Finding Carth turned out to be easier than expected.

The moment Mission and I stepped back into the Sith Academy, someone grabbed my shoulder.

"There you are!" A dark masked soldier leered over me. "Force, I was looking all over for you." Carth's voice was clear behind the mask of the uniform. He let me go immediately. "Mission, are you alright?" She responded with a weak nod. Which meant "no." Not after what we just witnessed. Carth paused—he didn't believe her either. "Look, we'll talk later. Follow me."

He opened the doors to the temple and led us outside once more.

Night had fallen and with it, silence. There weren't many insects on this world nor was there any bustle from speeders which only made the distant echo of something within the valley more disquieting. I had to use the Force to make sure I didn't trip—even the stars and moons barely lit up the sky to navigate. Carth must have had night vision in that visor of his since Mission had to resort to holding my arm as a guide.

Eventually, we'd left the valley entirely and started hiking into the crags.

"Carth, where the hell are you taking us?" I asked.

"Shh!"

Huh. Guess he was the one keeping secrets now…

The crags were tall, winding, empty—it was a maze. We hiked until Carth arrived at the mouth of a large cave—the dark side pooled like ice near the entrance. It was at this point when Carth took out an energy torch and pointed the blue beam at the cave.

"It's too dangerous for us to bunk in the Academy itself—too many chances for us to be discovered—so Verena brought us out here to these caves."

"Comfy."

He ignored Mission's sarcastic quip.

We traveled deep into the depths of the cave, and as we walked there was a distinct…stench. I chanced a look down at our feet and bones of numerous creatures or humanoids littered the ground. This wasn't just any cave, it was a kriffing nest. And the cold that was the dark side caused the hairs on my head to stand on end.

Fortunately, our hike ended after we squeezed into a large cavern. Canderous sat at a fire drinking from a rusty can and Verena stopped pacing by the rock wall once she saw us. A groundwater supply dripped from the ceiling and…

"Whoa!"

Mission hopped back once Carth lit up an enormous skull of a terentatek. Beside them were two humanoid skeletons—since they were not devoured or chewed on they more than likely helped kill the beast.

Canderous chuckled at Mission.

"Nice, huh? Reminds me of home…"

Verena grimaced. "Mandalorians decorate their homes with corpses?"

"Sure. Bones. Hides. Furs."

"Disgusting."

Canderous snorted. "Not like an Echani would understand. Your crazy sister had those prissy statues and fountains. They weren't won or hunted or—"

Carth cleared his throat. "Can we talk about something else? Please?"

The Mando sighed then stirred the fire while muttering. Verena walked over to us with crossed arms. She didn't look me in the eye.

"They didn't question us as we walked in. We can probably keep up the ruse as long as we stay quiet and avoid dark Jedi. If they sense our thoughts, our cover is blown. This cave was used to raise terentatek back during Exar Kun's war. No one should be able to sense us here so we should be safe."

I nodded. "Right—then we'll sneak out here to check up on you guys."

"I'm not doing this for you, remember that," she spat out at me. "My priority is to stop the hunters from kidnapping more Force sensitives. I already saw one being brought in—they take them to the prison cells in the basements. I could plan an escape."

I rubbed my chin. "I can have HK—"

"I already told you that I don't want your help. And I'm not letting your assassination droid—the one that helped kill Yusanis—help me of all things. Thanks."

Oh. Right. Well…HK could still help even if the Echani wasn't going to accept it. He was sneaky at times and what Verena didn't know wouldn't hurt.

I faced both Carth and Canderous and told them about everything that happened while they were gone while avoiding the Dustil topic for now. I mentioned the fact that we would have to search the entire valley without the aid of the head of the Academy as we intended. Neither of them sounded too happy about that. Carth told them about the Lord of Pain...in detail.

"What…was that?"

Carth asked Verena so she was more likely to answer. And she did.

"While I was here, no one knew much of anything. Not even his name—he was just a Sith from Exar Kun's days that stayed out of the way. Whatever ritual he's performing it must have been done in secret until now…"

"Do you think…Revan knew about it?" I asked yet I didn't want to know. "Was it his idea?"

Verena sneered. "Who do you think took those children away from their mothers in the first place? And I don't know…but you normally didn't hesitate in doing cruel things as long as it strengthened the Sith. So, more than likely, yes, you knew, Revan."

Yeah, I really shouldn't have asked.

Canderous called out from the campfire.

"I don't give two kriffs about some ghoul. What about those Mandalorians you ran into? What did they want?"

Mission answered. "They were fighting that Sith lady about looking for some mask."

"Ah, of course they were." Canderous growled a phrase in Mando'a. "We should stay out of their way if they show up again."

I paused in thought, crossing my arms.

"Or maybe not." I paced towards the bones—Mando decorations, huh? "Those Mandalorians must have searched at least a few dozen of these tombs if they were looking for Mandalore's mask. So, maybe they know something."

"Pipsqueak…I know I said I'd follow you no matter what, and I will, but meddling with a clan is not a good idea. Especially if the one leading them is who I think it is."

"You think it's Veela?" I stared at Canderous' tightened expression then, after a long pause, I snorted. "Don't tell me you're afraid of your wife of all people."

"No—" Canderous stopped once he saw Verena and Carth were giving him humored smiles. He growled to himself in Mando'a again then stood from the fireside. "Fine, I can track them down and ask. I doubt Veela listened to the Sith so they will be breaking in at night."

