Hi everyone.

I know it's been a while but the last...well...several months actually have been really mentally exhausting. I'm barely able to work on any of my stories as it is, let alone edit the ones that are already finished. So updates are slow as a result. I am sorry about this.

Thank you to mastercheif1229, Nitroman98, Bountyhunter1977, Ander Arias, ivanruzic3758, DarthVerus, and TaitanoRules555 for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.

I will warn you, due to the fact that updates are slow right now, that this chapter does end in a cliffhanger...actually, probably like two in one chapter. I do not know how I managed that but I did.

I hope that you enjoy this chapter though. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.

Chapter Twenty Two

Temple of the Ancients, Rakata Prime, Lehon System

Bastila meditated as best she could. The restraints that were tied around her wrists and ankles made her position terribly uncomfortable but she still tried. It had been four days now and Malak had not been lenient in his torturing at all since she had been brought there. Force lightning was excruciatingly painful and it took every ounce of Bastila's self-control to not scream each time he used it on her.

But she would not break. She would not. She was a Jedi and she was not going to succumb to the dark side of the Force.

She reached out with the Force toward her companion. She knew that Anakin was suffering through the same torture that she was but she also knew that he was strong and would not succumb either. She may not have a bond with him but that didn't mean that she couldn't feel his presence or feel his determined resolve to resist.

She smiled. Anakin may have darkness within him, and there was no denying that as Bastila knew the cause of the stain upon Anakin's Force presence, but he was still strong and determined to resist whatever it was that Malak threw at him.

She would do the same.

The door to her cell opened and she turned her head as Malak came in. She gave him a calm look and said nothing as he came to a stop by the table that she was strapped to. "Malak," she said, not even deeming it necessary to use the title he had taken.

"You are still defiant, Bastila," Malak said.

"I won't succumb."

Malak chuckled as he held up his hands. "We will see." Brilliant blue arcs of Force lightning erupted out of his fingertips and crashed into her body. She bit her lip so hard that she drew blood to keep from screaming as agony raced through her veins, setting all of her nerves on fire. She would not give Malak the satisfaction of hearing her scream.

"You are strong, Bastila. You have not once uttered a scream since I brought you here. Young Anakin is the same way," Malak said as he retracted the Force lightning.

"We will both resist anything that you have to throw at us, Malak," Bastila shot back.

"Let us see how long that defiant resistance will last, young Bastila." More Force lightning surged forward and Bastila arched her back, still biting her lip to keep from screaming as agony ripped through her veins.

She was not going to give Malak the satisfaction of hearing her scream.

"You are strong, child. But I will break you," he said above the crackling of Force lightning.

She didn't respond, knowing that if she opened her mouth, the only thing that would come out would be a scream.

Malak stopped the lightning and, once she was sure she could speak without crying out from the pain, she said, "I'll never fall to the dark side. You think torture will turn me, Malak? You are a fool."

"Torture?" Malak laughed. "No, dear Bastila. You misunderstand. This is but a taste of the dark side to whet your appetite. When you finally swear loyalty to me, it will be willingly."

"Never!"

"Such resolve in your words, but I see the truth in your heart. The dark side calls to you, Bastila. You hunger to taste it. Become my apprentice, and all its power can be yours."

Bastila responded by cursing him in Huttese. She had to thank Anakin for learning that particular curse word.

Malak scowled. "You really are defiant," he said and more Force lightning erupted out of his fingertips, crashing into her body and she bit down on her already injured lip to keep the screams at bay as her body arched in agony

I won't give in. I won't. She was not going to give in, not to the pain, not to Malak's temptations. She would not give in.

She was not going to give in to the darkness.

For the sake of everyone she had come to care about, she would not give in.

For some odd reason, her thoughts drifted to Revan. She thought about his kind, caring brown eyes, his calm, gentle smile, the way he laughed. He was always teasing her and he did get on her nerves because of it but that didn't stop her from finding the beauty in his presence. He was a kind, compassionate young man, so different from the picture of the Sith that she had painted in her head.

She had only ever known him as Zhane Kando, she never knew him as Revan, or even as Darth Revan, and yet she had to wonder if the person Zhane Kando was after Mortis really was who Revan had been before he fell.

She suspected it was true. Revan, when he had still been Zhane, had changed after Mortis and yet it hadn't been that big of a change. Even though he had regained the vast majority of his memories, even though he had known who he truly was, he hadn't gone down the same path he had previously. He hadn't turned on them, hadn't become a Sith again. He had remained...not necessarily on the light side but not on the dark side either.

Child of Light and Dark...that was what the Daughter called him on Mortis. Could it be true?

She didn't know. But what she did know was that the Zhane Kando she had come to know, the Revan she had come to know, was a kind person whom truly wanted to create a better future, whom truly wanted to bring an end to this war, whom was capable of caring.

He was not the Sith Lord he had been before Malak's betrayal.

And Bastila found herself wanting to know more about him. He was her comrade, her friend, and she did care about him, maybe more than she should. She wanted to return to him and to the rest of her friends.

She had once told Anakin that attachments could lead to the dark side. At the time, she hadn't really thought much about Anakin's bond with Luke but now she knew that what Anakin had with Luke wasn't an attachment. It was pure, it was light.

And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that her desire to return to those she cared about wasn't an attachment. She truly did care about them. She had come to see them as her friends and she cared for them but the way she felt didn't feel like it was an attachment. It felt pure, it felt light.

Perhaps that was the difference.

Anakin had told her that maybe he didn't understand what attachment was, given that he hadn't grown up the same way she had, and she found herself wondering if she even understood what attachment was.

But if her friendship with her friends was seen as attachment then how could that lead to the dark side?

She didn't know but she did know one thing.

She had another reason to resist. She could not fall to the dark side, could not give in to the temptation, because she would not be able to return to those she had come to care about if she did.

And that would be her strength. She would draw upon her bond with Revan and her desire to return to those she cared about. That would be her strength, her resolve, to resist.

She was not going to let Malak break her.

No matter what, I will not fall. I will not give in. For the sake of those I care about, those I want to return to, I won't give in.

. . .

Anakin meditated. His legs were crossed as his hands rested lightly on his knees. His eyes were closed as he slowly reached out to the Force that swirled around him. It wasn't as if he had much else to do while stuck in that cell and waiting for Malak to come back and try using torture to force him to turn.

