"Master Marra," remarked Attca, spitting the name like it was a bad taste in her mouth. "So nice to see you. The Force must be very kind to have brought us together again."

"Attca Namon," replied Marra, her emerald blade upraised. "You have changed a great deal since you were last my Padawan..." Her eyes narrowed. "I sense the Dark Side with you."

Attaca's crimson blade flashed back and forth across her face. "Dark..." Swish. "Light..." Swish. "Same Force." Swish. "Jedi are too-closed minded to accept what real power is. I'm not..."

The attack came almost without warning, and green met red as the two lightsabers clashed. Almost instantly the two threw one another off, and the air became alive with the clash-clash of lightsaber against lightsaber. The air hummed with the deadly song of lightsaber combat. Master Marra Henis pushed backwards, knocking aside Attca's blade with her own and thrusting out her hand into the opening. A blast created by the Force knocked her former disciple backwards. She quickly leapt forward, lashing with her blade, hoping to end this conflict quickly.

But Attca was prepared, accepting the Force blast and rolling with it, landing nimbly on her feet. Her own blade met Marra's, and she twisted, twirling like an acrobat, lashing out in an unexpected move towards Marra's exposed backside. The Jedi Master countered but she hadn't expected such a move, and the lightsaber grazed her side, eliciting a painful cry from her. Attca followed up the attack with a vicious kick right to the twi'lek masters jaw, sending her sprawling on the ground, clutching her side. Grimly, she held up her lightsaber to protect herself.

"Weak," spat Attca. "You're a symbol for all the Jedi, my old Master," she stated, her brilliant red lightsaber again flashing back and forth as she advanced upon Marra. "Weak..." Swish. "Pathetic..." Swish. "Just waiting for someone..." Swish. "... to put you out of your misery!"

The blade lashed upwards and down viciously. Marra parried, but her strength was flagging, and they could both feel it. She couldn't hold out much longer against the power of Attca and the Dark Side. Grimly, the dark Jedi pushed down harder with both hands on the blade, her eyes blazing like fire in the crimson light.

But then she stopped, eyes wide. The Force was warning her.

Viciously Attca lashed out, kicking her master again and sending her tumbling across the ground to the far wall, where here head slammed hard against the stone wall. Her lightsaber winked out as she fell unconscious from her sustained injuries. Attca Namon grimly stood, and turned. Behind her, the other Jedi had regained consciousness. The little green twerp.

"Alone, leave master Marra," stated Terke, drawing out her own lightsaber and powering it up. A bright bolt of violet energy coalesced in front of her.

"Oh please, you're a Jedi who can't even conjugate a sentence properly. Am I supposed to feel threatened?"

But Terke gave her plenty of reason to feel threatened as she sprang forward and up into the air, nearly three times her own height and unleashed a series of quick, powerful attacks that struck in a multitude of places. Had Attca been even a smidgen slower, she'd now be lying on the ground in half a dozen pieces. As it was, she parried each quick stroke with one of her own, blades clashing in mid-air as the light and dark Jedi's fought in a contest of skill and power. Terke seemed to be in at least six places at once. This was the fighting style of the Jedi which compensated for those of shorter reach. It allowed them to leap great distances and strike a multitude of times. Jedi Master Yoda invented the style. And Terke had been an apt pupil.

Still, even Terke was outmatched. Attca Namon had been trained by some of the best Jedi masters who had ever studied the art of saber-dueling; and worse, had studied under the likes of Count Dooku, the most accomplished fencer in the known Galaxy. Terke was, like her master, being beaten back, despite all of her efforts. Attca lashed out with one particularly vicious slice that nearly cost Terke her leg, and instead singed her robes clear off at the knee, making them into a rough sort of skirt. It made her landing rough. Angrily, she reached behind her and tore away the rest, exposing her legs. In a sense, it allowed her greater mobility as well. And she charged back into the fray against the dark Jedi.

Unfortunately, combat was not on Attca's mind. She'd already won this little conflict as far as she was concerned.

