Mother and Child Reunion

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

No I would not give you false hope
On this strange and mournful day
But the mother and child reu-nion
Is only a motion away, oh, little darling of mine.
I cant for the life of me
Remember a sadder day
I know they say let it be
But it just dont work out that way
And the course of a lifetime runs
Over and over again

No I would not give you false hope
On this strange and mournful day
But the mother and child reu-nion
Is only a motion away, oh, little darling of mine.

I just cant believe its so,
And though it seems strange to say
I never been laid so low
In such a mysterious way
And the course of a lifetime runs
Over and over again

But I would not give you false hope
On this strange and mournful day
When the mother and child reu-nion
Is only a motion away,
Oh, oh the mother and child reunion
Is only a motion away
Oh the mother and child reu-nion
Is only a moment away*

Coruscant customs. This was one of the most efficient agencies in the system. It would have to be. Millions of beings pass through here daily and any mishap would cause a backup delaying entrepreneurs and citizens for hours. The process was already time consuming. For individuals of importance, there was a special screening process that cut through a lot of the red tape.

The tall redhead briskly walked towards Imperial Customs and flashed her badge. Already the agents floundered to attention, wishing to avoid the wrath of COMPNOR. They were discretely informed that Adia was escorting a body double for Miranda Tarkin, along with her speech coach, Ridwan Vars. As luck would have it, her sister was gone on tour for close to six weeks. Any chances of running into her were non-existent. What really made this plan unfold to perfection was that information had yet to become public knowledge; Adia's clearance was high enough to retrieve that bit of news. Now Lianna could easily make her way to her mother's home without people second guessing her.

The agents took Ridwan’s ID and verified it without a second thought. They were too focused on Lianna and how uncanny her resemblance was to Miranda. It was spectacularly accurate. The Jedi wondered if she were to push them slightly if they would topple forward. Lianna looked disenchanted by their display, trying to remain true to character. She was dressed in a navy blue business suit tailored to Miranda's tastes.

“Thank you Ms Tarkin..” The agent said, all though knowing the truth. They had been briefed ahead of time that one of the doubles would be arriving today by escort, and at this point, Lianna was Miranda until the real one made her appearance on the holovids. Both Ridwan and Lianna were issued standard clearance badges that would allow them some freedom around Imperial Center. It was just enough to make them seem believable.

One of the agents produced a datapad to Adia, “Ms. Tarkin’s schedule.”

*Mother and Child Reunion - Paul Simon

[Adia Issoris]

Adia did not have to play her role at all, and, in fact, her casual demeanor made the Customs officials more nervous. She shot one of the junior officers a pleasant smile and he nearly leapt out of his skin. Coruscant could be fun.

She took the datapad and looked it over. She would promptly ignore nearly all of it. Even though they had cleared Customs, they still had to go through a final security checkpoint. Lightsabers had been left in the shuttle, expertly hidden by Adia near a series of similarly shaped power relays. A uniformed Army officer manned the scanner, and another did visual inspection. Adia drew her well worn heavy blaster pistol and ejected the tiabanna cartridge from the grip. Also on her person: a long vibroknife, thirty meters of nanoweave rope and a tiny grapple, a holdout blaster, and her ID. Ridwan and “Miranda” only carried IDs and security clearances, and scanned clean. Adia stepped through, now stripped of her conventional weaponry, and came up clean as well.

A standard issue black government speeder was available for her use during their stay on Coruscant. It was not the fastest, nor the most maneuverable, but it was tough and reliable and wasn’t awful. Further, the one-way nature of the windows was desirable, with the “Face of the New Order” onboard. Adia aimed them at one of the Diplomatic Communications Nexuses, as Miranda might request. It was the ideal way to contact Lise with only the most select evesdroppers.

[Ridwan Vars]

Over the changes and planning, Ridwan had carefully scrutinized the idea in his mind. All of it worked well, at least in his favor. The only objective for him was to keep his mouth shut, and talk only when necessary. Albeit a double stood next to him, he acted casually next to the desired celebrity.

Even as the trio cleared through security, he kept his eyes ahead and mouth locked close. Despite his overlooked presence, he concealed a whirl of thoughts. None developed into a negative. The situation was clear cut, and soon they would be in a safe haven soon enough.

