The Republic has fallen.
In the final days of the Clone Wars, Chancellor Palpatine died under mysterious circumstances. With the Senate struggling to retain a sense of unity, it was the perfect time for the Separatists to strike. And strike they did...
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Lux had always loved the Inland Sea.
As a child, his tutors had always hastened to inform him that it wasn't technically a sea, since the water was potable rather than saline. But the 'Inland Lake' just didn't have the same poetic ring to it, and it bordered on stating the obvious. Besides, it was such a magnificent expanse of water – crystal-blue and fed by so many underground rivers it had its own system of currents and eddies – Lux thought it was entirely deserving of a grand name.
He could stand on his balcony gazing out into the seemingly endless expanse for hours, even if the bluster from the Arrowhead Mountains beyond made him shiver. It was especially magical when the sun was setting and the sky turned golden at its edges. His mother had assigned him rooms angled to the northwest for both the breeze and the view, and even when at her busiest, she'd always found time to come and enjoy them with him.
Lux curled his hands into fists on the railing and squeezed his eyes shut, willing away memories of tracing the beautiful twists and curls of her tattoos – tattoos he would've gotten, too, if he'd lasted more than a year representing Onderon – as they stood watching the sun slip beneath the horizon. He couldn't start missing her. Not now, when it hurt most to remember.
Alynna's voice floated from the room behind him, and the sound of it jarred him back to the present. "You'll get sick, standing out there in the cold like that."
Calmness returned. It was such a simple thing to say, and not even something she'd given her full attention – but its caring intent touched him.
He glanced back to find her still sitting in the chair she'd appropriated before he'd stepped out onto the balcony, engrossed in a news report. He'd offered her full access to the villa's library, but since their arrival two days before she'd asked only for a datapad with a good HoloNet connection to check the newsfeeds.
"That's a superstition best limited to over-worried grandparents," Lux said at last in a gentle retort, walking back into the room.
Alynna shrugged. She didn't acknowledge him by looking up, but he could tell from her voice her focus was more on him now than her broadcasts. "Hey, some viruses thrive in cooler, drier temperatures – and it's nothing like Kyzeron here. How should I know what a Human immune system is able to screen?"
"Next you'll be telling me to put on a sweater."
"Will not. I'm not your mother, nor do I want to be. You're not... oh."
Lux forced himself to smile and meet her gaze, and found a strange blend of pity and empathy in her eyes.
"Forgive me, Master," she said, scrambling to her feet and bowing low. The holographic displays on the discarded datapad morphed into strange shapes as they struck the velvet upholstery. "I meant no offence."
"None of that. There's nothing to forgive. But don't begrudge me the balcony if you can help it, all right? It's... a place of memories." Focus on the good parts, Lux thought, tucking his arms behind his back and standing straight. "I often wish I had a balcony in Kyzeron, but Father insists it's a security risk."
