AN: Sorry that this wasn't posted on Sunday, but I've been traveling the past couple of days and just wasn't able to get to it. I am back stateside now for the first time in a year, so you may notice a change in my posting times. I'm still posting on Sundays, but I was 7 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time before, so it'll just be different. Sometimes it probably almost felt like I was posting late Saturday and not Sunday. Now, it will definitely be Sundays.

Now, one small rant before I get to the chapter. Please keep reviews (mostly guest) civil. I do want criticism if it can help me improve my story and my writing abilities. Mentioning typos for me to correct, debating how I handled things and how I should have looked at something differently is helpful. Pointing out flaws is helpful. Telling me that my story is garbage and I'm a trash writer isn't helpful and no I won't be approving those comments. You sending me further comments about me "controlling" the comments because I'm not approving your comments isn't going to change my mind. I do this for fun, but I'm clearly not a professional writer. I don't make money on this, and I really started writing this story for myself and decided to post it and hope people would enjoy it. If you don't like it (though why you read 47 chapters before deciding you hated it is beyond me) then don't read it. I'm all for debates on Star Wars lore, or paths my story can go, even if you don't like how I handled something. I'm happy to explain my reasoning, and you may still not like it. I'm happy to hear what you think would have been better, and I may agree or may disagree. That is all fine. At the end of the day, it's my story and I'm doing the best I can. If you think you can do better, than write your own story and let me know. I'll happily go read it and hope that you truly are a better writer than me and that you've created a story I can love.

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Chapter 48 - Dark Forces

Siri heard Anakin gasp slightly as they pulled out of hyperspace and looked upon Dromund Kaas, though she suspected it had more to do with the small, but impressive fleet that was set in a blockade of the planet.

"Kastor really wanted to make sure that nobody was escaping," Siri muttered, and Obi-Wan next to her nodded.

"I don't recognize those ships," Anakin muttered.

"Mandalorian," Garen said from the pilot's chair. "The three destroyer-class are Keldabe Cruisers. Mandal Hypernautics's Capital Cruiser. The other five are Mandalorian corvettes, Marauder, I believe is the design's name. Kas called in some favors for this."

"And then the Darasuum, the Ebon Hawk, and it looks to be about six Jedi cruisers," Anakin muttered. "How many Jedi are involved in this? How many Mandalorians?"

"I don't know," Siri said, "but we'll find out."

Garen flew the ship up to the Keldabe that had the Darasuum docked to it with the rest of the Jedi Cruisers and the Ebon Hawk in a chain link connected to each other, and he connected to the last Jedi Cruiser in the link.

Siri felt the ship rock slightly as Clee connected her vessel to theirs.

Siri was almost amused as they passed through the boarding areas of all the Jedi Cruisers before they entered the Darasuum and found two Mandalorians, wearing armor and helmets, waiting for them. Siri recognized one of them, and smiled in greeting.

"Good to see you, Tylo."

"And you, Lady Tachi," he replied with a polite nod. "They are waiting in the briefing room."

"Are we the last to arrive?

"Yes, but only by about half an hour. Everyone's just now gathering."

The group of Jedi followed the two Mandalorians through the large ship to a briefing room where they found the rest of their fellow Jedi along with a great many more Mandalorians.

Siri recognized many of the Jedi that had answered Kastor's call. From the Council itself was Mace Windu, Depa Billaba, Shaak Ti, and her old master, Adi Gallia, who gave her her normal polite nod and light smile, but Siri felt warmth flow through their old bond, showing just how happy Adi was to see her.

Unsurprisingly, there were quite a few Shadows that had shown up, likely many of those that had been tasked with attempting to find Sith throughout the galaxy. There was Tholme, Quinlan Vos, and Shylar, as well as Kast Fulier and his Padawan, Etain Tur-Mukan. Also present was one she'd never met, but who she recognized as the legendary Jon Antilles, another famous nomadic Jedi, like Fay.

She also noted T'ra Saa, Sora Bulq, the famed swordsman, Jerec, the archivist, Baylan Skoll, Finn Ertay, Soara Antana and her Padawan, Darra Thel-Tanis, June Leska, an old friend, and the newly Knighted former Padawan of Cin Drallig, Serra Keto. There were also another ten or so Jedi that she didn't recognize.

Kastor smiled at them all entering.

