Star Wars: The Shadows Within

by Ellmon

This story takes place from the LotF series Fury on, with slight forshadowing of the Fate of the Jedi series. All told from the viewpoint of Kyle Katarn. Please enjoy and leave reviews: PLEASE READ AT OWN RISK, CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Star Wars:

The Shadows Within

Dramatis Persona:

Kyle Katarn: Jedi Master (Human male)

Luke Skywalker: Grand Master (Human male)

Jaina Solo: Jedi Knight (Human female)

Jaden Korr: Jedi Knight (Human male)

Cha Niathal: Admiral, Head of State in exile (Mon Cal female)

Kenth Hamner: Jedi Master (Human male)

Cilghal: Jedi Master (Mon Cal female)

Saba Sebatyne: Jedi Master (female Barabel)

Chapter One: A Helping Hand

The twilight was beautiful, and it was in rare moments like these that he could almost forget the galaxy was in all out war. Almost forget all of those who have died, who were dying, and who were going to die to bring this bloody conflict to an end.

Almost.

Almost was before he had faced one of the main causes in this war head to head in one what was his most brutal lightsaber duel ever against one of his former students, Jacen Solo. It had pained him that some of those moves used against him were the very one's he had taught him.

That, and not the scar on his chest, was the thing that hurt Kyle Katarn the most. He lay on the ground, his arms behind his head, and his cloak under him on the ground, and his lightsaber to the side, not on his belt as it usually was. He didn't even want to look at it at the moment, for it was a reminder of how much blood he had shed in this war, and so many before it.

Even though he was the Jedi Order's first and foremost Battlemaster, perfect in the three forms of lightsaber combat, it always hit him afresh when he used it to kill, but those small pangs were always brushed away when he reminded himself that he killed to protect, to save those he loved. To remember the promise he had made to his father, who had died to protect the galaxy. He could not forget his vow, no matter how chaotic the galaxy would get in the near future.

He felt a small flux in the force, someone approaching him. He remained relaxed, knowing that no enemy had found them here, and this flux was one of…confusion, and slight fear. Kyle felt intrigued now, wondering who this could be: Maybe Luke Skywalker, he was under a lot right now, Jedi being killed almost daily, his wife murdered, and it was amazing that he could still keep going on. But that was his strength, why he was the leader of the Jedi, only he could keep them going, no matter how bad it got.

So it was to his surprise that he found Jaina Solo walking toward him, hands behind her back, head bowed, she obviously didn't know she was about three yards from walking right into him.

Kyle spotted a small log on the ground and with a small smile, lifted it with the Force and placed it in her path, near her stomach. She walked right into it and gave a small "oomph" and immediately looked up.

Kyle gave a small smile. "One of the most important tools of a Jedi, always mind your surroundings,"

Jaina let out a small jump as she saw who was speaking. She barely knew Kyle Katarn, knowing only that he was one of the Jedi who had been sent on the strike mission to bring her brother in, and had suffered greatly for it.

"Forgive me Master Katarn, I did not see you there," She let out a small bow.

Kyle frowned, he hated the formalities.

"It's alright," He said, getting up with some difficulty. His side was still hurting; it would take a few more days until he could wield a lightsaber again. "And from now on, no more bowing in front of me. You can do it with the other masters, but it just makes me feel old," He shrugged on his cloak and walked toward her.

Jaina gave a small smile. "Of course Master Katarn. Forgive me for bothering you, I'll be on my way," She turned to go. Something about her seemed oddly familiar to Kyle, something he couldn't quite place.

"Jaina!" Kyle called after her. She turned to face him again. "Is there something wrong?"

There was a split second shiver that went across her face, it was all Kyle needed.

Jaina looked at him, her face masked from any emotion. However, Kyle could easily feel the swirl of confusion and frustration coming from within.

"Nothing Master Katarn, just this war…" She said, dipping her head again and turning to leave. Kyle frowned and called after her.

"I faced him Jaina…I know it's painful to hear…but he's not your brother anymore…he's not even a Jedi anymore…he's evil."

Jaina Solo stopped in her tracks. She turned to face him, anger on her face.

"And how would you know?" She said to him. "He will always be my brother, that part of me I can't ever forget, he's my twin, and he's still a Jedi…"

"Jaina," Kyle said calmly. "Do you think your brother would have done this to a fellow Jedi, one who spent years teaching him some of the very skills he used against me?"

He slide up his shirt to show her the jagged scar on his chest. The look on her face went from anger to horror, eyes wide.

"And do you think your brother, a Jedi, would have killed Mithric the way Jacen did?" Kyle asked gently, taking a step toward her.

Jaina did not speak, her mouth kept opening and shutting, working out some argument that would never come and Kyle knew she was trying to find some way to protect her brother.

"I'm sorry Master Katarn…please forgive me," She said quietly, looking slightly ashamed.

Kyle lowered his shirt and walked to her; he put his hands on her shoulders and looked down at her.

"It's painful…not the scar…but what he has done, because he was so close to you. Your own brother…he's become something that can't be controlled, something evil Jaina. That makes the pain all the worse," he said gently.

She looked up at him, and he was not surprised to see the tears forming in her eyes.

"I…I can't do it Master Katarn," She said, sitting down on the ground, her head bowed. "I can't face him; I don't even think I want too,"

Kyle sat down beside her, grunting softly. "Who said you have too?"

"I know I have too," She said softly. "I'm the only one that can stop what he's become, it has to be me."

Kyle offered a sad smile. "You speak as though you are some Chosen One, maybe this is true that you are the one who is going to stop him, maybe not, because a lot of people want him dead now."

Jaina looked up at him, but said nothing.

"You know," Kyle said, leaning back on the ground. "You remind me a lot of Jan: she would always go head strong into what needed to be done, and that usually meant saving my hind from some enemy, no matter how much was at stake for herself. No matter what happens, no matter who tries to stop you, who will tell you to not do it, your going too try. You know in your heart, not your head that you have to stop Jacen. And you know this because you won't ever rest until you know he's out of harms way."

Jaina frowned. "But he's the one putting everyone in harms way."

"Oh he is," Kyle shrugged. "But he's also in harms way, you are the only one who wants to get him out of other people's way, because not very many people out there want to give him a quiet send off."

"You make it sound like I want to give him a graceful death, what makes you sure that I want to kill him?" Jaina said, a flash of anger on her face, but that same small fear in her eyes.

Kyle noted that this was really the first time they had ever talked, usually he offered a word of advice whenever she was seeing the Council, but this was something else all together, and Kyle didn't know if he should go on with it.

"I never said you had to kill him, I only said you want him out of the way, the means to that end are entirely up to you, but I do know that if he catches up with Boba Fett, I'm not so sure his Dark Force powers can protect him."

At the mention of Fett, something subtly changed in the force, Jaina's anger and fear were still there, but something else was added to the mix now: a slight sign of intrigue.

"Fett?" Jaina asked, taking a cautious step forward and looking confused. "What do you know about him?"

Kyle looked away from her and stared into the night, the soft glow of Ewok fires in the distance drew his attention. He wasn't sure he wanted to open up that much in front of her.

"Master Katarn…Kyle…you've faced him before, haven't you?" She sounded nervous now, like she was on slippery ground, testing each step before she took it. Smart girl.

"Why do you wish to know?" Kyle asked, still looking at the fires.

"I thought that no one in the order outside Master Luke, and my family have dealt with him before." Jaina said, still testing each word. "But that's not true is it; you've fought him before, didn't you?"

He could no longer pretend, looking at the fires, his silence in the force telling Jaina everything that he didn't want to say.

"It was before I knew I was a Jedi…" He finally said.

Jaina wanted him to go on, but realized she was pushing hard for someone she respected, but barely knew as a person, to talk to her about something that had happened to them years ago. Master Katarn…Kyle…had been one of those people she saw walking down the corridor halls and exchanged a polite nod too. He had taught her and her brother some of the more advanced lightsaber techniques and had been there at her knighting ceremony. She also knew that he had trained Jaden Korr, a fellow Jedi Knight and good friend of Zekk's. She had also known of his many adventures before her coming to the academy, such as saving the Valley of the Jedi, and saving the temple from a deranged Dark Jedi. Other than that, Jaina had never spoken to the man before, never had a close connection to him like she had with her uncle, or Master Durron.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want too Kyle," She said, wanting him to understand that she had possibly overstepped her boundaries.

Kyle let out a soft chuckle. "No Jaina, you're not pushing any buttons. It's just been awhile since someone has asked me about Fett…usually when anyone wants to hear a story, it's usually about Jerec or Desann."

Jaina smiled. "I've heard enough about them from the Archive's and Jaden."

Kyle lay back, resting his head on his hands, once again looking at the stars.

"It was during the time of the first Death Star's construction." He said, recalling a memory that he had long put to rest. "Like I said, it was before I knew I was a Jedi. So it was all instincts and an itchy trigger finger in those days. I had just stolen part of the plans to the original Death Star, I was supposed to meet up with the group that held the other section of plans and deliver them to Mon Mothma together. We arranged to meet on Courscant, but someone got a little angry that I had made off with the plans, and arranged for me to have a little visit with Fett…"

He paused, frowning, as if trying to remember something, Jaina waited, hanging on every word, wanting to hear the rest and yet not wanting to push.

"It was terrifying," He said, closing his eyes. "I was using every trick up my sleeve and he was there with something else that I didn't expect, he threw himself at me like a deranged rancor. He didn't speak, he didn't waste time trying to injury me, he only wanted to kill, no other thought on his mind. He wanted to kill me, and he was doing a damn good job at trying to get the job done."

"How did you get away?" Jaina asked, looking down at him.

"Jan, of course..." Kyle said, opening his eyes and looking at her. "She came in and let loose with the turbo-blasters. When the smoke cleared…Fett was gone…I was lucky to have lasted as long as I did."

"But you can count yourself one of the few who stood toe to toe with Fett and lived to tell about it." Jaina replied.

"True," Kyle said, getting up and getting to his feet. "Now here's my question Solo…why do you want to know so much?"

Jaina got to her feet as well and looked up at him. "No real reason Master Katarn…just curious,"

"Just curious," Kyle repeated. "If I had a credit for every time a Jedi student asked me or another master to show them a certain lightsaber move, only to have them say they were 'just curious', Master Cilghal would have a lot of time on her hands, and I would be a very rich Jedi."

Jaina looked down at the ground to hide a smile.

"Why do you want to find Fett?" Kyle asked suddenly.

Jaina's head shot up and looked at him, trying to hide the fact that he hit so close to home about what she wanted to do. "No reason Master Katarn…I was just curious…"

Kyle didn't buy it. "I hope you know he doesn't have a real liking of Jedi…or Solo's for that matter, you can thank your mother and father for that one."

Jaina nodded. "I know, believe me, whenever I was little, my dad used to scare me with stories of him."

Kyle laughed. "The truth is probably worse."

Jaina smiled and looked behind her, as if expecting someone. She looked back at Kyle after a moment.

"Master Katarn…thank you for listening to me, and thank you for your advice…I really appreciate it." Jaina said. She made to bow but caught herself just in time.

"Thank you for listening…and whatever you decide to do in the future, good luck, and may the Force be with you." Kyle said, as he bowed at her.

Jaina let out a small smile, and turned to go, leaving him to watch the stars and the fires roaring in the distance.

Chapter 2: Trials and Tribulations

Months later Kyle was walking down one of the corridors of the Jedi hideout. He had just come from a training exercise with Corran Horn, and was pleased to find his chest healing faster than he thought, he had managed to beat back Horn's furious strikes and was really about to cut loose when Cilghal stopped him and told him to save his strength for the missions ahead.

He was making his way to his quarters for a meditation exercise before the Council Meeting in a few hours time when he heard voices talking from a room down the hall. Shrugging them off as Jedi students discussing the current events he walked past, hearing only snippets of the conversations.

"…still can't believe you let her go after him," That was Leia's voice, and it sounded annoyed.

"Look honey, anything you or I, or even Luke, said wouldn't stop her from going to find Fett." Came Han Solo's voice, on the defensive.

