Woman without a Country

Ludmilla sat down at the table with her third helping. Atton had not exaggerated his cooking ability. He had turned the staple instant noodles into a savory dish with meat and vegetables from the cold storage, and some incredible wine-based sauce that she had never tasted before.
Kreia walked into the galley, and helped herself to a mug of hot chocolate from the pot that Atton had left on the counter. "At least his tongue has some value," she said, sneering slightly less than she usually did. "I shall miss his cooking when he leaves us on Telos, if not his constant yapping."
Ludmilla froze for a moment. It had occurred to her that Atton should leave, but she had avoided thinking about it.
"Or did you plan to drag him along with you, unprepared, to face Sith Lords and the like?" snarled Kreia. "Think, girl. Think of what you are doing."
Ludmilla put down her fork. "I know." She sighed, and looked down at her hands. "Thank you for reminding me."
"You must talk to him," said Kreia firmly. "If he is mad enough to want to follow you, that would be different. But -"
"Mad as in crazy?" grinned Atton as he walked down the stairs. "I assume you're talking about me?"
"Yes," Ludmilla began. "When we reach Telos -"
"We'll all probably be arrested," he interrupted. "What, you two didn't think of that?" He looked from one to the other, noting their surprise. "You two are like, the worst Jedi ever. Do you even know galactic law? We're heading to Telos directly after dooming the reconstruction effort. What did you think would happen?"
"Ah, I had not considered that," said Kreia.
"What are you talking about?"
"The reconstruction of Telos. When did you leave, exactly? And how did you manage to hide from all the major current events in the galaxy?" asked Atton in disbelief.
Ludmilla shrugged. "I was drunk for most of the first year, and after that, it didn't seem to matter very much."
"Right," said Atton uncertainly. "But you didn't feel anything? You know, the Force and all that?"
"This is no time - " Kreia began, but Ludmilla interrupted. There was no point in hiding the truth.
"I was cut off from the Force. That's what they do to Exiles. I haven't been able to use the Force for ten years."
Atton was stunned, and confused. "That's horrible. But, but you... I've seen you use it."
"Somehow, it came back. When I woke up on Peragus, it started coming back, but very slowly. Most likely, it has something to do with my bond with Kreia. We're linked, because she saved my life."
"So the old hag can do some good," Atton muttered under his breath. "Is that the same thing that made you feel it when she lost her hand?" he asked.
Ludmilla nodded, and Kreia frowned.
"Why is it that the only Jedi who actually do anything useful are all insane?" Atton asked. "I mean, it took a megalomaniac to save the galaxy the first time, and now we get a masochist. Seriously?"
"You are quite possibly the most annoying fool the galaxy has ever produced," said Kreia sharply.
"Keep it up, old woman, and I'll cut off the hot chocolate supply."
Ludmilla giggled at that. "Okay, enough bickering. Please. Tell me about Telos."
"Malak destroyed Telos," said Kreia flatly, and took another sip of her hot chocolate.
Atton sighed. He would have broken the news more gently, but Kreia seemed to delight in shocking Ludmilla with the fall of her former companions.
"He what?"
"He moved the Sith fleet over the surface of Telos IV, and bombarded it for twenty Standard hours until it was burned clean."
Ludmilla didn't bother asking why. She knew why he had done it. Standard Mandalorian tactics, to drive entire systems into submission. She just wished, that of all the stories of her youth, he had chosen to listen to a different one. She sighed. "Is there a terminal that I can use to catch up on history? Before I drive the two of you completely insane?"
"The droid will know," said Kreia, and Ludmilla left to go find T3. "All the hot chocolate is gone, boy. If you want me to keep being nice, you'd better get back to work."
"This is you being nice?" Atton could feel her glare, even though he couldn't see her eyes beneath the hood. "Okay, I believe you. Stop looking at me like that." He set the empty pot to wash. "What? Why are you still staring at me?"
"Are you leaving, or are you staying?"
"I haven't decided," said Atton. "While the prospect of being an unpaid slave for you has remarkable appeal, I'm not so sure about the whole 'charging into avoidable danger' thing the two of you have planned."
"So you have someplace safe to hide from the coming storm?" she sneered.
"Yeah, that's the problem. I don't, and if you knew that, I'd like to take this moment to thank you for rubbing it in."
"I suspected," said Kreia smugly. "Besides, the girl is appealing bait for someone like you. But I haven't decided whether I want you to stay or not."
"Congratulations, you just made up my mind for me. I'll stay."
Kreia frowned. "Insolent fool. Do not underestimate the dangers of this journey."
"Believe me, I have no intention of underestimating the Sith," said Atton pointedly. "The chocolate is ready, your highness."
"You try my patience, boy."
"Because I hate you. And you know it. You're lucky it isn't poisoned, Jedi." Atton left the galley and went upstairs to seek Ludmilla, as an antidote to Kreia's nastiness.
