Private Serve and Protect

[Judah Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Malcoma Hesse l Sonti Delst | Judah Lesan Jr.

A day and travel time was exactly how much notice JJ had been given for the arrival of Malcoma Hesse, Sonit, and his father Judah Lesan. The senior did not give much detail in the conversation he had with his son, just that he would need to explain more in person. The last thing he was going to do was mention New Way over the air wave when the signal was being sent to Corellia. The organization had begun on the planet after all, right under Judah's nose it seemed. The last thing he wanted to do was to let New Way know a target of theirs was on the move.

They touched down mid morning. It was cool, a nice day which meant Judah was not surprised to find the house empty. JJ often trained outside. There was something about the way nature moved in the foothills of Coronet peak which aided in training. As a soldier, a guardian, JJ learned to move with his environment, and it helped him become a better fighter because of it. It also meant the trio would have a quiet house to themselves until the younger Judah came to greet them.

<< "We have arrived…" >>

It did not matter where on the compound JJ was, Judah knew his thoughts would reach him. He had often called to him in the same manner when food was ready. The thought caused the Master to smile. How long and far had time moved on from those days. Katara had passed. Both of them had seen lovers come and go. JJ had worked his way to the rank of Jedi Master himself. If Judah wanted to, he could retire. Maybe he would. Who was he fooling, Judah would never retire. He would die before laying his sabers down.

Did Malcoma know his resolve?

"Well, I guess I will show you to your rooms," he said as he motioned for the pair to follow him.

The stairs no longer creaked. Of course while everything was the same, the cabin was new. The original compound had been destroyed when Corellia had broken in two. Still, Judah knew the way around the house. The design had been his, and his own hands had built it. There was something fitting about JJ being the one to build the second home and restoring the rest of the compound.

He opened the door at the top of the stairs. It had been Sasha's room. Sonti would have privacy and her own restroom. A smile pulled at his face, and Judah opened the spacious room for the girl.

"This is for you Sonti. JJ's old room is across the hall."

Judah peeked inside. It looked like he still lived in it. That was interesting.

"I guess that means the master suite is still available."

He looked to Mal. Judah did not want to assume, but at the same time they were some sort of couple now. He scratched his head.

"If you wanted to share… or I can set myself up in one of the guest rooms. You know…"

Judah shrugged. JJ needed to hurry up and arrive because Judah suddenly felt self conscious.

 

[Sonti Delst]

Wearing: xXx

--earlier, on the ship--
"Will you be okay?"

Malcoma looked up from her holoreader and asked, "Me?"

"Yes, you," she repeated from behind a mug of hot tea, then setting it down on the main hold's coffee table. "The Donna doesn't like Jedi."

Likewise, Mal powered off her holoreader and placed it on the semicircular couch beside her. "Do you like them?"

Sonti nodded as she hugged one of her knees to her chest. "I think I would. I like Judah."

"Then that's all that matters." Sonti pursed her lips to one side of her mouth. Mal sighed, glanced away, then looked back at her daughter. "I'll be okay."

"How though?" Sonti asked. Her other foot slid onto the cushion she sat on. "Damris doesn't even know where we're going. If you're keeping this from him, there's no way he can protect you."

"If Ivory finds out I've had as much to do with Jedi as I've had, no one will be able to protect me." Mal couldn't help but smile a little bit as she said so. It was a little funny: she went from keeping one secret from the Donna to keeping another. The difference was that this one was actually dangerous. Mal wasn't keeping it out of paranoia; she was keeping it and she would continue to out of necessity.

It was Sonti's turn to look away. Silence stretched out nearly a minute, so Mal went back to reading. "...Sorry."

She looked up. "Why?"

"This is a mess," Sonti explained with voice near breaking.

Mal set aside her holoreader again and got up to sit at Sonti's side. She took Sonti's face in her hand and made their eyes meet. "It is, love," the headmistress confirmed strongly. That much was a matter of fact, so there was no use denying it. "But it is not your mess. Judah and I are here for you, with you. Soon JJ will be too."

Sonti nodded, wordless as she worked still to keep some semblance of calm, and buried her face in Mal's shoulder.


--now, in the compound--
Sonti followed behind Judah as he opened the door, to peek into the room. "Oh, wow!" she exclaimed before stepping back and giving Judah a quick but warm hug. "Thanks! I'll get settled in." She then turned to Mal, who was holding both of their duffle bags.

As Mal handed Sonti hers, the older woman said, "Take your time, dearest."

Sonti smiled and disappeared into her room, leaving Mal alone to shadow Judah down the rest of the hallway.

