AN: Usually my approach with the canon backstory is live and let live, but in this case I find the backstory for two of the characters to be straight up terrible writing, as well as inconsistent within itself. All backstory alterations have been made knowingly and I'm not sorry.

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Chapter 26: Penumbra

Reformation Year 979.10.22
Coruscant

The Coruscant underlevels were brighter than expected - the glow of myriad signs and streetlights diffused into the clouds of water vapour and smoke, creating an artificial sky. The underside of the upper levels was lost beyond visual range; her Master had once described to her how the buildings became so tall that people built bridges between them, which had later been filled in and become new roads half a kilometer above the old ones. Xiaan had asked Master J'Mikel how often that had happened, how many layers Coruscant had, and he'd admitted that nobody was truly certain anymore.

Despite the underlevels being an artificial cavern system, community thrived here: music blared and echoed from the bars, advertisements snapped and rattled in lightning-fast Basic and Huttese from the shops which never closed, people chattered and laughed on the balcony walks and street corners, cleaning droids argued and scuffled with pests over discarded food waste and shiny bits of junk.

Master J'Mikel stopped to ask a group of people and droids if they'd seen a detachment of Republic Peace Officers in the past hour. The officers hadn't met them at the scheduled place and time; Master Peerce had gone to find a holoterminal to check in with the local precinct while J'Mikel and Xiaan had stayed near the meeting-place to wait.

Xiaan shivered - the air was just on the warm side, but the humidity clung to her blue skin and leeched body heat away. People had been going missing for weeks - the odd disappearance here and there barely raised an eyebrow, unfortunately, but there were enough this time that people had started suspecting raider activity. Citizens who would never have considered calling for official assistance were reaching for the emergency holoterminals when their friends and loved ones failed to check in once they got home.

Then the bodies started turning up; not hidden or merely tossed aside, but displayed, like trophies or collections. It was almost as if bringing the police into the matter was what the bad guys wanted.

Something in the nearby alley clinked and rattled. Xiaan started and aimed the beam of her tiny hand-light down into the shadows; the light gleamed dully off a set of four eyes and the hexapod rodent hissed at the Twi'lek girl before scuttling off behind the overflowing bins. Xiaan blew out her held breath in a sigh of annoyance at herself - worrying at the creepy details was only making her jumpy. She was with two Jedi Masters who regularly dealt with underworld matters; things would be fine.

Master J'Mikel's comm buzzed and Xiaan moved closer to be in range as she saw the hologram of Master Peerce appear.

"The patrol Peerce and J'Mikel should meet up with, investigates instead a disturbance nearby, but after arriving, they do not check in." The Skrilling Master rubbed alongside his cranial ridge in distress. "Judicial sends a team out to check up on them, but Peerce and J'Mikel are closer. Peerce offers to follow up on it."

J'Mikel shook his striped crest, frowning. "Not alone, Peerce. Wait where you are, we'll go together."

"Join Peerce then, a block and a half north of J'Mikel, at the corner southeast."

Xiaan's towering Master smiled down at her. "Come, Padawan."

When they reached the corner fifteen minutes later, however, Peerce was nowhere to be found. Xiaan's foot struck something as she turned to peer through the neon-lit gloom.

"What's that you have, my Padawan?"

She turned it over in her hands. "Master Peerce's comm unit, Master." The screen was fading into sleep mode but she woke it up. The transcript for the other Jedi's conversation with Judicial showed first, including the coordinates of the disturbance the Peace Officers had been investigating. "Look. Maybe he went ahead anyway?"

J'Mikel ran his spindly, three-fingered hands over the device, contemplating what the Force told him. "I do not think so. Headstrong and eager Master Peerce may be, but not that headstrong." The Anx Jedi closed his eyes for a moment. "Peerce does not respond to me." He lowered his reptilian head to Xiaan's level, speaking softly for her ears alone. "We are being lured. Reach out with the Force, tell me what you sense."

Xiaan closed her eyes. It was tempting to try to stretch to her limits immediately, but her Master had been teaching her to start small. "Begin with the area immediately around you - you know what is there already, it is a certainty. Use it to compare certainty with the uncertainty beyond your immediate knowledge." She took a moment to study the coordinates and set them on the map in her mind. "Master Peerce went towards the place where the police went, but he didn't leave his comm here then."

"Then that is where we must go. Keep Master Peerce's comm safe." Her Master used his own comm to pull a map from the HoloNet. "Silent and swift, now, Padawan."

The Twi'lek girl followed J'Mikel into the shadows of Coruscant's underworld, largely unseen by the local denizens, their Force-enhanced steps rustling awnings and refuse on the street like a gentle breeze. The further they went, however, the more Xiaan began to feel like they were being watched.

Master, I don't like this.

Nor do I, little one. This is a trap we have no option but to spring.

They were very close now, and Xiaan's heart thudded with fear. "Something feels wrong, Master."

J'Mikel slowed their pace to a swift walk. "Stay behind me, Padawan."

Something bounced off the back of Xiaan's head and she spun in place with a gasp. The alley behind them was shadowed and filthy but empty. The object that had struck her lay on the ground; she shone her hand-lamp at it and stifled a scream.

