Note: I am sorry for worrying you guys. I've received a lot of PM's and reviews and guest reviews worrying about where I stand. So on a quick note I'll elaborate whats been going on.

1. There has been some Department of Labor investigations at my work over payroll. A lot of us have been underpaid severely (to the point I've had to cut corners on food, but not too much. I am smart on how to get deals and make it go a mile.) and it has been a major concern to me that with the raises we were getting, by law, that the company would make do by firing us. That has wrapped up only the last week and I am glad to say I won't have to move or find another job.

2. Due to working at an international airport I was exposed to something over the spring that sent me to the hospital, two ambulances, and severely sick off and on for a month. Including an ambulance for a nose bleed (I blame genetics!) so bad I basically walked into Burger King looking like a zombie from the Walking Dead. Just blood all over me and pouring down my face. In hindsight the look of terror on everyone's face as I casually walked through the fast food lobby covered in blood was hilarious. Next we have insurance companies, which is always a blast.

3. Birthdays. Celebrations. Trips to visit family.

4. Internet broke here, so I've had 3 technicians over in the last two weeks. I now have a new router, modem, all curtesy of my ISP. They even redid every bit of wire going through the house, out the wall, and underground. Because a tree that missed my wall in a Cat4 hurricane missed my apartment by, I kid you not, centimetres. Repairs to the apartment still won't be for months as 50%~ of the city is homeless after the hurricane for the last bunch of months and the rest have damage. Still an ongoing thing. And the hurricane was in August.

5. Tired…

6. What little time I put into writing has been on "A Kingdom of Power, of Courage, and of Wisdom." I highly recommend reading that story as I am putting real effort into making it a polished epic. I put my full talent on display in that story. Not that I don't with "Path of" either, but I feel I have grown substantially as a writer over time and that growth is very evident in Kingdom. So if you like me as a writer, if you like Path, give Kingdom a try. I don't hold back on drama, death, and bad shit like child abuse and demon worship, but I also balance it out with real love, friendship, humor, crazy people, and tea addiction (wha?). I have a follower-turned editor who helps me keep it be smooth, structured, polished (something I have never bothered with in Path.) and keep my plot-lines straight. (Because my mind is a jumbled mess in its natural state xD) So when I am fully done with Path, that story will be my focus.

7. I did actually write another chapter for Path, but lo and behold IT DIDN'T SAVE! Because reasons! That depressed me and I haven't been able to touch Path for a little while.

8. This has gotten much longer than I originally thought, but screw it. These things have been things to deal with lately.

9. New development! Computer broke! Had to recover this chapter AGAIN for my phone and write it THERE! The universe is conspiring to stop this chapter.

Episode 7 - Spark of Hope Part 1

Scourge kicked the hovercar into a higher gear and flew into a higher road. After hitting a button, a screen stretched over them to form a roof and to shield them from a rain. Ahsoka and Cahjinawl shivered in the backseat. The droid shook its head and water dripped from its sockets.

"I am not designed for aquatic atmosphere." The droid complained.

"Adapt."

"I am not designed to adapt!"

"You're not designed for a lot of things, clearly." Scourge commented.

The Sith Lord glanced back at this 'prisoners'. The younger alien seemed to do well. Most of her attention was rather on the older one, the Jedi. Ahsoka Tano Wynn did not seem to be handling it well. The Jedi shivered furiously, her eyes closed as if in pain. Her head-tentacle things (Scourge had no idea what to call them) shook frantically.

"You going to die back there?" Scourge asked.

"No." Ahsoka answered. She groaned, put fingers to her temples, and massaged her head while breathing slowly in and out like she was in pain. "The Dark Side... so strong. It is overwhelming here."

"Hm." He hummed without comment. He was used to it. He was born and raised in it. He understood why she was feeling it, the Emperor had been here for centuries and his presence overshadowed everything; but she would get over it. Just because he was grateful and wanted to keep her alive, didn't mean he had to lower himself as to be gentle and invite weakness.