"I'll come with you."

That was Carth. He stepped forward and grabbed a rifle that they had likely stolen off the side of the cave wall. Canderous nodded, yet, before they left, I stopped Carth with a raised hand.

"Before that..."

He narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"We found your son. He's alive."

Carth remained silent for a long time. Shocked? Horrified? He eventually moved to stare at Verena who watched the side of the cave once Dustil was mentioned.

"Where is he?"

Carth's voice had become stoic. So much so, that I hesitated before I responded.

"He's bunking with us, but…"

"Take me to him. Now."

I paused. "Now?"

"We have all night."

He really wanted to do this?

"We need to be cautious. Maybe we should come up with a plan first."

Carth laughed once. "Oh, now you want to be cautious when this is my son we're talking about?"

"If we want him on our side, yes, we need to be careful…" I took a deep breath—knowing that Carth wasn't going to like what I said next. "He's a Sith, Carth. An actual Sith. He didn't particularly like it when I called him Onasi. So, I'm not too sure he'll appreciate seeing you."

Carth narrowed his eyes. "He was just scared that you knew his name. He's acting like a Sith to protect himself like you are. There's no way he would have betrayed the Republic. I'm his father."

I sneered. "Sons rebel against their fathers all the time."

"But not Dustil." Carth walked closer to me, enough so that we were eye to eye. "Take me to him. Now."

"Why do you want my help?" I stepped back, away from Carth. "How exactly could I help? If the Sith find out you're a Republic soldier and I'm standing next to you, may as well kiss the Star Map goodbye. And the Star Map is more important than your son. Sorry. If you're going to convince Dustil to help us, you're going to have to do it alone."

Carth's tense expression relaxed and his eyes glazed over. I could tell he wanted to argue with me, but perhaps one of my points made sense.

"You're right. Why am I asking you for help? Dustil being here is your fault, Revan."

A flinched after he called me that…even though I told him to do so.

"So, you lied to me back on the Ebon Hawk. I am still Revan to you." I sneered. "Or maybe I'm only Wes when it's convenient for your conscience."

He took a step back once he realized the mistake. Mission stared up at Carth with accusations in her eyes. Canderous interrupted the awkward silence by slinging his blaster rifle over his shoulder with a loud sigh.

"Are you ladies done arguing?"

Verena hesitated before she put on her helmet. Her voice was fragile behind the steel.

"You know, Onasi, I'm the one who brought your son here in the first place. I could—"

The pilot didn't bother listening. He threw the Sith helmet on and marched out of the cave.

It took five minutes of walking in the empty Academy halls when I sensed it. Someone was following us. A Sith soldier was glaring at me from around the corner. Mission must have noticed that something was off.

"Wes?"

"Stop following us."

Fortunately, since it was late, no one was in the halls to hear me say that to Carth. He didn't move from behind the corner for a minute before he strode out.

"Don't worry. Dustil won't know that I know you."

I scoffed then marched down the hall again. Mission ran beside me.

"What was that for?"

She sounded confused, yet why was she when it was obvious why Carth of all people pissed me off?

"Forget it. Just ignore him when he confronts Dustil, alright?"

"So, you…you really don't want to help him?"

"Hell no."

"I meant Dustil. You won't help him? That Sith lady was throwing him around like crazy…"

I stopped before we entered the dorm room. Mission looked up at me with shimmering eyes. The truth was Carth was right. It was my fault that Dustil was here in the first place. I was trying to fix this by finding the Star Map. Wasn't Dustil and the kidnapped children part of Revan's past mistakes?

I didn't answer Mission, my thoughts were ringing too loudly in my head, so instead, I entered the dorm room. Dustil had returned while we were gone. HK-47, Juhani, and Jolee were nowhere to be found as well as the two other Sith students that were supposed to bunk with us. The young man shot me a glare as he fiddled with his lightsaber—he heeded my advice and got a new lens, looks like.

Carth marched into the room after us without hesitating—a man on a mission. He stopped walking once he saw Dustil who gave him a suspicious stare. The look on Dustil's face changed from confusion to hatred when Carth removed his helmet. Carth's son shot up from his bed, abandoning his project.

"Father." He shot him a glare. "Figures that you'd show up after all this time. How did you get inside the Academy?"

"Does it matter? I'm here to rescue my son."

Dustil rolled his eyes and sat back down, picking up his broken lightsaber again.

"Couldn't have gotten blown up on some ship and spared us the reunion…"

"...what?" Carth didn't say anything for a moment until his face twisted. "What are you talking about? I thought you were dead!"

"Too bad you didn't still think that. Or did you really think I would be happy to see you?" He waved at us. "Look, everyone! It's Father, come to rescue me at long last! Sure, he may have left Mother and I to die on Telos, but that doesn't matter!"

"No, I didn't abandon you! The task force just arrived too late. Telos was in ruins and your mother... I held her while... But after that, I looked for you. I swear I looked everywhere—"

"Shut up. Stop lying. You abandoned us long before Telos was destroyed anyway. We were alone all during the wars, and even once you came back you still didn't stay."

