Darious had been given a chair at the end of the table so all of them could fit around it. His gaze flickered from one side to the next. Tension crackled through the air between Darrell and his parents. The feeling was akin to lightning as it flared from the hands of a Sith, just not as deadly.
"We have a right to know why you kept the fact I have a twin from Rane and myself," Darrell broke the silence.
Kayla closed her eyes as if the words were a physical blow.
"You can't deny he's Darrell's twin, mother." Rane's eyes narrowed. "Given everything that just happened, there's no way he's not. Not even you two could tell the difference between them."
The two of them shifted and glanced towards Darious.
Darious raised his eyebrows. He wasn't going to pressure them. Whatever had happened to land him as a slave had led him to joining the Order in the first. He had no regrets of this. Even if he had the power to change the past, he wouldn't choose to change the time he had spent as slave. Rather there was another moment he would have chosen. The moment where he had given up on trying to save Alvar and Alek from the Dark side.
Yes, saving them would have been the moment in his past he would have changed. If only he had been stronger. If only he had never given up on them. Alek might still be alive and the Order—
"Aren't you going to say anything?" Rane demanded. She half rose from her seat, hands trembling on the table. She glared at her parents.
Kayla gritted her teeth.
"They have a right to know," Kaden broke the silence.
"A right?" Kayla shook her head. "They wouldn't understand, Kaden."
"Mother," Darrell pressed.
Kayla shot a nasty look out of the corner of her at Darious. "If you hadn't showed up," she started.
"It's not his fault you never told us!" Rane snapped.
"Mother, please, tell us what happened."
Kaden straightened and took a deep breath. "I'll explain."
Rane fell back into her seat.
"But, let us order a meal first," Kaden gestured for the droid.
"Tch," Laila huffed. "It sounds like you don't want to tell us what happened."
Kaden's eye twitched. "We'll explain while we wait on the food."
The group placed their orders while Darious leaned back in his seat.
If he had a choice in the matter, he wouldn't have been here at all. Yet, this would bring closure to those here and that was worthwhile. Still, to be the source of so much turmoil in a family was wrong.
"Aren't you going to order?" Laila asked. Her gaze locked on Jasper.
Jasper shifted. "Right." He looked at the menu and ordered the cheapest item on it. "Make that two of them." He glanced at Darious.
Darious locked gazes with his former padawan.
"What? You don't want to eat?" Jasper laughed.
"Just one is fine," Darious told the droid.
The droid moved off with the order.
Jasper's eyes narrowed. He let out a soft breath. "You had a ration before coming, didn't you?"
"I wasn't expecting to stay through the meal."
"You weren't?" Rane asked.
"No."
"Then what were you going to do given if you hadn't come out just now," Mark trailed off.
"Aid Alan and Alvar in the kitchens."
"You can cook?" Rane demanded.
"To a degree," Darious stated.
Jasper huffed. "Why must you and Master Tarvon always understate how good your cooking is?" He laughed and winked. "I remember Master Squint devouring everything you made."
That wasn't saying much. "Alek would devour anything edible."
Jasper burst out laughing. "I guess he was a bottomless pit when it came to food."
"Who are you talking about?" Mark asked.
"An old friend."
"Another Jedi by the sounds of it," Rane grinned.
"Is he one of the five?" Laila asked.
"No." Darious looked at her.
"Master Squint became one with the Force at the end of the Civil War," Jasper explained.
"Oh." Laila frowned. "You mean died?"
"Um, yeah." Jasper blinked. "That's what I said."
"So you knew this Alek character well then?" Laila pressed.
"Yeah, Master Squint, Master Tarvon, and Master Darious were younglings together and were generally assigned missions together which meant I went with them a lot given I was Master Darious's padawan learner." Jasper grinned. "Master Squint gave the best pointers on dueling. Though," – he winced – "the duels with him always hurt."
Laila stiffened and glared at Darious. "You let him get hurt?" she demanded.
Darious raised his brow.
"Master Squint had a policy the best way to learn was by first learning how to dodge. It helped a great deal when the Civil War broke out," Jasper intervened.
Darrell cleared his throat. "You said you would tell us after we ordered." His gaze locked on his parents.
"Yes, I did." Kaden shifted and glanced at his wife before he cleared his throat. "What you must understand is the Mandalorian and Jedi Civil War didn't affect the Republic as much as the Great Sith War. It is true more worlds suffered during the two most resent wars, but Coruscant was only attacked once during the Mandalorian Wars and the damage was minimal compared to the Great Sith War."
Rane frowned. "Are you saying taxes were higher?"
Kayla bowed her head. "They were extremely high. Its true taxes have gone up now to aid in the restoration of Telos, but not to the degree they did for the rebuilding of Coruscant."
"What does this have to do with you never telling us we had a brother?" Rane asked, frowning.
"The aftermath of the war lingered years after it, hurting families who were all ready struggling even three years later." Kayla's gaze locked on Darrell. "The year you were born."
"You mean the year Darious and I were born?" Darrell pressed.
Kayla winced. "Yes," the word fell from her as a breath.
"For the next two years we fell further into debt. Alan helped as much as he could when it came to food, but," Kaden trailed off, closing his eyes.
"You couldn't stay afloat?" Rane whispered the question.
"No," Kaden whispered. "And twins were impossible to keep fed, clothed, and sheltered." His eyes narrowed, glittering in the light.
"It was the hardest decision we ever made," Kayla continued, "but the credits they offered were enough to see us through years."
"They?" Darrell frowned.
