Suddenly, Babysitting.

[Farren Sefu]

*Continued from "Umbara, we have a problem..."

Farren landed the fighter and once more used the Force to levitate Aayla's body out while he exited the chair. Once on the ground, he lowered her into his arms and walked into the base, towards the central elevator. Pressing the button down, they plunged deeper into the dark world's crust, until they arrived at a medical ward that had been there as part of the original design of the airstrip. Farren had had to make use of it himself over the past year after a few close calls with the Empire, but there was still plenty of supplies left over to use on his unexpected guest.

Farren laid the girl on an empty cot and looked at her leg. The fabric of her pant leg was obscuring the wound, so Farren had no choice but to take a scissor and cut away at the material until a large enough area was cleared to see the actual injury. It was badly cut and bleeding quite a bit. He grabbed a jug of water and cloth and cleaned the wound as best he could. When that was done, and realizing there was no shrapnel or other debris inside it, he walked over to a cabinet and took out a Bacta patch, cracked the vial inside to mix it, and applied it to the injury, making sure that the adhesive bands were secured properly to her now exposed skin.

Once that was done, he walked across the room to a shadowy corner and sat in a chair there, removing his helmet and resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands, and just stared at the Imperial cadet he had just rescued and tended to. Farren...he thought to himself....what the hell are you doing?

[Aayla Etel'dalam]

Aayla had only started to become conscious again when she felt herself being laid down on the cot. Too dizzy to speak or move, she only winced and gently moaned in pain when he had started to care for her. She knew he was only trying to help, so she didn't try to stop him.

After laying still for about ten minutes, she couldn't take the burning sensation anymore and forced herself to sit up to take off the tourniquet that she had made for herself. Throwing it to the floor, she caught her breath, opening her eyes just slightly to look around. Upon locking eyes on him, she jumped but didn't become defensive. "...Thank you," she murmured.She just stared, waiting for him to say something back to her.

[Farren Sefu]

Farren just looked at the cadet as she sat up and thanked him. His facial expression remained blank. "Don't thank me. I'm still deciding if not shooting you down was a good idea. As it is, I almost got up twice to put you in a hyper pod to the nearest habitable planet. You are an Imperial cadet, after all. Not a lot of warm welcomes for those around here. Truth be told, I'm not sure why I saved you." Farren spoke these words as he sat back in his chair, and folded his arms in front of him. "How did you find me? What are you doing here? When do your reinforcements arrive?"

[Aayla Etel'dalam]

She paused, listening to him. Confusion was the look on her face, but something like anger lingered in her eyes. "Stop calling me 'cadet'," she hissed, trying to swing her legs around so that she could sit facing him. Finding it painful to move, she stopped and merely stared at him again. "I'm no longer an Imperial anything - they want me dead just as much as they want you dead, Sefu. So don't patronize me... I know who you are - I've seen your face on posters in every hanger." She huffed, knowing a smart remark wasn't going to help her. So she switched tactics. "To be honest with you, you might as well have shot me. Would have been easier on the both of us. I didn't find you. I ... I was being attacked by people who I once thought were friends, at best. I was trying to punch in coordinates to escape when I.. I must have fallen against the command console instead.. must've ran out of power by the time I got here. It's the only reason I would have stopped moving. I only came to when you came into range of the ship's detection system - I wasn't piloting," she said, ending the commentary more talking to herself than to him. "What -did- happen to me? " she thought, looking at her leg and then her hands. Her hands - she seemed almost afraid of them. "The only reinforcements coming want me as dead as they want you so - I wouldn't worry about that. And on top of that, don't you think I would have called them for help, and not you, while I was stranded out there? I'm not on their side. Not anymore. I can't be."

[Farren Sefu]

Farren chuckled to himself when Aayla snapped at him to stop calling her 'cadet'. His face grew solemn, however, when she mentioned recognizing him. He hadn't expected that. From what he was aware of, the Empire had told the public that all the Jedi were dead. Perhaps it was simply an older image with a check mark through it like he seen before. This could be her first awareness that he was actually alive.

