“Hooman no hearing?” he inquired. “Maybe Jar Mee go quite mad, not Phay-lo-mir. Wakti know how hunt graks, Wakti gather hunters, hunt Phay-lo-mir, but no hurt.”

Eensha again paused to listen to the strange metallic voice in the sky, this time quite louder as the unseen source passed closed to this part of the forest.

“Jar Mee no hearing? Is words in speech of hooman, listen…”

--------------------

"If you will excuse me," she murmured with a polite bow before rising gracefully to her feet. Moments later she was outside the hut, listening. Sure enough, there seemed to be something coming in as though from a great distance, like thunder over the horizon. But as it grew louder she knew it could not possibly be thus.

"Sith and human lifesigns, into open can you proceed for indentification..."

She jerked in surprise at being so neatly singled out by-- by--

"K'kihl? K'kihl!"

With sudden recognition came a great rush of dawning joy. She bolted-- only to halt in place, casing a guilty look over her shoulder. There a few paces behind her stood a fat little Ewok, no doubt having trailed her from the Hut of Eensha.

"I go to voice in sky," she said, pantomiming with her hands and hoping with all her heart that the little creature understood.

"Tell Eensha... thank you."

With that she turned about and swiftly set foot through the thick understory of the Endorian jungle, hoping to find a clearing before the voice faded away into obscurity.

--------------------

“K’khil?” he asked. “Here? But, how would he know…?”

Phalomir’s question was cut short by the squawk of the tinny speaker again. The ship had circled around from the distance and was apparently on the approach again.

“How do we know it is not a trick?” he asked.

--------------------

"The Verpine, while being somewhat quiet, is quite intelligent," I replied, eyes still trained upward. "I can only deduce that something strange occurred as I stepped through the Portal, something untoward. I do recall a sudden flare of unusual light; perhaps this showed itself in my Inner Chambers as well, provoking Lord Aeylmaar into finding my whereabouts before our abilities had gone from us.

"Assuming, that is, that he too is now bereft of his powers, as I suspect. I will not know for certain until we are safely from this place. Which I believe to be in the very near future."

I could not help but shake my head at this, for the timing had been exquisitely incredible.

"The darth who once called my temple his own kept a secreted hangar of craft on the temple grounds; I can only further speculate that K'kihl has been sent here in one such craft to retrieve me."

I pause, eyes straining, ears on the alert. Soon it comes... "Sith and human lifesigns, into open can you proceed for indentification..." The smile on my face broadens exponentially, and I shoot a clawed finger skyward.

"Look, he is there!" I exclaim with excitement entirely unbefitting of a Dark Lord of the Sith, as from nowhere a small, dark object bullets from the nearby treetops, blaring the message over and over. An inarticulate noise escapes me then, and pacing forward a few steps, I raise my arms aloft and begin waving them in greeting.

[ 06-17-2008 12:00 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Aelvedaar ]

--------------------

Unwilling to venture any further into the shadowed forest of Endor, for fear she would not find another clearing before the Verpine left for another part of the moon, she moved into the exact center and stood still, face craned upward. There she stood, her heart pounding from her run, thinking over the words the message was saying now that she had time to actually devote to such a thing.

Human and Sith lifesigns... K'kihl was sending.

Lifesigns. Plural.

This only led her to believe that he had somehow been sent here specifically to find her, and Lord Phalomir, and the lad...

Her thoughts derailed in an instant, and a hand flew to her lips.

Rykounagin! Where was he? What had happened to him?

A shadow of concern loomed over her, laced with not just a touch of annoyance. For now it appeared that after she was actually discovered by the Verpine, yet more time would have to be spent hunting the whereabouts of the lad. She frowned, hoping the scope of this challenge would not be too large. For while sensors could pinpoint a set of life signatures down to the exact point of ground one stood upon, just where that point of ground was determined how long it would take before rescuers could arrive there. The lad might be hidden far away from the nearest place a craft could land, promising nothing but yet more lengthy treks into the forest, following what could indeed be a moving target.

She frowned slightly, wishing Ryknounagin hadn't left her when he had, and then sighed.

Nothing for it now, she thought as she peered upward, allowing her thoughts to then turn to those about Lord Phalomir.
Oh my Lord, how fare you? she wondered, a tear beginning to tremble at the corner of her eye. Are you still taken with the madness? Can you be safely taken off this moon, without harming others?

