A Young Girl’s War Between the Stars

  68

  Jedha System. 36 BBY/964 GSC.

  Because of Mundi’s waylaying of me, by Master Yoda’s order, I was given some time to freshen up. I hurried back to my ship and took a quick run through the sonic shower, before changing into a fresh set of robes. I frowned at the burns that had ruined the old one, before tossing it into the trash. They were all near misses from dodging instead of using a shield or some other method of keeping Mundi from hitting me, and each one could have proved fatal if I was just a step slower or Mundi a step faster.

  Putting those thoughts away to deal with later, I hurried back to the Temple and found Master Dooku waiting for me at the entrance, Catya held in his arms as he idly stroked the cat’s head. “I thought it best to avoid tempting fate and meet you here,” he chuckled wryly as the cat jumped down and disappeared and he led me into the Temple.

  “I appreciate the thought,” I nodded. Quieter, I said, “I brought Allaya, as requested. Do you want to meet with her here, or…?”

  The older man smiled, before nodding once. “When you are ready to go, I’ll come to you at the spaceport and meet with her there.” The smile faded and I’d swear I saw him age ten years as he added, “There are some things I need to speak with you about, before you leave. Something I cannot ask of anyone else.”

  “I see,” I murmured, wondering what he had in mind. “I can seal the cockpit and keep the girls from overhearing.”

  “That will do. And bring that holocron.”

  Knowing exactly which holocron he meant, I nodded. As curious as I was, I knew it was better to wait to have this conversation where there was less of a chance of being overheard. Instead, I asked, “What do you think will happen to Mundi?”

  “Master Mundi,” Master Dooku stressed, and I frowned, but nodded.

  “Master Mundi,” I corrected myself, as he was right. Until something was done, Mundi still had the rank, even if he didn’t deserve it.

  “I am uncertain. I hope that Master Yoda will acknowledge that his student has lost his way, and that the rest of the High Council will dispense justice. At a minimum, Master Mundi’s rank should be stripped and the man removed from the Order. However…”

  “Mm.” He didn’t even need to say it. The High Council had become part of the problem, with many of them being either outright corrupt, or complacent. Unwilling to rock the boat and upset the lives they enjoyed, or endure any form of hardship if it was required to deal with the problem. All of them should have been quietly retired and replaced ages ago. Such was the way of bureaucracy, regardless of the time or place, apparently. “And if they don’t?”

  Master Dooku took a slow breath in, closing his eyes briefly before letting it out again. As he did, he radiated a sense of grim determination. Of finality. “It will be dealt with, one way or another.”

  “I was thinking the same thing myself,” I murmured, and he sent me a raised eyebrow, before one corner of his lips quirked up in amusement.

  “Far be it from me to stand in your way, if you wish to handle the issue yourself. However, I would caution against doing so out of a sense of vengeance.”

  “Hm?” I asked, before shaking my head. “Oh, no. That’s just a nice little bonus. This marks the second time it’s happened. If someone tells me they intend to kill me, if they attack me with the intent to kill, then what are they but an ‘enemy?’ A soldier knows not to leave an enemy at their back.”

  “Very well. Then I will leave it to you, unless I am presented with an opportunity myself,” Master Dooku said, and I nodded in agreement. He paused before a large door somewhere near the center of the ground floor of the Temple. “We are here. Wait a moment, then enter.”

  I nodded and Master Dooku stepped inside. I began a short countdown as I closed my eyes and took a few breaths to center myself. As I did, I felt Mundi’s presence nearby, approaching quickly—along with some others with him.

  Probably character witnesses or those he’s coerced to speaking in his defense to keep him from being drummed out of the Order, I mused.

  My countdown hit zero and I stepped into the room. The automatic doors closed behind me, locking the room in darkness. Ahead, I could feel twelve other presences gathered in a circle—leaving an empty space only directly in front of the door. I stepped forward, into the middle of the circle. As soon as I was within the circle, twelve lightsabers ignited simultaneously, bathing the room in warm light—blue, green, even yellow and one purple.

  From where I stood, Master Yoda was directly in front of me, standing on the platform that his seat from the High Council chambers made—or at least a replica of that seat. Everyone, Master Yoda included, wore their ceremonial robes with their hoods up, their faces illuminated by their blades.