 

[Malcoma Hesse]

Wearing: xXx

"If you wanted to share… or I can set myself up in one of the guest rooms. You know…"

The weight of the circumstances that had helped bring her here kept her from laughing. Instead, she flashed Judah a small smile. "I think I can share," she told him, a tired attempt at her normal banter. "The bed and a snack." Travel often times took her appetite away, but she knew she had to eat anyway.

 

[Judah Lesan Jr.]

Wearing: xxx​

Weapon: xxx​

Tag: Malcoma Hesse​

​

Nature was something JJ could not be without for long. He had been raised in the foothills, and his early years training as a Padawan had been among them. Cambria Zadira had taken him under her wing at Judah's request. Keeping the training in the family had been important to the Jedi, especially since their views differed from many of the Jedi groups they had supported in the past. The Lesan family knew there would never be a perfect order. They were just disappointed that they had yet to find one that did not succumb to the corrupt politics that surrounded them.​

​

It was why they identified more as wayseekers than belonging to any specific order.​

​

JJ had broken from that. Most of his time away from the family had been with the Galactic Alliance, the first iteration of it. When they collapsed the younger joined his talents with the Silver Jedi for a time. They too fell. Since then JJ helped where he could or felt led. He was more like his father in that practice, though maybe less cynical.​

​

The familiar presence and voice filled him mind. Judah had arrived with the guests he had mentioned, though the Master Guardian knew little about why. All he knew was that his father was going to explain more in person, and that he could not trust communicating much outside of that line method. Whatever it was, JJ figured his father was in trouble, as usual, and this time he turned to his son to bail him out of it. Arriving with guests wasn't even a new thing. Sasha had been the first stray, JJ's first love and lover… she would not be his last, nor his strongest. Kait had left him too, but recently with a surprise.​

​

<< "On my way…" >>​

​

JJ decided to clean up first. His father would likely make sure everyone was settled, and that gave the younger master time to look presentable. His projects could wait. A quick jump into the man made swimming hole the Lesan's kept as clean as pool would be the closest thing to a shower he'd get before meeting the newcomers. His clothes were tossed on quickly, and he messed his fingers through the medium length brown hair. The country boy knew how to look presentable at least.​

​

His footsteps could be heard echoing in the room below as he walked into the house. JJ went right for the kitchen.​

​

"I'm guessing you're all hungry after a long trip. I'll have something whipped up in a few minutes if you want to come down."​

​

 

[Judah Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Malcoma Hesse | Sonti Delst | Judah Lesan Jr.

They could share. That was a relief at least. Judah was also happy that Sonti Delst seemed to be happy with the arrangements. Granted she was likely not used to too much outside of the girls home, and the safe houses. Just because Judah was a Jedi did not mean that he had humble means. His father had been a wealthy business man himself, and the older Lesan had amassed his own independent fortune through unsavory means as well. He was not proud of it, but the Jedi had also learned how to put it to good use.

JJ had saved the day with the offer of food as he walked in through the door. Judah had felt his son’s presence sooner, but his voice had announced it to the rest.

“Come and meet my son,” he said to the women traveling with him, though a smallish smile was offered to Mal.

They had discussed him previously, and the idea that he was closer to her age than Judah was to hers. JJ had his own loves and losses, but none as great as the tragedy Judah had known. The younger Lesan had yet to experience the loss of a lifetime of love due to unexpected death. It had a way of turning the best of men, and Judah was still recovering to a degree. None of his lovers since Katara’s death had been her, and Mal was no exception to that fact. She had, however, managed to find a place in Judah’s life others had not, something significant, even if it was not defined.

The pair were not traditional in any sense of the word, and likely they would not be. Whatever they were in that regard remained to be seen. For now, they were lovers.

“Nothing too large. We still have to get used to the time of day it is on the planet.”

Jet lag while traveling on a planet was one thing. The time difference when traveling to another planet entirely… that could really mess with the system. Normally Judah would maintain his own routine, but Corellia was home. The master would allow the day to determine his routine.

Judah led them down the stairs and toward the kitchen. He extended his hand to indicate that Mal and Sonti should go in ahead of him.

“JJ, this is Malcoma Hesse and this is Sonti Delst. Sonti is the reason we are here.”

He turned to the girls.

“Mal, Sonti, this is my son… Judah.”

 

[Malcoma Hesse]

Before Mal could say any more, JJ's voice carried down the hallway. She winked at Judah. "I'll have to behave myself," she teased again before pushing open one of the doors to the master's suite with one hand. She put her bag down on the foot of the mattress and returned to Judah. As they retraced their path down the hall, Sonti poked her head out of her room and joined them as well.

