Berserker Book V

by Blitzkrieger

Traitor, Heretic, fallen jedi, Leo Rock exiled from the Order. Leo and his Black Knights are on a mission to remind the Jedi of who they truly are, but in a galaxy that increasingly distrusts Jedi, enemies on all sides. He'll face not just Clones and Droids, but Maul's Shadow Collective. With little choice, Leo must assemble an army for the one thing the galaxy needs, revolution.

10. The Witch and the Shaman

Chapter 10

The Witch & The Shaman

THE RECENTLY NAMED SPHYRA CLASS HAMMERHEAD…. Star Lark

Hyperspace

"The Star Lark, we're dead set on that?" Jinx asked in the pilot's chair, he was looking back at Leo, Tholme, Aayla, Quinlan and Trench around the holotable. Sian sat in the copilot seat as the other seats were fixed with Turok, Dogma, Fives and Ganodi.

Leo mulled around in his head over the holotable "I didn't vote for it."

"I mean, it's just redundant to name a ship after a bird?" Jinx said, turning back in his seat. "Everyone names their ship after a damn bird and thinks they're clever."

"Jinx?" Quinlan warned as he whined.

Jinx kept shaking his head "Just saying Brimstone sounded cooler."

Leo smirked at Jinx's sense of humor returning "So Tholme, where's the first Master?"

"Fifth planet of the Cophrigin system it's one of the uninhabited star systems in the Ash Worlds sector of the Outer Rim Territories." Tholme said, turning on the holomap. The map locked onto a narrow sliver of the outer rim at the edge of the galaxy.

The bridge all listened in curiosity to know more "Cophrigin V, good place to hide, didn't we go there to train once?" Quinlan asked Tholme.

Tholme gave a warm smirk "You remember."

"I remember the goat monkeys trying to eat me." Tholme said.

Turok held his head up with a furrowed brow "Did he say goat monkeys?" Turok asked Dogma, the clone trooper shrugged.

"If it's uninhabited how are we supposed to find them?" Leo asked.

"Oh don't worry she'll find us." Tholme said with a hint of knowing something they didn't.

"She?" Aayla asked, Quinlan paced a bit for a few seconds "Wait, she as in her, as in 'her' her the most terrifying woman in the jedi order?" He asked Tholme.

Fives who was updating the ship's schematics to fill in the name Star Lark mumbled "That's comforting."

"The most terrifying woman in the Jedi Order, is she some kind of witch?" Leo asked the masters.

Tholme tapped his cane while walking around the table "She is more than just a witch, she is one of the most dedicated Jedi I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Kirak told me when the war began she was called to the Command, instead she came here and with any luck she is still." Tholme said.

"Then we're going to Cophrigin V, what's her name?" Leo asked.

Quinlan laughed "Name, she wouldn't lower herself to having a name, nobody knows her name it was stricken from the record instead she gave it up to serve the force and terrify padawans, do we really want her to help teach the younglings?"

"If Master Kirak believes she can, then yes." Tholme said.

"Oh wait, it's her?" Sian asked from the front.

Tholme nodded "Yes, the Dark Woman."

Jinx plugged in the coordinates of Cophrigin V, before he added "Dun-dun-dun."

Later, Leo was down in the brig and he walked to the only occupied cell with a tray of food in his hands. He pressed a button on the door open and the laser shield fell to see Barriss laying on the metal bench her back to him asleep. Leo set the tray down on the nearby table in the corner "I brought you some food." He said as Barriss woke up.

In a flurry she rolled off the bench and leapt at Leo who dodged out of the way letting her slam into the wall before Leo stepped back "Please don't." He said backing up.

Barriss grabbed the tray of food and threw it at him, Leo dodged again letting her barrel roll and crouch like a spider as Leo held his hands up "I can bring you something else?"

"Your life!" She yelled.

She jumped up with a spinning kick, Leo blocked her ear attack with his forearm bracer and caught her before he slammed her into the wall making her fall onto the bench with a thud. "That's not happening Barriss."

"One way or another, you kill me or I will kill you!" She said pouncing again, Leo held his hand up and force blasted her back into the wall "Enough." He said, she hit the back of her head against the metal wall with a bang. Leo looked over at the food and groaned "need another tray." He mumbled.

CORPHRIGIN V

Cophrigin V was the fifth planet of the Cophrigin system, A terrestrial planet, Cophrigin V was a planet of forested mountains and grassy plains. Isolated in its star system so remote nobody would look for someone here, except for the desperate. Sporting no notable colony or civilization, the planet remained out of galactic affairs and played little part in the many wars and conflicts which engulfed the galaxy. Home to no notable sentient races, Cophrigin V was inhabited by a species of simian-like and goat-like beasts which inhabited the forested hills and grassy plains respectively. The Star Lark descended through the white clouds and into an open plain scattering herds of animals and birds alike before it landed. Jinx looked at the fuel ticker seeing it was starting to get low. "Hey, maybe the next jedi will be on a planet with a fuel depot, we're getting dangerously close to not even being able to make a jump." Jinx said as everyone started to leave.

The jedi departed the hammerhead looking around the planet, the mountains in the distance, the rolling hills and woods. Leo took a deep breath of the air as he, Tholme and Sian walked off the ramp followed by Turok who had the beskar battle axe over his shoulder in a leather sling and holding his blaster rifle checking the scope "No, not you." Tholme said swinging his cane out to stop Turok from stepping of the ship,

"What, I thought we were looking for some mystery Jedi woman, you'll need a tracker to find this Dark Woman?" Turok said, leaning the rifle on his shoulder.

"Don't worry she'll find us." Tholme said.

The trandoshan gave Leo a pleading look "Best you wait aboard the ship, keep an eye on Trench will you?" Leo asked him.

The lizard let a low growl before he stomped back up the bridge "Guard duty, great." He mumbled retreating inside.

"You're coming with us Sian, what about the younglings?" Leo asked her, Sian who was looking around the area with a pair of binoculars lowered them handing them off to Tholme.

"Aayla offered to take over for me today, besides I need some time away from the ship." She said as Leo slipped his helm on pulling his hood up.

When it was fitted he said "Fair enough, so any ideas Tholme?"

"We follow the force." Tholme said, taking lead toward the tree line of tall pines and reddish brown trunks. As they passed into the woods the ground became less grass and more dirt, littered with dead leaves and drying branches of fallen limbs it sloped upward onto more rocky terrain. The veins of the mountain started to widen the path as Tholme walked in front, Sian behind him and Leo at the end.

Hiking up behind her, Leo felt an uneasy chill from Sian "Master Jeisel?" Leo asked.

"Hmm?" Sian grunted.

"I was just curious, do you think we're on the right path?"

Sian glanced over her shoulder "I trust Tholme, so if he says follow the force or that the dark woman will find us I… oh you weren't talking about the trail?" She asked.

Leo stopped just short behind her as they climbed over a boulder, shaking his head to confirm her question "Which part?"

He stood there sheepishly "How about the Order?" Leo asked her.

"Same question." She said stopping in front of him, arms crossed. Leo walked past her, answering "Fine, why are you willing to work with me, a known heretic and criminal in the eyes of the Republic?" He passed her until she started to walk beside him.

When she had caught up she said "Because the jedi are wrong for taking military titles."

"Funny, my Master Obi-Wan always told me it was a duty not a desire." Leo replied.

"Our duty is to stop the fighting, not lead armies and raze planets to the ground." Sian said, Leo listened as their boots crunched over dead leaves and across loose rocks.

Sian continued "When I heard about Geonosis I wasn't on Coruscant, or even in Republic space but I felt it, I felt all those Jedi die in the force then when I got the order to return to become a General, that the Republic was at war I was shocked." Sian said beside him "What about you where were you when the war began?"

"I was training with my first Master on Rodia, he'd left me in the Outland swamps for a week to survive until he arrived halfway in my training telling me we were going to war." Leo said.

"Pong Krell was your Master, a shame what the…. The Stark Hyperspace war did to him." Sian said, Leo didn't say a word. Seeing it was an off topic issue Sian resumed the previous conversation "You asked me why I'm here, working with you, it's because I still agree that Jedi need to change, but I don't know how you suggesting we form another Council to figure out that's the same thing that Sora before…. You know."

Leo looked at her "Before we learned he was a traitor, I know, but the current Council are too blinded by their arrogance, steeped in tradition that they'll drown us all in."

"Even Obi-Wan?" Sian asked him, Tholme's ears perked up behind him.

He halted dead in his tracks hearing that Leo looked up at the sun and sky above him "… I hope not, Obi-Wan taught me to question things, not just the war but myself included." Leo said, resuming his walk "I have nothing but respect for my Master, for Master Yoda and many of Jedi on that Council which is why I'm grateful for your, any time I try to convince them they dismiss me as a child, to young to understand but if you and other Masters speak to them as one they may listen."

Tholme stopped ahead of them, turning around "Cause that worked out so well last time?"

"You're probably right." Leo sighed walking up to him "But we can still try."

Tholme glanced at Sian who looked back at him, before she asked "Why, what loyalty do you have to the Council or the Republic that would make you want to try again?"

Leo held his hands in the air before he planted them on his hips shaking his head, he didn't answer Tholme instead he just said "We should find this Master." Leo said walking on.

Meanwhile, back at the Star Lark, Jinx was walking down in the brig before he stopped at Barris' cell staring at her in disgust. "What are you looking at?" Barriss asked while she sat on the floor.