  Directly to Yoda’s right were Master Dooku and Master Qui-Gon, and to his left Master Windu. The others I recognized as familiar faces either from the High Council or high within the Jedi ranks as respected Masters themselves, but didn’t acknowledge—regardless, the room wasn’t entirely made up of Council members, as it was very likely that several of them simply couldn’t be here today.

  Master Yoda spoke into the room, silent save for the hum of lightsabers and the quiet sounds of breathing. “All Jedi, we are. Speak through us, the Force does. Through our actions, proclaims itself and what is real, the Force does. What the Force has proclaimed, today we acknowledge. Step forward, Padawan.”

  I moved closer and the Jedi around me, aside from Yoda, lowered their sabers. Feeling a subtle direction from the Force, I took a knee. “Tanya Mereel.”

  Yoda’s blade came down to hover over my right shoulder. “By the right of the Council.”

  The green blade shifted over to my left shoulder. “By the will of the Force.”

  The blade returned to my right. “Dub thee I do—”

  The door to the chamber opened as Mundi and those with him stormed in, the Cerean man yelling over Yoda, “I object! This Padawan—”

  “Master Mundi!” Master Windu roared, drowning out Mundi as, around the room, the other Masters shut off their lightsabers, since no one wanted this to devolve into a battle by the simple mistake of someone keeping their weapon out and ready. I closed my eyes and swallowed the brief surge of frustration and anger as Master Yoda shut off his own blade and tucked it away into his robes, before hopping down off of his seat and moving towards Mundi and the Jedi he had brought with him with a frown as he put off a feeling of disappointment and sadness, but a resolve to see this done with.

  It was one thing to lure me off somewhere and try to assassinate me. I didn’t appreciate the attempt, but at least it showed a certain level of respect and decorum in acknowledging me as a threat, which I took as a backhanded compliment, and keeping the conflict away from prying eyes.

  But this? Interrupting my Knighting? The sheer level of petty spite and disrespect was galling!

  I didn’t need pomp and circumstance to make me happy. I was perfectly fine simply being acknowledged by my superiors and peers for what I had earned. According to the Order’s own rules, this accolade I had earned through my own blood, sweat, and an attempt on my soul. And here the supposed ‘Master’ Mundi was—saying that nothing I had done mattered because I didn’t fit his ideal of what a Jedi should be. Dismissing everything I had done, the lives I had saved and those that had been lost, the good done and the bad undone. It was—

  Something tugged at my braid and I felt the flash of a lightsaber pass by my head. “I dub thee Jedi Knight. Arise.”

  Opening my eyes I blinked as Master Dooku shut off his saber and offered me his hand. Taking it, I hauled myself to my feet as, from where he was being pushed out the door, Mundi yelled, “You can’t do this, Dooku! She’ll destroy us all! She—”

  The doors slammed closed under Master Yoda’s direction, leaving only myself and Masters Dooku and Qui-Gon behind. Qui-Gon sighed, shaking his head before turning his attention from the door and focusing on me.

  “Congratulations, Knight Mereel,” he smiled, laying a hand on my shoulder and squeezing briefly.

  “Thank you, Master Qui-Gon. Master Dooku.”

  The man chuckled, letting me go and gesturing towards the door. “That’s enough of that. You’re not a Padawan anymore. Just Qui-Gon is fine, Tanya.”

  “As you wish,” I agreed, pausing a moment to reach out with the Force and grab the lock of my hair that had been cut off and stuff it into my bag.

  Thankfully, it appeared that Master Mundi had already been hauled away to the High Council chambers when we exited the room. As we walked, Qui-Gon asked, “What will you do now?”

  “Mm. Well, now that I’m a Knight, I’ll make it official. Allaya and Asajj are my Padawans.”

  He grinned, nodding. “Two at the same time though? And as a fresh Knight? I don’t wish you luck, I wish you patience. You’re going to need it. Isn’t that right, Master?” Qui-Gon asked of Master Dooku.

  The older man nodded slowly, reaching up to stroke his beard. “Indeed. I spent many a night meditating upon the virtues of patience and temperance.”

