Update in less than seven months? I hope you believe in magic now.

Thanks to Disruptor for you review on the previous chapter. Have I really added the Genoharadan plot line back in? Perhaps, but there's always the possibility for certain changes...

"See what I mean now about this planet being a dead zone?"

Kaelan barely registered Atton's statement, his own gaze locked onto the ravaged surface of Telos. During their initial approach into the system, his attention had been drawn more to the gigantic form of Citadel Station orbiting the planet. Now that their ministry-class shuttle was streaking through the planet's atmosphere, the true scars of Telos were laid bare for all to see. While sets of green testified to the efforts of the Ithorians to reclaim the world's former beauty, a vast set of barren wasteland still covered much of the surface, its brown colour seeming to mock the restoration project with its mere presence.

"Revan," He whispered so softly that only he could hear, "What have you done?"

A grim, but necessary task. The words Kaelan had thought of only minutes before rushed back to him at his own sentence, making him let out a wince at the thought. Had Revan's decision to bring destruction to this world been based on the same reason he himself had given for killing Jana Lorso? It was a question, the exile was starting to believe would never be answered by anything more than idle speculation.

"We're approaching zone 00-31, where do you want me to land this bucket?"

Forcing his thoughts back to the present, and his eyes away from the shuttle's viewport, Kaelan looked at Atton from his position in the centre of the shuttle. "Take us down near the outskirts of the zone, we'll need to approach on foot if we don't want to draw attention."

"Right," A quick inputting onto the pilot console and the orbital vehicle started to bear downward, "We're on approach for landing."

An incessant beeping seconds later drew Kaelan's attention back to the piloting station. "What's going on?"

"I don't believe this," Atton cried, "Sensors are registering a target lock on the shuttle."

"Go to random flights, evasive manoeuvres!"

The pilot did as ordered, banking the shuttle to the left just as a stream of laser fire erupted from, what Atton could have sworn, was an air defence tower near a grassy hilltop only a couple of kilometres away. He continued to make their course as erratic as possible, cursing the ship as he did. Ministry-class shuttles were hardly starfighters and with their folded wing design, they were made even less manoeuvrable than he would have preferred.

Despite the short-comings in design, however, the veteran pilot was able to continually weave the shuttle through the storm of bolts filling the skies as they moved closer to the surface. At least he did, until they were only a few hundred metres above ground. The shuttle rocked briefly as it was struck directly in the port engine, forcing all of those standing -even HK- to briefly sway in their spots as they tried to maintain their balance.

"Damage report!"

"The port engine's been hit, stabilizers are offline," Atton's fist slammed down on the console as the diagnostic screen continued to scroll, "And, because we're so lucky, thrusters are offline too! We're going down, I'll have to try and slow this ship the old-fashioned way." He adjusted the shuttle's heading to bring them on a course for a cluster of hilltops, hoping they would slow the ship's velocity enough to prevent a complete catastrophe. "Hang on!"

Kaelan shot the smuggler an incredulous look as the shuttle continued on its downward trajectory, "To what?"

Any possible rebuttal from Atton was cut-off as the shuttle impacted against a hilltop, its velocity making it bounce against several more before its final impact against a wide stretch of plains, tearing into the ground with the speed of its impact.

Throughout the whole ordeal, Kaelan kept his eyes on the viewport, wanting to know if they'd made it or not. The jarring force of the final impact was enough to break the exile's grip on the metal edge he'd been holding. His face slammed into the metal hull with enough force to send him unconscious, his body crumpling to the deck as he felt himself slip into darkness.

The sight of the smoking wreck of an orbital shuttle careening into the ground brought a halt to Bao-Dur's movements. Since only those with Czerka's authorization were allowed to enter their restoration zones, he knew whoever was inside was no friend to the corrupt corporation; which meant he wasn't about to abandon them to a fate of captivity he himself had only recently escaped from. He glanced around briefly, trying to see if anyone else had taken notice of the crash.

From his position atop a small hill, he had a good view of the plains below. When nothing caught his eye, he started making his way to the shuttle, holding his captured blaster rifle in the port arms position as he ran. If he had seen the crash, chances were the mercenaries still looking for him had caught sight of it as well, which didn't give him a lot of time.

The brief warning blares of a droid, made him flick his eyes toward the small remote keeping pace with him at his side. "I know the mercenaries will be here soon, don't worry I'll do this as fast as I can."

The spherical mechanical was not convinced. It continued to issue stressed warnings, but the Zabrak engineer ignored them. Once he approached the crash site, Bao-Dur quickly realized he had even less time than he thought. The ship was still on fire, the flames dangerously close to the thermal conductors, which the mechanic noticed had been damaged- by either the laser blast or during the crash. With the equipment's ventilation systems inoperable, he only had a few minutes before the flames spread to the conductors and ignited the reactive waste still trapped inside.

Slinging his weapon once he was sure the area was secure, Bao-Dur stepped into the smoking interior, avoiding the sparking wires jutting out from exposed conduits. Three people were inside, as well as a rusty-red framed droid that the engineer knew had seen better days. He approached the first person he could reach, a human male almost completely encased in armour. Reorientating the man so that he was right side up, with his head facing toward the shuttle's loading ramp, Bao-Dur almost stopped cold when he caught sight of the face.

"General?" A wide smile stretched across the Zabrak's face before the gravity of the situation returned and he placed his arms under the General's armpits and started dragging him out of the shuttle, new motivation coursing through the mechanic now that he knew who he was saving.

He dropped his old friend ten metres away from the shuttle, before moving back inside to repeat the extraction procedure with the rest of the ship's occupants. He saved the droid for last, barely dropping the mechanical's deactivated form next to the General before a fireball engulfed the shuttle interior he had been in only minutes before.

After having performed a quick injury assessment, Bao-Dur was certain no-one had sustained anything more than head trauma, most likely brought on during the shuttle's impact with the ground. Once everyone was out of the transport, he had moved his friend and the others into a section of tall grass he hoped would shield them from any prying mercenary eyes. Unslinging his blaster rifle, Bao-Dur kept the weapon in the shoulder at a low ready position, ready to snap it up at the slightest hint of a threat while he kept a vigil over his friend.

()()()()

Returning to consciousness was a highly unpleasant prospect for Kaelan, his sluggish mind almost recoiling at the sudden sensation of a searing pain in his head. As he gradually remembered what had happened to leave him in such a state, he realized he was in contact not with the cold feeling of metallic plating as he suspected, but the soft sensation of grass. Realizing something was amiss, Kaelan attempted to stand. He only managed to move himself to his knees, however, before an even stronger feeling of pain rippled through his head and he couldn't help but let out a loud groan.

"Easy now," A voice said as a hand was placed on Kaelan's shoulder to keep him from swaying back to the ground as he forcibly rose to his feet. "You survived one hell of a crash."

Too disorientated to realize the voice was not from his travelling companions, Kaelan only gripped his head briefly, trying to gather the Force to heal his throbbing skull. "I feel like my head was ripped in half."

A chuckle met his statement, "I wouldn't bet on it, you always did have a hard head General."

General? The Force Sensitive thought as his eyes shot open, the voice finally sounding familiar. An expression of complete disbelief shot across his face when he caught sight of the smiling Zabrak next to him. "Bao-Dur?"

When the mechanic's smile widened at his recognition, he knew it was no illusion. Gripping his friend's remaining arm, the exile pulled a startled Bao-Dur into a crushing one-armed hug. "I can't believe this! I didn't think I'd run into you again!"

"Likewise General," Bao-Dur replied, his smile still in place after his old friend took a step back and released him. "Though I wish it was under more...normal circumstances."

