So welcome to the end. Honestly the past eight years (wow, just stopped to think about that) of writing this story have been... I don't actually know what to say. Let's go with indescribable. Honestly, going back over it, seeing my improvement as a writer over the years is incredible. (I can barely look at earliest chapters anymore) So thank you to everyone who has supported me. I'm aiming to get the sequel, Sith Warrior: Plan Zero, out in the next couple of months as I'm trying to get back into a regular schedule.

What has been the favourite part of this story for you? For me it's probably this chapter, I've been thinking about since before I actually started writing this story. That or the reflecting pool on Tatooine... I'm not sure.

Also I'm running a poll about the best Sith Warrior companion, this is not just based on this story, which wouldn't make sense as two of them haven't appeared, but feel free to check it out.

Oh one last thing, I finally achieved Legendary status in the game, so that's pretty great! (As far as I'm concerned)

But without any further ado, I welcome you to...

Chapter 34: Padawan's Fall

When the ship arrived in system, the Jedi immediately scrambled a team to investigate. After all, they were still on edge after Darth Angral's attack on their homeworld, two weeks ago.

As such, there was only one choice to lead the team. The newly proclaimed Hero of Tython.

Suria went in with both her lightsabers drawn. The orange and blue beams illuminating her way through the darkened ship. She was sickened by what she found, the headless corpses of two Jedi Knights.

It didn't take long for the Jedi to find the heads and it took even less time to identify the fallen knights.

Uldinn and Zylixx.

Suria had returned to the temple and informed the council of her discovery. They had in turn, revealed which Jedi Master Uldinn and Zylixx had been assisting. The council immediately contacted Master Nomen Karr.

Suria had asked to stay, and took a position behind the chair of her recently deceased master, Orgus Din. By all rights, there was no need for her to be there, but Suria was far too concerned to think about leaving. After all, she liked Jaesa Willsaam, Nomen Karr's padawan, and while they weren't exactly friends she didn't want anything to happen to her.

Karr's holographic form flickered into view above the council table, "Masters," he said, "how may I be of service?"

Suria, just outside of the projecter's range and therefore out of Karr's view, narrowed her eyes. He had hidden it well, but Suria had heard a hint of what might have been irritation in his voice. Though she couldn't be sure, after all she'd only ever had one short exchange with the man.

"Master Karr," Satele Shan said, "Uldinn and Zylixx arrived in system. They are dead. What were they doing for you?"

Karr's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly recomposed himself. "First of all, let me say that I regret their deaths and hope they find peace in the force. But, on the more relevant matter, I had them seeking out a dangerous Sith who has been hunting my Padawan."

Suria's brow furrowed, she remembered Jaesa talking about this. But couldn't quite recall the name of the Sith, it was on the tip of her tongue.

"I see," Master Shan said, "well, perhaps it would be best if you and Jaesa return to Tython. We can ensure her protection..."

"No," Karr interrupted. His voice firm, but with the barest hint of panic. He quickly recomposed himself, "it is best that we stay on the move. There is too great a risk if we remain in one location for too long."

"Master Karr," Suria interjected, stepping into the range of the projector. "Surely you don't think one Sith, this Arkunov, could breach Tython's defences alone? Even if they are weakened, I doubt he could face us alone or bring another weapon of Desolator caliber."

Karr showed no visible reaction, yet Suria felt the briefest flash of something. Some emotion that she couldn't quite identify, yet she had sensed it before. From followers of the dark side.

"As I have said, that will not be necessary. Despite your assertions Suria, I will not underestimate the Sith. Jaesa will be safe with me, her power will be protected. I will make certain of that. It is my duty to end this."

He severed the connection.

"Well, that can't be good," Master Satele said, only slightly sarcastically.

"We need to find him, immediately," Master Kaden said. "Before Karr does something reckless. There's a Padawan's life on the line!"

"I'll go," Suria announced, volunteering without hesitation. "We have coordinates from his transmission. They're in Hutt space, near Nar Shaddaa. I'll leave immediately."

"Very good," Satele replied, nodding. "I only pray that you are not too late."

She would be too late.

Far too late.

Arkunov sat in his quarters meditating, the glowing crimson blade of his lightsaber hovering before him.