The large, blunt-ended severed finger had belonged to Master Peerce.

Ensconced in her secret retreat on Cophrigin V, the Dark Woman awakened from dark and terrible dreams.

Bant met her at the entrance to the Halls of Healing with a tight hug. "I'm so happy you're home!"

Siri squeezed back, feeling the Mon Cal woman's presence wrap around her protectively. Force but she had missed this! "It's so good to be home!"

The soft sound of someone clearing their throat broke the moment. One of the Healer Padawans smiled apologetically. "Healer Basst was alerted you were on your way down, she's ready when you are."

The Kel Dor Healer was scowling at a datapad as Siri entered. "I have severe concerns regarding what the Council considers reasonable risk and exposure to stress, Knight Tachi. I have their report here, but can you please review it and tell me what's been left out?"

Siri squinted at the clinical, roundabout language in the report. "Ohh, this is going to take a while."

Healer Basst's frown deepened. "I was afraid you would say that. I need to know what stressors you experienced in the past two years, including exposure to any drugs or toxins."

The interview took over an hour, during which the Healer gently scanned Siri for lingering issues. At least she was permitted water, and the Healer asked questions that helped her remember other details. It wasn't fun, but Basst projected a soothing wave through the Force which helped her remain calm. Eventually the attention shifted to Siri's hand, which the Healer admitted she'd done well to keep immobilized. Siri laughed.

"My hands are important to me, I'd rather have an unnecessary splint than risk damaging it."

Basst sat back and folded her arms, inscrutable behind her mask and goggles. "Well, all things considered, you appear to be in good health. A bit undernourished, perhaps, but there's no lasting physical damage. We're more concerned with possible psychological issues, given what you were exposed to. I'd like you to have a full interview with a Mind Healer, preferably today?"

"My only other plans involve meditation, food, and sleep. And a proper hot bath." Nar Shaddaa tap water had been heavy with cleansing chemicals, and soaking in it hadn't been recommended.

The Healer chuckled. "I can sympathise. If you don't mind waiting in the anteroom, I know Bant will happily keep you company."

The anteroom was soothing and designed to emulate the Room of a Thousand Fountains, with natural wood paneling, lots of living greenery, and a wall of rounded stones over which water trickled, keeping the air humidified. Small violet cleaner-fish darted through the small pool at the wall's base, most of it covered with transparisteel flooring. Siri and Bant found a quiet alcove where they could talk without disturbing others.

Bant immediately seized Siri's hand and tucked in against her side as they talked. There was a lot Siri wasn't allowed to discuss, but they made the best of it. After the loss of Master Tahl, Siri had worried for Bant - the Mon Cal girl had seemed crushed, and had only reluctantly accepted Master Fisto's offer to finish her training. Their rough early days had led to smoother waters, and Bant announced proudly that she'd passed her Healer's Trials the year before.

"I'm not keeping you from work, am I?"

Bant gave an open-mouthed Mon Cal grin. "No, it's been a quiet day, and my next meeting isn't for half an hour."

Siri hesitated for the barest moment, then quietly told Bant about Obi-Wan.

"He wouldn't come back?!" Bant whispered. "He sent messages to the rest of us a year ago or so, but nothing since then. Is he...how is he?"

Siri frowned as she recalled their conversation. Her initial thought had been that Obi-Wan was angry at having been dismissed, that he wouldn't want to come back simply because of the Councilors who had supported the decision.

He'd shaken his head, with that odd, quiet smile she'd never seen him use as a Padawan, and said, "I have attachments now, responsibilities to others. The Council would never approve of my maintaining them. Phel is like a sibling, one of my closest friends, but xe still relies on me for so much. Zoh?" His smile had turned fond, and Siri couldn't help the little pang of envy that ran through her: Obi-Wan had something in his life that made him truly happy. "She might as well be my daughter. Within an hour of finding her on that ship, I knew I wouldn't be able to let her go. Feid and Pulkka stay simply because we're friends and they trust me to take care of them.

"The Jedi counsel so much against attachments, and most think that includes ties of family and friendship." He'd laughed softly. "I tried so hard to be a perfect Jedi, was constantly told how often I still failed to meet those expectations. I was miserable for it." Obi-Wan had still been wearing the disguise armour from making his holo-report, but he carried it comfortably, like a second skin. When he leaned back against the corner of the desk, there was a gravity in his casual posture that had seemed...right. "It felt as if I was being asked to give up everything I am, like my own sense of self was too much attachment for me to truly be a Jedi. But out here? With people whom I love dearly? Doing what I want with my life? I feel a sense of peace and balance I never found in the Temple. At one time I thought I knew that feeling, but I suspect that was more hope than reality."

"He's...happy. Settled, I guess." Siri frowned at her hands where they fidgeted with the hem of her tunic. "He has a family now."

"A family? You mean like...babies?"

Siri giggled at Bant's wide-eyed, alarmed expression. "No! Just...people he's taking care of. He's basically adopted a couple kids."

"Oh! That does sound very like him," Bant said, sounding relieved. "We all miss him. Anakin, especially. Did you even get to meet Master Qui-Gon's new Padawan before you left?"

