Rain looked around her, taking in her surroundings as she walked. The city was alive with activity, countless ships passing to and fro overhead, people filling the streets, the owners of various tent shops dramatically calling out their wares, the neon signs of the encompassing buildings attracting every wandering eye.

Rain quite frankly didn't like what she saw. The city was too crowded and noisy for her liking, but it was better than being stuck in the Jedi Temple. At least, she had thought it would be at the time she had sneaked out. At this point, she wasn't sure she'd really mind if someone came and dragged her back to the Temple. At least it was quieter there, and the air was cleaner. Not to mention she didn't have to put up with the uncomfortably long stares of the numerous shady creeps she was unfortunate enough to pass on the street.

Rain shook her head, uttering a sigh.

What am I doing?

She'd believed a long walk through the city would do her good. Now more than ever, she just wanted to get back to the Temple. This place was giving her the willies.

I can handle a frontal assault from Separatist forces, but I can't handle a back alley on Coruscant?

"Hey, lady!"

Rain looked up quickly to see the owner of a nearby tent shop hailing her.

She blinked in confusion, "Me?"

"Yes, you! Today's your lucky day! How would you like to buy one of these cute little outfits?"

The vendor lifted something off his table, and Rain's eyes caught the glimmer of bright jewels on a surface of delicately woven black lace. Then it clicked in her mind and the corner of her mouth turned down.

That's lingerie.

She took a step back.

"I'm afraid I have no use for such things."

"Come on! You expect me to believe that? A pretty girl like you?" the vendor pressed, "Just take a look."

Rain hesitated, letting her gaze fall back on the outfit. It was pretty.

Probably expensive.

She gave her head a shake.

"No, really, I'm a Jedi—"

The words were hardly out of her throat when an arm suddenly intertwined itself around her neck. Rain reacted immediately, her fingers digging into the unknown arm and tearing at it forcefully.

"Quick! Grab her weapon!" a voice shouted in her ear.

Oh no, you don't.

Rain slammed her elbow into her captor's ribs, making him howl in pain and loosen his grip around her windpipe. She broke away from him and turned to face him, spying his accomplice standing just next to him.

"You two just made a serious mistake," she spat.

"Oh really?" said the first.

He was Quarren, and his accomplice was a human with a horribly scarred face. Before Rain could answer him, she felt her lightsaber torn away from her. She whirled to see the vendor holding her weapon, a triumphant look on his face.

"I got it!" he shouted.

Rain growled at him, "Let me guess. You were the distraction?"

"Pretty sharp, lady," the Quarren said.

"You three must not know a lot about Jedi, otherwise you wouldn't be stupid enough to have tried this."

The Quarren, obviously the leader of the three, narrowed its eyes at her.

"Well, you can't be so tough if it was this easy to capture you," he remarked.

"Oh, you haven't captured me yet."

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do without your lightsaber?"

Tapping into the force, Rain lifted the Quarren and the human and slammed them backward into the wall of a building. The vendor gasped as she turned on him, dealing him a swift kick to his gut and snatching away her lightsaber as he doubled over in pain.

"Well, well, well," she said, smirking, "Looks like you're the ones who aren't so tough."

The vendor, still clutching his stomach, made a run for it. Rain ignored him, focusing her attention on the Quarren and the human.

The Quarren got to his feet, shouting at his fleeing accomplice, "Come back here, you coward!"

Rain snorted, "If anything, you should have followed his example."

The Quarren glared at her, drawing a blaster and firing at her. Rain dodged the first shot and ignited her lightsaber, blocking the others. She charged ahead, slicing the blaster in half. The Quarren let it fall from his hand, a look of shock on his face. The human took one look at the scrapped blaster and ran.

"Are you going to join him?" Rain asked her remaining adversary.

"You're a Jedi. You can't kill me. I'm defenceless," the Quarren sneered.

Rain twisted her lip angrily before reluctantly putting away her weapon. The Quarren stared at the lightsaber for a second before suddenly swinging his fist at Rain's face. Rain caught his hand, twisting it around his back so that he screamed in pain.

"Have you learned your lesson?" she snapped.

"Yes, yes! Now let me go!"

She obliged, releasing the Quarren. He cradled his injured arm, taking one last look at her before booking it out of there, leaving Rain in an empty alley.

"Rabble," Rain muttered.

