Once the Alliance task force secured position over Ossus, a landing party of soldiers, engineers, and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to the temple. With their assistance the remaining scraps of the enemy raiding party were cornered and captured, and the Jedi could take stock of their losses.

Damage to the temple itself was significant, but limited to only a few areas. Most of the temple remained untouched by the raiders. Some two dozen Jedi were wounded in the fighting and required aid. Many more suffered minor injuries. The dead amounted to eleven knights and four apprentices, including a single youngling.

That it could have been much worse gave Kol Skywalker no comfort. It had been his choice to make a stand here against an attack he knew was coming. Though other masters were already assuring him otherwise, those fifteen had died because of his decision. Evacuating the Temple, fleeing before their enemies, would have not just been an admission of defeat, but a willing plunge into dark times the Jedi hadn't known for a hundred years.

He was still on the brink, and what lay past it seemed darker than ever.

Kol knew the Alliance triumvirate wanted to speak to him. Admiral Lekhwash insisted he make contact as soon as possible. He delayed for as long as he could, finding several hours' worth of excuses, checking on the wounded, examining the Temple's exterior damage, listening to battle reports from the mercenaries who seemed eager to haul it back to Mandalore. He checked on his family members and spent a good half hour with Cade, who had performed well when the younglings came under attack and tried very hard not to show much how he'd been rattled. It was his mother who'd insisted, in that quiet firm way of hers, that he do what had to be done.

So Kol stood in the Temple's most secure communications room, alone, facing off against the holographic images of Bail Antilles, Gial Gahan, and Nu Toreena.

"Military action at Ossus was authorized by executive order of the triumvirate," Gahan explained. "Our legal authority extends only to limited and emergency actions. We do not have the power to declare war."

"I sincerely hope a war does not come," Kol said. "Have you made any overtures to the Empire?"

Gahan nodded. "As of yet, we've had no response."

"I don't expect the Empire to sue for peace," Toreena said. "It would be a reversal of their unexpectedly aggressive behavior."

Unexpectedly aggressive was a good word for it. Roan Fel's betrayal, if that's what it was, stung harshly. They were only distant cousins and had never been personally close, but when Fel had given his private assurance that he'd keep the Empire out of this mess, Kol had accepted his word as honorable.

"If the Empire is going to be aggressive, we must be prepared to meet that aggression," said Toreena. "It's also within the triumvirate's authority to move our fleets to full alert. We'll be reinforcing our territories that border the Empire."

Kol looked to the other two triumvirs. "An actual strike requires senate approval, yes?"

"Assuming a quorum can be found," Antilles said tiredly. "After the battle, seventy-eight Alliance members petitioned the Empire to accept them. Over one hundred more systems are threatening to withdraw or have refused sending military aid."

Grave as those numbers sounded, the Alliance counted thousands of systems as members. As long as major Core worlds stayed loyal to Coruscant, the Alliance would still have a vast industrial and economic advantage on the Empire. That fact was plain to everyone to see; it made it all more unbelievable that Roan Fel's empire had taken this warmongering path.

"The Jedi will do everything we can to support the Alliance, whatever lays ahead," Kol told them.

"Indeed?" Toreena tipped her hammer-shaped head.

"The entire Order in your debt. We will work as negotiators. We will run messages and supplies, act as scouts, gather intelligence."

"And when it comes to war, will you join our soldiers on the front lines?"

The suggestion took Kol aback, but when he looked at Antilles and Gahan, they showed no surprise. The human triumvir said, "Roan Fel has his Imperial Knights. We need something to match them. Our ordinary soldiers cannot."

Kol wanted to say that Fel would never allow his Knights to fight Jedi, but he couldn't. He didn't know what Fel would do anymore.

"When war comes, we will have to act decisively," Toreena said. "With the Jedi's help, the Alliance can smash the Empire's upstarts and end this war in a few months. We can send them sulking back to Bastion with less territory than when all this mess started- but only if the Jedi do their duty."

Kol struggled to keep the scowl off his face. Toreena had always been the triumvir most reluctant to endorse the Ossus Project, and its failure had done nothing to endear the Jedi to her. For Toreena, this was a chance to knock down a rival that had been steadily gaining strength and systems for thirty years. Ithorians were supposed to be peaceful, but there were exceptions to every rule.

