[OSL] The Lost Ren

[Bethany Kismet]

M O N A S T E R Y
After the events of Oderint Dum Metuant

The SLV Satori wasn't the first ship back. Other than the SLV Kismet (sigh), all of the other medical ships had made it back to Monastery before she had. The last however, was right on her tail, and once she had touched base with each group over the comm, she let go of a low grade tension she had been all too keenly aware of.

It was, as far as Bethany was concerned, as successful as any hot zone mission could possibly end up. They had sustained no casualties, and had saved lives. It could have been more. It could have been better perhaps. But this was sometimes as good as it got, and she wasn't going to sneer at the efforts gone to, especially when all of her people had made it home safe.

And there was still work to do. There were wounded who needed more than field treatment on every ship. Mostly civilians, but apparently, at least in one case, someone who *should* have gone back with their own people. Not even for a moment did Bethany begrudge the presence of a particular young woman being brought down from the Kismet. But it was interesting that she had been picked up by the Lotus rather than her own allies. A small frown ghosted over the Jedi Master's face as she shielded her eyes, looking up into the hazy morning sky as the ship filled her view.

As the Kismet touched down, her mind skipped over certain things- certain feelings and connections that she hadn't yet had time to fully muse upon. They would have to wait, but it took an effort to settle a certain dark haired Jedi from her mind and focus now on the task at hand.

The petite Jedi waited on the tarmac for [member="Hazel Zanteres"] and their unexpected guest, one [member="Mishel Ren"].

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

Hazel had been busy the moment she had set foot on Mustafar. She had thought that the flight back to Monastery would give her - and everyone else some time to rest, but it hadn't. In the wake of the situation in Fralideja, Hazel had been informed of a situation from the SLV Kismet. Apparently one of their dispatched scouts had been watching the fighting going down at Vader's Castle, and had witnessed one of the fighters being blasted out of the building. No one had seemed to immediately go to their aid, so the scout had called it in before heading towards the wounded.

With the information relayed to her, Hazel had acknowledged that she'd make her way there - leaving Joza and Vilaz to continue helping with the situation with Fralideja. When Hazel had arrived, she discovered [member="Mishel Ren"] had landed on the other side of the building - away from where it seemed like the main fighting was going down. Which in turn had forced her hand to get the young woman away from there in case the chaos reached outside. Though as she and the scout helped move her, Hazel picked up on number of things about her.

Namely she was a dark side user, blatently so. Even though Hazel only had real training in her healing; she could tell it was raditating from her. And well, the same could be said for the area in general.

Either way it mattered little to her, she was someone in need of care and healing and as such Hazel would do her job.

Eventually they managed to get her onboard the Kismet, where Hazel ensured she was immediately hooked up to the required machines to keep her stable. Mishel had suffered a number of injuries, one being the obvious damage to her back, but also the impact of her fall had done damage to her bones and a few organs. Hazel had to resort to using her Force Healing to give her a little push.

At one point [member="Joza Perl"] had made her presence known, offering to stay with her in case the injured woman did something. Hazel had dismissed it, in part because she knew she'd be fine on her own and the fact it was unlikely their latest charge was going to suddenly spring up and attack. Joza however, wasn't budging, and in fact counter-offered by suggesting to get Vilaz to guard instead. Which Hazel did relent in allowing her to stay. Though it was clear as day that the Zelton wasn't particularly approving of the situation. Of which Hazel wasn't sure, was it because she was a dark side user? Part of the First Order maybe? Either way, she didn't voice her queries as she was plenty enough busy tending to Mishel.

Once the ship had finally arrived back on Monastery, Hazel was quick to get Mishel into a movable state and off the ship. She helped carefully guide the hovering bed down the ramp; Joza still there keeping an eye on things, and towards [member="Bethany Kismet"] who was awaiting them. Prior to their landing, she had sent a message ahead to the Jedi Master about the situation, figuring it was best to have her immediately in the know and part of the ongoing movements given Mishel's alignment.

"Bethany." She gave the woman a short nod, then handed her a datapad that was directly connected to the medical bed, with all the information needed on Mishel's current state. "To put it simply, we need to get the Jane Doe here to an operating room to deal with her internal injuries. After that, she needs a bacta tank to heal up the rest."

Hazel spoke rather swift and sharp, with a rather clear deal of exhaustion in her tone. Still in her medic suit, hair a mess; it was obvious Hazel hadn't really had time to rest, or given herself the time to.

 

[Sabena Shai]

Sabena’s eyes opened. She saw a sterile white ceiling.

