Chapter 16 Unity or Division? (Part 1)

Reijar, the Ordo System…

Ara was back at her desk after a couple of weeks rest, smiling as Neville and Hannah were now back home and could help her shoulder the work load of running Ordo and all its different parts. She enjoyed it when she wasn't having to manage the insane amount of it on her own. She enjoyed power she thought with satisfaction as she made the decisions, she liked the responsibility and sense of accomplishment with getting things done so when it was manageable it was great but when it mounted especially with taking care of the children was when it was hard work she remembered, almost exhausted by the memory of it.

She looked out of the office widow and saw little Marcus being given some exercises to build up his little body while Astoria and Corridan were in the teaching room being given the advanced learning programs developed by House Ordo to accelerate their skill development.

Although she could not see it she knew Din was taking the outdoor survival course with their youngest recruits and Lelia who she could just make out was training on the shooting range.

She had a sad smile as time seemed to be flashing by at too great a speed to truly enjoy the time they still had with them as children but at the same time she was grateful for every moment she had with them. Still she did feel a little frustrated at being stuck at home while the others went off and had adventures. She was annoyed at being the one left at home and doing the hard work while they went off and had all the fun.

A sudden beeping of the comm system nearly made her jump she had been so caught up in her thoughts but she managed to maintain her composure and walked over to see just who it was that was calling her.

A holo image of a familiar Rodian appeared and she was surprised at first before saying with a small smile.

"Captain Lon'te. It has been a long time." She said to the captain of the ship that she had been serving on when she had found Haron and the others.

"Indeed Ara." The Captain said with a nod. "I have heard you have gone up in the world since I saw you last. Duchess." He added with ass kissing that let her know he wanted something and this wasn't about catching up.

"You're being polite, so I guess you need something from me." Ara said, already knowing that was the case. Lon'te looked mock offended for a moment before finally raising his hands in surrender and telling her.

"Okay, you got me. I need your help." He said with a smile. "The ship has been hired to take a group of wookiees back to Kashyyyk and I need to increase security since this nasty group of slavers has been dogging them all the way. I need some muscle to keep my passengers safe and you from what I heard have plenty not to mention I never knew anyone run as tight a crew as you did. So can you help me out?" He asked with a desperate pleading look, that she knew was his version of the 'puppy dog eyes'.

She was going to say no as she had enough to do here but the thoughts she had only a moment ago about being stuck at home while the others had adventures.

"Okay, I will bring a few warriors with me to ensure the wookiees get home but you owe me." She said with a smirk, he beamed with gratitude and she was told where to meet the ship. She could leave things in the hands of Hannah, Neville and Deera for awhile.

- x -

Luna sat watching as her students trained with the Mareks in how to fight with lightsabers. True only those that wanted too would but they were cool Luna thought with amusement, many probably would want one when they had sufficient training to build them.

The Mareks themselves were she noticed with relief settling in nicely, they had taken to joining the lessons frequently and now employed the same moving meditation they did which should hopefully help them improve their skills.

However she frowned as she realised they were all struggling to use the dark side, much of what they had learnt so far was neutral or light side orientated but she was hesitant at drawing on dark side abilities as they had no code to guide them yet or know how to use them without being corrupted.

She had been meditating on this for months now without any success in finding a solution, Revan's writings did provide a potential answer but he had fallen to the dark side multiple times so she was unsure if it was going to be enough.

Slipping back into the force she pondered this when finally something came to her, a vision of a large asteroid came into her mind. She saw a star pattern that showed it was in the Outer Rim, specially the Kanz Sector and not only was there a home she noticed built onto the asteroid but a strong dark side aura surrounded it.

Pulling herself out of her vision she frowned, wondering what that place had to show her but knew it had come when she had been looking for a way to use the dark side without being corrupted by it.

So she sighed, she would need to see what was there.

The Senate Building, Coruscant…

Haron, now back at his desk after a couple of weeks leave and remote consulting was in the middle of a lot of work that had piled up in his absence. Three campaigns required his oversight and he was advising on about six others all critical plus attend meetings and various committees. He was already missing Reijar and the others as he tried to balance his large and awkward workload.

So when he was called to attend an emergency meeting he sighed and rubbed his temple at the tiredness he was feeling before leaving what he was working on and heading down the situation room.

Arriving there with his warriors who marched in step with him, even more than before now as he had replaced his damaged helmet with the Mask of the Mandalore once they had replaced and updated all the tech inside it. The fact the Mask was in his possession had not really filtered down into Mandalorian society yet so it was only a few that knew about it. The Security Detail saw themselves as his Bloodguard Haron thought with a little pride and let them keep that, he wasn't Mandalore yet but it did good things for their morale and he wasn't going to take that from them.

