A Jedi Night on the Town

[Halomek]

19 ABY – CHANDRILA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO THE MARRIAGE OF

KALJA SAIRU LEIDIAS

AND

DELTH ARDIN

PLEASE ARRIVE AT THE WAVECREST HOTEL INCOGNITO

BY THE END OF THE THIRD MONTH OF THE GALACTIC CALENDAR

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kalja Sairu Leidias sat on the bed in her hotel room in the Wavecrest and read over the invite with a critical eye.

The Wavecrest was one of the nicer hotels on Chandrila and was owned by a friend she and Delth had made the last time they had visited the planet, a man by the name of Trai Roviditian. With his help and cooperation, Kalja had been able to rent out the hotel for practically nothing in anticipation of the guests that would soon be arriving for the wedding ceremony. When she had asked him why he was being so helpful, Trai had pointed out that it was the least he could do for her. After all, thanks to her, the scourge of Sivter was finally gone from the universe.

Arguing with Trai would have been pointless, so Kalja had accepted the gesture in the spirit it was intended. It did make things a little easier.

She wasn't entirely sure about the wording on the invite though. Kalja looked up at her friend and Maid of Honor, Jana Dophi. “I’m not sure, Jana. Do you think this is too much? It seems a little too clandestine.”

“You’re the one who asked for my help planning this,” Jana reminded her. “You and Delth are a magnet for trouble. Anyone you invite to your wedding is going to understand, believe me! You don’t want any more stress to deal with in your condition.”

Kalja looked down and placed a hand on her belly. There was no hiding it anymore. By her estimation she was nearing the end of her first trimester of her pregnancy. “I suppose you’re right. I have been feeling a little off lately.”

Jana sat down beside her and rubbed her back. “It’s all the changes your body is going through. Tell me, do you still feel up to having a night out on the town?”

Kalja nodded firmly. “More than anything! I can’t think of a single person on the invite list that hasn’t suffered some kind of trauma in the past few months. This wedding, and my bachelorette party, should be events where we can have some fun and relax for a change. I can hardly wait to see what you have planned.”

“No spoilers,” Jana reminded her with a smile. "I bet it's going to put Delth's bachelor party to shame though."

Kalja popped up off the bed and paced around excitedly. “I hope we're giving everyone enough time! A month of notice is hardly anything. I just want everyone to make it.”

"I can't believe I'm saying this to you of all people, but have a little faith," Jana said to her. "After everything you've done for so many others and the galaxy at large, no one on that invite list is going to want to miss this event. They'll find a way to make it."

Kalja shook her hands as she tried to calm down. "You're right. Thank you, Jana. Send the invites and let's see who shows up!"

[TalRaimi]

“I can’t believe I’m letting you do this,” Morwenna Hevren-Leidias grumbled as her head was roughly pushed forward over the sink.

“Believe it, because it’s happening,” Ehlana Voss replied as she began to roughly massage the blonde dye into Morwenna’s scalp.

Not for the first time, Morwenna was questioning the wisdom of her decision to not only dye her hair, but to have Ehlana do it for her, but Kalja’s invite had said come incognito. Sure, she could have gotten it done professionally, but that would that have meant going into town, as well as letting a complete stranger run their fingers through her hair. Bad enough Ehlana was doing it, but at least she knew the woman.

“Hey, not so rough,” Morwenna complained as her head was yanked from side to side. “And watch the arm, you’re likely to pull my hair out if you’re not careful.”

“What, this arm?” Ehlana taunted her, grabbing a fistful of her hair in her sleek gunmetal black hand before releasing it. “Quit being a baby, if you can survive a duel with a Schrai Alpha, you can survive this.”

“I think I preferred fighting the Schrai to this. At least I came away from that duel in one piece,” Morwenna sniped, “unlike some people I could mention.”

Ehlana chucked, flexing her cybernetic hand. She had lost most of her right arm battling a Schrai Berserker on Necroa Prime, but so far seemed to be adjusting well to her artificial replacement. In the immediate aftermath of the war of darkness, Morwenna had formed an unlikely friendship with the young Jedi as they both recuperated at the Jedi temple on Ossus. Ehlana was blunt and uncompromising in how she dealt with people and Morwenna had found a kindred spirit in that attitude. “Harsh,” Ehlana replied dryly, “Still, at least I killed my Schrai when I fought it.”

Ha! She’s got a point, Morwenna admitted to herself, and had it not been for Kalja’s intervention she couldn’t have said for certain she would have survived that fight. The Schrai Alpha she had fought had been faster and more aggressive than anything she had come across before, a true apex predator. Of course, she wasn’t about to acknowledge that to Ehlana.

“Good job you didn’t kill any more of them then,” Morwenna told her friend, “Otherwise there would hardly be anything left of you.”

There was a moment of silence, one that stretched just a little longer than Morwenna was comfortable with, and for the first time Morwenna wondered if she had crossed the line. Almost from the start, she and Ehlana had entered into an unspoken pack where they would mock, chastise, and try to one up each other and where no topic off the table. However, Morwenna knew deep down that this type of gallows humour was little more than their own way of processing the trauma they had both been through in their lives. At some point the joking had to come to an end.

“Damn it,” Ehlana finally spoke, grumbling, “I’ve got nothing. I concede to your superior wit.”

Morwenna breathed a silent sigh of relief. “As you should. Now tell me you’re nearly done with me?”

“Nearly,” Ehlana made a show of piling Morwenna’s hair on top of her head and pinning it. “You just need to wait five minutes for the dye to stabilise and then we can rinse it off.”

“Finally,” Morwenna raised her head, massaging her neck as she got to her feet and followed Ehlana out of the fresher and into the small chamber she had been assigned at the temple. Other than her cabin on the Temperance, it was the closest thing she had had to a home in years. Home. The very idea of such a thing was still taking some getting used to, as was having a friend, never mind having a family. The past several years had been… illuminating to say the least. She had gone from wanting to kill a brother who hadn’t even know she existed, to being part of the ever-expanding Leidias clan. It had been, well, still was, overwhelming at times. And now Kalja, her new sister, was getting married.

Morwenna perched herself on the edge of her bunk, leaving Ehlana to take the rooms only seat. “Do you think many people will show up?”

“Huh? To Kalja’s wedding?” Ehlana blinked in surprise.

“Yes.”

“Probably not,” the green-eyed women’s voice took on a sarcastic tone, “I mean, she’s only the saviour of the galaxy. Hardly worth the time of even sending a holocard.”

“Oh,” Morwenna dismissed the sarcasm, her face falling. “I was hoping it would be a small gathering.”

Ehlana twisted a finger around her long blonde hair and looked at her friend, noting her unease. “Relax, everyone’s eyes will be on the bride and groom. They’ll be plenty of space for you to blend into the background.”

Morwenna hoped so. She wasn’t great with people and the social niceties often escaped her, the fake courtesy, insincere apologies, and false politeness were all alien concepts to her; none of those things had been part of her upbringing. Still, she would do her best for her family’s sake.

“You’re going to be fine,” Ehlana tried to reassure her, “And besides, I’ll be there to hold you hand if things get too much.”

“Thanks, you’re all heart.”

“And of course you’ll have Reave,” Ehlana offered, before her tone of voice subtly changed, “Is he brining anyone, do you know? A plus one?”

Morwenna narrowed her eyes as she stared deadpan at her friend. This wasn’t the first time Ehlana had asked about her brother, although this time she was being more direct than normal. “Yes,” Morwenna replied, letting the moment stretch out before adding, “Me.”

Ehlana scowled. “If I had a cushion I’d throw it at you. Oh, wait…” The young women stretched out her left hand and used the force to summon the pillow from Morwenna’s bed before hurling it at her friend.

Morwenna let it hit her, grinning all the while. “You’re travelling to Chandrila with your parents?” she asked, deliberately changing the subject.

“Yeah, we’ll be a day or two behind you. I don’t think they trust me to make my way there on my own. Mum especially barely lets me out of her sight at the moment.”

“That must be nice.”

Ehlana gave Morwenna a look that said she must be crazy, before smiling somewhat abashedly. Morwenna had never known her parents, and it was only recently she had been taken into the Leidias family. “Knowing they care, yeah, that’s nice; but it’s also smothering. For now I’m not making a fuss about it, but once the wedding’s done I’m leaving and they’re going to have to accept that.”

“Oh,” Morwenna felt a sudden sharp ache in her stomach at Ehlana’s announcement she was leaving. Not that her friend owned her anything, hell they still barely knew each other. “Where are you going?”

“To Mandalore.” Morwenna raised an eyebrow and Ehlana’s expression turned suddenly sombre. “There’s something I need to do there. That squad of Mandalorians I fought with on Necroa Prime, the ones who died for me, I need to find their clan, to explain how they died, to tell their clan that they died with honour, in battle.”

