Asajj's favorite place in the entire New Temple was its top floor. With its commanding view of the planet around it, and a garden with fields of soft grass for the Younglings to play on, it was a popular place among all the temple's residents. She wasn't the only Jedi who enjoyed heading up there for lunch on a sunny day, though today it was mostly empty. An arctic wind had rolled over, which pushed the already chilly Indinor late autumn into bitterly cold winter conditions.
The garden's hardy mountain grasses were left with a layer of frost coating them, while the flowers in the garden withered for the season. In the distance, the sun was setting over the farmers down below as they began to filter home for the night. They'd all brought their harvests in by now, leaving only a few small shapes working in the field to repair a fence or track down a missing beast.
Asajj had the garden all to herself, and was bundled up for the occasion in a thick winter parka with a fur lined hood, and warm winter gloves. From where she was sitting on a heated bench, sipping on her pleasantly warm soup of grunter bone broth with bread for dipping, she could feel the headache that had been developing begin to subside.
War was a lot of hard work. Everything had to be considered, everything had to be thought through. Of course, as part of her studies as a Jedi she'd been taught about military tactics and combat, but running a war was a completely different beast.
Amateurs talked about tactics and strategy, while professionals discussed logistics. Where was the food, fuel, ammunition and replacement parts for their vessels and weapons coming from? How quickly would it arrive? Was it standardized? Could it be standardized? Were their supply chains reliable? How many tons of food would they need to bring in each day for their soldiers to remain healthy?
These were questions that Asajj had always known were important, but working with Tan'ya made it clear just how much of her time was going to be spent on those issues alone. It was actually possible for an army to sustain itself in the field for a while, if they just lived off the land and were given free reign over procuring their own supplies from local populations, but that was simply untrue for a fleet. Each fleet was crafted to mechanical specifications by a particular manufacturer, and jury rigging replacement parts would only take you so far.
Each ship couldn't simply be added to the fleet without consideration, they had to be maintained very carefully or they were worse than dead weight. A ship without the right parts could be unstable, a threat to its crew, or even to the rest of the fleet in the worst case. Simply put, if they couldn't secure the parts needed to maintain each new addition to their coalition, then they would be better off without them.
There were four fleets that might theoretically be participating in the operation, and they somehow had to coordinate supplies for all of them, while also managing four different chains of command. The same rank in one navy could be completely different in another. Someone who was ranked Commander in one navy would be the equivalent of a Captain in another, while the Commander was merely in charge of the engines or the blaster battery. Even that wasn't considering the absolute nightmare of politics within and between each realm.
Asajj was beginning to think Tan'ya's desire to limit their force to just Serenno and the New Temple sounded sensible. Keeping things simple was its own virtue. However, if the Black Sun fleet proved to be larger than expected, of course Asajj's own fleet would need to bring in more allies to match it.
To Asajj, this had all seemed overwhelming at first. Luckily for her, she was working with Tan'ya of House Serenno, who seemed to take to it like a fish to water.
Asajj shook her head to herself, blowing on her soup, and taking a sip.
What in the Galaxy had Sifo been teaching that little girl? Tan'ya took to these heady military matters with a skill and confidence that Asajj simply couldn't match. She'd have to be doing this for a lot longer before she felt half as comfortable with her new responsibilities as Tan'ya seemed to be.
With a warmth in her belly, and the sun just dipping below the horizon, Asajj was starting to feel better about the task ahead of her when her holocom rang.
When she saw the number calling she paused, hesitating to answer for a moment. Hego Damask, the New Temple's benefactor. The Outer Rim Alliance's benefactor, too. It wasn't as though Asajj could simply refuse the call, though she had to admit to some apprehension talking to him. There was something off about the charitable banker, even beyond his unreadable steel trap of a mind.
She quickly answered, not wanting to leave him waiting.
"Jedi Knight Ventress." Damask greeted her with a respectful tilt of his head, though it wasn't low enough to be deferential. "Good to see you're doing well."
"Thank you Mr Damask." Asajj returned, politely, smiling as she did, careful to crinkle her eyes so it felt more genuine. When it came to diplomacy, even if the other party knew you weren't being sincere, you still needed to put in the effort. People didn't respect openness amongst the ranks of Galactic Politics, though they may respect gamesmanship. "How are you doing? Is your condition improving?"
Damask's heavily scarred lips barely moved, but his eyes crinkled like he was smiling back at hers. "Yes, though it is a slow process. The procedure, while permanent in results, is time consuming in application, and the lack of… trustworthy subordinates I could delegate the oversight of my more sensitive investments to means I cannot spend as much time applying it as I'd want."
"That's good." Asajj said. The banker did indeed seem to have an easier time speaking compared to when he was visiting her knighting. "And if there's anything the New Temple can help with, then of course we're happy to lessen whatever burdens you."