He continued to drive for nearly an hour before he stopped at a concealed parking ramp and swapped (stole) a vehicle and speeding away again. Before they left he used his lightsaber to cut open the hood of the hovercar, reached in, and forcefully pulled out a circuit. Then he ignited lightning on his fingers enough to send signals up the wire, and the hovercar started.

"Looks like stealing cars is the same here as anywhere else." Cahjinawl observed from behind a window.

Scourge glanced to her. It was odd how casual she was about it. "Without this board, they can't track us. We cannot pass checkpoints without it, but we will make do." He stomped it into the ground, entered the hovercar, and they drove away.

After a short time of various twist and turns, with no real destination in mind, Scourge stopped again.

Scourge hit a button, and the steering stick moved to the otherside. "Droid, drive."

"I'm a pilot, not a driver!"

"You aren't a lot of things, yet here you are. Now do it."

"I don't have the necessary protocols and laws registered! I don't-" Scourge lighted up his lightsaber in front of the droid's face, making everyone jump. The droid looked at the plasma blade, and turning to the front, took hold of it.

"Let us get one thing straight." Scourge said. "If I say it. You do it. Fail to do so, and either I will kill you where you stand, or I will leave you behind and I promise you, you will not last minutes without me. Valkorian has already sent his men after us."

"How do you figure that?" Cahjinawl asked.

"We have circled twice, and the hovercar we stole from the base is destroyed in an explosion." Scourge stated grimly.

"Oh..." Cahjinawl deflated. She looked worriedly at Ahsoka, who despite the pain was listening and saw the gravity of the situation.

"Then what are we going to do? We can't just stay." Ahsoka said.

"Don't have a choice but to stay. This is where my resistance is. I was a ghoul under Valkorian's control, but it is still my resistance. I need only rebuild it from the bottom up. It will be the only place safe... for now."

"For now?"

"Make no mistake, we are on borrowed time. Valkorian's end-game is now in motion. And if he succeeds... there will be nothing left. He will undo all of creation."

"That's bad." Cahjinawl said.

Scourge glanced back. He looked between them. "Your apprentice has a thing for understatement, exaggeration, and sarcasm, doesn't it?"

"She!" Cahjinawl exclaimed.

Ahsoka smiled, "She's a teenager. They do that."

"Hm." Scourge hummed. He looked ahead again. "Be wary of your tongue, 'teenager'. Such behavior is not tolerated here unless you have the power to back up insolence and demand respect and fear."

Nothing more was said as the droid drove them far into the city. Scourge guided it away from checkpoints and they made stops so he may steal something for their survival, whether it be clothes or food. He stole a communication device, and using it, called up a person, spoke long and harshly in the language of the Sith, and threw the device out into the winds.

"Why do you seem sad?" Ahsoka observed. In making the call, she noticed his mood had fallen far.

"A number of my men are also ghouls of Valkorian." He explained. "They were once the most loyal of men to my cause, and in gaining my favor, they only were given over to Valkorian that their minds and soul would be taken. It is no small thing to order their deaths..."

"Could we not have cured them like we cured you?" Cahjinawl asked.

"Doubtful." Ahsoka murmured. "The moment we cut the bond between Valkorian and Scourge, he would know it. If we try and do the same to more, he will be prepared. It is a trick we cannot use again."

"The Jedi is correct. You have caught him off guard in doing it to me. He would not have known it would be possible for any to do it, but now he will know it can be done, and will have adapted." Scourge agreed. "Besides, I was only a half-ghoul. A full ghoul is held much tighter."

"What is the difference? Why were you only a half one?"

