*DingDingDing*

And it's over folks, the loser got a heavy start on the winner, but with the wind pushing it forwards, the winner had taken the goal!

There WILL BE a time-skip.

Cal's lightsaber style: I have studied and studied all the lightsaber forms and used that in conjunction with the skill tree and attacks we see Cal use in the game. He is stated to have a hybrid style he developed, so I looked into the forms and noted that he has the qualities of many forms in his style, although unrefined. His strikes and combos are wide and sweeping — despite being fast and containing flourishes — which is common on the basis of Shii-Cho teachings. His attack style seem to be more in line with the Juyo/Djem So in practice as they are staccato bursts and counters, not like the styles of attack in other forms. However, he uses one of the most common Niman attacks of pulling an enemy into a lightsaber stab while also using physical strikes and force powers in his combat to augment his attacks. In his finishers there are also signs of Niman/Juyo hybrids as he often rolls over, kicks, or uses his free hand to grapple his opponent to slash them (with the slightest smidge of Ataru in his jumps while locked on). There is even a hint of Djem So and Shien in his heavy attacks and bolt deflection respectively. It seems that the only form he really lacks any noticeable signs of are Makashi and Soresu.

P.P.S. All credit to respective owners.

P.P.P.S. Special Thanks to Ander Arias for a very interesting idea.

-YARN

Cannibalizing and appropriating Jek's ship was nothing short of a gift for the crew of the Mantis as it gave them some very nice supplies and utilities. While there was only one functioning Magna Guard — still pinned to the ship by way of electro-staff — there were weapons, a speeder bike, credit chips (a very large sum of them), mechanic tools, and supplies to keep them stocked and not needing to work for some time yet. Frankly the bounty hunter's ship had been prepared for general possibilities since there was the fact that he happened to stumble upon knowledge on where they were by pure chance and Cal could have been anywhere in the galaxy. Eventually, they would've had to get supplies that they were going to trade with the settlers and frankly they only had a scant amount of credit's left from their year on the run.

Bounty hunting wasn't profitable if you were trying to use only the bare minimum was difficult at best, impossible at worst (especially since if they used a lightsaber, they had to either kill their bounties or pass off their lightsabers as a weapon they found). Bounties in and of themselves were tough enough at times, especially when you had to hold back, going for the easier ones was still problematic as they were still the cheapest. Even with that they had to constantly pay for fuel and any repairs to the ship that may have happened. All in all, they were didn't have a decent amount of credits as they would have liked. Since they occasionally traded with the farmers and traveling merchants that visited Dantooine for necessities, the group's amount was practically empty in regards to what they had to use as currency.

But it wasn't hard to make sure they weren't going after people who didn't deserve it was hard enough with all the petty bounties on the lists.

The Force did help in small ways.

And the big ways too.

Cal and BD-1 examined the pieces of the Magna-guards after carefully deactivating the one Cere didn't completely destroy. BD prodded some of the pieces as he scanned them, informing Cal of which were still salvageable and which were little more than twisted metal. Fortunately all four of the electrostaffs they wielded were unharmed and usable, which is something Cal had an idea for later. but what really mattered to the former scrapper was that they could use these parts to rebuild the droids for training. Obviously if they were on the ship the directive system or processor or whatever was probably loaded on there as well, Cere had much more experience with that area of machines though.

Purge troopers tended to favor electrostaff based weapons and Magna-guards were the epitome of jedi-killing droids in The Clone Wars, fighting against them would be invaluable to Merrin and Xavier. Guards to General Grievous himself and he had taken down their fair share of knights and padawans during the war. If they ever got separated and had to fend of purge troopers, they needed training against these sort of enemies. His training sessions at the enclave had been going well (considering he was up against a ghost of an ancient jedi master who had just begun to teach him how to heal himself using the force), and he could feel himself growing stronger and stronger. Cere had been impressed when they had last sparred and he had been faster and more focused, his connection to the force thrumming loud and clear as they danced around each other, weapons sizzling and clashing in loud crackles.

