A StarWars Fable

by IAmElvie

The story is based on the SWTOR online game. There will be a mix of my characters & game NPCs. All class protagonists exist & occasionally come into contact with each other. My fable may veer some from the actual game content & timeline is imperfect. You will meet KOTOR descendants & a few Star Wars movie ancestors as well as whatever else I toss in. As always, mature readers only.

1. A StarWars Fable-Prologue Consular

SWTOR

A SWTOR Fable

Prologue

Consular – Yuon's Illness

Note: Please do not judge all the prologues by this one. While it is my fav class to play, it is not my fav story line.

Lora glanced over at Cas and winked, knowing he was finally finished with his meditations. He was certainly better than her at meditating and that was something they'd often tease each other about. Honestly, she didn't know how he could spend so much time on his knees. She learned early on how painful that was and always rested on her backside for meditation. Granted, he could rise faster than she could, but somethings were worth giving up for the sake of being able to walk afterwards.

Cas, himself, was a stunning young man – not that she noticed. Her thoughts caused a grin to tug at her lips, because noticing would be very un-jedi-like. Or so they would have you believe. But his pale golden-green skin, light blue eyes and unruly mop of light blonde hair that he kept pulled back in a ponytail was a striking combination. Add to that a chiseled face and a muscled body the size of a small mountain, he would give any girl pause. He gave her pause…he always had. She loved him. She did. He was her soulmate. They had a deep and passionate love that was written in the stars – at least the romantic I her believed that. They'd given their innocence to each other a few years back and there were no regrets. But they'd grown up together and were best friends as well, which was likely how their relationship went unnoticed.

They didn't hide their love and if asked directly about their relationship they would have told the truth and left the jedi order, but people tend to see only what they want to see. They saw them only as two people who grew up together and were as close as siblings. If they hugged or held hands it was frowned on but overlooked. They didn't openly show their sexuality – nothing more than a kiss on the cheek was ever seen. Not because they were intentionally hiding it, but because they were both conservative and private individuals. It was hard to be anything else when raised in the jedi academy. She had to wonder if everyone was so blind just because she and Cas were stronger in the force than anyone had been in generations – if ever, and they didn't want to risk losing that power to the freedom or even the dark side. Maybe by overlooking they maintained control. Or maybe they just didn't want to see.

At one point, two masters had them investigate another pair for romantic inclination and they were discovered to be involved. One of them went so far as to bribe her and Cas to remain quiet. That had been alarming. People should be trained to handle their feelings in a responsible manner not pretend as if they don't exist. For all the good the jedi order did, like every institution, there were flaws. They'd had to admit their findings even though it meant the pair had to give each other up or lose their right to be a jedi. She felt dirty inside after reporting their what they'd learned. They should have been embraced...nurtured, not given impossible ultimatums that could have far darker consequences than doing nothing at all. If those kids were expelled from the Jedi Order, where did the masters think they would go to find training? No. There had to be another way.

She couldn't stop herself from wondering, were they given that assignment as a warning? No, she doubted the jedi would be so blasé about it. They already didn't approve of how close she and Cas were - if they knew the truth there would be a reckoning. Without a doubt, they did not know. While Cas touched no one but her, she was a toucher – a hugger. Her outgoing nature was always on display and no one was immune to it. While some grumbled at her 'familiarity', she could feel the contentment they could not say aloud. Most beings craved being touched, even when they could not admit it - to themselves or another.

Tython, itself, was strong in the force. They had felt it the moment they approached the planet. She and Cas had been sent to Tython at a younger age than normal. They were the strongest jedi their academy had seen in centuries and there was nothing more the masters at the Academy could teach them. So, they were sent to Tython to complete their training under the Order's most experienced Council masters and take their trials.

Master Yuon Par had chosen to train her the moment she'd heard about her connection to the force. Since Cas' connection was close to her own and far higher than anything their Academy could handle, he was sent with her to Tython. His master wasn't decided until their shuttle had landed. High Council Master Orgus Din, who hadn't sought to mentor a padawan in years had chosen to mentor Cas.

Things were different now since they'd come to Tython. They didn't get to spend much time together anymore. Jedi did not like attachments and maybe that is why they were kept apart. But it was far too late for that. And now, this was one of the last times they would see each other in person for who knew how long. On the day she'd finally earned a promotion to the rank of Jedi Knight, her Master, Yuon, had fallen sick with a mysterious illness and she had to fly to Coruscant to find answers and she, herself, had been ordered to Coruscant to find a way to save Yuon.

She knew Cas' trials were going to be just as dangerous as her own had been and that he was searching for Bengel Morr – a traitor to the jedi order. She had little doubt that he'd find him soon , but that didn't stop her from worrying about him. She patted the armor on his chest that his robe could not conceal. "Will you see me off in an hour, Cas?"

He gave her long, golden braid a slight tug. "Nothing will keep me away. I don't think Master Orgus would even try." He did not miss the somber look in her golden, glowing eyes. "We knew this would happen one day. Lora. You may be named after Apollo and Ra, but no God could keep us together forever," he teased.

He followed her back to the temple and gave her a brief hug as they went off to their own rooms. He took a sani-steam and slipped into a more comfortable tunic and breeches. He doubted he'd leave the Temple again this night, he had some research to do. And while his armor had temperature regulators, it was still armor and thus uncomfortable.

Before the hour was up, he was at Lora's room to escort her to the shuttle. Master Yuon had been sent off-world immediately after she was stabilized. The Council had given Lora a couple of days to get her life situated before leaving Tython. There was often a party of sorts when a new knight left Tython for the first time, but the circumstances for her leaving so soon lent a somber air to the get-together. He'd wanted to whisk her away somewhere private so she wouldn't have to deal with everyone's condolences - and he knew she was thinking the same thing. But she handled it with grace like she handled everything. And maybe getting out on her own was just what she needed. Her beliefs did not align perfectly with the Jedi beliefs. She did not believe the Force was light and dark. She believed places could be tainted with good or evil from either great tragedy or great triumph, similar to a haunting, but the Force itself was not good or evil. The people that used it were. She believed that if the energy were used in a continuously destructive manner that it would start to break down the body because it was warping the energy from its original purpose. Life. He didn't think her ideas were wrong. They'd spent years talking over their beliefs together and despite what they'd been taught since younglings, they just didn't see things the same way as the masters and they didn't believe their different ideologies would lead them to the dark side. But, no doubt all jedi that became twisted believed the same thing. Regardless, he knew they'd never lose their way like that. Neither of them even had it in them to behave in the treacherous manner of a dark jedi or sith.

Attachments weren't wrong. They gave you a reason to fight when you lacked the strength to go on. And the loss of an attachment would be painful, but being consumed by pain was far different than allowing it to fuel you. So long as justice did not fall to vengeance then there would be no twisting of the soul. They also believed there was no 'falling' to the dark side. Not in the way the masters believed someone fell to the dark side, whereby using the dark side of the force would corrupt you into falling to the dark side. No. A soul didn't fall but it could become warped and twisted with hate, jealousy, envy or even pain brought on by real, manipulated or imagined events. The mind was both beautiful and dangerous – but it could also be very delicate.