Mal was vaguely aware that their names were the only things that JJ now knew about them. The elder Judah hadn't told her that he hadn't let his son it on much, but she assumed it anyway. Even if they hadn't been pressed on time before coming, Mal knew that a complete description of Sonti's circumstance would have required an explanation of what she and Mal did, which might make JJ uncomfortable at best and hostile at worst. It might yet, but the fact that the women were already here and clearly in trouble would hopefully force his reaction to be more beneficial.

"A pleasure," she said for both herself and Sonti. "Thank you for hosting us at such incredibly short notice." She sounded sincere if just a bit flat, guarded.

Sonti nodded. "Yes, thank you, JJ."

Judah Lesan Jr.

 

[Judah Lesan Jr.]

Wearing: xxx
Weapon: xxx
Tag: Malcoma Hesse | Sonti Delst

They all came down together, which JJ expected naturally. What he had not expected was what seemed to be a flare of something between his father and the blonde. Had Judah picked up another lover? The younger Lesan would have shaken his head were it not for the company. Even though the pair had buried the hatchet, so to speak, there were certain habits the of the more senior Judah which the younger still did not condone or understand. If his father ever did move on from the devastating loss of his mother, there was only one person JJ wanted to see his father with.

The blonde was not her… though the younger would accept what made his father happy. It was Judah’s decision and life after all. JJ simply held to childish hope for something else.

“It is nice to meet you as well, both of you.”

JJ motioned to the table where he started to set out some simple snacks and vegetables for them to eat at their leisure.

“So my dad did not tell me much of what this is all about, other than it sounded like he wanted to get the training compound up and running again. Well… discreetly.”

His eyes fell to Sonti. He could feel the force in her. JJ was observant, even if he was more of a soldier than a shadow or consular. It was a good trait to have when in combat, the ability to see what was really in front of him even when others wanted to keep it masked.

“Are you in trouble?”
​

 

[Sonti Delst]

Sonti sat down at the table first; Mal took the seat next to her and Sonti took hold of her hand under the table. She squeezed gently to communicate her desire to answer for herself. It wasn't just confidence, it was also protectiveness for her stand-in mother. They might have been in the presence of one man who knew of Mal's good, if not maybe misled, intentions, but neither women knew how the other would react.

The old habit of keeping this secret of theirs died hard.

Sonti nodded. "It's the New Way. We live on Coruscant and we've had two runs ins with them of late. I—w-we know what they do to Force Sensitives." Her grasp tightened. Mal put her other hand on top of hers and began to caress it with her own thumb. "I'm Force Sensitive. I've learned a few things over time, by, uh, myself..."

 

[Malcoma Hesse]

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the full truth either. Mal decided instantly that being upfront with JJ mattered was her priority over staying secretive and pretending her was a law-abiding citizen. Normally, the head mistress wouldn't care to be in another's good graces but, considering that she wanted JJ's help somewhat desperately, this time that had changed. However, she doubted that JJ would reject Sonti just because of their joint decision to affiliate with the underworld, much less drop everything to destroy the Guesthouse—if not only because that would meant taking on the most powerful mob in the Core.

And if nothing else at all, Judah was here to vouch for Mal and Sonti. The older woman glanced over at the Jedi Shadow to remind herself of that, then re-centered her focus to JJ. "I also picked up some study materials for her on my travels." The way she said it indicted that she stole them. "Never a holocron though. Don't get your tunics in a wad." It was true. She never better than to hold onto one of those if she ever found one.

Sonti looked sheepish suddenly. "I can't learn much more by myself. I don't want to put Mal and my sisters in danger just because of who I am anymore either, but I... I want to train as a Jedi—if you'll have me, that is."

Judah Lesan Jr.

 

[Judah Lesan Jr.]

Wearing: xxx
Weapon: xxx
Tag: Malcoma Hesse | Sonti Delst

She was in trouble.

JJ had heard plenty about the New Way, and he knew of his father’s investigation into the bombing on Coruscant. It seemed that was ongoing, and those not part of the Jedi were getting involved. Were they a greater threat to the galaxy at large? It was a question the younger Lesan was not tasked with answering. He would simply protect who he could, and in this case, it meant the young Kiffar his father had brought home.

He eventually nodded. Without a master to teach her she would not learn, and Judah would not be safe. JJ looked to his father.

“She really does need your help. I would take her myself, but work would put her right in the middle of that mess. If they are after her already… I can’t offer her up on a silver platter, can I?”

The younger master simply nodded again. He had not been looking for a student, but it seemed that one had found him. Whether Sonti had been looking as well, or not, it seemed they were going to be working together for a while.

“This compound is safe, and so far off the New Way’s radar. I rebuilt it discreetly, and on my own time. We can never be as active as we were when I was a kid, but two of us training here will not draw attention.”

He looked over to Sonti.

“I am guessing my dad put you up in Sasha’s old room? It’s yours now, but like my dad, I don’t do formal, so please don’t call me master. JJ is fine. We will start as soon as you’re ready.”