  “They aren’t that bad.” A small smile crept onto my lips and both of the Masters sent me raised eyebrows as I felt their curiosity, and a bit of concern. “All I had to do was a bit of hard training to run their energy down and make sure they understood what the punishment would be when they got out of line. Forcing them to dig foxholes under live fire is excellent for instilling teamwork as well!”

  Qui-Gon opened his mouth to protest, only to close it a moment later, crossing his arms over his chest as a thoughtful look crossed his face. “Live fire, you say?”

  “Qui-Gon,” Dooku sent his former Padawan a reproachful look.

  I waved a hand dismissively. “I had the blaster rifle set to low intensity. They were fine after. A little bruised, but none the worse for wear.”

  Master Dooku’s attention shifted to me. “Tanya, what have you been doing with my daughter?”

  Qui-Gon blinked, radiating shock for just a moment, before looking around the hall and finding it thankfully empty. I turned a confused look up on the taller man. “Exactly what you told me to. Training her and preparing her to survive the coming war. Don’t worry, a little simulated artillery fire never killed anyone.”

  “Simulated…”

  “Artillery fire?”

  The pair repeated, and I nodded. Their concern grew, but at least this time I understood why that was. After all, one shouldn’t use unproven training methods willy-nilly, especially on children. All I needed to do was prove how effective they were and it would be fine!

  Checking the local time on my computation orb, I offered, “You know, it’s still early enough that we could squeeze in some training. Would you like to come sit in on a session?”

  The pair shared a glance before Master Dooku nodded. “I believe I will.”

  “Yes,” Master Qui-Gon agreed. “Let me just go get Obi-Wan and we’ll join you.”

  “We can take my ship,” I offered and Qui-Gon made a sound of agreement. “We’ll be waiting for you in the spaceport.”

  Master Dooku walked with me as I took us to collect Asajj and Allaya. Meeting Master Drallig again, I gave him a bow as the man sent me a smile. “I see congratulations are in order,” he chuckled, before nodding to Master Dooku.

  I motioned and the girls put the training sabers they had borrowed back before coming over. As they did, I asked Master Drallig, “How did they do?”

  “They did well. I can tell this is the first time they’ve held a lightsaber, but they both seem familiar with swords?” he asked, and I nodded.

  “They came from Dathomir. Allaya’s tribe starts them on practicing with martial weapons from a young age, and I assume Asajj’s did as well. Plus, I’ve been working them through the basics with wooden training swords,” I explained as the girls stopped beside me.

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  Allaya couldn’t take her eyes off of Dooku, who sent her a smile and a little wink, before resting his hand gently on top of her head. The girl lit up with a happy smile and a blush as she radiated happy emotions strongly enough that I was pretty sure everyone in the Temple felt it.

  “Mm. Yes, I saw they were both a bit more advanced than the other students. I had them spar against each other and noticed the ah, lack of hesitation.” The implied ‘to kill’ went unspoken, but I picked it up regardless and nodded. Even if neither girl had killed before to my knowledge, both had been trained extensively to use lethal techniques. I’d noticed it in my own training sessions with them onboard the Redoubt.

  “A product of their upbringing,” I confirmed. “Do you have any suggestions?”

  Nodding, he looked to the girls. “Mastery is a product of consistent daily practice. That consistency will serve you better than any amount of flashy techniques, acrobatics, or grand strategies ever will because when you’re truly pressed, you’re going to fall back on what you’ve trained with the most.”

  The pair nodded and I rested my hands on their shoulders, pulling them towards the door. “Thank you, Master Drallig.”

  We exchanged polite goodbyes and I led the girls out of the room and into the hall. After a few steps, Allaya asked, “So, where to now, Master?”

  “Training~. We’re going to put on a little demonstration for Masters Dooku and Qui-Gon.”

  The girls stumbled briefly and I felt a thrill of fear from both of them, before they pushed it down. Asajj asked, “What sort of training, Master?”