The masters talk about no attachments…no love, but the strength of bond between some masters and their padawans can become psychic because of their deep caring and love, which can be just as powerful as a familial bond…or even stronger. He had such a connection with Lora. They could feel each other through the bond. That connection was not frowned upon, however, only families and lovers were frowned upon. His love for Lora only made him stronger and he welcomed that strength. He would leave the Jedi order if he had to choose. He could help others whether he wore a robe or not. There was never a shortage of those in need. He released a cleansing breath, entered the barren shuttle with her, set her small satchel on the floor and pulled her into his arms. At only 5'6", she was so much smaller than him that the top of her head came to his chest. But holding her had always given as much comfort as it lent.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment to shut out the sight of the shuttle that would take her away from Cas. "This isn't goodbye, you know. I'll never tell you goodbye. Goodbye is…final. It will never be final between us, Cas."

A small grin tugged at his lips and he kissed the top of her golden head. "No, Lor…there are no goodbyes between us. Not ever." He took a step back and lifted her chin so that he could look down into her softly glowing golden eyes. "My promise is as sound now as it was when we were younglings. Our lives are bound. Together. Always. If you see something and wish to talk about it or just want company, I'm only a holo away."

When his hand slid up to cup the side of her face, she leaned into it. She'd been getting visions since she was a child. He'd always been there with her to hold her and talk her down from her visions if they were too frightening. They would always debate what they might mean. The meaning was not often clear as the visions usually came in pictures that sometimes flew by before she could even make sense of them. Sometimes they came in short vids like holo clips. Often their discussions led to sharing those visions with a master to better understand it.

A seer was very valued to the Jedi, but she didn't like the path those visions had taken her in the order. She was not content to do little more than seek visions. She needed to be out doing something and so she stopped talking about her visions. Eventually, her life became her own again – in as much as any jedi's life can be. But she still had the visions and, until now, she still had Cas to discuss them with. "Right…a holo. Too bad that does not keep me warm at night or chase the chills from my blood," she said softly.

He grunted. That was a painful truth. "It will not always be like this – I promise you that. You are my wife and we will be together again." He felt the touch of her finger tracing the intricate patterns of his life that were tattooed and mostly hidden under his bangs on his forehead before her fingers trailed down to sink beneath his ponytail at the nape of his neck. When she drew his head down, he didn't resist. He couldn't. With little more than a glance to ensure they would not be seen, his lips captured hers – hungry and desperate, knowing it would be some time before she'd be in his arms again. She rubbed against his arousal and he groaned into the kiss. He wanted to make love to her, but he couldn't…not here. He pulled back and sucked in a ragged breath when he felt the pilot approach the shuttle. Once again, he was glad that the length of his tunic hid his body's response.

She grinned up into his twinkling blue eyes that were still dark with desire. "We are not married yet – a fact that needs sorely rectified."

He pulled a small box out of the front pocket in his pants. He drew one of the rings from it and slipped the simple band onto the ring finger of her left hand. "You are my wife in every way that matters, but the next time we meet, we'll make it legal," he murmured.

She chuckled softly, love shining in her eyes. "You were holding out on me," she teased as she pulled the much larger ring from the box and pushed it over the knuckle of his finger. There were intricate symbols on the bands, much like the symbols on his forehead. She knew those symbols meant something to him and one day she would find out what. "You're mine, Cas."

"Always and forever…" his words were halted by the pilot's entry into the shuttle.

Her smile was somber. "Tell T7 that I'll miss him." She'd gotten to like the spunky little droid that tended to stay near Cas when it wasn't running a mission for Master Orgus.

"We need to head out, master jedi," the pilot informed them. He inclined his head to the padawan and the jedi and settled into the pilot's seat. He turned his head to look back at them. "The trandoshan will arrive momentarily. I passed him on the way to the shuttle."

Casyrian's gaze lowered to back to Lora. "May the force be with you."

"And you…" she whispered as she watched him walk down the shuttle's ramp and out of her life…at least in the physical sense. For the first time she was truly on her own and she wished she could foresee her immediate future. Well, not quite on her own, the trandoshan would be with her. She saw Cas stop Qyzen and wondered what their brief talk had been about. But Qyzen did not say as he boarded the shuttle.

She settled into a seat and pulled her datapad out of her bag. She liked Qyzen well enough…respected him too, but a touchy-feely people person he wasn't. She didn't quite feel like she could be herself around him. How could she when he believed her to be the Herald of his Scorekeeper? Those were mighty big shoes to fill. What if she disappointed him in some way? How could anyone live up to someone else's ideal? It was hard enough living up to one's own ideal. And she was a peacekeeper. A diplomat. Violence was only a last resort – never a first. How could she ever be the Herald of his Goddess? How was she to help him regain his jagannath hunting points? She certainly didn't lead the kind of life he required, despite her earlier battles.

With a sigh, she shoved the datapad back into her bag, crossed her legs and settled back into the not so comfortable seat. She didn't feel much like doing research right now. She peered over at Qyzen, who seemed to be looking for any damage his armor might have taken. "Tell me more about the adventures you had with my master." He looked at her briefly but continued looking over his armor as he began to speak in in a rough, rumbly voice. Many races refused to speak basic or could not, though most understood it well enough. She'd learned a number of languages, but she still needed a translator to understand some of them. The translator she'd chosen was a small ear cuff that was actually pierced in so that it did not easily fall off. As a diplomat, she needed to understand every one she talked to and a droid was not always efficient to travel with.

It was interesting to hear stories about her master. Yuon had told her quite a few of her adventures…but even when he talked about those, it was like listening to new stories since the point of view was different. Six people can experience the same event and they all remember things a little bit differently. It was as fascinating as it was frustrating – at least when she had to sort fact from fiction. In this case, it didn't matter and the slight differences were intriguing.

The shuttle hooked up with the Solaris, which took them to Carrick Station. It was the first time she'd ever been to the station. So many different people, most in a hurry, scurried past her in a whirlwind. At times it felt like she was moving in slow motion compared to many of the beings around her.

They located the transportation office. The next ship leaving for Coruscant was three days away. Three days! She sent a message to Grand Master Satele Shan and within a few minutes they had passage booked on the Esseles, which would be leaving in the morning. With Yuon sick, no one needed them to be delayed.

She offered to share the room she was granted as a jedi with Qyzen, but he refused and told her he'd meet up with her at the Esseles' dock in the morning. She did not doubt his words. She settled her bag in her room and left to scope out a good place to eat dinner. That was when she ended up being where she wasn't meant to be. It wasn't her fault. She didn't know there was an SIS sting going down. She'd didn't know an agent was posing as a buyer. She did what she'd always done – followed her instinct when something sounded bad. Thankfully, she didn't completely unravel the sting – the money had already changed hands. She'd knocked out everyone…including the agent. That was when the other agents descended on them.

They revived their fallen agent, cuffed the agent and the gang members and hauled them off. She was brought in for questioning, where she found the agent pulling off her disguise and no longer wearing cuffs. Apparently, she did not wish to blow her alias so she had to get arrested with the rest of the gang. Lora couldn't begin to imagine living that kind of life.

