Last time: Sasha found out wonderful news.
Now: Kyr and Sasha return home with the hope to share with the others.
Chapter 9- Unexpected Guest
The planet of Artemis grew before them in the cockpit window as Kyr brought them into the upper atmosphere. He glanced over at Sasha in the co-pilots seat, Tac was behind them at his second favorite terminal in the ship. There was a weather front approaching the house, they could see dark clouds sweeping in. It looked spectacular from orbit, and even more imposing as they approached the ground and it grew before them.
"Figured out how you're going to tell Viran?" He asked her.
Sasha glanced over to him with a chuckle before shaking her head. "I haven't the faintest idea yet," she said, a little nervous. "But I need to be the one to tell him as well as the others. So please promise me you'll keep this between us until after I tell them, okay?"
He looked over at her, and echoed her words from earlier; "I promise. You have my word. This stays between us." He said with a grin.
Sasha smiled up at him. "Thanks, Kyr."
"No problem ma'am." He said, as they approached Haven. A sensor beeped at him, and Tac let out a series of whistles. "What the hell…?" Kyr said under his breath, looking at the sensor information.
"What is it?" Sasha asked as she leaned over to see for herself.
"There's a lambda shuttle in the meadow in front of the house, down by the firepit." He said absently. They came down for a low flyover, the ramp was still up, and it was just sitting there. It had an odd insignia on the wings. He noticed it was one of the VIP variants, with the bigger shield generator that he probably couldn't scratch. "What the hell is this…"
An uneasy pit formed in Sasha's stomach. "I don't like this. What is it doing here?"
"I don't know…" Kyr said as he circled around again. It didn't have a fighter escort, there was no Star Destroyer in orbit. "Maybe someone picked it up, surplus?" He suggested. But that felt odd.
"Maybe…" She trailed off. Whatever this feeling was making her and the little one still growing inside of her anxious. "Should we go check it out?"
"Yeah." Kyr said. "Maybe someone just sent us a big package or something." He said, trying to dismiss it as he landed the Shadow in the hangar, falling into the protection of Haven's defenses. He got up out of the seat. "Sasha, let me deal with this, you get into the house and be safe." He asked.
Sasha got up and followed him out. "Kyr, I can help," she urged. "I'm pregnant, not fragile." She put her hands on her hips when she said that part.
He turned and looked at her fully, and he drew himself up to his full height. "I didn't say that about you." He said in a tone she had never heard from him before. "I fought in the war against these guys, they're here for me not you. They have a grudge against me, they don't know you. I need to know both of you are safe so I can deal with them as I need to." He said, using the tone of voice he used as a Colonel in the Alliance, not as her older brother.
Taken aback by his tone, Sasha stared at him in shock. Slowly, she took a step back and nodded. "Okay. I'll go inside," she said in a low, almost frightened tone.
"Thank you." He said, turning to exit the cockpit and collect his rifle.
Sasha hesitated a moment before heading for the ramp of the ship. Once she was down the ramp, she took one last look inside the Shadow before continuing towards the door to the house. She then disappeared inside and headed for her room.
Kyr came down the ramp behind her and left, heading towards one of the many side entrances from the house that lead out to the woods, so he could have some cover as he approached. He picked his way through the woods, circling around the edge of the meadow through the dense trees so he could flank the ramp. Kyr kept his blaster trained on the ramp of the Lambda shuttle as he approached it through the treeline as stealthily as possible. The wind was howling, the storm front stretching across the horizon a bruise in the sky, filled with dark clouds heavy with the rains they promised in this brief warm season as a break from the usual snow. Lambdas were only used by Imperial forces. A few had made it into private hands, but they had such a stigma attached to them after they had been used by the officers and higher-ups of the Empire that few wanted anything to do with them. So it had to be one of the remnants. And many of them would love to get a shot at him. They must have discovered Haven and sent an assault team to attack his home. Why the shuttle was sitting there so placidly he was not sure. Nor was he sure what the emblem was emblazoned on the wings. It was not the Imperial cog, and it didn't match any of the more personalized symbols that had cropped up as various remnants of the Empire's demise consolidated around what high ranking officers and officials still remained.
He got as close as he wanted, his blaster still trained on the ramp. He presumed that there would be a contingent of stormtroopers or even deathroopers aboard, ready to assault the house. He had killed enough of them over the years to not be worried, and he had no concern that Sasha could handle herself against them either, if it came to that. Which was why he hadn't just turned the ship around and left.
The ramp lowered, and his grip tensed as he knelt in the woods, getting a good cheek weld on his rifle and steadying his breath. His only concern was that he'd have to contact someone, to let them know the Empire had sent a force here, so deeply into New Republic space. And that would probably be a mess of paperwork, which he could not overstate his hate for.
