"Look, this is for the best," Merga said as they picked their way through the starport.

Lorash was silent at his side, trudging with eyes fixed on the ground. She hadn't known them for long, but she already missed Eso's friendly chattering and Yyrfhojarrr's chuckles. More than that, she found herself progressively more and more aware of Seia's absence. It was amazing how much of the world the warrior's aura filled. Without the anchor of that beskar certainty, Lorash felt adrift.

The way they had all parted left her with a chest aching from regret. Her tears were dry now, but she still remembered the rage glowing in Seia's orange irises, like the flames of a dying star. The sith's tolerance was difficult to win, but at least that was possible. Lorash didn't know if reconciliation was. The sith weren't known for being forgiving.

"What's going through that head of yours, kid?"

Lorash didn't look over. "You wouldn't understand."

"Oh yeah? Try me."

A shadow blew across the sky, prompting Lorash to look up. "An imperial troop ship." Her stomach knotted. "It's headed towards the mountains."

The bothan shrugged. "I guess we're leaving right on time."

"That's the direction the others went." Lorash fished out her comm, unease growing and flourishing inside her like a clinging vine. "We need to warn them."

Merga sighed, but didn't move to stop her. "They could be headed that way for any number of reasons, kid. Besides, that's not our problem."

Lorash tried to get the ship without luck, then tried Eso and Yyrfhojarrr individually. There was no answer, which did nothing to ease her mind. "Something's wrong."

The bothan shook his head. "We've got our own problems, like how we're getting back to Vori even with rebel help."

"So figure it out," Lorash snapped. She closed her eyes and centered herself the best she could with irritation nipping at her peace of mind. She could still feel the connection to Seia like a phantom thread. She'd never really tried to reach out through the Force over a distance before, but there were plenty of stories saying it was possible.

For a moment, the world around her faded as if it was a picture being weathered by time on fast forward. She reached out towards the dark storm she could feel somewhere to the west, following her phantom thread. For a moment, she knew she had the sith's attention. She could almost feel Seia's burning gaze on her.

Seia, please—

The sith shattered the connection between them with a thought, painfully disrupting Lorash's attempt.

Tears flooded into the padawan's eyes, but she blinked them back. If Seia wasn't going to let her speak that way, she would deliver the message in person.

"Kid?"

She pushed her bag into Merga's hands. "I'll meet you at the cantina."

"What do you mean?" the bothan yelped. "Lorash!"

It didn't matter, she was already moving over to the nearest speeder taxi, fishing out the last of the credits Vori had given her. "I need to go somewhere," she said, offering her money to the nautolan driver. When his eyes widened and he grabbed for them, she caught his arm and pulled him out of the speeder. "I'll bring it right back."

Without paying any heed to the angry shouting in her wake, Lorash vaulted into the pilot's seat and gunned the throttle, zipping off after the troop transport. She knew where she was going, she'd been present for the briefing Seia had given Eso. This was her home planet, she knew the terrain. The imps hopefully didn't have that same information.

She buried the needle of the speedometer just in case, zipping along above the usual air traffic. Naboo was a populous world with a lot of vehicles, but Lorash was on a mission.

By the time she reached a view of the cave in the mountains Seia had described, so had the Imperial ship. It was just about to touch down.

She needed to get inside and warn the group. There was a solid chance the Imperial forces would lock down Eso's ship, preventing an escape this time, but if Seia and the others all died, there was zero chance of getting it back. Lorash couldn't go toe to toe with a bunch of stormtroopers alone.

Getting past that troop ship was going to have to be a combination of speed and luck. She wasn't confident stealth would work fast enough, but the cave was large enough for the speeder to fly in the first hundred feet. The pings from the sensors told her that the cave ran much deeper.

Lorash closed her eyes and pushed the throttle, letting the flow of the Force around her serve as her guide. She kept her breathing deep and even, certain in her decision.

Ion cannons fired behind her, but Lorash course-corrected to avoid with a sudden drop, soaring barely six inches above the ground as she shot into the cave. As soon as the darkness closed around her, she opened her eyes and flipped the thrusters to fire in the opposite direction to decelerate so quickly it almost made her pass out. It was just enough for her to slide to a stop before hitting the back wall of the cave.

A doorway cut into the stone waited for her, flanked by two Jedi statues. The carvings on the wall were partially destroyed by water, but Lorash could parse together the meaning. This was some sort of place for the dead, a tomb or maybe a necropolis depending on the size.

She stepped out of the taxi and approached the open archway. She wasn't certain how far in Seia and the others were, but she needed to hurry. The only thing that stopped her from a full run was knowing there could be dangers in such places.