Uh-oh.

Kyle stopped in his tracks and stood there, listening for more.

"That may be true, but if she gets killed because Fett is still annoyed with you, I'll use my lightsaber to cut a brand new smirk on your face."

Kyle tried to suppress a smile, because even though Leia had been a Jedi now for awhile, she still had that Senator's wit about her.

"Don't worry, chances are Fett will merely send her back here packing. He wouldn't let her life get in the way of what's happened between us, it's not his way. He may be a slimeball, but he's an honorable slimeball."

"I hope your right about this Han…" Leia said, defeated.

"Jaina can handle herself babe, she's a big girl now." Han said confidently. "She's got my reflexes with your wit."

There was a scraping sound as the chairs moved, meaning they had gotten up. Kyle continued his walk down to the room, so Jaina had gone after him. He had always wondered why she had wanted to find Fett. Skill wise Jacen was probably her superior once he called on the Dark Side, so he couldn't really blame Jaina for looking for an edge…even though he couldn't possibly see what edge Boba Fett could possibly give her. He mused about this as he entered his quarters, a small, bare room with nothing more than a cot, a sanisteam room, and a desk with drawers for clothing. He showered off and then changed into a fresh shirt, and trousers, unlike the other masters, he did not usually partake in the wearing of the traditional Jedi robes. Only on formal occasions did he wear such attire, and as such he was usually spotted wearing what he had on now, along with his usual flight jacket whenever it was cold. He refrained from wearing the Jedi robes for several reasons: the first being that they were uncomfortable to him, weighing him down in case he needed to move fast in a tense situation. The second and far more personal reason was because he did not want to forget his roots, no matter what Luke taught of feeling connection was lost to him. He wore what he did to be reminded of what he had done and where he had come from, along with the people in his life. People like Jan, who was currently on Mygeeto trying to find an acceptable route for runaways and orphans of the war. He had not spoken to her in months, what with his being a Jedi Master and in the thick of the war, and her being a mercenary just trying to make her living. No matter what, Kyle realized, no matter how much he loved her, they would never be together as he knew they were meant to be.

Feeling too restless to meditate, he made his way back out of his quarters and toward the Masters chambers, where the meeting would shortly begin. As he entered, he was surprised to see he was the only one there, usually Master Luke was looking out the windows as he usually does, hands clasped behind his back. But he was not present now, wherever he might be, probably conferring with the Solo's about their daughter's decision. He took his seat to the left of Skywalkers and waited for the other Masters to file in.

The door opened and Zekk came striding in, along with Jagged Fel, they stopped in their tracks when they realized there were no other masters there besides Kyle. Zekk focused on him, and he and Jagged gave brisk bows.

"Master Katarn, forgive us, we thought the council was convening tonight," Zekk said, coming to a respectful stance, hands behind his back.

"We are," Kyle said, leaning back in his chair. "Any minute now they will be here, but is there anything I can help you with?"

Zekk and Jag glanced at each other. Like Jaina, they knew and respected Kyle, but they had never been in a room alone with him.

"Perhaps this matter is best left to the council as a whole," Zekk said carefully. "No offense meant Master Katarn, but it concerns one of our own…"

"You mean Jaina Solo." Kyle said pointedly. "If it helps, I've discussed this with her before she departed. She knows what she is getting into, and I'm sure the other masters and I will discuss this in greater detail when they arrive."

Zekk bowed again, and Jag merely nodded his head.

"We will wait until after the meeting to bring the matter up again Master Katarn," Zekk said, moving to the exit, Jag looked at Kyle for a moment, as if making his mind up about something, then turned and followed Zekk through the door.

Alone with his thoughts again, Kyle leaned back in the chair and surrounded himself with the calming aura of the Force. It did not last long. Like everything nowadays, it was clouded, besmirched, and uneven, nothing was clear in the force anymore, and Luke had not been lying when he said it disturbed him. Only to the Masters Council had Skywalker declared that not since Emperor Palpatine made his move against the Jedi was the force so hard to read, according to the ancient journal of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi that Luke kept in his quarters, the finals days of the Old Republic were constantly mired by the dark side, with not even the great Grand Master Yoda being able to read the current of the Force. If this was the case then Kyle Katarn wanted to be ready because, like all the other Jedi in the Order, he had read and studied the rise of the Sith and the downfall of the old Jedi Order, he could sense the same thing starting to happen. A lone Jedi reaching for more and more power, bringing the galaxy to the brink of eternal war, the Jedi going into exile, now all they needed was Jacen Solo to declare himself the Dark Lord of the Sith and they would have a very familiar scenario on their hands. It was one thing the Jedi would stop at nothing to keep from happening again.

The doors to the council room opened and Kyp Durron, Corran Horn, Jedi Healer Cilghal, and Kenth Hamner filed into the room, each taking their seats and getting comfortable.

"Katarn, it's a first to see you present before the other masters even arrived, including Master Hamner." Kyp said with a slight grin, he leaned back in his chair in a lazy posture.

Kyle smiled. "I have been known to surprise even myself,"

"Speaking of surprises," Kenth said, leaning forward in his chair. "What of Jedi Jaina Solo going off to find Boba Fett, I could barely believe my ears when Jedi Leia told Master Skywalker?"

"She's got more guts than half the Order to pull a move like that," Corran put in, stroking his neatly trimmed beard. "Especially with the history between Fett and Han,"

"She'll be fine," Kyp said confidently. "If Fett wants to make a move at her, he'll be hard pressed to win the advantage. I swear I've never trained anyone with such a fierce heart."

"I agree," Kyle replied. "Whenever we did combat instruction, I always made sure to put her up against the more experienced Knights. Even then they were struggling to get around her; she's got her fathers courage with her mother's brains,"

Horn laughed. "I remember you and Kam putting her up against Jaden Korr, that wasn't pretty was it Kyle?"

Kyle chuckled. "No it wasn't, one of the better duels I've seen between Knights, but we had to break before Jaina ripped his head off."

"How did she fare whenever she sparred with her brother?" Kenth asked.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room following this. Kenth had the unapologetic impulse to ask the uncomfortable questions, even if they hit a little close to home.

"It was never really clear to be honest," Kyp answered, frowning. "It was like clockwork with those two, so in tune were they with one another it was almost impossible to tell who was better."

Kenth was about to open his mouth to ask another question when the door opened again and Luke Skywalker came striding in, his cloak billowing behind him. As tradition, the masters present stood and bowed, waiting until he took his seat at the head of the room. Once he was seated, the others sat back down and waited patiently for him to speak.

Time and events had not been kind to Luke Skywalker. The recent lose of his wife Mara Jade and the revelation of his nephew's torturing of his only son, not to mention the news of Jedi deaths and injuries coming in almost daily had put a strain on him. His eyes were hollow, as if constantly looking into a bleak and forlorn future, and there seemed to be an invisible weight that was sheltered on him, that no one else could see or touch…or feel.

"Thank you for coming, all of you," Luke said, spreading his arms in welcome, whatever internal struggles he was dealing with, he kept them out of his voice, which had the same youthfulness to it, whether this was for show or for real was lost on the other Masters. "I know that the past times have been difficult, with the recent lose of so many close ones. Master Sebatyne will be joining us shortly, and Kam and Tionne are still recovering from their wounds, isn't that correct Master Cilghal?"

The Mon Cal healer bowed her head.

"Give it another two weeks and they will be good as new," She said in her gravelly voice.

"Speaking of full recoveries, Master Katarn, how are your injuries healing?" Luke asked with an inquisitive look at Kyle.

"Coming along nicely," Kyle said, trying to sound casual. "Just one or two more days and then I will be able to get back in the field,"

"Excellent," Luke said, nodding his approval. "With the numbers being what they are, we need as many Masters our there as possible to track Jacen, although a frontal assault is out of the question now. He'll have surrounded himself with YVH droids and who knows what else?"

Kyp leaned forward. "Master Skywalker, this meeting was called in haste. Is there something else you wish to discuss, because I have a feeling that all you are trying to do is stall time?"

Luke smiled slightly and turned to acknowledge him.

"Yes, you've always had a very perceptible way of the Force Master Durron," Luke stood and moved to the center of the circle. "As you all have heard by now, Jaina Solo has gone to seek out the help of the Mandolorian Bounty Hunter called Boba Fett. She wants him to train her in ways of combat not taught by us in the Order, no offense meant toward our Battle master,"

Kyle nodded his head. "None taken,"

"She knows that her brother Jacen has employed Dark Side tactics against us, and she feels that she has to find something to give her an equal advantage in battle, without stooping to use the dark side. She feels that she is the only one who can stop her brother's tyranny."

Luke stopped pacing and looked each Master in the face before speaking.

"She is preparing herself to kill her own brother."

The collective shock through the force was enough to make them squirm. None of the masters had ever thought of Jaina being the one to go after her brother, Kyle thought, like everyone else, that Luke would be the one to step in and end the conflict. Much like he had done with Lomi Plo and the Dark Nest, without hopefully cutting him into four pieces. But the thought of Jacen Solo's own flesh and blood learning the way to bring him down was enough to make even the most talkative Senator speechless. Kyle glanced around the room and observed the expressions of the other masters: Kyp Durron was leaned back in his chair and stroking his chin, eyes downcast, Corran Horn was staring ahead with no real visible emotion on his face, Cilghal had her eyes closed and muttering to herself, while Kenth was shaking his head.

"Master Skywalker with all due respect but you should have stepped in and said something to her," He said, looking at the Grand Master.

"Maybe I should have," Luke nodded. "But Jaina doesn't know that we know she is going to try and bring down her brother. With her gone, I want to use this meeting to gather to collective opinion of the Council."

"I highly object Master Skywalker," Kenth continued. "Jedi Solo is only a Knight, and the last time we sent a strike team against Jacen, with four Knights and a master to be exact, one of those Knights was killed and Master Katarn was severely wounded. Who knows what will happen to Jedi Jaina if she tries to go after her brother."

"I remember the outcome of that mission Master Hamner," Luke said calmly, taking his seat at the head of the circle. "Jedi Mithric understood the risks and so did Master Katarn. Jaina Solo knows those same risks, but I doubt she will listen to the wisdom of the council."

"I agree," Horn replied. "Jaina Solo has not really shown an admirable track record when it comes to heeding the wisdom of the council. She might be putting the entire Order in danger here, and not to mention that fact that facing her brother could be more dangerous to her than she possibly knows,"

Luke turned to regard him. "How do you mean Master Horn?"

"I mean lets say that Jaina does go after Jacen, and say she bests him, what then? Will she act in a rage and kill her brother? We all know where that path would lead," Horn explained.

"Master Horn, you have discovered my greatest fear," Luke sighed, rubbing his head in his hands. "Jaina defeats Jacen, and in doing so goes down the same path that corrupted Jacen, that corrupted my father Anakin, it would create a never ending cycle that would engulf not only the galaxy, but the Order as well. If Jaina goes after Jacen for vengeance, then she would be no better than her brother, and she is better than him. Which is why we, Masters, have to guide her during this time, I cannot imagine what kind of training Fett is putting her through, but he knows nothing about the Force, and its tantalizing power of the Dark Side. We cannot give Jaina that chance. So If Jaina does indeed go after Jacen, it must be with our blessing, and we must all be in unanimous in this: Jedi Solo must not go after her brother unless she has the blessing of the Council. Are we in agreement?"

He looked around at the other masters. Kyp looked like he was trying to make his mind up about something while Kenth was shaking his head. Corran was leaned back in his chair, fingertips touching as he thought. Unlike most of the Masters, especially Kyp and Corran, Kyle liked to keep a low profile during these meetings, adopting to observe and listen and comment only when absolutely necessary, or asked for his opinion.

The door opened and in walked Master Saba Sebatyne, the Barbel Jedi stopped in her tracks and turned to take in all the other Masters, instantly her eyes narrowed and there was a low hissing sound coming from her mouth.

"Thiz one missed something importantz," She said, glancing from Kyp to Luke.

"Indeed Master Sebatyne," Luke turned to regard her. "We were discussing the choices Jedi Jaina Solo faces if she goes after her brother,"

Saba let out another hiss and walked to the seat beside Kyle.

