Riyo Chuchi gazed through the observation window at her homeland stretching out below. Pantora. The moon's reddish-white surface lay veiled beneath sparse clouds. The lower ship descended, the more distinct the features became. At the equator, the orderly patterns of blo'ku plantations stood out clearly; closer to the poles, the intricate spires of the moon's cities and settlements pierced upward through the haze. The transport ship was bound for one of them—the capital of Pantora, the city of Tsahayla.
Soon, the shuttle settled onto the landingplatform of a spaceport situated some distance from the city. Stepping outside, Chuchi drew in the familiar, frosty air with delight, exhaling a soft cloud of steam.
A speeder was already waiting for her near the landing site.
"Senator Chuchi, we're honored to welcome you. The Assembly is already awaiting your report," one of the secretaries said, bowing.
***
"Senator Chuchi, what is the situation with the garrison on Pantora—or at least with the installation of a surveillance post?" askedChairman Chi Cho.
"Chairman, at this time, the Republic does not have sufficient reserves. Chancellor Palpatine made it clear during our personal meeting that he regrets being unable to assist us right now," Riyo replied from behind the podium.
The Assembly members murmured amongthemselves, discussing her answer. But Chi Cho pressed on.
"What about the Jedi Council?"
How can he not understand that they have more urgent matters to deal with right now? He should try doing something himself instead of sitting here and demanding the impossible.
Resentment settled in the young woman's heart. She had tried so hard, and yet...
Suddenly, one of the secretaries hurried into the chamber.
"Senator Chuchi, you're requested in the communications room. Four ships have just entered the system. They're Gozanti-class cruisers—no identification marks."
Everyone froze. Four cruisers—that was a lot. The entire Pantoran fleet couldn't possibly stand against them. The local fighters would barely scratch their shields, and the two aging ships of the self-defense force were no match for vessels of that class.
"Put it on the projector," Chuchi ordereddecisively.
Moments later, a hologram flickered to life before her. A clone officer appeared, and the girl let out a quiet breath.
"Senator Chuchi?"
"Yes, that's me."
"Senator, I am Lieutenant KL-12QH-546. General Vikt sent us to assist. We've been ordered to secure your moon and organize patrols throughout the system. We require food supplies for the crews and a designated landing site. We'll also need to coordinate with your local self-defense forces."
"Lieutenant, we'll provide everything necessary," Riyo nodded. "For all further questions, please contact Chairman Chi Cho."
The clone saluted and ended the transmission.
"Who is this General Vikt?" one of the Assembly members asked, perplexed.
"He's a Jedi Knight," Chuchi replied, glancing triumphantly toward the chairman. "I asked him for help—and as you can see, the Jedi have responded."
"Well, Senator Chuchi, the Assembly is pleasedwith your results. When do you plan to return to Coruscant?"
"In a few days," the Pantoran answered calmly.
***
Toward evening, Riyo finally arrived at her family home.
"Mom, I'm so happy to see you! Where's Dad?"
"I'm happy to see you too, sweetie. Graham flew to Llanic on business. I heard things went well for you?" Riot Chuchi, a slender, tall Pantoran woman with long white hair—Riyo's mother—met her at the door.
"It wasn't really my doing."
"Oh? And who is this mysterious General Vikt?"
"We met during that failed mission to Rendon. The Jedi was assigned to guard our delegation."
"And you actually convinced him to help us?"
" Well, you guessed wrong!" Chuchi laughed. "All I had to do was say a few words, and he promised to help. Honestly, I didn't think aid would arrive so soon."
"Hmm, I see." Riot smiled knowingly. "He offered his help—not the Order's? Why would that be?"
"I don't know." Riyo shrugged. "He gave me a strange look when he first saw me, but that's all I remember. Our conversation was quite short."
"How so?"
The girl tried to imitate the Jedi's expression, and Riot paused for a heartbeat before bursting into laughter.
"Oh, little one, you're still so young!"
"I'm a senator! I'm not young anymore!" Chuchi protested indignantly.
"Come here, my darling," her mother said, pulling her into an embrace. "When you grow older, you'll understand. Now tell me everything, in detail."
***
Returning to his office, Sidious sank wearily into his chair. Being around the Jedi demanded constant effort to avoid revealing himself—a strain that neither strengthened his patience nor his mood.
Still, he had no other business scheduled for the day, so Palpatine decided to finally reviewIsard's report on that mysterious Jedi. Of course, he could have simply inquired about the man through the Council—but that would raiseunnecessary suspicion. What did the Chancellor want from this Jedi, and why? He didn't need those questions surfacing.
Slotting the data crystal into the receiver, he opened the first report.
"Name: Mikore Vikt."
Wait—that was the same Jedi General! How old was he? Twenty-six… still so young. And he is the Jedi who fought Ventress.
Age: 26 standard years.
Species: Human.
Place of birth: Unknown. (The Jedi who brought the child to the Temple left no records.)
Parents: Unknown.
Time of admission to the Temple: Presumably one year after birth.
Midi-chlorian count: 9,936.
Mentor: Nhon Arto.
Current assignment: Outer Rim—diplomatic mission.
What followed was a dry summary—training, Padawan, Knight. Sidious snorted quietly when he noted the Balance Corps affiliation.
An ordinary Jedi—frankly a weak one—but something about him felt… off.
Opening the next file, Palpatine began reading the report compiled by an intelligence specialist…
That was when the oddities began.
The specialist had recounted everything prior to the Battle of Geonosis, providing a psychological profile of the Jedi, and then detailed his behavior afterward—combat operations, relationships with old allies, speech patterns, beliefs, and strangefinancial records. Notably, the purchase of four cruisers with personal funds that appeared from nowhere. And an equally strange move—these cruisers departed for... Pantora?!
Judging by the final conclusion, the analyst believed that these were two different individuals.
Palpatine leaned back in his chair.
This is worth thinking about.
"Who are you, Mikore Vikt?"
***
"How are you, Baron?"
"Milady, I'm delighted to see you. You're as radiant as ever!"
"Oh, spare me the compliments."
"I take it you're here on business?"
"You are perceptive, Baron. I'm interested ininformation about one person…"