Keshani & Collan: A little problem

[Collan]

"Thanks," Collan said, thinking that it'd be nice to pistols that packed a punch he could use more effectively.

"Medbay is just outside so let's go see if I can get the chip out."

[Keshani]

She took a slow breath and then nodded.

She could talk about someone cutting into her to get the chip out all she wanted, but actually sitting still while he did it would be something else....

She was no stranger to pain, but willingly allowing that pain was a bit different...

[Collan]

Collan took Keshani to the Medbay just across the deck. [ooc: assuming Rand is in stasis] There was a stasis pod there with a woman in it. Collan explained she had been seriously injured earlier. She would be in stasis till they reached a medical facility to help her better.

Collan pulled out a variety of tools strange to Keshani, though the scalpel looked pretty familiar.

"All right...let's do the hard part first...finding the chip," Collan said getting the scanner from Keshani, thankfully she had made it simple enough to use, but still, "Activation? Proximity? Keshani...is that a depth scanner?"

[Keshani]

OOC: Lol. Um...Am I making this up Craig?

[GM Craig]

Sure.

[Keshani]

"Yeah, it'll tell you pretty close to where it is, but there's a small margin of error....

"Press here to start it," she showed him. "You don't need to be super close, but not really far away..."

And even though it was only a piece of mech and he was only searching for the signal of the implant, it felt...disconcerting...to allow Collan to search her body like this. It felt vulnerable, and it took all of her energy to not tense up as he activated the device.

Letting him willingly cut into her would be more of a challenge...

[Collan]

Collan said, "All right...arms out."

Collan ran the scanner along each arm, top and bottom. No signal. Down one side and as he got to Keshani's waist there was a blip.

"Oop. Got something here. Turn clockwise for me."

As Keshani turns clockwise and her abdomen crossed the scanner the signal vanished but as her back came around it flared up even stronger.

"Hold on. Big jump there."

Collan moved the scanner around till he was sure.

"Okay...good news. I've got a fix on it and it doesn't look deep at all. Lift the back of your shirt for me please. I need to mark it."

Keshani felt a light brush against her back as he did so.

"This will be incredibly easy Keshani. Just lay down on that bed there and pull your shirt up a bit. Fast. Easy...and painless."

[Keshani]

She did as he told her to but it was obvious that she was beyond nervous. She was fighting to keep from trembling and she didn't speak as she waited for the pain of the scalpel cutting into her back

[Collan]

Keshani felt a little tingle on her back. Two really as Collan placed the inhibitors about two inches from the cut point. Some antiseptic gloves and a neon-filled cover box were fitted next and glued to Keshani's back. She felt a moment of not unpleasant warm as the glue set.

"So, I've blocked the pin receptors for the incision and a put a nonreactive gas cover on the incision point. If there's a oxygen dead man's switch this will prevent that. You'll feel a wierd bit of pressure now.

Collan made the incision and felt through the gloves for the chip which was right there. He wiggled it out which was a wierd feeling to Keshani. Collan put the chip in the safe storage compartment and then set to patching up the incision and cleaning it up. Some skin glue and solvent later, the incision was closed and the box off. A topical analgesic later the neural inhibitor came over and all Keshani felt was a slight ache.

"Let's put this in a durasteel bucket before we expose it. You never know if they put an explosive in set to go off if extracted improperly."

Collan did so and popped the seal on the neon. Nothing. he blew air from a cleaning pump in. Nothing. So he dumped the chip on the floor.

"Keshani...would you like the honor?" He motioned to the slightly bloody chip sitting on the floor, waiting to be stomped.

[Keshani]

The teenage girl was surprised by both the lack of pain and the skill with which Collan used to deftly remove the chip. The fact that someone would actually take so much care in treating her was something she was definitely still working to get used to as well.

A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she saw the chip sitting on the floor. But that smile was soon replaced by a solemn one as she thought about everything that chip had represented in the past few months of her life - the lack of freedom, the terror, the pain...but those feelings were just scratching the surface of a much deeper set of feelings that really couldn't even have begun to be described to anyone who had not lived through it themselves....

Realizing she had stood there quiet for way too long she resolutely stomped on the chip and ground it into the floor.

"Thanks." She said.

[Collan]

Collan gave Keshani a big grin, his grey-green eyes light and merry. He extended his hand to her.

"You're welcome. And welcome to freedom. Population: you."

[Keshani]

She took his hand but sat back down. Clearly there was something still on her mind.

"What am I supposed to do now? I don't even know what you all are doing. What possible use could I be to you all?

"But if I went off on my own....I've never been off Bakura before..."

[Collan]

"Let's go eat something and talk," Collan said, not really replying, but Keshani got a sense that he had something to say. He motioned for her to have a seat at the dining table while he went to the galley.

He pulled a couple packets from a storage bin as well as two crescent shaped bowls and two mugs...battered but serviceable. He pulled another packet from a different drawer and put its content into a silvery orb that steamed a bit when opened. The other two packets he opened, rolling their contents into cylinders and placing one each into the crescent shaped bowls. Those he placed into a food prep port. The orb chimed and Collan put the two mugs under it. The orb dispensed a dark black fluid that Keshani could smell halfway across the deck: earthy tones with a hint of something else...sweet and bitter at the same time. The food prep portal opened and Collan pulled the bowls out, flakey, buttery looking rolls were now in them. Collan put it all in a tray and brought them over, giving Keshani a mug and a bowl. [coffee and croissant if it wasn't clear ]

"Coruscanti kav and butter roll. They make a quick good breakfast or for conversation," he said simply, "Now...as to what do...what do you want to do?"

[Keshani]

She sniffed the drink and decided to give it a try. Taking a tentative sip she decided it wasn't horrible.

"I don't know. You'don't prolly laugh or think it stupid."

[Collan]

Collan frowned, confusion clear on his face.

"Hmm? No. I don't think it's stupid. It's hard to be confined with everything defined for you and then suddenly you have practically unlimited paths in front of you."

Collan tore off the end of his butter rolls and put it in his mouth, savoring the light puff pastry and buttery flavors. He chewed and swallowed with a drink of the kav.

"You have some things to consider. You're marked for example. The Empire has your holo and you genetic ID. They have mine too for that matter, but it does mean pretty much no matter what you do you'll have to work on keeping your head low."

"Quite honestly, I don't what I'm going to do either. My teacher is dead. I don't know if Master Rahm can or will take me on as a...well...an apprentice. Or Niil for that matter. Going back to Karvis is probably suicide; it'd be the first place my father would start looking."

"I've no idea what the Senators and Master Rahm have planned. They barely said three words to me when I gave them physical. Well...Rahm told me his name and very politely but clearly didn't want to be disturbed other wise. So I'm in a wait and see mode too."

"That said...the Resistance could use your technical skills. If the Senators build an alliance they'll need technicians and engineers. You've got clear talent...I think once the Senators are ready to talk we're going to have an in-depth conversation with you about that station. It was massive."

"Also...Trax seems to have taken a protective shine towards you. He's probably not happy you're here with me," the last bit was said regretfully. Trax had treated Collan with a level of respect in the past but it was clear that man had lost respect for him and was overtly hostile...really ever since they'd met back up.