"What, crash landing next to a friend isn't normal?"

The engineer chuckled at the almost innocent sounding query, "Not for most people General."

Suddenly realizing his companions were also unconscious, Kaelan cast a quick look to his friend, who only responded with a dismissing wave. "They're fine, your pilot's more or less unharmed and the old lady is a lot tougher than she looks."

"What about the droid?"

Realizing he had forgotten the rusty-red framed mechanical, the Zabrak kneeled down and performed a quick analysis. "He only needs a jolt to his power cell, looks like one of the exposed wires inside the shuttle shorted out his systems." Motioning to his remote, Bao-Dur told it to initiate a power transfer. The droid quickly complied, an energy beam emitting from its central node to strike the power cells of the larger mechanical below it.

Red photoreceptors instantly sparked to life, with HK-47 quickly moving to a standing position, his head swivelling to take in his surroundings. "You alright HK?"

The assassin droid turned to focus its photoreceptors on his owner. "Assessment: Minor damage to tertiary couplings only Master, I remain a highly formidable asset."

"I don't doubt that," The outcast responded with a small smile at the droid's almost wounded sounding tone.

"As great as it is to see you again General," Bao-Dur said as he turned his eyes away from the assassin droid and toward his former commanding officer, "I have to wonder what you're doing here on Telos. After all, I would never have suspected I would run into you out here, of all places."

"Believe it or not," Kaelan spoke with a grin, "I'm looking for my ship."

An amused glance was thrown at what was left of the shuttle, "Let's hope your ship's in better shape than your shuttle."

"Indeed," Kaelan replied after taking a closer look at the damage inflicted on the Ministry-class transport. "So you know why I'm here," He turned back to face his friend, "What about you?"

A frown adorned the Zabrak's face, "I've been trying to deal with Czerka, to drive their corruptive influence off of Telos. They're killing the Restoration project, General and the Telosian Council doesn't even have the gall to act without 'solid evidence.'"

"I wouldn't worry about Czerka anymore," A grin stretching across the Force Sensitive's lips, "I found a way to break into their mainframe and discovered all about their 'special projects.' I turned it over to the Ithorians, you can imagine their delight."

Before Bao-Dur could do anything more than adopt a wide smile, a groan from the grass drew the attention of the two friends to a slowly recovering Atton Rand. "Well, this is familiar," He said through gritted teeth while he tried to ignore his pounding head. "Feels like my last oh so pleasant trip to this joyful planet."

The Zabrak cast an amused glance at the sarcastic speaking pilot, "Crash a ship that time too?"

"No, Pazaak."

"Accused of cheating were you Atton?"

A look of surprise flickered on the smuggler's face before he nodded at Kaelan, "Yeah, apparently winning seven hands in a row doesn't mean your skilled."

"I would ask if you were able to fight them off or not, but seeing as how you only remembered this by returning to consciousness, I think I already know the answer to that question."

Atton narrowed his eyes at the grinning exile, "Yeah, well there was like twenty players all against me."

"Quite a pazaak table that must have been," Bao-Dur said with a snort at the obvious lie. He had played Pazaak as a distraction during the Mandalorian Wars enough times to know that you never wanted more than five players at a time.

Frowning at the follow-up laugh by Kaelan, Atton glanced between the two before their smug expressions caused him to relent. "Alright, fine there was only four. But," He stressed the last word while he pointed to the two in front of him, "At least they were sober."

"That was not the most pleasant landing I've endured," Kreia spoke, her voice surprising all of those present- aside from HK-; for she hadn't even made a sound upon awakening. "Perhaps next time," She continued with a glance to Atton, "We should seek out a more reputable pilot."

The smuggler's response was to narrow his eyes at the old woman, "Your welcome Kreia. You know if I wasn't such a crack pilot we could've hit the shield wall or one of those rock faces."

Spotting the smoking ruin of what was left of the Ministry-class shuttle, Kreia smirked at the pilot. "Yes, our current situation is a vast improvement."

"Now that we're all up," Kaelan quickly interjected, "We need to make our way to the base that Chodo mentioned."

"Chodo Habat told you to go to the abandoned Telosian military base?" Bao-Dur asked with a complete look of disbelief. "That place is swarming with Czerka's mercenaries. Why do you need to go there?"

"He mentioned the possibility of an old tracking system they had in the works to monitor restoration zones remotely."

The Zabrak only shook his head. "The mercenaries stripped away a lot of Ithorian equipment when they stole restoration zones. I highly doubt a tracking system would have been left intact General."

A growl escaped the veteran's lips at yet another setback, "I don't suppose you can think of a way for me to find my ship?"

"I can actually," The mechanic replied with a grin, "When we get to the military base, I can access the shield grid to help locate your ship."

"Perhaps," Kaelan stated slowly, "But if you're so sure Czerka would get rid of the Ithorian tracking system, what makes you think this will still be there. Wouldn't they have just disposed of this too?"

"They couldn't without raising a red flag, General. The TSF is directly linked to all restoration essential equipment, they'd know immediately that something was not right. Trust me, the shield network is the best bet."

"What good would that do though?" Atton asked with a frown, "We know its gotta be in one of the zones."

"No, it wouldn't be," Bao-Dur replied, "The Ithorians would have told you if your ship had landed in any of their zones, even Czerka would have made a record of such a find."

"Wait a minute, hold on," Atton spoke after sparing a glance at a section of land separated by one of the many shield wall segments that ran through the restoration zones. "Are you saying the ship is actually somewhere on the planet's barren surface?"

"No, of course not." Bao-Dur admonished, "Telos' atmosphere has been reduced to little more than acidic vapour outside of the zones. Landing a ship in the wastes would be like sealing it in a hangar full of hungry Mynocks."

Atton visibly shivered in disgust at the implication, "I hate Mynocks."

"Warning: Master, my scanners are detecting multiple life-forms rapidly approaching from the south-west."

"Its the mercenaries," Bao-Dur confirmed while tightening his grip on his rifle, "They've been looking for me."

Carefully taking in his friend's appearance at his statement, Kaelan could see more than a handful of scorch marks and cauterized wounds from skimming blaster bolts. Bao-Dur's green shirt was ripped and torn in multiple places as well, some of which looked to have been inflicted by the sharpened edge of a vibroblade. "Have they now?" He finally responded through gritted teeth as he felt his anger flaring. "We'll just have to rectify that situation."

The former Republic General quickly ordered everyone to spread out through the tall grass and wait for his opening shots before striking. He had been the last to lay down within the patch of vegetation, watching through the gaps between blades of grass that he made with his disruptors as a group of mercenaries appeared from a sharp bend in the plains stretching out before them. The Czerka contracted thugs were riding both swoops and landspeeders, all of them surveying their surroundings sharply as they drew nearer to the downed shuttle.

"HK," He whispered into his gauntlet COM, despite the fact that the mercenaries were fifty metres away, "How many do you count?"

"Statement: Composition of patrolling meatbags stands at twelve Master."

Kaelan watched as all but four of the mercenaries dismounted their vehicles, automatically splitting themselves into groups to comb the area for survivors and search the shuttle wreckage. A frown worked its way onto the Force Sensitive's face at the sight of those still sitting on their swoops. They would pose to be quite the problem if they were able to escape the battle and warn the rest of their group. A priority target assignment for HK-47 was all it took to erase the worry from his mind.

The exile switched his attention to a trio of mercenaries in their midst, gripping his disruptors just a little tighter as he waited for them to move a little closer to the group's location. When the three solders of fortune stopped to study an impression made in the dirt, Kaelan decided he'd waited long enough. Springing up to a kneeling position, the outcast brought his disruptors snapping up to a firing position and unleashed a barrage at the three mercs he'd been targeting. Caught completely unaware, all of them were dead by the time the others realized what was happening, their corpses riddled with disruptor bolts.

