A/N: Hhooooookaaaaaay… ^_^' …here we go…

…Sooooooo, has it really been…over a year already? Yeeaaah, I can't put into words how sorry I am that I haven't updated since last year.

In fact, some of you may recall back when I mentioned that updates would be slower, but might pick back up again in the summer…of…2018? Well…yeeeeaaah, that was before certain events came along to screw up all my plans.

Anyway, I have finally managed to kick my muse awake enough to get back to continuing this story. I'm not giving up on it, but I will admit it has been a while since I've been able to truly focus on it and given my current school work load, updates will probably be sporadic until summer comes, we'll see.

So, now that all my excuses are out of the way, here's another chapter. I honestly had the most fun just exploring Sifo-Dyas as a character in this chapter. Thank you all for being here and enjoy!

Special thanks to Ducky9002 for editing and DISCLAIMER: I don't own Star Wars.

Chapter 16: Kidnap

Jedi Temple Hanger…

Sifo-Dyas finished giving his electronic signature to one of the Temple hanger droids in front of the shuttle and gestured Korrah to go on ahead of him. He cast a quick glance around, trying to spot if anyone he knew was approaching.

He refocused his attention forward as the droid spoke up. "Thank you, Master Jedi. Will you please join your Padawan in proceeding to board immediately? Your offworld transport is scheduled to be departing shortly. Force be with you."

It really was rather charming of the Temple technicians to program that greeting into their droids.

With one last subtle look over his shoulder at the numerous Jedi and hanger faculty going about their business, he shifted his pack more comfortably on his shoulder and oh-so-causally walked up the ramp. It was only about twenty minutes later, after the small transport ship provided for the mission had cleared the atmosphere of Coruscant, did the Jedi Knight release a deep, cleansing breath.

Good. All safe now.

He quickly suppressed any emotion resembling giddiness back into the Force. It wasn't appropriate. And it really wasn't as if he was some teenage Padawan sneaking out of the Temple for a clandestine night in a Coruscanti club. He was on a mission…and real, honest-to-goodness mission and nothing was going to stop him now!

Shaking his head away from his eager thoughts, Sifo-Dyas finished stowing his pack and setting up his meditation mat as the pilot entered a holding pattern above the planet. Only a few more minutes waiting for traffic to clear and Orbital Control would give them the necessary clearance before they entered hyperspace. He kept himself busy organizing his reading material he'd brought along. The trip to the planet of Delephran would take several standard days of hyperspace travel before they arrived.

Finally satisfied with the simple state of his room, Sifo-Dyas found himself across the short hallway to the other room and knocked. He took the responding nudged through the Force as permission to enter and looked around at the empty room. Korrah's bag was placed on the bunk, still unpacked, but he didn't see her. Knowing his student, he found her not a second later, seated in the incredibly small fresher attached to the quarters, nursing a thermajug of tea in her hands.

"Is this too claustrophobic for you, Korrah?"

Korrah smiled wanly up at him, glancing around.

"Honestly, Master, I just took my medicine so I don't think it'll be that bad. Depending on how the first day ends up going, I might come out or just spend the whole trip in here just to be safe. It wouldn't be very courteous to our pilot if I started puking all over the place because I misjudged my constitution."

Sifo-Dyas nodded, sympathetic. It truly was a pity how debilitating his Padawan's hyperspace sickness could get.

"I just wanted you to know I've packed some sleeping aids in case it becomes too much for you. This will be a long trip and we'll want to arrive as fresh and alert as possible."

Korrah set her thermajug down in the cramped space and nodded back.

"Yes, Master. I think I'll try meditating for now. My tea's still too hot."

Tuning out their pilot announcing over the small ship's intercom that they'd be entering hyperspace in fifteen minutes, Sifo-Dyas returned to his own bunk. The Jedi Knight settled himself down to review over their mission details rather than meditating and brown eyes scanned somewhat lazily over the lines of text, but kept his mind satisfyingly occupied.

