"Mistress…"

The tendrils of a whisper curved like fingers through the Exile's sleeping brain pulling at her reason, tugging at her logic and drawing her back to reality.

"Mistress Jedi…"

It was more insistent now and she opened her eyes a small crack. She glanced at the illuminated gold digits on the ivory chronometer in front of her; it read 2:25am.

"Yes Shaelas?" she replied, the sleep heavy in her voice.

"I am sorry to disturb you at this hour but your companion has awakened," he said, "He is calling for you."

Her eyes snapped open to attention and she pulled herself upright. "Bao?" she asked, "Is he alright?"

"Yes Mistress," Shaelas replied gently, "However, he is still suffering from the after-effects of sedation. It can be very confusing to a patient when they awaken and he is most distressed. I did not wish to call you at this hour but as he is asking for you I thought your presence might have a calming effect…"

"Of course, Shaelas," she said kindly, "Just let me get myself together and I will be over as quickly as possible."

"Yes Mistress," he replied, bowing low and exiting the room.

Ignoring the burning sensation in her arms and legs, she stood and flicked on the lights. She crossed the room and reached for her robe, tying it as tightly as was comfortable and arranged her hair over the damaged side of her face.

As she exited into the hallway she thought of what might await her in the next room. Bao Dur in any kind of distress was virtually unimaginable, no matter what the circumstances in their travels he was the calm eye in the storm. Always cool under pressure, always soft-spoken and always in control.

Pushing the door open she slid in to the room; it was darkened with the exception of the light over his bed. He was surrounded by caretakers who blocked her view and while it was difficult to discern exactly what he was saying, the anguish in his tone was unmistakable.

Suddenly his panicked voice cut clearly through the room, "General…GENERAL…"

It was all she needed.

The Exile crossed the room in a flash. Blinded at the white hot stabbing sensation in her legs and biting her lip she inserted herself into the ring of Selkath that surrounded him. Bao Dur was awash in perspiration and writhing where he lay. His eyes were glassed over as he stared blindly into the blackness of his room. The gauze from his remaining arm had been removed and she could see the delicate new skin that had been grafted into place. It was a skillful job, matching his own seamlessly and she knew that when it had a few days to acclimate to the environment it would be completely indistinguishable from his own.

"Pardon me gentlemen," she said calmly, "but I think I can take it from here."

They took less than a pace backwards, unwilling to leave her alone in a potentially volatile situation but she ignored them. Reaching forwards and placing her hands gently on the sides of his face, she turned his line of sight towards her. He shrunk away from her slightly; unable to focus, "General…" he called.

"It's me Bao," she said softly, "I'm right here."

His eyes flared a brief recognition then they filled with blind anguish, "I'm sorry…" he muttered, "…I've failed you…"

"Failed me?" she asked softly, "No Bao..."

"It's over…" he muttered, "They're all dead…she's gone…"

He was hallucinating, that much was clear to her. Gently removing her hands from the side of his face, she brushed his tattoos with her thumbs and lowered him back to his pillow. Pulling in the ivory stool she sat as close to him as was possible, grasping his hand in her own. The Exile closed her eyes, reaching out to touch the confusion and panic that encircled him. It raged like a powerful storm, flailing at his consciousness but she pushed beyond, encircling him as best as she could with her own protection.

As she focused, he stopped thrashing and slowly sank into a heavy slumber. One by one the Selkath drifted towards the door, vanishing into the hallway until only Shaelas remained. "Thank-you Mistress Jedi," he whispered, "Hallucinations are a normal side-effect of heavy sedation but his reaction was so severe…I thought if he could be spared the experience, you would be able to help…"

She did not open her eyes or turn her head, her voice a low whisper, "Very few have walked his path…his mind has many horrors to draw from. You were absolutely right to call me. I think he will be alright for the rest of the night but I will remain here for a while if that is permissible."

"That will be fine," he replied, "If you need anything at all please do not hesitate to ask."

"I will," she said, "Goodnight Shaelas."

"Goodnight Mistress"

The Exile sat, grasping Bao's hand in deep meditation for the remaining hours of the night. She felt his ability to grasp reality slowly return and eventually drifted into a dreamless sleep at his side.

Morning.

Her sleep was broken by the sound of the waves and the light on her face. She still held his hand in her own and her head had fallen close to his hip. Moving into a proper sitting position she mouthed every expletive that came to mind. Sleeping in such a manner had just made the bad situation with her body worse. There was cramping in her neck, shoulders and back and she flushed when she realized that her robe was slung down over her shoulders making her look decidedly un-Jedi at the moment.

