A Prince of Dathomir (Darth Maul x OC)

Guilt - Part 2

"Then you had best make it quick," Zaiya replied impatiently.

-)O(-

The Jedi Plo Koon seemed to have much to say as they waited for the surgery to be finalised, he told her of the bravery of the clones under his command and the tenacity shown by Wolffe and his brothers after the massacre of Abregado. He also mentioned the stories that Wolffe had told him of her, and his time on Kamino.

Zaiya listened, at first to humour the Jedi and allow herself to not think about how the surgery was going. Then she felt the calm stemming from the Jedi, and fell into an easy conversation with him that put her a little more at ease. She learned more about the clones and what they were like in the field, which of course would help the training going forward.

She was struck by the strange sensation that this Jedi... was not so bad. Her impression of the Jedi was hypocritical and self-righteous, that they wanted power and had no emotions, pushing them down. Shaak Ti had an element of it and Kenobi didn't count. Skywalker she had not yet figured out but... but this Master Plo Koon seemed to genuinely care about the men under his command, treating them like people. It was rather refreshing to witness.

After some time, Wolffe was eventually returned to the recovery ward. He was bandaged and unconscious, though the droid that escorted him indicated he would wake soon. The Jedi suggested for Zaiya to get something to eat or have a break but she was adamant. Her guilt ate away at her too strongly for her to be able to ignore.

"There are times when you must let go of the things that weigh you down, Lieutenant Siren," the Jedi said pointedly. Zaiya masked herself a little better, she'd let some of her true feelings slip. It seemed Master Plo Koon realised his mistake as he stood, almost as though he watched her guard rise, after a long pause he just nodded and left her for a short while.

The Nightsister was silent and still. She sat by Wolffe's bedside as she waited for him to wake. The sooner she could confirm he was alright, the sooner she could assuage that burning pit in her gut and the sooner she could return to Kamino. She needn't linger. Not really. She told herself she wasn't going to be ridiculous about it, even as she dimmed the light in the room to ease the pain on his eyes when he woke.

Definitely not.

-)O(-

His head was throbbing and he felt groggy. The after effects of a drug-induced sleep was not something Wolffe would ever get used to. This time there was no blinding light above him, thankfully, and he became aware of a presence beside him, near his forearm.

With great effort the Commander cracked his remaining good eye open and looked around. Most medical centre rooms looked the same, he had expected that. What he had not expected was to see Lieutenant-General Siren sitting there, arms folded on his bedside, her head resting on her forearms. She looked to be asleep.

He realised he'd never seen her like this before. So peaceful and not barking orders at him or pissing him off. Wolffe had to admit, he hadn't liked her all that much initially. She was some stranger, bossy and cryptic and putting him and his brothers in danger. Then came the day he'd dared to speak against her-- and she'd thanked him for it!

Eventually though, he'd come to realise her true intentions. As far as he could tell at least. Then was that night drinking and hearing her sing... it had been a little hard to continue hating her after that.

So he'd decided tolerating her would be alright. She had actually worked to improve on her techniques, she'd listened more, relaxed a little, talked with the men. He'd seen glimpses of the way she treated the clones compared to the other trainers or Kaminoans. Of course there was the invasion; he'd heard all about that from Rex and Cody.