Witch's thoughts: hello there. I thought I'll be late with this chapter and actually I should be, but I sat today by my laptop and wrote it anew. I'm posting it as soon as I finished writing so if you get an impression of it being nothing more than a detailed sketch, well, that's what it is. I'm sorry about it, but some awful things happened lately and I entirely lost my will to write, so I decided to use it once it came back a little. still, I'm quite shaken and don't know when I'll be able to continue writing this story properly. IF I'll be able to at all.

I've a lot of complaints that my writting style is messy and sometimes it's hard to figure out, who is exactly talking. sorry about that, but I tend to jump from narration to narration, scene to scene, trying to omit things that seem boring. here too, there can be some confusion, so I want to clear it right here, in the beginning. IMPORTANT: after the first piece, the narration switches to first person and we have five different narrators: in first piece speaks Quella, then Mace, Garen, Bant, Quella again and then Anakin.

I'd like to thank gurnius for the review, it really made me proud that you liked the continuation. thank you very much:)

have fun, everyone.

What Shakti didn't know, was that half an hour before her ship took off, Mace Windu visited Jedi Master, Quella Alberona. The fact itself was quite insignificant, but even so, said Master nearly got a heart attack as a result of such visit.

"What do you mean?" Quella stood up abruptly, knocking down the chair. She looked at Mace as if he suddenly had changed into a green cat.

"I said, one of your precious contacts is coming to Coruscant. You may wish to greet him." Windu wanted to surprise Quella and he had succeeded in a way, not answering her shouted question about, "who the hell was coming". Worried, the woman immediately chose to go to the space port, just in case, just to make sure that she wasn't being made fun of. Even though she had been working with Mace for about three years now, she couldn't force herself to like him and, well, vice versa. However, he would not deceive her in such serious matter, would he? Mace Windu was too serious a Jedi to play such jokes, and as much as she was malevolent towards him, Quella couldn't deny that the Councillor was a great Master. And that reluctant respect was what made her move from her room, from the Temple to the landing platform of the nearest sector.

Running, Quella passed by consecutive levels of the city, but noticing nothing of it. She allowed her body to move unconsciously, at the same time letting her mind wander about the problem she was to encounter any minute now. As a Jedi Shadow, she worked with beings of various races, scattered all over the universe. This created a net of contacts that controlled the information market in the Republic and the Outer Rim. What did Windu mean by saying that she would want to greet the contact? Usually, Quella wasn't aware of her spies' identities, knowing very well how dangerous for them it would be. Which one of them would that be? Why would she need or want to meet him? Such a lack of knowledge irritated her, at the same time scaring her a little. As cocky as she was, the unknown was always scary.

Quella slowed down, when she reached the space port's terminal. Remembering that Mace said she would easily know where to go, she looked around, not really knowing what she was searching for. A crowd on one of the platforms drew her attention, mainly because she noticed plenty Jedi robes there. Distrustfully, she moved forward, observing the surroundings, but nothing suspicious happened. The terminal was full of beings waiting for their respective shuttles and nothing stranger than a loud, pissed passenger occurred. The hall was full of the usual noises: the buzz of conversations in all languages of the Republic was strangely reassuring. Quella wandered aimlessly through the crowd, ignoring the stares full of respect and curiosity thrown at her Jedi robes and lightsaber, visible a little under the cloak.

A shuttle landed and Quella launched into fast mix of dodges and changes of direction to get through. Now, she was sure where to go, as she noticed some of her fellow Jedi on that platform, one of them being Bant Eerin. What was a Jedi healer doing here? What were all the other Jedi doing here anyway? She was quite sure no diplomat or other important person was expected to come and even if there was someone coming, it wouldn't explain appearance of a whole team of healers, as she noticed them behind Knight Eerin. What the hell was going on?

