CHAPTER 01 - TELOS

Now (3953)

"Where the kriffing hells is the ship?!" Atton stood at the entrance to the hangar where they had docked the Ebon Hawk, mouth open as he gaped at the empty space where the ship had been sitting less than a day ago. The black-market mechanic they hired to repair it was standing off to the side, fiddling with a swoop bike engine as though nothing was amiss.

Alarm filtered into Carth's voice. "Wait, what? Did you just say that the Hawk isn't here?"

"Yeah, that's what I said. Because it's not. When I find that little trashcan I'm going to…"

"There must be a reasonable explanation for this." Equally bewildered but unwilling to show it, Meetra approached the mechanic with a thin smile. "Hi there… You've been working on our ship, the Ebon Hawk, for the past week. Did you, uh, have to move it for some reason?"

The Rhodian looked up from her tinkering, her antenna twitching in annoyance. "This is my garage, sentient! Why would I move my work out of it?"

"That's literally what we're asking!" Atton grumbled.

Waving her hand dismissively, the mechanic returned to her work as she explained, "Your ship was gone when I came in this morning. I assumed that you had taken it back."

"Why the hells would we take our ship back before the repairs are finished? We already paid for the damn work!"

"I get all kinds in here." The Rhodian shrugged nonchalantly. "You own a smuggling vessel. You wouldn't be the first customers who had to leave in a rush."

Meetra frowned. "It's not a…"

"It technically was a smuggling vessel," Carth hastily whispered. "Or at least, that's what its previous owners used it for."

"But we didn't take the damn ship back! So where is it?" Hand twitching towards his recently purchased blaster pistol, Atton glowered at the mechanic.

Slamming her screwdriver against the floor, the Rhodian let out a growl. "I don't know, sentient. And it's not my problem!"

"The hells it's not, this is your garage!"

"Hey Gyssak?" the Rhodian called. "Get out here and explain to these nice sentients why missing or stolen vehicles are not our problem!"

A hulking Tradoshan lumbered out of the garage's office, brandishing a repeating rifle nearly the size of Meetra's torso. The sight quickly convinced her that this wasn't a fight worth picking. She knew from past conversations that this particular hangar had no video surveillance, mostly due to the type of clientele it served, so there was no record of who might have entered the garage and taken the ship. And honestly, the mechanic probably didn't know any more than they did. Stealing from potential smugglers was always a bad practice, especially for someone whose business relied on a reputation for discretion.

Placing her hand over Atton's, Meetra shook her head. "Blasting our way out of here won't help." Turning to leave, she gave Carth a soft smile. "But don't worry, we'll find the ship."

The trio bid the Rhodian a hasty farewell, pointedly ignoring the Trandoshan as they exited the garage and discussed their options. Even if the engine repairs had been completed, the leak in the fuel line had left the Ebon Hawk running on fumes and Telos's fuel supplies were being rationed after Peragus's destruction. If the thief tried to take the ship beyond the planet's atmosphere, they weren't getting far before they needed to refuel.

"The Hawk is also equipped with a beacon, of sorts," Carth recalled. "Though it only works at short range."

Atton narrowed his eyes. "And how do you know that?"

"In case you haven't figured it out, I've spent some time on the ship."

Hoping to diffuse the situation, Meetra wondered aloud, "Why is seeing the Hawk so important to you, Carth?"

The captain sighed, rubbing a palm over his forehead as he considered the question. "It's really not about the ship so much as the ship's… former owner."

"A smuggler?"

Carth laughed at some irony that only he comprehended. "No, he was… Mostly he worked as a mercenary. He actually stole the Hawk from a crime lord on Taris, so I guess it's not legally his. Not that it really matters." He shook his head. "Actually, none of that really matters. It's a uh, complicated situation."

"Can you try to explain it?" Meetra asked gently.

"How about I sit down and tell you everything once we find the ship?" Forcing a weak smile, a renewed sense of sadness bloomed around Carth as desperation laced his tone. "We can have a whole conversation, I promise. In fact, I have a few questions for you as well."

Wincing at the implication, Meetra nodded reluctantly even as she tried to think of a way to avoid all of the inevitable questions about her past. Despite his unassuming clothing and odd personal quest, Carth was still a captain in the Republic Navy and his queries were probably related to the war. Or worse, he was going to ask for advice concerning Alek's fall and subsequent imprisonment. Neither were topics that Meetra wanted to discuss.

The complete lack of prying personal questions was one of the things that she liked about Atton. He didn't ask her anything about who she'd been, nor did he offer any clues about his own history. All that seemed to matter to him was the present and he refused to complicate things by dredging up the past. That type of attitude was prevalent along the Outer Rim, where violence and lawlessness made it necessary to live in the moment. Meetra found it endearing.

"The Telos Security Force can probably scan Citadel Station for the Hawk's beacon," Carth described as the trio entered a more reputable sector. "And the Restoration Project can use its security grid to search for the ship on the surface. None of that's a guarantee that we'll find something, but it's a start."

"So," Atton demanded, clearly still suspicious of the other man. "How exactly do you know so much about the TSF and the surface restorations?"

"I'm originally from Telos. I was actually here helping with the Restoration Project on my own time when…" Carth gestured to the others. "When all of this happened."

Meetra nodded. "We should go talk to Grenn, then. Hopefully, he can help."

Of course, hope and reality were two different things.

"Dammit! I'm sorry, but that ship is nowhere on Citadel Station." Grenn sighed as he clicked through the various readouts on his monitor. "The good news is that there's also no sign of the Ebon Hawk leaving Telos's orbit, so it still might be on the surface. But you'll have to go down there and check for yourself."

"Can you at least lend us a shuttle, Dol?" Carth gave his old friend a hopeful smile. "Their ship is missing, and mine isn't large enough to hold three people…"

"Four people," Meetra interrupted. "We also have a woman named Kreia with us."

Atton gave an exaggerated groan. "Oh, not that old witch! Leave her here for now so that she can meditate and bore someone else with her rants and 'wisdom.'"

"Even if you don't like her, she's still my…" Pausing, Meetra considered what the proper term actually was. 'Master' didn't feel right, but was the older woman really a friend? If anything, she felt more like a Force-appointed guardian who existed to provide comfort and criticism in equal measure "She's my mentor, of sorts."

Carth furrowed his brow, studying his newfound crewmate curiously. Grenn, however, seemed less concerned, already pressing buttons on his comm unit as he replied, "Sure, I can provide a shuttle for four people. Be at hangar bay 4-B tomorrow morning around o-eight-hundred standard time. Oh, and try to bring my vehicle back in one piece." He leveled a glare at Atton.

"What, why does everyone always look at me?"

"So, as a reminder," Atton winced, tenderly rubbing his leg, "That crash was not my fault."

"Hrmph." Slowly climbing to her feet, Kreia shook her head. "Leave it to the fool to fly so carelessly. Perhaps next time we should seek out a more reputable pilot."

"How many ways can I say this, lady? It's not my fault. I can't help it if some assholes decided to use our engines for target practice!"

Leaving the pair to squabble, Meetra stumbled over to Carth who was groaning as he picked himself off the now-cracked screen of the shuttle's scanner. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'll live." Glancing down at the destroyed equipment, the captain sighed. "But I think the shuttle's done for. Dammit! I needed that navigation system to reach a base where we can access the security grid."

"Sorry," Meetra offered. "But if I'm remembering correctly, there's a base is about two klicks northeast of here."

"Yes, roughly. But stumbling blindly across the plains isn't going to be pleasant, especially with the roaming bands of Czerka mercenaries who are sabotaging the Ithorian replanting efforts." Realizing that this information provided more confusion than assistance, Carth waved his hand. "Never mind. All you need to know is that it's dangerous to wander around on the surface for too long."

Nodding, Meetra tapped the blaster rifle strapped to her back. "I'm a decent shot and Atton's practically an artist with a pistol. I think we'll be alright."

"You can shoot?"

"I'm not going to win any contests, but I can hold my own." The captain seemed surprised, so Meetra explained, "The Force can improve your senses and reflexes. So, a lot of Force users are pretty good with a blaster even if they prefer to fight up close."

"I mean, it's pretty hard to beat a lightsaber," Carth noted as he stood from his seat. The motion jostled his shoulder and he hissed in discomfort. "Speaking of the Force, couldn't you and Kreia have, I don't know, softened that landing a little?"

Meetra arched a skeptical brow. "Slow an entire shuttle's descent? I might have been able to do that back during the war but… Not now. Not anymore." She ducked her head, choking out a weak laugh. "Honestly, there are very few Force users with that type of connection or that kind of raw power. Who have you been spending time with?"

