Into the wilderness(MARA, also ask)

[Lobo]

Kara applied the Kolto to her shoulder and stifled a groan as her fingers probed the tender flesh. She was hunkered down inside an escape pod on a Sith Empire ship heading to she knew not where. It might not have been the best idea to hide on a transport ship. Fortunately she knows this one is only transporting foodstuffs. She only knew that because she had checked and raided the crates. This was a lax crew, so she was lucky there.

Kara tried to figure out how thing had went bad so fast. The mission had been in the bag. Then they were hacked and everything turned to bantha poodu and fast. Somehow in the mess that ensued, Kara was separated from her team. They were there only for extraction and support. But somehow the Sith had known where they would be. In the mad dash that issued Kara lost her blaster riffle and used up her last grenade. She had been hit three times. Once in the thigh, once in the shoulder and another blast had grazed her cheek. Her armor had taken the brunt of the one to her shoulder, but her thigh was different.

She finally found a place to lay low. A freighter. There was no one around and security was light. She was easily able to scale the wall and get inside. She hid in the escape pod and without meaning to fell asleep. She didn’t know the ship was lifting off until it was too late. So here she was, on a ship to the force knows were and it was only a matter of time before she was found. What a fine mess she had gotten herself into. On one of her food runs she overheard they would be dropping out of hyperspace to fix a problem with the hyperdrive. It took them all of a day to fix and Kara listened carefully from her hiding place to the countdown until they launched into hyperspace…and jettisoned the escape pod...half a second to long it would seem. The pod careened through hyperspace as Kara frantically tried to gain control, but she was no pilot.

All this happened in the space of a few seconds before she came out spinning wildly over some unknown planet. Kara sat back and gritted her teeth, hoping and praying the pods nav-computer will be sufficient to right the ship. It was, barely. The computer chimed out.

“Warning, excess velocity, Warning, Excess Velocity. Brace for impact, Repeat, excess velocity, brace for impact!” That warning came about five seconds before the impact. Cursing Kara shook her head. The impact had rattled her more than she had expected. Apparently the thrusters had been able to soften the landing enough that Kara wasn’t dead or half dead. It took her a moment to unstrap herself. Swearing as her thigh gave a painful twinge she opens the panel that olds emergency supplies…and laughs. There was a med pack. She could have used that before, hers had been on her speeder bike, which had went up when she threw the grenade.

She takes checks the nav-computer to see where she is, then curses. Mandalore. They didn’t like outsiders from what she knew. Cursing to herself in Old Corellian, she runs off into the forest, limping and using all the woodcraft she knows. She is not in top form, but. She slings her slugthrower into her arms and chambers a round. She hopes she doesn’t have to use it…here to hoping.

[Mara]

[...from Glory Reclaimed]

Muffled footfalls pounded along the twisting forest path sculpted by native herbivores through the veshok trees. Regular, unhindered breathing accompanied the dull thuds against the packed dirt. Dappled sunlight sprinkled on her from breaks in the canopy above as the voices of various birds and other fauna serenaded here from their hidden sanctuaries, almost encouraging the woman as she ran  by. It was so peaceful and serene, she allowed herself to close her eyes for a moment before opening them to follow the trail around a bend, her pace never faltering.

The battle for Gargon had been an overwhelming victory for her people. Raining down glory and honor on each and every soldier involved, as well as all the Mandalorians as a whole. She had basked in the thumping defeat she had aided in handing to the skulking Republic. But there was still much to do, and so after touching base with her contacts, making sure they would continue the good fight, Ambria Arcane had caught one of the first transports off the newly reclaimed planet. After spending much of the past several weeks preparing for the invasion, and then participating in the invasion itself, she had wanted to return to her quarters on Concord Dawn. A little downtime would be appreciated.

However, one of the drawbacks in just hopping on any old departing ship meant that she could not go directly to Concord Dawn and had to first detour around Mandalorian space. The dark-skinned woman had booked passage on a medical ship taking wounded survivors back to the hospital in Keldabe on Mandalore. It was a small price to pay for not having to wait, even though the price came with painful memories of her past. All her family still lived on the planet, in a small farming village outside the city, so the likelihood of her running into them was slim. Still, she could not easily push away the images that assaulted her mind, being in such close proximity.

