"Is everyone okay?" Seth said. The calamity of the Ebon Hawk's crash had left the crew with minor cuts and some bruises. Visas had been hauled out of the medbay and was now laying on the ground. Brianna was leaning up against a rock next to Mira. They both had a various number of bandages round them. Atton was sitting on the surface and was coughing every once and awhile. Bao-Dur and his Remote were sitting staring at the Ebon Hawk, seeing their hard efforts of repairing the skip in vain. T3 beeped slightly, and HK-47 surveyed the landscape silently. G0-T0 was nowhere to be seen.

Getting no reply, Seth stared at the Ebon Hawk. Let's hope Bao-Dur can get it up and running. Then he stared about Malachor V, the memories beginning to surface once again. "I'm going to go…" Seth said. "…exploring." None of them moved or commented.

He turned and went, stepping gingerly over green-lighted cracks in the surface.

Where am I going? Seth thought immediately. He heard the distant rumble. Aren't these damn things dead yet? He drew his lightsaber and a storm beast appeared and it fell moments later.

Seth did not disengage his lightsaber. He kept it at the ready and began to run. Oh where am I going? He took a left at a fork. I have no idea what to do once I get where I want to go, and I don't even know where I want to go. I could be going in circles for all I know, and the crew needs me shortly. Oh this is risky business, but I came here and there's obviously no way off of this hellish planet if I don't find something, someone, or anything quickly!

He began to sprint in random directions, noticing he was not going in circles. Evading storm beasts and jumping over greenish cracks, he eventually came to a lookout cliff to see a strange door sitting in the middle of a large clearing from rocks. An academy? Seth thought, knowing what it was instantly.

He rummaged through his pack until he found an item he'd bought on Nar Shadda for only thirty credits that had to prove itself still: a grapple. He secured the hook and rope to a rock and tied it round just to make sure it wouldn't fall or come loose. He then, holding onto the gun, lowered himself down the cliff and to the outside of the academy. He set the grapple gun behind a number of rocks, gathering some to cover it up.

Seth stared at the academy, and admired it. The outside funneled in to a door, which was quite a spectacular sight. He quickly snapped out of his fascination and headed towards the inside.

The bodies of numerous Sith assassins lay round Seth. His robes covered in blood, his eyes weary. He took a step forward and pushed aside a body with his foot. He slid along the wall to the floor. He'd worked his way through room after room of Sith assassins and unmasked civilian-appearing Sith with lightsabers. Their faces had the taint of the dark side on them, and they couldn't speak Basic. They'd grunted and gnarled at him, but that was it.

He'd been away for what seemed hours. Please let everyone just be okay, he thought, thinking of Visas. He had no idea what the Sith Lord on the Ravenger had done to her to cause this much damage.

Seth let out a small sigh, knowing he had to continue. He closed his eyes briefly and breathed through his nostrils. The academy smelled like old books and stone.

He stood up. The thought of confronting Kreia in the academy gave him the chills, since she was a powerful Sith. She, undoubtedly, had the ability to manipulate the mind and control normal objects to do her bidding.

The pathway is illuminated, he thought, and now I've got to follow it to one piece of my destiny. He blinked a few times. What was that? Am I a Jedi now?

Disregarding this, he continued to walk slowly over the bodies of Sith he'd slain. He continued down a hallway and through a few other empty rooms that he had cleared out.

His strategy was to lay a series of mines in a path, lure the Sith along the mines, and then have them be weakened so they were more easily killed. Once a room was cleared he work his way to the next.

He expected another room full of Sith, so he laid out his mines, being sure that he set each one carefully so it wouldn't explode when he was round it.

Seth made his way to the door and walked inside to see no Sith, but the Sith Lord from Korriban and Peragus, Darth Sion.

"What?" Seth said. How the hell did he get here? Sion got up from his meditations.

"You have come," he said. "She has said that you are strong, but I am stronger." He immediately drew his lightsaber. So much for negotiations. "None of your little assassin buddies to help you out?" Seth asked tauntingly.

He laughed a bit. "Dark side, light side. Whatever you call yourself." What am I saying? This is just all…I dunno, but it's not really true. Is it just wasting time?

"Now," the Sith Lord said. He stepped up to Seth, who was dwarfed in comparison. His grey appearing skin smelled of bodies and his one functional eye was focused on Seth. It was a bit bloodshot.

Seth got into a ready position with his lightsabers out. Hopefully a part of Master Vash still lives in her lightsaber, Seth thought, knowing he'd need a Jedi master to help him defeat a Sith so power as Sion.

Sion drew up lightsaber and swung at Seth, who parried it and swung with his other lightsaber. Dodging each other's swings and trying to have the other retreat, Sion and Seth continued to fight.

