The scent of Manaan's salty water filled Penn's nostrils. He inhaled deep, basking in the cool ocean breeze and savoring the fast-fading twilight sunbeams. There is no emotion, the Jedi Padawan silently meditated. There is -

"- A Betrayer..."

Startled by the haunting voice invading the solace of his mind, Penn's eyelids flew open. He jerked his head to and fro, desperately searching for the source of the ominous whisper, only to find himself alone on Nikolaj's patio overlooking the sea, just as before.

Believing the odd occurrence to be nothing more than a figment of his admittedly wild imagination, Penn closed his eyes, calmed his mind and allowed the Force to consume his thoughts. Yet, for a second time in as many minutes, the same aging voice breathed in his ear. "The Betrayer is near," the feminine voice called to him through the Force, captivating his mind. "Trust no one. Be vigilant. The time of your betrayal approaches, child."

Child.

The Jedi sifted through his deepest memories until his head began to throb from the inside out. Child, he thought once more. Why would she call me child? The source of the mysterious voice was unknown yet, for reasons he could not comprehend, exceedingly familiar; like something out of a dream or a distant memory. Deep in his soul, he was absolutely certain he had encountered the unseen speaker before.

The familiarity of the voice harkened back; back further than he could remember. Back to the days of a childhood he no longer knew... Who are you? he wordlessly questioned, his racing heart threatening to thump out of his chest. I know you.

"Are you so sure of that fact?" the woman deflected his question with a question of her own. Though haughty, an undeniable hint of fondness for Penn laced the familiar stranger's tone, a subtle nuance not lost on the Padawan. "Perhaps the Council's attempts to destroy you were not as successful as once assumed. Those arrogant fools," she gleefully mused before her aging voice adopted a tone so sharp, it sent an icy shiver down Penn's spine. "Heed my words, child: The betrayer is near. Trust only in your training."

A cocktail of insatiable curiosity and overwhelming warmth directed toward the woman brewed in Penn's heart and mind as his brows knit in bewilderment. How do you know I'm going to be betrayed? he asked.

"Only betrayers such as I understand the hearts and minds of fellow betrayers," she answered, cryptic. "There will always be a betrayer. Such is the way of life, and of the Force."

Sensing his time with the woman was growing nigh, Penn sorted through the hundreds of questions in his mind. He sensed the woman would not reveal her identity, nor would she reveal the identity of his impending betrayer. So instead, he settled upon a question at the root of their encounter: Who am I that you would care what happens to me?

To Penn's dismay, his question was met with deafening silence. Several agonizing minutes passed with no reply. However, just when the Jedi's hopes of receiving a response were all but squelched, the woman replied, her time-weathered voice on the edge of inaudible whisper. "... You, child, are precious to me…" And just as suddenly as the puzzling encounter had begun, Penn once again found himself alone with his thoughts.

His focus shifted from the impending mission to the mysterious woman's words of caution until the sound of his lover's voice echoing in the near distance brought Penn's mind back to the present. "Hmm?" he murmured, directing his attention to his partner as he slowly parted his eyelids.

"I asked if you were ready," Bastila said as she rubbed her crossed arms, her every joint and muscle aching with morbid anticipation.

Penn nodded and rose to his feet as Nikolaj emerged from the sliding doors behind Bastila, two chrome belts looped around his left forearm.

The Force-sensitive architect underhand tossed one of the belts to Penn, then handed the second identical device to Bastila as he took his place beside her. "Here are the stealth generators you requested, as promised," Nikolaj stated as he rested his hand upon his childhood friend's shoulder. "They're premium quality, the best credits can buy according to the Iridonian dealer, though I still believe that there must be another way. I've been in the Sith base on numerous occasions. Much like the Republic base, all you need to do is show proper identifica-"

"Nik," Bastila quietly interrupted, hoping to quell his apprehension for what she prayed would be the final time that evening. "We cannot afford to alert the Sith of our presence on Manaan by presenting our identification to their officials. It's far too risky for us, for you and for the mission. Based on the limited options available to us and the need for absolute secrecy, Penn believes this is the safest, most efficient means of infiltrating the Sith base. I'm inclined to agree with his judgement. In all our time together, his strategies have never once failed me. I know it's difficult, but if this mission is to succeed, you need to trust him. I do."

