Brave New Worlds: Reunion

[Serena Laran]

Serena was sitting quietly by the girl's bed. She'd been sitting there for hours, and it was a quiet time on the Rebel frigate with most of the crew fast asleep.

The girl, James Prent, had been badly burned on her extremities. The Force had brought the freighter carrying her to the Rebel fleet: there was no doubt in Serena Laran's mind about it. If she had not made it there when she had, she might have died of shock.

The Jedi smoothed her fingers over the girl's forehead, regretting the fact that the doctors had evened up her hair by shaving the other side of her head. She'd come in half shaven, apparently a sign of witchcraft on some backwards planets. The hair was already growing back, a healthy fuzz on her scalp.

Serena didn't look up, but spoke to the presence she'd felt behind her. "You can come out, I know you're there."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She'd entered silently, bare feet making not a sound on the metal decking as s'Il padded her way into the medical bay. Concern for James had brought her here, and she'd left the quiet of the Cat to wander the frigate in contemplative thought before turning her sights to where James had been taken.

And so it came as a mild surprise that the red-headed Jedi was also in the medical ward. The Lupine had kept mostly to herself for the short time that Layla was with the Rebel fleet, even after what Morgan had said about her and Serena need to speak. Was it nervousness that made her so leery? To be honest, s'Il couldn't pinpoint the exact emotion she was feeling; perhaps a bit of intimidation. It was true that she'd been on her own for so long, and oddly enough, ten-year-old words from a rather violent meeting suddenly sprang to mind - that she was not, in fact, a Jedi.

And now, looking at the red-headed woman sitting at James' bedside, s'Il felt distinctly that. She felt such a calm from Serena that she couldn't help the cautios nature she'd suddenly taken on since first laying her eye upon the woman.

She'd stopped in the doorway, watching until Serena called to her. She had such a soft Force aura about her, now that the Lupine studied it more closely. Yet, she obeyed wordlessly, her bare feet hitting the deck with a soft patter that was drowned out by the rest of the ward's goings-on.

Sidling up to the bed on the opposite side of Serena, s'Il stared down at James for a few moments.

"I couldn't get there in time," she started tentatively.

[Serena Laran]

There was a chair on the other side of the bed, and with a nudge of the Force Serena pulled it closer to the other woman as an invitation to sit. "We cannot always save everyone from harm. But you did rescue James from the fire..."

Her voice trailed off, and she studied the blonde woman's scarred face. It was older, but she thought she recognized it. After all these years. "Morgan spoke to me about you. The tall young man, dark hair. He said we needed to talk, and I think I know why." A soft smile touched Serena's lips, "Master Windu... you were his padawan, weren't you."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Lowering her small frame down into the chair, s'Il nodded. "I was."

She finally looked to Serena then, seeing the calm in the other woman's eyes. The vaguest of recognition was all that the Lupine had, as she stared at the older features of someone she had the faintest of memories of. And even then, it was only in passing. She didn't even know her full name, only what Morgan had called her by; Serena.

"I'm afraid that I don't remember you however," she continued.

[Serena Laran]

She smiled gently, "I am Serena Laran, once a Jedi Knight of the Republic." It was only because the woman before her had been a padawan to a Council member that she had recognized her. There had been literally hundreds of Jedi at the time of the Purge.

And now there were only a handful. With the ferocity with which the fallen one had pursued their lives, it was amazing that any Jedi had survived at all. Serena offered a wry smile, "Perhaps if I stood up you might remember me more. There were not many six foot tall redheads in the Temple. But it does not matter. You survived the Purge."

Serena's eyes conveyed that she knew exactly what that meant. All the trials, the hiding, the pain of not knowing what happened to friends. The battle with fear. All of it. She'd gone through it all too.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il listened quietly as Serena spoke, nodding at her last words.

"Having survived such a thing is a hollow accomplishment at best for some. I don't think any of us were lucky enough to come out unscathed or untouched in some way."

The Lupine leaned forward then, resting her elbows on her knees while looking thoughtfully at James' face. Such peace when in sleep, who would've thought that just a short time before those same features had been contorted in horrible pain?

"We all lost something that day."

[Serena Laran]

"Yes," she replied, simply. "I was not in the Temple, but I heard the rumors." Sadness seemed to fill her from the inside out as she recalled the groups of younglings and the babes in the nurseries that must have been slaughtered. "For many years I wished I could have been there, even if it was to die alongside the others."