It became all the more comfortable as the three entered the issued speeder. A sigh escaped the young Jedi's lips, his guise pressure slightly lifting as he pressed up against the seat. Glancing about through the interior, he waited calmly for someone else to break the silence. The pressure of his own disguise was enough for him to keep any unnecessary comments to himself.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Upon entering the private speeder, Lianna closed her eyes and take pause to relax her tense nerves. The pressure of having to pretend she was Miranda was no longer an issue, but she was moments away of meeting her mother, her real mother, for the first time. All of the training she had endured since birth did not prepare her for this, nor was it something she had been looking for. Lianna had been content with Drin as her father, and eventually the Mal Pannis' who took care of her after her Master's death. Did she often wonder who her parents were? Yes, sometimes but Lianna was a realist. The galaxy was enormous and without any information to go on it would be impossible to find her family.

But the Force was her guide and Adia had found her, and in turn, found her family.

Her eyes opened with less fear and looked out the one-way window. Coruscant; the entire planet was one gigantic city. Drin had spoken of this place with fondness. It was his home since birth when he was found to be Force Sensitive. With what he had spoken of, the planet really hadn't change all that drastically. There were hundreds of space lanes of traffic that buzzed around the grand buildings like uniformed insects and the Jedi could even spy the congestion down on the streets. When they reached Imperial Center proper, that would certainly change.

"Adia?" She tore herself away from the window. "Where are we going?"

Lianna knew that they were to contact Lise first and under false pretense. She was going to pretend to be Miranda on the call otherwise if she told the truth, Lise Tarkin might think Lianna mad and call the local enforcement agency. They had to meet face to face for this to work.

[Adia Issoris]

“Comm Nexus. One of the few buildings the Emperor didn’t thoroughly renovate during the transition to the New Order. Someone of your status and mine will have no issues using it to contact your mother.” Adia explained, easing the issued car through the immaculately kept corridor that was Imperial Center. It will arouse no suspicion to have a body double contact her mother as a test. If she even came remotely close to entertaining Lise, she would be a total success.

Lianna would be a total success. But would everything go smoothly? While her plan was sailing smoothly, there were many wrinkles, and if it was found out that there was a twin... Adia shook her head. Even twins had different fingerprints. If there was a problem, her clearance could handle it.

[Ridwan Vars]

The start of conversation eased Ridwan's conflicted mind. However, he knew better than to partake in the talk. All of it was far more complicated for the young man to comprehend. Emotions were attatched to it all, and the thought of meeting one's mother for the first time was nearly beyond Ridwan's capacity of imagination. Throughout his life he had his parents, but now they were gone.

Only in the idea that they would return one day, be with him, could he grasp the amount of emotion that overcame Lianna at the moment.

So, he sat in continued silence and listened as careful as he could. Hopefully he could gain something out of it all for a meanginful conversation later.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

The speeder pulled up outside CommNexus and it was exactly as Adia had described. It carried the same architectural design as the Old Republic. The only difference was the structural reinforcement and a coat of paint needed for upkeep.

When Adia unlocked the doors, Lianna hesitated and looked towards her companion who gave her the briefest smiles of confidence before exiting the vehicle. Lianna followed suit and looked around to get a feel for the place. It wasn't the hustle and bustle of the common citizen outside. This place had a more reserved quality to it, though at times Lianna could sense the urgency hovering around some dignitaries. Most of them did not pay her any heed for their lives were just as busy as hers. Some did offer polite greetings, which in turn she acknowledged with a short pleasantry, adding just a touch of hurriedness to know they weren't being simply brushed off. As long as no one came up to her requiring a long conversation, things would be fine.

Adia led her to an Imperial terminal for domestic dignitaries. She would have the most privacy here and it was a single booth. She took a deep breath and walked inside. A see through polymer door slid shut to allow privacy and protection for the dignitary inside. Lianna didn't flinch but looked over her shoulder briefly out of curiosity, though one could interpret the act as making sure she was indeed alone.

Lise's residence had not changed since Adia was last on Coruscant; a little snooping with her clearance had made sure of that. The Jedi had committed the address to memory during the shuttle’s decent. Now all she needed was a touch of bravery to put in the call.

A minute passed and Lianna was still staring at the screen. She closed her eyes. “Terminal?”

The screen flickered to life, glowing blue. Online.

The mechanical voice broke through her trepidation. She had to make this call. Adia and Ridwan had risked much in getting her here and to walk away would cause doubt to linger. She opened her eyes. “Initiate call to Lise Tarkin, Imperial Center, Military Block, Navy. Section 1D.”

Processing ... Connecting … Requesting verification … Acceptance.

The blue screen switched over and a middle aged woman appeared, startled by the call seemingly. Lianna narrowed her eyes slightly out of scrutiny. This had to be Lise and not some servant or maid. All though her hair was dishwater blonde, the Jedi had found herself staring into a face of similar bone structure and complexion with eyes as chocolate as her own. Lianna held in a breath as she heard her mother’s voice for the very first time, full of question and concern.

