Chapter 16

Vestara Khai tossed and turned in her bed, cursing her inability to sleep. The following morning, she would need to be quick, vigilant, and energized, and all of that stemmed from being well-rested. But how she could rest with the gears in her head spinning at lightspeed? Her mind was laser-focused on the mission, thinking of how it had gone off-track and how her plans had to change.

She had left Ben Skywalker at the nightclub, alive and well. Well, "well" was not quite accurate; he was still somewhat drunk and recovering from the beating he had sustained at the hands of that alien. As she returned to her hotel, she raged inwardly at her decision to not kill him. Yes, it had been justified, but it had also been incredibly risky. He could have figured out she was a Sith and warned the Jedi. He could have changed his mind about meeting up with her again, and she would have been forced to track him down again, likely raising his suspicions in the process. Or he could have left Coruscant to go on some mission, and she would have been unable to follow him.

Vestara had never taken risks like that before, which begged the question, Why am I taking such a big risk now?

Because my future is at stake, she reminded herself. Killing Ben Skywalker will be the gateway to new opportunities for me. If I had killed him when he was unable to defend himself, those opportunities would have gone away. I need to kill him when he's at his best; that is the only way to prove myself to the Sith.

She knew that time was of the essence. The longer she waited to kill Ben, the greater her chances were of being discovered. Therefore, she resolved to complete her mission the following morning. Ben would arrive at her hotel room, expecting to hang out. Vestara would engage in small talk and flirting, subtly getting him to lower his defenses, and then she would attack him when he least expected it. Caught off-guard, he would fumble, giving her the upper hand. Then she would kill him and leave his body to be discovered in her room. The authorities would figure out it was her and plaster her name and face all over the HoloNet. And then every Sith would know that she had succeeded and realize she had the makings of a Sith Lady.

It was a straightforward plan. Then again, so had her last plan, but that had not stopped it from going off the rails. Therefore, she needed her new plan to be flexible enough for improvisation. She imagined various possible scenarios and how she would react to them. If, for any reason, they left the hotel room, she would have to be on the lookout for private places where they could fight without drawing the attention of the police or other Jedi. She could probably fight them, too, but she decided that it was an unnecessary risk.

As she lay in her bed, Vestara also began to formulate a cover story. If Ben started asking her personal questions, she needed to be able to answer them, or else he would become suspicious. Obviously, she could not tell him that she was from Kesh, so she had to choose a planet from the few she knew of. After some thought, she decided on Eriadu. The first time she had left her home planet, it had been to attack a cargo freighter en route from Eriadu and claim it for the Lost Tribe. That freighter also happened to be the site of Vestara's first kill.

Once she had settled on Eriadu as her fake homeworld, she made up a name for the city where she would claim to have been from. Hopefully, Ben was not an expert in Eriaduan geography. Then she began to formulate details about her family and upbringing; she began by thinking about her actual family and upbringing and replacing any details that would give away her allegiance. To her surprise, she realized that her childhood was more normal than she had previously believed. She had had parents who loved her, friends she had played with, a stable home, a decent education; remove the Sith culture and her life would have been no different from most people in the galaxy.

After locking down the details of her persona, Vestara began to recite her entire fictional backstory repeatedly until she could do it without pausing to think or exhibiting any signs that she was lying. With every pass, she changed the wording so that it did not sound rehearsed, as well as the order of the details so that she could pick them out if asked specifically about them. She repeated it over and over and over again until, eventually, she lulled herself to sleep.

Vestara was wakened by an incessant beeping sound. She looked around for a moment, trying to find the source of the sound that had so rudely interrupted her slumber, before realizing that it was emanating from her comm. Annoyed, she snatched the device off her bedside table, pressed the answer button and asked, "Hello?"

"Hey, Vestara, it's Ben Skywalker," came the reply. "I was thinking of heading over right about now. Is that alright?"

Vestara shot upright, suddenly remembering the plans she had made. She stammered, "Yes, yes, that's very alright!" Very alright? she thought. Maybe I'm too excited. I'd better dial it down. In a calmer voice she continued, "When do you expect you'll arrive?"

"Well, if I leave now, I should be there in about half an hour. Is that too soon?"

