New chapter up. Enjoy.
Kia sat in the quiet Jedi council chamber, enjoying the silence and the relief from having a huge weight removed from her shoulders.
She couldn't think of a time in her life when she'd been so nervous. For over ten years, she'd been keeping a secret and now it was over. The council knew everything, about Jace and about the baby. The conversation had gone far better than Kia could ever have hoped and she was now allowing herself a few moments to revel in the sudden removal of a very powerful stress in her life. Her headache had decreased significantly since ending the call, switching from a painful throb to a mild ache.
No one on the council was surprised by her admission of her relationship with the supreme commander. To be honest, there weren't many members of the council left to argue. They had figured it out from Jace's actions while Kia was still unconscious and fighting for her life after the events in the spaceport. Master Satele had actually asked Jace and he admitted to the affair openly, not caring who knew. That part of the conversation didn't have Kia worried. It was when she informed them of her physical condition that she worried the hammer would fall.
To Kia's surprise, the council was supportive, almost happy. She was confused as to why they seemed to have such an open mind to her blatant dismissal of the Jedi Code, but opted not to ask. She didn't want to press her luck. They agreed to give her a temporary leave of official duty until after the baby was born. This news would make Jace happy.
Once recovered from the holo call, Kia leaned forward and started to make her second call. This one she was far less nervous about. After a few minutes, Mia's form appeared in the middle of the holo table.
Mia smiled at Kia, but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Kia almost asked if everything was alright, but she needed to get her news out of the way first.
"Is everything alright, Ki?"
Kia nodded. "Yes, everything's fine."
Mia crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm still mad at you, ya know. You've been radio silent for weeks now. What in the hell happened to you? Did Jace finally pull his head out of his ass and talk to you?"
"What happened between Jace and I is a long story. It'll keep until we see each other again in person. Just know we've hit some...bumps...in our relationship, but we're working through them. That isn't why I'm calling...exactly."
"Then what?" Mia asked, sounding concerned.
"Remember our conversation when I first got to Odessen, the one about me making a good mother and you being an even better aunt?" Kia asked, trying to keep her face serious.
"Yeah, I rememb...wait, you're not saying you're…"
Kia nodded. "I'm almost two months along. It must have happened during my welcome home when I returned from Odessen."
Mia's jaw dropped. "...wow, that's...wow...I'm guessing you didn't plan this?"
Kia chuckled. "No, not planned, but we're both happy about it. The baby is kinda giving us a reason to fight to stay together. Things are still a little up in the air with our relationship, but he's gonna be here for the baby, regardless of things between us. I have the full support of the Jedi council, too, go figure. Ya know, what's left of them."
The smile on Mia's face broudened. "Well then, congratulations are in order. I can't wait to tell Aric he's going to be an uncle."
"You also need to tell Theron he's going to be a big brother." Kia added, but the look on Mia's face halted all thought of further celebration. "What is it? What's wrong? Did something happen to Theron?"
Mia sighed and bowed her head. "Theron turned against the Alliance. He tried to kill me on our last mission. I'm not sure who he's backing anymore, but it's not the Alliance. He said the Alliance is being corrupted from the inside, just like the Republic, and he needs to do something to stop it. He claimed I'm a warmonger."
"What!" Kia said, getting out of her seat.
"I'm actually about to send messages to Grandmaster Satele and Commander Malcom to see if they know anything about the whereabouts of their son."
"Tell me everything…" Kia said.
To Be Continued...
