They had been tracking him for years but at that time their hunting teams had come particular close to catching him

Roj Kell watched her turn away again, her anger most entertaining to see. But not nearly as refreshing as the hatred he could feel from Kha Door. He had known that something like this would happen, but the man was smarter than he looked. And even more foolish than expected. Glaring at the Sith from underneath dark brows the battle-master let himself be led away. Once he was gone Roj Kell concentrated on the guards again. This time they would not be so gentle, that he was certain of. For a moment he asked himself if they even realized what he was doing with them. If they saw the danger lurking over their precious order like a black storm of darkness. Or if they chose to remain ignorant. Belana Jen had seen the truth, but would she act on it? He was almost sure of it. That woman was not one to stay idle in the face of an enemy assault. Even if she felt attracted to that enemy.

But before he could pursue that train of thought further one of the guards pumped a stun bolt into his chest, dropping him to the floor. Two others stepped around him to tie his hands on his back while a third stabbed into his mind viciously with all the strength he could muster.

He gasped in shock, suitably surprised, then squeezed his eyes shut as if in great pain. They fell for his deception all too easily, almost as if they were glad for his apparent weakness.

It was astounding that these people had managed to defeat the Sith. Or as good as. But, on the other hand, knowing the Sith, their demise was not that surprising. Hauling him to his feet they started dragging him along, and he did grant them that small triumph gladly. After all, this way he did not have to walk on his own.

The Council Chamber was already filling up when they arrived and most beings crowding into the hall gave him suspicious looks. The guards dropped him in the middle of the chamber, forcing him to his knees and Kell tried to appear as submissive as possible. But when he sensed Belana Jen's presence behind him, all outrage and indignation, he almost smiled. But only almost. This was serious business, after all. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her bow to the Council before she started her report.

"Kha Door claims that there is more behind this capture than we have anticipated."

"Does he have proof?"

"He did not report to you first?" Her bewildered tone made the Sith roll his eyes in disgust.

"No. Apparently he went right after you upon his arrival."

A short pause filled the chamber with a meaningful silence before she continued: "Very well. I would like to wait for the battle-master to join us before I continue—"

"Then maybe in the meantime you could tell us what you have found out on your own?"

Another pause: "I believe that his suspicions are justified."

"Why is that so?"

"This man," Belana gestured vaguely toward Roj Kell, "is someone who is led by reason, not emotion. It is highly plausible that he had this planned beforehand."

"But you broke him, did you not?"

"He is playing you false," Kha Door hissed as he strode into the crowded room, his left arm splintered and bandaged. "Don't you see? There is just one sort of person who would dare a stunt like this. He has let himself be captured deliberately to lead us into a trap."

"You two may be right. But how to confirm it?"

Roj Kell could feel Master Jen stir behind him, but he was far too busy keeping himself from attacking Kha Door to respond.

"We have tried everything short of physical torture," she said calmly, but the Sith could sense a hint of hesitation in her tone. He did not raise his head to see the Council's reaction, but their silence spoke volumes.

"There has to be another way. Torture is not something we can sanction easily."

"For Force's sake!" Kha Door snarled. "He is a Dark Lord!"

"What? What do you mean?" Jen asked suspiciously and Kell almost smiled.

"He is neither mad nor suicidal, Master Jen. I too believe that he had this planned.

It would be just like them to try this now that they are on the verge of losing the war."

"Send a Dark Lord here on a suicide mission?"

"Why not?"

Roj Kell could feel their eyes on him, but kept his own gaze to the floor. So, his game was up, but there were always ways to work around such a setback. That was, if the Jedi were prepared to take some more risks with him. He could feel Master Jen step closer, could feel her curious interest and disbelief.

"Are you what he claims you to be?" she asked quietly and for a split-second the Sith evaluated his options and their consequences. If he denied it they would become unpredictable in their response, whereas an admission might give him a slight edge, allowing him to play out their course of action easily. Looking up straight at the battle-master he kept his features impassive, giving nothing away, and he could see the wariness in the eyes of the Jedi, who was undoubtedly expecting an attack.

"It is true," Roj Kell answered finally, suppressing a smile when he heard the sharp intake of breath from behind him.