Beep

A sound caught the woman’s attention. She turned her head and saw a device for monitoring a being’s vital signs.

Feeling began to return. Sabena laid on a medical bed. She lifted her right arm. The sleeve of her Jedi tunic was absent. She wore something similar to a patient gown. Her weapons – absent as well.

Sitting up, Sabena then heard an elder, maternal voice say, “Finally awake? Good timing.”

A shift in gaze. Sabena saw a venerable Mirialan woman next to her bed. A Jedi healer, going by her attire. Behind the woman were several more medical beds with their own mix of patients.

“Where?” Sabena weakly asked.

“Monastery,” replied the healer, “One of our own found you injured and unconscious on Mustafar."

The healer began to dig through a cabinet.

With a slightly stronger voice, Sabena asked, “Who are you?”

Once she grabbed what she was looking for, the healer looked back to Sabena with a warm smile and replied, “I’m Xiuqa, just an old healer in the Order of the Sacred Lotus. Now, can I see your face for a moment?”

Xiuqa gently reached for Sabena’s face. She furrowed brows, she complied and allowed Xiuqa to grasp her chin and slightly turn her head. Xiuqa brought the device she grabbed close to Sabena’s cheek. Then, Xiuqa activated the device and applied a coat of synthskin over an old gash on Sabena’s right cheek.

Once finished, Xiuqa said, “Much better, now.”

Sabena touched her right cheek.

“Thank you,” Sabena said to Xiuqa

Immediately, Xiuqa replied with, “My pleasure.”

As she was putting away the device she used, Xiuqa told Sabena, “I need to help the other patients. Someone should be here shortly to take care of you.”

With that said, Xiuqa left Sabena to attend to others. Sabena turned back to the equipment monitoring her vital signs and began to wait.

 

[Connor Harrison]

I always knew space was so empty. But not as full as this.
For the first time in my life I am free of shackles and the galaxy is mine. I am beyond the Force and I can see beyond life.
I am flying, or I am falling, I don't know. But I can't stop, and I don't want to.

Faster, faster. My breathing is erratic and my eyes are stinging, but it's the sensation of feeling like a God that makes it worth while.
Lights are blinding me, but I've been blinded by the Light all my life. I need to look beyond the Light to see the Dark ahead, and it's pulling me in more and more and more...and I can't...it's getting tighter and....I can't stop....​

Connor's eyes snapped open, and his hand went for his throat to pull away what felt like an iron grip. Instead, it was just his skin and tunic that had been cut open.

Squinting at the light around him, he blinked and turned to make sense of where he was. Reaching to his mouth, a mask was over it, and he pulled it away quickly. Was he a prisoner of the Alliance? Had he been taken the First Order? What had happened? He was in the Dark Side cave under Lord Vader's castle...and now this? Was this death?

Did death look so...clean?

He was on a makeshift bed in a room, he made out. Others seemed to be around, he couldn't tell. His eyes were stinging and his breathing was wheezy - a result of the exposure to the ceiling collapse he had inflicted on himself to save the Ren. Fumbling for the mask, he held it back, feeling the oxygen aid him.

Sighing, he relaxed again rather than fighting. He felt warm, and his hands tingled. He felt air on his skin, and didn't look to see what injuries he may have suffered.

Either way, he was alright. Others needed help more than him. Others? Where were the others? Where was [member="Ara Ren"] and [member="Samka Derith"] - did they make it out? And [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] was still in the castle - and others?

He had to go. He had to help and do his duty. But...the oxygen cooled the burning, and it was easier with his eyes closed...

[member="Bethany Kismet"] | [member="Hazel Zanteres"] | [member="Sabena Shai"] | [member="Mishel Ren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

In all honestly, Kaalia never expected to ever come back here. Yet, here she was. It wasn't that she disliked the place, in truth she secretly hoped to find a reason to come back. The reason she was here today however, was definitely not worth it. Despite that Monastery was still as beautiful as the first time she came here, when the Sacred Lotus laid its first foundation. She had followed [member="Connor Harrison"], [member="Ara Ren"], [member="Mishel Ren"], [member="Samka Derith"] and everyone else here after sensing their presence on a ship that wasn't familiar. She approached the vessel with caution at first and although every fiber of her being was in pain, she was making sure the three were safe. To her pleasant surprise it was the Sacred Lotus who had found them, and she offered to come along to help oversee their recovery.

