To say that Ilza was suprised to see Tobin on the Ravager was something of an overstatement. After everything that had happened to her in her 35 short years, nothing really suprised her.

To say that she was disappointed when he refused to help and forced her to kill him would have also been something of an overstatement.

"Your urge to kill, to attack that one...I felt it mirrored in myself, "Visas intoned in her soft, almost timid voice, "As if I had no choice."

Ilza rolled her eyes at the introspection. "Don't be stupid!" she snapped, "You always have a choice."

"Perhaps." Visas' musings were getting to be an annoyance.

And so on they went. They made sure to set the proton charges first, since they didn't know what would happen to the Ravager when Nihilus was dead, and they might not have time later. Even the premature detonation of one of the cores was not much of a hinderance, since the ship still had a few active missiles they could use.

Finally, they came to a stop in one of the less ruined corridors. Visas slowly approached a door, as if she was afraid of whatever was inside.

"This door leads to my...cell. I had forgotten."

Ilza sighed in resignation, cutting Visas off before she could say anything more. "Go ahead, just make it quick." When the hell had her companions all become so kriffing sentimental?

----

She sat down in the center of the chamber, assuming a traditional meditative position. Feeling the physical world melt away, Visas opened herself to the Force.

"Past the surface, there is the Force. From the death of an entire world comes great power. Where once there was a world strong in the Force, now there is a barren wasteland..."

It was all around her, the shrieking of her firends and family as they fell to her Lord's dark power. The anguish, the pain of that horrible day filling her senses again. For the second time in her life, she felt Katarr and her people die. And from that pain, she drew her strength now.

"My hands shall be hate. My eyes, revenge. You will be avenged, and the one who has done this shall die."

And with that final promise, the agony of her world's death fell away. She rose, and left her prison for the last time.

"There is nothing more for me here."

----

Visas didn't say anything when she emerged from the cell, but Ilza could sense the calm, the quiet within her. It was cold, like the ice of Rhen Var.

"We should hurry. I sense we do not have much time left." It was all Ilza needed to hear.

----

More than a hundred troopers and a handful of Dark Jedi later, the trio reached the final obstacle.

The Ravager's bridge was large and open, a memory of the grand ships that had populated the Republic's fleet before Revan and Malak had abandoned them. The lower level was filled with the crew at their stations, mindless servants to the Sith Lord's will.

He stood at the very end, gazing out of the vast observation window. Telos was barely visible, obscured by the Republic's task force of Guardian-class cruisers, and the smaller but much better equipped Sith battle group, consisting mainly of Sentinel-class interdictors. Both fleets were throwing squadrons of fighters at one another, battling for the fate of the the Citadel and Telos itself.

By this point, both Ilza and Mandalore were eager to get this over with. Without further ado, they walked up the bridge. Nihilus turned slowly to face them, his face entirely obscured by the menacing mask he wore. In his hand was a dueling saber, with a curved hilt for better precision.

The sounds that emanated from the Dark Lord could not really be described as 'talking,' but it was enough to get the message across. He ignored Ilza and Mandalore, focusing entirely on his former slave, as if to accuse her of something.

Mandalore was the first to make a move, hoping to finish Nihilus quickly while his attentions were diverted. He raised his heavy repeating rifle, firing a volley at the Sith.

Nihilus ducked out of the way, igniting his red saber and charging Ilza. His bladework was enough to get her attention, with the Makashi's elegant form that was designed for lightsaber duels. His defese was some of the best she had ever seen, since not only did her have Ilza's twin baldes to contend with, but Visas' lightsaber and Mandalore's precise shots as well.

This continued on for some time, and Ilza was begining to tire. Nihilus himself leaped away, hoping to regain some strength.

"It-it's no use. He's too powerful!" Visas moaned. An idea suddenly sprang to Ilza's mind. She spun to face Visas.

"You're his link to this place. Can you disrupt that somehow?"

"I...I will try." Visas began to concentrate, clutching her head as if in pain. Across the bridge, Nihilus did the same, letting out an inhuman shriek. "I cannot...hold him...for long..."

It was enough. Ilza used the force to jump in front of the Sith Lord, slicing off his hand, still clutching his saber. She brought her own sword up, and swung it downward, burying it in Nihilus' back.

The one who had killed countless millions on Katarr and across the galaxy was no more.

Ilza walked back to Mandalore, and motioned for Visas to follow her. But the Miraluka woman did not, instead approaching the body of her former master. Ilza understood what she needed to do.

"Look at him if you need to. Then bring me the mask."

Visas kneeled beside the body, removed the mask, and then stripped away the coverings on his face, His yellow eyes were open in shock, his once handsome face frozen in permanent disbelief.

Gathering the mask, Visas rose, and returned to Ilza. She answered the question before it was asked.

"I saw a man. Nothing more. You are my master now. I will follow you wherever your path takes you. My path is at an end."

Ilza tucked the mask away and turned to leave. "We need to get out of here so we can blow this ship away."

None of them turned to look back, not even as Dark Side energies consumed the empty shell of what was once Darth Nihilus.