"No. No. No. Your stance is all wrong. "

Sarathane blew out a breath of frustration.

"Again!" he said.

They were standing in the sand filled courtyard. Both men were staring at a pile of drones lying on the floor. The younger man altered the way he was standing and lifted his arms. There was the familiar hum of a light sabre. Sarathane watched him with interest. Trake was young, talented but slow at picking things up.

The small remotes activated and started darting through the air, dancing around Sarathane's student. Trake blocked, parried and even attempted to disable a couple of them. Sarathane took a couple of steps back to avoid being hit. Then there was the sound of a blaster rifle being fired.

The bolt came out of nowhere and struck Trake firmly in the back. He collapsed in an undignified heap on the ground without uttering a sound. The remotes returned to their inactive mode.

"Assessment: Targeting good, disappointment is registered at stun discharge Master." HK-47, Sarathane's personal protocol/assassin droid, entered the courtyard.

"I used the force to switch it over to stun before you fired 47." Sarathane replied.

"Appeasement: As you wish Master."

There was a groan and Trake got to his feet. He glared at HK-47, bent down and picked up his light sabre.

"Was there a reason for that?" He asked the droid

"Assessment: If you were truly learning from the master, you would have blocked the shot like he can, Meat-bag."

"I am learning…" Trake started.

"OK, you two settle down." ordered Sarathane, "I didn't knock off 47's aim. You were doing well against the remotes but were focusing far too much on them. A Jedi has to feel the force around him, not just in front of him."

He watched to see if Trake made any reaction to that statement. There did seem to be a look of understanding.

"That's it for today." Sarathane continued. "Go get a bite to eat."

Trake bowed and left the courtyard.

"Query: Shall I send in the Meat-bagette Master?"

"No, Alison has other chores to do. Was there something else?"

"Statement: Yes Master. A ship is approaching the base. It's the Hawk."

Sarathane stared straight at him.

"Who's on board?"

"Apology: I don't know Master."

With tension evident across his shoulders, he left the courtyard. How long had he been here at Duneeden Academy? Four years. Nobody had come to see him in at least two, not since Jolee passed on.

He walked through the compound to the landing area, listening to his footsteps and the clanking metal of 47, as he walked. Everything seemed so quiet. He began to recognise the ominous presence of foreboding. His hand instinctively moved to his belt, where he felt the reassuring cold metal of the sabre hilt. No harm in being prepared, even though he had not used it in action for almost three years.

The pad was still empty when they arrived. Thankfully, HK-47 had not asked to power up weapons or prepare a 'grenade surprise party'. In, fact his silence was more ominous than the constant requests to kill things. He was just about to say something to the droid, when the Ebon Hawk came into view.

She effortlessly flew through the canyon on approach and, with a couple of thruster squirts, put down not far from where they were standing. Sarathane could not decide if he was happy or resentful to see this ship, after all it felt like another lifetime ago.

The landing ramp lowered and a single man walked down it. Tall, muscular, and as Mission often described him 'Mr Moody Looking', Carth Onasi walked away from the ship.

"Not today, thank you.," said Sarathane with a smile, "We don't need any travelling salesmen."

"Oh, pleasure to see you too." replied Carth, who to be honest, never seemed to understand Sarathane's sense of humour.

"Identify: Travelling Salesman. Arming Protocols." 47 Announced.

"Stand Down 47. Good to see you Carth."

At that point another object came rolling down the ramp. T3-M4, the hacking and repair droid, came rolling up beside Carth. It started to fire off bleeps and whirrs in short order.

"Declaration: Of course I'm not going to shoot you, Do you look like a Meat-bag?" replied 47 to the smaller droid.

"Hello T3." Said Sarathane.

Bleeps and whirrs came forthcoming.

"Query: Master, T3 Requests a power socket quite urgently."

"Fine. Show him the way 47."

With that the two droids headed towards the compound.

"Complaint: No, the Master hasn't let me shoot anybody for real since the last time, I'm sure my trigger finger will start suffering from rust soon." HK-47 was heard saying once they turned the corner.

Sarathane turned back to Garth, trying not to smile.

"Your in luck, the evening meal is about to be served. It's got to be better than the usual stores aboard the Hawk."

"Got that right." sighed Carth, "T3 is not the best when it comes to cooking. Mines even worse."

"I once tried to get HK-47 to learn. Half of the Academy was out of action due to food poisoning."

Carth started laughing.

"He said he would have been so proud, if he'd done it on purpose."

They both started to walk back into the compound.

"Look Revan. I've got some news to tell you."

Sarathane stopped.

"Carth, please. Revan is dead. I'm Sarathane. "

Carth looked as if he was about to interrupt.

"There hasn't been a single flicker of memory since our little escapades five years ago." Sarathane continued.

"But he is you." Carth insisted.

"He was Me. " replied Sarathane, "When you look at it from a different point of view, he was just another casualty of the war."

Carth nodded and changed the subject.

"Sorry Sarathane, but what I've got to tell you. Your not supposed to know. I'm breaking a lot of rules just by coming to you."

"Well, I hear better on a full stomach."

"Isn't that one of Zaalbar's lines?"

Duneeden was a remote temporate world, where it seemed to rain every other day. Carth was lucky to have arrived on a dry day. The academy itself was smaller that the one on Dantooine. This was only an introductionary school here. If the students left here, it was to learn at one of the more advanced facilities around the galaxy.

Sarathane felt completely at ease with Carth as they walked through the school's corridors. However, it was obvious to him that his friend was troubled, even without using his abilities. They walked into the canteen.

A number of tables were strewn about the open plan room with the cooking area in the background. There was only person present at the moment, the cook. He was a large set man, whose dirty apron and wild beard was thought to contain new forms of life that even the science droids couldn't catalogue.

"Mr Brook." Called Sarathane, "Two specials please."

"Two stews coming up Chief." The big man replied.

Sarathane gestured Carth to sit.

The conversation was light as they waited for the food. Zaalbar and Mission were both on the wookie homeworld. There had been no sign of Canderous since the end of the sith war. Carth had been following up rumours on the far side of the galaxy. However, if he didn't want to be found, there didn't seem to be much point looking.

Juhani, on the other hand, was always easy to find. She was flying round the Outer Rim Territories, breaking up every slave gang and connecting smuggler outfit she could find. She was going to put an end to the slave trade, even if she had to do it single-handed.

She'd told Carth that a trail was leading up inside the Republic Hierarchy, maybe leading to the senate itself. Carth had promised to help when the time came but he hadn't been in contact with her for the last month. Brook put two bowls full of steaming stew in front of the pair of them.

"Tuck in." said Sarathane, pointing at his bowl.

Carth picked up his spoon and took a huge mouthful from the bowl. Sarathane casually observed, while Carth's expression moved from satisfaction, to shock, then horror, finally ending with disgust.

"What's in this stuff?" He spluttered.

"You don't want to know."

"Your right, I probably don't. How can you eat this?"

"A Jedi does not know pain…."

Carth snorted, "Thought you said that this food was better than the Hawk's?"

" I lied." Sarathane smiled, "Everybody has to experience one of Mr. Brook's specials at least once in their life. Makes you appreciate other food SO much more."

"I can't believe I'm looking forward to the K rations on the ship."

"Anyway, " said Sarathane, "the news you were going to tell me?"

"I'm here about Bastila."

Sarathane's smile disappeared.