Lorash loped through the darkness, spotting a glow ahead. The sight made her heart sink: a forcefield, and no sign of the group anywhere in front of it. Maybe the holocron gave Seia the ability to raise the defenses.

"Yes and no," a soft female voice said.

Lorash whirled towards the voice, holding her staff defensively. It was obvious almost immediately that it might not do her any good.

The ghost of a human woman looked back at her, attired in robes with a long-handled lightsaber hanging from her belt. She seemed in her middle years, a faint hint of sorrow and concern on her face. "Well met, Lorash Entaira."

"How do you know my name?"

"No one is a stranger to the Force. I raised the barrier on Seia's behalf when I felt that she was pursued, but she ignored my warnings and made it plain that she was going to descend into the crypts."

"I need to get in after her," Lorash said.

"It will only permit a Jedi Master through now," the force ghost said. "I can assist you to enter, but you will have to allow me in."

"Allow you—?"

"Into your body."

Lorash heard a cautious shout behind her, one of the Imperial fire teams moving up. "Alright."

The ghost flowed into her like cool, soothing water. Her presence was calm and comforting. Step forward. The barrier will allow us through.

Lorash nodded and walked forward, passing through the forcefield as if it wasn't there. She heard a brief burst of blaster fire behind her, but the flashing light couldn't pass through the glowing barrier.

You must help me sway Seia out of what she intends. The ghost passed back out of Lorash, now moving at her side.

"What does she intend?"

"She seeks the power that this place was meant to defend from discovery." The woman offered Lorash a pained smile. "She was much as I first met her, suffering and angry. I had hoped that the years would grant her peace."

"I didn't help," Lorash admitted. "You know her?"

"My name is Nabeila Ashall, a master of the Jedi Order. Do not blame yourself for Seia's anger or her suffering, Lorash. She feels things more deeply than anyone I have ever met, and that is not a happy combination with Sith teachings."

Lorash processed that name. "You're the one who sealed her away."

"I did," Nabeila said, emanating a soft bluish glow that lit the way. "Something she has not forgiven me for. It was never my intent that she remain sealed so long—the Order discovered that I had aided a sith and sent me here for my penance before I could wake her. I did not reveal her location. Seia deserved a chance to atone, something her enemies would not allow. Before I could secure my own release and retrieve her, I died."

"She has the ability to sense people's thoughts and emotions, surely she could see your feelings when you spoke with her."

Nabeila sighed. "She was very angry. More so when I told her that she had to abandon the desire for power, that no amount of Dark Side power can restore to her what she has lost."

Lorash sucked in a deep breath. She could easily see that infuriating Seia. "She wants to bring Yaikâ back?" It was something that could only end unhappily.

"No, she knows it is impossible. Without him, though, it seems she has returned to her old habits: seeking power to gain and foes to destroy."

Lorash hesitated a moment. "Did Seia come in here alone?"

Nabeila nodded. "She spoke to another over a comm, the pilot. He said that he and another would wait with the ship for her return." The jedi force ghost sighed. "She did not want to risk him."

Lorash had to hope that Eso and Yyrfhojarrr were still alive, one way or another. She walked more quickly, hurrying down the winding passageway. "What power is here?"

"It is a sith relic in the form of old bones, though efforts were made over the centuries to destroy it, and when that failed, to purify it. None were ever completely successful. Eventually, it was decided that this temple would go dark and all record be destroyed so the sith could not find it if they sacked Coruscant again. But Seia was alive when it was openly known. I even told her that this place was the source of the holocron I gave her."

Ahead, Lorash saw a large door. "How do we open that?"

"I will pass through and open it," Nabeila said. She offered her lightsaber hilt to Lorash. "You should take this, Lorash. It will serve you better than that staff, whether in battle against the Empire or Seia, should she succumb to darkness."

It looked real and solid compared to the rest of the force ghost. "I'm not going to fight Seia."

Nabeila smiled faintly, though a deep sorrow lingered in her eyes. "Then take it to defend her."

Lorash accepted the saber with a stab of nerves. "I've never used a lightsaber before. What if I hurt myself?"

"So young. Trust the Force to guide your hand." Nabeila turned and passed through the door. A moment later, it opened to reveal a room lit by crimson glow.

There, on a small table at the center of the room, lay eight bone pieces arranged in a circle, surrounded by a glow like that of bleeding kyber. Seia stood in front of it, her back turned to the door. The presence of the Dark Side burned like a poison against Lorash's flesh, it was so intense. Her stomach churned.

"Seia, please stop this," Nabeila pleaded. "There may be no turning back from such contamination."