"How deep the control is and how complete. As well as the method to accomplish it. Half-ghouls are not difficult for one of great talent. It is a battle of wills where the winner claims dominance. But a full-ghoul takes effort and special circumstances, even for one as Valkorian." He hesitated a moment. "To create a full-ghoul, you must take the life of the prisoner. Then you must take the life of one the prisoner is close to, a loved one, through the Force... and take that life and place their very soul in the place of the prisoner. So that the foreign soul becomes the beating heart of the one who becomes, for all extents and purposes, in a state of undeath. Neither alive nor dead. In this state, if the ghoul succeeds in freeing himself, he only seperates his beating heart from the soul not meant for him, and returns to death."

The girls stared at him, equally wide-eyed. Ahsoka had heard of ghouls as the darkest part of Sith power, in a direction so vile even normal Sith wouldn't touch it. It was not about power, but about dominance. Cahjinawl hadn't heard of it at all.

"Among my people it is taboo to create ghouls. Sith Lords are known to make half-ghouls at times, but a full-ghoul..." Scourge shook his head. "That is left to the Emperor. It has a dark sacredness to it."

Ahsoka found her voice, even though she felt like vomiting. Her stomach hurt something fierce. "A-and I assume you were not made a full-ghoul, as you have no one you care for. It is a vulnerability you discard. So it is difficult to make full-ghouls in a culture where family and love are looked down upon."

"That is... that is right." Scourge nodded, surprised she came to such a conclusion.

Ahsoka looked out the window into the eternal rain and night of the Sith Empire's capital. She saw the towering peaks like razor sharp teeth and the dark depths touch upon a heated core. In many ways this place reminded her of Coruscant. Yet at the same time it was the furthest thing from what she remembered.

She feared this place. The Emperor was like a great eye watching over her, as his presence had an immortal presence over the land as much as these dark clouds and eternal rain he formed. The rain was not natural. She felt the Dark Side even in the weather… The Emperor used his power to form them. The entire ecosystem turned to his will. The ground sat in silent submission. The fog reached out like his hands, grasping, touching, knowing where all things were hidden.

She didn't know how long she could last here, and she feared what the answer would be. If she, or Varus, as she sensed he was still alive somewhere, were ever caught… how easily could the Emperor form her or him into a full-ghoul? What about Cahjinawl? Ahsoka adored the girl. The girl was practically the same as she was while in Skyguy's tutelage, a little before she met Varus.

She closed her eyes. Her hands shook. She couldn't bear the thought of being caught… of being an instrument against Varus, or against Skyguy, or against his kids or Padme or Cahjinawl or her child or… or child. Ahsoka clenched her fists. There it was. She was pregnant. She knew it. She didn't want to, especially now, but she couldn't just ignore the unusual spark of life sitting in her anymore hoping it was just her imagination. The spark that had lit up in conception. All because she missed Varus and wanted to be with him as a wife and woman for a brief time in the middle of a war. A mistake? Ahsoka didn't know, but she would be damned if she just did nothing. She dreaded most of all the idea of losing yet another life, among many. This was the farthest she had ever seen that spark of life endure. If it would fight, so would she.

"What do we do?" Ahsoka asked.

"Nothing." Scourge answered. "I will take care of everything. You know next to nothing about our culture, only the barest of surface material. It is my rebellion."

"And what do we do?" Ahsoka asked again. "What can the apprentice and I do to help, or at the very least, make this easier."

"Something you won't agree to."

"Try me."

Scourge did not say anything at first. He sighed. "You resonate in the Light side. Because of this you are easy to find and sense. If you can diminish it somehow, then-" Scourge stopped. He blinked in surprise. He didn't sense Ahsoka Tano at all. The sensation of Light Side was gone. This… this could not be right, he thought. Slowly he turned around in his seat and looked back.

Ahsoka looked back unwaveringly with the yellowish-red eyes of a Sith. Small sparks of electricity flickered from her fingertips.

"Electricity?" Cahjinawl asked in wonder. "You can use it?"

Ahsoka smirked, "My first master used it, within the Light. My husband uses it, within the Dark. What made you think I never could?"