  “The sort you’re going to need your e-tools for.” I felt the girls jerk under my hands as they both tried to pull away. Catching them both, I chuckled. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fun. I’m sure you’ll do much better this time. After all, you’ve been through it once already so you know what to expect. This time, you not only have your teamwork down, but you have a Force technique or two under your belt. I can’t wait to see how you’ve improved.” A pair of whimpers escaped them and I rolled my eyes.

  So melodramatic! I’ll have to entice them a bit, it seems.

  Considering for a few moments, I smiled as I realized what I could use to lure them in. “You both enjoyed using a lightsaber, didn’t you?”

  They looked at me suspiciously, before Allaya muttered, “Yeah…?”

  “If you do well, we’ll see about collecting your kyber crystals and building your lightsabers.”

  The pair of girls perked up at that, before settling into the sort of feeling I’d associate with knowing you have a job you don’t want to do, but knowing the faster you got it done the sooner you could move on to something else. A combination of resignation, weariness, and a chaser of anticipation.

  “Oh?” Master Dooku asked, and I felt his interest pique. “You feel they’re ready for the trial on Ilum?”

  Sending him an amused look, I asked, “Why would we go to Ilum when there’s a kyber mine right here on Jedha, Master? Besides, the earlier I start them on training with lightsabers, the better. We don’t have time to wait for the standard trial.”

  He hummed, before nodding slowly. “Very true. They are Padawans now, so I see no harm in skipping the Initiate trial.”

  We continued our journey to the hangar in silence, to wait for Qui-Gon and Obi. Remembering the last time I had spoken with her, I hoped things wouldn’t be… awkward.

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  Standing on a dune in the shadow of some ancient Jedi ruin, Dooku observed his latest former Padawan prepare her own Padawans. His eyes lingered on the red haired form of his daughter, watching the way the girl moved and carried herself, opening himself to the Force and sensing her presence and emotions—perhaps not as adeptly as Tanya given her species’ natural inclination towards the ability, but enough to sense her mood and judge her state of mind.

  Allaya was afraid, but clearly also resigned to following through with this demonstration. The other girl, Asajj, seemed to be of a similar mindset.

  “Why do they have shovels?” Obi-Wan asked, standing between Dooku and Qui-Gon.

  Idly, Dooku’s mind pointed out that outside of Jenza, this was the closest thing he had to a family. In fact, nearly all of the family he had was on this one moon at this moment.

  Yoda, his own former Master. He had been like a father to Dooku. Even if they didn’t always see eye to eye, Dooku still respected him for everything he had done, and the hand Yoda had played in raising him.

  Qui-Gon, the slightly less rebellious second son, who had become a far better man than Dooku ever dreamed of. Now a fine Master and wise in his own right, even if he retained that rebellious streak.

  Obi-Wan, the girl effectively Qui-Gon’s daughter and Dooku’s granddaughter, by that reasoning. He could sense Qui-Gon’s rebellious streak in the girl, but knew it to be tempered by duty, and a good head on her shoulders. She would go on to do great things, Dooku was sure, and he hoped to be there to see them and offer his own support.

  Tanya. The second daughter. He had worried that she would turn out like the first and fall to the dark side, but regardless of the darkness he sensed in her she remained true to her own moral compass. Even if that compass frequently led her to places and actions that, if the Council knew the half of it, would keep them up at night. A moral compass he would soon be counting on staying true, even as he asked more of her than he knew was right… but he knew she would see the necessity of it and hoped she would forgive him in time.

  And now, two new girls taken under Tanya’s wings.

  Asajj. The Force stirred around the girl in a way Dooku didn’t like, as though it had focused a portion of its attention on her in particular. However, something about being in Tanya’s presence acted as a sort of buffer. He was sure that if asked, Sifo would be able to discern some hints as to the girl’s possible future and why the Force felt this way.

  Then, there was Allaya. His own true daughter. An energetic (and loud) child who shared her mother’s beauty, ferocity, and fiery red hair. He regretted having to miss being in her life outside of holocalls until now, just as he regretted the fact that he would have to leave her in Tanya’s hands for a while longer, until things grew more stable within the soon to be formed Confederation. But he trusted Tanya to train her to a level that, when she could be with him, she should be able to handle herself if problems arose.