"Welcome, my friends, thank you for coming," he said, activating the holoprojectors in the room, which projected an orbital defense station and a construction platform. "A few days ago, we entered the space above Dromund Kalakari, in this system, where we found these two stations, along with a small defense fleet. After the skirmish, we managed to obtain intelligence that pointed to supplies being redirected from the station to two sites." The projector changed to show a planet and a moon. "This is Dromund Kaas and Kalakar Six. Dark side Force users have reclaimed an old settlement on Kalakar Six and have reclaimed the Dark Force Temple on Dromund Kaas. We estimate there to be anywhere from twenty to forty dark siders in each location and there is roughly a battalion of battle droids split between the two locations. Reports from the station suggest that these two settlements existed before the space stations, but they clearly have some sort of connection to Granta Omega's Sith cult faction, especially with the Federation droids. We need information, and we cannot allow these dark siders to remain free."

"Have they done anything?" Jerec asked curiously. "While I am hesitant to leave any large gathering of dark siders free, the fact is that worshiping or practicing the dark side is not illegal, and not inherently wrong."

"I agree," Kastor said simply. "I had hoped to possibly gain the information through discussion willingly, but our attempts at communication have been rebuffed, and unfortunately, we have found that these dark siders are dangerous and have been experimenting with Sith sorcery. They have been mutating creatures, and generally those types of experiments will yield nothing good, and of course that type of genetic experimentation is illegal."

There were murmurs of agreement at that.

"I would prefer to avoid this conflict, but these dark siders cannot be allowed to continue their experiments unchecked," Kastor said grimly. "We are going to assault both sites, and capture all that we can. Hopefully some of them can be rehabilitated, but if not they'll be contained. Both sites have shield generators protecting them from an orbital strike as well as several anti-starfighter and anti-personnel turrets."

"For this operation, we'll be split into two teams of Jedi, and each team will be assisted by a company of Mandalorians, who have been gracious enough to assist us."

"Why not direct all of our focus on one site and then shift our focus to the next site afterwards?" Kast Fulier asked.

"Because time is of the essence," Kastor said. "Already, a small fleet has come to try and help these Force users evacuate, engaging this fleet. They were repelled, but there is a chance that a larger fleet is coming, and I would prefer to avoid a large-scale space battle. Additionally, we don't know what types of abilities and forbidden knowledge they might have. I don't want to put all of our Jedi in one location if these dark siders happen to know something like the Thought Bomb or some other devastating Force technique that would kill all who were present."

"Surely you don't think they are that advanced?" Sora Bulq queried. "They're just another Sith cult, one like we've seen many of. They can't wield the power of the Brotherhood of Darkness."

"I prefer not to underestimate my opponents," Kastor said firmly. "We don't know what these Force users know or don't know, nor do we know how long they've been on Dromund Kaas. Who knows what they might have found on the old Sith capital. Now, as I said, we'll have two teams. Master Windu will lead the team to assault the settlement on Kalakar Six and I will head the infiltration of the Temple. Both teams will be dropped just outside the shields and will move in on foot. The main priority will be taking out the shield generators so that air support can help mop up the turrets and battle droids that will be providing external resistance."

"Do we have any idea what to expect?" asked one of the Jedi Siri didn't recognize.

Kastor grimaced.

"Expect mutated Sith creatures and hostile Force users, who may or may not be proficient with the Force and possibly with a lightsaber. Lastly, as said, they have a battalion of Federation battle droids. Rough estimates are roughly six hundred droids spread between two locations. For those of you going to the settlement, I have little to no information other than what our scans and scouts have reported, which you'll each get a copy of the file sent to you. For those of you going to the Temple, I have a good idea of the layout, and we can expect the same types of threats."

"You've been there before," Baylan noted.

"A long time ago," Kastor agreed softly. "I'd hoped to never return . . . or rather I'd hoped this Temple had long since been destroyed, but it does not do for me to dwell on dreams. I know the layout well and can direct smaller teams to clear certain areas once we've made it through the front doors."

"We'll now take the time to prepare and give everyone time to study their schematics and assignments. Then we'll split into teams and move to the hangars for boarding onto transports in two hours," Mace said. "May the Force be with us all."

**The Will of the Force**

"Entering a hot LZ!" Shisui Dyre called back to them from the cockpit, and Kastor opened his eyes, feeling the flack exploding around the outside of the Kom'rk transport as they flew towards the surface. "Get ready to drop out in five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . . move, move, move!"

The bottom of the ship opened up as the ship took a hard turn and started hovering and Kastor along with the rest of the Jedi, Mandalorians, and Antarian Rangers in his ship jumped down, rappelled down, or used their jetpacks to control their drop.

Kastor rolled with the landing, igniting both of his blades as he started moving swiftly, deflecting blaster bolts gazing at the foreboding Dark Force Temple. There were five anti-personnel turrets set up on the top of the Temple, along with a platoon of battle droids, and another hundred or so battle droids out in the front pavilion blocking their entrance to the temple. There were also three anti-starfighter turrets on the Temple, and two more on the ground, just outside the shield. Frankly, these were more formidable external defenses than the Temple had had back during the Sith Empire. Granted the Temple did not now have hundreds of Sith Warriors inside to defend it like it did back then, but still, this was nothing to scoff at. The shield itself must be fairly decent since the two outer anti-starfighter turrets had been protected when they did their initial scans, so clearly the shield had shrunk to allow the turrets to engage their transports.

