Kaia could barely remember the moment Koth got her on the ship; this whole moment became an endless blur that the girl couldn't let go of. It felt like a horrifying, nightmarish dream that she was trapped in, gradually falling down into the very depths of chaos and despair. Ever since her parents died, nightmares haunted Kaia every other night, but each one of them had an end, not this one. Her world burned before her eyes, and her city crumbled as the ships above unleashed the rain of destruction upon them. All Kaia could think about was whether those people understood what they were doing…

Those who operated those guns, the ones who oversaw this destruction. Was this catastrophe truly what they wanted? To annihilate everything in their way and incinerate thousands of innocent people who spent the last few months praying for a miracle that would bring their world peace. Was this revenge for what the Eternal Empire did? This endless devastation and purge? Did they have any regrets, any doubt, or a desire for mercy? She had no answer…Eventually, those thoughts and the stench of smoke made the girl fall asleep shortly after she and Koth left Zakuul.

She dreamed of what happened a few hours prior, of how this day began…For the first time since separating from her father, Kaia finally felt genuine joy.

She didn't want to think of Vaylin and Cassian after learning that the former killed her mother, but Koth was different. He was a kind and brave man, just like her parents. He didn't know him too well yet, but it was clear that he had gone through a difficult life. He had to face loss and rejection, abandoning those he once looked up to to do what was right. Arcann, Cassian, the Paragon, even Emperor Valkorion…Now, he was a man without loyalty or purpose, and Kaia could understand this feeling well.

The two of them returned to the Paragon-controlled district to get some of Koth's old equipment back and help some of his old friends get out. Kaia's slicing skills were useful for this, and so she went with her new friend.

"Alright, they shouldn't be too far from here," Koth said as the two of them reached a large plaza.

"You sure this is a good place to meet?" Kaia said with doubt, as the streets were full of people looking at the spire and clamoring for something to break out; neither Kaia nor Koth cared for it beyond it being a suitable distraction.

"Of course!" Koth chuckled. "You know how people are. Get them to watch some fancy transmission, and they will just stop noticing anything that happens around them whatsoever."

"Are…You serious?" Kaia wondered, looking at Koth's sly smile.

"Absolutely. Hiding in plain sight, you know?"

"Eh…"

Koth couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh at Kaia's confusion.

"Ah, don't worry about that. I'm crazy, not stupid! They're in one of the apartments nearby, and they told me they stayed inside; we can meet them there, and with all those people busy watching Doran's announcement, no one's gonna bother us."

"You had me worry for a second…"

"I'd never put us into more danger than we already are," Koth reassured her. "I did so a couple of times before, and… Let's say it taught me a lot. That's why I'd rather take care in all situations; it's better to be safe than sorry."

Their mission was clear-cut, yet Kaia still felt Koth's doubt. He resolved to rescue all of his friends and acquaintances, getting them ready to leave the war zone and hide in a safe place, but this wouldn't be the end of it; there had to be a new beginning, sooner or later.

"Kaia?"

"Yeah?"

"How do you feel about leaving Zakuul?"

"W-what do you mean?" The girl raised an eyebrow. "But it's our home, we can't just abandon it and…"

"Relax, we won't leave until it's safe and sound here and the Exchange is dealt with. But what about later? I feel I've served for long enough…Maybe there'll be time to travel around the galaxy, see new places…That kind of thing. I was wondering if it would be better for you than just sitting here, stuck amidst this decline we're going through…So what do you say?"

"Hm… I'm not sure."

Kaia never expected to get an opportunity to travel around the galaxy, but she was rather tempted to agree to it. Perhaps one day, her time will come.

Or so she thought at that moment, only for all her hopes to be undercut when the rain of destruction began.

One collapse after another, utter cataclysm and catastrophe…And the end of her nightmare.

"Ah! "The girl gasped as she jumped up from her bed. For a moment, a part of her hoped that this would finally end all of this, allow her to wake up in her own hope and realize that Zakuul is not destroyed, that none of this has happened…But she quickly realized that she was still on the ship. The shuttle her and Koth took was deep in hyperspace and the man himself sat by her side.