After a round of questions and paperwork, Lorianna, the SIS agent, suggested a nice little place to dine. That was a very good thing about this time, because she was about ready to eat the table…and that would have been awkward to explain, as would the splinters between her teeth.

Before they made their goodbyes for the evening, they both discovered they'd be flying to Coruscant together on the Esseles. With Qyzen and Lorianna to talk to, maybe the trip would not be as boring as they often were. Then again, she'd never flown in anything as customer oriented as the Esseles. The vessels she'd been in were stark and uncompromising. It wasn't until a few days into the trip that they realized just how different this trip was going to end up being.

The twi'lek held out her hand to stop the other passenger. "Jedi? You are a jedi, aren't you? I mean…you do have that look about you. Sort of." She wasn't wearing the traditional brown jedi robes. Instead, she was wearing dark blue clothing with gold trim with lightly armored boots, but a serene look and lightsabers proclaimed her status.

The woman sounded concerned…worried even. Lora grinned at the 'sort of' remark. "Yes, I'm a jedi. Is something wrong?"

"Has the crew spoken to you? Have they told you about anything that has happened? Or…might happen?" the concerned twi'lek asked.

"No…why would the crew come to me? I must confess, I'm a bit confused right now. Do you need help with something?"

The twi'lek shook her head. "Not exactly. There are rumors that we are being followed by an Imperial ship."

"I have felt…something drawing closer. Now, it makes sense. If I'd known sooner…I could have helped them prepare. Now…" she turned to look at the agent.

Lorianna released a sharp breath. She knew exactly who this concerned passenger actually was. What she didn't know was why the imps were wanting to board rather than just destroy them. And why would they concern themselves with the Esseles at all? It was hardly a military prize. "I started those rumors. The officers aboard refused to alert the crew or passengers. I did what I could to get the word out."

The ship rocked with the shock of small explosions. And that was when their comfortable and enjoyable trip became a fight for survival. The three of them headed for the bridge. Every corridor they went through, dead or injured were found. The healer in her wanted to help those that were hurt, but she had to push that to the side. Stopping the imperial ship would save more lives than her healing a scattered few.

On the bridge, Lora had been able to talk First Officer Haken down from a panic attack when the Captain was killed. It was obvious the first officer had cared for the captain and was terrified of actually taking command. She would help in any way she could to shore up his confidence and get them to Coruscant.

"Sir! Incoming message – the imperial ship is hailing us!" the frantic communications officer yelled out.

Haken startled. "What? Oh. Well, put them on." A large, scarred man in an imperial uniform displayed on the holo.

"Republic transport Esseles, this is Grand Moff Rycus Kiran. Your defenses are entirely disabled. Attempt no resistance."

"We're well aware of our situation, Kilran," Lora told him. "What we are unaware of is why. What could you possibly want with the Esseles? Did you not fill some daily quota and any little ship will do?"

"Quite amusing. I was unaware jedi were capable of a sense of humor. Your ship is transporting a known anti-imperial terrorist and seditionist: the so-called Ambassador Vyn Asara. I've come to collect her."

"It would seem Imperial officers also have a sense of humor if you believe that any jedi would hand someone over to an Imperial. I apologize, but I must decline your request," she informed him.

Haken blinked in shock. His gaze darting to the jedi that seemed to be challenging the Imperial and back to the Moff. "Who? We didn't take on any passengers by that name. I've never ever heard of this person!"

Kilran cocked a brow. "Interesting. Lying or incompetent? No matter my agents aboard your ship have confirmed the ambassador is there."

Lorianna's gaze did not leave the Moff's. "I've already seen to your agents, Kilran. Did you believe the Ambassador would go unprotected or that your agents would not be discovered?" She glanced over at Lora. The jedi's slight nod was all she needed. "You will find that despite having disabled our ship, you will never get what you've come for and you will regret attacking us."

They had the audacity of a whipped dog that continued to try to bite the hand strangling it. "Your arrogance is bemusing. You do realize you cannot win? My soldiers are preparing to board your ship through the primary airlock. If you attempt to stop my men from arresting Ambassador Asara, I will have every living thing aboard the Esseles killed."

The holo was disengaged. "Kilran won't let us go," Haken growled. "He'll kill us all anyway – he's famous for it. The only one he wants alive is the ambassador." He looked at golden-brown haired woman. "I don't know who you are – but you must be able to fight if you took down Kilran's agents. If you and the jedi can't stop these soldiers, then we are all dead."

"We'll stop the soldiers," Lora told him.

"Then meet up with Commander Narlock by the primary airlock. He'll know what needs to be done to save this ship."

Lorianna frowned. "It could be that Kilran is cocky enough to tell us just where he is going to board, but I don't think so. I think the airlock is a diversion. But it must still be dealt with. Lora – you and Qyzen go to the airlock. There are two other places they might board. Engineering to cut off life support and the bridge. Since they want Asara alive, my guess is the bridge. I will get to the bridge. Indirectly, of course."

True to Lorianna's words, the airlock was only a diversion. Though, she was glad they came. Narlock's men were inexperienced and enough people had died on this voyage. But something else happened that they weren't expecting. The Imperials had taken control of the bridge, led by a Mandalorian by the name of Ironfist.

Ambassador Asara had come bearing the unfortunate news. However,as luck would have it, they had someone on the inside. Lorianna had been heading to the bridge. She doubted the woman had been captured or caught in the crossfire. Whatever Lorianna was, she was highly trained. Her communicator chimed and she pulled out the small, handheld unit. Lorianna's kneeling form displayed in holo miniature.

"The bridge had been taken before I arrived. I'm in the ducts and nearly there. I will do what I can to protect the bridge crew. You need to get to engineering. There should be a way to unlock the bridge from there. Lor out."

The holo cut off and she slipped it back into her pocket. It didn't take them long to get the bridge unlocked, but each minute felt a year. Time had an ironic way of doing that when survival was on the line. As they stepped onto the bridge, two imps were dropped, with little more than the hiss of air.

Ironfist rose from his seat, clapping his hands in mockery. "A hidden sniper. Clever girl – though not very honorable. I expected more from a jedi. Killing people without giving them a chance? Very dark. Or are you a sith in jedi robes?" he taunted.

Her back stiffened but she did little else to show how his words stung. "Actions that are not my own do not reflect on me. I'm giving you a chance to surrender, despite the horrible crimes you perpetrated. And I do suggest you surrender; it is better for your health."

His large, beefy arms crossed his chest. "Or what? You'll have your sniper shoot me? No. There will be no surrender. Give me a worthy battle!" the Mandalorian demanded. He knew he wasn't getting out alive, not when he'd realized his team had been taken out. He knew he'd be cut down if he attempted to call for backup. No, he was going to die here today. The only thing he had left to care about was an honorable death.

