As if in defiance of the tense political situation, a steady flow of civilian traffic continued to flow in, out, and around Coruscant. Seen from the right approach vector, the planet was equally split between daylight and night, with one half a bisected sphere a gleaming metal jewel, the other a collection of bright electric swirls against black. All around it, tiny lights marking starship drives continued to swarm.

It had been a long time since Marin Skirata had seen Coruscant with her own eyes, and she tried to think exactly how long. As Marin Solo she'd mostly avoided the Core, instead crisscrossing the Outer and Mid Rim with Ania and Benet on their cargo ship. As Marin Fel she'd likewise mostly made her home on the galaxy's edges. She could probably count on one hand the times she'd been to the capital, and the latest must have been almost twenty years ago.

She'd forgotten what this place felt like in the Force. As they dipped through the planet's orbit and vectored for Galactic City, which for now lay on the planet's night-black half, she felt almost assaulted by so much life. A trillion individual selves, each with individual wants and desire and goals, frustrations and griefs and loneliness, all combined to make one chaotic whole. As they rocked through atmospheric entry she closed her eyes and tried to pick out just one signal against so much noise. She couldn't; it was simply too difficult, and she was beginning to wonder if she'd be much good on this journey after all.

Marin resolved not to give in so easily. Old as she was, she was still capable of learning new tricks.

She opened her eyes to watch as they came in for landing. They'd decided to use Starlight Champion for this mission, and she'd handed over the pilot controls of her father's ship- a rare occasion- to Hondo Karr so she could immerse herself in the Force. Stirring in her chair behind Hondo, she glanced sideways at the man in the other passenger seat. Ganner Krieg's suspicious eyes darted away from hers. With an inward sigh, Marin decided she'd best get it over with soon.

They set Starlight Champion down at the reconstructed Eastport docking complex. Ganner knew Galactic City better than anyone, and he claimed that the government district was a twenty-minute airspeeder ride away in good traffic. More likely, he admitted, it would take twice as long. Marin didn't mind the distance. They were trying to look as innocuous as possible, and nobody in their crew- six humans and one Mon Calamari- would attract much notice unless they put on Mando armor, which was right now sealed in the cargo section. The only reason people would glance at Champ would be for its antique design.

As the ship powered down on the landing pad, Hondo stretched and looked back at his passengers. "Stage one accomplished. When do we get to stage two?"

"What time is it local?" asked Ganner.

From the co-pilot's chair, Sauk reported, "Zero-two-hundred hours. Not exactly prime business hours."

"No, but they're good for R&R." Hondo got up from his seat and made his way toward the back hold.

Marin got up and followed. "What exactly are you planning, Hondo?"

"Nothing to interfere with the mission, believe me. Just tourist stuff."

He reached the crew lounge, where the rest of the team was assembled. Tes Vevec and her brother Oren wore plain tunics and jackets, while Marin's nephew Yangar had a drab brown jumpsuit. They were all hardened Mandalorians, but anybody would mistake them for the average spacers.

Stepping up to his wife and taking her hand, Hondo said, "Well, vode, we are safe on the ground and it is party time in Galactic City. I'm told there's a not-too-shabby entertainment district located right next to Eastport, to the north and downlevel."

Marin crossed her arms. "You're not being paid to go barhopping."

"Don't worry, ba'vodu," said Yangar, "I won't let 'em do anything too stupid."

"Because we won't," Hondo nodded. "Like I said, we're tourists. We don't come this way very often, so we might as well see the sights. You said yourself you won't need us for the first day."

"We probably won't," Marin admitted.

"Then I say we stretch our legs and knock back a few buy'ce gal," said Oren.

Marin knew trying to corral willful Mandos was a fool's errand, so she let them off. They were right as far as it went; the coming day was about getting the lay of the land.

After they traipsed nosily out of the ship, Marin turned to see Sauk and Ganner behind her, expectant. She didn't like being seen as the leader of this mission so she asked Ganner, "When do you want to go visit the Jedi Temple? That is your first step, isn't it?"