  Dooku was pulled from his thoughts by a flash of white-silver blaster fire. His eyes focused on the two Padawans running for their lives as Tanya followed behind, taking frequent shots at them. While many of those shots went wide, several were deadly accurate and would have killed an unarmored target. Those, the girls avoided—either stepping aside, jumping over, occasionally throwing themselves to the ground if there were more than one in a row.

  Then, Tanya called a warning to them and rose into the air. The pair abruptly stopped and started frantically digging—or trying to.

  “The ground’s too hard! What kind of desert is full of rocks?!” Allaya demanded as she tried and failed to get more penetration on her short shovel.

  Asajj, on the other hand, glanced up at their Master before refocusing on the ground. Tossing the tool aside, she reached out with both hands and Dooku felt the Force waver around her, before rocks and dirt ripped themselves from the ground. She quickly broke the mass up and dropped it around the hole, before the two jumped in as Tanya began a long whistle that slowly pitched down.

  At the end of the whistle, the red girl took aim with her rifle and Dooku felt an ominous swell of power in the Force. A moment later, Tanya fired a single shot in the girls’ general vicinity. The air warped around it and the bolt sped along much faster than Dooku believed a blaster bolt should. A moment later, the ground exploded, throwing up sand and dust—raining fragments of rock down on the hole the girls had dug.

  Tanya began whistling again and repeated the attack a few more times, before she lowered herself to the ground and moved closer, to start firing her blaster rifle at them again. At which point, the pair of Padawans leapt out of the hole, Asajj grabbing her shovel, and ran towards an outcropping of rock that Dooku believed he had heard Tanya mark as ‘safe’ in her instructions.

  “This… This is…” Obi-Wan murmured, searching for words. A glance at her showed the young woman wearing a horrified expression. “This is insane! Has she lost her mind?!”

  Qui-Gon, on the other hand, hummed. “She’s not actually hitting them with the explosions, and anything that might hit would do minimal damage if it did.”

  “Master!” Obi-Wan spun on Qui-Gon. “You can’t seriously be condoning this child abuse!”

  Crossing his arms over his chest, Dooku’s second student nodded once. “Yes, I believe I do.”

  “Why?!” the young woman demanded.

  “She recently went through the Republic’s army officer school, did she not? Then it would stand to reason that she learned their tactics while she was there. From that, historical accounts on record, and her own investigations into what the Trade Federation are building she could determine the most likely thing we would be facing if a war broke out. In other words, she’s preparing them to face combat under the worst possible conditions. On foot. Alone, or in a small group. In the open. Unarmed. Against a superior enemy force, constantly harassing them with blaster fire and either fighters, gunships, or mortars.”

  “But they’re children—”

  Qui-Gon nodded again. “Yes, Obi-Wan. They are. But will that stop an enemy army of droids from shooting at them? Being children will not redirect blaster bolts away from them and see them safely out of a combat zone. What will see them safely out of danger is learning how to handle it. How to push past the fear of combat. How long did it take you, before you stopped flinching at blasters fired your way?”

  “That’s different,” the girl mumbled. “There’s a huge difference between a training remote, and being chased across the wilderness while someone shoots at you.”

  “True.” A faint smile pulled at Qui-Gon’s lips. “I would say the latter is much more effective than the former at instilling the instincts necessary to avoid fire.”

  “Haah,” Obi-Wan sighed. “I still think it’s bad for them.”

  “Well, why don’t we ask Master Dooku, hm? After all, it’s his daughter out there.”

  Dooku sent his former Padawan a stern look, even as Obi-Wan turned wide eyes on him. “Is that true?”

  “Allaya is my child, yes,” Dooku admitted. “I trust you can be discrete on this matter?”

  Obi-Wan’s mouth opened and closed as she glanced between Qui-Gon and Dooku. “But, but the Code! A Jedi isn’t supposed to form attachments!”

  “I am aware,” Dooku nodded. “However, I am not a droid. I am but a man. In my long life, I have come to learn that some things are worth more than strict adherence to the Code. This leaves me to question some parts of the Code, and whether they are truly necessary.”

  “You’re beginning to sound like Djinn Altris, Master,” Qui-Gon chuckled.

