A/N: Hi everyone! Here's chapter 5 for your reading pleasure, and I thought I would have some fun with this one and start showing you what our main characters will be doing for the majority of this story. The ideas for this chapter, for the most part, came into my head as I was writing it, and so there is a fair amount of making it up as I go. But I think you will like this chapter as well since I'm exploring what our main character can do, and I thought what she did in this chapter would be something interesting to explore (sorry, no spoilers today! :)

Please read, review, and enjoy! See you next time!

The Republic fleet is on the defensive and pushed to the brink! As war rages in the much contested Outer Rim Territories, chaos and fear mount as the Separatist army wages an epic battle against heavily outnumbered Republic ships in the far reaches of the Quell system.

Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka race across the galaxy to aid Jedi Knight Aayla Secura who is in the midst of a fight for her life as the sinister droid army closes in….

She slid silently down the corridor, senses on high alert and her knives out, ready for the next attack. It came soon enough, and she dove under the human's arm as he swung his lightsaber at her, the red blade lodging into the wall where her head had been moments before. Before he could try and pull it out, she was already reaching up with one knife, stabbing him under the arm and ripping through the artery there. He dropped to the ground seconds later, bleeding out in minutes.

She continued on, senses still on high alert. It had been a little over two months since her visit to Ord Cestus, and now she was back doing what she was good at. She was on a planet that fairly thrummed with the Dark Side, Korriban, abandoned by the Sith and the Jedi thousands of years ago after the Fall of the Old Republic. At least, that was likely what the Jedi thought. Now, it was where Sith were training and becoming more powerful. The Jedi, in their arrogance, weren't looking at this ancient world in the Outer Rim as a point of concern, which led to her being here and doing the job they should be doing. Instead, she was here doing what she excelled at.

And what she excelled at was killing, ducking again and stabbing another Sith in the heart, dropping him to the ground and killing him instantly.

She had only been on this planet a few times before, always to kill Sith, and now was no different. But this time, she would be making sure that the planet could never be used as a Sith training planet ever again. It was a barren world of deserts and harsh life, perfect for the Sith to hide and train and become more powerful, but there was one thing that not even the Sith could hope to tame. And it was why she was here. It would mean drowning this world and its creatures in a tidal wave of water and wind, but it would mean the Sith would never have a foothold in this part of the galaxy again.

And it would wash away the taint of the Dark Side and give the planet a new life to it that it had never had in all its existence.

But first, she needed to clear out the Sith that were currently here, sneaking up behind one and wrapping an arm around his neck, forcing him to get on his knees before she broke his neck. She continued on after that, finding another Sith apprentice in the depths of the caves that served as the training academy right now. This one was actually somewhat prepared for her but only lasted a few minutes before he also fell to the ground with a broken neck. She continued on, heading deeper and deeper into the academy, looking for Sith. She found three a moment later, standing back-to-back with lightsabers drawn, all human except for a Twi'lek, looking around warily. Clearly, they knew she was there and were going to stand their ground as best they could against this threat that had been able to enter their academy without them noticing until it was too late.

Too bad for them, she had no intention of letting them stand for much longer, slipping between the shadows so quickly they couldn't see her, and by the time they did, it was too late.

One dropped dead, a knife slicing through his heart, and before the others could react she was there. The Twi'lek swung wild but swung at empty air, the woman slicing her throat with a quick cut of her knife before moving onto the third. He was standing there in surprise at watching his companions be cut down so quickly, by someone who didn't even have a lightsaber no less, and almost died right then and there as she advanced towards him. But at the last moment, he shook off the paralysis and attacked, and the woman raised an eyebrow; that was a stupid thing to do.

He came at her with an overhand swing of one blade, while the second blade he held attacked from below, but she was ready for both. She leaped and wove through the air and the blades, neither touching her as she came down and spun around faster than he could hope to. One of her knives went into his back, slicing through his spine and spinal cord, completely paralyzing him. He dropped to the ground then but was still alive as his lightsabers rolled out of his limp hands, his eyes moving around in panic at his inability to move.

The woman only looked down at him, nothing to be seen on her face, and finally, he asked, "What are you?"

The woman didn't answer, only leaned down and sliced through his throat, killing him quickly and with an efficiency even the Sith couldn't hope to match. She moved on after that, finding another sentry a few hallways down, quickly dispatching him when she plunged her knife into the side of his neck before yanking it forward and cutting everything in its path as blood gushed out, almost decapitating him. His body dropped to the ground lifelessly, and she was moving on.

This academy was relatively empty; it only had adult Sith in it, meaning that it wasn't quite ready to force children to train and turn to the Dark Side. But in due time, it would, if she wasn't complete in her work here. She would have to be thorough and make sure every corner of this place was searched while also looking out for the local fauna. The animals here were just as dangerous as the Sith that had and still called this place home. If she wasn't careful, the animals would make her visit here a bit more permanent than she was planning.

She entered a large room, empty of people, but suddenly the Force screamed at her. She ducked and rolled, just barely missing the talons of a bat-like shyrack as it attacked her, trying to force her out of its home. She only kept rolling, using the darkness for cover, before leaping high into the air and landing on the back of the monster. A stab to the back of its neck had it falling to the ground, dead, and she leaped clear as it did so, landing in a crouch before racing on into the cave entrance beyond.