A lone figure walked down the ramp, and Kyr's heart skipped a beat and his blaster lowered. She walked to the foot of the ramp and stepped onto the tall grass of the field. She was wearing black robes, accented with rich reds that flowed down into loose skirting that caught the wind. The robes were finely patterned, and she was adorned with an intricate golden belt that lay across her waist, matched by golden circlets that wove through her straw colored hair, which was finely braided. She walked forward, away from the shuttle further into the meadow and stopped. Her face turned towards the house as if considering it. Then she looked up to the sky, as if soaking in the bright sun on this crisp summer day. Finally she turned fully to stare directly at him, where he should have been hidden in the tree line. There she waited, her cape flowed to the side behind her and loose folds of her clothing whipped in the wind across her body as she stood there alone.
He broke his cover, walking forward, hesitantly at first, but then as he crossed the treeline he strode out. His own duraweave cape billowed in the wind as well, whipping to the side the same as hers. He kept his rifle lowered, pointed off to his left. He had no idea why she was here, but the back of his mind nagged him that the timing was suspicious. That it might have something to do with Sasha and her child.
"Hello, Kyr." She said as he approached, her voice flat.
Kyr was not sure how to respond as he looked upon her from behind his visor, and he was glad to be facing her behind his armor, giving him a semblance of unreadability. Even though he knew she could still read him easily if she so chose. He stopped several steps away from her, not getting too close.
"Hello, Cien." He responded, equally as flat. He hoped. "It's been a long time."
"It has." She responded, looking him square in the visor. He resisted the urge to swallow nervously.
"What brings you here?" He asked.
Cien appeared to consider the question for a moment. "Do I need more reason than to see old friends?" She asked.
"Why now?" He asked, ignoring her question. It was nagging him that something was off about this.
"I…" She hesitated, "it felt like it was time." She said, finally.
He looked at her, trying to decipher what was going on. He glanced up at the Imperial shuttle she had stepped out of. The Cien he had spent those months with, who had been their ally against Dracul, with whom he had become a friend. With whom he had fallen so deeply for. She had allied with an Imperial remnant, using their strength to build her own empire. He should be her enemy, but he found it so hard to think of her as that.
"They made it back." He said. "A year and a half ago."
"I know." She stated, taking a step toward him. "I was glad to know they returned." She said, "it must have meant a lot for you to see them again." She observed in a quiet tone.
"Is that why you're here?" He pressed.
"Yes." She stated flatly.
Her voice, her tone, her presentation was so flat that Kyr could not decipher anything from her. Looking in her eyes what little he could see there only hinted at a sense of discomfort, like she was going down a path she was not sure about, but also the hardness he remembered about her. This was one of the few times Kyr was disquieted, unable to read someone standing before him. Not knowing if they were friend or foe. And a part of him desperately hoping for one over the other. Her uncertainty in what she was doing worried him.
"Are you here to-" He caught himself. His phrasing was about to accuse her of something, and that wasn't fair to her. "Are you here for Sasha?" He asked finally.
She cocked her head to the side, just slightly. "I'm not here to hurt anyone, if that's what you're thinking." She said as she took another step closer to him, her voice taking on an undertone that he could not decide if it was hurt or anger.
"Why come here after so long?" He asked again, quietly.
"There was a time when you could take your buy'ce off when with me." She said equally as quiet, further closing the distance between them with another step as she ignored his question. She was standing within an arm's length of him. Closer than he could ever remember her approaching anyone, at least without wincing at being so close to another person. As the wind whipped her robed cape off to her right, and Kyr's own cape off to his left, they were so close that their cloth intermingled and met. "Has that time passed?" She questioned, her voice almost a soft whisper. She was standing close enough to him that he had to look down to meet her eyes, while she looked up at his visor. "May I see you again?"
He looked back at her, unsure. After a few heart beats he lowered his rifle, letting it rest against his chest on its shoulder sling, and he reached up with both hands to remove his beskar helmet, not breaking his gaze into her eyes as he pulled it off, and then tucked it under his left arm. Her face softened a little
"I looked for you." He admitted softly.
"I know." She responded, equally as softly, keeping her gaze level at him. She took a step closer to him. "That's why you could not find me." She admitted, her voice carrying a tone of sadness about it. She kept her gaze on him. The wind still whipping her robes and his cape together.
"I wanted to know you were safe." He continued. "I wanted to know you weren't alone." He said with some emotion in his voice.
