Notes: I was a little lazy this time in spelling and Grammer checking, so you may run into more errors than usual. But that aside, enjoy.
Soulguard

Chapter 5: Destiny

Sebrani knelt near the mound of dirt and rubbed her hands across the loose soil. Beneath the mound lay the body of her sister, removed from existence by her own hands. There was a moment when she wanted to cry again, to shed one last tear, but she couldn't. Jasmine was going to kill her, yet Sebrani turned the tide thanks to Edranus providing her with pure clarity of the situation.

Sebrani stood from the mound and brushed the dust from her hands and knees. "Farewell, Jasmine. May the Force guide you in the great beyond."

"You done?" Mana questioned as she approached Sebrani from behind. "We need to go."

"Forgive my tardiness." Sebrani brushed passed Mana and continued to the ship. Mana folded her arms and looked toward the mound of dirt that held the body of Jasmine. She then turned and began to follow Sebrani to the ship. They had both lost a family member while serving under Edranus, yet they both seemed unaffected by it.

The shuttle rose into the air, with Captain Bellmore at the helm it was sure to be piloted well. Mana sat at his side and began to search the Sith frequencies. There were a total of six Sith landing parties, and Edranus wanted to find as many as they could. Sebrani told Mana what she knew, that two groups had been found and killed.

Mana thought aloud. "Counting ourselves, that leaves three groups. Captain, take us to the western region." The shuttle sailed true, streaking over the treetops on a course to find any of the landing party survivors. They quickly arrived after traveling hundreds of miles in mere seconds. The first search area lay below them and Tredmond led a scout team, Sebrani joined them in case of an emergency.

Devin rubbed his hand over a tree bark, "Looks like carbon scoring."

"Numerous tracks in this area." Mikal sounded off.

"I found them!" Sebrani shouted, yet at her feet were only corpses. "Edranus will not be pleased." Three Dark Jedi had been slain by what appeared to be a lightsaber. "My people were here."

"They've been dead for nearly two hours." Tredmond examined their bodies and sighed. "Get back to the ship. We have to move on." The search continued and of the missing three landing teams, only one survivor was found, yet he lay very close to death. Mana examined him as Tredmond and Sebrani reported to Edranus.

"One survivor out of fifteen?" Edranus pondered. "I was foolish to divide my forces in such a way. Tredmond."

"General?"

"Tell Bellmore to take us to the next world."

"Yes, General." Tredmond turned and exited the room.

Edranus walked closer to Sebrani and looked into her face. "How are you?"

"Master?" Sebrani did not understand the question.

"From here we will be leaving your home, and you just lost your sister. How does this make you feel?"

Sebrani reflected briefly, but answered quickly. "I am not concerned. I will serve you master, this is my place. While I serve you, I have no other feelings than to obey your will."

Edranus simply smiled at her answer. He then reached out and cradled Sebrani within his arms. Holding her closely and providing her with some form of comfort for her loss. Sebrani once again melted into his caress.

Tredmond walked into the cockpit and addressed Captain Bellmore, "Sir. Edranus wants us to head to the next world."

"Good. It was only a matter of time before those Cather fighters found us again. PD-Y3, upload the probe relay coordinates into the Navigations Computer."

PD-Y3 did as told, beeping his approval as he extended his uplink servo into one of the shuttles numerous data ports.

Bellmore watched as the navigational chart expanded on his terminal. "Excellent. Tell Edranus we will be arriving at the next world in three days. It's a barren world, not much life. Yet the signal is strong."

"Yes sir." Tredmond exited the cockpit as Bellmore's lieutenant climbed into the co-pilots seat.

"Lieutenant, prepare for light speed. Hopefully this world won't be as tragic." The shuttle entered lightspeed and vanished from New Cathoria's system.

- - - - - - - -

In Hyerspace there was very little to do. The crew did mediocre activities in order to pass the time, but three days was considered a short flight. For the Sith Troopers, Tredmond, Devin, and Mikal, they sat around checking ammo and field supplies, while swapping war stories from the Mandolorian wars. Captain Bellmore, his Lieutenant and tech officers maintained the ships heading and maintenance. The Dark Jedi however, found other ways to pass their time.

