AN: I can't remember whether I mentioned it before, but in case I haven't I'll say it again: for the most part I'm sticking to Disney canon (with some changes here and there in order to accommodate this fic), but at the same time I'll be cherry-picking stuff I like from Legends and reworking it. For example, Siri will be one of the main characters in this series, and while she's mostly the same, some bits of her story have changed, as you'll see here.

And I will fight the darkness with

all the light I have within

– "Unbroken", Really Slow Motion

"If you breathe a word of this to the Council-"

"And tell them what? That the esteemed Adi Gallia pigged out on a Nerf steak like she was Jabba the Hutt? They'd never believe me." Siri stifled her laughter when Adi glared at her. It was an intimidating look – even Mace Windu was afraid of it – but Siri was immune to its effects.

The master and apprentice were approaching the Jedi Temple, having spent their lunch hour at Dex's Diner. Days were slow in between missions, and though Siri would never admit it aloud, it was nice to spend time with her master when people weren't shooting at them.

"They might," said Adi. "You didn't hear this from me, but someone saw Master Yoda returning to his quarters close to midnight with a sparklemint milkshake, slurping it so loudly it was a shock that he didn't wake up the entire Temple."

She tried to hold it back, but the mental image of the Grand Master drinking from a straw sent Siri into hysterics. Then she nearly fell over when she imagined someone like Mace Windu being the one to discover the sight and then going to gossip about it to the rest of the Council.

And people say the Jedi never have any fun.

When she'd finally calmed down, she said, "I think you're both safe from any kind of scandal, Master. Gorging yourself on food doesn't make you the next Yula Braylon."

"I suppose that's a fair point." Adi gave a little shrug. "Still, it's undignified, and Mace would never let me hear the end of it."

Siri was about to respond to this when she felt the Force shift around her. She paused her steps and surveyed the area, looking for the source of the disturbance while she simultaneously focused on what the Force was trying to tell her. She could feel a strong presence, familiar yet not. "Master-"

"I sense it, too," said Adi. She was scanning their surroundings, as well.

Feeling a nudge in the Force, Siri diverted her attention directly ahead, and she saw what had caused the disturbance.

A police droid was approaching the Temple's front staircase with a Youngling by its side. All Siri could make out was that the Youngling was female, and that she was a Rutian Twi'lek. But then Siri hadn't noticed her because of how she looked – it was the fact that the Force surrounded her in a way she hadn't seen before.

"The Youngling," Siri said to Adi. "I sensed her." She exchanged a look with her master, neither of them needing to speak since they were both drawing similar conclusions. It was unlikely that this Youngling was from the Temple, which led to questions of who she was and where she came from. And while it wasn't unusual for Coruscant's law enforcement to deliver orphaned children to the Jedi, they usually called ahead first.

But these questions weren't going to be answered by standing around, so Siri and Adi jogged towards the pair.

When they finally caught up, Cin Drallig had appeared and was talking to the officer. Siri paid no heed to the droid and instead focussed all of her attention on the Youngling, who looked to be three years old at most. Now that they were closer, she realised that the Youngling's Force presence felt strikingly familiar. Not only that, but she looked familiar, too, only Siri couldn't pinpoint why. She also noticed that the Youngling wasn't fully Twi'lek; three little horns were beginning to form at the top of her forehead. Zabrak horns, from the look of them, and she had Zabrak ears to match instead of the coned ones of female Twi'leks.

"What's the situation here, Cin?" Adi asked.

"The police droid found this Youngling running around on her own," said Master Drallig. "She told him to bring her to the Temple because she needed to deliver a message to the Council."

The Youngling lifted her chin up. "Mama sent me. I will see them. I will!"

Once again, Siri was struck with a familiarity that clutched her heart. The Youngling reminded her of someone…

Adi smiled and knelt down to the girl's level. "I am a member of the Jedi Council. What is your name, little one?"

The child hesitated at first, before replying. "Kassandra." She then frowned, as if she was trying to remember something, and when she started speaking again her words were slow. "Mama told me I must give a message to the Jedi Council. From Eldra Kaitis."

"Eldra!" The name of her friend escaped from Siri in shock, and she quickly tried to contain the emotions threatening to overwhelm her.

Eldra had been missing for five years, presumed dead. And Siri hadn't even known about it for the first year, since she and Obi-Wan had been on an extended mission to Mandalore. Upon her return, Siri had wanted to find her friend and tell her all about what had happened on Mandalore; what had happened between her and Obi-Wan. Instead she'd returned to find Leora Ori dead and Eldra gone.

She'd lost both her best friends in one blow. It was unimaginable, how hard it had been to cope with the loss of Eldra while also being forced to stay away from Obi-Wan for their own good.

Hearing that Eldra might be alive…

Kassandra frowned up at her, and inquisitively asked, "You know Mama?"

