Hello everyone, and welcome back. Almost 10 years ago I posted the first chapter of Star Wars Eons Episode I: The Clone Wars, and my Eons universe was born. It has since been reborn, but I think it's time we return to that era and try to tell a more fleshed out and interesting tale.

However, it will not be Xur Eon's story to tell this time around. He is the apex of this universe, certainly, but it's a big galaxy isn't it? Same rules apply, no messing with the movies, but everything else is fair game.

No, I do not want art done for my story whether you are a scammer or genuine, so don't ask. Save yourself the time and effort.

Let's dance.

Coruscant

"Your eyes are pretty."

Yune had to stifle an instinct to reach for her skin and make sure her heavy eye shadow hadn't been washed away without her noticing. Umbarans had the practice down to a science, male and female alike, which had always amused her. On a planet with eternal darkness enough so that small facial features were impossible to notice by most species, her people had made it tradition to hide them anyway. Perhaps it had been some ancient manner of notifying strangers of their caste status, and it had merely become a mode of fashion in more modern times.

If she was any good at reading, maybe she'd have the answer to that.

Of course, that wasn't what made her words catch in her throat as she tended to a gamorrean youngling's wrist, a species just as rare to the Jedi Order as her own. The hog-like species was not exactly placed high on the attraction charts, granted many of those were drafted by humans, and Yune couldn't help but wonder if she was supposed to say something different. Did the young girl have a hint of jealousy in her heart, or was it just as simple as a random compliment? If so, then why give it at all? What was the point in being kind without kindness given?

Yune felt herself tense. Maybe it was just the fact that this little girl understood what it meant to be a Jedi far more than she did.

"You should be more careful," she replied, stretching the wrappings until they were tightly secured in place. "If you try to block a lightsaber with your wrist, you won't have a hand anymore. Bad practice creates bad habits."

The gamorrean winced slightly as she inspected Yune's work, opening and closing her hand. "But it almost hit someone. I just wanted to protect them."

"And that is all well and good," Yune acknowledged, gathering the med kit's contents back into its box. "But sacrifice too much, and you may not have pretty eyes anymore."

A cascade of fire seared her muddy skin, her eyes matching its amber blaze as her saber hilt trembled in her shivering fist.

"Shakir," someone called, ending the reverie as abruptly as it had begun. She turned to see two temple guards waiting for her at the entrance to the training circle, their hilts displayed ready at their belts. "It is time."

The gamorrean blinked, the kindness her expression radiated snuffed away. "Are you in trouble again?"

Yune shut the med kit closed and rose to her feet. "If it starts swelling, go see the healers. I'll be back later."

Jedi weren't supposed to lie, but she'd been around plenty long enough to know that was a lie too.

The Chamber of Judgment was supposed to be a sacred place where fairness and justice was carried out within the Jedi Order, whether it be petty disputes or serious crimes. Most cases however never made it this far, handled between masters themselves in relative swiftness. Jedi were not supposed to be petty, prideful or criminal, so it was rare that anyone at all would need to be tried by the Council themselves.

Yune felt she should probably be proud of herself for getting this far, which honestly may be the reason she had indeed.

"Jedi Knight Yune Shakir," Master Yoda recited her full name in his typical aged grumble. "Many months since your judgment have passed. Inquire about your experiences, this Council wishes to do so, before final judgment is made."

Yune let her gaze pass over each diverse member of the Council that she had once seen before and again felt nothing in the Force but a kaleidoscope of mixed emotions, far too many to gleam useful. Perhaps that was the point of their close proximity, to overload even the most skilled Jedi with so much input that they could never properly influence one to a compromising degree. She, of course, was just a lowly knight, and could never hope to gain much in any case.

"Is there anything you would like to say before we begin?" Master Windu asked, his arms crossed in a stalwart position of obvious determination, whether it be for or against her was to be seen.

Yune thought for a moment, but no words came to mind that felt they had the power to change anything that was about to happen.

"No," she replied, her voice almost foreign to her ears as it echoed through the chamber.

"Do you believe you actions on Jabiim were heroic?" Luminara asked nearly immediately after she answered. "Do you feel any remorse?

Yune shook her head, not bothering to look her way. "No."

"Answering which?"

"Both."

There was an incredulous snort from her. "Do you feel any desire to perhaps give us a justification, since remorse has failed you?"

"My justification has not changed since my initial hearing, if that is what you are asking, Master."

