Picking Up the Pieces...Again

[Erud'ryz'ladre]

Location: Med Bay of the Thunder Star; hyperspace
Destination: Orinda
Approximately 12 standards hours after fleeing Phaeda; Approximately 8 days after posting of bounty

Dryzl sat on the cot in the med bay, waiting patiently as the medical droid completed its scan of her vitals. Thus far she hadn't shown any symptoms of something severe, but one could never be too sure. That nasty gas definitely had her worried; without her high Chiss metabolism, who knew what the effects would have been? Of the two Chiss, though, Akio was the worse off, and she desperately hoped he was staying in bed this time. Space only knew he wasn't tempted to rest during those first six months.

Speaking of... Muddled recollection of their escape aside (she still wasn't quite certain of how the two Chiss had managed to escape from the two bounty hunters and leave in the Twi'lek's ship; as soon as this was wrapped up, Dryzl was definitely going to be questioning the other female on her apparently turncoat actions), there was still the whole ordeal with Akio.

She was by no means Force Sensitive, or an expert, but the woman could not wrap her head around what had happened before Akio pulled her out the window. Despite her rationalizing otherwise, Dryzl could not help but attribute the sudden force pushing away from the man as anything but a manifestation of the Force. He certainly did not detonate a hand grenade or something similar. Which led her to wonder, did Akio know? Was he aware of it, if Force Sensitivity was the answer? If he really was, and if he knew, why would he keep it from her?

The whole line of thought made her head throb, so instead Dryzl focused on another concern in her long list of concerns -- yet another of Akio's hallucinations. While she was definitely curious as to who it was the Chiss was talking to, the woman was also very concerned. His mental breakdown should have healed by now; it'd been 3/4ths of a standard year, almost. And for the visions to keep returning in persistence, with such force....it worried her. Not just as a friend, or as a mere observer, but...as something more. A role she hadn't filled for a while, and one which she was uncharacteristically reluctant to admit to herself.

A beep from the droid shattered her deep concentration, and shaking herself out of the reverie, Dryzl held out her hand to review the results.

[member="stardust"] [member="Julian Valentine"] (or whomever you'd prefer to bring in) [member="Akio Diachi "]

 

[Akio Diachi]

Akio watched with stoic indifference as the droids sewed up his many lacerations. His limbs, torso, and face, had all been cut repeatedly along several lines. The droids had said he was fortunate to not slice a major blood vessel. Luck had nothing to do with it. He had learned how to jump through windows through countless hours of practice with the Umbarians. How to accomplish it without loosing too much blood or sustaining deadly wounds was an art in itself.

Another shard of glass was pulled from the Chiss' calf, he didn't even wince, Akio had refused anesthesia when offered. Compared to the war going on inside his head the physical pain was nothing.

He was going soft, he could feel it. And he knew partially that this was why they were almost captured. Before he would have smelled the danger a mile away. Before he would have boobytrapped the entire building, held the staff hostage, and never gotten hurt. But he hadn't and it had almost gotten the only person he cared about hurt. He looked across the medbay, the droids were giving her clearance to go. He blinked and swallowed, getting emotional. How many times will I have to almost lose her? Its not fair. He stifled himself from crying. Not now. Not here.

And his hallucinations were getting worse. They had been once a month, now they were once a week. And they were becoming more intense, and more vivid. He knew, and Dryzl knew too. She had seen it, she had helped walk him back through some of the more severe ones. Stress made them so much worse, working against his cold, combative nature. The droids handed her something, and Akio couldn't stand it anymore.

"Sir, you are in no position to be moving around," protested one of the droids.

The assassin had become almost used to the constant, annoying hum that they gave off. Before it had given him headaches, and it still did, but he was more used to it than before. Besides, Dryzl had scolded him more than once for being to severe with them and he didn't want to displease her again.

"I will be fine," he said.

"You will not, you have sustained several fractures along--"

"Am I losing blood?' Akio asked, already knowing the answer.

"No."

"Then I can handle it, I know my body." Akio gingerly rose to his feet and limped towards her quietly. Even injured he still was a silent assassin.

As he walked, Akio could feel the injuries along his bones; fractured left shin, fractured right forearm, three fractured ribs, and a bone-bruise on the right thigh. He came behind his Dryzl and had he been taller, would have looked over her shoulder. However, being the shorter one of the couple he wrapped an arm around her waist for support, both to stand and emotionally. I just need to hold her to make sure its real. To make sure she is ok. He couldn't really care less about what the paper said, he wanted to be as close to her as possible, even if she was going to scold him for it, I love you. I am glad your ok. I am sorry I almost got you killed. I love you. Your the only thing that matters to me in this life or the next. Your my salvation, I am lost without you. I need you in my life.

"What does it say?" He asked softly.

[member="Erud'ryz'ladre"]
[member="stardust"]
[member="Julian Valentine"]

 

[Stardust Solus Skirae]

Stardust muttered and cursed herself as she bandaged up herself...she of the three took the least damage least being not so severe...she mostly had several cuts to the cybernetic limbs whih she herself had to repair with help from a training droid she repurposed to be a body guard...or at least guard the ship when she wasn't around. She had a deep cut that nearly disemboweled her thankfully that was before that got in the ship...

