Chapter 20: Servants of the Dark Side

Quinlan looked much better by the time Obi-Wan laid him in his bed, his color totally returned, but he still shivered. There was no fever, no seizures, no convulsions, no sign of any of the things that he was inflicted with on Athiss. It made sense; Quinlan was sick from overexposure to the Dark Side, the proper Jedi reaction to having prolonged exposure to darkness. Obi-Wan's experience was because the Dark Side was inside him, and it was through that connection that the Sith Lord was able to reach out and hurt him. Quinlan was safe. He knew it, could feel it in the Force. Satisfied at the safety of the other Jedi, Obi-Wan left the ship again, pulling on the Mandalorian helmet.

The pull of the Dark Side in the Academy was strong, and he gained a very valuable piece of information, but he needed more. There were two more Temples on the planet, and he felt that they would be stronger, could feel the Dark Side drawing him to those places. After months of inactivity, Obi-Wan had fully accepted the embrace of the Dark Side, but his relationship with it had changed. Before, he was a slave to it, clinging to the darkness like a needy child, begging for power and pleasure, and sent into euphoric bliss when it was given to him. But now he came to the Dark Side with a Jedi's command, bolstered with the patience, reserve and control of a Jedi Master. Now, he embraced the Dark Side as a Master would embrace a faithful servant, and the darkness bent to his will, wild and powerful but a slave to his whim.

Even still, he needed more. The Temples would have the knowledge he needed, both for his own studies of the Dark Side and his hunt for the Sith.

He walked out of the ship and an armored guard met him, his vibro-lance at the ready. "Halt, Mandalorian. State your business."

"I came in last night, and my business is my own. Let me about my business."

But the guard did not move, powering on the vibro-lance and the long blade powered on, sparking with purple electric pulses. Under his helmet, Kenobi smiled, his eyes burning. He held out his hand toward the guard, the Dark Side howling as pain lanced through the guard and he fell to his knees, shaking hands dropping his weapon. Kenobi kneeled in front of the convulsing man, calmly removed his helmet, and the guard's eyes widened as he looked into blazing yellow eyes. "Y-you're..."

"Don't speak." The command was obeyed, the guard trembling under Kenobi's gaze as he smiled cruelly. "Now, my friend...there are Sith Temples here. Two of them, from what I understand, and an Academy. Nod if you understand." The guard nodded, and Kenobi smiled, releasing his grasp on the man slightly, and he shook in relief, a strained grasp leaving his throat. "See, isn't that better?" he asked softly, patting his cheek. "You be nice, I be nice. Yes?"

"Y-yes..." The man started to rise, but the Jedi reached out and gripped him again, bringing him back down to his knees.

"Ah ah, none of that now. You stay down there," he purred, voice smooth and sophisticated as he rose to his feet. "I need to get to those two temples. Do you know where they are?" The guard nodded and Kenobi smiled. "Oh, good! Good boy! You will take me to them."

"A-are you Sith?" The guard was trembling, looking at the Jedi in awe, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but look at him with disdain. This creature was...pathetic.

"I don't know," he drawled as he pulled his helmet back on. "I might be. Show me the way, I tire of waiting."

"Y-yes, Master..."

They started of down the landing platform toward the hanger, the guard taking long, hurried strides, and Obi-Wan, several paces behind him, was strolling at a relaxed, easy pace. The guard continued to increase the distance between them, and Kenobi smoothly called out, "Easy. I am eager, but not rushed. Walk with me." And the guard slowed down, stopped and waited for the Jedi to catch up with him, then walked next to him.

"...we have been waiting for you, My Lord," the guard whispered quietly. "The Prophets of the Dark Side have foretold the rise of the Order."

"I look forward to seeing them." Who were they? Kenobi had a lot of questions, but no answers. But if these Temples were occupied, if they were in use, and the Sith Lord and his apprentice have been around, it was very likely that these people could give him the information he needed. The guard stood next to a speeder and Kenobi climbed on, gripping the controls as the guard sat behind him. "Direct me," Kenobi said softly as he powered the speeder on, pushed the acceleration and sped off through the Forest.

