The memorial hall had been quickly cleared of activity as soon as Maarani made the descent down the steps. Many new pedestals had been prepared over the past couple of days, and were now being installed for what was to eventually come.

For Maarani, it was more surreal than ever. Her first visit to that room had been months ago, and unlike so many other cases of reminiscence, she could feel the true extent of how much everything had changed, including herself.

She had been in tears at seeing the urns containing the remains of their family, guarded by their respective blades. And Merena to turn to when she needed that support.

Now, Merena was gone, and the urns simply left a dangling question on her mind. Sensing Dana enter the hall, she decided to voice it openly.

"This urn contained the ashes of my father. But, I also saw him on Felucia. Jedi are supposed to rejoin the Force in body and soul. Is the urn now empty, because he's achieved that? Or are his ashes still in there, and my father is gone while some imprint of his mind is out there, wearing his face?"

Dana was slow to approach. The memorial hall carried a different weight to her, and she had always made an effort to avoid its vicinity when possible.

"Trying to apply cold rationality to the Force is difficult. It likes being enigmatic, undefined. You can't ever trust what you see, or hear, or touch. You have to decide these things on your own terms."

"Yeah, well, I don't think the Force likes atheists anyway." Maarani inhaled deeply while turning to Masadar's urn, then carefully picked it up. "Things are, or they aren't. That's what that phrase should be. 'Do or do not, there is no try' is too easy to misinterpret. And Jedi really screw things up when they get fixated on a misinterpretation."

She exhaled the rest from her lungs, ensuring that there would be no accidental breaths into the urn itself, then lifted the lid.

After a few seconds of staring into it, she tipped it upside down over the lid in her other hand. Not even a speck of dust drifted out from the empty vessel.

Dana was surprised at first, but soon found it within herself to form a mild smile. "Things are, then?"

"Things are." Maarani returned to her normal breathing pattern as she set the urn back into place. In more ways than one, a tension had been lifted from her. "Are we going to talk about yesterday, while we're on the subject?"

The look of hope on Dana's face went right back to cold distrust. The sigh following it up said it all.

"I never was that much of a good psychiatrist. Maybe it's time I reevaluate my role in the Order, seeing as it's even more of a lie than I believed."

Maarani tightened her lips while finding the nearest wall to lean against. They both needed that kind of stability.

"You did a lot to help me, Dana. More than I can ever thank you for."

"That's kind, but it doesn't really apply to the core problem."

"Yeah, I figured."

Dana had settled in against the opposite wall, her head leaning back into it as she closed her eyes for a few long breaths.

"Eight hundred Vahla, Teegs. Teenagers, children. Over eight hundred, out of tens of thousands killed. And they never told Suroni, or myself, in all that time."

She let out another long sigh. It did little to ease the deep burden on her mind, the vast moral quandary she had been forced to debate since learning the truth.

"A new society of Vahla. One that found the Ember of Vahl, revived her dark power, and have now spent over sixty years teaching their descendants to hate the Jedi." When her eyes eventually opened, her head tilting forward to look at Maarani, there was a deep sadness to them. "Even now, decades later, we are all still paying for Nomi Sunrider's mistakes. And will continue to do so for a long while."

"You think the Vahla will come back for revenge at some point?"

Dana's shrug was weighted. It was the sole question she had in mind. "I don't know. They're not my people anymore. I can only assume that they will be hateful. That is the key to Vahl's rage."

For a long while after, Maarani began flexing her right hand uncomfortably. Trying not to look at it too much.

"She didn't really seem all that enraged, I'll be honest. I got angrier after she yanked the blood out of me if anything."

"I know it might seem otherwise because of the fire theme, but Vahl herself isn't full of rage. She is merely the face to the concept. Something we can identify and make sense of. Just like the Lady of Balance."

Maarani twisted her lips. Arguments about the Lady of Balance between them had typically ended up going nowhere. She was starting to feel like that was exactly the point.

"I thought she'd finally reappear after Vahl got involved. Still nothing. Now, I'm starting to worry that Akar Kesh took everything out of her. Az said the only time she intervened was when Zimorr came after her. And the Lady said she was struggling to stop Sloane from killing me, right before you all came to my rescue."

She took a turn at resting her head back, mulling it all over once again. The wonderment of seeing the frozen lightning at the Je'daii temple was taking a very different tone in retrospect.

"I can't go on without Az. I can't do what I have to without her. And unlike Vahl, the Twi'lek goddess doesn't exist. I'm going to be on my own, and helpless."

Dana grew a little tense, more than what controlled breathing and other mental exercises could overcome. She could feel herself on the edge of losing Maarani to her own darkness if she didn't play things right.

"Teegs, I think you should start learning to accept that what you have with Azera is based on an awful lot of blood. The two of you have moved on from it from the time being, but that may not last. The Lady of Balance is the one who got you onto the notion of soulmates. She might not have understood what that would do to you."

"Putting it plainly, she gave us a reason to look past the fact we hated each other. And that's somehow bad?"

"Making peace is one thing. I want you to be sure that your supposed love for Azera isn't blinding you-."

She winced visibly when that sole remaining eye was focused down on her, leaving that thought aside.

"Think about it. Think about whether you really do want to share a future with her. Be sure this isn't actually something extremely toxic between you two. That's all I can ask."

"A while ago you were saying you were happy for me about it. What changed?"

"I've had time to think. Obviously you haven't, so I'm doing what I can to cover for that."

Maarani held back from saying more. Having the problem pointed out was all that was needed to start addressing it, and that was likely the point all along.

It was the constant, growing burden of doubt that had brought her down to that room. To try and resolve some long-standing questions on her mind for even a mild amount of relief. One step closer to understanding the Force, and hopefully another step closer to mastering it.

"I wish I had time to think. This is the last quiet day, and I'm pretty sure I'll have a lot more on my mind soon. Only a matter of time before I get the call." She drew out her breath as long as possible. Taking every bit of peace she could from the action. "I really wish I had done it all differently. One bad choice, and it all got worse from there."

"And you think it can't get better again? You have survived an awful lot up until now."

"Yeah, survived. I'm not getting better. Traded depression for anger. Or more accurately, I hate everyone else instead of myself. Surviving is exactly what I'm doing, this isn't living."

Dana's demeanour shifted back towards the look of sadness as she approached Maarani again. For all of their arguing, resentment, and tension the past few weeks, the instinctive desire to protect her remained. And she had failed to uphold it.

All she could do was embrace Maarani. One last definitive show of her support.

"I want to believe you'll get through this, Teegs. There was a time where I felt like I wasn't living either, only surviving."

Gradually she pulled away, focusing down on Maarani's sole eye. "However much we disagree, I will still watch your back. I will try and get you through this, to the other side."

Maarani took one more long breath. She had already decided by then that she was ready to leave. But not without making things definitively settled between them.

"I won't be getting through this if I'm going to be alone on the other side. After everything I've been through. I need Azera to help me stay sane, because there's no-one else I can bond with now. That's all there is to it."


The mood around the transfer of Zimorr's corpse was sour. Sereti was still disgusted with the fallout of what had happened, and made no secret of how much she blamed her former Luka Sene kindred for it.

In turn, Reaghan and Kirwyn had taken it as yet another sign that they needed more involvement in the first place; that being left in the dark about Azera's former associations had led to them missing such a crucial part of the puzzle. The answer to help them a super spy that was able to elude everything, including identification.