Following orders to the letter, the others revealed themselves as soon as they had heard the first shot. HK immediately locked his photoreceptors on the swoop bikes still carrying mercenaries, opening fire with his repeating rifle the moment he had a confirmed lock. Three precise bolts impacted against the power regulators of the repulsor-lift vehicles, disabling them instantly and leaving the assassin droid free to kill the drivers at his leisure.

Bao-Dur and Atton concentrated on the mercenaries who had been conducting searches, avoiding the few retaliatory shots sent their way as the two squeezed off their own bolts. The discharging energy projectiles riddled through merc ranks, impacting against light armour. Two had been killed in the initial cross-fire, with the rest of the blasters-for-hire seeking cover next to the shuttle's wreckage while they returned fire.

Kreia was pushing forward, indirectly drawing fire away from the others and towards her as the mercenaries depleted entire power packs in their rifles in their attempt to keep the lightsaber wielding woman at bay. Their fear played perfectly into Kaelan's attack strategy, allowing himself and the others to push forward and surprise their otherwise focused foe, until the last few had fallen to Kreia's lightsaber.

"Unnecessary Analysis:" HK said as he stood in the centre of post skirmishing carnage, his repeating blaster rifle lowering while he spoke, "All targets have been terminated Master."

A simple nod was given to the assassin droid, only a tinge of amusement present in Kaelan's mind.

"So," Atton asked after holstering his blaster pistol, "How exactly are we going to enter this old military encampment?"

The exile turned to the pilot, a quick glance exchanged to the swoop bikes and the dead mercenaries before he turned back to his companion, a half-smile on his face.

Atton recognized the look immediately and knew that Kaelan was thinking of something stupid. "No way."

The Force Sensitive's smile stretched just a bit wider.

"Absolutely not!"

When Kaelan's amusement only grew, Atton tried one last time. "NO!"

()()()()

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

A grin met Atton's statement, hidden behind a COM unit and the small gap between his swoop bike and Kaelan's. "I can."

"Yeah, well are you sure this is a good idea Kaelan?"

As Atton had suspected, his companion's bright idea was for he and Kaelan to ride straight into Czerka's encampment. After exchanging his old garb for some of the mercenary affiliated light armour that hadn't been in too bad a condition, Atton and the rest of the group had mounted still-functioning swoops and followed Bao-Dur's directions to the mercenary encampment. Kaelan wanted to infiltrate the base with Atton only, the idea being to be able to easily sneak in since, now with Atton's change of appearance, they both wore passable disguises, while Kreia, Bao-Dur and HK-47 lied in wait along the base's perimeter. On the exile's command, the trio would mount an offensive, drawing their enemies toward them. Kaelan and Atton would strike soon after, catching their enemies in a cross-fire that they wouldn't survive.

"The General knows what he's doing Atton, he has more than enough experience planning successful operations."

"Listen to Bao-Dur," Kaelan responded to his friend's encouragements with a slightly pained voice as he briefly reflected on some of his less than successful operations as well. "He knows what's he talking about."

"Alright, but I still don't like this."

The rest of the trip passed in silence, with Kreia and her group breaking off once they were only a few hundred metres from the camp. It didn't take long for Kaelan and Atton to catch sight of their goal, the Czerka converted military base. Almost completely encompassed by surrounding hills, the only opening was a small man-made gap that led directly to the base's swoop garage. Only a handful of buildings were present inside the encampment, ranging from small, square buildings to long, rectangular ones- the latter of which was only built to provide accommodations for those stationed at the base.

What truly caught the exile's attention, even more so than the looming presence of the dual barrelled anti-aircraft tower in the northeast section of the camp, was the large landing platform on the opposite side. Its substantial circular surface had a diameter large enough to comfortably accommodate two Ministry-class orbital shuttles at once. Eight small pillars were positioned around the platform, their top ends fitted with pulsating lights to mark the landing zone for the frequent shuttles retrieving salvaged goods. Czerka affiliated workers were constantly busy loading stacks of containers onto the two transports still docked, reducing them from the pile on the landing pad, even as more were being brought out from a storage facility placed on the opposite end of the base.

Driving their swoops at a pace slightly faster than normal as the two moved into the base, Kaelan and Atton passed through the entrance without incident. With most of the other mercenaries not even sparing them so much as a single glance, it was quite easy to drive up the small ramp leading to the swoop garage only a hundred metres away from the entrance. Row upon row of the large square building was filled with both the single-seated swoop bikes and the dual passenger speeders.

With only a few mechanics inside, the pair didn't have much trouble parking their swoops and exiting the garage without arousing suspicion. "We'll need to secure the landing zone before the others get in position."

Nodding to Kaelan, Atton moved to walk beside his companion, keeping his outward composure neutral even though he felt more than a little anxious being in the jaws of the Krayt Dragon. The two infiltrators needn't have worried, the light garrison of mercenaries meant it was more than easy for them to walk onto the landing bay.

"Take them out," Kaelan said while his hand lowered to his holstered vibroblade. "Keep it quiet."

Acknowledging the outcast's order with another nod, Atton moved to work his way through the right, while Kaelan did the same with the left. A worker moving down from the left shuttle's boarding ramp to retrieve another container was the exile's first target. Taking a quick look around to ensure no-one would be nearby to be a witness, Kaelan rushed forward in a fast, but quiet, pace, his vibroblade already drawn.

Just as the Czerka employee was about to retrieve another container, Kaelan swiftly covered the man's mouth with his left hand to muffle his surprised cry, then pulled him back towards his readied vibroblade while he simultaneously thrusted the weapon forward. The blade pierced the man's spinal cord with only the slightest sounding crack as the protective vertebrae bone shattered, paralyzing him below the inflicted point of injury and leaving the exile free to follow up with a final, fatal stab to the chest.

The outcast repeated the process on the two others he found inside the shuttle itself. Descending from the transport's ramp, he caught sight of Atton smashing his armoured fist into the side of another worker's head, the force more than enough to render the targeted human unconscious.

Mouthing the word 'clear' to Kaelan when he caught sight of him, Atton waited for his companion to do the same before approaching, stretching his wrist as though afraid he had sprained it. "Remind me to get a vibroblade too."

A small series of soft beeps from his COM channel deferred Kaelan's response, letting him know that HK was signalling that he and the others were in position. Withdrawing his disruptors and, motioning for Atton to get ready, the veteran gave the order. "Begin the assault."

A stream of blaster fire from the base entrance met the exile's command, a flow of red energy punctuated by the swing of a green lightsaber as Kreia entered the fray. Muffled cries rang out from the mercenaries posted as sentries, their panicked shouts vanishing almost as soon as they were uttered. The rest of the base's garrison, however, were not so easily silenced.

Shouts of alarm were echoed throughout the encampment as mercenaries sprinted to the entrance to confront those bold enough to mount an attack on their own base. Blaster rifle fire was exchanged by both parties, the precise firing of an engineer and assassin droid killing more than a few of the armoured thugs as they ran up to meet the assault group. Kreia continued to deflect incoming fire, her green lightsaber moving to the point where it was little more than a blur of motion as the old woman immersed herself in the Force, utilizing it to enhance her speed and senses.

A simple nod was given to Atton before he and Kaelan moved closer to the action, opening fire on the rear flank once they were within range. Caught completely by surprise, six more of the blasters-for-hire were killed before they realized that they had been outflanked. The twelve still standing were caught in a cross-fire, their coordination disintegrating as more and more of their number fell to lightsaber and blaster precision. It didn't take long before the last mercenary was dead, his flesh riddled with a combination of disruptor and blaster bolts.

