Chapter 19: The Real Ryder Jace

Ryder started to run through the new hallway. He looked back and saw Murdoch, Luca, and Liz right behind him. Ben was in the back because he slipped up at the start.

'What move am I going to try out first,' thought Ryder.

"Target coming up, captain," said out Liz who was still searching for chakras. "Seventy-five yards."

Ryder grinned. He ignited his crimson blade and kept running. He saw a shape in the distance that turned out to be a summoned group of four clones lined up with laser guns. They began shooting at Ryder. The rest of the squad ran with peak awareness so they didn't get hit.

Ryder slashed across to the left to block a laser. Then twirled the lightsaber above his head then slashed to the right to block another. Then in a series to block the rest of the lasers, he spun one time in a circle then slices straight up in front of him somehow deflecting another blaster fire.

Ryder then dashed forward a few yards, and slashed the first clone down. He sliced upward then twirled the lightsaber around his back as he was completely bent over while taking a step, cutting down two clones. Coming out of the twist, Ryder sliced forward as he dashed taking down the last clone.

Everyone behind him were in awe. They had never seen anyone move like that, let alone him. "Holy shit. That was the Sith Saber Flurry," said Ben trying to keep up.

Ryder closed his lightsaber as said, "Okay, Murdoch. You're up now."

Murdoch grinned and sprinted to get in front of Ryder. While passing Ryder, Murdoch grinned and asked, "No restraints?"

Ryder simply replied, "None."

Murdoch unsheathed his Zanpakuto that looked like a normal katana. He held it with the blade facing up and said, "Senbonzakura: Scatter."

His blade turned into thousands of small cherry blossom petals that were flying in front and to the sides of Murdoch. "Go!" he yelled. The petals flew ahead of us at blazing speed and came back about ten seconds later. The petals lined back of Murdoch's katana and formed a metal blade.

They caught up to where another squad of four clones wtood, but they were now on the ground with multiple deep cuts all over them. "Damn. I'd hate to be on the other end of that one. Nice," said Ryder. He gave him a thumbs up and then waved up to Liz.

Liz ran to the front and steadied herself. She performed a series of hand signs and said, "Earth Style!" Suddenly, the walls slammed together and took care of the summoned clones in an instant.

"Nice, Nice! Ok, Ben. Let's see what you've got," called out Ryder.

Ben collected himself and jumped to the front.

"This is the last group. And they're only three of them," said Liz.

Ben kept his speed up and said, "Perfect."

Within seconds, Ben saw the silhouettes in front of him. He dashed forward and sliced the first clone in half. He then spun around to back hand the second clone. While in mid-spin, Ben gathered the Force in and around his lightsaber. He brought his gold lightsaber over his head and sliced down at the last guard. The lightsaber cut and the Force embedded in the lightsaber flew the clone out of the exit and into the cold of the planet's surface.

"Wow! That good job, Ben" congratulated Ryder. He was shocked to see how strong everyone had gotten. He led the group out of the cave and out into the open.

"Damn, I hated it out here," said Liz crossing her arms to keep herself warm.

Ryder pulled the communicator out of his utility belt and called the Rogue Shadow for pick up. "Shadow 2, come pick us up. I'm sending you the coordinates…" Ryder pulled out a beacon and sent his coordinates to Nero.

Nero leaned up in his chair and called back to Ryder, "Glad to have you back, boss. We're on our way." He swiveled over to a console and pressed a few buttons.

Nero turned to Katie and Weston. "Get ready, we're going back down to pick them up." The two scattered to their respected spots.

Ryder turned to everyone and said, "Nero and everyone else should be here in a few minutes." He sat down and waited for the Rogue Shadow.

Ben took out his lightsaber, sat down, and began meditating with it in hand. Before he knew it, the ship was coming in to pick them up. He could hear it as it descended. It hovered about forty feet above them. It opened the exit ramp and waited for everyone to jump. Ryder looked over at the group, gave them a slight wave, and jumped up onto the ramp. R2 turned on his rocket thrusters and flew after Ryder.

