Chapter 6:

They returned to Coruscant and went straight to the Council chambers. Eliza still walked behind Obi-Wan and Anakin, not wanting to impose on them but she stood beside Anakin when inside the chambers. The three of them bowed in unison and Mace Windu spoke first.

'I trust the situation has been taken care of?' he asked slowly.

'Not quite,' replied Obi-Wan. 'We seem to have run into a potential threat.'

'Explain, Obi-Wan,' said Yoda slowly.

'There is a new Sith Lord, Darth Desaevio. He is most likely Count Dooku's new apprentice. I fought against him once and I can say that he has been trained well,' he explained.

'And the indigenous people?' asked Mace.

'They weren't too happy when we said that the Sith were still on their planet but they seemed happy to wait and see if they would leave, which, I'm sure they will,' said Anakin confidently.

'Trouble with this Padawan, you have?' Yoda asked after a few moments of silence.

There was then more silence and Anakin glanced at Eliza and she returned it. He turned back to Yoda and gradually shook his head, shrugging his shoulders half-heartedly. 'I will admit that I was not impressed by the sudden pairing on the mission,' said Anakin with some thought. 'But I believe she managed to prove herself. She did help on this mission. I think she did well.'

'That she did,' agreed Obi-Wan.

Eliza avoided all eyes in the room as she attempted to think about something else. 'You do not agree?' asked Eeth Koth slowly.

Eliza shrugged reluctantly. 'I ... don't know,' she replied hesitantly. 'I just did as I was told.'

'That is the role of a Padawan,' said Eeth. 'You will find it gets easier. We all know how it was to be a Padawan and for the moment you seem to be doing fine even after something difficult.'

For some reason, Eliza didn't believe their words. Only a few weeks ago she had a complete meltdown in front of her own Master and they were saying she was doing fine. How was that possible?

They left the Council chambers and Eliza watched Obi-Wan and Anakin leave together in the same direction. She waited for a moment before making a decision. She quickly caught up with them and they stopped walking. Eliza took a moment to get her breath back.

'Master Skywalker,' she said unsurely. 'May I have a word with you?'

Obi-Wan and Anakin exchanged glances but Anakin turned to her and nodded. He gestured for her to lead the way and she led them to a nearby balcony. Anakin patiently waited to hear what she had to say. Eliza eventually looked up at him.

'I know I made the beginning of the mission a little ... difficult,' she started. 'I never meant to cause any problems for you.'

Anakin looked around and eventually shrugged before looking to her again. 'I know you're a Padawan and I will say that, yes, you did give me a headache but ... there is some advice I would like to give you; listen to your Master when he says something. He's not just saying it for the fun of it. He's saying it to help you. I know some things as a Padawan may seem hard to understand now but it will became clearer the more knowledge you gain. You do still have much to learn on being a Padawan and there are some things I think you should have learnt already.'

'May I ask what happened to your Padawan, Ahsoka?' asked Eliza hesitantly after hearing his words.

Anakin instantly looked away but this time he answered her question. 'She was unlucky during our last mission. We were exploring an underground experiment when we were captured. Ahsoka was experimented on. They weren't interested in me though I never found out why. Ahsoka suffered. They broke many bones and poisoned her after she almost escaped.'

'Will she be alright?' Eliza asked quietly.

'Yes,' he replied tightly. 'The medical droid said she'd be back to her old self soon.'

Eliza nodded and gave him a small smile but he didn't return it. Eliza did appreciate him telling her this. Anakin began to leave when he finished speaking. Eliza watched him. 'Master Skywalker?'

He stopped and turned but said nothing. Eliza paused for another moment. 'Thank you.'

He nodded his head once and left. Eliza remained on the balcony. She wanted to stay here and clear her head before going to see Kit. She leaned against the metal railing of the balcony and took a deep breath and exhaling slowly. From that talk with Anakin she had hoped for something a little more encouraging but maybe it was what she needed.