Can your sanity be restored by the magicks of our people?

A stab of sorrow raced through her with the knowledge that she had absolutely nothing to assist him with. Without the All she was a helpless as a newborn babe.

Her thoughts segued now along that path.

What strange event had occurred to make her lose her powers? Did the All disappear entirely... no. That was inconceivable; it was part and parcel of reality, and as far as she knew she and her immediate surroundings were entirely so. Ergo, something was blocking her from using her knowledge. There were few who had the power to do that, only Lords Roan and Aelvedaar had in fact ever actively done so.

Her eyes widened as another idea blasted her straight in the face. Not really an idea, but an image: one of a huge pair of eyes, gleaming violet and silver, staring down upon she and others with her while a booming voice played wordgames with them.

That Which Is... could it possibly be? But what would have offended it?

She didn't know, couldn't know, didn't even know if this was correct or if her loss represented something like the beginning of the breakdown of Reality itself. Which would of course mean the end of everything, existant or otherwise.

Highly improbable.

Sighing, she put all further speculation from her mind and concentrated on the tiny circle of sky over her head. Such questions and fears would have to wait, until she was back with Lord Aelvedaar who she hoped would be able to answer them.

[ 06-17-2008 12:32 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

--------------------

The Verpine would have smiled if he could as, homing in on the ever-increasing intensity of a pair of lifesign readings, he at length approached and then soared over a tiny clearing. The sensors immediately set up a ratchetting clatter, announcing that he had indeed come upon, for one nanosecond had been exactly upon, and now was flying away from the exact point of ground where the origin of one set of signs was located. This ratchet was joined almost simultaneously by another; with deft hands K'kihl then turned the little TIE fighter about and headed earthward, this time buzzing the clearing mere meters above the towering canopy that surrounded it. Flicking on external vids, he took a close look, and clattered his mandible with satisfaction.

A flick of a single digit silenced the blaring message, and he leaned into the mike.

"K'kihl this is, in rescue have I come. Clearing some two and one half kilometers presents for landing. Coordinates set as..."

He fiddled a bit with the computer, sighting from the moon's north and equator for bearings. Not knowing where the longitudinal origin was exactly, he could only go by their actual location.

"A line follow due north by northeast, bearing 52 degrees," he sent down, then adding the following, which was not quite as precise as he would have liked.

"This bearing follow, three-quarters kilometer; bear then due east until clearing is met. Circle I for visual reference, but thick is the forest of Endor.

"K'kihl, out."

With that he began flying in tight, looping circles, his flightpath being somewhat like that of a stretched out spring, that those on the ground below might have something more solid to follow than the what he considered to be weak information he had given them.

[ 06-17-2008 12:50 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by K'kihl ]

--------------------

“If this is really K’khil, then praise be to that which guides him. But a bearing of 52 degrees… I am afraid I do not have a navigation device with me. But if my basic survival instincts are still functioning, then I believe 52 degrees is roughly… in…. THAT direction.”

Phalomir pointed with his extended finger bearing into the woods.

“Give or take a degree,” he frowned. “But at only 750 meters, I do not think we are likely to miss the clearing if it is large enough to land his ship.”

Phalomir began walking, his long legs carrying him quickly to the trees. Aelvedaar followed, somewhat surprised with Phalomir’s sudden burst of decisiveness. When Phalomir reached the thickly grown grove of trees, he grabbed a large branch and pulled hard, tearing the limb from the trunk and clearing a way into the woods.

“And hopefully,” he said, turning his head to Aelvedaar and tossing the large branch to the grass, “Jharmeen has heard the broadcast and is on her way as well.” He then returned to the task of clearing a way deeper into the trees, finally breaking through into the normal growth area of the deeper woods where the going would be easier. He continued to kick aside fallen branches and dead logs, however, humming a tune that Aelvedaar recognized as an ancient Sith love ballad.

--------------------

The fat Ewok looked around cautiously, trying to pinpoint the source of the sounds. He finally turned his head slowly to Rykounagin.

“Jed-die?” he asked coarsely.

--------------------

The force sent Phalomir sprawling backwards onto the leaf-carpeted forest floor. He lie motionless for a second, then he forced his hand to his head. A trickle of violet blood flowed from the wound, and he held the spot tightly. With his other hand he pushed himself up to sit on his side.

A wash of pain ran through his head, and with it came a chiming of high pitched bells. Wincing, Phalomir sat upright and crossed his legs. The blood dripped from his hand and onto his lap, and he realized that he was possibly more hurt than he had first thought.

