The truth became clearer the longer I fought. Right and wrong. Life and death. Strength and weakness. Honour and despair. Truth and deception. All irrelevant.

Beyond it all, only power ultimately mattered. To guard or to rule, to protect or to subjugate.

And the Force was all that. Exactly and perfectly, the Force encapsulated the entirety of what I needed. The war itself was irrelevant. The Mandalorians were irrelevant. My own armies, irrelevant. Friendship, irrelevant.

The Star Forge was power, drawn from the need for growth and conquest, creating endlessly at my command. The enemy beyond our galaxy was power, drawn from life and hope, quietly eroding the edges of our strength. And the Jedi were power, if only I could find the means to shape them.

The petty war with the Mandalorians were irrelevant, but there may be a way to turn it to my advantage.

The Jedi needed to be shaken, broken. Only then could I show them my truth, and reforge their failing order in strength.

I woke after only a few hours, with a strangely formless sense of purpose. I left the ship and roamed the empty landing area around us. We were Kav's only customers at present, but Nar Shaddaa never sleeps.

And right then, neither could I.

I was too restless, too full of thoughts and worries, stretched tight between fear and hope and everything else. Bastila wanted to progress. She may still be held back by her years of training, but she would try to move forward with me.

Juhani had been cold ever since Kashyyyk. Her anger was closer to the surface than ever, but she seemed to be using that only to drive herself away from any hint of their so-called 'dark side'. I was unable to convince her thus far.

Onasi wouldn't speak to me. Oh, he would accept orders, reply to questions, but he did so in the curt manner of a subordinate who followed orders, no longer like a companion or friend. He was surprisingly good at being just useful enough that I couldn't get rid of him while ignoring my every attempt at reconciliation. I wasn't sure why he stayed any longer. It wouldn't have surprised me at all to wake up and find him just gone.

Malak was out there somewhere. I was making progress on one side, while pushing backwards on the other. Bastila and I might be ready to face him eventually, but I needed more allies for the deeper plan. Even if I hadn't yet figured out just what that larger task was, I knew that we couldn't do it alone.

And I was driving away more allies than I was making.

I walked through the streets, moving farther and farther away, alone with my thoughts as the chaos of swirling Force around every creature nearly drowned out Bastila's sleeping mind. A rare moment of semi-privacy.

I wasn't in a mood to enjoy it. My thoughts stayed dark, dissatisfaction welling up through the tangle. A quiet pall seemed to lie over everything, despite my gains I was farther from success than ever. My team barely held together, the slightest pressure could fracture everything.

I had no one to blame but myself. I may be able to plan a battle, direct any minor or major conflict, but managing people on such a direct level had never been my strength. I was charismatic, yes, could often sway others to see my side of things, but that proved most effective in group settings.

And, I had to admit at least to myself, much of what allowed me to understand and empathize with others had been lost. Either through overuse of higher level Force abilities, Malak's betrayal, or the Jedi interference. A good portion of who I had been just wasn't there any longer.

The murmur of voices around me caught, hitched just a moment as I came to a stop in the center of the open-air cafe. I hesitated, something tickling at my subconscious. The conversations resumed, somewhat more warily.

I stood, unsure why I had come here or what to do now, when I heard the word 'Cathar'. My gaze snapped to the speaker, a purple-skinned twi'lek sitting with a pair of ruffians, and I crossed to that table.

He glanced up at me, snorted dismissively. "If you're not here to refill my drink you can get lost," he snapped. "This is a private conversation."

I drew myself up, not in the mood to let that slide. Anger would be a welcome relief from the confusion trapped within me.

"And who are you to dictate where I should stand?" I demanded, pulling my saber hilts to my hands.

The twi'lek froze. "Ah, my. . .ah, my apologies miss Sith. I am Xor, a trader." His tone was anything but respectful, more mocking than anything.

If I were a Sith, he would probably be choking on the floor.

I chuckled at the notion, ignited my off-hand saber. The crimson blade hissed to life, its hum bringing an abrupt halt to the conversations around the room.

