Hangars

"I'm sure they'd be happy to." *He chuckled.* "If you come across them, tell them 'Satt Aleet' sent you."

"I'll try and remember that for the next time I'm on Tatooine. Hopefully I won't be going there anytime soon. Right Soniee?" *Ellie looked down only to find that the young girl had disappeared. She let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose.* "You know the old saying hindsight is twenty twenty? Well I should have seen this coming."

*Roma followed her mother through the halls, led by her hand. The two of them wore what was called a "dress," both the same design, although hers was a yellow color while her mother's was purple. They "matched," according to Michelle, who'd brought them several clothing items to choose from. Roma wasn't entirely certain why she had to wear them, but she had to admit, the dress felt comfy and, just like the shirt she'd temporarily borrowed from Mina, was fun to twirl around.

Neither of them chose to wear shoes, though. Roma had tried them on and immediately hated them.

They soon arrived in what Mama had told her was the "hangars," and Roma was immediately met by the various noises. They were a bit of an assault on her senses at first, and yet some of them familiar. Soon her sense of frustration was replaced with one of awe when she realized what occupied their surroundings:* "Skybeasts!"

*Mama laughed.* "'Ships,' Roma!"

*Roma released her mother's hand and darted off towards the nearest one.*

"Roma, no! Not that one! Come with me, I'll show you a special one."

*Roma stopped and looked back at her beckoning mother, immediately following after her with an eager grin. The two of them—plus Lokay, perched as always on Mama's shoulder—made their way across the hangar, Roma stealing glances at the "ships" and the people around them. They seemed to be approaching a specific skyb— ship, a red one with what looked like teeth across the front. It was... intimidating, causing her to stop.*

"What's wrong?" *asked Mama.*

"Is it gonna eat me?!"

*Mama laughed and shook her head,* "No! Skybeasts aren't actually alive, remember? They're controlled by people!"

*Despite the reassurances, Roma still wasn't entirely convinced, continuing onward with trepidation. Mama headed for the nose of the ship, reaching up for a keypad. Her finger froze a mere centimeter away and she hesitated, biting her lip uncertainly. She pushed one key, paused again, then slowly input a few more. When something on the ship hissed, she seemed both surprised and relieved, taking a step back as a ramp lowered to the ground.

Roma gulped, unable to shake the notion that this was a "living" skybeast as opposed to the "dead" one out in the jungle, but nevertheless scurried over to her mother's side, taking her hand as the two of them ascended inside. They entered the ship into a moderately-sized room, complete with seats, doors, and a set of buttons and panels that was similar to ones she'd seen inside the "dead" skybeast.

She didn't get much time to investigate, her mother leading her straight down a hallway, past paths branching to either side. There were three doors in each wall, but Mama was focused on the end, where, to Roma's surprise, Laney appeared. Mama released Roma's hand and ran towards Laney, embracing her again.*

"Back where you belong!" *Laney said.

A red, horned face peeked around the corner.* "It's really you!" *it exclaimed in a deep voice, grinning as the rest of his somewhat-bulky body appeared in the hall.

Laney released Mama, turning and pushing him backwards with one hand.* "Nope! Let her through!"

"Hey! Oh. Right."

*He turned and disappeared from where he came, along with Laney, Mama eagerly jogging after them. Not wanting to be left behind, Roma darted after her, entering into a room larger than the first. This one had larger doors to either side, and smaller ones on the walls behind her. Cushioned seats occupied the far wall, with a square table in the center. One corner housed what looked like cooking amenities, while the other had a round table with a second, similarly-rounded couch around it.

Standing near the seats were two more people: A white-haired man with some kind of device covering his eyes, and a green-skinned woman with what appeared to be flowers for hair. Roma's jaw dropped slightly at the sight, watching as she and the man approached Mama, who'd just been hugging the horned man.*

"I'm so glad you're back!" *said the flower-haired woman, likewise hugging her.

When she released the embrace, the white-haired man approached Mama and smiled.* "It's so good to see you again, Morgan."

"Niam, just hug me, dammit!" *Mama replied, throwing herself at the man, who yelped and returned the hug with a laugh.

By now, the flower-haired woman had approached Roma, crouching down and smiling at her.* "So you must be Roma! You're a little cutie. I'm Sylvie. It's most excellent to meet you!"

