The New Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 74 - Never tell me the Odds

While Tasherit and Jaden talked with Nomi on the way to Crait, Corran spent another restless night.

His fever did not subside, though he tried to heal his wounds with the Force. He regretted that he had always refused to study and learn more of the Jedi healing arts. Neither his mother nor Master Skywalker had been able to persuade him to do so. Corran always claimed to have no talent for such things, preferring to hone his lightsaber skills.
The young Jedi tossed and turned on the cot he was lying on, unable to find sleep. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he saw Sheila sitting on the edge of the cot. She smiled at him and wiped the sweat from his forehead, as she had done the night before.
"Hello, darling," she said softly.
The Jedi smiled at her despite the pain he was in.
"You're back," he said almost inaudibly. "Take me with you, my love."
Corran looked at her with pleading eyes. He felt weak and knew only too well that he was going to die. It was inevitable if his sister didn't come soon.
"Help me, Sheila ... Help me to make an end."
The young woman shook her head.
"There is a time to live and there is a time to die. Your time to die has not yet come, Corran."
"Please help me," he whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks as he fumbled for his blaster. "I'm too weak to make it on my own. If you ever loved me... Help me end this pain."
She shook her head again and wiped her lover's tears.
"You've always been so strong, Corran. Don't give up so easily. Your sister is on her way. Don't let her find nothing but a dead body when she gets here."
Corran dropped the blaster and sank back onto the cot. Sheila gently stroked his tousled hair and noticed the growing beard on his youthful face.
"I love you, Corran. Stay strong, your family needs you."
The Jedi calmed down as Sheila held him in her arms and sang a lullaby. He finally managed to keep the pain at bay and closed his eyes. Eventually, he fell asleep.

When Corran woke up the next morning, Sheila was gone. He dropped off the cot and crawled to the crate that held the protein bars and the dwindling water supply. When it came to water, there wasn't much left to ensure his survival. Because of the fever, he drank more of it than he would have in a normal state of health. He sighed when he realized this.
The Jedi had lost all sense of time and wasn't sure how long it had been since he had been left behind on Crait.
He sat down on the floor, leaned back against the wall of the transport and began to eat, downing the protein bar with a few sips of water. When he had finished his meager meal, he crawled back, exhausted, and lay down on the cot. The wait was unnerving, as he couldn't shake the fear that his sister wouldn't come in time.
Time passed slowly and he tried again to heal his wounds, but to no avail. Frustrated, he slumped back onto the cot and curled up under the blanket, shivering with fever. He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to come. There was nothing to do but sleep, eat, wait and hope.
Corran waited for the night to come, as he was pretty sure Sheila would be back to keep him company, to encourage him to hang in there and not just give up like he had the last night when he had drawn his blaster.
Having eaten another protein bar, the young Jedi lay back on his cot.

While Corran Rendar waited for his dead girlfriend to appear, his sister Tasherit and Jaden had made their final jump into hyperspace on the way to Crait.
Jaden Katarn leaned back in the copilot's seat, clasped his hands behind his head and propped his feet up on the console.
"You know the chances are slim that your brother will still be alive when we reach Crait?"
His fiancée nearly choked on the protein bar she was chewing and glared at him.
"Never tell me the odds, Katarn," she said angrily after swallowing the bite, "especially when it comes to my family."
"I didn't mean to upset you, love, but you said he was badly wounded. You know what happens when those wounds aren't treated."
"Don't forget that my brother is a Jedi. It'll take more than a few wounds to kill him."
Jaden shook his head.
"I hope you're right."
Then he stared out the viewport, where the streaks of hyperspace passed. There was no point in arguing with Tasherit when she had her mind set on something. He knew that from months of experience. Finally, he closed his eyes and took a nap. Tasherit looked at him angrily, but remained silent, lost in her own thoughts. Eventually she fell asleep too.

They both woke up when they heard the signal indicating that they had reached their destination. Jaden sat up and pulled the lever. The streaks of hyperspace turned into stars and they saw Crait in front of them. Nearby floated the wreckage of the destroyed transports that had not made it planetside because of the First Order's mercilessness.
When Tasherit saw this, she swallowed hard. So many lives had been lost, so many had died in vain. She steered the Trader's Luck towards the planet and landed smoothly near the old rebel base minutes later. The young Jedi cut the engines, unstrapped herself and exited the freighter, followed by Jaden.
Both looked around and noticed the remains of the recent battle. There were downed TIEs and destroyed speeders of an unknown design. The gate to the base was a gaping hole with scorch marks around the edges. As they passed the trenches, they saw the bodies lying there.
Tasherit shivered at the thought that it could be her brother lying there. But he was alive and they would find him. She and Jaden slowly entered the base, where the few transports that had escaped the wrath of the First Order stood. Tasherit entered the first one, while Jaden climbed into the transport behind it.

Corran smiled as he saw a silhouette in the entrance of the transport.
"I'm glad you're back, Sheila," he said softly, reaching out to the woman coming towards him.
His sister frowned as she looked at him.
"Sheila? It's me, Tash. I'm taking you home, Corran."
She pulled out her comlink.
"Jaden, I've found my brother. Get over here."
A moment later, Jaden entered the transport and smiled at his future brother-in-law.
"I knew you were too stubborn to die."
Together they carried Tasherit's brother, who was too weak to walk, to the Trader's Luck. Sheila watched them go unnoticed, except by Corran, who smiled as she waved goodbye.
A few minutes later, they were on their way to Nar Shaddaa.