"That Which Lies In Wait"

[Mei]

"That Which Lies In Wait"

Ningjing zhi Guang
Bluedark Estate
Yavin IV
 
Mei’li Bluedark’s personal starship, the Ningjing zhi Guang, made a soft, easy landing onto the estate’s platform. The H-type Nubian yacht glistened in the afternoon light. She was a beautiful ship, hardly a scratch on her, and an engine so quiet it had to be equipped with stealth technology. Hers was a ship of luxury and ease, not of combat and war.
 
She looked out the window as she shut the ship down and saw her beautiful half-human, half-Sith pureblood children. Her son, Wei’misini, was running across the grounds. He was in need of a haircut, Mei thought, but didn’t care. He was dressed in his ‘warrior clothing’, which mean he had probably been on the opposite wing of the estate with his father.
 
Behind Wei, far behind him, she saw her mother, Sihnon, and her little girl, Sartori’li. Sartori was in a pretty white dress with pink and yellow flowers stitched onto the fabric. Her hair was in pigtails, tied by pretty yellow ribbons. She was covering her ears with her hands, as even the soft vibrations of the Ningjing were too much for her sensitivity.
 
Mei felt content as she looked across the state. Finally, she was home. Her heart felt mended.
 
She laughed when she saw Wei jumping just outside the ship, and she gave him a wave before she hit the release to lower the ramp. She rushed out of the cockpit, off the ship and knelt down just as her son reached her and hugged her. She held him tightly, and wished to remain here for eternity.
 
“My little warrior,” she laughed and kissed him all over his face despite his scrunched expression
 
“Mom…” Wei whined and wiped his face from his mother’s kisses.
 
“How have you been?” she looked her son over as if it had been years since she had seen him, though it had only been a few months.  He looked bigger. Her heart cried a little as she realised he was growing bigger without her there. He looked stronger too.
 
“I’ve been watching dad and his men. I’m just about ready to fight too,” the six year old boy assured his mother.
 
Mei beamed at him. “That’s wonderful, my little warrior,” and she brought him into her arms again. She looked up as her mother and Sartori came up.
 
Sartori looked thinner than she remembered, and her crimson skin was less vibrant than her twin brother’s. The difference was especially noticeable when they two siblings stood side by side. Soft bandages were wrapped around her wrists, more for support than for an external wound. And in her hands was a small, stuffed, nerf toy.
 
“Mommy,” Sartori giggled and shifted her tiny feet in anticipation. She looked up at her grandmother, whose hand she was still holding  and her grin widened.

Sihnon let go of her granddaughter's hand and carefully assisted her forward, towards Mei’li. Wei moved away from his mother and let his sister by. He watched her carefully as she moved across the uneven stone, as if waiting to catch her should she lose her balance.
 
“My sweet angel,” Mei said softly, opening her arms to her little girl. Carefully, softly, she brought her fragile daughter into her arms. She wanted to squeeze her tightly, pour her heart into her embrace, but even the slightest touch would cause the girl discomfort.
 
Sartori’li rested her head on her mother’s shoulder, the toy nerf dangling from her hand as she closed her eyes and smiled. Her mother’s presence made the galaxy seem at peace and all she could think about was catching butterflies on the lawn. “I’ve missed you, mommy,” her words came out in a happy laugh.
 
“Oh my sweet,” Mei sighed, content. She pulled away to look at her little girl. “And how are you? I’ve missed you so much,” she looked to Wei. “Both of you so much,” oh please don’t cry!, she thought and her smile seemed to brighten the day.
 
“We planted millaflowers,” Sartori told her, nodding her head. “From Naboo.”
 
Mei could cry she was so happy and looked up at her mother.
 
Sihnon stepped forward, the older woman almost a spitting image of Mei. Graceful, refined. Her hair was a dark grey though, and her eyes were a gentle blue, not the vibrant emerald color Mei had inherited from her father. But still, the two were images of their past and future.
 
“I brought seeds from my last visit to Naboo,” Sihnon explained. “I thought the millaflowers might help… in some way.”
 
Wei made a face. He wasn’t much for flowers and pretty things. He wanted to go play in the dirt and spar with the trees and plantlife. Maybe even chase a small wild animal or two. He started to fidget.
 
Mei smiled at him. “You can go run along, Wei. But be sure to clean up for supper,” she nodded firmly.
 
“Okay,” he tried to be reluctant, then quickly ran to give his mother another hug before sprinting down the pathway towards the temple that had been made into their home.
 
“I love the flowers,” Sartori said, grabbing onto her mother’s hand as she stood. She looked up as her mother hugged her grandmother and just smiled.
 
“Thank you, mom,” Mei said softly and kissed her mother’s cheek.
 
“My pleasure,” Sihnon assured her and linked her arms around her daughter’s as they walked. “How long are you here for?”
 
Mei’li sighed. “Standard week before I have to report back,” she wished she could stay here forever, but she was need. She felt Sartori swing their hands lightly as the little girl hummed. Mei looked down and smiled. “Things are coming along nicely at the theatre. It’s going to be beautiful when it’s completed.”
 
“Can I see it too?” Sartori asked, her eyes fixing on her mother.
 
