Welcome back. I bet you weren't expecting an update so fast XD. As always, I'm asking you for reviews, favorites, and follows!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 27

"I thought you had taken the exile's path, wandering the Galaxy. Yet you have returned – why?" Atris asked coldly, refusing to acknowledge her by her name. It didn't escape Meetra's attention.

"It was not my intention to see you either, Atris," Meetra replied, faking a friendly tone. Her blood was already boiling in her veins. "And I certainly did not intend to come to this place."

"Yet here you are," Atris countered, crossing her arms on her chest. "Perhaps you do not know yourself as well as you think. Regardless, your arrival here begs an explanation," she said, scrutinizing Meetra with her eyes. "Have you come to face the judgment of the Council, as you did so many years ago?" she asked, not bothering herself with subtlety. "Are you finally willing to admit that we were right to cast you out?"

"The Council exiled me out of fear… of Revan, of me, and of what we represented," Meetra replied, refusing to be intimidated by the Grand Master of the Jedi Order.

"You sought adventure, you hungered for battle. You could not wait to follow Revan to war," Atris countered; her voice was rising steadily. "The Jedi Order asked only for time to examine the Mandalorian threat. We urged caution, patience. And you defied us!" she almost screamed at Meetra. "So when you've returned, you were brought before us. You were a Jedi no longer. And so you were exiled."

"Because nearly fifteen years of Mandalorian aggression was certainly not enough time to decide," Meetra commented sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She crossed her arms on her chest as well. "I also recall your desire to have me imprisoned… or worse," she said before Atris could reply to her previous words.

"There was much about that day that was difficult to forget – your words, your defiance," Atris enumerated. One of her hands moved to her back. "And when you stabbed your lightsaber into the center stone… I have always kept it," she finished, igniting an azure blade. Meetra's heart skipped a beat. Even after eight years, she recognized her lightsaber immediately. "As a reminder of what can happen when your passions dictate your actions. I have kept it so I would never forget your arrogance or your insults to the Order," she said, examining the weapon. It took all of Meetra's self-control not to lunge at the Grand Master at that moment. "But I am not unsympathetic to your feelings," Atris added, looking Meetra in the eye. "Leaving the Order must have been difficult for you. Yet you gave the Council no other choice… you gave me no other choice."

"I'm not here to debate the Council's decisions," Meetra replied. She was still looking at her lightsaber. She recalled what it felt like in her hand - cold and a little heavy. "I went to war to protect others, not for battle," she countered.

"So, your choice was to meet the aggression of the Mandalorians with more aggression?" Atris asked enraged. "That is not the Jedi way!" she yelled at her.

"The Mandalorians were butchering innocent people," Meetra reminded her, not believing how stubborn Atris was. That's something she had actually forgotten during her time in exile, and she certainly wasn't happy to learn it again. "Planets, we swore to protect!"

"Every choice we make, whether we know it or not, sends echoes through the Force," Atris replied. Meetra wondered for a moment if the Grand Master has heard what she had just said. "It can awaken feelings, ignite passions, hate, anger, fear – where none existed before. By meeting aggression, by serving as an opponent against which the Mandalorians could test themselves, you fed their hate, their lust for war! And it sent a terrible echo through you. And because of it, you and those Jedi who met them on the battlefield lost their way… and you turned on us."

"You're forgetting that I was the only one to return to the Republic after the Mandalorian Wars," Meetra countered.

"Without you and the other fallen Jedi to support them, to feed their lust for war, Revan and Malak's crusade would have been over before it began," Atris replied, turning off Meetra's lightsaber. "Don't you remember how many have joined the Revanchists because of you? How many Padawans defied their masters, and how many Knights turned their backs on the Jedi Order?"

"Then you know nothing of what led me to war… or Revan," Meetra said, looking her directly in the eye. "Besides, if the Council decided to help us, there would be no Jedi Civil War afterward," she added. "The blood of those who have perished in that conflict is on your hands, Atris, and the destruction of Telos and Taris is the consequence of your inaction!" Meetra said angrily.