"I am done with Jedi meddli—" Seia turned, face contorted into a snarl. Her eyes glowed orange in the darkness, features savage even half lost in shadow. "How dare you."

"I did not summon her here, Seia. She came of her own volition, seeking you," the force ghost said, drifting out of Lorash's way.

"Why are you here, Lorash?" Seia demanded.

If ever there was a time for honesty, it was now. Lorash didn't even have to search her feelings to have an answer. "I couldn't leave you to face the Empire alone. When I saw their ship head your way, I followed it as fast as I could."

"I don't need you," Seia spat.

"I didn't say you do," Lorash said, stepping forward. "I want to be here. I'm sorry, Seia. I know I hurt you."

Seia's arrogance surfaced. "You presume too much."

The jedi padawan could almost feel Seia slipping through her fingers. "I don't want to lose you." She took a deep breath. "If the power is what you want, take it. I'll be here either way."

"With a lightsaber to strike me down."

Lorash tossed the saber at Seia's feet, ignoring Nabeila's dismay. Her heart was pounding in her chest. There was a chance Seia might just kill her, but she was more certain of this than she'd ever been sure of anything. She could still remember the Seia she'd seen through Yaikâ's eyes, vibrant and alive, worthy of a second chance. "You know I can't lie to you, Seia. Am I lying now?"

Seia's burning eyes searched her face and the dark, hungry presence of her mind swept over Lorash's. It sent a shiver through the young woman. "No," Seia said finally. "You…are not." She pulled in a deep breath and seemed to hesitate, uncertain for the first time Lorash had ever seen.

"Do you want the power here, Seia?"

The sith warrior nodded. "We face a great threat. At my hand, the power here would be more than sufficient to push it back."

"Seia, it could destroy you," Nabeila said firmly. "What good would that do those who care for you?"

The sith warrior didn't answer, her gaze settling on Lorash as if to ask her opinion without needing to use a word.

Lorash took another deep breath and approached Seia. "I won't let you fall, whatever you decide."

The sith returned her lightsaber to her belt and reached out almost tentatively, fingertips brushing some of the jedi padawan's hair back. "You are not bound to me, Lorash. If you choose this path, your master may never accept you back."

"Vori will either understand or he won't, but I am not going to abandon you because I'm afraid of what anyone will think." Lorash braced herself, then caught one of Seia's hands with her own. For a moment, she could feel the connection between them again as heat, the burn of Seia's strength almost searing her palm. The padawan squeezed the sith's hand and then let go. "Do what you have to do. I'll be waiting right here."

Seia smiled at her, though the expression was half hidden by the shadows. She turned back to the bones, approaching them with a new, fearless purpose.

"This is reckless, Lorash," Nabeila warned. "We do not know what it will do to her."

Lorash shook her head. "I know she's strong enough."

Seia chanted something in Sith as she approached and the red glow burned brighter, flaring when she put her hand at the center of the circle of bones. There was a sudden surge as Seia finished her chant and the red glow burned so brightly that it was almost blinding. The bones seemed consumed by the fire as it flowed into Seia. A sudden wind springing from the middle of the room whipped the ashes up into a column and let them fall.

The sith's body spasmed and she fell to one knee, but let out no cry of pain.

Lorash felt it, though, a sudden crash of agony slamming through them as Seia involuntarily shared a fraction of her pain. Both she and Nabeila let out a cry and the ruin around them shuddered.

Seia twitched and jerked like she was struggling with a beast inside herself. The Dark Side would give her power, but not without a price.

Without thinking, Lorash moved forward and caught Seia's shoulders with her hands. The touch was blistering as heat and power seared her flesh, but she refused to let go. "I'm right here, Seia. Breathe."

It seemed to reach Seia. The sith gasped in a breath of fresh air, easing some of the torment and pain.

Lorash touched the sith's perception with her own sense. Seia was barely conscious, barely aware of anything other than her own pain. Blind to the world around her, Seia could only see the crumpled body of her slain apprentice, his vacant eyes staring through her as his last breath cooled on bloody lips. A blaster shot had fired right through his chest.

Lorash held Seia more tightly when the sith howled in grief and helpless pain. "It's not your fault, Seia," she said, tears dripping down her own face. "I have you. I'm here. Just breathe."

Seia collapsed back into Lorash's arms.

"It will take her time to recover enough to fight," Nabeila said quietly. "Time we may not have. The Empire seeks to breach the sanctum."

"Then I'll defend her," Lorash said firmly.

Nabeila hooked the double-bladed lightsaber to the young woman's belt. "I will buy you as long as I can."

With that said, the force ghost vanished and Seia's comm crackled to life.