AN: Hope everyone is having a good start to their new year. As always, thanks for you support and I'd love to hear what people think of the story.

Chapter 23

As Anakin swung his lightsaber in a blur, deflecting fire, making sure not to kill any of the raiders, he realized for the first time that they had overlooked something.

If they caught the raiders, what would they do with them?

There weren't enough security officers to guard the criminals. The Jedi were now the backbone of the security force on the planet. If they watched the raiders, who would patrol the city? Maybe they really did need Rhys and Kastor.

The present moment is the crucial moment.

Yes, Master.

Anakin gritted his teeth. He advanced toward the raiders. One thing at a time. The raiders were endangering the citizens and must be stopped. The Padawans would figure out what to do with them when the time came.

One of the raiders must have activated some droids, for suddenly they appeared, wheeling into battle formation.

Anakin at first felt confident that he could defeat the droid, but he had not fully realized how much he had depended earlier on the Jedi Masters. Within moments he saw that they would have a hard time winning this battle, and he and Tru would not have been able to handle it, as much as he hated to admit that Ferus had been right.

The raiders maneuvered the droids to come between them and the Jedi, and then they fled. Too occupied with the attacking droids, the Padawans could not follow, and the raiders escaped.

"We've got to stay together!" Ferus shouted. "Don't let them separate us."

Ferus was right again. As one unit, they could defeat fifteen droids. The Padawans kept close together, attacking and retreating, trying to pick up on one another's unfamiliar rhythms. Anakin lost himself in the battle. There was only the smell of the smoking droids, the blur of his lightsaber, the balance and heft of it in his hand. He saw everything at once – the position of each Padawan, the attack pattern of each droid, the moves they would make next. His focus was complete. He sliced through one droid, then pivoted and buried his lightsaber in another droid's control panel.

Ferus dived and came up underneath a droid, halving it down the middle. Tru whirled and kicked one droid while cutting off the legs of another. Darra seemed to be everywhere, her lightsaber in constant motion as she took out one droid, then another. She always landed exactly where she'd planned, ready to launch another attack or defend her fellow Padawans. Her face never registered effort, only concentration.

At last, the droids lay in heaps around them. The Padawans all slumped to the floor, exhausted, all of them missing their Masters.

"We still might be able to track the raiders," Anakin said, panting. He started to rise. "Let's go."

"Wait." Ferus put a hand on his sleeve. "If we run off, we could lose a precious opportunity."

"For what, droid repair?" Anakin asked in exasperation.

"Information. It's more important than the raiders themselves. What will we do with them when we get them, anyway?" Ferus asked. "Better to head them off another way. We have more important tasks. Once the evacuation starts, we'll be needed."

"That could be a waste of time," Anakin argued. "We could catch the raiders if we follow them now. I want to show Obi-Wan that I can handle a complicated mission."

"You mean you want to help the planet," Ferus said pointedly.

Anakin felt his face grow hot. Of course Ferus was right. Ferus gave the correct Jedi response. Anakin's first concern should be the people of Radnor, not his need to impress Obi-Wan. He had just expressed himself badly. He had blurted out what was in the back of his mind, not what was in the front of it. He wished he wouldn't keep running into the fact that Ferus took a more Jedi approach to action.

"What are you thinking, Ferus?" Darra asked curiously.

"We need to examine this hideout," Ferus said. "I have a feeling it has something to teach us."

"What can it teach us?" Anakin asked, continuing to be exasperated by Ferus. "That the raiders like riches?"

Darra ignored Anakin. "Remember what we heard? Evermore and Acadi and Montwin are probably street names. They're not just striking randomly. They have a plan."

Ferus nodded. "If we can figure out their plan, we can be ahead of them instead of behind them."

"There's got to be a datapad here somewhere," Tru said, rising. "They left too fast to destroy their records."

Anakin trailed after the others. His whole body itched to follow the raiders. He always felt more comfortable in physical activity. He always ached to move, but he hoped he was wise enough to realize when it was better to wait. He just wasn't crazy about the fact that Ferus was the one to suggest it.

He knew what Obi-Wan would say. It didn't matter who suggested it. The outcome was the goal. Resentment was ego. He knew all this, but it did not chase the resentment away.

'You can feel the emotion,' Obi-Wan would say. 'Just let it go.'

Anakin gritted his teeth. I'm trying, Master.

Maybe it would be good to have Kastor with them. Kastor, like Obi-Wan, had a calming effect on Anakin, and helped guide him in the right direction.

