It was not until later, when she was tossing and turning in her bed that she remembered the holochip that the frightened Nemoidian had brought to her. When she activated it, the grinning visage of Non looked at her, his eyes empty and black; his voice shattered her fragile peace and sent her back to that mission, that night, that moment, which she had tried so hard to forget.

"Hey there, sugar!" He waved in an almost friendly manner, as though greeting her on the street. "Hopefully you got this message, otherwise that little frog-man is toast. Ah, who am I kidding? He's toast no matter what!" Non tilted his head to one side, putting his chin in his hand in an exaggerated motion of thoughtfulness. "Now, where was I? Oh yes. So, now that your teach is out of the way, what say you and I play a little game, hmmm? By now you know I take my games very seriously, so I think you'll play along. Won't you?" He paused and bent to pick something up. It was a picture of a little girl, a Togratan. "She's a cutie, isn't she? Force-sensitive, so they say. Anyway, I think you should meet me at the coordinates at the end of this message, ASAP, or this little girl..." He held up the picture and tore it in two, slowly, his hollow eyes fixed on Kali's. A giggle escaped his throat as he waved goodbye, letting the pieces of the picture flutter out of the frame. "Don't bring any of your Jedi buddies, either! That wouldn't be fair at all! Bye bye!"

A series of coordinates appeared-from Couruscant, no less- then the transmission ended.

Kali, who had been standing in the middle of her room, held perfectly still for several moments, inhaling and exhaling in one of the meditations that she had done her entire life. She felt a strange calm wash over her, a sense of certainty and utter rightness that accompanied her single thought: I know what I must do. It took her only a few minutes to gather what supplies she needed: cloak and boots; the pack that came with her on every mission, filled with spare food tablets and other necessities that she had never unpacked from her last mission; Jonas' lightsaber, which she had managed to keep after his death, clipped to her belt offered her a measure of comfort.

At the entrance to the stairs, she paused; her instincts told her that going alone was not a wise thing, but she was reluctant to involve anyone else. Still, she thought, toying with the hem of her robe. I should at least tell someone where I'm going...just in case. With that thought in mind, she hurried to Obi-wan's room, however, as she raised her hand to rap at his door, something made her pause. No. I should do this alone. I can't get him in any more trouble than I have. Shoulders squared, she slipped down the stairs, moving as quietly as she could, her mind running over the next bit of her fragmented plan; since she didn't have enough fare to take her to the destination, she'd have to work something else out. Perhaps someone is at the club, she thought as she exited the Temple, glancing around carefully before taking the final steps onto the street. Or maybe I can contact Dex?

"Kali!"

She whirled around, her mouth dropping open as a rumpled and restless-looking Obi-wan appeared from the shadows, incredulity written across his features. "What are you doing? Do you want to get kicked out?"

"I should ask you the same thing," she replied. Quickly, she explained the holochip, feeling for it in her pocket. "Blast! I must have left it in my room...anyway, there's not much time. Ben," she looked at her friend. "He's holding a hostage-and he wants me to come. Alone. I must try."

Obi-wan shook his head. "That's insane. I'll get Qui-gon- you can't do this alone!"

She put her hand on his arm. "The more we delay, the more danger that little girl is in. I believe him when he says he'll kill her." Fear flooded her, but she kept it at bay.

"You can't do this, you'll be expelled from the Order," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "Please, let me get someone else."

"I can't. This is taking too long as it is."

He nodded, swallowing thickly. "Very well. Where do we have to go?"

"We?"

The infuriating smile was back, tempered by worry, though it still made her heart skip a beat or two. "You don't think I'm letting you go alone, do you?" It was his turn to put a hand on hers.

"But you could be expelled too! Ben, it's not fair!"

He shrugged. "I can let you go and very likely see you killed. Or I can go with you, and we can both be thrown out of the Temple for our disobedience. It doesn't seem like much of a choice."

She glared at him. "I'm perfectly capable to handle this on my own, Obi-wan. Besides, we have to play by his rules, for now, anyway." Even as she said them, the words felt hollow.

"I will make myself scarce," he replied. "And if you need me, I'll be there. Also," he wiggled his hand in the pocket of his tunic. "I had a few credits in my room that may come in handy. So, where are we going?"

Beaming, Kalinda kissed him. "You're crazy and I love it," she whispered, grinning despite herself, before the two Padawans scurried into the darkness.

