Three days later, Jaden stood up straight next to Kyle and the rest of the Academy's students and as Luke addressed them and their masters in the Audience Chamber. He stood at his usual place, hands folded behind his back in a stance Jaden and all of the students by now were used to seeing him take.

"The Disciples of Ragnos are getting bold," Luke announced. "They've managed to siphon Force energy from every site that was mentioned in my journal. However, we still don't know what it is they're planning to do with the energy though." There was a short pause as this information sank in, the students glanced at one another nervously. "It's imperative that we track down the leader of this cult."

Jas Harin was the only student to speak up, which no one questioned because he already seemed a higher ranking member due to his maturity. "But how? If they've already hit every place in your journal?"

Luke inclined his head towards Jas. "There are several places I didn't mention by name that they've discovered, like Dagobah. My fear is that they may use clues in my journals to discover other places and we need to beat them to these locations." Realization set in, and Jaden knew she'd be going on a mission similar to her assignment to Hoth. She looked up to Luke and saw that he was looking sidelong at her, sadness in his eyes, almost an apology, but what for, she didn't know until he spoke again. "Considering how we… lost a student last time, we must be very cautious." Rosh's absence hung over all assembled there. "Everyone will travel in pairs. Kyle, Jaden, you'll be going to Vjun."

Kyle's arms were crossed as he registered just what Luke had said. "Vjun? Isn't that just a big, dead rock?" He asked skeptically.

"It also happens to be the location of one of my father's strongholds," Luke replied casually.

"Ooookay, so it's a big, dead, important rock." Kyle cut his eyes at Jaden who's own had widened considerably. So, she wouldn't be traveling alone, thus eliminating the worry of losing another student, but they were going to a stronghold that belonged to none other than Darth Vader? It was still difficult to think of such an evil man being the father to such a kind one. She'd heard the stories of Vader's redemption by Luke, but knowing all the evil caused by him and the Empire, it was a scene that was still hard to picture.

Luke began to assign other students in pairs, Streen and Tionne, Jacyyn and Corran, Jas and Arta-Mess, though Jacyyn didn't seem to like that arrangement much. But Jas had been given the rank of Jedi Knight the week before, and thus was allowed to lead his assignment. Luke knew he'd be wasting his talents by staying the same rank as the other newer students and had given Corran permission to knight his promising apprentice.

Goran and his master, Axel Horn were paired up. He was the only one of Jaden's peers who hadn't risen in rank around the same time she had. His training had gone slowly since the beginning and he seemed content to move at his own pace. Then Raltharan was paired up with another student who'd been there a few months before they came, a Rodian named Beedo Quinn.

Kyle looked out over the small crowd and shook his head in wonder and disbelief. "This ought to be interesting. I'd heard rumors that Luke had been to Vjun, but he never really talked about it."

As if on cue, Luke approached them, all business. "Vjun is dangerous. The dark side is strong there… oppressive. It will try to weigh down on you, be extremely careful."

Kyle nodded assurance. "Sure, Luke. Don't worry, we will."

"Very well then, may the Force be with you both."

Jaden changed into a pair of brown pants and a long sleeved gray shirt, pulling a sleeveless leather tunic over it that extended down the front to cover the top half of her thighs. She cinched it up and secured her belt that held her lightsaber, then donned her new holster. Her hair, she braided long and simple down her back, something that Arta-Mess had to teach her to do properly if she didn't want stray pieces falling out. It felt nice having someone who was like a sister in her life to teach her simple things like that. Her finishing touch was the necklace Rosh had made her, so that she still carried him with her, until they found him. They would find him, she was sure of it. Kyle called her down to the hangar on her comlink and, after pocketing that in one of her tunics many small pockets, she hurried downstairs with a small group of her friends who had also been getting ready.

"This is it," Jacyyn said. "This is what we've been training for. I just know it, can't you guys feel how big this is?"

"Of course Jacyyn," Arta-Mess said. "But we figured we stay broodily silent to make the moment more epic."

Everyone laughed at her sarcasm, lifting a lot of tension they all felt. Jaden smiled at the sight of them all wearing their matching holsters. This last week had been a rush for them to get all six done. Now the Shuttle Crew, a nickname only used by Jacyyn, had identical holsters. Slight imperfections because of the handmade quality truly set them apart for each owner, and they all bore the names of the Shuttle Crew. Including Rosh.

"Oh, by the way," Jas said, nudging Jaden's shoulder lightly. "I have something for you, remind me to give to you when we get back."

Jaden nodded, her smile less genuine now as worry turned in her stomach. When we get back. Weren't those words similar to her own thoughts some months back? Thinking she would Rosh again? This time will be different.

