Chapter Four
Warning: Depictions of domestic violence/abuse (mild, but it's there).
Vespera matched Obi-Wan's pace in the darkness. He had yet to reignite his saber, in case anyone else came back. The glow of lights illuminated the end of the tunnel, though it was dim. They crept along, but those two men's words sent chills down her spine: The queen planned for this, though. She knew this would happen, and now we're prepared.
They certainly hadn't been talking about Vespera—she had no idea what was going on—but she did have an idea as to who those men referred to as their queen. Vespera hoped she was wrong.
The end of the tunnel opened into rounded cavern. Electrical lights circled along the top of the walls. Cluttered around the room was equipment that was in the middle of being cleared out. Terminals, weapons, datapads… Some sort of operation got interrupted, and judging by the conversation of the two men earlier, Vespera, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ahsoka, and Padme were the ones to blame.
Vespera searched through the crates, though she wasn't entirely sure what she was looking for. Obi-Wan searched on the other side of the room. She hoped his judgment was less crowded than hers at the moment. All the arrows pointed in a direction that Vespera didn't like, and her stomach still churned from opening herself to Obi-Wan like that. She hadn't shared a connection with someone through the Force in years. She was used to her walls—safe behind them—and letting Obi-Wan into her mind, even for a brief moment, left her feeling dazed and weird. An odd hollowness plucked at her heart, as if the sudden allowance of another person to connect with her only to rip away immediately was painful.
Something cold and metallic caused Vespera to withdraw her hand. It didn't feel like any sort of military equipment. She plunged her hand back into the crate and felt for the object. A ridged surface, a delicate chain… Vespera closed her hand around the object and withdrew it. She opened her hand and stopped breathing.
It was a pendant, made of crystals found deep in Azyrion's caves. Vespera ran her thumb over the surface, letting out a shaky breath. Her heart slammed in her chest, and her breath seemed to curl and cling to the walls of her throat.
"Dorian…?" Tears pricked her eyes.
She must've let her guard down in the Force, because Obi-Wan seemed to sense her intense feelings. "Did you find something?"
Vespera clenched her fist and opened her mouth, but no sound came out. How did she explain this?
"I—"
The sound of footsteps stuttering in their path saved her from trying to formulate a response. A man stood at the entrance of the room, though darkness shrouded most of his face. For a moment, no one moved. Then, the man took off running back down the tunnel. Vespera jumped to her feet, stuffing the pendant into her pocket, and chased after him.
"Vespera!" Obi-Wan called, but Vespera kept running after the man. She needed answers, and capturing one of the goons involved in all this was their best bet—
The man fired a blaster bolt in Vespera's direction. Her Jedi training didn't fail her; she dodged just in time. The buzz of Obi-Wan's lightsaber sounded behind her, and the clash of his deflection of the blaster bolt told Vespera that he was behind her. Vespera pushed on, chasing the man—who continued to fire shots in Vespera's direction—blindly through the mining tunnels. Right, left, left, right and up—Vespera logged the direction for when they needed to get back.
The man climbed up a ledge and hurried along a broken-down walkway. The ground here was uneven and unsteady. Vespera hurried along the walkway. The man stopped at the end of the bridge, pointed his blaster above Vespera's head, and fired. The old support beam knocked loose immediately and came crashing down. Vespera backpedaled to avoid getting crushed by the beam and loose rocks, but the debris crashed through the broken-down bridge, and she fell with a cry.
A strong hand caught hers, and something flowed between her and the person—she immediately recognized Obi-Wan in the Force—with an intense electrical current that blossomed in Vespera's veins. The Force flowed between Vespera's and Obi-Wan's gripped hands, passing through their bodies like water. She felt Obi-Wan's emotions along with her own, and were she not dangling over a chasm for dear life and could concentrate, she could hear Obi-Wan's thoughts.
Obi-Wan pulled Vespera up onto the ledge beside him. They stood, still gripping hands, panting. For the first time in years, Vespera felt the Force. Oh, she had never cut herself off. But in all her blocking others out, and hiding her abilities, and pretending her past as a Jedi never existed, she had dulled her connection to the Force. She had refused to dip into it, scared someone might discover her secret. For years, she'd been terrified of being an ex-Jedi, a Jedi alone, so she had pretended that her lies of being sent to school off-world were real.
But now, she was open.
The Force flowed through her as if a dam had broken, crashing through her veins and overwhelming her senses. She sensed the small critters scuttling in the darkness as if they crawled across her skin. The coldness and darkness of the tunnels felt less empty and whispered with flashes of warmth and light. She did not need a lightsaber for a light source—she could use the Force and sense her surroundings. Outside, Vespera sensed the biting cold of Raria, felt the energy of the sea rearing up and crashing against the cliff's edge.