It had been almost a standard week since he had sent the Jedi ship back to Tython, surely they had received his 'message' by now. Yet, even if they had not, he could wait.

Patience was a trait that was rarely valued among followers of the dark side. As many of it's users could not control their impulses properly. In Arkunov's opinion this was a mistake, during his early training and his apprenticeship to Darth Baras, he had seen the benefits such a virtue could bring.

He had his own philosophy on the subject now.

Patience allowed rage to build and passion to surge. All feeding into the cold fire of the dark side. It would only make him stronger.

He was broken from his revery by a ripple in the force. Arkunov smiled, his patience had paid off. He knew it had.

A moment later, Captain Quinn knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Stepping inside, Quinn said, "My Lord, Darth Baras is waiting on holo. It is urgent, he commands you attend him immediately."

Arkunov left the room without another word and soon stood before Darth Baras.

"Apprentice."

"Master."

"It seems both the Master and Padawan have been disturbed by your exploits," Baras began, his voice as cold and sharp as a razor's edge. "I have received a transmission from Nomen Karr. Calling me out, if you will. He has become desperate."

"He must have lost his mind challenging you, Master." Though his tone was flattering, Arkunov could not stop the bile that rose as he spoke. He despised playing the lickspittle, yet it was all part of the game the Sith played.

One that he would win.

"Our efforts to disrupt his precious Padawan have unnerved him," Baras replied, an air of smugness in his voice. "He seeks to turn the tide. Karr fails to understand, that I have outgrown our personal dispute."

Arkunov had to make a concentrated effort not to laugh. That was perhaps the biggest lie that he'd ever heard. Jaesa had been right, this whole affair was a private war between their two masters. One that Baras couldn't win without Arkunov.

Baras continued, unaware of Arkunov's inner thoughts, "He expects me to jump at the chance of strangling him. He will be unprepared for you."

"Of course, Master. I shall not fail you."

From the moment Arkunov stepped foot on the planet's surface, he despised Hutta. The smell was the worst part, it was as if he was being punched in the nose. He was glad that he was wearing a helmet, to filter out the worst of it.

Neither Quinn or Vette were so lucky.

Vette's lip curled in disgust and she was making a concentrated effort not to gag. Quinn on the other hand, showed no outward signs, yet Arkunov could sense the captain's discomfort.

Ignoring all the distractions that the Hutt's servants tried to offer them. They made their way out into the swamp and towards the coordinates that Darth Baras had provided.

Vette swore profusely, as her foot got stuck in the mud. "Stupid Jedi! Why did he have to pick such a disgusting planet? Ugh, I'm going to stink for days."

Quinn's eyes narrowed disapprovingly at the Twi'lek's comment, though Arkunov could sense he felt something similar. He ignored the two of them, and pushed his way through the swamp.

After an hour of trudging through the mud, the trio arrived at the coordinates. They found a secluded cave, that looked like it had been converted into a storage area.

Karr had repurposed it into a safe house.

There was no security to bar their way, though Quinn and Vette still kept their blasters raised. It didn't take them long to find Karr. The Jedi Master had made no attempt to hide himself, either physically or in the force. He sat meditating at the far end of the main room, seemingly at peace.

Shaking his head, the Jedi got to his feet, "Your presence tells me that my fellows, Uldinn and Zylixx, must have failed. Pity."

Removing his helmet, Arkunov smirked at the Jedi, "Really, that's what my presence tells you? Didn't you get my message?"

Karr ignored the jab and continued, "I should have known Baras couldn't be trusted. As a man of my word, I'm here, alone as agreed. Your master shows himself a coward, sending you in his stead."

Arkunov smiled and said, "You sound upset, Master Karr. Angry even. Perhaps I should call you, Retrost?"

Karr's eyes narrowed at the last word, the name of his Sith identity, and he stifled a tremor in his lightsaber hand. It had been so long since he had heard the name, it had almost unsettled him. Yet he was almost certain that the Sith hadn't noticed.

"Your crusade has affected me, Sith," Karr answered, deciding that truth, or at least a version of it, was the best way to go. "I won't deny that. But I've wondered the line between the dark and the light before. I walked among your master and the Sith, my connection to the light survived them. It shall survive you."

