As soon as she received proper medical treatment for the injuries she had sustained during the attack on Firrerre, Reiel returned to the field alongside volunteer reacuers. She was, however, not here to help their search and rescue operations. The volunteers were here for survivors.
Reiel was here for a dead man.
She hadn't slept properly and barely ate for days. Whenever she closed her eyes the image of her uncle – buried beneath the rubble and his blood slowly coating the bunker's dusty floor – filled her dreams. Every waking moment was spent fighting against the medics, demanding she be given the clearance to go back, to help with the ongoing rescue operations, to go out there so she could look for Dell's body to give him the funeral he deserved–
If he hadn't pushed her out of harm's way their roles would be reversed. Reiel knew that her uncle would fight just as hard so he could go out and look for her. He wouldn't sleep until her remains were found, he wouldn't sleep until her corpse was given the respect it was due, and he would try just as hard to properly lay her to rest.
Reiel would try just as hard as she knew ba'vodu Dell would. He deserved every bit of effort she was exerting because she owed him her life, Kad be damned, and he didn't even deserve the way he died. Not one bit, no.
The landscape before her was completely unrecognizable. Wherever she looked death and ruin met her gaze. Sleep-deprived as she was, her perception was steadily becoming more askew, unable to retrace the path that led to old Reuben's place. Her armor felt heavier with each step she took, and belatedly she regretted not asking for the ex-Mando's help to locate the ruins of his abode. But she couldn't stop now– wouldn't stop now. Not when her uncle's body was yet to be found.
Anger, determination, and sheer force of will fueled her, kept her awake and up on her feet. Not that she tried to fall asleep in the first place. Whenever she drifted off and out of the waking world Dell's final words haunted her, along with the sounds of explosions and the screams of the innocent. Bloodied beskar and durasteel filled her dreams– no, nightmares, the sound of her uncle's pained groan, the way he briefly choked for air as his body was crushed by his own armor and duracrete rubble.
She wanted to grieve, to let out the pain she felt at the unfairness of it all. She wanted to just sit down and cry, to shout at the heavens why people who caused this kind of catastrophe were even allowed to exist. She wanted to grieve, but she knew she could only do that when Dell's body was recovered.
Reiel knew by now that news of Firrerre's glassing had already reached the Clan. She had made the effort to contact her Buir, and she didn't need to say anything to confirm Dell's demise. All she did was cry while her father tried his damnedest to comfort her, to assure her that he would be there with here on the planet as soon as he could. He told her to wait, to rest and recuperate, but he should've known by now that Reiel was a stubborn woman.
So she searched. Or at least, she tried.
After another day came and went, and Dell's body remained undiscovered. Reiel's hands shook as she checked her gear, and not a moment later her vision blacked out, her body giving out from sheer exhaustion and lack of rest. A pair of medics who were adamant to keep her from heading out simply shook their heads in sympathy before tending to the unconscious Mando woman.
In the end, the medics decided that it would be too unwise to leave Reiel to her own devices.
When the small Mandalorian woman came to, she found herself stripped of her armor – her arm and leg armor,at least – and lying on a cot situated in a private room. The familiar weight of her helmet was a welcomed presence, left behind by the medics probably out of respect for the way of her people. She slowly pulled herself up in a sitting position with a groan and tried to ascertain where she was.
There was a viewport on the left side of the room, and she tried her hardest not to grimace at the sight of stars outside. Was she in a ship? Was she offworld? Who the hell took her here, when she had explicitly told everyone that she wanted to be a part of the search and rescue group so she could look for her uncle–
The mere thought of Dell brought tears in her eyes.
Shoulders shaking as she tried and failed to keep herself from crying, Reiel could do nothing but to tuck her knees to her chest and let her tears fall.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
@Nefieslab
Reiel was here for a dead man.
She hadn't slept properly and barely ate for days. Whenever she closed her eyes the image of her uncle – buried beneath the rubble and his blood slowly coating the bunker's dusty floor – filled her dreams. Every waking moment was spent fighting against the medics, demanding she be given the clearance to go back, to help with the ongoing rescue operations, to go out there so she could look for Dell's body to give him the funeral he deserved–
If he hadn't pushed her out of harm's way their roles would be reversed. Reiel knew that her uncle would fight just as hard so he could go out and look for her. He wouldn't sleep until her remains were found, he wouldn't sleep until her corpse was given the respect it was due, and he would try just as hard to properly lay her to rest.
Reiel would try just as hard as she knew ba'vodu Dell would. He deserved every bit of effort she was exerting because she owed him her life, Kad be damned, and he didn't even deserve the way he died. Not one bit, no.
The landscape before her was completely unrecognizable. Wherever she looked death and ruin met her gaze. Sleep-deprived as she was, her perception was steadily becoming more askew, unable to retrace the path that led to old Reuben's place. Her armor felt heavier with each step she took, and belatedly she regretted not asking for the ex-Mando's help to locate the ruins of his abode. But she couldn't stop now– wouldn't stop now. Not when her uncle's body was yet to be found.
Anger, determination, and sheer force of will fueled her, kept her awake and up on her feet. Not that she tried to fall asleep in the first place. Whenever she drifted off and out of the waking world Dell's final words haunted her, along with the sounds of explosions and the screams of the innocent. Bloodied beskar and durasteel filled her dreams– no, nightmares, the sound of her uncle's pained groan, the way he briefly choked for air as his body was crushed by his own armor and duracrete rubble.
She wanted to grieve, to let out the pain she felt at the unfairness of it all. She wanted to just sit down and cry, to shout at the heavens why people who caused this kind of catastrophe were even allowed to exist. She wanted to grieve, but she knew she could only do that when Dell's body was recovered.
Reiel knew by now that news of Firrerre's glassing had already reached the Clan. She had made the effort to contact her Buir, and she didn't need to say anything to confirm Dell's demise. All she did was cry while her father tried his damnedest to comfort her, to assure her that he would be there with here on the planet as soon as he could. He told her to wait, to rest and recuperate, but he should've known by now that Reiel was a stubborn woman.
So she searched. Or at least, she tried.
After another day came and went, and Dell's body remained undiscovered. Reiel's hands shook as she checked her gear, and not a moment later her vision blacked out, her body giving out from sheer exhaustion and lack of rest. A pair of medics who were adamant to keep her from heading out simply shook their heads in sympathy before tending to the unconscious Mando woman.
—·—
In the end, the medics decided that it would be too unwise to leave Reiel to her own devices.
When the small Mandalorian woman came to, she found herself stripped of her armor – her arm and leg armor,at least – and lying on a cot situated in a private room. The familiar weight of her helmet was a welcomed presence, left behind by the medics probably out of respect for the way of her people. She slowly pulled herself up in a sitting position with a groan and tried to ascertain where she was.
There was a viewport on the left side of the room, and she tried her hardest not to grimace at the sight of stars outside. Was she in a ship? Was she offworld? Who the hell took her here, when she had explicitly told everyone that she wanted to be a part of the search and rescue group so she could look for her uncle–
The mere thought of Dell brought tears in her eyes.
Shoulders shaking as she tried and failed to keep herself from crying, Reiel could do nothing but to tuck her knees to her chest and let her tears fall.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
@Nefieslab