Disclaimer: All rights belong to Disney, George Lucas, and all the men and women that created the Star Wars movies, books, and comics. I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made. The cover art image belongs to peanutbutterroastedchestnuts. tumblr .com (remove the spaces)

Rating: T for violence, disturbing imagery, and dark themes

Author's Note: We're getting close to the end now. Only a few more chapters until this story is complete! (Yes, I'm a little sad, too, but everything must eventually come to an end)

Chapter 27

Outer Rim Territories, Lothal Sector, Unknown System, 39 BBY

Oon is a planet no one ever wants to visit. It isn't harsh and dry and hot like Jakku, it isn't run by a notorious crime lord like Tatooine, it isn't dark and mysterious like Dathomir, and it certainly isn't isolated and remote like Hoth. No, Oon is none of those things, yet it is still not a desirable destination.

What it is, however, is declining. Oon's glory days and height was when the Sith were still abundant and the Jedi were at their peak. It was once a hive for activity, with sprawling cities and businesses of all sorts. People from all over the galaxy came here to trade, to seek new fortunes, and to start over.

Then the resources dried up, Coruscant began getting the spotlight on the holonet, and the people left. At first it was a trickle, then a stream, then a gushing river. Now it's a small collection of crumbling ruins, privately owned warehouses, and some tiny villages where the remainders of an era still stubbornly stay, wishing idly that one day it will be the cream of the crop again.

But the galaxy is a big place, and there are thousands, millions, of systems with better planets. All of Oon's hopes and dreams are buried under the jungle ruins along with everything else, and the ones who deny it are going to be sorely disappointed.

An abandoned planet does make a great place to hide a droid manufacturing warehouse, though. KZ's scanners have gone into overdrive working to locate the facility. Once we've landed on the planet, it isn't hard to find the out-of-the-way factory.

Buried in the dense and sprawling forest, it takes up a huge area. The outside of the building is in disrepair and looks by all means abandoned, but the stream of smoke floating up from the chimney betrays a working interior.

Flipping my hood up, I sneak in a shattered windowpane near the ground level. I give KZ-4 a boost and we enter into a bustling machinery factory. Huge metal stamps pound droid pieces together, swiveling robots attach heads onto bodies, and molten metal pours into big molds.

There are no workers to be found, and it seems as though this droid plant is completely droid and machine run. Or else the workers only come in on certain days.

Poking around through the factory and at files with the name Holowan Mechanicals on it, I see a large order for droids. There are no names or even area codes on it. Whoever is working on this is being discreet, and obviously doesn't want people to get wind of this plan.

I'm about ready to give this up as being a useless and unnecessary trip when I spot the letter buried under all the others. Pushing the other, not important ones aside, I reach for it and open it with fumbling fingers. What I read makes me gasp, and I have to read it several times for its meaning to fully sink in. It's a typed message...from The Trade Federation Viceroy, Nute Gunray. He ordered an army to be ready in...in less than ten years. More specifically, he wants to time it for when a certain planet is weak and vulnerable.

In several years The Trade Federation is going to unload an army on Naboo.

And who else would be bold enough to make such a plan with such a weak company? No one but an ingenious Sith lord I happen to know very well.

The Jedi cannot find this. They'll hunt down those responsible and it will throw off the future in a big way, not to mention they'll fail epically. My former master is brilliant as well as powerful, and he knows how the secret that all Sith Lords of the past had missed. He knows how to take the light side of the Force and use it to his advantage.

After all, the brighter the light, the darker the shadow. All of the Jedi, even the best and most powerful among them, will die at his hands if they try to confront him.

Knowing my friends will be here soon, I make a quick decision. I toss the papers into a furnace and make a break for the exit of the building.

I hear them before I see them. Unfortunately they see me exit the factory, and neither of them are very happy about it.

"I thought you were going to wait for us," Qui-Gon says, his voice edging on dangerous.

"I was?" I reply airily. "Oops. I must have forgot. Silly me."

"This is serious, Nisha. This isn't some tag-along game. What did you find in the building?"

I shrug and start walking to the side, edging around them subtly. It isn't working; I can see their eyes following my every move.

"What did you find in the building?" Qui-Gon repeats, his eyes narrowed.

"Nothing too important," I answer vaguely, waving my hand in dismissal. "There's only droids in there."

They see through my half-truths. "What did you find in there?" Obi-Wan questions, his eyes accusing.

