Last time: Op, Viran, and Kait talked with Selina, but something feels off.
Now: Kait can't get over the experience with Selina.
Chapter 12- Remembering Kait
Kait's feet pounded on the treadmill as she ran. Her eyes forward, her hair up in a ponytail that bounced behind her head with each foot fall. It was late afternoon, and Op, Viran and she had gone down to the gym to work off pent up energy. She had been surprised when, for the other two, that had taken the form of a rather vicious and energetic lightsaber duel that had left her staring agog at them as they fought so spectacularly. Oppie and Viran had merely commented that it was good cardio after they had finished with a draw. She had chosen to instead run a few kilometers on the treadmill, and they had left her to that as they went to meditate together. She had tried to join Oppie once or twice in his meditation sessions over the last few months but her mind wandered too much. She got bored after a few minutes and they usually turned into an exercise in trying to stay awake until Op had noticed and teased her about it.
Running, however, cleared her mind. She could forget about the kilometers as she ran casually forward, working up a sweat. Oftentimes as her mind wrestled with some puzzle, the rhythmic effort of running for several kilometers acted as her own form of meditation.
As she ran her mind wandered over the situation with the Xiv family. Sasha was comatose, Cien had somehow transferred in some way into the body of what felt like the family's ultimate nemesis. A thought that mere months ago would have seemed so ludicrous, but any doubt she had about the limits of the Force were cast further and further away each day she spent with Op. Now she took such an incredible idea in stride.
Op, Kyr, and Viran seemed lost in a way. The entire family depended on each other, something that was very, very apparent to her as an outside observer that was being pulled into that same welcoming embrace. She had commented to Sasha, after Oppie had been rushed to the hospital after the attack on the Aspis, that it was just the two of them. Then, Kyr and Viran had both been recovering, Oppie had been in such dire straits, Cien missing. Now things almost seemed worse. The Xiv's had been through so much together, and with Cien and Sasha both out, the other three were missing fundamental support in their lives. Viran and Kyr their wives. Kyr and Oppie their little sister. And Oppie and Viran their big sister. She didn't know what to do to help. It reminded her too much of when she had lost her brother and it had affected her dad and her mother so deeply. And herself.
"Hey, you seen Troy anywhere here?" A voice asked from behind her.
Kait glanced behind her and did a double take. She tripped as the treadmill continued and she only barely caught herself from tumbling down and being swept backwards. She pulled her headset off from where it had been playing forgotten music and spoke hurriedly. "No, Admiral ma'am, I have not."
Admiral Sulam looked at her curiously, "at ease, there, Captain." She stated with some bemusement. "I didn't mean to startle you." She was dressed down to more comfortable clothes that might befit her spending a little time in the gym, as opposed to the Admiral's uniform Kait had only ever seen her wearing before.
"Oh, you didn't." Kait said as she dialed back the speed and the treadmill came to a stop. She stepped off, grabbing her towel and water. "Sorry I was just thinking."
"Anything I can help with?" The Admiral asked. "I got a few minutes until Troy shows up, I guess. He's probably off spending time with…" The Admiral trailed off as she glanced at the door. "Anyhoo, how are you holding up, kiddo?"
Kait blinked and furrowed her brow at her before brushing a few stray hairs back from over her eye. "Fine, I guess."
The Admiral looked at her curiously for a moment. "You sure about that?"
Kait glanced away a little uncomfortably as she shifted her weight. "Yeah, I guess. All this is a little weird but…" She trailed off, not quite sure what to say. The memory of them saying that Admiral Sulam was like their mom ringing through her head. So she was finally talking to someone like Op's mom. And she had never really gotten a chance to properly thank her for her recommendation letter into the Marshal's service, either.
"Look, kid." The Admiral said, looking at her with a bit of bemusement. "Sorry if I'm coming off a little strong. The Xiv's all seem to need a mom from time to time and because you're with Op I'm happy to bring you into that fold as well."
"Thanks." Kait said, a little unsure, and glancing away at the other woman for seemingly hearing her thoughts. "I…" She started, and stopped. "Sorry, when we were on our way here they all told me about that, so this is a little like meeting Op's mom." Kait admitted sheepishly.
