Obi-wan Kenobi was worried. His ship, the captured Perseverance, was deep within Imperial controlled space. And had been for some weeks. After leaving Raxus Prime, he and his men had plotted several random jumps to thoroughly disguise where they had come from and where they were going. After several days, they had plotted a course for Corellia. Upon arrival, they were directed straight into one of the Orbital Dry Docks and the ship's long overdue overhaul was begun. All using counterfeit orders sliced into the system by their friends within CEC and CorSec. Things had been proceeding very smoothly. The engines had been completely overhauled, the weapons had been brought back up to spec, her computers brought up to the new standards then being introduced to the Fleet and her equipment storage bays replaced with training rooms, simulators, mock ups and various other training aides.
None of that was what was worrying Obi-wan. What was worrying him was a tremor he felt through the Force. It was a warning of danger. But, like all those years ago above Naboo on theTrade Federation flagship, the danger seemed to be elsewhere. Elusive, almost. He had a bad feeling about things then, and he had a bad feeling about things now. How he wished he could pin down this feeling. It was putting him on edge. Of course, the brand new Imperial-class Star Destroyer that had just entered orbit the day before wasn't helping either. It wasn't just the Star Destroyer though. There was something about this one. It felt, off, somehow. Almost malevolent. But the threat wasn't directed at him. It wasn't even directed toward the Order. Not that he could tell, anyway.
Using his contacts within CorSec, he found out that the Star Destroyer was named the Malevolence. Fitting, considering the feeling he was getting from it. And from the reports he had been reading about the atrocities the Empire had been committing. Nothing on the scale of Kashyyyk or Ryloth. Not yet, anyway. But a thousand little atrocities combined together, a village razed because one of the elders spoke out against the Empire's policies, a Senator from an insignificant world on the Outer Rim executed for refusing to sign over his planet's sovereignty. Or the increasing number of stories of infants, children and even adults torn away from their families by beings dressed in black robes and armor, their families killed out of hand for offering even the slightest resistance or voicing their displeasure. And in researching these instances, all the people taken were Force Sensitive. He had received a heavily encoded message from the Council informing him that Sidious had established a training academy on Korriban. So it was a good guess that these poor beings had been taken there. To indoctrinate them into the Dark Side and the Sith. It practically made Obi-wan sick to think of what Sidious was doing to those poor people.
Obi-wan was torn at the moment. The Council wanted him back on Tython as soon as possible to discuss their options regarding disrupting Sidious' training academy on Korriban. But that ship out there was practically screaming for his attention. He couldn't seem to shake the feeling that whatever that ship was up to, he needed to find out what it was doing. If Qui-Gon had been here, he would have told him to, "keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs." He could practically hear his old Master saying that to him.
"That's because you are hearing me, Obi-wan." With a start, Obi-wan realized that the voice of his old Master wasn't just in his head. It was coming from right beside him! But, he couldn't see Qui-Gon Jinn anywhere.
"You won't see me, Obi-wan. I don't have that power. But I am here with you now, none the less."
"Master?" Said Obi-wan. "How is this possible? I'm going insane, aren't I? The stress of the War has finally caught up to me."
Laughing, Qui-Gon told him, "No, my old Padawan. You're not going insane. With the Force, all things are possible. Even the power to transcend death. The Code is not wrong. 'There is no death, there is the Force.'"
"But why now? What's so important about now?"
"Now? Possibly nothing. Possibly everything. I am here only as a guide, Obi-wan. As I was your guide in life, so I continue in death. You were right all those years ago above Naboo. And I was a fool to ignore it. But here, now, I must urge you to focus on the Living Force. What is it that the Force is telling you must be done?"
Lowering his head and stroking his beard, Obi-wan focused on the small nudges and eddies in the current of the Force. Letting the Force guide him, doing his bet to interpret the will of the Force. It was easier said than done. While the Force was no longer clouded the way it had been, it was still a very subtle thing to feel and understand. He felt the Force flow through and around him, he let it carry him in it's currents. And when he finally felt that he understood what the Force wanted him to do, Qui-Gon was gone. His old Master had appeared just long enough to once again guide his actions. This time by reminding him to act like a Jedi, not a General. To rely on the Force, not his own reasoning. He would be forever thankful to his Master for that. Not only for the lesson, but for showing him that death was not the end. That a Jedi truly did become one with the Force at their death.