To keep them at bay as much as possible, Ambria had jumped in to assist the other doctors and medics during the trip. Though she was not formally trained, having learned her skills on the battlefield, she held her own with the others. Treating and bandaging wounds, moving stretchers, assisting in minor surgeries that couldn't wait. She passed through the ranks, encouraging her fellow soldiers, updating those who hadn't seen the end of the invasion on how things had went. The whole experience had spread warmth all around inside of her. And her regret of her rash transportation choice was all but dissipated by the time it landed in the spaceport.

Knowing she had a few hours to kill before she could catch a ship out to Concord Dawn, she had stashed her things--armor, weapons, medkit--in a small outpost by the port. The military personnel there had been happy to accommodate her. Ambria wanted nothing else but to soak in a nice bath of hot water and wash off the filth of batter. But she could hold off for another day or two until reaching her personal quarters. Besides the limited availability of such luxuries near the spaceport, she preferred not to make herself vulnerable to her past pushing through her mental barriers. And so there was only one thing she could do with her time.

Ambria had stripped down and dressed in some borrowed clothes: a dark sleeveless tunic, leggings, and some soft and sturdy footwear. Doing a few miles of cross-country running would do the trick in helping her come down from the high of battle and prepare her for the return to Concord Dawn and the next mission. The single-minded focus in which she ran generally disallowed any other thoughts from entering the forefront of her mind. And besides going to the shooting range for a couple hours, was the only way she knew to truly relax.

For a while she had followed the Kelita River after going through the city gates, jogging out in the open grasslands. But that wasn't much of a challenge for her, and she had headed straight for the forest. Soon the bare fields had given way to larger growth, and she had ducked in among the trees, quickly finding a trail to follow and increasing her speed up to a steady run. Now she had gone at least a kilometer deep, having left all traces of civilization behind. And it was so wonderful, Ambria thought, as she vaulted a fallen tree in her path. This trip to Mandalore was going better than she had hoped, and soon she would be on her way, leaving it all behind, no worse for wear.

[Lobo]

Kara moved as she had been taught. Toe to heel, cautiously and surely. Kara had been out of the loop for almost two years so she didn’t know about the Mandalorian’s siding with the Sith, but she did know that they were not friendly to outsiders, let alone outsiders from the Republic. She was glad she had had the Republic Seal removed and replaced with the DLA emblem, it wasn’t likely that they would know about a small resistance group on a backwater world. Even if they did, she wouldn’t give up the info, she would die before she betrayed those that had helped her in her time of need, though she had only been with them for a short time.

Kara stopped and said a few choice curses in Old Corellian as her wounded thigh gave a much expected twinge. Damnit to the void. She stopped and propped her slugthrower against a boulder. Taking quick stock of her surroundings she undid her trousers and lowered them enough on one side to get a better look at the wound. It was bad enough that if she could, she’d go to a hospital but that wasn’t an option at this point and time. She got into the emergency med-kit and lowered her pants further and begins treating the wound with Kolto and pain killers. After quickly binding it she drew her pants back up and redoes them so she can be on her way.

Kara began moving again, with more ease than before, making her way uphill so she can get a better view of her surroundings. If she had come down near a populated area she could expect patrols and the like very soon. If not she had a bit more time. If nothing else she had to distance herself from the escape pod, it could have been used as shelter if not for where she had landed. She had a weeks’ worth of rations, a moisture gathering machine and tablets for the purification of water along with other sundry survival gear found on the escape pod. She could hunt if need be, she was sure that on a planet full of soldiers, gunfire would not be out of place, but all she had was the clip in her riffle and two more full ones.

Kara came out onto a game trail and looked around and decided to take a breather. She had been going for a solid two hours since tending her leg.

[Mara]

Lost in the bliss of the physical exercise as it slowly relaxed her and scraped off the stress of the recent battle, Ambria didn't see the figure in her path right away. She had been running along steadily, arms and legs pumping, the uneven earth taking most of her attention to keep her from stumbling or tripping over something. Listening to the sounds of the forest around her, enjoying the comforts of a clear and distraction-free head. And then she had come out of a particularly dense copse of trees, taken a sharp turn, and continued on for several dozen meters before she had looked up to notice the living, breathing obstacle a short distance from her up ahead.

Annoyance at this impediment to her coveted alone time first flickered in her mind. This figure was standing right in her way, and the trail wasn't wide enough to allow her passage around it without stopping first. Ambria sucked in an exasperated breath, not wanting to pause in her activity. But then she forced away those thoughts as she came closer and caught the state of the other's dress: ragged and dirty, rather worse for wear. This was not simply a sentry who had wandered too far from his jurisdiction. Perhaps this being was lost and in need of help; she certainly appeared out of place on the Mandalorian planet.

