The Rebel Queen - Poe Dameron

Chapter XIII: Reckoning Part I

Koa

Koa could feel the familiar tug of nausea sloshing about in her stomach. It was the kind of sensation that came with take-off, which didn't make any sense because she was still in the tower. Still on Telos. 

Wasn't she?

The first of her senses to return was auditory. She could hear the controlled breathing of a few people. She wasn't alone, and with that realisation, a striking sense of Déjà vu hit her. She'd been here before, in this predicament. Trapped in her own mind. Unable to speak or move or see.

The sound of a drill and the clank of something heavy falling away alarmed her, but not enough to cause a panic. Anxious Jawaese trickled out between each whirr of the drill.

"I am being careful. I'm a droid. My arms were designed to be steady," Watts said condescendingly. Ton-Ton replied with a worried quiver in contrast to his usual no-nonsense tone.

When the drill stopped, Koa felt lighter and then her sense of touch was awoken by the feeling of something cold, thick and gelatinous being applied to her stump. She could feel her stump! She didn't have her prosthetic anymore.

"I'm going to start weaning her off the anaesthesia now," Watts said. Suddenly medical equipment started chiming out. Koa's head began to clear. It was becoming easier to hold a thought. Then she heard a sharp inhale, the kind that signified pain or discomfort.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" Paige's voice was heavy, burdened.

A pause filled the room, followed by another sharp inhale.

"It's fine. Can't damage my shoulder any worse than it already is," Poe replied without his usual light-hearted bravado.

"Alright, you're all patched up. Try not to move it too much. The medi-gel on this ship is outdated, healing will take longer," Paige informed him.

Poe grunted, the sound of his footsteps retreating echoed softly thereafter. Paige sighed. "Alright–Everen, was it?–let's take a look at those ribs," she said with no trace of emotion.

"Tao if you like. I have no preference," a strange man's voice replied. It was filled with weak pleasantry. The lightness of his voice made Koa think he was probably smiling the way acquaintances do when they pass each other in a hallway. He hissed in pain.

Paige mumbled more to herself than to the strange man, "I'll see if I can find some anaesthetic spray for these burns."

Why did everyone sound so defeated? Koa thought.

Before an answer could be given, a smell snaked its way into her nose. It was like rain only more bitter and earthier; mud. The smell was accompanied by another, one that clung to every hospital, medical ward and clinic she'd ever stepped into: antiseptic.

Koa realised that she had heard everyone's voices apart from Odhen, Calista, Mokk-Toh and Zeeke. If she really was on the ship that meant Odhen was flying it. And from the sound of the medical equipment and the smells she picked up on, she was most probably in the med-bay. Logic dictated that she wouldn't hear Odhen in that case.

As for Mokk-Toh, he rarely spoke unless spoken to, so his silence was expected. But Zeeke always had something to say. Just a few hours ago she couldn't get him to stay quiet for longer than an elevator ride. What worried her the most was that she couldn't sense Calista. The two of them had always shared a deep connection since childhood. They always knew when the other was in the room. It was an inexplicable thing, a sort of intrinsic intimacy afforded to them by years of being in each other's close perimeter.

Her heart rate skyrocketed. The medical machines beeped at alarming tones. Too many people started talking all at once and Koa didn't have the mind to try and place a voice to a face.