𝕃𝕖𝕘𝕒𝕔𝕪 - 𝔸 𝕊𝕋𝔸ℝ𝕎𝔸ℝ𝕊 𝕊𝕋𝕆ℝ𝕐

26 - MOTHER MOON

(Song: O Children - Nick Cave)

Mae and Caleb landed the ship inside a waterfall in the outskirts of Naboo. They couldn't risk anyone finding them or their ship.

"Let's go find my mother. She can keep us hidden while we find out where the location of the Palpatine's factory is." Mae and Caleb put on the hood of their cloaks to cover their faces more.

"Good plan. Maybe we can get some dry clothes too." Caleb asked. "Where is Mara?"

"Let's check my home. If she's not there, then we might have a slight problem."

"What do you mean problem?"

"I'm sure she would be in Theed, with the Queen. She is a part of the Royal security." Theed was the capital of Naboo. The busiest and the city most infected with the New Order.

"Oh, man."

They walked through the beautiful green fields to Mae's village home. She felt at peace in the warm sun of Naboo. It felt like forever since she had been home.

"I was born here and lived here in Naboo for 12 years, you know." Mae stops at an old cottage-style house with little flowers growing around it.

"Convenient, you might die here too." Caleb jokes a little. She scoffs and shakes her head. Instead of getting mad, she plays along.

"I'd prefer not to. I've tried it before, and you really lose track of time. Personally, I give it a 1-star rating." She says with a serious tone.

"I hate you."

They smile and Caleb pushes on her lower back to move her a little towards the door.

She looks at the brown door and suddenly it hits her that she's seeing her mother. Her feet move slower, almost pushing against his hand.

Caleb looks down at her feeling the weight against his hand. "Mae? Are you alright? It's just your mum." Her face drops as he takes the initiative to knock on it.

Vader's apprentice.

When Mara opened the door, her eyes practically bugged out of her head. She grabbed both their arms and pulled them into the house. Then she locked the door and ran to the window and closed the blinds. She runs back and practically jumps on Mae. Her bouncing red curls suffocate and her arms pull her into a hug so tight, Mae might die for real this time. "I knew it. I knew it. Oh, Mae flower. I knew you weren't dead. A mother knows." A tear falls from her eye.

"Hi, mum," Mae says. Oh, how she missed her mum. It had been nearly 2 years since she had seen her but it felt like longer.

Mara pushed the hair out of her face and felt it in her hands. "It's so blonde now... I don't know if I like it."

"Thanks. I didn't really get a choice." Mae says sarcastically and laughs.

Mara steps away from Mae and gives Caleb a surprise hug too. His eyes widen when she squeezes him tightly. "I knew you would find her and keep her safe for me, you've always looked out for her."

He gives her a small hug back and jokes, "I think she's actually the one keeping me safe."

She laughs and releases him, tapping his shoulder, "Yeah, that's probably true." His face drops when he realizes she wasn't kidding. She whips her head around back to Mae. "What do you need and how can I help?"

"It's a long story, but we need to find the location of a secret place that Palpatine used for cloning and other medical research here on Naboo," Mae tells her mother.

"Well, I can tell you that if it was on this planet, I would know. We took down anything to do with Palpatine after the fall of the Empire. There's no way something was left standing." Mara says unfazed.