-From the perspective of Mady-

I headed towards that cursed restaurant-hotel or whatever that place is. I was back in a bad mood again, and that seemed to only worsen as I got closer to my goal.

How strange, I thought as I found my thoughts revolve around my long-lost family. I rarely thought about them nowadays, since there were few memories that remained intact from the time I spent with my parents.

Unfortunately, the contents of those memories were quite confusing, likely part of my own imagination. Sometimes it feels that it all happened in a different life... In a life that was mostly forgotten, replaced by the torturous years I spent in training as a ghost candidate.

This has happened other times as well in the past mostly… Thoughts about a mysterious mission that was supposedly given to my grandparents often bothered me when I was younger…

Until I was forcefully taken from my parents at a young age and entered the ghost training program, after my unusually strong psionic aptitude was discovered, the rest is a blur, made out of painful and traumatic experiences, which I hate to think of...

When I finally managed to escape, I couldn’t find my parents, my home again… The half destroyed house was left behind, in the midst of a war ridden wasteland. The city was supposedly destroyed in a zerg invasion, which was evidently eliminated, but only after suffering great losses, especially in the initial phases of the attack.

My parents had been reported as missing and deceased, but their bodies had never been found. Not like that was a strange thing, especially in cases of zerg attacks…

I had no illusions about the likely outcome. My future was pretty dire at the time. I was alone, lost and chased by the hunters of the agency, much like now. It was not long after this realization that I met with Jerry in a run down pub somewhat similar to the bounty exchange location I just left behind.

It was pure luck, that he decided to invite me to their pirate clan, where I later met with a familiar face, Susan, another new recruit… I knew her, we have become familiar with each other while working in the ghost agency we used to call each other sisters… When the others heard it; they thought we were actual sisters... and it kind of stuck, since neither of us intended to clear out the misunderstanding. It was too... troublesome, and there was something amusing about seeing them completely clueless about it.

Anyway, back to the topic…

Susan always loathed the agency just as much as I did. We even escaped together but were forced to part in the process. I had no way of knowing if she managed to get away, or was caught or even killed before that fateful meeting. I was relieved to have someone with me, someone that I could trust. She felt the same way. I could feel it.

I never left the team since then… not for a long amount of time… not until now… and I didn’t leave them willingly this time either…

Thinking about my friends has put a smile on my face. One that did not last long, as I suddenly became aware of a strange whispering… At first I couldn’t understand the words, but after I focused on it I managed to catch a half broken sentence.

The mission… you must finish the mission…

I stopped in my tracks. Frozen, with a complicated expression on my face. I turned around quickly, looking in every direction, but there was nobody here.

The dark, narrow streets were silent and empty. There was barely any source of light on the streets after the new energy restrictions because of the heavy damage that had been dealt to the energy district of the planet. The new regulations caused the otherwise busy city planet to become eerily quiet at night.

My breathing quickened from the sudden fright I just went through. I could swear that was my mother’s voice whispering to me just now… But that is impossible…

-The mission?

I spoke out loud, in the middle of a deserted street. Disbelief was heavily contorting my voice next to anger.

-What is so important about a fucking mission that was supposedly given to my long dead grandparents!? Is that all you care about? Some fucking mission… hah! That sucks, you know?! Because I have no fucking clue what you are talking about! I had to focus on my survival instead of some fucking mission that was given about a hundred or so years ago! If at all!

There was no answer to my anger fueled words. Only eery silence, and the skittering of a large rat that ran across the road from one shadow to another, hiding.

The silence around me felt uncomfortably heavy and deep.

I coughed awkwardly. Raised up my right arm and brushed my hair backwards over the length of my skull. My hair was still drenched in sweat from the earlier exertion. Carrying that smelly bastard all the way…

I slapped my cheeks slightly in an attempt to clear my mind.

-Damn… I must be going crazy… The boys would never let me live it down if I truly turned mad from being away from them for a few weeks…

I shook my head, looking at the silvery metal tied to my arm. That must be worth a fortune… but, for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to sell them… Sigh… I would probably be fooled anyway… I don’t know its true value after all. Not like you did, Rark…

-Sigh… damn that man… sigh... should have just run away… damnable idiot… with the mindset of a lemming...

My mind cleared from some of the troublesome thoughts only for others to take their places… no rest of the wicked, it seems… my legs grudgingly began to move once again in a monotonous way.

About half an hour later, I arrived near the restaurant. I used my stealth module and my psionic powers to turn invisible with the specific intention of sneaking into the building unnoticed. However, my thoughts about that mysterious mission became stronger and stronger with every step that brought me closer to the building.

There was a sense of unexplainable loss appearing inside my chest. A strong discomfort. The need to remember the mission seemed to jump back into the forefront of my mind on seemingly random occasions.

It was annoying. There was no mission since my parents were gone… it was over… and even if it wasn’t, I can’t remember it. That mission was nothing more than a false hope, a lie to begin with! Something my mind has created for me to hang onto while I stayed in the ghost academy.

