Last time: Oppie met with Taren and Halla's approval.

Now: Cien gets a special call.


Chapter 12- The Invite

"What is that song?" Kyr asked Cien while they stood in the room next to theirs that was being turned into a nursery.

"What?" She asked.

"That you're humming," he asked.

"Oh," she said, not even realizing she had been humming. "I don't know. Probably some Sith chant, but there's no way to track it down." She said.

"It sounds too… happy to be Sith." Kyr said, with a shrug. "Anyway, what color do you think No'ika and Rose'ika would like?" He asked, holding up the color chips at arms length as he looked around the room.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Sasha asked, poking her head into the room.

"Good." Cien said, looking around the room and wondering why they needed to repaint it.

"Awful." Kyr said, "Sash'ika, what do you think? Do you like this yellow color, or should we go with this nice shade of pastel red? This green also looks kind of nice." He said, thoughtfully. "And this blue, I like this blue. Reminds me of the armor my aunt used to wear."

"Or we could just leave the room this pleasant cream color." Cien said, a little exasperated.

Sasha chuckled. "Any of them should work," she said. "But you could do two colors. Like one main and one that's a stripe. If you want two colors that is. But that blue is nice."

"Racing stripes." Kyr said, as the idea dawned on him. "Racing stripes would be so cool." He said, now holding the paint chips up next to each other to see which ones complimented each other best.

Cien rolled her eyes, "this is where they're supposed to come to sleep and calm down, not get them excited to run the Astralane Gauntlet." She groused.

"The what?" Kyr asked, confused.

"It was a famous racing circuit back in my time." Cien clarified.

"I just suggested a singular stripe. He's the one who took it further," Sasha smirked. "But Cien is right, Kyr. Calming colors and an environment that is good for them to relax in."

"Shouldn't we just have them sleep in our room anyway?" Cien asked, "I feel like I'd be worried about them all night if they were in here alone."

"Trust me when I say you will want your privacy," Sasha said, stepping into the room. "But for those first few weeks that won't be a bad idea, after they're a month old then maybe have them in here with a baby monitor in there." She gestured to their room, next door.

"I suppose." Cien said, putting a hand on her stomach and glancing down at them. "I guess if we feel differently it's just a matter of moving their cribs, too." She said.

"In the end it's your call," Sasha said with a shrug.

"We'll also need a pretty good stereo system for them." Kyr observed, looking around the room thoughtfully.

Cien looked at him under a furrowed brow. "Why, so they can listen to that loud noise you pipe through your buy'ce?" She asked incredulously.

"No, for, like, lullabies and stuff." Kyr said, "we'll wait till they are like, three or so to introduce them to Bu Hu." He said.

Sasha snorted at that. "Maybe start with a small speaker or a music box before you go full surround sound," she suggested.

"Good idea." Kyr said, adding that to his mental list.

"Any other ideas you should be worried about?" Sasha asked Cien with a smirk then looked at Kyr.

"No." Kyr said defensively. "Well, maybe the weapons rack, I was going to put it on that wall." He said.

Sasha just blinked at that before looking at Cien. "Is he joking?" She asked rhetorically.

"No." Cien said, with a shrug. "They're already fighting in there," she said, patting her tummy, "so might as well give them the proper implements early on." She said.

Kyr just blinked but nodded as if they had discussed it already while he tried to keep a straight face.

"You two are going to be the strangest parents ever. At least that I have ever met," Sasha said, folding her arms across her chest with a bemused smirk.

Cien smiled at that. "Though I feel like the whole thing started with what will eventually be their weapons." She said.

"What?" Kyr asked, confused.

"When we went to Municke, we stopped in a crystal shop and we found kyber crystals there. One of them was the one I gave you, and then I have two more. A red one and a blue one." She said.

"Yeah, it was kind of spooky, but the Force called out to us in that shop and I got one crystal while she got three," Sasha added. "We tried to figure out for months what it meant until those two decided to come along. So that means now Lana, Rosie, and Noah will have their kyber crystals when they are older."

"That's weird." Kyr declared.

"Oh, yes. That is definitely the strangest thing our family has ever encountered." Cien said, looking at him a little incredulously.

