Blast From The Past

[Ashlyna Talmount]

Location: Mimban Orbit
Time: Unknown
Status: Critical

Having just dropped out of lightspeed, the power on the shuttle finally gave out, navigation, engines, life support; all dead. Ashlyna was at her wits end, it had taken everything she had just to get to this point, but it seemed that her luck had finally run out. She glanced down at the mess of tool kits and spare parts she had mustered together in the cockpit, along with the remains of the dashboard for the controls. She couldn't think what else to do, the spare battery pack she had tried to keep the ship computer alive on had just shorted out, she had no way to reignite the engines from here, and at her current course she would drift for close to a week before the planet eventually grabbed hold and sent her hurtling through the atmosphere. Her only hope was that the force had lead her to the right place, and that if her allies were still on world, they would find her before she suffocated. She hurt everywhere now, her muscles were sore from all the labor she had been preforming around the ship, and frankly she had lost count of how long she had been stuck in her metal coffin. She might have bothered with the emergency beacon, but the ion storm she had got caught in claimed that as well; including most of the on board electronics, hell that got her in this situation in the first place. Getting up and moving into the holding bay, she pushed aside several electronic and scrap metal parts, then remembered she had been using this as her soldering bench for the past few days. Frowning, she moved to the other bench instead, not having to worry about sleeping on bits of molten scrap. Her back flared up in pain, as the metal bench was hardly a comfortable sleeping area, but she had no where else to sleep for the time being. She guessed she had only a few days for someone to find the ship before the oxygen ran out, assuming she could keep in her force trance that long. As she closed her eyes and began to enter into her trance, her thoughts lingered onto her failed mission, the deaths of her master and friends on Ord Mantell, and finally Tycho himself. Despite her dry eyes, Ash felt a bit a moisture well up at that thought, but refused to let it take a negative turn. She would put her life in the hands of the force, and hope that despite her failings, she would at least she her friend before death claimed her. Feeling a little bit better about the fate that awaited her, Ashlyna drifted off to sleep, her body appearing to be in a near death state, as she called upon the force to slow her life functions. Now it was up to fate to sort out was to be done, after all, Ashlyna had come to this world on a gamble, hopefully now it would pay off.

@Nommie

 

[Tycho Draykon]

Tycho stood in the bridge of his flagship, The Valhala. Arms crossed as he leaned against one of the projection screens that were on the bridge. Looking down to the floor the General was debating on where to send his fleet to yet as far as missions to do. He always thinkings through these type of things very carefully.

The people working on the bridge were so quiet that a pin could be heard when it hits the floor. Everyone knew their tasks which was a relief to the former criminal.

Suddenly there was a beeping sound from one of the computers broke the silence. Alerted by the sound Tycho lifted his head as he silently turned his head to look towards the station where the sound was going off. "General. The sensers are picking up on a ship. But I do not recognize it." The man at the station reported.

Tycho walked over. Silently looking at the reading. Immediatly he recognized it, "I do." He turned to another person standing at another station on the bridge, "Use the tractor beam to bring it into the hanger bay." He ordered followed by a loud, "Now!" When no one moved. Immediately everyone got to work. As that was going on the General took off running to the hangerbay, he knew that there was something wrong. That he had to get to the hanger as quickly as he can. When he got there Ashlynna's ship had just been brought into the hanger.

Releasing the boarding ramp the man didn't bother to wait for a security team nor for the boarding ramp to finish lowering before making his way into the ship. The man struggled to find his bearings in the dark ship, "Ash! Are you in here?" He yelled hoping to get an answer. His heart pounding so hard he can hear his heart beats in his ears. Then he spotted her, kneeling down the General immediately started looking for any sign of life.

Taking a deep, shaky breath the former criminal quickly scooped her up into his arms. Holding Ashlynna bridal style. Making his way out of the ship the General immediately started sprinting towards the medical bay.

