"Hmmm, I think that one will need to be moved over a little more Skywalker, or there won't be enough room for the other equipment," Doctor Nema said, motioning to the huge, glowing glass dome that Anakin had just barely managed to heave onto a workstation.
"What is half of this stuff even for?" Anakin asked, a sheen of sweat glistening on the fuzz of blonde hair covering his upper lip. He pushed, red faced and panting, until the dome was another meter or so back, and then muttered some rather colourful phrases under his breath, as he tried to free his braid from one of the complicated gears that adorned its base. Obi-Wan gave him a warning look when he heard a very distinct - and entirely explicit - reference to a Hutt's mother that would have made a Corellian spice runner blush. Obi-Wan's continuing attempts to train the junk trader out of his padawan sometimes felt like trying to push Murluch jelly up a mountain.
"I'm not entirely sure," Doctor Nema replied, thankfully too distracted to have picked up on the rest of Anakin's words. "I think most of these machines are of Master Pelri's own invention."
"Your assumptions are correct," replied the Jedi in question, as she waddled into the room, balancing a large stack of datapads in her arms. She dumped them, rather unceremoniously, onto the table, before casting a critical eye around the small chamber. "This equipment is incredibly specialised and highly sensitive - and not a toy to be played with," the Sullustan added, tutting impatiently as she tugged Anakin's braid free, before marching back out the door.
"Yeah, but did you have to invent them to be so heavy?" Anakin muttered as she left, using the edge of his tunic sleeve to wipe the moisture from his face.
"Struggling my young apprentice?" Obi-Wan asked, not even bothering to keep the amusement from his voice.
"No…" Anakin quickly replied. "I'm just not sure why Master Yoda has me moving boxes and not training with the other padawans."
"Oh, Master Yoda always has a good reason for everything he does," Obi-Wan said, uncrossing his legs from his meditation position on the bed. He slid onto his bare feet, stretching out his muscles with a sigh. It was tiring work, watching his apprentice lug equipment about. "Usually, you don't realise you have even learnt a lesson, until it ends up saving your life."
"And what kind of lesson am I learning moving lab equipment?"
"Perseverance. Determination. Humility," Obi-Wan listed off on his fingers. "Proper lifting technique…"
"Very...funny...Master," Anakin puffed between heavy breaths, as he struggled to lay out a staggeringly large slab of coloured vials and spiralling tubes. The observation room was quickly filling up with all manner of strange contraptions. Soon enough, there wouldn't be room to swing a Loth-cat around.
"Do be careful with that, Master Windu. It's incredibly fragile, and you're carrying it like a one-handed Besalisk," Obi-Wan heard Pei Pelri admonish. Both he and Anakin watched, wide-eyed, as Mace Windu was ushered into the room by the tiny Jedi. The usually stoic Master appeared to be struggling, as he grappled with an overly large - and unwieldy - hemocytometer. The look on Anakin's face as he watched Mace Windu being bossed around, was as if all his name-days had come at once.
"I came down to enquire about your progress with the patient, Master Pelri. Not to carry equipment for you," Master Windu said with a scowl, eventually giving up his struggle. The hemocytometer floated out of his hands and came to rest neatly on the table; his deft manipulation of the Force having always been something Obi-Wan greatly admired. Master Pelri dismissed Windu's comments with a wave of her hand.
"Well, it's not too much to ask that you at least be useful while your here. And as for the specimen-"
"-patient-" Doctor Nema corrected.
"-I would be far further along if my equipment had been set up in advance of my arrival, as I had requested," Master Pelri finished.
"We can hardly be faulted for that, Pei. You must have invented something even quicker than FTL travel to get here so soon," Obi-Wan said. "It takes at least thirty-six standard Coruscanti hours to journey back from the Outer Rim."
"Only to those burdened with insufficient motivation and imagination," Pei said, holding up a stubby brown finger. "And I had plenty of both; especially after reading through Doctor Nema's initial reports. You have an uncanny skill for finding the most remarkable lifeforms, Obi-Wan. I wish my own discoveries were even a tenth as interesting as yours."
"Yes well, given that the last pathetic lifeform I picked up became my padawan, I have been trying to avoid collecting more."
"Hey-"
"Do you think you'll be able to assist Doctor Nema with keeping her patient alive?" Master Windu cut in, likely in the hopes of not having to be subjected to any further banter.
