Chapter One: Journey into Grey

There is no Dark Side, nor a Light Side.

There is only the Force.

Ajax could feel his mind returning to his body. Darkness filled his vision but he knew he was alive. He delved into himself finding the wellspring of power and his connection to the force. Life surged back into him as the force mended his body. He reached out feeling his surroundings. He was in a small room somewhere outside the city he had been in. Someone else was there, someone with a strong connection to the force. Strong enough to keep him from probing anything further than feeling their presence. He could smell incense and hear a soft voice chanting. He tried to move and his body was wracked with pain, letting out a small welp. The chanting stopped. Someone moved closer to him and spoke with a calm soothing voice.

"You felt it as well, didn't you?" A female spoke. Ajax thought for words unsure what the woman meant or who she might be.

"I know you did." She continued. "I watched your fight. They were no match for you until it happened. I have never felt a power like yours. There is no doubt in my mind that you are connected to the force and you must have felt it.." Ajax was alarmed by her words. There was no doubt in his mind as to who this was. The woman he was sent to kill, the force user. Again he tried to move and again pain shot through his core. This time he also felt restrained.

"Don't try to move yet. You were hurt badly. I treated you and healed your wounds as best I could. There was a rare poison on the weapons those men had. Your wounds aren't healing correctly." Ajax knew he was at her mercy but oddly he didn't feel like she was any danger to him. He allowed his guard to drop slightly.

"Why can't I see?" Ajax questioned.

"You were cut across your face. I have it bandaged. Would like me to uncover your eyes?" Ajax felt a hand gently touch his face.

"Yes, please." He felt the woman lift his head and slowly unwrap several layers of cloth around his head. His vision slowly lightened until the final bandage was removed. He was indeed in a small room with low ceilings. It was softly illuminated by several glowsticks. The woman sitting over him was younger than he thought, closer to his own age. Her connection to the force was normally something found in older force users. She had short golden hair, shaved close on one side, and soft green eyes. Her face was curious with a slight smile and worried eyes.

"Did you feel it?" She asks.

"Yes a tremendous shockwave." Ajax responded even before he could think he continued. "I saw it as well while I was out. The Empire is gone. Destroyed above Endor." The woman expressed a look of shock and relief. Visibly letting tension fall from her shoulders.

"Who are you then? What were you doing on that street?" The woman turned her full attention to Ajax after a moment of reflection. A look of apprehension falling over her face. Ajax didn't speak right away. Who was he now? His Master was gone but did that mean his purpose was gone. This woman had been his mark. After a long moment of thought Ajax answered.

"My name is Ajax. I am… was the Hand of the Emperor." The woman looked scared for the first time. "I was on a mission from the Emperor to find a force sensitive woman on this planet. Those men were bounty hunters. I brought them there when I sensed them following me so I could dispatch them with no witnesses." The woman recoiled from Ajax. Fear consumed her. She let her guard fall and Ajax was able to sense almost everything about her. She did have a strong connection to the force much like his own. The difference was her connection was positive, a wholly good one. Ajax felt sorry for her. He understood her fear, better than most. He took on these emotions from everyone he killed. Including the many force users light or dark. Ajax had a tinge of grief about his past dealings. He had no love for the Empire, but he played it well. It had never been a choice for him. Born with such a strong connection to the force he was identified by the Emperor nearly at birth. He was collected from his family when he turned one and raised by the Emperor's personal servants. It was his life but he had quickly outgrown the Empire as his knowledge and power in the force increased. He only yearned for knowledge in the force and the thrill of combat that allowed him to let the force flow through him. He tried to soften his posture.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you. I never found the force user I was looking for."

"What do you mean?"

"My Master is gone. I had no real loyalty to him. He helped me hone my abilities, I did the rest on my own. With no Master I have no mission. You are safe from me, and I owe you my life." Ajax sensed her relief. She moved closer to him again. He could feel her probing his mind with the force. Instinctively he put up a barrier but he stopped himself and removed several layers keeping his most personal thoughts secret. He projected a sense of calm and reassurance. She responded with gratitude.

"My name is Rayna. Now you should probably get some rest. Just relax and let my chant heal you." She retreated back to her meditation mat and resumed her soft chanting. Ajax lay still focusing on her voice, it soothed his body and slowly he drifted off into a deep sleep.

