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Blaster fire in the Star Cluster Casino was more common than one might expect. The criminal element that had taken root on the moon made the occasional skirmish inevitable, and they often went ignored by Nar Shaddaa’s more well-adapted residents. Unless they were looking for some cheap entertainment, of course. Theron Shan was not, in fact, looking for this kind of trouble on his day off. The universe, however, seemed to have other plans for him. He set his drink on the table as a horde of people ran out of the lounge in a panic, glancing back nervously as the unmistakable “boom” of a sniper rifle echoed from within. Other patrons looked on warily, slowly inching away from the lounge’s doorway. But not Theron.While more sensible beings made themselves scarce, Theron pressed his back against the wall and craned his neck so he could get a look inside. In his peripheral vision, he could make out two dark, vaguely human shapes lurking around with their backs turned to him. They carried long blades of violet – shit. Are those Sith? Nope, not today. Theron, not wanting to fight two zealots of the Dark Side alone, turned to go, and spotted a third figure lying with an activated lightsaber hanging limply in their hand. They had a smoking hole in the front of their helmet. Okay, so maybe they weren’t just some crazy Sith taking a load off by terrorizing Nar Shaddaa’s populace. They were hunting someone, and that someone headshotted a Force user. This definitely wasn’t your run-of-the-mill gunfight.Just as Theron decided that the Siths’ mysterious quarry had everything under control, another shot rang out. Sparks flew as one of the Sith raised their blade at the last second, sending the blast right back to its source. There was a clamor as whatever makeshift barricade the sniper fashioned for themselves fell apart and the Sith descended on their prey. Theron swore, his hand flying to one of his blasters as he finally stood properly in the doorway, prepared to face off against the dark aggressors. Should have minded my own damn business. Theron lamented, taking aim at the Sith who were, conveniently, paying him no mind. Either they were so focused on their goal that they didn’t notice him, or they really just didn’t care.His plan of attack was cut short when he heard the ominous sound of a hissing lightsaber – namely, the sound it makes when it sears through flesh – followed by a gut-wrenching scream heavily distorted by helmet modulation. Theron visibly winced. Hopefully, one of the Sith miscalculated and accidentally shivved their partner, but that seemed unlikely. Before Theron could even move, the sniper extricated themselves from the Sith and sprinted for the door, nearly bowling Theron over to get past him.“Move!” they hissed without looking at him, their voice matching the distortion he heard in the scream. Their arms were wrapped around their torso, and they were hunched over in a way that had to be uncomfortable – especially with a sniper rifle like they had strapped to their back: almost as tall as they were and still smoking from the fight.“Uh, sorry.” Theron turned out of the way, but they were already leaving him in the dust. Moving helped him stay out of the path of the two angry Sith that were still hellbent on seeing this person dead, at least. Theron sighed, knowing he didn’t have it in him to let this – likely injured – person face this alone. Some day off this was turning out to be.Keeping his distance from the Sith, Theron ran after them, his eyes scanning the casino crowd as patrons practically flew out of their way. Then he saw the sniper ahead, making a break for a speeder pad not far off. The Sith hadn’t noticed yet. Putting on a casual façade, Theron sauntered up behind the sniper (who was now desperately trying to rewire a lone speeder car, hands shaking violently) and knelt down beside them, holding up a reassuring hand when they nearly jumped out of their skin.“Let me help you.” Theron coaxed, gazing up into where – he assumed – their eyes were behind the black, faceless mask they wore. The offer gave them pause and, for a second, he thought they might actually say “no.” But they just nodded slightly – and actually seemed to relax a bit, but that was probably a trick of the light – and leaned back as Theron finished rewiring the speeder with far steadier hands than theirs.