As was proving to be the default, Visas had a clandestine smile about everything that transpired. All of it mere steps in the path laid before her.

Once the case was out of direct line of sight, Sereti broke from her silence.

"I suppose you believe there isn't anything left of his brain to pick apart in pursuit of your ghastly surgery, and you still need another victim."

"And there goes the sanctimonious drivel you always specialized in, Sereti!" Kirwyn practically shoved Reaghan out of the way to start facing down Sereti all over again. "Please, explain to us how your Twi'lek abomination is not a Dark Jedi one more time! She's clearly in full control of her horrific powers to destroy minds! Do you plan to unleash her on us when you don't get your way?"

"Always with the spineless threats and baits! Ashla knows why Aibrehl chose you to be his representative! Or have you been concealing a clear case of dementia on his part out of shame?"

"Coming from the woman who let her Order fall to ruin! Your spine already broke under the weight of your own ineptitude!"

What little restraint was left in Sereti by then, she finally discarded. A hard shove of her hand channeled the Force into a potent push that struck Kirwyn right in the chest, sending him sprawling down to the next layer of steps.

"You are forbidden from setting foot in the Temple! We will not tolerate your antagonistic behaviour, your subterfuge, or your intrusion any longer! Leave, or be declared an enemy of the Jedi!"

Kirwyn was quickly back on his feet, and looked ready to challenge Sereti's declaration on the spot. It took a very clear gesture from Reaghan to convince him to back off, though not before spitting at the Jedi Temple in parting.

Reaghan herself turned to Sereti when it was over. Her resentment of the other was far less superficial than Kirwyn's. In her metaphorical perception, the betrayal had now been confirmed.

"Do you plan to throw me down the steps as well? If not myself, then another must oversee the transport of the body."

"I don't care who removes that thing from this planet. He stopped being one of us a very long time ago. Do what you will with it."

There was practically a storm cloud following Sereti as she marched back into the temple halls, nearly grazing shoulders with Visas on the way.

The smile hadn't changed at all the entire time.

That incensed Reaghan into speaking up further. "All you do is smile. She physically assaulted one of our own, after starting the argument. And you smile. What exactly amuses you so much, Visas?"

Visas kept that smile going as she turned her head towards Reaghan. "Twice I have looked into the face of the void. That which would end all life in the galaxy, the Force, and perhaps beyond. Twice, I and all of existence has survived. And now we are forever free of that danger. I have every reason to smile with joy at life being allowed to continue."

"Even when said life chooses to tear itself apart at every turn?"

"It would not be life, if there were not a choice to begin with."

Reaghan tilted her head at the poignant response. It was all she could think of to answer it, choosing to make her way over to the morgue transport on that end.

In the meantime, Visas remained in position to watch the departure. And soon in the same time frame, await the arrival of Bastila.

"Care to explain what just happened out here? I was half expecting Sereti to begin shoving people out of her way."

"In helping to close the greater wound on Katarr, she began opening a personal one with the Luka Sene. Their arrival and interference has forced it wider. And now, she is beginning to lash out. I am not responsible for starting that wound, whatever she may believe. She chose to blame them for my disappearance, I never used them as a scapegoat. It is that simple."

Bastila rolled her eyes in the middle of a nod. "That's a very Jedi approach towards deconstructing the situation in order to leave yourself blameless. How commendable."

"I have nothing relevant to feel guilty over, nor can I be blamed for anything I have not already apologized for. Right now, that gives us all an advantage with the Luka Sene, and the Republic. The two of us are among a few that neither will try to undermine in the coming days."

"Really? You've certainly changed your outlook in the past decades."

Visas turned her head to show off that perpetual smile. "We disagreed in the past. And I hope that we will continue to disagree in future. Complacency is the foundation of downfall."

"I'm still considering your proposal. And quite frankly I'm not entirely comfortable taking the place of a dead woman so quickly. I can tell Dana is as disturbed by taking Koor's place. Juhani may not like being pulled back into the centre of attention either."

"And here I was, assuming that the Jedi Council was where you were meant to be, all along."

"It's no longer that simple. Yes, Vaner is now a grown man, thus my attention can be spent elsewhere. But I still have an enclave of Jedi to lead. Reunification is not going to happen overnight, even if one of us does return to the council."

"I'm not concerned with the mere act of reunifying the Jedi. I want people that are going to challenge myself and the others over the coming months. We need to change the direction we are headed in, and we must be tested on that front. You are by far the best Jedi to call out when and where change is required most."

In a bit of irony, Bastila gave everything that had been said considerable thought, and found herself with little to actually challenge with.

"Thirty years has changed us both significantly. We're not young women bearing the scars of wars we were dragged into by our elders, that passed when we became the elders. I've never taken the burden of decision lightly, and being responsible for thousands instead of mere dozens might be more than I can feasibly handle."

"We can work around that. This is a call to leadership, not to arms. Rejoining the council does not require rejoining the war."

"I may hold you to that, Visas. I suppose it comes down to how the Empire will respond in the coming days, however this trial concludes."


For over ten minutes, Maarani had sat at the bar. The whole nightclub was empty, being right in the middle of daylight hours. The only sounds to hear came from her quiet breathing, and the squeak of the owner's diligent effort to clean the bar itself.

"Girl trouble?"

Maarani remained near motionless.

The owner, a Nikto woman at the end of the bar, tilted her head while continuing with the vigorous cleaning swipes. "You're hardly the first to come here during off hours. Getting all the moody stewing done in time to party and forget. Am I right?"

The slow shift of Maarani's upper body made the point clear. She was neither moody, nor looking to party in the pursuit of escapism.

"Don't suppose you know who I am? Not in the bragging way, just…"

The bartender drew a little closer in her continued polishing, humming in thought while taking a better look at the Twi'lek.

"Not ringing any bells. Plenty of Twi'lek come through here, some Rutians like you. I'd remember an eyepatch and lekku scar though."

"The eye thing is fresh, happened yesterday." Maarani's solitary gaze went back down a little afterwards. "I've never been in here before, not really what I meant. And that's not because I'm 'new', either."

"You don't like giving others the wrong impression. Seen a bit of that too."

That brought out a more definitive reaction from Maarani. "After this one time, yeah. Lost someone in a firefight, new woman on the squad seemed nice. We hit it off as friends, I thought it was going towards something more. Then, she hurled slurs at me and yacked off to another posting altogether. After humiliating me to the squad and the command. What's the point of subtlety when cracks like that are lurking out there?"

"Eh, we all end up with bad knocks like that from time to time. Best to move on from them. Not worth trying to make things work with someone that doesn't deserve you."

"And what if I'm the one that no-one deserves?"

"Can't say you've been giving the impression that you think highly of yourself."

Maarani sighed deeply at the prospect of having to really open up. Less that she cared about the opinion that the owner of a lesbian nightclub held about her, more that admitting it openly would mean admitting it to herself.

"I'm starting to feel like I'm the shithead in every relationship I've had. Girlfriends, normal friends, mentors…" She chewed her lip before going onto the next word. Keeping the list going already left her with some doubts about the sentiment. "My squadmates were definitely worse. But, I wasn't really trying to make things better."

Another nod followed from the bartender, who decided to take a break from cleaning at that point. "Sounds like you need someone more qualified than a barkeep for help."

"I'll pay double on a drink when I leave? That way, it's paid advice?"

