"Remember that good things always come in threes, and so do bad things."
-Sarah Kay, "If I Should Have a Daughter"
Nix Tico never tired of staring into the star-speckled black of the universe. He remembered falling in love with the stars the night that his parents had taken him to an observatory, when he was five years old. His younger sister, Aya, was there and was cranky, as three-year-olds tended to be.
But he remembered his father, the great Resistance hero, putting him up on his shoulders so he could interact with the holograms within the great dome. He clapped his hands around the light, expecting to capture stars. But he never did.
He supposed that flying in them was the next best thing.
"Stargazing again, Tico?"
He turned his head to see Danni Doran, another young cadet fresh out of the Antilles Flight School, heading down the long hallway connecting the guns of the Princess Leia to the restricted science area.
Being the son of the greatest scientist within the Resistance, Nix had more than just shadowy speculation on what lie behind the restricted label on the door. Of course, he didn't have access of his own. Not yet.
"Yeah," he answered. "What are you doing down here? Last I checked, you didn't exactly end up in the science division."
"Commander Fliss sent me to deliver rations packs to this side of the ship," Danni said. "They apparently haven't clocked into the cafeteria in eight hours, and that's making someone in high command nervous."
"Sucks for them," Nix muttered. He looked back at the sky, and to the planets beyond. A prominent waterworld stood out in particular. He knew that this was what they came for.
"Aquilae's pretty, isn't it?" Danni seemed to read Nix's mind.
Then again, given Danni's scores in the flight sims, Force-sensitivity wasn't a reach for her.
"Yeah," Nix said, clenching a fist. "Pity it's the home of monsters."
Danni laughed. "You sound just like your mom, on all the old Holos."
"Something wrong with that?"
"No, no," Danni assured him. "You just sound like you're always making some passionate speech to a crowd, even if no one's listening."
"You're listening," he pointed out.
"I think according to the New Republic, I'm still no one," Danni said. She stepped forward, her light brown eyes glowing with something more than her usual mischief.
"You're not no one," Nix said. "At least, not to me."
"Thanks." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. Waist-long and thick, it was often held back in a high ponytail. But what was unique was its color. It was a light shade that looked red, blonde, or light brown, depending on the lighting, planetary movements, and Danni's mood.
Of course, Nix stopped trying to determine if her hair meant anything when it came to him a long time ago.
"Maybe we should hang out in the rec room again, once you're done with delivering food to our wild scientists," Nix said. He smiled, knowing it was just as charming as his father's.
She winked. "It's a date."
Danni turned to move, then stopped. She stepped forward to the glass, squinting. "Is that what I think it is?"
Black dots were coming from the surface of Aquilae, seemingly out of nowhere. Nix's blood ran cold.
"TIE fighters!" he cried. "What are they doing here?"
"I don't know," Danni admitted. "You need to raise the alarm, I gotta go!"
She dashed to the restricted door, and showed it her keycard before disappearing. Away from the girl he wanted to impress, Nix allowed himself to panic, and ran to hit the panic button with everything he had.
The white lights on the ship turned to flashing red, temporarily leaving the Princess Leia in darkness for seconds at a time.
Nix flew through the halls, the schematics in his muscle memory. He had to get to the gunners. He had that trait from his father, it seemed. His boots pounded the floor as he turned the corner, towards the northern guns, only to sense that something wasn't right. He stopped, and an explosion threw him back.
The guns had been taken out!
Nix ran back through the halls, his heartbeat and footsteps in perfect harmony as he dashed across the corridor. The ship rocked, and Nix smelled smoke.
He rammed the door, and entered the restricted section of the Princess Leia. In the red darkness, he couldn't see anyone. The holo screens flashed error and warning signs. But no one seemed to be there.
"Hello?" He called out.
"Nix!"
Danni staggered out of a hiding case, concealing something in her right hand. Her left was covering a gash in her stomach.
"Danni!" He embraced her, not even minding the smell of smoke and blood that enveloped her. She pushed him back.