"Over here!" Darra called. "I found their holofiles."

The files had been concealed in a durasteel bin just like countless others that lined the walls.

"How did you find them?" Anakin asked, impressed.

Darra was already accessing the files. "I figured that they had been consulting the files while they were talking. The slight delay before they came to attack us meant they were concealing them. They had to be nearby."

"Good thinking," Tru said admiringly.

The Padawans bent over the files. Darra expertly accessed one after the other.

"These are lists of assets held by individual families," Anakin said. "How could they have gotten them?"

"Look at these notations," Tru said. "They're coded ECC."

"Emergency Command Center," Darra murmured.

"These files were drawn up so that if the entire planet had to be evacuated, there would be records of what Radnorans left behind," Tru said. "That way they could recover everything later."

"So the raiders must have stolen these files," Ferus added.

"Or bribed someone on the evacuation team to hand them over," Darra said. "Look at this. This is what they were talking about. They have a list of how the evacuation is going to take place. The first group to be evacuated will be from the block between Evermore and Acadi. As soon as those families evacuate, the raiders will move in and clean them out."

Tru gave a low whistle. "That's some organized system, but why are they looting now?"

"Easy answer?" Darra shrugged. "Because they can."

Anakin nodded. "The city is falling apart, and they see an opportunity, but are they counting on coming back to the planet for this stuff, or do they have plans to take it with them? It would be hard to smuggle it aboard the evacuation ship. The families are only allowed what they can carry."

Tru reached around his head with one flexible arm to scratch his ear thoughtfully. "The raiders said something about 'they' had better come through on their promise to move the stuff. Who's 'they'?"

"Maybe they have a contact who will help them smuggle it," Ferus said, frowning. "Or maybe they have a ship stashed somewhere."

Darra looked up at them, her face tinged blue by the light cast by the holofile. "The important thing is that they have access to all the evacuation orders. That means someone on the inside is helping them."

"Well, at least we know exactly what to do next," Anakin said. "We have to find out who."

He looked over at Ferus. He expected his fellow Padawan to argue, but Ferus nodded in agreement.

"And why," Ferus added. "That might be the most important question of all."

**The Will of the Force**

Obi-Wan and Siri moved through the deserted landscape, feeling the sorrow through the Force, and seeing the empty homes, businesses, and shops. The eerie sense of dwindling life was heartbreaking.

They found far more dead than living, but they made sure to take the sick back with them to the overcrowded med center, where medication could unfortunately only slow the process of dying. Curi had hopes that the medication could lead to some cures, but so far, the toxin was still unresponsive to treatment.

Every so often Obi-Wan and Siri would see Ry-Gaul and Soara on their rounds. The four Jedi would simply nod at one another. There was nothing to say. No notes to compare. There was only death and the dying.

On their last trip to the med center, Siri watched as Obi-Wan deactivated his commlink after another unsuccessful effort to contact Anakin. "You seem worried," she said.

Obi-Wan sighed, and Siri could sense his unease, which told her that it must be something with Anakin because he was quite honest and open with her in all other things.

"Obi, tell me what's going on," Siri said firmly, and Obi-Wan sighed again.

"I feel like it's hard for you to understand," Obi-Wan admitted, and Siri frowned, wondering what could be so hard for her to understand. "You have Ferus as a student. He's an assured, steady Jedi student. Anakin is brilliant and openhearted, but very complex, and I worry that he'll try too hard. I worry that he'll go too far, that he'll assume he can do what he cannot. I wish he was here by my side."

"Ferus has issues too, Obi-Wan," Siri said, a bit exasperated. "Like myself, and even at times like you were, Ferus is very stilted in his decisions, and sometimes lacks flexibility to read situations and find something outside of his initial mandate. I worry that he will become too dependent on checking in with the Council or acting without Council authority and thus be stilted as a Jedi."

"Things always came easily to Ferus at the temple, and his gifts have helped him sail through classes, and his good nature helped him make many friends, but you and I know the galaxy teaches us harder lessons. Failure is a part of life and a part of being a Jedi, too, so I worry about Ferus because someone who does not have to work hard for his gifts will one day fail, like we all do. He will try his hardest and sacrifice everything, but it won't be enough. His failure will be harder on him than it needs to be, and I wait for that day and I worry. Anakin is brilliant and openhearted, and yes you worry about him because he does have much to learn, but all of our Padawans do, just as we did when we were their ages. The difference between Anakin and Ferus is Anakin knows how cruel the world can be and just how hard failure can be. He might leap before he's looked, but he can also learn from that failure. For now, we must trust them, and hope that this helps them develop in a way that we can't. What did Qui-Gon use to say? The mission teaches what I can't."

