Nomi and Rhen 3

During the trip to the safe house, Nomi seeks out Rhen during a quiet moment. "Hey, how are you? Nervous as we get closer to helping your friend or maybe feeling calmer?"

Rhen laughs ruefully. "Calmer? Not exactly that, no. There are so many things still to do, and she isn't free. There are still things I need to do. But knowing where she is, and having the resources to finally act to free her... It feels like progress. It feels like hope. It has been a long time since I've had hope to go along with the need."

Rhen gazes at Nomi for a moment in silence. "It is too early to think of such things, but I wonder what she will make of..." Rhen waves her hand to encompass the ship. "Of all this. Of all of you."

Nomi shrugs. "Your guess is better than mine. She's going to have a lot to unpack: the trauma of the time she's spent in the Citadel and in Imperial custody, anything they put her through. She may not be thinking too much at first about the strange bedfellows she finds herself in the company of. At least not as long as we remain kind to her. Those who are hurting tend to lash out at anything around them. We may need to be ready for that, especially depending on how her connection to the Force is. We may find the best thing for her is rest in the quiet, or in sedation. We'll figure it out. You will have a big role in making her feel as though she can trust her environment again. When the time comes, if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know."

Nomi shifts a little uncomfortably, obviously unsure how to breach the next subject which she had come here to talk about.

Rhen looks perhaps more discomfited than Nomi has yet seen her. "I...cannot think about how she might be hurt. I must focus on how strong she is, how she is still resisting. What comes later will come."

Rhen takes a deep breath, and calms herself. "You look like you have a question, Nomi. Please, speak freely."

"Sorry, of course, I always found that focusing on what I was doing when I was doing it kept me calm and more successful. Worry about what comes after can lead to silly mistakes or unnecessary risks..."

She takes a deep breath and rushes through what she has to say. "I want to make sure you know that though I worked for the Republic in the way I did and, yes, I have had many false roles I played, I have not been anything but genuine to you and I hope that the revelations about what I used to do don't color the friendship I feel we have grown." She makes it through in the one breath and then stands there waiting nervously for Rhen's response as she picks the skin around one periwinkle thumb nail.

Rhen blinks once, then smiles slowly. "Nomi, you have nothing to worry about. Carrying secrets...well, it feels quite normal to me. You have been a friend to me, and I didn't doubt that when I learned about your work. You were the first to really welcome me to the ship, and I won't forget that."

Rhen contemplates for a moment. "Is everything okay between you and Somi? With the others?"

Nomi looks more relieved than Rhen would have expected. "Me and Somi? She's angry. I haven't figured out how to solve it yet. On Ryloth I used to hear the grown-ups say 'you cannot defeat a heat storm- you must ride it.' I have never really thought that was true, but I can see where the saying comes from right at this moment. Once the storm is over, we'll see who withstood and if anyone was burned to death."

Rhen hesitates for a moment, then reaches out and places a hand on Nomi's arm. "The storm will blow over, I'm sure of it. But if it gets too intense, I will be here for you. I think Somi is just adjusting to the knowledge that you had a life outside of what she knows. It may be hard to see right now, but that might bring some balance; she's had a life with the Jedi that is outside of what you know, after all."

Nomi gives Rhen a smile and squeezes her hand. "I appreciate that. Once things are done at the Citadel we may all have some time to recover and hash out relationships, old and new. And I look forward to meeting Sekar Mirah."