"Order 66 was the Final Solution to the Jedi problem. Yet the Jedi persist like lice. If we don't find them all soon, they might escape forever and rebuild their cult in secret, and then they would destroy this fledgling Empire."

-Pollux Hax, from a published statement sent to all Imperial senators and military officers

The Tale of Keeda Reltu, or the First Jedi's Tale

The name Coruscant literally translates "the blue moon above," and named after the first settlers for the sapphire moon that once hung in the planet's sky. That moon fell out of orbit and drifted away long ago, tens of thousands of years before even the days of the Republic, when the land was still green and singing with water. In those days there were oceans, and there were rivers that wrapped the land with cool blue fingers that careened with the hills and valleys and under the shadows of trees. And birds flew and sang, though no one remembers the colors of their feathers nor their songs, for birds fly no more over Coruscant. And when the moon vanished, the people believed the gods had abandoned them. But they passed down the memory of that moon, and its memory survives among a rare few.

Indeed, the world had changed since those nights filled with blue moonlight. Now the seas and many rivers were gone, and the birds were disappeared, and now was a planetary metropolis of permacrete and durasteel, the slow work of a thousand years of progress. And the planet thrummed with life.

And amid the progress, and amid the skyscrapers and teeming life smog and oceans of permacrete, a Jedi Knight neamed Keeda Reltu moved with the crowds.

Keeda was a mutt, half human and half Twi'lek, and so she blended well with the odd alien populations on Coruscant. She inherited her mother's emerald skin, but she otherwise looked completely human. During the Clone Wars, Keeda's beauty was legendary, but the events of Order 66 had taken their toll on her. She had aged greatly since the destruction of the Temple and the slaughter of her friends and her master, and nothing was harder to bear than the death of her apprentice, gunned down by the clone she trusted most. Her green skin was no longer silken and glowing but was dryer now and slightly sagging at the cheeks. She had deep lines around her mouth, and her ink black hair had dulled. She remained in communion with the Force, but her connection was not as intimate as it had been.

With Keeda was a young boy named Ziro Okana. He was a human boy, olive skinned and with shaggy black hair. He was frightened, and his detached master offered little comfort. Like Keeda, his master too had died during Order 66, and Keeda pitied him and offered herself as his new master. She trained him vigorously in the use of the Force and in Jedi knowledge, but little in light saber combat, so he practiced for hours daily on his own and developed his own style, and it was polished. He was a quiet boy, and sensitive and observant. Destitute, these two Jedi hid on Coruscant together, unable to acquire funds for transport off the planet, and fearful to trust anyone. They continually heard stories of Jedi disappearing, and they feared for their lives.

The two made their way down the street, and clones were there patrolling nearby. Ziro was scared.

"I think they're looking at us," Ziro said.

"Just keep looking forward. Don't draw attention," Keeda said back.

And blended with the crowd they passed the clones by unnoticed.

Coruscant was a dangerous place for Jedi, and yet so many of them had been stranded on the planet when Darth Vader attacked and destroyed the Jedi Temple. And now Jedi were branded enemies of the Empire, and thanks to the propaganda the citizens viewed them like the fallen kings of some slave-backed empire, power-hungry and corrupt. The anti-Jedi propaganda was rampant, and it was the duty of the every Imperial citizen to report any and all Jedi they might find. And many Jedi were reported and disappeared, and no one knew their fates.

Worse still were the spies. Kubaz aliens lurked in every alleyway and on every rooftop, and they were trained to recognize Jedi by face alone, even in dense crowds, or at least that was the rumor. What was for certain was that if a Kubaz spy did somehow a Jedi, the Jedi would vanish before the next day, no matter where the Jedi hid. And so nowhere was safe on Coruscant.

Keeda and Ziro wlaked closely together down the packed sidewalks, and eventually they turned and entered a small courtyard lined with restaurants and bars and little antique shops. There was also a dry cleaners there, and just outside it an alien with tentacles for arms swept with a simple wooden broom.

