Light in the Darkness
By Red Guard
Disclaimer: I do not, did not and probably will not own Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic or any of the characters appearing in or associated with it. LucasArts and BioWare own the characters and most of events appearing in this work.
Chapter 1: Sith Empire
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Location: Hoth, Unknown Cave
A group of cloaked figures huddled together in the blackness, trying their best to ignore the howling winds that lashed the frozen surface of the planet. Their breathing was ragged, their bodies were cold, and their minds were weak from hunger. It was a dark time for all of them. It was a sobering realization, but even the Jedi could fall.
'Master.' One of them spoke quietly. 'Will we survive?'
'A Jedi can only go where the Force takes him.' A rough and gravelly voice answered. 'And I told you before, do not call me Master. I have not earned that right.'
'But, you are our Master.' Another protested softly. 'The Jedi apprentices always.'
'Hush.' The man silenced his younger companions. 'The Jedi Order is not once it what once was. In fact, I don't think anyone considers the Jedi to be much of an order anymore.'
'The Sith.' Another spoke in resignation. 'They are too strong. What can we do against their might? High Council has fallen and all the Masters have been slain. The Republic has lost control over the Core Worlds, and what remains of the fleet is fleeing as fast as their hyperdrives can take them.'
The man heaved another sigh. 'It does seem hopeless, doesn't it? But the Republic has weathered worse times. It will be only a matter of time before they retaliate.'
'Master, tell us more of the great Sith War.'
'The War? You wish to hear more of those times? Few wish to hear stories that tell of defeat and betrayal?'
'We must know our past to guide the present.'
'Well spoken, young one.' The man nodded slightly. 'Come closer, and I will tell you what I can. But, once this storm ends, we must move swiftly. We are not safe here.'
The figures moved closer to their master, eager to listen to events that took place before their birth, events that they wanted to undo.
'As I told you before, I was only a youth. no, a boy, when the Sith began their murderous rampage. Taken in by their lies, I began training in the Sith Academy on Korriban, until a great man came by and made me see that the darkness could never triumph over the light.'
'Who was this great man?'
A pained look crossed over the man's face. 'Maybe another time, young one. Those memories are painful.'
'Master.' Another apprentice leaned in. 'Wasn't that the time when the Dark Lord rose to power?'
'Yes.' The man nodded eager to change the subject. 'It was a bewildering state of affairs. Everything happened so quickly. As I journeyed to Coruscant to seek acceptance into the Jedi Order, I learned that the title of Dark Lord of the Sith had changed hands.'
'There was another Dark Lord?'
'The Sith are a barbaric people. They consider it appropriate to maim and murder to raise themselves above their brethren. But.' The man paused for a second, collecting his thoughts. 'That was not what had happened.'
'I heard that the Dark Lord murdered his own apprentice, but I assumed that was impossible. How could his apprentice control the Sith without his knowledge?'
'It was a confusing time, but from what I gathered from my Masters, the Dark Lord had been redeemed.'
'Redeemed?' The group echoed in astonishment. 'Dark Lord Revan, redeemed?'
'The Jedi Council had taken a gamble. They captured Revan, and attempted to purify his mind with the power of the Force. They surmised that only Revan could thwart his apprentice and end the tyranny of the Sith.' The Master cast his eyes downwards. 'But they couldn't have been more wrong. Instead of besting his pupil and saving the galaxy, he wrested the title of the Dark Lord from his apprentice's hands.'
'How could the Jedi be so blind?'
'The Jedi Council debated day and night over that decision. And in the end, they commanded one of their most promising Jedi to be Revan's guardian.' He sighed heavily. 'But, in the end, it was she who pulled Revan back to the darkness.'
'The Dark Lady.' The group breathed.
'Yes. Bastila.' The man said sadly. 'The Sith Army was unstoppable with Revan at its helm, but with both of them leading the unending horde of Sith, the Republic was crushed. 20 years was all it took for the Sith to conquer all of the Core Worlds and take Coruscant for their own.'
His apprentices sat in silence, slowly taking in the dark history.
'When almost all known planets were taken, Revan decided to declare war on the Order that had given him all he had.' The man smiled bitterly. 'I suppose that when you think about it, Revan had little choice. We Jedi fought the hardest. Even after everyone had given up, we continued to torment the Sith. As time passed, and worlds fell, the Sith grew complacent, and the Order struck again and again.'
