Disclaimer: Lucasarts and Obsidian Entertainment created KotOR II, and I thank them.

The Republic troops moved into the bunkers on the mountain. They got their first hot meal in days, watching the stream of transports land fresh troops to continue the assault on the last Mandalorian strongholds. Meetra and Ree were resting in a bunkroom near the summit when Malak walked in. "Good work today, Meetra. I understand your breakthrough was a sight to see."

Meetra cocked her head. "And yet, you don't sound pleased. Why the note of disapproval?"

Malak shrugged. "You didn't follow the plan. Revan is concerned at what your… improvisation means for the future. We can't afford breaks in the chain of command."

"What?" Ree glared at Malak. "She didn't send her troops to be slaughtered, and you reprimand her? What in the Force is the matter with you?"

"That's enough, Padawan." Malak stepped forward, looming over the much shorter Twi'lek. "This incident ended well, but it might not always be so. Victory requires sacrifice. Revan cannot afford a general with too soft a heart. The day may come when there may not be an option. And it is certainly not your place to question the Supreme Commander!" He spun on his heel and walked out.

Ree walked to a firing slit, watching Malak's shuttle as it flew away. "What's the matter with him, Master? You care about your men; what's wrong with that?"

"He has a lot of responsibility, Ree, and Revan's burden is even heavier." Meetra stepped up next to the Twi'lek. "He isn't wrong to worry. I saved as many as I could, but I found a way to accomplish the mission. The Mandalorians have already killed billions of people. What is the sacrifice of a hundred soldiers compared to that?"

Ree snorted dismissively. "A real commander would find a way, like you did."

Meetra turned to face him. "Malak isn't wrong, Ree. A 'real commander' remembers that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. To push the Mandalorians back, Revan has had to send more than a million soldiers to their deaths. Today, I was lucky. If you wish to lead, you must be willing to sacrifice your people-the mission always comes first. What if there wasn't a way? What if it were you, and you had to choose between a planet full of people… and me? Could you do it?"

Ree opened his mouth, shut it, and looked down. "How long have you known?"

"Oh, a year at least." Meetra smiled gently. "And… I love you too, Ree. I wish I'd told you long ago. I needed to be sure it wasn't just the Master-student bond."

The Twi'lek looked into her eyes. "What happens now?"

She took his hands. "I want you to promise me something. Whatever our relationship, we remain Jedi first. How we feel about one another must never affect how we serve others. We always put the galaxy before our own needs, no matter the price."

"I… I swear it." Meetra kissed him deeply, and they walked out the door hand in hand.

"Ree, the years we spent together were the happiest and saddest of my life." Meetra and Ree walked on through her memories, across a dozen worlds and through battlefields of every description. They fought together against all comers, enduring tragedy and enjoying triumph. "I lost so many soldiers, too many. They were dedicated and incredibly brave; I'm ashamed to admit that I can't remember all their names. But you were always by my side, first as a friend, then as a lover." They reached another doorway; this one was the heavy durasteel portal of a large warship. Meetra froze. "No, no, not here."

The door opened, and Ree stepped through onto the bridge of Meetra's flagship, the battlecruiser Ravager. Meetra tried to hang back, but when she blinked, she was standing at her usual place on the command platform. Ree stood beside her, watching the Republic fleet engaging the Mandalorians above Malachor V. The initial exchange of missiles and torpedoes was over; the capital ships were slugging it out at gun range. The Mandalorians were trying to break through the Republic lines, to escape the system and regroup.

"General Surik!" It was Captain Forn Dodonna, standing at her console in the operations trench. Bao-Dur was at the next station over, watching silently. "General, message from Revan. His task force has caught up with Mandalore. He is engaging; he won't be able to join us in time. You have command of the operation and authority to activate the generator."

"Mass shadow generator is fully charged, General." Bao-Dur spoke softly, eyes on his instruments. "Ready to fire."

Meetra hesitated, her mouth working soundlessly. She looked back and forth, almost in a panic.

"Fleet casualties at twenty percent, General." Dodonna swiped a hand across her screen. "I'm re-positioning ships to keep the line, but we need to light that generator. We can't hold them for much longer." She looked up at the command platform. "General, I need orders!"

"I don't want to see this!" Meetra tried to run off the bridge; when she turned, she found herself exactly where she had been before. She fell to her knees, closed her eyes and squeezed them shut.

