Author's notes: My sons talked me into trying my hand at gaming and I fell in love with the role-playing games, both on Xbox and online. After playing the 'Knights of the Old Republic I and II', one of my sons and I fantasized about what may have happened if the Exile actually found Revan. I understand most fans consider Revan to be a man. However, as I am female, most of the characters I created were also female, including Revan and the Exile. This story was grown from our conversation and done in fun, never intended to be presented to a publisher. I simply want to share it with others who might appreciate it. I will present it in 3 parts and truly hope you enjoy it.

Revan's Return

It has been 5 years since the end of the Jedi Civil War. The Sith Lord, Malak was defeated, but the Republic has been slow to rebuild. The Jedi are small in numbers and the new Jedi Council consists of only four masters, one of which is Bastila Shan, who had been instrumental in Malak's fall. Two years into the Jedi Civil War, Malak's master, Revan had been captured by the Jedi. Her mind damaged, the Council took advantage of the healing process and reprogrammed her to be a soldier in the Republic fleet, to be "found" by Bastila and led back to the Council to "learn the ways of the Jedi".

Even after discovering her true past, Revan agreed to help destroy Malak and the Star Forge in the hope that it would make up for some of the atrocities committed under her reign as Dark Lord of the Sith. Not long after defeating Malak however, Revan left known space without telling anyone where she was going, or why. Four years later, the Jedi and the Republic were still struggling, and even the sith seemed to have no direction. During this time the Exchange, a major crime organization in the galaxy, had placed a bounty on all jedi, dark or light. An ex-Jedi, exiled from the Order for her participation in the Mandalorian Wars under Revan's command, returned to Republic space only to find herself thrown in the middle of a race to avoid bounty hunters, dark jedi and sith, and to stop the Force (and all life) from being silenced forever. Seeing her willingness to help the Republic and the galaxy at large, she was approached by Admiral Carth Onasi. Once a pilot for the Republic, he had met Revan shortly before she recovered her lost identity and had helped her come to terms with her past. He asked the Exile to look for Revan and, if found, to remind her that he was still waiting for her. The Exile did find Revan, but also a piece of her own past that threatened to return and bring with it an ancient evil that could devour everything in its path….

1

The Ebon Hawk sliced through space, heading for Telos. The two women in the cockpit, both anxious to get there, smiled at each other. Each knew the other's thoughts as clearly as their own. They had known one another for only 3 months but had found they were very much alike in many ways, including their views on the Force, the Sith, and the Jedi.

"He'll be there," one of the women assured the other. "Unless he's on assignment," she added, teasing.

"Actually that is a possibility," the second woman admitted, frowning. She was a 5'7" blonde and had been a Jedi, the leader of a crusade, a ruthless Sith Lord, and then a Jedi again. Now Revan wasn't sure what she was, but it was neither jedi nor sith.

The first woman who spoke was also blonde, but of a darker shade. She was a couple of inches taller than her companion and had quite a colorful past of her own. She had also been a jedi, and one of the followers on the crusade Revan had led and had been subsequently exiled from the Jedi Order for it. Returning from exile, she had found herself the target of bounty hunters and sith, had killed two Sith Lords, and also a woman she had, at the time, considered to be her teacher.

"What do you feel?" She asked Revan now.

Revan closed her eyes a moment, reaching out with the Force.

"He's there. I'd better contact the station and let them know who we are." She fiddled with her console. "Citadel Station, this is the Ebon Hawk, requesting permission to dock. Please contact Lt. Grenn and tell him the Exile has returned."

There was a few moments pause, and then an answer. "This is Citadel Station, Ebon Hawk. Please use bay 1, dock module 126. I will inform Lt. Grenn of your arrival."

"Why did you say that?" Revan's companion asked her.

Revan laughed. "I couldn't help it. I'm sorry Anara, but look at it this way, this means you won't have to report to the TSF when we arrive. They'll already be there waiting for us!"

Anara laughed then too. "You probably just gave Grenn a heart attack! My last visit here wasn't exactly for R&R."

As soon as Lt. Grenn heard the news, he called Admiral Onasi. The Admiral had once given standing orders that any information regarding the Ebon Hawk be relayed to him immediately. Dol Grenn, who was head of the Telos Security Force, remembered the last two visits the one called The Exile had made to Telos. Her first arrival had been right after the destruction of the Peragus II mining facility, of which she had been indirectly involved. Her second visit had been on the heels of a Sith invasion that she and her crew had helped to stop.

"Admiral, I wouldn't normally bother you, but there's a freighter coming in I know you'll want to check out personally: the Ebon Hawk."

"The Hawk! Are you sure Grenn?" The Admiral sounded excited, yet skeptical.

"The ID signature matches and they contacted us for permission to dock and identified themselves. They're coming in at module 126…it's the Exile."

"They? Who's with her, Lt.?"

"Scanners show two life signs, but nothing was said about who it was. Do you want me to check into it and get back with you?"

"No, I'll meet you there. Thanks Grenn."

Carth Onasi sat at his desk for a moment, not moving. He'd been waiting for the Ebon Hawk to return this second time for half a year now. When he'd asked the Exile to look for Revan it had been five years since she'd left. Now Anara had returned, but was Revan the one with her? Who else could it be? Why else would she come here? Suddenly he jumped up from his chair and headed out of the room. He had to know! Was she on that ship? Was she alright?

When he arrived at the dock, the Ebon Hawk was just powering down her engines. A few minutes later the ramp opened and the two women stepped out. Carth's heart leapt to his throat.

"Revan! It is you!" He moved quickly toward her, holding out both hands. She took them in hers, but kept him at arm's length.

"Admiral Onasi," she greeted him, "it's so nice to see you again."

For a second he hesitated, thinking her tone was too formal. Then he saw the twinkle in her eyes and realized she simply didn't want a scene here in public and he grinned. It was his Revan alright.

"Let's all go back to my office," he suggested, offering a nod to Anara. "We'll be more comfortable there and I have a feeling you both have a lot to tell me."

The Exile, Anara, reached out to shake hands with Lt. Grenn.

"I'm pleased to say that this time my presence here doesn't mean something has blown up, Grenn."

"I'm glad of that," he told her. "And I do have to admit your presence usually has positive effects on Telos in the long run." He turned to Carth. "Admiral, if you have no further need of me, I have matters to attend to."

"Of course, Lt. You may go."

When Carth and the two women reached the suite of offices used by the Republic, he spoke to a woman seated behind a desk in the center of the first room.

"We may be awhile Marla. I want no interruptions, understood?"

Marla, who was almost old enough to be the Admiral's mother, looked from him to the two women and back, and in a manner suggesting she was already quite aware of the importance of his guests, she answered.

"Of course Admiral. I've also taken the liberty of having refreshments placed in your office. Your schedule has been cleared for the rest of the day, and appropriate explanations have been given."

Carth turned to go into his private office, not letting her see the smile on his face.

"Thanks Marla, I can always count on you."

Once inside the room, he motioned the women toward a seating arrangement to one side. There were four comfortable chairs around a low table. On the table were three plates, a tray with various bite-sized tidbits, a pitcher, and three glasses. Before they sat however, Carth grabbed Revan's arm and said to Anara:

"Forgive me, but I've put this off as long as I can stand."

He kissed Revan, long and hard, almost crushing her in his embrace. Finally he pulled back to take in her face; the face that had been in his dreams (and his nightmares when he acknowledged them) for the past five and a half years.

"There were times when I was afraid…" he began, but Revan stopped him.

"Me too," she whispered. "I've missed you, but we can discuss it later." Then, in a more normal tone she went on. "Right now we need to get down to business. Trouble's coming Carth. We're going to need help."

Anara had already taken a seat and was helping herself to the food and drink. Revan and Carth joined her, Revan leaning back in her chair, Carth remaining on the edge of his.

"Does the fleet need to be involved?"

She shook her head. "No, the military won't be able to help this time, no offense."

"None taken." Carth was a little confused. "You know you can count on me, and I'm sure we can locate anyone else you feel you may need to do whatever needs done. Do you already have a crew in mind?"

"First I'll need to report to the Council…if there is one." She gave him a questioning look.

"Last I heard from Bastila, they were in the process of trying to put one back together. That was a few months ago." He paused, eyeing her closely. "Is this to be a jedi mission then?"

Now Revan was the one who paused. "No…I want to pick my own crew, but the Council should be made aware of the situation. They may even want to get involved, and I'll gladly take their help, depending on who is left and what their strengths are."

Carth looked at them both, feeling as if he had just missed something. When Revan had mentioned the Council, a glance had passed between her and Anara. Now he leaned back in his chair.

"Maybe you should start at the beginning."

Anara leaned back in her seat on the shuttle from Telos to Dantooine. Since she and Revan had been together the whole time (once she'd found her), her report to the Admiral had been pretty short. Revan would fill him in on the details and had urged him to release Anara so they could begin to prepare. Anara had agreed to meet Revan on Coruscant after she met with some people. They had discussed many things on their return trip from uncharted space, including who they thought could help the most and in what way. When she had first left to look for Revan, she had taken no one with her. Her own crew had disbanded although three members had remained on Dantooine.

Mical was an historian and a Jedi. She had taught him to use the Force after she had found him in the ruins of the enclave, trying to protect what was left of the jedi records and holocrons that had been hidden there. She was hoping his knowledge of the Jedi's past would provide the information she was seeking. Even if not, he might know where such information might be found. Her relationship with Visas Marr was different. They were not master and apprentice—Visas already knew how to use the Force when they met. She had pledged her life to Anara after her Sith Master had sent her to find the exile and bring her to him. Instead, Visas had helped Anara defeat him. Visas was a Miraluka, blind from birth, but her people were able to perceive the galaxy through the Force as no other sentient race could. Anara needed that insight now.

Then there was Atton Rand, who she wanted to see the most, but with whom she was most unsure of her welcome. She had found him in a force cage in the Peragus II mining facility. Previously on the Republic ship, Harbinger, she had been rendered unconscious only to awaken in the mining colony's med bay. She, Atton, and Kreija, who had become her teacher, were the only ones left alive on the planet and had been the beginnings of her crew. When she had told each of them she was leaving to look for Revan, Mical and Visas had, of course, tried to talk her out of going alone, but had both wished her luck when they saw she was determined. Atton, on the other hand, had been furious with her, and had avoided her after they'd argued. She closed her eyes now, remembering that heated exchange and wishing she could have made him understand that her feelings for him would have put them both in danger.

"Why you?" He had asked angrily. "You only recently came back from exile, and after what you've been through…you know what…never mind; go ahead and leave! No one else has ever stuck around, why should you be any different?"

"Atton, please," she'd tried to explain. "It has to be this way! I'll come back…if I'm able to. I swear!"

"Yeah, well, I might not be here…if you ever do come back!"

He had stormed off then and she hadn't seen him since. She didn't even know if he was still with the others. She pushed her thoughts of Atton aside as the shuttle settled down at the dock in Koonda, where the administration for Dantooine was handled. As she disembarked, she heard a friendly voice.

"Master, over here!"

Seeing Mical approaching at a jog, a wide smile on his face, she smiled back and waved.

"I'm greatly pleased you have returned to us!" He said as he reached her and took one of her hands in both of his. "Let me take your things." He took her shoulder bag before she could protest and they began walking away from the dock.

"I don't need a fuss made over me, Mical," she said. "I only called ahead to make sure you and Visas were still here before I made the trip. I only have a couple of days and I need information."

Mical stopped walking and stared at her, surprised.

"What do you mean? You're not back to stay and teach?"

"No, I'm sorry," she answered sadly. "You'll understand when I explain everything. Besides, I don't think I belong here anymore."

"I disagree," he argued politely as they continue across the plains, heading for the Jedi enclave to the north of Koonda. "The jedi need all the help they can get. New students are waiting for the enclave to be finished and they will need masters. What happened out there?"

"I can't discuss it now. I want to wait until Visas is with us. I don't have much time."

Mical was alarmed by the look on her face, but decided not to ask any more questions for the moment. She started running and he followed suit, taking note of the fact that she hadn't included Atton in the group and wondering if that had anything to do with her decision not to stay.

Visas met them in the central area of the upper level of the enclave. There were still a few signs of Malak's attack, but several months' worth of hard work had nearly made the place useable again.

"Welcome," Visas greeted her.

"Thank you Visas, it's good to see you again. Did you make the trip to Katarr like you planned?"

Katarr was Visas' homeworld and had been destroyed by her previous master. She had been planning to go there during Anara's absence to find closure. She nodded now.

"Yes, it was…difficult to face, but it was something I had to do in order to move forward. Come; let me accompany you to your room."

As they followed her, Visas cocked her head toward Anara and commented, "Something about you has changed. I can…see it."

Anara said nothing and shortly they entered a room no different from anyone else's except for the lack of personal belongings. It was sparse, but serviceable, with a bed, a desk with a lamp and chair, and a small chest. Mical placed Anara's bag on the bed and Visas remained near the door. Anara moved to stand next to the desk and turned to face them.

