Doctor Pethra Cynez stared at the ground of the command center as the rest of her crew began the painful process of finding and putting back together all the bodies of their former friends. The half-Kiffar scientist stared down at the ground sadly before heaving a large sigh. "Thank you for saving Men'yar'nixuao," she said to the Jedi.

"Menyarishoo?" Theron stumbled over the alien sequences of letters. His cheeks burned bright red. "Um... Yarnik?"

"Not many can pronounce his real name," Cynez comforted, easing Theron's embarrassment. She looked down at the floor again and clenched her fists on her knees. "He likes it when people try, though. Practice makes perfect, and all." Her Force aura was an acid-washed gray of one who was emotionally numbed by recent events. Theron couldn't blame her.

Theron looked down at the almost crying woman sitting in front of him. He glanced over his shoulder, where Van, Rhen, and Ana were aiding the rest of the crew in their sad job. "I understand. I'm sorry that we got here too late for... for everyone else," Theron said, pained sadness running through his voice. The young man cursed the Sith. "If only we'd gotten here faster."

"Yes, well..." Cynez clenched her jaw and stopped speaking. Tears began running across the yellow line on her face and down her cheeks. "At least you got the kriffing Devaronian bastard."

Theron crossed his arms and listened to the woman's sadness progress into rage. He was all too familiar with the evolution – the death of his parents as ordered by Gann still weighed most heavily upon his mind. Theron felt his thumb run across the symbol on his saber hilt and he frowned. "I know it isn't easy to lose people. Especially to murderers. You have my empathy."

The Kiffar stared at the Gray Jedi's face for a moment. "I would never have noticed it before today. There's something broken in you, too," the woman said. She stood up and changed the topic of the conversation. "Look, you came here to search areas of Korriban, right? I can still take you down to the tomb we were working on." The woman sniffled and ran one hand through her black hair. She looked up with her eyes to stem the flow of tears.

"What did you find?" Theron asked.

The woman's eyes met Theron's. "I... I don't think you'll entirely believe me until you experience it."

SWSWSWSWSW

Korriban's surface was dead. Not just devoid of civilization, but completely devoid of life that Theron or his friends could sense. Microbial life, usually a din in the background of the cacophony of life's song, was unusually silent. Insidious, silent, terrifying. Theron knew that there was life on Korriban – terrible, destructive life that was constantly in the process of being cataloged by fear loving adventurers who would brave the terrible creatures born of Dark Side corruption. "Homey," Theron said. The wind and dust stung his face and he pulled the edge of his jacket up to protect his face.

Ana looked at him sarcastically. "Well, it's better than the senate party," she said. "No one's sexually harassed me yet."

"Give it time. Your looks could wake the dead," Theron said. Rhen glanced at him, and Theron immediately began stammering. "I – I mean -"

Ana blushed at Theron's comments and brushed a strand of her red hair out of her face.

"If you two can put off your schoolyard crush for about ten minutes, the tomb's over here," Dr. Cynez said, half-disgusted at the saccharine display. Yet half-inspired by the mutual, almost natural interplay between the humans.

Theron coughed once. "I – of course," he said. He slid his mask on, half for any coming battles and half to hide his ever deepening blush. What the kark is wrong with me?

The doctor led the four through the ancient collection of tombs known as the "Valley of the Dark Lords," where an intense Force aura permeated the very air. However, the energy that echoed off of the stone walls and decayed skeletons was not the same as the one that grew with every step the group took. Doctor Cynez was leading Theron's group toward what was, surprisingly, a nexus of Light Force energy.

"This doesn't make sense to me," Theron muttered to his friend. "We're on the homeworld of the Sith, and we're walking through a cloud of lovey dovey Light side crap."

Rhen growled in annoyance at his friend. "Thank you for making fun of my entire life, Theron," the twi'lek said. Rhen's eyes glanced up at the tomb entrances and walls; the sparkle of confusion ran through the twi'lek's eyes. "But you're right. The air is cleaner than it should be."

"What is it with you people saying all this weird cleanliness poo-doo?" Van asked. He took his blaster out and shot at a rather large insectoid hemovore that was advancing on his foot.

"You are an idiot when it comes to the mysticism of the Force, you know that?" Ana asked. The pilot glared at her, and she was forced to stare at the rude gesture his hand was making. "Nice. Real nice."

Theron couldn't help himself – he snickered slightly at the almost sibling-like rivalry between Van and Ana. "What? Why are you laughing at us?" Van asked.

"Ugh – you two argue more than Rhen's sister and her spouse," Theron said. "That says a lot."

"Hey! Sarna and Deree do not argue that much!" Rhen shouted. Everyone began laughing.

"Could you all please be quiet?" Cynez said before anyone could continue the conversation. "Where is the professionalism that I have heard agents of the Triumvirate possess?"

"You obviously do not understand the fact that none of us are older than twenty-five standard years," Van said patronizingly. Theron high fived him. "Were you always such a killjoy?"

