Zexar's eyes narrowed slightly as he saw the faces of the council, until his eyes hovered over the face of his old Jedi Master, Carly. She was alive. The council members looked the same as when he had last seen them, all except Carly. She still looked like before, but battle-worn, and had obviously not recovered from their last battle, of which she had been defeated. He hadn't counted on her living through it, but part of him felt happy to see her alive again, no matter what he had become he still saw her as a motherly figure. As he had grown up in Coruscant, the bond between him and Master Carly grew to the extent that that were more like mother and son than Master and apprentice. They had allowed this attachment to grow, despite the Jedi Code and the dangers in the form of the dark side of the Force. Nattang, Damo, and Vaandall looked like they hated his guts and wanted him dead whereas Marsh was smiling as if pleased he had caused this. Brunn, Yux, and Jared were all standing together, not allowing their emotions to show though he could feel a slight dislike towards him.

"Master Jared", Zexar said in recognition.

"As you can see our number dwindle, but you'd know all about that", he replied.

"And as I'm sure you're aware, Grunto and his Sith have been destroyed"

"A spot of good news in this Galaxy"

"Get to it Jedi"

"You are to be put under arrest of the Jedi council. We will detain you both with force or peace, your choice"

"Oh let me think", Zexar said as he used Force lightening on Jared, sending him back.

Zexar and Telon ignited their sabers and awaited the initial attack. Zexar nodded to Telon and then cut a hole in the ceiling before leaping through, closely followed by Marsh, Damo, and Nattang.

In the dark ventilation shaft all that could be seen was Marsh's yellow saber, Damo's purple saber, and Nattang's green saber against Zexar's red one. Zexar smiled as he knew he would enter combat with Marsh; a battle he was certain to win.

"You can't hope to destroy the three of us Sith scum", Marsh breathed.

"True, but I'll destroy two of you and watch the coward run from danger once again"

"I proved you're a liability"

"No, you proved you're a coward"

The Jedi attacked Zexar at once, causing a large flurry of different colors in the shaft, before Zexar sprinted away to a vent which he kicked through, into a lit corridor. Nattang came through first and attacked multiple times before Zexar countered and caused Nattang to make a mistake which ultimately lost him a leg. He was then thrown into the wall by Zexar's Force powers as Marsh and Damo came through the vent.

"Two-on-one, very sporting", Zexar teased.

He lunged in on the two Jedi Masters, his own skill outshining Damo easily. Damo put on a considerably weak defence considering the circumstances, and lost his right hand and left foot in one swift move before being thrown to the wall next to Nattang.
"Not so confident now are you Marsh"

Telon was hopelessly outnumbered against Jared, Carly, Brunn, Yux, and Vaandall, but fought on nevertheless. She had managed to disarm Yux, but was struggling against the remaining four Jedi Masters, and found herself surrendering to them.

"Darth Telon", Jared started, "We can sense your dislike of the dark side"

"As do I"

"Your place in the order has never truly been filled", Carly stated.

"I've done too much to ever rejoin the Jedi"

"No, forgiveness can be given to you", Vaandall said, emphasizing then 'you'.

"But not Zexar?"

"Both of you", Jared replied, taking over from the others.

"I can't abandon him"

"You are clinging to Zexar, not the dark side"

"I won't abandon him"

"He will follow you Telon, he loves you. You know it as does he"

"I love him too, that is why I-", Telon said, before being interrupted by Carly.

"If you keep the dark side your ally you will become a mere shadow of your once proud self "Veronica, and Aaron would never forgive himself if that happened"

"Veronica and Aaron are dead, even in redemption our former selves are gone"

"No, they are not", Carly began, "Your old self shines through in everything you do, every Jedi in this room knows it, as do you. Master Veronica can be reborn, if you have the strength to leave the dark side"

"I-I-I", Telon started, trying to get the words out, "I know you're right. I am sorry for the pain I have caused the Jedi order. I am still Telon, Veronica is dead"

"Telon, I can't express how pleased we are to have you back"

"I need to find Zexar", Telon said as she leaped through the hole he had made and resealed it so she wouldn't be followed. I hope he can forgive me, I really do. What if we engage in a duel? I don't think I could cause him pain but would I be able to if my new found duties arose? One things for sure: Zexar is not going to like my decision, not at all.