"Meetra." In all their time together, Ree had only used her first name when they were alone. Meetra opened her eyes to find the scene frozen, except for the Twi'lek, who had turned to face her. He smiled gently. "You know what happens now. You must face it."

"No, no, no." Meetra was hugging herself sadly, rocking back and forth. "I can't do it. Please, not again."

"Master, we made a promise on Dxun." Ree stepped forward, crouching down beside her. "Did you mean it?"

"Yes." Meetra took a breath, struggling to control herself.

Ree nodded. "You saw what the Mandalorians did to the people of the Rim. You knew what they would do if they were allowed to escape. Are the worlds you saved worth more than the lives you sacrificed?"

"Yes." Meetra straightened and met Ree's eyes.

Ree put his hands on his hips, much as Meetra used to while she was lecturing. "And did you break the Mandalorians out of hate, or fear?"

"No." Meetra shook her head. "They had to be stopped."

"You did the right thing, Meetra, and for the right reasons." Ree smiled. "We are Jedi. We always put the galaxy before our own needs, no matter the price." He turned away and walked back to his original position on the platform.

Meetra took one more breath to steady herself, then turned to Bao-Dur. She looked at him for a moment, then nodded. The Zabrak keyed in the command as Meetra turned back to the window. Down on the surface of the planet, there was a flash of green light. An energy pulse raced outward in all directions, and Malachor began to implode. More flashes appeared as the generator distorted the gravitational anomalies throughout the system. The tremendous forces pulled on the ships in orbit from multiple directions. They were torn to shreds, durasteel hulls rending like paper. Aboard the Ravager, Meetra winced as she felt millions of beings dying or in pain. She could almost hear them screaming as they were pulled into anomalies and crushed. The Force was in turmoil, and Meetra fell to her knees as she shared the pain of her men.

Suddenly, the air was split by the sound of groaning metal. Meetra looked up to see the hull plating deform as an anomaly lit up just outside. Equipment overloaded and blew all over the bridge. She heard a yell from her left; a bank of consoles fell onto Bao-Dur. She spun back at a loud snapping sound. The window panels were cracking. Ree looked at the spreading fissures, then back at Meetra. He started to speak, but the window burst with a roar. Ree threw a push, blasting Meetra away from the breach. She hit the deck and banged her head; her shoto slid away. Meetra lifted a hand to pull Ree in, but nothing happened. Her head swam and Meetra passed out.

She came around slowly; she was lying on her back on the deck. Alarms were blaring and fires were burning all over. Meetra looked around as her vision cleared and saw her shoto saber, lying in a pool of flame. She extended a hand to pull it to her, but the hilt didn't move. Meetra gasped as she realized that she couldn't feel the Force. The shoto exploded as the power cell overheated. She looked around desperately for Ree; he was gone, pulled out through the hull breach before the particle fields could come on. Meetra began weeping hysterically.

"Master." Meetra blinked, confused, and looked up. The memory had vanished; Ree was standing in front of her, smiling slightly.

Meetra couldn't help herself; she began crying again. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not." Ree took her hands. "I believed in what you taught me, Master. I still do." He began to fade away. "Goodbye, Master Meetra. May the Force be with you."

"And with you." Meetra wiped her eyes. "Goodbye, Ree, and thank you." Her old Padawan disappeared completely, and Meetra found herself in a dark room carved out of the living rock. She squared her shoulders and walked on.

The tunnel was lit by small skylights in the ceiling. Meetra saw the walls were covered with intricate carvings. The passage opened up into another room; a familiar figure stood in the center. Kreia bowed her head in greeting. "You are to be commended for making it this far."

Meetra nodded. "I had to face the decisions I made during the war. It hurt, but I've made peace with my choices."

"You've revisited the dark moments of your past, and now you must face the present," Kreia said.

Atton ran up, saber hilt at the ready. "Get away from her! She's a Dark Jedi!"

Kreia glared at him. "Atton, I've had enough of your snide contempt!"

Both of them powered on their lightsabers; Meetra held up her hands. "Stop this. We need to work together."

Kreia shook her head. "I will protect myself from this foul-mouthed ruffian!"

"Hey, what's the commotion here?" asked Bao-Dur, walking up.

"Stay out of this, Bao-Dur," Kreia snapped. "This is a personal dispute between Atton and myself."