"I didn't have a choice, Dustil. The Sith were attacking, I was needed—"

"Yeah? Well, you were needed at home too. You were needed when the bombing started and I got captured." He snorted then placed his lightsaber down again. "You know what? It doesn't matter. Not anymore. I have a new family now, a family that actually cares about me. I don't need you."

"You mean the Sith? No, the Sith killed your mother! The Sith destroyed Telos!"

"So? You're the soldier, Father. How many mothers have you killed?"

He looked at me, only briefly, before he took a step back, holding his head while leaning against the wall.

"No, you've been brainwashed. The son I raised would never—"

"You never raised me!" Dustil waved a hand at his father. "You weren't even there to know me, so don't presume to tell me what I would or wouldn't do! I was there all alone with Mother. If I had been able to use the dark side back then I would have saved her!"

Something within Carth snapped at that moment. An almost instinctual terror wafted throughout the room. He rushed up to Dustil and grabbed his arm.

"You're coming with me. Now."

Dustil responded as I expected. He raised his hand and pushed his father away using the Force. Carth collided with the wall and slid to the ground. Dustil's hand shook and a glimmer of yellow reflected within the boy's eyes. Blood ran down Carth's head. Concussed, yet he still sat up as if he hadn't been affected.

"I went to war for you, Dustil." Carth's voice cracked. "For your freedom, your future."

"No, you never wanted to come home. You fought for yourself. For glory." Dustil snorted. "Well, the Sith can do that, too. We learn to fight...and to kill. You want to see what I've learned, 'Father'?" He raised his hand. "Here's a taste."

Sparks crackled from Dustil's fingertips and a second later a bolt of Force lightning shot from his hand onto Carth. The pilot screamed out in pain as the bolts traveled through his nervous system. Mission tried to run past me to help him, yet I raised my hand and stopped her in her tracks.

"Wes! You have to…do something!"

We couldn't. If we helped him then Dustil would become suspicious.

Pain. It radiated through the Force. Dustil wasn't stopping. The lightning only grew stronger, hotter, brighter as he hurt his father.

"How pathetic! It's embarrassing that I'm related to you!" Dustil shouted over the crack of the lightning.

The pain intensified. Carth's eyes glimmered as if tears were starting to gather there. He was begging for me to help him with those eyes. Should I help him? Dustil was right to feel the way he felt, in a way. Right? He was abandoned, alone. The dark side only made him stronger.

A voice rang in my ears. A voice that sounded eerily like Bastila.

But doesn't he deserve to have a second chance?

I shoved Dustil with the Force and the lightning ceased. I held the boy on the ground and he glared up at me, confused.

"Let me go!" He struggled only for a moment before realization crossed his eyes. "Y-You know my father, don't you?" Once he realized I wasn't going to answer, he spat at Carth again. "Get out!" One of the bedside tables flew at the pilot who was prone on the ground. Fortunately, I was able to bat it away. "Get out before I tell the Sith that you're here!"

Carth groaned, somehow still conscious, then struggled onto his feet. He gave me a solid, careful stare—pain was still in his eyes—before he covered that stare with his helm. He didn't say anything else to either of us as he limped out of the room.

Once he left, I finally let Dustil go. He stumbled to his feet then curled a lip back at me. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm…I'm Wes Gale."

"You're a Republic spy. You knew my father's name and you saved his life." I was about to think of some reason as to why I defended Carth, yet Dustil sank back. "Let's make a deal—I won't tell the others that you're a spy if you keep quiet about me being the son of a Republic soldier. Master Uthar would kill me if he knew…"

"Why did you try to kill your father? He was only trying to help you…"

Dustil's sneer deepened in his face. "I don't need his help! Not anymore. Father thinks the Sith are evil but they gave me everything I needed to survive. The dark side was more of a father to me than Commander Carth Onasi ever was."

"You don't need the dark side to be strong." Mission looked up at me, smiling. "And there's nothing wrong with being weak, not if there are others there to help you."

"My father wasn't there to help me." Dustil's words caused Mission to shrink back. "I had no one."

"But…"

Mission rubbed her arm, at a loss for words, so I filled in.

"That doesn't matter. The dark side isn't worth it," I said.

"Oh it isn't? Prove it." He snorted when I didn't answer. I…couldn't answer because I wasn't even sure if that was true. "You can't, can you? Maybe a part of you believes it too, Jedi. Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Father fought in the army for peace, but peace never came, did it?"

No. It didn't.

With a single huff, Dustil laid on his bed, facing the wall, stewing in his misery.

"We should go to the Council about this."

Malak's naive blue eyes were like the still lakes found on Dantooine. We just left Dantooine's surface, yet even still I didn't want to look out. Home…was it even home anymore? In any case, it was a painful reminder.

"No."

"Revan." The hum from the ship was Malak's only response. "It wouldn't hurt to ask them about the Star Forge. They might refuse us, yes, but maybe—"

"They're the reason I'm even considering it." I spun in my chair so that I could face the windows. The stars swirled about the green planet—somewhere, out there, was the Star Forge. "We lost too many Jedi on Dxun. I appealed to the Council for aid last week yet they still refuse. So you will tell them nothing." I snorted. "And they wouldn't understand. The Star Forge is a dark side artifact. They'd destroy it even if using it would save the kriffing galaxy."

"But what if there's a way to use it without falling to temptation? A way to resist? The Council might—"

I turned and bore a glare onto Malak. He took a step back when he noticed my intensity through the Force. I stood and walked slowly up to him.