Where there was one shyrack, there were usually more, and she had no intention of getting swarmed by them and giving any remaining Sith a chance to escape. She sprinted down the tunnel, eventually finding a hidden underground hanger. Several ships were there, even a light cruiser that looked older than the Republic and likely just as faulty, and there were a few Sith gathered near it, arguing. Deciding to risk them detecting her, the woman reached out with the Force, looking for any remaining Sith. It was hard; the darkness of this planet and the evil of the creatures that lived here made it difficult for her to tell if there were any remaining Sith, but after a few minutes, she was able to narrow her focus on her location before reaching out, feeling for any Sith that remained. Moments later, she smiled to herself; the five Sith in the hanger were the only ones left, not just in the academy but on the entire planet. She had killed over forty Sith during this venture, nowhere near her usual numbers, but she would take what she could get if it meant the Sith didn't rise again.

Not even the tombs of the dead Sith Lords from ages past registered as having any visitors recently. Seeing that there was nothing to worry about, the woman crept closer, using the ships and equipment and spare parts scattered about to get closer to the arguing Sith. As she got closer, she could hear what they were arguing about and instantly became concerned. They were debating whether to contact their Master or not and tell them that someone was there hunting them down and immediately she knew she couldn't let that happen.

No one could know about her yet.

With that thought in mind, she quickly climbed onto one of the ships and ran silently along the roof of the ship before leaping down into the circle of Sith gathered around. The fools were so naive about defending themselves they hadn't bothered to stand back-to-back, leaving themselves completely open to attack. They were surprised when she leaped right into the middle of them, not expecting her to be so brazen, but it gave her the edge she needed.

She lashed out with one knife, stabbing a human male in the stomach while her other blade sliced low and cut into the leg of the Twi'lek standing across from him. The Twi'lek fell to the ground, unable to stand from the pain of the wound, leaving the woman able to slash wide, scattering the Sith and pushing them away from each other. She focused on the human she had just stabbed, pulling her knives back to herself before slicing out, one knife slicing forward parallel to the ground while the other soon followed suit. The human wasn't ready for it, his lightsaber in his hand but not ready for such an attack. Her knife sliced into his sword arm, slicing through bone, muscle, tendons, before his hand dropped to the ground, his lightsaber with it. He stared in surprise, and that was all she needed, cutting through his throat with ease and leaving him to fall and die while she turned to the others.

The Twi'lek was on her feet at this point, but that didn't mean much as the woman stabbed her once in the stomach and again in the heart, making her drop dead immediately. The woman then turned to the three surviving Sith, who were staring in shock at how quickly their comrades had been brought down, but recovered quickly enough. They attacked, all with lightsabers drawn, but there was no coordination and no attempt to work together.

That gave the woman all the edge she needed.

She ducked under one blow, directed at her by a massive Zabrak, before spinning around and dodging another aimed at her by a Duros with bright red eyes, then leaped clear to avoid the four-blade attack of a Besalisk. Knowing she would need more time and less distraction, she Force-pushed the Besalisk into a mess of equipment and spare parts. Even with four hands, it would take him a few minutes to break free of that.

She then turned to the Duros and the Zabrak, both of whom had stopped their attacks when they saw how strong of a push she had given the Besalisk. But that didn't stop them for long, and she was soon ducking and dodging again, not letting them pin her down. Finally, though, one blade got past her defenses, almost, and she had no choice but to bring her knife around to defend.

The Duros grinned; there was no way a knife would stand up to a lightsaber.

That grin disappeared as quickly as it appeared, though, because seconds later, he was looking at his blocked lightsaber, blocked by nothing more than a knife. He then slowly looked up into the woman's calm, steely gaze, seeing nothing more than his death.

"How…?" was the only thing he was able to say before the woman's other knife sliced through his neck, sending green blood all over the place as he collapsed to the ground. She turned to the Zabrak then, who had watched this exchange as she killed the Duros and was now backing up slowly as she advanced, clearly thinking he didn't stand a chance against this woman.

She had just killed three of his companions without breaking a sweat, and now her focus was squarely on him.

And he had nowhere to go.

That became fact when she launched herself into the air from where she was standing, no running start, nothing to give herself the lift she needed to get into the air except for the Force. She leaped high and came down on his shoulders, giving him no chance to try and fight as the weight of her body forced him to the ground. He collapsed and rolled, thinking he would be able to get on his feet before her, but by the time he was standing, she was already upright with knives up to her chest and ready. He snarled and attacked, deciding he would go down fighting if nothing else, and the woman blocked his first few blows with her knives easily.

Clearly, her knives had been built with metal that could block lightsaber attacks.

They danced around the hanger, trading blows and ducking around objects and ships scattered about before finally the Zabrak realized something when he ducked one of her blows and saw the light in her eyes.

She was playing with him!

She had been ready to end this fight ever since the beginning but was willing to wait for him to back down and accept his end. Understanding that, knowing his death was standing right in front of him, caused the Zabrak so much rage and anger that the woman actually paused for the briefest of moments and looked at him, raising her brow as she did so. He attacked then with a snarl; he wouldn't go quietly if he could help it!

The woman had clearly been waiting for this since she attacked back with brutal efficiency. One knife went up to block the blow aimed at her head while the other went down to swipe at his stomach. He danced clear of that second blade even as she blocked the first, putting all his weight behind that blow. Shock entered his body when her arm didn't move an inch, and he pushed even harder. But it was like trying to push against a wall; nothing happened, and he was forced to back away, unable to believe she was that strong. He tried again from a different direction, leaping clear over her, but she was ready and had a knife ready, cutting through the tendons of one of his legs while he was still in the air and crashing to the ground, making him unable to stand. He pushed himself onto his elbows, still holding his lightsaber, and tried to stand up but couldn't make his leg cooperate. In the end, he was only able to drag himself onto one knee, even though his useless leg screamed with pain.

