Chapter Thirty-six

"Well that was a complete waste of time."

Aeryn shook her head at Atton's dark mood, her thoughts mostly inward. "Not entirely. The Administrator was just trying to be diplomatic; you can't blame her for wanting to protect her people."

Bao-Dur added in solemn agreement. "She has no reason to trust us."

"No reason not to either," Mira grumbled, her attitude matching Atton's. "Is this what it's always like being a Jedi? I mean, where's the 'Thank you for saving me' or gifts of gratitude?"

Unable to suppress a somewhat bitter chuckle, Aeryn replied, "Don't believe everything you see in holos."

"So what's the plan now?" Canderous asked, resting his repeater on one burly shoulder. "Head to the Enclave?"

"Going to the Ruins, are you?" The group turned and peered curiously at the sharp eyed middle-aged woman as she slowly emerged from the building behind them, a timid girl no older than ten cycles following in her shadow. "Yes, I suppose that make sense. Heard you talking to the Administrator, you see - I seem to have become quite the eavesdropper in my old age." The woman chuckled to herself while her young charge made a valiant effort to both hide her face and stare at the strangers at the same time. "You'll probably have better luck than them damned salvagers did, anyway, you being…you know, what you are and all."

"You mean being Jedi," Aeryn clarified slowly as she studied the time-ravaged features and sun-bleached hair of the settler woman. The child behind her, probably her grandchild, looked fresh and new compared to her guardian's leathery, wrinkled skin. Despite the settler's open demeanor, Aeryn could sense nothing of her motives, but she couldn't help but be pleased that at least someone was willing to speak openly with them. "We don't mean anyone any harm, I assure you."

The woman chuckled again and surprised Aeryn with a kindly pat on the shoulder. "Words are so easy to say and so often worthless. But you do seem to mean well, so I'll pass on something our fair administrator surely neglected to mention." She leaned in close and lowered her voice. "Those Ruins there are haunted."

Atton scoffed. "Haunted?"

"Shh!" the settler hissed with a fierce glare. "Keep quiet you damned fool. It's not something to be spoken of lightly!"

Atton looked ready to snap back at her, but Aeryn shot him a look and turned back to her new acquaintance. "What do you mean 'haunted'?"

"Well," the older woman scratched the side of her face thoughtfully, "I'm not really sure, you see. No one is. But them salvagers…when they came out of there, they were different. Really skittish like, scared of everything that moved. And those were the ones that made it out – a few of them were never seen again."

Looking surprisingly interested, Mira pressed, "What did they say happened?"

"Well that's just it, honey, they wouldn't say a word. The Administrator made them all come in to be interviewed by security when rumors started spreading that one of them turned up dead, but they wouldn't speak one word of what happened down there. Not one word. But," she leaned forward conspiratorially, her voice low and dramatic, "the one body they did find was covered in burns, with a this…hole right through his heart."

"Sounds like they messed with something they shouldn't have," Bao-Dur murmured softly, sharing a significant look with his leader. "Or someone."

Aeryn nodded, worry set in her expression. "What do you think they saw?" Aeryn eventually asked the settler. "Ghosts?"

The older woman shifted her weight as she prepared her response. Aeryn's eyes shifted to the shy child clinging to the settler's back as not the woman but the girl spoke first. "I-it's the spirits…of t-the Jedi."

"Hush child," the woman soothed as she looped her arm protectively around the girl. "Don't get yourself in a bother now. So long as we stay away from what's theirs, they won't bother with us."

"Well," Aeryn began uncertainly, "while I'm not one to believe in ghosts, I appreciate your warning. We'll be careful."

The woman nodded. "See that do now. No matter what you believe, dear, there is something down there."

"Oh, of that I'm certain. We should get moving; thank you again."

Atton sidled up beside her as they started across the grassy plain. "So you think this Vrook guy is down there playing ghost?"

"I wouldn't be surprised to find him there, no," Aeryn admitted, but her face was troubled. "What bothers me is that dead salvager. Vrook's no gentle loving soul, but for him to murder thieves just doesn't fit."

"Then you have a higher opinion of him than I do," Canderous grumbled.

"It's not a matter of opinion. Vrook is entirely rigid in his way of thinking and he used to get impatient, even angry, about anything that he found contrary to his beliefs. But to cut down a salvager?" Aeryn shook her head, a troubled frown lingering on her forehead.