Arkunov chuckled, "You say you walked the line, perhaps that is true. But are you certain that you never stepped over it, Retrost? I think you did. I think your connection to the light is sputtering. Why don't we find out?"

The crimson blade blazed to life and cleaved towards Karr's head. The Jedi's own emerald weapon barely intercepted it, yet he pushed Arkunov back, just long enough for the duel to begin.

Arkunov's blade slammed into Karr, hitting with the force of a groundquake. He unleashed a relentless storm of Djem So attacks, each one forcing the Jedi Master to take a step back.

"Come Reterost, is that all you've got? I'm disappointed!"

Karr kept the rage from his face, ignoring the Sith's continued use of his false identity. The Jedi Master had to focus on holding the Sith off, till he tired or made a mistake, that was the way to beat a Sith. They possessed great power, but no stamina to speak of. As such, Karr continued to focus on his Soresu defence.

Arkunov grinned all the while, he was enjoying this. Karr was far from the best swordsman he'd ever faced, but he was still good, very good.

The Jedi Master's defence was almost flawless and he moved to offence at precisely the right moment. Unleashing a short burst of Ataru, attempting to force Arkunov to waste energy on quickly transferring to a defensive form. In any other situation, it might have been enough.

But not with Arkunov.

When Karr's next offensive flurry came his way, Arkunov batted it away, sending Karr's saber wide.

The dark side burst from Arkunov's free hand, slamming into Karr's force wall and sending the Jedi staggering backwards. Though Karr regained his footing quickly, it wasn't good enough.

Arkunov's crimson blade darted forward and left a small searing burn across the Jedi Master's shoulder. Karr fell backwards, bellowing in pain and rage. Hand darting instinctively to his wound.

"The force," Karr hissed, "is very strong with you. I... must... must dig deeper."

Energy twisted around the Jedi as he pulled the force towards him. Bending it to his will, forging it into a weapon. Not like a Jedi, like a Sith.

Arkunov's face twisted into a delighted snarl, "Yes Reterost!" He roared, "release your anger! Show me the real you! It's the only way to defeat me!"

The words didn't even register, as Karr leapt at Arkunov, bellowing in fury, exultant in the release of his emotions. His eyes now tinged blood red.

Vette watched in awe as the two fought.

She'd seen Arkunov in combat so many times, since she had been forced into his service, and she knew her place in the dance by now. Stay out of the way and stop anyone from interfering. After all, she'd only get in the way.

But something was different now. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"He's playing with him."

Vette turned at Quinn's statement, frowning, "What?"

"His Lordship, he's playing with Karr. Pushing him into anger. Into the dark side."

"Okay, Captain Smartypants, how do you know that?"

Quinn's lip curled at the nickname, but didn't comment on it. Instead he said, "He told me once that Sith favour these tactics, I've seen him do it as well. Putting their enemies on the same level as them."

Turning her attention back to the fight, Vette saw that the Captain was right. Everything Arkunov had done was to aggravate the Jedi Master, ordinarily he would just kill his enemy, but there was obviously a strategy here. Some sort of reason.

"Bit of a gamble though," Vette replied. "It's like handing an opponent an advantage isn't it?"

"Perhaps," Quinn said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "But I believe Our Lord enjoys the challenge."

Arkunov grinned as he held back Karr's assault.

The Jedi Master had completely given up on defence and had unleashed a relentless series of Ataru maneuvers. Arkunov had been forced to use a variation of Soresu to intercept any attack that came his way and throw off the Jedi whenever he got a chance.

This allowed for a brief moment for Arkunov to respond with an attack of his own. A thrust from a Makashi sequence, a slash from Juyo or a crushing blow from Djem so.

Maneuvers from each form merged and flowed into one another, creating an utterly ferocious hybrid style that Karr was barely able to withstand.

The pride Arkunov felt at each move he made, fed into his dark side power, each swing of his blade became faster and stronger. All the hours he had put into perfecting his personal style had been worth it, as well as the maintenance and modifications that had been put into the training droids.

Karr roared, the enraged Jedi continuing to press his attack, uncaring of the wounds that Arkunov dealt him.

"No!" Karr roared, pulling even more of the dark side into himself. "This is not right. Fall! You must fall to me!"

Blinded by his fury, Karr was unable to stop Arkunov from once again turning aside his blade.

