Title:           Anonymous, Dark Jedi (Part 2)
Author:          Sergeant_Nonymous
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/c4yYUP6S
First Edit:      Sunday 5th of June 2016 12:37:42 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Last edit on: Friday 30th of September 2016 07:12:27 PM CDT

Previously...
 
http://pastebin.com/ANySBUK2
 
>The ride to the space station gives you an opportunity to think.
>This is the first time Lord Scorpan has sent you away on your own to accomplish a task.
>Is it a sign of him beginning to trust you again?
>Doubtful.
>After all, you still have a bomb in your head.
>More likely it is a sign that he considers you sufficiently obedient.
>Which you have been, of course.
>If you were a fool, you would take this chance to escape.
>And likely be destroyed when he activates the detonator.
>But surely the signal cannot be so strong as to him being able to kill you from anywhere in the galaxy?
>The chance that it is makes disobedience a fatal prospect.
>And where would you go now, even if you did?
>The Jedi?
>What reason would they have to take you back, even now with what you have done?
>Noteworthy thought that they would, but you are not Noteworthy.
>And he is not you; he never could be.
>It seems hardly surprising that he couldn't stomach what it took to be a Sith.
>He abandoned the Jedi, but they are merciful.
>Trying to do the same to the Sith would only have ended worse.
>Perhaps, then, it truly is a mercy what you did to him.
>With some fortune, he may yet rededicate himself to the Dark Side, if only to save his life.
>And yet...
>There is a part of you that remains, buried deep beneath, that feels sorrow for him.
>Maybe he was never meant to wield a lightsaber, getting swept up in forces much greater than his own.
 
>You can understand what that is like, being the puppet of a mad man.
>As much as you can say that he made his choices, perhaps he felt as if he had no choice, much like you do now.
>What terrible circumstances he found himself in.
>And yet, even at the end, he found some measure of hope when he learned who you once were.
>He believed you could be saved.
>Admirable... but foolish.
>You push aside troubling thoughts on him; whatever his fate, it is his.
>Instead, you take out the gift that Lord Scorpan bestowed upon you for this mission: the silver crystal from Mestare.
>It is strange to see it before you.
>When last you laid eyes upon it, they were your own, not these false eyes of a droid.
>The spirit that you spoke to, or you believed you spoke to, told you that if you took the crystal now, it would become a weapon.
>And through it, you would become a weapon for the Dark Side.
>But that has happened regardless.
>Did you truly speak to anything at all upon that world?
>Was it truly the Dark Side, reaching out to you, making you think you could find balance?
>Scorpan's words, his cackling laughter, ring in your mind and you close your hand around the crystal.
>What truly happened upon that planet?
>Why is nothing as it seems anymore?
 
>You are struck, then, with a terrible sense that you haven't been in control of yourself since the beginning.
>What if everything that came before---the Jedi Temple, your friends, the visions upon Mestare---were all simply part of a dream?
>Scorpan has brought you out of the dream, and there is pain and rage, yes, but at your core you feel an immense emptiness that has begun to form.
>Is it apathy?
>What truly fueled your desire to turn in Noteworthy?
>It was not anger over him wanting to leave the Sith, it wasn't out of some perverted sense of justice or malign righteousness.
>You felt nothing.
>This is what Scorpan has instilled in you, why he mocks you for being like a droid.
>Your emotions have become robotic.
>There exists the passion to avenge yourself, for a great rage yet burns within you, but it has made you callous and cold.
>Or, perhaps, it was losing everything else that did this to you.
>Your friends, your mentors, your chance at happiness... Opening up your
>palm again, you look upon the crystal.
>It reminds you of something else, from long ago.
>Your first focusing crystal that you used in your original lightsaber, the first one you constructed: Arbitrator.
>Anon's lightsaber, that is...
 
>But you remember the crystal, given to you by Coco.
>What has become of her now, since your return?
>That moment of passion you spent with her, that wonderful night... It
>seems so distant now, like a dream within a dream, no longer something you can feel.
>There is a cold, freezing terror that has since taken its place.
>The terror of never knowing if such a thing could ever come to be again.
>Instead of treasuring this memory because of that, it causes you to despair.
>Despite this hardened and cold exterior, inside there blows a storm of violent despair, tempered by control over your emotions but constantly threatening to overwhelm you.
>Why does this crystal evoke such memories and feelings from you?
>What does it truly represent?
>Once, you thought it would only come to you when you had discovered balance.
>You feel anything but balance within you now, and here you hold the crystal.
>Your rage, your despair, the empty hollowness within you, a void within
>your core... This is not grey, nor is it balance.
>This is the Dark Side, and you belong to it now.
>This crystal is a tool, a weapon to be used against your enemies.
>Whatever you may have felt about it once, no more.
>Now you have but one purpose: to serve the will of the Dark Side.
>For now, that means being dutiful and loyal to your master.
>But one day it will not be.
>Through use of the Force, you disassemble the Vehement as you sit in a meditative pose.
>Its components come apart, floating in the air as you remove the previous focusing crystal from its activator.
 
>Ever practical, you put the old crystal in a small pouch on your repurposed mining outfit before moving the new Mestarian crystal into its place.
>After making the necessary adjustments and securing it within the activator, you once more seal the crystal energy chamber around both it and the primary crystal, itself snug in its mount.
>The remainder of the lightsaber is then rejoined like the pieces of a puzzle, a unique combination that only you, as its creator, can master.
>The weapon is complete once more.
>Taking it in hand, you activate it, hearing the crisp snap of the magnetically-contained plasma spring to life from the hilt.
>The blade is still a fiery orange, but with the new focusing crystal, it has taken on a slightly different, brighter quality.
>You remember, in what seems a lifetime ago, the research you did at the Jedi Academy with Twilight.
>A flurry of painful memories accompanies the appearance of the twi’lek in your thoughts.
>You wonder if she has woken up, if she is well… what she must think of you now.
>Closing your eyes and breathing a deep breath through your mask, you focus on what you learned with her.
>She was the one who learned of the Mestarian crystals and their ability to cut through cortosis, which strangely enough, is one of the things that set you on the path to where you are now.
>It was said that they produced slightly curved blades, and observing your lightsaber now, you can see a very subtle curvature within the plasma itself.
>The magnetic field itself is still, for the most part, rigid and straight, but the plasma within is slightly narrower and thinner along two of its sides that meet to form a cutting edge, causing it to resemble a more traditional sword.
‘Similar to the ancient Force-imbued blades of the Je'daii Order…’ you recall the words from the book.
>Perhaps this is what gives the crystals of Mestare their cortosis-cutting ability?
 
>Or it could simply be a byproduct, as cortosis normally causes a lightsaber to short-circuit and deactivate, and the crystal may simply render the plasma immune to the harmful feedback.
>Regardless, it seems that now is the time to test the theory, because as you look upon the blade, you feel a shift in the ship around you.
>You are dropping out of hyperspace.
>You’ve arrived.
>True to the intel, the cloning facility orbits a dead planet.
>Approaching it, your ship is not hailed, nor does it detect anything but the basest of power with its sensors.
>That is a troubling revelation.
>Life support is up, but shields are down across the station, and it seems to be running on minimal power.
>Surely this is not normal?
>A standard space station would have many facilities and, presumably, a faculty that would require more energy than your ship is picking up.
>The hanger bay doors are sealed.
>No matter, you have another way inside.
>You take manual control and fly the ship towards the dark and lightless station, landing upon its side.
>Extending a docking tube, you lock the ship in place with magnetic landing clamps and power it down.
>You approach the docking port and open it up, seeing the metal of the hull.
>Lightsaber in hand, you jump upon it and carve a hole for yourself.
 
>Once complete, you use the Force to push it inwards.
>Darkness looms beyond, and the metal circle kicks up dust.
>You enter it and activate the lights in your mask to illuminate your path as you begin to explore the station.
>Your thoughts seem to be confirmed: it is abandoned.
>Room after room seems like it was hastily evacuated, with empty crates and turned-over tables.
>Where is everyone, you wonder?
>Did they know you were coming, ever since your battle on Manaan and your capture of the kaminoan?
>Determined to find evidence, you press onwards towards the heart of the station.
>Here, things start to become clearer as you open a door and discover a laboratory.
>The room has several tables with various instruments, but on almost each one is a tray with a dissection still on it, some in several states of decomposition.
>Upon investigation, you see that these are ysalamiri they were dissecting.
>The strange furred lizards are spread open, with small organs and bones removed.
>Some are more hollow than others, with jars containing various bits of their internal organs suspended in fluids.
>Seems like they were solely interested in the ysalamiri, as no other animals can be observed.
>What were they hunting for?
>Even with your relative inexperience with them, you would guess that the immunity to the Force possessed by the creatures is on a cellular level, not an organ that can be removed.
>Beyond this chamber is another door, leading to an armory.
 
>Within this room is several sets of cortosis armor.
>Their weapons are not here, but the black-grey armor of the Force Hunters sits upon tables.
>Seems that they were in a hurry to leave, and left some of these behind.
>Approaching the armor, you inspect it.
>Holding up a helmet, you stare into the black eyes of the mask.
>It is much like the previous Force Hunters you encountered.
>Memories of those fights yet burn in your memory.
>Lightsaber in hand, you raise it and swing it at the cortosis helm experimentally.
>Like a hot knife through butter, you slice the mask in half.
>The upper half falls to the floor with a clang and you inspect the cut on the half still in your hand.
>The crystal works, it seems.
>It’s a shame there are no cortosis blades here, as they would make useful weapons---but perhaps you can make due with something else.
>You drop the mask and look on the table, spying a left arm.
>The arm is empty, as though it was waiting to be grafted onto one of the clones.
>Picking it up to look more closely at it, and to feel its weight---surprisingly light---an idea comes to your head.
>You take the components of the arm and put them away in your pack for later keeping.
>At the other end of the laboratory is a large door, leading to a massive central chamber.
>The circular room is lined with large tanks full of a clear liquid, each big enough to hold a full-grown man.
>Tubes and strange harnesses float within.
>Bacta tanks, perhaps?
 
>Or some other nutritious gelatin-like substance?
>Each of them are empty, however, with no subjects, so you can’t be certain.
>The room, except for a large computer at its heart, is empty.
>The terminal stretches up to the ceiling and appears to be powered down.
>Upon approaching it, you notice a single command prompt on a dim screen.
>Wiping the dust from it, you begin a startup procedure.
>Dim lights begin to come on from above, and each tank around the room lights up as well.
>A soft humming can be heard as power begins to return to the station.
‘Maybe now we can get somewhere…’ you think as the system reboots itself.
>Taking out the disk that Scorpan gave you, you insert it into a slot on the computer.
>It begins to download files at an alarming speed, even before the system fully finishes turning back on.
>As you watch its progress, indicated by a small readout on the device itself, a small beeping noise catches your attention.
>You move to the side of the computer and push aside a chair to look at the screen it is coming from.
>A ship is approaching the station.
‘Now what?’
>The scans cannot recognize any specific frequencies emanating from the vessel that would help identify it, but it is small, about the size of a freighter.
>It is approaching the station at a fast speed, and making towards the hanger bay.
‘Maybe it’s the owners… but I doubt it.’
>You feel something… strange… from the Force.
 
>As the ship grows nearer, it grows stronger, a resonance that is as familiar as it is difficult to discern.
>Where have you felt this before?
>Something strange about whoever is on that vessel…
‘The Force is with them!’ you realize.
>Who could it possibly be?
>The Jedi?
>Another Sith sent by Scorpan?
>Your hand hovers over the controls for the hanger.
>After a moment, you press down upon it, as though inviting the ship inside by opening the hanger up.
>The ship seems to take notice and its captain flies into the hanger.
>You try to bring up security feed, but cannot; someone has sabotaged it.
>You feel their presence as they disembark the craft—and it is more than one person, you realize.
>And the Force is with them both.
>Lightsaber in hand, you mask your signature in the Force as you have been trained and make for the shadows.
>Even with the power fully restored, the room is still quite dim, with plenty of places to hide.
>Pulling the hood of your cloak over your head, you wait.
>You feel them drawing nearer and nearer, until they’re just outside the room.
>Who are they?
>Why are they here?
>And why do they feel so… familiar?
>You hear the door opening with a hiss as it slides open, revealing two figures in darkness, one taller than the other.
>Their cloaks are dark and worn, with their hoods pulled over their heads.
 
>Something about them…
>They enter the room, their faces obscured from the light.
>Their robes are Jedi-like, and yet not quite…
>”I don’t detect anyone, master,” the shorter one speaks in a frighteningly familiar voice.
’That girl… no, it couldn’t be…’
>”Precisely,” the older one replies. “They will come to us.”
>They reach up to remove their hoods and your throat clenches as you find yourself short of breath.
>Master Luna… and Sunset.
>You are completely frozen as you watch them from your hiding place, unable to believe your fake eyes.
>It’s not possible…
>”I’m going to check the computer to see who has been here,” Sunset says as Luna inspects a nearby tank of fluid.
>The zabrak moves up to the keyboard and begins typing; as she does, you look upon her.
>Her fiery-colored hair has gotten longer, and her eyes still shine the same radiant color as before…
>She carries herself with a determination and confidence that you almost don’t recognize.
>She’s grown more powerful in her training… under Master Luna?
>But wasn’t she Celestia’s apprentice?
>Your eyes now stray to your former master.
>The pantoran looks much the same, only more battle-hardened.
>Her cloak and skin bear small scars, evidence of her time spent away from the temple.
>What adventures have these two been going on?
>And why are they here…?
 
>”Security systems around the station are fried,” Sunset says. “No video, no records…”
>Her hand curls into a fist and she slams the keyboard.
>Master Luna immediately turns around and approaches her to rest a hand on her shoulder.
>”Patience, Sunset. We have not yet exhausted this lead.”
>”I know, master, I know, but…”
>”We will find him yet.”
‘Him…’
>Could they be speaking of you?
>You feel something stir within you, something you have not felt in such a long time…
>Could it be hope?
>”Wait, what is this?” Sunset says, spying the disk you inserted earlier.
>”It appears to be a modified storage drive,” Luna says, walking around and inspecting it without removing it.
>Her eyes, suspicious of someone else being here, scan around the room.
>”Which means we are not alone…”
>As Sunset reaches for it, intending on pulling it out of the computer, you jolt upwards and step out of your hiding place.
>They both turn and look upon you as you stand perfectly still, staring at them from beneath your hood.
>You still cannot believe your eyes and ears that it is truly them…
>Sunset reaches for her belt, where a saberstaff hangs.
>”Identify yourself!” she demands, but Master Luna steps in front of her.
>The pantoran is looking upon you with burning, unblinking eyes.
>Her stare unnerves you; for some reason, it rattles you to the core.
“Step away… from the computer,” you say in a breathless voice.
 
