The Adventures of a Healer and a Viking: Pirates, Part II

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

"Oh, no. I didn't say that. I know they can...," voice cut off as she was pulled in the direction he saw the path. With a twist of her arm and a quick forward sidestep she put herself in front of the hulk. If he didn't stop fast enough, he'd barrel into her.

"Wait," she held up her hands.

"If you're not up for this, I can do this." Head glanced further up the steep climb. "You can see me the whole way. If I get I trouble,e, you can always catch me," she cracked a small at the semi-joke.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

"I'll be fine." He told her.

"The path is easier than a climb." It really was. "Just have to take it slow."

She was right in a way. He would be able to see her all the way up, but...well in truth he didn't want to get left behind. Val had never really done well when it came to just sitting around, and if he stayed back that's exactly what he would be doing. Waiting, patience in general simply wasn't something that he was built for. He shifted slightly and looked down at Taheera, offering her a slight smile as a way to reassure her that he really would be okay.

"Come on." He motioned for her to go first.

Just had to go slow. "I can still catch you if you fall."

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

"As long as you're sure," she stared up at him a beat longer. She was picking up on any emotions of deceit thigh the force. "Okay," she sighed. "Nice and slow." Spinning, she began climbing up. It was steep. A few portions of the trail, she had to scramble nearly on her hands and feet, fingertips pushing off the trail as she bent slightly at the waist.

Her steps were dark shorter than Val's but she was a bit faster, so it worked out. The sea breeze ruffled her hair that wasn't sticking to her skin in perspiration. The trees one other side cleared as they went higher. Pretty soon, they had an almost 360 degrees vista of the island.

Chest heaving, she paused near the top and parked herself on a half rotting tree stump.

"See. You didn't have to catch me yet." She grinned and began digging into her pack for the comms relay.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

Val peered up towards the top of the cliffs.

They still had a small way to go, not too far, but he could already feel the burn in his legs. He frowned for a few moments, then looked towards Taheera. He offered a smile, though it was a clear that he wasn't at all enjoying this experience. Climbing was difficult for him on the best of days, his bulk meant that he had more to lift than the average person, and today...well he was already tired. At least they weren't climbing a sheer rockface though.

"Not yet." Val told her with a smile.

"There's still a ways to go." He pointed. "Not to mention when we're standing up there. Rocks can be pretty slippery."

Val grinned. "Should've brought some rope to tie you to me with."

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

She laughed. "I'm sure you would've liked that." Chin tipped up. Green-fingers flipped the switch to the comm device. There was signal but it was spotty. "Thought I'd at least try." The put the device back in the pack and offered some water and one of their few remaining ration packs to Val.

Pack went back on.

Legs pumped and she was thankful she wound up in a body that was in fairly good shape as opposed to something else. Reaching for a twig as an extra handhold, it snapped. Loose rocks at her feet gave way and she began sliding down.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

His hand shot out almost immediately.

At this point Val could have honestly trademarked having a swift reaction time.

His fingers latched around Taheera's wrist almost immediately, hand folding around her arm as he pulled her up and toward shim to prevent the earth slopping away from beneath her feet. His expression remained calm,, though inwardly he couldn't help but feel a slight slip of panic striking through him. If she died now...well it would have really been a terrible story.

"Hang on." He told her as he dragged her back up.

"Always falling down." Val said as he tugged her against his chest. "What am I supposed to do with you."

The joke was punctuated by a strong gust of wind.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

She gasped as she was lifted safely back up. Arms wrapped around his massive neck and shoulders. Her smaller form was almost lost against his bulk. "I just wanted to make sure you had a chance to play the white knight," she whispered against his ear, averting her eyes from the drop behind them.

Breath finally steadied.

"Okay. I think we're high enough if this is going to work. You ready to let go of me now?" She smiled against him.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

"That depends." Val said.

They really were quite high up. Val wasn't anywhere near afraid of heights, but it surprised him how far they had climbed. Slowly the Viking looked around, his arms still wrapped tightly around Taheera.

As he had thought from the beginning they really were on an island, one that consisted mostly of a thick jungle. Around them was...well nothing. Ocean expanded in every direction he could see, though in the distance he could swear there was something...he frowned for a moment and squinted. After a second he recognized the objected, much to his disappointment, another island. Perhaps they were in an archipelago, or a simple island chain.

"Are you going to fall again?" He asked. "Because if so it might be easier just to hang on to you."

Val offered a smile.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Her body shook against him as she gave a chuckle. "I'm not making any promises I can't keep. Too many loose rocks up here." Myrtle-ellipses looked out behind them and past that manbun of his. They really were in the middle of nowhere.

She didn't see any glint of towers or technology. That didn't mean there weren't any underwater cities. Still, they were lucky to have washed up on land at all. And one with fresh water. Even if that meant a tusk cat or two.

"But you're gonna have to put me down so I can get to the comm that you're squishing into my back in that pack of mine." He wouldn't see the widening grin on her dark lips.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

Finally Val let go.

"Fine fine, make your call." A part of him doubted that she would reach anyone at all, especially considering...well their surroundings. His arms gently unlaced from around her, fingers moving to his side as he turned around.

He made sure that his feet fell on solid ground, if only so he didn't embarrass himself by taking a tumble.

"Do you really think you'll reach someone?" He asked, still doubftul. "It looks like...well we're in the middle of nowhere."

