Last time: The Coppers investigated the horror scene that was the Aspis.

Now: Oppie is in critical condition.

Chapter 13- I Can't Lose Him Too

The side door slammed back as one of the Marines pulled it open, and Kait looked up to see Kelce standing there with a team of medics and a gurney. Op's head was laying in her lap, and his breathing had been reduced to a horrifying wheeze as it seemed like he fought for every breath. He was catatonic, and she wasn't sure if he was unconscious or not.

Kelce and one of the medics immediately moved forward to kneel on either side of Oppie. Kelce ran the scanner over his body and bit at his lip. He looked at his medic team. "Get him on the stretcher now and get him out of here!" He ordered them with an urgent tone as he stood. Another medic hopped on board and helped lift Oppie off the deck of the U-Wing. They quickly loaded him onto the stretcher and ran from the hangar once he was settled. Kelce turned to the others. "What happened?" He asked hurriedly.

"He was stung by one of those creatures," Sasha informed him, her voice shaking with panic as she packed away the medkit. "Whatever toxin those creatures had in them got into his system and he stopped breathing a couple of times. I was able to use this to open his airways back up." She held up two epinephrine injectors.

Kelce nodded as he hopped off. "Alright. We'll get him taken care of. Good work." He said quickly before running after his team.

Kait stared at the tall doctor as he ran off to where the rest of the medical team was already taking Op into the corridors that lead off to the sickbay. "Should I go with them?" She asked numbly.

Sasha looked at her. She frowned. "They will be working on him for a while. So you may be waiting," she informed her as the others piled off the U-Wing, leaving the two of them alone. "But I think you should be there for him when he wakes up." She said, trying to sound encouraging. She then glanced down and noticed Oppie's main saber lying on the deck of the U-Wing. Sasha summoned it to her hand and held the hilt for a moment before clipping it to her belt next to hers.

"Okay," Kait replied, still numb as they stepped off the ship. "I don't really know how that works. The only other family I've had in a hospital was my brother." She stated, and swallowed uncomfortably. "He…" She paused, "he didn't come back out."

Sasha felt her heart tighten in her chest at that. "I'm… I'm so sorry." She said, frowning. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. But I promise you, Kelce will do everything in his power to help Oppie. He will be okay." She said as confidently as she could.

"Yeah," Kait replied, swallowing again. "I'm sorry I just haven't had to deal with that very much."

Sasha looked down at that. "It's okay. I sadly have experienced this more than you realize. Especially with Oppie." She paused. "The best thing we can do is be there for him. And have hope." She said quietly.

"I wish he'd stop getting in trouble." Kait mumbled as they started walking.

"Honestly, I wish all three of them would," Sasha agreed. "But with being Jedi, Mandalorians, and Marshals of the New Republic, trouble always has a way of finding us. It's something that we've gotten used to over the years."

"Yeah, I should be getting used to it by now." Kait replied. She glanced over at Sasha. "I guess it's up to you and I to protect them." She said with a slightly troubled smirk.

Sasha blinked at that and gave her a similar smile. "Yeah, I guess so." She was then quiet for a moment. "Are you okay?" She asked, softly.

"I'm okay. I'm just not used to this kind of stuff like you guys are." She said. There was an unfamiliar weight that bumped against her hip as she walked and she glanced down. It was Op's short saber, she'd clipped it to her belt in the frantic hurry to help Dravis get the computer component cut free. "At least Op let me play with his saber." She said absently, trying to make a joke.

Sasha reached over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "And he'll appreciate you holding onto it for him," she said gently. "He will be okay." She then added quietly.

Kait simply nodded.

Sasha stopped walking and grabbed Kait gently by the shoulders. She then pulled her into a comforting hug. Kait returned the hug and her shoulders slumped as she closed her eyes tightly. Sasha tightened her arms around her.

After a moment Kait stepped back. "Thanks, I uh…" She started, and sniffed. "Your family is really weird." She observed with a bit of a forced chuckle.