"Take this." She held up a small file disc in her hand, in protective casing. "This is all the research we've done here. We can't let the Imps get it. They're already invading the hangar bay, and took out the escape pods. They want no survivors to what they've done."
"How am I supposed to get out?" Nix asked, reluctantly taking the disc from her. He put it in a hidden pocket of his jacket.
"Come on," she said. She led him to a small terminal that had still survived the laser bolt barrage to the ship. "We have oxygenated messenger pods, to transport messages and animals and the like. It'll be a tight fit, might break some things to make it happen, but at least you'll live."
She grabbed some pills. "Anesthetic. It'll conserve your oxygen, and make what I'm about to do less painful."
"What about you?" Nix asked as he put his palm out for the tablets.
"Nix, the shrapnel got me deep," Danni said. "I saw people die, on Nar Shada'a. I know what kind of injury I'm looking at. I'm not going to make it. But you will."
"No, no, I'm not leaving you," Nix said. He about dropped the pills, except that Danni caught his hand. Her light brown eyes seemed piercing.
"You have to," Danni said. "Someone has to survive this. It has to be you. I'm sorry."
She forced his hand up to his mouth, and he swallowed the pills. He hated himself for doing it.
"Come on, we don't have much time until you pass out," Danni said. "Luckily, we're relatively close to a space station, and I've jacked up this pod for one good hyperspace jump."
She opened it. Nix had a feeling he was going to develop some claustrophobia.
"Put on the respirator, that's going to maximize some of your oxygen." She helped him fit it on. "And take my blaster, so if you're intercepted, you've got a chance."
He tucked the blaster into thigh holster that had remained empty since his had gone into maintenance. Then he got in. Nix had no idea how he did it later, but he knew from medics' diagnoses that he had broken several bones in his rib cage to make it happen.
"I would've loved you," Danni said. "I'm sorry we never got things to work out between us."
"I love you," Nix murmured as she shut the door on him. He heard some beeping as she typed in coordinates, and then he felt the turbulence of the pod going lightspeed.
It was so cold in hyperspace. He just wanted to sleep. Yes, sleep. Then when he awoke, it would all be a bad dream.
Kane Solo's eyes flew open. He forced himself to sit up, and ran a hand through his long black hair. In the dark of his room, he was alone again. He drew the blankets more tightly around himself, even though he knew the cold wasn't from an Asteras winter. It was from his soul.
Kane picked up the Holo display unit off of his nightstand, hidden among all the potted plants. Ultrasound scans appeared, showing two fertilized zygotes. It was dated to when his mother was pregnant with him and his twin sister.
This was the only record of his twin. There was no time for holos during the birth, not any that they could retrieve, anyway. Only a few hours later, she died.
Kane wondered what she would have looked like, had she grown up. He imagined she would look like the girl in his dreams, with black hair like his, and thick eyebrows that made her resemble their father somewhat, but with light and delicate features, like their mother.
But he would never know. Kane turned off the Holo display unit, and set it back down among the plants. He didn't want to go back to sleep, not exactly. He looked out the window. It would only be a short time before dawn.
Might as well get up. He pushed himself out of bed, and threw on a shirt from his laundry hamper. Giving it a precursory sniff, he continued out of his room, then frowned. He hadn't expected to hear the sounds of the Holo downstairs, or see a light on in the living room.
Kane flew down the stairs, knowing exactly who it was. Sure enough, when he entered the room, he saw his mother sitting on the couch. A knitted blanket, made by his father for her birthday seven years ago, lay draped around her shoulder. Her unkempt hair was tied back into three messy buns. The circles under her eyes were a deep purple, in contrast to the sickly pallor illuminated by the Holo screen.
"Kane."
A smile flicked onto Rey's lips. She didn't even need to look to know that he was there.
"Hey, Mum." He sat down next to her, as she muted the Holo.
The former last Jedi's countenance was always sad. Only her hazel eyes remained bright.
