REST
A one-shot by Minor Key
Story Rating: G, E, K, however you want to look at it. No warnings.
Story Summary: Bao-Dur is tattered from lack of sleep, emotianlly and physically. What can the Exile do to help his spirit relax? His body to sleep?
Author's Note: I had quite a lot of fun writing this story. I had absoluty zero writer's blocks and I was going on from about 10:20 to 11:05 writing this because I was on a roll. I hope you enjoy it, it really brought me thinking about Bao-Dur more then I ever have thought about him before. This is probably the best OneShot I've ever written.
Time taken: about 1 hour
Completed: June 24
More added to: Complete
Category: Angst/General
Tap... tap... tap...
Jahna was standing in the center of the Ebon Hawk, gazing at the map of the planet which hovered over a large computer console while twirling her long, black hair around one of her fingers. She was the only one still awake: Atton had fallen asleep in the pilot's chair. Visas had crept away to the woman's section of the crew quarters with Kreia and Mira. Mandalore had fallen asleep in the men's section with the Desciple. T3-M4, G0-T0, Remote, and HK-47 had all been shut down for the night. Yes, everyone was asleep.
All but one.
Rap... tap... tap...
The sound came from the garage bay of the ship. It was slow and steady, pausing only for a few moments, then continuing with the rythmic pats. The sound was almost like a quiet chime- metal tapping against metal. Occasionally, the sound would stop and change as the holder of the tools would switch his utencil, and a different chime would echo through the Ebon Hawk- ever so quietly, but the Exile was quite aware of the sounds which failed to bring the others awake.
"What is he doing awake?" Jahna thought to herself. Slowly, she walked towards the garage bay, her footsteps quietly echoing through the many chambers of the ship, the soft footclap on the metal grates softly floating thoguh the air. She entered the bay, studying the middle-aged Zabrak who was hard at work, bending over a workbench. His skin was sandy pale, as usual, and he wore an engineer's harness over a green undershirt, which was a floppy fabric that took the shape of his powerful muscles which pulsed within his strong body. Seven small horns protruded from the top of his bald head, and at the edges of the horns, long lines zigzaged down his face and ended with the bottom of his chin and the sides of his face. This caused his face to have a cracked look, but it was just the way the Zabrak "skin tatoos" worked, giving him an extra unique appearence.
His left arm had been severed in the wars he had served in, and he had built a pure energy replacement for it, which glowed a radient blue. The glow lit up his workspace, showing him what to do with the many parts that were scattered across the desk.
"Hello, General." He said, glancing up from his work for a second, but his hands were still fiddling with a hydrospanner. "You're still awake?"
"I slept enough yesterday, so I was studying the planet we're on before we set out tomorrow. But you stole the question I was going to ask you." She said, walking over to the Zabrak. "Bao-Dur, since when did you last sleep?"
Bao-Dur paused, dropping the hydrospanner quietly on the workspace. This was the question he least wanted to answer out of all the questions Exile could've possibly asked, and he was unprepared for it. He drew in a breath of the sligtly smoky, warm air and faced Jahna fully. "I... I don't really need sleep as much as humans do." He said in his usual soft, melancholy voice. "If I get all my work done tonight, I won't have it invading my thoughts when I help in the morning. Getting it out of the way now is the best option."
Jahna placed her hands on her hips, her awareness and pointedness getting the best of her. "Bao-Dur, you're obviously troubled about something."
The Iridonian fell silent. His gaze shifted to the metal-grated ground.
"Are you afraid of resting in the Ebon Hawk? Do you think the other guys don't want you around? Because they like you just fine, maybe you just need to get to know them more so you feel more comfortable."
"I'm quite fine around them..." Bao-Dur whispered.
"Well, what's bothering you, then?"
The Zabrak looked up, staring at the young lady, but his gaze flew past her eyes, through her, as if he was looking behind- looking in the past. To him, the world around them vanished, and he saw the black, craggy peaks of Malachor: the green exhaust popping out of cracked vents and steaming through the planet- blighting the humans, Mandalorians, aliens, and warriors with illness and nausea. The hideous Storm Beasts which take every oppertunity for prey other then feasting on eachother. The devetating lightning that barraded the planet's surphace.
His memories haunted him like this- keeping him silent. His madness had drove him to the extent where he felt that if he couldn't destroy the enemies, he would destroy the planet. Mass... shadows...
Finally, the Zabrak spoke. "I dream... of Malachor." Bao-Dur closed his eyes. "I cannot sleep without the memories... haunting me... and I cannot stay awake without them attacking my mind..."
Jahna's interrogating gaze softened. "Oh..." She remembered fighting alongside Bao-Dur during the wars- the final war, which almost broke her. If Bao-Dur hadn't wiped out the planet, she might not have made it.