"Are you…Okay?" Koth asked in a tone of mild shame. "Sorry, I shouldn't be asking that, not after…" He clenched his fists as Kaia noticed Koth's entire body shake.

"I-I'm alright…Just had a bad dream. You saved me…Thank you."

"Too early for that." Koth sighed. "Those bastards might hunt us down, you never know what they'll start doing next…I set the course for Rishi; if Scourge told the truth, we'd find some good, reliable people there. They'll give us shelter." Koth said, trying to reassure both Kaia and himself, thought it was not enough. It would never be. At least they knew exactly where they would go, but this was just a small silver lining from the burden of the catastrophe that shook Kaia to her very core. She saw Koth looking down in shame as well; they both felt it.

"Is…Is our home destroyed?" Kaia asked meekly and in a shaking tone, looking at Koth, who was still trying to avoid eye contact. "Did you see it from above? Is it…"

"It's in flames." Koth finally forced himself to speak. "Only a few people would survive that…Maybe there were more who escaped like us, but… It's only a few. I…" Tears emerged in Koth's eyes as he could barely control himself. Kaia couldn't hold herself back, either.

"But does this mean that Lem, and Ralo, and…" All of those people Koth showed her to, those who were eager to become her new friends and protectors…All gone in this cruel, merciless act of destruction.

As tears streamed down Koth and Kaia's eyes, a realization dawned upon the two of them.

Their entire past had been erased in one fell swoop, and there was no way back, no way to undo this hellish nightmare.

After such a catastrophic loss, they had nothing left.

…

"Today, the Dragon of Zakuul shall kneel before me."

Atiel dreamed of living long enough to witness this moment of standing by her lord's side and seeing him triumph, watching as the galaxy of weakness and corruption burned to the ground. There was nothing but delight and pride Atiel felt as she watched Zakuul burn from atop Jadus's flagship. The whole world was scorched and consumed by a blazing inferno, a testament to her master's pride and dedication. The Chiss Agent was unable to hold back her tears; she wept with joy as she watched this bombardment. All those years of waiting, setbacks, and planning, all those years of being a toy to both Jedi and Sith, to Zakuulans who dared to torture their savior on Nathema, this was the pure, just retribution that she waited for all her life. So many burned for their sins, for their blindness and complacency, burned in hell that only a few would survive. By surviving, they will earn their right to live in a galaxy reborn…

Lord Jadus watched the bombardment without even looking away for a second. He showed no emotions on his face, yet Atiel could feel the joy and impending feeling of triumph in his usually burdened aura. He deserved to enjoy this moment more than anyone else, especially after all the sacrifices he made to make this possible. Even now, Atiel couldn't comprehend the sheer burden her master took upon himself. He owed nothing to the galaxy, and yet he chose to become its savior. To accept all the hate that deluded fools would throw his way, to become a monster in their eyes, the one who they would equate to Vitiate and his children, and a mere thought of that made Atiel sick. But her master was a strong individual, stronger than most. He knew the risks and the sacrifices he would have to make, and they did not stop him. All Atiel could do was support her noble master at every turn. His word was her law…No, it was her life. And she never had to wait for his orders.

" Zakuul is no more, Atiel, but it is only the beginning…The Eight Lords do not respond. We lost all contact with him. I can only presume his vengeful son finally found him. I expect him and his allies to come for us soon enough…I will go to Iokath and send a message to the Second Voice; it is time we summoned his fleet to reforge the galaxy once and for all. He knows of what happened to Zakuul, and yet he is easy to manipulate. He still believes that the reason it fell was because of who created it…He thinks that such destruction will not repeat and will serve as a useful pawn. As for you, Atiel, return to Odessen and expect an attack. They will not make the same mistake again; next time, they will prevail, I don't doubt it. We don't need Odessen anymore, but your best to stall them. The more time they waste in battle, the more time I have to restore the glorious hammer. Then, return to me, and together, we will see this galaxy born anew."

