"Mom, dad," Jorec said to his parents in the relative privacy of his hotel room, "there's something I've been wondering for a long time."
"You want to know 'why,' don't you?" Jorec's father asked. Once he had seen the Jedi Temple burning, he had known that if his son was alive, that this question would be asked. He and his wife had had ten years to come up with a suitable answer to this question that might have never been asked, yet in all of this time he was unable to come up with an answer that would be suitable.
"Yeah," Jorec replied as he shifted his son's weight in his arms. "I just feel like I need to know."
"It was a difficult decision to make," Jorec's mother admitted. "One that took a good month to actually make."
"More like a month and a half," Jorec's father added. "We wanted to do the right thing, and we wanted to make sure that whatever we chose was in your best interests. In the end, we decided to let you go to the Jedi Temple for training."
"We did it because that's what we believed would be the best for you," Jorec's mother said. "It looks like we were wrong." A few droplets of tears that had formed in her eyes soon dropped down her cheeks.
"I wouldn't say that you were wrong," Jorec said as he motioned towards his son, who was in the middle of enjoying a bottle full of formula. "Sure some bad things have happened, but, as you can see, a lot of good things have happened as well. There were a lot of good people in the Temple that I had considered my friends," Jorec added. Friends that are more than likely dead by now, Jorec sadly thought. At least I'm still alive, though. "It also led me to meeting and falling in love with a very beautiful and kind woman, and this completely adorable thing I have in my arms right now," he added, referring to his son. "I don't think you were wrong at all. You didn't know about what Palpatine was planning to do with the Republic and the Jedi Order; I doubt anyone save those involved in his schemes did know."
"Why didn't you tell us you were alive sooner then?" Jorec's mother asked. "Why have us worry and think you were dead for ten years?"
Jorec knew that this question would have to have come up eventually, yet he was still caught off guard by it. "I--I don't know," he finally admitted after about a minute of thinking. "I really don't. I guess it was because for the longest time I was so frightened about what people would do if they found out that I was a Jedi, even what you would do. Those that found out were clued in on accident. Even Lia didn't know I was a Jedi until after I escaped from Imperial custody."
"We wouldn't have turned you in, you didn't have to think that," Jorec's father replied.
"Tell that to a frightened and traumatized kid," Jorec answered. "Besides, after watching a group of highly obedient clone soldiers turn on you, it was kind of hard to know who exactly to trust. In a way, it still is, but for obviously different reasons."
"I can only imagine how that must feel like," his mother chimed in. "How did you decide to actually begin to trust people?"
"I had to decide whether or not I was going to live a life in which I was alone or a life in which I wasn't. The choice was obviously simple."
The sound of something at the door startled Jorec's parents, causing them to think of what evil things could be attempting to get into the apartment. In their heads they imagined the blank white helmets of Imperial Stormtroopers waiting behind the door, or perhaps the black armored figure of the menacing Darth Vader was ready to make his horrific entrance. They quickly glanced back at Jorec only to find their son quietly walking around the room with Gavin's head leaning against his shoulder.
"Don't worry," Jorec said as his parents looked on in horror, "it's just Lia coming back with breakfast. Open the door and help, I'm a little busy at the moment."
"Sorry, forgot about her leaving," Jorec's father said. "And you said you were paranoid."
"Hello everyone! I brought breakfast," Lia exclaimed as Jorec's father opened the door for her. A quick yet simple gesture from Jorec caused her to quickly apologize. "Sorry," she whispered as she noticed her son sleeping on his father's shoulder. "Didn't realize he was asleep." She was carrying a small bag, the contents of which were emitting a pleasing odor to the hungry occupants of the hotel room.
"Here you go," she said as she handed a wrapped sandwich to her husband after he placed his snoozing son into the crib.
"Thanks," he said as he accepted his sandwich. Lia sat down on the bed.
"So, what were you three talking about while I made the breakfast run?" Lia asked as her husband sat down next to her.
"We were just getting to know each other better," Jorec's mother answered. "Jorec was telling us a little bit more about himself, why he decided to actually begin to trust people."
"You know, it's pretty odd when you have to tell your parents about your early life," Jorec remarked. "Where exactly were we?"
"Mainly about you attempting to adjust to a new life," his mother answered.
"Yeah," Jorec said as he began to think of a place to restart. "It was hard to do at the beginning, and in a way I'm still adjusting to it. Meeting your parents for the first time when you're a parent yourself is something that I'm sure very few people go through. And at the time, I had to create this entire backstory to my life."
"He initially told me that you were dead," Lia spoke to Jorec's father, "murdered by a trusted family friend."