Murdoch looked at the others with a confused look and asked, "Has anyone noticed that he's slightly different?"

"A little," said Luca. "But, I just think that he's excited to have finally gotten a real lightsaber. One that has strong crystals too." The two jumped up to the ramp then Ben and Liz jumped after.

Nero, Katie, and Weston met them in the main hold where they congratulated the group on a successful mission. However, when they saw how tattered clothes were and burn marks on Murdoch and Liz, their tone quickly changed. Katie led Liz and Murdoch to the Med Bay while Weston went and got some drinks for everyone.

"What happened down there," Nero asked Ryder, Luca, and Ben.

"We were faced with three different tunnels. Someone had to go in each one, so I made us separate into groups. Ben and Luca went down a tunnel that caused the people to go under genjutsu. I went down a tunnel with R2 and fought a hollow." Ryder paused and looked in the direction of the Med Bay.

"Murdoch and Liz had it worst though. The tunnel they went through was surrounded by lava. It heated up the walls so that when they tunnel was shook and Murdoch braced himself, his hands were severely burned. Eventually, the ceiling began to collapse, and lava began to spew in forcing them to run to the bottom. When they got there, they came upon a sea of lava. Murdoch used a Shinigami spell to create a shield for the incoming lava while Liz prepared an escape. She ended up passing out of chakra exhaustion, so Ryder carried her and climbed out with her on his back. I'm proud of those two," said Ryder.

"I'm just glad that everyone is alive," Nero said back to Ryder. "However, while you were gone, General Rodan contacted us and told us to head to Korriban immediately. He has sources that say ISIS is closing in on it, so we have to beat them there."

"Okay then. Nero, you'll pilot us there. I'll go into the tech room and find a mach-speed path." Ryder walked over to Ben and said, "Meet me in the training room. I have some things I want to teach you while we head there." Ben walked off to the training room.

Nero walked over to Ryder's side. "How are you feeling, captain," he asked?

"Brand new, let's proceed as planned to Korriban. After that, we will find it," explained Ryder.

"Gotcha, and what do I say to the crew if they ask any questions," Nero asked?

Ryder began walking to the training room to where Ben was waiting, looked back at Nero and said, "I'm sure you'll come up with something. You always do." Ryder walked out of the main hold and towards the tech room.

He charted a course to Korriban then left the tech room to go to the Med Bay. Ryder walked in the doorway and told Katie, Murdoch, and Liz, "We are about to jump into mach speed, so brace yourselves for a few seconds, then you're free to do as you want."

"Sounds good," said Katie wrapping Murdoch's hands in bandages.

The other two nodded.

Ben was sitting Indian style on the ground waiting for Ryder. When they were in mach speed, they usually worked on Force training which they sat down for.

Ryder walked in the room and said, "Good job in the cave. I liked your moves when we were leaving."

Ryder sat down a few feet away from Ben. "But now, it's time to learn again."

"I'm glad everything turned out alright, Master," said Ben. "I mean. No one got seriously injured."

"I'm glad too, Ben. But now, we're going to Korriban where we might encounter ISIS soldiers. No one was ready last time they attacked. With that being said, close your eyes."

Ryder closed his eyes, and Ben did the same after. "Focus on your image of the Force. Right now, you know of the light side and dark side of the Force. The light side…"

The ball of flowing energy that was depicted in both of their minds shone bright with a clear white shine. Ben could feel an overwhelming calmness and peace coming from his Master.

"The light side is aligned with calmness and is used for knowledge and defense." Ryder paused and said in a more serious tone, "But, then there is the dark side, too."

The bright ball of energy darkened to a deep red color. Ben felt a heavy, dark pressure from Ryder. He sensed anger and an ominous blood lust. "It draws its power from the raw, intense emotions from the user. It is used from aggression, passion, fear, anger, and others. Its power is seductive."

Ryder snapped, "But, we cannot be fooled by it! It will lead you to power, but it will eat you away at the same time. However, there is a median between the two. It is called the Gray."