"Thank you, this is more than adequate. I promise you, I'll tell both of you everything tomorrow. I need to meditate but I'll meet you in the library in the morning."

Mical left but Visas hesitated. "Do you wish to talk? You seem distracted."

"It's…" She started, then shook her head. "It's nothing; I'm just tired. We'll have a lot to discuss in the morning."

"I will leave you then to rest."

Visas left the room and Anara sat on the bed. She needed to meditate, gather her thoughts. She had a lot to tell them.

Heading back to his room, Mical ran into Atton Rand. Atton was one of the first people to join up with Master Anara after her return from exile and Mical was very much aware of the feelings that had developed between them. He was also quite certain those feelings had never been voiced, just as he was certain that something had occurred between them just before Master Anara had left for the outer regions of space, as now they each seemed unable to talk of the other. As he caught the other man's eye, he felt compelled to speak.

"She has returned; will you not at least see her?"

"For how long this time," Atton responded sarcastically. "A few weeks, a month or two?"

"A couple of days. She said she would explain in the morning. We are to meet in the library."

Anara hadn't told him to let Atton know of the meeting, but Mical felt he should know. It didn't seem to matter anyway.

"She doesn't have to explain anything to me," Atton told him. "I don't care where she's been, or where she's going."

"Suit yourself, but I think she came to us for help of some kind and I shall be glad to offer whatever assistance I can."

"You would," Atton mumbled at him and walked away.

Mical shook his head and entered his room.

Anara had finished meditating and had gone into the courtyard to look at the stars. She had always liked the view from here. It was the one she'd seen most growing up. She'd been told she was left here at the enclave as a babe and that her parents were dead. No one seemed to know any more than that. As she pondered this she could sense someone behind her. She knew who it was and didn't turn around.

"Well, look who decided to grace us with her presence." When she remained still, Atton prodded, "Why did you come back?"

"Because I keep my promises when I can," she answered, not looking at him, "and because when I need the wisdom of those who know more than I, I seek them out."

"But you won't be staying," he commented accusingly. He was still talking to her back, but he saw the muscles there tense and hated the pleasure it gave him.

"I have no choice," she started to say, but he cut her off.

"Will you ever have a choice? Or don't you want a life? Are you going to jump every time someone asks?"

Now she turned quickly to face him. He saw the anger in her eyes and knew he shouldn't have pushed her, but he said nothing, wanting her to lash out at him.

"The Mandalorian Wars were my choice! Accepting exile was my choice! Letting Kreija teach me to use the Force again was my choice! Do I want a life? I thought I had one! After Malachor V, I was dead to the galaxy, an insignificant speck of dust floating through space!" Her eyes softened, and pain and sadness replaced the anger.

"I know Kreija used me, but she also saved my life and without her I might never have found the Force again. I could have let her kill herself, let the bond between us end both our lives. Instead I killed her…but there again, it was my choice."

She turned away again, not wanting to look at him, not wanting him to see the hurt she was feeling. "Kreija, Mical, Visas…you…all of you made me realize how badly I wanted to rejoin society. Then when I found Revan, she helped confirm some decisions I'd been struggling with for a long time. She helped me to finally see the whole picture. It was what Kreija was trying to do before…well…" She let the sentence trail off.

"Yeah, I can just imagine the kind of help you got from Revan," Atton said quietly.

"Imagine whatever you like!" Anara whirled to face him again, her eyes flashing angrily once more. "But you know nothing!"

She started toward the entrance to the enclave, then stopped and with her back to him again, said softly: "Maybe you just don't want to know the truth, Atton, but I'll tell you this…when I leave here it will be a long time before I ever come back. I can't argue with you anymore. It hurts too much."

Then she stepped through the door and Atton was left alone in the courtyard, angry with himself for hurting her, angry with her but not sure why.

He looked up at the stars and spoke aloud, though no one was around: "If I could get my foot out of my mouth, I'd kick myself in the ass."

The next morning Anara entered the library and found Visas and Mical already there. There was no sign of Atton and she wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

"Are you alright?" Mical asked, eyeing her closely.

"I'm fine," she replied. "Let's get down to business." She motioned for them to sit.

"You might as well get comfortable. This is going to take awhile. As you know, I had left to see if I could find any trace of Revan…"

As Anara began her tale, her mind was too preoccupied to sense that Atton had entered the room and was hanging back behind a book shelf. In fact, Visas was the only one aware of his being there, but she said nothing.

2

Once clear of the outer rim, Anara had not known which way to go. However, she did know the little astromech droid, T3-M4, had been sent by Revan to find help, so she had asked him to plot their course from there. It had taken three months for them to reach the planet where T3 had left Revan. Upon first sight as they approached, she had remarked to the droid, who had let out a long stream of whistles and beeps in reply.

"I see it T3. It's…it's horrifying."

The planet they were nearing looked for all intent—dead. No oceans were visible, no green of any kind. Anara shuddered, remembering standing on another dead world not so long ago. A world destroyed by war, where the devastation was so complete, the loss of life so great, that she had severed herself from the Force, thinking she would never feel anything again. Later she had stood on that same world after finding out she could feel again, only to have to kill her teacher and destroy the planet once and for all. Unlike Malachor V however, this planet was still whole, though it looked ancient. She followed T3's landing instructions, trusting the droid to put them somewhere near where he had last seen Revan, and set the Ebon Hawk down in the middle of a clearing, so to speak. The trees and, in fact, all vegetation were shriveled and grey.

She instructed the astromech droid to remain on board and keep the ship ready for a fast take-off. Then she opened a storage room and faced another droid she had kept there. HK-47, a Systech Corporation droid with translation and combat programs tilted his head at her and, even though most would say droids did not have 'true emotions', she knew he was annoyed with her.

"Irritated statement: Ahhh master, I see you have finally decided to let me out of storage. Is it possible you have a need for my…assorted capabilities?"

"Sorry HK, but sometimes I just want to keep you out of trouble. Grab a Zabrak Battle Cannon and come with me. We've arrived at our destination."

Pausing only long enough to grab her lightsabers—one silver, one viridian—she sighed, wishing she could have brought along a certain Mandalorian as well, and moved down the ramp and out of the ship.

The minute she stepped off the ramp she sucked in her breath, then let it out slowly. She felt the Force strongly here, but it was strange, pulling at her, almost a tangible thing. She glanced at HK-47 but he appeared to be unaffected. With much effort, she shrugged off the feeling of dread and moved cautiously into the clearing.

Now that she was here, making her way through the dead and stunted flora, she knew why Revan had not brought anyone with her. This place…there seemed to be an energy emanating from it, but it felt dark, disturbing. At the edge of the clearing she had found, not a path really, but a spot where someone had cut through the vegetation. She hoped it had been done by Revan. After an hour or so of hiking, Anara stopped to reach out with the Force, trying to see if she could feel anything alive here. HK had taken the opportunity to offer commentary.

"Doubtful inquiry: Are you sure you know where you are going, master? After all, you have never been here before and I have no desire to wander these wastes aimlessly."

"No HK, I'm not sure, but I do feel…something. Whatever it is, it's strong in the Force, so I'm guessing it's either Revan, or whatever she found when she explored this place. Come on, we need to keep moving. Oh, and until we come across something or someone that can tell us more about this planet, we should probably maintain silence."

"Statement: Agreed master. While I am positive we could handle anything that may come our way, I do not wish to be taken unaware any more than you do. I will try to restrict my comments to warnings and pertinent advisements."

"I'd appreciate that," Anara had replied, smiling to herself. She knew he would obey orders, but this HK unit had belonged to Revan and seemed to have a personality which leaned toward offering his opinion whether it was asked for or not.

The droid followed Anara as she picked her way around twisted trees, over small rocky hills, and across dried up stream beds. Coming around a bend she came to a sudden stop. With a rocky cliff on her right and the dead landscape on her left, she saw a small cave in the cliff wall and, standing on a ledge in front of the cave, was Revan. She moved down a path toward them even as Anara and HK headed up the path to meet her. Facing each other, Anara took note that Revan was very thin and haggard looking. Revan had spoken first.

"I could sense you as you drew near." She looked Anara up and down, then nodded. "T3 did well; the Force is very strong in you."

Suddenly Revan looked closer and her eyes grew wide.

"I don't believe it! It's…it's too coincidental! The resemblance it uncanny!"

"Resemblance?" Anara asked.

"I'll have to show you," Revan said excitedly, "but right now let's get back inside the cave. We need to talk and there are minerals in the stone that will mask our presence." She turned then to the droid. "HK, it's good to see you again. For now I want you to stand just inside the entrance and keep your receptors tuned."

"Commentary: It is good to see you again as well, master. However, I must point out that if you had simply let me come with you in the first place, you would not have needed to send for help."

They moved quickly up the rest of the incline and into the dark of the cave. Revan's voice echoed lightly.

"I agree you are quite good at what you do HK, but I'm afraid your abilities will be only a minor help to us here. Even with that cannon you're carrying," she said, eyeing the droid's weapon, "these beings have a Force barrier that is impregnable by any weapons fire."

"Just what, or who, is it that we are talking about here?" Anara asked, worried about the slight shiver she felt as she did.

Revan stared at her unblinking, watching her reaction.

"I think they are the last of the Sith'ari. I'd first heard about them on Korriban. Then a friend of mine told me something that had happened before the Mandalorian Wars. Something I later realized had more significance than I'd first thought. I knew I had to find out if my suspicions were right. These beings have the ability to feed off of the Force, slowly devouring all life they come in contact with…what, what is it?" Revan stopped because Anara's face had gone white.

"Nihlius…" Anara whispered. "I may have fought one of them before, and killed him. Kreija said he was spawned from Malachor V, but you are describing him exactly."

"Kreija! You know her? What else did she tell you?"

"She told me a lot of things before I killed her."

Now it was Revan who turned pale, trying to absorb the coincidences that were piling up around them.

"Maybe you should tell me a little more about yourself, starting with how you know…knew…Kreija, and why you killed her."

So Anara told Revan how she had met Kreija on Peragus II, about her return from exile and the bounty that had been placed on all jedi. She told her about her encounter with Atris, one of the council members who had exiled her and then, upon her return, had leaked information about her identity to draw out the sith and their current dark lords, Nihlius and Scion. Then she told her how Kreija had used her to draw out the remaining Jedi Masters so she could kill them. Kreija had then forced her to go back to what was left of Malachor V so they could face each other in battle to close a breach in the Force caused by the last battle that had taken place there at the end of the Mandalorian War. Revan listened quietly, with no interruptions. At the end of the tale, she had asked only two questions.

"Anara, how did you defeat Nihlius, and how did you understand what he said to you?"

Anara sighed. "The Jedi Masters had told me that I too, was a breach in the Force; a siphon of sorts, drawing those who were sensitive to it to me. I don't believe it was quite the same as with Nihlius though, because those around me seem to get stronger as time passes. With Nihlius, well…when he tried to feed off me, it was like trying to breathe air that wasn't there. It actually made him weaker. As for understanding his speech, I don't know what you mean. I can speak and understand a large number of alien languages."

"Not too many in the galaxy can speak or understand ancient Sith though, and I'm talking ancient. It's not something any of your teachers would have taught you, or something you would have simply picked up during your exile."

Both women sat in silence, thinking about all this for several minutes. Then Revan told her:

"At first I was concerned that you were alone in coming here. Truthfully, I expected a small army. But after seeing you and hearing the path that led you here…" She stopped there, not finishing her sentence. Then she quickly stood up. "I have something to show you. It isn't far from here, and I think you should see it before we try to confront the Sith'ari."

The place Revan took her was an old stone structure, very similar in features to a temple she had once been to on Korriban. The dark energy she had felt upon arrival on the planet was even stronger here and when she glanced sideways at Revan, she saw Revan was watching her and felt the other woman trying to read her thoughts. Instinctively Anara blocked her, but she also did it because she didn't want Revan to sense the familiarity Anara felt here. She didn't understand her own feelings and was concerned. She had never been here, never seen this building before, yet she felt as if she had.

Revan led her into the building. The first room was circular and empty save for a dried up fountain in its center. Most of the floor was thick with dust and dirt, but Anara saw the footprints Revan had left when she had first explored this place. There were a few others as well but she didn't have time to wonder about them. Opposite the entrance were three doors, evenly spaced, and Revan headed for the one in the middle. On the other side was a short hallway, with doors on both sides and one at the end of the hall.

As she moved down the hall toward that door, Revan told her, "The rooms to the left and right look like they were simple quarters. What I want to show you is in here."