"Menzel," Keeda said.

"The alien looked up. "Ah, Keeda! How are you?" he said and set the broom against the wall.

"I'm well," she said. Meanwhile Ziro said nothing, but he watched intently.

"I want to trade," Keeda continued.

"What do you have for me today?"

"A holocron."

"What is this holocron? I already told you, I want real stuff, not mystic mumbo jumbo and silly trinkets."

"Just let me show it to you first," she said. She reached behind her back and inside her cloak and revealed a small, blue-glowing box. "It holds ancient Jedi knowledge. It's invaluable," she said, holding it.

Menzel waited before taking it, and when he did he inspected every inch of it. He still seemed skeptical. Keeda pursed her lips and swallowed.

"The Empire would pay well for it," she said.

Menzel shook his head. "No, I'm sorry, I can't risk being cheated." He handed Keeda back the holocron. She would have to sell it elsewhere.

"Do you have nothing else?"

"Yes," Keeda said. "I have a Jedi comlink."

"This I can trade."

Keeda reached into her belt and revealed a small Hush-98 model comlink. It was shaped like a pistol grip and fit nicely in the groove of her palm. She handed it over. Menzel smiled.

"I'll give you fifty credits for it," he said, and it was a fraction of the comlink's worth.

"Very well," Keeda said, and she bowed.

Menzel took the comlink with him into the dry cleaning store and after a moment returned with a small bag of credits. He handed her the bag. Keeda took it and bowed again.

"Thank you for your generosity, and may the Force be with you," she said.

Menzel shrugged. "No problem," he said, and he took up his broom and went on sweeping.

People willing to trade with Jedi were growing rarer with every rotation of the planet. Keeda was grateful to Menzel, but the alien wasn't a Jedi sympathizer. He was just an opportunist. Later he would sell the comlink for double what he paid.

Keeda and Ziro made their way back to their hiding place, a nice house in a nice suburban neighborhood. The owner of the house was a jolly man with lanky arms and legs and a rotund, overhanging beer gut. His wife was a tiny, fiery woman and a staunch Imperialist who devoured any propaganda she came across like her husband drank beer. And so for the safety of the two Jedi he kept them hidden in the shed in the backyard, somewhere his wife never once bothered to go. The man was a Jedi sympathizer and so he allowed Keeda and Ziro to stay indefinitely, provided they pay him rent. He once said: "It's terrible what the Emperor's done, just terrible." And he was always friendly so long as they paid, and they paid him well.

Not only did they pay him for rent, but they also paid him for food as well, typically straight from out of his kitchen. And sometimes but rarely he gave them free food from a left over dinner plate.

"Call me Ertie," he had said cheerfully.

And while the Jedi were safe with Ertie, they still had to be careful. "If my wife ever discovers you in my shed, I will deny I knew you were in there or that I know you at all," he had warned. Keeda had only said, "I understand" and left it there. And they were painstakingly careful, never making a noise at any time.

And so today Keeda and Ziro entered through the side gate beside Ertie's house and returned to the shed in his backyard, along with the bag of credits and the unsold holocron. The two Jedi kept quiet and found comfortable spots among the cramped mess of tools and machines and parts, and Keeda closed her eyes and meditated. And meanwhile Ziro kept himself busy and read a holocopy of the journal of an ancient Jedi. In the passage he was reading, the Jedi spoke about finding a bird with a broken wing on the steps of the Temple, and how he was nursing it back to health, and Ziro wondered what the bird looked like. He had grown up on Coruscant and had never once left its atmosphere and visited other worlds, and so he had never seen a real bird in person before.

The shed door suddenly opened, and there standing was Ertie.

"Hello, friends," he chimed.

"Hello, Ertie," Keeda said.