She had thought this city full of respectable citizens. It was after all home to the Jedi Temple as well as the Galactic Senate. How wrong she had been.

Beautiful city, ugly characters.

She turned to leave, then hesitated, glancing back at the lingerie shop. It seemed a shame to just leave the pretty things there. She held up the black lace dress the vendor had showed her earlier. If she left it here, just about any grubby little thief would be able to snatch it.

I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought as she bundled up the clothing and hid it away under her cloak.

She headed back to the main road, following it until she came to a familiar sight. The Senate building towered over her head, standing tall and proud. She wondered fleetingly if anything of interest was happening there. She'd only been in the Senate building a few times; she typically tried to avoid politics. It was agonizing to listen to those greedy, self-centered, corrupt politicians pandering to the people, bickering among themselves, lying through their teeth, and ultimately letting down the innocents that depended on them. Rain frowned up at the massive dome-shaped building. A symbol of diplomacy? More like an insult to the entire galaxy. But it seemed there was no escaping it. The Separatists may have believed in a noble cause, but the result had led the galaxy to war.

Rain was about to walk away when she felt it. A ripple in the force. Pain, fear, violence, death. It sent a chill down her spine. Something wasn't right here.

For a moment, she stood there, wondering what to do. She had spent so long confined to the Jedi Temple aching for a little excitement that maybe she had just imagined it. It was either that, or a real threat was present in that building. And if that was the case, if she walked away, she would be neglecting her duty as a Jedi.

Maybe I can just check on things.

She started up the long red carpet road, a constant nagging alert of danger at the back of her mind. As she reached one of the main doors of the building, she was halted by the guards there. Luckily, the fact that she was a Jedi granted her special clearance and she had no trouble convincing the guards that she had every right to be there. She was granted passage into the building, and was immediately thereafter greeted by a protocol droid.

"May I be of service?"

Rain replied, "Yes, you can. Is the Chancellor in the building?"

"Why, of course, Master Jedi. Do you have business with him?"

Rain considered that question for a moment. If this really was just a false alarm, she didn't want to bother the Chancellor over her ridiculous worries and perhaps get herself in even more trouble than she already was. Perhaps she could see someone else, someone she herself was personally acquainted with and had fought beside in the past.

"No, not with the Chancellor. In fact, I was rather hoping that I could find Senator Organa here. Is he in the building?"

"Yes, Master Jedi. He is in the East Wing. Shall I direct you?"

"Please."

The protocol droid led the way, guiding Rain to the elevator and taking her up to the correct floor. They headed through several corridors before Rain started to hear voices. The protocol droid stopped at a door, ready to open it.

"Wait!" Rain hissed, "What's on the other side of that door?"

"The main lobby," the droid answered.

Rain pressed her ear to the door. The voices continued, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. The lights overhead suddenly flickered and went out. The protocol droid tapped the control panel to open the door with no success.

"It would seem someone has cut the power to the building."

Rain rolled her eyes, "Yes, I hadn't noticed. And that's not normal, is it?"

"No, it is not."

So I was right.

"Is there another way into this room?"

"Yes. Please follow me."

The protocol droid led Rain down another series of hallways and up a staircase to the next floor. They entered a wide corridor lined with doors. Several doors down was a large, open doorframe through which voices could be heard. Rain held out a hand in front of the droid, forcing it to come to a halt.

"Wait here," she instructed, creeping stealthily toward the open door.

She reached it and peered through, seeing that it led onto a balcony with a set of stairs leading down to the lobby. In the center of the lobby stood a group of Senators, two of which immediately caught Rain's eye. One was Bail Organa, the other a Pantoran who seemed vaguely familiar to her. Four bounty hunters held them at gunpoint. One was an assassin droid, one was a Weequay, one was a white-skinned human hybrid, and the remaining hunter was a Duros. Rain thanked the force that in her confinement in the Jedi Temple she had actually grown desperately bored enough to read all the criminal records in their library. She recognized the hybrid as Aurra Sing, a deadly assassin and sniper. The Duros was none other than the infamous Cad Bane, top dog bounty hunter known throughout the galaxy. Unluckily for Rain, Cad specialized in killing Jedi. Peering closer, Rain could see a communicator clutched in his hand. He was speaking to none other than the Chancellor. Rain frowned, withdrawing and heading back to where she'd left the protocol droid.

"Where is the Chancellor?" she asked.

