Private Threads of Change

[Lief]

They'd been gone for a while now, mum, dad, and the twins, leaving their trio of older children to man the homestead. It wasn't uncommon for the adults to wander a little further afield than usual, even after so many years of existence on this backwater planet there was plenty that had remained undiscovered. For the most part the Sorrels stuck to their corner, but every once in a while they'd make a journey out to try and establish a signal. Maybe the dense woodland kept them from being heard in the great beyond (though Beric knew better than to assume such, given how vast communications could be throughout the greater Galaxy), maybe they'd stumble upon some previously unforeseen settlement of locals who could help them.​

​

Mostly though it felt good to stretch their legs, and better understand their surroundings. For Luthien this time was invaluable, with so many plants and creatures to observe it was as though she was back at her job, accompanying her father and uncle on their voyages through the stars. She could almost forget the reality of the situation, if only for a while.​

​

Back at home base - a simple a-frame structure built from wood, and surrounded by tilled fields and creature grazed pastures - Sebastian sat amidst a field of livestock which resembled yaks with sheep's wool. That these creatures held a blueish tint didn't seem to perplex him one bit, after all this life was all the boy had ever known and their beloved Poru's were nothing more than the norm. With his back to a large knotted tree, whose leaves draped down like long curtains trailing to the ground below, he watched the creatures graze on yellowed grass some five inches tall while his hands busied themselves with spinning yarn made from their very fleece.​

​

The drop spindle was a rather crude and simple device, comprising of a hook set into the top of a long dowel; a counterweight lay an inch or so beneath the hook itself, and as he worked it the device span evenly with a flick of his fingers, while drafted wool twirled itself into useable yarn. It was the kind of simple day that stretched on far longer than most others. They had just finished sowing a large field of grain, and numerous seeds had been set into trays ready to begin sprouting. Beyond typical chores, collecting eggs from fowl, turning on the simple irrigation system, and cleaning their home, there wasn't all that much for them to do. A rare moment of peace amidst the usual chaos of their existence. Hence why Sebastian had taken on the role of shepherd in the pasture.​

​

As for his older siblings, they were no doubt off doing some project or another of their own. Dad had been working on expanding their working zone into a new field for when the sprightly Roose birthed their young, the hoggish creatures could easily tear through a patch of woodland in nary a week if left to their own devices and this years brood seemed to be larger than the last. Rather than deal with haphazardly falling trees he'd begun felling a swathe of them himself, with the help of Ari who was always something of a go-getter. It wasn't a task she was supposed to do when he wasn't home, there were too many risky factors involved, but rarely did she let that stop her.​

​

As for Tobin, he was holed up in the stable tending to the native Equidae they'd managed to wrangle over the years. These three horned stallions, known to the Sorrels as the majestic Gantu, ran on six powerful legs which propelled them at near-dizzying speeds and ensured them an even canter which helped to prolong their endurance. That they were picky about what they actually ate, and had two stomachs ripe for filling, was a hinderance which left them domesticating only a handful for travel conveniences. In fact, three were missing from their stalls - left to pull the wagon his parents and siblings were presently riding within.​

​

And amidst all this naturalistic chaos was the one reminder of the Galaxy at large. 5CR-4P was not like any known droid in its construction, given that he was built entirely from starship scrap. There was no real uniformity to him, yet that seemed to add to his charm. 'Scrap', as he'd been loving dubbed, was presently acting as a long range radio (long in the sense that it could reach to the furthest point any of them had yet to explore on the world, yet decidedly short range when compared to its interstellar cousins). That neither of their parents had returned their recent transmissions was not out of the ordinary, he'd continue to relay their message regardless until they reached a spot that they could receive it. Mostly he moved around the homestead between the trio of teens, waiting for... Well, something.​

​

This was the kind of uneventful day Sebastian found himself in, a day like any other...​

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Lief

"Yes, I'm sure there's a planet out here," Aeshi said, throwing her hands into the bridge's air. "Mathematically, there has to be. There's no other explanation for the gravitic anomalies!"

An indignant and mocking cawing came back from her Imyni co-pilot. Aeshi crossed her arms and glared back.