When the lift opened up into the hangar, they all turned to one another, giving hugs and pats on the back. Jaden felt the difference of this assignment, though she knew deep down that this wasn't a forever kind of goodbye, she hoped it wasn't. There was a layer of seriousness and sobriety that hung over the whole affair and she knew that in that moment, when they all returned, some of them would never be the same, especially her. Why though, she couldn't tell, but she knew she'd be a part of that latter group and it both scared and excited her.

They all went their separate ways and Jaden climbed into the cockpit of the Raven's Claw to take her seat beside Kyle in the pilot's chair, ready and dreading this new adventure with every fiber of her being.

Kyle and Jaden flew to Vjun in relative silence, both of them going over the specifics of the mission in their minds. Make your way to Bast Castle, find a way inside, determine if the Disciple of Ragnos are there and if so, stop them from draining the Force aura from there. All of it was easier said than done. A statement proven as soon as they flew through the planet's atmosphere and past Bast Castle itself. Kyle released a sigh of frustration and reluctant resignation before he spoke.

"Great, looks like somebody's home. Luke sure knows how to pick 'em. We'll set down in that canyon and try to sneak into the castle."

A steady rain fell as they landed the Raven's Claw as inconspicuous as possible in a low canyon. Jaden thought there was something off about the rain, its color was a pale dirty green, which was off putting, but she ignored it. Maybe that's how rain looks here.

As soon as they hopped outside of the cockpit, it became instantly clear that her original feelings on the rain's appearance were something to be concerned about. Any part of exposed skin that the rain fell onto began to feel irritated and turn red, burning and developing painful red rashes that continued to burn.

"Eck! This rain's like acid! Find some cover! Fast!" Kyle said and they ducked underneath The Claw. "I've got a small med-pack but it's not going to have enough burn ointment to last us if we keep having to apply it and by the looks of it, we're going to be out in this rain for a while." He looked ahead, trying to judge the path before them. "We'll just have to run from cover to cover and keep out of the rain as much as possible. We'll have to use the Force to create a barrier of protection over us, it'll take some concentration provided we don't run into too much trouble out here."

"That sounds good and all but…" Jaden winced, gritting her teeth at the pain shooting up her arms from the red welts on her hands and the heat of them on the back of her neck.

"May I?" Kyle reached for her hands. The rashes made touch a very sensitive matter and sharp stabs of pain shot through her again. Jaden bit her lip to keep the tears from falling. Kyle held her hands gently and closed his eyes. A pale, violet light, similar to her lightsaber's blade, emitted from his hands and floated around them. Slowly, soothingly, her hands turned from red to pink to her normal pale, flesh tone; the feeling of heat on her neck turned cool and less irritated until she felt completely well. Even Kyle, who'd gotten some rashes and welts looked better. He opened his eyes and looked up at her, smiling.

"Better?"

"Yes thank you," she sighed with relief.

"Then let's get going, we'll put up the protective barrier together. On three, okay? One, two, thr- Looks like the welcome wagon's arrived!"

In the distance, thirty yards away, Jaden spotted them. Troopers, but unlike stormtroopers, these were large, armored soldiers, their hulking mass covered in silver metal with tubes attached to their backs traveling over their shoulders and connecting to large breathing masks on their helmets. In their hands they grasped an oddly familiar shaped weapon.

"What are these things?" Kyle gasped. "Must be some kind of trooper designed for nasty environments like this."

The troopers thankfully hadn't seen them crouching under the Raven's Claw yet, so they had the element of surprise.

"Alright, time to multitask a little, you think you can handle holding the barrier above us and fight these guys?" Kyle asked.

"I won't know until I try."

"Good enough, let's go!"

They took off side by side in the acid rain as it bounced off the invisible shield above their heads. As they closed half the distance, two things happened: First, the troopers saw them. And second, Jaden got a really good look at their weapons.

"Kyle watch out!" Knowing, and hoping, Kyle would keep the barrier for the rain intact, she threw a powerful shield in front of them as the blue energy blast of the trooper's Stouker concussion rifle barreled its way right towards them. Jaden's shield held and it hurled back on the trooper who'd fired it.

Apparently their armor, while protective to hazardous environments like this, couldn't quite stand up to the rifle's blast as the blue bolts slammed into the soldier's helmet and he crumpled to the ground. A second hazard trooper stood behind him ready to fire.

"Take the shield!" Kyle yelled as he charge forward and Jaden was left with centering her focus on making sure the barrier above them didn't falter, however she hesitated slightly before readjusting, allowing two drops of rain through, one landing on the top of her head, seeping down, seeking skin and burning her scalp, the second splashing harmlessly onto the top of her boot. She bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out as she ran forward to aid Kyle, who needed no help from the looks of it and seemed to be really enjoying himself.

