[SW-TOR] Shadows of the Republic [Please send a PM if you would like to join]

[Aerion Istari]

"The Force is an energy that flows through all living things," Jedi Lady replied.  "Some lifeforms who are sensitive to the flow of the Force can sense it, manipulate it, and use it to do amazing things. The Force is what my race uses to see without any external eye structures," Lady Jedi's fingers brushed her face in the area of her eyes.   "It allowed Master Brin to jump to the rooftop, and it is what Val to pull the saber from your hand without touching it. It can be used for good or for great evil. I believe you may be sensitive to the Force. I need to get things sorted out here first, but I would like to take you with me and teach you to use your gift to help others. Would you like to come with me and learn?"  she finished.

Shandra stood up and extended her hand to the youngling inviting him to come back into the warehouse with her.

"Does this mean I can learn to be a Jedi - like you?" Jawa asked in an incredulous voice as he followed Lady Jedi back inside the warehouse.

[Catri]

Upon entering the warehouse Shandra called the local police. She had to do a bit of creative lying about her reasons for being there. She told them that Garrit had contacted her and asked to meet at the cantina to catch up on old times, but he was called away early. She said she suspected something was wrong and followed him to the warehouse. When they expressed suspicion about Jawa's presence she told them he was a young Force Sensitive she was trying to recruit into the order.

Shandra was not sure how much of her story the authorities believed, but they believed enough to give her and Jawa a ride to the Senate District and leave them at the diplomatic housing area with a reminder that they may need further information.

"This is home for now, although we'll probably need to move to a bigger room soon. I'll order us some dinner and you can sleep on the sofa for now. We'll talk to the Jedi Council about your training tomorrow." Shandra said as she led Jawa inside.

[Gith]

Val watched from a distance as Shandra got the authorities involved. Nothing untoward happened and when they got into the vehicle to go to the senate district Val left himself, linking back up with Jak and heading for his ship.

"Bloop .... blooo ... blaaaaa....." Jak bleeped lazily.

"I know Jak, sorry. I was worrying you would run out of power completely. Sorry about that."

Val got Jak into his holding cage to charge and then removed all his weapons. He assumed he would not need them as he was on board his own ship and the door was locked from the inside. He hung his gun harness on the back wall of his weapons closet as well as his own two lightsabers. He then unclipped the deceased Jedi's saber and looked at it for a moment. "You are one with the Force now." Val bowed his head in respect for the fallen Jedi then placed the saber at the bottom of his weapons closet for storage until he could send it to the Jedi Temple on Tython. He would need to find a more secure way to get it there than to simply send it in an unsecured package. A problem for another day.

Val undressed and washed before lying down to get some much needed sleep. He would need to decide what to do with himself next but that could wait until tomorrow.

[Aerion Istari]

Jawa wasn't sure what to expect.  Lady Jedi had said he would be trained as a Jedi.  He wasn't sure what that would mean for his life but the change could not be for the worse.  He settled down on the couch and went to sleep.

[Catri]

The conversation with the Council was rather like beating her head repeatedly against a brick wall, but Shandra finally convinced them to let her take the youngling on as a Padawan in spite of his age. The next order of business was to buy him some new clothes and request a larger apartment so he could have his own bedroom.

After a few days they had settled into a regular routine. Shandra brought Jawa with her to work every day to help her run errands for Master Bel, ans she found opportunities along the way to train him in controlling his Force powers. Her own master had been unconventional in his lessons; so she was able to take inspiration from him in thinking of creative lessons like using the Force to stack a Pazaak deck. She had yet to tie him to a chair so she could teach him to use the Force to untie the knots, but it did take a few years before Master Kraylo taught her that.

[Aerion Istari]

As he faced Garrit with his lightsaber he slipped into a Wrath Guard position with his right side facing Garrit with this hands over his head and his lightsaber blade pointing straight down along his body.  Garrit moved a half step forward and slipped into the Two Handed, Eight Point stance with the blade of his lightsaber pointing straight up and hilt of his lightsaber a few inches from his ear.   

Then Garrit slashed downward at an angle across his body with the point etching an arc through the air that would have cut across his chin had he not ducked to his left. Then Garrit pivoted to his right and brought his blade into a horizontal slash at chest level.  He moved his blade forward to block slash, but his lightsaber blade suddenly went out and Garrit's slash went right through the place where his blade had been.  He watched in slow motion horror as Garrit's blade slashed right through his torso.  He screamed...

He bolted out of his bed as he screamed.  He turned a flip in mid air and landed on his feet in the center of his bed chamber.  As he moved through the air, a lightsaber flew from a dresser and into his hand.  As he landed, the blade of the lightsaber sprang from the hilt and he assumed a high guard position.  He scanned with the force for threats but detected none.   "It was a dream," he said after few moments.  To calm his nerves, he executed a series of lightsaber forms and ended up facing the mirror over his bureau with his lightsaber in the Wrath Guard position. 

Lightsaber forms always calmed him.  There was something about the elegance and the concentration that focused him and cleared his thoughts.  It was almost like meditation for him.  Fortunately for the Shadow Knight, the encounter with the traitor to the dark side, Garrit, had ended differently than his nightmare. 

He looked a long time in the mirror.  He tried to see the person he had once been but that person was long gone.  "You are the Shadow Knight," he said to the reflection in the mirror.  "You will vanquish the Dark side!  The Jedi have been corrupted and can no longer be trusted to protect the Republic.  You MUST restore the balance!"

