Exodus

[The Eternal (?)]

The battle was raging on but the man objective had been completed, the tower had been destroyed. The rest was a complete mess. Burning buildings were everywhere, debris lining the street as massive war droids continued to rampage and kill Imperials as a distraction while the rest retreated. Imperial transports and service vehicles flew overhead, extinguishing fires or trying to recuse soldiers/civilians that were hurt in the small invasion. The worst part, however, was the reinforcements the Imperials brought, clearly unhappy and now committed to exterminating any members who had partaken in the attack.

Valentine was currently on the roof of some building, running at full speed as he would use the force to launch himself from one point to the next. He had no idea whether the soldiers that followed him were still alive or in the mud in front of the tower. The rain was still pouring down heavily and it made visibility an all-time low, making finding friendlies even harder but thankfully doing just the same in providing cover for any retreating soldiers. Even though he didn't find the soldiers or his student, who was on some other part of Corellia leading her own attack, he had given them all coordinates on where they would need to be in order to get off this planet. They had a short window and time was of the essence.

Val was soaked to his bone as he made another leap onto a nearby roof, landing with a small thud as he silenced an immediate groan. Pieces of his armor had been burnt through, left by the Sith he had fought against. One slash was across his right shoulder while the other was across the left side of his ribs. Every time he took a step pain blossomed from where the wounds were but he pushed it from his mind. Val scanned the area around him, seeing clumps of civilians still evacuating as explosions sounded off in the distance from the Basilisk. Hearing the sounds of the droid instantly reminded of him Raz, worry spilling through him the entire time as he hoped that she was alive and breathing.

Val wanted to search for her but he knew she would have wanted him to kept going instead of risking being caught and waiting for her, so he did. As he slowly walked toward the edge of the building he heard the soft rumble and Val instantly recognized the sound, Imperial transports. Turning his gaze, he could see the floodlights from the approaching ships and he had to act fast. Doing another quick take of his surrounding area, Val found what looked like to be an abandoned building at the corner of the street. Leaping over to it with the force, he landed gently with another grunt before jumping down a hole in the roof, landing on the next floor below as he dipped into the shadows to avoid a passing floodlight.

 

[Raz Solus]

“We need to get it out of here now!” Raz screamed at the top of her lungs, the sounds of ships speeding towards them filling the skies. Thunder clapped above and rain came pouring down, every surface slick and a mist looming across the war zone that was Coronet City. Her fight with the Sith had left her badly injured, entire chunks of her beskar’gam missing. Raz’s left arm was loosely hanging at her side, and she was half worried she would lose it. She could barely see anything, and she felt weak.

She spoke about the droid, her basilisk that that had taken heavy damage. She would never be one of the first to leave - not when members of her clan were still on the ground. Raz watched as the basilisk jumped up to a higher building, progressively getting up higher to find a springpoint. Raz had waved Reyna off, telling her to get out despite the woman crying for her to come along. She stayed behind, grasping her arm and watching the droid spring away. After a moment, the same ship from earlier swung by. She watched the basilisk jump forward and skid into the ramp, the ship tilting as it narrowly avoided several other ships firing at it from behind.

Raz didn’t stick around, running through the streets and ducking into side alleys. She didn’t dare use her jetpack, not when the reinforcements could easily pick her out of the sky. Her helmet was off to avoid having the T-visor on. Raz hadn’t exactly expected to be alive, and her exit strategy was non-existent. She kept running, the last bits of her energy leading her to the poorer district of the city. Raz clutched her hand over the badger insignia, rushing past homeless people and prostitutes lining the streets and taking cover from the rain.

She kept going until she found what looked like an old, abandoned house. The front of it was boarded up, but it looked like a lot of the old, dusty furniture was still intact. Raz elbowed the glass on the window, shattering it to allow her inside. The window wouldn’t look out of place with the rest of the house’s wrecked appearance.

Raz was breathing heavily, alarmed and reeling from the battle. She collapsed to the ground, simply lying on her back on the hard, wooden floor. Her hair was soaked and spread out around her head. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her entire body in pain. There was massive gash and lacerations on her left arm and chunks of the armor along her chest and legs were missing. They had completed their objective, but at what cost?

The galaxy knew there were Jedi now.

 

[The Eternal (?)]

