No ship, of course.

She'd thought maybe, just this one time, it would be sitting somewhere in the rocks waiting for her. Now, instead of finding a ship, they had to find some Republic building so Bao Dur could figure out where it went.

"I can make out the base from here," Bao Dur called from his high ledge. "Looks like a straight shot."

Avery snorted. "Straight shot? When do I get those?"

The Zabrak hopped down and gave her an exaggerated look of surprise at her tone, complete with widened eyes, and she relented. He knew how to point out her bad mood without saying something, which would undoubtedly make her worse. "Sorry."

"It's alright, General. The other two should be fairly caught up now, so I suggest we move ahead."

"What? You're saying an old woman and a scoundrel who are woozy from a terrible crash wouldn't be helpful against Czerka mercenaries?" Avery followed him. "Then again, I can't say much, since I'm injured too."

"What happened to you?" Bao Dur wasn't one for dancing around a subject. "You can hardly fight anymore."

"The Jedi Council exiled me, and they stripped my Force powers."

He took a moment to digest this. "And you remember them doing this?"

"Ye- well…" She ruminated for a second. "I don't remember, exactly, but I do remember how terribly it hurt, and I know that the Council has done that on a couple of occasions before in history. It's the only explanation."

He peered over the expanse of land to the base. Nothing around still. "The only one? You don't think a dark Jedi or you, yourself caused it?"

She shook her head despite his focus being in front of them. "There is no way I would have done it- why on earth would I almost kill myself? Then there were those that were actual Sith on my side. Revan was, ah, pretty dark during the Wars, if you remember. No one fighting with me would do that- I was a valuable general, you know," Her voice was flippant, and she saw the corners of his mouth rise.

"I vaguely recall that, yes. So what are you going to do about the Council? Kill them?"

He wasn't joking, and her reply was serious. "I'd considered it when I woke up. More than anything, I just need to find whoever is alive and learn. Why it happened is more important now."

They were almost at the base. "Look, it's really quiet out here, and that worries me. Your guard should be up." When she nodded, Bao Dur stepped forward.

Avery timidly reached out with her mind. The hole was tender, like a wound that had a few stiches around the edges. "A lot of them," she whispered to the Zabrak. "Waiting behind cover. Can we overload those two terminals remotely? We have to bring their numbers down initially or we won't make it."

Now he was truly concerned. The old Avery would have rushed in, eager for a fight against large numbers. She really was injured. He sent his droid out with a stern lecture on being quiet, and they ducked behind the entrance as the droid located the computers. Thankfully, he wasn't as eager to beep as usual.

"Hey, what's that little ball-thing doing? It looks like it's-" A merc's shouts were cut off as a surge of electricity blasted him and his four comrades. At the same time, another terminal took out another six. With just three left, Avery and Bao Dur easily cleaned out the base. Now it was just a matter of locating the Hawk.

It's so difficult without the Force, Avery thought clinically of herself. It's not that I don't remember how to move, it's not that I'm not quick. But I used to feel a flow of energy as I fought that guided my hands and feet. I used to send enemies flying and know what they were about to do before they decided themselves. Without that link, without that flow, I'm forcing my mind to move myself. As she analyzed she was getting steadily grumpier while Bao Dur looked for a computer that could help. A hundred at a time before. Now, if I'm quick, I take out five. Five! Space, Malak would be horrified. A Jedi Knight who rose to power as a general can't even take on ten regular men…

Bao Dur watched with concern as the Exile began practically kicking at the long weeds as she paced outside. She must be displeased about something she couldn't control. He knew. Whenever she'd had a problem that could be solved, even with a remote chance of success, she was working on it either physically or in her head. This ill temper had to mean it was impossible to fix.

Atton looked like he was about to overload himself as he and Kreia came in. "We are never doing this party separation thing again," he told Avery sternly while Bao Dur checked the planet's defense systems. "I can't handle it."

"Here. This breach in the system means the Hawk had to have landed in these polar regions."

