Sahrsa was reclining on a medical bed, staring into nothing with unseeing eyes. As Kylo and Rey stepped through the door, she slowly turned her head and blinked at them. It took a moment before recognition could be seen in her eyes.
"Supreme Leader," she said, moving to push herself up.
"At ease," Kylo quickly said. "You are recovering."
"Sir," she acknowledged, leaning back into the cushion behind her.
Her gaze shifted towards Rey and she frowned, clearly disturbed at the lack of recognition.
"Hi," Rey said. "I'm Rey. 'Miss Rey' will do for now; we'll fill you in about my identity later."
Kylo sighed and threw her a look. "Really?"
"It's hardly the most important thing right now," Rey answered.
"I disagree."
Rey merely tsk'ed at him and he let it go. Sahrsa was watching them and Kylo understood what Reor had meant by her being 'slow'. She was definitely more aware than she had been with the chip still implanted, but not much seemed to really get processed.
"What has Reor told you about your situation?" Kylo asked.
Sahrsa frowned again. "He said that I had a chip implanted at the base of my skull," she answered after a moment, "and that it influenced my behaviour and my memories. Several months have gone by since I was supposed to take my test?"
Kylo nodded. "Yes," he answered. "Do you know where you are?"
"The medic only said this is a facility run by you, Supreme Leader, nothing else."
Kylo chewed his lip. "What should I tell her?" he asked Rey. "I don't want to overload her."
"The bare minimum until Reor gets a better view on how well her brain is healing," Rey answered. "Maybe ask her what she wants to know?"
"This is indeed a facility run by me," Kylo said. "Is there anything else you wish to know?"
"It is not my place to request information," Sahrsa answered, monotone and very much like her former, chipped self.
The confused frown that followed her own statement clearly showed she had not consciously decided to say it. The frown turned into distress quickly and Rey gently touched Sahrsa's shoulder.
"Don't worry," she said. "Did Reor not tell you there might be lingering effects from the chip?"
Sahrsa nodded, confusion continuing to mar her features.
"That's one of those effects, so don't worry about it," Rey continued. "Can you get past it and ask us your questions?"
The confusion turned into another frown, then morphed into a variety of other stressed expressions.
"Stop," Kylo commanded when Sahrsa started trembling. "Don't say anything."
Sahrsa sagged into the mattress. Kylo chewed his lip, thinking.
"You are free to speak your mind however you please," he eventually said, tone still commanding.
"Thank you, sir," Sahrsa acknowledged, thumping her fist against her heart.
"This facility," Kylo started, wanting to give at least a minimum of an explanation, "is the new headquarters and main training base for the Knights. The rules here are less severe than the no-longer operational Base Z. You don't have to worry about further details until later. Most important now is for you to heal."
"We are glad to have you back, Sahrsa of Ren," Rey added.
"Am I a Knight?" Sahra unexpectedly asked. "I never took the test." She frowned. "I have not earned the title."
"I fully recognise you as a Knight," Kylo answered.
"That particular test has been abolished," Rey said, an edge to her tone before it softened. "We are looking for something to replace it. Once we have figured it out, and if you want it, I'm sure you would be allowed to take it as well."
"Of course," Kylo agreed. "But that's for the future. We will leave you now to rest."
Rey gave Sahrsa a little wave, causing the Knight to blink at her in astonishment while they left the med bay.
"Sir," Phasma said as they stepped into the hallway. "Ember and Hux are on their way to your office."
Kylo nodded before turning towards Lesa. "The chances are slim, but if Sahrsa asks you questions, you are free to answer them to the fullest of your knowledge. The only thing to keep secret for now is the fact that the Knights are using the Force. I'm afraid that will be too much of a shock."
"Yes, sir," Lesa answered.
"This counts as well for whoever replaces you when your shift ends."
"I'll make sure the Guard are informed, sir," Phasma answered in Lesa's stead.
"Good." He took hold of Rey's hand and squeezed it, comforted by her presence. "Let's sort this out with Ember and Hux, then have the Knights informed," he said, heading back to his office.