Toreena's stance was clear; Kol looked to the others. "The Jedi are keepers of the peace. Not soldiers."

"Many Jedi fought on the front lines against the Vong a century ago," Antilles pointed out. "Including your great-grandfather."

"I'm aware, but that was a fight for survival. This…" He couldn't bring himself to say what he felt: that this was a crass war, a manufactured crisis where hawks in both the Alliance and Empire had jumped on an excuse to start a conflict they'd both been itching for. Instead he said, "In the Clone Wars, the Jedi allowed themselves to become generals in a galaxy-wide war. That war, from its inception, was an elaborate plot to destroy the Jedi. Militarily, physically, morally. It succeeded and the galaxy suffered for decades because of it."

"Are you suggesting another dark conspiracy is behind this war?" Gahan sounded truly curious.

"I don't know." Kol's hands turned to fists. "Things do not make sense. We still don't know who sabotaged the Ossus Project, and the Empire's actions do not match with the Roan Fel I've known."

"Our intelligence suggests he attempted to veto the war, but was overruled by the Moff Council," Antilles put in.

Interesting, and enough to give Kol a spark of hope, but only a small one. He'd spoken with Roan Fel just hours ago and that had not been a man looking for peace.

"If you feel outflanked, it is all the more reason to act boldly," said Toreena. "War is coming, Master Skywalker, a war in large part about the Jedi. Would you hide behind the front lines while thousands of Alliance soldiers die to protect you? I'd not thought the Jedi cowards."

Even if her motives were transparent, her words stung. Truth did that. "I cannot make such an important decision right now."

"You need to make it soon," warned Antilles.

"I will. And I will consult with the rest of the Jedi Council."

"Can you decide in two days?"

Kol looked at the triumvirs: three faces, stern and expectant, devoid of sympathy. "Two days." He swallowed. "You'll have your answer."

-{}-

"I didn't expect the Mandalorians to come through for us, but they did," Nat Skywalker said. His holo-image was the same blue-white as the flash of hyperspace that strobed constantly around Runaround's cramped cabin. Marin Solo had spent far more time than she'd expected in this little shuttle and she was looking forward to being back on spacious Fast Start with her family.

"I just talked to my mother," she told her cousin. "She says that the Alliance has sent feelers out to the Mand'alor."

That didn't please the Jedi. "If Coruscant needs Mandos for help, that doesn't say good things about its defense force."

Marin nodded gravely. On the long ride back home she'd had plenty of alone time to view the news reports. Since the battle at Ossus, more and more worlds were either siding with the Empire or declaring neutrality.

"The Alliance has requested the Jedi fight too," Nat said gravely. "My brother's trying to decide how to respond."

Marin didn't like the sound of that. The toll of taking some lives and failing to save others had driven her from the Order. Still, she tried a weak smile. "Still got my lightsaber?"

Nat nodded and smiled back, also weak. When she'd left the Order she'd passed her gold-bladed weapon down to her then-apprentice cousin. A lot had changed since then; Nat was about ten kilos heavier, with a graying beard to join his long sand-colored hair. Gravity had settled in his eyes too; she couldn't see anything of the young apprentice in them

"One bit of good news," he said. "I think I know a planet where we can make a redoubt. A hidden temple, in case things really go bad."

"That's great news."

"It's a place I found a long time ago. Zhar system. There's a strange blurring in the Force there, I don't know how or why, but it would hide the presence of a lot of Jedi. Atmosphere's really thin, but we could work on that."

"Good thing the Jedi still have credits to work with."

"You still have credits."

"Me and the Calrissians. And Volgma. We're co-managing those accounts. Chance says he knows how to spend that money quietly when the time comes."

"It's a lot of trust to be putting in non-Jedi."

"Chance is my dad's oldest friend. He's already helped the Jedi more ways than I can count. Chereth's already done a lot for us, too."

"And the Hutt?"

"Chance and Chereth trust him." Marin shrugged. "He promised to make the Jedi accounts magically grow with a little legally-questionably insider trading. And it's worked."

"Bet he put it all into defense stocks."

"Mostly," Marin said grimly. "They're expecting lots of business."

"Are you heading back to your ship now?" asked Nat.