"A Dark Lord here, that is..." one of the Councillors began viciously, but calmed down again. "Very well, this changes things considerably. Take him away. We have much to discuss."

Roj Kell found that dismissal quite unfortunate since he very much would have liked to hear what they had to say about him and their course of action. It might have been amusing. But as it was the guards were very quick to hustle him out again, Kha Door right on their heels. They walked in silence, an edge of violence lingering with them and heightening their awareness to an unexpected level. He could sense the Jedi's uneasiness and anger permeate the whole structure of the tower, tainting the purity of the Light with a dark shadow of despair and impotent fury. But most prominent was the presence of the battle-leader, shining like a beacon of outrage.

Once back in the Sith's prison one of the guards hunted around for the metal rings that could be used to fix a captive in place instead of leaving him the run of the admittedly very small room. Roj Kell watched him anxiously, only the slightest bit uneasy about this. He would hate to lose his mobility yet again. Kha Door was keeping a sharp eye on him though, and the Sith did not want to risk a fight right now. Too much was at stake and he would have to wait until matters were clear once more before he could act. They pushed him against the far wall, bound his wrists together and tied them to one of the rings above his head. The battle-leader nodded to the guards then and three of them withdrew to stand guard outside while the rest took up a position next to the door, where they could keep a good watch over the prisoner.

"What was that supposed to be back there?" Kell hissed, his face fixed in a furious snarl as Kha Door checked on his bonds again to see if they would really hold him. The man gave him a cold smile as he replied just as softly:

"They have not managed to break you, but I will succeed."

"You are a fool, Kha Door."

"Not at all. What I have found here is so much more rewarding than—"

"I know the Jedi, so spare me," Kell snapped. "If you choose to fight me you will lose, Kha Door. You are nothing without me. You cannot stand against the Dark Side and you most certainly cannot stand against me."

Blinking his eyes once Kha Door's expression turned almost immediately from fearful to defiant.

"We shall see. Master," he whispered, for Kell's ears only, and turned around to leave.

As the door slammed shut, sealing the Sith Lord in his prison along with the three guards, he closed his eyes with an angry hiss, his mind aflame with indignation and sweet thoughts of vengeance. Almost thirty years of hard work for nothing. It was incredible to be reduced to starting from scrap again so close to reaching his goal. The battle-master's successes had all been due to the Sith Lord's knowledge and constant supply of vital information, and even though Kha Door was an adept warrior he was still his master's creation. A flawed one, as it turned out. Maybe it had been a mistake to let him infiltrate the Jedi at such an early age, his training completed in far less time than was customary. But he had been so eager and willing to learn, soaking up Roj Kell's lessons with such a greedy hunger, that the Sith had been quite confident in his student. Yet he had never trusted him. After all, Roj Kell was no fool either.

Still, Kha Door would pay for this betrayal, that was for sure. Suddenly a smile blossomed on Kell's lips and a low chuckle rang throughout the darkened cell, startling the guards. He ignored their suspicious looks, the smile turning into a wide grin. It had been too long that he had been challenged like this, far too long. So, Kha Door thought that he could defeat him? He could certainly try. Of course, the man did have the advantages on his side. Here, amidst his allies, he was relatively safe from Roj Kell's wrath, and even if they should manage to break the Sith Lord and even if Kell revealed the man's identity the Jedi would still spare the battle-master's life, after he had fought so hard on their behalf and had proven that he had forsaken the Dark Side completely. An advantage that could only be of use to him if Roj Kell surrendered to the Jedi's efforts. He snorted softly. A Dark Lord indeed. It was true what he had told Belana Jen. He had neither rank nor title. And yet there was noone alive who could match his skill and knowledge. Noone.

Belana's head whipped around as the battle-master rejoined the Council, a thoughtful expression on his face. But there was no time to ponder his mood.

"Master Jen, how to proceed?" Jeldo asked.

"I am not certain. We should not grant him any rest, but I am sure that he is anticipating this move. He will fight us again in any case."

Master Refka gave her an uneasy glance: "I have just thought about his behavior over the past days and I must say that in the light of this new information we should not be surprised. It is almost as if he has been toying with us, anticipating our actions before we have even made the decision ourselves. Can't you feel it? He is putting us all on edge."

