OSIK, MEET FAN

Everybody had to find out sooner or later so let's pick back up with Dalla who has a life changing comm to make and an unexpected one to receive.

…

"So we're agreed then?" Lux Bonteri's holo image asked her from the cabin of the shuttle that was somewhere parsecs away between hyperspace jumps. They had to finish their conversation quickly before the pilot made the next jump and the connection would be lost.

Dalla stood in front of the Blackhold comm room's holotable and wrung her hands. "I suppose it is what's best for Onderon."

Lux laughed. He was as nervous about the prospect as she was, she knew, but he covered it so much better with his skills as a senator. "Come on it's not as bad as the last time you were offered a proposal from the Royal house of Iziz."

"No it's not." At least if they were going to go through with this she had the consolation that he could make her smile.

"So I'm stopping off in the capital and then I'll catch a planet hopper up to the Hold…" he laid out the plans.

She picked up where he left off. "And we'll make our announcement to the family at dinner and a formal planetwide announcement some time in the next week. And then we'll begin making plans for the…"

"Wedding." He finished for her.

"Aye." She agreed. She placed both hands on the holotable to steady herself. "Salt gods. We're actually doing this."

He was smiling still. "Go have a piece of your aunt's fruitcake if there is any. It's good for shock."

She glared back at him playfully. "Are you sure you don't want me to come down to Iziz and fetch you in the Southern Whore?"

"No please, Captain. The planet hopper will bring me to your side much faster than a sea journey."

They stared awkwardly at each other a moment longer.

"I feel like after accepting your proposal we should kiss or something to seal the deal." Dalla tried to laugh.

"We'll have plenty of time for that when I arrive, my dear." He raised an eyebrow and her stomach dropped. This was nothing like trading quips with Saw used to be. She wondered sadly where the rebel might be now and what havoc he might be causing the Empire.

"See you soon, Lux."

This was going to be interesting. Dalla hadn't even told her father about the negotiations she and Lux had been involved in. But he would be happy for them. He and mother had considered something like this with the Bonteris when they were children. It was too bad that neither Dane, nor Mina, nor Lana had lived to see this day. Maybe her mother could have given her the advice she desperately needed.

She was still struggling to regulate her breathing when the comm chimed. She thought it might be Lux wanting to have the last word before he dropped into hyperspace but in fact it was the very last person she expected. "Lord Bralykburn, to what do I owe this… complete and utter shock."

He smiled. That was disconcerting. Dalla had only seen the man smile like that once before in her life and then he'd just been handed Talia and Ephraim's son Truman. She knew the man's grandson was his pride and joy even if he would carry on the name Harkon.

"Oh but it is a pleasure, Lady Blackwell."

"Fishing season going well?" She asked, hoping that was all it was.

"Funny you should ask." He grinned. Hugo Bralykburn grinned! "Our clan has made the most marvelous catch."

She waited for him to get to the point but he was plainly enjoying stringing this out.

"Another of my dear daughters has just been married."

"Well that's… congratulations." She was sure that couldn't be the whole story so she asked the next obvious question. "Who was the lucky groom? Anyone I know?" Even as she said the words she was praying, salt gods, don't let it be Cade! She knew he'd been hanging around with one of the twins at Thias's wedding, and perhaps more than just hanging out, but he couldn't be this stupid.

"Why aye, actually, someone you know very well."

Gods, it is Cade!

He finished triumphantly. "Your cousin, Emoth!"

Her mouth dropped open. This was, if possible, even worse than Cade. Uncle Jamos was going to murder… someone. Possibly Hugo or Emoth or bloody Dxun, he'd probably just go on a murderous rampage and kill them all. "That's… that's…" her brain fought to form words.

"I know! Isn't it just wonderful?"

That hadn't been the word she was thinking of.

"Emoth and my Kayla said their vows here at the Keep the day before yesterday! I am sorry it has taken me so long to inform your family of the happy occasion. It's been such a whirlwind."

I bet you are sorry or you will be when Uncle Jamos gets through with you. And then she realized that he wasn't done there was something else he was saving for dramatic effect. "Aye." She muttered suspiciously.

"The happy couple are on their way to the Hold to celebrate with your family but I did wish to contact you, My Lady." Here he didn't give her exactly a full bow. It was more like a mocking nod. "To let you know that even though my Kayla is still only 16 that she and her husband have my full permission and blessing for their union."

"Right." She said shortly, waiting for the other shoe to drop and here it came.

"However…" yep big heavy sea boot dropping in 3… 2… "when you decorate for your celebrations of the nuptials you needn't be in a hurry to hang the blue and black banners."

"And why is that, Lord Bralykburn?"

He looked contrite. "You are aware, Lady Blackwell, that since the death of my son…" laying on the sympathy. "The salt gods have blessed me only with daughters."

Emoth what have you done?

"I love my granddaughters and grandson dearly, but I have no male heir to carry on the name of my house."