Another shuttle. Atton and the Exile cringed, and Kreia sighed. "I told you once that it is not the destination, but the journey that matters. However, I distinctly dislike the journey at the present."


Atton, not for the first time since he'd been in prison, was annoyed. "Why would somebody take the Ebon Hawk up to some subzero wasteland? There's nothing here!"

Kreia spoke up. "There are three large droids preparing to fire upon this shuttle. I suggest we land now before we crash once again."

Avery flushed. She should have caught that. The old woman turned to her, reading her thoughts. "I decided to speak, since you did not."

Since I'd been thinking about…well, Atton. Trying to figure him out is officially not allowed anymore, seeing as I go deaf to anything around me. I'm the imbecile, not him.

The shuttle pressed into the deep snow. Now that Avery wasn't trying to piece together another person's past, she could sense the three HK droids further up the slope. There was something further up, a…summit? she thought hesitantly…with these surges…undercurrents of energy that were stifled. She was surprised she was picking up whatever it was at all, it was so muffled.

They were gray silhouettes against the white, waiting. Oddly, they weren't moving. The Exile guessed it was due to how much they loved to talk- they needed a speech before they killed a Jedi.

"Irritated Declaration: There you are. It has been extremely difficult to track you down, Jedi."

Sure enough. A speech.

"Quick Clarification: But now that we have found you, we hope that we can facilitate communications."

"Unnecessary Addendum: And put an end…to hostilities."

"Destroying one of you was easy," Avery called out among the wind. "Wiping out three of you might cause me to break a sweat."

For once, the droids didn't have a biting retort, As they pulled out their weapons, Kreia's acrid Force powers channeled through the Exile. The energy hung loosely in her, burning and angry, and to her astonishment, Avery stretched out her hand, focused all her being on the droids, and sent the vile energy out as lightning from her fingertips. Kreia had chained her powers to the Exile, and between the two of them, the droids were fried in a couple of seconds.

Avery gulped in the cold air painfully. Adrenaline, sour and full of disorder, was still fizzing in her blood despite all the Force energy that had drained. "Warn me…warn me next time you decide to do that," she wheezed at Kreia.

"It will likely happen often," the old woman replied calmly. "Due to your inexplicable acts of mercy thus far, I fear a great deal of valuable powers will be lost to you without my help."

"Will it always feel…like this?"

"Yes, sometimes worse than others. It is how the powers are unleashed, however, so you must accept the discord."

The Exile knew without a doubt that the lightening had not been of the Light side. She'd had a similar experience back in the War. The pain and unrest associated with Dark side powers were always overwhelming. The sizzle was wearing down, and she tried to drawn in emptiness as much as she could. Even the Ache was better than what she just felt.

For just a second, Atton watched her fearfully, but she seemed to calm down. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I could swear I just saw the outline of a little structure past where the bodies are. I think we should head there."

Bao Dur agreed. "I think I saw it too. Regardless, it's better than freezing to death out here. General?"

Avery finally got a grip on herself. "Yeah, I'm good. Lead on."


Inside, the party saw three figures again, but white against gray this time. As they came closer, it was apparent they were beautiful women: alabaster skin, white robes, and hair as bright as the snow outside. One, short-haired, snapped at them. "Lay down your weapons and you shall not be harmed."

Atton watched Avery alertly. The second she moved in, he'd back her up with his rifle. He may not be able to send lightning out of his hands, but he could shoot straight.

Wordlessly, she dropped her vibrosword. It clanged loudly on the ground. Accordingly, her teammates did the same.

The pale women stepped forward cautiously and cuffed them. There were no explanations, and no expression crossed the women's faces. They led them down a long corridor, and Atton was furious to see that he, the old woman and the Zabrak were separated from Avery.

"Hey," he called, "where are you taking he-"

A swift jab of the butt from a spear cut him off. They were placed in energized cells and left utterly alone in the empty room. Bao Dur's cell was separated from the old woman and the pilot, so he spoke in a low voice with his droid. Avery never responded.