The ship landed and passengers started to come out onto the platform. The Jedi moved as a group, Quella slipped into a space behind them, not wanting to be discovered. She planned to just observe all those who left the shuttle and then determine, who could be the one Mace was talking about. Focusing on finding any strange or abnormally normal aura of disembarking ones, Quella lazily made her way through the crowd, when a loud cheer hit her ears, along with nauseating realization of familiar presence near. She swayed, surprised, at the same time feeling that her hair were rising on her head. She would recognize that signature everywhere and always.

What the fuck was Endavi doing on Coruscant?

Quella sped up, elbowing her way through the crowd. A group of hooded people appeared on a gangway, one of them giving off strong Shairaani aura. On that familiar presence, Quella cursed mentally, directing her steps to the place where those people stepped onto the platform, immediately engulfed into happy group of previously waiting Jedi. Feeling an unjustified anger rising in her chest the closer she got, Quella violently got through, reaching with her hand to take off Endavi's hood, when the person she was aiming at turned around abruptly. Quella felt her knees went weak all of the sudden.

It wasn't Endavi. It was a person with signature completely covered by Endavi's.

"Hello Master Alberona. Long time no see."

As her legs couldn't support her anymore, Quella sat heavily where she was standing, with wide, unbelieving eyes looking at the hooded man. He, from his side, smiled at her serenely, with one hand adjusting some strands that were falling onto his face. The woman was frozen, unmoving, not even blinking in shock, with exception of one, quiet word that escaped her whitened lips.

"Kenobi…"

/

I can't believe it. I just can't.

His tale is too impossible to be a lie, but even so… it's just… I can't… oh Force.

If it wasn't for the Councillours, I'd be already banging my head on the wall behind my back.

How can he be standing calmly in the center of the room and report all he did during these two years of his spying? What about the year previous, when he should be dead? What for Mother' sake was going on with him for these three years?

And why that fucking Mace Windu is looking at me as if he knew all of this all along?

I can't believe that the one, because of whom my beloved suffered the most, is now in front of me, alive when he was supposed to be dead. If I wasn't myself right now, most likely I'd just faint from shock. I'd faint some time ago actually, when he helped me stand up at the space port. I'm not superstitious, but feeling him touch me, the one that I thought was gone for sure, made me shiver awfully.

I try to fight back the urge to jump to Kenobi and smack him in the head, because Council would surely react to such action. Force forbid, they would join in.

Glancing at this brat's back, I can't help but allow my thoughts to side track; he didn't change much…

/

… he didn't change much. He is still that timid, polite kid I remember always hiding behind Qui-Gon's cloak, but right now, his posture is full of self-confidence, quite unusual for him. Kenobi stands proud, his back straight when in simple words he is summarising three years of his work as a spy. From time to time he looks at me to confirm his words; I'm forced to do so, earning confused and anxious stares from my fellow Masters. However, it has to be done; even not knowing who he was, I have been working with spy 'Deimos' for about two years – he volunteered for this job, after JAF started to widen their information market. The spy applied to Jedi Temple directly, omitting the formalities of military police, this way ensuring his identity to remain secret. Assigned as a contact to Quella Alberona who at that time became a Master, he made quite a work in identifying and hunting down the Jedi Hunters. Some of them, famous and dangerous, were arrested just because of information 'Deimos' managed to gather and that was the reason why we decided to defend our spy from too inquiring JAF investigators. The Jedi have their own ways to check on their informants.

Who would have thought that it was Kenobi? When he finally decided to talk with me two weeks ago, I nearly laughed in his face with disbelieve. Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, Master Qui-Gon Jinn's apprentice, died in the explosion over the Naboo three years ago and posing as the poor lad was inappropriate, to say at least. However, when the spy easily proved his identity, I had no other choice, but to meet him and judge for myself. The discovery of miraculously revived Kenobi nearly made me lose my cool, if I didn't know better, I'd think he had a well-informed look-alike.