Obi-Wan chuckled wryly. "I think about that exact phrase of his often."

Siri felt some of the tension leave him, and he smiled at her, reaching and grabbing her hand, even if it wasn't as comforting, both of them restricted by bio-iso suits, she appreciated the apologetic and thankful gesture.

Siri glanced up as a voice called towards her and Obi-Wan, and they both looked towards the med center to see Curi hailing them. They moved over to her and observed her red-rimmed eyes behind her bio-iso mask.

"The ambassador from Avon wishes to speak with you," she said. "His name is Dol Heep. He was trapped here when he entered shortly before the toxin release. He wore a bio-iso suit so hasn't been affected, but he can't leave. He has a proposal."

"Avon is a planet in your system," Obi-Wan said. He remembered that the planet was only a day's journey away.

Curi nodded. "He is waiting for you. You can use my office."

They followed Curi's directions to a small, cluttered office. Sleep mats were rolled up and stacked in the corners. Containers of food were scattered on a long table. Obviously the medics used the office to snatch quick meals and some rest when they could.

Dol Heep rose when they entered. He was a tall being with a large, domed head. He was dressed in a bio-iso suit, though for some reason he had attached his ornate sept silk cloak to it, which gave him a slightly ridiculous air.

He bowed. "A great honor to meet Jedi." His voice boomed out, sounding too loud in the hushed setting.

Siri and Obi-Wan returned the bow.

"Unfortunate that it is under such circumstances," Dol Heep continued. "No one in the government is available for us to speak with. Jedi are the only officials we can approach with this offer."

"Yes?" Siri asked, inclining her head politely.

"Avon grieves at the tragic accident that has befallen our neighbor," Dol Heep said in a slightly lowered tone, his prominent eyes staring at them from behind his mask. "We heard that there might not be enough room on the evacuation ships for everyone here."

"That is a rumor," Obi-Wan said calmly. "It is false."

"So you say. In case of some failure, Avon wishes to send an entire fleet to Radnor to airlift more sick off-planet. We took the liberty of sending the fleet already. Once in orbit, we'll await orders. Of course, we'll need Jedi help here on the ground to coordinate the rescue effort."

"That is a kind and generous offer," Obi-Wan said, "but there is no need for Avon to commit a fleet of vessels. There is enough space on the ships being sent by the Senate."

"This information does not seem to have been accepted by the citizens of Radnor," Dol Heep said. "Appearance is often reality. If more ships are said to be arriving, the people will be more calm."

Dol Heep had a point. Even the rumor of another rescue fleet could calm the population, but Siri could feel the same doubt that Obi-Wan felt. This offer made them both uneasy, and neither would accept an offer until they knew more and had been able to talk to the other Masters.

"We will get back to you," Obi-Wan answered for them.

"My planet appreciates your consideration," Dol Heep said. With another bow, he left the room.

Siri and Obi-Wan faced each other after he left.

"There's something about this that isn't right," Siri said. "I just have a feeling about it, and I think we should investigate more." Obi-Wan nodded, and Siri looked at him with a hint of mischief in her eyes. "I trust my instincts, but you know I occasionally like to back them up with facts."

"Is that so?" Obi-Wan answered back with a raised eyebrow. "I seemed to remember you deciding I was an embarrassment to the Order and to all Padawans based on your instincts."

Siri grinned. "Hey, I called it like I saw it. I eventually revised my opinion and now know you're a complete scoundrel as a person even if you're a decent Jedi."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "I'm a scoundrel? Says the woman who lived with Kastor and pirates for two years, and who tried to bed me the minute she became a Jedi again."

Siri scowled at the man she loved, even if she knew her eyes and their bond betrayed the look on her face.

"Remind me, love, which one of us actually threw the other into your bed?" Siri asked sardonically, and Obi-Wan blushed slightly, and she grinned wickedly, knowing she'd scored a point in their little game.

"That was because you joked about me lacking any passion," Obi-Wan shot back. "I don't exactly remember any complaints to my actions."

"Oh, certainly no complaints," Siri agreed in a seductive voice. "A couple pleasurable exclamations and heated demands that were quickly met, but no complaints."

