Chapter 11

Disturbance

She had no idea what had just happened. Of course she didn't. How could she, when he had never told her, what the crystal might be. Meelan sighed again and looked down at the now green object on the table in front of him. Only when Morap's bedroom door had closed, did Meelan reach out to the crystal in front of him. It felt cold against his skin and while he knew that Nataleeh's eyes were fixed on his face, he didn't turn to look at her.

Meelan had always known that Morap was strong, but he hadn't expected this to happen. He himself had next to no understanding of this thing called the Force, but he knew that it could be dangerous and that it hadn't helped the Empire or the First Order to survive, though its leaders had been rumoured to have this strange power.

He rummaged through his brain, trying to find answers to questions which hadn't even fully formed in his mind yet. The only thing he knew for certain was that the crystal in his hand would not have changed colour, unless someone somehow connected with it. And who else could do such a thing than someone who was sensitive to the Force. He knew it, though he couldn't even begin to understand it. Its whole concept was completely out of reach and the fact that his son had unintentionally done something, whatever it was, with it, was scarier than anything Meelan had ever experienced.

When he felt his wife's arms encircling him, he barely contained a flinch. He had almost forgotten her presence, but her wonderful, sweet scent engulfed him and he felt his heart rate slow down. She tended to have this effect on him. Meelan took a deep breath, before pulling her down, so she was sitting on his lap.

"Meelan," she whisperend and ran her fingers through his hair. Her dark eyes were scrutinizing him with the same fondness he had seen in them so often these past years. He had only really gotten to know her long after they were married and he still couldn't quite believe it. At first he had been surprised that a woman like her, a General's daughter, a beautiful and smart woman, who could have had her pick of wealthy, high ranking officers, would pick him over everyone else. But nowadays he wondered how it could be that he had found someone he could be entirely honest with. That he could trust anyone enough to be able to be honest. After his brother had taken off all those years ago, he would never have thought he could trust anyone ever again, but here she was, just where she had been ever since that fateful night they had met and she had decided to break lose a scandal by asking him to come to her room, on the way to which anyone could have seen him. Him, a lowly Lieutenant without prospects, but with so much ambition and no hopes of fulfilling it. In return he had started trusting her. For some reason he hadn't been able to stop himself and Meelan hadn't regretted it one bit. She was his co-conspirator and his confidante. He'd have to be honest with Nataleeh now as well. Morap was her son as well as his. They were in this together.

Meelan kissed her wrist and, pulling her closer, he put his hand on her swollen belly. He hadn't been there for her during her pregnancy with Morap, hadn't been able to be with her and though he knew that it had been his duty at that time, he still regretted it. A soft thump beneath his fingers told him that his child was moving and the sensation brought a smile to his lips. What if this child had the same, very strange ability? Was it hereditary? If so, had anyone in their families been sensitive to the Force? Meelan couldn't tell, and he was sure that he'd never be able to find out with all the Jedi gone and their records destroyed. At least as far as he knew.

Heaving a sigh, he kept stroking Nataleeh's belly, until she put her hand on his. "Do you know, what that crystal is?", he asked quietly and looked up at her.

Nataleeh shook her head. "No," she said. "Not really. You said you got it off some merchant, but that's it." With a shrug she took the hand, which was holding the crystal in hers and took it. Meelan wrapped his free arm around her waist immediately. He needed to hold her. "Why has it changed colour, though? I've never heard of anything like it."

Meelan pulled a face and trailed the line of her waist with his fingertips. "I don't know too much myself," he admitted, "and I didn't really believe that merchant when he told me what it was." Nataleeh rested her hand on her lap and looked down at him. He dropped his gaze to the crystal she was holding. Would she hate him for having brought this object into their lives? "He said it was a kyber crystal. Apparently the Jedi used it in the construction of their lightsabers." Meelan fell silent, almost waiting for Nataleeh to get up and leave him sitting there, but she didn't.

"So…," she said after a while, still looking down at the crystal. "You believe that merchant?" She didn't wait for an answer, but kept talking, no trace of panic, but one of slight uneasiness in her voice, "You think this is actually a kyper crystal? One of those Jedi things? And you think that Morap did something with it? Something…" She trailed off and when he looked up at her, he saw that she had closed her eyes. With a speed he had not expected of her in her condition, she got up and walked over to the window, her back turned to him. She was still holding the crystal and had her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Leaning back in his chair and unable to keep his eyes off her, Meelan tried to find the right words, but there was nothing to say. Nothing to tell her. "I don't know…," he said quietly and got up himself. Her back was straight and he knew that she was searching the sky outside. But the Askija was gone. Meelan couldn't shake the feeling that what had happened in the forest had been something akin to a bad omen. But that was ridiculous of course. He didn't believe in omens. Reason was the only thing that mattered. With a sigh, he approached his wife and wrapped his arms around her middle. He gently stroked her belly with his fingertips. The fabric of her dress was soft and warm from her body heat. If only he could stay like this forever and allow her presence to make him forget everything else. "I really don't know… Morap is… different, like my brother maybe." He shivered, but was relieved, when Nataleeh leaned her head back against his shoulder. She knew everything about Morap. Meelan hadn't been able to hold back those information on his little brother he had kept secret from everyone else in his life.