"I think it's my best route to Master Sinde," the Imperial Knight nodded. The shaved-bald dome of his head gleamed ivory in the overhead lights. "The Temple has separate security apparatus than the other government buildings, and it's located a kilometer or so away from the rest."

"The Jedi like their privacy."

"They do." Ganner gave her another lingering look. "I'd like to go inside under cover of darkness, just in case."

"I understand. That's still, what, four hours away?"

"Right. I slept on the way here, so I'm fine to get going soon."

"All right." She glanced at Sauk. "What about you?"

"I'm going to approach my contacts during normal business hours," the Mon Cal said. "I want to make my visit look as legitimate as possible."

"Makes sense. Do you plan on catching rack time until then?"

"That was my plan."

"Then you'd better get to it."

The Mon Cal nodded and excused himself. Now it was down to just Marin and Ganner.

He looked at her. She looked at him. Finally she said, "Let's step outside for some fresh air. I figure we should have a talk."

Night wind blew across the landing platform, and on first whiff Marin couldn't call it actually fresh. Coruscant's pollution-scrubbing system was the best in the galaxy, but the air was still rank with the smells of rust and metal, speeder exhaust and starship fuel. It was a long way from the air of Concord Dawn, Surcaris, and the other barely-settled Mandalorian colonies she'd spent the past decade on.

For Ganner, though, this was home sweet home, and she could feel some of his tension disperse as he looked out on the glittering skyline. Even at two in the morning, the lights were bright and the speeder traffic ringing the port was thick.

Standing beside him, arms crossed and looking out at the night, Marin said, "You can probably guess what I am, can't you?"

Ganner stiffened. "I don't know what you mean."

"Don't be coy. Everyone else on this boat already knows. It's awkward having to tiptoe around it with you and I don't want it to get in the way of the mission."

"All right. You're Ania Solo's mother, aren't you?"

"I am."

"And you're a Skywalker."

"I never thought of myself as one, but apparently I am."

"That means you can use the Force."

"I can."

Ganner went silent as he processed confirmed suspicion. What he said next surprised her. "I envy you."

"The Force doesn't solve all your problems. For a long time I thought it made more than it created, so I pushed it away." Quietly she added, "I spent thirty years refusing to use the Force at all. That's almost half my life."

"If I can ask… were you related to Roan Fel?"

"First cousins. He press-ganged me into a mission once. Had me go to Mandalore…"

"Ah," Ganner said, so soft she could barely here.

"I guess you know about that."

"Somewhat. So your father-"

"Arlen Fel. Roan's uncle. He wasn't Imperial Knight material and took us out of the Empire to settle on Ossus for a while." To ward off further prying she added, "That was all a really long time ago."

Ganner thought a moment and asked, "Do you know Master Sinde?"

"Yes, but not well. I'd probably recognize a few more faces in the Jedi Temple."

"Do you want to come with me tomorrow?"

She'd thought about that the whole ride here and hadn't come up with a good answer. Softly she said, "I've been keeping apart from the Jedi- and the Sith, and Alliance and the Empire and all that- for a lot of years."

"But you came here, now."

"Call it a family obligation." Those came on all sides for her.

"Have you ever met Marasiah?"

"No." Wind and silence blew between them. She noted, "You called her by her first name."

"I meant the empress."

"You meant Marasiah." She glanced at him. "You care about her personally, not just as your boss."

"We've been through a lot together. Her husband and I were… good friends."

She felt his ache through the Force. All she could say was, "I'm sorry."

She felt his frustration too, his smoldering anger. His hands balled to fists as he said, "Since I lost the Force… I feel like I've been fraying apart. I need to have it back again. I feel like I'll break if I don't."

It was a stunningly honest admission to someone he barely knew. Marin put a hand on his arm and passed soothing thoughts through the Force. "Ania tells me Cade Skywalker is looking for a way to get it back. She said he's getting close."

"Really?" Ganner sounded like he didn't dare believe. "You mean they found Khat Lah?"