"Me? Oh, it's not…" Tapping his temple, Carth disregarded the question. "Don't mind me, I'm about as Force-sensitive as a durasteel wall. I honestly don't understand how any of it works."

The captain was a terrible liar. Still, Meetra respected his privacy enough to let the obvious fib slide, even as something about the man tugged at her consciousness. As she idly focused her awareness, she felt the faintest tingle of a Force signature radiating from the center of Carth's chest. For a fleeting moment she wondering if he was Force-sensitive, perhaps latently so, at least until her senses clarified and she realized that the energy was coming from an object and not a person. It seemed that the captain was carrying something with a faint Force signature.

"Listen, lady," Atton was still snarling at Kreia, "I'm doing the best I can under these circumstances and…"

A loud rap against the shuttle door drowned out whatever he was about to say. A moment later a muffled voice called out, "Hello? Is everyone alright in there?"

After a quick glance at her makeshift crew, Meetra responded, "I think so."

"Well, good. But if you want to stay that way, you might want to evacuate. You're leaking fuel, at an alarming rate and if you're not careful you're all going to get a little… crisp."

Four pairs of eyes simultaneously turned to look at one another, followed by Carth hastily lowering the landing ramp as he gestured for everyone to exit the shuttle now. Of course Atton was the first to escape, nearly knocking Kreia over in the process, though everyone managed to disembark in a matter of seconds. They tripped and stumbled through the thick grass as they fled the fuel leak, almost all of them squinting uncomfortably against the bright glare of the Telosian sun. Maybe that was why it took them so long to notice the broad figure of a Zabrak waiting nearby, a huge spanner tucked into his belt and a wry grin on his face.

"Well, that could have gone a lot worse. Just the other day I saw…" The Zabrak trailed off, his gaze settling on Meetra as he slowly stepped closer. "General? Is that you?"

Shifting uncomfortably at the use of her former rank, she managed a weak shrug. "I'm sorry, do I… know you?"

"That crash did look pretty nasty, I wouldn't be surprised if a few memories were knocked loose." As the Zabrak spoke Carth sucked in a sharp breath, though it didn't stop the other man's clarification. "I'm not surprised that you don't remember me. After all, I was the only Iridonian technician serving in my unit."

Meetra gasped. "Bao-Dur?"

"Yes General, that's still my name."

"Uh, she prefers Meetra these days," Atton huffed.

"No, he can call me General. Stars, he's free to call me whatever the kriff he wants!"

"That's very kind of you, General, but I think I'll just call you by… Ooof!" The air was squeezed from Bao-Dur's lungs as Meetra ran up and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly as she pressed her head against his chest. "Careful, there. Mind the arm, it will give you a pretty nasty shock."

Still clinging to the Zabrak, Meetra murmured, "I didn't know you survived. I tried to find out what happened to you, to everyone actually, but the files were all classified and…" Her words caught in her throat and she swallowed roughly as she stepped back and finally took a moment to really examine the larger figure. "Oh, your arm!"

"It's not that bad," Bao-Dur insisted as he flexed his glowing prosthesis. "All things considered, I got out pretty lucky. And hey, everyone always said that I was part machine. Now I guess they just have proof."

Studying the electrified limb, Meetra nodded numbly as she watched the joints click and flow with the type of mechanical grace that she'd come to expect from the Zabrak's creations. He was grinning proudly as he showed off the perfectly articulated fingers, but it did nothing to quell his former general's growing guilt.

Carth seemed to sense that he wasn't getting a formal introduction and quickly took matters into his own hands. "Sorry to interrupt you… Bao-Dur was it? Did you say that you're a technician?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Are you by any chance the Zabrak working on the security grid system?"

"Why yes, that would be me." Bao-Dur chuckled. "Or at least it was. I recently stepped down from the project after Czerka got involved. I guess you can say that I'm still working on it in my own way but…" He tapped the spanner with a dark smile. "If you could avoid telling the TSF what I'm up to, I'd appreciate it."

"Oh sure. That's no problem." Jogging up to the Zabrak, Carth continued, "I was more wondering if you'd be able to get us to a station where we can access the grid system. I was hoping to use it to find my, er, their ship."

Atton scoffed. "The damned astromech droid is probably taking it out for a joyride as we speak."

"Now, don't take that personally," Bao-Dur informed the small remote trailing him. "I'm sure he doesn't mean it."

"I sure as hells do!"

"All of that aside, can you help us?" Carth pleaded.

Pursing his lips, Bao-Dur considered the question for a few seconds before nodding thoughtfully. "Provided you know what you're looking for once I get you into the system, it should be no problem. At least, not if you know how to use those blasters that you're carrying. Czerka's mercenaries have gotten pretty ruthless of late."

Meetra patted her rifle. "It's not a lightsaber, but I think we can manage."

"Good, because this is probably going to get a bit dangerous."

Humming softly, Kreia nodding to Meetra. "Often, risks must be taken to achieve great reward. Go, follow that creature. I'm sure the rest of us have no objection."

"Actually…" Atton began, though he was interrupted before he could finish.

"Let's go." Without waiting for the others, Carth began marching in the general direction of the base as he drew the customized twin pistols that he kept partially hidden beneath the hem of his coat. They were scuffed with wear but meticulously maintained.

As she fell silently into line behind the captain, Meetra tried to ignore how this situation reminded her of various assignments that she had carried out during the war. She wasn't bothered because those memories were bad. Honestly, she couldn't help but grin when she recalled some of the more interesting tasks she had complete for Revan. And that right there was the real problem… What type of person thought back on war and smiled?

The trip to the base went about as well as Bao-Dur predicted, starting with an ambush by a group of cloaked mercenaries and continuing to get worse from there. Luckily both Carth and Atton were masterful with their pistols, their shots made easier when Kreia used the Force to hold opponents in place or sweep them off their feet. Meeta mostly stayed towards the back of their group, picking off adversaries from afar thanks to the longer range of her rifle. While nobody was expecting their mechanic to throw himself into the fray, he proved surprisingly tough when he dove between flurries of blaster bolts, knocking down enemy shooters with his spanner.

By the time they reached their destination, everyone was panting as sweat beaded on their brows and causing their clothing to stick uncomfortably to their damp skin. While the warm Telosian sunshine had initially felt wonderful compared to the artificial light of Citadel Station, it grew increasingly oppressive the longer they jogged across open planes. Most of the landscape was still completely devoid of shade in the wake of the fires that devastated the planet's larger plant life. Unfortunately, this meant the crew was already worn down by the time they discovered that the nearest base had become the mercenaries' makeshift headquarters. They learned this when they stumbled past the perimeter of the camp only to find themselves surrounded by at least a dozen figures armed and ready to take down intruders.

"I don't suppose we can talk this out?" Atton asked sarcastically, his pistol already aimed at the nearest opponent.

"It's looking pretty doubtful." A flash of guilt shout through Meetra at the admission. Most of her Padawan missions had centered around negotiating peace between hostile parties. But that was before the war and before the role of an efficient and even ruthless general had become ingrained in her nature. Now she found her patience for discussions fraying with alarming speed.

Kreia cast a baleful glance at this comment, her lips twisting as her voice flowed through the Force bond. 'You know as well as I the power that a Force user's mind holds over the weak-willed.'

Meetra was well aware of what she was capable of back when she was one with the Force and not drifting aimlessly in the chaotic flow of the galaxy. But that was then. Even now with her connection returning everything felt different, a distorted reflection of the power that she wielded back when she could toss fully armored opponents through the air as though they were flimsiplast. Yet, this new sensation wasn't so different from the terrifying might discovered by many of the Revanchists towards the ends of the war. There was darkness in their methods, she recognized that now. But it was also undeniable strength, harnessed for the greater good of the galaxy.

With her rifle still raised Meetra gritted her teeth as her focus locked on the mercenary leader. "Stand down," she ordered.

The armored man seemed surprised, amusement twinkling in his eyes as he turned to study the petite figure with the long blonde braid. His attention had formerly been trained on Carth, which was reasonable. The captain actually looked like a threat.

"Or what, little lady?"

"We've already mowed our way through your forces on our way here," Meetra stated, taking a calculated step forward. "You may not be outnumbered, but you are outmatched."

Atton's eyes were wide as he hissed, "What the hells are you doing? I was joking!"

Ignoring the question, Meetra widened her stance. "Your forces are untrained and poorly organized. Half of them ran when they realized that they were on the losing end of the situation and the rest of them can't shoot worth a damn. You don't stand a chance against individuals like us who have actual training. So, I'm giving you one chance to get out of here alive. If you're smart, you'll take it."

The leader continued to grin, though the expression seemed strained. "You don't scare me."