Raising his free hand, Arkunov sent a wave of dark side energy crashing into his opponent. Sending Karr flying back through the air and into the opposite wall.

The Jedi recovered quickly as Arkunov called defiantly, "I fall to no one!"

Bellowing in anger, Karr charged forward. The Jedi was buried beneath the anger, the Sith he had once been forcing his way to the fore. He was a savage, unrefined and vicious, formidable but without any control. Perhaps if Karr had reconnected with the dark side gradually, there would have been some cunning intellect behind those blood red eyes.

The price of too much power, too quickly.

Nomen Karr was gone. Only Retersot remained.

Arkunov smiled, the game was entering its final phase.

Reaching out with the force, Arkunov grasped Reterost and pulled him towards his crimson blade.

Yanked at such speed, Reterost had no control over his momentum and was unable to stop Arkunov from leaving a deep gash across the former Jedi's torso.

Eyes widening with sudden shock, Reterost dropped to his knees, the lightsaber falling from his hand and coming to a clattering stop at Arkunov's feet.

Lazily, Arkunov pulled the weapon into his hand and clipped it to his belt. He smiled down at Reterost, "Tell me, how does it feel to stop pretending? To stop lying to yourself?"

Reterost's eyes, still blood red with rage, flashed with a moment of vicious clarity. "My... wound is mortal, Sith. At least I die knowing you'll never find... Jaesa... Victory will still be mine."

Arkunov chuckled back, "I don't think so, Reterost. Quinn, keep him alive. I'm not done with him yet."

Jaesa awoke with a start.

She could still hear it.

The screaming.

Screams of pain and rage from a throat too exhausted to carry on, yet forced to do so.

The voice was familiar, it was Master Karr's.

Obviously, his plan had failed, Arkunov had defeated her Master and was now forcing him to suffer. She wasn't surprised, every obstacle, every Jedi that Karr had set against him, Arkunov had cut down.

Why should the man himself be any different?

She got from her bed and headed towards the bridge of the ship, ignoring her exhaustion. Jaesa had barely slept, and what little rest she had gotten had been interrupted by the vision. But there was no other choice.

Jaesa had to do what she should have from the beginning. It was her duty to end this.

Guiding the ship to the orbital station, she tried to prepare herself. Pushing down the fear, and the strange anticipation she felt as she brought the ship into dock.

Yet no matter how much she tried, she could not.

It had been with her from the moment she saw him aboard the listening station. Even if it had only been over holo. The violence he had unleashed, it had brought an unexpected excitement to the fore. Something she had last felt on Tatooine.

At the reflecting pool.

Shaking her head, she pushed such thoughts from her mind. There was no time for them now, she had to focus on the fight to come.

"Ahhh!"

Reterost bellowed in pain as Arkunov stepped away from him.

The fallen Jedi was bleeding, heavily, and his whole body throbbed with pain. It had been like this for hours, Arkunov inflicting varying levels of pain upon his captive. It had started off rather tamely, by Sith standards.

First, it had been his bare hands and fists. Arkunov had then taken a knife from Quinn and begun to tear open Karr's flesh, leaving long jagged cuts in the torso. Finally, he had started to use the Dark Side, sending jolts of pain arcing throughout Reterost's body.

All the while, Quinn had stood there silently. Only interveing when Arkunov was done with a round of torture, restoring the captive just enough so the Sith Apprentice could begin again. Vette, on the other hand, had left almost immediately, muttering something about not wanting to spew her guts up.

Quinn, didn't feel such squeamishness. He was used to it, during the war he'd seen Sith torture prisoners before. Many of the Lords took great pleasure in the act, but not Arkunov. He smirked at the Jedi all the while, but Quinn noticed that the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. The Captain suspected that he viewed it as little more than a necessity and not something he enjoyed. After all, there was no challenge to Arkunov, no contest of skill or test of arms.

Whatever the case, it was useful to know.

Dark side fury burned in Reterost's eyes, as he snarled, "Torture me all you like, Sith! The pain only fills me with more hate! More rage! I'm... I'm going to kill you! You and your pathetic Master are dead! Dead!"

Arkunov smirked back, "How delightful to hear you spew such venomous thoughts. It must feel good to take off the mask, Reterost. Please, continue."