Ajax felt himself floating. Opening his eyes, Ajax recognizes the planet of Eriadu. He reaches inside himself to to open his mind to his immense well of power and his connection to the Force. He is instantly wracked with a sense of dread. Moments later the form of a massive Star Destroyer fills his vision. Instantly waves of TIE fighters were released along with several landing craft. Ajax blinked and found himself on the planet, in the distance he could see Eriadu City in flames. The familiar sound of a shuttle's landing ramp came from behind him. Ajax turned to see a squad of stormtroopers lead by a single robed figure march toward him. Again his vision changed, returning him to the room were Rayna sat chanting with his body recovering. Rayna was suddenly alerted to something outside as a smoke grenade broke through a window blinding her. A single crimson blade illuminated the smoke speeding forward and cutting her down with ease. As the smoke is cleared away the robed figure stands over Ajax, lightsaber held to his throat. "You failed the Emperor and now I will end you." With deft precision the blade is thrust into Ajax' heart.

Ajax snaps his eyes open. Flashes of his vision still swirling about in his mind. He quickly opens himself up to the Force. He reaches out with his senses. The dread he felt in his vision was not present, though something was off. His vision had been too specific. Ajax always trusted the Force. He knew it never showed something if it weren't important.

He turned his head to see Rayna had stopped chanting and was now asleep on her mat. For the first time he looked around the room, feeling quite a bit stronger than the last time he was awake. The force had mended the poison's effect. His gear was folded and placed neatly on a small table near his feet with his lightsabers prominently lying on top. Looking to Rayna he spotted her own lightsaber close to her mat. The rest of the room was rather spartan in design and function, having only what a single person needed to live. Ajax slowly moved his body testing his injuries and his physical strength. Nothing hurt to bad, not any worse than he had endured in the past anyway. He carefully sat up finding his torso was more or less healed. Ajax swung his feet off the bed feeling the cool floor. His head was still a bit fuzzy as he gathered his belongings and carefully dressed. After clipping his lightsabers to his belt, Ajax stepped over the Rayna. He knelt beside her and gently shook her arm. Rayna lazily opened her eyes taking a minute to adjust with a look of query on her face.

"We have to leave. I don't know how or why but the Empire is on it's way here to kill us both." In that moment Ajax was filled with anxiety and dread. He tried to relay the emotion to Rayna. "We have to go now! They are already here. I saw them in a vision and they know where we are. Hurry!" Rayna sprung from her mat grabbing her lightsaber first.

"We can fight them. I have seen you in combat, an entire legion of the empire would be but a nuisance for you." She seemed adamant. A familiar twinge of excitement washed off her through the force.

"Not this time. Not injured as I am. I saw someone with a lightsaber and the city in flames. Now we are wasting time." Ajax moved to the door, Rayna was put off slightly by his eagerness to flee instead of fight. She grabbed a pack and slung it over her shoulder just as the sound of TIE fighters could be heard in the distance. Her alarm increased. "Now you see, it is an entire legion, not just a strike team. We are outmatched. Do you have a ship?"

"No, I sold it years ago. I have had no need to leave this planet."

"Very well. My ship is outside the city. If we hurry we can reach it but we must hurry." The sound of fighters increased accompanied by the sound laser fire. Ajax burst through the doorway Rayna on his feet. He could see the fighters jetting about the sky making a beeline to the city. Ajax dipped into his wellspring of Force energy pushing it into the muscles in his legs giving him a much needed boost in speed, and lending some to Rayna. They were able to cover much ground quite quickly. The city began to grow larger in their vision just as the sounds of battle grew louder in their ears. TIE fighters zipped overhead occasionally letting out pot shots to the ground around them. Ajax cut sharply to the east toward the small space port on the edge of the city, they hadn't asked any questions about his travel and had good security.

Ajax continually fed energy into Rayna's and his legs, keeping up their breakneck speed was quite draining. He felt an intense presence tainted with the dark side of the force. Ajax spun his head to see the landing craft speeding overhead toward the same space port. They were very close now. Ajax knew escape was nigh impossible. Even if they could evade the troops on the ground and the TIE fighters in the air, there was still the Star Destroyer in orbit. Still more where would they go? He would be forever on the run from the reach of the Empire.