"Doesn't matter. It's gone now." I turn to walk away when I hear the buzz of lightsabers igniting. Turning back, I'm shocked to see the two Jedi with their weapons drawn. My heart stops for a moment, and I'm genuinely confused. "What's this?"

"You destroyed important information from our mission," Qui-Gon explains, his voice void of emotion. "We need to know what it is."

"I can't tell you," I admit, spreading my arms, trying to keep my voice steady despite my pounding heartbeat. I've never seen Qui-Gon look quite so dangerous before, and even Obi-Wan appears extremely upset. They can't be serious about fighting me.

"Why would you do this?" Obi-Wan asks angrily, his blue eyes flashing sharply. "Why would you betray us like this?"

"Oh, I don't know, but I did learn from the best." It's a low blow, and even I feel bad about it. Both of us know I'm referring to when the Jedi had captured me after I'd been framed and Obi-Wan had been too ashamed to stick up for me. He'd betrayed me in my weakest moment, and it had crushed me. It's a terrible thing to use against him, but I'm not exactly known for my grace and compassion.

"I don't want to hurt you, but if you don't tell us what you found then we'll have to take you in to Coruscant," Qui-Gon warns.

"Neither of those things are going to happen," I answer, slipping my lightsaber from my belt. The movement is invisible under my big sleeves, but the Jedi can sense it.

"This won't end well," Qui-Gon threatens, brandishing his green-flamed lightsaber diagonally in front of him. As much as I don't want to fight my friends, I can't let them take me in. And I do find it slightly amusing that he thinks he can beat me in battle. I stood up to Darth Sidious himself; does a mere Jedi knight think he's intimidating to me?

Obi-Wan doesn't say anything, surprisingly. Usually he is the one to try and diffuse the situation with words, but it seems like today is different. Maybe because today is personal. I've brought this upon us, but it feels like the only way for me. I have to secure the future. No matter the cost. This is my calling, my purpose. My destiny. Or maybe he's just really upset about my reminder of his shortcoming.

"I'm sorry," I tell them, and I mean it. Reaching up, I discard my black robes and flick on my lightsaber. One side is the color of the night, and the other side is the color of freshly fallen snow. Dark and Light. I am a balance of both, the middle ground. I am neither good nor bad, kind nor cruel.

I'm not sure who moves first, but once the fight begins, it's dirty, and personal, and charged with emotions. This isn't like all my other fights where I wanted the other person dead or incapable to fight anymore; these are - were - my friends, and I don't want to hurt them. Without even thinking about it my stance is defensive rather than aggressive. And yet this is the most heated fight I've ever experienced.

I've known Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan for so long that I can practically see what they're going to do a second before they do it, and this intuition has nothing to with the Force and everything to do with how intimately and personally I know them.

I'm still on the defensive the entire time. I just can't make myself lash out or do anything that might possibly hurt them. They have ties to duty and the Order, so they're not holding back, which makes this a stalemate. Until one of us tires out, that is.

Obi-Wan brings his lightsaber over his head to strike from above while Qui-Gon sweeps his near my knees, forcing my to jump and try to block overhead at the same time. When I land I have to catch the green blade with the white side of my lightsaber while holding off the blue blade with my black side. I fear I'm going to be the one that tires out first. Two against one, and no holds barred on their part.

Making an offensive move for the first time, I parry their blades with my weapon as I kick out with my right leg, putting the Force behind it. My foot connects with Qui-Gon's abdomen and he flies backward, leaving just Obi-Wan and I.

Somehow things are even more personal between just the two of us. All the words we've said to each other, all the things we haven't told, all the adventures we've been through, the intimate connection and moments we've shared - the past year seems as though all of it is coming together now. It's just the two of us, friend versus friend.

He moves faster than before, as if he had been afraid of hitting Qui-Gon. Now that restraint is gone, and he lays blow after blow at a speed I've never seen him fight at. It's all I can do deflect them before they burn me. The scars across my stomach bear witness to what a lightsaber can do. His fighting style is the most simple one that the Jedi have created, but he uses it efficiently and effectively. None of the fancy tricks I know are any match for his skills.

Obi-Wan throws out his hand and pushes with the Force, sending me flipping upwards and back several feet. I turn the momentum into a full flip and land in a crouched position, my lightsaber still gripped tightly in my hand. Obi-Wan drops his to his side for a moment, and he lets his emotions finally show.

"Why are you doing this?" he asks, his expression pained. "We were friends. Partners."