The Forest turned to marsh, and as the landscape opened up, Kenobi accelerated to full speed, the marsh water kicking up behind the speeder like wings. He didn't need the guard to tell him where to go, he felt it in the Force, felt the Dark Side rage and snarl and pull him toward the Temple. He felt it long before he arrived, a nexus of the Dark Side that seemed to pull the Force to it, and as he saw the spires of the temple across the marsh, he felt his craving for the darkness grow.

He dismounted in front of the Dark Force Temple, looking up at the smooth black stone that made the Temple entrance, the deep carved hieroglyphs over the massive door, the tall, uneven spires that seemed to touch the sky. "Stay here," he commanded the guard, and the man knelt, didn't get up. Kenobi took long strides to get to the Temple door, didn't stop as he waved his hand before him, strongly commanding "Taka zeech ma toka duuwaj," and the doors shuddered, rock and dust falling as they opened with a groan. Obi-Wan disappeared into the Temple, and the doors closed behind him.

The Temple was dark, just like the other ones, but with the Dark Side as his ally, his sharp eyes had no trouble seeing, his stride not slowing as he approached the alter at the end of the temple, blue flames burning in large braziers. He felt the others before he saw them, filing in behind him as he walked, their dark robes rustling by their feet. They were strong in the Force, all of them. Kenobi was stronger.

Another robed man stood at the alter, this one stronger in the Force than the others, and Kenobi swiftly approached. The figure turned and faced Obi-Wan. "You have no place here, Mandalorian," he snarled, and the robed group behind the Jedi stopped, drew Force Pikes and ignited them, their vibro-edged heads crackling with energy.

Obi-Wan smirked, removing his helmet, glaring at the leader with glowing yellow eyes. "Here I thought you were strong in the Force. Can't be right about everything, I suppose."

"You are not Sith," the man growled.

"You're right." Kenobi grinned maliciously. "But The Master and his Apprentice were here recently, and you're going to tell me all about them."

The man scoffed. "Kill him," was all he said, and Kenobi reached back and grabbed his lightsaber, powered it on and the red blade hummed to life. Grinning madly, he turned to face the acolytes.

"Come now, I haven't used this weapon yet. Give me a reason to kill you all."

They didn't hesitate to charge at him, and Kenobi smirked, dodged under the Force Pike that was swung at his head and thrust his saber through his attacker's body, grinning as the robed man fell to the ground, cutting through him and slashing up to his right, severing one of the other weapons and deftly slicing across the disarmed man's neck. With two of their fellows dead, the other acolytes backed up, surrounding the grinning Jedi, red saber blazing in his hand as he assumed the defensive stance of Soresu. There were a lot of them, and while he probably could have taken them all with a powerful offense, the pike wielders were typically highly aggressive, and Obi-Wan always preferred to fight defensively and smart, choosing instead to wear his opponent down, striking as soon as they were tired and making mistakes. He learned from the mistakes of his Master. A relentless offense would leave you drained and tired. No, it was better to be defensive.

Obi-Wan smiled brightly, looking about the group and then yellow eyes falling to the leader. "Oh, come now, I just want to talk! Don't be fools now, there's only twelve of you left!"

"I like those odds."

"Oh?" He reached behind him with his free hand and grabbed one of the robed warriors by the neck, gold eyes never leaving the man at the alter as he choked the life out of the man behind him. The acolyte went still, and Kenobi dropped him. "Eleven. How about now?"

"What are you waiting for?!"

And the acolytes charged again, Kenobi easily blocking the strikes and stabs and slashes, sharp eyes looking for openings and taking them when he saw them. The Force pike was a fearsome weapon, but it was only effective at long range. Once Kenobi got in their guard, the warrior's were good as dead, the red blade slashing up torsos, across necks, severing arms and legs, stabbing through backs, each kill fueling the Dark Side and making him stronger, malice and power burning in bright yellow eyes. He stopped when two warriors remained, the rest of their fellows dead or dying or clutching places where limbs used to be and screaming. Kenobi rolled his eyes.