Just behind him was Fay, using the Force and her lightsaber to protect those around her. To his left was Obi-Wan, Siri, and three Mandalorians, and to his right was Taria, Adi, and two Mandalorians, and two Antarian Rangers.

The group made its way swiftly forward, firing on the section of battle droids that had left the safety of the shield generator to fire on their ships, but with Jedi and Mandalorians leading the charge, the droids quickly fell, clearing the way, and two swift jet packet rockets destroyed the two turrets, helping to safeguard their transports and air support.

Finally the group made its way through the boundary of the shield, encountering heavy fire from the remaining droids and the anti-personnel turrets. The shield generator itself was on top of the Temple, and not easily accessible without a Force jump or a jetpack, but its power generator was up against the mountainside. This was fortuitous because the power generator was easily replaced, but shield generators were expensive. Kastor had plans for that shield.

Most of the Mandalorians and Rangers were trying to take cover from two of the five turrets, the remaining three of which were trying to blast their air support, while the Jedi deflected bolts from both the turrets and the droids.

The Jedi basically turned themselves into a wall, providing cover, deflecting bolts allowing the Rangers and Mandalorians with them to prime their rocket launchers and fire, which quickly resulted in an explosion that brought the shield down.

"Shield's down! Shield's down!" A Mandalorian reported through the comms.

Kastor kept up his defensive with the battle when the balance shifted in their favor with five Fang Fighters and four N-2 Bombers coming in fast raining blaster fire and two proton bombs down, decimating the remaining anti-starfighter cannons and four of the five anti-personnel turrets, and creating gaps in the droid lines, both on the Temple ramparts and in the courtyard.

"Push forward through the gap!" Kastor called out. "Don't let them reform!"

A Mandalorian's jetpack rocket flew past Kastor and he saw it impact the last turret as the Jedi and their allies rushed the remaining droids, blasting some down, and then swiftly cutting through the rest.

Kastor and his team moved swiftly into the courtyard heading straight for the Temple's large door.

"Once we enter, we'll be in the large atrium. Expect them to ambush us there!" Kastor called out.

He gathered the Force, and he felt the rest of the Jedi with him do the same, and they all pushed out together, smashing against the Temple's door like a hammer, blasting it in. As they rushed through the door, he heard the screams of creatures being released.

**The Will of the Force**

Finn ducked under a blade, parrying two strikes and then she moved swiftly forward and slashed through her opponent who dropped with a scream. She grimaced, mourning the loss of life, even if she could feel nothing but hate and evil flowing from the man.

The settlement was hardly a pleasant location. It was steeped with darkness, but it was also just a depressing location as is. The settlement looked dilapidated, carved from dark stone, and with the sweltering heat from the magma, it was a wonder why anyone would build a settlement on Kalakar Six.

Their initial assault had devolved into a glorified riot with nearly forty cultists, three hundred battle droids, and some mutated creatures having rushed into the Jedi and Mandalorian forces as soon as they breached the shield. For the most part, the cultists had some skill, but most were no match for a Jedi. However, there were a few who were the exception to that rule, and the creatures were a handful, and the sheer numbers made even the weaker opponents a threat with how congested the battle space was, but the Force was with them.

Finn moved forward, deflecting two bolts, saving the lives of a Ranger and a Mandalorian, both of whom nodded gratefully as they fired at another small team of battle droids approaching stalwartly.

She looked over to see the young Padawan, Etain Tur-Mukan, fall to the ground a creature having jumped on her, and Finn started to rush over when a Mandalorian beat her to the punch, tackling the creature off of her, and putting a vibroblade into its throat. Another Mandalorian in armor took a bolt for the downed Padawan, but her armor seemed to hold out, simply staggering her back before the Padawan was back up on her feet with the other Mandalorian, shielding her saviors.

Finn saw the grateful look on the Padawan's face as her master rushed over to check on her. She turned back to her next opponent, and met the man's attack before managing to knock his blade from his hand and then she kicked the man's knees dropping him to his knee and then she used the Force to knock the man out.

At least that was one captured. With the sheer chaos, she didn't think they would take many prisoners. The enemy seemed determined to fight to the death.

A roar caught her attention and she watched a large hulking beast run around the corner, where it had been hidden by the wall, and it smashed into three Mandalorians and a Jedi that she couldn't identify from where she was, though whose life she felt snuffed out.