"No, that's perfect. I can't wait to see you." Even as she said that, she was scrambling her way out of bed and stripping off her undergarments in preparation for a shower. She said a hasty farewell and turned off the comm.

The shower itself only took about five minutes. It took at least three times as long to dry and brush her hair, apply makeup and lipstick, and get dressed. Vestara had chosen to wear an outfit similar to the one she had worn when Darth Volatis had first approached her. It was, in fact, one of her favorites. She loved how the pants hugged her curves while still being loose enough in the right places to allow total flexibility, which was very important in a fight. She loved how the silver studs on her belt reflected sunlight. She loved how comfortable the high-heeled boots were. And she loved how the leather jacket showed off her stomach and cleavage when it was fastened only at the middle. On this occasion, Vestara had chosen to wear a sleeveless jacket to leave her arms exposed. She was well aware of how attractive she was and viewed it as just another weapon in her arsenal. During her training on Kesh, she had learned how to use her looks against her opponents.

As she admired her appearance in the mirror, there came a chine from the door. Ben had arrived. She made one last adjustment to her outfit, pulling the waist of her pants down so that they rested lower on her hips, before answering the door. Ben stood there, smiling at her for a second, and then his eyes lowered to take in her appearance. Just as Vestara had hoped, he appeared enraptured by her skintight pants and exposed flesh. "Wow," he said. "You look… really nice."

What Vestara had not anticipated, however, was his appearance. Ben wore the tan tunic and pants and brown cloak normally worn by the Jedi. She was surprised that he had chosen to wear his uniform in such a casual setting. Was he trying to show off by flaunting his status as a Jedi everywhere he went? Was he making a statement to everyone else that he was better than them? Vestara decided to ask. "Do you always wear that?"

Worry crossed Ben's face and he began to stammer, "Um, yeah. We're supposed to wear our uniforms all the time. You know, if an incident breaks out, people need to know that we can handle it. I'm sorry, I should have told you I would be wearing this. Is it a problem?"

"No," answered Vestara. "No problem." It was the truth. Even though the Jedi attire was a personal affront to her as a Sith, she knew that she could bottle her anger to use against Ben later. She just had to be careful not to let it show until she was ready to pounce. "Please, come in." She stood aside to allow Ben to enter her. As he looked around to survey the room, Vestara closed the door behind him and, discreetly, locked it. If he tried to escape, it would hinder him long enough for her to stop him.

She then dropped onto the plush sofa and patted the cushion next to her, inviting Ben to sit down. As he did so, Vestara noticed his eyes briefly stray down towards her chest, no doubt hoping to catch a glimpse inside her jacket. Good, she thought. I've got him on the hook. She decided to start the conversation. "How are you feeling this morning?"

Redirecting his gaze to her face, Ben answered, "I'm good."

"Are you sure? You've still got some cuts and bruises on your face. Do they hurt?"

He shook his head. "Nope, not really. Besides, I've had worse." His eyes became unfocused as he added, "A lot worse." He appeared to be remembering something that caused him pain. Vestara found herself concerned by this, although she could not say why. Thankfully, she did not have to dwell on it, for Ben returned his attention to her and asked, "So, where are you from?"

"Eriadu," she answered, calling up the cover story she had rehearsed earlier. "I grew up near Takara with my parents."

"What brings you to Coruscant?"

"I'm on vacation. I've always wanted to see the capital, and I figured now would be a good time before I went to university."

Ben noticed the single bed in the room and asked, "Are you here alone? Where are your parents?"

"Still at home," she answered. "They weren't that interested in coming and, to be honest, I wasn't interested in them coming, either."

"So, they just let you come all the way here by yourself?"

"Not at first. They were really hard to convince, but, eventually, they understood how important this was to me."

That actually was not far from the truth. When Vestara had told her parents about the mission Volatis had assigned her, they had not liked the idea at all. Her mother, Lahka, had fought hard to convince Vestara to reconsider. She argued that it was too dangerous and should only have been suited to a fully trained Sith Saber. Her father, Gavar, on the other hand, had accepted the situation, emphasizing what an honor it was to be chosen for such a task and that Vestara was more than capable of killing a mere boy. Lahka had not said another word after that. She was not Force-sensitive, so it was not her place to interfere with the affairs of the Sith.

