Soniee could really use some advice right now and she's going to get it from an unexpected but perfectly timed source.

Somewhere around the 5th floor, Soniee stopped the lift and slid down the wall till she was sitting on the floor, trying to make sense of what had just happened. She was practically hyperventilating and didn't think she was capable of facing Lux quite yet.

She wished she had someone to talk to. She guessed some girls would talk to their mothers about something like this. Ordo'buir's love-life or lack there of, didn't give Soniee much hope of great advice coming from that quarter.

She didn't talk about it but Soniee had picked up enough of the history to suspect that Veeka had lost someone during the Civil War and then had put her energy into raising her adopted daughter after Soniee had crashed into her life. There was once when she was little that Soniee thought Momma might make a love connection again. The man in question however had heard one too many rumors about the strange things that seemed to happen around Veeka's precious ad'ika, and he didn't stick around.

"We don't need a man, do we Son'ika? You and me, we'll be fine, just the two of us." That's what Momma would say. Of course she denied that he left because of Soniee. They had Ba'buir but that was as close as Soniee had ever gotten to having a dad.

No Ordo'buir was not the person Soniee wanted to talk to about this, especially after she had just proclaimed to her mother, her undying love for Korkie. Still, who else was there?

Soniee put on her helmet and pulled up the comm system. When she did, she noticed something strange. It looked like someone had tried to send a comm. It wasn't Momma's ID or Fox's those were both saved in the memory. This one was new but she didn't remember getting a call. She vaguely remembered having a dream that involved a comm coming in. That had to have been a dream. Korkie was in it. Still, Soniee was curious.

She hesitated just a moment and then activated a comm to the mystery ID. No one picked up for a long time and she almost deactivated it but then she heard a yawn and a sleepy voice answer, "Hello?"

Soniee would know that voice anywhere. How many times had she heard that voice tell her to 'shut the kriffing light off' in their dorm room when she was working on some project late into the night?

"Lagos?"

"Soniee, is that you?"

"Force, Lagos, it is you! I am not even going to ask how your ID ended up in my comm system. You are exactly the person I need to talk to!"

"Soniee, are you okay? What's going on? We heard you were at the Jedi Temple and then we saw a holo of you in the Galactic Senate. It's not true that you're working with Almec, is it?"

"Well, not exactly. But there's something else, I really need to talk to you about. I don't know who else I would talk to about it. It's just the craziest thing. Really, totally insane..."

Lagos gave a tired chuckle. "Go on, spill."

"There's this guy, and he's really amazing. He's handsome and he's sweet and he's a warrior, I mean like a real soldier. Momma would like that. And he's smart and he's funny and," she took a breath. "And he just recited the 'Mhi Solus' to me."

"Hello!" Lagos was wide awake now. "You didn't say it back, did you?"

"No, I couldn't. I mean he's great and all but, he's - he's not..."

"He's not Korkie?" Lagos finished for her.

"Yeah."

"It's not that Senator Bonteri is it?"

Soniee sighed, "No, Lux is... just a friend. I actually think he might be in love with Padawan Ahsoka."

"Really? I thought Jedi couldn't, but, well obviously... So this guy, does he have a brother?"

Soniee gave a nervous laugh. "Only a couple million."

"You mean he's a," Lagos lowered her voice although it was completely unnecessary. "He's a clone?"

"It's so unfair." Soniee growled. "Padme said their growth was accelerated so they could be sent into battle sooner. They age at twice the normal speed but that means they have half the lifespan, and that's if they live through the fighting. They don't get paid. They have no choice if they want to fight or not. They're not even considered citizens of the Republic. It's just wrong!"

"So, you feel sorry for him?"

"No. Well, yeah, but it's not just that. Fox is an individual. He's not just a copy. He wants to be Mando. He learned Mando'a overnight, for me."

"But he's still not Korkie."

"No, he's not." Soniee was working herself up to ask. "How is Korkie? Is he there? Can I talk to him?"

"Actually..." there was a pause. "I'm not sure where he is. This is his buy'ce you commed. Bo just gave it to him. I heard the comm ping and came in to see what it was but he's not here."

A heavy knot of dread settled in Soniee's stomach. "Did he try to comm me? Is that why I have this ID in my system?"

"I guess so. You know more about tech than I do. I know he was upset yesterday. He seemed to think you were in some kind of danger. Bo talked to him, gave him the bucket and then she said it would be best to leave him alone for a while. I don't know if he tried to comm you after that..."

"He did. Fierfek!" Soniee swore. "It wasn't a dream. I heard the comm ping and I told him to get it... but it wasn't him. And now he's gone off and done something stupid."

"Okay. Udesii. Now, what happened?" Lagos asked, completely lost.

Soniee took a deep breath and then plunged in. "I had a dream last night, or I thought it was a dream, that I was with Korkie and the comm kind of interrupted... things. I told him to get it and then I must have fallen back asleep."

"You thought Korkie was there?"