She wound down her speed, not wanting to startle the girl--for the being looked young and female--who was turned away from her, looking off into the forest. Ambria had decided to get to the bottom of this situation, instead of merely going off path and leaving the young woman behind, forgetting about her. At the very least, it would give her something to do to keep herself from thinking about other things she wished not to remember. If she couldn't continue her euphoric run, this was as good a substitute as any for passing the time until she had to board her transport to Concord Dawn.

Ambria had slowed to a walk and came to a halt a couple metes from the other. Her green eyes examined the girl more closely. She saw that she was a Zeltron or similar species, the hue of her pink body having been hidden in the shadows of the trees when looking from afar.  And she definitely appeared as though she had gone through something terrible: torn clothing, bruised skin. But she couldn't determine much else from this perspective, looking at her from behind. It was time to speak up, get the ball rolling on what this girl was doing her and who she was. "Excuse me... are you lost?"  A Mandalorian on Mandalore was never lost, but Ambria was doubting this female's connection to her people, all things considered.

[Lobo]

Kara had been standing there for a few minutes, trying to get her bearings. The only thing she could see was forest. She had been in this karken forest for hours now with no sign of another sentient life to be seen. With a sigh Kara checked her crono to determine the time, then cursed. She was on a different world with different cycles. Checking the sun she determined she had a few hours left before sunset, by which time she had best find some proper shelter.
Catching movement in front of her she lifted her riffle to pear through the scope and scan ahead of her. Some sort of deer like creature. She thought for a moment about shooting it but decided against it. It was more meat than she could use and it would be a noticeable trace for any who might pick up her trail. She was surprised she hadn’t seen any sign of speeders. Using the scope she scanned the skies. With a grunt she lowered the rifle.
If she had been paying more attention to her mediate surroundings she would have heard the woman approaching her from behind. But it wasn’t until she spoke that Kara became aware of her existence. As the words came to Kara’s ears, her first response was to freeze, fully expecting to be told to drop her weapon. But this didn’t come, so after only that momentary pause she spun, leveling her rifle at the woman. “Damnit.” She muttered under her breath. She was looking at a unarmed woman…in very good shape. “Don’t move!” as if the loaded weapon directed at this woman wasn’t hint enough not to move.
Kara’s mind raced as she tried to sort out her situation. “Identify yourself.” She says as stares down the barrel of her gun at this woman.

[Mara]

Her experienced eyes noticed that the girl stiffened immediately upon hearing Ambria speak up, relaxed muscles tightening up in reaction to the interruption. And it was not merely in reaction to finding herself joined by another in the forest. Ambria did not find it unusual that she had startled the young Zeltron; after all, she had been sitting there quietly, thinking she was alone, not expecting that someone else would come up to her. Or else she would have taken greater precautions in being aware of her surroundings. Like a Mandalorian would have. The woman had further proof that this stranger was not of her own people. But it was strange, the severity of the girl's response. As if she were scared. Hunted.

She hadn't a chance to dwell on these thoughts any further and what they might mean, though, because in the next second, the other had twisted around, brandishing a weapon. Countering her fear with a show of strength and focusing the dark-skinned woman's attention on more pressing matters.  It was not pointed harmlessly at the ground but straight at Ambria's chest.  But instead of widening her eyes, scared, the Mandalorian woman almost wanted to smile, roll her eyes even, at the girl's naive tenacity. Trying to threaten her, a soldier? Even unarmed, she was more than a match for this Zeltron.

However, despite the overwhelming odds in her favor, Ambria knew that the situation could go sour quickly, taking away any advantage she might have. This girl was a complete unknown, not an enemy she had studied intensely for weaknesses, and she didn't know her purpose her or even if she was alone. It could be an ambush for all she knew. One move and it could all be over for her. So instead, she slowly raised her arms away from her body, holding them a few inches from her sides, until she could figure out exactly what was going on here. If it was a brazen attack on Mandalore or just a lost Zeltron girl.

"Now, there's no need to be hasty here," Ambria said calmly, keeping her voice even and her posture steady. No trace of uneasiness, as if she encountered armed children in the forest all the time when she went on a run. Though it should be her asking the questions of this girl, the Zeltron was the one with the weapon. She needed to try to gain some upper hand, take down the danger level. "I'm not going to hurt you. So if you could put that away..." She nodded her head towards the girl's gun. "Maybe we can talk. Sort this all out. You can call me Ambria," she added, offering up her real name, in exchange for the lowering of the girl's gun, not because she was ordered to.