Then he brought the hilt of his lightsaber up in front of his face then sharply downward in the classic swordsman's salute.   Then he turned it off and tossed it casually over his shoulder to land dead center of the bed.  He looked down at his naked body at the mostly healed wound on his thigh.  The Doc Droid had done a fine job knitting the wound.  The scar was visible but fairly small.  It still hurt but it was a very tolerable dull pain now like a deep muscle bruise.

The Shadow Knight had been born of the Force.  He had not always been the Shadow Knight.  Once he had been a youngling padawan training to be a Jedi.  Then later he had passed the Jedi Trials and become a Jedi Knight.  He was a fairly unremarkable Jedi except that he was the most skilled with a lightsaber than any other Jedi.  Everyone had said so.  It had been widely expected that once he became a Jedi Master, he would take over as a teacher of the lightsaber to younglings and apprentices.  But all that had changed during the war...

Shadow Knight had learned of Garrit's defection into Black Sun through one of his Black Sun contacts.  Not coincidently, that contact was one of the other dead bodies left in the warehouse.  In a way, he regretted having to kill the twi'lek.   In addition providing good intelligence, he had proven to be a biddable bed companion.  Twi'leks are most ... exciting ... that way.  His being mercenary had also added an interesting spice to the relationship.  He would be missed but his duty as the Shadow Knight came before his own personal pleasure.

As a force shadow, Shadow Knight had slipped through the alley and into the warehouse unnoticed.  He had been surprised and dismayed to see Shandra outside the warehouse.   It had delayed him slightly getting into the warehouse as he had needed to be extra careful to avoid being seen by her.  He wasn't sure if her Force Vision could see through his Shadow or not.  He couldn't take the chance.  He had been almost too late. 

Once inside the warehouse, he had slipped in behind the two mercenaries in Shadow form.  He had executed a Flying Long Slash on the mercenaries' unprotected backs.   The twi'lek had fired his blaster as the blow struck but then they fell forward and were dead by the time their bodies hit the floor.  He had immediately leapt the distance between himself and Garrit and slashed downward in a powerful blow.  But Garrit had somehow managed to get his lightsaber up to block the blow.  Garrit had been a decent opponent with a lightsaber but his skill was well short of the Shadow Knight's.  But then, much of his later training had focused on defeating other Jedi.  Until the very end, the fight had been almost textbook fight.  Parry, slash, block, then repeat until the final blow. 

Unlike the nightmare, the Shadow Knight's lightsaber didn't fail before Garrit's vicious horizontal slash.  Instead he had blocked the slash easily, then spun around lifting Garrit's blade over his head and following with a quick, low thrust into Garrit's exposed lower torso.  As Garrit began to topple forward towards the floor of the warehouse, the Shadow Knight turned off his lightsaber and side stepped to his right away from Garrit's lightsaber.  As Garrit fell forward, he managed to roll and thrust his lightsaber into the meaty part of the Shadow Knight's thigh, fortunately missing the bone.  It had been a painful strike and even more so in that it had come when his guard was down.  His own lightsaber had flown from his hand across the warehouse as he had reached down to quickly remove the lightsaber from his thigh before it took his leg off.   

It had taken every bit of his training to block the pain in his leg.  Once he was under control, he first looked for his souvenir.  Garrit's lightsaber was beautiful and very well made with its curved handle and clean lines.   It would make a worthy souvenir so he scooped it up.  He was about to search for his own lightsaber when he felt another presence enter the warehouse.  He sensed right away that this presence was hidden by the Force but he could not tell anything else about it.  He had successfully blocked the pain and could function normally, but he was in no condition for another battle with another Jedi.  Besides that his work here was done. 

He would miss the lightsaber.  That had been the first lightsaber he had made as a padawan learner.  Since that time, he had, of course made a much finer weapon that he usually carried.  But that lightsaber was well known and it wouldn't do for it to be found.  So the Shadow Knight had always used his first lightsaber for the executions.  Its simple, apprentice design was nearly untraceable.  And, unfortunately, it was fairly common for those crude, padawan lightsabers to find their way into the black market.  So it was much safer to use the old lightsaber.  And though it was crudely made, it was nonetheless a very sound weapon.  Even as a young pawadan, his skill with a lightsaber included their construction.  So he made the decision to come back later to leave the lightsaber in the warehouse and come back later to look for it.  But that had not worked out either.

Once outside, there had been the encounter with Shandra.  She had claimed to be there working on an investigation.  Was she investigating Garrit and his treachery or was that to cover up for the fact that she was working WITH him.   The Shadow Knight would have to keep a close eye on this one!!

[Catri]

Shandra sat at the desk in the waiting are outside of Master Bel's room sorting through Master Bel's mail. Jawa sat in one of the chairs across from the desk reading a lesson she had assigned him. Shandra didn't like acting as Master Bel's protocol droid, but what frustrated her the most was that she was cheating Jawa of a real training opportunity. Master Kraylo had needed to sort through messages and fill out documents, but she had the opportunity to watch him during real diplomatic proceedings. He had also been able to devote time to training her in advanced Force use and lightsaber techniques.

The Council had refused her request for reassignment. They said Master Bel found her indispensable to the diplomatic relations with the Senate, and Force forbid Master Bel should have to read her own mail.

"I know this has been a thrilling morning, but if you feel you can tear yourself away from all of the excitement in a few minutes we can go to lunch and then begin lightsaber training. Hello, what's this?" Shandra had been sifting through the standard set of messages containing diplomatic information, appointments, and requests for intervention when she came across a strange message. It had no return address, no subject label, and only Master Bel's password could open it.

