards Katarine, "Now what are you in the mood to eat? I have lamb, beef, poultry, and seafood. I will whip us up a quick meal. While I do that you can answer Josef's question about the children. Agreed?"

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]​

 

[KitKat]

Katarine smiled a knowing smile at Josef. It wasn't the first time someone had looked upon a strange Jedi as someone to be envious of. A wanderer, a swordsman, an adventurist, it all looked so glamours from the outside but looks were deceiving. "You have a lot here that someone could be envious of. A family that loves you for instance. The grass isn't always greener on the other side." She took her two weapons and sat them next to her on the couch as his mother returned with fresh clothes.

"Thank you for your hospitality. Whatever you make I will eat." She watched the mother walk back to the kitchen and sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"I cannot be certain what they want the children for. I don't think they meant to kill them with the fire. I just think the fire was a diversion and whoever set it didn't really care if some people died. That makes them more dangerous. They don't care who they hurt to achieve their goals."

She bit her lip and stared at Josef for a second, trying to make up her mind.

"If you intend to go back to the hospital you should know, the blond detective that tried to put me in restraints is no ordinary man. He is a very powerful darksider. That's why his presence made me dizzy. If he finds you he may use you to try and get information on me, if he suspects what I am. It is best you stay away from him. I think he is the key to the missing children, or at least he is a place to start."

She stood up and glanced at the clothes. "I'm going to go change and get cleaned up."

Once he had shown her where she could do that at Katarine took a very quick shower. It was nice to get the ash and smoke out of her hair and off of her skin but she did not linger to enjoy the water. Once she was done she dressed, using a belt she found in the bathroom to strap her lightsabers to her thigh. She wasn't remotely sure how to wear the headpiece, so left it off for now. She stuffed her hospital gown in the trash, figuring it could be burnt since it was evidence, and headed back to the living room. She smiled, seeing the mother in the kitchen, but closed her eyes and swayed slightly as her vision started to double.

Clutching the wall, she saw the tall dirty blond man. He was back at the hospital holding the picture she had pulled out of the fire. A moment latter the nurse returned, handing the man an employee file with Josef's name on it.

The vision was gone in a few seconds and Katarine blinked as the room returned to normal. "Does the hospital know where your mother lives?" She blurted out randomly as her vision started to clear.

[member="Josef Ibn Abad"]

 

[Josef Ibn Abad]

Josef simply glanced at Katarine when she mentioned the word darksider. For the Ibn-Abad’s that simply was thought of as the man that had shamed their family’s centuries ago. Here was a woman who was informing him that there was another darksider on the planet and Josef had been just a few paces from him. In fact Josef had knocked the man clean over the head with bed pan. Her next fear that that Josef would be used to gain information about Katarine and were she was. That was something the man knew would not occur. He was by no means a fighter but he did know how to keep his mouth quiet. He learned to keep secrets. If his mother had known half the things he did as a child the man would probably not be around at the present moment.

Josef remained quiet, even as Katarine gathered the clothes and ventured into the washroom. Josef glanced back at the television, his employee picture still on the screen next to the one of Katarine in the emergency room. They were in so much trouble. Heading into the kitchen, Mariyah already had a slab of thinly cut beef on a skillet. From the looks of it she was attempting to make both Katarine, Josef, and herself sandwiches.

“She fears the man in the hospital was a darksider.” Josef said.

His mother stopped the spread of mayonnaise on one part of a piece of bread. Her biggest fear had now come to fruition. The Ibn-Abad’s had been wrapped up in the mess that was called the force. For years they hid Josef, did what they could to subdue and hide his natural abilities. Yet it seemed that no matter how hard they planned, prepared, and hid, well the force would always guide people to potentials.

“What else did she say.” Mariyah asked.

“That she worries this man will use me to get to her.” Josef replied.

Mariyah let out a huff as she continued on with her sanwhich preparations. “I can’t hide you from this anymore Josef. Even from an early age I knew there was something special about you. Before you accidentally knocked over my pots on the stove without being near them or even anticipating what I was going to say. The moment you were born I knew the galaxy had plans for you. Call it a mothers intuition. I did not however like that. I didn’t want to risk losing my son as our family lost one prior. Katarine is right.”