"Done." With a smile, the bartender leaned against the bar, resting her chin on a palm to bring her full attention to Maarani. "So, let's get back to the first question. Why you're here. That must have something to do with feeling worse than you have any right to."

Maarani looked around blanky. The answers were suddenly a lot harder to put into words now that the moment had to break them down to the simplest of terms wouldn't put her in a good light.

She had to try regardless.

"I like hurting people. People who have hurt me. And now, my girlfriend is a mass murderer with a personality disorder. And quite frankly, I'm a war criminal." Her bemused smile was every bit filled with bitterness at herself. "We have hurt each other before. I'm starting to feel like having any kind of actual relationship with her, is awful."

After a lot of thought, and wide eyed contemplation, the bartender eventually shrugged and sat up a bit. "I think I have heard of you after all. Something about a Dark Jedi, and that Sith everyone's having a wuss over. Maybe it's all above what I have any business commenting on."

"I'm asking. That's more than what a lot of others had before they started 'commenting' on my personal life choices."

"Alright then. I've been married three times, divorced three times, and plenty of other short things between. Don't take this as coming from someone who knows how to commit."

The bartender moved up from her slouched posture, arms spread to either side to grip the bar for some stronger bracing. "You've hurt each other before? How bad are we talking?"

"I tried to shoot her in the back, she chased me through a forest with a lightsaber. Then she shot down my ship with lightning, hunted me down and tried to kill me, and I went berserk on her back. I guess 'hurt' was an understatement looking at it like that."

"So, why'd you jump in with this girl after all that? I only tried to kill two of my wives after the divorce, not before the first date."

Maarani tilted her head about again, putting deeper consideration into what she had to say.

"We clicked, I guess. It was never about physical attraction. I mean I like the female body shape, but I only really knew she had tits once she took the suit off, and that already doesn't leave much to imagination. And the whole burned face thing on top of that. It's definitely not some vapid thing that pulls me to her."

"No-one said it was, hun."

"Right, I'm only saying, since there's that bizarre thing with some Sith women that think going all skimpy actually does something useful." She rolled her head down with a groan. "I don't know why I should even feel bad about this. I've heard of plenty of women falling men who've done far worse."

"Ain't about how many straight women choose to ruin their own lives. Right now, you know things aren't good with you and this other girl, that's already better than everyone who wants to ignore the problem, huh? Tell her about it, and either you work with her on making it better, or you break it off and don't need to think about it anyway."

Deep in thought, Maarani cast her eyes downward. "If she lives, I won't be able to stop thinking about her though. I'm not sure I want to go through the other option, no matter how it turns out."

Whether the bartender had anything else to add at that point was put aside as she noticed three more individuals at the doorway.

"Hey! Can't you read the sign pretty boy? No men! Even when we're closed!"

Izan lifted his hand up in surrender, not quite ready to go hide behind Jayden for defense. "Not here to browse. Came to check on a friend."

By then, Maarani had turned on her seat to see the trio, Cecile not far behind Jayden's left.

"Well, you found me. Not that I was trying to hide." She looked back to the bartender with a simple look of asking for them to stay. With that secured, she pulled her composure back up before the others could get close enough to see her real mood.

"So, if this is an intervention, it's the wrong place for it."

Jayden curled her lips in before pulling over one of the bar stools. Izan went for a nearby chair instead, while Cecile had no need to sit.

"We know you'll want to get Azera away from here if things don't go your way. I know things didn't pan out with Mandalore earlier, but with some alternate conditions, he'll still provide her with protection from the Republic. We're keeping that option open for you."

"And you decided to say that while in civilian gear?" Maarani twisted her own lips around. "She won't go for it. Not before the trial. I don't think an execution sentence will convince her either. The Luka Sene will try to take her the moment it lands in their favour."

She wasn't even entirely convinced that a remedial sentence would be good enough either. It still left her trapped within the Jedi Temple indefinitely, and still a target of the Luka Sene.

After one more long sigh, she looked to each of the three in turn. "I appreciate the thought, but I think we're all done with wild escape plans. From here, I do things on my own, I'm not dragging any of you through the hell I'm running into. Make the promise to my face that you'll all move on with your lives. You especially, Cecile."

No flickering of Cecile's eyes, no words of protest. Only the long stare between her and Maarani, as she contemplated what the future held for her in particular.

"Truth be told, I haven't considered what I will do. Mistress Carmen has expressed interest in guiding me towards some options. You are still the one I would trust most for advice however."

"Given what I've done lately, Carmen's a much better role model, believe me."

The attention soon turned to Jayden, who rolled her shoulders uncomfortably. "I have thought about what you asked of me, a while back. And I have had the chance to discuss things with Qoso, now that I've finally been able to reunite. I told him that the only thing that would keep me from coming home, and perhaps even starting our family, was the absolute certainty that you needed my help out there.

At last, Maarani found the will to form a smile. "I don't want kids, but maybe one of these days I'll be in a better head space to help look after others for a time. I'd like something to look forward to."

Sensing that his turn had come, Izan leaned up from the chair a little with a belated shrug. "Got in touch with Mission and Zaalbar like you suggested. Once I get the needed flight time, I can sign on as a contractor. More than I was expecting really. Or I guess less in a way, not nearly as much paperwork and upfront costs."

"Cheers for nepotism. Probably the last thing I do that's in keeping with Republic policy."

She twisted back around to the bartender yet again, that time while reaching for her credit chit. "Speaking of, can we get one round for the occasion? Officer's word we won't make a mess."

"Oh sure. Drinks for three, when only one of them actually belongs in here. Why not?"

Even in the midst of the sarcasm, the bartender was already pulling up three shot glasses, which she promptly filled and slid down to the group.

When each had their drink in hand, Cecile deciding to imitate the motions on her own, Maarani improved her smile a little more.

"For the future. May the Republic go fuck itself. More than it already has."

To her amusement, none of the others retracted the gesture after that, instead joining in with the drink.

After the haughty breath from the burn, Izan shook his head to wash the rest down. "Well, there goes my future as a Republic citizen."

"I wasn't one to begin with."

"And they're hardly likely to give them to droids in the foreseeable future."

Maarani gave another tilt of her head, smirking more at that. "I served in the military for eight years. Fought and bled for a democracy led by majority rule as an inherent minority. Now, I get to do things my way. Tomorrow night, that will probably mean running away. In a year, we'll see."


Right before the doors opened, Iyep prepared herself for the conversation ahead. It was incredibly illegal, and other any other circumstances, she wouldn't have allowed the Twi'lek in question to even set foot on Senate grounds.

The threat of a Dark Jedi with a vendetta against her threw all the rules and other worries out.

Her guest arrived at last, striding into the room under escort by two Senate guards. He eyed them both as they were ordered to leave with a gesture, folding his arms afterward.

"Senator Iyep."

Iyep didn't answer at first. She was trying to gauge what to make of him from her position behind the desk. Preferably without giving away the slack feeling she had in part of her face that day. Weakness on her part was the last thing she could afford to expose.

"Who am I talking to? Your man was very vague in the holocall."

The other Twi'lek shifted his shoulders with a frown. "Aruga. I have the full confidence of Seradan, if that's what you're questioning, Senator."

"I'm questioning your competence, Aruga. You don't exactly strike me as the cold killer type."

"Yes, because the Hidden Hand has prospered for over two decades by being overt and blatant in our criminal activities. What you politicians consider 'competent' means little to those with real power."

