My thanks to everyone for your wonderful comments. I hope you all had a happy holidays and here is a new post to ring in the New Year. Hope everyone enjoys!

Ghostreaper181: Ellise definitely has the potential to muck things up We shall have to watch her closely ;). Thanks so much for reading!

My name is Neo: Thank you so much for your very kind comments. I do truly appreciate them. I'm happy to hear you enjoyed NC, as well as the current story. Hope I continue to live up to your high praises.

Random Shinobi: Sorry about the delay in updating. My life has been really chaotic and is about to do so again soon. I will though try to post as often as I can, albeit my posts will be a bit shorter from the normally long ones everybody is used to. Thanks for the heads up on the formatting issues. Per your keen observation, I was able to fix the first part quickly. Thanks again for reading!

Maxtreme225: Thanks so much. I'm really happy you like Ilianya. Even though some of her background comes from KOTOR, everything after that is my invention so I'm thrilled to know she comes off as believable.

JarJarBinksy: Never fear, mush is always around the corner. My apologies for the shorter chapters, but due to my killer RL schedule, I've had to cut down on the size of posts due to time constraints. Hopefully after I finish and defend my dissertation, I can go back to the long posts. Anyhow, glad you are enjoying and thanks for reading!

Mizra: Nice to see you back. I know how DRL can be. Happy to know that you like Ilianya, as well as the personified Force. While we always heard in the movies about the 'will of the Force,' I thought it would be more intriguing to visualize her as an actual being that certain characters can interact with. Glad you are enjoying and thanks for the comments!

Bahjcb: Thanks for the wonderful comments. I too enjoy A & P mush so look for more in the near future ;). The Rots scene with Yoda and Anakin did have a strong influence on how I wanted to present in this story Ilianya's differences compared to the modern Jedi. Thrilled that you liked it. Thanks for reading!

ObiUberJedi: Thanks so very much. Glad you liked!

KatesMaster: Many many questions. Hopefully I'll have some answers for you soon ;). Thanks for reading!

NothingFeelsGood: Thanks a bunch. Happy that you liked!

JP: I appreciate your thoughts. I'm always touched when my readers recognize how much work goes into each and every post which is why my posts occur very irregularly. I want to give everyone the best each and every single time I add to the story. Thank you so much for the support, I truly appreciate it!


It was a rare occasion to visit Master Yoda in his quarters. Jedi, from the grandest masters down to the smallest younglings who were in need of the sage-like master's advice would visit with him in the Council members' meditation room. Only in cases where absolutely secrecy was necessary would an invitation to the Master's quarters be offered.

The walk seemed to last forever. Neither Siri nor Ferus had uttered a word since their visit with Mistress Nu in the archives. It may have been the Librarian's ominous warning that had triggered the flood of thoughts that were currently plaguing Siri's mind. This was one of the few times that she found herself wishing that Master Yoda and the Council would take this burden away from her. Whether it was warning from the Force or her own gut instinct, Siri felt that nothing good could come from the unearthing of Ragnos' scepter.

Giving a curt nod to her apprentice, Siri reached over to press the door chime. Before she had even released it, the door opened upon Master Yoda's summons:

"Enter!"

Reaching the middle of the room where the revered Jedi was sitting comfortably on the floor, both Siri and Ferus bowed respectfully. "Our apologies for disturbing you so late, Master."

"Unnecessary, your apologies are. Waiting for you, I have been." Yoda replied and then turned his head towards Ferus. "An important task, I need you to undertake."

"Anything, Master." Ferus offered proudly.

"In the morning, go to the Supreme Chancellor's office, you shall. Report to him about the scepter, you must."

Siri shot a puzzled glance, first at her student and then back over at Master Yoda. "Master, is that wise? Given that we have yet to learn the identity of the remaining Sith Lord, do we really want to make public the discovery of such an… important… find?"

Yoda sighed briefly. "An ancient agreement, between the Republic and the Jedi, we are upholding. Anything related to the Sith, to report immediately to the Chancellor, we are obligated." The diminutive Jedi then slyly smiled before returning his attention to Ferus. "However, tell him not of the exact nature of the relic. Only that we have it secure, Padawan."