Serena closed her eyes, "To save one child..." Her voice trailed off. "But I know now why I am still here." She looked at the woman across the bed from her. "And why you are here."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

This startled the Lupine, and s'Il jerked up from looking at James to stare at Serena, her face more than a little confused. Her expression was soon masked over then, as a decidedly sour look descended over her face.

"You were better off away from the Temple. Do not wish that you'd been there; nobody should have seen what happened there."

A hand covered her face then, and she scratched idly at an unseen itch on her brow. "It was bad enough watching your peers fall, but it was something completely different to watch those you'd escaped with lose their faith and abandon the Force altogether.

"I still can't decide which one is worse."

[Serena Laran]

Serena was silent for a few moments. "I was young, and very alone." She was not young anymore. "Let us not dwell on what cannot be altered."

She looked at the sleeping girl on the bed. "What is her story?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

s'Il followed the other woman's gaze, looking down at James.

"From what she'd told me, she came onboard Layla to help with navigation."

A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips; the first in a very long time. "Apparently she was a voluntary kidnap 'victim'."

[Serena Laran]

"I see." Serena studied the other woman, who still had not revealed her name, though it was not necessary to the conversation. "You feel responsible for what happened to her, but it was not your fault. I am curious as to why she was on trial for witchcraft, however."

The former padawan looked up at the knight, and Serena added, "She is an adept, isn't she."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The Lupine gave a nod. A part of her wanted to simply sit and watch over James, but the other part knew that she had to talk with Serena; if nothing else than as a way to refuel her long ago sapped energies. To speak once more with a fellow Jedi was something she had not been able to do in too long a time.

"I should have been able to see it."

[Serena Laran]

She considered that for a moment. "Not all Jedi can divine the future, and even those who can will only see possible futures. Is it a gift of yours?"

Serena was truly curious about Mace Windu's padawan, and wanted to know everything about her. But she knew that being hasty would serve no one, and was patient enough to spend the time to dig the information out of her. Being a former Jedi padawan was one thing, but it remained to be seen if the woman was still a Jedi.

The Force was silent on the issue, leaving Serena to draw her own conclusions.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It was strange, how Serena seemed to exude such tranquility. What the other woman was able to hold so easily was that same thing that she herself clung doggedly to with all of her might. But, there had been so many grey areas experienced along the way and she had only what she'd been taught before her Master died.

"I suppose," the Lupine began slowly, "that you could call it a gift. Though it's not something I'd like to discuss here."

Peace. That was all she wanted. Peace and quiet and rest. To know the Force much more deeply than she did now. If she didn't take the chance now, s'Il knew that it was very possible she would never again have it.

She gave the redhead an almost pleading look then. "I've done the best I could after the Purge; I tried to stay as close to my teachings as I could.

"But I need help... "

[Serena Laran]

Serena reached across James' sleeping frame and put her hand over s'Ilancy's. Loklorien s'Ilancy - the name had been in her memories but it had taken time to uncover it. "I, too, have visions of the future. Of futures, I suppose. When I first arrived on the planet that was to be my home for over twenty years, I foretold a famine that would blight the people's crops the following season.

"I was able to convince the lord of the caer, village, that he needed to prepare, and because of the foretelling many lives were saved. I was also able to help them stave off the worst effects of several natural disasters in the following years." Serena smiled wanly, "There were those the Force did not show me - a flash flood that wiped out an entire caer. A plague of insects that destroyed a harvest." She seemed weary. "I think of them from time to time. The people my abilities could not save. But I lived alone, in a forest... I learned to take in the peace that existed in nature around me, to take it in and make it mine. Sometimes no matter what we do to save it, a tree will die and fall to the ground.

"But in its crumbled remains, new life always grows. The abilities we have through the Force were not given to us to circumvent the circle of life, but to enhance it. We protect the innocent, but we are not infallible. We harvest evil ones, but the Jedi have made mistakes before in making war."

She kept her eyes on s'Ilancy, though the other woman averted her eyes. "I thought I was the last Jedi. I did not abandon my hope, but I was resigned to my life, and I found peace in doing so. But now... we are not alone, Loklorien. You are not alone."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Her shoulders sagged, though it was not because of some unseen weight being placed upon them. No, it was as if that thing - whatever it was - had been lifted, and after so many years she could now rest. It was a certain kind of loneliness she'd felt, but at Serena's words, that feeling was ebbing away. Her tired shoulders, having bourne the weight of that solitude for so long were now able to finally rest.

