The 7th Hymn of Tiresias

Chapter 9

Poets are all who love, who feel great truths,
And tell them; and the truth of truths is love.
Festus. Scene xvi. The Hesperian Sphere. – Philip James Bailey

With the midday meal still untouched. Aubé lay contentedly in Luke's arms, sheltered from the chill that had descended upon them.

Almost contentedly.

"Your face is prickly," Aubé grumbled into his chest, wrinkling her nose. "Were you in such a hurry this morning that you forgot to shave the hair off your face?"

"I like it," Luke murmured, rubbing the top of her head with his chin. "I was thinking of letting it grow, actually."

Aubé snorted. "People will mistake you for a wookiee, Luke."

Suddenly, Luke began grunting and howling, eliciting gales of laughter from Aubé.

"You should do that for your daughter, Luke," she said at last as the laughter subsided. "Or perhaps not –
She worships the ground you walk on and would probably start in over first meal. It's hard enough to get her to eat without having her howling like a wookiee on top of things!"

"Aubé, she barely knows me," Luke replied softly, but Aubé shook her head.

"Luke, she knows all about you."

"Stories…"

"Truths!" Aubé insisted. "Not the myth that is Jedi Skywalker, the man who is her 'Pay-Pa'!" She kissed him tenderly. "She knows about the wise and gentle man who rests in my arms, who loves so fully and gives so freely. She knows from him the importance of family…"

Luke mulled this over as Aubé reluctantly rolled away to get dressed.

"I think we should get back," she sighed at last.

Shaking the loose grains of sand form his hair, Luke checked his chrono. "It's early yet, Bé," he murmured softly. "And we still haven't talked."

"Pem was a little warm this morning," Aubé replied absently, pulling a light tunic over her head. "I just want to be sure she's all right."

"Bé," Luke said a little more firmly, taking her arm. "We can't put this off any more – you know what needs to be done."

"My daughter needs me, Luke," Aubé said quietly, turning her head away as she pulled on her leggings.

"Our daughter, Bé…" Luke corrected her as he rose to his knees. "And this isn't just about Pem and you know it!"

Aubé thinned her lips – so reminiscent of her father – but said nothing, and Luke pressed on. "Aubé, there are children in trouble…"

"Luke, there are always problems in the Galaxy," she said morosely as she rose. "Why do you think you can solve them all?"

"You sound like my sister."

"Maybe because you know she's right?"

Luke rocked back on his heels, frustrated. "Bé… Nails… What happened to you? For the love of the Force, you're a Jedi!"

"No I'm not a Jedi, Luke." Aubé pulled on a light coat as she headed towards the first speeder. "That's the simple truth of things. My parents were Jedi. My brother is a healer. I'm… I'm just me."

And with that sad and cryptic reply, Aubé started the speeder and headed back to the city.

**

When Pemberian didn't come rushing out of the house to meet him, Luke knew there was something amiss. Kampher waiting at the doorway with a look of concern on her face did nothing to relive his fear.

"Pem?"

Kampher nodded. "She has a fever, Luke, and she's been asking for you." A cold snake of fear wound itself in the pit of Luke's stomach. He knew that in a house full of Healers – Jedi Healers in particular – a simple fever would not be such cause for concern.

Luke nearly fell over himself trying to rush past Kam; a strangled "Where?" was all he could manage.

"In her bed," Kampher called after him, unsure if Luke even heard. "Aubé is there with her, and the boys are down at the market getting more medication. I'll be up in a minute with some more cooling packs."

He took the steps two and three at a time, and in almost an instant had burst into his daughter's sunny bedroom. Aubé, who was sitting at the side, greeted Luke with a sour look of concern.

"She was asleep, Luke," Aubé said softly. "I thought Jedi were supposed to be well practiced in the art of stealth…"

"Pay-Pa?" came the sleepy call from the bed, arms open wide. "Pay-Pa?"

"I'm here, little pilot," Luke called softly as Aubé made room of the bed for him. "I'm here…"
Carefully, he scooped her into his arms and held her close. She was as hot as the mid-day ground on his home of Tatooine, and far too pale but for two high spots of color on her cheeks. Luke reached into the Force, trying to discern what could possibly be wrong, but all he could see was a whirling darkness, interspersed with shades of reds – the color of fever – surrounding his daughter.

"Pay-Pa," she whimpered softly. "I don't feel good at all."

"I know, little pilot," Luke crooned gently, stroking a sweaty lock of hair off of her fore-head. "You're going to be all right…" He cast a questioning look at Aubé, who looked positively frightened.

"She's getting worse!" Aubé mouthed silently, eyes widening.

"Pay-Pa…" Pem groaned. Her head rolled bonelessly in his embrace as her eyes rolled up, showing only the white. Aubé fairly screamed.

"Fill the basin with cool water!" Luke said suddenly. "We've got to cool her down quickly!" He was trying desperately to keep the raw terror out of his voice.

Gods, what is happening to my daughter?

In the race to get Pem into the water, they nearly collided with Kampher in the hall way. Kampher covered her mouth in horror, dropping the cooling packs as she gazed upon her granddaughter. "Luke!" she cried. "What happened?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing!" Luke replied grimly as he placed Pem into the slowly filling basin, her dress and hair floating about her almost ethereally. "Master, you're a Healer – what's wrong with my daughter? How long has she been like this?"

"I'm going to com the medical center," Kampher told them, ignoring Luke's question as she began backing down the stairwell. "I can't believe…" she broke off, then picking up the cooling packs, Kam regained the composure that befitted her experience as a Master Healer. "Luke, bring the fever down, then wrap her up with the cooling packs to keep it down. The medi-center will send a transport that will be faster and safer than a speeder…"

"Mother!" Aubé wailed. "What's wrong with my daughter?"

"Just do as I say!" Kampher snapped, leaving Luke, Aubé and Pem in the small bathing chamber, more frightened and confused then they had ever been.