"Nothing." Jinx said before he left the brig.

Back up in the hallways he walked alone "Jinx."

The twi'lek looked over his shoulder to see his teacher, Quinlan Vos "It doesn't take a Master to know somethings bothering you."

Jinx took a deep breath "How could he save her then bring her back, then Trench it's like I don't even know Leo anymore."

Quinlan walked with his padawan "I found it hard to believe either, but Leo never does anything without a reason, at least I think."

"What do you think he's planning Master, I trust Leo but after what Barriss did… I can't forgive that, none of us can?" Jinx asked him.

Quinlan reached for him but Jinx pulled away "Forgiveness is hard Jinx, I don't think anyone has forgiven her but to kill an enemy in revenge, in anger you know thats not the jedi way."

"He should have left her to die on Kayshyyyk." Jinx snapped at Quinlan.l

Clicking his tongue Vos crossed his arms shutting his eyes "Maybe, but he didn't." He opened them at Jinx a hard stare looking deep into Jinx's turquoise eyes "I watched spare a man who deserve mercy, that should always come easy to a jedi but usually doesn't, but to save one from certain death that took courage."

"So you think he did the right thing, risking all our lives, again?" Jinx asked him.

"No, but he was smart enough to realize that with all of us onboard Barriss doesn't have a chance to get off the ship, as for Trench I still don't know." Quinlan said.

Elsewhere in the ship, Trench was sitting in the hanger as Turok stood over the Admiral who sat down on a crate while the trandoshan added three new metal arms for Trench to use. They weren't the custom made cybernetics instead they were three separate droid limbs welded onto his body the first being a B1's battle droid arm, a basic tan limb the second one in the middle once belonged to a police droid with a slender upper arm and bulky forearm and the last was a protocol droids arm "Alright try these out."

Trench rolled his three shoulders testing the range of movement "These will click-click-click suffice." Trench said leaning on his cane.

"Uh-huh, well you want better ones we're out of stock." Trench said pointing to the barrel of droid parts he'd fished the arms out of.

"Even so, thank you click-click-click." The trandoshan just grunted before he walked back up to the Rogue Shadow to continue repairs. Outside the open hangar bay the younglings had continued their training in a meditation circle with Aayla who sat at the center, legs crossed. Everyone else seemed to have the ability to focus on meditation but Katooni, her face scrunched up, unable to concentrate with all the noise where Maris and Dray were sparring. She poked one blue out to glance over at the two training under K'Kruhk's supervision. Proxy the protocol droid was busying itself with another more important task cleaning off the red and black paint scheme over the Star Lark. The hammerheads front had been finished

The sage whipped and stood hands behind his back watching them training, saying nothing, only observing. Maris was the more offensive type as Dray continued to dodge and evade using a form three style. It was hard for Katooni to figure out Maris's form with her two mid-hilt blades. Her fighting style was erratic, fast she flipped and dove around Dray who somehow managed to block her incoming attacks and when he tried to strike back he either missed or she parried.

Aayla took note of the distraction "Katooni, something more interesting than meditating?" She asked.

Katooni snapped her head around so fast she got whiplash, groaning the tholothian grabbed her neck making most of the younglings giggle "Uh sorry Master Secura, I was just thinking since there's been so much fighting around us lately we should be training for the next one instead?"

Aayla glanced over at the sparring match where Dray had been knocked down before Maris helped him up by ruffling his side cut before he slapped her hand away and embraced her height advantage. As K'Kruhk walked up to tell them what he thought of the duel Aayla refocused on Katooni "Hmmm, yes perhaps something other than meditation would do us some good."

Getting to her feet the younglings stood up and Aayla looked around, in the distance she spotted one of the goat apes grazing a fifty meters from the ship. "Follow me." Aayla said walking toward the tall grass, the younglings followed her into the grass where Aayla stopped a stone throws away from the goat ape the beast was a large as a Seapratist tank it's fur was a dark grayish blue on its spine and as it hung down it got white showing it was an elder of the species. The horns curved back in a swirl as it bunched on the grass. "Uh what are we doing?"

"Just watch." Aayla said walking out.

The ape noticed her and raised its head, smashing one of its massive fists down it kicked up dirt with its back hoofs snarling at Aayla. "Uh, Master Secura, that goat ape looks pretty mad." Ganodi said.

Aayla locked eyes with the beast and it roared. It kicked its feed up and shook it's horns at her, she held her ground and it charged. "Master Secura!" Katooni shouted, but the twi'lek knight didn't back down. The ape roared trampling down the grass bowing its head to run her over Aayla held her hand up and the beast went in for the kill before pulling up at the last second and coming to a skidding halt right in front of Aayla. It's nostrils flared but it sniffed Aayla before licking her hand, it raised up and a beautiful set of black eyes looking back at her. Aayla patted the goat on the tuft of fur it's head. "That was… amazing." Ganodi said.

"A Jedi's purpose is to connect with the force on all levels, given the right training you can connect with all creatures great-" She gestured to the bull "And small." She said holding her hand over the grass where a series of antlered mice appeared.

"Everyone start looking for some of these mice to try and connect with." Aayla instructed.

The younglings all scattered around looking for the mice but Katooni looked around less enthusiastically than the others, "Katooni, are you unwell" Aayla asked.

"No Master, I'm just worried about the others who went to find this uh… Dark Woman, we heard stories about here in the Temple." Katooni said.

Aayla smiled "As did I when I was younger, but do not fear…. Uh, maybe we should be worried."

Up in the higher woods, the scouting party had wandered up to a large cave, the stones had been pushed aside. Leo knelt down over the entrance and looked at the boot prints "Someone's been here?" He said back to them.

"I feel her too, she knows we're coming." Sian said, reaching up for her belt, "Then let's not keep her waiting." Tholme said, walking ahead into the cave. Leo and Sian followed him in and as the cave got darker Leo took out his lightsaber with Sian doing the same. The deeper they went the louder the sound of rushing water. A light appeared at the end of the tunnel and they walked through to not only see but smell, the three jedi walked out into a grand garden inside a valley waterfalls pouring down off one of the mountain peaks, into a ponds surrounded by flowers of increasing different variety, the ponds funneled around an island. A tall purple tree that covered most of the garden with tall branches and even as the slivers of sunlit funneled in the grass was lush and green.

The three jedi looked around breathtaken "I've never seen such a place so beautiful?" Sians said breathlessly.

Leo walked up to a bright pink blossom with swirling petals spotted with purple specks, he reached for it "A dying breed." A voice said.

He reached for his lightsaber holding up the purple blade "Put that down boy, you'll hurt yourself." The voice said, it was a woman, sounding experienced and elegant like Obi-Wan would talk, a full bred Coruscanti accent.

"Is that her?" Leo asked Tholme.

Tholme leaned his cane down "Yes, hello A-" "I told you not to call me that Tholme." The woman's voice said.

Tholme walked around the stream edge "As you wish, but please show yourself."

Sian looked around trying to figure out where the voice was coming from "Is that Sian Jeisel, last time I saw you were still a padawan?"

"I'm a Jedi Master now, Dark Woman."

The three heard clapping coming from all around them as the water started to ripple, and right before Leo's eyes out of thin air appeared a woman. She had on faded beige trousers. Wearing a dark purplish blue V neck collar tunic with the sleeves rolled up to her elbow with gloves. She had thick gray hair tied behind her head with a scarf, she was light skinned like Tholme and Leo. Besides A few wrinkles on her face around her blue eyes and lips she seemed more like a Gardner than a witch or Jedi master and in her hand she wasn't holding a lightsaber, but a ho.

"Neat trick." Leo said, turning his lightsaber off, "I don't know you?" She said, looming out of the water to look Leo over, "hmmm, you're an interesting one, the force in you is unique….." She sniffed him and walked a few circles around him.

"My name is Leo Rock, and we need your help." He said.

The Dark Woman smirked, "I'm not coming back to the order." She said turning around walking toward the garden she reached into some bushes and pulled out a bucket to fill it with water.

"We aren't asking you, not in the way you think." Leo said.

Tholme cut him off "You've collected quite a garden here my lady, I recognize some of these flowers, they aren't native here?" He asked.

"I have a lot of flowers, most of them are poisonous if I don't tend to them all carefull weeds grow." The Dark Woman said, pouring the water bucket over a set of fly traps that shot out spear-like tongues to skewer pray.

Leo and Sian looked at one another "And that's what you think we are, weeds?" He asked.

"No, but he may be." The Dark Woman said locking eyes on Leo "You stink of the dark side." She said walking up to Leo.

She dropped her bucket and tool and looked him dead in the eye "Who was your master?"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi." Leo replied, "In the dark teachings?" She asked.

Leo held his tongue for a few seconds "… Count Dooku."

"Two Masters who couldn't be more different and alike at the same time, so that makes you interesting, alright Tholme why are you here?" She asked looking back at him.

Before Tholme could start to explain "The Order is splitting."

The Dark Woman looked at Leo "Another schism, how, have jedi joined the separatists? She asked.

Sian and Tholme said nothing as she looked at them, then she looked at Leo her curiosity fell to a cynical glare "What have you done."