Judah reached out and placed a hand on his son’s shoulder.

“Thank you… it means a lot.”
​

 

[Malcoma Hesse]

Sonti couldn't contain her smile. JJ's aversion for formality was just fine with her. He and Mal had something in common that way, as unlikely as that was. She preferred being called Mal rather than Headmistress to her girls and, occasionally, guys. Plus—

"I can do that," she said. "Master has other implications for me, other than honest respect."

Mal nodded at JJ. "You two should start as soon as she gets some rest," she suggested.

Taking the hint graciously, Sonti stood. "Thank you, everyone." With that, she disappeared back up the stairwell to her new accommodations.

Mal watched until she was gone, then turned back to the two men. She herself stood but kept her attention on them, especially JJ, for Judah knew at least half of what she was about to reveal. "She was a slave once, just as I was. We are putting quite a bit of faith in you, a Jedi and a man at once." She glanced at Judah, then back at JJ. Calmly, she added, "If it comes that you can't train her, that's alright, but don't betray our trust." It wasn't at all a threat, nor a promise. Mal hadn't planned out the punishment since she didn't expect to be let down, though she had wanted to make sure that much was said nonetheless.

Then, Mal, too, was gone.

---

Both women slept through the afternoon. The older one was up before the younger, who would continue resting into the first hours of the evening, and soon made her way back to the now-empty and dark kitchen. She switched on the light and opened the refrigerator.

"Something light," she mused aloud as she browsed the available chilled ingredients.

She settled on a simple vegetable galette, rolling and buttoning up her sleeves before beginning with the crust.

Judah Lesan Judah Lesan Jr.

 

[Judah Lesan]

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Malcoma Hesse

Slavery was a distasteful thing, something the Lesan family had tried to find ways to combat for much of their family history. Even the older Judah had found it hard to stomach when he was working for a known gangster that dabbled in the trade to fill certain positions within his casinos. Being a Jedi, being who he was, Judah had a hard time reconciling his past to who had become, but that was why he did what he could to atone for it whenever the opportunity came.

Perhaps he was feeling it more than usual, but the Jedi found his run going a little longer than usual. Often his workouts helped to eliminate frustrations, and in this case it seemed he needed to work it off more than he thought. By the time he returned to the house, Malcoma was awake and at the table eating.

“Morning,” he said as he passed by on his way toward the cold storage.

A bottle of water was pulled from the shelf, and the Jedi started to drink it before doing or saying anything else. The cool liquid was life giving. He could feel the cold temperature of the water wash through his body. It was a drastic difference between what the running had produced. Judah needed it, and perhaps a cool shower as well, but the Master wanted some time with Malcoma before the rest of the day started.

“Sonti is going to be okay here. She will be safe.”

Whether that was what she was wondering or not, Judah said it out loud. It was difficult to let a child go, and release them into the world. Mal was like a mother to the Kiffar, and this transition was going to take its toll on both of them. Judah could be there for them.

“JJ will be a good teacher for her too, and he’s not as… forward as I am.”

In other words… the training sessions were not going to be an excuse to flirt.

 

[Malcoma Hesse]

As Judah retrieved and drank the water, Mal got up to get another plate off the pile of three others that she had made beside the galette on the kitchen island. She then cut another piece, put it on the plate, and set in down next to her place setting on the dining table, along with a fork.

"I know," she said, which she did. "First Iayn and now Sonti." She sat back down, crossing her arms over the tabletop. "I thought it would get easier to let them go. When I first started the Hestia Project, the goal was to move girls though, give them the tools to deal with life alone." She pressed her upper lip into her lower. "But I didn't imagine that the life I would deliver them into would still be dangerous; the danger was supposed to be behind them: slavery and crime." Mal knew that she and Judah didn't see eye to eye about the girls' mob affiliation and she didn't want to start an argument about it, so she didn't dwell on the point.

"I had thought that life after all of that would be delectably normal for them. For Iayn, an art studio on a beachfront somewhere. For Sonti, an animal sanctuary away from too much concrete and durasteel.

"I... I know I miscalculated. Even Made mobsters entertain delusions."

Before Judah could say anything to diffuse Mal's depressive mood, Sonti's voice came down the stairs a moment before she did. "Good morning!"

Mal stood back up to make another plate for her. "How did you sleep?" asked Mal as Sonti sat herself.

"Well, thanks. This looks delicious."

"Don't eat too fast, darling," Mal warned while Sonti began cutting the galette with the side of her fork. "I don't know what JJ has planned."

Sonti nodded before taking a bite. "I'll only eat half for now," she said after having chewed and swallowed.

Judah Lesan Jr.