AKwxlady Obi Wans Daughter Part three Chapter three

Ki’tia awoke the next morning to the smell of warm bread and spicy tea. When she opened her eyes there was a Twi’lek woman at her door with a tray.

“Good morning,” she said, “I’m Laseema. I brought you some rolls and shig. Kal’buir said you’d likely be famished. May I come in?”

“Of course, come in,” Ki’tia sat up in bed. Laseema put the tray on the bed next to her. “I’m Ki’tia. Thank you for the food. It smells wonderful. I didn’t know there were any women here. I only saw men last night.”

“Oh, they sent the rest of us away,” Laseema replied. “Seems they thought you were dangerous.” She smiled as she looked Ki’tia over. “You don’t look very dangerous to me. I don’t see what all the fuss was about. Now, eat up! I understand you are eating for two.” Laseema smiled again and patted her beautiful dancer’s belly. “The ‘fresher’s just down the hall. I’ll be back in a little bit with something else for you to wear. You’re not showing yet are you?”

“Oh, no,” Ki’tia answered. “I’m only a few days pregnant.”

“Well, we do have a ways to go,” Laseema looked Ki’tia over once more and then closed the door.

The rolls were warm and delicious and the tea spicy and hot. They seem to speak a different language around here. Laseema called the tea something else. She would have to pay attention and try to learn what they were saying. Laseema returned with a towel and some clothes for her. Ki’tia showered and changed, then she ventured out into the house. She was surprised there was no one guarding her. She found the large round room with the fire burning in the center. It looked much as it had the night before. Then a group of small children ran through the room followed closely by a man who looked very much like those she’d met last night, but was not one of them. His presence in the Force was quite different from those other men.

“Hi,” he stopped chasing after the children. “You must be Ki’tia, and I’ll bet you’re lost. I’m Fi, I’d help you, but I’m on toddler duty and they’re getting away from me. Someone will be in to find you shortly.” He smiled at her, then turned to run after the group of children. “You can’t get away from me, you little…” and he was gone after his charges.

“Good morning, Ki’tia,” Kal said walking into the room with a mug a caf. “How did you sleep?”

“Very well, Master Skirata,” she replied. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Just Kal, please, Ki’tia. There is no need to be formal here.” He told her. “I heard you met Fi and saw some of the children.”

“Some of the children? How many people live in this house?” Ki’tia asked.

“Between 35 and 45 depending on how many are staying here and how many are at the Beach House, or at Kyrimorut,” Kal answered.

“And you sent them all away because of me?” she looked puzzled.

“You were an unknown,” Kal replied. “I could not risk my family’s safety until I had assessed your possible threats.” He looked at her with cold eyes. “And, neutralized them if necessary.” Another older man walked into the room and stood next to Kal. He was taller and distinguished looking. “Allow me to introduce my friend, Walon Vau.”

“Charmed, Miss Ki’tia,” Walon reached for her hand and she gave it to him. In a swift move he brought her arm up tightly behind her back with one hand, and brought a knife to her neck with the other hand. He spoke into her ear with a smooth, polished voice. “It was my man Kerrithrarr rescued on Kashyyyk and I am indebted to him for that, but not to the extent of risking the lives of our families. You are welcome here, my dear, as long as your presence does not jeopardize the safety and security we have built for those we love.”

Kal had also pulled a knife. It had a three sided blade that came to a point, and he was holding it to her chest. “Mind what you do here, woman,” he threatened. “If your actions put my family at risk I will gut you, and I won’t care if that baby is a day from delivery when I do. Do I make myself clear?”

Ki’tia was still held by Walon’s grip on her arm and knife at her neck. She swallowed carefully and whispered, “Yes, sir.” Kal withdrew his knife. Walon likewise removed his knife, spun Ki’tia around by the hand he still held. He raised it and gently kissed the back of her hand.

“I must say,” Walon looked into her face and smiled. “You do have your father’s eyes. Although, Kal, I never saw Kenobi’s looking quite that terrified. I do believe we’ve scared the girl.” He still held her hand. She pulled and he released it. Ki’tia bolted from the room. She ran to the refresher and threw up.