"How dare you speak to me like that?!" Atris yelled enraged. "Don't you dare to blame me for your choices and your mistakes, or Revan's. It was you who betrayed the Jedi teachings, not me! All that you had been taught, you threw at your feet and crushed them beneath your heel! The Jedi teachings require we examine our actions… acting without reflection is not our way," she reminded her.

"Trust me, we had examined the Council's cowardice, and we have realized that it was the wrong thing to do. So, in fact, it was the Council that gave us no other choice but to participate in the war. Everyone on the Outer Rim would have died. Would this have been worth it? For the sake of teachings?"

"There was no guarantee that marching to war would have saved the Outer Rim," Atris countered. "In fact, quite the opposite."

"Maybe not," Meetra agreed. "But if he had not acted, the Republic would have fallen, and that is a fact."

"A physical victory perhaps, but the real victory lay in t…"

"The triumph of pacifism?" Meetra guessed. "Surrender?" she asked.

"Do not twist my words," Atris reprimanded her. "A physical victory is not the only victory… or the only loss."

"Nice words," Meetra admitted, smirking lightly. "But if we listened to the Council, we would be hearing them in Mando'a right now," she countered.

"You do not kno…"

"If the Mandalorians had been victorious, would the Jedi have fought then? Or simply have meditated on what to do?" Meetra interrupted her.

"How dare you?" Atris asked, shaking her head. "The Mandalorian Wars should have been your grave, and Malachor V is where you should have died!" she yelled at her. Meetra smirked again.

"Careful, Atris," she reprimanded her. "Anger can only lead to the Dark Side."

"You see shadows where there are none and hate where there is none. You are blind, as always," she yelled. "I tire of… fighting with you. You lust for war, and you always will. And you have succeeded in distracting me from my questions!" Atris yelled again. She closed her eyes and took in a few shaky breaths to calm herself down. "So answer me," she began, this time peacefully. "If you cannot seem to admit the Council was correct, then why are you here?"

"Because you stole my ship, and I need it to get off this rock," Meetra replied.

"Your ship – ah, the Ebon Hawk?" Atris asked after a moment of confusion. "It is not your ship. Unless you are admitting to the destruction of the Peragus Mining Facility."

"The Facility's destruction was an unfortunate accident," Meetra countered, not believing her ears.

"Ah, an accident," Atris commented sarcastically. "Something beyond your control, of course," she mused. "You have not changed," she criticized Meetra. "Acting instead of thinking. Putting yourself before the Galaxy, before the Jedi. Do you know what you have done?" Atris asked though she wasn't waiting for a response. "Without the fuel from Peragus, the Citadel Station cannot maintain its orbit. It will crash into the planet, and its destruction will echo across twenty other worlds!" she exclaimed angrily. "Telos was a test to see if the Republic could mount a restoration effort on the Outer Rim. When it fails, the Republic will not finance another. The other Rim worlds devastated by the Sith will remain graveyard worlds, devoid of life. And that is the magnitude of your crime!"

"As always, you don't understand," Meetra countered. Her anger was rising steadily, slowly, but inevitably, approaching the point at which she wouldn't be able to control it anymore. "We were attacked by the Sith, and the battle with them is what destroyed Peragus" she informed the Grand Master.

"The Sith?" Atris queried; she was clearly surprised. "What do you mean?" she demanded an explanation.

"The Sith have returned," Meetra informed her. "All Jedi are in grave danger."

"You speak… truly," Atris admitted hesitantly. "You have encountered the Sith. I can feel the scars on you. And you encountered them on Peragus? But what would they want there? They can't have been looking for you."

"The Sith believe that I am the last Jedi alive," Meetra added. Atris huffed at that.

"You?" Atris asked with a chuckle. "If they thought you a Jedi, the teachings of the Sith blind them, indeed. I am the last Jedi, not you," she said proudly, trying to intimidate Meetra. "You betrayed our teachings, our beliefs… the very core of the Jedi Order. If these Sith attacked you, they would soon realize their mistake. And if you escaped… they most likely let you go, to see if you would lead them here."

