"So, what happened?"

Echo suppressed a sigh. He'd been avoiding Anakin for days since they'd returned, but Anakin was relentless and he'd finally found him. "Sir…"

"Soph's been upset ever since you guys got back," he pressed. "What happened?"

"Sir, what do you know about Ezio Egan?"

Anakin's face darkened immediately. "Why?"

"She saw him."

"Shit," he cursed. He rubbed his forehead in stress. "He's back? Why?"

"General Kenobi said it's because they don't feel like punishing him anymore. He called him the Council's golden boy," he explained.

Anakin shook his head. "He's not wrong. Look, I don't know the original problem that caused Obi Wan to be so defensive of Soph, but for as long as I've known her, Egan has tormented her with something. Some sort of threat that she won't voice to me. She's terrified of him, Echo."

And for good reason, Echo thought. She was clearly scared of him enough to not do anything about it. "She has to go back to Coruscant weekly for an undetermined amount of time."

Anakin's lips thinned. "The Council will protect one horrible Jedi Knight over a Master on the Council. I do find it odd that even the Council won't tell me what happened. They clearly know about it, considering how well they've kept them apart."

"How do I protect her from him?"

"Any action against him will be met with resistance from the Council," Anakin sighed. "If Soph has to see him weekly, she's going to be extremely compromised. You need to support her. Stay by her side the entire time she's there and don't let him touch her. Every time he touches her, she's terrified."

Echo remembered the way she'd tensed when he hugged her. He thought it had just been pain - and he'd been pissed at the way the hug had obviously hurt her and Ezio hadn't stopped - but thinking about it, he knew she'd been scared, too. "He hugged her and she…"

Anakin took in a slow breath to calm himself. "He hugged her?"

He shrugged. "He was acting like they were best friends."

"They used to be from what I understand," he muttered. "This is going to be bad, Echo. Protect her."

"I'm doing my best, sir," he promised. "She's just surprisingly difficult to protect."

"Oh, I know," Anakin laughed shortly. "Even without this war, I think that'd be true."

Echo's comms beeped. He glanced down and picked up immediately. "Hey, Soph."

"Echo, do you know where my moon necklace went?" she asked. She sounded panicked. "I haven't seen it since we got back. It's from my mother, I can't have lost it."

"I knew you hadn't been wearing it, but I don't know where it is," he frowned. "When did you see it last?"

"Just before we went into the temple, I adjusted it," she paused. "Oh."

"Oh," he said too, because he came to the same realization she had. "We'll get it back, Soph."

"No, we won't," she disagreed quietly. "Thanks anyway."

The comms clicked off and he sighed. "It's her mother's necklace?"

Anakin shook his head in frustration. "Most Jedi don't have anything to remember their parents by, but her father was a guard working in the temple and he snuck her the necklace after she went to the temple to train. Behind her lightsaber, it's her most prized possession and everyone knows it. I'm honestly shocked she only just realized it was missing."

"She's never getting it back, is she?"

Anakin's lips twisted into a dark smile. "You and Soph can do nothing. Soph is a Master and supposed to be better than holding grudges and being afraid, and you're a soldier working under her. I, however, am far from their favorite Jedi, and I can go against Egan. I'll try and join you the next time you go to Coruscant and I'll get her fucking necklace back. He took her sense of safety growing up. He won't take anything else."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Kamino wasn't doing great. There was another building that held growing fetuses, so they weren't all lost, but too many of them were. The Kaminoans had rushed to fertilize more eggs, and things were deeply sped up, but it would take some time to get back to where they were before. It meant that the entire GAR was suffering to hold their positions with no new troops coming in except in the direst of cases.

While Anakin handled Kamino, Obi Wan searched for Ventress alongside Masters Windu and Billabla. Meanwhile, Soph took Domino through the Outer Rim working on more deliveries. They saw thousands of men freed and knew the work they were doing was the most important thing they could do.

That day they were on Saki fighting droids to get to Master Diona's men. Soph was in front of her men deflecting blaster shots as they destroyed the droids. Fives was at her side with a blaster cannon taking their enemies out with great ease.