The trandoshan at the jedi's side pulled its sword from its sheath a moment before the jedi's lightsaber flicked on. His nod to them was barely perceptible, but it did start the fight. It would be a glorious battle, indeed. The jedi did not use her powers to kill him like a sith would. He was grateful for that honor. Trandoshan's might be animals, but mandalorians considered them worthy opponents. The jedi extinguished her lightsaber and allowed it to fight him one on one. He preferred guns, but the enemy had only a sword. So, he would fight it at as an equal. Steel on steel. One on one. It would be a glorious death for one of them. Even if he beat the trandoshan, he did not believe he'd beat both the hidden sniper and the jedi. His armor held some resistance to lightsaber attack, but it did have some weak points that could be exploited – one of which was the fact that he had not worn his helmet.

While Qyzen fought with the Ironfist, Lora took the time to help with the wounded. She knew Lorianna was hiding somewhere, her rifle trained on the Mandalorian. She had little doubt the SIS agent would take the shot if Qyzen looked to be in trouble.

Quite a few minutes later Qyzen joined her at the side of a man who'd received a nasty rifle butt blow to the head. She'd healed him enough to remove his concussion and wake him but he'd likely still have a headache.

Qyzen stood proudly. "You gave me the kill. You honor me, Herald. Many jagannath points have been earned."

She grinned and rose to her feet. "I had hoped you would understand the nod I gave you and not think I was backing out of the fight because I was afraid." She thought that rusty sound might have been a laugh.

"Fear would not stop the Herald. The Herald is generous to give me such a kill," he assured her.

Loraianna hurried toward the pair. "Good fight, Qyzen!"

He inclined his head to her, acknowledging the fact that she was his backup. "Help was not needed by the Shadow Hunter. There is no honor…no jagannath points earned by killing from the shadows," he informed her.

Lorianna was not in the slightest bit offended. "Sorry big-guy, my scorekeeper is my boss and this was how he prefers me to kill. If I've been seen then I didn't do my job right."

"There is no honor in your job," he stated flatly.

No…there was not. She did not join the SIS for honor. "Perhaps not, but the Republic needs me all the same. We all fight against the Empire with whatever strengths we have." Hers was acting…and fighting from the shadows.

Haken squared his shoulders and frowned at the narrowminded trandoshan. "I don't care what your jobs are. You were there when we needed you and you took out the imps that would have killed us. We owe you three a lot, but the job is not done. The imps may be dead but we are still sitting ducks."

"He's right," Asara stated. "You will need to board the Imperial ship and release us from the tractor beam. The tractor beam controls are easy to find if you know where you are going."

Haken eyed Asara thoughtfully. Maybe we can use this to our advantage. If the imps have what they want, maybe they won't pursue us…if we can break free. "It would appear you are familiar with the layout of the enemy vessel, Ambassador, perhaps you should go with them."

Asara nodded her approval. "That's a good idea. I can get you where we need to go."

Lorianna didn't think it was a good idea to let the ambassador board the enemy vessel that wanted to capture her. But nor would she be able to explain how she knew where they needed to go without drawing suspicion. Lora and she supposed Qyzen might know she was an SIS agent, but she didn't want anyone else finding out.

"Not if you look like an ambassador, ma'am," Commander Narlock warned. "We'll supply you all with uniforms to disguise you."

Lora raised her hand. "Do supply the others, but there is little point disguising Qyzen and me. I doubt there are any other trandoshans aboard and I can feel at least one sith from here, which means he can feel me as well. If the sith is loyal to Kilran they will know when we're aboard."

While Lorianna and the ambassador were dressing, First Officer Haken pulled her aside to ask her to leave the ambassador behind on the Moff's ship so they could get away without the Moff giving chase. There were times when sacrificing the one for the many was called for and she would do it regardless of the guilt that would burden her soul. But she didn't think it would call for that. Especially, if they could find some way of disabling the Moff's ship long enough for them to slip away.

They met up with the others at the shuttle. Their mission was to sabotage the power station. She had expected to have imp guards greet them in the hangar with all hands on deck, but it was as if the imps were caught with their pants down. Perhaps, the sith did not work with Kilran…or perhaps they just weren't paying attention.

By the time they hacked into power station terminal, Kilran knew they were there. He appeared at their backs on holo. The look of actual surprise in his eyes was worth being caught. Mostly.

"Well. I've seen some incredible things in my time, but you've topped the list," he admitted with budding respect. "I'm sorry I couldn't greet you in person -if only you had let me know you were stopping by."

"I know. How rude of me. Normally, I would have commed you and we could have arranged for a spot of tea. But I assumed you wished to see us since you did not wish us to depart too hastily. My pardon if I misread the signals. Perhaps, we can arrange to do lunch real soon," she crooned. Qyzen growled softly, but Lorianna giggled under her breath.

"No,no.." Kiran waved a hand negligibly. "I am quite prepared for your visit. And I do insist on lunch. Please stay. My men will be along shortly to escort you to the accommodations I've arranged."

Lorianna couldn't stop herself from joining in on the war of manners. "We appreciate your generous hospitality, your Grand Moffiness. We do hope your escort arrives quickly. We are most eager to meet you."

He was surprised that anyone in the Republic held even a modicum of manners. He'd expected blatant name calling and chest pounding. Interesting that. He studied the golden-haired woman intently. She seemed oddly familiar to him, though he could not place her face or voice. Odd that. It would come to him in due time. "Right. Just so. I have another delightful guest to introduce you to. Do not tarry."

Lora shook her head and laughed when the holo blinked off. "Well…Right. Just so. That, alone, was worth coming to see."

"I wonder if you can kill someone with kindness?" Lorianna teased.

"Perhaps we will find out. Let's go."

Despite the Moff knowing they were aboard she didn't see any more troops than she had previously. A token resistance at best. Not that she was complaining. But the Moff was arrogant in dismissing them out of hand. Perhaps this guest he was referring to was the sith presence she felt.

They fought their way to the tractor beam controls and disabled them.

"I must say, this is getting out of hand. You are leaving me with precious few options," Kilran warned cordially.

Yeah...yeah. Unfortunately, getting back the way they came was not an option. Lorianna was able to pull up schematics Lora hadn't even known she'd had. Though, she really shouldn't be surprised. No doubt Lorianna had impersonated an imperial aboard a similar ship before. Regardless, she was more than glad she'd met up with the SIS agent, even if it meant traipsing through the bowels of an Imperial warship.

"We are getting closer to the sith presence," she warned as they approached the hangar bay.

By the time they brought the barrier field down the sith was already strangling the ambassador. Lora strode purposely towards the sith who dropped Asara with a grin.

Vokk smiled. This was the presence he'd felt. He had hoped it would be a jedi and not some untutored force user. The force was stronger in her than he'd thought, but no matter. The dark side was stronger and she would fall. "Greetings…At last – a real, live jedi. How I've looked forward to this. A true sith cannot go long without a true challenge."

She glanced down at Asara as the twi'lek scuttled backwards away from the battle to come. Her gaze rose to meet the sith's. "It is unfortunate for you that I will be the first and last jedi you will ever meet."

Vokk's upper lip lifted in a snarl. "I think not. When I carve the heart from your chest, your fellow jedi will sense your defeat. As will my master. To destroy a dangerous foe...that is the way of a true sith."

She inhaled sharply at the brief glimpse of future. "All paths do not need to lead to the same destination. You are at a crossroad. Join me and survive or continue down this path and die. There is no other way for this to end – I have seen your death," she warned him, not unsympathetically.