"They're stronger than you think!" Meetra shouted at her. "A Sith Lord stands amongst them. And they fight differently than any other Sith I've seen before."

"Whatever force they can bring to bear, it will matter not – if they face a true Jedi, they shall fall," Atris countered.

"Let me guess, you are supposed to be this 'true Jedi,' aren't you?" Meetra asked sarcastically, placing her hand on her hip.

"Of course it's me. It can't be you," Atris replied disdainfully.

"I want to offer you my help, Atris," Meetra said, surprising both herself and the Jedi Grand Master. "You cannot handle these Sith alone."

"You offer your aid?" Atris asked, wanting to be sure that she has understood her correctly. "After turning your back on me… on the Council?" she added after a moment. Atris scolded herself for allowing her emotions to take the best of her for that split second. "The Jedi is not something you embrace out of fear. The commitment is stronger than that, something you never seemed to understand."

"The Sith have numbers on their side," Meetra countered. "You'll need all the allies you can get, Jedi or not," she reasoned with Atris. The Grand Master wondered for a moment on her words.

"I need nothing from you," Atris replied proudly. "Except your departure from this place," she clarified. "I was wrong to even permit you to remain this long. I have your ship," she admitted. "I will return it to you. You must leave here before you place us in jeopardy."

"Fine by me," Meetra countered through gritted teeth. She couldn't believe just how ignorant Atris actually was. "I just want back my ship."

"Take your ship then," Atris replied. "I don't care where you go, just leave this place, leave Telos!"

"We shall remove her, Mistress," a voice behind her said. Meetra turned around, a little startled, only to see three of the handmaidens approaching her from the room that resembled the Council chambers in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. "Come with us," the handmaiden that has previously led her to this place, ordered her. Meetra complied wordlessly, muttering something to herself. She walked out, straightened out, with her head raised high. She wasn't going to give Atris the satisfaction of degrading her. She wasn't part of the Jedi Order anymore, and because of that, the Grand Master was just another stranger to her. Meetra noticed that the handmaiden that ordered her to leave remained behind. Before she left the room, she saw her approaching Atris, though what happened next was something she couldn't see as the door was closed behind her.

"Are you all right, Mistress?" the handmaiden asked when she was sure that Meetra was beyond earshot.

"The Exile reminded me of something… I had forgotten," Atris admitted, watching Meetra's back.

"Forgive me, Mistress… but I must ask," the handmaiden began hesitantly. "The Exile… I have never seen another effect you so strongly. Was she important to you once?" she asked.

"We all have our heroes," Atris began explaining, shaking her head to get rid of painful thoughts that threatened to corrupt her mind. "And when we watch them fall, we die inside," she said quietly. "She made a choice once… and I did not. The day we judged her, I stood in the chamber, and she was… she was so right," she whispered, looking at something only she could see. "She was so certain of it, I doubted myself. But not now. She will never make me doubt myself again," Atris promised to more to herself. "But now… now I am tired. I must meditate," she said, turning around. She retreated to the circle room from which she came.

"Of course, Mistress," the handmaiden replied, accepting her departure. "I will tell the others you are not to be disturbed. And… please, do not exhaust yourself. We can attend to matters here." The handmaiden watched her retreating form until Atris disappeared behind the door that led to her private chambers.

Meetra was led back to the entrance by the two handmaidens. The three women were quiet all the time; none of them had any desire to talk. Meetra was escorted all the way to the front doors that were leading to their landing spot.

"What about my companions?" she asked, turning towards the handmaidens.

"You will find them in the main irrigation channel room in the northern part of the plateau interior," one of the women explained. Meetra wondered for a few seconds if they were hoping that she would forget about those who have arrived with her. "They were caged for their safety until we could determine your intent, Exile" she continued speaking. "The particle emitters there that once governed the flow of water to Telos can double as force cages. Atris cautions us against your tactics, fearing that your allies would create a distraction. Your companions gave us little trouble, however" she added quickly before Meetra could respond to that. "The male could have presented some challenge if he had resisted, but he chose not to."

