Private Road Trip: What now?

[Klar]

9R-9RS (Niner to his friends) was - in his own opinion, a pretty stellar pilot. He'd managed to navigate off of Coruscant using a GTFO calculation, and when he'd dropped the EX-1 Pathfinder into a hyperdrive that appeared to have dropped physics out from underneath them? The Astromech had gotten them safely back to the real world. Which in his own opinion was pretty laudable. To the Pathfinder's systems? He wasn't sure. They wouldn't stop screaming at him that the shuttle was about to explode. He didn't bother to poll the biologicals in the makeshift medbay. They were too busy screaming to be worth asking the opinion of. Honestly, anybeing who couldn't keep their cool in a crisis wasn't worth the processing cycles to consider.

Like the flight control daemon who'd been nagging about the thermocouplings before takeoff. Or, more accurately, the slag in the engine room that had previously been a pair of faulty thermocouplings.

---

It wasn't the patching, stitching, or muttering that woke Klar up. She'd passed out about five seconds after Xuko had swept her into his arms and gone SOMEWHERE, and hadn't been woken up by the shuttle taking fire, going into hyperdrive, the bang of something in the engine blowing, or Iridonian cursing. What had woken her up was the humble cervico-collic reflex yanking her out of unconsciousness when the ship dropped out of Hyperdrive close enough to a planet that the artificial gravity had a seizure and she was briefly flung into the air. She awoke with a gasp, falling back onto the compact galley table with an oof.

Everything hurt. This was a good sign. Hurt meant things were still working. Everything was also screaming, too. Not her, though. The ship? Absolutely. Alarms, constantly. Maybe Xuko, too. And a droid? Since when did Xuko have a droid? Or a ship?

"Whyfor yelling?" Klar asked, raising her voice to be heard over the sound of warming alarms and an irritable droid. Leaning against a bulkhead, she staggered the small distance towards the cockpit where her savior was arguing with a droid. Or possibly fighting over the controls. Behind them, dominating the window, a large ocean. Clouds. A snow-covered coastline. They were in low orbit over a planet and, judging from the instruments, slowly drifting closer and closer to losing that orbit. "Where are we?"

Bweep-fweep chrrrr gank chrr. Niner huffed, locking his scomp into position near the pilot's chair. Hreep-a beedledee bloopbebab boork chrrr BZZZZRONK. The astromech complained sharply, case rattling back and forth while it tried to balance systems actively failing versus systems likely to fail if they were even a little stressed. The second scenario was looking more and more tempting the more things that screamed at him.

Klar gave the droid and Xuko a foggy look, then chuckled apologetially. "...I don't speak binary." She confessed sheepishly.

Niner was too exasperated to be very disappointed by this.

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

The scene inside the cockpit of the Pathfinder reminded Xuko of a similarly chaotic scene during one of his first offworld missions; only this time, help was nowhere to be found. The Zabrak had only a foundational understanding of how ships worked- turn control stick = ship turns- but he was certain that even he could do a better job landing the Pathfinder than 9R-9RS was... although Xuko was too proud to admit that his attempts at taking control might have been part of the problem. And unlike before there were no Jedi Knight projecting calm, no one to tell him if the buttons he pushed had any effect whatsoever on the wailing alarms and flashing lights on the console, and no trust in the one who was allegedly "flying" the ship.

And so the Zabrak cursed, struggled, and slammed buttons; occasionally taking a break from those activities to give the M-Series astromech next to him a whack on its durasteel dome. "What part about safe do you not understand?" he yelled, wincing with every jolt and bump. There was a heavily-wounded VICJ in the back, after all.

"Whyfor yelling?" Klar asked, raising her voice to be heard over the sound of warming alarms and an irritable droid.

The VICJ was up and moving. Xuko wasn't certain if that was a good thing or not, then decided it was as the ship suddenly plunged downward before recovering; now just meters above a beautiful blue ocean. Niner trilled innocently, drawing Xuko's renewed ire. "Kaz'tah. You meant to do that." Then, to Klar, as one of the few buttons he was familiar with on the console continued flashing. "Strap in. IF we survive this-" he glared at the astromech, who gave the astromech version of a side-eye, along with a rude trill "-it will be a crash landing."

It wasn't fair, Xuko decided. They'd survived the Sith's assault on the Jedi Temple only to be murdered by an "allied" droid.

"You do realize that 'flying' implies that we do not touch the ground?" he said, as spray from the ocean splashed across the cockpit.

Klar

 

[Klar]

Klar bounced slightly as the shuttle skipped across the top of a slightly stormy ocean, clinging to the back of the pilot's chair to keep from being knocked aside or to the floor. She knew a bit about piloting - mostly speeders and bikes, admittedly - and a part of her wanted to take the controls and try to salvage this. That urge was a bit silly, though. She didn't have any idea of what she was doing. The most starship piloting she'd done was a bit of hyperspace jumping one or two times under the watchful eye of Grandmaster Valery.

She could help elsewhere. Adjusting the sling holding her broken arm, Klar interposed herself between Xuko and Niner. Xuko smacking the droid wouldn't help it work faster and actively distracted his focus. "Both of you. Please. Let's fight once we're on solid ground?" Klar implored hopefully.

