Portia slowly becomes aware of her surroundings. She's disoriented at first as she wakes. She knows that she is someplace familiar but her fuzzy mind can't seem to place her location. It's not her bedroom. It's not Julia's bedroom either. Where is this?

Oh, yeah. It's her family's living room. The giant formal one in the front of the house where they receive guests and entertain. Not the more casual homey version where Cato likes to hang out with his friends.

Portia lifts her head from the couch and starts to wipe sleep from her eyes. She's utterly exhausted with a very dry mouth. Those are the telltale signs of a heavy dose of Force sleep. Rest administered by the Force is more like sedation than true sleep. It is seldom restorative.

"You're awake."

Portia turns in the direction of her sister's voice. Apollonia is sitting in a nearby chair. Her glower looks foreboding. Her tone is snappish.

Portia sits up and swings her feet to the floor. She runs a hand through her bedraggled hair, adjusts the voluminous cape she's still wearing, and wonders aloud, "How did I get here?"

"Lord Tenebrae brought you home around 2 am. It's almost eleven now. You've been asleep all morning."

"Oh." Portia is still struggling to get her equilibrium. The last thing she remembers is Gaius swinging his sword. She had been thrown hard into the wall of the Temple. Portia remembers losing consciousness—probably thanks to the Force sleep—as she watched his glowing blade flashing in the candlelight. And now, hours later she wakes up at home.

What happened?

Where is Gaius? Is he alright?

Appy starts talking. From her fast and clipped delivery, it's clear that her sister has been waiting for her to wake up. Pent up emotions make Appy shrill as she systematically begins delivering the news and the obligatory accompanying lecture. "Lord Tenebrae was exceedingly kind about the whole affair. He assured Mother that he would be absolutely discrete. Under the circumstances, it was very magnanimous of him."

Portia closes her eyes, remembering that strange, hateful priest. 'Kind' is not the word she would use to describe him.

"How could you? How could you shame yourself and our family like this? I can't believe you would do such a thing!"

Portia says nothing.

"When Lord Tenebrae arrived and the servants let him in, he told them that he found you asleep in a pew . . . that you had gone to pray for our people very late into the night. And everyone believed him because you do Temple work and the whole household knows we've been packing for an invasion. But then he asked to speak privately to the family and the truth came out. I can hardly believe it myself. Malgus? Really? Him of all people? The random? For shame, Portia Metellus!"

Upset Appy needs to vent and she's expecting an argument. But Portia just listens, head hung down and eyes on the floor, with her hands clasped tightly to keep them from trembling.

"And to get caught in the act of an elopement by the Palace priest himself? By a Lord on the Dark Council? Lord Tenebrae said he knew Father—he served on the Council with Father—and so he feels responsible for you. He told Mother that he knows she did her best and that it's not an easy thing to be a widow raising children alone, but that you clearly lacked the supervision of a father. And with Cato deployed, you had far too much freedom. He said it much gentler than that, of course. Lord Tenebrae might be an odd-looking man, but he has excellent manners. Mother was genuinely impressed with how calm and respectful he was about the situation, which is something given the circumstances. Myself, I had no idea that the Lord in such a senior position was another colonial. Honestly, Portia, if you had to fall for some random, why couldn't it be for a Lord like Darth Tenebrae—someone with some status and breeding?"

Portia recalls the priest's admission to illegitimacy, and says nothing. She can't decide if Tenebrae deceived her and Gaius, or if he deceived Mother and Apollonia. But it doesn't matter. He's not the one whose behavior is being scrutinized and no one will call him to account for whatever manipulation he's up to.

"We trusted you! We had no idea that this—this—" Appy struggles for a moment before she settles on the right words, "SORDID AFFAIR has been going on for months right under our nose! The priest said he read your mind. He saw it all. Don't bother denying it or lying. It won't help."

No, nothing will help now, Portia knows. This was a risk she and Gaius both knew all along—that they might get caught and the consequences would be devastating. The Temple elopement had been her idea and it was particularly risky. But never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that they would be discovered by a Lord of Darth Tenebrae's status.

