Khana's fingers fumbled with the lightsaber pommel until her nails scratched off the surface and nearly broke. That's when something inside of her released and a torrent of emotion flooded out of her before she even realized it was there to begin with. Tears broke free in loud, heaving sobs. She hugged the saber hilt to her chest and numbly clutched it, hiccupping as more and more pressure forced itself up through her throat.

Her chest felt squeezed so tight that she thought she couldn't breathe. Dropping the hilt to the ground, she clawed at her own breast, desperate for air. But she could only cry. Long wailing whines started in the back of her throat as she occasionally felt what little oxygen she could gasp was knocked out of her. Her body trembled, hands shaking on her knees as they bobbed up and down uncontrollably with chaotic energy.

Desperate for some control, she ran her hands back over her head and down her lekku, feeling the perspiration gather on her palms and between her fingers. She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth and felt the wet squish of spittle, prompting more tears at her sorry state. She grasped her pants-legs until her rutian knuckles nearly turned sky-blue.

When her eyes were raw and face flushed, she jerked at the black robes still covering her. In a desperate fit to rid herself of the evidence, she ripped the boots, bracers, and belts off, tossing them across the room, and then yanked the layers away from her until all of her frustrated vigor leveled out and she sat inhaling and exhaling deeply, shoulders slumped.

Suddenly her door was open and a presence flooded the entire room. She knew Lord Scourge stood there; his black and red body filled the entire frame. She didn't move or flinch, waiting for him to say whatever it was he had to say so that he would leave. He stepped inside and the door closed behind him. Narrowing her gaze on the rug in front of her bed, she wondered what was in his head. There was no patience in her for games and the longer she waited, the angrier she became. Finally, her head snapped up to face him. That's when he spoke.

"I have seen this face on slaves and dying men… What business do you have wearing it?" he asked calmly.

"What do you think of your champion now?" she retorted bitterly. "Any regrets?"

"If you say that because you believe I find your emotions a weakness, you're wrong. This feeling gives you strength. Anger and confusion motivate your tears. If you were to focus on that anger and let it drive you, you would be unstoppable." He tilted his head up at the chin. "This is a strength."

"I am a Jedi," she insisted, wiping her face on her sleeve. "I have been in the Order my whole life. I lived and fought by the Code. I have served the Republic and the light with every ounce of my being. There is no emotion, there is peace!" She yelled and then swallowed the lump in her throat. "I followed the Code."

"Always?" he asked. "You always followed the Code?"

"Yes," she replied, but her tone pitched, hinting at another possibility. "Of course…"

"You are either lying or unsure," Scourge said curtly. "Which is it?"

Khana sighed, finding the tears had ceased and she was breathing easier now that she had been pulled into conversation. Thankfully, the energy had left and she sat limply in front of him; it was the closest to calm she had felt since she'd come out of her dark trance.

"It doesn't matter," she told him. "I walked dangerously alongside the gray area, I know. Allowing myself to care too much, to be involved deeper than I should've—I exposed myself to what I had not yet learned to temper."

"With your companions, I recall," he muttered like he already knew the secrets that he pried for. "And was that all? I recall several incidents the Emperor glimpsed in your mind."

A flare of anger rose so quickly through her that she did not have time to catch herself before her eyes flashed at him. His eyes locked with hers and she nearly flinched at the smoldering gaze.

"Tell me how long before the Emperor's taint leaves me," she hissed.

"If you answer my question, I shall tell you. How did you break the Emperor's domination?"

"My Master came to me and spoke to me through the Force. He told me of what had happened and helped me break the trance." She nodded at him. "You're turn."

"There is no taint," Scourge told her. "The anger is your own." He kept going even as Khana began shaking her head defiantly. "He did little to break you. You were nearly ready to receive the dark tutelage offered you."

"No—"

"Your anger makes you strong. You did incredible things in the Emperor's service. You were stronger than you ever were."

"No, I am a Jedi."

"A Jedi who questioned her cause."

"I never questioned my mission—"

"Rather the people you were fighting for."

"I was a good Jedi!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

"But you were a greater Sith," Scourge declared confidently.

