Author's Note: The Honorable Ones episode takes place pretty quickly after Homecoming in this series, so it'd probably be a day after the events of this chapter.


Jarik POV...

I looked down into the hole of the dark side, the cold, ocean breeze whipping around me. The black seaweed and kelp crinkled under my feet, showing the deadness of it. As if it wasn't already prevalent with the harsh look of the rocks, ocean waves, and cold, dark air.

I closed my eyes for a moment, and saw a flash of a memory... or future event... shown to me through the Force.

A young girl, maybe her early twenties stood at the foot of the hole, peering in warily.

She feels familiar.

Then she slips, and falls into the hole with a startled scream, splashing against the water below.

I reopen my eyes and look down the hole with a frown, thinking about the flash of that vision, wondering about the girl. She felt familiar, and I'd almost think of her as Satele, but at the same time, I know it's not her.

Maybe I meet her in the future?

I haven't thought much of this cave, and considering Mara's experience inside it, there's obviously much it can reveal. I know I promised Ahsoka I would stop worrying myself in things so much, yet this has my interest, and with all the evil in the universe, I need to know more.

Knowledge is never complete, no one knows everything. The Jedi of old didn't understand this, and forbade any knowledge of the dark side. To much of it can be dangerous that is true, but to defeat your enemy, you have to understand them.

That's why me and Ahsoka are different, and why I am what the Jedi should've been.

I jump down into the hole, and grab onto one of the dead seaweed vines, swinging myself to the ground and away from the water. Landing on the stone in a crouch, I stand back up, and look around, noting the room though the doorway that was the mirror cave, and walk in that direction, passing into it.

Once through the entrance, I look around the cold room, seeing the sleek, but scratched up stone, the dark side evident in here. Taking a deep breathe, I stand in the middle and close my eyes, focusing on the Force and it's dark manifestation, letting it draw closer to me. I feel it attempt to converge on me in a hostile manner, and push it back, not letting it corrupt me, only do what I ask it to do.

If the Force wills it... show me my enemy, the one I must focus on.

There was nothing for a few moments, but when I open my eyes I'm suddenly in the empty, chill area of space that I believe Mara fought the vision of Sidious in. I hear a quiet, of a voice.

"Destiny arrives all the same..."

Then a flash of an image shoots through my mind, of two colorful artifacts, stones, one of which I believe I've seen before... I believe under Vader's castle.

Strange... this isn't really clear, yet when is the Force ever clear to be honest?

"Do you feel it?"

I turn around, seeing the silhouette of a circle, wreathed in dark smoke, kind of reminding me of that portal I saw in the World Between Worlds. And in that circle was a shadowy image, which seemed to morph into a familiar person.

"The dark side? Or those relics of power?"

"Snoke," I state with a frown. "Let me guess, and illusion? Or are you real?"

He chuckles in amusement. "That is up to you to decide, young Shan."

"I'm not that young, anymore," I challenge. "The Padawan you met years ago has grown up, to become so much more."

"Ahh yes... a Knight. So you believe yourself to be what the Jedi should have been?" he asks with a seemingly disappointed sigh.

"That is up to you to decide," I recall with a smirk.

"Hmm, so you have grown. Have you thought about my offer, from those years ago?" he questions.

"Your hunt for relics?" I ask doubtfully. "What do you hope to gain from that? Power?"

"Of course," he says with a grin. "Though they are so much more. You yourself could know, if you retrieve one from Malachor."

"As if I'd need to be going to that place," I say in dismissal.

"Oh, sooner than you realize Shan," he replies, smirking at me. "The destiny, of Ahsoka Tano, lies there."

I narrow my eyes at him, wary and feeling a hint of alarmed anger.

"What?" I ask quietly.

"You'll find out soon, and you will not like it..." he trails off with a sinister chuckle, his form dissipating.

"No, wait!" I call out angrily, rushing forwards towards the image of Snoke, but it disappears quickly, leaving me in the regular cave again.


Sith Temple, Malachor I

3rd person POV...

The dark system of Malachor has always been off limits to Jedi. For over three thousand years since the Great Scourge, and even before that, the cataclysmic event that completely obliterated the fifth planet of the Malachor system, in the Battle of Malachor V. Darkness was the only thing that was known now on these worlds, and has warped the planets environments into a dangerous environment. Malachor V is all but destroyed, torn about by its own wounds in the dark side, while Malachor I is a barren wasteland.

On the outside of Malachor I, there's nothing too interesting about it, just an endless ocean of glazed, liquid carbonite with a cold atmosphere and dark clouds. However, beneath the thin surface were ruins, untouched, slathered by darkness and death, the center of which stood a massive, pyramidal temple, the top of the fortress glowing a sickening red. The dark side was so powerful here that no life could exist, and anyone who even had some level of Force sensitivity would feel the terrifying cold and sense of inhospitality.