They walked in silence as Kylo tried to mentally list all that needed to be done and the consequences of Sahrsa's current state of mind. He barely noticed when they arrived, snapped out of his thinking by an uncharacteristically unnerved Ember.
"How is she?" Ember immediately demanded.
Kylo noted how Hux gently touched Ember's arm before greeting them.
"She's okay," Rey answered, "but there are some complications."
"What complications?"
"Ember," Hux hushed her.
"Sahrsa is sane and fully aware," Kylo explained as he moved to sit behind his desk. "But the removal of the chip didn't fully end its influence."
He explained to them what Reor had told Rey and him, and what his own impressions of Sahrsa were. Rey added a comment here or there but mostly left the talking to him.
"So, we don't really know," Ember concluded.
"It will take some time before we get a complete impression of the chip's after-effects," Kylo agreed. "In the meantime, we need to figure out how to monitor Sahrsa without it becoming oppressive."
"We have no idea what she can and cannot do," Rey added.
Silence fell over the group as they tried to think of a solution.
"Someone could share a room with her?" Phasma eventually offered.
"You want someone to guard her?" Rey asked.
"It seems like the easiest solution," Phasma agreed.
"That was my idea at first as well," Kylo said, "but I'm afraid it will hinder her more than it will help. That, and I don't want her to feel like a prisoner."
"Why do you think it would hinder her?" Phasma asked.
"It might prevent her from relaxing fully," Kylo said, "which might reinforce the chip's lingering effects instead of lessening them. There seems to be a dissonance between how she's reacting now and how she thinks she should be reacting."
"I see," Phasma said.
Another moment of silence before Hux addressed Rey. "That little menace of a droid of yours," he said, earning himself a glare. "Could it keep Sahrsa company? Can it follow enough commands to find help when something seems to go wrong?"
Rey blinked at Hux in utter surprise, a sentiment shared by Kylo. He hadn't expected Hux to care beyond the arrangements he would end up having to make, and maybe about how it all would affect Ember.
Tilting her head sideways, Rey's look turned pensive. "I'm not sure," she finally muttered. "Flock doesn't have any medical software and its behavioural software is limited. How would he know what to look out for? We don't even know that."
Hearing its name, the droid—whom they'd left behind in the office before their mad dash towards the med bay—whirred to life.
"Miss has need for me?" it questioned before rolling towards the middle of the office and turning in a tight circle. "Ooh, many people here. Wha! Mean Guy is here too; Miss Shiny, protect me!"
Hux sighed and Ember shrugged. "It beats the previous nickname," she said.
The glare Hux sent her was more annoyed than enraged. Meanwhile, Rey beckoned Flock back to her side before she crouched down.
"We want you to keep someone company and make sure she's okay," she said.
Flock swayed a little, tilting its head. "What is 'not okay'?" it asked.
"That," Rey said, standing again, "we are trying to figure out." She turned to the others again. "Maybe Karina will know a way to add the proper software?" she mused out loud.
Kylo eyed Phasma who immediately nodded and started speaking into her comm.
"Even if we can get Flock sufficiently upgraded, I don't think it's wise to only rely on the droid. Some human interaction should remain," he said to the group.
"Is Missus TomTom coming?" Flock asked.
"Steven is on his way to fetch her," Phasma said.
"Yay," Flock commented, zooming around. "I like Missus TomTom."
"I know you like Karina, Flock," Rey absentmindedly answered before answering Kylo's comment. "It's not only that human interaction must remain," she said, "Flock needs to charge as well."
"Maybe Phasma's idea makes sense if it's only for the night," Ember said. "Dot, Shadow and I could maybe alternate and sleep in the same room as Sahrsa. If we stick with her from dinner onward until breakfast the next day, we could get a proper idea of what she can and cannot do without overwhelming her."
"If you three are willing," Kylo said.
"I definitely am," Ember answered, "and I doubt either Dot or Shadow will protest. This is a fellow Knight we're talking about; one that got a chip implanted."
Kylo nodded at her before turning towards Hux. "Can you get a room arranged?" he asked. "One that will allow her to avoid the other Base Knights? I don't want her to unexpectedly run into one of them only to realise that's what she looked like under the chip's influence. I'm afraid it would shock her too much."
