Nomi and Somi

The first night that the sisters spend in their room on the ship, after lying in the dark for a while Nomi feels her way over to Somi and slides her way into Somi's bed, cuddling up for comfort. She has tears on her face, but she is not crying with any volume.

"I'm sorry, Somi," she whispers. "I'm sorry I ran away and didn't help Lilikai. I feel like such a coward. I know that you said she couldn't be dead, but there were so many clone troopers just pouring in through the doors after they were blasted open and I saw them they just started shooting any Jedi that were there. People getting up from having their meditations disturbed, they didn't even have a chance. And Efnir said he saw Master Skywalker at the back. It doesn't make sense.  He and Master Kenobi liberated Ryloth. He has done so much for the Republic. How could he be bad? How could Lilikai have stood up to all of that? I can't imagine that she would have run away..." She takes a shaky breath like she was talking just to keep from crying. "She wanted me to tell you." A small sob escaped her throat. "She wanted me to tell you that she loves you."

In response, Somi embraces her sister, tears of her own streaming from her eyes. "No, I'm sorry. I should have been by my Master's side, and I should have been there to protect you." She takes a frustrated sounding breath. "I can't believe that Vesper talked me into staying out so late."

She pauses for a moment, lying in silence with her sister.

"I know she's not dead, but I don't know what that means. And I don't understand why Master Skywalker would have done..." She pauses for a moment, searching for the right word before giving up. "...that. I want Efnir to be wrong, but I know he's not."

Nomi wipes her eyes with the back of her hand and sniffs. "Vesper can be very convincing. And you couldn't have known the temple was going to be attacked today. There was no warning. No possible sane reason. This is the workings of a madman; that is the only way I can explain it. Master Skywalker must be deceived somehow, or someone is forcing his hand. I don't know how you'd do that to a Jedi master, but... Unless he has been deceiving the rest of us, the Council, Master Singan. It's really hard to deceive everyone about your true self, but I suppose if anyone could do it he could."

"I guess." Somi stares into the darkness for a moment, trying to process everything.

"What now? I think I'm supposed to look for Master Lilikai? I want to look for her, and feel like I need to look for her, but I also think I'm supposed to?"

Her tone turns more annoyed than sad for a moment. "It was all supposed to be better when we left with her!"

A new wave of tears streams down Somi's face.

Nomi makes a purring noise in the back of her throat and strokes Somi's lekku with her free hand.

"It's been a lot better. It's horrible now, but that doesn't make the last five years into nothing. Five years that we would have been stuck on Ryloth wasting your talents; maybe dying in the occupation. We'll figure it out, Somi. We always do. We're a perfect team. And we have the others. They will help." Nomi kisses Somi on the forehead and settles into a good cuddle. "Once we're out of hyperspace we'll find some way to reach Lilikai."