A/N: Aaaaaaand I'm back! Oh, and here's the next chapter! It's time to see some action! Or at least, time to see if I'm any good at writing action, as I've never really tried this before, so please let me know how I did. Warning though, there is some offensive content in this chapter (not too much, no more than a mention, but I'm still putting this here for posterity's sake) so, yeah, be warned and all that.

School is busy! But the muse still speaks to me (usually late at night when my work's finally done). I actually had a lot more planned for this chapter, but I'm already pushing to 9,000+ words, so yeah. This is what I've got for y'all. Enjoy, favorite, follow, and review, or whatever! I'd love to hear all your feedback.

Thank you Ducky9002 for editing!

I don't own Star Wars. Korrah and OC's are mine though.

Chapter 13: Mission

Individuals crowded the streets, passing by the blocky, close-set buildings colored every shade of gray that lined the sides. It was not a small street, but the surplus of people milling about that morning created a claustrophobic perception to the area. Sifo-Dyas glanced behind himself to make sure his Padawan was still close by.

The two Jedi were not in their traditional tunics and robes at the moment and both of their lightsabers were hidden within their clothes rather than displayed in plain sight. Sifo-Dyas hair was loose and he had donned a leather vest over a simple, earth-toned shirt and trousers while Korrah wore a dark blue tunic and gray leggings. Her Padawan braid was concealed under a charcoal headscarf that covered most of her head, leaving her hair to spill unbraided down her back to her waist in dark brown waves. The most obvious deviation from the norm were the blasters they both openly carried, strapped over their thighs and at their hips; however, considering that everyone else on the street was openly showcasing a variety of weaponry, this detail only made them blend in more.

It wasn't as if Sifo-Dyas expected any violence from this little side trip. He and his Padawan had arrived to the planet of Gridan ahead of schedule in order to pick up something before the beginning or their official mission. But knowing the type of people they would be meeting with shortly, the lack of visible signs marking them as Jedi could mean an easier time getting back to their lodgings without…complications. Blending into the common traffic of people flowing around the street, the pair walked unhurried and unimpeded towards their destination.

"Everything here seems to have a sketchy aura about it. It's kind of suspicious, Master." Korrah commented to him.

Sifo-Dyas gently pulled his Padawan to one side as a group of armored guards moving some crates passed close by. "Gridan was originally discovered and colonized by smugglers. The planet's been a prosperous trading hub for those kinds of circles ever since then."

The young recently-turned-teen's eyes scanned the crowd, stalls and window shops around them, taking in at a glance the bustling interactions of various aliens and humans; some overtly taking part in direct business, and others in more subtle, muted exchanges.

"So it's one of those places that buys and sells anything at the right price?"

Sifo-Dyas kept his eyes ahead, peripherally keeping track of an upcoming alley and the position of the shadows around it.

No trouble. So far at least.

"Yes, but it's not as bad as some places in the galaxy. There are still rules and standards that the populace adhere to."

"Home field advantage?"

The corners of his lips twitched.

"…that's one way of putting it."

Korrah hummed thoughtfully, turning her eyes forward again. "But that was until the war happened, right?"

Feeling slightly pleased at his student's knowledge of the planet's history, he nodded.

"Yes. The Gridan civil war lasted almost ten years between the two groups who called themselves 'The Importers' or 'The Patrol'. The first consisted of people who were for allowing even more illegal goods, such as slaves, pass through here while the opposing side insisted on maintaining the status quo."

Korrah tugged at her headscarf slightly, thinking for a moment, before posing another question as they continued down the street.

"Gridan's only a small planet, but it's still in the Mid-Rim, so wouldn't the Republic presence would still be strong enough to warrant some hesitation before allowing slave trafficking here?"

"That was the original argument of the Patrol." He commented, thinking back to the armored group they had passed only a few moments before.

"Then it's safe to assume that the Importers were too enticed by how much more money they could earn by turning a blind eye?"

Sifo-Dyas shook his head.

"Not necessarily." He replied. "The deeper issue for Gridan is that the smuggling businesses that run this planet are too interconnected. Each one has become very specialized over the years and what affects one invariably affects all of them. The biggest concern, both then and now, is that if one smuggling ring gets too heavily involved in certain illegal activities, their people usually end up dead, taken over or both."

He side-stepped a couple of men arguing in front of a street stand before continuing on. "The line between the smuggling rings is much more blurred here than most, and mainly due to family-connections and marriages happening between each of the ring's members. They each may have enough individual business off-world to claim that they're all still separate, but they've colluded with each other for so long it would only take at most three or four rings to be taken over by an outside force before the rest would be forced to sell out as well...and the whole planet would fall under someone else's rule."

Korrah frowned. "Which is what would inevitably happen if they allowed slave traders to set up shop here. People like the Hutts would jump on new, relatively unimportant territory and crush everyone in no time."

"Yes, that's exactly right."

The girl shot a quick, curious glance towards her teacher. "So, what makes Gridan so important now?"

Sifo-Dyas waved away a saleswoman offering him a piece of fruit, fluidly turning a sharp corner down another just as crowded street with his student close behind.

