-Darin-

I made my way to my room and closed the door quickly. I took a quick breath, and tried to steady myself.

I had channeled the dark side during that training with Sadie. I had utilized it, released a bit of energy, and it was incredible. I was capable of blocking the shots so much better than I could using only the light side. There was a very real difference in my level of ability when I harnessed it. It was almost intoxicating.

But afterwards, I felt sick again. Not as sick as I did before, but still pretty shoddy. Sadie noticed it as well.

Sadie.

I felt my heart beat rapidly in my chest. The dark side allowed me to tap into a whole new slew of abilities. But it was also dangerous. A slippery slope. It was more emotionally driven. More impulsive.

I stood up and went to one of my drawers. I opened the drawer and went to reach in, but my hand wavered. It stayed there, hovering over two different sabers, one an intricate black and red and the other a uniquely rectangular black handle. Trusting the Force, I grabbed the black and red one that used to belong to Sylvia. I ignited it, and the red blade jumped out in front of me. I held it up, watching the red dance off of the items of my room. With my other hand, I reached for the saber on my belt. I palmed the familiar silver and black saber and ignited it. The electric blue blade shot out, and I held it out in front of me. The red and blue blades glowed before me, and I felt something completely unexpected.

I felt… comfortable.

I felt the storm inside of me start to lessen. As I felt the light of the blue sabers kyber crystal and the dark of the red sabers kyber crystal, the Force felt more balanced in me than it did before.

This won't be a perfect method of control. I would still have to learn to control it myself. But this could help me gain control.

I sensed a presence approaching.

Sadie.

Great.

I retracted the sabers, but held onto the handles. I could feel the crystals. I sat on the ground and closed my eyes, focusing on the crystal's energies. I tried to clear my mind when I heard a knock on my door.

Come in.

I heard the door open, but didn't budge. I watched Sadie walk into the main room and feel through the Force to find me. She then walked into the bedroom and noticed me sitting on the floor. She sat down in front of me and whispered "Are you sure that you're okay?"

I could sense the tension and fear she had within her. She was afraid of something.

No. Not something.

Someone.

Me.

I opened my eyes and looked at her. Her soft eyes were full of concern. She met my gaze and gave me a slight, caring smile, and I felt the same impulse stir inside of me.

I realized that I couldn't look at her the same. Not anymore. I'd let my guard down, and she saw what kind of volatility hid underneath.

And yet she was here.

I gave her a small smile and nodded.

She huffed. It was so barely noticeable that most would miss it, but I didn't.

I sat there silently for a few moments.

"Why are you holding that?" There was a sudden edge to her voice that I did not anticipate.

The saber. Of course.

I exhaled slowly and said "The Force wills me to wield it." I felt bad for not telling her everything, but I really didn't think that it would be the best idea right about now.

I didn't feel the hostility lessen, but it didn't grow either. She said "Is it the Force, or is it you?"

"It's both."

"Are you aware of who used that? Of what that person did?"

"Yes. I am. But what someone used the weapon for doesn't make the weapon a bad one."

She shifted slightly. "Are you sure that you aren't thinking about switching sides?"

"I won't switch any sides."

A sudden beeping of the commlinks took both of our minds off of the moment. The Admiral was paging us.

Sadie and I both found the Admiral on the command bridge, as well as Tag. She gave a smile to the two of us.

"Glad you two got here so quickly." She turned around and pushed a button. A planet popped up, and a red blinking light appeared to one side of it. "We have received a distress signal from Tatooine."

I nodded, and said "What's the catch?"

"I maneuvered us close to Tatooine to get away from the mess at Corbalant. This signal is short range. Old school style. Hastily put together. Person is in a jam. And here's why." A signal was broadcast to us by a radio station from Tatooine.

"... Alliance troops have suddenly attacked a small location on Tatooine. While it is small, all citizens are urged to stay away from the area north of the Dune Sea. Do not engage the Alliance. Any provocation could potentially lead to a violent takeover that will lead to millions of deaths."

I stared at the beacon, and began thinking of the many possible ways this could be a trap.

Sadie said "I'm going to go down there and help. If anybody else wants to, you're free to come along."

I sighed. Bad idea. Bad idea on many fronts.

"Sadie, we have no idea what's going on down there."

"I don't really care," she snapped back at me. Wonderful. She was mad at me. I realized for the first time just how painful it was to imagine that.

Tag said "I'll lead a ground strike. Can you cover our descent, Admiral?"

She nodded and said "I'll do the usual 'cover and jam' routine."

I stared at the general area some more before asking "Are we able to see more detail?"

Admiral Cress pushed a few buttons, and the planet's surface zoomed in a bit, showing a large bit of wreckage with some rocks scattered around it. She said "That's the best I can do. No way for me to determine where the attackers are, or why they were even attacking.

"I thought Tatooine was neutral," I muttered.

Tag nodded. "It's supposed to be. Order and Alliance both wrote it off as a backwater with no value whatsoever." It made sense. Tatooine was a hub for scum and outcasts.

I stared at the wreckage and muttered "Then why is the Alliance here?"

"One way to find out," Sadie said.