Ando
Chapter 14
Calla wrapped the tattered grey blanket around her narrow shoulders and looked down from the mountain as the ships landed. She hadn't seen ships come down from the sky since the Great War. Her younger brother had no memories of the conflict, but Calla remembered when there were still ships in the sky. She had been five when the war started and ten when it ended. She'd been old enough to remember everything. There used to be cargo ships for supplies when she was little. There had been a horrible battle in the night sky when their home on the edge of town had caught fire from the flaming debris. Her parents had screamed at her to take her brother and run; even as they tried to save the house. She and Eirik had run to their uncle, who lived in at the base of the mountains. In the five years since the war, she and Eirik had learned many more hard lessons. Life in the mountains was not kind and neither was Uncle Creel.
"What is it, Calla?" Eirik asked in a sleepy voice from the small indentation where they had chosen to stay the night and observe the town.
Calla looked up to see two more gleaming ships soaring in from the ocean. She reached back and gently shook her brother's shoulder. "You're going to want to see this, Eirik."
Her brother stared in wonder at the ships even as he shivered from the cold. He was ten and forced to act older due to their hard life. As he stared up at a ship soaring overhead, Calla was able to see a glimpse of the child in Eirik. She reached her arm around his shoulders, warming him with the blanket. She tried to imagine what it would be like if they weren't struggling to survive all the time.
She snapped back to reality. "The men have returned from wherever they went and brought back three more ships. All that activity and the lights on the field were preparation for their arrival." Her voice was sharply bitter. She shivered as the wind tried to steal away the blanket, whipping her hair into stinging strands against her face.
"Can we sneak into town now?" her brother asked hopefully.
"No. Too many people around."
Earlier the women would have been distracted; they could have gone down into one of the deserted houses on the edge of town. They could have looked around, seen something worth taking or found food or clothing left unguarded.
"Are we going to spy on them some more?" Eirik asked.
Calla moved forward, observing the men. "Give me a moment to think, Eirik."
She needed to work out a strategy and it was hard to think when you were cold and hungry. Going back to Uncle Creel's camp was no longer an option. He hated bad news and the presence of other men was the worst news possible. He'd beat Eirik to death to punish her. Without stealing anything they had nothing to offer another gang they might wish to join except information. The small outlaw gangs that roamed these mountains were tough, hardy women and they all seemed to want men bad enough to kidnap them; a lot of the work of Uncle Creel's gang was keeping the other women away. There had always been talk of getting off-planet. Calla had information to sell in both these areas.
Eirik crawled back into the hollow and Calla moved to shield him from the wind, wrapping the old blanket tighter around her. Uncle had been beating her for several years but had recently started in on Eirik. There was no future for them with Uncle Creel. Ando spread before them, the four ships like bright glitters near the center of town.
Calla spoke slowly. "I think we're going to become townspeople." She nodded to herself.
"Us? Townies?" Eirik yawned and pushed himself further into the niche to escape the bitter wind. "Will they give us food?"
Calla crawled back and pulled the blanket over herself and her brother, tucking it over his shoulder against the cold stone as she wrapped him in her arms. "If they don't," she replied pragmatically, "then we spy and sell the information to uncle or one of the other gangs. They'll pay good food and warm clothes for information that can help them with their kidnapping."
"Sounds good," Eirik letting out a long drowsy yawn and made a dismissive wave toward the town below, "they got plenty of extra men down there. Probably not even going to miss one."
# # #
"You're a heavy son of a Fett," Travis growled to Catcher as he half-dragged and half-supported him toward Karyn's clinic.
"I'll be fine after a short rest," argued Catcher.
Travis only snorted his disbelief even as he spoke into the helmet comm. "Tag, I'm bringing in Catcher. He collapsed. His previous wounds…"
"We've got the report from Mako, Lieutenant. We're prepared. Just a quick check in the main clinic and, if there's no deterioration, he'll go into one of the beds hooked up to a nutrition IV laced with a mild painkiller and muscle-relaxant."
"Good," said Travis.
"We got the report on you as well, Travis," said Tag hesitantly. "And it's a very similar prescription. If you want to rest, Lieutenant Torch can- "
"I'm fine," growled Travis as he grabbed onto Catcher's belt and hefted him up the first step. Catcher was using the strength of his arms on the railing but he chortled as he caught Travis' response. One of the medical aids quickly moved down the stairs to Catcher's other side, also hoisting him by his belt.
"Where did Tag say to go?" She was one of the fisherwoman, strong from pulling nets and husky-voiced from shouting above the waves.
Travis was concentrating on getting the ARC Captain up the steps and didn't realize the woman was speaking. Catcher repeated her question.