On top of all that, Vespera felt Obi-Wan.
He felt like a warm patch of sunlight on a cold day. He was vanilla and peppermint, a hint of blaster fire, gentle with the hum of something fierce underneath. The Force was calm around him, a peace that Vespera was not accustomed to in her brutal world of politics. He radiated with warmth and light, and his emotions swirled around Vespera as if they were her own, and if she pushed—if she reached out with the Force—she could sense his thoughts—
Vespera jerked her hand away. The flowing of energy between them dulled, but did not go away. Obi-Wan's emotions churned brightly, still available for Vespera to read and sense as if they were her own. Shock, confusion, anxiety, awe—they crashed through Obi-Wan in extraordinary colors of deep orange to pale yellow. Frantically, Vespera refortified her walls, blocking Obi-Wan out as best she could. But even she felt the cracks in her composure.
"We should go." Vespera pushed past Obi-Wan, rubbing the hand that he held moments before. As she led the way out of the tunnels, Vespera withdrew Dorian's pendant. Was he still alive?
No. It was impossible. No one survived Raria's bombing of the refugee center during the war. Dorian had been volunteering, and there had been no survivors. Vespera's council told her so.
Her council.
Of course, they could've lied. They could've paid off the other soldiers and any witnesses to confirm what they said about Dorian's death.
No, Vespera wouldn't entertain the idea that Dorian was alive. He wouldn't have abandoned her. Somehow, someone got ahold of his pendant and placed it to toy with Vespera's feelings and mind. They were trying to rattle her, and she was letting them. For some reason, someone wanted Vespera to think that Dorian was actually alive.
A wave of agony surged through Vespera's chest, and her eyes prickled with tears. But she blinked them away and swallowed the lump in her throat. This was not the time. Stuffing the pendant back into her pocket, Vespera held her head high. Once Obi-Wan and the others left Azyrion, Vespera needed to check and make sure someone was still imprisoned.
When they finally exited the tunnels and returned to their speeders, Vespera and Obi-Wan found Anakin, Padme, and Ahsoka already waiting for them.
"Oh, good," said Anakin, his arms crossed as he leaned against his speeder, "I was beginning to think you didn't get my message."
"I didn't get it," said Obi-Wan.
"Then you have perfect timing," said Padme.
"Yeah, I'd hate to have to go and rescue you again, Master."
"You know, I could tell a few stories about my rescuing you that would be quite embarrassing for you," said Obi-Wan, folding his arms and lifting a brow. How he could seem so nonchalant after what they just experienced, Vespera had no idea. Her heart sank. Perhaps he had not felt the same things she had. After all, he was a fully-fledged Jedi Master, and probably experienced things such as this all the time. His skills surpassed hers.
"Anyway," cut in Padme, "I hope you guys had more luck than we did."
"I believe there's some sort of underground Separatist operation going on here," said Obi-Wan, stroking his beard.
Vespera snapped out of her reverie. "What?"
"You disagree?"
"Heavily," Vespera snapped. Anakin and Padme exchanged a glance as Vespera glared at Obi-Wan. Bewilderment spiked around him in pale orange petals. Vespera lessened her intensity only because her own confusion thickened—why were Obi-Wan's emotions so open to her? Why could she see them so vividly?
"Uh, wanna explain?" Anakin prompted.
Vespera's hands curled into fists at her sides. "There was no evidence to suggest that they were involved with the Separatists—"
"The equipment they were moving suggests otherwise, Vespera," Obi-Wan argued. "They had military-grade technology. They couldn't make that on their own."
"In case all of you forgot, Azyrion went to war with Raria. We have our own military—"
"I recognized some of the designs," said Obi-Wan. His brow furrowed and his eyes searched hers. Reluctance edged around him, and Vespera drew back. Obi-Wan didn't want to be right about this.
Vespera sighed. "That still doesn't mean that they're working for the Separatists, or that this is a Separatist plot. Maybe they are funding this group, but I really don't believe the Separatists have anything to do with all of this."
"Why shoot down our ship, then?" demanded Anakin.
"And why did someone on Raria send me the coordinates to a battlefield?" Padme added.
"If I didn't know any better, it would seem like you people want my system to be guilty of conspiring with the Separatists," Vespera gritted out.
"We don't want that," insisted Obi-Wan.
"But you have to admit, a lot of the evidence points that someone here is conspiring with the Separatists," said Anakin.
"A lot of the evidence we found did point here," Ahsoka piped up.