"Itz tricky," She said, shaking her head. "Jedi Solo is very expirienzed when it comes to the hunt,"

"Indeed she is experienced Master Sebatyne," Kenth said. "But that comes to nothing when we are dealing with the Dark Side. Jedi Solo has proven herself to be reckless and willing to do anything to get the job done, which in this case could draw her deeply into the current of the Dark Side."

Saba nodded. "A very fine line Jedi Solo walkz,"

Luke nodded his agreement. "Indeed Master Sebatyne…but others have been curiously quiet as of late…why is this so Masters Durron, Katarn, and Cilghal?"

"The fact that Jaina has embraced this idea that she is the one to go after her brother is what astounds me the most." Cilghal said. "But she has never been a very orthodox Jedi, so why should she start now? I say that if we give her the training she needs, and our blessing, then she should be allowed to try and bring him in."

"Bring him in?" Kyp asked, leaning forward and looking at the Mon Cal healer. "You mean try to bring him in alive?"

"Yes Master Durron," Cilghal nodded, unflinching. "Jacen Solo needs to be brought back to the temple and taken care of."

"Master Cilghal, with all due respect, I think a course of action that ends with us attempting to bring Jacen in will be disastrous," Kenth Hamner replied, shaking his head.

Cilghal did not back down.

"We thought the same thing with Raynar Thull did we not?" She implored. "And we still got him back to us relatively unharmed."

"Yes, if you don't count the fact that he must be kept in constant stasis," Kyp argued. "Are you saying that Jacen will have to spend the rest of his days in a pod away from the Force?"

Cilghal nodded sadly. "Any course would be better than the one resulting if we let Jaina Solo attempt to go after her brother, Master Durron."

Kyp's face turned from argumentative to understanding.

"I know what you are trying to do Master Cilghal; it's the healer in you to want to preserve all life. But what Jacen has become is beyond saving now, we must act to neutralize if we send Jaina after him." he said, with a soft gentleness to his voice that surprised Kyle.

"I…I agree Master Durron," Cilghal said softly. "I was merely acting as the voice of argument, but as much as it pains me to say so about another living being, he is too dangerous, not only to the Jedi but to the galaxy, to be left in power…to be left alive," She hung her head as she said this.

Luke walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's never easy facing a harsh truth," He said, more to the Council than to her. "Jacen Solo must be eliminated, and Jaina Solo must be given her chance…is this understood?"

All the Masters nodded except for Kyle and Kenth.

"Master Katarn, what do you have to say on the matter?" Corran asked.

Kyle bowed his head.

"Jaina Solo is a powerful Jedi, one of the best in her class; maybe the best after Fett is done with her. If anyone has a chance against Jacen, it will be her, they have a bond that is unique to anyone, and it will be through that bond that Jaina finds the strength she needs to bring down Jacen,"

Kenth still looked reluctant.

"Well it seems my mind has been made up for me," He shrugged. "The will of the Council is too much for me to try and sway…I agree Jaina should be given her chance…But I do so with a very heavy heart."

"It has been noted Master Hamner," Luke said. "So we are all in agreement: Jaina Solo will be the one to go after her brother, but only with the blessing of this council…understood?"

Together they all nodded.

"Alright then," Luke sighed, looking at each master. "We have another topic to discuss before we dismiss: Admiral Cha Niathal has set up the Galactic Alliance government in exile on Fondor and wants to get back to talks with the Jedi Order. I have told her we would meet with the condition that we are aloud to handle the situation with Jacen, with no interference on her part. What I need is for some masters to go and handle the talks to bring the Order back into the fold, I would go myself, but the Queen Mother wishes for me to go with her for a meeting to discuss their future role in this war, and the future of her daughter, Allana."

"Is she force sensitive?" Cilghal asked.

"Yes," Answered Luke, looking at the healer. "She will eventually come to the Academy for training after this war is over. Until then she is staying with her mother aboard the Dragon Cruisers."

"Who do you have in mind for the peace talks?" Kenth asked, stroking his chin.

Luke leaned back in his chair and his eyes moved to the domed ceiling with a clear view of the night sky where they stars were starting to appear. "I was considering sending you Master Hamner, along with Masters Sebatyne, and Master Katarn,"

"Thiz one would be honored to go Master Skywalker," Saba bowed.

"Master Katarn?" Luke asked.

"Sure," Kyle replied. "I need to stretch out anyway; sparring Master Horn has already become pretty boring,"

"Keep it up Katarn and even the force won't help you next time," Horn said with mock menace.

The other masters laughed. The tense mood lightened, but each knew the fate of the galaxy rested on what would occur over the next several days.

"Alright, that's all for now. Masters Hamner, Katarn, and Sebatyne: I will contact each of you before you depart. May the force be with us all."

Together, as one, they rose up and left the council room.

Chapter 3: Departure

The day Kyle departed on his mission he was in the training center being looked over by Master Cilghal. She was careful to focus on his chest and probed him with several nerve probes, causing him to wince every time.

"You know it's not like the old days where they just slapped on a medkit and everything was fine," Kyle winced after a rather harsh probe.

"Very funny Kyle," Cilghal replied dryly. "Your lucky to be alive you know?"

"So you tell me every time I see you,"

She probed his left shoulder, causing his arm to jerk instinctively. "What shocks me the most is that the wound should have hit every central nerve in your body, but didn't. You have complete movement in shoulders and neck, and when you sparred with Master Horn you moved almost as if you had never been injured."

"Key word there is 'almost' Master Cilghal," Kyle grimaced,

"Yes, and the 'almost' that goes along with 'you almost didn't make it' still means nothing, because here you are, sitting almost whole and nearly healthy," Luke had strode into the medical ward to give Kyle his debriefing.

"Indeed Luke, we Jedi have never been too fond of taking the road less travelled," Kyle smiled, leaning back on the examination table.

Luke laughed and moved to stand beside the Mon Cal healer.

"Your healing process was impressive, I must say,"

"Well you know," Kyle said, shrugging on his shirt after Cilghal declared him fit for duty. "Ninety percent force healing trance, ten percent stubborn will to live. It's amazing how far one can go to save a life,"

Luke nodded and looked down, as if pondering his words.

"But I'm guessing you of all people didn't come to me for a sermon," Kyle said lightly, getting up. "Is this about the mission debriefing?"

"Yes," Luke replied. "Kenth and Saba have already been briefed, so you're all that's left. Niathal needs the Jedi Order if she is to survive against Jacen, and we need to establish that the Jedi stand with the Galactic Alliance, not Jacen. What your mission is to reestablish contact and help the Fondorians and Niathal in anyway without actually fighting the war for them. She's going to expect us to answer to her, but you must be firm in telling her that the Jedi will do nothing until Jacen is out of action. He is our number one priority right now,"

"How do you think she will take that?" Kyle asked, moving to grab his belt.

"I think she will understand," Luke replied, then shrugged. "She has no reason to not trust us. Jacen is too powerful to be left unchecked and loose in the galaxy with an armada and utter destruction on his mind."

"The talks will go as smoothly as they can Master Skywalker," Kyle said, getting to his feet. "Niathal isn't stupid, she'll know now that the real war isn't with the rebels, but with Jacen."

"I agree," Luke said. "Unfortunately, she learned that lesson a little too late. When you are done, report to the hanger; masters Sebatyne and Hamner are waiting for you."

Kyle nodded and watched as Luke left the room. He grabbed his jacket and went to put it on, no longer wincing as he did so.

"Master Katarn," Cilghal said, moving to help him put it on. "I know that you feel fine, but I must stress that it will still be a day or two until you get back to your full abilities. If anything happens between now and the end of the mission that causes you to fight, don't over exert yourself. Be mindful that your body is still healing."

"Thank you Master Cilghal," Kyle smiled. "For everything, I don't think I could have survived without you,"

He meant it.

"Thiz one does not think we will encounter trouble on our mission," Saba Sebatyne hissed to Kenth Hamner and Kyp Durron as she prepared to board their ship. "Niathal will listen, agree, and then send us back in no time,"

"Nevertheless," Kyp nodded. "Master Skywalker wants you to be on full alert, Jacen has spies everywhere, and we can only assume that there is one close to the Admiral,"

"We will do our best Kyp," Kenth bowed. "As Master Sebatyne said: we should be back in a few days,"

Kyle Katarn made his way over to the three Masters, wearing his flight jacket and a travelling pack with extra clothing and emergency items in case something went amiss. He never went anywhere without it.

"Are we ready to leave?" He asked as he came up to them.

"Yes, just waiting for you Master Katarn," Kenth replied. "We are meeting Niathal on her ship Ocean which is currently off of Fondor; it will take us only a few days to get there."

"Master Skywalker expects a full report upon your return," Kyp bowed. "May the Force be with you all,"

The three masters bowed and then boarded the ship.

The interior was nice, with enough room to maneuver comfortably. Kyle went to drop his pack in one of the quarters while Kenth and Saba went up to converse with their pilot: a medium height, medium build man with short black hair and brown eyes, and looked as if he had spent most of his life on the sands of Mos Eisley.

"Arlan Desorne," He announced himself while still making the pre-flight checks, he raised a hand in greeting, but otherwise kept focused on the job at hand. "Almost done with pre-flight, then we'll be on our way Masters,"

"You are not a Jedi?" Kenth asked, more inquisitive than surprised. "This is odd; usually a Jedi Pilot is assigned to such trips,"

"I honestly don't know Master Hamner," Desorne replied, checking something off his data pad. "Orders came from Niathal: I was to pick up the representatives and bring them to Ocean, end of story,"

Saba detected no mistrust or lies from the pilot, and merely shrugged and sat in the co-pilot seat. As a relaxing exercise, she began to move her hands over the controls, getting a touch for where everything was.

"Thiz one is surprised at how everything is aligned, thiz one has never seen a control scheme like thiz," She said, her scales rippling with puzzlement.

"Right off the line," Desorne said, patting the control yoke. "YT-16000 Xi Charrian Cruiser. Part of the war effort what with Corellia being not so nice with the GA. Probably for the best, I've always found that Xi Char engineers are the best in the galaxy."

"Good thing they can still find work too, they haven't done much since after the Clone Wars," Kyle Katarn said, coming up to the cockpit.

"Ah Master Katarn," Desorne turned in his seat to regard him. "Good to see you again. Whatever happened to that old rust bucket you flew from Courscant to Felucia and back?"

Kyle laughed. "Jan has her now, and good thing too, the Moldy Crow would never cut for a mission these days, a roar from a Wookie would have been enough to shut her down for weeks,"

"A pity," Desorne said, shaking his head. "What I would give to see her flying again. Now here's the plan," He turned in his chair, suddenly all business. "We are leaving in about five minutes with a small lay-over on the Errant Venture where we will resupply, 'cause who knows whats going to happen between now and when you all are done with your mission."

The masters nodded, confident in his skills and went to the back to sit down around a circular table.

"Thiz one hopes that the mission is over soon," Saba said, shifting in her chair as if trying to get comfortable.

"Relax master Sebatyne," Kenth said in his soothing voice. "There is little doubt that Admiral Niathal will come to gracious terms with the Jedi Order, it is in her best interest,"

"But is it in ours Master Hamner?" Kyle said, leaning back against the bulkhead. "We have seen time and time again what happens when we place ourselves at the disposal of a government. First with the Clone Wars, and secondly with the Dark Nest, and now are we going to go up to Admiral Niathal and tell her that she can use us as she pleases?"

"Of course not Master Katarn," Kenth replied. "Niathal has the best interest of the GA in her heart. She is not going to become a warlord or empress."

"What about Daala?" Saba chimed in. "Her reappearance cannot bode well for the Jedi. Thiz one does not trust her one bit, thiz one thinks that any deal that includez her is not to be considered."

Both Kyle and Kenth nodded, the Admirals break at Fondor had thrown the Jedi off, almost all of them thinking she was dead, but only Luke was not surprised by her arrival, adopting only to tell the Jedi to watch their fire and ignore Daala's fleet, making Kyle think that Luke had known all along about her survival.