His hand raked through the air in disgust. "Then your visions are as weak as your platitudes! The dark side fills me with a strength you cannot imagine. It is not my death you saw but your own, along with every life aboard that ship," he seethed.

Lorianna rolled her eyes and released a harsh breath. "If you have no intension of lightening your soul or getting out of our way, will you kindly stop talking and raise your damned lightsaber so that we may get on with this? We do not wish to continue to impose upon the Moff's hospitality like clingy relatives..." She tilted her head. "Unless, you are a frightened little boy…"

The fight was on…and it was the most difficult fight she'd had yet. They were outnumbered and he was stronger than any force user she'd fought thus far – thought that wasn't saying much. She'd had limited experience fighting sith. But in the end, her vision played out…like they so often did. And, as luck would have it, they'd managed to escape before the Moff could power up his weapons.

Thankfully, the rest of the trip was relaxing and she'd gotten to know Lorianna much better. They had fought and survived together…a bond was formed from their shared experience. A bond that strengthened into friendship by journey's end. She gave her one bit of advice before they parted ways. "When you are running and your path comes to an end…do not be afraid to leap."

Lorianna's brows crinkled in confusion. "Did you mean that literally or figuratively?"

She hugged her friend. "Literally," she remarked in a dead pan voice. "Break the window and jump." She patted her new friend's shoulder. "I did not see more – but you will understand when the time comes."

Lorianna grinned and shook her head. "If anyone else told me to jump out a window, I'd call them crazy. But if I find myself in that situation, I won't hesitate."

"Good," Lora replied with a brief nod. "You know my holo frequency. Keep in touch."

She laughed at those words. "You might just be sorry you said that," she teased the jedi as she passed her and headed towards the SIS office.

Coruscant. The homeworld of her ancestors. No matter, she was not here to reconnect - if there were even any Draay still living here. She looked up at Qyzen. "I was told Yuon was in the medical wing in the Senate Tower. The medical staff weren't willing to release any further details to me. I intend to change their minds."

"They will talk," he rumbled.

Once they reached the medical wing, she did not find her master prone and weak upon a bed. No…it was almost worse than that. Her mind was not in the present. It was…elsewhere. She was distraught about a lost boy named Parkanas that she'd dreadfully failed. Lora tried everything she could think of to console her master and help her calm down, but nothing seemed to be working. Yuon had not even remembered that she was now a jedi knight, she referred to her as padawan. That didn't matter -but it was another reason to worry. She was slipping from reality.

Qyzen growled softly. "Have never seen Yuon so, Herald. Not in all years of knowing."

Yuon blinked and shook her head. "I'm not mad. The man in the shadows is making me this way. He brings the darkness – it's coming!"

She watched as an attendant led Yuon back to her room and then turned her attention to the myrialin. He was nothing like her Cas – the exact opposite to be honest, but it still tugged at her heartstrings.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm Attros Finn, the researcher here. We must get to work finding a cure. Unfortunately, the greatest collection of learning in the galaxy – the Jedi Temple on Coruscant – has lain in ruins since the war. I believe the answer to curing Yuon is in the archives of the temple ruins. The temple's artificers created a system to sort through the vast stores of knowledge -a set of three holocrons that served as guides. The wisdom and personalities of the order's greatest Masters were imprinted on these guides, which they called Noetikons."

He sighed. "Rep-Sec saw a group of scavengers with such a holocron, but they were only able to capture one of the gand. Reach out to officer Alec Efran, he is in charge of the captured gand at the Old Galactic Market security outpost."

It took them most of what remained of the day to track down the first Noetikon. The three masters within did not believe Yuon's condition to be medical, but their knowledge was incomplete without the other Noetikons. Of course, because nothing could ever be simple – even when you needed it most.

She took a room for the evening. Qyzen once again refused the extra bed. Perhaps he did not like mattresses – or he sought the company of other trandoshans. She could understand that. There was a certain myrialin that she wanted to seek out.

She slipped into a soft, silky nightshirt, settled on the sofa, sat the holo in front of her on the table and tuned into his frequency. She knew it would be earlier than he was used to rising, but she doubted he would mind.

She could tell he'd just sat up from bed. His hair was even more tussled than usual and his eyes were heavy lidded with sleep. It was a very sexy look on him. "Just waking up is a very good look on you – wish I could see it in person."

He rubbed his eyes and grinned at her. "Someday we both will. How is Master Yuon?"

"Her mind is…not in the present. I'm not sure where it is. She mentions some boy she failed by the name of Parkanas. She says the darkness is coming. I don't know what she means by that…but I don't think she's wrong. Though, the darkness that tickles at the edge of my mind…I don't know if it's the darkness she speaks of. Her words make little sense. But we are searching for a cure. The jedi once stored vast amounts of information in three holocrons called Noetikons. I've found the first of them this evening."

"That's wonderful news!" He raked a hand through his tousled hair. "Wait – are you still having the visions about the darkness? I thought you stopped having them."

She could hear the pain in his words and knew she'd hurt him. "I never stopped having them, I just stopped talking about them. The visions never showed anything new. Besides, they've reduced dramatically since I left Tython. What I'm feeling now is different. It is not the same darkness. But I'm sure darkness is behind what happened to Yuon. I've seen…I've seen her running…running for her life. She is not alone, but their faces are hidden in shadows. Tentacles of darkness are reaching out towards them. Pain. Rage. Seething. I- I don't understand what this has to do with Yuon, but she's in no condition to talk to me."

"Do you want me to see if Master Orgus knows anything about what might have happened to Yuon?" he asked quietly.

"No," she said with a gentle shake of her head. "If he doesn't know then they are keeping things quiet for some reason. For now, I will too. Present company excluded, of course. How is your search for Bengel Morr?"

A harsh bark slipped from his throat. "I'm not sure how close I am to catching him, but I am learning a lot more about him. He was one of the few that survived the sacking of Coruscant and the ordeal twisted his mind. He was teaching flesh raiders that were force sensitive – it is like handing a lightsaber to a child!" He rubbed his face briskly. "I…altered some of his plans and he reached out to me via holo. That was kind of him. With T7's help, we might be able to locate him using the transmission data. We'll see in the morning. Bengel was…uh…the last padawan Master Orgus had taken until…"

"Until you? You're no Bengel, Cas – you never could be," she assured him.

He looked at her holo image wishing he could see the golden glint of her hair, the golden shine of her eyes. "Everyone has the propensity for evil, Lora. But I don't see me turning to evil. I might feel justified to leave the Order someday, but destroying it and killing jedi are not at the top of my list of things to do in my lifetime."

"Of course not. You are a pillar of strength, Cas you always will be." She pulled her long shirt over the top of her head and tossed it on the sofa beside her. She grinned when he sucked in his breath.

"You do not play fair, love." If he wasn't already seated on the bed, she'd have brought him to his knees.

"Me? I've been staring at your beautiful pecs ever since I called you," she pointed out.

"In my defense, you did wake me up," he countered, his gaze locked onto her breasts.