"Gridan is now a main trading route for over a dozen other planets in nearby systems who are in desperate need of supplies due to widespread famine. With food and medicine shortages, the rulers of those worlds are turning to the smugglers of Gridan to supplement their population's needs. Especially since the usual trading companies are taking advantage of their desperation and increasing their prices."

"But that's just plain extortion!" Korrah looked angry, then pensive for a moment and sighed. "Ah, I get it now. We're going to have to convince the trading companies to be civil during the negotiations, especially now that their choke hold on the nearby systems has been subverted. And the people of Gridan are still smugglers, rather than pure-hearted 'good guys', so they'll be looking at the bottom line. They won't want to lose all the new business. If we're going to complete this mission successfully, we have to convince them it's sufficiently profitable to not only provide the supplies for the foreseeable future at their current rates until the trading companies get their act together and pull back their prices again without injury, right Master?"

Syfo-Dyas' lips twitched again at the girl's sullen thoughts.

"I don't believe it'll be as hard as you're probably thinking it will be." Turning slightly, he smiled down at Korrah. "It might be strange to say, Padawan, but sometimes too much business of the wrong kind can be bad for business overall. Having some 'good guy' stigma, as you call it, to one's name can be ludicrously profitable if handled right. A smuggler's heart might be kept in his purse, but he lives by his reputation."

He was met with a blank face.

"Sounds tricky."

He smothered a laugh. "You'll learn more about it in time."

As they continued to meander through the busy street, they turned another corner and he spotted their destination. He leaned over to the teenager beside him, speaking loud enough for only her to hear. "Batt already arrived ahead of us and will be waiting inside. Remember what I told you before we left."

Korrah nodded dutifully. "No playing in the mornings."

His lips quirked up into a smile a second and his hand twitched as he resisted flicking her Padawan braid that was hidden by the tight headscarf. He quickly smoothed his face back into a neutral expression, expectant. "And…"

He sensed an impression of long-suffering drift across his mind from her though she was carefully keeping it from showing on her face. "And stay close to Batt." She finished.

Sifo-Dyas lightly shook his head. "He may be unscrupulous, but he's trustworthy enough. Even if there are rules here, you must keep the type of people that are around you in mind. Should anything happen or if we get separated he'll keep you safe."

"Because something can always happen." He thought and rapped on the door. Korrah crossed her arms as they stood back to wait.

"I haven't known him for as long as you have, Master, so I can't help it if I find him aggravating."

Glancing back, the Jedi Master caught her eyes for a moment before watching the door in front of them.

"I will not deny he has his bad days, but I've been able to trust him with my life on many occasions over the years. He has more than earned some patience regarding his personality in return."

"Why? Do you know his weakness or something?"

Sifo-Dyas hummed and scratched his beard. "More like circumstances surrounding our initial acquaintance played in my favor and appealed to his drive for danger, as is common to all Devaronian males in the Galaxy. Regardless, as Jedi we cannot repay all the aid he has given us – and the galaxy over the years – by being careless in front of less reputable company. Be careful and stay close to him."

Korrah uncrossed her arms but her face remained deadpan.

"I promise to be civil and not inflict physical harm."

He smothered his amusement at her remark as the door was opened by a willowy green Twi'lek. She looked over each of them once, smiled, and motioned them inside with a tilt of her head. Her outfit was as revealing as it was flattering, but Sifo-Dyas was immediately picking out where she would have concealed weapons. He'd be quizzing his Padawan over the details after their business here was concluded.

The door was closed behind them, casting the entry into muted shadows and they were led into the building by the Twi'lek. She sashayed forward, ignoring the side rooms in favor of a reinforced door in the back and pressed a few buttons on a wall mounted com before an affirmative beep came back. The gears turned within the door and she held it open, courteously motioning them inside. She winked her large green eyes at Sifo-Dyas as he passed and the door was shut with solid clang and a twist of thick gears as soon as Korrah passed through.

The Jedi Master could feel Korrah's control over her emotions was exemplary as usual, but he could still detect the eager curiosity she was holding back through their bond in the Force.

"Already at thirteen years old." he thought before he shook it off. Now was not the time or place for wistfulness despite his reasons for coming here. And there was still the mission they'd been assigned starting in a few days.

The room they had entered had a round table placed in the middle with four occupants on the stools surrounding it; a Weequay, a Dresselian, another Twi'lek – this one a younger, tan male – and Batt. They were all holding hands of sabbac cards with a pile of credits between them. Batt immediately got up and greeted his human friend by alias.

"Zaif! Still alive are ya! You're just in time." The Devaronian smiled as he caught sight of his Padawan, his sharp teeth on full display as he threw an arm around her shoulders. "Perfect! You brought Lucky! Come on over, my sweet charm. Uncle Batt's got a game to win."

Korrah's eyebrow twitched at Batt's persistent nickname for her and leaned away from the Devaronian as he dragged her over to sit at the table. The rough-looking Weequay peered at her from his seat at the table.

"That's your so-called 'lucky charm'? Bit young, but pretty enough."

Sifo-Dyas had caught him peeking at Batt's abandoned cards out of the corner of his eye, but didn't say anything. The Twi'lek woman motioned him to continue following her. He made eye contact with Korrah who nodded at his silent direction to stay put. He followed the beautiful alien female through another door farther back and all sound ceased when shut it behind him.

