Coruscant looked quite nice at that hour. A brilliant spectrum of red-into-blue sky between the many towers surrounding the command centre. Quite a good view from the Grand Admiral's office, even for Utan in his small stature.

The doors behind him opened as the man himself entered at last. He turned away from the window at last to greet the Admiral properly. "The Council sends its gratitude for your time."

"Not at all friend. Please, make yourself comfortable." Pettadal gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk while moving to his own. Several datapads had been arranged neatly before him, which he began to look through after placing his drink down.

After a quick glance through, he handed two of them over to Utan. "Official records for Flight Lieutenant Commander Omena Rami, and Flight Lieutenant Tegama'Arani. The rest of the requested files are here when you wish to discuss them as well."

He watched as Utan scanned through both datapads at an impressive speed. Seventeen years of service between the two had added up to a lot of information, even ignoring the battles and other assignments they had served together in. Only one of those assignments had been withheld from the provided records by the intelligence department.

"Information on the Mirialan deployment redacted?"

Pettadal nodded sagely. He knew only a fraction of what had happened there, but it was enough to agree with the decision. "Given the nature of the operation, and the tragedy that befell Blue Squadron on Sarka, we aren't ready to release those particular files. Not even to the Jedi I am afraid."

There was no objection from Utan. They had far more to hide from the rest of the Republic about Maarani herself after all. And anything they did need to know could be learned through other sources if it proved necessary.

"I understand completely, Admiral." As he scanned through the records further, reaching the psychiatric evaluations, a bad trend began to emerge. Starting from the first Battle of Sarka, spiking right after Mirial, and ending after the second Battle of Sarka was a long decline of depressive tendencies. Koor really had seen Maarani at her absolute worst in that long month.

To his further disappointment, there was nothing that leapt out as the answer he had been searching for when making the request to begin with.

When did the HK droids begin their surveillance of her?

"I was quite shocked when I was told that one of our ace pilots was known to have suicidal tendencies, but still received flight clearance for that last engagement. However desperate the situation might have been. I suppose if it were not for Master Koor, we would have lost yet another pilot that day."

A small grunt was the only response Utan made. There was little else of relevance in the file, aside from a notably long list of minor infractions, but nothing that made any mention of a particular incident or encounter that would make her a long-term target for capture. Even the Sith knew nothing about her until the encounter with Kiarna.

"She is doing well with the Jedi, you may be pleased to hear. Her behaviour has been described as wild, but certainly not self-destructive anymore."

He placed Maarani's pad back on the table and focused all of his attention on the rest of Omena's file. Her training was certainly more extensive, as she had enlisted before any kind of open warfare had begun. And she had been posted at a lot of outreaching stations and planets before being moved into Blue Squadron. Again, none stood out as being of any particular importance to the Sith. No clue as to what they had searched for in her mind.

This time, Pettadal cleared his throat before making comment on the record. "I will be visiting her as soon as she has recovered from surgery. It was very good of you all to rush to her rescue as fast as you did upon receiving that intel."

"Master Pala believes the Sith had no further use for her. Resistance on their part was weak. Trying to rescue her immediately after capture would have been far more costly in lives and resources." Utan placed her datapad down on the table as well, seeing no further need to look through her personal record as well. "It appears that neither record contained what I came looking for. An unfortunate result."

"Indeed it is then." Pettadal exchanged the two pads for the other five, laying them out in the same order the request had listed them in. "I have moved some of our forces away from the Mandalorian front to a nearby nebula as was suggested. I suppose we have to wait for the Sith to actually resume their assault to see if that woman was telling the truth or not."

"Jayden Mires believed it enough to convince Mandalore the Steadfast, not an easy task by any measurement. I do not agree at all with placing trust in the word of a Sith, but as you put it…." Utan's gaze moved to the star chart covering all of the attack fronts. Not a single battle had occurred since Omena's capture. A very worrying sign indeed.

The rest of the pads detailed all manner of troop movement and Jedi deployment across the galaxy, something he was still tirelessly working on. The attack on Telos was only going to make the job much harder, as it was already dangerous enough to deploy forces outside their defensive lines.