"If you can't do what needs to be done then you can leave if you want. But tell me—would the Jedi welcome you back? No. They would throw you away after everything we've done. No amount of pathetic begging would change their minds. Why would it? They already think we've fallen to the dark side. So, while you could go back…what would be the point?"

"Revan. I'm…" Malak's blue eyes glistened. "I'm…sorry." He laughed. "You're right. You're always right. What was I even thinking? And I-I would never abandon you like the Jedi did. Never—"

"Uh, hey, kid? Time to wake up."

Something shoved my shoulder. I hadn't…meant to sleep. A memory. Another memory. No. I woke up with a gasp and pushed up off the floor. They did something. They used the Force to restore my memories after I told them not to. I let out a shout and shoved Jolee up against the wall, grabbing him by his robes. Even though I'd lifted him off the ground, the old man didn't even look concerned.

He raised his hands. "It's alright. Calm down. You're—"

"I told you not to!"

"Not to what?"

"To use the Force on—!"

—my mind.

Jolee placed a hand on my shoulder—dark eyes pained.

"I didn't…that was all you, kid."

I hissed at his face. "How am I supposed to know?"

"Well, easy. You have to trust me." He patted my shoulder. "And I'm not one to use the Force like that on someone while they're unconscious."

All of the tendons in my muscles untensed until I finally let Jolee down. I let out a long, tired sigh, rubbing my crusty face.

"Sorry, Jolee…"

He swiped his shoulder of dust. "No worries—I don't envy the dreams you have." He studied me as if pondering whether or not he should ask. But this was Jolee—he asked anyway. "What…did you dream about?"

"It was…" I shook my head. "Just Malak. A dream about Malak."

"What about Malak?"

"He…" I couldn't focus on my surroundings as a headache began to burn my skull. "It's not important, alright? Nothing about the Star Map."

"Alright." Jolee waved at the corner at the fresher. "Go on—freshen up. Mission told us everything that happened."

I must have passed out watching her. Stupid. Someone could have walked in and killed her.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Well, you need all the sleep you can get and I doubt we could have woken you up if we tried." He smiled. "Juhani went ahead with Carth's kid to the training halls and Mission went with them. I stayed behind to wake you. Your first lesson starts soon. Now I know you have a habit of being late, but probably should try not pissing off that crazy Sith woman, eh?"

Of course. We needed to keep up appearances. Speaking of appearances…

"And where's HK?"

I had a mission for him, after all.

"No idea. Honestly, it was a bad idea to let that evil machine loose in here."

I sighed, still tired. Despite what he said, I felt like I had next to no sleep. I entered the fresher and left the door open. The fresher hadn't been cleaned for days based on the dust on the sink and the shower head was leaking…brown rusted water. I grimaced and decided against a shower.

"By the way…" My voice trailed as I cleaned my face. "Did you find anything yesterday?"

"I found the Head of the Academy's office. Tried to break in but the damn thing was locked."

I flicked water away from my eyes so that I could glare at the old man.

"I told you to snoop around—not break into places."

"Isn't that what snooping around means?"

"But why are you trying that first? Are you crazy?"

"I thought that was already established." I narrowed my eyes but he continued before I snapped back. "And you aren't keen on trying to remember anything more about the Star Map so I have no choice."

"We have more than enough leads before we resort to…that."

"But how much time do we have?" Jolee searched my eyes. "The longer Bastila is in Malak's hands, the worse—"

"I know," I snapped. Then, I took a deep breath. "Fine. Keep trying. Whatever you think is best. Just…be careful, alright?"

"Always am."

I had a feeling that even though I worried about Jolee getting into trouble, he would find a way to get out of it. He had been a smuggler himself back in the day, after all.

The layout of the Sith Academy, while dark and dusty, was fairly straightforward. The training rooms were marked by two Sith soldiers who made no movements as I walked by. Within, a gaggle of around twenty dark Jedi recruits stood on flimsy mats. Most of them were young, teenagers, while others were older. I'd made it with some time to spare. Juhani stood near the back while Mission stuck by her like a shadow. Dustil noticed I'd arrived as well and made sure to glare at me as I approached.

"Hey…"

"Gale." Juhani nodded to the front of the room. "We have been waiting for the Masters—"

"Hey, tough guy."

I turned to the side. Mekel sneered down at me with a long smirk on his face and his handler, Lashowe, was watching us in the corner of the training hall. Next to him was a scrawny man with frizzy hair and a deep scowl. The stranger gaped as soon as he saw us…as if he recognized…

"Why are you here?" Mekel asked, interrupting whatever the stranger was going to say.

I shrugged. "Same as you."

"Doubt that, Jedi. You lot from Dantooine and Coruscant have it easy—never faced any real adversity."

"He's faced plenty of adversity, sleemo!" Mission shouted, pointing a finger at his chest. I pushed her back with a hand and a sharp glare.

Mekel chuckled. "Why do you have a kid hanging around? Are you her babysitter?"

Mission was about to go off on him and I was about to "discipline" her (since she was supposed to be my "slave"), but Juhani thankfully interrupted me.

"D-Dak? Dak Vesser?"

The frizzy-haired Sith student sneered.

"Juhani. What are you doing here? I thought you decided not to come with me."

What?