@Algarus

 

[Ashlyna Talmount]

Ashlyna's ship shuddered as it was grabbed by the tractor beam and pulled on board, though it's inhabitant wasn't roused from her trance. Tycho would have seen that the ship had undergone heavy damage, dark burn marks raked along it's hull, and several major conduits were exposed on the outside of the ship. As Tycho would board the ship, Ash would be among the first things he saw, laid out on a bench, the only sign she was still alive was that she was still warm upon touch. Her hair and face were covered with dirt and perhaps grease, as were her clothes. Her hands had bloodstained bandages covering them, perhaps she cut herself while doing repair work. Either way, she looked to be in bad shape. As he picked her up, she felt light, perhaps a little too light. Rushing her towards the med bay, it would be revealed she was not in the best of health. She was severely dehydrated and was starting to contact a blood infection, but she'd live. As she was set into a bed, her eyes twitched, as her dormant senses were telling her she was no longer alone. She could feel his presence nearby, and rose her hand in his direction. "Tycho?" She muttered, still too exhausted to do much. A paramedic restrained her hand as another put an IV into her arm, trying to reestablish her fluid levels.
@Nommie

 

[Tycho Draykon]

Concern and dread welled up inside him as he felt how much weight Ashlynna had lost. Not just how heavy she felt in his arms but how she felt as far as what he could feel through touch. This pushed the man to run down the halls faster, ignoring the security team that chased after him yelling that she should not be allowed onto the ship until given clearance. Wasn't him charging down the halls with her in his arms clearance enough? Well the General was clearly not in the mood to deal with them, besides they will figure it out sooner or later.

As he charged down the halls. Tycho dwelled on the dread for not continuing to look for Ashlynna when the jedi first went missing. He should have just left the Alliance to go looking for her. For once the man cursed his loyalties to the faction. But happened in the past is in the past. There is nothing he can do about what happened back then. Right now all he can do is make sure that Ashlynna is taken care of and put on the road to recovery.

Making it to the medical bay the former criminal laid Ashlynna on one of the many beds that dotted the room. The General did not leave the bedside until three medical officers moved over to begin their work. However when he heard Ashlynna's weak voice the man was quickly back to her side the second that the medic got the I.V in, "I'm right here, Ash." He will say quietly as he took her hand in his, "Stay still." He gently ordered, nodding to the team for them to continue.

@Algarus

 

[Ashlyna Talmount]

Despite the three medical personal milling about her bedside, Ashlyna could keep her focus on Tycho. She could sense his worrying thoughts, his anxiety building; which she could only connect her own distressed being. A small smile played across her face. He hadn't changed in spite of the war he was waging. She opened her eyes, though they stung to high heaven and practically screamed at her to remain closed. She didn't heed them though, she needed to see him with her own two eyes. Gazing up at him, her smile widened, as she gave a weak squeeze to his hand. His face was fraught with concern, just as she had sensed. She licked her lips, they were dry and cracked, leave it to Ashlyna to as presentable as ever. He had told her to stay still, that he was there, which was good because otherwise she would have believed she was going into one of those 'near death dream' sequences she had heard so much about. And that would just be depressing. "You look terrible." She muttered, a soft chuckle rumbling from her throat. "And we really have to stop meeting like this." She paused, as she felt one of the medics begin cutting away her clothing to attach monitoring devices to her chest. She was hoping her terrible attempt at humor would relax him some, since she just didn't have it in her to use her powers. "It's really good to see you, Tycho." She said, closing her eyes as she couldn't will them open much longer. Another medic moved towards the IV and attached an antibiotic into the drip, before moving to grab something else. "General," The head physician stated, moving beside Tycho. "She'll be bed ridden for the next two days, but she should make a full recovery. Do you want me to have her moved into a private room?" He asked, handing Tycho a datapad to sign orders on what was to become of her. The 'General' comment stirred her attention. "General...?" She said softly, with a tone of disbelief. Had she been gone that long?
@Nommie

 

[Tycho Draykon]

The General appreciated that as the medics did their work that they somehow managed to allow the concerned man to keep Ashlynna in his line of sight. But then again the former criminal was close enough to the bed that the three personnel can do their work without him getting in their way. So it was a win for all of them. But it didn't stop Tycho from looking at the woman with concern in his eyes as she struggled to look at him, though he will smile as well as Ashlynna smiled at him. At least she had the strength to do that.