"And what do you know of Cathar, 'Xor'?" I asked softly, holding my blade casually away from myself and to the side.

"More than you," he said, slowly rising to his feet to face me properly. "Ooh, scary Sith lady, hiding behind her lightsaber."

I found myself liking his bravery, even if his attitude grated on me at present. He really was lucky I wasn't actually a Sith, or he'd not have survived the encounter.

Irritation sparked into electricity around me, lightning crackling up my arms and jumping between my fingers.

"I need no weapon to destroy you," I said in a quiet dangerous tone, deactivated my saber. "Tell me what you know about Cathar."

Xor shrugged. "As I was just telling my friends here, I only visited the homeworld once. Back when we were cleansing it."

"You say 'we'," I said. "Are you a Mandalore, then?"

"Oh, no no. I helped them only on that one world, I have personal reasons to wish their species. . . controlled."

I smirked at him. "Personal reasons?"

"I trade in a number of the more near-intelligent species, but I do have a special interest in Cathar," the twi'lek said.

"I happen to have one back on my ship, a young female. She might be interested to see you."

Xor narrowed his eyes. "Oh? Are you looking to sell?"

I shrugged. "It depends on what you're offering, but we may be able to reach an agreement."

The way this fellow talked so disrespectfully about her species, about casually wiping them nearly from the galaxy, that might be enough to bring her out of her stoic Jedi-mode. That might spark her anger in truth.

And it would certainly be fun to watch.

"Z, this is Xor. He's here to visit Juhani," I told the wookiee. He was standing guard just inside the ship, Onasi sitting in the central room in case anyone tried to break in and Z needed backup.

"How did he find us?" Z growled. "Are we in danger?"

I laughed, shook my head. "No, no. I found him, it's fine."

Xor didn't understand [shryywook] but when the wookiee stood aside he followed me. Hesitantly.

"You have quite an exotic menagerie yourself," he commented quietly. "How do you maintain your mastery over the wookiee? I see no control collar."

I smiled. "That's easy. He swore a life debt to me. Best control there is."

Xor's eyes widened slightly. "That is an uncommonly difficult thing to arrange, or so my associates have told me. I never trade in wookiees myself, too dangerous."

"They are a beautiful thing in battle," I said. "A bit blunt perhaps, but certainly valuable when properly directed."

I banged on Juhani's door, waited until I sensed her wake and sit up, then tabbed it open.

"Juhani, I found an interesting person while wandering about," I told her cheerily. Meeting Xor had taken my mind off my problems astonishingly well.

Xor gave her a quick glance over, glanced back at me questioningly when he saw her Jedi robes and lightsaber.

"Exotic dress up, miss Sith?" he asked.

"Miss Sith?" Juhani demanded.

"Sshh," I said, motioning her to quiet. "It isn't important. Xor here was telling me all about how he helped the Mandalorians wipe out a significant portion of the Cathar homeworld, isn't that right Xor?"

Juhani's confusion immediately vanished along with any tiredness. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

Xor glanced at me curiously. "Not very well trained, is it?" he asked.

"She's only been with me a few months," I said. "So, what's your offer?"

"Offer?" Juhani asked, glaring at us both. "I am my own person and if you think this is some game-"

I shushed her again, watching Xor.

He took a step closer to her, seeming unafraid of her obvious fury. "Those markings, they are well proportioned and quite uncommon. A good specimen, if a bit unruly. I'm sure we can come to some arrangement. I'll gladly offer—"

Xor broke off, stepped closer to Juhani. She glared at him, at me, but took a hesitant step backwards herself.

"Hold still," Xor ordered firmly. He stepped closer, put a hand to her chin to tilt her head to the side.

Juhani slapped his hand away. "If you do not explain yourself soon," she hissed, glaring at me, "I will take matters into my own hand."

"This creature looks familiar to me," Xor said at length. "Looks like the one I bought on Taris, just after I put down one of their aggressive and useless males."