"I know," Vespera replied, suddenly feeling exhausted.
"What about that other queen we heard those men talking about?" Obi-Wan queried.
"Let's get back to the ship. We're not safe out in the open like this." Vespera straddled her speeder and refused to say another word until the others had gotten on their speeders, too. Then, Vespera led the way back to the ship.
"Okay, so, what did you mean about a second queen?" Anakin asked once on the ship.
Obi-Wan quickly filled in the others on what he and Vespera found in the cave. He left out the moment where the Force flowed between them so powerfully that it left them both stunned. Vespera's heart sank even further. Maybe it had all been in her head? Or maybe it had not been as intense for Obi-Wan as it had been for her?
Vespera bit back the urge to ask him about it. Now was not the time, nor place.
"I have an idea as to who they were referring to," Vespera croaked when she realized all eyes rested on her. "But that is an internal affair, one the Republic Senate isn't privy to."
"And if you're wrong, and there's a Separatist plot going on right under your nose?" Anakin challenged.
Vespera smiled dryly. "Well, it isn't exactly happening under my nose anymore, is it?"
Ahsoka crossed her arms. "So, what now?"
"If this is an internal affair, then we go home," said Padme.
"If it turns out that I am wrong, you'll be the first I contact," Vespera promised.
"I hate to leave you with such a mess," said Padme, her lips drawing with a frown.
"If I'm right about my theory, then this isn't your mess. It's one my parents left me with." Vespera failed to bring herself to look anyone in the eye. In her pocket, she thumbed Dorian's pendant.
When they landed and exited the Azyrionian cruiser, they found King Callan awaiting them in the hangar. He smiled, and Vespera's stomach twisted. Callan never looked this cheerful.
"I'm glad you're all back safely. And good news: The Republic ship is fully repaired," he greeted. "I'm afraid our Jedi friends have been called away on an urgent mission. I'm afraid they can no longer stay with us."
The way Callan said friends sent a chill down Vespera's back.
"Convenient," muttered Ahsoka under her breath.
The corners of Vespera's mouth twitched, but her heart plummeted even further. Some part of her wished Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padme, and Ahsoka could stay and help her investigate this internal affair. It was the closest Vespera had felt to being a Jedi in a long time.
"I will escort them," said Vespera, dipping her head to Callan. His upper lip twitched and Vespera tensed, but Callan merely nodded and swept away.
With a hollow ache in her chest, Vespera walked with Anakin, Padme, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan to The Twilight.
"If I discover anything else about who tried to kill Senator Amidala or why Valerius shot down your ship, I will let you know immediately. You have my word," said Vespera, her gaze settling on Padme, who nodded. "I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful."
Padme's lips twitched. "Thank you for trying."
Anakin placed his hands on his hips. "Thanks for having my ship repaired, even though it didn't really need it before we got here…"
"Anakin," hissed Padme, but Vespera smiled.
"I'd be a fool if I believed The Twilight was fully functional before you got here," she said.
Anakin snorted and shrugged while Ahsoka giggled. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other again." Anakin eyed Vespera for a moment, a small smile slanting his mouth upward. Vespera sucked in a sharp breath. As much as it scared her, she couldn't help but hope so.
"It was good to meet you," said Ahsoka, bowing her head as Anakin and Padme boarded the ship.
"You too," said Vespera. "Keep Master Skywalker out of trouble."
Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "I think that's more of Master Kenobi's job than mine."
With a wave, Ahsoka boarded the ship. Vespera turned to Obi-Wan. She burned to ask him if he felt what she did in the cave, but Callan—who stood in the massive doorway of the hangar—had his eyes on her.
"May I ask you something?" Obi-Wan's brow furrowed. Vespera's stomach jolted, and her eyes flicked over Obi-Wan's shoulder. His brow twitched, and Vespera swore she heard him, but his lips never moved: She's being watched. Vespera swallowed the lump in her throat and dipped her head. Obi-Wan's creased brow deepened. "Who is Dorian?"
"He…" Vespera's stomach twisted. She twisted her wedding ring around her finger. How did she explain who Dorian was to her? How could she sum up their relationship, and who he was? "He was a very close friend of mine, but he's dead."
A deep indigo of horror and guilt curled off Obi-Wan in the Force like smoke. "Oh. I'm sorry."
"It's in the past," Vespera braved a smile. "Until next time, Master Kenobi."
Obi-Wan scrunched his brow, looking as if he wanted to say more—Vespera felt his desire to ask another question—but he simply bowed to her. "Until next time, your majesty."
Vespera let out a deep breath when The Twilight flew away, her last connection to the Jedi aboard.