One year later:

Eliza sat alone in the large hall of the Jedi Temple as she ate. Things had changed, with herself and her relationship with Kit. Lately they seemed to be more like Master and apprentice. Over the year Eliza began to see Kit as a mentor and not just someone to replace Lestin.

Eliza's eating slowed as she saw Kit walk into the hall. She could see him smiling as he approached. Is he always this happy? He sat down beside her, his smile still present. 'I wasn't expecting you to be in here,' he said quietly.

Eliza shrugged. She didn't normally eat in the hall. She preferred to eat in her room but her room felt too quiet and lonely at present. She picked up her glass of water and took a small sip. 'Did we have something to do today?' Eliza asked, worried that she had forgotten something.

'No,' said Kit simply. 'After our training session last night you seemed ... uneasy. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.'

She knew what he was referring to. For some reason she felt strange during her training session. She just put it down to feeling a bit off, just a bad day. She hadn't really thought much of it. She gave Kit a nod and a reassuring smile.

'Yes, I am fine,' she replied.

'Good,' replied Kit happily. 'The Council would like to see us later this afternoon. I believe we have a new mission.'

Eliza's smile faded slightly but she nodded her head quickly. 'I will meet you there.'

'Good,' Kit replied, still happy.

Kit made to stand up but Eliza stopped him. 'Master?' she said quickly. Kit sat back down and waited. 'Master, is it possible for Count Dooku to have an apprentice? Isn't he learning the Dark Side from someone? I thought there was ever only two at a time.'

Kit regarded his Padawan for a moment before speaking. 'Maybe Dooku's Master doesn't know or he has been told to train someone else,' said Kit slowly. 'Remember there could be many reasons why he does have an apprentice. But I do not think he will stay around long, if I know the Sith.'

'But Count Dooku was a Jedi for so long and to turn so suddenly....' said Eliza slowly. 'Is he beyond redemption?'

'That is hard to say, Padawan,' said Kit almost sadly. 'Dooku was a great Jedi and he did many great things but sometimes there can be one thing too many and some Jedi find it hard to cope after a long period of time. I don't know if he is beyond redemption but don't underestimate him. The Dark Side still runs through him and his apprentice will have the same feelings.'

It went silent between them and after another moment Kit left the table with much composure and slowly made his way from the hall. Eliza watched until he was gone before going back to the rest of her food. She had thought asking about Darth Desaevio but Eliza knew that if there was something for her to know then Kit would surely tell her. She hadn't gone on another mission since the last one to Endex. The Council and Kit thought she had had enough for the moment. She supposed going on one wouldn't hurt. She was beginning to like being in the Temple again though.

Eliza's thoughts turned back to the planet of Endex as she finished off her food. They heard back from the Entymals only a few days after they had left. The Sith did leave the planet quickly. Since the Jedi knew where they were they decided not to hang around. Eliza could only guess where they've gone to now and how long it would be until they found them again.

She quickly wondered about where they were going to next. She only hoped this mission would turn out much better than the other ones. Bad things couldn't happen on every mission, could it? Eliza was just waiting for the one mission where nothing went wrong, where everything went as it was supposed to.

Later that afternoon Eliza walked to the Council chambers and noticed Kit patiently waiting for her. She approached and nodded her head to him. They entered the chambers together and bowed to the Council. Eliza held her breath, hoping for an easy mission.

'Master Fisto,' started Ki-Adi-Mundi. 'We are sending you and your Padawan to Alderaan. There have been rumours from many locals of Sith activity. We doubt their claims but we want to put them at ease and send someone to check it out.'

'You should leave immediately,' said Mace Windu slowly. 'Senator Organa knows you will be there and he will join you on the planet shortly. May the Force be with you.'

They bowed again and left in silence. They left Coruscant immediately and set off for Alderaan. Half-way there Eliza moved from the back of the ship and sat beside Kit. He looked at her briefly. 'Do you plan on learning how to pilot?' he asked.

