You've Got A Friend In Ni

[Jaden_Starchaser]

Jaden could only nod his head and ask her to continue.

[Gar]

The Zeltron had to pause for a moment to regain her composure. "The last time I saw Master Henoch...he told me I was graduating, that I was to be a Jedi Knight of the Order...and he made me promise not to leave the academy until I had achieved this..." The tears flowed freely down her face now, dripping from her chin. "The next day the Zeltron officials, who had previously been tasked with bringing me back to my planet, told me that Master Henoch had confessed to forcing himself on me. He said that he used his position of authority to manipulate and coerce me into sleeping with him..." she winced, glancing up at Jaden with a pained expression, "He knew that the school board couldn't expel me for being raped. And he was right. The order was discontinued."

"I begged the Zeltros officials to speak to the council, to tell them Master Henoch was lying, but they would not listen. 'Don't worry, Miss D'magren,' they said, 'We've arranged it so that the general public will not know the name of Henoch's victim. Rest assured that you are safe now, everything is past you, and tomorrow you will graduate and be free of this wretched place.' After multiple attempts to reason with them and seeing that it was useless, I ran to the Headmaster. I begged him to tell the council the truth. I'll never forgot that cold look in his eyes..." she shivered, "Or his reply...I can still hear it plainly in my head today..."

"He said, 'You've been nothing but a thorn in my side since you came to this academy, Miss D'Magren, and now we've lost one of our best Masters, thanks to you. If you had any shred of decency, you'd go home today and revoke the Way of the Jedi, maybe take up dancing or something else you'd be better suited for. But doing something so selfless--that is too much to ask of your kind, isn't it?'" Ni pulled away her hands to wipe the tears from her face. "What the Headmaster didn't know is that I'd been ready to leave the academy for a long time. I only stayed because I made a promise..." she leaned one elbow onto her thigh and rested her forehead in her hand, "The next day I learned that Master Henoch had taken the Oath. He was banished from the Core Worlds. All because of me..."

[Jaden_Starchaser]

Jaden listened to her words and could feel the pain in them. He pulled her back into his arms as she finished her tale and just held her there.

[Gar]

Ni leaned into him gratefully, exhaling as she fully relaxed. "The Order assigned me to some petty security detail on Alderaan," she said quietly, "But I had lost all interest in the Jedi. I worried about Master Henoch, I used the Force to reach out to him. I could see little hints and visions of where he might be..." she shook her head, "But when I finally caught up to him months later, it was too late...I found him on that wall, being used as an example of what happened to criminals who entered the city..." one of her hands squeezed his robes, "I don't know how I forgot such an important memory until last night, and the only thing I remember is finding him...the next memory I have is sitting in a bar...then two couples approach me and start to flirt. I experienced my first sexual encounter with them that night..." She buried her face in his robe.

[Jaden_Starchaser]

Jaden continued to hold Ni in his arms as her anchor while she remembered those dark times. As he rubbed her back gently and soothingly in efforts to affirm his support he now knew the pain that she kept deep inside of her. He heard about how grief can make people do things and what she just described to him sounded similar. "Oh Ni," he softly said. "You've gone through such an unfair struggle. But I think Henoch would have made that decision over and over again because he cared about you. He saw beyond the stigma of having a Zeltron as a student and wanted you to achieve the best that you could. He truly cared about you."

[Gar]

Ni shook her head. "If I could do it all over, I'd quit the academy. But what hurts the most is that it cannot be undone," she said passionately, withdrawing from his arms, "I just...I hope he...I hope they didn't make him suffer too much..." she sniffed and rubbed her nose, "the man I saw last night was all bruised up by the time we arrived, and they laughed and teased him as they brought him to the tree...the look on his face..." she covered her eyes with one hand as if this could blot out the memory, "It would break my heart if he had been treated like that in his final hours...it was so horrible..."

[Jaden_Starchaser]

"I don't know. I wish I did so I could provide some kind closure for you," Jaden said to her softly. "But...I think the most important reason why he chose that path is to give you the one thing the others weren't giving you. A chance. That's his legacy. YOU are his legacy, Ni. You are the proof that he did not die in disgrace. The other teacher at that academy are the disgraced ones," Jaden said passionately. "He did what a teacher should have done and nurtured a child's mind despite their background. He chose his path so you could have the freedom to choose yours. That's the most important gift you could ever receive. And you honor him by making your choice."

[Gar]

Ni's arms dropped and she turned to face him, her eyes shining with inspiration and gratitude. "That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me..." she said in awe, smiling suddenly, adding to lighten the mood, "And that is saying something, because I get a lot of compliments!" she looks up at the sky thoughtfully and frowns, "Though, now that I think of it, most of them are just about my breasts." Ni gives her breasts a quick squeeze to emphasize her point and winks at Jaden playfully.

The Zeltron's comedic break swiftly faded, however, as her expression became serious once more. Her eyes stared into his with genuine appreciation. She told him heavily, sincerely, "Thank you."

[Jaden_Starchaser]

Jaden couldn't help the blush that crept onto his face nor could he help his eyes from trailing down and taking a peak at her...assets. He quickly got a hold of himself after hearing her thanks. "You're welcome," he said offering her one of he best smiles(complete with dimples!). However the smile dropped as his face turned pensive. "There's something I should share as well..." Ni could sense the troubled emotions going through him.

[Gar]

Ni blinked and looked up at him curiously, waiting for him to continue.