"Things that will haunt me forever." Leo said with his fists tightening, he looked at the rushing water before he met her gaze "The war the Council wants us to fight is a lie, fabricated by Dooku and the Sith, we and the Jedi with us know the truth and have set out to stop the plot against the Republic and remind the Jedi of who we truly are." Leo started to say "We are the Black Knights and we have sworn to uproot the evil and corruption poison into the galaxy, we've come for your help in creating a New Council to lead the jedi."

The Dark Woman looked at Sian and Tholme, they were silent before she refocused on Leo "And the High Council, has something happened to Master Yoda, Mace, Plo?" She asked.

"They're alive, but other jedi haven't been so lucky, they send jedi to the battlefield to die." Leo said.

"Such is the price of peace, often paid in blood." She said.

Leo frowned "The price of a lie, a lie to the order to the Republic, to the whole galaxy?" He asked.

The Dark Woman held her hand behind her back "The Council must have their reasons?"

"They do, I was there when they came up with their 'reasons', when we discovered the truth they chose to hide it afraid the citizens of the Republic would lose faith in the war effort, as if the Republic not wanting to fight this war would be a bad thing?" He asked, shaking his head, "They care more for their traditions, their power, than our lives, then what's right."

The Dark Woman paced away thinking "You do realize this would be an open challenge to their authority, it's nothing less than open rebellion against the High Council?"

The young knight didn't say a word "And who are you to challenge them, to challenge centuries of your oh so despised tradition that has held the Republic peace for millennium?" The Dark Woman asked "There are storms in you boy, like raging fire and wild oceans battling for control, you walk the knife's edge of the force light and dark as if it were easy, but I can see the toll it's taken on you, the scars run deep no?" She asked him "So before I even think of agreeing, tell me who you are?"

Leo and the Dark Woman glared at one another in silence for a long time, the only sound was the waterfall and chirping birds.

She waited for him to speak but he thought on what to say, then he spoke the only words he could think of "I am a traitor, a heretic, I am the child who the Jedi stripped from his family and made into a weapon. A fallen jedi who was only brought back to the light only because others refused to give up on me, defying the lie that the dark side would dominate my destiny forever." Leo said taking a step toward her "I'm the murderer of brave men and women whose only crime was defending their home from invaders, I'm the fool who thought he could win the war by playing Sith and lost myself in my own fear." The Dark Woman watched Leo take another step toward her "I was the soldier who followed without question, until I dared to love with all the passion of someone about to die. I am the Knight who sought to regain his honor by trusting inept old men blinded by their postion and arrogance."

"I am the warrior who took the path where my legs turned against me, pain and anger were all that I had left, leaving enemies, friends and family dead along the way. And I know there is more suffering waiting for me at the end and it will take me without mercy but until then, I will fight to the end to save the galaxy from itself before I let it take me. That is who I am." Leo said in front of the Dark Woman. She looked up at him and suddenly held up a fruit of some kind biting into it, chewing.

She spat out some seeds before she glanced at Tholme "I like this one."

Back at the Star Lark, the younglings had all continued to try and use the force to try and connect with the field deermice. Gungi had been the most successful, the small mammals reacting well to his big furry body running in and out of his pelt, tickling him into laughter. Zatt had managed to find an old one that had fallen asleep in his hand while Ganodi had somehow managed to summon a three eyed bird with pink feathers. Byph was offering food to one of mice he'd connected to when suddenly the others in the field swarmed over him. Katooni laughed while her deer mouse that had silver fur sat on her shoulder.

Petro somehow was still struggling with his, "Come back I'm only trying to be your friend." He said chasing off a dozen deer mice into different directions.

He slumped when she lost them and let out a groan, Katooni walked over to her putting a hand on his shoulder "Come on Petro, do you want some help."

"I can do it." He snapped getting up and turning around before he swatted her hand away, he held out his hand and focused on the grass.

Aayla noticed his concentration had risen to that of frustration, "Come to me." Petro said, but it wasn't just that there was anger "Now." Petro said suddenly the grass ruffled and a mouse flung itself out of the grass at Petro's feet. He focused on the mouse holding his hand like a claw over it forcing it to crawl toward him. The mouse shrieked and squeaked in terror as Aayla watched. Katooni looked worried at the mouse "P-Petro I don't think that's how-" "Shut up, just let me concentrate." Petro hissed.

K'Kruhk had taken notice out of the corner of his eye while Aayla observed seeing if Petro would stop. The mouse tried to pull away but its small claws dug in toward Petro before it cowered in front of him and the boy was enjoying it "Petro!" Aayla snapped like a whip at him.

Petro ripped his arm away from the mouse and turned around to see Aayla standing over him, "M-Master I didn't mean I… I just wanted to win-" "Anger and fear are not the teachings of Jedi." She said glaring down at her.

He was about to protest but Aayl stopped him "Go back to the ship, we'll talk later." She said.

Just as Petro got sent back to his room, Leo, Tholme and Sian emerged from the tree line. Leo saw Petro go into the ship as he approached K'Kruhk "What we miss?"

"A discussion for another time, where were you successful? Did you find the Dark Woman?" He asked.

Suddenly K'Kruhk's straw hat floated off his hand and appeared right next to him, before a deep purple cloak appeared wearing it "They were, good to see you again K'Kruhk." The Dark Woman said under the cloak, she'd thrown it on her shoulders with a leather belt filled with pockets and a jewel pommel, with elegant carvings in the hilt lightsaber.

She tossed the hat back to him as she took her hood down, Aayla noticed the Dark Woman but didn't say anything she merely clapped her hands together a few times "Alright younglings back to the ship, we'll be leaving soon." She said hurdling them all onto the ship. Even Proxy who had finished halfway removing the red and black markings on the Star Lark, started to get packed up. Aayla followed them onto the ship where Quilan and jinx were waiting to see the others coming back with the Dark Woman.

"So, where to next?" Leo asked Tholme, "Tatooine."

"So what or who is on Tatooine?" Leo asked him.

Sian walked aboard the Star Lark ahead of them saying "Sand!"

Tholme shook his head "Well yes and a Tusken raider named A'Sharad Hett."

"A Tusken jedi?" Leo asked.

The Dark Woman snickered, "He was as surprised as you when he found out."

TATOOINE

Tatooine was a sparsely inhabited circumbinary desert planet located in the galaxy's Outer Rim Territories. It was the homeworld of Anakin and Luke Skywalker, who would go on to shape galactic history. Part of a binary star system, the planet was oppressed by scorching suns, resulting in the world lacking the necessary surface water to sustain large populations. As a result, many residents of the planet instead drew water from the atmosphere via moisture farms. The planet also had little surface vegetation. Initially inhabited by native Jawa and Tusken Raider species, it saw a population explosion following the search for valuable mining deposits on the planet's silicate surface. Finding the ore to have unwanted metallurgic properties, mining firms left the planet en masse, leaving behind valuable equipment, most notably large sandcrawlers, which were later used by the Jawa population.

The Star Lark exited hyperspace over the planet, descending to the pale tan ball with dark brown spots of canyons and plateaus. Leo looked out at the bridge "We really expect to find a jedi master here?" Jinx asked.

"Tatooine is a perfect place to hide, smugglers, pirates, outlaws, a jedi exile fits right in." Quinlan said next to his padawan.

"I thought the Tuskens were hostile to the natives though?" Leo asked aloud.

The Dark Woman who was peeling some sort of vegetable with a knife laughed "Ask the Tuskens they'll say they're the natives, the blood feuds lasted since the Inners colonized it." She said.

"So this A'Sharad, Kirak thinks he'll join us?" Leo asked Tholme.

"I still haven't agreed to help you remember." The Dark Woman said.

Leo glanced at her with a glare "And yet here you are, let me know when we land?" He asked.

"Going to check on your pet in the brig?" The Dark Woman asked as Leo walked out of the bridge.

He stopped and looked back at the Dark Woman before he shook his head "This may have been a mistake."

Later, Leo was in the brig again he opened Barriss's cell he'd brought in a second tray which she hadn't touched. Barriss had an ice bag on her head "I'll kill you after my headaches are gone." She said Leo walked over to the food, Leo pulled out the attached seat and sat across from her looking.

"Then we can talk?" Leo asked.

"Go to hell." Barriss hissed.

He rubbed his hands together between his knees "Feels like I have sometimes, the order breaking, the Galaxy falling apart, friends gone, others wanting me dead."

"I'm not your friend." Barriss hissed from under the ice bag.

The deep green and sith yellow eyes met "We were once?"

Barriss sat up growling "You always hated me."

"What?" Leo asked, sitting up too.

"Don't act coy, you never listened to me, you never came and talked to me, you only argued and got mad when I tried to speak to you." Barriss said shaking her head "I don't know how you stayed a jedi as long as you did."

Leo gave a smirk "Neither do I sometimes."

"Don't patronize me." She snapped.

"I'm not, Barriss." Leo said firmly "Listen when we first met I was in a bad place."

She scoffed "Right, it's always somebody else's fault Leo."

Leo didn't argue it "… What I wouldn't have given to be raised in the Temple with the rest of you, trained under Master Yoda had something normal jedi life."

She still glared at him, even as he shook his head "I'm sorry I was such an angry vindictive arse, when the only jedi you knew for most of your life was a cruel sadistic teacher you see everyone as potential enemy." Leo said getting up and pacing "But you weren't my enemy Barriss, you were just another kid thrown into a war that should never have happened."

She looked at him confused, and Leo rubbed her face wondering if he should go on "What aren't you telling me?" She asked standing up.