She wasn't without her own injuries, however. Her knees felt like they had cracked after coming down on them in a nasty way, and the redhead was seen clutching her right ribcage when she spoke to one of the people on the vessel. Her injuries were minor compared to the other Ren however, and she worried about them. The woman was assured that they would be alright, but it didn't help much. She begrudgingly let her own wounds be treated during the jump to Monastery, but not without constantly reminding the one tending to her that there were others that could've used her help more. Her ribs were taped up and wore knee braces, her movement supported by a crutch. The redhead wished she could've helped the other Ren, but the Lotus didn't let her. They pressed on the fact she had to rest up herself, but there was no way she was going to.

Movements in the corner of her eye made Kaalia turn her head sharply. Connor had woken up, and she moved over to him as quickly as she could, the tapping of her crutch accompanying her steps. "Keep that mask on, it's alright." The fact he had woken up was a relief, but her worries were far from over. The others were still unconcious, and she still didn't entirely know the extent of their injuries. "It's good to see you're awake. We're on Monastery. The Order of the Sacred Lotus brought us here." Her tone was quiet as she sat down on a chair next to his bed. She winced for a moment as her knees flared up again. "Ara, Mishel and Samka are here too." She smiled softly to try to keep her own worries in check, but it didn't help much. "Do you need anything?"

 

[Connor Harrison]

It wasn't his hand that applied the mask, it was the delicate hand of [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] by his side. He daren't open his eyes as they felt hot, but he knew it was her. The Force told him more than sight. Reaching out, hand a little incoherent, he took her hand and placed his atop hers with a squeeze.

"What the hell is the Sacred Lotus..." he croaked under the mask, "...and where is Mona...Monstryy..."

The combination of pain relief and tiredness make him out of sorts, and probably whatever toxin had gone to his head. All he needed was some water and fresh air, and he'd be ok.

"What happened...to us. Mishel, where is she? And Ara...Connor...did we win? Is everyone ok? Are we in hospital? What is this place...Are you ok? Stay here...I'll be alright."

His hand was limp on hers, but it wasn't moving. Kaalia, as much as she may not feel it, was as important to Connnor as [member="Ara Ren"] - she was one of the first faces to welcome him, to understand him and put trust in him, and she would always be under his protection and care whether she even knew it, or wanted it.

[member="Samka Derith"] | [member="Bethany Kismet"] | [member="Hazel Zanteres"] | [member="Sabena Shai"] | [member="Mishel Ren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Kaalia let [member="Connor Harrison"] take hold of her hand, offering the bits of support she could give. The others were definitely way worse off than she was, and it gave her small pangs of guilt. She would have taken the bullet for any of them, that was simply who she was. "I'm not going anywhere, don't worry." She nodded to a man in white who walked by, notifying him that Connor had waken up. He nodded back, and went to check up on the rest. The redhead slowly settled down and became more calm, realizing a panicking person wasn't going to be of any help to anyone. "I'll explain everything about the Lotus later. Just focus on resting up."

"They told me everyone will be alright. The lot of you were lucky the Lotus decided to scour the castle for any wounded people. According to them, Ara, Samka and you were taken out by a collapsed ceiling somewhere in the lower levels. I feel bad for not going there instead of Ara, if only I knew what was going to happen..." The brunette originally told Kaalia to go there to back Connor up, but she refused to let her take on two Jedi on her own at the same time. The woman was able to use the droids that swarmed the castle to shake one of them off, which allowed her to walk out with relatively minimal injuries, but [member="Ara Ren"] wasn't so lucky. "I should've just listened to her and gone myself when she told me to back you up." She sighed and shook her head for a moment. That was the past, and that couldn't be changed. "At least it's going to be alright, and that's what matters. You had me worried though."

Kaalia's free right hand accidently collided with the place where her lightsaber normally rested, reminding her of something she meant to tell him. Her own weapons were stored away with her armored coat, seeing no reason to have them around. It would only have added unnecessary tension on top of the little bit that was already there. Despite the people of the Sacred Lotus providing aid to all, there was definitely some level of nervosity coming from most of them. She didn't blame them, knowing the stigma of Darksiders. "While they rescued Ara, Samka, and you they were unable to find your saber anywhere. I'm afraid it's still on Mustafar somewhere, if it's still intact which I doubt."

