Elijah contemplated the nerve of the Collassians in giving him a cramped apartment and then arresting him for alleged murder. And then putting him in a cramped cell.

"Someone's here to see you," said the guard. Elijah gave him an inscrutable look and rearranged his robes.

Trust in the will of the Force, Master Delmarre had said before they'd taken his commlink. It will all be sorted out.

The force field dissipated and Daneel Olivaw stepped inside. Elijah had never understood the concept of force fields acting as doors. Corellian Engineering Works certainly branded their stuff as "always going on" but even the best engines failed, and with them went the force fields.

"Master Baley," Daneel bowed before towering over him. "We meet again in less fortunate circumstances."

Elijah raised an eyebrow. Daneel misinterpreted the look willfully.

"I beg your pardon Master Baley, but you don't seem capable of murder."

Elijah's patience, already hanging on by a sliver, disappeared entirely. He grabbed Olivaw by the collar, a relatively easy feat considering he was handcuffed.

"You can either explain why you're here or you can get out and let me be miserable in peace."

Daneel gently pried his fingers off of his shirt. His hands were soft and warm against Elijah's callused knuckles.

"My dearest friend, I am not here to gloat. Do you truly think I would be so low as to be happy at your pain? I am a Separatist, but I am not scum."

Inexplicably, the Jedi felt ashamed. Daneel still hadn't let go of his hands and he pulled away, staring at a point over the ambassador's shoulder. Daneel had always been careless with his touches when Elijah was around, blissfully unaware of the effect they had on the other man.

"If you need an alibi, I can provide it."

"Daneel, I don't need an alibi! I didn't kill her! Why would I kill the woman who was helping me?"

"Helping you do what?"

"Don't be obtuse Daneel! The same reason why you are here! A base of operations at Collassan that would prove enormously useful to the Republic and-."

"Why are you offering me an alibi?" asked Elijah abruptly.

"You are my friend-"

"No man is truly altruistic in wartime. Spit it out Daneel. You're planning something."

Daneel merely inclined his head.

"If Daneel Olivaw offered me amnesty," he said, half to himself, "I would be able to go over to the Separatists. If I took it, I would be cleared of murder. In fact, the good ambassador would then be able to say that Eleva Yuikon died under suspicious circumstances, that a man like Elijah Baley would never commit murder."

Elijah stepped backwards. "Would I be correct if I were to assume that accepting your offer would make me a Separatist? Jedi can be court-martialed if they are convicted of murder, stripped of their status and exiled. In order to save myself, I would have no choice but to join your cause. I would be a either a murderer or a traitor."

"You are correct, Master Baley."

"If I ran away after letting you clear my name, would you hunt me down and kill me yourself?"

Daneel flinched. It was the answer Elijah had been looking for.

"I thank you ambassador, but I do not need your help."

When the other man had left, Elijah lay down on the pallet and closed his eyes to meditate. Questions swirled in his mind. There were plenty more talented Jedi who Daneel could sway to his cause. Why him? Where was Cedaar Sullist? How was he going to take out three Separatist ships?

He replayed his actions after he'd left the Biridian Council. It was entirely possible that one of the other council members had killed her. They certainly had enough motives to do so.

He took a deep breath and felt for the Force, reaching out and letting it flow through him, cooling his anger and confusion. The people milling in the street, the guard outside his door, they were all bright points of light. He touched their minds gently, tasting their emotions. It was one of his many flaws; he tended to concentrate on people to the exclusion of everything else, because the little cogs in the vast intricate machinery of the Force were far more fascinating than the Universe itself.

The deactivation of the force field pulled him out of his trance and he opened his eyes to see Kylana Smiri standing before him. He stared at her until she looked away, unnerved.

"A blaster with a silencer was found at your apartment, Master Jedi."

"How peculiar," he said, "that the only weapon I've ever carried was my lightsaber, and that has been confiscated by the police. I find it even stranger that Eleva Yuikon was killed minutes before signing the treaty, and I find it strangest of all that you stand here, accusing me of murder."

"I haven't accused you yet," she said, her voice small. "I…I don't think you killed her. She was shot in the back, and…I don't think you would shoot someone, a, uh, ally, in the back like that."

She sat down in the chair close to the other side of the room. "When you came to Collassan, you didn't bring a blaster. You didn't buy one either. Blaster sales are tightly regulated here and the capital has cracked down on black market arms."

"Who killed her?" he asked softly.

"We don't know," she admitted. "You made an easy scapegoat. On behalf of the Biridian Council, I would like to apologize for our behavior. We, uh, we made a terrible mistake in falsely accusing you."

"Who do you think killed her?"

Smiri simply stared at him, mouth pursed. "You weren't in the room when Yuikon was killed. Good Sinzia you weren't there at all!"

"Tell me who killed her," he said.

"A hired thug. He was local. They killed him after he did the job."

Elijah stood. "I assume the "they" was the Separatist faction of your group?"

She nodded mutely. " Ornuj Gheei is currently explaining to the sub-inspector downstairs that you were arrested by accident."

"I suppose no one will be questioning the fact that the official story has changed suddenly."

Smiri nodded again. "I suppose it is because Collassians are used to being lied to. Master Jedi, I would like to ask you something."

He waved a hand wearily. Abruptly, he wondered if Jessie was all right. He could only imagine what she was thinking.

"Is it true that you came here to look for a missing Jedi?"

"I did, yes."

"We found a woman matching that description on one of the moons of Jellassan. She was last spotted moving towards one of the plains of Mikelkor. When approached, she scared them off with a lightsaber."

Sullist had been the silent observer who blended in with the walls. What could have possibly happened for her to do something like that?

"Thank you for telling me," he said. "Can I leave this place?"

"Follow me, Master Jedi. The Biridian Council has arranged for a personal transport to Mikelkor ." She walked out and nodded at the guard.

Elijah followed her out into the elevator. " I sincerely hope none of your Separatist friends know that."

She smiled. "They don't. One of the advantages of playing devil's advocate is that you get to learn who your allies truly are. Parlimentarian Yuikon hated it when I do that, because she felt that I'm not being true to myself."

Her stutter was gone. Perhaps she was braver in front of large crowds and those she were comfortable with. The lift doors peeled open to show a landing pad. She pulled out a knife and slit the flimsiplast binding his hands together.

"I have taken the liberty of sending the agreement to build the base to your Jedi Council and a copy to you. All of your personal things"

"What if they say you released me from prison because I used my Force abilities on you?"

She grinned. "I'm too smart to be tricked Master Baley…and you might be able to fool one person, but you can't convince them all."

The transport landed, stirring up dust and Smiri shaded her eyes against the sun. She handed him his lightsaber and commlink and he clipped it onto his belt with a feeling of relief.

"May the Force be with you, Kylana Smiri."

"You too, Master Baley. Be careful with Ambassador Olivaw, will you? He's a sly one."