Shadows of Bankor

The awakening from chemically induced comatose was rough, and Daunt didn't know if he had ever had it rougher. Still, over the initial painful numbness it progressed into the joy of consciousness and - what followed - limited mobility. Aching and stiffing the sounds of it, he sat up just while his tormented retinas were getting reluctantly used to the light. He had the feeling of lingering foreboding rattling at the verge of his cogent mind but he knew from experience that it was from bad dreams.

First thing he noticed across the blur of shapes - some of those might have been horizontalised humanoids - was a bowl of something edible. He assumed it was edible out of ravenous urge, though he may well have been wrong. Fortunately, he wasn't.

Pudding?

Zerras sat nearby. She had returned from the party and was now having her wounds tended to. Her eyes remained bandaged, but she heard movement and turned towards it.

"Is someone awake?"

When Verse had first woken up, an hour or so ago, it was brief. She couldn't open her eyes then; a brief few minutes of distress before she passed back out. Now that she was waking up for the 2nd time, she couldn't open them either. She felt the pressure on her eyes, a sign that they too had been bandaged. And she had the half-remembered experience of a medical droid telling her she would be fine... with enough time to heal, at least.

Nobody had told her more than that, though. She did not even know if anyone else had made it. Qareme, and what was his name again... oh right, Mr.Daunt. They had both fallen before she had. Perhaps they were gone. And what of Zerras? Well... *that* voice was the first thing she heard now. Apart from the sound of someone eating something.

"I'm awake," she said, voice weak. "You made it..."

Daunt didn't see clearly yet, a bandage across his face impeded it somewhat, hiding an ugly burn. But he wasn't responding still, busy with the pudding, and somehow stupefied by the recollections of hours prior coming back. He lived, but he had no idea how or why, and it was too early to assume.

"We all made it. Only the Force knows how." Zerras sighed. It was a happy sound.

"I see," she said.

...

...

...

"...Actually I don't. I'm blind. But, I'm glad. I knew you would find a way to pull through, Padawan. Wasn't expecting to be here to see it though. I mean. Not see it. You know what I mean."

If nothing else, Verse's personality was fully intact, it seemed.

"We might have to promote you, too."

"We're both blind Verse, for now." she chuckled. "So, I didn't actually see the Resistance break through from the other side after Vader batted me away. I doubt he was concerned about facing them, but it was a sign the Dictator was in actual danger."

"You do not need eyes to see, just feel the Force and it will guide you better than your eyes ever could."

There was a voice from one of the beds nearby. Qareme was sat up, eyes closed and crossed legged.

Daunt was slowly gaining recognition of what was going on as the cool calories were entering his digestive tract. So he was with the Jedi, and they were doing the Jedi talk. He counted voices and they all survived, though badly wounded. And they didn't exactly know how. Questions could wait, however, as they were certainly busy with religious talk Daunt didn't want to spoil. To each their own. He remembered one thing, however: he had only managed to hit Vader when he had given in to his hate of him, and the whole surge of Light he had tried to tap into prior had yielded nada.

"What about Mr.Daunt," she asked, "Is he still out?"

There was a brief pause. "To think he had a lightsaber too. I just thought he was an art critic, or something."

"I am here. Didn't want to butt in." He said simply, putting away empty bowl and looking for a glass of water. On the lighstabre he didn't comment for now

"Eyes would still be nice to have." Zerras chuckled. "There should be pudding for everyone. It's pretty good."

"Oh good," there was relief in her voice, "You can butt in any time, Mr.Daunt. As far as I'm concerned you're one of us. You did a very good thing."

"You all have been a jolly and brave company, Verse Aura. However, is it still good even if I did it for selfish reasons?" He poured some water into a glass and leaned over to put it in Verse's hand.

"We all did out part. We were all where we needed to be, regardless of out reasons." Zerras answered.

When she felt the glass put into her hands she was at first confused, then smiled once she realized what it was.

"A bad person would not even think to ask that question, Mr.Daunt," she said; unable to keep herself from adding the mister to his name because it amused her to do so.

Daunt murmured something under his nose; discussing moral issues with Jedi was making him uncomfortably confused and honestly his head hurt too much for a sophisticated counterargument. He leaned back to pour water for himself.

"How did it all go, the attack? Did we tear them down?"

"We drove them off." Zerras answered. "We successfully kept Vader away from the other team, allowing them to disable the Dictator's shields. The fleet was then able to inflict enough damage to force the Empire to retreat."

"That's good. I don't like near-dying for nothing." He chuckled dryly (mostly because his throat still felt dry). "So I guess it's that other team that somehow pulled us out. I don't imagine they defeated him though. He felt rather indomitable to me."

"There were other teams, holding the shuttle bay we all boarded through. I think it was a group from there that pulled us out." she explained. "I lost my sight during my clash with Vader, but I was still conscious when they broke through. I heard their screams as he cut through a few of them. Then, there was another explosion and they pulled us out. I doubt he suffered much harm. He probably felt it wasn't worth the trouble to continue."

Qareme opened her eyes, looking at the others.

"Many lives were lost this day, but their sacrifice will be remembered. They still live on through the Force, and through the candle of hope that burns brightly."

She looked to Zerras.

"You did well young Padawan. You faced your fears, and stood up to Darth Vader. I cannot speak for the masters, but I am certain Master Surro will agree that you are at least ready for your trials if not already passed them."

There was a gaze at Daunt, as if she wanted to ask something, but she pushed past it and closed her eyes once more.

Content with just watching she was thankful that Daunt was alive, she wanted to punch him but that could come later.

He glanced slightly cockily at Qareme and finally noticed that Lyla was also there, and while the details of her mood were lost on him, he took out his IV packet from the stand and tried to rise to his feet. The Jedi were having their Light-speak fiesta and that was dangerous waters for him to wade in lest he would be overwhelmed, confused and angry at people who had just been his sisters-in-arms. He was discovering that he was allergic to ideologies of any kind.