"Obviously other people have noticed it," Aeshi retorted. "But knowing a system is affecting gravity is an entirely different problem than being able to find that system."

There was another burst of squawks. "That's what we're good at! It's what makes the difference."

At that moment, a light on the console dinged to life. Both of them turned to look at it, studying the flashing blue light as symbols ran across the screen.

A slow smile traced across Aeshi's face and she looked back with a smirk.

"Well, what do you know? Right where I thought it was supposed to be. Just took longer is all."

That was one of the problems when it came to using second-hand survey probes. They weren't always the most reliable.

She swung into her captain's chair and pulled up the readouts. "We've got an initial hyperspace navigation route. Not stable for long, but if we push our speed, it should be enough."

Always the gamble of hyperlane scouting. Even now, after thousands of years, the level of reality was still little known. Her fingers danced across the consoles as she set the navigation route and her co-pilot redirected power to the hyperdrive.

"All set?" Aeshi asked, strapping herself into her seat. She got a nod of affirmation and she slammed the hyperdrive throttle forward. The stars shifted, then blurred, then turned to the blue clouds of hyperspace tunnels.

She leaned back in the chair, eyes half-closed, but closely monitoring the sensors. More importantly, she was feeling for obstructions. She should get a warning if anything was about to happen just before the sensors went off.

One hand rested lightly on the hyperdrive cut-off, just in case.

Time passed slowly, without incident, and they dropped out of hyperspace.

A planet hovered lightly in the distance and she grinned, taking manual control of the vessel and guiding towards.

"Run full scans," Aeshi said. "See if we can pick up any signals."

 

[Lief]

It was the baying of the ashen Ridgeclaws that first alerted him to a change in that most modest of mornings. The silver spined hounds rarely prowled when the sun was up, opting instead to hide within the darkness of the deeper woods until the stars were bright in the sky and their preferred prey were seemingly more vulnerable. Sebastian had never heard so many howls during the waking hours, more often than not it was something only heard when he was up far beyond his bedtime.​

​

A shiver ran down his spine, urging goosebumps into existence upon his skin which was fast becoming clammy. The Poru noticed it also, their two sets of ears shifted this way and that. Those which were eating stopped mid graze, while most all of them began to stomp their frontmost hooves into the grass, kicking up tufts of soil.​

​

Sebastian slipped the spindle into its clasp upon his belt, and tore the excess wool from the trailing tail. Swallowing back his nerves, he forced himself up to his feet and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. Then he reached for the crook which was leant against the weeping tree and made a brisk, sharp whistling sound. The herd of Poru turned their heads toward him, though their skittish nature made it nigh on impossible to hold their attention.​

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The baying drew closer.​

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"To the barn!" the boy ordered, followed by another whistle. He waved the crook, and hopelessly tried to corral the creatures into some sort of line to lead back toward the homestead where they'd be safer. As he ran toward the pasture's gate and began to force it open, the wind shifted and brought with it the all too familiar scent of an active fire. Sebastian wrinkled his nose; it was a nice day, a warm day, there was no need for a fire. When he turned his head toward the bracing wind he finally noticed the blackened trail of smoke rising from the dense woodlands beyond their borders.​

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He didn't exactly have the luxury of time to figure out what was happening, because the blaze which erupted soon after was quick and volatile and left his eyes wide and stinging. "Come on" he yelled, physically forcing some of the Poru out of the pasture at this point and back toward the barn, "SCRAP!" Where was the droid when he needed him? "SCRAP!"​

​

"Forgive me" he breathed somberly to the Poru as he dropped the crook and broke into a sprint back toward his home. He had to get back before the fire swept through their land, he had to warn his brother and sister. With the gate open, at least some of the Poru might have the sense of mind to flee toward the highland, where the woodland sputtered out into bog-laden flats.​

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Horrified by how quickly the fire was spreading, by the time that Sebastian reached their a-frame he could see embers drifting toward the ground and feel the heat at his back. "ARI! TOBIN!" Over and over he yelled for them, moving through the house as quick as his feet could take him. Neither brother nor sister could be found, and he could only hope that they'd found their way to the flats also. It was their evac plan, after all, in the event of some natural disaster or the like. Get to the high ground... Stay safe.​