[member="Samka Derith"] | [member="Mishel Ren"] | [member="Bethany Kismet"] | [member="Hazel Zanteres"] | [member="Sabena Shai"]

 

[Mishel Kryze]

​

If you'd slipped just a little bit...you'd have fallen and hurt yourself seriously. Then you'd be lying in hospital for weeks. It would be my pleasure to introduce you. Little Riona over here will have her official debut at the Court. How's my little angel? That's the Angelii Citadel. The ladies we saw downstairs live there. They protect the Eldorai from bad people. Oh, that's the Cathedral of Ashira. The Eldorai believe Ashira is a goddess. Basically, a higher being who gave them life a long time ago, their mother. They believe she protects them from evil. They assemble in that place to celebrate her works and ask for her help in times of need. My little Riona has taken quite a shine to the Ashiran Church's ceremonies. Little angel loved the choir, isn't that right, sweetie? I guess you've been wondering about your future a bit, about where you're gonna go. We've spent the last week trying to find your next of kin. I got the test results yesterday. But as it turns out...you're already at home. It's the last thing I ever expected but...Rio, I'm your mother.

I took my love, I took it down​

Climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills​

'Til the landslide brought it down
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?​

Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

​

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[member="Kaalia Voldaren"] | [member="Ara Ren"] | [member="Connor Harrison"] | [member="Samka Derith"] | [member="Bethany Kismet"] | [member="Hazel Zanteres"] | [member="Sabena Shai"]​

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[Joza Perl]

In the corner of the medbay was one very grumpy Zeltron.

She could deal with them getting booted out of Mustafar proper given the OSL’s oath to help those in need regardless of affiliation. The cityfolk were understandably shaken and upset, on edge given that their home was being invaded by the major power to the west—the aggressive Mandalorian guards didn’t help smooth matters over either. So to avoid conflict, they took their operation past the city limits after unloading relief supplies to the city center. Luckily the fighting didn’t spill over into the capital and few civilian lives were lost in that regard.

On their way back, the Kismet scooped up a handful of injured FO operatives, including Ren. The Force sensitives were on Joza’s radar, though to her credit she did not try to interfere with anything. Just let the healers do their work while she looked on with firm gaze, cigarette between her lips, ready to intervene if one of the Ren gained enough consciousness to try and attack. Not that it looked like any of them were well enough to, but caution was at the forefront of her mind.

A few silent decisions turned in her mind, mostly having to do with where she’d funnel her resources. The Zeltron had joined up with the Lotus for this venture with the intent of guarding civilian life, not soldiers.

Of course, she was irritated and biased. She wouldn’t force that on anyone here, though. Just stand out of the way and stare.

[member="Bethany Kismet"] [member="Hazel Zanteres"] [member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Mishel Ren"] [member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Alkor Centaris]

"Eaaasy does it..." Two Mandalorians had a hold of either of his arms as they dragged the raggedly dressed man through the doors to the MedBay. He thrashed violently as he came to, the rage that boiled his blood still very much alive. Blackened blood spewed from his lips and spat as they opened up.

"Rrrrraaaaaaaaghhhh!"

He attempted to push the female off and toss her into the wall, but a jolt of pain seized him as her grip intensified. "Tch!" He struggled more, but they seized and detained him, and a gag was shoved in his mouth to prevent him from disturbing other patients. His reddened eyes darted from one side of the room to the other, painfully aware of his austere surroundings.

Were they going to brief him, or interrogate him? Would he be pressed for secrets, or tortured to give up information on his allies? He toyed with the notion of biting through his tongue, briefly. The endless possibilities were neutered by the overwhelming desire to kill his enemies.

He could feel a darkness there that rivaled his own, and all of it so close by. It tasted delicious, like a forbidden fruit to be plucked and devoured. He saw them there, armored like the woman who had denied his bloodlust, and his muffled roar caused the male Mando to punch him in the face. Alkor shook it off, more irritated than anything.

"Would you give it a rest, Alk'ika? You're more dead than they are." It dd not satisfy him, nor was he at all pacified. "Someone come sedate this di'kut," he hissed through his helmet.

"You're literally running on fumes, vod'ika," the woman crooned. "Stop fighting, before the fighting stops you."