Morwenna wasn’t entirely sure she understood, but this was clearly important to Ehlana and Morwenna’s hoped it would be part of her healing process. “If you need company on your journey, let me know. Equally if this is something you need to do on your own, I understand.”

Ehlana smiled, “Thanks. Now, I think it’s time to rinse that dye out of your hair.”

Morwenna stood, “About time.”

“And then we need to talk about your wardrobe. Chandrila’s a fashionable world and I won’t have you looking like some nerf herder fresh in from the countryside.”

She groaned as Ehlana ushered her back into the fresher. “Do we have to?”

“Oh yes, absolutely!”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several hours later Morwenna, burdened with two large packs of Ehlana’s borrowed cloths, arrived at one of the Temple’s smaller hangers to find her brother dangling from the starboard mandible of his YT-1930 freighter, the Temperance.

“I’ll be with you in a minute, Mor,” he called as he began to hammer at something she couldn’t see. “Drop your bags by the ramp.”

She found herself smiling, oddly touched that he could recognise her presence without the need to look. Several curses and a half a dozen loud bangs later, he righted himself and dropped to the ground, hydrospanner in hand.

“She playing up again?” Morwenna ventured.

“Nothing major,” Reave Hevren-Leidias shrugged, jogging towards her, and enfolding her in a hug. “She’ll get us to Chandrila without any trouble. Ready to go?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Is that a note of hesitation I detect in your voice,” Reave joked, picking up her bags and beckoning her to follow him into the Temperance.

“Ah, I see your Jedi skills have grown in power to be able to detect such subtle reservation on my part,” she told him, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Relax, it’ll be fine. It’s just family,” he told her.

Yeah, that the bit I’m most worried about.

Reave dropped her bags in her cabin and the two of them headed to the cockpit, Reave slipping into the pilots’ seat and beginning the preflight checks. It had taken a while, but Morwenna was finally able to feel comfortable around her brother without the need to speak. Reave could be loquacious when he wanted to be, but he was also equally comfortable with long silences, something Morwenna was certainly able to appreciate. Soon enough though the ship was ready to leave, and Reave request permission to depart Ossus.
As the Temperance left the docking bay and began the steep climb into orbit, Morwenna asked, “How’s your guest, still keeping quiet?”

“He is, strangely so,” Reave replied, sounding thoughtful. “It’s hard to explain, but I think what he experienced during Arcanix humbled him.”

"Hunbled? Mithral?" Morwenna was surpised.

Reave’s ‘guest,’ was an ancient spirit that had taken up residence inside her brother’s mind. Both Reave and Morwenna were descendants of a long dead race of Force Users called the Val Aru. The Val Aru had existed millennia ago, and were beings almost entirely lacking in empathy, instinct drove them, and if they wanted something they simply took it; or died trying. It was this underlying nature that had brought them into conflict with the Jedi, who had no choice but to wipe them out. Or at least that was what had been believed at the time. Not only did some of their decedents survive, but at least one Val Aru spirit, who had tried, and failed, to take over Reave’s body and was now held prisoner within Reave’s psyche.

“I think seeing everyone working together against Sivter, Republic, Imperial, Jedi, and Sith baffled him,” Reave explained, “Then Tulsar’s sacrifice and the sheer power both Kalja and Siver wielded had an affect on him, forced him to consider concepts that had never occurred to him before. In short, I think he’s contemplating the meaning of life.”

Morwenna wasn’t sure what to say. Reave had beaten the Val Aru spirit some time ago but had never been able to fully extract his presence, and he could even be helpful, insightful, at times; or so Reave said. “Well, so long as he’s keeping quiet that’s a good thing.”

“I’m certainly not complaining,” her brother replied as the Temperance reached orbit and surged out of the gravity well. Reave pointed towards the hyperspace lever on the Temperance’s console, “Will you do the honours?”

“Sure,” Morwenna wrapped her hand around the lever and awaited the signal.

“Three…two…one…punch it.”

Morwenna pulled the lever back and the Temperance lurched forward, accelerating into hyperspace.

“Next stop, Chandrila.”

[Halomek]

Davit Jipper sat at the bar of the Wavecrest’s in-house restaurant. Apparently as long as he was inside the hotel he could dispense with the disguises and the fake names, a fact he was thankful for. The story being told to the public was that the hotel was currently closed for “remodeling” so it was just trusted hotel staff and wedding guests inside.

The JSI had been helpful in creating fake IDs for him and a few of the other people from Juoi who had been able to come with him, but moving around in secret wasn’t really Davit’s way of doing things. Besides that, the toupee he’d been forced to wear as part of his disguise to cover up his bald head had been itchy and unpleasant. Davit had been only too glad to leave it in his hotel room while he checked out what the Wavecrest could offer him.

The decor and atmosphere of the hotel and the restaurant were decidedly much more upscale than he was used to, but apparently food, drinks, and lodgings for all the wedding guests were being paid for by the wedding couple. Davit wasn’t quite sure how they were managing that, but he wasn’t about to let such an opportunity pass him by.

“A whiskey, neat,” he said to the bartender.

The bartender, a Bith, nodded politely. “Do you have a preference, sir? We have many different whiskies. Might I suggest our local brand?”

Davit regarded the bartender dubiously. “Chandrilian whiskey? Oh hell, why not? I’ll try anything once!”

“Very good, sir,” the Bith replied before quickly pouring the drink and then leaving Davit to enjoy it at his leisure.

Davit grabbed the glass and inspected the color before taking a sip and letting it swish around his gums for a moment before swallowing. “Not bad,” he decided. “It’s no Corellian label, but it does the work.”

“Do you mind if I join you?”

Davit turned to see a young man in his mid-twenties in a well-tailored suit and a snappy haircut approaching him. He recognized the man as Trai Roviditian, the owner of the hotel. Kalja had introduced them when she had come to greet Davit.

“I’d be honored,” Davit said to him. “Although you’d probably get more entertainment out of some of the other guests. I’m a small fish in a big pond.”

Trai took a seat and nodded to the bartender. Without a word exchanged between them, the bartender quickly set a glass of brandy before Trai. “You sell yourself short, Mr. Jipper. I went over the guest list with Kalja and Delth so I’d know who to expect. Kalja very clearly mentioned that you were like a second father to her.”

Davit felt a bit of warmth go to his cheeks. “She’s a sweet kid. I was just the captain of the Champion of Juoi during the first few years of their hunt for Sivter. I tried to watch over her when Tulsar would scout out leads on his own to see how viable or dangerous they might be.”

Trai raised his glass to the other man. “The way she told it, you and the entire crew were like a surrogate family for her after Sivter’s attack.”

Davit took another sip of his drink and smiled despite himself. “Maybe. We all adored her and it wasn’t hard to see how exceptional she was. I’m just happy she found someone she wants to spend the rest of her life with who will treat her well.” He cleared his throat confidentially. “Although, if anyone were to bet me that it would turn out to be Delth Ardin, I’d have lost a week’s salary.”

“You’re not alone,” Trai agreed with a smile. “Even here on Chandrila, where the Ardin family is revered, Delth was always known as something of a rogue Fecklen.”

“A what?”

Trai thought about his answer for a moment. “They’re beasts of burden native to the planet. Normally they’re quite peaceful, but occasionally they can get into places they shouldn’t be and cause a lot of trouble.”

Davit took another sip. “Ah, I think I understand. Well, I’ve only met Delth briefly, but I’ve seen the way he looks at Kalja. There’s genuine love there. I never would have imagined it was possible from a man like him, but seeing is believing.”

“In that case, you should have seen him the last time they were here,” Trai replied with a smile before helping himself to his drink. “He was at her side the entire time as they tried to find a cure for her affliction of being cut off from the Force. It nearly cost him his life.”

Davit looked into his drink and chuckled as he thought about how different that was from his mental image of Delth Ardin. He looked back at Trai and decided to change the subject. “Do you mind if I ask you something that’s been bugging me?”

Trai leaned against the bar and grinned. “I think I know what you’re going to ask and if I’m wrong, I’ll give you a coin worth 100 credits.”

Davit waved off the idea of a bet. “I’m just curious how those two rented this entire place out. This hotel of yours is pretty swanky.”

Trai flipped the coin in the air before catching it and pocketing it. “And there it is! I’m starting to wonder if I should start passing out leaflets or something. It’s pretty simple... Chandrila has been enjoying an unbroken string of Charon-free days thanks to them. To say nothing of what GAIT would have done to us. If I can give that pair a little happiness at a discount price in exchange for never knowing those horrors, then I’m only too glad to do so.”

“Still... renting out a place like this... calling it a discount has to be a major understatement.” Davit raised his glass in honor of the other man. “You’re a rare breed.”

Trai clinked his glass with Davit’s as they both took a drink. “Well, don’t think too highly of me, Mr. Jipper. I’m getting a subsidy from the local government to cover my losses since keeping this wedding secret is in the best interests of the planet. After all, if Kalja or Delth’s enemies ever converged on Hanna City, who knows what kind of disaster that would bring?”