Korrah watched him go. She heaved a sigh and rolled up her sleeves as rested her head on top of her hands, settling herself in to wait until her Master had finished his business. She watched quietly as the dealer called the players to place their bets and started handing out cards. Batt pushed his whole hand to the dealer.

"Five cards."

"He's going to win." She thought, simply knowing what the next cards dealt would be as the Force flexed around her. She silently cursed it. "It's all the Force's fault that I'm now stuck with Batt hounding me for more 'good luck'! I should've kept my mouth shut that day!"

Even though she'd been somewhat excited this morning about exploring a smuggler's planet on this excursion, she still felt a strong sense of uneasiness at being left alone in a room full of strangers – excluding Batt – but it was tucked behind a bored expression. "Hopefully none of them accuse me of cheating. I'm not even doing anything and they can clearly see nothing up my sleeves. The dealer really should have shuffled the deck one more time."

The Weequay had scoffed at Batt's careless attitude and dealt five cards his way. The Devaronian took one look at his new hand and smirked, pushing his credits forward.

"All in."

The tan-skinned Twi'lek grimaced, unsure for a moment, and folded while Dresselian and the Weequay rolled their eyes and laid out their cards, resulting in the Dresselian cursing. Batt never lost his triumphant grin. He slapped his cards on the table and leaned back.

"Idiot's Array!"

The other three stared at his hand in shock before the Weequay shot up, knocking over his stool as he yell outraged and Batt collected his winnings.

"Bantha Chssk!"

"From five new cards? How the hells…" The Twi'lek glanced over at Korrah. "Who is she again?"

Korrah gritted her teeth as Batt once again took hold of Korrah's far shoulder and pulled her into his side possessively.

"I saw Lucky first, so she's mine. Hands off see? New game?"

The Weequay curled his lip in frustration.

"I ain't playing with the little chit at the table. Don't know how she cheated, but she did."

"Yeah, because you were so sure you had stacked the deck properly in order to win, weren't you?"

Korrah shrugged herself out from under Batt's arm. Time to establish her own presence to these people. "That's fine. I got a card game of my own I'd like to play if anyone's interested."

She received and ugly sneer from her detractor. "Like hells I'm gonna to be losing any more money to Batt's ilk. I ain't gonna be fooled by a pretty face, little girl."

"No money involved. Just offensive language."

Batt tilted his head, curious. "What's this you say?"

The female Twi'lek walked back into the room and joined them, sitting next to Korrah and observing her with a curious look on her face. The human girl pulled out two stacks of cards – one black, one white – and placed them on the table. "I call it 'Cards Against the Galaxy'. And I need some people to test it out." She couldn't help a smile. "Here are the rules: First and foremost, be as offensive and insulting as possible…"

"…and I'm sure that the price I'm asking will just about cover it all." Said the dark-skinned Twi'lek. He wore an eye-patch over his right eye and the vibro-whip hanging at his side kept catching Sifo-Dyas' gaze. The Jedi idly wondered where the other male had found such a thing as he pulled forth a case from one of the shelves that spanned the entire back wall. He placed it on an empty table in front of Sifo-Dyas. "I'm sure you'll be wanting to inspect the merchandise. Jar'tziveri doesn't play games with his paying costumers after all."

Sifo-Dyas accepted the small case and opened it. Inside was a belt of dark leather with a dozen crystals of light blue, none bigger than a thumbnail, embedded in it along its entire length.

He stopped his eyes from widening when he realized that the leather itself was impossibly rare, even on the black market. It was well-tanned hide taken from the long extinct species of Zillo Beast that were once native to Malastare. Sifo-Dyas kept any of his feelings from this surprise show and he wondered where the Twi'lek in front of him had gotten such a thing or if he even knew this little fact about his product. He'd be parting with it ghastly underpriced if he did.

"The most likely possibility is that he got it from someone who didn't know either and he is still hiking up the price based on what he paid for it, which still makes the amount he's asking severely lower than its true worth. I'll need to ask Batt what he knows about how long Jart's been on this planet. He certainly didn't get this from someone on Gridan. There are too many specialists. The leather would have been properly appraised and advertised as such."

The Jedi moved on from his thoughts to carefully inspect each of the crystals with a magnifier provided by the Twi'lek, looking for cracks or flaws. Reaching out subtly with the Force, he verified every one of them was indeed a healing crystal shard. From the way they chimed when brushed with the Force, he guessed they had all once been part of the same larger crystal before being crafted into the belt.

Sifo-Dyas finished his inspection more than satisfied. It was a rare item. He'd owe Batt more than a few drinks for finding this. He placed the belt back in the case and closed it, retrieving a bag containing a set amount of credits from his belt pouch.

Jart took it without bothering to count it. "A pleasure doing business with you sir."

The female Twi'lek who had answered the front door came in after he spoke a few words over his com. She took the bag of credits before exchanging a myriad of hand signs at him, relaying something. Sifo-Dyas watched the exchange carefully as Jart's non-existent eyebrows shot up and the Twi'lek woman smiled at him like she was laughing. Jart smirked at Sifo-Dyas after she left the room.

"Don't mind Feen. One of the Hutt bastards took her tongue as a child so she don't speak much nowadays." He cast a sly glance at him. "She seems to have taken a liking to your young girl. Even told me to offer you something extra."