>”Master… He’s a Sith,” Sunset says, her saber now in hand. “I can sense it.”
>”I sense something else…” Luna says, taking a step closer. “Something he wishes to hide…”
“Stay back, Jedi,” you warn her, but even to you your threat sounds empty and hollow.
>She shakes her head. “Something burns within you, dark one. Something you do not wish to come to light…”
>Sunset’s eyes dart between yourself and her. “Master?”
“I’m… I’m warning you, stand back!”
>”You wish to hide it so powerfully, so completely… and yet you cannot. The mask you hide yourself behind is almost as strong as your fear of the truth being discovered, but it isn’t.”
>A blue hand drifts upwards and she uses the force to gently lift the hood from your head, pulling it back.
>Upon the light reaching your mask, your body shakes somewhat.
>You close your eyes and turn your head, and you realize what you feel is shame.
>You don’t want them to see you, to see who you are or what you have become.
>Luna’s voice, firm and commanding, reaches your ears. ”Lift your head. Show me.”
>Slowly, you do as she bids, raising your face until the light of the room reveals your face and eyes.
>Your former master’s face now wears a visage of pain.
>”Oh, Anon… what did they do to you?”
>Sunset’s eyes widen and her jaw drops.
>”No, it can’t be, can it?” she moves up alongside Luna. “Anon, I---“
“Stay back!” you shout, suddenly fearful.
>You hold up your left hand, the mechanical fingers drawing their attention.
 
>Sunset gasps. “Your arm…”
>Luna is undeterred. “Anonymous, please, calm yourself.”
>Only now do you realize how quickly you are breathing.
>Your heart is racing---your grip on your lightsaber in your other hand is so tight that your fingers are turning white.
>The only thing you can do is ask a question.
“Why are you here?”
>”Looking for you!” Sunset says, putting a hand to her chest. “We’ve been searching the galaxy for---“
>She’s about to advance, but Luna stops her and you react by stepping backwards.
>Sunset looks as concerned as she is confused. “Anon… It’s okay. It’s me. It’s Master Luna!”
“No… Anon has died.”
>Sunset is still held back by Luna, who calmly and rationally speaks, “Then what do you call yourself now?”
“Nito,” you reply, barely a whisper.
>”Did you give yourself that name, or was it burned into you? I can see your scars… I can feel them.”
>”Please, take off your mask…” Sunset says.
“What do you think is underneath?” you reply, meeting her gaze. “I can’t remove it. It’s fused to my skin.”
>She gasps as she sees the skin around the mask and the scar tissue around your eyes.
>As she and Luna look upon the ruined husk that you have become, you sense their pity and it makes you feel horrible, like a ruined monster.
>But that is what you are now.
“How are you here?”
>”We have been tracking information relating to the Force Hunters,” Luna says. “…In the hopes that it would lead us to you. We knew you were searching for them.”
 
“But the Sith were the only ones who knew about this station!”
>Sunset’s eyes twitch with painful realization. “Then it’s true… You did join them…”
>You stare at her, meeting her gaze, knowing that the only thing she can see are milky white, emotionless orbs in your sockets.
>”Information about this station and its connection to the hunters was leaked only a few days ago,” Luna says. “We secured it from an information broker on Sullust.”
>Slowly, you start making your way over to the computer, keeping your distance from them.
>Luna speaks to you every step of the way.
>”Anon, when I returned to the Jedi Temple, I learned what happened to you. What you did.”
“They exiled me,” you say.
>”You have done that to yourself,” Luna replies. “I know that you felt you had no choice at the time, but---”
“I wanted revenge!”
>Her hand remains pointed in your direction, palm open and up to reflect her calm, rational manner of communication.
>”I know. You were lost. But you don’t have to be any longer.”
>You pause, halfway to the computer.
“I can’t go back…”
>”I’m not asking you to go back to the Jedi Temple, just to come with us.”
>Sunset’s eyes are pleading. “Anon, you don’t have to run anymore.”
“You don’t understand. They’ll kill me. There’s…”
>You avert your eyes, not wanting to tell them the truth.
 
>”We can protect you!” Sunset insists.
“No! There’s a bomb in my head.”
>They both stop as you point to your eyes.
“Behind these… When he tore them out and replaced them with these things.”
>Luna blinks as her brow furrows. “We may be able to remove it. There are ways to---“
“No,” you interrupt her. “You can’t. It’s tamper-proof. I have to do what he says or else he’ll kill me.”
>”Who?” Luna asks. “Who has turned you into this?”
“Scorpan,” you reply. “He… He is my master now, and I am learning the ways of the Dark Side.”
>Luna is passive, but the reaction from Sunset is much more visible.
>She mouths the name as if in disbelief.
>”Scorpan was my…” her voice trails off.
“What?”
>”Anon… I never told you, but before I joined the Jedi, I was on Korriban. I was a Sith in training, just like you are now.”
>You stare at her, wordlessly listening as she continues, “Scorpan was my master. He tried turning me into something horrible, and for a time, it was all I wanted… But I reached a point where I couldn’t continue and I knew I had to do something else.”
>She stares back at you. “But he never did anything to me like what he did to you.”
“It’s because he learned that I never meant to be a Sith,” you whisper. “I wanted to become powerful enough to avenge Master Luna when I thought she was---you were dead.”
>”You no longer need avenge me,” Luna insists.
“You’d do better to try and find Flash instead of me. He’s a prisoner of the Sith.”
>Luna’s brow raises. “I am glad he yet lives… But I would rather rescue you both.”
“I can’t leave now,” you once again insist. “You don’t understand what happened. He broke me. He cut me open and found what made me tick and put parts in that mean I can’t leave.”
 
>Sunset tries to move closer but is again held back by Luna, sensing your jumpy state.
>”Anon, please! Just come with us. We can hide and find a way to fix you.”
>You hear her pleading voice and you want to.
>Having seen them now, a surprisingly large part of you wants to, the part that still clings onto hope that you can go back to the way things were.
>And yet… you hold yourself back.
“I can’t,” you say, faltering a bit. “I just can’t.”
>Luna lowers her hand and continues her attempts to appeal to you. “Anon. I know what you are experiencing. Both Sunset and I do… We have, all of us, been to the Dark Side. You are in its thrall, but it has not claimed you fully yet. I know this.”
“There’s nothing,” you insist. “Nothing but the Dark Side. I know this now. I thought---I was fooled into thinking that I could find balance. A middle ground.”
>”And you can,” Luna says. “We all live with shades of darkness. Each of us in our heart carries doubt, and fear, and pain. But if you return, if you mean to face this alone… it will overshadow you and take you completely.”
>”Have you faced the sacrifice yet?” Sunset asks.
“The what?”
>”Every Sith reaches a point where they must take an innocent life to progress to their next level of training,” she explains.
“I’ve killed for the Sith,” you explain, thinking you’ve already been through such a trial. “I’ve become a weapon for them.”
 
>”Who have you killed?” Luna asks. “Soldiers? Mercenaries? Combatants? What about prisoners? Civilians? Someone with no means to defend themselves, at your complete mercy?”
You hesitate before answering. “No…”
>Sunset places a hand upon her heart. “I had to face that horrid trial, and I failed it. I ran, escaped… found the Jedi. I never took an innocent life for the Sith.”
>”It’s not too late,” Luna says. “You can still find balance. Sunset and I have both left the Jedi in search of you.”
“Left the Jedi? Like I---Anon did?”
>Luna then surprises you once more by opening her dark robe and removing a lightsaber from it.
>Not her own---but yours.
>The Arbitrator, constructed out of parts you scavenged on Ord Mantell.
>Seeing it brings back a number of memories---the most recent of which is handing it over to Grand Master Celestia.
>That can only mean that she took it from the Grand Master…
>”I know not if we have been declared Dark Jedi, but it would not surprise me for Celestia to label us as such. We are like you, Anon. We have faced the darkness, just as you have… but you needn’t face it alone.”
>You are very still.
>You know you could go with them, and you want to.
>But you can’t.
>Your legs won’t carry you towards them.
>Having backed towards the computer, you remove the disk and put it away in your cloak.
“I’m sorry,” you say. “Once, I would have. In a heartbeat. But I’m not the same person you left.”
>”I don’t believe that,” Luna says. “I think you are, but you are afraid. And that’s fine, because we’re all afraid. Sunset and I both fear for you.”
 
>”Listen to Master Luna. She’s been teaching me how to become a seer, and I’ve been learning a lot of things while we’ve been searching for you. We’ve tried to look for you in the Force but it’s been difficult.”
>”The Force is cloudy where you are involved,” Luna says. “But I have known this ever since we first met.”
“I don’t understand. What do you mean by ‘cloudy’?”
>”While you were a student at the Jedi Academy, I sensed a great many strange things about you. I tried to look into your future, but all I saw was a grey mist… And I thought that, if you confronted the things in your past, you might have a clearer future. So I used a gift of mine, and through the Force, I changed your dreams.”
>Again you are still, as you remember the dreams you used to have.
>The spice mines of Kessel, the energy spiders…
>Your brother and his sacrifice for you.
>The guilt that wracked your young mind until you convinced yourself that none of it was real and you forgot it all.
>And the grey mist…
“That was you? All of it?”
>”No, Anon, it was you. Everything in your dreams was your creation, from your consciousness. I merely allowed it to come forth. Through the Force, I watched and felt your dreams---felt your fear. I knew that you needed my help. It was one of the many reasons I wanted to become your master.”
“There is no grey anymore,” you shake your head. “I don’t have those dreams.”
 
>”That is because we have been separated. But now, we can continue your training, we can---“
“No, you don’t understand. There isn’t any grey anymore!”
>You storm over to the computer and remove the disk, shoving it into a pocket.
“Maybe once, long ago, I could have learned balance. But I can’t now.”
>”You can!” Luna insists. “No matter how far gone a soul seems swallowed in darkness, it can be saved! You always have a choice!”
>”Even those who have taken innocent life can be redeemed…” Sunset adds.
“I can’t choose for myself. Someone else holds the control. I’m just a tool for the Sith now, a weapon! He took away the control and this… thing… is all that is left!”
>Sunset pushes past Luna and starts moving towards you.
>Still jumpy, you turn and activate your lightsaber, holding it up in front of you defensively.
>She stops, halfway between both you and Master Luna, her eyes a storm of emotion.
>Your orange blade burns, but the hand that holds it is unsteady and nervous.
>You quiver as she speaks.
>”Anon, you’re not a ‘thing’ and you’re in control. All we want to do is help you. We’ve been looking for you ever since we left the temple.”
“You’re looking for a ghost,” you say with a trembling voice. “You’re not going to find Anon anymore.”
>”You’re wrong, because I’m looking right at him, no matter what he says.” She takes a deep breath. “I’m looking at the person I love.”
>Now you no longer shake, nor tremble or quiver.
>You are completely still as she steps closer to you.
>”And that’s why I know that you---Anon or Nito---won’t hurt me.”
 
>She steps past your lightsaber and slowly wraps her arms around you, pulling you into a tight embrace.
>It’s wonderful.
>She feels so warm and comforting.
>You deactivate your weapon and let it drop to the floor, like Sunset once did for you when she refused to fight you.
>Your arms find their way to her back as her face turns towards your neck, allowing you to feel her breath.
>She feels alive and warm and wonderful.
>For a moment, there is no dark nor light, no Sith nor Jedi, no wider galaxy to worry about.
>It’s just you and her.
>”I’ve missed you so much…” she says, bringing up a hand to feel the back of your head.
>Her fingers trace the straps of the mask that have been burnt onto your skin.
>”You’re in such pain. I can feel it inside of you. But I’m here for you now.”
“I want to,” you admit, choking a bit. “I want to go.”
>”Then come with us!” she says, laughing a bit. “Just come with us…”
>Luna lingers nearby, watching with uncertainty.
“I can’t…”
>”You can!” she replies, planting a soft kiss on your neck that sends shivers down your spine.
“I’m sorry, I…”
>”We can go somewhere,” she whispers. “Away from all of it, all of this. It could be just you and I.”
>A vision comes to your mind at that moment---that of you and Sunset running through the fields of Mestare, laughing, playing, loving each other.
>Free, without a worry in the galaxy.
>And for a moment, all you want to do is say yes, and go with them.
 
>Her hand wraps around your mechanical fingers, gently examining them.
>”I don’t know what he did to you, but we can fix it,” she says, before stepping back to look you in the eyes.
“Maybe you’re right,” you say. “Maybe there is hope for me.”
>Her smile broadens and she wipes a tear away from her eye.
“But not now.”
>You let go of her hand and step back.
“Not until I finish what I started.”
>Her smile vanishes. “Anon, please, just come with us.”
>Luna steps up alongside Sunset. “If you go back to Korriban, we can’t guarantee your safety.”
>”We spent all this time looking for you!”
“I have to do what needs to be done,” you say. “I have to return, or else I’ll die, and that won’t allow any of us to get what we want.”
>Sunset is about to step forward again, but Luna holds her back.
>When the Padawan looks up at the master questioningly, Luna speaks, “I have never been able to properly discern your future, Anon. It is fogged and grey, obscuring my sight. But I know what I have felt, and continue to feel: you are heading towards something.”
“What do you mean, master?” you say, accidentally referring to her once more as your master out of old familiarity.
>”You are approaching a shatterpoint. I know not when, or where… but the thread of your life, a single cord up until the moment, will unravel into many fibers.”
“Shatterpoint…”
>You remember reading about the strange Force-technique and pseudo-philosophy surrounding a mysterious phenomenon known only as the shatterpoint.
 
>Simply put, every physical object has a weakness that can be exploited in order to destroy or change it.
>But when applied to time itself, it refers to a moment of critical juncture, during which even the slightest small changes or choices could have wildly different effects on the future.
>”I detected a shatterpoint in your future but I have never known when it will manifest… but I know that it will happen soon---but not today. And neither Sunset nor I will be there for it.”
>Sunset doesn’t understand. “Master… you don’t mean to let him leave, do you?”
>”I want him to come with us. I want us to help him and heal him.” She looks back at you. “But I also know that he will not come today.”
>”And we’re supposed to just let him leave?” Sunset says. “After all we’ve been through together, looking for him? We can’t follow him to Korriban, the Sith would outnumber us a hundred to one!”
>”The choice won’t be ours to make, my apprentice.”
>At that moment, as predicted by the master seer, the station rumbles.
>The lights flicker for a moment.
>”What was that?” Sunset asks.
>”The station is under attack,” Luna says. “I only just now sensed their approach.”
>You and Sunset both look back at the computer screen to see multiple ships approaching.
>”This was a trap,” Luna says. “The Force Hunters evacuated when they learned their position had been compromised and waited for both the Sith and the Jedi to show up. They are the ones who leaked the information about the station to the information broker. I see it now…”
>”Then we need to leave!” Sunset says as the station once more jolts from another attack. “Anon! Come with us!”
>A nearer explosion causes the floor to shake and the lights to once more flicker.
 