Seth got bruised on a few occasions when Sion knocked him to the floor with his foot, and Sion was weakened when Seth's lightsaber cut his leg.

Seth grew tired, and Sion could feel it and Seth knew this. His blows began to get less powerful and his reflexes less quick. He's good.

Eventually, Sion began to tire. His hand faltered a bit, and Seth noticed this. He focused everything on working Sion's hands until they were so tired. And it worked. He kicked the lightsaber from Sion's hands and began to kick his face with his boot.

Seth dug his lightsaber into Sion's flesh, which let out an eerie, disturbing sound and odor. But as if powered but some kind of recharging force, Sion knocked Seth off of him and sucked in energy.

"Fool," he said. "No one can beat me where the dark side is strong." Seth studied him for a few seconds, trying to figure out something to respond with.

"What is the dark side?" he challenged almost too casually. "Is it just fueled by anger, lust, and pride?" Sion had his stare fixated on Seth, his one, blood-shot eye still craving to see Seth dead.

"Surely you can't think she means for you to succeed," Seth taunted, hoping this would wear down Sion. "She won't treat you differently."

"You are a fool," Sion said. "She will honor me." Seth stared at him. "I'm getting sick of fighting Sith Lords," he said and cast Force Lightning on Sion.

He retreated back a few steps and recovered, casting it on Seth. Seth drew his lightsabers and resisted as best as he could. He took Master Vash's blade and began to fight forward against the lightning. He got within three meters of Sion before he drew his blade and they were fighting again.

Seth pushed Sion back into the wall and charged forward, ready to deliver final blows. But Sion resisted half, since this was unexpected.

It seemed forever until Sion was in the disabled state again, his lightsaber knocked a few meters away. "Give it up," Seth said in the most mocking of tones he could make. "She won't accept you." He had no idea what he was talking about.

"And that is where you are wrong," Sion said defiantly. "Am I?" Seth said quickly. "You have a lot of confidence in her. She is a traitor, and that is what she forever will be. And what makes you think you can gain prestige and honor with one such as her?" The words flowed magically, like the Force controlled his speech for a moment.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Seth thrust Master Vash's lightsaber across Sion's arms and then raised it to his throat. "You will burn here in this academy as will she," he said, not allowing Sion to respond or call upon the dark side. He severed his throat, and the scene seemed a bit too graphic for even Seth.

He stepped away and looked at his doings. He's gone. Seth moved on.

LINE LINE LINE LINE

Kreia gave him a wry smile. "You have come, haven't you?" No, I haven't and this is just a hologram of me. Seth couldn't help his thoughts. She lied to everyone—especially Brianna.

"I'm standing in front of you, aren't I?" Seth looked at her with a twinge of malice. There was a few seconds of silence. She's smiling… "You lied to us," Seth said. "You lied to everyone."

"Telling what is the truth all the time is a weakness," she said. "Now come, Exile, and we shall settle this."

But Seth's lightsabers were already drawn. He struck hard at Kreia, despite his fight with Sion. She seemingly effortlessly parried all of his moves and forms.

He retreated and she chuckled. "You have learned well," she said. "Now I shall truly test you."

Suddenly, four red lightsabers came from as if out of the air. They ignited and all went for Seth. Kreia sat back as Seth struck each.

He managed to disable two right at the beginning by cutting the hilt into halves. But the other two were more difficult.

They each attacked independently, meaning Seth's two lightsabers were cutting through the air like mad. His arms began to grow a bit tired, but he had to keep parrying the lightsabers. Then he noticed Kreia—she was unarmed.

If I could throw a lightsaber at her so she can stop controlling the lightsabers, maybe I can get both of them. It was a risky gamble, but Seth knew he had to take it. He moved his hand round the hilt of his lightsaber and threw it at Kreia.

Dodging and retreating several meters back, he watched it hit her and the lightsabers temporarily fell to the ground. He cut both of them in half and threw them into the abyss. Kreia reached for hers but Seth shot it out of her hands. No.

He gave her an icy stare and Force Jumped right to her and began to slice at random and he eventually got her on the ground, Master Vash's lightsaber at her throat.

"You have done greater than any I have ever trained," she said. Seth stared at her, still an icy stare. "Let me give you one last gift…" She paused. "From one exile, to another."

Seth nodded and she stood up, his lightsaber still at her throat. "What of the future?" Seth asked. "What will happen to my—the people I walk with?"

"Ah," Kreia said thoughtfully. "You know them, but you have no idea what they will encounter." She paused again. "The huntress will stop killing her life and finally live it. She will realize what you have turned her into, and what you've taught her. She will return to her home and miss you and think of you often." She continued: "The servant girl will return to her home and aid her former mistress. The Handmaiden will—" "Her name is Brianna," Seth breathed. "Brianna will," Kreia said a bit irritably, "learn from you. You have taught her more about herself than you have about the Force. The blinded one will find peace, but she knows that you are the one who aided her on her journey." "Will she live?" Seth asked. "She will survive this day," Kreia said, "if this is what you ask. But tomorrow is another day she will survive until she runs out of tomorrows. The Mandalorian will survive his many battles until his body cannot live on stimulants and his armor he so desperately clings to as he does to the promise of Revan's return."