Valentine heard the shatter of glass below him and he instantly pushed off the wall towards the door that led out of the room he was in. The lightsaber that was clipped on his belt immediately flew into his hand, his thumb on the button and ready to activate the blade. Val exited from the room, the door opening silently as he made his way toward the sound. He reached out with his senses with the remaining energy he could, expecting a group of signatures below that would be Imperials that have somehow traced him. But it only took a few moments to realize who it really was before tucking his weapon away and rushing down the creaky stairs.

When Val turned the corner he found Raz laying on the ground, badly injured and maybe even more than him. The Jedi took two steps at a time before jumping the rest of the steps, landing next to Raz on the ground. "Raz, Raz..." Val glanced down her entire body, seeing the pieces of armor missing with her left arm suffering the most damage at first glance. "Shit." He muttered, not knowing how extensive this was and surprised she even made it here by herself. Val was also punishing himself for letting this happen, believing he should have kept a better eye on her during the battle.

Another column of light spilled through a window nearby, signifying that Imperials were still on the hunt for them and the others. They were in a sticky situation and Val couldn't see a clear way out of this now but he needed to take on one problem at a time. "Stay still," Val told her, hoping she would actually listen before stepping over her and getting on his knees on the other side of her. Val stretched his hands out towards Raz's arm, the golden light emanating from his hands like before when he healed her on his ship. The light from his hands highlighted her wounds, showing the extensive damage that she received. The fact that he revealed himself to the galaxy was the farthest thing from his mind, the only concern that was worth his attention right now was Raz.

 

[Raz Solus]

As soon as she heard someone coming down the stairs, she had her gun leveled. It was her disruptor, capable of shattering through muscle and bone in an instant. Raz lifted her head up just slightly to take aim, her hand shaky as she saw the legs coming down first. She was about to shoot when she saw the torso and the face. Raz groaned and slumped back to the ground, the gun clattering to the floor beside her. She gritted her teeth from the pain and also at seeing him. They had been fighting the entire time and hadn’t really caught up since. She didn’t even know if he were alive until now.

When he came down to his knees near her, she glared at him. Before he could get to work, she harshly shoved him with her uninjured arm, “You fool,” She angrily lashed out, “You kriffing idiot. What the hell was that? What was the point of that? You just kriffed the entire rebellion and you got a massive target on your back!” She hissed, curling her fingers into a fist and punching him in the torso. Of course, the hit was much weaker than intended, and she immediately regretted moving around so much.

As he attempted to heal her, she groaned and looked away, “Don’t bother. I’m going to lose the arm. It’s so kriffed,” She had to fight to keep from crying out in pain. She was just now coming down from the adrenaline rush of the battle, the agony finally kicking in. Raz gritted her teeth and tried to control her breathing to ease the pain.

“That was so stupid of you,” She growled, not meeting his gaze, “I never should have told you about Corellia. Not only did you endanger yourself and your men, but you made a god damned spectacle of it,” She turned to look at him, glaring again, “And for what? You think Ion is gonna welcome you back with open arms after that, you moron?!” Raz pushed him again to make him topple over if he still tried to heal her. She knew he was injured himself and trying to heal would simply make him pass out from weakness.

 

[The Eternal (?)]

Unsurprisingly to Valentine, Raz cursed him out but he didn't care. Even when he got shoved back by her, Val came back to the same spot as before and stared her down. He saw her close her first, ready to throw a punch and as she launched her hand at him Val caught it before it connected against his torso. Val gave her a stern look, "Stop, it's done now. Stop moving around and making this worse." He didn't give a damn if Raz was mad at him, his main concern at the moment was making sure that she didn't succumb to her wounds while they still needed to find the evacuation point.

When she told him to not bother with her arm, Val just shook his head at once more before shining the golden light on her injured arm. "I'm bothering, I can at least make it less painful then you." The of his power was tiring, feeling the fuel for his powers slowly start to leave his body. Val didn't mind he was giving up his own energy for this, ready to suffer through the fatigue he would place on himself for doing this. Either way, Raz was undeterred from calling him out, continuing to do so as she told him he was an idiot. "That was the whole point Pip." The Jedi spoke up about it being a spectacle, it exactly what he needed in order for the word that the Jedi were back in action.

