"So what do you think," Tahiri asked as she watched her friend run around, naked of course, her quarters separating her clothes into four piles. It was interesting to see how her friend's mind works, she had one pile for her 'must take', a 'maybe' pile, and her 'should give to the Vong pile' since Rat claimed that Tahiri had no sense of fashion. A statement that Tahiri wished she could argue with more. Fashion and makeup were not on high on the list for the Tusken Raiders, Jedi or Yuuzhan Vong teaching agenda. The Yuuzhan Vong felt that all marking had to glorified the gods while Jedi felt that owning too many clothes and make up distracted from her studies and the Tusken Raiders never saw each other unless they were mating so who cared. Her last pile was her 'must have been drunk when I picked these out' and they were, as far as Tahiri was concern, her more oddball clothes. But Rat likes to shop for clothes and their unauthorized leave to do shopping on Denon, when they snuck past security, was good training for both of them. She bought so many clothes Tahiri wondered were she was going to store them all, in fact, "You know, I don't remember you getting all these clothes when we were on Denon."

"I got some of them when I was waiting for you to get out brig," Rat said as she had Little Brother dragged over her bags.

"Let me get this straight," Tahiri, said with mock anger as she grabbed Rat's pistol and began to spin it on her finger. "While I was wasting away behind bars, instead of coming up with one of your brilliant plans to bust me out, you went shopping."

"Well I was short on some items to stage a jail break," Rat said holding up an outfit for Tahiri and Little Brother to judge, "I was short on cutting torches, explosives and knives." Little Brother beeped that he liked the shirt while Tahiri made a face and shook her head no; Rat packed it along with the rest of her clothes saying, "He has some sense of fashion you know. Anyways, I went over to the store on Borleias to get what I needed."

"I know I am not that good at fashion but I don't remember hardware being in the woman's section at the PX?" Tahiri said with a small smile on her face when she saw Rat packed a holographic picture of the three of them together when they got promoted.

"Well, no but when I walked by they had these cuties shoes on sale and well one thing lead to another," Rat said flashing her a smile.

"Right, so if I'm ever captured by enemy forces it had better be during any time other then sale time?" Tahiri giving her a look, Rat reached over and grabs the gun out of her grip.

"Don't play with that, I might need it sometime and I want it to work when I do," Rat said with a smile and sticking it back in her holster. "I would get around to you sooner or later. At least when I rescue someone they have a chance to live to see how it turns out." Rat rolled her eyes and muttered, "standard Jedi rescue my …"

"Fine, do it the boring way if you want," Tahiri said leaning back on the bunk as Rat finished her packing. Little Brother was also running checks on her equipment even though he was going with her it was best to be prepared ahead of time. "I guess if I do get captured and need rescued, I'll make sure they hold me in a shopping center. That way I get saved and you can save some credits."

"I knew I would like you as my commanding officer!"

"That is not what you said when you found out," Tahiri responded with a superior smile.

"Well, if you going to go through all that trouble for me," Rat said zipping up the last of her bags. She grabbed a sweet stick and sat down next to Tahiri, "now about your dream …"

"It was a vision Rat," Tahiri reminded her sternly.

"Whatever," Rat said waving her hand dismissively, "the point is you are still worried about what is right and what is wrong."

"What do you mean," Tahiri said twisting on the bunk to look at her friend.

"Deep down in the mass of cells that has been through the food processor you still worried that you could violate everything you believe in to save the universe."

"Save it from what?"

"Itself," Rat said earnestly, "you know what evils people will go and do to each other in the name of protecting others. After what happened to you with the Fluff Princess, you've seen how even the most well intended person could go horribly wrong and end up doing the most hideous of crimes. You have seen the suffering, misery and pain caused by bad people doing bad things to good people, you want to stop it. You know you have the power, you know you could do it and that is what the thing with Face is about. That is your little voice in your head saying it is bad. That to accomplish your goal you would have to destroy everything that you believe in and everyone you care about."

"Luke Skywalker was there, is that part of the vision too that warns me of the cost?"

"Exactly, Luke represents your family. Sure you are still mad at them and all but you still love them. You know you would have to kill them to make everyone else safe, since they would fight any dark side tenancies you would show. Luke is, unlike Jaina and the others, still proud of what you have accomplished and didn't try to kill you. He is special to you and to have to kill him would destroy all faith you had in yourself and the faith he had in you."

"So Face is freedom, Luke is love and that alternative me at the end is my little voice telling me nothing is worth this cost?"

"Yes," Rat said, with amusement lighting up her eyes and looking very pleased with Tahiri.

"So where are you and Little Brother at?"

"I'm sure we are both at a bar, he likes smart, beautiful, and fun women not girls like you," Rat said while sticking out her tongue and Little Brother giggled along with her.

"You two are impossible," Tahiri said rolling her eyes at them but still smiling, "now why am I fighting for Sekot?"

"From everything you have told me it sounds boring," Rat said, "but I guess if I could feel other people emotions like you do I would want boring too. Sekot is so peaceful, so calm that you wish the whole galaxy was like that, it is no different then that image you use to have of yourself holding Bangor and seeing a galaxy at peace. Same thing, instead this time you just took it one step further."