Eliza shrugged. 'Maybe. I've never had any feel for it though,' she said honestly.

'It could come in handy,' said Kit.

Eliza nodded. 'Maybe,' she said again. She paused and thought for a moment. 'Master?'

'Yes,' said Kit slowly.

'Alderaan is a nice place, right?' she asked indolently.

'Yes, it is,' said Kit slowly, suddenly noticing his Padawan's state but he continued. 'Alderaan is a peaceful and unarmed planet. There shouldn't be much going on but we still must check it out, if only to calm the locals down.'

'Don't they have a military or someone else on the planet that could take care of it?' asked Eliza, looking at him.

'As I said Padawan, it is a peaceful planet,' said Kit clearly. 'They have barely any crime so they have no need for a policing force. Many think they should still have one but Senator Organa decides what happens for his planet.'

Eliza nodded. She took a deep breath and relaxed her mind. I'm not going to argue. 'Where on the planet are we starting from?' asked Eliza, changing the topic slightly.

'We are going to the capital, Aldera. It is located in the mountains of the planet, nestled near a large lake and the best way to get there is by air.'

'You've been there before,' stated Eliza.

'Yes,' said Kit.

Silence lay between them again and Eliza looked out the view window, though the only thing to see where stars; thousands and thousands of stars. Eliza sighed and shifted in her seat. Kit glanced over but quickly looked away. He could sense that she did not feel right.

'Are you feeling alright Padawan?' he asked eventually.

'Yes,' said Eliza unconvincingly. She received a small doubtful look from Kit and she unconsciously rolled her eyes. 'I am alright but I'm still feeling a little off, I think.'

'Are you ill?' asked Kit concerned.

'No, I do not think so,' Eliza replied honestly. 'I'll be fine.'

Kit nodded his head once and went back to concentrating on flying. Nothing was said between them again until they reached Alderaan. They landed at the large spaceport of Aldera and they immediately made their way to the royal palace. They were quickly greeted by one of the many royal guards.

Eliza looked around in awe of the breathtaking white, flowing architecture of the buildings. Eliza wondered how many people lived in the capital city as there seemed to be many, many royals guards around. It made her question the fact of their no policing or military force when they had so many royal guards.

'Welcome to Aldera,' said the guard politely. 'I am Captain Tolas Eldin. The queen is expecting you. Please, follow me.'

Kit bowed his head to him and they followed. They walked through the palace leisurely and Eliza continued to be amazed at the beauty of the buildings. She had never seen anything like it. They entered the throne room and Eliza gasped audibly. Kit gave her a tiny smile.

The room was stunning. Two large throne chairs sat at the back though only one was occupied, the walls were covered in drapes of red and gold and thousands of candles lined the walls, lighting up the room brightly. The wooden floors were shiny and clean and a long layer of red carpet led to the golden throne chairs.

They walked up the stretch of red carpet and stood before the queen. Eliza looked her over. She was very beautiful. She sat still, rigid. She had long black hair that was tied back into a tight plaited bun and her brown eyes watched them cautiously. It made Eliza wonder how many visitors they got.

She was dressed in a long royal dress. It was a deep rich blue and made of velvet. It touched the floor easily and it extended down to her arms in a lined pattern. Her headdress was made of fine brown wool weaved together with the same blue velvet reaching down from it as a veil down her back.

All three of them bowed to her and she acknowledged their presence. Kit spoke clearly and politely. 'Good evening, your majesty. We have been sent by the Jedi Council to help put people's fears to rest. I am Master Kit Fisto and this is my Padawan, Eliza Linth.'

'I am glad to hear it,' said the queen strongly. 'I am Queen Breha Organa. Welcome to Alderaan. We do not get many Jedi visitors on this planet and I would suggest not making it obvious to whom you are.'

'It is not an easy thing to hide, your majesty,' interjected Kit. 'Even if our clothes changed it would be apparent that we are not from here.'