Raz tried to push him over again but Val immediately caught her hand, holding it there this time as his fingers interlocked around her wrist. He sighed softly before locking his gaze with Raz, "No, I don't suspect him too. But sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the greater good. Whether you see it or not, the Alliance needed this to happen." It was clear he spoke with conviction, completely believing in the worlds he told her before lifting his gaze up as another spotlight came through. "Hold still," He murmured softly before disappearing from the room and heading into the kitchen. Raz would be able to hear the scraping of furniture and other things before coming back into the room, slipping his arms underneath her and getting to lift her up, "Here we go, one, two, three," Val lifted her up and kept moving despite if she cried out, needing to focus and having to trust her to take the pain.

The Jedi walked her over to the nearby dusty couch, flicking his hand towards it as a wave of the force blew off layers of dust and made it look completely new. Putting her down softly on the cushions, Val set her head on the pillow and keeping her place for the moment. It was spacious enough for her to be comfortable and Val glanced back towards the kitchen, disappearing into it for a few moments. After a while he came back with a table cloth, it white and wrapped around Val's arm as he sat down on the table near the couch. "I'm going to make a sling for you, after that we're going have to keep moving from here." He wasn't a medical expert but since the time they first met his basic knowledge had expanded and he could fashion a sling for her.

It was clear that Val wasn't paying attention to much of her questions, clearly just focused on healing her and nothing else. It was something to distract his mind while it also caused him genuine worry. He didn't know why he fully did it, while he wanted to reveal what he was and that they were alive, that problem had been on his mind for months. Then Val realized what the pushing point was, it was Tin and the words that caused him insurmountable pain a few days ago. It was surprising how easy it made the choice than for him but now they had to figure out what they wanted to do. Val studied Raz's arm as he wrapped the sling around it, wondering if it could possibly be saved at all if they got to the evacuation point in time.

 

[Raz Solus]

Raz glared at him as he caught her attempts to shove him. Not only did he catch it, but interlaced their fingers, making the entire gesture gentle and pointless. She caved then, sighing and looking away. She didn’t listen to his words, her stubbornness getting in the way. Why could she never understand his motives or what drove him? Things had been awkward with him ever since Tin’s appearance, but he ignored all of that and had still showed up on Corellia. After Tin had arrived, she had simply turned and went the other way, leaving Val behind. They hadn’t even contacted one another since, and here he was fighting alongside her deep in Imperial territory.

She gritted her teeth as he attempted to fix up her arm, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to push through the intense pain. Raz didn’t dare look at the injury, the limb mangled and damaged at several different points. It was a mess to look at, and even she didn’t have the courage to inspect it. She barely had any feeling in it, and she struggled to wiggle her fingers. Raz remained silent, knowing that arguing with him was pointless. While she was vocally stubborn, he was the same with his silence. He tended to brush things off or change the topic entirely so she couldn’t keep badgering him about the same thing.

As he came back and motioned to pick her up, she opened her mouth to protest. However, she quickly realized that he wouldn’t listen to reason. She looped her uninjured arm around his neck as he scooped her up, grumbling under her breath the entire time as he took her over to the couch. She looked away at first but slowly tilted her head to look at him. Raz could see he was also injured, and he was beyond exhausted. She could see the fear in his eyes, and she knew he had his own uncertainties with his choices despite his confident answers to her. He would face the consequences for revealing the Jedi, and she knew he worried about that.

She winced as she was set down, watching as he worked together to make the sling. He was throwing himself into this, actively distracting himself from the reality of what happened. They were on the run deep in Imperial territory, and he potentially didn’t have a home to return to. Raz simply watched him quietly until he came back. She cried out louder as he moved her arm to put it in the sling, “I’m going to lose it… there’s nothing to be done about this..” She gasped in pain, her eyes watering from the pain.

Outside, the rain was as violent as ever, now pouring sideways and resounding loudly all around the house. Thankfully, she knew this would slow down the pursuit and give them some time to lie low. Despite that, he was correct - they would have to move as soon as possible and work to get off the planet. Raz sighed, running her free hand through her wet hair.

“You came here just to reveal the Jedi?” She asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice. His entire plan had been to show up just to make a statement. He hadn’t bothered telling her, and he went around her to endanger himself and others. Raz didn’t even bother dwelling on the fact that she was so bothered about him placing himself in danger.

 

[The Eternal (?)]

Raz's arm was in trouble, able to see how mangled it was and some tendons even visible. The only reason Val could stare at the arm was that of his time seeing wounds like this in battles. He wasn't a stranger to it but somehow the image of it twisted his stomach strongly just because it was Raz. Looking at her arm it reiterated his wounds, both of them seemed to burn more into his skin and it made Val grimace slightly but he pushed the pain from his mind. It was rather easy, completely focused on patching up Raz and thankful for the mental escape of his own problems. She cried out in pain but Val had to adjust it, fitting her arm snuggly in it before making sure it was tight around her neck.