Cal watched Merrin and Xavier spar with interest as he sat with his head tilted and propped in his hand. Cere was standing tall and her arms were crossed as she noted where each one of them had holes in their defenses and offense. They were both doing very well —Xavier was much farther along than they had initially thought — Merrin explained how the nightsisters had basic blade training, and Xavier had been a soldier and wielded and trained in the usage a force pike. However their skill had evened out since Merrin had been training heavily since she expressed a desire to and Xavier skills had dulled since his defection from the Empire.

"Xavier's hesitating." Cere murmured as Xavier dodged a kick from Merrin by stepping back when he could have struck back.

"Don't really blame him." Cal replied, "He hasn't fought in a long time and his battle with Jek and using a lightsaber brought back old memories he hasn't quite dealt with."

"Still," Cere noted, "He's doing remarkably well even without considering he was a jedi clone and probably trained as he was force sensitive. It seems his fighting instincts are returning to him. Merrin's also come pretty far along, she still has some reservations about whose lightsaber she is using, but otherwise she's very talented."

"Maybe you should also start teaching them more." Cal replied, "I mean I am still refining my own unique style since I never got past the basics of Shii-Cho. Zhar said my basic knowledge of was good foundation to build off of, but since I improvised a style to overcome my weaknesses, he's just been getting me to focus on Shien to make up for my lack of formal lightsaber-deflection training and multiple Juyo and Niman techniques that he said could sharpen my attacks and well-suited to my hybrid style to compensate up for my lack of formal training. I am just starting on learning how to heal others and myself, and from there I apparently will be taught more."

Cere smiled, "It's good to hear. We all need to get stronger. We have to."

When Cal used his new speeder bike to get to the temple, Merrin's arms wound around his waist as she accompanied him. BD-1 had opted to. Hold onto the scant amount of the seat left behind Merrin rather than on Cal's shoulder, which meant Merrin had free reign to cling to him. He tried not to broadcast his emotions as he felt the body of the night-sister pressed up against him. It was a almost startling realization, he had always known Merrin was well... a girl. However, as he felt the curves of the night-sister flush against his back, he was hit with the fact that she was a woman.

An incredibly attractive woman who he knew had some very strong feelings for him and knew that if he were to dwell too much on it, that he felt the same way.

And every time the speeder bike jolted slightly or turned, Merrin would shift against him to be secure again, which didn't help his focus on anything other than the night-sister at all. Cal swallowed and tried to ignore how much his body appreciated the sensations she was eliciting in him. The moment he got off the speeder, Cal quickly knelt by the ruins and let the force guide him to the council room that they were using for his training. He really hoped Merrin didn't notice how flushed he was, but he decided that he'd put that off for as long as possible.

Cal he rose to his feet after he felt himself settle and as he stood he noticed that next to Zhar was —

"Master Yoda?!" Cal blurted before he could censor himself.

There was brief moment of silence as Cal gaped in astonishment.

"Not quite." Zhar chuckled at Cal's startled expression.

If anything the Yoda lookalike looked amused as Cal struggled to apologize, embarrassment now tinging his presence in the force, "Master Vandar, my name is young jedi. During Zhar's time, Another Jedi Master of the council I was. Interested I was, to meet the newest student that has arrived to the old enclave."

Cal noted several differences between this master and Yoda aside from subtle facial features. For one thing, where Yoda's skin was green, this jedi's skin was a soft brown. Whereas Yoda was garbed in dark brown robes over a pale brown tunic, this master — like Zhar — wore blue robes instead. The two jedi observed with an air of amusement as Cal sketched a formal bow before them and readied himself for the lesson of today.

"While much improvement Master Zhar has seen regards to your saber skills." Vandar lectured, "Learn more about the abilities you possess with force, he has neglected. Untapped potential, you have. Knowledge, you lack."