He tried to stand, and although the world still swam around him, the ringing of the ceaseless chimes brought with them a certain clarity that had recently eluded him. A genuine smile arched across his face, giving way to another wince as the pain again surged, but it was soon replaced by a look of tentative relief.

As Phalomir watched Lord Aelvedaar approach, he grabbed the bottom of his already ragged shirt and pulled a long strip from it. This he wrapped around his head like a black bandana and tied it tightly. Aelvedaar eyed him curiously, and Panthar bowed his head to the elder Sith and said nothing for a moment.

“I believe East is this way,” he said at length. “Unless my sense of direction has failed me.”

But he felt clean, and although afraid to think it for fear the conquering confusion would return, he felt sane. He decided he would not ponder upon it, less the clarity was temporary.

--------------------

I shake these uneasy thoughts away, and merely nod toward Phalomir.

"Indeed, that is my belief as well, brother," I reply. For although I am bereft of my magicks and to the touch of the All, I still retain my hearing. I find my hearing always having proven to be excellent; it does not fail me now. With careful attention applied in the focusing my ears, I can clearly discern the general direction in which the Verpine's ship is heading.

"K'kihl is indeed going that way; let us follow him."

With that I pick up the hem of my shredded robes, and set off in the direction we both have come to agree upon, following the simple sounds of a ship's engines first waning, then strengthening, then waning more, strengthening more but less than prior; on and on this goes, giving us indication of the looping flight pattern it is following along a general directional trend. I do not believe it will be long before we will break into the clearing, one which, as Phalomir has already pointed out, should be large enough as to forgive us any error we might unwittingly be committing in our direction of travel.

Assuming that clearing is relatively close by, that is.

--------------------

Only it didn't go away, but instead grew louder and more insistent, buzzing more strongly and then somewhat weaker, as though it were flying toward her and away, toward her and away... until with a start she realized it wasn't an insect at all but the distant sound of a ship's engines.

It is K'kihl! she thought as joy burst throughout her. I haven't gone in the wrong direction after all! But--

She eyed the clearing in which she stood, suddenly not extremely happy with its dimensions. For although this was indeed a clearing, an opening in the canopy, into one of which the Verpine had directed the castaways enter, it was after all only three meters in diameter. That, she now realized, was entirely too small, and while she now knew there was no possible way the Verpine could land in it, she couldn't help but wonder if he'd be able to see her at all.

He will probably need to be directly over me for his sensors to pick me up, she reasoned, that logical portion of herself inherited from her father coming suddenly into play.

He will need direct line of sight... and it doesn't sound as if he's coming any closer to where I am!

Worry clouded her clear violet eyes. She thrust that as far from herself as she possibly could, refusing to fall into the pit of "what ifs" but instead let her mind whirl, trying to come up with something, anything, any means probable to communicate her location to that distant ship.

Do I dare go off in the forest again, trying to follow it?

She wavered, thinking. The forest was dense, shadowed and gloomy inside where the thick canopy blocked the sun. Would that canopy and those giant trunks play tricks with her hearing, with sound itself? That she didn't know, and to tell the truth was afraid to even try and discover. There was a very real possibility that if she set out into that forest she would only become more lost, with absolutely no way to find anyone, let alone having anyone find her.

No. It was best to follow the old advice which stood so well across the test of Time: when lost, remain put until help arrives.

If that help is aware of your being lost at all, that is... sneered a little devil who after popping atop her shoulder to smirk into her ear, promptly disappeared.

Very well then, I shall act.

She looked about the clearing: nothing but forest giants, too big for her to climb. A quick crane of the neck, and a simple question was answered: the closest branches are about ten meters over my head...

Then inspiration struck. Nodding, she left the clearing, and struck out for a short distance into the forest. It didn't take long to find what she was hunting for: a younger tree, one which was large enough to support her weight but small enough to provide her access to it's branches. Before she could talk herself out of it she removed her boots, then grasping the rough bark with fingers and toes managed to grunt and sweat her way up to the closest branch. From there she climbed upward as high as she could go, slenderer branches and leaves slapping her face, impingeing myriad nicks and cuts upon her bare skin. She paid them no heed but continued, and when she could go no further she paused to assess her situation.