Sadly, the peace didn't last for even a full minute.

His personal comm started chirping happily at him from the small bedside compartment.

"Is the lothcat out of the bag already?" He thought, surprised and a little agitated. If he was honest, he hadn't expected the Council to discover him and Korrah gone from the Temple so soon. He stared at it as if hoping it would realize his commitment to this endeavor and cease, but the device continued its merry mechanical chant.

He briefly considered just not answering.

It wouldn't be long before the hyperspace jump – so even if the Council were to order him back now, that's just too damn bad – and everything about this mission was perfectly legitimate. The fact that he hadn't alerted them to accepting this mission from the rosters prior to his departure was no grounds for rebuke.

The Council was too busy to personally assign every mission, after all. There were just too many Jedi for them to conceivably do so.

With a sigh, he summoned the comm to his hand with a light tug of the Force and glanced at the holo-frequency number.

Oh. It was Dooku calling.

…he still briefly considered not answering.

It could be that his friend was simply unhappy he was unable to find him for some casual conversation or hoped to schedule an appointment to meet later. Due to Dooku being one of the very group of people he'd made a point to avoid, he had been rather scarce from their usual haunts over the past few days, but Council member or not, his current…actions shouldn't be a problem with him. They were still friends after all.

With another sigh, he accepted the call, straightening his posture and schooled his features as his friend's figure appeared before him.

"Dooku." He said casually.

"Sifo-Dyas." He greeted back and – oh, Force, no – he knew that smug tone coloring his voice, "I believe I would be correct in assuming you are not in the Temple."

Sifo-Dyas bit his tongue and leveled him with a sharp look. Both of them waited for the other to continue speaking and the silence stretched on between them into a – somewhat petty, he'd admit it – standoff, but Sifo-Dyas refused to budge and be the first one to continue the inevitable conversation.

It was difficult to pick out the details of his old friend's face through the holo-projection, but Sifo-Dyas knew the older Knight well enough to manage. It was obvious to the Jedi Knight that Dooku was at least making a token effort to not let his amusement about the whole situation show, but there was a relaxed slope in his shoulders that gave it away.

Perhaps the man's own Padawan had rubbed off on him more than he realized.

He snapped out of his thoughts when Dooku took the initiative and conceded to making the first comment.

"I must confess, it has been many years since you've indulged in such passive-aggressiveness, old friend."

Sifo-Dyas scowled, understanding the humor of the verbal jab but still not appreciating it.

"If you're aware that I'm already leaving, then is there something important regarding the mission you wished to inform me about? Qualifications? A change in parameters?"

Dooku merely waved a dismissive hand.

"Nothing of the sort. I'm sure you know the Council has other duties that demand their attention. It is not possible for us to oversee every assignment a Jedi Master-Padawan pair receives."

He actually dared to smile at him as Sifo-Dyas' teeth began grinding audibly against his wishes. Damn genius. Of course he'd be able to guess at his reasons behind his evasion tactics.

"But I am contacting you with the hope that I might sate my curiosity. I had predicted you would do something like this much sooner, Sifo-Dyas."

"There is no emotion…" he mentally recited, desperately trying to preserve his dignity. "…there is peace…"

"The time is long overdue for me to return to the field." He snapped. "…There is no ignorance…there is knowledge…"

"Your field of expertise, you mean." Dooku sounded far too calm about this. It was aggravating and making it harder to keep his temper with his indignity rising up again.

"There is no passion, there is serenity…" Oh, kriff it! This was a losing battle anyway.

"It has been six years, Dooku!" Sifo-Dyas enunciated harshly. "This is the first mission I'll be taking to the Outer Rim since I took Korrah as my Padawan! Do you know how may ongoing missions I've had to hand off to others due to the Councilors mandating that I focus on training Korrah? And furthermore, restricting that I not go beyond the Mid Rim at the Council's insistence citing that it's only 'in the best interests of your Padawan.'? There's only so much I can do from the sidelines at the Temple and using my student to anchor me down isn't something I can tolerate anymore. Not when there is still work that needs to be done and I didn't get to where I am by letting others do such things for me!"