The storm outside continued to let everyone know it had every intention of staying, Val glancing out towards the window as the downpouring rain wasn't stopping. It would provide them so cover and he was thankful for that at least. The sound of it as well would mask any sound inside they made so they didn't have to worry about that. Now that Raz was in the sling, Val put his mind to figuring out how they could get out of this, still pushing the idea that he didn't have a home further from his head. He didn't know what his future held, would he be exiled or stripped of his rank. That was the most likely answer for him, wondering if they would force him to be a padawan or something of the like. The thought almost made Val laugh out loud, wondering what the future would entail for someone like him.

Raz asked him if he just came to reveal if he was a Jedi to everyone, causing him to snap his gaze toward her with a slightly arched eyebrow. He heard the annoyance in her tone and it was clear that's only what she thought. Val was silent for a few moments, his jaw locking slightly before he suddenly got up. Before Raz could say anything, he cupped her face with his hand before leaning down and claiming her lips with his own. Val paid extra attention not to hit her injured arm but Raz would be able to tell through the passion of his kiss that the main reason for him being here wasn't for the reveal of his nature at all. He breathed her in for a moment before pulling his lips a couple inches away, his forehead connected to hers like he always did. "No, I came here for you, just you." He murmured his words softly before kissing her lightly on the lips again.

Val then pulled back away from her, sitting back down on the table as he rested his elbows on his knees. "And as you can see, I did a great job Pip," Val muttered, his voice slightly defeated as he nodded to her arm, "I did a great job huh." Val sighed before scooting the table forward, putting his hands out with the golden glow emitting from then. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you. But I couldn't let you try and stop me." He then snapped his gaze to Raz with a look of, don't even try it, "And before you say anything, don't tell me you plan on going on an attack and may not return and expect me to just sit back and wait to see if you live or not. Doesn't work like that." Val then turned his gaze back to her arm, shining the light over it. Even if Raz was convinced she would lose it, it would at least help her with easing the pain that came from it as the adrenaline started to leave her system.

 

[Raz Solus]

It was as if he were withdrawn into his own thoughts as she spoke. No matter what she said, he kept his focus on her injuries and almost acting as if she weren’t there. Raz was getting frustrated, especially as she knew he had endangered himself so much. She wasn’t a fool - she knew how the first Sith Empress came to be. Wasn’t she put to trial for doing things that didn’t fit with the Jedi code? Didn’t they try to tear her powers away from her, and that was what made her fall? Would the same happen to Val? She was suddenly very uncomfortable.

However, he completely killed her train of thoughts when he leaned in and kissed her. She could only gasp at how abrupt it was, but she didn’t stop him. He had seemed genuinely taken aback by her suggestion that he had come just to reveal the jedi. None of that mattered right now, and she was caught up in kissing him yet again. No matter how many times they did this, it was intoxicating every single time. It took her breath away every time, and it made her feel alive and exhilarated. She didn’t know how he kept doing it, and she kept aching for more.

As he pulled back and mentioned he had come for her, she could only stare at him with her eyes wide. She forgot about her arm for just a moment, simply staring into his eyes. He wasn’t lying, and he looked quite adamant about his words. She opened her mouth to say something, but he gave her another quick kiss. He pulled back from her, and she could only stare at him. Raz’s heart was beating quickly again, and this happened in spite of all her injuries.

When he spoke about her not letting him come, Raz opened and closed her mouth as he cut her off. She was still floored by the idea that he had come for her. He had risked his life and everything he had known. Raz didn’t know what to make of it, and she had to look away for a moment, caught between being embarrassed and utterly confused. What was happening to her? What was this? And why did it make even something as drastic as their present situation melt away?

“I thought…” She finally spoke barely above a whisper, “I thought….after running into Tin..I thought you didn’t want to do...whatever this is anymore,” Raz wasn’t even sure about what she meant. Did she want to keep doing this? Could she keep doing this? She didn’t even know what this was. All she knew was that it brought her to life whenever she fell into it, and she relished it. And she knew she had grown to care for Val a lot more than she would admit. Raz had only heard parts of his conversation with Tin, but she saw the two men storm off in opposite directions. Had Tin told Val about the two of them and their history? That was what she didn’t want to face, and she had maintained her distance. However, Val closed that distance once more and she was back to her confused thoughts.