The man could not help chuckling, "Believe me. I've looked far worse." He told the woman before firing back with a reply in response to what else she had to say to him, "Yeah we need to find better ways to meet." He agreed. The man cleared his throat, looking away as the medical team cut away at the clothing covering her chest, keeping his gaze away until they used a blanket to cover her up, "It is good to see you too, Ash." The General replied as he watched Ashlynna close her eyes before looking to the medic. He looked to the woman thinking it through. Well her habits are like his own, even if told to stay in bed she would be up and about if she was left alone in a room. So there was one thing that made sense to do, "Yes. For now move her to a private room. When she is strong enough to be moved have her moved to my quarters." He told the medical officer as the man signed off on the orders. He looked to Ashlynna as he handed the datapad back to the medical officer, nodding, "You heard him correctly." Tycho told her, "You've.. been gone for a while."


@Algarus

 

[Ashlyna Talmount]

Ashlyna smirked a tad as she felt Tycho avert his eyes as the paramedics undressed her; always a gentleman, it was nice to see that hadn't changed. She let out a small sigh, feeling herself sink into the bed as she laid there. She was amused that Tycho was going to give her a private room, before transferring her to his quarters; though he was right in one aspect, she wasn't going to be laying in this bed for the whole two days. She was probably fortunate he was the one to find her, anyone else would have forgotten who she was by now. "How long?" She asked, dreading what his answer was going to be. She felt like a complete and utter idiot for staying out in the for so long. She let out a sigh, as the medical crew left the two alone, moving on to tend to other work. Ashlyna's eyes were still stinging like crazy, so she kept them shut. It didn't matter though, she could see Tycho perfectly fine as was, though there was a slight difference. Her hand reached up slowly, trying to reach the new addition to his face. She frowned as she felt the marred skin, while she had been wandering around like a lost puppy, he had been here trying to keep fighting the war. Some guardian of peace she was. "Somethings never change." She said, her arms grew weak though, as she had to let them rest. "I'm sorry...I should have come back sooner, I shouldn't have stayed gone..." She trailed off, feeling her mind wonder off into unrelated guilt ridden things. She could sense a pair of men coming into the medbay now, though their intentions seemed non-hostile. Ashlyna thought about trying to let Tycho know they were coming, but was still fumbling with the words by the time they arrived. "Sir," One of them spoke. "Sir, sorry to interrupt, but we're here to transfer the patient to her quarters as you ordered." It seemed like Tycho's crew worked fast, though Ashlyna sensed no urgency coming from them. "Unless, you need more time, Sir?" The one beside his partner asked, nudging his fellow to notice the situation they had walked into. Ashlyna's hand found Tycho's and squeezed it. She understood he had a duty to uphold, but she desperately wanted to spend some time with him; though that would have to wait, she wasn't going to cling to him like some desperate housewife. "General, if you need to go back to work, I can wait until you're done. The galaxy won't save itself you know."She said, a faint smile still worn on her face.
@Nommie

 

[Tycho Draykon]

Tycho hesitated, not sure about telling the woman how long she had been gone. But like herself, if he was in her place he would want to know the truth. So he settled with just telling her, "You have been gone for a year, Ash." Tycho told his friend quietly as the medical staff finally left to tend to their duties or to start carrying out his orders by preparing the private room he ordered for Ashlynna to have. That reminded the General that he will have to tell the security teams to leave the woman alone, she is not any sort of threat to the people on board the flagship nor to the Alliance itself. The man remained silent as Ashlynna's fingers found their way to the left side of his face, tracing the line of marred skin that started just above his eye down to his jawline. It must have been a bit of a shock to the jedi to feel it, but then not a surprise since the man goes into a lot of combat zones. Though that specific injury was not the result of a battle but a natural disaster.

Then the poor woman started to verbally kicking herself, something that Tycho had been silently doing to himself. The man immediately tried to sooth her, running his free hand through her hair gently, "Hey. Don't go doing that to yourself. You are here now. That is all that matters, Ash." The man told her. The Jedi had probably gone off to do some Jedi Training and what not and simply lost track of time, and maybe got herself into trouble that put her in the state she is currently in.