Two stun batons sparked as they collided. Mana and Sebrani faced off for the second time and once again it was Sebrani that was victorious. She stabbed her baton into Mana's shoulder and Mana crumbled from the pain. Edranus waved his hand and Sebrani backed away from Mana. He walked across the small cargo bay and assisted her to her feet.

"What happened this time?" Edranus questioned.

"She's too fast, master. I can't keep up with her movements." Mana was exhausted and breathing heavily as she tossed the stun baton in frustration.

"Every opponent you face will have an advantage over you, Mana. You must find the opposite of that advantage. If Sebrani is faster than you, then you must find her weakness. I have never met anyone that can defeat speed with speed."

Sebrani walked across the room and picked up the baton. She was just as tired as Mana, and she wiped her brow upon her sleeve. She removed the top portion of her uniform and adjusted her under shirt; making sure that she was not exposing her body. The shirt beneath her robe was form fitting and stained with sweat from the workout. She then walked back to Edranus and Mana, but she received an odd stare from them both.

"What is wrong?" Sebrani questioned nervously. Mana was shocked at how toned she was. Edranus simply stared.

"If you can not match her speed then you must defend yourself against it." Edranus took Mana's baton from Sebrani and then gave it back to Mana. "Remember this well, Mana. There is no shame in retreating. Use that time to think and counter."

"Yes master." Mana walked passed Sebrani and softly punched her in the shoulder. She wanted to hit her harder, but there was no point in being angry; she lost fare and square. She sat on a crate and picked up a bottle of water and lowered her head in thought. "Master, can I ask you a question?"

"Always, Mana." Edranus walked closer to her and sat at her side.

She lowered her head and asked, "have you lost your power?" Mana shyly questioned; she was too nervous to ask the question directly.

Sebrani had finally cooled off and pulled the top of her uniform partially on, leaving it unbuttoned. But she found the question interesting and sat on the floor in front of Edranus and Mana.

Edranus looked to Sebrani as she knelt in front of him. "I assume you have a similar question as well?"

"Yes, master."

Edranus turned and looked into Mana's eyes and smiled softly at her. "What do you think?"

"I don't know. I can not sense the force from you. It is almost as if there is nothing of the Force within you …"

Sebrani cut in. "It is as if you do not exist." Mana nodded her head, agreeing to what Sebrani said.

"Both of you, close your eyes." They obeyed. "Now empty your mind. It should be easy for you to feel the flow of the force around you."

"Yes." Mana softly whispered. "I feel it."

"I as well." Sebrani added.

"Now, follow that flow. It is easy, because the Force exists within everything and flows freely from all directions. However, some things are stronger than others. The Force is a driving current, and some currents are stronger. Feeling the Force is a basic principle of the Sith and the Jedi however, what if there is a void within the Force?" Mana scanned the current of the Force and saw what appeared to be emptiness.

She began to cringe at the sight, but continued to focus. "What … what is it?"

Edranus continued. "Look beyond the flow of the Force. Feel beyond the edge of the current."

Sebrani gasped as saw it as well. "It can't be!"

Edranus stood and paced around the room. "Focus on this emptiness. Follow it. Go toward it." Mana and Sebrani stood to their feet and followed the darkness. They could both see it clearly within their minds. It was nothingness. It was a blank slate within the current of the Force, and it had no beginning or end. The Force flowed around it, over it and under, but it could not pass through. "You can not sense it, because the Force fears it. The Force avoids it, and it stays away from it. You can not understand it because you have been taught that the Force is everything, and is within everything. Go toward it. Get closer to it and see for yourselves what this void is. Touch the thing that Force fears."

Mana and Sebrani walked closer toward the darkness in their minds and reached out toward it. They both pressed their hands firmly upon Edranus's chest and they felt nothing; the force did not exist within him.

Edranus placed his hands upon their shoulders, "Continue to watch, and trust me. I will show you what you can not see." Together, Mana and Sebrani watched as a swirling vortex of red began to swell within Edranus.

Sebrani wanted to back away. "Is it the Force?"

Mana wanted to go closer. "Yes, but no. It's something more."

Edranus wrapped his arms around them both, and pulled them closer to him. "Now see what the Force fears." The vortex reached out and touched Sebrani and Mana, consuming them in a tendril of twisting darkness. They felt no pain at first, but the pain began to grow and intensify as the hunger within Edranus began to devour the Force within them.