"Only briefly. I heard people spreading nasty rumours about him and about Master Qui-Gon, though." The rumours had been ugly, about Qui-Gon throwing Obi-Wan under the metaphorical speeder in favour of the supposed Chosen One, and other less pleasant speculation about what had really happened to cause the Council to kick Obi-Wan out. She'd stepped in to berate people for saying such horrible things when she could, but some of them were Knights who'd remembered too well what had happened with Xanatos and Bruck.

Knights who damn well ought to have known better! She fumed for a moment before releasing her disgust into the Force.

Bant's wide mouth pinched down at the corners. "Yeah, that was unpleasant. They've mostly stopped. Anakin's a good kid, anyway, he and Garen terrorize the flight hangar staff on a weekly basis."

"I really want to see Garen. And Luminara-"

"We'll arrange a party once you're assigned your own quarters, yes? Speaking of which," Bant said with a sly look, and Siri suppressed a groan - she knew where this was going. "Any thoughts on whom you'd consider taking as a Padawan?"

"I just got home, Bant! Give me time to sort my head out before I decide to inflict myself on a child!"

Her friend was laughing. "You should have seen the look on your face! Garen hasn't chosen anyone yet, either."

"I don't even know which younglings are up for consideration. It's been a couple years," Siri muttered sourly.

To her relief, Healer Basst entered and gestured her through. "You have a choice, Knight Tachi. Healer G'ohn is available, or you can be Padawan Fatim's Healer Trial."

"I don't recognise Fatim's name, are they…?"

"She's come to us from the Corellian Temple, yes."

Healer G'ohn was a known factor - but she was prone to prodding sore spots patients weren't always ready to prod. "I'd be honoured to be Padawan Fatim's Trial."

Fatim Sula-hyn was a plump Mirialan woman a year or so older than Siri; the intricate tattoos drew geometric patterns in two lines from her hairline over her eyes to her cheeks. Within five minutes Siri could tell they were going to get along well: Fatim's presence was soothing but firm, and she understood Siri's boundaries immediately. "We will have to deal with the stuff you'd rather not have dredged up, but I want you to choose when we do."

Siri nodded. It was going to hurt, but if she prepared herself ahead of time, it might not be so bad. "There is a slight matter of some things being classified. I'll talk to the Master of Shadows to see what can be done."

"Of course." Fatim smiled. "It's probably fine, the Jedi Shadows would be hard pressed if we weren't able to assist you to the fullest."

They wrapped up with an agreement to meet again in five days. "From what I can see, you're fit to return to your duties at any time, but let me know if you have concerns about anything," Fatim was saying as they passed through the broad, warmly lit hall. Her next words were interrupted by shouting from the entrance. The two women glanced at each other and broke into a run.

In the anteroom, Healer Basst was on her knees, hugging a stone-faced Twi'lek girl who couldn't have been more than twelve. Two other Healers, including Vokara Che, were arguing with a trio of people in Judicial uniforms.

"-We couldn't notify you immediately because there are procedures-"

"-They're our people, we have a right to know! You had no right to keep her there-"

"-needed her to describe what happened! She's a key witness-"

"-If she were an adult Jedi, yes, but not someone under the age of majority! The least you should have done was commed for one of us-"

Healer Basst handed the Padawan off to Fatim and turned to shut down the argument before the noise disturbed the more delicate patients. Fatim drew Siri and the girl off to the side, out of the way.

"I need to get some things from my office," she said softly. "This is Knight Tachi. Can you stay with her for a moment? I promise I'll be right back."

The Twi'lek girl nodded numbly, and Fatim gave Siri an apologetic half-smile, touching her arm. "I'm sorry, it's not your duty. I'll be right back."

Siri frowned with concern at the catatonic child. "I'm going to sit on the cushion over here. Do you want to sit with me?"

The girl nodded, expression unchanged. There were long-dried tear tracks on her cheeks and her eyes were puffy; Siri made sure she drank a cup of water before they sat down. The girl immediately crowded into Siri's space against her side, and she wrapped her arm around the girl's narrow shoulders, careful not to put pressure on her lekku. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Xiaan Amersu."

"Alright, Xiaan. Is there anything I can do for you?"

The girl shook her head. "She killed Master J'Mikel."

A horrible feeling settled in Siri's gut; despite Xiaan's outward calm, her mind was screaming. "Who did?"

"The shadow lady."

Mace Windu sat in the anteroom of the Halls of Healing, examining the factors playing into the frisson of anxiety running through his core. It didn't bring calm so much as comprehension, but he'd take what he could get.

Who knew what had lured Peerce from where he had been waiting for J'Mikel? The Skrilling Master was known for being impulsive, but he still possessed some common sense.

The official report from the Republic Peace Officers stated that they had arrived to find Padawan Amersu standing catatonic over her slaughtered Master, with Peerce's remains strung up nearby along with those of the other Judicial detachment, like grisly ornaments. The ten-year old Twi'lek girl had been detained and questioned by herself for hours, in violation of a number of agreements between Judicial and the Order for the treatment of Jedi younglings.