"Going back home," she nodded. "Keep me informed about your hidden temple, or whatever it's going to be. I'll do all I can to help." His expression went thoughtful at that last phrase. She hurried to correct herself. "I'll do what I can quietly, behind the scenes. I'm not picking up my lightsaber again."

"Good. I don't have a spare." Nat tried false humor.

"If Kol decided the Jedi should fight on the front lines… Will you fight?"

Nat sighed wearily. "If I don't, it would be a blow. To him, personally."

"You don't have to be defined by your family name." It had been a hard lesson for Marin to learn.

"Maybe," Nat grunted. "Time will tell. Anything else for now?"

"No. I just wanted to drop you a line. Give you an update and see how you were doing."

"Doing as well as anyone. We could have lost a lot more Jedi." He didn't have to add they might lose many more yet.

"Any new leads on what started this osik?"

"We still don't know why the terraforming all went bad. The Vong shapers are looking into it, but..." He shook his head. "Not my area. Sorry."

"I know. Not mine either." Marin let her hand hover over the comm controls. "See you around, Nat."

"See you." He killed the connected before she did.

After that Marin settled in for the last few hours of her homeward trip. She'd already talked to her mother and the Calrissians, her father and Nat. Those were the only Jedi she'd talked to in decades. When Runaround finally dropped out of hyperspace the familiar bulk of Fast Start was waiting for her. Its bright open landing bay looked like a warm embrace.

When she set the shuttle down Benet and Ania were there. She embraced her husband first, then her daughter.

"You were gone so long, Mom, I was getting worried," the little girl said.

Marin mussed her black hair. "Just had to go on a side trip. Don't worry about it. I'm not going anywhere for a while."

"You mean you won't be going on any long trips by yourself?"

Marin could feel Benet's expectant gaze without seeing it. "Maybe later. But not now."

Ania seemed satisfied with that. Marin stood straight and finally caught the questions in her husband's eyes. Softly she said, "You were the one encouraging me to… get involved."

He took her hand and said nothing. There would be time for questions later, many of them, but not in front of Ania. For now, when there were three of them, they could be only a family and Marin could be only a Solo, not a Fel or Skirata, Jedi or Mando. With her free hand she reached down and grabbed Ania's.

"Come on, let's get back to our normal lives," she said, and hoped against hope it would last.

-{}-

"Nothing will be the same after this," his mother said, and Roan Fel knew it was true.

They sat in one of the meditation rooms inside the Academy. The stark simplicity of its white walls and grey floor jarred against all the clamor in his head.

"There's not going back either," Marasiah continued. "Which means all you can do is press ahead."

"Like father?" Roan asked.

She nodded. "He didn't want to declare himself Emperor, or force the Imperial Knights to secede from the Jedi. Situations evolved where those became his best options. When the time came to make those hard choices, your father didn't back down or look away. He did what was necessary to preserve the Empire."

"The Moff Council's recklessness may destroy it."

"I know. It's up to you, as your father's son, to make sure that doesn't happen."

It was nothing Roan didn't already know. He'd worn this crown since he was seventeen years old. The days when he'd been a mere prince, his father and brother still alive, usually felt as foreign as another man's life. It was really in these quiet moments, when he sat down with his mother, that he remembered what he used to be.

"Father knew that to be strong you must appear strong. And I will. Even if the numbers are stacked against us, we can still turn this war to the Empire's advantage." It was what the moffs had been telling him, and he didn't fully believe it. "I've said I don't want to bring the Imperial Knights into this war. I stand by that. They'll still be working with me, behind the scenes, seeking the true authors of this war."

He watched his mother carefully, awaiting her response. Marasiah had been a Jedi once, and she'd urged him to speak with Kol Skywalker before the war broke out. Yet she was also a hard woman, used to making hard judgments. If she didn't approve of his choice he'd end up doubting himself.

But in the end she nodded. "I think that's the right decision, for now. The Jedi won't trust us, and you shouldn't necessarily trust them. But build a bridge and keep it secret"

"Especially from the moffs."

"From everyone, Roan." She laid a frail hand on his. "Until I met your father I didn't know what the Force was. I thought the Jedi were baby-snatching cultists with fake magic. But I now know that the Force is more than real. It moves behind everything, directing history. It moves through everyone, even people who can never feel it themselves, like your father. It's moving now, and however this war ends it won't be decided by politicians, moffs or admirals, but by the Force."