"Lucky you," commented Ben. "I wish my dad trusted me that much. He won't even let me leave Coruscant."

"Why not?"

"He's worried about me. I, uh… I had a pretty bad experience last year, and he thinks it's affected me."

Vestara was pretty sure that the "experience" he was referring to was his sabotage of the Dromund Kaas manufacturing base. She wondered how it could have affected him enough to make Luke Skywalker worry about him. Perhaps Ben was too proud of his victory and had become too full of himself. She could imagine him striding confidently down the halls of the Jedi Temple, bragging about how many Sith he got killed while stoic Jedi, sitting cross-legged in meditation, shook their heads disapprovingly. The image stoked her anger, fueling her desire to kill him.

But not quite yet. Not until she was sure that he was relaxed enough to lower his defenses.

Ben asked, "So, how long will you be on Coruscant?"

"Not long enough," Vestara answered. "I have to leave in three days." That would be when the Sith's big attack would take place. She knew that she had to complete her mission before then. After that, Ben, like all the other Jedi, would be on heightened alert and would likely figure out her true intentions.

"What places have you visited?"

Vestara was caught off-guard by that question. She cursed herself for not anticipating it. She was playing a tourist, yet she had not bothered to research places a tourist would know. This would require some improvisation. "I actually haven't visited any places yet. I only just got settled in." In the interest of continuing the conversation, she asked, "What places would you recommend?"

For a moment, Ben was silent as he considered his answer. And then he shrugged and responded, "I don't know. I've never really paid attention to that kind of stuff. The only touristy place I know of is the Jedi Temple."

Vestara seized on that prompt and said, "Yes, I've always wanted to see the temple! I've heard it's amazing!"

"Well, how about I take you there? Give you a tour?"

She stared at him in surprise. The thought of seeing the Jedi Temple had never crossed her mind; her singular focus had been on her target. But now that he mentioned it, Vestara decided that she would like to see where the Jedi locked themselves away to plot against her brethren. "Are you sure that's okay? I don't want to break any laws."

"Don't worry," replied Ben. "The temple has areas that are open to tourists."

So, I could actually go inside the temple? If that were truly allowed, perhaps Vestara could gather information that the Sith could use against the Jedi. She knew she was unlikely to find anything substantial in the tourist areas, but perhaps she could convince Ben to take her to some off-limits areas. She might even be able to perform some mild sabotage. Then her mission would be even more of a success! The death of Ben Skywalker and inside information about the Jedi Order and their temple? They might as well make me a Sith Lady the moment I return to Kesh!

She was about to answer "yes," but stopped to reconsider. There would be a hundred Jedi in the temple; there was a high risk that someone might sense the dark side within her if she got close enough. However, she had managed to fool Ben so far, and he had been able to avoid detection on Dromund Kaas. Surely, she could do the same! Besides, if she were being escorted by one of the Jedi's greatest "heroes," then they probably would not give her a second glance.

Vestara decided that she would have to be a fool to pass up such an opportunity. To Ben, she said, "If you're sure it's okay, then I'd love to see the temple!"

"Great!" Ben exclaimed as he stood up. "Let's go!"

Vestara raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Right now? But you just got here! I thought you'd want to relax for little while."

"Well, I have somewhere to be this afternoon, and I want to make sure you get to see enough of the temple before I have to go."

"Oh. Okay, then." It made no difference to Vestara. In fact, it was better this way. The sooner Ben showed her the temple, the sooner she could complete her mission. She stood up and grabbed her handbag – with her lightsaber still stored at the bottom.

Vestara rode with Ben in her rental airspeeder to get the most distance out of it for the money she was paying. Ben had graciously volunteered to fly, since he knew the way, and Vestara had accepted. They talked during the flight; Vestara shared more of the cover story she had invented, and Ben told her about his own life. She had not been aware that he had family other than Luke Skywalker, nor that his mother had died. He would not say how it happened – only that it had been within the last few years. Unintentionally, Vestara thought of how she might have felt if her own mother had died at that age, which led to her feeling a bit of pity for Ben.

She forced those thoughts out of her head. Ben's mother had been a Jedi; neither she nor her family deserved any sympathy.