"I…" Juhani looked off to the side after she noticed my confused stare. "So, you truly fell to the dark side? You were serious?"

"Of course I was serious!" His shouting caused the room to quiet. Dak gave the crowd of students one look back before ignoring them. "And I didn't 'fall', Juhani. I had my eyes opened." The Cathar sneered and Dak sneered back. "Don't look at me like that. Since you're here, you obviously have your doubts. You had them when I last saw you, in fact."

"I was. I…still do. Of course." Juhani's body sank after she told that lie. I wanted to help but I still had no idea what was going on. "Dak, you…"

"You're here for her, aren't you?"

Juhani's brow scrunched.

"Her?"

"Belaya." Dak rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't join the Sith with me…but you would for her, wouldn't you?"

"B-Belaya is here?"

Juhani's voice broke with the realization and the group of students began whispering with amusement. Then, a white blur dashed and tackled Dak to the ground. Everyone in the room crowded them and Lashowe stopped leaning against the wall to look closer. Dak coughed as Juhani pinned him with her sharp elbow, baring her teeth.

"Where is she?"

I rushed over and kneeled so that I could try to stop her from causing a scene but she shook me away.

Dak laughed.

"Ah, well, you see, she came to the Academy a few weeks ago. I hated the competition, so—"

"You killed her?"

Dak sucked in a deep breath. "N-No! I…let me finish! I would have killed her but she disappeared a few days ago in Tulak Hord's tomb trying to gain some prestige before the trial. We figured the tuk'ata got to her…"

Juhani growled then stood…just so that she could stomp on his chest.

"She isn't dead. I would have felt it."

Dak sighed and didn't bother struggling anymore.

"Look, I know these tombs. Your lover is dead."

There was a glint in Juhani's eyes.

Mekel snorted.

"The Cathar will be the first to die, I think. Too sensitive."

Dak rolled his eyes. "Like you aren't going after Lashowe's ass…by the way, she'll kill you before she lets you fuck her."

Mekel responded to the insult fast—by throwing a kriffing knife. Dak didn't move after it stabbed the floor a foot away from his thigh. Mekel tilted his head with a wide smirk.

"Whoops. I was aiming for the groin."

He picked up the knife and marched away back to Lashowe. Dak groaned as he stood back up. Now that the action was over, the Sith students went back to gossiping. I went to ask Juhani what the hell just happened, yet Master Uthar and Yuthura chose that moment to enter the room.

All of the students quieted as soon as they saw their master and stood before them on the mat. I followed their lead but stuck with Juhani who hadn't looked up from her feet. Mission smartly hid in the corner.

Uthar paced back and forth before the students as if inspecting them. He briefly met my gaze and that's when he stopped.

"You know what I will be discussing today." He paced to the left, slowly, boots thudding against the dry mats. "I've trained some of you for years, some of you for months. You all have the potential to become a true Sith. Only some of you will realize that potential. The yearly trial is upon us. All of you have been earning prestige this past year and while some are close, no one has reached the requirement of one hundred points. If you do not earn these prestige points, they will be reset and you must wait until next year to try again...if you survive." He smirked. "My pupil, Yuthura, will be your teacher and master while you attempt to prove yourselves to me. Heed her words."

Yuthura nodded and stepped forward, clasping her hands behind her back. Uthar stepped back and then stood menacingly in the corner. He said nothing else.

"As Master Uthar said, none of you have enough prestige points to enter the trials. This week, I will be leading and observing the morning lessons and giving out prestige. In the afternoon, you will learn from Master Uthar. Our newly initiated may be wondering…how exactly do you earn prestige? Well, you must learn that for yourselves by studying and reviewing the Sith code. Not just the words but the meaning.

"Remember, you are competitors here. If you are found lacking compared to the others then you will receive no prestige. With that being said, there are no rules. You may kill or deceive to gain Uthar or my support so long as you heed the Sith code. Fight for what is yours or die. Any acts of mercy or weakness will result in a loss of prestige." A small smile graced her face. "You have a week to prove yourselves. It starts now."

She waved at one of the students in the front—Dak. "You will allow me to sense your thoughts—peer into your mind. Reveal your darkness. I will award prestige points to those who have allowed the dark side into their beings."

Oh…well, this was going to be complicated. The students all muttered to themselves at Yuthura's demand. Uthar remained in the corner, crossing his arms. Yuthura might have already sensed some of my intentions back in the cantina, yet I couldn't let her peer too closely. Which meant I needed to create a thought shield…

"I know I said I wouldn't lecture, but you cannot create a thought shield if you emotionally react to what I show you. If a dark Jedi knows how to send painful thoughts your way...you need to stay composed."

I took a deep breath. Yuthura shot me a strange look. Composed. I didn't need these points anyway, so I was going to make sure the Sith saw nothing. I glanced to the side at Juhani. She was staring hard at Dak…probably worried about what he could reveal. Dak strode up to the front and Juhani shrank back as he did. His lazy expression and plain face didn't change as Yuthura ordered him to sit on his knees.

Juhani muttered. "This isn't going to end well…"

"Why?" I asked. "Because he knows about Belaya? How…exactly does he know about you and her anyway?"

"Dak and I were both Padawans...we joined the Order at the same time. He was a kind man, but frustrated. He asked the Council to go explore the ruins but they always refused him. He…felt the Jedi were too controlling, more so than I did. When he decided to leave the Order a year ago, he asked me to come with him. He...he said he loved me."