Shandra had noticed a great many strange messages and comlink calls coming in for Master Bel recently. The Rodian had also seemed to be more tense than usual ever since the day Garrit died. She likely had not heard of his death. A murder in the undercity, even the murder of a Jedi, did not often draw much attention from the inhabitants of the Senate District. No, Master Bel's recent change in demeanor must have been a coincidence, but Shandra couldn't figure out what could have caused it.

Shandra could hear Master Bel talking into her comlink as she entered the office to inform her of the message. The Rodian seemed to be very upset about something.

"Yes, what happened was quite a shame, but I assure you I had nothing to do with it. No I don't think they found out. There's no need for our arrangement to change." Master Bel jolted upright and disconnected the comlink when she realized Shandra had entered the office. "What the frack are you doing her?"

Shandra was taken aback by master Bel's harsh reaction. She approached the desk with a datapad containing the messages that she would not be able to answer.

"I'm bringing you the messages that require your attention, Master Bel, just like I do every morning. Is everything alright?" Shandra asked Master Bel grabbed the datapad out of Shandra's hand and began scrolling through the list of messages although she didn't seem to be paying much attention to them.

"Everything would be much better if you were not sneaking around scaring the living daylights out of me." Master Bel said as she entered her password to access the final message. As she read the message her face turned as pale as a Rodian could manage. She stared at the datapad with an expression of utter shock. "It's not possible...he's....he can't be..."

"What isn't possible, Master Bel? Are you alright? Can I get you anything?" Shandra asked. She walked around the desk to try to help Master Bel, but the Rodian pressed the datapad to her chest and Force Pushed Shandra away to keep her from reading the message. Shanra felt her back hit the wall beside the office door.

"Mind your own damn business, girl!" Master Bel shouted as she scrambled to delete the message. "Get out of my sight and take your filthy pet street rat with you."

Shandra straightened her robes and tried to remain calm as she walked into the waiting room.

"Come along, Jawa. It's time for lightsaber practice." Shandra said. She led the youngling out into the courtyard and pulled two training lightsabers off of her belt. She handed  them to Jawa.

"These are training sabers. They hurt, but they won't do as much damage as the real thing. You'll start with the basic Shii- Cho form, but you will eventually have the option of choosing to learn a more advanced form as well. I'll give you a demonstration of some of the forms I know." Shandra said.

She pulled out her own saber and ignited one end. She rapidly swung the blue blade in the slashes and lunges of the Shii-cho form. Then she activated the blade at the other end and showed Jawa the spinning swings of a saberstaff. After she had executed a few combat techniques Shandra deactivated her blades and took a step backward. She jumped in shock as she felt herself back into someone's chest. A pair of hands came down to rest on her shoulders.

"That was lovely, Consular Ivari, truly lovely." Bentro Mar said into her ear. Shandra sprang forward and spun around to face him.

"Forgive me for bumping into you, Mr. Mar. I did not realize you were there. Do you require my assistance?" Shandra said with a strained voice.

"Oh, no. I was merely taking a walk when I noticed you and your...err...Padawan practicing. You are always so graceful, even in battle....as are all Jedi I suppose. Really, I don't see why more people don't appreciate your unique talents."

Bentro walked around Shandra and Jawa for a moment as if he were studying them.

[Aerion Istari]

At first, Jawa had been a little afraid when he went with Jedi Lady.  He hadn't known what to expect.  The idea of becoming a Jedi was exciting and a little frightening.  The truth and turned out to be sometimes fun but a lot of monotony.

He hadn't seen Bigger Blaster since he stole Jawa's lightsaber.  He was glad.  He hated him for that.  One day, he'd pay him back.  He fantasized about one day finding Bigger Blaster and snatching the lightsaber from him and cutting him in half with it.  One day, he will.  You'll see!

Lady Jedi had been very kind to him.  He was never cold or hungry anymore and he always had a warm bed to sleep in and clothes that were clean and not falling off him.  She would spend time talking to him and he had found himself telling her things he hadn't really known himself.  Things like how he had felt about Mora and his fears after Juma was killed.

Jawa hadn't known how to read or do sums so one of the first things Lady Jedi had done was to give him is very own datapad and start teaching him to read and do math.  The math was really easy and he liked doing that.  Reading was slow at first but he found the more he did it the easier it became. 

The funest things he did were the Force training exercises.  Right after she gave him his datapad, she showed him a game on it where he had to touch the screen where the next ball would appear.  Then she taught him to clear his mind and just "feel" where the ball would appear.  It took him a few days but he eventually got to where he could predict every single ball.  Then to make it more challenging, he had to only touch balls that were red but not touch those that were blue.  After he mastered that, then the game changed to where the ball was always moving and he had to not only predict where the ball would appear but had to trace the path of the ball as it appeared. 

She usually took him to work with her and he'd hang out in her office learning from the datapad.  Sometimes she' let him go out to the city and hang out on the streets and watch people.  She had even given him his own credit chip with credits on it and he'd go out and get food or whatever he wanted.

Today, he was in her office with her again.  He had been about to ask her if he could go out to the Senate Park a short distance away when she had told him she would take him out for lunch and start to teach him to use a lightsaber.  A LIGHTSABER!!  He couldn't wait!!

He had finished his math and reading lessons and was playing the Balls game on his datapad when he sensed Mean Green Lady coming.   He slid over into a corner hoping she wouldn't notice him.  He knew she hated him though he had no idea why.   He had never even spoken to her and as far as he knew, he had never given her reason to dislike him. 