'But, Master, did you not say that.'
'The Jedi do not fight? I suppose so, but there was no one to guide us. All the Masters had been hunted down and slain. Most of them by the hand of the Dark Lord and the Dark Lady themselves. There was no one to guide us as we fled from planet to planet.' He paused again, trying his best no to remember those times. 'I lost many friends, as did many others.'
'When did you decide to fight back?'
'A large group of us ran into what remained of the Republic's fleet. It was a pale shadow of its former self, but seeing the ships gave us a glimmer of hope. We met with the leadership of the Republic, and in the end, we decided that it was time to stop running. And that is where you come in.'
'Us, Master?' They echoed him quietly.
'The Jedi are weak, and not many of us are still alive. We need more of you to join our ranks. Though you may not receive the training that I did when my Masters were still around, the Jedi will try their best to provide for you.' The man's eyes blazed with conviction. 'You have all decided that it is time to fight. And so we shall.'
He smiled as he saw their faces light up with pride and determination.
'After this storm ends, we will try to bring the ship's hyperdrive system back online. Then, we will.' His eyes widened as he stopped in mid- sentence.
'Master?' One of the youths asked in alarm.
'Into the shadows, quickly!' The man whispered harshly. 'And make no noise.'
They understood, and in a split-second they had leapt into the darkness, their bodies pressed against the cold rock. The man was left in the open, sitting cross-legged and facing the mouth of the cave. He looked onwards, ready to face his destiny.
A few seconds passed, but they felt like years. He breathed deeply and focused his mind. His life was not important, but his apprentices had to make it back to the fleet. He knew what he had to do, and there was no point shying away from his responsibilities.
A lithe figure stepped out of the icy storm and strode into the cave. She was flanked by hooded Sith apprentices as she walked towards the lone man. The years had been kind to her. In spite of all that she had been through, and all the years that she spent wallowing in the depths of darkness, she was still a stunning beauty.
'I have no idea why you Jedi continue to run.' Her double-bladed lightsaber ignited with a snap-hiss, bathing the cave in an eerie red glow. 'You know that you will never win. My Lord never fails.'
'It is nice to meet you too, Lady Bastila.' The man shrugged his cloak off and his eyes met hers. 'I don't suppose that you will let me go?'
The red glow of her lightsaber illuminated the man's features, and it took her some time to recover from the shock. Memories of old came flooding back. Painful memories. 'Carth?'
'No, not Carth.' His green lightsaber came to life as he stood. 'Dustil.'
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Location: Korriban, Sith Academy
'Master?' A cloaked apprentice asked as he knelt on the floor. 'You wished to see me?'
'Yes, my young apprentice.' The weighty voice of the Academy's master boomed. 'Approach me, and we shall speak.'
He waved his hands, and the doors to his private chambers crashed shut. He focused his piercing gaze on the young man that was before him. 'Now. Tell me, how do the Sith maintain their strength.'
'Through power, Master. The strong rule and the weak fall by the wayside.'
'Excellent.' He nodded in satisfaction. 'Now, you are our most promising pupil. Why haven't you attempted to oust me yet? Answer truthfully.'
The apprentice was slightly taken aback by the strange question, but he answered nonetheless. 'You are too strong, Master. I will never be able to best you.'
'Another excellent answer. As I said before, you are our most talented apprentice. There are great things that lie ahead of you. What I am about to tell you may damn you, but it can also bring you untold power. Do you wish to hear it?'
He smiled as he saw the hunger in his student's eyes. He had trained this one well. 'Of course, Master.' The apprentice smiled knowingly. 'Anything for power.'
'Very well. I will get straight to the point.' He leaned forward and whispered fiercely. 'The Empire is dying.'
'What?' He saw the young man reel in shock. 'Master, are you certain? We Sith will rule the galaxy for eons to come. We were never stronger! It is impossible for us to perish.'
'Do you still remember why the Sith remain strong?' He asked.
'Of course, Master. The strong rule over the weak. The apprentice will slay the master if the master becomes weak.'
'However, there are a few who do not follow those simple rules, and that is why the Sith will perish.'
