Chapter 21

Nev-Kwellen stirred restlessly in his bed, his sleep disturbed by images of the past as well as a specific person. He woke up and threw off his covers, his forehead covered in sweat. Grabbing his tunic and pants, he left Yoda's quarters for a late night walk.

The halls were quiet except for his soft footsteps. The lights were dimmed. Giving the hallways an eerie glow.

"What are you doing up?"

Nev-Kwellen turned around, startled. He had not heard or sensed anyone approaching him. "Might I ask why you are up at this late hour, Raven?" Nev-Kwellen responded.

Raven glared at him. "You didn't answer my question."

"I suppose you're looking for an excuse to get me locked up." Nev-Kwellen stated, giving her a pointed look.

Raven gave a thin smile. "I could be." She paused before continuing. "I spoke with Knight Woren. I am sorry that I doubted you, although I still believe you are up to something."

Nev-Kwellen shrugged his shoulders. "You have no reason to trust me, but you have no reason to distrust me either."

Raven scowled. "Don't I? You were raised as a Sith. That's enough reason right there."

"So were Anakin and Drengin." Nev-Kwellen remarked with a smirk. "Look, since we're both up, won't you join me in meditating in one of the gardens?" I really need to get on her good side so she'll quit watching me.

"Jedi don't meditate with Sith." Raven retorted.

Nev-Kwellen frowned. "Only because the Jedi keep fighting the Sith."

Raven crossed her arms, irritation flashing in her eyes." The Sith are the ones who fight the Jedi. Jedi are not killers, they're defenders."

Nev-Kwellen stepped forward slowly. "If Jedi are defenders then why are they hiding like cowards?"

"We are not hiding, we are waiting." Raven told him softly. "It is best for the people of the galaxy if we did not appear just yet."

"And why not?" Nev-Kwellen asked.

"We have our reasons." Raven said, careful to not share any more information.

Nev-Kwellen studied her face intensely for a couple of seconds before shaking his head and walking away. "Reasons or not, the Jedi are still hiding."

Raven opened her mouth to respond but thought better of it. Instead, she headed down the hallway in the opposite direction.

The flames from the funeral pyre died down to low flickers as they finished licking up the wood and Count Dooku's body. Those who had attended the service slowly and quietly began to leave.

"What now?" Nev-Kwellen asked in a low voice.

"We wait." Woren stiffly responded.

Nev-Kwellen's gray eyes studied Woren for a couple of seconds and were soon met by a pair of blue ones.

"I still don't get you Jedi." Nev-Kwellen remarked.

Woren gave him a grim smile. "I'm not a normal Jedi."

A strange red glint in Woren's eyes caused Nev-Kwellen to involuntarily shiver. "I suppose not."

Woren looked away from him to the pyre, his voice betraying no emotions. "Go wait for me in training room three."

Nev-Kwellen gave a short nod, and without a word, he left the room.

Closing his eyes, Woren reached out into the Force and searched out a specific presence. With a tiny grin, Woren made contact. /It is done./

/Good./ His contact answered. /I have new instructions for you. In the map room is a secret compartment. Inside the compartment you will find a journal./ Woren's contact paused for a few brief seconds before continuing in a commanding voice. /Plant the journal so that Anakin can find it./

/As you wish./ Woren replied with a mental nod of respect. The contact was broken and Woren reintegrated his senses just as someone began to speak to him.

"We will find the one who did this." Anakin told Woren as he came up to stand next to him.

"This should never had happened. It is supposed to be safe here!" Woren declared, his voice trembling.

"Nowhere is completely safe." Anakin remarked, looking toward the pyre.

"No, it is not." Woren agreed and then looked at Anakin, a smile appearing on his face. "Even for you."

Anakin frowned as Woren walked away. Something nagged at him in a corner of his mind. Feeling restless, Anakin went in search of Tru.

Kenshin executed a flurry of calculated, smooth moves at an invisible opponent with deadly precision. His blue eyes had a distant look to them as he totally immersed himself into the Force. His hair was damp with sweat, causing it to be plastered to Kenshin's head. His shoulder muscles rippled with each mastered move.

"Wouldn't a live opponent be better to practice with?" Reeft inquired from the doorway.

Kenshin whirled around to face Reeft, turning off his lightsaber in the process. "Yes, but only if they are better than me."

Reeft frowned as he walked into the room. "Do they have to be better? How about those who need to be challenged by those better than them?"

Kenshin walked away from Reeft to a nearby bench. "What has the Council decided to do with Bruck?" He asked, changing the subject.

"They have decided to transfer him to another Temple." Reeft answered as Kenshin put on his shirt. "I suggested a few people who could do the job."

"Perfect. The Council is still clueless." Kenshin grinned and looked back at Reeft. "When will they be transferring him?"

"In a week." Reeft answered. "It's enough time to get the whole Orcin Council to whatever destination you choose without arousing too much suspicion."

Kenshin nodded. "I will have the destination sent to the Orcin Council members tonight."