"Then I'll have to listen carefully," Roan said. "But right now, Mother, I'm not sure what the Force is saying."

"Neither do I," Marasiah admitted. "Which is why we need to keep talking with the Jedi. Together, hopefully, we can hear what we can't hear alone.

-{}-

"This was never a choice I thought I'd have to make," Kol Skywalker said. "Before I did, I wanted to get your opinions. Your experiences are more valuable than anyone else's."

The young human sat like an old man, hunched forward as he sat in the quiet meditation chamber inside the Temple, weighted by his awful responsibilities. Arrayed before him were the Jedi Order's three most aged knights. At a mere one-hundred and twenty years old, Lowbacca often felt like a youth to Masters K'Kruhk and Tr'a Saa, who had survived the Clone Wars, watched the old Jedi Order's brutal death and a new one's resurrection. Kol Skywalker looked to them now as though expecting ancient wisdom and he could feel, very faintly in the Force, a flush of embarrassment from Tr'a Saa.

"The Alliance has justification to make their request," the Neti equivocated. "Of course, they don't understand the Jedi's point of view. War brings dangers unique to Force-users."

"There are many such dangers." K'Kruhk breathed heavily. "During the Clone Wars, I led troops into battle. Countless clone soldiers died on my orders and it appalled me. For a time I refused to fight, and even sought out other Jedi to oppose the war, thinking we might make a united protest…" He shook his shaggy head. "But that was just a ploy by Count Dooku. By the Sith."

"The whole war was a ploy by the Sith," Kol said. "A Jedi trap."

"And now you fear you step into another," Tr'a Saa said softly.

"Yes. And even if it's not a trap, Jedi are peacekeepers. By becoming soldiers we pervert ourselves." Kol looked at the Whiphid and the Neti. "That is what you've always told me, from experience."

K'Kruhk sighed again. "That is a serious danger. I knew some knights who were drawn deeply toward the dark during the Clone Wars. Yet others shined more brightly than ever before."

"Violence is not inherently of the Dark Side," Tr'a Saa said. "But for Jedi who have no learned to control their passion, it can become a gateway. And for those who have, who remain purely in the light, it can drain them even as they do great good."

Kol thought on that, then looked to Lowbacca. "You've been quiet, Master. What do you have to say?"

In low murmurs and growls, the Wookiee did his best to explain that his war- that is to say, the Yuuzhan Vong War in which his generation of Jedi had come of age- had been different from the Clone Wars. Luke Skywalker had initially been hesitant to let the Jedi engage directly against the invaders, both because he did not understand their place in the Force and because he was afraid his students might fall to the dark. As the Jedi's understanding of their enemy grew, Kol's great-grandfather had also relinquished the subtle pride behind his keeping the Jedi restrained.

The Jedi had seen terrible things in the Yuuzhan Vong War. Lowbacca stressed that; even now, a century later, his dreams were afflicted by old horrors. Yet the Jedi had been instrumental both in turning the war's tide and in ending it not with genocide but with a peace- however awkward- between the peoples of two separate galaxies. The Jedi had been right to fight in his war, and the galaxy would be a darker place if they had not.

Sometimes drastic action was required. Thirty years ago, as head of the Jedi Council, Lowbacca had decided to attack the hidden Sith base in the Hapes Cluster with every saber the Jedi could manage. It had been a risk in more ways than one- risk of a trap, risk that some Jedi might be mentally and physically traumatized by their fight. Some Jedi were killed in that fierce battle, and many more bore visible and invisible scars. Yet their strike had eliminated the Sith and freed the galaxy from their looming shadow. Thirty years on, Lowbacca did not regret his choice to fight.

He told Kol this, and the human wilted even more. He'd come here looking for the answers he needed; instead he received only conflicting opinions.

"This conflict is not the Yuuzhan Vong War, nor the Clone Wars," Tr'a Saa said. "Perhaps the biggest difference is that it is about the Jedi in away the others were not. Our choices and their unforeseen consequences brought about this conflict."

Lowbacca roared reproach. The Jedi were not to blame.