But there was nothing to be done about it, he realized, looking up at the woman now standing over him. She was holding her knives loosely in her hands, watching him as he struggled with his body, but he wasn't a Zabrak for nothing. His kind was renowned for their tolerance for pain, and he dragged his leg under him one more time and forced himself to stand once more. The woman only raised an eyebrow before leaping forward, ducking under a blow from his blade again and coming in too close for him to compensate in time. Her knife went into his neck, his eyes blowing wide open at the feeling, but all thought ended as she yanked it forward and cut through everything in its path. Seconds later, he was on the ground, dead, his blood pouring out of his body, and the woman was turning to her last foe.

The Besalisk, by this time, had managed to free himself from the junk pile he had been pushed into and was standing in shock at the dead around him. He couldn't believe what he saw and could only ask, "What are you?"

The woman turned to him slowly, and he actually felt a fair amount of fear at the sight. She was covered in blood of different colors and was breathing heavily from the fighting she had just done, but he could tell she wasn't finished yet. Her eyes told him his death was right in front of him, and he realized that he could try to fight as hard as he wanted; it made no difference to her. She would kill him either way, and she didn't care how long it would take.

Realizing that left him with no option he was interested in, he asked instead, "You aren't a Jedi, are you?" the woman only continued to stare at him, silence her only response. The Besalisk then said, "No, you aren't, because Jedi don't kill. At least, not with the efficiency you displayed. You would make a Sith Lord envious."

The woman clearly wasn't impressed with that since she took a measured step towards him, and he nodded, "Yes, my death is here, I know that. You know that. But let's see how long I last, shall we?" drawing his blades as he said this, "You've shown yourself skilled at fighting against two blades, let's see how you fight against four!" igniting his blades and leaping into the air to come down on top of her.

But she was already gone, running hard for one of the ancient ships before jumping onto the roof of it. He followed fast, trying to keep up, but she was always a bit quicker than him. She jumped from ship to ship for a few minutes, always staying just out of reach, until finally she leaped back down to the ground and spun to meet him, but this time she wasn't interested in meeting four blades. She ran straight towards him, making him skid to a stop in surprise, and therefore he wasn't fast enough to block her blow. That blow knocked his one lightsaber out of his hand, sending it flying across the room and leaving him unprepared for her next attack.

At least she thought he was unprepared.

But at the last moment, he ignited one blade and aimed for her head, knowing he could behead her if he was quick enough. She was faster though and had seen it coming, and so only ducked and wove between the other two blades he had, and his momentum was too much for him. His arm kept going, and he was unable to stop himself from sending his lightsaber flying into another pile of debris. He stared in shock, but movement in the corner of his eye allowed him to avoid death for one more minute. He jumped clear, but she was ready for that and leaped after him, twisting her body between his two remaining blades and getting past his defenses. Moments later, he was standing there in surprise as he stared into the woman's eyes, only inches from his own, unable to understand why he had just stopped fighting so suddenly.

Finally, though, he looked down and saw her hands. They were still wrapped around the hilts of her knives, but the blades were in his chest. He stared at them for a moment longer before looking up at her slowly, seeing nothing but death in her gaze. He could only shake his head in slow wonder before saying softly, "You aren't a Jedi, and you're not a Sith. What are you?"

The woman said nothing and only pulled her blades out of his body, and the Besalisk fell to the ground and then onto his side, his sight fading away to darkness. The last thing he saw was the woman he had thought he could have stood against a few minutes longer standing over him, watching him with no emotion to be seen on her face and her knives still clenched in her hands. They dripped blood, his and however many others she had killed that day, and he knew that she wasn't finished yet. That was his last thought before the darkness took him, and then death carried him away.

For a few minutes, the woman stood there, breathing heavily as she rested and collected herself, sheathing her knives as she did so. Her work here was almost finished, the Sith unable to rise again on this planet without a place to train and hide, and no one would even know this was Korriban by the time she was done with it.

Other planets had to be part of the balance between good and evil, but this planet had experienced enough of that and was ready for a change.

And she would give it that.

She nodded to herself before walking away, ignoring the fact she was walking through blood and gore from her fights in the hanger, eventually coming to the ancient doors that had been sealed for so long. They creaked open slowly but stopped short of opening all the way, and she shook her head before squeezing between the doors and continuing on her way. She looked around to orient herself before deciding she was actually close to where she needed to be to carry out the next part of her plan, reaching up and holding the necklace around her neck for a few seconds, feeling the Force and its power pulsing in it.

She started walking up into the mountains surrounding the academy, turning back to look at the caves one last time. They were expansive and deep, and it had taken the better part of two days to clear them of Sith and the evil they brought with them since she had needed to go into the remains of the academy as well to clear it. It had been mostly empty of Sith, but the tunnels that ran beneath it were where they had hidden themselves from her, not that it had done much good. She was a relentless hunter, and her task still wasn't done here. She might have cleared the Sith, but the evil that was them was still part of this planet, and it was past time to wash it clean.