"If I room her in one of the staff quarters," Hux answered after a moment. "Even if I room her on a different level of the Knights' sections of the sleeping quarters, they're bound to eventually run into each other. Unless I use one of the rooms meant for trainees but that would mean she'd regularly come into contact with them?"
"This is going to turn into a problem when we have more unchipped Base Knights, isn't it?"
"It is," Hux admitted. "Keeping them together isn't such an issue, but ensuring they don't interact will become nigh impossible."
"Maybe, for now, we can use staff quarters," Rey said. "Sahrsa is the first; we can reevaluate after. Besides, all of this will be moot if we can't upgrade Flock."
"True," Kylo agreed. "Phasma, how long until Karina gets here?"
There was a moment of silence as Phasma requested an update from Steven. "They're almost here, sir," she answered.
"Is there anything else we need to take into account that you can think of?"
"Who will she have dinner with?" Hux asked. "The staff? We can't create a shift just for her alone."
"That is a very good question," Kylo said, drawing a blank on the answer.
"Could one of the Knights accompany her during mealtimes as well?" Rey asked. "Then she could maybe eat with the trainees but at a different table? The Knight could create a barrier between the trainees and Sahrsa, and reassure the trainees in case there's unusual behaviour."
"It would also allow Sahrsa to see how this Base is more relaxed than Base Z, but in a controlled manner," Phasma added.
All eyes turned to Ember, who nodded. "We're going to have to discuss this but it should be alright," she said. A short pause, then, "What about training?"
"We're not even sure she'll be capable of it," Kylo said. "But, if she is, I think it would be the area she's least affected in. She could train whenever, as long as she stays away from the Base Knights for now."
As Ember nodded her agreement, the door to the office opened and Karina stepped in.
"Missus TomTom," Flock immediately exclaimed. "You're going to upgrade me."
Bewildered by the sudden exclamation, it took Karina a moment to take in the situation and properly greet everyone present.
"Am I now?" she asked Flock, then, to Rey. "I am?"
Rey laughed. "We hope you are," she said before launching into an explanation of what was needed.
Karina blew out a breath once Rey was finished. "So, mostly behavioural software," she muttered to herself, crouching and beckoning Flock over, "and basic medical knowledge. List software," she commanded Flock.
Flock's voice turned mechanical as it listed several software packages, adding 'altered' after most of them.
"Andrea sure had her fun with this one," Karina said with a laugh after Flock was finished. "There should be enough room left to update the droid with the necessary software. I'll need to upgrade its processing capabilities as well though. There will be more data to process." She studied Flock's 'face'. "I'll have to change his optical receptors, Miss Rey," Karina added. "These are insufficient to read body temperature and heart rate."
"Will he look differently?" Rey asked.
"I'm afraid so."
"Can we change it back after?"
Karina thought for a moment. "That should be possible, yes."
Rey nodded her assent, despite the unhappy twist around her mouth.
"How fast can you get it done?" Kylo asked.
"When do you need it done?" Karina countered.
"Tomorrow's breakfast at the latest."
"Ah," Karina said, standing after having given Flock a pat on the head. The droid practically purred in response. "I don't have the necessary optical receptors here."
"Talk to Derek," Kylo answered. "Have them delivered directly."
"Safety, sir," Phasma cautioned.
Kylo sighed. "Right, no direct deliveries to the Base," he said.
"Have them delivered at a nearby station?" Rey offered. "I can go pick them up."
"I'm not throwing you into an unknown, First Order station," Kylo protested. "Not even for a simple pick-up mission. You're not familiar with all the protocols and if they think something's off, they'll take action against you."
Rey started protesting in turn but Ember cut her off. "I believe Daze is a decent enough flyer."
"The Supreme Leader is right, Miss Rey," Phasma added.
"Fine," Rey conceded with a huff.
"Have Derek arrange it," Kylo said to Karina before dismissing her.
He sighed again. "You can go too, Hux," he said. "And we,' he continued, encompassing Rey, Ember and Phasma, "will go tell the Knights."