Author's Note: I didn't like how this story fit into the flow of Off Duty, so I decided to carve it off into its own short story. Enjoy!

Darksun Sector, Coruscant Underworld

The air in the speeder bus was dank and cold as Tahiira Vaas watched condensation drip down the window. She sighed as she listened to the Masters arguing in the seats ahead of her, their voices tight and angry.

The other Padawans had refused to speak to her since the incident. Master Atuche had confiscated her lightsaber and – if the heated debate ahead of her was any indication – she wasn't getting it back any time soon. Tahiira was left to occupy her seat alone at the back of the bus, waiting for the inevitable judgement from her peers.

She understood the cause of the others' anger, but didn't understand why it was a problem. Was it such a crime to defend herself?

The enclave had been under attack. Imperials had discovered their location and stormed their hideout. The other Padawans had just sat around staring in frozen horror while stormtroopers had breached the main gates. Who was going to defend them? The Masters had been bogged down in duels with the pacification troopers and the pale-skinned Inquisitor who led them. No help was coming.

So Tahiira had done the only thing she could think of: she had sprinted forward, lightsaber in hand and cut down any stormtrooper that stood in her way. It was only when another Inquisitor had appeared that she was forced to call on the Force to assist her.

But something was different this time. She had meant to lash out with a Force-driven push that would blast the Inquisitor back through the door. But when the power had surged from her fingertips, it had been something… far more powerful than she had ever imagined.

Instead of a blast of rippling Force energy, the Inquisitor had been hit full in the chest by a crackling ball of lightning. He was enveloped in a cage of pulsing purple-white energy, forcing him to writhe and scream as sparks danced across the ground. He had collapsed, rolling about and pawing frantically at the lightning that danced across his body. Before the shocked gazes of the others, the Inquisitor had gone limp, twitching sporadically while smoke rose from his corpse. He was dead, as were the troopers that had supported him.

The enclave had been forced to flee from the Imperials once more. It was almost two weeks now since Tahiira had almost single-handedly saved both herself and the other Padawans. But all the Masters could talk about was how she had overextended her powers and given in to her fear and anger. That she had skirted with powers of the dark side, to the detriment of all.

And so instead of being applauded for her actions, she was punished!

She scowled as the new site of their enclave came into view through the rain-slicked viewport. It was a miserable collection of slate-gray duracrete buildings that had once housed some kind of industrial processing plant. It looked dreary, cold, and uncomfortable, but it would be home for the foreseeable future.

She sighed, a scowl pulling at her purple-hued features. One of her lekku twitched against her shoulder as she listened to the Masters bickering ahead of her. Unsurprisingly, they were still arguing about her.

"She is too dangerous!" Master Artouk hissed through her air filter. The Kel-Dor Jedi Master stubbornly tucked her hands into her sleeves. "Her power is unprecedented, it is true. But she cannot control herself! If we allow her to remain with the enclave, she will inevitably bring the Inquisitors down upon our heads once more!"

"Or, Force forbid, Darth Vader." Master Hisera shook the dreadlocks from his face. "She is far too dangerous. She puts us all at risk."

Tahiira's own master, the Nautolan Uma'si, blinked her large black eyes. "So what would you propose? We cannot simply toss her to the side. We did not rescue these younglings from the clones all those years ago only to discard them now."

Master Jax sighed. "Do we sacrifice the safety and security of the other Padawans to save one? How can we assure our other Padawans can live free from the Empire?"

Tahiira shook her head. They weren't even bothering to lower their voices!

Vesten, one of the other Padawans, slid across to sit next to her. He had an all-too-familiar sneer on his face as he leaned toward her and said, "You've done it this time, Tahiira."

The Twi'lek Padawan rolled her eyes and ignored him. But he was relentless above all other things and would not let the matter rest so easily. He leaned even closer. "First you blow a hole in the wall in your sleep, then you levitate every piece of furniture in the enclave when you're mad. Now you killed someone. With Force Lightning. The Masters won't forgive that. The other incidents, maybe. But not this."

Tahiira shook her head. "I don't care. Leave me alone."

"You know that your power brought the Inquisitors to us. They sensed you."

"Shut up."

