A Dangerous Bond

Chapter 4

Barriss and Ahsoka entered the ship. While Ahsoka went to the cockpit to prepare for takeoff, Barriss went to the central area. They had walked for minutes, but she remained as she had. Her body limp, weak, and still bled from where she wounded herself.

In the central area, she made a beeline for one of the sofas. It was not much, but she could easily secure her with some rope. She thought it was hardly necessary. Without the Force, her strength is hard to find. She's glad to have the cuffs in that regard.

After putting her on the sofa, she went to the cockpit. There was nothing she could do other than check on Ahsoka and start cleaning the wounds. Despite sensing much darkness within her, she wasn't willing to let her die. Barriss let out a sigh as she entered the cockpit.

"How's it going, Ahsoka?"

"Well, I contacted Anakin and Luminara and informed them of our situation. They're coming our way. They think it's better if they come here."

"Yes, I would find it comforting if they're here," Barriss said. She went to the wall to reach for the med pack. It will not have all she needed to treat her but hopefully enough to save her. As she held the box in her hand, she turned to Ahsoka. "I'm going to see if I can help her. Can you help with the mechanical hand and leg? I have no experience with them."

"Sure, but I don't think it's fixable. I looked at them, but they're older than Master Yoda. At most I can take the pain away. But she'll be without a hand and a leg. They're too far gone, I think."

"I thought so, but it's enough to take the pain away," Barriss sighed deeply, gazing at the woman whose life must have been filled with pain. "She has felt enough pain in her life."

"You think this is smart? I won't question you, Barriss. But I can imagine many wouldn't want to have her 'around'. If you know what I mean."

"I am not concerned by opinions, Ahsoka. It is the right thing to do. You saved me from the worm despite it being smarter to have killed me. I am doing the same with her. She is a victim and should be helped," Barriss said, taking one deep breath before walking back into the ship. Her friend let out a breath but didn't utter a complaint, following her to the woman.

"I guess you're right," Ahsoka said eventually, taking one of the stray chairs and putting it next to Barriss. Barriss gave a small smile before opening the med kit, taking out the cleaning supplies. "I'll look at the hand first. Hopefully, it is not hard to remove..."

Barriss nodded and pushed her own chair so she could look over the face. It held several deep cuts from where the cuffs hit the face. She wonders why she wanted to punish herself so badly. There must be some reason for her to be so submissive to her. Aside from the ancestor with questionable morals, that is.

The cleaning went without much effort. Whether it was exhaustion, the pain, or something else, the woman didn't stir. Even the disinfectant didn't make her stir or react. Well, her body still seemed to shake from time to time. Barriss glanced at Ahsoka, who looked the hand over.

It didn't look good, Ahsoka pretty much radiated it from her face. The fingers carefully studied the hand. However, the first touch already made three fingers fall. Ahsoka let out a breath. "This thing is not functional at all. I can remove it, but she needs a new hand."

"Will it take the pain away?"

"That depends on how it is connected to the nerves. I can't tell how they did it. This thing is primitive in many aspects," Ahsoka explained, lifting the hand carefully to see more of the wiring. "But loss of weight will probably relieve some pain. I can't say it will take all the pain away though."