Ria and Serenity possible friendship.

Joint post between Nim, lily
Ria couldn't help but get up at her usual time at the crack of dawn the next morning. After almost a year of this schedule, between her time at the academy and her time at the base, it was what her body had gotten used to. She found Serenity sitting cross-legged on the floor deep in meditation or some kind of trance as she seemed not to notice that Ria had woken. Ria wondered if the jedi padawan girl was trying to contact her master. Once Ria had finally gotten Serenity to open up a little the previous night, Serenity had expressed her doubts that her Master had revealed himself to General Odet but not to her. Perhaps she was trying to get answers from the deceased Jedi Master himself. Or maybe this was just what Jedi were supposed to do in the morning…

Being as quiet as she could so as not to disturb the girl, Ria slowly slipped out of her bed (it was weird sleeping in an actual bed after so much time using a small bunk) and tiptoed toward the restroom…

Serenity felt Ria’s presence as she moved toward the bathroom. It took her a few moments to release that it was Ria. ” Good Morning” she said without opening her eyes. She focused on what she could feel in the force around her. For now she assumed from the direction that Ria was moving that she was headed to the bathroom and it would be a while yet before Ria would want to talk.

"Err, g'morning," Ria mumbled back before grabbing an outfit and disappearing into the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, she emerged, showered and changed.

Serenity rose to her feet. "Do you still wish to know what the force is?” she asked. Master Tyandas had told her to teach others their ways. Ria seemed like a good person to start with. When Ria nodded, she continued, "The force is the energy that is around us and runs through everyone and every living thing. Some of us can feel and use that energy.” she explained.

She held her hand out towards a chair in the corner of the room. She focused on it dealing the weight of the object as she used the force to lift it a few centimeters of the ground. She held it there in the air hovering for a moment before setting it back down.

” Those of us have these abilities used to be taken to the Jedi temple to train. The Jedi used to help keep the peace before the empire took over. When the empire took over so did the sith.” she said quietly.

In awe of the display of power, Ria took a few moments to collect herself. "Um, what are the Sith, and if you were peacekeepers, why did you rebel and betray the empire you were supposed to protect?"

” the clones turn on us, my master called it order 66 they cut down all the jedi, even children. I was born after that in a galaxy where my ability were a crime. So I only know what my master thought me. what you were taught was a lie the Emperor wants you to believe. The sith follow the path of darkness. They have ability similar to the media but are the exact opposite, they run on fear and hatred. The Emperor was a sith master and he is responsible for the destruction of the order. Ria, I promise I will not hurt you unless you attack me first.” she said quietly.

The surviving jedi seemed to be some kind of a cult that hated the Emperor… not that it mattered anymore now that the Emperor was dead. It seemed the enmity had been mutual. Ria was comforted that Serenity didn't appear to want to hurt her, and as far as Ria could tell, the girl was being honest, although whether the things she claimed were true or were just weird religious beliefs, well…

"I trust you Serenity. We'll go see the general for breakfast after you clean up."

Serenity nodded and took her robes that had been dropped off by a droid she went into the bathroom.

As the girl was getting ready, Ria folded her bed, gathered her belongings, and with a bit of time still to kill, she decided to look out the window to see what the base looked like from this height. The view wasn't bad, however... maybe it was just her, but there seemed to be an unusual amount of activity going on down there. She wondered if something was up...

Serenity came out of the bathroom clean and dresses in her jedi robes once again. ” I have to say I feel much better having these back” she said.

Ria nodded, although she didn't really understand why the girl liked the baggy robes. It was probably another Jedi cult practice. "Alright, let's go."

Serenity nodded and followed Ria. she did not know where they were going. She could however feel the presents of Master Tyandas. It was not too late to save him. But how. She thought quietly hoping that the force would carry her message. She needed to come up with a plan that would keep Ria safe as well. She promised not to hurt Ria but she did not promise that she would not try and rescue Master Tyandas.

As they walked down the hallway to wherever they were sapos to meet the General Serenity stopped suddenly. She turned around looking. ” what is…” she caught her breath. She was in the trees near the small hut where she and her master lived. There in front of her was Master Paren. He was a tall human with black hair brown eyes and a slender build. She opened her mouth to speak only to find she could not. He was taller than she remembered him. ” hello Serenity, I am Jedi Master Paren. You safe her with me now lets start your training” she just started shocked as the vision started to fade from view.

