Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic III
The True Sith
Chapter 1
"True Sith? What the hell do you mean True Sith?" Canderous' confused voice surprised everyone. It wasn't like the former Mandalore to be confused. Then again, Exile's other former companions seemed just puzzled as Canderous.
"The True Sith was an obscure and largely unknown order of adherents to the dark side of the Force," Exile explained, repeating the same words her deceased mentor, Kriea, had told her, "The order has been in existence for tens of thousands of years and were silently waiting in the Unknown Regions during the time of the Jedi Civil War."
"Delighted Response: Were?" HK-47, a protocol assassination droid, chimed in from behind Canderous. His red glowing eyes seemed slightly joyful at the fact that he would face an enemy that would prove to be a challenge. Canderous, too, had a small smile on his face and was patting his repeating rifle in an affectionate way.
"The piece of scrap metal is right," Atton Rand reluctantly agreed with HK who he had disliked since the first time they met. HK didn't take it personally. It was a known fact that Atton despised droids in general, not just the ones who enjoyed killing things. "Were?"
"That is why Revan and I have returned," Exile answered slowly. She, herself, didn't fully understand why the True Sith had finally revealed themselves. Revan was the one who had uncovered that known fact and Exile had gotten the feeling that the former Lord of the Sith wasn't telling her everything. "He believes that the True Sith are finally ready to reveal themselves because of the balance the Jedi are bringing back to the Force."
Exile eyed each of her old allies with a look usually shared between a master and an apprentice. Not only had they been her former companions, but they had been her old pupils as well. During her travels with them, Exile had taught each of them the ways of the Jedi and in return they had agreed to carry out the traditions of the Jedi Council. The only ones who had rejected this form of teachings were Canderous and Hanharr. Atton, Bao-Dur, and Mical had all followed Exile's instructions and had helped further the light.
"We couldn't have done it without your help," Visas replied modestly. Visas had once been a dark Jedi, but with Exile's help had left the path of darkness and instead returned to the path of light. Since then Visas had been one of Exile's most trusted companions and had been of the four people she missed the most in her journeys to the Unknown Regions.
"But you did," Exile countered and shot a quick glance at the Handmaiden, the only Jedi here she hadn't trained, "You even taught a new companion the ways of the Force." Exile had met the Handmaiden only once during her travels on the planet Telos. Even though they only spoke once, Exile had felt the Force flowing through the Handmaiden and had known that one day she would follow the path of a Jedi. Exile wondered which Jedi Master had been the one to train her.
"Mical trained her," Visas answered Exile's unspoken question, "He was the only one who made a good mentor for her." Exile nodded, understanding what she meant. Atton would've let his personal feelings get in the way. Bao-Dur was too inexperienced. And Visas wasn't the mentor type. She would've gotten to impatient with the young Jedi. That left only Mical.
"Well done, Master Mical," Exile teased Mical and watched as her best friend smiled his crooked grin. Beside him, Atton gave a loud cough and Exile rolled her eyes at him. He should know by now that she had no feelings for Mical, that they were just friends, but Atton remained his stubborn self and continued getting jealous over silly things.
"Question: Speaking of Masters, where is Master Revan?" HK asked, his head swiveling around to search for his Master and creator. Revan had erased HK's memory before he had left for the Unknown Regions, but the protocol droid, once again, required his old memory and now addressed Revan as a master.
"When we went our separate ways, Revan was going to Dantoorine to meet up with his former companions…"