As they talked, Vestara paid close attention to the route Ben was taking. Within half an hour, the Jedi Temple came into view. From a distance, they could only make out the ziggurat shape of the main structure. But, as they drew closer, the five tapered spires became discernable and sunlight flashed at them as it was reflected off of the green transparisteel pyramids on the roof. The temple grew larger and Vestara was able to make out more detail. She could not resist marveling at its beauty and wishing she could live in such a grand place. The Sith Temple on Kesh paled in comparison.

Ben landed the speeder in a parking lot near the visitor's entrance. There, they were greeted by a tall, brown-haired Jedi with narrow, angled features, a hatchet nose, and deep-set gray eyes. Vestara was surprised by how severe he looked. She found herself a little bit intimidated by it.

"Morning, Jaden!" Ben greeted.

"Morning, Ben," the Jedi replied. His smile suddenly vanished, and he asked, "What happened to your face?"

Vestara instinctively looked at Ben's face and realized that he was referring to the cuts and bruises he still carried from his fight with the Devaronian.

Ben hesitated before answering, "I had to deal with some muggers the other day. But I'm fine."

Vestara raised her eyebrows, surprised by Ben's lie. Then again, she supposed he did not want the other Jedi to know that he had gotten into a fight at a nightclub.

The Jedi, Jaden Korr, nodded slowly, as though he did not quite believe the story, but saw no point in pressing the issue. He turned towards Vestara and began looking her up and down. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. "Who's this?" he asked.

"This is Vestara Khai," Ben answered. "She's visiting Coruscant and wanted to see the temple."

Jaden inclined his head to Vestara. "Welcome. May I see your visitor's pass?"

Vestara frowned in concern and confusion. She did not have a pass; she did not even know she needed one. Had Ben left that out on purpose? Had he sensed her true purpose and led her into a trap? She slowly began to reach a hand into her bag, ready to draw her lightsaber.

"She's not a visitor," Ben told Jaden. "She's just a tourist. She'll only be in the public areas."

"Well, she still needs a visitor's pass, just like all tourists," said Jaden.

"What?" Ben asked in confusion. Apparently, he had not known that she needed a pass, either. "Since when?"

"Since the Sith attacked the temple last year."

Vestara flinched in surprise. She had not known that the Sith had attacked the Jedi Temple.

"What attack?" asked Ben.

Jaden frowned at him in confusion for a moment. Then, his expression softened a little. "The one that happened while you were on Dromund Kaas."

"Oh, right."

Vestara's mind began to whir. Wait, the Sith attacked the Jedi Temple while Ben was on Dromund Kaas? That can't be right. Lady Volatis said that the attack on Dromund Kaas had been unprovoked, that the Sith had not done anything to the Jedi yet. It did not make sense for the Jaden to lie about this unless he suspected that Vestara were a Sith. Maybe her cover had been blown, after all.

Or maybe Volatis had lied to Vestara to make her angry enough to want to kill Ben. That seemed more likely. Vestara did not mind; it was a smart tactic, and it did not change the way she felt about Ben or the Jedi.

Ben asked, "Well, how do we get Vestara a visitor's pass?"

"Well," Jaden began, "You'll have to request an appointment slot to visit the temple, fill out a pass request form, send it to the temple security office, then wait a few days for them to perform a background check. If she passes, they'll contact her to let her know. If you start the process today, you might be able to visit next week."

Vestara's heart sank. Unwilling to let this opportunity pass her by, she made an impassioned plea. "But I have to go home in a few days. Next week is too late. Isn't there anything you can do?"

Jaden shook his head. "I'm afraid not, ma'am. I'm sorry."

"Look," said Ben. "Just let us in. I'll be with her the whole time."

Again, Jaden shook his head. He was starting to appear frustrated. "I can't do that, Ben. We're talking about the safety and security of the temple."

"She's not a security risk!" exclaimed Ben. "I'll make sure she doesn't try anything."

"That's not how it works. There are rules to follow. In fact, you should have known about this; it's been in all of the weekly security refreshers for the past year. Haven't you been reading them?"

"Yes!" After a brief pause, Ben continued, "And I don't remember anything about this being in them."

Vestara stared at him incredulously. He was a terrible liar.

