Here is a fiction that I started several months back. This is based on characters from the Jedi Knight series, although it will incorporate those from the novels and the original Star Wars cast.

To those not familiar with the storyline, Jaden Korr is a student of Kyle Katarn's. As the Jedi Order fights off the Disciples of Ragnos, they discover Tavion, a woman bent of taking revenge on Katarn, is the leader of the cult. She eventually captures another of Katarn's students, Rosh Pennin, and turns him to her cause. When Korr and Katarn receive a distress call from Rosh, the two come to Taspir III to rescue him. Unknown to them, Tavion had sent her apprentice, Alora, to ensure that Korr falls to the dark side by killing Rosh.

Meanwhile, Tavion had been using an ancient scepter to drain Force energy from various locations. The Jedi do not know what she intends to do with the energy, but Tavion plans to use it to resurrect an ancient Sith Lord, Marka Ragnos. If that were to happen, he would be a force of which even the Jedi might not be able to stop.

In the canon story line, Jaden confronts and kills Alora whatever path the player chooses. In this story line, Jaden gives in to the dark side and kills Rosh. But before she has the chance to kill Alora, Katarn arrives just in time to prevent his former student from going further down the dark path. And despite his anger for Alora, he convinces Jaden to let her go. At that point, Alora realizes that she cannot go back to her master, as she failed in her mission. But like any good Sith, Alora decides to betray her master to the Jedi.

I would greatly appreciate any reviews people may have, even if it's criticism. I have several chapters lined up for this, but I need to know whether readers are interested or not. The more reviews I get, the faster I'll publish new chapters. Thanks in advance to those who take the time to write reviews.

Deception and Death

It was strange at how one's entire life can turn within a matter of minutes. No, this wasn't like the difference between life and death, where you could die if you were a second off. If her lightsaber had simply pierced my body, I would have died there and it would have been over. Either I defeated her, or I died... the difference between life and death was simple. Instead, I found myself trying to grasp the difference between one life to another.

Before, I considered life and death to be as opposite as black was to white. Suddenly, I wasn't quite sure of anything anymore. One moment, things were just going normally and suddenly everything I knew no longer meant anything. The dark side was always my ally, but it has since become like poison in my veins. I wasn't the same person only a week ago. Did I decline from greatness? Did I discover that I was not so great as once I believed? Maybe everything had just been shuffled around and I was just somewhere different.

But despite having my world turned upside-down, I didn't feel so alarmed. I thought it would be very difficult to lose everything I knew, but when it was all gone... it felt strangely good. I felt that I didn't have to be on my guard all the time... I had time to think. When one lived with the fear of death every day, one got used to it. I used to assume my power and authority over the others was worth the risk, but all that was gone. I may have been smaller than I once believed, but it felt good to have control of my life for once.

Things could have turned out very differently, which was why I made myself try to relive it again. I had to know where I went wrong. If I had other options that I simply didn't consider up to that point.

It probably began when my master summoned me to her chambers. Unlike other times, I had expected this to be an invitation to join her in the resurrection on Korriban. It had taken weeks, but she had visited all those locations and the scepter was ready. The only place left for us was Korriban. After all my hard work, it was time for her to share the fruit of our efforts with me.

How naive of me.

"You summoned me, Master."

She had already packed the scepter away in a strongbox and wanted to ensure it was secure. She didn't turn around to address me. "The time for Marka Ragnos to return to us is nearly at hand. I would like to try and make it to Korriban without having to deal with the Jedi. If they know what we're planning, they'll take measures to stop us."

"Then we must move quickly. Our forces are gathered and can occupy Korriban before the Jedi receive..."

"Don't work your head too hard. I'm going there immediately; I have a special assignment for you." She said in a scolding manner.

Usually 'special' assignments were the ones that no one else wanted. I sighed in frustration and knew I had no choice in the matter. "What?"

She finally turned around and folded her arms to show her dominance. "Rosh isn't as devoted to our cause as I had first hoped. He is still too afraid of dying and I don't want Ragnos to sneer upon me for taking such a sniveling little fool like him for an apprentice."

"So just get rid of him."

She shook her head with disappointment. "Simple-minded. You don't discard something that you can still be of use to you. Rosh will be disposed of, but I was always more interested in using him against Katarn. I want you to take him to our base on Taspir and then allow him to cry out for help." She grabbed the case and carried it at her side, walking past me. "Try to make it look convincing."