"Do you know where this shield network access station is Bao-Dur?"

"I know it's in the old Ithorian research centre, General," The Zabrak replied with a look around the base, a frown marring his features. "As for which building that is exactly, I...uh couldn't tell you."

Kaelan nodded, he hadn't expected his friend to know exactly where it was. "We'll have to split up, Kreia and I will work our way through the northern section. You two take the south end," The exile continued with a pointed finger at Atton and Bao-Dur, "Alert me immediately if you find anything."

"Query: What would you have me do Master?"

"Comb through this entire base, HK." Kaelan continued without missing a beat, "Kill anyone you find still alive, while we look for this shield terminal"

"Ecstatic Response: A highly efficient course of action Master."

As the group split up to perform their appointed tasks, Atton started walking beside the Zabrak engineer. "So, Bao-Dur, how do you know our exiled friend?"

"Exiled?" Bao-Dur asked, shooting the smuggler a look of complete surprise, "The General?"

"Uh...yeah," Atton said, equally surprised that the engineer didn't know. "I thought you knew."

Bao-Dur only shook his head, "The General and I haven't seen each other since..." He trailed off, not quite bringing himself to say what he was really thinking, "Since the end of the Mandalorian Wars." The Zabrak trailed off once more before hastily continuing, trying to distract himself from the thought of Malachor. "To answer your question, he was my commanding officer during the war, a Republic General I was more than proud to have served with, and befriended."

A small smile graced the mechanic's lips at the thought, quickly replaced by a troubled expression when he started delving deeper into his memories of the Mandalorian conflict. "Look no offence Atton, but I'd rather not talk about this."

Atton spared the Zabrak a curious look before simply shrugging at his statement, "Fair enough."

The pair continued their work in relative silence, only punctuated by blaster fire when they ran into the occasional mercenary still alive in the encampment. After searching a cluster of buildings near the swoop garage, structures that turned out to be Czerka's warehouses for salvaged items and the control centre for the same operations, the two found nothing relating to the restoration's shield network.

Kreia and Kaelan's search proved the more fruitful of the two, with the discovery of the very thing they were searching for inside, what could only have been, the old research centre. The building itself looked like it hadn't been used in quite a while, despite the fact that there were still a variety of terminals and consoles set-up along the square shaped room. Gaps were present within the row of electronic equipment, however, giving testament to Bao-Dur's statement of mercenaries stripping the old Ithorian equipment away.

()()()

"Are you sure you can get this working Bao-Dur?"

The sight of the shield network station powering up to life gave Kaelan his answer, while Bao-Dur looked at him with a grin. "I'd say so General."

Turning back to the now working console, the engineer keyed for a display of the shield network on the small display screen. Power levels were shown at each of the generators that composed the shield wall, with the Zabrak's attention quickly focusing on one group in particular. "That's strange..."

"What have you found?"

Shuffling aside to give his friend space to see what he was looking at, Bao-Dur pointed to a cluster of generators near zone 00-10. "This group of generators is operating with a two percent power deficiency."

Kaelan frowned at the screen, "I'm not quite sure what you're getting at. Isn't that just a normal declination in energy usage?"

"Normally General," Bao-Dur concurred, "But for so many generators to do that at once..." He trailed off as he inputted a few more commands, searching for a carrier emission or something else to help explain the situation. "I've got it," The engineer replied with a grin, he always enjoyed solving mechanical problems. "The energy is being siphoned from the generator, drawn from a carrier emitter coming from here." The Zabrak tapped a finger on the display for the General to see, "The polar region."

"Excellent work Bao-Dur," Kaelan spoke with a smile, finally glad that things were starting to look up. "Have you got the coordinates?"

"Yes General," The Zabrak said after keying for a planetary display of the region's location.

"Good, we'll take one of the shuttles."

Kaelan led the way toward the landing pad, not forgetting to tell HK that it was time to depart. The droid was reluctant to leave before he had ensured that the entire base was devoid of life, but followed his Master's command regardless. Once the group was reunited in the Ministry-class shuttle, Atton took the controls once again and started the transport's ignition sequence. The shuttle lifted off from the former Telosian encampment, moving through the skies and toward the polar region.

It took five minutes before Atton saw that they were approaching Bao-Dur's provided coordinates, it was after a few seconds had passed and their destination was in view that the pilot frowned at the scenery he was presented with. "You're sure these were the right coordinates?"

A mesa could be seen jutting out from the ground below them, its snow covered surface completely devoid of any type of man-made structure that would attest to the presence of life. Four rocky pillars surrounded it, their narrow cylindrical design was the only thing that pointed to Bao-Dur being right, for they did not look like naturally forming landscapes.

"I'm sure," Bao-Dur responded firmly, though he wondered why the shield would be diverted towards this spot if there was nobody to protect.

"So am I," Kaelan responded, his personal experience with Bao-Dur's technical skills left no doubt in his mind that they were in the right place. "Find a spot to land, we'll search the mesa on foot."

Atton acknowledged the order, bringing the shuttle down for a landing on the left side of the mesa. Its landing struts extended once the transport began to hover toward its improvised landing zone, making contact with the mesa without incident.

The orbital shuttle's boarding ramp descended and all of the occupants piled out of the transport, immersing into a far colder temperature than they were used to. "Bao-Dur!" The exile shouted in his attempt to be heard over the howling wind. "We'll start a standard echo search pattern, just make sure to keep it tight, I don't want to lose anybody in this blizzard."

"Copy that General," Bao-Dur replied, grimacing as a strong shiver wracked his body in the cold. "Let's try to make this quick though."

Nodding to his friend, Kaelan started moving toward the opposite end of the mesa, motioning for Kreia and HK-47 to follow while Bao-Dur did the same to Atton. The Zabrak started herding the pilot in a single-file line fifteen metres to Kaelan's left. While it was a strain for he and Atton to keep sight of Kaelan's form in the blizzard, it was still possible.

Snow crunched beneath the marching feet of the two groups as they continued moving forward, eyes and photoreceptors scanning the surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. "Statement: Provided my photoreceptors are still functional, I believe there is a small mound fifty metres to this unit's front."

Not being able to see so far ahead, Kaelan decided to take HK's word for it, re-orientating himself along the droid's current line of sight and informing Atton on the discovery, silently wondering how in the world Kreia could keep moving forward while blind. It turned out the assassin droid was right in his discovery, identifying not only something out of the ordinary- a small mound on an otherwise flat surface does qualify as such- but uncovering a camouflaged doorway that seemed to lead into the mesa itself.

With a long journey back to the ship, and with nowhere else to go, Kaelan opted to see where it led. The passage was locked, but a quick slicing job by Bao-Dur allowed the group to overcome such an obstacle and move onto the turbolift beyond. Kaelan keyed for a descent as soon as everyone was inside, able to feel the lift start descending inside the mesa.

It reached a stop five minutes later, with the lift doors parting to reveal a rotunda with branching corridors to the centre, left, and right of the group's position. Kaelan didn't have time to do anything more than take in the white and gray plating adorning the walls before three females garbed in skin-tight, white clothing approached, double bladed extended quarterstaffs held at the ready.

"Drop your weapons and you shall not be harmed."

The command was issued by the female in the centre, one who, unlike the two others flanking her, had her hood down, showing a face that seemed different than that of the others. Others, Kaelan would have thought to be identical twins, if he hadn't sensed differently through the Force. While all of them sported highly athletic forms and white hair, the one in the centre also had short braids of hair dangling next to each ear as well as a pair of cool blue eyes that had drawn the exile's attention far longer than they should've.

