Ezekiel
Not a Sayan
Moon Child
SkyeOfStars
Mjolnir
mickilennial
Rockette~| Day 2, 12:43-13:00 GST |~
~|Aboard the Kaggath, Prisoner cells|~
~|Aboard the Kaggath, Prisoner cells|~
After a few minutes of just carefully observing her surroundings Kara came to the conclusion that, all things considered, this wasn't the worst prison complex she had ever been in. At least it seemed like in hear they had some room to maneuver and could atleast talk to each other, instead of being packed together into relatively tiny cells. This looked like it had some luxury, and thus it was a cause for concern. Why would the Sith go out of their way to make their prisoners feel comfortable? For an ulterior motive of course, but what was that motive? Again, she had so many questions. If only she was able to find someone who could answer them.
But at the moment she did not really feel like looking for an answer. She was way too exhausted for that. Traveling a ton of parsecs while being basically chained in a cramped shuttle tends to deprive you of your sleep a bit, especially when your handler has an itchy shockcollar finger. At the moment Kara felt like just resting for a bit. It took her only a few seconds to find the room called the “bunk area” and she couldn't help but chuckle at the memories which she associated with bunkbeds. Fond memories of course.
As she walked into the bunk area Kara noticed that it was rather empty. At first glance it even seemed completely empty. This disappointed her somewhat. Although she wasn't really a person who tended to talk a lot, being all by yourself is just kind of depressing. Then she spotted someone laying on one of the bottom beds. From the looks of it he didn't seem like a big fellow and seemed rather young, not that she was really old either. From her estimations he could even be a Padawan, but she would reserve that judgement for later.
Kara thought for a moment about if she should walk up to him and ask if the bunk above him was claimed. It would probably seem like a silly question, considering there’s a bunch of tidy, empty bunks in this room. But she just felt like being near someone familiar, a Jedi, might help her get rested a bit. Finally deciding that yeah, she should just walk up to him.
As she approached the boy it was clear to her that he was lost in thought and from the expression on his face it seemed like he wasn't thinking of any happy memories. As she came closer she also realised that he was holding his side. Maybe he got injured earlier today and that’s what’s bothering him? Kara thought that it would be better to not startle the boy, as he might be a bit on edge if that were the case. So when she finally spoke up, she tried to in a gentle fashion, which was surprisingly hard for her, subtlety and gentleness weren't really her thing.
“Hey,” she said, trying to put on a reassuring smile “I euhm wondered if this top bunk was taken.”
Xid’s mind was in deep thought and at Kara’s words, he was ripped back into the present. His head turned to to take in the new prisoner as he tried to place her, realizing slowly she wasn’t with them originally during the raid on the Temple. He couldn’t help feeling his skin go a few shades whiter following the realization. Leaning upright, his arm cradled his side while gritted through through the pain. He hated his low tolerance when it came to pain and it was a reminder of his weakness, one that could be used against him later on. Xid pulled against the bunk’s frame then spoke. The tone was gentle and friendly, likely not the ideal Jedi stereo type but enough to show he wouldn’t last long as a Sith.
“Hey. No, no one has claimed bunks really. Not sure it would matter though if you want the top, you’re welcome to it.” He inhaled softly then added. “I take it you weren’t caught during the sacking on the temple, were you?”
He knew he likely looked dumb but he wanted to get his facts straight instead of assume he was correct. It was something he learned from Tolun Fi after all. At the thought, his heart hurt at the thought he had already disappointed the older Knight today and he pushed the thought away from his mind.
As the boy tried to sit upright Kara could see that he was in pain.She couldn't really see any surface damage, though those could obviously be hidden by his clothing. Kara wondered if the Sith would distribute kolto to their prisoners onboard. To be honest she kind of felt bad for the boy, she thought he was too young to be exposed to something like that. That being said, her master would have probably thought the same way about her. The boy answered her question and Kara was relieved to find out that the top bunk was infact unoccupied and it didn't seem like the boy was against her using it. Good, now she didn't look like a fool.
But then something struck her. Did he just say sacking on the temple? He didn't mean the temple on Coruscant, did he? She recalled her wardens talking about a great victory for the Sith, but thought it was just propaganda or at worst on Alderaan… But Coruscant? The heart of the Republic? No, that can't be, right? Her face became pale as she asked the following question. “Sacking of the temple?” She asked, her voice soft and filled with concern. “What sacking?”