Zexar and Marsh were circling each other, waiting for the other to put in the first attack. Marsh attacked Zexar continuously, causing Zexar to have to block and counter, a strong point of his since he was a young Jedi. He could sense that Telon was having great difficulty with her conscience until she slipped away from his thoughts, something that hadn't occurred until now. The dark side powers the Force connection between them as far as I am aware so maybe, just maybe, the dark side isn't flowing through her. No. That can't be. She wouldn't leave me. No. Marsh sensed Zexar's inner conflict and took advantage, setting a more fast pace attack than before, hoping to quickly overwhelm Zexar into making a mistake. Zexar snapped out of his train of thought and quickly blocked a strong attack and engaged in a saber lock.

"Zexar, you really have grown stronger since your days as a Jedi"

"More so than you can possibly imagine"

"You and I both know that is not true"

"Why then, traitor, am I still alive?"

Marsh pulled away and swung low before changing direction to slice through Zexar's left leg, but Zexar managed to leap high over him and roll to the left at Marsh's follow up back stab. Zexar used the Force to crumble away the ceiling above Marsh, and thrust it down upon him at tremendous speed. Marsh immediately Force pushed his way out of the rubble and received a high speed hit to the head from a metal fuel cylinder, which knocked him to the floor once more. My anger levels are pushing my boundaries, and I'm beginning to feel like I did when Telon was unconscious. When I thought she was dead. I haven't felt pain like that before, and I never will again so long as I kill this traitor. Ironic that. I have killed countless Jedi and Sith, become a real traitor myself, just to kill the man who wronged me. A fatal mistake he made: allowing one who he betrayed survive.

Zexar and Marsh both attacked each other powerfully and locked sabers momentarily before Zexar used the Force to slam Marsh to the ground, and then threw him up to the ceiling. He then fell back to the floor straight into the aim of a head-bound kick from Zexar's heavy black boots.

"Fluke", Marsh stated as he got to his feet and attacked Zexar, a little too high, a fatal mistake to make in combat with a combatant like Zexar.

Zexar took the advantage and destroyed Marsh's light saber, before lifting him up with the Force.

This is my moment, the moment everything I have achieved comes into play. His blood on my hand will be the one true comfort in the Universe, his death will mark my eternal victory over the traitorous scum who calls himself a Jedi Master.

"Now, Marsh, care to tell me why you abandoned me"
"You deserve as much, I felt threatened, you were becoming too powerful"

"Too powerful? Well your feelings compliment you, shame nothing else does"

Zexar held his saber underneath Marsh and released him, slicing him vertically through the middle and sprayed Marsh's blood all over him and the surrounding area. Damo watched helplessly, before begging to Zexar as he turned to face him and Nattang, blood dripping from his face and clothes.

"Zexar, spare me, please"

Zexar stepped slowly towards him and deactivated his light-saber, before using the Force to lift Damo up by his head and then slammed him head-first into a thick metal, snapping his neck with a blood-curdling crack. Nattang accepted his fate so Zexar used Force lightening on him until he was near death. Marsh was dead. Revenge is sweet.