"Force, but the noise carries in here. It's enough to drive a person mad!" Obi-Wan laughed sharply as the two hooded warriors backed up, Force pikes pointed at the Jedi and flanking their leader. "How do you like the odds now? Hmm?"

"Stand down," he hissed to the acolytes at his side, and they deactivated the pikes, laying them on the ground and kicking them toward the Jedi. "I don't know what you are, but we recognize your power in the Dark Side. Please. What do you want?"

The screaming continued, and Obi-Wan couldn't take it. With a vicious snarl, he shouted, "All of you, shut up!" and the wounded all fell silent, biting their lips or tongues until they bled to keep from screaming and whimpering through the pain. With a deep breath, Obi-Wan turned back to the leader at the alter. "I didn't come for a fight," he purred, deactivating the red blade and returning it to his belt. "I came here to talk, to exchange information, to...negotiate, if you will. You must see how all this pain and death is your fault. I didn't want this."

"I...apologize, Master..."

"Master," Kenobi purred, enjoying the way it sounded to hear someone else say it. He pointed at the two guards flanking the leader and waived his hand to the side. "You two. Leave us." The guards shuddered for a moment, resisting, and then their shoulders slumped and they shuffled away from the alter, past their dead and injured comrades and out of the hall. "One thing is certain," Kenobi drawled. "You and your friends here weren't trained by the Sith."

"...no, Master."

"But the Sith have been here. Recently." The man said nothing, and Kenobi laughed lightly. "Oh, don't do this now. I don't ask questions unless I know the answers already, and I know they were here." Still nothing. Obi-Wan drew closer, hand out in front of him as he brought the weight of the Force down on the man, and he fell to his knees. "Like I said, we are negotiating. That requires both of us to be talking. Otherwise, it becomes an interrogation, and you don't want that."

"...what are we negotiating for?"

Kenobi smile, bright and friendly, but his yellow eyes flashed dangerously. "Your life! The life of your wounded, the life of everyone in this Temple." He was behind him before the man saw him move, grabbing his hair through his hood and pulling his head back, forcing him to look into his eyes. "I can feel them all. I know where they are, I can feel their collective strength, and I have already killed the best you have. The choice is yours, friend. Tell me, or I will take what you know against your will and kill you all." He released the man and threw him forward, the robed man landing on his hands and knees. "I think this is an easy choice. Don't you?"

He looked up defiant for a second, then hung his head, hood hiding his features, but defeat clear in his posture. "What do you want to know, Master..."

"The Sith Lords. They were here. What did they want?"

"To establish dominance," the man said slowly. "We are allowed to exist if we serve the Sith Lord, not as apprentice, but as a...training ground. For Force users he brings to us."

"You accepted, I take it, since you're all still alive."

"...yes, Master."

"Give me their names."

"I don't have them."

Kenobi smiled, laid his hands on the man's shoulders and dug his fingers into the tense muscle. "Look out there. Look at your people. They aren't all dying. Some of them will live. With the right mechanics, they may even walk and fight again." He gripped harder, and the man gasped, trying to flinch away from the iron grip, but he could not move. "I would like you to answer that question again," Kenobi hissed softly in his ear, sending chills up his spine.

"...the one was called Darth Tyranus."

"Which one is that."

"The apprentice. I did not see his face, but I know his name, and he was called Tyranus."

"And the other?"

"...I don't know."

Obi-Wan's eyes flashed dangerously, and he reeled on the man. "Once again, I urge you to rethink your answer." This time, the man was frantic.

"I swear, I do not know! I didn't hear his name, I didn't see his face! Master, please! He just told us what to do, I was too afraid to look upon him!"

"I don't know if I should be disappointed or disgusted," Kenobi said softly, stroking his beard. "...no, it's both." He reached out with his hand, and the man shivered as he was clutched in the grip of the Force, wide eyes pleading. "Relax, I'm not going to kill you. I'm just going to get the information I need. If it's in you, I'll find it, so it would be wise if you just surrendered and offered it up to me, or this is going to hurt."

