Kallian could see why the Jedi still fought with lightsabers, the look of wonder those not gifted with the Force adopted when looking upon the blazing energy weapons obvious to anyone with eyes. In a galaxy where weapons like swords and bows had been replaced by blasters, a blade forged from light recalled legends of heroes from a more idealized time, clad in shining armor and wielding blades of steel sparkling in the sun. They were so out of place, so archaic, that one who possessed such a weapon could only be one of those otherworldly beings, chivalrous and honorable.

The reality, like so many things, was quite a bit less romantic than how the majority viewed the Jedi, the vaunted guardians of the Republic. Most of those who would be unfortunate enough to meet a Jedi in combat would only be used to fighting individuals just like them, armed with blasters, slugthrowers, and perhaps the occasional thermal detonator. Fighting a warrior armed with a lightsaber was disconcerting to the common hired muscle, and when they realized their trusty blasters were useless in the face of such a weapon, fear would prove the most potent weapon of all.

Kallian's daydream ended abruptly as Lux twisted her lightsaber out of her hand and sent it flying, the Handmaiden and Mira diving to get out of the way before Lux caught it with the Force. "Inattention in battle is a fatal error," he lectured, returning her weapon as she looked away in embarrassment. "You need to take this seriously. I did not think I would need to remind someone who has already lost much to the blade of a lightsaber to focus, but here we are".

The fiery-haired woman grunted in response, holding her lightsaber with two hands at a sharp angle. "Is that meant to be an opening stance?" Lux asked incredulously. "It looks like the mutant spawn of Ataru and Soresu. You might defeat your opponent because they will be too busy laughing if you took that stance in a real fight!"

Kallian glowered and snapped, "I thought you were going to teach me sword fighting, not how to make a dashing impression on my enemies".

"I am teaching you. Deciding on what style to use in a fight often decides the duel before it is fought. Only the greatest sword masters, like your master, can be so flippant about such things," he said with a long sigh, shaking his head. "This would be much easier if you did not fight me every step of the way".

"I'm not, and you're not exactly living up to the Jedi way with all your impatience," she murmured under her breath, glowering at him. "And what's with the gallery? It's hard to concentrate when half the crew is gawking at you".

"Don't mind me," Mira interrupted. "There's not much to do for entertainment on a ship like this, so you take what you can get".

Lux just sighed and shook his head, his words tired and defeated as he said, "You are not the only one who is gifted with the Force on this ship. Even observing the training of another can prepare one for when they undergo their own training. Younglings in the Temple normally attend sessions for older trainees even if they don't participate".

"If that's a veiled invitation to join in, you'll have to do better than that," Mira responded with disinterest, returning to the maintenance of her blaster.

"It wasn't just for you," Lux said pointedly. "But enough distraction, come at me again, Kallian".

The elven woman did so reluctantly, holding her saber in one hand toward him with the other held out to maintain her balance. She stepped forward slowly, her measured steps taking her slightly to his side to create a better angle to attack. As she slid her left foot forward, her shining bronze blade lashed out, striking his own with a squeal and hiss. He twisted her blade around with a deft movement, but Kallian slashed upward, pushing his weapon above his head. Using the momentum of the strong attack, she spun and leveled a blow to the center of his chest. Her saber met a blue bar of light pointed straight down as Lux barked, "Stop!" bringing the duel to a quick end.

Kallian was momentarily confused at why he had called for a halt, but Lux did not leave her in the dark for long. "Never take your eyes of your opponent in a duel unless you absolutely have to! If you are fighting for your life, you won't have time to indulge in such petty theatrics!"

"Pivoting creates momentum for the next attack, and it can throw your opponent off guard! Revan was always moving like that in a fight!" Kallian retorted angrily.

"Your Force senses are not as honed as hers," he said in an exasperated tone. "Those who have had extensive training in manipulating the Force have something like three hundred and sixty degree vision. They have no blind spots and are always ready to defend against opportunistic strikes. You are not at that level yet. I can't tell you how many of my comrades I've seen get shot in the back trying to be fancy on the battlefield".

Kallian snarled, her anger rising as she looked at the disappointed expression Lux bore. It was insulting to her, someone who was considered to be an unrivaled fighter back home, to be treated in this way, and she let the former Jedi know it. "I thought I agreed to learn from you, not to be treated like an ignorant child! I've had enough of this!"

"I'm just trying to help you Kallian," he said in a placating tone.

Kallian ignored him, storming out of the room and almost smashing into a floating black orb. "My apologies. I did not wish to intrude upon your training, but I concluded that the benefits of observing the relative skill level of my subjects outweighed the offense to societal conventions," the black orb spoke in a familiar voice.

Kallian could only gape at the uninvited guest as it made its way into the cargo hold, wholly unconcerned with the fact that it was intruder in a ship with numerous armed passengers. Turning to Lux, the orb spoke again in the deep, synthetic tone, "General Lux Vulnus, I have sought an audience with you for some time. I have a proposition I would like to discuss with you, one which I have previously spoken to your young companion about".

"Wait...you're that droid from Goto's yacht! How in the Force did you get on our ship?" Kallian exclaimed.

"The yacht had lost structural integrity. I thought it prudent to gain access to more stable accommodations or at least a base of operations not at risk of imminent destruction. Your ship, unsurprisingly, was the most convenient option though both Lux Vulnus' presence and your own, Kallian Tabris, was not an unsubstantial factor in my decision," the orb continued, turning its single, red eye to her.

"For one so concerned with protocol, wouldn't it be rude not to introduce yourself," Lux inquired, his lightsaber still held at his side.

"I apologize. My mission sometimes overrides any concern I would show courtesy and civility. Forgive me, I am Gee-Oh Tee-Oh," the droid spoke graciously.

"Gee-Oh Tee-Oh...Goto," Lux concluded, a brow rising over his eye in surprise.

"Precisely," the black orb responded as Kallian shot an annoyed look at the floating ball. "As I told your companion previously, I am tasked with the recovery of the Republic to prewar levels. This goal will be more easily met if I have the cooperation of the Jedi, hence my interest in acquiring your services".

"So you sent assassin droids after us...not a particularly friendly gesture," Lux observed innocently.

"Regrettable but necessary. General Revan designed the HK series to be efficient hunters of Jedi, and I could not afford to sacrifice what little time we have. I sincerely hope the methods I was forced to employ have not led to any displeasure on your part," the droid continued in a smooth, emotionless voice.

"No, of course not. Why would they? We've only been attacked on several occasions by a bunch of murderous droids. How could we ever be angry about that?" Kallian cut in sarcastically.

Lux was more diplomatic as he inquired, "You say you serve the interests of the Republic, but you were intercepting supplies meant to aid the reconstruction efforts on Telos. You have a reason for that?"

"Ah yes, Telos...most unfortunate," the droid spoke, not sounding in the least regretful about his actions. "The Republic was forced to accept several unfavorable trade deals with the Hutts to bring supplies to Telos. I could not allow the Republic to be beholden to such...unsavory partners. This may mean, of course, that the plan to reverse the devastation of Telos will fail, but the loss of one planet is insignificant compared to the benefit realized by the Republic as a whole".

"So you would abandon millions to their fate just to avoid the Republic getting too involved with the Hutts?" the Exile asked, aghast at the brutal logic.

"Yes," G0-T0 remarked simply. "You above all, General, should know that certain sacrifices are necessary for the greater good. It is for this very reason that I sought your aid in this".

Lux thought this over for a few seconds before responding coolly, "Whatever your reasons or goals and whatever I may think of them, we need to find the remaining Jedi and stop the Sith first".

"The defeat of the Sith would do much to help stabilize both the military and political spheres of the Republic. I would advise caution, however, in allowing any Jedi not known to have participated in the Mandalorian Wars under Revan to return to a position of influence. The inaction of the now defunct Jedi Council did much to exacerbate the current troubles the Republic now faces," the droid cautioned.

"Well, I'll leave you two to your strategy session. I have to check on HK," an annoyed Kallian called out as she left the room. As she walked to the main hold, she heard the distinct hum of the black droid floating behind her, and she turned to confront it. "Are you following me for a reason?"

"I have concluded my discussion with the general and am now returning to the point on this ship I have determined has the strongest connection to the holonet. Coordinating the activities of various enterprises, both legitimate and not, are a time consuming undertaking. I doubt you would know anything about that. The fact that I am following you is a coincidence you need not be concerned over," he spoke condescendingly.