It certainly helped to ease the pain from the Force lightning that Malak had repeatedly used on him in his attempt to turn Anakin to the dark side. It didn't work quite as Malak thought it would but that was only because Anakin was not letting the pain get to him. He was resisting because he had something worth fighting for, worth resisting the allure of the dark side for.

His bond with Luke was certainly helping. Luke's calming, brilliant like a sun Force presence was soothing, even if they were very far away at the moment.

'Though you should be wary about that bond, Anakin.'

Anakin's eyes fluttered open and he raised an eyebrow, a deadpan expression crossing his face. "Nice of you to show up. Where the kriff have you been, Master Qui-Gon?" he said because he recognized the voice instantly.

'I could not speak to you before now.'

"Why now then?"

'I have managed to find a way.'

"And you have decided to speak to me now because…?"

'You must be careful, Anakin. The allure of the dark side is difficult to resist and Malak plans to use your greatest weakness against you.'

"I already know that, Master Qui-Gon, but Luke is far stronger than anyone seems to think he is. He isn't someone to underestimate. Malak doesn't know that."

'Malak may know more than you think. I do not know of what is to happen, unfortunately, but I have come to warn you that something big is about to happen, far bigger than simply the final battle to defeat Darth Malak.'

"Let me guess, you can't tell me."

'I wish that I could but I do not know all the details. I only know that it has something to do with Revan and his memories that were damaged beyond repair.'

"So you just came to warn me that Malak is going to try to use Luke against me, which I already knew he would try to do, and that there's something even more of a threat than Malak out there?"

'Yes. And that threat is one that must be taken care of if you are to return to your own time.'

"And you can't tell me anything about what this threat is?"

'I only know that it deals with the Sith.'

"Of course it does."

'No, I do not mean the Sith like Malak and his followers, I mean the actual Sith.'

Anakin raised an eyebrow at Qui-Gon's cryptic words, not understanding what he meant and why he emphasized that as if he was talking about two different kinds of people. "What are you talking about, Master Qui-Gon? What do you mean by the 'actual Sith'?" he asked.

Qui-Gon didn't respond.

Of course he didn't. I should have expected that. I really should have.

The door opened at that moment and Anakin turned his head as Malak strode in. "Hello again, young Anakin," he said.

"Shabuir," Anakin replied and smirked at the twitch in Malak's eye. He always greeted Malak by that Mando'a insult that he learned from Revan and it never failed to cause Malak to twitch in irritation.

"You would do well to learn some proper respect," he said.

"Not for you."

"You are still quite defiant, even after four days. But you will break eventually."

"Not going to happen, sleemo."

Malak chuckled and raised his hands. "Yes, you will," he said. "Because not only am I giving you a taste of the power you could have at your disposal but I also have another plan that will break you completely. You will swear your loyalty to me eventually."

"I don't know what you're planning but it won't work."

"You say that now but when it does happen, it will work. I know that it will."

"Your arrogance is going to be your downfall."

"And your bonds will be yours." A burst of Force lightning erupted from Malak's fingertips and crashed into Anakin's body before he could respond to that statement. He collapsed onto the ground, biting his lip to keep from screaming as the pain radiated throughout his entire body. It felt like every nerve was being set on fire.

The Force lightning stopped.

"This is but a taste of what you could have at your disposal," said Malak.

"I don't want nor need any power that you are offering," Anakin shot back.

"We shall see, young Anakin. We shall see."

. . .

Sith Academy, Korriban

Getting into the Academy took far longer than HK-47 thought it would. It all started when he had been apprehended by a droid mechanic who had thought he was simply a lost droid and decided to clean him up and sell him. HK-47's programming was one that followed orders from Lord Revan, and had a bit of a personality programmed into him as was why he referred to ever living being he came across as a 'meatbag', except for the master of course.

HK-47 didn't feel emotions. But his programming would not accept this droid mechanic's attempts to reprogram him and sell him.

Shooting the stupid meatbag had definitely been enjoyable.

It was a shame that it had taken him as long as it had to finally get a clear shot.

"Statement: such a foolish meatbag. Irritated Addendum: now I am late in starting my mission." With that irritated statement said, HK-47 turned and began making his way deeper into Dreshdae, heading toward the Sith Academy in the distance. He had been ordered to cause a distraction, and blast meatbags, but not to harm any of the student meatbags in the academy.

"Statement: such a shame."

He made his way down the path and up to the academy's gates, ignoring the guards that immediately moved forward.

"Halt, droid," the first guard said.

HK promptly blasted the meatbag and then blasted the meatbag next to him before striding past, easily getting past the doors due to the keycard that Master Revan had provided him with.

"Statement: Master truly was well prepared. Query: how did he get this keycard to begin with? Answer: it does not matter." HK-47 walked into the academy and calmly began to blast every meatbag that he came across, so long as it wasn't a student meatbag. As per Master Revan's orders, he made sure each of his shots didn't hit a vital organ that would make the wound fatal.

"Excited Statement: this is going to be fun. Addendum: must ensure that no one notices me." At that, HK-47 activated his stealth mode and shifted into a nearby alcove as Sith poured into the hallway, sounding the alarms and searching the area for any sign of the culprit that had just blasted five of their people.

HK-47 had made sure to be out of the meatbags' sight before blasting them. Master Revan had ordered him to not draw attention to himself while blasting meatbags and that was what he was going to do.

. . .

"What's wrong, Dustil?" Juhani asked as she leaned against the wall of her bedroom and watched Dustil pace back and forth. Only a day had passed since they arrived on Korriban and Juhani had managed to gain some prestige by reciting the Sith Code, that Dustil taught her, to Wynn and then bringing him the sword of Ajunta Pall.

She had nearly run into Revan and his group in the Valley of the Dark Lords when she had done that, and they had been heading back to the ship. Luckily, both of them had noticed each other's presences before they came within sight of each other and were able to avoid each other.

The fact that she had run into the young prospective student Shaardan when she was leaving Ajunta Pall's tomb, and had helped Ajunta Pall find the light and become one with the Force, had also helped to dissuade Revan and his group from coming too close to the tomb.