Maybe take the hint from the salt gods and let it die with you?

"Your cousin Emoth has, therefore, graciously offered to take his wife's family name."

"Kriffing Dxun!" The curse was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

He laughed. The noble Lord Bralykburn practically giggled. "Gods, my only regret is that I won't be there to see Jamos's face when he finds out. Can you get a holo for me? I'm sure his reaction will be even more colorful than yours."

"This isn't the end of this! The Blackwell name will not be disgraced by a pirate with no honor and no pride… we have weathered worse marriage propositions and have come out the stronger for it! Don't you think that we will stand by and…"

He was still smiling. He knew he couldn't be hurt by her tirade of words. "You misunderstand. Your cousin entered this agreement willingly. It was his idea. I believe you will find, when they arrive… tomorrow? that Emoth and Kayla would take great offense at the idea of being parted. But I will let them explain all that." He sighed. "It is exhausting work putting together a wedding on such short notice. And I still have one more daughter of nearly marriageable age to think of. Good day, Lady Blackwell. Give my regards to your father and your aunt and uncle." And with that he ended the comm and left her with the awesome responsibility of relaying all this to the family.

…

It had been a great joke at the wedding, when the ships arrived from the south filled with tons of dirt. The gift had come from her daughter-in-law. Shara and Rayala had spoken often of their shared love of growing things. Shara had mentioned once that what they lacked in the north was not heat or light, those things could be synthesized. But this could not be.

She plunged her hands into the dark, rich soil just to enjoy the feel of it between her fingers. Finally after all these years, the Blackhold greenhouse boasted an entire row of jogan trees, with plenty of space for their roots to grow down deep. It was a dream come true.

The chime of her comm interrupted her revelry but she didn't really care about the dirt under her fingernails when she reached for it and saw who was on the line.

"Dalla, did you get the comm you were waiting for?" Shara had guessed from the rather vague and hypothetical conversations she had been having with her niece lately what the comm from Coruscant that Dalla was expecting today might entail.

"I… I did." If Dalla's voice sounded worried, that was to be expected. It was after all a big decision that she was making. Shara would of course support her no matter what she chose. And they all liked Lux so she was sure no one would object. "I need to speak with you and Father and Uncle Jamos."

"Aye. I'll just get cleaned up…"

"As soon as you can, please, Aunt Shara. We're in father's office. Uncle Jamos is already on his way."

"Alright. What's a little dirt under the fingernails? I'll be right there."

Despite her own cheerful response, something in Dalla's tone nagged at Shara as she ended the comm and set out across the Hold grounds. She had almost sounded surprised when Shara asked her about the comm as if what she had to tell them had to do with something else entirely. But what else could it be?

Shara had long suspected that Dalla and Lux were considering the prospect of uniting their houses along with the rest of the planet. They weren't in love but they were good friends. And Dalla had been skirting around the issue for weeks trying to get her aunt's opinion about entering into a marriage of convenience.

She had told Shara that Lux might try to contact her some time soon to ask if she had made a decision. And Dalla had monopolized the comm room for most of the afternoon. If they wanted to give it a go, salt gods bless them both. That's what Shara thought about it and she was ready to tell Marlon so to support her niece.

…

"Do you know what this is all about?" Her husband asked her when they met at the door to Marlon's office.

"Well I thought I did." Shara bit her lip.

"Dalla sounded rather… distressed when she commed me."

"Aye. If it was what I suspected, I could understand her being a bit nervous to tell us all, but her tone was more…"

The door slid open before them and Marlon spoke from behind his desk. "Come on in, you two. Let's hear what my daughter has to say."

They entered and Shara gave her niece, who it seemed had just left off pacing, an encouraging smile.

Dalla sighed and dove right in. "I received a comm today from…"

"Lux Bonteri?" Shara supplied in the pause.

"No."

Shara frowned.

"Well, Aye. But after we disconnected the conversation someone else chimed in."

Marlon looked as if he very much wanted to ask about the first conversation that his sister-in-law seemed to have more knowledge of than he did himself, but he forced himself to stay on topic. "Who was this second comm from?"

"Hugo Bralykburn." Dalla assessed their reactions.

Relations had been better with the clan from the Keep since the war, but mostly because they had kept themselves to themselves. Hugo had only concerned himself with their business a couple of times in the last few years and that was only when their paths crossed through the Harkon family. The last time Shara had seen any of the Bralykburns was at Kason's wedding and then it had only been the little girls, Talia's twin half-sisters. She had been too busy to really pay them any mind but someone had…

"What's that old pirate up to now?" Jamos laughed but he was the only one and his wife gave him a stern look.

Dalla continued. "His daughter Kayla was just married a couple of days ago."

"She can't be old enough." Shara burst out, a feeling of foreboding grow in her chest.

Dalla nodded, glad for a moment to stall the inevitable. "She's sixteen but Hugo gave his permission for her to go ahead."