She wanted to tease him about where her eyes were actually located, but she enjoyed him looking at all of her. His hand reached out as if to touch her and her body tingled in anticipation. "I regret nothing. I'm just leveling the playing field."

Half an hour later, she flipped the holo off and crawled into bed. She was sated by their vid-play but it was not as satisfying as Cas' touch.

Come morning Attros Finn called them in to tell them about the second Noetikon. She sent a message to Qyzen to meet her at Finn's research room on the upper level of the Senate Tower. She grabbed a nutribar and a cup of caf on the way out the door.

Finn's assistant, a twi'lek by the name of Pharen, provided the most help regarding the location of the second Noetikon. Her sister worked at the Silent Sun cantina in the Black Sun district. She'd seen a holocron in one of the shipments stored in a backroom of the cantina. So that was their destination.

They took a public taxi to the location closest to the district they were told about, which wasn't near close enough for her. She would have preferred to stick to the shadows and sneak into the warehouse, but preferences and reality did not often go hand in hand. They ended up having to do more fighting than sneaking, not that Qyzen minded in the slightest.

She was surprised to the discover that some of the warehouse looked more like a medical facility than an actual warehouse. Complete with injured men in beds.

Curt groaned and nearly dropped to his knees. "Please, doc, you gotta help me -I don't want to die!"

The doctor raised his hands. "I'm trying to help you. You need to calm down so…." He turned to face the two that approached, figuring it was two more people in need. "Wait – what's a jedi doing here?"

She looked from the injured man to the doctor. "I've heard a jedi relic may be stored here. It would likely be square in shape."

Doctor Maer rubbed his forehead. "I can guess where it might be. Those Black Sun thugs. They call me in clean up a botched operation and I discover they are smuggling old jedi contraband inside people's bodies!"

Curt gripped his side and groaned. "A justicar…Lars something…Baddeg! Lars Baddeg is paying big to get this stuff offworld. We didn't know what it would do to us…"

"Those smugglers are dying, jedi. I've got my hands full here. If you need to find your relic then I suggest you grab a scanner out of the other room as well as medical supplies. Remove whatever you find from the people that the scanner tags. I don't care what you do with it – I just want to save their lives."

She wasn't sure how an untrained jedi doing surgery could save lives, but at least she could heal them. She picked up a medical bag and the scanner as instructed, but in the end she did not need the scanner to find the smugglers that were carrying – she could feel their pain. Two men were found.

She was terrified to cut into them. She wasn't a doctor, though she'd had a little bit of medical training to help with the healing techniques she used. Luckily, she could feel the artifacts directly under the skin. They were more than lucky the relics hadn't traveled deeper into their bodies. With antiseptic spray and a local pain killer, she used a small scalpel to make the incisions, a small laser to cauterize and stop the bleeding before she removed the object, applied bacta and used medi-glue to seal their wounds. She was curious what the disk held, but the holocron was far more important.

The three masters within believed the illness Yuon suffered from might be some sort of mind control, but only uniting all three Noetikons would they have the best chance at diagnosis.

Just as they were leaving the warehouse, her holo chimed. It was the researcher Attros Finn. Master Yuon was having an episode. She wasn't sure what she could do to help, but she promised him they would be there as soon as possible.

Attros had been right. The woman who spoke so coldly of breaking bones for fun was not her master. In the end, they'd had to disarm her and hold her down so that Attros could give her a sedative. She knew they were running out of time and their only lead was Lars Baddeg. Their only real option was going straight to the source.

It took them much of the afternoon and quite a few credits to find out where Lars Baddag was. She was expecting a fight and was surprised when Lars told her the Noetikon was hers without a fuss. She should have known something was up, but she felt the power from the artifact and did not investigate her senses further. Some lessons are learned the hard way. This was one of those lessons. As soon as she activated the holocron there was a flash of darkness and then a brilliant light, nearly painful to look at. There was nothing but the light until a woman walked towards them.

"Oh, thank goodness a visitor! It gets so lonely in here sometimes." She smiled warmly at her two guests. "I'd offer you a drink – but I ran out millennia ago, by my record. But we could play a game instead."

A game. She did not have time for frivolous games. Yuon's life was at stake. What she needed to figure out was where she was. If she knew that she might be able to figure out a way back home. So be it…she'd ask the obvious. "What is this place?"

She pursed her lips. "Now, that is a good question, but a difficult one. You zigged where you should have zagged – activated something you knew nothing about and ended up here."

"Okay, then how do I get out of here?" she asked the woman in a more pointed tone.

The woman tilted her head and studied her two guests, one of which was very powerful. "Well, I suppose I could let you go – but not without getting something in return. Play a game of questions with me. Answer three questions correctly and you're free. Answer one question wrong and your strength becomes a permanent part of this place."

Lora's eyes narrowed on the woman. "How many people have ever left this place?"

The corners of her lips twitched. "None."

So the woman intended to trap her here like she'd done to countless others. Lora had no intention of making it easy for her. "Of course. So it is agreed that all questions must be answered correctly for a person to leave. If any are answered incorrectly that person is absorbed into this relic. Right?"

"Yes…yes," the woman said with a gesture to hurry her up.

"Then ask your questions."

The woman beamed a smile. "Excellent! Such an accommodating guest!" she rubbed her hands together. "Okay. First question: How do you catch an answer?"

So it was riddles. "You lure it out with a question."

The woman pouted. "Too obvious, I suppose. It's no fun when you get the answer right." No, the jedi had to answer wrong. It had been too long since she'd fed on another's energy. "Next question: What does the wise person know?"

Again. Simple. "The wise person does not know, but seeks knowledge – always."

"Another right answer! You are so dull!" she complained with a flourish of her hand. Too much was riding on the last question. "Last question: Soon this place will be overrun with enemies. What will you do?"

That was not a riddle. She would fight – but she needed to know more to fight effectively and answer the question correctly. Was there even a right or wrong answer to that particular question? "What are these enemies? Have I fought them before? What are their weaknesses? Where will they attack from?"

The questions that were flung back at her stopped the Master of Questions in her tracks. All the questions were easy to answer except one. Had the jedi fought these enemies before. She had no way of knowing. Saying anything gave her a fifty percent chance at being wrong. She was naively bound by the rules the jedi put forth. Any wrong answer would lead to that person being absorbed into the relic. She would rather live as she was – trapped - than not live at all. "Gone! Be gone!" With a wave of her hand the guests disappeared.

Lora smiled when she realized they were back just in time to overhear the sith and his masters discussing their agenda. In the end, Lars had been ordered to kill them. But they were not so amenable as to oblige.

It was only after Lars lay dead on the floor and she'd used her senses to locate the real holocron that they discovered this 'plague' had happened once before. Created by Terrak Morrhage. There was only one way to cure the illness. A healing shield that would sever the connection. But using it came at a high price to the healer.

It would seem that bad new often fell at the heel of good news. Attros commed them and informed them that Yuon's body was starting to fail. She closed her eyes, ignoring her growling belly that was complaining about missing lunch. They needed to get to the temple. She pulled up a holomap. The only working transport to the temple was through The Works. The Works could be reached via a lift not too far from here. "Let us finish this, Qyzen." She slipped the two holocrons into her pack. Maybe the Masters would know what to do about the woman in the holocron. It would only bring trouble to leave it behind.

