Private Rock and a Soft Place

[Kal]

It was clear from her hesitation that some things were left unspoken. Perhaps she was jealous of the gifts possessed by the Jedi and their ilk or had lost her own ability to heal in that manner, somehow. Given the peculiarities of her presence, he was leaning towards the latter.

It was hard to say for sure without an answer, of course, but she did not seem eager to share and even he did not pry into minds so wantonly.

"I have some experience altering organic matter in beneficial ways, though usually at a limited scale. Accelerating coagulation in those suffering from blood loss, that sort of thing." He had successfully altered a nonsentient species to a significant degree, but that was with a great deal of assistance as far as the hands-on parts were concerned. "I have standard first aid training as well. Bandaging and resuscitation for near-humans, mostly."

There was no way to adapt such basic training to the diverse biologies found throughout the galaxy, unfortunately, and as far as medicine proper was concerned he was more or less untrained. Slightly better than the man on the street, so to speak, but not by that much.​

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Kal​

"I have some experience altering organic matter in beneficial ways, though usually at a limited scale. Accelerating coagulation in those suffering from blood loss, that sort of thing."

Amani raised a palm, “That’s useful. Healers tend to use similar methods to complement their skillset.”

"I have standard first aid training as well. Bandaging and resuscitation for near-humans, mostly."

“And that is at least better than nothing.”

She stood up and dusted off her hands, “Medical biology is a tad complicated considering how many sentient species it applies to. Lots of little details to remember. And a few very big details.” Force forbid you be the doctor to accidentally administer bacta to a member of a species that is deathly allergic to it. Maybe there were more than a few big details.

“But most species share a similar enough physiological baseline that standard procedure operations will have the same effect without much variation.” And rather than something with more peculiarities like diseases, steps for treating an injury tended to be more or less universal.

“Can you tell what kind of injury the boy has from here?” Amani drummed her fingers against her personal medkit, and leaned to try and peek into the hole the droids had dug. Wouldn’t hurt to be more prepared for whatever they have to deal with.

 

[Kal]

Nodding along until she mentioned the need memory-intensive nature of the art, the blue-haired youth smiled smugly. "That will not be an issue. My memory is exceptional, or so I have been told." Even that was an understatement, compared to the fleeting flesh-and-blood neural patterns of your average humanoid.

Truth be told, he was hard-pressed to locate even a single instance of ever forgetting, well, anything.

Considering her statement, he found it sensible enough. There were significant differences in the biology of the galaxy's manifold lifeforms, but most preferred their blood on the inside, their bones unbent, and - if they had lungs and hearts - air flowing through the former and the latter pumping vigorously. Securing the basics was key to short-term survival.

Gaze swivelling towards the ongoing excavation, he considered her request for a moment then closed his eyes. After a short while, his attention returned to Amani. "His leg was crushed under some rubble. His peers managed to free him, but that caused blood loss. He's been inexpertly bandaged. Heartbeat is faint but present."

After another moment, he clarified his abilities. "This is what they see and know. I do not know his inner workings."

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Kal
​

"That will not be an issue. My memory is exceptional, or so I have been told."

“Well then you would probably make for a very useful doctor.” Amani wasn’t scatterbrained by any means, but anyone would be envious of perfect recall in a field like this, “As long as your hands aren’t too shaky.” She added as a half-joke.

"His leg was crushed under some rubble. His peers managed to free him, but that caused blood loss. He's been inexpertly bandaged. Heartbeat is faint but present..."

“Alright. Well hopefully the worst of it will involve setting any and all broken bones. Then it’s a matter of preventing any further bleeding with a proper bandaging, aaaaand splinting the leg so the fractures can heal properly!” Amani placed her arms akimbo and smiled broadly, matter-of-fact and optimistic in her analysis.

After a pause the smile faded and she titled her head, “Well, unless the leg is completely shattered. Then we have a whole new list of problems that might become a lot more immediate. Compartment syndrome…volume contraction…” Amani furrowed her brow and rubbed her chin, “…kidney failure… necrosis… y’know what, maybe we just hope for the best! Anything too serious, and we won’t be able to offer him the help he needs, anyway. Not on our own at least, best we can hope for is stabilization before proper care arrives.”

She rubbed the nape of her neck and gave a nervous laugh at the influx of possible stressors, “Like I said, a lot to remember.”

 

[Kal]

Smiling cheerfully at her comment about shaky hands, it was clear that he was unworried. His attitude could be misinterpreted as a lack of interest in potential patients' fates, but such was not the case - rather, he had no reason to be concerned about bodily failings when he captained said body with an iron fist.

Unlike a human, he could simply choose to suffer a heart attack, for example.

Facial features drifting into more serious forms as the time for action neared, he nodded firmly. "Seems reasonable - I will make sure not to interrupt any urgent aid, of course." He was eager to learn, but not that eager.