"He said that he intervened at the Temple before you and the random slashed hands, but after you had already said the vows. The priest was very clear that what you and Malgus did last night was not a legal marriage. It has no binding effect whatsoever, thank the Force." Appy sighs and shoots her a searing look of contempt. "When Mother walked Darth Tenebrae out to get him alone, I heard her ask if anything else had happened before he got there. If you had—if you had—had dishonored yourself with the random already at the altar—"

"N-No! We didn't!" This finally elicits a response from Portia.

"Lord Tenebrae confirmed that. But poor Mother, she actually had to say the words out loud to ask the priest if you were pregnant and that's why you tried to elope in the night-"

"No!"

"-and that reason sort of made sense since you've been getting fat lately. Poor Mother, it must have killed her to say those words out loud . . . and to a Lord on the Council, no less . . . "

"No! I am not pregnant! Gaius and I—we never, I mean, we didn't—" Portia sputters.

"Before he left, Lord Tenebrae told us to check your comlink. It was in your pocket so I opened it. We look enough alike that the Face ID worked for with me."

Oh no. Portia gulps.

Appy's mouth is a tight, grim line of disapproval. She looks away as she mutters, "I knew that you were up to something with your comlink. You never used to keep it on you all the time. But I never guessed this! When Mother read those texts and saw those pictures, she started to cry. Mother said that she's glad Father is dead . . . that he didn't live to see what has become of his littlest girl . . ." Appy starts sniffing now and her eyes flood with unshed tears. "Oh, Portia, how could you? Why? WHY?"

She doesn't answer. There's no point in answering because there is no justification that Apollonia will ever accept. Explaining herself will only lead to an argument and more accusations. And frankly, Portia doesn't feel up to that currently. She is heartsick with disappointment and consumed with worry for Gaius. So, instead, she asks, "Where is my comlink now?" Has Gaius tried to reach out to her?

"Mother has it. She's terrified that the random will release the pictures as his revenge. That he will distribute them, and then your porn will go viral, and everyone will see your shame."

"He will never do that." Portia is absolutely certain on that point. But the very suggestion gives her hope that Gaius somehow survived last night.

Teary Appy now frets, "Oh Force, whatever will I tell Traverse if those pictures get out? And what will his family think of me as your sister?" Because, of course, with Appy it's always all about her. Every crisis is judged by its ability to impact her life.

Portia now dares to whisper, "Is he alive?"

"Is who alive?"

"Lord Malgus."

Her sister shrugs, "I assume so, but not for long. The priest said he let him go last night because Malgus has a military meeting at the Palace and it's very important. Lord Tenebrae said the war effort takes precedence for now, so he declined to arrest him. But after that's done, he said he considers this to be a private matter to be handled by the family."

That's a de facto delegation of punishment. "He wants Cato to handle it."

"Yes. He told Mother he thought it best not to investigate this matter any further in his official capacity because then it would be hard to keep secret. Lord Tenebrae very much wants to spare our family any public embarrassment. He called you a foolish girl, and put the blame squarely on Malgus for seducing you into this scheme. He said that the random was after your money and our family connections . . . that he was just using you, but you were too trusting and sheltered to realize it . . . that you would deny it, but you'd be wrong."

"When Mother said you were only seventeen and still in school, I think Tenebrae was surprised. You look older, you know. That toned down his criticism for you, I suppose. But he had plenty of harsh words for Malgus. He and Lord Tenebrae fought at the Temple. Your boyfriend lost," Appy informs her viciously.

"Is he hurt?"

"I don't know. The priest didn't say. But if he is, I'm glad," she announces.

So, whatever happened in the Temple after she went to sleep, Gaius survived it. That's a huge relief. He must be at the Palace now for his meeting, Portia figures. That's the meeting at which the Emperor's war plans will be revealed. Its outcome will determine whether she and her family will need to flee Dromund Kaas. The risk of a Republic counter invasion was yesterday's crisis—clearly overtaken now by her and Gaius' discovery—but it's no less relevant to today. For hours from now, they might be forced to evacuate their home. And, if so, can they still take Lady Vindican and Julia with them? Portia doesn't know. So much is happening at once and it all just got exceedingly complicated. Her heart is numb and her head is spinning as she tries to make sense of it.

One issue looms largest of all: "Tenebrae wants Cato to kill Gaius . . ."