"Main clinic," replied Travis.
"This way, then."
"Over here," the fisherwoman gestured her head towards where a portion of the room was cordoned off by curtains. Together they moved Catcher onto the bed then the fisherwoman raised it for the ease of whoever would look him over. "Someone will be right in, probably Mako or Xyra." She paused for a moment then gave a nod. "We're glad you're back," she said as she pushed past the curtain to return to her post.
Catcher sighed and closed his eyes with exhaustion. "Since you got me this far, I don't think Mako will let me go." He gave Travis a wry grin. "You might want to make your escape before he decides the same for you."
"We're almost done with the notifications anyway. Next is Till."
"Keep an eye on the men. Make sure they get debriefed. Watch out for-"
Catcher's stream of orders was interrupted by the arrival of Karyn. His helmet captioning automatically transcribed her words: "...prep Flex, Mako, so we can explore how badly his arm is shattered and start putting it back together. I'll check Catcher."
Travis jerked off his helmet. He had promised himself he would apologize the moment he saw her. Now wasn't a good time but it might be his only time.
As Karyn flicked back the curtain, her eyes first went to the bed where Catcher sat. She quickly perused the injured ARC Captain and then froze at the sight of Travis. Her eyes slowly scanned his entire person, taking measure of his wounds by what his armor showed.
Travis' throat was dry but he began. He couldn't hear himself except as some faint, irritating buzz that he figured was some side effect from the most recent explosions, so he had no idea if his voice was even audible. "Karyn, I'm sorr-"
Karyn's face went hard and his heart sunk. "Now is not the time, Travis."
Catcher tried to push himself up from the bed. "Oh, don't mind me. I'll just go-"
Karyn whirled to him, her finger in the captain's face though Travis didn't know what she was saying. He hung his head down to the burnt armor of his chest. His actions before he'd left Ando had destroyed everything between them. Karyn turned to pull medical supplies out of a nearby cabinet. He was turning to go, when Catcher yanked on his hand to get his attention. He spoke to him in clone sign language.
Bad timing. Wait. Then a pause, and a creative whirl of fingers the clones had picked up on the docks of Ando. Spawn of Oppee.
Travis smiled at Catcher's use of one of Ashla's favorite insults, a classic among the fisherfolk, and signed back, Thanks. He tugged on his helmet and again turned to leave, but Karyn was assessing Catcher's wound.
"I don't like this wound." Karyn's words traced inside Travis' helmet as her finger touched the ARC's chest. He stayed, willing to risk Karyn's wrath so he could look after his Captain.
"Makes two of us," Catcher joked, but Travis and I have work to do."
Karyn shot Travis a look like this was all his fault.
"Definitely not," said Karyn as she applied a coat of bacta to the wound, "you'll be going into one of the clinic biobeds." She expertly wrapped Catcher's chest with swift, rapid moves that had been done hundreds of times before and then reached out a hand to help him up. It was a testament to his exhaustion that he didn't protest the help.
"Let me go home. I won't be able to relax here; and, I'm sure my men would prefer not to have to deal with their captain."
Karyn turned to Travis and, for a moment, he was hopeful but her face was stern. "Take him home to Ashla's, Travis. Complete bedrest for four days, except for bio breaks. This wound needs to heal. Absolutely no working. None. Ashla can check the chest wound but Mako or I will be there…" she looked at the opening of the curtain, into the clinic where the rest of the wounded waited or rested, "...when we can." Then her lips twisted. "If I see hear of him so much as making a comm call before four days, either Mako or I will have him sedated here on the clinic or on the medship. He's been added to the wait list for the bacta tank. As soon as his name comes up, we'll comm Ashla to bring him in."
Travis nodded. "Torch and I will keep an eye on him. Make sure he rests." Catcher was his Captain now. His responsibility.
Her eyes moved over the markings of his helmet, as if she was trying to see the man behind the mask.
One of the surgery volunteers came in and interrupted them. "Flex is ready; prepped for surgery and already under sedation."
Karyn's face relaxed as it always did when she could focus on work, as if she had more immediate things to do than yell at him. "Take the speeder, Travis." She turned her back on him, and headed into the surgery.
"Come on, let's get you home," Travis grumbled, hoisting Catcher up. He grunted as he struggled to support his vode. "What do they feed you ARCs anyway?"
# # #
A/N: A huge thank you to Reulte on this chapter who not only wrote the section in the beginning introducing two new people from Ando (Calla and Eirik), but also tackled the second section featuring Catcher, Travis and Karyn, (and, normally those three are my responsibility.) Very well done.