Standing up, I simply shake my head slowly. "We should have never been together. Qui-Gon may have believed in me, but you and I both knew it was a bad idea then, and it still is. Years of being a Sith doesn't just melt away, as much as I wish it would. I'm changing, but it's slow. I'm still very much like Minerva in many ways."

"You're using that as an excuse for all of this?" He spreads his arms, his face displaying disbelief. "Nyx, that's ridiculous."

I'd almost forgotten his nickname for me. It sends a pang of regret through me, but it's too late to turn back. I've made my choice, and now I have to deal with the consequences.

"There are some things you just don't understand, Obi-Wan," I tell him, my lightsaber-arm relaxing. "Some things you just can't understand. One day, maybe, but not now."

"I understand you're betraying Qui-Gon and I, and by betraying us, you're betraying yourself." His expression hardens, then softens. "You're the one who put loyalty on such a high pedestal. You're right. I don't understand why that would suddenly change."

"The galaxy is a big place. I have to think about the whole, not the little. I have to see the big picture, not rely on my tunnel vision. I don't like this, trust me." I want him to understand. Losing him would be like losing part of myself.

"I wish I could," he says sadly, bringing his lightsaber up and brandishing it with two hands. That's my cue to spin mine as I bring it up, gathering momentum. I'm so focused on him that I don't bother to search the Force for other threats.

A pair of arms wrap around me and hold me tight, rendering me immobile. It's Qui-Gon. He'd snuck up behind me while I'd been talking with Obi-Wan.

They'd trapped me.

Anger flares up in me, anger like I hadn't felt in a long time. They want to play dirty? I'm not going to hold back anymore. They don't deserve my compassion.

Kicking out with my legs, I shift my weight so the hands lose their grip. Then I slip out from underneath, twirling my lightsaber to catch the blue blade descending on me. I snap my wrist to the side, and the miniscule action sends Obi-Wan's lightsaber flying off into the forest. I bring a foot down hard on one of his knees, and when he crumples, I side-check him in the face with my elbow.

Now it's just Qui-Gon. He swings his green lightsaber forward and I block its advance with one end of my weapon, using the other blade to shove towards him. He jumps back and stabs forward, but I flip over him, landing behind his back. He whirls around to face me and I have enough time to reach forward with the Force, ripping his lightsaber from his grasp and chucking it behind me. It rolls away into the forest, too.

Before I can do anything about my success, someone barrels into me, causing me to fall. I manage to hit the switches on my lightsaber to shut it off before I impale myself on it. Hitting the ground, I roll over and get to my feet. I had let go of my weapon sometime during the action, and through the overgrown grass I can't see it.

I turn to face both of the Jedi again. "Guess it's just our skills and strength," I state, and the tension breaks.

They sprint towards me, Obi-Wan reaching me first. I grab his arms and use his momentum against him, flipping him over while jumping up and kicking out at Qui-Gon at the same time. Due to my weak wrists, punches hurt more than usual, so I've adjusted my style to using other parts of my body, especially my legs and feet, more.

The fight goes on for a while, the three of us trading blows and hits and taking it without flinching. We're all experienced fighters, even without a lightsaber. I'm just not used to this brutal of warfare. Obi-Wan has a gushing nose from when I'd slammed his face against my knee, Qui-Gon has a nice black eye forming, and I'm pretty sure some of my ribs are bruised badly, if not cracked. Breathing hurts, which is definitely a fun factor to add into a fight.

Obi-Wan throws a punch my way and I block it with my forearm, feeling the punch more than I should. Add some nice bruises to my forearm to my list of injuries...and there are still some I'm probably not going to find until later. Ignoring the pain, I thrust my elbow out and catch him in the throat. He stumbles back, choking.

That's when I feel an invisible force shoving me backwards. I fly several feet before landing heavily at the base of a tree. Pushing myself up, I see Qui-Gon with his arms still outstretched. For a while there, we had all forgotten about the Force, caught up in the rage of personal betrayals and vendettas. But if we're going to use it, then I'm not going to play nice.

Standing up slowly, I take my time walking towards the two Jedi, who are now standing next to each other, minds focused and thrumming with the power of the Force. Jokes on them, though; using a balance of the light and dark side is stronger than simply the light side.

Obi-Wan tries for a lightning fast Force-shove, but I easily intercept and redirect it. Closing my eyes, I reach into the Force and let it surround me, and I soak up its power. Opening my eyes, I reach both hands forward and squeeze them. Both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon are suddenly grasping their throats, struggling to breathe. They're feet float up a few inches off the ground.

