"I really would like to just… not."

"I really do not care."

Soph screwed up her face. "Who made you the boss?"

"Your inability to take care of yourself, most likely."

"I resent that."

Echo rolled his eyes. "I know you do. Can we go now?"

"You go."

"You're the one that needs the help."

Soph crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly. "I do not."

"If it's bad enough for Dooku's reaction, then you need help," he insisted. "It's probably terrifying, but it's for the best."

"You've been arguing about this for like a week," Anakin said, looking between them. "What exactly is Dooku worried about?"

"None of your business," she screwed up her nose at him. "Echo, go stub your toe."

"We don't have to make it a big deal," he insisted. "We can leave everyone else here to keep helping on Kamino and go ourselves."

"Whatever it is, will you go just to end this stupid argument?" Anakin requested. "I don't need you two arguing all throughout the ship for another week."

"Fine, but just to ask for help with something else," Soph caved, glaring at them both. "You guys suck."

"With what?" Echo wondered.

"I want help with Ventress," she explained. "Tambor is mine, but Ventress is annoying me."

"Who're you getting help from?" Anakin wondered curiously. She rolled her eyes and walked away, and he looked at Echo expectantly.

"No offense, sir, but she probably won't go if she knows you know, because you'll keep asking questions," Echo explained. "But I can tell you when we get back."

He sighed. "Good enough for me. Keep her safe, soldier."

Echo snapped off a salute and waved as he moved to catch up with Soph.

Nearly a full rotation later and they were on Coruscant once again. They landed at the Jedi temple and made their way inside together. The Council room was deep within the temple, so she took him on a small tour as they made their way through.

They were walking past the youngling classrooms when a voice stopped her in her tracks. "Master Sizre."

She grimaced and turned. She plastered a smile on her face quickly to cover the flash of fear Echo saw and tipped her head to the side. "Ezio."

"Soph-Katarina," he smiled at her and made his way over. He grabbed her in a tight hug and she couldn't help the groan of pain that she let out. After a moment, he released her and stepped back. "How have you been?"

"Great," she lied tightly. She rubbed her side where her ribs were still broken and grimaced. "And I'm sorry to rush, but if you'll excuse me, I must get to the Council."

"Ah, I was headed in the same direction," he said, waving her forward. "We can go together and catch up."

"Ezio…" she glanced at Echo, who was frowning. She sighed. "This is Echo."

Ezio nodded at him once. "Ezio Egan."

"Pleasure to meet you, sir."

"Were you assisting with the younglings?" Soph asked after a quiet moment. Ezio nodded.

"Master Yoda had me mentoring them in the art of animal kinship," he explained. "It's my-,"

"Your specialty, Ezio, I remember," she interrupted. "I remember you well. For good reason."

"Oh, don't act like you weren't equally awful to me," he laughed. She raised an eyebrow.

"So you're comparing that to when I cut your hair off? Really?"

"Master Schue was furious," he defended as they walked. "Whatever the case, we're grown now, and you look great."

Soph stared at him blankly. "I look as good as I feel, and that's a fact."

"Then you must feel beautiful."

"Oh, Jesus Christ, Ezio," she said sharply. "Drop the shit."

Echo looked between them, startled. "Boss?"

"Echo, meet the bane of my existence," she introduced them, staring at the taller man in disgust. "You don't really think that time has healed all wounds, do you?"

Ezio stopped walking and reached out to grab her arm to stop her, too. He held it to keep her in place. "Look, I'm sorry about that stuff. It's been a really long time and I've grown. I figured you would've, too."

"There's no growing out of that," she told him seriously, her voice soft. "I'm not over it and it's ridiculous that you expect me to be. If Anakin saw you, he'd-,"

"Skywalker isn't here to fight your fights for you anymore, Little Soph."

Her eyes flashed. "The last time you called me that, I punched you in the face. I'd gladly do so again. Just give me a fucking reason."

"You're being really hostile right now and I'm just trying to make peace," he put his hands up defensively. "I'd appreciate if you tried to move on. This… anger isn't serving you."

"She's going to punch you in the face," Echo said, grabbing Soph's hand to stop her when he saw her move. "I don't know what you did, but I'd shut the fuck up very quickly."

Ezio's eyes snapped to him. "You can't talk to me like that, clone. I'm a Jedi General and you'll speak to me as such."

"No, he won't," Soph stepped in front of Echo quickly. "I'm your problem, Ezio, not him."