Oh.

"But you didn't love him."

"No. Of course not. He was angry at my refusal—both to his confession and to his request to leave the Order."

"You think he will be a problem? Will he try to stop us from finding Belaya?"

Before Juhani could answer, Yuthura closed her eyes and held her pale hand over Dak. His lazy expression shifted and his eyebrows creased as…whatever Yuthura was doing started to affect him. Sweat beaded down his forehead.

"Dak Vesser. I sense passion in your heart. Passion for knowledge. I also sense anger…rejection. Love. It poisons your mind." She released Dak and he gasped on the floor. Some of the students laughed. Yuthura sneered down at him. "Weak—you refuse to succumb to the dark side. Because of this, you will not be awarded prestige."

Juhani had a wistful expression on her face.

"Hopefully not."

For the next hour, Yuthura had the Sith students kneel before her so that she could judge their minds. Most were disappointments to the Sith Master and to Master Uthar by extension who hadn't commented once. Anger at the Jedi hadn't been enough for her nor had pain or trauma or self-doubt. Half of the room had knelt before Yuthura and none had been awarded prestige.

Dustil eventually had a turn. The kid winced as Yuthura broke his mind. She shook her head.

"You wish to prove yourself yet you also lack confidence in using the dark side. It means your devotion is lacking. No prestige."

Dustil glared at Yuthura as he walked away. He along with the other students who failed.

Lashowe was next. She smirked as she knelt before the Sith Twi'lek. Yuthura responded as she always did by holding her hand up. Unlike the other students, Lashowe didn't squint in pain. A smile still carved her face.

Yuthura's expression dipped. "Brash and ambitious. Yes, you use the dark side well. Yet do you use it to gain prestige? Your foes are always weaker than yourself. You choose the easy path." Yuthura lowered her hand. "And this is why I will not award any prestige to you now."

That caused Lashowe to shoot up onto her feet, her face reddened in anger.

"What authority do you have over us anyway?" She snorted, then faced the students that had been judged. She waved at Uthar. "Master Uthar is the one we should be appealing to, not his weak apprentice."

"Exactly." Mekel echoed his leader. "Why hasn't anyone earned at least some prestige yet? It's odd. "

"I think it's because Master Yuthura doesn't want us to become Sith to protect her standing." Lashowe smirked. "She's threatened by us." The failed students nodded and shouted similar statements. It gave Lashowe the confidence to grab her lightsaber. "You know, if we all attack her all at once I'm sure Master Uthar would reward us—"

A whoosh of wind interrupted Lashowe. A teenage girl sailed across the room with the Force and slammed with tremendous power into the wall. She hadn't even let out a scream before her head cracked open like a ripe fruit. Blood and pus dripped from the student's mangled head. Her broken body fell to the ground.

We didn't say a word after Yuthura murdered one of her own students.

Then, she laughed.

"You forgot your first lesson, initiate. For the weak, ambition requires obedience. Kill me? Don't make me laugh. Do you know why I chose to kill that girl? She had the most prestige in this room—ninety-three points. I could smash all of your bones, one at a time, and you would beg me to end it. You aren't as powerful as you think you are, Lashowe. No. You are weak."

A droid rolled into the room and picked up the corpse as if it had been trash left out on a skywalk. Once again, I felt a tinge of anger, of disgust, at Yuthura. She didn't even let the poor girl have a chance. Dead without remorse. Lashowe let a bead of sweat fall and finally, an expression of terror marked her face.

Yuthura called for the next initiate. Lashowe didn't say a word as Mekel replaced her. The Sith Twi'lek also judged him to be wanting.

Finally, only Juhani and I remained. None of the students moved after the death of one of their own. It was a cruel yet…smart tactic. Moments ago, they all had thoughts of rebellion yet the threat of death that was Yuthura kept them in line.

I started to worry as Yuthura waved her hand over the Cathar. Hopefully, Juhani would be strong enough to resist…

"Hmm, also rash yet not arrogant. I sense pain—yes, you've tasted the dark side before." Yuthura sighed. Juhani's face tightened and I could feel her trying her hardest to resist the Sith, yet she wasn't strong enough. "Before being the key word. I sense little conflict within you. Not enough to earn prestige."

She released Juhani and she let out a ragged breath. Juhani got onto her feet and shot back into the group of students. Fortunately, Yuthura hadn't found anything particularly damning—Juhani succeeded at least a little.

"Wes Gale. We don't have all day."

Unease. I ignored that feeling and approached the Sith Twi'lek and knelt before her. Her pale hand shadowed my face. I felt it before I could close my eyes—touched my mind. Tendrils of darkness tried to pry at my memories just like Revan had done to that Selkath. Yet I wouldn't let her. Couldn't let her.

"I…sense…"

Running…fast across the burning fields. Mandalorians—

No. It wasn't real.

Get out of my head.

The pain went away. With it, were sad, gray eyes. Bastila. I cleared my mind exactly as she taught me.

"Revan invaded your mind?"

Fear...terror…

"Many times."

"Nothing." Yuthura's declaration caused the other students to mutter to each other. I let out a shaky breath and dared to look up at Yuthura. She was giving me an odd look. "You're using a thought shield. Why?"