"Thank you, thank you. I'll keep that in mind. " Damask said, his tone changing from polite corporate speech to something more measured and cautious. "I'm actually calling about another matter though, something that I'm quite concerned about."
"What is it?"
Damask took a long puff from his respirator. "...I've read the reports Tan'ya has sent to me, regarding your planned military operation, against the Black Sun."
"You're worried about our plan?"
Damask shook his head. "I'm no expert in military affairs, I leave that to the Jedi's wise hands." He took another long breath. "However, there is a particular danger to Tan'ya. You see, I've read the case files concerning Master Sifo Dyas assassination, and I couldn't help but notice there was Black Sun involvement there as well."
Asajj blinked, mind racing back to the events of last year. Sifo Dyas case files had been shared with her by Quinlan Vos, but at the time the Jedi hadn't proceeded very far in their investigation at all. "I'm sure we can handle some pirates."
"It may not just be pirates, though. Sifo was a friend and associate of mine, and when he passed I was careful to pay close attention to the case. The Sith who killed Master Dyas is suspected of leading the syndicate, and will no doubt take part in the fight if you bring it to him."
"A Sith…" Asajj still couldn't believe they'd returned, despite what the banker said. "Are you certain your Jedi contacts can be trusted, Mister Damask? If the Coruscant Temple had confirmed the existence of the Sith, surely they would have told us."
Would Master Narec really have not told her about the return of the Sith? If that was the case, it would explain the great pulse of the Dark Side that ran through the Force those months ago. For a moment it felt like the whole Galaxy would be consumed by black fire before it passed. Her Master had felt it too…
He took a long breath, coughing softly before he continued, "I'm sure they would have told your Master about it. Perhaps you should mention it to him."
That was the last thing Asajj thought she wanted to do right now. How had Ky felt the Dark Side? A Coruscant Jedi shouldn't ever have touched it. Why was he hiding on Rattatak? Was he involved with the Sith somehow?
But then… What was she doing on Rattatak? Had Narec known she was there? Did he come to the planet for her?
That time was so long ago, and she was so young that she struggled to remember anything from before Narec came to her homeworld. Which was odd, because she wasn't a toddler at the time. She should have been able to remember what happened when she was a child, but she couldn't.
"I fear these events must be connected." Damask said.
"What?"
"The Black Sun raids on the New Temple's allies, and the assassination of Master Sifo."
Oh, yes. That's what they had been talking about.
Hego took a long drag. "The Sith's involvement with the Black Sun would place Tan'ya in grave danger, were she to face them. Of course, this operation is necessary, but please, keep her from the battle itself. She's courageous, but here it could be her undoing."
"Ah, yes, I will. We will." Asajj confirmed. "I'll make sure she doesn't face the Sith." Definitely not alone.
"Very good." Damask said, nodding. "Thank you very much for listening."
After some more pleasantries, they hung up. Asajj stood there in the garden, sickening ropes of anxiety coiling inside her.
Had Narec known about the Sith? Was he involved?
Her presence on Rattatak, him knowing the Dark Side, her missing memories, and even Vos had been convinced someone who knew Sifo had helped assassinate him, someone with access to Sifo's ship.
No, it couldn't be.
Could it?
Meal forgotten, Asajj headed for her room, drawing eyes from some of the knights in the halls as she passed by. She barely noticed them, not even glancing their way as she turned her shoulders to pass by them, not quite running but not noticing anything else, either. In her room she stepped straight over the straw mat on the floor, pulling the door shut behind her with the force, and falling to her knees before her bed. She began pulling out boxes and unpacked different mementos and keepsakes. From one box she pulled out her signed copies of a Complete History of the Republic, Volumes 1, 2 and 3, before taking out the holocom that was hidden under them. She stared at it reluctantly for a few seconds, hesitating, before plugging it into the wall to start charging it.
She stopped for a minute, running her fingers over the hilt of her lightsaber and breathing out through the Force. On her bed stand was an image of her and Master Ky Narec, wearing matching Robes of the New Temple. Beneath it was a handwritten note from her Master.
To my former student and present friend,
I know that in the future you will achieve great things. Use this moment to remember how far you've come. Please take comfort in that you've already made me prouder than I ever thought I could be.
-Your former teacher, present friend, and future admirer.
Asajj stared at the handwritten note, and swallowed. She looked down, seeing that her holocom was at least partially charged, so she unplugged it and stuffed it in her pocket.
Outside the Temple, Asajj took the steps up to the landing pad two at a time, before climbing into the front seat of her personal starship. Disconnecting from the New Temple's holonet connection, she activated her ship's relay, and called the only number saved on the device.
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