…

Vaylin was used to reveling in indiscriminate destruction. Much more than most others would tolerate, and now she was in the company of people who despised her for it. However, after watching Jadus's transmission and witnessing the chaotic bombardment he unleashed upon Zakuul, Vaylin lost any power or desire to make disparaging jokes and enjoy the chaos. Everyone was stunned by the brutality; everyone watched it like the catastrophic calamity that it was, a silent room full of people whose eyes brimmed with despair. This was a declaration of war on Jadus's part.

Everyone was affected in their own way, but no one shared any words with each other until they had time to process the shock. Vaylin felt much the same; she sat in one of the smaller rooms of the bunker, staring at a grey wall and feeling herself becoming emptier with every passing second. She tried to force her intrusive thoughts out, but those attempts made her feel worse. Everything would come back to a young girl Vaylin met during her last journey to Zakuul, a girl whose mother Vaylin murdered in cold blood. Kaia was dead now, and the thought made Vaylin look down to the floor, draining all of her willpower. She couldn't even force herself to look up.

The more time Vaylin spent with Cassian, the harder it became for her to understand herself. Was she really willing to give up on her enjoyment? After all, it was Zakuul, the world, that rose up against her, the insolent brats that rebelled and tried to dethrone her. They deserved their fate…It felt so natural saying this about any other Zakuulan, but not Kaia. Kaia didn't deserve death or any kind of pain, not after she had suffered already. What was it that made her different to others? Her fate wasn't unique; Vaylin had to admit that the only reason she cared was because she met her and spent time with her, got to know this girl, and even saw some similarities between them. She met many Zakuulans before, of course, yet none made her care…She changed and became softer, something Vaylin once swore to never do.

"Still pouting over here?" Vaylin heard Jac's suspicious voice coming from behind, the Jedi walked past her and stopped to observe here.

"What's it to you?" Vaylin said dismissively, not caring to conjure a witty comeback.

"Honestly? I expected you to jump for joy and cackle at it." Jac shook his head, unable to hide spite in his voice. "You wanted to take your revenge on them ever since Indo's ploy, right? To burn them all for 'betraying' you?"

"Yeah, I did."

"I guess it doesn't count to you if someone else does it…You really are that petty, aren't you? "

"Do you have anything important to say, or do you just like to bark? Sounds like it's not the Jedi way and all that…Not that I'm an expert."

"I'm trying to understand if there's any logic to what you think and how you act, and it doesn't seem like it."

"It was still my home, you know. It is a shithole, and its people are scum, but that doesn't mean there was nothing to about it…Some pretty places here and there." Vaylin shrugged.

"Is that what you care about? Sightseeing?" Jac clenched his fist and spoke through his gritted teeth. "Do you know how many people died when you bombed your palace? Or Voss? When did you carry out your brother's orders to destroy entire worlds? You killed billions…"

"Hey, that's another thing altogether. I have nothing to do with Jadus obliterating your Sith friend along with all of Zakuul!" She said with spite, making Jac pause and close his eyes as his body visibly shook.

"Scourge…Is one of the strongest people I've ever known." Jac took a deep breath. There are reports of some people who escaped Zakuul on spare starships. Scourge would've found one, too, and if so, we will see him soon enough."

"Sounds like you're just in denial…"

"No! I'm…It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what Jadus did; his crimes are his own…And so are yours." Jak looked at Vaylin with eyes filled with righteous judgment.

"Alright, maybe you are a true Jedi…You people are too vague sometimes, not everyone likes to listen to endless riddles. Just get to the point." Vaylin sighed.

"Your crimes are grievous."

"And?"

"They earn you death."

"Did anyone ever tell you you're a mood killer? Did I kill some of your best friends or what?" Vaylin rolled her eyes.

"You…Yes, you did." Jac responded snappily.

"Who? Unless you think everyone on Odessen is your friend, in which case that's kinda sad."

