The command ship and her escort of cruisers and fighters landed not on Coruscant itself but on the White Moon where the Imperial - now once again Republic - shipyards are, along with the military base and the academy I had once wanted so badly to attend - a lifetime ago it seemed.

The surface was dull white and featureless except for the occasional observation tower, all the installations were underground. It reminded me a little of the Death Star. I wondered if maybe this was where the Emperor had gotten the idea for his killer space station.

We were officially welcomed by the commanding officers of shipyard, base and academy. Mon Mothma asked me to sit in on the meeting to pick up what I could about the officers' loyalties and intentions. I wasn't wearing the black anymore, I'd taken time on the voyage to dig out the Jedi tunic and robe Master had lent me on Had Abbadon and do the necessary re-tailoring so they would fit properly. I was a real Jedi now and meant to look the part. And from the way the three Admirals stared at me when I walked in behind Leia and the other Alliance leaders they recognized the outfit.

The conversation was brief and formal; nervous promises of co-operation from the former Imperials and coolly polite acceptance from Mon Mothma, but the under-currents were interesting.

The Admirals finally left and Mon Mothma and the rest of the council turned to me. "You can trust them," I said, "for the moment anyway. The Emperor dominated all around him. Without him they feel lost and dazed. If we're firm and fair they might well reorient their loyalties to us."

"Do we want them?" Genbu of Ophuchi wondered. "They served the Emperor."

"They had little choice." I answered quietly. "When I say Palpatine dominated them I don't mean just by personality or fear but by the Force."

Genbu nodded thoughtfully. Mon Mothma frowned a little. "According to my information these men are little more than military bureaucrats," she said, "but there are other Admirals, Generals and especially Grand Moffs guilty of terrible crimes against the peoples of the Galaxy. Are you saying they were not responsible for their actions, Jedi Skywalker?"

"No, ma'am I'm not." I said firmly. "But degree of culpability is going to have to be judged on a case by case basis, and it won't be easy - even for a Jedi."

The planetary praetor sent one of the Emperor's own private shuttles to carry Mon Mothma, Leia and the rest down to the planet but when the landing ramp lowered it wasn't some Imperial flunky who appeared but a tall, familiar figure his brown robe billowing behind him.

"Master!" I all but ran to him, forgetful of protocol and dignity both, a big grin on my face.

His answering smile radiated warm approval. "Well done, my Padawan."

I had to blink back tears. "Thank you, Master." I pulled myself together and the grin returned. "What did you do?"

His eyebrows rose. "Do, Luke?"

."I snorted. "Don't tell me you didn't have something to do with the Imperial administration rolling over like this!"

"We may have given it a push or two." he conceded, eyes glinting amusement.

"So, Master Jinn, we have you to thank for this astonishing cooperation on the part of the former Empire." Mon Mothma said as my Master bowed before her.

"And my associates." he admitted.

I remembered those associates; Jayce and Raj, Jezra and Mylo and especially Chani Kenobi!

Dai-Men stood aside to allow the councilors to file past him up the ramp, Leia was last, with Han beside her. He gave the Master a slightly wary look.

"H'lo Deak."

"Han." Dai-Men's voice was warm and a little amused. "I'm glad to see your carbonite casing kept you intact."

"Uh, yeah. But I can't say I'd recommend the experience."

"Nor would I," the Master agreed serenely, then arched his heavy brows. "but it can lead to unexpected insights."

Han seemed to flush a little. "Not that I noticed." he took Leia's arm. "C'mon, Honey, let's get aboard."

The welcoming party was headed by the praetor, dignified in his official robes and a lot more at ease than his retinue of edgy, overdressed bureaucrats. Four Jedi hovered quietly on the sidelines - and I didn't recognize any of them. There was a man with a sad, gentle face leaning heavily on a stick; a girl with brown curls standing in the Padawan's position at his shoulder; a much older woman, her delicate still beautiful features framed by a soft white cowl; and beside her a Yoda - or whatever his species was called - slimmer and a little taller than my old Master and apparently female.

The praetor led us inside to a fancy conference room, all red and gold. He and his bureaucrats seated themselves on one side of a ring shaped table, Mon Mothma and her Alliance councilors took the other, and the three older Jedi sat between. I found myself standing behind Dai-Men's chair with the female Yoda next to me and the brown haired girl beyond her.

"Now then, praetor, who is in control here?" Mon Mothma demanded.

"I am." he answered promptly and confidently. "The Emperor's personal retinue and advisors have been arrested and confined but the planetary administration is functioning normally. I can answer for my people Senator, they are loyal."

"But to whom, or what?" Genbu asked, arching his brows.

"To me." the praetor said matter-of-factly, and looked Mon Mothma straight in the eye. "And I am loyal to Coruscant. That's why I continued to serve the Empire after the Republic fell. Maybe I'm fooling myself - but I think things would have gone a lot worse for the people here without me."

"I concur." the sad faced Jedi Master said quietly. "I and the rest of the underground have many reasons to be grateful to Lord Trae-Arlin."

The praetor gave a lop-sided smile. "Not that I've always willingly gone along with the kind of risks Master Pater liked to take!"

"Not liked, found necessary." Pater corrected.

Unbelievable! From what Pater and Trae-Arlin were saying at least one Jedi Master had been under the Emperor's very nose all along!