Obi-Wan blushed again and Siri laughed delighted.

"Well, I do aim to please, my dear," Obi-Wan said sardonically with a wink, and Siri grinned.

"Oh, you do indeed, my beloved," Siri assured him seriously.

Curi poked her head in the room. "Are you finished? I have some medics who need to eat or they'll collapse."

"Tell them to come in," Siri said. "What do you know about Dol Heep, Curi?"

Curi tried to scratch her scalp through her bio-iso suit. "Not much, but what I know I don't trust. Radnorans don't trust Avoni. They are aggressive colonizers. I made it a rule not to do business with them. I wouldn't sell them weapons. Of course, there are many others, even on Radnor, who will." Her face changed. "There were many others," she added softly.

"Avon has offered a fleet of evacuation ships for Radnor," Obi-Wan told her. "I don't feel we should take the offer at face value."

Curi looked puzzled. "What are you getting at?"

"For one thing, the offer could be a smokescreen for a planned takeover," Siri said.

Curi frowned. "Why would Avon want to take over a planet where you can't breathe the air?"

"A good point," Obi-Wan said. "Maybe Avon doesn't want to colonize Radnor, but they might be planning a temporary occupation. There are many tech labs on Radnor that can be plundered for data. Sometimes data can be more important than land."

Curi just looked tired. "I can't worry about this. I have sick people to take care of."

Siri put a gloved hand on her shoulder. "We will handle it."

Curi nodded and left. Obi-Wan and Siri headed out of the med center. He hoped it would not be a waste of time to investigate the Avoni. The offer seemed a simple offer of help from a neighbor, but he had been on enough missions to know that there were veils behind veils, where somewhere the truth would lie.

**The Will of the Force**

Kastor was in the communications room, monitoring several different frequencies hoping to possibly pick up some information while they were still an hour away from their destination.

Rhys was prepping the Shadow Hawk, just in case, and Wrench and Scrappy were doing their normal preventative maintenance around the ship, making sure everything was in prime condition.

The network alerted him to an incoming communication request, and he accepted, smiling widely as a beautiful face appeared before him.

"Lady Fay, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Kastor asked.

"Well, Sir Kastor," Fay said, a slight twitch in her lips, "does a lady need an excuse to contact a friend?"

Kastor chuckled. "Of course not, love, but we talked a few days ago, and I highly doubt you miss my excellent conversation skills that much."

Fay smiled. "Perhaps you underestimate yourself, but I do have some news for you. Do you want the good news or bad news first?"

"Let's start with the good news," Kastor said with a sigh.

"Well, I just managed to reconcile the civil war on Troiken, and I discovered a arms dealer who was manipulating both sides for profit and subdued her and brought down her organization," Fay said.

Kastor grinned. "That is good news, but I'm not sure how that's relevant to me, at least outside of our bi-weekly communications."

Fay's eyes sparkled. "I'm getting there, you impatient man."

"Of course, my apologies," Kastor said unrepentantly.

"I seized all her assets, including funds, weapons, droids, and munitions," Fay continued. "Normally, I'd take what I needed to continue my travels wherever the Force dictated, and then either donate the rest to charities, give it back to whomever it was stolen from or those most affected by the organization, but the people of this planet want nothing to do with any of it. They believe it is cursed and will only bring them bad luck."

Kastor's eyes widened, and his smile grew, realizing where she was going with this.

"I certainly plan to donate some of the funds to those in need, merely laundering it through my own funds," Fay continued, "but I figured I knew someone that could use the battle droids, munitions, and weapons, and could always utilize excess credits."

"You are absolutely brilliant, my dear!" Kastor praised.

Fay beamed at him. "How quickly do you think you could get here in order to take control of the stockpile?"

Kastor frowned thoughtfully. "It depends on how quickly I can resolve the current situation. I'm less than an hour away from Radnor. Four Jedi teams, including Obi-Wan and Siri are there trying to help a planet deal with a deadly bio weapon that is presumably forcing them to evacuate. Rhys and I dropped them off, but not long ago, we received a communication from them, but it was cut before we could get anything. Something doesn't feel right, so we're heading back to investigate."

Fay nodded thoughtfully. "Radnor's a long way away from where I am as well. It could be nearly a week before you reach me."

"Can you hold off leaving for that long, or should I try and find someone somewhat trustworthy to receive the stockpile from you?" Kastor asked in concern.

