The temple was dark as Tyridac and Korin approached. They had finally set down on the moon of Callist after a week in hyperspace. Tyridac couldn't have been happier to exit the Fearless Ral. The Ral was a modified troop transport that allowed more room than a normal passenger ship but still felt cramped. Throughout the flight Tyridac had worked on his new saber and, one day out, had completed it. It was a beautiful work, large enough for two hands but not so long that it became clumsy. He had taken a drawstring from his robes sleeves and used it to wrap the hilt. It was completely smooth save for the black opal activation switch, which was only stuck about a half an inch out.

Tyridac had hidden the red crystal that the cave had produced for him. He had no idea why he received the thing or what it meant. Despite what he was feeling he didn't dare tell Korin. There were some things that no one would know about. The red crystal was one of them.

Korin sighed as he dropped the search glasses from his face. Night was quickly approaching and they hadn't made contact with anyone. The only thing they had found was the Viller, Laurune's personal shuttle. Korin dropped his hands down to the saber on his hip and unhooked it.

"We expecting something?" Tyridac freed his saber and moved forward to Korin's side.

"I'm not sure. None of this seems right; the shuttle and the temple. Laurune had said nothing about coming to this planet or about the temple. Plus, for you and I to be here without having felt them; that's what really disturbs me." Korin stared off in the direction of the temple, not knowing what his next move was.

"Well, shall we?" Tyridac raised from the crouch both he and Korin were in.

"Look at you, Mr. Craves Action." Korin chuckled as he stood. "Since when did you become so proactive?"

"About the time all of the Vynocks were flying at me." Tyridac shivered, remembering the sting as the creatures tore into his skin. "That would cause anyone to change their ways."
Korin smiled at his Padawan. "Got my six?"

"Fly low and fast lead." The two smiled, then made their way out into the open.

Tyridac surveyed the surrounding area as they moved through the depression. From the forest it seemed like they could see everything. Now that they were in the open, however, it looked like they were staring at flat walls in all directions. When he and Korin reached the temple he was more than ready to be out of the open. Swiftly, they ducked inside.

"Here," Korin said as he pulled a glow lamp from his pocket, "watch your step." Korin tightened the grip on his saber. A chill ran up his spine as a cold breeze wafted from in the temple. Korin and Tyridac made their way swiftly into the amphitheater, both scanning the large statues that ringed the stage in the middle. "These statues. They are old. Far older than what this temple looks."

"What do you mean?" Tyridac reached his hand out to touch one.

"No!" Korin swatted Tyridac hand. "You don't want to touch anything in this place."

"Why, I feel nothing from this place."

"That's just the point. I don't feel whether or not this place is malevolent or of the light side. I want to be absolutely sure before I go fondling the artwork." Korin cocked his head to the side as he stepped onto the stage. "What is that?"

Korin started to move forward when a terrible smell assaulted his nostrils. All at once he could tell what the smell was and a lump started in his throat. There on the stage, lay the body of Laurune. Though badly decomposed there was no mistaking the saber that the lifeless hand clutched. Korin turned his had away and fought the bile that was rising in his throat.

"Oh no." Tyridac covered his mouth as he stared at the dismembered corpse. "Who? Who could have done something like this?"

Korin's only response was a shake of his head. His hand was still clamped firmly over his mouth.

"Could it have been an accident. Maybe Ithica went a little too hard on his training." Tyridac knelt down and looked at where the limbs were severed.

"No," Korin choked out, "if Ithica had hit him he would have instantly stopped. He couldn't have done this." Korin turned to look at the gruesome scene. "He was executed like Jedi from the war."

A sharp clap rang out, followed by another. They were slow and meant to startle the two Jedi. Tyridac and Korin turned as a man emerged from the shadows.

"Very astute Korin. I knew I liked you for a reason." The deep green moon bathed the man in ghastly shadows. He stepped completely from the shadows and raised his gloved hands. "Too bad I can't convince you to join us. You would be a great partner." There was a tinge of sarcasm in the man's voice.

"Just who do you think you are?" Tyridac began to move forward but was stopped as Korin's arm shot up; blocking his way.

"I didn't think that I would ever see you again, Refa." Korin brought his saber to bare, still unignited. "Are you responsible for this?"

Refa smiled as he unclipped his saber from his belt. "No, my friend, but I was watching as it happened. Let me tell you, I would have expected Laurune to put up more of a fight."

Korin suppressed his anger. Calling on the force to help steady his arms. It was hard but soon he felt calm returning to his body. "What do you want, Refa?"

Refa's smile grew wider. "Both of you and all of the Jedi order just like Laurune there. Dead and forgotten." Refa thumbed his saber to life. The crimson blade spilling out to fight back the green shadows of the moon.