"You're threatening Atton with a lightsaber, and I'm supposed to just stay out of it? No!" The Zabrak ignited his saber and spun it to a ready stance.

"I won't let you touch him!" Handmaiden ran up next to Atton, saber blazing.

Part of Meetra knew this was all a vision, a test, but part of her didn't care. "Everybody, put away your weapons!"

"The three of you would challenge me?" Kreia asked scornfully. "You sorely underestimate the power of the Force."

"Think again, Kreia!" Mical stepped from the shadows behind Kreia, with Mira and Visas on either side. "Your dark influence will end!"

Kreia turned back to Meetra. "Your 'friends' are all arrayed against me. Will you stand for this?"

"I won't let them strike another being in anger." She turned in a circle, facing each of her students in turn. "What's the matter with you? I taught you better than this!"

"I will be honest with you. I have fallen to the dark side," Kreia said quietly. "Does this change your decision?"

"Master, she is a danger to you, to the entire galaxy." Mical shook his head. "We are not acting out of hate, and we did not come to this decision lightly; we cannot stand idly by while a threat is rising."

This is the dilemma the Council faced during the Wars. Meetra nodded sadly. "I think you are wrong, but I followed my conscience during the Wars. I cannot deny you the right to do the same. You know the risk you take." She stood aside.

"So you will do nothing?" Kreia's voice was dripping with contempt. "Apathy is death. Worse than death, because at least a rotting corpse feeds the beasts and insects."

Meetra's students turned on her one after another; all their lightsabers blazed red. "Apathy is death. Apathy is death. Apathy is death!"

They rushed her; Meetra raised her sabers to defend herself; but everyone had vanished. The room was empty, except for another passage sloping down to a stone door. Meetra opened the door and stopped short. Two more figures were waiting for her inside; the man wore the black robes and red mask she remembered well. Beside Revan stood… Meetra. Her eyes were yellow and her face was deathly pale, corrupted by the dark side.

As Meetra watched, her phantom double faded away. Revan strode forward, drawing a red lightsaber. Meetra knew, somehow, that this fight was real, vision or no. She drew her sabers and locked blades with Revan. He was every bit as deadly as she remembered, but Meetra was a match for him. She used all her skill, responding to every one of Revan's attacks with a counterstroke which forced him to defend. A momentary opening, and Meetra struck home, ramming her shoto into Revan's visor, right between the eyes. He dissipated into violet mist, and Meetra was alone, standing in a Sith tomb.

You've succeeded in this trial. I am impressed. Kreia spoke in Meetra's head again. I can feel your upset. Know that whatever you found in the depths of the cave, you carried in with you. Trust in your feelings. They will lead you in conquering the many challenges that the future holds for you.

Meetra nodded. I'm ready to leave this place.

One last matter, Kreia said. Whatever you saw was for you alone. Whether you choose to speak of it is up to you. I will understand, and so will the others.

Meetra took one last look around, but there was nothing to see but dust motes floating in the air. The love and loss, the pain and triumph, had always been with her, and she would carry them on. It wouldn't get any easier, but she had the strength to face whatever came. Ree's voice echoed in her mind. You did the right thing, and for the right reasons. I believed in what you taught me. I still do.

She stepped out of the cave and into the fresh air. It was still night and the first moon was just reaching its zenith. Meetra hadn't been in the cave more than an hour, though it felt like months. The path to the Academy was empty; the landslide still blocked the door. Meetra decided not to give the Sith a chance to catch up with them. She ran down the trail, through the valley, and up to the ship. HK was standing guard on top and spotted her. He dropped down inside and the boarding ramp opened. Meetra headed into the ship; Atton was lifting off before the ramp fully closed.

Meetra walked into the main hold, where the others were waiting. She hadn't had the chance to check on her students since the skirmish. Bao-Dur and Visas were unharmed. Atton and Handmaiden were bruised. Mira had a kolto wrap on her right knee, and Mical's left arm was in a sling. He smiled. "Not to worry, Master. Mira's knee is sprained and I've got a greenstick fracture; both of us will recover fully in a few days."

"That's all the time we have." Mandalore stepped up, holding a datapad. "Bralor contacted us on comm. Dhagon Ghent just relayed a message from Kavar. He wants us to return to Dxun, so he can set up another meeting."