"Master, please, I told you all I know!"

"Shh, I know. Relax, sweetie. I mean it." Kenobi flexed his fingers, felt the rage of the Dark Side flow through him, and the man screamed, howled in pain as the Jedi tore through his mind, observing his memories, seeing the Sith in the Temple, watching them cause pain and suffering to the acolytes, even after they had bowed to the Sith. The man wasn't lying; he didn't know the name of the Sith Lord." With a hiss, Obi-Wan left his mind and the hooded man dropped, eyes rolling in the back of his head and shaking. He was alive, yes, but all his mental defenses were shattered. Quinlan had also fallen unconscious after Obi-Wan had practiced on him, but this priest was much worse off. He had simply practiced on Quinlan, eased off when he saw the other Jedi buckle; Kenobi had mentally broken this man, his forceful intrusion of his mind too much for the Dark Side priest to take.

He had what he needed. Kenobi strode away from the unconscious man, grabbing his Mandalorian helmet and putting it back on, raising his hand as he passed the body of the man he choked to death and removing the heavy black cloak he wore. He took it out of the air and draped it over his shoulders, pulling the hood up as he walked out of the Temple. The nights on Dromund Kaas were colder than he expected, and the Dark Side that gripped him was frigid.


The guard drove the speeder across the marsh while Kenobi sat on the back of it, black cloak whipping around him and eyes closed in meditation, quietly reciting the Jedi Code under his breath. He was still a Jedi, he was, even after all that had happened, even after what he had done. Finding the Sith was worth any price, even if it meant he walked closer and closer to the edge, even if it meant he could see he was in danger of falling.

I am a Jedi.

He shut his eyes tighter, hands gripping the speeder so hard his knuckles went white. Two months before on Athiss, he felt the Dark Side overtake him, control him completely, and it frightened him. So much so that he sealed it inside him, tried to ignore it, redoubled his efforts in his Jedi studies. And now, tonight, he felt a Jedi's control as he touched the Dark Side, and he was stronger, the power of the Force fueled by a Sith's rage and a Jedi's focus. Master Yoda had always said that the Dark Side was the quick and easy way to power, but it was not stronger, and Obi-Wan finally understood what he meant. The Dark was stronger, but the Light was victorious. Just like how defensive Soresu could outlast and defeat the aggressive Ataru, the Jedi's patience and resistance could conquer the Dark Side.

Obi-Wan vowed to commit completely to his Jedi training, learn the patience and control that he needed to become closer to the Force. He couldn't effectively use the Dark Side if he didn't.

His yellow eyes shot open, looking out at the jungle as they raced by, lightning flashing in the night sky above them. Kenobi felt the Dark Side around him, its cold breath in his ear as it whispered softly, begged to be let go, promised him power in his surrender, but he pushed the idea away, forcing the desire to submit down. Obi-Wan understood what was happening, but he couldn't stop it, wouldn't stop it. Without the Jedi's control, he was little more than a spice addict, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight, would not be slave to an addiction. But for now...

Now he leaned against the darkness, allowing the satisfaction to wash over him, power ebbing through him as the Dark Side stroked at his mind, whispered praise and the promise of more power, left a yearning pit in his stomach that craved and ached for more and more, and Kenobi knew that he'd do anything to satiate that hunger.

He shook his head, hissing in irritation. This is why he needed the Jedi Code. He needed focus to be powerful. Those that were ruled by the Dark Side were little more than beasts that were slaves to their desires. He needed the Jedi so he could rule over the Dark Side, obtain mastery of that power, and use it to get what he wished. He would not be stopped.

The speeder slowed, and Obi-Wan took a deep breath and felt calm control settle over him, felt the Dark Side try to lash out at the focus that bound it, but Kenobi's resistance held strong. Like the Dark Force Temple, this was a nexus of Force energy, strong and pulsing, but not with the same life. Kenobi felt a chill run down his spine. Something here was wrong.