“Hurry!” Theron slid into the driver’s seat and waited for the stranger to climb into the passenger side. Then Theron gunned it, their vehicle emitting a shriek as it flew into traffic. They dodged other harried drivers before slowing into an easy coast as they drifted away from the busy lanes. Theron let himself exhale when he realized no Sith were following them. “A clean getaway…”His passenger gasped sharply in response, and when he looked over, he noticed they had halfway curled into a ball. “Alright, next stop: hospital…”They sat upright at that, their masked head snapping in his direction and fist clenching the door of the cab. It was like they were psyching themselves up to vault over the edge. “No.”“What?”“No hospitals. I have a place to go.”“You need serious medical attention."“Please, Theron. It’s the only thing that will work.”Theron had to force himself to watch where he was going as the speeder nearly swerved into a Hutt’s barge. “It… seems you have me at a disadvantage?”“We’ve met before. I will explain everything, but first–.” They doubled over again with a groan. Their arm grasped their burned and tattered jacket and Theron saw where blood had soaked through their sleeve. The deep crimson stain was spreading rapidly, and Theron could see the pulsing of blood with every beat of their heart. Each breath they took was labored, a harsh rasp that spoke of pain just beneath the surface. Time was running out, and he knew that if they didn't act quickly, the mysterious sniper might not survive much longer.“Okay. Tell me where to go.” Theron didn’t miss how they slumped against their seat as he agreed, probably in exhaustion as much as relief. Their directions brought them to a run-down part of the Corellian sector, leaving Theron to hope they weren't seeing some seedy street doctor. The stranger struggled to exit the car, then made a bee-line towards an abandoned apartment. Theron lagged behind them for a second, taking it all in. The building loomed over them, its windows shattered and walls covered in graffiti. The entrance was barely visible through the debris that had accumulated over the years. Rusted metal and peeling paint hinted at a once vibrant past, now forgotten and left to decay. It was the perfect place for the mysterious stranger to disappear.They tapped a code into some old panel, and the door slid open. They led the way inside, up some stairs (with no small amount of effort on their part), and around the corner through a different door.The interior was about what you would expect. The walls were held up mostly by boards and nails, with dust covering the counter-tops and random items of no correlation strewn everywhere. Another door sat at the end of the hall, evidently dilapidated beyond repair. Not the ideal place for a medical facility. “Are you sure about this?”The stranger ignored him, save for a brief glance in his direction, and pried open another wall panel. This time, they reached for their mask and released it, pulling it off their head even as it began to retract. Long, teal hair fell from being piled up on their head, soaked with sweat, framing a face with blue skin and bright red eyes that stared back at Theron.“Evalu.” Her name – which he knew because she had told him months ago on Yavin IV – slipped from his lips before he could stop it, and the Chiss spy smiled, but it was more of a grimace, before she faced the wall, her left eye gazing into what Theron now knew was a scanner. After a few seconds, a robotic voice chimed pleasantly back at her.
“Access granted. Welcome back, Commander.”The door Theron assumed was nonfunctional slid open with a hiss, allowing white light to leak out into the hallway. It appeared to be a lab, full of medical supplies and research equipment of various functions, a stark contrast to the decaying building it was attached to. The door shut behind him, and it was impossible to tell that the Smuggler's Moon was just on the other side.Evalu didn’t make it ten steps before losing her balance, wobbling unsteadily before falling to her hands and knees. Theron was immediately at her side, throwing her arm around his neck and helping her cross the room and lay back on an operating table. He peeled her ruined jacket and top off her with her help, and took a half-step back. He felt his blood drain from his face when he finally saw the extent of her wounds.It was obviously a lightsaber strike. It carved a divot just above Evalu’s left hip, then arced upwards and across her torso and chest, coming to an end at her right shoulder. Her blue skin turned an irritated shade of purple where it met the wound. She swore when she saw the damage, while Theron marveled at how she was even conscious.