A/N: It's been a great surprise just how much support this story has already garnered. Thank you to edboy4926, fanskap, and ILDV for your wonderfully supportive reviews. To .L, I hope you love Jaina meeting her grandparents (you should definitely enjoy the next chapter then), and to The Dark Porg, just as the Jedi Order recognizes seven forms of lightsaber combat, I shall only have seven chapters.

I generally don't do this, but I am making a fic recommendation: Rebel by The Dark Porg. It's a brilliant one-shot that examines the Empire and how it dehumanizes people though a very blue-collar lens.

iii. soresu

Inside the Jedi Temple
Galactic City, Coruscant

Jaina found the traditional tan and brown Jedi robes comforting as she drew them on. She had finally been on the verge of being released from the medical ward when two masters arrived, seeking her out. She was thankful they were not the two Jedi that had interrogated her—and kept my lightsaber, the nerf herders. They said little other than to give her the set of robes and informed her that she was required to come before the High Council so they could discuss her medical file. Withholding a groan or a snarky comment, Jaina took them with a nod, then bothered the Emdee droid until it released her with a surprisingly exacerbated noise. A young boy, likely not even nine yet, led her to a small chamber where she could change from the flight suit she had still be wearing and into the robes.

I should get holo images while I'm here, she thought, pulling on the brown outer cloak. Uncle Luke would love to see what the Temple looked like before the Empire. Maybe the next time we're forced to rebuild, we could restore to what it once looked like.

Little beyond the walls and foundation had remained of the Jedi Temple when the New Republic had seized Coruscant in the years before Jaina's birth. Her uncle had taken great efforts to rebuild it, especially after the Vong War. And while she missed the great crystalline pyramid, the marble and sandstone structure she had so far seen was warm with the light side of the Force, so unlike the Temple of her time. I have never felt a nexus like this, she thought, stepping out of the small chamber. The young boy was still waiting, twisting a small braid of his hair around a finger.

"Lead on," Jaina said. "I doubt the Council likes waiting."

The boy nodded, mumbling, and started away. She followed at a sedated pace, keeping the boy within sight. He would pause and speak with his fellows or bow to various knights and masters. Some would speak to him, and then they'd both look at her. She just smiled and continued following, not feeling the sense of urgency she had implied. After passing through several corridors, including a rather fancy walkway overlooking a larger area below, they reached a turbolift up to the High Council chambers.

"How long have you been with the Order?" Jaina asked the boy.

The boy turned to her, surprised, and said, "Since I was two." He then frowned. "Why?"

"Passing curiosity," Jaina said. "Most Jedi come to the Temple at that age?"

"Most are closer to three than I was," the boy admitted. "But Master Skywalker was nine! I heard it was con-tro-ver-sial when he became a Jedi."

He was only nine? Jacen and I were twelve when Uncle Luke started our proper training on Yavin, but then Mother passed along a trick here and there as we grew up.

"Is nine abnormal?"

The boy opened his mouth to respond, but it was an older voice that answered Jaina. "The Council is generally strict about only taking children who are five or younger." She turned and found herself having to look up at a tall man who, if it was whom she suspected, was nearly the same age as her. His brown wavy hair brushed against his shoulders, and there was a scar over his left eye. Unlike every Jedi she'd seen, his robes were comprised of dark browns and black. It was a fitting mix, though unsettling. "I was a special case," he added with a smile that reminded her too much of Jacen.

"Master Skywalker!" the youngling said, excited. "I was just telling the Master Jedi about you."

Anakin smiled at the boy. "Hello to you, Sors, though I'm not a master just yet. Should you not be in a lesson?"

He beamed at being called by name. "Master Fisto asked me to lead the Master Jedi to the Council Chambers." Sors shrugged, adding, "Better than a nap."

"When you get to be my age, you miss naps. And Master Jedi?" Anakin questioned, looking at Jaina. "You look a little young to be a Master."

"And you're tall for a starfighter pilot," Jaina shot back.

Anakin laughed. "I like you." He turned back to Sors and said, "I'll see her up to the Council. I have something I need to speak with them about, so it benefits me to help you."

"Are you sure?" the boy asked, fidgety.

"I'll be fine," Jaina said, waving off the boy's concern. She then smirked mischievously. "Worse comes to worse, we can blame everything on Ani here."

She paused, realizing her slip. She hadn't used that nickname since before Myrkr. Before she lost her first brother.

He frowned at her, crossing his arms. "I'll let it pass this time, but do know nobody calls me Ani. Not since…" Her grandfather looked away, frowning. There was a sadness to him she could feel, but Jaina also sensed a suffusion of joy through his whole being. She knew its source.

Mother and Uncle Luke, she realized. I should tell them that Grandfather also disliked the nickname. That's something I can state he and my Anakin had that in common. I know she named Anakin to forgive her father, but knowing exactly who he was before he became Vader should bring them joy.

