Rosh raised one last pleading hand, awaiting the kill, the moment where his flesh would feel the searing heat of Jaden's lightsaber. He couldn't blame her, but he thought of the wonderful times they'd had, of their late night talks up on the roof, of how she'd gotten him to open up on Blenjeel... Oh how he wished things could have gone differently there, how different he would react now.

"You were right about me, Jaden. All of it. I should've been more open and honest with you." He closed his eyes and focused on the memories, he had no guarantee it would work, but still he hoped.

Jaden's eyes saw red and hatred, the darkness within her nearly consuming. The voices of Vader and Alora mixed together in a frightening array that almost drowned out Kyle and Anakin's.

Then, a pinprick of light, a doorway opening up into a memory, a bright spot in her and Rosh's friendship:

Them meeting on the shuttle on their first day. Another memory quickly sprang up to take the first one's place. They were walking through the Yavin woods fighting howlers together as a team, getting along as if they'd known each other their whole lives. The memories kept coming. Faster and faster. They were sitting on the roof eating Mantell Mix, laughing, then resting her head on his shoulder. Rosh giving her the necklace he made for her. Going on missions together, sitting close to him in their shuttle on Blenjeel as he fixed the communications array, his red rimmed eyes so close to crying but too afraid too…

Afraid. Funny how fear could have such a hold on a person, twist their emotions into something different. Into anger and frustration. Into Hate. Rosh wasn't the reason for this darkness. Neither was Tavion when Jaden came to think of it. It was that damned scepter and the spirit of the Sith Lord attached to it. She'd have to get rid of it, destroy it somehow. It was the only way, but first she had to win this battle over the anger that raged within her.

With one hand still grasping her lightsaber, she pressed both hands against her temples as if to keep her head from bursting. The saber's pommel dug into her skin while her free hand clawed into her scalp, the palm pressing, pressing, trying to alleviate the pressure burning behind her eyes. Please, help me, please, help me. Please!

"What is the Force to you?" Kyle had asked before their mission to Blenjeel. "Is it a safe place, somewhere you find peace? Or is it a power source from which you can draw even more power again and again?"

Peace or power. Power or peace. The real question was which did she need right now?

A new voice spoke out amidst the familiar ones that still clamored for attention. It was a deep, throaty voice that cracked and broke occasionally, but carried with it infinite wisdom. "Courage leads to peace. Peace leads to love. And love leads to healing."

"Just. Let… Go. Take that first step forward. That's all you need to do, Jaden." Another new voice spoke this time. It sounded slightly accented like some of the Imperial officers, but softer, kinder.

While this battle had raged in her mind, she knew she still held the lightsaber that'd been aimed at her friend's heart. As long as it was active, it was still a danger, still a temptation… She knew what had to be done. Jaden took a shaky breath, this felt like the hardest thing she'd ever had to do in her life.

With great effort, she put away her saber.

Jaden's shoulders drooped and she shook her head heavily. "I'm… I'm sorry Rosh. You're right." She looked at him with tears flooding her eyes and saw that he did the same. She took a shuddering breath. "I… I almost let my anger get the best of me." She straightened up. "Let's get outta here."

"Thank you, Jaden." Rosh sighed with relief, tears falling freely down his ruddy cheeks.

Alora sat crossed legged at the top of the tank watching the whole ordeal, thoroughly disgusted. "You Jedi are blandly predictable. Tavion thought that turning you would gain us an ally. But since you won't be turned, I guess it's up to me to clean up her mistake."

Jaden pointed the tip of her saber at her. "Stand down, Alora. You were no match for me on Hoth, and now I am a Jedi Knight!"

Alora laughed. "Tavion has taught me many things as well, you sanctimonious fool!"

She leapt into the air, igniting her twin blades as she slid down the ramp off the side of the tank. Jaden pushed Rosh behind her.

Jaden and Alora's sabers clashed. The Sith knocked the Jedi down only a second before she leapt up again. Jaden and Alora crossed blades again and again, jumping over boxes and avoiding obstacles they tried to throw in each other's path. Their duel lasted a few seconds more before Alora suddenly jumped back, sailing over the boxes Jaden had pushed away from Rosh. Jaden wasted no time in pursuit but saw immediately why Alora had retreated. She was heading directly towards Rosh who'd been hiding behind a crate, using the Force to knock boxes and other obstacles into her path.

Jaden's eyes widened as Alora leapt into the air, quicker than Jaden could react, quicker than she could've gotten over to them to stop what was about to happen.

Alora brought one of her sabers down on Rosh's left arm, right at the shoulder.

"Rosh!" Jaden cried.

"Aaahhhhhh!" Rosh's screams of pain filled his beloved friend's ears as he fell to the ground unconscious. Jaden thrust out her hand, Force pushing Alora away from Rosh.

The Twi'lek looked up from several feet away, stunned. Then, a wide crazed smile broke across her face. Jaden wasted no time in leaping into the fray once more, ready to fight to the death to save her friend.

Blades clashed as Jaden forced Alora back, intending to keep her as far away from Rosh and as busy as possible.

"You'll never win, Jedi!" Alora taunted as their lightsabers locked, but Jaden didn't say a word. Instead she brought down her boot hard on Alora's foot, breaking the lock and Force pushed her back, slashing from left to right, clipping her opponent's left saber, barely grazing the hand that held it.

