AN: This is my first foray into the Star Wars Universe, so please review and let me know what you think. Only positive or constructive reviews please. Telling me I suck and you hate everything about the story does nothing for me. I'm posting the first eight chapters today to give you all a taste of the story. I plan to post new chapters on Sunday every week. Currently have over fifty chapters already written for this story, so buckle in for a long story and expect updates to happen on schedule.

Summary

Ob-Wan, Qui-Gon, Siri Tachi, and Adi Gallia go on a mission into deep space that used to belong to the Ancient Sith Empire. History comes alive, but can a relic of the Old Republic change the outcome of the dark times to come? AU. Will use a mixture of old EU/Legends and new canon (games, books, shows, comics), blending them where able and choosing which best fits with the story when not. POV will mostly be Obi-Wan, Siri, or my OC, though there will be parts from other various characters.

Chapter 1 - Into Sith Space (34 BBY)

Obi-Wan couldn't decide whether he was excited by this mission or irritated by it. Like many younger Jedi, be they younglings, apprentices, Padawans, or even younger Knights, Obi-Wan had a list of places in the galaxy that he wished to someday visit. Even one as well traveled as he was, what with Qui-Gon Jinn being his Master, there were a great many places that he longed to see, even if it wasn't for the beauty, but for the history or intrigue.

Their destination wasn't anywhere that Obi-Wan thought would be pleasant, far from it, but the history of the area made up for it. They were heading deep into space that had once been controlled by the Ancient Sith Empire. They were currently en route to a graveyard for an unknown space battle that had happened deep in space between the ancient Sith worlds of Korriban and Dromund Kaas. This part of the galaxy had been mostly off limits to Jedi ever since the Sith had been defeated a thousand years prior.

It was rare that an assignment would take Jedi into this sector, and Obi-Wan couldn't escape the excitement that came from being where the ancient Jedi and Sith had once waged great wars between the Light and the Dark.

A group of archeologists had reported the finding of this graveyard to the Jedi Order, and due to the possibility of finding Sith or even Jedi relics, the Jedi Order needed to investigate the battle space first.

This led to his irritation.

Due to the dark taint that was on many of the planets in the old Sith Empire, a darkness that even permeated the space, the council was wary of sending a single team, especially to old battle grounds where Sith and Jedi had died. Most missions necessitated at least two Jedi teams if not more. It wasn't just himself and Master Qui-Gon on this mission. They had a larger frigate with a crew, just in case they needed to salvage any wreckage, and they were also joined by one of Obi-Wan's best friends, Bant Eerin and her Master, Kit Fisto, and they were joined by Master Adi Gallia and her Padawan, another old friend of his, Siri Tachi.

He could admit that irritation wasn't completely accurate. He greatly enjoyed having Bant around and he certainly had no issues with Master Gallia or Master Fisto, but it was with Siri that his emotions changed. It was good to see Siri, but what joy came from seeing her was tempered by heartache. It had been five years since their mission to help Talesean Fry . . . five years since they'd admitted how they felt to each other . . . five years since they'd decided to remain true to the Jedi Code . . . five years since Siri had stated they would be comrades, and nothing more.

Since then, he had rarely seen Siri. Part of that came with the lifestyle. Jedi were constantly traveling about the galaxy, helping those in need. Some of it likely came from the council, or at least Master Yoda, deliberately making sure that they did not team them up and that they were separate from each other, though Obi-Wan knew Yoda was doing that to be kind and to not make things harder on them. On the rare instances that they were both at the temple at the same time, Siri tended to avoid him, as he did her, unless in a group setting with some of their other friends, like Bant, Garen Muln, Quinlan Vos, and Reeft.

That was what made five years ago so much worse than he'd even realized at the time. He hadn't just lost "what could have been." He also lost one of his best friends. Sure, he still had Bant, Garren, Reeft, and Quinlan on occasions, but Siri had known him like perhaps nobody ever would. Now they weren't even friends. They were simply comrades, almost strangers, it sometimes felt like.

