Su'cuy! Sorry I didn't publish this chapter yesterday; I was busy helping my family get ready for our superbowl party! Hope everyone enjoyed the game yesterday!

Thank you to the people who reviewed and/or added my stories to their fav list. My thanks is extended especially DragonRider2000 for her many encouraging comments. You guys are awesome! Now, here's the chapter I promised!

Disclaimer: Star Wars is not mine, nor is the Mandalorian culture and language. For those who would like to know, I loosely based Kuati off the Italian language, for no particular reason, other than I'm taking Italian for school.

Please enjoy, and I really hope you all review!



Chapter 2

"Thanks to the efforts of Varactyl Clan and the ELF Commandos on the Separatist planetary base called Umbria, we have received Intelligence of an incoming Separatist invasion of Kuat, occurring in approximately two weeks time. The fleet is reportedly to be led by General Grievous, a top target of the GAR. After much deliberation, it has been decided that General ell Talaan and company will be assigned to prematurely counter the CIS invasion of Kuat, as well as investigate and crush a terrorist group that has reportedly formed on the planet." – High Jedi Council, report K.127. Date: 402 Days ABG

✶ Kuat City, 0700 - 404 days ABG ✶

Kan knew when he stepped out onto the landing platform that he was going to absolutely hate this mission.

It sounded easy enough: infiltrate the Separatist spy or terrorist cell, figure out their plans, and thwart Grievous' invasion of Kuat before it actually happened. But Kan had learned from experience that the so-called "blue-milk runs" turned out to be the toughest assignments.

He didn't mind front-line campaigns so much ––– at least then he could see who his enemies were ––– but looking for bad guys on home turf was something he had little experience in.

But his Master, and her personally trained troops, formerly known as Shadow Squad, but re-christened as the Enforcing Front Line Commandos ––– acronym ELF Commandos ––– were totally psyched about getting a covert ops assignment.

"Now we can finally use those illegally procured disruptor rifles!" Cor had exclaimed enthusiastically upon hearing the news that they were being deployed to counteract the Kuat invasion by hunting down CIS agents.

Because they were supposed to crush the Sepper plan prematurely, no one besides the Senator of Kuat knew of the GAR's arrival. In order to hide their presence, both the Jedi and the clones had changed into civilian clothes ––– a fact that incessantly annoyed the ELFs, who were used to full protection from armor ––– and kept their weapons concealed. No lightsabers, no shoot first, ask questions later policy. They had to flush out Separatist spies hidden in a crowd of innocents…mere civilians, people who had probably never pulled a blaster in their entire lives. People who didn't realize just how easily they could be killed.

Not even their transport would betray evidence of the GAR's arrival. Kan looked affectionately at the sleek, chrome-plated, J-type Nubian skiff that lay majestically on the platform. Nicknamed the Firesprite, Adriaan had bought it sometime during their unauthorized vacation on Nubia. As a Jedi, Adriaan normally would have never been able to afford such a classy vehicle ––– after all, it was the same model used by the royalty of Naboo ––– but her Apprentice Klamin happened to have quite a bit of credits in his wallet, thanks to his former occupation as the advisor to the Queen of Syleeto.

Kan placed a hand on the Firesprite, thinking of how much his best friend, Jordin, would have liked it. Diagnosed with head trauma, the thirteen-year-old Jedi Apprentice was currently back at the Jedi Temple, in the hope that the Jedi medics would help her make even a partial recovery. Kan sincerely hoped that Jordin would get well, for two reasons: one, she was his best friend, and two, he desperately needed her to research classified information contained only in the Jedi Archives. Without this information, his Master's life could very well be in grave danger.

"Hey, Kan, c'mon!" Kay Lee ––– Padawan Commander of Twilight Regiment and the Alpha Apprentice of the Varactyl Clan ––– shouted, waving impatiently for him to come along. Kan sighed, reluctantly shouldering his survival pack and hurrying forward to catch up with his fellow trainees, who in turn were having a hard time keeping pace with his Master.