A shiver of warning pricked the hairs on the back of Meetra's neck and she instinctively turned towards the source, spotting the mercenary taking aim at her a moment before his finger tapped the trigger. "Atton!" she shouted, sending out an unintentional surge of power through the Force. It was like a glowing thread that wrapped around her companion's form, tethering his mind to her own until their senses flowed together and their bodies moved as a single entity. He fired instantaneously, his pistol responding to Meetra's own thoughts.

The bolts whizzed through the air with a reaction time that wasn't possible for a normal individual, striking the would-be attacker a millisecond before he fired. The aim was exceptional, even better than Atton's usual skill, hitting the mercenary straight between the eyes and dropping him before anyone else realized what happened. If these were soldiers they would have closed ranks and waited for the inevitable command to open fire, but in their inexperience caused the hired guns to panic, some letting loose a barrage of bolts while others angrily demanded their next orders.

Meetra dodged to her left as her power extended to the rest of her companions, binding them together so that they all acted with perfect synchronicity that centered around her. Despite the chaos erupting around them, Carth's pistols shrieked with near-perfect precision as he brought down two of the mercenaries who were firing wildly, providing cover for Bao-Dur to dive in and strike the closest figure in the chest with his spanner. It knocked the wind out of the woman, while a second hit to the head sent her to the ground. Only Kreia seemed unaffected by Meetra's abilities. The older woman stood to the side during the battle, watching placidly and only moving when she used the Force to push back anyone who stumbled too close.

Now with partial cover, Meetra took careful aim at the leader before firing a single shot. It was a mixture of luck and skill that made the bolt to strike true and it burst through the man's kneecap in a bright spray of blood. With a howl he collapsed, dropping his blaster as he clutched the wound. A moment later Meetra was looming over him, the muzzle of her rifle pressed to his forehead as her Force presence pulsed once more, this time to call the rest of her crew back with a startling efficiency that caused the area to grow eerily silent in the span of a heartbeat.

"Stand. Down," Meetra ordered again, the Force adding persuasion to her voice.

Holding up his hands, the mercenary leader echoed, "I will stand down."

Lifting her pistol a few millimeters, Meetra commanded, "You and your men will drop your weapons, abandoned this base immediately, and never return."

The man nodded. "Me and my men will drop our weapons, abandon this base immediately, and never return." Even as he spoke he was already crawling backward, his blaster forgotten as he limped to his feet and then turned to what remained of his followers. "You heard her! Drop your weapons, we're getting out of here! You! Clear-out everyone inside of the building!"

There was a general murmur of confusion from the mercenaries as they watched their leader confusedly, some immediately dropping their blasters while others stared back defiantly. The tense stalemate was on the verge of dissolving back into violence when Meetra raised her rifle and fired two quick shots into the air. "Do what he says and you get out of here with your lives."

This time it wasn't the Force empowering her words. Instead, it was durasteel resolve of an experienced commander forged and honed on the battlefield. Her gaze was unwavering as she surveyed the scene, her shoulders back even as her body remained loose and ready to attack at a moment's notice. The mercenaries must have recognized this, along with the lack of leniency that shone in her pale blue eyes. After a minute or so they all acquiesced, dropping their weapons and hurriedly moving to retrieve their comrades or clear out the location.

There was a strange, stunned silence as Meetra's influence over the others gradually waned, their minds all disconnecting as her Force presence drew back within her own body. When the almost meditative state fully cleared both Carth and Bao-Dur glanced at her curiously, while Atton openly gaped like some species of overgrown fish. A few of the retreating mercenaries brushed aggressively past him but he seemed too stunned to notice. At least he had to the sense to hold his comments until the crew was alone, the last of the hired guns fading into shadows against the horizon.

"So that was… Wow. Did you do that? With the…?" Atton gestured to his head, both hands waving through the air. "Whatever it was, it was kriffing impressive!"

Bao-Dur was already checking the control panel by the base's door, typing in codes and muttering to his remote about people doing sloppy work overriding security subroutines. Carth appeared to be guarding his back, but most of the captain's attention was still focused on Meetra as an inscrutable expression momentarily crossed his face.

"Hmm?" She arched a brow at the man.

"Oh? Sorry, you just… Reminded me of someone I know."

"Is that a bad thing?"

There was a long pause as Carth genuinely considered the question, a hint of sadness creasing his brow. "I think that depends on who you ask."

"Don't listen to him." Atton was lounging against the base's entryway, watching as Bao-Dur sent the remote into the building to perform some initial reconnaissance. "You handled the situation better than anyone else could have. And you even let those bantha brains go in the end, which was more honorable than what I would have done."

"There wasn't any honor in what I did." Peering into the base, Meetra's voice was flat as she admitted, "The honorable choice would have been to take those mercenaries down non-lethally and then turn them over to Grenn and the TSF." Noting Carth's nod of agreement, she added, "The best choice for Telos would have been to kill them all and end Czerka's meddling."

Kreia hummed curiously. "And what do you consider your decision?

"The path of least resistance. The choice that enables us to reach our goals without enacting any actual change on this planet."

Seeming unmoved by this explanation, the older woman pushed past Bao-Dur as she tutted, "It's not our job to enact change."

The words hung in the air for several long moments as Meetra stood silently, watching as everyone else cautiously made their way into the building. Still holding her rifle she slipped in last to guard the rear, softly whispering, "Changing the galaxy used to be my entire life."

It didn't seem like anyone heard her, and if they did nothing was said in response. Truthfully, it appeared that everyone else was too distracted by the damage that the mercenaries had done to the vestibule and the hallway beyond. Wires were ripped out of the walls and trash littered the floor, all of it punctuated by dozens of scorch marks burned into the walls by blaster bolts.

"Phew," Atton whistled. "This place is worse than a Nar Shadda cantina 'fresher."

"Oh, it only gets more interesting from here." The remote was back, whistling cheerfully to Bao-Dur. "It seems that there are traps all over this building. There are more than a few gas mines laying around and some makeshift automated turrets. I can probably deactivate most of them, but it might take some time."

Holstering his blaster, Atton reached into his jacket and produced some type of multitool that looked less-than-legal. "I can help."

"At least one of us should go as back-up. If one of those turrets gets set off it's going to be trouble." Carth winced at the thought.

"And you know this from experience?" Meetra offered the man a half-smile. "Do you spend a lot of time sneaking through trapped, abandoned buildings, Captain?"

"More than you'd think. Speaking of which, I don't suppose any of you have a lightsaber? One of those would make this go a lot easier."

"Yeah, I'm sure she has one and has been hiding it because doing everything the hard way is more fun." Atton rolled his eyes as he set off after Bao-Dur, taking care to remain as far from the remote as physically possible.

"After earlier, I just thought it was worth asking!"

"Fool." Kreia hissed disapprovingly as she strode over to the corner and settled herself into a meditative position. "I've run out of patience for these games. Go on ahead, I'll guard the door. If anyone approaches I'll sense them long before they reach the entry point."

Carth appeared unperturbed by the criticism. "And how will you contact us if anyone is nearby?"

"Meetra will know."

"It's… a Force thing. Come on, let's get going." Waving the captain over, she hurried after the others. "The sooner we dismantle these traps, the sooner we can find the Hawk."

The first string of gas mines was deactivated without a problem, leaving Atton to kick the disassembled pieces down the hallways with a cocky grin. The first two clusters of makeshift turrets were also handled without much difficulty thanks to the remote's previous reconnaissance and Bao-Dur's natural skill with all things mechanical. The third sent was an unfortunate surprise, tucked away in an alcove by some mercenaries who possessed a little forethought. The blasters went off the moment that Carth walked too close to the adjoining wall, filling the small corridor with brilliant streaks of red light and the deafening shriek of a dozen bolts being fired simultaneously.

"Get down!" Carth shouted as he pressed close to the wall and started firing at the nearest turret.

"Where!?" Gesturing to the complete lack of cover, Atton flattened himself against the ground in an attempt to avoid the incoming fire.

Meetra leaned close to the opposite wall as she took aim at a second turret. "Just stay down and don't move! They're probably movement activated."

"At this point, I think they're just activated," Bao-Dur corrected ruefully. "And don't aim for the blasters, aim for the optics over there."

"That little reflective dot? Damn, that's going to be hard to hit."

"I didn't say it would be easy, General."

Continuing to half-run and half-crawl down the hallway, Atton let out an exasperated sigh. "This is why I don't trust droids, they're not reliable! Kriff this, I'm just going to sprint past so that someone organic can scout ahead."

Before anyone could protest he took off with surprising speed considering his awkward position, rolling into a neat dive as he entered the worst of the turret fire and managing to tumble just beneath the main line of attack. Twisting back onto his feet the moment he landed, he straightened slightly before darting around a corner. His figure disappeared from view for a single instant before a loud series of pops reverberated through the floor, adding to the cacophony already filling the cramped space.