[Lobo]

Ka’ra kept her gaze on the Mandalorian woman, her finger on the trigger housing. Letting herself sense the other womans emotions, analyzing them. The woman was confident, in control and more than a little dismissive of Kara. She was cautious however. She didn’t think much of Kara but the loaded gun leveled at her seemed to help more than a little. ’Damnit, what now genius? You just had to stop on the middle of a fracken trail. When the woman gave her name as Ambria and asked Kara to lower her weapon, she eyed Ambria for a moment. After a few moments she lowered the riffle, swinging it around on its sling so it was behind her, letting her other hand come to rest on the blaster pistol at her hip. Each movement is that of a trained soldier…albeit a young one.

Kara was calm, at least outwardly…why hadn’t she put on her mask and goggles. Now there was someone who knew what she looked like. “Alright then, you wanted to talk, let’s start with, where the frack am I?” Kara shifted her weight slightly to and suppressed a wince as her wounded leg gave a twinge. This movement is calculated to allow Kara to gauge this womans reaction, to sense if she was going to attack….if so the blaster would be off her hip in and fire. Her movement also caused her jacket to move to reveal the armor beneath. It is not fresh and shiny, it is scored with scratches, dents and burn marks. This girl has known battle, “You can call me Sparrow.”

[Mara]

Even though the Zeltron girl eventually conceded to her request, Ambria did not allow herself to drift into a false sense of security. Or breathe a sigh of relief. Just because the other had put away her weapon for the moment, didn't mean it wouldn't come out again at one perceived wrong word from the Mandalorian woman. The situation could still end up going very bad for both of them. So she kept her arms out, away from her sides, keeping herself prepared to act or react to whatever the stranger might do next. After all, she was unarmed, and this girl had two weapons, that she could see, and even a trained Mandalorian had to take caution in such a circumstance.

"Thank you... Sparrow," she spoke with a nod, mentioning the name the girl had revealed. Letting the girl know that it was a positive step forward in having her drop her gun, hoping the empathic being would sense her appreciation in doing so. Perhaps if she could somehow calm the girl down, they could finally get past all the confrontational stuff and move on to more important matters. Like how and why the Zeltron was here in the first place. Not that having a gun pointed at her wasn't significant; it was. But it wasn't the focus of Ambria's attention any longer.

The girl--Sparrow--took her advice and spoke. Well, more like bit out an angry question to appease the older woman. And her earlier suspicions that the girl was lost, and not some kind of enemy scout, were verified quickly. Because she had no idea where she was, what planet she was even on. Ambria felt the truth in her words, and didn't have any reason to doubt her, yet. Especially given the state of her attire and body, dirty and ragged. All the evidence she could see supported what the Zeltron girl was telling her.

She glanced around the forest around her before looking back to the girl. "You are on Mandalore. Near Keldabe." Ambria had no reason to lie, and so was completely honest with her. And unless this Zeltron was completely unaware of current events of the last few months, she would immediately know the importance of that information. So Ambria watched her carefully as her words set in, checking for any sign that she was surprised or scared or merely neutral on the matter. Because that would tell her easily if this girl was enemy or merely in the wrong place at the wrong time.

However, she also couldn't help but notice the pain the other being was in. Years of experience with battlefield medicine and seeing a wide variety of wounds and injuries, Ambria's practiced eyes saw a hurt individual standing before her. Trying vainly to disguise her deep discomfort. And she wondered again where this girl had come from, what had happened to her to cause her to be here in a forest on Mandalore. But all of that, along with her theories of who she may or may not be were discarded, as the medic side of her came to the forefront.

"Are you injured?" She stepped forward, closer to the girl, slowly, concern in her emerald eyes showing and letting her arms fall back down to her sides. Ambria wanted to help her any way she could. While finding out all about her was important, getting her fixed up was a higher priority right now. The rest could come later. "I'm a medic... I can help you if you are." It was a risk to approach the wary Zeltron, she knew, which was why she kept herself alert for sudden movements, but hopefully the pink being could sense her good intentions.

