The Jedi Temple always felt quieter at night.Kaelen had come to enjoy those hours — the stillness between dispatches, when even the hum of the city outside seemed to pause. After Rugosa, he had spent days debriefing with the Council, his mind still turning over Yoda's words about balance, about listening instead of chasing.
Now, he sat in a small chamber beside Obi-Wan Kenobi, watching the faint blue glow of the Holonet flicker across the walls. A transmission from the Mid Rim sector had come through minutes earlier — fragmented, full of static and panic.
Obi-Wan's arms were crossed, his expression tight. "Another convoy lost," he murmured. "That makes three in less than a week."
Kaelen leaned forward. "No survivors?"
"None reported. Just silence."
On the holo-map, glowing lines representing Republic supply routes flickered and dimmed one by one. Entire star systems had gone dark.
"Master," Kaelen said quietly, "this feels wrong. Not random."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Agreed. Dooku is behind it, but how he's disabling entire fleets without leaving wreckage… that's what troubles the Council."
He tapped the comm. "Get me Admiral Yularen."
Moments later, the admiral's stern face appeared.
"Kenobi. We've just received another report — the Abregado system. Master Plo Koon's task force was patrolling the sector when contact was lost."
Kaelen's heart tightened. He had met Plo Koon briefly after his arrival at the Temple — calm, kind, one of the few Masters who spoke to initiates as equals.
Obi-Wan's voice hardened. "When?"
"Less than an hour ago," Yularen said. "We're sending recovery teams, but sensors detect heavy ionization. Whatever hit them… wiped every system clean."
A chill passed through the room.
"Thank you, Admiral," Obi-Wan said. "We'll inform the Council."
The holo faded. Silence hung between Master and Padawan.
Kaelen broke it first. "He's still out there. I can feel it."
Obi-Wan studied him. "Plo Koon?"
Kaelen nodded. "His presence — faint, but not gone. The Force doesn't lie."
Obi-Wan sighed softly. "I don't doubt your senses. But sometimes the Force shows us what might be, not what is. Still, I'll relay your impression to Master Windu."
The Council Briefing
The chamber was already filled when they arrived — Yoda, Mace Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and holograms of distant Jedi generals. The air crackled with unease.
"Reports confirm, they do," Yoda said gravely. "Entire fleets lost, no survivors. Weapon unseen, yet powerful."
"Dooku's handiwork," Windu said. "He's testing something new."
Obi-Wan folded his hands. "Whatever it is, it's not conventional. Even ion cannons can't disable a fleet so completely."
Yoda turned to Kaelen, who stood quietly behind his master. "Sense something, you do, hmm?"
Kaelen hesitated. "Only a shadow, Master. And… Master Plo's light. Distant, but alive."
Yoda's ears twitched. "Hope, then, we have."
Mace Windu's gaze softened slightly. "Anakin Skywalker is already pressing for permission to search. It seems the two of you share instincts."
Obi-Wan sighed. "He would. Reckless as always."
Kaelen glanced at him. "Maybe not reckless — just unwilling to give up."
That earned the faintest hint of a smile from Obi-Wan. "Spoken like a Skywalker apprentice."
Aboard the Negotiator
Hours later, hyperspace shimmered outside the viewport of Negotiator, Obi-Wan's flagship. Kaelen stood at the communications array, listening as reports streamed in from outer sectors. Each one told the same story: ships silenced in seconds, their crews never found.
Obi-Wan joined him, datapad in hand. "Skywalker's already departed. He and Ahsoka convinced Yularen to let them scout Abregado personally."
Kaelen frowned. "And you let them?"
"I advised against it," Obi-Wan admitted. "But I've learned that stopping Anakin is usually more trouble than helping him clean up afterward."
A comm officer approached. "Sir, incoming encrypted signal — Jedi frequency."
"Patch it through."
The image flickered — static, then the unmistakable silhouette of Master Plo Koon, his oxygen mask cracked but intact.
"This is Plo Koon… survivors aboard escape pod Theta-Two. Systems failing. We require immediate assistance."
Kaelen stepped closer. "He's alive."
Obi-Wan's tone sharpened. "Location?"
"Transmission is short-range," the officer replied. "Originating from the Abregado system — same coordinates as Skywalker's fleet."
"Contact them," Obi-Wan ordered. "Tell Anakin—"
But before he could finish, another signal overrode the channel: Anakin's voice.
"Master Kenobi, we've picked up Plo Koon's signal. Going in for retrieval."
Obi-Wan's jaw tightened. "Of course he is."
Kaelen hid a smile. "At least you were right."
"Don't remind me," Obi-Wan muttered.
The Superweapon
Minutes later, new telemetry appeared — massive energy fluctuations, enough to blanket an entire sector.
Kaelen stared at the readings. "That can't be right. It's like a—"
"—planetary ion cannon," Obi-Wan finished grimly. "But mobile. A ship that size shouldn't even exist."
On the holomap, the silhouette of the Malevolence emerged: crescent-shaped, enormous, wreathed in blue lightning.
Kaelen whispered, "How many died before we even knew its name?"
Obi-Wan's tone turned cold. "Too many. But Anakin's about to find out what we're facing."
Abregado System – Rescue
Through the ship's feed, they watched the mission unfold — Anakin's starfighter weaving between wreckage, Ahsoka guiding him, their voices crisp through comm interference.
Kaelen leaned forward as the holo showed the shattered remains of Plo Koon's fleet. Then — faint movement. A speck of light among the debris.
"Escape pod," he murmured. "He found them."
Obi-Wan crossed his arms, a mixture of pride and exasperation flickering in his eyes.
On the display, the Twilight swooped in and latched onto the escape pod, pulling it inside just as the Malevolence's ion pulse tore through the region. The blue wave hit the debris field — and for a breath, Kaelen felt it through the Force: the terrible power, not evil but cold, methodical, like the echo of some ancient weapon long forgotten.
He staggered back slightly. Obi-Wan caught his shoulder. "Kaelen?"
"I… felt it," he whispered. "That energy. It was like the visions — the war, the destruction. As if history's repeating."
Obi-Wan frowned. "You're sure?"
"Yes. The same rhythm. Like the Force screaming through time."
Before Obi-Wan could respond, the comm crackled again.
"We've got them," Anakin's voice said, breathless. "Master Plo's alive. Heading back to base."
Relief swept through the room.
Obi-Wan smiled faintly. "At least he didn't destroy anything this time."
Kaelen managed a small laugh, though unease lingered in his eyes. The Force still hummed with that same vibration — like a wound reopening after centuries.
Coruscant – Aftermath
Later, as reports came in confirming Plo Koon's recovery, Kaelen stood again at the Temple balcony, the same one where his visions had begun.
Below, Coruscant glittered, bright and safe. But somewhere out in the void, the Malevolence prowled, unseen.
Obi-Wan joined him, hands clasped behind his back. "You felt it again, didn't you?"
Kaelen nodded. "The weapon, the destruction — it's not just mechanical. The Force remembers it. Like something similar existed long ago."
"Lost history," Obi-Wan mused. "Maybe those visions of yours aren't only about the past, Kaelen. Perhaps they're warnings."
Kaelen turned toward the stars. "If they are, I'll be ready."
Obi-Wan's expression softened. "Good. Because this war is only beginning."
The two stood in silence, the lights of Coruscant stretching out below — twin guardians watching a galaxy about to awaken old ghosts.