Immediately he regretted his lacking finesse in the delivery when he realized she wasn’t aware of the tragic end at the temple. Xid hadn’t chosen his words correctly and now he might’ve upset the new prisoner more than was needed. He flipped his legs over the edge then pushed himself upright, his hand reached out to balance himself on the way up. It didn’t stop the vertigo filling his head on the fast raise causing him to pause. Sickness filled his stomach and threatened to come up, spilling what he hadn’t eaten yet. “Had I know known, I wouldn’t chosen my words more carefully. The Temple on Coruscant was attacked by Sith. It’s where many of us, including myself, were caught. I’m… sorry to be the one to tell you such news.”
His feet shuffled uncomfortable while he looked away, unsure what he should do. Most would argue he should leave her alone to collect her thought but he couldn’t bare to. Through he truly believed the moment he did move, he might actually collapse which would cause more issues. Instead, he waited for either words for him to leave her alone or question to rise.
The boy’s words hit Kara like a bomb, as if she was violently hit in the face. She felt her legs getting weak and had to lean against the top bunk to not fall over. She held her face in her spare hand as she was trying to fight off the tears. She wanted to scream with all she had. This was impossible… The Temple sacked?! How could this have happened? How could the Republic allow an attack on their capital? These, and thousands of other questions filled Kara’s head. She wanted to ask all of them to this boy but realised that he probably knew just as much as she did.
After standing there in silence for a few seconds her sadness was replaced with anger. She tried to repress it but, with this much of destruction there was no way that she was able to restrain herself. She should have been there! She could have made a difference! Seeking a way to vent her frustration, Kara started to rapidly punch the top bunk bed.
For a moment, Xid thought she was going to collapse as his own pain was forgotten. His hand reached to help her remain upright only to notice she was already on it. Her arm whipped out to catch herself and managed to snag the bunker post before her legs gave completely out, his worried face increased visually. At the moment she started to slam her fist into the solid post, he flinched. Xid recalled doing that back on Belsavis back in his quarters several times within the last months on the planet, the prison complex feeling much like a prison it was suppose to be back then. Especially after Ithor’s attempts to manipulate him.
He waited a second before reacting. While he knew she would calm down at some point, the damage caused would only make things worse and it only helped the pain for a time. In addition the camera were watching and if the Sith saw…
Without thinking about the possibility of her turning her fists on him, he quickly tried to intercept her last punch by wrapping his good arm about her waist and tried to pull her away. His words whispered quietly enough for her to hear him. “Stop, please. There’s cameras…”
After several successive punches she felt that the boy was trying to stop her from hurting herself by wrapping himself around her waist. Kara was about to vent her frustration on a different target, namely him, and raised her fist in order to hit him. That is when she saw that she had damaged her knuckles, which were now bleeding, and realised that he was trying to prevent her from harming herself. That, plus he whispered something about cameras, which Kara hadn't noticed yet to this point.
She steadied herself and looked down at the boy, who looked like he was about to throw up. She saw that the boy was scarred, internally. He of course witnessed the destruction of his home, right before his very own eyes. And if that wasn't enough, he was also locked up on this blasted ship now, that wound was probably the result of torture or something like that. But besides that, she also saw compassion in him. He seemed like he wanted to help her but didn't know how to.
He has suffered through a lot and he still seemed concerned about her. Without thinking twice, Kara stepped forward to the boy and embraced him in a hug. Normally she wasn't like this and kept people at a distance. But with news like this and after what she’s been through she really didn't know how to respond. Even though it looked kinda odd with their height difference, she didn't care at the moment. But… What if he minded?
She quickly let go and became a shade of red. “I’m sorry about that,” she said, slightly embarrassed, “I just dont know how to deal with this at the moment… Sorry if I made that uncomfortable.”
Xid blinked in utter surprise when the Jedi abruptly hugged him, however he didn’t pull away. Instead his arm awkwardly rested upon her shoulders while he used her figure to help him balance. It didn’t help he was at least half a foot shorter than her which only added to the clumsy attempts at comfort. He relaxed after a moment when she quickly realized what she was doing then pulled away. Without warning, he couldn’t adjust his weight fast enough causing his legs to wobble underneath him and nearly give out. He barely snagged the post in time to keep him from falling down.
Biting back the ach renewed in his side, Xid spoke in the calmest voice he could muster. “It’s alright. It’s been an emotional experience for all of us. Many of us were sought out and encountered Sith, which we fought back only end up here. Now, sit so I can start to mend those knuckles.”