The Terentatek quickly pulled the lifeless Jedi into its mouth and started chopping as it threw one of the fallen Mando's at another group of fighters, hitting both a Mandalorian and two battle droids.

She looked not far away where her eyes met those of her former teammate on the long extended mission to Mandalore. Baylan nodded firmly, and she felt two more Jedi move close, and she recognized Serra Keto and the legendary Jon Antilles.

The four of them rushed the dark Sith alchemy experiment with Antilles and Baylan taking the lead and drawing the creature's attention while Finn and Serra pushed out and lashed out at the creature's flanks.

It screamed as both she and Serra connected, and attempted to strike at Serra, but Antilles drew it back towards him when it tried to strike, by moving swiftly in and striking at its stomach before quickly backing away.

Finn circled around and moved in, striking at its back and then quickly had to avoid its spines as it attempted to flatten her by moving backwards. They continued their hit and run tactics, wearing the creature down before Antilles finally struck the killing blow, moving in dangerously close, but sinking his blade into the creature's throat and slashing precisely, before swiftly jumping back to safety.

**The Will of the Force**

Kastor's eyes narrowed seeing dozens and dozens of mutated creatures rushing towards them, either trained, controlled through the Force, or simply just released and all too eager to find blood, he wasn't sure, but there were mutated Kath Hounds, Hssiss, Ganjukos, Shyracks, Tuk'atas, Korienas, two very dangerous Vornskrs, and even one Terentatek.

Behind the creatures were a dozen or so cultists, most of whom carried ignited lightsabers, but there were three with blasters and one with a forcepike, and there were another hundred or so battle droids.

The droids and few cultists started firing over the creatures and the Jedi and their allies were forced to duck and roll away, putting many of them in disadvantageous positions to counter the creatures

Kastor dodged the first Koriena, which was slashed across the side by Fay's silver blade. The line was broken as the two groups clashed together so Kastor kept Fay near his side as his partner and they both charged the Terentatek, which had already knocked a Jedi aside, and crushed a Mandalorian. Kastor ducked under the first swing and Fay went to the side of the claw, both of them striking and leaving gashes along the mauler's arm.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the Jedi that Mace brought, go down to a force-hunter Vornskr, and he felt pain at the loss. He got in close and stabbed the Terentatek in the chest and the creature screamed and went to bat him away, but Fay used the Force to throw some debris into the monster's claw, forcing it away, and she used her saber to parry the other claw. Kastor then moved his blade up through the creature's chest, and it gave one last gasp of pain before it fell back dead.

"Bothersome creatures," Fay muttered, and Kastor grinned grimly as he deflected a few bolts back at the droids.

Obi-Wan, Anakin, Siri, and Ferus had moved past the creatures and engaged two of the Sith cultists. Kastor grinned grimly as Obi-Wan easily knocked the lightsaber from one of the cultists' grip as Siri knocked the other out with a solid kick to the head. Obi-Wan used the Force to slam the now disarmed cultist into the ground and Ferus sprung forward to put cuffs on the cultist, who Kastor could see was a young teenage girl. Anakin deflected several blaster bolts directed at his small team, destroying three droids and killing another cultist.

He could see Sora dueling a skilled cloaked opponent, but it wasn't long before the blademaster overcame his opponent, sinking his lightsaber into the man's chest. Not far away, Quinlan was besting another opponent, while two more fell to a hail of blaster fire, and a fourth was slain by Shylar.

Kastor pushed forward with Fay, knowing their job was to get to the Temple's Council Chambers at the other end of the large atrium. Taria quickly joined their duo, while he saw Siri, Obi-Wan, Anakin and a team of Mandalorians running off for one of the other hallways. Adi, Ferus and a group went for one of the others. Tholme and T'ra Saa had a third. Quinlan, Shylar, and Aayla would go for the forth, and Sora and Jerec along with any others would take the last.

So far, it seemed things were proceeding as planned, though they were going to capture less cultists than Kastor had hoped. Still, the important thing was getting the head of the Temple. That person would have Kastor's answers. He was sure of it.

**The Will of the Force**

Obi-Wan parried a blade from an overeager cultist forcing the man off balance which allowed Siri to sink her blade into the man's chest. Anakin blocked two blaster bolts, killing another one as they moved through a small hallway, finding themselves in what was clearly the library.

Five more cultists were waiting and rushed them. Two of them had only time to scream before the Mandalorians that had been behind the three Jedi gunned them down, while the other three roared and struck at the Jedi before they too fell to a mixture of lightsaber cuts and blaster bolts.