The briefing ends with no questions from the Council, or at least not yet. They seem to be too shocked to actually think about anything they want to know now. No wonder, I must have looked like that two weeks ago as well. The whole story with his narrow escape sounds like a hectic dream of a near-killed one, but some proofs speaks in his favour.

There are some things that we do not understand, however, and thus, Kenobi should be questioned about them quite soon. Now, we don't have anything more to do than to let him go and deal with people he left mourning for three years.

/

… for three years! He was gone for three fucking years and now he appears out of nowhere just like that! I can't believe him! No damn way in all Sith Hells! Who does he think he is? Does he expect us, me, Bant, Reeft, all of us to take him in, unconditionally, just laugh happily and don't ask him anything? Does he know how worried we were, how shocked, how miserable? Like hell he does! Like hell he knows what we had gone through! We thought him to be dead, that he died while taking revenge for his Master, fighting with Sith just to get to know now that he was a spy! How come? How come, I ask?

Fuck his explanation! I don't care how he managed to stay alive, how he got to Shairaan and how he became a spy! I don't care what he was doing all these years, where he had gone, who he met, who he arrested!

I'm just so glad…

/

…so, so glad! When I heard about Obi-Wan coming back, first I thought it to be some kind of awful joke! But when met Master Windu, he confirmed it to be true! Oh my, what a surprise. Who would have thought? He is alive! I so can't believe it. When I saw him at the space port, I thought I'd faint, I wasn't convinced until the last second, but when Master Alberona tried to take off his hood and he turned around, there was no mistake! Older by three years, tanned and with some scars, but it was my dear Obi-Wan! I'd recognize his smile right away anywhere! My heart leapt and skipped a beat, I felt like screaming from happiness and to be exact, I still feel like it!

It's a shame that Shakti couldn't come.

/

Shakti couldn't come and Mother, bless that her mission appeared on time. It's now two days after Kenobi came back and even so, that home-coming party hasn't ceased yet. Don't know how come. Anyway, the point is I'm quite concerned how she would handle him coming back so suddenly, considering how she reacted on losing him after Naboo. We don't want to repeat what happened then, do we? It would be hell of troubles if we allow her to go rampage again. Well, I don't even know if she is aware that Kenobi is back. Should be, right? But, Bant mentioned that she was calm and seemed not to know anything when they met in the space port, so I don't really know if I can be calm yet. Most likely not.

Thinking about that, I guess she should be happy to see him? Who knows, maybe their bond would be restored? Maybe they would be able to become as good friends as they used to? But if not… nah, I'm overreacting, thinking too much. Oh and speaking about thinking…

Just to mention, I wonder how long Qui-Gon would keep me off of his mind and bond. Does he really think that I don't know what they are doing when alone and why he is again and again assigning Anakin for training with me? Oh, for Mother's sake, how old do they think I am?

But it's good to see him smile once more…

When coming out of the Council room soon after the first briefing, we met Qui-Gon there. Instantly, I got worried, so pale he was. Looked as if he was just barely standing, which wasn't so surprising at all, knowing that he just got out of the healers'. But no, he just stood there, watching Kenobi by my side and I was quite sure that I could have walked before them and between them and neither would notice at all. Frustrating.

And it was quite amusing seeing that such a grown-up man, a diplomat and a Master would grab the other, swing him into his arms and hold tight. If I had been as polite as I should be, I would have left them alone, just out of normal discretion, but being myself, I was too worried about Qui-Gon to just walk away like that. And besides, they would have had much more time for themselves later, when they got to the proper quarters. But then, I needed Kenobi and needed him right away.

The story he presented before the Council didn't convince me. Not at all. I was curious as all hell and determined to squeeze any information out of him. But it turned out, that I didn't have to.

Now, I'm a very confused, overinformed Shairaani.

And I'm going to kill both of my sisters. They are too strange for their own good.