 

[The Eternal (?)]

Valentine glanced back to her, hearing her whisper slightly and almost missing what she said. It actually did quite the opposite for him, it made his choice to come here that much easier to join the fight. Even though whatever they were, she was also his only friend from the past that hadn't let go of him or abandoned him. But it also begged the question of why Raz was so affected by it, even mentioning Tin's name bringing a flux of emotions inside her that was uncomfortable about it. It burned questions inside his head but Val had to keep silent for now, just focusing on her and telling her the truth once more, "It helped me make my choice to come here. I still don't know what this is as well but I know I don't what to let go of it so easily." Val just shrugged his shoulders before grimacing slightly, his own wounds stinging for a moment. He acted like it wasn't a big deal even though it was and just doing that so he could focus on the task at hand.

That's what scared Val so much, even with what he knew what was between him and Raz, he still wanted it with every fiber in his being. Despite what happened in the past between him and his men, or her and others, she was his light right now and Val didn't want it to be extinguished or taken away from him. He could feel the fatigue starting to set into him from his force healing but the only thought that fueled him to keep going was that Raz could close her eyes and slip away right here. Val promised to himself he wouldn't let that happen and he was going to keep his word no matter what. Her arm was looking better but she was right, Raz would have to lose it and the only thing he was doing at this point was just easing the pain for her. Seeing that made the golden flutter slightly before extinguishing, Val having to rest his head on his hand as he rubbed his eyes and the tiredness out of them. It was seeping the energy from him, the fact that he had let this happen and seeing it up close and personal and the healing. He was doing nothing and she needed actual medical attention.

The house rumbled softly as dust fell from the ceiling in small streams. Val glanced around before looking towards the window, the rain still pounding against the ground. He checked his chrono before standing up with a soft painful groan and leaning over and planting a kiss on Raz's forehead, "Are you ready to move?" He asked softly, both of them able to hear some squeals of vehicles not that far away. It wasn't meant for them yet but it served as a good sign that it time to get going. Either way, it seemed like Val wanted to leave the building altogether, wanting to put distance between him and the battlefield. If she needed help he would help her up, making sure the sling was still tight enough to carry her arm. As Val wrapped an arm around her waist and walked her over to the backdoor, checking his holo map of the local area and the suggested route to get to the evacuation point the fastest they could.

"We have a few klicks to go before we're home free." Val gave her the choice to let her walk on her own or not but he gave her a stern look before he opened the door, "If you need help or are in pain, tell me. Don't grit your teeth and try to do it on your own." Val was returning more back to his Commander days, his tone becoming more order like as they were now in a battle zone and needed to get home. Plus he willfully sank into, it helping him processing his thoughts and what to do next. If he didn't, Val would be too devasted by what could happen to Raz and what is happening with Tin. The Jedi put his hand on the door handle, slowly turning his gaze back to Raz and letting her know silently that they would move when she was ready.

 

[Raz Solus]

His words confused her to no end. They had parted ways so awkwardly, and she was sure he could sense every emotion she felt. Yet for some reason it only bolstered his decisions. Try as she might, she could never figure him out. Raz simply sat there for a moment, listening to the sounds of the rain and feeling him attempting to heal her wounds. The excruciating pain lessened, but it was still there to a degree. She refused to look at it, even though he kept working relentlessly on it.

In the end, she managed a faint smile and reached a hand over to place on his cheek, “Stop,” She spoke quietly, “You’re wearing yourself out. We need to get out of here, remember?” He was drenched in rain and sweat, and he had his own injuries to take care of. For a moment he appeared as if he would collapse at any point. She thought about his words - of not wanting to let whatever this was go. Raz knew she felt that too, but she was too afraid to vocalize those thoughts. How was a god damned Jedi better at this than her? She was too flustered to say anything else on the topic, and she was thrown off by his next action.

When he leaned in to kiss her forehead, it was an oddly tender gesture. She hadn’t expected it, and it left her with her eyes wide open and staring in wonder. It didn’t have that sizzle and sense of urgency as when they kissed, but there was something much more emotional around something so simple. Raz almost didn’t hear him, and had to clear her throat, “Yeah… yeah, let’s go.”

