It was past morning, and the sun was at its highest point but luckily not harsh. The seasons were shifting to a harsh winter, and the coolness of what was to come ruffled the grass blades where the herd of blurrg were grazing. Lenore watched over the livestock from her own blurrg. Today she could feel the years in her back, the past adventures in her tight hands, and the ache of pain in realizing time came for everyone. She adjusted her grip on the reins brushing the annoyance of aging from her mind. She was only forty-two.

"The Veruns are all settled," Jord shouted as he rode up to join her. He had taken to riding blurry easily and Lenore admitted the sight of him riding through the plains was a sight to see. "Didn't want to take the case of blasters you sent over but I convinced Ray to keep them for the month. If he still feels uncomfortable with them on the property we'll pick them up."

"Nice that they can finally afford their own place. It'll be quiet with just you and me," Lenore remarked. They had been taking in people who needed a place to crash for years and had developed quite the reputation for it.
"Could be nice," Jord replied, smiling that smile that made the ladies soft. But not Lenore. She knew when he smiled that way something was on his mind.

"How so, Vox?" she ventured playfully calling him by his last name.

"We could catch up on some things," He winked at her.

"Anything in particular?" she coyly looked away checking on the grazing herd.

"Your name Tersu," his tone shifted to serious. Lenore knew where this was going. "You asked me seven years ago to change it, by that I assumed you wanted to make it official and get married."

"Jord–"

"Before you give me every excuse in the book, let me ask you something, if you change your mind, that's fine. I ain't going nowhere," Jord clarified.

Lenore tilted her head. It wasn't that she had changed her mind or was opposed to marrying Jord; she did; but every time she thought it was a good time something came up. She took a deep breath and turned her blurrg west.

"Come with me, I want to show you something."

"I don't remember it being this hard getting up here, guess I'm just getting old," Lenore said as she finally made it to the top of a large rock overlooking a gorge and the kyber crystal mines.

"Bite your tongue, we're not old. It's not the years but the mileage," Jord followed without complaint and took in the view.

"I used to come here a lot as a kid. After fighting with my father, or losing a bet with the kids in the encampments, a job gone wrong, you name it. Any time something went wrong, the only person who knew to find me here was my brother."

"Good place to think," Jord said patiently waiting for Lenore to get to her point. He watched her look out into the distance, deep in thought. Reliving her life outside of Lothal. He knew if he let her reminisce too long she could spiral."Credit for your thoughts."

"I want to marry you Jord," Lenore turned toward him. "It's just that every time something good happens, something bad happens….I can't tempt fate. What else will it take from me, now that I have things to lose?"

"Hey," Jord quickly embraced her as she buried her face into his chest. No one had seen this side of her, not even Wyb. He was the only one she could completely fall apart in front of, and he knew the only one that could ground her. "Fate isn't a bounty hunter. Life doesn't work that way. What do you always tell the kids? There's no such thing as luck. Just good and bad timing."

"My timing has always been the worst," she said, her eyes tired and water filled as she held back her tears.

"Those days are past," Jord gently said, pushing her hair out of her face. "Time for a new beginning."

She took a deep breath and looked over at the mines where her brother and her used to steal from Imperial Troopers. She knew many things had changed and would never be the same. Being in her childhood home, with the man she loved, something would ease her worry that it could all be snatched away.

"Hear me out," Jord said, placing his hand on the small of her back, "We don't need to make it official. Let's get married today. In front of the blurrg. No one else needs to know. Just us. What do you say?"

"I–" just as she began to answer a VCX-100 flew overhead. Her heart raced. She knew it was a New Republic vessel.

Wyb!, she thought in a panic. Something must've happened. Wyb usually flew an x-wing. She quickly raced down the rock and mounted her blurrg and headed toward the farm house. She didn't need to look behind her. She knew Jord was behind her the whole time.

Beep Beep Beep!, R3 chirped scowling Wyb for not calling ahead. He could tell by the sight of Lenore and Jord riding toward the ship that he had caused them to worry. As the docking ramp lowered R3 sped down and firmly planted his wheels on the earth swaying from side to side greeting the two.