After a few minutes, Atton was too anxious to keep quiet. "Why is it that everywhere we go I always end up in a cell?" he complained. "Why did they lock us up? What is this place?"

For once, Kreia answered him without mockery. "It is a training ground. For Jedi."

"What? This ice hole? You've got to be joking. What is a Jedi Academy doing out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"It is a place hidden from the galaxy, like the academy on Dantooine. But this place…" Her voice dropped, and she spoke to herself now. "…oh, Atris. You have been clever."

"Atris?"

"It's none of your concern."

Cryptic again. What a shock. "The sooner we're out of here the better. Two crazy Jedi are more than enough for me. No one told me we were going to be dumped into a nest of 'em."

"And what is it about this place that causes you such fear?"

Shit. This old woman always saw too much. "What do you mean? We're in the middle of a bunch of Jedi. You know how they are."

"No, I do not. Not in the way you seem to." Her curiosity was piqued. He'd have to be-

Without warning, he felt twisted claws in his head, prying, searching, bitter and fiery and relentless. His hands flew up to press against his head. "What...what are you doing? Get out of my head!"

"Stop struggling-"

Bao Dur was up on his feet in alarm, shouting at Kreia. She ignored him. Within seconds, he had collapsed onto the floor of his cage. She continued.

A low, pained grunt came out of Atton now. He was startlingly good at resisting.

"Ah," Kreia finally let out, as though she'd been allowed a drink after great thirst. Her voice was quiet. "With the fear is mingled guilt; it squirms in you like a worm. And why? Ah. There is its heart."

He heard her in his head now, grating and echoing. "You surprise me," the voice said. "I could not feel it before. Your feelings are a powerful shield, indeed. Do not worry, "Atton." If she is a Jedi, she will forgive. If she is not, she will not care."

"You can't tell her." His voice cracked as he begged her. "Please- I'm asking you. I don't want her to-"

"Think less of you?" Kreia cackled delightedly, finally out of his mind. "I hardly think that's possible. Still, there is no shame in what you ask. We all wage war with the past. And it leaves its scars. I will not speak of yours, Atton, but there is a price for such things."

His voice was full of dread now. "What? What price?"

"There are those who wage war, and those who follow them. You are a crude thing, murderer, but you have your uses. You know how important this woman we travel with is- even one such as you can feel it. You will serve her. Until I release you."

"And if I refuse?"

"You will not. If you do, then my silence will be broken. And then, Atton, you will be broken."

Hatred was fully evident in his face now, but she continued. "Whatever fear you hold of the Jedi, know that if you disobey me, my punishment will make you beg for the death that has long hounded you. Wipe the fear from your mind. You will not find blind obedience a difficult Master…you chose it once. You will learn to embrace it again."

"I don't know how you became such a manipulative old witch," he spat out, "but why a vicious old scow like yourself would even bother with me is a bigger mystery."

You are a pawn, her voice slithered in his head. With all his strength, he forced her back out.

"You are a slippery one, your thoughts difficult for even one such as I to read." She was impressed now. "I suspect the self-loathing that squirms within you gives you a curious strength. Your spirit, as diseased as it is, refuses to allow you to give up, no matter what threats you face…and whatever wreckage you leave behind you. I feel you have crossed our path for a reason…perhaps even you, at the right moment, may be able to turn aside disaster. You may be able to help her in some way. If so, your potential is not yet spent."

"Fine," he spat back. "I'll be your pawn. But I still think you've got the wrong man."

She allowed this. "Perhaps. But the Force is a hard thing to predict. You have crossed our path for a reason. Our path brought us here for a reason, and now I know why. The past is here, and it must be met before the future can be set in motion."

"More Jedi speak. Care to explain?"

"No." At this, he felt a heavy, deep press on his mind, his eyelids. His limbs weighed so much…"I have wasted enough time with you. Sleep, murderer, and be silent. I need no distractions."

His head slammed the ground before she finished speaking.


Avery's mind was ricocheting back and forth. She could sense someone familiar to her, someone she'd known well, the further into the base they went. When they finally stopped in a huge, cold room, the Exile could see her.