  Dooku frowned at that, but didn’t deny the claim. “Perhaps,” he allowed, turning his attention back to where the girls had finally made it to the ‘safe’ area, only for it to turn out to be not safe at all as Tanya buzzed them from above with strafing fire. “As to the original question, I find myself conflicted. Allaya is my daughter and seeing her in danger, even if it is for the purpose of training, makes me want to reach out and stop it all. However, knowing that war is coming, I want her to be safe. Tanya is preparing her for what is to come, and as unorthodox as her method is, I cannot deny its effectiveness.”

  As he spoke, the girls began picking up and throwing rocks at their Master, lobbing them with Force enhanced strength and precision. Until finally, one hit and Tanya took a dive, falling to the ground below and landing in a roll—only for her two Padawans to rush out yelling, swinging their shovels at her as they apparently finally overcame the fight or flight response and settled on fight. And Tanya, laughing the entire time, took them on with her lightsaber.

  “I appreciate your worry, Obi-Wan. However, I believe they will be fine,” Dooku finally decided.

  “They’re in good hands,” Qui-Gon agreed, before a smirk pulled across his face. “But you could use some training yourself. Why don’t you go out there and even the odds, hm?”

  The sandy haired girl considered for a moment, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face—aimed not at Qui-Gon, but at Tanya. Drawing her own lightsaber, she charged into the fray.

  “Do I want to know?” Dooku asked quietly as Tanya spotted the new threat and drew her second saber, moving into a fighting retreat as she maneuvered her three opponents across the rocky terrain.

  “Obi-Wan is struggling with how to balance the Code and her feelings,” Qui-Gon explained simply.

  Dooku nodded. “Ah. Young love, then,” he murmured, earning a nod.

  “Don’t worry, Master. One day, I’m sure you’ll experience that ‘joy’ for yourself. If not from Tanya, then Allaya.”

  “As if you were any different?” Dooku arched an eyebrow.

  “Oh no, Master. It’s different with girls,” Qui-Gon grinned. “You’ll see.”

  I waved as Qui-Gon and Obi left, frowning at the unusually cool sendoff from Obi. Briefly, I considered gifting her the ring I had found, but thought better of it. For whatever reason, she was in a foul mood and I didn’t want to further complicate that. It could wait.

  Turning back to the ship, I met the girls’ eyes and nodded towards the back of the ship. “Go get cleaned up. I need to speak with Master Dooku.”

  The pair nodded and hurried towards the restroom area. As they did, I closed the hatch leading outside and the one leading further back into the ship, then made my way into the cockpit and closed that hatch as well. Sitting down in the rear seat across from Master Dooku, I withdrew Revan’s holocron from my pouch and set it on the console. A moment later, the projection flickered into place standing beside us.

  “You wanted to speak with me?”

  Master Dooku considered me for several moments. His feelings were conflicted and a bit sad, but eventually settled on resolved determination. “Yes, Tanya. I have spoken with Yoda and Mace about the return of the Sith and the danger they pose. Unfortunately, while they believe that our assessment regarding Senator Palpatine may have merit, they are not convinced that he is a Sith. Someone with a keen interest in the Sith, perhaps even a Sith cultist, but not a Sith himself. Given that Sifo-Dyas has yet to turn up any information regarding the second Sith, assuming there is one, they do not feel that this information warrants more than they have already done in isolating the Jedi, hiding the location of the Temple, and increasing their presence and alert level around key figures.”

  “Wonderful,” I grumbled.

  Revan scoffed. “The Jedi of this era are far too lax. In my time, Palpatine would have been dragged before a group of Jedi for interrogation before his fate was decided. Knowing what we do about the Sith artifacts, he would have been executed regardless of whether he was a Sith or not and those artifacts destroyed or locked away.”

  “Yes, I agree,” Dooku murmured, sending Revan a nod. “This is why we must convince the Jedi to act. To do that, we need undeniable proof that the Sith have returned to threaten the galaxy.”

  “Wouldn’t that be a convenient thing to find just lying around?” I chuckled. “So, where do you want me to investigate, Master?”

  At that, Master Dooku hesitated. I frowned and, after a moment, Revan made a quiet, “Ah.”

  “What?” I sent the projection a curious look.

