Star Wars - Kenobi

half raised your kids. You’ve helped me raise mine—”
    “Don’t blame that on me!” Annileen yanked her hand away. She looked back at Mullen and Veeka. “No offense.”
    “None taken,” Mullen growled. Both Gault siblings held hats full of cash.
    Annileen turned on Orrin. “You have to admit this is strange. Until recently, you’ve never shown the slightest interest in me!”
    “Come on,” Orrin implored. “You know that’s not true!”
    “ Serious interest. You’ve joked, sure—”
    “If I joked, it was only because I was afraid,” Orrin said. “Afraid you wouldn’t think I was worthy of taking Dannar’s place.” He looked away. “Well, I’ve been working. All this time I’ve put in improving my ranch, all the work with the Settlers’ Call? It’s been me working on me . For you!”
    “For me?”
    “So you could see what I can be,” he said.
    Annileen’s eyes goggled. They had an audience now, bystanders who had drifted away from the city’s attempts to trap the Kayven whistlers. Suddenly self-aware, she stepped back. “Are you looking for an answer now?”
    “Soon,” Orrin said. He looked back up the street in the direction of the town house. “Sure, why not now? I know you like Kerner Plaza. They have weddings there all the time. What do you think?”
    “I think you need to take one of your stress pills!”
    “No joke, Annie,” he said, sinking down on one knee. “I’m for real!”
    Shaken, she looked around again. At the landspeeder. At Ben. At the others, and then again at Ben. Her eyes back on Orrin, she spoke a little louder, partly for the benefit of the strangers. “I’ll need a little time to think about it,” she said.
    Smile wilting a little, Orrin rose from the ground and dusted off his trouser leg. He bowed to Annileen and turned back to his vehicle. The loiterers, sensing the moment had ended, drifted away.
    Seeing Orrin conferring with his children, Annileen spoke with hers. “Have you ever seen anything like it?”
    Kallie shook her head. “If Veeka Gault becomes my sister, I’m going to become one of those B’omarr monks.”
    “They cut your brains out,” Ben said.
    “Trust me,” Kallie said. “It’d be preferable.”
    Speaking quietly, Orrin finished the thirty-second summation of events in the town house for Mullen and Veeka.
    “We’re not going to get out of this by talking,” he said. He wiped the sweat from his brow. “It’s not unexpected. Always two plans, you know.”
    “I’m not so sure about Plan Two,” Mullen said.
    Orrin looked at his son, exhausted. “Great suns, what’s wrong with Zedd this time? Surely his ribs have healed by—”
    “He called from the clinic. He’s been taking the wrong painkillers,” Veeka said. “Zedd’s addicted to Wookiee meds.”
    Orrin shook his head. “He is incredibly fired.”
    “Do we have to go tonight ?” Mullen asked. “I don’t think we can go without him.”
    “Tonight or nothing,” Orrin said. “We need a fourth, and fast. But I think I’ve found him.” Orrin looked at the Calwells, gathered between their LiteVan and Annileen’s swanky ride. Jabe nodded back to him, respectfully.
    Orrin had been bringing Jabe into his confidence a little at a time, and the boy seemed more than eager to be helpful. “Yeah, that’ll actually work pretty well,” Orrin said, walking toward the group.
    “Jabe,” he called out. “You want to ride back to the oasis with us?”
    Jabe looked surprised by the offer. Standing by the Gault vehicle, Veeka winked at him. Excited, Jabe looked to his mother.
    Annileen was skeptical. “Kallie has to take the LiteVan home now to get the animals fed. I didn’t want her going alone—”
    “We’ll drive along behind as far as my place,” Orrin said. “My cook droid will get Jabe fed and I’ll drop him at home tonight. Everyone will be safe.”
    Overwhelmed by the earlier attention, Annileen assented.
    “It’s settled,” Orrin said, waving the boy to his landspeeder. Turning, Orrin saw Ben standing in contemplation, hood shading his eyes. “I thought you had some repair work to pick up,” Orrin said, frostily.
    “That I do.” Ben nodded and turned to Annileen. “I can find my own way home.”
    “No,” she said. “I’ll drop you and the cooling unit back at your place.” She looked over at Orrin, who seemed none too happy. “I’m still my own woman—I think.”
    “Fine,” Orrin said, the old smile returning. “Then I’ll see