They entered the room at the end, this one rectangular with rounded sides. Revan stepped to the side to allow Anara to take in everything and Anara gasped, unable to hide her reaction. At the far end of the room was a statue of a woman. She stood with her feet apart, her two lightsabers crossed before her, touching the ground. She wore a cloak, but the hood was thrown back and her chin was raised haughtily, as if daring anyone to question her. Anara stared wide-eyed at the face. It was her own, and she quickly looked at Revan, knowing she couldn't hide the fear that was trying to chill her blood. Revan nodded at her, then nodded back toward the room knowing Anara hadn't taken everything in yet. As she scanned the room again, Anara's eyes grew even wider. Skeletons, a lot of them, were spread out across the floor and she knew they had died in some great battle. It struck Anara as odd that there would be so many skeletal remains so well preserved, when there were so few footprints in the dust. Her attention was drawn to a section almost directly in front of the statue. There was something about the remains there that bothered her, but she wasn't sure what. Then it hit her. They weren't as old as the rest. They hadn't been part of the battle that had taken place. Possibly they (whoever "they" had been) had come here exploring and had come upon the same scene, only to be attacked themselves. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and noticed Revan moving toward a computer terminal. Revan motioned for her to join her.

"You noticed the remains in front of the statue?" Anara nodded and Revan went on. "Watch this."

She pushed a few buttons. There was static and then a holorecord, hazy at first, then becoming at least clear enough to tell what was going on, flickered to life. It showed seven sentients, four of them human, wandering about the room cautiously, lightsabers drawn. They finally gathered in front of the statue. She couldn't hear what was being said between them. Suddenly one of them must have heard or sensed something, because they all turned away from the statue, their lightsabers up and ready. Then all Anara could make out was the flurry of bodies and sabers. She couldn't tell at first who, or what, was attacking them. Then she realized it was a figure in a dark cloak. It was moving so fast it didn't even seem to be touching the ground. It would merely appear next to one of the Jedi (for by now, she knew that was who the remains belonged to), two lightsabers would flash, and the jedi would drop. It moved with incredible speed and the fight was over in minutes. Horrified, Anara watched as the figure approached the bodies. The figure almost turned her way, as if knowing someone was watching, then—with two swift strokes—sliced the heads off of two of the fallen jedi. Then it (he?) raised the heads from the floor with the Force and they followed him from the room.

For a few seconds, Anara was too stunned to move. When she did finally look at Revan, she could see that the recording had angered her greatly. Looking back across the room, she could almost see the fight that took place all over again, almost hear the sounds of the lightsabers as they flashed and made contact with each other. As she walked back toward the statue, she could feel the dark energy pulling at her again. She felt her own anger rising and knew they had to get out of there. Revan felt it too and suggested they go back outside before discussing what she had seen.

Once they were away from the building, Revan turned to Anara.

"Now you see why I sent T3 for help. I've tried to fight that one already and he's as fast as he looks. He's tried to find me a few times, but so far I've been able to avoid him or mask my presence. What do you make of the statue?"

"What am I supposed to make of it?" Anara asked, confused. "I… I see that it looks like me, but I don't understand it. I swear I have never been here. I lived my whole life at the training academy on Dantooine before I started going on missions."

Both of them were silent for a moment. Revan was marveling at the connections in the Force that had caused this woman to be the one chosen to find her, and curious as to what it meant. Anara was thinking about the fact that Revan had been unable to defeat the being she had seen in the holorecord, yet had been strong enough to survive on this planet as long as she had. She herself had only been here a short while and could already tell it was affecting her. She felt slightly irritable and impatient, and wanted to find these Sith'ari and destroy them. She must have let her guard down, letting the other woman sense her thoughts because Revan commented:

"Come, we need to get moving. We may need to stop and meditate while HK keeps watch. This planet…it will drain your will if you're not careful, fill you with dark thoughts and impulses. Now that you are here, we need to try and confront the Sith'ari as soon as possible if we are to have any chance of stopping them."

Revan led her to a path behind the stone structure and they continued, HK following close behind. As they walked, Revan spoke softly, telling Anara of something she had witnessed once while observing one the Sith'ari.

Several weeks after sending T3 off, Revan had spotted one of the Sith'ari not far from the cave she was using for shelter. She had found a small pool of water there where life was trying to regain a foothold (or had somehow been overlooked), and had been using it to replenish her water supply once she'd tested it to make sure it was safe. Granted, the few scraggly trees around it were only a foot high, but they were living and the water was clear. Revan had gone there for more water and to meditate. The small oasis had become a place to center herself and she had come to think of it as hers, as a place of refuge where she could calm the emotions threatening to rise up and take control. This Sith'ari, a different one than had been in the recording, had simply walked through the middle of this small attempt at life and Revan had watched as the one spot on this world where she felt…not safe, exactly, but still sane, shrivel up and die. As the Sith'ari passed through, the plants curled up and turned black. The water seemed to shrink back into the ground as if fleeing the figure passing by. The leaves on the tiny trees dried up and fell, and the trees themselves turned grey and twisted, now lifeless. At the time, Revan had been devastated and had felt hopelessness threatening to overtake her. Somehow she had shaken this feeling, clinging to the hope that T3 would come through for her and bring help of some kind.

They had been moving quietly for some time when Revan suddenly stopped, held up a hand, and motioned for them to move behind some large rocks. Anara glanced ahead and saw a hooded, cloaked figure moving ahead of them on the path. She could feel HK beside her, quivering with the anticipation of battle, but he maintained silence. He might exist solely for the purpose of translation and combat, and sometimes offer rather sarcastic remarks about not being allowed to kill indiscriminately, but he obeyed orders and for that she was grateful. The Sith'ari paused and Anara held her breath. He didn't turn around however, and after a moment he continued up the path. She had wanted to confront him, but made herself wait, watching Revan for some kind of signal. After a minute or so, Revan motioned for them to move on. A little later they came upon a small hill. Near the top she stopped and told HK to move ahead and take a look over the top.

"HK is ready to serve, master," he answered eagerly and, for a droid, moved rather quietly on the way up to peer over the top of the hill. When he rejoined the two jedi, he told them: "Master, there is a ship on the other side of this hill. Query: Will we be boarding it? There appears to be no defenses visible outside the vessel."

"Yes, HK," Revan answered him. "We will be boarding the ship. Let's move out."

"Commentary: Very good master! I must confess that I was starting to doubt whether we were going to see any action at all!"

Revan and Anara smiled briefly at each other. Both of them had traveled with the droid and were aware of his desire to engage in any form of combat allowed to him. Then they were serious again, moving toward the ramp that would take them inside the vessel. The ship was old and crusted over, making it look more like part of the landscape than a ship. Cautiously they approached the ramp and Revan gave Anara a sarcastic grin.

"Looks like it's open house."

"Then let's introduce ourselves to the neighbors, shall we?" Anara responded and they walked up the ramp and into the darkness.

Revan motioned again for them to be silent. She knew Anara would automatically know this, but HK was practically humming with eagerness to, as he would put it, "engage in some unadulterated violence". She needn't have been concerned. As they moved through the vessel she could feel the emptiness. There was no one on board and this disturbed her. Neither she nor Anara could sense anyone, yet they both felt as if they were being watched. One after another they found nothing but empty rooms. Once they reached the second level they moved more quickly, though still cautiously. Then they found themselves in a room slightly larger than the rest, with a rectangular table in the center. One the wall opposite them, behind the chair at the head of the table, were hung two crossed Sith War Blades. However, it was what they saw lining the walls on either side of them that held their attention. Like a hunter who displays the heads of the animals he has killed, hung in a row to the left and right of the table, were the heads of various sentient species. Each was mounted on a plaque with a weapon underneath.

"Oh wow!" Anara exclaimed softly.

"Commentary: Quite impressive master. Whomever it is we are looking for seems quite proficient in combat. When we find them, the ensuing battle should prove most interesting indeed."

Revan hesitated before answering, and then said something that sent a chill down Anara's spine.

"They will feel my blades at their throats and I will look them in the eyes before I kill them."

3

Anara paused in her tale, seeing the look on Mical's face. Maybe she should clear up a couple of things before she went on.

"Please, you must keep in mind that Revan had been on that planet for months before I showed up. It's hard to describe how that place makes you feel, but I was only there a short while and it affected me, too. After what I experienced, I was less surprised by her comment than I was by the fact that she was even still sane by the time I found her. When I watched that holorecord…well, let's just say that if I had run into one of the Sith'ari at that moment, I wouldn't have stopped to think. I would have attacked with everything I had and my only goal would have been to kill them. Now do you see why she left everyone behind, and why I did the same? I didn't understand it when I left. I just felt it was the right thing to do. When she said what she did, I knew then that it couldn't have been any other way."

Mical and Visas nodded, understanding completely. Having someone you cared for in a place like that could have proved a dangerous distraction and made it harder to keep oneself focused. In the shadow of the bookcase, Atton was still listening.

"I understand why you went alone," Mical spoke up, "but who sent you in the first place? There was no Jedi Council at that time. Did you just…know, somehow, that someone needed to find Revan? Was it the droid, or simple curiosity as to where she had gone?"

"It was Admiral Onasi actually. He didn't ask me outright to go, but he said that if I ever came across Revan in my travels...well, I could just tell he was very concerned about her, and the more I thought about Revan and things Kreija had said, I just sensed that I needed to go."

"He loves her," Visas commented.

Anara agreed, "Yes, and it was tearing him up inside not knowing. Also, I had a talk with T3. Revan had sent him to find help and he found me. He may just be a droid, but the Force guided him to me, I was sure of it. When you hear the rest, you'll understand. At least, you'll understand as much of it as I do, and I'm hoping you may be able to help me understand more."

"Go on then," Mical urged. "Tell us the rest of it."

Anara took a deep breath.

Revan, Anara, and HK had backed out of the 'trophy' room and headed for the bridge. Anara was still thinking about the look she had seen on Revan's face as she had voiced her threat to their unseen enemies. Revan was thinking about two of the heads that had been on the wall. She had recognized them from the holorecord and was certain they had been Master and Padawan. The younger one would have had to have been at least a Jedi Knight to be sent on a mission such as this, but she just knew there had been a bond there and Master and student made the most sense.

They entered the bridge with weapons drawn, but quickly realized they wouldn't need them. The bridge was as empty as the rest of the ship. Both Revan and Anara worried about the fact that no one was guarding the vessel.

"HK," Revan ordered, "See if you can download anything from their data files or their navicomputer."

"Yes, master." HK moved to a control panel, but when he tried to access the terminal, a surge of electricity coursed through him.

"HK, are you alright?" Revan asked, moving quickly next to the droid. For a few seconds she got no response, then HK answered.

"Yes master, I believe I am still functional. There seems to be some form of defense mechanism linked to this panel. I am unable to bypass it to retrieve the information you requested. Shall I attempt to destroy the terminal?"

Revan sighed. "No, that's okay. I guess we'll just have to find the Sith'ari and get our answers first-hand."

"Eager enthusiasm: Oh yes, master, without a doubt a little aggressive interrogation will provide you with the answers you seek."

"Yes, well, let's wait and see if they are even willing to communicate with us, though I also doubt they will be open to a friendly conversation."

"Hopeful commentary: I, too, hope they will be unresponsive to attempts at communication, master."

"That's not what I meant, HK." Revan sounded frustrated, but she smiled at Anara. HK couldn't help it, it was what he was built for, and he had been Revan's droid when she was a Sith Lord.

"So what now?" Anara asked her. "You've been avoiding them all this time, and now that we want to find them…"

"I think we should go back to that temple," Revan answered. "We're bound to run into them sooner or later."

The three of them made their way back out of the ship without encountering anyone and headed back toward the stone temple. It was unnerving not to have run into someone yet, especially after seeing the robed figure and then letting him go, but then Anara wondered if that was the plan, to put them on edge, and she took a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm herself. They were almost there and had even spotted a rear entrance when they noticed the Sith'ari. He stopped by the door, and turned to look in their direction before stepping inside and Revan and Anara shared the same thought.

'He knew we were coming here. He (they) are waiting for us.'

They broke into a run, pausing only a moment at the door to share a look between them. This was it! Now they would see how strong this new enemy was and find out if they could stop them here before they discovered all the inhabited worlds inside Republic space.

They entered the temple the way they had entered the strange ship, Anara with her two blades, Revan with an orange double-bladed one, drawn and ready to strike. The room they now found themselves in was crescent shaped and empty. Revan had explored this ruin thoroughly in the previous months though, and she quickly led them across the floor to a door opposite the one they came in. Beyond this door was a short hallway to another door and Revan knew that on the other side of that door was the room where she had shown Anara the statue and the holorecord.

This time when they entered, they came face to face with the Sith'ari. There were three of them, but Revan recognized two right away. One was the being she had seen 'kill' her oasis. He was shorter than the other two, but looked much stockier, more muscular. Both women took note of his lightsaber. It was only slightly longer than their own, but it was thicker, heavier looking, and they wondered about the strength required to wield it. The second one held Revan's interest a little longer. He was the one they had seen in the holorecord; the one who had slaughtered the Jedi and took their heads. He had a slighter build and held twin sabers, dark red. He was sneering at Revan. Anara risked a glance at her and saw she was smiling, but it was a contemptuous smile. She knew they had already sized each other up and found the other lacking.

