AN: I managed to write a chapter over the course of the week, so I decided to post early since I'm still maintaining the gap between what I've posted and what I've written. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 9 (32 BBY)

The week after the funeral passed by in a blink of an eye to Kastor. The day after was the celebration, which was beautiful and well earned by the Naboo people, but with the loss of his friend, Kastor, like most of the Jedi, found it hard to truly join in the festivities.

After the celebration, and another week of aiding the Naboo people, Kastor, with Obi-Wan and young Anakin as his passengers, returned to the Jedi Temple for the first time in several months. It was nice to come out of his cover for a bit and recenter himself before he went undercover again. That had been nearly three weeks ago, and he felt like it was about time for a mission.

The investigation into the Trade Federation could probably continue, but with the investigations happening because of the Naboo Crisis, it was now something he should probably stay clear of, lest his cover get blown accidentally by the Senatorial investigators.

Part of him was tempted to have his current alias go 'underground' for the near future so that he could be around for Obi-Wan, and be able to go present on any missions he might get assigned. On the other hand, a new Jedi Knight needed to find his or her feet without the guidance of a Master, and as much as Obi-Wan probably would appreciate his help, he really needed to figure it out on his own, something which Kastor knew the young Knight was perfectly capable of doing. With Anakin, he probably wasn't going to get any volatile missions anytime soon unless the Council really needed Obi-Wan, which would likely only happen with a shortage of available Knights.

He could always try and join one of Siri and Adi's missions. Other than the Yinchorri Crisis, he hadn't worked with either two teams as much as he'd originally thought he would. Now, he never would get to work with Qui-Gon again, something that he mourned.

Siri and Adi would probably appreciate the help, and they often went undercover more often than many other Master-Padawan teams, since Siri had natural talent when it came to undercover work, so he might even be able to further his Jurgens alias, or possibly start up another one of his aliases without worrying about dealing with Senatorial investigations.

Another option was just to ask for a mission from the Council. It had been a while since he'd done a mission as a Jedi Master, and it might be a nice change.

Shadows had a lot more freedom than the normal Jedi Knights and certainly more freedom than any of the other Jedi specialties. They were about as close as you could get to being one of the nomadic Jedi while still serving the Council. While they certainly worked in service of the High Council, they often were able to pick their own missions that fit with their skills and specialties.

Some Shadows specialized in gangs, others, crime syndicates like the Hutts or Crimson Dawn. Some focused on slavery or drugs, some on political corruption, or even trying to prevent civil wars or intergalactic disputes through espionage, bribery, sabotage, and blackmail. Jedi Shadows would read up on intelligence from across the galaxy and make informed decisions on where they could greatest impact the galaxy for the better or at least that was the hope. Kastor had always described his profession as a necessary evil for the Jedi.

Back in Kastor's original time, Shadows generally directed most of their missions to countering the Sith in any way possible. During the wars, that meant undercover work, infiltration, assassinations, sabotage, or even open warfare. During the Cold War in between the two wars, they had to be far more discreet, so oftentimes they worked to destroy Sith artifacts and knowledge to prevent the Sith's growing strength while countering the Sith's movements whether that be economically and politically with the occasional conflict only when Shadows could guarantee there would be no Sith survivors and no way to direct blame towards the Order or the Republic.

Kastor would like to try and track down the Sith, especially now that they had come into the open, but unfortunately, he was quite sure that any useful information had died with the Sith Warrior. Especially now that they had been revealed, he was sure they would shut down any chance of being traced. The Sith hadn't revealed themselves after nearly a thousand years to get reckless.

Other than countering the Sith, Kastor had taken interest in slavery operations back during the Sith Wars, since slavery had been a great tool of the Sith as well as a crime against life in his opinion. He'd generally been able to hit multiple proverbial birds with one stone by taking out slaving operations, especially since big conglomerates, like Czerka, had controlled many of the galaxy's largest slaving operations.

