Jalaen waited anxiously for her mother to arrive. She had talked to Qymaen last night; he commented she had looked really uncomfortable. He had also said that she was tired and was acting like she had downed two flasks of Hennessey.

The door rang, and Radame rushed to answer.

Qymaen came in first, followed by a drowsy looking Ronderu.

One look at Ronderu and Jalaen's stomach lurched. Ronderu looked like she desperately needed to lean on something, and she couldn't lean on Qymaen—he still wobbled on his crutches.

Ronderu looked very uncomfortable with her glass eye. She tried to blink as little as possible.

"Hi Father," Jalaen said with a smile. "How do you do, Mother?"

Ronderu managed a smile. "Not exactly fine. But I don't remember an alcove being back there before."

"Annex," Rubble answered. "Found."

Ronderu laughed. "Indeed. I thought Qymaen would be walking on two feet by now."

"If I hadn't fallen over so many times," Qymaen grumbled. "But then, I was only immersed for a day. That doesn't heal much. I still taste Bacta on my tongue."

"So where do we sit?" Ronderu asked, and looked around the room.

"Right here, Ms. Kummar," Kiel smiled, and whacked the sofa cushion next to her.

Qymaen looked ready to burst out laughing. "Kiel, you told Jalaen about the rumor, right?"

Ronderu started giggling.

"No, I haven't," Kiel admitted. "It's one of the more far-fetched, but I have to admit, it's pretty creative."

Jalaen furrowed her brows. "Mother, is it that funny?"

Ronderu shrugged. "It does explain why you came back with Rubble from Kalee," She admitted. "But it doesn't explain much else."

Kiel cleared her throat. "I'm going to quote almost exactly to what was said in the lunch room today," she reminded them. "Supposedly, the crazy Senator of Kalee was involved in some love triangle. She had some Huks invade Kalee to kill her love rival, and then appeared to her lover to show him their young son."

Qymaen started laughing again. "Now I think that you two might be the only intelligent senators here."

Rubble shook his head. "Not son. Rubble," He reminded.

Qymaen nodded. "Jalaen, I said I had gotten you a birthday present," He said, and pulled out two lig swords from his luggage.

Jalaen was speechless. She just stared at the twin swords, much like Ronderu's, but with their handles were smaller and more lightweight for her smaller, weaker wrists. "Thank you, Father," She finally choked out.

"You're welcome, sweet," Qymaen answered, and Jalaen gave her parents a hug.

000

A few days later, Ronderu had adjusted well to her fake eye, but she would shy away like a horse when people approached her from her left side. Everyone had quickly learned to approach her only from the right.

Mother and daughter sat on the rooftop terrace. "It's nice to watch all the different speeders," Ronderu said, her voice sounding tranquil.

Jalaen nodded, and then pulled out Ronderu's twin lig swords from underneath the bench. "I still have your swords, Mother," She smiled. "Let's try it out. They're both very dull."

Ronderu picked one up, and stood. "So we'll practice together?"

"Why not?" Jalaen shrugged, and picked up the other sword.

Ronderu took a swing that went very wide. It was painful for Jalaen to watch it.

"Mother, feel the weapon in your hand. I didn't do that when I was ambushed on Kalee. And," Jalaen's voice sunk to a whisper. "I ended up open firing on Kiel."

Ronderu's eye went wide. "I'm sorry," She said, sympathy in her voice.

Jalaen shook it off. "C'mon, Mother. I know that you'll find your skills very quickly," She assured her mother. "Give it a try."

Ronderu tossed the weapon in her hand, and then took a viper-fast swing. Jalaen didn't even block it, the swing was so swift. Instead she just jumped clear.

Jalaen pulled a fast attack, but Ronderu was swift to parry it. Ronderu turned that parry into an attack, and Jalaen parried with a huff.

"I told you, Mother," Jalaen smiled. "I knew you would get your skills back quickly."

"Get your sword!" Ronderu said quickly. "I think I can take two now."

It was the truth, and from that day on, one would see two Kaleesh dueling on the green terrace.

000

Qymaen never realized that sleeping with a broken leg would be this difficult.

Sure, he had dozed a little at the med center, but he was very sleep deprived. Ronderu, after coming down from the roof, seemed brimming with happiness. Noticing her two lig swords strapped to her waist, he realized that Jalaen and she had been dueling.

"Ronderu, are you sure that's the best thing for you?" Qymaen had asked.

She had nodded. Then Jalaen and Kiel had shown them around Republica 500.

But it didn't help Qymaen sleep.

Ronderu looked at him from under the covers. "Having issues, Qymaen?" She asked.

Qymaen grunted. "What did you think?"

"It's mister STABBY!" Jalaen yelled in her sleep.

Ronderu glanced towards the annex. "Was Jalaen worth it?" She asked.

"Watch out, mister Stabby will get you!" Jalaen kept saying.

Qymaen considered. "With a broken leg, no. But the rest of the time, yes," he admitted. "But I would like to sleep."

"Good luck with that," Ronderu whispered in Kaleesh. "I remember when you were younger, you would construct battle plans in you sleep."

"Leave Jalaen to that," Qymaen said, and he heard Ronderu shifting in the dark.

"No, bad mister Stabby!" Jalaen kept on yelling about the elusive Mr. Stabby. "Ow, Rubble, don't bite me! That hurts!"