The Spy Makes a Move

~~~(POV: Theron Shan)~~~

~~~(Location: Personal Ship Heading back to Coruscant, Hyperspace)~~~

My mind is entirely focused on everything that I've learned from the databanks of Outpost Deep Crystal. My eyes are constantly on the Datapad in my hands.

"I'll admit it... Nathan was right about The Star Cabal... More than just right... What should I do with this information..."

I'd already have a plan in motion most of the time, but this situation is unique.

There are names on this list that I recognize... Senators, military leaders, and even some fellow agents in the SIS. The Star Cabal have their hands in everything.

"Spreading this information is impossible. If I do, there are high chances The Star Cabal will find out..."

I'll need to break off from the SIS. Bring in people that I know aren't on this list.

They have to be willing to help me, and that's saying something.

"Nathan will be going about all this his way, and I'll do it my way... Satele is the biggest problem... She's the one at the biggest risk of leaking the information."

Her Jedi allies and her obligations to her Code will blind her. She'll be too trusting. This is why her Datapad has an auto-delete timer on it.

I set it up before giving her a datapad with the information. I don't trust her enough not to ruin this advantage we have. She's already taken a glance at the list, but it should be auto-deleting within the hour.

"Nathan is similar to me, so no need to delete his... And I know that he won't share what's on his Datapad. Not even with Satele."

Much to her own dismay.

There is a chance that she won't know until she's already on her ship and heading back to Tython or Coruscant. I'll only be stopping there for a brief moment to gather some of my more important things.

"Just what am I supposed to do about her..."

I'm at an impasse with Satele... She wants to have another chance at being my mother, but I'm not thinking she does.

What I need to do is ask myself if my father would give her another chance, and knowing him, he'd do it in a heartbeat. Even today, he still loves her and will do anything for her. Why? I can only guess it has something to do with love.

"It's saying a lot when I don't know what motherly love feels like... And that should be an answer..."

It seems I've come to an answer.

Satele had her chance a long time ago, and you can't make up the first 30 years of a kid's life with a simple apology and a chance to talk.

"On the other hand... If I don't give her a chance... I'm just as bad as she is..."

There are a lot of things that I wish I got from my mom... Her power, her status, her love... But the one thing I did get is something that I hate.

I don't want to be anything like her, and to do this, I think giving her that chance is needed... Even if I don't like it or ever want to be anything more than what I am to her. A stranger.

"Nathan is someone I resent deep down, but I can see he has issues with the Jedi too..."

And that counts towards something. He isn't fooled.

~~~(POV: Nathan Opal)~~~

~~~(Location: Fort Garnik Cantina, Ord Mantell)~~~

Satele dries her tears as she pulls her eyes out from my neck. She needed something to cry on, and it's okay that it was me this time. She sniffles her nose and clears her throat.

"I'm sorry about that... But a mother's pain isn't something that can just be buried... Not this type of pain..."

I don't know what Theron is planning regarding Satele, but whatever decision he comes to. I'll understand.

I unwrap my arm from around her shoulders, looking toward the many bottles on the shelf.

"I met my mother..."

Satele looks at me with a mixed expression.

"It's a long and complicated story, but this is the reason I've changed... Many truths have been revealed to me... And I've let go of a lot of the things in my past..."

She looks ready to listen to the whole story, but that's for another time.