-Varus-

A brief flash of light lit up in an alleyway. A body fell, dead, before being dragged into the shadows. Out of the shadows a man walked in a mixture of armor pieces covering his body, a cloaked hood, and a freshly adorned mask.

Falon gulped. He had never seen Varus so… silent, so lethal. Varus had been different back on the planet, but now wearing the ensemble of scavanged armor off different Sith Varus had killed, silently, instantly, with no effort. Varus had become something inhuman, terrifying.

"We good now?" Falon asked.

Varus walked by him into the street. The other soldiers in their group, also with stolen trooper armor, shared a glance between each other. Falon could sense their growing trepedation of working with him. Varus hadn't said a word since they left the skyscraper.

Falon rushed up to Varus and tried to lead the way as they passed through. The civilians scattered on seeing them and other groups of soldiers and Sith gave respectful nods.

They entered what amounted to a bar and paid for basic drinks and food items with blood money. Varus didn't remove his mask until the drinks were provided, and even then, Falon felt his real face had become a mask of its own. Still, emotionless, and focused.

A stir drew Falon's attention. A lot of people were looking at screens now.

"What is showing on the screens?" Falon asked.

"Valkorian." The trooper captain whispered. "It's an announcement."

Falon clenched his fists. He didn't understand a word the Emperor was saying, but he could imagine it wasn't good.

"It's a presentation." Varus said, darkly.

"You understand him?" Falon asked.

Varus nodded. "He says he claimed a great victory against the enemy. The rebels united with the invaders, and he, alone, defeated us all. Now he is calling for the counter-offensive to begin. An offensive lead by… Darth Gemaal. Valkorian is presenting him to the camera." Varus narrowed his eyes.

"Ah, do we know this guy?" Falon asked.

"No. I have no intel on him. That is worrying, we have the intel on every major Sith Lord, every Darth, every member of the Dark Council. I have never heard the name Gemaal before nor seen that armor before." Varus looked around, studying the crowd. "The other Sith at that table are equally surprised, they are demanding to know who Gemaal is, quite loudly might I add."

The trooper captain sighed. "This war is not going as we expected… It was too easy. We all knew it, but we never expected to fight… a god!"

"He is not a god." Falon whispered, being careful no one was paying attention in the very loud room. "We will defeat him. Things have taken a turn, but we will manage. We must! We are in a perfect position to hurt the Sith where it hurts. We need to buy the galactic offensive time to regroup. If this guy is leading the counter-offensive, then we have our major target." Falon looked in Varus' direction. Despite his blind state, it was a way he knew people would take to mean he was directing his attention to them. "Think you can manage it?"

Varus didn't say a word. He put the mask on, leaned back, and roped his arms together.

Falon sighed. Varus was going to be a headache and a half. "Well, first we need to find Scourge, Ahsoka Tano, and Cahjinawl. We can figure out what we are going to do from there."

Falon left a tip on the table, and they stood up to leave. As they left, Varus momentarily stopped to take one last look at the screens. He memorized Darth Gemaal's black mask. It was black, intimidating, and fearsome as a skull. Every inch of Gemaal was armored power suit, from his boots to his gauntlets. Something felt... familiar. Was this a new host to Nihilus? The way Gemaal felt in the Force was eerily similar.

More than that, Varus sensed within the force that Gemaal was powerful. More powerful than any Sith Varus had ever felt short of the Emperor. This was a Sith Lord even stronger than Son, than Nihilus, than himself. Varus did not know where Valkorian had coughed this one up, but this was the sign that the war had taken a new shape and a new path, one directed by Gemaal.

Varus followed after them. Whatever emotion he might have felt regarding Gemaal, or the familiarity, he left behind. He had only cold raw logic to hold him together. Only singular thoughts, objectives, sustained him. Find Scourge. Ensure Ahsoka and Squirt's safety. Search the Empire for a way to defeat that which is not mortal, not physical, not bound by the laws of creation.

