Private Routine Inspection

[Amani Serys]

Empress Teta
Iris Arani

Since being retaken from Maw control, Teta had been under careful watch from Alliance forces. Recovery was an arduous process, and even now Jedi such as Amani Serys and Iris Arani found themselves deploying planetside to lend some extra hands. One of the largest hospitals in the capital had been significantly damaged in the last battle, and though reconstruction was now at an end, the healers had been sent to effectively inspect the building's operations. With their approval, things could continue as planned, and Teta would be one step closer to normalcy.

"I'm… pretty impressed, actually," Amani said as she and Iris meandered through one of the facility's many long corridors, "Given the sheer density of people this hospital services, it's surprisingly... uncongested."

It was at the very heart of a planet-sprawling metropolis, but operations were smooth sailing. That always seemed like little more than a pipe dream for many hospitals. But here they seemed to make things work. A testament to the new management's careful but effective approach. "What do you think, Knight Arani?" Amani grinned, stressing the title to tease her, but also to express the mirialan's genuine pride. It was a title Iris had deservedly earned, and now they stood side by side as sisters and peers.

 

[Iris Arani]

Despite being taken by the Maw, the Teta people had refused to be brought down. And now, after being liberated, were well on their way to return to normalcy. Perhaps even more. What was broken can heal stronger. Worked with people's bones, so why not people in general? "I think Coruscant should hire out whoever is in charge and learn a thing or two. Maybe even all of the Alliance."

Then, a more sheepish smile took over. She shook her head, just a little.

".. And that sounds weird. Almost as weird as Master Arani. I was called that the other day. Weird, right?"

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

"No kidding. They know what they're doing here." Amani concurred, glancing at the goings-on of each room they passed by. It was a good sign that things were moving forward, arguably better than before. The iron grip of the Maw had cost the Tetans dearly, but they were determined to get back up. Just the thought of it made the Chief Healer walk a little taller.

Her grin only widened with Iris' expected reaction, "Master, eh? One day, right?" Amani nudged Iris, but then spoke more genuinely, "It does sound a little weird at first. But you'll get used to it." She slowed down as they walked into an intersection of halls, spinning around to face her, "How's knighthood been treating you so far? In general." Iris' experiences were a topic of intrigue for Amani. She cocked her head curiously to the side.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"Maybe. I'm in no hurry for it." Iris shrugged a little, though blinked as Amani spun to face her. For a moment she just smiled like she was going to answer 'fine' or whatever the usual answer was. But that smile turned to a more exhausted expression.

"It's a pain. I hate being responsible."

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

"No pressure," Amani assured, "It's a long road." But Iris' answer to her follow-up turned a touch more exhausted. The mirialan frowned, though still managed a quiet chuckle.

"Yeah. Responsibility is a handful," She sympathized, stepping forward, "But it's one of these we all just kinda have to learn to deal with, y'know? We can't be kids forever." Children were always so ready to be adults, but so often adults find themselves wishing they could just live as children again. One of fate's favorite cruel jokes, it seemed.

"You're still early in your career. You'll grow into it." Amani offered a hopeful smile, "Even if it's not always easy." There was a pause, then she opened her mouth as if to say something else, when a low whine seemed to reverberate throughout the building. Down the hall behind them, the ceiling lights began to flash off one at a time. Down the rest of the halls as well. Until the light over top of them shut off, and they were thrown into complete darkness.

"...What the hell was that?" The concern in Amani's voice was obvious. A hospital should have backup generators. Something was very wrong.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"We're Jedi. We weren't ever kids." At least in her experience. Such was her life, though. No childhood to remember, just existing as she always did. Lost to the colors. Maybe younglings had more of a childhood than she might know.

But it wasn't something she ever had.

Still, she smiled. Nodded. She would figure it out. The smile faded shortly after though. The colors turned. Twisted. Darkened. Then the lights did the same. Iris flicked on her saber, the cool blue lighting up their surroundings. No lights at all.

"We're under attack. The power room." She could see it ahead. And the greying of colors all around them. Fear, pain. Death. Her eyes narrowed.

"There's no power anywhere. Machines are down."

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani just conceded with a shrug. She had a childhood before joining the Jedi, but not everyone's experiences were the same as hers. The woman in front of her, very much proof of that.

Then, all light was gone.

Soon a beam of white joined Iris' blue, the only lights illuminating their immediate surroundings. "How do you kn-" Amani nearly asked, before the Force came to her as well, offering only ill omens, "I sense it, too."

"We have to hurry. Some of these people need those machines to live." There was panic in her voice, yet conviction. An intense urge to protect everyone here. She rushed ahead through the blackened corridors, towards the power room. "Who the hell attacks a hospital?"

