A/N: Future ADA- Glad to feed the addiction further… ;-)
Part XV
Six Weeks Later
Kyp sat with his feet propped up on a table, watching a HoloNet News broadcast with a remarkable level of disinterest. Since his semi-exile on Ossus had begun, he suddenly found himself much less caring about the greater galactic goings-on, and when he did hear about the latest political scandals and the like, his lip generally curled in contempt. He'd had enough of that on Coruscant to last him a lifetime, and he was only glad that he wasn't there right now, as Omas's time in office was coming to a term-mandated end and election season promised to be scathing at best.
When he sensed Jaina approaching, he ordered the console off, positive that the last things she wanted to think about were the greater galactic political happenings. He frowned lightly though as she opened the door, picking up on a certain hesitancy or reservation in her aura. "Hey," he nodded his head in her direction.
"Hi, Kyp," she returned quietly, meeting his eyes steadily.
"Everything okay?"
She bit her lip and he sat up straighter, worried. "Kyp, there's something I have to tell you…"
At her tone, he was on his feet in a flash. "What?" he demanded quickly. "What's wrong?"
She looked away for a moment. "I know that we said it was just one night…"
"Huh?"
"And it was such a nice night… a long walk on the beaches of Naboo… drinking a little too much Corellian ale, perhaps… and then… that night…"
"Jaina…"
"Kyp, I'm pregnant."
He just shook his head as she tried to keep from laughing. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?" he rolled his eyes and plopped back down on the sofa. "You really had me going there for a minute."
"You should have seen your face."
He grinned as she finally allowed the mirth she felt to show on her features, and he thought about how long it had been since she had allowed herself even a little bit of distraction and good humor. "Just how long have you been planning that, anyway?" he smirked as she fell heavily onto the couch next to him.
"Eh," she shrugged, "I was bored while I was waiting for Tekli to finish up with another patient."
"So you plotted ways to wind me up to ease the dullness," he deadpanned.
"You do make it so easy."
He smiled as she laughed softly. "It's nice to see you happy," he commented quietly- which of course, had the immediate effect of sobering her drastically. "Even if it is fleeting," he finished ruefully.
She flushed and looked away. "It's getting easier," she murmured. "I probably only think about how much I miss him every ten seconds now instead of every five." Drawing in a shuddering breath, she brought her legs up on the couch and curled up against the armrest. "And then I feel guilty for it."
"Jag wouldn't begrudge you a little happiness here and there."
"I know," she sighed. "But that doesn't lessen the guilt."
She stood and made to go to her room. Kyp followed her with his eyes and quirked his brows questioningly when she turned back around. "I thought I'd eat dinner with Leyla tonight up at the temple," she murmured. "You should come."
"Okay," he replied slowly, tilting his head as he studied her face. But she just ducked into her room, and he didn't see her again for a few hours.
X-X-X-X
They sat talking with Leyla for a long time, just catching up on how her training and studies were going, and it was late when Jaina finally suggested it was time for her to go to bed. Kissing her goodnight, she and Kyp slipped from her small room and walked slowly through the quiet corridors of the temple, footsteps echoing off the stone walls.
When they emerged into the cool night air, Kyp started to head straight towards the cabin they shared, but Jaina tugged on the sleeve of his robe, leading him in a slightly different direction. "Let's walk a bit," she murmured. "It's a nice night."
Sparing her a quick glance of surprise, he nonetheless acquiesced and they set off, hands tucked in pockets, cloaks drawn tight about them against a steady breeze.
The direction Jaina chose led them to the tree-line about a hundred meters off of the temple, and she slipped noiselessly into the forest, instinctively picking out safe footing and sidestepping jutting roots and patches of prickly or thorny undergrowth. "It's sort of nice, being away from Yavin," she murmured lowly, and he strained to hear her voice over the nighttime sounds of the foliage. "No big predators here, nothing that would harm a human…"
"No piranha beetles," Kyp agreed, remembering the carnivorous insects with a barely-suppressed shudder.
"I wonder what the moon is like now."
As did he, but neither wanted to speculate aloud. A lengthy but comfortable silence fell between them as Jaina picked seemingly random paths between the trees, taking them in a wide loop that generally circled the area where their cabin sat, Kyp thought.
"Thanks for doing this, Kyp."
He started out of a slight reverie. "For hiking in the dark with you?" he teased gently.
She swatted at his arm. "For… agreeing to do something I had no right to ask of you. For being here for me and Leyla, for helping to protect Jag's child…"
"He did the same for mine," Kyp pointed out, voice thick.
Jaina actually laughed dryly. "Mildly ironic, that."
"That's one word for it."
Another long silence hung in the air as she steered them slightly around, angling back towards the huge clearing where the temple and its outlying buildings stood. "Do you ever wonder what it could have been like, if things had been different?"
Her words took a moment to register. "What things?" he frowned. Her hand came up to rest on his forearm, urging him to a stop, still several meters inside the tree line.
"Things between us, Kyp."
He took an involuntary step back and away from her. "No," he answered immediately. "I don't wonder that."
"Why not?"
He bit back an exasperated sigh. "Because what you and I had was… a farce." She blinked, and he felt that she was slightly hurt by his words. "I was looking for a distraction from war and death, and you were it."
"I see." She turned quickly and began to walk towards the clearing, a stiffness hindering her steps.