Once inside he saw Anakin and Obi-Wan standing there with the Supreme Chancellor and a few others. The atmosphere he immediately noticed was tense and only Anakin gave him a nod which was duly returned and the Chancellor looked extremely grave. Mace Windu too was present and without even waiting for Haron to ask what was going on Windu spoke with incredible condescension.

"A Jedi Cruiser was just attacked by a Separatist Saboteur. Perhaps you can explain this Duke Ordo?" Windu said and activated a hologram of the incident.

Haron was surprised by the sight of someone in Mandalorian armour fighting with the clones, he watched his movements closely and a sense of anger came upon him and he realised just what might be happening.

"The Saboteur took his own life rather than be captured and questioned. So Duke I would like an explanation." Windu said sharply and Haron could just imagine the sense of enjoyment that Windu was getting from this, already of the opinion that he was involved due to his interference in getting Jedi into positions of the authority in the war and the mere coincidence of them having the same type of armour.

"I told you Master Windu just because the saboteur has the same armour it doesn't mean Duke Ordo or any of his people are involved. That armour can be worn by anyone who can get hold of a suit. In the Sith Temple we fought a Sith that was wearing a suit of beskar armour and he certainly wasn't Mandalorian." Anakin said fiercely and Haron who was a little touched by Anakin's defence of him spoke.

"Anakin, first of all thank you for your faith and I can honestly tell you that this is news to me too." Haron said removing his helmet so Anakin could see his smile which the younger man returned. "But while I would have hoped that this was merely a thief wearing our armour I can tell you that whoever he was, he is Mandalorian." Haron said reluctantly knowing just how bad this could get.

Anakin and the rest of them were surprised to hear him say that but the Chancellor asked while the Jedi pondered on his words.

"How can you be so sure Duke Ordo?" The old man pressed and Haron sighed before explaining.

"The way he moves, the way fights. Its a standard combat sequence we're all taught from a young age. He does it so smoothly that he would have had to have been doing it for years but as to where he comes from I can only guess. Could be a Mandalorian mercenary they hired, plenty of them drifting around the galaxy. Or..." Haron said not wanting to say what was running through his mind as he realised this could bring his people into conflict with the Republic way before they were ready.

"Or..?" Obi-Wan asked with a hand stroking his beard.

"Or one of the various factions in Mandalorian space has allied with the Separatists or been hired by them. What colour was his armour?" Haron asked Anakin who having been told by him the importance of the colours in their armour before caught on to what he needed straight away and told him.

"Dark bodysuit with dark grey plates, blue markings." Anakin told him and Haron sighed as he knew now just who it was and he was not in the least surprised.

"That colour scheme belongs to House Vizsla, led by Duke Pre Vizsla. Supposed governor of Concordia and leader of the group known as Death Watch." Haron said with frustration building as this was just typical of the man he thought with scorn, too weak to try and take over on his own so he tried to set them against the Republic with the backing of the Separatists just to try and take the throne of Mandalore for himself.

The man was bully, a thug and a complete fool Haron thought seeing immediately Dooku's hand in this, Pre was going to lead them right back into being Sith puppets again he fumed. The thunderous expression on his face made the Jedi look at him with confusion before he sighed again and explained.

"Death Watch is terrorist group on Mandalore and other systems that the New Way has sway. They are intent on returning all Mandalorians to the Old Ways, specifically the warrior ways of our past but their real end game is to put Vizsla in power. He wants to rule over all Mandalorians and uses this as his argument." Haron explained as really with Vizsla it was for his own power, dressed up in the attempt to return to Old Ways. "While I follow the Old Ways myself as do my house and the clans who follow us that is by choice. Vizsla would force it from all of Mandalore, to be warriors who hate the Jedi in particular."

"Clans? Houses? New Way? Old Way?" Anakin asked not getting any of this, so Haron taking pity explained.

"Our society is structured like a pyramid, at the bottom are the clans who each rule a world or star system. The Houses are the larger factions and multiple clans will work under a house. At the top of the pyramid is the one person who rules us and keeps order within our culture, the Mandalore who rules the planet of the same name. As for the two ways our society follows; well the New Way is a pacifistic route that relies solely on debate and diplomacy while the Old Way is about your power and cunning. Pushing to be the best you can be." Haron said making it as simply as he could, the revulsion of the Old Way was clear on the faces of Windu and Kenobi straight away but Anakin nodded, appreciating it more since he had seen the results they achieved.

"Perhaps I should reach out to Duchess Satine and seek her help in dealing with this matter. I may not have seen her in many years but she may be of assistance." Kenobi said and Haron couldn't help but burst out laughing which surprised all those around them. Haron had to let it out before saying.

"I'm sorry but I literally could not help myself. Sorry to spoil your illusions Master Kenobi but that woman is as helpless as a droid without a power cell." He said with great mocking disdain which made Kenobi look visibly annoyed and he wondered just what was between the Jedi and the Duchess. A failed romance perhaps he thought with irony.