"You're joking right, thinking you can take me?" He was taunting the trooper, ducking and dodging him at close range so that his enemy had no ability to fire at him and would have to resort to swiping at him with his arms until finally, after messing with him enough, Kyle found his opening and sliced right through the trooper's armor and he too fell to the ground in a heap. Kyle looked back at Jaden.

"Let's hurry to that outcropping of rock over there and regroup!"

They ran another twenty yards or so, the shield over them not faltering in the least even though Jaden's head burned from that single drop.

"I let the shield slip and got some rain on me, can you fix it?" She pointed to the top of her head and Kyle nodded.

"Only if you fix me too." He smiled weakly and pointed to his cheek where a single drop of the stuff was already bubbling the skin red into pustules.

"Okay, just help me a little, I haven't had much practice in Force healing," Jaden said.

Her master nodded. "Just follow my lead."

Between the both of them, they'd been lucky, and soon, that healing purple light shone from both of them as they quickly healed each other. Jaden found Kyle's guidance easy enough. It was all a matter of focus really, of finding a feeling of sympathy and a strong desire to see the injured person well and whole. They stood up straight and looked at the rest of the way they had to go.

"There," Kyle said, pointing deeper into the canyon, a small, narrow valley that led up to the castle. "We need to go that way."

They continued relatively undisturbed as they ran through the canyon, twisting and turning this way and that, making good time as there were no more interruptions. When they neared the valley Kyle had indicated, he stopped short, pulling Jaden back suddenly.

"Take cover! Guess they're expecting us now…" He trailed off as he peeked from around the corner, Jaden did too as tentatively as possible.

Hovering back and forth through the narrow valley as they patrolled it were two TIE bombers. Close by they could see that they were guarding the entrance to a small facility not connected to the castle, an outpost of sorts with a balcony hanging over it. Kyle noticed immediately something very useful resting on top of it. A turret gun used in previous years to defend the way to the castle.

"Okay," he said, pulling back and facing Jaden. "We'll have to get to that turbolaser and take out the bombers first."

They watched and waited for the TIEs to turn and patrol the other way before throwing up their protective barrier again and booking it to the door under the balcony that led into the facility.

They entered a long hallway lit by floor lights all the way down. Kyle told Jaden that going up was their only objective to get to the turbolasers. They had to get to the castle and not waste their time going any other direction. The hallway ended in a door that opened into a large room with steel pillars and computer monitors- and enemies clutching red lightsabers. Four of them to be exact.

Kyle grinned. "Hehehe," he stared down the two cultists on their right. "This one's mine." He rushed the already hesitant Sith, leaving Jaden still standing, facing her group of two cultists. She shrugged at them and their bewildered stances.

"What am I gonna do with him, right? Can't question what my master does." The Sith regained their composure and Jaden fought the two of them, which she was thankful to have trained for and was able to take advantage of their shock at her and Kyle's sudden arrival. She'd barely taken down her first cultist before Kyle jumped in to aid her.

"How?" Was all Jaden could ask, then added, "You know, I'm glad I'm on your side!" She didn't want to waste more time and tripped her last opponent up with the Force, sending him spirling back into Kyle's waiting blade. The cultist slumped down to the floor in a heap.

"We do make such a great team, bet you wish more missions were like this." Kyle said, his words invoking a now heart wrenching memory to Jaden's mind. Kyle watched her expression fall, causing his smile to leave. "Or not?"

"No, it's not that." Jaden shook her head, replacing her saber at her side for the moment and making sure the room really was empty now. "It's just… Rosh said something like that to me once, 'we make a good team,' it was when we first arrived at the Academy and were making our way through the woods to the Temple."

Kyle stepped closer, putting a hand on her shoulder to squeeze for a brief second before moving forward. No words were needed, they both were thinking the same thing: Don't worry, we will bring Rosh home.

They rushed through more rooms and hallways than they cared to have encountered, fighting off only Imperial officers and stormtroopers until finally, they found a lift going up, then a few more turns and stairs, past a control room and up a steep ramp to a door at the top of it.

"Okay, the turbolaser should be on the other side of this door." Kyle sounded slightly winded but more excited as he tried the door. It didn't budge. "Ugh! It's locked!" He stepped back and looked around, another door sat further down the ramp towards the bottom and on the left, but it too was locked. "There was a control room back there. Wait here and let me know if I get it open." Kyle raced back down the hallway, leaving Jaden by herself at the top of the ramp to wait.

The sound of the door at the bottom of the ramp opening alerted her to a dark presence. She turned around to face a tall, broad shouldered individual, cloaked in dark blues and grays, a similar cloth mask like what the cultist's wore around his head. But this was no cultist. There was something darker, more corrupt and sinister about him. He ignited a red lightsaber and went on the offensive, leaping up the ramp to where Jaden was. She was barely able to get her saber out before he struck.