Kane wished he could have seen her in her prime. The word the other Jedi used to describe her was "bright." Her very presence lifted the mood of a room. Her conviction, dedication, and belief in humanity had brought back even his father from the darkest point of his life.
But that was before he and his twin sister were born. Before Rey had lost her second daughter.
"Good morning, Kane," Rey said. "Couldn't sleep?"
"Couldn't go back," he corrected. "I'm guessing you couldn't."
"Had a nightmare," she said, looking back to the Holo. "I dreamed of her again. What she would have been like, if she'd lived."
"I'm sorry." Kane looked to the screen. "What are you watching?"
The brightness resumed in her eyes as she frowned. "There's been a news report from the Crystal Star Research Station. A messenger pod came from the Princess Leia. An unidentified crew member, a minor, I think, was in it, with a file for all of the data constructed in the ship, and a blaster. Poe's been trying to message the Princess Leia, since Finn and Rose's son was on it, but they've been getting no answer. Apparently the comm channel no longer exists."
"Someone shot down the Princess Leia," Kane realized. "Poor kid. Is he the only survivor?"
"They think so," Rey said. "I can't imagine. . . He must've gone through so much to get there. Those pods really aren't meant for hyperspace jumps. Or for people in them."
Kane looked at the screen— only to see the program interrupted by a messaging request.
Rey squinted at the screen. Her eyes dramatically widened. "That's Rose! She's on the station!"
She accepted the request and turned the volume back on.
Rose looked like a mess. Covered in grease stains, she was also sobbing.
"Rose?" Rey sat up straight, the blanket falling from her shoulders. "Rose, what's happened?"
"Force, Rey, that's my son," Rose said. "Nix was the one who went in the messenger pod."
"Is he alright?" Rey leaned forward, balancing her chin on her fist.
"Several broken bones, mild hypothermia, and he needed to be hooked up to a fresh oxygen mask right away," Rose said. "But he'll be alright. Our medics are stabilizing him for a transfer to Chandrila, where Finn is."
"What happened?" Rey asked.
"I don't know," Rose admitted. "He was in and out of it a lot, partially because of the medication the doctors were giving him. But he did manage to get out that someone destroyed the Princess Leia, and that he was the designated survivor."
"I'm so sorry," Rey said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Not at the moment," Rose said. She swiped furiously at the tears. "I'm just so glad that he's alive— you have no idea. I can't imagine what the other parents must be thinking. There were so many underage cadets onboard. The Princess Leia was the safest ship in the entire fleet."
"Do you have any idea how much fuel was in the container?" Rey asked. "That might tell us where the Princess Leia was when it was attacked."
"I'll look into it," Rose said. "The pod was taken by investigators on the station. I'll see what I can get out of them."
"It's going to be alright, Rose," Rey said. "Nix is safe now."
"I hope so." Rose sighed. "I'll comm you back when I have more information."
"May the Force be with you," Rey said.
"Bye." The feed cut, and the news holo program resumed. Rey hit the mute button, and looked to Kane.
"What do you think?" Rey asked.
"I'd guess space pirates, maybe from Crimson Dawn," Kane said. "That's the only organization big enough to have ships good enough to destroy the Princess Leia."
"Mm." Rey nodded, but she clearly didn't like that answer. "What if it was a foreign military?"
"But the New Republic is the only real faction within the galaxy," Kane said. "Politically-speaking."
Rey raised an eyebrow. "There's one more."
"You don't mean the First Order?" Kane raised his eyebrows. "The First Order's only on a planet and a moon. They don't have any of the resources or money to make the kind of ships they used to anymore."
"We don't know that they haven't been making deals with other galaxies or systems in the Outer Rim," Rey pointed out. "And even Crimson Dawn wouldn't be stupid enough to attack a ship like the Princess Leia."
"Why, though?" Kane asked. "The war ended only a week after I was born."
