After a half hour of nothing, Korkie's zeal was beginning to dampen.

From the same seat where he'd been before, he surveyed the small bar calmly, looking for any sign of the twi'lek. Though he had little doubt that he would recognize her presence immediately, it did little harm to double check his surroundings.

On the stage, a togruta was spasming in a way that the crowd seemed to find sensual, but it failed to either catch or hold his interest. He'd been more entertained watching sappy holodramas with his mom, and probably more aroused as well.

He sensed a presence approaching him and turned to find one of the bar girls coming his way with a tumbler of glowing red liquid. She gave him a steamy look, multicolored eyes sizing him up as she set the icy glass in front of him. "From the blonde chick in the jumpsuit."

Korkie glanced at Siri, watching him from across the room with an amused smirk. What the hell did she want?

Fishing a credit chip out of his pocket, he tossed it to the girl and waved her away, not in the mood to continue on with whatever game the Jedi was playing.

A game that she didn't seem quite ready to give up, for a few moments later she sat down across from him, propping her chin on her fists. "Bored yet?"

He favored her with a fleeting glare. "What do you want?"

Siri chuckled softly, leaning back in her seat. "Can't a woman buy a guy a drink if she wants? Or are you another one of those sexist nerf herders?" When he didn't answer, she raised her eyebrows. "If you're not going to drink it, you might as well give it back. I'm not afraid of being poisoned."

"I never said anything about…"

"You were thinking it, and that's the same thing in our world, kid." She tilted her head to the side a bit, small smile making an appearance. "A bit of advice for you. You might as well drop the pretentious act if you want this whole thing to go smoothly. Obi-Wan might be willing to put up with you because of your aunt, but you'll likely make more enemies than friends that way."

He snorted, taking a tentative sip of the freezing liquid. Not bad. "I'm sure you'd know all about that."

"I do what I have to do to keep the crew together." There was no malice in her tone, but he could sense the hint of resentment seeping out of a chink in her tightly melded armor. "Look, you don't have to like me. I'm going to do what needs to be done, even if that means a couple of toes get stepped on in the process. If you don't want to be one of them, I'd suggest you step out of the way."

Taking another sip of the drink, he contemplated her thoughtfully. "And how would I do that, exactly?"

"Start playing by the rules. The real world doesn't show favoritism, so don't look for it." She drained the last of her glass, crossing her arms over her chest. "Look, you're young, you're set to become the next Duke of Mandalore, you've got money, I get it. You guys all think that money is the currency of the galaxy, but it isn't."

"Of course not. Power is." He knew that all too well. "You think the reason Mandalore went to total chaos was because of money? The clans didn't want more money, or any at all. What they wanted was to slake their insatiable lust for blood, for some demented sense of honor and glory that they valued more than the life of their own brothers."

Siri watched him carefully, seeming to sense that she'd hit a sensitive spot. "Your father?"

"My entire kriffing clan." He exhaled harshly, trying to diffuse some of the anger bubbling within him. "My aunt and I, we're the last ones. She had a sister who survived the bombings, but only because she was the one to put them there."

There was understanding in Siri's eyes, something that he hadn't imagined he'd ever see. "War is hard on everyone. Your aunt is a good woman for keeping you guys out of it."

"She tries her best. It's not easy, trying to run a system that doesn't always want to be run." He swirled the drink around in its glass, watching how the fiery liquid changed colors when it made contact with a not so icy section. "It's discouraging for her to see the lack of appreciation the people have for what she's done. I think that if it wasn't for us, the next generation who want things to be better, she would have given up by now, let the people do as they want."

Siri frowned, eyebrows furrowing. "And what will you do? When you become duke, that is?"

"She'll still be Duchess, unless she's declared unfit to rule or I have a daughter of my own." He drained the last of the glass and decided that, despite her shortcomings, Siri had good taste in drinks. "During the reconstruction, she set it up so that no one person should to take on all the responsibilities if there are other able bodied people available, and so that the people can vote someone out of office if they aren't taking due consideration. Thankfully, no one has taken such extreme measures yet."

