It took only a few seconds for the datapad to load the file and Mara began to read:

Dear Mara,

If you're reading this, that means this is farewell. Try not to be sad for me. We all have to go sometime and the stars know I've lived more dangerously than most. I don't resent that. There were times, too, when my path led me into darkness, but I tried to walk it as true as I could. Somehow, I came out the other side. I suppose I've got a few regrets, but finding you on Nar Shaddaa's not one of them.

Let's see, a few formalities to dispense with:

I have a ship, the Skorp-Ion. That's yours now. No, you can't change the name. The old bird's battle-tested, flew in the siege of Saleucami. She'll serve you well.

If you ever meet a woman named Asajj Ventress out there, try not to fight her unless she forces your hand—which, to be honest, she might do. But maybe she won't. She's a dangerous fighter but more prickly than evil. You might tell her I'm gone if she doesn't already know. Could be she'd still care.

Last thing: at time of writing, I haven't told you about my family. At the end of the Clone Wars, I married a woman, Khaleen. Like a lot of folks out there, she's not as scary as she seems at first. We have two children now. Korto is the oldest, about the same age as those Senator's kids that you babysit, and our baby girl, Savan, came two years after him. They've been living on Kashyyyk with the Palsaang clan. I'd like for you to meet them someday. I haven't told you about them yet because I don't want to burden you with my secrets. It seems to me like you have enough to deal with.

Actually, I was going to leave the Order to be with them. Been meaning to for years, but there kept being loose threads to tie up. Go figure. Maybe when you're created a Knight, it'll be time. Then I can throw all these stupid letters away and just say out loud how I really feel, eh?

But see, the thing is, I've always thought of you as one of mine, so you should meet them, my family. Sure, you may have gotten snatched up into the Kenobi-Skywalker lineage (my condolences, by the way), but you were my kid first. It wasn't easy to let you go, either. I've had to amend this document a few times over the years. The first time was when Skywalker took you as an apprentice. I wouldn't have let him do it if I hadn't thought he'd train you well and I've mostly been satisfied with his work. Anyway, whatever faults he has I'm sure you'll overcome. It's been a few years and the two of you seem well-matched.

To be completely honest—since I'm dead and all—Skywalker is stronger than me, always has been, and not just with a lightsaber. He doesn't do anything by halves, either. He'll give you everything he's got. The last apprentice he trained was one of the better people to have ever walked these halls. You could do worse than to follow in the footsteps of Ahsoka Tano. So, I let you go, but you are still one of mine. Just so you know.

I swear I'm almost done; I just have one more message to impart:

Maybe you've taken this as implied already, but all that "no love" business the Masters preach is a crock of nonsense. Don't roll your eyes. I'm a ghost now and I'll see if you do. Maybe love's not for you now and never will be; that's fine. Someday, though, you may find you want to give your heart to someone. It can be such an urgent feeling, like you'll shrivel up to a husk if you don't follow it. I'm not saying you have to follow it, just that it's alright if you do. Khaleen wasn't the first person I gave my heart to—like I said, I have some regrets—but she was the best, her and our children. So, as a Jedi Master in middling-to-good standing, I hereby give you permission to follow your heart, not that you ever needed it.

I love you, kid. Whatever path you end up walking, I know it'll be an interesting one. May the Force be with you.

- Quinlan Vos

Mara had to blink back tears again, aware that Anakin and Qui-Gon were watching her. So, this was his final word. Permission to love. It was not what she wanted, at least not for the version of love that Vos was talking about, not right now. Perhaps time would prove him right, but for the present, she felt more troubled by the last notion, his expression of love for her. It was only a fatherly sort of love, the kind she knew she did want, yet still she found that she did not know how to receive it, even from a dead man.

She took a deep breath and her thumb brushed the datapad's screen. The document scrolled. There was more.

Mara felt her eyes widen as she refocused on the letter. Beneath his signature, was the short postscript: Just in case. Skywalker will have to explain the rest. And beneath that…

27.10.13: POI Interview, Bly

CC-5052, Commander Bly, 327th Division Star Corps. One of Aayla's, so sort of a friend. Received victim, CT-7661, "Hurc's" surrender on Cato Neimoidia on 17.5.20.

Seems to remember it pretty clearly. Says they had just established a base camp planet-side when scouts reported a 104th trooper had turned himself in. They were hopeful, expected a lot more to follow, but none did.

Bly reports Aayla took strict measures to search and confine the prisoner, even for his taste. Wasn't until the op was done that he or any of the troopers got to talk to Hurc, but Aayla eventually allowed it. Bly asked why he had surrendered, naturally. His interpretation of Hurc's answer was that it was about guilt. Can't recall their exact conversation but remembers Hurc confessed he was in one of the starfighters that shot down Master Plo. Bly accepts that the shame from that was a big enough shock to motivate H to abandon his legion.