“Of course, my sweet,” Mei assured her, though she wasn’t certain the girl would find comfort in the travel. They had been to Dromund Kaas previously, and the strain left her fatigued, and she fell sicker than when they left. But one way or another she would let her daughter see a theatre performance… even if that meant she brought the show here to Yavin IV.
 
“And what of Ke’rii? Keiko?” Sihnon knew of her son’s recent bounty troubles.
 
“Well he got there safely,” Mei assured her, but her tone told the other the drama wasn’t over.

“Is Uncle Ke-ke coming here?” Sartori asked as they went up the stairs. Their pace slowed to match Sartori’s as she struggled with each step to lift her tiny figure to the next.
 
Mei’li smiled. “Not this trip, sweetheart.”
 
Sartori pouted. “I miss him too,” she mumbled and hugged her toy to her chest.
 
Mei’li stopped and knelt down to come face to face with her little girl. Sartori’s face lit up into a smile. Mei felt her daughter’s love and happiness. Her spirit was so vibrant, but even still… she could sense the Black Death deep within her.
 
“My sweet, why don’t you go into the library and pick out story for us to read,” Mei needed to talk without the ears of a child. “Would you like that?”
 
Her daughter gasped and her face brightened. A bit more color seemed to appear on her as she nodded. “Oh yes, oh yes! I would love that so much, mommy,” and she went to hug her and winced as her embrace was a little too tight.
 
Mei closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around her, resting her hand on the back of Sartori’s head. The Force seeped out of her, transferring to her daughter to sooth her discomfort. The two pulled away and Mei nodded for her daughter to go.
 
“I will be right there, little one,” she assured her.
 
Sartori nodded and slowly turned to leave. Her eyes fell to the ground as she walked. Not out of sorrow or woe, but to ensure her security as she headed down the stairs into the library.
 
Mei’li stood, watching her daughter disappear from view before turning to her mother.
 
“Ke has gotten himself trapped at the Dancer’s Palace with a bounty hunter,” Mei said bluntly. She was tired of it. She was tired of her brother never getting a break. Dammit, he was on his way up and then this.
 
“Try not to be upset, Mei’li,” Sihnon assured her, placing a gentle hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “I’m sure he has a plan, and if he doesn’t yet, he will.”
 
“Nic had him get the Empire involved,” she sighed. “So that’s good, right?”
 
Sihnon nodded and once again linked her arm in Mei’s, leading her to the living room.
 
Mei could feel what her mother wanted to talk about .”How is Sar? Why are there bandages?”
 
The two women sat down on the couch next to the fireplace. Sihnon turned to face her. “She had a recent episode,” the woman explained carefully. “Nothing we weren’t able to maintain, but she… she is still a little girl who wants to play outside in the sun. She got a small burn.”
 
Mei sighed and felt tears sting her eyes. “She needs to be covered when she has an episode. She needs to stay insi--” she covered her face with her hands and let herself cry for a moment. “She’s just a little girl.”
 
Sihnon rubbed her back. “Shh…” she soothed. “How is the research coming on Iokath,” she hoped the topic would bring comforting news.
 
Mei sighed heavily and shook her head before looking up at her mother. “It’s all…” she really couldn’t discuss it and sighed again. “It’s all technology, but there is nothing there that I think will help her. No new medicines or plant life or… it’s… it--” she sighed again. “I don’t think that there is anything on the sphere that can help her.”
 
Sihnon continued to rub her daughter’s back. “Don’t give up hope, Mei’li. Maybe there is something there. Sometimes we become so consumed that we are blind to what might be in front of us. Maybe it is buried deep in this technology.”
 
“It’s hardly a priority to the Empire,” her words came out angry. “I went there for her and I feel like it is just taking her away from me.”
 
The elderly woman watched her for a moment. “Have you spoken to anyone how you feel?”
 
Mei just shook her head.
 
“Not even your brother?”
 
Again, her head shook. “I bury myself in my work. It’s the only way I can cope and then I start to feel that I lose sight of why I’m there. It’s mixed. It’s for the Empire, first and foremost, but to me it is about Sartori and I just… I feel so helpless, mom.” she looked at her mother. “Everyone is so ‘yes, sir’, ‘for the Empire’, ‘let’s crush those Pubs’, and I get it, I do, but… I… I don’t know. Maybe it is me. Maybe I’m just not cut out for war--I know I’m not.”
 
Mei’li fell silence as she felt Kaatulf. He had a way of imposing feelings on her and she felt herself calm. He believed in her. Her eyes closed and she drew in a slow breath.
 
Sihnon watched, knowing. She, herself, had been married to a man strong in the Force. And like Kaatulf, her husband had the ability to impress feelings on her, call to her… one didn’t need the Force to feel the other when there was love.
 
“There may be hope…” Mei said softly, her eyes opening. “But I just don’t know how to get there…” she thought of her meeting with Minnette and Se’brik at the Roze Garden while she was on Nar Shaddaa. Perhaps there was someone, but how could she possibly get Sartori all the way to the outer rim?
 
Mei sighed softly, and looked at her mother. “She found a book,” she said and slowly went to the library.