Ki’tia spent the rest of the day in her room. No one came for her. No one brought her food. She thought about running, but there was nowhere to go. Kal Skirata controlled the whole planet and the ships that traveled to and from it. She was trapped here.

The next morning she found the kitchen on her own. With 45 people living in this house, they must need help preparing the meals, or at least cleaning up. She walked into the largest kitchen she had ever seen, except for the one on the starliner. It was easy to see there was work to be done. There were clean dishes that needed to be stored. She used the Force to help her locate their places. Then all she had to do was listen to the wishes of the women who seemed to be in charge and she kept herself busy. When the meal was ready, they took the prepared food into a huge dining room and placed it on a massive table. Ki’tia retreated back to the kitchen and ate some porridge.

“How’s Ki’tia doing this morning?” Kal asked Laseema at the breakfast table.

“She just showed up this morning and started working,” Laseema said. “It’s been amazing. She’s just worked. She never asked any questions, never needed any directions, just jumped right in, as if she’d been here for months.”

“Where is she now?” he asked looking around the table.

“She must still be in the kitchen,” Laseema answered. “I guess she didn’t know to come out here to eat. Would you like me to go get her, Kal’buir?”

“No, I’ll go,” he said. Kal headed into the kitchen just in time to see Ki’tia dash out the back door to the gardens. He stuck his head out the door and called, “Ki’tia, why don’t you come sit at the family table for breakfast.” He listened, but didn’t hear any reply. “Ki’tia.” He didn’t see her, so he went back into his breakfast.

Ki’tia returned to the kitchen when breakfast was over. She started helping with the cleanup. “Ki’tia,” Laseema said to her, “you should have come out to the family table to have breakfast with us. Didn’t you hear Kal’buir calling for you?”

“I was in the garden,” she answered. “I had already finished my breakfast when he came for me.”

“Well, lunch is more informal,” Laseema told her. “We put out food and people come to take what they want, but be sure you are here for the dinner meal.”

“I will certainly help with dinner,” Ki’tia said and she darted out of the kitchen. She spent the remainder of the morning watching the children playing in the yard. She hadn’t met the two adults who were on toddler patrol that day, but the man was obviously another clone and the woman his wife. There were so many children. The youngest seemed to be about a year old and there were many up through the teenage years helping with the younger children.

Ki’tia was there to help with the preparations for dinner. She helped clean up after the chef’s and set the massive table. The amount of food was incredible. Laseema was a wonder. She really knew how to manage a kitchen, and her husband, Atin, along with several of their children came in to help get the food to the big table. Laseema explained that her children were all adopted, she and Atin were not genetically compatible. From what Ki’tia was beginning to understand, adoption was quite common. It was not unusual for clones to have a mixture of natural born children and adopted children. When the table was full and everyone gathering, Ki’tia, again, ate her meal in the kitchen. She started cleaning the kitchen while the others were eating.

“Where is Ki’tia?” Kal asked, looking around the dinner table.

“She’s probably still in the kitchen, Kal’buir,” replied Laseema. “I’ll go get her.”

“No,” Atin said. “I’ll get her.”

When Ki’tia sensed Atin coming into the kitchen, she ran through the garden and out toward the lake. “Ki’tia,” he called to her, “we want you to come have dinner with us.” Atin’s hearing was better than average and he could hear her running toward the lake. He took off in pursuit. He heard she could climb, but they were on relatively flat ground, as long as she didn’t make it to the trees he had the advantage. It was growing dark, and Atin was gaining on her. “Ki’tia, stop! Don’t make me catch you, because I can and it won’t go well with Papa Kal.” She stopped. He walked up to her and took her by the arm. When they got to the house, she turned aside and threw up.

Atin returned to the dinner table without Ki’tia. “Where is she, son?” asked Kal.

“I took her to her room, Buir,” he answered. “She’s not feeling well.”

“Do you think we should get Mij up here?” Kal looked concerned.