"She is a dangerous woman," Kyle said grimly. "And any course of action she takes in the future will have to be monitored for the safety of not only the Jedi, but the galaxy as well. She's too loose in the head to be roaming around the stars undetected."

There was a small beep coming from the center of the table, the masters looked down and watched as a small holographic image of their pilot came into view.

"Sorry for the interruption Masters, but you have a com call from Master Luke Skywalker; do you wish for me to patch it through?" Desorne asked.

"At once please," Kenth replied immediately.

Desorne's image winked out of existence only to be replaced by that of Luke Skywalkers, his hood up over his head, and the surrounding area supported the theory that he was talking to them from outside the base.

"I am transmitting this message to you from outside the base due to its severity. We have just received a com call from my son that is highly disturbing; please remain silent, as this will not take long."

All three of them leaned forward; Kyle was not surprised to find his heart beating wildly in his chest. What was it? Did the Alliance surrender to the Confederation? After Niathal had left Jacen at Fondor it wasn't going to come as a surprise that it had split the GA forces nearly in half. Had Jacen been killed? Kyle had told Jaina that there were plenty of people who wanted him killed, it was only a matter of time in Kyle's mind.

His heart froze at his next thought: Had Ben killed Jacen?

Luke had confided to them what had happened aboard the Anakin Solo, Jacen torturing Ben, the fierce and brutal duel that followed, and Ben's unwavering stand that the death of Jacen was to be by his doing.

This kill is mine!

Kyle, like all the masters, had been deeply troubled by this, and as a result had made a silent vow to keep an eye on the Grand Master's son whenever Luke was away. Kyle had enlisted the help of Jaden Korr to watch over him whenever Kyle was busy. The death of Mara Jade had sent Luke near the brink of collapse, and the fear that loosing his only son to the Dark Side might be the end of Luke Skywalker.

"Jacen Solo has confirmed to an officer that he was the one who murdered Mara." Luke said heavily.

The tension in Kyle's chest broke. The man whom he had dueled months ago was the same man who had killed one of his closest friends. How could he not have seen it? Granted over the years they had drifted apart, but they always shared a special bond between them. He had saved Mara from her own demons, and she had done the same for him. Now to hear that she had been killed by someone so close to Luke, betrayed and murdered, caused him to start to tremble slightly. Not enough for the other masters to notice, but enough that he was afraid they could read it in the force.

"As terrible as that news is," Luke continued, his eyes staring right at them. Eye's that had lost all innocence and humor that just days before had held on like a splinter, and was now gone. "What follows is even more disturbing: Jacen Solo has become a Sith Lord. We know we have been silently aware that his actions have indeed caused him to be warranted as such. But Jacen Solo has now moved into the open and declared himself Dark Lord of the Sith. He now calls himself Darth Caedus."

Darth Caedus.

The evil that struck Mara down now had a name. Kyle had not been dueling Jacen Solo: the bright young Jedi who had a quirky sense of humor, an unwavering loyalty to his friends and family, and a deep love for all things natural, but Darth Caedus: The soulless monster who tortured and killed friends and family, left planets charred and desolated, who waged this increasingly desperate war not for peace, but for chaos. Kyle shuddered again.

"Our worst fears have now been confirmed," Luke continued. "Darth Caedus must be eliminated; there is no other course of action. Although I highly doubt any of us can go after him, he is our number one priority now. Go ahead as planned with your meeting, do not, I repeat, do not reveal anything about this revelation to Niathal, as the officer who got it is still working within the enemy. I have one more thing I must tell you before I must go: Tahiri Veila may have gained word about your mission to Niathal, and may have informed Caedus. With Caedus now in the open, we can only assume that Tahiri is his apprentice. If you encounter Tahiri or any of her forces, you are to use whatever actions necessary to bring her back…or if need be…kill her,"

Kyle closed his eyes. He had never really known Tahiri, only observing her training from afar. But he knew of her skills with a lightsaber and unwavering loyalty to Caedus.

Luke's image swirled out of view, and disappeared.

It was awhile before any of them spoke, each was pondering this grievous turn of events. Saba was the first to speak.

"Thiz one's heart is heavy, but it waz something I have been suspecting for some time." She said, her head bowed.

"I believe we have all been suspecting this for some time," Kenth Hamner replied. "But to hear it from the Grand Master himself is something I had not expected."

"Well we now know what we are dealing with, and we must move quickly if the Jedi are to survive," Kyle said quietly. "We will meet with Niathal, hear her terms, get this done quickly, and then return home to prepare for Caedus.

The name still sounded weird to him…something he would have to get used too. To him Caedus was a Sith, an infestation of evil that no longer abided the rules of the Galaxy. Kyle would no longer associate Jacen Solo with the Jedi, for he would always be Caedus to him, now and forever. The evil that had killed Mara, and so many other friends and comrades.

"The son of Han and Leia Solo….a Dark Lord of the Sith," Kenth said slowly. "They must be in horrible shock about all of this…this could be the final blow to them…"

Kyle had to agree, although he was not as close to the Solo's as any of the masters, he was certainly on friendly terms with them. Having trained their children in the art of saber combat, and flying on missions with them during the raid on Centerpoint and the Dark Nest crises, he was more than aware of their predicament. Their son, the hero of the Yuuzhan Vong war, the savior of entire planets, was now their dark shame. After the death of Anakin, Chewbacca, and now with Jaina looking for Boba Fett to bring her brother down, and now the brother coming out that he was a Sith Lord, must have been the breaking point to them. The final straw that broke the Wookie's back.

"We are coming up on the Errant Venture," Desorne's voice called from the front. "Ten minutes to dock…we'll be here for a couple of hours, and I have a com message that tells me Corran Horn, Wedge Antilles, and the Solo's are there. They want to meet you in the conference room."

When they departed on the depleted pleasure vessel, they found a guide droid that led them to the lifts that would take them to the conference room. None of them spoke when the doors opened, revealing to them the group of people inside. To Kyle's surprise Jaden Korr was there, standing in the background, giving the others a respectful distance. Kyle frowned slightly at him, and Jaden gave him a look that told him they would talk later.

The Solo's looked as though a hundred years had been added to their faces. The usual humor in Han's eyes was gone, replaced with sadness that Kyle feared would never go away. Leia was holding herself in only the way Leia Solo could, but she was struggling, and it seemed to take every ounce of her self control to not break down. Corran and Wedge were seated around the table beside them, the ships owner, Booster Terrik, was getting drinks for everyone.

"We only have a couple of hours, so please we must be brief," Hamner said as they sat.

"We've all heard the news by now of course," Horn said, with an apologetic look at the Solo's. "Darth Caedus is no longer playing the nice game. He wants to end this war as fast as possible, no matter who gets hurt, alley or enemy. Word is he has dispatched his apprentice Tahiri to deal with Niathal and to find the Jedi base, so we think she has heard details of the meeting between the masters and her."

"So then why doesn't Caedus come himself?" Kyle asked.

"We have no clue to be honest," Horn said, spreading his hands. "Our contacts have been keeping a close watch on him, but we have seen nothing to warrant that Caedus is on his way to intervene. Which probably means he's not entirely sure of his contacts information, or he's got something else of more importance of his mind, either way she knows roughly of where the meeting is going to take place,"

"Well why don't we contact Niathal and tell her to change the meeting place," Saba replied, her scales rippling.

"Because the Grand Master wants to reverse the sting," Horn said. "He wants to use this as an opportunity to grab Tahiri and get her out of Caedus's influence before any permanent damage is done. He wants to contain this problem to Caedus alone, and he still thinks Tahiri can be saved,"

Kyle let out a small sigh and leaned back in his chair. To "contain" someone like Tahiri, who had spent practically the entire war at Caedus's every beck and whim, would not be easy. She was more likely to go down fighting, not that it made the mission any easier.

"What we need to do is find out how much Niathal knows before she just blasts Tahiri's ship out of existence." Kyle said.

"She already knows everything Kyle," Wedge replied. "We've been in contact for the past several days."

"Well that's a relief," Kyle muttered.

"That's the bad news," Corran said. "The good news is that Han and Leia have found a suitable place for the Jedi to relocate, seeing as our Endor residence has outlived its usefulness."

Leia rose, she was robed in white, with her lightsaber clasped to the belt on her waist. "There is an old abandoned military complex in the Transitory Mists. It's large enough to house the Jedi, and comes complete with two hangers, housing dormitories, and spacious grounds that can be used for training. The only downside is that it's located rather close to the Remnant, so we'll have to be careful when it comes time to transport materials and personnel."

"How soon can we start the transition?" Kenth asked.

"The process will begin once we have Luke's say-so," Han said, standing also. He was clothed in his usual vest, shirt, and pants tucked into his boots. "He's not entirely sold on the location, but it's better than the alternatives."

"What were the alternatives?" Saba asked.

"An old station on Mustafar, an abandoned skyhook on Tanaab, and the old rebel base of Hoth." Han grimaced.

"Hoth?" Wedge said, leaning forward. "That would have been perfect, just like old times!"

"Yeah, except the base has been overrun with the Wampa's we 'forgot' to release just as Vader and his Imperials were making their way in." Leia shrugged.

Wedge fell back, a dejected look on his face.

"Well the last thing on the agenda," Wedge said, recovering from his mood swing. "Rakehell Squadron will be flying recon during your mission with Niathal. If you spot any unfriendliness near the meeting area, just buzz and Wes or I will be there."

The meeting broke up soon afterwards; Kyle told Saba and Kenth that he would return to the shuttle shortly. He motioned for Jaden to follow him down a corridor.

Kyle waited for Jaden to break the silence as they walked down the deserted hall, the faint hum of generators and the gentle tap of their boots on the floor making the only noise.

"This is looking bad Kyle," Jaden said.

Kyle let out a faint smile. "No, the galaxy's in a state of all out war, there's a new Dark Lord of the Sith, and the Jedi Order is once again in exile, things are looking better than ever,"

Jaden grinned despite himself. "It's just like the last time though, isn't it Kyle, isn't that how the Emperor rose to power: corrupting a Jedi Knight, granting himself emergency powers, the galaxy at war…all that's missing are the Clone soldiers?"

Kyle nodded. "Yes, Caedus seems to be repeating history doesn't he…but if he's going to repeat it, we all know how it ends,"

"Hopefully before he gets to the 'wiping out the Jedi Order' bit,"

"Me too Jaden…me too," Kyle stopped walking. "What does Master Skywalker have you doing?"

Jaden went to the windows and looked deep into space. "Rosh, Kolin Rhas, Tesar, Seha, and I are going to help secure this Mists area that Jedi Solo and Han discovered…he's frighented by the way."

"Who…Rosh?" Kyle frowned.

"Well, frightened isn't really the right word…maybe…'uneasy'."

"But why, he has no reason to think Caedus will target him, I don't even think they were that close of friends," Kyle shook his head.

"They weren't…and neither was I for that matter. No he's uneasy because Rosh thinks that destiny could have been his if he stayed with Tavion and the Dark Side. That he would have plunged the galaxy into war."

"I highly doubt Rosh would have been able to go that far. Rosh was just scared when he fell, but Caedus is an entirely different reason. He doesn't need to feel so uneasy."

"I'll be sure to tell him that," Jaden said.

They rounded a corner and once again Kyle waited for Jaden to break the silence.

"I can't believe this about Tahiri," He finally said. "I was good friends with her, during the Killik invasion we even partnered on some missions. How can she have become so swayed by this, even the most stubborn Jedi would have realized what Ja-Darth Caedus has become,"

"He must have some hold over her that we know nothing about," Kyle replied, shrugging. "Maybe she loves him, or maybe she's just waiting for her chance to strike him down and take his place…I've seen crazier stuff happen."

They continued talked until they came within view of Kyle's ship. Saba and Kenth were waiting at the bottom of the ramp, having their own conversation.

"Master Katarn, may the force be with you," Jaden said, looking him in the eyes.

"And may the force be with you, my friend. Don't worry, I won't let a Sith Lord sneak up on me again," Kyle smiled.