Fay answered slowly. "I feel no pressure from the Force to move on, so I believe I can stay until you arrive. There are still some things for me left to handle on this planet as is. If anything is going to delay you further than a week and a half though, you should contact me and we can try and find someone else to take charge temporarily."

Kastor sighed in relief. "Again, you're wonderful. Thank you."

Fay smiled. "You owe me another bottle of spotchka, love."

Kastor snorted in amusement. "I'll see what I can do. My tab does seem to be running up. Now what about the bad news?"

"Your bounty has gone up again," Fay said solemnly. "The bounty for Calo Jurgens rose again."

Kastor frowned thoughtfully. "This is a good thing in one way though," Kastor said. "It suggests that the Ruusanian incident and my cover are separate issues, and thus my cover is still intact, even if it will draw unwanted attention."

"Just be careful, Kastor. We don't know if Magus was personally recruited or simply answered a summons. Your cover might not be as secure as you think," Fay warned.

Kastor nodded in agreement, and smiled wanly. "I'll just have to trust in the Force."

Fay smiled. "May the Force be with you, and I'll see you soon."

**The Will of the Force**

Anakin had been ready to tear Galen's head off.

The Padawans had returned to the Emergency Command Center to question Galen about how raiders might have obtained the evacuation plans and inquire about if he'd gotten ahold of Kastor.

Ferus had brought up that only one of the Padawans should conduct the questioning so that Galen wouldn't think they were bullying or accusing him, and to Anakin's slight frustration, Darra had voted for Ferus to do it, and Tru had agreed, so Anakin could do nothing but accept it.

Ferus had started out polite, inquiring if they could help Galen with any of his issues, but Galen had simply dismissed them telling them to go back to patrolling the streets or doing whatever they had been doing, almost like they were a nuisance in his way.

That alone had riled Anakin up, but Ferus had kept a polite tone, and then inquired about who had access to the evacuation information, which they'd then been told that the upper ministers of the government and Galen were the only ones with access. Galen had then refuted that anyone would give out the information, pointing out how it would cause chaos, since those at the bottom would try and push themselves up to the top.

Where Ferus had asserted that the raiders had the information, Galen had seemed a bit shocked, but then had shrugged it off, claiming that at least the people being evacuated would have their lives, even if they couldn't return to anything, and Galen had then seemed sure that their planet was done for and none of them would be returning.

When Ferus had pointed out that Galen didn't know that, Galen had snapped at the Padawan, claiming they didn't have time to investigate if they would be able to return or not, and then asserted that the Padawans were wasting his time.

That was when Anakin had decided he was tired of letting Ferus ask all the questions in his polite tone that was getting them nowhere, and forcefully told Galen that investigating who was causing instability on the planet was not a waste of time.

Anakin was ready to push the argument when a scratchy communication cut through them all.

"Ships . . . evacuation . . . engine shutdown needs repair . . ." The words came out in bursts of static. "Delay. Do you copy?"

"Galen here, how long will the delay be?"

Galen paled as the comm went dead, and he turned to the Padawans.

"The winds will shift in twelve hours. If we don't get those ships, we're dead."

**The Will of the Force**

In the Isolation Sector, the Jedi Masters met outside the med center to check in. Soara and Ry-Gaul were also hesitant about Dol Heep's offer.

"The planet is extremely vulnerable now," Soara said. "One day the survivors will want to return, if they can. They should return to intact homes and businesses."

"This will take further study," Siri said soberly.

Ry-Gaul nodded.

Just then Curi hurried out of the building. "I've received a communication from the evacuation ships. It wasn't very clear, but I do know this – the ships have been delayed. How long, I don't know."

The Jedi exchanged glances. Obi-Wan reached for his commlink and tried to contact Anakin without success. He jammed it back into his belt with unnecessary force. Siri glanced at him, then turned back to the others.

"Now we must take Dol Heep's offer seriously," Siri said worriedly. "Lives are at stake."

"The prevailing winds will shift in twelve hours," Obi-Wan said. "We have to make a decision very soon."

"By the way, we encountered something interesting," Soara said. "We found someone who has been unaffected by the toxin."

Curi's worried expression changed to intent curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"A Radnoran named Wilk sneaked back into the Isolation Sector to see his wife two days ago. He didn't have a bio-iso suit. His wife died, but he is completely healthy."

"He has no symptoms at all?" Curi asked. "Are you sure?"