"That's what Ania says." She gave his arm a brief squeeze. "She says to keep it quiet for now. Secret business. So you can't go blabbing to the Jedi or to Sinde."

"I won't," Ganner said, suddenly light with hope.

"And don't go spilling my secret either." She squeezed again and released.

"Your secret… so you won't go with me to the Jedi Temple tomorrow."

"I don't think so. I need time to meditate. To acclimatize. If I'm going to be of use here- if the Force is going to be of use- I need to train and be ready."

Ganner looked at her, eyes narrowed in the dark. "Karr said you were a Mandalorian mercenary. The leader of their band that overthrew Yaga Auchs."

"I was."

She felt Ganner consider several possible responses before saying, "That doesn't sound very… meditative."

"It wasn't." She looked back to the cityscape and opened herself, just a little, to the rush of teeming life. "That's why I need time to practice. To get it right."

-{}-

In itself, it was not unusual for Treis Sinde to receive a visit from Astraal Vao. When she came to his office, however, the regent's aide reported that a request had come for Treis to visit the Jedi Temple at his earliest convenience.

That was a flag in itself. Treis knew Astraal's brother was a Jedi, which allotted her special connection with the Order, but only the unofficial kind. That she'd come to ask him in person instead of using the comm was also curious. When he prodded for more information, Astraal had simply deflected it with vague verbiage about the Jedi requiring his unique expertise. The former Imperial missionary had learned a few things about bureaucratic obfuscation.

Treis had an opening in his schedule at midday, and he took a short ride on his personal landspeeder over to the Temple. Astraal hadn't needed to tell him to come alone. The Jedi pyramid looked dignified but also lonely as he approached. He was recognized on entry and was escorted deep inside the building by a middle-aged human dressed in brown robes. The halls were indeed emptier than those in the Imperial Knight academy, and he didn't see a single child in padawan's whites. He wondered how long the Jedi could last like this, a purely monastic order seeking vainly to touch a Force that had withdrawn from them. The Imperial Knights at least had a government to serve; the Jedi had nothing.

Treis was unsurprised to step into a dimly lit meditation chamber and see the long tusked face of K'Kruhk, eldest member of the Jedi Order and its leader. The old Whiphid had been triumvir of the Galactic Federation along with Marasiah and Gar Stazi, but upon losing the Force he'd withdrawn. Aside from expressing formal condolences at Marasiah's funeral, he'd been notably silent about the status of the former triumvirs.

For a second Treis thought their meeting would be about that. Then he saw a second the second figure in the chamber, a tall bald human dressed in a civilian tunic. The figure turned toward Treis and his face was familiar in the low light, but it still took a heartbeat to identify him.

"Ganner?" Treis gasped, then corrected himself. "Master Krieg. I am… very happy to see you."

"Are you really?" Ganner took no steps closer.

"I would better say I'm relieved. Is Master Rae well?"

"Yes, but she's not on Coruscant."

Ganner's tone was guarded. Treis looked to K'Kruhk but that Whiphid face was unreadable. He spread his hands and said, "You have nothing to fear from me, Master Krieg. Since your last call I've been dying to hear from you. You left me with a lot of questions. I hope you've come to answer them."

"That depends," said Ganner. "What has Hogrum Chalk said about us?"

"He's very interested in finding you. He's had me ask the other Knights for clues to your whereabouts."

"Did he send Imperial Knights out to search for us?"

"No. He's been… reticent to send us on field work, until recently. Master Val is heading a search for Senator Derrol." He ventured to ask, "Do you know anything about Derrol?"

"Nothing. Has Chalk implicated Azlyn and me in the bombing?"

Treis blinked. "No. He hasn't."

"Has he hinted at it?"

"No. And we've spoken about you two every day."

"You have?"

"Among other things, yes." Treis glanced at the Jedi. "If this is a conversation for just the two of us..."

"No. Master K'Kruhk deserves to know. I've already told him the important parts."

"You wouldn't have called me here if you didn't think you could trust me. You do trust me, don't you Master Krieg?"