'Who are they?' The young man's eyes blazed with anger. 'I will slay them for betraying us.'
The dark-robed master laughed. 'I doubt that even a student as promising as you could best them.'
'Who are they, Master?'
'The Dark Lord and Lady themselves.'
'What?' The student was stunned. 'Master, I do not understand.'
'Of course you don't. I will explain everything.' He leaned back and cleared his throat. 'The Dark Lord himself had an apprentice once. Malak, if I remember correctly. As was tradition, Malak assaulted the Dark Lord when he saw the opportunity. However, the Dark Lord cheated death, and returned to wrest control of the Sith away from his apprentice.'
'The Dark Lord followed the ways of the Sith!' The young apprentice exclaimed. 'There is no shame in that.'
'Indeed.' The old master's eyes glittered. 'But that was then. As with all Sith Lords before him, Lord Revan took on another apprentice. One that he personally brought to the dark side.'
'Lady Bastila.'
'It has already been more than 20 years apprentice. The Republic has been shattered. The Dark Lord himself sits upon his throne on Coruscant. But no one has challenged him for his title.'
'That means that he is too strong.'
'He is too strong because his apprentice refuses to strike him down. Every time another master wants to gain the ultimate power, he and his apprentice stand together!' The old man's eyes blazed. 'Because of this, none of my fellow masters are capable to grow any stronger. Revan and his woman refuse to give up their secrets, and are content to see all of us wither away!'
'But how can anyone stand against them?'
'If we cannot achieve our goals through strength, we will obtain it through numbers. There is a great movement. Many Sith have decided that the Empire cannot grow as stagnant as the Republic once was. For the good of the Empire, for the power of the Empire, we will rise up and seize control. I feel our sole opportunity approaching, and when it comes, we will rule! Apprentice, I now give you the chance to join with us. What say you?'
'I.'
'I know you are hesitant. Who wouldn't be? Leave me, I expect an answer tomorrow.'
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Location: Unknown System, Star Forge
Dark energy coursed around the metal structure. He could taste them, feel them, and bend them to his every whim and fancy. He remembered the sheer joy that he felt as he immersed himself in its power. But now, it was all a distant memory.
He remembered this room so well. He had fought against Malak here. A duel to the death. A duel to decide the fate of the galaxy. A duel to determine who would rule, and who would perish. On that day, he won. Immediately, he set forth to capture that which he thought was his. After all, shouldn't the strong take what the weak could not hold? That was the creed of the Sith. It was a creed that he had followed by many years.
He walked up to one of the large stasis chambers. Once, long ago, he remembered Malak using them to corrupt dying Jedi's power. But that disgusted him. Everyone should return to the Force when the time came. Now, bodies still floated in these chambers, but for a much different purpose.
He paused and looked up at one of the chambers. In it floated the body of an aged, dark-skinned man. His white goatee had never changed after all these years, and his serene look never faltered. Revan sighed slowly as he remembered the time that he spent with this man. It took him a long time to journey down to the planet and retrieve the bodies. But he had to do it. He had to honor their memory.
'You warned me didn't you Jolee?' He whispered to the unmoving body. 'Everyone did. But I was a fool. I never listened. You were right, I feel incomplete, even though I wield more power than anyone in the galaxy. But, I sacrificed so much.'
'It is in times like these that I can truly realize what I lost. Conquering world after world was just a way for me to ignore my regrets. Hunting down the Jedi was an excuse for me to ignore my inner turmoil. And now, when everything is over, I truly regret.' He sighed slowly. 'I know what your next question will be, as you know what my answer will be.'
'In the end, if I do it all over again, my path would have never changed.' Revan closed his eyes and smiled bitterly. 'I know. I love her too much.'
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Author's Notes: Yep now gonna try and dabble in some SW:KotOR fiction. I was kinda cheesed off at the (lack-of) romance between Bastila and a male lead. And seeing that the dark side ending was so great, I decided to make a fic a couple of years in the future. KotOR 2 anyone? Looking at the state of things, I could have ended it here, but I decided to make it a quick 5 chapters or so parter.
No pre-readers were hurt in the making of this chapter.
Anyways, please remember to email me at red_aurum@yahoo.com for any suggestions, critiques, reviews and the like. Please don't flame me, I have a fragile ego.