The Admiral started laughing at that. She responded after a moment as her chuckling died down. "I met Kyr during the war, he was a lot more like he is now than he has been the last few years. And he was about Op's age now, so Op has always reminded me of like a, uh, younger, more adorable version of Kyr."
Kait couldn't help but laugh at Op being called 'adorable.' "That makes sense." Kait replied, feeling a little more at ease. "Also I've never had a proper chance to thank you for writing that letter of recommendation for me to the Marshal's service."
The Admiral waved it off. "Think nothing of it." She replied. "Scamp, Cien and Kyr all gushed about you so I just went along with them. Sounds like it was a good call though."
"It has made a huge difference for me." Kait said. Not only for her career but also for that it gave her that second chance encounter with Op and set that all in motion.
"I'm glad I could help hun." The Admiral said with a warm smile.
There was a slightly awkward moment of silence before Kait spoke up. "I, uh…" She paused for a second. "Now I understand how Op felt meeting my parents." She said sheepishly.
The Admiral looked at her confused for a second. "Your parents are still around?" She asked.
"Yeah?" Kait asked, confused by such an odd question. "They retired to Siresota."
The Admiral seemed to let that sink in for a moment. "And before the Marshall's service you were just a captain in a precinct on Nivon?" She asked curiously, as if realizing something.
"Yeah…?" Kait replied, unsure again.
"No Jedi powers, no time travel stuff going on?" The Admiral asked as if she was confused.
"No." Kait replied, also confused.
"What did you do in the war?" The Admiral pressed.
"I was a detective, and Nivon wasn't really involved at all." Kait answered, confusedly.
The Admiral studied her for a moment, and Kait wasn't sure why. She spoke up after a moment. "So, you're just… normal?" The Admiral asked, still very confused.
Kait was a little taken aback by the way she phrased that and her expression definitely showed it.
"Sorry hun, I didn't mean it like that at all." The Admiral said, suddenly realizing what she had said and waving her hands. "I'm just used to everything with the Xiv's being all weird. Hell, everyone here in the 19th is weird."
"Well, uh…" Kait started, "I guess that makes me the weird one, then, doesn't it?" She said a little awkwardly.
The Admiral laughed at that. "I guess you're right. I..." She thought for a moment. "No, I gotta admit that makes sense." She said thoughtfully. "Kyr would go after the time traveling Sith empress. Op definitely seems like he would want someone whose parents retired to Siresota."
Kait furrowed her brow. "Thank… you?"
"Oh sweetie I'm sorry." The Admiral said. "I definitely didn't mean it like that. Op is like an adorable little version of Kyr and Kyr's definitely like a son to me. All the Xiv's are like my kids. I've seen how happy you make Op and I've seen how happy you are with him. I was just expecting you were a time traveling Dathomir Witch from the future or something, but… no, you're perfect for him. And that's just about the cutest thing I've ever seen." The Admiral said as she stepped forward and scooped Kait into a hug.
Kait suppressed a surprised yelp as the Admiral pulled her in, and she awkwardly returned the hug. Part of her feeling bad that she was a bit sweaty and gross from running a few kilometers.
"So." The Admiral said, taking a step back. "That must be quite a trip, stepping into that family."
"Yeah, it is." Kait said, "I kinda of think it's fun, though." She said with an air of embarrassed bemusement.
"You and Op talk about getting married into that whole mess yet?" The Admiral asked archly.
Kait was more than a little taken aback again. "Umm... it's come up once or twice, but more as jokes or something, or teasing him. My mom said I should marry Op since he can cook." She noted.
"That's a good reason." The Admiral said, nodding her agreement. "He also looks quite fetching in those robes of his."
Kait swallowed. "I don't disagree."
"And kids, you talked about kids yet?" The Admiral asked pointedly.
Kait swallowed as her eyes widened a little. "No." She squeaked out.
"Ha, you look just like Cien when I asked her." The Admiral said with a snort of laughter.
"Really?" Kait asked with slightly less of a squeak.
"Yeah." The Admiral asked. "Only thing I've ever seen her scared or nervous about. It was cute."
"Oh." Kait said, not sure what else to say.