“Miranda? I was not expecting to hear from you for …” Lise looked around as if it was okay to speak.

“It’s all right. It’s safe for us to talk.” There was no stuttering or hesitation. Lianna was calm and trusting in her senses to see her through this unexpected detour.

Her mother relaxed with being able to speak freely. ” … I thought you had already left? Is everything all right?”

Lise knew of Miranda’s tour. It made sense. “We had a slight delay.” Less information the better until she could piece together what Miranda had said to Lise.

”Ah!” Her mother smiled, pleased by this. ”Then you haven’t yet left Coruscant?”

Lianna smiled softly. Things were working out quite well. “No. Not yet but I’ve been assured that we’ll arrive on time regardless of our set back.” Her intuition was guiding her words. “I was hoping to stop by to see you and have some lunch at home. Would that be all right, Mother?”

She wasn’t sure that Lise could be happier with that suggestion. ”A splendid idea. It’s been far too long that we’ve had a quiet meal at home. When should I be expecting you?”

“Hmm, with the usual traffic and checks, I would say close to one standard hour.”

”I will see you then. Love you.”

“Love you …” The screen blinked off and Lianna just stood there like a statue, hoping that Lise would magically reappear on the screen just as the privacy screen opened. “…too.”

[Adia Issoris]

“I take it that it went well?” Even though she could have, she had not monitored the line. In a way, Adia was jealous of her reunion. She had a son out there, somewhere. Lianna had a mother, right here, on Coruscant, not more than an hour away. But she was also proud of the young Jedi. Lianna had adapted well over the past six weeks. Her determination and drive made it happen, and she was nearly there.

Lianna almost smiled, her face full of suppressed mixed emotion.

“This way please, Miss Tarkin.” Lianna nodded, her composure quickly returned.

“When do we meet?” Adia asked.

“One hour.” Lianna said, her eyes beaming as everyone pulled on seatbelts. Ridwan was silent, but even he seemed to be infected by Lianna’s excitement.

“Remember who you are, and who you’re supposed to be, Lianna.” Adia said.

“It would be appropriate to remember that Lise Tarkin is your mother.” She added. The speeder started with a hum, and Adia gingerly maneuvered the craft into the heavy Coruscant traffic.

“Your job is very important for the Empire, and you should be proud. Very few make it this far.” She smiled at Lianna. “Ridwan, are you figuring out what you’ll need to do?”

[Ridwan Vars]

Ridwan eyed the floor in thought throughout the conversation. As a tag-along he rather keep silent the interject. Amidst the emotional roller coaster, he was only an observer. Nothing about the situation involved him directly, or indirectly.

When finally he was addressed in the comfort of the car, his face was shocked with surprise. Rather than showcase the sudden excitement on his face, he suppressed it to his depths and calmly responded to the intuitive query.

"Besides stay quiet?"

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Lianna laughed lightly, "I believe Adia is referring to any preparations that you should make me aware of to ensure success with my visit. As a final test of sorts, I want to make sure this goes well."

Her head canted to the side with her eyes opening expectantly. She was trying to cue Ridwan for a proper response. Adia was merely playing her part and two Jedi had to follow suit. Appearances must be maintained at all times for it was impossible to know if the speeder was bugged.

[Adia Issoris]

“Your input is welcome when we are not visible to the public, Mr. Vars. Just keep it respectful and contextual.” Adia replied firmly. She was banking that the speeder was likely bugged, along with Lise’s home. It wouldn’t hurt to play it safe, and could be devastating if they did not.

Adia was determined to have no incidents while on Coruscant. After Lianna was able to meet Lise, they would stay the night or two and then leave for somewhere else. She wasn’t sure yet. Traffic kept a respectful distance from the government marked speeder, making Adia’s incident free goal easier.

[Ridwan Vars]

"Stay prepared and focus...I guess."

An uncertainity resonated from the young man's voice. Although Ridwan understood the objective, he was unsure how to react. Instincts were all he could rely on, and with the first words that came to his mind he spat them out.

A sullen sigh flew from his mouth after he relieved himself of the stress. Hopefully they would reach the household soon enough. The intensity of the whole situation was far too much for the Jedi to bare. His mind kept swimming about the unique buildings and traffic that bound them to the skyline. Skylanes were a foreign realm to the Padawan, but he had read and heard about it all before.