“I suppose you’re right,” Davit conceded.

Trai finished off his brandy and set the glass down on the bar. “I hope you enjoy your stay with us, Mr. Jipper. If you get hungry, I highly recommend one of our seafood dishes. It all comes to us fresh from the nearby Silver Sea. If that’s not appealing, our Bantha steak is some of the best you’ll find on the planet.”

“You don’t have to sell me on a good meal,” Davit assured him. “Especially a free one.”

“Glad to hear it,” Trai said with a smile. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some other guests to chat up.”

Davit gave the man a nod in farewell. “By all means...”

[Pryde]

Caitlyn's face burned bright red as she tried to ignore the four other women around her. All of whom shuffling awkwardly in place while dazzling multi-colored lights flashed all around them. Well, all except Isis Sinclair, who had a big goofy grin on her face.

"So," Elena Connor said, drawing it out, "do I wanna know?"

"Sis told me to wear this," Caitlyn said, the sizzling heat coloring her cheeks flaring hotter.

"Why?"

"Because she didn't know what incognito meant," Isis said, barely containing her laughter. "I told her it was a typo and Kalja was asking her to come 'in cognito.'"

"Cognito's not even a word," Elena pointed out.

"Something else she didn't know."

Caitlyn groaned. "Can we please talk about something else?"

For the hundredth time that day, Caitlyn regretted letting her sister pick her outfit for her. She said it was too gaudy, with vibrant neon colors and shimmering LED lights, but Isis insisted that's what "cognito" meant. Next time I'll pick up a damned dictionary.

"Well, it might be a bit—rather very attention grabbing," Elena said, "but I don't think anyone would recognize her. Not with the red streaks in her hair."

Caitlyn hunched over even more, the color of her ears and face blending with the red in her hair.

"What?" Elena continued, sounding innocent. "Did I say something I shouldn't have?"

"What about your outfit, Sis?" Clara interjected. "You look exactly the same."

"What are you talking about? I have this," she said, pointing at the fake mustache she wore. She made no effort to dress differently or recolor her hair. The mustache wasn't even the right color.

"Oh yes, how could I have missed that?"

"Hirai doesn't look any different, either," Elena said.

"I have no need for a physical disguise. If I wish not to be seen, I won't be."

Elena scoffed. "Handy skill, that."

The five of them rode the rest of the way in silence. The trip wasn't long, but for Caitlyn it felt like forever. It wasn't just them on the tram, there were dozens of other denizens around them, too many of them looking at her. She had half a mind to open a window and jump out, making her own way to the hotel. But she'd only been to Chandrila once before and not long enough to sightsee.

Fortunately, it wasn't far to the hotel from the tram station. After everyone exited, Caitlyn lingered behind a bit, following the other four at a distance. After walking the length of a city block, Elena fell into step beside her.

"Everything alright?"

"Oh yeah, totally fine. Couldn't have asked for a better life."

"After spending all that time looking for your sister, I thought you'd be more excited now having found her."

"I was—I mean, I am."

"But?"

She growled. "She's driving me crazy."

"Isis? No, you don't say."

"That's not what I meant. Look, ever since we got back from Arcanix, she's been smothering me. Like, I haven't exactly been alone these past few years since meeting Kalja and Akain, but even Akain knows he needs to leave the room sometimes."

"It sounds like she's just trying to make up for lost time."

"I get that, but..." she let out an explosive breath. "She's doing it in a way that doesn't make sense."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning one minute she's making me pancakes, the next she's putting red hair dye in my shampoo. Last week, she put this huge fake spider on my pillow right in front of me just before waking me up."

Elena put a hand over her mouth, probably to hide her smile. But she couldn't hide the way the corners of her eyes wrinkled as her lips curled up.

"You think it's funny too..."

"No, I don't... okay, maybe a little. But you know where she's coming from, right?"

"She's the older sister, so she gets to play pranks on me? Who said our relationship has to be a stupid stereotype?"

"No, Katy, she's never been an older sister. Her dad raised her alone, just the two of them. For most of her life, he and your mom had been divorced. Isis had to learn what it means to be a woman without her. And now she's learning what it means to be a sister, it's no surprise she'd stumble."

Caitlyn sighed, Elena was right. Even she was new to this whole "sister" thing and still figuring it out. Maybe she shouldn't be so hard on Isis for trying. "Still, I wish she'd be more like Clara and Hirai. They seem to get along so much better than we do."

"Oh, those two have their issues. They're still learning how to be cousins too, they're just much better at hiding it," she said with a wink.

The next block over, they found the hotel towering over them. She and Elena hurried to catch up with the others who had gotten a little further ahead. Standing in the shadow of this massive building, Caitlyn's heart fluttered. Sharp lines and sweeping curves of gleaming marble and polished glass, accented with intricate gold patterns. A cascading fountain in front ringed by lush gardens filled with vibrant flowers and sculpted topiaries. It looked like something straight out of a storybook fairy tale. And Kalja's getting married in that?

She glanced down at herself, her embarrassment burning even brighter. Somehow, in the face of such extravagance, she managed to feel both overdressed and underdressed at the same time. Though, even if she'd come wearing her Jedi robes as she wanted, she'd still feel out of place.

A hand on her shoulder drew her attention. She looked up to find Isis with her arm around her. She didn't say anything, didn't even look at her, she just gently urged her up the stairs, through the columned entrance and into the hotel proper...

[Halomek]

As the group of women entered the hotel, Kalja was there waiting for them. No one bothered to ask how Kalja knew how they had been about to arrive and no one assumed Kalja just happened to be in the lobby by coincidence. Everyone was familiar enough with Kalja’s ability to sense others that it would have been more uncanny if Kalja hadn’t been waiting for them.

“You all made it!” she exclaimed happily as she did her best to get everyone in a group hug. She then stood back and regarded them. “I see everyone took the meaning of incognito in some interesting directions.”

Caitlyn was quick to point an accusing finger at Isis. “This was all her idea!”

Kalja grinned at her former Padawan. “Well the outfit might be a bit much, but I like the red streaks in your hair. Very bold!”

“It's certainly more effort than a fake moustache,” Clara teased as she mock-punched Isis in the arm. Unlike her sister from another mister, Clara had leaned into the disguise aspect of the invite and even took some inspiration from Isis frequently calling her a “farmer’s daughter.” She was wearing a dirty jumpsuit and a hat with a wide brim designed to keep the sun out of her eyes. She looked very much like a worker who had just finished a day in the field.

Isis shrugged. “It’s not like my face is on the news all the time.” She gestured towards Kalja. “Where is your disguise, anyway? You look the same, except pregnant.”

“I’ve got it covered,” Kalja assured her as she elegantly raised her arms and suddenly started changing her appearance. Her hair turned from blonde to black and her eye color shifted from green to brown. Additionally there were a few subtle changes to the contours of her face. Just like that there was a different person staring back at them. “Say hello to Ashla Laorn. Jana showed me how to use the Force to change my appearance.”

“How long did it take you to learn to do that?” Elena asked as she inspected Kalja’s disguise.

Kalja dropped the illusion and was suddenly back to her normal appearance. “I don’t know. A couple of tries to really get it down. Why?”

Elena waved the question off before rolling her eyes. “No reason. Forget I asked.”

Kalja didn’t linger on the inquiry and clapped her hands together. “Well, we’re still waiting to see who else shows up, but go ahead and check in at the front desk to get your room card. The hotel is completely ours so there’s no need to stay in disguise as long as you’re inside. You each have your own room, if you wish, and the food and amenities have all been paid for, so feel free to enjoy yourselves.”

Clara took off her hat and shook out her short red hair. Since it had been mostly obscured by the hat, she hadn’t bothered to dye it any other color. “Do you happen to know if Ace has shown up yet?”

“Tav? He arrived yesterday,” Kalja confirmed. “He’s been spending a lot of time in the in-house casino. He’s in there right now, as a matter of fact. Do you want me to get him for you?”

Clara turned her down. “No, no... I’d rather surprise him. Just need to get cleaned up first!” She then nodded a farewell to the group and quickly walked to the front desk to get her room card.

Kalja looked to the rest of the group. “Any other questions?”

[Pryde]

"Just one," Isis said quickly, "let's say--hypothetically, if someone were to have a small arsenal in their luggage, would the hotel have an issue?"

This earned her a few shocked glances from Elena, Caitlyn and Kalja. Hirai, however, did not look surprised, she simply nodded.

"I, too, am well armed," she said.

"I said 'hypothetically,'" Isis corrected her.

Hirai looked perplexed. "So you didn't take the assault rifle I saw you pack?"

"Isis," Elena gasped.

"What?" Isis said innocently, she pointed at Kalja. "Last time I got involved in something she did a planet almost died."

[Mir]

"Here's hoping that's off the table for the next few days."

