(This MIGHT turn into a multi chapter fic. Dunno.)
Brontes woke up to find the sun pouring through her window. She had never been to Coruscant before; it would have been one of the last steps in the Dread Masters’ plan to terrorize the galaxy. Her daughter’s apartment was surprisingly roomy. She hadn’t expected much for a Jedi Master.
She threw on her plush red robe and shuffled downstairs to make herself a cup of caf. She could hear an ongoing, angry, frustrated conversation as she neared the kitchen.
“...of all the people in the galaxy! Why does she have to stay here?” The angry voice was male, but it was not relaxed and deep like Felix’s, nor snobbish like Cedrax’s. Since the voice spoke Basic, it was definitely not Ursulina’s Trandoshan friend. This must have been Zenith, whom Brontes had heard about but not met.
“Because imprisonment would only aggravate her rehabilitation, Zenith, especially if she had been sent back to Belsavis.” Ursulina, as Barsen’thor and a member of the Jedi Council, had been used to intense arguments and debates, both from her peers and her enemies. But the Dread War had exhausted her, like many others. She was also arguing with an ally and a friend, something she did not enjoy.
“Belsavis is for people like her, Ursulina,” Zenith insisted. “She needs to be put away where she’ll never hurt people again.”
“And the cycle will continue. Do you not remember what Darth Lachris did to your fellow Balmorrans? I’m not asking you to befriend my mother. I’m asking you to tolerate her. You don’t have to spend time with her. You know you are free to do what you want to.”
“My mother.” The words...Brontes didn’t know what to make of them. She hadn’t heard Ursulina refer to her as “mother” since the latter was a little girl. Now she was fully grown, married, and a mother through adoption.
Zenith said something in Twi’leki, then stormed off. There was a bit of silence before Ursulina spoke. “You can come out now.” She had a bit of a laugh in her voice.
Brontes entered the living room, flashing her daughter an awkward smile. “I see I’m popular with your friends.”
“Zenith has been through a lot. If I may be blunt, I don’t blame him for worrying about our arrangement. Did you sleep well?”
“I...guess. I still have a lot of vivid dreams. And I don’t sleep for more than a few hours at a time.”
“Satele did warn me about this. We can look into it. Do you want some caf?”
Brontes nodded, following Ursulina into the kitchen. Seated at the table were Felix and Nadia. Both tensed up slightly when they saw the former Dread Master, but they also smiled at her.
“Zenith is fuming in his room,” Felix addressed his wife Ursulina, planting a kiss on her cheek. “He’ll be fine.”
“I know, Felix, but--”
“And I know how you worry about other people. I don’t need the Force for that.” He turned back to Brontes, unsure of how to address her. He decided a short bow would suffice. “Ma’am.”
Nadia followed suit, a bit more nervous than the soldier. The Sarkhai was very curious, but also more than smart enough to know to choose her questions carefully. She decided to sit back down while her master and Felix talked.
Brontes accepted the caf from Ursulina and stood by the refrigerator. She was adjusting and nervous too. She just hoped things would work out.