Still, it was a bit weird. Just like the prediciment.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

Her smile was an encouraging one for Ridwan, but it was mostly for herself. Incessantly, Lianna watched the chronometer like a Dantronian Hawk. Another thirty standards minutes and they would be there. This was the first time she was ever impatient but she kept her mind at ease, rehearsing what she and Adia had talked about. 'Miranda' will have changed her mind. They day was too lovely to be sheltered inside and so a picnic would be suggested. From the simple exchange that she had with her mother on the comm, Lise would love the idea.

The speeder hovered to a stop and Lianna craned her neck to see what was happening. There was military all around them and it seemed that this was a checkpoint to make sure authorized individuals were allowed entrance. It made sense. They were heading into district of important military families. Such security precautions would be necessary.

As one soldier was questioning Adia, another approached the back and knocked on the window. Lianna rolled down the window and looked indifferent at the entire affair.

The young man nodded in respect, "Good afternoon Miss Tarkin. Just a visual check as usual."

"Of course." She replied coolly as if she had indeed done this many times before.

[Adia Issoris]

Adia allowed her ID to be inspected, along with Ridwans.

“Sorry for the trouble, agent.” One of the guards said.
“Just SOP.” She said with a shrug. Adia was extremely casual, as if escorting a VIP was an everyday thing that she was extremely confident about. Not an inaccurate statement given her history. The guard passed the IDs back, satisfied. Adia handed Ridwan his ID back.

“You all can go through.” He waved, and Adia eased the speeder forward into the complex, following road through the low density (by Coruscant standards) housing. Every “building” was separated by a tiny green space and a shade tree. They stopped in front of what seemed to be the same as any other building, but with one important difference: Lise lived here.

Adia got out, and opened the door for Lianna.

“Wait here.” She told Ridwan.

The pair walked to Lise’s door. Lianna nervously knocked. Adia looked relaxed, but she had swept over everything, looking for trouble.

[Lianna Mal Pannis]

The Jedi was a ball of nerves after knocking. Lianna slipped her arms together in front of her chest and focused on breathing, in through the nose and out the mouth. Speaking to her mother over a comm system didn’t prove quite as difficult since there was distance between them. Now she was coming face to face with her mother. The thought terrified her because the charade was soon coming to an end.

Her thoughts were broken by the whoosh of the door opening. Lise stood there smiling cheerfully in a fashionable summer dress that only proved where Lianna had inherited her bone structure. Mother and daughter could be sisters. The Jedi tried to casually peek behind her to get a sense what the inside of the home looked like. It pained her to not be able to go inside and soon her attention was fixated on Lise.

“Miranda! You made good time in coming here.” Lise’s eyes looked at Adia and nodded respectfully.

“Yes I did. Thankfully traffic wasn’t the normal nightmare it has been.” She motioned to the redhead. “This is Agent Adia Issoris.”

“A pleasure to meet you Agent. Please come in …”

”Actually, I had a thought along the way.” It was hard to read Lise’s expression but Lianna easily sensed disappointment. “How about a picnic? The day is far too lovely to be cooped up.”

A flash of surprise shined in her mother’s eyes. “I’m not sure that is wise though.”

”Nonsense.” Lianna waved her hand as if batting away her mother’s worries. “Issoris is here to make certain no one bothers us along with her partner who is waiting inside the speeder.”

She smiled assuredly, which was quite hauntingly similar to Miranda. “It will be fun. You and I deserve it.”

Lise’s posture relaxed, instantly giving in. They were right. She was too happy to spend time with Miranda to care what it was they would be doing. “All right. I will only take a moment to pack up lunch into containers.”

Lianna watched her mother turn and walk off towards the kitchen. It took a nudge from Adia to get her moving inside. Foolishly, she was waiting for an invitation inside. Why would Miranda Tarkin need an invitation inside her mother’s home? She walked inside and marveled at how huge the place was. Towards her right, there were stairs leading upwards and straight ahead the long foyer opened up into the living room. She wandered down the hall until the pictures along the wall garnered her attention.

She saw her mother and father adorned in their wedding attire. Lise was so beautiful, and her father was ruggedly handsome in his Imperial Dress uniform. Further down, pictures of what she presumed to be her grandparents were lovingly placed alongside the family photo when Miranda had to be no more then three. Every six inches, Miranda grew in age and the photos were always a mixture of her and Lise, or with Andron, or with the two of them.

“That is one of my favorite pictures of the two of you.” Her mother’s voice turned heartsick and pointed to the picture that Lianna had just begun to look at. Miranda was sitting on her father’s lap with a mischievous grin as Andron’s Captain’s hat was titled off to the side on his daughter’s head.

Lianna stepped closer to her mother and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. Being so close to her was beginning to choke Lianna up. It worked well given the circumstances. “I miss him too.”