"Make what look convincing?"

Tavion stopped halfway through the door and let her head drop back, as if she couldn't believe how stupid I was. That was what she did when someone else did or said something so dimwitted that she couldn't figure out why she bothered. "You are going to use him as bait. He isn't that stupid, but he will call for help if he doesn't think he's being watched. I expect Katarn will come for him, but so will his 'good' student... I can think of nothing better than if Jaden were to kill Rosh. Then Katarn would have no choice but to kill her as well. I want you to see that she embraces the dark side." She continued down the hallway and I followed.

"Are you sure? Jedi can be very stubborn. I mean Katarn wouldn't kill an enemy and he wasn't the ideal Jedi..."

It was then that I struck the wrong nerve. Tavion dropped the box and grabbed me by the neck, pinning me against the wall. "Katarn was a fool! There is no strength in mercy! None!" When she finally let me go, I fell to the floor, gasping for air. Tavion grabbed the case and continued on her way. By about the time I got back to my feet, she shouted back "Little slut, keep up!"

"I'm sorry, Master. I did not mean to question you. I was just asking a question."

She hummed in amusement. "That's a good girl. If Kyle's 'good' student should prove to be worthy, then I want you to bring her to our cause. If she won't be turned, then I expect you to take care of them both. Don't attempt to take on Katarn; he is mine to kill."

"Very well, my master." I answered.

She reached the loading ramp of her shuttle and turned back to give me some final words. "When I found you, you were weak. Now your hatred is your strength, but do not forget that you still belong to me. You will return victorious..."

I didn't know why, but her words seemed to undermine my strength. When she found me, I was only a slave to my family's clan. When I found myself bowing down to Tavion, I realized that I was exactly where I was four years ago. With all my power, I still was nothing more than a servant to an even more powerful master. Tavion had trained me to serve her purposes and she seemed more interested in getting her petty revenge against Katarn than in reviving Ragnos.

I was supposed to be like the second in command under Tavion, but I was still under her heal, just as with my first master. Despite all my power, I was not free. I was still a slave, only with Force training. That was the price that came with my training, but why just learn how to better-serve my master?

Suddenly I was slapped across the face. "Fool! Pay attention! If you're this inattentive..." she sighed and just stopped there. Then she pointed her finger in my face. "You will return victorious..."

After rubbing the side of my face, I pushed those thoughts aside and remembered my duty to her. She always had me declare that I would return victorious "Or I don't return at all."

As my master had expected, Katarn and his apprentice were soon to arrive on Taspir. I originally had a plan in place to divide the two, but found they intended to infiltrate the base on both sides anyway. I took advantage of the situation and divided my resources to best deal with each enemy.

Keeping Katarn occupied was easy enough with stormtroopers, so I concentrated the majority of the facility's troops to engage him. They stood no chance against a Jedi, but they were the best way to slow him down while I went after Korr with cultists and reborn. I hoped to weaken Korr, but she broke through our best warriors much more easily than I expected.

With each confrontation, she became visibly irritated. Korr was skilled, but she became increasingly reckless with each new enemy. Being angry and determined was a good for someone like myself, as it weakened a Jedi's peace of mind. I came to realize that Reborn were very effective at engaging non-Force sensitive enemies. I had hoped they could at least hold their own against Korr, but they were hopelessly outmatched by a fully-trained Jedi.

When she slaughtered the last Reborn I had left to throw at her, Korr got distracted and I saw an opportunity for a clear blaster shot to the head. Jedi didn't use blasters because it was considered dishonorable or something, but I drew a pistol and took aim. Tavion probably would have scolded me for how stupid I had to be to try and shoot a Jedi, but since Korr wasn't aware of me and her lightsabers weren't in hand...

Unfortunately, she reacted before I could pull the trigger. Korr activated her sabers before she was even aware of the threat. I kept the blaster pointed at her head, but wasn't foolish enough to actually fire at a Jedi with sabers raised. When she finally saw me on the ledge before her, I saw her brow furrow at the sight of me. "You Jedi are blandly predictable. I knew you would come for your little friend."

"Where's Rosh?" She demanded.