I was submerged in my thoughts as I walked closer to the door. Then the gates of the unassuming building opened. I looked up, somewhat frightened by the sudden noise and movement. Luckily, I was already covered in the shroud of invisibility. Because one of the men who stood in front of me was a Jedi Master I had already met with. One that at this point should know, that I attempted to kidnap that senator, instead of trying to save her as he initially believed...

I carefully moved to the side and pushed my body against the wall, to be as much out of the way as possible. There were two more jedi, present. One was a tall black man, while the other was a ridiculously small gnome like thing…

Wait… isn’t that the… Grandmaster? Yes… it is definitely the Grandmaster. I saw him on the news… why would someone like him come to this place?

Finish the mission…

Again... it is definitely my mother's voice... fuck! I didn't plan to spend my meager savings on a psychiater... 

And what mission!? I shouted inside my mind… the voice of my mother seemed determined to drive me crazy! On the other hand, this must mean that I didn’t hallucinate earlier… or possibly I was hallucinating even now, but that seems rather unlikely… or more like, I just don’t want to believe it…

As the door closed behind the jedi, they walked a few more steps to get further from the building, then abruptly stopped. They looked around and probably sensed their surroundings as I felt a tension run over my body. I reflexively held back my breath and did my best to suppress my presence, almost forgetting that I was invisible… For some reason, I find my invisibility lacking, in front of the strange psionic abilities of the jedi masters…

It was a testament to my abilities, or my stupid luck, that they didn't notice me. The masters stopped looking around and started speaking at last.

The smallest one started the conversation.

-What we have learned today… is more troubling than either of us could anticipate. We need to decide what to do with these girls… and decide it quickly. We must.

There was a short silence, then the tallest one continued in a worried tone.

-I agree, with master Yoda… Especially in light of the question Lily asked me a few days ago… She wanted to build a nest… originally I didn’t give much thought to it… but in light of this new information… I couldn’t help but worry of the possible outcomes, if that might came to pass…

My face twitched hearing the familiar name. I seriously hope that it is a different Lily…

The jedi looked at each other and exchanged worried glances. Then the one I had already met with… his name was Obi’Wan Kenobi, if I remember correctly, continued.

-I can’t help, but wonder, couldn’t we use the zerg to fight against the Sith? This would surely change the tidings…

My heart skipped a beat as I heard another familiar word… zerg… oh damn, just as I suspected! Lily is still with those bastards. I hoped she could get away from them by now… She should be capable of doing that, especially in the midst of this chaos that played out in the temple… but she didn’t even report to me… is she in a rebellious phase or what?

I felt the urge to facepalm, but I did not dare to make any unnecessary noise in this situation.

And now these idiots are planning to use her as some sort of biological weapon? It’s not exactly a new idea… but one that is extremely dangerous and foolish… They don’t know the true capabilities of the zerg… they will doom the entire galaxy, if they bring them here…

What is wrong with her head in the first place, to state that she wants to build a nest so suddenly… Damn girl, if I get my hands on you, I will teach you a lesson that you won’t soon forget!

Using zergs… even the idea is ridiculous… Lily was one thing, but… what are they thinking… if they actually do that, they are going to sign up for a huge surprise… A single damn infestor could theoretically destroy this entire planet! With so many people packed on top of each other…

They have no ways to properly find the infested or quarantine them. It took the terrans years of technological research and advancement in specific directions to be capable of pushing zergs off of already infested planets, and redeveloping the terrain for human use.

As my dire visions of a possible future catastrophe were building up into a vast tide, I heard the words of the Jedi Grandmaster.

-Obi’Wan, haven’t you learned anything from the events of these past few days? We choose an uncertain alternative, one that was given to us, appearing at the right time and in the right place. It was perfect for us to take… as if it was planned for us. The easy way we chose, and we were betrayed. A trap, it was. One that we couldn’t see in our arrogance. So foolish we were… this is a similar situation. Eerily so… How could we know, if it isn’t another trap of the Sith? That girl, Nizzal, is surrounded by sinister and dark secrets. She knows the dark side; in worrying depths. It bends to her will as if she was a Sith herself. You both feel it. I know you do. The force lingers around her like a thick carpet, following her smallest gestures in ways that I only felt to happen around-…

- Around Anakin…

Exclaimed Obi’Wan, interrupting Yoda’s words with a surprised realization.

Yoda only grunted in agreement. Then continued his speech.

-Yes… her presence is too similar. We cannot ignore this new realization.

Obi’Wan spoke again.

-Could it be that we misunderstood the prophecy? Maybe Anakin is not the chosen one after all…

Windu spoke up this time.

-I always had my doubts about Anakin being this chosen one of yours, right from the very beginning. However, if I had to choose between him, or this twi’lek… then I would stand with Anakin. He is a lying fool, with no restraints, but still better than an arrogant child wielding powers far beyond her understanding, all while acting smug about it. Such a person could not be trusted, and definitely not after how we treated her in the past.