"Oh, I can take you to him!" the droid offered.

"Please do."

They wound their way through several more corridors and tackled several more staircases before finally reaching their destination.

"This is it?" Rain asked in confirmation, examining the large grey door.

"Yes, Master Jedi."

Rain sighed, "Look, I'm...I'm not a master, okay? Please just call me Rain."

"If that is what you wish, Rain."

"Good. Now stand back."

Rain ignited her lightsaber and plunged it into the door, cutting them an opening. She stepped through the circle she'd just created and looked around. The Chancellor was sitting in his chair and next to him was standing Senator Orn Free Ta; both of them looked equally surprised.

"Master Jedi!" the Senator exclaimed.

Rain bowed briefly in greeting, "Senator, Chancellor, I am padawan Rain Callyn, here to assist you."

"I am grateful for your efforts, padawan," the Chancellor answered, "But I'm afraid we are not the ones in need of assistance."

"I saw that on my way in," Rain said, crossing the room to them with the protocol droid following in her wake, "What are Bane's terms?"

"He wants Ziro the Hutt freed."

Senator Orn Free Ta spoke up, "Young Jedi, how did you know we were in danger? Did you alert the guards?"

"Coincidentally, I was passing by the Senate building when I sensed a disturbance in the force. I should have alerted someone but I wanted to ascertain for myself if there was really something wrong. I am sorry."

"Let us not concern ourselves with what should have been done," the Chancellor insisted, "For now, we must focus on a way to free those hostages."

"Yes," Rain agreed, "Though you two should stay here. No point putting yourselves in danger. Besides, we need to keep Bane thinking he's in control. I'll have to formulate a plan."

"You won't be able to attack the bounty hunters head on without endangering the hostages," the Chancellor pointed out.

"Yes, and I don't think I'd be able to get the better of Cad Bane in a head on attack. I'll need the element of surprise."

An idea suddenly hit her. It wasn't a pleasant one, but there was a high possibility that it would work.

"Chancellor, I believe I have a plan," Rain spoke, heading for the exit.

"Please use haste. We probably do not have much more time."

"I will, Chancellor. Hey, protocol droid, you're coming with me. Oh, and by the way, sorry about your door, Chancellor."

With that, she was gone, retracing her steps until she came to the corridor lined with doors. She pointed at one of the doors and turned to the protocol droid.

"What room is this?"

"One of the Senator's offices."

"Well, whoever it is, I hope they're not going to be too angry about this."

Rain drew her lightsaber and cut a circle in the door, stepping through and sweeping the room. It was dark, but she could make out a desk on the opposite side of the room. It was indeed an office, but it would suit her purposes. She shrugged off her cloak and laid out her recently acquired lingerie. Each dress had a matching veil-like mask to go with it. Rain snatched up the black lace one and tried it on, lastly placing the mask on her face.

This is ridiculous! she thought indignantly, Anything has to be better than this plan! I might as well be wearing nothing!

But it was too late for her to change her mind. Feeling utterly laughable, she turned to the droid.

"Well? Thoughts? Opinions?"

"I'm afraid I am inexperienced in critiquing fashion, but I must say you look very attractive, Mistress Rain."

"I told you, it's just Rain. And thank you for the compliment." She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Okay, I'm going to attempt to save some hostages and make an utter fool of myself in the process."

"That does not seem like a very good decision—"

"Yes, I know! But I don't have a choice. There are people who need my help. What I need you to do is stay here and guard my things, especially this." She handed the protocol droid her lightsaber. "I'm counting on you, okay?"

"Yes, Madam Rain."

Rain sighed, "It's just Rain."

She turned and exited the room, heading down the hall to the open doorframe. As she caught the sound of voices again, she felt a flutter of nervousness. She couldn't afford to be jittery. This was just another battle, even if the battlefield and her attire were vastly different than what she was used to. Rain stepped onto the balcony, doing another quick scan of the room. She noted that the assassin droid and the Weequay had disappeared, which was equally useful and concerning. Where had they gone? Would they be back?

Showtime.

Rain started down the stairs. Cad and Aurra finally noticed her presence and whirled to face her.

"Halt! Where did you come from?" Bane demanded, training one of his signature blaster pistols on her.

Rain threw her arms in the air.

"Don't hurt me, please!" she squeaked, "I was simply doing what I was told!"