"I hope not, I still need someone to put the blame on if someone asks why my training was so bad," Jaden laughed. He then let out a short bow, and went back up the corridor.

Kyle watched him leave, thinking about how far the young Jedi had come since that conflict with Tavion. He made his way toward the ship, Saba and Kenth turned to regard him.

"How is Jedi Korr doing?" Kenth asked.

"He is doing fine; a group of Jedi Knights are going to the Transitory Mists to evaluate a potential new home for the Order that Han and Leia found." Katarn replied.

"The Mistz are very treacherous though, it would take extreme care to move the Jedi there." Saba said, a low hiss escaping her.

"Indeed Master Sebatyne, but that is what the group is going to verify: just how easily the Jedi can relocate there," Kyle answered.

She nodded and led the way back to the ship, with Kenth and Kyle following in her wake.

"Ocean is about another two hours flying time from here," Desorne said, reading the layouts and plotting their course. "I suggest you all rest easy,"

That sounded entirely agreeable to Kyle at the moment.

"I'm going to one of the bunks and lying down, if you need me, just call," He got up and started for the cabins.

Chapter 4: Jedi Academy

Twelve years earlier.

It was right before the invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong, the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4 still stood, and the Jedi were quickly cementing themselves into the galaxy like the Old Order before them. Kyle Katarn, battle master, was in the process of a training exercise with an advanced group of students, and was teaching them the falling leaf technique.

"Now this move requires extreme discipline, focus, and attention." He told them, walking down the line with his deactivated lightsaber in his hand, motioning with it. "Now I want you to break into groups of two, and practice. Now be extremely careful, one group is going to perform the Falling Leaf, while the other is going to dodge. If the move is successful, the cleaning droids will only have scraps in the ground to deal with. If the move is unsuccessful, the cleaning droids will have…well…a little more to clean up,"

There was a small titter of laughter from the group, and they broke into pairs. As he was walking around, correcting minor mistakes, Zekk was going a little far to the left and almost singed Lowbacca's fur. Lowbacca came from the roll and let out a small menacing growl.

Zekk grinned sheepishly and shrugged. "Sorry,"

"Next time with certainty Zekk, not having enough confidence is enough for this move to go wrong. Find your balance, make sure you are centered, and then strike." Kyle offered.

Zekk let out a small bow. "I will Master Katarn,"

Kyle pursed his lips. Ever since he had joined the Jedi Academy he had always hated being called "Master". It made him up to be something he didn't think he was.

Kyle moved along, correcting the minor mistakes and about to call an end to the practice when he saw that the twins Jacen and Jaina hadn't even ignited their lightsabers, they were watching the others practice, Jacen was leaning against the wall and Jaina was sitting cross legged on the ground, inspecting her lightsaber. Kyle let out a small frown, they were usually his best students, and did whatever he instructed them to do. To disregard a training exercise was unheard of. Kyle made his way over to them.

"Jacen, Jaina, I trust there is a solid reason why you aren't practicing?" He asked calmly.

They both stood and bowed at the same time.

"We're sorry Master Katarn," Jacen said, rising. "It's just that Jaina and I have already perfected this move,"

Kyle looked at Jaina with his eyebrows raised. "Is this true?"

"Yes Master Katarn, Jacen and I have been practicing it ever since you and Master Solusar first showed us." She replied. Her diminutive stature was so like her mothers, but she had her father's wit and knack for trouble.

"Well then, perhaps a demonstration is in order," Kyle said with a smile. He didn't doubt that they knew the move; he just wanted to see for himself just how good they were.

They both nodded and took up respective stances, lightsabers ignited. They stood there facing each other; Kyle felt their certainty in the force and calmly waited.

Suddenly Jaina launched herself through the air, lightsaber arched high through the air, she landed seconds later where Jacen should have been, but he executed a perfect roll and came up behind her, already swinging his lightsaber out. Jaina, still on her knees, reversed her lightsaber and blocked. They knelt there, sparks flying from their connected sabers, and then deactivated them, got up, and bowed once more.

Kyle let out a small chuckle. "Perfect, as you both said, congratulations on mastering the Falling Leaf technique. I think with a little more practice, you can start learning the more advanced maneuvers."

"Thank you Master Katarn," Jaina said, bowing.

He came up closer to the two of them.

"After dinner tonight, come to the sparring arena, I want to see just how good the two of you really are," Kyle said quietly. He turned and went back to the head of the room, dismissing them for the day.

Later that evening he stood in the circular room outside the temple that served as a sparring arena. Lightsaber in hand he took to observing the area around him: the arena was large, enough room for several combatants to go at it at the same time, there were columns to act as obstacles and in the center of the arena there was a dip with a raised platform, setting it about ten feet above the rest of the arena. The platform could be raised or lowered, depending on the circumstances of the sparring session. Kyle remembered the first time he sparred here, it was against Luke Skywalker, and it was the first full time that Kyle had met defeat. While the match was close, there was no denying who the winner of the session was.

Kyle felt a rustle in the Force and turned to see Jaina and Jacen making their way toward him. The walked side by side, lightsabers on their belts and looks of mild worry on their faces as the entered the arena, stopping at a respectable distance and bowing.

"Jedi Jacen and Jaina reporting as ordered," They both said.

"Good to see you both, and thank you for taking the time to come here tonight," Kyle said, waning to put them at ease. "I know this is unusual, and I don't want you both to think I am punishing you for what you did today in class. I'm doing the opposite in fact: I want to see how you both duel together, not against each other, but against me."

Jaina gave her brother a glance, and then looked back at Kyle. "Sir, what exactly are we learning from this?"

"You both are unique, I know you've heard that before, but between the two of you there is a meld that occurs whenever you both fight, you know each others moves and counter-moves as though you are both one entity, and not separate beings. I want to simply see how much of a meld you both have between you. Now battle stances please,"

Kyle shrugged off his jacket and took his Lightsaber from his belt.

Jaina had already assumed the position, but Jacen frowned.

"What if we hurt you?" He asked.

"Don't worry about that," Kyle replied, smiling, showing confidence. "Everything will be fine,"

He ignited his lightsaber and stood in a defensive stance.

The twins glanced at each other, and then ignited their blades. For a moment the three of them stood there, not moving a muscle.

"If you're-" That was as far as Kyle got.

Jaina flung herself forward and brought her blade down in a sweeping falling leaf move, while Jacen went low and swung wide, going for the legs. Kyle was already in motion, jumping off the ground to avoid Jacen's sweep and bringing his own blade up to intercept Jaina's. There was a clash of blades and the flying of sparks as they met, the force of their contact sent Jaina off course and she managed to just in time right herself and land on her feet. He turned while blocking her next move and quickly side-stepped when Jacen dove forward with a thrust. Kyle disconnected and met Jacen's blade, moving almost too fast for the eye to see.

Jaina put her hand in the air, palm up, and Kyle lifted his hand, pushing back, causing her to go flying. She landed on her side and got to her feet quickly. Jacen took the lapse to send a stream of attacks at Kyle, who blocked and parried with apparent ease. They locked blades and stood there grunting, and exerting themselves through the force. Even though Kyle was the better swordsman, perhaps the best next to Luke, he still found himself having to struggle with Jacen's brute force strength. He had a lot of promise, and Kyle knew he would make a great Jedi one day. His sister Jaina was well on her way too, as he kept an eye on her progress, making her way back toward him. With one hand still maintaining his lock on Solo's lightsaber, he sent objects flying at her. She dodged two and then had to quickly bring her blade up to deflect the third stone. She then launched herself at his back, making him break off of Jacen and give himself some space.

Suddenly they were both on him.

So in tune were they with one another that their minds focused on one task. To bring Kyle down, that same focus told one to attack high and one to attack low, causing Kyle to exert himself more and more as the fight moved on. The three blades were a ribbon of movement, almost encasing them in light.

Jaina let out a sweep kick that caught Kyle behind his leg and caused him to roll out of the way. Jacen sent himself flying through the air, and bringing his lightsaber down on the ground where a half second earlier Kyle's head had been. Kyle then made a swift flick movement with his wrist, causing Jacen's lightsaber to fly from his hand and into his. Jaina's shock through the force immediate, but not as much as when in the next move Kyle blocked her blow with her brothers blade and then brought his own to the back of her neck, causing her to stop.

They stood there, panting and looking at each other. Finally Kyle turned off the blades and stood back, tossing Jacen's lightsaber back to him. The twins stood and waited for his comments, breathing heavily. There was a sudden movement in the back, and the doors opened and in walked in Luke Skywalker, Kyp Durron, Cilghal, and Corran Horn. They had been watching the exercise from the viewing pod above. The twins had never even felt them.

"Well done, both of you," Luke said, coming to face them. "To take on the battlemaster, who also happens to be a Jedi Master, and do that well is truly worth the mantel of Jedi Knight,"

"Thank you, Master," They both bowed.

"I would like to consult both of you tomorrow, but right now you both need to rest up. You are dismissed," Luke said.

The masters watched as both of them walked out the sparring room, then made their way to a makeshift council room at the top of the Academy, there they sat in stone circles.

"Your getting slow Kyle," Kyp joked, running his hand through his hair. "If you let them go any longer, we might be taking you to the medical bay in pieces."

Kyle laughed. "Sure Kyp, next time I will let you show me how it's done,"

"Such speed and focus on their target, it was unreal," Corran said.

"Indeed, we will have to keep our eyes on both of them from now on…they have immense promise." Luke said.

Chapter Five: Allies and Enemies

There was a buzz sound that alerted Kyle from his slumber, causing him to jerk out of his trance and come to his feet, hand on the hilt of his lightsaber. Desorne's voice came over the comm.

"Approaching Ocean, estimated time to docking ten minutes."

Kyle forced himself to relax, but he doubted he would ever awake completely at ease, living in a galaxy were it was more common to be in a state of war rather than a state of peace would do that to anyone. He then made his way to the cockpit where Saba and Kenth were already gathered, looking over Desorne's shoulder at the Ocean ahead of them. They watched silently as they made their way to the docking bay, and when the shuttle set down, Saba let out a low hiss as a platoon of GA forces assembled on either side, taking respectable stances. Standing at the head of them was Admiral Cha Niathal, her bearing was, as always, straight back and impressive.

They walked down the ramp, Kenth leading, with Kyle and Saba slightly behind on either side. Niathal walked forward and held her hand out.

"I appreciate Master Skywalker agreeing to this meeting, it seems we all have a common enemy nowadays," She said in her gravely Mon Cal voice.

"That goes without saying Admiral," Kenth replied. "But we appreciate your contacting us on such short notice."

They started walking along the corridors of Ocean, several of the crewmen glancing at the group as they walked by. No one spoke, Niathal had her hands clasped behind her back, and then motioned them into her private day cabin.

"We don't have much time," Niathal said after they got settled. "I have received reports that Solo has made contact with the other forces and told them of my actions on Fondor, Admiral Daala is on standby to give the Jedi all the aid they can to bring him down,"

Kyle squirmed softly at the mention of Daala's name. He was among most of the Masters who had been hesitant with her aiding the GA, having seen her madness first hand when she waged her wars with the New Republic.

"Master Skywalker wants it known that the Jedi Council does not fully support Admiral Daala's role in all of this. While we are grateful for her help in dealing with Caedus, we are not comfortable at all with her back and in a position of power…given her past history." Kenth replied.

"Understandably, I'm not her biggest fan as well Master Hamner, but war does breed unusual alliances, and for the moment we need her resources."

"Where is she now?" Saba asked.

"Recon over by Mandalore, she wants to keep her eye on Fett and his gang, making sure they are playing nice with one another in the Roche system, which is where we are heading as soon as we are done here. We've received reports that Solo is going to strike there." Niathal said. "Who is Caedus?" She added.

"Are you familiar with the term 'Sith'?" Kyle asked.

She nodded softly. "Yes…Colonel Solo and I had this discussion not too long ago…"

"When someone becomes a Sith Lord, they abandon who they were before…Jacen Solo is gone; he has taken his Sith name, which is Darth Caedus. For all intents and purposes, Jacen Solo is dead, and Darth Caedus is now in control of the Galactic Alliance." Kyle explained.

