This story is dedicated to all the people who thought my previous story Full Circle should have had a final chapter. I reread it and thought 'Maybe they were right'. I started that last chapter for you, and it sparked new ideas, and it became this new story. Don't worry – you don't have to have read Full Circle first. Hopefully it's all self-explanatory.

XXX

Narula Republic Fleet Base – five years after Malak's defeat.

The ensign tracking the approaching shipping moved his fingers over the terminal, half his mind on the job and half his mind dreaming of being elsewhere. With his mind as much on autopilot as the spacecraft around him, he directed supply ships to cargo bays, returned crew transports to the staff shuttle bays and tracked flight paths, ensuring there were no collisions. He had been on shift for over seven standard hours – only thirty minutes to go and he could go meet Lieutenant Nira in the bar…

The terminal bleeped an urgent warning and he snapped back to reality. There was a small freighter approaching that didn't appear on the schedule. This was unheard of in the Fleet, which ran with strict precision. Security had been tight during the unsettled times that followed the Mandalorian Wars. Any break from procedure was a high level security breach

He called the Dock Commander over and pointed out the suspicious ship.

'Does it appear in any of our records?' asked the officer.

The ensign quickly tapped out a sequence. The data file that flashed up made the Dock Commander reach for his communicator.

'Get me Fleet Admiral Dodonna right away.'

XXX

Forn Dodonna was rudely awoken by the chiming of the comm. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and ran her fingers through her short hair, trying to tame it. She recognised the face of the Dock Officer, but couldn't dig his name out of her sleep-fogged brain.

'This is Dodonna. Go ahead.'

'Ma'am, there is a ship on approach. It's unexpected, so we checked the records. We found a security flag with your name on it.'

'The name of the ship?'

'The Ebon Hawk, ma'am.'

Dodonna's eyes widened. 'Direct it to my private hangar. Have a security team meet me there right away. They are not to do anything until I get there!' She leapt out of bed as she spoke and began pulling on her uniform over her pyjamas.

Barely had the Dock Officer cut the channel than she opened another to the Fleet Command Centre.

'I want a message sent to the Sojourn right away. Tell Admiral Onasi to get back here now.'

'You're recalling the fleet?' asked the surprised technician.

'No. Just him.'

XXX

Fleet Admiral Dodonna nodded curtly to the sergeant in charge of the security team. He saluted smartly.

'Ma'am, Dock Command have warned the pilot to remain in the ship until you give them permission to disembark. Scans report only one sentient aboard. There is at least one droid, but the engine emissions are making picking out ion signatures difficult.'

'Very well. Form up behind me, men. Blasters ready, but you are not to shoot unless I give the signal.' The men fell into position without a word.

Taking a deep breath, Dodonna opened the first airlock door. The Ebon Hawk was not a ship she would ever be able to forget. Before the battle of the Star Forge Master Vandar had warned her that Revan was still alive, but she had not believed it. Surely the elderly Jedi had made some mistake? She had scarcely been able to believe her eyes when she met the woman hours later. It seemed to be a truly different person standing before her. Carth Onasi had certainly thought so, she remembered with a wry smile. In the years since then it had proved easier than Dodonna had expected to think of Revan as Lera Lain. But Dodonna's first priority was the protection of the Republic, and though she had suppressed it that original uncertainty had never left her. She thought her suspicions had been justified when Lera had disappeared four years ago. But then the Hawk had turned up on Telos without her aboard, and Dodonna no longer knew what to think.

The sixty four million credit question is 'Who has come back?' she told herself. Lera or Revan?

Once all the soldiers were in the airlock she closed the door behind them and opened the hangar bay door. She strode forward, blaster pistol held loosely by her side. The soldiers' boots drummed the floor rhythmically behind her as they spread out.

'Open the ramp,' she said into her communicator. The operative in the booth above relayed the signal to the Ebon Hawk, and moments later the ramp opened.

XXX

The shuttle from the Sojourn dropped out of hyperspace and began the approach route to the base.

'Get me Dodonna on the line,' said Admiral Onasi irritably. He'd been waiting ten hours to say those words. He had been on manoeuvres with his wing of the Fleet and hated to be interrupted, especially with no apparent reason.

This was irrational, he knew. Anything that couldn't be spoken about on subspace channels was secret enough to be more important than training. He'd survived the last four lonely years by absorbing himself totally in work. His wing were efficient, loyal and well trained because of the time he had put in. They were good enough to cope without him for a while. But he still felt he should be there, whatever this was about.

The pilot shook her head. 'Dock Command says she's unavailable.'

'I knew they'd say that.'