"I did not say it is our fault." The Neti shook her head. "But it is our responsibility to resolve this."

"You mean to say we cannot limit ourselves to scouting and supply runs," Kol said, voice dry.

K'Kruhk shook his head. "This is too familiar. Too much moves unseen. Who sabotaged the Ossus Project? Why has the Empire turned bellicose? Until we have good answers to those questions, I fear another trap."

Lowbacca said that he understood those fears, but if the Jedi did not go to the front lines of a war widely seen as fought on their behalf, it would paint them as cowards and ruin the reputation of the Order.

Kol surprised them by laughing; a dry, bitter laughter. "And I thought we had no reputation left to ruin."

Tr'a Saa frowned. "If that were true, the Alliance would not have come to save us. There are still those in this galaxy who believe in the Jedi, Kol. They will fight for us, but we must show them a reason."

"But there is still such risk," K'Kruhk said. "I have seen the Jedi end once before. I do not want to see it again."

With a low roar, Lowbacca reminded Kol that his decision was, ultimately, his to make, and that they would follow whatever decision he made.

Kol sighed again. He bowed his head, half in gratitude, half in weariness. "Thank you, Masters. I will consider everything you've said. And when I've decided… You will be the first to know."

-{}-

This was a moment that had been prepared for months and anticipated for years, but it was a time for work, not celebration. Veed was busy at the Yaga Minor shipyards, getting his fleet ready to sail. As Intel Director Seniac's most trusted lieutenant, Nyna Calixte had been given a list of tasks to assist the coming war effort. She would attend to all of them soon, but first there was a reckoning.

She placed the call to her anonymous benefactor from the security of her quarters' personal comm system. She waited, waited longer than usual, and received no reply. That had never happened before and she spent the next half-hour grimly pondering what that meant while she began drawing lists of assignments for her spies within the Alliance. Then, very suddenly, her comm system announced an incoming call.

The bland human face appeared before her. Very calmly it said, "We are sorry we missed your earlier communication."

"Thank you for returning it." Calixte willed her voice to stay steady. "It's very busy here on Bastion."

"We're well aware."

"You have what you want. A war between the Empire and the Alliance."

"What you want, Moff Calixte."

She gave a small nod. "Now we must ensure it is won. No small task, but I believe it can be done."

"So do we."

She crossed her arms. "You remember my request the last time we spoke. If we're going to continue to be partners, I'm going to need some honesty. I need to know who you are."

That computer-generated façade stared at her dumbly for twenty full seconds before it said, "Ask, and you will receive."

The holo shut off without warning. She peered at the controls: the transmission had been cut. She had only a second for consternation before the door buzzer sounded. Nyna Calixte was not a woman who let who emotions show easily, but right then she literally jumped in shock. The buzzer sounded again. They- her mysterious benefactor, client, fellow schemer- was somehow inside her secure residential complex, at her door, at this very moment.

Which meant this being already knew far more about her than she knew about it. And if it could make this little show it could do a lot more.

The buzzer sounded a third time. Heart racing, Calixte stepped over to her desk and grabbed the hold-out blaster she kept there. Clutching it with her right hand, tucking it behind her back, she skirted into her living room and went to the door. A fourth ring. Before opening the door she tapped the controls to check the camera placed on the other side, showing the entrance. Only static.

It had been a long time since Nyna Calixte had known this kind of fear, but there was only one thing to do. Blaster clasped behind her back, she tapped the controls and the door slid open.

Standing before her was a single humanoid woman, young. A red face with two black circles on the forehead, long black hair pulled into a topknot, piercing red-gold eyes. Devaronian. She wore a black dress that left her arms bare.

"Greetings," the Devaronian said plainly. "May I come in?"

Calixte stepped back and watched the Devaronian step into the room. The door closed behind her. They stared at each other without moving deeper inside.

Those red-gold eyes unsettled Calixte. She'd heard something about eyes like that, but couldn't remember what. Had it been from Kol?

"Am I what you were expecting?" the newcomer asked, with a touch of amusement.

"I wasn't expecting anything specific. But no, you're not."

Gold eyes drifted to Calixte's unseen hand. "You'll have no need for that."

"I hope not." She didn't drop the weapon. "I was promised honesty. Let's start with your name."