The ball of swirling energy in their head turned gray with flashes of white and red at random times. "It is the state of control over both. It's like you're on a tight rope, except its six inches wide. You walk the very fine line but have access to both sides. That is our goal. That is what you will train for. There is no dark or light side; there is only the Force." Ryder stopped talking and meditated.

Ben's mind was racing. What was this talk of a tight rope between the two. And then, 'There is no dark or light side; there is only the Force?' Ben sat there mulling over his words time after time again.

Ryder stood up and observed Ben meditating. Ryder closed his eyes and focused on Ben. He could feel the dark side flicker now and then, but he was still too hesitant to make that jump. He turned around and walked through the exit and to the cockpit.

The flight to Korriban in mach speed too close to a day and a half. He left for his room to take a nap to hopefully recover from his soreness. On the way there, he ran into Katie talking to R2.

"What's this I hear about you having a fight with a hollow," questioned Katie loudly?!

"It's no big deal, Katie," Ryder replied.

Nero and Murdoch poked their heads out from the cockpit and laughed at how Katie was treating Ryder.

"Shut up you two," yelled Ryder at Murdoch and Nero.

"Come on, idiot," said Katie pushing Ryder towards the Med Bay. She sat Ryder on the table and said, "R2 says that you were throw into a stone wall a few times. You even made craters where you hit it."

"R2 has a hazy memory," Ryder said in protest.

"He showed me a video dumbass and there's blood on the back of your shirt," said Katie quickly.

She turned Ryder around. "Ouch," he said. "Be gentle will ya."

"So, you are hurt uhuh," she responded. Katie grabbed the bottom of Ryder's dark gray shirt and lifted it revealing a bandage wrap that was now red.

"You call this alright? What were you gonna do, sleep this off? And when you go into battle on Korriban you die because you'll be useless? You are something else, you know that," Katie said pissed off.

She unraveled the bandage and exposed the gash that stretched across Ryder's back. "Lay down," she told Ryder. "I need to put some healing cream on it. This might hurt more than how Liz would do it, but she is out cold right now."

It didn't hurt as bad as Ryder thought it would have. Surprisingly, it felt really good. Even though she was a mechanic, her hands were really soft.

"You're not as bad as you think you are at this. It feels good," said Ryder.

"Don't get your hopes up," she said blushing. "This is a one-time thing."

A day passed, and Ryder felt better than ever. Katie's cream helped heal part of Ryder's wound. It's better than what it would have been. Ryder walked into the cockpit to check on Nero and Murdoch.

They were lounging back in their chairs slowly cruising towards a red planet. "Welcome to Korriban, boss," said Nero as he waved his arm to its view. "We scanned the planet, and there is a large encampment near the Valley of the Dark Lords."

"Well, Katie said that this thing can slipped by any radar sensors, so let's give it a shot." Ryder walked out of the cockpit and to the workshop where he found Katie.

"Katie, can you turn on all out cloaking devices, and prepare for landing."

Katie stood up and led Ryder to the Tech. Room. "So how many people do you think are at that camp?" She flipped a few switches.

"It's just a team that came down on two shuttles," explained Ryder. "Who knows, maybe you'll be able to show off your terrible power."

"Hey, you watch it. If I'm gone so is this ship. I'll quit. I swear I will." Katie flipped the last switch that turned on the cloaking devices, and Ryder went back to the cockpit.

"We're good to go in. Let's do it. Take us about half a mile away on top of the valley." Ryder motioned Murdoch out of his chair and swiveled to the intercom.

"Attention, crew. We are flying into Korriban, half a mile away from a valley. At the bottom is an enemy encampment. I need everyone to suit up and get ready." The intercom cut out, and Nero began his descent onto Korriban.

It took about thirty minutes for the entire descent of the ship. The ground of the planet was a rocky, desert planet that was full of mountains and valleys. The red sky cast a red hue over the sand and mountains. The ship landed on a flat area next to a ravine that stretched as far as the eyes could see. Everyone except for R2 gathered at the base of the ship. R2 was left behind to take care of the Rogue Shadow.