"Fweeple dee chrrrip bibibababip deedle fssszk. Niner complained tersely. Despite his relaxed demeanor, the astromech's scomp worked with furious speed. He hadn't won his freedom just to die out here, and it would offend his pride as an astromech to have his first jump as a free droid result in a crash landing on a nowhere planet where the only export was embezzlement.

Klar rapped a nail sharply on Niner's dome, frowning. "I know that was rude. Stop, please." She chided sternly, laying another hand on Xuko's shoulder - both for stability and to keep him from twisting around and smacking the droid. The Codru-Ji peered at a display, pulling it closer to get a better look. "Xuko. Coast coming up. There's a town to the east, yeah?" She reported. "If we touch down close enough to walk to it, we might be able to get help. Or parts." She suggested hopefully.

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

'"Touch down' may be too kind" Xuko observed, unable to resist a final salvo at 9R. Klar's hand on his shoulder- and perhaps an admonishing squeeze- kept him from telling the droid what he really wanted to say. He shifted slightly in his seat to look up at Klar; frowning in concern. "And I must insist that you buckle up" he said. A rude bluuurpp from 9R caused the Zabrak to roll his eyes. "I meant no offense that time, droid. Landings are oftentimes rough." The Zabrak thought back to his first-ever journey on a starship; the turbulence as they'd approached the Jedi temple on Tython had nearly caused him to swear off small starships for good. He found one of Klar's hands and gave it a gentle squeeze to try to show his sincerity, reluctantly ceding control of the Pathfinder to the astromech.

`

9R worked furiously to control their descent, estimating that with him in sole control of the ship that the humanoids' odds of survival was now approximately 89%; a much better number than the 12% it had been previously, but not out of the woods just yet. Fortunately, there were few trees to be seen ahead as the Pathfinder barreled towards muddy farmland. A "WHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!" that needed no translation warned the humanoids that there wasn't as much 'gentle' in this landing as the droid had previously promised. As it was, the Pathfinder only bounced once before sliding to a stop- leaving a deep scar for hundreds of meters in the sodden soil behind it. One of the forward landing gears snapped, plunging the cockpit dangerously to the side and throwing mud up and across the viewport, but when the ship eventually came to a stop 9R determined that their landing had not been fatal. The astromech's head did a victory spin before it swiveled smugly in Xuko's direction. "Brrdle whoop!"

`

Xuko fumbled for the release on his seatbelt as he glanced over to where Klar had been at the moment of impact, ignoring the renewed protesting from his own wounds. "Are you all right?"

Klar

 

[Klar]

Klar unbuckled herself with a groan, nearly falling out of her safety seat. It was nice to be stationary. She still hurt all over. However long they'd been in hyperspace hadn't been enough to do much recovery, but it'd been enough to get her at least a little less likely to pass out. It was astounding what some stitches, painkillers, and iron tablets could do. "I'm okay." Klar promised with a weak chuckle, staggering a little. The ship settled in to the groove it'd carved in the soil, canting the whole shuttle at a slightly dizzy, crooked angle.

It gave Klar enough momentum to walk/fall over to where Xuko was standing up and throw herself into his arms - one of the tightest, most sincere hugs of gratitude she'd ever given. Mindful of her broken arm, the Codru-Ji held Xuko tightly and buried her face in his shoulder. The only reason she hadn't died was because he'd come looking for her. He'd tended her wounds, helped them escape the battle, gotten them here - wherever 'here' was. In a very real, solid way she owed him her life. "...thank you." Klar murmured quietly. "Thank you, Xuko. So much."

Niner wasn't having any of this nonsense, of course. He'd gotten the already busted shuttle here, and he planned to get as far away from it as possible. After all, he HAD technically stolen it. The astromech rolled about the shuttle gathering a couple of stray parts and chips - one might imagine him throwing a tiny bindle over his shoulder - and made his way towards the exit. Niner gave a satisfied trill as he scomped the door open.

Cold air rushed in, as well as the scent of pine and manure. They'd carved up a trench of muddy soil along a farmer's field, cutting the difference between cropland and conifer forest. A concerned-looking farmer on a speeder was already making his way across the snow-dusted crops to see what all the fuss was about. It appeared to be early evening, the sky was grey, cloudy and roiling with impending snowfall or sleet. On the other side of the farmer's field sat a modest home and, on the hills in the distance, a small rural town nestled in a canyon.

"Hells'a landin' ya had there, b'y! Welcome to Devar-Tet Whai, s'pose!" The farmer called out in cautious greeting, his voice thick with a regional, presumably provincial accent. "Every'un all right, er what?" He asked, adjusting his hat to get a better look. An aged blaster rifle rode in the seat beside him - in plain sight, a warning that the man was friendly but not witless or unarmed. "Some funny duds ya got on there, b'y. Them robes s'posed to be costumes, er what?"