Adriaan ell Talaan hardly fit the description of a Jedi Knight and GAR General. Standing at about 1.7 meters tall, the lean, well-muscled seventeen-year-old walked with long, athletic strides, back slightly arched and hands held away from her sides –––– the "ARC trooper swagger" the soldiers in the Republic army called it, referring to the way the Advanced Recon Commandos walked. The straightness of her posture, her athletic body, and her businesslike demeanor were the only attributes that would betray her identity as a military officer. As for the rest of her appearance, she was dressed in a dark violet, sept-silk tunic with gold thread woven through, a Mandarin collar, and wide sleeves gathered at the wrists. Her pants were made of the same material, except they were black. Instead of boots, she wore soft slippers that matched her tunic. Instead of her battered utility belt, she wore a gold-colored sash wound around her waist. Her blond hair was cut according to the latest style among young Galactic citizens, and it blew loosely in the wind as she strode across the platform to meet Giddean Danu, the Senator of Kuat. A dark, grim human man dressed in clean white robes, the Senator bowed courteously in greeting.

"Welcome to Kuat City," he said gravely, looking very regal in his tall white hat. "As always, the Kuati are grateful for your presence here."

Adriaan nodded curtly by way of greeting. "Wait a second, how can the Kuati be glad that I am here if they do not know of my presence? Are you trying to tell me that our arrival has been noted by the populace?" she asked suspiciously.

"In this case, I represent my people," Giddean explained. "As far as I know, only I have been informed of the arrival of military support."

"Senator, please bear in mind that this is a public landing platform, not a confidential meeting room," Adriaan said, glaring at the service droids to make her point.

"Of course, Gen…I mean –––"

"Enough of the pleasantries," Adriaan said, smiling and extending her hand to the Senator as she assumed her disguise. "You may call me…Neela."

"Of course, Neela. I have an air taxi ready to escort you to my private office. We will discuss the funding of a subsidiary corporation on your planet later."

Adriaan nodded. Giddean, of course, knew the true reason why she was there, but to the public, she was Neela Rain, the ambassador of Queen Naa-ja of the planet Goba Shag, paying a visit to Kuat with the hopes of having KDY contributing to the construction effort of building a shipyard ring around her planet, an investment which would support trade business on Goba Shag as well as benefitting the Kuat company. Her Padawans were posing as various members of the Goba Shag court, while the clones were serving as her bodyguards. Kan thought it was the perfect disguise, but that was a biased opinion as he had come up with the idea himself…with a little help from Darc, of course.

Darc Chun-be was the only member of the team that was neither a clone nor a Jedi, though he had trained as a Jedi Apprentice at the same time Adriaan had been a Padawan. Due to a failed mission ––– which neither Adriaan nor Darc liked to talk about –––– Darc had left the Jedi Order to become the planetary military commander of the Goba Shag army. He had recently joined the squad during their assignment to find General Grievous, and though that mission had been completed a while ago, he had stuck with them, much to Adriaan's and Kay's annoyance. Adriaan had been holding a grudge against Darc for quitting the Order, and Kay hated Darc because he had the mistaken notion that she was madly in love with him.

But Kan and Klamin were happy that Darc had stayed, partly because Darc was funny ad kept them entertained, but mostly because he could help them in ways he was not aware of yet. He knew things about Adriaan that they needed to know as well.

They needed to talk to Darc because Adriaan wouldn't talk to them. She may or may not have realized it, but her habit of withholding information was endangering countless lives, including her own.

The data she was retaining concerned her best friend, Ra'hal Espera, and two men that had attacked the team while they were on Umbria. Kan didn't know much about them, but Klamin had told him what he knew of them.

Ra'hal was a Jedi Padawan at the same time as Adriaan and Darc, but she had fallen into the company of sith cultists, who eventually seduced her to the dark side and made her a mortal enemy of the Jedi. According to Adriaan, Ra'hal was dead, but Klamin wasn't so quick to believe that idea. General ell Talaan had been, after all, Ra'hal's best friend ––– Adriaan said so herself ––– so it was entirely possible Adriaan was protecting her friend from being punished for her crimes against the Jedi.

There were two cultists that were allegedly involved in Ra'hal's plot: Haak, whom Kan and Klamin knew very little about, other than the fact that Adriaan was terrified of him, and the strange Force-sensitive responsible for Jordin's head injury. Jordin's masked attacker was dead, but Haak and Ra'hal were still at large. If their Master wasn't going to do anything about it, then it was up to Klamin and Kan to figure out where they were hiding and what they were up to. That was why Kan had sent Jordin a note requesting her to do research in the Jedi Archives, and why Klamin wanted to interrogate Darc. If Adriaan wouldn't talk, then Archive files and Adriaan's former fellow trainee would have to supply the Intel in her place.