"Your smugness is an insult! You're not my better. Unbind me, so I may rip you limb from limb!"

Arkunov chuckled at the Jedi's furious words and took a step forwards to resume his efforts, now preparing to start using his lightsaber. But before he got the chance, his comlink buzzed.

Vette's voice came through, "Hey, lookie lookie, the Jedi's here."

"Send her in," Arkunov replied immediately.

"Couldn't stop her if I wanted to."

Jaesa entered the hideout, the Twi'lek who had greeted her following just behind her. She was obviously a slave, the collar around her neck evidence enough. Yet she walked with a strange degree of freedom and Jaesa sensed very little resentment towards the Sith from the Twi'lek, some but not much. Jaesa didn't quite know what to make of it, yet she pushed all such thoughts from her mind when she saw Arkunov.

He stood with the Imperial she had seen before, a lieutenant if Jaesa was reading the rank pins on his uniform correctly, arms crossed over the chestplate of his black armour, a cruel smirk fixed on across his face.

However, her attention did not stay on Arkunov for long. For they were drawn, almost magnetically, to the bloody form of her Master. Nomen Karr was covered in bruises and cuts, many of them still bleeding.

Swallowing, Jaesa pushed down the bizarre mix of nausea and interest she felt and turned her attention back to Arkunov.

"Sith!" She called, trying to project confidence. "Cease your sadistic attacks on my Master, now!"

Arkunov smirked and was about to reply, but Karr interrupted him snarling, "Jaesa! No! I told you to stay put! How dare you defy me!"

Jaesa recoiled at the rage she sensed from her Master. She had sensed anger from him before, but had assumed those were temporary lapses, easily brought back under control. But this, this was far from that.

Arkunov, who seemed rather amused by the whole thing, hissed at Karr, "Be quiet, Retersot. She is quite welcome. After all, I have waited for this for a long time."

Karr ignored the Sith and continued to rant, "My sacrifice for nothing! Stupid child, for all your power, you have understood nothing!"

Jaesa felt the horror spread across her face, but couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. "What have you... done to him, Sith? Has this been inside him all along?"

"Of course," Arkunov replied, calmly. "I simply removed his mask. Meet Lord Reterost."

"No," Jaesa protested, vainly, "that can't be true. No one can hide such darkness. Somehow you've turned him mad."

Arkunov's answer came with a smile, "I have not. Look into your master's heart, if you wish, see for yourself. Or don't, your choice either way."

Her gaze turned towards Master Karr, who snarled back at her. Fury filling his bloody irises. Arkunov's offer was tempting, she had to admit that to herself, but still she hesitated.

"Mater Karr taught me not to use my power as a crutch, only when it was clearly necessary," she said, offering up the excuse her Master had once given her. Honestly, before Karr had said that, Jaesa felt the temptation to use her power on everyone she met. "I've never brought it to bear on him, but..."

"But why not?" Arkunov argued. "Isn't he the one who dictated when it was 'necessary'. Haven't you ever wondered why he said that?"

Closing her eyes and putting her hands in the focusing stance Karr had taught her, Jaesa reached out with the force and touched her master's mind.

"I sense... I sense... pride," Jaesa whispered, shivering at the cold fury that burst from Karr. "Envy... and hate... and vengeance."

She recoiled from Karr's mind, fighting her away out of the cold storm of dark side energy that swirled inside him uncontrollably. The jealousy Jaesa had sensed towards her power, the hate Karr held for his old enemy Baras. None of it made sense, Jedi weren't supposed to feel such emotions, they were supposed to be calm and serene.

It made no sense.

But, she knew really that was not true. Throughout this crisis, throughout Arkunov's single-minded hunting of her, Jaesa had sensed these emotions from her Master. Only in brief flashes, but they were impossible to deny.

Even so, Jaesa tried.

"No!" She cried. "What Sith trick is this? I would have know if such darkness resided within him!"

"That is what the Jedi do," Arkunov said. "They mask and pretend. But you knew didn't you? You just bottled that feeling up."

Jaesa wanted to say... something, she didn't know what. Agree perhaps, but Karr interrupted her, "Jaesa, it's all a trick! Turn your power on the Sith, then you'll see!"

Arkunov smiled, "Look at me as long as you like. I have nothing to hide."