"We brought him here," Soara told her. "We were just about to look for you."

"We must study him," Curi said, her voice rising with excitement. "He could have some sort of built-in immunity. This could help us." She frowned. "I only have a few researchers here. My scientific skills are rusty, but we need to investigate this."

"There isn't much time," Obi-Wan told her.

For the first time since they'd met her, Curi smiled. "Then I'd better get started."

She turned and rushed back into the building.

Dol Heep's voice suddenly boomed out from behind them. "Jedi! Glad to find you here."

The Jedi bowed to him politely.

"You haven't been back to speak to us as you promised," Dol Heep said. "We don't understand this lack of courtesy."

"We have been busy with the sick," Siri said.

"You should be busy working to get them off-planet," Dol Heep said in a chiding tone. "Our planet has made a great and generous offer, and still you ignore us. Now we hear that the evacuation ships have been delayed, and you still don't come to us?" Dol Heep's skin was mottled with anger. "We deserve this treatment? If you do not allow our fleet to land, the Senate shall hear about it!"

"We were just coming to see you, Dol Heep," Obi-Wan said in a polite tone, even though he was nettled at the ambassador's rudeness. "We accept your offer of help."

It was a decision he'd made reluctantly, but Siri was right. Lives were at stake. The Jedi would have to ensure that the Avoni were not planning a takeover of the famed Radnoran research labs. Though how they would do that, he didn't know. The Senate ships could be delayed for days. It was more than enough time for the Avoni to raid the labs.

"More like it, we say," Dol Heep said, satisfied. "We will give the order for the ferry ships to land in both sectors. We will load the citizens onto skiffs in the cities, then bring them to the ferry ships, which will transport them to the orbiting ships. Then we'll bring them to Coruscant. You see? We give all our resources to our friends, the Radnorans."

Dol Heep hurried off, his septsilk cloak swishing with his lurching walk.

"I hope we don't come to regret this," Sorara said.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, "but it seems the only decision to make under the circumstances. Though I do have to wonder how he found out about the delay so quickly."

Siri withdrew her commlink from her utility belt. She punched out the coordinates for Ferus. To everyone's surprise, they heard Ferus's voice clearly.

"Yes, Master."

"Ferus! We have received word that the evacuation ships have been delayed –"

"We know this. And Master –"

"One minute, Ferus," Siri interrupted. "This is important. Avoni ships will be here in a matter of hours. They will transport the population to ships orbiting the planet. Then they'll be taken to safety. There is no need for panic. Did you copy that?"

"Yes, Master, but we fear that someone has –"

Static overcame the line, and it went dead.

The Masters exchanged uneasy glances.

"He sounded worried," Obi-Wan said.

"Yes," Siri agreed quietly. "He did."

"Something is wrong in Tacto," Soara murmured. "I can feel it, but I don't have a clear sense of it."

The Jedi Masters exchanged glances. They all felt the same.

"I agree," Siri said. "We can only trust that our Padawans are able to handle it."

The usually composed Soara looked uncertain. "This is Darra's first mission."

"Ferus has experience with difficult situations," Siri said, "and the others look up to him."

Obi-Wan wanted to wince, knowing that Anakin did not. He could sense his Padawan's dislike of Ferus, but it hadn't worried him at the time. Rivalries at his age were normal. At one point, Obi-Wan and Siri had even been rivals. He knew Anakin would outgrow them, but that didn't mean things would be smooth back in Tacto.

Anakin was still young. Without Obi-Wan there to guide him, would Anakin allow his strong will to bend with the needs of the group? Would his dislike of Ferus spill over into open conflict? The nagging doubts would not go away.

"They are all excellent Padawans, each in their own way," Soara said confidently. "Together they are even stronger."

"But they are not Jedi," Ry-Gaul said softly. "Not yet."

And somehow these gentle words from a Jedi who rarely spoke summed up everything they felt, and everything they feared.

**The Will of the Force**

Anakin hurried along the streets with the rest of the Padawan, rushing towards where a riot had broken out once news of the evacuation delays had been leaked. Anakin was still irritated with Galen and Ferus's too-respectful questioning that had gotten them nowhere.

"You handled Galen well back there," Darra said to Ferus. "I don't think I could have held my temper."

Anakin wanted to grimace, knowing he hadn't held his temper, but he disagreed that Ferus holding his temper had done anything.

"It does us no good to make him angry," Ferus said. "He is still a source of information for us."