Juhani's blade leapt to her hand, ignited in a hiss. Xor leapt back, just on time to avoid the blade. Juhani didn't strike, but held it ready in both hands, aimed at his face. "WHAT DID YOU DO ON TARIS, YOU SCUM?!"

"I believe it is the same one," Xor said calmly, but he did take another step back. "This creature rightfully belongs to me, purchased just before those interfering Jedi came and took her away. I understand that the intervening affairs have resulted in your ownership, and I'm not going to insist you return her to me without payment, but I will have her back."

"Oh?" I asked, playfulness seeping through my tone. "You make demands upon me?"

"You stay out of this!" Juhani yelled at me, turned to Xor. "You, tell me about what you did on Taris!"

"Yes, please tell us about Taris," I told Xor. "I'm curious."

The twi'lek shrugged, as though it were of no significance. "I found one of those useless Cathar males who had escaped us, fled to Taris. So I put it down like the animal it was. Then I found a female on the auction block. The females make amusing pets, I developed an appreciation for them while fighting with the Mandalorians. And they make excellent servants if properly trained."

"Hmmm," I said. "And your offer was. . .?"

"I will not be sold!" Juhani said. She started forward, but I pushed back with the Force to hold her away from Xor.

"Ah, ah. He came here in good faith, you wouldn't want to risk falling to the dark side over a simple trader, would you?" My mocking tone did nothing to calm the situation.

Juhani hissed, spat at Xor's face. "Simple trader? You heard him, you HEARD HIM! He takes pleasure in exterminating my people. In enslaving us, in controlling us like animals. How can you claim to stand for anything as you toy with me this way?"

Xor seemed unbothered by her rage. "I believe five thousand credits should suffice," he said, addressing me and ignoring Juhani. "Perhaps a bit low considering her near-perfect markings, but considerations must be made for her poor training and advanced age."

Juhani only snarled in reply. "I will NOT be sold like an animal, never again! I am a Jedi."

Power shredded through my restraining push, Force slammed up into me and Xor. I stumbled back a step, steadied myself. Xor went flying, slammed into the holotable and only then seemed to understand his true peril. Juhani took another step forward, her face twisted with rage, her saber held forward aggressively.

"YOU are the animal," Juhani said. "You do not deserve to live another minute, you should have been removed from civilization long ago."

I reached out toward her mind with the Force. I couldn't remember ever consciously forming a Force bond - it was something that had happened to me in the past, never something I deliberately initiated - but I felt very strongly that this moment could be the beginning of more.

"Hold steady, Juhani," I said quietly. "Think before you act. Talk through it with me."

She spun on me, eyes bright with fury. "Talk? THINK? How can you defend a slime like this, he is unworthy of any consideration."

I smiled wryly. "I know, Juhani. That is why I brought him for you."

She recoiled, frowned, my calm words jolting her out of her thoughtless rage.

"This is a test, Juhani," I told her gently. "I did not know he had a personal connection to you, only that he hated Cathar and wanted them enslaved or dead. This is a perfect example of how darkness can be used to destroy darkness."

"You're trying to trick me?"

I shook my head. "If I wanted to deceive you, I'd have stood back and let you kill him in your initial thoughtless rage. No, I want you to decide for yourself, knowing exactly what is before you. Do you use your well-deserved anger and destroy him as he deserves? Or do you follow the teachings of the weak and set him to go free, killing and enslaving until he is stopped by another?"

She stared at Xor, fury and pain warring in her eyes. I couldn't feel her thoughts, couldn't sense her emotions. My attempt at forging a bond hadn't taken, not yet.

"The Jedi way is to forgive," she said. "The Jedi way is to offer a second chance."

"And if someone doesn't deserve another chance? If you know for a certainty that they will only make things worse for many many lives if they aren't stopped?"

Xor tried to speak, but I choked off his air just long enough to keep him silent. I needed to hold Juhani's attention on me.

