Last time: The Gold Leaf got away. The Family forgave Cien.
Now: Sulam has a 'mom' moment with Cien.
Chapter 4- If You Need a Mom
Admiral Sulam walked into the hangar bay, and the entire crew looked over at her. She never came down here unless she had to get on a shuttle. Whatever was going on the deck crew was having a heck of a day trying to keep up with all the weirdness going on. It was definitely more exciting than the boring routine they usually had. They suddenly found themselves busy with tasks to ensure the Admiral didn't catch them idle.
Their family hug had broken up just in time for the Admiral to stride in, and she walked directly to where they were, still just at the foot of Spirit's hatchway. Cien drew herself up, trying to prepare herself for the dressing down she was sure to get.
"You okay?" The Admiral asked somewhat sternly as she looked at Cien, ignoring everyone else.
"They jumped as soon as I arrived." Cien said by way of answer, since by no means was she okay.
The Admiral looked at her for a moment in consideration. "Come with me." The Admiral ordered softly, as she turned to head off towards the squadron ready rooms. Cien kept herself from swallowing nervously as she followed after her, not looking to any of the others. They walked into the ready room where Hassen was in front of the rest of the pilots forming a battle plan with the squadron. All the pilots' heads shot up and did a double take, seeing the Admiral walking in.
"Your office free?" The Admiral asked.
"It's - " Hassen started.
"Thanks." Admiral Sulam said as she walked over to another doorway on the opposite side of the ready room and Cien followed her. It was a small, messy office that would afford them some privacy. The Admiral gestured for Cien to take a seat in one of the guest chairs that was in front of the desk.
"I would prefer to stand." Cien stated simply.
The Admiral cocked her head to the side as she sat down on the desk with her arms folded across her chest. "Well I've been standing most of the day so I'm going to take a seat."
Cien said nothing in reply.
After a few moments of looking at her, the Admiral finally spoke. "You dealt with the military a lot, I expect? Being a three thousand year old Sith Lord and Empress and all that stuff?"
"Yes." Cien replied.
"And you had to work you way up through the ranks of wherever you came from, to become an Acolyte and then a Lord and then an Empress or whatever it was?" The Admiral continued.
"Yes." Cien answered again.
"These people and these ships are my responsibility. But they don't belong to me. I can't just turn on a whim and go off on a mission. The Alliance was pretty ragtag and loosely structured, but since it became the Republic, we have to do things carefully. We're still out here fighting a war against the Empire. The galaxy rose up and overthrew it because they would come in, guns blazing, shoot first, shoot later, and ask questions if they recovered any prisoners. We have to work very hard to not become that, to not look like that, and to not become the very oppressors that we just overthrew. So the Republic keeps us on a pretty tight leash. So on top of being part of a military, I am part of a military that has to tread very lightly and carefully. Do you understand that?"
Cien seethed at the statement but nodded.
The Admiral continued. "And the reason we won is because we didn't just fly in and hope for the best. We had to plan everything meticulously so that when we were outgunned ten to one, we could still come out on top. So when I want to take an hour or two to do things properly, it's not because I don't care, it's because I care about everyone. I want Kyr back more than you can know, I'm not lying when I say he's like a son to me." She said, looking Cien in the eye as Cien's eyes finally turned to meet hers. "But he's not the only 'kid' I got in this fleet. The 19th is the most powerful force in the sector. We can jump in and kick them all the way to Coruscant. But if we lose people, if we lose Kyr, because we don't play this smartly, then it doesn't matter how much damage we cause them." The Admiral said looking at her. "What matters in this is getting Kyr, not revenge. I know you understand that." The Admiral finished, looking at her.
Cien merely stood there and said nothing, but she closed her eyes and nodded.
The Admiral nodded as well, even though Cien couldn't see it through her closed eyes. She continued in a softer tone. "So what happened sweetie?" She asked.