Obi-Wan deactivated his lightsaber, taking in the small library. It was certainly nothing in comparison to the Jedi Archives, but it was still an impressive collection. Considering it most likely all had to do with the Sith, it was also extremely dangerous. Potentially a treasure trove of knowledge on the Sith and their activities over the past thousand years though.

"I hope this place has the answers Kas is looking for," Siri muttered looking around, "but I suspect that we needed to come here whether they have our answers or not."

"I agree," Obi-Wan said softly. "This place was going to be a problem eventually. I think we have just managed to head off a big problem."

"One can only hope and trust in the Force," Siri replied solemnly.

**The Will of the Force**

"Watch it, Ferus!" Adi warned as Ferus just managed to avoid a canister which was thrown from a cultist who had concealed herself with the Force. The canister was flung back at the cultist who screamed in fright as it burst and she dissolved in an acid bath.

Ferus grimaced at the grueling sight and he felt his grandmaster's sorrow in the Force.

Ferus glanced around the room and his disgust only grew seeing the various creatures and body parts from beings that had clearly been experimented on. Also on various shelves were tablets and sheets of notes on their experiments. Everything in Ferus wanted to destroy everything right then and there, but he knew they needed to study the notes to see what these monsters had been doing, and to see if there was anything they truly had to worry about.

"Well done, Padawan," Adi said, and Ferus nodded.

"Thank you, Master."

**The Will of the Force**

Finn continued destroying droids and occasionally mutated creatures, but the battle was finally starting to die down. The leader of this camp was currently facing Mace, and even from where she was, Finn could feel the power and strength in the frail looking man. She could also feel his twisted and mad aura as he matched the Master of the Order blow for blow.

Just behind Mace was Depa, shielding her former master from anyone that would try to interfere in his duel and slay one of their best, and Shaak Ti, who was dueling two opponents of her own, effortlessly and gracefully overpowering them both.

All around, the camp was being secured. The last of the droids were being blasted apart, the last of the cultists were being captured or slain, and the last of the beasts were being put down. Victory at this point was assured, though overconfidence could still lead to sorrow.

Still, not for nothing that Mace was arguably the best duelist in the Order and his Vaapad mixed with his shatterpoint made him particularly skilled in battling darksiders. It wasn't long before Mace wore down his opponent, finally besting him and taking the man's head off and effectively ending the battle.

There was still much to do, intelligence to gather, bodies to return for proper burial, but soon, per Kastor's and the Council's agreement, this settlement would be razed, hopefully destroying the focus of the dark side Nexus, which would hopefully allow the planet to heal as the dark side faded over time.

**The Will of the Force**

As they made their way through the atrium, their party kept getting smaller as more combatants attempted to stop their movement until soon it was just the three Jedi making their way into the Council Chambers where a throne sat. However, no man was in the throne.

Instead, there were two men waiting for them. One, a human dwarf with black hair and a beard, wearing star-covered robes, seemed calm, composed, and in control. He was not holding a lightsaber and seemed uncaring to the situation, and Kastor could sense the power in the man. The other man was the former's opposite in almost every way. He was an extremely tall and thin man, bald, but with a bearded chin and hooded, cruel eyes. He also wore star-covered robes, but he had a sickly-green lightsaber out, and was radiating rage, arrogance, and impatience. Next to him were two Hissis.

Almost as soon as they entered, the tall man raised his hand and launched Force lightning straight at Kastor. Kastor raised his hand, drawing the Force into him and caught the lightning in his hand, feeling the torrent of lightning and power from the man. Kastor used the Force to condense the lightning and threw it back at the tall man whose eyes widened before he just barely managed to block the lightning with his blade. He scowled and sent a stronger, more powerful storm of lightning at Kastor, and Kastor once again used the Force to condense the lightning in his hand before he released the energy and absorbed it.

The man scowled again and then did something that did surprise Kastor, which was conjuring a dozen Force wraiths which radiated malice and evil intent.

"You have talent, I'll give you that," Kastor said, eyeing the wraiths. "However, you've chosen the wrong opponent. While this might have worked on some of my younger brethren. I've seen this skill used by a Master of the dark side, and I'm afraid you don't scare me."

Kastor gathered up light energy, which Fay fed and the two of them together destroyed the apparitions with positive energy, leaving the man stunned. His expression grew fierce and he conjured a dozen more wraiths and then he and the two Hissis charged.

The two creatures ran at Taria who fell into a defensive stance to keep up with the assault. Fay started gathering the Force to counter the wraiths while Kastor moved forward and met the man's blade with his own, before he slashed at him with his shoto blade.

The man dodged and then countered with a volley of fierce blows, using a rough version of Form V. Kastor met each blow, falling into his Form III and meeting the man's offense with his own impeccable defense.