Nikolaj stared blankly at Bastila before narrowing his eyes in Penn's general direction for a fraction of a second. The glower may have been fleeting, but for Penn, it cemented his theory that Nikolaj did not trust him. "Of course," Nikolaj begrudgingly agreed, forcing a slit of a smile. "If you trust his judgement, I suppose I should as well. Forgive me, Penn. It's been a long while since I've done anything of this nature. Til knows."

The architect's response was polite, as always. However, Penn noticed Nikolaj's tightly clenched fists resting uncomfortably at his sides, signalling his frustration. Silently clicking his tongue between his teeth, Penn paused, subtly watching Nikolaj's knuckles turn ghostly white, before responding. "Not a problem," Penn coolly replied, mirroring Nikolaj's thin, strained smile. "I understand… Now that we're all settled, shall we get a move on? We need to be out of here before the curfew starts."

"Yes," Bastila nodded, grateful for an end to the mounting tension. "Let's."

Penn was the first to leave the breezy patio. He fastened the stealth generator around his trim waist as he walked inside toward the compound's exit. As Bastila took a quarter-step toward the doors to join Penn inside, however, Nikolaj grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to his chest, a brash and somewhat risque move she never would have expected of him. "Yes?" she demurely questioned, battling the redness blossoming on the apples of her cheeks.

"There's something off about him, Til," Nikolaj sharply whispered in her ear, glancing over Bastila's shoulder to glare at Penn through narrowed eyes. "It's been troubling me since his arrival, but I can't quite put a finger on what exactly it is." Bastila's crimson cheeks morphed into an unhealthy shade of pale, though Nikolaj didn't seem to notice as he continued on. "I know this may not be what you want to hear, Bastila, but be careful. There's a darkness lurking just beneath the surface; I know it. I can sense it. He's hiding something."

Instead of arguing Nikolaj's harsh accusations against the man she dearly loved, Bastila bit her lower lip until she tasted a hint of warm blood. Fearing her longtime friend may be able to feel her pulse racing, Bastila wriggled her sweat-dampened wrist free of his grip. "May the Force be with you, Nikolaj," she breathlessly wished before scurrying inside the compound.

Perhaps it was the anxiety surrounding the delicate mission that lay ahead. Perhaps it was the thought of the two men she cared most deeply for meeting an untimely end in the Sith Embassy. Perhaps it was Nikolaj's newfound quest to uncover Penn's dark secret. Or perhaps it was simply because her frayed nerves could withstand the mounting pressure no longer, but for the first time since bringing down Darth Revan's flagship, Bastila felt nothing.

The unshakable Jedi Knight was completely numb…

A/N - Thought I'd forgotten about you guys, didn't you?

I sincerely and profusely apologize for my absence. This past year has been quite the rollercoaster. I accepted my first 'big girl job' halfway across the country (USA, for those who may not know), had a major health scare that nearly took my life, one of my closest friends became my boyfriend (he escaped the friendzone!), and I lost several family members, including my grandmother yesterday morning. I'm not telling you this for pity or praise, of course. I'm telling you this so you don't skewer and/or hate me for my yearlong hiatus.

Now that life has calmed down a bit, I plan to write more frequently. This chapter is intentionally shorter than the usual ones; I wanted to give everyone a chance to get reaquainted with the story before fully diving in. Hopefully all of you can find a place in your hearts - and FanFic time! - to give Until the Stars Fade another chance.

As always, your thoughts, feedback, reviews, etc., are greatly appreciated. Reading reviews of my fic is extremely helpful, increases my motivation to write and helps draw in more readers.

Thanks again!