Ulmatra: Devar-Tet Whai, 18:19
Population: Approx. 800​

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

Xuko half-caught, half-hugged Klar as she unsteadily navigated the slanted cockpit over towards him. In the chaos of their landing he hadn't realized at first how relieved he was to see her vertical. Memories of an unconscious Klar fighting for her life while he attempted to triage her wounds were a little too fresh in his mind; she'd lost so much blood, and he vowed to become proficient in battlefield first aid at the nearest opportunity. Mindful of her injuries, his return embrace wasn't as tight as he was capable of, but it was no less sincere. "You would have done the same for me" he replied.

Klar's warm embrace was interrupted by the cold fresh air that rushed into the cockpit as 9R opened the door. Xuko had almost forgotten about the droid in the moment- such was the nature of Klar's hugs- but now that they had "landed" he remembered that they still had a score to settle... and a moment later realized what the droid's departure would mean; a loss of its starship repair expertise, and with it their chances of escape. "Excuse me" he said reluctantly to Klar, shifting out of the chair and stumbling towards the ramp that led to the outside.

As it was, he needn't have worried. 9R hadn't made it very far, having almost immediately sunk into the mud as soon as he trundled off the ramp. And while most astromech droids were equipped with rocket boosters for just this sort of occasion, 9R's fierce independent streak had ensured those had been disabled. Xuko scowled as he hoisted the M-Series astromech out of the mud and back up onto the ramp. "Not so fast" he scolded 9R. "You got us into this mess, and you will help ge-- ouch!" his lecture was interrupted as he received a painful zap from 9R, who followed it up with the droid equivalent of a raspberry.

Xuko probably would've thrown 9R back into the mud if it hadn't been for the approach of a farmer. The Zabrak strained to understand the man's Basic through his thicc provincial accent. Xuko's eyes flicked around their surroundings as he formulated a response, taking in their rural setting; a blessing because they'd caused minimal damage upon landing, and a curse because the kind of help he was looking for- a hospital for Klar, extraplanetary communications to the Jedi, or even a junkyard for spare parts- were seemingly nowhere to be found.

"Our ship was damaged during a hyperspace jump" he replied, hoping that the farmer wouldn't grasp the significance of the turbrolaster damage to the ship's hull. He'd seen on Iridonia how more rural or nomadic communities- including his own- tended to be inherently distrustful of the larger galaxy, and he and Klar were perilously low on allies at the moment. "My..." Xuko hesitated slightly, unsure how to refer to Klar in the presence of a stranger, "...companion here is injured. Is there a medical facility nearby?"


`

Jedediah Perkins studied the two Jedi through wary eyes. They were young, but some sixth sense told him that there was more to these two than at first glance. However, they seemed to be telling the truth, and while he sorely would've liked an explanation about their robes something in the Zabrak's face told him he was unlikely to get an answer to that question. That was, until he spotted Klar. Tipping his hat respectfully, Jedediah relaxed just a little. "Welcome t' Devar-Tet Whai, miss! 'Fraid there's not s'much as a bacta tank frm 'ere to Dever-Tet Zhallo. If you wanted one y'all'dn't've landed 'ere!" Jedediah's chortle at his own cleverness was interrupted by Xuko's icy-cold stare. "Er, heheh, come wi' me and we'll see what Doc can do for ye'."

`

Xuko frowned in Klar's direction. "Can you walk?" The homestead was several hundred meters away through a snowy, muddy field, and the rural settlement even further. The farmer's speeder only had room for one more- and that was if he shifted his ancient blaster rifle.

Klar

 

[Klar]

She lingered at the doorway, quietly slipping her saber into a cargo chute. A hunch told her a weapon would only make this situation less manageable, or risk escalating things. She wouldn't be much use with it anyway.

"I can probably manage." Klar promised with a faint smile. She was not doing so great, but neither was Xuko - they'd come from the same battle and were walking away from the same crash. If he could manage it, so could she. The blonde rankled at special treatment, especially the nagging insinuation that it might be a chivalrous gesture from the farmer if he allowed it. Klar carefully clamored down from the crooked shuttle and into the mud, managing a couple of steps.

The knee connected to her wounded thigh buckled in protest the moment she tried to pull her foot out of the muck. Klar's working arms windmilled frantically to keep her upright, and barely suceeded. The whole thing felt silly enough that she couldn't help but make eye contact with Xuko and laugh at herself. 9R made a mildly derisive noise.

They'd made it out. They'd made it to safety. They were on (mostly) solid ground. Klar extended two hands towards the best Zabrak in the galaxy, asking for his help to get to more solid mud. "I can probably manage with your help." She amended hopefully, a little sheepish. "Be my leg?"

The farmer squinted at the two young adults with the steaming shuttle wreck, evaluating them. They didn't look like pirates, they didn't seem like assholes from Dever-Tet Jinjio or Dever-Tet Roilan. They seemed frazzled, wounded, and out-of-sorts. He could forgive the horned feller for glaring, given how banged up his ladyfriend looked, how badly the shuttle had fared, and how 'quirky' his droid was. "Ain’t never seen a miss with four arms before, I’ll tell ya that, b’y." He noted curiously, bringing the speeder about. "Tell ya h'wat - I’ll give the missus a quick ring, get the ol’ doc on the trot, an’ tell’er we got comp’ny comin’ fer a bite o’ supper. Name's Jed Perkins, do it please ya." He greeted with a slightly amiable smile. "Or if'n don't, s'pose I'm still Jed, ayuh."