Soph had been watching Fives. She'd been doing so since she met him again on Rishi, keeping an eye on his reflexes and his words. The longer she'd known him, the more certain she was that he was Force sensitive. As she watched him, she knew she was right.

The thing that really made her certain that she was right was a couple of quick movements. Fives stopped shooting, his head snapping up. He stared blankly for a moment before throwing himself at Droidbait and tackling him to the ground. Less than a second later, a sniper shot hit the ground where Droidbait had been.

"Jesus Christ, Fives," Soph said as she grabbed the sniper with the Force and threw him off the cliff he'd been on. "You could've died!"

"Or Droidbait could've," he shot back as he resumed his position by her side. "Better me than my brother, general."

"Okay, I think we can move forward," she called. "Take the left and go up the ridge. We can get to Master Diona through a cave up there."

"How do you know this place so well?" Cutup wondered as they ran. Soph glanced back at him.

"Took an… extended trip here when I was a kid," she explained. "Long story."

"There they are!" Hevy called, pointing toward the group in the cave. "Thank the Force. This place sucks."

"It really does," Soph agreed.

Dropping off the transmitters was a simple and quick exchange. After bidding them well, the group of six hurried back to the Twilight before more droids could show up. They destroyed a couple scouts as they made their way back to the ship. When they got there, Soph collapsed in the pilot seat and let out a dramatic sigh. "And I swore I'd never come back here. Ready to go, guys?"

"More than," Echo agreed. He sat in the co-pilot seat and leaned back as she worked on taking off. When they were in the sky, Fives came to stand behind her.

"So, where next?"

"Coruscant," she said reluctantly. Echo's head shot to the side to look at her. "Don't look at me like that. I need to get to the temple for something."

"For what?"

She rolled her eyes. "None of your business."

"Soph, your business is my business when I'm protecting you," he reasoned. "What's going on?"

"We're not too far from there," she said, ignoring him. "Strap in, boys. We're going to hyperspace and I'm taking some shortcuts. I'm feeling impatient."

"When aren't you?"

"Rude," she made a face at Droidbait. "You people need to stop telling me I'm impatient."

"Then stop being impatient," Cutup suggested. Hevy snorted.

"He's got you there, boss."

"Oh, you guys are annoying," she said, making Fives laugh.

"You love us."

"I do," she sighed. "You idiots make it hard not to."

The conversation continued on and off throughout the flight. As she'd said, she took some shortcuts that she really shouldn't have taken, and there was a chance it would bite her in the ass, but she really was feeling impatient and didn't feel like going around the forbidden territories.

They landed at the temple and she sighed as she stood and turned to Domino. "Look. We're here for something important, but I need to warn you guys about something because you all have tempers."

"What's wrong?" Cutup wondered, looking between Soph and Echo, who both looked mildly grim. "Force, guys, what's wrong?"

"There's someone we might run into," she began slowly. "Because I'm sure he won't have left now that he's seen me. No matter what happens - and I mean no matter what happens - do not make a move against him. No matter what he does, even to me, do not attack, do not speak to him, do not let him near you. Understand?"

"Soph, if you think you're in danger here, we can leave," Hevy told her slowly. "Who're you so worried about?"

"An old friend," she said darkly, but she didn't elaborate. They exchanged glances.

"Are you in danger?" Droidbait wondered as they followed her off the Twilight. He could see her face darken, as well as the thick layer of fear that settled over her. "You are, aren't you?"

"My Master said he'd be here next time we came, but this was an unexpected trip," she said. Before they could go inside, she turned to face them. "I need all of you to swear you won't do anything."

"No offense, Soph, but if you're hurt, we're doing something," Fives told her.

"If you can't follow orders, we're leaving," she said firmly. "This is important, but if you do anything, it'll make everything infinitely worse and you'll be in as much danger as I'm in, if not more."

"Can you at least give us a heads up about what we're walking into?" Cutup questioned. She hesitated.