Sifo-Dyas shouldered the case and fastened the straps securely. "I appreciate the generosity, but you'll have to forgive me for not trusting everything I'm offered for free."

"It could be worth your while." He shrugged. "No feelings would be hurt over this." He unlocked a cabinet and pulled out a cloak which he offered to Sifo-Dyas. "Here. It's some fine fabric though I haven't got it identified yet."

Running his hands over the light fabric, Sifo-Dyas could tell was sturdier than it appeared and would keep warm or cool depending on the weather.

"Pasmin weave." He thought. That was two surprise finds in one day. The people of that Republican planet were renowned for their fascinating skill at their craft.

"Came across it last night. Something happened up at the Mothership and the previous owner of that got shot down while running. I happened to be close enough to snag the cloak and some credits before the Patrol boys got to the corpse." The Twi'lek said. "There's been hearsay about some of the galactic trading companies over the past week, that they've been hiring people to try and keep trade from being redirected from them through here, but nothing more than rumors."

He casually leaned against the shelves and scratched a dark lekku. "That one had been working for them, though. Found a few recorded calls on a spare com he was carrying. He wasn't a bounty hunter or even a reputable businessmen like myself, just a pirate. Probably skipped off from his Captain and crew for a few quick credits, for all the good it did him."

"Do you still have the com?"

The male Twi'lek reached back into the cabinet and handed him the com. It was damaged, but not irreparably. The information would still be accessible.

Carefully measuring out several more credits, he placed them on the table and they disappeared into Jart's pockets.

"You're better for business than Batt advertised. A true pleasure, sir."

There was a familiarity in the way Jart handled information that struck a chord with Sifo-Dyas. "He's definitely a spy or an information broker," Sifo-Dyas realized as Jart locked the cabinet. "Not a smuggler or trader, I'm sure of it. That's why the belt wasn't properly apprised and underpriced. And what the hells did Batt say about me that makes him so comfortable handing over a Pasmin cloak? Though, if I had to guess, I bet he killed the pirate himself and is just passing off the evidence.

Another realization dawned upon him. "He must be from one of the systems suffering the famine. Probably tasked by his employers with keeping alive interests in trade coming through here rather than the trading companies."

A touch of dread came over the Jedi as he thought of the upcoming negotiations in two days. "But that can only mean that the situation is worse than the Council originally thought if the affected systems are taking things to this level of subterfuge. And if what he said is true, we may have to expect violence before this mission is over."

The two men exited through the door and were greeted by the sound of uproarious laughter within the other room. Sifo-Dyas was pulled out of his thoughts as he immediately identified Korrah's voice over the others before she came into view.

"Human Privilege!?" Korrah roared in outrage as the others threw back their head and slapped the table with laughter.

"Who played that card?! Name and shame the bastard!"

Batt regained his ability to speak first, if barely.

"J-just read it, Eeto!"

The Twi'lek, was wiping tears from his eyes as he struggled to read out the cards.

"O-okay, 'The word in Desolation Alley prison on Oovo IV is that you can trade 100 deathsticks for _.'…Ah, we have, 'Actually getting shot, for real this time?'…why is that written as a question, uh…'Soap.'…oh man, that's just…ahem, alright, 'Date Rape by Candlelight' and 'Human Privilege'."

Korrah jabbed an accusatory finger at the Weequay who was almost falling over backwards in his chair he was laughing so hard.

"That last one's got to be Bex'ar's kriffin' card! Racist sleemo!"

The Dresselian lifted his face off of the table with a heave of air. "And I thought I had it made with 'Soap'! Just give him the point, Eeto, he deserves it."

"He deserves nothing!"

"Ha! Little chit can't handle not gettin' her privilege?"

"How 'bout you 'actually getting shot for real'! Think you could handle that?!"

Sifo-Dyas was initially taken aback at Korrah's loss of composure and he swiftly reached out over their bond, intending to bring her back under control. However, he stopped up short when he found her emotions were still perfectly regulated – with some stronger impressions of annoyance, excitement, and competitiveness swimming under her mental shields, but it was tempered with caution.

She was just playing along with…whatever was going on. He caught Batt's eye and the Devaronian shot him a quick look that said she'd been handling herself just fine in his absence.

Korrah looked up at his invisible call through the Force and waited for him to say something. With their business here concluded he simply called his Padawan by alias to his side. "Lucci, we're going now."

Jart looked over the table with interest lighting up his only eye. "What exactly is going on?"

Korrah began gathering up the cards from the table as the four smugglers fought to get their mirth under control.

"Bex'ar being a racist, Toyan's been voted 'Most Likely to Commit Genocide' and Eeto has revealed a disturbing fascination with various animal genitalia." She stood up as she stowed her cards back in her belt pouch and walked up to her Master's side. "But besides all that, Batt's still annoying," She muttered petulantly while casting a half-smile at Feen. "And she can't play anymore because she's too good at this game."

Feen just smiled back and actually gave her a hug before dancing off to open the door for them. She winked one last time at Sifo-Dyas and waved good-bye to Korrah as they exited onto the street again. After they were a good distance away, Sifo-Dyas started questioning Korrah.

"What was it you were doing when I returned?"

A nervous glance towards him and thread of tension crept into his Padawan's posture.