"The Masters know this. You know this."

Tahiira silently willed him to slide back into his old seat. The new enclave was getting closer. Force willing, she would only have to endure this torment for a few moments more.

But Vesten wasn't done yet. He sneered and said, "The other Padawans don't trust you. They think it's only a matter of time before you're thrown out on your own. It's no more than you deserve."

Tahiira scoffed and glared at the human sitting next to her. "I didn't ask for those stormtroopers to attack us."

"Three Padawans are dead."

"And five are still alive because I killed that Inquisitor."

Vesta scowled. "Tell that to Xex. Her brother was killed in that attack. How grateful do you think she feels?"

Tahiira was about to say more when someone cleared their throat ahead of them. Both Padawans turned to find Master Uma'si with her arms folded across her chest. The Nautolan Jedi glanced between the two before saying, "Vesta, the attack on the enclave was no one's fault. The Emperor has spies everywhere, searching for Jedi. It was inevitable that they would find us eventually."

"And now?" Vesta challenged. "What makes this new place so special?"

"We are deep in the industrial sector," the Master said. "The fumes in the air makes satellite imagery next to impossible, and the locals are no friendlier to the Empire than we are. We will be safe here."

Vesta scoffed and rolled his eyes. Uma'si narrowed her seemingly bottomless black eyes. When she spoke, her voice was hard and uncompromising. "Your Master awaits you, Vesta. When we disembark, you are responsible for scouting the complex for squatters with the other Padawans."

"And what of Tahiira?"

"That is not your concern, youngling. Now obey my words. Master Hisera will not wait long."

Vesta scowled, but obediently bowed and said, "Yes, Master."

Twenty minutes later, Tahiira pushed through the door to what would become her private quarters at the new enclave. That was one of the perks of this place, at least; all the Padawans had been granted the use of their own private room. She slung her pack of meager belongings into one corner with a sigh, staring around at her dull duracrete surroundings.

Master Uma'si was right behind her. She gestured with one hand and the door slid shut, giving them some modicum of privacy. She fixed Tahiira with a knowing stare. "You are having trouble with the other Padawans."

Tahiira shook her head, her purple-black lekku flapping against her shoulders. "I don't care what they think. I didn't cause that attack."

"I know you did not."

"The other Masters seem less convinced," Tahiira said bitterly. "They want to send me away. Abandon me to the Inquisitors."

"You know I would never let that happen."

Tahiira shook her head and threw herself down on the nearest uncomfortable cot. "You're in the minority, Master. You cannot stand against six others who have made their decision."

"Leaving you to such a fate is not the Jedi way."

Tahiira scoffed. "And what does that even mean anymore? The Jedi are gone. The Council is either dead or scattered across the galaxy. I don't even remember what the Temple looked like before it was reduced to rubble."

Uma'si sighed and settled herself down next to her Padawan. "I did not rescue you as a youngling only to lose you now, Tahiira."

"Why did you do it?" Tahiira asked. "You and the other Masters ran with as many younglings as possible. Why not stand and fight?"

"Fighting was a lost cause," Uma'si said. "They attacked the Temple with an army and were past our defenses before we even knew we were under attack. The other Masters and I knew we had to rescue as many as possible. We knew you and the other younglings would be the future of our order."

Tahiira sighed. "And what future is that? A future of running and hiding while the Imperials pick us off one by one? Our group used to be twice this large!"

She glanced up at her master. "How long before we don't escape? Before our luck finally runs out?"

She stared down at her lap. "How long before I attract the attention of something you can't save me from?"

Uma'si put a comforting arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "Tahiira, I will not allow you to be exiled from our group. You have an untapped potential I have not seen in many years. Your power in the Force continues to astound me."

"Astonishment isn't the word I would use as description."

"Oh? And what word would you use?"

Tahiira looked up at the Nautolan Jedi. "Fear. I frighten you."

Uma'si blinked twice, an obvious sign of surprise. But she eventually nodded and said, "I will not lie to you. Your abilities are very powerful. Before these dark times, I would have sworn you would go on to be a powerful Knight. Perhaps even sit on the Council."

