The sieges of the Outer Rim territories were drawing on longer than ever, and it had been many months since I had last been able to see and contact Kit. I worried for the moment he would return to the temple, as there would be a revelation waiting for him that I could not hide. I guarded the secret close to me, now walking with a long, flowing cloak to keep myself covered and now had to relinquish some of my many duties in order to give myself more time to rest. This discovery of mine brought…mixed feelings…but I was determined to hide it for as long as I could, and once I was alone in my quarters, I would sit down and rest, watching the gradually swelling and rounding of my stomach.
I could feel the life within through the Force, and it would allow me to smile in peace and rest my hand on top of the child that was being grown and nurtured by my body, singing the same lullaby I used to sing to Ahsoka. I could not let anyone find out about my child, if they did, then I would be forbidden from having any contact with her for the rest of our lives. She would be taken from me moments after birth, and I would have to watch her from afar. I could not allow that, even if this child grew up never knowing the truth about her real parents, I wanted to at least be able to bring her to the temple one day and have a hand in raising her as I did Ahsoka. It was possible. I could offer more of my time in the nursery and medical bay, watch her grow and be her mentor, and Kit would have the same chance also so long as no one knew that we were her parents. She would not be kept from us, and one day, when she is older and will be able to understand, we will be able to tell her who we are.
The entire plan was already fixed in my mind, though I was determined to hide it for as long as possible. Thankfully, she was small, and my stomach did not show a great deal, so for the longest time I was able to continue wearing my usual clothing, and once that became impossible, I elected to change my garb into the more traditional styles of both my people and the Jedi. A long gown of deep purple and gold covered my body, flowing down to the floor with a slight train behind me, and several layers of thick, woven belts, overlays and my cloak saw to the rest. To the outside eye, I did not look pregnant at all. I carried her like she were a treasure greater than all the stars, already convinced that she was a daughter through the Force, as I was able to recognise her spirit within.
It were like carrying a physical manifestation of the light within me, perfectly untouched and pure, something that I was duty bound to protect and nourish until it reached full bloom. The Outer Rim wars still waged, and even Barriss had returned to the war effort, fighting on Felucia alongside my longstanding friend Aayla to watch over her, now realigned with the Light, determined to end this war as soon as possible and protect the innocents that would otherwise become enslaved under Dooku's invading fleets. It had been a day like any other when the Force sent a cold sensation through me, warning that danger was fast approaching as I had been in my quarters, rubbing my stomach in order to soothe the feeling of exhaustion.
Sitting upright with a start, I studied that feeling for a moment before swiftly rushing from my quarters with my lightsaber flying from my desk to my hand in order to be clipped onto my belt, my cloak billowing around me as other Jedi masters began to sense the same feeling I did. Our eyes turned to the skies, to see a fully mounted invasion force from the Separatists descending upon us. My first thought turned to the younglings, so I went to them in their residence of the temple in order to be there to protect them, the warning sounding throughout the temple as the forces mobilised and the Temple Guards moved to guard every entrance and exit throughout our home. Others rushed to the Senate as the majority of the attack seemed to be focused there, and for a full day there was nothing but the sound of battle around us.
After securing the younglings and the younger padawans not ready for war, I then turned to helping secure the temple as droid troops began to march towards us, intending to take it by force. I joined the rapidly forming line of Jedi Knights and Masters, moving to defend our beloved temple as our lightsabers all ignited. My defence was impeccable, and I moved as if completely unrestrained by the child I was carrying. I tore through a good chunk of the droid army as reinforcements arrived to help bolster our ranks in the form of clone troopers, joining the fray as we held back the oncoming waves of fire.
The people of Coruscant were screaming, rushing to return to their homes in a bid for safety and several of us higher ranked Knights and Masters secured taskforces to clear the area and also circle around the enemy to cripple their rear defences. Gunships blazed and constant explosions boomed in my ears as I fought side by side with my fellow Jedi, defending our home and those still within as the skies raged with battleships and fighters, debris often crashing down to the surface. I could sense the turmoil, and soon the news spread that the Chancellor had been kidnapped by General Grievous who was now attempting to escape, but more of our people were now returning from the Outer Rim wars, everyone who could be spared, in order to block their escape and mount a rescue. It felt a desperate and sloppy offensive attack, and soon enough their forces lay vanquished at our feet as I stood before the grand entrance of the temple, surrounded by battle droids at my feet all made into scrap.
Already the clean up droids were gathering up the bodies to be taken away, and thankfully we had not sustained any losses. Our defences had been too strong with so many Jedi gathered in one place, and we only had wounded to tend to, and they were carried into the temple to the medical bay in order to receive treatment. It was in that moment, surrounded by the debris of battle, that a moment of clarity reached me. All of my research, all of my investigating, everything had led to this moment, and with the kidnap of the Chancellor, something seemed to click in my mind. It was all connected.
