I told you there'd be a new story.

And here it is! :D

I tried my hand at something I very much enjoy. Hope you all like it. ;)

Star Wars

The Old Republic

Dark Pride

The footfalls of many Jedi padded softly by him as Trask Sharaza made his way to the hanger bay in the lower levels of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. They insult me with such petty missions, he mused, remembering his meeting with the Jedi Council mere minutes before. I am a Jedi Knight, not a bodyguard to some pompous noble. His frustration caused him to quicken his pace, his robes flowing behind him.

"A credit for your thoughts, my friend?" came a soft voice to his right. A small smile crept to his face as he recognized the voice of his friend and fellow Jedi Knight, Draaya Z'aal.

He glanced sidelong at her. Her red hair hung loosely to her shoulders. Though her face gave the appearance of calm and joviality, her striking violet eyes constantly surveyed the surroundings, studying even the most finite detail.

Trask sighed and exhaled in an effort to calm his frustration. "I am merely... unable to see the wisdom of the Council's decision to place me on this mission." His emerald eyes flashed with that frustration once more, "I am a Jedi Knight of the Galactic Republic. I am a warrior, a diplomat, but I am not a babysitter for a pampered noble on Corellia. This is beneath me."

"Such thoughts sound like pride, Trask. Pride is a first step on that dark path," Draaya warned.

Trask stopped, Draaya following suit a pace away. "The Jedi should not be used like this. We," he spread his arms, "All of us should be out stopping the Sith advance. Instead we are given meaningless jobs of protection and investigation."

"Though that may be true, Trask, consider this. If these tasks were not handled by the Jedi Order, they would be more likely to be handled poorly or not at all, which would lead to the Galactic Republic we were defending on the battlefield falling apart behind us," she replied.

Trask immediately felt his argument wither away into nothing, "Of… Of course. You are right, Draaya. I did not open my mind to broader conflict." He continued walking, with Draaya falling in step next to him.

"That is why I am here, Trask, to keep you calm." She winked when he glared at her, "Well, at least the Council saw fit to send us both on this mission."

He smiled broadly, "Oh, I'm not so confident in the wisdom of the Council's decision on that subject." Draaya lightly hit him in the chest and they both laughed. Now both in good spirits, they made their way to the hanger bay.

"Your ship still impresses me each time I see it, Trask," Draaya noted as they approached.

The Silver Dragon was a small transport, with accommodations for a total of six people in addition to a large training room. Its sleek silver design did credit to its name.

"It was certainly an unexpected gift, I will say that," he said, making his way up the ramp into the main area of the ship. "It was not as though I was the only Jedi who was defending their village from the Sith ground assault, and yet they singled me out to reward."

"Perhaps your unique color drew their attention," Draaya grinned behind him.

Trask's thoughts drifted to his lightsaber hanging on his belt. Within the Jedi Order, several colors of lightsaber blade were common, such as blue, green, and yellow. Trask's, however, was a silver blade, a color very rarely found in the Order. He thought of the crystal his parents put around his neck the day he left his homeworld, knowing that his lightsaber was silver because he used that crystal as the focus for the blade.

Trask returned from his reminiscing to find Draaya gone. He looked all around but didn't see her.

Then her voice called from within the ship, "Are you going to stand on the ramp until the war is over, Trask?"

I see her speed hasn't waned with time, he thought, smiling, as he walked into the Silver Dragon. The ramp hissed shut behind him.

Draaya was already in the copilot's chair in the cockpit, adjusting a number of readings. "All systems appear stable." He looked at him with a grin, "Whenever you're ready, captain."

"Excellent," Trask sat down in the pilot's chair. "Well, time to go to Corellia."

"And babysit some pampered noble," Draaya added with a sly grin.

Rolling his eyes, Trask engaged the engines and the Dragon lifted off the hanger bay and out into the Coruscanti sky. As was the norm on the capital city, which spanned almost the entire planet, speeders and shuttles of all shapes and sizes filled the air, going this way and that.

