Booster kept looking sideways at Shada as he escorted her along an underground passageway of the abandoned military base on Dathomir. "Shouldn't you be in sickbay?" He finally asked.

Startled, she frowned up at his tall figure. "I'm pregnant, not sick. This won't take long. Now I'm beginning to understand why Mirax wanted to pull her hair out," she muttered the last part to herself.

Overhearing, Booster answered anyway, "You women don't know when to take it easy. She was working and with a customer when the baby came. That idiot Corran was useless, running around without a brain in his head; some Jedi. I had to get her to the doctor and placate the Sullustan trader. He had words about Sullustan women staying home to whelp and how superior to human females they were."

"We human women just don't know our place." She stopped before a locked door. "All the codes Dr. Eloy gave us for this door haven't worked. I suspect the Dathomir witches might have tampered with the lock. I don't really want to pay them a visit."

"Me either," Booster was quick to agree. The crew of the Starry Ice was milling about and had tried for two days to open the door, calling in repeated failures. With Talon on Coruscant, Shada visited Dr. Eloy, who was still sequestered on the Errant Venture. Talon wouldn't let her go searching for the Mistryls until he could go with her and she wasn't carrying his future. Billey asked him to come to Coruscant as he was dying. Talon left, promising he'd be back before the babies made their appearance. Dr. Eloy gave her a program to override and reprogram the lock. When Booster heard she was going to the surface to scope the situation out, he escorted her personally in his private shuttle.

Shirlee stepped forward and looked at Shada's protruding stomach. "Should you be down here?"

"Probably not and I'm tired of people asking questions along those lines." She put enough edge in her tone, that everyone including Booster backed off. The code override was complicated and had to be performed perfectly or they were looking at blasting the doors with munitions on the other side. That could cause the entire compound to go up in flames. She pulled the datapad and looked at the lock. "It says there is a trip wire in this mechanism that is attached to explosives. I want you and all your people to clear the area," Shada ordered Shirlee.

Once again, Shirlee felt stirrings of anger at being ordered by this woman and forced them down. "Someone should stay with you."

"I'm under orders from Karrde not to leave her side, outside a trip to the refresher," Booster rumbled. "She's right, get to safety."

Corvis laid his hand on Shada's arm. "We'll be up top if you need us," and he motioned for the other's to follow him.

Shada turned to the lock and slid a vibro-knife along the edge carefully. Booster held his breath as the seal gave way without blowing them into space. She pulled it out and let it hang by wires. Inset in the wall was another pad. Shada felt a cramp and ignored it. Concentrating, she jumped when a comlink beeped.

"Booster, and it better be good," Booster roared and it echoed down the empty corridor.

Shirlee spoke up, "Some of the witches and their pet rancors are here. They want us to leave."

"Tell them we own the base and are stripping it out. Then we will leave." Booster looked at Shada for confirmation.

Another pain hit and she gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the talking. She looked at the notes on her datapad. To reconfigure the commands to override old code, press blue button and hold it down. She methodically followed the steps and tuned Booster out.

"Shada...Shada."

She finally found a stopping point and looked at him. "What?"

"I'm going topside. The witches are making demands. I'll lock the door behind me so they can't get to you."

"And leave me locked in? Don't you dare."

"The witches are threatening your people. I'll talk to them." He hurried off.

"Just great," she muttered and continued. A short time later, she heard blaster shots and worked faster. "Uhhggg." She doubled over, clutching her stomach. "Oh, not now." The ground shook as heavy artillery was being used, by which side she didn't know. Gritting teeth against the pain, she looked at the datapad and found her place. A few more pushes of buttons and the door slid open revealing a full depository of weapons and ammunition for ground forces. She took three steps inside the room and it felt like her bladder gave way. Her pants were soaked and water ran down her legs into her boots. She reached for her comlink. "Booster."

Booster was pinned down behind a pylon while the witches and their servants shot at the the Starry Ice from outside the walls. They were trying to lift off and the witches were keeping them down with witchcraft. Faughn ordered them to fire back, blowing holes in the compound walls. His comlink squawked as Shada cried his name. She didn't sound right. "I can't get to you. What do you need?"

"Kriff. I need help down here, Booster. Can you send Shirlee?"

"She's in her ship trying to leave. Forget this place and we'll try and make my shuttle. If they see us all leaving, they might back off."

"I got the door open. I'm not leaving all this for them. Do you know what they want?"

"No. The shooting started just as I got outside. Let me call Shirlee and see if she knows." He switched channels and called Faughn. Soon he was back. "They want a cut of what's in the room. Faughn told them no and they started the shooting. She wanted to get high enough to aim down, but they are holding the ship firm."