"Not for them," Rey said. "For them, we've been at an armistice. They've had fifteen years to bide their time and get ready for another war."
"We don't know anything for sure," Kane said.
"You're right, we don't," Rey admitted. "But it'll be damning if we find out the Princess Leia was scouting Aquilae."
Kane looked back at the screen. The First Order had already taken so much from his family. If it was war they wanted. . . He would fight them with his last breath.
Under the boiling seas of Aquilae, the underwater city of Delphine had been designed to allow humans to survive out of sight. With the gilded golden buildings and glowing blue and green lights, it looked like an old story from a children's holo program.
This especially rang true for the Imperial Palace. It could be seen for miles underwater, and dominated the underwater landscape. With a dome of oxygen, there were underwater gardens that allowed the occupants of the palace to observe the beauty of their home.
It was certainly Keera's favorite part of the palace.
A fish, red and gold with long fins approached the shield. A bubble of water appeared around the fish, allowing it to float around. Keera smiled and tapped the bubble.
"Hello little guy," she whispered. Her voice was airy and delicate, like the lace dress she wore. It was black, accented with gold, and cut to be modest, yet show off the heiress to the First Order. Keera didn't particularly like the colors, but her Grandmama insisted that it looked perfect.
"Milady, the Empress has requested your presence."
Keera turned around to see her usual escort of four guards joined by a fifth. They wore uniforms of black, with facial shields and plenty of padding in their armor. A red armband marked them as the protectors of the Blessed Order. Rumor had it that their uniforms were manufactured on Mandalore, but Keera wasn't sure, and she did not want to ask Grandmama.
"Of course." Keera smiled. She dusted off her lacy dress. "We should go right away, then."
The guards surrounded her, holding large blaster-rifles with detachable truncheons that could emit lightsaber-style blades. Young commanders, cadets, and civilians practically leapt out of the way of their princess's escort.
Keera kept silent as her guard led her through the golden hallways of the Palace, and up the stairs to the Spire of Light. Home to their Empress's quarters, the Spire was under intense protection. Keera had to pass three different checkpoints before being allowed into the elevator.
The elevator was a stark contrast from the beauty of the rest of the palace. It was black, with white light paneling, in the style of old Imperial bases and structures. While their style had certainly evolved, some things were still tradition.
"Tradition is what keeps us alive," the Empress told Keera once, when she was small. She sat at her Grandmama's feet, staring up at her reverently, listening to her with the utmost rapture. "It is how we have survived the attempted genocide by the Resistance and the Jedi, all these years. We keep passing on our values and ideas to our children, and their children, so that they will keep our spirits and ideas alive. That carries its own strength, Keera. Never forget that."
The guards exited the elevator, and knelt. Keera continued forwards, remembering one of her tutor's advice on how to walk gracefully. She approached the steps to Grandmama's throne, and knelt. She placed her lightsaber on the floor in front of her, inches from Grandmama's practical boots peeking out of her golden skirts.
"I have answered your summons, Your Greatness," Keera said. "May you guide me and pass your judgement fairly."
There was amusement in the Empress's voice. "Lift your eyes, child. Let me look upon you."
Keera lifted her head, and looked into the Empress's own face.
The Empress was fairly young to be Grandmama, still retaining a smooth face and dark hair, although there was now a streak of white to it. Her hair wove her crown to her head, and while her ensemble of pearl and gold seemed intricate and glamorous, Keera knew that it was all designed with a second purpose of practicality.
"You look just as beautiful as I once did," the Empress said, a note of jealousy in her voice.
"You are still beautiful, if not more than I," Keera said, the lilting cadence and old words coming to her after answering to Grandmama her whole life. "Wisdom grants you its own beauty, the kind that lasts far longer than Youth."
The Empress laughed, indicating that the answer pleased her. "This is not a contest, Keera. I am pleased with you. Your tutors have reported that you are a bright student, and you are excelling in your studies of the Force. They say that you recently constructed a lightsaber?"