He turned about slowly then gestured for her to sit down on his bunk.
Kara couldn't help but feel guilty as she saw the boy struggle to stay on his feet. If she hadn't pulled back so suddenly then she could have continued to support him by letting him lean on her. Seeing him in pain because of his injury only increased this feeling.
She was about to apologize when the boy suggested to heal her hand. She looked at it, after having totally forgotten about it, and saw that it was bleeding pretty badly, though it did not hurt very much and she didn't break anything. At first she wanted to refuse but as she looked at the boy’s expression she could see that there was no way of changing his mind, so she relented. But not after first helping him sit down on the bed, doing her best to not make him feel his wound too much. After sitting down she extended her hand, kind of curious to see as to how he was going to heal it.
Xid examined the hand after being help down, his eyes studying the wound and see it was just outer shell damage. The skin busted and bled as he gingerly touched to see if there was any broken bones. Thankfully there wasn't, his expression showing his relief while he closed his eyes.
For a few seconds nothing happened. However, slowly a tingling spread from his fingers throughout Kara’s hand as the flesh mended itself. The busted skin scabbed over and now was looking several hours old compared to their earlier display, but it wouldn't heal completely. It would take at least a few sessions to completely heal, even more than their resident healer Lea, but his conscious refused to wait.
“My name’s Xid Terrick, what's yours?” Xid asked during using his force heal. His eyes bright and lips pulled into a smirk.
As she looked at the boy working on her hand, Kara could feel an odd sensation across her hand. It felt as if her hand was being tickled while he was healing it, something which surprised Kara as she had expected it to at least sting a bit. It felt quite nice, she could even get used to it. It was then that she realised that she didn't even know who this boy was. As if on cue the boy introduced himself as Xid Terrick, which Kara thought was a nice name.
Trying to put on a smile Kara responded in a calm voice to the boy. “Well, I guess it’s time for me to introduce myself now, isn't it?” She said with a chuckle. She adjusted herself a bit to face the boy, sliding one of her legs on the bed to gain a better sitting. “My name is Kara Paan, I come from Corellia and I am part of the Jedi Guardians.” Kara said with a faint hint of pride in her voice. She continued smiling as she said. “Nice to meet you Xid Terrick and euhm,” she gestured at her hand, “thanks for your help, I really appreciate it.”
This was when she was suddenly reminded of his own wound. “But why are you using your skill on just some skin damage of mine while you yourself seem to be in a far more worse shape?” Her smile disappeared as she said that. “I really appreciate it and all, but isn't your own health more important at this point?” She asked, seemingly worried. She didn't quite know why she was so worried over this person she didn't know a few minutes earlier, but somehow she didn't mind.
Xid’s eyes looked to the ground at her mention of him being more important, reminding him of Tolun Fi’s words. He was quiet for a moment then spoke, honestly and his voice a quiet whisper. “I much rather not think that my life has much more worth than anyone else. Through Knight Tolun Fi has already chewed me out about my earlier mess up and I feel bad enough.”
His hand reached up to scratch the back of his head, rubbing his hairline where his short hair fell. Appearing nervous, he raised his eyes to look into Kara’s and then continued with the conversation. “As for the injury, I’ll be alright. The Sith Lord could’ve done much worse but instead, it was just emotionally exhausting.”
Discomfort spread over his features causing Xid to try to relax within his mind’s guilt-tripping him again.
Seeing Xid suddenly becoming this uncomfortable made Kara feel bad. She felt that it was her fault for him suddenly feeling like this, so she tried to think of a way to cheer him up. She returned his gaze and as she did Kara could see that Xid was having to deal with a lot at the moment. Not wanting to prod more and possibly make him feel even more uncomfortable, Kara used her free hand to gently pat him on the shoulder and smiled. “Listen Xid, you’re a good kid and you obviously care about others. You should do whatever your heart tells you to and you shouldn't care about what others think about you, alright?”
She rubbed him on his shoulder, trying to calm him down a bit. She did wonder what kind of Sith were onboard of this ship and would have liked to ask about the Sith who apparently did this to Xid, but Kara felt that this wasn't really the time to talk about this topic. Instead she tried to divert Xid’s attention to something else. “I must say,” she began, “your healing is really good. I actually like it a bit. Not enough to cause extra injuries of course…” she chuckled.
