Ask Coruscant Behind the Crimson Ring

Bast Emblai

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Captain

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Kestrel
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A sob echoed behind Bast as she walked away. She knew it was Haji who was crying. Something deep in her chest ached, too deep to be her freshly bandaged wound. She was tired. Part of her wanted to be alone, and part of her wanted to have someone nearby. The door she was walking through would lead to neither rest or solace, but she persisted. There was nothing to do but continue forward. The ranger would simply try not to think about it.

Passing by Corran, she overheard and emergency operator and gave him a weak smile. There wasn’t energy for words at the moment. Falynn joined her and they walked in silence, the air heavy with a sense of hopelessness. The children would be rescued, but their lives had likely been forever altered. The chance of them thriving and rising above poverty was statistically low, and there was nothing she could do. The detective picked up the keycard to the cells. It surprisingly light and flimsy, an gross misrepresentation of the weight it held. The thought sparked anger, but with nothing to consume, the fire quickly died out. Freeing the children from their physical prison was laughably easy. A simple chirp and green light indicated the first cell door was unlocked. Two Twi’lek girls were huddled in a back corner, frozen. They made no move to run.

Couching, Bast extended what was meant to be a welcoming hand. One of the twins flinched. Her eyes went from empty and dull to brimming with fear. The woman knew the feeling all too well. She’d experienced it. It had taken a week not to break down if somebody unexpectedly made a move towards her or touched her back. Hospital workers had to sedate her. But she was a woman, not a child. Children were vulnerable and impressionable, easier to hurt and harder to heal. “You can go. I will help. I will not hurt you.” There was no response. Perhaps they didn’t understand basic. Slowly, Bast unholstered her pistol and set it on the table, far away. The message seemed to translate better. Timidly, the one who had flinched grabbed her sister’s arm and walked forward. A small purple arm extended towards the ranger holding a doll. It was a test. Carefully, she took the doll and pretended to hug it. Bast wasn’t even ashamed to be seen doing so by her coworkers. A minuscule smile ghosted the twi’lek‘s face. Her sibling was still unresponsive.The next cell held five children, packed tightly. The one after, a Mirilan boy. There were still half a dozen more.

As soon as planetary authorities arrived, Bast did a quick handover and seated herself at the card table. She wasn’t hiding, but could easily be ignored. There was no desire to bother the others. Placing her head in her hands, she closed her eyes. She could rest, for the time being. Rest, but not sleep. Sleep never came easily.

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Falynn Tikarsis

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Processing

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FireSong
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May 5, 2020
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From an outside perspective, the mission hadn’t gone too terribly. They had found Haji, apprehended two syndicate members, and freed children from a life of slavery. There had been a fair share of unexpected events, but in the end wrongs had been righted, and that was what mattered.

Falynn had assessed each of the children as they timidly walked out of the cells. None of them had sustained major physical injuries, so she had mainly stayed with and comforted the kids until law enforcement arrived. Now that Coruscant’s Constabulary had tied up the loose ends and left, Falynn found herself at a standstill. It was so quiet. Every other member of their task force had isolated themselves to an area of the building. Slowly feeling the effects of the day, Falynn sat on the back steps, head in her hands, as fierce thoughts engulfed her.

She’d been working with patients now for almost six years. Years spent treating people to the best of her ability, experiencing the joys of a full recovery and the sorrows of an unexpected loss. Falynn had believed she was well prepared for this mission, until all three of her team members had gotten injured and her delicately crafted wall came crashing down. Treating Corran, then Haji, and then Bast had revealed a main difference between this profession and her last. In the past, hospital protocol demanded doctors maintain a professional boundary between themselves and their patients. It was the same reason why Falynn drew a line between people she worked with and people she treated. So during this assignment, when the two categories had merged into one, she felt lost. Suddenly everything became a whole lot more personal. She was no longer a doctor treating her patients, but a coworker helping her acquaintances, friends even.

Her thoughts subsided as Falynn wrestled with this newfound discovery. There was no need to keep a professional distance as she did with her patients. Which meant, maybe, just maybe, it would alright to allow the carefully constructed line to blur. To open a myriad of unexplored possibilities. One thing was for certain. Whatever lay in store for her, Falynn would be a fool not to grasp the opportunity, if she saw these people again. And Falynn had a feeling she would.

// END THREAD

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