[member="Joza Perl"], [member="Briika Tor"]

 

[Hansen]

Halle Ren,
Monastery, Tarmac

Spoiler: Equipment

• Halle Ren's Battle Armour
• Anariel, Spire of Light
• F-11D Blaster Rifle

Halle's interceptor eases down onto the tarmac, the young Ren disciple had followed behind the Kismet to ensure that no Galactic Alliance dogs attempted to harm her brothers and sisters. The moment the landing gear touches against the tarmac Halle's glove reaches down and pulls the canopy release lever. It rises with a whine and the lithe Ren leaps from the Eta's cockpit with a red and crimson painted BB unit remaining behind, lodged in the fighter's Astro-mech socket. Halle's hand rises and open hand curls towards Anariel clipped to her belt, the connection between the two fuelled by irritation and an overwhelming anger, the Lightsabre flips through the air into Halle's gloved mits and she holds it firmly by her side. Sulfuric yellow eyes peer around searchingly for the familiar faces of the Ren; Halle's own face concealed by a suit of Battle Armour fashioned for the Disciple by First Order armoursmiths, visually reminiscent of the Sith that once ruled the galaxy with a black cloak draped over her shoulder and up over helmet. The sheer malevolent perniciousness of Halle's presence is enough to make the warmth from one's blood to be sapped completely. Halle slides past the guards like a spectre with her step like that of bitter mortality; constant, calm and unrelenting in her search to find her Dark brothers and sisters.

[member="Mishel Ren"] [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] [member="Ara Ren"] [member="Samka Derith"] [member="Zmej Ren"]

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

Everything seemed to move quick once they were on the tarmac. Bethany had taken the datapad and a Hazel had seen to [member="Mishel Ren"] to an operation room immediately. At some point the Jedi Master had split off to deal with other matters, and with nothing to do in the immediate time - as she wasn't going to be operating on the injured Ren, she took the time to briefly return to her quarters. Hazel quickly hopped into the refresher to clean up, get out of her medic suit and into her doctor attire. The moment she stepped out of her place, she was immediately alerted a number of matters that were going on. The two most important however was the fact a bacta tank was prepped and ready for Mishel, and that two of their patients from Mustafar had woken up.

With the events of Mustufar over, Hazel was beginning to feel the fatigue creeping up on her. She wanted nothing more than to sleep, but her duty as a doctor came first. So she strode down Sanctuary's corridors, eventually running into [member="Halle Ren"] who had a pair of guards trying to stop her. Maybe it was the exhaustion, or maybe she just wasn't up to being put off by things right now. But when the woman's presence struck her, Hazel took it in stride. It certainly made her feel uncomfortable being near, but she wasn't going to let it stop her doing her job.

"I assume you're looking for your compatriots?" It was probably a dumb question as the armor Halle wore was a dead giveaway. "Follow me."

She led the way forwards, until they walked into the medbay. Hazel looked around, briefly seeing [member="Joza Perl"] in the corner, before she made her way over to the incapicated group of Ren. She immediately noted that [member="Connor Harrison"] and [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] were already awake. Whereas the rest; [member="Ara Ren"], [member="Samka Derith"] & [member="Zmej Ren"] were still apparently asleep.

"I'm glad to see you two are awake. How are you both feeling?" She addressed both Connor and Kaalia as she took a moment to look at the pair's medical charts.

 

[Kyrel Ren]

Kyrel's TIE Advanced followed close behind the Eta Actis class Interceptor closely followed behind the Kismet. He was providing escort for the fleet, and so made sure that all the wounded would be protected, he didn't suffer that much from the duel with the armored figure, but had only suffered minor injuries such as a stab from the phrik knife to the leg. He had engaged many opponents that day from the Firemane to the Galactic Alliance. He had even encountered an Ancient Sith Spirit known as Darth Thaxsis Lord of Mustafar and survived even being possessed, he would make note to return and confront the Sith Spirit soon. But what had angered him the most about accompanying the Jedi was being attacked by a Lotus guard the Jedi known as [member="Anika Nygaard"] who he was absolutely livid that even thinking about it made him grip the control yokes very hard. He would zoom past the atmosphere, the engines howled the all too familiar sound of a TIE fighter as it made it's way down to the Monastery hanger bay.

How he got off off of Mustafar was intercepting a transmission of the Injured Ren being moved to Monestary to their precious temple on Sanctuary. Kyrel wanted to continue his quests for Vader's Armor within his Castle but stopped instead choosing to accompany his Brothers and Sisters. He hopped out of the fighter to jump down and walk into a purposeful stride through the hanger bay. He encountered a couple guards but cared not for them as he was inches away from massacring every Jedi within the place, his dark aura and even his intense rage could be felt through the force, his hand was basically close to gripping his lightsaber that dangled in his belt, he went out to search for his brothers and sisters which he could sense. He walked through the halls seeing Jedi all around him, he wanted nothing more to kill them all after the attack he suffered on Mustafar. He even made his murderous intent known to them through the force not even bothering to hide it.