"Is there a problem?" came a new voice. They all turned to see an old, orange-skinned Togruta woman in brown robes approaching them.

Jaden bowed to the woman. "Master Tano, Ben's trying to bring a visitor into the temple, but she doesn't have a pass."

Master Tano? Vestara guessed that this must be Ahsoka Tano, the last survivor of the Old Jedi Order (aside from Darth Hatus) and founding Grand Master of the New Jedi Order. She was almost as reviled among the Lost Tribe as Luke Skywalker himself. Seeing her for the first time, Vestara did not think she looked so tough.

As Ahsoka turned to Vestara, her eyes widened, and her mouth hung slightly agape. Her expression appeared to be a mixture of shock and disgust. Perhaps she was offended by the young woman's choice of clothing. Or perhaps she knew what Vestara actually was. Haltingly, she said, "You must be Nysilla?" It sounded more like a question than a statement.

Vestara frowned in confusion. "No, I'm Vestara." Who's Nysilla?

For a long time, Ahsoka did not respond. She simply stared suspiciously at Vestara, as though using the Force to get a reading on her. Vestara did her best to look innocent, using the Force to mask her dark side aura. But Ahsoka continued to stare, and Vestara became increasingly worried that the Jedi Master could see through her façade. Coming here was a mistake. I should have just killed Ben at the hotel. Instead, I overextended and now I'm about to be captured.

After what felt like several minutes, Ahsoka finally broke her gaze and turned to Ben. She gasped. "What happened to your face?"

"It's nothing," answered Ben. "It happened while I was stopping a mugging the other day."

She raised one side of her brow. "The other day? But you looked fine when I saw you last night."

Ben stammered, "Um, yeah, it actually did happen last night. But that does count as 'the other day,' doesn't it?"

Ahsoka frowned, even more suspicious now. "Ben, a word?" Without waiting for an answer, she began to walk away.

Ben gave Vestara an apologetic shrug and followed Ahsoka.

Vestara watched as they walked further and further away until, finally, they were out of earshot. She shifted nervously, pondering her dilemma. Ahsoka must not have figured out that she was a Sith, otherwise, she would have arrested her already. But she clearly suspected something. It was the only explanation for wanting to speak to Ben in private. Vestara did not want to wait around for something bad to happen, and she considered returning to her speeder and flying away. But that would only make her look guilty, and Ahsoka's suspicions would be confirmed. And then her mission would be over. All she could do was stand there and await her fate.

Once Ahsoka was certain that she was out of earshot of Vestara, she rounded on Ben. "Who is she?"

"Her name's Vestara Khai," he answered. "She's visiting Coruscant and wants to see the temple."

"How do you know her?"

Ben hesitated, as though unsure of how to answer. "We met last night."

"Last night?" repeated Ahsoka. "What happened to Nysilla?"

"She dumped me at the restaurant," he replied bitterly.

"What?" exclaimed Ahsoka, eyes wide with shock. "Why? What happened?"

With his face scrunched up in frustration, Ben explained, "She said that she can never trust me again because I lied to her on Dromund Kaas, even though I had good reason to. And then she left."

Ahsoka was dismayed by this news. She had had her heart set on seeing Ben and Nysilla Zabeth together. Just a few hours ago, she had told Luke about their date and gotten his hopes up, as well. Unfortunately, that had turned out to be premature. "I'm very sorry to hear that," she said. "But how did you meet Vestara?"

There was a noticeable delay in Ben's response. Finally, he said, "After I left the restaurant, I saw Vestara getting mugged in an alley. I stepped in to save her and I fought the muggers." He gestured to his bruised face. "That's how this happened."

"That was lucky," commented Ahsoka. "What restaurant was this?"

"Tegralla's."

"Tegralla's? But that's a good neighborhood. I can't imagine a mug—" Ahsoka froze midsentence as she remembered a report she had read that morning. She stared at Ben, horrorstruck, as the realization dawned on her. "I received a report this morning about someone drawing a lightsaber during a fight at a nightclub in that area. Was that you?"

The color drained from Ben's face, and he struggled to say anything.

"It was you!" Ahsoka exclaimed. "What were you doing at a nightclub?!"