"The point of your confinement to the Temple was introspection," Master Mundi inquired next, interrupting the next question Luminara certain had among her list of such. "Are you suggesting that you made no attempt to reflect upon your actions?"

"I made plenty of attempts and came to many new conclusions," she admitted. "None of which altered my justification."

"And what conclusions did you come to?" Luminara chimed back in, measured scorn in her tone, but certainly practiced and controlled.

Yune shut her eyes in a moment of collection, pulling her thoughts into a cohesive line she could properly convey. "That the Jedi cannot have it both ways if they are serving as military commanders. If we are to be peacekeepers, then we bring peace. I was asked to bring war to Jabiim…so I did."

"Yes, a very clever play of words," Windu noted. "However—,"

"If you believe I am being disingenuous, then accuse me of such," Yune argued. "My actions speak for themselves. If you believed you could isolate me to beautiful gardens and bury my eyes in millennia-old books to get me to beg on my knees, you brought the wrong woman to this chamber."

There it was again. Her pride. It had slithered out of her mouth once again, and for once, she did feel remorse. Luckily, the silence that followed gave her the chance to recognize it as such.

"My apologies, Masters," she conceded. "It is not that I am ungrateful for your mercy. I do believe that I can be the Jedi you saw in me when I was knighted…but my convictions…they are not up for debate."

"Masters, if you will," Obi-Wan Kenobi finally spoke, and she felt his muddy hand on her shoulder as if the memory itself had manifested. "I believe we should consider that Jedi Knight Shakir has not violated any of the terms she agreed upon when we offered her this chance at introspection. She has been as cooperative, diligent, and punctual with all our requests as can be expected and has shown no signs of deviance or apathy."

"I second this," Master Tiin followed. "With due respect, Master Windu, simply because Shakir's word choice could be considered playful, it does not mean she is incorrect."

Yune stifled a frown. Was it often for the Council to debate during the judgment hearing itself…or had her actions divided them far more than she ever imagined? Master Kenobi was not unexpected to be at her side, what with the circumstances of it all. Master Tiin was the war hawk, and everyone in the Order knew that. Mundi was impossible to read, as was Windu, and Master Yoda was…well, Master Yoda. Luminara was always going to be the most critical, and Koth had no respect for Jedi known for their collateral damage. Everyone else was most likely to side with whichever had the majority.

Of course, this was only what she could speculate, and it was almost certain there were things she was not privy to, or sides of each Master she had no way of gleaming into. It hardly mattered anyhow…as the choice was going to be made in the next few minutes one way or another.

The choice of whether to expel her from the Jedi Order.

"The question that vexes most of us on this Council, Knight Shakir," Windu continued, retaking the reins of the proceedings. "Has more to do with your home planet. It is clear to us that you have not severed your ties to Umbara's political strife, as is the duty of any Jedi in this order."

Yune tried not to bite her lip as her gaze angled towards the elevated platform she stood upon. "My people have never given me much choice."

"Careful you must be, Shakir," Yoda cautioned. "Deny our past, the Jedi do not, but show favoritism towards a single species over others, clouded your mind can become."

"I…understand that, Master," Yune felt the muscles in her hand tense, slowly forming into a fist.

"Simply put, we do not believe you are well equipped to remain objective in the face of a choice between your duty to the galaxy, and a duty to your people," Mundi clarified.

"With due respect, Masters," Yune shut her eyes, calming her tension-riddled body as best she could. "If you have already reached your decision regarding my fate, I would like to hear it. I do not believe I have anything more to say for myself."

There was a pause, perhaps due to the forwardness of her request, but mercifully, no more questions followed.

"A decision, we have reached, yes," Yoda answered.

"It is the opinion of this Council," Windu uttered, and Yune felt her fist clench once again. "That Yune Shakir's actions were in clear breach of the Jedi Code…but she will not be expelled from the Jedi Order."

Yune's eyes widened, expecting Master Windu to proceed to burst out in laughter after suggesting such an obviously absurd judgment. In breach of the Jedi Code…but not barred from the Order? After everything she had done, whether she believed it just or not, they were just going to cast it aside?

"You will be barred from ever attaining the rank of Master. You will never be permitted to command soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic without supervision," Mundi continued her sentence as the platform lowered, its movement hardly registering within her turbulent mind. "Henceforth however, your status as a Knight of the Jedi Order has been reinstated."

One of the guards waiting below approached her frozen stare, and only after Mundi finished speaking did she recognize her slender, chromium lightsaber hilt waiting for her in their hand outstretched.