I spent only a second deliberating my answer.

"I'm not that interesting."

Yuthura's eyebrow raised. "If you don't let me look into your mind, I will not give you prestige."

"If that's true, then I don't want it." I took another shaky breath. "Anything you see within my mind would only be used against me, wouldn't it?"

Silence.

Then, Yuthura smiled—it wasn't like the one given after killing that student. It was the smile of someone allured. But I didn't want to be alluring to a Sith.

"How funny. Gale has only been here for one day and he knows the Sith code more than all of you pathetic worms combined. You trusted me far too easily with your mind. That is why I never gave you prestige." She held out her hand and I hesitated before I took it to stand. "Five points. You have a long way to go, initiate, but we all start somewhere."

I didn't get a chance to respond. She addressed the class again. "This lesson is over. For the next hour, you will find a partner and spare. Master Uthar will observe." Before I went to fight Juhani, Yuthura waved at me again. "Gale." She pointed at my hip. "Not with those. This way."

I had no choice. I gave Juhani and Mission a look and they got the message to stay behind as I followed the dangerous Sith Master into the next room.

The armory was filled with weapons of all sorts. Blades, spears, blasters, seismic charges. Why did they have those lying around? Yuthura spoke to me over her shoulder.

"I was almost beginning to doubt you after that stunt yesterday…but I think you will fit in quite nicely at the Sith Academy, Gale."

I didn't comment—rather say as little as possible to avoid suspicion. The next room held smaller parts used in the construction of weapons. Rows and rows of labeled bins wrapped around the room. So many parts to choose from….

Yuthura nodded. "You may choose whichever parts you would like to construct your lightsaber, but as I said you will need to find a crystal."

"Where can I get one?"

"There are many ways…" A smile grew on her face. "You could kill me and take mine." I flinched yet tried not to react negatively or positively to that prospect. It was too late, though. Yuthura noticed my reaction and laughed. "Or you could find one the boring way. The Valley of Dark Lords contains hundreds of tombs and thousands of artifacts. A crystal is bound to be there."

"Then that's what I'll do."

In the meantime, may as well make the casing. I walked through the rows of bins, finding the proper parts needed. I wanted a lightsaber that wasn't …flashy. Simple. I'd rather not try too hard to make it considering what happened to the last one.

"I'm curious…"

I peered past the bins. Yuthura creepily followed me and was staring back through the shelves. Her intense eyes never wavered.

"Curious?"

"I was taught that lesson by Darth Revan himself. No one in my class figured out the deception. Yet you did."

I pushed one of the bins back into the shelf and suppressed a feeling of horror. Horror that I was looking suspicious without even trying.

"It's like I said—I'm not interesting."

"Why did you leave the Jedi? Why come here?"

"Well, they weren't interesting."

One of the bins flew and collided with me. The parts clattered to the ground. Yuthura had pushed the bin at me, revealing her angered face.

"I'm tired of you making a fool of me. Have you ever used the dark side? I'm not too sure. It's hard to read you."

"I've used the dark side more than you'd think."

"But why? Why did you?" She rubbed her chin. "That slave…why do you keep her around? Is that why you came here? Did the Jedi…disprove of your relationship?"

I felt my lips curl back and I couldn't hide the disgust at what Yuthura just insinuated. She smiled after she finally broke my barriers. "No. That isn't it? Maybe…" She leaned closer to the shelves. I tried…resisting yet she battered against my walls like blaster bolts would to an energy shield. "Heartbreak…I sense heartbreak. You loved someone, didn't you? She loved you. But she hurt you. So you…hurt her—"

A pulse. Yuthura flinched and grabbed her head after I used the Force to push back against her mind. My heavy breathing rang against the metal parts in the room. What she saw must have struck a chord with her since her angry expression unwound along with her shoulders. "Was that so hard? That's all I wanted to know." She turned and left the row of bins as if she hadn't just used the Force to interrogate me. "Construct your lightsaber—go wherever you feel the dark side is strongest. Master Uthar will be taking the students to the Valley this afternoon. Perhaps…you will find a crystal there."

She left the armory without a single look back. I bent low and picked up the bin along with the part I wanted to take. It shined red with the fluorescents.

Maybe…I shouldn't make a lightsaber.

That strange thought came to me as I walked the halls, trying to find a quiet spot. Yuthura told me to find a place where the dark side was strongest, but I wasn't going to listen to that advice. Instead, I followed my gut. To where? I wasn't quite sure. As I walked, that voice appeared in my mind—one of the many that spoke to me while I was on Yavin.

You shouldn't make another lightsaber. You'll only use it to hurt someone. Like you hurt Bastila.

But if I don't then how will I defend myself?

Defend yourself? Why do that? Let the Sith kill you. It would be poetic.

I stopped and I mentally bat away that intrusive thought. No. There's no use thinking like that anymore. It only got in the way of the mission… I would make a lightsaber. I was already using the Force to defend myself so a lightsaber wouldn't make a difference anyway.

Eventually, I ended up at some random storage closet tucked deep within the Academy. When I opened the door, a droid was staring down at some scrap parts—his lights flickered once then twice as if he was projecting something.

"HK?"

The droid's head swiveled and his lights flashed.

"Apologies: Sorry, Master, I became…distracted. I did not complete the mission as you requested."