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He ran outside once more, gaze shifting toward the pasture he'd lazily spent the morning in, only to find the spread of glowering orange engulfing it. He caught sight of many of the blue-woolen Poru scattering this way and that, and his stomach dropped. So many ran back toward the source... By this point he was sniffling to keep back the worst of the tears which streamed down his cheeks. His eyes stung with frustration as well as the bite of the smokey breeze, and for a moment he just stood and stared around their once fruitful and fertile home.​

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Closer and closer the fire crept, but Sebastian was locked in place unable to make a move. His whole world was crashing down around him, and it left him in a petrified, immobile state.​

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Luckily for him, he wasn't entirely alone. With a few choice beeps 5CR-4P moved toward him and used one of his mechanized hands to grab Sebastian by the arm. He was more or less dragged a few feet before sense kicked back in and soon enough he was moving alongside the droid at a hurried pace. Had he found the others and moved them away to safety too? What of the Gantu and the Roose and the multitude of other creatures they kept?​

​

These were the thoughts which raced through his mind moments before it all went black. In their haste to flee, Sebastian's breathing had become laboured and uncomfortable. That he tripped on the root of a weeping tree did little to help the situation. He tumbled down to the ground, and all of the madness faded away.​

​

Aeshi Tillian​

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

"What do you mean, picking up ghost signals?" Aeshi asked, spinning her chair around to look over at her co-pilot. There was a flurry of squawks and caws, with intense gesticulations of wings. "Located near a source of fire?"

Aeshi felt a cold sense of worry clamp down around her innards and she nudged the throttle forward. "Life signs?"

Just a curt shake of his head, accompanied by some somber low-pitched whistles. "Too much interference, right." Aeshi let out a soft hiss that escaped over the edge of her teeth. "Run a comm trace. Relay the ghost signals to my nav console."

There was a quick nod and her co-pilot's wingtips flew across the console. Aeshi watched the display screen from the corner of her eye as she plunged the throttle all the way forward. The acceleration slammed her against her seat before the inertial dampeners kicked into action and she leaned forward.

Lights flared across the display scene and she moved the controls to line up an approach vector. "We're going in fast and hard."

Thought of claiming the world as her own and selling it was lost. Granted, if the inhabitants all perished in the fire, then she could theoretically claim the world. But fire on an isolated, undeveloped world pushed that thought away.

Her competitors might have taken advantage of it, but not her. It was part of her code of the frontier, of the Outer Rim. The spacer's code. Not just a Warden's Code, but a spacer's.

Not that everyone recognized it or even followed it. "Any signs of life?"

Still nothing. She just gave a curt nod and tightened her grip on the controls as the ship began to shudder under the atmospheric friction. Heat flared across the shields of the hull and she spared a moment to throw a glance at the gauges.

Shields were holding and she nudged the nose down into a steeper dive, cutting across the interior of the original land arc she had planned.

"Broadcast our ID," Aeshi said after a moment. "Let them know S&R if need be."

She could see the spreading wildfire now, a towering pillar of smoke and debris hurtling into the atmosphere and slowly spreading ash as it hit the thinner air.

"Recalibrating sensors," Aeshi said automatically, adjusting a knob, watching the sensor data readouts adjust. "We're picking up life signs now. Nothing identifiable. How's the comm trace working?"

Non-commital response. "Mark the last detected transmission then." Another signal flared up on the display and she wrestled the freighter onto a fast approach vector.

"This is Captain Tillian of the Requiem," Aeshi said onto a public channel. "I am reading wildfires near last known transmission locations. Is anyone out there?"

 

[Lief]

For the longest time silence spread forth from the wildfire strewn world below. It lingered uncomfortably, working to quench all fires of hope which might remain, even as the flames continued to tear through the woodland.​

​

Silence... And then a blip. It was less of a verbal response and more of a pinging signal, centered on a clearing not too far from the inferno. Various fauna ran scattered throughout the landscape, trying to outrun the smoke and the burning fire. Any sign of the settlement which had once laid there was impossible to make out, the wooden structures having quickly gone up in flames.​

​

The ping was a little further from the once-structures, moving but at a somewhat sluggish pace. Then a small reem of droidspeak entangled itself with the brief transmission. It consisted of its present coordinates, and one single word which was repeated.​