The younger man exhaled. "I don't think I have a choice."

So he told it. He talked about how he and Azlyn had been sent to question Senator Derrol- apparently without Chalk's knowledge- and how they'd been on their way to report to Marasiah in her personal quarters when by luck they spotted Hogrum walking her away with cuffs on her hands and a stormtrooper escort- one of which was wearing a ysalamiri in harness. Minutes later, the bomb had gone off.

If was everything Treis had been dreading to hear. "You're telling me this was a coup. That means Stazi and the others are about to be tried for something they didn't do."

Softly K'Kruhk pointed out, "They are also being tried for the murder of Antares Draco."

"Azlyn and I determined the Sith were behind that. We just couldn't get proof. There was no evidence Stazi or the Alliance senators had any connection," Ganner said darkly.

"Hogrum says he obtained proof from Darth Havok. Master Rae captured him herself."

"And where is Havok now?"

"Dead," Treis muttered. He'd known Eshkar Niin, trusted him, and been shocked by his fall. He felt no pity for Elliah's killer, but he wished Hogrum had spared the man, if only so Treis could listen to his lies and try to sort out the truth first-hand. Now all he had to rely on was Hogrum's word.

"The bombing and the trial are all part of a sham to purge Chalk's enemies," Ganner said. "It makes sense, Master Sinde, you have to admit that."

"Perhaps. But all I have is your word on this. I'm sorry, Ganner, but I'll have to have more."

"I have a place to start." Ganner reached into his pocket and took out a datacard. "If they're holding Marasiah somewhere they have to be using ysalamiri. And ysalamiri need special native foods to keep alive."

"I wasn't aware of that. I haven't dealt with the creatures."

"I have, on rare occasion," said K'Kruhk. "Master Krieg speaks truly."

Ganner pressed, "On this datacard is sensor information from a pirate's nest over Myrkr, the ysalamiri homeworld. It tracks ships coming and going from the planet, and there aren't many of those. If you check this card, you'll see I've marked two points with timestamps. These indicate the time Myrkr was visited by an IC-2 scoutcraft. One ten days before the coup, one the day of. Chalk should have everything he needs to line his cage for a while."

An IC-2 was commonly used by Imperial intelligence agents slumming as civilians. It was also used by civilians, the Alliance, and more. Treis reached out and cautiously took the card. "What do you think I can do with this?"

"You can guess a time window when a ship inbound from Myrkr would reach Coruscant. Look for IC-2s arriving at the same time. Try to find matches for both."

"I don't have access to everything Chalk's security people do."

"No, but you're head of the Imperial Knights. You can at least bully information out of orbital control to find out if and when these ships came through, right?"

"Perhaps," Treis allowed. "What makes you certain Marasiah is on Coruscant?"

"If you were Chalk, would you let her far from your sights?"

It was a good point. If the empress truly was alive and held prisoner, it was probably somewhere beneath the government district, probably the palace itself.

As he took the card, a sick part of Treis wished she wasn't alive. If Ganner was a madman or just mistaken it would be tragic, but a tragedy he'd spent the past two weeks gradually acclimatizing himself to. If Ganner was speaking truth, his best friend's daughter had been betrayed by someone he'd known and trusted for forty years. Worse, the crisis in the Federation was more complicated and dangerous than he'd dreaded.

But Treis had one certainty. He'd served the Fel dynasty all his life. First Davek, then Roan, then Marasiah, and he'd loved all three: one as an icon of virtue, one as a friend, one as the closest thing he had to a daughter.

His hand closed around the card. "I'll do what I can, Master Krieg. It may take some time… I'm a busy man and I don't want to arouse Chalk's suspicion."

"I understand. The Jedi had offered me shelter here."

Treis wanted to ask other questions: how he'd gotten to Coruscant, whether he'd brought friends, what Azlyn was doing. Of course he couldn't ask any of them. Instead he pocked the card and said, "I'll probably use Astraal Vao to route messages to you. It's safer than making trips here."

"That's perfectly fine."