As he usually did, he focused on his Balls game and tried to ignore Mean Green.  But he could not ignore the fear and anger that filled the room like a really stinky odor.   He turned off his datapad and listened with his guard up.  Something is very wrong.  He hated Mean Green, but she was acting totally off.  Usually Mean Green just ignored him and Lady Jedi with her piggy nose stuck in the air like she was too good for the likes of us.

"Mind your own damn business, girl!" Mean Green shouted as did something quickly to her datapad. "Get out of my sight and take your filthy pet street rat with you."

"Come along, Jawa. It's time for lightsaber practice." Lady Jedi said. Normally she would just walk away, expecting him to follow along.  But this time she took his hand as she led the Jawa out into the courtyard.  Her hand was warm and her touch was kind and reassuring.  Then she pulled two training lightsabers off of her belt. She handed one of them to Jawa.

"These are training sabers," Ladi Jedi said.  "They hurt, but they won't do as much damage as the real thing. You'll start with the basic Shii-Cho form, but you will eventually have the option of choosing to learn a more advanced form as well. I'll give you a demonstration of some of the forms I know." She finished.

He watched her carefully as she pulled out her own saber and ignited one end. She rapidly swung the blue blade in a series of beautiful and graceful slashes and lunges. Then she activated the blade at the other end and showed Jawa the spinning swings of a saberstaff.  After she had executed a few combat techniques Lady Jedi deactivated her blades and took a step backward. She jumped in surprised as bumped into the man who had walked up during the demonstration and had watched her with admiration.

"That was lovely, Consular Ivari, truly lovely," the man said to her. She sprang forward and spun around to face him.  He was a rather mushy looking man.  Not very tall and he always wore a fake looking smile that seemed to make Jawa feel like he was stupid.  Yet something about him seemed familiar.

"Forgive me for bumping into you, Senator Mar. I did not realize you were there. Do you require my assistance?" Lady Jedi said to him.  Jawa could tell she was upset but he wondered why.

"Oh, no," the man replied with a slippery looking grin.  He was talking down to Lady Jedi the way most adults talked down to him.  "I was merely taking a walk when I noticed you and your...err...Padawan practicing. You are always so graceful, even in battle....as are all Jedi I suppose. Really, I don't see why more people don't appreciate your unique talents."  Then the man started looking at them the way some of Juma's customers would look at one of her black market blasters.  Lady Jedi looked like she wanted to slap him.  Jawa was tempted to slash him with his lightsaber.

[Catri]

Shandra cringed under Bentro's examination. She was never quite comfortable around him. He always felt smug and condescending, but she also felt a predatory edge to him that must have come from the competitive nature of politics. Initially he had been one of the most vocal protestors of her assignment to Coruscant. She assumed he was one of those people who thought the fewer Jedi underfoot the better. Now she couldn't get rid of him. Sometimes it seemed like she could feel him watching her every time she turned around, and he had a way of looking at her like someone examining an item in a shop window.

She stretched out her mind to brush against Jawa's. She could feel him getting the same impression that she did and considering violence. She wrapped an arm around Jawa's shoulder to reassure him and keep him from doing something they would both regret. She used the Force to send a message into Jawa's mind.

"Be calm, youngling. He is incredibly creepy, but he is a member of Senator Traska's diplomatic staff nonetheless."

"If you will excuse us, we were in the middle of training." Shandra said backing away from Bentro.

"Forgive me. I did not mean to interrupt. Of course I'm sure that you and your "Padawan" have a great deal of business to attend to. Although,I thought Padawans were usually a bit older that this one, but if that is what you fancy than who am I to judge." Bentro said. His eyes darted between Jawa and Shandra for a moment before they settled on the Consular. A knowing smirk spread across his face.

"How dare you imply that I have done anything inappropriate with my Padawan. He is only a youngling." Shandra hissed.

Bentro moved closer until he was standing only a few inches away from Shandra.

"I thought it was commonly understood what sort of business Jedi masters attend to with their padawans. Didn't your master?" He whispered. He reached up and twined a stray wisp of her hair around his finger.

Shandra smacked Bentro hard across the face. He laughed as he removed his hand from her hair to cover the red mark her hand left behind.

"Be careful of the Dark Side, Consular Ivari. It seemes you may be slipping, and the last thing we need is another Sith." He said. With that he turned and walked back into the Senate building.

Shandra stood for a moment fuming as Bentro walked away. She reached out in the Force to feel him, but he was hard to clearly read for some reason. Perhaps she was too upset to focus. She was sure he had been testing her. He must have very little trust in the Jedi if he felt such measures were necessary.

"Well, I'm quite hungry. Let's go eat lunch now, and we can finish our lightsaber training later." Shandra said as she began leading Jawa out of the plaza toward the Senate building's  dining area. Shandra ordered food and found a small table in the corner. She sat in silence for a while eating her lunch and trying to take her mind off of the encounter in the plaza.

Suddenly an alarm began screeching over the Senate building com system. All around them people were abandoning their meals and evacuating the building. Shandra grabbed Jawa's
hand and pulled him out into the hallway to find the nearest exit. When they got outside she could sense smoke billowing from a section of the Senate building. The security forces were instructing everyone to remain calm until they could find the source of the fire. Shandra led Jawa over to a large decorative planter and sat down on the edge.

It seemed like hours before they were finally allowed back into the building. Apparently something had ignited some of the cleaning supplies in one of the supply closets causing a small fire. No one was hurt and there was minimal damage.

When Shandra got into the Senate building she led Jawa back into Master Bel's office. The lights in the inner office were on when she came in.

"Master Bel? Are you here?" She called out. Shandra felt the area in the Force and knew instantly that soemething was wrong. She could sense Master Bel's body on the floor devoid of life. Shandra screamed and ran out into the hallway.

