Chapter Four: The Serum.
Jolee examined Conner's vital signs, he noticed that his temperature had dropped to 33 degrees, and the beats were very low. Conner was trembling; he was semiconscious and was getting pale. Jolee asked from some things he needed to prepare the serum, Carth said that he would try to get them. He organized a small group to go for the things that Jolee needed. When the group left, Bastila asked Jolee how was Conner, he answered that Conner was in the first day of the third stage.
"When the serum will be ready?" She asked.
"In twelve hours, it may take a day to take effect on the kid's blood, but if we apply the serum in the fifth day, he will make it." Jolee said. "You know, you care a lot for him."
Bastila took a deep breath and said "Yes, I do. I need him for this mission, I can't do this alone."
"Hmph, c'mon girl, you don't fool me, and I have the experience to tell you that you are in love with him, and he is in love with you." Jolee answered.
"But the Code says…" Bastila said but was cut off by Jolee.
"I know what the Code says, damn it! And I know what the Jedi says about love, but I can assure you that you don't care what they said because you had fallen in love with the former Dark Lord." He answered.
Bastila was shocked. How did he know Conner is Revan?! Bastila asked herself, but before she could ask Jolee, he answered.
"When I saw him in the Shadowlands, I knew he was Revan, the Force is great within him."
"Why you didn't say anything?" She asked.
"Because I am not the one who should tell him, it's you." Jolee answered. "Anyway, how did you start to fall for him?" He asked.
"I do not know, when I met him on Taris, he was arrogant, childish and vain, but when we arrived at Dantooine and he accepted to be trained, he changed, then he helped me to reconcile with my mother and offered me all his support when I found my father's holocron. That's when I noticed that I was being hard on him. He is kind, gentle and very patient with me and with the rest of the crew, he begged me to stay in the ship back on Kashyyyk, he said that he didn't want me to get hurt." Bastila said smiling, remembering the conversation she and Conner had back on Tatooine.
Jolee stayed silent a few minutes, he finally said "Let me tell you something kid, get rid of the Order and the Code for a moment, and do what your heart tells you to do. I can assure you, that your heart says the opposite of what you think."
Bastila stayed silent, the only thing that broke the silence was Conner's cough, he was already awake.
"I think that the kid has just woke up, I'm going to check him." Jolee said and he went to the medbay.
Meanwhile, Bastila was remembering the conversation she had with Conner back on Tatooine.
"You want to talk with me?" She asked.
"Yeah, how are you feeling?" He asked.
"Better, thanks for helping me." She answered.
Conner smiled at her. "I know that you might be alone for now, but if you need to talk with someone, we can walk around Anchorhead. But if you prefer to be alone, we can return to the Hawk." He said.
"No, I don't want to return to the ship yet. I would prefer to walk around the port." She answered.
The two walked around Anchorhead until they reached a small plaza, they sat on a bench, the suns were getting down, the sky had a very romantic color pink, blue, purple and orange made the contrast in the sky.
"I know I had already told you about my family, but I would like to hear about yours." Bastila said playing nervously with her hands.
"There's not much to say, I never met my mother and my father was a drunken man, I never had the chance to meet him, sometimes I thought that he drank to forget that I ever existed. I became independent at very young age because my father was rarely at home".
"That's why you acted so childish?" She asked.
Conner chuckled. "Yes, I never had the chance to play with boys of my same age. When I turned fourteen, I decided to ran away from home, I remember one day I grabbed my backpack filled with cloth and food, I took the credits I earned by doing works and I just left. I never saw my father again. When I turned sixteen, a group of smugglers invited me to join to them, that's when I began my career as smuggler. By the age of eighteen I had been in almost all the sectors of the Outer Rim." He said. Bastila felt his grief; she realized how lucky she was to meet her parents before joining to the Order.
"Conner, I'm sorry." She said and took his hand in hers.
Conner turned his look at her, she noticed a tear in his eye, and gently she cleaned the tear with her thumb and left her hand on Conner's cheek. He smiled and turned to look at the sunsets. Bastila rested her head in Conner's shoulder and they stayed in silence for minutes, but for them, look like hours.
Bastila smiled, then she realized that Jolee was calling her. She went to the medbay.
"How is he?" She asked.
"He semiconscious, he wants to talk with you, but remember he needs to rest so, don't keep him talking very much. And he is also blind, this is a natural cause produced by the venom of the Terentatek." Jolee said.
Bastila nodded and approached to the bed, she saw Conner lying on his right side.
"Princess? Is that you?" He asked in a very low voice.
"Yes, it's me Conner, how are you feeling?" She asked while she was sitting next to him.
"Weak and cold." He said between heavy breaths. "Is the serum ready?" he asked.
"No, Carth and the others went for some things that Jolee needs to prepare the serum." She answered. "Jolee told me that you can't see."
"Yeah, it's true." He said. Bastila wished that Conner's words were a lie, but she knew that they weren't. She stared at him, his eyes were in her direction, but Conner didn't blink.
"Don't be sad, you've to be strong for both of us." He said feeling through the bond Bastila's sadness. He raised a hand and tried to touch her face, Bastila saw this and took his hand and placed his hand on her cheek. Conner smiled and went unconscious.
"Please Conner, don't give up, I need you, I…I love you." She whispered.
A few minutes later, Carth and the others returned with the things that Jolee needed to prepare the serum, Jolee started to prepare the serum, it took five hours to prepare it. When it was finally ready, he told Bastila that they needed to wake Conner. She entered and shook Conner a little.
"Conner?" She asked.
"Hey princess." He said smiling weakly at her.
"Jolee says that the serum is ready, he is going to inject you the serum." She said.
"That's good to hear."
"So I need you to do something for me."
"Anything."
Bastila smiled and she asked Conner if he could lay on his right side, he did it and then he lifted his head when she asked him to do it. She sat on the bed and placed the pillow on her lap, then she told Conner that he could rest his head again on the pillow.
"Okay son, you will feel a burning as the serum enters into your body, are you ready?" Jolee asked.
Conner nodded. "You're not going anywhere, right?" He whispered.
"No, I will be here with you." Bastila answered and kissed him tenderly on the cheek. He took her hand and took a deep breath. "Okay, Jolee you can start."
Jolee nodded and started to inject the blue fluorescent liquid in his back, as the liquid entered in his body, Conner hold Bastila's hand tighter and buried his face on the pillow.
"You are doing great." She said. A few minutes later, Jolee had injected all the serum in Conner's body. "You did it great kid." He said while he was covering him with the blanket.
"How are you feeling?" Bastila asked.
"I feel like ice running through my body." Conner answered, he was sweating.
She smiled, "Try to sleep, I'll be here." The hours went by, but Bastila didn't move away from Conner, she often kissed him on the cheek and brushed away his bangs from his face; then she saw a faint scar on his forehead, remembering her when she had rescued him from the ship. "I'm sorry Conner." She said and kissed him on the scar, a few hours later she slipped out from the bed and sat on a chair next to him. They only needed to wait.