Anabeth: New Beginnings

Chapter 11 - Political Progress

As Ana once again jumped to hyperspace, she took a seat in front of the transmitter to call Coruscant to inform them of her findings. Windu seemed to have been waiting for her call as she picked up immediately. "What's your status?" he asked curiously.

"I'm headed back to Mandalore now. Maul gave me the information without trouble" Ana informed him. "Thats's good. I was starting to wonder if something happened because your transponder was turned off". "I'm quiet fine, just didn't want anyone knowing where exactly I went" Ana admitted.

"A reasonable explaination I guess. So, what did Maul say?". "The fifth member is none other than the nightbrothers. However, they are not acting on their own accord within the collective, but rather are the puppets of mother Talzin.

Maul said she approached him and demanded the nightbrothers be part of the colllective as a way to pay off some debt Maul had with her or something. He knew it couldn't mean any good, so he tried to keep the nightbrothers in the dark and off the playing field as mch as possible while he was still in charge, hence Bo's lack of knowledge of them.

Most likely, mother Talzin asked the nightbrothers to perform the theft on her behalf, meaning the holocron core is probably already in her hands. Maul has no idea what she coud want with it, but needless to say, it's probably nothing good".

"Alright, looks like we'll have to track down mother Talzin. Under usual circumstances I'd say we start on Dathomir, but who knows what tricks that witch has up her sleeve" Windu stated. "Which is why I thought of the perfect person to help us" Ana said, earning a curious look from Windu.

"Have Ahsoka track down Ventress" Ana explained. "What makes you think she'll help us?" Windu asked. "I have a feeling this will be a topic of interest for her. And if she refuses Ahsoka, I'll talk to her myself". "Fine, I'll tell Ahsoka the details. You on the other hand make sure you get back to Mandalore and help hose negotiations along.

I'd kind of like to have all of you back on Coruscant and reduce our workload as soon as possible" Windu agreed to Ana's plan. "I'll do my best here. And if you need anything, don't hesitate to call" Ana assured him. "I will, thanks. See you soon, Ana". "You too, Master" Ana bid Windu goodbye before ending the call.

Ana arrived back on Mandalore shortly before dinner, much to the happiness of her friends. Obi-Wan briefed her on the progress of the day while she filled him in on her findings before everyone called it a night. However, Ana had trouble falling asleep, taking time to research mother Talzin and the nightsisters instead. until now, they had never bothered interfering with the Jedi, meaning they hadn't really been a prioritized subject at the Temple.

Furthermore, this also meant limited data on them and their planet. It seemed that until now, there had been a you don't bother me and I don't bother you kind of policy between he two orders, making it difficult to come by reliable information. Ana only hoped Ventress would be able to provide a few more insight once Ahsoka found her.

The next morning started off like any usual day on Mandalore. A peaceful yet boring routine full of briefings and guard duty which Ana had become accustomed to. She wouldn't say she disliked it by now, but she would be lying if she said she didn't miss Coruscant and her Master.

By the time lunch rolled around, the Senators had finally agreed on the last point of the treaty, meaning that all that was left to do by both sides was to sign it. After a final proof read of the papers by both sides, the documents were signed shortly before dinner.

With peace in the galaxy restored, both parties made preparations to depart to their respective capitals the next morning. Organa had offered the Jedi to tag along on their flight, an offer they accepted gratiously. All that was left to do was pack and attend Bo's goodbye party.

Packing was all too quick for Ana, and she had her things on the ship long before they were due. Having an open frame of time in her schedule, she took care of Garce for a while, so Satine and Obi-Wan could pack more efficiently.

At the party, Ana made her rounds, making sure to talk to every Senator, as well as Bo's officials throughout the evening. Even Korkie had been invited and Ana took an extra long time to talk to him to say her goodbyes to her friend. After a final quick chat with Bo, the only person left on her list was Daruss.

The Captain of the Sepratist guard had been invited to the celebration along with Antiles, and Ana had little trouble finding the two sitting in a corner together. When Daruss finally realized she was watching him, she silently signaled him to come over. She could see him briefly saying something to Antiles before getting up and heading over to her.

"I see you made a new friend" Ana stated as he reached her. "Yes, well, there weren't too many other people here that served in the military before, and politics really aren't my thing" Daruss joked. "So, you're leaving for Coruscant tomorrow?". "Yes. I kind of miss being home, and Windu really wants us back".

"You have to be a really valuable asset if the head of the Jedi Order misses you" Daruss stated. "I was his Padawan. And even though he tries to deny it sometimes, he'd be lost without me" Ana replied. "Wow. I did not know that. You must be super special then" Daruss seemed impressed. Ana only smiled. Little solemnly "In more ways than you can imagine right now".

"I'm guessing it's you don't really like to share?" Daruss carefully asked. "Not with the general public at least. People not educated in how the force and the Jedi work tend to misunderstand and make assumptions. Learned that the hard way through our most recent scandal" Ana explained.

"Well, files on the Jedi should be more freely accessible for me from now on, so I'll read up about your order as much as I can, and then you can tell me the story the next time we see each other" Daruss suggested. "Sounds like a great idea. I'll give you my comm frequency, so you can call me when you find some time".

"Thanks. I have one last request though" Daruss replied "I saw you force jump when you chased that thief, but I never actually saw a Jedi use the force. Can you make this float?". He held up a small datastick he had pulled out of his pocket. Ana smiled amusedly, concentrating on the force to make the device fly. "Wicked" Daruss stared at the floating objects, giving a mezmerized smile.