"People always talk a big game, but few will actually act to change it." She raised an eyebrow. "But that wasn't my question, was it?"

He exhaled slowly. "I'm not sure what I would do if I was to become the sole ruler of Mandalore. I'm not as strong as her Grace; she's the way that she is because of her firsthand experience with the war. I've spent almost all of my life in a literal bubble, safe from almost all pain and terror." He glanced back at the stage, where a stick-like creature had begun to sing in a raspy voice. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that I didn't have to be witness to the same things that my aunt did, but I know that I could never have the same passion that has made her dream be realized."

"But you wouldn't change Mandalore's position as a pacifist world?"

"Of course not. My aunt is an idealist, but that doesn't mean what she stands for is wrong. She would rather die than put an innocent in danger, but her shortcoming is forgetting that her life is also valuable. If she were to die, who would there be to step in for the people?"

Siri's eyebrows raised as she beckoned to one of the bargirls and ordered a couple of drinks that he'd never heard of. "You."

That brought him up short. "I… it would be me, wouldn't it?"

"You are the Duke heir, right?"

"Crown Prince, actually."

She laughed. "Had you honestly never realized that?"

Korkie shook his head, feeling somewhat bewildered. "No, never. I always worried that she would do something to get herself killed, but I never thought… I suppose I just assumed that she wouldn't."

"Before the war, I thought the same way about the Jedi. Sure, we had casualties here and there, but it was never someone I knew, not since Master Jinn." Absently, she levitated the salt shaker on the table. "Just at the battle of Geonosis, we lost so many, ones that I would never have guessed would fall. And since… it's hard to truly grasp that a quarter of us are gone, lost to this mindless savagery."

A quarter? Korkie would have never guessed a number remotely close to that. "Why don't you stop? Cut your losses while you're still above water?'

"And do what? Let the Republic collapse?" She shook her head. "The Jedi aren't in this for any sort of personal satisfaction, or even the glory of it. For us to step away would mean to let millions of innocents die. We're supposed to be selfless, willing to give up our lives in order to save others. If we weren't to do it, then who would?"

"So you'll all die, then?"

Siri laughed softly. "Not if we end this war first. We're getting closer to finding the mastermind behind all of this, and when we do, we'll make him pay for all of the atrocities he has committed."

He couldn't stop a small smile as he raised an eyebrow. "I thought Jedi don't believe in revenge."

"We don't." She grinned. "But… we do believe in justice, and this guy is going to get his due."

He accepted the drinks that the girl brought them, sitting back and raising his. "I'll drink to that."


Satine was half listening to Padmé ramble on about something romantic Anakin had done for her lately, but her mind was far away.

How the hell had her son convinced her that going on a deadly mission with his fool father was a good idea?

Whether it was her meager dinner or the uneasiness about the situation that made her stomach turn and clench, she wasn't sure. For a brief time, she'd been glad to see that Korkie was growing up to be so independent, but she hadn't anticipated at the moment that he'd take it into his head to chase down seasoned slavers.

This was why she hadn't told Obi-Wan he didn't have a son, so he wouldn't get it into his crazy brain to take him on dangerous missions that he even shouldn't be a part of. This was why she'd kept Korkie on Mandalore, so he didn't follow his idiot sense of honor and put himself in danger. This was why she should have listened to Qui-Gon all those years ago, when he'd told her not to get too close to Obi-Wan.

This was why she shouldn't have fallen in love.

"Satine? Are you okay?"

She looked up to find Padmé watching her in concern, brown eyes worried. "You've seemed a bit out of it all day. Is there something going on?"

Satine gave the girl-she was too old to think of Padmé as anything but that-a small smile that she hoped was reassuring. "It's nothing, really. I'm just a bit tired."

"Korkie will be fine." Padmé's tone was gentle, yet firm. "Stop worrying about him. He's already older than either of us were when we began fighting our own wars. And he not only has Obi-Wan, who was present and instrumental during both occasions, but several other Jedi to back him up."