Sebrani noticed it first, "The Force around me, my Force, it is… it is being consumed!"

Mana fell into Edranus's arms as the pain suddenly became unbearable. "Master, please!"

Edranus pushed them both away, and they tumbled to the ground. Mana struggled to push herself up and rested on her forearms as she looked up at Edranus's towering form. Sebrani was too weak to lift herself, but she was able to look at Edranus as he stared back at them.

"I do not know what has happened to me, but I know that I can feed upon the Force as if it were a meal. And each time I taste the Force, my power become stronger and stronger. This hunger is almost insatiable, but I will not let it control me." He knelt down at Mana's side and ran his hand across her head. Some of her strength was returned to her just by his touch and she was able to stand. With his other hand, Edranus stroked Sebrani's cheek and her energy returned as well. "I will not harm you again, but this was the only way to show you what has happened to me." Mana buried her head into Edranus's chest and held him tightly.

Edranus welcomed her embrace. "I have not lost my power, but it was gone from me. My power has returned yet none can see it nor feel it. Now that you know what to look for, you should be able to the Force clearly from within me. But do not concern yourself with me. Our mission is for Revan, and I will obey my Master. We will find the Tatek beast, uncover its mystery and then we will return to Revan's side. With my power and the secrets of the Dark Side of the Force, the Jedi and the Republic will be destroyed.

Sebrani knelt at Edranus's feet, as he held Mana tightly, and began to renew her vows. "Master. I will do anything you command, and never leave your side. I am your humble servant and I live to obey you." Yet within her heart she made another vow, a secret vow that she dared not to speak aloud. "And I sware I shall remove this darkness from your heart, and reveal the kindness I saw within you."

But suddenly she lost control of her body and everything became dark.

- - - - - - - -

Mana lay silent in her bunk and gazed at the ceiling. She loved him, there was no doubt in her mind about that, but she followed him blindly and she didn't understand why. Edranus was powerful, there was no denying his strength, yet he was not Revan. Revan's power was God like, and the way Revan could gather supporters was inspiring. But what was it about Edranus that made her, and Sebrani, follow him without regard for their own personal safety?

She mumbled to herself, "He could have killed me earlier, but instead of running from him I went toward him." She ran her hand through her short dark hair and sat up from her bunk. Her head started to spin and ache, and she returned to her resting position; she still had not fully recovered from Edranus's Force Drain a few moments ago.

She rolled her head over and saw Sebrani lying in a bunk across from her. "Are you awake?"

"I am now." Sebrani sighed. They had both passed out from the Experience of being drained of the Force, but thankfully Edranus did not fully drain them. He had carried them both to the bunks to let them rest.

"How do you feel?"

"Horrible. I assume you feel the same?"

"I feel like I got hit by mad Bantha. Question for you; why do you follow Edranus?"

Sebrani rolled onto her back and glared at the ceiling, "I do not know."

"He helped you kill your sister, but you still want to travel with him?"

"Yes, and he killed your brother. The last time I asked you this, you told me not to. Do wish to share it with me now, Mana?"

Mana closed her eyes and let the image of Jeckson fill her mind. "My brother was a sore in my side since the moment we escaped to Nar Shaddaa. We were kids fleeing the Mandalorian War. I wound up finding a 'job' as a slave girl to one of the local hutts. It was a harsh four years, but we lived, barely. Jeckson, my brother, was always getting in trouble. Even after I bought our freedom and went to Korriban. It was his idea to join the Sith Academy… and while we were there he caused all sorts of trouble. I saved him more times than he was worth. I was almost happy to see him take on Edranus. He was stupid and deserved to die. He should have known that he couldn't beat Edranus. Everyone knew that Edranus climbed the Sith ranks faster then anyone had. He became Dark Jedi in less then two years."

"You miss your brother, don't you?"

"Yes." Mana dried the lone tear that rolled down her face. "But I will not turn my back on Edranus. Not even for my brother."

Sebrani slowly turned her head and looked at Mana. "I feel the same. My sister sat before me, Edranus commanded I kill her, and I did it without hesitation. He has this control over me that I can not understand. I need to be with him and to serve him. He is my master." Sebrani returned her gaze to the ceiling. "But Mana, he is more to you than just your master. Do you love him?"