That got a chuckle out of Sasha. "You have no idea," she said, smiling lightly. "Are you sure you want to be a part of it?" She asked, half joking, half serious.

Kait looked away, unthinkingly glancing down at the saber Op had trusted her with. "Yeah."

"I'm glad to hear that," Sasha said, softly. "You really make Oppie happy." She then reached down and unclipped Op's other lightsaber. "And I think when he wakes up, you should be the one to return these to him." She held the lightsaber out to her.

Kait looked down at the saber. "Am I even supposed to have these?" She asked, thinking that the lightsabers were too… sacred to Jedi to let someone like her handle them.

"If the Jedi Order was still around? No, they are only meant to stay with their owner. A lightsaber is a Jedi's life. They are supposed to protect it and cherish it. But things are different now. Because now," Sasha looked at the saber, "he has you instead." She said genuinely.

Kait looked to Sasha's eyes and then down to the saber she was offering, and gently took it from her hand. "One of these days I really need to learn more about Jedi." She said. She carefully clipped the main saber next to the other one, like Op did.

"Well I'd be happy to help. And so would Oppie and Viran," Sasha said as she lowered her hand. She then looked towards the exit of the hangar. "Do you want to go grab a drink or do you want to go wait for Op?" She asked her, looking back at Kait.

Kait looked toward the corridor. "Do you think Op will be awake any time soon? Or that Kelce will allow me in?" She asked hesitantly.

"I don't know," Sasha shrugged. "He will let you in once Op is able to have visitors, but at this moment, probably not."

Kait hesitated for a moment, "I feel like -" She stopped speaking as Viran and Kyr started approaching from the corridor, they looked like they were hobbling along as fast as they could, Viran with his crutch and Kyr with his cane. Kait watched them for a second approaching from across the hangar bay. "It's just the two of us right now, isn't it?" She said to Sasha quietly, the only two in their… family to not be injured or missing.

Sasha straightened at that. Realization dawned on her face along with a sense of dread at the thought. "It appears so. I'll be honest when I say that has never happened to me before," she admitted, swallowing.

"Hey guys." Kyr called out before Kait could respond. "We were up at the sitch' table listening and watching everything. Are you guys okay?" He asked worriedly.

"A little shaken up, but okay," Sasha answered. "I wouldn't recommend going down there. It was good that you two were not present for that."

"It sounded like it was quite the adventure," Viran said as he came to stop next to his wife. "Is Op okay?" He asked worriedly.

"We don't know," Sasha said, looking away. "But he should be." Viran wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.

Kyr looked between the other three, and after a moment he took his buy'ce off. "Kelce's the best doctor in the galaxy, he'll be fine." He said looking down at his buy'ce and the deckplates below. "We ran into the Coppers on the way down, Dravis said he got an intact fleet computer from that cruiser." He told them vaguely. "Should be able to tell us where Jiardon's Forces are, at least, until their next system reset."

"After everything we went through, I hope so," Sasha said, tiredly.

"Sasha and I were going to go get a drink before I go to the hospital to wait for Op." Kait said. "You guys feel like joining us?"

"Yeah, a drink sounds good to me. And maybe some food too," Viran said, nodding.

Kyr glanced down at Op's sabers hanging from Kaits belt, and then back up at her. "Yeah, that sounds like a good call, vod'ika." He said with a nod.

Sasha nodded and held out a hand to Kait as Viran already started limping away. She took Sasha's hand as they started walking away, with Kyr following behind them.

Oppie slowly came awake. Everything hurt. Every muscle felt like it was spent far beyond its limits. Every nerve fiber felt like he was holding it over a hot stove. Even his hair hurt, every follicle burning along with all the other nerve endings. He swallowed, and his throat felt bruised like he had been strangled. He tried to open his eyes just a crack and the bright lights of wherever he was shone in, and made a headache he hadn't even noticed before pierce through his head like someone was shoving a lightsaber through his brain. His only consolation was that he wasn't dead, because, no matter what, death could not hurt this much in so many different ways. Though he wasn't sure if he should count himself lucky for surviving into this state.

