AU: Kid Ibani Field Trip!

[last_kallig]

They've been unreasonably lucky, and they haven't had to deal with the question of what to do with Ibani if a Jedi comes to the temple. But that luck couldn't last forever, and it finally runs out less than a week after her first sparring session.

The safest path is to go, to take Ibani out of the Temple and into the wilderness of Jedha for as long as the Jedi are in residence. The official story is that this trip is for survival training, hands on experience in the wild. Ibani's hardly going to complain about having her Dads all to herself for a while!

She's watching the last of the supplies they'll need be loaded as the cold Jedhan sun starts to rise.

Comments

[last_kallig]

"You can rub sticks together, or hit the right kinds of rocks together to make sparks," Ibani answers. "But I don't know what the right kind of rocks are."

High overhead a hawk circles, riding a thermal. It calls out, its cry cutting through the silence.

[idontneedluck]

Chirrut sits down on a rock, and waits for the pair of them to come to their senses. He figures it won't take too long, but...

Why not sit on a comfy rock while they stop courting dehydration?

[iprotectyou]

At first, Baze is confused as to why Chirrut has sat himself down. But Chirrut always sits on shit, this is nothing new.

Baze licks his dry lips. Oh. Ibani needs a drink. He sets his pack down, and digs out her canteen for her. "We'll show you which rocks you need to strike before this trip ends," he says, offering her the water.

[last_kallig]

"Thank you," Ibani says, drinking her water. "You should drink too, you're thirsty."

She cranes her neck up as the hawk makes another cry. "We don't want your territory, little sister," she calls up to the hawk, giggling. "We're just passing through."

[idontneedluck]

"Drink, Malbus. The Jedi are going to get a fine look at your dehydrated hide if you pass out on me." Chirrut grumbles, not shifting. Why is he being the logical one here? "We have water. Lots of water. Water that we packed. And I'm pretty sure you also managed to pack a back up to the moisture condenser that was originally packed."

[iprotectyou]

"We have one moisture condenser," Baze says, satisfied that Ibani has sipped some. He takes a drink of his own water--and bites back a groan. The drink is the same, twice-boiled lothcat piss that comes from the temple's tap, but to his dehydrated mouth, it tastes amazing. He didn't realize how bad it had gotten.

Baze takes another drink. "Should we set up camp?"

[last_kallig]

Ibani is happy when Baze finally drinks.

"Is this a good place to camp?" Ibani's not sure.

[idontneedluck]

Chirrut stands, dusting off his robes.

"There's a rock-ring not too far from here, isn't there?" He asks Baze, having a decent idea where he is from previous trips out, but not so clear on the specifics.

[iprotectyou]

"There is, and we can set up our tarps there," Baze says, settling his canteen on his belt again. "There's a depression dug in the middle, but we should be able to huddle together for warmth."

The rock ring isn't far, which is good because the afternoon sun is high overhead by the time they get there. Baze settles his pack and his lightbow on the ground and unearths the moisture condenser. He sets it up quickly, making sure it pulls what water it can from the air. Then he unpacks their tarps and blankets.

"Don't wander too far, Ibani."

[last_kallig]

"I won't," she promises. "I just need to go pee."

Thankfully, there's an area down slope of the rock ring that will provide some privacy.

All she meant to do was go pee, honest! But when she got to the spot, there was a big mother animal there, and Ibani could feel the mother animal's anxiety about her baby being stuck in a crevasse. How could she NOT promise to help? But then she realized she's going to need her dads to help get the baby loose, and she's probably been gone so long that they're starting to worry, and....

Well, to Ibani's mind her choice makes perfect sense! However, it is unlikely that Baze or Chirrut are expecting a fully grown Desert Walker, the most dangerous native predator on Jedha, to come barreling into their camp with Ibani riding on its back.

The Desert Walker is big, hairy, with massive teeth and claws. There's the odor of musk as it draws closer and its enormous body makes plenty of noise at a run. "Dad! My friend needs help rescuing her baby!"

[idontneedluck]

Chirrut and Baze (or at least Chirrut) were having a very nice discussion about which dried-and-reconstituted meal they should have once they taught Ibani how to start a fire.

That was then.

Now Chirrut has his lightbow unfolded and primed without pausing for thought or breath. The terror he feels (and the rest of his emotions with it) have been shoved into a box and buried. He can't afford to let his hands shake now.

Not when he can hear his daughter somewhere up near the monstrous beast.

[iprotectyou]

Baze is just as fast as Chirrut when it comes to scooping up his lightbow and aiming the barrel at the monster. Not faster, but just as fast.