Atton's voice sounded groggy as he slurred, "I, uh, think I found the rest of the gas mines…"

"Dammit!" Swinging her rifle onto her back with no thought to her own safety, Meetra dodged low and thanked the Force for her smaller build as she sped past the turret fire, her limbs not quite as limber as Atton's but her body providing a much smaller target. She heard someone shout an objection just as she tugged up the hem of her shirt and tucked the material around the lower half of her face.

"What are you…?!" Carth began.

"Don't worry about the General! I know from experience that she can survive a lot more toxins than you or me. She'll be fine, she knows how to take care of herself."

With the constant whine of blaster fire filling her ears Meetra whipped around the corner only to be confronted by a thick cloud of green gas. Drawing a last gasp of clean air, she checked that her shirt was securely covering her nose and mouth before charging forward, spotting Atton's prone form less than two meters away. The toxic fumes were enough to irritate her eyes and she wiped the tears away with her knuckles before reaching down and grabbing the back of her companion's jacket. Grunting, she dragged him across the floor as she continued to make her way forward, her lungs beginning to burn with the need for oxygen.

Atton was still a dead weight as Meetra stumbled beyond the worst of the gas, inhaling deeply the moment the air began to clear. She winced as the residual fumes stung her airway and caused a series of deep, hacking coughs that wracked her chest. Tears continued to distort her vision, making it hard to tell if they were fully clear of poison or if she was misjudging her surroundings. Even so, she was hesitant to move further ahead because there was sure to be more traps beyond this point. At the moment the toxic air was dangerous, but getting pinned down by turret fire while guarding an incapacitated individual could prove deadly.

Still keeping her nose and mouth covered Meetra checked Atton's vitals, pleased to discover that his pulse was strong even though his breathing was shallow and labored. Placing her hands beneath his arms she hauled him into a sitting position, giving him a soft shake to encourage him to cough out the poison and draw some cleansing breaths. As she rubbed one palm over his back she felt the faintest tingle of warmth heat her skin and she squeaked a surprised gasp as her mind immediately recognized the familiar sensation of the Force's healing energy. With trembling fingers, she carefully began to trace soft circles along her companion's spine, willing the power to flow out of her body and into his own. A few harrowing seconds passed before the tingle faded, followed by a loud gasp as Atton drew a conscious breath.

"Ugh…" Gagging violently he slouched over, spitting out a wad of greenish phlegm as he sucked in air.

"Kreia's right, you're an idiot."

"She… She usually calls me a fool." Still hacking harshly, Atton blinked as he gradually regained alertness. "Oh hey, nice underwear."

At least the shirt covering Meetra's cheeks helped to hide her blush. Even so, she quickly tugged the fabric back down. "My face is up here."

"Which, for the record, is also really nice."

A loud bang echoed down the hallway, followed by utter silence as the deafening screech of turret fire suddenly ceased. Meetra and Atton shared a worried glance, only looking up as footfalls rapidly approached them.

Carth was the first to appear around the corner, using his palm to shield his nose and mouth from the remaining wisps of gas. "Are you okay over there?"

"We're fine," Meetra called. "Are you? What did you do?"

"We shut down the turrets." Bao-Dur gave his spanner a playful swing, one end now dotted with shards of transparisteel. "There's more than one way to fix a machine."

Nodding appreciatively, Meetra gestured down the hallway as she helped haul Atton to his feet. "Do you know if there are any more traps up here?"

Peering into the distance as his remote offered a few encouraging beeps, Bao-Dur pointed to a room several meters away. "There shouldn't be anything else between us and the computer that accesses the security grid. Still, we should be careful just in case."

"Noted. And thank you."

"No, thank you, General." Seeing the questioning look he was receiving from his former commander, the Zabrak clarified, "Thank you for reminding me that people are still capable of kindness even after the war. It's good to see that you're still helping others."

"Hey!" Atton objected, "I'm literally right here!"

A surprising flash of warmth passed through the Force as Bao-Dur's words sank in, and Meetra basked in its glow for a moment before replying, "It's what any decent soldier would do."

"Don't sell yourself short, General. Uh, no height puns intended. You did a good deed." The remote beeped in apparent agreement before speeding a few meters forward and then squeaking chipperly. "Excellent! The way ahead seems to be clear. Let's go and find your ship."

Rushing after Bao-Dur as he strode calmly down the hall, Meetra blurted out, "You should come with us once we find the Hawk! I mean, I'm not sure where we're going from here, but… Whatever happens, you should come too. We can use a good mechanic and it sounds like you already quit your job on Telos."

"Do you mean it?"

"Yes, of course!" Meetra nodded as she brushed aside Atton's sputtered objections.

"Well then, I'd be happy take you up on the offer." Checking the door panel for any signs of tampering, Bao-Dur hummed in satisfaction as he tapped in the code to unlock the computer room. "I've been wondering where to go next. I suppose it's just like you always said, let the Force be your guide."

A hollow sensation echoed through Meetra even as she muttered, "Yes, exactly."

Carth jogged into the room a moment after Atton, his eyes scanning the various monitors as Bao-Dur typed in a few commands to bring up the interface for the security grid. "I, uh, think I'm the only one here who knows the codes for the Hawk's beacon, so do you mind if I…?"

"Be my guest."

"Great." Anxiety rippled across Carth's features as he added whatever information he had to the system. The information processed for several seconds before the images and diagrams changed, a few of the monitors blinking as they displayed the new data. "Wait, what the hells does all of this mean?"

"It means that your ship isn't on the grid," Bao-Dur responded with a puzzled frown. "But the beacon is still responding to the system and trying to triangulate a location. Which, ironically enough, does narrow things down significantly."

"Wait," Meetra stared at the screens, unable to comprehend most of the information. "The ship's not on Telos?"

Bao-Dur chuckled. "That's not what I said, General. I said that it's not on the grid, which doesn't actually cover the entire planet." Scrolling through the various maps and readouts, he began to zoom in on one specific image. "There's a small area not covered by the grid right around… here. That's where your ship is."

"That's the kriffing pole!" Scoffing at the information, Atton shivered at the thought.

"It is. Which means that your ship might be a bit cold once we find it."

"Alright, so the Ebon Hawk is here, at the pole for some Sith-damned reason." Carth shook his head. "What's the fastest way to get there?"

Typing in a few more codes, Bao-Dur smiled in satisfaction. "Since your shuttle was destroyed when you, er, landed, I'd suggest taking the craft that's stored in this base. It's a bit larger than what you had so it will be better equipped to handle the weather where we're headed."

"Great. Just great," Atton griped.

"Oh, it won't be that bad." Using the console to open the nearby hangar, Bao-Dur gave the Human a comforting smile. "At least, provided you don't crash again."

The second shuttle technically didn't crash, though the landing was best classified as 'dangerously turbulent.'

"Getting shot at does not count as a bad landing!" Atton ranted as he pried his fingers off the controls. "Also, who the kriff is shooting at us?!"

Kreia merely smiled at the question. "Who indeed? I sensed a building hidden within the snowdrifts when we flew overhead, but one must wonder why such a remote place would need such protection."

"I'm not sure, but those cannons definitely weren't on the specs that I was provided with." Bao-Dur rubbed his forehead in confusion.

"Not to alarm anyone, but is that a person standing out there in the middle of the snow looking completely unbothered by how cold it is?" Slowing backing away from the viewport, Carth drew his main pistol as he glanced warily at the others.

"That's sure what it looks like." Peeking out at the swirling flakes Meetra spotted the figure that the captain was referring to, their white and cream robes nearly invisibly against the frozen landscape. Whoever they were, they did seem indifferent to the weather despite wearing little protection against the elements. Their only additional clothing appeared to be some type of veil that shielded their eyes and the top portion of their cheeks. Whoever this person was, they were approaching quickly.

"What are your orders, General?"

"I don't have orders." Meetra sighed as she reached for her rifle. "But we should probably stay here and let them come to us. The last thing we need is to be attacked by an unknown assailant in the middle of an ice field."

Everyone's silence suggested that they agreed, and the soft click of weapons being drawn confirmed that nobody expected this situation to end peacefully. It felt like the crew held their collective breaths as the figure drew closer, eventually disappearing from sight right before a loud knock sounded against the shuttle hatch.

"Who is it?" Atton quipped with false politeness.

There was a long pause, and then a muffled feminine voice calling out, "My name is of no importance."

"Bantha shit it's not. You blew us out of the kriffing sky!"

"If my master wanted you harmed, you would be dead. I've come to speak with you on her behalf."