"Yes, Grandmama," Keera said.
"Let's see it, then." The Empress stretched out her hand, and the lightsaber came to her like a trained Kath Hound. She turned the polished silver cylinder over and over in her hands. Her hazel eyes scanned for imperfections, analyzing the craftsmanship. The Empress made small noises of approval.
"Well made, Keera," the Empress murmured. She then turned on the lightsaber.
Keera flinched as a switch flicked in the Empress's expression. She was suddenly displeased.
"Why is it blue?"
Keera winced. "I don't know! I tried to bleed the crystal, but I couldn't, I—"
"Silence!"
Keera felt a fist around her windpipe, and clutched at her throat. The Empress unclenched her fist, and the sensation was gone.
The Empress rose, and turned off the lightsaber, throwing it to the floor. Keera bowed her head, knowing what was coming next. The Empress leaned down, taking Keera's chin into her hand.
"You lack ruthlessness," she said in a deathly quiet voice. "It is an endearing weakness, yes. But it is a weakness. We have no place for gentleness in the Sith, especially not from the Heir of Vader!"
"Do what you must, Your Greatness," Keera said. "I am sorry I cannot please you."
"You know what must be done," the Empress warned. Her eyes looked almost apologetic, as she let go of Keera's face. "It's for your own good."
Keera bowed her head, and braced herself.
The Empress outstretched her hand, and black lightning emerged. Keera gritted her teeth and writhed, but she knew she mustn't scream, mustn't beg like a common dog—
She felt the pain of the Empress at the same time breaking into Keera's mind, forcing it open, lifting her in the air to writhe and kick even more as the pain became so hot it turned Keera's vision to red blurs.
Yet she mustn't scream.
Nix awoke alone in the medcenter room. He saw that he was in an isolated chamber, and felt the worst pain he ever had in his life. He wondered where Rose was. He knew his mother worked on the Crystal Star Research Station. Where was she?
As he raised his head— and found he couldn't move anything else— he realized that something was wrong. It was a shift of some sort, a movement that shouldn't have been there.
He saw a medical scalpel, and the panic button. He slammed on the panic button, and there was a blur of motion in front of him. Nix grabbed the scalpel just as a pair of invisible hands thrust forward, grabbing Nix's neck.
He jabbed at the assailant's face and hands as medics ran in, grabbing the elbows of the invisible man to try and restrained him. Distracted, he let go of Nix, and threw a female Twi'lek medic out of the room, and slammed a human male into the wall closest to Nix.
But it was too late for the assailant. Before he could finish the job, Rose ran into the room and hit him with her taser before he could see her. The shock disabled the invisibility on his bulky black armored suit, and the man crumpled to the ground.
"Thanks, Mom," Nix said as New Republic military stormed into the room.
"No problem." Rose tucked the taser back on her belt. "I was afraid something like this might happen. We need to transfer you to Chandrila before they can try again. I've got enough days built up that I can take leave."
"Oh, Mom, I know you want to be here—"
"Not as much as I want to be with my baby boy," Rose said. "Someone does not want anyone to know what happened to the Princess Leia."
The impact of what just happened finally hit Nix. Someone had tried to kill him for what he knew. The same someone who killed Danni.
"The First Order did this," he confessed.
Kane finished padding down the dirt for the jacinders that his mother adored. She stood over the patch of Queen's Heart blossoms, spraying them with the watering tool.
"Are you alright, Mum?" Kane asked. "Do you need to sit down?"
"No, I'm alright." She was at least smiling, which was the most Kane could ask for. Even if that expression still carried a sadness within.
Kane turned back and examined the dirt. "There you go, little buddy. All nice comfy."
"There you are, Rey."
Kane whirled back around to see his father approach Rey from behind, and embrace her. For a moment, there was no trace of the sadness that had consumed her for fifteen years. The circles under her eyes grew less colorful, and she looked sunkissed and healthy again.