It was hard being around her. No matter how much he pushed it down, deep into his heart, his feelings for her would always return whenever he saw her. He understood that they couldn't be together, but he wasn't sure if they'd made the right decision to try and make things easier on each other, or if they'd been cowards, and were inadvertently making it harder by being only comrades. He honestly thought, having her as his friend, even if they couldn't be more, would make it easier, but he'd promised not to bring it up, and it seemed that she was determined to put "them" behind her, and he was determined to honor her wish and his promise.

'Keep you concentration on the here and now'

Obi-Wan shook his head, pushing his thoughts on Siri away, after thinking about those words that Qui-Gon often said.

Master Fisto and Bant were the leads on this expedition, having been on a mission to Korriban roughly five years earlier. Qui-Gon and himself had been added due to their multiple interactions with various Sith cults and a Sith holocron, and Master Adi and Siri were just an additional third team provided based on what the initial reports suggested.

If the archeologists were correct the wreckage wasn't even from the many engagements that had happened during the Jedi-Sith War over a thousand years ago but were instead remnants from as far back as the Galactic War or even the Great Galactic War over 3600 years prior.

There was so much of that time period that was still shrouded in mystery, what with the Jedi Order having barely survived a purge and having reconstituted only for the Sith Empire to come out of hiding. The Old Republic had been weak and barely surviving after the Mandalorian Wars and what was still called Jedi Civil War, and things had only gotten worse during the Galactic War and Great Galactic War against the Sith Empire and then the Eternal Empire.

"Hey, Obi-Wan. Time to stop brooding," Bant said teasingly. "We'll be at our destination in the next half an hour."

He mock glared at his best friend. "I don't brood. I was contemplating the mission we are currently on."

She snorted. "Master Jinn contemplates. Obi-Wan Kenobi broods and he certainly was not brooding about our mission. He was brooding about a certain blonde Padawan."

Now Obi-Wan wasn't mock glaring, but actually scowling at his friend who just smiled at him sweetly.

"You two stubborn gundarks just need to talk, but I'm done trying to convince you both," she said with an eye roll.

"Bant . . . " Obi-Wan said warningly, now paying better attention to his surroundings, worried that any of the Masters or even any of the crew might have heard their conversation.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't bring this up around others," Bant said with a frown, looking a bit offended, and Obi-Wan sighed, shooting her an apologetic look.

She, Garen, and Quinlan were the only three, other than Yoda, Qui-Gon, and Adi that knew that they had tried being more than just friends, and while the three Masters never brought it up, and likely considered the matter resolved, Garen and Bant were not quite as accommodating. Quinlan was also not accommodating, but he was in a class of his own when it came to how it was brought up and when, but that was quintessential Quinlan, so Obi-Wan honestly didn't know why he should be surprised. Not to mention, his Shadow friend was also very unorthodox and often disagreed with the Code.

Both Garen and Bant, much to Obi-Wan's chagrin, had seen it coming, and weren't surprised, though both had been surprised on how they had decided to deal with it. Neither really agreed with them just being comrades, both knowing how good of friends he and Siri had been. Bant might say she was done, but he highly doubted that was true. She was incredibly stubborn and persistent. Sometimes he loved that about his friend . . . this was not one of those times.

"It is nice to see you though," she said, seemingly accepting his apologetic look. "At least outside of the Hall of Healing," she added, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

"I'm not in there that much!" Obi-Wan protested.

"Oh please," a voice scoffed, and Obi-Wan turned to Siri who had a bemused smirk on her face. "You're in there so much that Master Che has considered putting your name on a bed and putting locks on the outside of that room so that you can't leave without her saying so."

Bant chuckled as Obi-Wan couldn't help but pout at the two girls, though his spirits did rise a bit with this friendly jibe from Siri, which reminded him of better times.

"It's wonderful to see you all in good spirits, but we're about to come within sight of the graveyard," Fisto said, having approached them, and smiling widely.