"The Council will be very displeased to hear that their very young, very new Master is holding such an old grudge," he shook his head sadly. "Such is life, I suppose."

Soph's lips thinned. "Fine. If you want to play nice, we'll play fucking nice. If you make one wrong move toward Echo, I'll introduce you to a new form of pain, do you understand me? I'm not fucking around - touch him and I will not hold back."

Echo stared at her with wide eyes, shocked. What the hell had the man before them done, exactly? She looked at him with such a horrible mix of fear and preemptive anger that Echo was suddenly worried for her safety.

"Well, it certainly took some time to get to the same terms. I'm glad you see it my way, Little Soph."

She glared at him. "Stop."

"I think it would be best if we made our way to the Council now," he suggested, waving them forward. Soph gestured for him to move first, but he raised an eyebrow at her. "I insist."

"I don't trust you."

"You really should be nicer to me."

"Or what? You'll tell the Council what?"

"The truth. Again."

Echo did not expect the way she closed her eyes and spoke softly. "That's not the truth. You know it isn't."

"Who're they going to believe at this point?" he wondered. "Things were bad enough as is. Don't bring it all back up and reopen old wounds."

"My wounds!"

"They won't see it that way. You know that."

"They'll see you one day," she promised him as she began moving reluctantly, walking in front of him. He waved at Echo too, but he stood still. Before either of them could speak, she did. "Echo, do it."

"Sir-,"

"Come on."

He came to stand on her side and took note of the way she shook lightly. "Soph…"

She shook her head minutely, and he got the point - don't ask questions. Don't push. Don't speak.

Don't make things worse.

"They don't need to see me, Soph-Katarina," Ezio said to her as they walked. "Because you're in front of them, blinding them. You know they'll never believe anything you say. If you do, it'll be viewed as retaliation."

Soph was silent. Echo felt vaguely as if they were being held by gunpoint - whatever had happened, it was big enough to completely tame her temper and stamp out her spirit.

They walked into the giant chamber that the Council room was made up of. Approaching the chairs together, Soph was able to split off from Ezio with a heavy sigh of relief. She led Echo to the chair that was reserved for her and sat with him behind her to the left.

"Master Sizre, what a pleasure to see you," Master Unduli smiled at her. "With Ezio…?"

"I'm just here for a favor," she said tensely, looking around. They seemed to have been in the middle of a meeting based on the number of Masters in the room. "Did I interrupt?"

"You're more than welcome to join," Master Krell gave her a slick smile. She did her best not to make a face - the last thing she needed was Krell. She still hadn't thought of a solution to that problem. "Obi Wan was updating us."

Soph's eyes shot to the holo, expecting to see Obi Wan there. It was off, however, and her eyes widened as she instead looked for him in his seat. To her surprise, he was there. "Master!"

"Soph," he looked between her and Ezio with a frown. "Are you alright?"

"What're you doing here?" she ignored his question. "I thought you were looking for her."

"We lost her trail," he explained. "And I was called back to sit in on a trial."

"Trial?" she looked around, confused. "For who?"

"A Jedi in the Uchen settlements fell," Master Windu explained. "We've made the decision to send him for counseling and meditation on Gogal. We will revisit things in a couple of years and see if it is possible to guide him back onto the Jedi path. Unless you would like to weigh in yourself?"

"That sounds like an appropriate response," she shook her head.

"What're you here for?" Obi Wan asked her. She frowned.

"I came to ask for help with Ventress. I'm tired of her getting my men killed, and she's an annoyance I need more help dealing with. She's a partially trained Sith and leaving her unchecked could be infinitely more dangerous than we may be able to fathom."

"I agree," Master Vos said, surprising her. He was there, too? Just who had fallen?

"I will join the hunt for her," Master Windu offered. "Master Dillabla, would you like to join me?"

"It would be my honor."

"Send more, we will," Yoda promised. "If needed, they are."

"Thank you," she bowed her head gratefully. "She's been a thorn in my side for far too long."

"Speak alone, we must, I think," he told her. Soph grimaced.

"Of course, Master," she glanced at Echo hesitantly. "Stand outside, will you?"

"I'll keep an eye out for snakes, boss," he promised quietly. She nodded and knew he wouldn't let Ezio near her. Reluctantly, she followed Yoda out of the chamber and to his classroom. Echo planted himself firmly outside of it with his gun at his side.

"Is something wrong, Master?"