"Oh, I have something for you!" Vespera smiled and scrambled out of bed, drawing a blanket around her naked body as she hurried to her vanity set. Opening the drawer, she withdrew a crystal pendant and rushed back to Dorian and slipped under the covers.
"It's beautiful," Dorian murmured, thumbing the translucent crystal. It caught the light and glinted rainbow flecks on his face.
"No matter what happens, I will always be with you. It's like a secret engagement."
Dorian pressed his lips together for a moment. "Vez, it shouldn't have to be secret."
Vespera turned her head away. A chunk of hair fell into her face. "You know why it must."
"Don't marry him."
"I have to, Dorian."
"You don't love him."
"It's not about love. It's about making the right choice for my people—"
"Is it the right choice? Do you even have a choice?"
"You know the answer."
Dorian leaned back against the pillows and ran a hand through his dark hair. "You should at least get to marry who you love."
"I'm afraid I don't have that luxury."
Vespera's eyes cracked open and she ran her thumb over the crystal pendant again. Dorian had been broken hearted when she married Callan, but her council insisted that Callan was a respected man on Azyrion, with a wealth of knowledge about the politics. Since the people didn't know Vespera very well—and queens needed a husband—it seemed like the best option.
At first, Dorian had avoided her, strictly acting as her loyal bodyguard. But they were in love, and he was practically Vespera's only friend. They were parents, too.
Vespera nearly jumped out of her skin when Callan entered. She slipped the pendant inside her pocket and faced him.
"What did that Jedi want from you?" Callan's voice grated on Vespera's ears.
"What?"
"Before he left, that Jedi spoke with you privately. What did he want?"
"He thanked me for my help."
"That seemed like more than gratitude," said Callan, approaching Vespera slowly.
"I'm not sure what you want me to say, Callan. That's what the Jedi said."
"Are you mocking me?"
Vespera widened her eyes as Callan stepped uncomfortably close to her. "What? No, of course not."
Callan grabbed a fistful of Vespera's hair and yanked her head back, forcing her to look him in the face. "You've spent the past few days undermining and mocking my authority."
"Callan, please—" Vespera pushed against him, but he merely tightened his grip on her hair.
"You erased footage of the dinner, and I noticed that you and that Jedi were pretty friendly with one another. So, I'll ask again: What did he want?"
"He just wanted to thank me and said that Azyrion always has a friend in the Jedi!"
Callan sneered. "Why didn't you just say that before?"
"You don't like the Jedi," Vespera winced as Callan gripped her hair even tighter. "I didn't want to upset you."
Callan released Vespera's hair, and she rubbed her scalp. He stroked her face with the back of his forefinger. It took every ounce of willpower in Vespera not to flinch.
"Such a delicate thing you are," Callan purred. "A delicate and kind thing…"
Vespera blinked back tears. "I'm sorry for not telling you the whole truth."
Callan smirked. "Of course you are. Now, why did you delete the footage?"
Vespera's stomach flopped. "Senator Amidala requested that I do because she… She was scared that someone might overhear us discuss the case. We suspected someone on the inside had shot them down, and we didn't want anyone to know we were on to them."
Callan hummed. "Very well."
"Is that all you wanted? You don't usually visit me in my quarters."
Callan stepped around Vespera; his hands clasped behind his back as he approached the balcony. "We need to produce an heir soon. I don't make you share my bed every night, but our anniversary is soon. I expect you to be a wife and fulfill your duties then."
"Of course," Vespera bowed her head. Callan nodded and left her quarters. Vespera clutched her chest and let out a heavy breath once he was gone.
In the early morning hours, before the sun had come up, Vespera snuck out of her quarters and slipped through the corridors until she reached the grand, marble staircase that led toward the back of the palace. Tiptoeing down the cold steps, Vespera rushed past the pillars and into the gardens. She veered toward the edge of the main garden and arrived at another set of stairs, which scaled the cliffside upon which the palace and its grounds perched. The stairs were steep, and in the darkness of the early morning, Vespera took her time on her descent to the beach. She landed upon the sand and drew in the salty, wet air.
The morning hung in a grey between brilliant sunrise and the thick night. Vespera always liked this in-between time of day, where nothing was quite awake. The ocean brushed the sand in a steady whisper. Out of sight of the palace, yet still connected to it, this beach was the perfect place to meditate. The Force stirred in Vespera, restless and hungry—she had not exercised it enough—and yearned for her to connect with it. So, she sat cross-legged in the sand and closed her eyes.