“I wish it was that simple,” Xid stated in a slightly depressed tone. His hand raised to rest on Kara’s rubbing hand and he smiled a bit, thanking her mentally for her support, “It doesn’t help I’m everyone’s best chance of getting out of here alive. I’m sort of useless when it comes to combat but machines are practically as simple as reconstruction on an artificial limb.”
At mention of his healing be good, Xid shook his head. He immediately corrected her assumption he was pretty good at something he only had minor skill in and did it in a gentle way, “Nay, if you were a droid I would’ve had you patched up almost good as new. I only know basic healing which I learned from another teacher back on Coruscant. Sela didn’t have the knack but could see I had some so she had one of the knights teach me before we left for a Corellian prison ship. It was actually my first test to see how much I had im-”
Xid paused, realizing he was beginning to ramble. He smiled sheepishly and quickly corrected himself, feeling bad for going off into one of his experiences without allow his new ally a word in edgewise. “I’m really sorry about that. I tend to ramble a bit sometimes. I’m sure after your ordeal, this is the last thing you want to hear…”
Kara actually didn't mind Xid talking all this time. The only time when her smile wavered was when Xid said that he wasn't good at healing, making Kara think that he shouldn't be so critical about himself. When Xid suddenly stopped and apologised for him going on a ‘ramble’ Kara couldn't help but smile again.
“I didn't mind it at all.” She said as her voice sounded comfortable. “In fact, I actually quite liked the story.” Which wasn't lied, it was a nice way of getting their mind off of their current troubles. When you’re in this kind of situation it’s best to think of as many stuff to distract you from your uncertain future. At least, that’s what she was told back on Alderaan by one of the soldiers there, and Kara thought that it worked.
Kara tried to think of a way to continue the conversation and lighten the mood. She had already realised long ago that Xid didn't think too highly of himself, maybe a boost to his confidence might help him get on a bit? “Also, I don't think it matters if you’re good in combat or not.” This was kind of a lie, as Kara herself showed great pride for her martial prowess, but if a person was able to compensate for their lack of combat ability by something else, like Xid’s healing, then it was of course justified. “It’s much easier to hurt people then it is to heal someone.” She said with sincerity. “Don't think that just because you’re not physically strong or highly skilled with a lightsaber that you are useless. For instance, you’re helping me get rid of this injury. And that’s not all, you’re also helping with making this place seem less like the hell that it actually is by having this conversation. That’s far more important than some brute who is only good for direct combat.” Kara smirked as she uttered that last phrase.
A second later Kara chuckled, realising that now it was she who was rambling on. Normally Kara took a very long time to get adjusted to other people, yet somehow she felt at ease with Xid. As she came to this conclusion she shook her head and she continued to smirk. “Now look at me, I’m already getting soft here.” She said as she used her now healed hand to ruffle his hair a bit.
“Nothing wrong with being happy and hopeful in a place which none exist. Sela taught me that before…” Xid dropped off, recalling Sela’s life being snuffed out by that same dark presence in the cell earlier. Now that he had thought about, he realized who it belonged to. It was the very Darth on this ship who had ended up heading and crossing his master’s path, his mind wondering if she was still alive or now with the force. If it wasn’t for the dark energy here then he would try to meditate and learn himself. His hand fisted then smack against the soft mattress in slight frustration while he recalled the memories of Coruscant flooding in his mind.
Feeling her ruffle his hair, he chuckled a bit accepting the affection. He decided to reveal a tidbit to make a little more hope in this dismal place. “I’m better at machines actually, though it didn’t help me much on the front lines. Balmorra was a mess with the troopers shooting and Sith trying to cut down the defenses, I don’t how I managed to get them back up afterwards.”
He inhaled and continued. “I’ve already examined most of the system here which usually is pretty basic, especially compared to the Corellian prison ship a knight, her padawan, my own and me broke out of back in Republic space. It was a test to see if the defenses could hold Sith prisoners by seeing if it could hold Jedi. It didn’t, obviously so I had to adjust the specs. Improve them. So, breaking out of here shouldn’t be much of an issue but where to go can be another issue.” His eyes looked toward the nearest camera, hinting in silence where it was, while his words rambled on without missing a beat “However, I wished Navi was here as he has the best tools to help me. Right now, we need a map of the ship to where the hangers are and a few weapons. I already know how to build a device to grow a crystal and the part to make a lightsaber is fairly simple. It won’t be pretty however.”