“I don’t know, Kal’buir,” Atin replied. “Pregnant women are not my specialty.” He smiled at Laseema. They had both wanted to have children, but were now just as happy with the five they had adopted, the youngest of whom, Walon was just three years old, was sitting on his mother’s lap eating dinner.

After dinner Kal went to talk with Ki’tia. He knocked on her door. “Ki’tia, may I come in? It’s Kal.”

“Of course you may, sir,” Ki’tia answered. She was sitting on her bed. Kal came in and sat on the chair in the room.

“Why did you answer my like that?” Kal asked. “As if it was my right to enter your room.”

“This is your house, sir,” she answered. “You may enter any room you like. The troopers that guarded me on the Admonitor buzzed to let me know they were opening my door, and then they just entered. They never gave me the opportunity to say whether or not I was ready for them. It’s nice not to have a guard at my door and to be asked if I want someone’s company.” Kal shook his head, understanding more of what Jusik had told Jaing he had seen in Ki’tia’s mind.

“How are you feeling?” Kal asked. “Are you well?”

“I am well, sir,” she replied. She looked pale.

“Atin said you threw up, was that due to the pregnancy? Do you need to see the doctor?” Kal looked concerned for her.

“It was not due to the pregnancy, sir.” Ki’tia looked uncomfortable.

“What caused you to be sick?” Kal demanded.

Ki’tia hesitated. “Fear of you, sir.”

That took Kal aback. “Fear of me? Is that why you have been avoiding the family meals?” Ki’tia nodded her head. “I scared you that much?” Ki’tia hung her head. “Girl?”

Ki’tia took a deep breath to give herself strength, then looked up at Kal. “I know if I had stayed with Thrawn, he would have taken the embryo from my body. You can’t raise a Force sensitive baby outside of the mother. There are certain bonds between the mother and fetus that need to form for the baby’s mind to develop correctly.” She paused, to see if he understood. “I know your clone sons are wonderful, but I could not do that to a baby of mine. So I believe my decision to leave was the correct one. Yet, here I am, in a place where I feel my life is in constant danger.” There was suddenly pleading in her face. “I know if I can just deliver this baby, someone here will adopt him. There are so many loving parents in your family. Then you may do whatever you like to me.” The pleading turned to resignation and she lowered her eyes. “But, yes you scare me. You scare me because I don’t think I’m going to live long enough here, for my baby to survive, and that’s more important to me than anything.” Ki’tia gazed imploringly into Kal’s face.

“You said ‘him’ do you know it is a boy?” Kal asked.

“Yes, my baby is a boy,” she hesitated, then decided to be totally honest. “And he will be strong in the Force, and he will look more like his father’s species than human.”

Kal rubbed his chin for a moment. “We have other Force user children in our family, and Mandalorians are not ones to care about species,” Kal assured her. “Let me tell you why I’m so tense about strangers. About sixteen years ago a stranger was brought into our family at Kyrimorut on Mandalor. She befriended my wife, Ny and Ordo’s wife, Besany. We don’t speak the woman’s name in the family anymore. It is a source of rage. This woman betrayed us. She convinced Ny and Besany to take eleven of the clan children into Keldabe for a day of fun. They were ambushed along the way by the Death Watch. An ambush she orchestrated. None survived.” Ki’tia covered her mouth with her hands to hide her gasp. “It was then that we decided to move part of our family to this planet, to keep them safe from the chaos on Mandalore.”

“Oh, Kal,” Ki’tia was practically in tears. “No wonder you don’t trust strangers. I’m so very sorry.” She reached out and took his hands in hers. Kal looked into Ki’tia’s tear filled eyes and his own tears started to flow. The old man and the young woman hugged and cried on each other’s shoulders, each feeling sorrow for the other and for them self. When the tears finally stopped they wiped them from their faces.

“Would you like some uj cake?” Kal asked. “It’s very good, sweet and sticky.” He smiled.

“That sounds wonderful, Kal.” Ki’tia returned the smile.

“Will you join us for meals at the family table?” he asked. “It is tradition.”

“I would be honored,” Ki’tia took Kal’s arm and they headed for the kitchen and promised delight of uj cake.

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