Surviving pirates were led away in binders, loaded into livestock haulers hastily converted into prisoner transports. Kael and Vyra oversaw the final transfers, accepted Commander Halvek’s thanks, and returned to the Wayfarer without ceremony.

  Kael winced as he settled onto the couch in their shared living space.

  Vyra stopped short, concern flickering across her face.

  “You’re hit?”

  He nodded once. “Not badly. I caught a stray bolt.”

  She knelt in front of him without another word and placed her hand at his side. Kael tensed, then relaxed as warmth spread through the wound—steady, focused, familiar. The pain receded beneath the gentle cold pressure of the Force.

  He looked down at her. Vyra’s eyes were closed in concentration. On impulse, Kael lifted his hand and cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing lightly over the geometric Pantoran markings there.

  She leaned into his palm.

  The Force felt… different around her.

  Kael couldn’t find the right word for it. Not dark. Not turbulent. Just dense—like the air itself had thickened with something he couldn’t name.

  The holocommunicator chimed.

  Kael tipped his head back and groaned.

  Vyra opened her eyes and smiled, withdrawing her hand. “You’re going to answer that.”

  He sighed, pulled the communicator from his robes, and activated it.

  “Kael,” Master Valis said, his image resolving into view. “I hear you were sent on a rescue mission. I trust all is well?”

  “Yes, Master Valis,” Kael replied. “The pirates declined to surrender and initiated hostilities. The hostages were recovered, and the surviving pirates are now in Republic custody.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Valis said. “I look forward to the full report. Come to the outpost temple on Arbooine. The council wishes to hear how your dig is progressing as well.”

  “Of course, Master. We’ll depart immediately.”

  Valis’s expression softened. “It will be good to see you both again. May the Force be with you.”

  “And with you,” Kael said.

  The image flickered and vanished.

  Kael lifted his eyes from the communicator to Vyra. She smiled at him.

  “Duty calls, my love.”

  She turned and headed for the cockpit.

  “You’re lucky you’re cute,” he called after her.

  Kael chuckled to himself, picked up his datapad, and began his report. He stared at the blank opening line for a moment longer than necessary—then began to write.

  ***

  Arbooine was alive with the sounds of the forest, a pale blue sky shining above the canopy that dominated the planet. Stone was woven into the wood, the halls of the temple shaped with the trees instead of imposed upon them. Massive flowering branches arched over the walkways, shedding pale petals that drifted lazily through the air and collected along the paths below.

  The temple was busy in small, orderly ways. Initiates crossed the bridges with datapads tucked under their arms. A pair of Knights stood in low conversation near a meditation alcove, their voices barely carrying over the rustle of leaves. Animals scurried from one place to the next. Everything appeared to be in balance.

  Kael and Vyra moved along the central approach together, robes brushing against carved railings darkened by age and weather. Their fingers brushed together as they passed, neither moving the few centimeters required to prevent it. A few heads turned, murmurs exchanged as they went.

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  A Knight broke off from her conversation long enough to offer Kael a nod and Vyra a quick, genuine smile.

  “Didn’t expect to see you two back so soon,” she said.

  “Neither did we,” Vyra replied, easy and familiar.

  A data clerk glanced up from a console as they passed.

  “Your dig logs finally cleared review,” he said. “Took long enough.”

  Kael smiled. “The artifacts waited for us longer.”

  An initiate nearly collided with Vyra in the corridor, murmured an apology, then froze.

  “Oh—Master Karthis,” they said, eyes widening. “And—”

  Vyra smiled, gentle and disarming. “Careful,” she said.

  The initiate hurried on, grinning.

  Petals brushed Kael’s shoulder as they slowed near the end of the path. Ahead, the council chamber doors were set into the heart of the great tree, light spilling softly out into the shaded corridor beyond.

  Kael and Vyra stopped before the doors. The forest whispered on around them.

  They both felt the invitation to enter.