The Dragon wove between the thick lanes of air traffic and headed for the stars. Just as they broke the planet's atmosphere, Trask input a long code into the comm system. After several long moments, a synthetic voice echoed through the cockpit, "Permission to leave Coruscant space granted, Master Jedi."

"Now to get us pointed in the right direction" Trask input the coordinates into the computer, "And here we go," he added, as he pulled down a lever and the stars streaked into lines and the ship disappeared in hyperspace.

--

"No, no, no! You just don't understand!" Johsl Michi exclaimed as he paced back and forth. Johsl was a stout man, short of stature but large of girth. Sweat beaded on his forehead and made his bald scalp gleam.

"Mr. Michi, I understand perfectly, now if you'll please calm dow-," Trask began to say.

Johsl rounded on him, "Calm down? Calm down?! You expect me to calm down when the Sith Empire has a bounty on my head, a rather large one, at that!"

Draaya stepped forward and spoke in a calm, smooth voice, "We are here for your protection, Mr. Michi. You are perfectly safe; I can assure you of that."

Almost instantly, Johsl's pacing ceased and calmness seeped into his features, "Yes, yes of course. You are right, Mistress Jedi. I am sorry for my earlier outbursts."

"It is understandable from one in your position, Mr. Michi. But we will protect you, sir," Draaya replied, a knowing smile on her lips.

The nobleman sneered, "I should hope you will, for how much this will cost me."

Knowing that her power had reached its limit her, Draaya conceded without argument. Trask, however, did not. "It is not wise to speak that way to those who hold your life in their hands, sir," he offered.

Johsl's glanced sideways at him, "You are on my payroll now, Jedi. You will speak when spoken to."

Trask's anger flared for a moment, but he reined it in. "It is late, sir. You need your rest. Go to sleep," he said, waving his hand.

Johsl's eyes glazed over, "It is late. I do need my rest. Good night, Master Jedi." The man turned around and walked into his room, the doors sliding shut behind him.

"Well, he certainly is a pleasant fellow isn't he?" Draaya asked sardonically after a moment.

"Extremely," was Trask's curt reply. He walked to one side of the door and leaned against the wall, "Why do we have to protect men such as him, who treat us with such contempt?"

"Because it is our mission, assigned to us by the Council," Draaya answered, standing on the opposite side of the door. Trask rolled his eyes, which Draaya ignored before asking, "Shouldn't one of us be covering one of the other approaches to the room?"

"I can feel everything in that room. If something so much as stirs, I will know." Trask closed his eyes, he could feel the bed, the closet, the rugs, Johsl's heavy breathing; all was clear to him.

"Confident are we?" Draaya queried with a raised eyebrow.

Trask nodded.

"Don't let overconfidence blind you, Trask," she warned.

He lazily turned his head to face her, "It is not overconfidence, merely self-confi-." He cut off mid sentence, eyes suddenly alert.

"I feel it too," said Draaya.

Lightsabers flew to their grips, and the door slid open. Inside the room was large, almost as big as all the space on the Silver Dragon combined. Luxuries covered the walls and floors. The large bed at the far end was clearly disturbed. But Trask's eyes were drawn to what was transpiring next to the bed.

Two figures in long black cloaks with deep hoods over their heads stood there. A window sat open before them, and a figure hung in the air outside. It was Johsl. Trask's breath caught in his throat.

One of the figures turned to face them. An armored face stared out of the hood. A small nod bobbed his head, and Johsl disappeared from sight, plummeting to the ground thousands of feet below.

Trask's lightsaber thrummed to life, Draaya's soon following suit.

Two red blades sprang to life across from them. "Oh, it seems we have found the 'silver dragon'," said one of the men.

"And another Jedi with him? This is turning out to be much more interesting then I could have hoped," said the other, before they both surged forward.

The lead Dark Jedi spun into a kick aimed at Trask's head. He sidestepped the attack and parried the following lightsaber swing. The other Dark Jedi was already locked in a duel with Draaya. Looks like you're mine, Trask thought bitterly, knowing his mission had failed miserably.