"That's the problem with the light side," I tell them as they writhe around my phantom touch. "You're too clean. Sometimes you need to play dirty to win."

Something bumps into my leg, and I glance down to see KZ-4 there, three of his arms outstretched and holding some familiar items. I open my hands, releasing the Jedi, and I grab the items from my droid. "I see the future," I tell my former friends, who are still clutching their throats and coughing hard. "I thought it was just something that was part of me, part of my powers, but now I realize why. I'm meant to shape the future, to keep it going the path it's supposed to go." I toss their lightsabers at them lightly. "I would think you would understand it best of everyone, with all your Jedi prophecies and visions. Guess it's different when you're an outsider."

They stare at me silently as I retreive my robe and tuck my lightsaber handle back into my belt. "Don't look for me," I order as I turn my back and head towards my ship, KZ-4 at my heels.

We never look back.

My body is on autopilot after the flight. After making it back to my starship I input some random coordinates and take off, my mind a million miles away. KZ must notice my mood because he doesn't try to say anything.

When we land I don't even bother checking which coordinates I had put in. Instead I head to the back of my ship, where I have a small room with all my personal belongings. Curling up on the narrow mattress, I let the tears finally fall, mourning the loss of my friends for the last time. There is no third chance, and I've exhausted myself emotionally to the point of knowing I can't work with them ever again. There's just too much history between us.

KZ comes in later, bumping up next to me. I rub the top of his dome, wiping all evidence of my sadness away from my face at the same time. Life isn't easy. I know that. I've always known that. Sometimes I just wish things could be different. I wish I wouldn't care as much about other people. Loving others just makes you vulnerable to more pain. "The Jedi are always preaching about letting go of attachments," I tell KZ, taking in a deep breath. "Maybe they're on to something."

Connecting my mind to the Force, I search through my thoughts and my memories, savoring each for a moment before just letting it all go. I release the bonds tying me to other people. I liberate myself from my unshaken promise of loyalty. Loyalty hasn't taken me anywhere but more indecision and pain.

I feel a sense of relief in clearing things out, and deep in my mind I hear Serenity speaking. She has finally found a home in me after years of Anger and Confusion and Sadness dominating.

"You're Nisha Alyx," she reminds me gently but firmly. "You are the dark defender. A balance between the good and the bad. The dark and the light. You swore to protect people in need, people who can't protect themselves. What are you waiting for? Your destiny is right in front of you, and it's up to you to seize the opportunity."

Opening my eyes, I stand up slowly, gathering my robe and my lightsaber. "Come on, KZ. I know what I have to do." For the first time in my life, I have no doubts. This is what I am meant to do. I'm meant to fight for others, to take on the battles they themselves cannot fight.

Stepping out of my starship and into the cool night air, the wind breezing through my hair to send it flying upwards a little, I observe my jungle surroundings, seeing the mountains in the distance.

My starship had landed on Son-tuul, a planet in the Outer Rim Territories. I know this place has many immigrated species, including Humans, Twi'leks, Wookiees, Rodians, Hutts, and many more. This is a good place to start.

Heading out into the main city, I leap from rooftop to rooftop, listening for sounds of a struggle. When I hear one, I sprint towards it, leaping right onto a Talz that's harassing a young Arcona. Flicking my lightsaber out and on, I brandish it protectively in front of the child, sheltering it from the many-eyed, furry menace.

"Leave," I demand, my voice low and clear. "Do not attempt to pull such a stint again. I won't be so merciful a second time."

The animalistic sentient drops his spear and runs away, disappearing into the black night. I turn to the short, green-skinned species behind me. "Are you alright?"

"Who are you?" the Arcona child questions, incredulous.

"I am Nisha Alyx. The dark defender." With a flip of my shadow-colored robes and an excellently executed Force-jump, I seem to flash away. Without looking back, I know the Arcona's eyes are wide, and they are probably going to spread the news of the new protector.

It may have taken pain and a few lost friendships to realize what I'm really meant for, but the rush of helping others is indescribable compared to the old highs I used to get from danger and from killing. I feel at home for the first time as I run around the city, taking down criminals and saving the lives of others one at a time. I'm doing something not for myself, and that's the best way to do something.

For the very first time in my life, I get the taste of Joy. It's just a fleeting glimpse, but it's there, and it's mine.