With everyone gathered around him, Ryder stood ready to give the talk. He was wearing a gray and black leather Jedi tunic with a dark black cloak and hood. The clip on the front of his cloak was a three-inch white strip of leathery fabric with a red outline. It clipped near the right pectoral muscle in the chest.

"Down on the side of this cliff in the ravine, a castle is carved into the side of the cliff. Deep within lies an ancient Sith academy where they trained students in the dark side. Given the information in one of our holocrons, Darth Bane's lightsaber and a unique holocron is in there. Also since there is an encampment there, I'm assuming we might run into trouble there. Let's stay close together until we run into trouble where we have to split up." Ryder stood up and walked to the edge. "Liz, how many do you sense?"

Liz walked up next to him. She held up a hand sign and scanned down beneath them. "There are four at the entrance, and a lot more inside the academy. No one is coming to the entrance. Now's our time to strike."

"Okay," said Ryder. "Luca, Murdoch, Liz, and Nero. Each of you take care of a single guard. We'll follow in after." He lifted the hood of his cloak over his head and signaled for others to draw their weapons.

The four he called out drew their weapons. Luca and Liz had a kunai in hand instead of a sword like Murdoch. Nero was the only one that was going without a weapon in hand. Luca, Murdoch, and Liz quietly leaped down from the ledge they were on and took out their own guard.

Using his dragon fruit ability, Nero slid down a single thread that landed him right next to his own guard. Before the guard noticed what was happening, a fine thread that was wrapped around his neck shone in the light. Nero had his fingers in the air ready to snap, so the guard stood completely still except for the few trembles of fear he was witnessing. Nero turned to face his captive.

"I'm not gonna say shit," the guard struggled to say as he spat in Nero's face.

Nero wiped the spit from his face. With a fed-up expression he slung his hand down and threw the spit off. "If it wasn't for what the boss said…" sneered Nero. "You'd be dead right now." Nero, firmly grasping the guard's shirt, kept staring into the guard's eyes.

A silhouette appeared from behind Nero that seemed to be getting closer and closer. The temperature of the air rapidly got cold and stayed at what seemed to be sub-zero temperatures. Nero let go of the guard's shirt, scoffed and walked away.

The hairs on the guard's arms had already been standing, but now they seemed to be frozen in the upright position. The guard looked up at the silhouette, but it had disappeared.

"What's happening," asked the guard to himself? He frantically looked to the left and then back to the right. He saw the ravine continuing on his left and right side, but there wasn't anyone around. Suddenly, an overwhelming pressure over came him, and the figure that was cloaked appeared in front of him with his hand out front. "How many people are in here, and what are y'all after," asked Ryder?

Overcome with the feeling of wanting to help someone, the guard said, "There are about twenty others here. Our objective is to retrieve the legendary weapon of the Dark Lord, Darth Bane, and a rare holocron."

"Good," said Ryder in reply. "Now, how are they stationed?"

The guard went on and on about the layout of all the guards and when a rotation change occurred. The next one happened to be in a few minutes. Ryder let go of the guard's mind making him fall to the ground unconscious.

"Okay team, it's time to recover the holocron," Ryder said as he led the team into the darkness that awaited them inside this stone castle. Behind him, everyone lined up with Nero at the back as the caboose.

After a few yards of squeezing past stone, a bright blue light shone in-front of them. "That's got to be the inside. Let's hurry up and see," said Ben who was close behind Ryder.

Ryder kept his gaze towards the light and said, "In any case, just be ready for what's inside."

After a few steps, Ryder emerged from the crack in the stone of the other side. Out came the others one after another, until all of them were in a large room in an ice castle. The ice was clear, but things the other side looked a little more blueish. There were columns in a row leading up to a throne made of ice. Upon the throne, sat a man that looked about twenty.