"And what was that?"

"I was told to meet a client here. But I couldn't find them at the appointed place, so I came looking for them. I'm not allowed to leave until dismissed."

"Come away from the stairs," Cad ordered.

Rain stepped out of the shadow of the balcony and stopped at the bottom step of the staircase. Bane visibly relaxed, lowering his pistol.

"I see," he said, "Who was your client?"

"Senator Bail Organa."

Bane turned to the group of Senators, "Which one of you is Senator Organa?"

Organa hesitated, then stepped forward, drawing some surprised looks from his fellow Senators, "That's me."

"Well, congratulations on having good taste," Bane smirked, returning his pistol to its holster and extending a hand to Rain. "Come away from the stairs, sweetheart."

Rain stayed where she was, keeping her hands in the air. Aurra's sniper rifle was still pointed straight at her.

"Please don't hurt me," Rain murmured.

"It's alright, doll," Bane assured her. He crossed the room to where she stood, slipping an arm around her waist and guiding her toward the hostages. "Just do what you're told and you won't get hurt."

Rain let her arms fall to her sides, desperately trying to force down the sudden cascade of sensations converging on her; the pounding of her heart, the uncomfortable closeness of her captor, and the sudden heat in her cheeks.

Play the part, Rain. This is old hat for you.

"I'll be good, I promise," she said softly, leaning into Cad.

Everything's going according to plan. Just keep it together.

"What's your name, little lady?"

"Rain."

"Well, that's a pretty name. Tell me, Rain, you didn't happen to see any Jedi while you were wandering around, did you?"

Rain felt a twinge of panic but she forced herself to remain calm. She began to inch her right hand toward Bane's pistol.

"Jedi? There are Jedi here?"

Her nerve breaking, she snatched up the pistol and pressed the barrel to Bane's throat.

"One false move and you're dead," she threatened, grabbing his other pistol and hurling it as far away as she could.

Cad glared at her, raising his hands in surrender. Aurra kept her rifle pointed at Rain, her finger on the trigger.

"I suggest you tell her to put her gun down," Rain advised Cad.

"I don't have to do anything," Aurra said icily, "I have a gun aiming right at your head. All I have to do is pull the trigger and you'll sleep forever."

"Then it seems we've reached a stalemate," Rain replied sourly.

"Clearly you didn't think through this little plan of yours," Bane said derisively, "Who are you anyway?"

"I told you my name."

"Your real name?"

"Yes, my real—"

A ripple in the force signalled Aurra pulling back on the trigger. Using Bane as an anchor, Rain swung herself left. But that was all the distraction Bane needed. He wrenched his pistol away from her but she was quick to react. Rain kicked the gun out of his grip, sending it flying across the room. Without even giving him a chance to react, she slammed her knee into his stomach, and as he doubled over she followed it up with a kick under the chin that sent him reeling backward. He was surprisingly fast in recovering his balance however. He paused a moment, sizing her up.

"Now where did you learn a trick like that, little lady?" he asked.

"I told you, it's Rain. And I don't feel inclined to answer that question."

"Fair enough."

He barrelled toward her, swinging a fist at her. She grabbed his arm with both hands but was unable to stop him from kicking her feet out from under her. She rolled away from him, leaping to her feet and feeling the full impact as he slammed into her, bowling her over. For a moment they were left scrabbling on the floor. Rain had nearly gained her footing again when Bane grabbed her by her wrists, yanking her back down. A powerful blow to her lower spine made Rain shriek in pain. She retaliated by whipping her elbow back right into Bane's face. She scrambled to her feet, turning on Bane just as he himself stood up. Leaping into the air, Rain kicked out with both feet, striking Cad squarely in the chest and forcing him back down. She was about to follow it up when Aurra shouted a warning at her. Rain whipped around to see Sing's rifle pointed at the crowd of frightened Senators.

"Because of your heroics," Aurra hissed, "One of them dies now!"

Horror flooded through Rain as the hybrid pulled the trigger.

"No!" she screamed, reaching out with the force.

She stretched out with both hands, feeling incredible power flowing through her. The blaster bolt stopped in midair, mere inches from the face of its intended target. Rain stared in shock, but was quick to shake it off.

Move! her mind screamed at the shivering blaster bolt.