Khana felt the hate burning inside of her and wanted to deny it—knew she should. But she couldn't. She only wanted to silence him. To deny all of his implications, his accusations—his truths. So focused was she on the conflict between giving into her rage and fighting it, she didn't even notice her clenched fists trembling.

"Remarkable," Scourge began as he stepped closer to her. "Your people are nothing but slaves to us." He reached out to stroke her lekku—an utterly light and swift caress—before dropping his hands back to his sides. "But the Emperor does not know social dictums or cultural edifications, only power. So a slave became Sith."

"Scourge," she warned, and the anger in her voice was unmistakable. He relented only until he'd paced away from her.

"Perhaps this is a conversation for another time," he said quietly, glancing back at her once.

"I need to know."

"Another time," he insisted, and left.

As Scourge disappeared around the corner, she crossed to her door and locked it. It hissed as it sealed across the threshold. She rolled to her right, putting her back to the door, and frowned as she recapped the conversation. As she reran every detail over in her mind, she recalled a moment on the citadel when she came into one of her memories. She recalled it again, stronger. Scourge's eyes had watched her, followed her—across rooms and hallways. He had shadowed her with an unnatural interest.

Khana tossed herself onto her bed, internal turmoil churning beneath the mystery of Scourge's unwavering and never-leaving gaze. He had haunted her during her service to the Emperor. He had followed her from the citadel in order to thwart his master's plans and end his life. Even on Quesh—during their first meeting—he had seen something in her that turned him away from confrontation.

She closed her eyes and thought back to that day, hoping to glean some understanding behind his motivations. Her desperation for peace, however, crowded her thoughts, and all she could recall was a day when she served the Republic and was not burdened by darkness. Instead, she did as her master had told her to do: she looked inside herself. There was so much darkness and it nearly scared her out of herself. She persisted, even for a moment, and reached out through the Force. Somehow—inexplicably—she found no lies in Lord Scourge.

...

Sajar's words reverberated in Khana's mind. An Imperial officer recognized me… said "the Emperor's Wrath is coming." When asked who the Emperor's Wrath was, he had replied, a ghost. Even the Dark Council fears him. And so now she waited patiently for this ghost to appear, eyes focused beyond the rayshield.

"Hang on," the lieutenant near her said. "We've got movement outside the rayshield." He readied his weapon. "Who is that?"

From the other side of the green energy field, a Sith with blood red skin stalked like a fierce beast toward them. His shoulders and chest were broad, every inch of him muscle and power beneath the black armor suit he wore. A long cape glided over the ground behind him. He was tall—so tall Khana stood only to his chest. His eyes were bright red and his expression was calm. Silver cylinders cuffed his cheek tendrils and two rings pierced his brow.

She crossed her arms across her chest expectantly as he came to stop before the rayshield. He took a wide-legged stance with his arms casually folded behind his back.

"What a mystery the Force can be," he began quietly. His voice was a purr of the accent native to the Sith. "I came seeking a traitor, but found you instead. The time draws near."

"You're too late," Khana told him. "You won't be killing anyone for the Emperor today."

"A minor disappointment," he replied, "eclipsed by this… curious discovery." His eyes bore into hers. "You're strong and touched by darkness. That is unexpected." The word was a whisper on a smile, as though the discovery had greatly pleased him. "An advantage?" He seemed to consider it. "Possibly." He tilted his head up at the chin. "You may keep the Dark Council traitor. I smell his weakness. He'll die by his own hand given the chance."

"Sajar will receive the help he needs."

"A waste of your time and talents," the Sith insisted. "He isn't worthy. The Emperor must hear of our meeting." He relaxed out of his pose. He spoke as he stepped backward, staring at her as if soaking in every detail. "I won't disappoint him with delays." He turned. "Farewell for now."

And the Emperor's Wrath was gone.

...

The memory of her meeting with Lord Scourge on Quesh was fresh in Khana's mind as she and her small entourage swiftly stalked down the loading ramp off the shuttle to Tython's orbital station. Across the room, she noticed a young padawan blanch in surprise and then sprint from the room, no doubt to collect the Council. Everyone else just gaped and stepped aside.