Turning to her "I'm saying you were right, the Jedi have become an army for the Sith."

Barriss showed something Leo hadn't seen in a long time, fear "I… I don't understand?"

"It's a long story, I'll tell you more but first." Leo walked over to the tray of food and held it up to her "eat something." Leo set it down on the bench before he turned away his comlinks coming on. "Leo, we'll be landing soon." It was Jinx's voice. He held up his comlink and replied "I'll meet you at the loading ramp.

Later the Star Lark flew over the dunes of Tatooine "Why aren't we going to a port?" Sian asked Jinx.

"With the price on our heads, this is an outlaw world remember, besides Master Tholme gave me coordinates to a place we can land. It's an old, smaller town than Mos Eisely deep on the edge of the dune sea." Quinlan said, leaning on the upper dashboards. The Hammerhead flew down over the sand, kicking up dust before it circled over a large town not big enough to be a city. In fact as they got closer they saw most of the buildings were in disrepair as the Hammerhead found the largest spot in a dock, there were only a handful of small junker ships, cargo haulers or jumpers there so the sight of the hammerhead drew a lot of eyes.

On his way to the loading ramp, Leo grabbed his mask and slid it on just as he walked to the ships waiting for him was the Dark Woman, Tholme, Quinlan Vos and Jinx, the three males were all dressed in pancho's hiding their lightsaber and armor. "Are you coming with us?" Leo asked.

"I need to get off the ship for a bit." Jinx said.

"I get it, but I was talking to her." Leo said, looking at the Dark Woman.

She was fixing her gloves on tight as she pulled her hood up "Trust me young man, you'll need me to help you talk to A'Sharad Hett I helped train him."

"I grew up with him, Hett was a bit of a handful at the Temple." Quinlan said.

"For being a Tusken?" Leo asked as the ramp opened up "For being brought to the Temple as a teenager."

This made Jinx and Leo look at one another confused "But I thought that was forbidden only on rare exceptions?" Jinx asked.

"And I'm sure you can ask him all about it when we find him." The Dark Woman said as the twin suns of Tatooine hit them upon walking out. Hot air and sand rushed into their faces seeping its way through Leo's mask before he pulled his hood up a bit to keep it out.

"Hide your lightsabers before we head into town, don't want any prying eyes." Tholme warned.

As they departed the ship a dock master walked up to him, a fat dirty rodian with a mechanic jumpsuit on and a headset holding a holopad. Scrolling through the ship logs he groaned "Ugh I don't have you on our logs, picking up or dropping off?" The dockmaster asked, the jedi past him the Dark Woman waving her hand.

"You hate your job, you deserve a raise, go speak to your manager." She said before the dockmaster dropped his holopad.

"I hate my job!" He shouted throwing the pad away and turning around "Where's that karking manager!" He yelled, stomping off.

The younger of the party looked at one another "Couldn't have made him give us some more fuel?" Jinx asked her.

"I've already dispatched the Trandosha- I mean Turok to speak to the local fuel person here to secure us, apparently he's discovered quite the treasure trove in the hammerheads cargo bay." Tholme said correcting himself.

"Like?" Leo asked.

Tholme shrugged "Besides the wine you keep drinking, plenty of credits, a wide assortment of weaponry enough for a battalion almost and collars."

"Collars?" Quinlan asked as they walked into Anchorhead, the street winding and curved around old and new buildings. People sat around on stumps watching the strangers walk by. A few moisture farmers casually went about their business, but the most business appeared to be going on outside a large building with speeder bikes, swoops and people coming in and out of it with a flickering holographic sign of a bottle, a cantina.

Tholme turned to Quinlan "Yes, hundreds of them in crates probably for those refugees on Malastare."

Quinlan scratched his chin while Jinx looked at him pondering what he was thinking "Master?"

"It's nothing, I hope…" they went on heading toward the cantina "We should start here looking for information." Leo said to the group.

"I already told you, Hett's a Tusken he's out in the Dune sea, it won't be easy." The Dark Woman said directly to him.

Leo bit his lip under his mask "Which is why we need information." Leo told her.

"On what, how to find a Tusken raider no one on Tatooine in their right mind would know let alone tell you how to find one?" The Dark Woman stated.

Tholme quickly interjected before the two could start arguing "Why don't we go secure some speeders, we'll let Quinlan and the boys secure intel."

"Very well." The Dark Woman said as she walking off.

Reaching under his poncho Tholme pulled out a purse of credits giving it to Leo "For intel." He said before he walked off, later Leo, Quinlan and Jinx walked into the dimly lit cantina the bar music was playing loud. People were drinking their problems away and the smell of spice filled the air with loud talking and shouting for more drinks.

Quinlan smirked, "My kind of place." He said.

Leo turned to him "We should try to see if we can learn anything about Sand People raids, if not we ask around, agreed?"

"Agreed." Quinlan said "Jinx?" Leo asked.

"… sure."

The three fanned out into the bar, Jinx taking a corner, Quinlan walking around a group of bounty hunters and Leo at the bar. A pig-faced man with an eyepatch walked up to the masked rogue "Need a straw for that mask?" He asked.

"Funny, I need information." Leo said to him.

The Bartender snickered, "Not cheap."

"Really?" Leo asked looking at him "No back and forth, thought this was a bit?" Leo asked him.

"Maybe on places like Coruscant or Nar Shaddaa, this is Tatooine we don't have time for that, do you have credits or not?" The bartender said, holding out his hand. Leo held up some credits and put them in his hand.

The man checked the credits count "Alright, who are you after the smuggler, pirate, tax evader?" He asked Leo.

"Something more local, I'm looking for a Tusken?"

This caught not just the bartender's attention but the people beside him, the hunters and smugglers moved away as Leo looked up under his mask. "What's an outlander like you got business with the Tuskens, you crazy those animals have eaten entire bounty hunter crews for dinner."

"They eat people?" Leo asked him "More than that, they take him, sacrifice them to their gods more so if you're a moisture farmer." The bartender leaned in and pointed over to a slouching man in the corner over a drink, he had brown hair and a short beard wearing pale tan and white robes "See that man, Owen Lars, damn shame his parents first mother died, second was taken by the Sand People three years ago now the grief took his father." The bartender said, Leo could feel the wave of sadness coming off the man, it wasn't just negative emotions it was an emptiness nothing could fill that tore at Leo's heart.

The bartender poured a drink for Leo "Owen's old man went out with thirty farmers to look for her, four came back and he lost his leg looking for her, only when her firstborn came back and went after her brought her back dead, grief killed Owen's father soon after he lost the will to live."

The bartender gave Leo one warning glare "Their animals, you'd do best to stay away from them."

Elsewhere, at a speeder depot Tholme and the Dark Woman were looking over speeders, a Jawa with a striped blue and yellow tie was arguing with the Dark Woman as Tholme inspected the speeders all mismatched in parts and some held together by rope and tape all together "No, no, I don't want three speeders I want two." The Dark Woman said as the Jawa kept trying to bargain "No, no bikes." She snapped as the other Jawas crowded around Tholme showing off the speeders

The Jawa appeared to be the bravest Jawa on the planet as he stood his ground against the witch, the Dark Woman rubbed her temples as the Jawa kept spitting out offers, counter offers, deals, clearance sales and so on "Give me Sith, give me droids, but Jawas…" she grumbled as the Jawa snapped out something else before something snapped inside the Dark Woman.

She grabbed the salesjawa by his scruff of his brown robe and tie "LISTEN HERE YOU CHEAPSKATE I ONLY WANT TWO SPEEDERS AND THEY BETTER DAMN WELL WORK OR I'LL SKIN YOU ALIVE AND EAT YOUR EYES LIKE-" She screamed before she heard the sound of rustling metal followed by the Jawas revealing two blaster pistols and the ones by Tholme, including every Jawa in the speeder lot revealing blasters or stun guns at her.

Tholme rolled his eyes, and sighing "We'll take two and a speeder bike, and we'll pay fifteen percent more than you asked." Tholme said, making all the Jawas point their weapons away and the salesman shouting "OOHTINI!"

Back in the cantina Jinx was speaking to a zygerrian woman in a bright red dress as Quinlan paid a few hands of pazaak listening to them talk. Leo walked over to Jinx with two cups of purple drink and offered it to Jinx "Excuse me miss, need to steal my friend." Leo said as the zygerrian walked off leaving an unhappy Jinx with Leo.

"I was trying to get information." Jinx whispered.

"Clearly." Leo said as Jinx watched the women's hips sway in the dress "Any luck?" Leo asked him to lift his mask up to take a sip.

Jinx sighed, shaking his head, "Just stories about how they either eat, skin or… more unpleasant things." He took a big drink before Leo noticed something was off. "So much anger, fear, hatred I can barely think straight how could a Jedi Master be such a thing as a Tusken."

"I'm not sure we know everything about these people, remember what the Dark Woman said the Tuskens think the planets there's." Leo said looking over at Quinlan who was coming back around.

"Anything?" Leo asked.

Quinlan nodded, clicking his lip with his thumb "Maybe, one of the farmers lost his farm north of here in some sort of night raid after he fought off a Tusken scout or so he says?"

"It's not much but we'll take it." Leo said downing his drink before he headed for the exit, Jinx was about to finish his off before Quinlan grabbed it "You're too young to drink." He said before he shotgunned the drink in one gulp.