Shaardan had tried to take the sword she had retrieved from the tomb but she, deciding that it would be too suspicious if she just gave in, gave him the wrong sword. She kept Ajunta Pall's actual sword until she reached Wynn.

She didn't feel right about the fact that Shaardan had been killed for being deceived and bringing Wynn the wrong sword though. She could feel the guilt at causing the young man's death but Dustil had reassured her that she had done the right thing.

"It would have been far too suspicious if you hadn't done that. Wynn was starting to get suspicious of you because you hadn't done anything to earn prestige beside reciting the Sith Code. So this will work to alleviate that suspicion. It's terrible, I know, but it won't be for much longer."

And that was the main reason that Dustil was currently pacing the bedroom, his hands clenching and unclenching and his lips pressed together in a thin line.

"I need to find a way to prove to the other students that the Sith are evil but I haven't found anything yet," he said. "If I could, somehow, find proof that Ban killed Selene than that would help me convince Maydla and Drox that the Sith are evil but I don't know if I can."

"You have proven the Sith are evil to Kel," Juhani reminded him, thinking back to the young man that had used HK's arrival to slip out of the academy and leave it behind forever. HK's arrival had certainly left an impact given that it had left five Sith guards badly injured and no one had a clue as to how they were injured.

"Yes, that's true," Dustil murmured. "But it's not enough."

Juhani had to wonder just what HK was going to do next but decided, after a moment of thought, that she really didn't want to know. She pushed that thought aside and pressed her lips together in thought.

"What about her room?" she asked. "There could be something incriminating in Ban's room that could help you prove what happened to Selene."

"Do you think so?"

"It's an idea. I do not know if it will work but it is an idea."

Dustil pressed his lips together. "We'll need to find a way to distract Ban before we can search through her room," he said.

Juhani thought about it and an idea popped into her head. "I may have an idea, but I will need HK's assistance."

Dustil glanced at her. "What, exactly, do you have in mind?"

"It is a long shot, yes, but I believe it may work."

"The idea?"

Juhani told him.

Dustil's eyes widened. "You're not seriously...well, that will definitely create enough of a distraction to draw Ban out of her room, and every other Sith out of their rooms. I'm surprised you came up with it though," he said.

"I know, it sounds like a Skywalker plan but Anakin's plans usually work so..."

Dustil shook his head. "I believe Anakin may have rubbed off on you a little bit," he mused.

"Likely so but it is the only plan I can think of that will provide the necessary distraction for you to search Ban's room."

"Risky but I think you're right."

It didn't take long for Juhani to track down HK, though that was only because she had simply followed the sound of blasterfire and then followed it into a part of the academy that was shrouded in shadow while the rest of the students and guards were focused on searching the area around the target. Unable to find anything, they focused on moving the bodies.

Once they had cleared out, Juhani said, "HK?"

There was a moment of silence, then the stealth field generator HK had activated shimmered and shut down. "Irritated Statement: you are interrupting my fun, meatbag," HK-47 said.

"I need your help," Juhani said.

"Surprised Statement: you need my help? Curious Query: does it involve blasting meatbags?"

Juhani made a mental note to smack Revan upside the head for programming HK to refer to ever living being as a meatbag. Luke, Dustil, and Carth were right. It really was annoying. "Yes. I need you to provide a distraction that will involve blasting meatbags. Something loud enough to draw everyone's attention," she said.

"Excited Agreement: I am quite interested in this plan. Query: can I blow something up?"

"That...might actually work, so long as it doesn't get anyone killed."

"Statement: I have my orders, meatbag."

Juhani's eye twitched. "Just do it," she said and stepped back, watching as HK-47 activated the stealth field generator and made his way out of the shadows, heading for the center of the academy, where he proceeded to lug a thermal detonator right into the heart of the academy's hub.

The resounding explosion caused Juhani's ears to start ringing and she winced, hoping Dustil took that as his cue to move.

. . .

The instant the explosion erupted in the hub of the academy, Dustil made his way toward Ban's room. He wasn't surprised to see Ban bolting out of the room and heading for the hub and quickly slipped into her room before the door could slide closed. He dropped the Force camouflage he had shielded himself with and began to scan the area, searching everywhere for anything that could help him

He found a datapad near Ban's bed and picked it up. He frowned when he saw that it was Ban's personal datapad. He quickly worked to hack into it and, once he had done so, he pulled up the recent reports that she had written in it.

He pressed his lips together tightly when he reached the entry that detailed what happened in the realm of Mortis. Ban hadn't been shy on the details. She had described Mortis down to the letter, with the only exception being its name, and she had even talked about the crystal labyrinth and the catacombs and, finally, about Selene.

"I followed Dustil Onasi and Selene into the crystal catacombs. It was easy to track down Selene once I had sensed that she had separated from Onasi. Getting her alone had been easy enough and killing her had been just as easy. She was as weak as you said she was, Master, and disposing of her was simple. I do hope that this has made you proud."

His grip on the datapad tightened and the only thing that stopped Dustil from snapping the datapad in half was the fact that it was the proof he needed to show Maydla and Drox of how cruel and evil the Sith actually were.

He didn't know if it would work with the other students but he was sure it would work with Maydla and Drox. If he could save a few of his fellow students then he would. He wanted to save all of them but he knew that there was only so much he could do to undo the mindset that the Sith had manipulated the other students into believing.

Not everyone was like Selene, Kel, Maydla, Drox, and him after all.

But if he could get Maydla and Drox out just like he got Kel out then that was something he could be proud of accomplishing.

He turned and darted out of Ban's room, allowing the door to slide close behind him, and made his way back to his room. He hid the datapad and joined everyone else in the hub where the masters and apprentices and guards were attempting to search for the culprit behind the bombing. Juhani was among the group that were searching, to keep up appearance, and Dustil quickly integrated himself in the group to avoid suspicion as well.

He would show Maydla and Drox later.

. . .

Tomb of Naga Sadow, Valley of the Dark Lords, Korriban

Marka Ragnos's Tomb had been disappointing. The only thing they found in there was a droid who's audio receptors were damaged and any loud noise would cause it to go insane and try to attack. Revan had easily managed to disable the droid's audio receptors and allow it to escape from the tomb but hadn't found anything else in the tomb.