He could admit, slavery had gotten a bit personal to him after he'd been captured once and enslaved himself. It had been nearly three months before he'd been able to lead a slave revolt and get a call out to his fellow Jedi. Elena had been furious when she saw the emaciated and bruised state of him upon arrival with a rescue team. That was one of the few times it had been him talking her down from an enraged state.

Now in this modern time, Kastor generally let the Force dictate where he went, which was why he was always prepared to join Adi, Siri, or Obi-Wan on a mission, since he was still sure Siri and Obi-Wan were part of the reason the Force had preserved him. The Force had been what directed him to look into the various trade conglomerates, not that he needed the Force to persuade him much. All of them reminded him too much of Czerka Corporation (which unfortunately still existed and was still crooked), so he was more than happy to look closer, though now he had to wonder if the Force had been trying to clue him in on the Sith's movements.

'Ah well,' Kastor thought. 'The Force is silent, so I'll take the time to recuperate in the Temple, maybe teach a few more classes to the younglings, and visit with my brethren. The Apprentice, Padawan, Knight, and Master's Dueling Tournaments are coming up soon. Maybe I'll compete this year.'

Siri and Adi were supposed to return today from a mission that had taken them away for a whole month, having left right after Obi-Wan did, and not having heard about Qui-Gon. Her being back would be good for Obi-Wan, who was getting better everyday but still struggled a bit, so he figured being in the Temple right now wasn't a bad thing. Perhaps, when they returned, he'd see if Adi wanted to grab tea and catch up. It had been a while since he'd seen her, and with Qui-Gon's death, he wished to spend a bit of time with some of the few he considered good friends.

"Master Shan!" a voice called out, and Kastor turned to see a youngling he didn't know hurrying towards him.

He smiled, hoping to set the slightly harried looking boy at ease.

"How can I help you, young one?" he asked.

"Your presence is requested in the High Council Chamber, immediately," the boy said, a bit rushed, probably feeling ill at ease to be relied on to deliver a time-delicate message from the High Council.

"Thank you for the prompt delivery," Kastor replied. "I will head there immediately."

The young boy sighed in appreciation and rushed off probably to prevent Kastor from asking him to do anything. Deciding he would heed the Council's summons, he changed his direction, heading for the High Council Chamber.

Kastor entered the Council Chambers to see the whole Council already assembled and awaiting him, though he assumed they had already been in session for something else, perhaps that previous session had led to him being called. Adi was among them, though he could see her robes were travel worn, so she must have come straight to the Council after returning from her mission.

He glanced around the room, trying to read the different faces of the various Council members. While he was familiar with everyone on the Council, he couldn't say they were all among his friends. Some of them were among those who most opposed his opinions and vehemently disagreed with even discussing a possible change to the Code and allowance of attachment. He knew some of them wanted to banish him like they had done to Master Djinn Altiss who had created his own sect of the Jedi, one that had changes Kastor wasn't completely sure of, but overall had many of the beliefs he was trying to move the main Order to adopt.

His eyes met those of two of his closer friends, Adi and Plo, but while Plo's eyes told him nothing, Adi's seemed a bit concerned and tense. That gave him some hints of what this might be about.

"Masters," Kastor greeted politely, with a bow once he reached the center of the room.

"Master Shan, your expertise we require," Yoda said.

"I am at your service," Kastor responded.

"Divided, this council is on a matter," Yoda said. "Your experience, uniquely qualified it is, to help settle our disagreement."

"What do you know of a crime lord named Krayn?" Mace asked.

"A major player in the intergalactic crime network," Kastor answered with a frown. "He's a pirate with one of the largest slavery and spice operations in the galaxy and contrary to what most people believe, he holds control over Nar Shaddaa, though to the public he presents that of a legal-businessman. He's ruthless, cunning, and very well connected. So far, all attempts to bring down either him or any part of his illicit operations have been foiled."

