"Hey."

Jaina looked up to see Camie waving at her from the gallery stairway. She moved over a seat so Camie could sit down. "Here for the political theater?"

Camie laughed. "Yeah, something like that. I figured someone ought to be here in case there's a crisis."

"You're a better person than me," Jaina said. "I'm just here to see the two most annoying people I know have a go at each other."

Camie laughed again. "Well, yeah, that too. How's your mom?"

"Bizarrely calm. Which makes me think she knows something I don't."

"She's not here, is she?"

"No, no, definitely not," Jaina said. "The whole bunch of them decided to watch from my parents' apartment. My parents, Wedge, Luke, Winter, the whole lot of them. I think your parents are over there too. It's like a little party. Food and everything."

"Almost sounds safer here."

"Right?"

"May I join you?"

Jaina looked up again to see another woman standing in the stairway. She was tall, with long, straight, dark hair, partially pulled around to the back of her head. She wore all black, including her high black books and partial skirt. She had a lightsaber dangling at her hip. Jaina had never seen her before.

"Oh, yeah, sure," Camie said, poking Jaina to move down a chair. "Have a seat." The woman settled in. "So, uh, this is Brianna's friend Elena."

"Brianna has friends?" Jaina had never met one single person Brianna didn't already know through family. Camie shrugged.

"This is Brianna's cousin Jaina," Camie said.

Elena gave Jaina a slow, respectful nod. "I've heard your name."

"Wish I could say the same."

"How did you get in here, anyway?" Camie asked.

"Through the front door," Elena said. "Like everyone else."

"Oh."

"I didn't do anything untoward, if that's what you're suggesting."

"No, no. No, of course not," Camie said.

"Did Brianna invite you to this?" Jaina wasn't sure how curious she should be about this woman. At least Camie seemed to know her, sort of.

"She did."

"Did she tell you what it was about? I ask because I don't know what this is about, because I never get told anything."

"Brianna gave me a short biography of this…Councilor Fey'lya person. I was always under the impression that you Republic types were the good guys."

Curious wording. "Well, some people like to pretend they didn't get the memo."

"I think they're going to start soon," Camie said. Some staffers were setting up the committee members' chairs and water.

Jaina sat back in her chair. Brianna never told anyone anything.

Iella swiped her key card to the senate staff waiting room. The staff members running the hearing told her Brianna was already there. The door swooshed open and Brianna was indeed there, sitting with her feet propped up on a table. She had her communicator out and looked like she was scrolling HoloBook again. The door closed and Iella waited.

"Hey," Brianna said.

"Well?"

Brianna glanced at her. "You mad about something?"

"I haven't seen you in two days," Iella said. "You actually fought someone on Xalos, you agreed to do this hearing, and we haven't had time to talk about any of it."

"I work with you, I don't work for you."

"We can't do anything if I don't know what's going on."

"You obviously got briefed."

"Do you have a plan for this hearing or are you going to wing that too?"

"Borsk Fey'lya thinks he's cunning, but he's really just another predictable politician. He's going to ask a bunch of what he thinks are gotcha questions about Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, Jedi Order failures, blah, blah, blah, because he's used to hearing the vague nonsense Leia and my father give him. All stuff I'm perfectly happy to talk about anyway."

"That's it? What about your epiphany?"

"Look, you pitched me this project on the idea that I'd have an opportunity to reset people's expectations of the Jedi Order. Well, here we are."

"This public and this soon is not what I had in mind."

"Well, we don't always get what we want."

The door swooshed open again and Iella stepped aside. Borsk Fey'lya gave her a brief glance as he strode inside, followed by the same staffer from the hangar.

"Hey Phil, nice to see you again!"

"I told you you didn't want to make me your enemy, Skywalker."

Brianna stretched. "Ah, Borsk. You're not still on about that, are you? We talked about this."

"Be flippant if you wish. But I will finally expose the Jedi for their arrogant paternalism."