Taria was gracefully engaging the two Hissis, striking when possible, but with two creatures attacking her, she was forced to wait for the right moment to strike and was doing her best to capitalize on those brief moments.

Fay was raising barriers of the Force to prevent the wraiths from moving forward and was then focusing on certain wraiths, one at a time, and crushing them before moving onto the next. With their conjurer focused on his duel, they didn't have the strength nor willpower to try and put up a coordinated effort to fight off Fay.

Kastor continued to meet the man's blade with his, dancing about, slashing to force the man back, parrying his blade and forcing the man to expend extra energy to avoid his second lightsaber, and finally the man faltered and Kastor dodged to the side as the man came at him with a savage downward slash, his lightsaber slicing through where Kastor had been. Kastor slashed horizontally with his first blade leaving a mortal wound across the man's chest, but then the fight was finished as Kastor completed the spin and removed the man's head from his body.

With his death, the rest of the wraiths faded away, and the man seemed to have some sort of bond with the Hissis for they seemed to lose a lot of their coordinated efforts and moved sluggishly allowing for Taria to seize the initiative and kill both beasts in a one quick and graceful combination of thrusts and slashes.

"Jedgar always was a fool," the dwarfish man said mildly. "Quite powerful, ambitious, and talented, but a fool. He never could control himself, always challenged those he should not have, and never knew when to bide his time. Still, he was the most powerful of all my Prophets. It's a shame that he couldn't have become what he needed to in order to survive."

"One could argue that the failure lies with the teacher," Kastor responded.

"Not all students want to be taught, and not all are willing to be," the man responded. "However, in this case, the fool never learned control. The dark side was strong in him, but he didn't have the internal fortitude to control it. He let it control him."

"I recognize you," Kastor said after a moment. "Kadann. You're one of ten known fallen Jedi active in the galaxy."

"Nine, now that Jedgar is dead," Kadann responded simply. "However, I'm rather impressed you recognized me. Though, from the Bane of the Sith, I shouldn't be all that surprised. I have seen this encounter coming for years now."

"You're a prophet," Kastor said, thinking of what the man had called Jedgar. "You've seen clear visions."

"As have you," Kadann remarked. "Yes, I have seen the future more clearly than you ever will. It is my main talent, where it is only a gift of the Force to you. It's a talent that my Order looks for specifically. We are the Prophets of the Dark Side."

"How long have you existed?" Kastor asked, figuring he'd gather as much information as he could while the man was talking. There never were guarantees in the future.

"Just over 850 years," Kadann said.

"You're of the Line of Bane," Kastor said, excitement growing in him.

"Yes and no," Kadann responded with a simple shrug. "Our founder, Darth Millennial was an apprentice in the Line of Bane, but was found unworthy of being Dark Lord of the Sith. His master failed to kill him, thus creating a new line, one that cares not for the Rule of Two and its restrictions."

"How many other offshoots exist?" Kastor asked quickly, worried that there were more Sith sects out there from Bane's line then he'd thought.

"None that I know of," Kadann said with a pleasant smile. "There have been a few who have tried over the millennia, but no others have succeeded as far as I know, but admittedly our Order has done its best to stay off the radar of the Banite Sith, so our intelligence has gaps."

"Did Darth Bane survive the duel on Tython? Did Darth Zannah?" Kastor asked.

"Oh yes," Kadann answered, looking pleased. "Yes, they both survived, and eventually Zannah became the master. She took an apprentice, Darth Cognus, who was the master of our founder. Who she took as Millenial's successor, I do not know. All I know about the Banite Sith is that they are powerful, they are active, and at one point they had a stronghold on Ambria."

"You know more than that," Kastor said with narrowed eyes.

"Well, perhaps, but you will get no more about the Banites from me," Kadann agreed courteously. "You see, I have seen the future. The dark side and the light side must both be preserved, but I serve the dark, and one day in the future, I will serve the Banite Sith. You can prevent this, but it is unlikely you will. No, I have given you enough information to make the race interesting, without completely burning my future Lord. Eventually, the Force will be balanced. Perhaps sooner, if you succeed in your goal, perhaps for longer, if you don't."

Kastor felt some frustration rise up, but he quickly released it, knowing how dangerous those dark emotions could be in a place like the Dark Force Temple.

"Then, can you tell us about Omega?"

"Ha, another fool, but a highly intelligent one," Kadann said. "He already serves the Banite Sith, though he does not know it, and continues to seek their open support, but he doesn't understand the Sith. He thinks he does. He thinks he's important, useful, needed, but he's a pawn. Nothing more. A pawn who will do great damage. You and he have already set into motion events which were not to occur for possibly decades, if ever. This Temple should have remained undisturbed by Jedi for many decades, but yet here you are. You both have disrupted the timeline, but how it will end up, admittedly even I don't know for sure. I know balance will eventually be achieved, but I fear nothing for the dark side can never be truly vanquished."