Reports that he tried to keep an eye out for Hurc over the last decade. Can't recall much activity of note over that time. They've both lived on Coruscant.

In the past couple of years, Hurc asked him for information on the whereabouts of the Wolfpack. Bly's been one of the few clones permitted to stay in the military but says he didn't have access to that information. Told Hurc so. Asked if he thought Hurc would have tried to follow up, make contact with his old unit again. Bly allows that he probably wanted to but doubts if he'd have been able.

Asked if remembered their most recent conversation. Bly says they spoke within the last few months but can't recall details.

27.10.13 cont.

Followed up with Aayla.

She confirms the details of Bly's story from Cato Neimoidia. Remember's Hurc, was concerned at the time that his surrender was a ploy to infect her Star Corps. Communications were all closely monitored, no transmissions being taken from the enemy camp. She interviewed Hurc personally when he was taken. Seems he made a similar confession to her as he did Bly. Felt guilty after shooting down his general, had been waiting for the chance to surrender himself.

Aayla asked him why he did it. He told her he was following orders, trying to be a good soldier. Remembers him as "cogent but confused." Asked when he started feeling remorse over Plo's death. He couldn't answer. Says she wasn't sure at the time if she should believe him, still thought he was working some angle. Recalls, though, that he was an "unproblematic" prisoner, so eventually she recommended his release. Kept his confession about Master Plo confidential, asked Bly to do the same. Her working theory is that Hurc was just an anomaly, genetically or however else. Not a theory we could easily test.

Still waiting on his service records. Maybe Aayla's right and the guy took a hit that knocked something loose in his head. Still, I think my gut was right; something here stinks.

27.10.15

Received CT-7661's service records. Interesting read. The guy wasn't the longest-serving Wolf, but he saw some interesting action. That crew was dynamic, performed ground, air, and shock-trooper ops. Hurc was one of their tech specialists and a good one, was there for Felucia. Records note he took a hit in the fight against the Zygerrians, but not out of action very long. Served personally on a team directly under Master Plo at least once, recon on the Oba-Diah moon. Could be they were friends. Plo Koon was an open sort of guy.

Still, that shouldn't have mattered. Plo would have been close with lots of his soldiers. Can't see anything indicating Hurc was special.

27.10.16

Every lead is turning up a dead-end.

Skywalker reports back from his 501st mostly what I already knew. Seems we can add one POI to our list, Kix, but it sounds as if he knows more of the same. Our vic was a loner, associated with his brotherhood only on occasion.

Spoke with Bly again to see if he remembered any more details about Hurc. Man seemed irritated, giving me some hot "I'm very busy" energy. Typical of what I know of him. He remembers Hurc got in trouble with the law once, 4-5 yrs ago, for tampering with a security device at the docks. Served probation, Bly bailed him out. A basic desperate-for-cash move done for some syndicate by the looks of it.

Frih got back to me with the records. No other arrests or investigations, so Hurc kept his nose clean after that. At least on paper.

Hurc's old boss is less helpful. Had him working repairs on the sanitation droids and vehicles. No records of the particulars. Asked if Hurc did any outside jobs, he says "maybe."

I really hope this all turns out to be some up-jumped gangster who got their hands on one of our weapons.

But the more I think about that the less likely it feels. If some Corridor hitman or raketeer has a lightsaber, why wait til now to start waving it around? Half the appeal of a dangerous weapon is other people knowing you got it.

And then there's the lack of resonance at the scene. No else will believe how strange that detail is—except Mara, which is it's own mess I need to clean up. Someone who can work in the Force did this. I think she understands that too. But kronging Skywalker's made her a warrior and she won't be spooked off.

It has to be said at some point: someone in the Temple may have done this. And if that, how far would they go to keep someone from finding them out?

Mara should go off-planet. Wish I could order that stubborn senator around.

I asked Aayla who else she ever spoke to about Hurc. She says the council and no one else. That means Mundi, Kenobi, Bilaba, Unduli, Gofalzi. All the others are dead now, unless someone new happened to have accessed the records of Aayla's report. I won't believe it was Aayla and it's hard to imagine it was any of the masters. Still, can't afford to rule anything out yet.

27.10.17

CorSec found another body this morning. We all knew it would happen sooner or later, but I'll admit this was definitely sooner that I expected. Another clone.

It's Bly. CC-5052. Was able to confirm the ID myself. Also found in his apartment. Also stabbed with a lightsaber. Gonna have to tell Aayla.

No resonance on the corpse or anything recovered in the house.

27.10.17 cont.

Drukking druk.

Someone leaked it. Expected that too but again it's too soon. Credits to cringle, it was some navy twit. They have to have been notified, maybe even got access to the details or a friend in CorSec spilled. Bly was too high up in society, even for a clone. Still an officer. The other starched-shirts must had drukked their pants.