[member="Halle Ren"] [member="Mishel Ren"] [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] [member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Samka Derith"]

 

[Hansen]

Halle Ren,
Monastery, Temple Interior

Spoiler: Equipment

• Halle Ren's Battle Armour
• Anariel, Spire of Light
• F-11D Blaster Rifle

Halle snarls threateningly at the guards, her right-hand's grip tightens around Anariel; Halle hadn't come here to fight but any who dared to stand between Halle and her family is beginning to forfeit their heads at least in the deranged young woman's mind. Somebody arrives, a doctor perhaps and Halle's attention finds itself a new face a welcoming and somewhat soothing presence. "Yes." Halle's answer is simple, even through the helmet's annunciator the voice that speaks it is distinctly feminine, she follows behind the doctor with a brisk pace but not before offering the Guard on her right a glare from behind the eyeslits and heads-up-display of her ominous looking helmet. Halle's contempt looms over Joza Perl for a moment; The Zeltron woman looked unhappy and Halle guesses as to why with the Ren being here. The suspicion that the Zeltron may or has previously fought on the side of the wretched Galactic Alliance settles into Halle as she enters the room containing Ara and Zmej Ren joined by Samka Derith, Kaalia Voldaren and Connor Harrison. "Thank you Doctor." Her figure glides back to the doorframe defensively, she leans against it and her gaze leers down the hallway towards Joza Perl, in full-sight for the Zeltron to see. Halle's presence through the force is one of cold malevolence that sometimes chases the warmth away from those immersed in the light side of the Force, but oftentimes Darksiders find it comforting perhaps even empowering.

[member="Kyrel Ren"] [member="Mishel Ren"] [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] [member="Ara Ren"] [member="Samka Derith"] [member="Zmej Ren"] [member="Hazel Zanteres"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

Beep.

Beep. Beep.

What the feth? Why was there….

Beep.

Barely conscious, the knight breathed in, the sound of a machine and the hiss of oxygen responding as her lungs filled with clean air.

Beep.

That god forsaken beeping continued, her eyes opening slightly and immediately slamming shut against the bright florescent lights of the medbay. Another breath, another hiss of the machine, the air cooling her lungs and clearing her mind of the foggy haze that enveloped it.

Attempting to open her eyes again, she blinked rapidly against the flood of light, sensitive retinas adjusting to the drastic change. Staring at the white tile ceiling above her, the Knight focused on bringing awareness back into her limbs, the majority of her body surprisingly heavy and weightless at the same time.

Images came flooding back. The cave-in, [member="Connor Harrison"] collapsing, the agonizing few hours as she and [member="Samka Derith"] waited for someone to dig them out, the acrid air wreaking havoc on her unprotected lungs. Eventually the Order of the Sacred Lotus had found them and loaded the three Ren onto a shuttle bound for….somewhere. The details after that were fuzzy. Adrenaline and the after effects of battle had kept her conscious long after she should have collapsed, her own body giving in once she was sure that Samka, Connor, and she were safe. At some point, she remembered a flash of red hair and the familiar voice of [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] joining their rag-tag group, but when, she wasn’t quite sure.

Another deep breath in, the annoying beeps and machine whirling grating on her ears, Ara reached up to pull the oxygen mask off her face.

Slowly, her right arm responded to her brain’s demands, the heavily bandaged appendage proving utterly useless in removing the mask. Clumsily she managed to knock the plastic off her face, pushing herself into a sitting position with a few grunts of pain.

Staring down at the thin and wholly unflattering hospital gown she wore, she took stock of her injuries. Her arms and hands that had been scraped up and embedded with shards of obsidian from the collapsing ceiling and explosive rounds now were wrapped in white gauze past her elbows. The weight of a bandage could be felt across her left cheek, probably covering the gash she’d earned when blaster fire had destroyed her mask. More bandages could be felt around one thigh and her upper arm. All in all, she was in one piece. Her lungs and body ached from exertion and prolonged exposure to the toxic atmosphere.

She was alive, she was in one piece, and nothing was permanently damaged. She would consider it a win.

Swinging her legs over the edge of her bed, she tore the mask away from where it hung around her neck, consciousness returning and with it her fine motor skills. A quick glance around failed to reveal her personal effects, orderlies and medics rushing to and fro amongst the occupied beds in her peripheral vision. Somewhere in the medbay were her friends and allies, but all she wanted was fresh air. Stumbling to her feet, the knight moved towards the doors she could see on the far side of the room.