"So, if you have no loyalty to Omega, then give me some more answers," Kastor said. "Do you know where he is? Do you know what he plans? Do you know if he has truly found another Sith?"

Kadann smiled.

"Worried. Yes, you are worried, and you should be. Did you not wonder why this site and the Kalakar camp were reinforced with a battalion of battle droids? Oh yes, Omega started by uniting the various Sith cults and remaining descendants of Sith Clans together. This Temple was to be the school for them, but that shall not happen now. However, while you should worry about the students, your bigger worry should be the teachers."

Kadann smiled thinly.

"The Force gave the Jedi you. A warrior out of time, one who does not underestimate the Sith, and who stands to disrupt all they have worked for over the last thousand years. The Force reignited an ancient prophecy, long thought dead by preserving you, but the Force is balanced, and while you are here to help the Light, so too does the Dark have its champions beyond the Banite."

"What prophecy?" Fay asked.

Kadann looked at her, inclining his head.

"An important question, Master Fay. A prophecy that the Jedi never knew of. It was foretold that the Jedi Order would never truly fall as long as a Jedi family and its legacies survived. It was foretold that the Sith shall never truly reign while this family and its legacies survive."

Kadann studied Kastor with interest. "There was plenty more to the prophecy, and of course it was convoluted as most prophecies are, but nearly all Sith believed that the prophecy applied to the family that sprung from Revan and Bastila Shan."

Kastor frowned.

"That's why my family was targeted, even the non-Force sensitives who weren't involved with the Republic."

"Correct. Bane of the Sith your family is known to be, and it was believed that if they could wipe you out, the Jedi would fall and the Sith would rise."

"But what about the legacy part?" Taria asked with a frown.

Kadann sighed, smiled, and shrugged.

"That was highly debated, according to most records. Many argued that it applied to the family as a whole. The descendants. Thus, the Sith hunted down all who had the blood of Revan in them. However, other parts of the prophecy suggest to me that it applies to not only the descendants, but those also that carry on the legacy. In other words, those you influence, specifically those you or your descendants have trained or provided some sort of influence and guidance to."

Kastor's eyes narrowed.

"Is that why my Padawans were targeted? Why my grandpadawan was murdered?"

Kadann shrugged.

"I have no records of that, but it stands to reason that yes, they were targeted because they were your legacies."

Kastor felt anger surge before it was quenched by sorrow.

"The Sith thought they had defeated the prophecy by destroying your family, but you survived, which drew my attention to the ancient prophecy. Now, your legacies will be your effect on the Order and those in it. As long as those of your line survives, as long as those you have influenced continue to spread your ideals, the Jedi will survive, but the Sith know this, and they are coming for you and those you care for."

Kastor met Fay and Taria's shocked eyes.

"It's ironic. If my interpretation of this prophecy is correct, then the Sith have ensured the Jedi's survival," Kadann said with a light chuckle.

"What do you mean?" Fay asked curiously.

"Darth Bane retrieved the holocron of Darth Revan, and it is from him that he created the Rule of Two. Not quite what Revan intended, I'm sure, but still a derivation. In a sense, the Banite are the dark sided versions of yourself, Master Shan. They are Darth Revan's legacies as much as they are Darth Bane's. However, if we consider those who Revan influenced as his legacies, then the Banite's themselves are legacies of Revan, and thus while they live, the Jedi shall never truly fall, if the prophecy is true."

Kastor, Fay, and Taria exchanged interested glances at that and Kadann smiled.

"I've seen this meeting coming for years. I will survive and serve the new regime. Someday, we may even meet again," Kadann said, almost sounding happy about that. "Many years from now, depending on the path you take. One will lead to balance, the other to ruin. I wish you luck, Master Jedi. I may serve the dark, but the light is just as needed, and at one time, I was a Knight of the Jedi Order. The Order is not what it should be, but perhaps, one day, it will be."

"Sir?" Kastor's gaze on Kadann was broken by a trio of Mandalorians who had come into the Council Chambers.

Kastor turned back to Kadann.

"Who are the Sith? Where can I find them?" Kastor almost pleaded. "Just give me that."

Kadann gave him a piercing look.

"The Sith are far more numerous than you realize. As I said, your actions set many things in motion, some that would not have occurred for decades, perhaps even half a century. However, it means that the future is far more unpredictable, but moldable than before. There are more sects of Sith than you realize. There are far more than you or the Jedi could have ever considered. The Banite may believe in their Rule of Two, but that doesn't stop them from creating acolytes and assassins. The others have no such rule. You have not escaped all the ghosts of your past, Jedi. You might be able to find a path in our records, but from there, it will be a race to see who's plans come to fruition first. Good luck, Jedi."