"She is hopelessly out of touch with reality, she has no allies or control over any of the different factions given her complete pacifism and lack of action. When my house had a civil war with two others she did not raise a finger to stop the fighting nor did she take any action to protect our colonies when the Separatists began to raid our space. Those examples and many others have left her completely isolated, her weak leadership means most houses and clans now conduct our own affairs and must fend for themselves. Her lack of tact and flexibility in seeing the ways of others or us not being the way she wants us to be. The only reason she is still in power is the Protectors outnumber Death Watch and none of the Old Way houses have sufficient cause to present a challenge...yet." He said with a bit of heat to his voice. If Vizsla had allied with the Separatists though he might have to accelerate his challenge as they did not need a puppet in control of Mandalore.

"Be that as it may she might have some useful information." Palpatine said with a little amusement at Haron's outburst and statement. "Go to Mandalore and see what you can find out Master Kenobi, I would hope you Duke Ordo have a solution." Palpatine said pressing and Haron nodded.

"Yes, there is a great deal of distrust and hatred towards the Separatists after they raided our colonies so if Vizsla is going to be dealt with this will need a united front. I will call for a meeting of all the House leaders, here on Coruscant as it is neutral ground for us. My people do not want to have to suffer another Republic invasion so we will deal with this ourselves in our own way." Haron said firmly and told Kenobi. "Tell the Duchess when you see her that her presence will be required as the leader of House Kryze. It takes place one week from today."

"Are you sure that is necessary?" Palpatine said looking worried all of a sudden. "It seems rather short notice and to bring all of the Mandalorian leaders here." He said wondering just how these factions were going to get along while also considering he may find a better puppet ruler this way.

"Given the situation they will come. As for the venue I could find somewhere else but if we are to convince you that this not some grand plot on our part it is best it be held here." Haron said not caring what the Jedi or the Republic thought in the slightest but knowing that they weren't ready for war yet so he had to prevent it as long as he could.

He also knew that a meeting between all the house leaders was the best chance he would get to press for the leadership or at least get them all on the same page he thought, nervous he thought at the fact that if he screwed this up he could put their plans back years or never.

But it was done he thought with effort and returned to his office to make the various calls he had to make. Some might not want to come he knew but a meeting on such an important manner as this would certainly would demand their attendance, Haron just hoped he was able to convince them to act while they still had time.

Arriving in his office he sighed, knowing this wasn't going to be an easy conversation. He placed his call to the Allied House leaders and less than an hour later all of them were present before him in holographic form.

"Just a day ago a Mandalorian Warrior attacked a Republic Cruiser, all indications point to it being a warrior of House Vizsla." He told them and knew this was going to down down like a lead balloon. They all frowned with anger and Duke Takan spoke up.

"I have an informant inside Death Watch, he sent me evidence of an alliance between Vizsla and Dooku. I can provide the recordings if you wish." Takan said and Haron nodded with gratitude.

"Good, I will need it to convince the Senate that we are not allied with the Separatists. The last thing we need right now is another Excision." He said darkly and they all looked grim as like him they knew of the damage the last one had inflicted on their people. "But this will need to be a meeting of all House Leaders, here on Coruscant. This might just be our chance to unify our people and remove Satine from power." Haron said and the others looked surprised as while they all disliked or even hated Satine Kryze none of them thought they were in a position to remove her just yet.

"How do you think we can do this? It would take all of us agreeing and you know how hard that will be to achieve." Harlan said and Haron smirked before taking his new helmet off his belt and putting it on his head. The expression of shock and disbelief on their faces was so much that Haron had to really work hard not to laugh before telling them.

"Recovered from a Sith Temple I recently visited. After killing the thief I recovered it and now it is mine. It will not be enough on its own but when combined with the threat we now face, that will get them to agree."

They all were still marvelling at the fact that the Mask of the Mandalore had been found after nearly two thousand years of their people searching. Ceta Farr was the first to recover and said with a smirk.

"If it takes every favour we have then I will make sure all the house leaders are there just for the pleasure of witnessing what that stuck up bitch has to say when she realises you have it."

- x -

The Jedi Temple, Coruscant…

Anakin returned to the Jedi Temple, largely to try and prepare before he left a couple of days after Obi-Wan. He had no idea Mandalorian society was so fragmented and complicated, wondering how they got anything done with so many conflicting factions but then again he thought with irritation the Senate was worse than they were in that regard.

But he was also hoping that he might see some of the Jedi he had found at the Sith Temple, wondering just how they were fitting in.

Just as he thought that Master Tuwan Fulr appeared.

"Master Fulr! I hope you are settling in well?" Anakin asked respectfully but the much older Neti Master just smiled as he put an arm around Anakin's shoulders and told him.