Normally, Kan wouldn't suspect Adriaan of deceiving him, but lately she hadn't been acting like a paragon Jedi Knight. Anyway, Klamin believed that she wasn't being entirely honest with them, and Kan trusted him because the Shi'Odo had been warned about Haak and Ra'hal by the legendary Night Falcon, a self-exiled Jedi who had trained Klamin on Zylxx before Adriaan had come to take him as her Apprentice.

"Come on, Kan!" Adriaan yelled. Kan jumped and looked up to see that everyone had piled into the air taxi and was waiting for him. "Hustle, kid!"

When Adriaan said it was time to hustle, Kan knew then that he had to get moving immediately, or she would take off without him. His Master was like that. It didn't matter whether it was in the front lines of a battle, a crowded laserball stadium, or in the seediest bar in the underworld of Coruscant; if Adriaan told you to hustle and you didn't, she was gone in the next instant, probably taking your only ride home with her, too.

Kan slid in to the only empty seat remaining, which was, unfortunately, next to who was possibly the most ornery Jedi student in the Order.

Marya Yon was very beautiful with her golden skin, dark purple eyes, Zabrak cultural tattoos, and inky black hair. But her heart was harder than duracrete, and her temper shorter than a Wookiee's tail. Surprisingly, she was a good friend of the bright and cheerful Jordin Skraps, but she hated Kan. Therefore, Kan was hardly astonished that when he sat down next to her, Marya glared at him and scooted so far off her seat that she was literally sitting on Darc's lap.

"Whoa!" Darc said in surprise. "I must say, though I do consider myself to be rather dashing, Marya, this is rather unexpected for you to…"

Darc yelped as Marya's fist crashed into his face.

"I hate you," she said, punching each syllable into the air. "Don't ever assume otherwise."

"Sure. Whatever you say," Darc said, rubbing his face with his hands. A dark purple bruise that was the exact shade of Marya's eyes was forming underneath his right eye.

Kay snickered, tickled by the sight of her irritant getting slugged in the face by a fourteen-year-old girl, and Klamin looked across the row at Kan and grinned.

The rest of the trip was ––– relatively ––– quiet. Of course, with more than two dozen people in one vehicle, silence was impossible, especially so if Aedan and his wicked cohorts were among the occupants.

"RED LIGHT!" Aedan yelled, even though the traffic light showed green. The driver, startled at the shout, slammed on his brakes, to Aedan's immense glee and to his sister Andora's ultimate mortification.

"Danaret! Parkaye managgi un'nescu!" the taxi pilot cursed in Kuati.

"I am so contrite for my sibling's repugnant deportment," Andora apologized to the enraged pilot. Adriaan merely sighed and put a hand over her eyes; she had long ago given up apologizing for her Padawan Aedan's inappropriate behavior. Nevertheless, Andora felt it her duty to express concern for her brother's peccadillos. Andora was perhaps even more orthodox than the Jedi Council, never losing her patience and forever demanding perfection from herself, her fellow Padawans, and even her own Master. Kan knew he was going to feel sorry for the student Andora would choose to take as her Apprentice when she reached Knighthood. Sometimes it was hard to believe that Aedan and Andora had ever shared the same womb; pretty much the only thing they had in common was their uncompromising attitudes.

The air taxi driver, muttering many unrepeatable profanities at Aedan under his breath, wasted no time getting them safely to their destination, the Kuat Drive Yard government complex. Kan figured he probably got them there so quickly just to get rid of passengers whom he considered to be insane.

Adriaan didn't care if the driver thought they were lunatics; hopping out of the taxi, she tossed a large tip to the cab driver before Senator Danu could pay for the ride himself. No doubt the more than adequate fee was a sort of recompense for her Padawan nearly causing a speeder accident. Anyway, the driver's face brightened considerably once he had the neon credit chip clutched in his fist.

"Get out of the way, nerf herder!" Marya griped, prodding Kan in the back to get him moving. "You move slower than a pregnant Hutt!"

Kan really didn't see what her problem was, but nevertheless bit down the splenetic retort that rose to his lips, and meekly climbed out of the cab so Marya could get out.

"Humph." Marya didn't thank Kan for so promptly moving out of the way; instead, she rudely elbowed him in the ribs as she walked past him, determined to put as much distance between them as possible. She was definitely in a funk today; Kan hadn't even spoken five words to her, and she was already mad at him.

"Miss Yon!" Adriaan barked suddenly, stopping Marya in her tracks. "Tonight you will practice the Koré form fifty times before you go to bed."