It was then that I lowered my blaster and shrugged my shoulders. "What makes you think he wants to go back? He's most comfortable here. In fact, it was I who sent that message... and then attached his name to it."

She looked at me, confused. "Why?"

"Let's just say that I don't want him to be comfortable with Tavion. But for reasons that elude me, she seems to like him. If I were to do something to dispose of her favorite apprentice, she'd not be very happy with me. You on the other hand... I can't speak for."

"So where is he?" she demanded.

"Oh, he's around. I just thought you might be interested to know about the kind of secrets he's shared with Tavion; that's why you Jedi are so pathetic. Tavion turned him to the Dark side just... like... that."

"Where is he?"

"I see you're eager for blood. That's good." I gestured to the chamber behind me. "You've stirred up some trouble around here and he's hiding away from the danger like the coward he is. I guess I don't blame him; he has every reason to be afraid of you. I just wanted to tell you not to do anything foolish, like trust him. He's at least smart enough to know he can't beat you, so he'll wait until your back is turned before he backstabs you."

When I backed away, she shouted. "I may not have any reason to trust Rosh, but I have even less reason to trust you!"

I turned around and leaned upon the balcony. "Trust is a dangerous thing, Jedi. You'd be wise to take that advice." I turned around for the door. "Don't screw this up. Kill him before he kills you."

As expected, Korr was quick to pursue. Fortunately I was smart enough to plan ahead and took a hidden door that would lead me down a different hallway. After she ran safely past the hidden door, I went back into the hallway and followed the angry little Jedi. I didn't have to run because I had a little surprise for her up ahead.

I found my way to a pedestal where I could oversee Katarn's little brat being killed by the other. I left Rosh in a large hanger, where I wanted to make it appear as though he sought to escape. I left a ship for him to try and steal, but I encrypted the computer so that he couldn't get it airborne. I figured that staging another event to show his cowardice would make Korr that much more likely to kill him.

I had to admit that I was proud of how effectively I staged this whole thing, but couldn't help thinking back on what I had told Korr about Rosh. It was just a lie, but there was some truth behind it. Tavion did seem to have an interest in Katarn's little brats, but only for the purpose of demeaning him.

Obviously there was much more disgrace in Rosh's treachery than if Tavion had just killed the boy. She wanted Korr to do the same, which was where I came in. I guess I could understand why Tavion would prefer Korr to betray him, but why go to all this effort to do so?

But I didn't have time to think of that; Korr had found her friend. And she was not happy. "Rosh!"

He had still been trying to break the ship's encryption codes, but jumped out at the sound of her voice. "Jaden...!"

"You don't look like much of a captive, Rosh. I should have figured that you wouldn't have the balls to fight for Tavion like the others. You're just abandoning her like you abandoned Kyle when things got tough." She declared.

"No, Jaden - wait! I was wrong! Please... help me get back to the Academy." he pleaded. As she approached with her lightsaber active, he cringed away in fear. "Jaden, please don't hurt me."

"You tried to kill me! And you lured me into a trap!"

"Jaden, I was scared. You have to believe me. We're friends, remember?"

She didn't take too kindly to such rubbish. Clearly he wasn't her friend; he was so pathetic to try and justify himself. Korr waved her saber around as she approached. "Friends? I was always there for you when you needed help, but the next moment, you're trying to beat me again! Why should I believe that this isn't just another trick?"

"Wait! Listen to what you're saying. You're angry, but don't give into it. That leads to the dark side, remember?"

She took Rosh by the neck and held her saber in a ready position, but struggled to bring it down upon him. "Even if you were afraid, that doesn't... I would not have betrayed my friends. I would have died before betraying you... how could you...?"

It was at that point when I realized that she was going to fold. I saw Korr on the brink, but not quite able to destroy her enemy. She just needed a little push... "Don't tell me you buy that crap, Jedi! You know he's lying! He's the one who turned his lightsaber on you, and he'll not hesitate to do so again!"

Rosh raised his hands to try and protect himself. "No, please!"

I shouted again. "He'd sell you out right now if he stands to gain from it! It's what he does!"

She then grabbed his robe and held her lightsaber against his chest. "No, Rosh. I won't let you betray me again."