Even as he said this, Sifo-Dyas knew Dooku understood he didn't blame Korrah for him becoming effectively hamstringed. If anything, he blamed himself for going along with it for so long.

He'd thought the Council's 'oversight' would let up eventually, but if anything, certain Councilors had only become more and more interested in just how he was training the Chosen One. And graciously offering their opinions on what they believed was appropriate to include or not.

It would seem in their minds, his expertise in navigating the criminal underworld of the galaxy wasn't quite up to their standards for a prodigious, young Padawan expected to become a paragon of Jedi statues.

If not for the Force's guidance in his current bond, Sifo-Dyas would apply this whole experience with the Council as yet another reason against ever taking on a student. Force knew he already planned on never taking another one once Korrah made it to Knighthood. Disappearing off into Coruscant's lower levels or the Outer Rim on a long-term mission for a few years sounded more and more appealing every time he was caught in the Temple halls by a Council member with a subtle 'suggestion' for his curriculum.

"Force forbid the day I ever allow myself to shirk in regards to Korrah's education, but I cannot stand by this continuous prioritization of it resulting in such caustic neglect of my own duties to the galaxy!"

Sifo-Dyas grumbled and ran a hand up over his face, frustration mounting to fuel an uncharacteristic, full-on rant. Dooku had the grace to stay quiet and listen as he continued to voice his displeasure.

"This isn't my personal pride getting the better of me either, Dooku, it is simply fact. My skills are being wasted while at the same time my ability to teach is being limited! Korrah is my Padawan, so they should be letting me teach her what I know. But – and I cannot emphasize this enough – I'm not just a Jedi Master! I'm also a Jedi Shadow. I'm damn good at what I do and I do take pride in what I accomplish for the Republic and the Light Side of the Force. So, if this is in any way an attempt to convince me to renege on this mission, the answer is no and let me do my job!"

Sifo-Dyas quickly took a deep breath to calm himself. He hadn't meant to raise his voice near the end. He spoke again in a more serene tone.

"I have attempted to appeal to the Council on this matter numerous times-"

"And as it did not coincide with their own opinions and you were always far too polite and indirect in your approach, they elected to ignore it."

He blinked. "I'm…sorry?"

Dooku huffed.

"Please don't tell me you're genuinely so surprised. Though I am quite happy you've finally reached the same conclusion I did regarding what is the most effective in guiding a young mind along the path of the Jedi, Sifo-Dyas."

Sifo-Dyas frowned at Dooku's words, but didn't comment. His ire dwindled down to a simmer.

"Of course, neither I nor some of my colleagues on the Council are completely supportive of the Council's current approach to the handling of your situation regarding your Padawan due to the constraints it places upon you. And with a destiny as significant as the one your Padawan carries, such coddling would only be detrimental to both of your personal developments and should not be encouraged."

He stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"Of course, those who do claim that their concerns are made over exposing Korrah to the dangerous criminal elements you regularly deal with due to her age, but-"

Sifo-Dyas was quick to cut in and rebut this.

"Flagrant hypocrisy on the Council's part, to use age in years Standard as an objective measure of whether or not someone is ready or capable. She is close enough to turning sixteen already. A couple of months hardly matter when she has always acted twice her age, old friend. And it's offensive that they doubt my own abilities regarding the matter. I am fully committed to protecting my Padawan from the worst, but I also have a duty to prepare her for the worst and to the galaxy I must fulfill. I can no longer excuse myself putting off any longer."

Dooku actually nodded and even seemed to be in passive agreement with him.

"Well, I hope you find this excursion to your satisfaction then. Rest assured that any inquiries from the rest of the Council will almost undoubtably run into some form of interference as all bureaucratic matters do. And when you return, it will be refreshing to hear whatever unimportant details inevitably end up omitted from the official report. I should have some Gatalentan tea to share it over."