Appy nods. "The priest said that bringing an official charge against Malgus would require naming his unauthorized bride. That will ruin you, Portia. So instead, Tenebrae said that Cato could find a way to punish Malgus more discretely than what the Palace could do. Under the circumstances, that was very restrained of Darth Tenebrae."

Restrained isn't how it strikes Portia. It sounds to her ears like the priest is letting their brother do his dirty work for him. First, he spares Gaius at the Temple so he can help the Navy. And now, Tenebrae defers prosecuting him entirely. "Cato's going to kill Gaius . . . " Or vice versa. It's a nightmare scenario.

Appy nods with righteous approval. "If he doesn't, I might!" she threatens. "What were you thinking? Isn't it bad enough that the Jedi might be coming—"

"Is there news yet?"

"No. At least, I don't think so. As you can imagine, we've been a bit distracted," Appy sneers. "Seriously-aren't things bad enough? Did you have to go do this last night with all we have going on?"

"I did it because the Jedi might be coming," Portia admits. "Because it might be our last chance to do it. It was supposed to be a secret," she adds lamely.

"A love match is so vulgar and low class! But a love match with a random? Who could imagine a Metellus married to a nobody?" Appy scoffs.

"He's not a nobody." Not to her. But Gaius is even worse than a nobody, if Darth Tenebrae can be believed. Did the priest tell Mother the story about Gaius' birth? Just how much character assassination went on as Portia slept in the Force?

"Darth Tenebrae was exceedingly patient. He is showing much forbearance. But on one thing he was very firm: the Palace will never allow you to marry Darth Malgus."

Warily, Portia prods, "Did he say why?"

"Too many midichlorians. That random sweats Force apparently. Lord Tenebrae said that were a Metellus to marry him, it's certain that your sons would have ultra-high M-counts. And you know what that means . . . an infanticide. Lord Tenebrae told Mother he didn't want her to have to bury her grandsons. That's she's lost too much already with Father."

That's a reasonable explanation on its face. But recalling how personally motivated the priest had seemed last night, Portia very much doubts that it's the whole justification for his opposition.

Again, her duped sister gushes, "The priest was so kind. Lord Tenebrae committed to Mother that the Palace will automatically approve any other Lord the family chooses for you."

"Anyone but Lord Malgus?" Portia surmises glumly.

"Yes. The priest wants what's best for you. He wants you to be able to recover from this—this mistake and to move on with your life. He called it a regrettable youthful indiscretion. He implored Mother to blame Malgus, not you."

That too sounds very reasonable, but Portia is again suspicious of the priest's motives.

She apparently looks less than appropriately grateful for the man's efforts because Apollonia starts lecturing. "Portia, Lord Tenebrae is trying very hard to fix this for us. To save your reputation! He doesn't have to do that. But he held Father in high esteem and he wants to help us. He's trying to contain the damage you caused."

Portia disagrees. "He's trying to get Gaius killed."

"Cato is absolutely going to kill him," Appy assures her. "And he is going to hunt down and destroy each and every copy of those pictures you sent. That's the only way any of us will rest easy about the family's reputation. If you're ever going to get married one day, there can't be any evidence of this ever happening. Portia, everyone will doubt your honor once they see those pictures. No one will believe that you're chaste."

"My face isn't in any of those pictures."

"You mean it's not in the dirty ones. But there are plenty of others where it's clearly you."

She's right. And maybe there is a solution there. Portia offers, "I can get Gaius to destroy the pictures. That won't be a problem."

"You're never talking to that man again!" Appy screeches at her. "And you're never seeing Julia again either! It's clear that she aided and abetted you and Gaius. She was in on it the whole time, wasn't she? Did Lady Vindican know too?"

"No. Just Julia," Portia sighs, "and she won't talk."

"She had better not! Killing your lover—her family's de facto Lord—will hopefully scare her silent."

Portia now groans aloud, "Cato will never kill him . . . he'll never beat Gaius." Cato's not in the same league as Gaius as a fighter.

"Do not underestimate our brother!"

"Cato is wounded," she reminds Appy. And for once, Portia feels grateful for that fact. "At least he can't fight Gaius now." Maybe a delay is a good thing. Perhaps it will provide time for tempers to cool. For Portia has no doubt that Cato will feel entitled to a duel. Darth Tenebrae is pretty much sanctioning one on behalf of the Palace, too.

