"Vitus! Wake up!" Aelia cries trying to wake Vitus from his nightmare.
Vitus' world slowly comes back into view. His eyes adjust to the dim, cavernous hangar containing three transport ships prepped to evacuate the thirty or so survivors who escaped the massacre. Unknown to most of the populace, the hangar lies at the heart of a mountain, impossible to detect without the most advanced ground penetrating radar systems making the ideal place to hide from the Sith fleet. Apart from Aelia everyone is silent, afraid that even a whisper will reach the ears of the Sith hundreds of meters above them on the surface.
Vitus soon realizes he is lying on the cold, metallic ground, with Aelia and Quintus at his side. The boy smiles seeing that his father is okay. Vitus attempts a smile back only to feel his parched lips crack from being crusted over with dry blood. He rubs his hand over his mouth to remove the days old blood along with the beads of sweat coating his forehead.
He tries a word. "Ae-" It is too difficult to even speak. His mouth and throat are so dry that is difficult to even breathe.
"Aeliana- fetch some water," Aelia says to her daughter waiting behind her, and the young woman promptly obeys. "Vitus, try to lie still. I managed to better clean the wound at your side, but without proper medical attention… just don't try to rush anything."
Ignoring her words, Vitus smiles, shakes his head, and slowly moves to sit up properly. The pain at his side remains, however, it is not as strong, but he can tell that he no longer has the use of his left lung. Breathing is more difficult than it ever has been, but he is alive - Quintus is alive. Looking down at the spot where the exposed rib had been, he sees that the wound at his side has been cleaned, the dried blood washed away and the flesh stitched up having been reopened by Aelia during his unconsciousness. The clothes he wears no longer bear their original colors, instead his leather jacket, shirt, and pants are hued in shades of dark red.
Aeliana soon returns caringly holding a small cup of water. She crouches down and raises it to Vitus' dry lips. The man can't help but raise an eyebrow at the unrefreshing amount of water, but still gladly accepts the small drink to parch his thirst.
"How long have I been out?" Vitus asks, his voice weak and strained but returning.
"Three days." Aelia responds.
"And why aren't we off planet?"
Aelia looks to the small group of survivors starving for food and warmth in the cold hangar. Small fires keep the hangar lit with the help of the back-up systems of the middle Journeyman transport. "The Sith fleet is still in orbit."
Vitus' heart drops.
"Their bombardment hasn't stopped once." Aelia says. "I fear they know we're still alive."
Vitus cannot help but think that Aelia may be right. "Are we the last two?" he asks, referring to his and Aelia's status as a Journeyman Protector.
"Gnaeus is alive…He is tending to the others." Aelia shifts her gaze to the others. "Gnaeus, Vitus is awake."
Out from the darkness and into view comes Gnaeus, a tall-burly man with skin as dark as night and scarred from the fighting above. Though the youngest of the seven Journeyman Protectors, he is considered the wisest of them, but others would say that he is just overly cautious.
Gnaeus' deep voice greets Vitus as he extends a hand to his mentor. "Journeyman Mereel, I am glad to see you still breathing."
"Same here." Vitus says smiling to his former protégé and accepting his hand in a firm handshake. "You know you are a Journeyman now as well, formality is no longer needed between us."
Gnaeus smiles. "Old habits I guess."
Vitus chuckles, clearing his throat simultaneously. "How are they?" He asks gesturing toward the survivors.
"Cold…tired…hungry… The Sith came out of nowhere so there was no time to grab any supplies for any kind of prolonged hold out. What we have is what is left of the emergency rations from the transports, which, sadly, won't last another day." Gnaeus says, his voice calm and his thoughts collected – just as Vitus taught him.
Vitus pauses to contemplate on their desperate situation. Vitus knows that their survival clock is ticking away and it is only a matter of time before they all die from hunger. If they are to escape, they would need to do it sooner than later. "The ships are ready, yes?"
Both Aelia and Gnaeus nod.
"And where is the Sith fleet in correlation with our position?" Vitus asks.
Aelia responds, "The navi-computer shows that half the fleet has left the system. The remaining half continues their orbit on the opposite side of the moon with patrolling cruisers and fighters on our side."
Vitus makes a move to stand up, the pain at his side holding him back, but he fights through it. Aelia and Gnaeus attempt to help him but he pushes them away.
He manages to stand, and, looking to his two peers, says, "Show me."