"You can't be referring to Atton," Meetra countered with a small chuckle, looking the handmaiden in the eye.

"He has had some Echani training," the handmaiden revealed to her. "He masks it well, but when you were in danger, his mask dropped into a stance we know very well," she clarified. So that's what I saw at the entrance, Meetra said to herself, recalling their first encounter with Atris's servants.

"You must be mistaken," she countered, shaking her head. It couldn't possibly be the Echani stance. "Where would he even get that type of training?" she asked, not expecting to receive an answer.

"I do not know," she admitted. "The Echani forms are known to be taught to military special forces throughout the Galaxy," she clarified. "If the source is a mystery to you, perhaps you should ask him. It would be wise to know those you travel with," she lectured her. Atris has a bad influence on these girls, she commented in her mind.

"I'll most certainly do that," Meetra muttered, not caring if the handmaiden has heard her. "Now, where is the Ebon Hawk?" she asked, demanding an answer.

"Your ship is stored in the hangar," the handmaiden informed her. "Atris has given you permission to leave this place, and not to return," she reminded her. Meetra nodded her head.

"Don't worry, servant. I'm not going to return here any time soon," she replied and turned around, leaving the handmaiden alone. She wasn't waiting for a response, and she, most likely, wouldn't get one.

Meetra walked through the empty halls of the building, using the Force as her guide. Finding Kreia at the edge of her mind, she used their Bond to navigate her through the Academy. It didn't take her long to reach the room that was described as the main irrigation channel. She walked inside, and, as she expected, she found Bao-Dur, Atton, and Kreia, locked in the force cages. Both men were lying on the ground, though. She wasn't sure if the Iridonian should have been awakened by now, but she was surprised to see Atton unconscious as well. Kreia was the only one to acknowledge her presence.

"Did you find what you came for?" she asked, looking at her with her unseeing eyes.

"If you're talking about the ship, it is in the hangar," Meetra replied, approaching the terminal that was standing nearby. She clicked a few buttons, and the force cages were turned off.

"There was something from your past here – something unresolved," Kreia countered, scrutinizing her. "I feel we did not come to this place by chance – you were led here. This woman who resides here – she did something to you once," Kreia deducted. "Something that hangs upon you still?" she asked.

"This woman is Atris," Meetra informed her. "She is the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, and she was on the Council when I was cast out," she explained.

"There is a Jedi here, perhaps," Kreia agreed, though her words made little sense to Meetra. "In that, you are correct. Yet there are no students, and this woman… this Atris… surrounds herself with those who cannot feel the Force. Curious," she commented, stroking her chin.

"And her handmaidens?" Meetra asked.

"No," Kreia replied quickly. "her servants are not Jedi. Their minds are walls, trained to resist tricks of the mind," she explained. "This discipline blinds them to the Force as well, even if they were Force Sensitive."

"You sure know a lot for someone who was locked in a cell," Meetra commented. "It's almost as if you were reading their minds."

"Invade the mind of another?" Kreia asked, sounding surprised, though Meetra couldn't tell if that was an honest reaction. "It is not something done carelessly… or when there is nothing to be gained," she added. Meetra was about to ask her what she meant, but Atton's grunt distracted her from that. Because of her talk with Kreia, she had forgotten completely about the unconscious man.

"Is Atton all right?" she asked, genuinely concerned.

"He was only sleeping," Kreia replied. Meetra didn't fail to notice contempt in her voice. "It seems the journey here has fatigued him.

"Hey, you're back with us," Atton greeted her when he stood up from the floor. "We were just on our way to rescue you from those ghost women when… uh, we got locked up," he explained, rubbing the back of her head. Meetra chuckled slightly at that. It amused her how he tried to impress her and failed miserably at that.

"Are you all right?" she asked him. "You look a little disoriented," she noticed.

"I'm fine," he replied, stretching his back. "I was just a little dizzy when I first woke up," he explained.

"Apparently, your Echani training doesn't help you with everything," Meetra commented, deciding to question him about that at that very moment.

"Huh?" he asked, not understanding what she was saying. "What are you talking about?"