Kallian gave the droid a hard look but continued to where HK-47 was once again standing vigilantly, his head constantly swiveling, glowing red eyes searching for threats. "You alright, HK. Bao-Dur fixed you didn't he?"

"Statement: If electronic butchery can be classified as 'fixing' then yes, I suppose my behavior core has been restored to its previous setting," the murderous droid spoke quickly, not bothering to look at her.

"You didn't...hurt anyone after you went back to normal, right?" she asked, knowing at least through the Force that no one on board had been killed.

"Explanation: Given that the Iridonian is the only meatbag aboard my master's ship to have any semblance of skill with regard to technology, I concluded that terminating him at this time would be unwise. Once my master is found, this unfortunate situation will be remedied".

"Well...I'm glad you're feeling better at least. The peaceful you was a little...strange to say the least," she admitted with a wry grin.

"Threat: Any mention of that in the future will be rewarded with a blaster bolt to any number of your vital areas, meatbag," he said menacingly before he looked straight at her. He seemed to be struggling with himself, almost like it pained him to say the words that came next. "Disclosure: I suppose I should be, what is the word organics use, 'thankful' that you insisted on the removal of that horrifying program. For a moment there I almost understood why some meatbags choose peace and love over a high-powered blaster carbine".

Kallian thought she saw the droid shudder as he finished speaking. "You wouldn't be the same lovable, murderous psychopath if I left you like that. How would I ever get along without you?" she joked in a playful tone.

"Commentary: I have often wondered the same. Even my own master showed the penchant of meatbags to bumble into rather unpleasant and unnecessary conflicts. I suppose it is my lot in life, to rectify the idiotic mistakes of the meatbags in my company by assassinating still other meatbags," HK mused. "Observation: I see now why Revan chose you as her apprentice. I have determined that I desire to kill you a statistically significant lesser portion of the time than any other meatbag I have known save Revan".

"Thanks, I guess," Kallian said, not sure over whether she should take it as a compliment or an insult.

"And what use will a broken Miraluka playing at being a Sith be?" Kreia asked without preamble as Lux entered behind her.

"I hoped to bring her back to the light. For being a Sith, the darkness within her felt more like an unwanted burden than something she chose to embrace," he spoke before considering the question further. "She also may have information on the Sith Lord that has been stalking the Jedi. Her master may be the one behind the Jedi Purge".

"You speak of that one as if he was a cunning strategist, crafting intricate plans to destroy the Jedi. You remember stories of Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma and think that their successors care for such trifles of ruling over the galaxy or bending every living being to their will," she scoffed. "The Sith you seek is motivated by...baser instincts. He is a force of destruction only, one who will devour everything before finally becoming the final victim of his hunger. Higher causes and a lust for power are foreign to him".

"All Sith want power," Lux disputed. "It is even written in their code. The dark side is a means to obtain power, even if it destroys them".

"So sure, are you? I would cast aside such preconceptions about your enemy. There is always danger in remaining confident about that which we are ignorant of," Kreia cautioned, her tone biting. "Tell me, what is it the Jedi fight against? What is it they seek to defend or to uphold?"

"The answer is obvious to that, Kreia. The dark side, the Sith...the purpose of the Jedi is to ensure that they never come to rule over the galaxy again," he insisted, knowing that this answer would never satisfy the Jedi Master before him.

"Even as a Jedi, I never believed that...and once, neither did you. Do you remember Serroco, when the Mandalorians used those barbaric weapons to reduce every city to dust? Do you remember the pain we all felt through the Force, the anguish of untold beings extinguished for the great purpose of sending a message to the Republic?" she spat in anger. "No dark side motivated the beasts to pillage and slaughter, no lust for power, only the desire to fight. Only in combat were they happy...only then did they believe life was truly worth living".

"The Mandalorians have fought with the Sith from time immemorial. They are like the hound the hunter sics on his prey...a tool, nothing more".

"A tool they may be, but does not the dog feel pleasure in the kill? You think of evil and you can only see a desire for power at its root, but evil is more often birthed from the mundane. The ravenous appetites of man do not disappear simply because we would like to consider ourselves above them," she spoke quietly as Lux tried to grasp the meaning of her words.

"I will not underestimate any opponent I have to face. You can count on it. Whatever this Sith is, and whatever you're trying to tell me will not change that," he said, not taking his eyes off the old woman.

"You will face him in the end. It will be like two brothers separated at birth meeting for the first time, one destined to destroy the other," she chuckled as Lux looked at her as if she were insane.

"In a poetic mood are we? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were weaving an epic tale from our exploits," he laughed.

"An apt metaphor. What is an author but one who controls the destiny of her characters, shaping their actions and pushing them to an inevitable conclusion?" she smiled.

"Just don't make it a tragedy. No one likes to read those".

"Indeed," she answered in a knowing voice. "So you mean to mold the girl into a Jedi, and not just her but the other lost ones you have encountered as well".

"You disapprove I take it?" he smirked.

"No, I care not what you do with them. If it is your intention to restore the Jedi Order, then I suppose it would be the wisest course to train them however futile it might be to do so. I had thought though that Revan's apprentice would be less than enthusiastic concerning joining the Order her own master turned away from".

"Kallian is not exactly happy about it; I'll give you that," he admitted with a sigh. "Her life has not been easy, and it has shaped her in ways both good and bad. She has struggled with the dark side, but she wants to help people, to bring justice to her homeworld. What is a Jedi but one who upholds justice?"

Kreia chuckled at this, cold, cruel laughter escaping her lips as remarked airily, "Justice? Now there is a word so often spoken of with so little meaning to it. Tell me, what is your definition of the word?"

"Kreia...I really don't have time for these games. I'm not a padawan learner anymore".

"How do you expect young Kallian to learn when you close off your own mind?" she admonished, her voice filled with disappointment.

Lux opened his mouth to retort but instead decided to give in. "I've never really thought about what justice is...it always seemed kind of self evident. I guess if I had to give an answer...justice is to each what they deserve".

He saw Kreia smile at this, her tone slightly mocking as she said, "Oh? To each what one deserves...there is wisdom in such a pronouncement though I doubt that was your intention in saying such. If your definition were correct, then would not one who is strong deserve to rule over one who is weak? Is that not justice?"

"No, that's the opposite of what I'm saying. It is justice when one who is strong defends and protects the weak".

"But why do the weak deserve that protection?" she continued. "They did nothing to earn it. They refused to better themselves, to improve their position, and instead rely on one more worthy to lower themselves to their benefit. Is that not unjust to the stronger? Is not one weakening oneself to provide for the multitude of undeserving? Is not the net result of such 'justice' a detriment to all involved, both the strong and weak?"

"And what if by serving the weak, they become strong themselves? And how do you even define someone who is weak or strong? Isn't a pacifist who stands up to tyranny, even suffering brutal treatment for their beliefs but not fighting back, someone who is strong even though they would not even resist if attacked? Your beliefs are flawed, Kreia. People aren't so easily categorized into the worthy and worthless," he argued passionately as Kreia observed him without expression.

"Good. You are learning, but there is one final step to take. Imagine if you will, that a thief kills his mark for a few credits. Would the murder be unjust?" she asked in a grave voice as Lux nodded in the affirmative. "But the murderer is merely taking what he deserves. Was there not work involved in the shadowing and killing of the mark? It would be unjust if the thief failed to reap the benefit of his work".

"And what of the dead man...where is the justice for him?"

"By your definition, justice is giving each what they deserve. The thief's victim failed to take precautions to avoid just such an occurrence. Because the victim was unprepared to confront the thief, it is just that the thief succeeded. To each what they deserve correct?" she continued condescendingly.

"That's not what I meant!" a flustered Lux tried to explain. "I mean if you're a good person, it's only right that you are treated in a similar manner, and if you are wicked, you are punished for your actions. The price of one's actions is important, not what you're going on about".

"So if someone who is by your definition good is felled by a disease, was the disease unjust?" Kreia asked knowingly as Lux sputtered incoherently. "Should not the virus be punished for causing the death of one so moral and good?"

"A virus has no ill intent. It's just doing what is natural, you know, trying to survive," he argued with a tinge of anger coloring his voice.

"As was the proverbial thief, but you name him unjust. If you speak of intent, the virus has every intention of using the host's body to breed more of itself, destroying the host in the process. The intent to destroy is the intent to continue living. By its very nature it destroys".