"My dear, you're wearing a cadet uniform and admitted that you weren't even piloting that ship. Tell me, why should I call you anything but 'cadet'?" Farren asked in a condescending manner. He continued before she could reply. "Well, my first thought was that this was all a ruse, that the Empire had somehow tracked me down and you were a decoy with a homing beacon. However, no appearance of ships upon the destruction of your ship, coupled with the fact that my alarms still haven't gone off since we landed here, I trust that you don't have one on your uniform as the signal would have vanished this deep into the ground. Having said that, that still doesn't rule out a predetermined check in time, to give the illusion that you are alone. I'm glad you recognize me, Aayla. Because you're not alone in that. Betrayers of the Jedi tend to linger in my mind. I know exactly who you are, Aayla Etel'dalam. You fought side by side with Master Windu to free your homeworld from the Separatists, then what? Just sat back and watched as the Empire took it themselves? Then went ahead and joined them just because they came from the Republic? Maybe you were asleep during the part where Palpatine ordered the murders of all my friends....of me......of my master......" He said, his voice trailing off. Clearing his throat, he went on, "So don't be alarmed that I don't trust you just cause you show up in a banged up ship with a busted leg. Anyone can stage a scene like that, and throw in a seemingly life-threatening injury that had already began to be treated. You turned your back on the Jedi once, why not do it again? I am curious, however, of what your story is. Assuming it's the truth, how did you get from where you were to here? And why does the Empire suddenly want you dead? Did you steal from them? Kill someone? Leak information to an outside party? How does one get marked for death by the Empire? I can't imagine it'd be very hard, though." Farren said, sitting back in his seat once more. This time, however, he put his hands behind his back. Officially revealing himself of a Jedi put him on edge with this new companion of his.

[Aayla Etel'dalam]

Aayla stared at him, trying to read him as his smile faded. To his credit, he probably wasn't expecting her to say that. But that didn't mean that she wanted the smile to leave his face - it was probably the first time the man had smiled in years.

But the more he spoke, the more agitated she became. Her calm-ish demeanor became more of a defensive, offended scowl as he let his mouth run and her fingers nervously began to pull at the treatments on her leg, causing it to start to become loose. Blood began to pool around the sides and down her thigh. She didn't seem to notice it at all, her voice coming out in a soft growl: "I really don't need any condescending, patronizing, or otherwise demeaning bullshit from you right now. Thanks." Her fiery eyes flicked up to make direct eye contact as she attempted to swing her legs around again so she could face him.

"Fine, I'm not an official pilot. But I'm not a cadet either. Not anymore - not that I ever was. Not mentally. Not fully committed." She pulled at the uniform, wishing she could take it off without making him uncomfortable... Not that she thought he would be - he already cut her pant leg off. "And are you out of your fucking mind? Have you spent too much time down here in the dirt? Too much pressure getting to your head? DO YOU SEE MY LEG?! WHAT MY SHIP LOOKED LIKE BEFORE YOU DESTROYED IT?! How can you sit there and tell me that I'm faking all of this? If I wanted you dead, Sefu, you'd be dead already. Even if I had to use my bare hands around your neck, I'd watch the light leave your eyes I swear it - I wouldn't have wasted my time with a ruse. Why would I? Who has that kind of time to waste on someone so wanted and so hard to find?" She paused to pant a second, cursing herself for wasting energy to yell at him. Once the lightheaded feeling left her, she still seemed derailed. It almost looked as if he had hit her.

"I didn't betray them.. Don't say that.." Her voice was much softer now, almost hurt that he would say that to her. "I loved Master Windu. My family owed everything to him, personally. There... There was nothing I could do by myself.. No one would help me. Everyone who was capable had left to fight elsewhere or - spoiler alert - they were murdered..." She shook her head lightly, reliving some memories. "You weren't the only one to lose friends, loved ones... You pretend like I just sat there and did nothing - but I was barely old enough to understand the conflict fully. Nor did I have any bit of training at the time. I wanted my home free and my family safe - and I knew this was the only way to do it. I fought who I had to fight in whatever way I could. And I knew that would be nowhere near good enough when I was basically alone when the Empire came... So I came up with a plan I thought would work: invade and take down from within. Earn their trust, learn as many secrets as I can - and just when they least expect it - I'd send it all to whoever I could, in whatever reaches of the galaxies I could.. I'd do what I could because what I wanted to do - I wasn't skilled enough to do it. And now -" She trailed off to wave her hand, sending some empty jars crashing to the floor. "Now my plan is ruined and I'm going to die whatever way you look at it. Either you're going to kill me because you just don't give a damn and don't believe me, they're going to come for me and kill me for being able to move shit without touching it, or I'm just going to quit trying because what's the point - no one looks or sounds willing to help me - so I'll just go sit outside until something eats me..."