"Healing is a more specific version of the innate skill all jedi have to augment their bodies using the force. Instead of supporting your physical abilities, you draw the force to enhance the body's healing rate. The most skilled or powerful of the healers could help the body recover enough to survive a particularly serious wound." Zhar picked up where Vandar left off, "Specialized teachings of healing are often only taught to those who intend to focus only on healing, but considering the current state of the jedi, exceptions are only to be expected. In the beginning, you will properly have to meditate to focus the force properly, but as your skill increases in it, you should be able to keep moving and heal yourself in tandem."

Cal nodded, "I see."

With an deceptive amount of calm composure, Vandar held out his hand.

Orange and green lightning erupted and struck Cal before he even had a chance to brace himself. Cal fell to his hands and knees as the lightning danced over his body and he struggled to keep from passing out from the pain. He collapsed onto his side, crying out as the electricity sent constant waves of pain through him. Vandar hummed in contemplation as he dropped his hand and the barrage of lightning ended. Cal took deep breaths, drawing in the force to try to dull the pain as his body smoked and pain wracked through his body. As he groaned, Zhar knelt next to him and gently twined his force presence with Cal's, gently guiding him how to manipulate the force to soothe away the pain and fix his wounds. Cal breathing hitched as he felt Zhar pour the force over Cal's various injuries and his body felt better, the burns he was feeling quickly being soothed away. Cal slowly got to his knees, flexing his fingers as he looked over his body.

"That was as fast as BD's health stims..." He murmured, "This is amazing..."

"Are you ready to try again?"

Cal winced.

Merrin was kneeling next to Cal, trying to draw some comfort from his proximity before she closed her eyes and let the force flow in. It was dangerous, she had never attempted to use the force in this manner, her magics were familiar and safe, but she had no idea if she would have a vision of some dark version of herself or something else entirely. The force pulled at her and she found the darkness placing in a world that wasn't Dantooine. She was immediately aware of her surroundings in that instead of the grass against her legs and cool breeze of the farmland planet, she was on dusty brown flooring and stale air that gently drifted around her. She opened her eyes and paled at the sight of the familiar surroundings.

She was in the Tomb of Kujet, and she was all alone.

"Hello little witch." A familiar voice echoed from behind her.

She instinctively rolled away from the voice and pulled her lightsaber from her belt, igniting it in a flash of red as she got into her stance. Anger and shame burned through her at the sight of Taron Malicos standing before her, smirking.

He drew his lightsabers and ignited them, "To think you would take my lightsabers. I suppose it is fitting that even now, you are still foolish enough to believe that you could've ever get rid of me."

Merrin scowled at the man who betrayed her, who sought her magics and was consumed by the darkness of Dathomir. The man who made a mockery of the death of the nightsisters, who lied and trapped her in a bottomless pit of despair and vengeance.

The man who was dead and locked away in a tomb on Dathomir.

"You are dead, Malicos!" She growled, trying to ignore the fear she felt at seeing him, "You are dead and gone, never to return!"

"If you truly believed that," He riposted, "then why am I here?"

"You are an illusion!" She challenged, "Nothing more than a trick!"

He began to sprint at her, "Then you should hold no fear from me!"

He brought his lightsabers down in a heavy strike and Merrin didn't bother trying to match the blow with her own saber, she ducked away before lashing out with a blast of green fire. Malicos crossed his sabers in front of him, bearing through the flames with his own strength. He slashed his blades down to disperse the flames and advanced, blades a streak of red lightning. Merrin backpedaled, desperately trying to defend herself against the blows that were raining down on her like an avalanche. She had never realized just how hard an actual lightsaber duel was, the way she had to watch all of Malicos' movements carefully, making sure to never miss a attack lest she be killed. Her training under Cere's eye had never been this demanding and difficult. How had Cal even lasted as long as he had when he had fought Malicos back on Dathomir?