So now he was in Naga Sadow's Tomb, the same tomb that contained the Star Map, and he frowned because the pull was far stronger here than it had been in any of the other tombs. He wasn't sure why it was located in this tomb but it was. Now he just had to find it.

I suppose I'll start in the chamber where the Star Map is located and then I'll search the rest of the place. Hmm, I should probably do something about those terantateks while I'm at it, he thought as he made his way deeper into the tomb, Luke, Jolee, and Canderous moving behind him.

"Is this the right place?" Canderous asked.

"Yes, I can feel that it is. The pull is far stronger here than it had been in the other tombs," said Revan. "Be wary. There are two terantateks between us and the chamber in which the Star Map is located so we will need to get past them in order to reach that chamber. That chamber seems like the ideal location to start searching for whatever it is this pull is trying to guide me to."

"And we have to take out two terantateks to get to it? Wonderful," Jolee said.

"It took six of us just to take down one in Kashyyyk," Luke said worriedly.

"I know but I'm sure we'll be fine."

The group nodded and followed Revan as he led the way down the corridor until they reached a chamber. Almost as soon as they entered it, and Revan spotted the two terantateks on the other side of the chamber, the doors closed behind them. The defense mechanism of the tomb. Now they would not be able to get out of that room until they pulled the lever on the other side of the room, and Revan knew that it couldn't be pulled with the Force.

So he simply focused his attention on the terantateks. "I've killed one of them before. This shouldn't be that hard," he said.

"And you are as arrogant as ever," Jolee deadpanned as he ignited his lightsaber. Luke ignited his lightsaber and Canderous lifted up his repeater blaster while Revan's own blue and violet blades ignited. The four of them darted forward and immediately began attacking the two terantateks, their blades, and Canderous's blaster fire, tearing through each creature's hide.

As expected, it was difficult to get through their hides enough to actually kill them but they managed to do so.

Revan speared the last terantatek through the head and jumped off it as its corpse fell to the ground.

Jolee let loose a breath. "Ah, I'm getting too old to be fighting terantateks," he grunted.

"Ah that was just a warm up, and a pretty good one at that," Canderous said.

"Speak for yourself," Luke said panting.

Revan pulled the lever and made his way through the now open door that led to the chamber in which was the Star Map. He walked past it and scanned the area, searching for the source of the pull and frowned when he sensed that it was coming from the statue that lay beyond the Star Map. There was an old lightsaber there but there was something else, resting in a small hole that looked like it had been carved into the base of the statue.

He reached into the hole and his hands closed around a pyramidal crystal-lattice device. He pulled it out and turned it over in his hand, surprised to know that he recognized it, not only did he recognize the feel of it. A holocron. And, more importantly, it wasn't just any holocron, it was his.

He could feel it. The holocron felt right in his hand, as if he had been the one to craft it and put whatever data he wanted to safeguard within it.

But what could this holocron contain? Why was it hidden here? And why did the Force guide me to my own holocron?

He turned the holocron over before closing his eyes and reaching out with the Force, slipping into a meditative trance. He held out his hand and the pyramidal holocron floated above his hand as the crystal-lattice began to glow and, when he opened his eyes, the holocron had opened and a small hologram identical to him appeared out of it.

"Whoa, is that you?" Luke said.

"This is my holocron," Revan said. "But I don't know when I built it. It must have been after the Wars, perhaps when Malak and I left for the Unknown Regions. My memories of that time are incredibly sketchy, and some are completely destroyed, but that must be it because I don't remember building one before then. And the shape of this holocron clearly states that it was made after I fell." He turned his gaze to the holocron and to the small hologram that emitted from it. "Tell me why the holocron was created," he said.

"You desired to document what happened in the Unknown Regions to examine later in order to seek out a weakness of the True Sith Empire."

"True Sith Empire?"

"Yes, the Sith Empire that is gathering in the Unknown Regions and preparing to invade the Republic, led by the Sith Emperor Vitiate."

For some reason, that name caused a cold chill to run down Revan's spine. He may not remember that name but, for some reason, he could tell that he hadn't had a very pleasant encounter with that person.

"Tell me more about the Sith Emperor Vitiate," he said.

"The Sith Emperor Vitiate is the ruler of the True Sith Empire whom you and Malak confronted upon your journey into the Unknown Regions. You confronted him when you visited Dromund Kaas but he dominated your mind and forced the completion of your fall to the dark side. He sought to use the two of you as a vanguard to weaken the Republic but, upon returning to the known galaxy, you and Malak both broke free from his control and you sought to conquer the Republic in order to prepare it for when the Sith Emperor and the True Sith Empire began its invasion."

Revan pressed his lips together. The True Sith Empire...Sith Emperor Vitiate...the domination of his mind…

He couldn't remember it and yet it felt right. He knew that his holocron wouldn't lie, not when it had captured the cognitive networks of his mind before it had been damaged. It had captured and copied his memories before he had lost them, which was why he knew it was true. These were his memories captured in holocron form, the memories that had been taken from him permanently because of Malak's betrayal.

"So that was what I was preparing the Republic for...why I was trying to conquer it...I see..." He murmured.

"Do you have any further questions?" his miniature hologram asked.

"Not right now." Revan used the Force to close the hologram before tucking it away. He would analyze the information he had left inside the holocron later. Right now, even though he knew that this True Sith Empire was a major threat, he had to focus on the immediate threat.

Once Malak and his followers were defeated then he would focus on the True Sith Empire and the Sith Emperor Vitiate.

"What was that all about?" Canderous asked.

"This True Sith Empire...I think that must have been who Mandalore the Ultimate had been referring to when he told me about how he had been manipulated into starting the war by a red-skinned Sith and then betrayed," Revan said. "That red-skinned Sith must have been a part of the True Sith Empire who was trying to use the Mandalorians to weaken the Republic, and then tried to use me and Malak to do the same when we went into the Unknown Regions to try to track them down. It is as I told Malak on Rekkiad, the Sith aren't extinct."

"The True Sith Empire...I have only ever heard stories about 'em. I never actually thought they existed," said Jolee.

"I've never heard of them before," said Luke.

"No, they have been hiding in the Unknown Regions for so long that they are little more than a forgotten memory in the minds of everyone in the known galaxy. And that is exactly how they wanted it. I doubt they were counting on me breaking free from the Sith Emperor's control though," Revan admitted.