Making his way to the Bridge, Obi-wan poured over the status reports from throughout the ship. The ship's refit was ahead of schedule. All the major repairs had been completed. The conversion work had been finished as well. The only thing left was finishing some of the accommodations. Having decided to follow the will of the Force, he put the ship on notice to be prepared to break orbit with little to no warning. He then reached out to his contacts and arranged to be informed the moment the Malevolence prepared to break orbit. Wherever that ship was going, Obi-wan was going to follow it.
_
As the Redemption entered orbit above Tython, Anakin Skywalker stood on the bridge with his daughter in his left arm, his right arm wrapped around Padme and his son in Padme's arms. As much as things had changed for him personally and for the Order as a whole, coming back to Tython just felt right. It was a refuge from the madness of the Galaxy, from the evil that was the Sith, from everything that was wrong. It was a chance to rest and recharge. To plan their strategy and heal their wounds. But most of all, it was home.
After landing, the Jedi and all the men and women of the fleet made their way to their quarters in and around the Temple. Once he and Padme had the twins settled down, he made his way to the Archives. Ahsoka was there, studying. He was dying to find out if she had passed her trials. She had been very cagey in not revealing to him whether she had or not either through their bond or over the comm.
"Hey Snips. Long time no see."
"Skyguy! I mean, Master," replied Ahsoka with a nod of her head as she stood.
"Lets go for a walk, huh?"
"Yes, Master."
As the pair made their way out of the Temple and through the meditation groves, Anakin asked his Padawan how her trials went. To anyone watching, the fierce hug Anakin gave his student was all the answer anyone needed. The next night, in the Hall of Knighthood, the High Council and Anakin stood in a circle around Ahsoka and conducted her Knighting Ceremony. With their lightsabers ignited, Master Yoda began the ceremony.
"We are all Jedi. The Force speaks through us. Through our actions, the Force proclaims itself and what is real. Today we are here to acknowledge what the Force has proclaimed. Padawan Ahsoka Tano, approach and kneel." Lowering his lightsaber over her shoulders he continued, "By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, I dub thee Jedi, Knight of the Republic."
_
Seryana Ky was in the small passenger compartment of "her" shuttle. She was sitting on a thin pad meditating as she hurtled through hyperspace. She had personally been assigned a mission by the High Council. There was a dead drop in the Outer Rim that had a message she needed to retrieve. She had been specifically briefed by the High Council that this message was of the highest importance as it was a desperately needed report from Master Sinube.They had told her that she had been specifically selected for the mission as she was one of the best pilots the Order had. They didn't expect trouble, it was a simple retrieval mission after all, which is why she was being sent and not a full Jedi Knight. However, the fact that she had begun to rapidly advance in the use of her lightsaber was considered a plus in her favor for this mission. If trouble did come, they believed she could handle it. Master Skywalker himself had actually spoken up for her to the Council about her skill with the lightsaber. While he wasn't on the Council, he had been asked to sit in on this session to provide his opinion on who in the ExplorCorps would be most suited to this assignment.
She knew it was unbecoming of being a Jedi, even a lowly Jedi Explorer, to feel the sort of pride she did when she was asked to report to the Council for assignment on a solo mission. But she couldn't help it. Standing in the center of the High Council Chamber surrounded by ten of the most powerful Masters in the entire Order and the Battlemaster of the Order sitting in as an Honorary Member for this specific case brought back to her all the times she had dreamed of being a Jedi Knight. "So this is what it feels like," she remembered thinking to herself. It was the proudest moment of her life. Once she had accepted the mission and fully understood the details, Master Skywalker escorted her out of the Council Chambers. However, instead of going back in, he told her, "My part in there is done as well. I was only asked to sit in to provide my evaluation of my students and who would be most suitable for this. I've seen you fly, and I've seen you fight. You're ideal for this. But, you're not ready yet."
Her expression must have been somewhere between bewildered and angry, because Master Skywalker had just started to laugh. Putting his hand on her shoulder he said, "Meet me in the Crafting Chamber this evening. Where you're going, you're going to need more than just a training saber."
Seryana's jaw had dropped open when he said that. Her shock at his pronouncement had only made Master Skywalker laugh harder than he already was. Once he had controlled his laughter, Master Skywalker had headed off to his small domain in the Temple's Training Wing. She on the other hand had a list of items to gather before tonight.