The two looked away, backs hunched. "Slavers."
"Slavers?!" Rane leapt to her feet. "You sold your own child into slavery!"
Darrell gritted his teeth. "Credits couldn't have been worth that," he growled.
"You would have died!" Kayla shouted. Her eyes widened as she looked at Darrell. "You were the healthier one between yourself and Darious, but even then, you were sick and close to death. If we hadn't picked between you, we would have lost both of you. Credits saved your life."
"That's no excuse," Rane snapped. "We're a family. You've told us all our lives we would find away together no matter how hard the times are."
Both couldn't look at their daughter.
This wasn't good. "Calm down," Darious intervened. "They had their reasons. It could have looked like the only option at the time."
Rane whorled on him. "You should be the most upset out of all of us! Not trying to defend them."
"You should be," Darrell added. "Surely you're frustrated about not having the chance I had, or regret being denied your childhood."
"No," Darious stated.
Both gaped. "Really? But you were sold into slavery."
"I spent about a year as a slave," Darious explained. "A year I don't remember as my earliest memory is being on the shuttle ready to go to Dantooine."
"It is?" Kayla asked.
Darious bowed his head.
"Please, can you tell us a little more?" Kaden asked. A glimmer of hope shimmered in his eyes.
About his earliest memory? Darious frowned. There was no harm in telling him the full extent of it, still…
"I remember being curled in the back of shuttle and Alvar standing over me with his hand out. He said 'Don't be afeared, we're to be Jedi now.'"
Jasper snorted. "That sounds like Master Tarvon. Well, a really young Master Tarvon."
It did.
Alan appeared with a droid a step behind. The droid carried the dishes as Alan limped towards the table.
"Alan," Kaden, Laila, and Kayla all greeted the diner owner. "It's good to see you," Kaden added, smiling.
Alan bowed his head. "It's good to see all of you as well." His gaze rested on Darious. "Especially with Darious back."
Kaden and Kayla stiffened.
"If there is anything you need during the meal don't hesitate to ask." Alan bowed his head and gestured to the droid.
The meals were set down before the respective person.
Silence lapsed over the group. No one touched their food.
Well, this was awkward.
"You honestly don't resent us?" Kayla asked.
"I don't."
She breathed.
Cold washed over Darious. His gaze flickered away from the table towards the door.
"Did you sense that, Master?" Jasper asked.
"I did." Darious stood.
Alvar appeared from the kitchen. "Darious, vanish. Jasper, take point."
"On it!" Jasper leapt to his feet and pulled out his lightsaber. He kept the blade sheathed.
Darious activated his belt and moved so he flanked the otherside of the door.
"What's going on?" Laila demanded. "Jasper, what are you doing?"
The door opened.
One of the Sith moved into the room from yesterday.
"Damn it!" Darrell cursed as he stood. "Mark, call for back up."
"Right." Mark also stood, pulling out his blasters as he went.
"My, my, I had wondered where the Jedi had gotten off to." The woman led two others into the space. "Some little gathering of weaklings." She lifted her hand.
Alvar leapt over the counter and placed himself between the occupied table and the Sith. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure," he spoke in light tones as if greeting an old friend. "I'm Alvar, who might you be?"
Her masked gaze snapped towards Alvar. "Impossible," she breathed.
"Anything is possible," Alvar stated. Despite his light, playful tone, his expression was serious. "And I would lower her hand before you don something you'll regret."
Another of the group was looking around. "I could have sworn," he muttered.
Alvar flicked his fingers.
Darious's hand wrapped around his lightsaber.
A moment, just a moment when they made the first move.
"Tch, I'll just have to settle for the two of you given the third seems to have fled." Lightning sparked between the woman's fingers.
It surged towards Alvar.
Alvar splayed his hands. The lightning focused inward, drawn to him rather than hitting him and those behind him.
There.
Darious moved. His lightsaber unsheathed.
A scream pierced the air.
The blade had pierced through the nearest Sith guard's chest.
He fell to the floor with a dull clang.
"Tch." The woman whipped around, her pick in hand.
Darious flipped back.
The soft hum filled his ears.
He landed on one of the empty tables.
Jasper leapt forward.
The woman managed to block.
Lightning flashed from where Alvar was. Her attack reflecting back towards her and the last sith.
She leapt back.
Blue light dominated the space as the last guard screamed and writhed in agony.
The woman snarled. "You've not seen the end—"
She leapt back through door as Alvar's purple blade came within inches of her neck.
Smoke bellowed into the space.
Jasper winced. "That's the same trick she used the last time."
Alvar straightened.
"Jasper, remain here, your padawan and Atton are on their way to reinforce this location," Alvar directed. "I doubt we were their only targets. I'm leaving the other two padawans at the ship. Darious, you and I are going to head for the senator's."
Darious nodded. "Understood."
"We'll contact Meetra on the way." Alvar started for the door.
"Wait!" Kayla stood. Her eyes locked on Darious.
Alvar paused. "Commander Varnon, have a few of the security force back up here while the rest either head to the senator's."
"Good idea." Darrell nodded.
"Come." Alvar raced from the diner.
Darious fell into step with his old friend.
There wasn't time to waste if they were also targeting the senator. This could have been a distraction. "What about the ship?" Darious asked as they ran.
"It's true they could have gone after their original targets," Alvar agreed. "You check in there over the comm. We'll find out that way."
(Author's note: Well, it might be next month or the month following we finally get that duel between Revan and Sighta. Boy they're just having another day aren't they?)