The turbolift doors opened with perfect timing. She thanked Sors and then entered, Anakin right behind her. "Council chambers," he said, coming to stand beside her. Once the lift began to rise, he added, "That was some nice piloting up there, Rogue One. I still want to know what you were flying. Looked like a modified Z-95 to me, though I've never seen a headhunter maneuver as smoothly as you did."

Jaina turned to Anakin with a smirk. "Something like that." She couldn't exactly tell him her StealthX was based upon a starfighter that had yet to be designed, let alone produced. I should be thankful that he assumed it was one of those old Headhunters. Wedge always did say the best decision Incom made after the Clone Wars was to update that old Zerek design.

"I was also wondered when you were trained in the Force. You must be quite powerful to be capable of guiding half a cruiser to the ground. I've never seen you around the Temple."

"And you've been fighting through a great deal of the Clone Wars," Jaina said. She thought back to the old stories and battle reports she had been able to dig up. There were few Jedi who had seen as many battles as Anakin Skywalker. "It would make sense that you might not recognize a face—or several."

He snorted. "I saw how you flew, if only briefly. You're not only a Jedi, but I would guess Corellian."

"Half-Corellian," Jaina corrected. "My mother wa-uh, is from Alderaan."

Anakin glanced at her, but didn't question her correction. "So I'm right?"

"In a way," Jaina answered, avoiding a straight answer. There was a niggling thought in the back of her head about why the Force had dragged her through time to this moment. Even so, she didn't trust letting her grandfather learn of their relation. Not yet, anyways. Palpatine still has too much influence over him. Did the wound bring me here to stop his fall?

"You know the Council are going to question you about it."

Jaina frowned, sneaking a glance out of the side of her eye. The way her grandfather had spoken implied he would soon have the power to draw the truth from her. "They can ask, but that doesn't mean I have to answer as they'd like."

Once more Anakin surprised her, for he laughed. "Trust me. When you're before the Council, it's nearly impossible to hide the truth. Powerful Jedi can sniff out a lie with ease."

Jaina had no idea how to respond, which was fortunate since the turbolift slowed and the door soon opened. She stormed out and towards the only other door on the floor. Taking a quick moment to center herself, Jaina stepped forward as the door slid open and found herself before the High Council.

"Masters," she said, standing in the chamber's center. The door slid open again and Anakin entered. She shifted left and let him stand by her side.

"Masters," he repeated.

"Speak with Knight Skywalker first we will," Master Yoda said, nodding to him. Jaina gave a small bow and took a polite step back.

"Masters," Anakin said once more, letting his eyes scan those before him. "I have come from speaking with Chancellor Palpatine. He has, in the name of improving relations between the Jedi and the Republic, appointed me to become a member of the Jedi Council. He also wishes specifically for me to represent him, and in turn the Senate, on the Council. I understand that the Council appoints its own members, but if I have learned anything from this war, there is a need for the Jedi and the Senate to work together more effectively to ensure peace and serve the people of the Republic. When Chancellor Palpatine steps down from office upon the end of the war, I shall do the same with the Council, unless his successor in office wishes for me to persist in the appointment."

Master Yoda frowned, thoughtful. Jaina struggled to hold back her alarm at the words her grandfather had spoken. Will they really allow a Sith Lord to influence the Masters' Council?

"Allow this appointment lightly, the Council does not. Disturbing is this move by Chancellor Palpatine. Gathering power for many years he has been, though point about relations with Republic, Skywalker, you have."

Anakin faintly nodded. "I understand and will stand by the Council's judgment."

The dark skinned master spoke next. "You are on this Council, but we do not grant you the rank of Master."

"What?"

Jaina could feel the simmering anger, frustration, and resentment from her grandfather. She couldn't blame him for his reaction, for she knew with her own Corellian temper, she'd protest, too.

Anakin continued. "How can you do this? It is outrageous! It is unfair! How can you be on the Council and not be a Master?"

"Take a seat, young Skywalker," the dark skinned master stated. He gestured towards a seat somewhere behind Jaina.

A long, tense moment settled in the chambers until Anakin said, "Forgive me, Master Windu." With that, he walked over to the empty seat and sat down.

The holocom projection of a Cerean Jedi Master spoke up. "We have surveyed all systems in the Republic, but have found no sign of General Grievous."

"Utapau," Jaina quickly supplied, stepping into the chamber's center. "You will find him on Utapau." She resisted the temptation to glance at Master Kenobi, credited with finishing off the droid general in the few pre-Empire holos.

Yoda focused his wise, green eyes upon her. "Curious, your presence in the Force is." He nodded to himself, eyes closed for a long yet brief moment, before adding, "From…the future, you are. Most curious how you came to our time, this Council now is."