"Yes. But he scares me like no other creature I have ever seen."

- - - - - - - -

They had finally arrived at the dusty world deep within the unknown region. Edranus stood in the cockpit as Bellmore piloted the ship into orbit. Behind Edranus stood Mana and Sebrani, closely holding their place at his side. They all peered through the forward visor at the slowly approaching world. It was barren and very few bodies of water could be seen. It was desert world.

Bellmore spun in his pilot's chair and looked up to Edranus. "General, we will be landing near the probe's transmission area. This will put us less than a few parsecs from the source."

"Excellent Captain. Begin to land." Edranus turned to Mana and Sebrani. "I will not make the same mistake twice. We are unaware of the inhabitants of this world so I will leave the majority of our forces to guard the ship. Mana, you know the troops best, therefore I leave you in command of guarding the ship. Sebrani, you will come with me and Corporal Tredmond."

"Yes master." Sebrani and Mana both stated in unison. Edranus walked out of the cockpit and Sebrani followed.

Mana quickly gripped Sebrani by the arm. "Guard him."

"With my life." Sebrani pulled away and Mana looked to Bellmore.

"As soon as we land, begin an active scan of the area. I want to know the moment anything moves; including the wind."

- - - - - - - -

The four tethers lowered the shuttle's ramp completely, and a dusty impact greeted them once the ramp contacted the sand below. Beyond the shadow of the shuttle was the hot desolate sea of dry sandy mountains and dunes. The world was reminiscent of Tatooine, yet it was not smothered by twin suns. Tredmond venture out into the blazing light of the sun and let his data pad adjust automatically to the planets natural time. He released a heavy sigh as he adjusted his light armor's coolant supply.

"It's roughly midday." Tredmond read from his pad. "If we can keep to a set pace, we should arrive within two hours, General."

Edrunas pulled his hood upon his head and stepped into the sun. "Let's move." Sebrani wore a dark Jedi cloak and pulled the hood upon her head as well. The small team set out into the vast wasteland and vanished over the first hill.

- - - - - - - -

"Mikal!" Mana yelled to the back of the ship.

"Sir?" Mikal questioningly yelled back.

"Hurry with those auto turrets!"

"Perfection takes time, ma'am!"

"Really? Is that a fact? Well than, Mr. Perfectionist, how about you stay outside and take the first shift of guard duty with those turrets!" Mana chuckled somewhat wickedly.

"You mean it?" Mikal questioningly cheered. He was excited about the prospect of continuing to adjust the turrets. "Thank you sir! I'll get right on it!"

Annoyed, Mana rolled her eyes. "That wasn't supposed to be a good thing."

- - - - - - - -

"There's a cave." Tredmond pointed into the distance at a dark shadow upon the horizon. He put away his visor and wiped more sweat from his forehead. "At least we'll be out of the sun, General. It's a good place to start looking."

"Yes, but we will also be in the dark." Edranus stepped ahead of Tredmond and stepped into the darkness of the Cave. His eyes quickly adjusted, but he once again relied upon the Force to be his eyes. However, unlike the dark woods of New Cathoria, something was strangely different with his vision. The darkness glowed mysteriously upon his vision and everything was much clearer than before. "Stay close to me."

Tredmond pulled up his night vision goggles and gave Sebrani a vision enhancements head unit. It wasn't as good as the night vision goggles but it would help her see. Sebrani tried to use the Force, but something was blocking her. Like earlier, the cave was filled with the Dark Side and she struggled to focus. She pulled down the head unit and her vision cleared greatly.

After several minutes of walking Edranus stopped at the edge of what appeared to be a larger area of the cave.

Tredmond stepped forward and his foot crushed something. "What the hell? General, there's something … the floor. Uh, this is not good." He had stepped into a pile of animal bones.

"Tredmond, be silent and slowly walk back behind me." Edranus spoke softly and Tredmond lifted his head from the pile of bones beneath his feet. His eyes gazed upward and the figure of a large beast hovered over him. Its foul breath brushed over his body and he stepped backwards; slowly.

The massive creature ignored Tredmond's retreat, but it seemed more concerned with Edranus and Sebrani. Tredmond stopped behind Edranus and powered on his heavy Sith blaster rifle.