"I have good news. Some cousins of mine are here from Dantooine. They said they can smuggle you in their ship out of Coruscant. They are in the dining room eating right now, and my wife isn't here, and they want to speak with you while she's gone."

"Ertie, this would be a dream come true. But you have to excuse my hesitancy when I say I don't trust them, even if they are your cousins. It isn't safe for Jedi to trust anyone."

"You trusted me."

"We were desperate and had no other options. We're not desperate anymore."

"Keeda, you have my word it's safe. My cousins are good men, honest and hard workers. They are carpenters on Dantooine, and they own a little shop in one of the cities. Simple men. I lived across the street from them when we were kids."

Keeda glanced at Ziro, and the boy was watching with a keen attentiveness. He was always aware and had a reliable intuition, and he would make a fine Jedi one day.

"Very well. There is no harm in hearing what they have to say," she said.

They joined Ertie's cousins in the dining room. The two men stood up to greet them.

"These are the two Jedi I was telling you about," Ertie said, and he gestured to the Jedi one at a time. "This is Jedi Master Keeda Reltu."

"Jedi Knight, but just Keeda will suffice," Keeda ammended.

"And this is her apprentice Ziro," Ertie said. He then lifted a hand towards his cousins. "And these are my cousins, Markov and Dendar."

"It's a pleasure, Miss Jedi. Ertie here won't shut up about you two," said Dendar. He was lanky and had a skinny face and big ears and a wide mouth. He had a childish look to him.

"We're very sorry for the awful circumstances you're in. We hope we can earn your trust, but we know it's risky just to trust a mouse droid these days," Markov said. Markov had a barrel-shaped chest, thick and wide. He also had a black and white peppered mustache.

"I appreciate your willingness to help us in our time of need," Keeda said, placing a hand on Ziro.

"If you'll let us, we'd love to help however we can," Dendar said.

"Come, everyone sit," Ertie said waving everyone down to their chairs, and he heartily grabbed a chair and plopped into it. Everyone sat down. Dendar spoke first.

"I know it's tentative, but if you were to leave with us back to Dantooine, you could stay with us. There are still clones there, but it's not anywhere near as bad as it is here," he said.

Keeda considered. "And what about other places. Could you take us other places besides Dantooine?"

Markov and Dendar looked at each other.

"What place do you have in mind?" Markov said.

"Budestia," Keeda said. There was silence, and she added: "You do know Budestia, don't you?"

"Of course," Markov said.

"Can you take us there?"

"That's the trick. It's a bit of a detour away from Dantooine," Dendar said.

"A detour is an understatement. It's far out of the way, in the Mid Rim," Markov said.

"Why Budestia anyway?" Ertie asked.

"It isn't controlled by the Empire. Had a strong enough military to stay neutral to the end of the Clone Wars, and it's wealthy and isolated. Rumor is that is has become a safe haven for Jedi," Markov said.

"It's true. I've received several encrypted messages from Jedi saying that Budestia is a safe place," Keeda said.

"But haven't you ever considered the rumors to be a trick?" Markov said.

"I've considered it, but it can't be a trick if the Empire doesn't control the planet."

"That's what makes it a trick," Markov added dryly.

"I can sense it. All the Jedi who survived Order Sixty Six are there."

"And even if the rumors are true and the Jedi are hunky-dory holding hands and singing in front of the sunset together, that doesn't change the fact that Budestia is way out of the way for us," Markov said.

"Maybe you and me could talk it over?" Dendar murmured to Markov.

Markov relented. "Give us a moment to discuss it, Miss Jedi."

"Of course."

And while the men discussed, Keeda did her own pondering as well. Perhaps it would be better to in the end stay with Ertie. She and Ziro could easily remain in the shed and never be caught, by unsuspecting wife or otherwise. But she would eventually run out of credits, and not just that but also Jedi relics to sell to black market buyers like Menzel, and then they wouldn't be able to pay Ertie the rent and would have to leave his shed. She trusted Ertie and his place was safe, but she couldn't stay forever. This escape with his cousins might be her and Ziro's only chance at finally leaving Coruscant and reaching the Jedi haven Budestia, light years away from the eyes of the Empire.

