"We're landing on Lysatra now." Tynan watched Leyna fidget. "You still on the fence about going to see your folks?"
"A little bit." She admitted reluctantly.
"If you would be more comfortable visiting them on your own, we could meet at the local restaurant later in the day."
"What will you do in the meantime?"
He shrugged. "I was going to surprise you, but I decided to stop by my father's for a bit and see how he's doing, even if he doesn't want me there."
"And you'd be okay going there by yourself?"
"Sure. My dad might bark, but he's harmless otherwise."
"I'll take your word for it." She considered for a moment. "If you're going to see him, I'll go visit my parents."'
He nodded. "Okay. Meet me at our favorite spot when you're done."
"Deal."
She left the starship and headed down the all-too familiar roads to her parents' house, which was almost a half hour from the port where they had docked, but she didn't want to spend money on a speeder rental and it was nice to be outside. She looked at all the farms of her backwater homeworld and thought of what Atun had said about how that was an honorable profession on Pantora. It sounded like a place she would enjoy visiting and wondered if Tynan would agree to go. While he hadn't said anything against her talking with them, it was obvious he still didn't trust or like them.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she arrived at her childhood home to find it looked abandoned. The front door was unlocked, but there was no sign of a struggle even though it was clear no one had been home in a while by the amount of dust everywhere. She didn't think they had moved or gone on vacation because they would have sent her a message, or would they? With how she had left, they may have thought she wanted nothing to do with them because they didn't approve of her rushing into a relationship with Tynan. She did a double take when she saw a data crystal in an almost out-of view corner, picking it up and activating it.
An image of her mother appeared, looking tired and on edge. "If you're seeing this Leyna, it means you have found the house abandoned. Everyone out in the country like us has been fleeing into town or off planet since people out here have been taken in raids by the Vagaari. They already took your father when he was out in the field one day and while Imperial forces have promised me they are looking into the matter and have heightened security, attacks have still been happening whenever the soldiers are changing shifts. For the safety of those remaining who are at the highest risk like myself, the Imperial soldiers have set up a bunker in a top-secret location while they investigate. I don't know if I will get taken into protective custody or not before the next attack or if you will see this, but I hope and pray you are well.
"I wish I had better news for you or could tell you where I will be, but even if I get picked up by the Imperials, they aren't telling us where we're going since these raids seem a little too well timed and I think they suspect someone could be selling information to the Vagaari. The star cruisers are in danger too, so I want you to keep your guard up and your eyes open for trouble. I don't know when this quarantine will be lifted, though I hope one day we can be reunited.
"If not, I want you to know I am so sorry you felt like you had to leave because your father and I didn't approve how fast you were moving with Tynan. We had heard some rather unsettling rumors from his previous relationships and were more than a little wary of the idea of you getting serious with him. I hope for your sake that the things we have been told is nothing more than the bitterness of women who wanted back with him, but you have the right to know what worried us the most.
"His last girlfriend Sadi Asga claimed he wasn't the same after the Vagaari captured the ship he was piloting, spending a lot of time alone and refusing the counseling offered by the Empire. She said he became obsessed with the idea that the Vagaari had attacked because a Chiss had been aboard the cruiser, though that has neither been confirmed or denied. She suspected he might be having an affair as well because he spent less and less of his free time with her and she could never verify if he had actually been picking up extra shifts or not since the other pilots wouldn't give her a straight answer.
"I am not going to tell you how to live your life or what choices you should make now that you're a grown woman. You can look into the matter yourself or discard everything I have told you because there is no way to know for sure who is right when it comes to sensitive matters like former relationships. I hope you find this message and will remember that I love you if we don't meet again. Good bye, my darling."
Leyna found that she was crying as the crystal deactivated, now more uncertain about her decision than before and hurried back into town. Had her mother been put into protective custody or if the Vagaari captured her just like her father? Tynan was nowhere to be seen, so she sat at their favorite food place and thought about what her mother had said. She'd heard the name Sadi before, though Tynan had never mentioned the woman who now worked at the med center on Agaris. If she asked Tynan, she wasn't sure what his reaction would be and she hadn't known Sadi well enough instead school to make an excuse to see the woman who had been two years ahead of her.
"Leyna? Are you alright?"
She jumped, looking up to see Atun. "I...don't really want to talk about it right now."
"As you wish." He set down an untouched glass of ale. "You need this more than I do."
"I appreciate the offer, but I have to go on shift when we leave."
He nodded and took a drink. "May I join you?"
"I wouldn't mind, though Tynan was supposed to meet me here when he was done visiting his father. Guess they're still catching up. Where's Gaur?"
"He stepped away to talk to his fiancée. Did you visit your parents?" He hmmmed at her pained expression. "I won't pry further since I am clearly distressing you. I hope Tynan joins you soon."
"Atun, wait."
He turned back to her questioningly.
"Thank you for trying to cheer me up."
"Of course, that is what friends are for."
"I didn't know you considered me a friend."
His lips curled upwards just visibly, but before he could say anything sirens filled the air as the sky around the planet became blocked by ships.