"Ibani!" Baze barks. "Get off of it!"

[last_kallig]

Ibani looks at both of them, confusion echoing in the Force. Why are they so frightened? "Dad, don't point those at her, you're making her nervous!"

"I went to go pee, and she was there and I could feel her distress and her baby's stuck in a crevasse and I PROMISED I'd help!" Ibani turns the sad puppy eyes on Baze, knowing Chirrut is immune. "Please, we have to help her!"

[idontneedluck]

Chirrut is waiting, steady. As soon as she's clear, he has a shot lined up.

And he's resolutely not thinking about the stories that filter back to NiJedha, about caravans found ripped apart by walkers.

[iprotectyou]

"Chirrut," Baze says, his voice full of ground glass, "she wants to help it."

He doesn't lower his weapon--not even close--but he does glance to his friend out of the corner of his eye. "I don't think it's going to attack her."

[last_kallig]

"Oh, that's why you're so upset!" Ibani says, realization dawning. "No, she won't hurt me! She's not hungry, and she wants to free her baby and I promised I'd help. They don't think in words, but the Force helps a lot!"

"We would get predators in the mines, sometimes, when they were hurt or really hungry. I learned that I could just....push on their hunger until it went away. I would have yelled for help if I was in any danger."

"If I get off of her, will you promise not to shoot her unless she attacks us?"

[idontneedluck]

It takes Chirrut a long moment to lower his weapon. He's so frightened.

He's so frightened.

One swipe and she simply won't be there anymore. He's always taken a sort of blase stance towards death - it's part of the Force, and nothing to fear... but he can fear this plenty.

"Baze?" We're... all just going to ignore how tight his voice is. That's unimportant.

[iprotectyou]

Slowly--ever so painfully slowly--Baze lowers his lightbow. He sets it down on the ground, and picks his way across the dirt to Ibani's side, ignoring the heavy breathing of the beast. He opens his arms. "Come on, sweetheart. Come off of the walker, and we'll help your... friend."

If the monster attacks him, Chirrut will be able to shoot. He might not bring it down with one shot--and Baze's death won't be a clean one--but Chirrut might be able to distract the beast enough for Ibani to get away.

[last_kallig]

Ibani slides off the walker and into Baze's arms, whereupon she wraps her arms around him.

Ibani tilts her head, her eyes unfocused, and the walker turns and heads toward the edge of their camp.

"Thanks, Dad! I think Chirrut needs a hug first, though."

[idontneedluck]

Chirrut shakes his head, mutely, and tracks the creature. Right now he's not sure if relaxing his iron grip on his emotions will lead to yelling or sobbing, but neither will do them any good if the creature decides eating them is the best course of action.

He can figure out that mess later.

For now, evidently, there's a baby walker to save.

Force help him.

[iprotectyou]

Baze stalks over to Chirrut, takes the lightbow from him in one hand, and deposits Ibani into his arms. Baze feels like throwing up. He clings to Chirrut's weapon, pressing the cool metal against his cheek and fighting a good, hard crying jag. He'll have time to cry later, after they've saved this baby walker--and chased the mother out of their camp.

"Where is her baby?" Baze croaks.

[last_kallig]

"Just down the hill," Ibani explains. "We might need rope, I think."

The baby is indeed down the hill, and wedged in the crevasse. It looks like a smaller version of its mother and makes a plaintive noise as they come into view.

"Do you think he'd come out if we could get rope around him and pull?"

[idontneedluck]

Chirrut cocks his head, judging where the baby is (and, more importantly, where the mother is) before setting Ibani down with a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Stay here."

It's... not a request.

"Baze, can we lasso it somehow?"

[iprotectyou]

Thankfully, Baze had the presence of mind to lay Chirrut's lightbow down and fetch a rope. "Probably not. I'll have to get down in the hole with it. Hold on to the end of the rope."

Baze hands Chirrut the rope, and lowers himself into the crevasse. He braces his back against the rock wall and his feet on the other side, scooting down. "Easy, easy," he soothes, looping the rope around the mewling creature. He ties a knot around its back. "Okay, Chirrut, pull."

[last_kallig]

If or when the pulling starts, the baby will come out of the crevasse relatively easily.

It makes a startled noise as it comes loose, its feet scrabbling for purchase at first. The mother cuts the rope with one swipe of her claws, then touches the baby's nose with her own and the pair of them will head off into the night.

Ibani dares to speak as the creatures head off into the night "Can I move now, because I'd like to hug both of you?"