Edranus looked the creature over and there was no mistaking it, he had found his prize. "Found you. Tredmond, back away slowly, but move as fast as you can. Get back to the tunnel entrance and set the concussion mine field. We'll lead it to you…"

"You believe I will fall for such an easy trap, Jedi?"

The voice came from everywhere, and the group looked around curiously for its source.

"Do not take me for a fool, Jedi. I will not fall as easily as my younger kin have."

"This voice, I've heard it before." Edranus whispered. "Are you …"

"Talking? Yes, Jedi. I speak with the aid of the Force. It is an ability not achieved by the younger of my kin."

"You have to be kidding me. That Tatek can talk?" Tredmond stared blankly at the towering creature before the group and completely forgot about Edranus's orders; but that no longer mattered.

Edranus stepped closer. "I come with questions. Will you talk with me?"

"Talk? You come seeking the Dark Side of the Force. You come to study and to destroy. You, a Jedi who is blinded by power, do not wish to talk."

"I am no Jedi!" Edranus snarled.

"You are a Jedi. Fool. You simply have not realized it yet. You call yourself a Sith, yet you share your power freely! No, the Dark Side does not cater to your ways. You are a Jedi. I have seen many like you in my thousand year reign in this galaxy."

"You know nothing about me! You do not know my anger, my need for power and to crush the Jedi Order and the Puppet Republic they try to protect!"

"And you have yet to understand the will of the Force. You think you can escape the balance? You think you can avoid the Force completely? You tell yourself that you will not let the Force control you, yet you already have."

Edranus froze, and glared into the massive Tarentatek's eyes.

"See your past, Jedi. See that you walked the path to the Dark Side of the Force, long before you knew what the Dark Side was. You had no understanding of the balance or what it means."

The Tatek's eyes flashed and within Edranus's mind he saw his near death on Malachor 5. He saw Revan come to his aid, the ship that carried him from the battlefield, the medics that healed him and restored his life, and then his desire to hate. His need for power, his conquests and training, Edranus saw it all in the blink of an eye. He saw his need to gain more power after Malak humiliated him on countless occasions.

"Now, understand. You no longer contain the darkness that once swelled within you. Do you still truly desire to crush the Republic? To destroy the Jedi?"

"Yes! They let the Mandalorians kill my people, my family… my brother…"

"And your wife." Edranus gritted his teeth and fumed at the creature before him.

"You bury this memory deep within your heart, and you lock it behind the Force. Jedi, you do not seek revenge. What you seek … is justice. This is the balance in the Force. The Jedi Order was wrong in their actions, even they know this, yet they deny it. Many of them are now torn by this action. They are doomed to face their punishment, but it will not be by your hands. I have seen it, Jedi."

"Not possible! I am not a Jedi and the power I seek is similar to Revan's. If I am a Jedi, then so is Revan."

"Revan? Revan's role in this is nothing compared to yours. Revan seeks to rule, Revan was consumed by the Dark Side …"

"Was?" Edranus mumbled.

"… Revan sought only power to conquer, not to avenge."

"Has something happened to Revan?" Edranus stepped even closer to the creature and pleaded for an answer.

"Revan lives, yet is dead. A new Revan is born, and will soon find a new path to follow. The Revan you knew is now lost in a shadow, but I have seen Revan's worth and you are nothing of the kind. You are a Jedi, and you became a Jedi the moment you died to the Force."

Tredmond interrupted, "General, what does it mean?"

"Master?" Sebrani placed a soft hand to his shoulder and Edranus flinched.

"So what will it be, Jedi? Will you accept what you have learned, or will you make this… difficult?"

Edranus lifted his head toward the creature. "Both of you get out of here. I'll deal with this creature and obey Lord Revan's orders, and then I will find Revan and protect my Master from the lies of the Jedi."

"Master, are you sure?" Sebrani questioned as she wrapped her hand around Edranus right elbow; nearly ready to pull him from the cave.

"Go Sebrani. This creature will tell me its secrets, or die."

Tredmond gripped Sebrani and pulled her away from Edranus, leaving him to face the Tarentatek alone.

"I will not let the Force dictate my life. I will destroy the Jedi and the Republic. Now tell me… are you the beginning of the Dark Side?"

