Shadows of Tomorrow

Chapter 34 - Festival of Light

Theseus knows he can't avoid the conversation with his mother forever. It's better to get going and talk to her about it. It's honestly a far less major problem then this whole Obi-Wan faking his death thing, so at least this they can work through. As far as the situation with Obi-Wan... well, he'll worry about that when he sees him again.

He hasn't actually moved into his mother's apartment, but he is staying there, so he's waiting in her living room when she finally gets back from some Council meeting. "Do you have time right now?" he inquires finally.

"Yes, I do," she quickly assures him, taking a seat on the couch across from him, "So, what is it?"

"Why didn't you tell me who my father was?"

She seems to consider her answer a moment before speaking. "I didn't want you to have to carry that burden. I didn't know he was a terrorist at the time, but I did know him long enough to realize he wasn't a very good person." He doesn't know why her describing Vizsla like that almost irks him. It's true, after all.

"Besides," she adds after a moment, "I doubted you'd actually end up on Mandalore one day... and I didn't really think it would matter." Fair enough, he supposes. He never did ask about his father. A name would have been meaningless, until he actually ran into him, of course.

But, he supposes, that's not what upsets him most about the situation. "Why didn't you at least tell me I had a sister?" he presses.

"When I left Mandalore, I knew I had to leave her behind." She sighs quietly, and Theseus can feel her true regret. Maybe any ordinary time, it would be enough to calm him, but not right now. "Not talking about her ... seemed like the simplest option."

"That's... lying by omission." In any other circumstance, he probably wouldn't be so upset, but everything that happened with Hardeen, he can't help it. He's off-balance, and it will take him a long time to re-find it. It's frustrating, because he spent so long finding himself after Mortis, and now it feels as though everything was for naught.

Maybe it wasn't. Maybe the Jedi aren't anything like he wanted to believe they are. Maybe... maybe his father was right. It scares him that he's considering it.

"Yes, I suppose it is," she admits, "And I am sorry. Most Jedi know nothing of their birth families. I didn't want you to try searching for her, or to think you left something behind. I know it may not mean much, and it may not be what you want to hear right now, but I am sorry."

Theseus sighs. Suddenly, he feels more worn out then he does angry. "I know," he assures. "It's just... there's so much going on. I can't stand by what the Council is doing anymore. I've seen how much the 'greater good' excuse can be used to cover for evil. Vizsla, my father, always said the same thing, you know. He burned an entire village to the ground once for his 'greater good'."

She winces. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Theseus."

"It doesn't really matter. It would've happened, whether I saw it or not. At least I know what things are like out there." Theseus hesitates a moment before reaching into his pocket and withdrawing the padawan braid he's been keeping there ever since he lost it. At first, he was planning to give it to Obi-Wan, but now... No, he can't do that. "Here," he says quietly, "You're my master now. I think you should keep this."

She reaches over, taking it from him. "Oh, I was wondering what happened to this."

"Uh, Dad might've chopped it off. I guess I'll have to learn to go back to being a padawan, about now." Theseus certainly still isn't happy about not being told, but it's the past now. It's not like there's anything she could do to change it even if we she wanted to. For now, he decides, he'll let the matter rest. It feels like – like there might be something else he ought to know, that she's hiding from him. Not unlike the rest of the Council, though what they did was something far worse, something inexcusable and unforgivable.