Everything she said was the truth, but it didn't help the irrational fear that something was going to hurt her son. "But the very reason why I fought in the war was so that the Mando'ade wouldn't have to do this. The very fact that he's out there right now is a testament to how badly I've failed him, failed…"

"He chose to get involved in a Jedi investigation despite all that you've done, not because of it. Gods, Satine, you're too hard on yourself."

She was his mother; it was her job to be to hard on herself. "He's the only family I have, Padmé."

The Senator raised an eyebrow, settling back in her seat. "That's your own choice. You could have had a dozen Jedi babies by now if you weren't so damn stubborn."

"There are two things wrong with that sentence: Jedi and babies. The two don't mix." As she knew personally. "Anyway, Obi-Wan and I were nothing more than a fling."

"Jedi and babies could very well be a thing if you weren't so closed minded. Anakin adores children, and would give me half a dozen in a heartbeat if I let him." Padmé's cheeks flushed prettily. "And flings don't fly halfway across the galaxy to attend a funeral."

"You're husband would cut off his left arm if you asked him to, so children aren't such an unreasonable thought." Anakin would also kill for his wife, something Satine found horrifying, but she didn't mention it. "I didn't come to Obi-Wan's funeral as a fling. We were friends before we briefly shared a bed."

Padmé smirked. "And that's why you cried the entire time you thought he was dead."

Satine sighed, rolling her eyes. "Just because I cared for him didn't mean the feeling was reciprocated."

"He came back and apologized."

"And left with his ex." He'd come back afterwards, but Padmé didn't need anything else to add fuel to her fire.

"A triviality." The Senator accepted the cup of caff that Amadi brought her with a smile. "Anakin agrees that he's pining after you as much as you are him."

"I don't have time to pine." She sipped her tea, happy when her stomach did not revolt at the presence of the warm liquid. "Can't you be one of those people who can enjoy their conjugal bliss without trying to find the same for everyone else?"

"Of course not, which is why I'm here." She turned her brown eyes to Amadi, who had taken a seat a respectable distance away from them. "Ani says that Korkie is quite taken with the girl."

"Did he?" she replied drily. As if the very fact that Amadi was here and Korkie was fifteen thousand credits poorer didn't hint to something more than a vague interest.

"I have to admit, I almost doubted him. He's attentive to her, certainly, but it almost seemed that that was where his interest stopped."

"He's like his father," she murmured softly. "His restraint knows no bounds."

Padmé smiled. "If that was true, then he wouldn't be here, would he?"

She had a point. "I suppose."

"Supposing isn't enough. If he's not careful, the boy is going to spend the rest of his life like you, miserable and alone." Padmé pulled out a datapad and stylus, beginning to sketch. "The girl's clearly sweet on him, but she doesn't seem to be the type to make that clear, so we'll have to do it for her."

"You want to play matchmaker with my nephew?"

She hummed, not bothering to look up from her sketch. "I wouldn't call it that. I'm simply planning to give the girl a bit of a helping hand. Firstly, by updating her wardrobe."

"Her wardrobe?" Satine frowned, glancing at the girl. "But he's already bought her a wardrobe."

"You mean that he paid for a wardrobe that you picked out." Padmé clicked her tongue. "You are one of my dearest friends, Satine, but you're terribly old fashioned, and it shows. You've trussed the poor thing up in high necklines and empire waists; something that is flattering for someone of your height and figure, certainly, but us petite people need something a bit… different. Anyway, I've been longing to do some designing…"

Satine raised an eyebrow. "Would this have anything to do with your stepdaughter turning down your offer to redo her wardrobe?"

Padmé scowled. "I blame Anakin for that. He's ruined Ahsoka's tastes for anything remotely girly." She paused in her sketching, looking up. "Amadi, dear, could you stand up for a moment?"

The girl immediately obeyed, a hint of wariness showing in her eyes. Satine hated the fact that someone of her age had to feel cautious, had to worry that something bad might happen. How long had she fought to see that same fearful look erased from the faces of Mandalore's youth? Even now, after so many years of peace, fear was trying to get its oily grip into the minds of the people, keeping them from venturing into the streets for fear of yet another attack by Death Watch. Agitation had already taken some, a small group that demanded she step down in favor of a peaceful existence.