Niathal leaned back in her chair, her expression impossible to read.

"Then your worst fears have been confirmed…" She said. "I won't allow another Palpatine to rule this galaxy, not as long as I draw breath to defend it."

Kenth nodded.

"That is why we are here…our forces have been split fighting two wars, one with the Confederation, and the other against this new Sith Lord. The Jedi and the GA must reunite. You are still co-chief of state Admiral; you still have forces allied with you. For now the Jedi are your allies, Caedus is our true enemy now."

"Agreed. We must stop him before anything else gets out of hand." Niathal nodded. "What is the plan?"

The three masters glanced at one another. Making Niathal aware of Jacen becoming a Sith Lord was something Luke had told them to leave behind, but the truth would have been known anyway. They were all in this together now.

"The current plan is to proceed with the campaign against the confederacy Admiral, and leave Caedus to us, we Jedi are well versed in dealing with Sith. It's what we were trained to do." Kenth said smoothly.

"Very well, let it be known then that the Galactic Alliance and the Jedi serve one another. We are no longer enemies, but allies united. If that is all…"

"Indeed it is Admiral," Kenth said, rising, Kyle and Saba following suit. "We must hasten back to the Academy."

She walked them back to the shuttle and saluted them as they boarded, with them bowing to her in return.

"That went surprisingly easy." Kyle said, sitting down in the galley.

Suddenly the ship rocked, and Desorne's voice came over the com.

"Incoming fighters, Victory-class Star Destroyer on our port side!"

The masters rose and ran for the cockpit.

"Tahiri?" Saba asked, her tail thumping on the floor of the ship in excitement.

"Can't tell," Kenth said, his eyes narrowed in concentration, trying to feel anything through the Force. "There is a definite force presence out there, but it seems to weak to be Caedus,"

"We can worry about that later," Kyle said, turning to go down the ramp once more. "We need to help Cha deal with this before we leave."

Kenth and Saba followed him down the ramp. Niathal was still in the docking bay looking over a datapad, her back to them.

"It's that girl he has working with him now," She replied, turning to them.

Kyle glanced to Kenth and Saba.

"We have to operate under the assumption that she is his apprentice…starting her own path down the dark side…"

The other two masters nodded.

"What should we do?" Kenth asked, looking around as the hanger was quickly emptied of all ships. Kyle shook his head, Jedi were most adept at Stealth-X's during space battles, and it was unlikely that the enemy would try a boarding tactic.

"Incoming, brace, brace brace!" A voice came over the comm. system.

The three masters simply used the force to keep themselves planted when the ship was rocked with fire, they could feel the hull shudder under their feet, but they did not move an iota. Niathal had grabbed into the side of the ship and was now regaining her composure.

"If you would like," She said as she straightened. "You can come with me to the command deck; I doubt you would want to leave in the middle of this."

"What about our pilot?" Saba hissed.

"I'll be fine, go on!" Desorne's voice came from within the ship.

The three masters then followed Niathal through the ship, feeling the shudder of fire coming from the enemy outside. People rushing to and fro with reports in their hands, and when they got to the command deck, it looked as though all hell had broken loose outside.

"We are being hailed!" A systems officer shouted over the den. "Incoming from Ithor's Pride!"

"Patch them through," Niathal said, on the outside, she seemed calm, but Katarn could sense her through the force, and there was mounting frustration.

A face materialized on the screen and immediately locked eyes with Niathal, eyes she instantly recognized.

"Tahiri," Niathal said, the calm that could have shown she was not in the middle of a battle, but simply meeting her for a recreational lunch.

"Traitor," Tahiri hissed over the comm. "I come under the authority of Lord Caedus, you are to surrender your ships at once and await boarding instructions. You will then be detained and sent to Courscant to await war crimes for dereliction of duty and betrayal of the Galactic Alliance."

"That was quite a mouthful young woman; did you travel all this way just to say that?" Niathal asked, glancing at the three masters who were outside her view.

"I have been instructed to kill you if you do not comply with these wishes," Tahiri said curtly. "And please believe me; I will do so…all I need is a reason,"

Kyle had heard enough, he stepped into view of the hailing channel.

"You will do no such thing Jedi Veila." He said, speaking with the authority that came with being a master. "You are better than this, you know what the Sith are, what they want to do…just open your eyes,"

Tahiri sneered. "So, it appears Caedus did not finish you off like he said he had…pity, he'll find that most disappointing when I report back to him. Oh well, I can clean up that mistake."

Kyle ignored the barb. "Listen Tahiri, you are better than this, don't be a pawn of the Sith anymore, Caedus can't give you what you want…no one can…"

For a second, her composure faltered, her eyes flickered, but it was only an instant, the next she hardened her face again.

"And what is that, peace and justice?" Tahiri spat. "In case you haven't noticed, Lord Caedus is doing all of those things now, when we wipe out the traitors here, I will be joining him for our final push against the rebels, this war is just a hair from being over."

Saba and Kenth came over to join Kyle, standing to his sides.

"You want Anakin back," Kenth replied sadly.

"But you must understand, he can't come back," Saba said.

Tahiri's eyes narrowed, but they could tell the words were reaching their marks.

"You tried to find answers as a Jedi after Anakin died," Kyle replied, a gentle calm in his voice that surprised the other two. "When the answers you received weren't to your liking, you began looking elsewhere…and Jacen Solo was there, and he gave you the taste you wanted…now he has you, and if you don't leave now, you will be his forever, a slave to the dark side, bound by your fear,"

"You know nothing of what I want Katarn…" She said quietly. "And the run of the Jedi is over, Caedus will end this war and bring peace to the galaxy, and all will see what weaklings you are, unable to do what Darth Caedus has done,"

The ship was getting hammered more and more, each shudder becoming more and more intense, Kenth glanced to Niathal, who was studying a chart, her alarm flaring through the force.

"I am giving you one more chance Jedi, you will surrender now or be destroyed, you have two minutes to comply," With that, she shut off the transmission.

Kenth sighed and turned to Niathal.

"How long can we sustain these damages?" He asked her.

"Not long at all…life support systems are starting to fail as we speak, four minutes, tops, and we'll be unable to even fire back." She quickly replied.

Kenth motioned for Saba and Kyle to come with him.

"We need to do something," He said quietly. "If Tahiri destroys the fleet here with Niathal, it will put the galaxy that must closer into Caedus's hands."

"Agreed," Kyle said. "The fleet cannot hold up much longer under this,"

There came a hailing call over the comm. system, and everyone turned their heads to the monitor.

"It looks as if you could use some help, my dear Cha," Came a cold voice, laced with cold humor.

Kyle recognized the voice, it was Daala, and she must have been nearby, in reserve.

Niathal did not look surprised at the sound of the voice.

"Natasi, so good to hear from you again, are you on site?" Niathal's relief in the force betrayed her calm outer demeanor.

"Indeed Admiral, would you like some assistance?"

"That would be most welcome; we need to teach this young woman a lesson in manners,"

Niathal turned to the three Jedi Masters.

"If you can, now would be the best time to leave, when Daala jumps in with her fleet, there will be confusion, giving you the time you need to jump."

Kyle glanced at the other two masters, and joined them in bowing to her.

"Thank you for your time, Admiral, I'm sure Master Skywalker will be in contact with you shortly." Kenth replied, and they turned to go.

"Just a moment, please." Niathal's voice called right before they got through the blast doors.

"Please relay this to Master Skywalker, if he is interested in returning the Galactic Alliance to what it was, he is more than welcome to take over further military actions against both the Confederation and Caedus,"

The force rolled with suspicion and hesitation, but Kenth recovered smoothly.

"We will relay the words to Master Skywalker at the earliest time," He said, letting out a small bow again.

They were silent all the way to the ship, slight rumblings still being felt under their feet as the ship took hit after hit, but the main fighting must now be being done with Daala's fleet, they made it to their ship unhindered, Desorne stood with a wrench and was fixing something on the landing pad.

"We good to go?" He said, standing and wiping the sweat from his brow.

"It's the best chance we'll have," Kyle replied. "It's now or never,"

"Master Katarn, where are you going?" Saba asked.

"To the cabin, if anything happens, call for me," Kyle walked off.

Chapter Six: The Ones We Love

Several Months earlier…

Kyle Katarn stood staring at the plaque in the Room of a Thousand Fountains in the Jedi Temple. It was Mara's plaque, given to Jedi who had died in the line of duty to protect the galaxy. So many others had been added recently, Thann Mithric…Trenisa Lobi…it was not that hard to imagine that any of their numbers could be coming up as well.

It had a carved figure of her face, yet it didn't really capture the feel of Mara, her dedication, her character, how much she cared and loved her family and the order. To him it was just a plaque; the real Mara was all around him, in the air, in the force. He would always remember that, no matter how brutal the war became, that when they died, they would become one with the force.

He heard a movement behind him and sensed a young presence; he turned to find Ben Skywalker walking toward him, his eyes glancing between him and his mother's plaque. Kyle glanced down at the ground again, his mind already drifting to the funeral where he had watched Ben deal with his mother returning to the force, could feel his anger and frustration through the force, it was so powerful.

The only time he had really interacted with the son of the Grand Master was during lightsaber training. He was good, and could tell that Jacen and Luke had taught him a thing or two before he was brought to him. It also reminded Kyle of the time he had lost both of his parents, his mother in a tragic accident and his father murdered by a deranged Dark Jedi. That pain was something he wished Ben would never have to face, and yet here he was, fourteen years old and motherless; it was a fate no kid deserved.

"Good afternoon young Jedi Skywalker," Kyle said kindly, turning to face him.

Ben looked to the ground and bowed.

"Good afternoon Master Katarn," Ben said quietly.

Kyle frowned at the title and the bowing, but said nothing about it. He turned back toward the plaque.

"Are you looking for your father?" Kyle asked, going back to studying Mara's face.

"No Master Katarn, he's meeting with Jaina and Jag about Alema Rar," Ben said, straightening and coming to stand beside him.

Kyle merely grunted and kept looking at his old friends face. He was not very comfortable talking to one of his oldest friends son, sure he had instructed him along with several younger students on lightsaber technique, other than that, he had not interacted one on one with Ben.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" He asked.

"No…I just came to visit mom for a little bit…" Ben said in that same quiet voice.

"She was a great friend, and one of the best students I ever trained," Kyle said, after a moment of silence.

Ben looked up in surprise.

"You taught my mother?" Ben asked, his eyes wide.

"Somewhat…she taught me many things as well, but yes, we trained for several months together. Like I said, she was one of the best students I ever had the honor of teaching,"

Ben looked back at the plaque for a moment.

"Do you miss her Master Katarn?" He asked.

"Of course I do Ben…we all do, but I know that she is still with us, in the Force and in our hearts, where she will always be, until we pass, then we will all be together, a never ending cycle,"

"That's what my da…err…Master Skywalker keeps telling me, but I don't know how I feel about that."

"You're young," Kyle chuckled. "I felt the same way when I was your age, able to see nothing of the future, I was not Force sensitive, and I didn't even know what a Jedi really was. But now, I can feel everyone who has gone before me, my father, my mother, Mara, Master Rhan, they are all a part of me, of us all."

"Perhaps your right…it's just…I never want to forget what Mom did for me, I know she loved me and I know that she died to protect me," Ben said, taking in a breath, and Kyle felt his remorse swell in the Force.

Kyle felt a rush of sympathy, he remembered all the time he had with his family, how they had been there for him, how his father had lovingly embraced him before he left for the Imperial Academy.

"…how very proud I am of you…"

That was what he had said. He always remembered it, would always remember it.

"Ben," Kyle said softly, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Remember this, she was very proud of you, and she loved you. You will never forget that love, you will carry it with you now and forever, because the one's you love never truly leaves you, if you keep them in your heart, in your actions, and they never truly leave."

Ben looked up at Kyle, and nodded.

"Thank you Master Katarn," Ben said.

There was a small chirp on Kyle's belt. A message from his comlink.

"Master Katarn, Master Skywalker is convening the Masters Council at this time," The voice told him.

