SHEEV PALPATINE

Palpatine was happy.

He was now in his ship, returning to Coruscant after realizing his brilliant plan. He was able to give force users the crucial intel needed for their ritual and even aided them in conducting it. Well, aided was a strong word. He just pretended to know what to do, saying random things with a serious voice. No one corrected him, so he assumed he did everything alright or no one else knew what to do either.

Apparently whatever he did, it worked as he heard some sort of scream in his head, which he assumed came from the dark veil. Because what else could it be? A lot of force users on Odessen acted quite agitated after hearing it, but master Yoda told him that their plan worked, so Palpatine decided it was just some force business he wasn't privy to.

He also made a recruitment speech to the people gathered, giving them his brand new business cards (well, Chancellor cards) and describing benefits of working with him. No one came to him directly, but he was able to overhear some of these people talking about aiding the Jedi order, who were his subordinates, so he assumed he was successful and force users were just shy.

Overall, he thought that his trip was successful. There were some unexpected developments, like a weird, spontaneously appearing mirialan woman, but other than that, there were no complications.

Satisfied with his work, he laid on his bed, intending to get his deserved rest before reaching Coruscant. He closed his eyes, waiting to fall asleep, a content smile on his face.

"You are a complete and utter disappointment!" Someone screamed into his ear, making Palpatine jump out of bed in fright. Without any thought on his part, his hands released a surge of electricity in the direction of the voice, illuminating the room with blue light and filling it with the smell of ozone.

Palpatine looked at his hands in wonder, surprised by his newfound ability. He tried to use the force before, but without much success. How was he able to do something so advanced without any effort or awareness when he wasn't even able to lift a feather when he tried to use the force consciously? Whatever he did, he didn't even know how to repeat it. He would have to try it again later.

He however had other concerns at the moment, namely an unknown person in his room. Palpatine quickly raised his eyes from his hands, forgetting about his previous excitement.

Before him stood a muun, clothed in the dark robe. His expression was full of barely contained rage, ready to be released at the slightest excuse. Despite the intruder's unusual appearance, it wasn't the most important part. For some reason Palpatine was sure that this person wasn't actually standing in his room, which was only confirmed further by the fact that the man was looking a little transparent, had no shadow and there was a hole in the wall behind him made by Palpatine's lightning.

Palpatine connected the dots. All these clues led to only one reasonable explanation.

"Ghost!" He screamed, completely terrified. Why was the ghost there? Was this ship haunted? Did some unfortunate muun die there and now was trying to make others share his fate?

Palpatine didn't want to die! He was too young! Well, his body was old, but his current life began only a few months ago. He didn't want it to end so soon!

"You killed me!" Announced the spirit ominously, confirming Palpatine's suspicions. He was a troubled ghost, looking for its killers. He thought Palpatine was one of them! "You killed me in my sleep, like a coward! But that's not the worst part! I could even understand killing me! But destroying our legacy?! Our mission, passed from generations to generations?! How dare you?!"

The spirit was getting more and more mad sith every word, making Palpatine really afraid. He didn't want to die just because he was mistaken for some cowardly killer! He hadn't killed anyone yet! The spirit started walking towards him, still full of rage. Palpatine's heart was beating like mad as he was thinking how to resolve this situation.

"And you had your chance at achieving our destiny! You could have exterminated these vermin with just one order! Why didn't you do this?! Why did you waste a thousand years of planning in such a foolish way?!" Should he call guards? No, this was a ghost. Normal weapons wouldn't work and he didn't want to endanger his loyal troops.

Think Palpatine, think! Who would be able to deal with ghosts? Ghost hunters, obviously. He didn't know any though, something he should rectify later. If he were to survive this encounter that is.

The ghost was coming closer and closer. Palpatine was getting desperate. What should he do?! The spirit raised your hand, trying to reach him.

Palpatine waved his hand in panic, a desperate attempt of pushing the ghost away from him. He knew it probably wouldn't work, but it was an instinct at this point.