He dismounted the speeder, looking at the enormous structure and quietly asked, "Is this temple in use?"

"No, Master. They're too scared to go near it."

"Who is they?"

"...everyone, Master."

You need to leave, you shouldn't be here.

It was a good thought. He needed to leave. The Dark Side was strong here, yes, but that wasn't what troubled him. The Dark Side before embraced him, coaxed him to take power, praised him when he used it, reveled in being surrounded by it, but now, right here, the Dark Side within him trembled. Gone was the raging, snarling darkness, the need for power, the lust for more, and Kenobi couldn't help but remember that even predators cower in the presence of a more dangerous beast.

I am a Jedi. A Jedi knows no fear.

Kenobi stepped toward the temple. He did not fear the darkness like others in the Order. "Stay," he commanded to the soldier, and the man obediently kneeled, watching Obi-Wan disappear into the depths of the temple.

Obi-Wan had grown accustomed to the cold in the Force, but what he felt inside the temple was unlike anything he had felt before. It was a snap freeze that sent him to shaking uncontrollably, his legs unwilling to move him further. He was not afraid, he was frozen, and even the Dark Side, his powerful, if dangerous, tentative ally, could not give him the strength to move forward. Kenobi felt it inside him, and the darkness was coiled tightly, tense and heavy and leaving a pit in his stomach, bowing to a stronger master; he would find no ally in the darkness here.

Breathing deeply, he reached far into the Force, pushing past the oppressive darkness to reach the warm, gentle comfort that slowly seeped into his mind, trickling through him as he slowly relaxed, and the slow drip became an even stream. The cold was slowly warmed away, he felt his defenses building, his resistance bolstered, the burning behind his eyes fading, and Obi-Wan Kenobi was strong, the weakness of the Dark replaced by the strength of the Light. The Temple was cold and dark, but the Jedi feared none of these things, and he wandered deeper within the maze of dark corridors and hallways.

The Temple was massive, a sprawling underground city of pillars and statues and large open chambers and small, claustrophobic rooms, but Kenobi wasn't lost. He was guided by the Force, drawn to the pulling of the Dark Side toward something dark, sinister and powerful deep within. He felt the dark in him snarl, whimper, try to pull away, but the Jedi was having none of it. He did not fear the Dark Side, and he did not cower before Sith Lords, he killed them.

When he came upon a shrine deep within the maze of the Temple, the Dark Side roared as the cold spiked, the nexus of darkness so strong that a strange, black mist swirled low along the ground. A tall statue stood in the center of the multi-storied chamber, cut green runes glowing in the dark gray surface, and large, ornate alters lined the far walls, one bigger, more grand than the others resting at the base of the fearsome statue. Closing his eyes and centering himself, Kenobi moved forward into the chamber, the cold held at bay by the warm embrace of the Force. The mist on the ground swirled around his feet, snaking about as if it had a life of its own, and Obi-Wan didn't realize until he had nearly reached the central alter that the mist did have a life of its own, was being drawn to the elaborate stone slabs about the room. The darkness touched them, the runes carved upon them glowing a blazing red and pain lanced through the Jedi and he dropped to his knees, blue eyes wide as he realized too late that the elaborate stone structures weren't alters; they were tombs.

The mist swirled and gathered around the caskets, writhing and twisting as it took shape, forming into tall figures, the black haze forming flowing cloaks and ghastly, expressionless masks sitting where faces should have been. Kenobi closed his eyes, drew strength from the Force, and rose to his feet, eyes fixed on the central sarcophagus as the spirits circled him.

"Jedi." All the specters spoke at once, voice whispered and hissing and dripping with malice, and Obi-Wan couldn't stop his hands from shooting to his head, eyes shut tightly in pain as he heard the voices echo in his head, using the Force to give their will a voice. "We are the Sith."

"I'm not afraid of you," Obi-Wan growled, and the spirits laughed, cold and harsh as the tomb before him began to shake.