"Then what's the answer then? What is justice?" he asked in a resigned tone, not willing to fight with the cunning old woman any longer.

Kreia gave him a bemused look before responding, "It is simple. Justice is a lie, a fabrication the foolish imagine binds a galaxy that is pure chaos. All these grand concepts of peace, morality, and your justice are illusions created by the weak to cope with life filled with all manner of vileness and cruelty. The Jedi seek to impose their own brand of order, calling it justice, on the chaos of nature, but what they truly embody is not these laughable ideals but power".

"And the point of telling me this is?"

Lux thought he felt a twinge of annoyance through the Force as Kreia answered, "When you meet the Miraluka's master, perhaps then you will understand. He is like a virus, moving from world to world only to satiate his hunger. He destroys because it is his nature to do so, not for a higher goal. These Sith are slaves to their baser appetites and are all the more dangerous for it. You would do well to remember this".

"I'll remember," Lux said gravely before turning his back on her. "Thanks for the advice...I think".

"If you are looking for counsel, there is one more warning I can give you," she stated cryptically. "I would be wary of Revan's apprentice...she will betray you".

Lux turned to look at her in shock, but the hooded woman said no more. It was like Kreia to put doubts in his mind, but her warnings usually had merit to them. Kallian was filled with darkness, he knew, but to think that she would completely lose herself was unthinkable. He shook his head violently, trying to rid his mind of such thoughts. Not believing in her was the surest way to place the woman in the waiting hands of the Sith.

As he struggled with Kreia's revelation, he blinked in confusion as he found himself in the ship's small medbay, their resident Sith apprentice studying him as she sat up on her cot. "I am surprised you did not come immediately when you realized I had awakened. The lack of restraints also, not many Jedi would be so trusting of a Sith".

"You surrendered, but more than that, you gave up on living in that moment. I doubted you would take this chance to assassinate the crew, and my intuition is usually right," Lux said coolly as he leaned back on the doorframe. "We didn't really have a chance to get acquainted previously...and if you don't mind, I'd like to know a little about the Sith I spared".

"There is nothing to know about me. I was a tool of my master, and now that I have failed him, I am nothing," she whispered.

Lux felt anger rise as he felt the woman's self-hate, the despair she felt so consuming that she could no longer feel emotion as others did, her heart a hollow vessel filled with darkness. "You give up so easily. I thought the Sith were supposed to be strong?" he mocked.

"I am aware of my failure both as an instrument of my master and as a Sith," she conceded willingly. "If I was not so weak and frightened, I would take my own life rather than endure this meaningless existence".

As soon as his anger appeared, it just as quickly vanished. He had hoped to provoke her, so she could escape this melancholy state, but she seemed more damaged than he first assumed. The way she so readily accepted anything he said as fact and how she portrayed herself as little more than an extension of her master's will spoke to deep wounds. It was like she was conditioned to be subservient, too afraid to consider herself anything more than an obedient slave. He moved closer to her, his hand reaching out to touch her shoulder but she flinched away like a wounded animal. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said reassuringly. "Could you tell me your name at least?"

"They called me Visas Marr once," she said after awhile. "Before my master came to Katarr, that was the name I used".

Lux was sure he heard that name before, whispers of a planet stripped of all life. The Jedi had gone there, and none had returned. "The beginning of the Jedi Purge," he spoke gravely, more to himself than the timid woman before him. "You were there? What happened?"

She turned away, a strangled sound emerging from her throat as she struggled to get the words out. "My master spoke...and all life on the planet died. The Jedi who came there, my people who only experienced the universe through the Force, all were sacrificed to his hunger. He...he is a wound in the Force, a ghost from the graveyard world of Malachor. Something like him should not exist, but he wills himself to live," she shuddered before turning to him with those eerie empty eye sockets. "I sense it in you as well, a hole in the Force that time cannot heal. You are like him...and yet so different. You too have experienced so much pain; the deaths of so many are within you".

"My former master speaks of this often...this so-called wound in the Force. What do you mean by it? I don't quite understand".

"Death on such a scale cannot be endured by the living. The Force cannot exist without life, and when the light of so many is suddenly snuffed out, the Force dies as well. All who were at Malachor were changed by it...broken by it," she explained in a ragged voice, like it was painful for her to say. "I felt such pain on Katarr...like I was dying a thousand deaths. Only I was left alive when my master descended to the dead world...why I do not know. He came to me where I lay in agony, surrounded by the lifeless husks of my family and made me see".

It disturbed him how she spoke of her master, the terror she felt for him laced with stranger emotions, something almost like affection and warmth. This woman had suffered unspeakable abuse at the hands of this man, Lux was sure, and he wondered if she, like many others, trapped in a horrible prison she could not escape, had begun to blame herself for the tortures she endured. If he was to break her out of this self-destructive mindset, he would need to sever this perverse attachment with her tormentor.

"Visas, that man will never harm you again. You can stay with us, and I will protect you from him," Lux assured her confidently.

"No! You cannot stand against him! No Jedi can!" she cringed. "He is a power through which all life dies. He will consume everything in his path, Jedi and Sith alike, until the galaxy is barren and sterile".

"Then running won't do us any good, will it?" he said soothingly, pulling the gaping woman to her feet. "Trust me. We'll stop him...together".

She could only nod as her hand lingered on his. "I will follow you, Jedi Exile. My life is yours to do with as you will," she pledged.

"No," he said sharply. "Your life is your own. Never think otherwise. And in the future, just call me Lux".

"Of course, your word is my comm..." she began before catching herself and saying quietly. "I will do that...Lux".

"So Atton, how much longer till we get wherever it is we're going?" Kallian asked as she dropped into the copilot's seat.

He did not acknowledge her presence for a moment, his fingers busy punching a command into the navicomputer, but before Kallian could open her mouth to ask again, he said, "Not long now. We'll be coming up on Onderon in a few minutes. We're making pretty damn good time".

"How many days have we been in hyperspace again?" she asked in a voice laden with disbelief.

"I could drop you off, and you could float the rest of the way".

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass," she declined quickly. "You know, Lux said there was a huge battle on Onderon's moon between the Republic and the Mandalorians. You said you were involved in the wars...were you there?"

"Might have been," he said glibly as Kallian fixed him with a dangerous glare. "Fierfek woman, aren't I entitled to keep my past private?"

"I guess...but you want to tell me right? You just like playing hard to get," she grinned, receiving a similar smile from Atton.

"How could I keep your interest if I didn't make it a challenge, sister? Pretty much the whole of the Republic fleet was at Dxun. The Mandalorians used it as a training ground. They would send kids into the forest, and if they didn't get ripped apart by the exotic wildlife, they got to join the ranks. A good portion of their ground forces was still there when we laid siege. The objective was to destroy them obviously," he explained with a shrug.

"Mira said you guys burned the moon. Wasn't that a little harsh?"

"The place was wrecked anyway from all the ships that fell from orbit. The sky was black from all the dust in the air toward the end. It was kind of ironic, you know, fighting through a frozen jungle," he reminisced, his eyes seeming to look far away. "Even Revan didn't escape without a few parts missing. Her leg got blown off, and Malak had to drag her out of the jungle. Not surprising that he ordered an orbital bombardment after his precious Revan got injured".

Kallian was silent for a few moments, imagining what it would look like for a planet to be burned from space. She could not wrap her mind around how destruction on such a scale could be perpetrated and how it was even possible. She looked to her own artificial limb and wondered if the pain such an injury inflicted had influenced Revan's decision to annihilate the moon. "Were you around Revan at all during the battle?" she asked quietly.

"I was just a grunt. Closest I ever got to Revan was at one of the recruitment rallies on Coruscant before the Republic got involved," Atton answered before the console began beeping in an urgent fashion. "Looks like we're coming up on Onderon".

Atton pulled a lever back on the control panel as white streaks of light contracted back into the pinpricks of stars. Kallian's eyes widened as a gray shape stretched into the center of the viewscreen, so close that she could make out the lettering on its scarred hull. "Fierfek!" Atton screamed as he wrenched the controls to the side, the ship's engines groaning as she avoided the collision.

Kallian clutched at her chest as she watched more ships hurtle past the Ebon Hawk. By this time Atton had regained control of the ship and was weaving it in between the nonmoving spacecraft. "Are you trying to kill us?" she managed to growl in a quivering voice.