Carth groaned, a frustrated expression crossing his face. "No offense to certain people here, but someone wearing a robe and talking about their 'master' usually doesn't end well for me."

"Hmm." Shouldering aside the captain, Kreia approached the landing ramp though she made no move to extend it. "Who is your master, child? And why do they send a servant to speak for them?"

Another pause, and then, "I come here on behalf of Jedi Master Atris, the keeper of the archives and the head of this academy. She is currently occupied with her duties and has bid me to extend an offer to meet with her."

Meetra's fingers felt boneless as the rifle slipped from her grip and slammed against the shuttle floor, banging hard enough to send vibrations throughout the cockpit. She barely noticed, too busy dashing towards the door as she desperately shouted, "Kreia, open the hatch!"

"Atris must think highly of herself if she sends a mere child to greet us." The older woman lowered her head, her body still blocking the exit. "Though, perhaps this girl is more than she appears. And far more than her master believes her to be."

The Force pulsed against Meetra's consciousness as she neared the ramp, but her mind was too numb to care. Rushing past Kreia, she slammed her palm against the hatch controls and opened the shuttle, immediately recoiling when a blast of bone-chilling wind gusted in. "You said that Atris sent you? Where is she? Take me to see her!"

The strange, veiled woman tilted her head to the side as she appeared to stare at the person addressing her, all without revealing her eyes. "You are the one she spoke of, the Exile."

Leaping off the ramp before it was fully extended, Meetra shoved her hands beneath her arms to warm them as she landed in the snow with a hard thud, sending up a spray of cold, wet flakes. "No. Yes. It doesn't matter what she calls me, just please, take me to see her!" Practically throwing herself at the stranger's feet, she gazed up pleadingly as her heart hammered in her chest.

"Your companions…"

"They can stay here, they can come, I don't care! I just… I need to talk to her, to see her, anything! Please."

"Atris? The Echani Jedi Master?" Carth appeared on the ramp, his pistol still drawn but lowered to his side. "I've heard of her."

The stranger nodded. "I am not surprised. Even those blind to the Force have heard tell of her skills and dedication to the Order."

There was a derisive snort from Kreia that matched the captain's muttered, "That's not quite what I was told…"

Meetra barely registered her companions' chatter as she climbed to her feet, the wind blowing past her jacket as the snow seeped into her boots. "What does Atris want?"

"To speak with you, Exile." Now that her orders were carried out the stranger turned lightly and began to walk back through her own footprints, moving swiftly despite the fact that the accumulated snow reached the middle of her shins. "The others may come, provided they surrender their weapons at the door. The academy is a place of peace."

"And what if I don't want to surrender my weapons?" Atton demanded.

Pausing to glance over her shoulder, the stranger's plush lips tugged into a frown. "Then you can stay outside and freeze."

"Well, that doesn't sound very Jedi-like."

"The Jedi are peacekeepers," the stranger explained. "Nothing about that requires them to invite violence into their homes and places of learning."

"Hrrmph."

Bounding after the stranger, Meetra only looked behind her as an afterthought. The distinct crunch of boots trudging through the snow assured her that at least one companion was following, but she was surprised to learn that the entire crew had chosen to accompany her to Atris's academy. She considered assuring them that they were welcome to stay behind in the shuttle, but her voice caught in her throat as affection bloomed within her chest. All that she managed to choke out was a strangled, "Th… Thank you for coming with me."

"I don't think any of us were about to let you go in there alone," Carth responded through chattering teeth. He lowered his voice as he added, "Besides, you're not the only one with questions for the Jedi."

Kreia nodded, though not necessarily in agreement with the captain. "I believe that we all have curiosities that this academy may be able to answer… Even if those answers don't come from Atris herself."

"Hey, I just don't want to freeze to death on the shuttle while I wait for you to finish whatever it is that you're doing." Atton jogged up with a grin, nudging Meetra in the side with his shoulder. She responded with a distracted grunt, but he seemed undaunted.

The rest of the walk to the academy felt impossibly long, though not because of the cold that numbed Meetra's nose or the constant snowfall that soaked through the thin lining of her jacket. What made it stretch on for a relative eternity was the anticipation that knocked the breath from her lungs and made her heart feel erratic. Her mind raced in circles of how and why and what if, but none of those thoughts stuck for more than an instant before melting away like snowflakes beneath the sun. She didn't know what she was going to do or say, nor did she believe her actions would actually matter. And yet, speaking to Atris still felt like the most important thing in the galaxy.

When the concealed dome of the academy was within sight, Atton leaned in close and asked, "I know Atris is some sort of Jedi, but why is seeing her so important?"

"Because we left too many things unsaid, even if it was just 'goodbye.'"

This response seemed to sober Atton and he slipped into an awkward silence as the group reached the academy's entrance, the only sound the crunch of snow beneath their boots and their labored breaths that froze in the cold air. A press of the veiled stranger's palm to a small pad by the entryway revealed a door, and a rush of warm air greeting the travelers as they stumbled into the vestibule.

"You may all wait here while you disarm yoursel…"

Having abandoned her rifle back on the shuttle, Meetra threw her arms out to her sides as she looked imploringly at the stranger. Now, in a better light and without snow obscuring her features it was obvious that she was rather young, dressed in robes reminiscent of a Jedi Padawan's but featuring a simpler cut and design. Her undertunic resembled a long white dress with wide sleeves, while her outer layer was a plain, cream-colored vest that trailed almost to the floor. The whole ensemble was belted at the waist with a white sash that matched her simple white veil.

"I'm unarmed. I don't even have a knife." Meetra gestured to her pockets. "You can check for yourself. So please, just take me to see Atris."

"I trust you, Exile." The strange woman bowed her head slightly, nodding towards a long corridor just off the main entrance. "Go. My master waits for you at the end of that passage."

"Thank you." Without another word, Meetra took off down the hallway without even stopping to knock the snow from her boots. From the vestibule, she could hear the continued bickering of her companions.

"Okay," Atton was arguing, "What if I really don't want to give you my blaster? Are you going to use some type of mind-trick on me?"

Shaking her head at his antics, Meetra mentally ran through the conversations that she had scripted in her mind over the years, waiting for the chance to finally speak with Atris alone. There were so many things that they had never discussed, and so many misunderstandings or missed opportunities that it felt impossible to choose a place to start. But as she sprinted into a large, round room that resembled the Council chambers she remembered from her childhood, she found all of her words evaporating when she spotted the only other figure occupying the space, her pristine robes arranged around her in a perfect cascade of white and silver.

Skidding to a sudden halt, Meetra stared for a moment. "Oh. You really are here."

"I'm surprised that you came with Visas."

"Is that her name?"

"Yes, Visas Marr. She's a Miraluka, a species who are physically blind but who see using the Force. I found her on Katarr, the lone survivor of a massacre." Atris's tone was scathing. "Not that you'd care."

"I do care, but I'm also not here to talk about your Padawan."

"Servant," Atris quickly corrected, her demeanor colder than the snowfield surrounding the building. "Despite being Force-sensitive, she's far too old to be safely trained in the ways of the Force."

Meetra scoffed, though her tone was mild. "You know, even when you're playing the part of the haughty Jedi who's too self-important for her own good, you're still stunningly beautiful."

The effect was instantaneous as Atris's nostrils flared and her pale cheeks flushed a fierce shade of pink. "Stop it, you have no right to say those things! You never did."

"You used to like them," Meetra breathed, clenching her jaw against the hurt that sat coldly in her stomach.

"That was when we were children. Before I truly understood the damage that you were doing to the Order. That you did to yourself."

"You're acting the same way that you did at my trial, like you expect me to apologize for something that I still think was necessary. And by the way, I'm still not sorry."

"And that right there is the problem, Meetra!" Standing from her chair, Atris strode over to the other woman. "You chose war over peace and passion over knowledge when you decided to meet the Mandalorian's aggression with violence of your own. That is not the Jedi way and yet you regret nothing."

"I have regrets." Meeting the Echani's silvery-blue gaze, Meetra explained, "Just because I did what I thought was necessary to defend the Republic doesn't mean that my decisions don't weight on me. I paid a price for my choices and I've learned to accept the consequences."

"You speak as though you made a small misstep and that the repercussions didn't echo throughout the galaxy." Disgust settled on Atris's features. "You used a superweapon, Meetra. You killed thousands."

"And every day I regret that's what it took to end the war, that thousands of sentients had to die in order to protect billions more! I regret it almost as much as the fact that the war ruined everything between us. Most of all, I regret not sitting down with you before I left so that I could explain…"

"Stop!" Holding up her hand, Atris shook her head. "There's nothing you could have said that would have excused your choice to leave in search of battle and bloodshed. And there was never anything between us, at least not the type of love that you wanted. A Jedi does not love like that."

