Luke looked up when Mara entered the room.
He frowned. "I thought I told you to go back to bed."
Mara shot him a look. "In case you've forgotten, nobody tells me to do anything. And for the record, I'm not tired."
Luke snorted, but chose not to say anything.
Mara headed for the kitchen.
"Ah, so the lack of exhaustion is only relative to your hunger." Luke surmised.
Mara sent a dark glare.
Luke said nothing more as he went back to the datapad in his hand, frowning in concentration.
"Do we have any d'yjala cakes?" Mara asked from behind the refrigeration unit door.
"If we do, they're not in there." Luke replied absently.
"I know. I'm looking for something to go on them." She closed the fridge door, leftover bajiin steak and a bag of cheese in her hand.
"Hold on just a minute there," Luke protested, "that steak is mine."
Mara looked sly as she disappeared into the pantry. "Not anymore." She called over her shoulder.
Luke smiled behind his hand, and then looked back at the datapad.
"What are you working on?" Mara came out of the pantry, a bag of d'yjala cakes in her hand.
"This transmission I just got from the Leukin family." He said absently, fingering the scar on his chin.
Mara came to sit beside him. "Are they still refusing to let you put their son with the other crèche kids?"
Luke nodded slowly. "They seem to think he'll learn faster without the distractions of the other children."
Mara set the mug in her hand clown on the table hard.
"I know." Luke folded the top on the datapad down. "I can't exactly order them to allow him to be with the other young children." He frowned. "And I'm not sure that's even it."
"If it were me, that's exactly what I would do. And what do you mean, that's not it?" Mara took a sip of her caffeine with an incredulous look.
"How would you feel if Ben came home talking about his 'new family'?"
Mara thought about that for a moment. "Threatened."
Luke hid a smile. "You mean you'd track them down and erase their memory."
Mara stood with a half-grin, putting the last bite of her cakes in her mouth. She shrugged, walking over to the comm terminal. "Maybe." She turned the terminal on. "What was with Jacen earlier?"
Luke frowned. "I don't know. Maybe one of the kids that seem to camp outside his door was crying."
"It was odd." Mara looked thoughtful. "I didn't sense anything."
"So it wasn't Jaina?" Luke took her dirty plate to the kitchen sink.
"No." Mara shook her head, reading the text message.
"Then I have no idea. Maybe one of..." he trailed off when he saw Mara had stilled.
"What?" he asked quickly, alarm rising at the look on her face.
"A note from Bilbringi NRI branch." Her voice was nearly inaudible. She finally looked at Luke. "They found the Outlander station. No survivors."
Luke's mind stopped.
Mara wasn't finished.
"And it wasn't an accident."
.
The halls in the Great Temple were filled with noise as the students milled about, talking and laughing. The older ones walked to their quarters or stood in groups along the walls that made walking through the corridors like weaving through a maze.
"So, how long are you staying?"
They walked side by side down the crowded halls away from the bay.
Tenel Ka looked ahead as they walked. "I gave my crown regent ylinai telempora when I left."
They stopped for a group of children playing in the middle of the hall. One of the young girls smiled and waved, and Jacen smiled back.
"Forgive the mere civilian's ignorance," Jacen quipped, "but I have no idea what that means."
"I will stay as long as the Consortium does not require me." Tenel Ka rephrased.
"Ah." Jacen nodded. "Aha."
Tenel Ka looked at him. "When did you make a habit of mocking me?"
Jacen stifled a laugh. "I wasn't mocking you, Tenel Ka. I swear."
If it were not for the fact that it was Tenel Ka, he could have sworn he saw her hide a smile of her own.
"I know this." She replied, nodding once.
Jacen grinned. "Good. Now, let's go find your quarters."
He watched her out the corner of his eyes as they walked. He saw her scan her surroundings, taking it all in.
"It's different, isn't it?" He voiced what she was thinking.
"This is a fact." Her voice was quiet.
Jacen chuckled. "How did I know you'd say that?"
Tenel Ka looked up, an expression similar to amusement on her face. "I do not know. How?"
Jacen shrugged easily as they turned the corner. "I guess it's just cause I know you." He smiled.
Tenel Ka seemed to think this over. "It could be that." She agreed.
"It could also be that you're a one-liner." Jacen amended, hiding a grin.
Tenel Ka almost stopped where she was to mull this over. She eyed Jacen carefully. "This is a joke." She clarified.
Jacen grinned. "What else?"
To Jacen's credit, she almost smiled. "This is true."
They walked in silence for a moment.
Tenel Ka suddenly stopped, taking in her surroundings with an alertness. "Jacen." She looked at him, her eyes flitting around. "Where are we going?"
He didn't need to answer. She knew where they were headed.
Jacen stopped in the hall in front of a door.
"Your quarters, your Highness. I apologize for their humbleness." He made a deep, sweeping bow.
Tenel Ka gave him a brief glance that was vaguely annoyed before pressing her thumb to the bioscanner on the door.
She blinked as the door swished open, hesitating before stepping inside.
Jacen watched her turn around slowly, her mind working through memories to check the images she saw now against the way it had once been. He wondered when her gaze crossed him, if she even saw him.
"Thank you." She said finally. "I do not know how you have done it, but thank you."
Jacen just smiled before quietly slipping down the hall.