Lord Benas was outraged. He had spared her in hopes that he might convince her that there was more to the Force than just her narrow view of it. His glance flicked up as he noticed a commotion. The sentries parted to reveal two guards dragging her between them. They stalked into the hall, and shoved her to her knees before him.

As she brought her head up, he noticed bruises across her face and a dusty red mark across one cheek. He grinned, knowing immediately what had transpired. 'I see that you have regained your fighting spirit. Excellent…" She looked back at him calmly, something swirling behind her eyes. 'I never lost it…"

-------

"You're sure about this?" Dilan Karrde asked as he finished loading up his gear into the shuttle.

"I've meditated on it since Ainar's call," Steffan said as he started closing the ramp. "I feel that they're both going to be up against something larger than the two of them can handle."

"And you're sure its Korriban?" Dilan asked him as they walked forward to start the engines up.

"It's not a question of being sure," Steffan said as he leaned back. "But I feel something urgent that will happen there."

Dilan nodded and brought the shuttle off the ground and started to clear orbit. When they got cleared and started heading to the jump point, Steffan entered the first set of coordinates to get to Korriban.

Speed is of the essence.

Dilan waited till they were secured into hyperspace before he looked over at his father. "You felt something?"

"It was just a fleeting moment," Steffan said as he leaned back in the pilot's chair. "In meditation, I felt Callista fighting to regain her control of the Force. It was only for a moment, but it was burning bright."

"But Korriban?"

"It's been home to the Sith ever since the first war between the two started...maybe even longer," Steffan said quietly. "I feel that is where this new change of events has started. I won't know for certain till we get there."

-----------

What he saw in her eyes made him pause. There was definitely more to her than he had first thought. She had a fire that he had not seen in one so young for a long time.

He gazed at her intently. "How is it that you have such a drive for one so young?" She thought a moment as she watched carefully for his reaction.

"Not many have crossed blades with Steffan Karrde and lived to tell the tale...I am one of his students..." She paused, watching him intently. He frowned as she mentioned the name, and his eyes took on a far away look. "It was through his lessons that I was able to fight back against what you were trying to do..."

With the last word, she surged to her feet. She felt the Force return to her for an instant as the shock overwhelmed him. In that single moment, her sabers flew into her hands. The guards backed away from her twin blades, but not before one tried to cut off her hand.

Twitching her wrists just slightly, she moved her hand just in time so that instead of severing her wrist like he had intended, he cut through the binders instead.

She whirled, finding herself now free of the binders, yet still trapped in the middle of the room. Lord Benas rose to his feet, clapping mockingly. "Well done, Jedi." She turned to look at him, but then turned her attention back to the guards as he snapped out an order. "Destroy her!"

------

Ainar moved slowly across the vast room, but if he remembered his history correctly, this place was a maze, many floors, and sublevels...so he needed to do something stupid.

He let go of the Force, and let his senses expand fully, taking in everything and everyone in the Temple, he was detectable now...he was just hoping they weren't paying attention.

He tried to look for Callista's Force presence...his senses slowly scanning the floor, looking for her. Then suddenly he felt a wave of Force energy and Callista's presence was as clear to him as his own.

"Destroy her!"

Ainar snapped his hilt upwards as he heard the muffled cry coming from somewhere on this level, and he locked on to Callista's presence and took off running, igniting his blue blade.

He ran until he came to a large wooden door, he could feel the raw power of the Darkside beyond those doors, and he ran into them full speed, the doors swung open and Ainar rushed into the room, noticing Callista in the middle, fighting off two Sith, and a man unfamiliar to Ainar sat on a throne on the other end.

"STOP!" Ainar yelled as he brought his blade over his head, pointing it horizontally at the group while his other hand stretched forward, knocking the two men off their feet and scrambling against the far wall... lucky break since they didn't sense him coming.

Callista looked at him frightened, then ran to his side, she looked terrible... pale and her robes were torn and bloody, probably from days of torture...