His attention on Ashlynna was taken away when the former criminal heard two sets of footsteps approaching the couple. Looking to the two men the General was honestly glad that his personnel were able to work quickly and efficiently, but wished that in this moment that they had taken a bit longer. He wanted to spend some more time with this friend before getting back to work and duties as General of the Galactic Alliance. The man nodded to the men then looked to Ashlynna as she spoke up, "I think the galaxy can wait long enough for me to see you to your quarters." He will say with a small smile.

@Algarus

 

[Ashlyna Talmount]

He always tried to make her feel better when she was down on herself. She apperciative that, well, she appreciated alot of things about him, but that happened to be one of them. The fact of the matter is that she spent a year running around chasing ghosts, all to end up empty handed. His handling of the guards made it clear he wouldn't be leaving her side anytime soon, which she was more than happy to accept. Though the fact remained, she was absent from his life for a whole year; there was alot to catch up on, and at least they'd have some time to do that today. "Well, you're the boss now." She muttered, tilting her head towards him, smile still clear on her face. She could sense the two men move to either side of her bed and undocked it, as the bed hovered a scant half inch off it's mount, as the men each took one end and began their march towards Ashlyna's new quarters.

She withdrew her senses back, knowing she was starting to strain herself. While she had gotten better with her powers, she was still limited by her body; she was only human after all. It took several minutes to traverse the ship, which made Ashlyna wonder just what sort of ship Tycho was commanding. Upon arrival, the front guard stepped forward and opened the door, then brought Ashlyna and her escort inside. They helped the woman transition into the new bed and set her IVs up before giving Tycho a crisp salute and departing. Now it was just the two of them. Ashlyna didn't have anything to say about the quarters, they were nice, perhaps a little too nice, but she was at least among friendly faces now. Feeling the other two's life signs drift away, Ashlyna sighed and looked to Tycho. "I've missed you." She spoke, feeling her eyes trying to create moisture, but they were too dry to comply with the order. She wasn't even sure what to say, about what she had seen, where she had gone. She had thought about him almost every day for the past year, almost given up on having a chance to see him again. Now, here they were, and she didn't even know where to start, not to mention she looked terrible to boot.
@Nommie

 

[Tycho Draykon]

The General stood up from his seat as the two men moved to either side of the bed, undocking it. The man watched the two men as they began moving the bed out of the medical room, following close behind as they marched towards where Ashlynna's private quarters will be for the next couple of days. It was just around the corner from Tycho's quarters, but with the condition the Jedi is in she will not be able to make the walk. That is until she starts gaining her strength back. The walk to her quarters took a bit of time due to the size of the rebel officer's flagship. But they will get there in a good amount of time.

Following the group into the room, the General took the time to make sure that the door closed behind them as the two medics began hooking the sickly woman to the IV's and what not again. Returning their salute followed by a silent nod to dismiss the two medics. He watched over his shoulders as the two left. He will then make his way over to the bed. Her quarters were nice since they are officer's quarters, but no one really has a say in where he places Ashlynna. He wanted her close to his quarters so that he can take the time to check in on her without having to travel to the other end of the ship.

The former criminal smiled, "I missed you too." He will say quietly as the man looked down to Ashlynna. Tycho pulled a chair over, taking a seat. There was so much that he wanted to tell her, as well as ask. Like where she had been and why she had left. No he knows why she had left, it was to do with her parents or something that caused her to run off. But none of that really mattered right now. She needs to get some rest and restore her strength. There is plenty of time to talk about that, "You have no idea how much I missed you. Calath did as well." Even though Calath ran off, he still has good contact with the boy, who sometimes asks if Ashlynna has returned. He is sure that when he sends word that she has come back that he will come as quickly as he can.