Even if they got the signal out, there was only so much range a hand-held unit had.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Feet touched back on solid ground. Taking a step back so she could give herself enough space so as not to bump against him, she dug out the unit. "Not sure." She knelt down, one knee pressing into the rocks. "But I'm going to set up an S.O.S loop, so even if someone doesn't answer now, they'll know we're here and," she looked up at him and smiled.

"We won't have to climb this again."

Bringing the unit to her lips, she recorded a simple message for help. Then her fingers switched on some nobs, she secured it between two sturdy rocks. It would take a hurricane to blow down. Hopefully they wouldn't be having another one so soon.

The skies looked clear.

"Might as well wait awhile and see if we get a response." Arms circled around her knees as she sat down, wind ruffling through strands of chestnut hair.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

Val smiled, slowly sitting himself down next to Taheera.

"I don't think they'll be another storm." The sky was slowly beginning to clear up completely, even on the horizon the dark clouds had faded into something a bit more light and cheery. That was at least an upside to all of this.

He let out a sigh.

"You've never told me." Val said quietly. "Where are you from?"

Not that it mattered much, but he was curious.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Ohhh. And there it was. The complicated question that should be simple. "I," she began, then paused. There was a crackle on the comm, she quickly picked it up but there was nothing else.

She played with th device in her hands.

"It's complicated. I'm not really from anywhere." She and Val had been through enough. She could trust him, right? Could she hope for as good a reaction as she got from Jaxton? "I was made."

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

"I see." There was not even a hint of judgement in his tone, just curiosity.

He of course understood was she was implying.

The galaxy was filled with all sorts of technology. Genetic splicing, cloning, half a dozen other things that Val had neither encountered nor had any real hope of understanding. He was a simple man, but...well he understood the point of what she was trying to get across. He was by no means an idiot, and he could tell form her expression, the way that she tentatively moved forward with what she wanted to say that it made her uncomfortable.

"And you think that's a bad thing?" He asked quietly.

Val of course didn't see it that way.

Not one bit.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

"Well," eyes panned away from the comm and found his eyes. "Some people thinkso." She'd been called many things. She'd been treated less than anyone ever should. She'd been mis-trusted, all because of a label. Who she was. Or, more of who or what she wasn't.

Being called soulless was the worst, though.

Not everyone was like that. Jaxton cared for her. Made her believe she was worth something. Oddly, so had Ordo and Adekos. One dark lord and one sith.

Still, she had enough bad experiences to keep her identity a secret, at least for those who didn't recognize she was a clone right away. Apparently, her predecessor had been pretty well known among the Jedi and some sith.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

Val shrugged. "Some people are idiots."

True enough. For Val someones origin hardly mattered, only what they did with their life and the time they had. It was a simple philosophy, and one that applied quite well to Taheera. She was a healer, she helped people, and more than once she had aided in saving his own life. That in it of itself made her something more than a simple manufactured being, it made her a person. Val didn't see any difference in it really, to him it was just...well another oddity in the galaxy.

"It's not bad to be different." That was what his parents had always said. "The galaxy has all sorts."

There were stranger things than clones and genetic marvels in this universe.

He was a testament to that very fact.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

"It doesn't make it hurt any less," eyes shifted to stare at the horizon. "But I know. I'll..." She paused as the comm crackled again. Then, a clear voice rang on the other end.

"Echo bravo. We've gotten your distress signal and are headed to your coordinates now, over."

Face lit up and she smiled at Val as she pulled the comm up to her lips. "We read you loud and clear and are ready for pick up. Two survivors from crash, here. Over."

After working out a few more details with the locals, she and Val headed down the climb and back to camp to grab anything they might need from the pod. There was a spec of a ship already approaching on the horizon.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

A part of him rather worried about who these locals were.

Val was, by nature, somewhat trusting of strangers, but they had ignored one very large fact since the beginning of this adventure, or rather they had yet to encounter it. Though they were trapped on this island, they weren't the only ones that had survived the crash. There was no doubt in his mind that some of the pirates had made it off that ship, not just in escape pods, but shuttles too. The Star Destroyer had been fully armed and operational, that included shuttles and TIE's.

The equipment was ancient, but...well it had still worked obviously.

"Let's be careful." He told her as the shuttle approached on the horizon, his fingers lacing around one of the packs that they had prepared. Most of the stuff was simple gear and equipment, just things they had scavenged from the pods.

"We still haven't seen anyone else from the ship." He reminded her. "It's a bit convenient that we were found so quickly."

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

"Maybe," she said quietly. "Or maybe you're just being paranoid." Lips curled into a thin smile as the ship landed on the beach. Looked standard enough. Standard shuttle. Plus, why would the Pirates be after them? They'd be running, licking their wounds, and retreating.

She and Val...well, Val, really, had killed everyone on that bridge. Who would know to even search for them? For Val?

With a swoosh of hot air and sand, the ramp lowered.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

”It’s kept me alive this long.” He told her quietly as the ramp slowly began to lower onto the ground.

Partially that was true, though not entirely. He was usually a fairly trusting person, but...well Taheera had already been killed once and he didn’t very much like the thought of letting it happen again. At least the model of the shuttle wasn’t anything Imperial, rather it seemed to be a vessel that was created during the old Republic era.

”Good Day!”

The man who stood on the ramp shouted, waving towards them.

”Little lost, are ya?”

The rather portly fellow seemed to be cheery enough, wearing a simple garb of brick red topped by suspenders. Val stepped slightly ahead of Taheera, a smile painted on his face. ”More like stranded I’m afraid.”