The New Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 75 - On the Way to Nar Shaddaa

Tasherit had let Jaden take the helm while she tended to her wounded brother. She knew that Corran was still in critical condition. They had just made the jump into hyperspace and the young Jedi felt the familiar vibrations of the Trader's Luck.

She went over to the locker, got some bacta patches and undressed her almost unconscious brother. Tash let out a low whistle when she saw the wounds all over his body.
"Wow, that looks really bad, brother. No wonder you have a fever," she said quietly as she began to clean the wounds and apply the patches.
"We'll bring you to Mama, Corran, she's the only one who can help you."
She kissed her brother on the forehead before returning to the cockpit, where she sank into the co-pilot's seat. The streaks of hyperspace passed by the viewport, creating an eerie light in the cockpit as the lights were dimmed there.
"How is he?" Jaden asked, turning his head and looking at her.
The young woman shook her head.
"Not good, to be honest. We need to reach Nar Shaddaa as soon as possible."
"How about Polis Massa?" Her fiancé asked. "They have skilled medics and the necessary equipment."
She looked at Jaden and shook her head.
"Polis Massa is too out of the way. Besides, it might already be under the control of the First Order. I don't want to take any risks when it comes to my brother. Nar Shaddaa is the only safe haven I know. The smugglers have always managed to fend off any attempt to conquer it. And my mother is there..."
"Speaking of your mother, you should tell her we've picked up Corran and are on our way."
Jaden smiled at Tasherit as she activated the comm to call her mother. She was glad that the Trader's Luck had a new type of comm system that allowed transmissions even in hyperspace.

Nomi was lying in Dash's arms when the comm went off. She climbed out of bed and went to the desk to take the call. Her husband enjoyed the sight and she swayed her hips as she walked. After settling into the chair, she saw that the call was coming through the secure family channel.
"This is the Trader's Luck... do you read me?"
The Jedi heard her daughter's voice, accompanied by static.
"Finally," Nomi replied. "Yes, I read you, Tash."
"We have Corran on board, Mama, but his condition is very bad. If I would tell you which parts of his body aren't wounded, it wouldn't take long."
She tried to joke, but her mother could still see how worried Tasherit was about her brother.
"Is it that bad?" Dash asked, looking over from the bed with a frown.
"Corran has a fever, Papa," came his daughter's reply. "I regret not listening to Mama when she tried to teach me how to heal."
Nomi sighed, remembering that all her children had refused to learn the Jedi healing arts.
"I cleaned his wounds and applied bacta patches," Tash continued. "Corran is sleeping now. I'm very angry that they left him behind, Mama."
"They couldn't have known that your brother was still alive," her mother replied.
"They didn't even bother to look!" Snapped the young woman. "They just left! They left my brother there to die!"
"Calm down, Tasherit, you don't know what happened there," Nomi reminded her, thinking of the evacuation of Echo Base during the Galactic Civil War. Back then, there was no time to search for possible survivors either.
"You're right, Mama, I don't know," Tasherit replied a little more calmly. "Please prepare everything for our arrival. I don't want my brother to die."
Nomi nodded thoughtfully and looked at her husband, who had been listening attentively to the conversation between mother and daughter.
"Me neither, sweetie, I'll prepare everything. Have a safe flight and may the Force be with you all."
Then the Jedi disconnected, walked slowly over to the bed and slid under the blanket. Dash stroked her graying hair before taking her in his arms to comfort her, though he was also worried about their youngest son.
"Corran will make it, love, he's a strong man," Dash whispered in her ear and pulled her close. She snuggled against him and began to relax as she felt the warmth of his body.
"I hope you're right, Dash," she replied.

After she had finished talking to her mother, Tasherit went back to the bunk where her wounded brother lay. Corran was drenched in sweat. His sister took a cloth to wipe his forehead.
"I called Mama, Corran. She'll get everything ready to help you. Promise me you'll hang in there."
Her brother mumbled something as she touched him.
"What did you say?"
She listened intently to Corran's voice. It sounded hoarse and the words were almost inaudible.
"Sheila, you've come again," he said with effort. "Please sing for me."
Tasherit couldn't bring herself to tell him that Sheila wasn't there. That she would never sing for him again because she had died years ago. Instead, she took Corran in her arms and began to sing a lullaby their mother had sung to them when they were little.
Eventually, her brother began to relax and fell asleep.