Later that evening, under Master Skywalker's guidance, she carefully disassembled her training saber and removed the crystal from it. Though this wasn't normal, the crystal in this particular saber had called to her and she and it had become attuned to one another over the months that she had been training. Having accomplished that, she began assembling her new lightsaber. With Master Skywalker being right there helping her with some of the more delicate adjustments. In particular with the final stage where the power supply, crystal and lenses all had to be aligned. This had to be done through the Force. And her control just wasn't good enough to do it on her own. So Anakin had meditated with her and guided her movements. When they had finished, her lightsaber lay on the table before her, its hilt was polished blue and gold while it's blade was a brilliant green. It's weight now lay heavily against her thigh as she sat meditating.
Her focus had improved immeasurably since she had begun meditating again. She still had a tendency to daydream but she could keep her mind sharp when she needed to now. Vaguely she heard a cockpit alarm sound, pulling her from her meditation. Rising and heading toward the cockpit, she saw it was the alert she had set to go off as she approached her destination. Dropping out of hyperspace, the desert world of Tatooine appeared in her viewscreen. As she brought her shuttle in to land at Mos Eisley, Master Skywalker's warning to her sounded again in her ears, "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than Mos Eisley."
Rising from her seat in the cockpit, she ensured that her equipment belt was securely fastened about her waist and that her lightsaber was at her side. Wrapping her cloak around herself, she made her way to the dead drop hidden inside one of the local cantinas. Deciding to order a drink while she waited for the corner where the message console was hidden to be free, Seryana stood quietly at the bar sipping an Alderaan Twist. Unfortunately, when she had pulled out the wupiupi to pay, her cloak had opened just a hair too much and one of the patrons at the bar caught a glimpse of her lightsaber. For awhile, nothing happened. Fifteen minutes had gone by since then, and in that time, she had eased her way over to the corner she needed. Just as she finished recovering the message, a wave of ice washed over her. Turning toward the door, there stood a human male, dressed all in black with his face hidden by the cowl of his cloak. In his hand was a lightsaber.
Seryana felt her blood go cold. She was no Jedi Knight, no matter what daydreams she might have. Not that convincing the being opposite her of that would matter. She was still a member of the Jedi Order. And judging how this particular being seemed to be immersed in the dark side, that was all that would matter to him. Doing her best to release her fear into the Force, Seryana shrugged off her cloak, tucked the disk containing the message into a pouch on her belt and drew her lightsaber. The dark sider's mouth was just barely visible and upon seeing her lightsaber, he seemed to break into a somewhat feral grin. "My Master will be pleased when I bring him your head, little Jedi."
Declining to answer his taunts, Seryana ignited her lightsaber and, turning to her side while holding her lightsaber straight out towards her opponent, moved into the opening stance of Form II. The dark sider ignited his red blade and, holding his lightsaber in both hands above his head, moved into the opening of Form V. Using the Force to enhance her speed, her lightsaber flashed toward the Dark Jedi, his moving to block. Their blades crashed against each other. Seryana grunted. The strength behind his block was tremendous. Instead of fighting it, she rolled with the block. Spinning her body, she brought the blade of her lightsaber in low, aiming for his legs. Realizing his blunder, with his blade left high, the Dark Jedi leapt up and flipped over Seryana, bringing his blade down toward her. Getting her blade up quickly while dropping into a crouch, she flicked his red blade to the side and angled the tip of her blade up and watched it just caress the Dark Jedi's leg.
The would-be Sith hissed as the Jedi's blade bit into his leg. The wound wasn't serious. And he could compensate with the Force. Let the Jedi get over confident. He'd play up the injury, make the weakling think she'd seriously hurt him. Deliberately hobbling, he turned to face her, a grimace on his face, trying to project an aura of hopelessness. For the first time since the fight began, Seryana smiled at her attacker and said, "You're not fooling me, Dark One. I can sense the deception in you. You won't goad me into making a mistake."
Furious that the weak Jedi had seen through him, the Dark Sider flew at Seryana. Raining blow after blow down on her. Trying to batter her defenses down and land a killing a blow. But everywhere his saber went, hers was there to meet it. Turning his blade aside, redirecting his attacks, forcing him to expend more and more energy to control his blade. He began to sweat. Partly from the exertion, partly because the weakling in front of him was thwarting his every blow. And with every blow he struck, she would immediately riposte and force him back on the defensive. Growing desperate, he began to grasp tables, chairs and anything else not bolted down with the Force and fling them at the young Jedi, desperately trying to distract her. The first chair caught her square in the back and drove her to her knees. He gloated. The Jedi would fall. Now. His blade moved in for a killing strike, but magically her emerald green blade blocked his blow just centimeters from her skin.