They turned as Jana came into the room. She was dressed much as she normally was. Having already been present at the hotel for a few times, making sure everything was set up properly, the need for a disguise had been somewhat dispensed with. Still, she wore a few things that would have given one a clue she was a librarian or an academic of sorts. Of the Jedi variety? That may have been harder to tell. While she had taught Kalja how to create an effective disguise, sheore often than not preferred to utilize normal means. It allowed for more creativity in some ways. Especially if the disguise wasn't needed for anything serious.

"You never know with this one." Isis said.

Jana nodded. "That much is true." She agreed. "Still, I can't think of a group of people that someone would want to interfere with." She said. "Has everyone gotten their rooms?"

"We have only just arrived." Hirai said.

"Oh, well, let's get you all sorted then." Jana said. "I know there's a few more people who will be arriving soon, and then the festivities will begin."

==-==

On an approach vector to Chandrila.

"This feels wrong."

"It shouldn't. You were invited because you're the Queen of Naboo and this is a wedding of feth, I don't know, important people."

"That's not what I was referring to."

"Oh, this." The other woman said, gesturing to what they were wearing. "I'm sorry, are the clothes not regal enough for you? Is the ship not slathered in enough chromium?"

Satya stiffened a little bit, glaring at the other woman. "It is one thing to be invited to a wedding as the Queen of Naboo or for you to be invited as the ruler of Chandaar, Ashin." She said. "It's something else to be sneaking onto Chandrila for a bacchelorette party."

Ashin Varanin, Dark Lord of the Sith, smiled. "Which is precisely why we're doing it." She said. "Kalja and Jana's idea, not mine." She added. "You know, in the grand scheme, someone's going to notice that they're all here. All these self-important people."

"If you tried to look down upon them less, you might realize you're at eye level with them."

"I knew there was a reason I was teaching you, you've gotten very good." Ashin said. "We were invited, so we'll go."

Satya gave her a look. "I know I'm your student and all, but at the end of the day there were other things you could have been doing at this moment. As a matter of fact, I can think of something directly you could have been doing." She said, looking out at Chandrila, as the transport ship continued its descent. "Tell me you didn't accept the invitation for the reason I think you accepted it."

"Since I don't know why you think I accepted it, I can't..." Ashin trailed off and looked over at her. "No."

Satya shrugged.

"No." Ashin repeated. "I am a fething Dark Lord of the Sith." She said. "I'm just concerned, that's all."

"Concern had you pacing in your room last night, getting reports from the CCOs." Satya said.

"She's the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order and he is the Dark Lord of the Sith." Ashin said. "I don't know what Makaera Tor wants with him, and I need to know." She said. "She may be removing a powerful piece off the board. I don't know what she's going to do if I capture him. That's why I told him what Halla wants. I'm using the Jade Empire to keep him safe."

"And you think Kalja knows?" Satya asked.

"Well if Derek knows, he wouldn't tell me. He may be fond of him, but Derek's a judicial man at heart." She said, referring to Derek Muir. "He's going to weigh the balance and do what's right at the end of the day. He has faith and trust in Makaera. Kalja does as well, but I don't know if any of them even know." She said, looking out of the transparisteel viewport. "Do you think Kalja's going to react well to knowing that the Jedi Grandmaster asked the Dark Lord of the Sith to arrest her second favorite padawan?"

"She'll have a better reaction to that than her favorite padawan, if you're not careful when you ask her. Don't forget who else will be here."

Ashin winced. "Don't remind me."

[Halomek]

As Jana started leading the group away, Kalja spoke up. “Before you go to get settled in, I’ll mention one last thing... everyone here is someone that either Delth or I trust, and that includes all of you, so we’re asking everyone to be on their best behavior. I’ll try to be as understanding as I can if something happens, but this is my wedding and I’m carrying twins. I can't promise my patience will be as boundless as it normally is.”

Elena blinked in disbelief. “Was that... a threat?”

“I’d rather make sure we never have to find out,” Kalja replied with a smile as she waved everyone on to follow Jana. “I just wanted to make that point known before a wall is blown out, or a someone tries to steal a vehicle, or something else equally unnecessary happens. If there’s a problem, bring it to Jana or me first before it gets out of control!”

[Pryde]

"Where's the fun in that?" Isis blurted, earning several harsh looks from the others. "Alright, alright, I promise I'll be on my best behavior, scout's honor."

"Sis, you're crossing your fingers," Caitlyn pointed out.

"Traitor."

Hirai glanced between them all, blinking in response. "I do not understand. Why are we blowing out a wall? Are we here to do renovations?"

Everyone looked at her and Isis gave her a big grin. "I like you."

[Halomek]

Tav Garvin kept a straight face as he watched the value of his sabacc cards shift their value into a winning hand; an Idiot’s Array, the best combination in the game! He played it cool as he upped the sabacc pot in the round of betting. His opponents were two Imperials – one would assume them to be friends of Delth, but he didn’t really know for sure.

It was entirely possible they were Kalja’s friends. She certainly had a knack for picking up the most unusual of allies. After seeing Kalja befriend assassins, Sith, criminal geniuses, and even one of her own kidnappers, Tav wasn’t willing to consider any friendship beyond her capabilities.

It also didn’t matter much because he was about to take these two for all they were worth...

As the dealer droid asked if there was to be any further betting, Tav was about ready to call to see everyone’s hands when he noticed Clara enter the Wavecrest’s modest casino. She was wearing a short black dress that emphasized her curves. Her hair was lustrous and styled and her make-up brought out and emphasized her natural beauty.

She smiled seductively as she spotted him staring at her.

“The betting round is over,” the dealer droid declared, snapping Tav back to what he had been doing.

“What?” he asked in confusion. “I was about to call!”

“Your time ran out, sir,” the droid informed him.

“Yeah, but...” he started to object, but it was clear he had already lost his chance.

He looked down at his hand as his cards changed values again. This time into nothing. He had a dead hand and not enough left to survive another round of betting to make it back to the shifting phase. With a sigh he tossed his cards and bowed out, taking what little money he had left.

Tav walked over to where Clara was waiting for him. “You did this on purpose.”

Clara traced a finger down his chest. “Why whatever could you mean?”

“In all the time I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you in anything other than combat pants and tank tops,” Tav explained. “I didn’t know you even owned a dress. You look amazing, by the way. Let me buy you a drink.”

“Aren’t they free?” Clara teased him.

“Thanks to you, it’s about all I can afford at the moment,” Tav remarked with a little chagrin.

“I might be able to spot you some credits for a second chance later,” Clara promised as she led him out of the casino and towards the restaurant area.

Tav had to laugh despite himself. “It’s a deal.”

[Halomek]

Sigarr Halomek had never been to Chandrila before, although he’d heard it was a beautiful world from several of his business associates. The problem was that the planet was controlled by the Empire and under normal circumstances it would have been unthinkable for the CEO of the Republic Engineering Corporation to be seen anywhere within Imperial territory.

However, as he glanced out the window of the air taxi at Hanna City, he had to admit that the risk in coming here had been worth it. The gleaming white buildings of the downtown area, the reflection of the sun off of the Silver Sea, the windswept grasslands and gentle hills beyond the city limits... Right now he was getting an eyeful as the taxi flew above it all towards their destination and it was gorgeous!

He also caught a glimpse of his reflection in the window. He didn’t like it. For a disguise he had chosen to wear a hat, a pair of shades, and had shaved off his facial hair. It was that last bit that bothered him the most. Although he still looked good clean shaven, he missed the air of authority a proper mustache and beard could add to one’s appearance.

But this holiday wasn’t about him. It was for the benefit of the woman sitting next to him: Jedi Master Faye Ward. For the past few months she had been assigned to protect him as a bodyguard after he had been attacked by elements of the Cult of Shadow. That crisis appeared to be mostly over now, but Faye had insisted on staying on a little longer to make sure he was safe.

That was the official story.

In reality, the two of them had been feeling increasingly attracted to each other. For a while Sigarr had been the more proactive one in that department, but Faye was starting to take the initiative on her own now. The fact that she had invited him to come with her to the wedding of Kalja Sairu Leidias and Delth Ardin had been something of a shocker to him.

Sigarr wasn’t sure if Faye had asked just to keep up appearances as his bodyguard or if she had decided the time had come to stop hiding her feelings for him.

He turned to look at her, acutely aware that the air taxi driver could probably overhear them. “I’m curious... how long have you known the bride?”

"Sometimes it feels interminable," Faye answered.

She was also staring out the window, but finding it difficult to enjoy the view. She shifted in her seat, her bare thighs brushing against each other under her skirt. How is it possible I can feel so naked and still be fully clothed?

The dress was Sigarr's idea. Faye wanted to wear her Jedi robes, or a traditional Palawan gi. Something with pants at least. However, Sigarr had a special gown made for her, tailored in the style of Bunduki fashion. It was a lovely garment, but restricted her movement in ways a traditional gi would not.