Despite the disappointment that carved its way down to her bones, Meetra didn't back down. "There's nothing dangerous or poisonous about love, Atris."

"The type of love you refer to leads to attachment, which in turn leads to fear, anger, jealousy, and the dark side. You're living proof of all of these things."

Meetra's voice was practically a whisper. "I loved Revan enough to believe in his cause with every fiber of my being, and I loved the Republic enough to die for it. How is that wrong?"

"And you did die because of your decisions. You died thousands of times within your soul, once for every life you took. I can feel it, a gaping emptiness where there was once a promising Jedi." Turning her back on the other woman, Atris sounded almost apologetic as she murmured, "You're a shadow of the person you used to be."

"There were consequences and I accept them. But none of what you said proves that love is wrong. For years I loved you even after you grew to hate me."

Whirling around, Atris gasped at the implication. "A Jedi does not hate."

"That's a shame because I'd really rather you hate me than be indifferent towards me."

"I have never loved you in the way that you wanted to be loved, nor have I ever hated you. In the past, I was intrigued by you because of your potential. You could have been one of the greatest Consulars that the Order ever saw. But then you strayed from the path that the Force set you on. Or perhaps you were led astray by Revan." Leaning in close Atris sneered, "It doesn't matter what happened, what matters is the darkness that consumed you!"

The air rushed from Meetra's lungs, leaving her feeling woozy and disconnected as the explanation for her former friend's resentment coalesced into a single, sudden realization. "You think I fell."

"I think you were corrupted by one of the darkest and most dangerous men the Order has ever known. Malak…"

"Alek," Meetra mumbled.

"Malak," Atris stated more pointedly, "May have been a tyrant, but Revan is the one who set him and countless others on their paths into darkness. Revan fell and he dragged half of the Order with him…"

"Don't you dare act like you know him!" A voice cut through the intimate atmosphere of the room, though it did nothing to break the lingering tension. Both women cautiously stepped away from each other as they turned to look towards the room's entryway just in time to see Carth come marching through wearing an enraged expression.

"I know as much as I need to!"

"You don't know him, Atris," Carth growled dangerously as he stalked towards the Echani. "You and the rest of your Council may think you do, but you don't. Yes, there's darkness in Vann just like everyone else. But he also has a greater capacity for selflessness and compassion than anyone I've ever met. He didn't fall, he just failed to meet your impossibly high standards because he dared to have a mind of his own!"

Meetra glanced confusedly between the pair. "Who is Vann? Carth, what are you talking about?"

"Vann is just another one of Revan's many names. Along with the Revanchist and the Butcher." Atris spat out the last word like a poison.

"Carth," Meetra breathed, "Do you… know Revan?"

"I should think so. After all, isn't it polite to know the name of whoever you're bedding?"

"Mock me all you want, Atris. But it won't change the fact that Vann chose me and the rest of his friends over rejoining the Jedi Order." Pausing a moment, Carth snapped, "And by the way, maybe if you 'bedded' someone you wouldn't be such a…"

"Wait!" Confusion still etched Meetra's brow. "You and Revan…?"

Sardonic laughter spilled from Atris's full lips. "Did he not tell you that he's one of the many dangerous attachments that Revan has formed since coming back to the Republic? One of the many individuals sucked down into his dark orbit…"

"Be very, very careful about your next words," Carth cautioned, unafraid to press himself into the Jedi's space. When she merely turned up her nose in response, he shifted to look at his crewmate. "Meetra, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I was going to explain everything once we found the Hawk, which is here, by the way, because Atris stole it."

"Confiscated it for the information that it might contain."

"Wait… I apologize," Meetra stammered almost sheepishly. "I'm still stuck at the idea that you and Revan…"

"I was going to tell you!"

"No, I'm not mad! I'm just… Surprised? He never really showed interest in anyone before."

Both of Carth's eyebrows arched in genuine shock. "What, really?"

"By the way, he wiped the navigation system," Atris interrupted mockingly, no trace of apology in her tone. "You won't be able to find him or whatever threat he recognized but didn't think was important enough to tell the Republic or his lover about."

"He… What?"

"Is that what happened to all of the Hawk's maps and charts?" Meetra frowned as she considered the new information. While it solved one mystery, it left several more. "Even if the system was erased, doesn't someone have a record of where the ship was heading?"

"Apparently not. It appears that Revan grew tired of playing the part of a Master at his abomination of an academy and abandoned everyone that he claimed to care about." A faint smirk of satisfaction tugged at Atris's mouth.

"He went to help an old friend, and while he was there he sensed something dangerous and tried to chase it down. I… I don't know where he went. He's been missing for almost two years."

"…What!?"

"Yet again, everyone's perceived hero left the Republic in its time of need." Any trace of amusement or mirth vanished from Atris's voice. "Jedi are dying or disappearing at an alarming rate while those who remain swear there is something far darker than Malak clouding the Force. Yet, unsurprisingly, Revan is nowhere to be found."

This revelation startled Meetra more than anything else she had learned in the past few weeks, and she actually stumbled backward from the shock. "There are Jedi dying?"

Carth nodded grimly. "It's what Vann was investigating. He thought he knew the source and I think he went to confront it."

"But the problem has only grown worse in the past two years. Visas's home was one of the casualties. Several Masters went to Katarr to harness its connection to the Living Force to try and discern the nature of the threat we're facing. But before they could learn anything they were attacked. I arrived a few days later to search for survivors, but all I found was the girl."

Waving off the Jedi Master, Carth hurriedly explained, "Vann has a theory that there's some type of 'true Sith' trying to conquer the Republic. That's who he went to search for."

"So, the Jedi have been searching for answers but haven't found anything? And Revan was also looking for the source when he disappeared?" Meetra nodded, mostly to herself, as she considered these facts.

Sighing wearily, Atris confirmed, "That's the simplified version of it."

"Then let me help you search."

"Certainly not! What can you, someone who has cut herself off from the Force, possibly do that the Jedi cannot?"

"The Force has been coming back to me, slowly but surely. Maybe it's a sign." Turning to Carth for encouragement, Meetra pressed on. "It seems to me that the Jedi can't see through the obfuscation created by this threat, but Revan could."

"That's arguable…"

"I'm a lot like Revan. We both chose to go to war, we both made hard decisions in the name of the Republic, and we both came back… different. So maybe I'll be able to sense what he sensed." Turning to meet the Jedi Master's pale gaze, Meetra lowered her voice as she practically begged, "Please, Atris. Give me whatever information you have, whatever intelligence you've managed to uncover. Maybe I can help save the Jedi who are left. I feel like I owe the Order that much. They raised me, after all."

"I'm appalled that you would even make such a request! You are no longer part of the Jedi Order and as such you have no right to our classified documents."

Huffing at her former friend's stubbornness and unwavering adherence to the rules, Meetra retorted, "Then can I at least have my damn ship back?"

"No. Visas can help you repair your shuttle so that you can return to Citadel Station. From there what you do is your choice. But the Ebon Hawk is now the property of the Jedi Council."

It was hard for Meetra to resist stamping her foot like a petulant child. "Atris!"

"I see that it was a mistake to speak with you again, Meetra. I was hoping that, after walking the path of an exile, you would be more reasonable but clearly, I was wrong." With a sweep of her robes, the Echani Master turned towards the long, gated pathway that blocked the council chambers from what must be her private rooms. She didn't look back as she strode past the barrier, which opened automatically when she approached only to slam shut the moment she was through. "This conversation is over. You and your crew may stay here overnight, but I want you gone by tomorrow afternoon. Good-bye."

Dashing up to the gate, Meetra pounded her palms against the cold metal as she yelled, "Atris! Atris, get back here!"

"Hey, stop. You're going to hurt yourself if you don't calm down!" Carth's hands were warm on her shoulders as he guided her towards the center of the room. "Breathe, just breathe. Atris isn't going to change her mind, so we might as well go and talk to the rest of the crew about the situation so that we can figure out what to do from here."

"But… Don't you want the ship back?" Hope shone in Meetra's eyes. "To see if Revan left any clues for you?"

Glancing worriedly towards Atris's private quarters, Carth clenched his teeth as he gave his crewmate a hard prod in the opposite direction. "Let's just go talk to the others. Trust me."

Realizing that there was something the captain wasn't telling her, Meetra nodded reluctantly as she slowly stumbled out of the chamber. "Alright, lead the way."