"Who are you?"

"I will not issue such a cautionary again," The woman continued, ignoring Kaelan's query. "Drop your weapons."

Her curtly spoken demand brought a small smile to his lips at her boldness, her tone quite similar to the one he'd used on Citadel against a TSF Lieutenant. Kaelan was no fool like the junior officer, but in this situation he couldn't fathom how she expected him to comply when he had both a tactical and numerical advantage.

"Antagonistic Query: Are you aware of the time it would take this unit to aim and fire a repeating rifle." HK was silent for a moment, as if he wanted to see whether they would respond. "Self-Evident Answer: Quite faster than it would take you to close to attack range with melee weapons."

The outcast's smile grew just a bit wider at those words, clearly he wasn't the only one to be thinking about such things. "He's quite right" Kaelan said with a nod to the mechanical while he continually smiled at the female in the centre, "This is no standoff."

Something flickered in the woman's blue irises, briefly showing a glimpse of an emotion Kaelan's wasn't able to identify before her gaze hardened. "Do you wish for us to make it one?"

The veteran tilted his head to the side slightly, regarding her with nothing short of intrigue at her outright challenge before he felt a faint whisper in the Force, his previous expression morphing to one of confusion. He could feel the faint echo of a familiar presence. Kaelan tried to track down the source, but gave up when it seemed to have originated far beyond his current range of perception.

"General?" Bao-Dur stated with confusion, risking a glance away from the strange females when he saw his friend suddenly looking uncertain. "What is it?"

"I...I sensed...something," The exile replied, trying to wrack his memories for why the sensation had felt so familiar. "A presence I've not felt since..." He trailed off, unable to give an answer he did not have.

"I would suggest co-operation," Kreia spoke up when it looked as though the female in the centre was going to issue a final edict, though she was looking at the exile curiously. "I sense we will come to no harm."

"Advisement: That would not be a wise course of action Master. Self-destruction is always preferable to capture."

"Perhaps, but there is nothing to be gained by engaging in battle here HK." Nodding to Bao-Dur and Atton, Kaelan slowly withdrew his disruptors and placed them on the ground, following up with his vibroblade while Atton and Bao-Dur mimicked his actions with their own weapons, Kreia following suit for her lightsaber. The outcast brought a disapproving gaze to HK when he noticed that the assassin droid had yet to part with his rifle. "Only a fool kills for no foreseeable purpose, HK. Stand down."

The droid seemed to consider the words, "Statement: Your words seem strangely familiar Master, and a small part of me believes there is logic behind your apparent madness. I will comply."

After placing his weapon down in the slowest fashion imaginable, HK-47 stood back to his full height, where he and the others were told by the identical females to follow them out toward the left passage. When Kaelan started to follow, the one in the centre instructed him to head for the passage straight ahead. "What about my friends?"

"They are merely being detained."

She followed behind him when he had moved ahead of her, and he couldn't help but feel that she was studying him. "I don't suppose you'll now be kind enough to tell me who you are?" When the woman stayed silent, Kaelan continued. "Come now, it's not very nice to skip introductions."

"We are the Handmaidens of this academy, exile."

Exile? Kaealan thought to himself as he stopped cold, whirling around to face his escort. She hadn't spoken the term with anything short of fascination, but the fact that she knew who he was far from comforting. "How do you know me?"

She opened her mouth as though to speak then paused mid-action. as if in hesitation. and closed it. "Continue up this walkway," The Handmiaden said as she indicated a ramp leading to a small chamber beyond, "The Master of the Academy will meet you shortly."

"Academy?"

She nodded, "This is the Jedi Academy of Telos."

A frown worked its way onto the outcast's features, he had only caught the briefest glimpse of one Force Sensitive in this entire place. He was aware that his Force connection was still a weak one, but he found it hard to believe he could not sense more than just one Force Sensitive in a location, that by all rights, should be filled with them. "You said you are a Handmiaden, so where are the students?"

The woman only shook her head in response, "There are no others present within these halls."

"Indeed? Then what is your purpose here?"

The Handmiaden looked as though she were going to answer, then seemed to hesitate once more before she firmly pointed ahead, "Please, do not ask me anymore questions."

Inclining his head to her briefly in both thanks and acknowledgement of her request, Kaelan hid his confusion behind a small smile. "As you wish."

Walking up the ramp she had indicated, Kaelan spotted three more of the identical looking Handmaidens standing outside of what looked like a recreation of the Jedi High Council chamber on Coruscant. Eight chairs were placed in a circle around the edge of the chamber, each orientated so that they were facing an ancient looking stone in the centre. It was that centre piece that caught the exile's attention more than anything, an armoured hand running across its surface as if searching for a particular marking.

He frowned, however, when he neither saw nor felt what he had been seeking. It comforted him, somewhat, but at the same time left him more than a little angry. The Handmaiden had told him the Master of the Academy awaited him here, and he couldn't help but feel this was the Master's version of a sick joke, being told to wait inside the very room he wanted to have thought he had left behind forever.

The Handmiaden watched the exile through newly hooded eyes, taking note of the way he held himself and studied his surroundings. He was more than a little on edge, that much was evident in the way his eyes fleetingly darted around the walls of the Academy. She couldn't help but cock her head in confusion when he seemed to pay great attention to the slab of stone placed in the middle of the chamber beyond. As far as she knew, there was nothing of real significance behind the structure, save for the architectural tastes of the Jedi. Yet the exile studied it intently as though it were the most important thing there.

His focus soon wavered from the object, his apprehension seeming to have intensified to the point where the Handmiaden could swear that it could be felt from where she and her half sisters stood. They made no sign they had noticed anything, however, as they continued to watch the armoured human in front of them. But while the Handmiaden had taken to studying the exile, her half sisters only watched through a cold gaze, their hands resting on the handles of the quarterstaffs clipped to their belts, searching for any discernible sign of ill intent.

As if knowing he had an audience, the exile looked over his left shoulder, his peripheral vision clearly focused on the group behind him. A slight smile stretched across his lips briefly before he turned back to his front. The Handmaiden almost gasped in surprise, but steeled herself as she settled back to studying the man in front of her. Though it was impossible to tell where his peripheral vision had been focused, she couldn't shake the feeling that he had been looking not at her half-sisters, but at her specifically, the smile almost a displayed indication that he knew she had been watching him. It was the type of thing only an Echani would be able to pick up on and though part of her wanted to dismiss the action as impossible, another felt that it was not so implausible and wanted to discover the secret to such an observation.

The opening of a large pair of doors beyond the council chamber drew all eyes to the sight of a white robed woman moving on a long catwalk that connected her private mediation room to the council area. While the Echani servants bowed at the approach of the Master of the Academy, the exile was not so respectful.

"Atris." The whispered word fell Kaelan's lips as though it were poison, a ripple of rage briefly escaping him through the Force, now that he knew why the presence was so familiar, before he suppressed it. He couldn't afford to start a confrontation until he knew what game the Jedi historian was playing.

"So," Atris said once she was standing in the chamber entrance, a hand tucking a stray strand of white hair behind her ear, "The exile resurfaces. I would have thought you to at least be wise enough to accept the council's judgement and take the path of the outcast. Yet, after so many years, you have come before the Jedi once more. Why?"

Kaelan narrowed his eyes at the woman, "You speak of wisdom? I wonder, are you using the word as it is meant to be used, or are you referring to the Jedi's interpretation? The one that would have gladly seen the outer-rim burn during the Mandalorian Wars."

"So," Atris spoke venomously, "You still hold to your flawed convictions, unable to admit that the Council was right, both in its decision to urge caution during the war and for exiling someone like you."