Klar gave the farmer a grateful smile. "More like three and a half arms, today." She joked. "Thank you, Mister Perkins. I'm Klar - this is Xuko, and..." She squinted at the droid.

9R gave a dismissive chirp, turning his chassis to show the polished stamp on his leg.

"9R-9RS." Klar finished introducing. "We're very grateful for the hospitality of your, uh." She glanced about. "...field. Thank you for inviting us to your home. If you'd like to get out of the cold, I'm sure Xuko and I can make our way over without trouble."

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

If Xuko had been by himself, he probably wouldn't have made much headway with the farmer. The Zabrak thought Jed to be both easily distracted and far too casual given the circumstances, and the farmer had scored no points in Xuko's book by delaying their conversation with needless questions and observations. If he'd been left to his own devices, Xuko realized this conversation probably would've ended with him wrapping Jed's ancient rifle around the farmer's weathered neck.

Fortunately, Xuko was not alone; and Klar possessed much more charisma than he did. After a close call in which the Codru-Ji nearly faceplanted in the muddy snow, she broke the last of Jed's distrust- as well as the tension in their conversation- with introductions and a joke. "Well met, Jed" Xuko said by way of greeting, after he'd helped Klar get out of a particularly-treacherous pit of mud. Then, to Klar. "Of course."

`

Jed bobbed his head obligingly. "Ah, and shore is fine teh meet yerselves. Welcome t' th' planet of Ulmatra. I s'pose ah'd better be on m' way to git the ol' Doc. Well, 'ol ain' the bes' way to describe 'er. She's a youngin' kinda lik' youse two. Ah' had m' doubts when she firs' started, bu' then I got a bad case o' the wrackles. Nasty stuff, the wrackles. Bu' she fix-ed me up righ' as rain, no sweat! As ma' allus says--"

`

"Jed!" Xuko said sharply, cutting through the farmer's monologue. "Bring the doctor to your house. Klar and I will meet you there." He'd have preferred Klar get a ride- if only to reach medical attention sooner- but the Codru-Ji would've asked for one if she'd wanted it. "And Jed?" The warning tone in Xuko's voice got the farmer's attention. "She'd better be waiting when we get there."

Xuko realized that he'd probably come off a little too strong- Jed, for once, seemed to have lost his powers of both speech and movement. Xuko sighed inwardly. "Is there a problem with your speeder?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. Jed's head swiveled a negative. "Is there anything else you need to know before you leave?" The farmer drew breath. "About your instructions." Jed deflated and again shook his head 'no'.

"THEN GO!" Xuko realized that it was probably unfair to yell at the farmer- who, after all, was helping them- but Xuko was a man of actions more than words... and Jed appeared to be the opposite. The farmer waited until he was some two dozen meters away before wheeling his speeder around to holler back at the Jedi.

"I stil' want t' know wha' those duds are for!" His piece said, Jed continued onwards toward the town.

`

9R-9RS previous bad mood returned with the news that no, Xuko would not be carrying him across the muddy field and to a new life in the rural town of Devar-Tet Whai. The astromech had threatened, begged, cajoled, and wheedled right up until Xuko closed the boarding ramp in its face. Zabraks! The M-series sulked off to do a full inventory of the damage, as well as a list of necessary repairs.

`

Xuko sighed, appreciating the silence; Jed had all but disappeared in the distance- the farmer pattering to himself all the way- and 9R's indignant binary was mostly muffled by the door. He turned back to where the best Codru-Ji in the galaxy was waiting, inwardly grateful that she was willing to try to walk to Jed's house, since the alternative was that he would have to carry her. The shock and strain of the past several hours was beginning to settle in, and his own hastily-bandaged wounds were beginning to wear on him; so her company kept him going.

So it was that the two of them leaned on each other- some combination of literally and figuratively- as they picked their way through the muddy field towards the twinkling lights of Jed's house.

Klar

 

[Klar]

Klar could, and would forgive forgive Xuko for being a bit thorny considering what they'd just been through. Hopefully Jed would do the same. 9R-9RS... who knew how a droid felt about anything, really? Leaning against each other, Klar and Xuko found a path along the outside of the snowy cop field with relatively solid ground. It was cold enough that her breath fogged, but not enough to be very unpleasant to be out in. Perhaps a bit later or on a longer walk. It was likely harder on Xuko, but thankfully Jedi robes were pretty good at insulation.

"What the heck are 'the wrackles'?" Klar asked quietly once they were alone, following it up with a laugh. "That sounds horrid."

The Codru-Ji wrapped two good arms around Xuko - one at the waist and one at the shoulder - to take the weight off of her bad leg and provide the support of her good one. Jed's speeder disappeared into a barn beside the farmhouse on the other side of the field, and Klar could distantly hear the man yelling something. At this distance, she couldn't make out the words. Presumably 'call the doctor'. Hopefully.

They kept their pace slow and steady, both to not strain things and also to not pop stitches. One foot in front of the other, shoes crunching in shallow snow and half-frozen mud. "We made it." Klar mused quietly, looking up at the evening sky. "I have no idea where we are. I've never heard of Devar-Tet Whai or Ulmatra. But it is a beautiful night for a walk."