Carth seemed anxious to get as far away from Atris as possible, his shoulders stiff with tension as he stalked through the hallways at a rapid clip. Despite the numerous passageways throughout the surprisingly empty academy, he didn't falter as he guided Meetra past the entrance vestibule and then down another series of hallways that seemed to lead to the other side of the expansive building. The walk was long, though not arduously so, and through it all there were no signs of other lifeforms.

"Do you know where all of the other Jedi are?"

"There aren't any."

"But didn't Visas say this is an academy? It should be bustling with students and their master! After all, a Jedi is never alone…"

Leaning in closer, Carth hissed, "Atris is. Visas is the only other person here, and she's not a Jedi since her 'master' purposely refuses to train her. I'll let the others explain the rest when we reach them."

Meetra could only nod numbly, the strangeness of the place slowly sinking in the longer her boots echoed dully through the empty halls. Eventually, they entered a large workroom with a huge window that overlooked a hangar, the Hawk sitting proudly just beyond. Everyone else was already gathered, Atton and Kreia arguing with each other as Bao-Dur fiddling with something on T3-M4.

"There, is that better?" the Zabrak asked the droid, earning him several affirmative beeps and whistles.

Spotting the pair entering the room, Atton stalked away from Kreia as he clapped his hands together. "Alright, she's here. Let's get going!"

"And where do you think we're headed? It's getting dark out and Atris said that we can stay here…"

"We can't stay here," Carth warned. "In case you haven't noticed, there's something really wrong with the place and with Atris."

It wasn't a lie. The longer that Meetra walked through the barren halls of the academy, the colder she had felt as gnawing loneliness echoed through her body. "Well, if there's something wrong we should help her!"

"My master does not want help, nor does she believe that anything here is amiss here." Visas was standing away from others, her head bowed and her hands folded before her. "But I can see it through the Force, a creeping dread that grows by the day. The coldness you feel has nothing to do with the snowfields that surround us."

Kreia inclined her head thoughtfully. "Did you not find it curious that this place is an academy, yet there are no students? Do you not question the fact that Atris sits alone in her council chamber? There is nothing here for you or anyone else, but Atris's stubborn pride will never allow her to admit that this is a wasteland of her own making."

"She's upset that Jedi are dying!"

"Then help her by helping them." Cath pointed angrily in the direction they just came from. "You saw her, she doesn't want to listen to you or me or anyone else."

Desperation tightened Meetra's throat. "But I can't just…"

"General, you and the other Revanchists were prepared to defy the Jedi Council when you realized that the rest of the Order was unwilling to abandon their ideals to protect the Republic. You recognized that the millions of innocent lives being lost were more important than the beliefs of a few stubborn individuals clinging to the past. I don't pretend to know a lot about the Jedi, but this feels like a similar situation."

"Besides, nobody's saying that you can't come back here once you figure out what's going wrong." Atton grinned cheekily. "And while I wasn't planning to come with you, if you can figure out a way to keep me warm I might change my mind."

"Alright, fine! Staying here to try and help Atris would be like sticking around to have a conversation with a durasteel wall." Sighing, Meetra, mentally acknowledged that the wall might actually be more receptive to her ideas. "But we can't leave without a ship and knowing Atris, she probably locked the Hawk inside of her hangar when she 'confiscated' it."

Stepping forward, Visas bowed her head. "I also have access to the hangar, as it's necessary for my various duties in upkeeping this building. I can get you to your ship, provided that you take me with you when you leave."

"Why do you want to leave? I can understand if this academy is a lonely place to live, but you still call Atris your master and from what I've been told you don't have…" Meetra trailed off uncomfortably, unsure if she should mention the destruction of the Miraluka's homeworld. "Is there somewhere else that you want to go?"

"I continue to owe Atris for rescuing me, but it is not a debt that can be repaid through cooking and cleaning. Perhaps if I can find the solution to the emptiness that threatens to consume this place, my obligations will be fulfilled and my master can finally be free of the doubts that cloud her mind." Sighing, Visas shook her head. "I have little care where we go, as the only places I have ever known are here and the ashes of Katarr."

A jolt of sympathy flashed through Meetra's mind as she recalled Atris's words, 'the lone survivor of a massacre.' Turning towards the ship, she nodded to the rest of the crew. "Alright, I guess we have one more passenger. Let's go before Atris realizes that we're plotting to take the Hawk back. I'm honestly surprised that she hasn't already sensed our plans through the Force."

Folding her hands into the sleeves of her robes Kreia muttered, "The Force moves strangely here, and even those who think themselves clear-sighted are blinded to what is right in front of them."

Visas was already unlocking the hangar and disabling the wall-sized forcefield that acted as a gateway between the safety of the academy and the frigid environment beyond. The moment that the door between the rooms slid open a blast of cold air swept around the crew, causing everyone to shiver. "This way. I assume that one of you can pilot this craft."

"Atton's one of the better pilots that I've met. You're in good hands."

"Aw, I'd say you're exaggerating but you're really not." Tossing a playful grin over his shoulder Atton headed into the hangar, rubbing his arms to ward off the chill as he lowered the landing ramp and beckoned everyone else over.

The rest of the crew rushed after him, partially to limit their exposure to the cold but mostly to get airborne before Atris noticed they were missing. Meetra and Visas found themselves at the back of the group, both of them scurrying into the protective hold of the ship just as the engines began to rumble softly beneath them. They sounded far less strained than when the Hawk landed on Telos.

Meetra turned towards the cockpit, planning on helping Atton with the take-off when a slim hand grasped her wrist. Despite the veil hiding her eyes, Visas's face was extremely expressive and it now exuded a mixture of gratitude and solemnity.

"Thank you, Exile. I am in your debt." Bowing deeply, she whispered, "My life for yours."

"Please, call me Meetra…"

Before the conversation could continue, the entire ship rocked as it lifted off the hangar floor, hovering for an instant before shooting out into the frozen wilderness surrounding the academy. After offering Visas an apologetic nod, Meetra hurried to the cockpit and slid into the copilot's seat as the freighter soared through the thick, white flakes nearly obscuring the brilliant orange sunset.

Atton glanced at her as she sat down. "Hey there, come here often?"

Chuckling to herself, Meetra checked the readouts.

"So, where are we headed? Back to Citadel Station, or do you want to go somewhere else? If you're any good at those Jedi tricks, we can always land on Nar Shadda and make a few credits at the pazaak tables."

"I don't know how to play pazaak," Meetra admitted, smiling softly in response to Atton's exaggerated shock. "As for where we're going… I don't want to stay on Telos. We can always contact Grenn later to let him know that we found the Hawk."

Nodding in understanding, Atton adjusted a few dials as he prepared to take the ship beyond the atmosphere. "Should we drop the captain off?"

"I don't think Carth wants to be anywhere but on this ship right now." Ignoring the questioning look she received, Meetra started to access the ship's navigation system only to remember that it no longer existed. "Hey, have you seen…?"

"Bee-boo-boop!" Racing into the cockpit, T3-M4 gently nudged Meetra's leg as he continued to chatter. "Beep-boo-whoop!"

"What the hells is the trashcan saying?"

"Wait, you downloaded what from Atris?" Turning to stare at the droid, Meetra waved her hands at him as encouragement to slow down. "Well, no, she shouldn't have tried to copy your memory files without your permission. But that doesn't mean that you…"

"Whoo! Bee-beep-boop!"

"For me? Because he told you about…?" A lump formed in Meetra's throat and she swallowed hard to keep her voice steady. "Thank you, Tee-Three."

"Can someone tell me what's going on? And maybe where we're going?"

Drawing a deep breath, Meetra guided the droid over to the navigation computer as dread settled cold in her gut. "I don't care where we go, but we really need to get out of here. Apparently, Tee-Three sliced into the academy's system while Atris was downloading information from him. While he was in there he, uh, stole a few things."

Atton arched a doubtful brow. "Like what?"

"All of her classified files."

"So, your trashcan just stole classified information from a Jedi Master? As in someone who carries a lightsaber and can throw people across the room with her mind?" Before Meetra could object to the description, Atton flipped a series of switches. "Never mind, I think I'll be happier not knowing. Let's just get out of here, I'm tired of this place! Jumping to hyperspace in three… two…"

The Hawk's engines felt significantly smoother as the freighter traveled through the blue and white swirl of hyperspace, all of the systems quite now that most of the necessary repairs had been made. Meetra was seated in the ship's main hold, T3-M4 sitting in front of her as she carefully sorted through all of the stolen files. Distantly she heard the sound of Bao-Dur making additional repairs to the bulkhead in the garage, while her mind softly brushed against the strength of Kreia's meditative stillness. The remaining crew was gathered in the same hold, paying various degrees of attention to what she was doing.

"So, did you find anything useful?" Atton crossed his arms as he leaned casually against the nearest console.

