LEILANI SERENNO bridged the past and the present, born into a family of cruelty and then groomed to fulfil a role in the grand scheme of things. She was a puppet manipulated by her brother, ensnared in a larger narrative orchestrated by the Force. Y...
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The transition from the mines to the Jedi Temple was one of sheer darkness for Leilani. The bruises on her body throbbed with each subtle movement, a constant reminder of her ordeal. Her senses felt dulled, the weight of captivity lingering like a heavy cloak. Time had blurred into a series of disjointed moments—Obi-Wan's fierce protection, Rex's precision, and the chaos of their escape through the jagged paths of the Zygerrian facility. But beyond the physical pain, it was the void left in her mind, an aching emptiness, that clung to her the most.
There had been a single thought anchoring her through it all: survival. Not for herself alone, but for Nia, for Obi-Wan, and for those who had risked everything to bring her back from the abyss. Her breath hitched as fleeting images flickered through her fragmented recollection—the blinding flash of a detonator, Obi-Wan's steady voice urging her forward, the overwhelming rush of freedom colliding with fear.
When she finally collapsed into Obi-Wan's arms aboard the ship, she surrendered to unconsciousness, too weak to fight against the call of sleep. And now, as she stirred within the sterile quiet of the Temple's medbay, the soft hum of machinery replacing the harsh echoes of captivity, Leilani felt adrift between worlds.
Her eyes fluttered open, greeted by the gentle glow of soft lights overhead. The familiar scent of bacta lingered in the air, mingled with the soothing murmur of temple healers moving through the room. A med droid beeped softly as it recorded her vitals, but it was the presence beside her that truly grounded her.
Obi-Wan sat in a chair near her bedside, his robes still bearing the marks of ash and soot from the mines. He had not left her side—she could feel that truth in the weight of the room. His hand rested loosely on the arm of the chair, though tension lined his face. Despite the weariness etched into his features, his presence radiated a quiet strength, anchoring her amidst the tumult of her thoughts.
"Obi-Wan," she rasped, her voice barely audible.
He leaned forward immediately, concern flickering across his face. "Leilani," he said softly, relief evident in his tone. "You're awake."
She tried to sit up, but pain flared through her body, forcing her back against the medbay cot. Obi-Wan's hand gently pressed against her shoulder, urging her to remain still.
"Easy now," he murmured. "You've been through enough."
Leilani's breath trembled as fragments of memory surfaced—the agony of the electro-collar, the suffocating walls of the mine, the sheer desperation of holding on when all seemed lost. But most vividly, she remembered Obi-Wan standing between her and danger, unwavering even when the odds were insurmountable.
"You saved me," she whispered.
His lips pressed into a thin line, a shadow of guilt crossing his features. "Not soon enough," he admitted, the weight of those words evident. "I should've found you sooner."