"I took things that had actually happened to me and kind of normalized them," Jorec explained. "No offense was meant when I took Master Fionst's death and superimposed your image over it. I had to have some reason to explain how I was so traumatized by something. I made sure that everything that I had said contained elements of the truth, so I wouldn't be outright lying. Even so, I detested having to tell half-truths to those I cared about. It was unfortunately one of the things that I had to do."
"It's okay," Lia said as she placed her arm around her husband. "I think we all understand why you had to lie about certain things. Don't keep worrying about it."
"Sorry about that," Jorec said. "So, how have you enjoyed your little 'vacation' so far?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.
"We got to see you, that's the important thing," Jorec's mother replied. "It's something we've wanted to do ever since we received that message stating that you were alive. I just wish that you could have seen more of your parents, Lia."
"They couldn't make as much time to stay here as you could," Lia explained her parents' departure from the planet two days previously. There were on the planet for three days as opposed to the week that Jorec's parents had stayed. Despite the somewhat warm reception that she and her husband had received from her parents, she could still sense a sliver of distrust in her father's voice. Maybe one day her father could be more approving of the choices that she had made in her life, although it was obvious that that day would eventually come about. At least he hadn't called a local Stormtrooper garrison on them. "It was really good to meet you," she said to her in-laws. "I hate to see you go so soon."
"A whole month wouldn't have been enough time in my opinion," Jorec added. "Do you need a ride to the spaceport?"
"No, we can call an aircab from our hotel," Jorec's father replied. "Thanks for actually allowing us to be here, it really meant a lot to us."
"I can say the same thing from my position," Jorec said as he hugged his father goodbye. "Tell Calena hello for me," he said as he hugged his mother.
"We will," Jorec's mother answered. "I hope we get to see you, Lia, and little Gavin again."
"I hope that one day you will," Jorec replied.
Two goodbyes in almost as many hours, Jorec thought as he took a knee on the floor, bringing him face-to-face with the 1.2 meter tall Rinoco. Not good.
"I hate to leave you on this planet, Rinoco, it just seems too much like we're exiling you to this place," Jorec said.
"It's fine," Rinoco replied. "Remember how you got that ship that piloting droid is going to fly in the first place."
"As a Jedi, sworn to be a guardian of peace and justice, I don't want to remember," Jorec quipped. "Just try not to kill any innocent person for a ship, all right."
Rinoco nodded.
"And don't rob them either," Jorec added, noticing Rinoco's expression go sour. "If you have to steal a ship, make sure it's from some thieving spice smuggler or from someone like that."
"Looks like I'm on this planet for a little while longer than," the Xexto replied. "Thanks for freeing me from the Empire, by the way."
"You were the one that flew us out of there," Jorec said to his friend, "I couldn't fly a ship if my life depended on it."
"And I couldn't kill as many Stormtroopers as you did while we were shooting our way out of there, so I guess we're even."
"No," Jorec replied, "we're not. I don't know how many shots that poor speeder of Lia's could have taken before it would have exploded," Jorec said, bringing to mind the frantic chase that had happened on the dark streets of Gevest nearly a year previously. "By destroying that military speeder with one of the Dream's guns, you saved the lives of Lia and Gavin."
"I don't think we could ever even that score," Lia added as she too kneeled to face the Xexto. "Thank you Rinoco, you've been a good friend to us."
"Both of you have been real good friends as well. Although it's a shame I'll never get to meet that Yodda guy you both keep talking about, I can understand the reasoning that Senator Organa gave for me to not accompany you two."
"Where you headed to now?" Jorec asked.
"Even though my particular cell of this rebellion was wiped out, there are plenty more of them out there just waiting for a sharp-shooting, computer slicin' alien like me."
"Why not go back to Alderaan? I've heard that there are a couple of good cells located out of there," Jorec suggested.
"I might do that. It's been nice knowing you three," Rinoco said as he shook Jorec's hand and then gave a friendly hug to Lia. "Well, I suppose I better go and try to find me some way to get off of this planet."
"Goodbye Rinoco," Jorec said.
"Goodbye!" Lia echoed as the Xexto walked out of the room.
"Well, I guess it's time check out and head to our new destination," Jorec said as he stood up. He offered his hands to his wife, who accepted them before being helped up.
"One day, I hope we'll be able to actually stay somewhere," Lia said. "Keep friends, be able to tell our families where we're going without fear of being eavesdropped on."
"You don't know how many times I've wished for that to happen," Jorec sadly replied, "both before and after we met. I can only hope that it happens before Gavin grows up; it would be a pity if he had to live his entire life on the run. We'll make it through this, though," Jorec said as he pulled his wife closer to him.