Disclaimer: This fanfiction is based on the Lucasarts/BioWare property Knights of the Old Republic.

Yuthura Ban looked around her at the wall carvings in the tomb of Naga Sadow on Korriban. With her was her Sith Master, Uthar Wynn. They stood atop a frozen pool of strong acid, waiting for Jace Kilraen, a Sith student taking his final test for Apprentice rank. Jace walked out of Naga Sadow's burial chamber, holding up his new Sith lightsaber. He was covered in a black, tar-like substance which smelled vaguely metallic. Master Uthar greeted him.

Yuthura could not hold back her curiosity. "What is that black stuff all over you?"

Jace blinked. "Terentatek blood, of course."

"You… killed them?" asked Uthar, "both of them?"

Jace nodded; Yuthura burst into hysterical laughter and had to take a step to steady herself. "Jace, you only needed to get past them!"

"Oh," replied Jace, "That never occurred to me."

Yuthura was not really paying attention to Master Uthar's spiel; she had heard it many times before. I really picked the right apprentice to help bring Uthar down. The violet-skinned Twi'lek had been planning to kill her Master for two years, waiting for the right ally. Jace seemed like an obvious choice. The Jedi defector had arrived on Korriban with a ship full of followers, including two other Jedi. He had provoked a fight with three saber-wielding Sith hopefuls-while unarmed himself-and defeated them easily. Yuthura had approached him the next day, and Jace seemed eager to gain prestige and power. He had quickly proven to Uthar that he was the strongest student of the group, killing two of his classmates during the competition. Now he and Yuthura were alone with Uthar during the final test.

Uthar will have Jace duel me as his proof of power, but he doesn't know I am ready to overthrow him. Jace and I can undoubtedly beat Uthar, but then I'll have to take care of Jace. He is too strong; he'll try to kill me the minute my back is turned.

Uthar was finishing his speech to Jace. "You will fight Yuthura, here… my own apprentice."

"What?!" cried Yuthura, feigning surprise, "so this is what you planned all along. You wish me killed!"

"Indeed," said Uthar matter-of-factly. "You have become too ambitious, Yuthura. It is time for you to die and someone more… talented… to take your place."

Yuthura put her hands on her hips. "No, it is time for you to die. My pupil stands with me."

"Oh? Is this true, young one?" asked Uthar, turning to Jace. "You wish to join Yuthura in her foolish scheme?"

Jace shrugged. "Sorry, Uthar, I'm with Yuthura on this one."

Yuthura smiled. "Do you hear that, my Master? That is the sound of a new leader rising to replace you."

Uthar bared his teeth furiously. "So the time has come, has it? You both wish to stand against a Sith Master and perish, do you? THEN SO BE IT!"

Uthar ignited his double-bladed lightsaber; Yuthura favored a single shoto; its short length complimented her high-speed Ataru saber form. Jace powered his double-blade on as well; he had only recently left the Jedi, and so still used an emerald green lightsaber with a white-gold core. Uthar made the first attack, striking at Jace with Force lightning. Jace let the bolt strike his open left hand, closed his fist, and threw the energy back. Uthar raised his saber to block and Yuthura charged. She slashed at her master's exposed back and blasted a wave of the Force at his legs. Uthar spun and blocked her attack. He jumped and landed in the center of the room, powering up a second, much larger blast of electricity. He focused the lighting with his saber, sweeping a massive lightning blade around the room. Jace was forced to dodge. Yuthura leapt over the attack and swung her left heel into Uthar's head. His attack broke as Uthar staggered. Yuthura closed in for the kill.

Uthar blocked Yuthura's strike and shrugged off her Force attack. He battered her guard with powerful slashes. Jace moved in on Uthar from his blind side. The Sith Master parried both of their sabers and aimed a riposte at Yuthura. The Twi'lek stepped in close and caught Uthar's saber hand in an Echani hold. She pivoted and threw him over her shoulder. Uthar flipped and landed on his feet. He snarled, threw his saber at Jace, and blasted her with violet lightning. Yuthura deflected the bolts with her saber blade, but momentarily ignored Uthar himself. He caught her throat in a Force grip, lifting her off the floor. Uthar pulled his saber back in and swung to cut her in half.