Pettadal took the opportunity to continue with his drink in the meantime. So many requests from admirals and generals across the front for more ships and fighters. At best, he could fulfill a tenth of those requests. The stress was already taking its toll, and even the company of a long time friend could only do so much in the way of distracting from the ever-growing task.

Little was said for a long hour after that. Without actual battles to co-ordinate around, it was just a matter of ensuring every base and planet had the right amount of ships, troops and Jedi allocated to its defence. About as dry a task as either of them could face, but incredibly crucial in regards to the result.

Another two hours passed by before they were done. Night had come to that part of Coruscant, and Utan had a lot of new matters to attend to before the next dawn.

"Again, our gratitude for your time, Admiral. We can only hope that this withdrawal from the battle does not mean they are ready to make a direct strike."

"Knowing Darth Lasidia and General Morgak, I think that hope is the only thing we have left." Pettadal rubbed around his chin right after. The solemn mood of the late afternoon had gotten to him more than expected. "We will continue to fight in any case. Nothing is certain after all."

Utan nodded slightly on his way out, hands clasped behind his back. "Perhaps."

His return to the temple was swift. A brief message to Master Venu Kasua had been placed during transit, and by the time of his arrival, she was waiting in the landing bay to meet him as requested.

She waited patiently for him to exit the vehicle and approach, despite the uncomfortably discreet way in which they were supposed to meet. It was all too clear that more private conversations were about to be had.

"Master Kasua, I am about to ask of you a great many things. The matter in regard to my requests is sensitive, and considered too secure by the Republic military to release even to the Jedi Council. Your padawan, Carmen, cannot be involved in this matter at all. Will you proceed?"

Venu had to look away from him in thought. Her assumption had been entirely correct, and already she had an impression of who was involved in the matter. "It's to do with that Twi'lek girl, isn't it? The one the Council told us was too dangerous to bring here for the funeral. The same girl that you all let my padawan spend time with, and still refuse to provide any answers about."

"Only a select few outside the Council have been told the entirety of the situation for her protection from the Sith. And, we confirmed she was no longer a danger when she came here three weeks ago." Utan waited until the Mirialan was looking back at him again before proceeding on. "Tegama's fighter group, Blue Squadron, was deployed on Mirial right before her meeting with Master Elira. Records of that deployment have been classified. Something happened there that badly damaged Tegama's psyche."

A sigh of annoyance followed from Venu as she began walking away. A spy mission on her own people, behind the backs of the Republic military that they were supposed to be working closely with. More secrets hidden away.

She only got a few steps out before she recognized the anger, and suppressed it. "You are certain it was not damaged by seeing her sister turn into a Sith Lord? I cannot blame her for not withstanding that kind of trauma."

"Venu, she was never evaluated after that incident. It may have been a tipping point after something just as destructive. We must uncover what happened on your homeworld to cause such a change." When it failed to persuade her fully, Utan turned to the other angle. One he didn't like having to use at all. "It was not just the military that concealed those events from us for a reason. Your government, your people have concealed it. Perhaps even your old associates…"

For a brief moment, dark thoughts drifted through the depths of her mind. When she turned back to him at last, it was a very cold expression indeed.

"We agreed that my past with Darth Malak was never to be spoken of again. And as far as I am aware, all of my 'former associates' are dead, or rejoined the Jedi as I did."

Utan's gaze became a glare at that moment. "Where parents go, children will follow. I am going to Mirial to uncover the truth, but it will be your choice to accompany me or otherwise. Consider your duty as the eldest of your people amongst the Jedi."

She couldn't make herself turn away a third time. In that case, it would be to conceal the tear rolling down the line of tattoos left of her nose. "I will accompany you, and do what I can. But you had damn well ensure that Carmen is left out of this, whatever we find in the end."

"You have my word on that."

With a sage nod, Venu pulled her hood up over her head, a very rare occurrence in the temple grounds. "I need a few minutes to prepare then, if you intend to leave tonight. If this ends up being for nothing…"

"I doubt that. Tegama is far too important to ignore something of this magnitude. Go, inform your padawan of your departure. I will be here when you are ready."