[Lobo]

Kara felt the other womans emotions as genuine, and relaxes. No hostility, only caution as of this moment. And oddly from Kara’s point of view, concern for her. Concern for a potential enemy is not something Kara would have expected of the Mandalorian’s. She had heard only that they were fierce warriors and ruthless mercenaries. Despite all this, Kara does not remove her hand from the blaster at her hip, only relaxes and flexes the cybernetic hand hidden beneath a worn pair of gloves, though her movement sends a red metallic flash from a brief red, her armor is a dark green.

As the world she is on is uttered to her, she lets out a soft curse in Old Corellian, nothing more than gibberish to Ambria’s ears. Her next words return to Galactic Basic, “ I was hoping the escape pods Nav-Computer was off. No offense Ambria, but your people aren’t exactly big fans of…what’s the word, Arutees?” The word she was trying to say is aruetii, or outsider in Mando’a. So she has had some contact with Mando’ade. She does not seem best pleased with being on Manda’yaim. ”I haven’t exactly had the best of luck dealing with the Mando’s…one on Dantooine comes to mind. Colonel Shaw is a right son of a bitch.” She saw little harm giving out this info, when the escape pod was found, as she was sure it would be soon, there would be no hiding where she had come from.

The older womans concern spiked when Kara shifted her leg and winced. Honest and sincere concern for this complete stranger standing in front of her. It caused Kara to let her guard down as Ambria moved toward her. This lasted for only a few moments before Kara took a swift step back, one hand held out the other half drawing the blaster pistol and flicking off the safety in one ease, practiced motion. Then after a moment lowered her hand and slid the blaster all the way back into its holster. ”Sorry…” Kara stops and thinks and as she thinks she comes to one conclusion. She will be found…she had already heard craft off toward the south where she had left the pod. Before her stood a witness, someone who could identify her. She could kill the woman, but the very thought left a sour feeling in her gut.

Kara whipped her riffle around and pulled it over her shoulder, the blaster at her hip she unclips. Both get tossed off to the side. From behind her back she draws a knife, flips it to catch it by the blade and flicks it off to the side to sink into a nearby tree. Next comes her coat, revealing battered green armor. Her gloves are next into the pile, showing her right hand to be cybernetic ” Second degree burns to my shoulder, armor took the brunt of the blaster bolt, but still stings like a Corellian Blood Wasp got me. Minor burn to my cheek, nothing to worry about, had worse sun burns.” Her armor comes off and is thrown on top of the weapons off to the side. Lowering herself onto a log beside the trail she grimaces as she sets out the med-kit.

“Leg is a through and through, missed my femoral artery by less than half an inch by my estimation, possible third degree burns…but that’s to be expected.” Her words speak of medical training, it would seem that Ambria isn’t the only medic out and about in the forest today. With Ambria’s knowledge from traversing the galaxy, she could recognize the Corellian accent. Kara pulls her long sleeve black shirt over her head and tosses it aside, leaving her in her cargo pants and a sports bra. This reveals several more things. She is toned, her body well taken care of. Also that her right arm is cybernetic from just below the elbow down. The prostheses is red, with a crudely painted red heart upon it. On her left deltoid is some sort of emblem, possibly rank related.

“Kara, my real name is Kara Carroll…your patrols will have found the pod by now and probably tracking me even as we speak. As I see it, I had three options, one…shot you in the leg and take off into the forest, be found beaten or killed, if I survive…interrogation. Two, kill you…ends the same as the first, not to mention the thought of killing in cold blood turns my stomach…or three, be taken into custody, my wounds treated, questioned and then possibly, if not likely I am released.” This girl doesn’t seem to be your average Zeltron. She has a good and level head on her shoulders.

She undoes the claps on her boots and kicks them off before undoing her cargo pants and lowering them, wincing the entire time. Black spandex shorts reveal her legs as toned as the rest of her. Her assessment of her own wounds are very accurate. What would possibly give Ambria pause as she examines Kara’s shoulder wound is a view of her tattoo between her shoulder blades.

“Never Forget” 

Capt. Josi 'Sparrow' Carroll G.R.M.C. 

1356 AHW-1398 AHW 

((G.R.M.C.= Galactic Republic Marine Corps.))

[Mara]

At the girl's expletive--for though she couldn't understand it, she recognized it for what it was--and subsequent explanation, Ambria relaxed a little bit more. Unless this Sparrow was an undeniably good actress, which the woman highly doubted, she was no spy, infiltrating the enemy. She had caught no twitch or other such subtle body language that might give the Zeltron away. Instead, she was on Mandalore as the result of an unfortunate accident, a crashed escape pod. A story corroborated by her disheveled appearance and obvious distrust of the Mandalorian woman.

