Private Unbreakable

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Hyperspace
Tag: Lily Decoria

As Briana approached the infirmary's gleaming doors, the acrid tang of bacta and sterilizing agents that clung heavily inside those rooms assaulted her. In recent years it'd become an all-too-familiar scent, one she'd come to resent, as it often served as nothing more than a reminder of the many battles endured not just by her, but by those dearest to her in the constant pursuit of a harmonious galaxy.

One would think she'd be accustomed to this by now, the routine of it all, but there was no reconciling the gut-wrenching sensation of being faced with an injured loved one or comrade; when all you could do in those moments was helplessly watch and wait, praying they'd emerge on the other side largely unscathed — physically and mentally.

The doors whispered open and closed as she entered the room, finding Lily confined to a small cot surrounded by healing machinery, the sounds of soft beeps and mechanical murmurings blending with the ambient sounds coming from the ship carrying them back to Coruscant.

Any inclination to reprimand Lily for being where she wasn't supposed to was buried away—Briana herself bore a long history cluttered with errors and hard-won lessons, something that'd been essential towards her own growth. Right now, her priority lay in nurturing Lily's mind and spirit, empowering her Padawan to grow stronger in the face of mistake and adversity, just as she herself had done countless times before.

"How you holding up there kiddo?" Briana asked, her gaze soft as she came to sit on the edge of her bed, gently brushing aside stray strands of hair from Lily's face.

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Hyperspace
Wearing: Patient clothes
Tag: Briana Sal-Soren

She had fucked up. She potentially started a war between the Mandalorians and the Jedi Order, two groups that had at one point been allies. Lily had no idea how it had escalated so severely, she wasn't dumb enough to run off on her own seeking missions. She had always ensured that Briana knew if she was going off and conducting a mission, it wasn't like she had purposefully gone to Kestri. She hadn't meant to be there, she hadn't intended to be snooping around and conduct espionage on a group thought to be allied with the Galactic Alliance.

It was a mistake, it was all a massive mistake and miscommunication. But it had happened and she had to deal with the consequences of her own actions.

The largest amount of guilt she felt was in letting down her Master. Briana had been great and supportive and Lily was dragging her down with her, even after the break through with the Force, Lily was still letting her Master down massively. Lily could barely hold back the tears, the regret and hatred of herself welling up inside for failing in a completely new and massive way. She was probably the worst Padawan in Jedi history for this, what Padawan accidentally goes and starts a war?

When Briana entered the room, Lily shifted from laying down to a sitting position and only briefly made eye contact with Briana before looking away. The gentle touch and Briana asking how she was doing, it was weird, wasn't she going to be punished? Told off for doing something so reckless and stupid? Wasn't she going to be banished from the Jedi for starting a war unnecessarily with her reckless actions?

"I..." She breathed in deeply, accepting her fate here, "I'm sorry Master for all this, I... I didn't mean to do any of this. Honestly!" Lily then looked up to Briana, there were tears welling in her eyes as the realisation of everything that happened since the incident on the outpost occurred.

"I totally understand if... I understand if you don't want to be my Master anymore..." Lily really didn't want to lose Briana as a mentor, "I don't want to drag you into all this and your name and reputation shouldn't be brought down or disparaged just because I am the worst Padawan in the history of Jedi." Lily was fully believing herself when she said this, she could not think of anyone doing anything worse than she had done.

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Hyperspace
Tag: Lily Decoria

Briana felt her heart tighten at Lily's despairing words, remembering the numerous times she'd caused problems for her own Master during her Padawan days and how terrifying it was to confront the prospect of their judgment and disappointment— at times, she'd even run from it. "Lily...listen to me. We all make mistakes – grand ones sometimes – but what defines us isn't our failures, it's how we rise above them...believe me, I speak from personal experience."

She drew in a deep breath, pausing to gather her thoughts and enough courage for both their sakes.

"Yes, the events that unfolded have complicated the situation with the Mandalorian's—" Briana admitted, weary resignation lining her features at the thought of yet another impending conflict on the horizon. "But that doesn't mean that it's shattered my belief in you."