[member="Mishel Ren"] | [member="Bethany Kismet"] | [member="Hazel Zanteres"] | [member="Sabena Shai"] | [member="Kyrel Ren"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor had his head in the direction [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] was talking to him from, not wanting to open his eyes. However, the oxygen was helping and it started to fall into place with her words. The castle, the ceiling....that was all him....it was his fault. They were here because of him! Swallowing, his fingers gripped the edge of the bed in frustration and his chest swelled.

"I need to make sure they're ok..." he said, but he didn't have chance.

Another presence - two, actually - were close, and talked. One, obviously a nurse in the guise of [member="Hazel Zanteres"] radiated calm and fatigue, and another felt battle-worn and also fatigued in the shape of [member="Halle Ren"] beside her.

"You need to focus on those...not awake. I'm fine."

The Lotus may well be Alliance sympathizers for all he knew. Some perverse cell of theirs keeping the Ren locked up under good intent but with no desire to let them go. Maybe it was some genetic research division using the Ren as subjects? What did he know?

Connor inhaled once more and took of the mask, sucking breath gently between his teeth and going easy on the lungs which felt tender. He pushed off the cover and sat up, feeling his way with his hands and Force sight that painted out the others beside him, and also in the room.

He glanced around to the left. This was definatley off. [member="Joza Perl"] was here. The last time they had been together, a night-club on Seoul had become a fight-club, and she had protected an Alliance fighter. This was an Alliance strong-hold.

"We are leaving, Ren. Right now."

Another presence caught his attention, across the other way - [member="Ara Ren"] - and on the move.

"Ara's here, Kaalia," he turned, hand on the Knight's, "stop her, she's not well."

He rubbed his head and looked to the claming aura of Hazel.

"Whoever you are, nurse or what, thank you but we are fine. We shouldn't be here and we need to leave right away."

[member="Kyrel Ren"] | [member="Sabena Shai"] | [member="Samka Derith"] | [member="Mishel Ren"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"] | [member="Bethany Kismet"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

"They are being taken care of, don't worry." Kaalia shared [member="Connor Harrison"]'s worry about the others, but there wasn't much that she could do right now. "Let me do the worrying." A doctor and the familiar face of [member="Halle Ren"] had made their way over to the two, and she nodded towards them. "I have been awake the entire time, actually. My mind's been too occupied to get any rest at all. I'm feeling alright though, thanks." She felt frustration build up within the man on the bed, and she turned back towards him. "I don't know what happened, but it's obvious you're not happy about it. We'll have to deal with that later though." The woman shook her head for a moment, realizing she hadn't introduced herself to the nurse yet. "Kaalia. I say this to every single one of you, but that doesn't lessen the sincerity of it any less. Thank you. Without you I don't know what would've happened to them."

Connor suddenly got up from the bed and took off the mask, his expression making it obvious he was not comfortable in the situation. It was clear he didn't trust the Lotus. "No, we are not leaving. Not yet. You are seriously hurt and they are here to help us. Trust me, they are good people." She then noticed [member="Ara Ren"] moving towards the door, the man's warning coming afterwards. "Ara, wait!" She pushed herself off the chair she was sitting on with her crutch, wincing again at the sudden movement causing her knees to send waves of pain through her system. "Come back!" She moved as quickly as she could, ignoring her knees that were in flaring agony. Ara needed rest just as much as Connor did, and what she was doing now definitely wasn't helping.

[member="Samka Derith"] | [member="Mishel Ren"] | [member="Bethany Kismet"] | [member="Joza Perl"] | [member="Sabena Shai"] | [member="Alkor Centaris"]

 

[Zmej Ren]

Captured by the hated Jedi, turned into a prisoner of war.

Such were her first thoughts upon regaining consciousness and sensing the typical Jedi stench in the Force.

Waking up surrounded by Jedi had its undeniable place among Zmej Ren’s darkest nightmares. Disarmed, wounded, unable to fight her way out, the knight’s been forced to suffer the light side signatures without knowing what sort of fate awaited her. Coupled with her allegiance, the young woman’s actions strongly spoke in favour of an execution, albeit the Jedi would most likely try to redeem her. For better or worse, Zmej would obviously reject such offer; too far gone in the dark side and too devoted to the Supreme Leader to ever consider giving up her ways. Loyalty and blind obedience were virtues she adhered to, no matter what. Frowning, two golden orbs silently travelled across the room, spotting several fellow Ren, much to Zmej’s surprise. Did it soothe her worries in any way? Definitely not – her heart skipped a beat upon realizing what it meant for the order. Frantic motions tested their chance at moving, failing miserably; weak and still filled with drugs to keep the pain at bay, the body wouldn’t be seeing action anytime soon.