Iyep felt like the side of her face was starting to melt down her fist as she leaned against it more. "Are you done with the prattle? I really don't want to hear your anti-government speech. You're here to do a job for me. No arguments, no discussions, and no backstabbing from either side."

Choosing not to swear under his breath out of frustration, Aruga merely rolled his tongue while clenching his jaw about to either side. "State the job."

"I want you to kill Maarani. I want it to be public. I want it to be quick. I want her unquestionably dead. And I want no connection to it whatsoever."

Aruga lifted an eyebrow while glancing around the room. "Am I to believe you actually had the mental capacity to think of disabling surveillance in this room? What about my arrival? And my departure? Not to mention the Jedi."

"None of that matters. You're not going to be in the vicinity when I want you to kill her. Another will be holding the blaster. I want you to arrange things so that she will pull the trigger when the time comes."

"I see. You've concocted a plan based solely on the 'hidden hand' motif. A pointlessly convoluted plan."

Iyep reached her free hand across the table to the waiting keypad. After several seconds, the door opened to another Twi'lek under armed escort. That time, they were making her walk forward with a hand on a shoulder each.

Once the guards had departed again, Iyep motioned for Aruga to take a look. "There is a Zygerrian envoy on Coruscant as we speak. They'll have slaves with them, trapped on their ship of course. This one was recovered months ago, but small details matter little under strong circumstantial evidence."

For the first time, Aruga broke from his stoic, unimpressed position as he looked over the former slave in full. There seemed little reason to refer to her as anything else, as the vacuous look in her eyes said enough. Her mind had already been completely broken to the point of being catatonic. Nothing left to recover.

He found Iyep despicable on principle. The end result of Zygerrian brutality was beyond that, however.

"You haven't thrown them in cells for their audacity to come here?"

"I'm not interested in making a pact with the Hidden Hand. But we all have a lot to gain here. Maarani is going to kill me when things don't go her way. You have a score to settle with her. I want an excuse to throw those jackals down the depths of Coruscant. I know your kind have rescued our people from them in the past. I need a favour now, you will have one owed in return. Should I continue?"

"Oh, please do. I enjoy being talked down to by a woman who can't keep her addiction in check."

"And I really have no patience for men as a whole. Especially ones that think they can belittle me. Kill the bitch using this puppet, and we needn't see each other ever again outside of that favour. Any person with your connections can devise a means to make it work. I have my finger on security records. None of this will get out, provided Maarani dies. Tomorrow."

"You want this done at the trial? Getting a slave into the vicinity won't be easy."

"I'll handle that as well. As for the Jedi, when things do not go her way, Maarani will be overwhelming their senses. I didn't pick this mindless husk out of convenience. Do I need to keep explaining, or can you finally figure out what is required?"

"I have what I need, Senator. A pre-emptive assassination with the subtlety of a bludgeon is what you want, so, that is what you will get."

Iyep motioned her hand to the door with a half-hearted glare. "You're not being paid by the hour to be a smartass. Just go and have it ready by tomorrow morning."

Aruga left it at a disdainful look. When it came to escorting the mindless Twi'lek out, that feeling only grew worse, his hand barely holding onto the shoulder from his revulsion. Death was a concept he had come to terms with long ago. Unliving was not covered by that in the slightest.


Midday had gone by in a blur after the round at the bar.

Maarani could remember some of the places that they had visited after departing. Drinking of any magnitude was off the table, as she wanted to keep her head mostly clear. Instead, the simple serenity of letting down her own barriers and pulling back her presence to let the good feelings of those around pour in was her escape.

The proverbial leech in the crowd. Drinking in glee and cheer to fill her own drained soul.

Knowing exactly when the summons would come had its own benefit. Standing in one of the emptied corridors of the Jedi Temple, all on her own, meant that it could happen at any moment. But it would be when she was ready. And in the midst of uncertainty, that was a great comfort.

Even Azera was out of reach. Once again deliberate from both sides. The desire to apologize for the previous day was something she could only do in person, but not before she had a chance to speak with Yuthura for some final clarity.

In the silence, she pressed her head back to the wall, closing her eye for a moment of meditation.

"Give me something. Please. Where do I go from here?"

She opened her eye. While she was definitely still standing in the Jedi Temple, the wall at her back, the world she saw was very different.

Bleak, a dreary kind of inky-purple throughout. Storm clouds covered the entire sky, drizzling across the desolate landscape.

In the distance, she could see a dark city. And before that, a kneeling figure at the end of a small outstretch of rock.

She turned to her left as she noticed movement on the edge of her remaining vision. As it turned out, yet another duplicate of herself, though she wasn't bearing the markings of the Lady of Balance. The various shades of grey in her leather outfit pointed to something different. Distinct from the robes of the Lady herself, or the Following.

"What now? Are you my 'light half', come to scold me for being awful or some cliche shit like that?"

"No. You'll meet the real 'Light Tegama'Arani' soon. If you survive the next day. Though I should warn you, you're really not going to like what you see."

Maarani frowned at that, eyeing over her other self further. She also had the eyepatch, and the scars on both her left lekku and right hand.

"So, what? There's a chance I die tomorrow? That's where all the crap I've been through leads? And how is my light half possibly any worse than what I've been put through?"

The other shrugged with a smirk, reaching a hand out to catch the raindrops.

"Destiny doesn't exist. There's no guarantee that you'll see the end of this journey. You need to accept that if you want to keep going, because you can't rely on a guiding hand to protect you any longer. You're making your own path now."

"Alright, please cut the rhetoric. If I make it through tomorrow, and I get Az out of this mess, where are we going?"

The smirk became a smile on the other's face.

"She has her own trial to face. A real one. You will walk this path alone. Whether you survive the journey, or especially the destination, is up to you."

"And what is the destination?"

For a few seconds, Maarani actually felt a chill through her body. The sensation of biting water droplets striking the top of her head and lekku, and the whisper of the other as she leaned in to whisper against her earcone.

"Dromund Kaas."

The name was unfamiliar to Maarani, but she could sense some of the impact behind it.

When she opened her eye again, she was still standing in the corridor. Watching a few droplets of icy cold water roll down from her brow and cheek.

With precise timing, her holocom began to beep.

Her reach for it was automatic, drawing it from her pocket and setting it for audio only.

"I'm here. Go ahead."

"Yuthura is ready to see you now. Is there anyone who might ask for you in the meantime?"

"No. No, I've covered what I need to. Unless the admiralty want me for a debrief, in which case you can tell them to wait. They can't make it an order anyway."

Maarani tightened down on her lip. Speaking with Azera was something she had since planned to come later in the evening. And if there was anything more that needed to be talked over with the various Jedi, she had the night for that. She was coming to realize that wasn't quite everyone.

"Can you arrange a secure line for later? I need a connection to my uncle on Ryloth, and a Hutt called Smirged on Ketaris. Tell him I'd like to speak with Nurrina. He'll wait. My uncle might not."

"I'll see what I can do."

She closed the holocom, sending it back to her pocket. A little more time to breathe. One more chance to stand in total silence and gather herself, before an end.


When her final chance to stop and think had passed, Maarani pushed through the door to the atrium. With an overlook of the western horizon, through the various buildings, Yuthura's choice of meeting place was clear enough.