Brianna set her communicator down and took a long moment to focus on Fey'lya. "That's genius."

"What?"

"You know what your problem is?"

"My problem is the Jedi."

"No," Brianna said. "That's my problem. Your problem is projection. You spend all this energy on scheming against other people's schemes. Except no one else is scheming the way you think they are. So you end up scheming into empty shadows. You make a giant nuisance of yourself, and this is why no one likes you."

"And you are universally loved, I suppose?"

Brianna laughed. "You haven't actually talked to Leia, have you?"

"Why, so she can feed me more of your Jedi propaganda?"

"I'm just saying," Brianna picked up her communicator again, "you should have a chat. You might find something to bond over."

"You would do well to take this seriously, Skywalker, if you wish to retain your position of influence."

"'A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind!'" She hopped up and started pacing around the room. "So overrated. Can I ask you a question? What do you do for fun?"

"I have made a lifetime commitment to the future of this democracy and the safety of the Bothan people."

Brianna squinted. "So, does that mean you don't do anything fun, or is that what you consider fun?" She looked at Iella. "Everyone's idea of fun is different, I guess."

"I do not have time for such frivolities."

"So you don't do anything fun at all? Maybe that's part of your problem. Hey, did you know there's an adults-only ball pit on Coruscant. It's pretty awesome, you should check it out."

"I have no interest in such disease-infested locations."

"You know, that's funny," Brianna laughed, "because Wedge," she pointed at Iella, "has a very similar opinion of ball pits. You should build on this."

Fey'lya's fur rippled in annoyance. "Has anyone ever told you you are intolerable?"

"Um, my cousin Jaina regularly tells me I'm a terrible person. And Leia and I have had some spectacular shouting matches. Does that count?"

Fey'lya turned to look at Iella. "It's true," she said.

"I know what you should do!" Brianna burst out. "You should get a pet lizard!"

"I am doing no such -"

"No, listen, hear me out! Lizards are great. They just hang out in the tank and you feed 'em once a day. They don't have to do anything or impress anybody. They just hang out and be a lizard. You could learn a lot from a pet lizard." Fey'lya fumed and Brianna grinned. "I'm gonna tell everyone you're gonna get a pet lizard."

"The hearing will be starting soon. You'd best be prepared." Fey'lya turned to leave.

Brianna followed him to the door. "Can I just tell you? I enjoy these chats we have. I look forward to more."

He gave her a curt nod. "Master Jedi."

"Bye Borsk! … Bye Phil!" The door shut and Brianna turned back to Iella. "Not gonna lie, I'm surprised they stood there and took it for so long."

"How much of that was actually necessary?" Iella asked.

"For my personal entertainment? All of it." Brianna sat back down in her chair and picked up her communicator again.

"He's right about one thing."

"He's actually right about several things. Probably not the one you're thinking of though."

"You need to take this seriously."

"No," Brianna said. "He needs me to take this seriously. That's not the same thing. Part of the whole, 'needing important enemies' thing. Except we're not actually enemies, and I am taking this seriously."

"Really? I couldn't tell."

The door slid open again and a gallery staff member poked her head inside. "We'll be starting in five minutes."

"Fabulous! On my way." Brianna gave Iella a slap on the shoulder as she walked out. "Better go find your seat."

The lights dimmed in the gallery seating and came up over the semi-circle of committee member seats. A simple table and chair sat in front of the gallery. The member seats loomed over the table. Jaina remembered her mother and Luke had sat at a similar table when they had to give testimony after Leia's treasure box had been made public.

The committee members filed in through a back door and took their seats, with Borsk Fey'lya in the center. The news holocams floated in, trying to get every angle, with some sets streaming to large holovid screens on either side of the front of the hall. Brianna came in through a side door. "She could have at least worn proper robes," Jaina whispered.

"Now you're just asking too much," Camie whispered back.

Fey'lya rapped his gavel. "This special hearing is now in session." He smiled down at Brianna. "We welcome you, Master Jedi Skywalker, to our humble chamber. I look forward to a productive conversation."