  “When investigation proves unreliable, sometimes you have to fabricate the evidence yourself.”

  I blinked, before turning my focus on Master Dooku. He nodded once, slowly. I felt a smile creep across my lips as I nodded. “A false flag, then? A ghost to chase, to lead the Council to Palpatine? I can manage that.”

  At that, Master Dooku met my eyes. “Not simply a false flag or a ruse. In dark times such as these, sometimes we must act outside the Jedi Code, for the good of all.”

  “Oh?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “To be believable, it must be real, for a certain measure of the word. They must not just perceive a potential threat, but see its effects. For that, there are a number of individuals and groups within the Senate itself, the Republic as a whole, and even the Order who are actively contributing to its detriment. Those who are at the heart of the corruption. The removal of these people would be a great benefit not just to the Republic once the war is over, but also to the Confederacy—as their loss will sow confusion and fear within the Republic’s ranks and remove the rot from within the Jedi Order.”

  Master Dooku fell silent at that and I took a few moments to think about it. Finally, I asked, “To clarify, you’re asking me to dress up like a Sith and use that alter ego to hunt down and kill corrupt senators, Jedi, and others, for the express purpose of purging the worst of the corruption from the Republic and Jedi ranks, and giving the Confederacy a tactical advantage?”

  “Yeah. That’s about the shape of it,” Revan confirmed, earning a nod from Master Dooku.

  Humming, I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes.

  This is going to be dangerous. More dangerous than anything I’ve ever done. If I slip up, if my identity is revealed, I’ll have the Jedi and the entire Republic hounding me. In order to succeed, I’ll have to kill a lot of people in very visible ways, so they have a phantom to chase. Some of them, I can obviously eliminate using quieter methods, as the situation calls for it. However, the longer I’m active, the more the Jedi are going to respond to my presence and prepare accordingly.

  There’s also the matter of Palpatine. How will he react to another Sith, one not under his control, causing problems? It won’t take him long to hear the news. I’ll have to arrange an alibi. I’ll need to make sure my Padawans steer clear of it and never suspect anything as well.

  I’ll need a new lightsaber, new crystal, new outfit, armor. Something that disguises my race, but also doesn’t tie back to the Mandalorians. It will need to seal in any physical traces, such as hair, skin, or chemical markers like scent or my pheromones.

  …So, do I actually want to do this?

  Frowning, I realized it wasn’t a matter of want at all, but one of need. The cold, hard calculus of war demanded that some die so that others may live, and someone had to be the one to pull the trigger. Moreover, the war had already begun—it was just in the economic, espionage, and sabotage phase, where the enemy were gathering resources, intelligence, and conducting covert operations against us. I had been striking back with my ghost fleet, but that wasn’t enough. We needed to think bigger.

  There was also the fact that I had the skills, the resources, and the time. I was someone Master Dooku could trust to get the job done with minimal complications, and to operate on my own in the wild as needed. There were no other Jedi or Force trained people on our side that fit the criteria, let alone who had the mentality to do the job, take satisfaction in it, but not get off on it—that is, ‘fall to the dark side’ as I’d interpreted it.

  It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

  Has to be me. Someone else would get it wrong.

  Finally, I nodded. “I’ll do it. Where do I start?”

  Master Dooku sent me a brief, grateful smile, but I felt the man’s emotions—he was apologetic, regretful that he had to ask this, but grateful I had agreed. “With a name.”

  “Right. All the best Sith have one, and unlike me, you can’t get away with calling yourself Darth Tanya.”

  Nodding, I waited as Master Dooku considered. He stood and motioned for me to kneel.

  As soon as I took a knee, Master Dooku drew his lightsaber and ignited it. “For too long, the Jedi have focused on the good of the Republic and neglected the greater universe. No more.”

  “For the good of those cast aside by the Republic.” In a mirror of the earlier knighting ceremony, he brought the saber down over my right shoulder.

  “For the good of the Jedi, who have lost their way.” Over to my left shoulder.

  “I charge you with this solemn duty, until it is done and the Galaxy no longer has need of a blade in the dark.” Back to my right shoulder.

  “I name thee, Darth Logis. Arise.”

  End Book Two.