The Rogue Shadow dropped out of hyperspace to reveal N'Zoth III, an arid planet with sprawling grassy savannahs and massive deserts, populated by the Togruta. Small villages were scattered across the savannahs, with major cities laced intermittently across the planet. As the Rogue Shadow approached, cloaking shields activated, Revan gazed across the dockyard, scarred from the battle that had taken place over the planet.

"So that's what this is all about to Palpatine. A dockyard." Revan stated coldly.

Roth looked over at him, briefly shaking off the mysterious mood that had enveloped him since his return from assignment. "It makes sense. The dockyard is valuable. There's enough of a shortage for warships as is. It needs to be freed from the Separatists."

Revan shook his head and waved his hand over the planet. "And what about the people?"

Roth was silent for a moment, before responding, "I'm sure that the citizens are valuable to the Chancellor."

Revan was silent for a moment. "Possibly…I'm headed to the bridge."

Revan left the viewing platform and headed down a level, finding Ahsoka, Anakin, and Cyanna. "Master." The three simultaneously greeted.

Revan simply nodded and looked down at the planet. He asked, "Do we know where we are meeting Kataris 26?"

Anakin nodded. "About thirty clicks south of the capital city of Lessanna in a small village on the West Savannah. Their leaders name is Ric-Xana Reendorr. He used to be an extremist…now he is a freedom fighter. Interesting how that works."

Revan nodded. "And what of the Togruta inhabitants?"

Ahsoka keyed the sensors, checking the population centers and scanning for lifeforms. "Master, it looks like the population has been taken in large part to the cities. The droids must have rounded up the population. The rest of the planet looks…abandoned. The Separatists did a number on the planet. Population readings indicate only a quarter of the population is present…or alive."

Revan looked over at Anakin. "What's the plan, Skywalker?"

"Meet Kataris 26 and get Reendorr to help us take back the planet. Hopefully, we can free the cities and the people will rise up to fight. If that happens, we can get into the dockyard with little security."

Revan nodded. "A good plan. I'll be in my quarters."

With that, he turned around and headed back into the ship, leaving the three Jedi in the cockpit. Ahsoka turned to Anakin and said, "He's very mysterious, Master. He's guarded, keeps his walls up, like no one I have ever met."

Anakin responded, "Ahsoka, are you worried that he's hiding something?"

Ahsoka sighed and shook her head. "I don't know what I am worried of, Master. It's just…I can't shake this feeling that something elsewhere is stringing this along. Someone elusive. The dark side has clouded everything."

The Rogue Shadow swooped down into the atmosphere, avoiding tripping any sensors that were in place. They landed without a hitch. Almost the second the ship had set down, the ramp lowered, the ship discharging its five Jedi, along with Rex and Fives. Rex looked at his sensor and then gestured straight ahead of them. "The village should just be over the hill to the north."

Revan nodded and said, "Well then, let's not have the rebels wait any longer."

The group headed out, walking at a brisk pace. After a few minutes, they crossed the hill and were taking cover in the tree line. Anakin gestured for them to stop. He looked at Revan and said, "Master…something is off. I can't sense anything."

Revan reached out briefly and then nodded. "You're right. Move in carefully. It might be a trap."

With that, Revan signaled, all activated their weapons, and the two clones, along with Cyanna and Alex Roth, charged out, while Ahsoka, Anakin, and Revan vaulted out of the tree line and onto the top of the nearest hut in the village. What they saw shocked them. Over a hundred Togruta were on the ground, having been massacred, all clearly unarmed.

Revan walked amongst them, shock and anger in his expression. "These people…they were civilians. How could someone do something like this?"

Anakin shook his head in response as he walked among the dead, trying to identify what he could. He stopped near one of the older bodies, inspected for a moment, and then said, "It's Reendorr."

Ahsoka sat on the edge of the village, shocked. "Master…most of them are women and children."

Anakin felt rage boil up inside of him. "Those Separatist scum…I know Ahsoka."

Revan continued to inspect, trying to find what he could. He stopped near a blaster weapon that had fallen behind a crate, inspected for a moment, and then waved over to Rex. "Captain, come here for a moment."

Rex dutifully ran over. "What is it, sir?"

Revan held up the weapon. "This doesn't look like any weapon I've seen a droid use."