"Someone help! Master Bel is dead!"

[Gith]

It had been a relaxing few days since Val had last talked with Shandra and the youngling that was oddly named Jawa. He had spent the last few days trying to gather preliminary intel on what had happened to Garrit and who had killed him. Also, what had caused him to break his Jedi vows and try to cash in with a criminal organization on Coruscant. That random Force adept that had showed up after Garrit was killed was also a source of curiosity for Val.

Val had observed the Republic officers while they had cleaned up the scene after Shandra had called them. He had observed from stealth so no one knew he was there but he had wanted to examine the bodies. Garrit had been killed by a lightsaber--not a blaster--and a few of the Black Sun members had saber wounds as well. It looked like someone had wanted it to look like Garrit had been killed by the Black Sun members but Val knew that to be false.

So Val had gone on the hunt. He knew that there was a dark Force user killing people but he did not know why. Also, he had gotten in and out of the warehouse without Shandra's keen Force sight/sense sensing him as she had thought Garrit was killed by the Black Sun members.

In order to try to glean some information about what had happened, Val had spent the day meditating and trying to see into the Force signature of the lightsaber he had taken from Jawa that he had assumed had belonged to Garrit. However, with his gift for average level psychometry Val had seen Garrit's last moments. He had been cut down by this very saber in fact so Val had seen the event from the view of the killer, not the victim. Someone had taken Garrit's lightsaber and, for some completely unknown reason, had left his own at the scene of the crime. Val had planned to return the saber to the Jedi Temple on Tython out of respect for the deceased but now he knew it to be evidence in an unfolding crime that involved corrupt Jedi and Force users killing other Force users.

All in all it had been an eventful few days. Val had tried to find out more from his psychometry but it had yet to yield anything other than the events directly before Garrit's death. Perhaps it was time to give Shandra a call and see if her Force sense was more attuned than his own. Val was talented at finding and tracking dark side taint but otherwise his Force sense was about average; stealth really is his forte but deduction is also something he excelled at outside of his Force powers. He just needed something to go on. Perhaps the Jedi archives would be able to tell him who this particular saber belonged to originally given that the Jedi were usually pretty particular about keeping records of that sort of stuff. Especially since it looked to be of amateur design which suggested it was a Padawan saber.

What was odd was that Val had been unable to find any sign of the murderer at the scene of the crime, even through psychometry. That would imply that the killer was very good at covering his or her tracks or as adept at Force aided stealth as Val was. The thought of that was disturbing and oddly challenging to Val.

In summary, Val had no trail to track this murderer from, which was very odd. Psychometry usually allowed Val to track pretty much anyone within a certain time frame. Val had the murderer's lightsaber, which he assumed the murderer would want back eventually. Padawan sabers usually held sentimental value to Force users--Val still had his original sabers he had crafted back on Dorin, though he did not use them anymore. What was troubling Val about the saber was that he did not sense outright evil or dark side taint on it, which was odd for a presumably Sith assassin. This warranted more investigation. However, since Shandra had known the deceased, interviewing her was probably a good place to start.

"Jak. Could you punch up Shandra's commlink for me?"

"Bleep booop plaaa."

"Thanks. And remind me to get you an oil bath sometime soon, you are looking a bit dingy."

"WHOOP BEEP!"

"Yea, right back at ya tin can" Val looked at Jak with a smirk.

Val sat on his ship, feet up on his comm desk. The commlink opened up and began to call Shandra. "Hey Shandra. You there?"

[Catri]

Shandra extended her mind in the Force trying to feel anyone nearby. She felt the faint traces of a Force aura like she felt when Val and Master Brin were using Force cloak. It was only a few moments later that her cries attracted the attention of a nearby guard. He brushed past her into the office without a word and crouched down next to Master Bel's body.

"These look like lighsaber wounds. What happened here?" the guard asked.

"I have no idea. I came in after the fire alarm and she was dead." Shandra said

"You have a lightsaber, don't you? Where were you after the fire alarm went off?" the Guard asked glancing sideways at Shandra.

"I was sitting in front of the Senate building with my Padawan the entire time. You can ask Senator Ghem if you like. I saw her standing nearby." Shandra said " Really, I don't see what you're implying"

"I suppose there isn't enough evidence to arrest you yet. Stick around in case we have further questions for you." The guard stood up as more members of the security force entered and began examining the body and parts of the office.

They asked Shandra a few more basic questions, but mostly they told her to wait, and wait, and wait some more. It was well into the evening before they felt confident enough in her innocence and uselessness to release her.

She took Jawa's hand and led him home stopping to pick up takeout on the way. After dinner Shandra tucked Jawa into bed and sat down with a cup of tea to contemplate the events of the day. Suddenly her comlink chimed.

"Hey Shandra. You there?"

"Yes, Val. I'm here. I seem to be encountering death wherever I go. Someone killed Master Adira Bel in her office at the Senate Building earlier today. I felt someone cloaked at the crime scene. I couldn't tell who it was." Shandra said

[Gith]

Val sat there at his hollow terminal looking at the projection of Shandra as he appraised him of her situation. "A dead Jedi master in the Senate building? Wasn't Master Bel the one you were playing errand girl for? Regardless, a murder in the senate building is pretty serious. Anything caught on camera? I definitely was nowhere near the senate building today so whomever you sensed was not me."