The third Sith'ari was the tallest. He was standing behind the other two and carried no weapon. Around his neck hung an amulet, rectangular in shape with an oval, blood-red stone in its center. All around the stone were strange symbols and the stone itself seemed to glow and pulse with a life of its own. Even from across the room they could see the dark, smoky tendrils swirling inside the red gem.

Their features were similar, so gaunt they looked like skulls with pale skin. Their lips were black, as was the area around their eyes, and the eyes themselves! They seemed to be nothing more than black holes filled with an eerie red light. They spoke to each other and it was a whispery, echoing, reptilian sound. Revan couldn't understand it, but Anara did.

"You were right, Master," the shorter, stocky one hissed. "It is she."

"I told you she would come," the one with the amulet answered. "But she must be tested. We need to see how much she has learned, and what still needs to be taught." He turned to the one with the twin blades. "Do you doubt the prophecy now, Vix?"

"You are only interested in the one, Master," Vix commented, never taking his eyes from Revan. "And I am only interested in the other."

"You shall have her head shortly," their Master promised. "But first we shall open the Karani's eyes. She sleeps inside her shell and must be awakened."

Vix and the shorter Sith'ari stepped aside and their Master moved forward. Revan and Anara both took a fighting stance, their lightsabers in front of them. Suddenly tendrils of smoke leapt from the stone in the amulet and formed shapes before them. There were four of them, bearing smoky lightsabers, and they advanced on the two women. The three Sith'ari simply stood watching as the shadow beings moved in. Revan and Anara twirled their blades in unison and stood back to back as the shadows circled around them.

Then the fight was on. One of the shadows stepped up to Anara, swinging his saber over his head in a downward arc toward her head. She blocked with her left and brought her right in a sweep meaning to cut the creature in half. The blade just passed through it and merely caused the swirling shadow to split for a second or so before reforming again. HK started firing at this point, but his shots simply passed right through the shadows.

"Don't bother HK, just stay back!" Revan shouted at the droid.

At the same time she spoke, Vix raised a hand. The door behind HK opened and he was pushed backward through it and it closed, cutting him off from his master. Revan had no time to worry about this. She was too busy parrying the sabers of the two "shadow sith" in front of her. Seven lightsabers whirled as the six combatants danced around the room, two human and four shadows. The power behind their enemies' weapons was real, but every time Anara or Revan tried to make contact with the creatures themselves, it was like cutting through smoke and did no damage. After quite a few minutes of this, Anara shouted in frustration.

"Enough!" She brought her two blades up, crossed, to block one of the shadow sith attacking her as he tried to bring his own blade down once again on her head. Her sabers sliced apart against his, separating the light from the hilt, and immediately the shadow became a swirling tendril again and flew back into the gem set in the amulet.

"Their lightsabers!" She shouted to Revan, "Break their sabers!"

Both women's movements quickened as they aimed for the blades and hilts of their opponents and, as each one was broken, the creature turned to smoke and returned to the amulet. When they were gone, Revan and Anara once more turned to face the Sith'ari.

"Now Vix," their Master hissed, "you can fight for your trophy. Just try not to kill the Karani. We do need her alive. Come Nios, we must make preparations."

The two of them slipped through the door, leaving the one with the twin sabers with the women. Vix shot Anara a glaring look that she took to mean she was to stay out of the fight, then smiled viciously at Revan. He and Revan moved toward each other at the same time, but Anara wasn't about to stay out of it and moved in as well. His speed startled her despite the fact that she had seen him in action in the holorecord, but Revan was ready for it and matched him easily. The three combatants flew around the room, each one dodging and blocking, lightsabers sizzling against one another.

Vix needed Anara out of the way to achieve his goal. But just as she herself realized he was trying not to harm her, and thinking she might be able to use that to her advantage, he leaped straight up into the air, flipping over Revan's head to land behind her and out of Anara's reach. As Revan spun to face him, he raised a hand and Anara was held in place by a stasis field. She could only watch as he turned his back to Revan, stepping backwards toward her, trying to get inside her swing. He brought the saber in his left hand back and up, attempting to sever her own left and disarm her, but Revan was quicker than he gave her credit for and she sliced to the right, going through his robes and finally making contact with his flesh.

His scream of frustration and surprise raised the hair on the back of Revan's neck and she dropped to roll sideways as the angry Sith'ari swung around. In a snap she was back on her feet. Vix charged at her and their blades locked. He pushed down savagely and knocked her back but didn't stop there. He continued his downward swing, placing the tips of his blades on the floor and jumping up to bring his legs between them. Kicking his feet forward, he hit Revan just above the waist and sent her falling backward. She had to keep rolling just to avoid the blows he tried to rain down on her. Then, as she managed to bring her lightsaber up to block him, a bolt of lightning streaked across the room and hit him in the back. Anara had broken free of his stasis field. Vix screamed again and arched his back. Revan seized the moment and thrust her blade forward into his chest. A spit second later, she saw a silver blade coming through from his back, not even an inch from hers. As she pulled her blade out, she watched the silver one also withdraw and, as Vix fell between them, she looked up to see Anara there, holding her viridian blade high and breathing hard.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you know Force Lightning, having had Kreija as a teacher." She commented as Anara extended a hand to pull her up.

"It does come in handy," Anara replied, "though taxing. And since I am technically no longer a member of the Order anymore, I don't usually worry about being chastised for using whatever power I feel the situation calls for." She watched Revan closely, wondering what her response would be. Revan simply nodded.

"I should have guessed. A Jedi with only light side powers would not survive this place. If we make it out of here, I'd like to talk. I have a feeling we've both come to some of the same conclusions about the Force. Come on, we can't let them get away!"

At that moment, the door HK had been pushed through opened and the droid rushed in, weapon up. Revan held up a hand.

"Easy HK! We're okay and the Sith'ari are gone."

"Placating statement: I am sorry I was not here to aid you, Master. I seem to have missed all the excitement again."

"This isn't over yet, HK. We're going after them."

She led the way out of the room and they burst through the door to the outside, expecting to chase after the two Sith'ari that had left. Revan and Anara came to a dead halt, with HK almost running into them when they saw the Sith'ari Master standing in front of them. They all brought their weapons up, but never got the chance to use them.

The Sith'ari Master raised a hand toward Revan and she was thrown backward, slamming hard into the side of the temple. As she fell to the ground, Nios leaped down from the roof of the building and, when he landed, the earth shook and Anara and HK were knocked off their feet. As Revan pulled herself up she saw that, unfortunately, Anara had not only been knocked down but seemed to be out as well since she lay unmoving to one side. Near her, HK was on his feet and bringing his cannon to bear on the very strong and solid Nios standing between them. Then, unexpectedly, the wind began blowing hard and the Ebon Hawk appeared in the air above them, ramp open and turrets blasting.

HK fired at Nios, but the shots seemed to bounce off of him. He growled and raised his lightsaber. Revan Force jumped to put herself between Nios and her allies and shoved her long, duel-ended staff in front of her as the big Sith'ari brought his down. He pressed down hard with an almost super-human strength and Revan strained with the effort to keep from being knocked off her feet a second time. The turrets were still firing as the Ebon Hawk came lower and Revan shouted at HK.

"Grab Anara and get on the ship! I'll hold him off!"

"Master, I must protest…" HK started to say, but she cut him short.

"Protest later! Right now, follow orders! Do it!"

"Yes, Master." HK answered reluctantly, but he moved quickly and he easily picked Anara up and ran toward the ramp of the Hawk, just a few feet away now.

Revan knew she could not hold Nios back much longer. She took a chance and jumped sideways, allowing the momentum of his effort to push her down carry him past her. It was just enough to let her swing her saber around and slash at his back. She stared in amazement when he simply started laughing and turned back toward her. Meanwhile, HK had reached the ship and hurled Anara onto the ramp as it hovered above them. The droid turned to see his Master backing up, the enemy advancing on her, and was considering disobeying orders when Anara's head appeared over the edge of the ramp.

"HK, jump!" She yelled at him.

At the same time, she got to her knees and shoved both arms outward. HK jumped just as the Force wave hit Nios. Revan was stunned once more when the wave only succeeded in pushing him backward a step or two. However, she didn't hesitate to take advantage of this. She turned around and used the Force to leap to a spot just under the Hawk's ramp. Luckily, one of T3's turret shots hit its mark hard enough to send Nios' lightsaber flying from his hand. As he reached out to pull it back to him, Revan jumped up onto the ramp, and followed Anara and HK inside as T3 closed the ramp and pulled the ship back and up, then turning and taking off.

Anara stopped here and looked at her two friends. Mical looked stunned, and even though Visas' eyes were covered by her veil, Anara could sense her friends' concern.

"That's about it. HK was the one who told me what happened while I was seeing stars. I wasn't unconscious, just knocked for a loop for a few minutes. T3 made the jump to hyperspace just as we reached the cockpit. I have no doubt they will come looking for us, but hopefully we have time to find some answers before they find us."

"You mean before they find you," Visas corrected and for a moment, none of them spoke.

"Master," Mical finally ventured, "what is this 'Karani' stuff? You said the statue in the temple looked like you. What does it mean?"

"I was hoping you would know, or that you could find out," Anara replied quietly.

"I will start looking immediately," he assured her. He moved off to search through the library.

Atton started to leave until he heard Visas comment.

"Your thoughts are troubled. There is something else, what is it?"

"It's this whole thing," he heard Anara answer. "Something…I don't know. I feel like I'm on the verge of understanding something important, but it keeps eluding me. It never occurred to me to wonder how I was able to understand Nihlius until Revan asked me about it. You understood him. Now I can't stop thinking about it. Visas, can you…see anything, sense anything about these Sith'ari?"

There was a moment of silence and Atton felt the Miraluka reaching out through the Force. He held his breath but didn't feel any sudden reaction to him being there.

"These…beings," she finally spoke, "they are as my former master was. They will not stop until they have devoured everything in their path. I…cannot see the connection between you and them. The images are not clear enough."

"Do you see anything else?"

"I know that you will have to fight one of them alone, but everything is jumbled with images I don't as yet understand; past battles that were before our time. Perhaps if I meditate more will become clear."

"Perhaps. Well, we can talk more tomorrow."

Anara and Visas left the library and Atton was left hidden, trying to absorb all he'd heard and what, if anything, to do about it.

Part II

1

When Revan had given her report to Carth, he had listened without interrupting. She hadn't left anything out: the planet, the Sith'ari, the statue, and even when she was done he hadn't asked many questions. It confused her because usually he wanted to know details about her decisions; at least that was the way it had been while they fought against Malak and afterward…until she'd left. She had made some decisions while she was away and was anxious to explain them to him, hoping he would understand. Once they were back in his private rooms, he gave her the chance.

"Okay, give…when I first mentioned the Jedi you hedged, and I saw the look you gave Anara. What's going on?"

Revan knew Carth hated it when he felt things were being kept from him. She also knew she had to tell him everything if they were to have any kind of future together.

"I won't be going back to the Order, Carth," she admitted. "I've done a lot of thinking while I was gone and…well, let's just say I've found the Jedi Code lacking. Now wait," she held up a hand when he looked like he was about to interrupt. "Let me explain. You know what the Council did to me. I know I forgave them, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten either. Remember, I've studied both the light and the dark side, and neither one holds all the answers for me."

The trip back from uncharted space had given her and Anara plenty of time to discuss their current situation as well as talk about the Jedi Order and the dark and light aspects of the Force. She had found that the Exile had shared her views that neither the Jedi nor the Sith had the complete picture when it came to their philosophies and you needed to understand both sides to even begin to fully comprehend the Force. They had also found out that each of them had privately decided not to be a member of the Order anymore, but would work as mercenaries (for lack of a better word), helping the Republic and the galaxy whenever and wherever possible. They had even taken the Jedi and Sith codes and combined them, creating one that, for now at least, they could accept without feeling hypocritical.

'There is peace, but also passion. Through knowledge comes power. Knowledge, power and serenity give you strength. Harmony in chaos will bring you victory. All is the Force.'

When she told Carth all of this, he wasn't sure he liked it. She assured him she wasn't returning to the dark side, would never again become a Sith Lord, but would also never be a Jedi Master. She also told him that, while she had no interest in starting an 'Order', she would stand by her beliefs and teach them to anyone who wanted to learn. He said he needed time to think about this and she understood. It had taken her quite some time to sort it all through herself. In fact, she had been working on this for the last five years, mulling it over and looking at it from every angle she could think of before coming to her decisions. They agreed to let it drop for the time being and spent the rest of the night holding each other, reminding one another how much they had missed them, and finally falling asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning, Revan awoke in Carth's quarters feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her. He had snuck out of the room early, not wanting to disturb her rest. She got out of bed reluctantly, wanting to enjoy the feeling of being with him a little longer, but she knew there was still a lot to be done, a lot to prepare for. She smiled and hugged herself, breathing deep his scent that lingered in the room. Then she thought about their conversation from the day before and wondered if he would accept what she had told him; if he would ask her to leave or come with her to help fight this new threat.