The Sith leaned close and growled, pushing Trask away and swinging his blade in a brutal upperward stroke. Trask deflected the blow before aiming his own swing at his opponent's head, but feinted and went for his hip.

His opponent spun away, grabbing a picture frame off of the wall with the Force before hurling it at Trask. He severed it smoothly in two. A force like a cannon ball hurled him from his feet and through the permacrete wall into the hallway beyond. His head throbbed painfully, but he subdued it.

The Drak Jedi leapt after him, his red lightsaber moving in a blur. Trask held him off, keeping the angry red blade at bay.

"Is this all the Jedi can do at this hour of the war? I cannot believe we have not crushed you beneath our boots yet," the Sith sneered.

"Do not underestimate us, Sith," Trask spat. He took a vicious swing, forcing his opponent back through the hole. Slowly, Trask's frustration and anger built and his blows carried more strength. Soon, he was in complete control of the fight, merely toying with his opponent. The two locked blades, sparks glowing brightly. Trask twisted his blade around the Sith's guard and cut off his sword hand at the wrist.

Just then, another door opened across the room. Two small children stepped into the soft moonlit area.

Harsh, evil laughter filled the room as the Sith wheeled on the children. He raised both of his arms and clenched his one remaining fist, "Have this on your conscience, Jedi!"

The throats of the children were crushed instantly. They dropped to the ground in a heap.

Anger that had been building suddenly exploded. Rage filled his limbs with strength, sharpened his mind to a razor edge. His lightsaber fell to the ground with a clang. Feeling the Force roiling within him, he raised both of his arms towards the Dark Jedi that had killed the children.

Blue lightning flew forth from his fingers, catching the Dark Jedi full in the chest. The initial blast knocked him from his feet with ease. But Trask kept up the stream of deadly power, stalking over to where the Sith roiled in agony, as the lightning played over his body. "It is not as much fun to be on the receiving end of this power is it, Sith scum?!" Trask yelled at him. His vision blurred. The Sith screamed in pain beneath him.

After several moments, the blurred shapes began to darken. Someone was shaking him, "Trask, Trask! Stop this!" He recognized Draaya's voice and immediately, he ceased the flow of energy from his fingers. Exhaustion gripped him, and he sank to his knees before collapsing into a pile of ash on the floor.

--

Draaya's green lightsaber flashed desperately as it fended off a red onslaught. But the red lightsaber got inside her guard and stabbed her in the gut. Then she doubled over in pain, before being lifted up by her throat and hurled from the top of a very ancient temple, into the forest below.

Trask awoke with a start. A cold sweat glistened on his body. Hands pushed lightly on his chest and he lay back down. "What… what happened?" he asked, weakly.

"You lost consciousness after our battle with the Sith," Draaya answered, curtly.

"The Sith…?" Trask looked confused, then realization crossed his face, "Oh, yes. I remember now."

Draaya said nothing in reply. Many moments passed before Draaya asked quietly, "What happened in there, Trask?"

"What do you mean?"

Draaya looked at him with hard eyes, "You… You shot lightning from your hands, until the Sith before you was nothing put a pile of ash." She paused, "I could feel the dark side swirling powerfully inside you, Trask."

Horror crossed Trask's face as the events of the night came to him, "Not even the children… My own arrogance cost us the mission, but I couldn't even protect the children…" A tear rolled down his cheek, "I'm too weak to protect anyone…"

Concern shown in Draaya's eyes, "Trask, you know that's not true. You are strong. The children are one with the Force now."

"They should not be at such a young age, Draaya." He sat up and pulled back the covers of the bed and stepped down onto the cold metal floor of the Silver Dragon, determination plain on his face. "But never again. No one shall die so long as I watch over them. I will protect everyone."

"Trask," Draaya tried, "You cannot protect everyone…"

Trask looked at her, his eyes flashing angrily, "I will." He turned and headed for the cockpit, leaving Draaya in stunned silence behind him.