Sigarr frowned at her answer, confused. "Are we talking about the same person? I thought you two were friends." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Was there a falling out I wasn't aware of?"

"Come on, Si—honey, you know how she is," Faye said with a shrug. "Show her how to do something once and she picks it up in an instant. I love her, but stars that is frustrating."

"I can see how that might get under your skin," he admitted. "Personally though, I think you're looking at it all wrong. You're already so amazing, so of course the only person fit to be your rival would be a literal wunderkind. You might see it as being stuck in her shadow, but how many others can say they've even come that close? Not a lot, I bet."

Faye considered his words. Exactly how close did she even come? As skilled as she was in unarmed and saber combat, when it came to the Force the gap between them was astronomic. Even during the War of Darkness her overall impact on the outcome was pretty minimal—not that a Jedi Master should want for glory.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

Before Sigarr could offer a rebuttal, the air taxi driver spoke up. “Your destination is straight ahead. We’ll be landing momentarily.”

Sigarr looked ahead and saw the hotel grow larger as the air taxi descended towards a landing platform near the main building. The hotel itself was nicer than he had been expecting. It seemed to be at odds with the reputed tastes of the bride and the groom, neither of whom were known for extravagant displays of wealth or power.

The exterior of the Wavecrest was all polished white stone and majestic pillars leading to an oversized door for an entrance. The beauty was slightly marred by construction fencing placed around the property. The windows had also all been fogged to prevent anyone from peering into the building. Several signs had also been placed on the hotel grounds that touted the coming of a new interior redesign and a grand reopening scheduled for next month.

It all seemed like an effective cover to keep curious onlookers away from the premises.

“Doesn’t seem like the place is open,” the air taxi driver said to them once the vehicle had landed. “Are you sure this is where you want me to drop you off?”

“It’s okay,” Sigarr assured him as he paid the taxi fare in Imperial currency and then gave the man a generous bonus on top of it. “We’re investors, but we also appreciate discretion. Understand?”

The driver’s eyes widened at the size of the bonus. “I certainly do. If you ever need another discrete ride just ask for taxi #12, Oland Wiks.”

Sigarr flashed the man with his most charming smile. “I’ll remember that, Mr. Wiks. I’m glad to find another person who appreciates the value of silence.”

By this time Faye had already exited the air taxi, which was a shame because Sigarr had intended to help her out of the vehicle as befitted a proper gentleman. Still, he did admire her ability to take initiative no matter what situation came up.

Sigarr met back up with her outside of the hotel entrance. He extended the crook of his arm for her to grab if she so desired. “Shall we?”

Faye stared at his elbow, her brow furrowed. "What's that for?"

Sigarr gave her an exasperated look. "You can't have forgotten alrea--"

"I'm kidding," she said, slipping her arm into his, and giving him a devilish grin. "Bet you never saw that coming."

He grinned back. “You have no idea how turned on that made me.”

“I think I do,” she assured him. “Keep it together. We still need to say hello.”

“Right, right,” Sigarr agreed as he adjusted his jacket and his composure. “Let’s do this.”

As soon as they entered the lobby, Kalja was there to greet them. “Faye!” she proclaimed happily as she rushed up and gave her a hug. “I’m so happy you could make it. And you brought someone with you even!” Kalja stepped back as she examined him. “Wait... I know you...”

Sigarr raised Kalja’s hand and gave it a polite kiss. “Sigarr Halomek,” he introduced himself. “I think the only time we’ve interacted was a month or two ago when I petitioned the Jedi Council for Faye’s help in dealing with some remnants of the Cult of Shadow. It’s a pleasure to greet you in a more informal capacity and, might I add, your future husband is a very lucky man.”

Kalja smiled back but seemed largely immune to Sigarr’s charms. “Thank you, but luck has nothing to do with it - believe me. Anyway, welcome! Even if this is the first time we’re meeting on a personal level, I’m certainly aware of everything you’ve done to help the Jedi Order. Please enjoy yourself while you’re here. I should go over a few things first though...”

Kalja then quickly explained about the hotel amenities, how the services were already paid for, how they could dispense with the disguises while inside, and how she was asking everyone to behave themselves.

“And that’s all for now,” Kalja summed up. “Oh, Faye! You might be interested to know that Elena has already arrived. She showed up with Caitlyn and some of her other friends a little earlier. I think you’ll be amazed at how much better she’s doing now that the war is over.”

Faye was happy to hear her former padawan was on the mend, though she regretted not being able to play a larger part in leading her from the path of darkness. Apparently it had been Kalja’s late father, Tulsar, who had found a way to bring Elena back from the brink, and even adopted Elena into the Leidias family as a way to mend the gaping hole the war had torn in her life.

"That's good, I'm glad," she said. Then she looked over at Sigarr, coughing to clear her throat. "Well, I should go inspect Mr. Halomek's rooms to make sure they're clear."

She tugged on Sigarr’s arm, leading him toward the turbolift.

Kalja called after them. "Faye, I've already--"

But they were already on the turbolift and out of sight...

***

After Faye and Sigarr disappeared into the turbolift, Jana walked over to Kalja with a coy smile on her face. It was an expression Kalja had become familiar with any time Jana wanted to bring up some bit of gossip or another. “Did you notice?”

“Notice what?”

Jana shook her head. “You always see so much, but miss the finer details, Kalja. Sigarr slipped up. He didn’t refer to Faye as Master Ward. He used her first name. That’s not something a consummate businessman like Sigarr would do if everything was still on a professional level. There’s something going on with them.”

Kalja waved away the idea. "Don’t be ridiculous, Jana! Everyone knows Sigarr’s reputation. Faye wouldn’t want to be with someone like that.”

“Uh-huh,” Jana responded, her expression deadpan, clearly not buying Kalja’s reasoning. “And just who are you getting married to again?”

“That’s different!” Kalja insisted. “Delth and I formed a bond through the Force. He’s changed a lot and become a better person.”

“And you don’t think Faye is capable of that?”

“Sure she is... it’s just that... she’s so reserved with her emotions... and well...” Kalja trailed off as she realized she didn’t have a good retort to give to Jana. Instead she quietly conceded to her friend’s matchmaking wisdom. “So, those two? Really?”

“Mark my words!” Jana promised. “I know a connection when I see one!”

[Mir]

Jana left Kalja, as her comm unit was buzzing. Anticipating that it could be a call from one of the caterers, as there had been some potential supply issues brought to her awareness a few days ago, she answered without thinking.

“Master, I believe I’m stuck at the spaceport.”

She stopped in her tracks, blinking before her eyes went wide. She’d completely forgotten that her new apprentice was arriving also that day.

“Oh my stars, I’m so sorry, I’ll be right there.” She said, putting the comms unit away and heading back from the turbolift area of the lobby.

The spaceport wasn’t too far and she could make it there and back without anyone getting in trouble. She hoped.

The trip to the spaceport allowed her a few moments to check over her list to make sure that everything was in order. Her thoughts drifted briefly to the Library and her act of leaving the assistant chief librarian in charge. That was going to be something to see when she got back. The assistant chief librarian, while quite knowledgeable, had not yet gotten down the organizational skills required with being a librarian.

By the time she got to the spaceport, she had checked in with some of the decorators to make sure their shipments had arrived on time. She was told that there was some hang up at the spaceport when it came to an import duty. Two mynocks, one stone.

Arriving at the spaceport, she saw her new apprentice.

Isla Orzhov, a survivor of the disaster on Brevost, had been identified as Force sensitive while she had been recovering from the collapse of her community. Her parents, knowing that rebuilding their lives was going to be quite a task, had been willing to have the Jedi train her. This promised her a future even if what exactly that future would be would be up to her.

The power was back in her hands, which was important to them. Jana could appreciate that and understand it and it had made her all the more willing to take Isla as an apprentice.

“Isla.” Jana called and the young girl turned towards her.

Jana was fairly short, about 1.6 meters. Isla, a born natural athlete, had been graced with long limbs and at the age of 10, was already taller than Jana. She had black hair and green eyes. The girl walked over to her.

“There was a weird woman in the spaceport.” She said, looking over her shoulder.

Jana’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Well, remember how you taught me to start picking up on auras in the Force?” She asked and Jana nodded. “There’s a woman who has a weird aura around her. I don’t know how else to describe it.”

Jana looked at the throngs of people in the spaceport. “I’m sure it was nothing.” She said. “Though…with the number of people invited to this wedding, you never know who might turn up.” She said.

“I’m ready to be manual labor.” Isla said.

“That is not what you’re going to be.” Jana said, putting an arm around her apprentice and guiding her towards the speeder. “Well, not exactly.”

[TalRaimi]

“Nice hotel,” Reave let out a whistle of application as they approached the gleaming white exterior of the Wavecrest.

“And then some,” Morwenna echoed as the pair of them approached the entrance to the hotel and passed through the security checkpoint by showing their invitations. “Kalja can afford this?”