"Firstly you call me Tuwan, after rescuing me from that temple I owe you Anakin." The Neti said with a jocular voice that Anakin couldn't help but smile at.

"Anyway, to answer your question. I have to admit I am a little disappointed." Tuwan said which surprised Anakin.

"How so...Tuwan?" Anakin asked nearly calling him master our of reflex.

"The Order is a mere shadow of itself." Tuwan said with a sadness now which Anakin blinked at. "Once we numbered so many, with so many temples and academies spread across the galaxy not to mention we would accept anyone with the potential whatever their age if they could withstand the training. Now...not teaching anyone older than the extremely young not to mention depriving them of their families and connections to others." Tuwan said with a shaking of his head. "Odan-Urr may have been my friend but he has a lot to answer for, the miserable old bastard cared for no one and had no attachments preferring to be on his own to study old scrolls, he had one part in one battle and is given far too much credit than he was due. Then he founded a single library and kept all the most important relics and lore within, then all of it was lost! So much...gone." Tuwan said with grief.

"Not to mention this code of his! It weakens the Jedi so much and they can't see it, being so tied the Republic as well and being without true compassion or empathy to maintain distance emotionally. It breaks my heart." He told Anakin who honestly found himself agreeing with all the older master said before Tuwan told him.

"Maybe if more were like you I would have more hope, I mean they don't even delve in deep enough to the force to discover just how far they can go or truly explore what they can do with it. I mean they don't even forge any more." Tuwan said and that stopped Anakin cold for a moment before he excitedly asked.

"You know force forging?" Anakin asked with excitement and Tuwan then smiled as he saw his interest.

"I am reasonably skilled in it yes. Jedi once upon a time were required to know it to be considered one of the order. To create their own robes and weapons from scratch so it was unique to them. Though it seems to have been either forgotten or fallen out of favour with the adoption of Odan-Urr's code. Maybe because it is easier to take a standard set rather than actually making your own equipment." Tuwan said before suddenly being struck by an idea.

"Tell you what Skywalker. Not only will I teach you to force forge but I will share some of the more unique force forms that the order has forgotten it seems. Have you ever heard of Force Channel? Potency, Affinity or Mastery? Maybe Force Resistance or Enlightenment?" Tuwan asked and saw his interest before saying as he steered Anakin towards the Room of a Thousand Fountains. "Come on Anakin, we've got some training to do."

- x -

Master Minisa Anari was sitting the same hiding hole she once had as a padawan nearly two thousand years ago when she had been studying in the temple. The fact it was still here honestly surprised her as the Jedi seemed to be far more rigid then they had been in her time and if anything seemed to be far less capable.

She had seen the saber and force training they were given, it lacked the intensity and flexibility she was used to and honestly their strict no attachments rule not to mention completely separating younglings from their families really bummed her out.

This was not the order she had served Minisa thought sadly, was this what so many had died for? She pondered, a neutered Jedi Order so far up its own ass that it honestly had not chance of removing the stick it had stuck up there? One that did nothing to stop the corruption of the Republic and so much more.

She had been so depressed since she had learned the sad state of the Jedi Order and had become so stifled here that she had actually sneaked out of the Temple and found some more free minded company and a bar to get some alcohol and party. It had been nice she thought with a smile of satisfaction, to finally cut loose a little.

None of the Jedi of this era did anything like that she thought with disbelief, ever tried to just cut loose and enjoy themselves. They were so stuck up! She thought with annoyance, not allowing for any real relationships or freedom at all.

Case in point she thought as she heard the voice of the current battle-master of the Jedi, Cin Drallig with his two padawans. A rare thing now she thought as no one over five was able to train which Minisa knew was ridiculous as some of the greatest Jedi ever had come to the order older than that.

And not only did more than one padawan to a master create potential friendly competition if the master was careful to make sure to give each student equal attention but sometimes even create bonds of friendship that could last a life time.

She listened as he argued with the two younger women he was responsible for.

"Lexia you need to try harder, if you truly want to be trusted enough to go out on your own again then you have to prove to the council that you can stay true to the Order and its rules. And Bene your skills with a lightsaber have not been improving, you need to work harder." The old man said and Minisa with a sigh at his inability to handle two students emerged from her hiding spot and spoke up, startling all of them as they had not even felt her presence.

"Or perhaps you need to lighten up and admit you can't handle more than one apprentice at a time Cin Drallig." Minisa said and emerged to see the stern looking older human man with two younger women. One was in her late twenties with dark brown hair scraped back and the other was a teenage girl who couldn't be older than fourteen also with dark hair and the standard awful looking robes. They all looked a little unnerved by her intrusion.