He watched the craft land in the spaceport, in a separate bay than his own ship was in. Reaching into his belt Ajax retrieved his comm, issuing a signal for his ship to begin start up procedures. It took only a few more seconds at the incredible speed they were traveling for the pair to reach the landing bay with his ship quietly idling ready to take off with only a few commands. As the pair sprinted toward the ship a blast door opposite the ship slid open revealing the foes. A dozen stormtroopers blasters ready they opened fire immediately. Ajax was in the lead, his lightsabers were out and ignited in an instant deftly stopping the barrage before they could make contact. Not wanting to toy with this lot, he sent many bolts right back to their origin. Ajax reached out with the force searching for force user he knew was present. He could feel them but not pinpoint them. He sensed the second group of troopers moments before they fired their barrage. His orange and silver blades drew wide circles in the air as he leapt backwards to shield Rayna from the second assault. He landed next to her close enough to feel her body against his. Her golden lightsaber was ignited ready to catch the bolts, though she would have been a second too late to stop them all had Ajax not intervened.

"To the ship. Now! I will hold them. No argueing." She nodded holding her blade out to bat away the few bolts aimed at her. Ajax kept redirecting blaster fire dropping more stormtroopers with each second but they kept filling their fallen ranks. Where were they coming from. Then suddenly all shots stopped. Ajax glanced around holding his guard. No more troopers stood in the doors. Dozens of bodies lay in their place. It was only then that he could pinpoint the force user. They casually stepped out from the edge of the blast door and strode over the fallen troopers.

"Ajax. The Emperor spoke highly of your abilities. You must have done well hiding your power from him. No small task. It is too bad you could not hide everything from him." The voice was a female. Her presence in the force was strong.

"The Emperor is dead! Why are you here?" Ajax faced the female brining his blades up into his familiar Jar Kai stance.

"He sent me to kill you just before he died. I received the order as his final breaths. He knew you weren't loyal, but he kept you in the fold due to your power. Now you must die. For the Emperor!" She ignited a crimson blade raising it high over her head and charging Ajax with incredible speed. Ajax met her blade with ease. Their blades clashed with a sharp hiss followed by the female launching into a flurry of strikes. Ajax met and blocked each strike letting his body fade into the force allowing it to guide his movements. The strikes of his enemy began coming faster and at more oblique angles forcing Ajax to compensate his blocks to more deflecting strikes. He was able to hold his ground only backpedaling a few times but unable to make any solid strikes. His opponent was using vaapad, an extremely aggressive combat style focusing on pure attack fueled by hate. Ajax had faced few opponents who could truly use the style with any effectiveness. He was forced to drop into soresu when he realized this. Defense became easier. Strikes were turned back on his opponent until he was holding solid ground. He could feel her anger rising as the realization that he could hold her back began to set in.

"You may be strong in the force and a fierce duelist but you cannot defeat me. Hate will only fuel you for so long." Feeling in a much more comfortable place in the duel Ajax let himself over fully to the force. He could see the hate flowing out of her.

"You sound like a jedi, you fool. The Dark Side is more powerful than you can imagine. If only you had embraced it, even Darth Vader would have fallen to you. But you chose a different path." Her attacks increased with intensity and speed. Ajax was still able to deflect and block her attacks though it took a bit more work. He knew all he had to do was wait for her to use up her fuel and slow down allowing him to strike.

"I am no jedi, and you are no sith. Your loyalty to that tyrant has blinded you to the possibilities in the force. The dark side tells you it frees you but it relying on it solely holds you back from the true potential of the force." Ajax was goading her. Her reliance on hate gave her a weakness he could exploit. The more he made her angry the faster she would burn out.

It did not take long for it to manifest in her attacks. She began to visibly tire. Her attacks slowed and she over extended more and more. Ajax finally had his opening. Quickly engaging with her with a flurry knocking her off balance and giving him room to move, he leapt backwards. Ajax adjusted his grip and stance before rushing his opponent with a series of blows. His connection to the force manifested visibly as he reached deep into himself and allowed it to empower his strikes. After his first series of blows his enemy was the one backpedaling. This would not do. He needed to show her why the dark side alone could not prevail. He moved around her boxing her in, making sure she could not escape. His attacks came from separate angles forcing her to split her attention. As his attacks increased in speed her blocks and guard began to falter. Finally after several intense seconds of relentless attack she was unable to block both blades. Ajax reached out with the force while holding her eyes in a calm gaze. His shorter silver blade thrust toward her as his orange blade swept up across her body. She dropped her crimson blade to intercept the orange blade as his second silver blade pierced her chest. As her life left her body he drew all her hate and fear into himself. He watched as her all light left her and reveled in the thrill of victory. He disengaged his blades and let the body of his enemy slump to the ground. As he slowly retreated from the Force the world around him came back into focus. TIE fighters still screamed overhead, sounds of battle filled the air. He suddenly remembered why he had been here.

