Last time: Oppie faced off against a Trandoshan.

Now; Sasha is not doing well.

Chapter 22- Fever

After the yell, Sasha became antsy as she continuously checked the scope. But there was still no sign of Oppie. That made her stomach, which was already rather queasy today, twist into a knot. Then the explosions happened. The first one scared the ever living Force out of her as she actually jumped in place, tweaking her bruised ribs in the process. She hadn't expected it to happen, but once it did and she recovered shortly after, she looked around with the scope in a panic. She prayed in the Force that Oppie was okay and that explosion didn't kill him. Then the second one went off and that made her heart stop.

Her breathing became rapid and she felt like she was going to throw up as she feared the worst. She knew Oppie had to be okay, but given their track record on this planet, a sense of doubt was clouding her mind. She kept her eye pressed to the scope, scanning around frantically for any sign of Oppie. Any sign that he was okay. That he wasn't….

NO. She shook the thought away as tried to control the shaking that was wracking her body. It wasn't like the scared trembling from yesterday. It was almost as if she was cold more than anything, but combined with her anxiety and worry, it wasn't the best feeling in the world. And it wouldn't stop.

Looking back through the scope, Sasha kept looking and looking for Op. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Oppie appeared from the forest. Sasha sighed in relief the second she saw him. Her strength left her body in that moment as she slumped down behind the boulder with the rifle, resting against it for a moment, worn out. The boulder was nice and cool to the touch against her exposed and warm skin as she rested for a moment. Then the thought occurred to her as she sat there. Was that really Oppie she saw just now and not another strange hallucination like when she had briefly seen the younger brother? Hoping she hadn't been seeing things, Sasha painstakingly got to her feet and moved back around the boulder. Her eyes did not deceive her. He was alive.

Oppie limped out of the forest with the rifle slung over his shoulder. His ankle hurt from when he slipped down the embankment, and everything else hurt from everything else. He was very, very done with this planet, and if he ever met this Von Signa person he was in a mood to make him pay dearly. Jedi or no Jedi. Maybe he'd just ask Cien to do her worst to him. She could probably do a better job than him. He came up to the hill where their camp was. Sasha came out from behind cover as he got closer, leaning heavily against the boulder and looking paler than the last time he had seen her. But there was a look of relief on her face as he approached.

"Op, thank the Force you're okay. I was worried. I heard the explosions and I thought-," Sasha cut herself off when she noticed his limp and burns. "Are you alright?" She asked worriedly as she straightened up, swaying just slightly.

"Yeah." Oppie said tiredly. "One of the explosions was me, the other was his. Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm okay," Sasha said. "Just a little tired. I'm just glad you're alright." She then paused for a moment to clear her dry throat. "What happened to the hunter? Is he... dead?"

"Yeah." Oppie stated a little sourly, though his voice held little remorse. "He was pretty tough." Oppie said, sitting down to rest for a moment on one of the boulders she had taken cover behind.

Sasha nodded and slumped down onto the boulder with a sigh.

"He said there were five, right?" Oppie asked after a moment.

"Yeah," Sasha confirmed.

"Well that was the fifth. Do you think it's over now?" Oppie said a little hopefully.

"I hope so," Sasha said with a groan. "I'm so done with this whole situation."

"Me too." Oppie said. "Did you hear him arrive on a speeder at all? Did I miss something?"

"No, I didn't hear anything," Sasha said, shaking her head. "Only you two fighting and the explosions."

"If we can figure out where all these hunters have parked their ships, maybe we could get off this rock." Oppie mused.

"Yeah maybe we will be able to see that from up there," Sasha said, gesturing up the mountain with her chin. In that moment, she had another dizzy spell that caused her to tilt slightly, but managed to keep upright.

Oppie reached out an arm to steady her, and looked at her worriedly. "What's going on?" He asked.

"Nothing, just a little dizzy all the sudden," Sasha tried to shrug off, but she wasn't entirely sure either.

"Sash." Oppie said flatly, trying to get her to tell him what was happening.

"I don't know, okay?" Sasha said a little harder than she was wanting it to come out.

"Do you want to take the bacta?" Oppie asked more softly.

"No, I'm okay," Sasha said dismissively as she stood up. "We should get going." She grabbed her crutch, took two steps away, and immediately her knees buckled as her strength left her body as a cold shiver passed through her spine and her head spun, clouding her vision. She collapsed toward the ground.

Oppie caught her before she fell, and lowered her to a sitting position in an awkward hug. "Sasha?" He asked, his voice heavy with worry, he wasn't even sure she was awake.

"What's… happening to me?" She asked in a daze as she grabbed her head with one hand. "I feel… warm."

Oppie put his hand to her forehead. "Oh jeeze Sash, you're burning up." He said. "You are taking that bacta now." He said in a voice that broached no argument.

"Op…" Sasha started to say then trailed off as she became tired.