"It's a long story I'm not looking to tell," she sighed. "But there's a man in there who has and would once again do unspeakable things to me. The Council won't do anything no matter what. Right now, we have to grin and bear it. There's only one situation in which I'd be okay with you guys doing something."

"When?" Echo asked.

"If he tries to get me alone," she explained. "Or if he… I don't know, Echo. I don't even know how it happened the first time. It just did, and we only found out later. I guess there's no real way to know and no way to protect me, which is why Obi Wan was supposed to be here. He wouldn't let Ezio within a mile of me, damn the Council."

"Ezio," Fives repeated. "I'm pretty sure I heard General Skywalker muttering that name. He seemed… pissed."

Soph's eyes shot to Echo, who looked pained. "You told him?"

"He cornered me," he defended. "I only told him that we saw him. He seemed to have a good idea how it would affect you, anyway. He said he wanted to come to Coruscant with you, too."

"I knew he would," she sighed. "But he's needed where he's at, which is why I didn't tell him."

"Soph, please," Fives said quietly. He was unusually serious. "Tell us something."

She turned to look at them and was surprised by the amount of concern that shone in their eyes. The sight had her sighing. "I… I can't. It'll make things worse. The Council won't move against him, and I know it."

"The Council sounds like they suck," Hevy muttered.

Soph choked out a laugh. "We're not without our flaws, that's for sure."

"I keep forgetting you're part of the Jedi Council," Cutup admitted. "You're just… Soph."

"How are you so calm about this?" Fives asked Echo. "You know more than we do, don't you?"

"Not much. I do want to rip his fucking throat out, though."

Soph sighed. "Which is another reason I didn't want to come back here so soon. Hopefully, if we take a shortcut, we won't pass by the youngling classrooms and it won't be a problem. Ready, boys?"

"I highly doubt it," Droidbait said, though he nodded. "I'll keep an eye on Hevy. He's liable to lose it as much as Echo if you get hurt."

"This is going to be fun," she muttered as she led them inside. Instead of going straight to get to the stairs, Soph took a right and led them down a different staircase. They went down instead of up, hurrying past the Jedi, guards, and guests that were making their way through the temple, too.

At the bottom of the stairs, Soph took another right. They followed, though Echo stood at her side.

"Little Soph, back so soon?"

Soph's entire body tensed and she stood unnaturally still. She took in a slow, deep breath before turning. "Ezio."

"You've brought an entire squad with you," he said in surprise. "Is something wrong?"

"Would you believe me if I said I don't exactly feel safe in the temple anymore?" she wondered, her tone conversational. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"You let fear control you. You always have."

"Ezio, you controlled me," she shot back, surprising Domino. "Can't you just leave me alone for once in our lives?"

"Soph, stop deluding yourself," he shook his head and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. Everyone tensed, including Soph. "You're safe here. Stop looking for problems where there are none."

"You don't get to convince me that I'm wrong," she said quietly. "I know what happened no matter what you say."

"This again?" he sighed as if he was disappointed. "I thought we'd gotten past this. The things you did were forgiven and forgotten, given the circumstances. They were out of your control. You pushed yourself too hard and things went bad. It happens."

"Stop," she whispered. "Stop pretending you had no hand in it."

"I was your friend," he replied. "We were best friends. I could've forgiven you for hurting me. I could've forgotten what you did, everyone could've. But coming after me to avoid punishment yourself was cruel. I'm the victim, not you."

Soph took in a shaky breath. "Ezio, stop."

"You can't handle what you did, so you place the blame on others. I can understand it, considering who you killed-,"

"I didn't kill him!" she snapped loudly, her hands shaking at her sides. "You ended his life. You took from me the only attachment I had to- fuck, Ezio, leave me alone!"

"You're not supposed to have attachments, even to your father."

Echo tensed. Her father?

"My father was the only thing I had aside from you," she whispered. "You took every piece of safety and stability from my life and you got away with it. You can't… convince me I did it."