Yuthura focused and broke Uthar's grip; she landed on her feet and ducked to avoid the double-blade. Jace dashed in to attack Uthar from behind, but the Sith Master jumped again, landing to face both his opponents. Yuthura drew on her rage and hurled Force lightning at her master. Uthar countered with his own shock attack. The bolts connected; both Uthar and Yuthura committed their whole strength to push the energy toward the other. Jace came at Uthar's back; the crafty Sith stopped his attack and leapt aside, trying to get Yuthura to hit Jace by accident. The Twi'lek was able to cut off her attack before she hit Jace, who took Uthar on directly. The two dueled for a few moments. Yuthura tried for a jump slash at Uthar's head, but he turned and caught her in midair. Jace took advantage of the distraction to spin around Uthar's guard and finish him.

Yes, I've done it! Now to deal with Jace… "Uthar is finished," Yuthura said, smiling, "and a new order is brought to the Academy. Excellent." She turned to her former ally. "While I do like you… truly… I'm afraid I'm not the type to share power with anyone. Even you."

Jace frowned at her. "Yuthura…"

She shook her head. It really is a shame. "I'm sorry it has to be this way, Jace. I really am." She raised her lightsaber. "Let's get this over with."

She struck him with a Force push, doing little more than blowing his hair around. Yuthura concentrated on her Battle Precognition. Echani-trained duelists could predict the flow of a battle like dejarik grandmasters; they used this ability to 'see' the possible outcomes of their next move. Yuthura took note of ledges, walls, and Jace's position as she charged, leaping and twisting around him. She was landing hits, but doing no decisive damage. She cartwheeled off a wall and got a cut in on Jace's shoulder. He was completely defensive. Yuthura watched the future battle happily, seeing plenty of opportunities to get strikes in at Jace. This will be over in a minute. She was right-and wrong.

Jace backed up and shot a Force wave at her. Yuthura blocked, but then heard the crackling sound behind her. The ice was broken and being swept away by the current. There was no floor to fight on except for a narrow strip on the near side. Yuthura looked around and saw no possible ways to get a hit in past Jace's much longer lightsaber.

I can't win, she realized with horror. I have to get past him, or I'm going to die! She must have let her fear show, because Jace grinned. He raised his double-blade and came at her with long swings. Yuthura had no choice-she backed up. She was running out of room; somewhere behind her was a stone wall. She saw one way to survive: leaping over Jace and fleeing out the door. Yuthura kept blocking until she felt the cold of the stone behind her. She braced a foot against the wall, drew on the Force, and launched herself into the air.

Jace was ready for her. As she landed, he extended a hand and the floor beneath her feet shifted. Yuthura's arms windmilled, but she couldn't regain her balance. She screamed and fell back towards the acid, then stopped. Jace was standing over her, holding her up with the Force. A chill ran down her spine as she was overcome by terror. Oh, gods, no! He's planning to lower me in slowly! The Twi'lek looked up fearfully. "Jace, please, not the acid."

Yuthura felt herself rising away from the deadly liquid. She sagged with relief. Thank the Force. She looked over at Jace and saw an expression full of sorrow. Was he sincere? Have I betrayed a true friend, and not just another Sith? I'm sorry, Jace. I should have trusted you. Yuthura landed lightly at the pool's edge. "I yield." She fell to her knees, clasped her hands, and bowed; it was the submissive pose Omeesh the Hutt's slave master had taught her when she was a girl. "You are too strong for me," she said quietly. "I was a fool to think otherwise. I am… at your mercy." She reached back and pulled her lekku off her shoulders, uncovering her neck so Jace could make a clean cut.

The blow did not fall. "You ask for mercy?" asked Jace, "you, a Sith?"

Yuthura remained still, willing herself not to beg, wanting to die with dignity. "I know you can't let me live. The only mercy I hope for is a quick death; I would be deeply grateful for that kindness." I know I don't deserve it.

Jace was silent for a moment. "I still have questions for you, Yuthura Ban. You are already dead, so there's no reason to lie."

What does he want? Yuthura nodded. "Ask what you will, Master."

"What do you regret, Yuthura?" asked Jace. "Here, now, at the end of your life, what would you change?"

Yuthura saw the faces of the other girls Omeesh held captive, and she began to cry. "I never went back to Sleheyron. All the things I wanted to do, all the wrongs I wanted to right… I haven't done any of it. They just get farther and farther from my mind. All I've cared about is power and… myself. This isn't the person I was." Yuthura startled slightly as Jace grabbed her arms.

He pulled her upright. "There's still time to change that."

Her heart leaped. He's going to spare me! "You're right. Maybe… maybe what I needed most was peace, after all. The Jedi tried to show me that."

Jace smiled. "Sometimes you have to be apart from the Order to see their wisdom."

How could I not have known? "You're not a Sith at all," Yuthura said. "I must have been blind not to see it."