Several of the Padawans winced. The Koré form was one of the longest, most tiring lightsaber routines ever invented. It was so exhausting that hundreds of Jedi students cringed out of habit if they simply heard someone whisper "Koré"

"Aw, why?" Marya complained. Though a practitioner of the tonfa saber ––– a challenging and unusual style of lightsaber combat ––– she was no fan of Koré, either.

"For saying, 'I hate you' to Darc, and for bullying your peers."

"What the brix…"

"Sixty times for talking back."

"Holy milking sith. Why the heck are you always picking on me? Kan was the one who was wasting all of our time…"

"Want to make it a full hundred?"

"Excuse the interruption, Neela, but my free time is limited," Giddean intervened politely.

Adriaan snapped out of Jedi-Master-disciplining-naughty-Apprentice mode. "Right. After you."

Giddean flashed his ID at the security guards stationed before the front entrance, who let them in after a brief wait. Recently elected as Senator of the Kuati, Giddean Danu was a conservative, pro-Jedi politician who opposed the Senate's decision to grant Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers. This brought him into conflict with his own people, who benefitted greatly from the war because it increased production in the Kuat shipyards. Kan wasn't politics-savvy; he had acquired this knowledge of Danu's political position and views from one of Adriaan's several pre-mission briefings. Personally, because Giddean was said to have a great respect for the Jedi Order, Kan liked the Kuati Senator. Adriaan, however, was not so biased.

"I decide if I like a person after I actually get to meet him," she had said. "I know the files say he's pro-Jedi, but Intel can be notoriously inaccurate sometimes."

Kan had then pointed out that their assignment was based fully on Intel. "What if we're just wasting our time? Grievous might be trying to lure us away from something. He might not be planning to invade at all. Or even worse, it could be a trap!" But his Master, as usual, had an answer for everything.

"I'm sure the other soldiers in the GAR can take care of things while we go check out Kuat. If we get to Kuat and it's a trap, then we'll have to find a way out of it. If he's not planning to invade, then very well, this is a waste of time. But let me ask you this: what if he is planning to invade Kuat? Then, indeed, our toil will not be in vain."

Kan hoped she was right.

Giddean Danu may not have been a very popular Senator, but his apartments were still comfortable and accommodating. Much better than the GAR barracks. As the solemn politician gravely ushered them into his private office, Kan looked around the room, admiring the simple yet elegant space. All the senators Kan had met were ostentatious, preferring showiness over style. Giddean, in contrast, worked in an average-sized office which was sparsely yet tastefully decorated, containing a bronze-colored desk, a yellow glowlamp which emitted a warm, soothing light; a few couches, and a datascreen.

"Please sit," Giddean said, gesturing toward the couches as he sat down at his desk.

Kan complied along with the others, taking a seat next to his Master's favorite ELF Commando, a clone known simply as Wolf.

"As the ambassador of Goba Shag, I thank you for considering our Queen's request to fund the building of an orbital shipyard array around the planet I represent," Adriaan began, sitting back on the couch and crossing her legs.

"As you well know, the principal of Kuat Drive Yards, Onara Kuat, has always taken a zealous involvement in the adding on of subsidiary companies in different systems all over the Republic. With this war going on, you can imagine we could use some more shipyards, to increase the rate of production," Giddean replied. "However, I am rather surprised that you chose to contact me instead of the principal director. Onara is the one who is in charge of KDY; I am simply a representative of the Kuati people in the Senate."

"I understand that, Senator. I would not have contacted you, but necessity demanded it. I have been trying to contact Onara Kuat for months now, but she has been too busy to return my calls. I do not take this as a personal affront, for I know that this is a busy time for KDY. I came to you because I know that you and Onara have to work closely, so of course it would be easier for you than for me to schedule an appointment with the principal director."

"It is true, Onara is very busy with the production of warships for the Grand Army," Giddean agreed. "Nevertheless, like any good Kuati, she always finds time to confer with her Senator. I will speak with her tomorrow, as you have entreated. In the meantime, please enjoy your stay in Kuat City. Shall I call an air taxi to escort you to your hotel?"

"Please, do."

Giddean pressed a button on his desk, and Adriaan suddenly tensed, as if she heard something.

"Security apparatus," Giddean explained to the Jedi. "Sound-dampening privacy device is now online. We can now speak freely."

Kan let out the breath he had been holding. At last, they could get down to business, instead of sitting around pretending to be interested in the planning and construction of an orbital shipyard.