"I was nine," he reminded her. "How could a nine year old have learned such an advanced, dark skill? How could I have learned it and why would I have used it on my best friend? What purpose would I have had to sell that information, to kill those people?"

His words dug at her. They were questions she'd asked herself her entire life and never found answers for. Hearing them from him was… too much.

"You finally see it, don't you? The improbability of what I've been accused of?" he stepped forward and pushed her chin up to meet her eyes. "You must admit the lie, if only to yourself. It's been so long. Let go of the past. We could… we could be friends again, you know."

Soph stared back at him. She knew he was wrong, but… what if he wasn't? What if it was just midichlorian sickness? What if she was at fault for all of it?

"There it is," he said quietly. "You know the truth after all this time, don't you?"

"Soph-,"

"Echo," she shook her head. His mouth snapped shut. She shook still, unable to be steady. "Ezio, I…"

"You were my best friend," he reminded her. "We could be friends again."

Finally, she took in a shaky breath. "If you'll excuse me, we have somewhere we need to be."

"Consider my words," he requested. He reached out and touched her arm. "You'll find that I'm right. You know I am."

She said nothing else. She only waited until, finally, he released her and walked away. When he was gone, she took in a sharp, staggering breath and grabbed a nearby wall to steady herself. She could feel tears welling up and didn't have the energy to stop them.

"Soph," Echo said softly. He reached out to touch her, but the second his fingers brushed her arm, she winced. He pulled back immediately. "Soph, he's lying."

"He- he has a point," she whispered. "How could he have…?"

"He's manipulating you," he insisted. "It's not your fault, whatever it is. He's clearly a master manipulator."

"I don't know, but he's…" she trailed off, closing her eyes. "I think he's right, Echo. It- it could've been Midichlorian sickness. Maybe I've been in denial this entire time, I don't know."

"Soph, let us do something about him," Fives requested. He sounded as furious as he looked. "Whatever the hell happened, he clearly was at fault. I haven't seen anyone that manipulative since Palpatine."

"I didn't know you had an actual father," Cutup said after a silent moment. "He… killed him?"

"Or I did," she answered quietly. "I think… Force, I think I did."

"You didn't," Echo said sharply. "Soph, I'll call Cody right now and get General Kenobi to tell you it's not your fault."

"Fuck," she cursed softly. She felt a tear fall and cursed again when she realized they'd all seen it based off the way they tensed.

Echo hadn't been bluffing, apparently. It took him less than a minute to get Obi Wan on his comms - they were lucky Cody was with him at that moment. "General, I'm sorry to bother you, but we're back on Coruscant and Ezio…"

"Soph, breathe," Obi Wan instructed immediately. "Take a deep breath. Look at Echo. Let him ground you. You're safe."

She did as he instructed, staring into Echo's eyes blankly. He could tell she wasn't fully there, struggling to pull herself out of whatever she was remembering so vividly.

"Did he say it again?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"Tell me what I tell you."

She took a slow breath. "He is a manipulator. Midichlorian sickness doesn't cause mind trauma. He will hurt me again. I…"

"You are protected," he said when she couldn't finish. "By me, by Anakin, by Echo, and by everyone. He's at fault for what happened, you are not."

"Master…"

"Soph, breathe," he reminded her. Echo realized how many times they must've had that conversation. It sounded like they were going through the same steps that they always had, and he wondered how often Obi Wan had to coach her through her trauma. "Anakin's on his way."

"Master," she said, alarmed. "He's going to-,"

"Because he can," he reminded her. "I already sent the message, and he's headed there already, anyway. Padme needs his help with something in the senate. He's almost there if this tracking information is correct, so don't move until he gets there."

"We're going to the labs," she said after a moment. "Have him meet us down there."

"I will," he promised. "And Echo?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Keep her breathing. Keep her steady and distracted. She'll be okay with some help, so focus on her, not Egan."

Echo was surprised that Obi Wan knew enough to coach him out of his anger, too. "I will, sir."

"Breathe steady, Soph. Help is coming."

OoOoOoOoOoOo