Chapter 44
Meeting the in laws
Melissa send the code to open the cargo bay door from her comlink and drove her landspeeder into the hold of the Milk Runner. Tiredly she leaned back in her seat once the repulsorcoils had shut down and the vehicle had settled on the deck. The guard at the airfield gate had been highly susceptible to a force persuasion to forget her entering the airfield with the vehicle, the man also happily gave up his clearance code for the security office and terminal allowing Melissa to erase the security footage of her presence. Her slicing skills would have probably have been adequate to gain access to the system, but she was happy having access to that shortcut none the less.
As she stepped from the vehicle the only thoughts running through her head was centred around a sinfully long hot shower and several hours of sleep on a decent mattress. She stopped short as something triggered a warning in her mind. The ship was too silent, normaly Sukura would be happily yowling along to her music, even in the dead of the night music filtered through the ship.
Cautiously she stopped and reached out with her senses, quickly she found the two familiar presences. The problem was that they were not alone. She felt excitement, anticipation. She needed to move. Now!
Melissa rolled forward and kicked out in a donkey kick. A form launching itself from the deck above flew over her and went of course when the kick landed. She rolled forward again and flipped to her feet. Her attacker was fast, she barely had enough time to deflect the blow aimed at her. Catching the arm She held it against her body and caught the second arm as well. There was a satisfying crunch and a pained yowl when she administered a Keldabe kiss. Force pushing the form away to give her space.
The attacker launched at her again with a delighted yowl and she heard the skittering screech of claws on metal when she blocked the attack on her vambraces. Grabbing the arms she dropped to her back, using her feet to launch the attacker away from her. Jumping back to her feet she lashed out in alternating high to mid chest kicks, her attacks being skilfully blocked
Her head rocked back as a kick passed her defences, ringing her bell solidly. She staggered back shaking her head, hands up in a blocking position. She stepped forward and faked going for a kick, before punching with her left and landing a solid blow herself.
The light to the cargo bay switched on.
"Daddy! Melissa! Stop fighting!"
The call came with the echoing clang of a boot stamped on a metal plate. One pissed off Yuki girl was glaring down into the hold. Her tail and ears upright and rigid in anger. Melissa looked away as the erect tail had the effect of lifting the skirt higher than it normaly would and looking up from below was not recommended either. One simply does not take upskirt looks on your pseudo family's girlfriend.
"Why do you always have to fight everyone I bring home?" Sukura demanded , a glaring pout present
The Yuki male pushed his nose back into position with a faint snap that had the other two wincing
"I have to protect my kitten." He stated unapologetically
Sukura turned her attention to Melissa.
"And you! Could you not just drop to the ground and bare your throat like Bonita did. Why did you have to fight him?"
A new voice spoke
"Kitten, did you let her know we were here?"
"No, Mamma Bast." Sukura replied
"And how would you react if someone just jumped out at you in the dark?" Bast asked
"I would fight. Sorry, Melissa, lecturing you was uncalled for." Sukura answered
Her tail and ears drooped sadly. Melissa desperately thought to find something to cheer up the girl. The sad dejected look was heartbreaking
"I brought you something back from my trip." Melissa stated
"Really?" Sukura was till sad, a tinge of hopefulness there
"You will have to help me unload it though." Melissa replied
Sukura daintily climbed down the ladder and Melissa led her to the landspeeder where the two cooler boxes she had packed her food in were in the cargo bay.
"Look inside" Melissa suggested
Sukura cautiously lifted one lid, before dropping the lid back in place. Hope spread across her face like dawn over the horizon
"For me?" She asked
"Just for you." Melissa replied
Melissa found herself grappled in close quarters again as she was glomped by a happily purring yuki. Cheery Sukura was back and her happily wagging tail confirmed it. The male sided over and lifted the lid to see what made his kitten so happy.
"Daddy, that is mine." Sakura snapped, still glomping Melissa
The man looked up at the older yuki woman standing by the door to the crew level.