And being in the other Jedi's presence, perhaps she would have a chance at finally throwing off her tormentor, the Man in Black.

After a few moments, she met Serena's eyes. She took in the aura of the Force that surrounded her, and let out a long, pent up breath. "I've no talent for divining; I just, see it - the Force. I can see it around you now, soft and gentle, ready to offer aide and comfort. Ihaven't seen such a thing since the old days before the Purge."

And at this, the Lupine gave a tired, easy smile. "It's nice to see again."

[Serena Laran]

"Then as long as we are both with the fleet, we should spend our time together." Serena gave Loklorien's hand a little squeeze, and then brought her own hand back to her lap. "I heard you have a daughter, is that true?"

The two children who were on board the Layla had already gotten into a bit of trouble in one of the mess halls, but the Rebel crew were being very understanding. Except for a few officers who were mortified at the breakdown of order, the incident had not disrupted anything but lunch.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Another smile as the lines around her eyes grew less strained.

"I do. Though I must admit that she's taken to life off Cathar rather well. I suppose being around Daanaari helps - " s goodnatured grimace then, " - in most cases, at least."

It was Seren's statement, that the two spend their time together, which had caught s'Il off gaurd. In fact, in her mind it was far more than she'd expected; to spend her time with someone she saw as more advanced in the ways of the Force was strangely alluring. It was more than a temptation, it was a need. Such a thing had not happened for so long, and the Lupine let her gratefulness show in her eye.

[Serena Laran]

Serena could feel some of the tension leaving the Padawan's body, and she smiled at the thought of the Cizerack cub. "They do seem to be fast friends."

She hesitated, and then added, "It is off topic, but in your travels with the Layla... have you met other survivors?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

With pursed lips, s'Il gave a nod.

"Only one. I spent most of my time on Cathar, so my interaction with others offworld was very limited. But when I left with Sanis, we ran into an old... friend of mine.

"He travels with us now."

[Serena Laran]

She mentally reviewed the passengers of the freighter Layla, and came up with a weather-beaten face that had seen better days. The hesitation before 'friend' was interesting, but this was no time to cross-examine the padawan.

She had her hands full enough with her own. Serena frowned, getting a sense that the two learners she'd left behind to study meditation were not doing as they had been instructed. With effort, she focused on s'Ilancy.

"Agent Belargic has informed me that they have come across another Jedi - a young woman. She has a young boy with her, a Force sensitive that Agents Van-Derveld and Belargic had rescued on a previous mission. He is going to put me in touch with her as soon as he can." Serena paused, "I believe that together we can raise the Jedi Order from its ashes."

Together certainly included the woman sitting across from her, and the girl sleeping between them. If the Order was to survive, they would all have to be involved.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It was at this that s'Il balked. She looked away, visibly nervous. Restore the Order? To the Lupine it was more than a little daunting. And of course, there was the issue of the Man in Black. She bit her lip.

She'd gone from being alone and without anyone but Dan and the occasional visit from Sanis to suddenly being thrust into the company of more than one Jedi.

Leaning back in her seat, s'Il felt deep reservations come over her then.

"I... don't know."

[Serena Laran]

Something changed in the air between them, and Serena felt a thread of fear in Loklorien's aura. She smiled reassuringly, "All in good time, of course. I do not expect to ressurrect the Order over night, or by myself."

I will do it by myself if I have to. She paused, and added, "I have seen the Order reborn. It will happen."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"Palpatine had visions as well, and look how that turned out; for him and for us."

It wasn't so much snapped out as her tone was simply clipped, yet her features remained still. She shifted a leg, and her knee popped.

"Don't trust what you see of the future until you have completed your task and can look upon it with your own eyes."

[Serena Laran]

She was taken aback by the padawan's words, and asked, "Am I to believe you are comparing me to Emperor Palpatine, the Sith Lord who orchestrated the downfall of the Jedi and the New Order the galaxy now toils under?" Serena took a deep, calming breath, ridding herself of the anger that threatened before it could blossom.

Anger could destroy any Jedi, including the one that sat before her now. "I have spent over twenty years in exile, padawan, alone with the Force. I spent twenty years in meditation and healing and helping the people of the planet I lived on. Twenty years to deal with my feelings, and with the sorrow of losing everything I knew."

Her tone was still even, but her words will filled with strength. "Do not trust to your feelings, but put your faith in the Force."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

"It was not a comparison, it was a caution."

Strange how even now, after only meeting Serena, s'Il was already following the other Jedi's lead and remaining calm.