Reaching out, she gently thumbed away the trails of tears from her bruised cheeks. Had it been Brandyn, or even Lossa, sitting there instead of Lily, she might have delivered a more stinging reprimand. But not for Lily – in that moment, she offered a healing balm of patience and understanding instead. "Throughout our time as Master and Padawan, I've seen tremendous growth in you. To be honest, I am proud of the progress you've made, and I fully intend to stand by your side as we navigate the next steps. Come what may."

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Hyperspace
Wearing: Patient clothes
Tag: Briana Sal-Soren

Lily was stunned, she couldn't believe that Briana would stand by her side. Well, she could believe that her Master was noble enough and brilliant but Lily truly thought she was becoming more trouble than she was worth as a Padawan. "I...I appreciate your loyalty Master." It was something she could not refuse or fight about, Lily knew that in the position of Briana, she would stick by her Master no matter what had occurred. Even if something terrible happened, abandoning those you care about.

"I will do better Master, I won't let you down again." Lily promised, she refused to end up doing something this horrendous again, she refused to be captured again. Lily was determined to redeem herself and prove herself as a skilled Jedi that would do her Master proudly. "I'll get back to training and dedicate even more time to it. I won't get captured again." She was determined to never be a hindrance once again.

Swallowing hard, she steeled herself for whatever was coming next, "what happens next now?" Lily asked with a large amount of concern in her eyes, she had no clue of what the next steps were going to be for them now.

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Hyperspace
Tag: Lily Decoria

What came next?

The question hung heavy in the air like a gathering storm cloud.

Exhaling, Briana leaned forward, her mind racing as she contemplated an approach that would address Lily's concerns without causing her injured Padawan anymore undue stress.

"You'll have to go before the Council," she said at last, her brow furrowing slightly, wishing there was an easier answer she could give her. "They need to hear your account – confirm you weren't trying to take matters into your own hands and that this terrible misunderstand is exactly that."

She hoped, perhaps naively, that a swift conclusion to the events would be found before the matter spiraled even more out of control, or even worse — was dragged before the senate and into an abyss of political entanglement.

Briana would rather navigate a starship through an asteroid field, than try to wrestle with the Senate.

"In the meantime," she added firmly, "I want you to focus on healing and to remain tight-lipped regarding what's happened—not even your mother should know the details. We have to maintain strict containment of the events until we fully clear your name."

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Hyperspace
Wearing: Patient clothes
Tag: Briana Sal-Soren

"I don't know what happened, I was not intending to be there, there was engine issues with the hyperdrive," Lily could feel herself panicking again as her mind raced around attempting to finding out where things went wrong, "I tried accessing logs to find out if there was a way to contact help and accidentally noticed that there were messages and conversations talking about a crusade. I was not there intending to spy and I didn't realise the Mandalorians would be so hostile towards me."

Lily remembered the Mandalorian firing whistling birds at her, "the one that was in the ship, he attacked first. I just wanted to leave. The distress signal was sent out to you, I didn't think they would attack me because I refused to just follow their orders." Lily had been refusing to fall in line with their demands since she was terrified one of them would attack her again to push for whatever crusade they were talking to each other about. "I know I made things bad and will accept the council's judgement, even if it means they exile me." She figured that was what would happen since she created the issue with all this and was dragging not only the New Jedi Order into conflict but the Galactic Alliance into one.

When Briana mentioned her mother shouldn't know of the events that happened, "she is going to demand for my return to Eshan..." Lily sighed, she knew her mother was not going to see this as anything but the fact that Lily was not suitable for Jedi work and that the Jedi were not the correct people to be training her daughter. "I am dreading how angry she will be." Lily confessed in a small voice, not usually keen to speak on her mother.

"I'm fine Master, I need to get back to training and get stronger. I'm ready!" Lily protested the idea of just sitting around and healing, she needed to be doing something, anything.

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location:
Tag: Lily Decoria

"It's okay Lily, I believe you." Briana said, recognizing from the panic in Lily's voice, to the way her shoulders trembled, that she needed to use her most gentle voice to try and soothe her.

When she spoke of her attacker being the same one that Briana had encountered on the ship, a light frown threatened to break over her countenance, subconsciously reaching up to rub the still-healing scar on the side of her neck. "From what little I know about the Mandalorians, they can be fiercely protective of their secrets and what belongs to them. But how would you have known what you stumbled on? Regardless, it still seems like an over the top display of force." Especially for just one Padawan.