Yuthura herself was right in the middle of the spacious room. The clay waterfall bordered by greenery behind her made for a very calming backdrop and ambience. The backless seat she was perched on had more than enough room for another to sit there. The unspoken invitation.

With great reverence, she walked over to Yuthura. Before sitting, she looked over the older Twi'lek a while, mostly thinking about the serenity on her face. Another small reminder that she hadn't entirely botched things in seeking her out.

Thinking of what to say proved more difficult than she expected. She didn't want to sit down and sit in complete silence, but if Yuthura was going to break it, she would have done so already.

When it did come to her, Maarani took the first of what she expected would be many bracing breaths.

"Why weren't you involved in my life? After you took me through the Vahla ritual?"

"I was. Just not in a direct manner."

Yuthura opened her eyes slowly, keeping them on the view ahead. "Your father decided on a plan to train you himself when the time came. But, both he and your mother were concerned that you might reject that path. We all knew the influence that stories and legends could hold over a young mind, and so we created one that we hoped you would follow. If you rejected the teachings of your father, we believed an older friend of the family might have been your next choice."

"So, what? Jedi running off to be alone so wayward angsty teenagers can seek them out for training was going to be a planned practice? Is that why you went all the way to Akar Kesh instead of getting some psych counselling like a healthy functioning adult?"

Maarani relented after that, already feeling some regret. Not enough to back down. "I get wanting to run away from everything when life has literally fallen to pieces and there's no climbing out. I've been there. But I also haven't had anyone depending on me. That's the real problem, Yuthura. I needed literally anyone to be in my life, and no-one was there. Running away was selfish."

"Yes, it was. And as harsh as this might sound, sometimes the selfish decision is the needed one."

Yuthura looked away from the window at last. The confusion, and mild resent from Maarani was clearer than ever.

"How do you perceive the light and dark of the Force? What embodies them to you? What words would you use to describe each?"

"Evil, disgusting, egomaniacal, destructive? The dark side to be clear. Cold, I guess. I'd say ear rumbling too. Oh, an unhealthy obsession with black clothing, or next to no clothing. And red in general." Maarani took a little longer to ponder the other half of the question. "The light is, warm, bright. Peaceful. Safe. Quiet."

"Good?"

Maarani went into deeper silence as her eyes drifted away from Yuthura's. Little by little. The doubt was there, plain for her to think about. And now the focus was placed squarely on it.

"I don't know. Everything I've learned about the old Jedi Order tells me that they had themselves to blame for going pacifist when they needed to step up and take action. It wasn't the light side compelling them to do that, just their own flawed view of it. Right?"

"Then the actions of the Sith are their own? They also have a flawed interpretation of the dark side?"

In another bout of frustration, Maarani stood back up to give herself room to pace and think. "Look, I don't know that either. I don't know what you're trying to make me understand. I've felt what the dark side does when it's used."

"And what did it feel like, truly? Think about how you described it just now, and how it actually felt."

Again, Maarani went quiet to think about it. "It was always cold. I felt so angry, every time."

"Your own feelings, then? Not something that came from the dark side?"

"I felt powerful. I wanted to lash out, and it was easy to. At least until I went up against Zimorr and he was just flat out better. I couldn't defend against him."

"So the dark side enabled what was already there? It didn't truly impose anything on you? Made you feel egomaniacal? Destructive? Evil?"

Maarani glared back at Yuthura. The questions were sounding more vague in a deliberate way. Pushing more for her to work out the point on her own, when she was only having more trouble trying to deduce it.

"I don't know! Goddess, I don't fucking know! I don't know how I feel anymore! I don't know what I was feeling yesterday when I killed a man by grabbing his head! What's the point of this? Of anything!?"

Passing no judgement, Yuthura continued watching her in serenity. "The true masters of the Force allow it to master themselves in turn. It has a direction it wishes to flow, but you influence that direction by your presence, and interaction. You're caught between trying to push against it, and letting it carry you away. You aren't in a position to guide and be guided, thus the struggle. The opinions and viewpoints of others are only clouding things further. You must learn to decide how you wish to interpret the Force in your own terms."

"And I don't know how to do that, Yuthura. I thought reconnecting with the Force would be enough. I'm losing control."

"Because you feel torn between two extremes? That the vague definition of 'grey' isn't enough for you to feel comfortable in between?"

Maarani curled her lips in. Just like that, a significant chunk of how she was feeling was finally summarised so precisely. "Half the people out there are calling me a Dark Jedi now. The other half want to believe I'm anything but. I don't regret killing Zimorr, but I don't want to be defined by that. I'm…"

Her throat went dry. Mentally and physically, she couldn't bring herself to plead that she wasn't a murderer. Not when in the depths of her greatest regret yet.

"Simplifying concepts to binary terms is a deep-rooted habit of sapience, Tegama. It is the beginning of intellect, not the end. The Force itself cannot be defined in binary terms. I have come to see it as a spectrum that curves on itself, and true harmony with the Force relies on finding our own specific point of resonance."

"Look, I'm really not that smart. I mean, just this morning, I was talking with Dana about how the Force works in a binary sense. Things are or they aren't. Now you're saying a lot of words, and what I do understand is going against that."

Yuthura lifted her shoulders very lightly, brushing them against her lekku. "A light source can be on or off. It can also be many degrees of brightness. Using the Force requires a true understanding that you can always lift great objects, alter the world around you, project your thoughts onto others. But do all Jedi have the capacity to move entire planets across the cosmos? Are all Jedi limited to lifting only the smallest pebble from the ground?"

Maarani closed her eyes to breathe out. While still both confusing, and a bit bothersome, the analogy was making a bit more sense. "Knowing I can lift a rock, and knowing I can make that rock spin around the air and land perfectly on its point is the same thing in different ways. So, how does that apply to the spectrum between light and dark? And how does 'looping on itself' work?"

"I see the light of the Force as the concept of selflessness. That the whole are more than the individual. The dark of the Force is thus the concept of selfishness. There is only the individual above all else. Good and bad intent lie at a crossroads to that. Someone can be truly neutral, and still have good intent, just as someone can be neutral and have bad intent. Someone who wishes to see all are benefited equally, light or dark. And someone who would ignore the needs of all, regardless of their nature."

"And where am I? I've pretty much said outright that the Republic can go fuck itself into collapse. But I still want to help our people, Yuthura. Am I just selfish in a less extreme way? Or am I somewhere right in the middle?"

"I can't answer that question for you. Not fully. I would say that you are far from a truly selfish person, Tegama. Perhaps that should be enough, despite what others say."

Maarani finally went to sit back down, that time taking one of the chairs not quite opposite Yuthura. Her face went to both hands, clasping at her skin, trying not to disturb the eyepatch.

"I don't know who I am anymore. And I don't know what I actually want. I'm just putting on this big farce. Hell, I've even tried pushing the Chosen One shit onto Azera. I don't even know who's ego that's helping any more. And it's all going to crash down anyway because everyone else is so stuck in their ways."

"Then you should go back to the most basic. Who are you, not by how any society, individual or ethereal being defines you. What do you want, not by how it impacts the galaxy, or changes the views of others." Her breath trembled a little as she looked back to the windows, watching as the Coruscant star began to grace the horizon. "Why are you here, spending time with an old woman as she watches her final sunset?"

Maarani lifted her head up from her hands, followed the line of sight to the view beyond, then exhaled until her chest felt hollow inside. Slowly, her body trembling throughout, she returned to the seat beside Yuthura.

