((Hope this'll make up for my long, extended absences.))
Garrison stood in a small square rooom. Water trickled damply down the walls, giving them a slick sheen. The yellow-green glowstick Kita held over her head made the broken statues that lined the walls shine whitely like ghosts. They ignored these, only stopping when Kita saw a discarded blaster pistol laying on the floor. She squated on her haunches and hefted it up lightly with one hand so they could both regard it. It was Sith in design.
Somebody has been down here recently, he thought.
Kita tossed away from her, and it thudded dully to the floor. Kita glanced around once more, and then shrugging her shoulders, she rose to her feet in a quick, smooth motion. However, she rose too quickly. Her sore head spun, making her vision blurr and dots appear behind her steel gray eyes. The blast earlier had sent her into a tree and she hadn't the time to have it checked. Her leg, too, throbbed from overexertion.
Garrison, paying no heed to the wounded Mandalorian, stood to her far left, examining the wall.
"Mandalorian," he called out to her, "Come shine that light over here."
Kita, biting down hard on a gasp of pain, managed to pass off a stereotypical stance, "What are we looking at?"
There was a long pause where, Kita assumed, Garrison was having one of those Jedi-feely moments. His blonde hair hung in thick, sweat-glued chunks over his face, although his dark eyes were closed, Kita could easily read the exhaustion on his face.
"These indentations on the wall."
Kita peered over his shoulder,"So, what's the big deal? Plenty of old places like these have holes."
He smiled at himself at the Mandalorian's ignorance, "No," Garrison whispered with a shake of his head, "Not holes. They look like restig places for holocrons. I can feel their presence even if they are gone," he paused for a long moment. His breathing was heavy and his face was contorted in labor, "Sith holocrons."
"We go. Now, Jedi-Man. My brothers will meet us at Kashyykk... it's a safe haven. We tratiors were accepted by the Wookiees," Garrison didn't fail to miss the venom at the word tratiors.
___________________________________________________________________________
Kita stared at the blurring lines without really seeing them. The tinge to her vision was red from the pain and all she could focus on was the fact that she had failed Ursula. She'd failed at protecting the guardian of the holocrons, she'd failed protecting the Younglings, she failed at protecting her only friend, she had failed everyone... her father.
"You sure you're okay?" asked Garrison, a tinge of worry lacing his tone.
"I...ah... my head," Kita intoned, "the blast must've knocked me harder than I thought." Garrison went across to the taller Mandalorian, and grabbed her arm before she had a chance to skit off, "Your head?" he looked up at her, "I ought to take a look, you might have a concussion..."
Kita shook him off angirly, "No, Garrison."
"Let me look, Mandalorian...."
Kita glared at him, "I said no, just leave it will you?" She turned from him, and staggered slightly as he walked across the small cockpit to the exit.
"Look, you are hurt, you fool Mandalorian, " he said in exasperation.
"I will not remove my helmet, not for anyone..."
"By the Force, you are stubborn! What are you so concerned about, Kane?" he walked across to her, and tried to reach up to place a hand on her shoulder, alas, he was too short, "There is
no-one else here, and I can keep a secret."
Kita glanced sideways into the main room where the children slept on makeshift bedrolls, will they think any less of me if they know? She thought, her heart sinking, bah, they're asleep....
"No, Garrison, I cannot."
"Then... then... then you're useless! Useless to everybody, Mandalorian! Ursula needs you to save her and you'll die from infection because of some stupid jungle virus that came in through your breathing filter!"
Kita could feel her fists clentching and unclentching. How dare he? she seethed in silence, "Fine. I'll go."
Garrison watched her leave, his heart hammering in his chest. He had alreay promised himself that he'd never make a Mandalorian angry on purpose again. He fought back the surge of anger he'd picked up from Kita. Fracking Mandalorians! He breathed deeply, trying to focus himself and the emotions that were swirling around her from the Mandalorian. His thoughts kept coming back to the wounded Mandalorian. It went against everything in him to let someone seriously hurt just walk away.
He followed after her out of the small room. In the dim light, he could just see the shape of the Mandalorian leaning up against the wall. He raced over to her, "Kita?" he called out, his voice tight.
She didn't look at him, "Garrison, help me take this accursed thing off."
He swallowed hard, "You sure?"
"Frack it, Jedi-Man! My head feels like a Basilisk war droid has used it for a crash pad," she groanded deeply as she turned to look at him, "I think I'll sit..." she slid heavily to the floor.
Garrison crouched down beside her, "You fool," he whispered, "why are all Mandalorians so wilful?"
"Shush Garrison, you are making my head throb with your lecturing."
He reached up, and undid the clips to her helmet. There was a slight hiss as air was expanded. He went to remove it, but strong hands knocked her's away, "I'll do it."
Garrison gently placed her hand against the side of her head, feeling her short cropped hair tickle her finger tips as familiar steely gray eyes watched him, "This is a nasty cut you've got here. Looks really bad. You must have taken quite a knock... unfortunately; it didn't seem to knock in sense into your thick Mandalorian skull."
She remained silent as skilled hands probed about the wound.
"I have soem kolto wraps here in my pack," he said as he moved away from Kita to reach into the small pack he carried with him. She quickly removed one and placed it against the side of her head, "Place your hand here," he held one of her hands, and guided it to the kolto wrap, "Just hold it in place.." he became aware that she was watching him intently.
"It doesn't bother you? Knowing what I was?"
"I have known for quite some time, Kita Ordo. Masked as you were. It is hard to forget the eyes that belonged to your father."
Kita laughed quietly, glancing away from him, "Could never fool a Jedi."
"Come," she beckoned him, "We're being hailed by the Wookiees. It is time for you to meet some real Mandalorians."