"I didn't expect to come out of hyperspace and find myself in the middle of a traffic jam," he snapped as more lights came on around the cockpit and a shrill alarm began sounding.

"What in the name of the Force is wrong now?" she yelled as Atton sent the Hawk into a dive.

"We got company," he grimaced before turning around and yelling toward the main hold. "Hey Lux, get off your ass and get on those guns unless you want me to land half a ship!"

Bright laser fire streaked past as the ship rocked, the reverberations of the Ebon Hawk's twin turrets shaking the superstructure. One fighter sped past before a blast of fire ripped through its wing, sending it spinning into a lumbering freighter. "Sorry buddy," Atton spoke to himself as he sent the Hawk rocketing through the resulting explosion. "Should've paid for some heavier shields on that rig. Won't live long in the Outer Rim otherwise".

"Why are they shooting at us?" Kallian asked as laser fire rocked the ship.

"Maybe they don't like our paint job. If I knew, don't you think I would do something about it?" he said through gritted teeth, aiming the ship toward a green world with numerous blackened scars. "We're never going to make it to Onderon at this rate. I'm going to set us down on Dxun, and we can regroup from there".

Revan could feel the fear suffocating this city, a blanket of tension and paranoia covering everything. The people walking its streets, both those laden with jewelry and those dressed in rags, exuded the same sense of gloom that cast a shadow over Kirkwall even as this planet's star shone bright in the sky. Frowning, she brought her new cloak closely around her body, not wishing to be the subject of the stares of those milling about.

She was apparently in an area known by the locals as the Gallows, a prison that had once been the tormentor of countless slaves. Revan could feel the fraying of the Force as she walked through the statue-lined courtyard, a legacy of death and pain having torn the very essence of the power that held the universe together. This place was still a prison but for a different kind of slave, one that was not kept out of simple greed but out of fear. It sickened her how low these beings could sink, not learning from the follies of those in the past, continuing their mindless march to destruction.

She cringed as she caught sight of the empty-eyed husks, the Force stripped from their lifeless bodies. Not even the worst of the Sith condemned so many to such a terrible punishment, to be living but cut off from all life. The corruption of this world...it made the darkness of Korriban seem positively pleasant. Only the open wound that was Malachor could compare.

The mages that had not been reduced to drooling perversions of life kept their eyes to the ground, avoiding the watchful gaze of their templar masters. She could feel the simmering anger and resentment hiding beneath their frightened eyes, but she knew that they would never escape their pathetic existence unless someone strong came to wake them from their stupor.

She saw the templars were looking at her suspiciously, her flowing black cloak out of place amidst polished steel armor and colorful robes. Her hood shadowed the mask that obscured her features, a necessary precaution given the way her general description had proliferated on this hole of a world. She would rather avoid unnecessary complications if she could.

Revan approached a guard standing before the ferry docks, the way to the city proper. Bedraggled travelers stood around him, reeking of impatience and desperation. He looked to her as she approached, his eyes narrowing as he saw hints of armor beneath her wind-swept cloak. "Let me warn you, stranger. We don't want anymore sodding refugees...and we won't tolerate you making any trouble either," he said patronizingly.

"I have business in the city. Do not trouble me," she ordered, her hand waving in front of his eyes in a hypnotic gesture.

"Of course you have business in the city," he stupidly repeated, allowing her to pass.

The impatient woman did not stop to hear the protests of the other refugees as the man struggled to regain control of his senses. Her purpose was clear: find the source of the corruption created by the ancient Sith so long ago. The Emperor had been here before, long enough to train a failed apprentice and most likely long before that. If the wound in the Force festering here was his doing, there must have been a reason for it.

A tavern was always the first place to look for information, and the one centrally located in the city slums was seedy enough that those inside would probably have a good ear to the ground. Thieves of course, would be quite interested in stories of ancient relics that could fetch a credit or two. Revan ordered a drink, more for appearances than anything else, and sat down at one of the establishment's many tables, the scarred wood sticky with grease and spilled drink.

The bar was alive with animated conversation and raucous laughter as hard men with browned, wrinkled skin from spending too much time in the sun celebrated the end of another day just like a hundred others. One particular party caught her attention, the group made up of a mixture of humans, elves, and a single dwarf, all of whom dressed in more varied clothing than the rest of the bar's clientele. They seemed to be having an argument of some kind, but that mattered little to her. What interested her was a memory in the blonde-haired man's mind, images of a girl with flaming-red hair and a personality to match. Perhaps this was not what she came for specifically, but she would let the Force guide her for now.

Varric shook his head and took another sip from the mug in front of him, the frothy brew bitter to the taste just like the tone of conversation. Fenris and Anders had launched into another pointless debate, arguing back and forth over freedom for the mages. Hawke was trying feebly to moderate the exchange as Aveline looked at both with evident disapproval. For a moment Varric wondered how his friend had even roped the woman into joining them. Isabella and Merrill did not seem to notice the argument at all, the two women giggling over some racy story Isabella was telling her.

Like always, his companions were oblivious to their surroundings, failing to notice the distinctively out of place visitor stalk through the Hanged Man. He swore he saw the barman tremble as he handed over the cloaked figure's drink, a shrouded head nodding at the frightened man. Studying the stranger, he saw glossy armor peak out beneath folds of cloth and the bottom half of a mask stained with blood red escape the shadow of its hood.

As the argument grew more heated, he watched as the figure failed to touch the drink, its attention focused on their little gathering. Whoever the stranger was, and Varric had a pretty good idea, they probably thought they were being real sly, but as a member of the cutthroat Merchant's Guild, Varric knew when he was being watched.

"Any mage will jump at the chance for power. Just look at yourself, possessed by a demon from the Fade. You have less of a reason to gripe than the lot of them," Fenris sneered.

"Yes, all mages use blood magic. All mages make pacts with demons. You let one bad experience warp your whole view of the situation," Anders shot back in a reproachful manner.

"One bad experience? I was a slave to a mage that sacrificed children to impress his friends in the imperial court!" he raged, tattoos glowing for a brief moment.

"Just like all mages, slaves to the Chantry!" Anders argued.

"For good reason. Freedom for mages means servitude for everyone else," he said sarcastically. "You only have to look at the witch sitting next to you to see the truth".

Anders glanced at the suddenly silent Merrill with a frown. "Not all of us are as naïve as her. We don't all use blood magic".

"Says the mage who made his body a vessel for some insane Fade spirit," Fenris retorted with a nasty grin.

"Leave Merrill out of your pissing contest," Isabella warned. "Some of us came here to drink and have fun, not listen to you two bitch like a pair of yapping dogs".

"Some of us have more to worry about than whose bed we'll be occupying later," Anders said bitingly.

Isabella glared, raising her hand before Hawke intervened. "Ladies please," he smirked as Anders scowled and Fenris grinned. "Let's leave mages and templars outside the Hanged Man, shall we?"

"You're a mage. You should be taking my side," Anders griped.

"I am a mage, but I also have the sense not to be an ass about it. Now calm down and finish your drink. We can argue later when we're not getting sloshed unless you want to pay for the damage to the premises this time," the smiling man warned in a good-natured voice.

Anders grumbled but said nothing more as Fenris adopted a smug expression. Isabella smiled at Hawke as Merrill blushed and whispered her thanks. Varric, however, had not been paying attention to the dispute. "Hawke...did you notice a rather shady character enter say about a half hour ago," he said casually, not turning to look at the man at his side.

"Should I have?" Hawk asked without concern, taking a long swig from his mug.

"I'd think with you being a mage and all that you'd keep a better eye out for danger," the dwarf said in a sarcastic whisper.

"Varric...we're at the Hanged Man. I'd be more suspicious of the people who came in here who didn't look a little shady," he sighed.

"Point taken. Well this particular character certainly seems interested in us. Don't look!" he whispered harshly as Hawke turned his head to the cloaked figure. "Don't want to scare him off".

"What's your plan then? Just wait him out?" Hawke asked, placing a hand to his mouth to muffle the words".

"Don't worry. We'll do this casually so he doesn't get spooked, but make sure he doesn't get any opportunity to run for it," he spoke carefully.

After several more minutes of forced small talk, Varric finally turned to the masked figure, a beaming smile on his face and a carefully adopted slur to his words. "You know friend, it's rude not to finish your drink in a place like this. The house might get insulted".