"Jaden, no!" When her lightsaber came to life, the blade of energy seared through his flesh viscously and without mercy. He let out an intense scream of agony, only briefly before it died down to a lifeless final breath. Upon deactivating her weapon, Korr let the body collapse to the deck. Her breathing had become erratic, which was normal for someone in her position. She had always been so confined by her training that the girl didn't realize how good it felt to just give into her anger.

"Well done, Jedi. Doesn't it feel so much better to just do whatever you desire? The Force isn't a shield to protect the useless, but a weapon that empower the worthy. And you've most certainly proved yourself worthy of joining us. Tavion did have higher hopes for you than your friend there, but she just needed..."

She turned herself about and screamed at me. "Tavion is exactly the same as Rosh! I only did what my master refused to do! If he had just killed Tavion four years ago, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Your master is a fool, but your fate isn't tied to his. Ragnos rewards those loyal to him and will destroy all the Jedi after he's returned. Tavion is offering you a chance to be included on the winning side."

"No! Ragnos' scepter is too powerful to belong in the hands of someone as weak as Tavion! If she's stupid enough to squander such power for... it belongs in the hands of someone more worthy!" She screamed at me.

I chuckled and threw my head back. "Let me guess: someone like you?"

I saw wheels turn in her head for a moment before she nodded. "Yes, why shouldn't I take it from her? I would certainly make better use of it than Tavion ever will!"

"My, my. You certainly are an ambitious little Jedi, but you would be foolish to do so. If you don't join us, you'll die."

She raised her lightsaber to me. "And you're even worse than Tavion! If you're the best she could muster, then it's no reason you look to Ragnos to save your little ass!"

I recognized that as an invitation for battle. With her so angry, I expected an easy victory. "Oh really? Tavion thought that turning you would gain us an ally, but I see that it's up to me to clean up her mistake."

"You?" She laughed out loud, throwing her head back. "You turned head tails and ran away from me on Hoth. My power has doubled since then."

I jumped from the pedestal to the deck before her. Pulling out my lightsabers and activating them, I took a ready stance. "Tavion's taught me much as well, you foolish girl. Killing you shouldn't be too difficult."

Unfortunately events in life had a way of turning out very differently than anything you could ever foresee. An outcome either happened as you expected, or it didn't. Events often didn't play out as you wanted them to, but you can at least understand why it happened. Sometimes events just happened for no reason whatsoever, but could still work out in the end. I had to say that absolutely nothing happened as I expected, nor did anything go as I wanted.

I had expected Korr to be a challenge, but never expected that she could beat me so easily. She lied about her power doubling since our encounter on Hoth... tenfold would have been more accurate. Instead of calm and controlled, she had become a relentless berserker with the intent to destroy me. For the first time in my life, I knew I wouldn't survive a battle. It wasn't as though I just made a mistake that she simply took advantage of; she countered my every strike and I narrowly evaded her every attack.

I had never encountered an enemy who mastered both sides of the Force as Korr, which made her so difficult to defeat. I knew how to counter Jedi fighting styles and I trained against Reborn, but I had never fought a fully-trained Jedi who could use Force lightning. If I just had to counter her lightning attacks, I might have been able to deflect them back with my lightsaber. Unfortunately that power supplemented by her other abilities proved too much for me.

In a final act of desperation, I jumped away and threw both of my lightsabers at Korr, using the Force to guide them to my enemy. My concentration had been broken when she extended her hand to take me by the throat with the Force. To keep myself from being strangled, I diverted my concentration to resist her Force grip. In breaking her attempt to strangle me, I lost control of my lightsabers.

The hilts dropped to the floor and tumbled past her on both sides. Before I could pull them back, Korr had already taken a cargo container in her grip and projected it at towards me. Again losing the Force grip on my sabers, and despite my attempt to dodge, the plasteel cylinder slammed into me.

The impact knocked me around like a rag doll and I was left unable to stand. I had managed to get myself off the floor, but couldn't keep my balance, stumbling back to the wall. Korr had advanced upon me and readied her lightsabers for a killing blow at my neck. I slid myself back, trying to get away until I had been cornered. I couldn't summon the Force because of the trauma I suffered in the impact... I was beaten. Korr crossed both her sabers near my neck and prepared to end it all for me. I didn't feel ready to die there, but it wasn't like I had much of a choice. Each second felt like an eternity, but I closed my eyes and surrendered to my fate.