"Unfortunate, it is, how the sun falls to the moon," he told her as he walked around to sit at his desk. He set down his staff and lightsaber and nodded for her to sit. She did so in confusion.

"Rise again, the sun always does," he reminded her. "But constant are the stars, Soph-Katarina."

"I'm not following," she said apologetically. He sighed.

"It clouds you, the darkness does," he told her. "Continue to indulge you must not. A star blinks where a sun falls."

"Where is the line between a star blinking and a sun falling?" she wondered softly. "Dooku told me… he warned me, Master."

"Something else he told you," he said knowingly.

She hesitated. "Did he call you?"

"Concerned, my old padawan is," Yoda told her gravely. "Bring him closer to the light side once again, you do."

"So, he told you."

"Injured, you are," he confirmed. "Cloud your spirit, it does."

"I'm fine," she told him. He squared her with a look that had her backpedaling quickly. "I mean, I can continue like this."

"Lie to yourself, you must not," he warned. "Help you, I can."

"Master…" she grimaced. "I believe the damage is probably pretty severe. A lot… has happened."

"Tell me, you will, while I look."

She resisted the urge to make a face and nodded. She didn't have much of a choice in it. Yoda would never stand to have her walk around injured. She moved closer and let him place a hand on her shoulder. She felt him slip gently into her damaged mind and was shocked at the immediate relief in pain - he was doing something with the Force other than just enter her mind, something healing, but she didn't know what. She thought it might've been what Dooku meant when he'd said he couldn't help her. "When Tambor had Echo and I, Ventress came in. She invaded my mind and tore through it not long before we were rescued. Then, when I was on Coruscant last, she sifted through my head again and blew me up. I don't know what she was looking for either time."

"Looking for something specific, yes, yes," he told her as he searched. "Dangerously reckless, she is. A look at who she is, this shows us."

"And who would that be?"

"Very lost, very scared, I think," he answered. "Lucky to have survived this twice, you are."

"Great," she muttered. "Is it fixable?"

"Healable, any mind with great enough conviction is," he confirmed gently. She figured he could sense the great fear within her, probably even better since he was in her mind. "Multiple sessions, this will take. Return to Coruscant weekly, you must."

"Master…" she sighed as he slipped out of her mind and looked at her expectantly. "I appreciate it, but I don't know if I can… do that."

"Heal without it, you will not," he reminded her. "To walk around injured, I will not allow."

The last thing she wanted was to be anywhere near Coruscant now that she knew Ezio was back, but he was giving her an order and she wouldn't refuse. "Of course, Master."

"See you in five rotations, I will," he dismissed, waving his small staff past her and toward the door.

"Thank you," she bowed her head as she left. She let the door close behind her and let out a sigh of relief. "How does he do that?"

"Do what?" Obi Wan asked, startling her. He frowned when she jumped. "Soph, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Master," she muttered. "I want to get back to the Twilight. I'll catch up with you in a few days."

He caught her arm when she went to leave and looked at her seriously. "I mean it, Soph. Are you okay?"

She closed her eyes, unable to look at him. "Don't make me talk about it. Please."

"I tried to have him sent away again when I saw him," he told her softly. "But the Council is tired of punishing their golden boy for something that…"

"It's never going to change," she shook her head. "He's never going to be held accountable for as long as he can hold it over my head. I know it was him, Master."

"I believe you," he told her for what Echo thought seemed like the millionth time. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have taken you on as a padawan. I stood by you then and I stand by you now."

She sighed. "I just want to get the hell away from Coruscant. I have to come back in a week. Is there any chance you can come and play interference?"

"Anytime I'm available," he promised. "We'll figure it out."

"The last thing I need on top of all the other shit going on and everything I'm dealing with is to see Ezio once a week," she told her old master. "Can you keep him busy while we make our escape?"

"Get away while you can," he confirmed, waving them on. "Look out for her, Echo."

"I always do, General Kenobi."

Soph grimaced and made her way quietly out of the temple. Neither her nor Echo spoke as they walked to the Twilight together, both of their minds occupied. When they got inside and the door closed, he took in a breath to speak, but she did before he could. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Soph… he's dangerous."

"I know he is."

That simple response worried him. She was scared of him and she knew he was dangerous. He was someone from her past she'd never spoken of, but it was clear he affected her greatly.

"Can we just leave now?"

"Yeah," he agreed quietly. "Whatever you need, boss."

"Thanks," she said. "I just need to get the hell away from here fast."

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