It must have heard her, because it started to tilt upward at the ceiling. Rain let it go and it struck the roof in a cloud of sparks, causing a series of gasps. But before Rain could quite recover from the shock of what she'd just accomplished, a wiry arm coiled around her neck from behind, cutting off her air supply.

This seems unpleasantly familiar, Rain thought, struggling against Bane's grip.

She tried to free herself with the same method that had saved her skin earlier that day, but Bane was unrelenting, no matter how hard she hit him.

I hope that leaves a bruise! she thought angrily as her vision started to black out.

Her consciousness slipped away from her, and she went limp. When she opened her eyes again, she was met with the sight of half a dozen concerned faces staring at her. They were slightly shadowed by her mask.

Wait, I still have my mask?

She lifted her hands quickly, running her fingertips over the soft material. Something dug into her wrist and she looked down to find she was cuffed.

Oh, wonderful.

Bail Organa offered her a hand and helped her sit up.

"Thank you for trying to rescue us," he whispered, "But it would seem luck is not on our side this day."

He gestured to a still figure lying on the floor next to them, his head resting in the lap of the Pantoran Senator.

"Master Skywalker?" Rain said in surprise, "Where did he come from?"

The Pantoran answered, "He was in the building when we were taken hostage."

Rain did a double take; she definitely knew this girl. The round face, the beautiful golden eyes, the gentle voice.

Her name was Chuchi, wasn't it? Riyo Chuchi. Now I remember.

It had been years ago but the two of them had once been friends.

I guess now's really not the time to be catching up.

Rain turned back to Organa, "Well, Senator, considering how many coincidences have occurred, it would seem that 'luck' as you put it wasn't entirely against us."

"Rain." Organa looked suddenly uncomfortable. "I don't mean to pry but where on earth did you get those clothes?"

Rain's face went bright red, "It was a strange set of circumstances, I can tell you that much."

"Well, well, well." The sound of Bane's voice turned Rain's head. "I didn't realize I had two Jedi to worry about. I have to say, though you put up much more of fight than young Skywalker did, it was rather...disappointing."

"In my defence," Rain answered calmly, "I tried my best."

"Tell me, how did you stop that blaster bolt?" Bane asked, "That's something I've never seen."

"Couldn't tell you if I wanted to. I have no idea myself."

"Interesting," Bane mused. He activated the communicator built into his gauntlet and spoke into it, "3D, are we on schedule?"

"Arriving at the prison now," came the answer.

Bane signalled to his accomplices who immediately dispersed themselves throughout the room, planting devices on the walls. Rain couldn't see what the devices were, but she did notice that the Weequay and the assassin droid had returned, along with a Patrolian.

"We need to get to the landing platform," Bane urged, turning to face the little Patrolian, "Is everything ready?"

"Yep, yep," the fish-like creature answered in a scratchy voice.

Bane looked to Aurra, "Turn on the field."

Aurra nodded and pressed a button on the device she was standing next to. A chain of lasers instantly sprang to life, hemming in the little group of Senators.

"If you so much as breathe on one of these lasers," Bane warned the hostages, "The whole room will blow up. Senators, Jedi, I bid you all a most respectful farewell."

With that, he and his gang exited, leaving the alarmed captives alone and helpless.

How nice.

Rain glanced over at the still unconscious Skywalker next to her. It looked like it was all down to her. She looked around at the devices on the walls. They appeared uncannily similar to detonators counting down to an explosion. Of course, Rain knew she could jump out of the trap easily, but that wouldn't help the hostages, and there was no telling how much time they had. If she tried to turn off the devices herself, she might trigger the lasers to explode instead of fixing the problem.

I wish Mira was here. She'd be able to figure those stupid things out.

"What's with all the gloomy faces?" a voice spoke.

Skywalker had opened his eyes and sat up, a relaxed smile on his face. A female Senator with dark brown hair who was kneeling next to him helped him to his feet before pulling something out of her sleeve.

"Your lightsaber, Master Jedi. I found it where you dropped it."

She ignited it, using it to cut Skywalker's bonds and then Rain's.

"You couldn't have mentioned that earlier?" Rain asked, frowning.

Skywalker turned to her, one eyebrow raised quizzically.

"Rain? Rain Callyn? Is that you?"

Rain's face grew hot with embarrassment again. It was disgraceful to be seen like this in front of Senior Jedi Knight!

"Yes, unfortunately," she muttered in response.