"So, we have company," said a voice that came from the throne. Within an instant, a blue fire that was held in the hand of the man on the throne lit the room up a little bit. A man in black pants and shoes with a white button down and rolled up sleeves sat up in his chair made of ice. A black tail with a blue flame at the end whipped out from behind the man and wiggled in-front of the man.

"I assume that we're looking for the same thing," said the man eyeing everyone that had just slipped through the crack in the wall.

Nero, with his arms crossed, turned his head towards the mysterious man and said, "Depends on what you're after."

The man stood up and looked at Nero. Blue horns came from his head and appeared on his arms and chest. He unsheathed his sword and engulfed his surroundings in an ocean of blue flames. When the flames died down, the area where Ryder's team was standing was protected by Ryder repelling the flames with the Force.

Ryder lowered his hand and took a few steps toward the man on the throne. "We come in search of a purple holocron," said Ryder. "Along with the weapon of the Dark Lord of the Sith."

Katie, who had been scanning the opponent's face in a databank, looked up from her transmitter. She leaned forward and said, "Ryder, I know who that is." Ryder's eyes widened as he turned to learn about the man on the throne.

"Ah," said the man with his pointer finger in the air. "But, do you know who your captain is?"

Ryder stopped in his tracks and turned towards the flamed man. "What are you babbling on about," spoke out Ryder?

The man gave a small laugh. "For instance, I am Tray Matthews. When I was just a little kid, my dad was murdered right in front of my face."

Tray jumped down from the throne and down to eye level with Ryder. Swirling around his sheathed sword, Tray said, "I know who you are! The dead that come from your hand tell me the stories!"

He unsheathed his sword and lunged at Ryder. Thinking quick, Ryder took out his lightsaber and blocked his attack. Tray immediately began slicing his sword with precision cuts anywhere that there might be even the tiniest opening.

Blue flames came from Tray's sword every time it connected with Ryder's lightsaber. Barely dodging the black tip of Tray's sword, Ryder jumped backwards and gathered the Force.

"Get back everyone," he struggled to say as he gathered the Force between his palms. The rest of the team hid behind a pillar on Ryder's back side.

Tray stood there with his sword in hand. The blue flames whipped off his body and sword. They seemed like dancing flower petals floating down from their bud. "Bring it on," he said.

Ryder looked up at Tray and said, "You asked for it." He directed the Force, that was in-between his palm, through his hands and redirected it towards Tray as lightning. It crackled as it ran across the air towards its target.

Ben was astonished with the amount of lightning that his master could produce. It looked like a storm. Suddenly, a column of blue fire shot straight up from where Tray stood, and lightning followed it up soon after.

The fire and debris cleared to show two people standing. Both Tray and Ryder. Tray walked out of the small crater that he had just made and said to Ryder, "Do they even know who you are, Ryder?"

Ben, Nero, and the others looked at each other with confused looks.

Liz looked at Murdoch and said, "What's he talking about?"

Murdoch continued staring at Tray and yelled out, "What the hell are you talking about?!"

Tray chuckled as he turned around and headed towards his throne. He arrived at its base and jumped up on top of the seat. Gazing at Tray on the throne, Ryder yelled at him, "Just tell us where the holocron is."

Clapping back, Tray said, "Ah, well I don't know where that is. I did know where this is." Tray bent around the back of the throne to grab something.

Meanwhile, Ben crept close to Ryder and said, "Can you beat him?"

Ryder started thinking. 'His sword is enchanted or is made of some special material making it lightsaber resistant. Blue flames also come out of the blade and himself regularly. So, this means that he deals mostly with fire. With his physical condition, speed, and confidence. I might not be able to take him down,' Ryder thought.

Tray turned to Ryder and his team and brought a mask out in front of him. It was a black mask with red shapes on it. There was a black slit where the eyes would be allowing the user to see properly. Tray put the mask on his face and said, "Come, retake your mask!"

"Ryder," said Ben. "Is that the mask that the mercenary, X, wore during his campaigns?"

Ryder stepped forward.

"Oh, no," exclaimed Tray to Ben! "This is the mask your master wore during HIS campaigns!"

Ryder jumped at Tray with his lightsaber ready for attack. Tray grinned as he readied his defense. Ryder sliced down and then back across trying to get Tray off balance.

Tray defended the strikes perfectly with help from the mask that boosted his power. Gathering power in the palm of his right hand, Tray launched a powerful fire wave towards Ryder.

Nero stepped forward. As a purple aura flowed from him, Nero flexed his eyes and swiped across his body. That swipe caused thousands of threads to cut through the fire, killing it.

"Just because our captain has stuttered in his step, doesn't mean that we have lost." The debris and dust settled. "I believe in Ryder, I'll put my life on the line," said Nero

Tray stumble backwards but caught himself with his back left. Angered, Tray lost track of Ryder. He lifted his wrist to his mouth and said, "Everyone. Get out of here, and don't give up anything!"

Tray began to power up as blue flames started to come from his body. Suddenly, Ryder appeared above Tray kicked him in the back of the head into the ground at the base of the stairs.

Ryder, now standing where the throne stood, looked down at Tray, who was all out of energy and was still wearing the mask. Ryder said to him, "You dare disrespect the heritage of that mask by putting it on?"

The flames coming off Tray's body began to flicker downwards. Tray looked up at Ryder. He could feel the incredible power that Ryder was exerting.

All out of energy, Tray struggled to let out, "Stop… I'll give you the mask."

Ryder did not ease up at all. "I can get the mask back either way," he said with a serious face.

"Boss, there are two more hostiles inbound," said Murdoch from the other side of Tray.

Without moving his glare off Tray, Ryder said, "You seven should be strong enough to defeat them." After he said that, Ryder used the Force to grab the mask, and he put it in a pocket on the inside of his cloak.

The seven looked at each other. Ben looked at Nero and said, "I don't know about this. Ryder seems different."

Nero's gaze shot directly at Ben. "Look, I know what Tray said might be confusing right now, but we need to focus on the two enemies coming. Once we kick their ass, I'm sure Ryder will answer any questions."

Nero turned to the back of this giant room. With a very confused look on his face, Ben grabbed Nero's arms and said, "Hold up now, Ner—"

Ben was cut off by a loud voice that suddenly yelled, "Iron Dragon's Roar!"

A tornado of iron scrap metal and raw power shot towards the group of eight as they all dodged the first attack.

Right after the roar, another voice yelled out, "Expelliarmus!" A green laser shot from the dark, but Ben deflected it with his new lightsaber.

"Who's there?! Come on out," yelled Ben!

A man with a white tank top and boots stepped out with a teenage boy with a wooden twig in his hand. The man wearing the tank top yelled, "I'll roar again if you don't leave at once!" He paused and nothing happened except for the wave of his long black hair.

"Fine," he said. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small lightsaber and ignited its piercing red blade.

"I'll just butcher you all with this…" The black hair made him seem a lot more menacing. "Here, I go then."

He dashed towards Nero, and slashed at his chest, kicking debris and dust up everywhere when the lightsaber made contact with the ground. Shockingly, when the dust settled, both fighters were still standing, but there wasn't anything in the attacker's hand!

Looking around frantically, the man with black hair began murmuring to himself.

"Are you looking for this," asked Ryder?

Ryder twirled the lightsaber around in his hand and held it towards Tray.

Nero closed in on the other male attacker that cast a spell.

"Now, boy," said Ryder to the young wizard. "Give us the other object that y'all have found or we will kill everyone here."

The teenage boy stepped back and held his wand in-front of him. "Never," he yelled out!

Ryder stepped away from Tray, who had been under Ryder's spiritual pressure for a while. Now, he picked up Tray using the force and held him forty feet up off the ground.

"Give it to us or he gets dropped." Ryder held his position while the young boy was visibly distraught from his decision.

"3… 2… 1… Goodbye," counted down Ryder. He let go of Tray, but right before he would become a smashed tomato, the boy yelled, "Stop!"

Ryder caught Tray a meter from the ground and rose him back up to forty feet in the air. "What was that I heard?"