“I can’t,” you say, shaking your head. With your real hand, you summon your lightsaber. “I have to go back.”
>”You could die!” Sunset says as more explosions begin to rock the station.
>The wall nearby cracks, the metal breaking open.
“I won’t,” you promise. “I never knew that I had you as a choice, but now I do!”
>You back up towards the exit of the room you came through.
“I’ll find a way to come back to you, I promise!”
>”Anon!”
>Sunset tries to run, but another attack from a ship outside causes the computer to explode in a shower of sparks and flame.
>Luna grabs Sunset once more and they make for the exit.
>Across the shaking room, you turn and look upon them.
>They make eye contact with you one final time, their eyes lingering, with Sunset’s far more pained.
>But Master Luna knows something---she has seen the future, and knows you are heading towards something that not even she can alter.
>The shatterpoint…
>You make for your ship, running through the crumbling halls.
>Life support and structural integrity is fast failing.
>Leaping up through the hole, you reach your ship and quickly deactivate the boarding coupling.
>Reactivating your systems, you disengage the landing clamps and float away from the station.
>You can see several ships of varying sizes attacking the station with volleys of lasers.
>And you can also see a freighter---Luna and Sunset---turning towards them and attacking them!
>Their ship is small, but fast, with little hope of destroying them.
>You realize then that they are just giving you a distraction, to ensure your escape.
 
>The notion once more touches your heart, when you thought nothing else could.
>Even now, they still care for you, to give you a chance to do what must be done.
>And Sunset still loves you…
>With renewed hope, you set course for Korriban.
>Perhaps there is a way to escape this terrible fate after all.
>When you thought there was only darkness, light came back into your life for the briefest of moments when she held you.
>And what of Master Luna's words about the shatterpoint?
>Could they be true?
>You've never detected it, but she is a master seer and would know more of such things.
>Are you heading towards a shatterpoint, a moment of great choice?
>Between light and dark?
>Or, perhaps, there is still a path to balance?
>As your ship kicks into hyperspace, you can only wonder at what lies ahead... and the choice you must eventually face.
 
>You find your mind reeling.
>You had thought everything lost, with nothing left to turn to but the Dark Side.
>But now you have felt the warmth and comfort of someone who loves you once more…
>And Master Luna, despite not wanting you to turn down the path you have set yourself upon, still believes in you.
>It is as though the Force itself preordained them to be upon that station, to see you, speak to you, and give you hope once more.
>Is it true, then?
>Can you obtain the balance you sought from the beginning?
>Could this be the Force showing you that the Dark Side is not the only option?
>Perhaps there is only one way to truly find out.
>With newfound elation, you quickly go about your work, busying yourself with a new task while your ship travels to Korriban.
>Your fingers fly to your pack, excitedly taking out the cortosis gauntlet.
>Motivation and energy surge through you as you examine it.
‘Calm down,’ you think to yourself. ‘You can’t let them know that anything has changed, Anon.’
>Wait…
>You pause as you realize that you just thought of yourself as Anon and not Nito.
>Then not only have you found new hope to escape the Sith, you’ve learnt that Anon is not truly dead yet.
>Underneath your mask, you smile to yourself; despite the slight pain it brings your cheeks as they stretch against the seal.
>Returning to your focus on the cortosis gauntlet, you take out your saber and begin to work on it.
>Using the sharp blade of the Mestarian-crystal-focused blade, you are able to carve several chunks out of the hollow arm.
 
>By superheating one side of each piece, you can then graft them onto your mechanical arm.
>The process takes up the entire duration of your trip as you carefully put each piece into place, positioning them so that they will not disrupt the normal functions of your arm.
>Having finished the work, you now observe your new, cortosis-armored limb.
>It looks and feels heavier, no longer seeming quite so skeletal.
>In fact, it almost looks normal.
>As you stand up and test its weight, getting used to how it feels, you feel the ship drop out of hyperspace once more.
>Heading up to the cockpit, you look out and see Korriban beyond, the reddish-orange ball of dust and darkness that it is.
>You no longer face it with dread or apathy, but you must hide your elation and hope.
>If Scorpan smells it out, he will only make your time here worse.
>What’s more, you could be making another horrible mistake.
>What if he finds out the truth, that you still now plan to leave?
>Perhaps you shouldn’t…
>Maybe the path of the Sith is truly the path you must take.
>Shaking your head, you banish such thoughts.
>Now is not the time for conflicting feelings---he will detect them.
>Preparing yourself, you take a few deep breaths and fall back into the proper persona.
>No feelings, no emotion, no drive---only Nito.
>Guiding the ship to the hanger at the academy, you submit the entrance codes and land it within the bay.
 
>You walk down the exit ramp and back onto solid ground for the first time since leaving.
>As you stride towards the nearby door, a voice calls out.
>”Nito! Halt.”
>You stop and turn to look over your shoulder at an approaching figure.
>Ahuizotl.
>The trianii is approaching you, and he bears a look of ill-temperedness upon his feline face.
“Ahuizotl.”
>”That is LORD Ahuizotl to you, whelp,” he says, stopping a few yards away and folding his arms. “It is customary to kneel to a lord.”
“You are not my master.”
>”No, but I am your superior,” he says, taking a few steps closer.
>At this moment you notice that his prehensile tail is coiling behind him with one of his three lightsabers wrapped up in its grasp.
>You meet his yellow-eyed gaze.
>”I think it’s time you were given a proper lesson about your place underneath my boot.”
“Your paw, you mean, kitty-cat.”
>He scowls, showing yellowed and sharp teeth.
>Both hands come out, holding his other two sabers before all three click on.
>”I have not yet retaliated for your insult when you destroyed one of my sabers! You think me beaten? Had Lord Scorpan not interfered, I would have destroyed you!”
“I would like to see you try.”
>”Your wish is granted, fool!”
>He dashes forwards, all three lightsabers at the ready.
>With one quick motion, the Vehement is in hand, blocking two of his attacks.
>The third, his tail, comes across his side and aims at your midsection.
 
>A quick jump gets you out of the way, but Ahuizotl is on you once more, attacking relentlessly with unpredictable strikes.
>You keep mobile, keeping your feet moving, blocking or dodging his attacks in a reactionary state.
>But even falling back upon Soresu can be physically taxing.
>His stamina is great and more than a match for your defense.
>But you don’t plan to wear him down through defense alone, oh no.
>You need only wait for the right moment…
>He goes for your legs with one saber while chopping downwards with his tail, keeping his third reserved for where you end up.
>But you surprise him by pushing off the ground and leaping upwards, onto a nearby docked ship.
>He growls and leaps after you, landing on its wing.
>”You cannot run from me, Nito!”
“Why run from a house pet?”
>He leaps forth again, striking with all of his rage.
>Playing right into your hands.
>Once more you are defensive as you switch your lightsaber to your left hand, blocking each strike until you see your opening.
>After parrying one of his attacks, you purposefully leave yourself open to attack from the left.
>Having successfully baited him, he raises all three lightsabers and spins towards you.
>This attack would not kill you, but wound you.
>He wouldn’t risk truly killing Scorpan’s prized toy, but because of this, you are able to defeat him.
 
>You place your arm---your fake arm---right in the path of all three of his weapons.
>You can see his smile as he thinks you beaten, but when his lightsabers connect with the new cortosis plating upon the arm, his smile disappears.
>Each of his weapons deactivates, short-circuiting and shorting out.
>His eyes grow wide as all three crimson blades shrink back into their hilts.
>He leaps back and presses on them again and again, trying to get them to activate.
>”What? No! How did---“
>He looks at your arm.
>”You… You little---!”
“For someone who prides himself on his unorthodox fighting, you are terribly predictable.”
>So stunned is he, that when you swing your lightsaber, he barely has time to react.
>But you weren’t aiming at him, not specifically.
>With one swipe, you slice through the hilts of the two sabers in his hands, causing a small display of sparks as the two heads of his weapons hit the ship at his feet only to roll away.
>One simple attack, and you’ve achieved double Sun Djem---a personal first.
>The Sith looks upon you with shock and utter disdain.
“First it was one, now it is two. Next time it will be all three, and perhaps a limb as well,” you warn him.
>Hopping off the craft, you make for the exit, putting your lightsaber away.
>You can feel his frustration and anger mounting, but you leave before he can properly retaliate.
>After all, it will be several minutes before his only remaining lightsaber functions once more.
>You allow a small smirk at the effectiveness of your new cortosis arm---no wonder the Force Hunters are covered head to toe in the stuff.
>But you quickly compose yourself as you round a corner, only to come face-to-face with Maud.
>You haven’t seen the grey-skinned girl since your mission to Manaan.
 
>Her half-lidded eyes stare blankly into your own, her face not conveying any emotion.
>She is blocking your forward path, and the mere sight of her raises frustrating emotions.
>”So, it is true. You’re alive.”
“I can almost sense your disappointment.”
>”You’re wrong, as usual. I prefer you alive.”
“And why is that?” you ask, holding up your fake arm. “Do you actually anticipate the moment when I will pay you back for this?”
>”I anticipate the moment when you will try and fail.”
>You drop your arm back to your side and stare her down.
“You don’t know the kind of power I wield now. Do you think your little rocks and telekinesis could save you if I wanted you dead?”
>Again, she betrays no emotion as she speaks in her monotone voice.
>”You already want me dead. But you’re just a slave under Lord Scorpan’s will. And as he has forbidden you from killing me, you could be the most powerful Force-user in the galaxy and it still wouldn’t matter. You’re just a slave.”
>You take a step closer, brazenly towering over her and looking more closely into her eyes.
“And what are you?”
>”Someone who still has their arm.”
>She steps aside and allows you to pass.
>”Go on. I’m sure Lord Scorpan is waiting for his favorite pet.”
>You are about to walk on, but something occurs to you then.
>Turning to face her fully, you cross your arms.
 
“You want what I have, don’t you?”
>She doesn’t immediately reply, but continues staring.
“You want to be his pupil. The one he teaches his dark secrets to, the one he grooms to become a true Sith.”
>She seems about to speak when you approach and place your metal arm against the stone wall of the dark hallway, pinning her to it.
“You’ve coveted my position ever since Dromund Kaas, haven’t you? When you abandoned me to die in that temple and tried to earn Scorpan’s favor.”
>She maintains her emotionless face. “You know nothing.”
“But I could. As much as I hate him, Scorpan has taught me valuable secrets… things he would never teach you.”
>She suddenly breaks her emotionless visage and lets pride slip through her lips.
>”I deserve it.”
“Do you now? Even though I’ve bested you at every turn? Even though he recognizes my power, and has shown you no favor?”
>Once more she is about to protest before you raise your other hand and hold it near her head.
“You left me to die because you’re afraid you’re only second-best. And that is what you are: a second-rate Force-user, all sad and alone. Fit for fodder in the academy’s army, but not for a Sith.”
>She doesn’t react, not outwardly at least.
>But you can sense something stirring beneath.
“Have I touched a nerve? And here I thought you had no nerves to touch. Is there something resembling a soul beneath that grey flesh?”
>Reaching inwardly with the Force, you begin to use the power that Scorpan has taught you.
>All the while weakening her mental barriers.
“There is, as it turns out. You might like to hide it, to appear as though nothing matters, and perhaps most of the time you truly feel as though nothing does---but it was not always this way.”
 
>”I’ll… I’ll kill you…”
“You could try and kill me. You’d fail, of course, but it would at least give me an excuse.”
>Her eyes twitch slightly as your hand grows nearer, gently touching her now-sweating forehead.
“What is this I feel inside of you? A memory? Why, in the face of knowing you aren’t good enough, does your mind conjure an image of… a farm?”
>Her eyes widen and she reaches for her lightsaber.
>With your mechanical hand, you grab hold of her wrist and pin it to the wall, keeping her from her weapon.
>Now your hand is upon her forehead, draining the knowledge.
>Her brow furrows as she attempts to fight you with her telekinesis, but you are in turn flooding her mind with static noise, distracting her and making it difficult for her to concentrate.
“Yes, I see a farm… You picture it so clearly. A rocky planet. Why did you run away from it?”
>”S-stop…” She struggles against your power.
“You can’t fight off this power. What makes you think you deserve to wield it?”
>You probe more deeply, finding the root of her insecurities.
>You see the farm, and then it is burning.
>A family in peril, screaming---swallowed by flames.
>Maud suddenly gasps and falls to her knees, her back sliding down the wall.
>When you lower your hands and step back, you look upon her.
>The only thing that tells you the truth of how she is feeling is a single tear running down her cheek.
“You killed them, didn’t you?”
>She is silent, but her silence speaks volumes.
“Your pain doesn’t make what you did to me right, nor does it mean that you deserve power.”
>You turn and walk away, pausing only briefly to add one more thing.
“It also doesn’t mean that the way of the Sith is the only path open to you.”
>Leaving her behind, you walk on, allowing her to reflect on what just happened.
 
>You discover Lord Scorpan in the primary control center of the academy, leaning over a holotable displaying a map of the galaxy.
>Your approach is flanked by two Sith footsoldiers in silvery armor.
>The bothan obviously notes your approach, but does not pay you any mind.
>He seems content to let you stand for several moments before he finishes looking at the map, stands straight and looks at you.
>"Nito. I assume your mission was successful?"
"No, Lord Scorpan. Not in the way we had hoped."
>He cocks a brow. "Oh? Well, fortunately for you, I'm in a good mood and can take disappointment. Tell me, how did you fail?"
"The Force Hunters were not there. The intelligence was leaked in advance of my arrival, likely because they knew about the capture of the kaminoan doctor."
>"And how do you know this?" he asks as he drags a finger across the surface of the map.
"Because Jedi were there."
>Now you have his full attention.
>He faces you and leans down a bit. "Oh? Jedi, you say? And just who were they?"
"Master Luna and her new Padawan, Sunset Shimmer."
>You had every intention of telling him enough truth to ward off any suspicion while keeping the true details of your meeting with them to yourself, but you had looked forward to this moment.
>Sunset was Scorpan's previous pet project; that much was clear from what she told you.
>His reaction is interesting, to say the least.
>"Sunset..." He chuckles to himself. "Under Master Luna, you say?"
"They attempted to apprehend me. I escaped, with the disk you instructed I use on their computers. But I doubt the Force Hunters and their masters left much for us to use, my lord."
>You take out the disk and hand it to him, but he doesn't take it.
 
