And so it begins...

"NO!"

"But master...!"

"I said no, Ahsoka! You passed out in exhaustion!"

"I told you, it was force-orientated!" I hissed.

"True, but not completely," he retorted, "Either way, there is no way you're going to Mandalore. You obviously still need rest."

I groaned. There was no use arguing it, no matter how ridiculous his convictions. My master was by far the most stubborn person in the galaxy. We continued to walk down the hall in tense silence, I being as frustrated as ever.

It was then that I thought of something.

"Master, are you more concerned that I need rest, or that my vision could come true given I accompany you on this mission?"

He froze. His mental shields went up fast, an immediate indicator of the truth.

"Master, we can't let the potential future control us! It may not necessarily be a guarantee."

He turned to me. "You're right, but it's still not a risk I'm willing to take."

His eyes were full of anxiety. So much so that I was shocked. Jedi weren't supposed to have any attachments, but from what I've seen of my master, this was not a rule that he followed to the letter. I sighed. If anything, I didn't want him any more worried than he had to be.

"Okay, Master, I'll stay behind."

He lightened up immediately. "Thanks, Snips. Besides, it will be nice for you to rest. You've had a long week."

I grinned. "Tell me about it."

We headed down the hall towards our shared quarters. When we got there, he started packing. I sat down on the bed and grabbed a magazine and some nail polish. Hey, a girl's still a girl, I wasn't a complete tomboy. Just...close.

"Hey, Snips?"

"Yea, Master?"

"What did you mean, when you said that Mar-Lakow might've married?"

"Hmm?"

"Our conversation earlier, you said something about Mar-Lakow then we were cut short by Master Koon coming to check on you."

"Oh right, um, well...I was just thinking that if the spies really did hear Vizsla call the black warrior 'Shal', that would imply that they were very familiar with each other. It could be another form of relation, but I was just thinking."

"Huh," he responded, "Well, I guess that's possible, but according to Obi-Wan, that's highly unlikely."

"Really?" I asked, "Why so?"

"He wasn't very specific. Something about Mar-Lakow being restricted in some way. I don't really know," he conceded, "Maybe you should ask him about it."

I chuckled to myself, and got off the bed. "You know, I just might take that advice."

His jaw dropped dramatically. "What? You're listening to me when you don't have to?"

I laughed. "Don't get used to it, Skyguy. I must be more tired than I thought."

He smiled slyly as I left. I was halfway down the hall when I heard him call me.

"Hey, doesn't that nail polish need to dry?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's quick-dry, no-chip glaze. You gave it to me on my birthday!"

An astonished look played across his face, quickly followed by a sheepish grin. "Seriously?" he yelled.

I nodded, pretending to be aggravated. "Seriously."

...

I walked down the hall to Master Kenobi's quarters. I surprised to find the door wide open. He must have forgotten to close it in his haste. I looked in slowly, not wanting to be rude or to disturb him. Unfortunately, what I saw proved he was already disturbed enough. Master Kenobi was pacing back and forth so intently I was surprised he hadn't started to form a hole in the floor. I had never seen him this anxious before. The Death Watch deal must've really been serious if it could make someone that naturally serene worried.

"Umm...Master Kenobi?" I said softly.

He stopped and turned to face me. "Oh, Ahsoka, when did you get in here?"

"You left the door open. I was coming to ask you about..." He still looked fraught with fear. "Are you all right, Master?"

"I'm...I'm fine Ahsoka. What were you going to ask?"

I scanned my eyes over him. "You're not all right in the least, Master Kenobi. I was going to ask you what you knew of Death Watch, but I can see that you may know more than you would wish to."

He sighed and looked down. "Come on in and sit down, Ahsoka. I don't want to keep you standing in the doorway."

I obeyed and took a seat next to a small table. It looked as if he would start pacing again, but instead, he took another chair across from me.

"Ahsoka, I'm afraid that there is a lot to tell, and almost none of it is good."

I held my breath briefly, but nodded slightly urging him to continue.

"Sha-Lakow is Mar-Lakow's son and Vizsla's nephew," he admitted frankly.

I gasped. "But Mar-Lakow never..."

"Married?" he interrupted. He laughed sardonically, "Oh no, he was married, and from what I've heard, happily so. But you see, like the Jedi, Death Watch members aren't supposed to form attachments with those outside of their organization."

I thought for a moment. "And Mar-Lakow's wife was such a person?"

"She was a hostage captured by Death Watch, and that's when he fell in love with her. As you can expect, their relationship started out...rickety, to say the least, but apparently, she did love him and agreed to marry him."

I thought back to my little visit with Death Watch. Personally, I would've never fall in love with one of them. Heck, I'd probably would have had to be dragged by my montrails to a chapel.

"She wasn't forced?" I asked.

"No, it was completely voluntary."

Someone should've checked that lady's sanity.

"Wait," I said suspiciously, "How do you know all of this?"

He looked to the floor sadly, almost ashamed. He was very hesitant before speaking again.

"As his brother, Mar-Lakow would frequently visit Vizsla when he was still governor over Mandalore. At the time, I was stationed at Mandalore and became a good friend of Mar-Lakow's. However, it wasn't until years later when I learned of his association with Death Watch."

"He worked for Death Watch before his brother did?"

"Sort of. You see, both of them were trained from birth in the art of Mandaloran Warcraft. Since their family had always been a supportive ally of the organization, the boys were encouraged to join. Mar-Lakow didn't hesitate, but Vizsla felt otherwise...or so it appeared. He became governor and it seemed as if he had no wish to ally himself with Death Watch. But then it happened."

"What?"

He paused. "It hasn't been made known to many people, but Vizsla was allied with Death Watch the whole time. His brother's frequent visits were in order to exchange information. When Vizsla made his loyalties known, it was merely his way of slipping out of undercover position."

I was astonished, but something still seemed strange.

"And Mar-Lakow?"

Master Kenobi looked flustered. "Listen, Ahsoka, I can't tell you all the details, I barely know for sure that Vizsla was undercover the whole time. All I know is that something concerning Mar-Lakow happened which caused the seemingly flawless plan to retreat."

He got up and started pacing again. "I remember seeing him again, feeling betrayed about it. We were at the palace engaged in battle. But then, something shifted in Mar-Lakow and the force. He stopped in his tracks and started begging me not to attack Vizsla. He was obviously being blackmailed about something, considering how frantic he was, but it wasn't an attachment to his brother, Ahsoka. It was fear of losing someone else. He was concerned for something, someone..."

I waited for him to continue but he was silent. Suddenly, I gasped in horror as I realized the truth.

"His son."

Master Kenobi shut his eyes. "Vizsla killed them both that night. After that, he took his brother's former position as the leader of Death Watch. His ruthless murder left him the control and the lack of an heir apparent. For him, it was ideal."

I sat in silent shock. How could one man be that cruel?

"But Sha-Lakow..." I muttered.

"It is impossible that the black warrior is Sha-Lakow. The spies could have easily misheard something. The Lakow legacy is dead. As to whoever this black warrior is, that is a mystery that remains unsolved."

I tried to piece this together. Could the person in my dream have been Sha-Lakow? I had heard of the dead speaking through dreams, and the voice in the dream certainly seemed thickly masked. But why was I so angry at the voice in my dreams? And how had he saved me? Nothing made any sense. Master Kenobi opened his eyes and sat back down next to me.

"Do you know anything more?"

Master Kenobi shook his head slowly. "Nothing. But I'm not the one seeing the visions, Ahsoka. I believe the better question is; Do you?

Hmm, yeah, this seems like a good place for a cliffhanger. Keep reading to find out!