"You murdered a man who I met seven years ago on the fourth moon of Yavin. He was a Mandalorian, brave, loyal, and honorable. The Jedi are usually at odds with their folk, but I admired some of their qualities. I fought side by side with him against the Revanite and then again when he joined our alliance to fight the Eternal Empire. He would've lived to see the end of that war if you hadn't snapped his neck just to spite us. I watched you kill him, and I bet you enjoyed it, too…You killed a good man just for spite and satisfaction, and you don't even know his name; he was just one of thousands to you, right?!"

"Torian Cadera," Vaylin responded coldly, remembering Tasara's shameful face and tearful eyes. It wasn't so easy to forget anymore. "I remember him well." She watched Jac pause for a moment, clearly shocked by such a 'show of respect' from her.

"It doesn't make it any easier for him." Jac shook his head. "Nor does it for any other people you murdered. It doesn't matter how many of my friends you killed…Ultimately, they're just a few people among thousands of others, and the galaxy demands justice for every single one of them. I saw what war does to innocents that have to suffer the brunt of it…What your war did to them. I stayed on Voss after what you did." Jac's voice grew more agitated. "I helped bury your mother, but I couldn't leave until I did everything I could for the victims…Everything."

"So it's somehow my fault you chose to care about some shifty Voss that you never even met…Before they died, anyway."

"It's hard for you to understand, I know, but some of us care about innocents who suffer in all of those pointless wars. I helped them dig the bodies up from the rubble, tried to heal mortal wounds, saw them scream in despair, curse their own prophesies, cry before the bodies of their loved ones…Many of them looked for corpses; they didn't even dare to hope that their comrades survived, just looked for confirmation, no matter how much it was. Even I have blood on my hands, a lot of it, but those people have done nothing to deserve this fate!"

"They housed my mother and Arcann," Vaylin said spitefully.

"Even Senya did not deserve her fate. She was a good woman who fought for what's right."

"You don't know what my mother did…So shut up and don't talk about something you have no idea about, will you?" Vaylin said in a catty tone, trying to mask her annoyance.

"I never had children, so I try not to judge her…She didn't deserve her death; it was necessary so that you and your brother would face the punishment you deserve, and she wouldn't stand in our way. Not for you to walk free!" Jac shouted in anger. "I know Cassian doesn't care for justice; he never did; he only killed Arcann because he wanted to get rid of a dangerous enemy. And you are different…He likes you in more ways than one. I know he will defend you after all is said and done, and I know that Lana doesn't care for justice as long as you're useful. But I promise you, this isn't over. I am only putting our differences aside until we defeat Jadus, not a second longer."

"And what then? You'll put me on a trial? I know you want to punish me, but having to deal with bureaucracy… You're really sick, are you?"

"No, the trials are a waste of time and energy; there's only one punishment for those who murdered millions without remorse. Death."

"Ooh, that's getting interesting…" Vaylin stood up, realizing that she had begun to enjoy his annoyance. "How very not Jedi-like of you! Aren't you all in favor of second chances? I thought you fall for sob stories too…My parents didn't love me; my mother was scared and thought I was dangerous, and my father locked me away and tortured me for years. Maybe I'm insane. Have you thought about that? Surely, you know everyone in the galaxy calls me crazy; that's what it means, right? I'm not guilty anymore and deserve as much love and compassion as those Voss I blew up…"

"ENOUGH!"

Jac couldn't help it any longer; he took his lightsaber and leaped forward toward Vaylin, opening himself up for a strike. The woman didn't expect such a swift reaction, but there was no reason to worry or hold back. After all, this was the Jedi that killed her once before. Vaylin took her lightsaber out and blocked Jac's strikes before pushing him back with her force. The Jedi kneeled and fell before the wall, chained by Vaylin's unstoppable power. He resisted, of course, and Vaylin felt the force of one of the mightiest Jedi push back against her own, but it paled in comparison before hers.

"You say that I'm horrible for enjoying my kills, right? Yes, when I snapped Torian's neck, it felt good, like I was proving a point to Father! But I never denied that I enjoy killing sometimes. I never followed a code or some moral prescription…But what about you? Did you enjoy killing me? Piercing me from behind and listening to my screams? Don't deny it; it felt good like you were the perfect little hero you wanted to see yourself as! Just admit to it…I won't judge." Before Jac responded, another man rushed into the room; Cassian must have heard the echoes of their quick battle and made his way there; Vaylin could already spot anger on his face.