Sifo-Dyas grinned, relieved at his friend's unspoken support and the prospect of one of his favorite teas.

"Of course."

The intercom crackled alive once again and the Jedi Knight ended the holocall with a short, final farewell from Dooku. As he felt the tell-tale shift in g-force denote that they were finally beginning to accelerate to lightspeed, Sifo-Dyas sat down and eased his mind, drifting away from himself to become one within the Force. It thrummed around him, reacting to his eagerness to get back into action after over half a decade.

Reflecting back, he knew Dooku was right. He probably should have done this much sooner. It still soured his mood every time he thought back to multiple investigations that had been botched entirely or at least would have concluded much better had he been there to see them through himself rather than dealing with all the critique of guiding a Padawan who came with the Council's high interest attached to her.

It…truly had been a while since he'd entertained this sort of subtle rebelliousness. If you wanted something to get done, and done right, one had to apply their own hands to the job. He'd emphasized this to Korrah often and he was very proud of her for how well she understood.

Sifo-Dyas felt his breathing even out deep and calm as his emotions finally settled down and he let himself be pulled along by the currents of the Force. He could feel something rapidly approaching him.

A vision.

Letting go even further, he dropped his mental barriers and willingly accepted the press of whatever foresight the Force provided into his mind. Physical restrictions and perceptions of hard reality faded away. It was becoming so clear-

-Korrah struggled to avoid a swinging blow from a dark clad figure, her face set in grim determination and concentration as she stumbled around roots and loose stones. Her assailant lunged forwards reaching to grab for her, but she evaded again. An infuriated snarl ripped from the person's mouth and suddenly lighting shot out of the figure's hand! Korrah screamed out in agony, collapsing to the ground in painful convulsions-,

The vision suddenly cut off so abruptly that Sifo-Dyas' almost fell backwards in shock as his eyes snapped open. He sucked in a deep breath, calm lost, and pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing back at the pain that now blossomed at the forefront of his brain.

Such an urgent warning from the Force was quite a way to start off this mission.

It was a warning. There was no doubt in his mind; for both him and Korrah. Casting lighting was a powerful Force ability, and one that was only cultivated by those steeped deep in the Dark Side. Would this unknown Dark Side-user be on Delephran? Were they involved in the pirate activity he'll be investigating?

The possibility that he and his Padawan would cross paths and probably face a Dark Jedi strong enough in the Force to such an extent disquieted him immensely, but Sifo-Dyas steeled himself against the fear. He could feel deep down that his vision was of events that were fated to happen soon.

Immediately, the Jedi Knight remembered how years ago, Yoda had warned him the day he'd declared he would take Korrah as a Padawan that a Dark Side user had pursued her as a young child and would have succeeded in both abducting her and causing the death of her parents had she not been discovered and taken in by the Jedi Order. Given the power the young girl held, Sifo-Dyas did not doubt for a second that she would have made a tantalizing target to someone fallen to the sway of the Dark Side.

No information or appearance had surfaced regarding this individual, but Sifo-Dyas was sure that the Force now willed the time for Korrah to face her pursuer was approaching. Sifo-Dyas' concern was slowly overshadowed by his confidence. He knew he had taught Korrah well. Whatever happened, she would prevail. The Force was strong with her and his vision guaranteed that they would not be caught off guard. The words he'd spoken to Dooku not hours ago hardened into steely resolve.

Still, confusion drifted through Sifo-Dyas' mind at how he could not identify his Padawan's assailant. His visions were well-renowned within the Order for their clarity, but no matter how much he focused on the memory of his vision within the Force, the being's face and features remained hidden from him and he knew no more beyond its humanoid shape.

"No matter." He thought and exited his room. Sifo-Dyas would warn his Padawan of the coming confrontation and make sure she was prepared to face this unknown entity.

Three days later…

The Jedi was rather impressed at the speed at which things were moving along. When he and his Padawan had completed their initial investigation and turned in their reports, the militia's bureaucracy had barely made him wait long enough to shower and change before authorizing him to accompany the force sent to seize the warehouses they'd identified as being used as the pirate's bases.