She was pleased they made fast time through The Works. It was said to be dangerous, but they had managed not to get noticed by anyone. Qyzen did not complain about the lack of hunting. Right now, Yuon meant more than his jagannath points and that pleased her.

There were, however, imperials picking through the ruins near the lift to the Jedi Temple, so Qyzen was able to gain some points after all. What was more horrifying was to discover that Imps were entrenched throughout the Jedi Temple, obviously looking for Jedi knowledge and artifacts. She was more than happy to show them the error of their ways, though few survived to benefit from that knowledge.

She took a deep breath as she looked upon the ancient table of knowledge. She settled the Noetikons on their stands and activated the table. This had to work. It had to. And it did. Nine Jedi Masters that had been made part of the Noetikons appeared before her. They explained again about the plague and what it would take to cure it. She agreed and they taught her all that she would need to know to break the connection between Yuon and the plaguemaster.

But yet again, the bad came on the heels of the good. Before they could even leave the Archive room, the sith she'd seen on the holo talking to Lars showed up.

"So eager to find a cure for your Master, you led us right to the prize. My master and I are most grateful," the sith told them with an ironic twist of his lips.

"Yuon will be cured, sith. I will not let you stand in my way."

He growled and shot a stream of lightning energy into the archival table. The scent of burning and wisps of smoke did not bode well for the Noetikons.

The smile widened on his face. "No more terminal. No more ritual. No miracle healing this time," he taunted her. "Even were you to survive me, how many could you shield before it took your life? You would sacrifice your life and die unremembered just like the last jedi that learned the technique."

There was some truth in his words. "Then tell your master there is nowhere he can hide from me."

The sith chuckled. "And do what? Kill him? That is not the jedi way, now is it? The jedi way is weak and cowardly."

"The sith will always be doomed by their pride and arrogance. That is the sith way!"

Apparently, he disagreed as he shot lightning bolts at both of them and the battle was on. Three against two was not a difficult battle, but right now anything keeping her away from Yuon was a distraction she didn't need.

Just as they were exiting the temple another holocall came in. This time it was Master Syo Bakarn.

"Finally – there you are. I've been kept apprised of your situation-" He saw her waver. "Are you unwell?" he asked with concern.

Another wave of dark, cloying dizziness swept over her and she struggled to maintain her awareness. She released a slow, cleansing breath. "It felt like darkness touched me. I'll be fine," she assured him.

"Maybe you should have Attros Finn check you out as well. We do not need what happened to Yuon happening to you as well. As it is, the Council is very concerned about Yuon's health. We've been trying to contact you for hours. Did you find anything at the Jedi Temple?"

She tried to rub the ache from her forehead. "We did. I can temporarily shield her. The only real cure is to stop the plaguemaster."

Syo nodded. "Then do what you can. But hurry. Yuon is fading fast."

The holo cut off and she snapped the handheld unit back onto her magbelt. They jumped the closet taxi and took it the Senate Tower. When she reached Yuon's side she raised her hands above her master's body and created the healing barrier that she'd been taught. As the last of the energy slipped from her body her knees nearly gave out. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into her bed and sleep for a week, but she locked her legs and forced herself to stand straight.

Yuon blinked and slowly sat up. "What – what happened? I…I feel better – but you look ill. Padawan…what happened?"

"I shielded you from the person who was making you ill, but it took some of my strength. Don't worry…I'm fine," she assured her master.

It touched her that her old padawan would do so much to help her. "Thank you, and…I'm sorry. The last thing I remember clearly is your ceremony." She shook her head slowly. "I could feel someone else in my mind. Polluting my thoughts…twisting them. I wish I could give you something more, but my memory of that time is…hazy at best."

Attros Finn turned off his holo. "Pardon me. The Council wishes to speak to you."

She gently patted Yuon's arm. "Rest now, master. I will return when I can."

Now that she was no longer distracted, she felt the dark, cloying cold that threatened to blind her. She raised her hands to her temples and rubbed them as she firmly blinked her eyes.

"Herald sees jedi things?" Qyzen asked.

"I do, Qyzen. Something is very wrong, but I cannot see what it is yet. Just…layers of darkness. The darkness is blinding some of my visions." She blew out a steadying breath and squared her shoulders. "Let's find out what the Council wants."

What the Council wanted was to inform her that they believed even more Masters have fallen to the plague. They were giving her a ship and wanted her to find these Masters and shield them from the plaguemaster. She would not tell them the price she paid to shield someone. That was her burden to bear. She set the three holocrons down on the table. "I could not leave these behind in the temple. Not when so many imperials were found down there. And this…" she pulled out the fourth item. "I'm not sure what this is or if it's jedi or sith. It activates similar to a holocron, but instead of displaying a holo of its creator, it pulls you inside it. A woman is trapped in there. She plays question games, but it's her goal to make sure you never leave. Apparently, she or the relic feeds from the energy of those that are trapped within. I had to trick her to get out, so be mindful of that," she warned.

Satele studied the triangular relic. "Fascinating. I will ensure our researchers take the utmost care around it. Thank you for bringing it to us. We will ensure it harms no one else." She studied the young woman in front of her and frowned. "Come," she said and escorted her away from the others. "I can tell that something is bothering you." She remained silent a moment and then nodded. "I have seen that look in the eyes of others. You are having visions that disturb you. What have you seen?"

Lora's mouth fell open and then slammed shut. "You were not supposed to ask me that. I will not lie, so I've been put in a difficult situation. My visions became my sole purpose to the jedi in the past, so I stopped talking about them and they were eventually forgotten. There is far more I can give to the Order than just my visions."

Satele frowned. Somewhere along the way the jedi had failed this young woman. "That much is obvious. I have no intension of locking you away in the Temple. If you have learned otherwise, then we have failed you. I will not fail you, Lora, like the masters of your past. Neither would Yuon. We are here for you – do not doubt that." She placed a hand on the knight's arm. "Trust me with what you see."

Lora shook her head. "It's not that simple. Right now, I know something is wrong and it has nothing to do with the plaguemaster. Some of my visions are nothing but a roiling darkness and laughter, as if it's purposely blinding what I see. But the darkness is no less terrifying. I see so many things...most are insignificant." She looked at Satele… "You have a son. I've seen you looking at his holo and you are so proud of him. I have seen his wife….or future wife. I'm sure she would have told me if she was married. She'll be dropping in on me later and joining me on the ship."

Satele stared at the young jedi. Few knew about her son. There was no way Lora could have known about him. She'd been ready to discard the darkness vision as a reaction to Yuon's illness. Now…now she believed. Her son would be getting married. Married. She wanted details. She wanted to meet the woman, but she tamped down on those feelings. She had chosen the jedi over her son – there was no going back. She squeezed her forearm and released it. "Keep me informed if you see anything more about the darkness or anything else we can use to save lives." She lowered her voice. "For obvious reasons I should not hear about my son, but…thank you." She turned and walked away before the seer could say anything else.