Rex inspected it for a moment before nodding in agreement. "You're right…this weapon isn't used by the tinnies."

"Then who is it used by?"

Rex waved Fives over, who observed the weapon for a moment before stating, "This looks like the rifle that is standard issue for Death Watch. But that doesn't make any sense…"

Revan racked his brain for a moment before he stumbled upon a brief bit of information that he had heard in his studies over the previous weeks. "Isn't that a Mandalorian terrorist organization?"

Rex nodded. "Yes, sir. They are fighting to bring about the glory of Mandalore, before they lost the mask and became a peaceful people."

Revan nodded. "I suppose it's my fault then. I'm the one who killed Mandalore and took the mask."

Rex coughed and said, "Yes, sir…they still teach about the Mass Shadow Generator and the final battle of the Mandalorian Wars on Malachor V in history on Kamino."

Alex Roth, the Jedi Exile, had wandered over and heard this. He nodded, his expression betraying nothing, and asked, "Indeed…what do they say?"

Fives and Rex looked at one another for a moment before Fives responded, "That it was a mistake."

Roth was quiet for a moment, but soon nodded in response. "They would be right."

Roth walked off and left Revan alone with the clones. Quiet and morbidly curious, Revan asked, "And what do they say about me? My tactics? My time on the battlefield?"

The clones once again looked at one another for a moment before Rex responded, "You were a great warrior. A great tactician. But…"

Revan nodded and gently prodded, "But…"

"The stories about Malachor V?"

"Yes, sir. You lost ten Republic soldiers for every Mandalorian you killed. The further you went on in the war, the more viscous the tactics. There was less and less of a difference between you and the horrors that you swore to fight against."

Revan was quiet for a moment, but soon nodded in agreement. "I may not have become a Lord of the Sith until I found the Emperor on Dromuund Kaas, but…my fall to the dark side began long before that. I will be the first to say that I walk a fine line between the light and the dark. I let my anger, my rage, my passion cloud my judgement. I fought to save the galaxy from the brutality of the Mandalorians. I lost myself in the war…and the galaxy paid the price."

Revan was quiet again, looking out over the innocent victims and feeling guilt, knowing that many scenes like this had occurred as a result of his actions as he had succumbed to the dark side.

Anakin had moved to the side, knowing that he needed to contact Coruscant about the latest development. He pulled out his commlink and immediately was transmitted to the capital, where the Chancellor and Padme were waiting on a report. "Chancellor. Senator. I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"What is it, my boy?"

"Reendorr and the rest of Kataris 26 have been executed. When we got here…everyone was gone. Nothing left except for the bodies."

Padme asked, "How many?"

Anakin shook his head and looked at the ground. "Over a hundred. Unarmed. Mostly women and children."

"Oh no…"

"It was a message. There's little chance of a rebellion now, especially with most of what's left of the population being held together in the major cities."

Palpatine shook his head. "Oh my…what a shame. This will make it far harder to free the secured dockyards."

Revan walked over and coldly said, "Chancellor, that dockyard is the least of our concerns."

The Chancellors eyes narrowed, as he said, "Master Jedi-"

Revan interrupted, saying, "We are going to free the people of this planet from whoever is holding them. THAT is our primary concern and mission. I hope that's clear…Chancellor."

With that, Revan waved his hand, disconnecting the holo transmission via the force. Anakin looked over at him. "Master, we didn't even tell them about Death Watch."

Revan nodded. "By design. Have Padme contact Satine. Meet with the pair in secret. I want as few people to know about this as possible."

"But why? What purpose does it serve?"

"Search your feelings, Anakin. Something is out of place and has been from the moment we received this mission. The amount of Jedi they sent for something as simple as a dockyard in the outer rim? Something is off, and until we know what, I'd say that keeping as few in the loop as possible is the best course of strategy."

"As you wish, Master."

Revan walked over to a hut on the far side of the village, inspecting all corners of the small area, when he heard a soft whimper. He turned his head and saw a brief flash of green. Curious, he walked inside. The small hut's roof had caved in, leaving a beam of light through the center of the hut. It was there, nestled in a corner, curled up in a ball, shaking and scared, was a small Togruta child. She was obviously very young, most likely only about six, but she clearly knew to fear humans. "That means it was Death Watch…"

Revan slowly reached for her, but she jerked away ever further, attempting to hide. Revan slowly smiled and moved, talking low in a soothing voice. "Okay…okay, I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."