"Someone like me?" The suppressed rage threatened to burst to the surface, but Kaelan kept it contained, siphoning bits and pieces of it to his words as he continued. "You mean someone who was willing to fight a threat that was tearing its way through the Republic, while others merely sat and watched?"

Atris shook her head briefly before fixating narrowed eyes on the exile. "You said the same thing so long ago, I didn't believe then and I do not believe it now!"

"You don't believe it?" Kaelan spoke, quelling his angry tone in favour of disbelief that someone would even try to refute a statement that was an undeniable fact. "Shall I describe it to you? Hundreds of Mandalorian warships maintaining a low, geosynchronous orbit above a Republic planet, their turbolaser batteries unleashing their deadly payload. Blue fire streaking towards the surface,...targeting, not just the military bases in major cities, but the urban centres themselves. Soldiers and civilians alike crying out in horror, a feeling that echoed through the Force." His sad recollection of the attack on the Zabrak colonies in the Outer-Rim vanished, replaced by an expression of rage. "And the only Force Sensitives to even feel it were the Revanchists, for the echoes did not reach as far into the Republic as Coruscant!"

Even Atris seemed momentarily taken aback at his recollection, only to recover her icy exterior and fire off a scathing, lecturing retort of her own. "Every choice we make sends echoes through the Force, it can awaken feelings and ignite passions- hate, anger- where no such things existed before. By going to war, by meeting Mandalorian aggression with your own, you only served to feed their appetite for war. Your actions only served to create those terrible echoes, forging sensations that made you and the other Jedi lose their way. That is undoubtedly why you turned on us."

"Do not," Kaelan spoke slowly and sharply, "Accuse any of the Revanchists of being betrayers. Such a title belongs to the Jedi alone."

"We did not betray you." Atris interjected immediately, her face twisting in anger. "Do not place your crimes on other's shoulders, when you only have yourself to blame."

"Oh no?" The veteran responded to the former historian's first statement, completely disregarding her second. He paused for just a moment, unconsciously letting his fingers brush against the lightsaber hilt hidden in his cloak- he had never surrendered it to the Academy Handmaidens. "I still remember the most pathetic decision of the High Council during the war," Kaelan continued, "Their attempt to force the Revanchists to disband on Cathar. Revan and Malak had led most of our number there, seeking the evidence we so desperately needed to convince you that our decision was the only decision."

A snort of disgust escaped the exile while he locked eyes with Atris, "Malak explained what happened once I had rejoined with the others, but even then I still found it hard to believe. To think, that when it came to the Mandalorians and the millions of innocents left burning in their wake, you did nothing. But when it came to arresting the 'renegade crusaders' you were more than willing to jump into the fray. If that is not a betrayal Atris, I do not know what is."

"Without you and the other Jedi to support Revan's crusade, we would not have needed to demand your organization's dissolution! If you had only heeded the Council, Revan's crusade would have been over before it began."

"Do you really believe that?" Kaelan replied with a shake of his head at the woman's ignorance. "Revan is the very definition of a leader, his charismatic nature is both powerful and undeniable, it would have given him just as many followers. Whether I answered the call or not is irrelevant!" The veteran took a moment to try and regain some semblance of containment over his anger before continuing in a quieter voice. "I wonder if this is the same type of reasoning you used to make your decision on my exile, it would explain quite a bit."

Atris scoffed at him, "What did you expect us to do? Your crimes were far to numerous to name in one Council session, I would have thought even you would realize we were being merciful."

It was the exile's turn to scoff, "Your definition of mercy would put a Sith Lord to shame. What you did to me was nothing short of a second betrayal. The one time I came to you for assistance and you spat in my face, not even bothering to listen to what I was saying!"

"There was much about that day that was difficult to decipher- your motivation, your words, your defiance..." Atris trailed off, withdrawing a lightsaber hilt from the belt of her robes. "And when you threw your lightsaber into the centre stone." The lightsaber in her grip activated with a snap-hiss, an orange blade appearing from the end.

Impossible, Kaelan thought as he eyed the lightsaber hilt in her grasp, finding the design of it all too familiar. His denial was short lived, however, the moment he saw the activated blade's colour. It was the very lightsaber he had been forced to part with on Coruscant so many years ago.

"I have kept it," Atris continued with a slightly softer voice than before, her eyes focusing on the blade as well. "So I would never forget your arrogance or your insult to the Order."

The former High Council member's words did not register to Kaelan. The sheer disrespect in any Jedi handling his weapon, not to mention Atris herself, was beyond words. He didn't even bother to try to contain his anger anymore, he immersed in the feeling. "You know the conditions I set for that blade's retrieval from the stone." Kaelan said, his tone frosty enough to make the polar region temperatures seem tropical. "Conditions, we both know from our earlier conversation, have not been met!"

The exile's hand had moved to withdraw his new lightsaber with a speed only an enraged Force Sensitive could achieve, the green blade snapping to life at the end of his sentence. Atris' eyes grew wide as she stared at the lightsaber, though the shock only lasted for a brief second before she was screaming for her Handmaidens to come to her aid. Kaelan had expected the action and was already channelling the Force into his left hand as he turned to face the archway entrance behind him.

Five of the Handmaidens were in view before he unleashed his gathered power, the strength behind the Force Push more than enough to fling the Echani servants into the rotunda he and his companions had originally entered. Their bodies hit the ground with a distant thud, their unconscious forms unmoving. Kaelan didn't spare them another glance as he looked back at Atris, his expression the very symbol of pure fury while he slowly advanced toward the historian. He took satisfaction in the sight of her taking more than a few steps back before she seemed to scold herself and stood her ground.

"There is no word in any language I know to accurately describe such insolence." Kaelan spoke in the same deathly cold tone, his lightsaber raised to an attack position at the end of his speech. The thought that he might not be up for such a confrontation under his current state crossed his mind, but he discarded it and continued forward. The woman would answer for what she had done to him, his rage demanded nothing less.

"Exile, stop!"

The command was issued, not by Atris, but by the same Handmaiden who had first spoken to him. Her quarterstaff was held at the ready as she stood less than two metres from his right, ready to intercept his strikes with her own staff if she needed to.

Kaelan glanced at her, the look of fury he had been giving Atris turning into a neutral expression when he looked at her. His anger, strong as it was, was also focused on one person only. "Stand aside, Handmaiden. My quarrel is not with you."

She regarded him with a mixture of curiosity and surprise, for she had expected him to attack the moment he saw her interfering. "It is, if you follow through with what you are thinking. I will not allow you to bring harm to my mistress."

"Your mistress has dishonoured me in more ways than you can imagine," Kaelan countered, briefly turning to Atris before regarding the Handmiaden once more. "It will not go unpunished."

He spoke the words, but made no move to do as he said. So the Handmaiden tried again. "Perhaps it should, there is no shame in not seeking retribution."

Kaelan's brown irises switched between Atris and the Handmiaden, his gaze eventually settling on the latter. "But I made a decree, I set a condition. What good is an edict if there is no retribution promised?"

The Echani hybrid found that she didn't have an answer to that, something the exile seemed to realize, for he looked back to Atris. He took another step closer and both Atris and the Handmaiden tensed, physically preparing themselves for combat, though the Handmaiden knew she was not so focused mentally. "Exile, don't do it."

"I don't want to fight you Handmiaden."

She merely frowned in answer, "Then don't."

Several seconds passed in silence, with the Handmaiden beginning to believe she had failed in preventing the attack before the exile's lightsaber snapped off. He glanced once more at the Handmaiden, the ghost of a smile given to her before he turned to Atris and the expression vanished. "She saved your life." Kaelan said with a flick of his head to the Echani.