Cien took a deep breath and deflated somewhat. "I arrived and they just jumped away. No communications, nothing. I got within sight of them, of him, and they jumped away. Just like last time." She said brokenly. "And I can feel him fading," she said quietly, "he doesn't have much time left. His presence has grown so dim." She said swallowing, trying to hold back tears again.
The Admiral considered her for a while, stowing that bit of tactical knowledge away. "It was a good recon, hun," she said softly. "Tac is a persistent little guy, as soon as they are settled in some place he'll call us again with coordinates."
"It doesn't matter, they'll just jump away again." Cien said brokenly. "We don't have enough time."
"All the reports from the Gold Leaf is that they are trying to lay low. When Republic patrols come by they don't do anything suspicious and act overtly friendly." She said, "but they recognized your ship. And we learned that they have some guy with his hand hovering over the panic button to jump them away at the first sign of trouble." The Admiral said quietly. "So your little recon run gave us some good knowledge there, kiddo." She stood up and approached Cien. "And we have enough time. Kyr will make the time because he will do everything he can to come back to you." She said quietly.
"I…" Cien started, "I don't think it's up to him anymore." She said in almost a whisper.
"Oh sure it is sweetheart." The Admiral said softly. "Whatever light you're seeing from him is still there. He survived some tough situations in the war through sheer force of will when he had a lot less to come back to."
Cien stood there and said nothing trying to hold back tears.
"Last week." The Admiral said, "I had never met you. But I knew how deeply Kyr felt about you from what little he said about you, especially because of how little he said about you. And if that boy felt that way about someone it had to mean something. I knew a little about you, because when we went to the U R last year and had to clean up a squadron of Star Destroyers, the Coppers infiltrated the palace to take out whoever was in charge of everything. And instead of finding some oppressive Imperial warlord, we found the makings of a nice, efficient little government, and a Magistrate who had resumed her throne as the Imp forces were in disarray. She asked what had happened to you, because she liked you. Because she was worried about what happened to you. That surprised the hell out of us. We knew you had gone out there, Kyr had confided in me what he had found out about Jiardon's squadron when he asked for his leave after Endor."
Cien said nothing, just trying to keep her composure.
"And after dealing with that mess, we were given this quiet little assignment as a stand down. And everyone was bored out of their skull in the back end of nowhere. Then you guys randomly show up on our doorstep, and we finally get to meet you and the rest of the family. Kyr talked about the others once or twice through the war, he would brag about his Jedi sister and brothers, about how they had saved the galaxy and all that. But he never spoke about you. Some woman comes aboard, wielding a lightsaber, saying she's three thousand years old, sweeping through my corridors like an empress and wearing beskar plates that look awfully familiar. And wearing an even more impenetrable suit of armor underneath. The Colonel's wife, every bit and more what we might have expected of whoever she might have been."
"But we got to see behind both layers of armor. And I see someone who gave up an Empire because she didn't want to be alone. Because it mattered more to her to have a few close family members than a hundred star systems in her hand. Someone who fell for Kyr not because he filled out his armor nicely, or because he was that strong warrior type, but because he gave her a cookie and was kind to her." The Admiral said quietly.
"I know why Kyr fell for you," she continued after a moment, "and that it's something that runs deep. So when I say this, I'm saying this as someone who knows Kyr very well, probably better in some ways than you or those Jedi out there." She said gesturing vaguely out towards the hangar, "he will last as long as he needs to to come back to you."
Tears started falling down Cien's face again as she looked away.
"Oh c'mere sweetie." The Admiral said, wrapping her in a hug.
Cien wrapped her arms around Nadiera and cried into her shoulder. "His light is so faint." Cien said as she wept.
"It's going to be okay. Things like this have a way of working out." The Admiral said softly as Cien deflated in their warm hug. "And even if his light is faint, at least the light is still there. And like I said," as Cien continued to cry into her shoulder, "Kyr's like one of my boys. And I'm here for you if you need a mom." She said quietly.
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