The queen seemed to take that into consideration. 'Very well,' she said slowly. 'I suppose this will have to do then. Look around where needed but I heavily implore you not to start any trouble while you are here. If something is found I hope you can diffuse it discreetly.'

'Of course,' said Kit courteously.

'Good,' said the queen. Her eyes shifted to Eliza and lingered but she said nothing. Her eyes quickly moved back to Kit. 'Captain Eldin will be escorting you while you are here.'

They took that to be the end of the meeting. They left the room and followed Tolas back to the entrance of the palace. 'I am getting a small airspeeder ready to take us to Crevasse City.'

'Why not just fly there?' asked Eliza.

'Because Crevasse City has no spaceport. The entire city is located inside a canyon, that's how it came to get its name.'

'Another canyon,' Eliza muttered under her breath.

Tolas gave her a confused look but Kit smiled at her, amused but he said nothing. He turned back to Tolas. 'What can you tell us about it?'

'Let's get to the airspeeder and I'll fill you in on the way,' he said quickly.

Eliza then noticed how many people were beginning to look their way. She saw Kit nod in agreement and they followed Tolas down to the spaceport that they arrived in. Once into the small airspeeder they set off. Eliza looked around. She hadn't seen many airspeeders before but this was quite comfortable. It was pure white in colour and contained two seating areas. Kit and Eliza sat behind Tolas who was quite proficient in piloting it. Just in case, Eliza stealthily held onto the side with one hand.

'As I said before Crevasse City has no spaceport but it does have public transportation links with Aldera which handles all of the city's space traffic. There are many things to do and places to go in Crevasse City including many restaurants, bars and even parks and it has one of the best reputations with hotels on the planet.

'The city was constructed downwards, which means that the oldest buildings are on the surface, with the newer facilities being built lower into the canyon...'

'Is that safe?' asked Eliza, cutting in.

Tolas seemed to take no offense to the interruption. 'Oh yes,' he replied. 'It has stood for many, many years. There have been concerns before but they were all unfounded. There have no cracks in the canyon. I think it is much stronger than people believe.'

Tolas continued telling them about the city. 'And of course the lowest levels of the canyon have remained untouched throughout Alderaan's history and feature a maze of caverns containing beautiful crystal formations, hot springs, and underground lakes. Also, hidden in the far corner of the city lay its industrial section. It is powered by geothermal power plants. It is also home to Alderaan's only mining operations.'

'I cannot imagine the place receives much sunlight,' commented Kit.

'No, it doesn't,' said Tolas with a chuckle. 'The surface of Crevasse City receives no more than six hours of sunlight a day. The city streets and hallways are filled with artificial lighting built into the architecture in various artistic and clever forms. The colour of the lights take on unique means too; white for death and mourning, blue for happiness, green for love, silver for prosperity and orange for danger or warning.'

'Can more than one colour be used at a time?' asked Eliza unsurely.

'Yes, of course,' replied Tolas. 'You'll find other colours in other sections also. The city is quite expansive.'

After half an hour they arrived at Crevasse City. Tolas took them down through the city in the airspeeder until they reached a parking level. He parked the airspeeder alongside many others and they left the parking area. They walked up a few levels and entered one of the many bars, though Eliza didn't like the look of this place too much.

The whole bar had a dank and depressed look. The air was misty and clouded with smoke. Eliza coughed a little as they entered and she squinted as she tried to see clearly.

'Master, why are we here?' she asked quietly.

'I do not know,' Kit replied. 'But I am sure we will find out soon.'

They seemed to walk into the back part of the bar. They walked up a flight of stairs and entered a small room. This room wasn't cloudy or misty and looked much nicer than the rest of the bar. The man behind a desk in the room stood up and approached them. He shook hands with Tolas vigorously. He chuckled heartedly.

'Tolas, m'boy, how are you?'

'I am well, yourself?'