"You are children?" the woman asked in surprise. "You are not even an eighth of the way through your average life cycles and you're out here fighting Sith!? You should be in schools, not fighting to the death!"

"Well, the governments still haven't raised the voting age or legal adult age, so I guess you should karking deal with it," Theron said. He half-grinned and half-sneered behind his mask. "Besides, I'm willing to bet that you were happy to act wild when you were twenty-five standard years."

The archeologist immediately grew quiet. "Well, there's some stories to be heard there," Rhen joked, eliciting another round of laughter. The woman's mouth did twitch upwards into a half-smile, despite her facade of professional disdain for the four walking with her.

The trip to the dig site was mostly uneventful, save an encounter with a small group of tuk'ata dogs that quickly fell to blaster fire and lightsaber attacks. As the group walked away from them, other dangerous creatures of Korriban noisily devoured the bodies whole. "There is precious little mercy to be found on this planet," Doctor Cynez said. "And no indigenous beings that will display it."

Theron glanced back at the large, green lizards that were devouring the dead tuk'ata. A loud hissing floated through the air from the monsters created by the Dark Side. Theron stared for a moment more, then turned and followed the Doctor and his crew. "Tuk'ata are only one of the weaker species we have found thus far on Korriban – along the lines of k'lor slugs and shyracks. Compared to their... cousins on other planets, the energy here – well, I am collaborating with an evolutionary biologist from Coruscant University on the nature of the Dark Side as, perhaps, the core source of galactic evolution."

Rhen snorted derisively. "The Dark Side is evil – any Jedi can tell you that," he said.

"Ah, but is it?" the woman asked over her shoulder. She folded her hands together behind her back as she continued to walk. "Indeed, Sith are evil by our societal standards. They kill for the fun of it. They destroy countless lives on whim. But is the galaxy evil for terrible solar flares? Is an ocean evil for a hurricane? The Force philosophy of the Sith encourages survival of the fittest, correct?"

"And since the Force is... the source of life, one could compare the Light Side with stasis, the attempts to keep oneself the same, and the Dark Side with change, the growth resulting from disaster," Theron said. "Neither wholly bad, neither wholly good."

"Ah, you are smarter than I gave you credit, pretty boy," the Doctor said. "That is indeed a... facet of our hypothesis. Just think that, perhaps, the Dark Side exists not to destroy, but to challenge the Light Side to grow. Stagnation from stasis can lead as much to destruction as overwhelming chaos."

Rhen shook his head. "I refuse to believe the Dark Side could be good," he said.

"Then you refuse to ponder the possibilities – the histories. This is a hypocrisy common amongst your so-called 'philosophic' order," Cynez retorted without even glancing back at the twi'lek. Behind his goggles, Rhen glared at the woman. "Just remember for a moment that you are merely a player in the latest cycle of the galaxy – destruction and reformation of the Jedi and Sith has echoed through history countless times. Darth Revan, thousands of years ago, Darth Vader, two centuries ago, and even Darth Krayt, just eight decades ago. Your order has changed much... for the better, one could argue. You, the descendant of a Jedi, stand as proof of change from the policies of the order two hundred years ago. Evolutions brought about by the challenge of the Dark Side."

Rhen opened his mouth to argue, "Are you trying to say that Palpatine was good for the galaxy?"

"Well, the Imperial Knights came out of it," Ana replied. "Krayt may have won without us to help stop him!"

"He never would have taken over if it weren't for your moffs!" Rhen retorted.

"He had been planning for over a century. He would have found victory through the mere fact your order had no knowledge of his," Cynez told the twi'lek. His blue skinned blushed angrily into a purple. Still, he remained quiet. He had no retort at that moment.

"Here we are," Cynez said a few minutes later. She gestured with both arms at the huge structure before her. "The Great Sith Academy of Darth Revan."

No... this isn't good – Theron, the Force signature, I know it. If you go in there, you will face someone who died in the middle of the First Jedi Purge. A woman who feared change, that which she did not understand, so much that she exiled a great Jedi and... I fear what may have become of Master Vash. Revan's voice was both fearful and sad. She was very powerful, and Jedi today... Let's just say lightsaber technique today is like watching a child swing a toy.

Theron considered the words carefully. "What you found," he began. Cynez turned to him. "Was it a woman?"

The archeologist remained silent, considering Theron with calculating eyes. "Yes. DNA testing revealed that she is, accounting for degradation over time, a 99.98 percent match for DNA tested from a skeleton three days earlier. But she hasn't moved or woken up since she appeared."

Theron sighed and grabbed his lightsaber from his hip. He did not activate it, but said, "She's about to."

SWSWSWSWSW

The main alcove of the Sith Academy was eerily quiet and dark. The motors of a guard droid whirred a few meters away as it walked towards the organics that had just entered. "Greeting, Dr. Cynez. Who are these organics with you?"

"Guests, Enjee. They have full access to the site," the woman replied. She walked past the droid.

