Trial By Fire (Month 4, 54BBY)

Dromund Kaas was primarily unknown to the universe though it had served as an old Sith fortress for over a thousand years. There had been a battle there in 1004BBY between the Sith and the Jedi but since then the planet was largely abandoned. Tarian had been forced to land there to make repairs to his ship years ago and since then he had been building a home for himself there. There was an abundance of game animals to kill and foliage to harvest all over the planet. His home was tunneled out under a series of jungle capped hills. He had 4 large, round rooms connected by passage ways. One passage led to the surface however and another led to a cavern that opened up into a hot spring. He set solar generators and built a plumbing and waste system. He set up a forcefield just beyond the hot spring do to the dangerous animals that lived in the caverns. He had several lights places around the hot spring cavern and also in the 3 round rooms with connecting corridors. There was ventilation to the surface as well and emergency air, water and rations stored there if they were forced to retreat there suddenly.

The hot spring was suitable to bathe in. Not too hot or cold and it retained its temperature consistently. Tarian had made certain he was not followed or that there were no tracking devices on or inside of his ship. He switched off his transponders and his comms and flew to meet his wife Amara who was there already. He landed next to his old Cestus and Amara’s ETA-8 was just beyond it.

Tarian did not want to be separated from his very pregnant wife for these last 2 months but he had no real choice. His position in the Sith hierarchy required his attention but now that he completed his mission he was eager to spend time with Amara. He entered their home but didn’t see her anywhere. He smiled when he heard her humming a tune, the caverns of the hot springs allowed sound to travel. He assumed she was singing for the babes.

Amara had been hiding in Tarian's secret hideout on Dromund Kaas for several months now. Ever since the meeting with the council she had feared for her life and the lives of her unborn children. Darth Maul had not been pleased with Tarian and herself and their defiance to his orders to abort the babies so she could fight. As a result, Amara had taken her ship and flown two systems away from Korriban. Tarian was forced to continue to serve in his position, leaving her alone for two months on the planet.

She was a week late. She was supposed to have given birth 8 days ago, but she had never gone into labor. She was entirely alone on the planet and at this point she could not travel anywhere else. She had no choice but to remain where she was.

It was early that morning when she felt cramping in her lower abdomen. In that moment she desperately wished Tarian was there. She had never felt more alone than in that moment. For hours the labor continued and the pain got worse and worse. She was now in the final stages of labor, but she had begun to realize that there were complications. She could sense that something was wrong. She began humming to herself to try and relax and calm herself. Suddenly, she sensed that Tarian was near and a wave of relief came over her.

"Tarian!"

Tarian dropped the bag he was carrying and smiled as he saw Amara. She sat on the edge of the hot spring with her feet dangled into the water. God she was beautiful! And her belly was very large and round with his children inside of her. He knelt down beside her and let her envelope him with her arms and pull him in for a rather passionate kiss. He noticed she was sweating and very uncomfortable.

“Are you alright? Is there anything I can do for you my darling?” He asked lovingly. He did not know she was actually in the beginning stages of labor.

Amara was trying her best to remain calm, but she was scared and unsure about what to do at this point. Tarian would see she was trembling. Suddenly, another contraction hit and she doubled over and yelled out from the pain.

"Something's wrong," she told Tarian as tears came to her eyes. "I can sense that there is a complication but I don't know what to do."

In a panic, Tarian shouldered his bag and picked Amara up into his arms. “It’s going to be alright Amara,” he said. He hurried her back inside the main tunnels then back into their bedroom. He set her down then pulled the storage drawer out from under the bed. In a rush he unfolded the plastic sheets and covered those in the thicker cloth sheets he had prepared. He pulled pillows out from under that and then gestured for her to come lie down. When she did he pulled off her shoes and then her pants. From his bag he removed a med scanner just as R2 moved into the room. Amara’s R4 droid was already there.

“R2, record these readings,” he said as he passed the scanner over her swollen belly. The droid whirred and clicked and made a worried whoosh sound.

“The babies are not in the right position, Amara, you need to turn onto your left side,” he said.”One of the babies heartbeats is slow. It might be in distress,” he said. “We might need to do a c-section Amara,” Tarian said. He had all of the equipment and he had done this in a simulator but never in real life.

Amara had never shown fear before in front of Tarian, but today she could not hide the fear that was in her eyes. She was glad he was there with her and that she wasn't alone anymore. She laid down on the bed after Tarian had prepared it and she let him run the med scanner over her belly. When she heard that the babies were not the right position for birth she began to panic. She laid down on her left her side as Tarian instructed. She began to wonder if she was going to survive this. She reached out and took Tarian's hand and she looked into his eyes.

"If something should happen to me, I want you to know how much I love you."

“Nothing is going to happen Amara. You and these babes are my family,” Tarian assured her. The contractions seemed to be getting worse and he checked to see how dilated she was. She was almost ready. He pushed on her stomach and tried to turn the baby he could feel. It was a slow process and during the massages he gave her stomach he gave her injections to help with the labor and the subsequent birthing that was about to happen. Finally her water broke and there was alot of blood.

Both droids held cloths and his R2 unit held a tray of surgical instruments. “Ok, I think the first babe is where it needs to be,” he said and helped her get onto her back. He washed his hands for the thousandth time as he shifted down to the end of the bed.

“Ok Amara, when I tell you to push, you push!” He said commandingly.

Amara could tell that Tarian was nervous, but he rushed around and did what he needed to do. Finally, her water broke and Tarian confirmed that the first baby was in the correct position for birth. She waited until Tarian told her to push and then she began to push. She pushed until he told her to stop and she took a few deep breaths.