Torbut was passing by the many meditation rooms in the central spire, looking to find an unoccupied one to begin his own session when he sensed Utan's approach. As he drew closer, a feeling of concern grew stronger. It was unlike him to be so fast in his step.

When he did finally enter the same corridor, the Chiss moved towards the centre to avoid any potential disturbance of the others. "What has troubled you Master Utan?"

Utan himself waved his hand to the side as he recovered from the brisk walk. "A matter of secrecy has come to my attention. Master Kasua will be accompanying me to Mirial immediately to investigate." Once he was properly composed again, he straightened his attire and looked up to Torbut properly. "It directly involves Tegama's deployment there. If you could ask Master Lauran to talk with her directly…"

"I think I can come up with a way to work that into the false business exchanges. Knight Noz-Bay is due to arrive in a few hours to represent House Rist. But what should I tell Master Pala?"

"When she returns, simply inform her of my whereabouts. I do not know what we will find on Mirial, but I do know for a fact that it had terrible consequences for that young woman. It cannot be delayed."

Torbut nodded with a low hum, running through the instructions again to ensure he retained them all. The sudden spike of activity after two weeks of relative calm was becoming very noticeable. "I wish you luck in your investigation then. I will try and keep the resources here available to you throughout."

"I appreciate that greatly, thank you. If you can register the use of one of the long range ships when possible, that will do." Utan left at that without further remark, encountering no-one else in his return to the landing bay. An ideal discreet departure.


Venu found Carmen lying on her bed, reading from a pad and apparently finding the contents amusing. That changed in a near instant as she entered the room. Something no amount of gesturing could prevent. And she didn't want to say anything until the door was closed, in case other padawans would happen to pass by.

In the brief period of confusion, Carmen tossed the pad aside and hurriedly fixed her hair for the possibility that she was being summoned. "What's happening Master?"

"Nothing directly involving you. Relax." Venu pulled the desk chair over so that she could sit for the precious few minutes she had. "I am returning to the homeworld immediately, possibly for several weeks. You will have to remain here unfortunately."

Carmen nodded silently. There was no point in asking why when it was quite clear the reasons were set above her.

With the initial difficulty out of the way, Venu had a moment to prepare for the harder subject that followed.

"Carmen, all I can say is that Tegama's past is involved, and it may not be good. Any significant distraction could jeopardize the end of your training, and I bring that up because of your rather fast friendship with her." She kept her best look of confidence on throughout. What mattered most was that her padawan did not trip up after such a solid commitment to learning the Jedi ways for all the years she had been training her in.

"I'll be fine. Gonna be months before she comes back here anyway, right? I'll be knighted by then." It wasn't at all hard to work out that her master had concerns, but at that point they seemed just a little excessive. That was part of how the relationship worked after all, so she made no actual comment on that.

Venu needed a bit longer to affirm it herself. When it finally sank in, she nodded and stood back up. "I am trusting you to keep to the schedule in my absence then. And if anything urgent arises, ask Master Torbut to contact me. It is more than likely I will be in secured meetings for most of my time there."

"What's going to happen around here? All the action is out there on Telos and such."

A bemused smile formed as Venu reached her hand to Carmen's shoulder. "You will have plenty to do in a few months. Just remember that I am counting on you to be a good example for the other padawans."

She departed shortly after to minimize any impact her departure would have on either of them. The few items that she would need back home, above all her lightsaber, were contained in a small bag that she readily carried in one hand. And just as described, she returned to the landing bay to see Utan waiting beside the ship they were to depart in.

"It will be a few days travel at the very least. The vessel is well equipped for our journey." He climbed up into the ship, taking the pilot's seat on the left.

Venu made one last check of her belongings as she approached, lifting the bag up into the cockpit first to ensure it wouldn't get in the way. "We need to land at least once a day. I very much despise having to do prayer while in the confines of a small ship."

"Then we will find places to land on the way. The speed at which we get to Mirial is not critical, but it is not irrelevant either."