She squeezed Xuko's side, leaning her head forward to find eye contact. "You know how I'm doing. How are you holding up?" Klar asked gently. "You look like you came from a fight, too."

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

Xuko didn't know what the wrackles were, but he guessed that Klar's didn't expect him to... and also that Jeb would probably be more than happy to share all the details if given the slightest opportunity. At least Xuko's threats had seemed to cow the farmer into something approaching haste.

The Zabrak tried not to shiver as he and Klar made their way towards Jed's house. Iridonia's arid climate meant that temperatures plunged overnight, but he'd only ever seen snow from a distance. It had never been close enough to touch. Or fall into and soak his robes.

At least Klar was warm. Xuko mirrored her hold on him, with one arm around her waist for stability and support and the other for balance, and tried not to feel like he was leeching all the heat out of her body. Xuko's mind whirled with the unknown; if fixing the ship was a possibility, what to do if 9R-9RS left while they were away, if the medical attention they were going to receive was adequate, how to contact the Jedi Order, if Aris and Tigris had gotten the younglings to safety, if anyone even had noticed that he and Klar had gone, what the final outcome of the battle for the temple had been...

Klar's voice brought him back to the present. Xuko wasn't certain that he shared her optimism- they hadn't made it anywhere except nowhere, yet- but until she directly asked how he was doing he kept his thoughts to himself. He briefly debated a laconic response but realized that with no more prying ears that he could let down his guard for the first time since the Battle for Coruscant had started.

"I have been better" he admitted, slipping slightly in the snow before recovering his balance, wincing as he did so. "I am in pain." He'd not inspected his own wounds- a blaster bolt to his thigh and one to his chest, plus a half dozen other cuts and bruises- very closely. But she hadn't only been asking about his physical condition.

"I am experiencing moments of doubt" he finally said, staring off towards the welcoming glow of the Perkins' family farmhouse. "During the battle I did not feel very much like I imagine a Jedi should." That, and Aris had clearly outperformed him; but Xuko wasn't ready to voice that shame just yet. "I am told that Jedi do not seek out battles, and yet I did." And he probably would've sought out more, had Klar not been in danger.

"So, I am ready for this day to be over." Xuko glanced back at Klar and gave the Codru-Ji a gentle squeeze with the arm wrapped around her waist. "And how about you?" Getting Klar to talk might help take his mind off of his own concerns.

Klar

 

[Klar]

"If it's unlike a Jedi to seek battle, then we're both in for it." Klar murmured sheepishly. "Leave it to me to get caught out trying to take the quickest, least safe path and get ambushed by a Sith." She complained mildly. "I probably could have lost him if I'd just jumped out the hangar door immediately. Or used the terrain more effectively. 9R was right there, I could have asked him to fire ship cannons or SOMETHING. Anything other than 'keep brawling with the man who is absolutely a better fighter than you are'. Long after the kids had escaped to safety."

Klar huffed quietly, a small plume of steamy breath. "Wanted to win." She confessed quietly. She drew in a sharper breath and repeated it even louder. "Augh! I REALLY wanted to win!" The blonde complained loudly, her voice cracking. "I did my best, and it wasn't enough! Still! UGH."

Klar ruminated on that for a moment, fixxed her hair, then took a deep breath. She offered Xuko an apologetic smile, though she knew he didn't begrudge her the occasional emotional outburst any more than she held his laconic nature against him. "I, too, am ready to pass out and sleep for like twelve hours." She confided. "Only when the doctor looks at us both. Deal?"

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

Xuko frowned slightly as Klar started bashing his favorite Codru-Ji. "You had younglings with you" he pointed out- of course safety was a priority. "And I do not trust that 9R would have stopped firing once he started." Perhaps the Jedi should've strapped a cannon to that droid and sent it at the Sith army. But the Jedi weren't inhumane.

The Klar allowed her competitive spirit to shine through and Xuko fell for her all over again. "I understand that" he said, thinking back to his contest with Aris. It didn't help to live in the past, second-guessing his actions or methods, but his pride had taken a hit. "You very nearly did win, though" he offered as comfort, calling to mind images of the Sinteen practically crawling away from the fight. It was a (very burned) face he'd committed to memory, and one who would pay dearly for what they'd done to Klar. He kept that thought to himself, however, as they approached the farmhouse.

"Deal."

Xuko took in the farmhouse as they approached- two stories, lit invitingly, and with the sound of voices from inside- Jed's unmistakable drawl, and at least two others. Someone must've seen them coming because as they navigated the two steps up onto the large porch the front door swung open and a concerned woman bustled out, clucking her tongue in disapproval.

The woman's accent, Xuko noted with surprise, was even stronger than Jed's. "Jed Perkins! Y' c'dn't've lf't'd' yer lazy ars' t' help thes' pore waifs trudgin' cros' th' fiel' in th' col'? Shame on yeh! In y' two, in! Got summat warm t' fix ye' ri' up, aft' 'ee Doc sez y' c'n!"