She angrily wiped at her face, trying desperately to hide any sign of tears. She would not appear weak in front of him. "I still can't believe you think I faked this - do I look like that much of an asshole? I did what I had to do to live. To help my family. I'm barely over my guilt of it, but you know what? My family is still alive because of my choice. And really - that's all I care about. That's, ultimately, all I wanted... It doesn't bother me that you're a Jedi. I owe a lot to the Jedi Order... Not that you'd believe it anyway - at this point, you know my name is Aayla but even if I told you that, you'd still doubt it." She rested her forehead against her palm, supporting the weight of her head by putting her elbow against her good thigh. "So do what you want with me. I literally have nothing left."

[Farren Sefu]

Farren sat in silence as the girl bared her soul. He could sense that she truly felt what she was saying was true. He may not have been in the Order long, but even he could tell that she was telling the truth. This girl was hurt, and more than just her body.

"Look, kid. I know what it's like to lose everything. Why do you think I'm in this hell hole? A former Jedi hiding on the planet that was the site of one the greatest betrayals in the history of the Order? It's insane. So many of my friends were killed right here in this building by someone I once looked up to. And relax. I'm not going to kill you. I just needed to make sure you were the real thing. It appears that you are. Now, if you would kindly stop breaking my things, I could fix your bandages. You're going to need to be one piece if we're going to pull of my next mission. Besides, I need to make sure that you won't tear the ship apart. So I kinda need you to stop bleeding all over my base. Thanks."

Farren twitched his hands behind his back as he spoke. He knew Aayla was telling the truth, but he still wasn't sure he could fully trust her.

[Aayla Etel'dalam]

She merely stared at him in blank silence. She didn't know what to think, let alone what to say. Her last hope for comfort or help or any semblance of support had left her as soon as her last words had escaped her lips. She knew by the way he hadn't stepped towards her and by his authoritative stance that she had gotten close to nowhere. He still didn't believe her. He said he did, but she knew he didn't. At least not fully.


After thinking for what seemed like an eternity, she finally managed some soft spoken words: "...What do you mean 'we'? I -" Her voice trailed when she looked down and realized what her hands had been doing as she had been breaking down. She sighed, letting her bloody hands fall to either side of her hips. "Yeah... sorry," she murmured, wiping at her other eye, smearing some blood on her cheek.

She took up her post of 'sitting like a statue' again. If he approached her and helped her, she wouldn't move. If he approached her and cut her head off - she probably wouldn't move much either.

[Farren Sefu]

Farren chuckled as the Twi'lek rambled, and finally stood up to pass her a cloth to clean the blood off her hands and face. At this time, the object he was hiding behind his back became briefly visible until he sat back down again. "That's right. We. I was getting ready for another raid when your ass entered my system. Now, I can't exactly leave an Imperial, even a former one, alone on my base. So, you just got volunteered to come along. You're welcome. Here."

Farren stood up and walked across the room, swinging his arm to continue to hide the object in his hand, and opened a locked cabinet with the Force. Inside, he took out an SE-14c blaster pistol and lobbed it at Aayla. "You might need this," he said. He then turned back around and rummaged around the locker, seemingly ignoring Aayla.

[Aayla Etel'dalam]

She silently took the cloth from him, gently cleaning her hands and cheek. Looking down to assess what damage he had redone to her leg, she looked back up just in time to catch the pistol being chucked at her. "That's what you think, you crazy old bat," she thought, glaring at his back as if her stare would bore through him. She had half a mind to point and fire straight at the back of his neck... but she didn't. She merely bit her lip and huffed, sliding it into the empty holster on her belt. "With this - I can go anywhere. I don't need you anymore than you need me - I can just go. Really - it's nothing you seem ready to lose sleep over anyway," she said as nonchalantly as she could.

As she tried to stop her bleeding, she analyzed his movements. Whatever he was hiding, it wasn't bulky enough to encumber his movements but it was enough that he was noticeably censoring his mobility. It was small enough to fit in his hand, at least. All she wanted to know was if it was a weapon and if he was going to use it to hurt her. Even at that, she'd just be impressed to know what it was.

[Farren Sefu]

Farren gave an amused huff as Aayla said she could go anywhere now that she was armed. "Not with that leg, you can't. Now stop messing with it before it actually falls off." A few seconds passed and Farren suddenly stood up straight, still facing the weapons locker. "You're not trained enough to find out what I'm holding, young one. However, it says a lot to me that you haven't been able to figure it out on your own yet, knowing what you know about me."

With that, Farren turned around with his hands at his sides, and the object in plain view. Without another word, he clipped it to his belt and walked back across the room towards Aayla. He had taken a cloak out of the locker, which he threw around himself, covering his spiked saber once more.