To his own surprise, he felt his arm was filling with power as it was flying in the direction of the ghost. Spirit only had a second to be surprised before it was hit squarely in the face. It was sent flying by the force of the blow, phasing through the walls of the ship and leaving into space. Palpatine didn't know what would happen to this ghost, being sent into space like that, and at the moment he didn't really care. He had more important things to think about.

He raised his hand above his head, staring at it with amazement. He just punched a ghost. He knew what it meant. He...

Was a ghost hunter!

AAYLA SECURA

The Food was delicious. The food was bland.

One would think that these two descriptions couldn't be used simultaneously and yet Aayla couldn't help but feel that it described her food perfectly.

She was now on Ryloth, her homeworld. She was there for the first time since her childhood, when master Vos saved her and brought her to the order, making her forget about Ryloth for years.

When she heard she was to be deployed there to stop the separatist occupation, she wasn't sure what to feel. She certainly didn't feel any deep connection to Ryloth. She was raised by the order, so her memories of early childhood spent on the planet were hazy and unreliable. But even though she didn't have any specific memories from her earliest years spent there, pleasant or otherwise, she still felt a profound sadness after hearing the news about separatists conquering Ryloth.

When she was sent there, she didn't expect to feel anything. She thought she would treat it just like any other planet under separatist threat. Something that has to be stopped, but without having any personal attachment to the mission. After all, Jedi weren't supposed to have any attachments, as it would lead to the temptations of the dark side. Something that had to be avoided.

She understood that. But when she took the first step on the planet, she felt her emotions, normally so controlled, welling up. She tempered them quickly, but she found out that they would stay as her constant companion during the retaking of Ryloth. It was quite troubling for Aayla, as she knew that it was unbecoming of a jedi to treat any planet differently just because of the personal connection to it. Every planet deserved the republic's help and they should be treated equally.

It was, however, easier said than done.

Right now Aayla was sitting in the communal house, located in the village they just liberated. Despite her protests, she was given food by the villagers as a token of thanks for freeing them from separatists forces. She was currently eating it, marveling at how the food can be so bland and yet so delicious at the same time. It wasn't a jab at the hosts. She knew that these villagers were in a very bad situation and they didn't have any access to something as luxurious as seasonings. The very fact that they were actually sharing the food with her meant that they were good people. She was just stating facts. The food was really bland.

And yet she almost felt like crying while eating it. It brought back distant memories of home, half-forgotten from age. She caught herself wishing for this mission to be over, so that she wouldn't have to deal with these unwanted emotions.

She was sitting quietly, slowly eating the food brought to her by villagers. Right now she didn't have anything to do, as she was still waiting for her officer's order to move out of the village. It was one of the changes made by the senate after Palpatine's reveal. Jedi were no longer considered officers, instead they would be treated as elite troops, subordinate to Republic's officers. Technically Jedi could still become an officer through finishing an appropriate training, so it wasn't as big of a restriction as it sounded, but normally they would be treated like normal soldiers.

Aayla thought it was a sensible change. She still thought that it was the Jedi's duty to advise these officers, so that they wouldn't do anything immoral, but actual experience was needed during this constantly changing war, so it was better that the armies of the Republic were led by actual admirals and generals, letting jedi focus on more important matters.

She was finishing her meal when she saw someone sitting on the other side of her table. When she looked up, she saw a young human, with short hair and light stubble. At first she thought that maybe he was a jedi, as he was wearing a brown robe, similar to the one worn in order, but then she saw a light armor underneath it, quite different from ones used in the republic. Who was that man?

"So, what is a beauty like you doing in a place like this?" Started the man with a charming smile, waiting for her response. What? Was he…hitting on her? She was flattered, but she was a Jedi. She wasn't allowed to have any attachments. Technically jedi weren't required to be celibate, but engaging in things like that could lead to the temptation, so Aayla didn't plan to do anything of this sort. Especially when the man before her was so suspicious.