He could sense a sentiment of vindictive anticipation simmering through each of the men and women, each hiding their eagerness with admirable professionalism. They must be taking the infiltration of their militia force very a bit, if the voltage of the shock-charges he'd seen them prepping for this sting were any indication.

"These militiamen of Delephran certainly know what they're doing." He thought as five squads swiftly got into position and Sifo-Dyas quietly stalked along with the lieutenant leading the operation.

He had donned his Jedi robes for the first time since he arrived on the planet. Though simple in design, Sifo-Dyas knew through extensive experience that the traditional garb of his Order was recognizable and in situations like this added and extra weight of authority behind those wearing the militia uniforms alongside him. It was psychological over physical intimidation; the majority of people would usually try to retreat than willingly fight against someone almost openly stating they were a trained Force-sensitive and so confident in that they didn't bother to wear any kind of armor.

Six minutes later and the lieutenant – a tan-skinned man with a pale scar on his jaw and crooked nose named Oril – gave the signal. Then next two minutes flashed in mere seconds as a blur of shouting, blaster bolts, the hum of his lightsaber and the crackle-snap of the shock-grenades rendering the pirates unconscious. The Jedi quietly sight in relief as all the squad leaders started calling in reporting. Everyone had been apprehended without serious injuries on either side and now the stolen and smuggled goods were being located and secured. The occupants of the warehouse hadn't stood a chance.

Sifo-Dyas extracted himself from the buzz of activity, nodding in acknowledgment to Lieutenant Oril as he found an out of the way corner and opened his personal comm.

Commander Gelliad was a short man, but his shoulders and chest were broad and strong, giving the optical illusion that his head was a size too small for his body. His blonde hair was styled in a short military cut and his face was illuminated with anticipation behind his mustache and beard, which were trimmed with neat precision.

"Master Jedi." He intoned. "That was certainly quick. There must not have been much fight in the scoundrels at seeing a Jedi. Or maybe they're just cowards when they didn't have the advantage of forewarning. Were there any difficulties in apprehending them all?"

"No, Commander," Sifo-Dyas nodded. "Everything went according to plan. Lieutenant Oril delegated Officer Mabon to organize the search and seizer. He insisted on overseeing the pirates being loaded onto their transport."

Gelliad's expression was one of veteran understanding.

"Doesn't surprise me, him wanting to see them in cuffs with his own eyes. His younger brother got killed last year due to this foul business and I've kept him away from the traitorous curs in lock-up who enabled that for the same reason. Still, he's professional enough to see this job through. This'll be good closure for him." he huffed. "Anything further to report?"

Glancing up, Sifo-Dyas scanned over the organized chaos occurring not far from him.

"As far as we've been able to determine, we've successfully apprehended the most if not all of the criminals, but it'd be prudent to keep an eye out in case there's a handful we missed. From what I can see out in the open, our information was spot on and this place has been where they were storing everything. Mabon also found some records: stolen, smuggled, contraband, it's all been through here."

"Excellent!"

Checking his chrono, the Jedi Knight quickly considered how long this stage of the investigation was likely to take and whether or not it could conflict with…other necessary duties he and his student still had to accomplish while here on Delephran.

"Should I get the full report of what's recovered from Lieutenant Oril here or would you prefer that I return to your office immediately?"

The Commander shook his head.

"You're better to stay where you are. I will contact you again once the traitors have been processed. We will need you to stay out of the main office until the interrogations have been completed or come their trials, their lawyers will throw every accusation of Jedi tampering at the prosecutors and drag it on."

Sifo-Dyas nodded. Such legal posturing was an all too common occurrence. Especially is such places where those trained in the Force were viewed closer to mind-manipulating mystics capable of things far more sinister than mere Force suggestion.

"Very well. Is my Padawan there?"