"Yes, now it's time to focus on the here and now," Qui-Gon said, and Obi-Wan just barely contained his amusement at his Master's familiar words, and it didn't help when he felt amusement from his two friends, and even Adi, who had walked up with Qui-Gon, and Fisto, all of whom had heard Qui-Gon say those words multiple times.

The six Jedi moved to the observation deck to observe the graveyard as their ship approached swiftly.

"There are not as many ships as I thought there would be," Fisto observed. "But more concerning is that almost half of the cruiser and frigate class ships present seem to be in working condition."

He wasn't wrong. Whatever skirmish this must have been had been very small, and yet something was odd. Based on what Obi-Wan could see, he estimated that maybe a dozen starfighters or so may have been present and destroyed, and there were clearly the remains of three mid-sized frigates which had been destroyed, but there were also two mid-sized frigates that looked almost as good as new, and lastly was one light-freighter, which was still in mostly good condition, which had two ancient looking boarding craft that were latched on the hull.

"Masters, I might be mistaken, but other than that freighter, every other ship looks like it belonged to the Sith Empire," Siri said with a frown, and Obi-Wan looked more closely and realized that she was right, at least as far as his memory of Sith and Republic ships in that time period was concerned. That made the graveyard even more strange, though if he remembered his history correctly, the Sith often fought against each other fairly often.

"I think we have a different issue," Qui-Gon said. "I sense a life form out there."

"That's correct, Master Jedi," one of the crew, Onar, Obi-Wan thought his name was, responded. "According to our sensors, there is a lifeform aboard that ancient freighter."

"Probably a scavenger," the captain, Pavar, answered. "Most likely, one of the archeologists wanted to beat you to whatever might be found in this graveyard."

"Certainly possible," Qui-Gon muttered, "but I wouldn't rule out someone who might be looking for more than just old relics for a museum."

Obi-Wan couldn't help but shiver remembering their mission to Kodai, where they had been racing against Sith cultists to obtain a Sith holocron. They hadn't even seen the holocron, but its effects had driven a scientist mad, and shaken Obi-Wan's confidence in himself.

"We need to be cautious," Fisto said, glancing at the freighter in question. "I do not see a ship which would explain how someone came to board that vessel, which means whoever it is must have been dropped there, and their ship could be back at any time."

"Adi, Siri, Obi-Wan, and I will board the vessel to deal with whoever is on that ship," Qui-Gon said after a moment, looking thoughtful, and Obi-Wan wondered if he was getting one of his feelings that came from the force, or if he was just choosing the four of them because they've worked together on several missions and worked well together.

"My Padawan and I will start clearing the closest frigate, while Captain Pavar provides security," Fisto said after nodding in agreement to Qui-Gon's plan.

Their tasks decided, the six Jedi moved down to the hanger and then the two teams each boarded a small shuttle. Obi-Wan glanced at his Master whose face showed concern. Obi-Wan couldn't sense anything wrong with this mission, but it seemed like Qui-Gon was less sure.

Obi-Wan glanced at the other two with them, but neither Siri or Adi showed any concern as one of the crew pulled the shuttle out of the hangar and slowly started flying towards the freighter.

Ahtar, their pilot, called back, "Scans show an access hatch at the top of ship, near the turrets, where the two other landing craft both latched on. On the right side of the ship seems to be a dormitory, and that's where the breach in the hull is, however, it seems that the area's blast doors have sealed it off. It seems incredible, but scans are showing that the atmosphere has kept on that ship, so space suits won't be needed."

"Understood," Adi answered.

A few minutes later, Obi-Wan felt the small ship touch down on the freighter, and a few seconds later he heard the docking port latch onto the freighter, providing them a sealed entrance from which to breach the freighter.

"Whoever is on this ship will now know we're here, if they didn't before," Qui-Gon cautioned their small team.

Nodding in agreement, they all moved to the lift, and through the docking port till they were on the hull of the light-freighter. Obi-Wan took the lead, walking over to where the internal lift for the frigate was. Once he got there, he was prepared to cut through the hull so they could access the lift's tunnel, but to his immense surprise, the power was still working. Siri moved next to him, without his asking and the two of them took the lift into the ship.