"This is why I am always so busy. If I keep my mind focused on one thing, I will not be reminded of the countless lives that were lost... not only by the Mandalorians... but by... by my hands..." Though there was emphasis on his words, his voice was still soft and calm- like a butterfly gently landing on a flower. But inside, the inner insanity that the Zabrak was keeping within him was like the butterfly being devoured by a hungry giant. Within the Iridonian was much hatred.
The simple question of rest had opened up both Jahna's and Bao-Dur's minds. Jahna was beginning to understand Bao in a way she never thought she would. She had only known him for about two weeks now, and those two weeks had been conversationally blunt between she and he.
"Bao-Dur, you have to learn to let go of the past. There are some things you can't fix. You can fix my lightsaber when it fails me- you can fix T3 when he needs a system upgrade- you fan fix the Ebon Hawk when it crashes- you can fix computers when they fail, but Bao... you can't fix time. But instead of dwelling on it, wishing you could fix it, think about what you can do in the future. Look to the future and don't dwell on the past, but don't forget it. Don't forget the lessons you've learned in the past, and use them to help you fix the future. Bao-Dur, you can't fix the past, but you can build your future. You can make up for the lives lost on Malachor by saving the lives of millions who are drawn to this war. Bao... put the past at rest."
This was possibly the most thought-out phrase Jahna has ever said in her life. Bao-Dur was looking at her, and his hands weren't moving on the workbench anymore. His bright, brown eyes were planted in hers, no longer looking through her into the battles he had fought. His mind was focused on her, on the future, and what she had said. The wheels of invention churning in his brain began to slow down as he stopped thinking about repairs for a few moments.
For a few moments, the two stood there, merely staring at each other. Into each other. The Force was now communicating with them through emotions until both of them began to feel what the other was feeling- to understand eachother. Jahna could feel Bao-Dur's pain... the many friends he watched suffer, bleed, and die at Malachor. The many enemies he took too much pride in crushing, and hatred for the ones left alive. Searching through him deeper, Jahna could feel the guilt that covered his body from his single-handed destruction of Malachor by using the planet's gravity against anything left alive on the surphace. As Jahna's mind resurphaced from the thoughts buried deep in the Zabrak, she picked up strong traces of sheer exhaust. Having not slept in goodness knows how long, Bao-Dur was too tired for her to imagine. She didn't know if it was his inner mechanisms that kept him going with enough energy to build all night long and fight all day long, but he needed sleep before his systems shut down, or worse.
At last, Jahna broke the silence, almost scarred by what she had experienced from Bao-Dur's mind, but she stayed cheerful. "So, Bao... do you want to rest? I can make you a bed in the men's quarters, if you'd like. Had you ever slept with pillows, or are you afraid you'll put holes in them with the spikes you've got?"
Bao-Dur chuckled slightly at the pillow joke, then thought for a moment. "I... I suppose... I'll give sleep a shot. Though I must say, you speak the truth about the pillows. I got tired of replacing them after a while, so I rest without them."
"Alright! Good to hear you're up to it." Jahna replied. She walked inside the storage center, where they kept all the spares: spare components, spare weapons, and spare blankets. She fetched an armload of sheets and walked quietly into the men's room, with Bao-Dur following.
She quietly made him a resting spot, trying to carefully avoid rousing Mandalore and Disciple, who were strong sleepers anyway.
"Tell me if you dream tomorrow, okay?" Jahna whispered to Bao-Dur.
"I will... thanks for your help with my... problem." Bao-Dur whispered back and climbed into the wall-cot.
"Good night, Bao-Dur."
"Good night... Jahna."
She smiled. He called her by her name.
---
The next morning, Jahna woke earlier then usual, to the twumping in the garage bay, which was just a hallway away from the women's quarters. She sat up from the bed and stood up, the covers floating to the floor. She stepped over them and snuck out of the room, peering into the garage.
Bao-Dur was hammering away, and he was at an angle where Jahna could see his face. He had a different look imbedded in it. Jahna smiled as she realised that he no longer possessed a faraway look in his eyes. They were more focused, more determined.
"Hey," She said as she walked inside.
Bao stopped hammering. "Hi, General..." He began. "I had a dream last night." He added slowly.
"Oh?" Jahna's smile faded, but Bao-Dur looked up at her devestated look with a fully-fledged smile, instead of his usual grin. "Nothing to worry about, General. It was..." His voice trailed. "About you."
"Me?" She blushed and smiled. "I... well, that's nice." She hadn't realized how much she liked the Zabrak up until now, but a real love relationship was still uncertain between the two. They both knew they weren't exactly compatable, as different races tended to be. Bao-Dur continued.
"It was the most peaceful dream I've ever had. We were on Dantooine, watching the waterfalls and the Iriaz graze. You talked to me about droids and how much fun repairing them was- that was the best part. And when I woke, I felt more refreshed then ever. Like I can do twice... no... three times as much as I, ever could. Having that dream makes me want to sleep more, so I can have more like that."
He paused and approached her slowly. "Thank you for calming my mind from Malachor. I feel I can rest much better now- in my mind... and my spirit."
FIN