Jace pursed his lips. "I'm here for the Star Map. It's a bit of a long story." Jace turned and sat on a fallen stone block. Yuthura found a small boulder. "Ten months ago, I was a Special Forces trooper of the Republic Army, a sergeant assigned to guard the Jedi, Bastila Shan. Darth Bandon attacked our ship over Taris. The cruiser was destroyed, but I got to the escape pods along with Bastila and another officer. During the escape from Taris, I learned I was Force Sensitive. Bastila brought me to Dantooine for training. I have a Force Bond with Bastila; I trained as a Jedi Sentinel, like her. We discovered another Star Map on Dantooine. There is a network of them, part of some ancient pre-Republic civilization. The maps lead to some ancient artifact that Malak is using to win the war. Malak captured us; that's when I learned the truth." Jace heaved a sigh. "I am Darth Revan." Yuthura jumped at the name. "Bastila didn't kill me," Revan continued, explaining the last year of his life. Bastila had saved him from Malak's betrayal, bonding them in the process. The Jedi Council had reprogrammed his mind, leaving the truth buried deep under false memories. They had intended to have him unknowingly lead Bastila to the Star Forge, but things hadn't exactly worked out.

Yuthura shook her head. "Weren't you hurt when you learned what Bastila had done?"

Revan shrugged. "I was, but Bastila and I have fallen in love. I could never turn on her; I have to finish the mission and save her. That's why I came here, to the last Star Map."

Yuthura was overwhelmed. "So, I just challenged the Dark Lord himself to a duel?"

Revan shook his head. "I am Padawan Jace of the Jedi Order, not Darth Revan of the Sith Empire. I have a choice, just like you do."

I wanted to help others, once, Yuthura thought. I know the right decision. "I want to help."

Jace smiled. "I've actually gathered a small group of defectors along the way. I mean to get them to the Republic forces-you can go with them."

Yuthura stood. "Let's go, if you are done here."

Jace's comm chirped; he listened for a moment, frowning, then turned to her. "Our cover's blown; many Sith are coming for us. There is a tunnel from the shyrack cave to the surface; it's our best way out."

Yuthura followed Jace at a run. As they pounded out onto the sandy valley floor, Jace raised his comlink back to his lips. He spoke urgently, then nodded and clicked it off. They reached the winding gully that led to the Academy lower entrance. As Yuthura rounded a bend, she saw dozens of Sith instructors and apprentices boiling out of the Academy door. Jace swerved to his right into the shyrack cave. Yuthura followed, both of them at a full sprint. Jace ran through the cave, knocking stones down. Yuthura pulled them in and threw them behind her to slow their pursuers. They emerged into a large chamber with a massive stone bridge. Jace crossed and headed into a narrow passage on the far side. Yuthura leapt into a forward flip. As she briefly faced backward, she pushed both arms out, blasting several Sith off the bridge.

Yuthura followed Jace into the exit tunnel and out onto the surface of Korriban. She was surprised to see Thalia May and the Twi'lek brothers Koshak and Karlo Passik, all students who had fled the Academy. Between fighting Uthar and each other, Jace and Yuthura were exhausted; she looked up despairingly to see a pair of shuttles approaching. Koshak and Karlo drew their lightsabers and ran past her to hold the cave entrance. There were dozens of Sith coming through the cave, and the escapees could not hope to hold them.

The Twi'lek brothers looked at each other; Karlo began signing in Lekku. "We've got to blast the cave shut!" Koshak nodded.

Yuthura realized what they meant to do. "No!" she cried, but they had already forced their way back into the passage. They released a powerful dual Force wave, bringing the tunnel down on top of themselves and sealing the passage with a massive pile of rock. Thalia May wailed sorrowfully, and Yuthura blinked back tears at the brothers' noble final act.

Yuthura turned tiredly to face the Sith troopers who were advancing on their position from the landed shuttles. She, Thalia, and Jace readied themselves for a fight. There were at least sixty troopers taking up firing positions in the rocks. She was settling into a blaster-defense form when two proton torpedoes flew out from behind the mountainside. One destroyed each shuttle. The Shifting Shadow came into view and began firing on the troops with the quad turret under the nose. One of the side guns opened up as well. The ship flew around behind their position, circled, and landed just in front of them. The rear ramp dropped and Jace led the two women into the ship. The Shadow was leaving the ground before the ramp was fully closed.