Callista reached his side, her two purple sabers at ready, but she looked weak, tired. "Master…"

Ainar reached over with his free hand and put in on her shoulder, "Get behind me, watch the exit."

She nodded and stepped back slowly, her fatigue almost taking over.

"Who do you think you are, Jedi!" The man on the throne boomed as he stood up gracefully, his words a mere hiss...

Ainar raised his saber in a guarding position and walked slowly to the middle of the room, keeping the other two Sith in his peripheral vision.

"I am Master Algeron, and who might you be?" Ainar said mockingly with a grin painted on his face.

He could sense the anger building up in the man standing across from his as he stood there, his face betraying his anger.

"I am the Dark Lord of the Sith Keiab Benas..."

Ainar lowered his blade slowly, faking an opening… "Dark Lord of the Sith?" Ainar said, then laughed, "I think not.."

The man jumped at him, lightsaber in hand and struck forcefully at Ainar's upper torso, but he had been ready and blocked the strike elegantly, then sidestepped and swirled and thrust at the Sith's back, his blade searing his robes.

The man fell past him shocked, and almost fell forward, but turned around swiftly with the aid of the Force and held his blade diagonally while crouching down, staring angrily up at Ainar.

"Wow that was close...are you sure you are that Dark Lord?...now let's drop this charade...where's Bane?" Ainar asked, adding some steel to his voice.

He could see a flicker in the Sith's eyes at the mention of Bane, but he didn't react in any other way. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Jedi..." he growled.

Ainar just smiled as he saw the other two Sith adepts slowly move towards him, saber's raised. "Trouble?"

Ainar sprang to the left, his blade crashing against the adept's as he forced his blade upwards and kicked the man with all his might in the stomach, sending him spiraling away, and moved like in a Mon Cal ballet, edging his back backwards and swinging the blade back over his head in a counter-move at the strike at his head.

His blade intersected the red blade of the other Sith and Ainar let himself drop backwards to the ground, and fell into a roll that took him through the other man's legs...cutting him in two.

He came out of the roll, at the Sith Lord's side and recieved a fist directly into his jaw, which sent him backing, his head spun fiercely from the impact..."hey no stuffing the gloves with ferocrete...that's illegal"

Callista ran to him and put a hand under his, steadying him. "Are you alright Master?"

Ainar nodded as he raised himself back up and shook his head, the Sith laughed at him.

"That was quite unneccesary...Kris was one of my best students.." he said pointing at the Sith who was now in two pieces on the floor, the other adept came to his Master, his blade humming loudly as he twisted it repeatedly in the air before settling into an en-guard position.

Then they both attacked, Ainar raised his blade just in time to fend of the Sith Lord's attack and summersaulted backwards, landing 10 feet away.

Callista's two blades were moving at incredible speed, driving the other Sith adept away from them.

She's good Ainar thought as he recovered and ran back towards the Sith, his own blade swinging in a high arc, intersecting with the Dark Lord's blade, the energy crackled as their blades met, sending sparks in the air.

Ainar used all his might to push his blade away, trying to gain an opening...but the Sith sidestepped and shut his blade down, Ainar lost his footing and fell forward, right into the Dark Lord's grip.

His massive right arm took hold of Ainar's throat and he lifted him easily off the ground, closing off his air supply.

Ainar struggled to break himself free, his hands trying to pry the Lord's fingers off his throat, but without success...he was too strong, his arm...mechanical, yes that was it. It was dead to the Force, nothing there but metals and servos.

Ainar tried kicking but the massive Sith didn't flinch as he continued to strangle Ainar, who with the help of the Force managed to keep his throat from collapsing like a straw.

Callista was being kept at bay by the other Sith, she couldn't get to him.

Ainar's vision started dimming and he saw black spots swirling, he was going to die soon, he tried to struggle, his hands grabbing the Sith's arms, trying to find a weak spot...and there it was, his shoulder, there flesh met metal...

