Chapter Four

That night Ashya picked at her food more than she ate it. Ronin prattled on about the large order they had received from the Rep…Empire, she corrected herself that day.

Her mouth tightened into a thin line at the thought.

Her husband frowned and touched her arm causing her to jump in surprise. "Ashya? Are you alright?"

"Yes I'm fine, sweetheart," she replied absently.

"But I just said that we were going to Chandrila in two weeks and you didn't bat an eye," her husband said in concern.

She forced a smile and turned her attention back to her husband. "I'm sorry. I was just lost in my thoughts," she said warning him with a look not to say anymore about it while the children were listening.

He got the hint and dropped the subject.

Ashya was relieved hoping that they could return to normal dinner conversation, with no such luck.

"Mommy?" Dilan asked, breaking the silence. "What's an Empire?"

Ashya nearly choked on her tea. She looked at her son. /How do you explain Empire to a six-year-old/ She asked herself. /How do you explain that the government that we lived under is different.. that it doesn't exist anymore.. that we live under a dictator/ As Ashya reflected she realized her son should not know what an Empire was until he was older.

"I'll explain later," she said.

"When I'm older?" the boy asked in exasperation.

In spite of her mood, Ashya smiled at her son's innocence. "Yes," she replied as she stood to clear the dishes.

As she was doing the dishes she heard the com unit on the wall chirp. She could have had the dishes done by the cleaning droid, but dishes were only a simple problem. Focusing on a problem with a simple solution was soothing to her.

Ashya picked up the com after drying her sudsy hands. "Ashya Ramiras speaking," she said.

"Ashya, I'm sorry for bothering you, but I need help," her cousin's voice returned.

Ashya nearly gasped and she quickly turned on her comlink security encryption. /What should I do/ She wondered biting her lip. /If I help him I could be declared an enemy of the state and be summarily executed. But.. how could I explain to my children that murder is wrong if I support an Empire that condones it/ As she stood there debating, Kyran's voice came again.

"Ashya, are you there?"

"I'm here," she responded quickly. "What can I do to help?"

An hour later Ashya was pulling up to the back of a nondescript cantina on the lower levels of Coruscant. She was wearing a shawl over her curly blonde hair and she hid her eyes behind a dark pair of glasses even though it was night. Her cousin was waiting for her. He had changed since she saw him last. His normally blondish brown hair was black and he was dressed in civilian's clothes.

She arched a brow at him as he hopped into the speeder. "You look different."

"So do you," he said pointedly.

Ashya blushed. "Sorry, I'm just not used to seeing you in civilian's clothes. What happened?" she asked worriedly.

"I was on an undercover mission and on my way back to Coruscant. I had just reentered atmosphere when I got Obi-Wan's message that the Temple was under siege and that hundreds of Jedi had been slaughtered," his mouth tightened into a thin line and his eyes misted slightly. "Including the younglings," he said swallowing hard.

Ashya gasped and nearly jerked the speeder off the road. "What? The younglings were slaughtered too?" She asked in astonishment. She felt numb with grief. Parents gave their children to the order so that they would become Jedi and protect the Republic. They were told that it was for the good of the Republic.. that their child would serve others and the greater good. Now.. their sacrifice was wasted. She waited for him to continue with bated breath.

"I knew it wasn't safe to go back to the Temple, but before I could turn around to replot a course to somewhere else to hide, I was fired on. The shot hit my left wing and I was forced to make a rather abrupt landing."

Ashya gave him a critical glance out of the corner of her eye. "Are you injured?" she asked in concern.

"Just a bit banged up and my right ankle may be sprained,' he replied, moving it gingerly and wincing at the sudden pain as he moved it.

"I'll let you have the guest room," she said as she pulled up to their house.

Kyran carefully got out of the speeder and followed her into the house. "The children are asleep," she whispered. "The bedroom should have everything you need. There are towels in the closet by the bathroom and a medkit in there too," she said. "Is there anything else you need?"

Kyran shook his head and gripped her arm before she could disappear into her own room. "Ashya… I …" he swallowed. "You don't know how much I appreciate this. Thank you," he said softly.

Ashya's features softened. There was raw emotion in the Jedi's voice. He had lost everyone he knew and cared about . The Jedi were his family just as much as her children and husband were hers, and they had been slaughtered by the command of a cruel dictator. "I'm truly sorry that this is all I can do for the Jedi," she said softly.

He looked away briefly before regaining his composure. "It is more than enough," he replied. "Good night, Ashya."

She whispered the same back and quietly closed the door to her room.

"Is the Jedi alright?" Ronin asked in concern. He was already in bed, reading a holobook.

"Yes," she said as she changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed beside her husband. She had not realized she was crying until her husband put down his book. He gently wiped her tears away and embraced her. She felt warm and safe in his arms. Nothing could hurt her while her husband's arms protected her and slowly Ashya drifted into an uneasy sleep.

Perhaps in the morning, things would look better.

The next few days passed without great incident. Ashya was extremely careful not to let it slip that her cousin was visiting. She lectured the children severely not to tell anyone. She knew the consequences if they were caught. She hated to place her family in such danger, but she and Ronin had agreed to help. They could not condone a government that murdered it's innocent citizens.

She had picked her children up from school and daycare not long ago, and they were heading home for the evening. The children prattled on about their day and Ashya smiled in amusement as they argued over the use of the holoproj for that evening.

She ushered the children in the house when they arrived and hung her two oldest children's bags by the front door, forgetting to put her infant's down also. With the baby's bag still in her hand she headed to the kitchen. She put the diaper bag down by the back door and checked to make sure there were plenty of diapers and formula for Ranya, her infant. Satisfied that there were still plenty of both to last a few days, she began to turn her attention to dinner.

Just then Kyran poked his head out of the room she had given him. He came into the kitchen and slid onto a stool. "Anything I can help with?" he asked softly.

Ashya smiled at him. "You can chop these if you're interested." She didn't really need the help, but the last few days, Kyran had been determined to help and not to be a burden to them for hiding him.

If truth be told, she knew Kyran grieved deeply for the loss of the Jedi and the Republic. Doing tasks around the house seemed to give him a sense of comfort.

Kyran took the vegetables from her and began chopping them. Ashya watched him while he worked. He moved with the grace of a seasoned chef and quickly made short work of them. He happened to notice her baby's bag on the small table by the back door and arched a brow in silent query.

"I don't know why I put that there," she confessed. "I just … did."

He frowned deeply at that information. She wondered why he was so upset about it. "I can move it, if it's in the way."

He shook his head negative. "No it's fine, I was just thinking, wondering why you moved it."

She shrugged apologetically. "No reason."

He looked thoughtful as he began to gather dishes to set the table. He limped on his ankle, though it was healing after he had splinted it and used a bit of Force healing.

Soon supper was ready and her husband came in. He kissed her and sniffed appreciatively. "Smells wonderful, sweetheart. What's the occasion?"

Ashya swatted him playfully. "I do cook once in awhile, remember?"

He chuckled before going to his study to put his briefcase down. He headed back into the kitchen moments later to wash his hands.

With a smile on her face, Ashya called her family to dinner.

That night Ashya and Ronin made love more passionately than they had in some time. He snuggled up close next to her husband relishing in the warmth and security she had of the moment.

"Have I told you how much I love you today?" she asked her husband playfully.

"I think so," he said with a smile as he bent to nibble her ear.

She mock pouted. "I did?"

He laughed and tweaked one of her tight curls. "Yes, but I wouldn't mind hearing it again."

She giggled. "I love you, you big gundark."

He bent to kiss her lips, entangling them with his own.