As Lord Charna's holocron message ended, the detonated bombs exploded deep in the cave. The immediate blast-wave knocked down both her and Malavai Quinn, as the cave began to collapse. The scorching blast-wind burned flesh, throbbing head failed to concentrate vision, the ringing noise was deafening but all was over within seconds. The cave-in buried the Sith Lord and her companion under piles of rock and metal debris.
As Quinn regained consciousness, sharp, paralyzing pain overwhelmed his senses. He slowly began to dig his way out when he noticed how lucky he was: a flat metal beam from the cave ceiling fell over him under an angle which protected his legs from more hazardous debris. And yet, he was dizzy from the concussion; severe chest pains affected his breathing and streaks of blood ran down his right temple. "Self-health assessment: severe concussion, skin burns and lacerations, fractured skull, and possible blast-lung injury. Overall condition status: fair verging on serious." – Quinn ran the ordinary status report usually done by his medical equipment in his mind as he searched for his Lord under a pile of rocks beside him.
He found Charna's unconscious body and extracted it from under the cave ruins. "Vital signs below normal. Severe crush injuries on the legs and a deep stomach wound with the risk of internal bleeding and sepsis. I must make haste." Quinn's medpac didn't survive the collapse: it was heavily damaged and barely functional. The bioscanner showed no anomalies and thus proved unreliable. Quinn took Charna in his arms and carried her to back to the ship.
Vette was dancing with 2V-R8 to the music played by his built-in juke-box, enjoying the freedom of having the ship all to herself when Quinn entered, his clothing ragged and stained in blood, carrying his unconscious Lord.
- What happened to you two? – she exclaimed worriedly in that high-pitched tone of hers.
- No time to explain. Dismount the intercom from the table. – was his answer.
He laid Charna on the table and unsteady as he was, brought in his medical equipment.
- Is she going to be alright? What can I do to help? – persisted Vette.
- There is no need for that. – Quinn breathed out dismissively and found himself unable to breath in.
He stood there for a moment paralyzed with pain and fear, trying to get control over his body. As he regained his breath, with trembling hands he loaded the kolto gun, jolting it into Charna's flesh. He proceeded to extract an imperial medical probe and didn't notice how Vette picked up a medical datapad and scanned him.
- It says you have a Pneumo… - she paused, trying to read the unknown word.
"Pneumothorax…" the word flashed quickly in Quinn's mind before Vette pronounced it, " My assessment was correct."
- Pneumothorax of some sort. Says here your fractured rib punctured a lung. If I were you I'd fix that up before you collapse without treating our Sith Lord here. Hold still, I got this.
- Please don't touch anything. You are not fit for this work, let me handle it, – with these words a severe chest pain took his breath away once again. His hand involuntarily clutched at his left side but he removed it as soon as he was conscious of the weakness expressing gesture.
- Pff, fine. If you'd told me what to do maybe Lord Charna would already be healed up. – Vette blurted out as she was about to go out of the room. Her words left a trace in Quinn's conscience.
"I don't like admitting this, but for once she is right," he thought and muttered:
- Take this laser cauterizer and use it on bruises, burns and flesh wounds. I'll deal with broken bones and the stomach wound.
And so they both hastened to tend to Charna's injuries. Quinn stood there for an hour repairing the damage on her flesh and only applied one stim on himself.
- She's stable, - Quinn stated in a quiet, exhausted voice while patching up the last minor bone fracture.
He sensed how blood began to trickle down his temple. His vision blurred; the stim's effects were wearing off. He tried to focus but instead the whole room began to drift. A sickening feeling of his heart slowing down indicated that he was about to lose consciousness. A sudden shortness of breath left him speechless as he manically grasped the kolto gun which his unsteady hands were unable to load. Vette instantly saw how the Captain's countenance changed from cold professionalism to trembling panic and rushed to help.
- Oh boy, I have no idea what I'm doing… - Vette whispered as she lobbed the first thing she could find at Quinn, and swiftly loading the kolto gun, jolted it right into his chest.
Vette helped Quinn stand on his feet, while they were submerged in the healing emerald kolto gas. He felt every cell refreshing and every tissue healing; as he regained enough strength he fumbled in the medpac , obtained a scanner and moved toward a chair.
- Sooo... Yeah, I guess I'll be going now. – the Twi'lek shrugged seeing that the Captain no longer acknowledged her presence and went toward the door.
As she was about to go through the doorway the Captain deployed a med scan and uttered in a muffled voice:
- Thank you for your assistance.
- Listen, I know you don't like me; but I was glad to help. I… really didn't expect you to be so devoted. – Vette replied sincerely and went out of the room.
Still feeling extremely debilitated by his injury, the captain, undergoing the med scan hid his face in his hands trying to remember where he put the IV's.
- Oh, and also – you owe me. – Vette's head popped into the door way and disappeared in thin air.
Quinn's eye began to twitch viciously. Face still buried in his hands, he heard a rustling noise from the table. Charna came to her senses and was sitting on the edge of the table.
- Malavai, - she spoke softly, - are you alright?
- I am currently undergoing recovery, my Lord.
- I had the strangest dream. Two Sith figures bending over me, saying something about the Command Centre and… justified interest and established worth… I must go there at once. – she jumped off the table and approached her husband,– My poor savior. You look so weak, so vulnerable… - she murmured those words seductively and kissed Quinn on the lips. – I will reward you later. For now, I have to find out who are those two figures. Vette!
- Yes, my Lord?
- Get ready, we're heading out.
And so the two left the Fury. Malavai Quinn applied the IV and as he lay in his bunk, running the events of the day through his head and piecing them together in an attempt to foresee the outcome.