"Recently, his slaving operations have increased and his raiding parties have started hitting more and more worlds within the Republic," Plo said gravely. "This is forcing us to take greater risks to try and prevent his rise to power which is also in accordance with the Republic's push to crack down on slavery. Unfortunately, that's easier said than done, and simply cutting the head off the snake will not resolve the situation."

"One of his lieutenants will simply rise to the position," Kastor responded simply.

"Correct," Ki Adi said. "We must take down his entire operation in order to fully bring order and help all those who are currently and will be affected."

Kastor nodded, agreeing with their assessment, though he couldn't see where the disagreement within the Council was occurring. "Taking down Krayn's operations will take months, possibly even years. It would probably be a year of hard investigation and undercover work just to find a link that you could exploit. A few months to actually exploit the link and create an opening in his organization from which to insert someone and give them the knowledge to successfully rise into a leadership role. Once inside, it all depends on the operative and Krayn himself before I could even give a rough estimate to how long it would take to take down his operation, but I'd estimate at least a year, unless Krayn is very stupid, and if he was, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Overall, between two and two and a half years to properly bring down Krayn's entire operation. The Force willing, it could possibly be quicker, but that is beyond my ability to predict."

"Experienced you are to inform us of this," Yoda said. "Perhaps, candidates you could think of?" Yoda asked intrigued.

Kastor sighed, now seeing where the Council was divided. The choice of who they had to ask to accept this mission . . . a mission that was very likely a death sentence if anything went wrong. While there were plenty of experienced Jedi with long term undercover assignments, this particular type of mission posed a different problem.

"He's a narcissistic egomaniac that wants all of his people to know that they didn't make it big until they joined him," Kastor said flatly. "On the bright side, that means making a cover is simpler because you have to pick someone young enough that they wouldn't have made too much of a name for themselves yet and thus it won't be super difficult to explain them coming out of nowhere. He wants his people to know he owns them just as much as he owns his slaves, while also acquiring people eager to prove themselves."

"Indeed," Depa said. "We have to limit ourselves to young Knights or Padawans."

"Perhaps not even young Knights," Kastor said with a sigh. "Any Jedi Knight who has been added to the Temple's registry as a Knight is exempt from being chosen for this, which means when it comes to Knights, you're limited to those who were Knighted into the Shadow Corp and escaped being Knighted in the registry. These would also amount to almost all of your young Knights that have the experience and skill to pull off the assignment"

"Few of those, there are," Yoda said gravely, and Kastor nodded. "Even fewer are there that pull out of their current assignment, we could."

"Why do you worry about young Knights that have been on the registry?" Eeth asked. "Surely we can just remove the Knight from the registry and create a solid enough cover that it won't be an issue."

"There aren't many of them, but there are people who make it a habit of grabbing a copy of the current Temple registry whenever possible," Kastor said, drawing frowns from some of the Council members. "It's not an easy feat, but that only means that it's the more powerful and wealthy beings that are able to obtain it. Krayn certainly has the power and reach to have obtained that list, nor can we discount the fact that many new Knights get sent out on assignments and word about Jedi travels. No, it's well known that Knights and Masters do not usually leave the Order. Padawans leaving the Order though, while less common, does occur. Yes, we'll build a cover for the operative, but we have to build a failsafe in the event that his or her cover is blown."

"So that in the event that their identity becomes known, they can simply admit to being a Padawn who was either thrown out of the Order or left the Order and fell into darkness," Even Piell summed up.

Kastor nodded.

"That's also why we also need to have whoever it is publicly leave the Order before we even exploit a weakness in Krayn's operation to create an opening. That gives the time to develop some small reputation, enough to garner Krayns attention"

Kastor sighed, his eyes meeting Adi's.

