As we ran at the dark one, it just stood there in a defensive posture. Standing, waiting, ready.
We waded in and attacked. I swung my blade in a right to left fashion, but the dark one was quicker. Its blade deftly got in underneath mine and pushed mine up and away. It then twisted the blade and made a stab for my heart.
Jysella's blade shot in and deflected it away as I tried to dance out of range. With the grace of a sandpanther, she twisted from the parry and attacked. She was constantly moving, never staying still for more than a moment, never dropping her guard.
I really did enjoy watching her move. I just wished that we weren't fighting for our lives so I could enjoy it more.
A quick Force pulse and Jysella was across the clearing. I came in with a fast thrust, which was easily parried, but I followed through with a kick to the dark one's knee. It jumped up and over my head, and I swung my blade that way, intercepting the one that was coming down at my head as the dark one landed.
The dark one and I started circling one another, sabers pointed directly at each other. Then I stopped. I could feel the dark one's confusion and I just smiled. I drew the Force to me and jumped up just as Jysella's blade shot through where I had just been standing.
Caught off guard, the dark one was to slow to evade entirely, and Jysella scored a strike across the dark one's chest.
I swung my saber in a wide arc, in an attempt to get him off balance so Jysella could hit with a swift surgical strike.
Unfortunately, it did not work that well. The dark one blocked my blade as I expected, but quickly Force pushed me flipping me over and parried Jyeslla's blow.
The dark one jumped as I started to stand, and crashed onto my back, driving my face into the dirt.
It stood there, standing on my back, fighting against Jysella.
My instincts were still screaming at me that I should protect her, my anger and hate spiraling once more out of control. I reached out with the Force and plucked the dark one of my back, and swung it against one of the large rocks in the area.
As I stood up once more, Jysella rushed past me, swinging her blade.
The dark one was a blur of motion, I saw a flash and Jysella's blade knocked wide, leaving her open.
I saw the dark one's blade extend out of Jysella's back, and her pain flooded the Force. I felt myself start to cry, and could hear the echoes of my scream.
I felt her pain.
I stood there, in front of a large rock, which at some point had been adorned with the Japor icon, my chest heaving as I cried. I called my saber back to my hand, and with a snap-hiss I ignited it.
I felt my hate.
All those who died, flashed through my mind. Everyone from Valin to Master Katarn. The lose of life. The pain. The confusion. I wanted it all to end. I wanted the power to end it.
I felt her fear.
I started moving towards the dark one. Slowly. Mechanically. My fear for Jysella's life a cold lump in my stomach. Absently, I wondered just how much giving into my rage would change me.
I felt my rage.
A sickening knot joined my fear for Jysella as realization sunk in. Lowbacca and Tesar were not the dark ones. Either Jysella and I, or all four of us were tricked, or just did not understand what was happening. That dark voice in my head said "If this is the dark one, then you murdered Tesar, and you made Jysella murder Lowbacca."
The Dark Side beckoned.
I heard Anakin's voice as he said "If you fall, so do the Jedi." In my mind's eye I could see Jysella as she clung to me and said "Please stay." I saw the dark one's blade as it stuck out of her lower back.
I gave in.
I ran at the dark one and attacked my blade a blur. The power of my hate gave me strength. I swung, and the dark one dodged, I flicked out my hand and the dark one was propelled against the rock again.
I swung my blade in an overhand attacked, and the dark one rolled away just as my blade carved into the rock. The dark one kicked up catching me in the stomach.
I doubled over, trying my best to not throw up, and felt myself instinctively roll away as a saber blade sliced through where I had been. I reached out with the Force and grabbed the drum and threw it once more at the dark one. I struggled to catch my breath.
The dark one just pushed the drum aside with the Force and laughed. It then spoke to me. A dark guttural voice, it sounded unnatural as it spoke. "Yes, I can feel your anger, your hate. Give in to them, they make you strong."
As the dark one said these things, I could feel Jysella lying on the ground and I remembered how she held me on the day Jaina was hurt. I closed my eyes, and remembered the smell of her hair. I could feel the Force singing to me. I remembered her whispering to me "Please stay." It was less of a plea for me to stay physically as it was an emotional plea, to stay with her in the Light.
I released my hate and my anger, I let go of my fear.
I opened my eyes onto the dreamscape, the four figures circling me, each stopping in turn, each saying "choose.'
So I did.
The next time Jysella, as the avatar for the Living Force, stopped in front of me; I stepped forward, grabbed her saber hilt, and closed my eyes. I heard a loud masculine voice, one that sounded vaguely like dad's. "You have chosen."
I opened my eyes, and saw the dark one rushing at me, anger pulsing in the Force.
Once more I flicked out my hand, and Force pushed the dark one against another rock. This time the large one with the Japor icon burned onto it.
Using all my strength of will, I held him against the stone. I walked closer, fully intent upon ending this permanently.
I could feel the dark one strain at my Force push; I feed my abilities with sheer will, and felt a tickle in the Force as the dark one focused on the ability to raise just an arm. The arm slowly raised and then shot out Force Lightning at me.
I raised my blade to catch it, but just barely missed. The pain shredded my nerves, disrupted my concentration and I screamed.
Yet I finally got a handle on how the Dark one was hiding. I understood what it was. It was a corruption of a Fallanassi technique at hiding in the Current. Suddenly so many things made sense. From how the holorecorders failed to catch Tekli's slaughter, to how the dark ones could so effectively hide in plain sight.
I flew at the dark one, my blade an attack for the dark one to focus on as my real attack came through the Force.
I was easily parried as I had expected. Yet my actual attack was still in progress as I tore at the edges of the illusion. Finally catching a hold of the corrupted Fallanassi illusion, I yanked it down, making the dark one scream in something approaching pain.
There before me was my dead Master, whole and alive.
I was stunned, and did something no Jedi, trainee or otherwise, should ever do, I dropped my guard in the presence of a Dark Jedi and just stared in shock. Even after recognizing the Fallanassi tricks, I did not expect it to be Jacen behind the illusion.
The blast of lightning he shot at me knocked me unconscious.