Ask Shadows in The Mist

[Jonathen Baize]

"Yeah, I am fine. Thanks for pulling me out of the mud back there; that didn't feel like it was about to be pleasant." he said.

Jon was greatly troubled by the implications of her thought. It all did feel connected in some way, too coincidental.

He watched on as she brought one of the soldiers back to semi-consciousness. "Incredible," he spoke quietly. The man was weak, but was awake. "Everything is alright, soldier, you are safe." he reassured the man. Kali looked on the verge of collapse. "Only help them if you can do so without risk to yourself." he said flatly, the order implied in his tone. While he certainly was attached to this woman, this would have been something he felt strongly about with anyone risking themselves. He trusted her to make that call, though on whether she could help them.

"Could be, this could be happening in other places, and we just happened to come across these." he thought aloud. The other possibility was that they were involved somehow; they would need to investigate further. "Let's talk later about this.." he said. He wasn't sure who was involved; for now, he wanted it kept between them.

Whether she helped the other soldiers or not, the medical team arrived quickly. They would all be loaded up and taken back to base. Outside, the fog was already starting to be eaten away by the late afternoon sun, its rays already breaking through in places. "Thats a sight for sore eyes..." he said as the transport rumbled back to base.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

An actual wave of relief washed over her as he confirmed he was fine. "Honestly, I was slightly freaked out...this was a very scary situation as those tendrils came out of nowhere...but you're obviously very welcome" she gave him a soft, however still exhausted smile before closed her eyes for a moment, trying to regain some strength through the Force but keeping her distance from the life energy.

After the first transfer, she immediately nodded, obviously realizing the change in his tone. "Yes...I promise. I need some more time" she reassured him softly, observing how he first soldier was freed from the remains of the dry coccon and how he had at least left his coma. "Yes...I'll need some time to reflect anyway" she answered him in terms of their postponed talk, actually agreeing with him that those incidents didn't need more attention for now.

As she was feeling better, she crawled over to the next and gently placed a hand on his belly. The Force was still all over the place with this decent amount of freed, unused energy lingering between the spheres and separating a small amount to transfer it was exhausting, yet she did at least make process.

After the second soldier came back to his senses. She had to blink repeatedly to keep her vision from blackening, so that she stopped for now and waited for the medics to arrive. She was glad they did so quickly and a young cadet immediately went over to check on her, but she insisted on being fine.

"I simply need some rest...but please leave the two unconscious soldiers here for a moment". The head medic went over to her, frowning heavily so as if he assumed she was concussed and not in her right mind and wanting to help her up, but she gratefully refused before she wanted to explain what was going on. Yet, she struggled with giving a good, precise, simplified reply for a moment.

"Just give me 20 minutes. The soliders are stable, I can promise you that, but this monster drained their Life Force and I need to transfer it back or else they might not wake up at camp". There was no guarantee she'd find such a culmination of energy at camp, so she didn't want to risk it, yet despite the medic's confusion, he finally nodded.

Kalique then patiently waited for her own energy to regenerate before she helped the last two. They were all heavily confused as they woke up, yet she was simply grateful this had worked without any losses. With the continous exhaustion being even more present than before, they carried her up the stairs and carefully loaded her into the transport while the first lonely sunrays illuminated the fading mist.

She raised her head as he mentioned the sight, blinking a few times before she realized that he was completely right. Suddenly, the terrain didn't look as eerie as before and the shadow creatures had disappeared. "It's beautiful...like a normal late afternoon".

She met his gaze again while she forced the tension out of her muscles, a warm, yet soft smile returning to her lips. "You've...got a little something there" she pointed at his torso, so as if that was the only place where mud still stuck while he was actually completely caked in it. Soon after, they reached the camp and were guided out, right where Commander Conors was waiting. He was seemingly more than relieved, however a thousand questions were written in his frown and tired as she was, she left the left the talking to Jonathen.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He watched over her like a hawk as she worked, ready to stop her at the first sign of danger. He waved off the grouchy medic for now, letting him prepare the others for transport.

When she was finished, she could barely move. She had to be loaded up on a stretched and carried out. Jon stood beside the stretcher, hair matted with sweat after he had removed his helmet. He was covered in mud but still managed a thorough scowl from Kalique, once again bringing herself to dangerous levels of exhaustion.

His scowl softened when she pointed out the light peering through trees, an orange glow surrounding them. "Reminds me a little of Serenno." he said quietly.

He followed her gaze downward, seeing his armor plastered in mud before shooting her a glance. "You should get some rest, Knight Demici" he said, emphasizing the last words.

After arriving back on base, Kalique would be taken to rest after her overexertion while Jon met with the Commander and debriefed the man. They talked for a while before Jon set to his least favorite thing about his new role as a Commander, paperwork. He would retire to his quarters, now properly lit, and sit down to begin his lengthy report.

Kalique would receive word that Commander Connors would like to speak with her when she was feeling up to the task. It was later; she could either go now or wait until the morning. The decision was hers.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

She obviously hadn't miss the scowl, and while on a personal level, she would have had played it off rather teasingly, it was the professional level that dominated the atmosphere then. Their dynamic on the field was obviously different and while she hadn't actively put herself in danger, from the outside it surely looked like it.