"R3," Lenore greeted and walked toward the droid.

Beep Beep Beep, R3 sounded off about Mandalore, as Wyb, Prisa and Kyla emerged from the ship. He beeped indignantly, spinning in circles and projecting an image of a colossal mythosaur, roaring in the depths of a cave. His beeps and chirps added an almost theatrical effect, causing Lenore and Jord to exchange surprised, amused looks.

"A mythosaur?" Jord puzzled.

"I should have called," Wyb said sheepishly, grinning at her.

"That would have been nice," Lenore said pointedly, staring at her son and niece then back to R3.

"Hello, I'm Kyla," the ambassador could sense the tension among the group and hoped to ease it. "I'm an ambassador for the new republic. Wyb and Prisa were accompanying me on my mission to Mandalore. R3 thank you for the recap."

Beep beep beep, R3 retorted.

"So an ambassador and a mythosaur.. how much trouble you kids in?" Lenore asked, crossing her arms.

Wyb quickly glanced at Prisa, giving her an encouraging nod. He knew this wasn't going to be an easy conversation, but it was one that needed to happen.

Prisa took a deep breath and approached her aunt and looked her straight in the eye. "I need your help. I want to come home…"

Lenore smiled and adjusted Prisa's messy braid. She looked at Jord and then her son. "So much like your father, you have no idea. Well, ambassador, we'll need your negotiation skills if we're going to convince the Senator that Prisa's place is here on the farm."

"Oh Prisa," her mother Rya said disappointingly over the hologram call set up on the kitchen table with everyone gathered around. She looked glamorous with her hair fixed in a high bun and a simple yet elegant dress. "I don't understand why you kept this from me. You know you can tell me anything, Prisa."

"Come one Ry," Rillo interjected from behind her in the call. "Did you forget how it is when you're a legacy?"

Prisa's eyes softened with gratitude for her stepfather's defense. Though she missed her own father terribly, fearing each day would make him feel more distant, Rillo's support meant everything.

"And Lenny? He's only seven. How can you bear to be away from him?" Rya questioned but truly knew she was really talking about herself. She knew her senator duties were taking most of her time and energy these days, but she made it a point to set time aside for her children. Thinking of Prisa not being at home at the end of the day pained her.

"I'm fifteen now. Next year I'll be gone. University, an academy… what's one year sooner? I can handle myself. I've seen enough of this world to know what I want, even if it means stepping away from you." Prisa spoke sternly.

"Your education," Rya countered with her mom tone. "You can't give up your studies to rough it with the blurrg and dust crops."

"I won't," Prisa held her ground. "I'll go to university here on Lothal just like you did."

Rya sighed realizing that her daughter's determination and stubbornness were both at play. There was no use debating. All she could do was be grateful Prisa hadn't run off with a hot shot pilot out of young love, or joined a crew of smugglers for the thrill of it instead.

"You'll need to come for the holidays and Lenny will go and stay with you for the summer. God knows that boy needs some fresh air."

"You mean… I can stay?" Prisa asked, surprised.

"Prisa at your age I was running a small cell of Rebels against the empire. Your father was scraping by to survive during the occupation. You are old enough and bright enough to choose best for you. Not me or anyone else should ever stand in the way of that. I trust you. You can stay, if it's alright with Lenore and Jord."

Prisa looked to her aunt and uncle for confirmation who both nodded. R3 chirped cheerfully knowing that wherever Prisa went he did too. And he preferred the farm to the capital.

"Thank you! I love you both! I'll have my transports sent tomorrow and go over to the university first thing. I promise." Prisa exclaimed.

"We love you too, talk soon," Rillo replied and waved as the call cut.

"Well we better go collect the herd before the sun sets," Lenore said standing and heading toward the door.

"Wait," Jord said and quickly took a knee in front of Lenore. Her eyes grew. "I asked you a question earlier. I think I'm entitled to an answer."

"We should give you some privacy," Kyla said awkwardly.

"No please stay, I'll need witnesses. This woman has gotten away from me more than once," Jord said playfully and took her hand. "It's now or never Tersu. I don't think we'll get another chance. Something always comes up. But no matter your answer, I promise I will always face it with you."