>Instead, he waves his hand, and commands everyone else to leave the room.
>When they are gone, and you are alone, he lowers his hand.
>"Tell me, Nito... did they recognize you?"
"Yes, master."
>"And what did you feel upon seeing your former master in the flesh? And the girl you cared so deeply for?"
"Nothing."
>He narrows his eyes.
>Your reaction is cold and calculated---but perhaps a bit too much so.
>He doesn't believe you.
>"I don't think Anon is completely gone, is he? Surely there must have been some reaction, some will or desire to flee with them."
"This is my place now, Lord Scorpan. To flee would bring only death."
>"That it would." He takes out the remote, maintaining a tight grip on it.
>He moves his thumb over a red button while pointing it squarely at your forehead.
>"Now, tell me: of what did you speak?"
"They tried to appeal to Anon. They wanted me to come with them. To heal."
>"And what was your response?"
>You maintain a clear state of mind.
>He would not press the button, not while he thinks you are obedient and useful.
"I told them that he is dead. Nito is all that remains."
 
>He stares into your eyes, waiting for some hint of deception, some clue as to any real truth you may be intentionally obscuring.
>After a moment, he lowers the remote.
>"I'm proud, Nito. If there was one person who could have persuaded you to turn, it would have been one of them. But you denied both."
>He puts the remote away, and with how close you are, you take note of which pocket he puts it into on his robe.
>Then, he takes the disk from your hand.
>"We shall analyze this. It is a shame that the Force Hunters knew we would be coming, but that is understandable. We will simply continue pursuing other leads."
>He walks around to the map, turning it off.
>"However, this news of Master Luna intrigues me. I was not aware that she had returned from her last sighting."
>After taking a moment to consider this news, he makes a decision.
>"Come along, Nito. There is someone who would like to receive this news personally."
"Who, my lord?"
>"The master of our academy."
>Your pace quickens as you follow along behind Scorpan, silently considering this latest turn.
>Ever since your arrival, you have heard only whispers of the man who rules the academy, and whenever Scorpan would mention him.
>Proceeding to the main hall, he begins to walk up the large stone steps leading to the massive doors of the academy master's office.
>You maintain pace just a few steps behind your master, watching as he reaches the top.
>There, he stands before the great doors with his arms behind his back.
>You stop behind him, waiting for him to do something.
 
>As it turns out, he needn't do a thing, as the doors behind to open.
>A great rumbling and dragging sound can be heard as the doors scrape along the floor, leading to another chamber beyond, one bathed in darkness, only dimly illuminated by burning braziers.
>Statues of Sith Lords line the walls, with tapestries of the Empire's symbol hanging between them.
>At the heart of the room is a large desk, taller than your head, made of stone.
>It seems more like an altar than a desk to you.
>Red cloth stretches across its surface, with strange artifacts laid upon it that you can barely glimpse.
>A mote of orange-colored light from the sky above the temple bleeds through a single hole in the ceiling, through which the smoke from the braziers exits.
>It shines upon the table, and behind it upon a stone throne sits a massive figure.
>At first you cannot see him at all, but as you draw near, his silhouette becomes apparent.
>Easily twice the size of a standard sapient, he exudes both physical power and an aura of the Dark Side that radiates even more strongly than Scorpan.
>His skin is red like blood, though you can only see his bulging arms resting upon the table.
>The head, shrouded in the shadow of a black hood, has two massive horns that rise from it, each at least the size of your arm.
>They curve out from his skull and point upwards, appearing as though a great obsidian crown.
>Scorpan approaches the table and kneels before it, standing in the ray of light from above.
>You do the same, not wanting to offend whatever creature of the Dark Side sits on the other end.
>When he speaks, it is a voice that rumbles so deeply it seems that even the pebbles on the floor shake.
>"I know not why I am interrupted in my time of meditation, Scorpan, but if the next words that drip out of that sneering face of yours are not worthy of my attention, I shall personally remind you the cost of wasting my time."
 
>He maintains his bearing, but you notice a slight shift in his body language.
>He clearly despises being talked to in such a way.
>"My humble apologies, Lord Tirek. I bring news on the efforts to eliminate the Force Hunters... and the Jedi."
>The way he speaks to this 'Tirek' and the way he is spoken to are radically different from any interaction you've ever had with Scorpan.
>Or perhaps they aren't...
>It suddenly occurs to you that you are to Scorpan what Scorpan is to Tirek, and suddenly it all makes sense.
>"I care nothing for the insignificant gnats that would dare presume to call themselves hunters of the Force. Do not speak to me of them again."
>"Of course, my lord. But on our most recent endeavor to eliminate a cloning facility associated with them, my pupil Nito encountered none other than Jedi Master Luna."
>"Is that so?" Tirek leans over the desk to look at you, and for the first time, you see a pair of black eyes staring at you from beneath the hood. "He does not seem like very much."
>Speaking for you, Scorpan continues, "He completed his assignment and fended off both Master Luna, and her new apprentice, Sunset Shimmer."
>When he says her name, his voice carries an edge of innuendo and barely-concealed discontent.
>Tirek does not immediately respond, provoking Scorpan to stand up and continue, "I am wondering why I was not informed of Master Luna's return, nor her new apprentice. Surely you knew."
 
>"I did. I knew of Luna's return from our last battle. She arrived at the Jedi Temple some time ago and left with your former apprentice."
>Tirek's eyes narrow as he then adds in a lower voice, "I am wondering why you think I would report such matters to you, as if I am obliged to."
>"This is key information about our enemies!" Scorpan defends himself. "Furthermore, Sunset was---"
>Suddenly, he ceases to speak and clutches at his throat.
>Tirek has lifted a single hand and is using it to effortlessly choke him through the Force.
>"When she left this academy, it was your failure to properly indoctrinate her. When she escaped with her life, it was your failure to kill her. When she set herself upon the path of the Jedi, it showed me you are not fit to teach at this academy with more failures behind you than any other."
>He lets go, dropping Scorpan to the floor alongside you.
>"Were it not for our Dark Lord, I would never keep you around, you mewling, pathetic excuse of a Sith. That I ever trained you at all is a black mark upon my record."
>Scorpan grabs at his throat and coughs, staring up at Tirek with eyes containing a hatred so fierce that any hate you felt for him feels weak in comparison.
>You look back up upon Tirek as he lowers his hand and turns to you.
>"And this is your new pupil. He was able to fend off both Luna and Sunset? I doubt this."
>As Scorpan is still recovering, you decide to speak for yourself.
"My lord, they sought to capture me alive. They were clouded by sentimentality."
>"Yes, Jedi often are. But Luna is no mere Jedi. She knows the Dark Side, quite intimately. Once, she fought with us. Now against us, both in the last war and recently against me. She is powerful, but like all Jedi, she limits herself by restricting her passion. What do we gain through passion?”
“Strength, my lord.”
 
>”A child can read and understand the code. But what do you know of passion?” Tirek looks you up and down once more. “I sense little passion in you. Scorpan has made you into a machine.”
“I have great hatred, my lord.”
>”At him, no doubt. But what good is it for you if you cannot use it?”
>He holds out a hand, and in the light, you see something forming above his palm.
>You begin to sense a great amount of power gathering as he manifests a glowing red orb.
>Energy swirls about it, and for all intents and purposes, it seems as though he conjured forth a fireball from nothing.
>”Do you see this, apprentice? This is pure hate. This is malice, fury, contempt, disgust. This is power made of passion. With this, I can destroy my enemies, topple buildings, annihilate all in my path.”
>He clenches his hand back into a fist, crushing the fireball, banishing it with a whisk of smoke.
>”Whatever hatred you carry, it is meaningless unless you can wield it to its full potential. I sense what Scorpan has done to you, shackling you to him as though you were a hound, or perhaps he is merely afraid of failing once more and having you run off.”
>He turns to look at the bothan, who has stood up and composed himself.
>In an unimpressed tone, he says, “Why did you bring this ruined pupil before me, Scorpan? Was this supposed to be humorous?”
>”I merely desired to inform you about Master Luna, my lord.”
>”Lie to me again and see what becomes of you, Scorpan. Perhaps your pupil would find it amusing if I were to break you as you have broken him. Leave my presence and do not return unless you have a matter actually worthy of my attention.”
>Scorpan thinks about replying, you can tell from his eyes, but instead he merely bows.
>You do the same and leave behind him.
>Once you are both free of his chamber and the door is sealed shut, Scorpan turns to you and uses the Force to push you up against the wall in a surprise and petty move.
 
>As you slide down to the floor, you watch him storm off.
>Already, your mind is reeling from what you have witnessed.
>Despite his power, his influence, his position, he’s nothing but a pawn to someone else---just as you are a pawn to him.
>He hates Tirek, you can see it in his eyes, feel it emanating off of his person.
>And yet he must serve him, because Tirek is stronger, and this ‘Dark Lord’ he spoke of is undoubtedly even more powerful.
>Does Tirek hate him, you wonder?
>Would he bow and kneel before him?
>He must.
>This is the way of the Sith, then, the true nature at the core of it all; it is what the code speaks of, what the Sith model their very way of life around.
>Your master trains you, but he is your enemy.
>If you can kill him, you have earned his place.
>Otherwise, you are nothing but his subordinate.
>Scorpan loathes his position, as assuredly as he loathes the fact he isn’t strong enough to kill Tirek.
>Is it this desire that drove him to do what he did to you?
>Has it all just been a reflection of his own anger, turned to cruelty now that he can torment others as he has been tormented?
>This revelation only serves to make you hate him more, to know that you are the product of such a thing.
>Then something else occurs to you: each and every Sith is playing a game of Dejarik with their master, and their pawns are their subordinates.
>Only, their master is also playing the game, with the Sith apprentice as one of his own pawns.
>And each piece is also looking to kill their owner, in order to become a master and have pawns of their own.
>And on and on it does, perpetuating the system as pieces are killed and replaced, just as their masters are.
>Somehow, it all seems so clear and simple now.
>Is this all the Sith can offer you---a life of betrayal, murder and scheming while guarding against the first two?
>Could it truly be the right path for you?
>Or… perhaps…
>Could it be changed?
 
>Scorpan had said nothing, leaving you to return to your quarters.
>There, you are able to clean up a bit and wash what parts of you that you can.
>Eating is difficult, as expected, but necessary if you are to keep up your strength.
>Given that you plan to sneak out of the academy tonight, that’s something you must do.
>You’ve made up your mind: you must return to Mestare.
>That planet was the reason you set yourself upon this path, from leaving the Jedi Temple to finding the Sith.
>In your lightsaber now rests the focusing crystal taken from Mestare by Scorpan’s search party.
>You remember his words well: they found nothing there.
>No temples, no ghost---nothing.
>But you also remember the spirit, the echo of the ancients and his words to you.
>You were only allowed to enter the first temple, the gateway to learning, because you were allowed to see it.
>But Scorpan’s words have gnawed at you ever since: what if you truly experienced nothing during your time upon Mestare?
>You had spent a week upon the planet, meditating and deciding on the path to come and join the Sith.
>To Scorpan, all you experienced was a trick by the Dark Side, a ruse to set you under the Dark Side’s control.
>You aren’t sure what to believe anymore.
>But you do know this: when you promised to the echo that you would return, you would have faced the darkness and be ready to learn balance.
>If the echo was truly there, then it seems possible that true balance of the Force may yet be reached.
>But you must know.
>When all was darkness, light came back into your life---Sunset and Luna.
>Searching all over the galaxy for you.
>Not Nito, but Anon.
 
>And when they found you, what did they see?
>A ruined, wrecked, burnt, scarred figure, a lackey to a Sith Lord.
>You punch the wall with your cybernetic arm in anger.
>What Scorpan’s done to you is worse than maiming.
>He has made you doubt.
>Doubt that you can defeat him, that you can rise above him, and that you can learn what balance is.
>For Scorpan, the Dark Side is the only path, and he has you in his chains.
>Looking into a mirror, you look at your eyes, the soulless white orbs staring back at you as though they belong to someone else.
>Behind one of them is a bomb that will destroy you.
>According to the Jedi, there is no death, there is only the Force.
>According to the Sith, you must overpower him and break the chains that bind you.
‘What, then, will the path of balance teach me? Does it even exist? Could it be possible, or have I already failed?’
>You cannot know, until you learn for yourself once more.
>Gathering your things, you leave without a moment’s hesitation.
>You wonder if Scorpan will activate the bomb when he realizes you are gone, but part of you believes he won’t, and for good reason.
>He’s put too much time into you, too much effort, to simply throw it away until he is sure you cannot be salvaged.
>You are his tool, but you are a tool that can think---and disobey.
 
>Pausing in the corridor, you think about how this is going to go down.
>Regardless of what you find on your return to Mestare, you will have to return here.
>Perhaps it is for that reason that you already know you aren’t ready to face the trials the echo spoke of.
>But you must know the truth, you must escape this doubt that is clinging to your soul.
>And deep down, you fear something else, that regardless of what you do now, you’ve already failed.
>That everything else---balance, Luna, Sunset---is a delusion, a weakness.
>That all that truly remains for you is the Dark Side and if you are ever to overcome Scorpan and earn your freedom, you must abandon these things that only hold you back.
>You place your hand over your heart and feel it racing.
>Doubt plagues you and fear controls you.
>Fear is what is compelling you to run away, back to Mestare, just like the first time with the Jedi.
>How strange that your life is taking this turn.
‘How many times must I run seeking the truth before I find it for myself?’
>And there is something else that has been tearing away at you ever since you learned it.
>Master Luna’s words about you.
>The revelation that she was giving you the dreams about your brother, manipulating your sleep through the Force.
>You still don’t know how to feel about that.
>Those dreams made you uncomfortable, they made you afraid.
>You felt fear as you hadn’t felt it since you were a child.
>Was she trying to help you, as she claimed?
>Or was she pushing you along the path towards darkness by making you confront that which was already inside of you?
 