The veteran moved out of the council chamber, stopping at the centre stone. "I know you have my ship Atris, I'm taking it back and setting my companions free." He paused to turn around and face her, "Don't get in my way."

"Fine," Atris spat, using her anger to help mask her fear at what had almost transpired minutes earlier, "I don't care where you go, just leave this place. Leave Telos."

"Believe me," Kaelan said, eyes flashing and briefly displaying the rage he had forcibly contained once again, "It will be a pleasure."

The Handmaiden watched the exile leave, wondering how he could possibly contain his anger as much as he did. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind, however, when she caught sight of Atris' troubled expression. "Mistress, are you alright?"

A few moments passed before the Academy Master turned to face her, a loud sigh escaping Atris' lips. "The Exile brought up feelings...best left forgotten."

"Forgive me for asking this mistress, but I have never seen another effect you so strongly. Was he important to you once?"

Atris was silent for a time, still watching Kaelan's retreating form. When she finally did talk, her voice was little more than a whisper. "We all have our heroes, and when we watch them fall, we lose a bit of ourselves." She paused for several moments before turning to the Handmaiden, "I have a task for you."

"What would you have me do mistress?" The Echani hybrid eagerly asked after bowing to her mistress, hoping the assignment would take her away from the Academy for awhile. She hadn't performed a task in weeks and her half-sisters were starting to grate on her nerves once again.

"I'm far from convinced that the Exile is not collaborating with the Sith. I need you to stow aboard his ship, gain his trust, and report to me on his activities. Something has changed within him since the last time I saw him. I don't know what it is, but I know that I do not like it."

"I hear and obey mistress," The Handmiaden responded with a final bow before moving toward the Ebon Hawk to carry out her instructions.

()()()

Kaelan stood inside the main hold of the Ebon Hawk, trying to work up the nerve to go on. He had freed his companions from their containment within Force Cages recovered everyone's weapons, and found the astromech droid he had almost forgotten about, T3-M4. Now the ship was accelerating away from Telos' surface with Atton determined to at least make a micro-jump out of the system before they conferred on their next course of action. The exile had easily relented, more than determined to put some distance between the Telosian Academy and himself.

"So," Atton said as he moved out of the cockpit and into the main hold, "The ship's holding position two light years from the ice box we so reluctantly departed. Where to now?"

"It does not matter where we go at the moment," Kreia's spoke from her position near the port dormitory corridor, "For now it would be best to find a place to rest and recuperate."

Atton glanced at the woman with a frown, "You might not know the ways of the galaxy, your Eminence, but I can tell you that it really does matter where you go."

"I already have our next destination in mind," Kaelan interjected absentmindedly, his interruption timely enough that it stopped Kreia from forming her own retort to the smuggler's remark.

Bao-Dur looked at his friend, silently wondering what had happened to him inside the Academy. He had returned to them seething with such rage that no-one, not even HK-47, had spoken until they had boarded the Ebon Hawk. Before the Zabrak could put his concern into words however, the small astromech droid next to the storage hold started twittering madly.

"You did what?" The exile asked with confusion, only having caught half of the utility droid's excited chatter.

"You were able to slice into Atris' database?" Kaelan asked for confirmation once the droid had repeated himself. With the droid's affirmative beep, the veteran pressed for information. "Well, what did you find?"

The exile's expression turned to a familiar one of anger at T3's explanation. "She had a copy of my trial record? A pity she never played the damn thing to refresh her failing memory," Kaelan hissed, the sight of her gripping his lightsaber just wouldn't leave his mind. "Play it, T3."

Bao-Dur was quick to notice his friend's anger was intensifying and thought it best if he refrained from dwelling on bad memories at the moment. "General, under the circumstances maybe it's best if you gave it some time."

"It doesn't matter anymore Bao-Dur," Kaelan responded, letting his friend know that he couldn't get much angrier. Looking back to the astromech, he nodded at the utility droid to continue with his previous order.

After T3 uploaded the holo-record into the Ebon Hawk's systems, the shimmering blue representation of the High Council appeared for all eyes to see. Twelve seats encircled a slab of stone, with only five of them occupied. Lonna Vash, Vrook Lamar, Kavar, Zez-Kai Ell, and Atris all turned their gaze away from each other, at the sound of the Council doors opening, and toward a Jedi robed wearing Kaelan Nalto.

Holo-Kaelan stopped only a few steps into the chamber, immediately taking a tactical advantage by forcing the Masters to face him, rather than stand in the middle of their circle and feel surrounded, as was standard custom.

"Do you know why we have summoned you here?"

A raised brow met the gruff, demanding voice of Master Vrook. He recalled the High Council issuing similar 'summons' to Revan, Malak, and the rest of the Revanchists. Clearly, they were not about to heed such a call. It was an observation Holo-Kaelan was tempted to say outloud but knew that he could not if he wanted this encounter to work in his favour. Even so, however, he was not about to let the Council think they could dictate terms to him. "I returned to Coruscant because I made a choice to do so, not because I flocked to your summons."

Vrook's eyes narrowed at Holo-Kaelan's choice of words, but Kavar spoke up before the aging Master could form a retort. "As Revan called to you during the war, you have answered our recall to come full circle and return to the Jedi."

Holo-Kaelan gave the slightest of nods to his old friend, silently conveying his thanks for attempting to reword his earlier statement in the way that seemed balanced to both himself and the Council.

"Why did you defy us?" Zez-Kai Ell said after switching his gaze away from Kavar. "The Jedi are guardians of the peace and have been for centuries."

Briefly closing his eyes to fight the swell of rage that threatened to spill out of him at a question he had already given his reasons to countless times, the former Republic General took a deep breath before answering. "Exactly Master, Jedi are guardians of the peace. But I think we can all agree that war is not a peaceful affair. With the Mandalorians invading the Republic, there was no longer any peace in the galaxy by any sense of the word. The Revanchists did what you failed to do, fight to restore a peace that no longer existed. We were peace-makers."

"The term of a delusional, conflict loving individual trying to justify his own lost cause."

Both Kaelan and his holographic counterpart fixated narrowed eyes on Atris at her outburst, though it was Holo-Kaelan who put the anger into words. "Interesting statement coming from one who labels themself a guardian but fails to safeguard the very thing they swore to defend."

The historian looked to be on the verge of jumping to her feet at his words, but steeled herself and fired off her own retort instead. "Is Revan your Master now? Or is it the horror your wrought at Malachor that finally caused you to see the truth?"

A growl escaped the former Republic General at Atris' words, her implication quite clear. As far as she was concerned, he was either a spy sent by Revan to infiltrate the Jedi Order or else a man seeking atonement for his part in the Mandalorian Wars. "Neither of those apply to me, I have returned here for-,"

"We know exactly why you are here," Vrook interrupted sharply, "But we did not give you an audience to listen to your requests. We cannot give you what you seek."

Holo-Kaelan was finding it a strenuous task to keep from lashing out at the arrogant Masters in front of him. They called themselves self-less, but when one of their own came seeking assistance, they turned him down. "Then why exactly am I here?"

"To face the Council's decree," Zez-Kai Ell replied. "Know that there is no turning back from our judgement."

"You are exiled," Lonna Vash announced, "You are a Jedi no longer."

The veteran stood, almost numbly, for a few seconds, before the woman's words finally registered. Without a word, lest he show them how much anger he truly had inside him, Holo-Kaelan turned to make his exit.

He was just shy of the entrance to the chamber when Vrook's voice rang out in the chamber. "There is one last thing. Your lightsaber, surrender it to us."