She dressed quickly and was just starting to get impatient, thinking Anara would be waiting for her on Coruscant to talk to the Council and maybe she should just go, when Carth returned. She searched his face anxiously, trying to discern his feelings. She could easily read his thoughts if she wished, but she had promised him long ago that she would never do such a thing without his permission. She waited for him to speak first. He walked over to stand close to her and when he spoke, his voice was low and husky.

"When you left, it took a long time to sort through my feelings. I was angry with you and at the same time, afraid. I had dreams where you returned and we were finally able to begin a life together…and nightmares where you were found dead, or worse…that the dark side had consumed you again. Then I realized I needed to trust you, in your abilities…in us. When the Exile showed up with your ship and T3, I took it as a sign. It took every ounce of strength I had not to beg her to let me go with her to find you. I didn't want to believe that I'd lost you before we'd even had a chance, you know? Since you left, I've tried to hang on to one thing…the hope that you would come home…to me. I won't let you go again. I understand how you feel about the Jedi and why, and I believe you when you say you won't turn to the dark side again. I still love you Revan. I still want a future with you. Let's face what comes together."

Revan was crying by the time he finished. She was so overcome with relief, and love for this man, she could barely speak. When she did, it was only slightly more than a whisper.

"Carth, even though I had to leave without you, know this—if I had not had your love, had not been sure of it, I wouldn't be standing here now. That place, that planet…I could feel it trying to draw me in, to give in to all my wildest impulses. You were there with me, keeping me alive, keeping me sane, and I can't even begin to tell you how deep my love for you goes."

"You just did," Carth said and he pulled her into his arms.

Then he kissed her and Revan felt she would melt from his touch as their passion flared. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew they should be heading for Coruscant, but she couldn't bring herself to stop. What the hell, she thought, surely the galaxy could wait another hour or so.

2

Mical had gone to check the archives for information on the Sith'ari. He had already agreed to accompany Anara to Coruscant. He'd been asked to come there anyway and be interviewed as a possible candidate for the new Jedi Council. Visas was meditating in her room and had said she would go as well. She still considered herself a part of Anara's crew even if they didn't have a ship anymore. Technically, the Ebon Hawk belonged to Revan now.

Anara was out on the Koonda plains, sitting on the edge of a bridge that crossed a river near a waterfall. She was absentmindedly tossing pebbles into the river, wondering again about her past and why she couldn't remember anything before the enclave. For a brief moment or two she thought about Revan and Admiral Onasi, but that just led to thoughts of Atton so she quickly dismissed them from her mind. She didn't want to think about him; she had no time or desire to feel regret about what could have been. Then suddenly she had no choice as she felt a presence and looked up to find him there, standing at the end of the bridge. She was irritated with herself for being so preoccupied that she'd allowed him to get this close without sensing him. She tossed another pebble, watching it skip across the water, not wanting to talk to him, unable to look at him. He walked toward her, stopping about three feet away.

"Can I talk to you?"

"I don't know, can you?" She asked back, still staring at the water. "I thought all you knew how to do was argue."

"I deserved that," he admitted after a heavy sigh. He sat next to her and she tensed, but didn't move. "I'd like to apologize. I was mad at you, but you didn't deserve the things I said. It's just that…well, before you left I had thought…I was hoping, you and me…ahh, hell!"

He picked up a small rock now and threw it hard into the river, frustrated and not sure how to say what he really wanted to. Anara kept her eyes on the water but she was smiling now, enjoying his frustration. Then she sighed, thinking if she didn't help him out, they'd be here all day.

"Atton, I know what you're trying to say. At least, I hope I do. It was because I felt that very same way that I had to go without you." Now she looked up at him, her brows furrowed in earnest concern. "How can I make you understand? It took every bit of strength I had to maintain what little control I managed. The place I was in…"

"I know," he interrupted softly. "I heard it all. I…when I think of how close you came to not coming back at all, all the feeling drains from my body, and this stuff about the statue and a karani…for some reason it turns my blood cold. I have to tell you how I feel in case something happens. If you won't let me go with you, be with you, then you should at least know that I love you, and if you ever need me…"

"I need you now!" Anara replied urgently. "I came back to ask you to help me fight this because I'm not sure what is going on. I may be descended from a species that consumes the Force!"

"What?" Atton looked confused and a little shocked. "What are you talking about?"

Anara went on quickly, voicing fears she'd been keeping to herself ever since leaving the strange planet where she'd found Revan.

"It would explain what really happened to me at Malachor V. Something must have been triggered inside me, some recessive genes or something. What if I become like Nihlius? What if…"

"You won't!" Atton said vehemently. He grabbed her by the shoulders, pointedly looking into her eyes. "It can't be hereditary; it's got to be something you have to learn and I know you! You would never be like that! Of course I'll stand by you; I won't let you face this without me." His expression softened and he loosened his grip on her shoulders. "Do you really feel the same about me? I need to hear you say it Anara. I need to see in your face that it's true and not just wishful thinking on my part."

She let a small smile cut the worried look on her face. "Yes Atton, I love you."

He stood then, pulling her up with him, and hugged her to his chest. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply the scent of her hair. As they started to pull back from each other, Anara tilted her head and he kissed her, finally giving in to something they'd both wanted to do for a long time. After a long moment, he pushed her back and held her at arm's length, breathing hard.

"We have to stop now or take our chances on not getting caught out here on the plains." He grinned at her cockily. "Of course, I'm opting for taking a chance, but it's your call."

She grinned wryly back. "We are not getting intimate out here on the Koonda plains. Not only could one of the locals come by, but we'd have to worry about Iriaz and Kath Hounds, too."

"Don't forget the Kinrath," he interjected. "But we haven't seen many of those since the last time we were all here."

She cocked an eyebrow at him and suggested, "Let's go back to my room. We don't have much time before we'll be leaving for Coruscant, and I'm pretty sure we'll have a hard time finding privacy once we're under way."

With that, she pushed him away and started running for the enclave. He laughed and ran after her. He had anticipated this for a long time, and for awhile thought it would never happen. Even now he wasn't sure he wasn't dreaming but if he was, he hoped he never woke up. On the way to the enclave, he briefly wondered about the trouble they might get into with the Jedi Council for what they were about to do, then decided he didn't care, as long as they had each other.

They were lying in bed in Anara's room, not speaking, just holding each other and not wanting to move and end the moment, but the knock on the door did it for them.

"Don't answer it," Atton said lazily. "Maybe they'll go away."

Anara chuckled. "Sorry but it might be important. We need to get going anyway. It will take us longer to get to Coruscant than Revan, and the Admiral if he joins us, and I don't know how much time we have before the Sith'ari show up."

She wrapped a robe around her and stepped over to the door. Mical was there looking apologetic and at the same time, excited.

"Sorry to disturb you Master, but I have found a small mention of the amulet you spoke of yesterday. I think we should head to Coruscant as soon as possible. My research leads me to believe there are records there that will tell us more."

"Of course, Mical. Let Visas know and meet us in the central area. We'll leave as soon as everyone is ready."

Mical nodded and then frowned because he realized she had said 'us', and as she turned away and closed the door, he could hear Atton's voice.

"I suppose this means I gotta get up now."

On the shuttle to Coruscant, Mical watched the two of them and when Atton left Anara alone for a few minutes, he approached her. He wanted to discuss Atton but wasn't sure how to bring it up and, sliding into Atton's seat, decided to begin the conversation with the amulet.

"All I've found so far is mention of a stone, a gem of great power with the ability to entrap souls. It sounded like the one in the necklace you described."

Anara nodded. "Hopefully the records on Coruscant will have more. Nothing about a Karani though?"

"No, at least not in anything I had access to on Dantooine." He paused and then went on rapidly, before Atton came back and heard.

"Master, I will most likely be joining the new Council soon after we arrive. I wanted to ask your permission to petition that you be accepted back into the Order. However, your feelings toward Atton Rand may hinder your chances, regardless of all that you have done for the Republic within the last two years. You know the Jedi discourages such relationships because of the nature of the Order and the kind of life a Jedi must lead."

"I appreciate the offer Mical," Anara replied, smiling. "But don't waste your time. I don't want to rejoin the Order. You're right, they would not approve of my feelings for Atton and I've decided I'm not looking for anyone's approval anymore…on anything."

Mical didn't know what to say to this, and Atton was heading back toward them so he returned to his seat. This worried him but perhaps he could ask Master Anara more about her decision later.

3

On the Ebon Hawk, Revan joined Carth in the cockpit after checking on HK and T3-M4. They shared grins, still thinking about the fact that they could be together now, after ridding the galaxy of the Sith'ari of course. They were in hyperspace and wouldn't reach Coruscant for several more hours. When Revan had settled in the co-pilots' seat, Carth turned to her.

"You know Bastila's on the Council now. She knows how we feel about one another. Are you ready for a lecture on relationships and the dark side?"

"Bastila doesn't really have the right anymore to lecture me on anything, Carth. The Council won't accept our relationship and I won't hide it from them. Besides, I'm not going to be a member of the Order anymore, remember?" Then seeing the look on his face, she added, "Don't worry, I can handle Bastila. I'll convince her I'm not switching sides again. In fact, that's the whole point; there shouldn't be sides. The Force is the Force. It isn't good or bad, it just…is."

"But there are sides Revan," Carth commented. "Whether there should be or not is beside the point. Are you saying you won't take sides in a conflict? Isn't that what we're doing now? Choosing to fight against the Sith'ari?"

"Yes, you're right," she agreed, "but that's just it. We are choosing to do this; no one has issued orders in this matter. I won't fight the Sith'ari because the Jedi tell me to. I'll fight them because they have to be stopped or they will eventually consume everything. If the Jedi wish to offer aid, I certainly won't turn them down, but I won't take orders from them anymore. I couldn't have a future with you and still be a member of the Order, Carth, you know that."

He looked at her appreciatively. "You really have done some serious thinking on this, haven't you? So, if you're not Jedi and not Sith, what are you?"

"I'm kind of leaning toward 'Freelance Force User'. What do you think?" She asked him, a big smile on her face.

"Works for me," he answered, returning her grin.

Arriving on Coruscant, Bastila Shan was there to greet them. Both she and Revan had the same thought; that the other had changed but they weren't sure in what way.

"Welcome back Revan. You look wonderful! Come, the Council is waiting, such as it is. Hello Carth; I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see the two of you together."

"Get used to it Bastila. I let her go once and didn't see her for over five years. I won't let it happen again."

"You don't really have much to say on the matter Carth. A Jedi goes where they are needed, and both of you know relationships such as yours are discouraged, for good reason."

"That's one of the reasons I will be leaving the Order, Bastila," Revan informed her. "We should go to the Council chambers. We can discuss everything there. Has Anara arrived yet?"

"Who?" Bastila asked, confused.

"Anara," Revan answered. "The Jedi that came searching for me. She's supposed to meet us here to add to our report."

"The Council didn't send anyone. Until a year ago, there was no council. It took awhile for all the Jedi that survived the civil war to return from where they'd hidden." Bastila paused, and then a thought occurred to her. "You're talking about the exile, aren't you? I'm glad she's returned as well. The Council would like to speak with her about rejoining the Order. We are in desperate need of Jedi Knights and Masters and are willing to overlook past transgressions."

Revan didn't comment. She knew Anara wasn't going to rejoin the Order but figured it wasn't her place to tell Bastila or the Council that. She and Carth followed Bastila to the Council chambers. There were three Jedi Masters there, the beginnings of the new Council. Master Zin-Den, a Cerean, nodded at them as they entered. Masters Maalru, a Falleen, and Qusak, a Togruta, were involved in a discussion that they ended as the group approached them. Bastila took her seat among them and they all faced Revan and Carth with interest.

"Well Revan," Bastila began, "You have been gone a number of years. Many of us were shocked that you would leave at a time when Jedi were needed so badly. You were aware of the state the Republic was in after Malak was defeated. What was so important that it would make you abandon everything and go off on your own into the unknown regions of space?"

"Something kept tugging at my memory," Revan replied. "For some reason, a story Canderous told me kept popping into my head."

Canderous was a Mandalorian who had joined Revan's crew while she still thought she was a Republic soldier; before she discovered she had been a Sith Lord and Malak's Master. Occasionally he had told her stories of the battles he'd been in as a young warrior. He had also talked with her about the Mandalorian Wars and, even though she had gone to war to fight against his people, neither of them held it against the other.

"Something he said about chasing pirates in the Crispin system. He had fired on a ball of frozen gas the pirates were using for cover and discovered what he thought was an asteroid underneath, but when the asteroid started spinning and shooting fire, he knew it was a ship. His crew chased it as far as they could, but it disappeared into the outer regions. Well, once when I was Malak's master, we were on our way to the temple on the planet of the Rakata. Just before reaching there, I saw what I thought was an asteroid, but realized it wasn't moving like one. It seemed to be moving in a deliberate direction, not simply floating through space. I knew there was a reason I couldn't get these images out of my head; that I needed to investigate them and see where they would lead."