" If she has to have a human suitor this one is a lot better than the other one." He grandly declared
"How so?" Bast asked
"She is willing to fight and she brought fish for my kitten." He replied.
Melissa only got her shower after she was introduced to the rest of Sukura's family. Her father Ishigo, mothers Bast, Sheba and Kali, her sisters Irita, Hinaro and Alera. Apparently the other seven siblings was still on Yukira as they could not get leave to track down their errant sister. The oldest sister, Hinaro, had been impressed by Melissa's use of the fusion chamber in a cryoban grenade to flash freeze the fish in place in the water filled cooler boxes, the older girl being a weapons desigener for the Yuki fleet had taken on a faraway look as she muttered about developing a new weapon to get vengeance on the squids. With a shudder Melissa remembered they were close to the days of remembarence for the cruiser lost to Mon Calamari. Hopefully she would be of the ship by then, one singing was bad enough, seven was too horrible to contemplate.
Still towelling her hair dry she stepped into the lounge and came up short at the sight in front of her. Bonita and Sukura was seated on the ground in front Sheba and Kali having their brushed. Bast holding a brush pointed to the spot in front of her. Melissa sat down in the indicated spot and Bast started brushing her hair.
"So, kitter, are you going to tell us of your adventures?" Bast asked
Melissa could not help but shudder at being addressed as kitten, Bast stopped the brush mid stroke
"Does the term offend you?" Bast asked
"No, just a bad memory." Melissa replied
Being bombarded by curious glances Melissa realised she would have to tell the story. Melissa gave a short cough and began her tale
"It began before I was born with a young girl with too much power and too little guidance despite the best efforts of the man assigned to teach her. In a large extent was his teachings undone by others who fed her need for acclimation…"
Finishing her tale of her first visit to Lothal Melissa found herself being catpiled by the older Yuki females. She had experienced loving hugs before. The love of her father and grandfather, the sisterly love of Terri, Bastila and Juhani, the romantic hugs from Mission. The hugs of uncles and aunts and grandmotherly hugs. Now she had a new experience to ad her to list, the loving hugs of a mother, or mothers in this case, and she relished it.
Melissa wanted to melt into a happy pile of goo as the three were running their hands through her hair and purring comfortingly to her.
"We will have to think of what to call you then." Bast said musingly
"Yes, having that woman turning a loving name into a sick pet name is galling." Sheba replied
"You don't have to, it just caught me of guard." Melissa protested
"Little wildcat?" Kali suggested
"It certainly suits her." Ishigo remarked
Seven blistering looks were thrown his way, he shrugged it off unconcernedly
"If we needed a tom's opinion we would have asked for it." Sheba haughtily declared
"The name does have merit." Bast shrugged
"So it is settled then." Kali stated
Seven nods sealed the decision. Bonita just shrugged at the questioning look Melissa send her.
"Why did you come back to this place, little wildcat?" Bast resumed her brushing of Melissa's hair.
Melissa realised she was in for telling yet another tale before she could go seek out the siren call of the bed in her bunkroom.
Melissa woke hours later feeling refreshed, looking at her chronograph she realised she had slept for ten hours straight, The ship was eerily silent as she made her way from the room. She found Bonita puttering around in the engine room
"Awake at last I see." Bonita remarked as she tightened a bolt on the engine mounting
"Guess I needed some decent sleep." Melissa replied
She sat down on the grating and let her feet hang in the space over the engine. Bonita pulled herself from the engine space and sat down next to her. They sat in companionable silence for several minutes
"So what did you not tell the mommies last night?" Bonita finally asked
"I told everything last night." Melissa lied
"Mellie, I know when you are lying. I know when you are hiding something. I taught you all your tricks." Bonita replied.