Alora gritted her teeth against a groan of pain and kept going as if nothing had happened. But Jaden knew she'd gotten to her and that would be her undoing. Her near defeat on Hoth had bruised her pride and now, after she'd trained for months on end, she was getting whipped in their rematch and her boiling rage was sure to lead to a misstep of some kind.

It was now two lightsabers against one. Poor Rosh was between consciousness and blissful black out. He could feel the searing heat of phantom pain up and down the arm that wasn't even there anymore. Fighting the urge to vomit, faint or both, he cracked his eyes open, seeing only blurs of orange, gold and red, hoping against hope that his friend would not lose.

Alora's right hand saber twirled and blurred as it struck at Jaden's blades again and again, she suddenly stopped spinning it and lunged for a fatal stab wound that never landed. Jaden unexpectedly dropped her orange saber, turned and, with two hands gripping it, pushed her yellow blade backwards with all her strength into Alora's abdomen.

The red Twi'lek's eyes widened with pain and shock. She'd been beaten, and by what she'd believed all her natural life to be a weak little Jedi. Perhaps Tavion had been right about Jaden's prowess. But she had no time to reflect on anything else, just that she had been beaten and ahead of her eyes there was nothing but darkness.

Jaden extinguished her lightsaber, looking down over Alora's body and shook her head. She quickly pulled her other saber to herself and ran to Rosh's side.

"Rosh!" The tears threatened to fall again and she didn't care as she helped her wounded friend weakly to his feet. She held back bile at the unnatural sight of his severed arm laying lifeless to one side.

"Unggh…" He groaned.

"Rosh!" A voice cried out from behind them. It was Kyle, his voice like music to his student's ears. He ran the rest of the way towards them as Jaden helped her friend, stumbling over to Kyle who put his left arm under him. Rosh weakly gripped his master's shoulder with his right arm.

Rosh gasped, speaking weakly. "I'll be… fi-" His head lolled to the side, blacking out once more.

"Oh Sithspit! He's in shock! I need to get him to a bacta tank." Kyle adjusted his weight and began hauling Rosh across the room. Jaden moved to help and they started up the ramp of the tank Alora had been perched on, aiming towards the door she'd used.

Kyle said, "As soon as we get into space, I'll steer us towards the New Republic fleet. As soon as we get onto a warship, go to Korriban and help Luke and the others. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Jaden hesitated, but nodded and helped Kyle carry Rosh back to the Raven's Claw, which was thankfully a much closer distance than going back to where she had started.

She sat in the passenger seat as Kyle lifted off, slightly cramped while holding Rosh's still form, a moan of pain escaping his lips. She closed her eyes, more tears threatening to fall and focused her Force healing energy into Rosh, hoping, praying, it would make a difference between life and death.

Everything happened so fast as soon as they landed on one of the New Republic's dreadnaughts, repurposed from Imperial days. Rosh was immediately taken from her arms, loaded onto a gurney and whisked away to a med bay somewhere. Oxygen was quickly applied while the medics swarmed around him and pushed him full speed through the hangar doors.

Kyle moved to follow them but turned back.

"Jaden. I sensed your struggle with the dark side back there. I know it must have been difficult, but I'm glad you made the right choice."

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you… but it was Rosh who made me see what the right choice was." More tears flowed down her already wet cheeks. "Tell him that when he wakes up."

"I will. And I'll follow along shortly, I promise. May the Force be with you."

"And you as well. Master." Somehow saying his title meant something different now when she said it. It was sacred.

Kyle merely nodded, he wasn't about to ruin the moment with sarcastic humor.

Jaden watched him disappear behind the doors and ran to find the nearest available X-Wing. To her surprise, First Officer Nuss approached from a group of pilots, a wide grin on his face with two other officers in tow.

"Jedi Knight Korr, a pleasure to see you." He gave her a salute and gestured briefly to his small entourage. "Officers Andress and Prins here, along with myself, can escort you to Korriban with the rest of the fleet."

"That's not necessary, Officer Nuss, but I appreciate it," Jaden said. "I have to get to Korriban as soon as possible. Just point me in the direction of an available X-Wing."

"Will do," Nuss said, giving another salute and quickly assisting her to a nearby craft. It wasn't her personal X-Wing, but beggars couldn't be choosers and soon she was flying past the fleet, preparing for the jump to hyperspace.

A craft that didn't fit with the rest of the fleet caught her eye and she turned her head to examine it further. It was a Firespray-31 class craft and next to it, waiting for the order to get moving, was a very familiar looking modified starfighter.

She found their frequency and opened her coms up.

"Long time no see. What are you guys doing here?"

"Just thought we'd lend a helping hand to our New Republic allies, you know, as a show of good favor," Boba Fett's deep voice replied. "Fennec is here as well."

"And alive, thanks to you and Mando's kid," Fennec cut in.

"And I was hired," the Mandalorian said.

"Grogu's not with you I hope?" Jaden asked.

"No, I got a babysitter."

"Good, because what I can tell, the battle in the stars above Korriban could be just as deadly as the battle on its surface."

"Oh I do not envy the job you have, Jedi. No one could pay me enough to traverse the surface of that planet, not for all the credits on the galaxy," Boba responded.

"Then it's a good thing we're both good at our jobs," Jaden chuckled. "With any luck, I'll see you all at the celebration afterwards. Enjoy the fireworks and may the Force be with you."

"And with you," they responded just before the stars grew blurry and Jaden's X-wing blasted into hyperspace.