She sighed rubbing her head as she walked down to the medbay and looked in before speaking"good to see the droids could patch you up"she said calmy

@Akio Diachi
[member="Erud'ryz'ladre"]
[member="Julian Valentine"]

 

[Julian Valentine]

[Theme]​

The stars vanished. Replaced only by a black void. In either direction, left nor right, no stars could be seen, but everywhere else they continued to twinkle. More stars were being consumed ahead, and behind it they reappeared. It was no odd phenomenon. It was a ship of immense proportion. Julian Valentines Judicial-class Prison Ship. Half a kilometer in length. It's sleek black hull blending in with space, barely able to be perceived but for the faint outlining of its shape. On its belly was written Surrender.

It dwarfed the other ships in the sector, and all was quiet. There was no activation of weapon systems. The turrets and cannons remained fixed, unmoving. No lock-on targeting was activated. Light broke the void, blinding and pure. The blast doors to the hanger were breaching. Deflector shields flickered to life, basking the frigate in a bluish glow. Nothing left the ship, yet.


On board, everything was not so quiet. Julian was occupying himself with a puzzle cube as he marched down a causeway. The grated floor produced long echoes that drifted down the corridors. The ship grumbled and groaned, as though alive. There was always a trait to larger ships, even when no one was on board, they still made a lot of noise. You couldn't slap four-hundred meters of metal and structures together and not expect to hear something protesting in strain.

Then there came a chirp from a cricket. Julian stopped in his tracks, his eyes slowly rose and darted left and right. Damn, he heard it again. The crew of the Surrender, an odd three of them, had been searching for the cricket for weeks now. No one had found it. He would go searching for it now, but he had more important tasks. The targets from Phaeda had escaped. Before doing so, they had let out a beacon and attached it to the fleeing vessel. They would pursue.

The hanger was filled with unoccupied cells. One of them still had an open casket where a Trandoshan had been detained. He had been an unruly one. They threw him in the cell, and when he kept trying to escape, Willow had pinned him down, hog-tied him, and threw him into a container big enough to fit him, but not big enough for him to move.

Of the ships that filled the hanger, there were several. The ship could fit a whole squadron of starfighters, but in this case it only fit three. Among them was an old BT-7 Thunderclap, badly bruised, and a KR-TB, currently going through repairs. Julian made a beeline for the KR-TB known simply as Paragon. Its hull was black, with Boltz having just established a new ion drive and inertial compensator, along with sensor jamming. It was experimental stuff, but they were trying to see what worked and what didn't.

Paragon was now outfitted with a new hull, new support structure and paintjob. But it was still as poor inside as it had formerly been outside. Exposes wires hung from the ceiling, the grated floor was rusted and croaked with each step, and the cockpit was nothing more than a console and a metal chair with a harness. The luxurious captains chair was momentarily thrown out. They had found maggots inside the cushions. Maggots! What had the former owner been hiding in there?

He shook his head, getting the all clear from Yee. His equipment was stashed on board in the lower gantry. His helmet was sitting on his lap as he buckled himself in, and then he firmly pressed it onto his head. There was a tight seal and air pressure hissed. He reached forward, flicking switches and twisting dials, engines were spooling up, the ion drives burst to life. The wings unfolded into a hammerhead shape, much like Valentines helmet.

As Paragon left the frigate, Julian waited not a second longer to enter hyperspace after his targets. He leaned over the console and made the arrangements, Boltz came wandering up beside him, the small Ugnaught had no where to sit, so he sat on the floor. Three... two... one. He hit the switch, stars turned into long streaks of light. Space and time warped impossibly, stretching them as though sucked into a black hole, and then in an instant, they vanished. Soaring through hyperspace. Julian Valentine was coming.

 

[Erud'ryz'ladre]

[member="Akio Diachi "] [member="Stardust"] [member="Julian Valentine"] (Glad you could make it )

Dryzl leaned towards Akio slightly when he wrapped his arm around her. She didn't bother to glance up from the datapad, though. "My sugar and calcium levels are a little lower than normal, ​and I still have a large amount of cortisol present in my bloodstream." Now she looked up, a small smile detracting somewhat from her stern expression. "No wonder, considering what happened. If you do not lie down and rest, I am certain my cortisol levels will increase even more."

The woman stood up,​ setting the datapad down on the cot and motioning for Akio to lay down on it. "Now. Or else I will happily tranquilize you and strap you down. Which would you prefer?"

Red eyes cut over to where the Twi'lek, Stardust, was standing. "The droids patched me up. Akio refuses to let them finish, or to rest. Would you like to assist me in forcing him to comply?" The Chiss's tone was that which could have been joking...but was more likely to be taken seriously. She was, after all, stronger than Akio right now, and if Stardust would help then the man would have no chance.

She looked back over at her male companion. In a gentler tone, she added, "You really do need to rest, though. You are in no condition to go toe-to-toe with any more bounty hunters...or to fling yourself out of the window." Then I will question you about your hallucinations.