"What do we do?"

"For now, we need to focus on the immediate threat and that is Malak and his followers. Once Malak is defeated then we can focus on the True Sith Empire. For now, let's return to the ship and send a message to Dustil, Juhani, and HK."

Revan turned and then stopped because he could sense a presence, no three presences, that lay beyond the chamber in which the terantatek corpses were located. They would have to travel through the entire tomb to get out, and that meant they would have to confront those three presences.

They were powerful in the Force, on the same level as Dustil, and Revan realized that they were likely Sith apprentices.

"We have three Sith apprentices between us and the entrance to the tomb," he said as his lightsabers came into his hand.

"Ah great, more fighting. I am definitely taking a long nap when I get back to the ship," Jolee grunted as his lightsaber came to his hand.

"Do we know how strong they are?" Luke asked, adding his own lightsaber to his hand.

"I can sense that they are stronger than any of the Dark Jedi we have faced but not as strong as Bandon," said Revan. "The three of us should be able to hold our own against them."
"Yeah, I guess I'll sit this out. Blasters don't really do any good against lightsabers," said Canderous.

Revan led the way out of the chamber and then past the chamber with the terantateks before entering the chamber beyond. He scanned the area with his eyes but he couldn't see the three apprentices so he figured that they were hiding in the shadows because he could still feel their presences within the Force.

"Don't go playing hide and seek. I ain't gonna play that game with ya brats," Jolee said flatly.

"We are not playing," one of the apprentices said and Revan frowned because the apprentice was using the Force to project his voice so that he sounded everywhere at once.

"We are simply observing the situation and deciding the best course of action," the second apprentice said, also projecting his voice throughout the chamber to make it difficult for anyone to figure out where the voice was coming from.

Revan could sense that all three were surrounding them but he also sensed something else.

"You're not here for us," he said. "Not all of us. I can sense that your attention is focused on only one of us." He shifted until he was standing protectively in front of Luke.

Anakin asked him to take care of Luke and that was exactly what he was going to do.

Luke gave him a puzzled glance.

"They're after you," Revan murmured just loud enough for Luke to hear him.

"We will prove ourselves to Lord Malak by disposing of all of you but, first, we will fulfill our mission," the third apprentice said.

Revan scanned the area as he held his lightsabers at a ready, noticing Jolee moving to Luke's side, his own lightsaber ignited and in his hand. Luke ignited his own lightsaber, holding it at an angle as he scanned the area.

"I can sense two on either side of us and one in front," he murmured.

"They're going to try to separate us, I would think, especially if they really are after you," said Revan.

"I see." Luke shifted his stance as he turned so that his back was to Jolee who matched his movement so that they were back to back while Revan remained in front of them both.

"We have been ordered to destroy you by any means necessary," said the first apprentice. "Thus is what we will do."

The Force flared in warning.

Revan turned and lashed out with the Force, shoving both Luke, Jolee, and Canderous backwards. They were sent tumbling back into the chamber with the Star Map while Revan threw himself into an alcove of stone in the shadows right as a brilliant explosion erupted in the ceiling of the tomb. The ceiling cracked and shattered, raining large chunks of stone to the ground and conjuring up a large cloud of dust.

Revan rolled against the wall just in time to avoid the lightsaber that stabbed toward him. His own lightsabers activated and crossed to block another slash aimed at his chest. The apprentice in front of him, obscured a bit by the thick dust, slashed at him with such rapid strokes that he drove Revan away from the large chunks of stone that occupied the heart of the chamber.

Jolee, take care of Luke, Revan thought as his own blades flashed and parried and blocked to keep the Dark Jedi's strikes away from him.

. . .

"You okay, kid?" Jolee asked around a cough as he pushed himself to his feet while Luke also got to his feet, coughing and squinting to see in the thick dust that was drifting into the chamber. Canderous scrambled to his feet and moved closer to the Star Map, his eyes warily scanning the area.

"Yeah, I'm okay," said Luke as he lifted his lightsaber, igniting the blade. "Two of those Sith apprentices are in this chamber but I can't see them."

"They must be using the Force to camouflage themselves but, clearly, not that well if we can still sense their presences," said Jolee as he scanned the area, his brow furrowing because he didn't understand why the apprentices weren't trying to shield their presences that well. It was almost as if they wanted Jolee and Luke to know where they were.

But why? He thought and bit his lip to keep from sighing in exasperation. Man, I'm too old for these kinds of games.

"Something's wrong," said Luke.

"Definitely but I can't seem to figure out what those apprentices are planning. If they're trying to sneak up on us then they're doing a pretty terrible job," Jolee said, tightening his grip on the hilt of his lightsaber. He didn't know why these apprentices seemed to be fixing their attention on Luke as opposed to all of them but he wasn't going to let something happen to the kid.

"Their move doesn't make any sense," said Luke, a puzzled frown on his lips. "What could they hope to gain by stalking us like this? All they're doing is moving around us but they aren't attacking."

"They're making it difficult for us to pinpoint their location. That's for sure." Jolee whirled around as he felt the Force flare a warning and his lightsaber shot upward just in time to avoid a lightsaber that stabbed toward his side. He grinned. "Thought ya could get the jump on me, kid? Think again."

The apprentice smirked, arrogance seeping off him in waves as he retracted the blade and shot forward, his lightsaber flashing as he slashed and stabbed, forcing Jolee on the defensive far more quickly than the old Jedi thought.

Tch, this guy is far more skilled than those other Dark Jedi I've gone against since leaving Kashyyyk. It seems that this one really is a Sith Apprentice, Jolee thought with a scowl as he blocked and parried the many attacks that the apprentice was unleashing on him. It took him a moment to realize that he was being driven toward the chamber with the collapsed ceiling, and away from Luke.

Luke leapt forward, his lightsaber slicing toward the apprentice's arm but the Dark Jedi was quick to break off his onslaught on Jolee to catch the attack. He jerked his head slightly, a signal of sorts, and Luke barely managed to retract his blade and twist out of the way to avoid the lightsaber that stabbed toward his side.

He spun on his feet while Jolee glanced at the third apprentice who casually held a double-bladed lightsaber in one hand, confidence radiating off him. Jolee could feel that this apprentice was a lot stronger in the Force than the other two.