Melissa swung her legs as she chewed on her lips. She sighed
"In the temple there was one vision I left out." She confessed
"Want to talk about it?" Bonita asked
"Not really, but Fay always says I have to stop shouldering all the responsibilities." Melissa replied
"Fay, that is the healer and doctor I have yet to meet." Bonita stated
"Yes, though I am hesitant to let you meet Ellia, you two are too much alike."
"She sounded like a cool little girl." Bonita remarked
Melissa felt her breath hitch. Bonita had her arms around her in a moment
"I am guessing that vision was really traumatic for you then." Bonita said softly
"I was back in two seventeen and little Ariana was there to meet me, only she was a force ghost." Melissa whispered brokenly
"How did she die?" Bonita asked
"Suicide, after being used by Parker and his friends. She blamed me for not being there to protect her, as we were talking I heard another girl being violated in the background and I just stood there trying to justify myself."
Melissa broke completely, gasping sobs escaping her as tears streamed from her eyes. Bonita rapidly pulled her in, her own breath hitching " Melissa, I am so sorry. That place really karked with your mind." Bonita whispered fiercely
"She was right, I broke my promise to the young ones and I ran away. And she and the others suffered for it." Melissa sobbed
"Bantha crap." Bonita stated firmly
She pulled back slightly and sternly looked Melissa in the eyes
" Did you consider me leaving for the rangers abandoning you and the others?" Bonita asked
"No." Melissa hiccupped
"What did you feel when you heard that I had left?" Bonita continued
"Slightly hurt that you did not say goodbye, but also jealous that you got out, mostly I was happy for you though." Melissa replied
"All of us in that place make the some promise to the young ones to protect them. So if me leaving was not abandoning them how was your leaving any worse? They felt the same thing you did when I left." Bonita firmly stated.
Bonita pulled her back into a hug
"You said it yourself, you have to stop taking responsibility for everything."
Losening her grip she looked back at Melissa
"What is the coordinates to that temple?" She asked
"Why do you want to know?" Melissa replied
"So I can go blow it the hell up. That place tortured you with one of your worst fears and for what? The right to call yourself a knight. I think you being able to use the force is awesome. But the more I hear about how the Jedi and Sith really are, the more I ask myself why do we let them have so much power."
Bonita gave a wry grin
"And coming from a natural born Alterran that is saying a lot. Venerating the Jedi is more or less state religion as you should very well know."
Melissa gave her own wry smile
"Should you not be venerating me then? Being a knight and all."
"Nah. There is no way I am venerating the girl whose butt I had to wipe clean after the castor oil incident."
"I was five, how was I to know castor oil would give me both diarrhoea and vomiting at the same time?" Melissa protested
"No as I remembered you downed the whole bottle instead of a teaspoon as the nurse suggested." Bonita replied
" The bottle was below quarter level, it was not a full bottle." Melissa objected
" Yeah well, I still had to clean you up. I knew I should have picked flimsy instead of rock." Bonita replied
"Come again?" Melissa querried
"We played, knife, rock and flimsy to decide who gets to clean you up. Obviously I lost." Bonita said in a suffering tone
The two giggled at that. After a few minutes Melissa gave a few more sniffs before giving a real smile
"Thanks, I needed to let that out."
"Hey that is what big sisters are for." Bonita shrugged
Unknown to them three figures slunk back from the doors.
"Curly is right, that place needs to be destroyed." Kali growled
"No kitten should be forced to face such trails." Sheba agreed
"The Choir must be told, no longer should we allow them to search through the litters if that is how the kittens are treated. Really having them give up their emotions and having them face trials." Bast adamantly stated
"But should some kittens have the gift, what then?" Sheba asked
"Little Wildcat found a way, the Choir will find a way as well, the Great Feline will guide us as well." Bast replied.