"He is a sly one. Can you search the database for me? The more we can find out about him the better. Maybe we can find a clue as to how to get him."

"With all due respect, Master Jen," Kha Door put in quietly. "He will not fight us. As you and Master Refka have already stated, he will try to surprise us yet again."

"Then what would you suggest?" she asked the Jedi Knight quietly.

"Let him wait. Let him worry. Treat him with compassion and kindness. He will be so on edge after a while, always suspecting an attack, that we should have no problem breaking him when he least expects it."

"Spoken with the wisdom of a true battle-leader, Kha Door."

"I am just doing my job," he answered, bowing to her with an ironic smile on his lips.

She smiled back, once again feeling that strange warmth filling her very soul. But Master Jeldo's next words doused that fire with the icy voice of reason:

"Master Jen. I believe that you have done enough in this matter. Maybe Kha Door should take over from here on. After all he is the one who can benefit most from the Sith's knowledge."

Catching her breath Belana gave the Master a surprised look, then nodded slowly:

"Of course. I agree."

"And this will give you more time to spend on training with your new apprentice. She is quite promising, I hear," he added gently.

Belana could not answer. Smiling weakly at Kha Door she excused herself, too tired and confused to talk to anyone right now. It was unfair that the battle-master should continue her task. After all it had been her who had captured and broken the Sith. Shaking her head ruefully she corrected herself. Not broken. He had been toying with her, nothing more. Admitting to that was painful enough, but having to admit it in front of Kha Door hurt even more. She did not want to lose his respect, but she knew that Kell would stand between them for as long as he was alive. He had enchanted her, in a way, and Belana had to free herself of that spell first, before she could start anew. So much had been lost, not only the trust of her friends, but also some barriers that had defined what she was. A Jedi Master. But she was no longer certain of her path.

Maybe Kha Door was right and she should have been harder on the Sith from the beginning, but without compassion she was no different than his kind. Well, not much at least. And the battle-master had proven that he did not only think like a warrior with his proposition too. He could be just as sly as Roj Kell, but Belana doubted strongly that he could surprise the Sith in any way. What was worse though was that she did not want to give Kell up either. She wanted to be close to him, wanted to feel the danger he presented and wanted to test her strength against his. Even if she had failed the last time. It was disturbing how easily he had managed to bring her usually pretty tranquil emotions into turmoil. Still, once a threat was identified fighting it became easier. Belana was certain that she could control her feelings if she wanted to. And that she would have to, for the time being.

It was the same evening. They were facing each other, both poised for attack, but Roj Kell was well aware of the fact that his apprentice had him at a disadvantage. With one move he could blow his precious plans apart without suffering the consequences. And the only thing he had to do was kill his master. But that he could not, as he had proven already. Such were the mysteries of the Light Side and any Sith foolish enough to get himself caught in its glowing web was better off with ending his life instead of succumbing to this bland existence. There was no passion here, no true power. Kha Door might be a fierce opponent on a battle field, but he had lost his edge. And he knew it.

"Why?" Roj Kell asked finally. "It would have been so simple. And we could finally have managed to unite the Sith in a common goal."

"You should have seen them, Master. They are still bickering and it was hard enough not to overrun them on the first go. There is no spirit left there."

"Really. Then why did you not finish it? Why did you not kill me when you knew from the beginning that you would betray the plan?"

"Too much of a risk. I know you. You do not leave loose ends behind."

"And what makes you think that keeping me alive could save your hide?"

Kha Door shrugged easily: "Maybe it won't. But I do know that breaking you will open a treasure trove of knowledge that will allow us to defeat the Dark Side once and for all."

"You cannot defeat the Dark Side, Kha Door. As long as there are feelings and emotions the Dark Side will exist within every one of us."

"You are still lecturing me?"

"I have no choice. You are still ignorant, it would seem."

"What about you? You have no emotions to speak of-"

"Ah, untrue. I merely am in control of my feelings. And I control them in others."

"But you use the Dark Side. Which is based on emotion."

"So?"

"How do you do it?"