"Master Anari, I am quite capable of training my two students. Lexia has made great progress since she was returned to us and Bene is quite able to learn from the programs I have given her." He said sternly as if he was going to intimidate her which was ridiculous as she had earnt her title as battle-master fighting actual Sith lords unlike him who had never faced a real Sith in his life. She merely rolled her eyes and said to him while the two padawans just stared at her with astonishment that someone would speak to Master Cin Drallig that way.

"Lexia will only continue to make progress in recovering from her flirtation with the dark side with compassion and understand not to mention your support which is key while Bene will never continue to develop her considerable potential with a lightsaber from training with droids. She needs a proper teacher and since you cannot manage to train two padawans alongside your present duties I must step in. Bene will be my apprentice from now on and I will teach her to handle not only her saber but her powers and to fit in with the galaxy." Minisa said and took the girl in question by the hand before dragging her off to the training area while Master Cin Drallig frowned and allowed it as he would complain to the council about her behaviour later and to see if she truly deserved to be called a battle-master.

Lexia too was shocked at what had just happened although the old beast of the dark side roared in satisfaction at the little madam Bene being gone but she forced it down. She had to remain calm she thought to herself desperately, the masters had been most understanding by allowing her to retrain and maybe one day take the trials to be a full Jedi Knight although she was now far behind her peers in regards to her training.

Resentment over this again started rising inside her but she did her best to suppress it, she wished sometimes that bastard had not returned her to the temple and made her go through all this but at the same time with a clearer head she could see she had been out of control and the bounty hunter had been kinder than he needed to be. He had given her a chance for redemption and to find the light side of the force again.

So she dutifully fell into step with Master Drallig and followed him to the Room of a Thousand Fountains for meditation.

- x -

Kazdan and Bao-Dur meanwhile were at the statues on the Temple steps with a large amount of equipment around them as they started upgrading the temple.

"Are you sure the turrets would damage the statues?" Kazdan said urgently, eager to not ruin such important statements of the order. Bao-Dur just said calmly.

"If we do our jobs right then no. Hidden turrets covering the entrances to the Temple with some mines under the stone slabs that make up the path which we can activate whenever needed? We can turn the stairs into a choke point and slow down an invading force considerably. Ray shields on the doors with a few other hidden turrets here and there not to mention some inside if the temple is breached."

The two technical geniuses continued work to make sure that if the Temple ever one day came under attack, not only would the Jedi be able to defend it more easily but that it would be a stronghold in its own right.

- x -

In the Jedi Archives a number of Jedi surrounded Master Sabla-Mandibu as she gave a lesson that would be probably be one of the greatest boons that the Jedi could ever receive.

"This trial, to construct a holocron is an intimate one." Sabla told the Jedi who stood before her, some she could sense where council members as they had apparently lost the ability to build holocrons over the centuries and this would be they hoped the time where the art was revived.

"This is not just making a data record, this is making a personal archive of your thoughts and feelings. All you have learned and seen throughout your lives that will be preserved for future generations and you will continue to add to till it is time for you to become one with the force." She said in her calm husky voice.

"It is effectively a copy of yourself, something to contain your knowledge and speak to those that will seek it out for guidance. One that is able to advise the future generations. You give a part of yourself when you create a holocron." She told them and knelt down in front of the crystal she had prepared before hand with the intricate matrix and lattices to begin the process with her audience keenly watching.

"To imprint yourself upon the crystal you must first enter what is known as the 'Susheer State', a state of serenity to reach your hidden subconscious." Sabla told the Jedi as the empty holocron levitated in the air and came apart as they did when opened. "Let all your memories and thoughts and dreams pass through your mind so they can be imprinted on the crystal." Sabla said and allowed herself to go deeply into meditation as she imprinted herself on the holocron.

The other Jedi watched with awe as the crystal glowed with a warm and soothing white light as the process took hold. Spinning around in front of them for nearly an hour before finally it slowed down and reassembled itself.

Levitating in the air it then floated over to her waiting hand, dropping gently into her hand. Sabla turned to those watching and told them.

"The susheer state is hard to reach sometimes so the use of a meditation chamber is often the best way to achieve this. Instructions for how to modify the crystal have been added to the archive." She told them and smiled a little, taking the smallest amount of pleasure in knowing that the Jedi were about to increase the number of holocrons they left for the future.

Jebble, the Outer Rim…

Master Yoda had to suppress a great sense of foreboding about this task that he had given himself, the dark side was strong on this planet. Too strong he thought feeling very uncomfortable with it but for the sake of what he had to do he pushed forward.

"General, the Ice Mining Settlement confirms a dig is happening in the area you specified but so far they have found nothing." Yere, the Clone Pilot who had been assigned to him said. Yoda frowned before saying.

"Then arrived we have before it is found. Proceed to the area, in time I hope we are." Yoda said grimly as he turned and saw the small number of clones he had brought with him. He wished he could have just left them but the Council insisted they join him on this mad quest of his. Worried that they were not coming back haunted him but he pressed on.