Holding aside her lightsaber, she thrust out her hand and, using the power of the Force, grabbed a hold of Terke in mid-air, clutching her at the throat. The Jedi Padawan cursed and struggled, but could find no way to break the hold. Her lightsaber fell from her numb fingers to clatter noisily on the ground.

"Hmmmm... I wonder how long you'll last without air...?" mused Attca aloud, twirling her fingers, allowing Terke to rotate helplessly in mid-air, clutching at her neck to try and shake off the power cutting off her air. Alas, it was hopeless.

"... probably not much longer," remarked Attca, tightening her grip, her eyes narrowing. A vicious smile spread across her face. "And with you two dead... I will ascend to the Sith, and be part of the winning side. And finally be appreciated for my talents."

"Certainly can't have that now, can we?" came a new voice.

Attca whirled around.

There, at the entrance to the temple...

... Jedi Knight Ryuin. Beaten, battered, very tired looking, but holding up his own lightsaber and ready to continue battle. Even against a dark Jedi like Attca.

"What's this? More Jedi filth?" remarked Attca, ignoring Terke and focusing her full attention on her new enemy. Terke dropped to the ground, gasping for breath. She wouldn't be much of a threat. And Marra was still regaining consciousness. Between the three of them, none of them were in any condition to fight. Even with superior numbers, Attca still had the upper hand. But she had to move swiftly. Any further delay could allow one of them to escape, and that would complicate things. She had to stop them. Here and now.

Attca's crimson blade flashed back and forth as she moved in, circling her opponent. But to her surprise, he circled back, golden lightsaber flashing in the air before him as he met Attca's attacks, parrying them as effortlessly as a master. Intrigued, she studied his style, feinting and testing. He responded in kind.

Here, she knew, was a true swordmaster. Very dangerous.

She didn't have much time, and even less for her usual finesse. So she let herself be consumed by rage, fueled by her anger, her disgust, and her hatred of the Jedi Knights. Her eyes blazed like orange-red fire as she allowed her dark rage to fuel her body, making her a conduit for the power of the Dark Side.

But to her surprise, her opponent responded in kind. Not with rage, but with peace. Not with anger, but with serenity. His features became calm as the Force filled him, guided him. His cough eased and vanished. He was one with the essence of the Force. The true essence.

Light vs. Dark.

The two combatants rushed at one another, lightsabers upraised. This would be their final clash.

>

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>

"Hyyyaaaaaahhhhh!" roared Attca, lashing out with all the power of the dark side behind her, using the Force to increase the power and speed of her strikes, baring down upon the lone Jedi Knight with all of her hatred in each stroke. Her red lightsaber seemed to be in perhaps nine places at once as she attacked. But curiously enough, each attacked was block, parried, or dodged, and Ryuin countered effortlessly, barely moving except to side-step one particularly vicious downward strike that sliced a line in the ground.

"Fight me, Jedi!"

Ryuin made no reply, regarding her coldly as he parried another of her strikes. She was good, but she was allowing her anger to guide her, carelessly leaving her guard open in too many places. Had he been at full strength himself, he could have cut her down long ago. As it was, he had to save his strength, for he needed all of it simply to hold her off. He needed to buy time for his companions.

Idly he glanced over at the two of them as he dueled the dark Jedi.

Terke Riith was still struggling for breath, still gravely injured from the attack of Attca's strangling hold. But she'd be alright in a minute or two. And Master Marra Henis was starting to regain consciousness, though the dark purple bruise on her temple indicated she had was going to have a nasty headache for a few days.

Just a few more minutes, he thought grimly. Just a few more...

A red blade of energy lashed out past his face. Instinctively he parried, but it had been a feint, as Attca twirled and lashed out in a straight thrust. The blade connected, and penetrated, sliding clear through Ryuin's lung. He gasped, spitting up blood, as the lightsaber sliced clear out his back.

Dark Jedi Attca Namon grinned wickedly, twisting the lightsaber inside of Ryuin's body. Her first Jedi kill. By the Force, it felt so wonderful...