"Oh, it was a, uh, card game I made up. It's…mostly driven by the personalities of the people playing."

Sifo-Dyas raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

He took in the embarrassed blush that colored her face and listened to her stammered explanation of the card game, stuck somewhere between amusement and mute horror by the time she finished.

"Where did you come up with an idea like that?" He said shaking his head.

She averted her eyes, expression guilty. "From…Batt. Indirectly, I mean. He may be annoying, but Batt's still a friend of yours, Master. So, in the past I tried…writing down things I wanted to say whenever I got annoyed rather than saying them and somehow it gave me the idea to write down things that would insult other people, to everyone, and…it just kind of spawned from there all on its own."

The Jedi Master blew some of his hair out of his eyes. "And you saw fit to bring such a game with you while we are on a mission?"

"I was keeping in mind the type of people I'd be surrounded by, Master." She answered wide eyed and innocent.

Sifo-Dyas couldn't stop his laughter this time as it rumbled up from within his chest. He pulled a hand over his face.

"Just please tell me you haven't been playing this with other Padawans around the Temple. I don't want outraged Masters hunting me down about this."

Korrah shook her head, paused, and then shrugged.

"Only with Qui-Gon and Roloh. They even helped me come up with a lot of the white cards."

He huffed ruefully, already imagining the gauntlet he'd have to run in order to avoid certain people once they returned to the Temple.

"So, I can expect to have a very long and stressful talk with Dooku and Master Che sometime in the future."

His Padawan at least had the decency to look contrite at his tone.

"I can't help but notice you haven't mentioned including Padawan Tahl in your card game, though?"

Korrah blinked. "Huh? Oh, no, she came across us in the middle of a round one time and declared Qui-Gon and I uncouth in under a minute once she realized what we were doing." Korrah answered. "She then spent the rest of the afternoon nagging us over what she called 'corrupting Roloh'."

Sifo-Dyas just shook his head and slapped the back of her covered head.

Somewhat fondly.

A few days later, Sifo-Dyas awoke early as was his habit. Muted sunlight was through narrow tinted windows of his room and illuminated the bare and Spartan furnishing that had been provided to the Jedi.

The large building complex that they were staying in was called The Mothership Hub by the inhabitants of Gridan due to it having been built out of a collective of ships dating back to around the planet's discovery. The construction had since been rebuilt and added upon so much over the millennia that it only resembled a ship in various places, but the interior still held a much stronger resemblance. Sifo-Dyas and Korrah had received one of the larger quarters in a newer section of the Hub.

He did not check on Korrah who was in a room attached to his, as he already felt that she was awake and in deep meditation. A sense of pride for his student coupled with his own nostalgia of the past three years came over him and he automatically moved to dress himself.

"I wonder how early she woke up just so she could get this ritual performed and done with. And with negotiations starting today, she probably couldn't sleep nearly at all last night." He thought. "Of course, that's not the only reason."

Jedi did not celebrated their Namedays in the same manner as those who were not part of their Order, but the one exception they made was the day a Padawan turned thirteen. Gifts were not uncommon, but they were minimal and retained to those who were close to the youngling that had achieved this mark in their apprenticeship.

It was the one instance that Jedi Masters would go out of their way and to great lengths to acquire a special gift for their Padawan.

Having Batt search the markets for healing crystals had yielded better results than Sifo-Dyas had expected and the Devaronian had been only too willing to do it once he had explained it was for Korrah.

The Pasmin cloak he'd received in addition was something Sifo-Dyas was still thinking over what to do with. He was half-considering either keeping it or having re-cut to fit his student. However, it was tradition for him to only give one gift for the ritual.

He sensed Korrah surfacing from her meditation and sat down waiting for her to join him. She was smiling with excitement when she entered, completely ready and presentable in her traditional Jedi tunics. She took a seat in front of him and crossed her legs.

Sifo-Dyas had the two of them keep that position for a few minutes, just sitting together in silence. Her eagerness made her hazel eyes bright and try as he might he couldn't keep from smiling back.

"You have completed your meditation for this ritual?" He finally asked.

She took a deep breath and released it slowly, always astounding him with her control.

"Yes, Master."

He wasted no more time in opening the case and presenting the belt to her. A strong emotion was overflowing his sensibilities. It felt almost paternal to him, though Sifo-Dyas had never thought of, much less considered fatherhood before. Watching Korrah, he reflected on the three years since he'd taken her as a Padawan, comparing her now to as she had been then.

He compared himself too. There was an attachment he held for her. Sometimes, when he dared to acknowledge its existence he lamented his shortcoming, this one chink in his devotion to the Code, but he couldn't deny it and released a wave of guilt into the Force. Regardless of his conflicted feelings on the subject, he was grateful for the Force in tying his path with that of the younger girl. Surely it wasn't for nothing that he was faced with this?

…yet what would the Council say?

"The crystals…sing?"

He smiled and tapped one. "These are healing crystals, Korrah. When accessed through the Force, they can aid in rejuvenating your mind and relieving pain from a wound. It is not an instant cure-all, but it will serve you well when you are fatigued or in danger."

She placed the belt to one side and bowed low to him from the waist. Her happiness was coloring the Force, making her presence sparkle in his mind.