However, for a Sith, this was their holy grail, and they drank up the dark side, letting it flow through them, filling them with strength.

And for a wielder of the dark side like Maul, it was perfect.

He'd crashed onto the planet not too long ago, his ship all but useless now, much to his anger. For some time one of the Emperor's pet Inquisitors had been attempting to track him down, and very nearly succeeded his goal when he found him, and starting firing upon him in his TIE Fighter, catching him by surprise. Several shots managed to strike Maul's ship, but he had already been in the process of jumping into hyperspace before the Inquisitor struck his ship.

The incident infuriated Maul, but he could only find some sense of satisfaction that the interference didn't keep him from reaching his destination. He may be stranded for now, but he knew that the Inquisitor would find him eventually, as he was a persistent one. Then, it would be all too easy to kill the fool then and there for his insolence, and take his ship for his own.

Maul roamed along the ruins of Malachor I, statues made of hard ash which long ago used to be both Jedi and Sith, passing by on either side. He passed them without a care, allowing the death to fuel his power in the dark side even more. He was admittedly past his prime as a fighter, but anyone who thought they could defeat him was a fool.

The lightsaber he stole from an Inquisitor who called herself the Fourth Sister, proved that. She thought he was weak.

As he trudged through the ruins with his makeshift cane, a way to hide his lightsaber, he thought back on his previous trip there, with his former master. Seeing the grand and imposing Sith Temple before him made him stop, and think back on old memories.

*:*:*

He walked through the ruins of the old Sith structures, bodies petrified to ash surrounding him. Up ahead, the breathtaking sight of the Sith Temple had him widening his eyes in awe and recognition. He remembered this place... he's seen it before. Beside him, his master Darth Sidious also looked up at the Temple.

"Do you know this place, my apprentice?" Lord Sidious questioned.

"Yes master. I have seen it... in my dreams," he replied.

He approached a petrified warrior and knelt beside it, reaching a hand to touch it curiously.

"It was here on... on this dead world... that the Jedi struck a terrible blow against the Sith," Lord Sidious told him. "Many of our order were struck down. All because they wanted to be free," he says with anger.

Darth Sidious then waved a hand, and a small cloud of ash exploded from the petrified warrior and into Maul's face. He choked on it for a moment, breathing in the ash.

"Breathe it in, my apprentice. Breathe in the ash of the Empire that came before," Lord Sidious told him. "Let the hate fill you."

Breathing in the ash, Maul was pulled into a terrifying vision. There he could see large armies of warriors in battle with each other, green, blue, and red lightsabers flashing in the darkness. He saw fellow Sith being decimated at the hands of the loathsome Jedi, massacring them all. The Jedi were like devils, demonic orange eyes glaring as they mercilessly cut down the Sith, all the while the cries and screams of them echoed in his head.

He remembered the words he thought while seeing this.

"Far above, far below."

"We don't know where we'll fall."

"Far above, far below."

"What once was great is rendered small."

"The Jedi... so proud of their lack of emotion..."

"...Ironically so afraid of those who sought a different way."

"Cowards and assassins..."

"Treacherous hypocrites."

"The Sith deserve their revenge."

"I deserve my revenge..."

*:*:*

Maul grimaced, gritting his teeth as he came back out of the memory, reopening his eyes and glaring at the landscape. He could remember the absolute anger and fury he felt towards the Jedi when seeing what they did to his Sith brethren on Malachor all those years ago. It's a shame the whole Order wasn't wiped out when the Temple's super weapon was activated, petrifying everyone within range.

According the legend, a powerful relic lay beneath the Temple, which was capable of incinerating and petrifying all of those Jedi and Sith in the Scourge of Malachor so long ago. He remembers learning about the history of the Sith Temple here, through his Sith teachings. Darth Traya had the temple constructed thousands of years ago, as a way to harness something that was already here as well. And he believes that he has seen this object in his dreams as well.

A swirling, blood red mass, with the shrieks and screams of what sounds like a thousand tortured souls echoing from it, trapped in a strange monolith, left their by beings long before Darth Traya discovered it.

Such a weapon was perfect for Maul to use, in order to exact his revenge on his former master Darth Sidious, and kill him for all the pain that he has caused him over the years. Not to mention, ensure his rule of the galaxy, and to annihilate all of his enemies, and those who would dare stand against him, including the oh so famous Jarik Shan, and if he survived... Kenobi.

Grinning savagely to himself, he could only imagine the power he would have if he discovers the secrets of the Sith Temple.


Mirror Cave; Ahch-To

Jarik POV...

