Never tell me the Odds

While Tasherit and Jaden were speaking with Nomi on their way to Crait, Corran was spending another restless night. His fever didn't cease despite his efforts to cure his wounds with the Force. He regretted that he always refused to tap more in the Jedi healing arts. Neither his mother nor Master Skywalker was able to convince him to do so. Corran always claimed to have no talent for such stuff and preferred to tune his lightsaber skills.
The young Jedi tossed about on the cot where he was laying unable to find some sleep. He closed his eyes and when he opened them again he saw Sheila sitting on the edge of the bed. She smiled at him and wiped the sweat from his forehead like she had done the night before.
"Hello, love," she said silently. The young Jedi smiled back at her despite the pain he was enduring.
"You're back," he said nearly inaudible. "Take me with you, love." The young man looked at her with pleading eyes. He felt weak and knew all too well that he would die. It was inevitable, if his sister wouldn't arrive soon. "Help me, Sheila… help me to make an end."
Sheila shook her head. "There is a time to live and there is a time to die. Your time to die isn't yet, Corran."
"Please help me," his voice was only a whisper and tears were running down his cheeks while he fumbled for his blaster. "I'm too weak to do it alone. If you ever loved me… help me to go away from this pain."
She shook her head again and wiped her lover's tears. "You were always so strong, Corran. Don't give up this easy. Your sister is on the way. Don't let her find only a corpse when she arrives here."
Corran dropped the blaster and went in Sheila's arms. She stroked gently his tousled hair noticing the growing beard in his youthful face. "I love you, Corran. Stay strong, your family needs you."
The Jedi calmed down, while Sheila held him in her arms singing a lullaby. He was finally able to hold the pain at bay and closed his eyes. Eventually he fell asleep.

When Corran woke the next morning Sheila was gone. He crawled out of bed and to the crate with the protein bars and the dwindling water supplies. If it came to the water there wasn't much left to backup his survival. Because of the fever he drank more of it than he would have in a normal health state. He sighed realizing this. It was the second day after he was left behind by the remnants of the Resistance. He settled on the floor leaning his back against the transport's wall and begun to eat downing the protein bars with a few sips of water. When he had finished his frugal meal he was exhausted and crawled slowly back to lie down on the cot. The waiting was unnerving, since he always questioned himself if his sister would be there on time.

Time passed slowly and he tried again to heal his wounds, but without avail. Frustrated he slumped back on the cot and curled up under the blanket shivering because of the fever. He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to come. There was nothing else to do than to sleep, eat, wait and hope.
Corran was waiting for the night being pretty sure that Sheila would come again to keep him company, to encourage him to hang on, to not simply give up as he was about the last night when he drew his blaster. The young Jedi had eaten another protein bar and was now lying on his cot again.

While Corran Rendar was waiting for his late lover to appear, his sister Tasherit and Jaden had made their last jump to hyperspace on their way to Crait. Jaden Katarn leaned back in the co-pilot's seat folding his hands behind his head and putting his feet on the console.
"You know that the odds are slim that your brother is still alive when we reach Crait?"
His fiancé nearly choked at the protein bar bite she was just chewing and glared at him.
"Never tell me the odds, Katarn," she spat after swallowing the bite, "especially if it comes to my family."
"I didn't want to upset you, love but you said that he is severely wounded. You know what happens if those wounds are left untreated."
"Don't forget that my brother's a Jedi. It takes more than some wounds to kill him."
Jaden shook his head. "I hope you are right." Then he stared out of the viewport where the streaks of hyperspace were passing by. It had no avail to argue with Tasherit if her mind was set about something. He knew this from months of experience. Eventually he closed his eyes and took a nap. Tasherit looked at him angrily and finally fell also asleep.
Both woke up when they heard the signal that they were about to fall back in real space. Jaden sat up and pulled the lever. The streaks of hyperspace transitioned into stars and they saw Crait in front of them. Nearby were drifting the debris of the destroyed transports which didn't make it planet side because of the First Order's mercilessness.
Tasherit swallowed hard. So many lives lost, so many had died in vain. She steered the Trader's Luck towards the planet and minutes later she landed it smoothly nearby the Galactic Civil War Rebel base. The young Jedi cut the engines, unstrapped and left the freighter followed by Jaden. Both were looking around seeing the marks of the recent battle. There were downed TIEs and destroyed speeders of to them unknown design. The gate to the base was a gaping hole which edges were showing burn marks. When they passed the trenches they saw the corpses lying there. Tasherit shivered thinking about that it could be also her brother lying there. But he was alive and they would find him. She and Jaden entered slowly the base, where the few transports which escaped the First Order's wrath were standing. Tasherit entered the first one while Jaden was entering the transport standing behind it.

Corran smiled when he saw a silhouette in the entry to the transport.
"I'm glad you are back, Sheila," he said silently and reached out to the woman who was approaching him.
His sister frowned, while she was looking at her brother. "Sheila? It's me, Tash. I'll bring you home, Corran."
She pulled out her comlink. "Jaden, I found my brother. Come over here."
Shortly after Jaden entered the transport and smiled at his future brother in law. "I knew that you are too stubborn to die."

Together they carried Corran to the Trader's Luck. Sheila was watching them unnoticed except by Corran who smiled when she waved him goodbye. Minutes later they were on the way to Nar Shaddaa.