"What is going on here?!" The Chiss said in a stern, commanding tone. "I thought we explicitly agreed to not try and kill each other until we deal with Jadus!"

"Hey, I'm being provoked here!" Vaylin pouted. "You need to muzzle your friend."

"Jac?" Cassian looked at the Jedi before him.

"There is no emotion…There is peace…"

"Jac!" Cassian shouted, forcing the Jedi to leave his trance-like state and stare at him.

"This…Maniac doesn't care at all!" The Jedi said with rage. "She talks about her past murders like it's nothing…She enjoys it! She doesn't kill for any good reason and doesn't feel any remorse…Why do you care for her at all? Why do you defend her!?"

"Because I know she is better than this…She just doesn't want to show it to most people."

"Excuses, excuses…She is everything your closest friends and allies wanted to destroy! The evil they fought against! And after all this, you seriously still choose her over us? Is that what Jaesa would've wanted!?"

"Don't you dare?" Cassian said in an extremely cold tone and raised his arm. "Don't even try using my friends as excuses. I know them better than you ever did! And if you spew this manipulative shit again, I'll…"

Vaylin was enthralled by seeing their squabble play out, but before she could join in, she shivered and trembled as her eyes spotted a fantom.

"What the…" Vaylin took a few shaky steps back and kept her eyes on the silhouette of a young girl who emerged in the doorway. The resemblance was uncanny, but this couldn't be…

"K-Kaia?" Vaylin said in disbelief, making both Jac and Cassian turn around, looking at the girl. She looked at the trio with shy eyes, but she was neither fearful nor surprised.

"Hello, Cassian…" The girl said shyly as she looked at the Chiss, completely ignoring Vaylin.

"How…" The Sith hesitated, allowing Jac to talk while the Jedi stood up.

"Kaia, that's a familiar name… Wasn't that the girl who helped you out on Zakuul?"

"Yes, but…" Cassian stuttered before staring at Kaia in shock. "How…How are you here? We saw your entire world get obliterated! Did you…"

Soon after, everyone heard approaching steps from the outside corridor, and two more looming silhouettes approached.

"No one is more surprised than I am." Lana was the first to speak, the moment she saw the group before her, she immediately raised an eyebrow. "You three are really bad at hiding you rage, you know that? Not a good welcoming party for our Zakuulan survivor." She let out a tired sign, probably getting a picture of what just happened between them.

"How did you find her?" Vaylin wondered.

"I wouldn't have if it wasn't for the other survivor. Saw him cluelessly bumbling around Pirate's Cove and could barely believe my eyes." Lana stepped aside, unveiling her companion. "This was not a reunion I expected."

"You?" Cassian said with surprise.

"Yeah, me. Hate to disappoint you, but I'm not dead yet." Koth said somberly before looking at Jacques. "Been a long time, Battlemaster. I'm glad you're okay."

"Koth?" Jac approached him carefully, allowing a smile to emerge on his face for the first time today. "I…I didn't even dare to hope, but…Thank the force!" Jac sighed in pure relief. He eagerly shook his hands with Koth.

"I was afraid you'd die to this Jadus or his servants, but I really shouldn't have… You're stronger than that."

"How did you two get away?" Jac looked at Koth and Kaia. "Were you off-world? On some assignment?" He saw the girl look down and shake her head in silence, making Jac's own expression become far more somber.

"No," Koth spoke. "We were there when it all happened, but…I guess I should start from the beginning."

"Take your time; it's hard to process even for us…I can't imagine how it feels for you."

While they began their talk, Vaylin focused on Kaia, a girl who continued to avoid eye contact until, finally, their gazes met.

"Hey," Vaylin called out for her gently as she let a friendly smile emerge on her face. "I… I'm glad that you're safe."

Kaia just turned around, pretending as if she didn't hear it.