Briana sighed tiredly. Between the encounter to retrieve Lily and the Mandalorian's crusades, she couldn't shake the gnawing suspicion that this event was only there to serve as a smokescreen to coverup a deeper, hidden truth. They had targeted Valery — The Sword of The Jedi, herself. Perhaps they believed that by taking her off the board early enough in the game, it would allow them to advance along their war path unhindered. "As for the council..." Briana's expression softened further. "The Masters are wise and will consider all aspects of this incident. Do not be so quick to anticipate exile. If they can allow a reformed Sith to sit on the council, and become Shield of The Jedi — I doubt they're going to banish you."

It was possible that the Council would advise a period of rest or a change in routine, however, maybe even assign her a new mentor. That last part gave her pause, her brows furrowing slightly.

Would they really want Lily to continue learning under a Knight who struggled to keep track of her own students? Briana wasn't sure, but she hadn't entirely dismissed the notion that this episode might lead to her own summons before the council for censure. She'd even considered her potential replacements. Someone less reckless and impulsive. Individuals like Brandyn, Vizion Trozky , or even Cybelle.

"When it comes to your mother, we cannot control her reactions, but we can control how we respond to them. I don't doubt that she loves you and means well, but if you want to stay with the Jedi, then stay. Eventually, hopefully, she'll come to accept the path you've chosen and maybe even support you. My own father didn't want my brother or myself to become Jedi, to the point that we'd get in trouble any time we expressed interest in it. But, eventually he came around to the idea." She paused, raising a brow at Lily's eagerness to get back into training. "You're still hooked up to a machine, and you think you're ready?" she tilted her head, a small smile pulling at the corner of her lips. "You can't be strong if you don't let your body heal, first. Right now, that's your main objective. Can I trust you to see it through?"

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Hyperspace
Wearing: Patient clothes
Tag: Briana Sal-Soren

Relief of being believed by Briana was everything to Lily, she was feeling a little more confident that the case she had would stand up towards the Council about how she ended up where she was. If Briana was by her side and believed her whole heartedly, Lily was sure that something would go well or that there would be a positive at the end of all this.

The idea of having another Jedi Mentor beside Briana hadn't crossed Lily's mind, it was inconceivable that would be happening. Lily would rather be exiled than lose Briana as her mentor, Briana was the only one who got her to this point. She had approached other Jedi Masters for help with her mental block with the Force. Briana was the only one that actually helped her move past it.

"I...I just...I possibly just started a war though." Lily stated, she wasn't sure if war would kick of between the two groups but she hadn't reduced the odds of it happening. "Master Kahlil never did anything like that. Who wants a Jedi that causes war, even if by accident?" Lily chewed on her bottom lip as the ideas of exile and the fear of causing death hung heavy over Lily. Especially since Briana had gotten hurt when saving her. "I am so sorry for getting you injured Master!"

Lily waved her hand, "it's fine Master, I am nearly healed and then I can jump straight into things." Lily was masking a lot with her eagerness but she was refusing to face the harshness of her injuries and the pain she was feeling.

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location:
Tag: Lily Decoria

Briana didn't say anything on Master Kahlil and what actions he may or may not have been capable of during his time with the Sith. Beyond his relationship with Valery and the scant few interactions she'd had with him, she didn't know him well enough to make a comment on whether or not that was a true assessment. When Lily expressed remorse for her injuries however, Briana shook her head reassuringly. "I chose to protect you," she declared with unwavering conviction. "and I'd do it again a thousand times over without hesitation. There's no need for apologies." She couldn't bear the thought of guilt gnawing at Lily just like it had tormented her after the harrowing encounter with Justice and the Sith Spawn.

"Earlier you said you didn't want to follow the Mandalorian's orders. What exactly were they asking you to do, that made you reluctant to listen to them?" Knowing that this intel would pique the council's interest, Briana felt it vital to address and give Lily time to think over her own answers as well. Sometimes it took time for all of the details to come back after a traumatic event. To the idea of her starting a war, Briana stayed silent. In her mind, it was inevitable given the Mandalorians actions on Rodia and other planets; all Lily had really done was hasten its arrival. Probing further, she asked, "You said there were messages about a crusade when you tried to access the logs to get out a distress signal, how did you find those messages exactly — what steps did you take to locate them, and can you remember anything that was said, specifically?"

