Star Wars: Dar'Aliit

Chapter Two: The Promises We Break

4 BBY Calamity Medbay

"I'm going to skin that chakkar alive!" I groan and shove myself onto my elbows. The doctor-Palpatine-turns immediately from his work and hurries across the medbay floor to stop me before I can get up.

I scowl at him.

"Commander, you should not be up," his face is tight. "You only just got out of bacta treatment and your injuries..." I can feel his eyes trailing to my scarred up arms and chest.

I ignore him and put my feet on the floor anyway. "Forget it." I'm angry. I've been angry for days now, but to unconscious to do anything about it. But I'm not unconscious anymore. Days of bacta treatment and I feel fine. Fine enough to skin a man alive. Specifically Jay, that traitor.

My fist clenches at the very memory of his smirk before he lobbed the first grenade and then my vision flashes to a blank. I blink however, and scan the room, distracted by another though. Myren.

I catch sight of her buttoning up her shirt. She's sitting over by the other medbay bed and looks, in all honesty, better than me. Even her injuries from the past week have healed.

Exhaling, I am thankful for that. I promised to keep her safe after all.

Myren turns to me and I can feel the heat in my face as I look down. I turn it into a grimace and try to shoulder off Palpatine who stubbornly remains, insisting silently that I do not try to leave.

It's Myren, though, that rounds the corner and meets me with her calm stare. Her gaze flickers down, and up, and meets my eyes.

"You should lay down, Commander," she says. "You're still healing."

I open my mouth but I know better than to argue. Myren of all the people here knows more about me than anyone. And refusing will only get me blackmailed later.

Defeated, I slink back to the bed and sit down. Palpatine smirks.

"Clones," he mutters and moves off.

With a roll of my eyes, I lean back. I am sore. But what's truly sore is my ego, and my pride, and my sense of safety. Jay was one of us. I allowed him into the Winterfang team and like a di'kut it nearly got us all killed.

Myren walks up and sits on the edge of the bed. She stares off into space and I can see that she's lost faith too. She hugs her elbows tighter to her sides than she ever has before. I lean forward and put my hand on her shoulder.

Myran blinks and looks back. "No getting up," she insits, and sighs.

"I'm not," I argue, frowning stiffly, but I do sit cross legged behind her and let my hand rest against her shoulder. "I'll catch him," I whisper. "Don't worry I won't let Jay-"

"Jay's dead," Myren says blank. "Rho took him down with a rocket. The Doctor informed me."

"What?" I echo and look around. There's still blast scorches on the floor from the scuffle and the door to the holding cell is damaged, but closed. I lift my hand from Myren's shoulder and rub the side of my head. How much did I forget? I was close to the blast.

"You were unconscious," Myren says, putting my mind at ease. "You...saved my life."

"That's my job."

"Thank you." Myren catches my eye. She smiles and I can see her relax, only slightly. She pulls her knees up onto the bed and turns around so we're cross-legged facing each other. She sits with far better posture. I smile and slouch forward.

Myren folds her arms and I can't help but wonder if she's mocking me slightly, but I realize quickly she's just afraid to be left exposed. "Commander," her voice is quiet. "Be careful...please?"