Deep down, Amani might have guessed. The looming darkness was more than literal; It permeated the aura around them. Agents of the Maw, not yet content to see this world fallen back into Alliance hands.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"Raiders."

Maw or not didn't matter. Not now. Iris took off in a full sprint with Amani, pulling deep onto the colors around her in the process. She came around the corner like a bullet, her heel swinging into the face of the first. Raiders. Maw. Their patchwork armor alone was enough to show that. A twist of her hips had her plant her foot more firmly on the now unconscious raider's skull so she could push off to the next.

Her blade made quick work. Nonlethal, even if they didn't deserve such mercy.

"Get in touch with security. Have them secure whatever wing they're closest to, form a ring, and push in. We push for the generator." She paused only long enough to speak, her blade flashing through some of the incoming blaster fire. Then she was off again, zipping through the hall towards one after another.

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

The raiders moved quick. It wasn't long before they ran into a squad of them, the two Jedi acting with inhuman speed. Amani thrusted a knee into the nearest, causing him to double over before a follow-up axe kick swung his head into the ground. In a single twirl of her saber pike, she deflected a bolt in front of her, and whipped the blunt end into another Mawite's skull. In the darkness, the only constant light was that of their blades, accompanied by intermittent red flashes of blaster fire. But Jedi relied on more than their sight to navigate.

Iris' plan made Amani skeptical, but after watching her fight off more attackers on her own, the mirialan reminded herself that her friend was a knight now. She shook her head, "Fine. Take this-" She tossed an earpiece towards Iris, "We'll be in touch." That was going to be their saving grace today. With the hospital's tech shut down, they could rely on little more than personal communicators.

With that, she barreled off down the opposite hall. Amani only made it a short distance before two Maw agents literally burst through the ceiling, from a ventilation shaft above. She was forced to block two attacks at once, saving herself from being caught completely off-guard by the flanking maneuver thanks to the size of her staff.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris snatched it mid dash and popped it in her ear. Stay in touch. They both should be fine, though. Right? She didn't have long to think about it, instead sprinting forward as ever on the path to where she needed to go. No slowing down, no waiting. She zipped through the halls, only pausing long enough to incapacitate the Raider's she ran into along the way. She was too fast for them to react to.

Or at least, she didn't have to hold back.

At least until she reached the generator room. She threw open the door with a wave of her hand as she leapt through, jumping towards the first raider before they could react. Then the next. Blitzing through the group as they tried to turn their blasters on her. Firing on their allies to try and get her as she carved a path through them. She had no issue sparring their life with her nonlethal blade.

The same couldn't be said with defending them from their brothers and sisters.

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

The two attackers were repelled after a momentary struggle, thrown back with a shove of Amani's staff. Just as quickly, they were pulled back together, as she closed her fist, throwing them together in a nasty head-on collision that left them both down for the count. There was no time to linger on it. They were on the clock. Peoples lives depended on it.

With supernatural speed and grace, Amani weaved through halls, taking down a number of other intruders with little fanfare, clobbering them with her staff until they hit the ground. No flair, no interrogations. Doing whatever she needed to for the sake of not slowing her progress. She skidded into the next hall, readying her weapon at another pair of silhouettes. But they pointed at her with flashlighed weapons, and after a momentary standoff, she realized they were security, "Woah, stop! Friendly."

Cautiously, the two aimed their guns down, and approached, "What the hell is this?! Everything was normal one second, the next it's a damn nightmare!"

"The Maw. They're back. Managed to cut the power. Look, listen to me-"

"To you? I don't even know who you are!"

"Secure this wing. Contact your teammates, tell them to do the same. Form a ring and push in to the generator room."

"Who-?!"

"-Jedi's orders." Amani said firmly, reigniting her blade to accentuate the point, before she was off yet again. The two guards stood still, the more combative officer looking back at his rookie subordinate confusedly. The latter shrugged, quite content to follow the Jedi's suggestion. The other begrudgingly did the same, relaying the command to the rest of security.

That at least would make efforts to clear the hospital much more coordinated. But they still needed to fix the power.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris let out a sigh as she extinguished her blades. Glanced over the unconscious bodies around her. Some dead. Her lips thinned to a deeper frown, but there wasn't time to focus on that. Instead, she turned her gaze off towards the generators. Then to Domxite on her shoulder. "You got this buddy?" The droid encased crystal nodded their head before hopping off towards the generator. Plugging into the machine to try and repair it.

Just as the doors opened again.

The Knight let out a sigh as she flicked on her blades and turned.

"I'll hold them."

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

While the guards began their clearing of the facility, Amani headed straight back towards the main generator. More occasional Mawites jumped out, only to be quickly dispatched by the Jedi knight, who had little time to waste on foes such as them. She skidded around a corner to see the power room doors pried open, and launched herself at the attackers while they were focused on her friend on the inside.