Skywalker sighed heavily, "I'm not even going to ask."

"Please don't tell anyone back at the Temple about this," Rain pleaded. "Same goes for you guys," she added, looking at the Senators around her.

Senator Organa laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "It's the least we can do in return for you trying to rescue us. I'm just glad my wife wasn't here to see this."

"Wait. Rain, how did you get here?" Skywalker asked suddenly, only to change his mind, "Never mind. Tell me later."

Senator Onaconda Farr spoke up, "The bounty hunter said we should just sit here. I think we should just sit here."

"Well, that's not a very good idea," Skywalker disagreed, taking his lightsaber from the brown-haired lady.

"I think those lasers are going to blow up whether we do anything or not," Rain said, "Any ideas, Master Skywalker? You're the one with the weapon."

Skywalker just flashed her a smile in response and plunged his lightsaber into the floor, cutting a circle around the feet of the closely-huddled Senators. As Rain watched him work, she suddenly noticed an odd humming sound growing increasingly louder. With a jolt, she realized it was coming from the devices surrounding them.

"Um, I think you might want to go a little faster," Rain said nervously.

"Almost there," Skywalker answered.

Rain kept her eyes on the detonators, her heart rate increasing as the humming did.

"Master Skywalker—"

She was cut off as the floor beneath her feet fell away and she plummeted downward, landing on a hard, cool surface. The lobby above them erupted in flames, only for them to die down just as quickly. Looking around, Rain saw that everyone had made it out just fine. At most, all they were in danger of was getting a dry throat from all the smoke in the air. Standing at full height, Rain could see into the lobby. The damage didn't actually look so bad.

Wasn't much of an explosion. I don't think that was made to kill anyone. But better safe than sorry.

"Excuse me, Master Skywalker," she said, "But I have to find my clothes."

"Perfectly understandable," Skywalker answered, "I'll be seeing you later. You have some explaining to do."

Rain nodded before pulling herself out of the lower room they had landed in. She stamped out a few small flames that she found, and then headed back to where she'd left the protocol droid.

Upon her arrival, the droid greeted her loudly, "Thank goodness you're back! I heard an explosion and was concerned that you might not be returning."

"Well, I'm back and more than ready to wear some real clothes again."

"May I assume then that your mission was successful?"

"Well, sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Things didn't go according to plan for me but it turned out alright in the end and no one got hurt."

"That's a relief. Perhaps I shall go see if I can offer assistance."

"Yes, you do that."

The droid nodded and left the room. As Rain finished pulling on her cloak and stowing away her things inside it, the lights overhead suddenly lit up and the Jedi communicator on her wrist released an angry shriek.

"Rain!"

It was Mira's voice. Rain was in trouble.

"Yeah?" she replied as nonchalantly as she could.

There was a pause.

"Well, it took you long enough to answer! Where are you! I've been looking all over the Temple for you!"

"I'm not at the Temple."

Another pause.

"What?"

"I said—"

"You left?!"

"Yes, well, I didn't think I was being held prisoner or anything. I just wanted to take a little walk."

Mira scoffed, "I doubt that. How long have you been gone?"

"Is someone looking for me?"

"I am!"

"I've been gone a couple hours at least."

"A couple hours?!"

Rain held the communicator well away from her face, wincing at the sound of her sister's yelling.

"Yes, that's what I said," she replied, sounding perfectly calm.

"What have you been doing?!"

"It's been pretty surprising actually. I'll tell you all about it when I get back."

"What? Rain!"

Rain switched off her comlink, stepping out into the hall and finding her way back up to the Chancellor's office. It was crawling with Senate guards, and Senator Orn Free Ta was nowhere to be seen.

"Ah, padawan Callyn, it's good to see you alright," the Chancellor greeted, "Master Skywalker informed me that the hostages were all uninjured and doing quite well. I cannot tell how grateful I am for your combined efforts, even if we failed to stop that vile gang of bounty hunters escaping with Ziro the Hutt."

Rain swept a bow, "I am very sorry, Chancellor. I could have done better, but I'm afraid I have been confined to the Jedi Temple for a rather long time and have become a little rusty."

"Well, that won't do," the Chancellor said, rising from his chair, "I will have to have a word with the Council on your behalf."

Rain could hardly believe what she was hearing, "What, really?"

"Of course, my dear. You performed admirably today. It would be the least I could do in return for what you have done for me and the Senators here today."

