Strangers in Paradise

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

It was 0630, but Lianna had been up since 0500, meditating peacefully. Coming in contact with the Rebellion had been quite a shock and it was still difficult to sleep here while under constant scrutiny. Her credentials had been confirmed, but looking the way she did, looking exactly like Miranda Tarkin, still caused much anger and distrust to bubble forth in many.

The Jedi could not blame them.

The small chime indicated that it was 5 past 0630. It was time for breakfast. She slipped on her brown outer robes and walked down to the mess hall. The hallways were always busy, but it seemed that they were unusually vacant when she arrived.

Thankfully, the mess hall did not abruptly turn quiet when she entered. She was just ignored. At least the staff cooking allowed a minimun of conversation, mainly of 'What'll ya have?' and 'Goodbye'. It was better then nothing.

She found an empty table between some Rebel pilots and the dockworkers, who politely did not move this time. Lianna smile as she unfolded her silverware and dipped her spoon into the oatmeal. It was progress.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Although now a permanent fixture on Vortex, Daria was no less of a curiosity than the first day she had arrived. Reclusive at the best of times, she was an intriguing character. All of the Jedi were, after all, but the fact that Daria was perhaps one of the last of an unusual species only increased the fascination surrounding her. She tried her best to overcome her humorless character, to entertain the members of the Rebellion who had been so kind as to help in the construction of the Enclave, but it was simply not in her nature. More often than not, she found herself – when not in the company of Wyl – alone.

Such was the case that morning, when she rose for breakfast. Although there were plenty of seats to be found in the company of others, Daria retreated to an empty bench. Sensing so many other people around her, she felt her heart tremble – a still-lingering reminder of her time spent on the run, worrying that everyone she met was a potential threat.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna's head also shifted upwards, like so many around her, to see the Jedi Knight Nytherciria enter the mess hall. She was introduced to this Jedi under threat and house arrest. They barely had time to speak. Mostly her time was spent with Knight Laran, clearing the air. This was the first time she had seen the blind Jedi in here though, and just like her, took a seat by herself.

It was not a craving for human contact that made Lianna take her tray and move towards Nytherciria's table, nor was it curiosity. It was as simple as wishing to speak to another Jedi and learn from her. The other Jedi were too new, being trained as Padawans. Laran was busy with them and overseeing the construction of this base. That left very few to converse with.

"Hello," she said hopefully. Although blind, Nytherciria could easily sense her presence through the Force. "Do you mind if I take a seat with you?"

[Daria Nytherciria]

Silently, Daria chided herself as her heart leapt. The voice of Miranda Tarkin was one that she knew all too well, and her encounters with Lianna had been sufficiently brief that the sound still set Daria on edge. She thought back to her training and how Bra'jaa would have scolded her for her anxiety. In spite of her neurosis, she looked up and offered a small, albeit not entirely convincing, smile.

“Not at all.”

Lianna sat down opposite her and Daria, in the moment of silence that followed, she studied her unobtrusively. She saw the light that radiated from within her, the tendrils of the Force that wound almost lovingly around her. It was calming.

“How are you finding Vortex?” she asked, toying idly with her food.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

How to answer that, the Jedi wondered. The truth was not a pleasant choice for a conversation topic, but it would be rude to lie. Nytherciria would easily glean the truth that she was unhappy.

"Vortex in itself, has treated me well. I'm grateful for the shelter. Adia's too. However," she sighed softly and peeled the skin off her namana, "It's been ... lonely." Lianna had to find the right word without causing offense to the nearby Rebels. "Especially with Adia's recovery."

[Daria Nytherciria]

Slowly, Daria nodded. It was not difficult to empathize. Sometimes the loneliest places of all were full of people; the absence of just one person could drain the world of all its colour. Daria herself had known no friends or allies for years, yet she could recall keenly the sense of loss that separation caused. It was not something she liked to think of often.

“How is Adia?” Daria knew very little of Lianna's traveling companion. For the most part, Serena handled the leadership of the Enclave. It was not a role that Daria was keen to take on, and so she was thankful that the elder Jedi had shouldered the burden.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

There was so much to talk about when it concerned Adia. The same women who was sent to kill her, turned into a teacher, confidant and friend. The mother she missed having while growing up and all the same, the former assassin allowed her the opportunity to meet her biological mother before they had to return to exile.

"She's recovering quite well," she said enthusiastically, thankful for an uplifting topic to discuss. "What's even more wonderful is that she's been reunited with her son!

It's Morgan," she added with a smile. "The Force was kind enough to reunite them."

[Daria Nytherciria]

“Morgan?” Behind the cloth covering her eyes, Daria frowned... Yes, she remembered overhearing something similar from one of the technicians. The Force had brought them together, as it often had a way of doing. Their community grew larger with each passing week, and with each arrival Daria wondered what thread of fate bound them all together. Who knew what the future held?

“Have the two of you- you and Adia- been acquaintances for a long time? If you don't mind my asking, that is.”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

A smile lined her face. The irony of her relationship with Adia was amusing now, but the Force did work in mysterious ways. Everyone that passes through someones life was meant to be there. Their purpose in life is often a way to expedite your travels, or provide comfort during a time of need; simple fleetings moments in time. But often those threads of fate become woven tightly together around two people, and they are meant to endure life together for a long, long time.