By Red Guard
Disclaimer: I do not, did not and probably will not own Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic or any of the characters appearing in or associated with it. LucasArts and BioWare own the characters and most of events appearing in this work.
Chapter 1: Sith Empire
************************************************************************
Location: Hoth, Unknown Cave
A group of cloaked figures huddled together in the blackness, trying their best to ignore the howling winds that lashed the frozen surface of the planet. Their breathing was ragged, their bodies were cold, and their minds were weak from hunger. It was a dark time for all of them. It was a sobering realization, but even the Jedi could fall.
'Master.' One of them spoke quietly. 'Will we survive?'
'A Jedi can only go where the Force takes him.' A rough and gravelly voice answered. 'And I told you before, do not call me Master. I have not earned that right.'
'But, you are our Master.' Another protested softly. 'The Jedi apprentices always.'
'Hush.' The man silenced his younger companions. 'The Jedi Order is not once it what once was. In fact, I don't think anyone considers the Jedi to be much of an order anymore.'
'The Sith.' Another spoke in resignation. 'They are too strong. What can we do against their might? High Council has fallen and all the Masters have been slain. The Republic has lost control over the Core Worlds, and what remains of the fleet is fleeing as fast as their hyperdrives can take them.'
The man heaved another sigh. 'It does seem hopeless, doesn't it? But the Republic has weathered worse times. It will be only a matter of time before they retaliate.'
'Master, tell us more of the great Sith War.'
'The War? You wish to hear more of those times? Few wish to hear stories that tell of defeat and betrayal?'
'We must know our past to guide the present.'
'Well spoken, young one.' The man nodded slightly. 'Come closer, and I will tell you what I can. But, once this storm ends, we must move swiftly. We are not safe here.'
The figures moved closer to their master, eager to listen to events that took place before their birth, events that they wanted to undo.
'As I told you before, I was only a youth. no, a boy, when the Sith began their murderous rampage. Taken in by their lies, I began training in the Sith Academy on Korriban, until a great man came by and made me see that the darkness could never triumph over the light.'
'Who was this great man?'
A pained look crossed over the man's face. 'Maybe another time, young one. Those memories are painful.'
'Master.' Another apprentice leaned in. 'Wasn't that the time when the Dark Lord rose to power?'
'Yes.' The man nodded eager to change the subject. 'It was a bewildering state of affairs. Everything happened so quickly. As I journeyed to Coruscant to seek acceptance into the Jedi Order, I learned that the title of Dark Lord of the Sith had changed hands.'
'There was another Dark Lord?'
'The Sith are a barbaric people. They consider it appropriate to maim and murder to raise themselves above their brethren. But.' The man paused for a second, collecting his thoughts. 'That was not what had happened.'
'I heard that the Dark Lord murdered his own apprentice, but I assumed that was impossible. How could his apprentice control the Sith without his knowledge?'
'It was a confusing time, but from what I gathered from my Masters, the Dark Lord had been redeemed.'
'Redeemed?' The group echoed in astonishment. 'Dark Lord Revan, redeemed?'
'The Jedi Council had taken a gamble. They captured Revan, and attempted to purify his mind with the power of the Force. They surmised that only Revan could thwart his apprentice and end the tyranny of the Sith.' The Master cast his eyes downwards. 'But they couldn't have been more wrong. Instead of besting his pupil and saving the galaxy, he wrested the title of the Dark Lord from his apprentice's hands.'
'How could the Jedi be so blind?'
'The Jedi Council debated day and night over that decision. And in the end, they commanded one of their most promising Jedi to be Revan's guardian.' He sighed heavily. 'But, in the end, it was she who pulled Revan back to the darkness.'
'The Dark Lady.' The group breathed.
'Yes. Bastila.' The man said sadly. 'The Sith Army was unstoppable with Revan at its helm, but with both of them leading the unending horde of Sith, the Republic was crushed. 20 years was all it took for the Sith to conquer all of the Core Worlds and take Coruscant for their own.'
His apprentices sat in silence, slowly taking in the dark history.
'When almost all known planets were taken, Revan decided to declare war on the Order that had given him all he had.' The man smiled bitterly. 'I suppose that when you think about it, Revan had little choice. We Jedi fought the hardest. Even after everyone had given up, we continued to torment the Sith. As time passed, and worlds fell, the Sith grew complacent, and the Order struck again and again.'
