A/N: To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure I was going to continue this story, not because I didn't want to, but because I wasn't sure how to write what I wanted to write next. For me, it's never a problem of not knowing what to write, my issue is trying to figure out how to write it. I'd already taken it down once from severe writers block, reposted it, added two chapters, and then stopped writing because I hit a bump in the road. I'm going to take another crack at writing, though, so wish me luck!

Also, I like to think that my writing skills have improved, so hopefully there will be fewer spelling/grammar errors from now on. One change that I'd like to point out is that I'm not going to be writing - Galen - or - Nina - prior to entering into their POV, but I'll make sure you know upfront who's POV you're reading.

One last thing, I've read some random posts on other websites that state that technically Galen/Starkiller is the "Gary-Sue" of Star Wars. I don't think so, but I'd like to hear some other opinions on the matter. I'm just curious and thought it was interesting to read the posts of people who firmly believe he's a Gary-Sue.

Everything hurt.

Nina's arms hurt, her legs hurt, her head hurt, everything just hurt. But the pain was different from what she'd grown accustomed to while hanging by her arms in that dark cell. Despite the pain, she was comfortable, and it made no sense how she could be comfortable while in pain. She was also warm, not freezing from the lack of heat in the cell.

Confused, she bit back the pain and slowly opened her eye. Her blurry vision cleared and she was shocked to discover that not only was she not in that horrific cell, hanging by her wrists, but that she was in Galen's quarters on the Rogue Shadow. Her wrists had been bandaged as well, she noticed, and the dried blood and grime from her hands and arms had been washed away.

The young woman frowned.

While she was relieved to be out of that dark cell, she couldn't for the life of her figure out why she wasn't locked up or how she'd gotten onto the ship. The last thing she remembered was waking to an alarm going off and a familiar presence she hadn't felt since Galen had been alive. Sometime after losing consciousness again, someone must have rescued her. But why take her to Galen's ship?

Not one to enjoy being in the dark, Nina grit her teeth and swung her legs over the side of the bed, and gaped when she saw that her clothes were gone and that she was now wearing an oversized dark gray under tunic. The notion that someone had undressed her made her squirm uneasily.

Putting weight on her weak legs was easier in theory, and she collapsed to her knees the moment she tried to stand. Once more she tried, but was met with the same results, so she gave up and leaned back against the bed with a heavy sigh. She'd lost a great deal of weight and muscle from being kept in a hanging position with minimum food and water for so long, and she could tell be her arms and legs that she was nearly skin and bone. It would take a while to return to her regular, healthy self.

Raking her fingers through her hair, she grimaced as she came across knots and grime. Her skin had been cleaned, but her hair had not been. As soon as she figured out just what was going on, she was going to hop in the refresher for a much needed shower. Though her grumbling stomach insisted that she eat first.

How long has it been since she had a full meal? Months at least.

As she sat quietly on the floor, gathering her strength to try to stand, she felt a shift in the Force, something comfortably familiar but utterly impossible, and it caused adrenaline to rush through her veins in preparation to fight or flee. What she felt – who she felt – wasn't possible.

She spotted the chest in which Galen had hid her lightsabers, and, biting down on her lip hard enough to draw forth blood, she forced herself to her feet and stumbled over to it. Fumbling with the latches, she yanked it open and rummaged around through the few possessions Galen had owned until she came across her lightsabers. She grasped one tightly, opting to leave the other in the chest since she'd need her left hand free to keep herself balanced, and hobbled to the center of the room, waiting for someone to come through the door.

After what seemed like an eternity, the door slid open and Nina's jaw fell slack in shocked disbelief.

Staring at her with concerned brown eyes, was Galen.

He took a step towards her and she took a shaky step back, directing the tip of her lightsaber towards him.

Looking from her eyes to her lightsaber, he raised his hands in a nonthreatening way. "Take it easy, Nina. It's just me."

"No," she bit out, shaking her head fiercely. "No, you died. I… I saw you die. Vader said you were dead!" Looking him over, staring at his bare arms, she swallowed thickly and added with a tremor to her voice, "You had scars everywhere, and now… now they're gone. You're not him!"

"I did die, but Vader brought me back. He wants me to continue serving as his apprentice, but that's not happening," he explained slowly with the utmost sincerity. "That's why I escaped his ship and rescued you and Juno – I'm leaving the Empire."

Had she believed him, that would have been music to her ears, but it didn't make sense. Vader was evil, but he wasn't a fool. Palpatine would have kept him on a tighter leash after discovering that he'd taken Galen as an apprentice. She couldn't see how Vader would believe that he'd be able to hide his apprentice a second time. Then again, Palpatine would have believed Galen to be dead, and thus there was no reason for him to suspect anything.

It was all too much and her vision swam as she wobbled on her shaking legs.

Galen reach for her, but she retreated backwards until her back was pressed tight against the wall. "No, you… you can't be him. You… he… it doesn't make sense."

Various thoughts and explanations and theories collided with each other inside her head, and her grasped on her lightsaber turned white knuckled.

"Vader raised me since I was a child," he reasoned, taking slow steps towards her, effectively cornering her against the wall. "Maybe that gave him reason to believe that I'd be loyal to a fault, I don't know. But it is me, Nina, you have to believe me."

"I… I don't…" she didn't know what she was trying to say or why she was still trying to make herself believe that it wasn't him.