"I'm an awful woman, who's in love with another awful woman. I want to be with her, and I'm afraid of what I'll do to keep her." She could feel her left eye going misty, and her mangled right eye stinging sharply beneath the eyepatch. "I'm here, because I don't want anyone to die alone."

Yuthura smiled a little at that, her breath shallow as she let herself stare unfazed into the setting sun.

"You are right, in that old ways need to change. What we believe must be open to reinterpretation, and new discovery. But, it is just as important to remember that some wisdom of old can endure. The Jedi Code of the past was flawed, but one line above all will always remain true."

In that moment, Maarani lifted a hand, very lightly rubbing the tears out from underneath the eyepatch, moving onto her free eye. Making her vision clear as she turned to Yuthura.

"There is no death. There is the Force."

Eyes still dazzled by the evening sun, Yuthura turned her head one last time to make eye contact as her form began to fade away.

When her passing was complete, Maarani looked down over the clothes and lightsaber that remained, finally letting out one more shuddering breath.

She had been denied the right to be with her family in their passing nine years ago. Now, that had finally been changed.


Every other step through the halls, she could feel the eyes of another on her. She didn't need to do anything to draw attention. Everyone in the Temple had felt the shift, and were now drawn to the lingering echo out of impulse. So many lives touched by one individual, despite her long absence.

Maarani was hardly surprised when she found Visas at her destination. She had apparently gathered a number of Jedi in the memorial hall on her own time, and was now standing to one side of the main walkway. Once more, her persistent smile had settled into a more solemn one of respect.

"Whatever you may think, whatever may happen in the coming days. You are Jedi, Tegama. You will always have a place among us."

The most Maarani could give was a very small nod. A brief glance to many of the other Jedi, Dana, Jayden and Sereti especially, then a fixation on the prepared pedestal as she approached.

Her breath was near silent as she set Yuthura's folded robes across the surface. The lightsaber across those in turn. Hopefully to be never ignited again.

She stepped away to take a series of bracing breaths. Then a few more, starting back towards the stairs.

"She was at peace. She did everything she felt she had to. I'm not sure I can do that."

Maarani turned back around, doing her best to face all of the gathered Jedi. Likely the last time she would ever be able to do so in a state of complete calm.

"I can't fix everything on my own. I wish that prophecy was never found, because putting that kind of responsibility on one person is just awful. Expecting one person I'd only ever heard about to fix all my problems was exactly the same. We can be better than that."

There was no response from the gathered Jedi. None was needed.

With nothing more to say, Maarani turned again to resume her departure. She still had two calls to make, and one more visit before the evening was done.


Azera came out of her meditation as soon as she sensed the door open. For once, she didn't have the foresight of a strong Force presence to inform her of approach. Unnerving at first, but soon a comfort when she watched Maarani descend the steps into the cell.

Her demeanour was so unlike that of the previous day. Emptiness had replaced the cold rage. Even the way she went to sit down, without even uttering a mental word, made clear how far she had come down.

After some thought, Azera got up from her kneeling position to sit alongside her, taking everything slowly as she did so. Once again situated where she was closest to the eye she had yet to heal.

"I called my uncle. First time in nearly seven years. After I paid off the stolen shuttle with the stipend."

Azera remained silent.

"I also called Nurrina." Maarani curled her lip in. "I thought about what you said. That I was boasting about being a proud lesbian, like I had something to prove. What I said about you."

"Can you blame a Sith for being sensitive about her ego?"

Maarani shook her head at that. "I brought her up to speed on everything since fleeing Ketaris. Told her about all the fights I had with you. How you were bringing out the worst in me, when we were enemies. When we were making out. Without details."

"Yes, I imagine going on about the details would have the exact opposite effect of trying to apologize for your boasting."

Rather than turning her head to glare, Maarani let the remark stand. It wasn't all that unfair, after all.

"Dana got me thinking about our relationship. Our twisted, messed up, thing that we have. She asked me to think about what I wanted from my life going forward. If I really wanted to be with someone who hurt me, I've hurt in return. And I've started to realize that deplorables like us don't get to have healthy relationships anyway."

She went quiet, keeping herself calm with breathing for a while longer. Further contemplating where she was at.

"I rushed into so many things. I've killed people, gotten people killed because of it. I'm worried that the next time I screw up, trying to get what I want, it won't be one or two people that die. It'll be hundreds, or thousands. I don't know how to stop this wreck I've started. I don't know how to save you without shattering the Republic. As much as I hate the people at the top, and the ones below who don't care, I don't want to see trillions of people have their lives ruined either."

"Then don't save me."

Before Maarani could object, Azera twisted herself around enough to take hold of both her hands, squeezing them tightly. She wanted her full attention in that moment.

"I felt a lot of what Yuthura conveyed to you. The notion of selfishness, and selflessness. I will always see myself as Sith, one who attains to greater power. But I now want to wield that power for the benefit of others, not at their expense. We don't know what the Force has planned. You have to let me put my own theory to the test. Whatever that requires."

Having relented from her objection, Maarani had gone back to listening. At the last point, she sighed deeply, casting her eye downward.

"We have to walk our own paths."

She didn't need to look to see Azera's head tilt. The answer had been quick, and for a good reason.

"Right before I went to see Yuthura, I experienced what I thought was a vision. Right now, I'm pretty sure it was something else. More like that projection thing we've been working on together."

"Someone else formed that level of connection with you?"

Maarani rolled her shoulders. "Whomever it was, they were on this desolate world. Looked exactly like me, but with this weird grey leather get-up. They said some very specifically cryptic things, warned me that I could die in the coming days. And when I came out of it, there was actual water on my head from the rain there."

"Grey leather?"

"Yeah. It was this weird, asymmetric tunic deal. Shoulderless on the right, with a wrist cuff. Left side was a long sleeve and fingerless glove in one. I don't get why that's so easy to remember."

Azera knew that much herself, but another question had to come first.

"This desolate world. Any idea where it is? A glimpse of the stars?"

"Completely overcast. It looked really wet, and decayed. Like that world where we blew up the gravity room, only dead. The uh, person, they called it Dromund Kaas, like I was supposed to know the name."

The name gave Azera an uncomfortable feeling when she heard it. But, like Maarani, it ultimately meant nothing to her. "It doesn't sound like a Je'daii name. And Yuthura didn't mention it when describing the starmap at Akar Kesh. I don't understand the significance either."

"Well, I'm apparently going there soon. I don't know how when there's no way to track a planet without even a hint of where it is in the galaxy. And I still can't access shatterspace."

"And all the relevant holocrons are destroyed." Azera focused herself in a little more. "It could be where Lasidia is going. She told me about her first days as true Sith, when she met the echo of the Exile on Korriban. If she hasn't already found the superweapon, she might have gone after the next viable place where that information would be held."

"Where Revan and Surik went. Which means Dromund Kaas could be Dark Sith Central for all I know. Great."

"If they didn't succeed."

"Well, at least one person there is alive. I was born well after both of them left, so they can't be the one calling to me, and everything you've told me about Lasidia doesn't track with who I saw there at all. I don't know what to think."

Maarani leaned back until her lekku were pressed to the wall behind. On top of the great weight already set before her, there seemed to be no end to the new problems and developments adding to it. One burden relieved now seemed so small.

