White under dark

[NT-6922]

Natassia sighed as she took her head into her hands.
It was her sixth drink already - and while she would need stronger stuff to get herself drunk, she found the alcohol to be no help for her. She could feel burning stares onto her, the white stromtrooper armor standing out in the cantina, despite her black stripes and her reputation as a vigilante around town. And so, she asked the bartender for the price of several bottles to take. The Bith looked her up and down, before mouthing a price far higher than its original one - but she didn't care. Threatening someone wasn't in her mood today. She felt a crushing broodyness within her, and she was tired, oh so tired of violence. She bought the indecent amount of credits and left the cantina, her pack filled with three bottles of strong alcohol, her DL-44 clearly in view so that nobody would get any funny ideas.

In the dead of the night, she left the cantina, the happy music and the laughter fading away as she went to the limits of the small city, into the sand near the entrance of the town. She took off her helmet, uncorked the bottle of honey-tasting alcohol, and took a long gulp.
The liquid burned down her throat, feeling sugary, yet strong enough for a wookie to appreciate - did wookies even drink? Natassia didn't even know. She hadn't really cared about aliens before. But now, what did she care about anyway?
Closing her eyes, she remembered. Death. Death everywhere around her - her squadmates dead as she woke from cryosleep, her battle brothers and sisters lying scattered on the trap, hit by rebel fire. But also death caused by her and the Empire. Faces that only brought doubt to her before now haunted her - she felt guilty, unworthy of living. She remembered the face of utter terror on a family of Togrutas as she gave the order to fire, the vain attempt of a Zabrak father to shield his wife... so much slaughter, so much death, all in the name of the Empire, all in the name of peace. She felt used, battered and broken for a cause that was long dead, all of her efforts nothing but memories of massacres and hatred. Her head fell once more into her hands, and for the first time since she was a child, she weeped, tears streaming down her face.

Lonely... she felt so lonely. For a time, her sense of duty had allowed her to stay strong, to stay brave and focused in her newly designated mission - she was no more than a droid, in that sense. She had "programmed" herself to defend the people against crime and evil, and she had done this zealously... but lately, she had grown wary of death. The stormtrooper had now tried to keep her shots non-lethal, which always plunged her into deep, deep trouble. A warrior unwilling to kill was weaker than a simple scum smart enough to know how to shoot a blaster.
But now, despite her rigorous training, despite her convictions, she sat there, broken, alone, nobody alongside her. No longer did she feel the comforting presence of her squadmates as they chatted before an insertion, no more did she feel the euphoria of piloting her TIE - all was gone, she felt like an empty shell in the middle of a storm. And so she wept, for her squad, for her mother, for herself, but most of all, for those she had killed.

[member="Serenna"]

 

[Serenna]

[member="NT-6922"]

The chiss had found her way to the world as she often did.... traveling around the galaxy with whoever wanted to take the real space hippie around. She had the dark blue skin and red eyes with obscenely long purple hair that was going down to her ankles while she was walking in the streets. There dind't seem to be much in the late night before she was walking and stood there in the black boots, her white form fitted pants and belt. The mid section of her outfit was exposed but it helped as with most knowledge she didn't look like a jedi.... not carrying around a litghtsaber on he rhip also helped when she had her shirt and gloves. There was enough space so she would be able to move while going through one of the alley ways that she could feel people around her.

"Well looky here." THere was a moment she turned with large red eyes towards one of the men and could sense others coming around her. THe first instinct was to run but they had her cornered while she was remaining there and letting her mind empty. She wanted to stay calm and focused without risking them getting hurt when she was breathing out the force in her voice. "Ah someone you are looking to escort to a motel?" She said it with a smile on her face as the force seeped out of her voice pouring around them and she could see they shifted in their stances and what they were doing. She sought to calm them down and moved back a little sensing someone else was around near the edge of the city but she could see them as the one was looking at her.