"You should focus more on your own opponent," the second apprentice said as his lightsaber slashed toward Jolee's neck but the old Jedi easily caught the blow, a smirk on his lips.

"And you shouldn't underestimate this old man. You ain't as strong as you think you are," he retorted.

"We shall see." The Sith apprentice unleashed another flurry of attacks that forced Jolee to back up even more.

Stay strong, Luke. Be safe, he thought. I'll help ya as soon as I can.

. . .

"Why are you after me personally?" Luke asked as he blocked a slash aimed at his side and twisted out of the way to avoid the blade when the Sith apprentice twisted his hand so that the other half of the double-bladed lightsaber stabbed at his side.

"I have my orders from Lord Malak," said the apprentice as he unleashed a flurry of attacks that drove Luke backwards as he struggled to fend off the onslaught. He didn't know how he was managing it, since he has never gone against a Sith who was that skilled with a lightsaber, but he was somehow managing to keep the Sith apprentice's attacks from getting through.

Bandon had been strong too, and skilled with a lightsaber, and Luke hadn't lasted long against him.

He could only hope that this Sith apprentice wasn't on the same level as Bandon. Then, maybe, he would have a better chance than he did against Bandon.

He blocked another strike and another, parrying a third and twisting out of the way to avoid a fourth. Defending was all he could do. The Sith apprentice wasn't leaving any openings and Luke cursed his lack of lightsaber training. Even if he had gotten a little bit from his father and Revan since they met on Kashyyyk, he was still wholly unprepared for fighting against lightsaber wielders who have likely had years of training.

But he had to keep on fighting. He would keep on fighting. He wasn't going to fall here.

I will get out of this mess.

The Sith apprentice chuckled. "I can sense your confidence. You really think you are going to walk out of this tomb alive?" he said.

"I will," Luke said with as much confidence as he could muster.

"Ha, don't make me laugh. Do you really think that you, someone who doesn't have nearly as much training or control as I do, can walk away from this? Your arrogance is going to be your downfall, foolish Jedi." The Sith apprentice unleashed another flurry of strikes that drove Luke even further into the chamber, past the Star Map, and Luke gritted his teeth because it was becoming even harder to defend himself from the rapid strikes.

Shavit, this isn't good.

A burst of blasterfire suddenly erupted from the other side of the Star Map, taking the Sith apprentice by surprise and he quickly threw himself backwards to avoid the onslaught before spinning his blade, creating a blade barrier that caught the blasterfire and reflected some of the blaster bolts back the way they had come.

Canderous dove to the side in time to avoid the reflected blaster bolts and huffed. "Thought I could catch you by surprise," he said.

"Hoh? A Mandalorian not fighting an enemy face to face? How far you have fallen," the Sith apprentice said mockingly.

"Luke is my comrade and I will help him in any way that I can. That is the honorable thing to do and I am a Mandalorian. We value our honor."

"You certainly didn't seem to value your honor during the Wars."

The muscle in Canderous's cheek twitched. "Even so, I will fight for my comrades and aid them in any way that I can," he said firmly as he lifted his repeater blaster again.

"You're a fool." The Sith apprentice lashed out with the Force, slamming a Force burst into Canderous that sent him flying into the wall. He grunted as he crashed into it but Luke used that distraction to slip past the Sith apprentice's defenses and sink his blade into the apprentice's leg. The apprentice shouted in pain and unleashed a Force push that sent Luke skidding backwards a few feet, forcing him to retract his blade.

"Tch. It doesn't matter. I will kill you, boy," the Sith apprentice growled and lunged at Luke.

Luke quickly brought his blade up, catching the rapid flurry of strikes. He had to admit he was amazed that the Sith apprentice could still move in spite of the fact that his leg was as severely injured as it was.

The Sith apprentice was getting frustrated though and his flurry of attacks was starting to become more wild, leaving many openings but Luke didn't have a chance to take advantage of any of those openings due to the rapidness of the apprentice's attacks. He gritted his teeth as he was pushed further back, past the statue that Revan found his holocron in, his blade blocking and parrying the apprentice's attacks.

The Sith apprentice suddenly smirked as he drove Luke further into the chamber. He threw the lightsaber and Luke quickly dove to the side to avoid the spinning blade, only to release a second too late that the apprentice hadn't been aiming at him. He had been aiming at the wall.

The blade crashed into the wall and Luke's eyes widened as the Force flared in warning.

"Luke!" Canderous shouted and Luke threw himself backwards right as the entire eastern wall of the chamber exploded. The shockwave unleashed by the explosion crashed into Luke, sending him flying backwards. He gasped as a searing pain exploded in his stomach and he was sent tumbling across the stone floor, right as the ceiling caved in.

. . .

Temple of the Ancients, Rakata Prime, Lehon System

Anakin jerked out of his meditation as a brief flare of pain rippled along his bond with his son right before the bond suddenly went silent. Silent...still...The light that usually radiated off his son's presence, the blazing sun, was suddenly so much darker, so much more subdued, so much...as if a curtain of darkness had washed over it.

Luke…

He reached out to his son, hoping that what he was sensing wasn't what he thought it was. It couldn't be. He didn't want to believe that it could be what he thought it was. He refused to believe it because his son was all right.

He refused to believe anything else.

His son's presence was still there, even if it was silent, still, the light subdued.

Something was wrong, terribly wrong.

Calm down, Skywalker. Calm down. It's fine. Luke's fine. Anakin repeated those words in his mind like a mantra as he found himself reaching for the subdued, silent bond. It was still there. Even if it wasn't as bright as it usually was, it was still there. That was all that mattered. It was still there.

The door to the cell he had been brought to earlier that day opened and Malak walked in.

Anakin glared at him, keeping his face otherwise impassive. He wasn't going to let on that something had happened. He wasn't going to let Malak sense the fear and the worry that he was feeling. He would mask it, bury it, while taking comfort in the fact that his bond with his beloved son was still there. It didn't matter that it was subdued, silent, and weaker than it used to be. It was still there.

"Hello again, young Anakin," Malak said.

"Shabuir," Anakin said.

Malak's eye twitched. "I see you are still going to be stubborn," he said before he chuckled and added, "Though I have no doubt you have already felt it, have you not? Your weakness?"