 

[Akio Diachi]

"As you insist," he said, forging his typical emotionless and polite tone for a genuinely submissive and caring one.

The assassin was a very very stubborn one, and he knew it. A smirk crossed his lips as he looked in Dryzl's eyes. Pulling her a little lower and raising himself up some, the man let his lips brush her forehead. He was a short being, and he knew it. She was also a tall being, coupled with her raw muscle mass that was greatly superior to his lacking raw power; it was a combination that most would have found emasculating. But Akio didn't care. He saw her heart, and it had been worth falling in love with. Never mind that she was stunningly gorgeous. Never mind that she was a goddess. He heart and soul were enough to love him even when he was--what he was. Ever since the first time he saw he, he knew she was special. And he saw it more everyday as he fell deeper in love with her.

Before they met, Akio didn't even know love was real. Or that an assassin like him could feel it. The day I met Dryzl is the day my mind was shattered. I found love and lost myself in the same day. But I wouldn't trade it for anything.

"I am glad your ok," he whispered genuinely.

Akio laid down, taking Dryzl's hand in his own, his fingers locked through hers and he wanted to reach up and run his fingers through her hair, but he resisted. She was going to be ok. And that was all that mattered. He had almost died, but in the process saved her. What else could matter to him as long as she was safe? He was a dying man before he met her, and she had saved his soul.

[member="Erud'ryz'ladre"]
[member="Julian Valentine"]
[member="stardust"]

 

[Stardust Solus Skirae]

She nodded as she looked at their medical reports and sighed....she herself wasn't much of a medic and couldn't help...most she knew was in battle patching up

Hahaha I would but I rather not lose any more parts...these cost a hella lot you know well when you guys feel a hundred percent come to the bridge and we can talk over uhhh wine "she said...she didn't know if these people drank or not but wine was always good


She walked back to the bridge and say down as she piur a glass of nice clear vodka...something that would burn while she got her words together"

@akio diachi
[member="Erud'ryz'ladre"]
[member="Julian Valentine"]

 

[Erud'ryz'ladre]

[member="Julian Valentine"] [member="Akio Diachi "] [member="Stardust"]

"Ch'ah cssi," she whispered back, her eyes flicking up briefly to watch the Twi'lek walk out before looking at Akio again. She resisted the urge to help him lie down; the assassin was weak, but he wasn't helpless. Instead, Dryzl squeezed the hand clutching hers, then with her free hand, awkwardly brushed his hair back from his face. It was a little bit awkward, too -- this type of....affection was something which the Chiss was unused to. Did she have feelings? Yes. Did she care for her loved ones? Yes, few though they may be. But her entire life had been (metaphorically) clean, crisp, concise, and professional. She knew what to do, what was expected of her, and where the lines were drawn.

Now, though, her life was shattered. Her family did not speak to her, Dryzl hadn't had a steady job in ages, there was a bounty on her head, and the only constant, reliable thing she had was Akio. Who, by the way, was an assassin who'd come very close to killing her, but managing to kill an acquaintance of hers.

And yet, the worlds still turned around.

Enough of this self pity. Pull yourself together!

Seemed she was telling herself that a lot lately.

Her left hand still in Akio's, and her right still on his head, Dryzl haltingly leaned down and kissed his forehead lightly. Gosh, how long had it been since she'd last had someone to call a lover? Too long ago, and it certainly didn't rank anywhere near this.

It showed, too. The woman was displeased with how mechanical the kiss was, at least to her. But she tried to be warmer, to put as much emotion into hers as he did into his. If nothing else, she tried.

Standing up, she gave Akio's hand one more squeeze before letting go. Wagging a finger at him, Dryzl commanded in a stern voice, "Rest, now. I am serious." She then turned to one of the droids. "Notify me the instant anything changes in his health, mental or otherwise." It made a noise of confirmation, and she walked out, sparing one last glance at the male Chiss before heading towards Stardust.

Now, it would be a wonderful thing to say that Dryzl had an eerie feeling, almost like a sixth sense, telling her that a black, 50m long, many hundreds ton, ominous vessel of certain imprisonment was headed straight for them; that she somehow knew the ship, piloted by an intimidating and formerly acquainted bounty hunter and his ugly little Ugnaught side kick were following the tracking device fixated upon their own hull. That she, Erud'ryz'ladre, woman of some talents, unending dry humour, and zero Force Sensitivity, had a little prickling feeling along her neck, warning of impending doom.

But the truth? The truth was that the only thing on her mind was not the obsidion ship, the hammerhead man, nor the odious little being, but rather Akio's well-being and how in the world Stardust knew to find them. Or how she knew them, period. Thus, when Dryzl did arrive at the bridge to find the Twi'lek nursing some hard liqueur, the first words out of her lips were not "I think we're being followed" or "Someone put a tracking device on this ship!", but instead were:

"Forgive my abrupt manner, but back there, at the motel, you had mentioned that we shared an employer?" Dryzl remained standing, exerting more energy than was probably necessary to ensure that her entire demeanour was neither hostile nor accusatory; the Twi'lek had, after all, pulled her and Akio's asses out of a fire. No use in riling her up needlessly.