"I was born Malincha," the Devaronian said with a smile, almost wistful. "Now I am called Darth Maladi."

It took all Calixte's effort not to pull out her pistol and shoot. "Sith," she hissed. Kol had told her all about Sith. "I thought the Jedi killed you on Hapes."

"The Sith are never truly gone. They're as eternal as the Jedi." Maladi spread scarlet hands. "And even then, report of our demise at Hapes was… quite exaggerated."

"So there are more of you. Are you the master, or the apprentice?"

Another smile, bemused, quirked Maladi's lips. "How is it you know so much about Sith?"

Calixte prayed this creature didn't know about Morrigan Corde and her relationship with Kol. "I know about a lot of things. It is my job."

"Well, your knowledge is out of date. I am but one of many."

"How comforting."

"Don't be snide, Moff Calixte. We've already accomplished so much together. We'll accomplish even more. You want the Empire ascendant? So do we. You want power? We want you to have it."

"Do you?"

"Indeed. Once the Empire achieves supremacy over the Alliance, we naturally expect to be rewarded for giving you our help."

"Naturally."

"Yes. But the galaxy at large will be less accepting of Sith rule."

"So you'll need puppets."

"That is… a harsh term. And not accurate. The Sith seek to direct the flow of galactic history. The actual management of the Empire can be left to other competent individuals. Admiral Veed, for instance. And yourself."

"No patience for the details, then?"

"Our master is concerned with the big picture," Maladi said blandly.

"So you have one master, then? And how many underlings?"

"Many, but one." Maladi folded her hands behind her back and looked calmly around the living room, like she was appraising the furniture. "We're quite pleased with your performance thus far. You have a gift for subterfuge. I understand you have a long career in intelligence."

"That's right." Back when she'd been around Kol, Calixte had learned techniques to hide unwanted thoughts from his Force-senses. They'd seemed to work on him, and later on Roan Fel. She tried those techniques now, but she had no idea how well they'd hold against a Sith.

"Well, my experience leans in a similar direction," Maladi said. "You may view me as your… counterpart."

"That's good to know. But… I have to ask. You're Sith. That means what you want, what you really want, is to destroy the Jedi."

"Oh, we're not as petty as that. The Sith seek to advance ourselves and our hold over the galaxy. Much like you. The Jedi are primarily… impediments."

"So you're not mad the attack on Ossus failed?"

Maladi shrugged. "When a battle charge is led by revenge-crazed rabble, you can't hope for too much. Our real goal was to spark the fire between the Empire and Alliance. That has been accomplished. However, we are concerned that the Jedi knew of the attack in advance. That they managed to hire a fleet of Mandalorians was quite surprising."

"It surprised us as well." Calixte hoped her lie passed.

Maladi's eyes narrowed, and for a heart-stopping second Calixte was afraid she'd been seen through, that this Sith witch knew about everything, even Kol and Cade. Then Maladi said, "I trust you're using all your resources to find how the Jedi knew."

"I am. Roan Fel assigned me with the same task." She'd make sure to come up convincingly empty. "Tell me… Where do Fel and his Knights sit in your plans?"

"They'll have to be eliminated, of course. That's why we need you and Veed to keep order once he's gone."

"Ah. I expected as much. I'm glad to be… indispensable."

"As well you should be." Maladi smiled again; slanted, cruel. "We Sith reward those who serve us well. To those who think they can outwit us, only the worst fates await. Remember that, Moff Calixte, and I have no doubt our partnership will be a spectacular success."

-{}-

When her son announced that as many Jedi as possible were to gather at the Temple's largest audience hall, it took Jade by surprise just like everyone else. She knew the questions Kol had been wrestling with the past two days; together with Nat they're spoken together privately as a family, weighing the risks and responsibilities that would come with Jedi taking up arms in another war. Since the failure of the Ossus Project she'd watched Kol, who'd always seemed so resilient, so young, wilt under increasing pressure of a situation spiraling further past his control.

She found Nat on the way to the chamber. He had Cade with him; the boy looked as unsettled as the rest of them. He was merely twelve years old, and Jade's heart clenched at the thought of her grandson being killed or, nearly as bad, suffering the early loss of a parent like she had.