"It will take a lot more than a declaration and a red saber to destroy the Jedi order. Personally, I don't think you have it in you." Korin and Tyridac ignited their sabers, twin golden shafts of light screeching to life. They drowned out the red of the Dark Jedi that stood before them.

"Fair enough my friend." The Dark Jedi spun his saber around in a wide arc that ended with it straight out to the side. "If that is how you want to play."

Both Tyridac and Korin rotated their sabers and lowered them to their sides, blades extending away from their hips. The two, Master and Padawan, mirrored the others movements. Shii-cho wasn't the most fancy of the fencing forms, but it was effective for two Jedi to use in conjunction. Tyridac tightened his grip on his saber and leveled his eyes on Refa. The Dark Jedi didn't return the gaze.

Slowly, Refa began to shuffle forward. Each step was meant to cover distance without overbalancing or overextending. Refa knew Korin was an experienced Jedi fighter but he wasn't sure about Tyridac. Refa had heard the stories of how Tyridac had almost bested Joran Bender but seeing the way he held his saber made Refa question whether or not the stories were true. This kid seemed nothing more than a puppet of his master. He began to rotate his saber. Each pass nicked the ground, creating a small black gouge in the stone. There were similar marks all over this temple. Refa's marks would become part of the legend of this place.

Refa dipped his saber then flicked it out to the side. He wasn't in striking range of Korin or Tyridac. The swing was meant as a diversion, a ruse to draw out the two Jedi. Tyridac took the bait. As the swing carried past Korin the younger Jedi stepped forward and batted Refa's crimson blade. Refa used the momentum from Tyridac's hit to spin his body around and bring the saber into another swing. This one aimed at to separate Tyridac's skull from the eyes up. The younger man ducked below the swing and Korin stepped in to meet the saber. He struck the saber and bounced his blade back to bring down across the Dark Jedi's body. Refa wasn't fooled by the faint and blocked the blow.

Tyridac came around again and met Refa's saber. He flicked Refa's crimson blade down and brought his saber up and around in a slash just like Refa had directed at him. Refa easily blocked it and brought his saber across to bat another strike by Korin. Refa took a step back to draw Tyridac in. Once again, to Refa's delight, Tyridac stepped forward and gave Refa his opening. A quick strike with his saber directed at Tyridac's waist. Tyridac blocked it using the fifth zone and left the rest of his body completely open. If Refa had swung his saber around it would have never connected, instead Refa threw up his hand and let the force spill out of his hand and impact right on Tyridac's chest.

It was like a ferrocrete wall had taken a running jump right into Tyridac's chest as he flew back through the air. He instantly cursed himself as he tumbled back and landed hard on the stone stage. He quickly used his momentum to somersault backwards and scrambled back to his feet.

Korin moved his feet forward and met Refa's saber at head height. The Jedi and the Dark Jedi carried out a series of flicks up and down as Korin drove the Dark Jedi back. On the 5th set of flicks Korin spun low to sweep Refa's feet out from under him. The Dark Jedi leaped above it and brought his blade straight down. Korin blocked high as he rose to his feet. He quickened the force under him and forced Refa off balance. Refa stumbled back as Korin started to move in.

Sensing his Padawan to his left, Korin shifted his saber and stepped to the side as the two Jedi closed with the Dark. They kept their saber swings short, striking only at small zones that were easy to defend against. These blows weren't intended to accomplish anything other than give Refa a false sense of security. That, they accomplished.

Refa backed up step by step, easily blocking the strikes the Jedi threw at him. If this was what all Jedi would be like, Refa was unafraid. He just had to wait until the two Jedi tired them selves out and he would strike. Two quick thrusts would end the two foes and he would be a legend among his peers. Refa smiled but that smile didn't last as his heels hit the wall behind him. Panic quickly set in as he realized that he had walked right into the Jedi's trap. Refa tried to fight them back but they both intensified their strikes and kept Refa pinned.

Tyridac and Korin slapped his saber away and spun their sabers over their heads. They brought them down with an overhead strike as Refa brought his saber up to block. Korin and Tyridac, moving as if they were the same person, brought their foots up into Refa's stomach. The Dark Jedi doubled over. He wanted to cry out but he couldn't. Korin and Tyridac both spun Korin on his left and Tyridac on his right. As they spun, they both brought their sabers up through Refa's chest; separating everything from his heart up from the rest of his body.

The two parts of Refa tumbled to the stone floor and landed with a sickening thud. Korin snatched Refa's saber from his dying fingers and cleaved the device in half. The saber hilt flashed as the electronic parts contained within shorted out. The saber tumbled to the ground, now little more than scrap.