The child still didn't come, and by looking at her eyes, Revan could tell that she most likely did not understand basic. He slowly grabbed a ration from his utility belt and handed to the young girl, who looked half starved. She slowly took it, turned away, checked it, and then swallowed it down as fast as she could. Once doing so, she slowly turned back around, her trust seemingly slowly placed in Revan. Revan pointed to himself and said, "I'm…Revan. You are…"

She pointed back at Revan and said, "Daltvha."

"No…Revan."

"Daltvha."

Revan smiled again and nodded. "Okay…Daltvha."

He slowly offered her his hand, which she stared at for a moment, before taking and walking. The two walked outside, but the girl immediately began to cry. Revan looked down and saw the girl holding onto a doll that she had picked up…from the hand of a woman just outside of the house. Revan looked down at the body of her and a male Togruta right next to her, which caused it to click. "Her parents were killed by Death Watch."

He crouched down to his knees and rubbed the young ones back soothingly, not entirely sure what to say. He knew what to say to a soldier who had lost someone in combat, to a Jedi who lost one of their brethren, but to a child? How were you to comfort a child who had lost all she had ever known?

Anakin and Ahsoka stood back, watching Revan interact with the child from afar. "He seems nice enough." Ahsoka remarked.

Anakin chuckled. "Wait till you see him fight. I don't think that you'll maintain that image."

After a few more moments of watching over her the two dead Togruta, the young girl turned around and hugged Revan. Revan held her in silence for a minute before slowly standing up, taking her hand, and leading her to Rex. After a few words were whispered between the two, Rex uncomfortably took the girl and began leading her away from the wreckage that was once her home. Revan strode over to the two Jedi and quietly asked, "Who runs Death Watch?"

Anakin responded, "Pre Vizsla. He was a high ranking member of the Mandalorian government, but all the while was running Death Watch. He eventually revealed himself after the Republic invaded Mandalore, but after his ruse and subsequent coup fell apart, he and the rest of his mercenaries fled to deep space. We haven't seen them since."

Ahsoka looked over at the village and sadly remarked, "Until now."

After a few moments of silence, Anakin asked, "What's the plan, Master?"

Revan ran his hands along his face, his expression terse with thought. After several moments, he responded, "I don't think that we can ignite a revolution. Without Kataris 26 and with the cruelty this occupation force has shown, I don't think that we can raise up the people."

"So where does that leave us?"

"Great question. Ahsoka, can you pull up the position of the Separatist fleet and the station relative to the planet?"

Ahsoka nodded and seconds later, a hologram appeared, showing the planet, target space station, and the Separatist fleet that orbited the planet. Revan studied it for a moment and then asked, "How are these droids controlled?"

Ahsoka answered, "Well...they charge within the defense structures that the Seps have rigged up in the middle of the cities, and the droid control ships transmit from just outside of the upper atmosphere."

Revan nodded. "So there's no way to disable the droids without attacking a defensive structure in the middle of a city or knocking a droid control ship out of the atmosphere?"

Ahsoka shrugged. "Sorry, Master. I don't think so."

Revan looked over at Anakin. "What do you think, Skywalker?"

"Well...we'd need a fleet to take back the space station and a ground force to take back the planet...so let's get a fleet."

"Do you think that you can get Admiral Yularen to commit a strike fleet?"

Anakin pondered for a moment and then nodded. "More than likely, but we would need a couple of days."

Revan pondered that for a moment. "...What if the Mandalorians were invading? Joining with the Separatists?"

"Well, the Senate would definitely take action swiftly. But how does that help us..." Anakin's voice trailed off.

"...You want to use Death Watch to make it appear as if the Mandalorians have sided against the Republic?"

Revan nodded. "Precisely."

"The Separatists tried that already. Do you really think that the Senate would fall for that again?"

Revan responded darkly, "You would be amazed how easily politicians believe rumors if you push the right buttons."

Ahsoka, who had remained silent during most of the strategizing, remarked, "Master, putting a planet in peril for the sake of another doesn't seem like the right decision."