/

Some strange things happened. First, Shakti doesn't have time for me, always walking around with Koga or Knight Chun and now, Obi-Wan Kenobi came back and everything is upside down. Everybody behaves as if he fell down from the sky and Force knows how he did it. There is no one I can talk normally with, everybody exploding into happy chattering about Obi-Wan Kenobi almost immediately. Bant is so happy that she seems to glow from the inside, as if someone installed a light bulb in her heart. She hardly ever visits me now, always busy and going somewhere and somehow, I feel… lonely.

I quite don't get it, but it seems that Obi-Wan Kenobi got injured after a fight and got transported to Shairaan to Kodachi-nee and Endavi-nee, spent there a year while healing and then became a spy that anonymously helped Jedi in our fight with hunters. Or at least, Master Jinn said so and I take it as he knew what he was talking about… I just don't know, why everybody is so happy! That Kenobi left Master Jinn, left Shakti! He made them miserable! I remember very well that she had to be for a lot of time in the healers' ward and even after that, she suffered greatly, because of her bond that got destroyed! It's good that she was able to stand on her feet again thanks to the other Shairaani guy, Koga, but still. And Master Jinn? He was… broken. They think I didn't know, but how could I not when his mind was bleeding over our bond? I think even he himself wasn't aware of that, but I was! And now, that guy who was the reason for all of it is back, just like that, and everybody are crazy with happiness! How stupid is that?

I don't like him. He made Master Jinn sad and that's what I can forgive. Also, he made Shakti cry more than once and what I hate about him is that he doesn't know about that! He tried to be friendly with me, but both of them, he and my Master, must have noticed that I try to ignore him. That's true that Master Jinn is glowing even more than Bant is, but well… enough to say that they go out of the quarters a lot. Especially when I'm in and with homework. This sucks.

Now as well. I sneaked out just to go to the landing platform of the Temple, just to watch some ships taking off, when I noticed them to be here as well. Ha, such is my luck…

But, Master Jinn seems agitated. Actually, he looks… hey, anxious? What's going on?

I observe from the gallery my Master and that Kenobi as they are going to one of the platforms, as if waiting for a shuttle to land. Maybe they are? But who is coming back? Some acquaintance?

I notice Master Alberona walking their way and I know that now I have to sneak near them as well. There is something interesting going on! Quella is even more jumpy than normally and that means – a lot.

Hiding in the crowd is easy! And Knight Raksion taught me how to hide my signature, so that my Master won't take any notice of me. Well, I don't think he would, anyway. The three of them seem nervous for some reason and that makes me even more curious, what may be the cause of such irritation of my rather stoic Master?

Three shuttles start to land simultaneously and Master and the others are coming near the farthest one, so I follow them, making sure they won't notice me. It's really getting fun; I didn't know that following someone may be so wizard!

Passengers are coming down the gangway, all observed closely by Quella, Master and Obi-Wan Kenobi. I don't see who are they expecting to show up, really, why are they so tense…

I notice Shakti and nearly burst from my hideout to run and greet her, when something strange occurs. It's so unusual that I freeze in my place, as surprised as the others seem to be.

Shakti walks down the gangway, along with Knight Chun who is talking about something quickly, when she stops in the middle of her way, looking straight ahead of herself. He asks her something, but she ignores him, slowly turns into our direction and then starts to march towards Master's group. I don't know why, but suddenly, I want to step back and run away, her face is even paler than usual, I can see that her lips are squeezed into a thin line…

Shakti ignores questions about her mission and stops right before Kenobi. He smiles; I don't really know if he wanted or expected her to greet him in any different, but he looks a little surprised. Enough to say that he stretches his arms to hug her, but Shakti smacks his hands away from her. I'm quite far from them, from behind the pillar I can't see everything, but her voice is so cold and furious that I can hear it even where I stand.

"What the fuck are YOU doing here?"

Witch again: I'm reading it over and over again and I have the urge to rewrite it once again now;/ :sigh: what a mess. and I REALLY need to send it to beta...