The three Skywalkers stayed together as they joined the audience. Soft murmurs ran through the crowd, dozens of private conversations full of questions and concern, but Jade, Nat, and Cade remained expectantly silent, turned toward the unadorned stage at the far side of the room. It was empty, but she knew Kol step out to speak soon. She could feel him in the Force, nearby, trying to banish his doubts and muster fortitude.

She could feel him struggling. Jade looked down at Cade and knew he was feeling his father's turmoil. The boy's attempt at brave expression faltered. Jade knew Kol had always looked up to his father with a pure admiration. It was far different from Jade's relationship with her father Ben, and she envied Cade and Kol their simple love. What happened next would complicate and probably harm that love; she only hoped it would survive.

The chamber became truly packed with Jedi. It seemed that every able-bodied being in the Temple had answered Kol's call. Jade had never been tall, and she pitched herself onto her toes to get a better scan of the crowd. Towering brown-furred Karrashchakuk was easy to spot, but his father Lowbacca looked absent. So was the equally-unmissable K'Kruhk. Jade did mark Nei Rin, as well as the three Yuuzhan Vong warriors who'd defended the younglings during the attack. She'd heard one of them had been wounded in the fighting, but Khat Lah stood stiff and alert, constantly scanning the crowd as though he expected enemy infiltrators to pop out of nowhere.

When Kol stepped onto the stage he was joined by the other members of the Jedi Council including K'Kruhk and Lowbacca, all in the brown robes that acted as Jedi formalwear. Kol stepped to the stage's edge and looked out on all the assembled Jedi. Through the Force Jade felt her son's vertigo, his shock at the simple number of beings gathered to hear their fate from his lips.

Then Kol gathered himself and said, "You all know the decision that we face. The Alliance and the Empire are on the brink of war the likes of which the galaxy hasn't seen in generations. Neither side seems willing to back down. Though the Jedi never want war, we've played a critical part in bringing the galaxy to this point. It has even been said that this war is being fought over the Jedi.

"That is not true. This war happened because the Ossus Project, and its dream of peaceful cooperation between the Yuuzhan Vong and the people of this galaxy, was despoiled. The beings who did this are the ones who've brought the galaxy to war. They will be uncovered and held accountable. I swear to this. We will not stop searching until the truth is found."

Jade glanced sideways at the four Yuuzhan Vong in the audience. They gave no response, not even a nod, but she found resolve on their faces.

"Unfortunately," Kol said, "That is not all we must do. The Alliance triumvirate has requested that Jedi Knights join their troops on the front lines of the war. After careful consideration, and consultation with all members of the Council, I have agreed to their decision."

Most of the assembled Jedi kept silent at his pronouncement; instead doubt, confusion, shock and consternation collided in the Force. Jade put a hand on Cade's shoulder and tried to shield the boy from some of it.

"Jedi are keeper of the peace. We are not soldiers," said Kol. "But sometimes it is necessary to take a stand. Sometimes it is necessary to fight. I will not require Jedi to go into battle. I will not order individuals to act against their conscience. Once details are worked out with the Alliance, all who are willing and able to fight will given the chance to do so. Those who would prefer to help in other ways- as frontline healers, scouts, intelligence agents- will also have their chance. Please, search yourselves, search the Force, and decide what is right for you.

"But I will say this: Alliance soldiers have already fought to defend the Jedi. Many more will die for us. We cannot dishonor their sacrifices by hiding from battle. Most of the galaxy still believes in the Jedi. We will not disappoint them. For those who've lost their faith, we will regain it by standing firm in our beliefs, by acting for justice and compassion, and by serving the light side of the Force."

From Kol's shoulder, Lowbacca gave a supporting trill. Karrashchakuk echoed it from the crowd and ripples of applause ran through the audience. Yet as a show of support it felt tepid to Jade; confused and slightly hollow.

"That's it, then." Cade's voice was barely audible over the clapping. "We're really going to war."

"Not apprentices," said Nat.

"But you, and dad, and-"

"Shhhh," said Jade. She stroked his head. "If we have to fight, we'll fight to protect the future of the Jedi Order. To protect you."

Her grandson looked at her with wide eyes, helpless and pleading.

"We won't let harm come to you." Jade ran fingers through his blond hair. "Not ever."

To herself she thought, not yet.