Her walk into the mountains took many hours, during which time she was almost swarmed by Pelko bugs, venomous little creatures that thought she would make a good meal. Even though they only lived in the Valley of the Dark Lords, and she was nowhere near there now, they had been attracted to her Force-presence and were hungry. But she let the Dark Side well in her for a few moments, and they left after only one pass at her, seeming to know she wasn't a food source. The venom from their barbs had no effect on her, and she didn't feel it anyways, continuing on into the mountains surrounding the valley and academy she had spent two days killing through.

Even now, turning back, she was able to just make out the few Sith she had killed when she had landed on the planet, their bodies littering the ground as she had fought her way into the academy.

She shook her head and continued on, eventually coming to the top of the highest peak after many, many hours. From here, the wind blew strong and hard, almost knocking her over, but she cloaked herself in the Force and the winds calmed slightly, recognizing her presence and submitting to her power. She stood there a few moments, looking out at the vast expanse of the planet before her. She saw as far as the eye could see and farther still, using the wind to look over every part of the planet, feeling the evil that had set up residence here so long ago. It usually wasn't her charge to keep the peace here, but the Jedi were fighting a war and had forgotten about this place except in their stories, and now it was up to her to set things right here.

And that meant starting over.

Drawing her mind back to her body, she straightened for a moment before collecting the Force to her. Unlike before on Rugosa, where she was returning what had once been, now she was changing everything about this planet, from the plants to the animals to the terrain and climate. She drew the Force to her as much as she could, bringing all the life of the planet to her; all the Pelko bugs, the shyracks, the Terentatek, the Tuk'ata, and so many other creatures of the Dark Side. They came to her, drawn to her power and the Dark Side they could feel in her, but they didn't know it was only an illusion. She surveyed them all, feeling the long-dead Sith far below crying out in their rage that she was commanding these creatures instead of them.

She smiled for the briefest of moments; this planet no longer belonged to the Sith. From now on, it would belong to something better.

All the creatures gathered didn't know this; otherwise, they would have likely run as fast as they could. Instead, they all stayed, mesmerized by her and her presence. She held out her hands, asking them to reach out and touch her. The Sith below cried out through the Force again, trying to force these creatures back to their will, but there was no stopping what came next.

A Tuk'ata, a Sith Hound, came and touched her hand with his muzzle, his long teeth centimeters away from her hand. On her other hand, a Hssiss, a Dark Side dragon, rested his jaw there, looking at her with trust and respect. She looked around again, seeing the millions of creatures that called this planet home and had been created because of the evil of this planet to be more vicious than even she could hope to be. She nodded to herself, it was time to change that, and she would start….now! pushing the Light Side of the Force out of her body into every creature, great and small there, the Light Side bouncing from one creature to the next, driving the evil from them and in turn creating new animals in their place. Light poured from her body, bringing with it the power of life and change, and below the dead Sith tried to hold onto their power and grip on this planet, but she only increased the power at her disposal and crushed them, sending their spirits on into the Force and slamming the door behind them.

Her power was such that they had no chance of returning to the planet or the galaxy, feeling their spirits depart the galaxy and leave it a little better than before. Where they went, none could follow or return from. She nodded to herself as oceans rose up and washed away the Valley of the Dark Lords before receding, washing away the monuments and the academy, washing away everything that the Sith had taken and corrupted on this planet. The Dark Side receded in her too. Her power increased suddenly, pouring from the necklace about her neck, and the oceans rose again, washing over the swamps and deserts, the canyons and mountains, the dry riverbeds and the ruins and washing them all away into the power of the Force. They receded again, but instead of nothing, trees and bushes rose from the now-fertile ground, new creations with no other equal or likeness in the galaxy. Grass grew, and the riverbeds became alive with dancing rivers and laughing streams, lakes now dotting the landscape as far as the eye could see. An ocean was just visible on the horizon, separating the land into three continents, already full of sea life and whales, and she could just see one such whale leap into the air before crashing down into the waves below, reveling in being alive.

She smiled slightly; oceans creatures had always been her favorite.

Turning back to the land creatures before her, she focused her power again, and the animals before her changed. Minutes later, she drew back her power and let it settle back into the necklace. She was nothing more than a guide for that power sometimes, and she knew when to let it flow freely and when to draw it back, and now was the time to draw it back. As she did so, the creatures closest to her stepped away and started walking into the forests and jungles of the planet, looking for their next mate or meal or place to shelter for the night. The farther away they got from her, the more they had changed. By the time the light had fully receded, she looked around and saw that the creatures of the planet had been transformed into beings both great and small, grazers and plant-eaters and predators, just as there always should be.

The grazers were long-legged and agile, with long necks and powerful bodies, four-toed feet at the end of their legs, all of them light shades of brown. Their heads were long with strong jaws and teeth for grazing, and their eyes shone with intelligence. The other plant-eaters were in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and she knew scientists would enjoy classifying the creatures here and learning what they could about them.

The predators were like the ones that had come before them but without the inherent evil of the Sith. They were similar to hounds and wolves but smaller than the wolves of Lothal. Their colors ranged from white to black to brown to gray, and they were strong runners as well. There were other predators as well, and they ranged out over the land. Seeing them, the woman nodded to herself, knowing this was how it had to be; there must always be predators and prey to maintain balance.

No harmony could exist without one or the other.

Seeing that the creatures were gone, she looked up into the sky, seeing that the sun had almost set and the first of the seven moons was starting to appear, listening to the bird song she could hear now. She nodded to herself and felt her power rise again, but this time nothing happened. At least not in a way that was visible to someone who wasn't an astronomer of the planet. But she knew; she knew she had altered the orbits of the moons and sun to keep the climate of the planet mild and pleasant, like Naboo or Alderaan. The days were the same length still, but now the winters would be mild and the weather enjoyable.