"Thank you Master."

"You're welcome, Padawan." He placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked back up at him. He stayed in his position for a moment longer, then stood up. "We have our mission before us. I will wait a little longer if you wish to don your present now and then we will be expected to join the delegates for breakfast."

Korrah quickly retreated back to her room. He stood by the doorway, lazily practicing a breathing exercise from his own Padawan days and felt the Force humming with satisfaction around him. The light, paternal feeling within his chest didn't diminish either.

Korrah breathed in deeply through her nose to disguise a yawn.

"And here I thought things were going well. Everyone was able to agree within the first five minutes that trade was going to happen, but now everyone's self-interests keep things stagnant? It's already been five hours!"

Any excitement she'd felt that morning when Master Sifo-Dyas had warned her of the possibility that there would be violence disrupting the negotiations was already gone. So far, nothing had happened.

She internally battled the disappointment. It wouldn't do well to jinx it. Honestly, there was an appalling lack of any stark difference between this mission and all the others she'd gone with Master Sifo-Dyas that the Jedi Council had assigned. At least during those she'd been doing something even if it was as simple as helping to distribute emergency supplies to a planet. This was just an overabundance of standing around watching other people talking.

She could already see without her visions that her future upon Knighthood would not be as a Jedi diplomat. She didn't have the patience for it.

Since the heavy involvement of smugglers fell under Sifo-Dyas' specialization as a Jedi Master, he was doing all of the negotiating while Korrah was…observing. And trying not to yawn.

"At least the trip to the 'smuggler gift shop' was cool, but that was two days ago. Now it's just tedious negotiations that wouldn't be so boring if only I could somehow be actively involved." Korrah griped. That last part was starting to grate on her.

She was only a thirteen year old Jedi Padawan. What would she know of intergalactic trade procedures?

Korrah breathed again, slow and deep. She reconciled her wandering thoughts.

"Well, I'd still count this as still leagues above any of the other missions I've been on in some ways though, since I'm actually able to see some of the Galaxy's workings in person. This actually has some element of risk to it, for all the planets that will suffer if they don't get supplies soon." She mused. "My other missions were all pretty standard and 'safe'. None have even been outside the Core, now that I think about it."

An errant thought crossed Korrah's mind and she breathed deeply again, now annoyed. "But I can only suppose sending the possible 'Chosen One' somewhere too dangerous just wasn't in the Council's agenda. Or would that just be presumptuous of me?"

She went back to passively gazing about the meeting hall while standing next to her Master, trying to appear as a collected Jedi and attentive while Sifo-Dyas was exchanging words with several other older men.

Planetary leaders had arrived in time for breakfast and were mingling among the smugglers and trading representatives. She could even spot a Neimoidian among the guests. Korrah hated how useless she was. She understood her role as the observing learner, but she couldn't completely lock away her desire to do something to help.

Sifo-Dyas and her presence at the negotiations were supposed to offer non-biased advice and crowd control – if needed, and the Council had been very clear on the 'if' part. And now that the excitement had worn off, and she almost wished something would go wrong and speed things up a bit.

Almost. It had only been five and half hours, after all. She wasn't that bored…yet.

Another one of the trading representatives had joined them, introducing himself as Lord Darrajon.

"One of the planetary leaders. Not a smuggler."

Korrah didn't even bother listening to him as he seemed to have only be interested in bragging about his new yacht, which apparently he'd commissioned from some famous starship designer.

To Korrah's mind, the way he spoke of it made her think that the connection it gave him to the designer was likely worth more than the yacht itself.

"Damn politics."

She scanned the sparse crowd as a male Bith dressed in expensive clothes walked over. Darrajon motioned him to join them and made introductions.

"Ah, here he is. Gentlemen, I present Rugess Nome, the acclaimed starship designer."

Korrah bowed on reflex as her Master greeted him with the other men.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The Bith had a low tenor voice that was clipped and articulate. Korrah thought it was kind of weird to watch his mouth move as he spoke Basic.

"Thank you, I take great pride in my work. I find that it is through such passion that the greatest achievements are reached, though Lord Darrajon burdens me with his exaggerated praises."

The rotund man dipped his head in artificial modestly. "After you produced such masterful artistry on the Ajonas Ray, my friend, I cannot help myself."

Nome nodded in acceptance. "Yes. It was the most enjoyable labor I've had commissioned of me as of yet. My next work will be hard pressed to live up to the challenge of your ship."

"Have you more work ahead of you?" asked one of the planetary leaders present.

"I'm already in the progress of finishing the schematics for my next commission."

Discussion over ships types and designs flew over Korrah's head for a few minutes until she the Bith's large black eyes turned towards her and she felt a momentary discomfort at the attention, but she quickly pushed it away. He spoke to Sifo-Dyas first.

"I must confess, Master Jedi that I didn't expect to find one of your Order amidst the attendees."

Korrah's Master made a courteous gesture with his hand. "The well-being of Republican citizens is important to Jedi Order. Both we and the Senate are hopeful that negotiations can be settled quickly and aid sent to the suffering planets as soon as possible."

"Indeed. Then I wish you the best in your endeavors. Stars know how much the galaxy is in need of such good intentions in these times."

His head tilted slightly, turning back to Korrah.

