AN: I do not own Star Wars or Star Wars the Old Republic. I own only the OC and plot. General trigger warnings just in case!

"aaaa"-talking out loud. "aaaa" (bold and italics)-talking through a holo or com. 'aaaaa'-inner thoughts. "aaaaa" -talking through a Bond or talking during a Force Vision. aaaa -Force Vision. "aaaa" (bold)-talking in another language. ("aaa") (bold, italics, and parentheses) - talking through a holo or com in another language

Hi everyone! I know it's been a while since my last update. I took a break to focus on school which didn't leave me time to write between work and school. Plus, honestly, I keep fighting to write these chapters. I am still debating on continuing this series or scrapping it.

Please let me know what you all think and thank you so much for your continued support!

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Chapter Six: The Cold War

At a glance, Coruscant was once more a mass of towering buildings shining in the light. The main focus of the HoloNet news droids was the Senate Tower with cheering crowds at its base. In the sky above Republic naval ships hovered while members of the military and Jedi Order lined the path leading up to the Senate Tower steps. Watching from the steps, like kind and loving gods, were well-known politicians, high ranking Jedi Knights and Masters, carefully selected members of planetary royalty, and of course the Supreme Chancellor.

But every few moments the images from the cam droids would shift and newscasters would debate about whether such a celebration was that important when wounds from the Sacking of Coruscant still remained. The glittering showpieces and VIPs would vanish only to be replaced by broken, crumbling buildings and beings scraping to get by. They would even flash images of the Jedi Temple across the screen. The once noble, elegant, and peaceful structure had gaping holes leftover and carbon scoring burned into the walls. It was a stark, harsh reminder that the Guardians of Peace and Justice in the Republic no longer had a main base of operations. Instead, they now had a suite of rooms in the Senate Tower to do business from and luxury apartments for those among the Order with high status.

As if the Jedi themselves were no more important than other Senators, Representatives, nobles, or royals.

Theron made a face as the Chancellor began to speak. It was mainly flowery, a lot of words with no real substance and meaning. It praised the strength and spirit of the Republic, the determination of those who called Coruscant home to rebuild after the attack. It even thanked the Emperor for reaching out a hand, offering a truce, and returning the capital world back to the Republic. For all intents and purposes, the war was over.

But it really wasn't.

The peace treaty may have been signed, but that didn't mean that the war had ended. Just that it was now a cold war. The Republic and Empire were fighting each other from the shadows. Spies, assassins, and traitors filled the ranks on either side to destroy from the inside. Planets that found themselves in the midst of civil war and not fully aligned with one side or the other were now puppets with the Empire and Republic each choosing a team to support and then secretly in the open doing everything they could to ensure that the side they picked won and joined them.

Eventually it would be too much, the pressure would become too great. Family, friends, neighbors would turn on each other. The attacks from either side would become more brazen, more open, more violent.

Until finally just one action would break everything and they would be at war again.

But Theron had heard some of the Masters and Knights at the small enclave he called home. They wanted open war even though it went against everything a Jedi was supposed to stand for. They wanted it because open war made it easier to fight Sith and them. It made it easier to get rid of them because war meant you were supposed to take lives if it helped your cause. The Sith were the enemies of the Jedi and the Empire was run by the Sith. So to those Jedi, there was no difference between Imperial and Sith. Both were bad and both needed to be destroyed.

Only Theron wasn't so sure that total destruction of the Sith Empire was needed. He knew enough from his political classes that destruction of the Sith Empire could lead to a massive power gap in the galaxy which would result in more, smaller wars popping up. It would mean billions of refugees, a financial crisis for some planets, and a massive restructuring of governments including the Republic. Plus, Theron just knew that not all Sith and Imperials were bad. They couldn't be. Just like how not all Jedi were good. Master Zho and his own family history had taught him that. He would be more than willing to take down the Sith Emperor, the bad Sith and Imperials. But not the ones who were good, who could change.

"She's not there." Theron turned his head away from the screen so he could look up at Esther. The eight-year-old hand's hand had paused as he moved then returned to petting his hair. "Your mother's not there." Theron winced. It was the only reason they were watching the memorial/celebration service though he hadn't actually told her that. Esther was just that good at reading him…

He raised an eyebrow. "You're supposed to be resting." Theron spoke aloud. Master Zho and Silas and Master Lucia wanted the pair to cut back on speaking over their bond in fear they might get too used to it. Master Lucia also wanted Esther to take breaks from actively using the Force to see. The Miraluka girl had been quick to master a skill that she should have been taught as a toddler, but she still grew tired if she used it for too long, which she often did. It was one thing to use the Force to avoid obstacles or to see through his eyes, it was another to use it to see everything. Esther stuck her tongue out at him. Then, as if to prove that she wasn't using the Force to see, she began to randomly poke his face with a finger. When that finger got a little too close to his eye, Theron grabbed her hand and held onto it. "I yield, I yield. But you're right…she's not there."

Not that he had been expecting her to be there. Even during a cold war, his mother was in great demand as both a warrior and a diplomat.

"I could tell by how you felt. You were okay, but not okay. Not brooding just yet." The teenager made a face. He was still to figure out how he felt about his mother as he entered the make-it-or-break-it years for a Jedi student. He wondered if she knew about everything and if she did, what she thought about it. He hoped she did and he hoped she didn't. Theron's feelings about his birth parents, especially the mother he knew and didn't know were complicated. "But we're going to have to fight, won't we?"

"It's only a cold war," Theron tried to reassure Esther as he slowly sat up and gathered her in his arms. The cold war was only news on Corellia, but there were rumblings of course though nothing had happened. "I bet by the time we're old enough, it will be all over."

"You don't believe that. I know you." Young as they still were, their guardians had not sought to hide the galaxy from them. They knew the truth. "The Force whispers to me and I know it whispers to you too!" Whispers that Theron could hear. Whispers that Esther could hear. Whispers only the chosen could hear.

War. War is coming my warriors. War!

Those whispers had come to them over the years, growing louder and often as time passed.

Because the balance was off and needed to be fixed.

And they had to fix it.

But not now. Not when they were still young and had so much to learn.

"Come on," Theron nudged Esther as he switched off the screen. "Let's go play outside."

And forgot the whispers, at least for the moment.