Oh, great, was the lack of a memory wipe coming to bite me in the ass? The room was dark, cramped, and dusty as if no one opened it in years. Not the best place to create a lightsaber but…it's where my gut took me. I sat and placed my box of lightsaber parts on the floor while looking at the part HK had been infatuated with. It was rusted droid armor—some motors had been stored in a box in the corner. Scrap Systech parts…usually used to create battle droids or...

"Why were you distracted by that, exactly?"

"Answer: Well, Master, wouldn't you stop and admire some of the parts used in your creation?"

I gaped. "Wait—you were created here? In this dump?"

"Argumentative: I didn't choose the location of my birth, Master, and—if you recall—you were the one who insisted on building me here in the first place."

Oh, Force, is that why I came here? I leaned away from the silver droid part as if it was diseased.

"Why did Rev—I build you here?"

"Answer: You said you didn't want anyone else to know about me. You had many enemies, Master, and while you had the necessary skills to do my tasks you couldn't be in more than one location—as much as you wished aloud that you could clone yourself."

I growled. Why did that sound so much like me?

"Well, I obviously didn't keep my promise. Verena knew about you."

"Clarification: If it was needed you would tell others of my true function—but only non-Force sensitives, Master. After all, sensitives are highly…highly dangerous. They can't be trusted."

Well, that wasn't a lie.

"Did Malak know about you?"

His lights dimmed once again…and his head twisted.

"Statement: You didn't seem to care when it came to your apprentice, Master. Actually, you showed me to him once while I was in my prototype stage."

I raised my brow. "Oh? And what was Malak like?"

Wait, why was I asking? Why did it matter?

"Commentary: Your former pupil is efficient and brutal, even for an organic. I rather liked him. We are very similar." His head twitched and his vocalization darkened. "If I had known what he would do to you, Master, I would have gladly removed that meatbag's entrails right then!"

"Meatbag…that reminds me, why the hell did I program you to call organics meatbags? That isn't a part of your base programming and it's just so…random."

HK stuttered and his lights flickered as if remembering something again. Then—

"Answer: Because you thought it was funny, Master."

"Funny?"

HK sighed, feigning a nostalgic tone. "Answer: When we first met, your pupil asked what I thought of him. Since I had little information to go on other than this pointless query, I informed him of his meatbag status. He was unimpressed, but you found the reference humorous. You changed my programming so that I would sometimes use the term in place of organic. It drove your pupil to extreme lengths of frustration."

I felt my chest freeze.

"So…" I finally took a breath. "Malak was the first meatbag?"

"Why yes, Master. I suppose so."

I let out a laugh. Then another. The laughs sounded off yet…I didn't stop laughing. Couldn't. I sat down on the floor and I felt my body quake as I tried to hold it in. Eventually, somehow, I stopped.

"Hilarious."

"Observation: Of course, Master. You said as much."

I picked up the part and when I looked up HK's head morphed from red into a silvery, half-melded mask.

The droid's vocabulator buzzed red within the wired neck after I programmed the meatbag command. Malak lifted his fist to punch the droid yet stopped after he noticed my raised brow. He lowered his arm once he realized…I would destroy him if he destroyed Hunter Killer. He knew how much I cared about my projects.

"Why did you create this…machine? A bolt of lightning would be enough to decimate it, Master."

"Well, I need a replacement."

Malak flinched. "Replacement?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Not for you, moron. For…" I stopped myself before I continued and decided to lie. "I do not trust our current assassins with some assignments. He will replace them."

"Fine. What's the tin can's designation then?"

"Ah. Hmm, Hunter Killer..." I rubbed my chin. Not one. HK-1 sounded lame... "—47 or HK-47 for short."

"Forty-seven? You made forty-seven prototypes?"

"Nope. There's just something about a prime number that invokes…primal violence. Meatbag."

My apprentice's jaw locked and then he echoed my statement from before.

"Hilarious."

I dropped the part then grabbed my head as a splitting pain inflamed it. Another memory. This one wasn't terrifying or stressful, but—

Something ran down my cheek. I lifted a hand and patted my face. Some water had fallen from the ceiling onto me. I looked up—no—Korriban had no rain. Broken pipe? Sweat? I shook my head and then grabbed a box of Systech parts.

"Well, better start making HK-48."

HK took a decisive step forward—hand outstretched. "No, wait, Master—"

"What? All the parts I need are right here. Maybe I can make a droid that listens to me."

"Argumentative: There is no other droid like myself, Master, since you are the one who programmed me. If you remembered then you would know."

"We all make mistakes." I shook the box. "In the meantime, I want you to go map out the basements. While you're there…try to avoid running into Verena. If you can."

With a loud huff, HK-47 twisted around and marched out, leaving me in the darkness of the closet space. I dropped the box as soon as he left then eyed the lightsaber parts instead.

There was no replacing Hunter Killer, after all.

Hello there!

Sorry for the wait - this chapter in particular had me rewriting a bunch. I'm happy with it now, thank god XD! You'll notice I changed up the "trial" that is Korriban's main plotline. Since there are way more students in my Korriban Academy, it would be weird if Uthar limited the trial to one person. Also, I'm sure Revan and Malak would want more than one Sith to come out of the Academy a year...

Next time, Wes and gang explore the ruins of Tulak Hord to find Belaya. Hope you enjoyed!