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<Family>​

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On the ground, 5CR-4P carefully dragged the boy further into the relative safety of the clearing, far from the scorched a-frame and fields it held little more than dirt having been torn up by the Roose the season prior. While dirt wouldn't burn, the heat of the inferno and the blackened smoke it was putting out still promised countless problems but in that moment it was the best option the droid had.​

​

It wasn't just the organic lifeform which was struggling, however. Made from random pieces of junk, not all of 5CR-4P's parts had been made to withstand such heat and he found himself ever so slightly grinding to a slower state. So he pinged out their location again to the signal he'd picked up on. With any luck the region wasn't too engulfed in fire to make a quick evac, but what did 5CR-4P know?​

​

Aeshi Tillian​

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Lief

Smoke swirled against the viewports as Aeshi pushed herself up out of the chair to try and see better. "Fething smoke," she grunted. "Hate wildfires."

An alert sounded on her comm channel and her eyes snapped to the side, scrolling across the data. Coordinates. One word-Family in droid-based binary. The hairs on her neck stood up at the simple message. It was right in the middle of the wildfire.

"Blast," she hissed, yanking the controls around and away from the current course to head to the coordinates. "Redirect energy from weapons to thrusters and environmental shields." The words came automatically, even as she reset the course and put the ship into a quick dive.

Hot winds and thermals whipped by the flames rocked the ship. She bounced against the safety straps but kept her grip on the ship controls until the ping was close. She cut the engines, flaring the ventral shields, and plummeted straight down for several heartbeats.

Her stomach rose into her mouth, before she redirected the engines to the repulsors.

"Get the S&R kits," Aeshi said, eyes daring back and forth between the viewports and the sensors. There was a clearing ahead, and she was picking up faint signals.

The ship lurched forward, bouncing back and forth between the updrafts, before dropping down towards the ground. She punched the landing controls and the landing gear emerged from the ship's hull as she brought it down heavily into the ground.

Her co-pilot tossed a breath mask and an environmental suit which she flung herself into, tightening them down as the boarding ramp dropped down with a hiss. Computer alarms flared at the atmospheric conditions, but she ignored them, pushing through the smoke.

The air was hot and even through the filters sucked the moisture from her mouth. She checked the coordinates again, shot a quick azimuth and plunged into the smoke. One held a medpac and the other a powerful lamp whose light cut somewhat through the gloom.

"Hello?" Aeshi called. "I got your message! Who's there?" She squinted, and could just make out some movement ahead of her. Her pace picked up as she ran forward to meet it.

 

[Lief]

5CR-4P wasn't in an ideal condition. The casing around his wires had begun to melt, and his brain was fast becoming fried. If not for the boy grasped in his hand he might have forgotten his purpose entirely, but the weight of Sebastian was a constant reminder... Even if that reminder wasn't enough to pull forth his name, or any thought of the others.​

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He was dragging the boy from the fire, that was really all he needed to know.​

​

With heavier clunks he made his way forward, each step shorter than the last; even when a light shone through the thick haze of smoke he trudged, until a voice accompanied it.​

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<You are Captain Tillian of the Requiem?> the droid inquired, the message sent from above having continued to relay through his remaining processors. In fact he went so far as to have that message relayed back in full to her.​

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<This is Captain Tillian of the Requiem, I am reading wildfires near last known transmission locations. Is anyone out there?>​

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Once done he didn't even wait for an answer, instead he lifted his partially melted arm and held aloft the limp boy by his arm. <He cannot breathe here.>​

​

When the droid tried to lower his arm, to avoid pulling the boys arm from its socket, he found himself rather incapable of doing so. More and more the overheated surroundings wormed into him, and any further questions asked would be met with less coherent reams of droidspeak.​

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Aeshi Tillian​

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Lief

"Yeah, that's me," Aeshi said, her voice muffled and distorted by the breath mask, as she jogged forward with the light, her eyes taking in the scene. "Stick with me, both of you," she said, pressing a button that sent a ping to the ship's computer. Her co-pilot would be able to come directly to them with the ship. One finger pressed a comlink button on the collar of her jacket. "Get the bacta ready."