” No Master Please don't leave me alone again” she cryed and ran forward right into Ria. She fell backward and looked around almost stunned for a moment. ” Ria, we can't let them hurt Master Tyandas please help me save him” she said. It was clear that she was very upset.

The stormtrooper woman, currently not in uniform, blanched. "I-I can't really do that. I guess we can talk to General Odet about it and try to change her mind. Has something changed?"

“I saw my old master” she said. She could not explain the conversation she had just had with Master Tyandas. Ria would think she was crazy.

"Umm, okay… let's keep our appointment with the General and you can explain this development to her…"

A few minutes later, Serenity and Ria strolled past Odet's guards and went into her office. Set before them were three platters of food. It was the most appealing looking meal Ria had seen since she'd arrived at the base. The General herself was facing the window, more or less as she had been when they had come there the previous afternoon.

“General please let master Tyandas go” she asked as soon as they walked into the room. “ your soldiers will deceive you” she added hoping that that bit of information might get the General's attention.

Odet turned around. "Good morning, Serenity, good morning Ria." She sighed. "Serenity, we discussed why Master Tyandas is being held… Now, what is it you think my soldiers will deceive me about?"

“ They are going to rig the ship to explode after it leaves the planet, also I saw Master Paren wail on the way here. I will not fail again Odet” she said. She would get to master Tyandas whether she got her lightsaber back or not.

"How are you so sure of this?"

“Master Tyandas heard them planing it outside his sell and I’m not leaving without him” she said hoping that telling the truth would help her case.

The general gazed into Serenity's eyes for a long moment, then bit her lip and glanced to the left, where it somehow seemed that the vague outline of a person nodded. The older woman gulped, pinched the bridge of her nose, then took a deep breath. "Very well… eat up, you will need your strength."

With that, Odet sat heavily, and wordlessly began to pick at her food. Ria glanced and Serenity, then followed suit.

“General what is troubling you” Serenity asked she sat down but did not touch the food offered. “I’m not hungry but thank you General” she offered. She was hungry but did not trust that the food was not poisoned and ultimately she would need to get to and rescue Master Tyandas. She could not take the risk.

Odet rolled her eyes, and with a wave of her hand, Ria's partially eaten plate swapped places with Serenity's plate. "There was a development that happened yesterday… well, rather, I received orders from our 'Counselor to the Empire' to send reinforcements to support his campaign. I have decided to follow through with these orders, especially as my naval counterpart, Admiral Korhabis had already agreed to do so."

"Is that why everyone seemed so busy this morning?" Ria inquired as she attacked what had been Serenity's food.

Odet nodded solemnly.

“What does that mean and were you talking to a master a bit ago I felt something strange in the force but could not make it out” Serenity said as she reluctantly ate some of what was Ria’s food. Serenity still did not totally trust Odet. But she could try and trust the women who had been her enemy.

"I have felt something as well. There is an agitation of some kind, and I believe it does not bode well. What I do know is that without fleet protection and the absence of a third of my forces, many of my bases will be severely undermanned, and we will be sitting ducks, more so then we already are. The strategic situation will be grim. So far we have been able to survive off of our relative obscurity and lack of appeal to target, but as the anarchist's grip on the galaxy tighten's, their willingness to overlook us will decrease. The number of sightings and interceptions of their reconnaissance vessels and droids has increased considerably within the past few weeks, so I know they have been considering an operation here."

“ the empire has fallen why not leave this planet or even switch sides. It’s not to late at least i don’t think it is. You could always go into hiding in the unknown reagions for a few years until the settles down once they may not continue to hunt you” Serenity said

"Serenity, I made an oath long ago to serve the Empire until my dying breath, and the many men and women serving under me made that very same oath. I will not violate my promise, nor will I force those under me to do so. The Empire may be dying, but it is not dead yet, and I will not help kill it."

“ but the empire stands against the Jedi order something you to wish to become, the empire was created when Chandler Palpaten turned on us at lest that’s what my he deceived you and the empire dose more harm then good. Do you really think these people are fighting to change it because they are bored ” master said.

"The Emperor was not the Empire. I know not why the rebels fight, but I suspect it is for the usual reason people rebel, because they feel the existing government hinders their goals, whatever those may be. Regardless, it is my duty to lead the men and women under my command in our stand against the forces of chaos, just as it is your duty to bring back the Jedi Order from the brink of annihilation. This fight of mine is not your fight, Serenity. Now, please desist from your efforts to confuse me; I need all of the clarity I can get for the trials ahead. Eat, and once you are done, we will discuss where we go from here."