And then finally, the goal he had been dreaming of for twenty years. Kill Nihilus.

-Obi-Wan-

"Gemaal. So this is the Emperor's new champion." Mandalore mused.

His body was covered in bandages, but damn if anyone could keep the man down.

"Seems so. This talk of a counter-offensive makes me think he has been purposefully holding his forces back all this time." Kenobi mused. "But who is this Gemaal? We have no intel on him."

"Doesn't matter." Revan said.

Koj raised an eyebrow and shared a glance with Obi-Wan. Silently he conveyed disagreement with Revan's council. Obi-Wan agreed. It did matter. They needed information on Gemaal to properly fight him.

Revan continued, "What matters is that we regroup. Whether it be Scourge, Gemaal, or the Dread Lords, or even the Emperor himself, we can't fight properly without our scattered forces consolidated into a fighting force once more."

"True enough." Mandalore agreed.

Obi-Wan agreed as well, but something about how abrubtly Revan stepped in felt… odd.

"Once our forces are gathered, properly, we will return to our offensive. This time lead by Revan." Mandalore said.

"What?!" Obi-Wan asked, stunned.

"Revan knows more about how to fight the Empire than any of us." Mandalore argued. "Also, he was the greatest tactician of his age. It wasn't all that long ago that he fought Mandalorian Wars, the Jedi Civil War, and now has been silently leading a rebellion against the Empire all these years." Mandalore stood to his feet. "I can think of no better man for the job." He extended his hand.

Revan smiled, reached out, and took it.

Obi-Wan frowned, as did Koj. Obi-Wan, again, could not argue with the decision. It made sense, perfect, reasonable sense. But he couldn't dismiss the feeling in the Force…

-Gemaal-

"All things considered, not a bad reception." Valkorian reflected. "You were quiet, but then it will take time for you to settle into your circumstances."

Gemaal and Valkorian walked. Following the announcement, Valkorian took his 'champion' away to an undisclosed system deep in the Empire. His private shuttle was quick, so after a brief meditation they were already there.

"Many will talk about how suddenly you are presenting me to them." Gemaal said. "Your followers may find this change in command difficult."

"If they wish to complain, let them. Their words are meaningless, merely their obedience and faith to me is important. If they disobey, if they stand in your way, then naturally do as you must to remove them. Any who stand against you, stands against me."

"Understood." Gemaal nodded.

"I really should thank you." Valkorian chuckled. "I had almost given up hope in my ascension before you came along."

"You give me too much credit."

"Not at all." Valkorian waved it aside. "Accept the credit, my friend."

"You honor me… but may I ask, what is it I did?"

"Ah! All in good time." Valkorian smiled. "As a reward for your efforts, and what you have given me, I have brought you here, so you may comprehend, so you may understand. It will be crucial to your war effort that you grasp the entirity of what it seeks to accomplish. To understand the game, you must know the end-game."

Gemaal accepted the words of his Emperor. Silently they walked the halls of the ship, with Valkorian leading the way. Whatever it was Valkorian wished to show him, it must be a great surprise, because every window was darkened so that he would not be able to see out.

"What is it you wish to show me?" Gemaal asked. "A great fleet? A special ship to outdo even the great Ravager?"

Valkorian laughed. "Curious aren't we? A moment longer. I am taking you to an observation deck."

They entered the observation deck. Valkorian told everyone to leave. Once they were alone and the doors were shut, Valkorian said, "Tell me, Gemaal, do you remember the Tho Yor?"

"Relics of the ancient Je'daii. Seven in total. Centers of the Force, moved by the Force. The Infinite Empire seeked to take them, and created Star Forges."

"Very good." Valkorian nodded. "The reason I must thank you is because you found one. I have not been lax these past centuries. Though it has been with great care not to be caught, while my Empire built itself, I also saught other methods. I dabbled with the thought of weaponizing the Rakghoul plague. Darth Karness Muur did so well in making it, and I knew I could do better, but it lacks... something. It would succeed in bringing about my revenge, but it wouldn't bring me any closer to my main goal. A goal I believe that can only be completed by the Tho Yors. So I have been searching for the Tho Yor, for what remains of the Star Forges. It has taken a very long time, but thanks to you, we are now one step closer to completion."