I spent some time in the Mirror Cave, still wanting to figure out more. When I asked the Force to show me the enemy to focus on, I saw Snoke, vision or otherwise. I would assume that this means I have to focus on him as my greatest enemy, but at the same time, it doesn't answer enough about me. What if Snoke is powerful enough to do something like this, as an attempt to deceive me in some way? Considering he was able to project himself in the World Between Worlds and shoot black fire at me, I would assume he is powerful enough.

So would he be the greatest threat I have to face? That's what it seems like, but the simple fact that there are so many other beings out there who are arguably more powerful than Snoke, like Oryx for example, makes me doubt the possibility. Not to mention right now, the galaxy is still ruled by an extremely powerful Sith Lord; aka Darth Sidious, as well as his also very powerful apprentice Darth Vader.

Once again, the Force is vague and confusing.

I let out a sigh, sitting down on the ground in the cave, mulling over my thoughts and trying to process what to think. In the face of such power stacked against the forces of good, light, and peace, who am I to challenge them? Who are the Jedi to face such a challenge, considering they couldn't even handle Palpatine? Although the Jedi were admittedly very bad in terms of how to handle delicate situations that are beyond their grasping sense of control, something Darth Sidious exploited perfectly.

"You're a Shan," a voice says.

I look up, slightly surprised to see the form of Satele's spirit forming in front of me, although I'm no longer unfamiliar with the sight.

"A member of one of the most powerful families in our galaxy's history," she continues.

"Even so, how am I supposed to face so many powerful enemies? I have limits," I tell her.

"And you have Ahsoka," she adds, making me blink in surprise. "Together, you can reach powers you could only dream of."

"..Yeah, we are more powerful together. We're bonded," I say in agreement. "But we're still people, practitioners of the Force. Compared to others like Snoke? Or Oryx? We're not as powerful."

"No," she agrees. "You're even more powerful than them."

I give her a dry, disbelieving look. "I do hope that my joking personality doesn't stem from you," I deadpan.

"No, it's more from Revan," she replies teasingly, and I roll my eyes. "In all seriousness though, it is true. Together, you and Ahsoka can achieve power greater than what Snoke could hope to achieve."

"I'm kinda doubtful," I say warily. "First time I met him, Snoke was able to project himself through a portal between space and time. I can't even begin to fathom how that's possible, much less be stronger than that."

"That's because you haven't reached it yet," Satele says. "You and Ahsoka share a destiny, which has been put in motion for many years. Snoke knows about your destiny as well, and he fears it."

I develop a surprised look, a little incredulous and disbelieving. "Really? What would he have to fear from me?"

"Like I said, you and Ahsoka can reach powers greater than him," she insists again. "Why do you think Snoke seeks those relics so badly?"

I think about the relics that Snoke originally told me about, and what I've been seeing, considering it. He has said those will make him even more powerful...

"Do you know what those two stones are?" I ask her.

Unfortunately, she shakes her head. "I'm afraid I cannot say. Not until the Force wills you to learn of them."

"Typical," I mutter, shaking my head in exasperation. "You say that me and Ahsoka will become very powerful in the Force. How are we supposed to achieve that?"

"How do you think?" she asks rhetorically. "For years now, Ahsoka has carried the life-force of Morai, lying dormant within her. It is why her spirit revolves around you two."

"Yeah, she carries Morai's spirit," I remember, thinking about when she told me about that after we first arrived on Ahch-To. My eyes then widen in bewilderment and disbelief at the idea that comes to mind. "You're not saying that she'll be as powerful as Morai?"

"That is not for me to tell you," she replies firmly.

"Because the Force doesn't will it so?" I deadpan, now a little annoyed. Why bother hinting things that'll take forever to figure out when you're not allowed to say, yet at the same time wish me to know? It's dumb, confusing, and exasperating.

"Jarik, the Force works in very mysterious ways. Even the Ones could've never hoped to know it fully," she says. "The Father believed he knew the prophecy of the Chosen One, but he was wrong to believe he understood, and it cost them all."

I look down apologetically, knowing she was right. "Yeah, I understand," I reply. "Does any of this have something to do with Malachor?"

She's silent for some time before responding.

"Eventually," she confirms, making my heart stop in concern.

Malachor has not just one dangerous planet, but two. Malachor V though is admittedly far gone, said to have been fully destroyed, leaving only large asteroids in place of where it once was, although they still churned with the dark side. Then there was Malachor I, which is where the Great Scourge of Malachor happened, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Jedi and Sith, by a some sort of incineration wave. Since those times, the entire system has always been off limits to Jedi, and even the Republic, Separatists, and any other groups were wary of ever approaching the place.

Whatever awaited us on Malachor, could not be good. It's just a matter of when this will happen.