She was tall- lean and white and cold. She glided down the bridge with silent footsteps and stopped only a couple of feet away. Resentment boiled up in Avery. Oh, she remembered.

"I did not expect to see you again after the day of your sentencing. I thought you had taken the exile's path, wandering the galaxy. Yet you have returned- why?"

The Exile looked up at Atris's pale face and lifted her chin a bit higher. "Tell me what you've done with my friends first."

"Your concern is noted," the Jedi replied coolly. "Your friends have not been harmed. They have been detained, for their safety." She smiled a bit, but it was stiff, forced. "I find it…unusual that you are traveling with others again. I had thought you'd forsaken the company of others after the War. Or is that why you are here?"

"It was not my intention to come here, Atris- or see you again."

"Yet here you are," she argued. "Perhaps you do not know yourself as well as you think. Regardless, your arrival here begs an explanation."

She began to circle the Exile, her voice haughty. "Have you come to face the judgment of the Council, as you did so many years ago? Are you finally willing to admit that we were right to cast you out?"

"Right?" Avery burst out. "The Council exiled me out of fear! Of Revan, of me, and what we represented!"

"You turned your back on us! And the Order!" She had stopped now, hands tightly wound behind her back. "You followed Revan to war against the Mandalorians. The very war that made Revan a Lord of the Sith, and ruined you!"

"The Council wanted to assess the threat, while people were dying by the millions!" Avery was truly riled up now. "I couldn't just stand by and allow innocents to die in the Outer Rim!"

"So you said, long ago. I didn't believe it then, and I don't believe it now. That was not the real reason, Exile. You sought adventure. You hungered for battle. You couldn't wait to follow Revan to war."

Avery couldn't protest that. She had been eager to follow her Master.

"The Jedi Order asked only for time to examine the Mandalorian threat. They urged caution, patience. And you defied them. So when you were returned, you were brought before us. You were a Jedi no longer. And so you were exiled."

Avery scoffed. Caution and patience were never in my nature. Or Revan's. We took our challenges head-on. And we won. No matter how high and mighty she is, no matter how great she believes her choices are, she will always, always be wrong...

Atris sighed. "There was much about that day that was difficult to forget- your words, your defiance- and when you stabbed your lightsaber into the center stone."

Avery's eyes were suddenly blinded with violet light. "I have kept it," Atris said, spinning the lightsaber in her hand, "so I would never forget."

"That's…that's my-"

"I have always kept it, as a reminder of what can happen when your passions dictate your actions. I have kept it, so I would never forget your arrogance or your insult to the Order."

"Insult to the Order?" Avery's voice was acid. "You insult me by carrying it." She smiled a little as Atris sputtered. "I had no other choice but to go to war."

"So your choice was to meet the aggression of the Mandalorians with more aggression? That is not the Jedi way!"

"Is the Jedi way to let people be massacred?" She was shouting now. "The Mandalorians were butchering innocent worlds, worlds that we had sworn to protect!"

"Every choice we make, whether we know it or not, sends echoes through the Force! It can awaken feelings, ignite passions, hate, anger, fear- where none existed before! By meeting aggression, by serving as an opponent against which the Mandalorians could test themselves, you fed their hate, their lust for war. And it sent a terrible echo through you. And because of it, you and those Jedi who met them on the battlefield lost their way…and you turned on us."

Atris looked down at the lightsaber in her hand, glowing and pulsing. "The Jedi teachings require that we examine our actions…acting without reflection is not our way."

"Hesitation and passivity are also strong emotions- ones we should guard against." The Exile felt an old, dark energy growing in her, much like what Kreia had channeled. There was a low-key anger simmering under her skin, softly prompting her to goad this self-righteous Jedi.

"There was no guarantee that marching to war would have saved the Outer Rim. In fact, quite the opposite. You won a physical victory, perhaps, but the real victory lay in the-"

"The triumph of pacifism? Surrender?" Avery's brow rose.