"Yes, she's been helping us with the recovered data analysis, hold on a moment." The hologram flickered and Korrah's animated form replaced the soldier's.

"Master, good to see you again."

"Hello Korrah. Good job on finding those coordinates."

His Padawan grinned at the praise. "That was all thanks to Chibi, and he says you can let him know how grateful you are by finally letting him 'improve' the apartment locks when we get back to the Temple."

…Yeah, that was never going to happen.

"You may inform him I will take it under consideration." He deadpanned, just barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "For now, I want you to return to the rooms and rest for a bit. When I return, we will jointly meditate again and search for the Dark Side user."

His Padawan's demeanor tensed briefly before shifting back to her previous look of good humor. She shrugged lightly.

"I still haven't sensed any danger approaching and the Delephran militia base is as secure as any I've been in. I still think it could have been symbolic or metaphorical, Master."

Sifo-Dyas held back a sigh, weary at his Padawan's stubborn resistance towards the subject.

"We're not going to take that chance Padawan. Go rest. I know you've earned it."

The Jedi pocketed his comm after Korrah's reluctant, but affirmative answer. Once he was sure no one was watching he grinned and let out a deep, cleansing breath.

"Stars, it feels so good to be back!"

Six years and the Jedi Knight was finally back in his investigation had been short, almost unsatisfyingly so, but Sifo-Dyas had taken comfort in reassuring himself that the years spent restricted to the Temple and Inner Rim had not cost him his skills. At least, not as much as he'd feared.

Barely more than three days had passed since Sifo-Dyas and Korrah had arrived on Delephran. Originally under their aliases of an Inspector and tech assistant respectively, the Jedi pair had met with their contact, were immediately debriefed on the situation and proceeded to get to work.

The Delephran militia was comprised of rather proud individuals. Despite having asked for their help, they had made it clear that they had no problems dealing with the pirates. The Jedi were only there to weed out those acting as informants for the criminals.

It wasn't anything that Sifo-Dyas hadn't done before many times in similar situations over his career. Work with law enforcement harboring suspicious Jedi sentiment? Almost always to be expected. Flush out the insiders leaking militia movements and supply shipping? Elementary.

Once he had identified the possible suspects for the mole – or moles as it had turned out – it had been no more than a full day's work for Korrah to employ her 'Chibi' droid to sneak in and search all of their rooms and find the few containing the incriminating evidence that they needed to apprehend the individuals. The evidence itself was pretty rudimentary, an unusually large amount of loose credits and several cleverly disguised holo-communicators with the programmed frequencies tracing back right to the pirates.

He almost wished that it hadn't been so effortless, so he wouldn't have to think about having to return to Coruscant as soon as everything was recorded and sealed.

However, there was one thing keeping him on the alert. Even though he'd been maintaining a watchful awareness, the Dark Jedi from his vision had yet to reveal themselves.

If he could only identify the location of the Dark Jedi, Sifo-Dyas wouldn't be constantly forcing himself to reign back his good mood.

Korrah was right, in one way. Ever since he'd received his vision on the way here, the Force had gone silent. There wasn't anything triggering a warning along his senses, but he covertly scanned the people around him regularly anyway, testing the Force to see if it would reveal who it was that attacked Korrah in his vision.

Perhaps their joint meditation later would reveal something, despite his Padawan's steadfast resistance to the contrary. Sifo-Dyas brushed some stray hair out of his face and sighed. She was still far too stubborn in her convictions about visions. Hopefully, the Force would provide the answers to their shadowed pursuer as well as whatever lesson Korrah needed to soften her approach towards their shared gift in it.

He started searching through the supplies with another officer, but paused in his actions as his comm sprang to life again with a communication from the militia Commander.

Gelliad wasted no time. "Master Jedi! I need you back at the Command Center now! You were right about there being some that we missed. They just bombed the building and they've got assault droids attacking us, but we believe they're really going after the prisoners."

Sifo-Dyas ran outside the warehouse.

"I'm already on my way. Send Korrah down to the cellblock and have her guard the occupants there."