I did not know how, or why, but the Force seemed to be telling me that this much was true. Everything from the clone army being created at the behest of Master Sifo-Dyas and Count Dooku, to the blockade of Naboo, the spark of conflict in the galaxy, the inhibitor chips which were found to be embedded into the clones themselves, the long years of war, the double crossing, the conspiracies, the rise of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to his kidnapping, it was all joined together somehow. I just did not know in what way. I had long suspected that the inhibitor chips were not all that they seemed, as I had managed to secure another in secret from a clone who had been killed in action, and through my study and analysis, it had proved to be some kind of biomechanical coding structure which blocked certain impulses in the brain, or could trigger others.
From there, I had sought out the reason for them being implanted, and the one who had ordered them to be created. Count Dooku. I studied him, learned his past and how he had fallen to the Dark Side, theorising that he was indeed a Sith, the Lord Tyrannus, and yet still there seemed to be more. The rule of two was always followed in the Sith, ever since Darth Bane implemented it. If there was one, there would be another, and these plots had been unravelling so long ago, that I could not help but think they had been planned long in advance, longer before Count Dooku had fallen to the Dark Side.
My mind began to think of who benefited most from this war, and came to several conclusions. The Banking Clan certainly, they will never be richer once all of their loans and interest was paid, Count Dooku himself, of course, for he has found power in leadership, and will no doubt assume full control of the Separatist state if they were to win victory. But then, another being came to mind, and once again saw the lines in my head all leading to him. Chancellor Palpatine. Not only had he secured the office from the conflict on Naboo after the previous chancellor was voted out, and subsequently, rose to greater heights in power ever since.
He had been granted emergency powers through the Senate, he controlled the Banking Clan, the Grand Army of the Republic, and knew a great many secrets and battle plans that the Separatists should have never known. It felt utterly unfathomable, completely irrational to think that Chancellor Palpatine would be the one to blame for everything, that he might have been influenced by the Dark Side, and so I wondered who was behind him. There had to be someone, and whoever it was, I was certain that it was the Sith Lord we had been searching for ever since Master Qui-Gon Jinn had been killed on Naboo.
There was only one way for me to learn the truth, and that was to go to the one man around whom surrounded so much mystery, confusion, and darkness. If I could confront him, then perhaps I would be able to learn who it was who manipulated him into doing all of this, and thus, put a swifter end to this war. Returning to the temple, I began to mentally prepare myself, walking back and forth in my quarters thinking what to do and how best to go about this, and how to secure any evidence the chancellor might reveal when, with my back to the door, I sensed Kit approaching, which immediately made my head rise.
My door had been programmed to allow him admittance at all times, even when locked, and so it opened naturally for him and I remained standing perfectly still, suddenly overwhelmed with a multitude of emotions that I did not know how to keep from overflowing. "Theca, it is so good to see you again after so long." Kit began, entering and sealing the door beside him before then stepping towards me.
"Do not come any closer." I hurriedly ordered him, my hands resting over my stomach as I stood in the single dress that I wore which gathered above my stomach around my ribs so that the fabric flowed comfortably over my shape, but made it very easy to determine my condition. Kit stopped as bidden, questioning me in confusion as he began to sense my unease. "You have been away a long time, Kit. There has been a development, and it is something that I need to tell you." Biting on the inside of my cheek, I sighed heavily as I reached up and hid my hair behind my ear, feeling a warm blush gather at my cheeks which caused my blue skin to darken to a deep indigo as I turned around, now revealing the curve of my belly to him as one hand rested underneath and the other on top to support the baby inside. "I am carrying our child."
Clearly in tune with his emotions, I could feel the shock and slight spark of horror at this revelation in Kit, the momentary panic of seeing the consequences of our union where we had once failed to be careful, and it had proven enough. Those reactions were momentary, however, and I sensed the feeling of complete and overwhelming elation soar within him as Kit beamed at me, focusing on the shape of my stomach as he gradually approached and reached out his hand. "Is this really true?" Still anxious about the future for us, I said nothing as Kit lowered himself to one knee and placed his hand against my belly in order to reach through the Force to sense our child, and if he possessed tear ducts, I believed that if he could, Kit would be weeping. "It is a miracle."