"Why did you go alone?" Master Zin-Den asked her. "Granted, the Jedi were small in numbers by then, but still…"

"That was one reason," Revan admitted. "What Jedi remained were needed to help the Republic to rebuild. There was another reason however. When I was a Dark Lord I studied a lot of the sith's history. I kept finding mention of the Sith'ari, an ancient sith race. I believe they were the original Sith. The true Sith'ari were never actually large in numbers, but had thousands of followers. Their Dark Lords had taught themselves to feed off of the Force until they no longer needed any other sustenance. I was certain they were still out there and I was right. I found them. Now they are most likely on their way here, to Republic space."

"How can we fight them if they feed on the Force?" Master Qusak asked. "And are you sure they are Sith'ari?"

"I'm sure and there are ways," Revan assured them. "They can be fought without using Force power, but it's tough and only the strongest of Jedi would even be able to get close." She paused, glancing at Carth, then back to the Masters. "There is one who can fight them using the Force. She is our best and probably our only hope of defeating them."

"Who is this Jedi?" Master Zin-Den asked a little skeptically.

Just then the doors to the Council chambers opened and Anara, Atton, Visas and Mical entered.

"She is," Revan stated, and pointed at Anara.

Anara stopped for a second but seeing the look on Revan's face, moved up until she was standing next to her. She felt more than a little uncomfortable. The last time she had stood in this room she had been exiled from the order and had been forced to surrender her lightsaber. This was a different council though and she wasn't here to answer for any crime. Atton and Visas remained behind her but Mical had stepped up beside her to introduce himself.

"Master Zin-Den, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I am Mical," he said, bowing slightly at the waist. "I believe Master Winters has spoken to you about me?"

"Ahh yes, Mical…" Master Zin-Den nodded at him and then turned to the Masters. "This is the one I told you about, a potential candidate for the Council, from Dantooine if I'm not mistaken?" He looked back at Mical for conformation and Mical nodded in agreement. "I have indeed talked to Master Winters and he speaks highly of you. He says not only are you a Jedi Knight, but also an historian."

"You understand of course," Master Maalru interjected, "that you will need to be made a full Jedi Master before you can actually sit on the Council?"

"Yes, of course," Mical agreed. "In the meantime, if it would be allowed, I would like to look at some of the more ancient histories in the archives here. I believe there is information I may find here that will aid Master Anara and her crew against the Sith'ari."

"Her crew?" Bastila asked him, raising an eyebrow and glancing at Revan. "I thought this was your mission."

Revan shrugged. "Anara and I work quite well together and don't really concern ourselves with who's in charge."

Master Zin-Den asked that Revan and Anara remain to discuss the Sith'ari. Mical was given permission to go through the jedi archives and told that his joining the council would be discussed later, as well as a possible ceremony to make him a full master. Carth, Atton, and Visas were asked to wait outside the Council chambers. Visas sat almost immediately and meditated quietly. Carth leaned against the wall while Atton paced. After ten minutes of this, Atton stopped in front of Carth.

"So tell me, what's an Admiral doing following a Jedi on a mission? Shouldn't you be on a starship somewhere, giving orders?"

"Normally yes," Carth answered with a small grin. "But this situation is different. Revan asked for my help. She felt a small group would have a better chance of success and be less of a target, and she wanted a mix of force users and, uh...non-force users."

Atton nodded. "Can I ask you about her? Revan, I mean. All I know is what she was like during the Mandalorian Wars and the beginning of the Jedi Civil War, and none of that was good."

"I know," Carth commented, sighing. "Not many know what happened after she was captured by the Jedi and sent after Malak. When she defied the Council to fight against the Mandalorians, I believe she did it for the right reasons. When she fell to the dark side…well, I don't know. She won't speak of that; at least, not yet."

Carth pushed himself off the wall and gazed at the closed door to the Council room. "But I can tell you this; she's not the same person she was back then. When she thought she was just a scout working for the Republic we worked together. She always tried to do the right thing, to help people when she could, and I don't think she ever got as frustrated as I did with the runaround I felt the jedi gave us. Then, when she discovered her true identity, it really shocked her but she didn't fall back to the dark side. She was more determined than ever to defeat Malak and stop the damage she had begun. I think I was seeing her true self then, who she was meant to be. That's when I fell in love with her." He looked at Atton closely. "I can see you're worried. Is your concern for yourself, or Anara?"

Atton's face showed his surprise that the Admiral had read him so easily. "Uh, for her actually. They spent a lot of time out there together and I was afraid that…well…"

"That Revan would corrupt her? Don't worry, I had similar thoughts while Revan was gone, that she would turn again without someone there to help her. They're both pretty strong-willed, 'Atton'-is it? We just have to trust them, that's all."

"They are coming," Visas stated and both men were startled, having forgotten she was even there.

Now they looked toward the two women emerging from the Council chambers as Visas stood. Revan had a wry grin on her face, but Anara looked annoyed until she saw Atton, then she grinned as well. He was curious, but decided to let it go for now.

"How did it go?" Carth asked them. "Are they going to get involved?"

"Bastila asked to join us," Revan told them. "The Council agreed but couldn't commit anyone else, which is fine with me. There's only one other person I want to find and try to persuade him to come with us anyway, although I'm not sure where to find him."

"Canderous?" Carth asked, already knowing the answer.

Revan nodded. "I know he was going to try and reunite the Mandalorians and I'm pretty sure I remember him saying something about Dxun, about rebuilding Clan Ordo there."

Anara turned to her sharply. "Clan Ordo? I met some Mandalorians on Dxun and their leader, Mandalore, mentioned Clan Ordo. I know he returned there after we finished destroying Malachor V—before I came searching for you."

"Looks like Dxun is our next stop then."

"I don't know," Atton remarked. "We weren't very welcome the last time we were there."

"That wasn't the Mandalorians, Atton," Anara reminded him. "That was Colonel Tobin acting on General Vaklus' orders. We shouldn't have any problems this time. Besides, we're not going to Onderon."

Dxun was Onderons' moon. She and Atton had been forced to land there after being attacked by the Onderon military when Anara was trying to find the jedi that had scattered after the war.

"Let's go store your gear in the Hawk," Revan suggested. "Then we can pick up a few more supplies while we wait to see if your friend Mical finds anything in the archives we can use."

"I should speak with the Senate while we're here," Carth said. "They should be aware of what's going on so they can make plans in case we…" he stopped, not wanting to say 'fail', but pragmatic enough to know that was a contingency that couldn't be ignored.

"Good idea," Revan assured him. "Meet us back here in an hour."

"I will remain with the ship and begin preparations for departure," Visas told them.

Anara nodded and cocked an eyebrow questioningly at Atton.

"I'm with you," he answered quickly. "You know I'm not very good at waiting."

4

They never got around to getting extra supplies. As they walked along the street, Atton joked:

"Well I got the best end of this deal. I get to escort the two prettiest women in the galaxy to town."

"Does he think talk like that works?" Revan commented to Anara.

"Yes, and sadly, a lot of time it does," she replied with a mock frown.

They laughed and made jokes until they walked in front of a cantina. As they were coming abreast of the door it flew open and a body came hurtling outward. They would have ignored the whole thing as just another bar brawl, but as the door was closing they heard a voice that all three of them recognized.

"That's seven; who's next?"

They all stared at the door and Revan and Anara exclaimed simultaneously:

"Canderous!"

"Mandalore!"

They only hesitated for the second it took to make their proclamations and draw their lightsabers, then they ran into the cantina, Atton right behind them. Inside they quickly took in the scene. There were six bodies lying unconscious on the floor. Most of the bar's patrons had moved back against the far wall, but three of them…two Rhodians and a Twilek, stood slightly to the right of the door. A lone figure stood in front of the bar amidst the fallen bodies. Atton laughed out loud and Revan and Anara smiled at each other, then at the man in front of them.

"Well," Revan spoke loud enough for him to hear, "I see you don't need our help. When you're through, we'd like to talk to you, if you have the time."

The big man looked at her with a scowl, then recognized her and broke into a wide grin.

"Be with you in a minute!"

He turned his attention back to the three remaining thugs.

"Your friends do not back you!" One of the Rhodians taunted.

"If I needed them, they'd not hesitate to cut you down," Canderous replied with a growl. "But I don't need their help with the likes of you."

He took a step toward the one who'd spoken and the other two decided they'd had enough and ran for the door. Just as it opened however, they were knocked down by their companion, whom Canderous had picked up and thrown at them. As they scrambled over each other to get out of the door, the big Mandalorian made his way to the table Revan had chosen. He gave Atton a nod and eyed the two women and shook his head. As he swung a chair around to straddle it backwards, he spoke.

"I should have known the two of you would find each other."

"It did seem inevitable," Revan agreed. "So you're Mandalore now."

"Yeah, we're slowly rebuilding, but we can discuss that later. What are you doing here and what do you need me for?"

Both women grinned. As usual, Canderous came right to the point.

"You free right now? To travel, I mean."

"For you, always. Whose butt are we kicking this time?"

All four at the table laughed and more than one pair of eyes turned to look their way, but one pair in particular had been watching them from the moment they had entered the cantina. The shadow sith stood in a far corner where none of the lights reached. No one had seen him when he first appeared and no one saw him now as he slowly thinned until he was no more than a tendril of smoke and slid through a crack in the wall.

A little while later, empty glasses in front of them, Revan had just finished telling Canderous what they were facing.

"Sounds like this big fella is the one I need to concentrate on," he commented.

"I was thinking that too," Revan agreed. "He seems to prefer physical fighting over the Force, and our powers so far only have a minimal effect on him at any rate."

"My kind of adversary," Canderous admitted.

"So, come on," Anara urged. "How do you know Revan and why didn't you ever say anything before?"

"The subject never came up," he answered. "I was still watching you, to see how things were going to work out. I had a feeling about you but wanted to be sure; working with jedi is tricky business. As for Revan, I don't know if it was fate, luck, or the Force, but it was fortuitous. If we hadn't met when we did, we both probably would have become part of the rubble Malak made of Telos."

"Canderous helped me steal the Ebon Hawk from Davik Kang. He was a crime lord with the Exchange," Revan added. We barely escaped the destruction of Telos. Canderous was part of my crew until…"

"Until you took off," he chastised, looking at her sternly. When she started to protest, he held up a hand. "I know…it was something you had to do and it must have been the right thing because it got me moving—looking for other Mandalorians and sending them to Dxun."

"What about you and Anara?" Revan asked. "What's the story there?"

"He gave me a lift to Onderon when we were forced to land on Dxun," Anara explained. "Then, as with you I'd imagine, he got caught up in the situation."

"Huh!" Canderous looked at her in surprise. "And I thought I was one for understatement!"

When Revan cocked an eyebrow at him, he went on. "It started out she was just looking for a jedi…Master Kavar…but she wound up talking me into helping her defeat General Vaklu and keeping Queen Talia on the throne."

"I never asked you to get involved with that," Anara pointed out, "but I couldn't have done it without you and your men." She looked at Revan. "He was also with me on the Ravager…when I killed Nihlius."

"It was very satisfying, watching that ship disintegrate."

"We should probably go back to the Council chambers," Revan suggested. "We'll need to get underway soon. Do you need to pick up anything before we go?"

Canderous' grin spread across his face. "Now you know me, I always travel light."

He got up and walked over to the bar. Reaching behind it, he pulled out the biggest gun any of them had ever seen. Atton had been getting up from his chair and had merely glanced over, but now he did a double take, his jaw dropping. Canderous chuckled at their expressions.

"It's called a Crescent Blaster. High energy beam, plasma thrower, rocket and grenade launcher." He shrugged. "It's my new toy."

He hoisted it up on his shoulder and reached down once more to grab something long and wrapped in cloth. As they headed out the door, Atton eyed the huge gun on Canderous' shoulder and commented:

"New toy, huh?"

They were almost to the Jedi Temple when Revan's comlink crackled.

"Revan, do you hear me?"

It was Carth, and they could all hear the urgency in his voice.

"What is it?" Revan responded quickly. They could hear blaster fire and the clashing of lightsabers in the background.

(Static) "…those things you called 'shadow sith'…everywhere!" (more blaster fire) …"someone throw me a damn sword!" (more static)…"you need to"… Then there was silence.

"Carth!" Revan yelled into the comlink. With a quick glance at her companions, she broke into a run and the others followed. Even Canderous kept up, despite his heavy load. When they reached the steps to the temple, Revan reminded them, more for Atton and Canderous than for Anara or herself:

"Break their lightsabers; it's the only way to stop them!"

"And if we run into big boy?" Canderous asked.

"Then you and I tag team him. I can cover you from any Force powers he may use and can augment your defense, but he'll no doubt be using that oversized lightsaber of his and it's his strength we need to overcome."

As they ran up the steps, Canderous growled eagerly, "Then we shouldn't have a problem."

