Author's Note: Ladies and gentlemen! Devoted readers and new comers! I give you Pieces of the Puzzle, the continuing story of Alone. If you have not read Alone, I advise you to do so at once. If you already have, bravo and read on! I hope you enjoy, and please leave a review!

Pieces of the Puzzle

Part I

Obi-Wan had been dragged out of the hold and was being held by two guards, watching through the window the planet as they approached it. To be honest, the only reason he was still on his feet was because of the guards, who gripped his arms, keeping him upright. Obi-Wan knew it shouldn't really surprise him, Jenna Zan Arbor having so much fun messing with his mind and all, that she would choose this place to hide. But still, the name echoed through Obi-Wan's mind, as well as the memories that went with it. The heat, the tall buildings, and the ocean.

Bandomeer.

Of all places, Jenna Zan Arbor had set up a secret lab on this desolate wasteland. The Agricorps work was slowly reviving the planet, but there was still so little there. Obi-Wan watched as the ship headed down, and was hardly surprised when it turned and headed toward the ocean that covered half of the world's surface. Again, he was hardly surprised when they landed on a platform that had obviously once been a mining platform. The guards dragged Obi-Wan off the ship after Dooku and Arbor. Jenna stepped forward and spread out her arms as if to encompass the whole platform.

"Welcome," she said, "to my humble laboratory, in which I conduct my most special and secretive research operations."

Dooku looked around skeptically. "I hope the inside is more habitable than the outside." he said.

"Oh, it is," Jenna assured. "I ordered a full renovation on the inside. We've even expanded the mining tunnels beneath the water, but the outside must remain as is to keep up the illusion that it is an abandoned mine." She motioned to the nearby door, which appeared to have rusted shut. But Obi-Wan knew that appearances can be deceiving. Jenna easily pushed open the door and everyone followed her in.

Obi-Wan was surprised to see white corridors, a spotless floor, and a cleaning droid slowly moving down the hall. The last time he had been here, it had all been dark, damp, and an unhealthy environment to live in. Jenna continued down the hall and took a few turns, until the group reached a lift tube. "This will take us down to the seafloor." Jenna explained. "We have most of our labs down there, as well as our holding cells." A pair of humans in white lab coats exited the lift and nodded to Jenna before moving off in another direction. The group then entered the lift and it went down.

"I've heard that there are some traces of ionite in the seafloor of Bandomeer." Dooku commented. Obi-Wan didn't blame him for bringing that up. He was curious himself as to how Jenna dealt with the ionite. Even small pieces of ionite carried an electric pulse, not positive and not negative, but neutral, with the effect that timers and equipment went dead.

"Oh, we've developed technology and timers that remain unaffected by the ionite." Jenna answered. "We will be perfectly safe."

Ahsoka walked into the back room and found Ben sitting on the edge of the sleep couch. She sat down next to him. "You all right?" she asked, concern creeping into her voice.

"Fine." Ben said without looking up. "Just tired."

"Then why don't you sleep?"

Ben shook his head. "Can't." he said.

"Bad dreams?"

Ben sighed. "I don't know why it keeps coming back." Ahsoka stared steadily at him and he sighed again. "I keep hearing this voice." he admitted, and Ahsoka nodded for him to continue. "And I keep hearing my master calling for me to destroy 'it'. At first I didn't know what he meant, but after our discovery on Zuno I think 'it' is the Extractor. So there will probably be a choice that I'll have to make between my master and my duty. That's not the worst though." Ben took a deep breath. "I've felt something, a presence so dark that no light in the galaxy could penetrate it. Apparently whoever it was felt me, and he defended himself by attacking my mind." Ben winced slightly. "Then there's a voice. 'I'll find you, you can't hide, I'll find you…' and then I wake up. From then on I can't meditate without hearing it, and I whenever I sleep I have that dream."

Ahsoka frowned, and Ben could practically see her thinking. "Sounds like a Sith, a very powerful Sith." Ahsoka finally said. Then her eyes widened and she ran off, Ben following. "Master!" she cried, rushing into the cockpit. Anakin turned around from his place in front of the nav computer.

"What is it, Snips? I'm double-checking Windu's directions to this middle-of-nowhere planet."

"Master," Ahsoka gasped, "I think Ben felt Sidious' presence!"

Both Ben and Anakin shouted out at once, "What!?"

"It makes sense!" Ahsoka insisted. "All the Sith I've ever faced have all had this last residue of light, never total dark, just very, very dark. Even Ventress under all her anger was once a good person. But what you felt, wow! It had to be Sidious, a Sith who never knew goodness as far as we know. His presence would be total darkness, no light at all! Just pure, pure evil."

Anakin turned to Ben. "Is this true?" he asked excitedly.

Ben shrugged. "Well, yes, and it would explain why he said he'd hunt me down."

"You heard his voice? Do you think you'd recognize it again?"

"Maybe." Ben said hesitantly. "His voice was kind of familiar." This surprised both Ahsoka and Anakin.

"We don't have time for this now." Anakin said, coming out of it. "We'll be coming out of hyperspace in a few hours and we need to prepare. We'll be landing in the capital city, Bandor, and we will be in disguise."

"Yay!" said Ahsoka. They set about to prepare for the landing.

Dooku sat in his borrowed office, looking over the interior. It was not high up on his best-offices list, but he had to admit Miss Arbor knew how to balance comfort with practicality. He bent down and opened his bag, pulling out a sliver cylinder. It was Kenobi's lightsaber, that had been found in a secret Force-locked compartment in his bunk on Zuno. He turned it over in his hand, looking at each detail. "Excellent craftsmanship." he muttered.

"I was wondering what had happened to that." someone remarked from the door. Dooku put it back in his bag and turned to face Jenna.

"Is the prisoner secure?" he asked.

"Yes." Jenna answered. "He won't be going anywhere, unless he wants to drown."

"Very good."

Jenna turned to leave, but turned back, recalling why she had come. "I'm going to Bandor for supplies. I'll be back by dusk." She left and Dooku didn't call her back. He wasn't worried about her double-crossing him. He knew that she knew what would happen to her if she dared.

Now, he thought, leaning back in his chair, to meditate on the problem my master wishes corrected.

TBC