"Face the truth witch." He sneered, hammering at her with punishing strokes of his lightsabers, "You are nothing more than a child. You do not deserve Kestis and a place among his family, you will die alone and unloved, a simple tool for that boy. Once he finds someone better than the witch who attempted to kill him, you will be replaced."

They locked blades and Merrin face scrunched in stress as she felt the blades lowering towards her. Sweat beaded down her brow and she stepped back — trying to ignore the buried doubts and pain that Malicos was unearthing in her mind — only for her foot to hit nothing.

She ran out of room to move and she let out a cry as she began to tip back as Malicos stepped back with a mocking laugh.

"No!" She screamed, hand waving as she used her magic.

Immediately she felt the familiar sensation of her body shifting through space to appear behind Malicos in a burst of green flame, who whirled to face her. She held a hand to her chest as her heart threatened to explode from sheer panic she had just experienced. She had barely straightened before she felt her body stiffen without her volition, as though something was seizing her. She was lifted up before slamming into the ground painfully and then being chucked away like a errant piece of trash. She hit the the floor and rolled painfully to a stop, groaning as she stood back up, panic and anger surging in her at the sight of Malicos laughing.

"What's wrong little witch?" He taunted, "Surely the mighty nightsisters of Dathomir are more formidable than this! Oh that's right isn't it? There are no more sisters, you are the last of your race, a broken and scared child."

"Silence!" She screamed.

"Just like the man you love is the same, an unworthy acolyte of a dead order." He finished, ignoring her, "I'll take care of him and his friends after you lay dead at my feet."

Merrin's eyes blazed with green light as she felt her panic, hate, and fear at Malicos rise to new heights at his threat.

She howled and raised her hands above her head, forming a sphere of green flames before launching a river of flames at Malicos. Who was still laughing as the flames washed over him, unafraid at the incensed nightsister's wrath. The world around the nightsister dissolved into a storm of rust-colored clouds as the force of her spell shattered the walls around her. Malicos' laughter echoed around Merrin as she trembled with emotion. Alongside Malicos' laughter, howls of the monsters on Dathomir echoed and the cheers of nightbrothers swearing allegiance to Malicos added to the pandemonium around her.

"Stop." She whispered, "No more."

The world pressed down on her like an actual weight as the screams of her dying sister were added to the chorus of noise.

Too much.

Merrin crouched down, squeezing her eyes closed and clamping her hands over her ears in an attempt to silence the cacophony of screams and laughter, "Leave me alone!"

As if mocking her, the clamor only grew louder and louder adding in explosions and the sounds of lightsabers igniting and humming.

And Cal crying out in what she knew was pain.

"Unloved! Alone! Weak! Unloved! Alone! Weak! Unloved! Alone! Weak!" The screams chanted.

"STOP!" She screamed.

The noise only grew louder and the chanting didn't abate as Merrin felt as though her skull would spit from the stress. The darkness and madness pressed in on all sides and Merrin sobbed as she felt utterly alone.

Cal had only just gotten done with his first attempt at a basic healing meditation when he felt Merrin's distress through the force and his head snapped up, eyes wide.

"Merrin!" He shouted as he shot to his feet.

Zhar and Vandar didn't react beyond backing away from the panicking knight, letting him search for a way to escape. They knew he cared for the people under his care and he wasn't going to abandon them if they were in trouble. They had been aware of someone else meditating but wouldn't interfere, it was not their place quite yet. Every student that came had to face their demons, and while Cal hadn't been able to truly defeat his, his own shadow hadn't beaten him either. His own personal failures didn't overcome him, leaving him unable to stand for his beliefs. He had been able to let go of his doubts and the presence of his allies and companions had renewed his faith.

Apparently, the newcomer hadn't been able to do the same for herself alone.

But she didn't have to.

Cal didn't give a damn about the training right now and closed his eyes, centering himself as he fell into a kneeling position.

'LET. ME. OUT.' He commanded the force.