"Maybe he's not the same man you knew before, General," Bao-Dur said frankly. "Much could have changed."

"If you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting, I'm afraid that's something I just can't believe. Vrook would rather die than fall."

"Atris fell." The Iridonian didn't seem pleased to point out the obvious, but continued nonetheless. "She's a Jedi Master as well."

"You don't understand," Aeryn shook her head, frustrated. "Atris always seemed…well, she had that same thing about her that Revan always had." Her gaze drifted unintentionally to Canderous, but she seemed to be seeing through him as she spoke. "This…doubt always lurking just below the surface, that she'd never talk about or admit to, but we all knew it was there. Vrook was nothing like them."

The group lapsed into silence as they trekked across the windy grassland, each lost in their own private musings for a time. "Still," Canderous eventually spoke up, "we can't afford to let our guard down."

"No, you're right about that," Aeryn admitted. "This isn't going to be easy anyway you look at it…I'm just hoping for the best."

Atton snorted and muttered to himself, "If things do go well, it would be a first for us, that's for sure."

Falling once more into silence, the five made their way toward the Ruins, none of them aware of the old woman shadowing their movements some distance behind them in the thick grass.

-

"This place is amazing," Mira murmured under her breath as she browsed through the archives displayed on the flickering, unstable console. Beside her, Bao-Dur was nodding his awed agreement as he stared at another, slightly more decrepit panel, but the huntress was utterly absorbed in her findings. "There's just so much knowledge in here. You could study this your whole life and only barely scratch the surface!"

"Agreed," Aeryn muttered as she scowled at the very slow transfer rate displayed on her datapad, "which is why I'm trying to salvage what I can. This stuff should not be forgotten."

"I think we hit the jackpot," Atton grinned as he stepped out of the hallway to join them, his cloak bundled into a makeshift sack in his hands. "Just look at all this."

As he gently lowered the cloak to the ground, Aeryn turned her full attention to him as she heard the sound of metal and crystals rubbing together. "Wow," she said as she leaned over the mass of lightsaber parts. "Where did you find all this?"

A dark look passed over the scoundrel's face and he glanced away for a moment. "Some of it I'd rather not say," he admitted, but he ignored the pained look that crossed Aeryn's face and continued, "but most of it was locked in some kind of storage area. Some power surge blew out the controls, but I managed to get it open." He picked up a small, colorless crystal and rolled it thoughtfully between his fingers as he asked, "So what do you think? Is most of this salvageable?"

The Exile nodded as she replied, "I think so. Most of it just looks dirty and a little banged up. Good work."

Atton grinned and winked, but Aeryn's attention shifted as Canderous strode into the room, his armor dotted with blood. Before she could open her mouth, the Mandalorian waved her off impatiently and said, "It's not mine. Some vermin have moved in to the other side of these ruins and they didn't take too kindly to my presence. I don't think there's much over there worth finding anyway – it was mostly rubble. I did find something you need to see though. Now."

"Oh?" Aeryn responded distractedly as she glanced at the progress of her datapad, sighing inwardly that it was only halfway done with the transfer. "What's that?"

"A door. Let's go."

Aeryn frowned at him from the corner of her eye. "A door?"

"That's right. Come on."

"You want to show me a door?"

"Yes, a locked door."

"Oh. Well I'm sure Atton or Mira can take care of…."

"No," Canderous interrupted. "Not that kind of lock."

Aeryn turned her frown on him fully. "Not that…Canderous, what are you…."

Despite the Helm of Mandalore that covered his features, Aeryn had the distinct impression that Canderous was giving her a dirty look. "It's a little hard to explain, but there's appears to be a shield around it, Aeryn. Now I could be wrong, but I'm thinking that maybe it has something to do with the Jedi you're looking for. Maybe."

"You know," Aeryn grumbled as she started to shut down her datapad, "sarcasm does not suit you, Mandalore."

"Just leave that, General," Bao-Dur stopped her with a nod at her datapad. "I'll stay behind and finish the transfer. There's a few corrupted systems I'd like to see if I can save anything from anyway."

"Great, thanks," Aeryn said with a fleeting smile, trying her best to ignore the nauseating twists her stomach was performing as Vrook was vaulted to the forefront of her mind once more. "The rest of us will check this mystery door out – catch up when you're ready."

"You got it, General. Be careful."