At the top of the steps they entered a courtyard and saw the first signs of battle. Two men, couriers by the look of their clothing, lay slain near the center fountain. They ran past them through the main doors and followed the trail of bodies scattered on the floor. This led them to the Council chambers where the fight was still going on. The doors were wide open and they could see Carth just beyond them, holding his own against two of the shadow creatures.

With a burst of speed, Revan dashed into the room and, swinging her double-bladed saber over her head, took a small leap at the one trying to flank Carth, slicing down to separate her opponents' blade from its smoky hilt. Even as the shadow barely began to fade, she spun to her left, coming around to help Carth dispel the one facing him. She gave Carth a wink and took a quick glance around the room.

Master Maalru was dead; Masters Zin-Den, Qusak and Bastila were each dealing with their own shadow sith. Just inside the doors and to the right, Anara and Atton were switching off on three shadowy adversaries, their movements so in tandem she wished she had time to just watch them work together. She looked quickly for Canderous and spotted him already in the center of the room. He'd already realized his huge arm cannon was no use against this foe and was wielding what, presumably, had been originally wrapped in the cloth he'd been carrying. It was a beautiful vibrosword, with gold edging halfway down the length of the blade and a handle made of some kind of black stone. It was longer too, than any she had seen before and the blade was wider (unless its magnificence merely made it seem so) and Revan was impressed.

She swatted aside attacks, aggressively parrying her way toward him. She wanted to get to Canderous' side quickly because in her visual sweep of the room, she'd seen the big Sith'ari; the one Anara had said was called Nios, standing near the far wall and eyeing the Mandalorian. His unlit hilt was in one hand, his other hand was clenched and he seemed about to move toward them, but just as Revan reached Canderous, she had to spin around as one of the shadow sith came at her from behind. She brought her dual blade up to block at the same time that the creature raised its own weapon up and to its right and a third lightsaber came from beyond it to cut the shadowsaber in two. As it started to dissipate, Revan saw Bastila through the smoke and nodded, quickly turning back around and expecting to see Nios almost upon them.

Instead, he was still near the wall and was now gazing intently at Anara. She had just finished breaking a shadowsaber and looked up to see Nios was not far from her. Shooting a quick glance back at Atton to make sure he wasn't in trouble, she turned back to face the Sith'ari and took a step toward him. As Revan gritted her teeth and fought yet another shadow, she could see Nios say something to Anara. Anara held the battle stance she'd taken, but Revan saw her answer. Revan felt a tingle rush through her, a premonition of trouble. As Nios took a step toward Anara and held out his fist, she started moving and yelled at Canderous to follow. Two steps and Nios had opened his fist and blew some kind of powder into Anara's face. She reeled back, coughing, and fell to the floor.

Revan leaped and was between them, and Nios turned his attention to her, growling. He swung his lightsaber against hers, almost knocking it from her hand. Then he found himself parrying not only her blade, but Canderous' as well. Atton had taken care of his opponent and turned to see Anara down on the floor and two more shadow sith heading her way. He quickly moved to stand over her and faced them as they raised their weapons.

Nios was still annoyed with Revan for coming between him and the Karani but was actually enjoying the sparring with the big man now in front of him. He blocked Canderous' blows, and occasionally Revans' as she sought to make contact. However, Nios was moving a lot quicker than when she'd first fought him and all she could manage was a slice or two off of his robe. Her constant jabs and slices though were irritating him and when he glanced over and saw Anara still on the floor with Atton straddling her and the two shadow sith that were meant to take her gone, it angered him even more.

He turned on Revan, raining blows and swings on her until she lost her footing backing up and went down on her back. He grinned, thinking he had her now when suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder. He started to turn even though he also noticed Carth appearing next to Revan and helping her to her feet. Nios wasn't expecting Canderous to have stepped in so close and was taken by surprise when the Mandalorian's fist made contact with his face. He was knocked back but not down and seeing all the shadow creatures gone, decided he'd better end things for now. Sweeping an arm from left to right, he let loose a powerful wave of energy, made stronger by his frustration. Everyone and everything in the room not secured to the floor went flying to the back and sides of the room as Nios dashed past and fled. Bastila was thrown against the chairs that the Masters occupied when holding audience. Masters Zin-Den and Qusak, who had been standing near the back, were knocked over a table, landing against the wall with the table coming to rest on top of them.

Atton had been crouching beside Anara when the wave hit and he went sliding on his rear to smash hard into the wall. As he fell sideways, fighting not to lose consciousness, Anara came sliding up to slam into him, knocking the breath out of him and he came a little closer to passing out. Canderous, Revan and Carth were thrown against the wall hard enough that Canderous left a deep impression and Revan and Carth left cracks.

5

Everyone was nursing scratches, scrapes and bruises as they got up, but none of them were seriously injured and Master Maalru was the only one that hadn't survived. Canderous rolled his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck. As soon as Carth and Revan were assured the other was alright, they moved to check on Bastila and the two Masters buried beneath the table. Revan let them take care of getting the table off of Zin-Den and Qusak, turning her attention to where Atton and Anara had landed. They were still on the floor and Atton had Anara's head cradled in his lap. She ran over and squatted beside them. Atton looked up at her, very worried.

"I can't wake her!"

Revan checked Anara's pulse, then put her hand on her friends' forehead and closed her eyes for a moment. "She'll be okay Atton, I promise. I'm sure it'll wear off, though I'll admit I don't know how long it will take." She touched his arm to reassure him. "They want her alive; she's important to them."

"Important…how?" They both looked up to see Bastila standing nearby. "What haven't you told us, Revan?"

Revan started to say she didn't know exactly, when another voice called from the doorway.

"I may be able to answer that, to some degree."

Mical looked disheveled, but otherwise unharmed. Visas was with him and she moved to help as Atton picked Anara up and laid her on top of a table. The others gathered around Mical who had placed a book on another table and opened it.

"The Jedi artifacts weren't the only things brought back from Telos when Atris decided to exile herself and go into hiding," he said sheepishly. "She had quite a number of Sith artifacts and holocrons as well."

He directed their attention to the page he had opened to. The drawing didn't do it justice, but Revan definitely recognized the amulet as being the one around the Sith'ari Master's neck.

"I haven't found much," Mical admitted. "Just a small piece in one of the more ancient records." He bent over the book and began reading. " 'There will come a time when our numbers will grow small, and to the shadows of space we will go. Yet always three will remain to watch for the signs. When Xanya returns, we shall once again multiply and claim dominance over the stars'."

He looked up at them. "Now, about the amulet…" and he bent over the book again. "Apparently Ajunta Pall had found a hidden passage to an ancient sith temple on Korriban. In it, he found an 'object of powerful dark energy'. It helped him to become one of the most ruthless and feared of all the dark lords."

He paused while they looked at the picture. "The amulet holds great power and was supposedly created by the original Sith'ari. If what I read is correct, it traps the spirits of those that die by the wearer's hand. They must then do his bidding, coming to life as ethereal beings made of smoke and shadow. Ajunta Pall had his own tomb built over the entrance to that temple and was rumored to have been wearing the amulet when interred there."

"Someone must have found it when the tombs were looted after the Jedi Civil War," Bastila offered.

"Is there any way to destroy it?" Revan asked.

"No," Mical answered, "and I can't decipher the inscriptions on the amulet either."

"Revan, you said Anara understood the Sith'ari when they spoke. Shouldn't she be able to read the inscriptions?" Bastila wondered.

They all glanced at the unconscious woman on the table.

"Well," Revan commented with a shrug, "as soon as she wakes up we can ask her."

Revan studied the picture of the amulet while they waited for Anara to awaken. Canderous rewrapped his vibrosword after showing it to Atton. Bastila was sitting in one of the council chairs, talking with Mical and Master Zin-Den.

"So who, or what, is this Xanya you referred to?"

"Well, after what Master Anara told us about the statue and its resemblance to her, I'm guessing this Xanya was some great leader of the Sith'ari."

"Why do you call her 'Master'?" Bastila asked, annoyed. "She is no longer a member of the Jedi Order."

"She will always be Master to me," Mical said, surprised by her tone. "She is the one who taught me the Force. No matter what her choices are now, I know she will always expect a lot from herself. Jedi or not, she will always be a master of the Force."

Anara moaned and started to stir. Atton moved quickly to help her sit up. She saw the concern on his face and managed a small smile to reassure him, then looked around at the others, slightly embarrassed.

"What happened? Nios…"

"He took off," Revan told her.

"He ran away!" Canderous spit out. He hadn't wanted the fight to end so fast. He still wanted to see what the big Sith'ari was made of.

"No," Master Zin-Den corrected. "He left knowing he would get another chance. He didn't get what he came for," he said, looking pointedly at Anara, "and he wants to choose the next battlefield."

Anara shivered and said in a low voice, "I know where they're going."

"Yes," Revan nodded. "I saw Nios speak to you. What did he say?"

"He said his master, Master Tsuinsu, would be waiting for…us on Korriban, in the place where it all began."

"The temple under Ajunta Pall's tomb," Revan guessed. "But that wasn't all."

"No, it wasn't. He…he also said he had been…given permission to destroy my past."

"What did he mean by that?" Bastila asked.

"I don't know for sure," she answered. "I don't even know who my parents were. I was told by Master Kavar that a woman, apparently my mother, had brought me to the jedi enclave on Dantooine when I was a baby. She was shot in the back before she could gain entry. They took me in and, after finding out I could use the Force they decided to train me. I lived all my early life there."

"No one knew who this woman was?" Master Qusak queried.

"No, the body had disappeared by the time they had taken me in and come back for her."

"So how can they destroy her past when she doesn't remember it herself?" Atton asked, confused.

"They mean to attack Dantooine," Visas put in. "It is the only past she has known."

"I think so too," Revan agreed. She also sensed there was still something Anara hadn't told them about her short conversation with Nios, but she kept silent, wanting to talk to her privately. "We need to get to Dantooine as fast as possible."

"Wait!" Mical interrupted. "The amulet! I found a drawing, Master; would you take a look and see if you can decipher any of the symbols on it?"

Anara looked intently at the photo, scanning the markings surrounding the gemstone. She closed her eyes for a moment, then shook her head.

"I don't know. None of the symbols mean anything to me."

"You're lying," Bastila accused her. Anara gave her a surprised look.

Atton shot Bastila a look also, but no one noticed. He was thinking he didn't care much for this woman, Jedi Master or not.

"No I'm not," Anara said. "I…got a feeling, yes, of horrible power, but I honestly do not know what those symbols mean. I have no reason to lie about this."

"Nor would you," Atton sided with her, ignoring the look that Bastila now gave him. "I agree with Revan; we should get back to Dantooine as quickly as we can."

"Yes, go," Master Zin-Den spoke up, ending the conversation, "and may the Force be with you."

6

As he and Carth prepared the Ebon Hawk for take-off, Atton let his mind wander. He didn't like Bastila, didn't trust her. It didn't help that when they had all boarded, she promptly claimed the port crew quarters he had planned on sharing with Anara. Anara, on the other hand, had moved their things to the cargo hold, never uttering a word. It wasn't like her and he realized she'd been pretty quiet ever since the fight in the Council room.

After they had left Coruscant, Revan had gone to the cargo hold to speak with Anara. Visas was with her.

"When you get a moment, I'd like to talk with you." She started to turn away but Anara called to her.

"Come on in." She tilted her head toward Visas and continued. "You both want to know the same thing anyway and this is as close as we're going to get to a private conversation, so we'd better take advantage of it."

"Fair enough," Revan commented and entered the room. "I just want to ask you what else Nios said to you. The part you didn't tell everyone in the Council chambers."

Anara looked at her, then at Visas, and sighed. "He said if I would know my destiny then I would go to Korriban. That there I would either accept my fate, or die with the rest of the galaxy."

Revan watched her intently. "What was your reply?"

"I told him my destiny was my own to choose, that I had been manipulated before and wouldn't allow it to happen again."

"There is something else," Visas prompted.

Anara switched her weight from one foot to the other, not wanting to admit the rest wasn't just a bad dream, but she knew it really happened and Revan and Visas would at least understand.

"After I spoke, Nios just grinned at me…and I heard a voice…in my head. I think he heard it too. It was his master calling to me, telling me to come to him and learn the truth." She lowered her voice and looked Revan in the eye. "I…almost went with him. I felt myself take a step. When I hesitated, that's when he blew that powder in my face."

Revan took a deep breath and let it out, nodding. "Thank you for telling me. Let me know if it happens again; we'll help you fight it."

"You are thinking of facing him alone," Visas said, and Revan shot her a surprised look. Then she glanced at Anara and saw it was true. "I would advise against it; you are too uncertain of your past and the possible connection to these beings. Not knowing the truth before you confront them may make it difficult to remain objective."

"I may not be able to discover the truth without facing them," Anara replied candidly.

"Let's just take one step at a time," Revan told her.

Revan stopped in the central area of the ship on her way to the cockpit. HK-47 was standing there. She hadn't spoken to him much since their escape from the dead planet.