And Siri felt like she'd been knocked over by a charging bantha.

It all made sense. The Youngling looked like Eldra, her presence even felt like Eldra's own. But sometimes it was hard to believe something that was standing right there, when that something was so mind-boggling. The thought of any Jedi having a child was baffling, since they were rarer than an albino Force-sensitive Wookiee. It was hard to picture Eldra being someone to break the code like this, unless she hadn't had a choice…

Siri fell to her knees from the shock, and suddenly finding herself closer to the child, she noticed another detail for the first time. One that caused her mind to spin even faster: the swirl patterns on the child's lekku. And she was suddenly reminded of the story Eldra had told her, about the great Kassandra Liber of Ryloth who bore the Mark of Freedom, and not only did Eldra have a daughter who bore the same mark, but she also held the same name as the legendary heroine…

There was a hand on her shoulder. Her master's. It had a grounding affect, and Siri was able to quiet her mind and think straight. She needed to stay in the present moment. Whatever the Force was planning, there would be time to discuss it at a later date. Right now, Eldra was alive and needed their help.

Turning her attention back to the child, she said, "I was her best friend when I was about your age. And I still am, if she's still alive. Where is she?"

"Patience, Siri." Adi returned her gaze to the child. "Kassandra, what is your message?"

The girl brought out a holodisk from her pocket and switched it on. After flickering a few times, a hologram of Eldra appeared, and any doubts Siri had about her being Kassandra's mother were silenced.

"I don't have much time, so I'll be quick," she said. She kept looking over her shoulder, like she expected someone to walk in on her. "I'm being held against my will in an apartment on Coruscant. Kassandra will be able to lead you here. I've been slave-chipped. Please hurry." The hologram cut off.

Siri rose to her full height and looked to Adi. "Master-"

"We'll leave immediately," she said, as she too stood upright. "Cin, inform the Council of this development. Siri, I need you to run to Medical and ask them for the deactivator wand. Officer, when we're ready to depart, please lead us back to where you found the Youngling…"

Eldra was curled up on the couch, staring out the window at the passing traffic, when she heard several loud noises outside the apartment. She glanced across the room in time to see a violet lightsaber cut through the door, disabling the lock.

Her plan had worked. There was no turning back.

The door swung open, and Eldra almost leapt with joy at the sight of one of her best friends standing on the other side with her master. And behind them, Kassandra was jumping up and down with excitement.

"Mama, I found them!" she cried. "I found the Jedi, just like you said!"

She raced into the room and barrelled into Eldra, who rose to her feet and welcomed her embrace as all the tension left her body. She hadn't been able to relax since Kassandra had disappeared into the vents. "I'm so proud of you, Kassie."

Kassandra, pleased with herself, jumped onto the sofa, giggling. "Hi, Wolfie!" She picked up her stuffed wolf and hugged it. "Did you miss me?"

Meanwhile Adi and Siri put away their lightsabers as they stepped into the apartment. "Is there anyone else here?" asked the former.

"No." Eldra shook her head.

The Jedi Master nodded, before she left to do a sweep of the apartment.

Siri walked towards Eldra and her daughter, and Eldra noticed that while in some ways her friend hadn't changed, in other ways she had. She was slightly taller, for starters, though Eldra supposed that she herself was too. Her blonde hair was longer as well, and her Padawan braid along with it. But it wasn't really her physical characteristics that had changed. She was carrying herself differently, with less aggression and more fluidity, like she was comfortable in her own body.

Eldra realised that while Siri hadn't changed enough to make her unrecognisable, she had still changed. And Eldra hadn't been there to witness those changes.

The length of her captivity and the isolation from her friends hit her all at once, and tears formed in her eyes. Siri paused, and Eldra could tell that her friend had been about to make some kind of dismissive joke. But upon seeing the Twi'lek's response to her, chose instead to cross the final distance between them and wrap her in a tight embrace. Eldra hugged her back, and for that brief moment, she didn't want to ever let go again.

She felt a wet patch on her shoulder, but didn't say anything.

"I hate to sound like a grandmother, but you don't call, you don't write…" Of course Siri still made the joke, and despite everything, Eldra smiled.

Finally pulling back, she responded with, "Maybe I just wanted to get away from that gundark before he plotted his revenge."

The blonde Jedi laughed while she dried her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "It's been years. Obi-Wan's forgiven us both for dunking him in the fountain."

"How is he?" Eldra asked, suddenly desperate for news. He'd been alive the day before, but since Maul had left again to complete his mission and his targets were Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon…

For a moment, Eldra saw something in Siri's eyes; an emotion she couldn't quite pinpoint before it was gone again. "He's fine. On a mission with Qui-Gon at the moment, otherwise he would have been here alongside me, coming to rescue you." She paused for a moment, gathering herself. "We didn't find out that you were gone until after we came back from Mandalore. By that time, you'd been gone for almost a year, and the Council had already searched for you and were forced to presume you dead."