She smiled to herself; she could almost see Korriban becoming a place where tourists would come to relax and enjoy themselves.

And now that the Sith were gone and the animals were gentler, it would be safe for them to do so.

Well….almost gone, she thought with a frown as she looked to where the Valley of the Dark Lords had been. It was gone now, plants and trees there and overflowing with life, but she could sense the Dark Side had been rooted in that place for too long. She would have to take more drastic action to keep the Dark Side from corrupting this planet again. And she could sense that there was still one spirit that had held onto its place here more stubbornly than the others and wouldn't leave so quickly.

And that was the first Dark Lord buried there, Ajunta Pall. He was still there, in spirit, even with the valley changed and his tomb destroyed, unwilling to part from this world and convinced it was his right to rule, even thousands of years after his death. But she had no intention of letting that happen. She began her descent down the mountain, running as fast as she could with the help of the Force increasing her speed, not missing a step or slipping on the rocks and loose shale. She was down in the valley inside two hours, running through grass and shrubs to where his spirit had decided to make its last stand. She stopped then, and his spirit reached out, testing the one who had dared destroy that which he had built. Seconds later, it was recoiling in disgust; it knew what she was without having to be told; it knew what she could do.

That became more than evident when she drew her knife, still covered in the blood of the fallen Sith of this planet, and many more besides, and raised it to her hand. She sliced her palm, mixing her blood with the blood of the dead, letting it drip into the ground. The spirit screamed in anger and defeat; he knew what this meant. Seconds later, a seedling sprouted from where her blood had dripped, growing taller and taller with every drop of blood, and the spirit was powerless to stop it. The tree's roots grew stronger and deeper into the ground, reaching deep down until it reached the planet's core. From there, they spread out all over the planet, bringing with it life and light, and protection.

For the spirit of Ajunta Pall, though, it brought death for the second time. It screeched and fought as the woman entered a plane of existence not even a Jedi or Sith could hope to enter. At least, not while still being alive. But she did, and she grabbed the spirit, not caring as it tried to lash at her but unable to because of her spirit's strength. It could do nothing as she dragged it to the doors again and opened them with nothing more than a touch of her mind. She then threw the spirit through the door before giving it an all-powerful push with the Force, sending it on to where no one could hope to follow. From there, she closed the door and sealed it; no creature, Jedi or Sith, could open that door except her.

And she was no Jedi or Sith.

She came back to herself then, breathing slowly and deeply as she looked around. The tree she had grown and quickened with her blood was standing before her, a lone sentry in the center of the field, created by the Force and able to stop any evil that tried to take up residence here. Any evil, Sith or otherwise, that tried would feel as though the very air was poisoning them and would retreat as soon as possible.

This planet was no longer Korriban, homeworld of the Sith, now it was a planet in need of a name that suited it.

The woman turned to her comlink and signaled her droid, looking around as she did so. Life had begun on this planet, life free of the corruption of the Sith. She was glad she could see it come into itself as bright blue and beautiful green butterflies fluttered past her head, looking for their next flower. Nearby she could sense four-legged grazers heading out onto the open plains, and nearby a predator watched her with interest but no fear, knowing she wasn't his next meal. She smiled and nodded to herself; despite all the bloodshed on this planet over the millennia, it was good there had been peace given to this planet.

Now, all it needed was a name.

Looking up as her fighter came down slowly and landed next to her, she smiled slightly at the sight of her droid, who beeped in concern when he saw her and the state she was in. She shook her head to answer his question; it wasn't her blood that covered her. He thrummed his gears, not really believing her, but didn't say anything else as she climbed inside and he took off, obeying her instructions to give the planet a quick fly-by before they left. It would take a while, but she wanted to make sure the rest of the planet was doing well.

And it would give her a chance to think of a name.

Far away, in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Master Yoda stared out the window of his quarters, deep in thought. He had felt a significant change in the Force from far away and had spent the last few hours trying to figure out what it was. Finally, the answer had come to him; at least, he thought it was an answer, but he wasn't sure if he believed it himself. Shaking his head, he turned to Mace Windu, who was still sitting and waiting for whatever he had to say and said, "Felt I did, a great change in the Force. Happened, something has."

"What?" Mace asked, unable to imagine what it could be.

Yoda shook his head again, not sure he believed it himself, "Korriban, planet of great evil it is, yes?"

Mace nodded slowly, "Yes, it is, Master. It is the ancient homeworld of the Sith. Therefore there is always an evil coming off it into the wider galaxy. Much of the Dark Side resides there. But what does that have to do with what you sensed earlier?" referencing how Yoda had sensed something so cataclysmic in the Force it had rendered him speechless for many long minutes earlier during a Council meeting. The rest of the Council had been worried there was something wrong for many long minutes, but finally, Yoda had recovered from whatever was wrong and said it was nothing, even though he had been even quieter than usual for the rest of the meeting.

Yoda could only sigh and say, "To Korriban, take a ship we must. Believe my words, you will not. Believe my words, I do not. See this for myself, I must."

"As you wish, Master," Mace said, standing as he did so, "I'll prepare the ship."

Yoda nodded as Mace left, turning back to the window afterward. He couldn't believe what he had sensed earlier was true, and he found himself wishing that it wasn't.