Revan scoffed. "Ahsoka, the Chancellor and the other politicians wouldn't strike an enemy if the Jedi held them hostage with lightsabers at the ready. No, they have to see for themselves, have proof beyond the shadow of a doubt, debate and debate and then debate some more, all while warriors suffer and die on the battlefield..."

Revan's voice had risen and his tone grown sharp, so he paused for a minute, calmed himself, and continued, "...which is what I am counting on. What they WILL do is send a force to investigate, and with a little persuasion, I'm sure your master can get us a strike fleet. Once we have that, we can free the people. After that...I'll go to the Senate and tell them that it was a ruse."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Don't forget the Council and the Chancellor."

Revan nodded. "True. Not the most fun day, but in the end it will be worth it."

"I don't get it Master. I'm all for helping out this planet, but doesn't this seem risky?"

Revan nodded his agreement. "You're right, Ahsoka, it is risky...but these people deserve our help. And if the politicians won't help, and we know that they won't, then it's our responsibility to do whatever we can."

Revan put his hand on Anakin and Ahsoka's shoulders and quietly said, "Don't forget, we are keepers of the peace. Too often in war, that is forgotten. It's our job to bring peace to the galaxy...and to stand up for those who cannot do so themselves."

Rex and Fives walked up behind the Jedi and coughed uncomfortably, indicating that they were present. Anakin nodded and asked, "What is it, Rex?"

"Sir, we have tinnies on our scanners, coming in fast."

Anakin nodded. "We need to get moving. Have they seen us?"

"Negative. It appears that they are on a routine patrol."

Revan said, "We need to split up. We're too large of a group."

Fives nodded. "I agree, sir."

Revan pondered for a moment, planning a course of action and then springing forward. "Alright then. Roth and Fives, approach the capital city from the North. Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rex, head into the city from the east. Cyanna and I will take the youngling and approach the city from the South. Gather what intel you can and meet at the Royal Square at dusk tomorrow."

All nodded and split into their respective groups, soon disappearing into the brown undergrowth.

Revan carried the youngling on his back for miles, trekking on, showing no signs of distress, a trait that he and Cyanna did not share. By the time that darkness had fallen and Revan decided to set up camp, Cyanna was drenched in sweat and bending over her knees, breathing heavily. Revan found and ideal clearing to camp in and slowly set the youngling, who was falling asleep, in the deep grass and casually remarked, "If you breathe a little louder, the droids will be able to escort you to a nice comfortable cell."

Cyanna rolled her eyes and responded, "Gee, thanks, Master." Revan walked over and motioned for her to sit down and put her feet up. Taking a knee, Revan pulled her boots off and began to inspect her feet. Confused, she remarked, "Uh, Master..."

"Lose the feet, lose the battle. That's what one of the Republic soldiers I served with used to say."

After inspecting her feet and ankles for a minute, Revan said, "Drink some water from that creek. Sleep with your boots off. Catch a little bit of shut eye here soon. I'll take first watch."

Cyanna nodded, went over to the creek, drank, and then settled down on the grass, using her rucksack as a pillow. She, along with the youngling, soon drifted off, leaving Revan alone, something that he had grown far too familiar with.

Anakin and Ahsoka bedded down, with Rex volunteering to take first watch. While Ahsoka fell asleep quickly, exhausted from the day's journey, Anakin laid on his back, staring up at the stars, memories rushing through his vision.

"Look at the stars. There's so many! Do they all have a system of planets?"

Qui-Gon chuckled. "Most of them."

"Has anyone seen them all?"

"Not likely."

"I'm going to be the first one to see them all."

He stood with his mother as he was about to leave her for the last time, saying, "I don't want things to change."

"You can't stop the change anymore than you can stop the suns from setting."

"Will I ever see you again?"

"What does your heart tell you?"

"I hope so...yes...I guess..."

"Then we will see each other again."

Schmi wrapped her only son in a tight embrace, not knowing that it would be the last time she would ever do so. He whispered, "I will come back and free you, Mom. I promise..."

Anakin sank to his knees at his mother's grave. "I wasn't strong enough to save you, Mom. I wasn't strong enough. But I promise...I won't fail again."

Anakin closed his eyes and turned over, but not before his padawan slipped a glance and caught the streams of tears flowing down his face. In that moment, more so than ever before, Anakin felt alone.