"Get to the guns!" The Twi'lek recognized Dustil Onasi's voice over the speakers. "Upper deck, aft!" Jace looked around and sprang to a ladderway. The three escapees climbed to the upper deck and ran to the back of the ship. The gun deck was a large room in the stern; Yuthura saw Dak Vesser manning the portside twin repeater. Jace pointed to the other two twin guns and climbed into the top turret himself. Thalia took the starboard gun and Yuthura walked all the way to the aft gun in the narrow tail section. She watched Dreshdae and the Academy shrinking behind them. Fighters were climbing out of the Academy hangar, but the Shadow had a big lead and was accelerating away. Yuthura heard Jace talking to the Ebon Hawk on the radio. The freighter came into view, rising out of a canyon in the wastelands. The Hawk passed by her viewport and both ships jumped to hyperspace.

Yuthura powered down the tail gun and locked it in the stowed position. "We're safely away," called Dustil from the cockpit. "Meet me in the mess."

The Twi'lek turned to see Jace, Thalia, and Dak leaving their guns. "The ship's mess is on this deck, just behind the cockpit." She led the way to the eating area, which spanned the entire width of the ship and had doors at either end. Dustil and the Jedi-hunter droid were coming in the far door from the passageway leading to the bow. The Sith defectors gathered together and looked at Jace.

Yuthura spoke first. "What now, Master?"

Jace shook his head. "First things first. I'm a Padawan, not your master; you call me Jace. Second, there's been enough lies and secrets on my journey." He went on to explain his true identity, and the broad strokes of his mission. The group was startled, as expected, but seemed to accept the truth quickly enough. "I've just been on comm with Lieutenant Carth Onasi, who is next in command of my crew," said Jace. "We are en route to Manaan; we'll be making several course changes to throw off any pursuit. Once there, you'll be debriefed by Republic Intelligence. After that, it's not up to me."

Jace looked from one face to another. "I have a favor to ask. The Jedi Council doesn't know that I know who I really am. I ask that you not tell them unless they ask. I want to face them myself."

The escapees nodded. "We understand," said Yuthura.

"There's one more thing I have to be sure of," said Dustil. None of them sensed malice; in the blink of an eye he had drawn his blaster and aimed it at Yuthura's head. Dak and Thalia shouted in alarm. "You murdered Selene, Senior Apprentice," Dustil said in a quiet, deadly voice. "Now convince me that you didn't kill her because you were jealous."

Yuthura turned to look at him; Dustil's face was pained. The muzzle of the blaster moved in small figure eights as his hand shook. Jace held up his hands placatingly. "As Sith, you've all done things that you aren't proud of. When you chose to come with me, you chose to start over." Jace stepped into the line of fire. "Tell him the truth, Yuthura, and you have nothing to fear. I won't allow him to hurt you."

Can Jace feel my thoughts that easily? Yuthura struggled to calm herself, but the memories came flooding back. Dustil was barely fifteen then, untrained but with immense potential. Selene was older, fanatically dedicated to the Sith, but unskilled. Dustil followed her everywhere, though he was by far the stronger. "You had only been here for a few months, Dustil. You hadn't even been selected for apprentice yet, and I barely knew you. Master Uthar was testing my loyalty. He told me that caring for Selene was keeping you from giving the competition your all; he ordered me to kill her and make it look like an accident. I was a Sith Apprentice, and I obeyed without question."

In her mind's eye, she saw Selene below on the valley floor, digging in a minor tomb. Yuthura drew her lightsaber, carved into the rock and weakened the ceiling. She felt the tunnel collapse as she walked away. Selene had been killed instantly; Dustil was broken-hearted and buried himself in his training. As he studied under Yuthura they developed a bond, which became something more. Yuthura stepped out from behind Jace to look Dustil in the eyes; he kept his blaster aimed at her. "I didn't begin to have feelings for you until we had known each other for more than a year."

Dustil let out a deep sigh and lowered his blaster. "I'm sorry, Yuthura, I had to know."

Her voice shook. "Can you forgive me, Dustil?"

He hesitated. "We should… talk this out, later." He turned to Jace. "I won't hurt her. You have my word." Yuthura nodded gratefully and sank into a chair. The tension broke and the crew relaxed.

Jace looked around the room. "Let's all get some rest. We'll be glad of it once we get to Manaan." He turned to Dustil. "Mind giving me a quick tour?"

The pilot nodded. "Of course not, sir."