>Your hand goes to your head, and you rub your forehead slightly---you have a headache.
>Those have been frequent since your transformation due to the mask irritating your skin.
>Focusing on your new mission, you walk towards the hanger.
>Two guards in armor block your path, having been posted to ensure no students attempt to do what you are doing.
>The soldiers of the Sith Empire are mere men, no Force powers about them, but they are armed with effective silver-colored armor and blaster rifles.
>On each of their backs is a vibrosword.
>”Halt,” one of them demands, and you stop.
>”None of the students are allowed access to the hanger at this hour without authorization or an escort by a master.”
You bow your head slightly. “Forgive me, I didn’t know.”
>You turn slightly, but then face your head towards them.
“Only, there is one thing: I do have authorization.”
>With one press of a button and a slash, you cut their rifles into halves with a brilliant flourish of orange light.
>Then, with your other hand, you reach out and cause their heads to rapidly lean towards one another, smashing their helmets against each other.
>Their unconscious bodies fall to the floor in a crumbled mess.
“My authorization, that is.”
>Stepping over their bodies, you use the Force to open the sliding door and enter the hanger.
>The only ones here are droids doing maintenance on the various ships, and they pay you no mind.
 
>Approaching your own ship, the one you stole from Kessel, you lift a hand and force the entrance ramp to open.
‘Almost too easy,’ you think as you smirk underneath your mask.
>Then you feel another presence approaching, one strong in the Force.
>Trying to leave the academy only to be stalled by fellow students strong in the Force…
‘Not again…’
>As it turns out, however, that the situation is decidedly different.
>For you are not approached by many, but only one.
>She steps out from the shadows, her dark blue cloak hanging loosely from her shoulders and her hood pulled down behind her head.
>Maud.
>She stares at you with eyes transfixed upon you and your ship.
>”You are leaving,” she says, more of a statement than a question.
“I am.”
>”I know you haven’t been given a new assignment.”
“And how do you know this?”
>”The unconscious guards were an indication.”
You point back at the way you came. “And yet, you haven’t seen them. You didn’t come from that passage.”
>”No, but I felt it. Others who are asleep---like Lord Scorpan---likely did not. But I am not asleep.”
“I can see that.” Turning to face her fully with your hand openly resting upon your lightsaber’s holster, you cock your head and look at her. “So, how is this going to go down?”
>”You think I am going to stop you.”
 
“Correction: I know you are not going to stop me, but if you’re going to try, I’d like us to get it over with.”
>Her response is measured, her voice slow and methodical as always.
>”I don’t intend on stopping you. I intend on leaving with you.”
>That’s a bit of a surprise, but not exactly a welcome one, given your history with her.
“If you think I’m going to be your free ride out of here, you had best learn what I did to Noteworthy.”
>”That’s exactly why I know you aren’t running away from the academy, and that you will return. I intend to be there with you when you leave and when you return.”
“You’re smarter than you look, you know. Certainly smarter than you sound.”
>”If you are going to stand and insult me and waste more time, I will alert the other guards, which I will do if you deny me.”
“Maybe I’m feeling lucky. Maybe I could outrun the academy guard ships.”
>”But you cannot outrun the bomb when I tell Lord Scorpan how you confessed that you are leaving the academy.”
>Her words ring in you like an alarm bell.
“How do you know about that?”
>”Because I saw what he did to you. I didn’t see the process, but I saw the end result. I’m looking right at it. You are changed. I met you on Dromund Kaas and you were different. It’s not an outside change, but an inside change.”
>She slowly starts approaching you, speaking as she does.
>”I can feel the weight on your soul. His leash around your neck, threatening to go off. It has made you afraid.”
>Stopping in front of you, she stares unblinking at you.
>You are completely still.
 
>”And you are not the only one who can cause someone to freeze with words alone.”
“Fair enough, you’ve got me. Just like before, right? Working together in that ancient temple?” You lean closer. “You think I will ever forgive you for what you did to me? If you’re threatening to run and tell Scorpan if I don’t bring you along, why shouldn’t I just kill you where you stand and ease the burden on my end?”
>”Maybe you should. Are you afraid of leaving me here to warn the rest of the academy? Or are you more afraid of me learning where you are going?”
>Continuing to meet her gaze, you both stand in silence for a tense moment.
>You contemplate what it could mean to bring her along.
>It could be trouble.
>But then again, perhaps it would actually help---after all, if the spirits of Mestare, provided they do exist, only allow certain people to see certain things, what will she see?
>You then turn and indicate the ramp.
“Ladies first.”
>Wordlessly, she enters and you follow after, closing the ramp behind you.
>In a few minutes, the ship is powered up and pulling out of the hanger, rocketing up to the dull red night sky of Korriban.
>Bringing up the navicomputer, you chart a route to Mestare.
>Thankfully the information is intact, and soon enough you are in hyperspace.
>With the ship in motion, you sit back in the pilot’s seat and look to your right.
>Maud sits very still, like a statue, but her eyes stray over to you.
>For several minutes of silence so thick you could cut it with a lightsaber, you stare at each other, each unwilling to say anything at all.
>You wonder if she is always like this.
 
“So, is that all you’re going to do this whole trip? Sit and stare?”
>”I don’t like you very much.”
“Never would have guessed,” you reply, rolling your eyes.
>It suddenly occurs to you that, due to the featureless nature of your replacements, the effect is likely lost.
>”But when I look at you, I see a lot of different things. Things I wouldn’t want to have happen to me.”
You hold up your mechanical arm. “Like this?”
>”I didn’t think you would survive. I didn’t think you would come back and become what you are now.”
“Of course you didn’t. You pushed me out of the way and just left me there.”
>”But I didn’t know you’d come back. That’s why I did it.”
>You can’t help but be skeptical.
“What, and now that you see this, all of this,” you indicate your mask, your arm, the scars around your eyes, “you… what?”
>You end on the question, not sure where she’s going with this.
>In the past, she’s been insulting and dismissive, so that’s what you expect.
>”I wouldn’t want it to happen to me. I wouldn’t wish it on someone else, either.” She looks away, out the glass at hyperspace beyond. “Do you wish you were dead? Wouldn’t it be either then?”
>You’re silent for a moment as you contemplate it.
“No.”
>”Why?”
“If I were dead, I wouldn’t get a chance to do what I want. I still want a lot of things. Revenge.”
>”On me?”
>She turns back again and looks at you.
>You meet her gaze with a cold stare of your own.
“When I dragged myself out of that temple, there was nothing I wanted more than to kill you. I almost did.”
 
>”I’m glad you didn’t.”
“Wasn’t my choice.”
>”I know. I’m glad I am alive as well. I prefer it, as  you do.” She pauses before adding, “If our positions had been reversed, and I now sat with the torture that was visited upon you, I still would not rather be dead.”
>Even though you already answered her when she asked this question, now you are curious for her reasons, if they are similar to your own.
“Why?”
>”I’d like to find something to live for before I die.”
>Though her voice carries the same monotone, there is something else hidden beneath it that you are beginning to pick up the more you speak with her.
>Though you can’t place the exact emotion hidden within those words, it sounds like regret.
“And is that what the Sith can offer you?”
>She blinks twice. “What would you do if I said no? Would you betray me, as you betrayed Noteworthy?”
“Noteworthy betrayed the Sith. I knew he wasn’t going to escape.” You reflect on those events before continuing, “Yes, I had his confidence. I betrayed that. But I don’t have your confidence, so what is there to betray?”
>”I suppose so.” She sits back, folding her hands in her lap. “I went to the Sith because I knew the Jedi wouldn’t take me.”
“You don’t really know that.”
 
>”You do.”
>You find her eyes have taken on a strange quality, a softer one.
>”You had experience with the Jedi. I can tell.”
“How could you, if you haven’t?”
>”I’ve heard stories. The Grandmaster distrusts any who have but a touch of the Dark Side within them. I would have been sent away to the Jedi Service Corps to live a dull life.”
“That wouldn’t be so bad. Your life could be given a purpose and you’d work towards something better.”
>A lie, and she knows it, surprisingly well in fact.
>”Then why did you run away?”
“Just how much do you know about me, anyway?”
>”I didn’t know that, until you just confirmed it for me.”
>You almost think you see the faintest hint of a smile from her.
“I ran because I wanted revenge and the Jedi would not give it to me.”
>”And that is why I didn’t join them.”
>You look at her, waiting for her to explain.
>”Revenge.”
"Against who? The one who did?"
>"Yes, and no." She looks away. “I didn’t burn my home. I didn’t kill my family. But for a long time, I blamed myself.”
>You start piecing it together based on her contextual clues.
“You felt weak,” you say softly. “You could’ve done something. But you didn’t, and now all you have is the memory.”
>She nods.
 
“I know a thing or two about that.”
>For the remainder of the trip, you and she sit in silence.
>You keep yourself awake, vigilant and wary of any sudden moves she could make, but she actually falls asleep on the way there.
>Her eyes grow heavy and she leans back, still sitting almost perfectly still, but silently sleeping.
>You steal more than a few glances over at her during this time, and wonder why you agreed to bring her.
>True, Scorpan ordered you not to kill her, but here you are, already disobeying him.
>Then again, he never told you NOT to leave the temple without his permission, so there you go.
>You could kill her right now, during the trip.
>You could kill her on Mestare.
>But what point would it serve?
>Revenge for your arm, perhaps.
>You still want that, don't you?
>You look at the mechanical construct, and feel the phantom pain of the limb that was once there.
>A bit of you, left behind on Dromund Kaas, because of her.
>And yet, you find yourself holding back that anger, that rage, that all-consuming hatred that made you choke her when you escaped.
>Why?
>Is it because of what you are doing, where you are going, and why you are doing it?
>Ever since Sunset and Luna appeared upon that station, you've found yourself slowly changing, and are only now coming to realize it.
>It was only barely a day ago, but already you are breathing easier despite your mask.
 
>Your heart no longer feels as heavy, your mind feels calmer.
>Even the pain from your augmentations and the mask feels less; your headache is lighter.
>You can think more clearly.
>So why do you not want to kill her?
>Looking over at her now, you can't help but see not the person who is responsible for your injury, though she is, but someone in a similar situation to yourself.
>It's true, she wants your position, wants your power---but she's seen what it's done to you and is having second thoughts.
>And in a way, you sense she feels sympathy for you as well.
>In spite of your prior mutual hostilities, here you are, sitting next to her, and you do not want to kill her.
>Because you think that the path to balance may yet exist.
>If it does, then in a way, she only helped you along your path to learn the nature of the Dark Side.
>But what will happen if you go to Mestare and there is nothing, as Scorpan told you?
>What will you do if there is no spirit, no way to balance the furies of light and darkness?
>Then, perhaps... hope will fade again.
>And you'd have less reservations about taking her life, you think.
>For here you sit, hoping that you will find truth on Mestare, hoping that you will not have to kill her.
>Because if there is nothing, if there is only the Dark Side left... then you will.
>You contemplate this in silence as she sleeps soundly alongside you.
>It's strange...
>She's rather lovely, in a way.
>But she's cold, hiding her emotions under a stone-faced, emotionless visage.
'Like me,' you think.
 
>You turn back, staring into the blue-white void of hyperspace.
'Careful, Anon. Careful.'
>Content that nothing bad that you wouldn't be able to sense would happen, you drift off as well.
>It proves to be a short nap, however.
>The ship jolts very subtly as it comes out of hyperspace, appearing in a system that is familiar to you.
>Maud wakes up, her blue eyes opening as she reacts by sitting forward and staring out.
>"Three suns," she notes in a soft voice.
"It's impressive, isn't it?" you say, taking over manual control of the ship.
>Guiding it towards the planet of Mestare, you see it from a distance.
>The planetary rings, along with its two moons, are beautifully visible from this angle.
>"I've never seen a world like this."
"What about your home?"
>"It was a rocky, grey planet. Dromund Kaas was dark, blue and swampy. Murky. Korriban, dusty and red. Manaan was all blue, featureless in its own way. But none like this."
"This is Mestare," you explain. "A place lost to most of the galaxy."
>A small beeping on your radar tells you that it's not lost anymore.
>Pulling up a menu, you detect several radar frequencies coming from the planet.
>Sith transmissions.
"Scorpan left out that bit of information, it seems," you say.
>"He sent men here," she deduces.
"He said it was a scouting party. Looks like more than that to me, since they're still here."
>She looks up from the console. "What are you going to do?"
 
After pausing in thought, you reply, "Let's see what my master is up to."
>As you approach the atmosphere of the planet, your ship is hailed.
>"This is Captain Oriel Outpost Tri-Echo-Fargo. Vessel, identify yourself."
>Pressing the communication button, you respond.
"This is the personal transport of Nito, and I have travelled to this planet from Korriban. Lower any defenses and allow us to land."
>With your hands on the navigation controls, you hone in on the source of the transmissions.
>As you do, the man on the other end messages back.
>"Us? Who is with you? And what authority gives you jurisdiction?"
"I am the personal pupil of Lord Scorpan, my master and yours. Do not risk his ire by denying this vessel, captain."
>You take your finger off.
>"Scorpan is not with us," Maud points out.
"He doesn't know that."
>After a moment, just as you begin to enter the clouds, the captain responds.
>"You have been cleared to land alongside our encampment. It will be prepared before your arrival."
>As your ship descends beneath the clouds, you once more take in the gorgeous landscape of Mestare.
>Fields of green, rivers of blue, snow-capped mountains, all found within miles and miles of untouched nature in all of its glory.
>Even after all that has happened, you can find an appreciation for the magnificence of this place.
>Maud, too, is taking in the landscape as your transport soars across the sky, passing a flock of alien birds who bank to avoid your ship.
>Down below, a herd of large, reptilian animals can be seen, grazing in a field.
>"This place..." she says, her voice trailing off.
"You feel it as well," you say. "This planet radiates in the Force. It's full of life---plants, animals, even the rocks have a presence in it."
 
>"I've felt it before," Maud says with a nod. "Even in rocks..."
"It's not something the Sith talk about much. Everything has a presence in the Force, no matter how big, how small, how animate. It's a Jedi teaching. The Sith care nothing for how everything fits together, they care about the individual who can rise above it all."
>"And are they wrong to do so?"
"I don't know. But when you look at a planet like this... it's hard not to feel part of something greater, rather than the greatest thing in the galaxy."
>She is silent as you come over a series of hills, only to discover a rather dismal sight.
>A militaristic outpost has been erected in the center of a large clearing, right alongside a river.
>From a distance, you can make out four sentry towers, as well as a dirt road that has been formed leading towards a nearby mountain.
>Large, wheeled vehicles are in the process of returning from the mountain, their massive tires having been the cause of the road's formation.
>The vehicles appear to be ground transports for raw materials, and you can guess as to what they might be hauling.
>Several transports can be seen, cargo haulers in their own right, arranged neatly alongside the camp.
>The camp itself consists of a number of prefabricated colony-like structures of rigid metal and plastic, all plastered with the sign of the Sith Empire.
>In addition to workers, you can see troopers wielding blaster rifles.
>One of them is holding up flashing signaling wands to get your attention.
 