The small shuttle that he had commandeered for this mission landed on the harsh icy landscape of the planet and the clones even in their cold weather gear were shivering while Master Yoda merely tightened his robe around himself and led the way into the ice caves he had seen in his vision. The clones loyal if reluctant followed.

Yoda could feel the dark side growing stronger as he continued, his face stern and tight with concern as the clones lit the tunnels as best they could with their torches.

It seemed to take forever before finally they reached a cavern, small but large enough to comfortably accommodate them all and to his worry, a large black box cloaked in the dark side.

The sight of the Sith Obilette as they were known made him uneasy, he walked over to it and jumped on top. Looking down the dark glass made it impossible to see inside but he with a great sense of foreboding he used the force to open the box.

A gasp of air made him jump off again as the compartment opened, the clones all raised their blasters at the inside of the box as a single figure stumbled out. A human female with her long black hair held by a silver coil in a long single braid. Her athletic body was wrapped in some very form fitting silver coloured armour which left a little skin exposed which was pale.

"Zayne!" She gasped out, her accent unknown to all of them but what caught Yoda's interest was the elaborate gold talisman around her neck.

"Slept a long time you have Master Morne." Yoda said with his cane now discarded to the side and his lightsaber well within reach. She did not seem to understand at first, having not experienced any of the time that had passed. But then her eyes started turning yellow and red as the talisman started to take over.

"Jedi, you left me in there for centuries." An inhuman voice said along with Celeste's own and Yoda immediately leapt away from her and drew his lightsaber into his hand as she ignited a yellow lightsaber of her own. However she did not attack but smirked a nasty smirk and raised her hand at the six clones that had accompanied him.

Yoda to his horror seemed to have forgotten what the Muur Talisman was infamous for, what its creator whose spirit was held inside had created.

The clones who had been ready to shoot the unknown woman suddenly all started screaming in pain as they were transformed right before his eyes, the armour bursting free as their skin hardened and changed while a mouth with vicious teeth and horrible looking claws grew in.

Yoda had not ever seen a Rakghoul as thankfully they were now extinct or had been he thought as the former clone troopers turned towards him snarling while Morne under the influence of the talisman just laughed.

Knowing they were beyond help Yoda ignited his green lightsaber and rallied his connection to the force so he could show the clones the only mercy that would help them now.

He leapt forward at a much greater speed than any would have believed and immediately cut the head off one of the Rakghouls and then leapt on the head of another to stab his lightsaber through it in a fluid set of motions. As the remaining four creatures howled Yoda threw his lightsaber in a curved arc that cut through the heads of two more and left them dead immediately.

Pulling it back to his hand Yoda used his small stature and fast movements to elude the creatures before leaping on the back of one before leaping off so its partner scratched deeply into its back making it howl in pain and giving Yoda an opening to stab the unfortunate creature in the head before with a single effortless swipe, ended the life of the wounded one and let the poor clones find peace in the force.

Morne he saw was no longer smirking and in fact looked enraged, Yoda smirked a little as he spoke not to Morne but the being that was possessing her.

"Nasty creatures they are but no longer a threat to the galaxy, much like you here on this cold and forgotten moon." Yoda said almost like he was taunting them and the Muur-possessed Morne howled in an inhuman manner before leaping at him with her lightsaber.

The yellow blade slashed down but Yoda being much smaller easily evaded the attack and leapt around the woman as she flailed to try and kill him but despite her considerable skill with a lightsaber he kept moving too fast for her to hit.

As she overextended herself too much Yoda saw his opening and channelled his connection to the light side of the force into a single blast of powerful light side energy that erupted from his free hand. Morne screamed as did Muur when it hit, sensing the weakening of the dark side energy that held the Muur Talisman in place Yoda with a strike as surgical as that of a medical droid, severed the talisman without even scratching Morne's neck.

The metallic creation of the Sith fell to the ground and Morne, free of its influence for the first time in so long fell to her knees, stunned and confused as her mind was her own again.

Yoda however could feel the Muur Talisman trying to reach out to either him or Morne again and to make sure it never threatened the galaxy, he reached deeply into the force and with all the light side energy he could conjure blasting the talisman while striking its remains with his lightsaber.

Shattering it like glass and an awful scream emerged as the spirit of Muur was forced to retreat into the force at last and his dark legacy ended for good.

Yoda sagged, feeling exhausted from all the energy he had needed to use but elated too as the dark side aura began to dissipate, ending that threat to the galaxy was worth the trip alone he thought without pride.

"Hello." A woman's voice spoke and he turned to see Morne, now with her skin and eyes looking a much healthier colour staring at him in awe and disbelief. "Is he gone? For good this time?"