"So they get, like, little ik'aad sabers?" Kyr asked, trying to imagine his two children wielding lightsabers. "They'll be able to cut their way out of the crib." He said, as if concerned.

Cien looked at him for a moment. "Cyar'riduur, sometimes I worry about you."

"You're not the only one who does," Sasha said with a giggle.

"Well, I take it as a compliment it's only sometimes." He said, pleased with himself. He turned back, holding the paint chips up.

"The two cribs we'll pick up in a few days, we don't need to paint. We'll move the bed out, at least until one of them is old enough to need it, and we'll move a chair in here. Sasha, you've done this before, what are we missing?" Cien asked her sister, looking around the room.

Sasha hesitated for a second. That statement wasn't exactly true as she wasn't even able to help much in setting up Lana's nursery, but she didn't want to say anything. "Do you have toys and clothes yet?" She asked instead.

"Just the blasters and knives and stuff." Kyr said.

"Kyr!" Cien said, looking at him.

"What? Those are the kind of toys I grew up with." He said defensively.

"We were in your room, we saw your little dolls." Cien said, exasperated.

"Action figures." Kyr corrected her.

"Fine." She turned back to Sasha with a shake of her head. "No toys or anything yet, and no clothes, we should probably go get those here soon."

"Then I think you guys will be set then," Sasha said with a nod. "But as you get closer to your due date, the more you will remember."

"I'm sure." Cien said. "Would you be willing to come with us when we go to pick stuff up?" She asked.

Sasha nodded. "Sure. You two helped me in those final months leading up when it came to getting supplies. So I'd be happy to help."

"Thanks vod'ika." Cien said. "Or should I say ba'vodu." She said with a slight smile.

"That means 'aunt', right?" Sasha asked, still a little rusty on Mando'a.

"Yep." Kyr answered.

"Awesome," Sasha smiled. "I'm so excited for you two."


"So, are they still in there?" Cien asked Reya. They were in the medical bay, and she had hopped up on the bed as she always did for a weekly checkup. They had been concerned that she might develop complications because of all the injuries that Cien had sustained over the years, but thus far there had been no issues. They were still playing it cautious, however, since as her pregnancy progressed so did the risks, especially since she was carrying twins.

Reya laughed lightly at that as she cleaned up. "Yes, they are still in there. And they are progressing quite nicely. Though as they get bigger, we just need to keep an eye out for any complications or issues. Twins do have a habit of giving the mother trouble and even coming early," she said.

"I admit the possibility of them being born sooner rather than later sounds kind of nice." Cien said.

"You say that, but that makes it more unpredictable too," Reya pointed out as she folded her arms across her chest. "Twins can be born very prematurely and that comes with risks and complications. So as you get further along it's best to be prepared for everything."

"I am aware of that from my own research." Cien stated, "I think Kyr may be influencing my sense of humor." She said a little sheepishly.

"I wouldn't be surprised by that," Reya chuckled. "He does have a very unique sense of humor."

Sasha, who was sitting on the stool beside the bed Cien was on, chuckled at that. "Yes, yes he does."

"We were thinking of going out of system to pick up some necessary items for their nursery, is there any issue if I travel?" Cien asked.

"Are you planning to face an army or do any fighting?" Reya asked simply.

"Not unless a sale happens at the stores," Sasha said with a snort.

"Then you should be perfectly fine to travel. Just don't overexert yourself. Leave it to Kyr or Oppie or Viran or Sasha," Reya said, gesturing to Sasha at the end there.

Sasha flinched slightly at that, but looked to Cien. The memory of her stay at home orders suddenly flashing through her mind from when she was pregnant.

"Very well." Cien said, "when should I start staying home more?" She asked.

"I would say around seven months, when your third trimester starts or around then," Reya informed her. "That would allow the most time for bed rest and preparing for the potential of a premature birth. You still have plenty of time. So enjoy traveling around while you can." She said as she packed up her stuff. Sasha tried to not flinch again, and mentally shook away the strange feeling she had in the back of her mind when that kept being brought up.

"Thank you." Cien said, hopping down off the bed.

"Of course," Reya said, beaming at them. "I'll see you all next week. Take care." She said as she shouldered her bag.