She just looked up at him, and finally her facade broke just a little, and he saw confusion, hurt, and anger flash across her face. He felt that was deserved.
"Kyr," she whispered his name as she brought her hand up to his cheek as if to caress it, and he froze, not sure what the gesture meant. "Sleep." She commanded in another whisper.
Cien watched Kyr fall to the ground like a rag doll, and she stood there for a time simply looking at him as a play of emotions swept across her face. Then she took a deep breath, collecting herself. She turned back to the shuttle and made a gesture. A dozen of her personal guard trooped down the ramp, led by Ikari.
"The girl is in the house. Do not harm her" Cien commanded. "Find her, wherever she is hidden, and let me deal with her."
"Yes, My Lady." Ikari said. "What of him?" She asked, gesturing to the fallen Mandalorian at her Empresses feet.
"Leave him." She commanded, a hint of menace in her voice, and she turned to start approaching the house.
Ikari took a second to look at the copper plated figure fallen to the ground, then she looked up at her Empresses back with a raised eyebrow, and hurried to follow.
After leaving the hangar, Sasha headed straight for her shared room with Viran. But when she reached the room, she froze at the door. Something wasn't right about this situation and it was bothering her that she couldn't go and help Kyr. Opening the door, Sasha tossed her bag inside then turned and headed for the dining room. She needed to at least see if he was okay and that the bad feeling was wrong. Sasha reached the dining room and headed over to the large window that looked out over the valley and the meadow. She stood there watching in confusion as nothing happened at first. Then the ramp lowered and someone walked off the ship.
Sasha felt her heart stop when she recognized Cien in an instant even though she looked vastly different from the last time they saw each other. After a moment, Kyr appeared from the trees and the two seemed to be talking. She continued to watch the scene with that uneasy feeling growing stronger and stronger with each passing second. Then Kyr dropped to the ground. A gasp escaped her lips. Slowly backing away from the window, Sasha saw others disembark from the shuttle and then start heading in the direction of the house.
Turning on her heel, Sasha rushed out of the dining room and towards the security control panel that Kyr had for the house. As soon as she found it, Sasha pulled the switch and the house immediately responded. The lights dimmed, blast doors appeared over every exterior door and window, and a silent alarm was sounded to alert other members of the Xiv clan of trouble. Once she was done with that, Sasha hurried down to the safe room. As she ran, she pulled her lightsaber from her belt and held it in a tight fist the whole way there.
"Hanger door breach," a mechanical voice sounded. "Hanger door breach."
Sasha swallowed the lump in her throat and continued to make her way downstairs to the safe room. Normally, she would stand her ground and face off against a foe like this. But Kyr was right. She had to make sure they were both safe. So for now, running and hiding is her best option. She reached the safe room in no time and started inputting the code to get inside. The safe room was in the basement, just down the hall from the medbay, and it was hidden behind an armor case of one of Kyr and Oppie's ancestors. On the side of the case was a hidden keypad that she was currently trying to use as she frantically put in the code. A moment later, the case moved aside and revealed the door to the safe room. Pressing the open key on the control panel, the safe room door slid open to her. Sasha slipped inside and immediately closed it followed by her hitting the lock button.
Taking a series of breaths as she backed away from the door, Sasha leaned against the back wall, winded from the running. She remained on her guard as she continued to stare at the door as time started to go by.
The guard pushed down the hallway, clearing it as they went. They were expecting some form of resistance as they took the house, but there was no one here but Sasha. Ikari led the way in front of the troops, her double bladed red staff ignited as she looked about for any threat, but none presented itself. Cien strode down the hall after the guards cleared the hallway, two of them were behind her, at her shoulder. She looked around the hallway, remembering all those years ago when she had walked this same path, and memories from that evening assailed her. As she walked past the Medbay she glanced inside, her pace slowly slightly as she looked in and remembered the echoes of the time she had spent in there, before continuing forward. She almost walked past the display of armor when she stopped. The presence of the Jedi suffused this house like it always had, but Sasha's presence was brighter, here.
Ikari looked around upstairs followed closely by her troopers. "Fan out," she ordered. "Find the girl." The troopers nodded and started to search the house. Ikari then fanned out to do her own search.
Cien brought her hand up, and slammed the display case with the armor away from the wall. Behind it, beyond the damaged wall, a hardened bunker was revealed, the door directly behind the display case. "Recall Ikari and the other troopers." She said, looking over her shoulder at the two guards that stayed with her.
"Yes, my lady." The captain said, as he brought a hand up to the side of his helmet to relay the orders.