Dustil led Jace out the forward door of the mess. They entered a small space with port and starboard docking hatches. There were also two floor hatches, one to the lower deck and one leading to the quad turret beneath the cockpit. The cockpit was unusual for so large a vessel: It had a single seat for the pilot in the transparisteel nose and a control yoke with rudder pedals, much like a bomber. The comm and nav consoles were set into the side walls; the operators sat facing outward. Jace followed Dustil back out of the cockpit and down to the lower deck. The lower deck area from the turret to the stub wings once held a pair of twelve-round rotary magazines for the Shadow's torpedo tubes. They had been removed to fit large fuel tanks. Behind the wings was the cargo hold. Before the conversion, it had been the lower gun deck, with a ventral quad gun and a twin repeater either side. Further back was the engine room with access to the engine nacelles either side. A hyperdrive had been installed at the back of the engine room; combined with the extra fuel tankage, this allowed the ship to function as a long-range transport. Dustil climbed the ladderway to the gun deck. This was a large open space with gunner's chairs for the three twin gun mounts. One was way back in the tail; the two side gunners sat further forward. The dorsal turret basket was in the center of the room. Heading back forward, they passed between the armory and med bay, coming to the crew quarters. Unlike the Ebon Hawk, the Shifting Shadow had several cabins. The starboard side held four two-person rooms with a refresher for each pair. The port side held three cabins: a large captain's stateroom with en-suite refresher, and a pair of smaller cabins for the first and second officer with a 'fresher between them. The Shadow could comfortably carry a crew of eleven, more with hot-bunking.

Dustil showed Jace to an officer's cabin and closed the door behind them. "Now, you wanted to talk to me alone, I could tell. What about? I'm okay with Yuthura, I really am."

Jace cocked his head. "I wanted to talk to you about Carth."

Dustil made a face. "I was afraid of that." He looked down. "Inside, I know it was anger at my father that drove me to the Sith. Still, I'm not completely over it. He was gone when I needed him most-my mother is dead and I was taken prisoner. If I wasn't Force Sensitive, I'd still be on the labor gang with the other civilians taken on Telos." Dustil set his jaw. "I admit the Sith are evil-you showed me the truth of that. But my father went to war to protect the people of the Republic and left his family behind. We should have meant more to him."

Jace smiled. "You did. He kept photos of you and your mother taped to the helm console aboard the Hawk. When I told him I had found you, he wanted to go after you before finding the Star Map on Korriban. I insisted that the mission had to come first, and he pulled a blaster on me."

Dustil's head jerked. "Threatening a superior? That doesn't sound like Father."

Jace shook his head. "He spent a lot of time talking about you. He agonized over his decision to rejoin the fleet, Dustil. He thought he could keep you safer by being in the fight."

Dustil shrugged. "Well, we're both in the fight now. I'll have the chance to talk to him about everything if we both survive the war."

Jace clapped Dustil on the back. "Let's get some rest. We've got a long way to go to make sure that we do make it through this."

The pilot nodded. "Thank you for showing us the truth, Jace. We won't waste the opportunity you've given us." Dustil headed down the passageway to the captain's stateroom, where he lived when Uthar was not aboard.

Yuthura Ban was waiting for him, leaning against the wall outside the stateroom door. She had been crying for some time; there were white salt trails on her cheeks. "I owe you an apology and more, Dustil. I can't bear the thought of what I did to you and Selene."

Dustil shook his head. "I can't condemn you and expect to be forgiven myself. I killed a man to gain Uthar's favor, too. We all did-except for Thalia." He took a deep breath. "When Jace convinced me the Sith were evil, my first thought… I couldn't leave you. I told Jace I was going to stay behind as a spy, but I just wanted to find a way to bring you with me."

"All the time we've been together, I was terrified you'd find out. I should have told you, I wanted to tell you… just like I wanted to go back to Sleheyron." Yuthura took a shuddering breath. "It's been more than ten years since I escaped from Omeesh the Hutt, and I've never even tried to go back for the others! What have I become?"

"A good person, that's what you are. But good people can do terrible things." Dustil pulled her into a tight hug. "It hurts because you have a heart." He looked into her face. "I'm sorry too, Yuthura. I humiliated you in front of Jace and the others. I pulled a blaster on you, on the girl I love."

Her head snapped up. "You love me still, knowing what I've done?"

Dustil nodded. "Always, Yuthura."

The Twi'lek sighed with relief. Yuthura was tall-Dustil had to tilt his head back to kiss her lips. He smiled kindly, licked two fingers, and wiped her dried tears away. "It's been a long day. Come to bed. We'll both feel better in the morning." He held her hand to lead her into the cabin as the Shifting Shadow zoomed through the void towards Manaan.

A/N: If you read 'Second Chances' and 'Redemption,' you probably detected the formation of a second party. I always loved Yuthura and Dustil and wanted to do more with them. I wrote my KotOR I fic with the intent of giving them somewhere to go and something to do. This is their adventure, along with some old and new friends.