"I will do as you ask," Ferus replied, with a grin plastered across his face.

"Prepare now for your task." Yoda instructed. As both Siri and Ferus turned to leave the room, the aged Jedi raised his hand. "A moment of your time, Master Tachi, may I ask of you?"

Siri motioned for Ferus to depart and returned to where she had been standing. Once they were alone, Master Yoda instructed, "Please sit, Siri. Much we have to discuss."

"What do you wish to talk about?" she asked, joining him on the floor.

"Much I have to place upon your shoulders, I'm afraid. But in these troubling times, necessary it is."

Siri couldn't help stirring in anticipation. "There's more about Ragnos' staff, isn't there?"

Yoda nodded solemnly. "A terrible dark lord, he was. Almost god-like powers he achieved, before his end. But concerned about Ragnos, I am not. The discovery of his scepter, problems it could cause."

"What do you mean, Master?"

"Know the legend of the Jedi Exile, do you?"

"Only from what I remember from my ancient Jedi history classes—that she was one of the Jedi commanders responsible for the massacre at Malachor V. She was later tried, then exiled by the Jedi Council at the conclusion of the Mandalorian wars." Siri then shot Master Yoda a curious look. "What does she have to do with all of this?"

Yoda flashed a knowing grin at her. "Met her, you have."

Siri sat up straight. "That's impossible…The Mandalorian Wars ended over four thousand years ago…how could I possibly…?"

"Met her you did, on Naboo a few years ago. Saved young Skywalker's life, she did."

"General Tro?" She said in astonishment. "But how?"

"A closely guarded secret of the Council, it is. Now with your discovery, know you should what this could truly mean." Yoda then looked down before he spoke again. "Returned from exile, Tro did. Defeated three Sith Lords but fell once again to the dark side, Darth Vengeance she became."

Siri recoiled in horror. She knew about the many terrible deeds of this ancient Sith. Upon reaching an agreement with Darth Revan, who had fled to the Unknown Regions after destroying the mythical Star Forge, the two dark lords of the Sith had nearly brought the Republic to its knees through a precisely calculated invasion of the Mid-rim and most of the Core Worlds. Their campaign had abruptly ended though when the Jedi ambushed them. "I thought that both Revan and Vengeance were killed on Danthomir

"Invented that story was, to obscure the real truth, I'm afraid. Only Revan did not live past that day."

"What does all of this have to do with Ragnos' staff?"

"For centuries, the Nightsisters' coven of Danthomirian witches was its keeper. Revan and Vengeance learned this and sought the staff for themselves." The Grand Master paused and looked towards the floor. "All the details, we do not know, but somehow Vengeance eventually seized the scepter and used its power."

"She used it to become immortal?" Siri observed astonished.

"Uncertain, we are, how she did it. Know, we do, that her actions angered the Force itself. Punished, the Exile was, and for centuries, amends she has been making."

Siri couldn't help thinking about how Tro had come into Anakin's hospital room as he lay near death and used the Force to heal his injuries. Throughout that entire time, Siri had not once sensed the taint of the dark side or anything malevolent in her intentions. How could a former Sith Lord accomplish a feat that required supreme mastery of the light side of the Force? She didn't know what was more troubling, the fact that Tro was immortal, or that she was in such close proximity to the Chosen One.

Surely that was no coincidence.

"Interesting thoughts on the subject, you have," Yoda observed with a slight grin. "Ilianya's motives and intentions, tied up with appeasing the Force they are. Mortal, she wants to become again."

"To what end, Master Yoda?"

"The ability to die, she seeks."

"Do you think that she would come for the staff if she were to learn that we possess it?"

"Neither she or the Sith can learn that we possess it. Guard it closely, we must. Otherwise, a grave disaster I fear, if too early her mortality she recovers."

Siri shot him a puzzled look. "Too early for what?"

"An even greater burden, but one you do not need to share. Important, is her task. Needed, she is."

"Does it have anything to do with Anakin Skywalker?" Siri cocked an eyebrow as she mentally shielded what she knew about Obi-Wan's clandestine efforts to train the boy.