The architecture of the hallway made it very hard for Jaden to gain an upper hand and her enemy was strong, very strong.

"Jaden, I think I got the door open, go ahead and give it a try," Kyle's voice said over her com.

"I'm a little busy here!" She grunted, gripping her lightsaber tightly in both hands, trying desperately to not get decapitated. All of a sudden, the blue glow of another lightsaber pierced through the Sith's chest. His fingers loosened around his saber and it fell harmlessly to the floor. Kyle nodded to Jaden and she ran through the door to the balcony outside, acid rain falling steadily and relentlessly as it pelted her, catching her off guard but she persisted, running to the turret.

Inside, Kyle stooped down to look at Jaden's opponent. "You're no cultist, what are you doing here?" He murmured. "But yet you bear the mark of the Disciples of Ragnos, so who's your new master?" He straightened up, he'd have to think about this particular mystery later and hurried outdoors, remembering to put up the protective barrier against the rain.

Jaden was still firing at the bombers, who quite literally didn't know what hit them until it was too late. Making quick work of them, she shot down the last one just as Kyle stepped out onto the balcony.

"Great shot! Now let's get to the castle!" He yelled over the crash of the TIE as it fell to the canyon floor. "Hurry, under the barrier, we take this lift down and I'll heal you up!"

Jaden needed no further encouragement. The turbolaser was set under its own small awning, which helped, but didn't sooth the already painful welts and rashes that were rapidly forming on her head, neck and hands.

"Kyle, what kind of Sith was that?" She panted as she rushed to take her place next to him and they took the lift down to the ground under the balcony.

"They're called Reborn, I've crossed paths with them before but had no clue that they'd fallen in with the Disciples of Ragnos. Tough to beat as you could see. If you encounter another of them and I don't doubt you will at this point, do not give them an inch or they will take the upper hand. Understand?"

Jaden nodded, a hundred questions dying to be asked, but Kyle made it clear they needed to move and move fast. Questions could wait.

It was pretty much a straight shot through the canyon valley after Kyle patched her up. There were no more interruptions as they continued their journey for the remaining couple of clicks to where Kyle said the entrance of the castle should be. What they approached was not what she expected. Its construction was similar to the outside facades she'd seen so far and there was a single door. This can't be that easy, can it?

"Kyle, is this a back door of some kind?" She asked when they neared the door.

"Pretty much, just follow my lead." They stepped inside, Jaden gripping the hilt of her saber, expecting more hazard troopers, cultists and those other Sith that made her skin crawl. But what greeted them was the complete opposite. It was a small hangar garage, and it was empty. She recognized the high platforms and spaces between them where AT-ST walkers would've been parked, remembering the garage on the Dosuun compound.

"Grife it's good to get out of that rain!" Kyle said almost too loudly but it was really the stillness and quiet of the place that made it so, and Jaden flinched. "Now we need to get up into the castle, there's a turbo lift over there." He pointed across the room, in the corner and they ran towards it.

"Hmm, locked down. You ever feel like you're not welcome?" He muttered sarcastically. "Let's see if we can find another way out of here."

They spread out and began to search every inch starting at the end of the room with the lift. Kyle offered his dry commentary every now and then, making Jaden smile in spite of her frustration that they were at a dead end and would probably have to go back through all that rain.

"They always lock the door. You think they'd have learned by now." They kept searching. "Doesn't look like there's a key. That would be too easy." And searching. "Y'know the console to unlock the door's probably hidden in some room twelve floors up or something. How does that make sense?"

They were back on the side of the garage from which they'd entered and came together to search one last section on the floor before they figured they should check the top of the platforms where access to the AT-STs were, even though there seemed to be no doors at the tops of them, with only metal spiral staircases leading up to them. They approached a small panel in the wall that seemed slightly discolored compared to the others and looked to have a latch at the bottom of it. Kyle and Jaden both got their fingers under it and lifted. It swung upwards, creaking loudly as they set it gently against the wall, its latch securing to a small hook they hadn't noticed before to keep it from swinging back down.

"I wonder where this leads…" Kyle leaned it, trying to see into the small tunnel, but recoiled as a stench unlike anything nearly knocked them out and made them gag. "Ugh…" Kyle pulled his face far back and waved his hand in front of his nose. "Of course it has to be a garbage pit, doesn't it?" He looked at Jaden with sympathy as she pinched her nose tightly. "Well, let's go." Jaden made a face at him and he shrugged apologetically. "It's our only option; no one ever said being a Jedi was glamorous."

Without another word or looking back to see if she was following him, Kyle mounted the edge of the garbage chute and slid down it, holding his nose as he went. At the top, Jaden took the deepest breath of semi fresh air she could, and leapt in, feet first, descending into the dank, smelly darkness after her master.