What could it mean? And why had he never felt something like this before?

Many, many hours later, the woman's tour of the planet was done, and she was pleased. Every continent was teeming with life and had plenty of flora to accompany it. A mountain range reached for the sky on one, where mountain creatures dwelled and played amongst the rocks and shale. Canyons dotted another, tempting her to fly her starfighter through them just for the fun of it. The third continent mainly was grassland, and the grazers there ran fast to keep up with her fighter, and she even slowed down a bit so that they could. The oceans were connected, the whales and fish and creatures of the deep enjoying the waves and frolicking in the surf of the many beaches surrounding the continents.

Finally, though, she had to stop and start heading for the atmosphere, knowing it was time for her to go. There was no way the Jedi couldn't have noticed the shift in the Light Side and the power that was just spent here, and she needed to be gone before they came to see what had happened. She had blocked the Sith and the Dark Side from feeling anything of what had happened on this planet, and so there was no way they could know what happened here. When Palpatine was told of this, he would have no choice but to accept it for what it was and move on. There was no turning back for this planet now. She turned around one last time and looked back at the planet, then smiled slightly as she took in the way the sun was rising over the ocean behind her, turning the water the most beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow. As she watched, a whale leaped out of the water, arching its back before crashing down into the sea, happy and playful and alive.

Beatha úr.

The name floated through her head then, and she found herself agreeing with the name wholeheartedly. This planet was now a planet of water and life, and its name reflected that. Its name was no longer Korriban, a name cursed to bring back terrible memories for anyone who knew its history, but now Beatha úr, and that is what it would stay and be, and all in the galaxy would know it.

With that, she turned her head back, facing forward and taking up the controls of her starfighter, leaving the atmosphere moments later and engaging her hyperdrive, leaving seconds before a Jedi T-6 shuttle arrived.

The Jedi on board the ship, Yoda, Mace Windu, Adi Gallia, and Plo Koon, didn't notice her ship leaving and likely wouldn't have cared as they took in the sight before them. All were speechless, but finally, Adi asked, "Is that Korriban?"

Mace looked down at the navicomputer in front of him, checking coordinates, before finally saying, "This is where the computer says Korriban is supposed to be. But that can't be it, can it? The Archives said the planet is barren and desert-like, without large oceans or forests. This can't be Korriban."

"Korriban, it is," Yoda says, speaking for the first time since boarding the ship. For the entirety of the journey, he had been silent, thinking over all that he had sensed over the last few days, but now he finally spoke, "Land on the surface, we should. Find where the ancient Sith temples were, you must."

Mace nodded and steered the ship down to the surface, feeling something that felt like anticipation mounting inside of him and sensing it in the others with him. Minutes later, they had broken free of the cloud cover and were amazed at the sight before them. The planet had been transformed and now looked nothing like the Archives had said it was. Greenery and life covered the planet, creatures great and small grazing and foraging and living on the planet's surface. In the ocean, as they flew overhead, a great whale leaped clear out of the water before crashing back down, and Adi couldn't help but smile at the sight.

Whatever had happened here might have been for the best, even if they couldn't explain it.

Master Plo seemed to have reached the same conclusion because he said, "I don't sense the Dark Side at all here. It's like it never existed on this planet at all."

"Neither do I," Mace said, and was silent for a few moments longer before finally saying, "Here's where the Archives said the Valley of the Dark Lords was. Apparently, there was a training academy here and ancient tombs of long-dead Sith Lords. I almost can't believe it now," looking down at a lush valley of green and forests.

"Mhmm," was all Yoda said, and a few minutes later, they had landed and powered down the engines. Moments later, they were outside the ship, taking in all there. They started walking and eventually came to a lone tree standing in the middle of a clearing. There they stopped, feeling the power of the Force, and it was almost enough to send them to their knees.

"How is this possible?" Adi finally asked after a few moments of stunned silence, "How is this tree so strong in the Force?" walking a pace forward before stopping suddenly, realizing the presence of the tree was familiar to her, but her memory refused to bring it into focus any more than perhaps a dream of a dream from long ago. Whatever it was trying to remember didn't want to be remembered. After a few moments, she gave up and focused on Master Yoda.

"Understand this, I do not. Changed, this planet has, but with help. Know I don't, where this help came from. Powerful, the event was. On Coruscant, I felt it," he said, "Meditate on this, I must. May be, answers be revealed in time."

Mace nodded slowly, "In the meantime, I'm sure the scientific community and many others will want to see this planet changed. Korriban is certainly different, for the better, I think, and I don't think there is any way for the Sith to establish a foothold here ever again. I think this tree would prevent that," looking at the tree in question, taking in its white bark and blue-green leaves. Bright blue flowers blossomed off the stems and branches of the tree, and white fruit hung in bunches ready for picking. A vine was creeping its way along a few branches of the tree and up the trunk, sprouting its own flowers. New pollinators were already hard at work collecting nectar and pollinating the vine and tree. Higher up, where a branch joined with the tree, what looked like an orchid rested there, every color under the sun visible. The fruit of the white tree was round for the most part but also oval-shaped and of different sizes. They looked good to eat, but something stopped Mace from even reaching for one of them.

Instinctively Mace knew that the fruit wasn't for eating or even touching and looking at the Jedi with him; he knew they felt the same. Even the least Force-sensitive person in the galaxy would know not to touch this tree, knowing it was sacred. After a few more moments, they left and returned to the ship, Adi trailing along behind for a few strides before hurrying to catch up.