Xuko shivered appreciatively as the warmth of the cozy farm kitchen washed over him, and his stomach rumbled as the smell of food wafted over him. Sitting at the table with Jed Perkins was whom Xuko assumed to be the doctor- a young human in her mid-20s, with short brown hair and serious grey eyes that appraised them both. She carried something like the 'Go Bag' that Xuko assumed had basic medical supplies, and gestured towards the hallway leading off from the kitchen to where an adjacent bedroom would serve as a makeshift exam room. Xuko gave Klar another gentle squeeze. "You first" he said, quietly. He'd seen firsthand many of her wounds and knew enough about first aid to know his efforts in treating them were not sufficient.

Klar

 

[Klar]

The smell of whatever Missus Perkins had on the stove almost made Klar's knees buckle the moment they walked through the door. Aromatics! Meat! Vegetables! A bombardment of strong flavors all melding together in a merry union that could only be that most magical melting pot of foods - stew! And by god, the unmistakable aroma of baking bread besides. Klar wasn't sure if it'd been made recently, was baking now, or if the kitchen had seen so many loafs that the scent of gently toasted gluten suffused the spiritual nature of the home. Her stomach audibly growled, her forgotten appetite roaring back to life.

"Ayuh sure enough merry met t'ye two b'ye." Jed laughed, holding court on this whole affair from the large dining table that likely hadn't hosted anyone but him and his wife for years. "Time 'nuff fer vittles an' such after the doc has'er say, s'pose. Missus needs a few t'work 'er ladle, ayuh, an' sure enough I'll palaver with yer fella in the means." He advised, tipping his unlit pipe towards Klar with a knowing, rakish smile she couldn't bring herself to hate if she tried. "Ain't nev'r jawed wi' a horned fella b'fore, ayuh."

It was odd enough to be in a home that smelled so much like wood. The walls, the floors, the ceiling? All some kind of wood. There was even something burning wood nearby. Wood had been something of a luxury material on Coruscant, and all of the buildings on Tython were made of stone and metal and most of them were centuries old.

Klar responded to Xuko's gentle insistence with a nod. She knew better than to argue with him on this, and as far as she could tell she WAS the more heavily wounded. She parted from her Zabrak by returning his squeeze, flashing a confident grin. "Back in a 'mo. Don't have too much fun without me." Klar promised, waggling her fingers as she reluctantly stepped away.

All told, she was very lucky - and the Doc made sure to inform her of this. A few more centimeters would have severed an artery in her thigh, the cut on her hip had been BEGGING for infection, and her arm was (at least to the eye of a doctor who'd treated more steers than nonhumans, and never somebody with four arms) QUITE broken. It was almost an hour before Klar was let loose, having changed out of her Jedi robes and into an ankle-length skirt and loose top. If nothing else, it felt nice to be out of her burnt and bloodsoaked clothes.

Stitches, bacta pads, stitches, an inflatable cast and a sling, and some stitches. Painkillers - not to be taken on an empty stomach. A few places she'd been burnt. An order to take it as easy as possible for a day or two to replenish the blood she'd lost.

She'd been pointedly informed that Xuko's first aid work had been somewhat wanting, but that it'd undoubtedly saved her life. But of course, Klar already knew as much - and she made sure to press what little credits she had on hand into the doctor's hands for her trouble, along with a plea to take care of her partner next.

Letting her hair hang down, Klar emerged from the exam room. The Doc gave a sharp whistle and pointed to the Zabrak and made a beckoning gesture.

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

While Xuko didn't want the doctor to rush her examination and treatment of Klar, he also sorely missed her presence. Not only was she the only person he knew on this planet, the Perkins household was full of both conversation and what Xuko considered an unhealthy amount of questions. And without someone else to split their attention, that meant that Jedediah and Constance Perkins directed all of their questions at him. The Zabrak didn't even have the benefit of a bowl of food to hide behind.

What followed was almost an hour of Xuko dodging and deflecting as many of the Perkins' questions as he could. It took some doing to convince Jed that the robes he and Klar wore were simple clothing and not some kind of costume. That wasn't to say that the time wasn't informative, however. By the time the doctor ordered Xuko in to the makeshift examination room, Xuko's head was swirling with a dizzying combination of small-town gossip and the perils facing the small town of Devar-Tet Whai. A smile- somewhere between relief and gratitude- greeted Klar as they swapped places.

Xuko was reluctant to allow the doctor to poke, prod, and otherwise investigate him, and even moreso to remove the layers of clothing necessary for her to do a full inspection, but Doc Shelia was well-versed in treating stubborn, horned creatures. Like Klar, he'd also escaped major injury, and his shorter list of wounds meant that his examination took shorter. After thanking Shelia for taking care of Klar and himself, the Zabrak returned just in time to catch the end of Jed Perkins' story.

"An' tha's why we don' go out much a'ter dark" the farmer said. Xuko caught Klar's eyes, indicating with a raised eyebrow and a nod that he wanted the full story from her later; after dinner, that was. He'd tuned out much of what Jed and his wife had said, but the Zabrak was beginning to suspect that he'd missed some important information earlier. That information would have to wait, however- Xuko had a new priority.