 

[NT-6922]

Natassia dried her tears - or at least, she tried to. She put her helmet back on, tears still streaming down her cheeks slowly, blurring her vision as she stood up to take a stroll through the city. Maybe a good night's wandering might cure her of her condition... well, that was a lie - she knew of nothing that might cure her of the wrecking feeling of depression. But still, she decided to move. Walking would be always better than sitting around... maybe. She couldn't even be sure of anything anymore.
Thus she slowly stood up, unable to ignore the glances of the few people who were awake as she passed by their homes, the windows closing, the spit flying near him, landing at her feet. Her stormtrooper armor, normally so clean and immaculate, was covered in wet sand and dirt, the young woman having neglected cleaning it ever since she fell into the pit of despair she was now in. It felt like being slowly digested by a Saarlac, long and painful, and yet she did not even have the strenght to end her days...

Something caught her eye as she walked through the streets, however. A small group of men, surrounding an alien-looking woman who immediatly caught her eye. Years before, she would of considered her as nothing more than xeno scum. But, ever since she started protecting the people and tried to redeem herself, her xenophobia had... lessened. And the being was an outstanding sight, claiming a gasp out of her. Blue skin, standing out in the dull colors of this sandy town, magnificient purple hair reaching down almost to the ground...
Shaking her head, her hand flew to her DL-44. The men around her didn't seem too friendly, and so she took cover behind a house, advancing slowly, getting closer and closer, preparing to do something. But, as she breathed in deeply and prepared herself to turn around and shoot, she found herself stuck.
I can't...
She lowered her arm holding the blaster, putting the other hand onto her helmet. She couldn't see through the tears. In stromtrooper language, her "combat effectiveness was close to void". Dropping to her knees, she looked down onto the ground, disgusted by her own inability to help the woman meters away from her.
Get up, Nat...
Kicking herself mentally, she placed a hand on the ground, raising herself up hesitantly, and throwing a glance around the corner. Was it to assert the situation? Or was it to catch sight of the tall alien? She barely even knew.

[member="Serenna"]

 

[Serenna]

[member="NT-6922"]

in normal circumstances she would have worked with them to see what they might have been doing. Giving them credits if they needed it or if they needed something like food. So she stuck around here to look and then she felt something from another who had appeared and was focusing the force. She stuck it through to keep their attention and she didn't want to hurt them. No her non violent outlook was an important thing while she was moving and the most aggressive one who was there with her was coming in. The jedi knight stuck around moving to the side until she spoke. "Now now now, eyes on me, be in me and relax." She was using her hands to focus and command their attention with the force wrapping around them.

"Tell me what is wrong? This is not something that will help you, attacking people will only make someone else get hurt and so on. This is a dangerous cycle." She was watching them when she felt the other who had appeared near her and she could see them slump over. Unsure of the gender and surprised to see a stormtrooper who wasn't firing it seemed strange but the sensation of her was lost with the other ones here. She was sticking around until her attention went to some parts around them. She stuck around before she looked to them again. The one seemed to be calmer now as two of the others that were there were just looking at her and she focused on them with the force.

Letting the energies brush against them so that they would be able to calm down and she was looking at them. They were hungry, dirty and in need when she was moving her hand to her belt with a look at the four of them and removing one of the compartments so that she would be able to give them it where there were the rations. "Here these are high grade rations. One pack has enough food to feed a squad for a week and there are ten packs in there. Just add a little water to re-hydrate the food." She stayed with them as the one took it and was looking at the food before she moved around again to keep their attention on her backing away a little to stand near the stormtrooper and looking down at her. "Are you alright."