The two were still sitting in silence when Bonita gave a huge yawn
"Still tired?" Melissa asked
"Did not really sleep comfortably. You did see that big cuddle pile in the lounge did you not?" Bonita replied
"Yes, what is up with that?" Melissa asked
"It is a pride thing. Yuki will as often sleep alone as with their pride, With Sukura having been denied that for a while she will be indulging for as long as the visit lasts. She insists that I join in as well." Bonita explained
"At least it means that they accept you, so that is a good sign." Melissa replied
"It is. Though I think I lost points with Sukura's dad for not standing up to him." Bonita stated rubbing her neck.
"Well surprise him with breakfast in bed, they still seem to be sleeping. So we can slip out and surprise them with lunch." Melissa suggested
"Sukura does usually sleep till midday if she can, and it looks like the others do as well. Thatt is actually a good idea." Bonita replied enthusiastically
"Let me get armoured up, there should still be that market outside the spaceport." Melissa replied, getting up
"Why not go as you are, or is it a Mandalorian thing?" Bonita asked
"It is a Mandalorian thing, plus my face is on a few arrest warrants here." Melissa answered
Bonita shook her head in mock disappointment
"Where did I go wrong with you? You were such a sweet little girl, now you are forging your way into the military, stealing spaceships on Corellia and running from the law on Lothal."
"I am just that awesome." Melissa replied.
There was no movement from the cuddle pile as they silently slipped back onto the ship and into the kitchen. Bonita looked over the supplies Melissa had thrown into their hovertrolley with abandon as they had walked through the market
"I just had a thought, I don't really know how to cook all this." Bonita confessed
"I got this, you just stand by to repel boarders from the kitchen doors." Melissa replied
Melissa placed a large local seawater fish on the prepsurface and started looking for a knife.
"Bon, where are your kitchen knives?" She asked
"Don't have one, we have been living on prepped rations." Bonita replied
"Are you telling me I had the kitchen refitted for no reason on Naboo then?" Melissa retorted
"Kind of." Bonita replied sheepishly
"When we get back to Naboo I am enrolling both of you in couples cooking classes." Melissa threatened
"Do we have to?" Bonita whined
"Do you not want to spend more time with your significant other? Doing something other couples do to strengthen you relationship " Melissa asked
"Hey Tippy Ears and I have a rock solid relationship, we do not need gimmicks to improve on what we have." Bonita responded indignantly
"You really love her, don't you?" Melissa replied
"She is my one and only." Bonita stated simply
In the cuddle pile Sukura had a smile stretching from ear to ear on hearing that. Irita poked her with a finger
"I am happy for you sister, now stop messing up their plans to surprise us, we are supposed to be sleeping." She hissed
Melissa pulled her trusty knife from her boot and proceeded to gut and clean the fish before cutting it into more manageable chunks. Slicing open a Meiloorun she placed thin strips on the pieces before slathering it with jam and placing sliced banana on the jam. Parsley and garlic were added on top before being wrapped with Nerf bacon and individually wrapped in tin foil. Melissa pointed to the oven
"Set the oven for a hundred and eighty degrees." She instructed Bonita
With the fish taking up half of the oven space she filled a tub with cream and added some garlic to it before cutting potato tubers into it and liberally sprinkling it with grated cheese before adding that to the oven as well. A cabbage was shredded and grated and placed in a pan to slow cook in milk, after a few minutes she added carrots and a soy sauce. Letting that simmer, she made a simple salad and prepped a vinigraite sauce from scratch.
"Where did you learn all this?" Bonita demanded
"I found out my father liked to cook so I learned as well. So a baked dessert with cream or ice cream?" Melissa replied.
"Might as well go for broke and do both, I really need the boost." Bonita stated
With the smells filling the ship the yuki's had dropped all pretence of sleeping and were impatiently waiting for their food. The two humans were stopped in their tracks on stepping from the kitchen as eight set of eyes were homing in on the trays in their hands. Melissa and Bonita now suspected they knew what prey felt like when cornered by a cat.