The canopy still stretched far over her head, taunting her with its silent, green grin. That didn't deter her; casting a look about, she found she was now well up into the height above ground dominated by the larger trees' branches, and as luck would have it one seemed to be within jumping distance from her. If one could consider a jump as being one two and a half meters at approximately twenty meters above the forest floor onto what looked suddenly to be a millimeter-thin branch...

She closed her eyes for a moment, forcing fear away, forcing herself to concentrate. Then she opened them and before she could consciously think about what she was doing, she maneuvered to a better position, crouched, and sprang with all the strength she could muster.

And of course missed entirely.

Pain sliced into her with a thousand wooden blades as her leap carried her to slam against the trunk of that forest giant. From there it segued into seeming millions as, fingers and hands and arms scrabbling for purchase, legs trying frantically to wrap about the trunk, she half-slid, half-fell to the ground. There she crashed onto her back with a solid whump, and into immediate unconsciousness.

[ 08-12-2008 01:42 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

--------------------

The sounds of the giant insect continued to thrum in the distance, but his mission did not concern that sound. Eensha had sent them to hunt the demon, and to bring it back to the human female. He was not sure how they were to do this, for the last time Wakti saw the demon it was wild and dangerous, and it would take a sure shot from the sling to knock the demon in unconsciousness.

But they would remain on task. And now a series of careless footsteps in the distance, in the direction of the insect, gave away the location of the demon. But the last sound, a crash, that was different. He sniffed the air again, catching not only the smell of the demon, but of something else… the human?

He brought his hand down and pointed forward. The Ewoks immediately broke into two groups, one set taking to the trees and the other running along with Wakti deeper into the woods.

Soon Wakti and his band came to the area of the crash. Wakti sighed deeply as he saw the crumpled human female. He looked in all directions, then nervously crept out of his cover and up to the woman.

“Jhar-mee?” he said, placing a furry paw on her forehead. Her face had several scratches, and a trickle of blood coated his finger as he pulled it away. He sighed again, letting out a soft moan of concern. Then his face set in a determined frown, and he turned to his band in their hiding spots. He barked out a series of orders to care for the human until his return, then turned abruptly to the other direction.

“Graaks,” he said, then set out quickly in the direction of his true quarry.

--------------------

As the sound of the ship again approached, Phalomir and Aelvedaar stepped out of the woods and into a large clearing. The sunlight beat down upon them, blinding them momentarily. Phalomir could help but smile, and he held his hand up to shade his eyes from the sun. He could now clearly see the outline of the ship high in the sky.

He looked to Aelvedaar, who was also looking into the sky. Elated though he was, Phalomir turned his head to look behind, hoping to see Jharmeen following their trail.

Disappointed, he exhaled slowly and turned around again.

“We still need to find Jharmeen,” he said to Aelvedaar. “She could be a--”

A sound came from above, and before Phalomir could pinpoint its source, a pair of furry, yet surprisingly hard, feet came crashing down upon the back of his neck. The impact sent Phalomir to his knees, and as he rolled over to a sitting position he suddenly found himself staring at a primitive, yet dangerous, spear tip.

The Ewok that held the spear stared hard at Phalomir, then its eyes darted back and forth between him and Aelvedaar.

“Graks!” it said, shaking the spear. “Wermo! Shetai Wakti!”

Phalomir looked at Aelvedaar, not sure of what to think of this.

“Aelvedaar,” he began. The spear moved closer and pressed into his neck.

“T’hesh!” the Ewok shouted. Then it growled. “Veek, arandee. Jar-mee seefo.”

Phalomir was unable to speak with the spear pressing against his throat, and he looked up at Aelvedaar. His hand, on the ground next to his leg and hidden from the Ewok, moved slowly into a fist. Phalomir raised his eyebrows at Aelvedaar.

--------------------

He drew in a breath to try once more to get across to this… thing. Wakti thought then that the other demon, which stood away and also did nothing, might understand. As he flicked his eyes to the other demon, the one on the ground brought up a fist in a lightning quick movement. It connected with the side of Wakti’s head and sent him reeling several feet away from the red beings.

Before he could recover, Wakti found himself dangling in the air as the bigger demon had quickly caught the poor Ewok by the scruff of the neck.

--------------------

“Seefo! Jar Mee seefo!” the furry warrior cried. “Jhar Mee!”

Phalomir paused, then looked to Aelvedaar.

“It almost sounds as if it is saying ‘Jharmeen’. Do you hear this, my Lord, or am I too absorbed in my own hope to hear true?”