"Does she know about any of those?"

"No," said K'Kruhk. "No one knows, outside of we three."

"Then I suggest we keep it that way for now. There's no sense letting rumors fly, especially when we don't have proof of anything."

"I agree." The Whiphid twitched his shaggy head. "I'm sorry, Master Sinde, but I'm afraid the Jedi will not be lending their… assistance to the upcoming trial."

"I quite understand. Frankly, Master Dare will be relieved."

Ganner, who knew Sigel's Imperial ardor, allowed a tiny smile. "Thank you for this, Master Sinde. We owe you more than we can say."

"You owe me nothing," Treis said firmly. "There will be no accounts to settle… not until this is done."

And that, he knew, was a long way off. As he made his way out of the Temple and back to the government palace, the miniscule weight of the datacard in his pocket felt as dangerous as a baradium bomb. Even worse was the knowledge that it was far more explosive than any warhead could ever be.

-{}-

After ending his conversation with Sinde, Ganner made his way through the Jedi Temple's hollow halls, back to the spartan room where he'd been assigned to stay. He was surprised by the figure waiting beside the door. Master K'Kruhk has spoken truly back there when he'd said only the three in that room knew about Marasiah's survival. Shado Vao didn't know that much, but he knew that something was up.

The blue-skinned Twi'lek leaned against the wall beside the door, arms crossed. When he saw Ganner approach he lifted his head, but only slightly. His expression was slack, his eyes sullen. The Shado that Ganner had worked with during the war against Krayt had been honorable and just, level-headed and loyal to the mandates of his order. In some ways, he'd reminded Ganner of himself.

Losing the Force had changed them both. He wasn't sure what to make of the man in front of him now.

"Did Astraal come through for you?" Shado asked.

"She did. Thank you."

The Jedi didn't budge. "Do you know how long you'll stay here?"

"No. I'm sorry." After a pause Ganner added, "Azlyn is all right, if that's what you're worried about. She's safe, far from Coruscant." He hoped it was true, anyway.

Shado didn't seem assuaged. "You're moving against Chalk, aren't you?"

Ganner went very still. He didn't answer.

The Twi'lek shrugged. "If you do, think long and hard about what might happen. Think about the consequences. Then think about the ones you haven't thought about."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"You'll keep it in mind. But you'll go through with it anyway, won't you?" Shado seemed sullen and lost, pessimistic and resentful. Ganner wondered what could have happened to the Jedi to make him like this.

"I know what I'm doing is right," Ganner said. He had to believe that. Noble purpose was the only strength he had left.

"Do you think the Force is telling you that?" Shado's voice was soft, his tone bitter.

Because he had to know, Ganner said, "Master Vao… What happened to you?"

The Twi'lek finally tuned his eyes down. He breathed deep and said, "I was on Bakura."

"I'm sorry." Ganner had seen holos of the world's ruin.

"You don't understand. I was there from the beginning. I should have stopped it. I thought I was stopping it…" He swallowed. "I thought the Force was guiding me. But it was only vanity."

"I'm sorry," Ganner repeated. He still didn't understand and wasn't sure he wanted to. "When we get the Force back, you'll hear it clearly again. We all will."

Shado kept his head low for a long time. When he finally picked it up, he asked, "Do you really think that?"

Ganner had to believe that too. "There's hope," he said. "Cade Skywalker found Khat Lah."

"Really?" The lids on Shado's eyes narrowed, like he was trying to contain the hope inside.

"Yes. I don't know more than that."

"We haven't heard anything from Master Lowbacca…"

Ganner cursed himself for spreading secrets too far. "I don't know the specifics. I only know what I've heard."

"You trust your source?"

Ganner nodded. He barely knew her, but he did.

Shado's expression was still conflicted. He was a man so deep in despair he distrusted his own hope. He did, however, push off from the wall and say, "Thank you, Ganner."

Ganner nodded. The Twi'lek walked past him without a word and receded down the hall. Ganner watched him go, still wondering what had happened to Shado, still hoping he'd never find out.