All eyes turned to the seated figure tucked away in the corner as Varric spoke; the figure's head slowly rising to look at the smiling dwarf. "I apologize, but I must inquire as to why you are designated to defend against slights aimed at this most august of establishments," the figure spoke, surprising most of those at the table with its feminine tone.

Varric found her voice strange, airy and light but also filled with harsh chill. She did not sound entirely human, a certain quality to her voice seeming almost artificial like a golem. "You have me there, friend. To be honest, I was curious...I don't think I've ever seen you here before," he said smoothly

"You know everyone that frequents this place, I assume?" the cloaked woman asked mockingly.

"Only the ones worth knowing," he said with a grin.

"Then it seems I am sadly beneath your notice," she said with finality, turning away from the cautious group.

"Now I wouldn't say that," he said with a smile. "Why don't you join us, so we can get to know each other better? I'll buy you a drink that's more to your liking".

"I must regretfully decline your kind offer," she answered with a hint of annoyance.

"A shame," Varric shrugged. "You see my contacts told me an interesting tidbit of information this morning about a strange person in the Gallows who entered the city without even bribing the guards, and what was interesting about this person, you see, is that she matched the description of a rather famous individual from the days of the blight".

"Did she indeed," the woman said, all humor gone from her voice as her words were like ice. Hawke and his comrades were now focused on her, their eyes filled with suspicion and confusion as to their friend's meaning.

"Varric, what are you talking about?" Hawke asked, throwing a quick glance to his friend.

"Sorry Hawke, didn't get a chance to tell you until now. I only had suspicions," he said cheerfully. "Flowing black cloak, strange robes, armor like no other in Thedas, and a mask colored like blood with only blackness where your eyes should be. You're the spitting image".

Everyone at the table had heard the whispered rumors, terrifying stories banned by the Chantry under threat of heresy of the demon that stalked Ferelden during the days of the blight. Some even said that this monstrous evil had destroyed the last remains of Andraste, a grievous sin that would surely turn the Maker's gaze from humanity forever. "And what do these rumors say, hmm?" she asked sweetly as fire reflected in the opaque black of her visor. It was almost like she knew what they were thinking.

"Oh nothing too exciting. Only that a maleficar corrupted the Warden, murdered every single templar in the Ferelden Circle, destroyed Andraste's ashes, killed more nobles than the Antivan Crows, and brought down an Exalted March on a land still recovering from the blight. I miss anything?" he smirked.

"Perhaps the killing of a Grand Cleric a few weeks ago...oh and the desecration of Andraste's temple in the Frostbacks some time before that. Other than those minor omissions, those rumors you have heard about this person are generally accurate," she answered dryly.

"I'll have to take that into account," Varric remarked cheerfully.

"I must ask though, if you are right and this person is present in Kirkwall and say that this person is indeed as dangerous as your stories indicate. Hypothetically speaking then, if this person was seated before you and growing increasingly annoyed, would it not be rather foolish to continue to pester her?" she asked sweetly.

Everyone around Varric was suddenly on their guard, the unspoken threat obvious to all present. Even Varric, despite the coolness he displayed in even the most harrowing situations was a tad on edge. Fenris though, was the first to speak up, "So you are the one these mages speak so glowingly of and the magisters toast back home, the demon Revan".

"I said hypothetically if I was this person, did I not?" she responded.

"Don't play games, maleficar!" he sneered. "Everyone here knows what you are".

"And what am I?" she questioned coldly.

"An enemy of the Chantry for one," Aveline observed, knowing the woman was dangerous.

Revan laughed, the chilling sound causing all present to shiver. "Your pathetic Chantry is beneath my notice. My enemies have power beyond your imagination".

"Said the stereotypical villain before she began her clichéd monologue," Varric said under his breath.

"Said the cheeky dwarf before he was blasted by a handful of lightning," Revan responded in kind.

"Let's leave that part out, shall we? We can't have the only comic relief dying, can we?" he grinned, throwing up his hands in surrender.

All parties present suddenly realized that the whole bar was now watching them, wide eyes and gaping mouths making it obvious that they had heard Fenris' charge of 'maleficar'. "We seem to be attracting an unwanted audience," Revan stated matter-of-factly. "This conversation is not your business".

To Varric and his friends' surprise, the tavern's clientele all droned dumbly, "This conversation is not our business," and went back to their drinks.

Aveline was immediately standing as the rest looked on in confusion. "Blood magic," she whispered with a dark look. "Are you always so open with your corruption?"

Fenris gripped his sword as he gritted his teeth in rage. It was another good day, as he could cut down another of these hateful mages. He stopped moving forward as Merrill said quietly, "That was not blood magic".

Both Fenris and Aveline looked at her incredulously, but Anders nodded his head in agreement. "Blood magic leaves signs. You can feel the stretching and thinning of the Veil. I felt nothing just now".

All eyes turned to Hawke for confirmation, but he threw up his hands in a gesture of ignorance. "Hey, don't look at me. I just use magic to blow stuff up. Those two are the experts".

"Well it certainly looked like blood magic," Aveline said doubtfully to Anders. "If it was not, what in Andraste's name was it?"

"I think I might know something about that," Anders said before pausing.

"Well...don't leave us in suspense," Hawke grumbled.

"When I was a Warden, I spent some time with Kallian at Vigil's Keep, you know, the Warden Commander and alleged mistress of King Alistair. A lot of the mages look up to her for standing against the Chantry, but whatever power she had, it wasn't like any magic I've ever seen. She could imitate some techniques like force magic, you know, telekinetic stuff, but she had no connection to the Fade and couldn't perform the simplest spell".

"Then what was she?" Hawke asked impatiently as Revan looked to the renegade mage with great interest.

"Don't know," he conceded. "I mean, she wasn't exactly the conversational sort. Every other word she spoke was an insult directed at me, but anyway, what was truly disturbing about her power was how she could read others' thought and know things before they happened. When she looked at you, it was almost like your mind was an open book. It felt spooky...like she was controlling you".

"And what does that matter?" Aveline interjected warily. "Even if it is not true blood magic, she still manipulated the minds of everyone here. The effect is the same".

"You are making assumptions about things you cannot possibly understand," Revan interrupted. "I did not force them to do anything. I simply influenced them to ignore us. The choice was their own".

"What a worthless explanation," Fenris snapped. "Lie and deceive all you want, but we are not blind!"

"Let's calm down, shall we?" Hawke said as he placed a hand on Fenris' shoulder. "It might not be a great idea to antagonize the crazy woman".

"Way to be the voice of reason, Hawke," Varric said dryly.

Revan ignored them, instead turning to Anders and asking, "So you knew my apprentice. What did she tell you of our power?"

"Next to nothing. I don't think she trusted humans that much. When I asked, she brushed me off and said a brainless shem couldn't understand anyway," he shrugged.

"True enough. Explaining the Force to those who lack its touch would be like teaching philosophy to swine," she declared scathingly.

"I've heard pigs are quite intelligent beasts," Anders grinned, his smile faltering as he stared into the unreadable mask of Revan. "Anyway, she mentioned this 'Force' a few times, but it almost sounded like a religion coming from her. Why don't you try us then, we might actually understand".

"How could you? You see the world in the material. People are blood, flesh, and bone. The world is dirt, water, and rock. Everything is separate, existing on its own. The world you perceive is a lie," she explained. "We are not individuals, we are all connected by the Force, a great web that binds everything together. We are beings of light, each subtly shaping and forming the world around us. You lack the Force, so you can never see the universe as it truly is".

"I think someone has been chewing too much deathroot," Varric said under his breath.

"Condescend if you want. It means nothing to me," Revan said sweetly. "I came here for information and nothing more".

"Well we can certainly help with that. What do you need?" Varric asked, perking up.

"Wait, you actually intend to help this blood mage?" Fenris questioned loudly, his green eyes filled with fury. "You may wish to serve this bitch as mindless slaves, but I will have no part in it".

Fenris stood up, kicking his chair away, and began stalking to the exit when Hawke caught up to him, an armored gauntlet holding his thin wrist. "Fenris," he whispered in a pleading voice. "No harm can come from seeing what she wants, and it may even help us if we find ourselves enemies one day. I need you here if things start getting crazy. Please".

Fenris grimaced, his eyes daring from Hawke to Revan as his face contorted into a vicious scowl. He shook his arm free from Hawke's grip, his expression softening as he looked back at him but spite still evident in his voice as he spoke harshly, "Do as you wish, idiot mage. I will be there to say I told you so when this blows up in your face".

