Missing pilots, Highway, and Maxell

I had to take a break from trying to locate this missing pilot. I had gone to Bestine and met with Lt. Vash, who instructed me to contact a Lt. Monsel. I found him in the Bestine cantina (why didn’t this surprise me). Lt. Monsul told me that I was to assist in locating a down pilot, and that finding him was of the utmost importance.
I took my orders and traveled back and forth between Tatooine and Rori several times following leads from other sentient species, that either thought they had seen him or last saw him in different locations. The last place I ended up in was back on Rori a few thousand kilometers from Narmal. I was very tired from all the travel and when I approached the waypoint I was given from my last contact, several Blacksun thugs jumped me.
I was thrown to the ground and pummeled by them into unconsciousness. I woke in the cloning center, black and blue. I felt that if I had been pacing myself as I should have, I wouldn’t have been so tired, and I wouldn’t have been ambushed the way I had.
I was so tired… I made my way out of the cloning center and slowly made my way across town towards the star port. I didn’t quite make it. I started feeling dizzy and weak, so I sat down on the steps to the shops across from the star port to rest.
My comm. buzzing on my belt startled me. I must have fallen asleep! Gods, how could I have let myself get so drained? I looked at my comm. to see who was calling and saw that it was Highway. My heart soared just seeing that it was he, and I have truly missed him while I had been out in the field, but to be honest I wasn’t really up for a conversation or for that matter seeing anyone, not in my present condition.
He must have sensed something was wrong, though I thought I had done a pretty good job of masking any fatigue in my voice. Highway persisted in asking me for my location, and if I was all right. I tried to assure him I was fine, just tired, and relented, giving him my where-a-bouts.
I again was startled to wakefulness by Highway gently shaking me. “Damn”, I really was tired.
“Ebe? Are you ok?” he asked.
A smile spread across my face as I looked up at him “yeah” I said, “I’m just really tired is all”.
He stood there looking me over. I though that I must look awful, like some street beggar, but Highway in his sweetness assured me I looked just fine to him.
Highway helped me to my feet and with his strong arms guided me towards the medical center to have some of my cuts and bruises looked at, and I’m sure to also make sure that I didn’t collapse in the middle of the street.
At the med center, Highway found a doctor and I was led to a bed where I was immediately placed on fluids and medication. Highway conferred with the doctor for a bit, and then came over to sit beside the bed. “Well it looks like your going to be just fine” he started, “The doctor assures me that there is nothing too serious with you, that a little best rest wont fix. He has given you a mild sedative to help you fall asleep, and the medication your getting now will take care of the cuts and bruises you have”.
I looked at him sitting there beside the bed, the concern on his face. How lucky I am to have this caring, wonderful man in my life. I gave him a weak but sincere smile, and with my hand in his, I drifted off to sleep the sleep of the dead.
What a miracle a couple of days of rest does to the body and soul!. I felt like a new woman. I hadn’t felt this good in ages. The doctor had come into the room and with a big grin, pronounced me fit to leave. I had been in the med center for 3 days. 3 days!! I had slept almost the entire time I was there. The doctor told me that after he gave me the initial sedative that first night when Highway brought me in, he hadn’t given me anymore, that I had slept away two days on my own. Gods I knew I was fatigued, but I had know idea that I was that bad.
Highway left a note for me saying that he knew I was in good hands, and that he loved me and missed me. He said that the attendants would contact him when I was to be released, and that he would come for me.
My comm. buzzed and I was glad to see it was Highway, and not Lt. Monsul. ( I will need to contact him about my current mission status soon). The attendants were good to their word and Highway had been called and notified that I had been set free. Highway met me at the Narmal Hotel where I had decided to go to wait for his arrival. After our customary hugs and kisses we gathered my things and set off to the starport to make passage back to Naboo. Highway had brought his TIE, so we weren’t able to travel together, so I booked passage on a freighter and told him I would see him in Theed.
Highway and I spent a couple of wonderful days together around theed catching up on what had been going on. I told him of what I had been up to, that had left me so drained. He told me he had spent the time while I was in the hospital on Tatooine assisting an old Rifleman with getting much needed hides and meat to the Jawa’s. He told me that as a reward for his efforts the old man had some really nice polished Bol skulls he was parting with. I thought that if he still needed help I could run out there and do that also.
Our time together was interrupted by a comm. from Lt. Vash. I was chewed out for not contacting Lt. Monsul, and that I would be dealt with for my transgressions. He went on to say that I could leave Lt. Monsuls mission for the time being as he had something more important to take care of. I was told that I was to head out and investigate some possible rebel activity near the town of Hendola. I told him I would get on it as soon as possible and signed off.
I looked at Highway and shrugged. He gave me a warm smile and simply asked if I was up to the assignment. I felt great, and after all Lt. Vash said I was to look into it, not to necessarily take action. So yeah, I was up to it. Highway said he would come along as he didn’t have anything pressing at the moment. I think he wanted to just keep an eye on me, but I didn’t tell him that. I just smiled at him. We set about checking gear and weapons, making sure we had everything we would need, and headed to the shuttle to grab the first ride to Hendola.