"Booster….." Her strangled cry cut off anything else he was going to say.

"Shada, we need to call reinforcements from the Venture. Hold tight. Help will be coming soon."

"Not that…..the babies are coming... right now."

Booster was sure he was going to pass out. When Mirax had her baby, he knew exactly what to do; get her to the professionals. He looked at the opening fifty feet away and called the Starry Ice. "Faughn, get help from my ship down here and a doctor. Lay down cover fire for me to get back inside." As soon as a barrage of ion blasts hit the compound walls the witches were hiding behind, he made a mad dash for the opening and ran down the steps into the underground corridor. It was long and dimly lit with emergency lights spaced far apart.

Running as fast as he could, his boots slid on the slick floor as he skidded to a stop in front of the now open door. On a pallet marked rifles, Shada was naked from the waist down with her pants under her and legs bent at the knees. She was pushing and had a vibroblade clamped between her teeth. He couldn't help himself. He grabbed his comlink and took a picture before moving to her side. He looked into her pain-filled eyes. "What do I do?"

She took the knife out. "Catch."

His eye went wide. "How close are you?"

"They are coming now and didn't give me much warning. By the fourth cramp, my water broke and they started moving." She shoved the knife back between her teeth as a contraction hit and a moan escaped. He reached out and wiped the tears creasing her dry skin down the outsides of her eyes towards her ears. He stroked her hair, hoping to give a small measure of comfort and watched another contraction wrack her body.

He looked around for something to put over her or wrap the babies in. All he saw were mountains of marked crates. He stripped his shirt off and draped it over her legs. "I'll have to use it to wipe the baby off." His voice was rich with regret.

"Get ready, Booster." She didn't get the knife back and let out a scream and he saw something between her legs.

"Kriff, it's here." He reached for the baby now lying on his mother's soaked pants. He grabbed his shirt and wrapped it around the baby. Shada was panting while he wiped the baby off. Eyes opened for the first time and Booster looked into pale blue orbs. "He is Talon's spawn all right."

Shada cried out again and he saw her pushing hard. Holding the first baby, he watched helplessly. He hadn't been home when Jysella gave birth to their daughter. He was quite moved when Mirax named her daughter after her mother. Helplessly, he watched, partly in fascination. He looked around when the pushing became constant and set the baby on the next pallet. He turned back and saw the crown of a baby's head. He put a hand down and waited to catch it.

Two more pushes and Shada went limp and the baby was in Booster's large hands. He looked around for anything to wrap around the baby. "Shada, I need your shirt." He wasn't sure she heard or could sit up. He took the vibroblade that had dropped by her head while holding the slippery baby in one arm, hoping he didn't squirt out. "Don't take this wrong or hurt me, but I really need your top." He carefully cut up the middle until it parted. "Help me, Shada. Hold your son." He set the baby on her chest and saw her hand come up to hold him in place. He cut one sleeve off and then the other. With a gentle lift, he slid the top from under her and took the baby. He noticed his eyes were brown like hers.

"Thanks." Shada didn't know a person could go through so much and still be alive. That was the most intense pain she'd ever experienced, but it was over.

Booster took one of her pant legs and cleaned as best he could between her legs, then picked her panties up and slid them up her legs. "Never thought I'd live to see the day when I'd ask a woman to put clothes on; lift your hips." She did and he covered her up. He took a baby and placed it on her chest again. "This is the first one. He has blue eyes like his father. I'll keep the one with your beautiful chocolates."

Shada lifted her head and looked at her firstborn, then the other. "Show me him."

Booster leaned over so she could see the second born.

"They're beautiful." She stroked a finger down the cheek of the boy he held.

"What do I do with the placentas?"

"Let me do it. Take D'ukal."

"What?"

"Talon and I decided to name the firstborn D'ukal Karrde."

"I hate to ask what you settled on for the second." He took D'ukal in his free arm and watched Shada sit up with a moan.

She looked around and picked up the vibroblade he sat beside her. "Give me one."

He moved D'ukal into her arms and watched as she unwrapped the shirt. Two strips of the shirt tied around the cord and a swift cut between and she was reaching for the second baby.

"I knew that." He switched boys. "I have to get us out of here and to the ship." He finally thought of Talon. "I hope Talon understands me seeing you…" he trailed off.

Shada laughed. "Talon is in trouble for running off when he knew I was so close. Do you think he did it on purpose?" She sobered.

"No. Billey is dying and asked to see him. He didn't want to go and asked me to take good care of you. I kinda failed on that front." He looked around, seeing for the first time. "This is a nice cache. Talon's been mysterious on his finds. Are they along this line?"