The thought made him furious on the girl's behalf - he acknowledged the fact that Judicial had at least followed a policy for dealing with children at crime scenes. Judicial's methods were reasonable for most sentients, but they didn't know how to deal with a child suffering a brutally severed training bond.

They did their best. The person who failed their duty to investigate policies regarding Jedi is receiving a reprimand and remedial training. It's done and there's no point seething over it.

Entering the Halls to see Amersu practically cuddled in Tachi's lap had been a surprise, until one of the Padawans had returned bearing a blanket and taken charge of the child. He took a moment to roll the memory over in his mind. Tachi hadn't seemed the most nurturing of people prior to the commencement of her Trial - although considering certain other Jedi he knew, that was a low bar to clear - but her experiences had definitely granted her a deeper protective streak than she'd had before. Tachi would likely want to become involved in the matter; the Council would have to weigh her skills against any emotional involvement.

Healer Basst entered, interrupting his musings. "She's asleep. Physically, she's fine, but she'll have some mental scarring if we don't mend the damage carefully. Our Mind Healers advise against sending her back to her quarters alone - but she still needs familiar surroundings. Pairing her with a Knight or Master who doesn't currently have a Padawan would be the best option."

Mace gave the Healer a narrow glare. "You're thinking of Knight Tachi." The young woman had departed after the Padawan had returned; Mace knew Tachi would be assigned her own quarters by now and possibly in the process of moving.

Basst spread her hands. "She would be a familiar face. And it might do Knight Tachi some good."

"Agree with Healer Basst, I do," Master Yoda declared as he entered behind her. "Essential personal contact is, if healed the severed bond will be."

"I was considering whether to let Knight Tachi get involved in the investigation. This would only increase her emotional investment," Mace protested. Tachi was guaranteed the rest of the week to reacclimate to Temple life; throwing her into a murder investigation wouldn't necessarily help with that, but she wouldn't be the first Knight to willingly give up rest days.

Yoda hummed with a tiny smile and leaned on his gimer stick. "Control, she has already shown. A test, this will be."

Basst turned on her heel to glare through her goggles at the Grandmaster. "Padawan Amersu's welfare cannot be used as yet another way to evaluate a Knight's readiness, Master Yoda!"

The old troll reached up and patted the Healer's knee reassuringly. "Under observation both will be. Accept your judgment if unsuitable you find this arrangement, we will."

The bizarre standoff continued a moment longer before Basst nodded in agreement. "Very well, Grandmaster. I will contact Knight Tachi and ask if she is agreeable to this."

Master Qui-Gon's expression of surprise at seeing her at his door was priceless. Siri couldn't hide a grin as she said, "I wish I could take a holo right now."

"I didn't realise you'd returned!" He stepped aside to allow her in. "Am I correct in guessing that it's 'Knight' Tachi, now?"

"The Temple rumour network must be slacking off if you didn't hear already. I've been back long enough to make my report to the Council, visit the Healers, and have my stuff sent to my new quarters." Siri left her boots by the door and followed the Jedi Master into the kitchen, where the kettle was just starting to spout steam.

Master Qui-Gon retrieved a second mug from the cupboard and set about making tea. He'd even remembered Siri's preferred sweet red variety, and she wondered if Anakin was a tea-drinker. It was difficult not to develop the habit around Master Jinn.

"So to what do I owe the pleasure of a visit?" The corners of Qui-Gon's eyes crinkled with humour. "I would have thought you'd be catching up with your friends."

"Everyone has duties for a bit longer." She frowned at the heat ripples in her cup as she stirred a spoonful of honey in. "I wanted to talk before Anakin gets back from his classes."

The Jedi Master's eyes flicked up from his own tea as he blew lightly across the surface. "It's about Obi-Wan, isn't it?"

"I...saw him. He helped me. Twice, actually," she said with a laugh. "I didn't tell the Council."

"No?"

"He didn't want his involvement known." She hesitated. "I figured someone known for flouting the Council's authority would appreciate that."

Qui-Gon gave a snort and put his tea back down on the counter before laughing. "You are right about that. It feels satisfying, doesn't it?"

"Is that really something we ought to be doing, though? Keeping information from the Council, or only just skirting the limits of the Code, I mean."

Sighing, Qui-Gon folded his arms on the countertop. "The Council means well, but many of them have not spent enough time outside the Temple. They don't understand that the Code doesn't apply evenly to every situation."

"Obi-Wan claimed you would have set the factions we were dealing with against each other."

He nodded. "Without knowing what your situation was, if he gave that assessment, he's likely correct. There are times when the authorities cannot act without making a situation worse. Their procedures would take too long, or they're flawed in favour of the perpetrators and do nothing to protect the victims. Or," he added with an arched brow, "the policies regarding procedure are politically biased and provide no benefit to those in need of protection. Regardless, certain situations are best handled by leaving the right information in the right hands and stepping back."

Siri smirked. "The Council would call that interference beyond the limits of the Order's purpose."

"Of course they would," Qui-Gon snorted. "We're so tightly bound to the will of the Senate now, that any Jedi involvement that does not follow precisely what a Senator wishes becomes grounds for censure. You can always trust a politician to have their own best interests at heart, but those rarely align with the best interests of their constituents. The Council is for the most part aware of this, but we have little power to begin even the slightest divestment."