--------------------

From that interior there popped the logic-filled head of the Verpine. He immediately spotted the others, and waved a manipulatory appendage at them, a maneuver which slowed exponentially until that appendage came to an upright standstill.

He hadn't expected to find others with those he sought, especially when those others were of the furry and vertically challenged variety.

"Here, am I," he finally called as he leapt lightly to the ground and approached the place where the two Sith Lords stood. One of them held a handful of Ewok in a tight grip.

The Verpine cocked his head.

"Trouble, is there?" he inquired politely.

[ 10-08-2008 12:03 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by K'kihl ]

--------------------

"K'kihl!" The words tumble from my lips in wholeheartedly joy, for ghods alone know how tired I have grown of traipsing about this overgrown moon.

"Indeed, it is good to see you at last; this one--"

I wave one hand toward the dangling furball

"--appears to have been saying something about the Dark Lady Jharmeen, but appears to have been startled into silence by your arrival.

"Perhaps this little one would be more inclined to speak with us if you removed your grip from his neck, my brother."

This last comment was directed toward Lord Phalomir, who has yet to release his small captive. Now that rescue has come, we are free to direct our attention to the task of finding the others of our party. Perhaps if this tiny native cannot assist us, the ingenuity of the Verpine can.

--------------------

“I will not hurt you,” he said. “But tell me of Jharmeen.”

He then lowered the Ewok to the ground and let go. It immediately rolled several feet away and came up in a defensive stance. It scanned each of the three strange beings, eyes darting from one to another, then back again. Finally, after it had calmed a bit, it stamped it’s foot on the ground.

“Jhar-mee!” it said emphatically. It then pointed into the woods and made motions with its arms and legs that made it look like it was running in place. “Jhar-mee!” it repeated, then took several steps into the direction it had pointed, then turned and paused.

“I believe,” said Phalomir, “that it wants us to follow? But how could it know Jharmeen?”

The Ewok muttered something in its language, then took off running into the woods. Panthar frowned once more, looked at Aelvedaar and K'khil, then sighed.

"I will follow," he said. "If you stay here, give me one standard hour. Otherwise, if you follow, you may want to secure the ship from others of his kind."

With that, Phalomir began to follow the Ewok. His long strides easily brought him within short range of the creature, but the furry thing seemed to move through the tangles of forest much easier than the hulking Sith.

[ 08-27-2008 11:55 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

--------------------

His hunters were bravely standing guard, and gave a quiet cheer as he cleared the immediate woods. All eyes turned wide when the hulking demon appeared close behind Watki, however, and the small band of brave Ewoks scattered up into the trees. Watki sighed and stopped, then pointed to the prone female.

The demon paused, made a small sound, then placed a huge hand on top of Watki’s head before rushing off to the fallen human. It began administering some type of aid to the human, and Watki shrugged.

He looked upwards into the canopy and shouted chastising words to his troops. A sound of footsteps coming from behind caught his attention, and the Ewok turned to see the other demon approaching. He held his spear forward and waited.

[ 09-07-2008 12:38 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Wakti ]

--------------------

My heart sinks further.

"I-- I cannot discern if there are any internal injuries," I state, ignoring the obvious external ones her small frame bears. One wrist appears to be broken, judging by the position of the hand; the nails upon that hand, as well as those on the other, are ragged and split, some nearly torn from their beds as if she had been fighting a losing battle against some great force.

I take a look around, and then upward. Judging by the broken branches, as well as the myriad ones scattered about her body, I know precisely that gravity was that force, one against which she fought so obviously a losing battle.

What would she have been doing up there? I wonder briefly to myself, then put aside the question. At the moment it is quite irrelevant; what is of greatest importance is getting her to aid.

I send a worried look to Phalomir.

"We must get to her aid, and quickly, brother. Perhaps the healers..."

This sentence trails off with the sudden certainty that the glorious Healers of Khar Delba would find themselves at a loss to mend what might be wrong inside her. For it strikes me now that certainly she would not be in this predicament had she the ability to prevent it.

I am bereft of my magicks, she appears to have lost the ability to use the All. I cannot help but wonder what others have found themselves flung to so ill a fate, unable to function as before, finding themselves perhaps as helpless as I feel myself to be at this moment.