"Op?" He heard a voice next to him. Kait's voice.

He tried to speak and it just came out as a harsh whisper that made him cough lightly.

"Op don't try to speak." She said again, a little closer as though she was standing over him.

"Where?" He managed to hoarsely whisper out.

"You're in the ICU, Doctor Kelce was able to treat you and he says you should recover fully with a few more treatments."

He horsley whispered something out.

"I'm sorry Op I couldn't hear." Kait said, leaning closer to him.

He opened his eyes a crack and saw her leaning over him. He'd been trying to say doesn't feel like it, but seeing her, her eyes looked puffy from crying and she looked more upset than he'd ever seen her, and he thought the better of it. "I'm okay." He managed to whisper out.

She sniffed and wiped her cheek. "Yeah, you'll be fine. Doctor Kelce said that it was a really potent neurotoxin but they were able to treat you." She said rambling. She looked up as Kelce came into the room.

"How's he doing?" Kelce asked as he approached with a tray at hand. He looked down at Oppie and offered him a gentle smile.

"He just woke up, he's having a lot of trouble speaking." Kait said, glancing up at the Doctor then back down at Op.

"That's understandable. It'll probably hurt to talk for a while," Kelce said as he set the tray down. "I brought some medication to help with the pain." He picked up a vial of medication from the tray. He leaned over Op. "This might pinch." He warned and then gave him the medicine in his arm.

Kait watched as Kelce administered the medication, but said nothing. Op reacted with a grimace as the injection made contact with his skin.

"There ya go," Kelce said as he placed the vial back on the tray. "That should help. It's a pretty strong dose, so I suggest you get some rest."

"Thank you Doctor." Kait said.

"No problem. And please, call me Kelce," he said warmly to her.

"Okay." Kait replied.

"I'll come by in an hour to check on him again. And if you notice any serious change, flag down any of my staff," Kelce said as he gathered the tray and made his way to the door.

"Thank you." She said as Kelce left the room, and she turned back to Op. He reached for her hand and she looked down at it, then at him, taking his hand gently in hers.

"Love you." Oppie said in a hoarse whisper as the sedative started kicking in.

"I love you too." Kait said with a sniff as she looked down at him. After a few moments he faded off, and some time later she settled back into her chair next to his bedside.

She didn't know how long she sat there before the door opened, and she saw Kyr walking in, his helmet on. He still had a cane with him but he was relying on it less, now. He walked to the foot of Op's bed, and she wasn't sure what to say. This was the first time it had ever been just the two of them. And even when he had been in the group they'd exchanged little jokes but never really talked. Not like she had with Sasha and Cien. Even Viran and she had become pretty good friends on Caranas, but she'd never really interacted with Op's older brother. She'd always been a little intimidated by him, and she'd never really known why.

"Hi Kait." He said, as he took his helmet off. He looked tired, and worn. And… older. Made all the more so in comparison to his identical twin that she was so familiar with.

"Hi." She said.

"How's he doing?" Kyr asked, gesturing at Op.

"He woke up a little while ago," she said, "he was having trouble talking but… he was talking a little bit. Kelce gave him a sedative since it looks like he's in a lot of pain."

Kyr grimaced. "Yeah, I spoke with Kelce. That venom was some nasty stuff." He looked around. "Do you mind if I sit?" He asked.

"No, go ahead." She said, making to move out of her chair.

He waved her off as he pulled a stool over, hooking the legs with his cane and pulling it over, then settled down. "How are you doing?"

"Fine." She said, glancing at Op. "I didn't really get a scratch during that fight so I'm fine." She said, casting another glance at Op without realizing it.