Ben seemed to have found his voice, for he protested, "I didn't go there to hook up with anyone or score some deathsticks, if that's what you're thinking. I just needed a place to go drinking after Nysilla—"

"You were drinking?!"

"I didn't break any laws. I'm old enough to drink, you know."

"That's not the point! Drinking isn't a good way to make your problems go away!"

"I know that! I just felt like I needed a drink, okay?"

There were about a dozen other things Ahsoka wanted to say in that moment, but she decided to change the subject. "So, how did you really meet Vestara?"

Ben explained, "I saw her getting harassed by some guy, and I stepped in. We got into a fight; but you should have seen the size of this guy! He was like—" He held a hand about half a meter above his head. "And he had a bunch of friends join in. I realized I was outnumbered, so I ignited my lightsaber to make them go away. After that, Vestara led me into the bathroom, cleaned up my face, thanked me for saving her, and said that she wanted to make it up to me. She gave me her comm frequency and the name of the hotel she was staying at. So, I went there this morning."

Ahsoka took a moment to process all of this. She could not believe that Ben Skywalker had gotten into a fight at a nightclub! On top of everything else going on with him, this was too much. Now, she would have an even harder time trying to get through to him. But that was a problem for later. Right now, there was another issue to deal with. "So, you only just met this girl. What do you really know about her?"

Ben shrugged. "Not much. She's from Eriadu, she's getting ready to go to university, and she convinced her parents to let her take a trip to Coruscant first."

"And you thought it was a good idea to bring her to the Jedi Temple without a background check?"

"I didn't know she needed a background check! What, you think she's a terrorist?"

"I don't know what she is," replied Ahsoka. "I just know that there's something not right about her. Didn't you sense it?"

"Sense what?"

"I don't know," she repeated.

"Then, what makes you so sure what you're sensing is bad?"

Ahsoka was at a loss for words. She could not explain the feeling she had when she had probed Vestara with the Force. It was a tingling sensation, like an insect was crawling up her arm. "I just have a weird feeling."

Ben crossed his arms. "Maybe you just don't like her because she's not Nysilla."

"That's not it," she replied, even as she began to wonder if that were true. "But you have to admit, the timing is suspicious. She shows up right after Nysilla leaves you, wanting to get to know you better, wanting to see the Jedi Temple?"

"Right," Ben said sarcastically. "She just happened to be all dressed up when she followed me into the nightclub, and then she meant for that guy to harass her, knowing I would swoop in and save the day. Or maybe all of this was just meant to happen. Maybe it was the will of the Force that I met her. How do you know that's not it?"

Once again, Ahsoka was left wondering if Ben had a point. Maybe the Force meant for him and Vestara to meet. But that was a pretty big "maybe." She was not inclined to believe that based on faith. It took her longer than she would have liked to come up with a response to Ben's suggestion. "Maybe you're right, maybe not. But I'd rather be safe than sorry. So, why don't you have her apply for a visitor's pass, wait for the background check to clear her, and then you can show her the temple."

"But she's leaving in a few days!" protested Ben. "The background check will take too long."

"Well then, the next time she comes to visit, she—"

"What if there is no next time?" he interrupted.

"Then she's out of luck," Ahsoka answered with finality. "I'm sorry Ben, but I can't allow her to enter the temple. And, for your own safety, I think you should stay away from her."

That went over as well as she had expected. Indignantly, Ben exclaimed, "That's not fair! Just because you don't like her doesn't make her dangerous! You're overreacting!"

"Am I?" she asked sternly. "Or am I looking out for the safety of both you and the Jedi Order while we're at war with the Sith? Things have changed, Ben. We have to start being more careful about who we can trust, especially when it comes to strangers. So, yes, I have to insist that you stay away from Vestara unless she undergoes a background check."

"You insist?" Ben repeated.

"I order you, Jedi Skywalker." Ahsoka used Ben's title as a reminder of her superior rank, which meant that he had no choice but to follow her orders.

He bristled, silently glaring at her. She stood her ground and simply glared back at him. She could practically see the anger bubbling up within him, ready to burst. But he managed to keep it contained, so his response was cool and calm. "Can I at least say goodbye to her?"

Flatly, Ahsoka answered, "Yes, you may."