"Shut up. Luke is not a weakness," said Anakin coolly.

"Oh but he is your weakness. After all, you are here and he is all the way on the other side of the galaxy practically. You can't even help him in his time of need," Malak said.

Anakin went cold as fury went through his body. "What. Did. You. Do?" he snarled.

"Ah, there it is. The anger, the fury. You have been holding that back for so long that I was beginning to wonder if I would ever witness it," said Malak with a chuckle. "You really do have darkness within you."

"What. Did. You. Do?" Anakin repeated.

Malak chuckled again. "I simply decided to test whether your weakness is truly as strong as you seem to think he is. It would appear he is not," he said.

"Shut up. Luke is far stronger than you think he is!"

"Is that true? Can you not feel what is happening?" Malak chuckled.

Anakin was about to respond when the bond flared. He immediately reached along the bond, searching for his beloved son's presence. The bond was weaker, far weaker than it had been a few minutes earlier. Darker...subdued...weaker...silent…

So weak...so dark...so subdued...so silent…

"Your bond with your precious son is getting weaker," Malak murmured while Anakin felt horror claw its way through him because he could feel it. Malak was right. His bond with his beloved son was getting weaker and weaker, more and more quiet, so dark, so subdued.

No...No…

And then it snapped.

Disbelief raged through Anakin's body as he struggled desperately to reach along the bond, only to meet with nothing but darkness. Darkness...silence...nothing…

Nothing…

The bond was broken.

Broken.

No...No...NO! LUKE!

The scream that erupted from Anakin's lips was powerful, far more powerful than the one that he unleashed on Manaan. The Force scream that surged forth slammed into the stone walls and tore through them as if they were nothing more than pieces of flimsiplast.

The entire stone room erupted in an explosion of stone pieces.

And then nothing.

. . .

Tomb of Naga Sadow, Valley of the Dark Lords, Korriban

Canderous groaned as he held his head from where he had thrown himself out of the chamber instant the wall exploded and the entire chamber caved in on itself. He pushed the few pieces of debris that ended up on top of him and slowly got to his feet, gazing at the obliterated chamber that lay beyond. The Star Map was completely buried as was everything else in the room, though there didn't seem to be any sign of the Sith apprentice. Canderous wondered if he had gotten buried.

But there was also someone else in the room.

"Kid!" Canderous called as he slowly made his way into the room, carefully placing his feet on the pieces of stone that littered the floor. "Kid, where are you?"

"How did this happen?" Jolee asked as he made his way into the chamber.

"I don't know. For some reason, there seemed to be explosive in the walls themselves and..." Canderous broke off as a flurry of dark suddenly passed between the two of them, forcing Jolee to jump to the side to avoid getting run over. It took the Mandalorian a moment to realize the blur was Revan.

"Jolee, Canderous, help!" Revan shouted as he jumped over a large piece of stone.

Jolee darted over while Canderous jogged after them, not sure what was going on until he saw Revan using the Force to lift several pieces of stone and throwing them off to the side.

And he saw Luke's motionless form laying on his side beneath the debris.

Shavit! Canderous immediately set to work to remove the pieces of stone off the kid's form. He swore out loud when he saw the blood. A pool of blood had formed beneath Luke and he could see that it came primarily from the vicious wound in his stomach, out of which a piece of stone was jutting.

Revan cursed in Mando'a as he and Jolee finished removing the pieces of broken stone off Luke.

Canderous gritted his teeth. "He must have gotten hit by the debris when the wall blew," he said.

"That had been those Sith's plan," Jolee realized. "The Sith were trying to get Luke close enough to that wall so that when they triggered the explosives in it, he would be in the way of the blast."

"Those cowards," Canderous growled. "They clearly realized that they could not take Luke out on their own so they resorted to such cowardly methods."

"They had been ordered to take out Luke by any means necessary," Jolee said as he stretched out a hand and rested two fingers on Luke's neck. He narrowed his eyes. "He's still alive, barely. He's hanging on by a thread. If he doesn't get proper medical care soon though..." He trailed off.

A scowl twisted Revan's lips as he cursed. "We won't be able to give him the medical care he needs here. We need to get him to the Ebon Hawk. At least we have a medbay there, small though it is," he said.

"Moving him is going to be hard," said Canderous. "Especially with that stone in his stomach."

"We'll have to remove it. I should be able to use the Force to stabilize the wound long enough for us to reach the Ebon Hawk," said Revan.

"We will have to work quickly to stop the bleeding," said Jolee.

Revan nodded.

"What about those apprentices?" Canderous said.

"They're gone," Revan said. "I killed one, Jolee took out the other one, and the third fled the instant the chamber collapsed. He'd used the Force to protect himself from the collapsing ceiling and left through it. He must have assumed that he had completed his mission and didn't bother to stay and see if he actually had."

"Given how serious the injury is, he probably didn't think he had to," Canderous grunted, peering down sympathetically at the bloodstained young Jedi.

Revan stretched out a hand and rested it on Luke's stomach, raising his other hand to his forehead as he shifted until he was seated on his heels. His shoulders relaxed as did the rest of his body and his hand drifted from Luke's stomach to the stone. The stone slowly pulled itself free from the wound and Canderous winced as blood began gushing out so rapidly that it caused the pool to grow larger quickly.

But the blood began to slow, slowly but surely, it slowed until it had stopped completely.

Revan's eyes fluttered open. "I've done what I can," he said as he retracted his hand, an exhausted undercurrent in his voice. "I've managed to heal enough of the damage to stop the bleeding but I can't do anything beyond that. The wound is too severe for Force healing to heal alone. We need to get him back to the Ebon Hawk now."

"I'll take him," Canderous said as he reached and slowly lifted the unconscious bloodstained Jedi into his arms. "I gotta admit that the Force is pretty powerful if it can heal part of a wound that's this severe."

"There is only so much that the Force can do, unfortunately," said Revan tiredly as he stood up.

Canderous stood up as well, shifting Luke so that he was resting more comfortably against him.

"I'll send the message to HK, Dustil, and Juhani once we get back to the Hawk." Without another word, Revan turned and began to make his way out of the collapsed chamber and Canderous hurried after him while Jolee brought up the rear.