I've awaited this moment since the day he abandoned me, left me for Grunto. But now he's dead the anger has refused to subside, most likely due to the dark side than anything. I still can't feel Telon, and that is what I'm worried about as only two options are open for possibility. Either she has been killed by the council, but I know I would have felt a disturbance, or that she has been converted back to the order. Hopefully the latter. I have killed seven Jedi Masters now, and have converted one, so I would not be surprised if Jared, Carly, Brunn, Yux, Vaandall, and Nattang hunt me down for my crimes towards their order. If I face Telon I don't know what I will do; I can't kill her, that much I know for certain. Lord Raxen would welcome me to his academy on Malachor V, so I will have to visit his establishment before returning to my own, empty halls. That is if, of course, Telon has fallen. Soaking in my enemies blood was never what I had wanted my life to turn into, but now I have reached that point I realize why Sith enjoy what they do: the pain and death they cause feels good, too good. I could never explain why should the need arise, but I would be able to give many different examples of when I have reveled in the pain of others, basked in the very destruction I have caused. I can make sense of most aspects of the Jedi code now, other than the restriction of emotional attachment to another person. The Jedi were right to think that anger was a major downside: it is uncontrollable, much like a raging fire. Anger led them into a dangerous state of mind, a state that is not easily broken, and in times like these I wonder if I would ever want to break it. I fear that I can not forgive myself for the crimes I have committed, and this fear drives me forward, assists my anger in the ways of the dark side.

The blood shed in this room has been caused by me, as is so much before me. My academy on Korriban was drenched in the blood of the previous inhabitants, their innards spilled at one touch of my saber. Their pained expressions still haunt my mind, and that is a part of me which will never change: I have always been plagued by those I have killed. I was often a selfless Jedi, but this part of me has been destroyed completely now, the dark side has consumed it, as well as my merciful side. Telon has slowly but steadily brought back the goodness within me, but when I am away from her I find my self slipping from the edges of my internal divides, falling into the bottomless pit of the dark side. If she has abandoned me to the dark side alone I don't know how I will keep my sanity, stay a human in my strong willed, evil, twisted mind.

The black robes I'm wearing are worn down from the day I first stepped into them, but no manner of cleaning would banish the blood from the fabric, as is the problem with my cloak. The red coloration of my blade seems to have got darker since I've had it, but possibly the blood lust in my eyes has affected my vision when regarding colors. My eyes must be deceiving me now as I watch Telon run around the corner, as the dark side appears to be abolished within her. No. Anger is taking a hold of me but as I look into those calm blue eyes all I see is the enemy. I can't deal with this betrayal, betrayal of a friend, a near lover. I never got to tell her how I feel but as the anger within me verges on exploding point I can not help but wonder who I had managed to fall in love with, as this woman is not the woman I love.

"Zexar, you're alive", the traitor speaks.

I can't answer her so all she receives is a red-eyed glare, one of which I haven't used on many people, only those who have wronged me. All of those people are now dead.

"Zex?", she looks worried now, purely for herself I believe.

She knows I have completed my goal: Marsh is dead, so she must realize she is the reason for my insanity and the internal conflict within the deepest sections of my mind. She knows all too well what I will do, or try to do as the case may be, so she readies her saber every-so-slightly so no one who didn't know her would know what she's doing. In this case, however, her opponent knows what she is doing.

I won't be able to fight to kill, so I will carefully adjust my fighting style so I can effectively disarm or injure, rather than destroy, her life. This battle will change everything, I feel it in the deep cores of my mind and as I press the red button of my black, heavy, metal light saber hilt I know I can't go back. The red blade emits red light onto my face, covering the rest in shadow, much like my mental condition. We're only standing seven meters apart, and although she ignites her red saber, we both know we don't want to kill each other: this is what it feels like to fight your life. Telon was my life, no, is my life, no matter what or who she has become, I will always love her. The past few months have shown me that, even after all those years apart I still want her to be mine, no matter what, just like I wanted when I was young. The dark side of the Force is sending me danger signs, but I will always ignore them, just as I did as a Jedi, but nevertheless I find it a little strange : this has never happened before. Dark side versus light side. Good versus bad. And no matter what the result, the battle is lost: my love versus her love. She raises her saber into a defensive position as I crouch low into an attacking position, and as I stare into her eyes as she does to mine, we both know what we want: each other.