She shrugged. "But now such extremes are dangerous. The Inquisitors are specifically trained to sense budding Force powers such as yours. And every time you lose control, like you did during the battle, they can sense you as clearly as a flash of light in the darkness."

Tahiira pushed the arm from around her shoulders. "So it's true! You think I brought the Empire to our doorstep, just like all the others!"

"Tahiira—"

The young Twi'lek shook her head and turned away from her master. "I never wanted to be a Jedi, Uma'si! I was only five years old when the Temple fell. I had no choice in this matter, yet you and the other Masters treat me like I am trying to bring the remnants of the Order down around us!"

"Tahiira," Uma'si said sternly. "Control your anger."

"No!" Tahiira shouted. "I am tired of control! I am tired of hiding, of shrinking away from what the Force has given me! I was granted these powers for a reason, Master. And if I cannot use them as a Jedi, what good are they?"

"The times have changed, youngling," the Nautolan said. "We must change with them. The Jedi must endure. If we must suffer some small indignities to see that goal achieved—"

Tahiira shook her head and scowled. "Being ostracized by your own people is slightly more than a small indignity, Master. What future do I have, if my own companions think me a monster?"

Uma'si was silent for a few moments. Then she stood and folded her hands into her sleeves. "Your heart is young, my Padawan. You crave answers that can only be granted with time and experience. They will come to you, and the others will forgive you. Their judgement is clouded by loss and fear."

She moved back toward the door. "You can allow this bitterness and anger to fester and drive you into darkness. Or you can let it go, forgive your fellows for their transgressions and, in doing so, overcome the dark period this group faces."

She hesitated, then reached down and pressed something into Tahiira's hand. "I have faith you will make the right choice."

With that, the master stepped away and disappeared through the door. It slid shut behind her, leaving the young Twi'lek alone and in silence. After a few moments she looked down to see what her master had given her.

Clutched tight in her hand was her lightsaber.

She stared at the cylindrical hilt, the chromium housing scratched and scarred by years of wear and countless battles. She narrowed her eyes, then looked over at her supply pack in the corner.

The real question is what you will do now.

Tahiira certainly had an idea in mind.

Slipping past the other Padawans was easy; no one wanted to talk to her anyway. After that, it was just a single inconspicuous Force Jump and she was outside the gate to the complex. She glanced back only once, watching the other Padawans bustling about to secure the complex from future attack.

They will be safer this way, she thought. Master Uma'si will understand eventually. The others won't care.

She had no future with the others. They hated and feared her power. If she was to live with this power, it would not be with them. In the end, she was only saving them time. They would throw her out eventually; she was just making it easier for them to forget her and continue to live in their cowardly self-exile.

She drew her hood over her head and hurried away, into the streets. She didn't look back again.

The Coruscant underworld was massive; Tahiira knew, as she had lived there all her life. But the industrial sector was different. Usually the underworld was crawling with all manners of life imaginable. The heights of the planet-city were reserved only for the wealthiest and most influential beings. But Coruscant had a population of trillions and most of them lived down here, in the dark.

But the industrial sector was nearly deserted. A few desolate-looking people huddled on street corners, whispering quietly, but the only real sound Tahiira could hear was the rumble of mighty machines beneath her feet and the roar of speeders high overhead. No one cared about her, and that was just what she wanted.

After an hour of walking, she was still no closer to coming up with a plan. She knew she had to leave the enclave, but beyond that she had no idea what she was going to do. Where would she stay? What would she eat? She had a small allowance of emergency credits, but she had no idea where she would go from here.

Her stomach growled at the thought, further solidifying her point.

I wonder if there is a market somewhere near, she thought. She swerved to avoid a blubbery Hutt as it slithered down the street, followed by a retinue of skittering droids and sickly-looking majordomos.

Perhaps if I can just find somewhere quiet to stay for a while, I can wrap my head around this and come up with a plan.

Her heart excitedly skipped a beat when she spotted bright lights and flashing signs in the distance. A cantina! That was exactly what she needed to stop and collect her thoughts. Somewhere discreet and out of the way where she could rest and come to terms with her decision. She picked up the pace, all but breaking into a sprint as she drew closer to the building.

Her plans shattered into pieces when she saw the two stormtroopers guarding either side of the door.