It made no sense. She got exactly what she had wanted…and yet why did she feel so empty?

If they hadn't kicked her out of the Chamber, Yune imagined she'd still be there, staring into the tan and brown abyss of its marble flooring long after everyone else had left and the lights had been shuttered. Her lightsaber hadn't been returned to her belt, only resting in her hand as her thumb traced over each finely crafted indent absently. The Jedi Order had been her life for nearly two decades now, and that would only continue as usual. She should be settling back into her quarters, preparing for her next orders and sharpening her masterful bladework. Instead, she had planned to do the latter but only ended up doing exactly as she'd imagined had they not removed her from the Chamber.

"I had imagined I would find you here," Obi-Wan Kenobi's voice finally pierced her consciousness, the smacking of blades and the deflection of training bolts no longer dominant enough to keep her utterly docile. "Although I never took you to be an observer."

Words swam around in her brain matter, but none of them came close to her tongue. It was as if she didn't know how to think anymore, let alone speak. There were no foundations left to hold up her future, as everything she had predicted to come to pass had been completely wiped away. Today she had expected to be on a transport back to Umbara, where she would return to a homeworld that she'd only visited from time to time. There she would put her skills to local use; the militia had already put arrangements into motion for her employment…and from then on, she was to disappear within the shadows as she had desired. For six months she had convinced herself of this inevitability, no longer forming connections with fellow Jedi or bothering to adhere to a training schedule with any long-term skills.

Of course, she had always hoped she could remain a Jedi…but the prospect of it seemed so out of reach.

The Jedi Master had already assumed the seat beside her, not bothering to shake her out of the trance of her own making…just sitting there, patiently waiting.

"My people have a saying," she finally spoke. "Never look too far ahead, lest the shadows consume you from behind. I feel as if the shadows have won this round."

Obi-Wan snorted. "An apt metaphor many Jedi would do well to take to heart."

There was another pause, but Yune hadn't thought of anything else to say.

"I am not at liberty to discuss the reasoning behind the Council's decision," he stated in a low tone, out of earshot of the other Jedi within the training hall. "While I am not suggesting as much, you are always welcome to voluntarily leave the Order should you feel the Force guiding you elsewhere."

She shut her eyes, the Force itself leaving nothing but silence in her wake. "I know. I…never wanted to leave the Order, but I never expected the Order to want me."

"Your skills with a lightsaber have near no equal among your peers. There is not a doubt in my mind that you were born to be a Knight of the Republic. How you come to accept that reality is a challenge all Jedi must face."

A sad smile crossed her lips, and her wrist went limp. "You sound like him."

The flash of purple against blue dominated her vision as her bruised and calloused hands moved her blade purposefully and violently against her opponent, the feeling of her shoulder and back against the ground over and over most prevalent in the colorful memory.

"Hm," Obi-Wan mused. "Master Kandere's teaching style was…not exactly my preferred approach, but I can't argue with the results."

His shouts echoed in her mind, but as did his firm embrace.

"He trained me to be a soldier," she recalled, and could only shake her head. "He prepared me to wade my way into this war…and got himself killed the first time he drew his blade and leapt out of the trench.

"He left me there…died for nothing and abandoned me."

Obi-Wan turned, the pitch of his voice finally rising. "The Republic is not nothing, Shakir."

"My Master trained his entire life to embark on the just crusade he always fantasized about, and in the end his body couldn't even stop a battle droid's blaster bolt from singeing the back of a mud bank. If that isn't nothing, then you'll need to give me a new definition."

"I…understand that our Masters can…disappoint us, but they are subject to the same tendencies for mistakes just as everyone else. Your master was no different…and unfortunately for us all, it cost him his life."

"So why do I get away with it?" Yune blurted far louder than she intended, drawing the attention of the other Jedi for a moment, before dismissing it.

Obi-Wan could only sigh. "I do not have those answers for you. All we can do is trust in the Force to guide our hand. I know you understand that. There may not be much comfort in the powerlessness…but it is the way of the Dark Side to attempt to control our own destinies, and you of all people should remember that."

The heat of the flames against her face warmed her skin once again.

By the time she had returned to the present, Obi-Wan had risen to his feet. "I also came to inform you that you will be under my command during your next assignment."

Her eyes widened, recalling one of the conditions of her reinstatement, and a sense of relief fell over her as the prospect of any of the other Jedi Masters ordering her around on a battlefield left her feeling sick to her stomach. Of course, it seemed like it would be just for this assignment…which meant that eventually she'd run into someone she could barely tolerate speaking to, or someone who had a bone to pick with her old master.