Knowing he wouldn't be able to get out of the temple before he did as demanded, and knowing he no longer had the Force by his side to even attempt a resistance, the exile withdrew his lightsaber from his robe belt. He studied the weapon one last time, before activating it and turning back around to face the Council.

With a cry portraying but a taste of the rage he felt inside, Kaelan threw the lightsaber like a javelin. Even without his command of the Force, his aim was true, and his form, perfect; the orange blade impacted dead centre into the slab of stone, the hilt slowly lowering to the ground as the energy weapon burned through the rock.

"When you have cast aside both your arrogance and the veil blinding your eyes, and allow yourselves to see the truth of the Mandalorian Wars then, and only then, may you lay a hand on my lightsaber and remove it from the stone. If your past and current behaviour is any indication, I suspect it will be in there for a very long time."

Growling in a final display of anger, Kaelan sharply turned around and marched out of the Council chamber, never once looking back.

"Much defiance in that one," Kavar spoke softly, his eyes lingering on the lightsaber still burning through the stone.

"Indeed," Zez-Kai Ell said with an equally pensive expression, "When he was here I felt as though he were not really there, as if he was nothing more than a shadow."

"The war has touched the youngest of our order," Lonna Vash spoke in agreement, "Many of them have lost themselves fighting the Mandalorians."

Atris spared her fellow Council members a surprised look, mentally sneering at their misplaced compassion. "We have not lost a Jedi this day. He merely walked Revan's path, but turned back when he realized when he was not strong enough."

"Perhaps," Zez-Kai Ell said doubtfully, "Though I cannot help but fear that the teachings of our Order may have guided Revan toward his chosen path."

"We are not the ones who taught him," Atris stated sharply, clearly offended by the very thought.

"We take responsibility Atris," Lonna reprimanded just as sharply, turning to face her fellow Council member, "Not cast blame."

"It was the choice of the individual to take the path they did," The historian continued, trying to persuade them along her line of thinking. "Which is why the exile fell to the darkside."

Lonna shook her head at Atris' remark, "No, the darkside is not what I sensed in him. It is just as you mentioned Zez-Kai Ell, that sense of emptiness...he has changed."

"Whatever that 'wound' was," Atris spoke with nothing short of dismissal at the comments of her fellow Council members, "It was of the darkside. Casting him out of the Order may prove unwise, he will most likely just join Revan again."

"I do not believe so Atris," Kavar said with a glance at the place his friend had once stood. "This one walks a different path. Where he travels, he carries his destination with him."

"We should have told him the truth," Lonna said with a sigh, "A Jedi deserves to know."

Vrook shook his head immediately, "No good would have come from it, even if what you believe is true."

"But he may never know the truth and will never discover the basis for our decision."

"Then that is the future we must accept."

()()()

"Those Jedi sure love their secrets don't they?" Atton asked, trying to penetrate the uncomfortable silence that followed after the holographic record ended.

For his part, Kaelan couldn't have been more wrong when he had thought that he couldn't get much angrier after his encounter with Atris. To know that the Council had not only exiled him for reasons different from what they gave and that they were withholding vital information from him had increased his fury to the point where he felt as though an inferno of rage were blazing within his veins. Just when he felt the need to smash something to try and quell his anger, a familiar presence could be felt through the Force.

A quick look to Kreia showed what he had expected, that she had sensed the disruption too. Stretching out again, the outcast felt some of his anger slip away as he recognized the presence. "You may as well announce your arrival now," Kaelan spoke with a voice loud enough to reach the person he could sense inside the ship's garage. "I know you're there."

Only a few seconds ticked by before the Handmaiden who had stopped Kaelan's assault on Atris strolled into the mainhold. Her stride was confident, though her expression was wary when she caught sight of the exile, clearly not expecting to have been detected before she wished. "How did you know?"

Kaelan only smiled slightly at her, tilting his head at her in way that let the Echani know that she already knew the answer.

While the former General felt comfortable in the woman's presence, it was a feeling not shared by all of his crew. "You again?" Atton spoke up in both exasperation and wariness, "What are you trying to do? Steal the ship back?"

"My mistress no longer has an interest in your vessel," The Handmaiden replied with narrowed eyes at the smuggler, "So neither do I."

"Great," Atton spoke with a voice dripping in sarcasm, "Then, to what do we owe this distinctive honour?"

"I have come to join you," She said in response to Atton's query- oblivious to the sarcasm-, though she had turned to regard Kaelan. "I can assist you in your journey."

"Well, we don't want your help," Atton responded firmly, eyes narrowing at the thought of just how many of the Echani servants had been at the Telosian Academy. He started glancing at the branching corridors around them, as though afraid the others would emerge, "Or any of your sisters."

Rolling her eyes at the pilot's less than subtle attempt to see if her half-sisters had accompanied her, the Handmiaden assured him it was just her. She brought her gaze back to the exile, awaiting his judgment and finding herself hoping he would accept her, and not just to fulfil her mistress' tasking.

Kaelan regarded her for a moment longer, simply nodding at her several seconds later. "I accept your proposal."

"Indeed?" Kreia said with a scowl directed at the exile, her disapproving tone showing what she thought of the issue. "Perhaps it would be better to evaluate the situation more thoroughly before making a final decision." She didn't even bother waiting for Kaelan's response, however, as she continued. "I grow weary of this, I will retire to my chambers."

The veteran merely watched Kreia's retreating form, shrugging to himself and turning back to Bao-Dur when he noticed the Zabrak looking at him expectantly. "What?"

"I asked where our next destination was, General."

All too soon, the rage Kaelan had left momentarily forgotten came flowing back to him as the reality of their situation returned. "We're going to have a talk with some bounty hunters. Atton," He said as he turned to face the pilot, "Set our course for Nar Shadaa."

Smiling at the command, Atton moved to head back to the cockpit, but stopped just before leaving the mainhold. "Oh and if she's coming with us, she gets the cargo hold." He turned to face her with a scowl, "Might remind her how fun it is to get locked up."

The Handmiaden, however, was unfazed by the smuggler's declaration. "The cargo hold will be adequate, I need little in the way of accommodations."

"Perhaps so," Kaelan continued, looking at her curiously. "But, despite what Atton may think, this is not his ship. You are more than welcome to the normal accommodations."

"That...will not be necessary," The Echani hybrid said slowly, clearly not expecting him to say such a thing.

"As you wish," The outcast responded, watching the Handmiaden depart for her new lodging.

Bao-Dur glanced at his friend with a smile, "Now that that's over, I think I'll start some repairs on this bucket. It's not exactly in the best of shape."

A faint flicker of amusement appeared on Kaelan's face as he turned to face the Zabrak. "On the ship for less than five minutes and, already, you've found problems?"

Bao-Dur chuckled, "You'd be surprised General."

A slight smile met the Zabrak's statement, "Not really."

With that said, the Zabrak mechanic left to see if he could start upgrading the ship. Kaelan stayed a moment longer, eyes fixated on the corridor the Handmaiden had departed to before he shook his head and started moving to the room he had claimed as his own shortly before their arrival on Telos; the security room.

I know what most, maybe even all of you, are thinking. No Telosian bunker or HK-50 units, OMG!

Don't worry, the reason for their absence will be explained towards the end. Besides, I'll be adding a few more encounters than were present in the game.

"I...I...sensed something. A presence I've not felt since..." Three guesses where I ripped that quote from.

It took some tweaking to try and have Atris and Kaelan's conversation lead to what it did, I'm curious as to what you think of that. Plus, you know, the rest of the chapter too.

FINALLY! TELOS IS DONE! The planet vexes my soul.

The Smuggler's Moon is next. Brace yourselves.