"Master Yoda, I am Gerg Dennapre, an old friend of Denali Bleway and one of the founders of the Rancor Slayers. I'm sure you're aware of the fact that Denali perished in the battle between my people and your Clone Troopers by now, a terrible event that I'm certain everyone involved regrets. Because of her passing, I have been tasked with planning her and her brother's funeral, which involves inviting the people she trusted most to the event.

"With the aid of her former apprentices, we managed to create a guest list that includes not only her old co-workers and people she'd helped over the years, but a few of her Jedi friends she'd made during her time training at the Temple. With your permission, it would be an honor if the people listed were allowed to visit the base during the time of the service. I sincerely hope we can put our differences aside during this time of grieving so the people closest to her have a chance to personally pay their final respects. 

"If you decide to let the guests come, I must warn you that all weapons will be prohibited and anyone carrying any kind of blaster, taser, explosive device, or lightsaber will be removed from the facility and returned to their ships. Also, though this is a time of grieving the fallen and a ceremony will be held, there is no need to dress-up in any way. Normal clothing will be fine and you won't get kicked out for your sense of fashion. 

"Regardless of your answer, I thank you for your time and am grateful that even in her final moments, Denali knew that the Jedi are still good people concerned with the needs of the galaxy."

The image of the bounty hunter flickered before disappearing completely and the few members of the Jedi Council remained silent. Mace Windu was still on the mend from his last "mission", thankfully allowing them to think a moment without his presence and to discuss what should be done without him being a distraction and, if they were being extreme, an intimidation. 

"It was a mistake to send in those troops." Master Shaak Ti was the first of the Council to speak up. "Allowing Master Windu to launch such an invasion was the worst thing we possibly could've done in this situation."

"I agree," Master Ki-Adi Mundi stated. "the death and destruction brought by those soldiers and Windu's arrogance could've been avoided if we'd taken more consideration of the problem."

"Indeed, this was definitely a mistake." Plo Koon joined in. "But due to these actions, the bounty hunter group is being disbanded and is no longer a threat to the Order or the Republic."

"At what cost?" Master Ti chimed in. "How many soldiers did we loose in a conflict that we could've avoided all together? What we should've done was send in a Council Representative to speak with the founders of the group-"

"If I may be so bold, I'd like to say that we shouldn't focus on what we should've done to avoid this. We can't change the past. Instead, we should focus on what we should do now. Are we going to allow the Jedi on their invitations list to attend this funeral?" Master Luminara Unduli questioned.

"Right, you are, Master Unduli." Master Yoda spoke up and the Council chamber went silent as everyone waited for the little green alien to continue. "Focus on the darkness of the past, we cannot. Pay attention to the future and how to handle the repercussions of our actions, we must." He took a deep breath before pressing a button on the armrest of his seat. A moment later, a list appeared where the hologram of Gerg had once been and began to slowly scroll through the Jedi invited to the funeral.

Obi-Wan Kenobi
Anakin Skywalker
Ahsoka Tano
Quinlan Vos
Yoda
Plo Koon
Kit Fisto
Bultar Swan
Rahm Kota
Luminara Unduli

Master Yoda ran his hand over his chin and dove deep into his thoughts as they all read through the names. It was obvious that Obi-Wan was invited, due to their relationship before her passing, and she'd been close enough with Anakin to be considered one of his best friends and greatest companion.

Knowing that the ten years before Denali had taken her first padawan were filled with countless adventures with many of the other Jedi, Master Yoda wasn't too surprised to see the different other names as they replayed once the list had scrolled through once entirely. Quinlan Vos, Plo Koon, Rahm Kota- they were all Jedi who'd been on missions together one time or another and got along quite well.

"Master Yoda?"

The green master emerged from his thoughts and looked at Master Mundi as he spoke.

"What do you think we should do? Should be allow the named Jedi to attend?"

A moment of consideration passed before Yoda nodded.

"Attend if they wish, the invited Jedi may. A time of grieving, this is. Given time to honor the dead, they may have."

* * * * * * * * * *

Aurra Sing sat in her ship as she watched the scene on replay. The battle between the clones and Rancor Slayers on Alderaan was something that would go down in history, not exactly a win but not a loss, either, for the organization. As much as watching that little Wookiee destroy clone after clone after clone was amusing, that wasn't the scene Aurra cared about.

What she cared about was the moment before Denali Bleway's death.

The raising of Danik's hand as he signaled his tanks to demolish her, the split second where time stopped and the projectiles soaring through the air seemed to pause. Then the explosion, Denali's body flying away from the blast and rag-dolling across the ground, til she stopped at the feet of the people she cared about most. The scream of pain shooting from the Togrutian girl's mouth that echoed over the battlefield. It was like watching a train wreck. 

You wanted to look away because you knew of the outcome, but you just...couldn't.

"Aurra, you there?"

She answered her blinking commlink without a moment's hesitation.

"Right here, Bossk."

"You got an invitation, right?"

To say that Aurra Sing and many of her fellow bounty hunters weren't close friends with the Rancor Slayers would've been a lie. Before she'd worked up her reputation and perfected her style as a bounty hunter, Aurra was a friend of Danik's. He was the one who gave the woman her sniper-rifle, taught her the best ways of how to track someone down, gave her confidence in her abilities. He'd been an amazing man... An amazing, wonderful, considerate man.

"Yeah, of course I did."

She tried her best to keep the sadness out of her words. A stone, that's what she wanted to be. A cold, hard, heartless, emotionless stone with no feelings whatsoever for the dead no matter how much she lo- No. Aurra shook her head.

"Same here." Her reptilian co-worker replied. "I don't usually ask people for favors, but..."

"You need a ride."

"I need a ride."

Aurra let out a low breath. She really didn't want to have company when going through all this stress, as she dealt with the fact that the man she lo-...respected...had killed his own sister in cold-blood. It was bad enough that she was a mess right then, barely holding everything together, and it would've been ten times worse if Bossk came and witnessed her in her weakness.

"Have you talked to any other bounty hunters who might've been invited?" She tried to change subjects.

"Yeah. Bane and Embo are in on it, too. Hondo says he's invited, but I could tell from the sound of his voice that he was lying. Damn pirate trying to get higher on the social ladder by sneaking into a funeral." Aurra scoffed. It didn't surprise her at all that Hondo would try and sneak into a funeral, the funeral of a woman he captured and tortured, nonetheless. Even if it wasn't being broadcast, he probably would've sneaked in just for the snacks and drinks. Or to steal something.

"The security will be too thick. He wouldn't stand a chance against Arlon's guys."

"Yeah, you've got a point."

The silence was deafening and Aurra just wanted him to hang up. Just say good-bye and let her wallow in her pain peacefully. Every second that passed, more and more sorrow built up like water behind a reservoir desperate to escape. She placed a slender hand against her heart and covered her mouth with the other in attempt to muffle a sudden sob.

"Aurra..." Bossk began once more. "I know you were close to Danik. We all were. But you had a connection with him no one else did. I know this...this is hard for you-"

"Shut up, Bossk! I'm fine!" She snapped like a twig, but she couldn't stop the tears now. "I'll pick you up in a couple hours." Before Bossk could say anything more, she turned her commlink off and threw it across the room where it shattered against the wall.

It was too much. It was just too much. It was bad enough that he'd died, but even worse knowing that he'd died a bad man. He'd lived the life of a giver, a protector, a lover and friend. Danik sacrificed himself countless times for the people he cared about, one of those people being herself, and he was a hero for it. But he didn't die a hero. He died a savage monster.

A rock.

She wanted to be a rock.

A cold, heartless, emotionless rock.

Was that too much to ask for?