Revan rolled her eyes under the intimidating mask, but she decided to humor them, "I certainly doubt you can help me, but...this city, the dark side is strong here. I need to know if something happened here long ago like...a great battle where many were massacred or any kind of event that led to death on a staggering scale. There is a wound in the Force present here, and I need to know how it came to be".

"You mean like a tear in the Veil?" Anders asked with a confused look.

"I do not know what the Veil is," Revan admitted impatiently. "I come from far away, and some of the things people speak of here are...strange to me".

"That certainly explains that garish outfit you're wearing. And I was going to ask for your tailor too," Varric commented before several dangerous looks from his companions silenced him.

"The Veil is what separates the Fade from the material world. When great battles are fought or powerful blood magic is used, the Veil can be sundered and let demons loose in the real world. It sounds a little like this 'wound' you were describing," Merrill explained. "Kirkwall, or Sundermount rather, was the sight of the last stand of my people against the humans. So many died there that the dead are still restless on the mountain".

"It sounds promising, but I'm sensing a powerful darkness far beneath this city. Are there any episodes in this city's history that fit the theme?"

"Kirkwall was once the center of the slave trade in the Tevinter Imperium. They say so many slaves were sacrificed in the magisters' blood rituals that the streets were like rivers of blood," Varric recalled as Revan growled.

"The murder of slaves...only the truly depraved could murder one who is bound to their will and defenseless," she spat. "Disgusting. This place truly sickens me".

"Have something against slavery?" Hawke asked, probing for more information from the mysterious woman.

"You could say that," Revan said glibly without explanation, earning a calculating look from Fenris.

"And yet you make slaves of those whose minds you control," he said bitterly, earning a warning look from Hawke.

Revan stared at the petulant elf from behind the transparisteel of her visor, fury rising at the very suggestion that she would tolerate the violation of another being's mind in such a sick manner. She could see into the mind of the tattooed elf though and experienced the scars still healing from the past, so she controlled her rage for the moment.

"Wait, Hawke!" Varric exclaimed excitedly. "What about those notes we discovered talking about the Enigma of Kirkwall?"

Hawke nodded in agreement, " You might have something there, old friend".

"What is this 'Enigma of Kirkwall'?" the cloaked woman asked curiously.

"Notes from a trio of explorers who were searching for the answer to why the magisters needed to sacrifice so many slaves after the First Blight," Hawke explained. "The notes are sketchy on details, but they seemed to have found something beneath the city, something terrible. It might be what you're looking for".

"Can I see these notes?" she asked eagerly.

"Of course, my dear," Varric said gregariously. "I would ask one, small favor in return though...let us come with you when you search for...whatever it is you're looking for".

"This is not a treasure hunt," Revan reminded the dwarf in an annoyed tone but was cut off before she could say more.

"Treasure is good, but I'm far more interested in a good story. Whatever's down there is the stuff of legends, and I'd like a chance to tell it to others one day...the complete version," the dwarf insisted.

Revan looked at the dwarf and then to this Hawke, not finding any reason to deny to request other than the loss of a quiet atmosphere. "Done," she said simply.

Kallian stared down the barrel of a blaster pistol, its owner holding it only inches from her face. Her eyes flicked up from the black metal of the weapon to an equally black visor similar to the mask that Revan wore. Her lightsaber was in her hand, but she did not dare try to activate it as their ambusher brought another pistol to bear against the remainder of the party. She felt Lux stop edging forward as the weapon was pointed at him, his calculating thoughts searching for some way out of this standoff. Kallian felt the presence of others watching them close by in the jungle, and she knew that the only ways out of the situation were a blaster bolt to the brain or an attempt at peaceful negotiations.

The being holding her at gunpoint was clad in garish red armor, leaving no flesh uncovered. The plates were decorated with symbols in an unknown language and a brilliant white image of some unknown creature's skull, twin tusks arraying its fearsome mouth. The warrior was wearing a leather half skirt around its waist and ragged cloth around its neck complete with braids of hair descending from one shoulder. She felt anger rise within Lux as he laid eyes on the braided hair, but the reason for his rage was unknown to her.

She was quickly informed only a moment later when the warrior spoke in a slightly mechanical voice. His tone was haughty and almost noble in a way, like the way the highborn spoke back home. "Noticed my trophies, Jedi? It almost felt like slaughtering nerfs, the way those Jedi brats charged us without a brain in their heads. A Mandalorian can respect bravery, but not reckless stupidity".

"It's human hair," Kallian thought with revulsion. "Maybe the stories they tell about Mandalorians are true". Besides Mira, this was the first Mandalorian she had ever seen. He was impressive in a way, standing straight with such a regal bearing, but the presence of the scalps was sickening to behold.

"Mandalorians are always talking about honor. What honor is there in killing children?" Lux spat from behind, his voice filled with fury. Kallian thought he would reach out with the Force and strangle the man before them.

"I honored them by giving them a good death in battle. Would you have me shame them by denying them a fight? You Jedi have strange codes indeed," the warrior spoke again mockingly before his voice took on a harder edge. "You send your padawan learners into battle two years before our children come of age. If you fail to adequately train them, the fault when they die does not lie with us".

Another voice suddenly spoke up from the woods, the voice female in tenor. "You are so quick to condemn us Jedi, but I saw none of your own spare our warriors whom by your society would be judged as no more than children".

Kallian turned to look at the newcomer, a woman covered in sky blue armor emblazoned with yellow streaks like rays from a star. From the armored head tails, she was obviously Twi'lek, her unmasked visage revealing a chalk-white face and dark, distrustful eyes, one covered by the scope of a rifle. Revan had told her that the Mandalorians were not one species but many, united by a single culture. They were like the opposite of the Dalish, their original species dead and gone but their beliefs and way of life still enduring.

"You accuse me of lacking integrity, of being without honor, but I could have killed you easily, Jedi, and did not. I thought I would at least give you the opportunity to explain what you are doing here on our world," the Mandalorian stated with menace in his voice. "I could easily let my sister put a bolt in your skull if you keep insulting our people".

"I thought you guys cleared out the lot of these Mandalorians," Kallian hissed as she turned her head slightly to look at Atton and Lux.

"Not for lack of trying, apparently," Atton grimaced.

"Oh, they tried alright," the Twi'lek spat. "Mandalore the Preserver has gathered us here to rebuild our people. It will not be long before we restore what was lost to Revan and her Republic".

Kallian listened to the woman boast and was struck by the absolute certainty in her voice. The way she talked about this new Mandalore with something like reverence reminded her of how many people would speak of the Maker. Mandalore was mortal though, as her vision had clearly shown.

Mira spoke then, her words faltering at first as she uttered a tongue that had not left her mouth in years, but then coming through stronger. Both the Mandalorians looked surprised as she continued speaking, the sharp quality of the words fitting for a warrior people. Kallian could not understand the language, but she knew through the Force that she was negotiating on their behalf.

"Su cuy'gar!" both of the Mandalorians spoke suddenly in bright voices. Mira seemed to relax and spoke the same words to them. "We'll take you to see Mandalore. Perhaps he will be interested in hearing your story".

He lowered his weapon and beckoned for them to follow. As they marched along, Kallian fell in step with Mira who looked a little conflicted. "What was that about?" she asked curiously.

"They were just greeting one of their own who has returned. So you're still alive...that's what the final bit was," she explained.

"Do they know you?" she asked, a little confused at Mira's answer.

"Mandalorians are a hard people. When you go to war, you don't expect to see your loved ones again. So when you come back still living, it's like a blessing. That's what they mean by it," she continued. "The current Mandalore has a higher opinion of Jedi than most Mandalorians, or so they say. I asked them to let us speak to him."

"And they just agreed to that?"

"Why not? A Mandalore wouldn't last long if he wasn't willing to talk with his people. Mandalore leads us, he doesn't rule us," Mira chided her.

The two Mandalorians led them to a dilapidated compound, the jungle looking like it only needed a few days to swallow the decaying buildings. Many more of the armored warriors were about, the differences in their armor identifying clan, personal achievements, and necessary allowances for the dozens of species that made up the Mandalorians. Most wore blue, red, or yellow armor in a style similar to the first two they had encountered, but others wore more eclectic variants decorated with spikes and wrapped strips of leather. These were more colorful, taking on many different shades of green, orange, along with the normal colors. All wore the T-shaped visor though, many of the opaque masks looking up at them as they passed before returning to their work. They almost seemed uninterested in their presence.