She took a breath, met the intensity of my gaze. "Many would have said Darth Revan did not deserve a second chance," she said. "Yet here you stand, by your own accounts the only thing standing between Malak and the complete conquest of the Republic."

"And if, in my saving the Republic, I destroy everything the Jedi stand for? Would you still say that their policy of mercy is justified?"

"Don't listen to her, Juhani."

I whirled. Onasi. He must have come in while we were arguing. I glared at him, but he stood with his arms crossed, defiant.

"She's trying to twist you around, so you'll fall to the Dark Side," Onasi continued.

"Yes, yes," Xor said frantically. "Say no to the Dark Side!" He tried to get to his feet, but a quick Force tug kept his balance unsteady and I choked him to silence again, leaving him to sit slumped against the holotable panting for breath.

"Juhani, the Jedi don't believe in killing their prisoners," I said. "But I disagree with that policy. Obviously I'm glad to be alive, but if they hadn't been completely wrong about what I was doing it would have been a fatal error."

"They believed you could change," Juhani said.

"And look how well that turned out," Onasi said sharply. "You can't force people to change."

I glanced at him, smiled faintly. He obviously hadn't yet grasped the point of the conversation, if he was taking my side even in a roundabout way.

I hauled Xor to his feet with the Force. "So now the question is, what shall we do with our Cathar-hating slime here? His fate I leave to you, Juhani. Do you want to offer him a second chance to live? Or take the vengeance that your people deserve?"

Juhani held her blade out, stared at Xor's pitiful whimpering face, then sighed. Her blade deactivated and she turned away. "I will not fall to the Dark Side," she said. "Whatever temptations you bring to me. I am a Jedi."

"Good for you, Juhani," Onasi said from behind me. I ignored him, kept my focus on the Cathar Jedi.

"You can't make your decisions from a basis of your actions," I said sharply. "You need to be able to judge individual situations based on their own merits. This person, right in front of you, has murdered and enslaved countless of your very own people, to the point where the Cathar may die out from the galaxy completely. And you want to let him go on doing it?"

"It is the Jedi way," she said, stubbornly.

"You think he'll let this go?" I asked. "We've humiliated him. He'll want vengeance. And you know what he knows bothers you? Hurting your people. Can you truly in good conscience let him go free? I would have killed him on the spot."

"Which is why Juhani is stronger than you'll ever be," Onasi said.

"What use is strength when it is used to defend evil?" I retorted. "That is no virtue. I ask this final time, Juhani, and I will abide by your decision. Do you truly wish to let him go?"

Xor nodded desperately.

Juhani's lightsaber was inactive in her hand, a hand clenched around it so tightly it trembled. She watched Xor with quiet fury burning through her and giving off an almost visible aura of Force energy.

"You can use that anger," I whispered. "I've told you, again and again, it is a part of your power."

"He's not worth it, Juhani," Onasi said. "Don't give in to darkness."

I whirled on him. "Keep out of this, Onasi! This is none of your business."

"This is exactly my business," he replied, quietly forceful. "I told you I would do my best to keep you from corrupting the others."

Lightning leapt to my hands, and I had to consciously hold it back. I wanted him to be an ally, we both wanted the exact same thing - freedom and security for the galaxy, away from Malak and Kareth.

"Why do you insist on making this difficult? We're working together here!"

"Because I believe that the way we win matters as much as whether we win," Onasi said. "Using darkness to fight darkness? It won't work. It's just never going to help anything. You'll only set yourselves up as a new dark regime the moment Malak is gone."

"We will not! I know what I'm doing!"

"QUIET!" Juhani screamed. I turned to her. "I cannot decide now," she said in an only slightly calmer tone. "I must think on this. For now, do we have the means to restrain him?"

It wasn't a victory, but it wasn't a defeat either. Any chance at creating a bond with her right now was lost, but she hadn't rejected me completely. I could always try again another time. I withdrew my tentative mental Force link and nodded.

"I know someone who can keep him for us. Consider as long as you must."