Yoda huffed. "A good and wise Master, I foresee you will become. Needed you will be, for the dark days ahead." She was about to question him further when the aged Jedi raised his hand to stop her. "No more will I speak of this. Meditate you should on what we've discussed. Tell none of this to your student. Not ready is he, to shoulder this." Siri wanted to protest, but Yoda turned away. "May the Force be with you."

"And with you, Master Yoda." She responded while returning to her feet and then out of his quarters. Walking down the dark hallway towards the nearby turbolift, Siri could not help remember Mistress Nu's warning about the scepter. Indeed, her life was already getting quite complicated.


There was a time in his life that Obi-Wan would have relished a mystery. Perhaps it was a testament of his maturity as a Jedi that he had drastically altered his perceptions. More likely though, it was Qui-Gon's countless admonishments to focus upon the moment that caused him to behave appropriately. Still, he realized that he needed to set a good example for the impressionable Jaden, who had been just as troubled as he was by the echoes of warning that reverberated throughout the Force. Focusing on the present, Obi-Wan kept his perceptions open to any subtle clues that the Force might be trying to relay to him.

Constable Recht had said little since their departure from the capital city. Although Obi-Wan could sense no overt malice surrounding the man, his instincts did tell him to remain vigilant. Feeling their shuttle begin its descent, Obi-Wan stirred out of his thoughts to look out the ship's window. On the ground he saw the charred wreckage of a starship, spread over several kilometers.

Within minutes of landing, they headed towards a group of people who were surveying the debris. Recht moved ahead, immediately summoning a middle aged woman with long blonde hair to join them.

"Master Kenobi, this is Professor Dia Sonna," he introduced them. "She is Professor Zhall's chief assistant."

"Professor," Obi-Wan acknowledged, slightly dipping his head.

"Master Jedi," she responded in kind. "It is an honor to make your acquaintance."

"The Jedi have been assigned to assist us in our investigation," Recht snapped.

Ignoring his sarcasm, Obi-Wan asked Professor Sonna, "Have you determined what happened to Professor Zhall's ship?'

"I'm afraid not," Sonna said apologetically. "The wreckage is badly burned and it is going to take our analysis droids considerable time to determine what specifically caused the ship's demise."

"Did you find the Professor's remains?" Obi-Wan delicately inquired.

She shook her head. "But that doesn't mean he wasn't incinerated."

With a subtle nod from Obi-Wan, Jaden, instantly departed for what looked to be the ship's cockpit. Obi-Wan, meanwhile, hoped that he could learn more about what was truly occurring by carefully asking the right questions. He could sense that this woman harbored strong feelings when he mentioned Zhall by name. "How long have you worked for Professor Zhall?"

"I've been his assistant for over twenty years," Sonna answered.

"I understand that the Professor was a leading authority in astrophysics. I am curious if he was working on something that might have caught somebody's attention," Obi-Wan queried.

Apparently, his question struck a nerve, as Sonna glanced pensively over at Recht several times. "Well, he was always trying to find ways of improving engine design, but he did have a particular interest in novel weapon systems too."

"Say no more!" Recht insisted. Turning towards Obi-Wan, he then said, "That is a matter of state security. I cannot allow such sensitive information to be told to off worlders!"

Sensing that he was close to an answer, Obi-Wan waved his hand at the Constable. "You will allow her to tell me what I need to know."

Mindlessly, Recht repeated, "You can tell the Jedi what he needs to know."

Professor Sonna looked quizzically at the Constable and then back over at Obi-Wan before a smile indicated her recognition of the fabled Jedi mind trick. "Zhall was a genius in designing cloaking shields for ships. Just before he left, he had told me that he was close to a breakthrough that would supposedly revolutionize interstellar combat."

Obi-Wan folded his arms. "Did he indicate what that discovery might be?"

"No," Sonna responded quickly. "I just know that he had been working on a prototype unit for a new ship he planned to unveil at the conference."

Before he could question her further, Jaden called out, "Master, I think you should see this."

Motioning for both Sonna and Recht to join him, Obi-Wan walked towards the younger Jedi. He was standing next to a damaged piece of the ship's bulkhead, on which the analysis droids had placed a scanning terminal. "Found something, Padawan?"