Anakin snorted. "Some source. He didn't tell us anything. He treated us like kids, and you let him get away with it."

Ferus glanced down and gave him a cool look as he kept up his easy loping stride. Anakin wished he weren't so tall. "He didn't tell you anything, either."

"He was about to," Anakin shot back.

"So you can see into the future," Ferus said. "Hmmm. That's very unusual for a Padawan."

Anakin flushed angrily as Darra giggled.

"As long as we keep our lightsabers sheathed," Tru spoke up suddenly. The three Padawans looked at him. "We can handle the riot peacefully," he explained.

Now they could hear the roar of the crowd ahead. They picked up their pace and raced to the spot.

Blasters had been drawn. Radnorans lay bleeding on the streets. More pushed to get inside the store. Bio-iso suits had been torn to shreds by competing Radnorans. Over a voice amp system, the shop owner was desperately attempting to quiet the crowd.

"There are no more suits!" he cried. "No more suits! Go home! The shop is empty!"

"We need to get to the voice amp," Anakin said.

"Keep your lightsabers sheathed," Ferus warned. "We can handle this peacefully if we keep calm."

Ferus was giving orders again. Anakin turned away and tried to push his way through the crowd. Darra and Tru joined Ferus in breaking up fights and trying to calm the crowd. It was difficult to do this without hurting anyone. At first the Radnorans were furious at the Jedi. They had to dodge blows as they sought to calm tempers.

Anakin made his way to the frightened owner. "I must use your voice amp," he told him. "I can calm the crowd."

The owner handed him the amp. "Be my guest."

Anakin spoke clearly into the amp system. "The Avoni have pledged a fleet of ships to airlift the citizens off-planet. They are achieving orbit now. There is room for all. Everyone will be evacuated before the winds shift."

A few Radnorans closest to the amp heard the message and began to talk among themselves. Anakin repeated the message. Gradually, the crowd began to settle down.

"Where do we report to? How will this be handled?" someone called.

"The evacuation team will alert each of you where and when to show up," Anakin announced. "But that means you must return to your homes."

Slowly the crowd began to disperse. The crisis was averted, but the owner's business had been completely destroyed. The battered sign reading 'BIO-ISO SUITS 5,000 KARSEMS' swung crazily in the stiff breeze.

"It almost serves him right for charging so much," Darra said as a last burst of wind sent the sign crashing to the street.

"I wish communication were better with our Masters," Tru said. "They will know when and how the Avoni fleet is arriving. We need to give the Radnorans more information."

"I think we should take a look at the comm system," Anakin said. "There might be a way to fix it, or at least fabricate a makeshift comm unit that has enough power to reach the other sector. Besides, we can try and see if our Masters managed to get in contact with Kastor or Rhys."

Ferus shook his head. "We won't be able to fix a planetary system," he said. "Atmospheric disturbances are too great."

"We don't know that," Anakin argued. "It's worth a try. We need to coordinate with the other sector."

"Here we go again," Darra said, looking from Anakin to Ferus. "Don't you two ever agree?"

Anakin looked at Tru. He needed backup.

"I think we should try it," Tru said.

"Why not?" Darra agreed. "We're not at a dead end, anyway."

Ferus nodded. "All right, but while you and Tru work on the comm problem, Darra and I should investigate those Prototype Droids. Maybe if we find out how they were stolen, we can find out more about the raiders. I'm still worried about who is behind them."

'So am I,' Anakin said silently. 'We all are.'

The two Padawan teams split up. Anakin and Tru retraced their steps back to the Emergency Command Center. They needed to get permission from Galen to access the central power source.

"Why not?" Galen said, waving a hand. "Our tech experts can't fix it. Give it a try."

Anakin and Tru entered the comm center. "Thanks for backing me up," Anakin said. "Have you noticed how Ferus has been taking control?"

"No," Tru said. "I've noticed he's had some good ideas. So have you."

"Well, I don't like being bossed around," Anakin muttered.

Tru gave him a sidelong look. "This isn't a game of sabaac, Anakin. No one is keeping score. We're all just trying to do the right thing."

"I don't like the way he operates, that's all," Anakin said.

Tru shook his head. "You're doing the same thing he's doing, Anakin. You're thinking ahead. You're coming up with ideas. You two are the most experienced Padawans on the mission. It's natural. I like Ferus. You would, too, if you gave him a chance. He has plenty of friends for a reason."