Khana's entourage was no doubt intimidating. Kira, still looking grim but walking proudly, followed closely behind on her right. Scourge—the menacing Sith—followed on her left. T7 headed up the rear, beeping happily that they were back.

Their boots treaded quietly on the marble flooring as they turned corners twice and entered the main hall of the temple. Clusters of people began to form, trying their hardest not to seem conspicuous. A tiny ball of agitation rolled around in Khana's gut, heating her internally until it was hard to breathe; they had things to be doing—useful things aside from gawking! She ignored them, briefly closing her eyes in shame. When could she get rid of this anger? If Scourge had been telling the truth and it was her own, why could she simply not vent it and be done?

When she opened her eyes again, the council chambers were opening for her. She nodded gratefully to the attendants who had taken the initiative. She stopped before entering and looked at Kira.

"You should get into a kolto bath right away," Khana told her former padawan. "We won't be long. I'll come and see you as soon as possible."

"Sure you can take the heat?" Kira asked with a weak smile.

"We escaped the Emperor's citadel… what's a Jedi Temple?" she joked. "Tee-seven, think you could keep Kira company?"

The little droid beeped in response and the two headed off in another direction. Khana and Scourge then swept inside the large double doors and they closed heavily behind them. As she made her way down the small hallway, Satele Shan, Kiwiks, and Kaedan came together before the table to greet her; their faces were twisted in a mixture of relief, joy, and pain.

"It's been so long," Satele began on a shaky note, opening her arms to welcome Khana home. "We thought you were lost forever."

The Grand Master reached out to take her shoulders and touch their foreheads together. The others merely grasped a shoulder comfortingly. After a moment of silence, they stepped back and withdrew their hands to their sides.

"What happened up there? You've been gone nearly three years," Kiwiks said.

Khana momentarily went rigid, feeling her skin turn to stone. So it had been that long. She had been afraid to ask, afraid to know. And there it was, the truth: three years of her life had served the Emperor's dark designs and she could remember nothing but small flashes. Swallowing the lump, she did her best to roll over the shock and hoped no one noticed the pause.

"Our mission to seize the Emperor has failed," Khana said bluntly. "Master Braga, Leeha Narez, and Waren Sedoru are still missing…" She looked regretfully from one gaze to the next, finally settling on Satele's. The next part would be the hardest to explain. "If they survived, however, they have probably suffered the same fate that I did. That is… Jomar's vision was true."

A small gasp escaped Kiwiks and Kaedan shuffled uncomfortably. Satele's expression did not waver.

"We heard… rumors," she said quietly. "But how? I know you, Khana. I know you would never willingly turn to the dark side."

"The Emperor dominated their minds," Scourge offered, "just as he did to Revan and Malak long ago that set them on the Republic." He tilted his head to look directly at Khana as he spoke. "She was quickly becoming one of his most prized servants… until she broke free of his domination."

"This is Lord Scourge," Khana introduced him, "the Emperor's Wrath. He helped us escape." She glanced up at him as he had with her. "He betrayed his Emperor to help us defeat him."

"Sith serve no one but themselves," Kaedan observed.

"I altered my loyalties to avert a threat to myself and you," Scourge corrected him. "Jedi are not alone in seeing the future. Centuries ago, I came to understand the Emperor's true desires: to destroy the galaxy, not to rule it. Republic, Empire, everything—gone. This Jedi," he focused on Khana, "has the power to stop him."

They stared at one another in fierce determination, a silent push-and-pull of understanding, trust, fear, and anger playing back and forth.

"I don't know if I do or not," she finally said, "but I believe he's telling the truth."

"The renewed war is merely a diversion to conceal the Emperor's designs," Scourge continued. "His true plans are already in motion across the galaxy. One by one, every star system will simply die. Trillions will perish."

"How does that benefit the Emperor?" Satele wanted to know.

"He'll feed on those deaths to become more powerful than all the Jedi and Sith combined. An immortal being of unlimited power."

"The Emperor defeated my strike team without a fight," Khana confirmed. "He's far stronger than we realized."