 

[NT-6922]

Natassia helped herself up as she heard a voice talking to her, activating the breathing unit to draw air from her supplies. Taking a great gasp of air, she turned toward the strange, strange woman, barely standing on her feet, her DL-44 still in hand. A part of her felt insanely tense at the proximity of the non-human - but another part was glad to have someone caring, whatever the identity might be. Turning her helmeted head toward the blue-skinned being, speaking with difficulty, feeling just as if she was suffocating inside her helmet under the great stress, trying to make her voice as neutral as she could, which proved to be hard because of the tears still streaming down her face.
"I am", said the trooper in a flat tone, before motionning toward the men who still hadn't left. "Do you... do you require my assistance, miss?"
She was exhausted, her condition having taken its toll onto her, but she surprised herself as she called the woman miss. But what she noticed most, was that she almost added to her sentence, because I might need yours.
The stormtrooper didn't even know if that splendid figure even knew about stromtroopers. The Empire had collapsed so many years ago, she barely even understood how people could remember it. She unadvertendly placed a hand onto her arm, thankful that the helmet hid her expression.

In her complete confusion, she wasn't even able to analyze the fact that this woman had the Force, her mind too clouded to try and pick out the small details to determinate such a nature. To her eyes, she was just a traveller, who arrived in town probably recently, in the dead of the night. And it was her duty to protect her, like the others.
"I'm Nata- I mean, I am trooper NT-6922, tasked with civil protection. At your... at your service..."
She had almost let her name slip out, silently cursing herself for allowing her mind to bend under the burden that weight down onto her. Being known by her number allowed her to be seen as a number by people. That way, they would never care about her, and so her fate could end brutally without affecting them too much. But this one, this alien... she reminded the trooper of a night in a cold system, as she flied her TIE Defender and enjoyed the scenery, the star of the system so bright it stood out against the darkness of space around it.

[member="Serenna"]

 

[Serenna]

[member="NT-6922"]

She stood there waiting and watchign the others. Then she could feel something. A hand on her arm and paused standing there as the women and once she spoke she sounded female as well as this close she could feel and see some things. Not enough to judge but enough she at least had an idea before speaking. "it will be alright." This was what she had been sensing when she was coming down the alley int he first place and her red eyes flicked back to look at the other men who were passing things out and leaving them now. The chiss bowing her head while they went off before she was hearing the woman's name and it wasn't a name it was just a designation when she had a little pity for her.

Hiding it from her face when she moved her body to be within a supporting role so the trooper could lean on her when she was looking at her and sending whatever positive vibes she could to try and help the woman out. "No they were just hungry, hopefully that will help them. I am concerned about you though trooper, what has happened?" She was curious and looking with her eyes towards the woman's helmet touching the armor to move and go towards somewhere they could sit down so she would be able to check on the trooper with a look towards her. Offering more support as well as a listening ear so she would be able to talk if she wanted to. She seemed different then other troopers she had encountered.

 

[NT-6922]

She held onto the chiss. The little voice in her head screaming at the top of its lungs about how unimperial it was was silenced. Natassia felt good - at least, slightly better - as she leaned onto the alien. No, not onto the alien - onot the woman. She was like her, the trooper knew that now. In fact, this woman was better than her; she seemed kind, gentle, a soothing being. Blindly advancing toward a calmer spot, leaning onto the blue-skinned stranger for support, and, as she knew in the back of her mind, more of that feeling of comfort emanating from her, she finally answered, her voice still sounding exhausted and depressed despite the filter of her helmet.
"I don't know where I'm going... it's been so long. I'm blind, that's it - I can't see where I am anymore, I don't know what I am."
It surely made no sense, but the trooper tried to express the best she could the way she felt, collapsing as they neared a quiter spot of town, laying onto the sand, immobile, her hand unconsciously moving to tap the chiss's leg lightly. She then turned her helmeted head toward the purple-haired woman, the two black dots of void staring at the beautiful being just as the blonde soldier did, taking in every single aspect of her face.
"Why do you help me? Nobody cares about a stormtrooper. Don't you hate what we are? What I am?"
Annnd she did it. Natassia voiced her concerns, a part of what wracked her mind and struck her soul, throwing her into despair. Why talk to a random person? Maybe it was her divine splendor, or maybe the way she treated the poor men. Or maybe even her aura, soothing the trooper's mind slightly, causing her to accept the fact she needed someone - and right now, she needed her.