Her breathing fell in rhythm with the waves. Her emotions tangled in a blur of colors within her, so she sat there, breathing and untangling them like the Jedi taught her, allowing the Force to wash through her like water. The heat of red-orange anger detached first—Callan always treated her poorly, and no matter how angry she got, she was used to letting it go—and she let it retreat with the push and pull of the ocean. Her fear required a bit more untangling—it was an ugly thing, yellow-green like vomit—and seemed to go on endlessly, as if she were pulling at a strand of yarn, at the end of which hung a garbled ball. But she kept pulling, allowing that puke-colored emotion to wash through her veins, and then she let it go, releasing it into the Force. And then there was that deep teal of despair. It was hauntingly beautiful, so rooted in her veins that no amount of meditation could truly wash it away. It throbbed in her, that ache, like the creaking of floorboards in an empty house. She let it rear its head, let it vibrate in her like the strings of an instrument, and then let the Force wash away as much as it could.
Vespera needed to rebuild her walls, brick by brick. She needed to hide her Force-sensitivity, just in case she lost control and revealed herself.
But she had not felt this alive in years. A little longer couldn't hurt, right?
Tentatively, Vespera reached out with the Force. There seemed to be some sort of tether, connected to her to something else in the galaxy. The Force tugged her toward it, so she reached out, following the line. As a Jedi, she had trusted the Force and let it guide her. As an ex-Jedi, the Force still wanted to guide her, to show her something, so she let it. She followed the tether, plunging deeper into her meditative state until she no longer felt her surroundings. She couldn't hear the ocean or feel the sand underneath her fingertips. She couldn't sense the crab inching its way along the shore, nor the brush of wildflowers against the cliffside. She was in a void, but it was not like the void of space, cold and sucking and lacking air. It felt more like floating on the surface of still, warm water. No noise. Just stillness.
Vespera kept following the line through the void until echoes of voices—too far away and distorted to make out what they were saying—fluttered around her ears. A pinhole of light seemed to glow at the end of the void, and Vespera followed the tether toward it. It grew larger until it blinded her. She blinked and squinted. Her vision edged in bright white, but the at the center were blurry images. Something tall and dark walked before Vespera. Her vision trembled—the effort of following the Force's tether was taking a toll on her—but she focused harder. The beige silhouette of a man sitting before her seemed to grow clearer. The hum of his voice paused as the image came into focus.
Obi-Wan turned his head toward her, his brow puckering.
Vespera gasped and withdrew immediately. She was sucked through the void and returned to her body with a slam. Digging her fingers into the sand, Vespera heaved for breath. What kind of vision was that? It seemed like it had been the present moment—and it also seemed that Obi-Wan had seen her—but that was impossible, right? Why would the Force show her Obi-Wan, anyway? Ever since that moment in the cave…
There was only one person who could possibly answer her questions. Her uncle, Abner Stellavis, former Jedi Knight. The last connection she had to the Jedi Order. It was rare for family members to be Jedi, but her uncle had been a Knight when Vespera was brought to the Temple as a child. He left when she did, to watch over her and help guide her. He lived on Tatum, one of Azyrion's other moons. It seemed a visit to Tatum was essential now.
"My lady?" Neve stood at the foot of the stairs behind Vespera. The sun had risen, casting a soft orange glow on the water and upon Neve's face.
"Oh, Neve. You scared me."
"My apologies," said Neve. "I was nervous when I didn't find you in your quarters, and when I asked King Callan, he told me you hadn't spent the night in his, so he sent me to find you."
"I wanted to watch the sunrise," Vespera lied, standing. She brushed sand off her nightgown and robe. "I apologize for causing any grief."
"Did you and the Jedi ever find out who was behind all of this?" Neve queried, climbing the steps once Vespera joined her.
"No," Vespera sighed, "but I have a suspicion as to who might be."
"Who?"
"Lady Lorelei. I need to pay a visit to Raria."
The prison was well-maintained, and Lady Lorelei's cell even more so. Vespera stood before the detention cell. A containment field and metal bars locked Lorelei inside. The woman herself lounged on a bench attached to the wall.
"Ah, Queen Vespera," Lorelei purred. She kicked her legs into the air like a dancer's and stood with the grace of a feline. Tall and slender, Lorelei inherited the midnight looks of the family. She narrowed her dark eyes at Vespera. "It's been a long time, cousin."
"Indeed," Vespera agreed.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" But Lorelei smirked, and Vespera curled her fingers into her palms.
"Want to tell me why I've run into some fanatics of yours lately?"
Lorelei snorted. "I cannot help, nor can I control, what my loyal subjects do."
Vespera crossed her arms. "Then why did they say you planned for this?"