Just as the Mirialan seemed to be getting nervous about worst-case scenarios, the droids chirped cheerfully, precious oxygen pouring into the sealed chamber. It was time to move. "We may need to examine him down there."

Eying the unstable landmass, he smiled crookedly. "I will let you know if the situation turns risky."

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Kal​

"Oh man, I hadn't even thought about amputation." By now she was more or less thinking aloud to herself as possibilities branched into more possibilities, "Ugh, please don't need an amputation. Please don't need an amputation."

Amani's intrusive thoughts were interrupted by noises from within the site, signifying that the droids had made contact. She expired a long breath and straightened up, "Right then."

And the healer wondered why her anxiety seems chronic. Field surgery and paramedic response in an inherently tense field of work, and excessive worries only exacerbated the problem. For someone with a problematic heart condition, the choice of work environment was questionable at best. It made for a pretty good distraction from other problems, though.

Amani stepped forward a few paces, lingering a distance away from the excavation for fear of triggering any activity in the earth, remining herself that they were, in fact, beyond the established safe zone in the aftermath of a cataclysmic tremor, "And you're sure this is something you're able to handle?" She asked Kal. He certainly seemed cocksure of his capabilities prior, and while she had more reason to believe him now, the moment of truth's arrival required secondary confirmation.

 

[Kal]

Amputations? Kal was initially surprised she found the prospect that terrifying, given the ease by which extremities could be replaced by way of technology if one had the funding, but then most mortals were rather more attached to their bodies than he was. Not that odd, come to think of it - and that was not even mentioning the risk of complications.

Smiling carefully, the Shadow seemed quite unfazed by her concern. "Timely warnings? Quite. Treating the wounded? That is more uncertain." Smile fading away, he gestured broadly, as if to indicate the rampant destruction. "It is still a risky area, mind you. If I tell you to run, run. Do not try to be a hero, I do not want a senseless death on my conscience." His lack of concern for his own safety could be construed as self-sacrificing, certainly.

The truth was more complicated - bodily death was an end for her, an inconvenience to him.

Without further ado, he headed towards the sloping tunnel the droids had excavated; if she followed behind they would want to examine the badly hurt man down there, if not he would simply have the droids pick him up.

The risk of staying outweighed the risk of moving.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Kal​

Amani stood there for a moment, rocking in place as she built up confidence to take the plunge. Kal’s own assurances were enough, and she stepped forward, “No heroics. Works for me.” He was still a mystery, but he at least seemed to be a competent mystery.

Heading into the tunnel, Amani stuck close behind, over-examining every nook and cranny of the earth around them. In a short time, however, her attention was quickly refocused on the reason they were here; An injured man, trapped down here for who knows how long.

“…Hi,” was all she thought to say in the moment. He was thankfully still alive, though clearly lethargic and derealized, likely due to blood loss. The healer went to work, honing in on his leg for examination.

Shouldn’t have to amputate, at least.

She sighed in relief. Probably best to keep that thought unspoken in the patient's presence. In fact it seemed most of her worst fears were assuaged. It was still a problematic situation of course, but her initial diagnosis was that they could treat him immediately on their own. “Alright, we can make this work. Get him up to the surface for some fresh air?” She requested for the droids. No reason to spend any more time down here than absolutely necessary.

 

[Kal]

Amani went straight for the wounded humanoid, like the medical professional she was, but Kal's attentions were briefly diverted - the remaining three, healthy enough to move on their own, were still bordering on panic. The last thing they needed in an already difficult situation was fear-induced clambering.

"You are safe now. Please proceed to the evacuation zone in a calm and orderly manner."

There was nothing outwardly suspicious about his words, though the way their muscles relaxed and pupils dilated was visible proof of his influence, as was the calmly efficient way in which they top turns climbing up to safety.

"Safely moveable? Lovely. We should not linger." In contrast to his previous behaviour, he did not take the lead, instead stepping to the side to let her go first, followed soon after by the droids and their patient.

Fragile organics first, as was only polite.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Kal
​

Amani at first paid no mind to Kal’s efforts with the other survivors, only doing a double take once they had begun to make for the exit in suspiciously orderly fashion. Some kind of mind trick, she could only presume. She raised a brow high at her partner, but made no objections. Getting out sooner rather than later was just fine by her, every second they stayed here made her twitchy.

"Safely moveable? Lovely. We should not linger."

“I couldn’t agree more.”

The healer led the way, droids loyally following close behind. Despite being a short excursion, the tread back to the exit seemed to stretch unnaturally long, and as her paranoia finally began to wane, a single pebble fell from the ceiling, dropping on her shoulder just at the aperture of the tunnel. Amani practically sprang out of the ground with an unrestrained yelp, fully expecting the tunnel to have collapsed on top of them just then. Thankfully, it held still for now, allowing the droids to join her outside, and keeping the tragic possibility as just a part of her imagination.