“Come in, Lokin,” Evalu spoke into her wrist comm, though she struggled to form her words, “Doctor, can you hear me?”At first, it was just static. But then, an older man’s voice broke through. “Ah, agent. How can I-?"“Doctor, I need you at Backstreet ASAP.”“Understood. Hang on, agent.” Lokin disconnected with no further questions, and Evalu laid her head down on the table, her eyelids slowly drifting shut from exhaustion.“Hey, you know,” Theron had been digging around in shelves, cabinets, counters, anything that might hold something useful, and emerged with an armful of painkillers, kolto stims, and bandages. A jolt of worry struck him when he saw her fighting back unconsciousness. A lot of medics talk to grievously injured patients when they’re on the verge of death. It might be a good idea to take a leaf from their book right about now. “Usually when a person is nearly cleaved in half, they tend to… I dunno, panic more?”Evalu looked up at him, taking a deep breath before a small smile graced her lips. Theron tried to ignore the fluttering in his gut at the sight. “And how many people do you know that have nearly been cleaved in half?”“None that didn’t immediately meet their maker,” Her smile fell, and Theron felt terrible for it. As he unraveled the bandages and applied kolto, all while Evalu watched apprehensively, Theron brought up the subject that bothered him the most. “Ev, I’ve seen healthier men die from lesser injuries. You shouldn’t even be breathing right now, nevermind joking around with me in a secret laboratory.”“I’m choosing to take – ah! – to take that as a compliment.”“Take it however you want. But… how?”She averted her gaze, only wincing a little as Theron wrapped her waist in bandages soaked with kolto. “If I tell you it’s implants, will you leave it alone?”“But it’s not, is it?” Theron gently smoothed a bandage over irritated blue skin, pulling back a bit when she sucked in air through her teeth, eyes screwed shut.“No… no, but please. Let’s not talk about it now.”After a pause, Theron nodded reluctantly. He wanted to know, but she wasn’t ready to divulge, and frankly, all that mattered right now was making sure she didn’t die in the next twenty minutes. He busied himself with the bandages, listening to the rise and fall of Evalu’s still unsteady breathing. “So, uh, do Sith attack you often in the Empire? Or was this just a bad day at work?”Evalu laughed at that, though it devolved into more of a yelp, “You remember me talking about my old boss, Darth Jadus, right? He was displeased with a, ah, career decision that I chose to pursue. He sent his severance package rather late…”"Oh, yeah. Mr. ‘I believe in the democratization of fear,’ right? Yeah, this seems right up his alley,” Theron frowned as some blood seeped through spots on the bandages. “Though maybe he should give his assassins some lessons. I mean, the cauterization here is lousy.”Evalu rolled her eyes, but he caught the barely-there smirk. “I’ll be sure to give them tips next time we cross paths.”Theron finally tied off the rest of the bandages, looking down at her with a cheeky, but worried grin. “I think I’ve done just about all I can…”“I don’t think there’s anything else to do. Not unless you have a field surgery degree I don’t know about.”
“Ha. No, I don’t think so. Your doctor will be here soon, right? You’re in good hands.”“I know.” Evalu murmured, casting her eyes downward. Only then did Theron realize she was shivering, that the laboratory was the average hospital temperature: freezing. The operating table was probably frigid against bare skin. Idiot. He cursed under his breath, knowing her tattered jacket would do no good. He removed his red leather jacket from his shoulders, suddenly feeling like he belonged in some cheesy holovid, and draped it over her. She stared at him, and he found himself transfixed with the crimson depths of her gaze before he found his words. “I, uh, I thought you might be cold, so–”“I am. Thank you." She hugged it closer to her, and exhaled shakily, shutting her eyes. “Stars, I’m exhausted.”“Then you should rest."
“Can you stay?” Theron’s surprise must have shown on his face, because Evalu stumbled over herself in an attempt to make up for it, which was rather uncharacteristic of her. “I mean, I understand if that’s impossible, you’re probably–.”Theron simply took her hand in his, and she fell silent as they gazed into each other’s eyes for a few intense seconds, neither one of them wishing to break the fragile silence. Or their fragile trust in each other. Theron spoke first, wrapping his other hand firmly around hers. “I’ll stay. Like I said, you’re in good hands.”“I know."