"The beginning? You still do not understand. There is no beginning or end. There is only, the Force. The Force brought you to Revan, the Force brought you to Malak, the Force showed Revan that you needed to be sent away, and the Force brought you to my older kin's Force Aura. It was my older kin that killed the Force within you and showed you the path to Feed upon it. But even in this, you are still a part of the Force Darkness can not exist without the light. The Force has called you, Jedi, to bring balance."

"If you can not give me what I need …" Edranus pulled up his lightsaber.

"Your wife joined the soldiers that followed Revan to battle. You joined to follow her …"

"… give me what I need or I will carve it from your hide." A tear rolled down his face and a swirling light began to swell from within him; a pure light that continued to grow.

"… you begged her to stay. But she could not. She chose not to. And she died in the battle. It is not your place to seek revenge against the Jedi. Their punishment has already been decided. You seek power, and you have been shown that power, but in order to have that power… you must embrace the Force and all that it exists to do. You begged the Force for power … AND NOW YOU HAVE IT, JEDI!"

"I … am not ... a Jedi!" Edranus roared as his lightsaber blazed to life. He pushed back the memory of his wife, her death, and he drowned the memory away in the darkness of his mind; trapping the memory in the darkness that swelled through him. The pure light that began to consume him faded, and once again darkness flowed through his veins.

He forced himself to forget her

"If you will not accept the Force, than you will not gain the true power you seek. But you can not escape the will of the Force, no one can. The Force has brought you to yet another task for the Light Side." The Tarentatek stood tall and extended is claws further, preparing to attack the lowly human before it. "Obey the will of the Force. I told you that you would not talk, and my words have come full circle. You wish to fight me, to slay me and forcefully take what took me a thousand years to gain?"

"So be it … Jedi!"

- - - - - - - -

Sebrani and Tredmond exited the cave and turned to see if Edranus would follow, but no matter how long they gazed into the tunnel, there was no sign of their leader and master. Sebrani pulled the visor from her brow and gave it back to Tredmond.

"What the hell was that thing talking about?" Tredmond muttered as he pocketed the visor. "Balance, Jedi and Sith? It all gave me a headache."

Sebrani continued to look into the cave. "Everything it said made some form of sense, yet there is still much mystery in its words."

Tredmond sat under a rock outcropping, attempting to hide from the suns aggressive rays. "Yeah, like him having a wife. He must have married young."

Sebrani looked at Tredmond curiously. "Yes. His wife."

"I wonder if Mana knew about that?" Tredmond questioned as he checked his rifle's power supply. "Come on General, where are you?" Tredmond looked to the cave entrance and waited for a sign.

"Something is coming …" Sebrani unclipped her saber hilt and glared into the darkness of the cave. A deep rumble filled the area as loose rocks began to fall from the cave's outer wall. Tredmond stood and took aim with his rifle. "Tredmond, find a cover firing position!"

"You don't have to tell me twice." Tredmond retreated to a nearby rock and took cover behind it. He pulled the butt of his rifle to his shoulder and took aim at anything that moved. He was a skilled marksman, but when it dealt with Jedi and the Force, skill would not matter; it was all luck.

The area continued to rumble as dust exploded from the cave entrance. Something was happening inside and neither of them could tell what. The dust grew dense and heavy as Sebrani and Tredmond glared at the cave entrance, waiting for Edranus to appear, but to the far right of the cave entrance, the wall of the sheer cliff face exploded.

Rocks flew into every direction. Boulders the size of speeders tumbled high into the air. It was as if the mountain had exploded only a few feet away from them, with towering plumes of dirt, sand and rocks. Sebrani dodged the larger boulders and shielded herself from the smaller particles. She stared into the chaos of falling stone and watched as Edranus jumped clear of the dust cloud.

He landed upon a falling boulder and bound to another with it was still in the air. His speed was unimaginably fast. His lightsaber glowed brightly in his hand as he jumped from boulder to boulder. A large rock tumbled toward him and he couldn't dodge it, so he split it in half with his blade. However, the dark claws of the Tatek sprang from the dust cloud and nearly gripped him. Edranus retreated, swinging his saber wildly at the massive claw; his saber could only scratch the creature's tough hide.