"Do not twist my words," Atris snapped. "A physical victory is not the only victory or loss. You do not kno-"

Avery's voice was sickly sweet. "If the Mandalorians had won, would the Jedi have fought them?" She cocked her head to the side. "Or simply meditated on what to do?"

Atris finally broke. "How dare you? The Mandalorian Wars should have been your grave, and Malachor V is where you should have died!"

"Careful, Atris," The Exile mocked. "Anger leads to the dark side. At last, it comes out. Was it always this personal with you?"

"You see shadows where there are none, and hate where there is none. You are blind, as always." Her fury, however, was evident.

Avery felt a coarse satisfaction around the edges of the Ache. Atris wilted. "I tire of…fighting with you. You lust for war, and you always will. And you have succeeded in distracting me from my questions. Why are you here?"

"I'm looking for my ship."

"Your ship, ah, the Ebon Hawk? It's here, safe. Its records are being dissected to determine what caused the destruction of Peragus."

She was watching the Exile knowingly, and Avery didn't bother lying. "The Sith attacked me on Peragus. That battle destroyed the colony."

"The Sith? What do you mean?"

"They came for me on Peragus, to kill me."

"B-but, what would they want there? They can't have been looking for you!"

"They believed me to be the last Jedi." She shrugged.

"You? If they thought you were a Jedi, the teachings of the Sith blind them, indeed. I am the last Jedi, not you. You betrayed our teachings, our beliefs…the very core of the Jedi Order. And there are others who were once Jedi, but no longer. They will not take action against this threat."

Avery willed herself not to show her distaste. Atris was utterly full of herself, of her own greatness and righteousness. She always had been.

"There are others in the galaxy who may help us against a Sith threat. If you can find them, gain their trust, perhaps our defenses shall be stronger for it. Take your ship and seek them out. If you find them, tell them to gather on Dantooine- from there, we can call a council and see what can be done."

Without another word, the Exile whirled and walked away as a handmaiden escorted her.

Atris, worn out for the first time in a long time, briefly held a hand to her white forehead. She made a choice once…and I did not. The day we judged her, I stood in the chamber and she was…she was so right. She was so certain of it, I doubted myself. But not now. She will never make me doubt myself again.


Avery gasped when she entered the next room. "T3!"

The droid let out a chorus of beeps. Avery barely kept up until the droid mentioned information that Atris had pulled from its memory core.

Frowning, she decided to take on one thing at a time. "You can fill me in later, buddy. Just meet us at the Ebon Hawk. I have to get everybody else out first."

T3 spun in a quick circle and headed for the docking bay. Avery walked into the next room.

When she opened the door, it was clear that Kreia had been expecting her. She immediately spoke. "Did you find what you came for?"

A pause. Then, thoughtfully, she replied. "That depends. What was I supposed to find here?"

The old woman's lips twisted into a wrinkled attempt at a smile. "There was something from your past here- something unresolved. I feel we did not come to this place by chance- you were led here. The woman who resides here- she did something to you once…something that hangs upon you still?"

When Avery only nodded, Kreia shifted. "Very well. Let us depart."

There was a thunk to the right, and a groan. "Atton? Are you okay?" Her head swiveled to Kreia. "They both look like they're out cold!"

"Only sleeping," Kreia hummed. "It seems the journey has fatigued them."

Avery was intensely distrustful, but she had to evaluate her priorities again. She shut down the cages. Bao Dur apologized for falling asleep- he couldn't even remember why. After she'd made sure he was alright, she instructed him to the ship.

As he and Kreia walked out, Atton hung back, awkward and hesitant. He wanted to talk with her. He was lost with all this Jedi-past-problems-war stuff, and Kreia and Bao Dur knew so many things he didn't about her. If he could just get her alone for a second, he'd feel less like an idiot-

She had turned, noticed him hesitating, and was now approaching with concern easily evident in her expression.

"Hey," he breathed as she walked up. "You're back with us. We were just on our way to rescue you from those ghost women when uh, we got locked up."

"Rescued me with what?" She flashed him a brilliant smile. "With your Echani training?"