"I thought you said she caught up with modern Basic?" *Mama said to Laney.*

"Oi!" *Sylvie gave a mock-glare at Mama, giving Roma a better view of the vine-like nature of her "hair," along with the many flowers attached. When Sylvie looked back at her, she noticed her curiosity and smiled.* "I'm a Sylphe. Think of me like... a plant that looks like a human."

"Whoa..." *whispered Roma, reaching up for one of the blossoms—*

"Roma! Don't touch without asking!"

*Mama's correction caused her hand to quickly retreat to her side, but Sylvie only laughed.* "You can touch! Just be gentle. Wouldn't want someone pulling on your hair, would you?"

"Mama pulled on mine..."

"She what?"

*She again mock-glared at Mama, who raised her hands defensively.* "I was straightening and brushing it! Living in the jungle for years does numbers on your hair!"

"Oh, never mind her, go on, Roma."

*Sylvie smiled at her again, encouraging Roma to reach up and gently cup one of the flowers in her hand. She was amazed at how it looked and felt just like a real flower, gently turning it side to side to examine it more fully.*

"Pretty, isn't it?" *Sylvie asked.

Roma nodded.* "Yeah..."

"Who's her dad?" *asked the horned man, sounding almost possessive in a way.

Sylvie stood, the flower slipping free of Roma's fingers.* "Koda, you can't just ask that!"

"She knows," *said Mama. Hesitating before smiling, she nodded at Roma.* "You tell them."

*Roma grinned.* "His name is 'Jerren,' and he's a researcher! Mama helped him, and then they made me!"

*The three women laughed gleefully, with Laney saying,* "You're a precocious one!"

*Roma frowned and tilted her head.* "'Precocious'?"

"Means you're smart for your age," *Mama explained.*

"Oh. Wait, don't everybody know that?"

*A grimace briefly flashed across Mama's face.* "It's complicated." *Quickly shifting her attention to the other adults, she headed towards the couch while adding,* "So come on! Tell me everything that's happened!"

"That'll take some time, but we can give you the highlights," *said Niam, he and the rest of the group taking seats.*

"Oh, fine. Did we name the damn ship yet?" *Mama asked, pulling Roma up onto her lap.

Laney smirked.* "The Naked Dragon."

"Really?! You took my suggestion seriously?"

*Niam nodded.* "We all agreed after you left."

*Mama didn't answer, just looked around at all the others present with an emotional smile.*

"Why'd you leave anyway?" *Koda asked.

Stroking Roma's hair, Mama answered,* "I got scared, and out there I just... wanted to stay. Kept feeling like it was always too late to turn back." *She sighed.* "Wonder how many times I'll have to explain this..."

*Koda grimaced.* "S-sorry, didn't mean to—"

*Mama shook her head.* "Not your fault! You're my closest friends and deserve to know, it's just... oh gods I'm gonna have to explain myself a lot..."

*Laney, sitting beside her, pulled her into an embrace, massaging her back.* "There there, what matters is you're back now."

*Sylvie grinned.* "She missed you the most."

*Mama smiled at Laney.* "Of course you did..."

*Laney smirked.* "Bedroom's still ours."

*Mama laughed, glancing down at Roma.* "Later. For sure."

*Roma sat and listened to the group tell stories about what happened while Mama was away. A lot of it went over her head, and she didn't hesitate to speak up and ask for explanations. Even these explanations weren't always helpful; this new world was way too complex. Mama at least seemed to be happy, eliciting a smile from Roma. She just wished she better understood the adventures Mama's friends had, as well as those before she had left. She was excited at an offered prospect to take the ship "for a spin," only to be disappointed when Mama declined for the time being.

Eventually, Mama sighed and patted Roma.* "Well, I still haven't seen everyone yet. I'd love to stay longer but—"

"Go," *said Niam.* "We'll still be here."

*Mama smiled and nodded.* "I'll be back soon." *She smirked at Laney.* "Especially for you."

"Oh, don't get my hopes up," *Laney replied with her own smirk.

Mama bid them farewell, Roma waving and saying bye also. They then left the way they came in, Mama stopping long enough to retract the ramp back into the ship.*

"Mama, did you live on that ship?"