Eldra sent her a reassuring smile. "I know the protocol. It's fine."

Siri looked out the window, and Eldra thought she was going to turn and kick something. "No, it's not 'fine'! You've been on Coruscant this whole time- Have you?"

"Yes," said Eldra. "Not initially, but it's a long story."

"But you've been here most of the time?" At Eldra's nod, Siri continued, "You've been here on the same planet as the Jedi, and no one even noticed. Granted, this whole building is surrounded by a Force-shield I didn't even think was possible-"

"Exactly." Eldra took her friend's hand and squeezed it. "I'm on the other side of the planet. And it's the last place anyone would think to look."

"It still bugs me, but it doesn't matter now. We've found you. That's what matters." The Human sighed before she held up the deactivator wand. "Now, shall we take care of that slave chip?"

Eldra let out a shaky breath and nodded.

They sat down on the sofa. When Siri moved the deactivator wand towards her, Eldra was suddenly hit with a wave of anxiety. What if the Sith master had installed some kind of countermeasure on the chip that would cause it to kill her – and those around her – instantly if someone tried to deactivate it? She'd never heard of such a thing existing, because surely if it did then slavers all over the galaxy would be using it, but if anyone was capable of such countermeasures, it was the Sith. She was about to tell Siri to take Kassandra and remove themselves from the apartment so that she could do it herself, but then Siri started scanning her and it was too late to voice her concerns. When nothing happened for the first minute, Eldra figured that it was probably safe to continue.

Kassandra, still cuddling her wolf toy, curled up into her mother's side, tired from the day's events. Eldra gently stroked her daughter's head. "I have so much to explain…"

"It can wait until we get back to the Temple," said Siri, as she continued to scan Eldra. "Why doesn't Kassandra have a chip?"

"I'm not sure. My only guess is she wasn't deemed a threat. Arrogance on my captor's part." Eldra shrugged. "But there's one thing that can't wait. I know this is gonna sound crazy, but… The Sith have returned."

Siri just kept scanning. She wasn't shocked or disbelieving like Eldra expected she would be. Instead she simply said, "We know."

Eldra let out a breath. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan must have told the Council after encountering Maul. "I really wanted to be the one to make that big, dramatic reveal."

Siri snickered. "Master Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan beat you to it. They were on Tatooine when they encountered one. But Adi told me that the Council don't really believe them."

"Typical." Eldra rolled their eyes. "They say arrogance is not the Jedi way, and yet…"

Siri nodded. "Yeah. Adi believes them. She's been on enough missions with Qui-Gon to know to trust his judgement. And now you can back them up. Was it a Zabrak?"

"A Dathomirian Zabrak, yes. He's the apprentice," said Eldra. "I was captured so he could practise against me, and… well…" She looked down at Kassandra, who was drifting off to sleep.

Siri's eyes widened in realisation. "Eldra, I'm sorry…"

"It wasn't like that," Eldra said immediately. She could accept that Maul was many things, but never that. "It's… complicated."

She could see the spark of anger in Siri's eyes, and knew her friend was using every ounce of her training to fight it. "How is him fathering a child with you complicated?!"

"Because he's as much a captive of his master as I was." Eldra sighed. "He was taken by the Sith when he was Kassandra's age, then twisted and tortured into becoming an unstoppable killing machine. He didn't choose the dark side; it was forced upon him. I sympathised with him to survive. It was twisted and unhealthy, but I formed a bond with him, and it frightens me that it went deeper than I wanted it to. But I won't pretend he's not what he is, and I won't make excuses for him and the terrible things he's done. So yes, it is complicated."

Siri could only stare at her friend in shock, unable to say a word. That silence was broken when the deactivator wand started beeping. Siri pressed some buttons, and just like that, Eldra was free.

There was no shock, nor did she feel any of the other emotions she expected to. Perhaps because she was still inside her prison, and needed to step outside in order to fully experience her new-found freedom.

"The healers can remove the chip completely when we get back to the Temple, to stop anyone from reactivating it," said Siri. Then after heaving a sigh, she took her friend's hand. "No one expects you to be perfect, Eldra. If it was every master's duty to make the perfect Jedi, then I would've been kicked out of the Order years ago."

Eldra giggled at her friend's words. "I know. It's just… I have no idea how I can even begin to explain it all to the Council. And I'm worried that they won't understand."

"They will." Eldra and Siri turned to find that Adi had returned from her sweep. "I'm sure you know that when I was a Senior Padawan, I was tasked with a deadly undercover mission to help bring down the Krayn slave ring. I was there for years; I couldn't drop my guard for even a second. The things I saw… The things I had to let happen… I was Knighted when the ring was finally brought down, but the experience changed me. Sometimes, in pursuit of the greater good, or even just to survive, you have to do things that may haunt you for the rest of your life. What's important, Eldra, is that you didn't let the darkness take you. If you wish to return to the Order, then I will make certain that you are Knighted."