'But, Master, did you not say that.'
'The Jedi do not fight? I suppose so, but there was no one to guide us. All the Masters had been hunted down and slain. Most of them by the hand of the Dark Lord and the Dark Lady themselves. There was no one to guide us as we fled from planet to planet.' He paused again, trying his best no to remember those times. 'I lost many friends, as did many others.'
'When did you decide to fight back?'
'A large group of us ran into what remained of the Republic's fleet. It was a pale shadow of its former self, but seeing the ships gave us a glimmer of hope. We met with the leadership of the Republic, and in the end, we decided that it was time to stop running. And that is where you come in.'
'Us, Master?' They echoed him quietly.
'The Jedi are weak, and not many of us are still alive. We need more of you to join our ranks. Though you may not receive the training that I did when my Masters were still around, the Jedi will try their best to provide for you.' The man's eyes blazed with conviction. 'You have all decided that it is time to fight. And so we shall.'
He smiled as he saw their faces light up with pride and determination.
'After this storm ends, we will try to bring the ship's hyperdrive system back online. Then, we will.' His eyes widened as he stopped in mid- sentence.
'Master?' One of the youths asked in alarm.
'Into the shadows, quickly!' The man whispered harshly. 'And make no noise.'
They understood, and in a split-second they had leapt into the darkness, their bodies pressed against the cold rock. The man was left in the open, sitting cross-legged and facing the mouth of the cave. He looked onwards, ready to face his destiny.
A few seconds passed, but they felt like years. He breathed deeply and focused his mind. His life was not important, but his apprentices had to make it back to the fleet. He knew what he had to do, and there was no point shying away from his responsibilities.
A lithe figure stepped out of the icy storm and strode into the cave. She was flanked by hooded Sith apprentices as she walked towards the lone man. The years had been kind to her. In spite of all that she had been through, and all the years that she spent wallowing in the depths of darkness, she was still a stunning beauty.
'I have no idea why you Jedi continue to run.' Her double-bladed lightsaber ignited with a snap-hiss, bathing the cave in an eerie red glow. 'You know that you will never win. My Lord never fails.'
'It is nice to meet you too, Lady Bastila.' The man shrugged his cloak off and his eyes met hers. 'I don't suppose that you will let me go?'
The red glow of her lightsaber illuminated the man's features, and it took her some time to recover from the shock. Memories of old came flooding back. Painful memories. 'Carth?'
'No, not Carth.' His green lightsaber came to life as he stood. 'Dustil.'
************************************************************************
Location: Korriban, Sith Academy
'Master?' A cloaked apprentice asked as he knelt on the floor. 'You wished to see me?'
'Yes, my young apprentice.' The weighty voice of the Academy's master boomed. 'Approach me, and we shall speak.'
He waved his hands, and the doors to his private chambers crashed shut. He focused his piercing gaze on the young man that was before him. 'Now. Tell me, how do the Sith maintain their strength.'
'Through power, Master. The strong rule and the weak fall by the wayside.'
'Excellent.' He nodded in satisfaction. 'Now, you are our most promising pupil. Why haven't you attempted to oust me yet? Answer truthfully.'
The apprentice was slightly taken aback by the strange question, but he answered nonetheless. 'You are too strong, Master. I will never be able to best you.'
'Another excellent answer. As I said before, you are our most talented apprentice. There are great things that lie ahead of you. What I am about to tell you may damn you, but it can also bring you untold power. Do you wish to hear it?'
He smiled as he saw the hunger in his student's eyes. He had trained this one well. 'Of course, Master.' The apprentice smiled knowingly. 'Anything for power.'
'Very well. I will get straight to the point.' He leaned forward and whispered fiercely. 'The Empire is dying.'
'What?' He saw the young man reel in shock. 'Master, are you certain? We Sith will rule the galaxy for eons to come. We were never stronger! It is impossible for us to perish.'
'Do you still remember why the Sith remain strong?' He asked.
'Of course, Master. The strong rule over the weak. The apprentice will slay the master if the master becomes weak.'
'However, there are a few who do not follow those simple rules, and that is why the Sith will perish.'
'Who are they?' The young man's eyes blazed with anger. 'I will slay them for betraying us.'