"Jaden, stop!" A male voice shouted.

She twisted her head around and sneered at him. "Stop what? Disposing of Tavion's apprentice?"

He slowed down and held his position when he got close enough to talk normally. "I know she is. Don't do it."

"Why? Every time you ever show mercy to an enemy, they will take advantage of you. I'm not going to let it happen again. She's too dangerous to live and she deserves to die for what she's done."

"Jaden, I know that you're angry, but you need to resist those feelings. You're a Jedi and a Jedi would not strike down a helpless opponent. She's not worth it."

Korr kept her lightsabers level at my throat, but she stared at me with disgust. "I should have killed you back on Hoth!"

"Stop this, Jaden. Just let her go."

"She'll just go back to Tavion again and we'll have to fight her all over again. Have you even thought of that? She killed Rosh."

Katarn folded his arms across his chest. "No, Jaden. Rosh died by your hand, remember?"

She stepped back and waved her sabers about. "Rosh betrayed us! This whole thing was just a deception!" She pointed one of the sabers at me, the tip only centimeters from my face. "He never called for help; she set this whole thing up. She deserves to die for all this!"

"Maybe she does. And I know exactly what she did." He paused for a moment until he turned his head to look me directly in the eye. "In fact, I hate letting go Rosh's murderer." He looked at Korr. "But you have to stop this. Do you remember why we came here in the first place? Rosh called for help and we could have saved him. You could have saved him."

I had no idea why I did it, but I saw one last opportunity to attack them where it hurt. Since I couldn't best Korr with my lightsabers, all I had left was to tell her that she had in fact murdered his friend. Rosh may have been a fool, but he was at least an honest one at least. Through his death, I may have had one last chance to psychologically cripple her forever. "Actually Jedi, it was Rosh who sent that distress call. He did want to escape Tavion's service. I lied; I was just trying to make you angry and give you reason to hate him. And you believed it."

A look of shock came upon Korr's face, which soon turned to extreme anger. Upon bringing both weapons near my neck again, she clenched them so tightly that her hands started shaking. Her breathing intensified, becoming more angry than ever before. Katarn softly spoke her name, trying to calm her down; but Korr didn't seem moved by his voice.

That was perhaps the most unpleasant moment of my life; and I've had many in my time. When I spoke those words, I had hoped she would finally strike me down; but she instead left me waiting for an agonizingly-long moment of uncertainty. With my eyes closed, I heard the crackling of her lightsabers grinding against each other as they crossed near my neck. I heard the sound grow louder and louder as if they signified just how angry she was, but then the crackling died down; she lowered her weapons.

Her breathing had been erratic, but it changed in some way. It was difficult to describe, but she sounded as though gasping with each breath. "Oh god... I killed him." she whispered. "I killed him."

He gently took hold of her wrists and lowered the sabers in her hands. "You were angry. You were confused. It wasn't your fault."

She closed her eyes to hold back her tears and shook her head. "No. I did it. I killed him. Rosh... he really was trying to help me and I..." she dropped her weapons and backed away in horror. "...my god! Kyle, please..."

He wrapped his arms around her and let the young Jedi cry on his shoulder. "It's alight, just let it out. It'll be alight."

The girl's sobs escalated into intense weeping and she clutched onto her master. It wasn't solely for emotional support, but because she could barely stand. "Rosh... Kyle, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"I know you didn't. It's alright." He rubbed her back and gently rocked her to and fro. Katarn closed his eyes and embraced the girl. There was no anger, no disappointment, no resentment. He just was so relieved that she didn't fall to the dark side, but there was also remorse. "I shouldn't have brought you. I'm sorry, Jaden."

As all that went on in front of me, I could hardly believe my eyes. Katarn was nothing like Tavion had described and the way that he and Korr interacted... it was nothing like Tavion and I. She had just failed him and he was apologizing to her? Rosh was someone whom Katarn held dearly, yet it did not matter what Korr had done. All that mattered was that he didn't lose her as well.

It made me think about what would have happened to me, had I not lived up to Tavion's expectations. I could almost see her beating me after I returned to report my failure. I could hear her scolding and threatening me. I would have been punished for my failings and nothing else sufficed. Watching Korr so willingly turn to her master and for him to accept her back... it made my heart ache to watch them.