"This is a small one."

Booster looked the crates over, very impressed. He was going to do some serious bartering with that boy. He looked at the baby in his arms and realized no sounds of shooting permeating down to their level. "I need you to take son number two, since you haven't given me a name. I'm going to see what's going on topside." He carefully placed the baby in her arms.

"You're bleeding."

He looked at his flesh wound. "Didn't even notice they got me."

She sat the boys down on the pallet beside her and cut another slice of cloth and bound his arm. "I hope I never have to bind Talon's wounds."

His hand gripped her shoulder. "Talon is tough and has you by his side. I've watched him grow from a gangly kid to head the largest organization of our time. Now that he has someone to inherit the fruits of his labor; I'm seeing a new side of him. His crew is seeing it also. He is changing on the inside. Before, he was a loner, keeping himself apart with the Vornskr for company. You've made such a difference to him; he opens up more. I tried for years to get to the root of his reticence. I never dreamed he was hiding a failed marriage and then he sat down and told me all about it when he came back from Bastion. If he asked Nawara not to say anything, he wouldn't have, but he was ready to share. You did that for him."

"I like to think it's mutual. He's had a profound effect on me also." She looked down at a baby in each arm. "Hey, guys, we'll have to tell Daddy about our big day."

Booster took another holograph with his comlink while she was looking down. "I'll be back." He peered around the door and took off at a run. Stopping inside the open main entrance, he looked outside. The witches were talking to Nawara. His X-Wing was in the compound parked beside the Starry Ice, as were several fighters and pilots Nawara was teaching to fly in his spare time.

Nawara looked up as Booster's shadow fell across his face. "We are negotiating the contents of the underground depot." Nawara filled him in.

"What is your claim?" Booster asked what looked like the leader.

"We were given all that exists on Dathomir. That includes the compound from the Imperials. We own what you are trying to steal. To be fair, we don't need the contents of that room, but want to be compensated ten percent of the selling price."

"The owner isn't here, but he's a reasonable man. My word will stand for his. You'll have your ten percent. Right now, we have an emergency and need to go back to my ship."

Nawara looked at his bare chest and wrapped arm. "I hardly think that scratch is an emergency."

Booster laughed. "While you all were shooting at each other, I was busy delivering Talon's spawn."

"Shada?" Nawara pointed to the building.

"That's right, but she got the door open first. Where's that doctor?" Booster yelled. The medical droid clanked down the ramp of a shuttle and the medic from the Starry Ice joined them. Booster told them what happened and soon Shada was carried on a stretcher to the shuttle, while Booster and Nawara each carried a baby, still wrapped in shirts. One of the crew recorded the entire event and Talon would add it to his family collection in time. The witches gathered around the babies to bless them with long life and prosperity and presented gifts of a knife carved from a Rancor's tooth for each baby.

Shirlee took the baby Nawara held into the shuttle and handed him to the doctor droid, who started his inspection and vital statistics. She went to where Shada was resting comfortably. "I'll get the depot loaded on my ship, but it'll take many trips. A witch is assigned to us until the transaction in credits is given to them."

"Offer them one hundred thousand credits," Shada instructed.

Shirlee left and soon returned with a witch. "We will accept that amount providing you can pay today."

"How do you want your funds?" Shada asked.

"Credit chips; ten thousand denominations."

Shada addressed Shirlee, "Don't touch the merchandise until they are paid. Ask Ven if he'll get it from the ship's vault and bring it to them."

Again, Shirlee left with the witch trailing.

As promised Talon informed the New Republic about Furlang, but not until he arrived to do business on Coruscant four months later. He was in the spacious office of Leia Solo and looked around. "I see you're back in charge," he stated after giving his report to her.

"My year hiatus ended a few weeks ago. I'll give the job a few more years then resign." Leia sounded wistful. "Enough about work, how's Shada?"

He smiled and warmth spread through him as he thought about her. "If I put a pin in her, she'll pop."

"Watch it, I was that way when I carried twins." She saw by his smile; he knew exactly how to tease her and shook her head. "Why isn't she here with you?"

"As you know, I'm involved in dealings with Dr. Eloy. We hit a snag on one of the planets and she's overseeing the project." He was as vague as he was informative.

"I wish you would tell me what you and Eloy are doing, but I know you won't." She smiled across the desk at him. "When is Shada due?"

"Any day now. I asked Booster to stay near her. He is the only person outside of me, she might even listen to. I couldn't get out of this meeting or I'd be by her side like the dutiful husband I'll never be."

She chuckled. "You and Han are so much alike."

He thought, 'If you only knew.'