Kyr nodded, as they sat in silence for a moment. "I'm glad you weren't hurt. I guess I was asking how you are doing, though." He said, with a slight nod towards Op.

Kait glanced at Op again and swallowed, then looked back to Kyr. "I uh…" She swallowed again. "Last time I saw someone taken to the hospital like that, it was my brother, and he…" She trailed off, looking down at her clasped hands.

"I'm sorry." Kyr said quietly.

"It just brought back a lot of memories that had faded away, seeing Op like that."

Kyr nodded in understanding. "Yeah." He said quietly, and they shared a quiet moment. "But he's going to be okay, Kelce was here, and you guys got him back in time." He stated, looking up at her.

She just nodded, and wiped her eyes as she sniffed then set her hands in her lap.

Kyr studied her for a moment. "After what happened to our family." Kyr said, glancing at Op, then down to where he was wringing his hands a little, clasped together in his lap. "I lost everyone. I was actually the first one to go out to the scene and find them. Kitsu and Illara were still around. There's a few other distant cousins out there, but it was really just the three of us. Then I remembered I had a twin brother. I spent the better part of a year trying to find him, since they were still on the run at the time. I tracked him down, and got to meet him, and at the time I couldn't understand him at all. And the last couple of years, I've grown close with everyone, but Op and I still have a weird relationship. Of all the members of our family, he and I seem to relate the least, like we're good friends, rather than twin brothers, the only ones in the family bonded by blood." He said with an almost annoyed smirk. "That's always bothered me a little, like there's this gulf between us that neither of us can quite bridge."

Kait watched him as he spoke. "It probably doesn't help that I've drawn him away from you guys the last few months." She stated, looking away.

Kyr looked up at her with a frown. "No, Kait." He said, shaking his head. "I've never seen Op happier than he has been the last few months since you guys have been together. That's something I've wanted to say to you, though we never seem to have gotten the chance to talk before, really, was to thank you for making him so happy these last few months. Even if we don't relate that well, he's still my brother, and I can read him like I'm looking in a mirror. I know he wanted someone like you in his life, even if he didn't realize it, and it has made a galaxy of difference for him."

Kait swallowed and looked down at her hands in her own lap, where she was fidgeting with them. "This is kind of weird to talk about with him laying there."

Kyr chuckled a bit. "It is, but Kelce uses the good stuff. He's out, we can say whatever we want."

Kait nodded. "I've never really understood why he's with me. He's this Jedi master that's been all across the galaxy. He can do all these amazing things. I'm just some cop from Nivon. When he was leading troops into battle in the Clone Wars, I was playing with stuffed animals and having slumber parties. I was just entering college when at the same age he had been on the run protecting Sasha and Viran for a couple of years." She said, shaking her head. "I love him, I'm so glad he's with me. I just don't really get why though." She said, quietly.

Kyr looked at her for a moment, then over to his sleeping brother. "You know I had the same thoughts towards Cien before we got married. She's this incredibly powerful Sith lord, former empress, and overall she's just an absolutely amazing person."

"But you're a Mandalorian." Kait interjected. "I mean, look at what you can do." She said.

"Yeah, but next to her, I'm just some bumpkin that can hit things with a blaster most of the time." He said with a troubled smirk, deeply missing his wife. "Sasha and I talked about that, and I spent a lot of time thinking about it. What's amazing for them, Op, Sasha, Viran and Cien, are normal things. We think it's amazing that they have all those powers, but they think it's amazing we had parents. We look at them and think about how incredible it was that Op was leading armies and Cien was an Empress, but they find it fascinating that you and I got to play with action figures, and you had slumber parties growing up." Kyr stated. "Come to think of it, I didn't really get to have slumber parties either." He mused.

Kait blinked and looked down. "I've never really thought of it that way." She said, as she remembered how fascinated they had been about her parents, and normal things that she and pretty much every other person in the galaxy took for granted.