"A thousand years ago," Scourge explained specifically to Khana, as though she were the only one in the room, "the Emperor tricked an entire Sith world into aiding a dark ritual. He promised great power… only for himself, of course. The ritual consumed every living thing on the planet. He absorbed those life essences through the Force."

Khana internally shrank back, disturbed by the very idea. "That explains how he's lived so long… and where all this power comes from."

"That was merely one world," Scourge reminded them. "Imagine what he'll become after consuming millions. The Emperor has manipulated events for centuries towards one goal: performing an even greater ritual that will destroy this galaxy." He finally turned to address the others. "But the ritual requires a great sacrifice to begin: billions of simultaneous deaths. He seeks to commit genocide on Belsavis."

"That prison world holds the worst filth captured by the Republic. Mass murderers, tyrants, even captured Sith Lords," Kaedan said grimly as Master Kiwiks paced away from the group.

"We've kept the planet's location secret for decades," the Togrunta interjected, turning back to them. "If the Emperor has found it…"

"Once the sacrifice occurs," Scourge went on, "the Emperor's ritual cannot be stopped. We must save Belsavis."

The hiss of a lightsaber being drawn surprised all but the wielder. Master Kaedan held the blue beam at Scourge's throat and the two squared off defiantly.

"We?" the Jedi repeated. "Your role in this is over, Sith."

Khana felt a surge of anger in her heart. Another moment from her past leapt into the front of her thoughts: a cold and bleak day on Hoth when the Republic and Empire had momentarily joined forces to stop a greater threat. When that threat had passed, Zhan had given the order to the eager soldiers to turn on their Imperial allies. The betrayal had depressed and infuriated her. The Imperial commander's hissed words had stabbed her with deadly accuracy. You are no better than the Empire.

Here, again, she felt that truth hit home. Scourge had taken a great risk betraying the Emperor and had given them valuable information regarding his former lord's plans without asking for a single thing in return but that they do something about it. Kaedan was showing him all the kindness of Zhan and those Republic troops on Hoth.

Khana stepped between them, and would later wonder if the fury showed on her face. Right then, all she could think about was stopping this affront to justice—to stop it like she failed to do on Hoth.

"Lower your weapon, Master Kaedan," she demanded. "Scourge is cooperating. He came here of his own will and he will leave the same way."

"I know the Emperor's ways," the Sith reminded her. "Belsavis is not the only world in danger. We must find the others and I cannot help you from a prison cell." He dipped his head to quietly mutter in her ear. "Like it or not… we need each other."

"He's right," Satele said calmly. "I can feel the truth. Without his help, we're all dead."

Khana felt a spring of hope at the Grand Master's disarming words. The fairness cut through her anger like a cooling rush, abating the heat.

"The Council will concentrate on finding other worlds at risk," she continued as Kaedan withdrew his saber, "and finding our missing friends. Khana, I'm counting on you to stop the Emperor's plans."

"On me?" Khana asked, surprised.

"Yes. You were hoping for reassignment?"

"No, Master, I just… wasn't sure the Council would still trust me after what happened." She bowed her head shamefully.

"What you did was done under the Emperor's domination. We underestimated our enemy—all of us—and sent you to what we believed would be, at worse, your death. We were wrong; we sent you to something much worse. But you were able to fight him even under his control. That shows true strength and determination toward the light. While I believe you should take some time here to recover from any lingering symptoms or doubts, I do not hold you accountable to the actions of a Sith." Satele slightly turned her head back toward the others.

"Neither do I," Kiwiks said. "As as I said before you left those many years ago, I've known you since you were Master Orgus's padawan. You have saved lives across the galaxy. Now, you have beaten the Emperor's domination. I see no greater sign that you are loyal to the Jedi and to the Republic."

"I agree with Master Kiwiks," Kaedan said at length.

"Then it's settled," Satele declared. "I'm sure you have many things to attend to before you depart. Contact me when you reach Belsavis." She glanced at Scourge. "And don't rely too closely on your 'ally'."

The Sith smirked. "I'm disrupting the fabled Jedi calm. I suggest we depart."

Khana nodded. "May the Force be with us," she told the masters, and then led Scourge out of the council chambers.