A quick word to Lieutenant Oril to get the shuttles flying again and it was less than an hour before they arrived back at the Command Center. Sifo-Dyas didn't wait for it to land, instead jumping off of the shuttle, using the Force to cushion his landing and igniting his lightsaber as he flew through the air. His powerful sweeps and blows cut a wide swath through the droids with barely a thought as he fought his way towards a group of militiamen who'd been pinned down, almost defenseless, out in the open.

"I'll clear a path! Make for the main building!"

Determined affirmatives replied back and he turned back to his opponents who began registering him as a primary threat and directing their fire at him.

Sifo-Dyas' chosen combat style of Djem So had adequate defense, but the form's true was the power he channeled behind it. Sifo-Dyas easily overwhelmed everything that stood in his path and within seconds, he'd fought through to the besieged building, enabling the militiamen behind him to reach better cover.

A Weequay pirate appeared from the side behind an abandoned vehicle and opened fire at him, but rather than go for cover, Sifo-Dyas surprised him by charging; batting away the increasingly desperate shots until he flipped over the speeder and cut the rifle in two with a short chop. The pirate went to draw a vibro knife, but a solid backhand sent him slamming his head back into the speeder's door, shattering one of the windows and leaving a large dent in the metal door. He collapsed in a boneless heap in front of Sifo-Dyas, out cold.

He hadn't even used the Force to enhance the blow.

The chaos of the sudden attack wasn't stopping the militiamen from being useful. Groups of three and four ran about, some with weapons drawn protecting those with tools to remove the rubble and getting medical packs to the injured. Sifo-Dyas could see black smoke was rising from somewhere on the other side of the building. An ominous chill crept up his back, prickling at the small hairs on his neck as he rushed towards the command room.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" he thought.

Was Korrah okay?

"Master Jedi!" Sifo-Dyas turned as a uniformed woman approached and saluted him. "There's still enemy hostiles inside Command Center. Commander Gelliad's been reported trapped inside with several of the pirates. He's only got a couple Junior Officers as back-up. Lieutenant Royden went in with several other to help, but they've been cut off from behind and we can't get at the sleemos trying to trap them!"

Lieutenant Oril ran up and joined them. "Hold the bastards back outside, don't let anymore get in! We'll get to the Commander and sweep the building before coming back to support you."

The woman saluted again. "Understood, sir!"

The Jedi and Lieutenant led a half a dozen other militiamen inside the building, passing bodies of ally and foe alike, shooting down hostile droids until they paused at the sight before them in the command room.

A tall man in militiaman uniform with graying hair and thin, chinless face had a blaster lowered over an injured Junior Officer lying on the ground clutching his bleeding stomach and facing Commander Gelliad. Sifo-Dyas recognized him as Lieutenant Royden, but adjusted his grip on his lightsaber as he registered his poster and behavior as hostile. The Commander seemed shocked, but still holding onto his calm as Royden spoke to him.

"-is all there is to it. No hard feelings, Gelliad. It's just how the cards fall."

Royden's arm raised back up, pointing this time at Gelliad and Sifo-Dyas stretched out with the Force to interfere –

–a blaster bolt cut sped through the air –

– And the lieutenant's arm went limp again as he fell over dead with a smoking hole in his skull where his ear had previously been.

Both men looked over at the Junior Officer who lay on the floor with his small back-up blaster in his left hand, his right still clutching tightly to his bleeding side.

"I-I'm sorry sir, I was-I was aiming f-for his arm…I mean, I-I'm not left-handed, but I- was just-nnngh…" he stuttered out, groaning in pain when speaking became too much for him.

Gelliad winced as he went over and gently gripped the boy's shoulder. "It was a good shot, lad."

Reinforcements arrived and reports soon came in that the remnants of the pirates had withdrawn. The pirates seemed to have been intent on reaching their discovered informants in the militia and silencing them in a 'permanent' fashion.

Even worse, they'd succeeded.