Smiling at his apprentice Roj Kell shook his head gravely: "You would not understand anymore."

"No? I am still a Sith."

"I doubt that."

"Then I will prove it to you."

"And admit to your friends what you are?"

"They will not punish me for it."

"Such faith in the Jedi... Astounding. You are what you are, Kha Door. And you are no Sith."

"And no Jedi either, according to you."

"You are a fool, that is what you are. Make up your mind and find your way. Then we will talk again."

Watching the younger man leave Roj Kell evaluated the possibilities. If Kha Door told his superiors of his little secret they would most probably forgive him, but to prevent any more harm from happening they would be wise to execute his master immediately. And should he choose to play this deception to an end he would try to gain Kell's knowledge first before revealing himself. Either way, the outcome would be the same. A pity. Heaving a deep sigh the Sith closed his eyes and let his mind fall into a deep meditation, trying to catch a glimpse of the future. There were a few elements to take into account, such as Master Jen, and undoubtedly Kha Door had thought about that too. He could be shrewd, if he wanted to. But would he be willing to take the risks involved? That was the question and fortunately the one whose answer Roj Kell knew perfectly well.

Blinking into the bright sunlight the next morning Belana groaned softly. She had spent half the night searching through the various databases, but she had found nothing on a human named Roj Kell. No Jedi had ever borne that name. Perhaps he had changed it when joining the Sith or else he had never been a Jedi Knight, but that was something she could not quite believe. He knew the Jedi far too well for that. What was left then? She was not certain if she would be permitted to talk to him again. Maybe Kha Door could find out something.

"Master Jen?" Tarla poked her head through the half open door timidly.

"Come in." Turning around in her chair Belana gave her apprentice a tired smile. "Have you slept well?"

"Better than you, by the look of it," the girl answered with a grin, but almost immediately her hand flew up to cover her mouth in shame.

"It is alright, Tarla," the Jedi Master soothed her. "I want us to be friends. And friends don't mind a quick tongue sometimes."

"Thank you, Master."

"All right. Today we are going to practise combat skills. After all, we are still at war."

Tarla must have noticed the distant look in her eyes, for she did not reply at first.

"Master Jen? I just wanted to tell you that I trust you. Despite what people say."

"Whatever they say, Tarla, always listen to your heart first."

"Yes, Master Jen."

"Good. Now, let us get on with it."

They spent hours going through the exercises and in the end both were fairly exhausted. But Belana had not been able to shed her restlessness. She walked toward her quarters deep in thought, when she felt Kha door's presence. Looking up she saw him hover next to her door, an anxious look on his face. She noticed that his arm had healed completely, the splint and bandages gone. Smiling at him she waved him inside. He followed her in silence and took the offered seat almost reluctantly. Belana studied him quietly, trying to find out what was on his mind. It must be something important, that she could see easily. Finally she could not stand it any longer. Leaning toward him she tried to catch his attention. When he raised his head she flinched at the pained look in his eye.

"Kha Door, you came here for a reason, I could imagine," she began softly.

A hint of doubt flashed across his face, and Belana could virtually see how he was gathering all of his courage to answer.

"There is indeed something. Master Jen-"

"Please, call me Belana."

"Thank you." His eyes lit up with a sudden, hopeful fire that melted her heart away and made her smile warmly. Whatever is was he wanted to tell her, she would not make this any harder for him. "Belana, I wanted to talk to you about Roj Kell."

Well, there was something she had not expected. "Roj Kell? What about him?"

"I am not sure what you thought you were doing with him, but—"

"Thought I was doing with him? What do you mean?"

"I know him. That was why I was so concerned. I even warned him not to touch you while I was gone, but I should have known that he would not heed my words."

"You warned him? Wait. You said you know him... How? How is that possible?" Belana forced her tense muscles to relax again, but her heart was not so easily calmed. "How?" She asked again, fearing the truth.

"I—" Closing his eyes in dismay he heaved a deep sigh. Then he turned his gaze toward the window, where the night had already blotted out everything with a cloak of darkness. "He is my master," Kha Door breathed finally, and the hope burning in his eyes turned into open yearning.

