yeah so i probably should have made these all one chapter but it's all good. still events that take place during the episode Shades of Reason. and enter Auntie Bo!
The holonet access wasn't being blocked anymore. Though, Soniee was sure they were only seeing what Viszla wanted them to see. There were new images every day of the Deathwatch taking various criminals into custody. And then the Night Owls were sent in to 'liberate' the Academy.
All the cadets from youngest to oldest were lined up and their names checked off against lists. They were being sent home where they could become productive members of their respective clans. Most of the cadets seemed thrilled to go. The younger ones were happy that the danger was over and they could be with their families, but even some of the students in Soniee's year were cheering for shift from the peaceful centralized government back toward leadership by the clans.
"Did any of them even listen during any of our classes?" Korkie mumbled angrily while they stood at the end of the line.
Soniee stood next to him holding his hand tightly and trying to sooth him. "All they've heard are the lies. They have no idea what's really going on."
"Do we even know what's going on?" Lagos sighed. "I just know I don't want to leave Sundari until we find out."
"We'll find a way to make them let us stay." Amis squeezed her shoulder.
The line moved slowly but finally the four of them stood directly in front of the table where the Night Owl leader checked the list. "Korkie..." She looked up at him. "Kryze." And then for the first time in the whole ordeal she took off her helmet. Her hair was dark red and her green eyes, hard as she studied him. "What am I supposed to do with you?"
"Ma'am," Korkie began. "Soniee and I, we're war orphans. We were adopted by the clans. We never knew our real parents so we, er, don't really have homes to go back to."
The Night Owl raised her eyebrows and leaned back in her chair. "You don't have any loyalty to your adopted clans?"
"Of course we do," Soniee spoke up. "We appreciate very much everything they've done for us."
"Soniee..." She checked her list again. "Ordo?"
Soniee nodded. "Veeka Ordo saved me from the crash that killed my mother. I know I owe her my life but you know..." She glanced at their inquisitor and then back at Korkie. "Clan Ordo, Clan Kryze, they don't really approve. If you send me home I might never be allowed to see Korkie again." She reached up with one hand to wipe away a couple of tears from her cheeks.
They were real tears. She hadn't realized how much she had been worrying about that exact thing.
Korkie cupped her face with his hand and rubbed his thumb over her cheek. He looked at her like he had only just realized the truth of the statement. They had been so worried about the duchess and the state of things that he hadn't even thought of what Soniee's clan might think of the two of them being together.
"How sweet," said the Night Owl, thoroughly unmoved. "And I'm just supposed to leave you two love birds here alone in an abandoned school?"
"Not completely alone. I'm Lagos, house Jerec." She pushed her way forward. "I'm Soniee's roommate and kind of chaperon, if you know what I mean. And um..." She lowered her voice. "I actually kind of wanted to ask you about..."
Amis interrupted her. "You see, Ma'am, the four of us. We've been together so long. It's almost like we've made up our own clan."
"And you are?" The Night Owl leader looked quite amused now.
"Amis Lok. Loyal to the clan and all but I'm the youngest of five so they won't miss me much if I hang around here for a while."
"That's just it, Ma'am." Korkie took the lead again. "We're so close to graduation. In another few months we should have been making these decisions for ourselves. If we could just stay here, together, for a little while, until we can make other arrangements..."
The red-haired woman looked at each of them in turn but her gaze lingered the longest on Korkie. It was then that Soniee got the strangest flash of a vision. It was a tiny newborn baby with a shock of fuzzy auburn hair on the top of his head and he was in the arms of a very young, smiling Satine Kryze.
Soniee gasped and the woman stared at her. She tried to cover quickly, "We could... do something to earn our keep. I can fix things, electronics, speeders..."
"Okay." The woman said after another full Galactic standard minute of silence. She looked around to see that none of her lieutenants were close by and lowered her voice. "I can't believe I'm considering this, but as you say, the four of you are almost of age anyway. I will allow you to stay until other arrangements can be made."
They looked at each other smiling.
"It won't be for long. I don't know what the plans are for these buildings but with all the cadets being sent away, I'm sure someone will want the space for something other than an academy."
Their smiles fell away. The Academy had been their home and it had been in operation since the duchess was young.
"Thank you." Korkie finally spoke for all of them. "We really appreciate it. Maybe we can start by, er, just cleaning up around this place, taking inventory of supplies or something like that."