"You're wrong about her." Without another word, he swept past her and went to talk to Vestara.

Ahsoka was left wondering if she was doing the right thing. Maybe she was overreacting, forbidding Ben from seeing Vestara. In fact, perhaps she was only exacerbating the situation with him by doing so. Ben needed a friend he could talk to; if Nysilla could not be that friend, then perhaps Vestara could. And if, by some slim chance, Vestara did try to hurt Ben, he could take care of himself, as he had proven on Dromund Kaas.

With that in mind, Ahsoka considered calling to Ben to let him know that she had changed her mind. But she decided against it. For one thing, if she went back on her word, then she would lose her credibility, possibly hindering her efforts to get through to Ben. For another, she did not feel comfortable gambling with the safety of Luke's son. Thirdly, she still could not dismiss the uncomfortable feeling Vestara gave her.

As Ben approached her, Vestara noted the angry expression on his face. She wondered if he was angry at her; perhaps Ahsoka had helped him figure out that she was a Sith, and he was coming to fight her. But, as he drew nearer, his expression softened into one of disappointment, which gave her hope that that was not the case.

He stopped in front of her and said, "I'm really sorry about this, but Master Tano has forbidden me from seeing you."

Vestara failed to hide her shock. "What? Why?"

"She thinks you could be a spy or something, and that it's too dangerous for me to be near you until they do a background check. Now, I don't think that. I tried to tell her that you were okay, but she wouldn't listen."

This was really bad news. If Vestara and her quarry were not allowed anywhere near each other, then her mission had just become much more difficult. The fact that she was now on the radar of one of the most powerful Jedi Masters did not help, either.

There's no need to panic, she told herself silently. She doesn't know you're a Sith yet, or else she would have tried to arrest you already. And even if Ben is forbidden from seeing you, that doesn't mean he can't do it in secret. He's obviously unhappy with the situation; it shouldn't be too hard to convince him to break the rules.

Feigning disappointment, she said, "Well, thank you for standing up for me. I'm sorry we couldn't have more time together." Then, after checking to make sure no one could hear her, she whispered, "How hard would it be for you to sneak out without her knowing?"

For a moment, Ben looked confused. And then his eyes lit up with excitement and he whispered, "Not hard."

Vestara smiled mischievously. "Come meet me whenever you have the chance. Call me if you can."

Ben returned her smile. "I will."

After they had exchanged good-byes, they set off in opposite directions. Ben headed into the temple with Ahsoka while Vestara boarded her airspeeder and returned to her hotel. As she flew, she recalled everything she had observed about Ben during his interaction with Ahsoka. Even though she could not hear what they had said, Vestara could guess easily enough based on their body language. Ben had been angry, defensive, and stubborn, while Ahsoka had been exasperated and authoritative. There was clearly some conflict between them. Vestara wondered if that conflict did not extend to Ben's father, as well.

She also wondered how much pent-up anger Ben had, and what would happen if it burst forth. Perhaps Ben could be turned against the Jedi. Or, better yet, perhaps he could become an asset to the Sith. His turn would deal a terrible blow to Alliance morale – even more so than his death. And if Vestara were the one to turn Ben Skywalker to the dark side, it would be a boon to her reputation amongst the Sith.

It was an exciting possibility, albeit far-fetched. But that did not dissuade her from trying. The next time she talked to Ben, she would persuade him to reveal everything that made him angry and embrace the emotions that came with it. If she determined that there was enough to turn him to the dark side, then she would continue to push him until he gave in completely. Otherwise, she would complete her mission as originally intended.

Thank you for reading this chapter! If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.

Having Ahsoka meet Vestara was very exciting for me, knowing how it's going to pay off later!

There was actually a moment that I had to cut from this chapter as I was writing it. During her argument with Ben, Ahsoka would have criticized Vestara's choice of clothing, to which Ben would call her a hypocrite and mention the outfit she wore as a teenager! And Ahsoka, embarrassed, would say that she had been young and arrogant, and had made a poor fashion choice. I loved this idea and really wanted to include it, but I couldn't find a way to make it fit neatly in the conversation. In retrospect, I think that's for the best. It seems like the kind of thing that would divide opinion and would be a tangent from the main focus of the conversation.