Kadann smiled pleasantly, but there was a finality to his bearing and tone and Kastor knew they would get no more from him. He could try and force it out of the man, but he could sense the man's steel and power. That would not be an easy thing and would likely prove fruitless.

"Take this man into custody," Kastor ordered to the Mandalorians who nodded and moved to the flanks of Kadann. "He'll be gathered with the others and sent to the Citadel."

The three Mandalorians escorted Kadann from the room, after removing a lightsaber from his belt.

"What do we do next?" Taria asked, looking unsure. "If that man is to believed, and I think he spoke only the truth, then we're no longer hunting one or two Sith. We're hunting a new Sith Empire."

"Perhaps," Kastor agreed absently before he felt Fay put her hand on his arm and drew his focus back, and he looked back at Taria. "We move forward. That's all we can do. These new . . . or old Sith must be found, but if they are truly from the Sith Empires of old, they'll reveal themselves when they're ready. The Banite Sith are still our priority. They are the crutch of everything and our greatest threat. If Omega is already unknowingly working for the Banites, then the Banites have access to these other Sith, whether they use it or not."

"So, we go back through their records and we start trying to trace the Line of Bane," Fay said grimly. "We know they survived and we now know they settled on Ambria to start. We can go from there and start trying to work our way to the present."

Kastor nodded.

"And we watch, and hope one of our enemies will make a mistake. We'll keep trying to find the hidden planets that were removed from the Archives . . . and Taria, I think it's time I read you in on more of my plans. I think it's time I give you the trust you've more than earned."

**The Will of the Force**

"What do you mean that you'll be keeping all of the information from this Temple?" Jerec demanded.

"We'll be going through it, and if it doesn't have what we're looking for, it will be sent back to the Jedi Temple to be archived or destroyed," Kastor said.

"Searching through that type of information is an archivist's job," Jerec protested. "Besides, even you could be corrupted by that information! This is why the study of such materials is closely monitored at the Temple."

"My friend, there is very little that these Prophets can teach me about the Dark Side," Kastor said quietly, but with steel. "I've seen what true practitioners can do, and trust me I have no desire to join them. I don't wish to learn the alchemy or techniques in these novels. I'm looking for information, nothing more."

Jerec started to protest again only to be cut off.

"Enough," Mace said. "Master Shan has been approved for this path. Master Fay and Knight Damsin will aid him and help monitor him. Additionally, his ship will continue to house transient Jedi teams, meaning he will have eyes on him."

"Now is not the time for this," Depa said. "Now is the time to remember our fallen, and take stock of the good that has been done today."

There were nods around the conference room. Of the forty Jedi that had participated, five had been killed. Five of the Jedi that had come with Mace from the Temple . . . five Jedi Kastor had barely known and now never truly would. He mourned that, but he would remember them for their sacrifice. A Jedi's life was sacrifice.

Beyond the Jedi, nearly a hundred Mandalorians had died battling the cultists, their alchemical creatures, and the battle droid battalion, and one Antarian Ranger had also perished. The Mandalorians already had a memorial service planned on the planet of Kalevala, which the Jedi Order had agreed to attend, and all of their comrades would be put to rest together, except for the Jedi who would receive the traditional pyre, though that too would be done on Kalevala.

Of the cultists, including Kadann, only seven others had been captured. All eight would be remanded to the Citadel for their crimes being it was the only active prison meant to hold Force users, and a Jedi Healer would see to them, to see if any of them could be rehabilitated and released, possibly into the Service Corps of the Jedi Order, if they should choose that option or into the galaxy with aid from the Order to restart their lives.

First though, before they left, there was one last thing to do, and Kastor was eager to see it. He stood on the observation deck, with many of his fellow Jedi, watching the Mandalorian fleet start their orbital bombardment which would decimate the settlement and Temple both. Their ends had come.

He felt Siri move up next to him and hug his side and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as the turbolasers started unleashing volley after volley.

"Does this help?" she asked softly.

"Yes," he said back. "It's nice to know that this Temple will finally be destroyed. It is a place of great evil . . . and it should have ceased to exist a millenia ago. It feels nice to see a chapter of my past closing. It feels like I finally won one of my old conflicts."

"It sounds to me like you're just getting senile and living in the past," Siri said, her lips twitching towards a smirk.

"You are a brat, my daughter," Kastor remarked.

Siri chuckled and Kastor grinned.

One chapter of his past was closed, but if Kadann was to be believed, this wasn't the last ghost of his past he might have to face. For now though, he would rejoice in his friends and family, and tomorrow he would continue his quest.