"You know, in another family, you might be sent to the Temple for this! You might be forced to take the veil! If this were the old days, there might be an honor killing involved—"

"Shut up, Appy!"

"I'm just saying! Mother and I get awoken in the night with this tale and we've been trying to reason through the right course that will protect you and us, and you seem to think it's no big deal! Like why am I the one crying and not you? You're the one who's compromised," Appy pouts.

Portia glares at her. Just because she's not melting down doesn't mean she's not upset. But a drama queen like Apollonia apparently can't see that.

"Aren't you going to say anything? Aren't you going to explain? You need to explain!" her irate sister commands. "Because you're awfully calm about this! Force, Portia, do you even realize what you have done?"

That comment succeeds in setting Portia off. She explodes, "Yes, Appy, I do! I have just lost my chance at a happy marriage and an amazing future with Gaius! I thought the problem would be our family, not the Palace. But now, even if Cato could be convinced to give us his blessing, we still can't get married. So, yes, I realize what I have done! I have fallen in love with a Lord who I can never have! Some other woman will eventually marry him and bear his children! Some other girl will get what I want! And none of the family's honor or money will ever change that! You want me to be ashamed, but I'm angry! I'm sad and I'm mad!"

"But you're not sorry . . . You're not sorry at all . . . " Appy reads her mood correctly, even if she's baffled by it.

Portia lifts her chin. "I will not apologize for Gaius."

Her sister is still confused. "We all thought that you hated him . . . but that was deceit all along . . . I guess . . ."

"There is more to him than what you see on the surface. He grows on you." Portia doesn't have a better way to explain it. The tall, hulking, white skinned colonial wormed his way into her life with that comlink and then into her heart over time with all the persistent attention. But their relationship didn't just fill the void of her neediness. Gaius offered her something more than the conventional life Portia was raised to expect. It captured her imagination and sparked her dreams . . . and so did he. And then suddenly she unexpectedly found herself lusting after a man from the servant class. It was a mésalliance for sure even before the priest revealed the ugly details of Gaius' birth. But Portia didn't care. Gaius could give her everything money could not buy . . . or so she once hoped.

"Good riddance," Apollonia sniffs. "He is beneath you."

"Yes, well, it doesn't matter now, does it?" Portia sighs heavily in a choked voice. "That priest is determined to separate us." She hates that damned priest. How she wished Gaius had killed him and then they had slashed hands.

"This isn't personal. Darth Tenebrae is doing his job to enforce the rules. He has been extremely understanding—"

"I don't trust that priest!" Portia overrides her sister. The bearded priest with the old style Kittat name struck her as extremely shady despite his job title. He was so bitter, she remembers. It was almost like he delighted in thwarting them. So while yes the Chief Priest enforces the marriage sacrament rules, Portia is pretty certain that in her and Gaius' case the rules are a pretext. Darth Tenebrae doesn't want them to be together for some unspecified reason that has nothing to do with midichlorians.

Portia now slumps, covering her face in her hands. "Where is Mother?" she mutters, already dreading the interview with her parent. "Did she go back to bed? Is she in her room?" On any given day, Lady Orderint rarely shows her face before noon.

"No. She's at the hospital. She took your comlink and went to talk to Cato."

Portia drops her hands and looks up in surprise. "She's telling Cato now? This morning?" Her brother has been quite fragile since his injury. So, while the news of her and Gaius is never going to go over well, it might sting especially hard now that Cato has been feeling down. Knowing her brother, he's going to blame himself as much as her. Cato's always been a little overprotective. He takes very seriously his job filling Father's role. Her botched elopement is going to trigger him hard, Portia fears.

"He's the Lord of the family. He has a right to know. Oh, I almost forgot. Mother wanted me to call her when you woke up. Hold on." Portia watches as her sister digs in her pocket for her own comlink and dials up their mother.

"Hello? Mother? Portia's awake." Appy pauses to listen a moment before she answers, "Yes, she's fine. Mother, what's wrong? Slow down, please. I can't understand you."

"Put her on speaker," Portia suggests.