But, like Serena, she kept her tone firm. "I may be still just a little padawan to you, but you weren't the only one who had to live alone. I've been hounded by a Sith, and I am still here. I see his face in my nightmares, and I am still here.

"My faith is in the Force; it's the only thing that has kept me from falling."

[Serena Laran]

"You see the face of a Sith in your nightmares?" Serena was instantly interested, but also on guard. With her training incomplete, the padawan... but she was not a padawan anymore.

"I know the sacrifices we have made for survival, Loklorien. I meant no disrespect for your experiences, but only ..." She closed her eyes lightly, "I have allowed pride into my heart, and for that I ask your forgiveness."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She stared at Serena then, at a loss for words. A confused look passed over her features for a moment before the Lupine blinked. Gods it was a good thing Sanis couldn't see her now.

"I, uh, well ok I suppose."

[Serena Laran]

Serena took a moment to recompose herself, busying her hands with drying the brow of the sleeping girl. Then, "Perhaps you will be able to deal with this Sith you see in you dreams with another Jedi at your side."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Oddly enough, this hadn't occurred to her before, and s'Il thought for a few moments before giving a partial nod.

"It's possible, but I don't know if I could drag another person into having to help me deal with my problems."

An idle scratch at the base of her neck, "But, it's a welcome thought still."

[Serena Laran]

Serena looked over at the younger woman. "The Sith are everyone's problem, Loklorien."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Leaning forward to rest her elbows on the side of the bed, s'Il let a sigh escape her lips. Head down, she ran a hand over her face, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I... I wish it was that easy."

There was a pause then, as the Lupine ground her teeth.

"He comes only for me; he has no interest in any other surviving Jedi... "

It was at this then, that she faltered, eyes closing tight.

[Serena Laran]

Serena frowned while Loklorien's eyes were closed, concerned for the younger Jedi. She didn't see how it would not be a simple matter to lay a trap for the Sith, if indeed he focused so much attention on Loklorien. However, she filed it away for future reference and tactfully changed the subject.

"In your journeys with the Layla, you visit many planets that are... off the beaten path, so to speak, do you not?" She smiled encouragingly.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

This new change made her look up, and s'Il silently thanked the other Jedi.

"I do; though," and at this she smiled faintly, "... it seems that Mr. Prent has the wonderful knack for creating angry mobs with the sole purpose of chasing him off-world."

Her eye actually held a glint of amusement.

"He seems rather gifted in that respect."

[Serena Laran]

Serena laughed softly at the image that Loklorien's words created in her mind, and continued along her line of questioning. "Perhaps in your travels you might come across a world especially suited for housing a ... I hesitate to say Jedi temple, but a school for new Jedi."

She smoothed her robes, "Such a discovery would be a great help for rebuilding the Jedi Order. Perhaps an enclave of sorts can be established, a safe haven where any Jedi that exist could come to for rest and fellowship with other Jedi."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The Lupine thought on this, though she was not silent for long.

While it seemed she was reluctant to accept help from others, she was rather taken with the idea of looking for, as Serena had said, an enclave for those Jedi that still remained. She smiled at the prospect.

"I would think that that is easily done. It wouldn't be hard to compile a list of suitable candidate worlds from which to choose from for when we cross paths next."

[Serena Laran]

"Very good, then it is decided." Serena smiled warmly, adding, "I am sure we will meet again soon, Loklorien. This first meeting was no coincidence."

She started to get up, "I must get myself some rest, however. I have a meeting to go to in the morning." Serena looked at the other woman, "You are welcome to join me. The Empire seems to have started up a new Force user purge, focusing on the young, and the very defenseless." Her voice took on a hard edge as she explained what she knew of the new testing program.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

It was a smooth transition, from the eagerness to help a fledgling Jedi growth, to disgust at such an agenda birthed by the Empire.

s'Il stood as well, knowing that it would be best for herself to rest; possibly meditate and think on these new develoments.

Her eye was hard though, as she spoke.

"I would like to attend this meeting as well. I may not be able to offer much as I've been a bit isolated over the years, but it would be beneficial."

She bowed then, her movements showing nothing but the utmost newfound respect for Serena.

[Serena Laran]

Serena bowed as well, inclining her neck towards the other Jedi. As they stood side by side for a moment it was almost comical - Laran stood nearly two meters tall, while s'Ilancy was much shorter. There was nothing amusing about what had just happened, however. After almost twenty years, Jedi were meeting together again.

It was something to think about, and Serena knew that she would get little sleep.