She obviously obeyed his commands and hence she had fixed the last soldier as quickly as possible, but the constant strain obviously took its toll on her, he was half worried and half scowling because it had surely looked like she had put them over her own well-being, which was obviously partly true.

She was used to throwing herself in front of literal blaster bolts for Imperial soldiers, yet while most Commander didn't mind such acts or duty, Jonathen was a little more concerned and well, he had the right to be worried. She gave him another 'I'll be fine' glance before they arrived after his comparison to Serenno had made her smile widen.

She was transported off and given the chance to rest. She immediately drifted off to sleep after she had checked that there was neither a sense of danger nor dread in th air. The sun had already set when she woke up again, feeling much more rested but still a little drained.

She wouldn't need the Force tonight anymore, or at least she hoped, and right after the medic told her that Commander Conors was expected her at some point, she made his way over to his Command Office. She was hoping the man was more relaxed as she had felt his severe distress this morning, but as she walked, she realized that the fog was gone and the overall mood seemed much lighter. She knocked firmly, before she announced herself, wondering whether Jonathen had already let him in on everything that had happened.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

The Commander sat at his desk, fan blowing overhead. "Enter." he said, waving her in. He looked much more relaxed this time, well, at least for an Imperial Officer. He certainly looked less stressed than the first time they had met.

"Ah. Knight Demici." he said, waving to a seat across his desk from him. "I hope you didn't rush here. This could have waited until morning, but please have a seat." he said. He would wait for her to get settled before. "Commander Baize filled me in on what happened earlier in the day." he said. "He spoke quite highly of you..." he continued, looking down at a report in front of him before looking back up.

"Said you not only saved him, the lives of the missing squad, but likely those of the entire base." he said. "Thank you." he finally added. "We owe you a great deal of gratitude," he said with a nod.

"Do you think there is any more threat to this facility?" he asked.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique entered and respectfully inclined her head. She immediately noted that the color had returned to his face as well and that he carried himself with much more poise again. "Oh no, Commander. I'm fine, I hope I just don't bother you by showing up so late" she then quickly took her seat, feeling much better now that the mud was also scrubbed off and a fresh uniform on her as she had obviously freshened up before meeting up.

She was glad that he seemed pleased and relieved, but Kalique was never one who needed praise. "I did whatever I could, Sir. But I'm glad really glad we could figure this out quickly and without any casualties. Commander Baize is a very capable solider and the members of the squad fought bravely to stay alive" she replied, meeting his gaze.

"There is no apperently threat, Sir. At least not that I can sense anything dangerous anymore. In the morning, I'd suggest I take a look a look around, check a broader radius and ensure that it won't come back" she offered, however knowing he'd be the one to decide whether he wanted her to do that or not.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

"I have sat around not doing anything for days, I likely won't be going to sleep anytime soon." Connors said as she seated herself.

"You have this figured out?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "You know, I read this initial report from Baize, I have more questions than answers.." he said, picking up the report and dropping it again on the desk.

Commander Connors looked relieved when she also said there were no current threats that she could detect. "Well, you can go with the Platoon I am sending out tomorrow morning. I am sure your expertise would be of great value. For now, we have sentries posted and will raise the alarm if there are any signs of mist.

He looked at her momentarily, trying to decide what to say before picking up an envelope. "I hope you don't mind that I read your file when the systems came back up. It notes that you need the endorsements of ranking Imperial Officers. You put your life on the line for my soldiers when you didn't have to. That means something to me. Here." he said, sliding the recommendation across the desk. Would it be enough to get her promoted? He didn't know but it at least explained what she had done for the soldiers here.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

She believed him about how they hadn't been working a lot, as without power, a mystery to solve, and disappearing soldiers, there hadn't been a lot they could have done. She was overly glad that the Imperials could now go back to their actual task.

"Not everything" she admittedly truthfully, however wanting to disclose what she had gathered. "It was nothing naturally evil that just stumbled upon the base...I was able to determine that someone had definitely conjured it. It was a dark, twisted kind of Sorcery and it's not impossible they've purposely targeted the base..even if this danger was averted, I'd stay cautious" she thus answered.

She nodded at what he explained first, agreeing to his proposition of just following the squad. "I will accompany them, Sir, and report back as soon as possible". He then suddenly paused and explained that he had read her file. While this didn't surprise her, what followed next did and so she reached for the envelope with a slightly raised brow.

Examining the front, she quickly realized what it was and while she hadn't expected it, she was quite delighted about the positive surprise. "Oh...thank you, Commander...I really hope whoever did this, is now gone, but you have my word that I'll keep your soliders safe".

A soft, however genuine smile was planted on her lips as she awaited further instructions, but in case he didn't have anything else, she assumed he'd release her for tonight. As she hadn't seen Jonathen anymore every since their return to camp, she still wanted to check on him and so once this meeting was over, she intended to visit him. "Is there anything else I can help you with tonight?".

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

"That is all for now." he said. "We will call you if anything odd should happen over night. Dismissed." he said, turning back to his own work as she left.