... but then Ryuin's look of shock changed to a rather smug grin, and his free hand dropped down to grab her wrist, holding it firm.

Too late, she saw his trap.

Too late, she heard the igniting of lightsabers behind her.

Ryuin had recognized the feint, and made one himself, purposefully opening his guard. He knew he couldn't win this fight. So he'd trapped her, determined to take down his opponent with him. Emerald and amethyst blades lashed out while Attca was trapped, and she fell forward, minus her head. It rolled onto the ground, where the fire died from her eyes and became dull and green once more.

With her death, the crimson lightsaber deactivated, falling from her nerveless hands to clatter on the ground. Ryuin fell backwards as well, stumbling into a wall, his hands pressed against his stomach now to try and staunch the flow of blood. Terke and Marra rushed to him, Marra knew some healing ways, but alas, the analysis was grim as soon as she saw the wound.

It was fatal.

"Thank you," whispered Terke. "Saved us, you did."

"You would've done the same for me," replied Ryuin, knowing it was true. "Get out of here, both of you... go help the Council. Tell them what happened here. They'll need to know."

Marra nodded lightly, though winced as an afterthought, for even that small motion brought fresh waves of pain to her injured head. "We will report all that has happened. And your sacrifice will be long remembered in the archives of the Jedi," she promised. "As well as in the hearts of two very grateful ones," she added, placing her hand over Ryuin's. Terke did the same.

In that moment, the light faded from hazel eyes, and Ryuin became one with the Force. His body slumped to the ground. With great reverence, the two Jedi laid him on the ground; the lightsaber clasped in his hands, and bid him their final farewell.

>

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>

Finding their way out of the underground Sith Temple was far easier that it had been to escape. The corridors were clearer than tunnels, manmade and smooth, and easily followed out. However, from there, things became more difficult as they reached the exit to the caverns and found themselves on the surface once more. The freezing, stormy, snowing surface where most life could not survive.

They'd stolen the dark Jedi's winter garments, but it was only enough for Terke. Being cold-blooded, she needed them far more than her master Marra did. The two trudged together as closely as possible, trying to share them, trying to keep as warm as possible with close proximity and hope it would be enough until they found a way to leave the planet behind.

Ideally, their best plan was to follow Attca's tracks, locate her ship, and use that as an escape route. Unfortunately, her tracks had faded in the snowstorms to all but gentle depressions in the snow by now. There was no way for a normal tracker to find any sort of trail in this blizzard.

Fortunately, Master Marra was no ordinary tracker.

She was a Jedi Master.

Using her same deep, near spiritual connection to the Force that had guided her to the Sith Temple in the first place, she now used the Force to guide her through the billowing white snow. How she wished now she could have use it to provide warmth for her and her companion, but alas, even she had her limits. However, she nearly dropped to her knees and weeped when she saw that, this time, it had been enough. The cool metal siding of Attca's ship came into view on a nearby hillside. It was a short-range fighter marked with the Imperial symbol on the side. Not very big but it would suit the two of them just fine.

And more importantly, it had an internal heating system; a must for most any sort of space-faring craft, unless the species in question flying the ship happened to enjoy the sub-zero temperatures of the cold void of space. So it was the two Jedi ladies eagerly climbed aboard, shut the doors, and turned up the heat to full blast, until they felt like they were in a sauna from all the melting snow at their feet. A feeling they both enjoyed immeasurably.

It almost made them forget the sadness they both felt. Neither had known Ryuin very long, but no one, not even Jedi, could be so very near death and not be touched by it.

A soft beep-beep interrupted the near-silence, and the two of them glanced down at Marra's robes, from which the sound had come. The twi'lek master reached within, drawing out the Jedi transmitter. A communication had been sent out.

"Odd..."

"What is it?" asked Terke, examining the control panels, trying to figure out how to fly the ship. It shouldn't be too hard.

"New transmission from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant," replied Marra. "Stay away at all costs. Do not return home."

A moment of silence followed that.

"What does that mean?"