"W-what? What are you talking about?"

"When we met those Handmaidens at the entrance, you dropped into an Echani combat stance. Don't think I didn't notice. Where did you learn that?"

His face blanched. "Oh, that," he replied in a tone he prayed was flirtatious. "Don't' tell anyone, but you wouldn't believe how many fights you can prevent by just pretending to know that stuff." Relax the hands, drop the shoulders…"I mean, it doesn't compare to wearing a lightsaber, but then again, that doesn't seem to help you much."

Deadpan, she replied, "I think you're lying to me."

Atton was immediately defensive. The shit with Kreia had worn his patience too thin to deal with this. "Yeah? So what? I don't ask any dumb questions about your past, despite the fact that it keeps throwing us into life-threatening situations. Want to know why? I figure if you ever want to tell me something, you will. So give me the same respect, all right?"

Avery had flinched, and he instantly regretted his tone. Her response, in a small, bewildered voice, made him feel even more like bantha fodder. "I-I'm not accusing you. I just wanted to know if you have any other useful skills. You could be a real asset with combat training."

I am such an ass. "Well, hey." He stepped up and carefully placed his hands on her upper arms, waiting until she looked up. "Thanks. But you've got the wrong guy for that. I'm good at shooting people, cracking wise, and pretending to know how to fight with my hands."

Her mouth quirked up, and he all but sighed with relief, his hands dropping to his sides again. "Whatever you say…hey, are you okay?" She was searching his face now with alarm. "You don't look well."

"Nah. Don't worry about me. I'm fine." Change the subject…"Uh, how did things go with the Jedi here? Are you all done?"

"Not yet. I've agreed to help them."

"Well, that's not exactly what I wanted to hear." He rolled his eyes.

Instead of acknowledging his joke, she looked up at him with grave, inquiring chestnut eyes. She was letting him know that with this statement, she was dead serious. "You've done enough, Atton," she said softly. "You can go if you want."

He took a long time to answer. He looked at her rich dark hair still tangled from the crash, the long black lashes and pale skin, her flushed lips and cheeks. Behind that, he saw a passionate, impatient girl who was more frail than she knew. He considered what would occur if he took her offer; he'd promptly go to Nar Shadaa's Red Sector, drown himself in a sea of booze and women to forget all about Avery Kess, and ensure he never got into a life-threatening situation again. It would take time to put her out of his mind, sure, but not impossible. Thankfully, she hadn't made that big an impression yet.

If he stayed, he'd fight for his life, and hers, most of the time. He'd struggle and be hounded by that cruel old Jedi and quite likely be killed. And of course, if he lived, he'd get to the point where no amount of drinks or dancers could make him forget Avery. He was fighting it back as best he could, but he wouldn't be able to keep it up for too long. Then again, his mind considered as his eyes drank her in, he could redeem himself in her company. He might make up for his past in as best a way the galaxy could offer if he fought and died for her. This was a chance to do real, tangible good in the universe- reverse the destruction and chaos he'd created before.

He smiled at her, really smiled at her. "Nah. I was just complaining." Laughing a little, he scratched the back of his head. "I'm with you until things start going better for you. We need to stick together, you know? And who knows…I might be able to help you out of a tight spot at some point."

"Thanks, Atton," she replied warmly. "I appreciate it."

He lifted a shoulder into an embarrassed shrug as they headed toward the Hawk. "Uh, hey. Don't mention it. It's my pleasure."

There was this strong, tangible surge in his gut, a feeling like for once he was doing what he was supposed to without it being an accident. He was enjoying this until he remembered something that stopped him dead in the hallway.

Holy shit! I forgot about Kreia's threat and servitude stuff! Man, if I'd picked the safe Nar Shadaa route I'd be so fucked…

"Atton!" Avery's melodic voice called from further down the corridor. "Hurry up!"

That sense of purpose was now full-on relief he basked in as he caught up. Someday, he'd recall his remark about getting her out of trouble, and realize that then, he had no idea how right he'd be.