Obi-Wan glanced around, surprised and almost nervous to see the lights for the ship were still on. This wasn't how it should have been. Even if whoever was already on this ship was gifted with electronics, it should have been nearly impossible to get a 3600-year-old ship that had presumably been drifting in space for that amount of time to work.

To his surprise, he felt Siri reach out to their bond, a bond which had been dormant since they'd decided to stay comrades, and he grabbed on to it as well, feeling the comfort of Siri's presence and a hint of the closeness they once shared, and couldn't help but notice her relief to feel him before she shielded her emotions from him. He figured she must be feeling as nervous as he was to have reached out to this bond, since it risked dredging up their feelings, but the bond would give them a level of synchronicity that few could match, so it was a smart decision. He also couldn't help but feel a bit happy that she hadn't forgotten them as much as she seemed to have.

They were in a small corridor, and directly in front of them was a medical bay. To their left they could see another corridor going left and right, rounded with the ship's design, and directly straight left was the engine room. To their right they could see the main hold for the ship.

Obi-Wan could sense whoever was aboard the ship was in some room that was behind where they were currently. He and Siri remained on guard, wondering if whoever was on the ship with them would come running at the sound of the lift being used, but nobody did, and only thirty seconds later, Qui-Gon and Adi were with them, and then the four Jedi felt ready to confront the interloper.

They moved slowly down towards the engine room, lightsabers off, but in hand, before turning left down the corridor and finding a large cargo bay, with a workbench on the left. Around the room were clearly the remains of nine or ten Sith warriors, likely those that had come from the boarding craft, though Obi-Wan wondered why all would be in the same room, and in the center of the bay was a man in a meditative stance, wearing Jedi robes. Obi-Wan would estimate him to be in his mid to late thirties, but Obi-Wan didn't recognize him, despite his robes. He had long, rugged black hair, and the serene face that often was found on Jedi Masters.

Obi-Wan glanced at the two Masters, but neither showed any recognition for the man, even though he seemed like a Jedi, and was definitely Force sensitive. Obi-Wan's own Force senses were clouded, but whether it was by the man or just the area of space, he didn't know. The man seemed to be in the deepest of trances, almost like he was asleep, and Obi-Wan sensed no real danger in the Force, yet he also felt a cautious warning, which was very conflicting.

Deciding he'd be the one to spring the trap, Obi-Wan, a bit recklessly, stepped forward towards the bay, despite Qui-Gon's gesture to hold back, but Qui-Gon's warning was for naught as Obi-Wan to his astonishment found himself completely stopped by some sort of barrier.

All four Jedi exchanged startled looks, knowing that Force barriers were not easy to put up, and yet none of them recognized the middle-aged Force user, who wore the trappings of the Jedi, and all assumed they would have been notified by the Council of another Jedi on this mission if someone had been assigned. In addition, the barrier that was up was like none that Obi-Wan had ever seen and based on the frowns on Adi and Qui-Gon's faces, he suspected neither had they.

"Together," Qui-Gon said, after a moment, and understanding, the other three nodded before they all reached out with the Force and started pressing upon the barrier.

The barrier continued to press back on them, but they would not yield, and slowly, but surely, Obi-Wan felt the barrier start pressing in before finally it completely shattered, and they burst through like an object shattering glass.

The four Jedi moved carefully into the room, and Obi-Wan observed the unknown Force user finally start to come out of his trance, as his eyes groggily opened. He glanced at them with piercing grey eyes which became a frown as he got to his feet swiftly, stumbling a bit as he swayed, probably having stood up too fast compared to how long he'd been in a meditative pose.

Obi-Wan felt like he should be wary, and the Force was telling him to be cautious, but at the same time, the Force seemed to be telling him to be careful with the man as well, like the Force wanted to protect the man, and he could certainly feel the Light aura coming off the man, so unlike Xanatos, or even some of the Sith cultists Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had encountered.

