Talon Oaksmith tried not to show the contempt that was rolling through him as he listened to Jedi Master Durango speak to the dozen other Jedi who surrounded the diminutive Lannik about the upcoming battle. The group stood in front of a large holographic table that was currently showing the planet Dathomir and the impressive armada that the Sith Empire had brought to either bring Dathomir to heel or destroy and enslave it.

Talon had nothing against Master Durango, personally, it was the Lannik's love of battle that Talon found distasteful; the way that Master Durango spoke of war and bloodshed was almost akin to the way one would talk about a lover, with reverence and infatuation that, at times, seemed almost bordering on lust. Talon was among those who believed that the Lannik should have been removed from command long ago, as the Jedi Master teetered dangerously on the edge of falling to the dark side; yet his warnings, just like all the others, seemed to be ignored at every turn.

Once word reached Talon that Killian would be among those heading to Dathomir, the Jedi knight immediately sent word to the council, asking to be allowed to join the Jedi who would be going to impede the Sith's advance; knowing his reputation for completing the mission at any cost, the council almost immediately agreed.

Now however, as Talon leaned against the far wall at the back of the group and listened to Master Durango's battle plans, his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl resting on his face, Talon was beginning to question his choice to tag along.

Jedi Master Durango was short, like most of his species, standing barely four feet tall. He had large bat-like ears and hard grey eyes that looked out at the group menacingly. Like the rest of the order, he wore the dark brown robes of a Jedi, yet under them, Talon could see pitch-black battle armor that matched the black boots the Master wore.

For almost a month, the Republic and Jedi had been preparing for the Sith Empire's arrival, setting up traps and having their ships wait on the dark side of Dathomir's moon so as to not be registered by the Empire's ships when they finally appeared. The hardest part had been negotiating with the witches of Dathomir into an alliance with the Republic; antagonistic at the best of times, the witches and their male warriors had descended upon the Republic almost immediately. Several sporadic battles had taken place, which had cost both sides dearly before finally, talks began.

An uneasy alliance between the two groups was banged out. While the witches had no love for the Republic, they had even less for the Empire, who would view the Nightsisters, as they came to call themselves, as nothing more than disposable tools should they gain control over Dathomir.

As Talon thought of the Nightsisters, his eyes moved over to a group of them who had been sent by their' mother' to learn what precisely the Republic had planned in order to stop the Sith's advance.

The group were all tall and lithe, wearing tight leather armor of black and red with a black hood that partially obscured their faces; a few had their hood down, allowing Talon to get a better look at them. They were all bald, with gray skin and cold eyes that made even Talon shudder; across their backs, many had bows strapped, and Talon couldn't help but grimace as he remembered how capable they were, using the archaic weapon with an almost inhuman grace.

As Talon continued to gaze at the group, he couldn't help but admit that they were quite attractive, in a terrifying sort of way; they certainly held themselves with an inhuman grace that, combined with their skill with a bow, had Talon remembering the 'elves,' from Killian's tale about Frodo and the ring.

Turning his attention back to Master Durango, Talon could see that the briefing was just about done, and many of the Jedi were breathing sighs of relief at that as it felt like they'd been standing here for over an hour, listening to the Jedi Master drone on.

Turning to the lead Nightsister, Durango asked in a deep growl,

"Will your sisters be ready?"

"Oh yes, Jedi," the leader hissed back with contempt, "We shall give these Sith scum a warm welcome when they arrive. We've already foiled their attempts to set up a base and left their bones to the beasts of Dathomir."

"Very good," Durango replied with a nod, causing Talon to frown at his approval of such barbarity; no Jedi should approve of such things, and Talon once again thought back to his earlier complaints about the Jedi Master.

"Our mission is simple," Durango continued, turning back to the Jedi. "We need to kill the Sith commander. With their death, the rest of the attacking Imperials will be leaderless, and chaos will reign. We will use that chaos to unleash our fleet upon the Sith, cutting off their retreat and sending them retreating back into the outer rim in one fell swoop!"

"And then, I trust, the Republic will have no further interest in Dathomir," the lead Nightsister hissed.

"Rest assured, witch," Durango growled, causing the Nightsisters to shift angrily, "As soon as those Imperial scum are destroyed, my troops will vacate, and you and your sisters can have Dathomir, for all I care. Believe me, I'm just as eager to leave this planet as you are…"

"Good," the lead Nightsister sneered back. "Remember, you are not wanted here, Jedi, any more than the Sith are. We are not allies; we're simply fighting for the same outcome, and once that outcome is achieved, we want you gone!"

Without another word, the Nightsisters spun on their heel as one, and stormed away while Durango glared at their backs; once they were gone, Durango turned back to the waiting Jedi.

"Prepare your soldiers, the moment the Sith land, we begin!"

The Jedi all bowed as one before making their way out of the briefing room; as Talon made his way, he turned one last time to look at Durango. The diminutive Jedi was angrily conversing with a Republic officer; with a tired sigh, Talon turned away and stepped into the hallway, closing his eyes and pinching his nose as the door hissed shut behind him. Even if the Force wasn't screaming at him, Talon felt this would be a very long day.