Whatever she had felt before was back, and it didn't want her to leave. It called to her as someone she knew, but she couldn't remember from where or who it was. Finally, she looked up and hurried after her companions; she wouldn't find any answers stalling, and her place was with the Jedi, no matter how much this planet called to her.

They all settled into their seats back in the cockpit as Mace primed the engines and began getting the shuttle ready to launch. Moments later, they had taken off and were flying low over the grasslands of the continent and watching the grazers and creatures of the world as they went about their lives. Butterflies and birds flitted from plant to plant, gathering food and nesting materials. As the Jedi watched, a predator stalked the grazers. But the grazers knew he was there and took off running, and with their long legs and streamlined bodies, they soon out-distanced him.

Master Plo nodded to himself before saying, "The Senate will want to give this planet a name to identify it."

"Beatha úr," Adi said before she could stop herself, not knowing where it had come from. The other Jedi turned to her then in surprise, with Mace asking, "What does that mean?"

Adi shrugged, "I don't know; I just think that is the planet's name now. I don't know how I know. Perhaps it's the Force telling me."

"Perhaps," Yoda said softly, "But Beatha úr its name shall be. Strong in the Force, the planet is now. But not the Dark Side. Now, alive with the Light it is. Recognize it, the Sith Lords of old would not," smiling slightly as he said this.

The other Jedi with him also smiled as Mace guided the ship into space and set their course for Coruscant, engaging the hyperdrive moments later and setting them on the path for home. They all settled into the journey after that. However, Adi was still troubled by her mind not giving her any rest from the memory that wouldn't form fully and kept eluding her. No matter what, it wouldn't come to her, and finally, she sighed and settled into a light meditation.

Whatever this memory was, it was from when she was too young to remember it fully, and no amount of trying to force it to come to her would make it come back.

Back on Coruscant, the Chancellor had listened with rapt attention to what the Jedi had said and expressed his relief that the planet had apparently changed for the better. But once alone in his office, he scowled and turned to the window, unable to understand how a Sith world could change so drastically so suddenly. It defied logic, as well as what he knew of the Force and its abilities.

There was only one explanation that made sense, but it was impossible, and he found himself desperately hoping that it wasn't true.

She couldn't be alive, not after so long of him not being able to feel her presence.

It just wasn't possible.

Republic forces in retreat! While rescuing General Aayla Secura from certain defeat, Anakin Skywalker has been seriously injured. After a narrow escape, our heroes crash-landed on the remote world of Maridun. Stranded, and with no way to contact the Republic, the Jedi receive medical aid from the peaceful Lurmen colonists.

But even on this tiny planet, the war threatens to follow the Jedi….

The Jedi had just left the planet of Maridun and started their journey back to Republic space when she landed on the planet. It had been a few days since her adventures on Beatha úr, and she had had the chance to recover not only her strength but also her power. Now she was as strong as ever, and that wasn't more clear than now. She had also had the chance to clean off the blood and gore that had covered her and looked more like herself.

The Lurmen colonists were expecting her when she arrived, and Wag Too and his father were the first to greet her. She nodded respectfully to them; even though violence was her life and what she was good at, she found herself envious of them and their desire for peace. If it was an option for her, she would take it, but it wasn't, and there was nothing left to do but settle into the bed she had made for herself years ago.

Wag Too was the first to speak, "It's good to see you again, even though I'm sure you aren't bringing good news."

The woman smiled slightly and shook her head, and Tee Watt Kaa sighed and said, "You want us to leave this planet, don't you?" the woman nodded, and he asked, "Where will we go? And how will we get there? We came here to find peace from the war and have no means of leaving."

The woman only looked behind her a moment, and the Lurmen watched a ship land. It was a CR90 corvette, and as they watched, Senator Organa of Alderaan disembarked and started walking towards them, alone. When he arrived, he said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Tee Watt Kaa."

"Thank you," the elderly Lurmen said, "But who are you?"

"My name is Bail Organa," Bail said, "I am the senator from Alderaan, as well as someone who helps this one whenever she needs it," nodding at the woman, "And I was told you need safe transport to another planet, safe from the war. We," nodding at the woman, "have an idea where you can go and be safe, if you're willing."

Tee Watt Kaa turned to look at the villagers, his people, that had gathered close while they were speaking and finally turned back to the senator and the woman and asked, "What did you have in mind?"

Senator Organa smiled while the woman nodded inwardly. This was for the best, even if it didn't feel like that to Tee Watt Kaa and his people. But she couldn't guarantee the planet would survive the war, and she didn't want pacifists who weren't interested in the fighting to pay the price for it. And she knew Tee Watt Kaa would do what was best for his people, even if it meant uprooting them and having to find a new place for them to call home.

Over a week later, the Lurmen were finally ready to leave and had boarded the ship. Heads were counted twice to make sure none were forgotten, and then they were on their way to another planet not too far away that would still grant them refuge from the war and all the danger that came with it.

When the Jedi eventually came back, they were surprised to find the village abandoned and the Lurmen gone and couldn't figure out what had happened to them or where they had gone. In the end, the Jedi could only assume they had moved on to another planet or part of Maridun, and so were left with no choice but to leave and continue the war effort, with the hope the Lurmen were at least safe wherever they had decided to go.

It wouldn't be until much later that they would learn what had happened to the Lurmen village, and it was a relief when they did finally figure out that they had been safe for the entire time.