Jaesa's only response was to fall back into her meditative stance. Once again, the cold of the dark side made her shiver, it billowed in a storm around Arkunov. Yet it was not like it had been with Master Karr. This power was contained, bent to Arkunov's will. It was like Arkunov had a krayt dragon on a leash, that was just waiting for him to remove the chains. Yet is was controlled perfectly.

"So dark," she said, a quiet awe creeping into her voice. "You are awash in vices and cruelty. Anger and greed and malevolence drive your emotions. How, can you bear it?"

Arkunov laughed at her question, snapping Jaesa out of her focus.

"I am, who I am," Arkunov said, "I offer no apology and I do not hide it. If fools cannot see it, that is their failing, not mine."

Even without her unique power, Jaesa would have sensed the truth from his words. In all honesty, she had sensed the same feelings from the moment she saw him. He had never tried to lie to either herself or Master Karr. Arkunov's actions had been brutal, but direct and honest.

Arkunov laughed, drawing Jaesa's attention back to him, as he called, "Stop me if you can! Lash out and strike me down! Prove me wrong. If you can."

"No. I..." Jaesa stumbled as she tried to defy Arkunov, "is this more trickery? Do... not taunt me, Sith... I will not be played with!"

She drew her double-bladed lightsaber, it's yellow blades illuminating the darkened room. There was no other choice, she had to stop him. He had killed her parents and no one had been able to stop him. She was the only one left. The only one who could.

Arkunov by contrast, stood completely at ease, his arms crossed and entirely unguarded. He left every possible weakness exposed, just daring Jaesa to strike at him.

"Prove you are right," he said, "destroy me. There is no other way. If not, you and your Master die here."

"I warned you."

As Jaesa charged forward, the ignited blades of her weapon flashing, she thought she heard Karr whisper, in a brief moment of clarity, "Wait! What have I done? Jaesa, no."

Arkunov, his blade still sheathed, effortlessly dodged as Jaesa thrust at his chest.

His eyes narrowed, as he assessed Jaesa's saber technique. It was a Makashi maneuver, a particularly amateurish one.

It seemed that Arkunov's previous assessment was accurate, even from a holo he had been able to tell that her combat skills were lacking. Karr had clearly focused all of Jaesa's training on her unique power and completely ignored her saber skills.

Clearly, she'd had to teach herself. The results were as disappointing as one might expect.

Though admittedly there was potential there. Arkunov could admit that to himself, as he stepped out of range of her follow up slash, then immediately stepped forward and slammed his open palm into her stomach.

Jaesa buckled, gagging and trying not to vomit.

In that moment, Arkunov could easily have cut her down. Yet instead, he stepped back and beckoned her forwards.

"Again."

Jaesa did not need telling twice.

She charged forward, a shout of frustration escaping her lips.

A series of reckless, sloppy slashes came towards Arkunov. He stepped out of range of each one, barely making an effort.

He was disappointed in Jaesa's performance, but he could see possibility there. The moves she made, while obviously unfamiliar and unsuited to her, matched the basics of the sequences. They simply lacked the signs of rigorous practice that a Jedi or Sith would normally show. All things considered, Jaesa had it in her to become a skilled swordswoman.

She just needed someone to teach her.

But that was not something to consider right now.

Now it was time to end this.

Arkunov raised his hand and reached out with the dark side.

Jaesa's lightsaber was ripped from her grip and went flying into Arkunov's hand. She was forced to come to a sudden stop, as Arkunov levelled her own yellow blade at her throat.

"Enough."

Jaesa's eyes were wide with shocked, fixed on the tip of the lightsaber levelled at her.

"I cannot defeat you," she said, anger and frustration colouring her voice. "It was all lies, wasn't it? Every Jedi I've met told me the light side was stronger, that it was why I could see through the facade of those who were dark. But it's not true, you've proved that. I've lost count of the number of Jedi that you've defeated."

"Nine," Arkunov answered. "Nine Jedi defeated by me, so far. You would be the tenth."

Jaesa ignored this interjection and continued, "The dark side is clearly stronger."

She was once again interrupted, not by Arkunov, but this time by Nomen Karr.