"Master?" A voice called out to him, "Are you well?"

Opening his eyes, Talon couldn't help but smile in genuine happiness as he saw Satele Shan standing before him and wearing a frown; she had grown since Talon saw her last, and was now nearly as tall as him, standing just a few inches shorter. For a moment, Talon felt sad as he gazed at the woman that he had known for years; no longer was she a child, always wanting to learn something new. Now, a grown woman stood in her place, and she had grown quite beautiful, Talon was forced to admit. Like the rest of the Jedi, she was wearing the traditional brown robe, underneath, Talon saw that she was wearing a dark grey tunic and black breeches that fed into a pair of black military boots.

"Satele! It's good to see you!" Talon said warmly, placing a hand on her shoulder and making her smile back at him. "How have you been? You know you don't need to call me Master anymore. From what I hear, we're equals now."

"I've been well, Master," Satele smiled, "I may have become a knight recently, but you will always be the Jedi Master who helped me when I needed it most." Talon smiled warmly at the memory, "Though it is good to see you, I must admit, I did not expect to see you here. It is well-known how you and Master Durango feel about one another. I'm surprised to see you place yourself under his command."

"Believe me, Satele," Talon sneered, "I am not here to fight for Durango. In fact, I would not be here at all if I didn't need to be."

"So, why are you here, then?" Satele asked in bemusement,

"There is a boy, a Mandalorian to be precise, of incredible power, currently fighting for the Sith Empire," Talon replied, "This boy has the potential to be an incredibly powerful Force user, and as such, I have been tasked by the council with bringing him back to Coruscant."

"Killian Farr is coming to Dathomir?" Satele asked with wide eyes, causing Talon to look at her with surprise,

"You know of who I speak?"

"He and I have met once before," Satele nodded, surprising Talon more, "I was part of the task force sent to capture the Mandalore's family. Needless to say, we failed."

"Then, that is something we share," Talon grinned, "I've been hunting the boy for nearly two years, now. But he keeps evading me, I won't lie, it's quite troublesome."

"I heard another rumor, concerning Killian Farr…" Satele said with a grin, trying to be sly, "One apparently started by you, if the council is to be believed."

"Oh?" Talon smiled back with a raised brow, "And what might that be…?"

"Please, don't be coy, master," Satele sighed in exasperation, before dropping her voice to a mere whisper, "Is Killian really the Bard or not?"

Talon smirked for a moment before nodding, causing Satele to grin and throw her hands into the air, to Talon's surprise,

"I knew it!"

"I take it from your exuberance that you're a fan?" Talon smirked,

"Of course, Master!" Satele said at once, "The Bard's works are masterpieces! And the variety is astounding! Songs, stories, legends, and myths! It's as though a hundred different authors all combined into one singular body!"

"Have you a particular favorite, then?" Talon asked with a warm smile, which grew at Satele's excited nod.

"My personal favorite of his is the story of Frodo and the Ring," Satele replied at once. "I find the story, though long, to be a singular piece of magnificence; that good triumphs over evil, even when all hope seems lost, is almost comparable to how the galaxy is today. And like Frodo and the Fellowship, I know there will be trials ahead, but in the end, the Jedi and the Republic will be victorious."

"An excellent choice," Talon replied with a nod, "Personally, I find his philosophical works to be the better choice, especially 'Meditations,' I simply couldn't put it down, and have since reread it several times."

"I've read that one as well," Satele nodded. "I heard that the council has even made it required reading for the younglings at the temple. It's astounding that a child could create such an amazing work, wouldn't you agree?"

"I do," Talon nodded, "I look forward to discussing how Killian comes up with his ideas when I finally catch up with him."

"If he's truly coming here, perhaps I could join you in his capture…" Satele said softly, "If you would have me, that is…"

Talon looked at Satele in surprise for a moment; true, he could definitely use the help in capturing Killian, if their last encounter was anything to go by. But, at the same time, Talon found himself unsure as to whether it was appropriate to take one of Master Durango's warriors from him. Deciding that he didn't care, and it would be enjoyable to thumb his nose at the belligerent Master, Talon smiled and nodded happily,

"I would be honored to have you join me. Let Master Durango know that I am pulling you from his detail, and be ready when I call. We may need to hit the battlefield running when everything starts."

Satele bowed with a smile before spinning on her heel and striding away, leaving a grinning Talon behind; no doubt Master Durango would be highly annoyed at this, but Talon was of the opinion that it was long past time for the Lannik to be brought down a few pegs.

With a final laugh, Talon turned and strode toward his room. If he was correct in his assumptions, he had a few hours to spare, and what better way than to read some more of Killian's fine works?

XXXX

Author's Note:

I had planned this chapter to be longer, but I had to shorten it as the battle I have planned is not ready yet. It's still a mass of chaos in my head, and I want to fix a few things before I send it out. The next chapter will most likely be my longest to date, so I hope it lives up to your expectations. Meditations was written by Marcus Aurelius, and as such I claim no ownership. The same applies to The Lord of the Rings, which belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien