The Dreshdae bar, the Drunk Side, was rowdier than when we first arrived. A group of Sith students, half-drunk, half high on the dark side shouted at the pole dancing Twi'leks on the far end.

Carth sat beside me at the bar—he'd taken off his disguise in order to avoid more trouble from prospective Sith students. I'd barely touched my drink, the once cold glass was now warm and the booze watered down.

Of course, I was supposed to go and meet Yuthura in order to prepare for the mission to destroy the nearby Mandalorian camp. Yet, I had a slim, unrealistic hope that I could come up with something. Carth was unexpectedly silent at the revelation that, yes, I would have to murder men, women, and children in order to appease Master Uthar. T3 let out sad chirps behind us as if he could sense our foul moods.

Carth was on his third drink. With his head bowed, he finally said something to me.

"What will you do?"

I glanced to the side at him—surprised he asked.

"I don't know."

"No, you must have a…plan or…"

I interrupted him by taking a drink. Ugh, warm.

"I could get Yuthura on my side, but I would have to kill Juhani and Belaya to do that."

Carth cursed under his breath, slamming his tankard down.

"Well, that means there is only one way now. We'll have to search the tombs. One by one."

"How long will that take? A year? Two? Malak would have taken the galaxy by then."

"How do you know that?"

"I know. More people will die the longer we stay here."

"You're really considering this, aren't you? You would kill a child—"

"No." I hissed. My chest grew tight. "No. I…I'm thinking."

Carth's face softened at my insistence. I could tell he was just as lost as I was at this decision. And I didn't have much time to make it. The bartender served Carth an additional drink which he took, gladly. Before I could try to cut him off, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Ah, ha! Found you, kid."

Another headache. Forming. Jolee appeared like a Sith ghost behind me, his lackadaisical smile grew once he noticed I saw him. I grimaced at the old man, then crossed my arms.

"Where the hell have you been?"

"Snooping around of course. Long story short, I think I've found something that might be useful."

He held a datapad up and I took it before any of the other bargoers noticed anything suspicious. My shoulders tensed and I opened the datapad in a single motion. Yes, maybe my luck would change now. He must have found something…something that could help.

Unfortunately…no.

FILE: STUDENT DUSTIL ONASI

FORCE POTENTIAL: CONSIDERABLE

FELLOW STUDENT SELENE HINDERING PROGRESS

AUTHORIZATION: MASTER UTHAR WYNN

"Where did you find this?" I asked.

"I sliced their training computer while they weren't looking."

"This isn't useful at all."

Jolee frowned. "Oh, so I don't get a thank you?"

I sighed, throwing the datapad onto the table.

"Look, Jolee, just…stay out of the way, alright?"

The old man's face darkened as he moved into the shadows.

"I know what that look on your face means. You've gotten into trouble, haven't you?"

I sneered. "Oh, you know, just my kriffing destiny screwing with me again. The usual."

"Going to have to give me a bit more to go off other than that, kid."

"I don't have time to go into the details. Either I kill a child or save the galaxy. What would you choose?"

Jolee gave me that look. The one he had before he was about to tell me one of his stories. Then, he sat on the empty stool beside me and raised a hand at the bartender. Once the drink hit his hand, he sighed.

"I wouldn't choose, that's what."

"What?" Carth whispered, low. Even though he was slightly tipsy, he'd been listening the entire time. "Doing nothing would be worse. The Sith would rule the galaxy."

"Yeah, that's right, sonny. The Sith are the greatest evil to hit the galaxy since, well, the Mandalorians. And they're the worst thing since Exar Kun. Blah, blah, blah, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera."

The bartender gave Jolee a weird look. I pulled the old man's arm so that he would be forced to lower his voice.

"What's your point? Are you saying we shouldn't be going after the Maps?"

"Not if you have to stoop to their level." Jolee finished his drink. "I'm old, as you may know. Old and cranky. Which is why I get annoyed when I have to repeat myself. The moment you break from your ideals…it'll change you and not for the better. You answered that machine once, didn't you?"

Carth interrupted with a slurred voice.

"Machine?"

Which Jolee ignored. "You said 'Do nothing in the city! Let them attack or else they would know your plan and the war would continue.' Sacrifice a village to stop a war—remember? It's what Darth Revan would do and I thought you wanted to avoid retreading the past."

Of course I remembered Revan's demented machine on Kashyyyk. The test I unwittingly passed. The first proof that I was Revan.

I sneered. "I don't—"

"Have a choice?" Jolee smiled without humor in his eyes. "You always have a choice. Even though that machine didn't take it, your first solution was fine. Reinforce the city. Protect them without anyone knowing. Save the village and stop the war. It'll take great effort, sure, but how could you not even try?"

I released Jolee's arm and shot Carth a look—he struggled to look back at me. Jolee's advice…always hit or miss. This was either or. Not either or nothing. If I did nothing, Liam would die. The galaxy would die. Bastila would die. The question was simple. The life of one over the lives of many? It wouldn't even be my fault—the Sith gave me no choice.

So, you're not even going to try?

I've tried before. It always ended with more people dying at the end.

I stood and Carth looked up at me, eyes of steel despite barely keeping it together before. He grabbed my arm before I left.

"Where are you going?"

"You're right. I didn't have much of a choice. So, for once, I'm making one."

"Kid—think about this—"

"I have." I waved. "It's damned if I do, damned if I don't. I'm already damned, but if I do nothing everyone dies. And that would make me even worse than I already am."

I yanked my arm out of Carth's grip and left before they made any more arguments. Because I didn't want them to even risk convincing me otherwise. For once, thankfully, neither of them ran after me.

Yuthura Ban looked me up and down as I approached her near the edge of the walkway. It took me a bit to find her after asking the students at the training hall. She wasn't happy—no. That was obvious. Beside her, Belaya, Lashowe, Shaardan, and Dustil stood in a line like drill soldiers. Why they were there…I had a faint idea.

The sun was setting, a bright red overshadowed the ancient Sith statues. Belaya shot me a glare from the line of students after I stepped past them. Dustil glared at me as well. And Lashowe. Yes, I have made a few enemies, haven't I? So much for allies.

"Finally, you've arrived." She shook her head, lekku slapping onto the stone rail. "Master Uthar has asked me to lead you to the Mandalorian camp—they were spotted yesterday in the canyons. You along with your fellow students will defeat these brutes."

I stepped to her side and spoke, low. "I thought Uthar said only we would be going?"

Yet, Yuthura ignored my question and turned away from the edge, facing the others. Interesting. I was getting more and more convinced by my theory now. She happened to assign the top students and Belaya to this mission. Everyone, other than Juhani who was currently taking care of Mission, were students that she suggested I kill.

Lashowe, hair tied into a tight bun, straightened into her stance once Yuthura faced them. Belaya hadn't stopped looking at me. Of course, she would be suspicious about all of this if I was involved. Dustil, meanwhile, stared listlessly out to the valley beyond. And Shaardan had no idea what was going on.

Yuthura opened a holomap of the canyons and showed us the location. To the west, the canyons were treacherous. Deadly. Various creatures lived and died within the caves of the canyons. Some natural to the planet. Others…created using Sith alchemy. Only a group of Mandalorians could survive the terrain—apparently, it was very similar to their homeworld.

Lashowe smiled. "So, will this be a test then? Those who survive will earn prestige?"

Yuthura shut the holo.

"Of course. Most of you are only a few points away from earning a spot at the trials next week. If you succeed and live, you will earn that spot."

"Explains why we're here," Shaardan said, voice raspy due to the dust. "But why are they here?"

He meant Belaya and me. Of course.

Yuthura shrugged. "Master Uthar wrote the list. I merely followed orders."

Oh. Did you now?

"The plan will be simple," Yuthura continued. "We will set up an ambush. We will corral the many dangerous creatures found in the caves and use our powers to break them, turn them to our side. Then, you will turn them against the Mandalorians who have, no doubt, hunted them for weeks. Fitting end, I'd think."

"How is that a plan?"

Yuthura twitched at my interruption. The other students stared at me, most in wonder, in Belaya and Lashowe's case, disgust.

"It's a good plan, initiate."

"You just said the Mandalorians have been hunting these creatures. They already know how to kill them. It would only annoy them."

"It would distract them, though." Yuthura nodded. "They will never see us coming."

"Not for long." I remembered that hard hit to the head back on Dantooine…yeah, the Mandalorians weren't distracted by fire for long, they wouldn't be distracted by creatures. "And if we ambush them at their camp, they'll be prepared no matter what—it'll be their ground. They always wear their armor. They're always on their guard. To them, to live is to fight."

"Okay, Gale." Yuthura's stare narrowed. She didn't like how I was questioning her authority. Good. "Since you seem to know so much about the Mandalorians, do you have any bright ideas?"

I paused and the other students looked at me as if Yuthura was going to fling me off the side of the valley. The answer was simple though, wasn't it?

"We talk to them."

Yuthura blinked.

"Talk to them?"

"Yes. They're after Mandalore's mask, aren't they? I was there in the cantina when you kicked them out. Why don't we approach them, say we know where the mask is, then lead them to the ambush site once they believe us."

"I've already told them the mask isn't here. How will they believe us?"

"They think you're lying. Would they have any other choice but to trust you?"

Yuthura blinked, on her face, I could almost see the war going on within her mind. She knew I had a good idea, and yet her pride as our teacher wouldn't allow her to accept a student's solution. The other students were giving me either looks of envy or smiles (Lashowe) at my possible demise.

"I see." She nodded. "Yes that…would work, wouldn't it?"

Wait. She actually listened to me?

Yuthura reopened the holomap. "We will lead the Mandalorians over here in the narrow canyons. Split them up using rock falls. Pick them off one by one. Anyone that remains in the camp will be attacked by the creatures we tame."

With our plan set, the Twi'lek Sith closed the map once more and started leading us down the steps toward the valley floor. Due to the terrain, we had no choice but to go on foot. According to the map, it would only take us a few hours to reach the location of the camp. This meant I did have some time to think...

Yuthura led us past the archeological sites, past the tombs, and past what the Sith called civilization. The rest of Korriban, which was uninhabited, stretched before us. And, even though we were far from the ancient Sith tombs and artifacts, I could still sense that taint even now. After an hour of walking, someone joined my side.

"Where's Juhani?"

Belaya's stern face was about as still as the Sith statues. I glanced away as if she was dirt on my boot.

"Why do you care?"

"I do care for her, you know."

"If you cared about Juhani, you would have listened to her."

Belaya scoffed. "I can't believe I'm arguing with you of all people about joining the Sith." She looked ahead at Yuthura. "No one knows, of course, and no one would believe me if I told them. What is your plan anyway, Revan? Why haven't you gone off and found the Star Map? With your genius, I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet."

Instead of glaring at her like I wanted to for that, I gave her a pitiful look.

"Why have you really joined the Sith, Belaya?"

She blinked and her thin eyebrows arched. "I already told you. The Sith—"

"—are winning. Yeah, but you could just go to some random planet in the middle of nowhere and hide if you truly feared the Sith." It's what I wanted to do…before. I stared at her and searched her dark eyes. My pocket, which had her necklace, grew heavy. "You're not here because you're afraid of them. You want to be a Sith because you think you deserve to be one. You're punishing yourself."

Belaya's face twitched. I was right. She thought she was broken. She fell for Yuthura's speech. Hook, line, and sinker.

"No. I made the choice. I need to become a Sith because—"

"The Jedi sent me after her, you know. Juhani told you she fell to the dark side…but the Jedi wanted me to save her. Why would they not forgive you?"

"They sent you after her? They sent Darth Revan?" Her face grew red and I could sense…anger. "They used her to test you. Of course they did."

Did they? Master Zhar's face flashed in my mind along with his words. How could they trust me to not kill her? After everything I'd done? It was a test, wasn't it? Why else would they send me? Unless…no, maybe it was just a coincidence. Juhani just so happened to almost fall while I was being trained. Maybe they wanted to trust me with a task like that. But to risk Juhani's life?

Belaya snorted. "You see? You don't even have an answer because you know what they did was wrong. The Jedi are no better than the Sith. They are hypocrites."

She walked away with a smug look on her face and I fell behind the rest of the students. Force, perhaps it truly was impossible for me to help Belaya. I had a strong feeling that only Juhani could convince her…yet the poor Cathar was still dejected.

Our hike lasted for another hour, Yuthura led our silent group over cliff sides, rocks, and under strange formations. Dust slapped in our faces, forcing me to pull up part of my cloak to block the elements from making my voice as raspy as Shaardan's. Dustil occasionally glanced back at me. More than likely he wanted to ask questions about his father.

A shriek—a shrill echoed from the many caves we passed. Eventually, Yuthura stopped, perching a foot on one of the rocks. She lifted a hand and we all stopped with her. A second later, a brown form blurred past Yuthura from one of the caves. Lashowe was quick—the unknown creature was cleaved in half by her lightsaber.

"Shyrack!" Yuthura called back. "Form a circle!"

We did so, facing the many caves that surrounded us. Dustil stood at my side, shooting me a suspicious look that I ignored. Another screech and even more of the web-winged shyrack flew out of the caves. The flock took to the skies, blotting out the sun like a solar eclipse. Dustil let out a soft curse.

Yuthura unleashed her lightsaber. I grabbed Jorak Uln's saber and unleashed it. The red hum thrummed near my face as I watched the flock above us. We waited…

"Oh, come on, these cowardly things are taking too long!"

Lashowe raised her hand and, using the Force, she pulled one out of the sky and cleaved its head off. This, in turn, caused the entire flock to remember us. Shaardan pushed Lashowe who returned by clashing blades with the Sith student.

"They would have left us alone, idiot!"

"Oh, so you wanna fight now, Shaardan? Finally."

"Enough!" Yuthura used the Force to break them apart. "We must focus—"

But she couldn't finish. The shyrack chose that time to attack, and they dove down at us with single, sharp claws intent on stabbing us as they landed. I stabbed one through with my newly acquired blade and dodged before its sharp body landed on me. Dustil copied the motion except he wasn't so lucky with dodging. The body of the creature landed on him, forcing him to the ground.

Belaya ran up the cliff and threw her lightsaber. It cleaved two of the shyrack in its path before the lightsaber returned to her hand. I copied her technique—throwing my blade before the creatures could reach us. But there were so many…too many.

"Agh!"

I stopped for a second after I heard Dustil's screams. Two of the creatures had landed next to him and started pecking at the corpse and his prone form. With a curse, I used the Force to throw the dead shyrack off of him so that he could defend himself. He shot me another odd look that I ignored.

Eventually, finally, we took care of the shyrack without any death or injuries. Yuthura sneered at us all after we took a moment to catch our breath. The pile of shyrack corpses splayed around us—another shriek echoed from the caves.

"We don't have time to stop, we must keep moving!"

And so, we rushed after her, dodging any flying shyrack that dared to leave their nests. Lashowe left a path of corpses behind her as she ran, Shaardan followed her lead, and Dustil ran at my side.

"Why did you save me?"

I glanced at him. "Of course I saved you, I promised your father."

"My father wouldn't be friends with a Jedi."

"Well, I don't think he is my friend at the moment."

I cleaved a wing off one that almost snapped at the young teen. Dustil finished it off with a hiss of his lightsaber…before another hurtled toward him. I killed the next one with a twirl and half of its body fell over the edge of the canyon.

I let him grab my robe with his fist.

"Stop saving me!"

"Then stop risking your life!"

"I'm training to be a Sith, so no!"

"Ah, so then, you want to die? That makes two of us."

A shot of pain, a poignant…darkness wavered over him after I said that. Before I could ask why he reacted like that to what I said, Yuthura called back to us and told us to keep moving. I listened, reluctantly, while keeping my eye out for Dustil.

A few minutes later, and after avoiding more of those pests, a stray thought entered my mind as we ran.

Fellow student…Selene…hindering progress…

"Who's Selene?"

Dustil flinched as he ran beside me.

"What?"

"Selene. Who is she?"

A split second and I deflected Dustil's red blade before he could cut me in half.

"Never ever repeat that name to me again. Do you hear me?"

Before I could protest, he sheathed his lightsaber and ran ahead of me toward the pack of students. Like father, like son. Though at least when Carth didn't want to talk about sensitive subjects, he didn't wave a lightsaber in my face…

Yuthura stopped us a while later near a rock outcropping at the edge of one of the many sprawling canyons. We'd made it—Clan Ordo's camp. They'd settled with the mountain to their rear while facing one of the few rivers on this world. It was the perfect defensible location—the only way into the camp was across an ancient stone bridge marked with the Sith language.

In the distance, a cloud of red. A dust storm was about to blow through.

"Keepuna…" The huttese curse slipped out of Yuthura's lips once she also noticed. "We'll have to make camp tonight and attack tomorrow—nothing is going to be out here with the storm." She waved at Lashowe and Shaardan. "You two, scout the north for a cave. Preferably secured." She pointed at Belaya and Dustil next. "You both as well but you will search the south. Comm me once you have found a location."

"What about Gale?" Lashowe asked.

"He will scout the Mandalorians with me."

I narrowed my eyes…she was trying to get them away so that we could talk. That wasn't a good sign.

The other students left, Belaya and Dustil to the south, Lashowe and Shaardan to the north. We waited for a few minutes, the entire time Yuthura watched the camp with disinterest. It was like any old Mandalorian camp, leather tents had been propped up alongside the mountain along with scrap metal walls. They didn't have any basilisk droids like the deserters, of course, which meant they could be easily dealt with…

Finally, Yuthura spoke.

"Like I said before, attacking the Mandalorians is a bad idea."

I raised a brow. "Oh?"

"I told Uthar this but my master didn't listen to me. He never does. His weak decision making has been rampant as of late. Which is why…" She stepped up to me and before I could defend myself she grabbed Jorak Uln's lightsaber off of my belt using the Force. "Where did you get this?"

I grabbed it back with the Force and my shoulders tensed. How could I let her—?

"None of your business."

"It is my business. That's Jorak Uln's lightsaber."

I stared Yuthura directly in the eyes.

"I killed him."

"Yes, and obviously Uthar didn't want me to know of his failure. Thankfully, he underestimated my memory."

I hooked the lightsaber back onto my belt while keeping a wary eye on the Twi'lek.

"We're obviously not scouting out the Mandalorians. What did you want to speak to me about?"

"You've probably already noticed that I have brought along the strongest students on this mission. I do not intend for any of them to live. If they do, they will earn the prestige needed to go to the trials…but here's the thing. I only want you there."

I blinked, slightly overwhelmed by Yuthura's proposition to murder everyone.

"Why?"

"Because if there are any of Uthar's supporters on the day of the trials with us, we will have more to contend with. I would rather pick them off. One by one. Here."

Oh no.

"You want to kill Uthar."

"Of course I do. Ever since Uthar became the Head of the Academy, he has made the students weaker. Day after day he goes into the ruins and searches for artifacts when we should be preparing the initiates for war. And now he attacks the Mandalorians…how could he not understand that provoking these brutes is a waste of time? Not to mention the Lord of Pain who continues to haunt us..."

"Why haven't you just killed him then?"

"Oh, I've tried. Believe me. Uthar rarely lets his guard down though and he has favor with the students."

I paused. "And now that you know that I killed Jorak, you want me to kill Uthar too."

"Is that such a daunting prospect for someone like you? And it is not as if I am asking you to perform the task alone, or as if you will get nothing out of it. Master Uthar cannot prevail against us both. That's all there is to it. It is a very simple matter."

It sounded…cowardly for a Sith. Two against one? How was that part of the Sith ways? Was she an idiot?

"What's to stop me from telling him about this?"

Yuthura's tattooed face shifted, then after a moment of thought, she smirked.

"I suppose you could do that. Even the hint of betrayal from his pupil and Uthar would move to eliminate me. But this is a very good opportunity for you... you can start off your Sith career as the right hand of the head of the Academy: me. Uthar will not offer you that."

"And how can I trust your offer after you decided to betray your own master?"

She shook her head. "It is the way of the Sith. I should expect you to betray me one day just as you should expect betrayal from me."

"Well, in that case, I can betray Uthar myself."

"Overconfidence is a deadly trait to have. How will you do that without the rest of the Academy turning against you? You could ambush him at the trial like I suggest but how will you earn prestige? Uthar's toying with you. He won't give you prestige for murdering these Mandalorians. He won't give you prestige for any trial so long as you are a threat to him. I could…convince him otherwise."

"Then why do you want me to kill Belaya and Juhani? Why do you want me to prove myself if you already seem to think I'm capable?"

"You aren't as sneaky as you think you are, Jedi."

I flinched. "What?"

"You saved that boy, Dustil, from the shyrack like a Jedi would. A Sith would leave him to his fate. Also, you were on the Republic's side a few weeks ago, and now all of a sudden you want to join the Sith? Do you think I'm an idiot?"

The shields on my mind grew unstable…I felt a push at them through the Force from Yuthura. Before it got worse, I released Jorak Uln's blade and raised it so that it was near Yuthura's neck. The Twi'lek hadn't moved in that time, only kept…staring…staring at me… She must have sensed something off about me during our first meeting. If that's true, I had to kill her. Now. Before she could go to Uthar.

"Yes, you could kill me." She looked away. Finally. "Even if you are a Jedi, which I think you believe yourself to be, you have come here to pretend for a reason. Unfortunately, I need you but I cannot trust a Jedi with this. Which is why you must kill the ones you care about. You must rise." Yuthura looked back at me. "What will it be, Jedi? Will you stick to your precious morals? Or will you do what needs to be done to advance your goals like a true Sith would?"

She was trying to turn me to the dark side. That was her goal the entire time. She hadn't believed me from the start. And now I had to choose between killing Dustil, Belaya, and Juhani or expose Yuthura to Uthar to maybe gain his favor. If I figured out a way to get her to my side without killing anyone, then I could also save Liam in the process. Yet how could I get her on my side? She didn't trust me, she wouldn't trust me without lives taken.

I lowered my lightsaber.

Stall. I had to stall.

"I'll think about it."

"You won't have much time to think about it." She faced the Mandalorian camp. "Uthar grows suspicious of me. He wants the Mandos dead so we have no choice but to kill them else we will face his wrath. But we have no need for the others. I've managed to separate them…it should make your job easier."

No, it wasn't working.

"Why kill them?" I asked. "Why not convince them to join you? It's better to have more people on your side."

"More people means there is more of a chance for betrayal. I would like to reduce that chance."

"But how do you know they are even on Uthar's side? Have you asked? They have ambition, right?"

Yuthura narrowed her eyes at me. Then, her mouth twitched into a smirk.

"You overestimate their ambition. They are all cowards. Even Lashowe. If they fear me then they would never stand against Uthar." Her gaze drifted away. "You don't fear me, do you?"

I paused.

"No."

"You never did. Otherwise, you would have never come here. And so that is why I trust you."

"Not enough though, right? Apparently, I need to prove myself to you even though I've told you I have no love for the Jedi."

Yuthura smiled wider. "Sharp tongue you have there. Yes, you are right. It's a contradiction." She glanced to the side. "Then here's the deal—you will kill Lashowe and Shaardan. I will kill Dustil and Belaya. You will send the Cathar Jedi away. See? I do make concessions on occasion."

Still not good enough. I could kill Lashowe and Shaardan easily. They were both evil as it was and I doubt they would let me live if they were given the choice. Yet, I would have to let Belaya and Dustil die. Carth and Juhani would never forgive me if I let Yuthura kill them even if it was to save the galaxy.

Yuthura took a step back and then started to run south. I paused with indecision as I watched the Twi'lek's retreating form.

Stall. I needed to stall…

Once she disappeared, I faced the camp.

Of course.

A whistle. A familiar whistle. It was the same call Canderous made on Kashyyyk. I stopped my trek towards the bridge to the Mando camp and used the Force to scan for life in the area. I could sense something…large in one of the caves to my right.

I entered it as the dust from the incoming storm began to blow through. That should slow Yuthura down but it meant I had no choice but to travel in it myself.

Canderous leaned against the dusty cavern wall, a grim expression on his face.

"Surprised to see you here, Revan."

"We don't have time to chat. What's the situation at the camp?"

He looked off into the darkness of this cave. "Actually, I entered the camp yesterday, blended in—used your little technique. They didn't recognize me with a stolen helm. I tried to get some info out of a drunken layabout. They only spoke of one tomb in particular. The tomb of Ajunta Pall hasn't been accessible for years and they guess that's where the mask of Mandalore is since Revan—you—were the last person that was able to enter. After that, I was able to leave without being suspicious."

"Forget the tombs. We're going back. You need to get in there and talk to your wife."

Canderous remained silent for a long time.

"Why?"

"I know you don't like the idea but I need the Mandalorians on my side. Yuthura is going to kill Belaya and Dustil…Carth's son, and I need to stall for time. She will have to put it off if I comm and tell her that the Mandalorians are moving to attack the Academy."

Canderous snorted. "Eh, they're Sith…Jedi…whatever, right? If they can't defend themselves, tough shit." Before Canderous made an attempt to run, I grabbed and slammed him back against the cave wall. He grunted at the sudden force and glared down at me. "What the hell was that for?"

"That kid…Liam…he's a Mandalorian. He's here and they want me to kill him. If I can't find a way to save him…"

He paused again in order to let my words sink in. Then, he let out a long sigh along with a curse in Mando'a.

"I would if I could, pipsqueak, but it ain't that simple." He stared out into the dust storm. "I already know what she'll want. She'll want me to become Mandalore."

"Is that a problem?"

"I'm not much of a Mandalorian anymore." He shrugged. "You're smart. Won a war even. You'll figure out a way."

I felt frustration boiling in my chest.

"You can't at least pretend to want to so that your clan will work with us?"

Canderous looked down at me with blurry eyes.

"I can't just lie about wanting to be Mandalore, pipsqueak. The clan takes proclamations like that very seriously. If I go against an oath like that…I'd be a dar'manda. A fraud. There's no going back after that. I wouldn't be a Mandalorian."

Something cold sank into my chest.

"You said so yourself. You're not much of a Mandalorian anymore. So how is this a problem?"

"I…" Canderous let out a huffed laugh. "You're right. I did."

"Then what's stopping you? Because if we don't—"

"I know and I promised to follow your lead but this…" He growled. "I will do it if you ask me to, Revan. Only then."

I lowered my head in response. How could I ask him to do this? Sacrifice his own culture and people for what? For my problems? How selfish. How could I…even ask that of him?

It's for the Star Map. For Bastila. For the galaxy. He should be begging for this opportunity. Which is why he should lie about becoming Mandalore. It's for the greater good.

"It's fine, Canderous." I shook my head and those dark thoughts disappeared. "Stay back. I'll figure out something." I felt my mouth stretch into what should have resembled a smile. "Won a war, after all."

The Mandalorian frowned yet before I let him say anything else, I raised my hood and then stepped out into the dust storm.

The howl of the winds sounded like the screams of torture. Despite barely seeing a few feet in front of me, I could sense the life forms on the other side of the bridge. Clan Ordo had put up a few droid sentries near the bridge that I disabled using the Force. Yet, even the Force wouldn't protect me for long.

Idiot.

Bastila's voice echoed in my head. Yes, I really was an idiot. Every turn, every opportunity, led me to this suicide mission and I still hadn't quit. Perhaps I should just let it go. Let Yuthura kill Belaya and Dustil. It's not like their deaths would be my fault.

Coward.

That was another voice. One I didn't quite recognize as my own.

I took a careful step forward then unleashed Jorak Uln's lightsaber. There was a shout of Manda'o from behind the metal wall. Intruder. Before they could shoot, I stabbed the lightsaber into the bridge, then stood, raising my hands.

"I need to speak to Veela," I shouted over the harsh winds.

Would they kill a defenseless man? No, Mandalorians wanted a challenge.

Silence, the howls filled my mind, and then out from the unknown, five shadows. Each of them wore Mandalorian armor, each had Clan Ordo's sigil on their shoulders. I recognized the one in blue immediately. The same Mando that attacked Yuthura in the cantina.

They stopped before the lightsaber, then each of them raised their blaster rifle. I raised my hands higher in response.

"What do you want, Sith?"

"Peace."

She laughed. "Peace is a lie, right? That's what you say?"

"I didn't say it."

The leader raised her blaster rifle and loaded a round with a sharp ring.

"Talk or else I will fill your body with blaster rounds."

"I know where Mandalore's mask is and I've come to tell you, Veela."

On fire…gold…cold…

Veela's body shook at my proclamation. The other Mandalorians looked at each other as if in disbelief.

Eventually, Veela snorted. "You're lying."

"It's in the Tomb of Marka Ragnos."

She took a step forward. "Why are you telling us this without anything in exchange?"

Oh no.

I shrugged. "I'm nice, I guess."

"No." She looked back at the other Mandalorians. "You knowing is impossible. This is a trap. Kill him."

Right. Of course they wouldn't believe me. They raised their blasters, preparing to keep Veela's promise, but then…

"Stop! You can trust him, riduur."

The words in Mando'a came from behind me. I twisted around and felt my shoulders lift. Canderous Ordo rushed to my side, his own blaster rifle unslung and at the ready. The Mandalorians behind Veela immediately stood down once they saw Canderous through the dust. And Veela…

"You." She walked around the lightsaber up to Canderous. He didn't flinch as his wife entered his personal space. Her voice in Mando'a was terse. "How dare you show up now. And on the side of a Force user, a Sith!"

"Forget that, what he says is true, Veela. He found the mask."

She looked at me for a long time and then she turned without asking me to elaborate.

"Fine. We will speak. Not here."

Canderous smiled down at me and I smiled back, yet before I could thank him for the rescue—

Veela's blue fist soared through the air and connected with Canderous's chin with a crunch. He stumbled back, spitting blood, but otherwise didn't collapse or complain. In fact…he sighed as if remembering a romantic rendezvous as he cracked his chin back into place.

"Haven't changed a bit."

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! A lot of setting up plot points and scheming...but that's what being a Sith is about :)

Thanks nightfireivey for the review! You are right, Yuthura is more of a schemer ;)