Val picked up the saber they had found at the scene of Garrit's death and showed it to Shandra. "It turns out this saber actually belonged to our killer and not Garrit. Good thing I didn't let the little one keep it. Its design is amateur which would imply a Padawan saber. I need access to the Jedi archives to see who built this specific saber. Think you could help me out with that? It would appear that our murderer left his saber and took Garrit's. If I could find Garrit's I might be able to tell what happened just prior to his death and see why he was dealing with the Black Sun organization in the first place."

Val put the saber down again and thought for a moment. "How was Master Bel killed? Who around the senate building could take down a Master without anyone noticing? I take it she died from a saber and not blaster fire?"

[Catri]

"That's very odd about the lightsaber. I thought there had been a gang fight in the warehouse, but if the saber wasn't Garrit's then there must have been another Force user involved.It had a lovely purple blade. That's not common among Padawan sabers. I've only ever known one Padawan who had a purple blade. I'll help you search the archives. " Shandra paused for a moment to finish her tea and gather her thoughts. She closed her eyes and opened her mind to the Force letting the soothing warm liquid calm her as the Force flowed through her. A few moments later she set the mug aside and turned her attention back to the conversation.

"Yes, I was assigned to Master Bel's staff. She had been acting very stange of late....more on edge than she usually was. She had also been receiving a number of strange calls and messages for a while, but they seemed to increase in the past few days.She was killed by a lightsaber. I believe when the guards were holding me for questioning I heard someone mention that there was something wrong with the cameras. I doubt anyone noticed much of anything during the incident. There had been a small fire in a supply closet on the other side of our section of the building. Alarms were blaring, the section was sealed off from the rest of the building,and everyone was either gathered out front or investigating the fire. Someone could have been standing in the office completely naked singing Gamorrean drinking songs and noone would have noticed. I went into the office right after we were allowed to reenter the building. As far as I know I was the first to find her."

[Gith]

Val listened to Shandra, wondering about something as she talked. "I take it senators do not have cameras in their personal quarters out of respect and privacy? So if we were going to catch the murderer on camera it would have been on his or her approach to the scene of the murder?" Val made a disappointed sucking sound as he realized that there would be no lead to be had from senate tower surveillance. "I still cannot believe how ridiculous the security at the Senate building has become after the sacking of Coruscant. Evacuating it because of a fire?" Val shook his head.

"We need to find out what Master Bel got herself into that resulted in her death. I am going to need access to the senate building and the Jedi archives to find out who originally built this saber and to mine Master Bel's computers for leads. Do you think this will be possible or will the Republic authorities make this impossible? I can let myself in if I cannot approach the senate building's restricted areas openly if need be but accessing the Jedi archives is beyond me without my Jedi privileges."

[Catri]

Shandra thought for a moment about how to get Val inside the building. With the tension between the Republic and the Empire increasing security measures had become ridiculous. She still could not believe the evacuation had been caused by a small easily controled fire. However, there was one way to get him in if they were creative.

"Val, how difficult would it be for you to pretend to be a Jedi? I can find you some Consular's robes. I will be expected to temporarily take over some of Master Bel's duties until a replacement can be found. We can tell security that you are an old friend I called in to help me with my work. It's not even terribly far from the truth. You'll be required to sit through some dull and frustrating negotiations, but you will have full access to Master Bel's office. I can help you with access to the archives as well."

[Gith]

Val chuckled at the unintentional implied insult in Shandra's words. "I still have my Master robes that were presented to me. You forget that I am still a Jedi Master if not presently affiliated with the Order." He reached inside his duster and pulled out one of his sabers. "Still got these too. Still remember the Jedi Code--no emotion, only peace and all that--so don't worry, I think I can blend in. Though, if I am asked for official ID I will need to present my actual ID unless you have a good forgery available. That will send up an automatic red flag as I am sure I am listed MIA presently. Maybe even dead actually." Val chuckled at the notion. "But if you don't mind a little gentle manipulation I am sure they will not even think to ask for my ID when I have you for them to focus on." He smiled with only a hint of mischief behind the smile. He used his abilities for good but it did occasionally dawn on his how much power he had over other people to cause a ruckus if he chose to--which he never did (unless they were evil and deserved it, but then his mischief was usually aimed toward their arrest).

[Catri]

"Identification won't be a problem. Just send me a picture for the ID and I'll talk to an old friend of my Master. He specializes in false documentation for diplomats who want to travel without making their presence known. He did some work with the Jedi during the War as well. He works fast as I recall; so I will see you bright and early for work in the morning." Shandra said.

She disconnected the comlink and placed another call. The image of an old Ithorian male appeared on the holocall.

"I'm listening. Whadda you want?" The Ithorian said

"Mr. Kanu, I don't know if you remember me...."

" Oh, yeah, of course I remember you. You're Wiln's Padawan, the one with no eyes. It's been a long time since I saw old Wiln. How's he doing?"

"I'm afraid he died some time ago."

"Died? Really? Sorry to hear that. He was a good lifeform, that Wiln Kraylo, a real good lifeform, well for a Jedi at least. But I assume you didn't call to talk about old times. How can I help you?"

" I need some identification for a Jedi Master sent to my quarters tomorrow morning if possible. I'm sending you the information and some credits for the job now."

"Hmm...I see...no problem. This'll be a piece o' cake. I'll send a droid over with 'em first thing in the morning."

"Thank you."

After the image disappeared Shandra took a shower and went to bed early. She and Val were going to spend the next day in another shouting match tactfully called a meeting with Senator Phin and Senator Traska, and she would need all the sleep she could get before entering that warzone.