"There would be screaming in the Senate if anyone proposed that." She could just imagine the accusations that would be thrown around.

"Before the Ruusan Reformation, the Supreme Chancellor seat was held by a Jedi - it was thought our ability to read the Force would lead to better compromises. Now we have no representation within the Senate at all." He sounded disgusted as he set another pot of tea to steep.

"But the Trade Federation, and other groups that represent corporate interests rather than systems, do."

"You see where the problem lies, then. What was Obi-Wan's solution to your problem?"

"We invented a competitor and made it look like third-party interference."

When Qui-Gon had finally stopped laughing, he sighed happily. "The best way to control responses. How is he?"

Siri frowned into her cup, then realised it was empty. "I tried to convince him to come home. He wouldn't even consider it."

Qui-Gon nodded and poured more tea for them both. "I would have been greatly surprised if he had. Obi-Wan's path is taking him somewhere a Jedi cannot walk."

"What does that mean, though? The Jedi should be able to handle any situation."

"Perhaps the Jedi of old might have been able to," he said, shaking his head, "but the Order has become increasingly monastic over the centuries. We're now meant to study theory without once placing ourselves at risk of testing it. I fear most Jedi now would not be suited to the more free-ranging missions our forebears made without hesitation."

Siri tapped a fingernail against the side of her cup, listening to the soft tink against the enamel. "Master An-chul did say there aren't nearly enough Jedi capable of Shadow work anymore."

"What the Shadows do now, many Jedi once undertook on a regular basis."

"That seems so strange to me."

Qui-Gon leaned back against the opposite counter edge and folded his arms, scowling at the far wall. "The Order fears the Dark so much, we would rather not risk its touch at all." He looked at her solemnly from under his brows. "Fear leads to hate."

Biting her lip, Siri said, "It can't be that bad, Master Qui-Gon. Can it?"

"Not yet, no. But only because for a thousand years there has been no evidence of the Sith's continued existence. What was the first thing the Council did when confronted with evidence of the Sith's return?"

"They turned Obi-Wan out." A chill ran down her spine. "Did he truly Fall?"

Qui-Gon sighed in resignation. "He did. Not irredeemably so, but the Council could not be swayed. How did he seem to you?"

"Darkened, but…." She laughed. "You know how he's always trying to help people? It's only gotten worse. He's going to have a ship full of orphans if he keeps going that way."

"He used to roll his eyes over my collections of 'pathetic life-forms'," Qui-Gon said with a satisfied smirk. "I'm glad to see him embrace the call of the Living Force once in a while."

Siri's comm pipped for attention. "Sorry, this is from the Healer-"

"By all means."

She thumbed the device on, suppressing a delighted grin at being able to say, "Knight Tachi."

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Siri. It's nothing related to your case, but we were wondering if you would object to Padawan Amersu staying with you for a while. Being alone right now would not be good for her, but neither would the unfamiliar surroundings in the Healers' wing, and she does at least know you from earlier."

Slowly, Siri raised her eyes to meet Qui-Gon's. The Jedi Master wasn't even trying to hide a broad, mischievous grin. "I suppose that would be acceptable. When should I collect her?"

The relief in the Healer's voice was evident. "After dinner, we're not going to subject her to the curious stares in the refectory right now."

"Makes sense. I'll go talk to the quartermaster." She ended the comm and leveled a finger at Qui-Gon. "Don't. You. Even. Start."

He just looked smug and made a gentle shooing gesture.

It was too damn early for a Council summons. Siri blinked blearily and stifled a yawn. Through the transparisteel outer wall of the lift to the Council chambers, dawn was just starting to blush the eastern sky. Xiaan clung to her hand, visibly dragging - but the Council had requested them both.

With the Padawan staying with her, Siri had chosen to comm Bant to postpone the housewarming party, and as a result hadn't been able to catch up with anyone other than Garen. She brightened a bit to see a pair of familiar faces waiting in the antechamber. "I wouldn't have thought you'd still be on Coruscant right now?"

Quinlan looked up from the mug of caff he was clutching like a holy relic and grinned. "Hey! We heard you were back!" He and Aayla set their drinks down just long enough for a round of hugs and introductions to Xiaan. The younger Padawan remembered Aayla from the creche, which cheered her up somewhat. The four of them slumped together on one of the couches and talked quietly about inconsequential things until they were summoned to the Council chamber.

Only three members of the Council were in attendance, Ki-Adi's Padawan leaning against the wall beside the door and blinking sleepily. Healer Basst and Master An-chul were already there, along with a Bith in the red-draped armour of a Judicial officer. The Kel Dor Jedi's ruddy skin was pale with exhaustion, and Siri broke propriety to ask, "Please tell us you haven't been here all night?"

"A wish I cannot grant." Basst bowed. "I will let Master Windu explain."

Master Windu nodded. "This is Officer Anatho." The Bith nodded to them politely. "We'll be coordinating with Judicial through them, because this matter extends beyond the Order. You know the bare details already, Knight Tachi, but we need to recap for Knight Vos and Padawan Secura. Padawan Amersu, do you wish to leave while we discuss this?"