Jon had been to check on Kali earlier, but she was still sleeping. Not wanting to hover, he had forced himself back to his quarters to begin working on the reports, not only for the impromptu mission, but also the report on why he had originally been sent to the base.

That had been several hours ago. Sometime during that time, he had dozed off to sleep, head resting in his arms atop his desk among stacks of papers.

 

[Kalique Baize]

After Conors dismissed her, she wasn't just grateful, but also in a very good mood. Not only was this base safe for now, but Conors seemed to have gained some trust as well, which was great news. She respectfully inclined and head and said her goodbyes before she left.

She was taking the direct route to Jonathen's quarters, however right before knocking she stopped herself, realizing that he was exactly conscious right now, but also not in bed, as it seemed. With a quirker brow, she quietly opened to door just to find him asleep at his desk, head in his papers.

It was an absolutely adorable sight to behold, but given his posture, it could neither be comfortable, nor healthy. She pondered on whether to interfere for a moment but finally decided it was better if he got some actual rest. She quietly closed the door and approached him slowly before she gently placed a hand on his arm. That was obviously after she had taken a quick snapshot. She had to show him this...

"Hey...no worries it's just me" she didn't intend to scare or even really wake him at all, so she kept her voice low. "Come...you need some real sleep, you can finish the reports tomorrow" with that, she wanted to help him up and guide him over to his cot. They could also talk in the morning if he was too tired.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He didn't wake up when the door slid open, but he jumped slightly when she touched his arm. "Hrrm?" he sounded as he stood, blinking tired eyes.

He didn't object to being pulled towards the bed in the corner of the room. "You're awake." he finally stated the obvious. "I checked on you earlier; seemed pretty solidly out. Everything alright," he asked, lying down on the bed.

The stiffness in his neck slowly faded now that he was lying properly. It wasn't the most comfortable bed, but it was Officer's quarters, so it wasn't barebones like he had as a Jr. Officer.

"Probably going just to close my eyes for a few minutes and then go check the perimeter." he said, letting out a yawn. "Shouldn't you still be in bed yourself?" he asked her with his eyes closed.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique couldn't help but to chuckle a little as he - drowsily as he was - let himself be relocated. "I am awake and alright, yes. The deep exhaustion is overcome" she softly replied as she squeezed in next to him for a moment.

"I'm glad you're okay as well, but you should sleep" she slightly nudged him as she laid her head down for a moment, closing her own eyes. She was relatively fine, although he wasn't wrong. A good night's rest was still needed.

"You can barely keep your eyes open" in fact, he almost hadn't opened them once. Her lips curled into a smirk and she was happy just to lay here with him for a moment. She knew she couldn't stay, not here while on duty, so she added, "Do you have to, or do you want to make sure everything is fine? I can do that for you. I promise I'll go to bed then as well, but you can and should rest".

For the moment, she simply enjoyed his warmth and proximity, but she could already feel him getting closer to drifting off again. "Conors posted sentries outside already too. Everything is fine".

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He moved over, leaving room for her, responding to her nudge. There was a part of him that was always on edge while sleeping, but he was able to relax with her here. Feeling safe, he shifted, settling in further. "Hrm. No I am just resting them.." he responded blearily.

"No no." he said when she offered to go in his place. "I just want to check." he continued. "I'm getting up..." he said but made no moves to do so.

He continued drifting back into sleep, only perceiving he saying everything was fine. He trusted her, trusted those words. He fully let go of consciousness, falling into a deep sleep that would last until morning.

When he opened his eyes, he half expected her to be there. Had she been there the night before? He didn't really remember but it would have been improper anyways. He shut off his alarm and shifted to a sitting position, feet on the ground as he tried to wake himself further.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

She softly continued stroking him while she felt him drifting away. As she opened her eyes after a few minutes later, the Knight realized how his slightly worried, tired features had softened again, which let another soft smile tug at her lips before she slowly started withdrawing her hands.

She obviously didn't want to leave him, but double-checking on the premises was a good idea and she knew she couldn't stay, so she decided to leave before she'd get more tired herself again. "Good night...I love you" she whispered softly, however relatively certain he was fast asleep.

The rest of the way out was fortunately rather easy and she stayed true to her promise by immediately going on a nightly patrol. She was a few soldiers and the additional sentries whom she all greeted curtly before she climbed up the wall another time.

Everything seemed quiet and the nightly mist rather normal, but to make sure she was right about her assessment, she did reach out with the Force and checked again. Only once she was truly certain, she made her way back to her assigned quarters to turn in for the night and fell asleep rather quickly after the eventful day.

She then drifted into a dreamless sleep that was okay over all, knowing that it would have been much better by his side, yet it was only appropriate not do, so once the morning dawned she simply started with her meditative routine before it was time for the daily briefing.

She met Jon there and after briefing they all got their coffees before she was sent out with the platoon to check the surroundings. Jonathen was assigned a different task and after Kalique's day trip and the certainty about how there was nothing else around, she was also being sent back, which meant that the time to part had already come. She was already looking forward to their next meeting, however hoped that it wouldn't be under similarly horrifying circumstances again, but Ord Biniir was at least safe for now.

@Raydo

//EndThread