'Same, same,' he said dismissively. 'I see you've brought friends.'

'Yes,' said Tolas, quickly remembering why he was there. 'These are Jedi that were sent to help us.' He turned to look at Kit and Eliza. 'This is Olivier Kalar. He is an old and dear friend of my father's,' he explained. 'He was one of the people who have seen dodgy activity on the planet.'

Eliza looked Olivier over briefly. He was human and quite a tall one at that. His hair was extremely short and fair in colour as was his skin. He was unshaven and Eliza questioned whether he showered regularly. He clothes appeared old and they were ripped in several places.

'In this city?' asked Eliza looking at Olivier through narrow eyes.

'Yes, this very city,' said Olivier.

'I think the activity being reported was Sith activity?' said Kit slowly. 'What do you mean by dodgy?'

'Please, make yourselves comfortable,' he said quickly. 'I'm sure the dodgy activity is with the Sith but I don't really have any proof and I knew the best way to get the Jedi to investigate was to say that the Sith were doing this.'

That wasn't something Eliza wanted to hear. She opened her mouth to speak but Kit moved his hand to stop her. Eliza nodded and closed her mouth. 'What makes you believe the Sith are behind anything going on here?' asked Kit politely.

Olivier walked over to his desk and sat down again. Tolas moved to the side but remained standing. Olivier's bark like laughter filled the room and he leaned back in his chair. 'How could it not be them?' he asked rhetorically.

'That's quite an assumption,' said Eliza darkly.

Olivier's smile faded on his face slowly. Kit glanced at her but quickly turned back to Olivier. 'What my Padawan means to say is that is it better to be safe than sorry,' said Kit clearly. 'Just tell us where the activity is and we shall have a look.'

'Good,' said Olivier, his grin returning. He took a map out of his desk draw and opened it up and spread it across his wooden desk. He gestured for Kit and Eliza to join him and they slowly walked over. Eliza's eyes widened a little as she looked over the map. This city really was much larger than she had imagined.

'Now,' said Olivier markedly. 'This is the industrial section here,' he said pointing to the very bottom right hand corner of the map. 'And this area here is where most people live. And here is where most of the entertainments are, though of course you still get the odd one in different places. Now, the place where the activity is happening is in two places, down here near one of the clubs and the other is on the lowest level of the canyon but it has been hard to get down there. We all know it would be a hard place to get out of once in there since it's heavily guarded and if you're caught I doubt you'll be leaving.'

'And where do you suggest we start?' asked Kit still looking the map over.

'You should start in the club first. It's called The Fountain and you'll find quite a few different species there, so you should be careful. Some of them have no love for strangers or visitors, no matter who they are.'

'We shall leave then,' said Kit.

He walked away and Eliza followed but not before turning back to look at Olivier. Half way to The Fountain Eliza slowed her walking and Kit quickly noticed. 'Padawan ... what is wrong?'

Eliza gave Kit an incredulous look. Didn't he know? 'Master, this has to be a trap.'

'Oh,' said Kit as though suddenly realising something. 'And why do you think that?'

'Because it's too convenient,' Eliza replied instantly.

'Explain,' said Kit quietly.

They continued walking and the look on Eliza's face worsened. Is he testing me? 'Well ... Kalar seemed to know the exact places where activity was coming from, he knew about the guards, he says it would be hard to get out of there, how would he know if he hasn't actually been there.'

'Slow down, Padawan,' said Kit firmly. 'You're getting your thoughts mixed.'

'How could he have all of that information without being in on it?' said Eliza quickly.

'You accused Kalar of assumption,' said Kit giving her a firm look. 'Do not make the same mistake.'

Eliza sighed in annoyance and bit her tongue. She wasn't assuming, was she? They continued walking and Eliza couldn't shake her bad feeling.

'Master, you must know that this is too convenient to be anything but a trap.'

'Oh, I'm sure it is,' said Kit calmly. 'But the only way to get to the bottom of it is to spring the trap.'