"Your—" At first Belana did not understand. Maybe she did not want to. But as the seconds went by and the silence grew longer the full import of what he had just told her hit home with mind-shattering force. "You are a Sith? That is impossible!"

"Not impossible." Shaking his head sadly, he rose and began pacing in front of her like a caged animal. Belana watched him numbly, only dimly aware of how graceful he moved. It was impossible, no matter what he claimed. Kha Door was the model picture of a Jedi Knight! And yet, the more she thought about it the clearer she saw the parallels between him and Roj Kell. The same grace, the same ruthlessness, the same intense presence in the Force.

"I don't believe you," she stated finally, wishing that he would say that it had been nothing but a joke. Or something. Not the truth. "You are not like him. You fought the Sith for years!"

"He instructed me, he gave me the targets and advised me on the tactics. He wanted to weaken them."

"What?"

"He thinks that he can unite them and make them a more efficient force. That is why he let you capture him."

"I do not understand..."

"Think about it. The Sith are weakened and one more victory by the Jedi would convince them that they really have to start and work together instead of ripping each others' throat out."

"He risked his life for that?"

"No. The plan was for me to take him with me to the front where he could have slipped away easily. But I—"

"You betrayed him."

"Yes."

For a long moment they just stared at each other, not knowing what to say. Belana shook her head in disbelief. It seemed logical, somehow, and it explained much. Still, why had he been playing with her that way? Had he not trusted his apprentice? Maybe. And perhaps there had been something else behind it.

"Belana, please. I can see what you are thinking. He is not like that. He is using you, nothing more."

"How do you know?" she whispered, her voice choked with tears.

"I simply do."

"I loved you, do you know that?"

"I wished for it."

"And it was true. But why? Why does it have to be like this? I do not know what to believe anymore. I cannot even trust my own heart."

"What does it tell you?" Kha Door asked quietly, his dark eyes alert and expectant.

"That he was right not to trust you. And that I cannot trust you either."

"Belana—"

"No. You should have told me beforehand. If you really had cared you would never have allowed him to play his games. Why are you such a coward, Kha Door?"

"I am not—"

"You are. It is ironic, in a way, don't you think? The best of the best among the Jedi and it turns out that he is a Sith! Ridiculous."

"Belana."

"Go. Please."

He flinched at her soft words, hurt more than if she had been shouting. But Belana knew that his pain could not be half as great as hers. He had deceived her deliberately for reasons that seemed so insignificant to her that the mere suggestion of his having feelings for her turned into a farce. Why could he not just have been honest? Lowering his head dejectedly Kha Door nodded once, then turned away to leave. He walked very slowly, as if he was hoping that she might call him back. She would not, Belana resolved, even though she could feel her heart tear apart inside her chest. When the door closed behind him the tears came unbidden. And she let them flow, grateful for some measure of release. She had been such a fool. In hindsight it all seemed so damn obvious, didn't it? And in hindsight she could see that she had gone about this completely wrong.

If she had followed her heart none of this would have happened. She would have killed Roj Kell instead of taking him here. And he never would have had a chance to poison her soul. But on the other hand Belana could not deny that she was as guilty as he was. He had always shown her a way out and each time she had accepted that escape gladly instead of taking up the challenge. How disappointed he must have been. No. This was foolishness. She was not here to please him, after all. Nevertheless Belana thought that it would have been a glorious death to fall in a battle against him, mind and spirit becoming one in an awe inspiring fusion of pure power, dark and light. Perhaps she would even have overcome him in the end.

Closing her eyes she recalled the touch of his body against hers, and shivered with the memory of the look in his pale eyes after he had released her again. So full of haughty pride, so much in control of those around him. Belana could almost feel the darkness reach out to her again then, wrapping her in whispered words of power, crawling up her skin, pricking her flesh with tiny claws of fear and despair.

Her eyes flew open suddenly when she realized that the feeling was real. The whole room seemed to be humming with it. Gasping in shock she rose abruptly and shook her head in a vain effort to stop the blood from pounding in her ears. Something was happening. And it was nothing good.