"Back at the entrance, you dropped into a combat stance used by the Echani," she explained to him, crossing her arms on her chest. Atton scratched the back of his head again.

"Oh, that," he replied after a moment of hesitation. "Don't tell anyone, but you wouldn't believe how many fights you can prevent by just pretending to know that stuff," he explained with a small grin. "I mean, it doesn't compare to wearing a lightsaber, but then again, that doesn't seem to help you much," he added quickly.

"If you say so," Meetra replied, agreeing to drop the topic, at least for now.

"So uh… how did things go with the Jedi here?" he queried. "Are you all done?"

"All finished," Meetra replied with a small sigh. "And they're also done with us," she added quickly. "They want us out. Now" she clarified.

"Things went that well, huh?" he asked with a small chuckle. " You make friends wherever you go, don't you? Well, that's encouraging. Nothing like a steady stream of people who hate us or want to kill us to keep their heart pumping," he commented, clearly trying to brighten the mood.

"If you're that unhappy, we can easily drop you off back at the Citadel Station," Meetra countered, crossing her arms on her chest. She noticed a moment of hesitation on Atton's side, followed closely by a quick glance, directed at something behind her. Meetra followed his gaze, but she saw nothing, except for Kreia, who wasn't even looking in their direction. She shrugged that off.

"Nah. I was just complaining," he replied with a small chuckle. Meetra could swear that she heard the nervousness in his voice. "I'm with you until things start going better for you," he added, smiling at her. "We need to stick together, you know? And who knows… I might be able to help you out of a tight spot at some point," he offered.

"I sincerely doubt that," Meetra commented with a serious voice. "But I'm still glad you're not jumping ship," she added. "Enough talk, though. We've got to get moving," she ordered, signalizing that she considered their conversation to be over. She walked up to Bao-Dur's cage and knelt next to the Iridonian. She shook his shoulder gently. "Bao-Dur," she called out to him. "Wake up, we've got to go," she informed him, using the Force to put some strength in her words. It worked. As a result, Bao-Dur began shifting until he fully stood up.

"I'm sorry, General," he said immediately after seeing her in front of him. Meetra quickly noticed that the smack in the head that he received from the handmaidens still had its effect on him. He was talking slower than he used to, and he was looking around, clearly disorientated. "I must have lost consciousness.

"Nothing to be sorry for," Meetra assured him, gripping his shoulder. "We were ambushed. None of us could have expected that. But we've got to move. The host doesn't want us here anymore," she informed him. Bao-Dur nodded and stepped out from the force cage. Meetra noticed that his right hand found its way to the back of his head, massaging the sore spot.

The group of four left the main irrigation channel and headed towards the hangar. They didn't talk on their way there, almost as if they were afraid of disturbing the silence that ruled in those halls. Also, Meetra wanted to get as far as possible from that place, and Atris and pointless chatting would most likely slow them down. It took them roughly a few minutes to find the hangar and all of them entered the Ebon Hawk. Meetra was glad to be back on the ship, even if it has been in her possession for only a couple of days. T3 greeted them when they've entered the ship through the loading ramp.

"Well, if it isn't the one who stole the Ebon Hawk," Atton greeted the small droid back, kicking him. He cursed loudly after realizing that the droids were a bad kicking target. "Not so smug now, are you?" he asked, enraged at the small droid and his own actions. "You little thief."

"Don't be a fool," Kreia scolded him. "Atris stole the ship and the droid," she reminded him.

"Says you," Atton countered. T3 let out a series of beeps.

"What is the machine saying?" Kreia asked, looking at Meetra expectantly.

"He said there was a holo record of my trial in Atris's records," Meetra informed her, paling slightly after hearing it. "And that he has downloaded it while Atris tried to break into his memory core," she added, patting her foot on the metallic floor of the Ebon Hawk. "Atton, start the ship. We will leave this planet, and then we shall see what T3 had found," she ordered.

Okay, that's it for today. I hope you're happy that I've updated so quickly, compared to the other updates XD. If you are, make sure to leave a comment down below.