"It seems like forever, but it hasn't been very long. Months really since we first met on Bakura. Adia's a former Hand and tracked me from Dantooine. I got sloppy during my exile, but there was an explosion and I couldn't ignore the situation. I tried my best to slip unnoticed, but it wasn't good enough." She paused briefly to wet her throat which had gone dry from talking. Something that hadn't happened since arriving on Vortex. "When she found me, she thought my sister had turned. Once the truth was revealed, her loyalty to the Empire was shaken. We've been together since."

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria recalled her one encounter (http://sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=16636) with Adia and wondered how she would have faired against her had she not been so heavily drugged. The Emperor's Hands were notoriously skilled at dealing with Jedi. With a clear mind and the right motives, she would have been deadly. Would have, Daria reminded herself. None of the Jedi had sensed any treachery in Adia since her arrival, thus could only surmise that she was an ally now, and therefore no longer a threat.

Through all of this, Daria felt another line of questioning at the edge of her mind. There was a certain fondness to the way Lianna spoke of her pursuer turned companion. She couldn't help but ask.

“Together?”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

"Yes," her smile returning. "We made a promise to one another on Bakura that I would help her find her son if she took me to Coruscant so I could meet my mother. Along our travels, we grew close. She's like a mother to me."

Lianna sighed, remember the perfect little picnic she shared with Lise. "I was robbed of that and always will be. Adia filled that void."

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria's head dipped slightly, as she thought of her own mother on Coruscant. Her fate, and that of Daria's father, was unknown... perhaps for the best. Her mentor had been cruelly slaughtered before her eyes at the hands of Darth Stratus; that single loss had been painful enough for one lifetime. The memories left a sour taste in Daria's mouth, and so she temporarily laid down her food to take a drink. Yet through the bitterness, another thought arose and eased her, the face of young Wyl Staedtler coming to mind. They all shared so much in common; it was fitting that they healed and grew together.

“Do you think she will stay on Vortex, then, once she has recovered?”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna had picked up on great sadness and uncertainty from the Knight but refrained from commenting. She was lucky enough to have this contact with someone for a change; Lianna did not want to ruin it by talking out of place.

"I believe so. She really has no where to go now. Eventually the Empire will learn that she has defected. Besides, I have a suspicion that she'll go wherever Morgan goes for now." She said candidly, "If he allows it."

[Daria Nytherciria]

“Morgan is training under Serena's guidance... I sense both of them will be here with us for some time yet.”

There was something comforting in the thought that mother and son had been reunited. If they could reconcile and grow closer together, even in spite of the unfortunate circumstances that had brought them together, then there was hope for everyone.

“I feel as if we have all become... bound together, already. It's...”

Daria's words faltered. She frowned at herself, wondering what she was trying to say and why.

“I don't know.”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

"Of course we are," Lianna chimed in quietly. She felt Nytherciria's uncertainty. It was growing stronger. "The Jedi have been in exile for far too long. It's just ... strange. All of us being together in greater numbers and not afraid for our lives. We will remain diligent, of course. We're not safe yet, but it's a start."

The Jedi smiled and fought her hand back to rest comfortably on her spoon. She was going to reach out and pat the Knight's hand, but she wasn't sure that was quite right yet. "I feel the same too. Uncertain. About everything. But I trust the Force. It has protected me since bringing me to my Master's arms until now."

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria's unique connection to the Force permitted her glimpses of the future. Apparitions and portents filled her dreams and even in waking she felt she could not help but read deeper meanings into everything she saw around her. It was a state of mind that had served her well as a fugitive, but was not well suited to the community on Vortex.

“Yes, yes... you're right. The Force will see us through; all things happen for a reason... I'm sorry, I've been neglecting my meditation recently... I'm having a little difficulty regaining my focus. ”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

If not for her daily meditations, Lianna probably would have gone stir crazy on Vortex. Meditation for a Jedi allowed a refocus of mind, body, and spirit because the Force could easily flow through them, allowing them peace for the perfect connection.

"Why are you having difficulties, if I may ask?"

[Daria Nytherciria]

“I think... it could be something to do with being around other Jedi.”

Daria glanced downwards. She felt suddenly and inexplicably self-conscious.

“I haven't been around others since I was a child. It's as if I can sense and... hear you all, all the time, like a static hum in some corner of my mind.”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna looked at the Jedi sympathetically. "The galaxy has been quiet for you for far too long. Hasn't it?"

She had to presume that with her blindness, Nytherciria's perceptions of every Jedi were magnified. Switching that off had to be difficult now that there were over a half dozen Force users in such close proximity.

"This is new to me too. I've never been around more then one Jedi at a time since I was born after the purge."

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria nodded, but didn't say anything. She turned her attention to her meal for a moment, as the memory of the purge resurfaced. As a young girl, on the eve of the purge itself, she had been sent away to begin her training. It had been a chaotic time and one which had suitably set the tone for the years to come.