Rain's heart leapt into her throat, "I-I...you can't imagine how happy this makes me feel. Thank you, Chancellor!"

"You're welcome, my dear," the Chancellor smiled warmly, crossing the room to her, "I was just about to walk down to the lobby to see the Senators myself. Would you accompany me?"

"Of course!"

As if on cue, two Senate guards stepped forward and flanked them, keeping on the alert.

I suppose this is pretty normal for a Chancellor. I can't imagine what it'd be like constantly having to be guarded everywhere you go, Rain thought somewhat sadly as they entered the hall.

"It's a wonder we haven't met before," the Chancellor was saying, "A Jedi of your skills, I mean. I was informed that you nearly defeated Cad Bane singlehandedly! Imagine what you could have accomplished had you not been feeling so 'rusty' as you put it."

"I am equally sorry that we could not have met before today, Chancellor, but I tend to steer clear of politics."

"Oh, really? Why is that?"

"Corruption runs too deeply for my taste."

"My dear, the reason the Senate was formed in the first place was to protect the people from corrupt rule."

"I do believe that the original intention of the Senate was just, but not everyone in it is so. I mean no offense, Chancellor, but it is foolish to believe that with so many people and so many voices you will be able to keep everyone happy forever."

"I am sorry you feel that way, my dear. Perhaps in future you will change your mind?"

Rain shrugged, "Who knows? Anything's possible."

The lobby came into view, revealing a fountain of activity. Droids were buzzing around clearing away debris from the explosion while the rattled Senators were questioned by law enforcers. The Chancellor excused himself, leaving Rain hanging back uncertainly.

I should head back to the Temple. Mira's going to kill me as it is.

She was about to quietly make her exit when she heard a voice calling her name. She turned to see Senator Chuchi approaching, a warm smile on her face.

"I'm glad I caught you before you left," she said, "I wanted to thank you for your efforts. I know it's been such a long time since we last spoke. It seems our work has kept us too busy to stay in touch."

"Ah...yes," Rain said, struggling for words, "I wasn't sure you remembered."

The question is how much do you really remember from back then?

"I couldn't possibly forget, Rain," Riyo assured her, "You were the one person who put me at ease."

"It's really not that scary here," Rain laughed, "Well, just as long as you stay out of the lower levels."

Riyo giggled, "I will keep that in mind."

Rain uttered a broken laugh, the painful sound dying away into an even more painful silence.

Wrap it up! her panicked brain screamed.

"I'm sorry, but I really must be getting back to the Temple. I'm afraid my presence is urgently wanted there."

"Of course. Perhaps if you're ever visiting here again, we can speak under more normal circumstances."

Rain hesitated, "I...I hope so."

She turned to leave but Riyo caught her hand.

"Take care of yourself, Jedi knight," the Pantoran beamed.

Rain felt a sudden pang of sadness. Those were the exact words Riyo had used when they'd last parted. Rain swallowed the lump in her throat, forcing a smile on her face.

"I will."

She turned away, waiting till she was clear of the lobby before breaking into a run.

Get a grip, Rain.

She headed for the nearest elevator, riding it down to bottom floor.

It's just a silly childhood crush. You're a Jedi. Jedi don't have crushes on Senators.

She rolled her eyes, giggling to herself.

And Jedi don't wear lingerie. Or break orders.

She glanced at the skimpy outfits hidden away in her cloak, bursting into uncontrollable laughter.

What a day.

She exited the Senate building and immediately ordered a taxi to take her back to the Temple.

After arriving at her destination, she soon found Mira, or rather Mira found her. Unfortunately for Rain, her sister wasn't alone either. Master Aayla was with her, looking just as stern and disapproving as Mira.

Rain smiled sheepishly, "I'm back."

Aayla stepped forward, "Rain, you were told to stay at the Temple until further notice."

"It's not my fault you forgot to place round-the-clock guards," Rain muttered, "I had no idea I was a prisoner here."

Aayla sighed, "Your confinement here was so that you could learn a lesson."

"Oh, but I feel I did learn a lesson today, Master Aayla."

"And what is that?"

"It's not always best to jump into a fight guns blazing."

"Well, I suppose that's something," Aayla said, looking mildly confused. "Perhaps you should fill your sister and I in on what exactly happened to you today."

Rain grinned, "With pleasure."