Markov and Dendar finished discussing.

"We can take you to Budestia, but we can't do it for free," Markov said.

"How much?"

"Eight thousand."

"I don't have that kind of credits."

"Well how much do you have?"

"Three, maybe three and a half."

Markov shook his head. "I'm sorry. It has to be eight thousand."

"What if I pay you the three thousand now, and my Jedi friends pay you the remaining five thousand when we get there?"

"No deal. I'm still not convinced that there will even be any Jedi when we get there."

"They're there. I told you, I can feel it."

"Sorry, but it has to be eight now, or you stay here with Ertie," Markov said.

"Wait, I might have something."

Keeda left for the shed and came back holding the blue holocron.

"What is it?" said Markov.

"If you sold it to the Empire, at least fifteen thousand. I'd have sold it to them myself but can't for obvious reasons."

"But what is it?"

"A Jedi holocron. It holds ancient Jedi knowledge. They're exceedingly rare, and the Emperor wants as many has he can get his hands on. This, plus the three thousand credits, should cover the flight."

Markov and Dendar glanced at each other and exchanged faces.

"It's a deal," Markov said, and he and Dendar both stood up and shook hands with Keeda.

"Meet us at the spaceport tonight. Docking bay B Forty Four."

And the two cousins were gone.

"This will be good. No more hiding," Ertie said, and he checked his watch. "The wife will be here soon. You two better head back to the shed. I'll come get you when it's time to go."

The two Jedi returned to the shed, and they began to organize their belongings, which was hardly anything save a handful of Jedi relics and a few spare changes of clothes. Keeda thought about leaving the relics with Ertie, but she decided against it, just in case she might ever need to pawn them for more credits. She wanted to be prepared for the worst scenario.

It was almost sunset when Keeda asked Ziro: "What do you think?"

"About going to Budestia?"

"Yes, and about Ertie's cousins?"

"I think we're better off staying here," Ziro said plainly.

"Why's that?"

"I know we'll be safe here. I don't know what happens if we leave."

"Do you not trust Ertie's cousins?"

"Ertie trusts them, and that's something. But no, to be honest I don't."

"Why not? Do you sense something off about them?"

"No. I just don't trust them."

"Well I suppose that's something too."

Keeda thought about it for some time, and before she realized it Ertie was opening the shed door. The sky was dark behind him.

"Hello, friends. Are you ready to go? It's time," he whispered.

"Ertie, there's been a change of plans. Would you be willing to let Ziro stay here?" Keeda said.

"Of course. Sure, it's no problem. But why? Is it his safety? Because you shouldn't need to worry. I'll be personally escorting you myself to the spaceport to make sure no funny business happens."

"I understand, but I think he should stay here for now. When I get to Budestia," and here she turned to Ziro, "I'll have access to credits to pay them to make a second trip and pick you up. I'll use my holoprojector to contact you and tell you that I've arrived safely. If I don't contact you, you know it isn't safe to trust them."

"Yes, master," Ziro said, and he was sad and solemn.

"This is silly. You can trust my cousins. They're my family, and I know them," Ertie said, a little angry and a little hurt.

"I know, and I'm sorry, Ertie. But I can't risk Ziro's life."

And so the two Jedi parted ways, Keeda with Ertie, and Ziro remaining alone in the shed. They both cried when they said goodbye. And then Ertie led Keeda to the spaceport without any problems. And all the way there not a single star blinked in the sky. Coruscant had no stars.

And when they reached the spaceport, the place was only a little busy, with starships docked in half the hangars, the other half empty, and pilots and passengers loitered around or roamed here and there idly. And eventually Ertie spotted his cousins waiting in front of a small cargo freighter. The ship was crude and bulky, built purely for function with no regards to aesthetics. Everyone acted casual. Keeda handed Markov and Dendar the credits.