Ryder walked down to the boy with his other hand held out in front of his face. "The holocron, James."

The magician's face widened more than gum under a press. 'How does he know my name,' thought James?

Slowly, James reached into his bag and pulled out purple holocron in the shape of a pyramid. He placed it right into Ryder's hands. "I give up," he finally said.

Ryder grabbed the holocron and put it in his own bag. "Thank you, James," said Ryder as he walked back to his group.

From behind him, a voice rose up and said, "What you hold is very special. Tell me what you will use it for." Tray slowly rose up from the ground in front of the stairs that led to his throne.

Without turning towards Tray, Ryder said, "This is for the rebels trying to get rid of ISIS. I know that this is a place deals out weapons to them."

Tray's left eyebrow raised as he said, "…and?"

Ryder turned his head, looked Tray in the eyes and said, "Help us. Keep tabs on the people that come here and give us any information on ISIS or anything they are connected to or suspicious. This will help us figure out what they're doing and where they are."

Tray looked at Ryder. He knew that Ryder was tremendously stronger than him. "We'll do it." He paused. "But, only if you train and help us when in need."

Ryder walked up to Tray. Looked him in the eyes and shook his hand. "I'm not a tutor. I have my own mission that needs taking care of. I hope I never see you on the opposite side of my blade," said Ryder to Tray as he walked back to the crack in the wall of the cave.

"It's time to head out of here. Let's go." Ryder threw up a wave then left through the crevice. On the other side, Ryder signaled for R2 to bring the ship around. No one really talked while they waited for the ship. Everyone was confused about Ryder and the mask.

'Are they the same people,' thought Ben?

Within minutes, the ship finally arrived and landed in front of them. The crew walked up the ramp and into the main hold right on board.

Ryder broke the silence and said, "I want everyone back in here once they have showered and changed clothes." Everyone nodded in agreement and went their separate ways except for one other crewmate.

Ryder waved him into the cockpit where he was already sitting. Ryder looked in the other's eyes. "How do you think that they'll take it, Nero?"

Nero calmly said, "They'll have questions. A lot of questions now that I think about it. As long as you keep be encouraging, then they'll go along with it."

Ryder relaxed in his chair and said, "Thank God. The last thing I need right now is to worry about this too."

Ten minutes passed and Ryder and Nero were in the main hold chatting with each other. Ben and Katie were the first ones to join into the room. Quickly following them was Liz, Murdoch, and Luca who had Weston on their tail. They all gathered around the table waiting to hear what Ryder had to say.

"I first want to begin with saying, I'm the same Ryder that fought in the novice tournament. I'm the same Ryder that hung out with y'all on the Slipknot," Ryder said glancing at Katie. "But, I haven't been one-hundred percent truthful with you guys."

Ryder looked around at the other seven. "Two and a half years ago, a man dressed in battle armor wearing the mask Tray was wearing stopped by my house on the night of my seventeenth birthday. It was the same day that school ended." Ryder looked at Luca and he knew that Luca knew the day he was speaking of.

"He demanded to see my dad, who was passed out on the couch at the time. I was shooting basketball, and he froze the ball and everything around us. I was shocked and kind of scared, so I let him inside. He was an old friend of my dad. He was a Jedi. I learned that my father was one too. I also learned that my whole family was in witness protection because my whole family was from THIS universe. When earth went through the wormhole, so did we, and we landed on earth. My mom and brother were split from me and my dad because my brother and I have unique abilities. I don't know what they are, but that's what was said. So, the man that wore that mask was named Korvin. He had come to tell my dad that people were on their way to kill him. They knew that day was going to come, so my father made Korvin promise that he would take me in and train me. So, he did that. I became a mercenary that learned under him. The lightsaber I have now," he said taking it from his belt. "Was the original one I created those years ago. The power you felt when you first saw me turn it on was a spell that took my memory being released. In the latter months of my training, we had found Nero and decided to pick him up as a training partner, rival, and friend. After that I joined the academy saying that I had been in the army. I haven't changed. I'm the same guy just with a weirder back story."