Reave gave her a thoughtful look, before shaking his head. “I don’t think so. Maybe? I mean, I know the Leidias family are well regarded on Juoi, but I think that’s more a respect kind of thing than a money kind of thing.”

“So Delth’s paying?” she ventured.

“I guess, or at least he has some contacts,” Reave shrugged, “Either way, just enjoy it. I think given everything that’s happened over the past few years we’ve all earned it.”

Morwenna wasn’t going to argue that. She followed Reave inside to a similarly striking interior and immediately felt out of place. She wore a simply pair of dark leggings, a red ribbed top, and creaky old brown nurf-hide jacket, but this place screamed the need for something more elegant and she found herself glad that Ehlana had insisted of throwing two suitcases worth of clothes at her before she left. Hopefully she’d find something more fitting among Ehlana’s clothes. Morwenna was used to grubby motels, starship holds, and the spartan quarters of the Jedi temple; this though, this was something else.

“Kalja!” her Reave called happily as he noticed his sister standing alone in the lobby.

“Reave, Morwenna,” their sister greeted them warmly, “I’m so happy you’re here. Even if you are a bit late?”

“You can blame the Temperance for that.” Morwenna glared accusingly at her brother. “You said she’d get us to Chandrila without any trouble.”

“There was a slight coolant leak that needed fixing,” Reave explained, “It might have cost us some time.”

“Ah, I see,” Kalja nodded, before giving them a sly smile, “Maybe you should rename her the Temperamental then, rather than the Temperance?”

“Hah Ha, very funny,” Reave waved it off before changing the subject. “Anyway, tell me you’ve not simply been standing here on your own waiting for us to arrive?”

“Not at all, Jana just stepped out for a moment and I was just greeting Faye and her guest before you arrived. Come on,” Kalja gestured to the reception, “Let’s get you checked in, a lot of the others are already here.”

“Okay, let’s do this,” Morwenna said, mentally psyching herself up. While the hotel seemed quiet enough now, she was sure it wasn’t going to stay that way.

[Halomek]

Kalja grinned at Morwenna’s words even though the other woman currently couldn’t see it with Kalja facing away from her. It was encouraging to hear Morwenna be so positive about meeting so many new people.

As they headed to the reception desk and took care of the check in, Kalja briefly went over the same spiel she was telling everyone else about the hotel: what it could offer, that there was no need for disguises inside, just about everything except the casino was free, and for everyone to be on their best behavior.

“I’m not expecting trouble from you two,” Kalja clarified on the last part as she led them towards the turbolifts. “It’s just a fair warning to everyone. There are definitely a few wedding guests that are very... um... let’s say passionate. Some of them probably aren’t going to get along with each other either, so we’re making it everyone’s responsibility to keep this as civil as possible.”

“That sounds like a risky bet,” Reave commented.

“It’s either that or Delth and I have like two or three separate ceremonies with different people attending,” Kalja remarked wryly. “We almost considered that, but I advocated that our friends and family could behave themselves for a few days.”

They stopped at the turbolifts as Kalja called one of them down. “By the way, Elena is also here, so don’t be shy if you see her around. Your rooms are on the same floor, actually, so it’s a possibility. Maybe we can do a family dinner tonight at the hotel’s restaurant and catch up? It’s so rare to have us all in one place usually.”

[TalRaimi]

“A family dinner sounds… nice,” Morwenna declared after a moment’s thought. It did sound nice, in theory. In practice… she couldn’t really say, as she could literally count the number of family dinners she’d experienced in her life on one hand.

“And don’t worry about everyone getting along, I’m sure it will be fine. After all, they’re here for you, both of you.” Reave added as the lift doors began to close. “And we won’t cause any trouble.”

Kalja smiled and bid them farewell, and as the lift whisked them up to their rooms, Morwenna asked, “So when you say we won’t cause any trouble, how many of us are you talking about?”

Reave’s eyes shone with mirth. “All of us.”

“Reave…” she warned.

“It’s fine,” he laughed, “I have Mithral locked up tight, and even if he weren’t, I’m pretty sure he’s running scared of Kalja. She has a pretty good track record of exorcizing spirits.”

She did indeed, if anyone was the bane of zealous spirits and force ghosts it was Kalja. Which made Reave’s decision not to ask for her help in getting rid of the spirit in his own head all the more puzzling. For now Morwenna held her peace on the subject, the couple of times she’d brought it up with her brother he’d brushed it aside and it had nearly resulted in an argument. Kalja’s wedding was certainly not the time to revisit the issue, although she knew that sometime soon they would have to have it out between them.

[Halomek]

Kalja was beaming as her adopted siblings ascended up the turbolift towards their rooms. So many people were showing up! It was honestly more than she had been expecting. After all the stress, and anxiety, and danger that had come from the War of Darkness, it was such a relief to just gather up the people she loved and celebrate something good for once.

As she started making her way back to the lobby to greet her next guest, Kalja suddenly stopped as she felt wetness on her cheeks. She reached up and felt her face as she realized in surprise that she was crying.

When had she started crying?

She was pretty sure they were tears of happiness, but she didn't usually cry when she was happy or even when she was sad. Circumstances usually had to be extreme for her to get this emotional. She was a Jedi Master! She had better control over herself than this!

Kalja dried her tears with the sleeve of her robe before looking down at her belly. She rested a hand on it tenderly as a thought came to her. Had they been the cause? Were the changes her body was going through affecting her emotional control that much?

Kalja shook her head before mentally steadying herself. She would have to be more careful about that.

“Kalja! Lovely to see you, dear!”

Kalja turned to look at the source of the voice: a Zeltron woman with red skin and purple hair. Like most Zeltrons, she was quite attractive by conventional humanoid standards. Kalja recognized her as Aiki Kask, one of her father’s friends.

“Aiki,” Kalja greeted her with a smile. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to make it.”

Aiki leaned in close and gave Kalja a kiss on the cheek; her own form of greeting. “How could I not? You were the most important thing in Tulsar’s world. I’ll always be around to provide help if you need it. Speaking of which...” Aiki handed her a thin box, about the size of a large datapad, that was wrapped in decorative paper.

“Thank you,” Kalja said as she grabbed it. “Actually, the front desk has been taking all the wedding gifts during the check in process. We were going to open them up after the cake since it’s so rare for so many of our friends and family to be in one place.”

“I don't think you want to open this one in public,” Aiki said to her with a sly smile. “Everything in there is meant to enhance your honeymoon.”

Kalja felt her face redden as she realized what Aiki meant. It was odd. She didn’t get embarrassed easily, even by something like this. Were her emotions really fluctuating so much?

Aiki noticed her reaction and chuckled. “Listen, it’s clear you’re not inexperienced, but if you want some tips and techniques to really spice things up, just let me know. You’ll have that man of yours wrapped around your little finger, guaranteed.”

Kalja could still feel the heat on her face despite her best attempts to tap it down. “Oh! I don’t know if that’s necessary...”

Aiki was clearly enjoying Kalja’s embarrassment. “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, dear! Anyway, I’m sure you’ve got a million things to do! I’ll let you get to it. I’m sure you can find me if you need to!”

Aiki then walked off towards the front desk, leaving Kalja flustered as she fanned herself with the present the other woman had given her. She ran through a few Jedi techniques to help herself calm down, which thankfully seemed to help.

Maybe she could stand to take a little break once Jana got back...

[Mir]

Jana and Isla arrived back at the hotel with no issue. Despite Isla looking over her shoulder multiple times during the journey. Jana had reassured that everything would be fine, but Isla was still rather jumpy about things going wrong. Isla tried to explain to Jana that because what had happened on Brevost had happened so quickly and without warning, she always wanted to be vigilant.

Her master was trying to get her to live in the present, but admittedly that was difficult for Isla. As they got out of the speeder and saw some of the hustle and bustle of the hotel, Isla couldn’t help but remember the devastation she’d seen. Family and friends, neighbors and strangers, wiped out in a few moments.

She had to find ways to guard against that. The goal of a Jedi was to learn about themselves, to learn about the Force, yes. But at the same time, what use was all of that if you couldn’t protect yourself and more importantly, protect others?

There had to be something more than the present otherwise what was the point?

Presently though, she carried her single bag as the two entered the hotel. She didn’t know any of the people there and the ones she did know, she barely knew. She had a feeling she was going to be more out of sight and out of mind this weekend and that was perfectly fine with her.

“We should check on Kalja.” Jana said, as they approached the front desk. She was going to ask Isla to check in herself, until she remembered the apprentice’s age.

The Jedi operated a bit differently than most, considering the age of apprentices. At the same time, they were out in the galaxy and different cultures worked differently. She got Isla checked in, in a room down the hall from her own. Then they were out looking for Kalja.

The two women found the pregnant wife to be fanning herself with some kind of a thin box. Concern came over Jana as she approached her friend.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“Oh, nothing.” Kalja said, still a little flushed.