Ambria started to shake her head. "Well, no, that's not exactly true.." her words trailed off as she responded to Sparrow's words. She was only partially surprised that the Zeltron had a basic grasp of a piece of Mando'a. Her people were not exactly strangers in the galaxy, and snippets of languages had a way of being pervasive. What caught her off-guard more was the girl's assumption of how Mandalorians treated outsiders. They were a very welcoming people, and she wanted to say so... but stopped. This was not the time nor the place to get into a cultural argument.

Especially since the young Zeltron was injured, and the rest of the dark-skinned woman's attention had shifted to that. All other thoughts and issues could be dealt with later, after she had treated Sparrow's wounds. So Ambria had stepped closer, genuine concern in her voice, wanting to help.  But in response, the jittery girl had taken hold of her weapon once more, only to quickly put it away again with an apology. The Mandalorian woman merely quirked up the side of her mouth in a partial smile, as if to say, "Don't worry about it." This would certainly be a tough task indeed, if the girl remained so suspicious, and Ambria braced herself for what she would have to do in order to do this is the smoothest way possible.

However, that's when the girl surprised her. Ambria stood stunned as the Zeltron methodically stripped off all her layers, pointing out her various injuries as she went. Her emerald eyes widened, unable to contain her shock at this sudden change of events. Sparrow had gone from a frightened girl wanting to defend herself from any and all attacks to completely trusting this strange Mandalorian woman. She wasn't sure if she herself would have been so ready to do so in the presence of an unknown being. A crash-landing on Maridun several weeks ago coming to her mind.

So not wanting to break the spell, she remained quiet. Just listening and examining with her senses. And prioritizing and triaging the severity of them, deciding which could be left alone for now, which had to receive immediate attention. Blaster burns to the shoulder and cheek--nothing a bit of bacta couldn't help. But the shot to her leg would require more treatment. Ambria started calculating in her head what her location was, how far back to Keldabe and a medical center. The girl had some knowledge--she heard it in her matter-of-fact speech--as well as a small kit, but the thigh wound would overwhelm the small box of supplies.

It was also not lost on her that the Zeltron had a replacement arm. Subconsciously she felt her own prosthetic, except hers was a leg and covered with synthflesh so that it was not visible as inorganic to the untrained eye. She wondered to herself at what this girl had already experienced in her short life to have already lost a limb. Some of what she had spoken of earlier pointed towards some kind of military involvement. Dantooine--Sparrow had mentioned Dantooine. Ambria knew the planet was under Sith control. Had this girl escaped? It would fit...   And she was lucky to be alive. The woman felt a bit of respect for the Zeltron girl.

But she was not here for compliments. She had to get this girl out of the forest and back to the city to get fixed up. Then Sparrow's fate could be decided, not before. The Zeltron had other ideas, though, and Ambria couldn't help but smile a little as she went through what she thought as her only options after having been found by the Mandalorian woman. Clearing her throat and forcing out her mirth, "Let's skip the first two, shall we? And I'm sure someone will want to talk to you, but I want to get you treated first. Then we'll see what happens, all right?" Ambria was merely a soldier, on layover, and not at all responsible for planetary security. What would be done with the girl, she hadn't a clue; she would just deal with the obvious and leave the rest to the proper authorities.

"So, if you'll, um... get dressed, we can be on our way." Ambria stood by and waited for Sparrow to gather up her things and don them all again. Once the girl was ready, she gestured for her to continue up the trail in the direction she had come from. She would follow behind right at the Zeltron's shoulder; the path was too narrow for them to walk side-by-side. If the girl spoke up, she would participate, but otherwise Ambria was content to move in silence, navigating them both through the forest and back to Keldabe.

[Lobo]

Kara felt the other womans response to her sudden willingness to co-operate. She’s not sure if it had been anyone else if she would have done so…certainly not if it had been a male, regardless of species. But this Ambria’s honest concern for her got through, so she sat there patiently as the older woman looked over her wounds.

“I had a ECM-598 on my speeder back on Dantooine…it exploded when someone threw a frag…nearly fragged me in the process…droyk guerfel.” Again she lapsed into the strange language. “I probably wouldn’t be sitting here if I still had it.” Kara winces as she starts to draw her pants back on, gritting her teeth and merely growling away the pain. She was tough, this Zeltron, completely un-like her hedonistic kin most of the galaxy deals with.