Adriaan and the Padawans stood up on cue and bowed as one. "I am Jedi General Adriaan ell Talaan of Ade Verda Brigade, and this the Varactyl Clan, and these –––" she indicated the clones sitting behind her, "––– are the ELF Commandos. Thank you for keeping our arrival confidential, as you pledged prior to our deployment."

Giddean nodded. "I have always held a deep respect for the Jedi Order, and now I know why. I cannot begin to express my gratitude to you for your prompt arrival to combat the crisis that has befallen Kuat," he said gravely. "It is good that the Jedi Council has sent you here now to stop this before it gets out of hand."

"Please, fill us in on the situation," Adriaan said, frowning. "Elaborate on what you mean by 'before it gets out of hand' Have you been having trouble with General Grievous already?"

"I am not entirely sure it is the CIS who is attacking us, but we have been having various sorts of trouble cropping up over the past couple months," Giddean replied, steepling his fingers together, his face taking on a sagelike expression. Kan thought the Senator reminded him a little of Mace Windu. Like the Jedi Master, he was cool, composed, grave, and calculating. He also seemed to have a genuine respect for the Jedi Order, contrary to Adriaan's suspicions. Take that, Adriaan! Kan thought triumphantly. He was liking Senator Danu more and more each minute.

"What sort of trouble? Assault? Sabotage? Theft?" Adriaan inquired, her brow furrowed with concentration. "According to Intel, there is a CIS spy network already in operation here. Is there evidence of foreign infiltration, illegal surveillance, or espionage of any kind? Are they terrorists as well as spies?"

"It is not certain whether there is only one, or several organizations behind this. My first suspect is, of course, the Trade Federation, Kuat Drive Yards' top competitor. Neimodian officials have frequently expressed their desire to close us down ––– an endeavor which would take a terrible toll on the Republic army, as you well know. We have already taken measures to protect our facilities from espionage by increasing security, upgrading sector forces, and closing down part of the Hydian Way. Also, the Grand Army has placed warships along our star system border. However, I have my doubts that it is the Trade Federation behind this, after all. No, it has to be some organization led by people more cunning than the Neimodians."

"The Trade Federation, as we all know, is a supporter of the Separatist cause. They have been KDY's biggest rivals for years, as you have said. Surely, who could have better motives to spy on you than the Trade Federation?" Klamin asked.

"I do not know, but what I do know is that there are conclusive reports from security personnel that this spy or terrorist network is composed of bad Jedi."

Adriaan tensed. "Excuse me?"

"Sith cultists, I conjecture, is the explicit moniker," Andora asserted.

"Sith cultists!" several Apprentices exclaimed.

"GOODS!" Aedan and his Wicked Club shouted at the same time.

Kan looked at Klamin and saw his fear mirrored in the Shi'Odo's face.

Haak and Ra'hal were sith cultists, and they are still alive…

"Sith cultists? Let's not jump to conclusions. May I see this 'conclusive' report you are referring to?" Adriaan's face was white as a sheet, but her voice was nonchalant. Disbelieving.

Senator Danu silently turned on his datascreen and clicked on a file, angling the screen so that the Jedi and the clones could get a full view.

The report was filed by a member of KDY security ––– guards that were known for their vigilance and their loyalty to Kuat. The report itself Kan found hard to follow, but there was a holo attached to it that the Senator clicked on when Adriaan had finished reading the file. It was a holovid taken from a security camera stationed outside the KDY meeting room. In it, an average-looking male human was seen walking towards the entrance, where several guards were standing. The human was dressed in plain, anonymous, light-colored coveralls with brown boots to match.

"Man, that guy has zero taste in clothes," Darc muttered.

"Yeah," Andre ––– one of Aedan's friends ––– giggled. "I bet he has no GOOD girlfriends…"

Kay stamped on Darc's and Andre's feet to keep them quiet.

"Ow!" Andre shrieked, defeating Kay's intention of silencing him.

"Shut up!" Adriaan snapped as the Kuati sentinels straightened at the man's approach.

"Halt!" the KDY guard said, barring the way. The young man stopped. "No citizens beyond this point, sir."

The human smiled pleasantly and spoke in a low voice. It sounded like, "I can go through."

"You can't go past this point," the guard repeated.

The man continued to smile pleasantly, repeating a little louder. "I can go through." This time, there was a slight motion of his fingers across the guard's face. Kan felt a ripple of fear run through his Master, sensing her distress through the Force as clearly as if she had just spoken her misgivings aloud.