"Not as much as I was hoping for. It seems like most of the information I'm interested in is stored elsewhere."

"It's probably on Coruscant, in the main Jedi temple." Carth was sitting at another console, attempting to piece together the few files that Revan hadn't wiped from the ship's systems.

"It's not. The only notes indicating where the information might be located are four names." Meetra's breath caught in her throat as she read them, her lips feeling numb with disbelief. "Ell, Vash, Lamar, and Kavar."

Visas looked up from the corner where she had wedged herself. Overall, she had been surprisingly tolerant of T3-M4's theft, expressing frustration over the fact that her master's privacy had been violated but ultimately acknowledging that the information was too valuable to simply delete. Now she turned to Meetra, her expression thoughtful. "Those names hold power for you, don't they?"

"Yes. They're all Jedi Masters, many of who were on the Council that ultimately gave Revan permission to go to war." She paused, her voice still unsteady. "And all of them were on the Council who cast me out of the Order after Malachor."

"So," Atton drawled, "I'm guessing that you never want to see any of them ever again?"

"I don't know." Taking a moment to search her feelings just as she'd been taught, Meetra was unsurprised to discover that she was still a swirling miasma of conflict concerning this particular topic. "It's complicated. I used to be mad at them, first for casting me out and then for not having the courage to lock me up or somehow punish me for everything that I did during the war. But over time I came to accept my actions and the more I let go of my anger and sorrow, the less I thought about the Council or the Jedi."

Carth looked surprised. "You never blamed Vann, err, Revan?"

"I did for a time. He was an easy target for all of my rage." A thin smile tugged at Meetra's lips. "But I couldn't stay mad, I cared for him too much."

"You loved him," the captain breathed.

"Maybe. But not in the same way that you do."

Confusion creased Atton's brow. "Wait, what does that mean?"

"It means that part of his heart belongs to someone whose presence still touches this vessel." Inclining her head towards Carth, Visas murmured, "I… apologize for intruding, but I can see the way that his energy weaves around you, just as it moves through this ship."

"It's okay. The situation is just… complicated. I didn't think it was, but that was before Vann, or Revan as the rest of you know him, decided to take off in the Hawk without telling anyone where he was going."

Meetra frowned, her own heart aching as she sensed the sorrow that radiated from the captain. "He didn't even say goodbye?"

"He left a kriffing message with a mutual friend, one that I didn't receive until he'd been missing for over a month!" Carth sighed, scrubbing his palm over his face. "I guess it's partially my fault. Our last conversation was… Shit, it was a huge fight. Maybe that's why he left."

"It's not. I know him, or at least the man he used to be. He's always been guided by higher ideals, not pettiness." Meetra offered the captain a comforting smile. "If he left, it was because he sensed a legitimate threat to the Republic. And, if it makes you feel any better, he's never been very good at understanding everyone else's feelings."

A long moment of silence stretched between the crew, only broken when Atton quietly wondered, "Not to bring the mood way down, but how are you sure that he's not, you know…?"

"Because I have this." Tugging at a chain that hung around his neck, mostly hidden by the thick collar of his jacket, Carth carefully produced a small item from beneath his shirt. At first, it looked like nothing more than a bit of metal casing, but as it turned the light reflected off of one side and illuminated the entire object in a vibrant shade of violet.

"That's a lightsaber crystal!" Meetra exclaimed, rushing over to peer more closely. "Is that his? It's violet though, and his 'sabers were both blue."

"Vann built the lightsaber that this crystal is from after we met, while he was searching for the Star Forge. He took the crystal out after his battle with Malak and replaced it with Malak's crystal for some Force-related reason."

"Their crystals were from the same formation in the caves on Ilum. Alek's crystal, if it was the same one from the war, would be almost identical to the crystals Revan lost when he… crashed."

"Oh. You explained it a lot better than Vann ever did." Chucking, Carth turned the pendant over in his palm. "Either way, he made this for me. Supposedly these crystals resonate with their users, so I guess it's like I'm carrying a little piece of him? I'm not sure how all of this works, but ever since he gave this to me it's been like I can feel his presence. Or maybe I'm just imagining things."

"No, that's not as ridiculous as it sounds. I've heard legends that crystals know their owners, and that after a Jedi dies a very powerful crystal can actually mourn them." Meetra couldn't help but grin as she recalled the dozens of similar stories that Initiates and Padawans shared throughout her childhood.

Atton looked thoroughly unimpressed. "It's a rock."

Scoffing at the comment, Visas also stared at Carth's pendant. "Yes, it is. But the Force flows through it like a heartbeat."

"May I see it?" Holding out her hand, Meetra waited patiently as the captain carefully removed the chain from around his neck, obviously hesitant to hand the crystal over. She accepted the item as gently as possible, trying to keep her expression reassuring as she closed her fingers around the pendant. It was warm, probably from Carth's skin, but there was also a pulse just like Visas had described. Closing her eyes, Meetra focused on the crystal as she let her mind flow into the Force, silently hoping that she would be able to sense something.

At first, all she felt were the sharp edges of the pendant digging into her palm, but the longer she focused the more she could sense something beyond her own physical body. For an instant she sensed a flash of mirth, equal parts witty and sarcastic, all wrapped in sense of passion that flared cold and hot simultaneously. She knew this presence, and right now it hummed vibrantly, still glowing with life. "I think you're right, the crystal still senses him. He's out there, somewhere."

"Can you… Can you find him?"

Meetra shook her head apologetically as she returned the pendant. "Not without a lot more information about what Revan might have been looking for. But I do know where to start."

"I assume you speak of the Jedi Masters? Atris told me that what remains of the Council has spread out to search for more information following the destruction of Katarr, but she never said where they were searching."

"Tee-Three knows." Crouching beside the droid, Meetra sorted through the various files that she had been exploring. "Ell is on Nar Shadda, Vash is on Korriban, Lamar is on Dantooine, and Kavar is on Onderon."

Atton exhaled heavily. "And you're planning on traveling to all of those places, aren't you?"

"Yes, at least until I figure out what's killing Jedi and threatening the peace that we fought so hard to achieve."

"Well then, I'm coming with you."

Looking up in surprise, Meetra shook her head. "You don't have to…"

Offering another brilliant grin, Atton waved aside her objections. "Of course I don't! But I've got nowhere better to go and I probably still owe you for saving my ass back on Peragus."

"Did you say Onderon?" Carth seemed pensive, though there was anger in his voice.

"Yes."

"If you're going there, can you drop me off on Dxun? That's one of…"

"One of the planet's moons, I'm familiar." Meetra winced at the memory of driving back Mandalorians amidst the vines and mud. "But why would you want to go there? It's just a lot of unsettled jungle."

Carth's anger only increased. "I think an old friend is hiding out there, and I need to ask him a few questions."

Giving the captain a pointed look that was completely ignored, Atton muttered, "Well, that's pretty vague."

"It's fine, I was planning on heading to Onderon first anyway. Out of all the Masters listed, Kavar is the only one I used to call a friend."

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Carth nodded to Meetra. "Thank you."

Atton stretched and then turned towards the cockpit. "So, I take it we're setting a course for Dxun and Onderon?"

"Looks like it." Meetra tried to sound nonchalant about the choice, even as dread churned in her stomach.

"Fine." Striding down the hallway, Atton only paused long enough to ask, "But can we go to Nar Shadda next? I still need to teach you how to play Pazaak."

Author's Notes

Thank you for reading. Comments and constructive criticism are always appreciated!

You can find me on Twitter (ergo_maria) and Tumblr (ergomaria).

1. I find it odd that Battle Meditation became an available Force power in KOTOR II since it was such a major plot device in KOTOR. Thus, the version Meetra utilizes is much weaker than what Bastila can do.

2. In case it wasn't clear, the second shuttle was shot down by the Jedi academy's turret defense system, not HK units. I'm doing away with that side plot for a variety of reasons.

2. I know that Atris is described as "Human" in most sources, but the coloring that she was given makes me believe that the designers intended her to be at least part Echani.

3. Meetra and Atris's soured relationship was briefly mentioned in To the Life That Used to Be. In case it's not clear, there was something budding between them but the war ruined any chance for it to bloom. Their feelings were mutual despite Atris's current denial.

4. Vann/Revan's obliviousness towards attraction and relationships is alluded to in No Light without Shadows and To the Life. While he can be flirty when manipulating people, he's a fumbling mess in his personal life. Meetra mentions it here and it will come up a few more times.

5. In case it wasn't clear, Vann's crystal is the item that Meetra sensed on Carth earlier in the chapter. It's the same crystal found on Dantooine in No Light. I envision the pendant to look a lot like the "Jedi Crusader" pendant found in Luke's hut in The Last Jedi.