--

Upon their return to the Jedi Temple, Trask completely immersed himself in training, both mental and physical. He spent hours at a time with the dueling droids in the training room and in meditation, filling whichever room he was in with the Force. Any time not spent training was spent in the Archives, going through ancient Jedi and even Sith texts. It was not long before this came to the attention of the Jedi Council.

They called Trask to the High Council chamber atop the Jedi Temple. Though outwardly, he appeared to be nothing more then a Jedi very committed to his training and studies. But deep inside his heart, they could sense a seed of darkness growing stronger.

"You are no longer a part of the Order," one of the Masters said, calmly.

Trask stood in shocked silence for a long while. "Excuse me?" he finally said.

"You have been compromised. You have forgone the sacred Jedi teachings. The dark side grows within you," another explained.

Anger flared within him, "You are expelling me from the Jedi Order?"

All twelve Masters nodded their heads.

Trask's lightsaber was immediately in hand, silver blade thrumming to life.

Eleven of the Masters stood and drew there weapons as well. The Grand Master of the Order sat calmly, "Please do not give us cause to send you to the Force, young Trask."

Trask spun on his heel and stormed out of the chamber.

Draaya was passed the lift as Trask came down, "Oh, Trask? You were with the Council?"

"They are blind fools," Trask tore off his Jedi robes and threw them on the floor.

"Trask! You should not speak of the Council that way," Draaya's eyes widened.

"They are no longer my Council, Draaya."

She said nothing.

"I have been expelled from the Order." He turned to leave, but she grabbed his arm.

"Trask… Please don't go…" she pleaded. "Maybe… Maybe we can appeal to the Council…"

He shook her off, "Do what you wish, Draaya. I want no part of this Order any longer." With that he left Draaya standing alone before the lift, tears gathering in her eyes.

--

Months passed, and Draaya was still feeling the sting of Trask's departure. The first month after he left, she spent in complete seclusion, cut off from any contact. When she returned to the daily life of the Temple, she had changed. She was now quiet, and kept to herself unless spoken to directly.

But one night, she felt a familiar consciousness in the Force. Trask's alive and still out there. I have to bring him back, she thought to herself.

She set off in the middle of the night for the hanger bay, with the intent of taking one of the fighters. Master Stabe Joven, a Twi'lek, waited by the door to the hanger bay.

"Where are you going, young one?" he asked, tilting his yellow head, long lekku draping down his chest.

"There's just something I have to do, master," Draaya replied. She stepped around him and through the door.

"You cannot save him, Draaya."

The words stopped in her tracks.

"The Trask Sharaza you knew is gone." The Jedi took a step forward, "It is too late."

"He has been my friend since we were both children. I have to try," she insisted and walked away.

As Draaya powered up a nearby fighter, Stabe merely shook his head, "She cannot save him. He has given himself completely over to the dark side." The fighter lifted off the hanger bay floor and roared out of the hanger bay, "I only hope she opens her eyes before it is too late."

--

The forest moon of Yavin, called Yavin IV, spread out below her as Draaya's fighter screamed into the atmosphere. Long forgotten temples dotted the landscape. This is the moon where Exar Kun was finally defeated. I can feel the dark side's presence here.

She reached into the Force and could feel that familiar presence in a temple below. There was room enough for her fighter in the clearing around the temple, so she set it down and cut the power.

She leapt from the fighter before the canopy had completely opened, landing in the soft grass below. A cold wind bellowed around her. But that presence called to her from inside the temple. She took careful steps towards it. Birds fluttered from the tops of the trees and a jungle predator roared, but Draaya ignored them all. Her entire fixation was on the temple, and what wait for her inside.

The temple was made of dark stone, and was pyramidal in shape. The outside was layered in stone blocks longer and wider then Draaya was tall. She could feel the Force strongly here.

The inside was dark, except for a pillar of light coming down from the ceiling. A man sat cross-legged in its center, his back to her.

"Trask?" she called.

