Chapter 1

The Exile

Year 3956 B.B.Y

She opened her eyes, blinking once, then twice before fully opening them. Atton Rand was crouched over her, watching her carefully. Dara sat up and looked around. The ship was still, as if they had crashed. onto the forsaken planet.

"How is everyone else?" she asked, still sitting, with Atton still crouched over her.

"They're coming round slowly," he answered, "Other than me, your the only other one that's fully awake. Except..." He left the last word trailing.

"Who?" she asked, now standing up.

"Mira. She's gone. When everyone came to, she wasn't on the ship. At all, meaning..."he said.

"She's down there on the planet," the Exile replied, "I have to confront Kreia..." She paused, "I mean, whoever she is now." Dara strung her lightsaber on her belt, adjusting the folds of the Ossus Keeper robe around her. Tucking raven black hair behind her ears, she strode toward the exit ramp. She was aware of Atton following her, "I have to learn the truth."

"Dara..." Atton said, just before she left. She turned around, and sure enough, he was there with lightsaber in his hand.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Just..."he put his hands on her shoulders, staring her in the eye for a moment before continuing, "Please be careful." It wasn't what he wanted to say then, not knowing if she was going to come back at all..

She looked up at him with her soft, dark eyes," I will come back. The Force will guide me back to you." She abruptly turned away, knowing that the longer she delayed, the stronger Kreia would become. It was for this reason the Force called her back out of exile. She would face her destiny alone. Atton stared at Dara's rapidly retreating backside, wishing that he had said something sooner. The moment when he knew he would be destined to love the Exile, whether fool or not. No, the Jedi don't love, don't form attachments, don't have relationships. He wished he were back to the way he was, before he met the Exile so long ago on Peragus II. Before he had become a Jedi, before the Exile taught him about the Force...and about love. He shrugged those thoughts away, and silently returned to 'his' cockpit.

Hours later, Disciple walked into the cockpit, "Where is Dara? And Mira?" His own lightsaber, a green one hung loosely at his waist. He looked like he had just awoken.

Atton swung his chair around, "Gone." He didn't like Disciple, never have. He almost looked like he had never seen a trace of battle in his life.

"Gone! Where? I'll go after her," Disciple said, and looked as he would run after her, all the way to Kreia. Atton shook his head, " Why? She is going to face her alone and she doesn't need your help. Besides if she was going to need help, she would have let me come along."

Disciple grimaced, then sighed, "How much longer are you going to play your childish games, Atton? How much longer before you realize that I am simple not interested in Dara? You think I cannot see through your facade. I know your feelings toward her. If she remains a Jedi, she cannot be allowed attachments, to love."

Atton swung his chair back to the console for a few moments, before turning back around again, "Then what do you see in her, Disciple?"

"She was a great leader among the Jedi, and...I wanted her to be my Master, my Teacher..." he replied sadly. He stopped, "What on Coruscant is that noise?"

There was grumbling, and sounded like boulders falling. The ship lurched suddenly, knocking Disciple off his feet. He went sailing neatly into the security room. Atton struggled to maintain control., It was a losing battle. The Ebon Hawk was in free fall and her engines were offline.

"I need power to the rear thrusters!" he called out. A distinct Beep bwoo sounded from the engine room. His hands flew over the computer console. Just when he thought it would end, the console lit up like the galaxy.

"Aha!" he cried out, "At last!" He moved his hand over the console and the ship responded, quickly moving forward instead of down. Now only to find Dara, and rescue her.

Atton.

He blinked, slowly.

Come find me.

He blinked again, shaking his head. Here he was trying to fly the ship out of here, and he was hearing voices in his head.

Concentrate. Follow my signature in the Force. You will find me. I trust you.

"Dara..." he said out loud. He closed his eyes. The Force was at first faint, and then it grew stronger. He knew where to find her.

Dara stood still, deep in the Trayus Core.. She had just slain Kreia, and the old woman's body just lay there, limp. She closed her eyes, as the rock and rubble fell down around her, and called out in the Force.

Atton.

Come find me.

Concentrate. Follow my signature in the Force. You will find me. I trust you.

She meditated , as if drawing a Force bubble around herself. The time ticked by. Finally, she opened her eyes. She heard the hum of the engines long before she saw the Ebon Hawk itself. The loading ramp was down. At the exact same moment, she let go of her Force bubble and sprinted for the ship. She jumped on, and it quickly closed behind her. She made her way to the cockpit, taking her place in the co-pilot's seat. She was exhausted, both mentally, and physically drained. She didn't say a word to Atton. He was already trying to keep control of the ship.

"Hang on," he said, "This is going to get rough." It seemed to take forever until they were out of the planet's anomalic gravitational pull. They felt, and heard, the planet shatter in an explosion.

"Straight for Coruscant," she said. Atton plotted 0-0-0, the galaxy's capital.

After a few moments, he spoke up, "I'm going to put her on auto-pilot for a while. Wouldn't mind it after all that rough flying we've been through."

Dara nodded, then paused, "Did you manage to get Mira out of there? I don't remember seeing her when I came back."

"She did come back, and looked like she'd been through a lot," Atton replied. He turned to her, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back in the seat.

"What did you learn?"he asked.

She suddenly stood up, "I need to meditate." She briskly walked out of the cockpit, into the starboard quarters. She kneeled immediately, and closed her eyes. All that she had asked Kreia, and all that Kreia told her about the future of the galaxy ran through her mind. It was unsettling. She felt the ship around her hum, felt Mira's presence in the Force, felt Disciple's as he pondered over the record of her trial.

What should I do now? She asked the current, or rather, the Force itself She was confident that the Force would tell her what to do, that she would be guided. Deep in her heart, she knew. She also knew that she needed a clearer answer. It is the way. The way of the Force. The Force used me to achieve its ends. I showed others the ways of the Jedi. It is through their legacy that the Order will rebuild. It is not mine. Those thoughts ran through her head over and over, for hours on end. She meditated the entire journey back to the heart of the galaxy.

She was so deep in her thoughts that she did not notice Atton standing behind her until he spoke.

"We're here," he said quietly. Dara stood up and turned around. Her eyes were red. It looked like she was crying.

"Are you..okay?" he asked, concerned for her.

"Yes, I will be fine," she replied, "I have thought what Kreia said to me before she died. If what the Masters told me was true, that the deaths at Malachor echo within me, I must abandon the Force once again."

"But you have just regained your touch with the Force," he said after a while. The word was still new to him.

"I can no longer be a Jedi. I want to resume my exile...to search for Revan in the unknown regions, and to learn from her the meaning of sacrifice," she said, "Good-bye, Atton. Do what you like with the ship. It's yours." She brushed past him, heading for the exit.

"Dara!" he called out after her. He could no longer contain himself.

She turned around, "Yes?"

He walked up to her, placing his hands on her shoulders like he did mere hours ago, on Malachor V, "I've wanted to tell you something. Something I should have done a long time ago." He paused, suddenly unsure of himself. "I love you, Dara. I have for awhile."

She simple smiled at him, the smile that intrigued him so much. She reached her hand up, caressing his face with a small, soft hand, "Maybe I did too, Atton. But a Jedi cannot love. I've taught you that. Take Mira...and Disciple...and rebuild the Order. Without me. My journey from the outer reaches of the galaxy to Jedi Knight to here..and now. It is over. I cannot go on."

She turned around again, and without looking back, left the Ebon Hawk, and Mira, Disciple, the droids, and last of all Atton...behind.

"I promise," Atton said quietly, as Dara walked away from him.