Private The Last Hand

[Cato Harth]

Cato's pistol flew into his hand, and he unloaded a barrage of bolts on the surrounding Shi'ido. By the time it was all said and done, several laid slain on the ground, but the rest took their chance at escape as soon as it came. The Jedi was so caught up in the assault, so desperate to fight them off, that he didn't actually see Inanna get hit.

The find echo of blaster fire bounced off the now-empty walls of The Last Hand, and Cato leaned against one of the tables with a wobbly arm, having taken a few stray shots himself in the crossfire. Slowly, he turned around, to see, "Nooo…" He practically tripped onto his knees next to Inanna, "No no no no noooo…"

Cato held his hands over her, as if afraid to touch her and make something worse. He checked her pulse, "Come on, please," Healing classes were hard. He never paid much attention in them. Not that it stopped him from making a futile effort anyway. If he could go back in time and strangle his younger self into listening, he would have.

The Star. Cato searched for it frantically. The gem that already took part of their future from them. Now was the time to prove it was actually worth something in exchange. "Come on, you stupid- Why won't you work-?!" He was hyperventilating now, kowtowing in front of her body, "Don't do this. Please don't do this to me…"

Inanna Harth | Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Unlike Cato, Alicio was painfully aware of every time a bolt burnt into Inanna.

Flashing in wide arcs, Alicio tried to bat away as many blasts as he could, but it was only one weapon, against so many. He wasn't able to advance to stop the barrage, couldn't concentrate on anything but keeping them alive for one more second, couldn't do anything as he saw red streak after red streak scream past.

Each one was a failure. A mistake. A betrayal.

Finally, the Shi'ido escaped the establishment. Alicio watched them go, his future sight confirming they were safe for the moment. He turned around a second after Cato, watching as he began to panic over her body.

Was she still alive? He couldn't tell. Nor did it matter. He would try to save her, anyways.

Throwing his weapon to the side, Alicio outstretched his arms, commanding the Force to obey him. His concern, his care, his compassion, was strong enough to ripple along his arms, concentrating in his palms, the taste of seawater biting on the tongue.

He kneeled down, laying his hands atop her, and began to heal, pouring his life into the collapsed body of Inanna, hoping that it would be enough. That she wasn't too far gone.

- Inanna Harth - Cato Harth -

 

[Inanna Harth]

With her consciousness floating amid the sensory disconnect that came with bodily shock and system shutdown, Inanna had limited awareness of her surroundings. She was still connected to the Force, which allowed her to sense the familiar presences of Alicio and Cato through the haze. Funny. She always thought she’d die among strangers.

Then even her awareness of the two of them faded into white noise, and she could feel herself not exactly departing so much as melting back into the Force. She dreamed. There was Hal sitting in his favorite chair, Ophelia and Galahad on either side of him, their little heads bent toward a picture book splayed open on his lap. Inanna saw them as if through the fisheye lens of a door, her perspective warped and distorted, yet it felt exquisitely tangible, as if she could have reached out and touched them.

Something was pulling her back. She felt it dig hooks into her soul, reeling her in. The peaceful, welcoming scene of Hal and the children was replaced by a personalized hellscape peopled with tortured phantoms caught between life and death. They pawed at her, trying to pull her down with them, but she fought them off until she was out of their reach.

But oh, it hurt so bad, to live. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, craters blasted in her flesh, bones crumbling to ash. She recoiled just so that she wouldn’t have to feel that agony, and was rewarded with a new vision. The faces of the dead paraded past her. Her father, her brothers, their wives and children, people she had grown up with, known, befriended. More of her loved ones were dead than living now, that was true. So why did she care whether she survived?

Well, what was so bad about living? Would she be defying some cosmic entity, breaking the natural laws of the universe, if she dared to go on? Hal and the children may have been waiting for her, but she had Cato and Serena waiting for her too. And it wasn’t as if her job would be done once Free Lao-mon were dealt with.

There was a strange taste in her mouth, like seawater. But she wasn’t drowning…

Alicio. She could feel him pouring himself into her, draining his life to bring her back from the brink. Cato was trying to do the same, and with the help of the Star and sheer determination, he was actually succeeding. The excruciating pain of her injuries almost made her wish they weren’t succeeding, but at least that was merely temporary.