Oppie got up carefully and went to their bags, pulling out the first aid kit and then the bacta. He came back and sat down next to her. Rolling up her sleeve, he jabbed her as gently as possible with the injection head and then rubbed the spot a little. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her close.

Sasha rested against him as she waited for the bacta to kick in. She felt exhausted and warm and practically ill. She tried to figure out where it came from, but her mind was too foggy to think straight. After a moment of trying to think about it, she looked to Op.

"What do you think caused this?" She asked, almost in a whisper.

"Too soon for your leg." He said a little numbly. "I wonder if we waited too long to cauterize your shoulder wound?" He asked as he mentally cursed himself.

"Maybe. Or maybe it was the swim," Sasha thought.

"Probably all of it. Oppie said quietly. "I'm sorry Sasha."

"Don't apologize," Sasha said, still out of it. "It's not your fault. It's…" She paused for a second. "I forgot what I was going to say. Sorry."

"How long have you been feeling like this?" He asked.

"Umm," Sasha closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead as she tried to remember. "I felt a little warm this morning. And then, I thought I was seeing things at one point. And then after the explosions, I don't know I just felt spent all of the sudden. So I guess all day." She frowned at that. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I honestly thought it was just my exhaustion catching up with me, not me getting sick."

"Don't apologize." He said quietly. He was quiet for a few moments. "Do you remember when you got the Tarkelian Flu? I seem to recall you did the same thing." He said with some sad bemusement. "Ended up pushing through it for a day or two before any of us even knew you weren't well, until you just collapsed."

"Yeah, I remember," Sasha said, a faint smirk appearing on her lips. "I'm sorry I'm so stubborn."

"It's fine until it starts to hurt you." He said quietly. "But it's okay to ask for help every now and then." He said.

"I know. It's just I don't want to become a burden," Sasha said, frowning. "I guess I did this to myself though by not telling you sooner."

"There's honestly not a lot more we could have done." He said quietly. "I'm sorry I got us into this mess by not being able to beat this guy in that alley."

"It's okay. Like I've said before, I'm just glad I'm not alone out here," Sasha said simply. "And besides, those hunters failed to catch us and we're both okay… sort of."

Oppie snorted at that statement. "You're funny."

"I guess I'm funnier when I'm sick," Sasha chuckled before coughing.

He just hugged her tighter and looked numbly ahead.

After several more minutes, the bacta started to work its magic. She placed a hand on Oppie's arm. "I'm feeling a little better."

"Feel like trying to go up into the mountain a bit more this evening?" Oppie asked. "Maybe we can find a thicket or something so we can camp out until the others find us."

"I think so," Sasha said with a nod as she slowly pulled away.

"If you need to rest, we rest. Don't push yourself." He admonished gently as he stood up.

"Okay," Sasha said as she gathered her crutch from where she had dropped it when she had collapsed. She then attempted to get up, but she struggled to do so.

Oppie wrapped his arm around her to steady her. "Are you sure you're ready to go?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm as ready as I can be," Sasha admitted. "Besides, I want to move before the bacta wears off."

"Okay." He said with a grimace.

"Thank you," Sasha added as she placed the crutch under her arm and steadied herself on her feet with his help.

"Let me grab the stuff and then we can get started." He said, moving off to collect their packs.

"How. The. Hell! Did they kill Essk?" Von nearly screamed through clenched teeth as he stood there seething.

"It appears with those explosives, sir," G3 answered.

Von groaned and leaned over the makeshift desk with a hand over his eyes. "I know they did it ya stupid droid! It was rhetorical!"

"My apologies, sir, for the confusion," G3 apologized as the droid bowed to him.

"It's fine," he grumbled.

"Sir, may I ask a question," G3 spoke up, breaking the tense silence that gathered between them.

"What?"

"Why does it upset you that the bounty hunters you hired are dead? I thought your plan was to take the credits anyway once they were successfully captured and have the bounty hunter who actually succeeded meet a fatal accident?" The droid asked.

"That is still my plan," Von clarified. "But these hunters have been working with me for years. They are my best. And they are being picked apart by two Jedi who are broken and beaten and are missing their magic powers! So I'm pissed. Can you blame me?"

"No, sir," the droid said, satisfied with his answer.

"Good," He growled. "Now what's the status of our last friend?"

"They are closing the distance," G3 said. "They should reach the Jedi by morning at the latest even with their current mode of transportation."

"Excellent," Von said as a devilish smile came to his lips. His last hunter was hands down his best and had a higher kill count than any hunter he had worked with.

"One more question, sir," G3 spoke up again, breaking his train of thought. "Why did you tell the Jedi you have five hunters chasing them when it's obvious that you have six."

Von growled and threw his makeshift ashtray of cheroots at the droid. "Because I counted the brothers as one. That's why! Stop asking me stupid questions!"

"Yes sir. Sorry sir."

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