I happened to see one of Korr's lightsabers near my feet and that I had a clear opportunity to strike them while they were distracted, but the thought never crossed my mind. Korr had beaten me in fair combat and I felt that it would have been wrong to do so. I also had to admit that I didn't want to abuse the mercy that Katarn had given me. If it weren't for him, Korr would have destroyed me. He spared me, even if it were to save Korr, he spared me. I could not bring myself to strike at either of them again.

I struggled to stand up, clinging to the wall to pull myself back to my feet. When Katarn heard me, he turned his attention from Korr and raised his eyes to meet mine. It was hard to explain, but gaze seemed to intimidate me much more so than Korr's lightsabers when they were at my neck. The way he furrowed his brow and the way he held Korr in his arms seemed to silently tell me in the most intimidating way 'This girl is under my protection, don't you dare try and harm her again.'

I cautiously moved away, as if to keep from making any sudden moves. He probably really wanted me dead, but had to maintain the proper example. That didn't hit me as weakness; it took strength to kill, but even more so to protect another. Tavion was right that receiving mercy was weakness, but that was exactly what I owed my life to. I was weak and it was because of mercy that I was allowed to live.

When I knew that I could get away, I turned around and ran as fast as I could. I stumbled upon some debris that had been in my way, but I seemed to plow through it at the expense of twisting my ankle. And somehow I managed to limp my way out of the hanger. Looking over my shoulder, Katarn kept glaring at me, as if to make his scorn as obvious as possible. I could tell by the way he stared that it was the girl in his arms that he allowed me to live. I could almost see the passion in him, the hate, and the desire to see me dead. I had to say that I felt I had a greater respect for Tavion's feelings for Katarn... I had to admit that he seemed more intimidating to me by extending mercy than if he just allowed Korr to destroy me.

I threw myself behind a cargo container and found myself gasping for breath. It was so great a relief to move beyond his relentless stare that I virtually collapsed in exhaustion. There was something that kept me pushing my body beyond its physical limits, but only when my life depended on it. I was not safely away from danger, but being out of his sight just seemed such a relief.

My breathing became so intense that my mouth just hung open and I let myself hyperventilate. It didn't matter that I started blacking out; passing out would have at least eased the tension I was under. As darkness took me, I gave into the pleasant sensation of twilight. Whatever happened... happened. There wasn't a damned thing more I could do about it.

I was sure I could vaguely hear them in the distance, Katarn and Korr. No shouting. No insults. No needless physical punishment from a master to his student. I could tell by the tone of their conversation just how much he cared for Korr. I felt I understood how painful it was for him to lose his other student. Katarn didn't care whether Rosh was a weak fool or not; he cared for them equally much. His sense of value, misplaced as it may have been... if he ever saw me again, he was determined to kill me for what I've done.

It wasn't long before I heard the rumbling of engines. It had to be Katarn's ship entering the hanger. It was that which caught my attention and brought me back to reality. I kept my head down, waiting for the ship to take off again. Katarn and Korr probably knew that where I was, but I still didn't want to show myself. Maybe I was afraid that if they saw me again...

As he loaded the body of his dead student, I could feel Katarn's anger and hate... I never felt that in a Jedi before. Through the Force, I sensed how gently he handled the body, placing it in the compartment just behind the pilot seats. When he sensed me peering at them through the Force, Katarn lifted his head and then looked directly at me... as if he could see through the obstacles which obscured me from his eyes.

Through the Force, he spoke to me. [If you should decide to run back to your master, I have a message that I want you to deliver. Tell Tavion that she was right. I made a mistake when I spared her life, but it's one that will soon be rectified. If I ever see you again... I will not make the same mistake with you that I did with your master. The only reason you're still alive now is because Jaden is more important to me than killing you. That will not be the case next time.]

As Katarn spoke those words, I actually started crying. Embarrassing as it was for me to admit it, I had never felt such bedlam in my life. Maybe a part of me longed for such affection... I couldn't ever imagine Tavion ever speaking to Katarn in such a way if he had killed me. If I were not strong enough, then I deserved my fate - that's how it was. It just seemed so alien to me how the Jedi could care so greatly for the well-being of others that they could stop at nothing to protect those close to them, even if they didn't deserve such loyalty. All my life, I had been taught to believe that mercy and charity were signs of weakness... yet I couldn't deny what I had just witnessed.