"Is this your daughter, Master Jedi?"

A touch of emotion fluttered around her Master's Force presence, but flitted away before Korrah could try and identify it.

"This is my Padawan, my student, Korrah Hyymn."

Korrah bowed slightly, keeping her expression the picture of calm.

Rugess seemed to draw back as if apologetic. "Ah, forgive me for the mistake. I have never had such close interactions with Jedi before. I confess I had always assumed there would be some familial relations between you."

Maybe it was her imagination, but Korrah thought her Master was becoming uncomfortable with what Rugess' was saying. "There is no offense. I can admit there are many who do not know very much of the complicated workings of our Order." Sifo-Dyas assured.

Rugess inspected her for a few seconds. She refrained from looking away this time.

"Such admirable composure for one so young." He commented lowly. "You must be an attentive and dedicated student, Jedi Padawan."

Korrah dipped her head again. "I have much to learn." She replied simply.

Nothing indicated as such on his alien face, but she got the impression that Rugess was smiling, as if idly amused over something.

A smuggling Captain named Sonso took over the conversation from there and Korrah relaxed. Out of all the people gathered, the grizzled smuggler was someone she instinctively felt at ease around. She paid attention to the flow of the conversation, but she continued to feel as though Rugess was looking over in her direction, accompanied by an unpleasant chill like a cold draft. His bulbous, unblinking black eyes made it hard to determine the truth of her suspicions, however.

Something was tickling at the back of her mind, like an itch she couldn't reach. But for the life of her she couldn't coax it to the surface. She was missing something important in this moment. What was it? A memory?

Korrah's attention was suddenly diverted to her blinking com. Ignored by everyone else, she unclipped it and listed to the binary chatter coming from it. Her eyes widened a fraction before reaching across her Force bond with Sifo-Dyas.

"Master, Chibi just intercepted a spy droid in the ventilation shafts."

"A spy droid?"

More beeping followed until Korrah let slip a mental curse. "Kriff! He said its carrying thermal detonators! And there are more droids coming in the vents!"

The Jedi Master gave no outward appearance of having heard her, but his Force signature flickered around, scanning the room with the Force.

"Stay focused. Don't give away anything just yet and be ready."

She kept her awareness stretched as far as she could make it go for almost a minute before things started picking up fast. Sifo-Dyas must have given some sort of forewarning to Sonso because Korrah didn't even see the grizzled man move to draw his weapon before he fired off a shot at the first droid to fly out of the ventilation shafts, hitting it square.

The grenade within the droid went off, the force of the blast knocking down those underneath it to the floor, but fortunately it had still been close enough to the ceiling to not cause anyone damage.

At the sound of the first blaster bolt, a myriad of blasters and other weapons immediately sprang to the hand of every smuggler and security officer in the room. Everyone else ran for cover as red plasma bolts rained upwards at the mechanical intruders that tried to enter the room through the vents.

"I guess that's one of the advantages of polite and armed company." Korrah thought in dry amusement reaching for her lightsaber. "Anyone tries to attack gets immediately hit by karma."

Chibi's binary chirping started insistently emitting from her com. He sounded very excited and it only took Korrah two seconds to realize what he was saying. She hissed into the com.

"Yes! Fine! Just do it!"

The ventilation suddenly closed tight with a heavy scraping of metal, some screeching loudly from years of disuse. In that second, all the droids activated their explosives detonated inside the shafts, rocking the ceiling and explosions sounded along from the nearby halls. Everyone took crouched and covered their heads as they were showered with various metallic debris and dust.

Korrah coughed and shook her head to keep anything from getting into her eyes. She found the kneeling form of Sifo-Dyas nearby and ran over.

"Master, Chibi –*cough*– discovered the control panels that used to run this part of the ship this building's made from and sliced his way in. There wasn't enough power in the circuits to purge the vents, but he's managed to seal off the sections of ventilation that have been infiltrated." She listened as more binary came over her com and grimaced. "He says the Emergency Response Systems of the Hub have been compromised."

A string of words in some language she didn't understand came from a nearby Sonso, who was now twirling two pistols around his hands with impressive dexterity.

Korrah assumed he was cursing.

"These are Importer tactics!" he growled. "There must be some of the bantha-chssk eating sleemos still slithering about. I'd wager they just couldn't pass up an opportunity to crash these talks and reignite the stupid war!"

Sifo-Dyas turned to address Sonso. "I believe it would be prudent for everyone to leave the premises until this is dealt with."

Sonso turned to a nearby man. "Grodet! The hanger's where they'll be expecting us to go, but there's still places and secret routes in this Hub no one's found. We'll take them and flank the bastards and get to the ships."

His man reported back in a husky drawl. "Everyone here's armed, Captain. Lead on."

The rotund figure of Darrajon gestured obligingly, though he looked visibly shaken and completely out of his depth. "I would be most willing to offer passage on the Ajonas Ray to the regulation station above Gridan's atmosphere, my lords. I can assure you that she's a fast craft."

Sonso just grunted and nodded in acceptance. The men exited the hall without further discussion.

Sifo-Dyas stayed back and spoke to Korrah next. "I need you to find out where the intruders are coming from and relay the information back to me." He paused, considering something. "If you encounter any hostiles that you can deal with on your own, then do so, but stay mindful of your surroundings, do you understand?"