The girl's fingers tightened on Siri's, but she shook her head. "I can handle it."

"Very well. Yesterday afternoon, Masters Peerce and J'Mikel - along with Padawan Amersu - were in the undercity pursuing leads on a series of homicides. Whoever's behind them takes a perverse pleasure in leaving the bodies on display." Windu's straight-face was close to cracking. "Peerce and J'Mikel were separated; both were killed, along with the Judicial officers they were intended to meet with. The difference is that whoever killed our people used a lightsaber in addition to the vibroblade used in other attacks. It may not be the same person, although there are a number of similarities between incidents."

Xiaan's grip on Siri's hand was painful; she dropped to one knee and pulled the girl in for a hug, whispering, "Still okay?" Xiaan nodded silently, and Siri glanced up to let Master Windu know he could continue.

"We know from Padawan Amersu's memories that it was a humanoid woman, but she was careful to strike from the shadows and disappear the same way. Her identity is unknown."

There was a soft noise from the back of the room; everyone looked to see the lone Council Padawan reeling back in surprise as a robed human woman literally walked through the closed door into the chamber. She was old enough for her hair to have gone fully silver, falling in soft waves to her shoulders. The woman stopped short in apparent surprise at the number of people already there.

"Well, so much for my intention to surprise you by being in your chair when you arrived, Mace," she said with a smirk.

Master Ki-Adi recovered first. He crossed the room to clasp her hands between his and bowed in deference. "Master Kuro."

"Oh, do stop that and give your former Master a proper hug." Her laugh broke the tension in the room; Siri and Quinlan exchanged an amused glance while Aayla covered a giggle with her hand. Officer Anatho sagged with relief, pressing a long-fingered hand to their chest, and Master Yoda somehow managed to look grumpier than usual.

Master Windu was shaking his head. "You do like to make an entrance, don't you?"

An'ya Kuro glanced at him, her expression going flat, and she stepped away from Ki-Adi. "It was faster than a shuttle. The Force told me I am needed here immediately." Her dark eyes locked on Xiaan, who was clinging to Siri's side, and softened. "I saw death in my dreams."

The former Master of Shadows stepped up beside Quinlan to face the Council properly as Master Ki-Adi returned to his seat. "You are discussing working in cooperation with Judicial in this matter?"

Mace raised his chin in acknowledgment. "We are."

"I need to be a part of it."

The Councilors exchanged glances, communicating silently. At last, Mace nodded. "Very well. Master Kuro, Knight Vos, and Padawan Secura will be coordinating with Officer Anatho. Knight Tachi, you have only just returned and we will not command you to be part of this, but you are welcome to volunteer; Master An-chul is Officer Anatho's point of contact."

Siri controlled a smirk; Master Windu knew her too well. "I would like to volunteer for this, thank you."

"Then we will release you to begin your investigation. May the Force be with you."

The Shadows had their own conference room not far from Master An-chul's office; by the time they arrived, a selection of breakfast foods from the refectory had been set on one end of the table.

An-chul grinned at their surprised reactions. "Eat. People think more clearly when they're not hungry." She set the example, selecting a few items and pouring herself a cup of caff, and sat back to examine the others' interactions.

There was immediate deference for Anatho, even though the options for the Bith were nearly inedible to anyone else. Tachi was assisting little Xiaan, and An-chul hid a satisfied smile behind her mug. When everyone was settled, she gestured for Anatho to take the lead.

Anatho had come prepared with a holofile which they plugged into the projector. [[What Master Windu didn't say is that we've been tracking a series of murders for going on two months, and there's a dozen more disappearances from before that time which we think might be related.]] The map they pulled up showed a time-lapse development, points of colour indicating each incident. [[It's been increasing in profile, although they have so far remained in the undercity. We've already conducted interviews with the people who last saw the other victims prior to yesterday's incident, and the victims appear to have been chosen for convenience.]]

"Until the Jedi got involved." An-chul shook her head. "I'm sorry, my friend. We made your team a target."

Anatho sighed. [[The job has its risks, and we accept that. However, we suspect that this has all been for the purpose of attracting the Order's attention.]]

"If that was the case, why wouldn't they have simply used a lightsaber from the start?" Tachi asked.

Anatho opened their mouth to answer when An'ya leaned forward. "Because it was to get the attention of a specific Jedi. Namely, me. When I said my dreams have been dark, I didn't just mean yesterday. Yesterday's was merely the most specific, and allowed me to at last locate the source."

An-chul met her predecessor's eyes across the table. "I sincerely hope you're wrong, An'ya."

"As do I." The former Master of Shadows glanced at the others. "I fear this is the work of my last Padawan, Aurra Sing."

Vos made a sound of surprised recognition but gestured for her to continue.

"Aurra left the Order twelve years ago, when she was sixteen. Her intention was to return home, but we don't know precisely what happened until a few years ago when she started making a name for herself as a bounty hunter. We know she's responsible for the deaths of several Jedi since then."

"We spotted her briefly on Tatooine a couple years ago," Vos said. "Didn't want to get too close."