After walking outside they saw Tholme and the Dark Woman standing in front of two junk land speeders and a swoop bike, "I call the bike." Leo said before either Jinx or Quinlan could.

"Find anything?" Tholme asked.

"Maybe, a burnt down farmstead thirty kilometers north, deep in the dune sea I'll explain on the way." Everyone got in the speeders as Leo got on the bike smiling under his mask. It was an Aratech speeder with a long front with two engines just below where the pedals were. The paint was blown off by years in the sand and starting to rust. The engines were mismatched but looked solid. Leo started it up and the engines roared to life "Oh…. Yeah." Leo said watching the other speeders pull out of Anchorhead.

Jinx and Quinlan sat in one speeder while Tholme and the Dark Woman in another before Leo rocketed passed them on the speeder bike at full blast laughing "Does he know where we're going?"

"Nope." Quinlan said.

Later, the two speeders and eventually Leo caught up to them as they pulled up to the charred remains of a homestead. The farm's moisture vaporators were all smashed and destroyed. The beige building of the farm that stood up above the ground was covered in scorch marks and there was a metal ring next to it filled with sand "What is this supposed to be, where the silo was?" Jinx asked.

"The farmers here live below ground most of the time, where it's warmer at night and safer from storms." Quinlan said looking at the ring "This was the farmer's home?"

"Or the Sand People at one point, who can say." The Dark Woman said.

As they walked around the sand Leo paced around the building before he walked in to see the entire place ransacked, broken pots and pans were on the floor. Turned over shelves burn marks from blaster fire or something else hot and hard that left scars everywhere.

Just then Leo heard a scream

He ran out of the abandoned house and looked around lightsaber in hand, "Who screamed?" Leo asked.

"Huh?" Jinx asked looking at him, everyone was looking at Leo like he was crazy. "Nobody screamed?" Tholme said as he looked around.

Closing his eyes Tholme held up his hand and reached out as if trying to grab something far away, his hand moved in a semi circle before it stopped. Tholme opened his eyes and a sense of dread washed over his face "There's something out there, in that direction?" He said pointing south.

"A place…" The Dark Woman had joined in, eyes closed "A place of great pain and anger, we should avoid it."

"… No." Leo said.

He walked over to his speeder bike and got on "Did not hear me, whatever is in that direction is strong in the dark side, strong enough it can reach us here?" She warned him.

"Besides we came here to find a jedi master, not… whatever's out there?" Jinx agreed with her.

Leo started the speeder bike "I can't explain it right now, but I have to go." Leo said, pulling the speeder bike out and getting ready to go.

"This isn't the plan, you could get lost out there, the temperature drops fast as the sun goes down, see." Tholme warned him, pointing to the twin suns starting to set.

"I don't run from the darkness Tholme, it runs from me." Leo said before he took off into the dune sea. The speeder kicked up sand in a tail of speed, he blew past large canyons in the distance and rock structures towering over the sands and salt flats. But even as the sights of the Tatooine sky turned red and grew darker by the minute Leo could feel the pull of the dark side as he got closer to his destination.

So much suffering.

So much hate.

But something familiar.

He tried to place the feeling, it was a sadness but also a fury, worst of all Leo could feel love in it. A terrible stabbing love that was ripped away leaving a shadow of what it once was. He was so consumed by trying to solve it he didn't even notice the sandstorm that had been gaining on him for the past hour.

"Great job Leo." He said to himself before he pushed the speeder up to full speedThe engines roared as loud a s they could as the sand storm chased after Leo, he went across a salt flat that was devoured behind him before he came to a field of rock masses that spiraled and arched all around him. He flew through one of the natural arches and had to swirl through a narrow canyon before coming back out onto open sand where the storm was hovering over him. Specks of thick dirt flew past him as he felt it whip at his speeder's heel. Even as he saw the gage go up to maximum it was too late the storm enveloped him. Seeing no other option he couldn't out run it, he'd have to go through it. Leo swerved back around and drove his speeder into the storm seeing sights he'd never dreamed of. From what he could see out of the slits of his mask that had flecks of sand spitting into his eyes making them burn the entire sand storm had turned a dark crimson from the setting sun. If he didn't find shelter soon he'd be flying blind in the storm-

A bolt of flaming orange lighting blasted beside Leo before he barely dodged it, he swerved left and right again to doge more as if the storm itself was fighting him. All around him the sand storm had bolts of lighting tearing into the sand turning it to glass. Fractals tearing at his tunic and leather harness. But he couldn't afford to stop one wrong move and he'd be ripped off the ground and carried off into the storm. He was looking for anything he could take shelter in, any gaps in the storm to escape that's when he saw it.

On the far other side of the storm he could see a pale blue sliver of tatooine sky but guarded by three titanic dust devils. They weren't just small spirals of sand whirling around; they were taller than any building on Coruscant, instead of the lights of apartments or offices inside. They spat out fire and lighting in every direction moving in random but always staying close to his chance for safety. "COME ON THEN!" Leo shouted, peeling out toward the gap. He watched the rotation of the first tornado and moved with it to avoid getting sucked. The speed he gained shot him right to the second one but too fast. Leo watched his speeder fly off the ground and start to get sucked up before he held his hand back at the storm and used the force to give him the extra push he needed. Just one more to go, and it was the largest dust devil yet, bigger than the Jedi Temple. Leo went right trying to get the same kick from the first one. He got closer to it, close enough to feel the lighting try and miss at zapping at his speeder he could see the exit, he started to pull away when his speeder stalled. No it wasn't stalling it was getting sucked in "No, no, no." Leo looked back at the storms only opening, getting smaller and smaller as the storm moved on, but he could see something out there. Someone was standing at the entrance to the storm watching him.

Leo reached out for them before he jumped from the speeder bike and landed on the dirt, he tried to run but his legs betrayed him the flaming vortex of sand and fire dragged him back against his will into it. Clawing and scraping at the stripped earth of bare rock Leo felt his legs lift over his head before soon following spinning in every direction as he was sucked into the twister.

He screamed as he felt his robes start to burn from the heat, eyes closed so he wouldn't be blinded. A bolt of rogue sand lightning hit Leo like a spear in the back then another at his leg.

Leo was going to be torn apart if he didn't have a miracle happen soon.

"I can do this…." Leo gasped.

"I can do this-." Leo said again "THIS ISN'T HOW I DIE!"

Leo forced his arms and legs inward and drew on every last ounce of strength he had, he channeled the force around him, the light, the dark, the serenity, the rage, and all at once he unleashed.

Elsewhere back at the homestead the black knights had made a campfire with what little wood they had. The Dark woman tended the fire as Jinx paced around the perimeter wondering where Leo was as Tholme and Quinlan talked. "We should go after him."

"We will, in the morning and only the-…" Tholme trailed off as he felt something, suddenly the ground shook and a great gust of wind blew the fire out. Everyone looked in the direction Leo had rode off in and on the edger of the horizon. The four jedi looked to see reaching up to the sky before it fountained out was a mushroom cloud of sand, Leo.

At the center of the cloud Leo lay half buried in the sands, wheezing out breath he pulled off his sand chipped mask to look up at the stars above. There were millions of them against the dark blue curtain of the night looking down on him, so was whoever had seen him in the storm. His vision had gone blurry but Leo was able to see a figure standing over him, he wasn't alone there were others all of them slowly starting to pull Leo out of the sand.

ANCHORHEAD

Outside the Star Lark

While the Hammerhead cruiser was a war ship, in the hands of one Turok Skell he'd turned it into a traveling bazar. "That's it everyone come on up and take a look, we got the finest uh… stuff you've ever seen." Turok said as the citizens of Anchorhead, Jawas and farmers were looking through the line of crates looking through the various items the Shadow Collective had undoubtedly stolen and now the Black Knights were trading.

Dogma and Alpha hid their clone armor under ponchos while the younglings all helped sow off the loot "This is embarrassing." Ganodi said as she stood in front of one stall.

"I kind of lick it." Zatt said holding up a hyperdrive computer "No, no, no you don't want that coolant unit, it bugs out after a hundred and twenty degrees, go with this one for your speeder." He said snatching a piece of machinery out of a farmers hand and giving him another before taking some credits.

Petro on the other hand looked miserable as he slouched over a crate turned into a desk over some junk "This is so lame." He said while nobody wanted his junk everyone else was crowded around Katooni's stand while she had crates of bottles of wine, blue milk and so on.

"Aren't you the cutest little girl? How much is this." One of the farmer's wives, an elderly woman wearing a babushka over her robes holding a basket said "Thanks and well what do you have to trade?" She asked.

The farmer's wife "uh let me see…. Um I have some dried wamp rat meat?"

"I'll take it." Katooni said, holding a bottle of mandalorian wine, the old woman took it before Turok walked over to her. "Excuse me ladies and gentlemen, I need to speak with my employee."

Turok led the young tholothian away from prying ears and knelt down in front of her "How much did you charge for that one hundred and fifty year old bottle of mandalorian wine?" He asked.

"Um…" Katooni held up the jerky and said "Three pieces of wamp rat jerky?" She said holding it up to him, he looked into her blue eyes and the trandoshan bit his scaly fist with his fangs.

Growling out the pain he said "I can't stay mad at that face, ask for credits next time." He said patting her on the tendrils on her head before he walked over to Gungi and Byph who were showing off some blasters that the farmers and husbands themselves couldn't wait to see.