"We haven't had any sightings of the rogue star destroyers since Booster encountered them on Mygeeto. They limped out of the system and vanished," she filled him in. "Have you heard anything through your network?"

"Nothing." It was not something he would impart to her unless necessary anyway.

Her holocomm buzzed.

"Yes?" She answered.

"I'm sorry to bother you, is Talon Karrde still with you?"

"He is." Leia looked quizzically at Talon.

"Please inform him Booster Terrik called our office and is trying to reach him. He said it was very important."

"Patch it through. Is it alright if I listen in?" She poised her hand over a button.

"Sure."

Leia hit a button and the viewscreen materialized into Booster.

Booster smiled. "Princess Leia, so good to see you again." He looked to where Talon rounded the desk to stand by her chair. "You'll never be able to repay the favor I did for you today."

"Try me." Talon's deep voice held a hint of mockery.

"Better yet, I'll show you." He looked off screen and motioned. Mirax and Jari stepped up, each holding a baby.

Talon felt a jolt of adrenalin as he realized they were his. He didn't take his eyes off the bundles.

Leia gave an exclamation of delight and stood, putting a hand on his arm. "Congratulations, Daddy."

He found his voice in the one thing that mattered most. "Shada?"

Booster stepped behind the women and put a hand on each shoulder. "She's sleeping. We're leaving here around six hundred hours for Coruscant. I want to see Billey also."

Talon nodded. "He doesn't have much time left, hurry. Can I see a close up of their faces?"

Mirax held the one she was holding closer to the lens. "This is the firstborn. He has your blue eyes." She stepped back and Jari added as she stepped closer, "And the second born. He has his mother's brown eyes."

Talon licked his lips and stroked his goatee. "I'll be waiting, and tonight I celebrate with my crew my good fortune."

"Wait until you hear the story of their coming into the galaxy." Booster was grinning broadly. "You owe me a bottle of Whyren's Reserve for my part in their arrival."

"Tell me."

"Oh no. I want to see your face when you hear the details. Gotta run; Nawara is taking one hundred thousand credits of your money to the surface, but that's another story." With a grin, Booster cut the link.

"Blast him," Talon growled and immediately apologized, "Forgive my language, Princess."

Leia laughed. "I wish Han only used such language around the kids."

Nawara was standing off to the side while the women played with the babies. Booster joined him after cutting Talon off and watched them place the boys in beds beside his granddaughter, Jysella, who was now a month old.

"When you going to add to the next generation?" Booster looked sideways at his executive officer.

"We're trying. Jari wants one real bad after seeing these."

"And you?"

"I try to be more subtle, but I want a house full of kits."

Shada stirred and opened her eyes. She saw her friends looking at the babies and realized she was on the ship and her ordeal over. She'd fallen asleep on the shuttle after the doctor doped her with pain meds.

Booster and Nawara hurried over as everyone gathered around her bed.

"I feel like I'm on display," she commented.

"You should feel like a pampered new mother," Mirax smiled. "Those are beautiful boys. You just lay back and let other's do all the work, except the feeding, that's on you."

"Are they hungry? How long have I been sleeping?"

"They are a little fussy. It's been about three hours."

"Bring me one to feed, would you please, Jari," Shada asked.

"This is the one you've named, D'ukal." Jari laid the baby in her arms and looked at the men. "Don't you two have work?"

"Hey, I've seen more of her than Talon is going to appreciate," Booster complained.

Nawara stroked his lekku down Jari's face, flipped it around his neck and left without a word. He was overseeing the transfer of supplies from the surface.

"I need my nursing tops." Shada still was in her bra that didn't open up and she had to take it off.

"I've brought what you need from your quarters." Mirax lifted a bag off the counter and looked at her father. "What are you still doing here?"

"I just wanted to make sure Shada is alright. I promised Talon I would look after her."

"The doctor said she did fine having the babies without him, but he's observing her for the next twenty four hours." Mirax took his arm and led him out of the maternity room.

After he left, Shada pulled the sheet back and saw what she was wearing and remembered how she came to be in a bra and panties and she was a mess. "Jari, I'm sorry, take him back. I can't feed him looking like this."

The shower felt refreshing and cleansing. She changed into her post pregnancy clothes and rejoined her friends. They chatted while Mirax and Shada fed their babies. All Jari could do was switch the boys for Shada and hope to hold her own someday.

Booster left orbit as soon as the last load came aboard in the Starry Ice. They worked all night and he was anxious to get underway. O five hundred they jumped to hyperspace for Coruscant.

Booster and Nawara both were waiting to greet the Wild Karrde, when it berthed in the spot Booster assigned it while on his ship.