Seryana was stunned by the force of the blow in her back. Kriff, she thought, why wasn't I paying attention? Her skill in telekinesis was weak. She would have to rely on her lightsaber to defend herself. Just then, the Force screamed a warning at her and before she could even consciously acknowledge it, her blade was moving to intercept the red blade of the Dark Jedi that was rapidly descending toward her neck. Catching his blade barely in time she poured all her strength into holding the block. Her fear began creeping back in. "Why didn't the Council send a fully trained Knight with me?" she wondered. "I'm not trained for this! I'm an explorer and archeologist! Not a Knight!" Her fear threatening to overwhelm her, the Dark One's half hidden face leering down at her, she lashed out with the Force, flinging a wave of power at him and throwing him halfway across the room. Getting to her feet, Seryana attempted to flee. All the while thinking, "I'm not cut out for this. I need to get out of here." The would-be Sith had other plans. Before she could make it halfway to the door, he once again stood in front of her. His glowing red blade in his hand, pointing directly at her.
"Awe, leaving so soon?" He taunted her. "But we were having so much fun together. Won't you stay just a little longer?"
Doing her best to control her fear, Seryana gripped her lightsaber tightly. So far, she'd been able to hold him off. But they were very evenly matched. She didn't know how much longer she could go on. Already she could feel herself wearing down. She was using the Force to refresh herself and augment her abilities, but how much longer could she keep this up? Trying to release her fear into the Force as she did at the start of the fight, she was only partially successful. She needed to end this fight. Now! Lunging in at her opponent, her blade angled for his left knee, he dropped his lightsaber low to block. It was what she was waiting for. Seryana suddenly changed the angle of her blade whipping it up in a tight circle. The Sith's lightsaber, with his hand still gripping the hilt, was suddenly flying across the room. A look of horror was on the Dark Sider's face as he registered what had just happened. Moving quickly before he could react, Seryana slammed the pommel of her lightsaber hilt into the side of his head and knocked him unconscious.
Breathing heavily and starting to shake a bit as what had just happened sank in, Seryana felt as if she was on the verge of tears. Think, Seryana, think! She told herself. She needed to figure out what to do now. The Cantina had emptied as soon as the other patrons had realized what was going on. Were there Stormtroopers waiting outside? Was the Dark Sider here alone? She didn't know. She checked behind the bar, but of course there no security holocams here. The patrons who visited this particular establishment didn't want any record of their comings and goings. Clumsily reaching out with the Force, she tried to feel if there were any beings out there directing hostile feelings toward her. No good. Everyone on this dust ball felt hostile. Creeping to a window, she cautiously peered out. And breathed a massive sigh of relief. No Stormtroopers. Apparently, Sidious hadn't been able to extend his control out this far yet.
Clipping her lightsaber to her belt, she turned to the stunned Sith. He was young. No older than her. Hearing him start to groan, she dug through her equipment belt and found the hypo with the sedative in it. Jabbing it into his shoulder she quickly sedated him. Looking around she found his deactivated lightsaber, still gripped in his severed hand. Picking it up, she gingerly pried the cold, dead fingers from around the hilt and clipped it alongside hers on her belt. Now what to do with him? She couldn't drag him to her ship. That would be too suspicious, raise too many questions. Their little duel was already bound to cause endless problems. But she couldn't just leave him here. Who knows what information he might have. And if she did, he would just return to Sidious, strengthening him. No, she had to take him with her. Looking quickly outside, she spied a speeder on the corner. Running to it, she jumped in. Quickly firing it up, she pulled it up to the entrance to the cantina and ran inside. Using the Force to help her lift the dead weight of her recent opponent, she got him into the seat and quickly got behind the controls.
Making her way back to the hanger her ship was docked in, she commed the R2 unit she had onboard and had him open the hatch and begin the power up sequence. Pulling up to her ship, she lugged the unconscious Dark Jedi out of the speeder and up the ramp into her ship. Dumping him into a spare bunk, she quickly secured him with a pair of stun cuffs on both his arms and legs. Mindful that he would still be able to use the Force to release them, she grabbed the miniature welder that was in the equipment locker and quickly welded the latches shut, accidently burning the Dark Jedi in the process. The cuffs would have to be cut free when she got back to Tython. That task completed, she ran to the cockpit, finished the power up procedures and blasted into orbit. Ten minutes later, she shot into hyperspace.