Her voice was almost timid now she had no Sith Lord shouting in her head but Yoda could feel her strength and nodded gently.

"Indeed, no longer ruining your life will he. Formally introduced we have not been. Yoda I am." He said with a smile and she now returned it.

"Celeste Morne, and I can't thank you enough. Zayne must have sent you, through the force." She said with a smile, she could almost feel him smiling from the other side.

"Helping a fellow Jedi, no thanks do I require but leave this world we should and return to the Temple so you can discover the galaxy again." Yoda told her and she nodded, eagerly getting to her feet and with Yoda at her side she began to walk out of that cave for the first time in nearly four thousand years.

Asteroid, the Kanz Sector…

Luna in her small one person fighter saw the asteroid in her vision before her and at this range she could feel its powerful dark side aura which unsettled her a little but she pushed that aside and directed her ship down, finding a landing spot near the old mansion which still after centuries of neglect still looked impressive. There was an atmosphere so she didn't need breathing apparatus but took a small unit with her just in case, leaving her ship she walked into the mansion and looked around.

It was like a museum but one to good taste Luna thought with surprise, the furnishings were despite being old still very stylish without being over the top and if it was not for the dark side aura the place had she would quite liked to have lived here once it was restored a bit.

Wandering from room to room she was surprised at the lack of what she would have thought usual in the home of a dark sider, a torture chamber and things like that but no it was she thought to her amazement just like a family home. An expensive family home she thought with statues all around but it had that air about it, even after being abandoned for so long.

When she was about give up though and return to her ship she was sure she felt a presence in the force, turning around she found a lift shaft that was well out of action and went down a considerable way.

She frowned, not sure if this was a good idea but leapt down the shaft and used both the force with a little help from her jet-pack to slow and finally land safely at the bottom of the shaft. Seeing old mining tunnels ahead she took a breath and walked inside, her worry growing as the dark side aura was a lot stronger down here.

After hours of walking around the dark tunnels she was soon thinking this whole expedition a waste of time until finally as she rounded the last corner she came upon a central cavern where on a plinth a pyramid shaped holocron sat.

She was immediately intrigued, Sith holocrons were often as knowledgable as they were dangerous but maybe it would give her the answers she needed.

"If you are going to take it, please do. All it is doing is gathering dust." A voice suddenly said to her left and Luna who had sensed nothing immediately jumped and raised her blasters ready to shoot whoever it was only to see a force ghost standing there before her.

"Who are you?!" She demanded knowing to her worry that she wouldn't be able to hurt it but it might be able to hurt her. The ghost, a man she now realised who was both tall and muscular while having considerable girth dressed in loose fitting clothes. He seemed amused by her fear but it was not in a mocking way.

"In life I was Darth Vectivus, this was my home." He said in a sooth and educated voice.

"I must admit I have never heard of you." Luna said and Vectivus only seemed to be further amused by this.

"Perhaps because unlike the rest of my fellow dark lords I did no evil." He said with a smile of pride on his face which only confused Luna as she could feel he was telling the truth. "I managed a mining colony and treated my employees well. I took care of my family and friends and merely explored what could be done with the dark side before dying warm in my bed surrounded by those I loved. I am sure I was supposed to blow up a star system or something to that effect but I did not see it as necessary." He told her in such a cultured voice that Luna was almost completely disarmed.

Luna was astonished, she had never heard of any Sith Lord like this one. She knew some Sith had before tried to walk a more neutral path in the force but few had ever succeeded, they always returned to being consumed by the dark side if not falling deep into the light. She was now intrigued at how he had done it so asked him in hopes he was telling the truth.

"How did you do it?"

"By being disciplined. By surrounding myself with those I love to help keep me anchored while I reinforced my discipline, while I could ruthless things in business I was never cruel and always stuck to my own principles. It was I admit hard sometimes but I had those I loved to pull me back when I needed. Is that the answer you needed young lady?" He asked her and she nodded, now seeing she had the answer in front of her the whole time but had been over thinking it.

"Might we talk awhile. It would be nice to converse with a man of your unique experience." Luna asked him and he smiled.

"Indeed, I have been lonely while pondering on the force so it would be nice to have someone to share my insights with especially such an open-minded and charming young lady." Vectivus said with a smile that was genuine.

Star Liner on Route to Kashyyyk…

Wookiees were an interesting group to be around Ara thought with amusement.

They were very into community she realised as they all banded together and had so many rituals and activities they did as a group. They certainly were far more than the mere beasts the rest of the galaxy thought of them as she thought.

They also had a fairly laid back engineering department on this trip she had noticed with amusement. The Wookiees were easily some of the best technicians Ara had ever seen and would if they saw a problem fix it easily in no time. That meant the ship was running better than normal and they would get to Kashyyyk even faster.