For months she'd wake up in pain only to find that the tears sliding down her filthy cheeks were for him. Each time she woke from unconsciousness, her thoughts went to him, only to become broken hearted when she remembered – or was reminded by Vader – that he was dead. And yet here he was, standing before her with only a few cuts and bruises but not a single scar. There was no duplicating his Force signature, nor did she believe that this was some mind trick being played on her, which left only one conclusion.

The young man standing before her truly was Galen.

She stared at him in astonishment, blinking rapidly, before slowly deactivating her lightsaber and lowering it. She slid down the wall and would have hit the floor had it not been for Galen grasping her thin arms, pulling her against his chest.

Moving over to the bed, he helped her sit down, but no sooner had he made to move away had she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, clinging to him.

After a few seconds, he snapped out of it and curled his arms around her, holding her close.

"Don't you ever, ever do that to me again," Nina warned tightly, a few tears sliding down her cheeks. "That's the second time I've thought you've died. I don't want there to be a third time."

"There won't be," he promised even though promises like that were hard to keep during such dark days.

Sighing when she finally released her hold on her friend, she sat back more comfortably on the bed, tucking her legs under her. "Feels like I've slept for days," she commented, rolling her aching shoulders.

"You have, actually. You've been out cold for the last three days."

She blinked, surprised that she'd been unconscious for that long. Then again, it wasn't too shocking. Her body had been tortured along with her mind, leaving her beyond exhausted.

"These past few days have probably been the most sleep I've gotten over the past months," she commented bitterly, picking at the fabric of the sheets. "Vader… well, let's just say he made sure that I wasn't given a chance to relax even when he wasn't there."

Frowning, anger and concern radiating off of him, Galen asked, "What did he do to you?"

What didn't Vader do, would be a more appropriate question, but she kept those words in her head and instead mumbled, "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Nina –"

"Where are we heading?" she interrupted, not wanting to think about what she went through, let alone talk about it.

Galen pursed his lips, wanting an answer from her, but he must have understood that it was too soon to talk about it because he replied, "I'm not sure yet. I need to get the rebels together if I'm going to stand a chance at striking the Emperor and Vader. I can't take them on alone."

She wasn't normally one for revenge, but she wanted to make Vader pay for the hell and pain he put her through. Something about what Galen said conflicted with the emotions she was feeling coming from him, not to mention that he didn't seem the type to just abruptly change his mind and join the other side even if Vader had turned on him. Something wasn't right, but she couldn't put her finger on it. For now, she was going to have to trust him, and that meant revealing a secret.

"Head to Nar Shaddar," she said.

"Why there?"

"… Because Master Kota's alive. All you did was blind him," she confessed.

Galen shook his head, sighing. "Why am I not surprised? At least now I know why you didn't tell me who witnessed him dying – no one did because he's alive. Did he contact you himself?"

She shook her head. "No, he contacted a friend who told my friend who told me."

"And you think he's still on Nar Shaddar?"

"There's no reason why he wouldn't be. Kota is a proud man – to have lost his sight… he won't be taking it well. I don't think he would have left the planet," she explained, firmly believing what she was saying. Knowing Kota, he'd be broken up about losing his sight.

Moving to sit beside her on the bed, Galen nodded and replied, "I'll tell Juno the plan, but it's going to be a few days before we get around to heading to Nar Shaddar. The ship needs fuel and restocked, and you and Juno need more medical supplies than I usually carry. I'd tell you to get into a bacta tank, but the ship isn't equipped with one."

"So I have to get better the old fashioned way, huh?" she asked, nudging his shoulder with hers. "Eat, build muscle, take a few bacta based pills? Think I can talk you into bringing me breakfast in bed?"

He blinked at her before realizing that she was just playing around, and he chuckled quietly. A beat passed before he added, "You understand that I can't allow you to accompany me whenever I might run into dangerous situations, right? You're in no shape to fight right now, neither is Juno for that matter."

"Yeah, I know," she sighed, wishing that she was strong enough to stand by his side in rallying the rebels. But she wasn't stupid – she wasn't strong enough to hold her own just yet. "How is Juno anyways?"

"All right," he replied. "She's in better shape than you are, but is by no means in good health. She's underweight, malnourished, and her wrists are cut up just like yours from hanging around. You're skinnier than she is though, and more beat up."

Nina nodded slowly, relieved that the pilot was okay. She didn't like Juno all that much, but she didn't wish the worst on her.

Sighing, she said, "I think I'm going to go wash up and get some of this grime out of my hair."

"Okay, just make sure you come out and eat something when you're done. If you need anything, give me a call on the intercom." Rising to his feet, he started to the door.

"Hey, Galen," she called, bringing him to a halt. "Did you… I mean, were you the one who, uh, did this?" she asked, indicating to her wardrobe.

The young man actually blushed, seeming to just notice that her legs were virtually bare up to her thighs and that the tunic hung off her shoulder slightly, and he replied awkwardly, "Uh, no, no that was Juno. I asked her to get you cleaned up as much as she could once she was feeling better. I didn't, uh, I didn't think you'd want me seeing anything that I shouldn't."

"What do you know, a gentleman," she teased. "I didn't know there were any left in the galaxy."

His blushed deepened and he looked everywhere but at her until he finally said, "I'll leave you to your shower."

With that, he left her alone, and Nina laughed softly.

Despite his dark upbringing with Vader, she could still trip him up and bring a blush to his face. It gave her hope that he really was looking to do the right thing.

Coffee keeps me awake to write, but reviews keep me motivated to write!