Korrah nodded at her Master's instructions when her comlink chirped. Chibi was already reporting in.

"Master, there are several unknown individual in the next building over." She paused as her droid added something in binary. "They have rockets."

The older Jedi grimaced. "Then I must follow after Sonso and the other who are headed for the hangers. Go and identify the numbers and locations of the intruders and com me as soon as you can."

"Yes Master."

He nodded once more before sprinting off the hallway taken by the recently departed guests.

Korrah scanned the room around her before selecting an exit and ran down the empty hallway. A sudden tremor rippled by Korrah, calling her attention to her left. Without thought, she turned and followed it, leaping easily down a flight of stairs as she went. Adrenaline started coursing through her blood, making her heart thump hard inside her chest and she quelled her excitement at the situation's newest developments.

"Well. Be careful what you ask for, cause you just my get it." she thought. "Even though a Jedi's not supposed to crave adventure."

Her personal droid dropped down from the ceiling and flew up next to her with a series of happy beeps. She grabbed it smoothly out of mid-air and tucked it away in her tunics.

"Danger, excitement and water-balloon fights," she reminisced. "Oh no, us Jedi are content with sitting on the front porch with a glass of iced tea as our only friend, or chewing stick after stick of gum until you're old enough to get a driver's license…this has got to be the weirdest time to start missing things like that."

The cavernous room she now found herself in looked more like a junkyard that a building with ship parts stacked over and on top of each other. There was activity ahead of her, so calling the Force, she jumped up over twenty feet in the air, landing on one of the smaller, debilitated ships and crawled forward. Hidden from view on top of a wing, she peered over the edge.

There were three men in non-descriptive smuggler's clothes and seven armed droids. They had blasted open the tall floor to ceiling windows that provided a view of one of the few green gardens contained within the Hub's structures.

It also had a clear view of the hanger and the ships coming and going out of it.

Looking about the rest of the room Korrah saw the one thing she dearly wished wouldn't: Hostages.

They didn't look like smugglers, Korrah assumed they'd probably been planetary representatives who'd fled during the initial chaos and had been caught unarmed, cornered and unable to fight back against the attackers.

"Well, this is sticky." She thought and quickly considered her options. "Have to get the hostages out of the lines of fire first. Then, take droids out first and men second. How do I separate them from the defenseless people?"

Her eyes caught on the men setting up tripod with a rocket on it. She tapped the wing that she was crouched upon, hanging overhead of the people below. An idea came to her. "Maybe…"

The rocket lit up ready to launch and Korrah saw her chance. Reaching for the Force, she spun the rocket around on the tripod and it flew upwards towards her. Korrah jumped before it made impact and an ear-popping explosion rang out resulting with the wing she'd just been on snapping away from the hull it had been attached to and falling.

Debris showered over the droids that had been hounding the hostages scattered and they jumped out of the way as the long piece of metal struck the floor with a crunch and tilted over, landing propped against the wall; conveniently shielding the people underneath it.

Korrah flipped through the air and drew her lightsaber. It ignited with a snap-hiss and a blazed of yellow plasma. Two droids were cut down before she landed and immediately pulled into a protective Soresu sphere. The droids focused on her form and shot started flying towards her, but fortunately her deflection was good and soon only one droid remained. With another exercise of the Force, she pulled the blaster from its metal hands and leapt forwards, slicing its head neatly off with a flick of her wrist.

"That only leaves these three."

She adjusted her grip on her lightsaber and faced the men, stance defensive once again.

One of them cursed. "It's a Jedi!"

"It's just a girl!" Another one countered drawing a vibro-knife. "Get the rockets ready, sleemo!"

His companion reached for a rocket as he charged her. Korrah merely pushed a piece of scrap that was on the floor forward with the Force, making him slip and struck him hard in the temple with the butt of her lightsaber. He went down like a puppet with its strings cut. The second man had pulled two blasters. Korrah quickly deflected, trying not to accidentally hit one of the rockets. An opening appeared and she took it, spinning off to the side and pushing a wave of the Force at the man. The strength of it launched him backwards into his friend manning the tripod. They collided and went tumbling over the edge of the broken windows with yells of surprise as the rocket activated and they all went spiraling up and away in a dizzying, uncontrolled launch.

With one last glance around confirmed no more threats, Korrah deactivated her lightsaber and ran to where the hostages had been watching from behind the impromptu barrier.

"Is anyone injured?" she called.

A Muun stooped low and came out from under the shelter of the broken ship wing.

"Everyone here is unharmed, but where do we go?"

She cast about and pointed to a nearby exit.

"Make for the East side of the Hub! There's people still waiting for stragglers there. You should take the weapons from the droids to defend yourselves in case of-"

Warning screamed across the Force, and a distant 'boom', ignited Korrah's instincts and she froze in her speech, whipping around and looking up behind herself.

Through the tall broken windows, the sight of a yacht, belching smoke and fire from one of its engines mere miles away in the sky immediately filled her vision.

And it was falling on a collision course headed straight towards them!

A/N: Mwahahahahaha!

…See you all in three to four weeks! ^_^'

(Props to anyone who spotted the 'guest appearances')

Thank you all and please leave a review! I always love to hear back from y'all! Later!