The Exile eyed Bao Dur cautiously; he appeared to still be in a deep slumber so she gently extricated her hands and stood. Her legs burned in protest and she mouthed all the expletives she could think of in other languages, ranging from Jawa to Huttese. Pulling her robe closed once more she hobbled silently towards his door, exiting into the hall and taking pains to close it quietly.

The floor was in full dayshift mode as medical staff milled about over open Med Charts engaged in intense discussion. It was the perfect opportunity to slip back into her own room unnoticed.

Shaelas was awaiting her with breakfast at the ready, "Good morning," he said, "I did not expect you to be needed for quite so long but I hope you will find everything to your liking."

"I'm know it will be," she said, "Actually, I wasn't planning to be gone all night but I fell asleep."

"Oh Mistress, you must be horribly uncomfortable," he said sympathetically, "Please eat something and I will draw you a therapeutic bath."

The Exile nodded and took her place at the table, picking at the variety of items that he had taken pains to arrange for her. It was a superb meal and as she ate she began to feel vaguely human again. When she was finished she headed towards the waiting tub.

"I have added a specific ocean salt that is meant to ease muscle pain and trauma," he explained, "Also, when you are finished, your student has provided a most remarkable balm if you wish to apply it to your injuries. We believe it will double the speed of the healing process. It really is rather ingenious."

"He's a very talented healer in his own right," she said warmly, "He's also very modest but I'm really quite proud of him."

"As well you should be," he said, "And now I will leave you to your ablutions. Good day, Mistress Jedi."

"Good day, Shaelas." she replied.

Removing her night clothes and dropping them into a waiting basket, the Exile took her first tentative steps into the steaming water. She sat carefully, slowly sinking up to her neck and sighed blissfully. The heat was loosening the knots that had formed overnight and soothing the ache in her bones. Taking her time, she savored the scent of the water and the sensation of being in an actual tub. In comparison to the fresher on the Hawk, it was pure luxury.

When she finally emerged she felt cleaner than she had in months and toweled off, reaching for Mical's balm. Applying it liberally to her bruising a sigh escaped once more at the cooling sensation in her limbs. Exiting into the main room and opening the closet she eyed her robes. The bath had done wonders for her aching body and made her feel ambitious. "Today…you wear pants!" she thought, eying the array of clean robes. Pulling out her most comfortable set she began to carefully dress. It all went well until the attempt to put on her belt. Her arms were still too stiff to reach behind and pull it around her waist. She attempted to lean forward and sling it around in order to grab the end but it slithered to the floor.

"Hutt spawn!" she growled.

Hearing the door open behind her she called to Shaelas, "Perfect timing, would you mind helping me with this?"

The Exile heard his footsteps as he approached and moving in behind her he took the belt from her hand. He slid his arms in around her waist and handed her the ends. She started as she looked down – one smooth, dark hand and one that was clearly mechanical. She heard a warm laugh coming from behind, "Will that be all General?"

Bao.

She dropped the belt and turned to face him. He was smiling with a warmth that reached all the way up to his dark brown eyes. His arm had been replaced with what appeared to be a jointed, powered durasteel limb.

"Bao," she said softly, "I'm so relieved to see you, are you alright?"

She wanted to throw her arms around him. She was fighting to maintain the dignity expected of a potential Master. But really, deep down that the only thing keeping her in check was the thought of damaging his new skin.

"I'm fine General," he said, "The Selkath have outfitted me with what they claim is the latest in prosthetic technology. I have to admit, it's pretty good but I will be modifying it the first chance I get. How are you?"

"I'm fine," she said, "Nothing a little rest hasn't taken care of."

Suddenly he frowned, his eyes flicking to the hair that hung straight down over her left eye. He gestured to her cheek and asked, "What's that?"

The Exile eyed him warily for a moment, unsure as to whether or not she would appear weak in his eyes. His features were pure concern however and slowly she moved her hand up, pushing aside the strands of her hair and revealing the damage.

"How are you really?" he asked softly.

Feeling her cheeks burn she lowered her eyes. "Sore…and restless," she admitted, "My duties from this point on are clear and I want to get started but I have to wait for my body to catch up with me. Malachor has been my focus for so long…if it makes any sense, I feel a bit lost with it gone…"

"It makes perfect sense to me," he said, reaching down to pick up her belt.

"How are you…really?" she asked.

He straightened and met her eyes, reaching around her waist once more and bringing the ends together in front, "I'm not really sure yet, General. I guess I'm a bit lost as well…"

His fingers lingered on the smooth buckle. He was so close to her that she could feel the heat emanating from his body. He paused, holding her gaze tenderly in his own. She felt her breath catch in her throat.

The door burst open, shattering the momentary spell that they had been under and they moved apart quickly. It was Mandalore and he appeared to be highly agitated.

"We've got trouble," he said.