o:o:o
Phaelon wrinkled her nose. Her home planet hadn't changed much since the last time she'd been there. How long had it been? Five years? Ten? Fifteen? It didn't matter.
The twin worlds of Kiffu and Kiffex were the only habitable worlds in the Azurbani System. And even then they were only habitable by the very hardy, very determined, or the insane. Thick layers of swirling clouds made the land dry and rocky. Violent lightning storms were frequent occurrences.
Kiffex had been a prison under the Old Republic until the vampiric Anzati overran it. They tried to invade Kiffu as well, but the Guardians held them at bay. During the Clone Wars the last Sheyf of Clan Vos was killed and the planet taken by the CIS. Later it fell under control of the Empire. Only with the coming of the New Republic were the Clans and a Sheyf put back in control.
She wondered if Jysella was regretting her decision to accompany her as the X-wings entered the swirling atmosphere. Her com crackled, interrupting her thinking: Welcome to Kiffu, Jedi Lei, said an automated woman's voice, Please continue to docking bay 36-A. Enjoy your stay.
The trip to the surface was anything but enjoyable. The swirling clouds made for a very turbulent descent. As she was jolted across her cockpit when the X-wing suddenly lost a hundred meters of altitude, Phaelon was forced to remember a time during the war when she'd been forced to make an atmospheric landing without her port s-foils. This was nearly as harrowing.
Thankfully, Jysella had inherited her parents flying skills and stuck close the entire way down.
"That was wizard!" she exclaimed through the com as the X-wings settled gracefully on their landing struts.
Phaelon smiled as she popped her canopy. If only she had her enthusiasm.
Dropping to the duracrete, she forced a smile when she saw the approaching entourage of Clan Guardians. Leading them was her smiling younger sister, Ilyra, her cloak pinned with the ruling symbol of Clan Lei.
Reaching out with the Force, she could sense no insincerity in her younger sibling as she spoke. "Jedi Lei, you honor us with your presence. May I present the Circle of Guardians." She rattled off each name and Phaelon made a small bow to each of them in turn.
"I thank you for the invitation. This is Jysella Horn, one of the promising students at the Academy." – Jysella made a small bow to the Guardians.
Ilyra dropped back as the Guardians made their way back inside. "I'm glad you came," she whispered to her older sister. "It's good to see you again."
Phaelon couldn't resist smiling. She had never had a quarrel with her little sister, and it was actually nice to see her again.
o:o:o
Reluctantly, Phaelon accepted an invitation to a dinner that night with the elders of her Clan. She knew it probably wouldn't go well, but it would have seemed rude not to. Thankfully, Jysella was wide-eyed and quiet as she took in everything.
For the good of the Jedi, she reminded herself.
The icy feelings towards her were revealed as soon as she entered the room. Normally, an ambassador would have been besieged by people attempting to curry favors, but not tonight. To not seem rude, they spoke with her about the most trivial matters, but it was painfully obvious that they were forcing themselves for the sake of politeness.
"Well," she muttered to her sister, "things haven't changed."
Ilyra smiled. "It's just a show. Mother and father were very excited when they heard you would be the Jedi's ambassador. You should have heard them last night. They were practically giddy."
It could have fooled Phaelon. When they met, her mother gave her a single kiss on the cheek, and her father shook her hand. Still, it was more recognition than they'd shown the last time she'd been home.
"They thought you were dead," her sister whispered after they'd departed. "When we heard all the Jedi were being killed by the Vong, we feared the worst."
"It'd take more than an invasion to kill me," said Phaelon with a cocky smirk.
She sighed. "That's what I told them, but they wouldn't believe me."
o:o:o