"I haven't been down to visit her," the Admiral observed, changing the subject for Kait's sake. "Have you?"
"Yeah, we did that this morning." Kait said with a grimace.
"How was she?" The Admiral asked, hiding her own grimace. "Kyr talked to me about it. I was thinking of going to go down and see her for myself this afternoon."
Kait sighed, thinking for a moment. "I'm new to all of this." She observed carefully. "But something seemed off, something about it bothered me. And I can't put my finger on it."
"Is it that Cien transferred into Selina's body?" The Admiral asked, as if the issue was obvious.
Kait glanced away, "yeah, but… there's something more. She didn't seem like Cien to me. I don't know her as well as everyone else though so I'm not sure."
"What seemed off?" The Admiral asked curiously.
Kait thought for a moment, finally trying to put it to words. "She seemed very short tempered. Like she was trying to hide how annoyed she was with us."
"She's probably just annoyed with the situation?" The Admiral asked, trying to understand.
"Maybe. But she also seemed to ignore me. Before, especially after Op and I got together, she seemed to go out of her way to talk to me. Like she was trying really hard to welcome me into the family. This time she seemed like she barely recognized I was there."
The Admiral thought for a moment, looking off towards the treadmills distantly. "When I met her she was extremely short tempered and annoyed with everything. But that was because Kyr was missing. Maybe it's the same thing now because of the twins?"
"I don't know." Kait said. "Maybe, I don't really know her that well. But she just didn't seem like the friend, the…" She paused, "the almost sister that I've had the last few months. Like, I brought up Sasha and I working on her hair on Coruscant for her date with Kyr, and she didn't even seem to remember that. And that was a moment that seemed to mean a lot to her when we did it. She reacted like she didn't have the foggiest idea what I was talking about."
"You did her hair?" The Admiral asked.
"Yeah," Kait responded, a little taken aback, again.
"What did you do for her?" The Admiral asked curiously.
"A, uh, half-up bridal pull through braid." Kait answered confusedly.
"See, I missed that kind of thing only having boys. I never got to do their hair. Now I want pictures." She said annoyedly. "Want to come with me to talk with her? I'm curious to see what you're talking about."
"Weren't you going to meet Troy?" Kait asked.
The Admiral shook her head. "No, I'm sure he's off training with Wynnie or something. He forgot about our little workout session."
"Okay," Kait said, hiding a grimace. "I might go shower first." She said, looking down at her workout gear.
"Sure hon, I need to change to. I'll meet you down there in a few minutes." The Admiral said, glancing down at her own workout clothes.
The lift opened onto the brig level, and Kait stepped out. The Admiral was making polite chit-chat with an extremely nervous sergeant that was at the main security station. As Kait walked up, the Admiral nodded at the sergeant before talking to Kait. "All refreshed and ready to go?" She asked.
"Yeah." Kait replied, not sure she was really ready for this. But she squared her shoulders to gather herself, and the Admiral smirked at that for some reason before both turned to the door that led into the brig. They stepped through, past the two guards on duty outside the cell, and the Admiral just nodded at them as they came to attention and saluted as she passed.
They entered the cellbay, the door closing behind them. And Selina, or Cien, was curled up on the bed, facing away from the door towards the wall. The two women regarded the prisoner for a time. Kait glanced at the Admiral, and the Admiral shrugged, neither wanting to disturb 'Cien' if she was having a moment to rest.
"She's not here. Go away." Selina said, still curled up facing the back wall of the bunk.
The Admiral raised a brow at that and glanced at Kait before she took a step forward. "That dog ain't gonna hunt here, hun." She said as if she was rolling her eyes. "We're here to talk to Cien."
"She's not here." Selina said, still curled up, her voice muffled from facing away from them.
"Well, do you take appointments? How does this work?" The Admiral asked. "No offense hun, but I don't really want to talk to you. I don't come down to the brig that often so this had better not be a waste of my time."
"Go away." Selina said.
"Where is Cien?" Kait finally asked, speaking up.
Selina shifted to turn and look at them, still curled up in the fetal position. She looked horribly drawn and gaunt. And her eyes seemed swollen as if she had been crying. "Here, there, everywhere." She said, her voice taking on a tinge of defeat. "Maybe she went home to hell." She said as she curled back up on the bed.