Ikari's commlink buzzed as she walked through the hall of the house. She stopped and produced it from her belt. She thumbed it to life. She heard the order to return down to the basement level as they found the girl. Ikari smiled maliciously as she shoved the commlink back onto her belt. She then turned and hurried back for the stairs to return to the basement.
As Ikari and the rest of the guard converged, Cien stepped aside. "Open this door for me." She ordered her acolyte.
"With pleasure," Ikari said with a slight bow before moving toward the door. She deactivated one end of her staff and stabbed the other into the door. Very slowly, she carved out an opening large enough for them to walk into the room. As soon as the cut was done, she raised her hand and pushed the cut metal aside with the Force. The oval piece of door fell back into the room, colliding with the small table that was inside.
Sasha ducked away as the door flew past her and towards the table. She then turned her full attention to the door as she thumbed her own saber to life, the green blade ready before her. Ikari stepped through first and moved towards Sasha before allowing the others to enter.
Cien stepped through the opening as well. She lowered the hood of her robes and regarded the Jedi with the same flat facade she had shown to Kyr. "Hello, Sasha."
Sasha narrowed her eyes at Cien. "Hello Cien. It's been a while," she said evenly.
"It has." Cien agreed. "You look well." She observed.
"So do you," Sasha said with a nod. She then looked at Ikari and the troopers. "I see you have some… new friends."
When she said the word 'friends' a flash of anger swept across Cien's face. And her voice hardened. "Indeed. We would like you to join us." Cien invited her.
"Join you?" Sasha questioned. "In doing what exactly?"
Cien regarded the younger Jedi for a time, noting just how much younger she still seemed. "Your child will be very special, Sasha. They will need proper training. We would like to ensure that happens." She said.
Sasha hesitantly brought a hand to her stomach. "How… how did you know?" She asked, her voice shaking a little at that.
Cien cocked her head to the side. "As I said, your child will be very special, very strong in the Force. I sensed their presence."
"If that is true then, Viran, Oppie, and I can handle their training," Sasha answered. "Thank you for the offer, but I'd have to decline."
"I expected that to be the case," Cien said, taking a step closer.
A protective arm folded over her stomach as Sasha, hesitantly, took a step back.
Ikari stepped forward. "Shall I handle her, my lady?" she asked as she glared at Sasha.
Cien looked over at Ikari as though she had forgotten her acolyte was there. A brief thought flashed through her mind, wondering what she meant by 'handle'. Cien looked back towards Sasha, and took another step forward instead of responding to the request.
Taking one more step back, Sasha's back connected with the wall. She raised her saber. "I'm sorry Cien, but I must do what is best for me and my child," she said, the words 'my child' still very fresh and strange to say. "Besides, you are too early. I still have several months. Why are you here now?"
"Because now felt like the proper time." Cien responded as she started walking forward towards Sasha.
Sasha paled as Cien got closer. "I'm sorry," she mumbled before bringing her hands up and Force pushed everyone back.
Cien stumbled back under the power of the push, while behind her her troopers that were in the way clattered to the ground. Ikari skidded backwards, but quickly regained her footing. Leaping up and over the table, Ikari cornered Sasha from the other side and brought her saber in for a strike. Sasha brought her blade up in time to block it.
"No one does that to my lady and gets away with it," Ikari hissed before batting Sasha's saber away and moved in for another strike.
But the Jedi was fast and was able to block the next few strikes Ikari sent at her. However, she noticed that her strikes were causing the Jedi to give ground. Sasha was not trying to fight her back, but instead defend herself against the acolytes blades. This caused Sasha to move away from the back wall and towards Cien, without even realizing where she was going as Ikari's attacks were doing a good job distracting her.
Cien took advantage of the positioning that Ikari had worked out, and walked forward. She placed her hand gently on Sasha's shoulder, and her fingers wrapped gently around the side of Sasha's neck. "Sleep." She commanded.
A gasp escaped Sasha's lips as her eyes rolled back and she dropped, but before she could hit the floor, Cien used the Force to arrest her fall, keeping her from being hurt. Sasha's lightsaber slipping from her grip and rolling away once she reached the ground.
"Well done, Acolyte." Cien said, looking at Ikari approvingly.
Ikari smiled and bowed to her. "Thank you, My Lady. I aim to please."
Cien looked back at the troopers, who were already back on their feet and alert as usual. "Bring the girl, we are leaving." Two of the troopers slung their rifles and stepped into the room, picking up the fallen Jedi by her shoulders. As the party left Cien walked out of the broken safe room, she took one last wistful look at the Medbay and the grand lodge that was visible at the end of the corridor. She turned her back on all of the ghosts that haunted her in this place, heading back to the hangar to make her exit.
End of Part 1.
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