This terrible helplessness was further underlined by the cracked ribs and devastated shoulder, denying even the slightest chance to break through the Jedi ranks and find a good escape route. A quick glance revealed the young woman’s arm remained attached to the body, and while a positive thing, something in the back of her head told her the damage was permanent. A terrible premonition to have, especially for a living weapon like herself, heavily relying on agility. Groaning in frustration, Zmej shut her eyes closed and attempted the impossible – meditate, delve into the dark side and find strength in its faithless waters. With several Ren nearby, it actually wasn’t nearly as hard. Peace and serenity had to go, pushed aside, their place taken by anger and what little remained of the formerly overwhelming pain. Deep breaths saw the pale blonde’s chest rise and fall, sheer focus summoning the dark side to come and flood her entire beings with its intoxicating power. For one reason or another, the task became vastly easier, and soon enough, the perpetrator appear, casting a warm smile on the knight’s face.

“Halle.”

Although Zmej’s voice was dry and weak, the word had enough strength to alert her saviour. Sailing on the purest dark side essence to ever exist, an infinite well of power, Halle Ren has arrived, letting all thirsty Ren drink from her inexplicably dark and potent presence. On the other hand, it meant the fellow blonde must have been captured as well, and thus Zmej's joyful expression soon changed into one displaying concern.

“Where are we?”



[member="Kaalia Voldaren"] [member="Connor Harrison"] [member="Ara Ren"] [member="Halle Ren"] [member="Kyrel Ren"] [member="Hazel Zanteres"] [member="Alkor Centaris"] [member="Joza Perl"] [member="Briika Tor"] [member="Mishel Ren"] [member="Sabena Shai"] [member="Bethany Kismet"] [member="Samka Derith"]

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

In Hazel's mind there was one consolation to the mess this whole situation was quickly becoming; she was actually getting some names for face she didn't recognize. Ara. Kaalia. Ren.

Though the last one was a mystery to her, as the lone male of the group seemed to speak the name as a general term, rather than to anyone specific.

At the very least it seemed one of their group; [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] had a much more level head about their situation. Albeit Hazel couldn't blame them for their reactions; their distrust. Before she could respond to Kaalia, [member="Connor Harrison"] was sat up and trying to move himself. But it did seem hopeful that the man would listen to the redhead.

The doctor let out a frustrated sigh when [member="Ara Ren"] made an immediate dash for the exit. Hazel had every intention of trying to stop her, but it seemed Kaalia was taking charge of that. Ultimately though it just frustrated Hazel, having all these injured just suddenly springing up and moving about the place. She was very tempted right now to just chain them to their beds so they couldn't potentially hurt themselves further.

She paused and sighed, taking a moment to calm herself before she turned to address the last of the awakened trio; Connor.

"You might think you're fine, but you still need healing. And while you might've gotten off with nothing too major. One of your comrades wasn't as lucky." She was of course referring to [member="Mishel Ren"]. "I managed to keep her stable during transit and she's currently getting her more serious injuries tended to before being placed in a bacta tank." Hazel could tell the man was panicked, feeling like he was stuck in the middle of enemy territory. She hoped trying to remain calm, and trusting she'd help ease the man's tension.

"You are in no danger here...sir." It occured to her that she didn't actually know the man's name. "The Sacred Lotus is here to help you and your fellow...Ren? Once you are all healed and able to leave, you'll be free to go without issue."

[member="Samka Derith"] [member="Zmej Ren"] [member="Halle Ren"] [member="Kyrel Ren"] [member="Alkor Centaris"] [member="Joza Perl"] [member="Briika Tor"] [member="Sabena Shai"] [member="Bethany Kismet"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor looked to the voice of the Healer [member="Hazel Zanteres"] and his brow creased - [member="Kaalia Voldaren"] was off with [member="Ara Ren"] and he was still sat like a cripple doing nothing.

"Mishel? What happened to her? Was she caught in the collapse?"

He reached up and rubbed the scar tissue under his already damaged left eye, and ran his fingers across closed eye-lids.

"And...my eyes, they're feeling like they're on fire. I dare not open them. I think it was the toxicity of the planet and then it went to my lungs." Silence. "Who are you? And what are the Sacred Lotus. I've never heard of them."

There was little he could do except gauge the woman before him who was going to help, and find out just who - or what - these Lotus were.

[member="Mishel Ren"]