In a last effort Ainar thrust himself forward, knocking his head into the Sith's forehead while his hand went to his shoulder and withdrew the Tikki blade and thrust it will all his might into the intersection in the man's shoulder.

The Sith Lord screamed in agony as his grip on Ainar lessened and Ainar broke free, falling to the ground...fighting to catch his breath again.

Blood poured from the wound as the Sith drew the blade out and threw it to the ground, a moment's distraction long enough for Ainar to stand up and call his saber back to his hand.

He looked over at Callista who also got lucky as the Adept's concentration was broken by his Master's scream and the dead form of the Sith lay on the ground behind her...she looked almost as bad as Ainar felt..

The Sith was bleeding badly and growling with the ferocity of a Krayt dragon, then called his own saber to his hand and ignited the blade.

Ainar got into position, ready for another attack but the Sith Lord grinned as he pointed the tip of his saber at the gaping would and started cauterizing his own wound...the smell of burned flesh filled the room and Ainar grimaced at the blatant brutality.

"Callista...go"

She looked at him puzzingly, "Now Callista...head north, get the ship started, If I'm not back in 10 minutes after you get there, take off and contact Master Karrde.."

She glanced at him like she wanted to refuse, but she shut her sabers off and ran out of the room, away from the coming battle.

"Don't want her to see you die, Jedi?"

Ainar just smiled, his strength had returned to him and he took a stance, that said 'come and get me'.

The Sith Lord looked at him, fire burning in his eyes as the blood stopped pouring from the wound.

Ainar just shook his head grinning, "you really must hate yourself"

The Sith laughed and attacked with blinding speed, and for a moment things seemed to slow down as Ainar let himself over to the will of the Force and he ceased to be Ainar Algeron...and became an instrument of the Force.

Their blades crashed again and again, sparks flying and they both moved with incredible speed and accuracy, effectively blocking each other's moves perfectly.

"You would make a fine Sith...you fight with passion!" The Dark Lord said between strikes.

Ainar didn't answer the man, but reacted by stepping back as the Force helped him guess the Sith's next move.

Ainar raised his blade high just in time to block the lethal lightning shooting from his fingers, deflecting it to the roof, which sent shards of stone and dust falling over them.

The Sith raised his hands again, this time Ainar managed to deflect most of it but a stray lightning got his hand and he dropped his lightsaber and fell to the ground as the lightning passed through his body, paralyzing him.

He walked over to Ainar, increasing the ferocity of the Force lightning and Ainar screamed as the energy burned him, his flesh cooking.

Benas looked down on him grinning, then raised his hands again, for the final blow...Ainar's body was unable to resist, but the will of the Force was still with him.

As Benas shot another doze, Ainar's lightsaber came flying through the air, blade ignited and intercepted the lightning centimeters from the Sith's hands, and the deflected energy right into Benas's face, boiling his eyes.

The Sith screamed with agony as he dropped to his feet and held his hands over his eyes, blood came pouring down his face.

Ainar climbed to his feet, every fiber of his being hurt as he walked over to the Sith who now lay by Ainar's feet, and kicked him in the torso

Lord Benas convulted with pain and let his hands drop, where his eyes had been were now two gaping holes...

"Please...please help me..."

Ainar's breath was hollow and sore as he stood there, looking at that...monster, now beaten and crying...well bleeding.

Ainar called his saber to his hand, the handle was all charred and black and ignited the blade.

The Sith stiffened as he heard the snap-hiss, "I surrender..." he said gravely, almost pleadingly...

Ainar ground his teeth, his hair was burned, his skin red and boiling and he wanted to hurt that nerf..

Without thinking Ainar raised his blade and thrust it powerfully down through the man's chest, right through the heart and if his muscles would respond...he would've smiled.

The 'Dark Lord of the Sith' was dead, his gaping hole in his chest and the dark eye sockets sent a chill down Ainar's spine...

What did I do.. he though as his own body shook, both out of shock and from the coldness he felt from watching the man lying on the floor...the man he murdered.