With a thoughtful tilt of her head, Briana posed one final query that weighed heavier than the rest, ignoring Lily's insistence on training. She'd already given her answer on that front. "And, more importantly than anything... what do you think you could have done to avoid this situation? What would you do differently, in the future?" In other words, she was asking, what have you learned from this.

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Hyperspace
Wearing: Patient clothes
Tag: Briana Sal-Soren

"It's just... You shouldn't have had to protect me... I need to be stronger..." Lily was unable to let the issue go, the problem of failing and being harsh on herself for being too weak and getting captured. It was not something she was seeking forgiveness over, not till she had demonstrated the ability to improve and prevent it happening in the future. "I can be stronger. I will be better Master and I promise to not get you hurt in the future!" Lily vowed, taking it very seriously.

Pausing, Lily thought back, "they wanted me to surrender over to them. To willingly be their prisoner, but when one of them attacked me without me instigating anything, I realised it wouldn't be a good plan to just hand myself over. Especially since they learnt that I accessed logs that discussed them preparing for their crusades." Lily thought back on what occurred. "I was initially attempting to access a way to communicate with the Mandalorians that I was there due to engine issues with the ship, but while I was searching a way to send messages from my location, I came across old logs communicating between a few Mandalorians about starting battles and stirring up motivation for a new crusade." Lily mentioned.

"It was all by chance and I think it was simply just talk between a minority since there wasn't loads of information, nor was there any details that were to suggest anything concrete against the whole Enclave. I wouldn't have thought what happened on Rodia would happen from the messages, but I do think everything we've seen confirms the risk of a real conflict brewing with the Mandalorians, Master."

When asked about what she could have learnt from this, "don't land your ship on Kestri." It was a somewhat sarcastic answer, but there were hints of the truth, the issue came because she had accidentally landed there. "If I did have to redo the events again, I would avoid stepping off my ship and just send the distress beacon right away, making it explicit that there were hyperdrive issues with my engines." Lily stated, the problems escalated from the information she had accidentally found, something that she had not been seeking but something she had seen that she shouldn't have.

"I would also make sure that able to hide myself better to avoid the Mandalorians entirely. Especially since they were shoot first talk second."

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location:
Tag: Lily Decoria

Briana smirked to herself at Lily's response, seeing her own reflection mirrored back to her in the fire of the young woman's determined eyes. It was an all too familiar sentiment. That relentless urge to shoulder the burdens of the Galaxy alone and stand on your own two feet. She herself had tried to forcibly carrying the crushing weight of her comrades hardships as well as her family's sorrows on her own. Time and time again, she threw herself headlong into the yawning chasm of everyone else's pain, all the while believing that she could not — must not — depend on anyone else but herself. It wasn't until Valery came to pull her away from Hapes and Aiden's resurgence in her life, that she finally recognized the lonely and isolated path she'd chosen.

In quiet moments she contemplated how close she had come to ruin before the unwavering love and support offered by her friends and loved ones took hold. It gnawed at her occasionally, wondering if they were all that held her back from slipping into those old habits lurking just beyond the veil. "I get it Lil, I really, really do and it's fine to want to be self reliant. I've been where you're standing though, and I know from experience that no one can get through this Galaxy without help. Beating yourself up over it and pushing yourself when you're not ready is pointless. We all need help sometimes, accept it. To trust others and lean on each other for support, to let them help you... that isn't weakness. And right now, I need you to trust in me. Trust that I have your best interest at heart."

Briana hummed thoughtfully as she listened to Lily's recounting of the events, not missing the dripping sarcasm in her voice as they moved on from the topic of her recovery, giving her a pointed look in response. "That is certainly something you can add to your, 'Things Not To Do' list," she said in agreement. "Maybe invest in a better ship, while you're at it."

She placed a reassuring hand on Lily's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "But seriously... if you ever find yourself stuck in that kind of danger again, the most important thing for you to do is try to remember what happened the last time, trust your instincts, and adapt your strategy accordingly. Now you have an idea of what its like to deal with Mandalorian's, which will ultimately help you make better informed decisions in the future."

Slowly sliding from the bed, Briana stretched to her feet, feeling a sharp pang sing in her leg. She gave it a light shake to stave it off. "I'm going to head back to my bunker for now, we should be back on Coruscant by the morning. We'll both need our rest if we're going to try and be at our best by the time we arrive."