"As for me not needing you, you're right. I don't need you for this mission. But an extra set of eyes never hurts. This will be a test of sorts, to prove yourself to me. You say you want to take down the Empire? Let's see if you mean it. I'm going to help you stand now, if you're ready." Farren moved to place his arms out in a manner to help Aayla to her feet and waited to see how she'd react.

[Aayla Etel'dalam]

Aayla looked down at her leg, almost scared that she had really overdone the damage. But kicked herself when she saw that she hadn't done much tissue damage at all, just widened the cut slightly by moving the bandage. It was enough to be noticeable, and that meant it was enough to bleed. It was starting to burn though, and all she wanted to do was either fix it the way he had it before or completely rip it off.

Her eyes then flicked up to him at his sudden movement, listening intently. Her hands remained on her leg, but they itched to reach for her gun - a training reflex. When your enemy is armed, you should be armed. But he wasn't her enemy. So she merely stared. "I just didn't think it was that... I've seen your saber. Tons of times. And it certainly isn't that one," she said, watching it as it disappeared beneath the fabric. She was almost entranced by it. Light sabers had always interested her, and she had held one once - even if it was only to toss it back to whom it belonged to during battle. But she had also heard from others that Jedi had to build there own, and that wasn't something that she thought she would ever be able to do - training or no.

She huffed at his response, and watched his hands as he reached for her. "A test? Really? This moron has more trust issues than anyone I've ever met... You want to see loyalty? After this, you'll never not trust me again," she thought as she scooted toward the edge of the gurney. "...What mission is this, exactly?" she asked, trying to stall standing. She knew it would hurt. She feared it. But she knew he wouldn't drop her - or at least she hoped he wouldn't. She slowly reached for his shoulders and used them to pull herself up, standing only on her good leg. A pained noise escaped her lips as freed blood ran down her leg, staining what remained of the leg of her armor. This was going to suck.

[Farren Sefu]

Farren grunted as he helped Aayla to her feet. "Yes, well. Those Imperial records of yours are full of lies and misinformation. I lost my original saber when the clones turned on me. Got the scar to prove it," he thumped the fingers of his right hand on Aayla's arm to indicate the location of the damage without letting go of his grip. "So when they recovered it and presented it to the Emperor, he went and used it to show the galaxy that I was dead - because what competent Jedi loses his weapon? However, since I found this place and had a ship that could take me where I needed to go, it wasn't hard to go back to the kyber caves and get a new crystal. The tricky part was finding the materials needed to make a new lightsaber. This thing is made of scraps I found lying around this base. But it's as reliable as ever. Hasn't failed yet. Not that it's had much use. I don't try to advertise myself."

Farren kept himself in a position where Aayla could use him as a crutch as he attempted to guide her across the room and sat her down on a chair. "Hold still...." he ordered, as he completely removed the bacta patch from her leg and replaced it with a new one, making sure to clean any blood off as he went.

"There. Now that you won't bleed all over my base and ship, let's go. Those weapons aren't going to steal themselves." With that, Farren again reached out to help Aayla back to her feet.

[Aayla Etel'dalam]

"Well - I knew I had to take them with a grain of salt... I just didn't think it'd be that much salt," she mumbled, focusing on his finger tips drumming on her arm instead of the pain drumming through her leg. "Kyber caves? A-are they not hard to come by? We were told as r-recruits that there's no reason to go there unless asked because they're... "

Her voice trailed off, distracted by his attentions to her wound. She balled her fists into the shoulders of this robes, but didn't make any sound. She focused, instead, on her breathing until she no longer felt much pain. More like an intense cold. She looked up at him again after a long pause told her he was waiting on her response. "Right... Give me a minute to get used to walking with this, and we can go, okay?" She said, allowing him to pull her up without much of a second thought.

[Farren Sefu]

"That's one of the tricks of the Empire. They encourage people to not think. As for the caves, only the Jedi know where they are. And not all of them are logged. The fun part of everyone thinking you're dead is that it makes it easy to slip through a guarded area because they aren't looking for you." Farren said, replying as he could. He helped Aayla to her feet and then began to guide her out the door to the hanger, taking his time to allow her to keep up.

"Now, you won't really need your legs once we get to the ship, so you'll be able to relax. I just need an extra set of hands on the controls to make a quick getaway if things go sideways. That's where you come in. Think you can fly as easily when someone is actually shooting at you with the intent to kill?" Farren said, his tone growing more serious and heavy as he spoke.