Which, to her misfortune, was not a small number.

Her hand went rigid, snugly gripping her hilt. "Of course, Master Kenobi. Can I ask where we are headed?"

"Orto Plutonia. I'd suggest you prepare for cold weather."

The name didn't quite roll into her mind softly, but there was a spark of familiarity that hit closer to home than she was prepared for.

"Orto Plutonia," she echoed. "Isn't that in…"

"The Pantora system, yes," Kenobi confirmed, and a certain dread crawled from the top of her head and down to her feet. "Will that be a problem?"

Her master's loud commands weighed on weak and shivering limbs as she had tried to force herself to stand.

"No, Master Kenobi," she shook her head. "Of course not."

"Good. We will be shipping out tomorrow morning. I would like you to arrive early so you can acquaint yourself with our men."

"Our men, Master? I thought I could not command troops."

"Without supervision," he corrected. "But that's not what I meant. My former Padawan Anakin will be accompanying us as well."

"Oh, I see," she recognized, cringing from her presumptuousness. "My apologies."

"No need," he soothed, and began to turn away. "You've had a long day, Shakir. You should get some rest."

"I will Master…thank you."

He inclined his head, and with that, he left her to her solitude.

Anakin Skywalker. His name was known by all Jedi, some for good and some for ill, and most for his grand exploits early in the Clone War. She only knew his name from an obsession.

Her Master's obsession.

Today was a good day.

Was.

"This concession does us no good, Senator," the frizzling hologram illuminated the sparsely lit senate office that Mee Deechi had called his own for many years now, one that almost recreated the comforting darkness of his home planet. "I expected better from you."

Deechi felt his eyebrow twitch as the extravagantly robed umbaran scolded him from halfway across the galaxy, a man whose words offered nothing but direction without intelligence. Grand Councilor Aba Nava may be the most dangerous man on Umbara, but on Coruscant, he was quite literally less than no one. Personally, he wished that it gave him more comfort, but alas, he did want to be able to return home one day.

"The Jedi Order likes to pick and choose when they care about the Senate's opinion, Grand Councilor," Deechi replied, settling in his grand chair with his fingertips pressed against each other. "More arms shipments only makes politicians salivate. Mystics who fancy themselves peacekeepers, less so."

"You understand full well what the high council wants out of Shakir. Her new restrictions eliminate all those desires. Many are beginning to whisper that it may be time to cut our losses."

Deechi shot an instinctual look towards his shut door, as well as towards the window shutters. "I do hope you are not suggesting treason, Grand Councilor."

"Treason? Against whom?" the hologram snapped, practically hissing as he leaned towards the cam. "The only treason I see is to Umbara itself! If the Republic cannot recognize our worth to it, then more grateful sponsors would be more than happy to drown in our wealth and power!"

"I do not believe burning any bridges is the proper response at this time," Deechi reasoned. "The Republic will not take lightly any threats of treachery, regardless of our world's standing in the galactic order."

He then lowered his tone, leaning closer to the holoprojector's audio receptor. "After all, there is a new budget appropriations bill set to be heard in the next few weeks. I believe I can leverage our vote to get more worlds to mount pressure on the Jedi Order. Many senators already believe they have far too much impunity when it comes to Republic matters."

"Why was this not attempted before her hearing?" Nava demanded.

Deechi's patience strained under the tension the Grand Councilor's idiocy was placing it under. "The moment to strike had not yet come. Timing, in politics, is everything, after all."

"Get her sanctions lifted, Senator…" Nava hissed, and leveled a stern finger his way. "Make this problem go away…or I shall make you go away."

The hologram cut out, and Deechi was left to the comforting darkness once again. After a moment, he thumbed his desk comm module. "I'm going to need dozens of meetings scheduled over the next few weeks. I want dossiers on all the war hawks. I want to know how many children they have, how many times they skip breakfast, whether or not they are a side sleeper, anything."

"Yes Senator, we shall have that prepared for your review by close of business," his aide replied, and he released his thumb, letting it go dead.

The curse of competence was indeed a curse.

Reviews are always appreciated, positive or negative (constructively negative). Let me know what you guys think. Yune Shakir has been in my mind for years now, taking many forms and many roles, but this is where I'm finally putting her to paper. Hope you guys find her interesting so far!

I make no promises for upload schedules, but I'm going to do my best to be orderly. Stay safe out there!