"This is really good stuff, way better than my old blastech." An old man said, even Own Lars was perusing the wares looking at a long blaster rifle, from afar under her robe Aayla watched him. Up inside the hangar where all the supplies were, Sian and K'Kruhk watched overhead while Trench himself was looking around the crates with his cane. He opened one and pulled out an RG-4D blaster pistol.

"Why would a criminal syndicate, like this Shadow Collective need such weapons click-click-click?" He asked.

Sian ignored him but K'Kruhk turned around "Perhaps they have means of expanding." The whiphid opened another crate looking in to see rocket launchers "Turok made himself explicit only the lesser weapons would be sold, I wonder why?"

Trench clicked his mandibles together "Indeed click-click-click."

Their attention was focused backoutside as a commotion had taken hold, Turok had his claws up and appeared to be arguing with someone. The jedi and trench looked out to see two Gamorrean mercenaries and at their head was a red and black mandalorian warrior "The collective is here?" Sian said.

The mandalorian was dressed in simple armor with a jetpack and hands on his blasters "Like I said lizard, you sell goods on Tatooine you pay the Hutts a tax of your goods." The Mando said while Aayla slowly started to signal the younglings to get back to the ship while Sian and K'Kruhk walked down moving through the crowd in case there was a fight. Not far from the Mando and his guards were a few speeders of Hutt mercenaries all armed to the teeth.

Turok waved his claws up to show he meant no harm "Easy friend, no harm done I got my credits on my ship let me go get'em." Turok said.

"No, you stay here, send one of your slaves." The Mando said, grabbing Turoks cloak before he could move back onto the ship.

Aayla's hand suddenly appeared on the Mandalorians armor "Perhaps we can come to another arrangement." She said, the twi'lek woman batting her eyes and loosening her robe around her front so the Mando could get a good look.

The mandalorian snickered under the yellow visor of his red and black helmet "Hehehe, I'm listening girl."

"I'm sure you could waive the tax, just this once?" Aayla asked brushing her fingers against his helmet casting a force trance on him.

"Waive the tax… just this once." The mandalorian said before he turned around "Come on time to go." He said to the two confused gamorreans, the green pig faced grunts shrugged and walked away with the mandalorian.

Turok breathed a sigh of relief "Time to go?" He whispered to Aayla, "Agreed."

But as the Mandalorian went on his way he stopped shaking his head, the spell wearing off he looked back at Aayla and as she turned with Turok he saw her "LIGHTSABER!" He shouted.

Aayla spun around tossing off her robe and drawing her lightsaber the same time the mandalorian opened fire. She deflected his incoming yellow laser bolts and the market went into a frenzy, people running away, grabbing stuff from the stands and the younglings hurrying to get back on the ship as Sian and K'Kruhk leapt to Aayla's aid. The blaster fire from the mercs flew at them Jedi's lightsaber.

"Get the ship ready for take off." K'Kruhk ordered Turok as he ran by carrying both Gungi and Byph in his arms, he had to shout at Petro who was wrestling with a Jawa for some junk "Leave it leave it." Turok snapped.

Petro looked away for one second before the Jawa took out a heavy wrench and swung it at the boys head knocking him out cold into the sand.

The jedi masters held the mercenaries at bay with ease while everyone scattered to get away, the younglings all ran onto the ship "Ganodi get this piece of junk off the ground." Turok said to the rodian girl.

"You mean I get to fly it?" She asked gleefully "You bet your big beautiful eyes are little missy." Turok said as he walked over to the RG blaster pistol case case and pulled out two "And this is why I never finished business school." Turok said turning around before he started to open fire from afar. The mercenaries saw him and opened fire forcing him to take cover as Proxy closed the hanger doors to give cover. Trench on the other hand walked up with his cane in one of his six hands while his three mechanical ones were holding a rocket launcher.

"When ambushed one must choose fight or flight click-click-click." Trench said as he held up the rocket launcher "If the ladder, fight unfairly." He said before he squeezed the trigger sending a rocket toward one of the Hutt speeders blowing it up. "Want one, we have spares click-click-click."

Back outside the jedi had kicked up a cloud of dust around the market, their lightsabers like targets for the mercs as Aayla fought the mandalorian warrior who flew around her on his jetpack shooting. He shot a cable at her, coiling her up before she fell to the ground. The Mandalorian dropped down and drew a knife "Going to slice you up good Jedi."

"Not if I slice you first." Sian appeared behind him and with one swing of her green lightsaber took the Mandalorians helmet clean off. She freed Aayla and helped her to her feet as the Star Lark's engines started to come on.

K'Kruhk dispatched the remaining mercenaries with a force push before he turned to flee "Time we be off?"

The jedi fled up the ramp as the Hammerhead took off and flew away into the sky, without knowing they'd left Petro behind.

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….

"… He's waking up…"

"Great, when he wakes up we can kill him."

"Don't be so dramatic."

"Dramatic, dramatic? The damn fool ran off and got caught in a sandstorm on a planet covered in sand, and he's leading us."

"That's a strong assumption."

"He got lucky that's all."

Leo let out a long groan "Somebody once told me in his experience… there's no such thing as luck." He sat up to see the faces of the four black knights who came with "But I think this is the exception to that, ow." He ached all over sitting up, he'd been stripped of his gray robes and trousers for light tan robes that he noticed had linen wrappings on where the storm had cut and burned him. He looked around and saw they were in a strange cave covered with pelts on the floor. There was a wicker basket that held his clothes along with pots and animal bones decorating the single wall. There was a window overlooking the dune sea. It had turned deepening shades of blue with long black shadows slivering through the waves in the sand.

"Where are we, uhhrrrr my head- what happened?" Leo asked, touching his head that was pounding like a drum.

"You got caught in a sand storm young jedi, my people have never seen a fool thinking he could outrun one then go right in we would have left you to die but somehow you broke the storm." Leo looked up to see their host, he wore the robes of a jedi but the wrappings of a Tusken raider with a crown of four spikes on his wrappings head a long black braid flowing down his back, two metal goggles, two small pieces of metal outside under the eyes and over their mouth was a leather muzzle with metal just below the goggles like a nose and a holde wrapped with leather. Looking closer Leo saw his jedi robes were more different than he thought. He wore a leather tunic over his robes like Anakin would often wear over his dark brown robes. But the Tusken wore light beige ones like Obi-Wan's. Their forearms and feet were wrapped up in thick linens and Leo could see at his belt, a Jedi's belt. Were two leather wrapped lightsabers each having a string of teeth on the end.

"A'Sharad Hett I presume?" Leo asked him.

The Tusken gave a noise like he was smirking under his wrappings "I am he my jedi brother, when a scout of mine showed me your weapon I knew it was you all I sensed arrived at our home." Hett held up Leo's crossguard lightsaber and tossed it to him, Leo caught it as the other jedi rose "But I didn't know it would be with so many familiar faces?" Hett said, offering his hand to the Dark Woman.

She took it "You could have saved us the time and met us at Anchorhead?"

"And risk the wrath of arrogant frightened moisture farmers. My people would think I'd gone mad with my old teacher." Hett said under is mask

"Your people, we're in a Tusken camp?"

Hett walked around and knelt down over the beddings Leo rested on "We were on our way here when we saw your speeder swallowed in the sand storm."

"It was you who I saw, in the opening in the sand storm?" Leo asked him.

Hett nodded at him "I was trying to see if you'd take the doorway, you were almost out when the storm took you. In all my years as a Jedi and a Tusken I never saw someone hold off, let alone defeat a tatooine sand storm?"

"You were right, Master, he is an interesting one." Hett said, helping Leo to his feet "Come the others are waiting."

Leo followed Hett outside the cave into a canyon village, the hut's had been carved out the walls the Tuskens walked through the village with lit torches. Leo also noticed sitting on a wide plateau across from the village was the Star Lark, he saw the other jedi, the younglings, along with Turok and the clones trading with the Sand People. Trench was holding one of the sand people's cycler rifles before the trandoshan nodded, reaching in and handing him the blaster on his hip. The clones, Dogma and Fives were taking target contests with their clone blasters.

Walking through the village Tholme spoke up "You've done well for yourself here A'Sharad?"

"The force provides Master Tholme, it may not seem like it but Tatooine can be bountiful, one only needs to know where to look." Hett said as they passed by a stream of water funneling down the village center where Tuskens filled up skins and barrels.

Hett stopped them to point to it "One of the only fresh water sources on Tatooine, this is a sacred place to my people so best not to wander, my clans are weary enough of you as is."

"We mean you or your people no harm my friend." Tholme said.

Hett gazed at Tholme under his mask "I know this brother, but understand we have been at war for thousands of years the moisture farmers take and kill as they please from us."

"And don't you do the same?" Jinx asked him, Quinlan slapped him on the back of the head for such a rude question "No, he's right, some clans would see us go to all out war." Hett said walking on passing by a group of Tusken braves who clutched their war clubs tightly as they passed.

"But you hold them back?" The Dark Woman asked "I do not hold them to anything, I am but a shaman to my people, returned from his great journey of enlightenment I have done my best to try and keep their minds off of hate, and revenge we stay deep in the dune sea, first we were my mothers clan, now we are seven clans strong." Hett said as they went over to the other jedi already there.

Both Aayla and Turok were speaking when they walked up "We have a problem?" Turok said.

Leo let out a groan "What's it now?"