They finally got to a hangar, the metal roof sagging from years of terrible storms. A lone figure stood outside it, hands buried deep in the circuitry of a vicious-looking craft, wings stretching forth like talons ready to grasp prey. They waited as he finished his work, the red-armored Mandalorian speaking to him in their native language. He waved the pair away, and they were left alone with the gray-armored individual.

"So Kelborn tells me he found some stray Jedi sneaking around our base," the gray-armored man spoke in a low, harsh voice. He turned to them, revealing a helmeted visage with the familiar T-shaped visor. Tubes stretched from the underside of his helmet to his back, crisscrossing the drab, gray armor that was unadorned by anything but pits and scars in the metal. "I am Mandalore. I assume you are our uninvited guests".

"Believe me, if we had a choice we would never have asked for your hospitality. We were attacked by fighters as we approached Onderon," Lux spoke in a patronizing tone. Kallian could not believe the way he sounded as it was like he wanted them to be killed.

"Figures, there's a civil war brewing planetside. They've been holding up ships in orbit for weeks now. They wouldn't want a Jedi to come and spoil all their fun, now would they?" he said seriously, not rising to the bait. "Do I know you?"

"General Lux Vulnus. I'm sure we met on the battlefield at some point during the wars," he said coldly.

"You survived them then. That says something about you".

"And what is that?" Lux asked warily.

"That you're either a bloody coward or a damn good fighter. We'll have to see which," Mandalore spoke as Lux bristled. "And what about you, girl? You seem a little young to have fought in the wars".

"Kallian Tabris. I wasn't around for the war, no," she spoke guardedly. "My master fought in them though".

"So did a lot of masters. From the looks of you though, you've shed blood. Haven't seen a lot of Jedi with injuries like that. Either they're in one piece or dead," Mandalore said, his visor turned to her prosthetic arm.

"A Sith did it," she said glibly.

"I've met a few Sith in my day. Fought a whole load of them with an old friend during the civil war. Most were cannon fodder with energy swords, nothing to write home about," he told her as she glared at him over the slight.

"The Sith I fought was on the same level as my master, and unless you think Revan is some pushover, that should tell you something," Kallian said in a self-satisfied voice.

That got Mandalore's attention as he looked her over carefully. "Revan, huh? Greatest warrior I've ever seen, maybe that the galaxy's ever seen. Did you kill this Sith you fought?"

"Well...no," she admitted.

"Revan was fighting entire battalions of Mandalorians when she was still a kid. I never thought she was the type to have the patience for training an apprentice. What'd she see in you?" he asked mockingly.

"Good question," the Handmaiden mumbled under her breath, just audible enough to hear as Kallian scowled at her.

"It sounds like you admire her," Lux observed.

"I admire strength. I admire cunning. I admire audacity. Revan had all these things and more. If she had been born a Mandalorian, I don't know what we would do with ourselves because we would have conquered the galaxy by now," Mandalore laughed.

"Or you would all be dead when she betrayed you like she did to us," the Handmaiden spat.

"If anything, Revan was too loyal. She saw the weakness of your Republic, the cowardice, and vowed to save you from it. We marched toward the Core unopposed until Revan stood against us and made you fight. Even after the Republic and the Jedi betrayed her, she still fought for you, destroying the Star Forge and the traitor Malak all for your sake. If you say otherwise, you're a fool," he growled harshly.

"We need to get to Onderon," Lux cut in, changing the subject. "If you are a friend to the Jedi, we could use your help".

Mandalore chuckled at those words, his laughter grim and dark. "I'm no friend to the Jedi, General. Why should I help you?"

"You said you admire strength. The one who destroyed your forces at Malachor was not Revan, but me," he spoke in a voice like ice as Kallian practically gasped. He really was going to sign their death warrant. "I gave the order to deploy the mass shadow generator to end the war, and for that, I was exiled by the Jedi and stripped of the Force. I ask for your help as one who has crossed blades with your people. You should be able to respect that".

Mandalore stared down the stone-faced man as Kallian tensed, but his response surprised her. "Indeed, I can. Doing what is necessary to achieve victory is surely worthy of esteem, but that's still not a reason to get you to that worthless planet". Lux was about to object when Mandalore continued sharply, "Show me you have honor as well...that you are worthy of following. Many men are given the title 'general', but very few actually earn it. I would have followed Revan to the ends of the galaxy and back. You might not be her, but you might do as a substitute".

Kallian leaned against a pillar of rubble, watching as Lux prepared the Mandalorian fighter for its trip to Onderon. He was taking the Echani and the blind Sith with him along with Mandalore himself who insisted on going. She had warned him about letting the snake close to him, but he had brushed her off, saying he needed to learn more about her. Since their training session, he had been a little distant, making her think that she might have offended him in some way. It mattered little; he was only good for his knowledge of the Force. She was not looking for friends though she would not object if some found her. "What do you want, Zevran?" she asked with a sigh.

The assassin dropped to the ground beside her, bearing several new bruises and minor cuts. "I though I might try my hand at some sparring with our hosts. I wouldn't recommend it," he remarked airily. "I also thought I could get my hands on some of their armor, but they were rather reluctant to part with it".

"Mira doesn't seem to be having any trouble," Kallian observed, looking at the woman now outfitted in green armor with jagged purple highlights in the shape of lightning.

"It seems I would have to join a clan. From what I've heard, which is admittedly very little, the requirements for initiation seem rather...unpleasant. After my experience with the Crows, you can probably understand that I would rather avoid that kind of torture," he explained with a smirk.

"Well, I guess you can think about it. We got all the time in the galaxy out here".

"That might be true...if you never plan to return to Ferelden. Tell me my dear, do you intend to stay out here even after our quest to find these lost Jedi reaches an end?" he questioned lightly, the seriousness that was hidden behind his false nonchalance all too apparent to her.

"What do I have to return to?" she said more to herself, the memories of Alistair suddenly filling her mind. "No one cares that we're elves out here. We might have a better life, and why are you asking anyway...what do you plan to do?"

"I might tell you my plans, love, if you agree to be part of them," he said lasciviously, earning him a glare from the fiery-haired woman. "In truth, I do not think I would return. It would pain me exceedingly to never see my glorious Antiva City again, but I simply must see Coruscant. How can a planet named after a jewel fail to impress, no?"

"I don't know what I want to do, Zevran. If I never go back, it's almost like I'm running away...abandoning my people," she admitted as her icy eyes filled with sadness.

"You only have one life to live Kallian, and then we are consigned to the void for all eternity," he mused. "Why don't you live it for yourself? I plan to find any number of willing women and men, plentiful drink, and good friends after my services are no longer needed and find my own way. Of course, you are welcome to join me".

"I think any path you choose will be a little too fast for me. All that debauchery bores me, you know," she spoke haughtily.

"Think about it, and I'm sure the answer will come to you. The Force can show you the future, no?" he sighed, walking over to where Mira was trying out new blasters.

"The future's always in motion," she said to herself, her mind drifting off to memories of Ferelden and the family she left behind. A disturbance in the Force woke her from the dream, dispelling both the blissful and sorrowful memories of home. She drew her lightsaber, activating it just in time as a red blade clashed against her hissing saber. Kallian looked into red-tinted glass, her opponent's face completely covered by a monstrous mask.

Kallian's leg lashed out as she pushed herself off the ground, her boot connecting with the knee of her opponent. She felt the joint collapse as an audible crack filled the air like the report of a blaster. The black clad assassin tried one last desperate attack, but Kallian grabbed his saber arm with her clawed hand, mechanical fingers twisting and crushing flesh and bone. Even with what surely was an excruciatingly painful wound, the masked figure still made no sound, only a muffled gurgle emerging as she stabbed her evening sky colored saber into its throat.

Letting the body drop, she saw several Mandalorians rushing past armed with vicious looking blasters and blades. A Twi'lek in blue armor, the one from earlier she supposed, called out to her and said, "What are you doing wasting time on that corpse, Jedi? There are Sith to kill!"