The two Jedi then stood there. Neither looking at the body that lay on the ground. Tyridac was breathing hard and had his eyes closed. This was the first time Tyridac had fought anyone else and surely the first time he had taken part in killing somebody. He had only known Refa in passing and wasn't even aware that he left the order. His body ached with pain at the act he just committed and he could feel tears start to well up in his eyes.

Korin reached out his hand and placed it on his Padawan's shoulder. "That was the first time I have done that too." He spoke softly. "I'm sorry you had to take part in the death of another living thing. If I could have spared you from that I would have but what's done is done." Korin had to stop talking because he could feel another lump forming in his throat. The emotion was too close to the surface to be hidden.

Tyridac reached his hand up and reciprocated Korin's touch. "What now, master?"

Korin sighed and tried to banish as much emotion as he could. "We have to head back to the council." Korin spoke as he crouched down to search Refa's corpse. Not an act that he would choose to do. Simply one he had to do.

As he searched he found a small disk and pulled it from Refa's hip pocket. The disk was black and had no markings on its surface. While he looked at the disk Tyridac walked out and looked around the rest of the amphitheater.

"I can't feel Ithica here." Tyridac's shoulders sagged. "If he was here he is long gone."

"Don't despair, young one." Korin came up on his left and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We will find him. For now we have a duty to report to the council."

"Okay. Let's head out. This place gives me chills." Tyridac shuddered as he and Korin began to walk out of the temple.

"In that sentiment," Korin gathered his robes around him as he spoke, "you are not alone."

The trip back to Dantooine was slower than the Two Jedi would have liked. The time was spent examining the disk. Korin found a way to open it and examined the interior. It was by no means a holocron. It was simply a text repository containing short histories of Ajunta Pall and Naga Sadow. It also had a training script for a Sith technique to dominate the minds of animals. The training meant nothing to Korin because the requisite for the skill wasn't included in the text. The Repository also didn't contain any information as to where Refa was operating from or what his mission to Callist was.

After Korin and Tyridac were content that they had learned everything they were going to from the device, they began to meditate. Korin dwelled on the act that he had committed when he killed Refa and he dwelled on what it did to the force within his body.

Tyridac's meditation was choppy and fevered. He sought out Ithica with his mind and would occasionally catch glimpses of his brother. They would be disjointed and every time Tyridac tried to search out some kind of landmark to identify where his brother was. He was unsuccessful in finding anything. The other part of his meditation was spent trying to seek out the future. He wanted to understand what the red crystal he received meant. The cave was supposed to know what kind of Jedi he was going to be and the red crystal stumped him.

Korin and Tyridac were snapped out of their meditation when T5-V5 bleeped at them. The astromech tooled that they were setting down at the Jedi Temple. Dantooine had a small spaceport that could really only provide temporary housing for ships. That didn't concern Korin much, he didn't intend to be on Dantooine for long. He simply wanted to report to the council and then begin his search for Laurune's killer.

A soft thump told him that the Fearless Ral was safely down on the landing pad. He and Tyridac gathered their things and left the ship. As they descended the loading ramp a hooded figure approached. Korin had no problem recognizing Joran but what concerned him were the waves of confusion emanating from the Jedi Knight.

"Joran, it's good to see you again, friend." Korin paused at the end of the ramp and Tyridac nearly bumped into him.

"Korin, hello. May we speak." Joran's head turned, almost imperceptibly, towards Tyridac. "Alone."

Korin turned to his Padawan. "If you would please." He offered Tyridac a smile.

"I'll secure our things in our rooms." Tyridac smiled. "Your combination still the same?"

"Wait. How do you know what my combination is?" Korin let a bit of playful edge creep into his question. Tyridac's response was a simple smile as he moved away from the two Jedi Knights.

"So what's up?" Korin turned back towards Joran.

"The last of my students left today." Joran spoke as he pulled the hood back from around his head. His eyes were bloodshot.

"What do you mean 'left'?" Korin crossed his arms.

"I mean left. Just like Sierra and Kelto." Joran paused to remember the two other students that were in his fencing school.

The gravity of what Joran was telling him finally hit him. "Oh no."

"Yeah. Worse yet, he invited me to come with him." Joran dug into his pocket. "He gave me this." He produced a small round, black disk. "It contains information on how I will be able to contact him."

Korin's mouth dropped open as he stared at the disk. Identical to the one that he had in his pocket. "Joran. Come with me to meet with the council."

"What? Why?"

"Because," Korin retrieved the disk from his pocket, "I think we have a huge problem." Joran's eyes widened as what Korin was holding finally hit him. "And if I am right, then the entire Jedi order is in trouble."