After some further thought, she twisted her head to look at Azera again. "Yesterday, when I was getting snappy about the arm, you were trying to fix the eye first?"

"I was going to heal both. When I was healing all those Jedi, I felt weaker. I wanted to see if moving closer to the light side somehow diminished my abilities in an inverse way."

"Still, I want to know why you wanted to fix the eye first."

"Why are you still insistent on keeping it destroyed?"

"Call it penance. Until I feel like I've earned having my full vision back. What's the obsession about, Az?"

Azera pulled her hands away from Maarani's at last. The left one she reached up toward her head, curling the fingers in between her lekku as she had done before.

"Visions are coming to me again. More frequently, and with greater abstract. I'm starting to worry that you were onto something. I wanted to be sure things don't line up."

Her fingertips made contact, imparting her latest vision to Maarani directly. She drew her hand away as soon as she saw the vivid reaction.

Maarani inhaled sharply, her hand lashing up to the region just above her cleavage, pressing through the fabric of her shirt to where she perceived the blaster shot had landed. Regardless of it being a twisted Sith, it was still definitely her in the vision.

"So, that's it. I'm half blind, wielding dual lightsabers. And I'm going to be shot in the chest tomorrow, when I let my guard down."

"Tee-"

"No, no…" With more breaths, Maarani finally felt comfortable enough to lower her hand again. Whatever she was feeling, whatever the fears and anxieties, none of it had happened yet. "I'll just be more careful then. I won't get worked up to where anything distracts me from the threat. And I won't take this casually. There's going to be a lot of guards at the trial, and there's every chance I survive anyway. If I get shot, you'll be there to heal me, and it won't be trading a life for a life."

"Tee, like I said. If my ability to heal has weakened, that may not be true any longer. And if things go south, they may take me away before I have a chance to help anyway. You can't rely on me being there to help you."

Maarani went quiet again. Nothing seemed worse than being laid out on the floor, gasping for air through destroyed lungs, having to watch the Luka Sene drag Azera off to a horrible demise in an asylum. Surviving seemed worse in that case.

In the end, getting the image out of her mind was what she needed in order to remain sane.

"It's uncanny. Sith-me had the exact same outfit as Grey-me, only in stronger tones. What's with the white sleeve anyway?"

"I was the White Terror, Tee. Not all Sith have an unhealthy obsession with black hooded robes."

Maarani turned her head again, eyeing down Azera's current attire. "The Senate wants you back in that outfit, by the way. I tried to fight it on grounds of it being a pretentious shitshow. But, fighting them over how you look isn't worth giving up being by your side for the duration."

"I understand. I could use fresh clothes anyway. If they want to make it a spectacle, I'm not going to waste breath arguing over it."

In the light moment, Maarani actually choked up a little at her own realization. "You never even got to have a proper hot water shower."

Reluctantly, she finally worked herself back up. Her visiting time was at a close, and the next time she entered the cell would be to prepare Azera for the long escort to the Senate building. They both needed every bit of strength for that.

"I'll come by first. I made clear that there'd be hell to pay for anyone trying to sneak you out before I get here. I'm tired of fighting, but I'm not done with it yet."

A shiver ran through as she felt Azera's hands slide around her waist, drawing her back around while Azera moved to stand with her. The final flame of passion gave way to one more real kiss. No more secrets, no more deep regrets that hadn't already been cast into the open.


In the communications centre, a number of key Jedi had gathered around the table. Everyone directly involved with Maarani. Carth was the only one not there in person, appearing by secure hologram instead.

Now, instead of Sereti, Visas was leading the meeting. Unlike the gathering in the memorial hall, the mood was far more clandestine.

"The situation is laid out before us. We cannot influence the decision of the Republic, but we must ensure the end result is the same. Tegama and Azera must remain in our custody, else we will be pushed into the onset of a galactic catastrophe."

Bastila folded her arms. "Coming from you of all people, I'd hope that's an understatement."

"Events have pushed Tegama to a dangerous position. If we do not handle her with the utmost care, if we do not preserve her anchor in sanity, she will lose control. It will not happen immediately, but when she does come back for revenge on the Republic, it will be devastation beyond reproach. We have to keep her stable, and that means Azera must live."

"And you're prepared to openly defy the Republic to do that? The galaxy won't see this as action in the best interests of all. It's open subversion."

Visas smiled in Carth's direction. "We are not overthrowing the Senate. We are not seizing power. We are stopping one execution to save countless lives. That is why you are going to use every favour and resource at your disposal to ensure that as many military forces involved are loyal or sympathetic to this outcome. Do not let the senators dictate military action again."

She looked across to Dana and Jayden right after. "Stay by Tegama's side. We know that there are Zygerrians here on Coruscant, and they are acting within the bounds of diplomatic immunity. Keep a close eye on them, and watch for anyone else who might try to interfere. Until they breach the terms of their immunity, we don't have good cause to drive them out. Not while we have a larger crisis to contain."

The two exchanged glances, with the latter adjusting her posture. Jayden had more to add.

"The Mandalorian option is still open. I've talked with the others, and they are willing to do the heavy lifting here if it means keeping the Jedi out of the backlash. It could still be a less messy way of dealing with this."

"I am keeping it in mind, Jayden. And while the Senate might not endanger the alliance over Azera a second time, it would still harm relations. The Jedi will weather a backlash better than the Mandalorians in this particular case, I am confident of that."

Visas straightened back up after that, resting her hands on the table with absolute confidence about her. "Tegama and Azera must survive the coming days. Nothing surpasses that goal. Thirty one years of preparation is staked on their survival. Ending the cycle of war with the Sith depends on her. She is right in that she cannot solve everything alone, but she is the keystone nonetheless. We support her, and she will unify us against the darkness."


"Reposition to this planet in two hours, standard orbit. Maintain open channels, and be prepared for potential retaliation."

"Yes sir."

Once the comm line closed, Morgak reached up to grasp at his chin lightly. "That's the last of the deployment." He reached his hand out to gesture across the Imperial border, each of the stronghold worlds marked with a red dot. "By this time tomorrow, the Republic will have made its response. Retaliation, or inaction."

Rak'Sakar didn't say a word, though did join in with looking over to Sloane when her own discomfort became clear.

Her head tilted around a little, while below the mask her vacant eyes were darting about wildly.

"The scryers and I are all sensing a great change. I'm concerned we will have much more to face than a Republic onslaught. This may exceed conventional battles."

"And what do you propose we do? There is still time to call off the attack, if that is to be the impetus."

Sloane went quiet again, reaching for the edge of the table to steady herself. "It may not be possible to stop what is coming, we may only be able to change its course." Her knuckles went pure white as she gripped down tighter, then finally relented. "We should maintain the plan. Tegama is the greatest threat. Ensuring her death will only prove beneficial for us all."

"Then we proceed with caution." Morgak punched in a set of commands with the panel directly in front of him. "Grand Moff Morgak on priority channel to Keeper. Live surveillance is to be relayed to Zygerrian strike team for the duration. Make sure they know of every variable possible. Do not allow rogue elements to interfere with the plan."


Once the wiring was complete, Aruga closed up the cybernetic collar around the puppet's neck. A switch on the outside caused the implants around the collar's inside to pierce the skin and form connections with the neural system, bringing the vegetative Twi'lek under computer control.

"Confirm implant success."

The empty Twi'lek stared back at him blankly.

He hummed in response, leaning back in for some more precise adjustments. For a second time, he leaned back and repeated the command.