"Wise of you," An'ya replied with a grim smile. "Aurra bears something of a grudge against us."

"But why did she leave?" a small voice piped up.

Everyone turned in surprise, having forgotten entirely that Padawan Amersu was sitting quietly beside Tachi. The Twi'lek girl covered her mouth with her hands. "I'm sorry…."

"No, that's an excellent question, Padawan." An'ya sighed. "Aurra was a troubled child from a troubled home, and she came to us late. My training methods were...uncompromising, and they had served well for many difficult students. Not so for Aurra, and for that I have only myself to blame. When something didn't work, I pushed harder rather than asking why. When she struggled to focus, I enforced more discipline rather than seeking an alternative. My pride and unwillingness to concede hurt a vulnerable child, destroyed her trust in the Jedi, and drove her from us.

"And that is why I believe that the deaths of so many here on Coruscant are for the purpose of bringing me here to her. I have been in seclusion for a long time, meditating upon my failure, and she would not have been able to find me otherwise."

Vos grunted. "So it's a trap, then. And the only way to spring it is to give her what she wants."

"Not necessarily." Tachi had a sly sort of grin on her face. "We give her what she expects to see, then drop what she wants on her head."

"Oh, great," muttered Secura. "We get to be the bait again."

The place where Masters J'Mikel and Peerce had been killed utterly reeked in the Force. Quinlan winced and wished he could pull his senses back in, but the whole point was to look like a massive unsuspecting target. Judicial had done their job, removing the bodies, but he could see where they had been, feel what had been done to them. It turned his stomach, and he spared a moment to check on Aayla. His Padawan looked pale but determined as she sifted through the lingering echoes in the Force.

There had been a building here at one time, built on top of the older surface. Only the duracrete foundation and parts of the walls and supporting superstructure remained, creating irregular shadows among the piles of refuse that had built up in the years since. Some tenacious form of invasive ivy clung to the cracks and corners. It had become a dumping-ground and a squat, but the locals had all fled in the last couple days.

According to the report from Judicial, the Peace Officers had been intercepted by a child begging for help; their parent had been attacked by something. Quinlan could taste it on the back of his tongue: the slow escalation of violence and death intended to snare Peerce's attention and draw the Jedi Master in. There was something else layered with it, a cloying haze that collected like fog in his mind. Almost like-

"Master!"

The screech and snap of lightsabers connecting brought Quin around. A wiry, pallid woman bore down on Aayla, red-bladed saber hissing. The flare of ions sparking off the blades lit the woman's savage grin with a hellish glare.

Quinlan threw himself toward them, knowing he was too far away to help. Of course you are, that was the whole point!

Sing made a sharp gesture with her off hand, and Quin rolled to avoid a chunk of broken masonry aimed at his head.

Two could play that game: he stretched out through the Force and snagged a filthy sheet left flapping from a line by one of the squatters, flinging it toward Sing like a net. Sing kicked Aayla hard in the stomach, sending her tumbling into a corroded support column, and slashed at the sheet. The severed edges flared and charred, but Quinlan managed to wrap the larger part around Sing's face.

Snarling curses, the woman didn't even bother pulling the fabric away. Her blade intercepted his on its way in, and Quin danced out of the way of the return strike. Sing shook the blanket away and charged after him with a hiss.

It was physically painful to be in her presence: Sing was bleeding rage and hatred into the Force around them like an arterial wound. The toxic mess sapped at his energy, acid burning at the edges of his shields.

Master!

No, stay back! Try to make her split her focus!

Sing snarled as debris pelted at her, bits of broken mortar and shattered glass and anything else Aayla could throw; she tried to maneuver Quin into the path, but Aayla was better than that, shifting the angle.

Until Sing dropped instead of trying to dodge, and he caught half of a brick squarely in the face. Sparks exploded across his vision and Quin threw himself backward as he heard Aayla shriek in alarm.

His sight cleared in time to see Siri appear out of nowhere to deflect Sing's flying strike at Aayla; the pallid woman flew sideways into a wall from a kick powered by the Force, and Quinlan winced at the alarming pop of snapping bone.

Sing picked herself up and pressed back against the wall, the three Jedi blocking her in, sabers in guard position. She sneered at them and rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's right: you don't kill people, do you?" she mocked. "Let's see how solid your convictions really are." A second lightsaber appeared in her left hand, its blade as red as the first.

The jaundiced, brittle ivy spreading across the 'crete underfoot flushed dark green and moved, coiling snake-like around Sing's feet. She was gone in an instant, leaping high over their heads; the three Jedi scattered out of reach as she landed behind where they'd been standing. The ivy was visibly growing, long tendrils lashing out toward the bounty hunter.

"Master Kuro!" Sing snarled. She sliced the ends off a branch that reached for her, but it kept growing. "Just the woman I've been looking for. Quit hiding like a coward and face me!" Devices strapped to her forearms powered up and jets of flame shot out; the burning fuel clung to the leaves and raced along the vines, carbonized bits falling away as the plants charred.