"We shall see." Kenobi reached behind him, his hand closing around his lightsaber as the tomb opened, black mist pouring from it, and then he stopped, eyes focusing on the serpentine writhing of the darkness; his weapon would be no use here. He felt the Force fill him as he watched the creature emerge, an armored spirit made of smoke and flame and darkness, and a dull, incessant pain began to pulse at the back of his mind.

"Why have you come here, Jedi," the creature hissed, and Kenobi closed his eyes against the echoing of the cruel voice in his mind.

"My hunt for your kind has brought me here," he said, more calmly than he felt.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Who you are is irrelevant. You're dead."

"Oh?" The spirit laughed, cold and harsh and the pain in Kenobi's mind grew sharper. He tried to will it away with the Force, but his control was beginning to slip. A true Jedi Master could withstand this, and Kenobi couldn't help but think of Master Yoda and knew that, though small, the old, wise Master would have had nothing to fear in this place. "You may not know me, but I will know you, Jedi." A shadowed, armored hand shot out, and long, skeletal fingers passed through Obi-Wan's forehead and into his mind, and there was nothing but blinding, searing agony after that.

Kenobi heard screaming, loud and echoing through the cavern, and it took him a while to realize that it was him emitting those tortured cries, and he could not stop. Pain and cold gripped him, all of him, and he dropped to the ground, writhing on the cold, polished stone as images flashed through his mind. His early tests to be an initiate, his Master Qui-Gon arguing with another Master to take the young Kenobi as a Padawan, the construction of his first lightsaber, his early training in the use of the Mind Trick, all these things flashed through his mind as the spirit forcefully tore the memories from him, and the spirit laughed as he pulled his hand away.

"So promising, Jedi. So strong in the ways of the Force. But not strong enough."

The Sith was gone from his mind, but the pain was not. Kenobi couldn't get up from the ground where he lay, wracked with pain and squirming as if he could get away from it. He whimpered as he tried to crawl up to his knees, his arms shaking as he pushed himself up, but he was unable to stand. The spirit laughed harshly.

"Kneeling before the Sith suits you, Jedi."

His eyes shot open, glaring at the fiery face, pain nearly blinding him as he tried to call the Force to strengthen his defenses. It worked, and Kenobi's defiance grew as the warmth of the Force flooded him. He was caught off guard before. He would not be again. "I'm hunting your kind. By the time I am done, there won't be any of you left! This is all that will be left of the Sith, spirits in a cave."

The fiery eyes blazed. "That is not the way of the Jedi, is it?" Before Kenobi could defiantly respond, those skeletal fingers reached into his mind again. This time, he resisted, his focus tightening to keep the specter out of his mind, blue eyes blazing, challenging the dark spirit to do his worst, but a second ghostly hand laid on his head, then a third as the circle of specters closed in, their masked faces cold and unfeeling and the Jedi howled in anguish as his defenses shattered.

It was much worse than before; when he wasn't ready, his mind easily bent to the intruder, but resistance simply gave the Sith spirit something to break. Kenobi could feel it when he did, felt his mind pulled open as ghostly fingers pried into his memories, the spirit reading him as if he owned everything inside the Jedi. This time, the Sith searched for darker things, and he chuckled deeply when he found them, Kenobi seeing everything as the specter pulled them from his mind.

He saw it all: the mission to Mandalore, the breathless consummation of his love for the young Duchess, the frustration with his Master's disobedience, Qui-Gon's abandonment of his Padawan and the dark jealousy that it sparked within Kenobi, the fight with Maul, and the young Jedi's experiments with the Dark Side. All of it was laid out before the spirits in the Temples, and Kenobi could do nothing but writhe on the floor in agony, screaming as the Dark Side ghosts pulled out memory after memory.

"Jedi," the specter purred, amusement in it's voice echoing in Kenobi's head, fiery face close to his. "Did you come here seeking the darkness?"