Korr had proven herself to be superior to me, yet I watched her crumble after accepting that she had murdered her friend. The dark side had fueled her strength, but only for a brief moment. I think I knew that Korr would just as easily have defeated me with only the light side. A girl of not more than 20 had proven that mercy and compassion... maybe weren't what I believed them to be. I didn't even have to clash swords with Katarn to realize how much stronger he was than Tavion ever gave him credit for. Strength was demonstrated by one's ability to exert control in the face of opposition. And in its own way, I felt I saw more of Katarn's strength through his mercy than if he had just allowed Korr to execute me.

He wanted me dead. Katarn would have just done what he wanted, but he didn't. He resisted those feelings. All that mattered to him was saving Jaden from the dark side and he did something much more difficult than just standing by while she executed me. There was so much strength in that... how could I not have seen it before?

Jaden had been sitting in the copilot seat, devastated by what she had just done. As her master secured Rosh's body, her guilt was overwhelming. She was afraid just to look behind, as if laying eyes on her handiwork only made it seem more real to her. The girl was nothing like I had expected, yet I couldn't help feeling... I regret what had happened to her. I never thought I'd say it, but I wish the little brat were still alive. On her behalf; not his.

Taking the seat right next to her, Katarn sighed from the sense of loss he felt and the disappointment of having failed to rescue his other student. When I heard the ship's engines throttle up, I raised my head above the cargo container I had been behind. I watched as the vessel hovered in the air for a few seconds before coming about and thrusting forward. The entire hanger vibrated from the noise of the engines. I felt the air current that the exhaust generated as it was blasted out from the two massive nozzles.

Before the ship had left the hanger, there was one thing I felt I had to do before we parted ways forever. Through the Force, I reached out to Katarn and uttered just two words. [I'm sorry.]

As the Raven's Claw veered into the sky and out of sight, I heard nothing from him. The silence which followed should have given me cause for relief, but I found that it didn't silence the chaos raging in my mind. My breathing had not calmed as I thought it would. I was physically numb, mentally exhausted, and several other feelings that weren't familiar to me. I wasn't scared exactly, but I felt as though I had been buried alive.

I was supposed to be dead. That was where my fate was destined to end... why was I alive? It was when I attempted to stand on my twisted ankle that I felt the pain... more proof that I still had a body to be hurt. Pain was about all I felt in that moment; the only sensation that was familiar. Everything else seemed to change in some way.

Limping back into the hanger, I came across one of my lightsabers laying on the deck. I remembered watching it tumble to the floor after losing control over the weapon, exactly where I had left it. Rather than using the Force to guide it to my hand, I kneeled beside it to pick it up. Why I hesitated to take it back into my possession, I did not know.

When I had collected the other, I noticed that just holding them again felt much different than before. I had built a second lightsaber so that I could kill enemies more quickly, but it required more skill to wield than just one blade. When I first tried to beat Tavion with them in training, I assumed that I had the advantage and would defeat her more easily than ever before. When I didn't, she told me that it was the skill that mattered more than the weapons. I got overconfident, which was why she had the advantage.

For that reason, I stuck with just one saber for missions and trained with two until I was ready to wield them both. I thought by then that my skills had surpassed everyone else, but I came to realize that the Reborn I trained against were not comparable to that of real Jedi. I expected that, but had severely underestimated the Jedi. No Reborn could match me, nor could Tavion in lightsaber combat; which was why I expected to beat Korr. I felt much smaller than before. I really wasn't as strong as I believed.

I thought of how I could explain what happened to Tavion and whether she would have been satisfied just that Rosh died by Korr's hand. In a way, I had done exactly as she had demanded of me. Maybe I could lie or just not say anything about my fight with Korr. I did turn her and I could say that Katarn was devastated by Rosh's death. In fact, that was the truth. I didn't have to lie at all.

Anxious to depart, I turned for the ship that Rosh tried to hijack. All it took was knowing the security code and unlocking the main computer before I started the launch sequence. As I went through the preflight checks, I found that my mind wasn't much on the controls at all; it was minutes before I actually got around to punching something in. There was a feeling in my gut which grew more intense the closer I got to takeoff.