With that in mind, she tugged her dress up as best she could and clambered into the other seat. Even though her headdress was modest, she couldn't stand wearing it for more than a few seconds once the canopy had been deployed. It landed somewhere in the rear compartment after being tossed over her shoulder with a sigh of frustration.

"Better be worth this and accusing my people of withholding information the way you did."

Utan's gaze settled on the flight controls as they took off. There was never a moment's doubt about what they were embarking on. "For all we have invested in Tegama, it is worth it. No matter the result. It is simply unfortunate that it happens to involve your people." Not another word was spoken between them following that.

Jedi relied on mutual trust, and there was little between them.


Through her own personalized pair of electrobinoculars, Chief Rinazan watched the two Jedi make a swift departure from the planet. It brought on a rare smile from her usual scowling expression. The plan had worked as intended.

As usual, her office was dampened to outside observation, and everyone else in the Intelligence wing was pre-occupied with drawing up new plans for counteracting the next Sith advance. She had more than enough time to make the planned report of her success.

Behind one of the wall panels, she kept a small communication screen that had the advantage of being virtually invisible to the scanners. They were designed to look for holographic signatures.

The screen flickered on, a figure in a grey hood displayed. A deep voice began speaking to her in a very obscure language, soft and mysterious in tone.

"Utan's curiosity won out, just as you predicted. Soon enough, the Jedi will learn of the False One's atrocities, and cast her out of their protection."

The hooded figure spoke again, this time at length.

When he was done, Rinazan nodded. "The Following infiltrated the ranks of the HK droids. It is possible they turned our own spy as well; it has failed to report in thus far."

Another exchange came from the figure, this time in a tone of distrust.

"Better that the droids destroy it on suspicion of being a Following spy, rather than one of our own." She briefly glanced over her shoulder. For a moment, there was a sensation of being observed, despite the impossible nature of that. When it passed, she turned back to the screen again. "They will lead us to the False One's mate eventually, of that you can be assured. My agents are already more than eager to dispatch the White Terror. Better that they assume that is their only purpose in the assassination, no?"

The other voice returned to a more neutral tone, this time nearly whispering his instructions.

"We do not believe the Sith intend to involve themselves thus far. Darth Lasidia has vanished, and her second and military advisor have withdrawn to unknown space. Our only enemy at this moment is the Following."

The figure nodded at last, whispering a farewell before terminating the communication.

Rinazan carefully replaced the panel and returned to her desk, preparing some final assignments to be delivered before departing her office.

As soon as she left, the eyeball observing her from a small gap in the window shutters crawled back up to its master, replaying the entire exchange in a tiny holographic display for him.

Zimorr could 'see' the projection thanks to his training of course, one of many secrets the Luka Sene had so much difficulty in keeping hidden. His usual smug attitude had quickly faded away as he heard more and more of the recording.

"Azera, the mate of another woman…" The thought of anyone else trying to claim her was upsetting enough. But being taken by someone who simply wouldn't be able to protect her from all the dangers of the galaxy…

Before his anger grew too much, he picked the eyeball up and carefully planted it back into his socket, to ensure he didn't accidentally crush it in a fit of rage. He had never learned how to control such outbursts, but at that moment he didn't want to contain them.

Too many others were trying to control his soulmate. More importantly, they were going to try and keep her from him. That he simply could never allow.

He removed the long-range communicator hidden inside his coat and set it down on his knee. "Besh Leader; change of plan. Kill anyone who tries to harm my woman. Keep that Tegama person away from her at any cost, or I will destroy you all piece by piece. That is the new price of my assistance."

As soon as the message was delivered, he snatched the communicator off his knee, nearly crushing it as the rage continued to build.

He needed to find somewhere to unleash it. Somewhere in the depths of Coruscant, filled with scum that no-one would miss. People that deserved to have their eyes torn out just for looking at him the wrong way.

In a single motion, he rolled off the small platform into a freefall posture. The repulsorlift systems built into his exoskeletal back kicked into action after a few seconds, allowing him to glide smoothly down to the undercity.