“Are you feeling warm?” Jana asked, pressing the back of her hand to Kalja’s forehead, but her friend shook her head.

“I’m fine, truly.” Kalja said. “But I wouldn’t mind a few moments to lie down.”

“Absolutely.” Jana said. “Let’s get you to your room. If anyone else arrives, we can help them get sorted out. C’mon now, let’s get you in bed.”

[Halomek]

"Oh, but I haven’t met your new apprentice yet!” Kalja suddenly objected as Jana gently led her to the turbolift.

“There will be plenty of time for that later,” Jana assured her. “You need your rest.”

“It was just a slight slip,” Kalja replied. “I’m better now.”

Jana didn’t relent as she called down a turbolift. “Fool yourself if you must, but it’s not going to work on me. I’ve read through every recommended maternity datafile on the galactic market. I don’t need the Force to see how much this pregnancy is affecting you.”

Kalja started to protest: “Jana...”

Jana held a finger up to her lips for silence. “Your best and worst quality is that you’re always trying to take care of everything yourself – even when it’s clear you’re exhausted and overworked. You don’t get to do that anymore. Those two lives growing inside of you take priority over everything now. You need to stay healthy for them.”

Kalja felt her face redden in embarrassment as the turbolift doors opened. She sighed in defeat as she entered the lift. Jana had a knack for pointing out the important things. “You’re right... Of course you’re right.”

Jana followed and then selected the button for the floor with Kalja’s room. The doors closed as the lift moved quickly upward.

“You know it too, Kalja,” Jana replied. “I’m just reminding you. Yes, you’re powerful. Yes, you have the discipline of a Jedi Master. However, you’re also Kalja Sairu Leidias. You’re probably sensing the lives inside of you and your hormonal shifts much more keenly than the average pregnant woman. There’s a war going on inside you between your body and your mind. Until you can find your balance again, there’s bound to be some cracks in your control.”

The turbolift doors opened at Kalja’s floor and the two exited into the hallway and started walking towards Kalja’s room.

“You paint quite the picture,” Kalja admitted.

Jana smirked at her. “More like ‘write quite the thesis.’ I know a few medical journals that are going to be very interested in a Jedi’s perspective on having twins.”

“I almost forgot I agreed to be part of that,” Kalja remarked as she stopped in front of her room and swiped the access key over the reader. “Maybe I do need to start saying ‘no’ more often.”

The room lights turned on automatically as the door opened. Jana walked her over to the bed and they both sat down. “I don’t know about that. Your willingness to take on anything is why GAIT and Sivter are nothing more than unfortunate chapters in a history now. Not to mention that you and Delth would never be getting married or having kids if you ever decided to stay out of trouble.”

Kalja felt her face redden again as she thought about Delth, but it wasn’t because of embarrassment. She longed to hold him again. “Ignoring the odds is something we have in common.”

Jana pursed her lips. “I never considered that, but it seems obvious now that you mention it. Anyway, enough with the discussion. You need to rest.”

Kalja grasped Jana by the arm. “A light nap only,” she said to her friend. “I want to have dinner with my sisters in the hotel tonight. It’s rare to get them all in one place at the same time. I can’t let the opportunity pass by. While I’m resting, please coordinate with Morwenna, Elena, and Caitlyn and set things up.”

“Caitlyn?”

“She’s an honorary sister,” Kalja explained. “I would have adopted her too if not for the fact that she found her real family with the Sinclairs.”

Jana nodded. “Understood. Any reason why it’s just your sisters? Why not invite Reave and have all the siblings there?”

Kalja felt herself going red again, this time in shame. Her control really was slipping... “Um, well... I just figured he wouldn’t want to be the only guy there. Now that my father has passed on and Delth is busy taking care of his own wedding prep, there isn’t much of a male presence in the family at the moment. I don’t think Akain is going to show up because of what he’s doing, so there’s really no one else that could be considered family. Maybe you could ask Davit, I do think of him as a second father, but I don’t know if he’d be comfortable at a Leidias family dinner.”

Jana looked at Kalja pointedly. “How many family dinners have you had since bringing more people into the Leidias fold?"

Kalja thought about it for a moment. “Not many... if any. We’re all very busy people. Okay, I get it. Please ask Reave and Davit for me too.” She flopped down on the bed. “Actually, where do I end it? Caitlyn has a sister with Isis. I think she has a brother somewhere too, although he hasn't shown up yet. Also, Isis has a friend who is basically her sister as well... Should I invite them all? Would it be rude not to?”

“Restricting this dinner to immediate family with Caitlyn and Davit as honorary additions is a good place to draw the line,” Jana said to her decisively. “You’re already under enough stress as it is. No need to add to it. Remember, you still have the bachelorette party coming up soon.”

Kalja felt herself yawning and she placed a hand over her mouth to be polite. “Very true. What would I do without you, Jana?”

“Probably go off and save the galaxy again,” she joked. “For now though, you need to rest. Leave it all to me.”

Kalja smiled and closed her eyes. “Okay, maybe for a few minutes at least.”

Before Jana could exit the room Kalja was already in a deep sleep...

[TalRaimi]

“…at seven, in the main restaurant,” the voice of Jana Dophi floated airily back down the corridor as Kalja’s chief bridesmaid once again confirmed the time “Don’t be late.”

“Right. I won’t,” Morwenna mumbled after the departing woman, before shutting her door and turning to the small mountain of clothes that now rose from the centre of her bed. Okay, dinner. A family dinner. Now just what in the name of all-that’s-sacred does one wear to a family dinner at the Wavecrest?

Standing with her back to the door she crossed her arms and surveyed the contents of the wardrobe that Ehlana has provided for her with something like trepidation. Her own clothes were certainly not going to do for this evening, they were almost all uniformly a riff on the leggings and top combination she currently wore; tonight required something a little more stylish. Hesitantly she approached the pile of clothes and began to rummage through them, discarding anything that was too small or too daring for her tastes.

She hated the feeling of uncertainty that almost seemed to be her constant companion these days. It wasn’t just what outfit to wear? It was how she fitted into the larger family? How she fitted into Reave’s life? How she fitted into the Jedi order? Her entire being seemed to be in flux. Life had been simpler when she was younger, she had had no family, and she had only had herself to consider. She had acted much more on instinct; it was the Val Aru way, the way of her ancestors. She had rarely felt this uncertain.

However, she had also been crueller then, uncaring of anyone else’s feelings. She had hurt people, both emotionally and physically, and simply moved on without consideration to her actions. She had been driven by primitive emotions, anger, fear, lust; she had been barely human at that time and upon finding out that she had not been orphaned as she had thought, and that instead she had a brother, she had felt nothing but rage and sadness at being abandoned.

That had changed when she had met Reave. That had changed when she had met Tulsar.

Abruptly she stopped sorting her clothes and left her room. Wandering a short way down the corridor she came to Reave’s room and knocked gently on the door. It opened a few moments later to reveal her brother’s curious face. “Hey, come on in,” he said.

Slipping into his room, which she noticed was a lot tidier than hers, she took a seat on his bunk while he pulled out a chair and sat opposite. “So, what’s wrong?” he asked, reading her mood.

“Nothing’s… wrong, as such,” she paused, gathering her thoughts. How did she want to say this? She gestured around her expansively, “It’s just… How do you deal with all this? Being part of Kalja’s family I mean. You seem at ease with it all. Comfortable even?”

He nodded his understanding, scratching his nose with his thumb as he considered his reply. “I guess I am. Comfortable that is.” He let out a small chuckle, as if his words had even surprised him. “I think it’s Kalja, you know? She has this… calming presence. She’s always had it, right from the very first time I met her out in the jungles of the Jedi Praxeum’s moon. She makes it easy to feel a part of something.”

Morwenna chewed the corner of her cheek. She had been jealous of Kalja at first, finding out your long-lost brother had been adopted by another family and already had a sister had been something of a shock. Almost as shocking as finding out that family wanted to adopt you; no questions asked. “I hardly know them,” she found herself confiding to Reave. Truly, she barely knew her biological brother, let alone Kalja, and Elena, never mind what basically amounted to an extended family in Caitlyn and Akain. “Do they feel like family to you?”

Reave understood immediately what she meant, there was if nothing else a strong instinctual awareness between them. “They do,” he gave her a reassuring smile and she felt his conviction through the Force.

“Why?”

“Kalja, mostly. I trust her judgement, that the people she choses as family are good people. She brings people together,” he looked away briefly, and she caught a spike in his emotions. “And because of Tulsar. He and Kalja brought me in to the family. And you… he was so happy to have found you. To have found another daughter after all that had happened to his family at the hands of Sivter.”

Morwenna didn’t try and stop the emotions that enveloped her as she would have done in the past, she let the tears come. “I miss him. Why? I didn’t know him that well. Not really.”