The Tatek was slow, yet it could wield the Force like any Jedi Master or Sith Lord. A stream of lightening surged from its massive hands. Edranus guarded against it with his saber, letting his saber absorb and nullify the fury of electricity. But the power behind the lightening storm was still enough to push Edranus into the rock wall. Edranus barely had time to shield himself against the impact, yet he still shouted in pain.

"Master!" Sebrani roared. She glared at the large Tarentatek as it fully emerged from the hole in the rock face, and she snarled as her lightsaber powered to life.

"Are you nuts?" Tredmond gripped Sebrani from behind, wrapping his arm around her neck and pulled her back; while being mindful that her saber was on. "The General is having a hard time fighting that thing, and you want to get involved? You'll only get in his way!"

"I must help him!" Sebrani instantly freed herself from Tredmond's hold.

"You go out there and you'll make the General worry about you. You aren't a match for that thing."

"There is more than one way to assist in battle." Sebrani charged into the fray.

"Damn it." Tredmond followed.

- - - - - - - -

Mana watched from the cockpit as Mikal cheerfully adjusted the auto turrets several yards away from the ship. PD-Y3 floated behind him, assisting in his guard duties. She was in command, and was not going to let Edranus down.

Bellmore walked into the cockpit and brushed passed her. "Sir, it has been two hours since they left. Still no word?"

"No."

"Well, this is the General's first command. He is still learning. He should know that he needs to check in periodically."

Mana looked away from Bellmore and folded her arms across her chest. "He was a Republic Soldier during the war, just like you. He knows what he is doing."

"Than if he does not contact us, should we assume he is dead?"

"No. It means he is occupied and has not been able to make contact."

Bellmore rested in the pilot's seat and sighed heavily. "Your faith in his leadership is blind, Sir. Forgive me for speaking out of line, but you should know this. He should have made contact to inform us of his situation. Revan would not have made this mistake. This was the same problem we had on Cathoria. He went off on his quest and left us to fend for ourselves. Yet he wants us to call him General." Mana silently began to walk out of the cockpit. "Sir?"

"I'm going to walk away now, Captain. Otherwise I would kill you." Mana neared the hatch but it closed in front of her; sealing her inside.

"No, Sir. I can not let you leave just yet." Bellmore stood from the pilot's seat and looked at Mana sternly. She turned and snarled at him. "Despise me all you want, but you know I'm right. The moment you left the Titan everything fell apart. Me and the technicians know this to be true. If it weren't for you being by Edranus's side, he would have died on that miserable Cathar world."

Mana raised her hand and focused upon Bellmore's throat. "Your lack of loyalty is troubling me, Captain. Perhaps you need to clear your head before you say something unnecessary." Bellmore gasped as his neck became tight.

"Kill me… if you will… Mana. But what I say is true!" Bellmore crumbled to his knees, reaching upward in order to pull away the invisible grip around his neck. "You are the reason we have made it this far … not … Edranus. We will serve… you. You should take command. Please … hear me."

A dark grin appeared upon Mana's face as she watched Bellmore suffer with each dieing breath.

- - - - - - - -

Edranus staggered away from the cliff wall as the Tatek swung at him. The creature's claws carved a deep gash in the stone, and Edranus rolled clear. He then turned and Force pushed the gigantic Tatek. The creature roared and stumbled backward in pain. Edranus ceased the moment and charged. He rammed his saber into the creature's leg, stabbing deeply and piercing its thick outer hide. Another roar bellowed from its might jaws and it kicked Edranus away.

Edranus slid several feet on his back before Sebrani caught him. "Master!" Tredmond stood at their side and fired several rifle rounds at the Tatek. The creature raised its hand and blocked the incoming rifle bolts with little effort.

"No fair!" Tredmond yelled in protest.

Edranus glared up at Sebrani, once he cleared his head from the pain. He then gripped her by the neck and hovered over her. He instantly attempted to drain the force from her, but Sebrani guarded herself with a Force barrier she had placed upon herself before entering the battle.

"Give me what I need!" Edranus snarled.