[Gith]

As Shandra's image disappeared Val chuckled to himself. "Fake IDs no problem? ... I am having a bad influence on this one." Attaining that level of falsified identification was difficult for Val even with his extensive knowledge of underworld workings. That is why Val would usually forgo with ID entirely and just slipped into places unnoticed.

"Actually, probably a good influence," Val mused silently to himself. Jedi were so stuffy and by the book when they were straight out of the academy. A good dose of the real galaxy was needed for most to get them into a more realistic and less idealistic head space. Thought, many Jedi turned out to be too weak to walk the line as Val was so it was the destiny of many Jedi to remain naively idealistic in order to preserve their ability to function as a servant of the Republic. Val did not believe this was the case for Shandra though.

"Hey Jak. Take a head shot of me would you? Matt in a senate standard background to it would you?" Val looked serious for a moment while Jak snapped a picture of him. "Thanks. Send that to Shandra please."

He stretched out as he thought about where he had last stored his Master robes. He would need to dispense with his normal attire and array of weapons and get back to basics--robes and lightsabers. He wandered his storage area for a bit locating his robes, standard issue belt to attach his sabers to instead of his normal harness, boots that did not contain hidden compartments for his two knives and some plain pants.

After locating all the gear he would need Val picked up the saber that Garrit's murderer had left behind. An image flashed through his mind as his powers of technometry showed him an image of the man wielding it, though his face was obscured somehow and he could not make out who it was. He shrugged and placed the saber with the rest of his equipment. If the saber had been wielded by a purely evil user Val would have been able to feel the taint left on it but he did not feel evil, only purpose.

Going through his normal routine before going to sleep Val made sure the ship was locked from the inside and that Jak was plugged. He lay down on his bed in his sleeping quarters aboard his ship. "I wonder what time bright and early is according to a senatorial aid on a city planet that never sleeps..." he murmured to himself. He shrugged. "Whatever time I make it there I guess." And with that he closed his eyes fell into a light sleep.

[Aerion Istari]

All in all, it had been a rather satisfying day for the Shadow Knight.  There is something deeply fulfilling about besting your former master.  He had known it intellectually that he had long ago surpassed all his former masters in lightsaber technique.  But knowing it and proving it in a one-on-one contest is a galaxy apart.  It had given him a deep sense of arrival.  He knew he should be above such feelings but he could not deny them.

He supposed some part of him should have hated having to kill Master Bel.  She had been his favorite master in his padawan days.  While he was still a youngling, she had recognized his skill with a lightsaber and had spent extra time teaching him.  When he was ready, she had taken him as her padawan.  That had been quite an honor for him and had set him a bit apart from the rest of his youngling class.  She had treated him as though he were her own child and he had both loved her as a mother and worshipped her as a master. 

When it came time for him to build his first lightsaber, he had been determined to build his with a purple blade, just like hers.  "It will be much harder to tune a purple crystal, young padawan," she had said to him, not unkindly.  "You seem to enjoy choosing the more difficult path".  But she had acquired a purple crystal for him and had patiently coached him on the process.

She had been right, of course.  But he had decided he was going to make the best padawan lightsaber in the Republic!  Rather than just a straight-walled cylinder, he had made the pummel rounded rather than flat.  He had spent a week polishing the plas-steel hilt until it gleamed with a mirror finish.  He had spent nearly a week getting the blade emitter set, angled, tuned and polished so that his blade would be a full meter long – nearly 25% longer than the typical padawan weapon. And tuning and setting the purple crystal had taken all his skill and patience to accomplish.  When he was finished, his lightsaber, though still fairly basic in shape, exhibited fine workmanship and had a deep purple blade hot enough to cut through a half meter of composite armor plating. 

She had been proud of his workmanship and praised him on the final result.  He had even overheard her brag to other masters how well his lightsaber had turned out.   His only regret now was, he had not been able to use that lightsaber to kill the traitor, Master Bel.  It would have been fitting indeed and perhaps a bit of redemption for her to die from her own creation.

Slipping into Master Bel's office had been too easy.  In a building filled to capacity with narcissism, one hardly notices anything in the Senate building unless it adds to or subtracts from their power.  When he slipped inside her office, she had stood quickly, her lightsaber in hand, blade out.  He dropped his stealth and let her see him; really see him in his true form.  He drew his own lightsaber.  Both the blades shone with the same deep purple color.  He waited patiently and watched her eyes.  He saw first fear then curiosity, confusion and finally a wide-eyed gasp of recognition.

"Padawan", she said with the same kindly, parental that sounded as though she were saying, my son.  She looked both fearful and happy at the same time.  "I thought you were dead?"

"The padawan you knew is dead, Master," the Shadow Knight replied.  "He has died and been reborn.  I am now the Shadow Knight.  The Force has charged me with the task of purging the dark side from the ranks of the Jedi."

"What has that to do with me?" Master Bel said with an indignant tone that failed to convince anyone.

"You know the answer to that question," the Shadow Knight replied with flat certainty.  "Master Adira Bel, I sense the dark side in you.  I sentence you to death."  Then he attacked.

He had been looking forward to this contest.  He had hoped for a fight worthy of two masters of the lightsaber.  But in the end, the fight had lasted a mere few seconds.  He had force-leapt across the room.  She parried his first attack and her riposte was at best a half-hearted effort.  She was old, he realized and her skills had lapsed.  He spun around as she began her riposte and parried behind his back.  As his momentum carried him around he brought his blade round in a vicious circle to slash across her torso just below her breasts.  The blade had not gone deep enough to cut her in two though the wound was very deep.  He caught her lightsaber as it slipped from her fingers.  She crumpled to the floor and ended up on her back facing him. 