>He directs you to the landing site, a patch of dirt right outside of the main compound of the camp.
>Upon engaging the landing gear and touching down, you hesitate in lowering the exit ramp.
>Maud looks at you as your hand hovers over the controls and you return her stare.
"You wanted to come here, to see where I was going and why. I can't do that with these people here. They're going to report everything back to Lord Scorpan if we let them."
>She seems to understand your implied meaning.
>Wordlessly, you lower the exit ramp and you both leave the cockpit.
>You descend down the ramp, your cloaks blowing in the breeze, as you take in your welcome party.
>The captain, an officer in a dark felt uniform with a black cap, approaches you, flanked by two guards.
>The man is blonde, with green eyes and a square face, standing about a foot taller than yourself.
>Quite an intimidating figure for those who are easily intimidated.
>"I am Captain Oriel, commander of this outpost. Where is Lord Scorpan?"
"Not here. I have been sent here on my master's behalf."
>His eyes narrow. "And her?"
"Another member of the Sith Academy and a personal associate. We have been sent to personally oversee this operation and report on it back to Lord Scorpan."
>The captain takes a moment to straighten his back and you can see his neck bulge for a moment in irritation.
>You can sense his frustration without even looking at him.
>"I do not recognize your authority on this matter. I was informed that Lord Scorpan himself would be coming to this outpost."
"The master of the academy has him busy with other matters that require his attention," you lie. "But you seem upset by something, captain."
 
>He scoffs. "Upset? This outpost is understaffed and critically unsupplied. We have been forced to make several expeditions into the local area in search of supplies in order to replenish our stocks, and our communications to Korriban requesting additional personnel, equipment and supplies have been met with silence."
>You look on at the large vehicles returning to the base.
"And how goes production?"
>"Lord Scorpan expects much more in a short span of time than we can acquire with the limited personnel. Furthermore, the equipment we have been provided with to use in the extraction and refinement of the crystals is ill-suited to the task and prone to malfunctioning."
"And why is that? Is the equipment old and outdated?"
>"Something about the caves and the material of the crystals causes the equipment to shut down. When the crystals are extracted, the material displaced by the cutting goes up into the air and clings to the equipment. The refining process is not much different, with similar results that delay our production time."
>As he speaks, you walk around him, which angers him even more.
>Clearly, he doesn't like that he has to answer to you.
>You walk through the outpost, noting the prefabricated building units that are used as refinery stations.
>Tubes run out of them into the river; one to suck up water, and one to expel it.
>Noticeably, the second tube is discharging reddish, discolored liquid.
"The refining system pollutes the water?" you ask without turning around.
 
>"There's no way around it. We've been forced to adopt alternative refinement techniques, at the detriment of the environment. We've barely managed to make our first production milestone. If things continue the way they have been, Lord Scorpan will be disappointed, but I refuse to accept responsibility for this shoddy production with the tools and personnel we have been given."
>You look at Maud briefly before turning back to the captain.
"You seem to have plenty of soldiers."
>"Soldiers, yes, and only soldiers. I'm talking about workers who are experienced in the extraction and refinement of exotic crystals."
"Everyone at this camp is a soldier for the Sith?"
>"Precisely!"
>You once more look at Maud, who stands perfectly still.
"What do you think about that?"
>"I think it's time we stopped playing."
"I agree."
>Turning to face the man fully, you take out your lightsaber and turn it on while flicking it outwards with your wrist.
>Maud does the same, her bone-white saber held casually in front of her.
>The captain and his guards are all startled. “What? What is the meaning of this?” he demands, reaching for his blaster.
“Good news, captain. You won’t have to worry about the production anymore. Effective immediately, all assets are to be terminated.”
>Without further delay, he quickly draws his blaster pistol and prepares to fire, but you’re quicker, thanks to reflexes honed by training and the Force.
>A single slash takes his arm off, which, upon hitting the ground, causes his finger to pull the trigger.
>The red blast fires harmlessly off to the side as he falls to his knees, wailing in pain.
 
>You could’ve killed him, but you felt like teaching him a lesson on trying to pull a gun on a Sith.
>Turns out, the lesson wouldn’t be needed for long, as Maud swiftly executes him by chopping off his head.
>As the body and its severed head hit the dirt, the two soldiers raise their rifles.
>With her free hand, she holds it out and commands two chunks of earth to fly up and smash into the dark glass of their helmets, obscuring their vision and knocking them back a few paces.
>Taking advantage of this, you dash forward and vertically bisect them both.
>As the four halves fall, you find yourself feeling a level of detached glee.
>It’s been a while since you’ve been able to cut loose like this---you intend on enjoying it.
>A nearby tower guard saw all of this happen, and quickly raises an alarm.
>All around the camp, soldiers begin to arm themselves and get ready to defend their outpost and their lives.
>You and Maud wait out in the open as guards in the towers get you in their sights.
>Soon enough, the others have you semi-surrounded as you stand with your backs to the lake.
>”Drop your weapons!” one of the soldiers shouts. “You are surrounded!”
>You give Maud a look, and she nods towards the ground.
>You understand her meaning.
>Thrusting both of your hands in a violent motion towards the dirt below, you both push outwardly, creating a dust storm of kinetic energy that knocks a few of the frontline men down and causes others behind them to stumble.
>The guards in the towers lose sight of you as the dust is kicked up, but they can see your lightsabers.
>They begin to fire wildly, erratically, as do some of the ground soldiers.
 
>Through the dust, you can make out the supports of one of the towers and you hurl your lightsaber in that direction.
>One of the soldiers is in the way, but he is cut down by your spinning saber.
>Like the blades of a fan, your lightsaber whirls around and slices through each leg of the tower.
>When your lightsaber comes back to you, you catch it in your fake hand and use your real hand to apply some pressure to the top of the tower.
>It, along with its two soldiers, begins to fall towards a group of soldiers.
>It hits the ground with a tremendous crash, killing all of them.
>Meanwhile, Maud deflects several blasts back at their firers, taking them down.
>Her preferred power is telekinesis, however, and when she sees her chance, she crouches low and punches her palm upwards while blocking a stray shot that nears her through the veil of dust.
>This maneuver allows her to upturn a truck from below, causing it to flip over onto a few of the remaining soldiers.
>They’re on the run now, retreating to a reinforced position while the remaining three towers lay down covering fire.
>Through use of the Force, you can sense where they are going to shoot before they do, and where those who are hiding can be found.
>Some of them have run into the buildings to await your entrance.
>A smart move; funnel an enemy into a corridor and take them down with overlapping fields of fire.
>Unfortunately for them, these prefabricated containers are not lightsaber-proof.
>You charge up to the wall of one of them, ducking under a volley of lasers from a tower guard, putting your back to it.
>You sense the person on the other side, and stab your lightsaber through, feeling the kill.
>You withdraw it and turn around, cutting an X into the wall before pushing it inwards, which also knocks over another soldier inside.
 
>Leaping through the hole of bent metal, you find yourself in a barracks room, with one other soldier remaining.
>He arms a thermal detonator and prepares to throw it out of desperation.
>A bomb is a bad choice for close-quarters combat.
>Spying an open locker behind him, you raise your hand and push him backwards, into it, and slam it shut.
>You then turn around and crouch so as to protect yourself from the blast as the locker tears itself apart from within in a white-hot flash of burning light.
>Emerging from the smoking barracks, you see Maud pick up a nearby boulder with her powers and hurl it at a tower, destroying it and knocking both soldiers from it.
>Momentarily distracted by the spectacle, you don’t immediately notice a truck driving in your direction until its headlights flash on and it’s almost about to run you over.
>You leap straight up and land on its hood, staring at the soldier driving it.
>After impaling him through the windshield, you reach in through the hole your lightsaber made and turn the wheel so as to make it crash into another tower.
>You then leap off and roll along the ground, popping up to watch as it smashes into the tower base, collapsing it and causing an explosion.
>Fire rises high up as the tower bends downwards and over the truck.
>One of the men flies from the tower, falling towards you through the air.
>A simple slash puts him down for good before he even hits the ground.
>With one tower remaining, you turn and look towards it, seeing the soldiers preparing to fire.
 
>They blast at you, but rather than dodge or block it with your lightsaber, you decide to do something you haven’t had a chance to do in a while.
>Raising your hand, you help guide the shots towards your palm.
>They impact against it, each sending a wave of heat through your arm and letting off a small shower of sparks.
>You absorb each shot, collecting the energy within yourself.
>You can feel it burning within you, it makes your heart race and your blood pump faster.
>Too much of this energy can threaten to overload you; the most likely scenario would be you burning from the inside-out or simply exploding.
>But you command the energy, control it, and maintain firm power over it.
>Whatever strength those blaster rifles have, you are several times more powerful.
>When they stop shooting, distraught and disbelieving of their eyes, you look up at them and focus the energy within you back up your arm.
“My turn.”
>You shout as you unleash everything, guiding it all of your fingertips and palm as a brilliant display of lightning.
>Your bolts strike the tower, electrifying it and setting parts of it on fire.
>Not only do you focus the energy, you amplify it with your emotions.
>You pour your anger, your hatred, your rage into the assault, thinking about one man: Scorpan.
>Externalizing your unrelenting hatred at the pain he has given you, visualizing him as the tower itself, you utterly destroy it.
>Parts of it melt and bolts fly out of their joints.
>The men, needless to say, are toasted in their armor.
>When it is done, when the streaks of blue lightning cease to fly from your hand and calm overtakes you, all that is left of the tower is a smoking, blasted wreck.
>Panting heavily, you turn to look at Maud, who approaches from the other side of the clearing.
>”There are no more,” she says, looking around.
>You can sense that she is right---the only significant lifesign around is her own.
“Good work,” you compliment her, putting away your weapon.
 
>"That power," she says, her brow turned slightly upwards.
"It's a gift."
>"How do you manifest it?"
"I wish I knew. My studies have told me only of the ways it can be done, but not everyone can do it, fewer still can master it. Some people are naturally gifted in the Force in certain ways, and that one is mine."
>"Yours is impressive..." she admits.
>You shrug and look at the rest of the camp, especially the hauling transports and the shuttles.
>"Now what?" she asks as she puts away her lightsaber. "They're all dead."
"But not everything is gone," you reply, looking at the remainder of the outpost. "We're going to destroy the rest."
>As you crack the knuckles of your real hand and prepare to get to work, Maud steps in front of you, placing her hand upon your chest, urging you to step back.
>Out of curiosity, you indulge her request, returning to the riverside and stepping over a few bodies as you do.
>She stands in the heart of the camp, with her hands positioned flatly over the ground at waist-height.
>At first, everything is still and quiet, save for the burning of the fires around the camp, and she merely stands with her head bowed.
>Just when you are about to taunt her, you begin to feel it.
>There is something building, an energy that you can sense both physically and through the Force.
>Power is building, causing the pebbles on the ground to shake.
>Your feet feel a quiver, a tremor that grows in magnitude slowly but surely.
>Looking up from the ground, you see the dirt around Maud begin to shift and change.
 
>A circle forms around her, as though the dirt beneath is shifting, twisting, hardening.
>With her hands perfectly still and palms facing downwards, she commands the earth to shake.
>Contained within her is all the power she has built up with her most stern of concentration, and in an instant, she lets it all out.
>A wave of energy is released, invisible but a burst of strength and kinetic motion that causes the ground to crack and splinter.
>Dirt and stone yield to it, coming apart like the crust of a pie being torn in half.
>You stumble a bit before righting yourself with a more solid stance, watching in awe as the camp begins to buckle.
>Buildings built atop solid ground now shift and lean, while the tower you lit up bends as its supports become unbalanced.
>You watch as a chasm opens up, deep and black, and two corpses fall into it, tumbling down into darkness.
>Dust and dirt are kicked up into the air in geyser-like bursts as pebbles and small stones shake and bounce upon the ground.
>A building falls, one corner dipping down into a hole before the rest follows with it, the building now wedged sideways in the gap.
>Realizing that she means to bury the entire camp, you reach out and levitate a crate of finished crystals out of harm's way and over to your side.
>As you do, the spot where it previously stood now crumbles down, it and the building alongside it falling as though there were nothing underneath it.
>And in the center of it all, like an eye of the storm, Maud stands straight and firm, her hands conducting the choir of the earth, each motion of her fingers plucking the strings of the ground itself.
>The ground is hers to command, and she radiates power unlike any you've ever felt.
 
>It surges into the ground, spreads out and spirals back into itself, collecting at her feet so that she may use it again.
>The technique is fascinating to behold, and devastating to the environment around her.
>All of the buildings, towers, vehicles and men start to vanish beneath the swallowing ground.
>From where you are, you watch the two refinery buildings fall beneath the surface, dragging their tubes out of the water and down with them.
>The entirety of the camp, excluding your own ship, is brought below.
>And when everything has vanished, when nothing remains but the large openings in the earth she has forged, her work is only nearly done.
>Turning her hands up for the first time, she then violently slams them down onto the ground.
>This creates a veritable shockwave, a crescendo to her performance that causes every gap she created to funnel inwards.
>The earth seals, burying everything in a climactic and terrifying quake, leaving only a flat surface of dirt behind.
>Maud falls to her knees as the ground stops shaking.
>In concentrating her power through the ground at her feet, she compacted it so finely that it turned to stone.
>A perfect circle of stone, is all that remains in the clearing, for everything else has been buried.
>You imagine that, in time, the dirt will once more have grass covering it, but the stone circle will remain, the only clue and memorial to the existence of the Sith outpost, swallowed by the earth.
>You can hear her panting deeply as you approach.
>Though on all fours, she manages to look up with weary eyes.
>"You... You have your gifts..." she breathes, coughing a bit. "That. That is mine."
"Most impressive..." you say, holding out your hand.
 