Amani leapt into the air and thwacked the first of them in the skull, then swung her blade out towards another's weapon, disarming him. The rest of the squad were closing in on her now, but it was hopefully enough of a distraction for Iris to come in and even the odds.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris let out a breath as she watched the last body fall in front of her. For a moment, there was silence in the room she was in. Then a flicker of light as the generator Domxite was working on kicked back to life. She grinned, glancing to her crystal friend. "Good job. C'mon."

No time to celebrate. Even with emergency power back on, the hospital needed more than that. She waited till Domxite was on her shoulder before once more sprinting through the halls. Following the colors, weaving through the raiders before they had a chance to even realize she was there. Until she finally reached where the others were. She leapt over Amani, feet first into the now disarmed Raider's skull to send him to the ground. And leapt from him right to the next. Forward, constant. There was no time to hold back or slow.

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

The fight was thrown off-beat by the sudden flooding of light into the hall. It was duller than when the generators were operating at full power, but a good sign all the same. As expected, Iris leapt in just in time to help clear out the next squad of Mawites, freeing up Amani to take down a trio of them with one wide, heavy swipe of her staff. In only a few moments, the rest were dispatched, leaving them with a moment of uneasy peace. "This was you, I'm guessing?" Amani gestured to the lights overhead, "Nice work."

"I relayed our objective to security, hopefully they passed it around. Should be coordinating a clear of the hospital as we speak."

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"Not me, Domxite."

Iris glanced over, offered a brief smile. Accompanied by the droid head popping over her shoulder to let out a happy trill. The Jedi lowered her blades after a moment, letting them deactivate in the next. Took a breath, just to relax. Rushing around like she did wasn't without it's exhaustion.

".. Do you think anywhere else was attacked? Hard to tell with raiders."

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani offered a soft smile and wave to the droid. Their's was a familiar name from past conversations, but this was the first time they were officially meeting, "Nice work, Domxite."

The lull in action gave the Jedi some breathing room. Since events spiraled into chaos, they had both been working in overdrive to quell the threat. Now, Amani just slumped against the wall, leaning on her knees, "Dunno, we'll have to see if anything else comes in now that the power is back up. We should probably try and link back up with security."

Begrudgingly, the mirialan stood back up with a groan, "I hope there's no lasting damage," Despite that hope, she couldn't help but presume there was. A hospital without power for even a few minutes posed all kinds of dangers for patients. Their apparent victory came with needless costs.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

A surge of emotion escaped the droid for Amani. Domxite's unspoken way of thanking people, on account that that was the main way a Rainbow Gem communicated. Iris, as always, seemed plenty used to it as she turned her gaze off. Searched through the colors around them. Danger had passed, at least through violence, but there were still people in trouble. Medical conditions and the like.

Though the staff seemed plenty capable of handling it. Maybe they really should bring some of the doctors here to the Halls of Healing to help clean up Coruscant's structure.

"Some deaths, but it looks like a lot more are going to survive. We'll have to talk with security to figure out how they slipped in."

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani pursed her lips before sighing in resignation, "...Yeah. I guess so," It was the best they could hope for. Given the circumstances, this was more or less the best case result. An unpleasant thought to accept, but without the Jedi here, it would have been far worse, "Let's go," She gestured, leading the way to find hospital security.

Along the way they saw several patient rooms, many of them returned to stable, but a couple that had suffered emergencies from the blackout. Doctors were quick to intervene, at least, and their success was all that could be hoped for. Near the lobby, the two of them finally bumped into one of the guards, "Jedi," He regarded them with a nod.

"Officer," The mirialan nodded back, "Is the hospital locked down?"

"Yes ma'am. We've cleared the entire building and found no traces of more attackers."

"Any idea how they got here in the first place?"

"Looks like they utilized some secret systems that had been put in place during the Maw's control over Teta. We didn't even know they existed until now, but we've since dealt with them. These ones, anyway."

Amani looked gravely at Iris, then back at the guard, "Can you all get the word out? We don't want the Maw having any more opportunities like this anywhere else." The guard gave a quick salute, and headed off for the security center. Hopefully this was the last of the Maw's tricks on Teta. With a bit of extra vigilance, further attacks would be much more difficult, at least. "Guess that's that, then," She turned to Iris once more, "You good?"

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

Was she good?

Iris glanced through the colors again, around them. She'd been quiet as Amani spoke to the guard. She was, after all, the leader. The Chief Healer. On the Council. Really, she just zoned out of the conversation to think. What couldn't she have done better? How could she have helped more? Where could she have gone to get there faster? Replaying the event again and again.

".. I'm fine. For now, anyway."

Amani Serys