She quickly halted, ducking behind a nearby lightpost. Glancing out, she saw that they thankfully hadn't seen her. Her heart was hammering in her chest at the sight of their polished white armor and expressionless helmets. If they knew she was a Jedi, they would kill her on sight, or worse turn her in.

She squeezed her eyes shut and thought, I can do this. My lightsaber is in my pack. They have no reason to suspect me. I can just… walk right through.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped back out from the light post and walked resolutely toward the door. She was acutely aware of nearly every sensation around her: the way the light danced across the polished surface of the stormtroopers' armor, the way their fingers were pressed cautiously against the firing studs of their rifles, the humid and fetid air that washed through the street.

She was about to walk right past the troopers when one of them put a hand out to block her path. She squeaked quietly, but halted in her tracks.

"Hold it," one trooper said. Tahiira turned to him, eyes fixed on her boots. The trooper cocked his helmeted head and said, "Curfew's in effect, girl. Let's see some identification."

Sithspit. Tahiira's heart was thudding uncomfortably in her chest. She glanced around, desperately fishing for an excuse. I guess it's time to improvise.

She raised one hand and passed it in front of the eye-shaped visor of the trooper's helmet.

"You don't need to see my identification."

The trooper stiffened slightly, then muttered back, "I… don't need to see your identification."

"You don't care who I am. I can go inside."

"I don't care who you are. You can go inside."

Tahiira smiled to herself and stepped past the trooper, heading inside the cantina.

There was a mechanized buzz as a blaster cycled up behind her. She froze, eyes stretched wide. She slowly turned to find the second trooper leveling his rifle at her, prepared to fire at a moment's notice.

"Get on your knees," he said, gesturing with his rifle. "Hands on your head."

"We don't care who she is," the mind-addled trooper tried to say. His fellow soldier ignored him.

Tahiira's eyes were as wide as a dianoga's. Obviously this second trooper was not as weak-minded as the first. What the kriff do I do now?

The time for subtlety had obviously passed. She needed to flee, before this trooper called for reinforcements.

She acted before he could; her hand flew out and he was hit with a blast of telekinetic energy. He flew back and collapsed against a trash bin while Tahiira took off and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

She could hear the trooper clambering back to his feet and calling for his companion to catch her. With her concentration broken, the first trooper easily shook away the effects of her mind trick and gave chase. Tahiira cried out as blaster bolts began to pepper the ground at her feet.

"This is TK-Four-Six-Nine!" one of the troopers shouted into his comm. "Pursuing a Jedi fugitive along the southeast Vector Quadrant! Requesting immediate backup at the transmitted coordinates!"

I have to run, she thought frantically. Have to hide. Back the way I came, back to the enclave, I don't care! Just run!

She skidded around a corner and threw herself down a darkened alleyway. Perhaps in the shadows she could shake her pursuers. She pulled her pack from her shoulders and stuffed her hand inside, frantically reaching for her lightsaber.

She heard the stormtroopers round the corner as well, shouting for her to stop. More blaster bolts flashed by her, their scarlet light flashing through the shadows around her. One bolt exploded against the duracrete wall by her head, sending heated chips of rubble flying into her eyes.

She dodged as best she could, leaping over fallen power conduits and trash barrels. Her breath was coming in sharp, pained gasps. She wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer. She could hear the troopers gaining on her, their blaster bolts whizzing by even closer than before.

She threw her pack to the side, clutching her lightsaber in her hand. She would stand and fight if she had to. She didn't want to kill these men, but she couldn't allow them to catch her. She would face death or worse if they brought her before the Inquisitors…

She was about to turn and ignite her saber when she heard a familiar snap-hiss from somewhere behind her. One of the troopers shouted and she heard the sharp report of two blaster bolts.

But they were not aimed at her.

One of the troopers screamed, his voice cut short by the malevolent humming of a lightsaber blade. The second trooper shouted, "What the-!" and a second later was similarly silenced.

Tahiira came to a halt, not bothering to turn around. So, the Masters had found her after all… She hadn't even made it that far, maybe only a few miles from the enclave. She couldn't even begin to picture the trouble she was in.

Maybe, she found herself thinking, I was better off with the stormtroopers.