Jaina sighed, relieved that she didn't have to struggle with explaining her presence while skirting around the fact she was a Selkath out of time. "My Uncle's stories of you, Master Yoda, never suggested you would be the type to cut straight to the power cables. But you are correct about me being from a different era—roughly sixty standard years into the future. I am Jedi Knight Jaina Solo."

"To know I still train Jedi, good to hear," Yoda said, smiling.

"I am most curious about one thing," began Master Kenobi, stroking his beard. "How is it that you came to be here, of all times and in all places?"

"I, uh, flew through a wound in the Force." Jaina flinched and added, "Accidentally, not on purpose. My, uh…kriff, I don't know how to describe that relationship to you." She huffed, drawing as much inward so as to hide everything about Jag from the masters. They wouldn't appreciate the fact they had nearly gotten married, let alone their renewed relations. "A close friend asked me to investigate a strange anomaly: a Force wound, as I've said. I passed through it and found myself in this time above the battle."

"I am more concerned about the fact that you are strong enough in the Force to guide the cruiser to the ground," began the dark skinned master, frowning, "Yet I struggle to sense your presence, even though you stand before us. It…wavers and fluctuates."

Jaina grimaced as he gestured towards her. She had drawn back her Force presence less to hide her relation to Anakin Skywalker from the Jedi and more to hide from Palpatine. After what had happened to Jacen, she was worried by what would happen if the future Emperor detected a grandchild of Skywalker. Years may have passed since then, but she had walked close to the dark side and had nearly fallen. Yet she couldn't continue to hide, so she revealed herself in the Force, letting the Masters reach out and feel her strength.

She replied with, "I can hide myself from the Force, though I wasn't the first in my family to learn it. A useful skill, even if I am not using it to its potential."

"Your family?" asked another master Jaina didn't know. She struggled to place their species. "Does this explain your connection to Skywalker?"

"I won't answer any questions about any possible relation between my family and, uh, Knight Skywalker," she said, defensive. I need to protect the future first. "Even so, I am a Jedi, as were my brothers. My mother and my uncle are Jedi, and so was his wife. His son and my niece, they will be Jedi—and so was my grandfather."

"And will you tell us his name?"

Jaina turned to the dark skinned master. She was struggling for a name, though she thought Windu might be correct. I should ask Fett when I return to the future. He's bound to know things about the Jedi of this time that even Uncle Luke doesn't know. "I do not feel comfortable revealing his identity at this time. There is a…conversation I need to have before I do so." She paused, hesitating, and stuttered out a shaky breath. "Dark times approach should nothing change the future. The Sith Lord you seek will have a new apprentice: Darth Vader. His…his first victim was my grandfather."

She didn't dare finish the sentence in her head. With so many masters around her, Jaina was uncertain how safe her thoughts truly were, especially since they could feel her in the Force. This was the Jedi Order at its prime, in the days before the end of the Clone Wars. They could've stopped her brother before he became Caedus, before she was forced to do so.

"A sense of duty I feel from you," Yoda said, a disturbed and saddened frown crossing his face. "A deep sadness, pain…"

"I was named the Sword of the Jedi when I was knighted," Jaina said, knowing what was being felt from her. "I…I did my duty as the Sword two months ago and protected the Order from a potent, malevolent threat."

"A Sith Lord?" asked Master Windu.

"Yes. Darth Caedus." Jaina tensed, hands into fists, and admitted, "He was my twin brother before he fell, although I am now certain he started down the path towards the dark side years before. There was a long, terrible war when we were younger. Too young to fight, though it became…necessary. He spent part of it in the hands of the enemy, tortured and subjected to the ravings of a fallen Jedi."

"How bad was it?" asked Master Kenobi in a soft voice.

"Five terrible, bloody years—worse than the Clone Wars by every measure imaginable. My other brother, who was younger than us, died partway through. I nearly fell to the dark side following his death." Jaina grimaced, trying to keep the worst of her memories from the Vong War away. "Over…over three hundred trillion died, by the end. Two battles were fought in the skies of Coruscant. Once, when we lost the planet, and the second time to end the war. The enemy thought our ways…heretical and were mostly immune to the effects of the Force."

"Immune to the Force?" Anakin said, horrified. "How did you win?"

"We adapted, learned about their biotech and their tactics. We found a way to turn the tide and defeated their leader. But that is many years into the future."

"Given us much to think on, you have," said Yoda, glancing about the chamber. "Give you leave to speak with whom you must, the Council will. Reconvene with you soon, we shall. Discuss the war, we must now do. Dismissed you are."

Jaina smiled and nodded. "I understand, Master Yoda. May the Force be with you." She bowed to the Council and departed, sighing as the door sealed behind her.

I can only hope it's easy to set up an appointment with a senator these days…