The Twi'lek's head slowly tilted upward, then rolled over to the other side, maintaining the blank stare.

Below, the computer system built into the collar spoke instead.

"Implant successful. Registering 71% motor neural function. Connection, stable. Function, impaired."

"Increase power output by seventy-five percent."

The Twi'lek's head went up again, that time without lulling over.

Aruga nodded in approval. "Better. Test vocalization and articulation function."

There was a distinct roboticism with which the puppeted Twi'lek lifted her hand, and then looked at. Each of the fingers was flexed in turn, as any machine would when running maintenance. Through an organic body, the whole process looked uncanny.

"Vocccalizzation teeesttt." The words were slurred at first, prompting a repeat of the test, and then another. The third proved to be enough for the collar to acclimate to the puppet's vocal chords and mouth.

"Active control established. Autonomic functions regulated. Ready to receive directive."

"Instructions are as follows. Upon receiving the trigger signal, you will proceed to the largest gathering of humanoid activity. You will seek out a Twi'lek matching this image." Aruga brought up a months old holo-image of Maarani for the puppet to study. "Once your target is acquired, you will approach her in haste, drawing out a provided blaster, and shout the following phrase."

He gave a very radicalized battlecry in spoken Hutteese. "When you have clear aim on the target, you will direct the blaster to centre mass, and pull the trigger. Initiate self-destruct procedure once that condition is fulfilled. Program ends."

"Directive accepted, committing to memory. Entering standby."

Aruga leaned back with a disgruntled sigh. It was an unpleasant means to an otherwise desired end. But, there was still one more segment to add.

"Senator Iyep. Senator Iyep. Senator Iyep."

He watched the puppet for a few seconds, then continued repeating the name a few more times. If enough of a mind remained behind the vacant eyes, the name would be very visible on the surface.

With the grim work done, he looked over his shoulder to Seradan's hologram. "This should be sufficient to do the job. Either way, Iyep will go down after this.

"She proves herself more than a fool. An outright traitor to our people. I will be glad to rid of both."

Seradan looked over the puppeted Twi'lek for a little longer before making a disgusted noise. "Let us hope this was well worth the price that the Bleeding Heart demanded. G0-T0 was not generous on this occasion."

"When has it ever been?" Aruga returned to the last adjustments to the collar, sealing up the compartment fully and locking out further input. "The Senator's people will come to collect her soon. May her sacrifice prove worthwhile."

"Indeed. Remain observant, Aruga. And be wary of the Zygerrians. They almost certainly have plans of their own. Do not let them interfere."


"And here, you will be able to breach the laser grid for exactly fifteen seconds. More than enough time for the three of you to cross the threshold."

In the Zygerrian safehouse, Ashter was laying out the finalization of the plan on a holographic recreation of the Senate building. Wuthbrand, and the two Sith agents to accompany him on the mission, were all watching with great scrutiny.

"Here is where your paths diverge. The pair of you will take this junction-" She drew a red line along the route from their access to a hatch in the supreme hall. "And carefully deploy yourself without being seen. From this vantage, you will have a clear line of sight on the Chancellor." A red cone of sight came up in the middle of the chamber to depict the full scope of their vision. "His guards will also be watching this point. You must remain unseen for hours, if needed. Be prepared for as much."

Her attention turned to Wuthbrand after that. "You will proceed further, gaining access to a main corridor. You have a maximum of forty seconds to cross the distance before the next patrol moves through. Your destination is here."

She drew his path out with a green line for contrast, being very careful with the corridor section in particular to ensure that the correct wall panel was selected. "It is disguised, of course. Be absolutely sure you can open, access, and then seal this panel behind you before the patrol comes through."

Wuthbrand nodded silently. It wasn't confidence in his skills, merely the understanding that only absolute precision was acceptable.

"You will then follow this new passageway to a vantage point situated above the Chancellor's booth. Visually, you are far better concealed, however you must instead hide from the Jedi located here."

She mapped out his cone of vision, centred directly on the outreaching platform where Azera and Maarani would be standing. Identifying the other Jedi that would be accompanying them didn't matter. All of them would be waiting for an impending attack.

"Timing is of the most critical nature in this operation. The Chancellor must come under attack before you develop any active thoughts of assassination. Do not think about Maarani. Clear your mind of her."

Ashter returned her gaze to the Sith. "Are you clear on the directive from your own superiors? Do not kill the Chancellor. Wound him, but do not maim him. He must remain active in office. Cause enough of a stir, then proceed with the escape plan."

Both agents nodded, choosing not to speak on their own terms.

With that assurance, Ashter looked to Wuthbrand once more. "When the moment comes, make your aim clear, direct through the middle of her body using the high-yield round. She may evade a shot to the head. You get one attempt, then you must flee on your own escape route. I trust you will not disappoint me on this most crucial of all days."


After what felt like closer to a year away, Maarani was once again under the otherwise soothing sensation of a hot water shower.

Everything had been far simpler back then. Her severe depression was the result of eight years of being increasingly disillusioned with the Republic she had sworn to protect. The death of her family had burned away long enough, and she had felt ready to embrace the new direction her life was going to take as a prospective Jedi.

According to everyone else, she had achieved that goal. But not in the way she had ever imagined, or ever wanted.

The rush of water across her bare body left her in a near trance. The sting as it splashed about her ruined eye no longer bothered her. She had plenty more scars to consider.

Slowly, she reached a hand around to her back. Brushing over the mess of shrapnel scars. Embedded into her when her fighter craft had exploded, less than a minute after she rigged it in a failed suicide attempt in the wake of Mirial. The one part of her life she wished she could forget.

Her hand came back around to reach up at her lekku. Brushing her fingers over the scar left by a shard of wood that had pinned her to the seat of the fighter. The scar that had brought out a hint of light in the woman bent on terrorizing her at the time.

The trail went down to her leg, feeling over where the bone had been cracked in two by a cyborg out to kill her.

On the way back up, her fingers touched over the scars in her abdomen. The last legacy of the Distant Star, a reminder of her mortality, and her belief in Azera's ability to overcome it.

Then, her other hand came to feel the circular region in her palm where it was softer than bone. The last time she had ever held her personal blaster, now nothing more than twisted metal thanks to a stray shot from a HK-50.

The grip moved down her arm to the second bone break. Set back in place by Azera's guiding hand. A vivid warning that her use of the Force was far from mastery.

It eventually came back up towards her eye. The reminder that she was arrogant, aggressive, and so very blind to the danger encroaching on all sides.

Eventually, her hand trailed back down to the region between her breasts once again. She could feel the smooth skin, just as it had always been. All she could picture as she looked down was a smouldering wound. The blaster shot that ended her, waiting to be delivered.

It was no more than she deserved, surely.

A long gasp left her lungs, her good eye closing as she focused her mind. Reaching out well beyond the walls of the apartment complex, across the cityscape of Coruscant, all the way to the detention centre afar.

Another shiver went through her, spiting the hot water caressing her body. When she opened her eye, Azera was standing there in the shower with her. Sharing in the naked glory of their mental connection.

"It's not the same. I'm not really here, Tee."

Maarani gave a very simple, belated shrug. "It's all we get."

After a shared smirk, the two slipped right into the embrace of each other. It had to be light to maintain the illusion, but with their bond reaching its strongest moment, neither of them cared to hold back any longer.