Xid turned to face Kara. “So what can you provide to help out? Currently, Lea and Tolun Fi can heal. Shiri can splice, Koren’s a firm fighter. Nazca is a pickpocket and sadly, Alat is in lockdown after a bit of a surprise. He was trying to protect Shiri and ended up showing he knew how to use a dark side power, making all us uneased.”
Kara listened intently to Xid’s story. She was glad that Xid had at least experienced something of the war. It would be bad if this was his first time he had felt the stress of it, baptisms by fire rarely go well in these circumstances. The fact that he seemed to be experienced in escaping prison ships made Kara a bit hopeful that there might be a way to get out of here. However, she didn't know what she would be facing onboard besides that snake-lady from earlier so she reserved her excitement a bit.
When Xid started naming the prisoners Kara did not expect to know any of them. However, she was quickly mistaken. The first familiar one was Tolun Fi, who Xid had actually already named earlier. As Xid mentioned him Kara cringed slightly. She didn't really know how to feel about being locked up with him. She never really had a meaningful conversation with him, but from what she knew about him her opinion of him wasn't that high.
The second, and more surprising one, was Koren. A faint look of surprise could be seen across her face as Xid mentioned him. This couldn't be the Koren she met on Manaan, could it? She recalled the dueling she did with him on that planet, duels which he won. If this was the same Koren then Kara was kind of disappointed that they would meet again under these circumstances. She had grown considerably stronger since their last encounter, both physically as in skill. But this was not really the ideal place for a rematch was it?
Xid asked her if she had any skills which might be valuable to help the group escape. Kara looked at Xid and grinned slightly. “Ooh well, I think I can help out a little bit in the fighting department.” She gestured at her arms. “As you might see, I’m pretty strong when it comes to physical strength.” She said with pride. She was thinking about flexing her arm, but that would just be showing off. Besides, it wasn't hard to see her muscles because of her tunic fitting tightly around the arms and shoulders.
“Though,” she said as her grin disappeared and she leaned in closer to whisper to Xid incase of any bugs planted around, “don't rely too much on me when it comes to Force powers. I can enhance my own physical limits very well, but besides that my Force powers are rather lackluster.” She then leaned back and attempted to regain her grin for the cameras.
“Does that sound good enough for you?” She said with her fixed grin.
“Did I say something wrong? You flinched at Tolun Fi’s name and seemed surprised when I mentioned Koren. Do you know them?” Xid asked, his eyes looking at Kara in much the same way a machinist looked at a project. His hand removed itself from his neck then fell into his lap. His body was already feeling the toll from his force healing weighing on him and through he knew he needed rest, his mind was curious about his new friend’s reaction. It worried him slightly. “As for the finesse part, I think someone else can cover that part. Right now, according to most everyone I need to stay safe. If I’m hurt too badly then I can’t get us out of here. It’s not easy to explain machines to people with no experience of them.”
Again, his nervousness showed through a sigh. “I just hate the fact I can’t protect anyone without risking our escape.”
Suddenly, his mouth yawned as his fatigue washed over him becoming visible on the outside.
As Xid asked his question Kara cursed herself internally that she was so easy to read. “Well, I don't really know Tolun Fi that much, just ran into him sometimes.” She then chuckled. “Koren on the other hand, well I do know him. I’ve actually dueled with him sometimes. Lost both of the matches though, but that’s 4 years ago.” She said with a grin.
As Xid talked about how he hated the feeling that he couldn't help anyone without risking their escape Kara couldn't help but to feel sorry for him, not in a bad way of course. She would also hate it if she couldn't protect those she cared about… She had a direct experience in that.
Suddenly Xid looked very exhausted. Maybe his healing powers were really straining him? This might be a good moment to stop their little conversation and let him rest, he helped her after all. And besides, she was still feeling tired as well, so resting might be a good idea anyway.
“Well, guess you’ll want some rest now, or are you bored of me already?” She said in a teasing fashion. “I know when I am no longer wanted.” And with that she ruffled his hair again and stood up from Xid’s bed. “You didn't bother me taking this top bunk, did you?” She asked just to confirm and to which Xid nodded in confirmation.
Kara was about to get into the bed when a thought occured. Koren was apparently onboard of this ship as well. She was actually pretty excited about this to be honest, though she didn't really know why. It might have something to do with knowing that there’s a familiar person onboard? Or maybe the prospect of a rematch? Well, the chances of that were very slim of course, but a girl can dream right? After thinking for a while Kara decided that she’d try and find him and possibly get acquainted with the other prisoners.