She thought on the woman's curiosity and surprise at her sudden co-operation. She speaks again as she begins re-working the laces on her well-worn combat boots. “I’m an empath…I can read other people’s emotions, so I could tell you were being honest and actually gave a damn." Kara pauses in lacing up her left boot to look up and smirk at Ambria, "It’s one of the perks of being a Zeltron. High metabolism, empathic and a second liver.” She smirks slightly, it quickly becomes a grimace as she rises to her feet. "The rest is just a bother."

“Frell…and I used the last stem an hour ago…this is going to suck.” She dons the jacket, which proves to be too large on the small girl, but it’s what Kara has to work with. The weapons and armor she is leaving untouched, though her eyes linger on the riffle. It was the only thing of her mother’s she had left…maybe one day she would make it back to Corellia, back home…


((droyk guerfel = damn fool))
((ECM-598 = a fully stocked Med-backpack.))

[Mara]

As Sparrow had explained part of the reason for her current location, the destruction of an item during her escape, Ambria merely filed the information away. There was no need for her to respond to this comment, nothing she could say, really. But it did help her understand a bit more what this girl had gone through in order to escape Dantooine, to get away from an enemy infinitely more powerful and resourceful than she. It was really almost a miracle she was still alive, standing before her. From what she knew about the Sith's embargo of the planet, it was quite a feat that she had even made it off planet, let alone out of the system.

And that she had done so all alone, as well, was really quite remarkable. At least, the woman assumed she was by herself, either having left that way or any companions that had been with her perishing in the escape pod crash. She had seen none of the signs in this Zeltron that she was covering for others hidden back in the forest.  Everything pointed to her having been solo and striking out into the forest to get away from the mangled vehicle and hide, not to find help for friends even more injured than she.

She had smiled to herself as the Zeltron girl explained who and what she was. Ambria was well aware of the particular gift of the pink-skinned beings. Obviously it gave the girl an advantage, but the dark-skinned woman didn't feel it would have much standing in this particular situation. Assumed that her actions would have been seen as genuine without the need to search her emotional field or whatever it is that Zeltrons used to gather their knowledge of another being's current state of mind. However, she did have to admit to herself that Sparrow's open confession of believing her did put her at ease in away she didn't think she needed. "Thank you for that."

Seeing the pain on Sparrow's face as she had redressed, not to mention her verbal evidence to the same, made the Mandalorian woman anxious to get going. She had motioned for the Zeltron girl to move past her and go back up the trail where she had come down from. But instead, the younger being hesitated, looking back at the articles she had not decided to re-don: armor, weapons. This made Ambria believe that Sparrow was in just as a hurry to get out there and seek treatment as her makeshift doctor, but that she was unsure about leaving herself unarmed with a Mandalorian, who was actually unarmed herself.

Ambria blew out a breath that didn't even ruffle her hair, short as it was, and stepped forward back to the girl. She wanted to get going back to the city before that wound in Sparrow's leg got any worse. So she needed to convince her that she no longer had use for the military gear. "Sparrow... I promise that you will be safe under my care. All I want is to get you some medical attention. I will not let anyone else touch you until we get there. All right?" With a nod at the pile of armor and weapons. "Those will only slow you down. Time is off the essence. Please." Her voice was polite but stern. And as if to emphasize, Ambria moved back to the trail and once again indicated for the Zeltron to go ahead of her.

[Lobo]

As Ambria stepped closer, Kara tensed for a moment but relaxed, again feeling no hostility from the other woman. Letting out a small chuckle at Ambria’s words she shrugged slightly. “I know it will slow me down Ambria.” Her eyes linger solely on the rifle for a couple seconds longer. “It was my mothers.” With that she steps past the Mandalorian woman and begins walking down the trail as swiftly as her injured leg would allow her. She makes no verbal sound of complaint from her injuries. Either she was just that tough, or she didn’t wish to show and weakness before Ambria.

“My name is Kara.” The irony of the girls name is with a slightly different pronunciation it would be Mando. Ka’ra, meaning stars, more specifically connected to a Mando’ade myth about ancient kings. “Sparrow was my mother’s call sign. First thing that came to mind when you asked me my name.” The logical assumption of most beings would be that Kara’s mother was also a Zeltron. Kara tried not to think of her mother too much. The emotions associated with it were strong and she didn’t always have the best control over her empathic abilities and she didn’t want to project her emotions onto Ambria needlessly.