The Admiral looked at Kait, shaking her head as she gestured for them to confer back towards the door. They stepped back, and the Admiral spoke in a low tone. "Did you guys have to do anything to get Cien to come forward before?"
Kait shook her head, "she was just Cien when we came in. Viran spoke with her, but we didn't even talk to Selina until the end."
"Huh." The Admiral said, thinking. "Well, I coul-"
"Admiral?" Selina's voice asked from behind them, using Cien's inflections.
The Admiral's eyebrows rose as she turned to look at the woman behind the ray shield. She had sat up, and was sitting on the edge of the bed. "That you, hun?" She asked.
"Yes." Cien stated. Her eyes darted to Kait with the slightest hint of confusion before she focused back on the Admiral.
Kait pursed her lips slightly, confused by that reaction.
"What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time, hun?" The Admiral asked, stepping over to the ray shield.
"I…" Cien started, swallowing. "It was the only thing I could think to do." She said in a defeated tone.
"Kyr told me sweetie, I understand." The Admiral said, looking at her in a troubled manner. "Reminds me of when you ran off to take the Gold Leaf by yourself. Both times." She said with a smirk. "Just can't stand not winning, huh?"
"I needed to save the twins." Cien said, quietly, almost annoyedly, seemingly not at all in the mood to joke.
"I get it hun, I'm sorry." The Admiral said contritely. "Just hang in there, we'll figure this out. Think of all the fun times. Like the party after you got Kyr back, or that reception you guys hosted on Artemis."
"I will." Cien said distractedly. "Do you think I'll ever be able to be out of this cell?" She asked. "Where is Kyr? I need him." She asked.
"Kyr's been run ragged over the last couple weeks. I told him he was no good to you if he could barely stay awake so I ordered him to take a nap. He'll be down soon."
"Okay." Cien said quietly.
"In the meantime, we're here." The Admiral said, gesturing at Kait. She had noticed how Cien seemed to be completely ignoring her in this session as well. "Kaity here was telling me about getting to help you with your hair. Tell me about it." She asked. Partly to direct the conversation towards something lighter for her erstwhile daughter-in-law, partly to try to get her to shake the odd feeling of her ignoring Kait.
Cien shook her head. "I can't remember. Some things I can't remember." She said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry Kaity." She said, finally looking at her.
Kait furrowed her brow in confusion before trying to hide it behind a sabacc face. "That's all right. I can definitely understand some memories might not have come with you. Just like when we talked in the bar, and you dragged Op over to meet me and set us up. I couldn't remember that you and I had met a decade earlier," she said with a smile.
"Yeah." Cien said in agreement. "I…" She started to say, and she reeled back as if from a blinding light as she grimaced. "I, she-" She jumped back as if she was electrocuted, and glared back at the Admiral and Kait. She looked at them with seething rage before she turned and curled up against the back wall again.
"So that's -" The Admiral started.
"She. Is. Not. Here." Selina growled with seething rage, curling even tighter into the wall on the bunk.
The Admiral glanced at Kait, and saw the younger woman was also looking at the prisoner with a very confused grimace. She looked at the Admiral and nodded towards the door before walking out. The Admiral looked at her with a piqued eyebrow before following her out. The two marines came to attention as they passed by. "Well, that was odd." She said to Kait.
Kait turned as the door slid shut, and any semblance of deference to the Admiral gone as she glared at the door, her jaw set. "That is not Cien." She growled.
"What did I miss?" The Admiral asked. "Her calling you Kaity?" She asked.
"She has always called me Kait. The only people who call me Kaity are my parents or my dead brother." She said still seething at the door. "And when we talked in the bar, Op wasn't there. He was being hunted on Myrkr with Sasha. And I hadn't met her a decade earlier, I met him a decade earlier. She lied, and she had no reason to." Kait said, glaring past the door to whatever the… thing was in the cell.
The Admiral regarded her for a moment. "Let's go talk to the other Xiv's." She suggested.
Kait nodded as they turned to go, not even noticing that Admiral had referred to her as an Xiv.
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