"Undoubtably. In fact, I've already started working on the possibilities of a synthesized analgesic gel, using the specimen's own protein profile as the basis from which to build on. I must admit, humans have not been a subject of interest to me previously. Your biology varies very little. I'm afraid to say that you are, frankly, an incredibly dull species to study."
"Well, it's hard not to be at least a little offended by that…" Obi-Wan said, trying to choke back his laughter. Pei Pelri's blunt honesty could take a person out at the knees quicker than a lightsabre blade.
"But the absence of midichlorians in a living organism? Now that…that is fascinating!" she continued, oblivious to all the raised eyebrows around her.
"Let me know if you require any additional equipment or assistance," Mace Windu said, shaking his head as he started to make his way towards the door. "Somehow, Chancellor Palpatine has become aware of how unique our patient appears to be. He's requested to be kept up to date on her recovery."
"As a matter of fact, I do require one other thing, Master Windu; thank you for reminding me," Master Pelri said, tapping a few buttons on the control screen. Obi-Wan watched as the panelled walls separating his chamber from the other room split apart, rolling back until they disappeared entirely into the recesses at either side.
"Master Pelri, what in the stars are you doing!?" Doctor Nema asked, leaning forward to flip on the decontamination shield between the two rooms. The Sullustan, just as quickly, flicked the blue forcefield off.
"I need an assistant, and as the last one you sent in was not well received, I think it best that Obi-Wan fill the position. At least if the subject punches him, she may cause less damage to herself than she did with the droid."
"What about the damage to me?" Obi-Wan asked, cautiously eyeing the woman in case she decided to leap up and test the assertion.
"I've seen you take an incalculably large number of punches when we were padawans, Obi-Wan, and they seem to have only caused you mild cognitive damage," Pei said, her voice unironically thoughtful. "I'm sure you'll tolerate a few more without any further degradation to your mental capacities."
"How comforting," Obi-Wan replied.
"It's not physical damage that I'm concerned about," Doctor Nema said. "You've seen the initial scans. The patient carried a number of unknown viral, bacterial and fungal contaminants, which we've not had sufficient time to study. This could expose Master Kenobi to any number of transmissible diseases."
"He's already been exposed for an extended period of time, if your report was correct, and he seems to be fine. Should he become infected with anything else, he will make an excellent base subject to build vaccinations from."
Doctor Nema just stared, open mouthed, as Master Pelri started organising her datapads.
"I'm going to take my leave. Keep me updated on the situation, Doctor," Master Windu said, clearly having had enough of the whole situation. He barely bowed as he quickly stepped out of the room.
"Yes, yes. Actually, I think it best that everyone leave. We've wasted far too much time with this useless chatter. I have biopsies to perform, cell cultures to grow and proteins to synthesize. There's not a moment to lose."
"I will leave to check on my other patients. Master Kenobi, please inform me immediately if you begin to feel unwell?" Doctor Nema said, giving Master Pelri a sceptical glance before she left the room.
"You had best check in with Master Yoda, Anakin. I'm sure he'll have more tasks for you to complete this morning," Obi-Wan said to his padawan. Anakin had been watching Pei with interest as she started to switch on her apparatus. The boy couldn't resist machinery in any shape. He reluctantly drew his eyes away from the flashing lights and spinning nozzles, and gave a small bow.
"I'll come back to visit at lunch time, Master. I can bring you something from the canteen," he said, brightening up. The prospect of food always seemed to lift his spirits.
"Very well, run along with you," Obi-Wan said, and watched as Anakin dashed from the room. Realising that he was just standing about with nothing to do, Obi-Wan settled himself back down on the medical bed, facing his new roommate. The woman had been silently lying there throughout the whole conversation. Not a sound or twitch had come out of her for hours. Obi-Wan hoped that she was only punch happy due to fear – and not as a default setting.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Pei," Obi-Wan said after a few minutes of silence. Master Pelri was deep into analysis now, her fingers flickering across several glowing diagrams, her cheekflaps twitching every so often as she concentrated.
"Of course I don't," she replied after a few seconds, her dark eyes glimmering as she reluctantly pulled them from her screen to meet Obi-Wan. Her gaze slowly drifted across to the woman on the bed. "That's what makes it all so very exciting!"