She had to quickly remember they were in Imperial space after having attacked a crucial city. She was going to lose her arm and her people were still in the process of getting out safely. Raz’s head was spinning, and she slowly got to her feet, her good arm around Val’s shoulders to help herself up. She had to grin at his words, “Okay, mother,” Raz gritted her teeth through the pain, nodding at him to open the door.

She couldn’t put her helmet on, and the rain poured directly above her all over again. Raz squinted her eyes, finally letting Val go so she could try and walk on her own without collapsing from all the pain. She was much slower, but she was doing her best to keep up. There were Imperial soldiers all around and speeders were zooming all around. Her armor was too broken up to be as easily recognizable, especially since the badger insignia had been on the arm that was shredded.

“Where will you go?” She muttered quietly, “Where will you go after all this?”

 

[The Eternal (?)]

Despite the situation, Valentine couldn't help but have a smirk play along his lips. He aimed a nod towards her before murmuring, "No gritting." The Jedi would usually be in a more playful manner if she called him "mother" but she was already in a bad situation and he didn't need to start a mini argument. Raz was able to walk on her own and Val only kept a few steps in front of her, close enough that he could catch her if she fell but far enough that he would be able to spot anything in front of them. With the healing he did to Raz and the battle before this, Val's reserves of the force were nearly depleted and he needed to conserve as much as he could. That meant withdrawing the force within himself and letting it nurture as he continued to slowly refill his pool. As they walked Val kept his gaze sweeping back and forth, his nerves on high alert the entire time as they navigated through the city.

Val approached the corner of the dark alley they were in, gently placing his shoulder against it as he peeked around the corner. There was an Imperial roadblock, makeshift watchtowers on the corners of the street with searchlights. There was a small security station in the middle and as civilians passed through before being checked with weapons in their face. Val was counting the guards before Raz asked her questions, directly behind him as he turned his head to gaze at her. He didn't speak for a moment, not knowing what answer to give to her because he didn't know the answer. But then Val gazed back up at her, his eyes containing a certain conviction, "Back home if I can even call it that. I have to take responsibility for what I did and return to my kind. They will have questions and I'll need to give them the answers." His tone was that of a man who just seemed to accept what was coming from the future, believing that it was the right thing needed to be done.

Val glanced down at Raz's armor before taking another peek down the road to make sure they were clear. He then removed his cloak, wrapping it around her gently so it didn't disturb her arm and thoroughly covered her. She would still be soaked but it would at least help and disguise her injuries, hiding the probability of them being randomly stopped by a patrol. Val then knelt down on one knee, removing pieces of his armor from his chest and arms, throwing the plates behind some trash to hide them. He a wore a type of black mesh shirt underneath and it would least past more for a civilian then his full armor. The rain was punishing and Val shivered slightly but his mind was focused, "Let's keep going, stay close to me alright." Val reached forward with his hand, his fingers interlocking with her good hand before giving her a reassuring squeeze as he stepped out from the alleyway and into the flow of people.

They were surrounded completely by people trying to leave and Val made sure to keep his grip tight on Raz, ensuring they wouldn't be separated as he kept her close. Drones flew overhead, scanning individual and random passerbys in the stream of people. There was three in total scanning the crowds while soldiers kept to the sides of the streets, their menacing gazes burning into the flood of humans as they watched. It wasn't looking good and Val subtly moved his head from left to right, attempting to find any obvious flaws or weaknesses in this roadblock. The nearby alleys had mini blockades with a guard at each, making their last solution to rush him if they had to but that wasn't the best option.

 

[Raz Solus]

As he mentioned taking responsibility, she furrowed her eyebrows. Raz shook her head, rubbing her face to wipe the water from it, “So you’re going to tell them you showed up because of me?” It was difficult to judge her tone when she said there. It was a cross between irritation and curiosity. She couldn’t even imagine how badly telling the truth could hurt his case. Jedi weren’t even supposed to venture into territories of emotion as far as she knew, and he was walking that path. And he was leading her along too.

Raz was about to ask why they paused, but he was taking his cloak off. Before she could even stop him, he had wrapped it around her. She wasn’t used to ‘being taken care of’, and she was way out of her element. How much of this was him being a Jedi and how much of this was just for her? From what she could tell about him, he was a true Jedi in that he was usually reserved and guarded with his vulnerabilities. She didn’t need his powers to tell she made him vulnerable in many ways, and he did several things he normally wouldn’t with others. She could only stare at him as he put the cloak around her and begin to pull away at his armor.