"Well, you did entice me with one of my favorite topics, so I'm happy to be here. Also, just Brianna will do, please and thank you."

"Would any of my colleagues care to make an opening comment?"

An Ithorian at the far end of the table raised a hand. "Greetings Master Jedi. I am Councilor Reme. I too look forward to a productive conversation on the future of the Jedi. I hope we can move into a realm where the Jedi remain active assets to the Republic and do not fall into making a nuisance of themselves."

Brianna stood slightly and leaned forward. "What's your given name? Kils?" She sat back down. "Kils, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am sure your idea of a Jedi nuisance and my idea of what that is are parsecs apart. Or, perhaps they're not. In any case, I will be thrilled to explore that space with you."

The Savarian councilor at the other end of the table raised her hand. "I am Councilor Sofi Cirtari. Miss…Brianna, I also want to formally welcome you to our chamber. As I am sure my colleagues are aware, the Jedi have faithfully served this Republic in all its forms for centuries. Lest you think all of us your enemies, I can assure you, we will honor that service."

"Councilor, a pleasure. I can assure you that I do not consider anyone on this committee my enemy."

"That's very gracious of you."

"Barring anyone being a secret Sith, of course."

Jaina heard a ripple of laughter nearby.

"Ah. Well, I'm sure none of my colleagues are, um, Sith."

"Fabulous! Glad we're all on the same side."

"The Jedi have certainly had their share of failures with the Sith, have they not?" Fey'lya said. "If I may get right to the point, if the purpose of the Jedi is to serve the Republic, clearly, they've done a poor job. In fact, one could argue that the Jedi's greatest failure was the fall of one of their own to the Sith, your grandfather, Darth Vader."

Jaina saw a big grin spread over Brianna's face on the holovid screen. "Well, one, if I may say so Borsk, you are delightfully predictable, and I thank you for that. Two, I would give half my candy stash to see you personally do a better job with a Sith. And three, no, I don't think I'd agree with that statement. The Old Republic Jedi Order certainly has a great list of failures, too many to enumerate here. Failures of philosophy, failures of training, failures of focus, failures of empathy, failures in dealing with individual people, generally failing at life. But is their particular mismanagement of Anakin Skywalker really the greatest one? No, I don't think so."

"But, Darth Vader helped create the Empire and served as its ruthless enforcer, did he not?"

"Sure. But Sheev Palpatine would have gotten his Empire with or without Anakin Skywalker, so he wasn't really that important. Palpatine's apprentice prior to Anakin was a gentleman by the name of Count Dooku of Serrano. Dooku was also a former Jedi. If Palpatine had thought Anakin wasn't going to work out, he would have just kept Dooku, and everything would have played out more or less the same." Brianna paused to take a sip of water. "Well, Endor would have had a different ending."

"Surely there must have been something important about Darth Vader," Councilor Reme said.

"The thing that's primarily interesting about Anakin's story is that it's a microcosm of all the Jedi Order's categories of failures. It's a great case study. But all of these failures were already present in the Order when Anakin showed up to Coruscant as a nine-year-old. Palpatine had already been here for five to ten years as a senator, so he had plenty of time to assess the Jedi's weaknesses. He saw them mismanage Anakin's training, so he recognized Anakin as an effective tool to exploit those weaknesses."

"You make it sound as if Vader was some innocent pawn, only falling because of Palpatine's manipulations," Fey'lya said.

"Everyone was manipulated by Palpatine. Anakin, the Jedi, the senate, Dooku, the Separatists, all of them. And he didn't even have to use the Force to do it. He simply understood people and motivations, he set conditions and just let people do what they were going to do anyway. He's the master of work smarter, not harder.

"And look, I'm not here to defend anything that isn't defensible. There's a lot about Anakin Skywalker that could have gone sideways with or without Sheev Palpatine, even if that wouldn't have created an Empire. He made plenty of his own questionable decisions. Darth Vader went out and wrecked the galaxy for twenty-three years, causing untold pain, suffering, and hardship. The point is, if you want to prevent another iteration of this, you have to understand the underlying failures that made it possible."