The look on her face was strangely serene.  Her eyes were fixed on him.  Her green mouth held that kindly shape that passed for a smile for Rodians.  "Padawan," she said in that same, kindly tone.  Then her arm lifted weakly and outstretch in his direction as though she wanted to touch him. "I've missed you," she whispered kindly. Then her arm fell to the floor and she died.

The Shadow Knight turned off both lightsabers and stuffed them under his cloak.   Then without a backwards look, he pulled his hood over his head, cleared his mind and invoked Force Stealth once again.  Then he slipped from the room.  Ten minutes later, he had been outside the the main door of the Senate building.  He quickly assumed is cover identity and blended into the crowd in the plaza outside and ordered lunch. 

Five minutes after that, the fire alarm went off.  He knew one of those Black Sun buffoons had started the fire.  He wasn't surprised.  Sometimes those guys were so amateurish.   

He had even expected the Black Sun to come after Master Bel and attempt to kill her after what happened in the warehouse.  They probably thought Master Bel had been the one to kill their two goons there.  He had even considered letting Black Sun do his dirty work and kill Master Bel for him but instead decided he couldn't risk them bungling the job.  Besides that, he had wanted to face his old master and be the one to end her life. 

Doubtless the Black Sun would still take credit for the kill.  That suited the Shadow Knight juuust fine.

[Catri]

The next morning Shandra stood with Jawa in front of the Senate building waiting for Val.

"Remember what I told you at home, Jawa. I know you and Val got off to a bad start, but he is working with us right now. I would appreciate your cooperation, please. " Shandra said. Just then she sensed a man in Jedi robes walking toward them. She reached out in the Force to speak to the man telepathically.

"Very nice, Val. I barely recognized you. You're name is Gareth Quincy. You have spent the last several years studying in a secluded enclave. Mr. Kanu has had the identity in the database for a number of years waiting for a Jedi, but be careful not to attract too much attention or someone might dig deeper and discover that neither you nor the enclave exist."

Shandra walked forward to greet Val with a warm smile on her face.

"Gareth Quincy, it's been ages since I sensed your presence last. How are you, Old Friend?" As Shandra spoke she took one of Val's hands in both of hers discreetly pressing a small package containing his I.D. into his palm. "Our first order of business will be to moderate a meeting between Senator Phin and Senator Traska. They have been engaged in rather vocal debate on the Senate floor of late and some of their colleagues felt they would benefit from some intervention."

Shandra led Val and Jawa into the Senate building. When they arrived at the conference room the two senators and their aides were already in the room talking to some droids who were handing out their breakfast orders. Bentro Mar picked up two bags and walked over to the group.

"Consular Ivari, I would like to apologize for my behavior yesterday. It was uncalled for. I took the liberty of ordering you and your Padawan some breakfast. I believe Muja muffins and Blumfruit juice are your favorite. "

"Why thank you, it is my favorite breakfast. I haven't had blumfruit juice in quite a while. I usually order Tarine tea, but it will be a nice change." Shandra said. She cautiously took the bags from Bentro's outstretched hands and gave one to Jawa. She still was not very fond of him, but it was best to keep the peace whenever possible.

"Who is this? Another Jedi? I thought there were already quite a few of you here as it is.  I'm afraid no one ordered him anything for breakfast." Bentro said eying Val suspiciously.

"This is Gareth Quincy. He's an old friend of mine from my days as a Padawan. He's come to help me until Master Bel's replacement is appointed." Shandra said

"Really? How interesting. I was not aware that a friend of yours would be joinging us. The two of you must go back a long way I'm sure." Bentro said his brow furrowed pensively.

"If you will excuse me I must get ready for the meeting." Shandra directed Jawa to sit in a chair against the wall and work on his lessons, and then she walked toward the table leaving Val and Bentro standing near the door. She could feel Bentro watching her for a moment as she sat  down, pulled out her data pad, and began eating breakfast.

After the group finished eating the meeting was called to order, if one could call it order. It took several minutes to stop a shouting match that had begun between the two senators. They were now glaring at each other from opposite ends of the table.

"Senator Phin, Senator Traska, this meeting has been called to address your disagreement concerning the Republic's stance regarding the Empire..." Shandra said. Senator Phin cut in before she could finish.

"Stance? What stance? We sit here cowering like Jedi while they control half of the galaxy." He shouted, his breathing shaking the war medals pinned to his chest " Well I say enough is enough. We need to march in there and take back what is ours."

"Really, what kind of senator are you? All you can think about is reliving you glory days in the war." Senator Traska cut in, her lekku twitching "We could have an opportunity to broker a trade agreement with the Empire that would ensure a lasting peace..."

"Bargain with that filth? You stupid Schutta...."

"Enough!" Shandra hissed "Senator Phin, You will kindly address Senator Traska with the respect afforded a fellow diplomat."

"Oh, I'm supposed to take orders from a Jedi, now?" Senator Phin scoffed "It's you lot that got us into this mess in the first place, you and your war with the Sith. Why are you even here?"

"The Jedi promote peace and order in the galaxy, Senator..." Shandra said

"Peace and order? Is that what you call it? You're killing each other now from what I've heard. That Master Bel died from a lightsaber wound from what I've heard." Senator Phin said.

Shandra put her head in her hands for a moment to regain her composure. She opened her mind to the Force and let it flow through her calming her. Suddenly she sensed a vision of the Temple on Coruscant the way it had been before the attack. Her Master was standing in front of her, but he looked translucent and shimmering like a holomessage without a transmitter.

"Beware, Shandra. All is not as it seems." Master Kraylo said.