"I understand," Mon Mothma said dryly, "I've had some experience of Jedi recklessness myself."

I couldn't see but I could clearly picture my Master's innocent 'who me?' expression.

"Our first step must be to reconvene the Senate and establish a democratically elected government." Mon Mothma continued. "But until that new congress meets I, as the senior surviving member of the Old Republic Senate, will serve as Chancellor pro-tem. Praetor, I count on you and your administration to keep order here on Coruscant."

Trae-Arlin inclined his head. "As your excellency wishes."

Mon-Mothma turned to Dai-Men. "Master Jinn, am I to understand the Sith threat has been eliminated."

"Unfortunately no." he answered calmly. I looked at the back of his head in alarm and sounds of shock and concern came from the councilors' side of the table.

"Clarify." Mon Mothma said crisply.

"Those of the Emperor's circle actually on Coruscant have been captured and imprisoned as Lord Trae-Arlin has said." my Master explained. "But his consorts, accompanied by a small number of red guards, managed to escape."

Mon Mothma frowned at him. "You consider the Emperor's fancy girls a threat?"

"They are rather more than that." The old Jedi woman next to Dai-Men said in soft, clipped tones. She steepled her fingers and continued calmly: "Palpatine was old and failing. He drew on those girls' life force to maintain his own. But in the process he inevitably put something of himself into them; his malice - and at least a shadow of his power. I am afraid those 'fancy girls' constitute quiet a respectable threat." council and bureaucrats rustled in alarm. "Fortunately," the old lady continued, "they are unlikely to work together. In fact it is not impossible that they will eliminate our problem by eliminating each other."

"Needless to say the Jedi do not intend to count on that." said Dai-Men. "It will be several years before any of the Sith Witches are in a position to threaten the Republic. With the help of the Force we may track them all down before that."

Mon Mothma breathed out a little sigh, whether of relief or resignation I wasn't sure. "Very well, we will leave that problem to your graces. If you will forgive my asking, Master, exactly what is the status of the Jedi Order?"

"About the same as that of the Republic government." Dai-Men said, a smile in his voice. "We are picking up the pieces. At the moment there are just over a dozen Jedi here on Coruscant but we have reason to believe there are other survivors -"

"Master," I broke in, "forgive me for interrupting but during my interrogation the Emperor mentioned the names of three other living Jedi Masters; Brisen, Rigel and Zenn."

"Rigel!" the name burst out of Han, who'd been sitting quiet and uncomfortable next to Leia all this time. "Halleck Rigel was my best friend's guardian. I ran to their place during the attack but nobody was there. And I didn't see Bren or his little brothers in the holding cells afterwards. They might all have gotten clean away!"

"A few Jedi did escape the Temple attack." Master Pater said, then shook his head. "Halleck and his family didn't pass through my underground, but they could have found another way off-planet."

"I think we can depend on the accuracy of the Emperor's intelligence." Dai-Men said a little dryly, "but this is a matter for the Jedi Council, not the provisional government." and he made a seated bow towards Mon Mothma, tacitly handing the meeting back to her.

"The Imperial Palace was formerly the Jedi Temple," she said, "we return it to you."

"Thank you Chancellor, but the Temple is no longer a fit place for Jedi - or anybody else." Dai-Men said firmly.

"The Emperor's presence has desecrated it beyond any cleansing." the old Jedi woman put in. "I'd advise you to destroy the palace, raze it to its lowest level and crush or melt the metal, stone and plastics of which it's made."

Mon Mothma blinked. "We will, of course do as you advise, Masters."

"But will that be safe?" Praetor Trae-Arlin asked worriedly. "Who knows what the Emperor hid away in there, or what defenses and booby-traps he might have put in place."

"I agree." said Dai-Men. "We will go through the palace first to make sure there's nothing there to threaten the demolition crews."

We Jedi bowed ourselves out of the meeting shortly after that. "More than a dozen?" I said to my Master in the hall outside.

"Fourteen to be exact." he answered, eyes crinkling in a smile. "My original eight; Mother, Yedda, Master Pater, Nyssa -"

"Mother?" I echoed.

"Forgive me, I haven't introduced you; Luke Skywalker, my mother Kensai Teacher 1 Moriah Organa." He was, of course, talking about the old woman. She was a tiny thing, especially next to her tall son, but she had the same dark blue eyes.

I bowed. "Honored to meet you, Kensai."

"You favor your father." she said, looking me up and down with a gaze at once piercing and vague. "I knew him when he was a boy, and your mother later. Remind me to tell you about them - unless I already have?"

"Not yet, Mother. You've just met." Dai-Men said calmly.

"Have we?" Moriah wondered. "Yes of course we have. Forgive me Luke, but I've known I'll know you for a very long time."

"Mother is a seer." Dai-Men explained. "Sometimes she gets past and future mixed up."

"True." she agreed, unperturbed. "Just set me straight when I wander, Master Luke."

"Uh - I'm not a Master." I said hastily.

Her brows lifted in a way that made her look astoundingly like her son. "You will be."

NOTES:

1. Kensai Teacher, like Padawan Learner. Since I have a real problem with calling women 'master' I invented this title for them by fiddling with the Japanese word for 'teacher'. I have since been informed that 'Kensai' is a real Japanese word meaning 'Sword Saint' - talk about serendipity:-D