Not that it would necessarily be enough for extreme smoke inhalation. That would be more than what she typically carried kit for unless she expected extremely hostile situations. Usually including excessive amounts of blaster fire and explosions.

Aeshi yanked a breath-mask from the medical kit and skidded to a stop near the struggling droid, placing it over the boy's mouth.

"You're doing good," Aeshi said, talking to both the boy and the droid before shrugging her jacket out from beneath the e-suit. It was high-quality Outer Rim gear, designed to protect against blaster fire and extreme environments. She tossed it over the droid's head and torso to try and salvage what might have remained.

The temperatures hit her like a sledgehammer, but that was fine. She pushed that to the back of her mind, helping to lift the boy from the droid.

The weight sagged into her arms and she grunted as the weight shifted from the cybernetic forearms into the organic bone structures.

A familiar roar cut through the smoke, assisted by a blinding spotlight that cut through the smoke and haze. She squinted and waved her hands. Wind whipped around her and she felt the edges of her hair starting to singe.

Not the worst she would have ever looked, either, although her skin was drying rapidly. She sucked at the filtered air and staggered towards the boarding ramp, trying to drag the droid along behind her, to at least keep the servos moving enough to get somewhere safer.

 

[Lief]

A confirmation was made, and 5CR-4P took a second to assess the situation. He used his free hand to tug at the faulty one grasping at the boy, and lowered him to a less straining position. The lad was, at this point, little more than dead weight, though there was life enough in him to keep the droid engaged in the act of dragging him along after the woman with the light.​

​

Trudge, trudge, then a brief halt. A mask was placed over the boys mouth, and 5CR-4P found his melting arms relieved of the burden of the his body. More than that, one of the organics layers had been removed and draped over him; it definitely worked to stave off the heat currently crippling his droid-brain.​

​

In her arms the boy somewhat responded to the filtered air, the raspy, ragged intakes of breath coming ever so slightly easier than before, but he didn't rouse.​

​

5CR-4P continued to follow even after his perceived primary directive had been fulfilled. A ship drifted down, barely visible amidst all of the smoke yet sporting lights brighter than the woman had brought with her, and he clunked toward the lowered boarding ramp just a few rigid steps behind her.​

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<You have saved us> the droid stated once aboard, though some of the words seemed to skip and stutter. <Thank you, Captain Tillian of the Requiem> The bright photoreceptors which acted as 5CR-4P's eyes flickered, powering down briefly. At this point the arm which had been used to drag Sebastian had seized entirely.​

​

When the droids receptors began to glow with life once more, he seemed to take momentary stock of his surroundings. If droids could seem startled, certainly he would have.​

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Aeshi Tillian​

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Lief

Things were moving fast. Faster than she liked to be in charge of, at least in lifesaving situations. The galaxy already moved faster than she generally liked. But the breath mask seemed to be making a bit of a difference.

The kid was at least breathing. And with her co-pilot's help, she'd managed to drag both him and the droid far enough on the ramp that she could slam the button the boarding ramp.

Steam hissed into the smoke that billowed its way up into the main cargo area.

"Emergency air filters!" Aeshi called, letting the droid rest on the ramp as she staggered to the bulkhead, trying to keep the kid from slamming into the durasteel deck. One hand yanked a handle down and a hiss of air was getting vacuumed out of the cargo bay.

The smoke cleared and the unsettling feeling of a rapid pressure drop wreaked havoc on her eardrums, but after a few moments, the air flooded back in, clean and fresh.

It was thin and she watched the readout on the bulkhead until the gauge read that it was breathable before ripping of her face mask. Her co-pilot gestured he would get the droid and Aeshi nodded. She hefted the kid in her arms, letting the cybernetics carry the brunt of the weight, before hurrying up into the ship's living quarters. She could hear her co-pilot maneuvering the droid towards the workshop.

A switch flip powered up the medical computer as she laid the kid down and hooked the mask to the machine. In the small room behind her, tools lined the wall and a generator hummed in a corner.

Aeshi watched the computer readouts, frowning. "Any more life signs?"

There was a negative from the sensors and she bit her lip, considering. This kid hadn't been alone on a world. At least, she hoped not. And extensive burns required more than she had available as medical supplies.