"I will not lose to you Sith easily," the man said firmly, and before Obi-Wan could really process that odd and alarming statement, let alone reply, the man's aura filled with a large amount of energy, and he waved his hand swiftly and Obi-Wan did his best to react as he and his three companions were all blasted away by the Force wave, Siri and Obi-Wan going to the left side of the bay, near the workbench, while Adi and Qui-Gon went right into the wall of what Obi-Wan now realized was a garage meant for speeders, or possibly even smaller snub fighters.

Obi-Wan braced himself with the Force, lessening the impact of his body to the wall, and he felt Siri do the same, the two of them drawing upon their bond in order to strengthen their power, and they landed on their feet. Obi-Wan was about to ignite his lightsaber when the stranger did so first, and Obi-Wan looked surprised at the two pure white blades that emerged from the stranger's lightsabers, one standard, and one a short Shoto design. Obi-Wan didn't know of anybody in the Order with a white blade, and he was sure he would have heard of a Jar'kai user with two white blades.

He glanced at them warily, maybe a bit resigned, yet determined, but as Obi-Wan and Siri both ignited their blue and purple blades respectively, and he could hear Adi and Qui-Gon igniting their blue and green blades, the Force user's face grew confused, and his eyes seemed to blink as he staggered backwards, almost like he was really seeing them for the first time.

"Y-you're no Sith," he gasped out, and his face continued to show confusion and perhaps even pain as he turned off his blades and put them both back on his belt and then one of his hands went to his head. "I-I'm sorry about that. I don't know what came over me."

"Perhaps it has something to do with this ship or something you might have found here, my friend," Qui-Gon said, cautiously, but steadily.

The stranger almost didn't seem to hear him as he just stared in pain and confusion.

"You must have gotten my distress beacon," the stranger said, not fully seeing them. "I really didn't think anyone would be out here to help us, but the information needs to get back to Grandmaster Shan if we have any hope of ending this war."

"Grandmaster Shan?" Siri asked in confusion, and finally the stranger seemed to shake his head and glance at them.

"Yes, my sister, you know. Jedi Master Satele Shan?" he responded, looking concerned. "She did send you, right?" he shook his head again, not waiting for a reply. "Regardless, if you don't mind, we can dock my ship to one of yours and get out of here, assuming you already picked up Master Shan. If not, we can intercept her pod and then get back to my sister. The information is vital to the survival of the Jedi and the Republic, plus I might actually throw my sister for a loop when she realizes what ship I managed to find."

Siri glanced at Obi-Wan, looking confused, and Obi-Wan was right with her. This man was talking about knowing a Jedi Grandmaster from 3600 years ago, but then they needed to intercept her pod in order to get to her, which made no sense if she had been the one to send them.

"What makes this ship important?" Adi asked, and Obi-Wan realized she was trying to find some information that might help them figure out what happened to this man, since it seemed obvious his brain had been addled.

"Well, it's the Ebon Hawk! Our ancestors used to own this ship before it was lost to the Sith Empire. I certainly didn't expect to find it abandoned on Dromund Kaas, so I doubt she would have," the man answered, showing a hint of excitement which made him seem younger than he looked.

"I see," Adi replied carefully. "Let's get you aboard our ship, and we'll get your ship docked to ours so that we can get it back to the Temple."

"Tha-that sounds grea. . . ." the man started to reply as he dropped to a knee, his strength seeming to fail him, and his eyes dropping, and pain flowing across his face.

Feeling the guidance of the Force, Siri and Obi-Wan both sprung forward towards the man, each grabbing onto one of the man's arms to help keep him from falling, just as Qui-Gon had yelled at them, "Stop!"

It was too late as suddenly Obi-Wan felt the man's presence wash over him and even brushing his bond with Siri, and the man gasped in a mixture of shock and pain. Obi-Wan was beginning to think about fighting the man's mental presence when it suddenly receded and the man's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he passed out, his body shaking with minor convulsions.