"Good-bye for now Ben, and may the Force be with you," Kyle turned to leave. At the door, he turned back, and saw Ben still standing in front of the plaque…

Chapter Seven: Endgame

Transitory Mists, Shedu Maad

"Masters Durron, Horn, Katarn, and Sebatyne will be flying with the second unit, dropping their shadow bombs as soon as the first unit clears, then they will join our first unit for the onboard siege of the ship, about thirty minutes after Jedi Solo boards to find her brother," Luke Skywalker's voice carried all through the briefing room onboard the Uroro Station where they were outlining the final battle plan before Darth Caedus and his GA and Remnant forces reached the system and attacked.

The room was filled to the corners with everyone who had risked all to stand up to the evil that Jacen Solo had become. Kyle Katarn looked around and recognized that every single person who was in this room had served with one another at one war or in one point.

Standing on one side of the room was Wedge Antilles and his Rakehell Squadron, Wes Janson, Kell Tainer with gray hair standing on his other side, and many others that Kyle knew by sight but not by name. In the center of the room were as many Jedi Knights and other personnel as could be spared on the mission: Jaina Solo, sitting with Leia and Han beside her, along with Ben Skywalker, Jagged Fel, Zekk, Jaden Korr, Rosh Penin, Kolir Hu'lya, Valin Horn, his sister Jysella, and so many others, on the far side of the room stood Queen Mother Tenel Ka and her entourage of Nobles and bodyguards. On the platform behind Luke, forming a semi-circle around him-Kyp Durron, Corran Horn, Saba Sebatyne, Kenth Hamner, Octa Ramis, Cilghal, and Kyle Katarn, Kam and Tionne Solusar were present but seated near the edge of the platform, still recovering, were the Masters of the Jedi Order.

"Again, phase one of the space assault will be Jaina Solo and Zekk, they will find their way aboard the Anakin Solo and attempt to find Caedus. Phase two will begin once they are onboard, with myself leading Masters Ramis, and Hamner in the first phase of the bombing, followed quickly by Masters Durron, Katarn, Sebatyne, and Horn, after they have released their bombs, the Queen Mother and her assault forces will engage the Anakin Solo and any other…friends…Caedus might have brought along…as soon has we feel Caedus's attention has been turned elsewhere, the Masters will board Caedus's ship, followed by the Jedi Knights and Captain Han Solo and Jedi Solo, who will be providing covering fire."

Luke turned and seemed to regard every person in the room.

"The objective of this mission is to eliminate Darth Caedus," He said, his voice heavy, without using the weight of the Force. "This, my friends, is the endgame. We cannot allow the evil that Jacen Solo has become to spread and infect this galaxy anymore. He has become something that cannot be contained through restraint…this is not going to be easy, because this enemy is not someone who was once an imperial, some unknown entity who appeared from some distant galaxy and to bring us to the brink of extinction. He was once a friend, someone who showed us what it meant to care, what it meant to love. This was Jacen Solo before. He was a son, a good student, and a worthy Jedi. He saved the galaxy from the Yuuzhan Vong. This was Jacen Solo before. Before he fell, before he turned to the Dark Side of the Force, before he killed so many that he once considered friends and family.

"Jacen Solo is dead. He died trying to hold on to what he believed in; he died saving the galaxy from a darkness we never thought we would escape. In Jacen's place there is now a monster, who calls himself Darth Caedus, and Darth Caedus must be destroyed. Not just for the sake of the Jedi, or the Galactic Alliance, but for Jacen's sake. Those of you here are fighting to bring about the end of the monster that took Jacen Solo's life. You are fighting to avenge Jacen Solo. I know this is all difficult to hear," His gaze shifted to Han (his face stoic, but the tears were there), Leia (Head bowed, eyes closed), and Jaina (Staring ahead, no emotion on her face, but through the force Kyle could feel her sorrow and anguish). "I know this is difficult to hear, but you must. We all now must take up the mantle that Jacen Solo carried before he was killed, we must stand strong together in the face of this new evil, or everything that we fought for in the past will be for nothing…"

There was a sudden weight in the Force, as though a great shadow had fallen over a sunny valley, the Masters in the room lifted their heads above the briefing room ceiling, looking beyond, the Jedi Knights in the room shifted uncomfortably, and even those not trained in the Force felt the mood change.

Luke turned his eyes downward, the weight of his coming duty weighed heavily on him.

"Darth Caedus is here," He said quietly. "My friends, it is time…and may the Force be with you all,"

They gathered there, maybe for the last time. The other Jedi Masters made a circle, quiet, unaware of all the activity going on around them. Luke Skywalker looked at each of them.

"I have lost count on how many times we have gone into battle my friends," He said, his voice soft, yet Kyle could hear every word. "Even before I formed the Masters Council I was going into battle with all of you. It is time to do so again, please be careful out there; we have already lost two members who we cannot hope to replace,"

Kyle bowed his head, remembering both Tresina Lobi and Mara. This war had cost them so much already, and Kyle knew that before it was over, there was more pain and loss to come.

"I have made a slight altercation to our plan," Luke said, glancing at each master in turn. "Master Katarn, when we board the Anakin Solo you will lead Jedi Knights Jysella Horn and Jaden Korr to this location." He handed Kyle a datachip. "From debriefing recent events from my son, Ben, we have learned that Caedus is in control of the Amulet of Kalara. We are not exactly sure of its powers and abilities, but we do know that is a Sith artifact and therefore need to get it out of Caedus's hands. Master Durron, when we board you will lead Knights Sanola Ti and Keyan Farlander to the engine room to destabilize the thrusters, Corran Horn, you will be in charge of taking Knights Yaqeel and Doran Tainer and secure the ships weapons systems, the Queen Mother's battle dragons will be arriving in the next hour, and we don't want them taking more fire than is necessary. After that all groups will rendezvous in the main hanger, and join us when we make our final push to the Moffs. Are there any questions?"

"If we are to encounter Darth Caedus in our missions…what are your orders about that?" Kyp asked.

"I wouldn't worry about that, I would think he has enough on his hand dealing with the Queen Mothers forces as well as Jaina." Luke said confidently.

"Anakin Solo and Megador have just dropped into real space, Rakehell scouts report," Came the voice over the Com system.

"That's our cue," Luke said quietly. "Get to your stations, and may the Force be with you my friends,"

The battle was long and brutal. Squadrons slammed into one another with a vengeance, those who saw the Jedi Order and the Hapan Fleet as traitors, Imperials who still harbored some undying grudges against the Jedi let them lose, holding back nothing. Every millisecond the canopies of all fighters were filled with the light of exploding missiles, destroyed ships, and lost lives. To the Jedi every pang through the force meant another life was taken, yet they forged on. Kyle and his group had just finished their bombing run, and the Anakin Solo looked dead in the water. It was a miracle it was still in one piece. He felt a surge of frustration through the force, Both Jaden and Jysella wanting to get in there, and find their fellow Jedi Jaina.

"Steady," Kyle said over his comm. "We'll get our chance,"

There was a loud bang as a proton torpedo slammed into the backside of his StealthX.

"Master Katarn, you've been hit," Jysella said calmly.

"It's not bad." He checked his sensors and saw that the back section of his craft was lit in the red. It was bad. "Okay maybe we better speed this up," He opened his comm. to Luke's. "Master Skywalker, my craft has taken a hit, requesting permission to continue with the second phase of the mission?"

There was no reply for a moment.

"Master Katarn, we have just received word the main hanger is now open, shields are down, it's time for us to go in anyway,"

Kyle relayed the orders to his group and they flew in unison behind him, one on either wing. He glanced out to port and saw Megador getting slammed by the Home Fleet, Kyle had to veer sharply as a Tie Interceptor raced by him, trying to get a shot off on him but he was too fast, the Interceptor went sailing by and a well placed shot by Jysella sent it careening off into space.

"Master Katarn, Master Horn's squadron is at our right flank," Jaden informed him.

"Very good, we'll link up and head in behind Master Skywalker and Master Hamner," Kyle replied, his craft shaking constantly from the incoming fire.

What batteries that had not been destroyed in the bombing run were being turned on them, Kyle felt a sharp pang in the force as one of the Jedi StealthX's took a direct hit and was instantly vaped.

"We lost Kiell," Corran's voice came over the comm.

"We need someone to take care of those remaining batteries or we'll be sitting Ewoks," Kyp's voice rang out.

There was responding fire from a Battle Dragon that lanced into the side of the Anakin Solo, shredding two batteries and sending shards of debris into space.

Kyp whistled. "Nice shot, whoever that was,"

"Cut the chatter, we are beginning our descent into the hanger, all call signs report in," Luke said calmly, once he had gotten all the confirmations, there was a moment of silence. "Alright, once we are onboard, you know what to do, may the force be with us,"

They followed his lead, swinging low under the Solo's belly, avoiding the smoke and debris floating away, so perfect were their movements together that it almost looked like an spaceflight spectacle rather than a battle maneuver. Kyle was at Kyp's left side, Jaden and Jysella behind him, then Corran and his squad, and on Luke's other side was Hamner, Octa, and Saba, each with their squad, and however many Jedi behind them. Bringing up the rear, offering covering fire, was the Millennium Falcon. Kyle tried not to think of the thoughts that would be going through Han and Leia's heads while this battle raged.

"Just got word," Corran's voice seemed genuinely rattled. "The…err…Moffs apparently have set loose a nanovirus aboard a transport vessel leaving the Anakin Solo right before the battle, it made its way to one of the Battle Dragons,"

"Which one Corran?" Luke asked quickly.

There was a moment of silence.

"The Queen Mothers,"

Kyle's heart sank, whether Caedus knew of this nanovirus was not the point, Tenel Ka and her daughter Allana were onboard the ship, if something happened to either of them, the consequences would be disastrous.

"Any casualties?" Luke asked, his voice weary, yet they all continued to hold the line, coming up portside of the Anakin Solo, they saw the main hanger in front of them.

"Reports that the child was killed," Corran sighed.

There were waves in the force. Sorrow, anger, distress, and guilt, Kyle's emotions were rolling, he knew he had to keep calm, to set an example along with the rest of the masters. But he too felt anger, anger at the Moffs, it was not the first time they had killed innocents…

"The mission does not change," Luke said, his voice sharp. "We go for the Moffs, we get them, and Jaina takes care of Caedus, we end this war right here, right now, understood?"

There were scattered confirmations.

"Incoming fire from one of the battle dragons," Octa Ramis said calmly. Suddenly Kyle's left vision was dimmed as bright lances of light shot right into the Anakin Solo's stern, ripping it to shreds even more, they could see the vessel tilt just enough, and saw fires springing up that died almost instantly in the vacuum of space.

"There's the hanger, lets make our run Jedi," Luke Skywalker's voice replied.

There were scattered confirmations across the board, and Kyle vectored his craft so that it was in unison with the others as they made their approach. The side of his ship that had been hit was near to going offline, but the hanger's opening loomed over them as they came in for the landing.

Kyle set his craft down beside Master Hamner's and effortlessly opened his canopy while igniting his lightsaber, already batting away a stream of blaster bolts that came from the GAG guards assigned to guard the hanger. He glanced to his side and saw Luke Skywalker send a fighter crash into a group of soldiers, saw Jaden Korr lift a hand and send an E-Webb sentry gun fly back into two guards. Kyle swatted bolts back left and right with a flurry of movements, there was no longer any pain in his chest from the brutal duel months earlier. He sent a bolt back into the chest of one soldier and then lifted his arm, picking up the other guard and sending him flying into a group that had come through the blast doors into the hanger, toppling them. Kenth Hamner followed this up with an assortment of debris and sent it plunging on top of them.

Saba Sebatyne had hurled herself into a group of soldiers, followed quickly by her son Tesar and Jedi Knight Tyria Tainer, and was swinging her lightsaber in such smooth motions that in mere seconds the soldiers were either dead or down. She let out a small hiss and then went with her group down the main hanger hall.

There was a loud booming sound as the Millennium Falcon let loose with the turret lasers and the ion cannons, turning the already smoking and flaming hanger into a tangled mess of crashed starships, downed weapons, and bodies.