"I think so, Master." Jaden answered, spinning around to activate the viewscreen. "I was able to interface the terminal with the ship's remaining flight recording systems."

"That's impossible!" Sonna declared. "All the interfaces into those recorders were damaged beyond repair."

Jaden clicked his tongue. "Not quite, Professor. Apparently these recording devices were built with a remote access port. All you needed to do was to locate the proper transmission protocol and it would upload its data."

Seeming to come out of Obi-Wan's induced daze, Recht commanded, "None of what is said or viewed can be shared with anyone else without my permission."

"Of course, Constable." Obi-Wan placated him. "Jaden, please continue."

"Yes, Master," He answered with a smile. "Now, some of the memory discs were damaged and unfortunately we can't access them. However, what I could find was a recorded entry about a ship called Silver Fox, as well as a holovid of it being unloaded from the docking bay before the ship was to self-destruct."

"Destruct?" Recht said astounded.

"If you look at the overlay of the area, the debris pattern is not consistent with aerial destruction, but rather, the ship was on the ground when it exploded, meaning..."

"Meaning that Professor Zhall may have arranged the entire charade." Recht conjectured.

"Possibly," Jaden acknowledged. "But not likely. Here…if I zoom in the camera feed of the Silver Fox's offloading, you can see what looks like two large, non-human figures pushing a smaller human."

"Can you clean it up?" Obi-Wan asked, wincing at the image on the viewscreen.

"Allow me to help," Professor Sonna requested. She moved over to the terminal, pressing several keys that caused the image to sharpen. After several more keystrokes, she stopped to say, "That's Zhall!"

"But who's behind him?" Recht questioned.

"Let me try one more thing." The focus of the image shifted from the Professor over to his abductors. Sonna punched in another sequence, attempting to enhance the picture. "I can't seem to do much better than that."

"Wait a second," Jaden said, quickly moving over to the terminal. "What's that symbol on one of the alien's sleeve?"

Sonna redirected the image so that the symbol was at the center of the viewscreen. "I think I can make it a little clearer."

"Do it!" Recht instructed.

A series of adjustments later, the image was fully focused. "Does anybody know what that is supposed to represent?" Sonna asked.

"All too well." Obi-Wan sighed deeply.

"Master?" Jaden looked at him in anticipation.

"I'm afraid things have become even more complicated," Obi-Wan lamented. "That is the symbol of the Trade Federation." Motioning for Jaden to join him, Obi-Wan told the others, "Please remain here."

The two Jedi walked together in tense silence as they returned to the Constable's transport. Upon reaching the craft, Obi-Wan quickly stepped inside the cockpit and entered his passcode upon attaining a secure connection with the Council. A small blue hologram of the Council's chambers instantly appeared before him.

"My Masters, I apologize for interrupting your session; however, I have urgent news."

"Go ahead, Master Kenobi." Windu encouraged.

"It appears our investigation has unearthed some rather disturbing information..."

"Tell us, what you have found." Master Yoda interjected.

"It appears that Professor Zhall, as well as an experimental vessel that he created have been taken by members loyal to the Trade Federation," Obi-Wan reported.

"On what evidence do you base this?" Master Mundi queried.

Obi-Wan flashed a quick smile at Jaden who had been standing silently across from him. "My apprentice was able to recover the flight logs from Zhall's wreaked ship which showed the Professor being taken by a group of Neimoidians."

"Troubling this is. Severe repercussions in the Senate this could have." Yoda observed.

"I agree," Mace added before looking back at Obi-Wan. "You and young Jaden have done well, Master Kenobi." He paused briefly as a silent exchange between the other masters appeared to be simultaneously occurring. Master Windu then nodded prior to ordering, "Obi-Wan, return to Coruscant at once."

"Understood, Master." Obi-Wan responded. "I do recommend that we should further persue the investigation while the trail is still warm."

"Unfortunately, we must consult with Chancellor Palpatine before any further action can be initiated," Windu said, unable to mask his annoyance over the situation.

"Jaden and I shall get underway at once. Kenobi out."

Obi-Wan stared for several moments after the hologram disappeared from sight. It seemed for the moment that the fate of their mission was now in the hands of the politicians.


TBC-Thoughts, comments and suggestions are always appreciated!