"I certainly do not know everyone in the Order, far from it, so among the current young Shadows and mid to senior level Padawans which fit the criteria, those that I know of that is, I only know of three that I think would be capable of this mission. One would be Quinlan Vos. He's an excellent Shadow, especially for his age and would be a good choice for this mission, though someone else would likely have to take over the training of his Padawan," Kastor said. "Though, perhaps young Aayla would be a candidate as well if Quinlan has been trying to pass on that type of knowledge."

"Unfortunately," Plo said, "Knight Vos and Padawan Secura are already assigned to a different mission that has taken them through that sector and thus possibly compromised them to Krayn's agents."

Kastor nodded though he frowned.

"Well, the next Shadow I know that might fit the bill is Taria Damsin," Kastor said, and he saw several of the Masters shake their heads.

"She is already on an extended mission," Mace said.

"Well, then among the rest of possible candidates I know of, which admittedly is not many, there is one Padawan that I think would be capable of this mission," Kastor said slowly.

"My Padawan," Adi said, a tinge of pride in her words, though Kastor could also detect the worry. The two had a very close bond.

"Yes, Siri Tachi is the only one I think could pull off the deception, though I'm sure there are others that I'm unfamiliar with."

"Correct you are," Yoda said. "However, of the others deemed capable, on assignment they already are, and wait for them, we cannot."

"Master Gallia, do you believe that Padawan Tachi would accept this assignment if it was presented to her?" Ki Adi asked. "We certainly wouldn't hold it against her if she didn't feel comfortable."

"She will accept the mission," Adi replied confidently. "Of that I have no doubt."

"I still have reservations on whether a Padawan, even one as gifted as Padawan Tachi, has the necessary skills and mental resilience to complete this mission and remain true to the light," Saesee said evenly. "Siri Tachi already has one commitment that this Council has reservations with. A commitment that might make her less likely to accept the mission in the first place let alone remain true to the Light."

Kastor frowned. Last he had been informed, the council was still mostly split three ways on whether they approved of even testing the waters of a possible change to the Code. Opposed to the idea was Master Rancisis, Master Billaba, Master Poof, and Saesee. In his corner were Adi, Plo, Master Mundi, Master Yaddle, and Yoda. Still unsure were Mace, Master Piell, and Master Koth. Yoda had been the slight edge that had allowed Kastor to give Obi-Wan and Siri a go ahead, but it was obvious that some of the other Council members hadn't forgotten and still were not approving.

Normally, he liked Saesee. The Jedi tended to keep to himself, but like Kastor, he had his own personal starfighter that he'd been given and was quite attached to, so the two of them had had many discussions about starfighters, modifications, as well as flying in general, and Saesee had even helped him repair the Ebon Hawk a time or two, so normally he considered his fellow Jedi a friend, but right now, he wasn't happy with him. Many Jedi would turn down this type of assignment, but now, if Siri did, it could be implied by members of the Council that she had done so because of Obi-Wan.

He sensed outrage stemming from Adi for obvious reasons, but he was intrigued to feel some irritation coming from several other sources in the Council.

"Master Shan, a way forward perhaps you have?" Yoda asked, drawing the eyes of the other Council members and preventing any outbursts.

"I believe that Padawan Tachi is capable, though I would agree with reservations since an undercover assignment of this magnitude would be unexplored territory for her. What I propose is that Master Gallia and Padawan Tachi go on an extended mission or various missions over the next few months that keep them generally away from the Temple. What the rest of the Order won't know or be informed of is that the mission or missions will be with me. Master Gallia and I can develop Padawan Tachi's cover and I can help mentor and prepare her for a deep cover assignment while we study Krayn's operation and look for someone to manipulate, frame, or sell out. When we are prepared, Master Gallia and Padawan Tachi will return under the pretext of a botched mission. They stage a falling out and Padawan Tachi publicly leaves the Order."

Kastor paused as he saw the various Council members considering his proposal.

"Then she will return to me, again unknown to the rest of the Order, and we will both go undercover, focusing on jobs that will help give her a reputation before she will eventually break from my small smuggling operation to move on to bigger and better things."