[member="Serenna"]

 

[Serenna]

[member="NT-6922"]

Looking at the woman as they found a place and she sat her down with a look on her face. "Well I think you are a person... maybe... the armor makes it hard to say you could be some black teeth faceless woman who is going to suck out my soul." She said it to lighten the mood while listening to the woman and she could feel her in the force as the woman moved around. She was looking at the trooper to provide her with some comfort and sat down next to her and across a little so that she would be able to look her over and make sure she was alright. "Why should I hate you? Sure stormtroopers can be bad but not all of them are wanting to kill every alien in the galaxy and not all of them would admit they needed some form of help."

She was watching her while they were there and had her hands on the woman's arm to mostly provide what little comfort you could get from just being around another person. She knew the healing power of well this. Nothing overt or untowards about it just being with another person you would be able to have someone with you. A small look was on her face though before she offered a smile to see the woman. "Plus I am a jedi, I do care about everything every if they can be difficult females who won't tell me their name so I don't have to call them trooper all of the time." A small smirk was on her face but she was not risking a few things for them.

 

[NT-6922]

Jhiaga closed her eyes and listened to the chiss. Her voice was so soft, calming, beautiful; it felt like an exquisite music being played next to her. And so the stormtrooper sighed in content, and slowly, hesitantly, she removed her helmet, revealing her face, strained with tears, but now relaxing as she placed a hand onto the blue-skinned woman's own, almost shivering under the touch. What felt like a normal contact beetween beings for most of the galaxy felt like the most intimate thing to do now. It was only as she leaned against the jedi's shoulder than she realized, what she wanted right now was to wear something else than her piece of armor - normal clothes, who'd make her able to feel the woman's skin directly under her's. Still, despite her gauntlet separating them, the contact felt even more calming, and so her tears dried up as the blonde rested on the shoulder of that unknown, yet caring and gently stranger.
She had been so calmed and comforted by the woman, she barely even stirred as she learned she was a jedi. A few mounths ago, she would of have shot her for the simple fact of being a Jedi, a member of the order that inflicted so much pain onto her and her beloved Empire. But now, the Empire was no more, the jedi chiss was comforting her, something she appreciated beyond words. "Natassia", said the stromtrooper in a shaking voice, slightly blushing as she saw the chiss smirking, highlighting her features even more - something the soldier had deemed impossible. "My name is Natassia."

 

[Serenna]

[member="NT-6922"]

There we go that was a nice name and the woman.... Natassia was calmer now. Relaxed and Serenna sat there just giving her something to lean on and find comfort in when she spoke. "Most people call me Serenna but my real name is Tirse'ren'naval." She said the mouthful of the chiss name when she was sitting there just focusing on the comforting energies she was sending to the trooper. Looking at her helmetless face so she could give a small look. Seeing the tear stains on her cheeks and feeling the hand on her before she brought a hand up touching her cheek. "Something has happened to you, I am uncertain of what but I can try to help." she was looking at where she was while adjusting herself so she was more next to her to give her a better angle to lean on her before the chiss was looking out. "I'll just stay here with you."

 

[NT-6922]

"That's... a beautiful name", breathed the trooper as she snuggled against Serenna, the sight quite surprising - a stormtrooper, elite soldier of the Empire, clinging to an attracting chiss. She was content with just staying there, relaxing as she felt the chiss' presence nearby, comforting her. Natassia gasped as she felt the the gloved hand settling on her cheek, wiping away her tears. The sensation was odd; she felt all warm inside, and so she pressed herself closer to the chiss, her head onto the alien's shoulder, her arms wrapped around her too. "Stay", whispered the blonde in a weak voice. "Please, stay..."
She didn't want to let her go. She felt like she could never let her go. This chiss, Serenna, was too kind, too gentle, too bright for the galaxy to deserve it. She needed her, just like she needed breathing, drinking and eating. And so the stormtrooper held her tightly in their embrace, the presence of the blue-skinned woman chasing away her dark thoughts, filling her with hope, and a little bit of something else.