Ajax spun on his heels facing the ship. His loyal ship. He had long abandoned the Interceptor that he was issued from the emperor. It gave away his identity to anyone that saw it. The light freighter he had called home for many years was a welcome sight. It sat on the landing pad quietly humming waiting to reach the stars. The boarding ramp was down and Rayna stood peeking around the door. Her eyes were fixed on him with a mixture of fear and amazement. He ran to the ship bounding up the ramp and slamming his palm against a screen.

"Strap in Rayna. This might get a little rough." Ajax bounded through his ship toward the cockpit. Rayna followed quickly. He leapt over the chair and punched in the commands for take off. The freighter shuddered and gently rose into the air. Ajax pointed the ship towards the sky and pushed the thruster to full. It took seconds for them to break the atmosphere. A single Star Destroyer filled his viewscreen, a steady wave of TIE fighters streaming from its hangar bay. A squad of TIE's diverted their route and fell in behind the ship. Ajax adjusted his heading for a patch of empty space.

"Where are we going?"

"There is only one place I think we will be safe. The planet I saw in my vision. The people who caused this will hopefully welcome us." Ajax programed his navicomputer and hit the hyperdrive. The stars stretched out before them and the ship slipped into hyperspace.

With the streamers of hyperspace flying by the viewport Ajax allowed himself to rest. He had never seen that woman before and she was strong. What's more is that if she was a hand of the emperor then he wasn't the only one. They weren't the only ones. He could feel them out in the galaxy. The part of his mind he blocked off for his connection to the emperor was soon flooded with thoughts as several hands realized their lord was dead and they weren't the only ones. Ajax pushed those thoughts aside. He had a new journey. He focused his mind on the connection to the living force allowing it to relax his body and remedy his sore muscles. Several minutes passed before he remembered he was not alone on his ship.

"Are you alright?" He spoke as he turned toward Rayna.

"That lady? She was Sith? And you? Your power, is like nothing I have seen."

"My power comes from the force, nothing more. When you surrender your entire being to it's influence anything is possible. The lady was like me. She was not Sith, she was a hand of the emperor, or she said she was. I didn't know there was anyone but me. I can sense many more, just another thing the emperor hid from me." Ajax stood and walked from the cockpit. Rayna sat for a moment before following him. She found him sitting in the lounge. It wasn't big but there were a few seats and a table. She knelt in front of him.

"Teach me. I have never witnessed anything like what you do. Not even in holocrons." Her face seemed sincere but Ajax was uncertain.

"Why do you want to learn? My path has not been easy and it will only be harder. With other hands out there, my path is clear." The statement confused Rayna.

"I have watched you in combat twice now. I felt your essence. You use every emotion but never let them control you. Your connection to the Force is extraordinary. To have a connection like that is the true goal of any jedi." Ajax looked down at her.

"I am no jedi. But I am no sith. Neither tradition allows for a connection like I have. The jedi focus on serenity and distance from emotion, the sith use emotion as fuel but are too easily consumed by them. I have traveled both paths and found them lacking. To truly be one with the force you must ride each emotion as it rises and allow it to pass letting another take its place. The force is alive. I can teach you little, the path must be found by yourself but I can show you how to see it." Rayna was pleased. She smiled and stood. Ajax looked her over once more. She was rather attractive in this light and she looked tired. The recent events had happened so fast.

"You are exhausted, you can have my bed. Come with me." He led her through the ship to a compartment near the cockpit. Inside was a spartan room with a bed, a few shelves that held several holocrons and a holoprojector. Rayna entered and sat on the bed.

"What about you?" She looked around. There was no other beds that she had seen. The ship only seemed to be outfitted for one. "Where will you sleep?"

"I will meditate in the lounge. Don't worry about me. Get some rest we have a few hours before we reach Endor." She gently laid down as Ajax left the room.