She returned to her room to drop off her pack. Her next stop was a taxi. It was way past time for her to eat. She tilted her head briefly as she felt the need to turn right. She was heading into an area she'd not been to before, but she felt that she was supposed to be here. A few moments later, a body hurtled from one of the upper floors of a building and she grinned as she angled the taxi up to retrieve her soon to be guest. The taxi shuddered from the impact and she grabbed the woman with her power and yanked her into the taxi's passenger seat. "I knew you'd be dropping in on me today," she teased.

Lorianna blinked, her heart racing a like a herd of rampaging nerfs and gripped onto the door handle with a vice grip. "I can't believe you were there. I jumped – like you told me to…and there you were. How did you know? There's no way you could have known unless you…." Her words trailed off.

"Unless I saw it happen?" She laughed softly. "If I hadn't been here, the car below me would have caught your fall."

She eyed her friend shrewdly. "Right…silly of me to think otherwise." She pulled off her blonde wig and fluffed her golden-brown hair. "So, how many more nights will I be able to whisk you away for dinner?"

"Last night, I'm afraid. I'm be leaving Coruscant in the morning. The masters have given me both an assignment and a ship. I hope they've also assigned me a pilot or that the ship has one heck of an auto-pilot.

Hmmm…that sounded like something she could help with. If her superiors would not assign her to the jedi's new ship then she would be taking a well-earned leave. "Can you take me to SIS headquarters and give me a few minutes before we head out to eat?"

"Sure," she said with a strained laugh. "But I haven't eaten since breakfast – take much more than a few minutes and I might just start chewing on this hunk of metal," she said as she tapped the taxi's dash.

"I'll be quick – I wouldn't want you to spoil dinner with that kind of snack…all those extra, unwanted pounds."

True to her word, Lorianna appeared a few minutes later in a tank top, thigh length duster and jeans. She'd never seen her look quite so…dressed down. "You look…interesting,"

Lorianna laughed as she jumped into the taxi. "My name is Anna Paulo, and I'm your new pilot. I'm a tech whiz, an ace pilot and I know how to shoot a gun. Plus…I just might be able to get you into places you have no business getting into. Always nice to have an ace up your sleeve, no?"

She lifted off the ground and swung up into traffic. "You don't have to sell yourself, Anna. I'm just surprised they are letting you come with me." Which was true, despite the fact that she already knew the woman would be joining her.

She crossed one leg over the other and leaned back into her seat. "I didn't really give them a choice. I told them if they didn't assign me to you that I was taking a very looong leave – one that I have more than earned." She shrugged. "They'd rather have some control over me than none. Anna Paulo is one of the alias' I've not used before. I figure this might be a longer assignment, so I'm glad I'm not stuck wearing a wig and facial prosthetics. Just these films," she said pointing to her now brown eyes. "And this," She pointed to a thin, self-colored patch on her throat."

Lora glanced briefly at her neck and then returned her attention to the traffic as she lowered them down onto the landing pad. "I don't see anything, but I would imagine that whatever that is makes your voice a bit higher?"

She grinned. "That it does! My own mother wouldn't recognize my voice. A touch of makeup to make my eyes look further apart and my lips thinner…and that's all I have to do for this assignment."

"You look beautiful no matter what you do to yourself," she assured her friend.

"Sorry, Lor…I'm not into women…" she teased.

Lora just blinked. "Oh my stars! I'm not either. I'm…" she was going to say all but married.

Lorianna winked at her. "Celibate. I know…jedi are celibate. Not the life I would want to lead," she said with a shrug and then noticed her friend's red cheeks. She pursed her lips to keep from laughing. "Oh my…Or not. It would seem I'm wrong about jedi – or at least this particular jedi."

"Shhh!" she said placing her hand over Lorianna's mouth. "It's not like that!" Lie. "Well, it is like that." Truth. "We've known each other since we were younglings. We fell in love and will eventually marry. So long as we are not asked, we will remain jedi, but we are willing to leave the Order if necessary. We do not have to wear robes to help those in need. But for now, we feel we can do the most good where we are at - even if it means we can't see each other very often."

"A jedi's life is sacrifice…I get it. But...that's no fun. ALL work and NO play just doesn't seem healthy to me. But I'll shut up about it for now – just promise me you will tell me all about him when we are alone. After I scan the ship for bugs, that is."

After dinner, they went their separate ways. Lorianna had promised to meet her at her ship's hangar in the morning. Lora crawled into bed and called Cas. "You're already up, I see," she said with a grin.

He smiled back. "Would that I could join you." He raked a hand through his hair. "I'm up early because I'm on a shuttle leaving Tython. I caught Bengal Morr, saved my master and earned my knighthood. Even better – I'm coming to Coruscant. If you're still there by then…"

"The joke is on us, my love. I was able to learn a shielding technique to save Yuon and now they suspect two more masters have fallen to the mind-plague. They gave me a ship and I leave for Taris tomorrow. But at least I will not be going alone. Qyzen wished to stay with me and I met a wonderful woman who agreed to pilot the ship and shoot anyone who needs it," she said with a small smile and a shake of her head.

"I hope Master Orgus is spared. The man is like a father to me."

"I know…but you have to know that I'd come for him if he was affected. I wouldn't let anything happen to him," she assured him. She heard the wheedles and beeps from the astromech. "T7!" she said with a bright smile. "I sure do miss you, little guy! I'm glad Cas has you to help keep him safe. There's no one else I'd trust to have my man's back." She grinned at his warbles. "I know you make a great team." She listened to his beeps and whirs. "I hope I'll be able to see you again soon too."

She looked up at her lover. "Cas…Satele knows about my visions. She called me out and I – I couldn't lie. She promised she wouldn't treat me like they did when I was a child. I – I want to believe that. She never said whether she would tell the other Council members. For now, I will trust her wisdom."

He nodded. "For now, we have no choice but to trust her. Lor -as soon as we can arrange it, I want us to meet up on Nar Shaddaa. We'll wear civvies and get married like two normal people."

Her lips curled into a soft smile. "Sounds like a plan. I'll be heading to Nar Shaddaa after I leave Taris. That is where the second afflicted Master is. If you could arrange to join me…somehow…" her smile spread at the boyish grin that lit up his face.

"I'll do whatever it takes to get there. Don't…get married without me. You're my bride and I'm not letting you go."

Her eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint. "What happens in Nar Shaddaa – stays in Nar Shaddaa."

His gaze narrowed on her. "So long as what happens in Nar Shaddaa is between you and I, I'm okay with it. I love you, Lor - I will see you soon."

She blew a kiss at him. "Love you too, and I'm holding you to that."

Come morning she met up with Lorianna for breakfast – No…Anna. She had to remember who and what Anna was now so she did not say accidentally say something at the wrong time. Qyzen joined them at the ship's hangar and she explained about how Anna was now their pilot and would be joining them to help them defeat the plaguemaster.

Qyzen nodded. "Better she fly ship than me."

"And me," Lora agreed. She'd been trained to fly shuttles but not starships. "But I am hoping to she'll teach me a thing or two."

"She will," Lorianna said with a soft chuckle. Her gaze roved over the ship that had been assigned to the jedi. "Serenity. Hmmm… looks like a Corellian Defender. Let's see what this old girl can do."