"Amazing you can take something as wonderful as a vision and break it down to something so …"

"Logical?"

"I was thinking so ordinary."

"You might have a blender brain, Vong but psychology still works on you," Rat said looking pleased with herself. "I read some books one time about it, fascinating read."

"Is there anything you don't know," Tahiri said with mock seriousness.

"Sure, how to teach you how to pick out clothes," Rat said with amusement, "anyways you are just worry about yourself and that what your dream or vision or whatever is all about. Just a friendly remind to yourself what is and what is not allowed."

"You know, I always wondered why the old Jedi order was so reclusive, it was never said but I wonder if that was the reason?"

"What? No fashion sense?"

"No, the temptation to 'persuade' others to be nice to everyone, even if they don't want to, can be strong sometimes," Tahiri said slapping her friend in the arm. "One thing that being a Wraith had shown me is just how isolated we were at Yavin 4 and why. I could easily see many of us trying to save the galaxy and end up destroying everything in the process."

"Of course now that you are so much older and wiser …"

"I wouldn't say wiser …"

"I will agree with that Vong," Rat said with a grin.

"You are such a good friend," Tahiri said picking up a pillow and throwing it at Rat, "but, I can see what I didn't see when I was 14."

"So now you don't want to save the galaxy?"

"No, I still want to, if I didn't I wouldn't be a Wraith or a Jedi Warrior. I would be out there doing something else."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, running freight," Tahiri said leaning back.

"Oh that would be exciting," Rat said rolling her eyes. "Face it, Vong, you would suck at doing anything but saving the galaxy."

"Record that Little Brother," Tahiri said with a false look of astonishment on her face, "Rat just gave me a positive comment."

"Sure rub my face in it," Rat said with a toss of her head, "but it is the truth. That is what your little brain has been telling you all along. Even if it pains you to see what your people do to each other, even when you know you could alleviate a lot of it with the wave of your hand, there is nothing else nor anyone else who can do your job as well as you can. By being here you are saving the galaxy and the best part you don't have to loss everything that make you special along the way."

"Rat, you are amazing," Tahiri said after a very long pause as she studied her friend, as usual Rat understood Tahiri and her feelings better then anyone else around.

"Ah shucks," Rat said trying but failing to look modest, "I know that already."

"So you agree that to make the universe better I have to help individuals help themselves?" Tahiri asked retrieving the pillow from the floor where it landed after bouncing off of Rat's head.

"Yep, see you have learned something useful after hanging around me, now if you could learn how to pick the right clothes." Rat said with a smile, Tahiri on the other hand just stared back passively. In three hours Rat was going to leave for weeks and she wanted to get this out before she left. "What?" Rat asked looking confused.

"I just want to help you Ratnena," Tahiri said as her friend's face closed up but her feelings were still pouring out of her.

"Stay out of my head, Captain."

"I'm not in your head, Rat. However I can feel what you are feeling and your anxiety is going through the roof," Tahiri stopped waiting for some kind of response. Rat just stared at her with a blank face and she was trying hard to feel impassive about the whole thing but fear was still pretty strong. Tahiri though about asking her about it but ruled out that idea since it would just set Rat off and, while she knew Rat would never hurt Tahiri, she didn't want her to leave hating Tahiri. After all Tahiri didn't want to hurt her friend just help her. "Look, you are my best friend and I want to help you. That's what friends do; they are there for each other. You are always willing to help me and I want to return the favor." Rat still didn't answer, while her feelings were a vortex that was swirling and rolling like a river on Yavin 4, her face could have been craved out of concrete. Tahiri reached over to touch her hand and Rat jumped up and crossed the room. Tahiri leaned back, letting out a silent sigh of defeat as Rat got dressed and left the room. All that she said was for Little Brother to meet her in the hanger. Tahiri got up, put her combat suit back on over top of her short pants and sleeveless shirt and helped lower Little Brother to the ground level. He beeped and whistled encouragement to Tahiri as he rolled to hanger while she went to the mess hall for a cup of hot chocolate. So intent on Rat's reaction that she never noticed that Commander Loran had sat down across from her on the patio until he spoke.

"Sorry sir," Tahiri said sheepishly hoping she was ignoring him too long.

"I said is everything ok," Face asked.

"Yes, well no, I don't know," Tahiri, responded looking distressed.

"Ah, I see," Face said, unlike Rat he could keep his feeling closed as his face. "Funny thing, I had just asked Ratnena the same thing in the hanger. You two have been spending too much time together because that was the same answer she gave me."

"Yes sir," Tahiri said then asked him since Rat wasn't in the mood to talk, "Commander Loran, how do you help someone who needs help without pushing them away?"

"You can't Tahiri," Face said with a sigh, "all you can do is hope that they will come around on their own."

"It is frustrating because I can feel her pain and fear, her fear of going home. I want to help, but when I tried she refused to open up and left the room."

"Are you sure you are reading her right?"

"Yes sir," Tahiri said miserably, "unlike the rest of you she always comes through load and clear."

"Well, you could always change your plans and go with her," Face said watching her closely.

"No, that would be the worst thing I could do. She would assume that I went to hound her about this or that I don't trust her or something."

"That would be my read on it too," Face said getting up, "just trust her Tahiri. When she is ready you will be the first to know."