How long had it been since she'd seen anyone? three? four days? well anyone alive. The planet was not that big but she was too injured to travel far, the force felt depleted within her and it caused her worry. She had never not been able to call upon it before.
"The force flows through all living things," sh whispered to herself, "It must be because of all the death."
She hated to think that it actually had something to do with her.
There was nothing she could have done differently, the mandalorians had been too many and her party too few, even with four jedi it had been too much, she wondered if the other jedi were still alive...
Tentatively, as if afraid it might slip away, she reached out with the force, searching for something, someone.
Her heart dropped everytime she thought of Bao-Dur, she had not seen him in three days and could not sense him nearby.
It had always been easy to find him before, he had the potential to become a jedi.
Her mind touched on something, a faint heartbeat, she breathed deeply, it was dying. She ran, even her injured leg did not faze her, she had to find the source of the pain.
It did not take long to find him, his apperance startled her, his face was covered in soot and blood which also trickled from his ears and nose. His face was swollen and the thing that made her cry...
He was missing an arm.
She couldn't hold back the tears as she ran towards him, no longer aware of her pain but awash in his. She could feel his suffering as every nerve twitched and bled. She lifted his head onto her lap and her tears fell onto his face, he was struggling to breath and if she did not do something soon he would die.
Suddenly the force surged within her, a wave she did not expect passed through the hand that stroked his face and into his body. He jolted and his body spasmed in her shock she automatically went to hold him down placing her body over his.
Suddenly it stopped and she watched fascinated and filling with hope as his wounds healed. The swelling on his face went down and the cuts and grazes on his chest and arm disappeared, there was nothing she could do for the left.
He was breathing normally again, he opened his eyes and attempted to sit up but she would not let him.
"Ell?"
He was confused, all she could do was beam at him, without thinking she kissed him on the cheek, blood and sweat getting into her mouth, she didn't care, he was alive!
"Welcome back my friend."
"Welcome back my friend."
The words brought her back to reality, she was still looking up at him slack jawed, Atton looked slightly concerned.
"Err, do you think she hit her head harder then we thought?"
"Speak for yourself flyboy," she grumbled standing up, "You call yourself a pilot?"
"Hey if it weren't for me you'd be a cube of flesh right now ok? so lay off!"
Ellsia scowled, as usual Caitlyn looked perfect, how the hell did she do that?
She could not bring herself to look at the Iridonian again so for a few seconds there was an awkward silence.
"So..." he began, "What brings you here General?"
Immediately the exile took charge again and explained everything.
"Always the leader," Ellsia thought wryly.
"Well you're going to need a new shuttle, I brought a few tools but there's no way i'll be able to save that."
He thought for a minute, "There's a Czerka research station around here somewhere, I have the codes to bypass the sheild network...we could always borrow one of theirs..."
Caitlyn nodded, "Good Idea but I don't think all of us should go," she looked pointedly at Ellsia when she said this and the girl nodded.
"I will stay here, I think i'm a bit banged up to be fighting my way towards a ship at the moment."
Bao-Dur looked at her but she wouldn't meet his eyes, "I have to go, I have the codes."
"I'll go," Atton added, "I have a bit of a score to settle with some AD watchmen."
Kreia sat on the grass, "I shall stay here with the girl," she looked at Caitlyn, "If you need me you know how to reach me."
Caitlyn nodded, "It's settled then, lets move out."
She sounded everything like the General she used to be.
When they were gone Ellsia sighed and lay back on the grass looking up at the sky, she felt all the better for it was Telos and she had never seen her home like this. Against her will her thoughts turned towards the Iridonian, why was he here? She had not seen him in nearly five years and thoughts and emotions she thought long forgotten welled to the surface.
Seeing him here after all this time, remembering everything, his pain, his friendship...
His love...
Her thoughts jerked back to the present, why was the old woman being so quiet? Ellsia sat up and looked around, Kreia was sitting under a tree meditating. The young woman got up and went to join her sitting silently beside her up against the tree.
"That one is hard to read..." murmered the woman.
"Hmm?" She was only half paying attention, keeping a lookout for any sentry droids or patrols.
"The Iridonian, his mind is...difficult to read."
Ellsia looked at her, "Why would you want to do that?" she asked cautiously.
She could not see her eyes but knew they were open and watching her.
"A precaution, nothing more. I have done the same with you as you probably felt and with that arrogant whelp."
Ellsia nodded, she had felt the old woman in her mind and had not resisted, somehow she knew her secrets were safe, for the time being.
"You were right to leave him."
Ellsia looked away, "It was not my choice and the consequences of-"
"What's done is done, you are a part of this now, you will once again fight for the exile and so will he."
She lowered her voice, "Even if you wanted it, it could never be, you know it and he knows it too."
Ellsia gritted her teeth and got up, she had had enough of the conversation.
"I think i'll go see if I can salvage anything from the shuttle."