Over and over Tarian asked Amara to push and each time she bore down and pushed with everything she had. Most births were done surgically. Tarian and Amara had wanted to do this the old fashioned and natural way. Hours passed and he could tell Amara was becoming exhausted.

“Ok Amara, I’ve almost got the shoulder, one more good push!. Push woman...PUSH! He demanded and the look she gave him just then. A look of pure hatred as she bore down. Tarian was sweating but nothing like Amara. Her robe was completely drenched.

“She’s coming, hold it...hold it!” he said and then Amara felt the sudden wave of relief as the pain and pressure subsided. R2 assisted Tarian with tying off the umbilical cord and he cut it between where he had clamped both sides. He took the baby over to the incubator and began to clean it up. As he did the babies eyes had opened. It was wide away but not making a sound. He smiled as he quickly wiped it down then wrapped it in white swaddling. He brought the child to Amara and leaned over the bed to set it into her arms.

“Say hello to your daughter Amara,” he said but they didn’t have much time. He’d have to take the baby back soon and she’d have to birth Kevan.

Amara was exhausted but she continued to push with everything she had. She gave one final hard push and yelled out as the baby was finally born. She collapsed back for a moment to catch her breath as Tarian took the infant. She looked over at Tarian as he cleaned the infant up. She felt a few tears come to her eyes as Tarian placed Kaia in her arms. She gently touched her cheek.

“She’s beautiful.”

Tarian smiled and leaned over and kissed Amara on the lips. And then he kissed their daughter. “Aye, she is,” he said softly. His love for her and for Kaia swelled inside of him. “But...we’re not done yet my darling,” he said. Amara did not want to give Kaia back to him but Tarian took her gently and put her in the small incubator. He returned back to see Amara’s eyes close and R2 chittered and chirped in alarm.

Tarian had to work fast. He sprayed the skin gel along the base of Amara’s belly and injected her with a painkiller. Amara’s blood pressure was dropping fast and he had to get the baby out quickly. With a steady hand he sliced along her abdomen…

Tarian had sewn Amara up and the skin gel would ensure there would barely be any scarring. She wasn’t bleeding, why was her blood pressure going down!? He was in a near panic and nothing he did worked. Kevan was safe swaddled and alongside his sister in the incubator. But he was losing Amara. He was not a doctor and R2 whirred and beeped in concern.

“I know I know but I don’t know how to stop it!” Tarian said. His wife was dying, probably from some internal hemorrhage and he didn’t know from where. The scanner couldn’t pinpoint the problem and he was not a doctor. He could not read the signs. In a fit of rage he threw the scanner and it hit the rock wall of the cavern hard. He was about to just make another incision but he took hold of himself and set the laser scalpel down.

Tarian breathed in and out slowly and calmed his heartbeat. Darth Plagueis had been his master and Tarian had learned alot from him. He had never seen him bring someone back from the dead but he had learned how to heal, odd as that might be for a Sith. He put his hands on Amara and felt the dark side of the force go through him. His will was strong with the force but the midichlorians that he had built a long kinship with did not appear to be listening. Not for this task. Tarian bowed his head and his will dug deeper.

In an instant his body began to feel power. Not the dark side of the force, the light side. He had never touched it before and so he did not understand how to wield it. The midichlorians did however and their power filled with with their light. They obeyed Tarian’s will and Amara’s internal bleeding began to heal. It was then he knew the truth about his old master. He used both the light and the dark sides of the force. How had he hid that for so long? When he felt Amara stir he removed his hands from her and let go of the force.

Amara felt as if she were falling down a deep hole into a black abyss and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She knew she was in trouble, but there was nothing she could do. She just kept falling and she realized that she might never see her husband or her children again. Was her son even safe? She did not know and she felt helpless to do anything to save him.

Suddenly, she saw a light in the darkness. It started off small and dull, but then grew bigger and brighter. The light then seemed to grab her and pull her up through the darkness. In the light she felt Tarian. He was there. He was doing this...

...Slowly, Amara's eyes began to flutter open. She saw a face above her and knew in an instant it was Tarian. Her eyes slowly began to adjust. She felt tired and groggy and didn't understand what had happened.

"What happened?"

Healing Amara had taken a lot out of him. He he used some of his life force to heal her. He’s eventually get it back but right then he was very very tired. When he heard her stir he lifted up his head to look at her. Tarian sat in a small  hair next to the bed and held her hand.

“You were bleeding out...I...I healed you,” he said. “I didn’t know where you where hemorrhaging,” he said. “I put the babes in the incubator. They will sleep until you are ready for them,” he said tiredly.

Amara became concerned as she listened to what Tarian told her he had done. He had healed her? Had he used some of his life force to do it? She had not thought it was possible, but she loved Tarian even more for what he had done. He had saved her life.

She glanced over at the incubator and knew her son was in there. She had not seen him yet.

"May I see him?"

Amara looked exhausted but Tarian would deny his wife nothing right then. He nodded then moved to the incubator he opened it up and removed Kevan from it. He was wrapped in white swaddling and already cleaned up. He handed the babe to her and made certain she had a good hold of him before he moved to get Kaia.

When he brought Kaia back over, they were both sleeping, he smiled at Amara’s expression. “Our little family,” Tarian said and he looked at Amara as she held their son as he sat next to her.

Amara held out her arms to take Kevan. She gently adjusted him after Tarian handed him to her. She looked down at him and lightly touched his face. She felt happy in that moment and a few tears came to her eyes as she looked at Tarian with Kaia. It was a perfect moment.

“I am so happy.”