She slowly turned with a sigh, head bowed in shame to face her rescuer. She just hoped Vesta would keep his fat mouth shut about this once she got back to the enclave.

But it wasn't one of the masters standing before her. It was a man, wearing bulky armor and a thick black cloak and cowl. His breath was low and rasping as he towered over the smoldering corpses of the two troopers. The white-clad Imperials had been efficiently dealt with; livid yellow lightsaber slashes marred their pristine armor.

And clutched tight in the man's hand was a glowing bar of scarlet light.

Tahiira's violet lightsaber was instantly in her hand and leveled at the man. He wasn't her rescuer, he was an Inquisitor! She backed up, her blood freezing in her veins.

"S-stay back," she whimpered. "I'm warning you. Don't come a step closer."

Then the man spoke. His voice was a baritone rumble that rasped out as if from the vocal processor of a droid. The sound sent shivers down Tahiira's spine.

"Lower your weapon. I mean you no harm."

"Liar," she hissed, holding her lightsaber so tightly it shook. "You're an Inquisitor!"

"I am not."

"I know an Inquisitor when I see one."

The man took a single step toward her. His lightsaber remained lit in one hand. "I am not an Inquisitor. I give you my word."

She hesitated, then said, "What are you, then?"

He cocked his hooded head to the side, a dark chuckle bubbling up from the shadows that obscured his face. "Something… more. Far more."

She hesitated. "And… you really aren't going to hurt me?"

"I have no intention of doing so."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

He waved his humming lightsaber at the corpses at his feet. "I obviously hold no more love for the Empire than you do."

Well, I have to give him that one. She narrowed her eyes at the mysterious man. "What do you want?"

"To meet you."

Tahiira hesitated, her lightsaber falling the slightest bit. "W-what do you mean?"

He finally sheathed his saber, hooking it back to his belt. He spread his hands as an offering of peace and she saw that the fingers of his gloves were capped by long, razor-bladed claws.

"Allow me to introduce myself." He reached up and drew back his hood, revealing a full-faced helmet with a T-bar visor and rectangular grill over the mouth. Tahiira had seen similar helmets when her masters had bargained with Ubese bounty hunters in the past.

The man bowed his head. "I am Draco. And like you I am hunted by the Empire."

"You… you're a Jedi?"

He paused. "Not exactly."

She gestured to the lightsaber on his belt. "Where did you get that? If you're not an Inquisitor, why do you use a red lightsaber?"

"A story for another time," was all he said. "All you need to know is that I have been aware of your presence for quite some time. I sensed your power, even before the attack on your enclave."

He took another step toward her, though this time she did not retreat. His voice was calm as he continued, "I knew it was only a matter of time before your masters drove you from their company. It is the nature of the Jedi to fear what they cannot control."

He stopped just out of reach of her lightsaber. "I have come to offer you sanctuary."

She pondered over his words. He obviously wasn't allied with the Empire, though she wasn't sure she could trust him. His aura surged with the dark side of the Force, more powerful than anyone she had felt before. Certainly more powerful than the Inquisitors she had faced. The thought did not ease her fears.

But what choice do I have? She thought. If I stay here on my own, I run the risk of tipping off more stormtroopers. I can't just blunder through this place on my own.

She glanced at the armored man again. His breath was heavy and labored, as if helped along by an artificial respirator. One razor-clawed hand was clenched into a fist, and he was staring at her expectantly.

He did save my life, she thought. The least I can do is hear him out.

Ever-so-slowly, she lowered her lightsaber. With a sigh, she deactivated it and hooked it to her belt. "All right, Draco. I won't turn away help when it's offered freely. Especially not given the mess I seem to have made."

She could almost sense the smile on his face, though it was hidden behind his menacing helmet.

"Good," he thundered, drawing his hood back over his head and throwing the helmet faceplate into shadow. "Then follow me closely. The undercity is full of unfriendly eyes. Even in this place."

Tahiira watched him stride back the way they came, casually stepping over the bodies of the slain stormtroopers. Then she threw her pack over her shoulders again and hurried after him.

Force help me, she thought. Just what have I gotten myself into?

Author's Note: He's back!