It just seemed that I could escape the truth of what happened by lying to Tavion. She didn't have to know the truth and I could think of many excuses if Korr were to be found alive. I didn't have to tell my master anything. I could just say Korr went ballistic and stormed out. That I hadn't faced her in combat. That Katarn had interfered. There were so many lies to choose from, but the truth of what happened to me just couldn't be covered up.

When one lies, it didn't really matter if the other person bought it. There was always going to be some nagging truth that would forever be waiting to be discovered. I've deceived Tavion a number of times and shifted blame onto someone else, but I couldn't quite hide the truth from myself. Small matters; that's all they were. I was faced with something that could quite possibly result in my own execution... if I didn't play it right.

As I began the engine startup sequence, I really started to dread going to Korriban. I really wasn't as strong as I wanted to believe. All I've ever been since Tavion started training me was a slave. Teaching me to use the Force was done for nothing other than to serve her interests. I didn't want any of this - coming to Taspir, fighting Korr, setting up Rosh to be killed, none of it! I wouldn't have been killed if Tavion hadn't put me in that position, so that didn't mean I failed...

No. I had to stop this. I knew the truth and I couldn't escape it any longer. Half-truths weren't going to save me... if Tavion had seen what happened this day, she wouldn't have given me a second thought. I deserved to die, but not for this. My entire life was a lie... maybe one of the reasons that I hated Rosh was because he reminded me so much of myself. Like him, the only reason I ever got anywhere was because I always took shortcuts.

I realized that I no longer had the option of escape if I wanted to leave Tavion's service forever. I always expected that I would one day surpass her, which was why I helped her these last four years, but everything that we've accomplished was destined to go to Ragnos. I didn't have any reason to go back. But what choice did I have? Ragnos was being resurrected and if I wasn't ready to serve him... I didn't want another master, I just wanted out!

I didn't want anything to do with the Disciples of Ragnos anymore. I sought to one day take Tavion's place for myself when I was strong enough, but that was no longer an option to me. Ragnos was going to be revived and I knew that he would not look beyond my years of loyal service; I wouldn't matter to him. I was weak... I wouldn't get anything if I went back except an even more powerful master. What's worse was that I no longer had the option to just leave, fearing that I would be hunted down for the rest of my life. If Ragnos was powerful enough to obliterate all the Jedi, I didn't stand any more chance than they did.

As it became clearer and clearer that I was doomed, I started behaving much like an angry child. Slapping my palms upon the control panels, rocking back and forth in the seat, screaming in anger... damn you, Tavion! This was all your fault! Katarn spared your miserable life and you think you get revenge on him by turning to another master... have Ragnos do it for you? You stupid whore!

Why couldn't my life have just been snuffed out that day? Korr killed me, but she didn't have the decency to just give me a clean death. Instead, I was doomed to spend the rest of my life running from Ragnos. There was no way around it. Either you served Ragnos, or you died because of him.

I didn't see any escape for myself. I quickly went from endorsing Ragnos' return to dreading it with every fiber of my soul. It was only a matter of time, and the feeling of an impending doom filled me with fantastic terror. I had to stop Tavion!

I damned well nearly crashed in my rush to take off. Every second seemed to gnaw at me, knowing that I only had a short span of time before Tavion found Ragnos' tomb. I had no doubt that she was on Korriban, but how long it would take for her to find the tomb... I had no idea. Regardless, I knew I had to get to Korriban and stop her. That was about all I could do anymore. The only hope I had of truly being free was to destroy that scepter and kill my master.

While ascending through the atmosphere, I realized that I had little chance of actually succeeding. I may still have been more powerful than any of the Cult, except maybe Tavion; but I would have been fighting them alone.

Suddenly another idea came to me, one of which I had to be mad to even consider. It went against everything I was ever taught, but suddenly it had become the last best chance I had. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. There were no such thing as friends among the Sith, as they all served themselves and never trusted one another.

The Jedi were another matter. Because our goals seemed exactly the same, and with my help, they might actually have stood a reasonable chance at defeating the Cult. At least it sounded better than anything else I could think of. It also wasn't my favorite choice, but I punched in the coordinates for their temple on Yavin. The journey would take several hours, but at least I felt like I was heading in the right direction.