As soon as he was gone, a wicked smile crossed the old woman's face. "Love is such a strong leash." She poured herself another cup, and sighed contentedly. "The Royal Corellian recipe. It has been a long time." She sat down at the table, and considered her current resources. "A stolen ship, a kidnapped exile, an insane droid, and a lovesick fool." She took another sip. "Ah, and chocolate. I think I am doing quite well."
Atton found Ludmilla in the security room, working on T3. She had pulled off her top, and was listening intently to the droid's chatter as she worked. "And just like that, my day got better," he said, admiringly.
"Were you fighting with Kreia again?" grinned Ludmilla. "She always wins, and she enjoys it much more than you do."
T3 chirped something.
"Yeah, no kidding," Atton agreed.
"She is trying to help," said Ludmilla gently. "Which is more than anyone else has done."
"True," Atton agreed grudgingly. "I just wish I knew why she was so eager to help."
Ludmilla looked at him curiously. "Why do you hate Jedi so much?"
"I don't hate all Jedi. Just a specific type. Speaking of Jedi, whatever happened to your lightsaber?"
Ludmilla tightened some more screws on T3's chassis, and dusted the droid a bit before answering. "When they told me I was no longer a Jedi, I gave my lightsaber back."
"Gave?"
Ludmilla chuckled gently, and sat back on her heels. "I didn't hurt anyone."
"Uh huh." Atton sat down on the floor next to her. "Property damage?"
She laughed. "There may have been some." T3 spun in a circle, showing off the fixes. "I'll need more parts, but I'll get you fixed up, T3-M4." The droid clicked happily and whizzed away, leaving the two humans alone. She settled herself on the floor next to Atton. "Those candies are wonderful, by the way."
"Oh, you finally tried them?" he grinned. "Which ones did you try?"
"I sampled one of each." Ludmilla smiled warmly at him. "Probably the second best things I've ever put in my mouth."
Atton looked at her in surprise. "The first item on that list isn't cigarettes, is it?"
She shook her head.
"You are the strangest Jedi I have ever met."
Ludmilla laughed. "You only met the cloistered ones, I suppose. When we left to go fight the Mandalorians, we left a lot behind."
"I see," Atton smiled. "Like the shirt."
"And yet, I've been sitting here all this time, and you haven't tried to kiss me once."
"Uh," Atton looked away, nervously. "Let me correct myself. Strangest woman I have ever met."
"Well, if you don't want to make out, we can just keep talking. Where did you learn to cook like that?"
"I - uh...." Atton sighed. He had no idea what to make of this insanely beautiful woman. "My mother owned a bakery."
"What did your father do?" she asked curiously.
"He seduced women who owned bakeries," said Atton shortly. "What about you?"
"My mother was a slave, and traded her body for her life. When her owner was killed, they let her stay on and work unmolested in the garage because she was very good with machines. You know what they say. The way to a Mandalorian's heart is through his armor. But she refused to take the oath, and so did I. We lived on sufferance until someone in the camp mentioned me to a Jedi, and then the Council took me away to be trained."
"So what happened to her?"
Ludmilla shrugged. "She killed herself."
"Can't blame her," said Atton quietly. "No wonder you hate Mandalorians."
"I don't hate them. I despise them. They all have tunnel vision, they can't see the big picture. Mandalore the Ultimate had a great plan for the Mandalorian culture, and he had to wipe out seven clans before anyone would even listen to him. They're as bad as the Sith when it comes to planning for the future."
Atton laughed. "That's a terrible image. A Sith Lord and Mandalore the Ultimate trying to establish a development plan."
Ludmilla laughed as well. She turned slightly and quickly kissed Atton on the lips, then sat down again.
"Hey!" He stared at her. "What was that?"
"I felt like it," she grinned. "You make me laugh."
"You're not just doing it to make me stay, are you?"
"What?" she looked at him in surprise. "Would it work? I did it because I thought you were leaving, and didn't want to miss my chance."
"I want to stay and help," he explained. "Unless that means you're going to put your shirt back on. You need help, in more ways than one," he grinned as she straddled his hips and put her arms around him. "And, uh, I want to ..." She interrupted his speech with soft kisses. "You know, I thought it would be more difficult to get to this point." He pulled her into a long, deep kiss.
"I know when I need to wait," she whispered, "and when I need to act." She kissed him again, drinking in the taste of his lips, and his hands slid over her body.
"I do hate to interrupt," said Kreia dryly.
"Then why do you sound so happy?" snapped Atton.
"Are we not approaching Telos? Perhaps someone should go check. Someone who knows how to pilot a ship."
"Fine, I'm going." Atton kissed Ludmilla one more time before he let her go, and they stood up.
"Are you allergic to your clothing?" asked Kreia acidly.
Ludmilla picked up her shirt from the floor and pulled it back on without answering.
Kreia made a noise of irritation and walked away.