“Ahem.” Amani dusted herself off, and took a moment to regain her composure. “That went pretty well.”

Now that they were free, there was no time to waste. She took what few supplies she had brought with her, revealing a roll of fabric and laying it out on the ground for the droids to set the young man. Not exactly hospital grade, but they were working to triage at the moment, and it’s not like they could very well carry a bed out with them. The accuracy of Kal’s analysis was made even more clear in broad daylight; the man’s leg was frail from exsanguination, which it continued to do even now.

“Hey, you said you can like, help with the whole blood loss problem right?” She called back to Kal, beginning to remove the previous bandage that had been set around the leg, now sopping with red.

 

[Kal]

A drawn-out 'mhm' left Kal's lips - accompanied mere moments later by a mighty clatter as the improvised excavation suffered a partial collapse, an event which did not seem to bother the young man overmuch. "Unexpected, but no matter. It no longer posed a threat to us - I'm prescient, not a geologist."

It seemed almost defensive, as if meant to pre-empt any complaints she might have about his watchfulness.

Whatever the case, he did not hesitate when called upon to assist, quickly dropping to his knees next to the grievously wounded leg. Unlike the flashier arts practised by your average Jedi, his efforts entailed no beams of purest light, but seemed to have an effect nonetheless; nothing was healed, per se, but the bleeding quickly ground to a halt.

"Fully coagulated, inside and out. I might be able to encourage the body to produce new blood, but best not." Grimacing, he eyed the young man dubiously. "I wouldn't want to accidentally cause any shortages. Vitamins... iron?"

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Kal
​

“Hmmm…” Amani gave a long, drawn-out huff between sealed lips as a part of the excavation gave way, as if forcefully keeping any complaints at bay.

She instead retained her attention on the patient at hand, watching with piqued curiosity as the bloodletting quickly ceased under the otherwise unobtrusive display by Kal. His mention of assisting further was met with further interest, and then a cringe at the potential to add another problem to the list, “Maybe we just stay content with the victories we already have,” Amani nodded with matching suspicion toward the other option.

A moment passed before she returned to action, recalling that part of their intent here was for her to pass some insight on basic medical routines. “Alright, with that taken care of, we need to reset the limb, so the bone can heal properly…” It seemed by the time they had gotten outside, the young man was properly unconscious, and so Amani wasted no more time getting to work. She laid out the leg and carefully felt along the break, wincing a moment as she began to set the bone back into place. Throughout the procedure she made sure to be deliberate enough with her actions that he could follow along with the motions.

Once confident it was as well placed as it could be in the moment, Amani then retrieved a simple splint from the few supplies she’d carried out here, “...Then it’s just a matter of splinting the leg so nothing moves too far out of alignment. Needs can vary depending on what's broken, but some kind of rigid bracing bound in place pretty much covers the basic idea of a splint.” She strapped the bar against the broken leg, and tightened it to satisfaction before setting back, apparently content with the work. “I’m sure they’ll need to take a closer look at things and re-address some of the procedures we’ve already done with more accurate equipment, but for an emergency fix-up, that’s not bad.”

 

[Kal]

Unsurprisingly, they were of one mind as far as unnecessary risk was concerned. The boy would recover in time, blood was one of the more expendable components shared by organics; no need for drastic measures.

Peering curiously as she 'reset the limb', the strange man seemed to find the whole thing morbidly curious; it belied common sense, to twist an ordinarily stationary part about like that rather than letting it return to its original shape on its own volition. Remarkable, these quirks of organic fragility - easy to hurt, hard to heal.

Not that his kind were any easier to restore, quite the contrary, but then they were very rarely injured.

"Fascinating. I have read about such procedures." Tracing the curvature of the patient's leg with his eyes, he shook his head in amusement. "Your bones, they are capable of limited self-restoration, but the pathing is... simplistic?"

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Kal
​

Amani’s face contorted in thought, “That’s… a way to put it, yeah. It can heal from something like this, but to do so effectively it needs help being realigned with the original morphology.” She gestured broadly to the rest of the leg. It hadn’t occurred until then the challenges that might come with trying to teach someone who, at least based on his questions, had a completely different understanding of anatomical workings than herself.

“You took care of the immediate problem, excessive bleeding, pretty easily, which made the rest of this much less messy. In situations where we can’t magically stop all coagulation, we’d need to apply pressure and cover the injury with bandages or gauze, or something else of the sort.” She wasn’t sure if there could ever be a situation in his case where he couldn’t use his much more convenient method, but best to cover all bases. There was a point in time where Amani would never have guessed she’d have no access to her old powers, but here she was.

“Do you, uh… have bones?”