"Could you throw in a Knighting for me, too?" asked Siri, in an effort to lighten the mood. It worked; Eldra once again couldn't help but smile at her friend.

Adi snorted. "Don't think I don't know about that bet the three of you are holding. I'm tempted to make sure you get Knighted last so you're the one who has to pay up. Obi-Wan certainly deserves it after all the grief you've given him."

Siri dramatically clutched at her heart. "I'm wounded, Master. How can you betray me like this?"

"Think of it as payback for all of the times you were a pest." The Jedi Master jerked her head towards the door. "We should go. I've swept the entire apartment and can't find any evidence that the Sith were even here. I definitely believe you, Eldra, but it means we have no leads on discovering their identities."

"The Sith Master is a Human male, but that's all I know," said Eldra. She turned to her daughter and patted her shoulder. "Come on, Kassie. It's time to go."

Kassandra, who had been dosing, opened her eyes and let out a yawn. "Go where?"

"To the Jedi Temple."

Eldra found herself faffing around instead of actually leaving. It took longer than it should have done for her to decide that she really didn't need any of the stuff in the apartment; she could get new clothes at the Temple, and the datapad was useless (Adi took it in case she could find any information on it, but Eldra doubted there'd be any information to find). Kassandra's toys had to be left behind as well, which was fine since she wasn't really attached to any of them except for her wolf. That they brought with them; Younglings at the Temple usually could have one toy, anyway.

That was something Eldra hadn't really thought about. Whenever she'd imagined herself escaping, her plan had always been to go straight to the Temple, knowing that the Jedi would protect her and her daughter. It was only just hitting her that the Jedi might not even accept Kassandra for training, for a whole number of reasons.

And if the Jedi didn't accept her, then Eldra wouldn't stay. But that put them both in a vulnerable position. How long would it take for Maul to inevitably track them down?

"Eldra, are you ready?"

She turned back to Siri, and nodded. "Yes."

Siri walked into the hallway outside of the apartment where Adi was already waiting. Kassandra ran out ahead of her, waving her wolf around in excitement. Eldra went to follow, but hesitated when she reached the threshold. For the first time in five years, she was going to leave the apartment.

Something she couldn't quite name filled her. Was it dread? Excitement? She decided that it didn't matter, and stepped out the door.

Even though she was walking through unfamiliar hallways, it didn't really hit her that she was finally free until she was outside. Stepping out into the blinding sun, feeling the warm rays on her skin… She suddenly started laughing, and once she started, she couldn't stop.

Adi and Siri didn't comment, but Kassandra seemed to think it was a game and started laughing, too. Eldra wanted to scoop her up and never let her go, but didn't want to draw attention from any onlookers.

The ride back to the Temple was mostly in silence. At least, the three adults were silent. Kassandra was talking non-stop, mostly pointing at things they passed and asking what they were, though she also talked about things she liked, her favourite food, her favourite colour, etc. When she briefly mentioned her father, Eldra found herself tensing up. That was another obstacle she would have to face.

How was she going to explain to Kassandra that her father was, to put it simply, a bad person? And that they wouldn't be seeing him anymore?

When they finally landed in the Temple's hanger, a small crowd had gathered. Eldra recognised some of the Council members, most notably Mace Windu and Master Yoda, but she also recognised some of her old Clan mates. Garen, Bant and Reeft were waiting towards the front of the crowd. And the moment Eldra stepped off of the transport behind Siri and Adi, the three of them surrounded her – well, it was less "surrounded" and more "pounced", given the group hug Eldra suddenly found herself in the middle of.

They were all talking at once, and Eldra couldn't hear what any of them were saying. Though she thought she heard Bant say, "Is that your daughter? She's so cute!"

It was Siri who broke up the group, getting in between them and saying, "Guys, come on. Give her some space. She's been trapped in the same four walls for five years."

She gave Garen an especially hard shove, and the Human almost poked his tongue out at her, but refrained. Reeft and Bant were a little more sensible, although the Dressellian hid behind the Mon Calamarian out of fear of Siri's wrath.

Eldra pulled her daughter back to her side to stop her from running off to explore, and turned to Adi. "What happens now?"

Master Windu responded instead. "For now, your situation will have to wait. We were just contacted by Obi-Wan. He has managed to slay the Dathomirian Sith on Naboo, but not before the Sith killed Qui-Gon Jinn."

And though she didn't show it, Eldra was hit with a wave of grief – and not all of it was for Qui-Gon. She wanted to hate herself, because she was finally free, and Maul had killed Qui-Gon in cold blood and probably tried to kill Obi-Wan.

But there was no denying the utter despair she felt from his loss.