. . .

Sith Academy, Korriban

"Is...Is this for real?" Maydla whispered, staring in horror at the datapad that Dustil gave her. Drox, who was reading over her shoulder, also looked horrified, his lekku twitching in shock as he gazed at Dustil the same horrified look that Maydla was giving the datapad.

"I saw it happen with my own eyes," Dustil said softly. "Ban killed Selene right before my very eyes, even if she hadn't known that I was there."

"This is..." Drox trailed off and gritted his teeth, clenching his hands together. "This...if Selene was killed because she was seen as weak then...what about the rest of us? Are...Are we really so disposable that they will kill us once we are no longer useful to them?"

"A...Are we just...just tools?" Maydla said shakily.

"The Sith are evil," Dustil said as he took the datapad back, clenching it tightly in his hand. "They...They don't deserve to be seen as anything less than the evil beings that they are. They...They would willingly kill anyone whom they didn't see as useful. That's...That's not the kind of life I want for anyone."

"Neither do I," Drox said with a shake of his head. "B...But what do we do? Maydla and I only joined the Sith to find a place to belong after we lost our parents and nearly got captured and sold. The Sith saved us and yet...and yet..."

"They...They must have only done that so that they could use us. They never saw us as anything more than tools that they could use. They...They're no better than the slavers who tried to capture and sell us!" Maydla exclaimed, her hazel eyes wide with outrage and sadness.

"We just wanted a place to belong..." Drox whispered, clenching his hands into fists as his lekku twitched in anger.

"You can still find that place," Dustil said gently. "Leave the Academy, Drox, Maydla."

"Where will we go though?" Maydla said. "Is...Is there anyplace we can go where we can find a place to belong?"

"The Jedi," said Dustil immediately. "They'll take you in. I have no doubt they will take you in. They will help you, they will aid you, they will give you the place to belong that you want, that you deserve."

"Do you really think they'll accept us? I mean we did join the Sith," said Drox.

"You were not given much of a choice and I am sure the Jedi will understand that."

Maydla and Drox exchanged glances before they glanced at Dustil, at the datapad, and then back at each other.

"I think...Dustil's right," Drox said finally. "But...we should tell Arnet, Thes, Genna, and Tiaba about this. Can...Can we keep that datapad to prove what happened to them?"

"Of course. I don't think Ban has even noticed it's missing, though I'm pretty sure that's because she's been too distracted by the attacks that have been occurring throughout the academy." Dustil supposed he had to give Revan some credit. He did an amazing job programming HK-47's assassination protocols as HK has not yet been caught and has taken out quite a large number of non-student Sith in the academy.

"Yeah, we've heard about that," Maydla said.

"Use that as your distraction to get out once you show Arnet, Thes, Genna, and Tiaba. Take them with you if possible too," said Dustil.

"We will," Drox said with a nod.

"Dustil," Juhani said as she made her way into the room and Dustil glanced at her, frowning at the worry that wafted around her. "We need to go."

"What's wrong?" Dustil asked.

"Ban and Wynn are both on to us, for one, and I've just received a message."

"Did something happen?"

"I'll explain later. For now, we should get out."

Dustil hesitated.

"Don't worry about us, Dustil," Maydla said and smirked when Dustil glanced at her. "I can feel your worry. You don't want to leave us but don't you worry. Drox and I will get Arnet, Thes, Genna, Tiaba, and anyone else we can find that we can convince of the evil of the Sith out. I can...something is telling me that you belong somewhere else, doing something else. You are destined for something far greater than this academy."

"I feel the same way," Drox said with a nod. "Don't worry, we'll be sure to bring this entire academy down on its head after we've gotten everyone we can convince out."

Dustil continued to watch them before he nodded because he could sense their determination and their desire to do what they could to help the other students. He smiled and nodded. "All right. I'll leave that in your hands," he said. "May the Force be with you."

"And with you, Dustil," Maydla said and Drox intoned the same words.

Dustil turned and jogged out of the room with Juhani at his side.

"HK is already getting out himself," Juhani said.

Dustil could hear blasterfire in the distance, toward where the entrance to the academy was. "That's it, isn't it?" he said.

"Do you have to ask?"

"True. That's where everyone is likely going to be heading."

"We will get out through the Valley then. That is where the Hawk is waiting for us," said Juhani.

Dustil nodded and the two bolted toward the entrance to the Valley of the Dark Lords.

"And just where do you think you two are going?"

Both of them froze and whirled around.

With his own lightsaber ignited and in his hand, Headmaster Wynn stood behind them with Yuthura Ban standing at his side, her own lightsaber ignited and in her hand.

Dustil gritted his teeth. I suppose getting out of here is not going to be quite as easy as I had thought, he thought as he and Juhani both turned to face the two leaders of the Sith Academy.

. . .

A/n what do you think?

Anakin: WHERE IS THAT BASTARD MALAK?!

Obi-Wan: (holding Anakin back) calm down, Anakin

Anakin: I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!

Blaze: just let him go after Malak, Obi-Wan

Obi-Wan: to seek vengeance is not the Jedi way

Revan: (currently stabbing Malak with a knife) wait, it isn't?

Obi-Wan: of course it isn't!

Anakin: that bastard...I'll kill him...I'll kill him!

Revan: yeah, I'm pretty sure you're gonna have to get in line, Anakin

Anakin: I'm cutting in line!

Blaze: oh calm down, Anakin. You should be used to my writing and my tropes

Anakin: doesn't mean I don't want to kill Malak any less (still trying to break free from Obi-Wan's grip)

Revan: (still stabbing Malak)

Malak: stop using me as a pincushion, Revan!

Revan: you've got a choice. Either you be my pincushion for a while longer or you get murdered by Anakin and the chainsaw in his hand now

Obi-Wan: wait, chainsaw? Anakin! Put that chainsaw down!

Anakin: (hefting chainsaw in his hand as he still fights to break free from Obi-Wan's grip) no!

Malak: (gulps and groans) I hate my life

Blaze: so you should, Malak, so you should. I do hope that you guys liked this chapter. I know that's it's late, and posted later than I thought it would be, but I've been so mentally exhausted the past few months with the chaos that's occurring in the world right now. Anyway, reviews, as always, are much appreciated.