As she walked out into the clearing between the hangar and the barracks, it became apparent that the invasion of Sith assassins was no reason to panic for the Mandalorians but rather a welcome distraction from an otherwise monotonous day. The pathetic Sith tried defending themselves with their lightsabers, but the Mandalorians wasted no time firing bolts that would merely be deflected right back at them. Disruptor fire filled the air, bodies disintegrating as the screeching red beams shot right through the Sith. Others used archaic-looking shotguns that launched salvos of burning metal adept at chewing up anything they were fired at.

The Mandalorians thinned out the ranks of the Sith with methodical precision, not satisfied until their bodies were so riddled with holes or burnt into dust that not even the full power of the Force could restore them. An earsplitting roar attracted her attention away from most of the carnage into an even more frightening scene. Mandalore stood there amidst a dozen smoking corpses, the weapon he held in both hands like nothing she had ever seen. It spat blue fire so fast that lightsabers were useless against it, a few stray bolts being deflected away before the unfortunate Sith were overwhelmed and blasted apart.

Lux stood a few feet away from him, only slightly fewer bodies at his feet. He was just finishing up when her eyes turned to him. He stabbed back with his blue lightsaber and impaled an assassin right through the gut, pulling it out only a second later. As the Sith clutched the wound in what seemed like shock, Lux nonchalantly flicked the tip of his blade through the throat of the Sith charging at him. It collapsed at his feet, but he was no longer facing that way. Perhaps granting mercy to the still standing Sith, he decapitated it with an elegant strike, the blue blade retracting even as he held the curved hilt in the air.

Kallian could only gape at his skill, momentarily forgetting that a few dozen warriors armed with, in the words of Revan, such uncivilized weapons could kill so many Force users so quickly. She flinched when an armored gauntlet clapped her on the shoulder, a yellow-armored Mandalorian laughing as she said, "Perhaps we should keep you Jedi around if it's always this exciting".

Brianna watched as Lux leaned against the Mandalorian Basilisk, his eyes covered by his forearm. It seemed that nothing would be simple as the trekked across the galaxy, searching for the lost Jedi. Onderon was now embroiled in a civil war, the presence of their ship being used as justification for a declaration of war against the Republic. Without Onderon's aid in rebuilding the shattered ecosystem of Telos, the reclamation project there would surely fail. It seemed that this General Vaklu was conspiring against the Republic, at least according to Kavar, his support rumored to be a mysterious Sith hidden in the shadows.

She knew that Lux was not as upset over this misfortune than regarding his short meeting with Master Kavar, someone he described as one of his oldest and closest friends. Lux had asked him about his trial and exile, and Kavar agreed to explain the circumstances surrounding their decision, but Vaklu's men had interfered. It must have hurt him to be so close to learning the truth that haunted him all these years and yet have it snatched away as it lay within his grasp.

It disturbed her, the way Kavar had felt toward her friend, almost as if he wished the Exile would have stayed forgotten. She had gradually been opening herself to the power of the Force, a growing belief that more Jedi were needed to stand against the rising Sith, but the flashes of insight the Force showed her made her question many of the things she previously believed. What had Lux done that could make such a valued friend, a brother even, turn against him? Was she wrong about the Jedi, about Mistress Atris?

She approached Lux and said quietly, "I am sure Master Kavar will contact you soon. I was told that the Jedi value patience highly. I hope it is not presumptuous, but I would advise exactly that: patience".

Lux looked up at her and smiled, "I'm glad that you've been thinking about Jedi lessons. Maybe soon, I can teach you the very same. Visas and Kallian too, for that matter".

Brianna frowned, casting a scathing glance at the hooded Sith apprentice. She did not understand why Lux allowed that wicked thing to have a place among them. She would surely show her true colors sooner or later as a servant of darkness. It was folly to let this obvious spy travel with them, especially given the few Jedi that yet remained. Even the loss of one would be a great tragedy, but if Lux died...it would be a heavy blow to her, perhaps one she could not endure.

The way she turned her head to him and pressed her lips into that snakelike-smile when he talked to her also annoyed the Echani. Surprisingly, much of the irritation she felt was directed at Lux himself. If the fool wanted to flirt with an avowed enemy, one who was obviously just trying to ingratiate herself in their party as a spy and possible assassin, she should let him live with the consequences. That was what she told herself, but she resolved to protect him, even if he proceeded to take actions that undermined his reputation as a brilliant general.

Lux saw her expression darken and sighed, "I know how you feel about Visas and to a certain extent about Kallian. If you talked to her, you would learn how brutal her life has been. I think if she is treated with kindness and respect, she'll come back to the light".

"I have no desire to converse with that woman, and is it not a possibility that she is merely putting on a front to gain your sympathy? The Sith are manipulative creatures who would think nothing of using such foul tricks," she insisted, silver eyes flashing with anger.

"It's possible, I'll admit, but we're not going to get anywhere with her if we don't give her some measure of trust," he spoke carefully. "But I also want you to trust me. Trust that I have some idea of what I'm doing and that I'm not some bumbling idiot. I know that we'll be hard to do, but at least try".

The Handmaiden smiled at his pleading face, unable to say no to it. "I trust you, but I refuse to put any faith in that woman. I will keep watch over her; it will be better if the two of us are on the lookout for anything suspicious".

"Close enough," Lux shrugged with a grin.

"We have traveled together for some time, yes? I would like to think we have grown closer...become friends perhaps," she spoke slowly, avoiding his eyes. "I told you I needed time to think about your offer, and I have taken more than enough I think. If you are willing, I would like to train to become a Jedi".

Lux looked surprised for a moment, but he quickly adopted a wide smile and placed both hands on her shoulders. "Perhaps we're friends? We've been friends for a long time now, or at least I thought so. I'd be honored to teach you the ways of the Force".

"If I am to break my vow to Mistress Atris...it will be a clean one. Please call me Brianna from now on...Master," she said shyly.

"None of that formal stuff, please," he shuddered. "I'll only do it if you agree to call me Lux...or any other snarky nickname you may have for me".

"Of course," she blurted out with a series on nods.

"Message coming in from Dxun," Mandalore interrupted in that harsh voice of his.

Lux took the comlink, wary that there was another problem. It would be just their luck. "Lux here...I hope you're calling with good news",

Kallian's sarcastic voice came through the crackling static, saying, "Just giving you an update. We're taking the Hawk and heading to Korriban. We thought we could cut down on some time wasted while you guys search for Kavar".

"Wait, did you say Korriban. No! Absolutely not! You can't go there alone!" he insisted loudly, everyone's attention turning to him.

"We already lifted off. We'll be in hyperspace in a few seconds," her annoyed voice sounded in his ear. "We're not children that need supervision".

"Just wait a few minutes. The situation here is going to take some time to get resolved, and we're just going to head back to Dxun in the meantime," he argued.

"Then you can just sit back and admire the jungle for a week or so. We..." her voice cut off before a colder voice took its place. "Lux, you may cease with your unfounded worry. I will be watching over the girl for the moment. I believe her training will benefit from what she finds on the ancient capital of the Sith".

Lux trusted Kreia, but that did not mean that he did not harbor suspicions. She seemed to take no notice of Kallian in the past, dismissing her as another's apprentice and therefore not her concern. The sudden interest was uncharacteristic of her. "You'll keep her safe?"

"Revan destroyed the Sith on Korriban. The survivors have since abandoned the desolate world to stalk the edges of the Unknown Regions. The only thing she will have to fear there...is her own weakness," Kreia spoke cryptically.

Lux wanted to say that was exactly what he feared, but he caught himself, aware of how hypocritical it would sound after declaring his trust of Visas. He grimaced and opened his mouth to voice another objection but the words caught in his throat. "Just be careful, would you". He knew immediately that it was a mistake. He called on the Force, trying to catch some glimmer of the future, but all he felt was calm, no foreboding sense of danger. "May the Force be with you," he whispered into the comlink as the line went dead.

A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. Next one should come out faster. This is more of a transition chapter, so there is a lot of dialogue. Next chapter should be more plot heavy, or at least have more combat in it. Thanks to all who read and to Fayneir and MrEmperor for the reviews. Fayneir, when Lux states that any Force ability that is offensive in nature is corrupting, especially Force lightning, that is just his opinion. Lux despises any use of the Force that hurts or kills people, and he does not want Kallian to use them either. On the other hand, he can justify wanton slaughter using conventional weapons if its for the right reasons. MrEmperor, humor is always hard for me to do because I do not think I am really any good at it. Kallian's struggle with the dark side will probably reach its climax in the next chapter, so I hope you enjoy that.