“ you think because you tell me to give up I’m going to give up on you?” She asked taking a few more bites of food. “ the Jedi were piece keeper but I think right now you need a voice of reason” she confused before taking a few more bits of food. She had Almost finished her food before speaking again. “ is such a loss of life really worth it don’t you think there has been enough pointless killing to last several lifetimes” She asked then finished her food.

"I do not believe dying for a cause one believes in is pointless. I believe that if the Empire can come back from the brink, we will learn from our mistakes and reform our systems to be more inclusive and to better represent the needs of the galaxy at large. I believe in upholding the honor of my word and helping my men uphold the honor of theirs. I believe in guiding my men to be the best equipped and prepared that they can be for the trials ahead. Yes, death is unfortunate, but there are things worse than dying honorably for a cause worth fighting for. Besides, there is no place for me in the anarchists' 'New Republic'. If I were to live, I'd do so in a small cell for the rest of my days. No, I'd rather die fighting then die unwanted and mostly forgotten."

“ but your not unwanted your force abilities you could have a place with the Jedi, everyone deserves a second chance. Ria what do you think is the dieing empire still worth fighting for. You could turn this outpost into an abandid one and clams you people only decided to like her” serenity offered. She did not want to see anyone else hurt. “what if we could convince the republic to come to a Truce” she offered.

"I've never much cared for politics," Ria confessed. "I'm here to get the blighters that killed my husband."

“ that won’t bring him back” serenity said quietly.

"Serenity, you do have a decent idea there," Odet added. "While I won't abandon my post, I can dig my forces in and hopefully last quite awhile. By releasing you and Master Tyandas, the two of you can rebuild the Jedi Order to the point that you could use your influence to broker peace. If the war were to end with even a conditional surrender on our part, we could ideally maintain our freedom, at which point I would be honored to take a place in the new Jedi Order."

Serenity nodded now understanding how important it was to rebuild the Jedi order. Only the Jedi could bring peace back to the galaxy. “ what is your plan” serenity asked.

"I have two potential plans in mind. The first: I have Ria escort you to the dungeons to have a farewell chat with Master Tyandas, at which point you free him, take Ria as a hostage, then use her to get through the base to Master Tyandas' ship and escape. The other option that I can think of is to stage a fake execution of Master Tyandas, then give his not-actually-dead body to you as you leave, after which you revive him after you leave orbit."

Serenity made a face at the second option; she did not like it at all. “ except I don’t know how to fly a ship. What if something goes wrong and master Tyandas cat be revived I don’t have the training to handle a medical emergency” she said making it very clear that she did not like the second option.

Odet nodded. "I was going to provide a pilot and Ria, but bringing in an extra body will complicate things further, especially if there is truth to this bomb plot."

"Does this mean you are going with the plan where I get used as a hostage?" Ria squeaked.

"I'm afraid so."

"Great…"

"Do you think your acting skills will be up for the task Miss Kalowyn?"

"Er, I don't know, maybe? I did some theater in primary school…"

Odet pursed her lips. "Maybe's are not the certainties upon which effective plans are built."

"I'm sorry general, but I'm not quite sure how good my acting is. Why will I need to be acting anyway?"

“That's a good question because we will have a lightsaber. She is afraid enough of them no one would know what she was afraid so they would automatically put two and two together that she is afraid of us” serenity said.

"I should hope so," Odet sighed, "because it's too late to look for someone else."

"General, if I may ask, why did you choose me for this anyway?" Ria asked.

“ your not like the other stormtroopers” serenity offered.

"Indeed," Odet agreed. "I read your file. Quite frankly, your marksmanship records were appalling, so much so that you wouldn't be here if times were not so desperate. But I have also seen you work. You care for other people and droids like very few other people here. You are not a killer, but a giver and preserver of life. I know why you say you want to be here, but in truth, you made a mistake coming here, a mistake I do not believe you should pay for with your life. I'm giving you a second chance at life, please take it."

Ria gulped. "I will, General."

Odet nodded somberly. "Good, so here's the plan…."

Serenity watched the exchange quietly, then focused intently while the general explained the plan. It was only natural for the girl to pay close attention to the directions the general gave. She would need to relay the information to her master later.