to rule the world | a ninjago au

[15] trauma, hybrids, and baking

astra

"So that's the plan," Obi finished explaining, slightly out of breath.

"This is the only way?" Astra said quietly. Obliterate nodded in confirmation.

"It's the only way."

"What time will you — sorry, I mean Reginald, be arriving?"

"An hour from now. I need time to prepare Rema for smoke teleportation."

"Let me know fifteen minutes before you leave." Astra was determined that nothing would go wrong this time. To risk losing the Master of Life would deal great damage to their force. And their lives.

"We'll be ready." Astra replied, gripping the corner of the table harder. "Just make sure Rema survives the journey. How is Roiya?"

"Stable. Valley is working on her alongside Lato. There is no reasonable explanation for her current state and that type of technology is not my field. Fritz is...struggling to recount what happened when he shorted her systems."

"Don't push him. Let him talk it out, and get me a report on the newcomers."

"Reginald and Seliel? They haven't been causing too much trouble. Seliel is poking around our chem labs — she said she wanted to make smoke bombs?"

"You let," Astra paused slowly, "A newbie, someone we don't know if we can trust, make bombs in our labs?"

"Not me, it was Thorn. Look, I need to check the brachillary artery in Rema's arm, so good luck. Over and out, Reaper."

"Over and out, Obliterate."

Astra frowned as she ended the call, pacing around the war deck deep in thought. Originally, she had nearly destroyed the corner of the table when her powers flared up because of what Obi had suggested. Kade was needed to heal Rema - that was reasonable, of course it was, and then she proposed that Astra had to, and quote 'sizzle' the rest of Rema's arm off.

Ridiculous.

But also the only way to save her before the wind infection spread.

An hour later, the entirety of Oni squad with the exception of Misako, who was piloting the Nightwing, was assembled in the war room. There was a single candle burning a spiral of smoke on the table for Reginald to use.

When he teleported he needed a source of smoke, whether it was a blind-port (wherein he had no idea where the location was) or a simple port (wherein he knew the location), smoke was his element. She didn't hear him arrive, but when the sound of three bodies slamming into the war room table snapped her deck around, Astra had no time to size the Master of Smoke up.

"Hurry." was all she managed to say to Kade. He nodded, their tense animosity pushed aside as he rolled up the sleeves of his light brown polo. They both had strong connections to Rema, and losing her would affect everyone as well as the balance of the elements.

Leg jiggling impatiently, Astra chewed on her lip as Kade worked on Rema. He was completely concentrated, obtuse to any distractions like Lloyd and Kai play-fighting with wooden katanas, or Skylor curled up in the corner watching him. His hands were covered in a familiar peachy-yellow glow that appeared whenever he healed.

Without warning, Kade jerked back from Rema's unconscious body, pulling his hands away from her bandaged wound.

"Astra needs to go first," he said, flinching as he glanced at Rema. "I can sense it and it's blocking me from healing her. If Astra goes first, and if I work quick enough, we can save her."