Back with his fleet, Kit Fisto sat in deep meditation. Word of what had happened on Korriban had spread quickly among the Order, and he knew what that meant. He even knew what the planet's new name meant but decided to keep it to himself for now. But he had to agree with the woman; it was a fitting new name that did the planet justice.

But right now, he wasn't focused on Beatha úr or Korriban or what had happened with the Lurmen or anything else of that nature. He was reaching out into the Force, trying to calm his body down. The pain was reaching unbearable levels again, and he knew he had to get it under control since the woman was busy with other things and couldn't help him right now. He had learned to live with the constant pain over the years, but that didn't make it easier.

His inability to tell the Jedi made it even harder.

But now wasn't the time to focus on that, now was the time to focus on the fact that it felt like someone had turned his insides into molten lava, and the pain was only climbing. His breathing labored and came heavier and harder, and he started to feel hotter than was usual. He tried to end the meditation then, tried to regain control of his body, but it was too late. His eyes flew open, and he was reaching for the nearby bowl on the ground next to him.

Experience had taught him to always have it nearby, and that was never more true than now.

Seconds later, he was coughing, bright green bloody froth coming from his lungs and deeper inside of him, the pain climbing even more. He kept coughing, the green blood kept coming, until finally it slowed and stopped, and he was able to take a breath. He just sat there on the ground, getting his breathing to calm, but just then, there was a knock on the door, and he looked at the door, not having the strength to call out and ask who it was. Seconds later, there was a call of, "General, it's Commander Monnk. May I enter?"

Kit didn't answer for a few seconds, just focusing on getting his breath back, before finally saying, "Enter!"

The door slid open immediately, Monnk entering slowly. When he saw his general sitting on the ground, a bowl of blood next to him, the clone immediately turned around and closed the door, locking it behind him. Seconds later, he was kneeling next to his general, asking, "Do you need me to get a medical droid?"

Kit shook his head as he finally started to stand, testing to see whether he had the strength, "There is nothing a droid can do for me, Commander, as much as I wish there was. There is nothing anyone on this ship can do for me," Monnk helping him stand as he said this, and Kit nodded in thanks as he leaned against the bed alcove and rested a moment while Monnk picked up the bowl of blood and carried it to the sink, pouring the blood down the drain before rinsing out the bowl. Once that was done, the clone turned back to his general and said, "All due respect, sir, there must be something that can be done. I don't understand why you don't tell Jedi Council. They could help you."

Kit shook his head again, "I'm afraid they can't help me either, Commander, as much as I wish they could. What is wrong with me is beyond the scope of the Jedi and the Order, and I must bear it as best I can for now."

Monnk shook his head, "You shouldn't have to live like this, sir. It isn't right," showing a loyalty to his general that Kit always appreciated and was glad to have. It made the task he had set for himself helping the woman a bit easier whenever he had to disappear for a while and needed someone to have good excuses to tell Tarkin.

Kit smiled slightly before saying, "I appreciate that, Monnk, more than you can know. But right now, my focus can't be on me; it needs to stay on the war. Which reminds me, you wanted to speak with me about something?"

Monnk nodded before frowning and saying, "Captain Tarkin requests your presence on the bridge, sir, as soon as possible."

Kit nodded slowly before asking, "Still hasn't figured it out, has he?" smiling as he said this, knowing there was always more going on on this ship than the captain knew. By the time he figured it out, it would be too late.

Monnk shook his head, but there was also a smile on his face as he said, "I honestly don't think he will, but I guess we'll find out, sir. In the meantime, he still wants you on the bridge."

Kit sighed and said, "Let him know I will be there momentarily. I'm sure he can wait the few minutes I need to make myself look presentable."

Monnk nodded, "I'll tell him you were in the middle of meditating and will be there in twenty minutes, sir."

Kit nodded, and the clone left, hearing his general lock the door behind him after he did. The clone nodded and headed for the bridge, arriving ten minutes later and telling Tarkin, "Sir, the general will be here in ten minutes. He was meditating when I arrived and wanted to finish before he came."

Tarkin scoffed slightly before saying, "Very well, Commander, I assume I can wait for him. I'm sure he will be along soon enough," turning back to the holotable as he said this and missing the clenched jaw and slightly curled lip of Monnk and almost every other clone there. None of them could stand Tarkin or how he treated their general, and it was something they all had a hard time swallowing and putting up with. How General Fisto put up with it was a mystery to them.

Five minutes later, the general arrived on the bridge, looking like nothing had happened. Soon he and the captain were in discussion, in other words, civilized argument, about the best way to follow the orders of Republic High Command. Kit won, of course, mostly because he knew what he was doing and knew the area where they were going rather well, leaving Monnk to smirk slightly before turning to look at Tarkin's retreating back as the man left the bridge. Once he was gone, the clone turned to his general, seeing the smile on his face as well.

Monnk then turned back to the datapad in his hand but couldn't hide the amusement he felt was likely shared by everyone on the bridge. Seriously, how smart did Tarkin think he was? Did he really think he could outsmart a Jedi like Kit Fisto?

Monnk scoffed inwardly before sending along orders on his datapad, hearing the amusement of some of the clone officers on the bridges of the rest of their fleet through his helmet. Tarkin wasn't worth the time it took to deal with him, and how he treated clones never ceased to amuse them, mainly, like they were all the same people and impossible to tell apart, even when they made an effort to be individuals.

Had he seriously not noticed that Monnk wasn't the real Monnk? Could he really be that blind?