"Maybe," she said. "I don't know about this crystal, but as long as we don't have any further information on what this might mean, we shouldn't get worried." With another last look at it, she let it drop on the chair next to them and put her hand on his cheek. She was silent for another minute and he was enjoying the touch of her hand on his cheek and the view out of the window, at the valley at their feet. It looked beautiful, even without the Askija there. Peaceful even. "But you know that Morap is trying. He is trying so hard to live up to your expectations." There was a sadness in her voice, which made his insides clench. "He tries to be like you, but he is so different from you that it will only make him miserable."

Meelan closed his eyes and had to force himself not to pull away from her. "He is too soft," he said, trying very hard to sound disdainful, but he sounded more resigned than anything else.

"Yes," she said and her tone of voice showed her impatience. "What do you expect me to do about it?"

No… this had not been what he had wanted to say. It wasn't her fault that Morap was the way he was. Of course she had been mostly responsible for Morap's upbringing, but Morap hadn't been taught to be soft by anyone. It was just the way he was and Meelan felt anger rise up in him, he hadn't expected. Never. He shook his head and pulled her even closer to him. The silence between them was like a wall of invisible ice, which had formed in the room, enclosing each in their own space, but this couldn't be it. They couldn't just leave things like this. Nataleeh let her hand drop to his and he almost expected her to pull herself out of his grasp, but she didn't.

Something had to be done, he knew. Something about Morap, so he wouldn't get lost in this galaxy like his uncle had. Meelan shuddered at the mere thought of losing his son, like he had lost his brother. No, it wouldn't happen. Meelan wouldn't let it happen. But it had to be done differently. The Academy had almost destroyed Meelan's brother. Morap had to understand what they were doing here and why their methods were necessary for them to survive. Why the Order's values had to be held up. "I will think of something," he said and gently placed a kiss on her neck. She smelled so good and just touching her like this made him want to drag her off to the bedroom, but he knew that the time for this was long past. It didn't really show, but she was already too far along for what he'd had in mind for the fraction of a moment. He shook his head, trying to clear it, when a sudden knock at the door made him flinch.

Nataleeh turned her head, to look up at him. She knew, just like he did, that no one here on base would interrupt the time he had with his family for anything short of a catastrophe.

Meelan pressed a kiss on her forehead and then let go of her, assuming a pose of calm and composure. No one was to see that he was more worried about his family at the moment than anything else. "Come in!"

The door slid open and Meelan was surprised to see the Lieutenant with the short, white hair and the tattoos standing in the doorway. She had been the one to bring him the report on the diminished shipments from 16-MG-85 and ever since Meelan had seen her more and more often walking behind a higher ranking officer. But he still didn't know her name.

Apparently she had run here, her face was flushed and her hair untidy. She hadn't even bothered to adjust her appearance to the situation, Meelan thought with a look of distaste. "Lieutenant," he said quietly, when the woman in front of him made no attempts to speak and just kept looking at Nataleeh.

The young woman snapped to attention. "Sir. General!" She was a bit out of breath. Why had she come here? Where was Kayla? Usually it was her, who approached him if things went really wrong, but what by all the stars was this absolute beginner doing here? In his private quarters?

The Lieutenant looked at him directly. "The settlement on 16-MG-85 has been reminded of its duties, Sir," she said, obviously trying to sound as confident as possible, though there was a slight tremble in her voice. Her hands were clenched into fists.

Meelan nodded. He had expected nothing less, but that was no reason to disturb him. Something had obviously gone wrong. "Continue," he snapped impatiently.

"The reports say that a ship was apprehended", she said quickly. "With Republic signatures. The crew has been taken prisoner and they're on their way here."

Fighting down the urge to brush his hand through his hair, Meelan folded his hands behind his back. This piece news was far from good. He avoided looking at Nataleeh and simply nodded. "I'll be in the conference room in a few minutes to review the report. Make sure they have the holos ready. Give orders to keep the prisoners aboard the ship, until we are ready for them down here." He wasn't even sure it had been a good idea to take them prisoner. Had they been obliterated, people may have come looking for them, but no trace would have led them here. Meelan cursed silently, as soon as the Lieutenant had retreated out of the room and the door had closed behind her. "Idiots," he murmured and crossed the room to grab his gloves. Why? Why did they have to have bring potential investigators of the Republic to their very base? There was nothing to do about it now. Those people, whoever they were, had already seen too much, if they had indeed been present during the attack. "They are going to get us into trouble…" He heard Nataleeh approach him and he heaved another sigh. Shaking his head, he turned around to her. Her face was showing an expression of deepest concern. "I'll make sure that doesn't happen," he said and managed a smile, when Nataleeh reached up to straighten his uniform's collar and kissed him on the cheek.

"I know you will. You always do."

Meelan smiled slightly and nodded. The confidence her voice was more of an encouragement than her words. "I'll see you soon," he said quietly and kissed her on the cheek. "I have to get going."