"Well if you count the Shadow Collective is here and we had a fight after your bounty hunter friend opened a black market?" Sian said tossing a mandalorian helmet over to Leo who caught the red and black beskar "Petro is missing." Sian said.

The white haired jedi shot daggers at Turok "How did you lose him?"

"When we escaped, he must of gotten lost in the crowd, I'll go back to Anchorage to look for him tomorrow morning, I swear." Aayla said "Me too, my fault anyway." Turok said.

Leo knitted his eyebrows shaking his head "Okay, okay, one thing at a time." Hett put a hand on Leo's shoulder to consult him "Come rest by our fire, it's time for dinner, your friends have told me why you're here but I'd like to hear it from you." Hett said.

Later, Hett sat at the fire around the sand as the Tuskens passed around the food to their guests, Leo sat next to him as they passed some food. He looked at the masks around all the warriors sharing the mask. He wondered how they were supposed to eat it and when he looked back at Hett the food was already gone. "How did you-" "Your offer intrigues me Rock, my time here with my people has numbed me to the affairs of the galaxy."

Leo bit into some of the few and swallowed it "You've done well, I've been told rumors of your people I'm glad to know they were wrong."

"Lies fabricated by the moisture farmers and settlers to make people fear and hate us, how often that's just what they don't understand… like the jedi." Hett said, turning to Leo.

Leo looked back at the sand people around the village, the warriors indistinguishable under their masks. Hett being the only one with lightsabers and who's garments were more fitted and less baggy. The women and children only stood out because of the clothing and headdresses they wore apart from that the Sand People were hard to tell apart. Leo saw what Hett was referring too in that moment "You're saying the jedi and Tuskens are the same in the eyes of the galaxy's people."

"In a way." Hett said.

"I found myself being unable to tell myself apart from a jedi, a man or a Tusken. Before the war, I would travel with my second Master Ki-Adi-Mundi to distant worlds. Cereans were no stranger to the galaxy but I found myself catching the eyes of many people who had never even seen a Tusken, only the stories." The fire crackled as he spoke casting long shadows around them while the twin suns set turning the sky

Leo sipped the canteen saying "I bet you were the center of parties?"

"Very much so, to the upper class of Coruscant I was a rare exotic creature from a brutal barbaric backwards backwater people, Master Mundi would tell me that I should be a jedi first, so I was tired… It wasn't easy." Leo handed him the canteen of water. He took it and let the rim of the jug touch the entrance of his mask.

"I know the feeling, sort of I never considered the cultures we leave behind to become jedi, my father was- well you can tell human, we have so many cultures and planets that we all blend into one it feels like but even then Onderonians, Rendilians, the Naboo even Mandalorians are all so different." Leo said back to him, he grew silent looking at the fire.

His silence made Leo feel Hett's goggles on him "There was padawan, I was close to… the war took a toll on her people, a toll I was part of when I was a spy."

"A spy?" Hett asked.

"Oh yeah, you wouldn't know being here and all." Leo said taking the stick and prodding the fire as if to push away the memory that he had to dig up "More than over a year ago, I learned my old Master Pong Krell was planning to betray the Republic, I stopped him but at the price of my soul." Leo said pointing up to his white hair "I sensed there was something unique about your character, you fell to the dark side."

Leo squeezed the dry stick "Fell no, I chose."

Hett waited for him to continue "I felt there was no other way to stop Krell, he was a jedi master and becoming powerful in the dark side, I had always been close to it he trained me to be a weapon he'd throw at the droids, not a knight before he almost killed me… I didn't see a way out, so I chose to survive and killed him." Leo took a breath remembering the painful memory "I was so afraid of what the Council would do to me, I went into survival mode, choosing my own fate and became a spy passing the Republic information and helping the Separatists until a plan of mine to kidnap the younglings you see then have another jedi rescue them to try and get Count Dooku's full trust."

"There was a time I got so lost in my own darkness I never thought I'd find a way out." Leo said till the stick snapped.

"…. Do you regret it?" Hett asked him.

Leo paused for a long time "I… I…" Leo closed his eyes a single tear rolling down them "I should have been stronger, I should've been braver to trust my Master."

"Pong?" Hett asked, Leo shook his head wiping his eye "No, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

This got Hett's attention "You were apprenticed to Obi-Wan?"

"You knew him?" Leo asked.

Hett nodded "He was one of the first friends I met at the Temple when he saw my appearance, there was no fear or even curorsty in his eyes, only a warmth like the rise of the sun after a cold night."

"That's Obi-Wan." Leo said smiling he tossed the remains of the wood into the fire "You told me you left the jedi because of this lie they asked you to take part in, but there's more you break the teachings and code, why?" Hett asked him.

Leo crossed his legs and held his hand up letting the lightning dance on his fingertips "Because they're wrong, their teachings of detachment and patience have alienated the Jedi from the people suffering across the Galaxy. The Council only cares about the Republic as an institution, not about what it stands for, liberty and justice, they're more focused on the status quo. Someone has to make a stand, someone has to say enough." Leo closed his hand into a fist and slammed it down onto the stone.

"Look at Tatooine and the rest of the outer rim, syndicates like the Hutts, the Pykes run rampant, your own people are treated less than beasts for only wanting to live free?" Leo asked him.

Hett listened to him watching the younglings across from him, he watched Katooni offer a ration stick to one of the Tusken children who in return gave her some dried meat out of a bowl for a trade. "Join us, and we can do more for the Tuskens and the galaxy then the High Council ever did?"

Hett looked back into the fire "If I join this Council of yours, this could start a civil war in the Jedi."

Leo leaned in before he said "They started the war, we can choose how it ends." He stood, raising his arm and holding up his hand. When Hett stood up two the other Jedi and Tuskens watched them.

"It is the obligation of the Jedi to end wars, but the duty of good men to make sure they don't happen again." Hett said holding his hand up "I am with you Leo Rock." The two of them sealed it in a firm handshake. The other knights took notice and Leo looked to them "Care to do the honors?" He asked Hett.

Hett stepped forward "Masters, shall we." He said under his mask.

Later, the new Council had gathered under the moonlight and stars of Tatooine; the blue curtain of night shined dots of light on them as they sat on a high arisen plateau outside the Sand People village. There was no great temple, there were no thrones made of silver with fine cushioned seats for them to pass judgment in, instead they sat on solid stone legs crossed upright. Six Jedi Masters, Tholme, K'Kruhk, Sian Jeisel, Quinlan Vos, The Dark Woman and A'Sharad Hett and sitting across from them at the entrance of them was Leo and Aayla.

"So, it's official now that we Masters are in agreement to form a separate Council who no longer recognize the sovereignty of the High Council over the Jedi Order?" Tholme asked.

"Aye." K'Kruhk said.

"Aye." Sian agreed.

"Aye." Quinlan yawned tired from the long day of jedi master hunting.

"Aye." The Dark Woman said, smirking at Quinlan.

"Aye." The final Master Hett said under his mask.

Tholme nodded at them all "Aye, then let us call the first meeting of 'this' Council to order." He said as a gust of wind blew around them ruffling against their thick robes.

"I'd like to know what we intend to call ourselves. The Black Council seems a bit dramatic a name like the Black Knights?" Quinlan asked.

"Semantics aside, we should talk about a more pressing matter." The Dark Woman interrupted him.

Eyes on her Tholme asked "Such as?"

The Dark Woman held up one open hand and a finger "We have a distinct problem, there are six of us and no grand master to overrule if we have a stalemate, who's to lead us?"

Leo kept his tongue watching them "A fair point, if we are to be a Council it must have leadership. Are we to elect a Grand Master of our own?" A'Sharad asked them.

Tholme scratched his chin "Or we could widen our ranks to another who deserves it, Aayla Secura?" Tholme asked.

Leo and Aayla looked at one another confused. Aayla reluctantly walked forward "Yes… Masters?"

"Aayla Secura, Jedi Knight you have served both the Jedi and the Republic for many years and during your time with us you have shown conviction and have even protected us when we were in need, if this order is ever to become whole again it will be with you I would put it to the vote that Aayla Secura be given a seat on this Council." Tholme said smiling. Aayla looked right at Quinlan Vos who beamed at her with a big grin and a wink.

"Seconded." The Dark Woman said.

Aayla fell to one knee "I don't know what to say…" She said, unsure of what was happening "Then say nothing, let your actions speak, join us here in Council or go in peace you'll be our prisoner no longer." Tholme said looking at Leo who was about to object, but Leo held his tongue behind bare teeth.

Leo felt his heart start to race at the idea of letting Aayla go, but he had to trust in the Council he fought so hard to make. Aayla rose to her feet and looked at Leo then at the entrance back to the camp where a ship could take her all the way back to Coruscant without a single person to stop her. Not even Leo, she looked back at Tholme one more time before she bowed "Thank you Masters but…" Aayla paused, the look on her face ran across a hundred different thoughts before she turned around as if to leave before she stopped and sat down between Quinlan Vos and the Dark Woman as Master Aayla Secura.

"Then it is decided, we are seven and let it be that our numbers are always odd so that we must voice a decision and no Master shall be above another until we deem so." Tholme asked.

Everyone nodded at that "So uh, semantics like you said Lady Dark we should probably discuss the matter of our Black Knights mission." Quinlan said.

"Yes, this hacker you told me about, where was he again?" The Dark Woman asked.