"I know you possessed one already you passed to Revan. How many have you found? Two? Three?" Gemaal guessed.

Valkorian grinned. "Unveil the window." He ordered.

A panel over the window rose to reveal the system beyond. Gemaal walked to the edge of the glass and looked out. What he saw took his breath away.

"Ten?!" Gemaal gasped.

In the distance orbiting around a star were no less than ten massive space stations.

"Five Tho Yors, and five respective Star Forges." Valkorian corrected. "I will allow the enemy to hold onto one Star Forge, for now. It will give them a great boon to continue the fight until I am ready."

"I don't understand... you control it? But HK-47 controls it."

"And who controls that droid?" Valkorian wondered.

"Revan."

"Precisely." Valkorian grinned. "I knew giving Revan a Star Forge to weaken the Republic with would be a risk, but safeguards were not difficult to place. He thought himself resisting me in giving his droid the order to one day take over it. Revan was a brilliant man, thinking ten steps ahead. He never expected to be competing with one who had already planned a hundred. He hid the Star Forge so I would never find it. And he succeeded for a time. My old friend, Plageus, hid a Tho Yor, so I would never find it, and he succeeded... until you came along."

"You know of it because I found it." Gemaal concluded. "I wouldn't have been able to find Plageus if we hadn't found Revan's Star Forge... And we wouldn't have found that were it not for Anakin's apprentice coming across a relic of Revan's memories. Memories that led us there."

"I never would have imagined such a coincidence to start in such a fashion, but that is precisely why I am grateful to you. I would still be searching, and perhaps unprepared for my empires to wage a full scale war. You and I would not be standing here were it not for you. Everything you have done has lead you here to me, and to my betterment."

Gemaal stood in silence, gazing out at the space stations. Inside, he was in conflict. The ever dimishing remains of what was Anakin railed madly against the cage, partially fueled by sudden despair and guilt. However with each ounce of energy and effort he put into resisting, the binding around him only became tighter until at last he quieted down, and the cage had shrunk in the process.

Gemaal said, "I am honored to have played such a role in your ascension, my lord."

Valkorian smirked, "I am glad you feel so."

"I presume you seek to reclaim the other Tho Yors?"

"That is correct. Now you understand at part. Your war is to be a distraction. Meanwhile we will fight a war in two other directions. We will reclaim the last two Tho Yor... and then the ascension will be at hand."

"How will the Tho Yor bring you victory, though?"

Valkorian continued to smirk, "Because my war is not physical, but within the Force. You cannot fight a war without guns. They will be my guns."

-Two Days Later-

-Falon-

Falon sat crouched on a metal beam under a bridge. He shook himself. The endless rain was proving an annoyance, but at least now they were out of it. He inched his way forward towards his companion. Varus sat on the metal beam leisurly, one leg out over the edge. One would think he was enjoying himself and enjoying the sights were it not for the ever-present mask, armor, and heavy silent mood.

"Three minutes." Falon informed him. Falon sat down by him and sighed. "You ready?" Silence. "Let's limit the number of bodies this time, yes? I don't care to be chased by military speeders because you left a pile of bodies in the ranking officer's room."

"No witnesses." Varus answered. His voice was abnormally deep from lack of use.

"There are ways of leaving 'no witnesses' then cutting down everything between point A and point B."

"I didn't. I was careful. The Sith Lord had bodyguards with him." Varus explained in short, curt sentences.

"Well, this guy most likely will too, so lets just be careful. One minute."

"If you are so insistent, then I will leave you the soldiers to deal with."

"Works for me." Falon nodded. "Thirty seconds."