Lorelei's smile froze, but she smoothed it over with a shrug. "Maybe they knew you'd come sniffing around and want to cover their tracks."
"This isn't a game, Lorelei," hissed Vespera. "Your fanatics shot down a Republic ship and might be conspiring with the Separatists. This will drag Azyrion into war! You must care enough for your people to not want that, right?"
Lorelei inched closer to the bars. "You sound scared, Vezzy."
"Don't call me that."
"So touchy," Lorelei rolled her eyes. "Your sister was like that. So sensitive."
Vespera's breath hitched. That familiar tug—the desire to know more about her sister Elysia—jolted in Vespera's stomach. But she refrained from voicing her questions. It wasn't like Lorelei would answer them, anyway.
"Why are you really here?" Lorelei narrowed her eyes.
"I came to make sure you're enjoying your cell."
Lorelei smiled. "You look tired. That crown too heavy for you?"
Lifting her chin defiantly, Vespera said, "Never."
"It will be," Lorelei whispered. "And one day, this will be your cell, not mine."
"Excuse me for not taking you seriously while you're behind bars," Vespera snapped. But in truth, her heart quivered. Lorelei's threat dug itself under Vespera's skin more than she cared to admit.
"Things are changing all the time, Vezzy," Lorelei called as Vespera turned away from the cell. "That crown may not be too heavy now, but it will be."
The rolling, green hills of Tatum proved far friendlier than the prison on Raria. Vespera landed her ship at the port, then took her speeder and cruised along the countryside. She veered off toward a path, where tall trees lined either side. She sped until she arrived at a cottage nestled atop a hill. Wildflowers swayed in the warm breeze, and behind the house sat a garden. Vespera parked her speeder and dismounted.
Bounding out of the front door came a little girl, dark hair flowing behind her. "Momma!"
Vespera grinned and swooped to pick up her daughter. "Kenna!"
Smoothing back her Kenna's hair, Vespera placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead. Vespera's heart swelled with warmth as Kenna wreathed her arms around Vespera's neck.
"I wasn't expecting you," said Uncle Abner, leaning against the doorway of the cottage. He smiled kindly as Vespera strode toward him, Kenna still clinging to her. Abner kissed Vespera's cheek and beckoned for her to enter.
"It was urgent," Vespera sat on an armchair, holding Kenna on her lap.
"Monarchy business or the Force?" Abner queried.
"Both," Vespera admitted. Abner raised his eyebrows at Kenna and jerked his head to the side. Vespera's heart sank, but agreed. She pulled back to look at Kenna. "Angel, do you mind giving your uncle and I some grown-up time?"
Kenna jutted out her bottom lip. "But you just got here."
"I know, sweetheart," Vespera's heart clenched. "I promise that when we're done, I'll spend the whole afternoon with you. How does that sound?"
Kenna thought for a moment. Then, she slid off Vespera's lap. "Okay."
Vespera waited for Kenna's footsteps to patter down the hall, up the stairs, and into her room before speaking. "Lorelei's followers are rising."
Abner leaned forward and rubbed his bearded chin. "There have always been the spare fanatics here and there. What's so urgent about this time?"
"They shot down a Republic ship," Vespera replied.
Abner's eyes stretched. "That is a problem."
"And it seems like there are more than just small groups," Vespera added. "They had military-grade tech—"
"Was it Rarian tech?"
"Obi-Wan said it looked like Separatist," Vespera pinched her brow.
"Obi-Wan?" Abner drew back, his eyes wide. "That Kenobi boy? Well, I suppose he isn't a boy anymore."
Vespera smiled softly. "He's a Jedi Master now."
Abner chuckled and shook his head. "I always knew that he'd go on to achieve great things. What the blazes was he doing on Azyrion?"
"He was on the ship that got shot down. He was with two other Jedi and Senator Amidala. She was the real target. Someone from our system tried to get her killed twice."
"What makes you think Lorelei's followers are behind this, and conspiring with the Separatists?"
Vespera inhaled and told her uncle everything about the investigation, from Valerius, to the mines, to visiting Lorelei herself. Abner clasped his hands together and balanced his elbows on his knees.
"That is disconcerting," he muttered. He leaned back. "So, why'd you come here for help? You seem like you've got a good handle on it."
"I don't think so," Vespera lowered her head. "My council is watching me at every turn. I'm sure Valerius will be released any day now."
"You think some of them are in on it."
"I'd bet my life on it," Vespera agreed gravely.
"Don't say that," scolded Abner. "There are many on your council who'd collect on that."