Qui-gon opened his eyes, the slanted light from the meditation chamber fracturing his features as he listened, or rather, felt what the Force was telling him. Obi-wan has left the Temple, he thought. The realization should have caused him some measure of alarm, but he had trained for his entire life to remain calm in the face of any kind of disaster, even a miniature one. Kali has gone, too, he realized as his awareness expanded. With a sigh, he uncrossed his legs and stood up, heading to the chambers of the senior members of the Council. He did not have to rap on Mace Windu's door, as the man had sensed his presence and was waiting for him.

"Master Jin," Mace said, a question implied in his tone.

"My Padawan has gone missing, along with another student," Qui-gon began. He explained what he knew and Mace nodded.

"I have been keeping tabs on Kalinda for some time," he replied, putting a hand to his chin in thought. Noticing Qui-gon's incredulity he raised a brow. "I wanted to know exactly what kind of person my future Padawan is," he explained.

"Your Padawan?" Qui-gon frowned. "You know what she's been up to? You knew she was sneaking out? Why did you not stop her?"

Mace nodded again before stepping out the door and striding down the corridor. "I want to see what she'll do. Come," he said, beckoning to the other Jedi. "We should be there in case things do not go as well as I hope."

"Do you have a plan, or are we just running blind?"

Kalinda threw up her hand as an air taxi slowed beside them, giving the driver the address of the Chrysalis. "I'm working on it." As a matter of fact, an idea had occurred to her, a wild thing that had begun beating at the frayed edges of her mind. They said nothing else to one another until they reached the club, stepping out of the taxi and into the chill of the early morning air; the club was close, naturally, but Kali walked past it, down the street to the right.

"We're not going to the Chrysalis?" His voice was hushed. Their footfalls were nearly silent against the sidewalk as they hurried along.

Kali shook her head. "No. I just didn't have the right address...but it's not far. Hold on..." She paused in front of a weathered-looking tenement, studying the address. After a moment she nodded to herself and buzzed one of the numbers by the door. There was no reply, so she tried again.

"Who lives here?"

"Hello?"

Despite her nerves, Kali smiled. "Lirra? It's me. I'm sorry to bother you, but I need help...will you let me in, please?"

There was a long pause before the Twi'lek replied. "Are you hurt, Kam?"

"No," Kali answered. "But I'm kind of in a hurry." The light by the number turned green, and the two Padawans slipped inside the building. Obi-wan looked at her as they hurried to the turbo lift but said nothing, though she could see the doubt in his eyes. She glanced at her wrist only to see that she'd forgotten her chronometer, so she grabbed his arm to read his.

"Did he give you a time frame?" Obi-wan's voice was quiet.

She shook her head. "No. But..."

He nodded and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "We'll be in time."

A faint smile crossed her face, but she made no reply as the lift halted and they exited on Lirra's floor, where the violet-skinned Twi'lek was waiting for them, dressed in a fuzzy green robe with a perplexed expression. "Kam? What are you..." she trailed off as the Padawans stood before her. "Oh. You're a Jedi? I didn't..." she sighed. "You'd better come inside. My roommate's not in," she added as she ushered them into the modest apartment. As soon as the door closed, Lirra crossed her arms and gave Kali and Obi-wan a stern look. "What is going on here, Kam? What's wrong? Why did you lie about being a Jedi?"

Kalinda sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "I'm so sorry to bother you, Lirra, but I need to find Elek. I have...a business proposition for him. As for me being a Jedi, well," she shrugged. "I didn't lie-no one ever asked me if I was or not. If you had, I would have told you." She frowned. "I'm pretty sure that Dex knows, anyway."

Lirra inhaled deeply, her lekku twitching. "What kind of business would you have with Elek?"

With another sigh, Kali explained the situation to the Twi'lek, who looked more incredulous with every word, her eyes darting to Obi-wan occasionally. Finally she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead with her fingertips. "Look, I know it's a long shot, but I don't know what else to do," Kali finished, fidgeting with the hem of her robe. "Please, Lirra. I'm not sure what else to do."

"What's your real name?"

Kali blanched, then flushed deeply. "Kalinda Halcyon. Kamala was my mother's name."

At this, Obi-wan gave her a startled look, which she ignored as she watched Lirra. "Will you help me?"

After a moment, the Twi'lek sighed and nodded, pulling out her personal comm from her pocket. "Elek?" she said, glancing at Kali. "Are you busy?"

What are they doing? Qui-gon thought as he watched his Padawan and Kalinda hurrying away from the tenement. He glanced at Mace Windu, standing beside him on the landing platform that overlooked the street. "I hope you know what you're doing, Master," he said, his voice quiet.