Quin charged forward at the same time as Siri; lightsabers screeched as Sing caught their blades on hers. He caught the grin on Siri's face as the Force brought them into sync with each other, just as it had a lifetime ago in team spars in the training salle. He would revel in the feeling later; Sing had come prepared for Master Kuro, and there was an increasing chance that this was going to get someone very dead if they weren't careful.

Master Kuro made her move when they had Sing turned away from the burning remains of the greenery, walking out of the flames like the myth her targets had named her: the Dark Woman, a silhouette cloaked in night. "Hello Aurra."

The sweeping foot that took his knees from under him was a surprise; Quin hissed as his kneecap hit a chunk of rubble as he rolled. Sing had thrown Siri back into a pile of rubbish and now turned to face Kurro and her violet and amber blades.

"Finally." The nasty smile was audible in Sing's voice. "I've been waiting a long time for this."

Master Kuro sighed. "It's never too late to come back, Aurra."

The other woman spat; the saliva hissed as it hit the flames around Master Kuro's feet. "You assume I ever wanted to be there!" She lunged forward, a solid wave of Force energy extinguishing the burning plants as she attacked.

We cannot play fairly this time, Master Kuro had said. It might have been a personal duel, but there were times when the greater plan was more important. Quinlan and Siri joined the fight again, while Aayla stayed out of range, once more using the Force to throw distractions at Sing.

Sing was fast, she was good, and even three skilled Jedi barely kept up with her. It was a good thing that their entire goal was to wear her out.

Quinlan caught another boot to the chest and fell back, winded; the stun shot zipped past overhead and caught Sing squarely between the shoulder blades. Even then she wasn't entirely out: Sing dropped to one knee with a yell of rage. It was Kuro's lightsaber hilt connecting with Sing's temple that finally felled her.

Groaning, Quin allowed Officer Anatho to give him a hand up. "Good timing."

[[Apologies I couldn't shoot earlier; one of you was always in the way.]] The Bith officer eyed the unconscious woman and shook their head. [[Although perhaps it is for the best I couldn't.]]

Siri accepted the inhibitor cuffs from Anatho with a wince. "Man, I hate using these things on people."

"That's because you know what they feel like," Master Kuro said grimly. "Officer, our usual procedures are in a grey area. Sing is officially one of ours, however she has also murdered Judicial officers and a number of civilians."

Anatho turned to summon a group of officers who had arrived with an armoured speeder. [[For now, the Jedi are the best equipped to contain her. That may change, depending on the outcome of her trial.]]

It was a lovely world. Very...green, pleasantly humid. Unpopulated - officially, although there were a few small independent settlements of sentients who simply wanted to be left alone - in a backwater of the Outer Rim off the main trade routes. The nearest systems hadn't even been named, and it was less than a day's travel from his homeworld.

There was nobody to care about it, and nobody to complain about an "independent" industrial operation.

Quarren Senator Tikkes settled in the shade beneath their landed cruiser while his underlings fussed about clearing the underbrush and setting up the diagnostic scanners. Initial surveys had already proven the world to be mineral-rich, but going through the Senate's Interplanetary Development Committee, he had discovered, would take far too long, and would definitely alert his competitors to his interest in the planet.

He certainly couldn't have that, now! The fewer people aware of Cophrigin V's quality, the better.

A commotion at the ship's entry ramp made him scowl. [[What are you fussing about this time,]] he snapped.

Taddik, the science officer, hurried out, tentacles twitching in frustration. [[One of the scanner teams is failing to report in, Senator. Team two finished their work and went to check, and they too failed to comm in.]]

Unacceptable! Tikkes stalked up the ramp into the ship. [[You're certain there are no large predators?]]

[[None, sir. It's possible the area for sensor three has some magnetic disturbance which might be distorting communications, but the sensors' calibration sequence would have picked it up and advised moving to a more stable area.]]

Tikkes prodded at the holographic map in irritation. Each team had gone a kilometer out into the jungle in order to get the best readings; it couldn't take that long for them to at least walk back and report equipment failure. [[Taddik, send a security detail out to team three. We can't expect scientists to remember procedures outside of a lab.]]

When his order went unacknowledged, Tikkes turned to glare at the science officer, but the fluttery little man had vanished. Typical! The entire trip had been plagued with crew who only half understood their jobs. It felt like the universe was mocking him, and the Senator's skin flushed with ire. Grumbling under his breath, he marched to the cruiser's bridge to get the comms officer to issue the orders.

The bridge was empty. The Senator stared around in consternation. There should have been four officers on duty plus the captain. Did nobody on this entire ship have a sense of responsibility?! A light was flashing on the comms panel, and he stormed over to accept the transmission.

[[What is it?!]]

The voice on the other end said something garbled; it took the Senator a moment to recognise the heavily-accented Basic. "Turn around."

[[What is this, some sort of prank? I will see the lot of you fired for this indignity!]]

The comm returned a deep, grating laugh which was echoed by someone behind him; Tikkes felt the flesh ripple across the back of his head as he turned. A Trandoshan hunter filled the doorway, a heavy blaster leveled in Tikkes' direction.

[[I-if this is about money, I can-]]

"Money has been paid," the comm responded. "Bossk and I have a message to give you: your former business partners send their regards."