We arrived Hedola just at sunset and set off in a Southwesterly direction. I maintain a couple of storage sheds on the outskirts of this town, so I know the land pretty good and figured that if the rebels were indeed in the area it would most likely be in this direction, for it offered many small valleys to work from, and it would have been the area I would have chosen to run covert ops from if it had been me.
It didn’t take us long to start running into signs of a rebel presence. With both myself and Highway being Master Rangers, finding the little clues left by their passage was not difficult. A standard issue alliance boot print here, alliance issue ration wrappers there, the trail led us right to the foot of a small hill only a few kilometers from town.
We slowly worked our way to the top of the hill, when the sounds of fighting drifted to our ears. As we crested the hillock made me gasp!. There stood Maxell right in the middle of several rebels, pounding and slashing! He was fighting, as I had never seen him do before, alone, no pets, hand-to-hand! A couple of the rebels had their weapons out and were firing in his direction. Max looked to be overwhelmed, so I took aim at the closest of the rebels and fired! From that point on, things got blurry. I could see Max out of the corner of my eye, fighting like a mad man still surrounded by the rebels! I fired on target after target with my DXR6…acquire target…aim…fire!!, repeat.
I lost Highway in the confusion of the firefight. I could only hope he was ok, Max started yelling, “Why are you here! Why can’t you leave us alone! We don’t need you here” at first I thought he was yelling at the rebels around him, but when I looked in his direction, I saw that he was yelling this to me! The last of the rebels fell, and I stood there looking at Max with a confused look on my face. “Max! what?” He stood staring back at me a fire in his eyes like I had never seen before “Be content with what is let of us!!” he yelled back, then bolted in the opposite direction. “Max!! wait! what’s wrong with you! I yelled after him.
I thought Max had ran right into the Rebel compound, so that’s where I went. “Damn it Max!” I thought as I cautiously entered the compound building. “Great, were both going to get killed in here” but the building turned out to be empty, no sign of Max either. I made my way out and away from the building and stood there trying to figure out just what happened.
Oh My God! Highway!! I had completely forgotten him in all the confusion of the fight and with Max. I frantically started searching for him, hoping that he was ok.
I found him lying on the ground, blood covering his armor, soaking the ground where he lay. “Oh Highway, what have you done” I thought. I had med packs on me and started to apply them to the wounds that I could see. I knew if I couldn’t get the blood to stop flowing I would lose him! I couldn’t go on myself if I lost him, not like this.
I was struggling to keep up with the blood loss, when I was shoved away! “Max!”
“You should keep a better eye on your boyfriend” he said roughly as he applied an advance med pack to Highways wound stopping the flow of blood.
“He’s not to smart is he?” he smirked, “running into that turret over there”. I looked in the direction Max pointed and saw what had taken down Highway.
“Max!? What is karking wrong with you?” I asked, astounded at the way he was behaving. “this is not like you!”
Max just looked at me, his eyes still smoldering. “There he should live” he said.
Highway had gained consciousness and tried to get up. “Don’t move Hun, not yet” I said, but Highway pushed past me and sat up. Though weak, he looked at Max, a fire of his own in his eyes.
“Maxell, thank you for treating my wounds, saving my life no doubt, but don’t you take that tone with Ebe, we were both trying to help”.
The savage look intensified on Max’s face “What makes you think we needed help!?” he barked and started to move away. “Leave us alone! Your not needed! Be happy with what you have left!” and with that he was gone.
Highway and I both stared at where Max had been, mouths hanging open. I couldn’t believe what we had just heard and saw. I helped Highway to his feet, steadying him till he assured me he could travel. We talked about what just happened, and agreed that Max was definitely not himself. I was so worried about him. In all the time we were together he had never spoken to me that way.
On our way back to Hendola I thought to try my Comm. and see if I could raise Max. I was actually a bit surprised when he answered. “Hello?” he said.
“Max? its Ebe! What the hell was that all about?” I asked, genuine concern in my voice.
“Ebe? Hi, how are you?” he replaied.
What the Kark? “Max, what is going on? I’ve never seen you act so savage, so rude”.
“Ebe, what are you talking about?”
I looked at Highway and he looked as confused as I felt.
“Max, the whole incident that just happened, the rebels? The fierce fight we were all just in? what is going on? I pleaded.
“Ebe, laughter, I have no Idea what your talking about, I’m here, at home sitting in my bath”.
This was getting to be too weird, something was definitely wrong with Max. I tried to explain everything that had just happened, but it was like he didn’t know anything about it. I pleaded that he go see a doctor and at least have a medical eval. Done, but he seemed to think I was the one that had gone off the deep end.
I ended the conversation with him frustrated, confused and scared. He said he would see a doc, when he had the time, but I felt that he probably wouldn’t.
Highway and I made it back to Hendola with out incident. He was feeling stronger and though I tried to talk him out of it, he insisted on flying his TIE back to Theed to get proper care at the med center.
After Highway had gone, I sat at the shuttle port in Hendola for a long time, just thinking. I need to talk to someone about this. I need to talk to Scarlet!.