He had been dozing quietly when Kha Door had stormed into the room, his fury searing the walls with the cold fire of outrage. Roj Kell looked straight at the battle-master and knew immediately what had happened. A tiny smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth when the enraged apprentice activated his lightsaber, his face fixed in a primal snarl. The agony he felt from Kha Door was most exquisite, and it helped him to steel himself when the younger Sith's purple blade started caressing his ribcage, burning away the cloth and blistering the skin revealed underneath painfully. Roj Kell let out a low hiss and closed his eyes. The lightsaber slashed at the bonds holding him and when they suddenly gave way he dropped to his knees, almost doubling over at the pain from his wounds. Another slash raked across his back, making him scream this time. Gritting his teeth Kell sought the other's gaze and for a moment their eyes met ever so briefly, locked in a moment of understanding. And then the fight was on in earnest.

He did not pay any heed to the fact that Kha Door was still stabbing and slashing at him, he was intent only on breaking the other's mind sufficiently enough to let him enjoy fully what the Sith Lord held in store for him. But Kha Door was beyond reason now. He was in a rage that allowed for no words and no logic. They fought some more until Kell managed to catch the blade in his bare hands. Creating a power feedback he let the handle explode in a shower of sparks that raked over Kha Door's arms and burned into his skin greedily. Roj Kell took a deep breath, savoring their pain for a long time, until he was near to passing out. Kha Door reacted immediately. He lunged at his master with a vicious snarl and locked his hands around his neck furiously, trying to suffocate him. As the older Sith's struggles grew less he let out a cry of triumph before he started dragging Kell out of the room. The corridor was littered with the dead bodies of the guards and their blood had been smeared messily across the walls with no regard to efficiency or discipline.

Not that he would have expected anything like that from Kha Door. Letting himself be hauled along Roj Kell kept his mind calm, giving nothing away to his madly raging apprentice. He did not even want to think about how the Jedi would react to this outbreak, and chances were that Kha Door had never ever given a second thought on the consequences of his uncontrolled anger. And that was quite beautiful to behold too. To Kell it was like a dark storm spiralling around the two of them, a hurricane that slowly reached up to envelop everything, the whole structure, shrouding the tower in a blanket of darkness. He almost laughed at that. But only almost. Wheezing in pain the Sith tried to orientate himself again and realized instantly where they were heading: the Council Chamber. Oh yes, Kha Door did have a sense for drama, that was for certain. Not that it would be of much use to him in the end. He could feel the apprentice prepare for a last effort to hurl his master into the very silent, stately room before he closed the huge doors behind them. Lying on the marble floor, his burned skin longing for the cool touch of the stone tiles, Roj Kell was watching Kha Door intently. The younger man had fallen to his knees, panting with exhaustion and exhilaration, trying to catch his breath again.

"You are dead," he hissed and started crawling over to him.

"And you are pathetic," Roj Kell countered calmly. "What do you think to accomplish by killing me? She does not love you anymore and your Jedi friends will abandon you gladly."

"Talk! All you can do is talk! But no more of that, my lord. This is the end for you."

"Really."

His eyes narrowing into slits of green ice Kell raised his head slowly, a predator ready to pounce.

"You are overlooking one essential factor, Kha Door: I am your master. You are not mine."

Belana stormed into the Council Chamber and stopped short at the sight of gore and blood splattered all over the marble floor. It covered everything, even the windows were dripping with the ghastly liquids. At that moment she felt a red haze of fury drown out everything else. Three brisk steps brought her up to the Sith sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room in a meditative posture, his eyes closed, looking completely at ease. She had hoped to force him to crane his neck to look at her by looming over him so directly, but he did not even bother to raise his head.

"No more," she said at last, her voice carrying enough heat to singe his ears. "You are more trouble than you are worth, Lord Kell. Five hours. By morning you are dead."

"Fair enough," he answered slowly, his voice barely a whisper, but it cut her soul open without mercy, standing her up straighter at its terribly beautiful silken sound. "Just one last thing, Master Jen."

"What?" she barked, trying to hide the shaking.

Roj Kell opened his eyes then to look up at her. Reacting immediately Belana ignited her lightsaber and let it rest against his throat. He did not even flinch.