The Warriors that she had brought with her all shared drinks with the Wookiees and despite there being an obvious language barrier they were able to understand each other enough she thought with satisfaction. She knew enough of their language to translate if needed but hopefully it wouldn't be needed.

She was actually getting bored Ara realised with a sigh, wondering if taking this job had been a complete waste of her time as so little was happening. She wondered if she could go to the bridge and annoy the captain but then just as she thought that the ship was rocked by a powerful explosion. She steadied herself quickly and looked around as did her warriors and the Wookiees and every one became immediately tense.

External, Ara thought not internal so this is not a system fault. She gritted her teeth as she realised it was most likely an attack.

She activated her comm link but sure all the frequencies were being jammed so she rushed over to computer terminal and her fingers moved across it at lightning speed.

She glared as the image of Trandoshan slavers came up, charging in from a hole in the hull. It was right around the area where the Wookiee children were being bunked and honestly the idea of these nasty fucking lizards hurting those little ones enraged her! She took off and her warriors followed at a slower pace, rushing through the corridors at a speed not even the enraged Wookiees following could match and soon arrived at the bunk-rooms where the Wookiee children were.

The poor little ones were being kicked around by the Trandoshans and had either electric stun nets on them or had slave collars on already. The sounds the Trandoshans made were really difficult to understand with human ears but as far as she could sense, the Trandoshans were enjoying it! They were laughing!

That sent Ara into a rage, the thought they enjoyed this...hurting little ones like this put her over the edge and she pulled out her blasters and started shooting with ruthless accuracy.

The dozen Trandoshans in the room didn't even notice she was there they were so distracted by the good time they were having until within moments over half of them were shot down by her, they immediately snarled at her but she was so pissed she didn't even give it a second thought.

She saw one of them swinging a heavy axe her way and saw blood on it already, probably from one of the wookiees which only made her rage more, she easily avoided the swing and with a single swift move drew her knife and stabbed it into the vicious thug's mouth at an upward angle, severing the brain stem.

Dancing around the electric net one threw at her she activated her flamethrower and blasted the offender a full volume. The lizard man screamed and Ara then ended his suffering with a blaster shot to the head before moving on to the remaining four. They had blasters in hand and were shooting at her but with her near unbreakable armour and the force guiding her she did not feel a single shot hit her at all.

She picked up the axe the other Trandoshan had dropped and swung it hard, planting it in the chest of the nearest one to her and blasted another two with a repulsor wave, sending them flying but they were dead before they even hit the ground as she shot them both mid air which left her alone with the last one.

The sole remaining survivor was taller than the rest but he was known to her, a bounty hunter of considerable viciousness and success equalled or surpassed only by Cad Bane.

Bossk.

She snarled and would have shot him but her blaster was low on charge and she was so furious that she dropped them both and leapt forward. The bounty hunter/slaver tried to cut her down but his claws didn't even scratch her beskar armour and in fact broke when he swiped at her. But before he could even register this Ara had pivoted around him and with her crushguard gauntlets and force enhanced strength twisted Bossk's head clean off.

The sight of more Trandoshans coming through the door didn't even phase her as she pulled her blasters back to her hands and quickly changed ammo pack. She raised them but as she did so the warriors she had brought along with the wookiees caught up and shot them all down with ease.

As they chased away the remaining trandoshans a pair of Wookiees, one with dark black fur while the other was a lighter brown came running in and looked through the Wookiee younglings who all were staring at her with awe. Coming across one with dark brown fur which Ara guessed was their son the male picked him up and swung him around howling with joy while the son gave a sort of laugh. The female joined in and the little family hugged each other.

Ara smiled at the little reunion and checked the other younglings who all crowded around her with their little cheers which honestly made her feel a lot better. She was about to leave them with the other Wookiees as the different parents started pouring in to check on their own children when the tall dark furred wookiee stopped her.

"You saved my son. All the younglings." He said in their language. She told him.

"It was my pleasure, these younglings deserve to be protected."

He roared in agreement and then said something that she really hadn't expected.

"You saved my Gr'uku, I owe you...I Grahuur hear-by swear a life debt to you Ara Ordo." He told her and she was so surprised that she was speechless for a moment.

"A life debt? You do not need to do that." Ara told him knowing full well this was the most sacred vow a Wookiee could make. "I would rather you stay with your family and protect them." She told him also knowing he would follow her around but Grahuur was not going to be denied.

"They will be coming with me, Gchalla and our son will come to your home and we must protect you as you protected us."

Ara was at a loss for how to get herself out of this but no matter what she argued the wookiees remained firm in their decision to follow her. So reluctantly when they got to Kashyyyk and unloaded their precious cargo she and her warriors allowed Grahuur and his family to follow them back to Reijar. While she was going to be relieved to be back with her children again she wondered just how she was going to explain suddenly having a Wookiee bodyguard?