“Do you think,” she began, “we could practice some meditation together? I think it would be of some benefit, to me at least.”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

"Of course," she replied happily. "Anything I can do to help ..."

Lianna felt suddenly awkward and eager. She really didn't know anything else to say, but she didn't want to sound greedy that someone was taking an interest in her.

"I ..." she paused, hoping that the Knight wouldn't find her rude for asking, "I was wondering if you'd be willing to share what it was like being at the Temple? Master Drin was often away off Coruscant on missions for the Council that it be ... nice to hear another Jedi talk about it."

[Daria Nytherciria]

“I only ever visited the Temple once,” Daria confessed, holding her eyes to Lianna's. Her voice did not waver. “That was when I was identified as a candidate for Jedi training... but before I could begin my induction, Palpatine betrayed the Council.”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

"Oh ..." Her disappointment was not concealable, but there was sympathy in her voice. "I suppose that means we have something in common. We've been on the run as Jedi for most of our lives."

She sighed and stabbed at her meal. "Unfortunate."

[Daria Nytherciria]

“True... although there are many things I have learned, places I have visited and people I have met that I would not have, had I been a student of the Temple. Traveling the Galaxy, learning by experience... I don't think I'd be as strong if it wasn't for that,” Daria replied, with a small, rueful smile.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

"Mmm," the Jedi agreed, "Point well taken. Drin thought the Order was too stringent and relied too much on tradition at times. He felt that the Council were closed off from the Force, locked away in their chambers so often. The Force is constantly moving and to better understand it, you had to just ... do; to go out and search for its meaning."

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria's expression brightened some as Lianna spoke. It was reassuring to hear that she was not the only one to believe in the authority of the Force over that of the Council. “I can't help but wonder, then, if I am ever going to be able to become a true part of this... alliance we have all formed.”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

"We all have our roles to play. We are all meant to come here and rebuild the order, but if the Force would call us for some other purpose, Laran would have to realize that our hand is guided by it and not her." She sighed, thinking of the older Knight. "I hope she does not make the same mistakes the Jedi did. That is a concern of mine."

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria nodded gravely and for a moment her thoughts drifted somewhere else, beyond the protective bubble that they had fashioned for themselves on Vortex. “Perhaps we have been brought here to ensure that the errors of the past are not repeated...”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna smiled. "And that, to me, is a very comforting thought."

Talking with Daria created a sense of renewal in the Jedi. She finally felt as if she wasn't so out of place anymore.

[Daria Nytherciria]

“Comforting,” Daria repeated, smiling faintly. Had they been chosen to act as guardian's of the new Jedi Order, sentinels for the will of the Force? Perhaps theirs was a shared fate. Merely entertaining the thought seemed to stir something inside Daria, something which told her that her suspicions could very well be true.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

She could sense that Daria's feelings had been brightened, and she too felt a sense of purpose forming.

"Yes. It is. Adia is like a mother to me, but she isn't a Jedi. She doesn't understand the Force like we do," she admitted. "At least not yet. I just feel ..." She paused to find the correct word but had to settle on something that didn't fully express her feelings properly. " ... a reassurance in your presence."

Lianna had not gotten the same feeling around Knight Laran. Not because she wasn't connected to the Knight, as all Jedi are connected to one another through the Force, but it was different with Daria. It was probably due to their similar mindsets.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria nodded slowly, though a question came to mind that distracted her from the moment of ease.

“Not yet? Are you going to teach Adia?”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna's eyes opened wide in surprise and stumbled against her answer. "I ... I don't know. I've never trained anyone before. The thought never ... crossed my mind."

Such a thought never had come to mind previously because Lianna had never found anyone with Force potential to train. She had walked the galaxy alone and had always thought it would be that way forever. Now the opportunity was there and the prospect was daunting.

[Daria Nytherciria]

Daria could hear the slight alarm in Lianna's voice. She recognized it all too well.

“I know how you feel... Wyl is my first student. The responsibility of being the one to teach him, to pass on centuries worth of knowledge, was daunting at first – but the more time I spend with him, the more I believe that what I'm doing is right. We have a duty to keep the faith alive.”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

"You are right," she agreed. It was their duty to keep the faith alive. And in order to do that, one must train the next generation of Jedi Knights. Faith could only manage itself to an extent. "And I hope my feelings mirror yours when the time comes."

Curiosity started to bubble. "What is it like? Training someone I mean."

[Daria Nytherciria]

It took a moment for her reply to come.

“...Strange. I suspect it is entirely different for each one of us. We enrich the lessons we teach with our own experiences, as our masters did before us.”

Daria's head dipped, and she smiled discreetly, only one corner of her mouth turning upwards.

“I have learned so much in becoming a teacher myself... just as much as I ever did as a pupil.”

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

A smile of relief came, but there was still doubt in her mind. Not a good thing to have as a Jedi, so Lianna let that thought slip away as quickly as it came.

"I will probably feel apprehensive until the day comes, but I will welcome it. Anything in order to further my knowledge and gain insight to the Force. It's just ..." She chuckled in spite of herself, " ... Just the idea of being responsible for someone else other then my own will take some getting used to."