'Without back-up?' asked Eliza worriedly.

'I doubt we will need it,' said Kit softly. 'I highly doubt the Sith are involved in this. From the sound of it, it's nothing more than some petty thieves.'

'But what they are doing then?'

'They could be doing anything, Padawan,' said Kit quietly. 'That is why we are going to have a look.'

There was a moment's silence before Eliza spoke again. 'Master, are there any other Jedi on this planet?'

'Not to my knowledge. Why do you ask?' asked Kit, a small trace of unease in his voice.

'I'm just curious,' she said facetiously.

They reached The Fountain in silence and Kit looked the door over before touching it. After a moment he pushed against it softly and it creaked open a little. Eliza looked up at Kit then back at the door. Kit pushed the door the rest of the way open.

'It doesn't look as though it's open for business,' commented Eliza shakily.

Kit said nothing as he entered the club with Eliza following behind. Once inside the door slammed shut behind them, making both of them jump in surprise. Eliza turned to face the door and looked to the bottom of it. A light was glowing through it.

'Master,' she whispered into the darkness. 'There's an orange light shining through from the other side we just passed.'

'I know, I see it,' said Kit quickly.

Eliza reached her arms out into the darkness but she felt nothing and there was nothing to see but the orange light on the other side. Eliza touched the door and felt for a handle but there wasn't one. She turned her back to it and stared back in the darkness.

'Master?' she whispered.

There came no reply. Eliza inhaled shakily. 'Master?' she repeated.

Again there was no reply. Eliza's breathing turned panicky and shakier. Her eyes widened and she eventually found herself able to move her legs. Eliza suddenly stopped as she almost lost her balance. Her legs felt heavy from fear as though they were made from lead.

Eliza felt as though she were walking down a long corridor. She called for Kit again but there was still nothing but silence. Eliza reached out to both sides of her and she connected with something solid, like a wall and quickly she noticed it was closing in. Eliza's eyes widened further and she began to run. She thought of turning back but she had no concept of how far she had come. Eventually she saw some light. Eliza screamed as the walls touched her. She turned flat against one side and panted heavily. She was going to die. Eliza closed her eyes and waited for the pain but nothing happened.

Eliza opened her eyes. She felt for the wall in front of her but there was nothing but air and space there but the wall she was leaning against was still present. Eliza pressed her palms against it, her panting continued. She looked around though she still saw nothing. Within seconds, laughter filled her ears and her head turned sharply towards the noise.

'Come on out little Jedi,' said a deep male voice. It sounded strangely and horribly familiar.

Eliza swallowed hard and treaded softly towards the light. The hallway opened into a large room with a large round bar located in the centre. The room was crowded. She took her lightsaber and ignited it. Laughter filled the room loudly.

Eliza scanned the room again. There were many different species within the room. Eliza lost count after about the fifteenth one and they were all pointing weapons at her but she couldn't see Kit anywhere. A tall and shapely female Chiss stepped forwards. It was apparent she was in charge but Eliza knew that she wasn't the one that had spoken.

Eliza kept her eyes on the Chiss. She was quite tall, thin and her blue skin was bright and her red eyes glowed in what seemed to be excitement or joy, Eliza couldn't quite tell. The Chiss moved forwards and stopped a few feet from Eliza and she leaned forwards slightly, her long, shiny black hair falling over her shoulder elegantly.

'Put that thing away, little Jedi,' she whispered in an almost seductive tone.

'Where is my Master?' Eliza asked, finally gaining the state of mind to talk.

The Chiss' shrilly laughed bounced off the walls. 'Oh, he is fine.'

Eliza watched as the Chiss reached down her long body and took a gun off her hip. She pulled the trigger and it hit Eliza square in the chest. Eliza made to shout but nothing emerged and her eyes widened from the suddenness of being shot. Everything went black and Eliza fell to the ground in a heap.