Immediately the temple began to melt into mist and drift away like sand in a storm, Cal felt the floor shift under him as he was shunted back into his body. Cal's eyes snapped open when he felt Dantooine's breeze caress his face and turned to see Merrin on her hands and knees, tears streaming from her eyes and whimpering 'no's' over and over. BD-1 was beeping and jabbing her repeatedly with his leg (not the one with the scomp-link) but she wasn't responding. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her, trying to rouse her but whatever vision she was in had her completely lost. BD-1 hopped onto his shoulder, watching worriedly.

"Merrin! Wake up!" He yelled, shaking her again, "Dammit Merrin it's not real! Whatever happening isn't real!"

Merrin didn't show any sign she had heard him.

With a bracing inhale he closed his eyes and reached for the force and place his forehead against her's.

The darkness swallowed him immediately as he followed her presence.

Merrin didn't know how long the noises battered her as she wanted to stop it, it could have been seconds it could have been years of being trapped in a personal hell.

She didn't want to think about it.

She didn't want to think about the past anymore.

She hated herself for what she taught Malicos.

She hated the galaxy for leaving her the last of the nightsisters.

She hated the fact that Cal could've died because of her.

She hated the dreams that plagued her if she had been unable to save Cal and Cere from drowning on Nur.

She hated the fact that somewhere deep inside her, she herself was drowning in the fear of the new family she had to abandon her like her previous family did.

And suddenly she felt two hands grip firmly her shoulders, she looked up in fear to see a new phantom only to see Cal staring at her, mouth tilted into a frown at the noise around them. Her fear and anger evaporated like dew under a blazing sun as she felt through the force that this was really him. He closed his eyes and focused on drawing the force to him; light emanated from him like a beacon, pushing the darkness around them away. He took a deep breath and his face smoothed into a smile and squeezed her shoulders gently.

"Merrin." He said, opening his eyes, "I'm here."

She threw her arms around him like the time after he woke up after Nur, desperate to see him alive. He didn't flinch at her touch and hugged her back, gently folding his arms around her trembling form as she drank in his presence. The noise abated from the two and the chanting began to recede in volume and clarity the longer she held on. Merrin buried her face in his shoulder and he cupped the back of her head, stroking her like a child needing comfort. Merrin's tears redoubled as she hadn't felt such care since her childhood with her sisters, and she desperately missed it. The comforting light that Cal brought from his presence shined brighter and noise became a quiet buzz and the voices became near-inaudible murmurs.

Merrin pulled away and wiped at her eyes, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Cal replied, "What happened?"

She turned to look away, "I saw Malicos."

Cal expression turned dark at the mention of the fallen jedi, "What did he do?"

"He taunted me about what I had done, what I was, everything that I fear." She replied quietly, unable to look at Cal's face, "When he attacked, I couldn't beat him. I know he wasn't real but it was all too much."

Cal nodded, understanding completely since his vision on Dathomir, "That's okay. It can be too much at times."

Merrin pressed her face against Cal's chest, "I failed."

"So what?" Cal replied, "I failed. I failed so many times. But do you know what the trick is when it comes to failing?"

Merrin shook her head, "What?"

Cal smiled as he remembered his master's words, "Getting back up and trying again. To simply do better the next time. Then, you'll succeed."

"I don't know if I can do it." Merrin admitted softly.

"Then how about we do it together?" Cal offered, taking Merrin's hand and pulling her to her feet, "If you can't let go of the past alone, then I'll help you let go. Merrin, you're not alone. I'm here. Cere's here. Greeze. BD-1. Even Xavier. We've got you Merrin, we won't let you down. All of you gave me the courage to return to the enclave after seeing that fallen shadow of myself. Now let me do the same for you."

Merrin took a deep breath, "Okay."

"Close your eyes, and hold on. Don't let go alright?" Cal said as he took her other hand in his.

She nodded and closed her eyes, "I won't."