>Reaching up, she takes hold of it tightly and you pull her up alongside you.
>Staring into her eyes, she lets out a deep breath, composing herself.
"Have you ever exerted yourself like this before?"
>"Never. I did not know that I could."
You nod. "I didn't know about my gift either until I used it for the first time."
>"We are more alike than either of us realized," she says, and though you had already come to a similar conclusion, you are still surprised to hear her say it.
"Maybe we are. Perhaps..."
>"Perhaps we should work together, but this time without betrayal."
"Perhaps we should."
>Parting, she steps back. "Why did you come to this planet?"
"It wasn't to destroy this outpost. That's just a bonus, because I hate Scorpan." You turn away and look back at the crate. "This planet is special for a number of reasons. These crystals can allow a lightsaber to cut through cortosis."
>Though her face betrays no emotion, she nods in understanding. "I can see why Scorpan would value them... Weapons against the Force Hunters."
"Likely, he envisioned an army of Sith warriors with blades that could cut them down. But that's not why I came here."
>Turning back towards the mountains, you look beyond them and feel with the Force, reaching out with your mind and broadening your awareness.
 
"There are other things upon this world... And I saw one of them when I was here last. Scorpan nearly convinced me that what I saw was nothing but an illusion, either of the Force or me going mad, but I don't believe him. I can't believe him."
>"What are you talking about?"
"Balance. Between the Dark Side and the Light. Walking with one foot in either, but consumed by neither. It's why I left the Jedi, why I joined the Sith. To learn from them the ways of the Dark Side, so that I could return here, and learn balance."
>"What you speak of," she says, walking up behind you, "can it be done?"
"I don't truly know. And my doubt is the reason I came back here. If there is something on this world, then I was right. If there isn't, then Scorpan was wrong."
>You feel something echoing in the Force.
>Not a voice, not a whisper, but a murmur that hints at something more.
>Though the planet is full of life, something calls out to you, and as you outstretch your hand you feel it resounding somewhere beyond the mountain range.
"I know the truth is there. I'm going to find it."
>You start walking.
>She raises her voice a bit. "The transport---"
"I won't need it. This is something I should do myself."
>You only get out a few yards when you hear her walking quickly to keep pace behind you.
>"I'm going with you. I want to see this."
"You might not see anything at all. I might not either."
>She doesn't reply, and keeps walking.
>You and she walk for a considerable period of time, striding in silence across the fields of Mestare.
>Crossing rivers, walking beneath thickets of trees, climbing the slopes of hills and walking between mountains.
 
>You follow the Force, putting your faith into it.
>If there is something to be seen, you will find it when you are ready.
>Recalling the words of the spirit, who informed you that the temples and other places upon this world were obscured to those who were not worthy of seeing them, all you can do is hope that the trail you are following is not for nothing.
>Maud keeps pace, silently following and not complaining, even as your own legs grow tired and you find yourself hungry and thirsty.
>The light of the suns, far away, begins to grow dim as the planet rotates, bringing night with it.
>But still you press onwards, determined, until the stars above shine in the cloudless night sky.
>Finally, after walking for what seems miles, you stop.
>The signal, if it can so be called, ends here, and you detect nothing.
>There is only a clearing in the center of the woods, with a mountain on each side.
>Above, one of the two moons slowly moves across the sky.
"There's nothing," you whisper, pausing to fall down onto a knee.
>Your legs ache and your knees wobble, and soon you are sitting down.
>Maud stands next to you, looking around.
>"How can you be so sure there is nothing, when you were led here by something?"
"Because even if there were something, we're not worthy to see it. Or maybe there truly is nothing, and none of it has mattered. None of it at all."
>Looking down, you run your hand through your hair and let out a frustrated sigh.
>Maud, however, contemplates differently.
 
>Her voice takes on a changed tone, lighter than usual.
>"Do you believe that things happen for a reason?"
You sigh. "Some do. Some believe that the Force has a will of its own, that it guides all who follow it towards a certain path. That everything does happen for a reason. Some don't. I don't know what to believe anymore."
>You get up and prepare to leave, but she stops you with her hand, grabbing your arm.
>"Stay," she bids.
"There's nothing."
>"Stay."
>You close your eyes and decide to follow her bidding, if only to rest your legs for a bit.
>As you kneel back down, she speaks.
>"For a long time, I believed that nothing happened for a reason, and that nothing mattered." She sits down alongside you, continuing, "What are we, but small specks in an uncaring, unfeeling, massive universe?"
>You wave your hand.
"When I was a miner in the darkness of Kessel, I felt the same. I imagine everyone does, at some point. The existential horror of the cosmos is hard to escape from."
>She ignores your point and keeps going.
>"I lived on a rocky planet. My father was a geologist, and we had a farm. It was a simple life, away from the rest of our kind, but maybe that's what doomed us."
>You look over at her as you sit down, stretching out your legs to help with their rest.
>A brief memory of the image you extracted from her mind, a burning home, flashes in your mind.
"Who destroyed your home?"
>"Raiders. Pirates. It doesn't matter. They worked for the Hutts, and my father was behind on payments. In the end, they decided to just burn everything."
 
>She looks up at the moon, watching it slowly drift across the gulf of space in its orbit.
>"I watched it all happen. The fire took everything and then they took me. I was a slave. They broke me."
>You silently listen to her story, and as you do, you come to understand why she shows so little emotion.
>"I kept telling myself to be like a rock. Solid, cold, emotionless. But strong in its own way. That way they could never truly break me."
>She looks over at you. "Stones can be dull, but chip away at them enough, and they become sharp. I earned my freedom in blood, and I felt the Force for the first time. I thought it was a sign, and so I sought out the Sith, because I thought the Jedi sounded weak. I had been a slave and now I wanted power."
>She pauses, letting her words linger, before saying, "But look at you. You're a slave to Scorpan."
"I'm not---"
>"It doesn't matter if you feel like you are or you aren't. He holds your leash. I didn't realize it at first, because I was angry and exhilarated at how I had earned my freedom, but the Sith follow the same rules as the slavers who controlled me. I just wanted more power so that I could never be a slave again. I wanted it so badly that I left you to die."
>Looking away from her and down at your arm, you decide to reveal what you saw after your return from the space station.
"Scorpan took me to see the master of the academy, Tirek. He treated Scorpan like that bothan treats me. What you say is true: the Sith are like the slavers, because the Sith are masters of their servants. It doesn't matter how high you go, unless you're the one on top. Otherwise you'll always be someone's slave, even if you are the master of someone else."
 
>"I don't want to be a Sith if it means that I must perpetuate a system I despise. I was blind to see it, but through you and what he did to you, I now understand. And now I know that neither do you, because you came here hoping to find something that would steer you away from the path of the Sith."
>You look away and sigh, rubbing your forehead above the mask.
"But what does it matter, in the end? There isn't anything here. It was all a lie, a fabrication. Maybe Scorpan was right... And all I saw on this world was a trick to lure me away." You slam a hand onto the soft grass. "I'm such a fool. I've always been a fool..."
>In a surprising move, she reaches over and places her hand upon your own.
>"I used to think that nothing happens for a reason. That everything is terrible because we make it the way it is. But that was before I came to truly understand the Force... even though I know so little."
>You look back, meeting her eyes as they shine in the moonlight.
>"Now I believe things do happen for a reason. There's a reason I was compelled to come with you, and it wasn't to help you destroy that camp."
"Then what?"
>Far above, the moon moves into alignment with the mountains, now positioned directly above the clearing.
>Like an image appearing in the reflective surface of water, fading into reality from nothingness, something begins to appear in the heart of the clearing.
>You both look on as a temple takes form, wrought of dark stone and spires of obsidian.
>The temple is like a cathedral, ancient and ominous, abandoned and in a state of disrepair, but it exists.
>The moon above shines through its roof, illuminating only part of the inside with white light.
"I don't... I didn't believe..."
>Her response is timid, barely above a whisper. "I think that is why we fail."
 
>As you step closer, towards the open entrance, you look back at her.
"Aren't you coming?"
>"No," she shakes her head. "I know now that things do happen for a reason, and my reason for being here is done. You would have given up when you saw nothing... but I kept you here."
>Turning back to the temple, you sense a great many strange things, things you do not understand.
>You felt similar sensations last when you first encountered the spirit on this planet, the echo who set you on the path to balance.
"You should see this for yourself."
>"I already believe."
>After understanding that she will not come with you, you nod and enter the temple.
>Within is darkness, save for the mote of light coming from above.
>You walk to the center of it and wait.
>A crumbling noise can be heard as the stone doors to the temple close, pushing stone and mud away as they scrape along the ground.
>Turning back to the front, you look around and see nothing in the darkness.
"Spirit," you speak out loud, hoping that the echo would reappear.
>But nothing happens.
"Are you there? I have returned. I need... more guidance."
 
>You are startled when you hear the sound of a lightsaber activating.
>To your right, you see a green blade spring from nothingness, held by a hooded figure.
"Spirit? Is that you?"
>The figure is still, holding the blade in front of his face so you cannot see it---if it even has a face at all.
>Then, you see something else: the blade, the hilt, is unmistakably your own: the Arbitrator.
"Is this supposed to be me?"
>You can feel an aura of peace and serenity characterizing this phantom, one of wisdom and quiet tranquility.
>To the visage's right, another blade ignites, but this time it is a brilliant yellow.
>It too is held by a hooded figure, but the hilt is different.
>Gold and silver, artistic and beautifully carved with flowing symbols painstakingly etched upon it.
>You have seen it before.
"That is Fluttershy's saber..."
>This figure is different, for it emanates strength, courageousness and an adventurous spirit.
>To your left, on the opposite side of the room, a third blade ignites.
>This one burns orange, a fiery blaze of color, and the hilt is of your own weapon, the Vehement.
>Behind the blade is a masked figure, shrouded in darkness.
>His is a cloak of despair, of loneliness and regret.
>And then, before you can say anything, a fourth and final blade is revealed, that of a brilliant crimson.
>The red lightsaber burns brightly in the darkness, but the figure behind it is darker than any other.
>This is a being of cold menace, without empathy, remorse, or judgment.
>It exudes a great many things, but life is not one of them.
>Each of these beings is different---and yet they are the same, for each of them is you.
"I don't understand," you whisper.
>"You are not ready."
 
>The combination of many voices, ghostly and echoing, is all too familiar.
>He is here---the echo.
"I have faced the darkness, and I returned, as I said I would!" you call out, to no avail.
>"You have walked in darkness, cloaked yourself in it, hidden in its embrace, but you have not faced it. You have not faced the Sacrifice."
"The Sacrifice... that Sunset spoke of? But I have killed for the Sith!"
>"In your time amongst the Dark Side, you have not learned what the true meaning of the Sacrifice is. It is not about sacrificing another, but yourself."
"I must die?"
>"No. But you shall sacrifice your sense of self, and in so doing, become reborn. At the moment of your transformation, you shall see before you many roads, branching outwards like a tree."
>You realize what the spirit speaks of.
"The Shatterpoint..."
>"The person you have been shall die, and you shall become someone new in life---or in death, through the Force."
"Why didn't you tell me any of this before? You said that if I took the crystal, I would fall to the Dark Side and yet, here I stand with a crystal in my lightsaber!"
>"But only after you had sought the teachings of the Sith, and remain in the thrall of your new master. You were told what you needed to be told, in accordance with the ancients and the prophecy."
"To the Maw with the prophecy! What do I need to do to find balance? You say I have paths to take---well which one is the right one?"
>"There is no such thing. There is light, there is dark, there is balance."
"But I see four blades," you say, looking around the room at the apparitions.
>"And a fifth path is yet to be known, invisible to your eyes, for therein lies no blade, only the Force."
 
>You let those words sink in, standing still as one by one, each blade deactivates and its spectre vanishes into nothingness.
"If what you say is true... then my moment of Sacrifice is also the Shatterpoint I have been foretold about."
>"Yes."
"When that time comes, what must I do? What if I cannot kill an innocent life?"
>"Then you will never sacrifice enough of yourself to truly bring balance into your life, nor others. You mustn't do anything but choose."
"How will I know which choice is right?"
>"You will not."
"What kind of path would you have me take? You're telling me that I must take an innocent life to know the balance you've spoken of?"
>"The Sacrifice is not of the innocent life you take. The Sacrifice is giving up your own innocence for something greater."
"And what of the Dark Side?"
>"Sacrifice too much, and you will be lost. Sacrifice nothing, and you will be just as lost. Both of these paths promise peace in their own way---be it light, or darkness."
"Then I must go back," you say, sighing a bit. "I must. I could run, I could hide---but the bomb in my head would go off, sooner or later. I must go back."
>"Darkness has you in its grip. At the moment of the Sacrifice, you shall be freed. All is according to the prophecy, as foreseen by the ancients."
>After standing in silence for a few moments more, the moon moves out of its position directly above the temple, its last ray of light leaving you in total darkness.
>That is when the doors open once more, and a light breeze brushes past you.
>Light from the outside streams in, and you realize that you are standing in a featureless, empty room.
>The spirit is gone.
 
>When you emerge from this place, you look upon Maud, who stands and walks up to you, curiosity in her eyes.
"I know what I must do," you tell her. "We need to return to Korriban."
>As you move, she steps slightly in front of you.
>"Wait. I would like to see something."
>She moves towards the empty temple.
"What do you think you will see?"
>"Whatever I can," she says without turning back.
>She enters it and sits down amongst the darkness, and the doors close.
>You wait for several minutes, and during this time you reflect on what you have learned.
>The Sacrifice... the Shatterpoint...
>Two things you must face at once, but when?
>Will it be when you return to Korriban?
>And who will be the one you must kill?
>It could be anyone who Scorpan believes would provoke the deepest reaction out of you.
>Perhaps Flash Sentry, or even Coco.
>What if he captures one of your friends back at the Jedi Temple, and forces you to kill them?
>Could you live with yourself if you made such a choice?
>Then again, the spirit spoke of how, at the moment of the Sacrifice, you shall die and be reborn.
>In life, or death.
 
>Who you are, right now---Anon, Nito, or someone caught in between---will end, one way or another.
>It is a deeply troubling thought, one that strikes you with horrible fear.
>What can be done to prevent it?
>Nothing?
>Your attention is drawn elsewhere when the doors to the temple open up and Maud walks out, her eyes cast low, distracted by something.
>Perhaps what she has seen?
As she approaches, you speak to her, "What happened? What did you see?"
>She stops and looks up at you, and for the first time, you see in her eyes a distinct change.
>Whatever she saw, it shook her fiercely.
>"Someday, I will tell you," she says. "I came to this planet for a reason, just as you did. But we should go now."
Not wanting to push her, you nod and say, "I'm ready."
>"I am as well."
>You both walk back to your vessel in silence once more, for you are both burdened with cloudy thoughts.
>Your hearts, your minds, are both weighted down by knowledge of what is to come.
>You do not know what knowledge she gained in that temple, but whatever it is, her feet fall just as heavily as yours when she walks.
 