There was an eery silence surrounding the masters. As they seemed to relive some uncomfortable memories. Their facial features contorting in sadness and still fresh grief.

Kenobi said after a minute of silence.

-I… forgive me master… my words were thoughtless… But is it wise to disregard her? I mean, Nizzal… Based on Anakin’s reports, she is indeed the newly chosen Grandmaster of this strange order, that has at least one futuristic city under its control equipped with a worrisome teleportation technology.

The small gnome nodded with a tired expression. He waved with his small hand and continued.

-Only if there were just words… Unfortunately, our actions of the past years were just as thoughtless as your words seemed to be now, and actions cannot be so easily forgiven or swept aside. We can’t commit the same mistakes again. And we must not unleash another wave of destruction upon this galaxy. It is time to grow up to the trust that the citizens have placed in us. However, we don’t have the luxury of losing our ways in the meantime anymore.

Yoda paused for a while, thinking over his words, then continued.

-We obviously cannot disregard her Obi’Wan… She clearly holds a deep grudge against us, but I couldn’t feel much or any malice from her, not even when Windu managed to get under her skin. I believe that we can trust her for now. On another hand, we must not forget that Palpatine had been working with us for years, and we didn’t have the slightest idea of his true identity. The fact that Nizzal can use the darkside and the light side with such proficiency is proof that she is not truly committed to either of them, but this is basically the only thing we can surely know about her character. I cannot help but wonder how she achieved such a delicate balance…

Hearing this conversation, I decided to take a peek into the psionic presences around the place. Aside from the Jedi masters, I could clearly feel another powerful presence inside the restaurant. I was sure that I had felt this one before… yes… it belongs to that tailhead that attempted to sell me off a few days prior… Cheeky little kid. So she was one of these psionic freaks.

Both of the human jedi nodded solemnly at those words. After a small break, the tallest one, called Windu asked with a furrowed pair of eyebrows.

-Master Yoda, then what do you suggest we do with the other girl, with Lily?

My ears perked up, and I refocused on the conversation. Not like the ears of the grandmasters, which seemed to droop considerably, hearing the seemingly expected question.

-If that girl indeed holds such powers, we must hide her from the world…

Kenobi broke the ominous silence left in the air by the grandmaster, feeling disturbed by the hidden meanings behind those words.

-Do you mean to imprison her?

The grandmaster seemed to think through a handful of potential solutions. Then spoke in a dry voice.

-The Republic has been deeply wounded, but the Sith’s plan failed. The suffering they caused has united us instead of breaking us further apart. Our people stand together for the first time in a thousand years. We can still turn the tide, but this time the people must fight for themselves, and we must help them. We must believe in the people of the Galactic Republic, otherwise I am afraid that all hope is lost.

Yoda took a short pause, then continued.

-We shall assume the figure of hope for the people, and for hope to remain we must not let the Sith gain any more advantages. For that reason, we must not allow them to get their hands on the girl by any means necessary.

The tiny figure of the grandmaster stayed silent for a few seconds, letting his words sink in, then continued.

-We can try to hide her, but I am afraid that in case if even half of what Nizzal told us is true about the nature of these zerg, then such endeavor wouldn't work out in our favor.

Windu asked.

-Then what do we do?

Yoda closed his eyes, waited for a few seconds, then spoke again.

-Knowledge and experience are what make us who we are. If she is willing to learn, then we must train her. We must teach her our cultural values and ways to ensure the galaxy's and her own safety.

Stated the Grandmaster.

The Windu said in a worried tone, as a reaction to Yoda’s earlier conclusion.

-She is old… Anakin was also old… I fear that if we train her now, she will eventually fail us too.

Obi’Wan spoke up almost immediately, hearing those words.

-Anakin, did not fail us, Master Windu. He made his choice. He might not be a jedi anymore, as what he did was unforgivable to our code, but he did not betray us, as the clones did or the chancellor.

Windu looked at the other man and nodded grudgingly.

-Yes… I am well aware of the fact Kenobi… However, you should keep in mind that the only reason I agreed to let him keep his title as a General of the Galactic Republic was because of the unusually critical situation. Lucky for him… we cannot disregard the existence of a trained and accomplished General…

Obi’Wan thought for a while, then said.

-Yes… I understand. What do you think about Ahsoka’s situation? I can already see that she will react poorly to these news… Not even mentioning the betrayal of the clones, and the death of so many… She was particularly close to some of the clones… as we all were…

The older masters seemed to agree silently.

After a few seconds, Windu spoke again.

-It will be a shock to her, no doubt. We will have to find a new master for her… or knight her earlier, if her accomplishments are deemed sufficient. We are in dire need of fighting capable warriors. As Nizzal suggested, we will send an official Jedi representative to Unity, and bring back Ahsoka through this procession. We should thrive to keep our neutrality towards the Grey Order, at least until we learn more of their nature and true intentions.

All the present masters seemed to agree on this and began their walk once again.

There was an empty silence, left behind by the three jedi, who had eventually gotten into a parked down hovercraft and disappeared in the shadow of the night.