Murdoch rose his hand and without being called on said, "Don't get me wrong. I believe you. But, what changes about us… in beliefs, followings, and other things."

"That's a good question," said Ryder as he looked up at Murdoch. "Nothing. I have the same ideals as before. We will defeat ISIS not matter what. We still align with the United States, but just think of us as a crew that assigns their own missions too."

"Ahhh, I get it," said Murdoch as he sat back in his chair.

"What if we don't want to continue with you," said Weston?

"Then no hurt feelings," said Ryder. "The plan the whole time was for me to tell the President after this mission anyways. You'll be free to leave."

"Why was it necessary for you to take away your memories," asked Ben?

"Because I couldn't let the US know anything about me since I fought along side them in a fight. I wasn't accepted into the academy, then I wouldn't have been able to form a team, which was the primary objective to this my mission," explained Ryder.

"What's your mission now," asked Katie? "And what if I say that you can't take my ship?"

Ryder smiled. "The mission now is to learn the contents of this holocron. This was mission number two. And regarding the ship, I'm sorry, Katie, but I'll be taking it out of the US's hands."

Katie shrugged and said, "Well, I guess it could be worse."

"Any other questions," asked Ryder?

"How powerful are you really," asked Nero?

"You already know the answer, but to ease the others' minds. What I showed against Tray was just a warm up. Plus, there is a large gash on my back from when I fought the hollow on Ilum," Ryder said as he looked at Katie who just nodded.

"To put it simply, I'm the strongest soldier in the US army. I'd beat everyone including: Jackson, Ziggy, Rodan, General Hall, and anyone else. I know a lot more Force abilities than what you've seen me do, and I have a lot more battle experience than what you originally thought I had," finished Ryder.

"So, where to now," asked Liz?

Ryder looked at the group and said, "Back to the ship. Like I said, if you don't want to stay, you don't have to."

The crew scatter as they got into their flight position: Murdoch and Weston manned the guns, Ben was assisting Liz in the Med bay, Luca was in the tech room, Katie sat on the couch because nothing was broken, and Ryder was with Nero in the cockpit setting their location for the outer rims near, Gonus.

While Ryder and Nero were talking in the cockpit, Ben walked up in behind them.

"What is it," asked Ryder?

He stood there still until he said, "Does this mean that you are a Sith?"

Ryder immediately said in return, "No." He turned and faced Ben. "Close your eyes." Ben closed his eyes and waited for the next instruction. "Pretend that you are on a tight rope, and on your left, is a raging field of fire. On your right is a calm ocean, but you can feel the passion of the waves beneath the surface that are wanting to break free. Both sides are equally dangerous. I've been taught to walk the middle of that path. The tight rope. We can dip down on one side and use some of their abilities, but we never fully jump in on one side. What you saw against Tray was just that." Ryder grinned and turned back to the front. "I hope that helped out."

Ben stood motionless for a few seconds. Then it clicked in his head. "So, we're in the middle. Using both light and dark side powers…." He bolted off to the training room where the books from the vault were held.

"At least he doesn't seem to have a problem with it," Nero nudged Ryder.

The doors to the training rooms busted open to reveal that no one was in them. He looked around the multiple rooms and didn't see a sign that pointed to the books. He glanced to the left, and when he passed a door on the side, he saw a bright light leak from the bottom of the door. Ben ran over to the door and opened it. There had to be at least seven book shelves full of books that looked fresh off the press, and tattered books that look like they have been through multiple ages of wars.

Using the Force, Ben ran his hand across the book shelves waiting for a book to call out to him. A faint hum appeared in his head. Ben continued to run his hand over the vast amount of books. The hum got louder and louder until it seemed like his ears were about to pop. Ben forcefully opened his eyes and saw that his hand was over the spine of an old book. He pulled it out and looked at the cover.

It was made of a brown cloth that had faded to a near gray. The cover was plain and did not have any illustrations. The only thing on it was the title written in black. It said, "Force Applications."