@Algarus

 

[Ashlyna Talmount]

Being left in a room with Tycho was...well nice to say the least. Though she initially couldn't figure out what to say, that didn't last for long. She had dreams about a moment like this, though...well she'd rather not go into detail. He mentioned Calath, which brought a smile to her face. She wondered what happened to the boy since she had left. "Calath? How is he? Oh he must be so old now." She muttered, sitting up in the bed as she was feeling some of her strength coming back. Ashlyna would reach out and take Tycho's hand, squeezing it tightly, as she subconsciously wanted to say and do alot more than she was capable of right now. "I'm sorry I left you hanging for so long Tycho..." She muttered, looking away for a moment, before looking back at him. She needed to be honest with him, why she had left him behind. He deserved that much. "I went looking for my master, she...she left into the core trying to find something, but I couldn't find her." Ashlyna shook her head, the guilt starting to mount. "So...I wasted a whole year of my life, and a year away from you...chasing ghosts..." She said, her tone becoming increasingly more defeated as she went on. If not for how dry her eyes were, she would have been sobbing now, but instead only a single drop of moisture was all that came forward as the single tear streaked down her cheek. "There...were things I wanted to tell you before I left, you know? Just...thought I'd be back sooner than a year." Ashlyna pushed on, trying to ignore the self doubt welling up within her. "Then you had the kid...and the war..then I left the order and..." She stopped, realizing she was just talking in circles. She let out a sigh, suddenly feeling a wave of fatigue wash over her. "I wanted to come back...I really did but...my hyper-drive failed, and the ion storm...." Ashlyna stopped, her head dropping down in shame. She didn't deserve his company, she knew that, but after all this time here he was, still trying to be there for her. She cared about him, she really and truly did, but she wasn't worth his attention, he deserved better than some woman who ditched him for a year to chase hyperspace trails. There was just so much she wanted to say, but she just wasn't sure how to say it, or even if she should. He was a war hero, a general, a man leading an armada. And what was she? A failed jedi knight former pirate who could never stand on her own two feet. But he had to know, she had carried this for too damn long to not tell him. "Tycho....I..." She stammered, her brain pulling the emergency stop before her heart got ahead of her, though it was only a delay, though she paused to make sure her words would get right to the point.
@Nommie

 

[Tycho Draykon]

Tycho smiled, "Calath is doing alright. He sends me messages when he has the time to do so. He had recently, as he describes, been feeling a pull. So he has been out traveling to where ever be feels he has to go to. Calath is eighteen now. A man in his own right." Tycho said quietly almost in disbelief about how quickly time has gone by.

He has gone from a young man struggling to survive the streets of Nar Shaddaa, watching his first family vanish in front of him. Now here he is a General with a kid that has grown up. Along with a woman right here that he has grown close to. How close he may not admit to.

Yet.

Tycho frowned as he listened to Ashlynna struggle to explain why she had run off. Being gone for a year. It was a painful time for the former criminal as between missions he went out to look for her only to return to his duties empty handed. He even did a daring mission to an imperial prison thinking he may find her there, only to not only escape without seeing her but almost got himself killed.

The man watched the single tear trace down her cheek, the only tear her body was able to produce. Now instead of laying down the woman was sitting up. Showing that the Jedi's strength is slowly returning.

Before she could ramble on anymore, getting the hint of what her final words meant, he will say, "None of that matters now. You are here." Before Tycho pressed his lips to hers gently only for a second or two though.

@Algarus

 

[Ashlyna Talmount]

It was nice to hear the young boy was doing alright, though hearing he was eighteen was a bit of a shock. "That's good to hear, I'm sure you're the reason he's doing so well." Ashlyna smiled at that, least things had gone alright with her absence. It was funny, at a time, she felt that she had started to make a new family between the pair of them, before she left them all behind.

Still, she was here now, so perhaps she could still make up for all that time. As she sat there mulling over what to say, she felt Tycho's lips press against hers for a moment. She could only describe it as feeling a spark, as she felt her body go stiff, a chill creeping up her spine. Ashlyna's posture sunk, as she laid back in the bed, her cheeks flushed bright red. She crossed her arms as a small smile came across her face. She pursed her lips, all lines of thought were severed. She didn't feel tired at all now, the soreness and fatigue was simply just not registering as she fidgeted in her bed.
"I...um...I've been wanting you to do that for a long time..." She confessed, rubbing the top of her head.
@Nommie