"Jaina… I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"I understand," she assured him easily, not stopping, but slowing her pace to allow him to catch up. "You're right, of course." He stared at her even but hollow tone. "I'm tired," she finally managed softly after an uneasy silence.
They went the rest of the way to the cabin in relative silence, and parted ways for the night. Hesitantly, Kyp expanded his awareness and felt Jaina lying awake, feeling disturbed and conflicted for a long time before she drifted slowly into sleep. And then Kyp lay awake for another half hour, feeling bad for deliberately encroaching on her privacy like that, but wondering what was bothering her so much.
X-X-X-X
Yaga Minor was oddly dichotomous; known predominantly through the galaxy for its shipbuilding centers, the orbital industrial stations were largely worked and inhabited by humans. The planet itself, however, was mountainous and forested, largely covered in oceans, and populated by insectoid hive-species.
And so it was that today's rendez-vous was to take place in one of the micro-cities aboard an orbital platform facility, where the sight of three ordinary humans would not be amiss, and where a lone chiss would not be considered odd, given the proximity of Yaga Minor to the border between the Imperial Remnant and Chiss space.
It might have been considered odder if outside observers realized that the lone chiss was actually serving as a lookout for the three humans- but he was very good at his job, at remaining discreet and unobtrusive, and at being constantly aware of his surroundings.
Consequently, Cem Fel felt extremely secure as he sat with a forced casualness and awaited the two Jedi with whom Luke Skywalker had put him into contact. Their contact thus far had consisted of heavily encrypted messages, and with no way to verify their identity- even if he'd known it- he felt a mild trepidation at the prospect of today's meeting.
But only a mild one- Ashik was very good at his job.
A shadow fell over his table in the mildly seedy cantina, and he looked up slowly and cocked a brow. Before him stood a tall woman with long auburn hair… but she was dwarfed by the man with her. He had to be some two meters tall with long black hair held back by a thong, and his eyes were a sharp emerald green. Cem wordlessly gestured for the two to take a seat and they slid easily into the proffered chairs.
"Drink?" he asked dryly.
The woman quirked a smile and looked pointedly at the full glass in front of him. "You don't seem to trust the wares," she pointed out.
"I always heard the Jedi were smart."
The man chuckled. "Then for the sake of appearances, let's say we'll have what you're… not having."
"Very well." He touched their selections in a servi-system and less than a minute later, a serving droid whirred over with the drinks, setting them down sloppily in front of the two newcomers. The woman deposited an appropriate number of credcoins into a slot on the machine. Once that was done, the three leaned forward as though having any other normal meeting among acquaintances. "So," Cem brought his glass to his lips and sipped ever-so-slightly. "I'm told that the two of you are to be trusted to the utmost."
"Depends on what you want," the woman's lips quirked good-naturedly. "I'm Tahlia," she offered. "He's Zekk. No last names."
"So it's me who isn't to be trusted?"
"No," Zekk chuckled, "she means that neither of us have a last name. At least, none that we can remember."
Cem nodded a wry acknowledgement. "Fair enough; my name is Davik Antell."
"How about red-eyes watching us?" He stiffened slightly, but supposed he shouldn't have tried to catch a couple of Jedi unawares. "Sorry," Tahlia offered. "We've been here a while."
"So it would seem." A mildly terse silence fell over the table during which they all sipped lightly at their drinks. "Master Skywalker tells me that you've been investigating the deaths of Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano, Baron Fel, and his son, the ambassador."
Zekk inclined his head marginally. "And just what is it you have to offer to the investigation?"
"At the moment- nothing, at least not until I know a little more about you. Such as what your stake in the matter is?"
The tall Jedi smiled easily. "See, and who's calling who suspicious? And to answer your question… the ambassador's widow is one of my oldest friends and… I had a great deal of respect for Jag. And as for Tahlia… we're a team." He shrugged.
Cem regarded them closely. "I suppose that will have to do for now. As for what I have to offer… information, access to files you've never even dreamed of and… my services, as well as those of my companion."
"Hold on," Tahlia held up a hand. "What about you? It's odd enough to see a human and a chiss working together, but what's your stake in the matter, and why do you think you can trust him? I think the Chiss have pretty well displayed their disdain for humans among their numbers."
"I trust him because he has sworn his loyalty to the Fel family- as have I." He saw the skeptical glance exchanged between the two, and decided to take the risk. Leaning forward, he spoke softly. "I wonder- are either of you familiar with the Chiss custom of raising a 'shadow child'?"
"Sure," Zekk replied off-handedly. "The practice of keeping one child secret, right? In case the family acquires enemies- foreign and domestic- who try to wipe out an entire…" he trailed away and studied the man's face opposite him for a long moment. "Oh."
"Oh indeed."
Tahlia was a moment longer on the uptake, but after several seconds, her eyes widened and went from confusion to understanding.
Cem continued speaking in low tones. "I have now revealed to the two of you a secret known by a half-dozen beings in the entire galaxy. I trust that my faith is not misplaced?"
"Of course not." Zekk hesitated. "What is your goal here then?"
"Not to claim my father's titles and wealth, if that is what you are concerned about," Cem said smoothly. "My father already intended to leave the Ascendancy before his demise, and I will honor that wish. However, I will not let justice go undone. Families have been torn apart, and I would that they had some closure in the matter."
A/N: Bear with me if there are any update issues tomorrow (shouldn't be, but just in case)- we've been having a wee-bit of internet difficulty.