--------------------

“No,” he said. “Not the healers. The Sith worlds are too far, and if they too have been affected by this strange cloud that blocks our power then their arts will be no more effective than that of the Ewoks. Our hope, I believe, lies in the skills of those with technology. If K’kihl knows of a reasonably close world where we could take her, then that is where we should go.”

Phalomir looked at Aelvedaar, pausing in his thoughts.

“Jharmeen had said that an old Empire -- or was it a Republic -- had used this world as a base. If we could find remnants then perhaps they may have left equipment that would be useful. But that is too much of a risk, we must fetch K’khil. Stay here with her, I will go. I hesitate to carry her in my arms for risk of further injuring her, but perhaps there is something on board that can serve as a stretcher. Keep her safe, my brother.”

Phalomir placed a hand on Aelvedaar’s shoulder and stood, and in a flash his long legs were carrying him quickly through the woods once more. This time, however, he had purpose and determination, and it did not take long to reach the ship.

K’khil had closed the hatch, and Phalomir stood in front of the ship and waved his arms in large motions.

--------------------

"Something is it, you need?" he asked, then letting his mandibles chatter like jackhammers. For although logic told him with certainty that there was absolutely no reason to take alarm by the Sith's actions - perhaps he needed a tool or something - the fact that Phalomir was alone somehow led him to feel that there was something rotten in Dantooine.

He cocked his head, lithe muscles tensed in preparation of leaping from the little fighter if necessary, and waited for the Dark Lord's reply.

--------------------

Phalomir stood, anxiously waiting for the reply. When it did not come within a heartbeat, he added, “Quickly!”

--------------------

"Hoth, the closest is," he called as he waved the map in one manipulatory appendage.

"But abandoned ice-world it is, with only wampa ice creatures and some taun-taun found to be."

He paused fractionally to cast another look upon the map, aware of the Sith Lord's mounting fear-laced impatience. Waving the map again, he spoke up.

"Bespin. Nearest system is, Cloud City there is, medical facilities have they," he said then leaped to the ground. Going to Phalomir's side he handed him the map.

"Small is fighter, but fit tightly can two," he said, nodding his head toward the ship.

"Carry you there it can; return for the rest later can you do.

"Now... help need you further?"

He crouched slightly, ready to spring into action should the Dark Lord need his assistance in transporting the injured human back to the little TIE.

--------------------

“You will fly her to this cloud city then,” he said. “I fear my appearance there may elicit the same reaction as it did from these Ewoks, and Jharmeen can ill afford that. Leave us a com link, and return for us when she is stable. Hopefully, with a larger ship, there are three of us who need rescue.”

Phalomir poked his head inside the ship and looked about. K’khil was correct, it would be a tight fit but two could ride inside. There were no obvious compartments for medical equipment such as a stretcher, but a first aid kit presented itself, attached to the bottom of a seat. Phalomir took this and left the small ship.

“I will carry her here,” he said. “I was hoping for a stretcher, but there is none. Please, try to arrange a place for her to ride comfortably. I do not know the extent of her injuries, but they are great.”

Phalomir placed a massive hand on the Verpine, approximating where a shoulder would be.

“I place great confidence in you, my friend,” he said. “I know you will take care of her.”

With that, Phalomir began the short run back to where Lord Aelvedaar kept watch over Jharmeen. On the way he thought of the best way to carry her without creating more injuries, and of what he and Lord Aelvedaar would do while waiting for the K’khil’s return. He did not relish the thought of staying with these Ewoks, but they had no friends here. And Rykounagin was lost, and must be located.

When Phalomir reached the spot where Jharmeen lay, he greeted Aelvedaar and nodded to the Ewok. He then knelt beside Jharmeen and placed a hand gently on her forehead.

“K’kihl will take her to a cloud city, in the Bespin system. He will return for us when he is able, hopefully he will find a com link to leave with us.”

Phalomir pulled out the first aid kit, finding in it a hypo of painkiller. He was well versed in such field medicine, though he could not exactly recall from where he learned it. Perhaps in the days after his father had left? He then stood and bent down, preparing to scoop up Jharmeen.

“Can you assist me, my Brother? I do not wish to cause her more injury while I lift.”

A small cough from behind caused Phalomir to pause and look. The Ewok stood next to a makeshift stretcher fashioned from sticks and vines. Phalomir could see more Ewoks standing behind the trees and peering out, and stood and bowed to them.

“Perhaps instead,” he said to Aelvedaar, “you may help me carry her in this?”

--------------------