"Later, Reya," Sasha said, standing from her stool as Reya waved them off and headed out the door.

"Bye." Cien said. She looked around the medbay. "I think I'm starting to feel more comfortable with this." She said, speaking of the examinations.

"That's good," Sasha said, looking at her. "And at some point, you'll get used to it. Then the babies will be here before you know it."

"It already feels like it's moving so fast." Cien replied. "It felt like only a few weeks ago that I was much smaller, and we were in here running the test to confirm it." She swallowed. "I'm sorry for the way I acted then." She apologized again.

"You don't have to apologize," Sasha said, smiling at her gently. "You were scared and your hormones were causing your mood to be extreme. If the roles were reversed, I might have done the same. Besides, I was willing to take the hit if it meant you and the twins were okay."

Cien grimaced when Sasha said 'hit', ashamed that she had threatened her that way. "I would have too, if our roles were reversed." She said quietly.

Sasha nodded at that. "Please don't feel bad about what happened that day. I was, am, super excited for you. And I will do anything for you and your children. No matter what it is." She reassured her.

"Thank you." Cien said. "You're going to be an amazing aunt." Cien said with a slight smile, echoing what Sasha had said so often.

"Thanks," Sasha smiled. "I learned from the best." She added.

Cien blushed a little at that compliment. "Where do you think would be the best place to go to pick up what we need?" She asked, heading for the door.

"Hm," Sasha thought for a second as she followed her. She swallowed as she thought about it. "I… I don't actually know where it would be best. I think Kitsu and Illara might know of someplace," she said a little absently.

Cien looked at her trying to hide some worry. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Oh yeah," Sasha said as if nothing was wrong. "I just don't know of anywhere we could go. If I had to guess, it would probably be somewhere like Corsin. They should have what you would be looking for."

"Think we should plan a trip, then?" Cien asked, not trying to dwell on what had been troubling Sasha.

"Yeah, that may not be a bad idea," Sasha said, nodding. "The sooner we get it, the more ready you two will be for their arrival."

"Maybe we can make a day trip out of it." Cien suggested. "We've not been out of the house for a while."

"Yeah, no," Sasha agreed. "It'll be great to get out again," she said, sounding distant again. But the smile she gave almost portrayed as if everything was okay and she was excited to travel again.

Cien looked at her worriedly but said nothing. "I'll go find Kyr and see if we could make it today, or go tomorrow?"

"Yeah that sounds good. Just let us know what the plan is," she said. "This is going to be fun," Sasha added, wholeheartedly. "Viran and I as well as Lana would love to do a little shopping too. She is getting big and her second birthday is coming up. So it's due time we start preparing her room for a toddler more so than a baby."

"This would be the first time we get to take Lana with us somewhere, that would be fun." Cien said with a smile, "except for when you guys went to Naboo."

"Don't forget the beach," Sasha reminded her with a smirk. "Lana loves to travel and fly. I think she will be just like Viran in that sense. Plus she always loves going around town and saying hi to people when I have taken her to town a few times. This will be fun."

"Oh, yes we'll need to be careful about going some place with too many people, she'll want to say hi to everyone." Cien said with a smirk.

Sasha laughed at that. "Indeed."

"Miss Cien," RV sounded as they came up the stairs into the main hall of the house. "I was just coming to get you."

"Oh? What for?" Cien asked in reply.

"A call came for you," RV informed her as he shuffled to a stop before them. "From a woman named Mariss. I did not recognize the name, but I informed her I would check with you before I would hang up the call."

"Mariss?" Cien asked with a furrowed brow. "Yes, she's a friend. Did she say why she was calling?" She asked RV worriedly as she started moving towards the communications room, concerned there might have been another attack or threat against the archeologists on Abbiados.

"She said it was in regards to a conference that she will be attending and wanted to invite you," RV explained as he followed after them.

"What kind of conference?" Sasha asked, glancing at the droid as she followed Cien.

"I did not ask. I just assumed it had something to do with the New Republic. Do they hold conferences?" RV asked, curiously.

"I'm not sure," Sasha answered truthfully.

"I don't know either." Cien said as she got to the communications room. It was down the hallway that led to the training room, and she had rarely ever been in there since she didn't know anyone to call or be called by, until now. She saw Mariss's hologram waiting patiently at the table, in an odd way it reminded her of when she used to have briefings with far flung military commanders.