"Krayn's operation," Rancisis summed up, nodding thoughtfully. "She will leave the Order a few months before you put pressure on whichever weak link you are able to expose, and when Krayn takes the time to search for a replacement, Padawan Tachi will be a rising star, desperately in need of an operation like Krayn's."

"Exactly," Kastor agreed, looking around the Council and seeing that the vast majority seemed to approve of his plan, even those not completely sold on a Padawan being used.

"Returned from a mission, she and Master Gallia just have," Yaddle said. "Time to recenter herself, we should give her. Time with her friends as well."

Kastor saw Yaddle's eyes meet his own and he knew she was doing this for Siri, but also for Obi-Wan who needed his friends while he was still handling his grief. He didn't know Yaddle well, but he knew she supported Kastor's opinion and that she was much beloved in the Order because of her compassionate ways. Right now, she was one of his favorite people.

"Agreed," Yoda said with a nod, which quickly silenced any protests that might have been raised. "A short rest, she shall have before presented with the mission. Make plans, Master Shan and Master Gallia will, for when Padawan Tachi accepts the assignment."

'It looks like the Force thought I was ready for a mission too,' Kastor thought wryly.

Now he just had to prepare to train Siri to survive one of the deadliest missions any Jedi could embark on while publicly being ostracized from the Jedi while also keeping some of his other actions hidden from her despite her soon being in close quarters with him full time.

Sure, he trusted her, but he was still hesitant to admit the extent of what he'd seen in the future. Adi already knew much of it, but Siri and Obi-Wan's futures were volatile and important. What most didn't know, including the Council, was that Kastor was using a portion of the funds he received from his actions as a mercenary or smuggler to prepare for the possible Jedi Purge.

His Order had still been recovering from the First Jedi Purge back in his original time, so he wanted to do everything he could to help the new Jedi Order if the current Order was unable to prevent the Purge. That meant finding possible places to hide, places to plot a rebellion from and train young Jedi, places to hide and store Jedi knowledge, and possible allies. This was information that he planned to entrust everything he'd done eventually, but he sensed the great war was still a ways off, not too far, but far enough that he could observe and test. Now more than ever, since Qui-Gon's passing, it was important to prepare, since it seemed like the Purge was almost unavoidable.

He knew Qui-Gon believed in young Skywalker being this 'Chosen One' and the hope for the Jedi but Kastor didn't hold a lot of stock with open prophecies. In Kastor's time, the Jedi that would later be referred to as the Hero of Tython was arguably a 'Chosen One' and had been one of the most powerful beings Kastor had met. A couple hundred years before that, Kastor's ancestor, Revan, had been a form of Chosen One, who indeed had found balance in the Force. Before that it had been Nomi Sundrider, and there had been many others. Anakin might indeed bring balance and he did have the potential to wield power like few others ever would, but then again, the Purge didn't even have to be done by the Sith. The Force made "Chosen Ones" every few generations or thousand years, and whether they existed for good or evil was never truly easy to know. Perhaps some decision that Skywalker or other Jedi made in the future led the galaxy to try to kill all Force users, and the Jedi were as hated or feared as the Sith. It was hard to know.

On the flip side of the issue was Obi-Wan. With Obi-Wan's emotional state, he was going to have to make sure the young man didn't do anything rash once Siri 'left' the Order. His commitment to Qui-Gon's dying wish would hopefully keep him from doing anything too brazen, but on the other hand, Siri leaving might be the last stroke that the young Jedi struggles to handle in his rather frazzled state. He could probably keep Obi-Wan from trying to hunt Siri down by promising to look out for her, which would even be true, though he only hoped that it was enough, especially since rumors of her new identity and actions would eventually leak to the Temple, and Obi-Wan might not feel so charitable to him once that happened. Hopefully, his young friend would trust in the Force and continue on, simply hoping that it all worked out in the end.

Regardless, Kastor's rest was over. It was time to get back to work.