  Kael stepped forward first, Vyra close behind. Inside, the members of the outpost council were already gathered, seated in quiet conversation. Master Valis was among them. He looked up as they entered and smiled warmly.

  Kael and Vyra bowed at the waist.

  “Ah—Kael, Vyra,” Master Vahl said. She sat at the center of the council, composed and attentive. “Please, come in. Sit. This isn’t Coruscant—there’s no need for ceremony.”

  She gestured to the open seats opposite the council.

  “How goes the dig site?”

  “Everything is progressing well,” Vyra said as they sat. “We submitted our latest findings shortly before our arrival. It’s a fascinating site.”

  “Yes, Master Solk mentioned receiving the logs,” Master Rhen said with a nod. “And the… pirate situation?”

  “Handled,” Kael replied. “We attempted to negotiate a surrender but encountered resistance. All hostages were recovered, and several pirates were taken into Republic custody.”

  “I’m glad to hear it’s resolved,” Master Pell said. “I shudder to think what might have occurred had such a group targeted one of your excavation sites.”

  “With respect, Master,” Vyra said, her tone calm but firm, “I don’t believe this matter is settled.”

  Master Tor turned her attention fully to Vyra. “Why do you say that?”

  “Captain Vex spoke of a council of pirate captains,” Vyra said. “If the pirates are organized, then it is our duty—as keepers of the peace—to pursue them and bring them to justice.”

  “Pirates have been an ongoing concern in this sector,” Master Valis began.

  “As they have been in every sector,” Master Vahl replied calmly. “What makes this attack any different from the thousands that occur each day?”

  “If there is a syndicate organizing these raids,” Master Pell said, “it could lead to broader instability.”

  “Or,” Vahl countered, “it could be the exaggeration of a single pirate attempting to bluff his way into leverage.”

  “There is no evidence beyond his word,” Master Rhen added. “At present, speculation would be premature.”

  “Then let us wait until the Republic has completed its interrogation of Captain Vex,” Master Pell said. “If they request our assistance, we may consider it. Until then, it would be unbecoming of the Order to act as the Republic’s law enforcement arm.”

  “Master,” Vyra said, her voice even, “the records show it was not so long ago that this Order was integrated into the Republic’s armed forces.”

  “Yes,” Vahl said without heat. “And that was a different era. The need for such integration has passed. Our role has adapted accordingly.”

  “Master, please—” Vyra began.

  “That’s enough, Vyra,” Master Vahl said. “This council has reached a decision. It will not be swayed by impatience.”

  She paused, just long enough for the words to settle.

  “I recommend you meditate on that.”

  Vyra inclined her head. “Yes, Master. I apologize.”

  “Now,” Vahl continued, turning her attention back to both of them, “before you return to your current assignment, there is a secondary matter we would like you to attend to.”

  She gestured, and a holo-image flickered briefly between the council seats.

  “Another abandoned temple has been identified,” she said. “Our pathfinder teams are currently committed elsewhere. We would appreciate it if you could investigate the site long enough to catalog its condition and contents, so that it may be assigned to an appropriate team.”

  “Of course, Master,” Kael said. “It would be our honor.”

  “Very good,” Vahl replied. “Thank you, Kael. Vyra. You are dismissed. The relevant information will be forwarded to your datapads.”

  They both rose without another word, bowed, and left the chamber.

  The doors slid shut behind them.

  The corridor beyond was open and quiet, the soft murmur of the temple carrying through the arches overhead. A few figures moved at the far end of the walkway, too distant to pay them any attention.

  Kael reached out and took Vyra’s hand, his fingers tightened around hers.

  Vyra glanced at him, surprise flickering across her face. He didn’t look back.

  The moment passed. His fingers slipped from hers, and Vyra’s hand remained where it was for a heartbeat longer than necessary.

  Kael’s datapad chimed at his side. He glanced down at the incoming coordinates and started walking.