As Kenshin began to leave, Reeft spoke up. "What are your plans for the Sith apprentices?"

Kenshin paused mid-stride, his face becoming hard and cold as he spoke. "They, too, will meet their fate." He looked back at Reeft, his eyes narrowing. "So will your padawan if he does not stop aiding Anakin." With that said, he left the room.

"Siri!" A familiar voice called from down a corridor. Siri turned away from the door to her quarters, a grin splitting across her face. "Calaa, I didn't know you were coming." She remarked as she enveloped Calaa in a hug.

Calaa grinned back. "When I heard that Bruck was here I just had to come."

Siri scowled as she unlocked the door and they walked inside. "You still like him, I see."

"Oh, cool off." Calaa replied and sat down on the sofa. "I bet you're still wanting your Obi."

Siri glared at her sister and went into the kitchen to go fix some tea. "If you want to see Bruck, then I suggest that you forget it. The Council is not letting anyone see him unless they have permission, and that includes the Orcin Council."

Calaa smirked. "And you, dear sister, are on that Council."

Siri placed a kettle on the stove and snorted. "I don't have that much power. You will have to talk to Kenshin, although I wouldn't even bother."

Calaa just shrugged and relaxed against the sofa. "I also heard that Woren is here."

"Yeah, so?" Siri asked as the water began to simmer.

"Something is up, something big." Calaa informed her sister in a serious voice.

"What makes you think that?" Siri questioned.

"Ever since Obi-Wan left, Woren has avoided this place like a plague and now he's back."

"Your point being?" Siri asked as the kettle began to whistle.

"I think, although I don't have strong proof yet, that Woren is in contact with Obi-Wan." Calaa heard the sound of the kettle slamming back onto the stove, followed by a string of Huttese curses.

Siri came out of the kitchen and stared hard at Calaa. "Yet?"

Calaa's dark brown eyes looked straight at Siri's face as she spoke. "Woren is elusive. It is not easy keeping track of him."

Biting her lower lip, Siri processed this information. Kenshin needs to know, but I better find out if it's true first. How is this going to affect Kenshin? He already believes that his father is dead. What is Obi-Wan up to? Why didn't he come back with Bruck? Has he really turned? A thought then popped into Siri's mind and she asked, "Who told you to spy on Woren?"

"No one." Calaa responded quickly. "I accidentally overheard Woren talking to someone and I heard something about Obi-Wan and plans."

Siri's eyes narrowed, her voice was hard as she spoke, "What plans? And who, exactly, was Woren talking to?"

Calaa shrugged her shoulders. "Ask Woren."

"Calaa!" Siri growled out in irritation.

"Don't be so pushy." Calaa remarked, smiling at her sister. "You may not like what I'm going to tell you." When Siri continued to glare at her, Calaa caved in. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Anakin entered the archives, his eyes wandering the room, searching for Tru. He found Tru at a datavid console a few meters away at Anakin's right. He calmly made his way to Tru while anticipation bubbled inside. Only minutes ago Tru had contacted him that he had found some information that he would want to see.

Tru looked up as he sensed Anakin approach. "I did some searching of the meaning of that inscription. I believe you will find this interesting."

Anakin stood behind Tru, leaning down to see the words on the screen.

"Obviously the creatures in the inscription are predators, dangerous one in fact. I searched for those that were similar in description and found two hundred references. I narrowed the search to intelligent species and got five matches. Finally, I narrowed them down again by adding parasites and got one match." Tru shook his head at the data now in front of him. "It just keeps getting better and better."

Wouhls: A dangerous species from the planet Utellia in the unknown regions. You cannot sense them in the Force. They're like a void. Their hands have sharp black claws, their faces hard to describe. They fight in swarms and stick furiously to their prey, like parasites.

"There's not much on them." Anakin commented even as an uneasy feeling settled in the bottom of his stomach.

"But look at the date the entry was put in." Tru replied, pointing to the date below the description. "The Jedi have explored the unknown regions, but no Jedi has ventured back in about five hundred years. The date does not make any sense. Not only that, the entry sounds like more of a warning than a description."

Anakin straightened, his eyes still focused on the screen. "How does this piece of information connect to what we know?"

"The Orcin are required to learn how to fight without the aid of the Force." Tru slowly replied. He tapped his fingers against the light brown table as a theory formed in his mind. "It is possible that Obi-Wan knows about this species and that is why he created the Orcin."

"Why couldn't he have told the Council his concerns instead?" Anakin asked with a frown.

Tru shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. We should attempt to wake Xanatos up soon. I have a feeling that he has some answers."

Anakin nodded. "I'll start meditating this afternoon. You had better inform Bant that we'll be by around at twenty-one hundred hours."

"Sure." Tru replied, shutting down the console. "How long do you think it will take to wake Xanatos up?"

"I don't know." Anakin admitted. "Hopefully, not too long."

Tru stood up and began to walk to the exit. "I'll see you there then, if not before."

They parted ways in the corridor, heading to their own destinations.