His companion made no reply, merely nodded in the direction that the Padawans were headed. "I think they're going to meet him now," he said. "Come on." Leaping from building to building, the Jedi were able to keep within sight of the Padawans, though they were careful to keep their Force-presences masked. Finally, after almost an hour, the Padawans stopped before what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. Qui-gon and Mace crept close enough to hear them, using the Force to magnify their hushed words.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Obi-wan asked, glancing around.

"Doesn't it look like the kind of place a mass-murderer would take a kidnapped child?" Kalinda replied, stepping to the door. "Now, make yourself scarce. You know the plan."

Qui-gon could feel his Padawan's hesitation. "I don't want you to get hurt," he said to her.

Kalinda shook her head. "Please, Ben. Go hide. I'll call you if I need you."

Obi-wan touched her cheek. "I will always come for you." With that, he slipped into the shadows and out of sight. After a moment, Kalinda activated the warehouse door and stepped inside.

Mace glanced at Qui-gon. "We'll split up. You follow your Padawan while I enter through the back." He frowned.

"What is it?"

"A disturbance in the Force," the dark-eyed Jedi replied. "Something is very wrong here. We were right to come."

"We should never have let them go alone."

Mace's brow lifted. "That's why we didn't."

The warehouse was a yawning chasm, darkened despite the encroaching dawn; memories of Echothalia's caverns flooded Kalinda's mind as she stepped through the massive room, using the Force to enhance her awareness-at one point, a familiar presence flickered on the edge of her mind, but she dismissed it in the next moment, when she saw the child. She was tied to a broken crate, her body splayed over the top, hanging limp like a rag doll. "No," Kali breathed, leaping forward to reach the little girl. The moment she crossed the middle of the room, a spray of darts hissed from the ceiling, narrowly missing her as she managed to roll away at the last moment. While she got to her feet, she heard the same, sickening giggle that she recognized far too well, and an image of Jonas, bloody and broken, entered her mind. Grimacing, she tried to push the thought away, to focus on the here and now. That's all that matters, she thought as she approached the child, repeating the words in her head like a mantra.

However, when she reached the girl she realized her mistake. It was a toy of some kind, whose false eyes looked at her blankly. Kali felt her blood turn cold as she heard footsteps behind her; she turned slowly, her hand on her saber-on Jonas' saber, which she had taken as her own-and faced Non.

He was dressed as he had been before, though he seemed larger to her somehow, despite the fact that he was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, glancing around the room with a casual nature that contrasted with the thudding of Kalinda's heart. She raised her chin.

"Non," she said, fighting to keep her voice steady. "You are under arrest for the mu-"

"My dear girl," he interrupted, approaching her with his hand outstretched. "I can't believe that you betrayed me." His gloved hand moved over his heart. "And after everything we've been through, too. I'm deeply hurt."

She narrowed her eyes, but took a step back. "You will stay where you are," she replied. "You will surrender yourself, Non, or you won't live to see the next day." She ignited Jonas' saber, the brilliant yellow glow filling the space around her.

This set him off into a fit of squealing laughter. "Are you going to kill me, Kali? That's not very Jedi-ey of you."

Her jaw tightened. "I should."

His mask grinned at her, the mouth empty and black. "Ah, sweet revenge! But you won't, I know that. You're a coward, like Blondie. He had potential, though," Non added, putting a hand to his chin. "I'll give him that. But he was weak, as you all are weak." These last words were injected with venom. "I thought you might be promising, but not so much, not after the busted knee, hmmm?"

Her saber hummed. "I'm giving you one last change to surrender, Non," she said, though her voice was shaking. "If you turn yourself in-"

She was not prepared for how quickly he sprang at her, nor the series of small bombs that he tossed behind him in the instant before his hand closed about her throat. She felt a small prick of pain in her neck even as the rest of the warehouse ignited in yellow and orange flame; her thoughts grew muddled and muggy as she swayed. Non watched her, his masked face close to her own; she could feel his breath against her skin.

"That's it," he cooed. "Sleep..."

An image of Jonas sprang to her mind as the blackness started to overtake her. Kali, he said, Kali, don't give in to him! You are stronger than you think; you can do this. I am so proud of you...She felt a hand on her shoulder, heard the sound of boots over the duracrete floor, opened her eyes to see Non's face inches from her own. With all of the strength she could muster, she gathered the Force around her and pushed him away from her, towards the flames that were starting to die down. She held her saber at his throat, raising her comm to her face as she spoke. "Elek? Now would be good."

Non's legs were longer than she had anticipated and he leveled a blow at her injured knee, causing her to shriek and collapse, dropping her saber to where it rolled out of her grasp. He was beside her in the next moment, a small blaster held over her heart. "Another dead Jedi," he mused. "How predictable."