"I tracked him down to the Pyke Syndicate, at first I thought he was employed then I found out the situation was much worse." Quinlan said.

K'Kruhk growled behind his tusks "Rhad Tarn spoke often of the Pykes, their cruelty and how the Republic dock was most likely in their pocket." Leo remembered him, killing the corrupted jedi, the look on Rhads face when he had no choice but to kill him.

"Such as?" Hett asked.

"The war has taken precedence Aayla, even then if they did know what's happening, devoting resources from the war effort to stop a massive economic trade, the hacker is there and we need to get them out." Quinlan said.

Hett hummed to himself, "Not long ago, the Hutt Palace was overflowing with people, I saw the Pykes you spoke of there, Mandalorians, the Black Sun, and two more, my scouts claimed they carried the same weapons we do."

"Sith." K'Kruhk said.

Sian hesitated frowning "We're forgetting something, say we go to Oba Diah, we're only a handful of jedi and they have hundreds maybe thousands of guards and mercenaries, and to top off what if the Pykes call reinforcements from the Shadow Collective, or the Republic military?"

"You think the corruption goes that deep in Sian?" Aayla asked.

The two women gazed at one another "You spent too much time on Coruscant Aayla, we'll have to do this alone, we could sneak into the operation." Leo stood behind the Council watching them from afar holding back the urge to speak up, he paced back and forth as they discussed.

"That could take weeks of planning, figuring out their strengths, the weaknesses, everything?" The Dark Woman said impatiently.

"Or we take another approach." Leo said from behind them.

"Leo Rock, you put this Council together for a reason so step forward if you have something to say." Tholme said.

Leo didn't hesitate to walk into the center of the Council already dropping to his knees "There is a way Masters, one that won't need weeks of planning just days." Leo said, eyes on the ground.

"So, let's hear it." The Dark Woman told him.

He got to his feet "This Council has a chance to set a precedent for the Galaxy and other jedi, but we can't be indecisive. It's not easy for me to say, but the threat of the Spice trade take priority over the hacker every day they make posion we're to blame for not doing something sooner."

"So we go in lightsabers blazing like the old stories?" The Dark Woman asked him skeptically.

K'Kruhk snickered, "Some of those old stories are scars under my fur, I assume you have a plan."

He nodded "I do, we can do more than just destroy the Spice industry and find the hacker in one blow." Leo said.

"You'd need an army for such a task…." Tholme started to say before he started to realize "…. You bastard, this is what you wanted the Council for, this wasn't just about recognition from the High Council you wanted us to give you power."

Leo didn't say a word, "Give him what?" Quinlan asked.

Tholme actually appeared to get frustrated with it "I should have known sooner, you kept calling it a crusade, you want us to give it you you don't you."

"Give him what exactly?" Aayla asked.

"He said we need an army, and in the history of the Jedi when the Republic had no troops for the Jedi to lead, we created an army of our own." Tholme said, the Dark Woman eyed Leo smirking but also frowning "Hm Clever boy."

Leo ignored the quip and held his head up "Yes, I asked you to form a Council to grant the power to create an army and to lead it against the Shadow Collective in our crusade, we need it if we can make real change, we need the Army of Light."

"The Army of Light was created to fight the Sith, not criminals." K'Kruhk said to Leo, he kept his eyes down and said "Like you said Master K'Kruhk, the sith lead the Shadow Collective they are our enemy."

The masters all looked at one another, "Leave us Leo, we will discuss this in private." Leo rose, bowing before he walked to the narrow pass that led out to the plateau, he walked through the stone hallway back into the village. He passed by the watchful glass covered eyes of the Tusken warriors who watched him with a great deal of caution as he returned to his ship. The Star Lark was still parked on the platuea across from the village, Dogma and Fives were keeping guard by the entrance.

"General." Dogma greeted.

"Where is everyone?" Leo asked.

Fives answered "Most of the other jedi have turned in, all the kids were worried about that Peter- Petro I mean?"

"We'll find him." Leo said when he noticed Admiral Trench, the harch was sitting a stones throw away from the hammerhead, tending to a small campfire with the edge of his cane.

Leo walked over to him and the Admiral took little notice of him, "So, click-click-click, you have your Jedi Council, what now I wonder?" Trench asked.

"Now, we wait to see what they decide, I asked them to give me permission to raise an army." Leo sat on a nearby stone looking at the fire, the green flames licking his cheeks with light.

Trench's mandibles chattered as he withdrew his cane "You're friends, the Masters are noble click-click-click, in my life I have met many noble people, fought more and I survived them all click-click-click." Trench said.

"You think they'll say no?" Leo asked him, "The righteous and the good, rarely seek bloodshed as an option click-click-click.'

Leo frowned shaking his head, knowing Trench was probably right "I know it may seem hopeless right now, but the Masters we've gathered will know whats the best course of action better than I ever could, maybe even bring peace back to the Galaxy like I couldn't." Leo said, leaning on the table with one ark drumming his fingers.

The harch's mandles danced with a snicker "Peace, there's never peace in the galaxy, there's always war and Jedi trying to stop it click-click-click." Trench held up his mechanical arm pointing at him "But how can the Jedi exist without wars to fight it's foolish click-click-click, they fail because if a peacekeeper succeeds click-click-click they are no longer needed."

Leo sighed out of his nose "My master, Obi-Wan Kenobi taught me A peacekeeper belongs on the front lines of conflict. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to do his job."

"As I said, noble click-click-click but foolish, but you know as well as I the Republic's jedi are glorified guard dogs to their current order, are you a dog my friend click-click-click?" Trench asked him

Leo's silence and the look on his face have Trench the answer he needed shaking his gray furred head Trench said "No. You'rere a warrior, click-click-click Be a warrior." Trench held up the stolen beskar helmet of the Shadow Collective Mandalorian, the same one who had been working for Jabba the Hutt.

JABBA THE HUTT'S PALACE

Throne Room

Not far from the Tusken village, the great crime lord and ruler of Tatooine, Jabba the Hutt held court Palace was located in the Dune Sea on Tatooine, and was accessible on land by a single dirt road that stretched through a canyon. The palace, constructed with sandblasted metal and stone, was where Jabba conducted illicit business deals. The structure was a fortress, with a defensive design that focused primarily on protection from attack. Inside the throne room the great Hutt himself sat on his throne as a pair of his gamorean guards reported back the events of anchorhead.

The Hutt grumbled as the other remaining Mandalorians from the Shadow Collective stood around listening, Jabba's translator droid stepped forward as Jabba spoke to them "Mandalorians, why are these jedi here I have an agreement with their Republic?"

One of the Mandalorians a woman stepped forward "Our warrior was unaware they were jedi, but we know they to be rogues, heretics of their order, our scanners indicate they haven't left the planet should they we'll attack their ship with our corsairs in your hanger, Great Jabba." She said bowing, she wore night owl armor painted mostly red with some gray and black marks, a few spikes on her helmet to signal her rank to the others.

"The great Jabba, does not want to anger the Jedi, he owes them a great debt." The translator droid said for Jabba.

The Mandalorian Commander was about to speak again when a gamorrean guard came running in squealing.

The fat pig ran up to Jabba speaking in its native tongue "A jedi, at the gate?" The translator asked.

Outside the entrance to the palace, Leo had just served the optical eye that looked out from the gate entrance. Wearing his torn robes, hood up and his harness trapped over his chest. The eyeball was severed at its stir at his feet he sheathed his purple lightsaber and looked at the gate under his metal helm. Leo took a step back and held out his hands turning his hands over he gripped the gate with the force and the metal started to groan. The machinery that opened the gate began to move on it's own, rising higher and higher till Leo walked In. Entering the lower hanging ceiling Leo saw a group of Gamorrean guards approaching him with vibro axes in hand. Leo held up his left arm and tore the axes from their hands before he used his left to split them like a sea. What followed next were metal boots thundering up a staircase before Leo helmet to helmet with the red and black armored Mandalorians in full force. Two dozen of them in all, each in red and black armor, Leo took his lightsaber out and turned on the purple blade.

"Kill him!" The mandalorian commander shouted.

Meanwhile, back at the Hett's Tusken Village the Council emerged from their session looking for Leo. The had approached the Star Lark on foot and when they saw the two clones both of them stood their sheepishly before they pointed to Trench still sitting by the fire, alone.

"Look." Hett said, pointing in the direction of Jabba's palace, a great column of black smoke rising against the night sky with an orange hue unearthly.

The Rogue Shadow took off soon after, flying toward Jabba's palace; they landed outside the fortress in flames. Rushing out the new council looked to see Leo walking out of the flames from the entrance, his left sleeve had been torn off bleeding from his arm. He was covered in more blood that wasn't his own as he walked up to the Council of Black Knights, all of them looking in shock and surprise as he peeled off his mask.

"What have you done?" K'Kruhk asked him.

"What I was trained to do." Leo said walking up to K'Kruhk, he looked the whipid dead in the eye "No more running…" leo looked at the Dark Woman and Hett, "No more hiding in the shadows…" he turned to the others "No, more stopping bandits and slavers." Last he looked at Tholme and Sian "The time has come, now we take the fight to them." Leo tossed the Mandalorian commander's helmet at their feet as he walked past the Masters toward the Rogue Shadow.

Tholme picked up the helmet at a loss for words "Take the fight to who?"

Not stopping, Leo walked up the ramp "Everyone."