Fight.

Kill.

Overcome.

How had she ever thought she could make a difference?

"Satine?"

Shavit. Being pregnant wreaked havoc on one's concentration. "I'm sorry, Padmé, I wasn't listening."

Her friend smiled reassuringly, rising. "You have a lot on your mind, I understand. I was just thinking of having a glass of wine, and wanted to know if you wanted one."

She did, and dearly so, but she didn't dare risk her baby's life by indulging. "I'll pass. I will take another cup of tea, though."

Padmé appeared to do a double take, frowning. "Are you sure?"

Satine hummed, hoping she didn't sound too suspicious. "Yes. I've been trying to cut back on my alcohol intake for a while."

For a moment, she almost thought Padmé had seen through her feeble excuse, but then the Senator nodded. "Now that I think about it, you haven't been drinking." She smiled. "Good for you, Satine. I know it probably wouldn't hurt me to follow your example, but I doubt I'll do that until I either get out of politics or get myself pregnant, whichever comes first."

She pursed her lips, forcing herself to not deign that statement with a reply. The last thing she needed now was more scrutiny, even if it was from her friend. If everything went well-and she prayed fervently that it did-she would soon be safe back on Mandalore.

And right now, that was all she wanted.


It was another hour before anything happened.

Siri had gone back to her seat, and Korkie was still sipping on the drink she had left him when he sensed her.

A few seconds later, the comm link in his ear crackled to life, Aayla's voice filtering through. "Subject spotted entering bar through east entrance."

The thrill had returned. He surreptitiously scanned the room, even though he knew that the twi'lek was not in sight yet. Siri met his gaze and nodded congenially, but he could see the change in her posture as well. He could sense his father and Aayla in the next building as well, and even Master Vos, who was camping out above the bar across from them. He could also sense the connection between the four, similar to the line he had sensed between Kenobi and Master Vos earlier in structure, but more open. If he concentrated hard enough, he could almost feel what they were thinking, like quiet whispers in his mind.

For now, though, he would stick with the comm.

When Tula finally came into view, she was not alone, much to his dismay. A muscle bound togrutan male towered over her shoulder, silver eyes scanning the room. They stopped when they saw him, and Korkie felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

A few seconds later, the twi'lek sauntered over to where he was, leaving her bodyguard to disappear into the crowds. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Siri abandon her drink and follow the lackey, winking at him before also vanishing into the crush.

And then he was alone.

Tula sat down across from him, lekku wrapped around her shoulders. "Back so soon? I would have thought the chit would have kept you satisfied longer than this."

"Amadi is fine." His answer was shorter than it likely should have been, and he forced himself to relax. "I'm here on the behalf of my mother. She enjoys Amadi's company, and is interested in a companion of her own."

A big smile crossed the woman's face, and she leaned forward confidentially. "Solo said you were interested in something a little classier."

"My mother is high born. She would expect nothing less than what she deserves." If that wasn't the most arrogant thing he'd ever said, he didn't know what was. "She's also understands how valuable anyone of interest might be, and is willing to compensate accordingly."

There was the greedy glint in her eye, the same as it had appeared in Solo's. "I assume that someone as dignified as she would also demand prompt service?"

He nodded. "But discretion is valued more than anything. She moves in elite circles and has a pristine image that she would be loath to destroy."

He could see her mentally calculating how much such a slave could be worth. After some deliberation, the Jedi had agreed that setting the bar-and thus the price-high, they would increase their chances of taking them discreetly.

"I think we might have a girl who we might be willing to part with." She pulled out a comm, standing. "Let me talk to Solo, see what we can work out."

So she was going to pull the old 'talk to the manager'. That was fine with him. He'd already waited this long, he could wait some more.

"Our lackey has been located and secured." Siri's voice came over the comm, and Korkie could tell that she was slightly winded. Had they struggled? "How's things on your end?"

He took advantage of Tula's turned back. "She was expecting me. It seems that Solo told her that I'd likely be coming around." Korkie did a brief, subtle scan of the twi'lek's mind. "She's calling him now."