"Hello Mariss." Cien said as she approached the table. And then looked in confusion as she didn't respond.

"It's muted," RV pointed out. Sasha smirked, amused by that. RV looked at her. "What? I didn't know if we could trust her. Better safe than sorry."

Cien looked down at the control panel and looked for the mute button for a second. She pressed it, and the switch's light turned green. "Mariss?" She asked.

"Hey Cien! It's so good to see you," Mariss greeted with a grin. "How are you doing?"

"Good, how are you and the expedition?" Cien asked her back.

"We're doing great," Mariss said. "In fact, that's why I am calling. There is a huge archaeological conference on Coruscant in a month that we wanted to invite you to."

Cien furrowed her brow in slight confusion, "for what purpose?" She asked curiously, if a little guardedly.

"We are holding a panel where we will be going over what we found on Abbidos and we wanted to see if you would be interested in being a guest speaker on the panel," Mariss offered.

Sasha's eyebrows shot up as she stared at this woman. She then looked to Cien.

Cien froze for a moment at the invitation to go to Coruscant, and also attending a conference where she presumed many people might be in attendance. She glanced at Sasha, trying to gauge what she might think.

"You should go for this," Sasha encouraged quietly as she was just out of range of the hologram for Mariss to see or hear her. "This is a big opportunity. I say do it."

Cien looked back at Mariss. "I'll need to discuss it with my family, can you send me the details of the conference and your panel?" She asked.

"Of course," Mariss smiled at her. "I'll send it now. Also tell the family they are invited to come too. We'd love to have all of you there."

"Thank you." Cien said, "I will contact you within the next day if I am able to attend or not." She replied.

"Alright, excellent," Mariss said. "Look forward to hearing from you soon." She then pressed a couple buttons before her image flickered out. One of the buttons she had pressed had transmitted the information over as it lit up the display a moment later.

Cien looked at the details and pursed her lips. "This seems like it might be interesting." She said guardedly.

"I think you should go, but do you want to?" Sasha asked as she stepped over to look at the information.

"Somewhat." Cien replied, "yes." She swallowed. "Just actually thinking of going to Coruscant seems strange to me."

"I understand," Sasha nodded. "It'll be strange for all of us. We haven't been there in decades. Me, Viran, and Oppie that is." She looked away thoughtfully. "I wonder what it's like there now."

"I don't know." Cien said. Her own misgivings about it was the thought of actually visiting Coruscant, the age old capital of the enemy that she had hated so deeply for much of her life, even if now she shared her life easily with Republic forces, and, admittedly, considered herself nominally loyal to the Republic now. Despite that, some small part of her felt a misgiving about going there, like there was an underlying danger about it. Probably the same feeling Sasha might have about visiting Korriban. She thought for a moment, trying to wade past the misgiving that loomed in the back of her mind about going there. "This does seem like it would be an excellent opportunity. And it would be… interesting to visit Coruscant." She said, swallowing nervously. She remembered months ago during their spa day talking about going there, but then it had been a distant, vague possibility, not an actual plan for a trip within the month.

"Here, why don't we go tell the others and see what they think?" Sasha suggested, sensing Cien's concern.

"Sure." Cien said, stepping towards the doorway. "Would you want to visit the temple if we went?" She asked carefully.

Sasha hesitated at that as she tried to form an answer. "I… I don't know. A part of me wants to see it again. To visit all of the old rooms and relive the memories I had there." She paused as she walked with Cien. "But at the same time, it feels… wrong to go back there after everything that has happened." She admitted.

Cien nodded. "Perhaps we can see how we feel about it if we decide to go."

"I like that idea. Now let's go find the guys," Sasha said as they walked.

"Where would they be?" Cien asked, looking left and right as they entered the living room and not seeing any sign of them.

"I think they said something about the hangar," RV commented as the droid shuffled off to the kitchen to get lunch started.

"Oh." Cien said as the droid walked away. "I didn't realize RV would also help keep track of the boys as well."

"Knowing what shenanigans Master Ke'vaan is up to is in my programing," RV responded wryly.