"You never realized that the one way to break me was the one you did not dare to tread. Now. Let me see the sun rise one last time. There is nothing else that I crave more."

She could feel her heart skip a beat. His words made her wish that she were standing on one of the balconies, watching the sun rise, with the cold morning air on her face, relishing the newborn day. She could feel the light in his voice, could almost hear the lively hum of the tower in its deeper undertones. Closing her eyes for a moment Belana finally nodded in defeat. She could not deny him this last wish, not if she did not want to lose her mind too.

Roj Kell did not even feel the cold air on his bare skin as he was led into the great yard at the foot of the Jedi Temple. His eyes took in his surroundings in one cursory glance, determining the position of his guards in relation to any possible routes of escape. But the Jedi were no fools. He had shown them clearly enough that they had to take the greatest care with him. Belana was standing at his side, clearly annoyed, but also beaten. They were surrounded by a whole contingent of guards, all watching him. His hands bound in front of him Kell raised his head proudly as the first rays of sunlight began tracing the horizon, rivers of yellow and orange flowing into the grey morning sky like molten fire. At his side he could hear Belana gasp in awe, mirroring his own mood. It was a beautiful sight, one that never failed to take his breath away. But now there was only one thing missing.

She was too surprised to fend him off when he drew her close, his hands wrapped around her wrists gently, but firm, his lips finding hers easily and his mind stabbing into her head with unstoppable force. Drowning out her weak protests with his kisses Kell refused to hold anything back, pushing aside her shields and defenses, ripping her apart inside out. She struggled against him for a moment, but he only held her closer and continued his assault with increasing ferocity until they were both out of breath. When he let her go at last she stared up at him, close to passing out, her dark eyes wide with disbelief and fear. He could see the unspoken questions screaming in the back of her mind, demanding an answer. But there would be time for that later. Still reveling in the feel and taste of her, all of her, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes slowly.

The guards were as surprised and shocked as the Jedi Master and he would be damned if he gave any of them a chance to recover. Gathering the Dark Side around him he let its power engulf him whole, a hurricane raging around the calm center of his mind, begging for release. He held it for a moment longer, felt it race through his veins, felt his body jerk in an almost ecstatic reaction. When he opened his eyes again to the moans and cries of the injured and dying a cruel smile appeared on his lips. Belana Jen had dropped to her knees and was wiping at her mouth furiously. Kell bent forward to grab her left arm and hoist her up, then turned to drag her after him as he went in search for suitable transport. Already alarms had been sounded, but they would be too late. Far too late.

Amidst the confusion stealing a ship was no problem and he steered it coolly out of reach of enemy fire before he let it jump into the safety of hyperspace. His hands let go of the controls instantly once the jump was done, wasting no more energy on a task successfully completed. Swiveling around in his chair Roj Kell's eyes fell on the woman huddled in the farthest corner of the cockpit, her face hidden behind a thick curtain of dark hair. She was avoiding his gaze deliberately, hugging herself tight, undoubtedly still hurting from his attack. Roj Kell had found that turning a Jedi as experienced as Belana Jen undoubtedly was always meant that he had to break their will first. He remembered that even his own master had been forced to join the Sith and serve the Dark Side both through brute force and subtle manipulation, although the latter had been a rather accidental move. And he sincerely hoped that this one would not prove too troublesome either. His last apprentice had turned out an almost complete failure, and the whole unfortunate affair still tore at his ego, wearing his patience awfully thin. But on the other hand the example of Kha Door had shown him one thing: he had to work harder on shielding his apprentices against the temptations of the Light. And the Jedi Master Belana Jen would be the perfect specimen in that experiment.

Rising abruptly Kell snapped out of his broodings, deciding to take some rest after all. When he brushed past Belana on his way to his cabin she flinched as his left leg touched her, a move that did not remain unnoticed by the Sith.

"Belana," he said, without looking down at her, his voice a gentle caress that brought tears to her eyes. "You should feel honored that I have chosen you for myself. I do not often take apprentices and those I do take always are something very special. Just as Kha Door was. But he failed me when he decided to serve the Light."

"What are you?" she whispered finally, her voice choked with quiet sobs.

"I am the heart of darkness, and you will learn to embrace me."