Ben kissed her on the cheek, and then the joy faded as she let his father hold her. They spoke to each other softly, their words barely audible. Kane turned away. These displays of affection were intense, and often made him uncomfortable.
Without a word, he leapt over the fence, and started walking through the Jedi Village.
Established twenty-three years before, the village was home to all of the Jedi and their families. Far from any other civilizations on Asteras, the village relied on deliveries from elsewhere in the galaxy, and was isolated as to promote mediation and peace of mind.
Granted, it may have also been because of Ben Solo's exile at the end of the war.
It could have been worse, Kane reasoned. The reason a former Supreme Leader got off as lightly as he did. His assistance and mid-war switch of loyalties was cause for forgiveness. But not totally.
Kane strolled by one of the first houses built in the village. One of the eldest men in the village was finishing with repairs on a door. He glanced over his shoulder to see Kane.
"Ah, Kane, how good to see you." The man stepped down from his stool. "Have a moment for a word with your grandfather?"
"I think so." Kane's words were teasing, even if he didn't really want to speak to his grandfather. The man was rather young for being a grandfather, with most of his hair still there, although it had all turned silver.
"How are you, Grandpa Jacen?" Kane asked.
"Well," Jacen answered. "I'm working on fixing Tahiria and Lokari's place. The door's been a bit difficult to open. But no matter. I believe this should do the trick."
"Good, good," Kane said. Tahiria and Lokari were his sister's holdfather and holdmotner. "Do you know where Nellith is?"
"She's out in the woods with Tahiria," Jacen said. "Doing whatever it is you Jedi do."
"Thanks." Kane knew his grandfather was never jealous of the Force-sensitives, despite being around them his whole life. He was an architect and engineer, and that was all that mattered to him. He was in his own little world.
Kane couldn't imagine living like that.
"Don't be a stranger."
Kane waved as he continued, but not towards the woods. He could talk to his older sister later. Besides, he wanted to talk to someone else.
Close to the training center was a small and sterile-white building, one that was positioned so close for a reason. Kane entered the medcenter, and was overwhelmed with the smell of industrial-strength cleaner.
"Hey, Doc!" Kane called to to an elderly gentleman who was moving things about on the front desk.
"Kane Solo, it's been some time since you've walked through my door," Dr. Esterhazy-Rand said.
"Probably because I haven't broken anything in training for a while and Mum's been well," Kane said.
"It's good to hear about your mother," Dr. Esterhazy-Rand said. "My condolences follow her always."
"Err, Doc," Kane began, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I was wondering if you would tell me something."
"You want me to tell you the story of your birth, and what happened after again." Dr. Esterhazy-Rand's eyes were knowing.
"Yes."
"Help me finish up with cleaning Dr. Hwin's mess," Dr. Esterhazy-Rand ordered. "Then we'll tell stories."
Keera slammed to the ground full force. But somehow, she managed to scream or beg or cry out. Yet she felt only anger and disappointment at herself, for failing Grandmama.
"That is enough," the Empress said. "I did not call you to punish you. I called you for an order of business."
Keera propped herself up on her knees, head erect. "Yes, Grandmama."
"You know your role in the Order of the Blessed," the Empress said. "You are a leader, an agent of change, yes. But you also have a duty to your legacy, to produce an heir."
"Yes, Grandmama."
"Now, you still have three years before you are of age to marry," the Empress said. "But I have a few candidates, other members of the Order of the Blessed. I want you to find a compatible mate, one that you think will create the most powerful heirs to the Skywalker name."
"Yes, Grandmama," Keera said. She did not train often with the other members of the Order of the Blessed. Her education was far too important.
"I primarily have a candidate that comes from an old Force lineage," the Empress said. "Alderaanian, too. Alderaan blood is rare these days, and you would do well by your legacy to mate with an Alderaanian. Ronan Qel-Droma will be calling on you in a few days. Humor me, and try him on for size. He may be a better match than you think."
"I will try, thank you, Grandmama," Keera said, bowing her head again.
