Echoes of the Past

Estellio

Rating: Pg-13 (T)

Summary: Luke watches as an all too familiar pattern unfolds. Fear, love, anger, hate, death. Can he learn from his mistakes and stop what is happening or is the past doomed to be repeated and the Republic plunged back into war?

A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far.

Skywalker05: (Bangs head on desk repeatedly) Goddammit! I'm such an idiot! GAH! When I took out the prologue that had Kyv and Arlena first meeting I took out his description and never put it back in! GAH! Stupid, stupid, stupid Estellio! …aaaannnywaay. Yeah, I know it was a bit long but I wanted to get all of Arlena's story in a chapter so we could move on, this chapter is a LOT shorter. The other's will probably be longer than this but shorter than the first. Glad you liked it and I'll try and clean it up. It was all written at night and though I read over it for mistakes you know how it is when you're reading your own work, you tend to skim.

Gevaden: Yeah, and you did one on me too without me noticing (Shakes fist) We're worrying about you. I knew you'd like the Zabrak's (For those of you who don't' know Zabrak are Darth Maul's specie and they come from Iridonia. Info courtesy of Gev) I'd love your input for the fic, you always have such new and interesting ideas.

May the Force be with ye.

IOIOIO

Eight Years Later:

The chambers of the senate were filled with the disgruntled cries of Senators from thousands of worlds. There was a cry for silence as Senator Neka Rin began to speak again and the votes were cast.

Senator Risha Y'darb of Kereys watched with a clenched jaw and balled fists as the proposal to help the people of Kellan was turned down. She couldn't believe that the Chancellor allowed him to get away with such atrocities. The people of Kellan were suffering and dieing and they were not allowing aid because it might offend the peoples sovereign? It was madness! If only Neka Rin didn't have so much sway with the Senate then thing could actually get done and maybe the Senate could do the job it was created for.

"Come on Ariot, we're leaving." She ground out between clenched teeth, turning with a flourish of her robe and leaving her senatorial post. Ariot motioned the two guards to follow her as they left and her exit did not go unnoticed by Senator Rin who watched her go with narrowed eyes.

As they marched through the splendid gold and red halls of the Senate, Ariot watched the Senators dark red curls sway dangerously in its ornate style as she waited for the on coming verbal assault she knew she was sure to receive from the enraged Senator. She didn't have to wait long.

"I can't believe it! What kind of an idiot would vote against helping these people! ARGH! It's all that oaf Neka Rin's fault! He has too much power in the Senate. I can't believe him!" She punched her own open palm and growled. "We could have helped those poor people but no! He is just content to watch these people suffer and die of a plague that we could help cure just because it might offend their sovereign if we helped? I don't see any reason why his dignity is more important that the peoples welfare! What do you think?" Ariot was quiet a moment before she realized she had been addressed and the Senators storm grey eyes were trained upon her.

"I completely agree Senator." She chanced and sighed with relief when Risha accepted this as a viable answer.

"Well good, if you can see it then why can't the Senate?" She fumed as they arrived at the flitter.

"Because they haven't had a chance to listen to your persuasive reasoning." Risha turned to her bodyguard with a shocked look on her face that soon melted into a smile.

"Watch it." She warned, giving Captain Ariot a playful slap on the arm.

"Yes Senator." She replied automatically, opening the door to the flitter for her and motioning the two other guards to go up front. After Risha had gotten in she adjusted her blaster belt and ducked in.

"Top of the morning to ya." The blaster was out of its holster faster than should have been possible by all the laws of physics and it was pressed against the man's temple a second later.

"You!" Ariot growled, not lowering her blaster. Risha had to put her hand on Ariot's writs and forcibly make her lower it. "How did you get in here?" She demanded but Ryan just gave her a lazy smile.

"Magic." He said with a flourish of his hands, causing the young Senator to giggle, raising a hand to her mouth. Ariot scowled at him, her hand not easing on the hilt of her blaster as she sat back.

"Some day I will figure out who you do this and I'll have ten men with blasters waiting for you." She said darkly, her eyes in slits, emphasizing the venom of her words.

"Friendly as always I see, but I don't think ten will be enough."

"As many as it will take then."

"Sure you have that many men?"

"I'll make that many."

"Your craftsmanship leaves a lot to be desired."

"Both of you, stop it!" Risha said half angry, half amused. "I assume you are here for a reason, Ryan?"

"But of course, I've just arrived back from my most recent expedition and I have some presents for you." Ryan reached inside his jacket and pulled out a slip of paper. "Meet me in docking bay five, at your leisure." Without further ado he opened the door and threw himself out. Risha instantly made a grab for him but he was gone. Peering down to the walkway, several stories below, she was sure she'd find a crowd gathering around a body but he had, for all intents and purposes, vanished.

Ariot reached across and shut the door with a scowl.

"Show off." She mumbled and sat back, turning her attention to the other cars speeding along the car. Risha unfolded the slip.

Docking Bay Twenty Six, Eight tonight, come alone. (Aka. Don't bring the prude)

"I wish he'd stop doing that, it makes my heart stop every time. I can't figure out how he does it." Ariot, who was looking out her window, could see the hover bike beneath them that was speeding away now that Ryan was strapped in.