The bridge started to shake furiously and a great noise grew progressively louder with each second.

Varus rose, snapped out lightning claws, leaped up, grabbed hold of the underside of the bridge, and climbed his way up.

Falon took a deep breath and used his time-sight. He checked a thousand ways of handling the next few seconds. He was not an expert climber, so many times he attempted he fell. But there was one time-line where he saw he made it... with a certain flare that would be amusing.

Falon grinned, stood, and braced himself. With barely a second left to go, he threw a rock up, leaped as high as he could, brought his arms to his side, his legs together, and turned sharply sideways. He made it up through the bottom of the bridge's cracks.

The train window enveloped him like a tube he neatly fit into a fraction of a second after the rock shattered said window.

Falon rolled across the ground, stopped and stood, and grinned at the stunned men inside. "Karma train, now boarding."

A few pull out blasters and aim at him. He put up his hands. "Hey now, guys! You are going to break up my train of thought."

"Oh. my. gawd. Leave the jokes to me!" Varus yelled from above.

Several turned their blasters up to the ceiling. Before they could fire, Falon force-pushed the seats into them, knocking them down and pinning down the rest. Falon ran through the train to the next tram. Above him he heard Varus's quick steps.

The next tram was full of boxes. Falon Force-threw one into the door, breaking it down enough for him to leap into without breaking stride. Someone hit an alarm, more blasters pointed to meet him, and the fighting truly started. Falon knocked aside blaster bolts with his lightsaber while using the Force to knock down the soldiers without killing them.

He wasn't entirely sure where, but the target was probably further ahead on the train. Falon extended his Miraluka sight as he took a moment to hide behind cover. More and more soldiers entered the tram he was in and started firing at him. Falon pulled a door off the hinges and used it for cover.

"Varus, two trams ahead is the Sith Lord and what looks like two apprentices." Falon spoke into the comm. He sensed Varus was ontop of the same tram. The train made a massive turn, forcing Varus to stop running and hold on.

"Noted."

"May the Force be with you."

Varus cut off the comm.

Lightning flashed around the train as it sped through the darkness. The rain made it slippery and the high-speed made it nearly impossible to not be thrown off as it was. Tall skyscrapers loomed around them and below was a great fall.

It was nothing Varus hadn't dealt with before, but there were a few things holding him back. First was Falon's insistence not to kill any but the main target. Varus could agree with it under normal circumstances, but this was war. Varus was all up for taking prisoners when possible, but Sith were particurally difficult to take as prisoners. Drugs and nets and handcuffs didn't work very well. They had a thing for never surrendering even when threatened and defeated.

Second reason, as Varus peaked out from where he hid, was a blasted sniper. He didn't know where the bastard was, but this guy was good. Almost too good.

Oh well, he could deal with that.

Varus leaped over the side of the train, grabbed a hold of the side, and with his lightning-claws held himself to the side and let himself slide. His claws tore into the side of the train, but he was able to stay on until the next tram.

Varus leaped ontop, ducked a sniper bolt that came too close for comfort, and ignited a lightsaber. On the next tram a top panel opened and out climbed a Sith. The Sith struggled at first, but ignited a lightsaber after bracing himself. Or rather herself. Meh, Varus wasn't sexist. He would deal with her as much as everyone else.

The Sith Lord himself climbed ontop and looked at him.

"I don't recognize you." The Sith Lord said.

Varus narrowed his eyes, twisted his head to the side as a sniper bolt flew by his head again, and lifted his feet. He flew through the air as the train moved under him and extending his foot again kicked the woman in the chest hard enough to throw her back pretty far.

The Sith Lord brought his lightsaber down on Varus, and they fought.

The Sith Lord was strong, as strong as Varus remembered, but he couldn't stop. He couldn't rely on others. If he failed, he had no backup.