Sasha and Cien both snickered at that. They continued off to the hangar, When they got there, they found Kyr and Viran clearing out a larger space on the other side of the where the Shadow Runner was parked. Kyr was down to just a simple shirt and utility pants and it looked like they had been quite busy.

"What are you two doing?" Sasha asked as they approached.

"I'm helping Viran clean his room." Kyr called back.

"Ha ha. Like you clean your own?" Viran asked, sarcastically as he put his hands on hips.

"My room's clean." Kyr said defensively.

"Despite your best efforts." Cien said, amused.

"What is this? Interstellar pick on Kyr day?" Kyr asked in mock exasperation.

"Yes," Viran answered, smirking at him. "Didn't you get the memo?"

Sasha placed a hand to her mouth, covering up the giggles that were trying to escape.

"Yay, I'm special enough for my own holiday." Kyr said sadly.

"That's more than what I've got," Viran assured him. "Anyway, you guys wanna help us clear room for our new X-Wings?"

"Maybe later," Sasha said, her giggles dying down.

"So what's up?" Viran asked as he wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.

"Mariss, one of my archeologist friends, invited me to take part in a conference on Coruscant next month." Cien said. "We were wondering what you might think of going there, and attending the conference as part of the trip." She asked, still not sure on the matter.

"I've never actually been to Coruscant." Kyr said, "sounds kind of fun though."

Viran blinked at that. "Whoa… I never actually thought about going back to Coruscant, but it does sound like fun. Should we invite Op too? I'd feel weird going back there without him," he suggested.

"I think so," Sasha said in agreement, "Op deserves to go back with us. If we go, that is. It's Cien's decision since she was the one invited."

"I suppose if we wanted to make it a little bit of a family vacation that might make it more fun." Cien said, "I…" She hesitated, not wanting to voice the odd discomfort she was feeling about visiting Coruscant, since she couldn't quite articulate it to them. "It would be very interesting to visit it, especially if it would allow the two of you and Op to revisit such an important place to you." She stated. "If you all would like to go, I can let Mariss know I will attend, and perhaps we can start planning what else to do when we're there."

"If you're sure," Sasha said, furrowing her brow. "We don't have to go."

Cien shook her head. "It sounds like it could be a good trip for all of us." She paused as a thought struck her. "Besides, this may be the last time I can get away from the house for a while." She observed.

"That's fair," Sasha nodded.

"So are we going? Should I go call Op now?" Viran asked.

"I guess so." Cien said, nodding. "I can start looking at perhaps booking accommodations for us." She said. "Oh, speaking of a place to sleep, do we want to run out this afternoon or tomorrow to pick up the items we need for the nursery?" She asked, having almost forgotten about the plans she and Sasha had originally talked about before the invitation to the conference surprised her.

"Oh, yeah I don't have anything." Kyr said, "as long as Sport can handle this cleaning himself." He said, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.

"We were thinking Sasha and Viran could come lend their experience in knowing what we would need." Cien said, glancing at Sasha.

"Ha! So it looks like I'm going too!" Viran said triumphantly.

"Yeah," Sasha said, trying to sound excited. The absenteeism from earlier reappearing again.

Cien looked at her worriedly. "Do we want to go now or wait until tomorrow?" She asked.

"Well where are we going? That will help us make our decision based off travel time," Viran said, shooting a brief, worried glance at Sasha at her strange reaction.

"Corsin might be a good place." Kyr suggested. "We could get there in a few hours. Might want to make it a day trip tomorrow rather than today, though."

"Sounds good to me," Viran said, nodding. "Get up early, head out there for the day, and be back in time for dinner."

"If that's the plan, I should go get a day bag pack for Lana," Sasha said with a small smile before heading back inside.

Cien nodded. "I'll finish up the list we were working on, and I'll contact Mariss to let her know we will attend the conference." Cien said, heading back towards the house.

"Sport, isn't there an Incom dealer on Corsin?" Kyr asked.

"Yes, I believe there is," Viran said after a moment.

"I wonder if we could make a quick stop and finally place our order?" Kyr suggested.

Viran rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Oh yes! I think that is a great idea. Let's do it." He then raised his hand for a high five.

"Oya!" Kyr said, fist bumping his open palm.


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