"Jord," Lenore smiled and looked at the group in the room slightly embarrassed. It was as perfect as a moment could get. Her family R3, Wyb, and Prisa. Of course she wished Sashee, Rya, Rillo, even Civa and Besa were there, but she knew in her heart Jord was right. The time was now. She knew her answer. "I don't want to change my name."

His face fell. He had his answer. Crushed slightly he let her hand down gently and stood in front of her feeling foolish having made a scene. She placed her hands on the sides of his face and looked at him.

"I want to marry you tonight. Under the memorial tree, in front of everyone here." She said softly. Jord's eyes widened with excitement and joy.

Beep beep beep, R3 cheeried. His memory banks stored countless moments—scenes of loss and resilience, the family's quiet courage in the face of war, and bittersweet farewells. But this, he realized, would be one of his most cherished memories: a simple, joyful gathering of those he cared for, where love and laughter filled the air. His circuits hummed with contentment as he stored this moment among his most treasured files, a reminder that after everything they'd been through, happiness had finally found them.

The ceremony took place at sun down. Wyb walked Lenore down the path to the memorial tree with Jord waiting at the end of it. R3 and Prisa stood witness, while Kyla officiated. It was short and simple, with only one vow exchanged, and no rings–

"You are my chosen one, until my last breath."

– Within five minutes Lenore and Jord finally made it official beneath the tree that held all the plaques of whom had passed but weren't forgotten.

"To the happy couple!" yelled a neighbor from the fire pit. The night sky was filled with stars and the chilly breeze was handled with blankets and homemade liquor brought over for the special occasion.

Prisa sipped slowly from her mug but hated the taste of it. It was then she knew she would never take a liking to alcohol. She watched as more and more people arrived for the party, some from the other farms, some from town, a few she couldn't place. Everyone looked happy for her aunt and uncle. This is what she missed. Being surrounded by a community. People you could trust and not worry were out to stab you in the back for political ruin. She tried another sip of the liquor and coughed.

Beep beep beep, R3 cautioned her to not drink anymore.

"Don't worry R3, I hate this stuff," She said and tilted her cup to pour it out before Wyb caught her and took the remainder of it. "You never used to drink."

"Never is a long time," Wyb smiled as she frowned. "Don't worry. I can still fly if I need to."

"Wyb," Prisa said, eyeing him. He stopped before taking a sip and looked at his cousin, curious at her tone."What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"He replied, tilting his head in confusion.

"You're not the same," she said as the fire lit up her face revealing a concerned expression. "You seem… sad, angry…lost even."

"Service takes a toll on you. Glad you're calling it quits and coming back here," Wyb replied and looked over to where Kyla was. She was cornered by the neighbor who was known to endlessly talk about her kids. She looked beautiful yet out of place in her fancy capital dress which she changed into for the ceremony. She looked across the flames of the fire and caught Wyb's eye and smiled warmly at him. Wyb, embarrassed, quickly averted his eyes.

"What happened between you and Soni?" Prisa asked as she observed her cousin's reaction to the ambassador's smile.

" What? Nothing… why?" Wyb said defensively.

"Don't lie to me Wyb Tersu. I may be fifteen but I know a lot more than you think," Prisa stood and poked Wyb's chest firmly with her finger. Wyb sighed and looked into his cousin's all knowing eyes. "Did she break your heart?"

"No…we just," Wyb paused for a moment.

Prisa was right. Soni had broken his heart. The severance of their friendship was killing him slowly over the last five years. The loss of someone who knew everything about him, all the things he had been through, everything he feared, all his hopes and dreams, gone after their mission to the Unknown Regions. Her friendship was irreplaceable and the grief was finally seeping through the cracks. "We're just following our own paths…that's all."

"Are you sure?" Prisa asked unconvinced.

"Yeah," he assured her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I'm sure."

"Ok..if she did, I have to warn you, I'd called Sashee and we'd go have a 'chat' with her."