"We'll talk about it later." The Night Owl leader nodded. "Right now I've got to see to getting the rest of these kids sent home." She didn't look as though the prospect was very appealing. She would probably rather be out in a battle somewhere.
"We'll get out of your way then." Korkie smiled and pulled Soniee away where they could talk. Amis followed, but a few steps behind them.
"She knows who you are, Korkie." Soniee whispered when they had left a decent amount of space between them and the woman.
"Of course she knows. She has all the academy records..."
"No. I - I saw something. I can't explain it, but she knows who your mother really is." She couldn't elaborate because at that moment Amis came up to them and pointed back they way they had come.
"Hey, what's she up to?"
Lagos was still at the table chatting with the Night Owl. She seemed interested in the leader's helmet but then she too was dismissed so that they could get on with their business.
"What was that all about?" Korkie asked, a little miffed when she had finally joined them.
Lagos shrugged. "Just asking her about the Night Owls, what they do and stuff."
"They're part of the Deathwatch. They are the enemy." He said a little too loud.
Soniee looked around but no one seemed to be paying them any attention.
"Look," Lagos stood up to him. "I didn't think it would hurt to appear interested. It would be kind of nice to have somebody like that on our side."
"Yeah but is she on our side?"
Soniee stepped between them. "I don't think she means us any harm." She gave Korkie a meaningful look. "She's going out on a limb for us."
"But why would she..." Korkie asked.
"I don't know. But it's like you said. She has all our records. She could have easily marched you off to see Viszla and she didn't."
"Soniee's right," Amis chipped in as if he had only just thought of it. "You're the Duchess's nephew but she didn't even mention it."
That night after the rest of the students had been shipped off to their own homes and clans, the four of them were alone in the common room. They watched the holonews of the most recent developments.
"Hey that's her!" Lagos pointed. "That's Bo-Katan the leader of the Night Owls."
They watched as the woman they had just met that morning paced in front of a group of shackled prisoners on the steps of the palace.
"Duchess Satine and the new Mandalorian leaders have fled in cowardice, while the Deathwatch brought these criminals to justice." Bo-Katan smiled proudly. "Your new prime minister Pre Viszla, leader of Deathwatch, exiled governor of Concordia, true son of Mandalore presents you with the lords of the most feared crime families in the galaxy."
Then the holo image showed, Viszla. He just stood there silently smiling, surveying his new domain. It sickened Soniee and she turned off the holo unable to stand it anymore.
"Fled?" Korkie asked. "Where would they go? Auntie Satine wouldn't..."
"What if she didn't? What if they..." Amis gulped.
Soniee shook her head. "No, they wouldn't. They wouldn't... get rid of her unless it suited their purpose."
"Yeah," Korkie agreed with her, or maybe he was just grasping at hope. "He's named himself Prime Minister and she might still come in useful. They'll have her locked up somewhere like Almec did before."
"Maybe they think," Lagos swallowed. She looked stricken like she couldn't believe what she was about to suggest. "Maybe they're keeping us here because they think you'll come in useful." She frowned at Korkie.
Korkie didn't say anything but Soniee could tell he was worried.
Later that night after they had all gone to bed, Soniee woke from a deep sleep. She wasn't sure at first what had woken her, but then she sensed the worry and indecision of Korkie's mind just outside of the dormroom she shared with Lagos. The other girl was still sound asleep in her bunk on the other side of the room so Soniee got up quietly and went to the door. She opened it and squinted at the bright light of the hallway. "Korkie?" she whispered.
He came to her right away and hugged her tightly. "I had a nightmare. I had to see you."
She returned the hug and then cupped his face in her hands and looked him in the eyes. "You're worried that you're putting us in danger?"
He nodded.
She took a deep breath and collected her thoughts. "I don't think they're keeping you here to use you. I - I feel like this Bo-Katan might be trying to protect you, like she knows who you are and she doesn't want the others to find out. I know it doesn't make any sense."
"It doesn't make any sense," he repeated and pulled her close to himself again. "Soniee, I don't want to be alone tonight. Could I..."
"Of course." She smiled reassuringly at him. "We'll just have to be quiet."
He smiled gratefully at her and held her hand tightly while she lead him back into her room.
She got into bed and scooted all the way over to make room for him. Then he slipped in beside her fully clothed. They didn't speak or even kiss. They just held each other and eventually fell asleep, content.