She tried to speak, but couldn’t force enough breath through shredded vocal cords. So she reached out with the Force, hoping they at least understood what she was conveying. They have to believe I’m dead. Even if you bring me back, they have to think that I died here. I’m their corpse…

Alicio Organa Cato Harth​

 

[Cato Harth]

Despite the best efforts of both Cato and Alicio, no clear sign of progress revealed itself to them. Each second seemed to drag on for an hour as Cato was now confronted with the idea of losing another. And this one stung harsher than all the rest combined, "Not her, too," He whimpered, cradling Inanna's body in his arms, "Please not her…" Tears ran down his cheeks in rivulets as he quietly sobbed, audible only by the shuddering of his breaths.

And then, that fading light in the Force pulsed again. Cato's breath froze altogether, as if the slightest disturbance would disprove what he sensed. He finally dared to pry his cheek away from hers, studying the face, and the spirit behind it. There was something still there. Something palpable. "I-Inanna…" Cato gasped, and glanced at Alicio, "Did— Do you feel that?" He immediately pouring what meager energy he could muster back into her, "Please. Please come back to me…" His forehead pressed against hers, while his eyes shut in concentration. Nothing else was on his mind.

Inanna Harth | Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio had grown in the Force, but he was by no means an experienced healer.

Trying to snatch Inanna back from the brink of death took all of his concentration, all of his energy. Eyes closed, he harnessed as much of the weight of the Force that he could carry, converting it into power, and feeding it down into Inanna. The effort sapped his strength, and made his head pulse feverishly. He almost gave up hope.

But then, he felt something.

A spark of life in the Shi'ido's cold body. Subtle, faint, fading, but there! Like a lifeguard, Alicio dove into the feeling, growling as he pulled harder to bring her back. It was his fault she was here, after all. It was him that had put them in that position, it was him that insisted they talk.

He had to make it right. He would make it right.

They have to believe I’m dead. Even if you bring me back, they have to think that I died here. I’m their corpse…

Connected to Inanna's very soul, Alicio tasted the words, as clear as day. Continuing to push as hard as he could, Alicio mumbled out a few words to Cato, who had redoubled his efforts to heal Inanna as well.

"W-we... have to pretend she's gone," he managed, swaying as he fought to keep conscious.

- Inanna Harth - Cato Harth -

 

[Cato Harth]

Cato quickly faced Alicio, his mouth slightly open as if he were about to protest. Instictual more than anything, as if acting like she were well and truly dead would make it so. But he backed down as sense gradually returned to him. She could come back, but if Free Lao-mon didn't believe her dead, then it would only restart the cycle, and threaten their family all over again. It took a little longer to register just how drained both he and Alicio were becoming, but then he reached out and laid a hand on the Count's shoulder, "H-hey… careful…" Part of him almost didn't want to say anything, knowing that it meant more healing for Inanna. But that would only risk harming Alicio in exchange.

He shoved those selfish thoughts aside, and spared Inanna another look, her face peaceful, in spite of everything going on, "We get her somewhere safe," Once they had poured everything they could into healing her, Cato mustered what meager strength remained to lift her up in his arms, and trudge towards the door, "Can you walk?" He sputtered, glancing at Alicio.

Inanna Harth said I skip | Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"H-hey… careful…"

"No."

Alicio disregarded the warning for a moment longer, letting the connection between himself and Inanna continue, before fatigue made him drop his hands to the floor. His arms were shaking, though from exertion, relief, or fear, he wasn't entirely sure.

The senator's bitterness towards the situation he'd led them into kept him lucid, as the Count managed to rise slowly to his feet. Grey eyes swam around the room for a moment, before they froze in determination. Cato managed to heft Inanna, and Alicio shot him a dark look. "I'll manage," he offered, collecting his hilt from where it lay discarded, keeping the weapon ready in his hand. "Let's go. Quickly."

Easier said than done. The Last Hand was spinning something fierce.

- Inanna Harth - Cato Harth -