Woman without a Country

"Why Onderon?" asked Kreia curiously.
Ludmilla shrugged. "Why not?"
"Isn't there some guy from the Council hiding out there?" Atton asked. He set another bowl of cream in front of Mira for her berries and started peeling another fruit for Visas.
"Kavar," said Ludmilla shortly. "The one who lost his job as leader of the Republic forces to Revan."
Bao-Dur laughed into his cider.
"Atton, why aren't you wearing any clothes?" asked Mira. "I've been meaning to ask you that for the last hour."
Atton laughed, and handed Visas a plate of fresh fruit. He was wearing the silk wrap again, because he had discovered that it annoyed Mira as well as Bao-Dur when he did, and had the added bonus of attracting Ludmilla's hands.
"Just ignore him, Mira," sighed Ludmilla. She was wearing a shirt and shorts, in deference to Kreia's icy glare when she had originally tried to come to the table in a towel.
"Oh, yeah," Atton remembered, "T3 wanted to show you something. I think he found more parts for that broken droid in the storage room."
"Really? He didn't mention it. That's odd."
"Everything about that droid is odd," said Mira.
"Who? T3?" Atton looked at her in confusion.
"He cheats at Pazaak and he tried to get me to take off my shirt!"
Ludmilla and Bao-Dur both almost choked on their drinks.
"Why?" asked Atton. "You're half-naked as it is."
"Oh, like you should talk!" snapped Mira.
Ludmilla laughed and went to go find T3. "Oh, there you are," she greeted the little droid. He was working on the shields with Bao-Dur's Remote, and Goto was working on the weapon systems. "I hear you found some parts."
T3 beeped excitedly, and drove over to the storage room, Ludmilla following. She took the parts from him, and started examining them.
"You know, T3, there's something I've been meaning to ask you." She put the parts down again and looked at the little droid.
T3 clicked in question.
"How did you even get here? I mean, with the ship. And Kreia. Did she find you? Or did you find her?"
T3 whistled uncertainly.
"Oh come on, you can tell me."
The droid clicked and whistled.
"You're dodging the question. Don't give me that, you know perfectly well what I mean."
T3 whistled a suggestion.
"Really? Okay, then, play the message."
A small hologram appeared of a handsome man in the uniform of a Republic Admiral. From his looks, he had spent most of his life in hyperspace – he looked far too young to be an Admiral.
"T3," the hologram spoke in a rich, deep voice, "she's going to leave. She's got that look in her eyes, and she won't tell me what she's planning. I know it will be dangerous. She's given me a mission, and I can't turn my back on it. But there's a chance she'll take you with her. If she does, I need you to watch over her. She's strong, T3, but she can't do everything alone. If something goes wrong, come back here and get help. There will be other Jedi who can help, or me, or any of our friends. Just… I can't lose her, T3. Even if she wants to be lost."
Ludmilla frowned. "Who was that, T3? Why was he giving you orders?"
The droid beeped happily.
"A friend. That's remarkably non-specific. Who was he talking about?"
T3 beeped again.
"Another friend. Don't your friends have names, T3?"
T3 spun in a circle and whistled.
"Well, if they're important secrets, I guess you should keep them. It's just…." her voice trailed off as she thought it over. Although capable of a great deal of independence, even T3 couldn't go against his programming. So was he still trying to help his missing friend? Why had the man directed T3 to a Jedi first, rather than the Republic? "You know, all that still doesn't tell me where the Ebon Hawk came from, T3."
T3 zipped away without answering.
Ludmilla shook her head, and then noticed that T3 had taken the droid parts with him. She looked curiously at the broken droid again, then left to go find Atton.
She found him carrying his things out of the pilot's cabin. "What are you doing?"
Atton grinned. "Well, I never sleep there, and Mira refuses to bunk with Visas or Kreia."
"Oh." She watched him cheerfully stowing his few belongings in the cargo hold. "Why won't she bunk with Visas?"
"Because she keeps trying to kill me," snapped Mira. She threw her bags down in the pilot's cabin. "And I'm not sleeping in the medbay, because they'll just lock me in again."
"You would have survived," said Visas calmly.
"Visas," said Ludmilla as she put her hands to her head.
"I have some cleaning to do," Visas said quickly as she ran down the stairs to the galley.
Ludmilla sighed and shook her head.
"And since you're busy hooking up power couplings with someone who's five years younger than you, I don't see why he has to take up this cabin."
Ludmilla closed her eyes, and counted the engine cycles before speaking.
"Hah! Shows what you know," grinned Atton, "she's at least ten years older."
Even without turning to see him, she knew that Atton was sticking his tongue out at Mira.
"What?" said Mira in shock. "She doesn't look that old."
"She was a Knight before the Mandalorian wars started, and she's been in Exile for ten years," Atton smiled.
"Oh my goodness, she's probably old enough to be your mother," said Mira in disgust. "That's so gross!"
"I'm standing right here."
"You should be ashamed of yourself!"
Atton, standing behind her, put his arms around her waist and rested his head against her back. "And she's still hotter than you."
Mira glared at him, then looked at Ludmilla again. "How do you stay in shape? Is it a Jedi thing?"
"Okay, this discussion is over. Go put your things away."
"No wonder you treat us all like kids."
"Now."
Mira retreated to her new cabin.
Bao-Dur walked past her, trying not to laugh, and failing.
"You be quiet, old man."
Bao-Dur chuckled quietly and went to the galley to get some more cider.
Atton kissed the back of her neck. "Much hotter than that red-haired skank."
"I heard that!"
"Whatever," grinned Atton. His next sentence was lost, as Ludmilla put a hand over his mouth. He kissed her fingers, then licked her hand suggestively.
She turned around, and pulled him into her arms for a kiss.
"Seriously?" Mira called out. "Didn't you two just finish?"
Ludmilla sighed in exasperation, and dragged an unresisting Atton back to the cargo hold so that she wouldn't have to listen to Mira any more.