[member="Serenna"]

 

[Serenna]

[member="NT-6922"]

She was a little surprised but more then happy, to allow the force energies to come out of her body before she was embracing the woman who seemed for a trooper so fragile it was something she didn't think possible. Her mind was racing with different ideas though as she wanted to see about it and sat there embracing her. "Alright, I shall stay here with you." Her eyes blinked for a moment when she remained there moving her head to put her temple to the woman's and hold one hand to the side of her face while she was still focusing on giving her hope and calmness. "It will be alright, whatever has happened to you in the past. it is alright Natassia." She dind't know everythign but she knew a great deal of what helped others as she was tried to coax the women to be calm and alright.

 

[NT-6922]

She let out a sigh of content as Serenna told her she would stay - and, even if the stormtrooper didn't know how long, she felt happy to know she could have the blue-skinned angelic figure around for a time. Natassia let out a small gasp as she felt a hand settling on the side of her face, and a creeping blush formed onto her cheeks as she heard her saying her name in her soft, musical voice. Hearing her assuring all would be alright gave her the best feeling in the world; confidence. Thanks to the soothing nature of the chiss, she started to believe it herself - she had a chance to be alright, to be something more than what she used to be. To be actually happy. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed their proximity, taking Serenna's free hand in her's, intertwining their fingers as she did. "Thank you", whispered the blonde in a relaxed tone, holding her tightly in her arms. "Thank you, Serenna..."

[member="Serenna"]

 

[Serenna]

[member="NT-6922"]

Fingers intertwining and giving it a look as the chiss offered a smile. She seemed to be livening up as she spoke. "You are welcome, now though is there a place I can take you? You can't be outside all night." She said it practically as sleeping in the streets wasn't exactly a safe thing on its own. let alone with the chance for it to get colder or if there was wild animals. She was uncertain of where to go with her though while she just sat there holding her. Sat there letting the force work to calm and make her very comfortable to become her old self hopefully. "Such a nice girl shouldn't be so sad, I'll do everything that will be used to help you and make you feel better."

 

[NT-6922]

"I know of a place", said the stormtrooper as she reluctantly pulled away from the embrace, visibly longing for the touch the second they parted. Taking her helmet and placing it back on her face, she stood up, and offered the chiss a hand to do so too. When she did, she kept her hand into her's, leading Serenna into an old part of the town, where she opened a hatch and went down a ladder. Opening up a door with a digicode, then another one with a scan of her hand, a passage was revealed through the rocks, to an underground all-in-one room. Closing the door behind herself, she removed her helmet once more, along with the rest of her armor, whom she placed onto a mannequin. Wearing her black imperial jumpsuit, she turned toward her savior, her cheeks reddening slightly. She wasn't used to letting people into her home, but, well, because of the dangers of the town, she didn't want to let the gentle chiss sleep in the unsafe hotels.
"I'd like you to stay here for a bit", said the blonde shyli, holding her hands together and looking down in embarassment, clearly not used to this kind of social interaction. "For your own sake. I know you showed me that you can handle the men around here, but the hotels really aren't a safe place, and I'd hate to have you in danger. My home is yours, Serenna." Still very timid, she gave the woman a glance, once more taken by the enthralling features of her face, the ruby red eyes looking like two bright stars to Natassia, and the blue skin an exotic, beautiful touch.

[member="Serenna"]

 

[Serenna]

[member="NT-6922"]

Looking at her and well that was a good thing, she was many things but well she didn't take more then she needed so paying for a room likely wouldn't have been a good or safe one and just because you have the skills.... well got the danger of being asleep where you are just as vulnerable as anyone else. Serenna was watching her while she rose up holding her hand and following through the town, then down the ladder and through everything as she was thinking about what there might be in here. She thought of a dungeon but it was a simple room as the woman was getting changed and removing some of her armor. Averting her eyes while she looked off to the side before she turned back seeing a look from Natassia with a small nod. "Thank you then for that, I didn't have much planned in way of where I would be staying." She stayed there looking over some of the things that she could see around with the rest of the the room.