"Is that right? Would this 'chat' include Sash's lightsaber?" Wyb laughed amused by Prisa's protectiveness and turned his eyes north to the sight of Din Djarin's N-1 starfighter parking alongside his ship.

"Din Djarin!" Prisa gasped. "What's he doing here?"

"He's a little late to object," Wyb joked. Prisa frowned. She knew Din would never do such a distasteful thing to her aunt, even if he did have reason to object. "I'll go see what it is. Go rescue Kyla from Mrs Verun."

"Sorry, I don't mean to intrude on the festivities," Din said to Wyb, meeting him halfway. Grogu was safely tucked at Din's side in a knapsack looking over at the party and took a deep breath of the delicious spit-roast. He looked up at his father and widened his eyes with longing to join the party and eat. Din shook his head slightly annoyed that Grogu was shaping up to be a decision maker based on his stomach. "What are you celebrating?"

"A wedding," Wyb said, watching Din trying to spot who the bride was. "Lenore's actually."

Grogu cooed with delight. He liked Lenore and her family and was happy for the occasion. Din shifted his weight uncomfortably to one side.

"I'll make this quick," he said.

"I wish you wouldn't," Lenore said, appearing by Web's side in a simple dress she pulled from Rya's closet. She was down and her cheeks rose from drinking. "Now this is a gift. The honorable Mandalorian Din Djarin showing his face at my wedding. Wyb, how did you swing this?"

Din looked over at the country folk and then back to the bride. She looked better than the last time he'd seen her. Calmer and happy. "Congratulations."

"Thanks beskar head," she smiled. "What brings you to these parts of the rim? I know it's not me."

"I am here to see your niece. My queen wishes for me to present her with a gift for her bravery on Mandalore. But I can see it's a bad time. If you can give this to her, I'd greatly appreciate it."

"Nonsense," Lenore reached for Din's arm and led him to the fire pit. "If my niece is to be honored by the Queen of Mandalore there is no better time than my wedding to announce it."

"I'll –" Din turned to Wyb for help only to find the young pilot grinning. Lenore Tersu was a determined bride and would have her way.

"Listen up everyone," Lenore announced loudly, calling attention to her and Din. All eyes shifted to them "This is the Mandalorian, Din Djarin. He is here to honor a member of the Tersu Clan by decree of his queen."

"You don't need to make a show of it," Din said to her.

"Of course I do," she winked playfully at him and then joined her Jord who laughed at his new bride. He knew she would have quite the hangover the next morning. But for safe measure he wrapped his arms around her and stared straight at Djarin.

"I come on behalf of Lady Bo-Katan Kryze, Queen of Mandalore. To present a token of gratitude to Prisa Tersu Rathos."

All eyes turned to Prisa who began to blush at the mention of her name. She didn't like being the center of attention, but she had to admit she liked the sound of her full name being spoken by Din and hoped it would not be the last time.

"By My people and our creed, saving a foundling is the highest honor there is. Prisa showed fierceness and courage to save my son Grogu from the mythosaur. Without any hesitation, without any weapons, without fear, she was called to duty and answered it."

He took from his waist belt a small bundle and knelt down in front of her and presented it."I am in your debt Prisa Tersu."

She smiled as the neighborhood girls surrounded her and coaxed her to open the bundle. She slowly unwrapped it and saw a small bracelet with two charms made of beskar, one a mudhorn, the other the mythosaur. She looked up at Din who took it and tied it around her wrist. Her heart raced and began to feel her cheeks flush. None of her schoolmates from the capital would believe this.

"If you ever need help, you'd only need to ask. Mandalore will answer the call," Din nodded to her and stood.

"I think it's safe to say, Prisa has a crush," Jord whispered to Lenore. Lenore smiled and watched Prisa beam from the thrill of the trinket. "Not jealous are you?"

Lenore rolled her eyes and poked Jord.

"Tell us Prisa!" one of the guests yelled.

"Yes, tell us! Tell us of the mythosaur," Another agreed.

Prisa looked over to her aunt who nodded with approval sending R3 rolling into the center of the gathering and began to play sound effects to accompany the tale.