That worried Sifo-Dyas as it meant that the criminals might have agendas that they were still unaware of beyond just the raiding of supplies, ambushes, and avoiding capture. The deaths of the uncovered informants destroyed any further insight to the location of pirate's other hideouts.

And once again, where had Korrah been during this? She was supposed to have been sent to protect them. Where was she now? Had she been injured and taken to the Med bay?

Sifo-Dyas moved aside as several militiamen lifted the dead body to dispose of it. As soon as the former Lieutenant Royden was carried through the doors and out of sight, Gelliad turned away and sighed, rubbing his beard roughly with grave emotion with his eyes downcast and brimming with betrayal.

"Makes my guts twist, just thinking about how badly this whole business is going to affect the militia. I-We…Royden and I were good friends, you see, for almost a decade. Even after I was made Commander, we'd get together every other week to drink, smoke cigarras and laugh about the goings on in our lives. He had a wily sense of humor and was absolutely terrible at pazaak. I-I thought I knew him."

Sifo-Dyas respectfully stayed silent as the Commander rallied himself, biting the inside of his cheek and focusing on releasing his own anger at the recent events.

How could he have missed this?! Thinking back over the identities of the confirmed informants, the Lieutenant's duplicity was the one piece of information that slid in and shift the whole situation over by just a few degrees. Just enough to leave Sifo-Dyas feeling like a complete fool, as he hadn't in years.

None of the militiamen who'd been caught providing information to the pirates had a rank higher than Senior Officer in the militia and yet the pirates had been operating at a rate that surpassed what all of the informants combined would have been able to access. There was a pattern of organization that was only now becoming apparent as Sifo-Dyas thought about it more.

More importantly, if Sifo-Dyas thought back even further to the case that had originally brought the Delephran militia to decide the situation warranted Jedi involvement, the truth of a traitor residing in a higher up position was almost staring him in the face.

The murder of a Senior Officer named Ca'Rhin Toynra had enraged and shocked the Delephran militia because evidence found in Officer Toynra case had implicated that she'd been killed by a fellow militiaman. The interrogators had already gotten a confession from among the informants Sifo-Dyas had weeded out. One of the incriminated Junior Officers – named Makkel – had confessed, claiming it had been a crime of passion.

And why else would a militiaman, whether or not he was an informant for pirates, take the fall for a murder he didn't commit? Because the real murderer was another dirty militiaman they hadn't caught. One further up in the chain of command that he couldn't accuse without evidence. Sifo-Dyas had seen it happen before. He wished he could have been present for the interrogation. Maybe he could have prevented all this from happening!

Force damn it all! He truly had been out of touch for too long and these were the results! He'd gotten too caught up in the rush of being back in the field and hadn't looked at the evidence deep enough.

Gelliad finished speaking to another militiaman and turned to him. "Alright, just got some more good news and bad news. Good news: they didn't all get away. We managed to apprehend one of the pirates who was found still alive so we'll have something to go on in finding the rest of the scumbags. My people are even saying you were the one to knock him out. We also got a couple of turncoats that we missed, but…well, I've got some bad news regarding your Padawan, Master Jedi."

Sifo-Dyas' head whipped around at him.

"What do you mean? Where is Korrah?"

The commander grimaced. "I'm sorry, but the perimeter guards reported that they spotted some of the pirates running away during the fight. They were carrying the girl with them."

A/N: I know, I'm leaving this on another cliffhanger! But don't worry, the next chapter won't take a year to get updated. Also, can I just say I had an absolutely great time coming up with what Sifo-Dyas' fighting style would be like for this fic. He is a badass in my head-cannon who's not above fighting dirty. I mean, he's a Jedi, but he also deals with the criminal underworld to an extensive degree, after all.

So, if you like what you read here, please leave a review and let me know what you enjoyed with this new chapter! I absolutely LOVE hearing back from you all. I'm sorry again for being away for so long.

Thank you to all and see you again soon!

-ObsidianShadow1994