Canderous led the way through the crumbling ruins that had once been home to Revan and so many other Jedi. They were forced to step over several corpses, all of them old and picked to bare bones by scavengers, but their grinning skulls were disturbing nonetheless. Occasionally Aeryn would see glimpses of memories through the Force, faint traces of her twin's life that lingered in the devastated halls. Those, mingled with her doubts about meeting with Vrook, were dominating her mind completely as Atton fell into step beside her.

"Are you going to be okay?" She startled and stared blankly at his concerned face. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you look like you're going to be sick."

Aeryn frowned at her feet, shaking her head a little as the words to properly express how she was feeling fled from her. "I just have a really bad feeling about this." When Atton did not reply, she glanced at his grim face. "You too?"

The scoundrel tried to push out a carefree grin, but the worry in his stormy eyes could not be hidden. "Well, you said only to say something if I don't have a bad feeling. So I was just trying to follow orders…Master."

"I don't know, I just feel like…we're not supposed to be here right now. Like this is happening too soon…I-I don't know how to explain it." The weary Exile sighed, but her expression hardened with determination. "Too late to cry about it now."

"Now you see why I wanted to show you," Canderous said as he nodded his head toward the faintly glowing door a few feet ahead of them. "What do you make of it?"

"Well…it's a barrier," Aeryn said blandly, standing at a safe distance from the Force shield, "one that has to be consciously maintained."

"So he's alive in there?" Mira asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," Aeryn answered almost absently as she studied the door, gently probing it with the Force, "assuming it is who we think it is of course."

Atton shot her an incredulous look. "It couldn't be anyone else…could it?"

"Well, I doubt it," Aeryn looked a little flustered by the notion, "but since I can't sense anything beyond this door, it's best not to assume we know what to expect."

The scoundrel shook his head and scowled. "Yeah, that bad feeling's getting worse."

Aeryn ignored his comment and stepped closer to the door. "I'm going to try to manipulate the shield." Cautiously she raised one hand toward the door, focusing the Force through her hand, a look of deep concentration cut into her features. Instantly the barrier vanished.

Mira stepped up beside Aeryn and ran her hand over the smooth surface of the door wonderingly. "Nice job."

"I didn't do anything," Aeryn replied with a dark frown. "He knows we're here."

"Oh. Well that's…not reassuring at all, oddly enough."

"No, it's not."

"Sooo…" Atton shook his head questioningly and moved up beside them, "we just…go in?"

Canderous sighed and brushed past them impatiently. "Enough with the dramatics," he growled, punching the door console and stepping into the dim room that opened before them.

As she followed the Mandalorian into the dark room, Aeryn was immediately grateful that it was mid-day and the sun was still high in the sky. A gaping hole in the tall, domed ceiling, probably caused by Malak's bombardment several years prior, was the room's only light source.

"Looks like the lighting controls have been trashed," Atton whispered, nodding toward a crushed panel on the wall just inside the door. His eyes swept through the shadows around them and he seemed surprised at the size of the chamber. "What is this place?"

"Main archives," Aeryn whispered back, her hand resting uneasily on the hilt of her lightsaber as they moved slowly between the rows of broken, dust-covered computer terminals. "Lectures were held at the far end and the rest of the library was a study area for the younglings and padawans.

"Some of this damage is more recent," Canderous noted, his voice quiet but carrying more loudly than Aeryn would have liked. "This," he motioned with his repeater toward an overturned terminal, " was not caused by the original attack here."

"Someone trying to steal the information here? The salvagers?"

"No, not that recent. I don't think those salvagers could have made it this far anyway."

"They didn't."

Aeryn's hand tightened on her 'saber the moment her ears heard the familiar, gravely voice, but she forced herself to leave the weapon clipped on her belt. She was too focused to notice, but her companions mirrored her actions exactly, all but Canderous who kept his repeater leveled defiantly at the stooped man that emerged from the shadows at the end of the lecture hall.

Vrook stared at her levelly, his face revealing no hint of emotion. "Why are you here, Exile?"

"I'm looking for you actually," Aeryn replied, measuring her words carefully to cover for the shock she felt at his appearance. The once proud, powerful Jedi Master looked…old, far more so than Master Ell had, as if twice the time had passed for him since they'd last met. His skin was abnormally pale, his posture hunched as if under a great weight, and his hair had faded to a silvery gray. The same stubborn pride shone behind his pale eyes, but it was worn down, corrupted by an edge of doubt that Aeryn could never had imagined she'd see in Master Vrook. "We need your help, Master."