"Understood ma'am. I will have to take their weapons, however," the droid said. "Protocol."

"Override that – a Sith attacked the research station, and they are investigating a possible threat on-site," the archeologist commanded. The droid whirred for a moment before beeping in affirmation. The doctor looked back at the crew of the Eagle. "Follow me."

"This woman has been in healthy condition since we found her," Cynez explained as she walked. She took a light from her belt and flashed the beam into the darkness. "But whenever we try to move her, she resists. She hasn't woken up, but... it's like she's trying to stay here."

"Or wait here," Theron suggested. His saber was still in his hand and his grip on it was like iron. Beneath his gloved hand, his knuckles were white. A cramp ran through his hand, and he loosened his grip with a grimace behind his mask.

"For us?" Van asked.

"For something." Theron felt the brightness of the Light Side energy almost blinding him as he continued following Cynez. He hoped that the unknown woman wasn't waiting for them – and if she was, that she would help them. With my luck, she'll try and kill us all.

Why would you say that? Why would you possible think that? That's like saying to the Force, 'Hey, you know all those times you sent something terrifying after me? Yeah, do that again!' Revan whined in Theron's head. The young man snickered to himself in fearful agreement, but shoved the voice from his mind. He had to concentrate.

Theron sighed to himself as he entered the side room – an ancient torture room – where the only thing in the room was a woman, mid forties, wearing Jedi robes. The woman was on the ground, in the middle of a circle of stone that could only be described as "younger" than the stone floor around it. She wasn't asleep, though. The woman was sitting up straight with her legs crossed, meditating like almost every Jedi ever. "Clichéd much?" Theron asked.

The woman's eyes opened, full of confusion. For a moment. As soon as her eyes landed on Theron, those same eyes widened and she jumped to her feet. Her hand flew to her belt and a blue lightsaber hummed into existence. "Darth Revan! We meet again," the woman uttered calmly. She adopted an aggressive stance.

"Wow, that's a common case of mistaken identity. Apparently," Theron sighed. He brought one hand up to his face and pulled the mask off. He pocketed the artifact and raised his eyebrows at the woman, who was studying his face. "I'm not Revan. Well, I'm not your Revan."

The woman kept staring at Theron. "Who are you and how do you have that mask?" she asked. She hadn't moved from her attack stance – in fact, she had not even shifted her weight. She was perfectly in balance.

"He stole it," Rhen began.

Theron cut him off. "I inherited it," he said incredulously. He jabbed his index finger at his friend, half snapping at Rhen and half explaining to the odd Jedi woman.

"You are Sith, then?" the woman asked. She stared into Theron's eyes, and he immediately knew the time for joking had gone. "You killed your master in battle and took his place?"

"No," Theron said through a snort of laughter. He sighed and placed his saber onto his belt. "Look, you have to come with us. You nee -"

As Theron advanced on the woman, her eyes widened. "I will not let a Sith capture one of the last Jedi Masters!" she stated. She jumped forward, just past Theron's arms. She kicked her right leg out and used Theron's flailing body as a kickboard. Fortunately, Ana was able to place herself in the Jedi's path and capture her. Theron appeared at Ana's side and grabbed one of the Jedi's arms. The woman began pulling at her captors, struggling to escape.

"Master Jedi, please, calm down!" Ana shouted. "We're not Sith!"

The woman slowed and calmed down. Her arms stopped pulling against Theron's and Ana's joint grip, and she considered the two carefully. "Then who are you?"

"My name is Rhen Vao. I am a Jedi. This is Van, he's an Alliance pilot. She's Ana, an Imperial Knight. And he's Theron... unaffiliated?" Rhen explained. "And this other woman is Doctor Cynez – she's the archeologist who found you."

The woman looked around. "So these two are not Sith, but neither are they Jedi?" she glanced at the two holding her.

"No," Rhen said. "They're not Sith or Jedi."

"I see..." the woman said. She ignited her blue saber and slammed her elbow into Ana's head. Theron ignited his saber, but was quickly knocked out by a few deft strokes and a powerful Force blast. "Then that means the galaxy has been corrupted by the Dark Side. If they do not follow the will of the council, they are evil, just like Revan and his kind. Jedi Vao, take me to the council."

Rhen snarled and glanced between his unconscious friends. "No way! My dad and the other masters won't help someone who attacked an Imperial Knight for no reason!" Doctor Cynez was backing away slowly, afraid for her life.

"Your father is on the council? He had a child, a wife? Just like Revan, then. The order has been corrupted by his teachings, and I will not allow this."

"Listen, lady," Rhen began as he ignited his saber, "I'm not going to let some half-fallen schutta destroy the Je-"

"You will call me Master Vash," the woman said, a steely but definitely not Dark edge to her voice. She twirled her blue saber around her body and pointed it at Rhen. "And I am not fallen. You are."

She rushed forward, blue blade swinging to destroy the impure Jedi Knight before her.