The woman leaped across the gap back onto the tram with them. Varus Force-pulled one lightsaber off of her own belt and ignited it in his other hand. Now pinned between the two of them, Varus found himself on the back end. He expected the woman to be decent, for a Sith apprentice, but she proved to be far stronger in the Force than Varus expected. In terms of skill, she was equal to the Sith Lord, not his lesser.

Varus cut his lightsaber up the Sith Lord's chest, but left his side exposed in the process. He sensed it coming, but even while trying to dodge, the sniper bolt still hit him in the gut.

Varus hissed painfully. The armor absorbed it enough to not be dangerous, but it still burned. He would be having a bruise for a while. As if that wasn't bad enough, the Sith Lord's wounds started to heal.

What was with these Sith and immortality?!

The woman sparked Sith lightning in her hands and slapped it down onto the metal roof of the tram. The electric ripple hit them, but Varus grinned. It did nothing to him. Surprised, both Sith hesitated. Varus leaped onto the Sith Lord while he was recovering, planted both lightsabers into the man's chest, kicked back off of him, and snapped out his lightning claws.

Seeing the claws, the woman stepped back. Varus sensed a great deal of fear and surprise from her.

The Sith Lord groaned painfully, turned off the lightsabers plunged into his chest, and cast them aside. He said, "Stay back... I'll deal with this."

Varus slid across the ground and swiped at his legs. He cut the man in the thighs, forcing him to fall to his knees. The Sith Lord tried to grab him, but Varus was too quick. There was limited space, but there was also nothing he could use to squish him against a wall.

The man tried to rush him, but Varus jumped off the edge of the train, grabbed hold of the edge, and kicked his way into the inside of it.

The Sith Lord dropped down into the tram.

"Put down the hands... claws. whatever." The Sith Lord ordered.

"Yeah, how about 'no' with a side-dish of 'kiss it'. My counter-offer is this: tell me where they are and I won't take your head along with the other Sith Lords." Varus replied.

Behind him Falon entered the tram, an array of hovering blasters following him.

The Sith Lord looked at Varus like he had grown a second head.

Varus took a step forward, intending to blast an absolute crap-ton of electricity into the metal train, but his limbs suddenly went numb instead and his face met the deck.

"Sorry, man." Was the last thing he heard.

Varus woke up tied to one of the train benches. In front of him was the Sith Lord bastard, behind the Sith Lord was the sith woman, still in her armor, and standing next to him was Falon. On another bench was a soldier with a sniper rifle.

"You shot me!" Varus raged.

"It was on stun." Falon replied.

"You still $ #$# shot me!"

"To be fair, I stopped you from doing something incredibly stupid."

"Like what? Frying this piece of crap like a fried octopus stick?"

"Fried octopus stick?" The Sith Lord asked, surprised.

The woman chuckled, stood up, approached, and in a quick movement removed the mask and and kissed him. Surprised, Varus screamed. His eyes widened.

"Ahs-"

She slapped him. "That kick hurt like hell, damnit!" She exclaimed. Falon and the soldier laughed.

The soldier with the sniper removed her helmet. Cahjinawl breathed out. Scourge raised an eyebrow, noting how surprised Varus was. Ahsoka stepped back, putting some distance between them.

Varus could barely breathe. In a matter of moments, the emotionless shell that was Starkiller fell away, leaving Varus. Unshed tears filled his eyes.

"Wait for it..." Ahsoka murmured, smirking.

"You aren't dead?!" Varus gasped, staring at Ahsoka. "I-I couldn't sense you anymore, I thought-" He looked to Scourge. "You didn't kill them!?" He looked to Falon. "You knew?!" He looked to Cahjinawl. "YOU SHOT ME!"

"All of ten seconds before I realized you were about to do something stupid." Falon said, regrettably.

"Probably because I have had to adapt to stay hidden..." Ahsoka whispered, cringing. "Sorry."

"If this is what I should be expecting more of, I am sorry I didn't." Scourge grunted.

Cahjinawl merely grinned. Varus said, "You shot me!... I'm so proud."