"Grub's rea'y!"

Klar

 

[Klar]

Klar didn't mind tanking the full weight of Jed and Miriam Perkins. They were nice people, their house was charming, and they'd taken Xuko and herself in rather than just call the authorities on them. Two injured Jedi - even Padawans - were likely worth at least some bounty, even out here in the middle of nowhere. And they really WERE in the middle of nowhere. Klar hadn't ever heard of Ulmatra, but being shown where it sat on a holomap had sent chills down her spine.

Everyone knew that the hyperlanes were a little... damaged, recently, leading to 'Planeshift Events'. She hadn't ever thought she'd experience one herself. They were lucky they'd been dropped out near to an inhabited planet, and not inky nowhere or the heart of a star.

Brightening at Xuko's return, Klar pushed the chair beside her out to invite the Zabrak to sit beside her. She'd already made a spot for him while helping Miriam and Jed get the table set - a warm cup of caff, and a bottle of hot sauce. It'd been all the Perkins had been able to produce, and while Klar was sure it wasn't up to Xuko's standard it was probably better than nothing. The Perkins' for their part had seemed to accept without question that the horned man loved spicy foods best and the four-armed girl did not like spicy at all.

"How'd it go?" Klar asked curiously as they had large bowls of steaming stew set before them, communal chunks of bread and blue butter on the table between all diners. "I was telling Jed and Miriam about that swoop ride we took back home - they did the same thing on their honeymoon, actually! Just packed up a bike and went up into the mountains for a month. Isn't that romantic?" The blonde sighed cheerfully, as Miriam and Jed looked slightly embarrassed. Pleased, but embarrassed. "Once we get the shuttle up and going, we should take another trip like that." She continued cheerfully, yammering in full now that her partner was back at the table and they had the moment. "After we get a bike, of course. And our legs beneath us. Maybe some equipment? It'll be fine, though. Fun, even! Camping is wonderful. Low priority stuff, I know, but it'll give you and 9RS a break from each other-"

If Xuko had thought Jed Perkins could ramble, he'd forgotten who he arrived with. Though chatting about camping and swoop bikes was mostly a tactic to avoid thinking about Coruscant.

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

"Thank you, Zor'rek" Xuko said as Klar invited him to sit, the Iridonian term of endearment slipping out before he could catch himself- not that Jed or Constance would likely know what it meant. Judging by the bottle of medium hot sauce, Klar had advocated for him to the Perkinses. It was, the Zabrak realized, very thoughtful of her, and he squeezed one of her hands underneath the table in thanks.

"It was fine" he lied as she asked him about his checkup, attempting to save some dignity; the walls in this house were thin enough that the kitchen had probably heard Doc Shelia threaten at one point to go get her nerf prod if he didn't cooperate. "Being young and determined" - Doc Shelia had used the terms stupid and insufferably stubborn- "will work in my favor."

The Zabrak colored slightly as Klar explained how she'd told their hosts about their swoop ride on Tython. He initially wasn't certain that he liked strangers, even nice ones, knowing such personal business, but just as quickly chalked it up to him simply not having had a partner before. This kind of dynamic was new to him, and while he wasn't certain just how much about that trip Klar had shared; he also wasn't ashamed at all of being close with Klar.

Especially when he got to listen to her talk.

Her current discourse brought him back to the present, however. Their ship needed repairs and the two Padawans were low on resources with which to source the parts they likely needed. Besides, the sooner they got their Pathfinder fixed the sooner they could reunite with the Jedi back on Coruscant... or more likely, Tython. Coruscant had not been kind to Klar, and returning so soon to her homeworld might be difficult. He resolved to ask her once they had time together; some things could be anticipated, like hot sauce, but feelings were less predictable.

Xuko realized with some surprise that the thought of the Jedi Order- once a group he was felt outside of- as something that he belonged to; certainly much more now that they had been attacked. He'd even been able to set aside his rivalry with Aris- if only momentarily- in order to defend younglings together.

To that point, Xuko seized on the conversation straying in the direction of the repairs needed for their ship. Xuko directed a question at Jed Perkins, mentally preparing himself for the task of wading through the man's thick accent in search of the needle of useful information amidst the haystack of his response.

"Thank you for dinner" he said to the two farmers, regretting that he didn't have any of the enzyme pills to help with its digestion. "As Klar says, we wish to fix our ship. Are there any junkyards or starship parts sellers in the area?"

Klar

 

[Klar]

"Thank you, Zor'rek" Xuko said as Klar invited him to sit,

Klar answered the endearment by leaning over to kiss his cheek once Xuko was settled in his seat. Anything further could wait - she was ravenous, and her body needed everything it could get if it was going to heal. As conversation turned to other topics, Klar kept up most of the small talk for her side of the table. She was easily able to field silly questions and meaningless niceties, standing between Xuko and the agony of pointless chatter like a knight guarding a king.

While talking, she traded Xuko some of her meat for some of his veggies. She needed protein, sure enough, but there was plenty in the broth and she didn't plan to leave a drop of it behind. Like Xuko probably did, Klar ate like a young athlete who'd spent the previous day in a constant fight for her life.