Coverage is focusing on the murder weapon, but still noting that the only victims "so far" are clones. Ordinary folk need not worry yet.

Bastards. Gonna have to keep a tighter lid on things, even with CorSec and Frih.

27.10.18

Bly has an imposter. Aayla saw him last night at the wake for Hurc, hours after we found the corpse.

Unless that one was the real Bly and the dead man was posing as him. No way to confirm; they'd be a perfect genetic match.

Either way, I think my theory is confirmed: these deaths have something to do with what happened on Cato Neimoidia. Bly was there too. It's too much to be a coincidence. Aayla sees it too. Told her to be careful, but if she can't protect herself who can?

She's agreed to keep the double a secret for the time being. The lid can't stay on for long, though. Lots of his brothers saw him at that bar. Some have to have been sober enough to remember. And Skywalker and Jade were there.

Mara came to talk to me. Told me Kix tho

ught Hurc was sick. Doesn't know who the second body is yet. Hasn't been reported. When it is, who will care enough to notice?

In the meantime, I have my trail to follow. I need to find the second Bly. Will start at 79's. Follow up with Kix when I have the time.

27.10.19

Finally got lucky. I was able to pick up a useful resonance at 79's. Good to know I'm not broken. Had to sit in almost every booth to find the right trace and most of what I got was a jumble—sad, drunk people—but I saw him.

The first memory of him I could find was Mara's. The other Bly helped her pull some hot-head kid out of harm's way. Looks like Kix got the kid and Mara out of there, left the imposter behind. Imposter didn't go back to Bly's apartment, crashed with a 501st, Thrace. Could he have already known? Possible he's our guy, but where's the lightsaber?

Still can't tell if this is the real Bly or the double and which one is dead. Still don't know if real Bly was in on the forgery.

Killed Bly to replace him? No. Or if so, did a real druk job. Didn't get rid of the body. And Bly is a bad pick to impersonate. Too close to military intelligence. Unless that access is what you're after, but still risky.

Gotta find him before someone else does.

27.10.20

My guy's gone to ground. Bly's identity still hasn't been broadcast, but if he tried to return to the apartment, something tipped him off. Told Frih to have the place watched but I couldn't tell her why. Gotten no alerts on any incidents.

Have a hunch. Gotta pull some records from the port authority.

27.10.21

A third body and Mara tried to die.

Knew she wouldn't let it go. Had to take drastic action and reprimand her before the Council. We'll see how that goes, but even if she doesn't listen, it should get Skywalker's attention. He'll look out for her.

Preliminary reports indicate that the latest vic isn't one of the brothers. Sad to say that's useful, but it could align with my hunch.

Customs office at the PA got back to me with Bly's travel records.

I was right. There's a redundancy. One month ago, 27.9.11, Bly returns from leave on the planet Eriadu—twice. Both Blys arrive within the same hour on two different ships, the Stephanos and the Etienne. The system doesn't catch it. Too much traffic.

The logs show that the Etienne is a private ship and still on the planet. Could its captain be missing? That's my next stop.

And that was the final, actual end. Mara exhaled and tossed the datapad aside. She had been so focused on Hurc for the past several days that she had almost forgotten entirely to wonder about the identity of the second victim. Bly? The former Commander of the Star Corps. She recalled to mind the last time she had seen him—or thought she had seen him at Hurc's wake, the memory freshly cast at ghoulish by the idea that she had been with a man who was supposed to be dead. He, Bly or whoever he was, had given a eulogy and a rather moving one it had seemed at the time. Had that man really known Hurc, who by all accounts had been rather reclusive? Had he known him, perhaps before the end of the war?

They were expecting more to surrender, Bly had recounted to Vos. None had.

But why not? Mara had always heard some version of the answer that it was hard to leave your legion. Was it that hard? Could only one in hundreds of thousands muster the courage? She could not pretend to perfectly understand the clones and their bond to one another or even their psychology as soldiers, but still it felt strange every time she confronted it. And she was too worn out by grief now to credit the idea that she simply lacked the sufficient depth of loyalty to grasp it.

Leaving all your brothers. It would be hard. It was hard on Hurc. He was so lonely afterward. And yet it can be done.

Had one of his former brothers, the man posing as Bly, come back to hunt him, as she had suspected a little over a week ago? And then killed Bly too?

Her instincts told her no. That man who had stood on that table and declaimed Hurc's qualities had loved him. But then again, what did Mara know of love either, to think it could not be warped into bitter vengeance?

My dream man , she thought, that one whose face fills my cup. Can I even imagine hating him? Killing him?

But that's not even you feeling it, she rebuked herself. What can you learn of real feeling from a dream?