"Oh he's fine as long as he doesn't miss the hover bike positioned beneath the car. It's probably how he gets in as well." Risha looked over to her confused.

"But you always tell him that you're going to figure it out someday...I thought that meant you didn't know how he did it." Ariot just shrugged and Risha took one more look at the slip of paper before tearing it up and leaving it fall to the floor of the car.

"What's that?" Ariot asked, looking down at the pieces with mild interest.

"Oh, just some junk he left in the car." Ariot grunted and looked back out the window, not seeing Risha's smile.

IOIOIO

As the sun set behind the tall skyscrapers and Coruscant sky darkened, Senator Neka Rin stood on the balcony, swirling a large glass of Manaanian Brandy.

"It went well in the Senate today, milord?" A young Zabrak approached Neka with a grim look on his face holding a bloodied knife.

"Not as well as I hoped, Kamir...please, put that away. You know I do not like you bringing weapons in the house." The Zabrak nodded and wiped off the blade with the edge of his jacket before slipping it into an unseen orifice. "I also asked you to stop killing my guards to get in unseen. I will give you the code to the back door if you want." The Zabrak shrugged.

"I did not kill your guard and I know the code to the backdoor." At this Neka straightened.

"Then who did you kill?"

"No one you'd care about, there was a bar fight and some guy got thrown onto me. I slit his throat and left." Neka raised an eyebrow but turned back to the scenery without saying anything. "What is it you summoned me here for, Milord." Neka bent over to lean on the railing, placing his glass down.

"Kamir...I have a job for you." Neka said gravely. Watching as two hover cars barely missed colliding with each other. The Zabrak behind him smiled, a sick twist to his pale lips that showed the barest hint of yellow fangs beneath.

"Oh really?"

"I have recently heard that there are a few people who think I have grown to powerful among the Senate. To…influential. " The Zabrak tilted his head to one side, waiting for his Master to continue. "One of these people is a rather young Senator named Risha."

"The Kereyian one? She is but a slip of a girl, only in the Senate a year. No one will listen to her." Kamir said dismissively.

"Oh…but they are. She has many Senators on her side and is the main voice of opposition against me. I want her taken care of." The Zabrak snorted.

"Easy. Anything else?"

"Do not be so sure. She has friends…and that Captain of hers is a shrewd one. I tried to trace her past but up until she joined the guards there is nothing on her. That's nearly fifteen years unaccounted for and I don't like being kept in the dark. She has never failed to protect someone who was put in her care. Senator Tolaris of Naboo was once put in her care and I sent my most skilled assassin to kill him. My assassin was returned to me in an envelope. Or at least what was left of him after the nix-hounds had ripped him apart and there was a letter."

"What did it say?"

"Next time don't send a Trandoshan, they give my dog indigestion." He growled, throwing down his glass.

"I'm not going to become Nix food." The Zabrak said indignantly. "In fact, I'll take her out for free." Neka turned back to him and smiled.

"You are the best, Kamir. You have never failed me before…don't start now."

"Yes milord." He bowed to his Master and swiftly left. Neka Rin turned back to stare out over the city. The glass lay shattered at his feet so he called his droid for another. The protocol droid was quick to respond, pouring him another brandy.

"That isn't good for you, you know?" A voice came from behind him and he turned slowly to face a second Zabrak.

"How did you get in?"

"Your doors weren't locked…in any serious way."

"I thought I told you not to come here again."

"I have some very interesting news, Master Rin. I have tracked down Arlena, the Jedi who left the order about eight years ago." This caught his attention and he straightened up, approaching the Zabrak.

"Really, where?" Ykar stepped out from the shadows, a twisted grin on his face.

"She's here, on Coruscant …and you won't believe who she's with."

IOIOIO

A/N: A friend of mine gave me a rather odd idea which I have taken to. He put a sort of character bio of someone after every chapter and I decided that was a pretty good idea if you were using Oc's so I've decided to do something similar. Just a quick look at a character. We'll start off with a fairly important character in this chapter and the fic, Risha.

Name: Risha Y'darb.

Age: 20

Home planet: Kereys

Occupation: Senator, Ambassador from Kereys.

Hair: Dark Red / brown

Eyes: Grey

Height: 5 8"

Marital Status: Engaged to Prince Kohmdal of Kerey's

Basic history: Born and raised on Kerey's, the only daughter of a rather important family. Through arranged marriage she was engaged to the Prince of Kerey's and the office of Ambassador was thrust upon her. She's been serving as a Senator for nearly a year.

Personality: Risha is a complete pacifist and is repulsed by violence. She believes firmly in the old values of the Republic and will go out of her way to help people. She is very trusting and loyal and sometimes is blinded to other people true intentions, always believing the best of them. A shrewd negotiator who over the course of her term in office has gained many allies and the trust of several Senators. She is in firm opposition of Neka Rin but refuses to revert to covert measures (i.e assassination) to get rid of him. A great admirer of Princess Leia and her mother Padmé, she is in possession of the actual bikini Leia wore for Jabba and the ship Padmé crash landed on Tantooine with.