Only Jedi do that.

The guard seemed to be agitated about something as well. The man, still smiling, pressed forward, but the guard still resolutely barred the way. "No," he said, but his voice sounded shaky.

The man's amiable grin dropped a few centimeters, and his brow furrowed the tiniest bit. He lifted his hand and waved it in the guard's face. "I can go through."

Kan looked over at his Master. The blood had drained from her face. She definitely felt it now, the undercurrent of the dark side that could be sensed even through a holo-projection…

That man is Force-sensitive.

"You can go through," the guard said.

The man's smile returned, and he stepped briskly toward the door. However, the other guards had taken notice, and were not going to let a civilian pass.

"Look, bud, if you don't want to cause any trouble, than you should leave this area now," one of the guards said.

"I work here. Let me in," the young man said.

"If you work here, you must be new, 'cause I've never seen you before. Besides, where's your I.D.?"

"I left it inside by accident. Please, just let me go in."

Pause. "I'm afraid we can't do that, sir."

The man wasn't smiling now. His face had become as hard as duracrete as he hissed, "If I were you, I'd let me in."

This time, the sentinels laughed. "Oh, sure, it's a good thing we're not you, then," they said.

The young human stood silently, staring the sentries down as they continued to laugh uproariously. Kan looked at Senator Danu, wondering if he had clicked on the wrong file. Except for the little hand motion, the young man hadn't shown any signs of being Force-sensitive, and he definitely didn't seem to be any threat to the guards. But Giddean's eyes were glued to the screen, his face grim.

The laughter came to an abrupt halt, bringing Kan's attention back to the screen. All four security officers were still there, and still alive. Nothing had happened. Nothing was wrong. But laughter died down gradually; it didn't come to a sudden stop unless something was wrong. But what was wrong?

The young man was motionless, staring steadily at the guards. Kan felt a sense of foreboding wash over him. That man was just standing there, but he was doing something.

A Kuati twitched, his hands rising to his throat. He coughed a little. Kan dismissed the motion, thinking the man just had to clear his throat, but when his companions started to do the same thing, Kan began to feel alarmed.

The four of them were gasping now, writhing where they stood. They were acting like fish that had just been taken out of water. They began to frantically try to unbutton the collars on their tunics, but that seemed to worsen matters. The cold realization of what was happening washed over Kan as the squirming guards fell simultaneously to the ground, clawing desperately for air. Nothing was touching them, nothing at all was happening, but they were suffocating to death.

"Ug-lu-huh-ug-uh…" The sound of four men choking to death was probably about the worst sound he had ever heard. But even more vile was the young Force-sensitive, the hateful way he just stood still, watching, waiting, slowly killing them. As the men gasped in agony, he smiled ––– a horrible, clean smirk, which showed all his perfect white teeth ––– and stepped toward the door…

"Ug-huh-lug-uh…"

"Fierfek," Kan choked. "Turn it off."

Senator Danu made a move to switch off the screen, but Adriaan stood suddenly, holding up a hand to stop him. "Play it again," she said, her voice even. A look of protest flashed briefly across Giddean's face, but it was gone in the next moment. He inclined his head respectfully and pressed the replay button.

It was even worse, watching it the second time. The Padawans all began to squirm in their seats, and many faces looked queasy as the young man approached the door for the second time, went through the motions of mind-tricking the first guard, and then was accosted again by the other three. The conversation was repeated, the guards started to snicker…Kan felt a lump forming in his stomach and turned his face away from the screen as the sound of choking replaced the laughter.

"Turn the volume up," Adriaan said mercilessly.

Sithspit, how can she just sit there and say, 'turn up the volume' as if this were just some new popular holovid? That man is torturing those guards to death.

Kan felt an overwhelming desire to turn his ears inside out and run out of the room, but some inner strength of will kept him rooted to the spot, his ears cringing as they absorbed what his eyes did not: the horrible, gurgling sound of men in their last agonizing moments of life.

Then the noise stopped, and his eyes automatically snapped open as his head whipped toward the screen. The four guards were lying on the ground, very still; the Force-sensitive looked around quickly, then stepped over the dead bodies and walked off the screen as he went through the door. The hologram faded abruptly as the transmission ended.

Kan tensed and glanced over at his Master, dreading the repetition of the horrible request to replay the holo. But Adriaan was standing very still, her eyes staring at the blank screen, as if there were some invisible code masked in its utter emptiness.