Marra took a long moment before answering. "It means... that the Temple is likely dangerous... that more clone troopers await Jedi like us there, if we return. The first signal was likely sent out as a trap, to lure us in; any who escaped the Troopers, like you and I did."

"Ryuin, fortunate as us, he was not," she remarked, her ears drooping sadly.

"Then the Republic did this... the Supreme Chancellor gave these orders."

"Involved, the Sith are," replied Terke. "That dark Jedi we faced was proof of it. Working, they are, with the Supreme Chancellor."

"Or perhaps..."

"What?"

"It is too horrible a thought to contemplate," replied Marra.

Silence reigned again after that, as the two of them contemplated their situation. The Jedi order was gone or scattered throughout the Galaxy unable to contact one another. The Republic itself, the one they knew and loved and had fought for so many years, was gone; in spirit if not in name. Democracy was dead. They were being hunted still. And the Galaxy was an empty, dark place with very little light left in it. To say nothing of their recently lost ally Ryuin.

Marra and Terke exchanged a glance, none-too-surprised to see similar thoughts running through each other's heads. But then they allowed themselves to share a smile.

They still had each other, at least.

"What now?" asked Terke quietly, powering up the ship, preparing to launch them into the atmosphere.

"Well we certainly cannot stay here; it will be the death of us. We need to head somewhere remote, somewhere we cannot be found until we receive word from the Jedi again. We'll need to go into hiding for a year or two," she mused aloud. Possibly much more, she thought to herself, but she did not voice this fear.

"What about the Fuu system?" asked Terke. "Supposed to be very tropical, the third planet is, virtually unspoiled. Hide on there, we could, on the islands."

A smile stretched across Marra's violet features. "I always wanted to see a tropical beach."

"Decided, it is then. To Fuu, we shall go," decided Terke, powering up their ship and launching them into the cold void. "Lay low, we shall, unnoticed there..."

"Yes... hopefully all will be well when we return..." said Marra, nodding off. Her head still hurt abysmally. Terke's throat felt the same. They would need time to recover from their injuries.

Time they would have a plenty. For it would be many years before the Empire would fall, before the Jedi could return to power again. Until that day, they would remain scattered, hidden, and watchful. Waiting for the day they could avenge their lost comrades and overthrow the tyranny of the Sith.

Terke Riith and Marra Henis would then be able to emerge back into the light and rejoin the Jedi in rebuilding the Order.

When that day came... they would be ready.

>

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>

Author's Notes:

And now the events of my substory come to an end, roughly the same time as the end of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. As promised, identifying the Jedi. Terke and Marra are based off of Comet-hime and her real-life girlfriend. Dark Jedi Attca is based off of Dragonblond. The Fuu system is completely made up, there's no former record of it from any Star Wars material I've ever read. Anywhere. Ever.

Blood-Debt: Grammatical/spelling errors. Expect them in my work. I use word. Hope you enjoyed the final chapter.

DarkKnight92: Yeah, poor Aayla. So Luminara died then? Wow... poor Jedi. What about Shaak Ti? Or is her fate unrevealed and going to be the entire point of your story with the Padawan. I eagerly await.

Ultimate R-Man: Truthfully the not-yet-a-Sith Dark Jedi was inspired by Asajj Ventriss from the Clone Wars series. Your spider-senses seem to be most faithful, Ryuin was indeed the only one to go. You must really like my work.

Trinity Day: Thank you, I do try.

Brutal2003: I don't generally read or write for it either, but I caught the Episode III bug going around, with fan artists making themselves into Sith and Jedi. So this is my feeble attempt. It worked though.

Elrohirthewriter: I honestly don't know if Yoda is cold-blooded or not... he could be, he looks vaguely reptilian. But it made for some good banter between Jedi, so I included it. Hope you enjoyed the rest of the story.

Trecebo: Some die, some live, some grow and move on, some become one with the Force. Hope you enjoyed what happened. And yeah, Dark Jedi's are really annoying, aren't they? So arrogant.

Ray1: The man single-handedly manipulated events to take over the entire frickin' galaxy. Of course he'd be busy! Gotta give him credit for all he accomplished.