"There is no place for you here," Vrook snapped as if he hadn't heard her speak. "The Jedi are all but extinct…or have you come to finish the job?"

"No, Master Vrook," Aeryn urged, desperately hoping he was actually listening. "Revan sent me back to seek the Council."

The old man snorted in disgust. "The Council. There is no Council. You would have done better to stay in exile."

"Listen to me, there is a Council, and it must gather. Revan had a vision that I had to seek the Council to save the Republic. I've already spoken to Zez-Kai Ell and Master Kavar, and both have agreed to meet here as soon as they are able."

Vrook seemed to be really looking at her for the first time, but something in his stance was wrong. "And what of Atris? You have met with her as well."

Aeryn's face turned ashen as she murmured, "You know Atris is alive? How?"

"Because he is in league with her." A flush of dread ran through Aeryn's body as Kreia's voice spoke softly from behind them, and the Exile whirled to face the old woman in stunned silence.

Master Vrook's lightsaber sprang to life in his hand at the sight of Kreia, and his eyes narrowed murderously as he growled, "You."

"This one is under my protection, old fool," Kreia sneered, surprising Aeryn and the others with the venom in her tone. "You will not have her."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Aeryn demanded.

Kreia's voice was soft, almost compassionate as she replied, "Protecting you."

Vrook's gaze shifted to Aeryn and he shook his head bitterly. "So you have allied yourself with this woman? Either you have fallen much farther than even I could have imagined, or you truly have no idea what this creature is. Any bargain with her is a bargain for your soul."

"She is not an ally," Aeryn finally managed to deny. "Not really. She is…a necessary evil for the moment. I cannot complete my mission without her."

"Then you are beyond hope," Vrook said in a tone that suggested regret.

"You cannot trust him, Exile," Kreia sneered at the Jedi Master. "He has already admitted to knowledge of Atris' existence, and you now know her true intentions."

"I only know of Atris as far as to know that she lives," Vrook snapped in defense. "I watched her Echani raid the archives here not long ago."

"They didn't see you?" Aeryn asked.

"No. I stayed out of sight, but I heard them speak Atris' name. Since all they sought was information, I didn't try to stop them."

"Lies," Kreia hissed. "How could you know the Exile had met with Atris if that were all there is to it?" Aeryn stared at Kreia in surprise, then turned her eyes to Master Vrook. The old man scowled darkly at the crone, but did not respond. "Would it surprise you to know that he also murdered that salvager, Exile?"

"Murdered?" Vrook snarled, his face contorted with an anger that Aeryn had never before seen. "That fool killed himself and his death would have been far longer and more painful had I not ended his life!"

"And yet you admit to ending it so freely!" Kreia stood tall and triumphant, her bronze blade slowly coming to life in her hand as she said, "You are a murderer in league with our enemies."

"No, stop!" Aeryn stepped between the two tense people, her eyes wide and pleading. "Please, don't do this. We need to work together, we need to talk about this!"

Vrook's voice had dropped once more, his face sad but utterly determined. "I can trust nothing you say. She has corrupted you, even if you do not yet know it. I cannot allow her to live."

"It doesn't have to be this way," Aeryn implored, wishing she had Revan's talent for talking people down. "I can't let you hurt her, Master, but I won't raise a blade against you. Please."

The sorrow in Vrook's eyes intensified, and for a moment Aeryn thought he would indeed back down. "I'm sorry, Aeryn," Vrook said softly and Aeryn's heart sank as he raised his 'saber and dropped into a battle stance.

Everything happened so quickly then that Aeryn didn't even have a chance to move before it was too late. There was a flash of deep blue in the air above Aeryn's head, a crash of lightsabers too fast for the eyes to follow, and then only silence.

Breathing heavily, Bao-Dur gazed down at Vrook's crumpled body for a few seconds before turning his gaze to Aeryn's shocked face. There was no regret in his soft brown eyes.

A/N: I am so sorry for the insanely long delay in posting this. A few days after my last chapter was posted, my computer died completely, and while I keep meticulous backups, it's been a long process adjusting to my new PC and Vista. I'm hoping to actually get back into a writing schedule now. This chapter was originally not this long, but I figured that after such a long absence it would be better not to give a cliffhanger ending. I know people are either going to love this chapter or hate it, but it's an important moment for future events, so I apologize for nothing. :P Thank you for reviews and hope you enjoy.