"What then would you say is the Jedi Order's greatest failure?" Councilor Reme asked.

"Failure of focus."

Councilor Reme waited for Brianna to say more. "Would you care to elaborate?"

"Allow me a brief digression, if you will. Councilor Cirtari, when you think of what a typical Jedi mission might entail, what sort of tasks do you think of?"

"As I understand, historically, the Jedi were some of our best diplomats. Certainly Ambassador Organa Solo is our greatest living diplomat. She and Master Skywalker have served us admirably in their diplomacy and we have been most appreciative of their efforts."

"Exactly. In the thousand years between the end of the jedi-Soth War and the Clone Wars, that's what they did. Ambassadors, negotiators, peacekeepers, diplomats, emergency services. There were no Sith around - so they thought - so they had to justify themselves somehow. Solving people's tax disputes, border disputes, rounding up ragtag bands of ruffians, or, if you're Kils over here, interrupting people's mundane political shenanigans. I assume that's what you meant by 'nuisance'.

"The point is, these people were up to their eyeballs in this politics stuff. The question is, is that what they should have been doing?"

Brianna paused to take another sip of water. Jaina heard a small murmur arise in the crowd.

"After the Jedi-Sith War," Brianna continued, "the Jedi believed - wrongly - that the Sith were wiped out. But one survived. He got an apprentice and they continued the line in twos for the next thousand years. The Jedi had no idea of this until Darth Maul, another of Palpatine's prior apprentices, came screaming back up their asses ten years before the Clone Wars. That poor guy died in a fight (twice), but the Jedi Council knew there had to be a second one running around somewhere. They did not realize that one had just been voted in as Chancellor of the Senate.

"Fast forward ten years and virtually no progress has been made on this. They find out Dooku is a Sith, and still don't know who the second one is. They get maneuvered into becoming warfighters again. They only find out three years later Palpatine is their second Sith Lord because Anakin came and told them. They had one more brief opportunity not to screw up Anakin's part in this, but of course they did. And here we are.

"Failure. Of. Focus."

"Master Jedi," Councilor Reme said, "it almost sounds as if you are advocating for the dismantling of the majority of the Jedi Order as we know it."

"Does that make you uncomfortable?" Brianna asked. "You did call them a nuisance earlier."

"Well, yes, but…"

"The Jedi Order has always been our most vital asset in protecting our democracy!" Councilor Cirtari said.

"And when our democracy needed protection the most, they failed," Fey'lya said. "If they cannot even succeed in their core mission, what right do they have to dictate how our democracy should be run?"

"But they did succeed! Master Skywalker won us the Battle of Endor!"

"Only because of the Vader connection," Brianna broke in. "Had that been anyone but Anakin Skywalker, I guarantee you, none of us would be here to have this conversation. And, you know, nevermind the hundreds of non-Force sensitive people who also succeeded in their own dangerous missions."

"Yes, of course. I certainly didn't mean to minimize anyone's contributions."

The holocam cut back to Brianna just in time to catch her rolling her eyes.

"Master Jedi…Brianna, however you prefer to be addressed," Councilor Reme said, "I am confused. Do you believe the Jedi Order to be a valuable asset to the Republic, or not?"

"Well, I object to the word asset, but generally the answer to your question would be yes."

"You do believe then," Fey'lya said, "that the Jedi should have some influence in how the Republic runs?"

"Oh, Borsk, there you go scheming into empty shadows again. Stop scheming, no one cares. Listen, I'm not your mom, I'm not your babysitter, I'm not your therapist. I'm not here to police you and I'm not here to tell you how to run your business. That's what you get elected for. Do your jobs."

"But Master Jedi, we need the Jedi to do those things."