“You knew all you needed to of him,” Reave moved to sit beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “You knew his strength, his kindness of spirit, his love for his family. His love for you, me, Elena, Kalja… all of them.”

Morwenna let Reave’s words wash over her, remembering the laughing smiling face of her adopted Father. Before she’d even met him, Tulsar Leidias had decided that she was family and not to be given up on. She felt unworthy of such conviction even today. “I’m a rubbish sibling,” she muttered.

“No worse than most of us,” Reave gave her a squeeze. “We all have so much of our own drenn to deal with, it can be easy to get so caught up in it all you forget your part of something larger.”

“Like being part of clan Leidias?” she squeezed him back.

“Yeah, like being part of clan Leidias,” he agreed. “We may be a motley bunch, gathered from the four corners of the galaxy, but we're family now.”

“Thanks, that helps,” she told him. And it did. The hesitation was still there, the awkwardness too, but the uncertainty over her being part of this extended family felt lessened, almost silly now she’d spoke with Reave. She rose from the bunk, wiped her eyes, and hugged her brother. “Okay, I look a state, and I need to get ready for dinner. I’ll see you there?”

“You’ll see me there,” Reave assured her.

With that she returned to her room and attacked the pile of clothes with renewed vigour, determined to find something suitable for the evening.

Sometime later, Morwenna admired herself in the mirror. She had decided on a high cut dark red dress that was slightly shorter than she would have liked – at over six foot she was a good head taller than Ehlana – with a split up the side for ease of movement and a pair of formal red ribbon sandals with a slight heel. With her freshly dyed blonde hair she barely recognised herself. Was this how ‘normal’ people dressed for dinner? She reached for her lightsabre, belatedly realising that she had no belt to clip it onto, not that it wouldn’t have looked instantly out of place anyway. Shrugging, she looked around for a bag to put it in, and spying a likely sized black clutch, threw the weapon in and headed for the door.

She knew she was early, but had decided a small drink before dinner would help ease any awkwardness she might be feeling. She arrived at the bar adjacent to the restaurant to find it mostly empty, and strolling up to the counter ordered herself a Corellian Whiskey as she settled in to wait.

[Halomek]

Morwenna was not the only one to arrive a little early. Davit Jipper had accepted the dinner invitation against his better judgement. Of course he would be happy to spend some time with Kalja, but he hadn't really interacted with the new additions to the Leidias family. He barely felt worthy as a father figure for Kalja. He had serious doubts that he could fulfill the same role for anyone else.

He considered himself to be a poor substitute for Tulsar Leidias.

However, the fact of the matter was that after this wedding everyone would likely be going their own separate ways again. He owed it to himself to at least try and spend time with the other people Kalja and Tulsar had designated as family.

He sighed as he entered the Wavecrest’s restaurant. As he did, memories flashed through his mind of Kalja as a young girl running through the corridors of his ship while everyone waited for Tulsar to return from investigating a lead on Sivter. He felt his mouth twitch in a smile at the thought. He and the crew had arranged a game of hide-and-seek with her with Davit supervising. This was before everyone knew better than to try and hide from Kalja.

Of course she had found everyone in record time.

Davit’s ruminations were interrupted as he spied someone at the bar ordering a Corellian whiskey.

Since he had a little time to kill, Davit walked up next to her and spoke. “Good choice. They have a local brand, but nothing beats a good Corellian whiskey.”

He then signaled to the bartender that he’d have the same drink as the woman.

“I’m Davit,” he introduced himself as she turned to face him. She looked vaguely familiar, but Davit could say the same thing for just about everyone who had arrived at the hotel. It wasn’t until he saw the scar on her cheek that something clicked for Davit.

“And you’re Morwenna,” he guessed. “I almost didn’t recognize you with the blonde hair. I think we met briefly at Tulsar’s funeral when Kalja introduced us. I’m guessing we’re both here for the dinner with her. I have to say I’m kind of glad that I’m not the only one who felt like getting a drink before everyone else arrived.”

[TalRaimi]

“I thought it might help smooth the evening ahead,” Morwenna admitted, raising her glass in a toast as the bartender handed Davit his whiskey. “Kalja’s wedding is kind of a big deal, and I’m not used to family gatherings if I’m honest.”

“If it helps, this will be a new experience for me as well,” Davit told her.

“Well then,” Morwenna touched her glass to his, “To new experiences.”

Morwenna took a hefty swig of the whiskey, it was strong and peaty, and a few moments later the burn kicked in bringing a warmth to her face that she could see reflected in Davit’s.

“Definitely better than the local brand,” he said savouring the taste.

Swirling the whiskey in her glass, she watched the tears of liquid slowly sliding back down the sides of the tumbler, before turning her full attention to Davit. He was shorter than she remembered, but perhaps that was simply because she had mostly seen him from a distance when he had been accompanying Tulsar in the past. It was also strange to see him out of uniform, yet even in his civilian clothes, he still projected an air of authority and respect.

“I do remember meeting you at the funeral,” Morwenna told him, “And I’m sorry we didn’t get the chance to talk much. I’m glad to meet you properly. Tulsar spoke highly of you, and often.”

Davit seemed to stiffen for a moment, as if the compliment causes him some discomfort, but as quickly as it had come it was gone. “Thank you,” he managed to say.

“Tell me about him,” Morwenna asked, “Tell me something I don’t know?”

[Halomek]

Davit looked off in the distance as he thought about Morwenna’s question. “What’s there to say?” he mused. “In some ways he was a very simple man, in others... quite complicated. No one knew more about loss than Tulsar. I don’t think there was a single day where he didn’t think about the murder of his wife and son. What made him remarkable was he never let it drag him down into darkness. He used that pain to connect to others and help them heal their trauma even though his own scars never closed.”

He took another drink of his whiskey as he thought about his statement for a moment. “I only know this second-hand from Kalja, but your newest... uh... sister, Elena, probably wouldn’t be here without Tulsar.”

Morwenna raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Oh?”

Davit nodded back. “You might have heard about the massacre on Vorzyd V; when the cult somehow engineered the population to go mad and turn on each other. Elena’s entire family were victims in that massacre and that caused her to go down a dark path. No one could reach her. Not even Kalja. No one - except Tulsar.”

“How did he do it?”

Davit shrugged. “You’ll have to ask Elena for the specifics. All I know was that Tulsar met her while he was deep undercover on Arcanix and he somehow got through to her. That’s his real legacy, I think. It’s not just Kalja, it’s all of you - everyone he’s helped to fight the darkness.”

Morwenna looked into her drink. “I wish I could have known him better, like you do. I never got to train with him like my brother did.”

Davit nodded. “None of us expected him to die so suddenly, but I think you knew everything about him that you needed.”

She abruptly looked up and gave Davit an odd look.

He drew back a bit, slightly confused. “What did I say?”

“It’s nothing... just that Reave said almost the exact same thing to me about Tulsar earlier.”

Davit felt himself smile a bit. “There you go then. The thing about Tulsar was that he went where he felt he was needed. I’m sure if he had any concerns, he would have insisted on watching over you instead of letting you travel with your brother. The fact that you saw so little of him probably meant that he trusted you and Reave to make the right calls out there.” He took another drink. “At least, that's how I see it. I'm hardly fit to follow in his footsteps.”

[TalRaimi]

Morwenna clasped her drink in both hands, almost protectively, and reflected on Davit’s words. It was startling to have heard him echoing Reave, but the more she thought back to her recent conversation with her brother, the more she was able to draw a parallel with what Davit was saying. Kalja made Reave feel comfortable, a part of something, and Reave trusted her judgement regarding the rest of their surrogate family; it was now obvious to Morwenna that those qualities Kalaja possessed had been inherited from her father. She felt a warm feeling settling deep within her, different from the flush of the whiskey, a sense of assuredness that she was on the right path. Tulsar had trusted that she was, and so who was she to doubt his wisdom?

What that path was and where it would take her, she wasn’t quite sure yet, but she now felt that her future would always be entangled with that of Clan Leidias. She resolved then and there to make more of an effort to get to know her family and be part of their lives, and she would have to ask Elena someday about her past as it seemed they shared some things in common.

She brought the glass to her lips and drained the last of the Corellian whiskey. “Two more,” she gestured to the bartender as a thought occurred to her. She turned to Davit, who was silently studying the bar in front of him.

“Given everything you just told me about Tulsar, do you really think you’re unfit to follow in his footsteps? As far as I know, he trusted you more than anyone else. He left the most precious thing in his world to your care, time and time again; Kalja. I think he judged you more than worthy.”

[Halomek]

Davit considered her words. He’d never heard it put quite that way before. What’s more, it was hard to argue against it. “Thank you for saying that. You might have a point... I suppose it never felt like Kalja needed us to look after her, you know?”

He took another drink.

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect to be more than a face in the crowd when I came here, but I’m happy to be wrong and find a connection with someone else.” He gave Morwenna a smile. “Maybe there’s something to this crazy family dynamic after all.”