They took no quarter; the Jedi knew what had to be done, they also knew somewhere onboard this ship that Jaina Solo was fighting for her life against her own brother. Kyle tried not to think too much about it as he followed Master Horn and his group. They came to a stop near a hallway that split into two paths.

"The weapons systems are this way, according to Jedi Skywalker's debriefing." Corran said, glancing at his data pad, then nodding to the right.

"Which means that our destination lies this way," Kyle said, glancing to the left. They braced themselves with the Force as a thundering boom shook the ship, there were creaks and groans coming from the hull of the Anakin Solo as it took hit after hit. It was amazing that the thing was still space-worthy, Kyle thought.

"Meet you at the Moff's station then," Corran said, dipping his head, and only glancing at his daughter. "May the Force be with you,"

"And with you Master Horn," Kyle replied, watching his friend lead his team down the other end of the hall.

"Master, where is the Amulet located exactly?" Jaden Korr asked, bracing himself once more as the ship took another volley.

"According to the data, it's located near Darth Caedus's private quarters, it should take us no more than five minutes to reach it, six if we encounter resistance," Kyle replied.

He was wrong; it took them almost seven minutes. On their way they ran into scant resistance, where GAG stood their ground, they were given one chance to surrender, when they did not, they quickly met defeat at the hands of the Jedi. Jysella Horn swatted a bolt that hit the firing soldier in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground, moaning. Jaden Korr wall-ran around a pair of guards, then came up swinging, taking the arm of one and then hooking his leg around the other soldiers ankle and sending him crashing to the ground, a follow up hit with the pommel of his lightsaber to the guards helmet knocked him unconscious. Kyle meanwhile was dealing with five guards at once. Weaving a brilliant pattern with his blade, he made short work of the soldiers standing guard over Caedus's quarters.

They stood outside for only a moment, Kyle was about to reach for the switch when he stopped, and shuddered, Jysella and Jaden did as well.

It was like a gut punch in the Force to him. He felt it as sure as he had felt any other hit, or blow, or burn, but this was so much more. And he knew what it meant, because there was a darkness passing from the world at that moment, and the dark weight the Jedi had felt pressing on them was suddenly lifted. Kyle felt tears coming to his eyes, stinging as he shut them, to keep them from falling. The boy he had helped train, the one who had led them from the darkness of the Yuuzhan Vong War, who was supposed to be a great Jedi Master, was gone.

Jacen Solo…Darth Caedus… was dead.

"She…she got him…" Jysella whispered, one hand on the hull of the ship to keep her balanced. "It's all over,"

Kyle had regained his composure enough to turn and face the Knights.

"Jaina Solo did what she had to do, but this war isn't over yet, we have our mission, we must see it to the end," He said, his voice assuming full command, a trait he hadn't lost since his days at the Imperial Academy.

They both nodded, and their faces changed to show their focus of the situation at hand, but their eyes were bright, single tears were running down their faces, but they had enough control for Kyle to know he could proceed. He reached for the control panel on the side of the door and hit the switch. The door hummed open, there was barely enough power left in the ships systems for the door to open fully. Every few seconds there was shaking and sounds of explosions. Kyle led the way into the room and his gaze immediately fell on something in the center of the room.

There, suspended somehow in the air, behind a glass jar, was the Amulet of Kalara, dark side energy was reeking from the thing, like a malicious glee, it seemed to pick up on Kyle the most, almost reaching out for him, yearning for him to come forward and take the power. He had felt these effects before, in the Valley of the Jedi, fighting Desann in the Hidden Temple below the Academy, when he was first snared by the Dark Side on Dromund Kaas, but he was a Jedi Master now, and he would forever hold the Dark Side at bay. Kyle strode into the room confidently and moved the jar aside with the Force using only a glance. He slowly reached a hand down to pick up the Amulet.

He gasped.

Jolts of energy coursed through him, pure Force energy lit every nerve, every fiber of his being, and made him throw his head back and open his mouth, but no words emerged, eyes clenched shut. He tried to move, tried to do anything but couldn't. Suddenly years later, or perhaps it was seconds later, he opened his eyes.

What he saw made no sense to him.

It was Centerpoint Station…hovering in space…but that couldn't be right, Kyle thought, because Centerpoint had been destroyed months ago. He observed it closely, and saw that it was in no part of space that he recognized, and upon further observation, the thing seemed to be smaller than Centerpoint Station. Before Kyle could even wonder how this was happening, he felt something.

It was like a cold tentacle that was reaching inside of him, longing for him to stay forever, to come to this area and forget everything, his duty to the Jedi, the war, his own fears, Kyle thought he felt something familiar with this presence, and before he could think about it anymore, the feeling was gone, and he was jerked back into the here and now, and Jaden and Jysella were on his either side.

"Master, are you alright?" Jysella cried, worry ringing in her voice.

"I'm…I'm fine…" Kyle gasped. "I…I just had an experience with the Force…I think I saw Centerpoint Station,"

"But Master Katarn…Centerpoint was destroyed…" Jaden Korr said cautiously.

"Of course," Kyle said. He was shaking; he knew nothing of what he just saw, was it a vision of the future: was the GA or someone else going to rebuild Centerpoint? The mere thought alone sent a wave of unease washing through Kyle. He would speak with Luke and the rest of the council about this later, for now, he would focus on the task at hand.

"Never mind, it was nothing," He said, putting the confidence back in his voice. "We've finished phase one of our mission…now let's go see to those Moffs."

Without a backward glance into the quarters of the recently deceased Darth Caedus, Kyle Katarn marched from the room, the other two Jedi following in his wake.

Epilogue: Future Unknown

Two Weeks Later…

It was the first time they had all gathered since the official end of the war. They met in the Council Room of the Jedi Temple, the first time since Darth Caedus had declared the Jedi traitors, almost one year ago. Luke Skywalker, Kyle Katarn, Kyp Durron, Corran Horn, Saba Sebatyne, Octa Ramis, Kenth Hamner, and Cilghal, all took their seats together. Kam and Tionne Solusar were overseeing the process of transporting the younglings back to the temple from the Transitory Mists.

There was a sense of heaviness in the air, somber moods that showed that while there was relief the war was over, they all felt there was too much of a price paid.

"I would like to use this moment for all of us to take some time to reflect on those we lost during this most recent war. Tresina Lobi, Twool, M…" Here Luke stopped to gather himself. "Mara Jade Skywalker, Thann Mithric, and so many others who paid the price of what it means to be a Jedi. We must all remember their sacrifices in the weeks and years to come, and if we can do that, we will come out of this stronger than ever."

They all bowed their heads. Kyle felt his emotions, the lose of his friend Mara, his one time apprentice, and the one who pulled him from the dark side. He would never forget her. They were all silent for several moments.

"Thank you all," Luke said quietly. "I mean that with all of my heart, I consider all of you not only my fellow Masters of the Force, but my friends, you were all there for me when I fell into my own abyss dealing with Mara's death. Together we will be stronger."

"What happens now Master Skywalker?" Kyp asked.

"We wait…and watch to see what steps our new chief of state Daala takes to bring the GA back from the bring that Caedus pushed it too, there has been talk of the Jedi helping with the reunification process somehow, but that is yet to be determined." Luke responded.

"And what about…Jacen's body?" Cilghal asked slowly.

Luke regarded her for a moment.

"It was taken by Han and Leia, I did not ask what they planned to do with it," Luke said, his eyes filled with remorse and sorrow.

"That's…agreeable," Corran Horn said. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his hands locked together. "I've come to suspect that we, as a council, will have some very difficult times ahead of us…Jacen Solo was, to many, the last person anyone would think to fall to the dark side,"

"I understand your concerns Master Horn," Luke replied. "But it just goes to show that anyone is susceptible to the shadows within us all…it's those we love, those we care for, our duty to the Force, and ultimately, ourselves, that we have to believe in, and if we can teach that not only to ourselves, but to the other Jedi as well, then we will be fine,"

He turned and looked at every member of the council.

"Uncertain times lay ahead of us my friends, the galaxy is at peace, but there is still darkness out there, and our role will never be more important in the days to come. I will be looking to all of you for guidance and help. We are Jedi, and together, we can overcome anything,"

The session ended shortly after, and as the masters all filed out, Kyle was surprised to see Jaden Korr standing outside the council chamber, bowing slightly as the masters filed past him. Kyp Durron gave him a slight pat on the back and nodded to him as he passed.

"Master Katarn, may I have a word with you please?" He said.

"Of course," Kyle said, frowning slightly. He had not seen much of Jaden since the end of the war.

Together they walked toward the vast windows overlooking the training grounds.

"Master…what happens now?" Jaden asked, looking out the window.

"I'm not sure to be honest Jaden," Kyle replied. "The future is never certain, if there is one thing I have learned during the war, it has been that,"

Jaden smiled bitterly. "I feel like there should be more of a lesson than that, Master,"

Kyle turned to regard his former apprentice.

"I do too, but sometimes the meanings of the lessons are never fully revealed until much later. If there ever was a meaning to begin with, this was a war that never should have happened, and it will be up to us as Jedi…as people…to make sure that it never does again. My father once told me how proud he was when I went off to the Imperial Academy, he was proud of me as a person, never mind my faults, or that I was going to serve a corrupt regime, he was proud of me because I was his son. That no matter what happened he knew I had the good in me to do the right thing, to help those in need, and it was his saying that that kept me from doing some horrible things. It matters not who we turn out to be, it matters the road we take to becoming that person."

Kyle paused and looked back out the window.

"In the end, it's the ones who stand by you that matter; it's the ones you love that you will fight for with all your heart. When we took our oaths as Jedi we knew that ours would not be an easy life, that we would face hardship, suffering, and death. But we do it so that others won't have too…I think that's what drove Jacen Solo over the edge…it was his love…he wanted a safe and protected galaxy, but he wanted it too much. He fell into the abyss and came out trying to destroy everything he loved in the first place. But know this Jaden Korr, you will never be alone, you have your friends and your family to help you. That is something Darth Caedus threw away…his need for love…when he needed it the most,"

Jaden Korr did not speak for several moments. They both continued to star outside, they both out to the training grounds and saw a small figure walk out to the edge of the platform.

It was Jaina Solo.

Kyle felt Jaden's sorrow in the Force as he watched his friend study her through the mirror. No one could go through what Jaina was and not feel as she did. Ever since that terrible battle she had been cut off from everyone, she refused to go with her family, instead holding herself up in the temple, coming out only at meals, her eyes had been red from crying, and she had withdrawn from the Force. Not even Luke Skywalker had the heart to intervene, he simply told them to watch over her, and when she needed someone to talk too, they would be there, ready.

"She needs all the love she can get right now," Kyle said softly. "We may be Jedi, and our paths may take us each down different roads, but we are still one family, there for each other, supporting each other, comforting each other, and loving each other. Otherwise how are we any different from the Sith?"

Jaden nodded. He stood looking at her for another moment, watched as she wrapped her cloak around her and hung her head. Even from that great distance, they could see her shoulders rocking.

"I know where I need to be now," Jaden said quietly.

Kyle simply nodded, he understood, and continued to watch for several moments as the Courscanti sun was setting, casting long shadows on the training ground and the lone figure sitting by the edge.

But she was no longer alone.

He watched as Jaden Korr walked across the training grounds and stood behind her, and then he bent down and put a hand on her shoulder. Jaina seemed to not even know he was there. Shortly after that came several Jedi to join them: Valin and Jysella Horn, Bazel Warv, and his friend Yaqeel Saav'etu, Rosh Penin, and Kolir Hu'lya.

Kyle watched this and was surprised when a tear came to his eye, he knew that no matter what came in the future, whatever terrible battles awaited them, he knew that they would stand and face it together.

As Jedi.

He felt the bright, shinning presence of Luke Skywalker as he came over to join them, even without looking Kyle could tell Luke had a small smile on his face.

"Master Katarn, is everything alright?" He asked.

Kyle smiled, and did not bother to wipe away the tear.

"Yes, I think everything is going to be fine,"