Josef perked a brow.

“He will use you to get to her. He will probably use anyone else to get to you. That includes me.” Mariyah explained. “You and her will need to leave.”

Josef was dumbfounded but Katarine’s voice drew his attention, "Does the hospital know where your mother lives?"

Josef looked at Mariyah.

Mariyah looked at Josef.

“My emergency contact information.” Josef said.

“Go!” His mother shouted as she began to just toss food into small brown paper bags.

Josef walked into the living room and right near the front window. The neighborhood boys were sending signals to one another. Then the sound of a distant siren could be heard. Josef knew what was coming when he put two and two together.

“The probably went to my apartment, saw I wasn’t there and are now coming here.” Josef replied. “Out of the back door and across the neighbor yards.”

Mariyah handed Josef the small bags of food. As the sirens grew louder, she grabbed Katarine by the arm, “You must not be you. Wear what Josef wears and you will blend in. Trust me on this. I will stall them as best I can.” Taking the hijab, Mariyah quickly wrapped it around Katarines head. It was loose enough to hide her facial features form the side. If anyone wanted to know what the woman looked like they would have to see her head on.

Before Katarine could follow Josef, Mariyah squeezed her upper arm a bit tighter, “And take care of my boy. Go find those children.” With that, she let the woman go. In a flash both Katarine and Josef were out of the backdoor.

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]​

 

[KitKat]

Everything happened quickly as Josef and Katarine rushed out of his mothers house. Not two seconds after they were out of the house a knock on the front door announced the overweight balding detective. His dark partner was not with him. He came to question Miriyah on the whereabouts of her son and see if he had any reason to suspect her.

Unfortunately Katarine and Josef could do nothing to help her and would just have to hope that his mothers cunning wits could help her outsmart the detective. Kat lead Josef through a small market place and then down a series of alleyways until they came across a collection of abandoned apartment buildings. They climbed the fire escape and Kat broke the lock on one of the windows so they could get in. The room was cold and getting dark as night was approaching, but at least it was off the streets.

"Wait here while I scout the area and get supplies. Don't open the door for anybody."

She wasn't gone too long, and when she returned she had some clothes, water, and a blaster with her. "Do you know how to fire a weapon?" Katarine wasn't sure if Josef had ever even held a weapon. This situation was quickly going from bad to worse for the quiet life that Josef had once known. The odds of him settling back into his routine after this were slim to none.

She took the blaster out of the bundle of clothes and sat it on the counter next to the water bottles. Her deep green eyes drifted towards Josef. Could he handle this? Should she even bring him to track these children? "Are you okay? We can still try and convince everyone I'm blackmailing you. You don't have to come with me when I search for those kids." She felt a pang of sympathy for the man. He hadn't asked to be mixed up in any of this.

[member="Josef Ibn Abad"]

 

[Josef Ibn Abad]

Katarine moved like no woman the man had ever seen. She moved with the grace of a gazelle yet held a ferocity in her eyes like a leapord. When the woman gave the order to Josef, the man obeyed like an obedient child. It wasn't too long for her to return. Josef's eyes widened when Katarine returned. He had initially seen the clothes and the water but the moment Katarine pulled out the blaster, Ibn-Abad backed away slowly.

"Do you know how to fire a weapon?"

That question hit Josef to his core and he shook his head silently. Of course didn't. The man had never lifted a weapon in his life. Hell the closest he got was to pretend as a child that he was a Jedi Knight holding the inactive lightsaber hilt his family owned, waving it around like a baton. As an adult? He knew how to save lives not take them.

When she asked her second question Josef ha dan immediate response, "Am I ok? No, not really. I can't fight worth a damn. I also will not let you lie for me so let's not bring up that possibility again. I am in this mess with you. It's apparent you can fight. I can save lifes. That will be a perfect combination don't you think? We find the kids, you take out the kidnappers and I tend the children? I'll say this once. I'm in this until the end with you. The longer we wait the more danger they're in."

[member="Katarine Ryiah"]​