How did a human, who obviously wasn't a clone trooper, ended up in a small twi'lek village? She didn't remember seeing the man before and none of the officers looked similar to him. What did he try to accomplish by talking to her?

"I see nothing wrong with this place. And it would be proper for you to introduce yourself first before trying to start the conversation" She replied, trying to learn this man's identity. She reached for the force, trying to sense if this man was a threat, but the force was silent, indicating that he wasn't dangerous, or at least directly so. Still, it would be wise to learn more about the man.

"Sorry, my name is Banemi Hath. Nice to meet you" He said cheerfully, still acting friendly "And I didn't mean anything bad about this place. I just wanted to use this pick up line for so long and I finally had a chance" He chuckled after giving her an answer, seemingly honest.

Aayla had to admit that he seemed…harmless. Odd, but certainly not dangerous. The question was, what was he doing there?

"Aayla Secura '' She introduced herself, not wanting to be rude herself "May I ask you what you are doing here? It isn't exactly a place someone would find by accident"

"You are right" Agreed the man, nodding his head as if she just told him some cosmic truth "I actually had a goal in coming here. You see, I was looking for you" He said, smiling. Looking for her? For what purpose? If he was from the republic, he would have just contacted her superiors and they would inform her. There shouldn't be a reason for going to her personally if it wasn't something extremely important.

"And why is that?" She asked, quite interested in the reason. He obviously had an important goal.

"Because your adventure sounded the most interesting" Replied Banemi, surprising Aayla. What was he talking about? Adventure? The most interesting? "I mean, there were so many options. Padawans, knights, masters. They were all fine. But I was looking for something special"

He looked at Aayla with a childish glee, completely unexpected on the face of a previously normal, if slightly rude man.

"I don't really know what you are talking about" responded Aayla, feeling out of the loop. This man knew something she didn't, but she wasn't sure what it was.

"I will explain. A young jedi returning to her homeworld after so many years away. She saw the misery of her people and decided to help, fighting against the terrifying enemy. She was going to liberate her homeworld, reconnecting with her roots in the process, becoming the hero of Ryloth" Banemi said in the tone similar to the one used while telling some sort of tale.

Aayla felt uneasy. It was true that Ryloth was her homeworld, but it was just another mission. She ignored the unwanted emotions gathering inside her after hearing Banemi's story. "Don't you think it sounds like an amazing adventure? There is nothing better than a story of becoming a hero! Believe me, I am speaking from my own experience"

"It's true that I intend to liberate Ryloth, but I don't plan to be a "hero". I am doing my duty as a jedi by helping a republic world taken over by separatists, nothing more" She said indignantly, not knowing if she was trying to convince Balemi or herself. Whatever was the case, she wouldn't let a stranger question her commitment as a knight of the jedi order.

"Mhm, sure" said the man, sounding unconvinced "well, whatever are your motivations, I am here to offer you my assistance in liberating Ryloth" That was unexpected. Aayla wasn't sure what to think about such an offer. The man before her was odd. Not evil or suspicious, but…odd. And she still didn't really know who the man before her was. Agreeing to something like this could end badly. She had to learn more about him.

"Republic is always thankful for the assistance against the separatist threat, but what kind of assistance are we talking about?" She needed to know. She wouldn't be able to trust Balemi without knowing more about him.

"Well, I can offer interesting stories to raise the morale, a wise counsel in hard times and a considerable skill at gathering information about the enemy" He said, before adding, almost like an afterthought "I am afraid I won't be useful in the actual combat though"

"And why not?" Asked Aayla, interested in his reasons. He was wearing armor and he looked like someone experienced in battle. She also didn't see any injuries that would suggest inability to fight.

"Well, I am a ghost" He said with a straight face. Before she was able to react to this absurd statement, he moved his hand toward the table. Instead of stopping on the surface, it phased through the table, leaving no sign of the contact on it. He looked Aayla in the eye, grinning. "awesome, isn't it?"