 

[NT-6922]

She smiled at Serenna, sitting down on the couch and patting the spot beside her. "Care for a drink?"
As she said so, she pressed a button on the remote-looking junk on her table, a small droid "strecthing" to life at the other side of the room, beeping angrily before moving to the bar and preparing a drink for the two of them. Turning toward the chiss, she gave her a small, yet genuine smile. "Not to be invasive, but I'd like to know; what is a Jedi doing so far from the core worlds? You seem... different, from those I've known. You do things right."
Blushing slightly, she looked away, slightly embarassed. Stars above, she was really bad with words and people. "I didn't mean to sound rude to you or other jedis, of course."
Taking the glass offered to her by the droid, who beeped at the both of them, she offered the other to her guest, before sending the droid off, who deactivated almost instantly once it reached the corner of the kitchen part of the room. "Cheers, milady."

[member="Serenna"]

 

[Serenna]

[member="NT-6922"]

Serenna moved and sat down while she was looking around with a look on her face. She was prepared for a couple of things before a few more ideas came to her mind. Blinking with a little surprise she had to admit while she went next to Natassia in here. "No offense taken, there are not many jedi like me. I prefer being on my own and traveling around where I am needed. The force guides me where I need to go. Out of the core worlds, out fo the temples." she shrugged though while she looked at the drink she bowed her head. She could indulge as it were and have some but she didn't need to drink a lot. "Though what brings a trooper like yourself out here. I do not recall many of the empires that have sprung up appearing out here. Though there has been a lot of the in the recent years."

 

[NT-6922]

"Sounds... idealistic. I don't know much about jedis, at least outside of imperial propaganda. And I now see we were wrong. So, so wrong..."
As she finished her sentence, she lost her gaze into Serenna's ruby red eyes. No, jedis were definitively not the scum imperial propaganda had made her believe they were. In fact, Serenna was quite the opposite; she seemed far more "human" in emotions than she was. Someone able to light the flame of hope within her, and, if only just for a moment, she was alive again. Deep in wonder, she thought about something... if the chiss was a pilgrim of sort, maybe she could accompany her? The idea made her smile dreamily, holding the warm drink in beetween her hands. She was shaken out of her thoughts as she was asked a question, one hard to answer; why was she even alive?
"It's a long story", admitted the stormtrooper as she looked down at the thick liquid in her mug, blinking as she remembered all those years. "I was part of the Galactic Empire. Squad leader Natassia Traxen. After the destruction of the Death Star and the death of my fellow troopers, I was promoted to hunt down the Jedi who killed so many of our people... only for us to be frozen in our very own star destroyer, only to wake up centuries later. A year ago."
She smiled lightly, remembering the times when they were winning, the times when she could look up at the stars at night from the cockpit of her TIE, and dream about a time where the war would end, and they could rebuild.

[member="Serenna"]

 

[Serenna]

[member="NT-6922"]

Sitting there with her as things seemed to be strange from the woman. There was a look in her eyes and in her that the jedi could feel. The changes in her aura even if she could not feel the force could still change before she gave a nod. Looking to see what she might be able to do. Sometimes the best thing was when she was speaking and she would be able to take a drd on her shoulder to send what calming energies she could send to her before Natassia was speaking with a small look coming from her. THe story was something she wasn't expecting but well she was getting a more clear picture compared to some and there was a chance. "I see." She paused for a moment bringing the drink up and took a small sip mostly to wet her dry throat before her hand moved in small circles lightly on her back. "Thank you for telling me and trusting me. It could not be that easy to be out of place in the galaxy."