As much as it pained her to do so, she did the same with hers. She would have to make herself a new set, as this one was entirely out of commission. Raz didn’t move initially when he grabbed her hand and began to pull. She tugged him back and looked at him, “Let it be known that if the rebels give you too much trouble or try to harm you, the entirety of my house will happily show up to remind them why that’s a bad idea,” There was a dangerous tone to her words, and it was clear she wasn’t exactly joking. The Mandalorian people were stubborn, and she would happily throw away an alliance with the rebels if it ever conflicted with what she believed was right. Solus was supported today by Val and his men alone, and they stepped up to the plate. Now here he was saving her life yet again. She would go to wars over him, though he didn’t need to know that just yet.

Raz kept moving with him after that, eyeing the drones whizzing by. As she looked at the soldiers to the side, she also spotted a medical evac transport ship nearby. She lightly nudged Val, nodding towards a few soldiers blocking the way, “Use your magic on his mind. I can pose as an injured patient with you as the medic. It’s the best story I can come up with.”

 

[The Eternal (?)]

Val furrowed his own eyebrows, inhaling sharply as she asked her next question. Would he tell them the truth that he had been here for her? Val wouldn't exactly be lying if he said he came here to reveal the Jedi and land a strike against the Imperials while also supporting the Mandalorians. But Raz was ultimately the push for his decision and he realized he would have to hide her from the council. Not only would it be a volatile situation between him and the council if he mentioned, adding Raz in there and her people would only complicate matters even worse. Val shook his head slightly as water dripped down his hair and nose, "No, I won't. I can't. It will complicate things too much and the GA doesn't need that at all right now." Things didn't need to crumble because of Val and... whatever this was between him and Raz.

Either way, they had to be moving and he made his way to the mouth of the alley, ready to depart before Raz tugged him back and stopped him in his place. Val looked back to her with an arched brow, expecting her to be hurt but instead finding surprise with her words. They had an effect on him, not believing it at first before being able to tell she was deathly serious. It was a sign for him, wondering if he was the only one who wanted to continue down this path and hoping she wasn't forcing her. It was exactly why the reason why he wouldn't reveal Raz to the council and that reason brought a smile to his face. Val couldn't help it and it was genuine before he gave her a brief nod to convey the rest of his feelings. He didn't want a bloodbath between the Rebels and the Mando's for whatever reason, especially him, but he appreciated that Raz had his back if he ever needed her. The last time he had this feeling was with his squad back when he was commanding.

As they moved through the crowd, Val continued to keep Raz close while scanning the area. Their choices still weren't great and they were getting closer to the security station. That's when Raz nudged him and he looked to her before seeing where she nodded. He understood her line of thinking and went along with it, tugging her to the ship as he pushed people out of the way so they could reach it. When they spilled through the crowd and approached the soldiers, they immediately held up their hands "Halt!" Val immediately tugged Raz closer before appearing scared beyond straight, "Please help! My wife! She's injured, some debris fell on her arm and crushed it!" Their voices were barely heard, everyone having to shout over the pouring rain. Val pulled back her cloak, just enough to reveal the arm but not enough of her armor even though she took off the plates, not wanting to risk it. The soldiers who stood there saw her arm and the two could tell even they grimaced under their helmets when they saw it. "We will need to see identification." One of them stated in a monotone voice while the two other slightly stepped out wide. They didn't bring their guns up in a threatening manner but it was clear they were going to their flanks despite the injury. The attack had everyone on edge.

Val glanced around at the soldiers and during this, the nearby medic glanced over, able to hear Val shout through the rain slightly and hear what the problem was. When he locked eyes with the Medic, Val used the last of his force to go through the medic's thoughts, it quite easy to tug on the sympathetic string of the man and what made him want to be a medic. The Jedi made him overreact in the slightest and the man suddenly rushed over, "Get out of the way! This woman needs medical assistance immediately!" The medic ran into the soldier's shoulder and the guard looked at him, "But si-" The medic immediately snapping his gaze to the soldier, "Immediately!"

With a little hesitation, the guard finally moved and the medic led Raz through to the ship and out of Val's grip. Despite that, Val kept tight in formation with them, not letting the guards try the bullshit of saying he wasn't part of the group to go with her. He wouldn't allow that to happen. When they entered the shuttle, Val immediately pressed the button to close the door, it shutting instantly and stopping anyone from preventing them from leaving the planet. The Jedi immediately turned his gaze to the doctor and Raz, watching like a hawk for any unnecessary movements from him.