"Who did she marry?" Marlon asked, and they all looked up to see how very white he had become.

Dalla hesitated for just another galactic second as her mouth moved to form the name. "Emoth."

Her father let out his breath in a rush of relief. He must have guessed as she had that it was Cade who was the groom.

Shara dropped into a chair too stunned to speak but Jamos just looked confused. Then he smiled as if someone was playing a joke. "I'm sorry? I must have heard you incorrectly. Did you say Emoth?"

Dalla nodded and she confirmed, "Emoth married Kayla Bralykburn two days ago at Bralyk Keep." Now that the words were out they seemed to be easier to say a second time.

"My son married a Bralykburn without my permission." The transformation from humor to anger was not pleasant to witness.

"But Hugo gave his permission." Marlon pointed out, trying to make sense of the situation.

Shara found her voice. "That shouldn't matter if there wasn't a representative of Emoth's family present." She knew this from personal experience.

"It seems that Cade was there as the Blackwell witness." Dalla said softly.

Jamos shot a look at his brother and the other raised his hands to protest his innocence.

"Why the rush? Why the secrecy?" Shara shook her head. She had an idea but she was praying that it wasn't true.

"Because he knew we'd never agree to this." Jamos stormed around the office like a caged animal.

"If they had fallen in love, if they had come to us reasonably. You certainly didn't make that option very approachable." She gave her husband another severe glare and he cowed a little before her. Then she continued to think aloud. "But they're both so young. A courtship could have been arranged…"

"He's the same age you and I were when we met," said Jamos.

"And she's the age I was when I met Sanjay." She said quietly.

They were all speechless for a moment until Dalla ventured, "There's something else."

"What? Your brother married the other one?" Marlon asked only half in jest.

"No it's…" Dalla steeled herself to tell the rest. "Hugo has no heir to carry on his name so it seems Emoth…" she rushed on to the end and then braced herself for the backlash. "Emoth agreed to take her name."

"Salt gods!" Jamos exclaimed and Shara looked ready to hyperventilate.

When she could articulate, she managed almost too calmly, "Emoth took her name so that he could give Hugo an heir?"

"That's what he said on the comm." Dalla confirmed.

Shara looked as if she might be sick. "Don't you see what this means?"

The others shook their heads obviously not having reached the same conclusion. They waited for her to explain.

She did so patiently. "The hurry, his permission even though she's underage, securing the… name." She looked around at their clueless faces. "Emoth has already given him an heir. The girl must be pregnant."

Jamos huffed his denial. "My son wouldn't…" but then he saw his wife's expression.

"If it had been you that I met when I was sixteen…" she suggested.

Her point was made.

"Well we won't know the truth of the matter until they arrive." Marlon brought them back to the point. He asked Dalla, "I assume they are on their way here? That's what Hugo commed to tell us."

Dalla nodded. "The wedding was the day before yesterday so in Cade's ship, with a good wind…"

"Tomorrow." Shara sighed wearily.

As he always did, especially upon seeing his wife in distress, Jamos resorted to humor. He knelt down in front of her chair and took her hands in his. "We'll get through this. I may have to murder our son for being an idiot," he glared back over his shoulder at Marlon. "And his cousin for going along with it." He smiled again at Shara. "But we will get through this."

She valiantly tried not to smile back at him. "I'm not old enough to be a grandma."

Marlon feeling that the tension in the room had broken said with a short laugh, "Aren't you the one who was just joking with Rayala a few weeks ago about babies?"

"Aye." She frowned. "Joking, with my intelligent, mature daughter-in-law. There was nothing in that conversation about a child-bride, daughter of a pirate."

They were harsh words coming from the normally decorous Shara Blackwell. She rubbed her temples with a sigh. "I'm sorry. You know I don't mean it. Suzelle was my dear friend and I'm sure her daughters… I always wanted to do whatever I could for them." She stood up and Jamos stood with her and kissed her forehead.

The truth was that when she and Rayala had discussed the matter, she wasn't even sure if a togruta and a human could produce offspring. Her son and daughter-in-law had talked about the possibility of adoption when the time was right. Not that the species difference had ever mattered to Shara. She loved the girl because her eldest son loved her and Shara was sure she could be just as accepting of her second son's bride.

"I guess I should get the place ready to welcome a new family member or two…" Shara had already switched to Lady of the house mode. Emoth had shared a room with his cousin for years with bunk beds whenever the two of them saw fit to be home at the Hold and not off on Cade's ship somewhere at sea. That would have to all be rearranged. She mumbled plans and Dalla took the opportunity to offer her help.

"Why don't you let me worry about the rooms and you can settle on a menu for dinner tomorrow night, Aunt Shara." She knew a little cooking therapy would go a long way towards calming the other woman's mood. "Lux will be joining us as well."

"Oh that's wonderful!" Shara smiled distractedly. "Maybe his diplomacy is just what we'll need."