"I thought it was dream! Then when I woke up this morning Fox was there and he said we didn't do anything but he was sort of dodgy and then... he asked me who Korkie was."

"First of all, you thought..." Lagos was building up her big sister steam now, Soniee could tell. "No wait, what was this Fox doing there when you woke up?"

Soniee was cowed, "I kind of had too much to drink last night and passed out. Fox brought me back to Senator Amidala's. That's where I'm staying. He wanted to make sure I was okay."

"You went out drinking with him and you hadn't told him about Korkie?"

"Well, I... I wasn't telling anybody about Korkie. I was afraid if anyone knew about us that he would be in danger."

Lagos huffed.

Soniee rushed on. "Hey, did Korkie get any comms from me, I mean back when you all were still at the academy?"

There was a pause. Lagos must have been trying to remember. "No, I don't think... well he must have. He said something about a comm saying that you were at the temple. He was really worried you were there when it was bombed but then he said he could feel that you were alive, that you like reached out to him or something."

"He could feel that I reached out to him?" She paused biting her lip. "Well is that all he said? Did he get the whole message?"

"I don't think so. I think he had only discovered the comm when Bo was dragging him out before the whole place went up."

"At least nobody else got it," Soniee mumbled. "Look, I really need to talk to him. I need to hear his voice. I need to know if..." She wasn't going to take off her helmet to wipe away the tear that was tickling her cheek. "What if... what if the only reason Korkie and I were together was because there weren't a whole lot of options at the academy? What if I hadn't met the right person yet?"

"Do you honestly believe that? Come on, Soniee, I've seen the two of you together. You and Korkie were meant to be. You've been through a lot. And I get it, a nice, attractive guy really seems to like you and he was there when you were feeling lonely. You would have to be in a coma not to respond to that, so don't beat yourself up about it. Tell him the truth. You're off the market. And I will find Korkie and tell him to send you a comm."

"What if he's gone off some where? What if Almec's found him? What if..."

Lagos sighed. "He's probably in the 'fresher or raiding the kitchen. Don't worry, Soniee."

"Okay, okay. I'll try." Soniee stood up. "Thanks, Lagos." She almost activated the lift again and then stopped. "Are you doing okay?"

After a pause, Lagos said softly, "I miss him. Amis was... Well we never wanted to make a big thing about it. It just seemed like we were always together. I never imagined a time when we, all four of us, wouldn't be together." She sniffed and Soniee knew she was trying to suck it up, get back under control. "And I feel exhausted. I think it's just being stuck in this house with nothing to do. Bo thinks it would be better if we stayed off the radar for a while. The only good thing is... Did you know Bo has a kid?"

"I had no idea." Soniee hurt for her friend.

"She's adorable. She can be a complete terror one minute and then as sweet as can be the next. I hope Bo won't send her back to her clan too soon. Seb'ika sure livens up the place."

It was good for Soniee to hear the joy return to her friend's voice. She asked. "So where are you all staying? Or... maybe it would be safer if I didn't know."

"We... hmmm." Lagos thought for a second. "Do you remember hearing that the Duchess had a seamstress..."

"Stop." Soniee smiled. She remembered that Padme had wanted to check something when they were discussing the dressmaker's tag on one of Satine's dresses. She had been right to suspect. "Stop right there. Yes. Okay. Good! Ummm and can I comm back to this ID if I want to chat?"

"Well like I said," Lagos replied. "It's Korkie's bucket. I'll shove it on his head if I have to when I see him and make him send you a comm first."

"Okay."Soniee laughed. "Lagos, it was good to talk to you."

"You too, dalyc'vod."

Soniee deactivated the comm and reactivated the lift. Then she noticed that someone else had left a message while she was on with Lagos. She rolled her eyes indulgently when she heard Fox's voice.

"Hey, Cyar'ika, just wanted to let you know that I'm seeing the medic now. Everything's fine. Don't you worry. And from here I'm going straight to the quarter master. I'm gonna get you that ship, even if... even if it takes you away from me. Love you. See you soon."

She was going to break his heart, but what other choice did she have. The door to the lift opened to the 16th floor but Soniee pushed the button to close it again. She took off her helmet and stood there for a moment. She was afraid of the voice coming back again but she just had to try.

She closed her eyes and reached out with the Force. Korkie, where are you? And she felt him there, not in a definite location but alive and angry. She wondered what he and Fox could have said to each other. She was going to have to confront Fox about that too. She wondered if Korkie could feel her now or if he was too angry to care. Yes, my answer was - is yes! She tried to think at him, but it felt like he was throwing up a wall in her way.

Disappointed, but glad the voice was too preoccupied to bother her, Soniee sought out her other friends in the Force. She found Bo's star first and beside her the little star that must be the daughter Lagos had told her about. Soniee smiled and then she turned her attention to her friend. She again saw the broken star, but it wasn't broken. The smaller star, Soniee realized, wasn't broken at all. It was brand new, a new life. Lagos was... pregnant.