"That's good." Meetra grabbed a meal tray and a cup of caf and collapsed into a chair. "T3 can set the course. Everyone, get some rest. You've certainly earned it."

The crew relaxed for the flight back to the Japrael system. They dropped out of hyperspace at a distance, expecting to have to sneak in. What they found was shocking. There was a battle raging in orbit between Onderon and Dxun. The Onderonian command ship and two cruisers were exchanging fire with a flotilla of destroyers, amid a cloud of snub fighters. The warships were totally focused on each other, and Atton was able to approach Dxun without any interference. As they watched, the capital ships moved in and pounded the destroyers with heavy gunfire, destroying all but one of them. Two squadrons of fighters raced in and torpedoed one of the cruisers, which blew up. The remaining heavy ships retreated toward deep space to recover their Aureks, while the destroyer fell back to a position above the guns of Iziz.

Mical frowned. "What the hell is this? Those ships are all Onderonian!"

"Sullio's murder was part of something bigger, all right," Mandalore said grimly. "Let's get to my camp and find out what."

Atton set down inside the camp; the Mandalorians got camouflage netting up over the ship. They headed inside, to the command post. Bralor was waiting. "You received my message, then? A man named Kavar wanted to get a hold of you urgently. He said that the Queen had arranged safe passage to Onderon for you. But I don't know how good their offer is anymore."

"We've seen the fighting in orbit," Meetra said. "What's happened?"

"Shortly after you left, General Vaklu met with the Council of Lords and declared that the Queen was guilty of treason," Bralor replied. "He'll be made Regent if Talia and her royalists are defeated. The military is divided on who to support. Civil war has fallen on Iziz. I doubt that Queen Talia and her advisor will survive until nightfall. The balance of forces seemed to favor Queen Talia. The Royal Palace is heavily fortified and defensible, and the Navy and Paladins are loyal to her. But Vaklu has new allies: Sith soldiers and their masters. The PDF space forces are blockading the planet, with help from Sith fighters. The war has also driven the caged beasts in the streets mad. She doesn't stand a chance."

Kreia shook her head. "You underestimate the Force, Mandalorian. I sense that we may still get to Master Kavar in time." She angled her head. "I sense there is something… stirring on the moon itself. Tell me, have your sensors picked up anything from Dxun?"

"Y-yes, yes we have," Bralor stammered. "How…? We picked up some transmissions from nearby in the jungle. We only have our ship's sensors, so we know nothing more than that."

"Those transmissions are the enemy," Kreia said firmly. "They are linked to the fate of Onderon. They must be stopped. Otherwise the Mandalorian is right-Master Kavar and Queen Talia won't survive this day. It is essential, and inevitable, that we face both enemies at the same time."

Meetra turned to Mandalore. "Can you get me to the Palace through Vaklu's blockade?"

Mandalore nodded. "I've got just the thing: a Bes'uliik war droid, the space-combat model. It has space for a pilot and an astromech. That's your ride, along with T3. I'll follow in my shuttle. I can carry two passengers; choose well."

Meetra took a moment to think. "Kreia, Bao-Dur, you will come with Mandalore."

"Statement: Master, you need more support than that," HK interjected. "I have no need for oxygen or warmth; I can ride in the shuttle's cargo compartment."

"Good idea." Meetra turned to Mical. "You will lead the strike on the enemy here on Dxun."

Mical swallowed and nodded. "Yes, Master. We won't let you down."

"I know you won't." Meetra smiled. "You're ready, all of you. Count on each other, and you'll get through this. I'll meet you here when this is all over." She turned back to Mandalore. "I'd like you to send some warriors with them."

"Absolutely," agreed Mandalore. "Bralor, tell Kelborn to get his squad moving. Have the rest of Xarga's platoon standing by in one of the dropships in case they need more support. Have everyone else prepare for war. I want everyone ready to launch in eighteen hours." He looked back at Meetra and crossed his arms. "The Sith are on the move. Once we're finished here, my warriors will be ready for your command, Jedi."

"Strange times." Meetra smiled. "I'd be glad to have you at my back."

A/N: If you'll remember the in-game dialogue, Zez-kai Ell mentions that the Exile lost her Padawan at Malachor. The fact that she fell for Ree and then lost him is what is slowing her down telling Mical how she feels. If you'll remember her first memory of Malachor, from earlier in this fic, Ree is not mentioned. Meetra had blocked it out because it hurt so bad.