"Thank you for dinner" he said to the two farmers, regretting that he didn't have any of the enzyme pills to help with its digestion. "As Klar says, we wish to fix our ship. Are there any junkyards or starship parts sellers in the area?"

"Depending on how far out we are, it might even be worthwhile to sell the shuttle for scrap and use that to buy passage?" The blonde Codru-Ji suggested. Sure, she had no idea how much it cost to get from place to place or how much they'd be able to sell one mostly-ruined shuttle for in a backwater like this, but it was worth keeping all their options in mind. People sold things for scrap all the time, right?

She knew only the very basics of speeder bike repair, and guessed Xuko knew about as much as she did. They were at 9RS' mercy when it came to such things. Good thing he was totally reliable.

"Reckon there's a fella down the road deals in ship bits—leastways he did, back in the day ayuh." Jed mused as dinner wound down to the scraps and bits, heels of bread dredged through broth and the like. "Ain't cheap, neither. You two got the creds fer that kinda business, eh b'ys?" The old farmer asked, leaning back as he lit his pipe thoughtfully.

Klar glanced at Xuko briefly. "We've got... some. We can figure it out, though." The blonde promised with a warm smile. "Especially if we could maybe impose upon you for a ride into town in the morning to see if we can get what we need...?" Klar asked hopefully, hitting Jed with her most angelic smile.

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

Again, Klar surprised Xuko with her thoughtfulness, trading some of her meat for some of his vegetables. Xuko decided against a thankful smile- unsure how the Perkins' would react to more PDA between the two of them- and instead squeezed Klar's hand again under the table. Another benefit of having a Cordu-Ji girlfriend was that he usually didn't have to distract from whatever task she was doing to let her know that he appreciated her; there was always a free hand to connect with.

He didn't like the idea of selling the ship, and Xuko wasn't sure how the Order might react to a pair of Padawans parting with Jedi property, but Klar was right; it was something that should be considered. Fixing the ship could be expensive, and while Xuko didn't mind engaging in negotiations with the man Jed spoke about, they wouldn't be negotiating from a position of strength. Xuko was fairly certain that somewhere on the Pathfinder was an emergency stash of various currencies, but not enough for an emergency like this. Throwing in whatever few credits the two Padawans had on themselves was unlikely to move the needle. Perhaps he could hire himself out as a worker for a few weeks... Xuko shook away the thought; that was tomorrow's problem.

First they had to contact the proprietor, made simpler by Klar's winning smile buying them a ride into town. Xuko smiled inwardly as the farmer seemed to suddenly have difficulty formulating a sentence, only for his wife to throw a dishrag his direction and answer for him. "O' corse' 'ee will, wontcher, Jed? 'Spose I'd be'er se' th' gues' bedroo' sit'ated. Frai' there's on'y one bed tho, ifn' youse don' mind."

Xuko raised a hand before she got further. "Thank you for your hospitality, but we can sleep on the ship tonight. Our droid should have a full damage report by now, which will help us to plan for the morning." That, and Xuko didn't trust Jed Perkins to let them sleep if they stayed. The two farmers clearly didn't get company often, and while Klar seemed happy to have the distraction their conversation provided, the doctor had told Xuko under no uncertain terms that rest would be very important in both of their healing journeys.

Xuko glanced over towards Klar, hoping she was okay with making the trek back to their ship. She must be exhausted, he guessed, based off of his own fatigue. "Is that ok with you?" he asked.

Klar

 

[Klar]

Klar nodded - of course it was. While she had no issues taking the Perkins' up on their hospitality, she trusted Xuko's judgement on this. Either he wasn't up to being around strangers, or there was another reason. Either was more than enough reason to sleep back on the ship. She flashed Miriam a grateful smile. "We're so grateful to the two of you for your hospitality so far. Sincerely." Klar promised. "Don't think for a moment that we're not going to make it up to you!"

That started with helping clean up, once Miriam had extricated a promise that they'd come by for breakfast in the morning. Klar had more than enough reason to suspect that the old couple had a bit of an empty nest issue, which was rather lucky for the young couple in need of a bit of help. Soon enough, bellies full and spare blankets over their shoulders, Klar and Xuko began making their way back towards the crashed shuttle.

"I started today getting briefed on survival odds." Klar reflected silently, walking hand-in-hand with Xuko. This was more than simple comfort - her leg still wasn't acting terribly agreeable, and it was dark and cold out. "...and I'm ending it doing dishes. This is the strangest dang day of my entire life. And probably the longest." She sighed.

Rubbing her eyes, the Codru-Ji shifted the quilt Miriam had thurst upon her under one arm. The winter air was silent, crisp with cold. The only sound for kilometers around was the sound of their footsteps crunching through the snow and the soft hooting of a nightbird somewhere. "I know we should probably get a report from 9RS and talk resources." Klar confessed. "But would you forgive me if we did that in the morning? All I want to do right now is shower and fall into bed and sleep forever."

"You're more than welcome to join me, if you want." The blonde smiled as the Pathfinder came into view. It looked oddly silent, only the emergency and interior lights were on. 9RS appeared to have done some repairs, but wasn't bustling about - presumably recharging somewhere.