Ciena listened as the sound of boots made their way down the hall towards her cell. She had become quite adept at determining whether they were female or male, and even more specifically those of her attorney, Cal, or the exquisite sounding boots belonging to Thane. In this case, they were clearly a female's.

As the visitor rounded the corner, Ciena's heart leapt into her throat. Kendy approached the cell and sat on the small stool for her visitors. Ciena rushed to the barrier and sat on the floor looking up at her old friend without any attempt made to hide her overwhelming surprise and joy.

"Kendy! I can't believe it's you! After losing June... Well, I think I became afraid to hope. But you're here and it's really you!" Tears were now freely flowing down Ciena's cheeks and her words were coming in short gasps. "I'd given up hope of miracles, and in you walk."

"I'm very sorry I could not come before now Ciena. I wanted to. In fact, several times I made it all the way to the entrance. But, I was afraid. Afraid of what you might think of me." Ciena placed her palm against the energy shield and slowly shook her head in protest.

"Afraid? How could you ever be afraid of what I might think of you? I'm just so happy to see you and to know that you survived. That's all that matters, especially when we've lost so many of our dear friends."

"My fear is that you might not feel as strongly about my survival when you know that my unit and I abandoned our posts in a desperate attempt to join the rebel alliance."

Ciena looked down at her feet, and in spite of her initial shock she took a breath, raised her head, and looked Kendy directly in her eyes. There was so much warmth in Ciena's gaze. Kendy fought to will away the lump in her throat. She took a deep breath and spoke.

"Before you say anything, I need to tell you why I did it. I don't expect anything of you, but it's very important to me that you know." Kendy paused, and with a slight nod from Ciena, she continued. "What I saw...no, what I did in the name of the Empire will haunt me until the day I die.

My Unit was placed in the middle of villages and ordered to remove children from their homes after seeing their parents beaten or, many times, killed. In some cases, there were merely flimsy accusations of involvement with the Rebellion.

We were making a push toward the North sector of what we were told was a rebel stronghold. When we arrived, the area was empty. No movement, no noises, no pets...it was deserted. The Sargeant refused to believe it. The unit began tossing the homes and I found a hatch underneath a rug. My instinct was to cover it back up, but my fear of being caught was too strong. When we opened it up, there were three families inside - four generations of one family which struck me as incredible. I guess in a war zone the existence of life in such abundance really stands out.

Anyway, Sarge continued tearing through the houses until three more hideouts were found. He had us gather the people into the town square. He began with a diatribe about the cost of betraying the Emperor. My squadmate interrupted the Sargeant by objecting to the involvement of children. The Sargeant gave him a choice. He could either shoot the 'terrorists' or join them. My squad mate laid down his weapon and walked to the middle of the families. I was called next. The scene played out, over and over, with only three in my Unit standing by Sarge.

Sarge realized he'd need extra firepower with a larger crowd to dispose of. What he failed to notice was that I, and every other trooper after me, carried weapons with us. We knew there was only one chance to escape the hell in which we'd been living, and with a single look between us, we took out Sarge and the three troopers."

Kendy paused and was surprised to find she'd been crying. She wiped tears away with the backs of her hands. "I wasn't sorry, Ciena. Even when we were on the run and facing impossible odds, I felt relief grow with every step I took. The next days are a blur. We lost 2/3 of my unit by the time we secured transport to an Intermediary, who ultimately led us to the rebellion."

Ciena sat and listened intently as Kendy related her experiences, and she was reminded of the strong, confident Kendy she knew in the Academy. There were tears, but no histrionics. Ciena always believed one of Kendy's greatest assets was her remarkable inner strength.

After Kendy finished relating her experience, Ciena spoke. Her words came slowly and with a measured pace. "I've learned a lot about making promises and oaths in recent years. I can't say that I have it all figured out. I do know that at some point I had to recognize things were not quite what they seem to be when I first laid my eyes on the second Death Star. It's a long story – what happened between that moment and my capture. But, what I do know is that seeing you and knowing that you survived is a gift from the Force. It means so much to me that our memories from the Academy and precious moments we shared together with June are no longer mine to remember alone."

Kendy smiled and let out a deep breath, then joined Ciena on the floor. The ever present humming of the energy field kept them from what would surely have been the embrace of true friendship. "Now, let's talk about how we're gonna get you out of here."