"Which brings me to my next point," Vespera leaned forward. "I can't investigate this without the council getting involved, and if Lorelei is still planning some sort of uprising, there's not much I can do to stop her, especially with some of my council possibly backing her claim to the throne."
"Why would they back her claim, though? They'd be trading in one strong woman for another."
Vespera puckered her brow. "Maybe it's not her claim to the throne, but her power. She might have the strength to overthrow me or kill me, but they could easily lay all the blame on her."
"They'd make a martyr out of you and give full control to Callan," said Abner, nodding. "So, what's your plan?"
Vespera rubbed her sweaty palms together. "We're secure here, right?"
"No one knows we're here, and no one's listening."
Vespera blew out a breath. "I want to dissolve the monarchy."
Abner leaned forward. "Vez, you're talking about treason—"
"It's the only way to get rid of the council. Dissolve the monarchy—"
"Why not dissolve the council?"
"How?" Vespera snapped. "They block me at every turn. Every bill I write, every time I have to speak on behalf of the people, no matter what I do, they oversee it. I'm just a pawn in their game, and I am sick of it. I let my naivety cloud my judgment before. That was my mistake."
"Our mistake," Abner mumbled. "I thought you marrying Callan would've been a good thing…"
"Neither of us should've been in this mess," Vespera muttered. "We were supposed to be Jedi."
"Yeah, and we'd be soldiers in the Clone War now, if we'd stayed," said Abner. He dragged a hand over his face. "I'm assuming you don't mean you're going to dissolve the monarchy right off the bat?"
Vespera laughed. "I wouldn't be able to if I tried. There are others—social leaders—who support this idea. People who supported me in the past, and still do."
"I'll contact them, but you've gotta tell me what you want them to do."
"We'll start with education. The people need to be better educated, but quietly. The council still controls a lot of what our people learn."
"Alright. I'll contact our friends. But this isn't exactly a quick solution to your problem."
"I know," Vespera sighed. Then, she smiled. "But I think I have some new friends in the Republic who could help."
Abner eyed Vespera for a long time. Then he lifted his brows. "And your problems with the Force?"
Vespera shifted. "Something happened while I was in the tunnel with Obi-Wan. I don't know if he felt it too, though."
"What happened?"
"I… I slipped and fell—almost to my death—and Obi-Wan caught me. But when he grabbed my hand, it was like… A door opened, or a dam broke, and the Force rushed through me like a surge of electricity. I could feel his emotions like they were my own. I know with the Force I can sense what others are feeling, but it's subdued. I could almost hear his thoughts without trying. And then, this morning, I was meditating, and I felt this pull, like the Force wanted to show me something. I followed it and I had this… I don't really know what it was, exactly… I suppose it was a vision? It was like I was there with Obi-Wan, witnessing his present, and he looked toward me as if he saw me. And there's this ever-present feeling in the back of my mind of Obi-Wan's presence. I don't know what it means. I haven't experienced anything like this before. I think the closest I've gotten to something like this is when I was Master Plo's Padawan, and we had a bond as Master and apprentice."
Abner's brow creased and he leaned forward. "And you're not sure if he felt it, too?"
"I never got a chance to ask."
"It's possible that in the moment of peril, both of you let your guards down, and in a way, he opened you back up to the Force. You're out of practice. I suppose it's like when a limb falls asleep, and then it sort of wakes up…" Abner rubbed his chin, staring at the floor, deep in thought.
Vespera's stomach twisted. "And if Obi-Wan felt it, too?"
Abner looked up sharply. "Well, I'm not really sure. All I do know is that for some reason, the Force is connecting you to him, but we don't know if it's mutual or not. I think the best way to find out is to keep meditating on it. If you ever see Obi-Wan again, ask him about it."
Vespera snorted softly to herself. "Oh yes, that won't be an awkward conversation at all."
Abner grunted as he stood. "An awkward but necessary conversation."
"Uncle Abner makes me help him with the garden every morning," said Kenna, pointing at the different patches of the garden reserved for different things. The fruit in the far-left corner nearly looked ripe.
"Well, you're doing an excellent job," said Vespera, smiling down at Kenna, who clasped Vespera's hand as she led her through the garden and toward the back gate. They slipped out the gate and wandered into the field of tall grass and wildflowers. "What else has your uncle been teaching you?"
"Well, during the day, he teaches me school stuff. But after school, he makes sit out here and relax. He says I'm supposed to listen to nature."
"Nature can teach you a lot," Vespera complied.
"Did you know you're a queen?"
"I did," Vespera grinned.
"Does that make me a princess?"
"A secret princess," Vespera reminded Kenna, placing a finger over her lips.