"Where's the little one?" Markov asked.

"He couldn't come after all," she said.

She then boarded the ship. Ertie waved goodbye to her, and she waved back and was gone.

"Take good care of her. She is a good friend," Ertie said to his cousins.

The cousins said nothing and did not look at him. Suddenly a squad of clones appeared bursting into the spaceport. They had red accents on their armor and carried EM-11 rifles. In the lead was a clone in completely red armor. They approached hangar B44. Ertie observed helpless and in shock.

"Which of you are the Salori brothers?" asked the clone in red.

"We are," said Markov gesturing to Dendar and himself.

"And the Jedi?"

"In the ship. But only one showed up."

The clone in red flicked two fingers at the ship and reached for his pistols. He silently approached the ship, and the other clones followed. They moved quickly onboard. Ertie heard the snap and hiss of a light saber, then blaster shots. Suddenly it was deathly quiet. The clones dragged Keeda Reltu by her feet off the ship. Black scorch marks splotched her body. She was dead. The clone in red was the last to leave the ship.

He approached Dendar and Markov.

"And where's the other Jedi? You promised two," he said.

"I told you. He didn't show," Markov said.

"I can see that. Where is he?"

"Ask our cousin."

The red clone turned to Ertie.

Ertie stammered, but finally managed to say: "But I don't know about any Jedi."

"Don't lie. Your cousins here just made a lot of credits. If you cooperate, I'll reward you with some too. If you don't, I'll make sure you're imprisoned for hiding enemies of the Empire," the clone said.

"Okay, okay, he's in my shed at my house." Ertie's eyes were wide. He was terrified of the clones, yet he was also disgusted with himself at how quickly he had relented.

"Take me there," said the red clone.

"Wait!" said Markov.

He had the red clone's attention. He pulled out the blue holocron.

"Would this be of any interest to you?" he said, smirking haughtily.

"Why would I want that?" the clone said.

"It's a holocron. It holds ancient Jedi knowledge. It-"

"I know what it is."

"Then you know how valuable it is. The Jedi told us herself!"

"She lied. The thing's worthless."

"That lying bitch! It was all a bluff," Dendar said, looking at Markov.

The clone returned his attention back to Ertie. "Let's go, little man," he said.

Ertie then took the clone along with the rest of the Imperial Police to his house, and they entered the backyard through the side gate. And when they checked the shed, there was no one inside.

"Is this a joke?" the red clone said.

"No! He was here! I swear."

"Funny. I don't see him."

"He's a smart kid. He must have known something bad would happen. He must have left."

"So how do we find him?"

Ertie made a squeamish face, like he was going to vomit. "I don't know."

"I wasn't sure if you knew, but now I know you do and that you're lying."

"No I'm not! Sir-"

"Lie to me one more time, and you go to prison. How do I find him?"

Ertie looked down at his shoes. He spoke weakly. "He's waiting for a holomessage from his master. If she tells him she's safe on Budestia, he'll trust my cousins and meet them at the spaceport."

"Good boy. You just won yourself a lot of credits."

"But what I said doesn't help you. The Jedi's dead. You can't threaten her to make a false message to him, even if you wanted."

"Let us worry about that. Meanwhile, you go and check your bank account. It has a few more zeroes in there."

The clone left with the rest of the Imperial Police.

As he walked he spoke into his comlink. "I want a PROXY droid up and running, asap. I want it to duplicate Jay One Oh Three Three, ay kay ay Keeda Reltu. And make sure you have the Jedi's holoprojector with you. It should still be on the body."

Meanwhile Ertie stood alone in his backyard with the shed door still swung open. His wife opened the door to the backyard. "Ertorius Salori. Get back inside the house right now. You'll catch a cold," she yelled to him from across the yard.

Ertie closed the shed door and went back inside the house.