"Ferus doesn't have friends. He has followers," Anakin said. He didn't like the way the conversation was going, so he began to study the console. "This is pretty standard."

Tru bent over some large-scale holofiles. "I found the blueprint of the system," he said. "We should be able to pinpoint the problem. Fixing it is another matter."

"Let me try the rangefinders first," Anakin said.

He bent over the tech console, his fingers flying. He was lucky that he had excelled in his tech classes. He hadn't been content to merely learn what the Masters had wanted him to. He had haunted the tech rooms at the Temple, eager to find out how everything worked.

Anakin tried sending a series of messages, then backtracked through the system, attempting to locate the precise problem.

Puzzled, Anakin frowned.

"I know, I don't get it, either," Tru said, jumping into the middle of a conversation they weren't having, as he usually did. "It doesn't make sense. If the toxin had created a disturbance in the atmosphere, the sensors should be recording the activity."

"Everything checks out on the planet itself," Anakin said, clicking a few more keys. "The system should be working."

"Only it isn't," Tru said. "You've got to trust reality over a sensor. No matter how much it hurts."

"Sensors don't lie unless they're broken," Anakin said, "and these aren't." Suddenly, he looked up and met Tru's silvery gaze.

"No," Tru said.

"Yes," Anakin said. "What else can it be? The comm system isn't being jammed in the planetary atmosphere. It's being jammed from space."

Tru whistled under his breath. "Which means someone, somewhere, wants to cut the planet off, and that can only mean one thing."

"Invasion," they said together.

**The Will of the Force**

"Can nothing go like it's supposed to?" Kastor almost whined with Rhys beside him, swearing angrily.

The reason for their irritation was the fleet of ships surrounding the planet. They weren't the Senate ships, that was for sure, and while many of them were transports that were likely for holding the Radnorans, it was the remaining ships that were the problem.

There was at least one ship that was clearly blocking the communications to and from the planet, which explained all of the issues. There were four heavily armed light cruisers and a dozen escort craft, and many of the shuttles that were heading towards the surface were heavily loaded down with something, which seemed strange for shuttles that were supposed to be picking up people, not dropping off equipment.

It really all pointed to one thing.

Invasion.

"I'm going to contact the Order and alert them to the situation," Kastor said with a sigh. "Scrappy, analyze that jamming vessel. Determine if we can disable it or if we need to destroy it, and see if you can identify whose fleet that is. Rhys, add some more proton torpedoes into the Shadow Hawk, and add another volley into the tubes for the Ebon Hawk, and then grab your gear and ready yourself for combat. Wrench, make sure our signal stays scrambled and undetectable, and see if our scanners can figure out exactly what those shuttles and ferries are carrying down to the surface."

Kastor moved back to the communication room and sent a quick priority message to the Council, and it was answered almost immediately.

"Master Shan, news for us you have?" Yoda asked.

"There's a fleet of ships orbiting Radnor," Kastor said grimly, "and they're not the Senate ships."

"We're aware," Mace said. "The Avoni, one of the neighboring systems, offered up a fleet to help evacuate the planet. The Senate ships have suffered delays due to engine malfunctions."

"Well, that explains part of why the Avoni are here, and it tells me who they are, but I'm going to have to assess that they aren't here just to be good neighbors. They have a far larger group of escort ships than needed for the area, and one of their ships is actively jamming communications between the planet and elsewhere, as well as jamming planet internal communications. The Avoni are invading."

"Are you sure?" Oppo asked, looking grave.

"Several of the ferries and shuttles going down to the surface are nearly fully loaded according to scans, which seems strange since they should only be going down to grab civilians, and there is no reason why they should be jamming communications, unless they want the planet to be kept in the dark," Kastor replied. "No, I'm sure they are using the toxin as an easy way to invade after the Radnorans have abandoned their planet."

Kastor watched as the various members of the Council exchanged looks.

"The problem, Master Shan, is that regardless of the Avoni's intentions, we do need them to help evacuate the Radnorans," Piell said.

"That may be," Kastor responded, "but that does not mean we have to let them invade or allow them to block communications to and from the planet. They have committed to helping the Radnorans off their planet, and I believe they will do so regardless of our actions because otherwise they will receive Senatorial sanctions against their planet."

"Agree, I do," Yoda said. "Allow them to invade without resistance, we cannot. If permission it is you are seeking to engage the jamming vessel and those that protect it, then approved, your actions are."

"Very well, Master," Kastor said, and then ended the communication.