The dark-robed master laughed. 'I doubt that even a student as promising as you could best them.'
'Who are they, Master?'
'The Dark Lord and Lady themselves.'
'What?' The student was stunned. 'Master, I do not understand.'
'Of course you don't. I will explain everything.' He leaned back and cleared his throat. 'The Dark Lord himself had an apprentice once. Malak, if I remember correctly. As was tradition, Malak assaulted the Dark Lord when he saw the opportunity. However, the Dark Lord cheated death, and returned to wrest control of the Sith away from his apprentice.'
'The Dark Lord followed the ways of the Sith!' The young apprentice exclaimed. 'There is no shame in that.'
'Indeed.' The old master's eyes glittered. 'But that was then. As with all Sith Lords before him, Lord Revan took on another apprentice. One that he personally brought to the dark side.'
'Lady Bastila.'
'It has already been more than 20 years apprentice. The Republic has been shattered. The Dark Lord himself sits upon his throne on Coruscant. But no one has challenged him for his title.'
'That means that he is too strong.'
'He is too strong because his apprentice refuses to strike him down. Every time another master wants to gain the ultimate power, he and his apprentice stand together!' The old man's eyes blazed. 'Because of this, none of my fellow masters are capable to grow any stronger. Revan and his woman refuse to give up their secrets, and are content to see all of us wither away!'
'But how can anyone stand against them?'
'If we cannot achieve our goals through strength, we will obtain it through numbers. There is a great movement. Many Sith have decided that the Empire cannot grow as stagnant as the Republic once was. For the good of the Empire, for the power of the Empire, we will rise up and seize control. I feel our sole opportunity approaching, and when it comes, we will rule! Apprentice, I now give you the chance to join with us. What say you?'
'I.'
'I know you are hesitant. Who wouldn't be? Leave me, I expect an answer tomorrow.'
************************************************************************
Location: Unknown System, Star Forge
Dark energy coursed around the metal structure. He could taste them, feel them, and bend them to his every whim and fancy. He remembered the sheer joy that he felt as he immersed himself in its power. But now, it was all a distant memory.
He remembered this room so well. He had fought against Malak here. A duel to the death. A duel to decide the fate of the galaxy. A duel to determine who would rule, and who would perish. On that day, he won. Immediately, he set forth to capture that which he thought was his. After all, shouldn't the strong take what the weak could not hold? That was the creed of the Sith. It was a creed that he had followed by many years.
He walked up to one of the large stasis chambers. Once, long ago, he remembered Malak using them to corrupt dying Jedi's power. But that disgusted him. Everyone should return to the Force when the time came. Now, bodies still floated in these chambers, but for a much different purpose.
He paused and looked up at one of the chambers. In it floated the body of an aged, dark-skinned man. His white goatee had never changed after all these years, and his serene look never faltered. Revan sighed slowly as he remembered the time that he spent with this man. It took him a long time to journey down to the planet and retrieve the bodies. But he had to do it. He had to honor their memory.
'You warned me didn't you Jolee?' He whispered to the unmoving body. 'Everyone did. But I was a fool. I never listened. You were right, I feel incomplete, even though I wield more power than anyone in the galaxy. But, I sacrificed so much.'
'It is in times like these that I can truly realize what I lost. Conquering world after world was just a way for me to ignore my regrets. Hunting down the Jedi was an excuse for me to ignore my inner turmoil. And now, when everything is over, I truly regret.' He sighed slowly. 'I know what your next question will be, as you know what my answer will be.'
'In the end, if I do it all over again, my path would have never changed.' Revan closed his eyes and smiled bitterly. 'I know. I love her too much.'
************************************************************************
Author's Notes: Yep now gonna try and dabble in some SW:KotOR fiction. I was kinda cheesed off at the (lack-of) romance between Bastila and a male lead. And seeing that the dark side ending was so great, I decided to make a fic a couple of years in the future. KotOR 2 anyone? Looking at the state of things, I could have ended it here, but I decided to make it a quick 5 chapters or so parter.
No pre-readers were hurt in the making of this chapter.
Anyways, please remember to email me at red_aurum@yahoo.com for any suggestions, critiques, reviews and the like. Please don't flame me, I have a fragile ego.