She spoke the truth. The war had taken her father and the chance of ever meeting him face to face in this lifetime. “If your father was alive right now he would be yelling at us for being so silly. Come now,” Lise pulled away and picked up one of the bags full of food, “We have a picnic to attend.”

[Adia Issoris]

It was not surprising that Lise did not recognize the tall redhead. After all, she looked markedly different from the curvy amazon in a black dress that Andron and Lise met years ago at one of the military balls. Instead, she likely viewed Adia as another of her daughters trained bodyguards. She busied herself by folding her arms and looking about the roomy apartment. She maintained an air of professionalism.

Lianna went to pick up one of the bags, and Adia shook her head, instead moving in to scoop the picnic’s contents from the Tarkin women. She shifted the bags to one hand, her body barley listed to one side. Lise headed to the door, and Adia gave Lianna a nod of reassurance that she was doing well.

Adia was not relaxed, not yet. Not until Lianna had resolved everything with her mother. Once at the car, Lianna introduced Ridwan as one of her speech assistants, and explained that this was the only way she could make it out today. Ridwan, she said, had been her sounding board for the next public speech. He smartly moved into the front seat so mother and daughter could chat unencumbered.

Adia glided the large speeder back out of the complex, and raised the privacy screen.

"You've done well. You look like someone who's nervous enough to have been in Miranda's company regularly and survived."

[Ridwan Vars]

Ridwan had done nothing more than nod his head and smile. A slight nerve twitched in the back of his mind as he carried his eyes onto the prized subject. Lise Tarkin was a woman of grand features, and she withdrew them for Lianna to carry. The two were more like siblings than mother and daughter. Altogether it was a worthwhile experience.

Every subtle movement could be noted, so when requested he readily headed to the front of the seat. Before he had already known of their need for privacy. Much had separated the two, and from what had been told Ridwan grasped the beauty of the secretive mission. So much pressure rested on Adia shoulder, it was a surprised that she had not snapped and attacked.

Instead she sparked a conversation.

"Thanks," he smiled. "But I was wondering..."

The Padawan's eyes drifted a moment, gathering information about the frontier of the speeder. Sounds of traffic flashed beside him, as his feet pressed against the base. A comfort rested in the mildly luxurious ride, but it did not ease his mind. Still he had many questions, and his observation was only served to begin his inquiry.

"How did you stir up this mission?" Ridwan finally asked. The smile that once sparked his face was reserved, and allowed his lips to be a neutral line of seriousness. A moderate curiosity resonated in his two orbs as he peered over. The young man's attuned senses stretched as he spoke.

Although he felt certain, he was not perfect. All he could do was hope that no one was listening in, because he felt nosy today.

[Adia Issoris]

“This?” Adia could tell a half truth and get away with it.

“I was originally pursuing a classified individual for classified reasons, and saw her on some security footage.” In other words, Lianna screwed up on Dantooine and Adia was going to end her life. It hadn’t worked out that way at all. Lianna had been the straw that broke Adia’s formerly unwavering devotion to the Empire.

Adia flashed him a look of warning that this line of questioning could not be continued.

[Ridwan Vars]

"Oh..."

The young Jedi struggled. All his discipline had added up to nothing. There was much to be asked, and in the so-called privacy of the speeder there was not room for it. The vehicle was over crowded with tense air, and instead of dwell on the subjects of his mind he drifted off outside.

Coruscant was a world of the Jedi once. A place of refuge from the immediate troubles of the vast galaxy. Time and time again his father mind occupied on the forbidden world, and now his son had returned.

Ridwan smiled at the thought as he gazed off into the distance, wondering exactly how the future would go. Clouds pestered his precognition, leaving his hopes futile. Nothing was for certain, and the awkward bump-in with the two detailed such truths.

"I wish I could stay forever," he mused, gazing about the Imperial Center. Despite the rather morbid lighting of the galaxy from the numerous shield generators riddled over the land by the late Emperor's orders, the world still carried a prestige. Ridwan simply wanted a daily dose.

[Adia Issoris]

Adia held back a laugh. Ridwan was being exposed to Coruscant’s shiny exterior, not the decay and rot that had festered worse since the New Order had come full swing. It caused fear on both sides, from those worried that the lower levels would swallow them up, and from the lower levels, whom were either worried about the authorities or bigger fish from above. Fear did keep the local system in line, but it was a curious balance that was gaining instability. Without the influence of the Emperor, both the enforcement and the outlaws had been growing brazen.

Instead, she shook her head.

“No, I don’t think you do.”