At one point Kara stubs her toe on a rock and stumbles catching herself on a tree she lets out a short curse in Corellisi. Pausing for a moment to regain her balance and let the pain subside, she speaks again, more to herself than to Ambria, “Come on Chuman, This isn’t nearly as bad as when you lost your hand…” She says as she pushes off the tree and continues on. Kara clenches and unclenches her cybernetic hand at times. With that she started to pick up her pace as much as she could. For about an hour they were making good time until she tripped again, but this time was unable to catch herself. She fell forward and tumbled down the incline for a couple yards. With gritted teeth and a snarl she begins pushing herself back to her feet.

Chuman= weakling in Old Corellian))
Ka'ra [Kay'Rah] Stars, Council of fallen Kings))

[Mara]

The girl's words hit her like a punch to the gut, and she was unable to move and follow after her for a few moments. Now Ambria wasn't a sentimental woman, not one for tokens or trinkets. Things like that could be easily lost or forgotten; they were extra, unnecessary weight for a soldier on the battlefield. But besides the practical reasons, for her personally, such items potentially held painful memories that she would rather forget. And so she had learned to live without the luxuries of mementos.

With one exception. Her family was still alive, far as she knew--she hadn't seen them since leaving for the army over a decade before. She hadn't wished any reminders of them besides the ones she carried in her heart. It would just stir up other emotions. But they were still there, if she ever could bring herself to return. Her husband, however, was not, and all she had left of him besides his memory was the rifle he had given her. Ambria had agonized over what to do with it, because every time she looked at it, she was gripped with sharp grief. The rifle had its uses, though, and unable to part with it, she had kept it, locked away. Just in case.

So strangely, she felt a brief kinship with this Zeltron. And not wanting her to suffer the same way she did every day, Ambria made a choice. The dark-skinned woman ran back to where Sparrow had dropped her armor and weapons and grabbed the rifle she had mentioned had belonged to her mother. Hefting it in one hand as she turned back, she nodded appreciatively at its balance. It was a good rifle. And the Mandalorian knew rifles; she was an accomplished sniper and had three of them in her possession, including the one from Turin she would rather ignore but couldn't depart with.

Quickly, she jogged up the trail to catch up with the girl and fall into her wake. Just in time to catch her revealing that her name was not actually Sparrow as she had first introduced herself but Kara. This did not bother Ambria at all. If she had crash-landed on a strange planet away from allies, all alone and injured, scared and frightened, she probably would have been hesitant to give out her own true name. "That's a pretty name," she commented. "Your mother must have been a special woman." For Kara to have picked her mother's name as her own... and to be sad in leaving the woman's rifle behind.

They continued down the trail in relative silence, the Mandalorian woman having to occasionally point out directions to Kara when they reached a small fork in the path. Slowly but surely they were on their way through the forest and then out to the city of Keldabe. Ambria was content with this, allowing her thoughts to ramble a bit. Obviously the plan would be to get the Zeltron girl medical treatment; this she had promised her. But she wondered what would happen to her then. It was something out of her control, but she found herself caring about what happened to Kara, even after knowing her for just a short time.

A sharp oath from the Zeltron's lips made Ambria turn her mind back to the present. It looked like she had tripped and was muttering to herself. She slowed, giving the other time to recover and start walking again before she moved on herself. Something the girl said caught the woman's attention, though: mention of losing her arm once again. The Mandalorian had seen it when Sparrow--Kara, now--had been showing off her injuries. And again, she wondered what had happened to her hand, as some phantom pain from her lost limb cropped up, reminding her of her own loss. But this was not the time nor the place to ask.

Kara had sped up, perhaps burning off her anger at having stumbled, but the dark-skinned woman easily kept up with the younger woman. She hadn't gotten her entire run in anyway, when she had come across the Zeltron, and so she now had an excuse to finish it, with this girl hurrying ahead of her. But her rashness got her in trouble; soon enough, she was catching herself on an exposed root or maybe her own feet and falling forward again. Sliding off the trail and deeper into the forest.

Instincts kicking in, Ambria went into action without considering the consequences. She could survive a bit of verbal whiplash; Kara would survive a bit of a bruised ego. The girl would have to learn that in life it was okay to ask and receive help, that being independent in everything could have dire results. Slipping the rifle she was still carrying over her shoulder to free her arms, she jumped forward to help.  She reached down to assist Kara in getting back to her feet. "Here, take my hand." Her voice was firm, but not quite a command.