The shadowy hand was removed, and Obi-Wan sucked in a deep breath of air, shaking and convulsing in pain, and then laying still, eyes hazy and unfocused. His mind felt broken, and there was nothing he could do to resist the specters. There were too many of them, and bitter resignation settled over the Jedi; he wasn't strong enough.

"Or did your Order do you wrong, young one? Did they send a child to hunt the Sith when the task required a Master?"

He managed to groan softly, but Obi-Wan could barely move, the shadow of intense pain hanging over him like a cloak. Even now, the Sith was in his mind, sat within him like it was his right, and the Jedi could do nothing but surrender to him, the pieces of his mental walls laying shattered around him.

"You crave the dark," the spirit purred, ghostly hand hovering over the Jedi's chest, but he didn't move, pain sapping all resistance from him. "Do your Masters not see it? You have fallen, Jedi. You have had so many reasons to. You yearn and ache for the Dark Side." The spirit laughed harshly when he read acceptance in the Jedi's mind. "It will consume you. It will kill you. And you will beg for it."

The skeletal hand reached into Obi-Wan's mind again, but this time, the pain was minimal. He allowed the Sith spirit full access to his mind, and with nothing to fight, nothing to bend and break, he simply felt the spectral hands pulling through him, taking what it wanted with no restrictions, and his compliance was rewarded with dull pain laced with pleasure. This time was different, though, and it took a moment for his pain-hazy brain to realize it, but when he did, Kenobi's eyes slowly focused, his defenses down, but the Force flooded back into his mind. It did not jump to his rescue, send his defenses up and force the intruder from his mind, but the Force warmed him, sat within him as a comforting bystander to the pillaging of his mind, holding his hand and stroking his face and reassuring Kenobi that it would be alright. And he believed it. His focus returned, he tuned into the Force, and he could hear it clearly within him.

Pay attention.

And Obi-Wan did. This time was different. The memories that flooded through his mind this time weren't ones he recognized. They weren't his. The sharp blue eyes seemed to stare absently at the darkness above him, but Kenobi saw armies, hundreds of thousands of soldiers led into battle by Jedi. The image faded to the silhouette of a cloaked, hooded figure holding a red lightsaber, glowing yellow eyes peering out from under the hood, his elegant hand extended to a beaten, kneeling man at his feet, four bodies scattered around the scene. The figures shifted, reforming to an unclear image of a woman, twin red lightsabers drawn, standing easily at the side of a hooded man, his yellow eyes glowing with amusement. The image started to burn, and for a moment, Kenobi saw two men, one of them enormous and the other sporting a pair of mechanical legs, before the image was consumed by flames, and through the fire, Obi–Wan saw a face, but it was shifting, clouded, and he couldn't make out any details, couldn't see who it belonged to.

The spirit snarled loudly, and the image disappeared in a rush of pain as the other hand entered Kenobi's mind as well, but this time, he was ready. The Force snapped within him against the invasion, his broken defenses building quickly, and the spirit withdrew his hands, screeching in pain. The burning, raging face reeled to meet the Jedi's, the blue eyes narrowed defiantly.

"You will die, Jedi Knight."

"Yes. But not today. Not because of the Sith. And not because of you."

"You do not fear me?"

"You've been inside my mind. You know I don't."

The spirit drew up, tall and menacing and shadow and flame billowing around him. "I have heard you scream, Jedi. I have felt you resist and fail. I have felt you accept me within you."

"Yes..." Obi-Wan said softly, his voice strained as he rose to his feet, body shaking with pain, but he stood. "I'm not a perfect Jedi. I might not even be a good one. I know there is darkness inside me. I asked it in. I invited it. I have reveled in it. The Dark Side does not frighten me. You don't frighten me."

The fiery eyes met the cool, defiant blue of the Jedi, and after a moment, the spirit chuckled, low and menacing, and the other specters began to fade back into mist, the chamber becoming hazy as they disappeared.

"Perhaps the Sith will have use for you after all..." the spirit hissed, the words hanging in the air long after the smoke and fire went out, leaving the chamber empty save for the lone Jedi Knight.