"That's not to say you're not pretty amazing in your own way, Kait." Kyr continued. "You've spent the last year keeping up with a Jedi like Op, not to mention hanging in there with all three of them during that stuff on Caranas." He stated. "Believe me, I've spent the last few years trying to keep up with them as some bumpkin with a blaster, so I know what a feat that is."

"I guess." Kait said.

"I think also, especially in Op's case," Kyr continued. "He's always wanted that sense of normalcy that was taken away from him by the Jedi order. That's why he cooks. That's why he's so doting with his family. That's why I think he really fell for you." Kyr said quietly. "I think the fact that you're just a cop from Nivon is something he absolutely adores about you, because you represent something he never got to have before. And that is why I wanted to thank you for making him so happy, because of all the people he might have met, of all the people he might have fallen for, it could only have been a cop from Nivon that grew up with stuffed animals and slumber parties who could have made him truly happy."

Kait had kept her gaze down at her lap, she reached up and wiped her eyes as she sniffed again. "I really never thought of it that way." She said. She looked up at him. "Thank you."

"And for what it's worth, vod'ika." Kyr continued quietly. "I think both of you are taking your relationship pretty seriously, towards where that eventually goes." He swallowed. "Mandalorians are a little different. Our idea of families isn't about blood so much, it's about the bonds that are forged with the people you're with. Aliit ori'shya tal'din," he recited in Mando'a, "'family is more than blood'. For all that you've done for my family, for all you've done to make my brother so happy, I already consider you a part of the family, even if we're waiting for someone to get around to making it official." He said, nodding at Op.

Kait swallowed. "We haven't really talked about that."

"Oh, of that I was sure." Kyr said. "Op's weird like that."

"He really is." Kait said with a slight smirk as she glanced at him. "I have to admit, I've been kind of…" She paused and looked away. "A little intimidated by you."

"What?" Kyr asked, surprised. "'Cuz of the armor?" He asked, and she couldn't tell if he was genuinely confused or feigning confusion.

"Not really, just… you always seemed so… Mandalorian. Gruff and soldier like. You remind me of my dad, in a weird way." She admitted, finally piecing that together.

"Was he a Mandalorian?" Kyr asked, a hint of a smirk eaking past his possibly feigned confusion.

"No, but he was a beat cop." She said, shaking her head. "Sorry I shouldn't have said that."

"I get it," Kyr said, also shaking his head, and holding up a dismissive hand. "We're raised weirdly too, especially more traditional Mandos like my family. Plus I know Mandos in general are just… weird. What kind of image we have. Sometimes that's fun, sometimes that can get in the way of things." He said with a shrug.

"Yeah. When Kitsu and Illara showed up, they were the first Mandalorians I'd ever met, then you and Cien arrived, and I had that meeting with her. It was… interesting. Especially when she talked to me in the bar afterward."

"I can imagine, she told me a little about that." Kyr said. Glancing down at his hands again. "She really took a liking to you there, though."

"She did, I owe her a lot." She paused, "I suspect I owe her more than I know as well." She said, glancing at Op again.

"Possibly." Kyr said, with a troubled smirk.

"We'll get her back." Kait said. "That's what your family does." She stated.

Kyr glanced up at her. "It is, it's what our family does."

Kait looked up at him, and looked down at her hands, where her left hand was over the top of her right, then looked over at Op. "Yeah."

They sat in silence for a moment. "I was going to go down to the lounge to grab something to drink, see where everyone else was. Do you want anything?" He asked.

She glanced at Op. "I guess if you could bring me something to drink I'd appreciate it. Like juice or something."

"You got it, vod'ika." Kyr said, standing up.

"What does that mean?" She asked.

Kyr stopped and turned back to her. "What does what mean?"

"Vod'ika?" She asked.

He looked at her for a second, and then chuckled. "If you can't figure it out, I'll tell you at some point."

She looked at him with slightly amused annoyance as he responded that way and walked out of the room.

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