Talon was first down the ramp with an impatient look on his handsome bearded face, clutched in his hand, a travel bag. Courtesy stopped him and he hoped they were brief. He was gone from her for over a week and two days from his sons.

Booster saw the rare impatience in his eyes and fell in step with him, as did Nawara. He pulled his comlink and pulled the holographs up. Without a word, he handed the comlink to Talon.

What he saw stopped him in his tracks. "What the kriff is this?"

"Shada having your kids in a depot on Dathomir. On this image, I walked in on her. I knew you'd want to see it." Booster reached over and moved to the next shot. She was holding each baby and gazing at them in wonder and love. "I delivered them, Talon. Just her and me. The witches were fighting the Starry Ice topside so I was the best she had. And that's not saying much because I was all she had. Everyone's fine in spite of me." Booster got his wish and saw a myriad of emotions flood Talon's face, starting with guilt and moving to chagrin, with a hint of anger and finally schooled into his usual impassive expression.

Talon flipped back to the first shot, pulled his comlink and transferred the holographs. Then he deleted the ones on Booster's comlink.

"Hey, I was going to sell those," Booster objected with humor in his tone.

Nawara, who was looking at them for the first time spoke up. "Booster, how much do you charge as a mid-wife?"

That finally got a positive reaction from Talon and he chuckled. "You're right, I do owe you an expensive bottle for your mid-wife duties. Right now, I need to make amends for being absent in what is probably the second most important event in my life." In the lift he asked, "Where is she?"

"Your quarters."

Talon stopped outside his door, realizing those two were still with him. Hand on his door control, he looked at them. "I'm not inviting you in."

"We were hoping you'd tell us the name of the second son." Nawara had money riding on the name. "Shada said the firstborn was D'ukal, but wouldn't divulge the second, and everyone's asked."

"I'll have to get back to you." Talon entered, closed and locked the door. The Vornskr rushed to greeted him. Setting his bag down and knelt between them. With an arm around each neck, he pulled them close. "You now have two more charges to watch over."

He opened the bedroom door and peeked in. She was in bed on her side facing away from him. He silently placed the bag on the floor and looked around. He saw two baby cradles on her side and crept over. He turned a soft light on over the cradles and looked down on his sons, and wondered which one was his eldest. His finger was large against their small cheeks and he felt the softest skin. Touching made them real.

Leaving the light on, he moved to the bed and looked down on his wife's face so peaceful in slumber. He went down on one knee and watched her even breaths. His gaze shifted to her exposed wrist and hand jutting off the bed. He leaned over and let his lips caress the inside of her exposed flesh. The tickling of his whiskers woke her and the catching of her breath alerted him to lean back as her hand swiped empty air. "It's me." His voice stopped her instinctive reaction.

"You scared me."

"Sorry, I had to tell you how much I regret not being there for you."

She reached out and touched his arm. "Did you hear about how they came into the world?"

"No, but Booster took a couple of graphic holo's." He sat on the bed. She rolled on to her back and he placed another pillow under her and turned her lamp on. Alternating between holding her hand and stroking her much flatter abdomen, he heard what happened. When she finished, he leaned over for his first kiss, letting his lips linger against hers.

A baby cried and he jumped up to retrieve it. The boy opened his eyes and Talon saw a beautiful dark brown gaze trying to focus on him. "You must be Terrik." He returned to Shada and watched as she opened, what was the ugliest garment he'd ever seen and put the baby to her breast. "How long do I have to share my toys?" He purposely added an edge to his tone.

She laughed and stroked his hand. "A few months and then they'll be weaned to formula and my body is your sole plaything again." She watched Terrik nurse and asked, "Did you tell Booster his name?"

"No, I was surprised when you hadn't. He earned the name." When they discussed names, they decided one from her side and one from his. His comment broke her heart when he said Booster was the closest he had to a family, like an older brother. She suggested Terrik then and he readily agreed.

The second baby woke with a whimper. Talon gathered him up and matched icy blue eyes looked at each other. Talon stared at him until the baby blinked and Talon laughed. "I win, and you remember that, boy. You might be my firstson, but I'm still the boss."

"Talon, cut that out."

"Yes, dearest." He brought the baby to her and perched on the edge of the bed, looking down at his bundle. "Wait your turn, boy."

Shada shook her head. "You can't train them like Vornskr."

He gave her a surprised look. "I will put my stamp on their young lives, so when they are old and I'm dead; my teaching will carry on in their actions."

"For what it's forth, I think you're a good man, in spite of ditching me to have them alone."

He smiled. "How soon can you…."

"I didn't mean that type of good," and they laughed as he switched sons out.