"I agree, but our little miracle is also something we cannot allow anyone to know about." I told him seriously, taking his hands in mine in order to have him rise to his feet so that we could discuss this. "This child is due very soon, Kit, in a few weeks at most, perhaps sooner. Before she comes, I must leave Coruscant in order to deliver in secret. I have already planned it all. I will deliver her somewhere safe and leave her in the care of people we can trust, and once she is a few months old, I shall bring her back to the temple saying that I sensed her through the Force, where you and I can then watch her grow and raise her discreetly here. It is not ideal, but it is the best we can hope for. Of course, she will come to look like either one of us, but it is not difficult to pass it off as a coincidence, we both have family out there in the galaxy, so it is not uncommon for the Force to be strong in certain families…"
"Theca, calm yourself. Take a deep breath." Kit guided me as he led me to sit down somewhere comfortable, his arm around my shoulders in order to keep me close to him. "You are right, we must make a plan of action for the future, but for the moment, I wish to only worry for you…and this child of ours." He insisted, smiling again as he lowered himself to the floor so that he could place his head in my lap and rest with his face as close to the child as possible as I found myself softening, touching his head and beginning to stroke the numerous tendrils there. "Why did you not tell me sooner?"
"I could not risk a transmission with such sensitive information, nor a holo-communication, in case I was seen. I have managed to hide my condition all this time through carefully worn clothing and minimalistic appearances. I have limited my teaching and excuse that I am seeking a meditative journey, which means I am mostly left alone. With the sieges in the Outer Rim, a great deal of us have been absent from the temple, so numbers here are limited, which has also helped in these months."
"So you have weathered this all on your own? Theca, I wish I had known. I should have known, I sensed that there was something different in the Force when I contemplated you. I am sorry that I have not been here." Now smiling gently, I promised that I understood why he couldn't and that I had managed perfectly well on my own, and was glad to have him here with me right now. "We will have to find a way to allow us both to leave together, perhaps I can falsify a mission to the Council and insist upon taking you with me. Do not worry, Theca. I shall find a way to protect you both." He vowed and I took him at his word, now finally leaning down in order to kiss him as his hand pressed into my stomach and at his pressure, the child moved, causing me to hum slightly and Kit swiftly became entranced at the sensation of feeling her foot against his palm as she stretched. "You said 'she', so you are certain it is a girl? Have you been to a medical droid at all?"
"She is our daughter, yes, and no, I have not been to a droid, or to a Healer. If I revealed my condition, then I would be reported to the Council and then she would be taken away from me. I know that it goes against our laws not to form attachments, but I refuse to allow anyone to separate her from us. I know that if it were her life I was fighting for, I would be able to overcome any adversary, achieve strength unlike any other in order to keep her safe, so I do not understand why this attachment is forbidden. There is nothing purer than a parents' love for their child, I know that now."
"We shall make our way through this together, Theca. I am with you now, and shall not be going anywhere." Kit assured me, lifting his face in order to show me his resolute gaze. "And our daughter shall be safe. You and I will watch her grow, teach her the ways of the Force and to be a Jedi, and perhaps one day, we will be able to reveal ourselves to her." Nodding my head, Kit sat next to me in order to hold me in his arms, my head now resting against him as I exhaled deeply. "What shall we name her?"
"I have not given it any thought, I wished to wait for your return." I murmured, rubbing my stomach as I pondered. "If she were to have yours or my last name, then it may become obvious that she is our family, do you think they would suspect a closer connection than perhaps a niece?"
"My family are good people, and in my culture, we are very private, and family means a great deal to us. If you trust me, then I think it will work best if I contact them after she is born. If she takes after me with strong Nautolan genes, then she will be able to breathe underwater, and we can leave her with my family to raise for a while as their own. They will keep our secret, and name her as their own. It is not uncommon for families to join the temple together." Kit reasoned and I thought for a moment before agreeing.
"I trust you. We shall do it this way if she is born to be like her father. If she takes after me, however, we might encounter an issue. Pandoran people do not settle often outside our home, so it will be unlikely for a child such as ours to be discovered anywhere other than Pantora. I fear our only option then would be to leave her in the care of an orphanage until she can be reclaimed. It is sometimes done, it would not be thought of as strange, especially if we do not reveal ourselves to anyone, but to leave her there…all alone…" I looked down to my belly and thought of leaving my child somewhere and abandoning her was unthinkable, but I knew that it had to be done. Kit and I planned several contingencies, mapping everything together in secret in order to prepare for whatever outcome was necessary to ensure our daughter's safety and how we would then get her back, before we then thought of names.
If she was to be left to the care of the orphanage on Pantora, she would be given a name, however we still wished to decide one for ourselves, to call her in secret. We thought a great deal about it, meditating together until we were both guided to a name which seemed to reach through the cosmos and enter our minds simultaneously. Seya Fisto. Somehow it felt just right, and so we named our daughter Seya, and together we stayed in order to bask in her presence, Kit very swiftly coming to terms that he was to be a father, and I could clearly sense his longing to meet her soon. I was at peace once more now that he was here, and although I worried that our family would soon be separated, I hoped that it would not be for long, and that someday, we would all be together, and that perhaps even, the Jedi Council will choose to alter their views on families and relationships, so that we could all be open together.