And Master Plo Koon? Had Hurc cared less for him than for his brothers or more?

She could not think straight. Her thoughts were pinging back and forth between certainty and doubt so fast she could not fixate on any details.

The Etienne. Yes, there was the point. Vos had been looking into that ship when he had died. It was the next step.

But his notes would have been shared with the other Jedi, surely. Master Mundi's manhunt would find the Etienne, the false Bly, and the killer, whoever it was. That was inevitable now. There was nothing for her to do.

And when the dust settled and they took stock of the dead, would it all make sense then? Did this sort of thing ever end up making sense?

Mara rubbed her face with both her hands. She looked over at Anakin and Qui-Gon both of whom were watching her, the one with a look of ragged anxiety and the other with one of polite concern.

Skywalker will have to explain the rest.

"Ok," she said, "what is it that I'm still missing?" When neither man was able to answer, she added, "why didn't anyone else surrender? On Cato Neimoidia—or anywhere else for that matter? That's what happened, right? Hurc was the only one?"

Qui-Gon looked to Anakin and Mara thought that some of his usual sage calm had slipped a notch. Qui-Gon almost never appeared uncertain or upset, but flashes of both feelings were palpable in him now.

"It was because of me," Anakin answered her.

"Because you killed the Chancellor?" Mara asked. "And they thought it was treason?"

"Because I didn't kill him sooner," Anakin said.

"No," Qui-Gon interjected firmly, "that was not the way of it. It was not your fault. The blame belongs to all of us. We all failed to see the truth until it was nearly too late."

"But I was the closest to him," Anakin replied. "If I had been less prideful, I would have found—"

"Stop it!" Mara cut across them. She already knew this story, this dance of blame and guilt. "I don't care about the millstone around your neck. The clone trooper from the 104th, we're talking about him right now. Why is he dead? Are the Jedi answerable for his death too?"

Qui-Gon opened his mouth to speak but Anakin silenced him with a gesture. Her master took a beat to compose himself, squared his shoulders, and looked Mara steadily in the eye.

"Hurc should never have been able to surrender himself to the Republic," said Anakin, "because when the Chancellor died, when his heart stopped beating, a message was released out to all the clone legions in the galaxy, a final command to kill all of the Jedi."

Mara frowned. "But why not just ignore it? That's what many of the legions did."

"No, Mara, they couldn't just ignore it. It was part of their behavioral programming. They were engineered to respond to that order from the beginning. No one could disobey."

"So, they were forced to try to kill us? For the rest of their lives?"

"Yes."

It did sound like the kind of underhanded plot a Sith Lord would attempt, and yet Mara's mind rejected it. "It… it just doesn't work that way."

"It can."

"No, it can't! Brainwashing—or psychological programming or subconscious whatever—it's incredibly complex and notoriously faulty. It takes a long time to instill and breaks down fast. To perform it on millions of men with a one hundred percent success rate is impossible."

"The programming wasn't external. It wasn't a type of mesmerism, it was organic, biological chips implanted directly into the subjects' brains after puberty."

"How is that sort of technology possible?"

"The Kaminoans were practiced at producing…slaves," Anakin answered. "They designed the biochips hundreds of years ago to inhibit unwanted behavior in their products. It must have been why the Sith approached them in the first place."

"I thought the clone army was ordered by a Jedi. Wasn't it Master Sifo Dyas who commissioned them? Why would they have a biochip implanted with the command to exterminate other Jedi?"

"Sifo Dyas did not act alone," Qui-Gon interposed. "He was aided by his friend, Count Dooku, my former master. Dooku insinuated himself into Dyas's plan to create an army to protect the Republic and ensured that the soldiers would turn on the Jedi when given the order. He used Dyas's name to cover his tracks and then he killed him."

Mara was flabbergast. "...but the 501st, the 212th, Star Corps—"

"Never received the transmission," said Anakin. "We were able to block the message when we realized what was happening, but by then…"

Mara's mind was starting to feel oddly numb. "And the Jedi just… kept it secret?"

Anakin sighed, half relief, half exhaustion, "it was deemed to be safer that way. The more people knew, the greater the risk that the other troopers would be activated, that someone might try to revive the message."

How many Jedi had known the truth? How many had spent years thinking of all the remaining clones as a ticking time bomb?

"And no one ever resisted the command?"

"No one," Anakin confirmed. "Except Hurc."

Hurc had received the message. His programming had been activated and he had participated in the death of his General, Plo Koon.

And then he had walked freely and willingly into General Secura's camp and, as far as they knew, never tried to harm anyone ever again.

Mara was mulling over the unlikeliness of each turn of this story, thinking on the precarity of it all, both the plot and its foiling, when something else that had never happened before occurred.

The power in the Jedi Temple went out.