"I hope you now see why I assumed it was sith cultists," Danu said soberly, clearing his throat. "As you well know, the only people in the galaxy that can…choke beings without touching them, are Jedi. Of course, I also realize that no self-respecting Jedi would kill men in such a way, so my only other conclusion was that this man was a bad Jedi ––– a sith cultist, according to your Apprentice."

Adriaan was still staring at the screen, as if she were reading something on it. "This holo was taken prior to the discovery that the schematics for KDY's latest project was missing," Danu continued. "I think it highly probable that the man stole the schematics after he made it past security. His motives for stealing the blueprints are unknown unless, of course, he is working for one of our rival companies." He paused, confused at the Jedi's odd lapse into silence. "Well, Master Jedi, what is your opinion on the matter? Do you think that this man is a sith cultist? Or is there another explanation for this incident? Perhaps through the release of suffocating gases…"

General ell Talaan started as her eyes came back into focus. "Sorry, Senator. No, that was definitely a…a Force-sensitive. What were the schematics he stole?"

Giddean frowned. "I myself am not sure; Onara told me that data was classified. Besides, do you really think that information is relevant?"

"Of course," Adriaan said. "It could be a clue to the man's motives. But never mind, my boys can obtain that data easily. Okay, next question. What makes you think that he isn't the only cultist here?"

"There have been recordings of several other incidents like this, which I have listed here," Giddean said, accessing another file and sending it into the air. "Six months ago, there was a report of a slight malfunction in a Jedi starfighter prototype. We got the tech crew in and corrected the mistake, but the test flight ended up being a failure ––– the ship blew up upon reentry into the upper atmosphere. This sort of incident has repeated itself over the past several months. Just this week, an assault cruiser failed to launch due to an engine blowout. These kind of malfunctions, of course, have happened before, but never in such quantity. We think it is due to sabotage, but security so far has been unable to locate the saboteur."

"Okay, so you've been having vehicles sabotaged over the past several months. Force-sensitives aren't the only people capable of this," Kay pointed out. "It sounds to me that this is more of an inside job than foreign infiltration."

"True, but how many people own lightsabers?"

"Lightsabers?"

"There is evidence that damage done to the hulls and inter workings of some of our ships were due to lightsaber cuts. I myself have never seen a lightsaber incision before, but I have to agree that the markings left on the ships are quite unusual."

The Jedi looked at each other. "I'm afraid that in order to confirm that a lightsaber did the damage, I or my Padawans would have to inspect the crippled vehicles ourselves," Adriaan said.

"You will have to arrange that with the principal director of KDY."

Adriaan nodded. "Okay. Anything else on the report?"

"Theft, assault, kidnapping, vandalism, the usual. Of course, those crimes could or could not be directly connected to the KDY incidents."

"True. So the only evidence you have of a terrorist organization operating here is this one security holo, the missing schematics for…whatever it is, and the sabotage in the shipyards?"

"That is correct."

"Well, that's not much to go on, but I think it'll be enough to make a good start," Adriaan said, standing. "Besides, I don't think you should keep that privacy device on much longer; we don't want anyone to suspect that we're here for any ulterior motives."

"Quite right." Senator Danu stood too, and extended his hand toward Adriaan. The Jedi grasped the man's hand firmly and shook it.

"Now, I'm not sure there will be any good reason for the Goba Shag ambassador to contact you again, so if there is anything else you didn't cover in this briefing, you have to tell me now. We can't risk comlink communication. Comm signals can be traced," Adriaan said.

"I believe that is all, General. Here is a copy of the report. Does Onara know that you are here?"

"No, Senator. As I said, Onara is…busy this time of year," Adriaan said, she and the clones grinning suddenly at some inside joke.

Danu smiled back, though only briefly. Kan began to feel a little annoyed; he wanted to know what was so funny about what his Master had just said. "Indeed. Well, I shall see about arranging a meeting with her for you tomorrow morning." Giddean pressed the button on his desk that turned off the security device. "Now, Neela, I believe that your taxi cab has arrived. My guard will escort you out. Once again, welcome to the city of Kuat. I hope you enjoy your stay."

Adriaan and the ELF Commandos grinned again, leaving Kan with a cold feeling in his gut. He recognized his Master's smile; it was one she usually wore just before she was about to do something insane.

"Don't worry, we will," Adriaan said with a laugh.