"Revan?" Seth asked. How does Revan fit with Mandalore? "You do not know? Revan and the Mandalorian were on a crew, bound by the promise of returning light to the galaxy." Kreia continued: "Bao-Dur and the droids…I am not certain of them. They will live for a more time but other than that I cannot see for their futures have been clouded over. And, last, we have Atton—the fool. He will always remember what you turned him into, but he will never forget his past. His path will be of a wanted-redemption that he will feel he never quite achieved."

"What of the galaxy?" Seth asked. "The galaxy…it shall die, and then become reborn as the Republic shall, but the Mandalorians shall not. They have seen their day, and no more shall come. The planets you have set foot on in our travels together will have the life brought back to them."

Kreia stared at him. "You have a choice to make," she said. "And you know what I speak of. You have decisions to make daily, but this one will affect not only your future but the ones around you. But just remember Revan's path."

"Revan," Seth said again. "Where is he?" "I do not know," Kreia said. "He went into the Unknown Regions, which I feel is where you are beckoned too. But just know that Revan took no one he loved with him."

Love… The word echoed in Seth's mind. "My body is ailing," Kreia said. "You might as well end my life so you can return to your—Padawans." Gladly.

Seth drew up his lightsaber and plunged it through Kreia's stomach and pushed her body into the abyss.

The glow of Master Vash's lightsaber and the light hum were the only things in the academy that seemed to be alive, save Seth. She can live on. Even though she is dead, her lightsaber will still be in the hands of a Jedi. Visas's words returned to him. Vash really did live on, and she was the one who killed Kreia. Because, after all, Jedi were bonded (or married, as said by Atton) to their lightsaber. It empowers Jedi and is a symbol of both Light and Dark. He studied the hilt and still saw burn marks from the Korriban academy.

In the hands of a Jedi…am I a Jedi now? I've got some of the cryptic speech down, Seth thought and smiled. Smiling? I've just killed a betrayer and a Sith Lord, so why not?

With that he turned and walked out of the academy, never knowing its name.

LINE LINE LINE LINE

Epilogue

Dear Journal,

Yes I've actually started a journal. This is only entry number one. First off, this journal was a going away present from Atton and Mira—apparently they're going back to Nar Shadda within the next few days. I thought I saw them holding hands earlier but it might've been my imagination.

Today we had another banquet for the Republic. We're still on Telos, but I would've probably griped about space travel if we went anywhere else. It seems that being a makeshift hero ever since Revan left has got its perks. I had some Tarisian ale last night, despite Taris was blown up by Malak about four years ago. That is some good ale, despite its rarity nowadays.

I gave T3-M4 to Bao-Dur. The little guy always seemed to love working with Bao, and it was the same vice versa. I tried to get HK-47 to go with, but Bao-Dur "nicely declined". The G0-T0 has been missing since Malachor, but he's not really missed. Mandalore went back to his Mandalorian camp on Dxun yesterday afternoon. But he had a history with Revan…and I could've asked him so many questions, but no need wishing for what's not here. Brianna is staying on Telos, just as Kreia said. She's returning to the academy via shuttle in a couple of days. It's hard to see everyone go, especially since that last party. And then there's Visas. I've persuaded her to at least get the apartment next to mine and we frequently go on walks together just reminiscing and talking about the Force. She can be pretty stubborn and opinionated if you catch her off guard, and she even called herself a "slave girl" once! And, of course, I will never let her forget it.

Telos has been going fine since the Ithorians took over the Restoration Project. Everything is so green now, and the planet looks pretty good. (I visited it as a "guest of the Republic" a few days ago). It's pretty late, and I've got to get up early. Visas likes early walks.

But the one thing I can't stop thinking about is what Kreia said. How I can't take anyone I love with me where Revan went. I often think of this late at night and wonder if I want to help Revan, but he's a friend—a good friend from way back—that I know I just have to help. Or if I don't I'll have all the admirals (especially Admiral Onasi) crawling up my ion engine to find out when I'm leaving. But I like it here on Telos. I might settle down here after…well, after this—whatever this actually is. I still have yet to figure out a different number of things.

I still have Master Vash's lightsaber. I think of it and will always remember Visas's words: She can live on. Even though she is dead, her lightsaber will still be in the hands of a Jedi. Those words, I think, (and I hope) will remain with me until the day I die. They'd be interesting last words, wouldn't they?

It's late. Until tomorrow…

Seth