"Me being the last blood relative of our family... was this always meant to be?" I ask her. "Was I always meant to have such a heavy burden?"

"Not always... but events happened that ensured the fate would fall to you," she says, sounding a little bit regretful.

I let out an exhausted sigh, feeling a little more vulnerable. "Sometimes I wish I never was such a prominent figure," I say softly. "Me and Ahsoka, maybe even Mara, could've found a nice place to settle down, live out our lives in private peace, while the galaxy spins the way it desires."

"Not many ever do. When your mother Lara had to let you go, she was heartbroken," she says, shocking me so that I whipped my head up to face her. I wasn't ever expecting to hear about my mother. "She understood that the Force could not spare her, but she knew that you had your own destiny, that you would fulfill it, and find love and happiness in the darkness. She passed away believing that, and loving you."

Listening to Satele talk about my mother's thoughts in her last moments brought tears to my eyes, which I wiped away, looking at her, seeing the small smile on her face.

"That... that's just..." I shakily say, unable to form the words. "So what happens now?"

"Hard times are coming soon Jarik," she warns me. "And you must be wary. Darth Sidious has been messing with the rules of time, seeking for knew ways to destroy you."

"Messing with the rules of time?" I ask in bewilderment, a worrying thought entering my head. "Does he know about the World Between Worlds?"

"He seeks to understand it's power. Soon you and Ahsoka must return to the Jedi Temple on Lothal. What you will find is only going to be known by you," Satele informs me, and I'm a little surprised at learning this. "But you must stop Sidious before he completes his goal."

"Which is?" I ask her in concern.

"Me," Satele says seriously.

I'm silent in response, not sure what she means by that. What could Sidious possibly do that's so worrisome, and involves Satele? She's been dead for several millennia! However, a memory then comes back to me, something I remember my holocron doing right before I first found the Jedi Temple. Recordings of Satele were being played and skipped through, forming a vague message to me, before it turned red. Her hologram had looked right at me, and said the name 'Sidious.' Following that was an echoing scream of the Sith Lord.

That's got to be related.

"Go. Spend time with Ahsoka," she tells me. "What comes next in your journey is more challenging than anything you have experienced before. But I have no doubt that you can pull it off."

With those parting words and a smile, her spirit then dissipates into nothing, leaving the cave cold and dark. Now, after she's been gone, the Force feels very silent, more so than it was when I got here. I'm getting the sense that this is all the Force is going to give me.


When I returned back to the Jedi Village later that evening, I could see that Ahsoka was waiting for me, arms crossed, not looking too pleased.

"Mirror Cave?" she questions, and I grimace lightly in response.

"To learn?" I offer meekly.

"About future enemies we can't afford worry about yet?" she replies with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, I went to see if I could learn more about which enemy I need to focus my attention too, happy?" I tell her in exasperation.

"I thought we agreed that you wouldn't worry yourself to death about things you can't control!" she exclaims irritably, putting her hands on her hips. "It's bad enough that we're Palpatine's number one enemy, so you don't have to add to the stress by focusing on those other things either!"

"I just... it's something that I feel I need to know. I can't help myself!" I say in defense.

"Which is exactly why you shouldn't," she retorts, heaving a sigh and stepping closer, small tears forming in her eyes. "I care about you too much to stand watching you worry yourself to death over these things. Sometimes I feel like you worry about our opponents... more than you think about us."

I gape at her in shock and disbelief, having no idea she felt that way. After that, an overwhelming sense of guilt crosses me at making her feel that way, and tears start to form in my eyes as well. Sensing how upset and desperately in need of comfort she was, I quickly envelop her in a tight hug, which she returns fiercely, burying her head against my chest.

"Ahsoka... protecting you is the reason why I worry so much about these things," I say softly over the bond.

"I-I just don't want to loose you!" she replies, voice shaking through her sadness.

Another sense of guilt comes over me again, hearing how desperate and worried she was about loosing me. It wasn't fair for me to think that I had it hard to worry about all of these threats we're faced with, she's had it equally as hard. She's lost so much... the Jedi Order turned its back on her, then she lost her friends, Barriss, Vifi, and Anakin. She wouldn't be able to handle it if she lost me too, and that would break her. I shut my eyes tightly at the thought of all we've been through as I continued to comfort her.

"You won't loose me," I reassure her, softly stroking her back lekku. "You'll never loose me. I promise you."

She only squeezed her arms around me more in the hug, as if too reassure herself that if she held onto me as tightly as she could, she'd never loose me, like she has the others. And I refuse to let that ever become a reality.


Tough times for two lovers in the middle of war, having been consumed by it for so much of their lives. But as long as they are together, they can take on anything! :D

I'm sure you all have been waiting for this, for a very... very long time. The next chapter, is going to be the episode Shroud of Darkness.