Appy ignores her. She's listening again. Portia can't make out the garbled words, but she can tell that Mother is talking fast and loudly, which is very atypical. Lady Oderint always uses elegant soft tones and a grave manner of speaking. But apparently, the stress of the situation is overwhelming her.

"Alright, I understand. I'm sure it will be fine." Appy says this in a soothing, placating voice that is obviously a lie. Her sister's face is pensive and pale as she meets Portia's eyes. Appy's expression conveys that something is very wrong. "Yes, we'll be here. It will all be fine. If you couldn't stop him, you couldn't stop him . . . we understand. Cato's sharp. He knows what's a stake. He will know how to handle it," Appy says weakly. It's very unconvincing.

"Oh no . . ." listening Portia breathes out.

Her sister hangs up.

"What did she say?"

"Cato reacted like we feared. He wants to challenge Malgus. To duel him and to kill him. We expected that . . . but we didn't expect him to do it today."

"TODAY?"

"Mother says he got dressed and he's headed to the Palace now."

"To the Palace!"

Apollonia nods miserably. "He wants to confront Malgus there after his meeting. Before things go nuts with preparations for a possible invasion." Her sister shakes her head as she groans, "Mother said she couldn't talk him out of it."

"Cato can barely walk the corridor in the hospital more than three times in a row. He can't possibly go to the Palace, let alone challenge anyone to a duel! He doesn't have the lung strength yet."

Appy clearly agrees. In a rush of shrill, panicked words, she lashes out. "If Malgus kills our brother, I will never forgive you, Portia Metellus!"

Portia will never forgive herself either. She's already warned Gaius not to hurt Cato. But will that be enough? Once swords get lit, anything can happen. And even a reasonable man can lose his restraint when Darkness takes over . . . most especially Gaius who killed his own Master in a fit of rage.

That thought chills her heart. Leaping to her feet, Portia decides, "I'm going to the Palace to stop them!"

"But you can't!"

"Why not?"

"You're a Lady! Ladies don't go to the Palace. Not unless there's a social occasion."

Appy is a rule follower. Well, a rule follower and a rule enforcer. It's one of the many ways that Portia and her sister differ. But there's no time to debate the point. Cato's life could be at stake and that's worth a little indiscretion. And besides, if this unfolds like Portia fears it will, her reputation will be in shreds anyway.

"Listen to me, Appy-Gaius won't back down from a fight. He never backs down! If Cato challenges him, he will accept. He'll have to!" Especially if the challenge is made before witnesses. Portia knows that once a fight has an audience, it's nearly impossible to stop. Lords have to save face and that means swords will cross. "Cato is in no shape to fight, so he'll lose!" she wails. And that will compound the stain on the family honor because the transgression by Darth Malgus will go unpunished. And then, Cato's sense of failure and discouragement will only get worse, she fears.

Self-centered as she is, Apollonia is plenty astute. Her sister understands the ways of the Sith patriarchy. She nods and relents. "I think you'd better go. Because if they start fighting at the Palace, this will be all over town within an hour."

She's right. There's no way this will be kept quiet if there is a duel—or even a shouting match—about her behavior before other Lords. Moreover, this conflict concerns her future most of all, and Portia fully intends to be present for its resolution. "Tell Mother what I said," Portia calls over her shoulder. She's already racing for the door. "Tell her why I had to go."

"But wait—you're not dressed for the Palace!" Trust it to Apollonia to worry about wardrobe at a time like this.

"There's no time! I need to catch Cato before he finds Gaius."

If anyone can talk Gaius into standing down, it will be her. She's the closest person to him. Well, maybe she's the only person close to him. But it's the best leverage anyone will have over Darth Malgus. Because a man like Gaius—with no real family, no assets, no future expectations, no friends, and no reputation—actually has very little to lose in life. And really, that's what makes him so dangerous.

Jumping into the family's speeder, she guns the engine and takes off. Racing to the Palace at breakneck speed, Portia offers up a quick prayer to the Force. Please, she silently beseeches the awesome power that binds the universe together, save my brother, save Gaius, and save me from our mistakes and our excesses. If Gaius and I cannot be together, she begs her creator with bitter, tearful acceptance, then let this end with us each going our separate ways. She loves her brother and she loves Gaius, and they each in turn love her. That has to count for something, right? There must be a solution. She refuses to let this situation spiral into tragedy.