Sebrani lowered her barrier and felt her power drain away, yet something cut between them. She watched as Edranus's face changed ghostly white and he pulled his hand away from her, something had frightened him and he stopped draining her power. The Tatek hovered behind him and Sebrani dived into Edranus as the creature's claw nearly hit him. They tumbled clear and Tredmond continued to fire into the creature with little results. Sebrani pulled Edranus by the collar, and put more distance away from the Tarentatek. They then stopped behind a boulder and took cover.

Tredmond slid beside them and pulled up a detonator. "Block this!" He triggered it and through it at the trailing Tatek. The explosion forced it to stumble, yet it continued to advance. "This is not fair!"

"Master? What's wrong?" Sebrani gripped him and looked into his eyes.

"I … was going to kill you." Edranus sat up and shook his head in an attempt to shake the memory. "No. I wanted to kill you. I wanted to prove it wrong. Killing you would prove my allegiance as a Sith…"

"General… uh… we don't really have time to discuss this now!" Tredmond began to fire constantly at the Tatek as it came closer and closer.

Edranus stood. "It was right. You and Mana are a part of me now. I can't kill you no more then I would kill myself. It is just as I told your sister." Edranus clipped his saber to his belt and walked away from the large boulder as the Tatek lurched at him.

Edranus smiled softly. "Karen."

The monstrous Tarentatek froze merely inches from gripping Edranus within his claws. Trapped in a stasis field, the creature could not move. Try as it might, the Tatek's power was unable to free itself from Edranus's hold. Edranus looked upward at the towering behemoth as it roared in protest.

"I thank you for helping me understand, beast. But it is as you said. It is all the will of the Force."

"Good. You have begun to understand. Then my last deed to the Force is complete. I can now join my kin and become one with the Force."

Sebrani watched and felt a sudden change within Edranus. The Force flowed into him from all around and was no longer avoiding him. The Force was freely going to him, and it was not harmful to the natural current. Sebrani lifted her hands and could see that even she was freely extended her Force power into him. She felt no pain, nor did she feel as though she were loosing her power. This was the natural flow of the Force, yet Edranus was able to draw more of it at will. The void, the complete hole that was once Edranus, was now filled with a radiating light, but only those who were Force Sensitive could see it. It intensified so greatly that Sebrani had to stop looking through the Force and use her own eyes.

"Strike me down, Jedi, and fulfill your Destiny."

Edranus reached out with both hands and cupped them upward. With one mighty squeeze of his hands, the body of the Tatek twitched and life left it. The creature crumbled to the ground, and a giant red orb hovered above its body. Sebrani watched as the Orb slowly began to fade away and she walked to Edranus's side.

Tredmond walked closer to the Tatek's lifeless husk and kicked it. "I don't know what just happened, and something tells me I don't want to know. But at least this thing is dead."

"Master, the Force flows through you unlike anything I've ever seen."

Edranus ignored her statement. "Tredmond, contact Mana. Tell her to bring the ship to our signal. Tell them that they will need to make more room in the Cargo hold."

"Yes sir, General."

"Sebrani."

"Yes Master?"

"I saw the good within you, and that is why I pushed away from you. That and our connection made me realize that the Tatek was right. A true Sith would not have hesitated to take your power." Edranus once again showed his peaceful smile to Sebrani. "I can not ask you to return with me to Revan's side. I am not sure what will happen once Revan finds out what I have become. But I sense that there is something else waiting. Someone else has gained this power, and uses it for the Dark Side. It consumes as I did before, destroying all life around itself."

"I will stand by you now and forever, master."

"Beyond the stars… there is something else. Someone twisted and determined to destroy. I can feel his power even from here. Things will not get easier, Sebrani. It is about to get much more difficult."

"I sensed the good within you, master, and I knew the risk then. I shall not abandon you now."

- - - - - - -

Mikal stepped from the Ramp as it sealed closed. He then stored the Auto Turrets in a storage locker near the hatch, and headed toward the front of the shuttle. He passed two technicians as they adjusted several sensors, but he continued to the cockpit.

He stepped in the cockpit and nodded. "Turrets are stored and PD-Y3 is on board. We're ready to go. What's the hurry?"

Mana nodded back to Mikal. "We just received a message from the Corporal. Edranus has slain the creature and we're going to collect it." Mana then looked to the pilot's chair. "Captain, take us to Edranus."

Bellmore smirked softly and rubbed the soreness from his neck. "As you wish… master."

To be continued