The man stood, "Draaya… I knew you would come." A lightsaber hilt was visible in his right hand.

"Trask, please, come back to the Temple. The Council foresees a terrible event in the near future and they will need the help they can get. Please, Trask, we need you…" She paused, before adding, "I need you."

The man turned. His skin was pale, though his body corded with lean muscle. His once emerald eyes were now a very dark green, almost black. Trask Sharaza looked a ghost of his former self, "I want no part of that weakling Order." He stepped forward, coming closer, "They fear the strong, and seek to keep them contained, keep them under their control, for they fear that the strong may become more powerful then them."

A dark grin split his lips, "But I have found new allies, ones that appreciate my strength and don't seek to contain it. They encourage it."

Draaya's heart sank, "Trask you can't be…"

"You should feel the power in the dark side, Draaya." Trask closed his eyes, "It is grand."

"The dark side is not the way of strength, Trask! Please don't do this," she begged.

Trask was before her in an instant, a powerful kick sending her sprawling in the forest outside. She flipped to her feet, as Trask stalked down the temple stairs.

Metal glinted as her lightsaber appeared in Draaya's hand. The green blade hummed to life, "I won't let you join the Sith only to kill those who were your brothers and sisters, Trask." Her voice was flat, empty of feeling. Her hooded robe fell to the ground in a heap.

The grin returned to Trask's face, his lightsaber's red blade materializing at his side, "You will try, Jedi." He roared, leaping through air, lightsaber held behind his head. It came down on Draaya's upraised blade, the two sparking brightly. He forced Draaya to one knee, his free hand balling up to punch her in the face.

She moved her head to the right, dodging the blow. She Force pushed Trask and he flew through the air. He twisted like a cat and landed nimbly on the temple's side.

"Surely you can do better, Draaya," he challenged, grabbing one of the temple blocks with the Force and hurled it at her.

She ran up the face of the block and leapt over it. She sent her lightsaber soaring towards Trask, but he easily deflected it away. It flew back to her hand and she charged up the side of the temple. Trask merely smiled down at her.

Draaya reached him and slashed at his legs. He leapt upwards and back, onto the next level of the temple. She followed and they played a game of 'follow the leader' up the temple's side. Finally, they reached its apex.

"There's nowhere left to run, Trask," Draaya growled.

"Who said anything about running?" Trask answered, smugly. He whirled around, bringing his blade in a powerful arc. Though the initial attack was blocked, Trask switched his grip and spun inside her guard. The searing blade passed less then an inch away from Draaya's neck. She could feel the heat emanating from it. She jumped back, landing precariously on the edge of the temple. For a moment, she tried to balance. Then she began to fall.

Trask shot forward and grabbed Draaya's arm, arresting her fall. She looked up and saw the face of her old friend looking down at her. She smiled as tears welled in her eyes. He pulled her back to her feet.

"Trask…" she began to say. But his face twisted into an evil smile. She felt the pressure of the lightsaber hilt on her stomach, and then searing pain permeated her abdomen.

Trask's red lightsaber protruded a meter out of Draaya's back. "I have my sacrifice," Trask said solemnly. His free hand grabbed her throat and his deactivated his lightsaber. He put all his strength into his arm and threw her from the apex, watching as she fell into the forest below, "I am a Sith."

--

The Silver Dragon cut smoothly through the air above the red and orange surface of Korriban, the ancient homeworld of the Sith civilization. Landing at the station outside the Sith academy, the Dragon sat down on its landing gear with a hiss of hydraulics. The landing ramp touched down and a figure clad in a dark robe strode down it.

The docking officer approached the figure, "What is your business here on Korriban?"

The figure stopped, "I seek training at the Sith Academy."

The officer laughed, "Many seek training there. What makes you different?"

The figure drew back its hood, revealing a man's face with eyes closed. It was Trask Sharaza. As his eyes opened, he said, "I believe I may have a little edge on my competition."

His eyes were sulfurous yellow and a grin split his features.