"You haven't completed your training, Jaesa," he said, some of the normal Jedi calm having returned to his voice. "When you have fully communed with the light side, no Sith will be your match."

"Yet you fell," Jaesa replied, venom creeping into her voice. "You could see the power in the dark side. Obviously you could, otherwise you never would have resorted to it."

Arkunov smiled at her words, admiration radiating from him at her statement. He even withdrew the lightsaber from Jaesa's throat, though he still kept one of the blades activated.

Karr didn't give up and threw out his last argument, "He killed your parents!"

There was silence for a long moment. In which Arkunov could sense Jaesa's emotions billow in a chaotic storm from that single statement. Yet soon enough, they settled into anger.

"My parents," Jaesa hissed, "manipulated me. Used me as a pawn to elevate themselves out of servitude. The only reason they gave up that dream was because you took me away. Because they thought having a Jedi in the family would give them an advantage. It doesn't matter if they were wrong, they still used me. Any love I had for them is gone now, dead with them. Though their murder isn't the only thing to blame for that, the Jedi's principles of non-attachment did plenty to help with that."

Karr had no answer for that, he simply gazed back in silent horror.

Satisfied that her master was going to remain silent, Jaesa turned to Arkunov, "All my life I've put up with deceit and denial, I thought the Jedi would be different. You've shown me otherwise. You've exposed Master Karr for what he is. It's your power, the dark side, that reveals a person's true nature. The fear you inspire forces truth to the surface... I want that."

Arkunov lips spread into a grin, which looked more like a predator's snarl. "You will be my apprentice," he said, "I will teach you the ways of the dark side."

Excitement and anticipation surged through Jaesa. She hadn't been lying with her little speech, in spite of her power she hadn't been unable to uncover Nomen Karr's true nature. She hadn't even thought to look. But Arkunov, he had brought it to the surface with so little effort, and without any kind of unique power at his fingertips. His nature as a Sith had allowed him to do so, that was what she wanted.

What she needed.

"I am honored my Lord."

She bowed, Jaesa wasn't sure if this was the correct form of respect, but it was all she knew. Such displays had been expected on Alderaan and were not entirely uncommon with some members of the Jedi Order. Not that it mattered really, whatever the case, she'd learn soon enough.

"At last, I feel a sense of purpose. Something I can count on." As she spoke the words, Jaesa realised that she meant them. They just felt right, she couldn't quite explain why. But she knew it was true. "What do you wish of me? And what shall we do with, Master Karr?"

Before he answered, Arkunov tossed Jaesa's lightsaber back to her. She caught it, almost dropping it, but managed to recover.

"Your first act in my service, is to kill your former master."

Jaesa's eyes widened at those words, "You want me to... kill him? I must confess I'm... conflicted about this."

Karr was lifted from his chair, held in Arkunov's dark side grip. He hurled Karr across the room, leaving the badly beaten Jedi Master in a crumpled heap at Jaesa's feet.

Arkunov crossed his arms and fixed her with a yellow eyed glare. "That is understandable, for now. But you mustn't concern yourself with him, he is beneath even our contempt."

"I see," Jaesa said, a curious tone with her voice, as she chewed the words over. "There is an attractive simplicity to that credo. I'm actually feeling... excited at the prospect of killing him."

"Jaesa," Karr pleaded, "the Sith is turning you into a murderer."

The yellow blades of Jaesa's lightsaber ignited as she replied, "It is for the greater good. A principle the Jedi use to justify their actions, no?"

She raised her weapon high like an executioner. Karr gave one last, pitiful pleading look at her and his eyes widened in horror, as he saw Jaesa's yellow eyes. They were not illuminated from the light of the blade, but instead glowed with the power of the dark side.

There was a blur of light and in the next instant, Karr's head was rolling across the ground.

Jaesa's shuddered with emotion. Elation, shame, dozens of others she didn't even know how to describe.

"It is done, my Lord." Her voice trembled, as she desperately tried not to be sick.

Arkunov reached, placed his hand on Jaesa's shoulder, his grip surprisingly gentle.

"This is just the beginning. Together we will discover your full potential."

And that is the penultimate chapter of this story!

I've decided to put an epilogue at the end of this, which I'm going to try and put out soon.

Hope you've enjoyed this chapter. It's been a wild ride. Really looking forward to the next one!