"In the mines of Mandalore, below the city center–" Prisa began her tale. Din took a seat and Grogu was given a plate of food. The clan of two had finally joined one of the Tersu's gatherings.

"Have we finally bored you?" Wyb approached Kyla, who had slipped away from the party to admire the memorial tree. Wyb smiled as he handed her a cup of liquor, holding one for himself.

"All these names… what do they mean?" she asked, eyes tracing the plaques.

"The departed," Wyb said, his gaze lingering on the tree. It had more plaques than he remembered. "Prisa's father started the tradition. Every time someone goes from this world, we gather and add their name to the tree so they aren't forgotten."

"It's a beautiful tradition."

"To the dearly departed," Wyb said, clinking his mug against hers.

"I shouldn't. I've had more than I usually do," she said, looking at her mug before meeting Wyb's eyes.

"This is a Tersu party. It'll go until the first sun comes up," Wyb warned. Kyla glanced back at the firepit and laughed as she watched Prisa continue to spin her tale about the mythosaur. She clicked her mug against Wyb's and took a sip. "That's the spirit."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're trying to get me drunk, Ranger Tersu."

"I thought we settled that," Wyb teased. "We're on a first-name basis after everything."

"The mythosaur?"

"No, the wedding," Wyb said with a grin. "I'm grateful to you for it."

"I'm just happy I could be part of it. It's moments like these that remind me what I'm fighting for."

"There's no war here, Ambassador," Wyb said with a grin, but Kyla wagged her finger at him."Kyla, I mean."

She sat down at the base of the tree, leaning back against it. "I don't have a big family like you. My mother died when I was just a baby, and my father never really recovered. My older brother, Mazon, raised me. Then when the Empire came to Bespin, everything changed. I remember seeing the ships of bounty hunters coming and going. Mazon smuggled us out on a freighter, took us to a rebel cell. He fought. I helped take care of the children of the other fighters. And when Endor came… he didn't come back."

"I'm sorry," Wyb said, taking a seat next to her. "That must've been hard."

"It was." Kyla rested her head back against the tree, her voice quieter now. "Sorry, I don't usually talk about this. Must be the liquor."

"It's okay," Wyb said, his tone gentle. "Thanks for sharing."

"I don't like sharing my past," Kyla said, suddenly sharp. "Whenever I do, I see the pity in everyone's eyes, and then they stop listening. Like if ignoring me long enough will make their discomfort go away."

"I'm adopted," Wyb said, his voice cutting through the silence. Kyla turned toward him, startled by the sudden revelation. "Lenore and Jord used to raid slaver transports, helping people find new starts. They pulled me from one when I was eight."

"Wait," Kyla said, her eyebrows knitting in confusion. "How did you end up on a slaver transport? Were you kidnapped?"

"No." Wyb clenched his fist, the memories still bitter. Kyla, noticing, gently placed her hand over it, her fingers warm against his skin.

"Hey," she said softly, her voice low. "That must have been rough."

"It was," Wyb muttered, taking another sip. "I don't like talking about the past either."

"Well, I think it's safe to say you and I are friends now," Kyla said, trying to lighten the mood. She raised her mug to toast. "To friendship."

Wyb raised an eyebrow. He was beginning to wonder if they'd both had enough, but joined her in lifting his mug. "To friendship."

"Well, in the name of friendship," Kyla said with a sly smile, "is it true that pilots go around breaking hearts?"

"What?!" Wyb laughed, clearly caught off guard. "I'm sure there's some truth to the rumor, but I wouldn't exactly say I live by it."

"Is that right?" she asked, her grin widening. "Then is there someone in particular?"

"There was." Wyb sighed, the memory still fresh. "Soni… she's been in the NRI for the last five years."

"The NRI?" Kyla's eyes widened. "That's some dangerous work. She must be clever."

"She's brilliant. And my best friend."

"I can't wait to meet her," Kyla said, her voice softening. She glanced up at the stars, the evening air cool and quiet. "It's kind of beautiful out here, don't you think?"

"I do," Wyb replied, his voice quieter now. The stars above seemed to glimmer brighter than when he was in his x-wing.