After Kalifa and the boys left the council hall to guard the lift exit leading to this level of the temple, the battle raging around us had one last fierce clash. But after that, it quickly came to a lasting silence. One that was only broken about an hour later, when Master Windu, escorted by a couple of Senate guards, entered the council hall.

He was visibly relieved seeing the youngest of the order surviving the terrible events of the day. Most of the children ran up to him and hugged him, feeling pure relief and happiness. Windu was a sharp figure in the jedi order, one that demanded respect, but also gave off a subtle sense of power, a power that could very well defend those scared children. In short, he was a reliable man, whom the people, children included, looked up to, and relied on.

His presence in the council hall was more than enough to soothe the fear of those younglings. Even if he was scary at times, being by the side of a master who was a bit scary was much better than standing alone in front of a wave of attacking clones, ones that didn't care what they have to shoot down, until it had a lightsaber or a wore clothes that resembled of jedi garb.

Lily watched the reunion unfold in front of her, but she didn't really feel like being part of the small, cheerful crowd. These people were fine and good-hearted as far as she could understand. They had been through a dire battle, and were now starting to relax, if only a little.

Wherever she looked, there seemed to be people feeling relieved and happy about their survival. That was a feeling she could easily understand. Survival was a top priority for her as well. It was the order of things. For one to eat, something must be consumed.

Not so long ago, she thought herself to be a hive queen of a zerg colony. Then she had to understand that she was not simply a hive queen, but an overmind. A fledgling overmind, she has rid herself of any type of mind-control, even without trying, and as a result, she was left without a purpose. This outcome was bothering her as much as it made her happy. Being free was a blessing and a burden, at least for her at the time. It definitely felt like that. Now, after a lot of new experiences, she understood that it was merely a part of being an overmind.

Before she could wholeheartedly accept this new discovery, she was unfortunately captured again by something more sinister, a being that was very similar to her, and also so much different. The Queen of Blades... a creature that has quickly taught her to value her freedom, which she was unable to properly appreciate until the moment she lost it.

By sheer luck, she managed to run away from her, to a place that was so different. People did not hate her here. They were kind towards her, intrigued by her presence. Some even praised her appendages and her ability to heal others. It was so different, yet today she also learned that it was also the same. Something seemed to want the destruction of this place, something wished to kill those who took an interest in her, and accepted her so willingly. This was a kindness that did not depend on the fact that she allowed them to do certain experiments on her body.

It was genuine, and so... so much different. She did not understand why any creature would be kind to her in that manner.

Therefore, she waited. Waited until the children calmed down, and the man who was supposed to train her this morning was momentarily freed from the many cheerful faces needily grasping his attention. Only then did she spring to her feet and walked up to him with quickness that managed to surprise the man, if only a little.

He turned towards her and smiled lightly, clearly recognizing her.

-From the perspective of Lily-

-Ah, it's you... I am relieved to see you survive this terrible attack...

There was a moment of awkward silence, and then the man looked away and continued with a lighter tone while staring at the still unconscious pair of kids sleeping in some of the seats in the council hall.

-… It seems our training session was also unexpectedly postponed as a result. If not entirely… based on what I heard from the children, you did an enigmatic job defending them from a squad of clones. I thank you for that.

The man nodded, acknowledging my deeds.

Then he sighed deeply, raised one of his hands, placing it gently on my left shoulder. It was a strange gesture. I did not meet with many people who would willingly touch my body on their own behalf. Except Mady...

I felt strange because of this gesture. I did not know how to feel about it, but I decided that it was not necessarily bad.

I looked up at him and decided to ask the questions that were bothering me for a while.

-Why was your home attacked? Who were those people called clones?

The tall man standing in front of me seemed to raise an eyebrow hearing my words. He showed me a strained smile and gave his answer.

-Hmm... Lily, was it? Yes... It turns out that someone belonging to our ancient enemy called the Sith has managed to fool us all, and to think that he masked himself as the... ah… forgive my rambling. I believe that those names and words would not mean much to you, since you are new to this place.

The man stopped speaking and sighed.

-Anyway, I should not trouble the young with such things. I believe you have been put through more than enough worry and fear for one single day.

I blinked. I did not understand the exact nature if this enemy indeed, but there was something I clearly understood.

-It is the nature of things. Something needs to die for another to live.

The expression on the man's face quickly changed from docile to shock, then to sadness. He even pulled back his hand from my shoulder. His brows furrowed as he looked at me with confusion.

-It is a rather harsh way to look at things… especially for someone so young. However, I am not entirely surprised. Not after what you had to do today. You should go and rest now. Let go of the emotions you keep suppressing that will help to calm your mind and understand the weight of your actions.

The man turned away, but I did not let him go just like that.

-I want to build a nest. Where can I make one?

Windu was evidently surprised by my question. As he turned back to face me, this time, both of his eyebrows were raised higher. As he was looking at me, it seemed that he couldn’t find the right words to ask what he needed.

After a short time, he shook himself out of this strange stupor and asked.

-Ugh... A nest? A nest of all things… forgive me if I am a bit insensitive… but are you some sort of bird creature or a lizard?

I leaned my head to the side and blinked, confused.

I looked over the massive biological information stored in my brain and searched for creatures called lizards and birds. I made a few quick comparisons between my race and them, only to realize that the zerg base information actually held some of the information that originated from birds and lizards. Zergs were capable of repurposing the information stolen from other races, after all.

I had to realize with quite the amount of reluctance that I was in a sense part bird and part lizard, but in a so small amount, that it was almost meaningless to even consider it.

While I was submerged in this information, swimming through the absurd amount of memories, time didn’t stop moving around me. Master Windu was waiting for my answer, which I was not in a position to give at the time.

When I came back to the present, I sadly noted that Windu probably became bored with me staring in front of myself and left the room, probably making sure that no more clones remained inside the building.

When I understood this, I became crestfallen. I didn’t get my answer, and it even turned out that I am part bird. This wasn’t a good day at all…

In the end, having nothing else to do, I stayed with the other children, waiting for the time to be allowed to leave the council hall.