"You have something on your mind, child," the Empress said. "Speak."
"I am sorry to have disappointed you with my weakness," Keera said. "I wish I could be as strong as you want me to be."
The Empress sighed. "I do, too. Now go retrieve your lightsaber, child. But you must not use the Force, and must crawl until you find it. I will also be restricting your privileges, until you have turned that lightsaber red. You will remain in your room, only a meal a day, and limited water until you can prove that you have what it takes. The only exception will be when Ronan comes calling. Is that understood."
"Yes, Grandmama," Keera said.
She then began crawling towards where the lightsaber had clattered to the ground.
47 ABY
The Resistance held the First Order on a string. Endless ships barraged the final Star Destroyer, the Jade Rose. All other support ships had been blown to smithereens, ashes scattered amongst the stars.
Aboard the Jade Rose, one of her prisoners was taken from the brig and escorted to the medcenter.
With her hands bound behind her back, and a collar chained to the birthing bed, Rey Solo writhed on the bed, screaming. Dr. Esterhazy-Rand kept waiting, trying to soothe the mother and make the birth easier. No matter what he or his assistant, Juno Galfridian, did, nothing seemed to help the mother.
"Push, push," Dr. Esterhazy-Rand urged. "I can almost see the first one."
Then again, twin births were always hard.
The Jade Rose tilted, and Rey fell off the bed. Unable to lift her hands to her throat, she kicked wildly and made guttural sounds as her face turned red.
Dr. Esterhazy-Rand and Juno quickly helped Rey back on, but the Star Destroyer still shook slightly.
"We need to get them out of here, now!" Juno shouted.
"Stop, you're stressing her out," Dr. Esterhazy-Rand said in a firm voice. "Get yourself together, Galfridian, or you'll never make it as a physician!"
Rey grunted, and then wailed. The birth of Nellith had not hurt as much as this.
"That's it," Dr. Esterhazy-Rand said coaxingly. "You're almost there."
Rey screamed one more time, and out came Keera.
Juno scooped her up, and ran off to clean her up.
"Just one more," Dr. Esterhazy-Rand said. "Are there any names you want?"
"Keera," Rey said. "For my daughter. Kane for my son."
"Well, we still have to welcome Kane into the world," Dr. Esterhazy-Rand said. "Just another good push and we should have it."
Just as the Jade Rose rocked again, little Kane Solo entered the world. Juno had just returned with Keera, and she and Dr. Esterhazy-Rand switched.
Black spots dotted Rey's vision. She looked to the doctor. "Promise me, if I don't make it, that you'll take care of my children."
"You'll live, I promise—"
"Promise me!" Her scream was hysterical.
"I promise," Dr. Esterhazy-Rand bowed.
Rey stopped struggling, and immediately went limp. Dr. Esterhazy-Rand checked her vital signs as Keera Solo wailed. Rey was just unconscious, not dead. Before he could celebrate the end of a difficult birth, Juno entered the room.
"We need to take the children to the Empress," Juno said. "She specially requested it."
"This isn't right," Dr. Esterhazy-Rand whispered, looking at Rey's unconscious form. "I—I can't."
Juno raised her eyebrows. "Now you object? After you let a woman give birth all chained up? We don't question or object, Galen. We obey, like the Empress wants. Any small suffering of one individual is nothing compared to the glory that the Empress will give us."
"I see." Dr. Esterhazy-Rand furrowed his brow. "I need to examine the boy. You can take the girl to her. The mother preferred the name Keera, tell the Empress that."
Juno nodded, and they switched again. Dr. Esterhazy-Rand looked to the infant crying in his arms as she left, and then to the unconscious Rey.
Twenty minutes later, he had dragged her unconscious body into an escape pod, and joined her with her infant son. Except for the Empress's personal shuttle and a few more escape pods, which landed on Aquilae, the Jade Rose exploded.
When Rey awoke, she realized her daughter was dead.