'I think they knew you'd ask, sir. They had her excuses ready.' She smiled and Carth had to force a smile back. Normally he'd leap on the chance to laugh at Dock Command with their endless procedures, but there was nothing funny about this. Dodonna's absence was just too convenient.

Two security officers met him at the airlock. They led him to the detention area, of all places. Carth's confusion grew. Obviously he was in no trouble, but what could possibly be so important here?

Dodonna was waiting for him by the reception desk. 'Thank you for coming at such short notice, Carth.' She had dark rings under her eyes, he noticed, and her tone betrayed her state of mind. She must be tired to call him by name. Normally she had to stop herself from calling him 'Admiral' outside shifts. 'I am sorry for the secrecy, and for recalling you. We have a … situation. I believe you are best placed to deal with it.'

'Is this about those smugglers again? I'm sure my investigation –'

'There's a prisoner you need to identify.' She hit the button to open the cell corridor and waved him in. 'This is top security. I had the cells cleared of all but her. First room on the left.'

Carth walked into the corridor on shaky knees. Her? Had the Exile returned already? He'd told her clearly he hadn't wanted any news, but obviously she'd only heard what she'd wanted to. He put his hand on the security reader. It couldn't be good news this soon.

'Welcome, Admiral Onasi,' said the female computer voice. The door hissed open.

The woman in the cell spun around. Her grey-black hair was loose, hanging almost to her waist, and it changed the look of her face so much that for a split second he wondered who this was. But her face lit up in a familiar smile as she watched him nervously.

'Hello, stranger,' she said shyly.

He crossed the room in three strides and picked her up, arms closed tight around her waist. He held her close until she stopped shaking. He could hear himself saying her name over and over but couldn't stop.

'I didn't know if you'd be pleased to see me,' she whispered.

He pulled away a little, far enough to look into her eyes. 'Lera, sometimes, for a former Jedi, you're not very clever,' he said through a dry throat. She smiled, but there was sadness in her eyes.

'You have no idea,' she said. 'It's a long story. I've been trying to explain it to Forn, but I don't think she believed me. It truly is me in here, Carth.' She hadn't expected the cool reception Dodonna had given her, and needed him to believe.

'I believe you. Let's get this sorted out.' He took her hand and led her out. His hand was shaking as much as hers.

XXX

The security detail shot the pair strange looks as they left, but Carth shook his head imperceptibly at them and they stood back.

The silence between them grew as they walked to the turbolift. Carth kept stealing sideways glances at her, making sure she was still there. She caught him looking and smiled.

'So, what did I miss?' she asked.

'Dustil is stationed here now. I thought he would join the Jedi after we left him on Telos, but he joined the Fleet instead.'

'From what I've heard he made the safer choice.' The Jedi had been hunted almost to extinction by Sith assassins. Now more and more were coming out of hiding, more than anybody had thought were left, but their numbers were still depleted.

'He's going out of his way to create trouble though,' said Carth darkly, but before Lera could question him the turbolift stopped. The doors opened onto a huge dome. Walkways weaved though clusters of strange plants. Stars twinkled through the transparisteel above them.

'What are we doing here?' she asked, recognising the senior officers' hab-block.

'We live here. I'm an Admiral now, in case you didn't notice.' He tapped the pins in the collar of his jacket. 'I had to move out of our apartment. But it's alright,' he added quickly, seeing the disappointment on her face. After all, it had been their first and only home together. It had hurt him to leave it too. 'You'll like this one more.'

'I'd better.' She stuck out her bottom lip.

'Cute.' He led her halfway around the dome and pressed her finger to a security sensor in the centre of a door. It opened with a quiet hiss and she let out a low impressed breath.

The door opened onto a large room. Cream carpet (an almost unheard of luxury on a space station) covered the floor and two white couches were arranged facing the holo-screen on the opposite wall. But it was the right hand wall that caught her attention. A long window looked out over the station, and out over the huge curve of the planet's surface below. She walked over to get a better look. Carth came and stood behind her, his hands resting lightly on the curve of her waist. She turned half back to him and rested her head on his shoulder. They stood together in silence for some time, watching the light slowly creeping over the planet beneath.

'I knew you'd come back,' he whispered. She could feel his breath warm in her hair and tightened her hold on him.

'I would have come back sooner, but I… it's a long story.' It still hurt to remember how Kreia had tricked her, sending Lera far away from the Republic so she couldn't interfere while Kreia plotted.

'I have time.'

She kissed him softly, but desire for him welled up in her and the kiss grew more desperate. 'Not right now, you don't,' she said breathlessly.