Bonita set her plate down with a satisfied sigh and whistfully looking to the kitchen. Having taken her time eating her meal she missed out on the rush to the kitchen for second and in Ishigo's case third helping. Said patriarch was lying back in his chair, hands folded over his tomach and half asleep. Sakura looked hopefully at Melissa
"Is that offer for couples lessons still on the table?" She asked
"Sure. How did you…" Melissa replied uncertainly
Irita tapped Sukura behind the head
"You were not supposed to let them know we heard them talking." she hissed
"Sorry, I did not think." Sukura replied bashfully
Bonita turned to Melissa
"Don't you dare say it." She said
"I am not that tactless to say that the cat is out of the bag now." Melissa replied
Eight heads turned to a side questioningly
"Could you explain that? "Alera asked
"It is a human expression to say you are revealing a secret." Bonita explained
"So humans used cats as secret keepers, that is awesome." Alera enthused
The two humans did not have the heart to explain that she was off the mark by a very large degree.
After cleaning up they reconvened in the lounge. Melissa stood in front of Bonita
"Earlier today you indirectly called me little sister and I appreciate that immensely." She started
"I was only speaking the truth as I saw it. Where are you going with this?" Bonita replied
"If you like we can make that official. That is if you want to?" Melissa stated.
"How? Not that I am against the idea, but we are not blood related." Bonita responded
"As a Mandalorian I can adopt you into my clan. We have a saying that exemplifies this. Aliit ori'shya tal'din. It means family is more than blood." Melissa explained
Bonita's eyes started glistening as she realised what she was being offered. The ultimate gift an orphan or ex orphan could receive. Shakily she nodded her assent. Melissa ran her knife across her palm and handed the blade over. Bonita cut her palm before joining her hands with Melissa's
" Moratur at Aliit. Bonita Cleary, aliit all Wren." Melissa intoned, completing the adoption
The two embraced tearily on completion. Melissa turned to Sukura and offered her the knife as well
"The offer is also to the mate of my sister. I know you have your pride, and it is a magnificent one at that. If you want I have space in my clan, in my family."
Sukura cut her palm without hesitation and joined hands with Melissa, before glomping her. Eagerly she extended her still bleeding hand to Bonita
"If you join hands now, that is considered a marriage by Mandalorian standards." Melissa warned her
Bonita extended her hand to Sukura
"It only hastens the inevitable as far as I am concerned. How about it Tippy Ears, shall we get married here and now in the presence of our families?" She asked
"Of course I want to get married, Cuddle Buns." Sukura replied.
They joined hands and Melissa added her hand on top of them.
"As Clan leader I now pronounce you bonded for life. Welcome to the clan Sukura Aliit Naruku, Aliit Wren."
Melissa found herself being pushed to the side by the older females as they glomped the now married pair. Melissa happily stood aside to let the others take their turn to congratulate the pair.
"We still need to do a formal ceremony on Yurika though." Ishigo stated
"Of course. Both cultures need to be respected." Melissa replied immediately
"Does that mean we are now Mandalorian as well?" Bonita asked
" From the moment you accepted the adoption." Melissa replied
"So we do get our own armour then?" Bonita querried
"I can arrange that as soon as I let the Buirs know the family has expanded. They will of course want to meet the in laws as well. After all they are family now as well."
Hinaro jumped up onto the holomap.
"Break out the catnip and the alcohol, we have reason to get shitfaced now." She called out.
The celebration lasted well into the night, if not for the ships hull keeping the noise inside, the noise would have attracted police attention before long. With the party finally breaking up, the pride prepared their cuddle pile for the night, the married pair was given the centre of the pile. Kali grabbed Melissa's hand as she was about to slip of to her room
"You have seemed to have forgotten something, little wildcat." She said
"What did I forget?" Melissa asked
"Adoptions often work two ways. When you adopted Sukura into your clan she adopted you into our pride and the pride stays together. Especially on special nights such as this when the pride grows larger."
Kali pulled Melissa to the centre as well next to the married pair and the rest of the pride settled in around them. Melissa had no problem falling asleep that night.