"Why does it have to be a secret?"
Vespera sat down in the grass. "There are lots of people who don't like me as the queen, so it's not safe for you."
"That's why I can't live with you," said Kenna, looking down. "I bet it's fun to live in a castle."
Vespera's heart twisted sharply. What kind of life was this for her daughter? Away from her mother, alone in a cottage in the middle of nowhere… At least Abner took her to the local park to play with other children every week, but it still hurt Vespera to think that she put her child in this horrible situation. It was Vespera's recklessness, rebelliousness, and naivety that put Kenna here.
"It's alright," said Vespera. "It'd be more fun if I had you there."
Kenna smiled, but the soft blue sorrow feathering around her in the Force constricted Vespera's lungs. She brushed a lock of Kenna's hair behind her ear.
"Want know where your Uncle Abner and I used to live?"
Kenna wrinkled her brow. "You didn't always live here?"
Vespera shook her head. "We lived at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant."
"Where's that?"
"It's a planet that's one, big, gigantic city," Vespera extended her arms for emphasis. Kenna lifted a brow.
"Are there any trees?"
"Not really."
"Flowers?"
"Nope. Just big, tall, buildings."
"That sounds ugly."
Vespera laughed. "It's pretty in its own way. Did Abner ever tell you he was a Jedi, or what that means?"
"A little," said Kenna, picking at a blade of grass. "He said he can use the Force, and that's why I can sometimes move things without touching them."
"That's right," said Vespera.
"So why don't I live with the Jedi?"
"No Jedi ever came to get you," Vespera replied. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "And Azyrion doesn't like the Jedi very much. I couldn't take you to them."
Kenna lowered her gaze. "Oh. Well, maybe they're just late coming to get me."
"Yeah, maybe," Vespera offered, her heart shriveling even further in her chest. Suddenly, she no longer wanted to talk about the Jedi. "Want me to teach you how to make a flower crown?"
Kenna brightened. "Yeah!"
"If the council ever finds out, they'll kill her," Vespera hugged the newborn baby Kenna to her chest. "I will not let that happen."
Sweat still clung to her forehead. It had not been an easy birth, but holding Kenna in her arms for the first time was worth it. Dorian sat beside her, his arm around Vespera's waist. He planted a kiss to Vespera's temple.
"We'll think of something."
"You're supposed to marry Callan," hissed Abner. He raked his hands through his chin-length hair.
"I'm not going to marry him, not with war on the horizon!"
"That might be the best way to stop the war," Abner sighed.
"I want to exhaust every other option first," Vespera replied firmly. She gazed down at Kenna. Monolid eyes and already sporting a dark head of hair, the baby resembled Dorian far more than Vespera. She was beautiful.
"I could take her to the Jedi," said Abner.
"We don't know if she's got the Force," snapped Dorian.
Vespera's eyes pricked with tears. "She does. I feel it."
"We can't separate Kenna from her mother so early." Dorian sounded desperate.
Abner buried his face in his hands. "You can't keep her here, either. It's not safe and you know it."
"I don't want to send her to the Jedi, either!" Dorian cried.
"Dorian," Vespera scolded as Kenna shifted in her arms.
Dorian looked at Vespera with tears in his eyes. "Vez, we will never see our daughter again if Abner takes her to the Jedi."
Vespera's eyes welled with tears. "But what other choice do we have?"
"Don't make a decision tonight," said Abner, standing. "But don't get too attached to her, either. You know you can't keep her."
Abner left the room, and Vespera choked out a sob. Dorian placed his hands on her shoulders.
"We'll figure something out. We'll be a family, somehow…"
Nausea curled in Vespera's stomach as she exited her ship and entered the palace, already feeling the emptiness in her chest that Kenna usually occupied. They'd sent Kenna to Tatum to live with Abner, visiting every week in secret, away from the war. They had planned to send her off to the Jedi once it was clear that Kenna truly was Force-sensitive. Three years, Vespera had begged. Just give me three years. But then Dorian died, and Vespera couldn't bear to lose Kenna, too.
So, she damned Kenna to a life of seclusion.
What a horribly wretched and selfish thing to do, Abner had scolded. And Vespera had never been able to bring herself to disagree with him.
"Vespera," Callan greeted. "Where in the blazes have you been?"
"I went to check and make sure things were secure on Raria," Vespera replied easily.
Callan looped his arm through Vespera's and steered her down a corridor. "No time to change. We have a guest."
Vespera stopped in her tracks, eyes widening at the tall figure at the end of the hall. He turned, smiled, and then bowed to her. "Your majesty. It is an honor to finally meet you."
Count Dooku.