"Obi-Wan's going to try to lock in on the comm signal," Aayla joined. "I'm going to hook your comm straight up to mine, kid, so we can monitor the conversation. Any information yet?"

"No." He didn't dare tell them what he'd picked up from her emotions. "But she's already taken the bait."

"Good. Master?"

A short, dry laugh he recognized to be Quinlan's sounded over the line. "All good on my end. How are you doing, Kenobi?"

"He doesn't have his headset on," Aayla cut in. "One moment."

There was a moment of static before Korkie heard his father's voice. "Sorry, I couldn't listen to the comm and this thing at the same time. I've managed to trace his line back to a proxy, but I'm not familiar with the code. Quin, can you decipher this for me? You know these things better than I do."

"Finally, you admit it. I'm already locking in on the location. 26… that's definitely Corellia… let me… got it. Give me a moment and I'll have an address for you."

Corellia. So he had been right. One point for intuition. Or the Force. Whatever it was.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the twi'lek reapproaching, a greedy gleam in her eyes. "He likes you."

Whether she was using flattery or honesty, he wasn't sure. "He's a man of good taste."

Through the comm, he heard Aayla snicker.

Ignoring her, Korkie swallowed the last of his drink. "So you have someone for me?"

Tula almost looked offended. "Of course. And lucky for you, he's only asking twenty."

Five thousand more than what he'd paid for Amadi. "Seems a bit steep."

"She's gentle born, cultured. Knows her place and sticks to it." She pulled out a holo of a female togruta who looked to be near the same age as Amadi. "We call her Geris."

He pretended to inspect the small image, feigning to look for some imaginary imperfection or visible feature. From what he could tell, the girl seemed young, big eyes concentrating on something just off camera. She seemed more slender than most of the togruta's he'd seen, gaunt even, and there was a haunted feel to her face, the look of a witness of an unspeakable horror.

Something in him clenched.

"When can I get her?"

Triumph was the only word for the look on Tula's face. "We've got a load coming in tomorrow night, a bit from here." She pulled out a navchip and tossed it to him. "Midnight. 'E'll be wanting credits."

He took one last look at the girl before tossing a few credits on the table and rising. "I'll be there."


So… I'm not dead. Good to know, huh?

I'm so, so, so, sososososooo sorry that this took so long. I honestly am not sure what happened, but finishing this chapter took a lot longer than I anticipated. Hopefully, I still have readers to follow along on what's happening.

Hopefully-I'm not making any promises, here-the next chapter won't take nearly as long to update. My life's still emulating a train wreck, but I think it's starting to get better, so that's nice. I've also got a more secure storyline planned, so this thing should be picking up some extra speed soon.

But anyway, thank's for all of your support, it really has meant the world for me. It seems that I'm getting notifications from this story everyday, and I'm really grateful that so many of you would take time out of your day to partake of (and enjoy) my brainchild. It means a lot!

Jedi Master Misty Sman-Esay (FF): I'm so in agreement about the dreams stuff… They can be nice to have, but sometimes you have to let them go. (Funny thing, my sister actually wants to be an airline pilot as well!) I love reading your reviews so much, simply because you always seem to get so much out of the chapters that others sometimes miss. Thanks so much for reviewing!

nightsisterkaris (Ao3): Thank you so much! I always try to give my characters some depth, and I'm glad that you can see it!

AlexaHiwatari98 (Ao3): Hello! I hope you liked seeing a little bit more of nice Siri (we've got to give her a break sometimes, don't we?). Honestly, though, the Obi-Wan gang is one of my favorite things to write, so I'm happy you enjoyed it.

pixiedream2 (FF): Ooh, has someone had a peek into my mind? Letting go is never easy, but I think most of us learn to get over it.

Guest (Ao3): Hahaha, watch them! No, but seriously, they will meet again soon. It was a scene that was supposed to make it into this chapter, but it was just getting too dang long. :p

ry1765 (Ao3): I hope you enjoyed!

sc4589 (FF): Aw, you're such a sweetheart! Thanks for reminding me to get my tushy up and post this. I hope you enjoyed!