Chapter 25

"I am ordering you. Remove your mask and surrender any weapons you have on you. Now!"

"No"

"Its not a request. Do it now"

"No"

Renn was watching from the side with Qui-Gon as one of the jedi temples guards tried and failed to order Alpha to reveal his identity and hand over his weapons. The exchange had been going on for several minutes now and was pushing the temple guards pledge of absolute emotional detachment to the limit as he yelled at the stubborn droid.

Alpha had accepted Renn's decision to meet with the jedi council, but he wasn't about to let him go alone, and he definitely wasn't stepping foot in the temple unarmed. Alpha was still wearing his disguise of a robe and a mask and his insistence on not removing it was more for his own amusement rather than anything else.

"Renn, do you think you could help with this situation?" Qui-Gon asked Renn with a sigh, they had been standing outside for a while now and Qui-Gon just wanted to get this meeting with the council over with so that he could get on with trying to figure out a way to get the councils permission to let him train Anakin.

"Me? How?" Renn asked looking shocked and trying to do his best 'I'm just an eight-year-old how could I have any impact on this situation' impression.

Qui-Gon sighed again, feeling a headache starting, before walking over to the arguing pair.

"Perhaps you could just let them in, we are here at the request of the high council." Qui-Gon tried to reason with the guard.

"I'm responsible for the safety of the temple and I'm not letting him take one step inside without knowing his Identity." The guard said glaring at Alpha who just ignored him.

"So, if he reveals his identity, you will let them enter?" Qui-Gon asked the guard.

"Yes" The guard said grudgingly.

Qui-Gon looked at Alpha trying to prompt him to co-operate. He admitted privately to himself that he was curious about Alpha's identity himself. Despite spending quite, a bit of time with Alpha he still couldn't figure out who he was.

Alpha looked over at Renn you just shrugged, so Alpha grudgingly decided to stop winding up the temple guard. He removed his disguise and began striding into the temple with Renn walking beside him leaving two stunned jedi standing outside.

"W-Wait you can't enter with all those weapons" the guard called after Alpha who just ignored him. Now that Alpha had removed his cloak, they could all see the blaster rifle clamped to his back as well as several vibro-Knives sheaved on his body.

"You did say he could enter if his identity was revealed, so there isn't much you can do now." Qui-Gon said patting the guard on the shoulder sympathetically. Qui-Gon had been very surprised when Alpha revealed himself to be a Hk-51 assassin droid but quickly recovered and hurried after Renn and Alpha before they could cause any problems walking round the temple unescorted.

-

Renn and Alpha stood in front of an open mouthed jedi council. The council were staring Alpha in surprise, the Hk-51 series of assassin droids had not been seen since the time of the old republic so seeing one standing in front of them was quite a surprise to most of them.

"What is an assassin droid doing here? this is the high council chamber throw it out." Jedi master Ki-Adi-Mundi spoke in anger pointing at Alpha, there were mixed responses to his statement by the rest of the council. Some agreed with him, some didn't know what to do, and three council members just watched in amusement.

"Try it organic" Alpha challenged causing Mundi and Mace Windu to tense and prepare to fight.

"Calm down, we should. Hmmm" A voice with an unusual way of speaking filled the room and everyone turned to look at the grand master of the jedi order.

"Invited them, we did. Our guests, they are. Antagonise them, we will not." Grand master Yoda admonished the council members.

"Renn? Qui-Gon informs us you have had training in the force, where from?" Mace Windu spoke up and asked Renn and missed the way one of his fellow council members narrowed her eyes in displeasure at his tone.

"I don't see how any of that is your concern" Renn told Windu, he had come here because the jedi were a powerful organisation and he hadn't wanted to start a feud with them unless he had to but if he was only here to be interrogated, he would just leave.

"Answer the question, boy" Windu snapped at Renn. In Windu's mind a force wielder who wasn't part of the jedi order was a potential threat, so he wanted to demand answers from Renn.

Renn and Alpha were getting annoyed and were preparing to leave after using some choice language to insult the pompous jedi. But before they could a certain Jedi master, who had been displeased by the way the council was treating Renn from the start, finally had had enough and stood from her seat before walking towards Renn.

Renn watched the jedi approaching him and looked up at Alpha. Alpha was staring at Windu with all the malice a droid could conjure but seemed completely unconcerned with the approaching jedi master. By Alpha's lack of a reaction Renn assumed the approaching jedi wasn't a threat and so just looked at her curiously.

When the jedi arrived in front of him Renn realised that he was about a head taller than her and he, along with most of the jedi council were stunned when she pulled Renn into a hug.

"I was close friends with your grandmother, I was very sorry to learn of her passing. How are you doing young one." The jedi told him compassionately and Renn could feel the warmth and kindness raiding off her.

"It is nice to meet you again, Lady Yaddle." Alpha's voice came from above them and Yaddle broke her hug with Renn to look up at Alpha.

"Alpha, you know I don't like it when you refer to me that way." Yaddle said looking up at Alpha in slight disapproval.

"My apologies Lady Yaddle" Alpha responded to her, and she sighed at him completely ignoring her.

"Master Yaddle is this really the place for this?" Mundi questioned while master Windu glared at the group in the middle of the chamber.

"Ohh how silly of me, come along Renn lets go somewhere nicer to get to know each other." Yaddle said happily and began leading Renn out of the room.

The Council watched them leave in shock, baffled by Yaddle's blatant disregard for the reason they had requested to meet with Renn in the first place. The only exceptions were master Yoda, and master Oppo Rancisis, who as Yaddle's former padawan knew of her history with house Dredd and its former leader.

"Go the way I expected, that did not." Yoda said to the silent council, causing them to turn to look at him with dead pan expressions.

"Poorly timed, my joke was." Yoda said slightly disappointed.