"No— Well, kind of. We all had bedrooms in there, and sometimes we'd sleep there instead of our rooms in the Base." *Mama paused, seemed on the verge of correcting something, then shook her head.* "But it was just for fun sometimes. And we'd sleep in them when we traveled to other worlds, of course."

"I wanna go to other worlds!"

"We'll do it! But you've gotta get used to this one first."

*Roma giggled.* "But Mama, I've lived on it my whole life!"

*Mama laughed.* "Okay you little smartass! But I meant life here at the temple!"

*Roma giggled again, fully aware of what she had meant.*

*He returned her bow, saying,* "Only happy to serve." *As she departed, he called after her.* "If she went into the jungle, she should be fine as long as she doesn't get too far; the more hostile wildlife are kept away from the temple grounds." *As she left, his eyes turned to find Morgan and Roma not too far away, having left Morgan's ship. He smiled and, after asking the younglings to wait a moment, approached them. Morgan noticed him and also smiled, diverting her path towards him.*

"Everything go okay?" *he asked, coming to a stop before them.

Morgan nodded.* "It went great! Dad it's... it's so good to be home again."

*Her joy was genuine, but the guilt still lingered beneath the surface. Fatherly instincts taking over, he gently pulled her into an embrace, one she instantly returned.* "Let the past go," *he said.* "No use worrying about it, you're here now. And it's good to have you home." *He looked down, noticing that Roma had joined the embrace and was grinning up at him. He grinned back, including her in the hug.*

"I know," Morgan replied.* "I just... I know."

*He released her, still smiling at her, before glancing around the hangar.* "So what do you think of the temple so far, anyway?"

"It's wonderful. It's so much nicer than the old base. It's just... well, I don't know where anything is yet."

*He nodded.* "The base still stands, ya know. Nothing stopping you from taking a visit there sometime, even if it's reverted to being a military complex by now."

*She shook her head.* "Maybe some other time. All the people that made it home are here now anyway."

"Need me to point you somewhere?"

*Shaking her head again, she tapped the datapad on her waist.* "Got a map, I'm good."

*He recognized it immediately as her old datapad, the one she'd left behind all those years ago. It was an odd sense of nostalgia, if only because the Morgan he was used to seeing with it was much smaller. Nodding again, he said,* "Well, explore to your heart's content. Unfortunately I've got other business, but I should see you later tonight."

*Also nodding, she replied,* "Okay, later Dad!"

"Bye, Grandfather!" *said Roma.

They exchanged waves before departing, Aerandir smiling at the child. She'd taken to him quickly, though he had to admit the moniker "grandfather" made him feel older than he was. It also sounded too... impersonal, but he could worry about that later. Sighing, he resumed his business persona and returned to the children Ellie had delivered, ready to give them a more proper welcome to their new home.*

*A rather unusual visit indeed, not the sort Aerandir was used to. He stood at attention, along with a handful of Temple guards, as the speeder approached and its passengers disembarked. He strode forward to meet with them, eyes looking over their captive as he listened to the captain, absorbing the information both written and verbal. The individual's supposed identity was only vaguely familiar to him; he did his best to know the personnel of the Jedi Order, but, Grand Master or no, he was only human.

It seemed to him that the matter of proving the captive's identity would be simple, but he only nodded and said,* "Very well, follow me," *before turning and leading the way to the Council Chambers.*

*Aerandir entered the hangar, flanked by a pair of Temple Guards. The craft was an... interesting choice for a Mandalorian vessel, but he paid it little mind. What was unmistakable, however, was the appearance of the Mand'alor herself. The Mandalorians were... often loose cannons, to say the least, but Aerandir could at least say he'd had more good experiences with them than bad.

Thus far, anyhow.

His eyes were, of course, drawn to the cargo behind them, but he sensed no danger from them. Quite the opposite in fact; the sensation he perceived was familiarity. He squinted at the crates, tapping into the Force for a bit of visual aid. Familiarity was accurate: They were filled with, of all things, holocrons and lightsabers. Immediately he got the feeling this entire thing was diplomatic, but he only continued his approach and stopped a few feet from the Mandalorian, giving a short bow.* "Welcome to our Temple, Mandalore the Bureaucrat."

*Now that he said the name aloud, it didn't help his suspicions of intended diplomacy.

Ignoring that, he asked,* "What brings you to Felucia?"