"Yeah, but, Sofi, do you, though? There are a hundred quadrillion people in this galaxy and only ever ten thousand Jedi at any one time. The vast majority of the galaxy's problems have always been solved by someone not a Jedi."

"Then what do we need ten thousand Jedi for?" Councilor Reme asked.

"Well, the short answer is, you don't. But, here's the fact you need to understand along with that. There are probably one hundred to two hundred people born Force sensitive every year. That's completely independent of whether any institution of the Jedi Order exists. So, there are probably thousands of people running around the galaxy right now who are Force sensitive, but don't know it. They probably just think they have really good reflexes or are really good at reading people, or whatever.

"I do think it's important for someone to learn how to manage this thing that got dumped on them as an accident of birth. But that doesn't mean they all need to be standing members of an institution. In fact, I think it's better if they aren't. All of my siblings and cousins found other things to do with their lives, and I support it. If some individual Jedi wanted to become diplomats and go solve people's tax and border disputes, that's fine. If some want to join the military, that's fine too. If they want to run a business, become a psychologist, or a dentist, a real estate agent, an archaeologist, or run a hot dog eating contest, wherever their passions take them, it's fine.

"If something came up that truly needed an institutional Jedi response, some of those people would show up all the time and some would never show up, and it's fine. Some would only show up when it's easy, and some would only show up when it's hard. But they show up because they want to. Just like anyone else. Force sensitive people are not and cannot be different than anyone else.

"But you are different."

Brianna turned to look at Councilor Cirtari. "Only because you think you need us to be."

"But we do need you to be."

Brianna held Councilor Cirtari's gaze. She took a sip of water and waited. Jaina heard the murmur in the crowd starting to rise again. Everything Brianna was saying seemed to go against everything Jaina had been taught in her own train)not, about her responsibilities as a Jedi to the Republic. But when she'd been faced with a choice to return the Order full time or stay with Rogue Squadron, she'd chosen to stay with her squadron. Because that's what she wanted. Brianna had supported it then too, even though she'd only been fifteen. But hearing it out loud like this, it sounded wrong.

"Miss…Brianna."

"Councilor Reme, how may I assist you today?"

"You say an individual Jedi could perform diplomatic functions?"

"Yeah. Let me make a quick distinction. There are people who might join the diplomatic corps in the traditional way, and who happen to be Force sensitive and have some Jedi training. Then there are full time Jedi who perform diplomatic functions in their capacity as a Jedi. Either of which is fine. What I object to is it being a core institutional function and people simply assuming they can get that assistance whenever they want."

"And what would requesting that kind of assistance look like?"

"I don't know. There would have to be rules, boundaries. It can't just be a free-for-all of whatever you want."

"I suggest," Fey'lya said, "that we recess for the day so all parties may…digest their new information. Any objections?" He rapped his gavel on the table. "This session is in recess."

He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair, as he stared at the frozen holographic image of this young, brash Jedi. "Fentin."

"Master Mourtos."

"What do you make of her?"

"She is dangerous, master."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

"Our sources tell us she, along with two other Jedi and some Republic operatives, have been making visits to worlds where we have teams in training. A few have encountered her. She is also likely responsible for the death of the Vir-Shat trainer on Coruscant last year."

"Ah, yes. That's the team that failed to recover their holocron on the way out, is it not?"

"Yes, master. We also believe her to be involved in the debacle with the Vir-Azmun team on Formuth."

"Yes, I recall that as well. Is that team still active?"

"No, master. Their activities were unauthorized, so that team was…repurposed."

"Hm, just as well."

"She is dangerous," Fentin repeated.

"Perhaps. She does seem unconventional. Still, a Jedi is a Jedi and we've always survived them."

"Shall we change our primary target, master?"

"No. No yet. A probe might be in order though. Someone from Vir-Teng perhaps. Someone competent. Nothing fancy. Just a gauge of her."

"It will be done master." Fentin bowed deeply and disappeared further into the shadows.

Master Mourtos turned his attention back to the frozen hologram. "Brianna Skywalker."