They needed somewhere safe, with advanced medical supplies. Preferably not fascist either. She'd gotten stuck growing up alone on a world under fascist occupation and there was no way she would do that to the kid.

That didn't leave a lot of options. She'd have to ho all the way to the Concord, most likely. Push the hyperdrive close to burning up to arrive before her supplies ran out.

There was an excite squawk from behind her as her co-pilot was able to get the droid up and running again.

"Welcome aboard," Aeshi called, before looking back to the kid, before letting out a breath and sinking down to her knees, eyes closed.

In theory, Force enhancement of the body could be similar to healing. It wasn't really though, but it could make the body more able to endure. This kind of healing would take someone like Tiland to restore the damaged tissue.

Still, she let the Force flow through her, wincing at the uncomfortable sensation, resting her elbow against the boy and letting the Force transfer through her into the kid.

 

[Lief]

5CR-4P powered down then back up several times once he'd been led to the workshop. Fourth time seemed to be the charm in getting him to stay on. One arm remained stiff and immobile, the other whined as the servos strained to lift it. The droid splayed its mechanical hand out, tested each of the finger joints, and then turned his head toward the squawking of the co-pilot.​

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<Hello> the droid greeted, still solely through droidspeak. <I am 5CR-4P.>​

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His head turned to assess the workshop, all the way left, then all the way right, before settling back on the co-pilot.​

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<Where is Seb-Seb-Se----> His voice module stuttered several more times, before 5CR-4P froze. Another moment passed, then his head lifted just a touch. <Where is the boy?>​

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Meanwhile, the boy's body seemed oddly receptive to the attempts made by Aeshi. Not miraculous, not even healing, but certainly alluding to the fact that her efforts might actually help him hold out. The boy was pretty severely burned, any items he'd previously had were missing, and his clothes were sooty and singed. He'd left the homestead destroying wildfire with nothing but the droid and the pitiful excuse of coverings.​

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But more than that, he'd left with his life.​

​

The boy twitched beneath her, and moans of pain were muffled beneath the breathing mask. He wasn't lucid though, his eyes opened slightly but they were glassy and blank. With a strained murmur he slipped back into an unconscious state, just as quickly as he'd awoken.​

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Aeshi Tillian​

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Lief

The co-pilot looked back and forth between the speaking droid and the medbay across the corridor, pointing with one wing-tip and squawking out a quick explanation.

He's across the hallway in the medbay with the captain.

Neither Aeshi nor her co-pilot were sure if the droid could understand Imyni, but it was the best they could do now. There was a shuffle of movement and pain from the boy and Aeshi let out a quick breath of relief, waving over to 5CR-4P.

"He's alive, but not in good shape," Aeshi said, stepping to the doorway of the medbay. "We'll need more advanced medical facilities than are available..." She trailed off, calculating the distances. "Within more lightyears than I can care to count."

She gestured to her co-pilot. "That's Xyeal. He's the first mate, co-pilot, first officer." She moved between the two of them, her lips pursed in consideration. "I need you two to man the medical console and assist the med computers."

Not exactly her two biggest picks. A ramshackle droid with intense heat damage and an avian. But for now, that was all she had.

"I'm going to go for Silver Rest on Kashyyk," Aeshi said after a moment. That made the most sense. "They'll have both the medical centers and the Jedi healers for anything more complex. Problem is... we're a long away from there. I'll be cutting corners and blazing new hyper routes."

Her mind reran the numbers. "I'm aiming for a sub-twenty hour travel time." She rapped a knuckle against the doorway. "If anything pops up, the ship's comm system can reach me in the cockpit."

She gave a nod and strode up the corridor, pulling herself up the ladder into the bridge, where she threw herself into the seat. They still hovered, and temperature gauges were higher than the safety standards preferred.

Aeshi grabbed the controls and put the bow straight up, pushing the throttle as far as atmospheric conditions allowed. The viewport lit up from the friction as they blazed through the molecules, although it faded slowly as atmo density decreased.

After a few moments, she felt the gravity switch and activated the autopilot. One finger pressed down the intercom button.

"Brace yourselves. We're going to be having a bunch of rough jumps."