"HK, I was discussing events with Anara during our return to Republic space and I'm curious about something. Why did she have to replace so many parts to get you operational again? What happened after you and T3 left me on that planet?"

"Comment: I have been wondering that myself, master, ever since I have been reactivated. No satisfactory answer has been forthcoming. I must admit, I was slightly confused when I first determined I was no longer under your command again. However, I had assumed you had been terminated and all your possessions had been claimed by the one called the Exile. I am happy to see I was mistaken, master."

"Are you saying you don't know what happened after you left?"

"Reply: I was cognizant of my surroundings until just before reaching the core worlds. The Ebon Hawk came under attack and when I tried to begin countermeasures, I seem to have been incapacitated, possibly by blaster fire at close range. The gap in my memory core at any rate begins at that time and ends with my reactivation by the Exile. Conjecture: Since the only crew members present at the time were myself and the astromech droid, I suspect he had a hand in my deactivation, or has pertinent information on the subject, but I have yet to receive a satisfactory answer from him."

"Maybe I'll question him on it," Revan told him, amused.

"Eager request: I would be glad to help you interrogate him, master. I am sure my methods would achieve faster results."

"That's okay, HK," she said, turning from him and smiling to herself. "I think I can manage." Great, she thought as she moved on toward the cockpit; it just figured she would have droids that got along like jealous children.

When they arrived on Dantooine they knew right away Nios was there, or had been. The docking port had been destroyed, but thankfully there were only a few dead bodies. Everyone else must have run off. They started for the enclave, getting as far as the bridge just to the north of the administration building, when a man came running from the building toward them. They let him catch his breath, but the news wasn't good.

"Thank the stars you're here!" He exclaimed. "There were strange creatures attacking the citizens here and now they are at the jedi enclave! You have to hurry and help them!"

"Is the administration building clear?" Revan asked him.

"Yes, that's where everyone ran to when whatever those things are headed for the enclave."

"Good, get back inside. Tell everyone to stay put until you get word it's safe," Revan said, then turned to the group. "Come on, maybe we're not too late."

The fight was still on when they reached the enclave. They saw Nios in the courtyard and Anara started to move toward him, but Revan stopped her.

"Wait, let Canderous and I take him. Don't even get close to him if you can help it. You and the others take care of the shadow sith and pass the word around on how to defeat them."

Anara and the others spread out to help those battling the shadows. Bastila motioned that she was going to check inside the structure and Anara called to Visas and Carth to go with her. As they fought, she and Atton told the few jedi that were there about breaking the shadow's lightsabers to make them disperse. When they first joined the fight there were approximately a dozen shadow sith to contend with. When they had them down to two, losing one of the three Jedi that had been there, Anara told the other two and Atton to find Bastila and see if her group needed help. Atton shot a glance in Nios' direction, but he nodded and ran inside. Anara swung around to face the remaining shadows.

While all this had been going on, Revan had used a force barrier to protect herself and Canderous from any Force powers Nios might use and they advanced on him. Nios had grinned widely upon seeing the Mandalorian and scowled at Revan. He knew she had killed Vix (with the Karani's help—he had seen the holes in the body left by their sabers) and he wanted her head in payment. The karani he would deal with later. He didn't care about Master Tsuinsu's 'prophecy'. He wanted to be the last of the Sith'ari. Then the galaxy would be his and his alone. The only question was who to kill first, the karani or the master. He had used his own powers to guard against Revan's so the battle between the three of them proved fruitless in terms of victory. All three were somewhat impressed with one of the others' strength, stamina, or willpower. Nios grudgingly admired Revan's tenacity, but felt nothing else other than contempt. For Canderous he had a warrior's respect, the pleasure of fighting a worthy opponent. Suddenly, in the midst of their private battle, they heard a cry of frustration and then pain.

Revan and Canderous saw the smile that appeared on Nios' face as he stepped back from them. They both jumped back and turned around quickly. Master Tsuinsu had seemingly appeared from nowhere right next to Anara and had used Force lightning before she'd even seen him. Then, as they watched, he touched her shoulder and they both simply disappeared. Their shock was cut short by Nios' laughter.

"It is done!" He said triumphantly, and Revan was surprised she could understand his words, then realized he was speaking basic.

"Yesss," he went on, grinning evilly at her, "I will sspeak so you can underssstand my wordssss."

As he spoke, Atton, Carth, Visas and Bastila were emerging from the enclave along with another jedi; an older man Revan recognized but didn't have time to acknowledge.

"What happened?" Atton demanded, looking around wildly. "Where's Anara?"

Nios sneered at him, at them all. "She has gone to learn the truth. My Master will show her what she needs to know and she will accept…or die!"

"Taken her?" Atton started to panic. "Taken her where?"

"Where her destiny began and was first interrupted," Nios stated, lowering his head and planting his feet, preparing. "I am here to see that no one follows!"

"Just how are you going to stop us?" Canderous asked, raising his vibrosword.

Nios didn't answer. Instead, he glanced at the old Jedi that had joined them and with an almost imperceptible nod of his head, sent the old man to his knees, clutching at his throat.

"Stop it!" Revan yelled and was surprised when he did.

Nios wasn't done though. He made a motion with his hand and the old Jedi was caught in a whirlwind.

"Leave him alone!" Revan yelled again and, with the Force, launched a plasteel cylinder at him. It didn't hurt him, but broke his concentration and the Jedi fell to the ground. Revan rushed at Nios and the others surrounded them, but only Atton and Bastila joined the fight. Even Canderous stood back while lightsabers leaped and flashed and Nios blocked them all.

They went on this way for awhile and then, when Nios was keeping Revan and Bastila at bay, Atton thought he saw an opportunity. He was behind Nios and brought his two blue-hued lightsabers together and raised them over his head. However, Nios sensed him and spun around.

"Damn," Atton muttered, thinking he'd lost the chance to end it, but just as Nios raised his own lightsaber to attack he was caught in a stasis field. The old Jedi and Revan had both hit him at the same time. Atton didn't hesitate any longer. Still keeping his blades together, he swung them as one in a sideways sweep meaning to sever Nios' head from his body. His sabers found only empty air.

"What the…!" He exclaimed in confusion. Nios had done a disappearing act of his own.

"Damn!" Revan said loudly.

"Now, now," the old Jedi commented, "No need to get upset. I'm sure that won't be the last time you run into that one."

Revan smiled at him. "It's good to see you again, Jolee, how are you?"

"I'm old, that's how I am. Looks like you're involved in something interesting though. Could you use another hand?"

"I'm not sure you'd want to get in the middle of this one," Revan said, shaking her head.

"Hmmph, I may be old, but I'm good for one last adventure," Jolee informed her.

Atton had been getting more and more impatient and finally blurted out: "Let him come, but we need to get going! Anara may need us!"

Revan agreed and they all headed back to the ship. Revan explained everything to Jolee on the way and they let the people at the admin building know it was okay to come out. Jolee Bindo had met Revan while she, Bastila and Carth were searching for the Star Maps—the incomplete maps that had been found on various planets that, when put together, had led them to the Star Forge. The Star Forge had been an immense 'living factory' that could use dark side energy to create weapons, ships, and battle droids. It was something she had discovered with Malak when she was a Dark Lord and had been searching for again after being captured by the Jedi and having her mind reprogrammed by the Council. Jolee had been living on the forest floor of Kashyyyk for years when Revan showed up and, knowing who she was, had asked to join her crew, intrigued by the fact that she was now helping the Republic and didn't know her true identity. After she killed Malak and the Republic destroyed the Star Forge, he had gone his own way again and she hadn't seen him until now. After filling him in, she made her way to the cockpit where Carth and Atton seemed to be having problems.

"What's wrong with the Hawk?" Atton was asking.

"I don't know," Carth replied. "She feels sluggish. Maybe someone messed with her while we were at the enclave. She's definitely responding slower than she should."

"Great, just great!" Atton said angrily.

"I'll have T3 take a look," Revan commented calmly. "Just do your best to get us to Korriban."

7

Anara suddenly found herself in a room and had no clue as to how she got there. One minute she had been fighting shadow sith at the enclave on Dantooine and then she'd felt the pain of force lightning. Her sight had gone grey for a few seconds and when it cleared, she was here. The room was large and made of grey stone, reminding her of tombs she'd been in. She was lying down but turns of her head showed her a set of double doors at one end and a platform with a chair (throne?) at the other. Master Tsuinsu was seated on that chair. She got up, noticing she was on a bench to one side of the room, and she could feel the same dark energy here that she had felt on the planet where she'd found Revan. Her hands moved to her sides. He had not taken her lightsabers, which confused her, but she didn't draw them yet. She knew she could ignite them quickly enough if needed. The Sith'ari Master waited until she was directly in front of him before speaking in that strange sibilant language she'd heard him use.

"Welcome Xanya."

He greeted her as if she were a guest come to visit.

"Why do you call me that?" She demanded. He could sense both her fear and her curiosity and he smiled.

"It is who you are. It is why you were born, and why you are here now."

"I'm here because you brought me here," she corrected. "Why? What do you want from me?"

"I want to awaken you to the truth, about yourself, about your past, and the legacy that was left to you."

"Explain yourself!" Anara demanded again, her nervousness making her speak louder than she'd intended, but the Sith'ari Master just laughed. The sound of it gave her goosebumps.

"You give commands like a true Karani," he answered calmly. "But let me show you what you have forgotten!"

Suddenly he was in her head and she saw flashes of her past as he sorted through her memories violently, taking her back to infancy. The pain was excruciating and she screamed, dropping to her knees and clutching her head, then finally lying on the floor, unable to move. All she could do was lay there, blood trickling out of her mouth and nose, while the Sith'ari raped her brain, taking her past her birth to show her the beginning.

Planets and stars flew by and then slowed as one particular planet swung into view. Anara recognized it somewhere in her subconscious. It was the planet where she had found Revan and the Sith'ari, although now it appeared to have life and lush vegetation. The planet kept growing and she realized she was being shown what had happened there long ago. There was a battle going on; bodies littered the ground. She saw two Jedi standing back to back, at first holding their own against the enemy. Then three Sith'ari approached them slowly. Anara recognized them as Vix, Nios, and Tsuinsu, even though they were much younger in the vision. Somewhere in her mind she wondered at this. This battle had to have taken place almost a thousand years ago, surely they could not have lived that long!

Vix and Nios had been in front of Tsuinsu, partially blocking him from view. Now they stepped apart, letting him move up between them. He was wearing the amulet. The two Jedi faced them together but the three Sith'ari outmatched them. The fight was over quickly and when the Jedi were dead, Tsuinsu approached them. One of them had died by his hand and he stood beside this one now. He raised his arms and the stone in the amulet began to glow. Bright energy rose up out of the fallen Jedi, swirling and twisting, and Anara was horrified as the life force of the Jedi flew into the gemstone. What she saw next didn't surprise her but was no less shocking to watch. Vix had come up beside the other Jedi. He reached down to grab the head by the hair and with his lightsaber, cut the head from the body. Then this image faded away and another took its place.

She saw another battle being waged between Sith'ari and the Jedi. They were in this very room and there was a woman standing in the center of it, surrounded by dead bodies. Lightning flashed and crackled around her, flying from her fingers. She wore a black cloak and underneath, a gown of black and red, but the hood on the cloak hid her face. Then there was an explosion and the image (memory?) faded and yet another surfaced. A woman was lying on a bed, dying, and she knew it was the same one even though she still could not see her face. A Sith'ari male hovered over her.

"There is nothing we can do mistress. The others have scattered to the farthest reaches of space as you commanded. There they will remain until you call for them."

The woman feebly raised a hand. "Our time will come again," she breathed. "When a girl-child is once again born of Sith'ari blood, I shall return and we will reclaim what was once ours. Have patience and watch for me."

Then this too faded away and Anara moaned and thrashed around on the floor.

"See it all," Master Tsuinsu whispered urgently in her mind, "and believe!"

She screamed again as he thrust another vision into her mind.

A woman, a Jedi, was laying half-conscious on the ground. Her eyes fluttered open with a confused look, then opened wider in fear as a cloaked figure descended upon her. She screamed as the figure raped her. When it was done, the dark figure stood above her.

"When the child you now carry is born, you will bring her to us."

Then suddenly Anara saw the woman running, clutching an infant to her. She ran toward the Jedi enclave on Dantooine, but just as she reached the entry and banged her fist against it, something hit her from behind and she fell. The door opened too late for her, but someone picked up the infant and then this memory too, faded and there was no more.

Anara was vaguely aware she was back in the present, but afterimages kept playing behind her closed eyes. When she finally opened them Master Tsuinsu was standing over her.

"Now you know who you are," he hissed. "And now I will show you the power you possess, but know not yet how to use!"

He extended his arm toward her and a beam of energy shot from his fingers to engulf her. She screamed again, writhing on the floor until, mercifully, blackness overtook her and she sank into unconsciousness.