>When you reach your ship, in the early hours of the morning, though you are both tired and hungry, she stops you at the exit ramp.
>"I meant what I said," she says, harkening back to earlier, "about working together. About not betraying each other anymore, and about not joining the Sith."
"I did as well," you nod.
>But still you hold up your fake arm, and this causes her to reach out and touch it.
>"I never apologized," she says. "When I was on Dromund Kaas, I thought that all that mattered was power, and you were just another rival competing for it. I was afraid. I was wrong."
>She looks up into your eyes. "I'm sorry, Nito."
"Anon."
>"What?"
You reach up and take hold of her hand. "My name. It's not Nito, no matter what Scorpan says, no matter what happens. My name is Anon."
>For the first time, you see a smile grace her lips, and the two of you walk up into the ship to return to the Sith Academy.
>You pause only briefly to collect the small crate of refined mestarian crystals and bring it to your ship.
>It won't be hard for her to conceal her newfound allegiance, given her nature, and you'll keep Scorpan's attention focused squarely on you, certain that you can handle him.
>As your ship takes off, you leave Mestare behind for the second time, with newfound resolve, and you speed onwards out of the atmosphere---and towards the ever-approaching hand of fate.
 
>During your return trip, you mostly sleep and eat.
>Fatigued from the journey, rest and food are both agreeable to you and Maud.
>When you are both awake, she is curious about your time with the Jedi.
>You reveal a number of details about the temple, the training and your friends.
>Tales about the Jedi Archives and their vastness, the animal sanctuary, the tournament where you first learned about your powers, an act that earned you your status as a Padawan and set you on the path to where you are now.
>And, of course, you tell her about your descent into the Dark Side and how you left.
>She sits and listens for a long time, speaking only when appropriate or when she has a question.
>In particular, your passing mention of a series of stones catches her interest.
>You tell her about the Muntuur stones within the Kuddaka chamber, and how it is a challenge to see how many you can lift with telekinesis.
>She mentions that she would have liked to see them and try for herself, if things had been different.
>You are glad that, even in this dark time, you have been able to forge an ally out of someone you thought would forever be a hated enemy.
>It is not lost on you that only when you allowed yourself to open up, did she as well.
>Even the most seemingly emotionless beings are still living creatures with thoughts, feelings and a heart.
>But you cannot forget that there will always be those whose hearts have been lost to the corruption of the Dark Side---like your current master, whom you are speeding towards.
>And on that note, your time is nearly up and you’re almost at your destination.
“I should warn you,” you say, changing the topic, “that when we drop out of hyperspace, if he’s activated the beacon, my head may explode.”
>”Do you think he has?”
“I started this excursion by believing he would not, so in a few minutes we’ll find out if I was right or a fool to think so.”
 
>The next few minutes are spent in silence until the ship drops out of hyperspace, not far from Korriban.
>An ominous sensation in the Force strikes you as you look upon the planet.
>It has always felt dark, but something on it has changed---the energy is stronger, faster, more excited.
>You look at Maud, and she senses it as well.
>”What could it be?” she asks, but you let the word hang out in the open.
>You’re busy thinking about how, as your head is not exploded, you were right.
“I guess we’ll find out,” you tell her, setting the coordinates for the Sith Academy’s hanger.
>As you enter the red atmosphere and approach the academy, you see activity below in the fields.
>Ships, and soldiers, are preparing for something.
>The Sith Army, which you have only glimpsed from time to time, is carrying supplies and loading up their ships, as well as marching in large formations.
>It is a mobilization, and one of this scale can be no drill.
>That means an attack, or an invasion, is imminent.
>You silently guide the ship into the academy hanger, where you see more ships being prepared and worked upon.
>As you land and engage the exit ramp, you feel something else as well.
>A strange familiarity that makes you hurry towards the ramp and disembark.
>As you do so, you look up and down the hanger, until you see what has caused you to feel this way.
>Coco.
>She is in her Mandalorian battle armor with her helmet off and alongside her while she works on what appears to be a starfighter of some kind, using a tool in an open panel on the wing.
 
>You approach her, somewhat dumbfounded, as this is the first time you have seen her since your last mission and night together, before Scorpan discovered the truth.
>When she looks up, you stop, and your eyes meet.
>The first thing that appears on her face is immediate and total disgust.
>She stands up, putting her hands on her hips, as her eyes narrow.
>”Hello, ‘Nito.’ Or should I say Anon?”
>She scoops up her helmet and jumps off the wing, approaching you.
>You realize that you no longer have your visor, but she knew you from a distance.
“So, you know.”
>”Lord Scorpan made me watch,” she says, stopping a few meters away. “Everything he did to you.”
>Standing very still, you simply look into her eyes and stare.
>”I watched him pick the shards of glass out of your eyes, and then cut them out. I saw him put a bomb behind your right eye.”
‘Right eye.’
>The thought surges through the back of your mind---you never knew which eye it was until now, but you’re a bit preoccupied with the mandalorian in front of you, wondering if she is going to attack you.
>She’d certainly be in her right to.
>”Nothing to say?” she says, her lip quivering only slightly. “Nothing at all? That’s fine. Because I’ve been thinking of what I would say to you when I saw you again. I’ve been thinking about almost nothing else.”
>You see a terrible fury in her eyes, and the hand gripping her helmet is tight as can be, to the point of being uncomfortable.
>And still, you don’t know what to say.
>This reunion seemed inevitable, and yet, you never planned on what you would tell her, like she apparently did.
 
>She takes a step forward and opens her mouth before closing it quickly.
>It seems like she’s having trouble properly articulating her feelings, but you can sense her emotions and you know what great, terrible scorn brews there.
>”I’ve wanted to tell you how much I hate you,” she says. “How I’ve hated you, how I’ve always hated you, from the moment you killed my father to now. How I hate you for lying to me about who you are.”
>As she takes a step nearer, she adds, “And you knew how much I hated the Jedi. You lied about who you were, about what you were…”
>Maud, having only just left the ship, approaches to listen.
>Coco notes her approach with a dart of her eyes.
>“What were you doing with her?” she asks you accusingly.
>It seems pointless to explain things to her in this state; no matter what you say, she’ll still hate you.
“Does it matter?”
>”Of course it matters!” she shouts, starting you a bit. “It matters because I love you!” Almost as an afterthought, she shakes her head. “I meant loved! Loved!”
>To your ultimate surprise, despite her best efforts to conceal it, the truth still slipped out.
>She still loves you.
>Your eyes slowly widen as you look upon her as she fights back tears, gritting her teeth.
>”I’ve wanted to hate you but I can’t. I hate myself for not being able to hate you. I want to hate everything you are but---!”
>She drops her helmet and runs up to you, slamming a hand against your chest.
>It’s not an attack, but an expression of painful frustration.
 
>”Damn you!” she says, looking up at you. “Damn you… Ever since you dropped into my life it’s been nothing but---Just, just damn you!”
“Coco, I’m sorry---“
>”Don’t you dare!” she cuts you off, tears now flowing across her cheeks. “Don’t you dare say that you’re sorry! You pretended to be someone you’re not, made me fall in love with you again, all the while knowing that I hated you and wanted you dead!”
“I did.”
>”How did you think I’d react? You played me for a fool and used me!”
>She pounds a hand on your chest as she cries, “You selfish, self-righteous, arrogant, lying bastard! You lied because you were afraid! You’re a coward! A coward, a coward, a coward! Weak! You… you…”
>You stand and accept it, even as the blows grow half-hearted and weak.
>She slumps against your chest, burying her face in your neck.
>”Damn this galaxy, why can’t I hate you… Just drop everything and hate you like I want to…”
>Slowly, you bring your arms up and attempt to hug her.
>She reacts violently and pushes you back.
>”Don’t touch me!” she shouts. “Don’t you ever touch me again!”
>She turns away and shudders as she pulls away from your reach.
>As you recompose yourself, she puts her helmet on, hiding her tear-streaked face.
>She doesn’t want you to see her like this.
 “Nothing I can say would make this better,” you whisper through your mask. “I did what I did.”
>She sniffles under her helmet. “Why? Why did you lie? Because you thought I would kill you?”
“You said you would.”
 
>”Well, here we are,” she says, taking out her sword. “I keep telling myself that nothing would make me feel better than to plunge this through you, avenge my father and pay you back for what you did to me.”
>You don’t move to take out your weapon.
>Whatever she’s going to do, you’ll be ready for it.
>You’ll defend yourself if need be, but only if she means to truly kill you.
>And as she stares you down, though you cannot see her eyes beneath her mask’s visor, you can feel her burning hatred.
>After a tense moment, she lowers the songsteel sword.
>”But I don’t believe it. I want to believe it, but I can’t. I wanted to kill you. I can’t.”
>She turns, putting the sword away in its sheath.
>”Anon, Nito, Jedi, Sith---whatever you are, I don’t know and I don’t care, just know this: I’ll never forgive you,” she says, the mask only slightly muffling the pain in her voice. “I swear it.”
“I know.”
>As she walks away, she leaves a trail of despair behind her, an aura that seems almost visible in the Force.
>Though she had prepared for this meeting, planned to hate you and kill you, she cannot bring herself to kill the thing that she hates herself for loving.
>What must it have been like for her, you wonder, while you were being operated on?
>To look upon you at your most vulnerable, to see you tortured and changed?
>Did she enjoy the pain that was inflicted upon you, or lament it?
>What was she thinking about as she watched what he did to you?
>As she walks away, you close your eyes as you realize that you may never truly know.
>Whatever relationship, or fake relationship, you had with her is null.
>Even if she can’t bring herself to truly hate or kill you, she’ll forever despise what you’ve done to her, what you did to her father to save Flash, and what the Jedi did to her mother.
 
>As she walks away, you recall that bright-eyed, smiling, beautiful young girl you met on Ord Mantell.
>She was bright, and clever, and creative with the scrap she could find, and hopeful that she would one day get off that accursed planet.
>That sweet girl?
>You’ve taken her from the galaxy.
>With your treachery and lies, you stole her smile, the light in her eyes, the hope from her heart, and now the mandalorian warrior walking away from you is all that remains.
>A strong warrior, but one who hates herself.
>You did this---it wasn’t Scorpan or any other Sith, they merely helped her along, but the one who set her on this painful path?
>It was you.
>And yet, even as you find your heart sinking, you feel a cold detachment as your more pragmatic side tells you that it was always meant to be this way.
>Ever since the beginning, even while you and she made love, part of you knew that this was going to happen and had prepared you for it.
>There is more work yet to be done.
>With the same dispassionate disconnection that drove you from the Jedi even as your friends attempted to prevent it, you let out a breath and let Coco go.
>She’s just another person you let down, and failed to protect.
>Protect from whom, you wonder?
>Most of all, it is yourself.
 
>As she leaves, you sense another approaching, a darker aura but one just as emotionally turbulent.
>Scorpan.
>You turn around and look as he storms across the hanger towards you, with two black-robed attendants behind him.
>The bothan’s eyes are flaring red, a crimson to match the color of his skin.
>When he stops, though he is composed, he is positively fuming beneath and struggling to keep it from exploding outwards.
>The veins on his neck and forehead have never been thicker.
>"Nito," he growls through tightly-clenched teeth. "Kneel."
>You face him fully, approach him, and promptly get on one knee, bowing your head.
"I have retuned, my master."
>"And who gave you permission to leave?"
"I left of my own will, Lord Scorpan."
>He takes out the remote and presses a button, activating the disorienting HUD in your eyes.
>"Your own will? Your OWN will? You HAVE no will!"
>He lifts up a hand and you with it, choking you through the Force.
>"You are nothing! You are my creation, my tool! When you left, you disobeyed me!"
>He swings his arm to one side, hurling you against a wall.
>Maud watches as Scorpan storms over, grabs you by the top of your head and forces your face to look up into his own.
>Through the flashing screens and menus that assault your mind, you see him staring down at you with utter contempt.
>"You are going to tell me where you were, and what you did!"
"Master..." you say, tasting a bit of blood in your mouth before swallowing it. "I went to Mestare."
 
>His eyes narrow. "And?"
"And I brought Maud with me, when she threatened to turn me over to you."
>He looks back at the umbaran and lets go of you.
>There is a suspicion in his eyes, but even he is not sure what Maud's involvement in your leaving could mean.
>"And just why did you do this?" he asks, accusingly pointing a finger at her.
>You stare at her as well as you stand back up; if ever there was a chance for her to betray you to gain favor with Scorpan, now is the time.
>But you don't think she will.
>Maud stares back at him, assuming her monotone voice and stone-like personality.
>"I went with him to ensure that he did not betray the Sith. He didn't."
>Scorpan looks between her and you, before asking both, "And what did you find on Mestare, exactly?"
"I discovered the camp you left there," you answer first. "Captain Oriel and his men are on schedule. I brought the first shipment of completed crystals for you, master."
>Once more, the Sith Lord looks at you both, discerning if there is some underlying lie behind it all.
>"That is not what I wanted to know," he says, approaching you and standing tall as he looks down. "What did you find on Mestare, Nito?"
"I went there to find if you were right, my lord. You were. There was nothing. No temple, no spirit."
>He straightens a bit; he seems to be calmed by this news.
>You need to play this up to him.
"I found nothing, and now I know you were always correct. I was fooled by the Dark Side. Now, there is nothing left of what was before; there is only Nito."
>Slowly, but surely, one of his brows rises as he parts his lips.
 
>"And whom do you serve, Nito?"
>Again, you kneel before him.
"Only you, my master. Only Lord Scorpan."
>He is silent for a moment before clearing this throat.
>"You will never disobey me again, Nito. From this point forward, you will forever belong to the Sith."
"Forever."
>"Good," he says, and his usual voice returns.
>He takes out the remote and deactivates the HUD, and the headache leaves with it.
>"I knew, of course, that you would return," he says as he puts away the remote. "Just as I knew that you would find nothing on Mestare. Going there was useless, but I am pleased by your delivery of the crystals."
"Would you like them taken to the armory, my master?"
>"No, we have more pressing concerns," Scorpan waves away the notion. "Rise and walk with me."
>As he turns, he pauses to reflect on Maud.
>"And as for you, young one, you are to be commended for your work as well. I appreciate you keeping an eye on my property."
>As you look at her, you see her blink when he uses the word 'property.'
>To him, with his inflated ego, it meant nothing---but you saw, in the fraction of a second that it was there, her true reaction to it.
>"I live to serve the Sith, my lord."
>"Come along as well."
>He walks, but once more stops and turns around, his eyes scanning the hanger for the first time since entering it.
>Being so preoccupied with you, he failed to notice your proximity to Coco, but now he does.
>A smile comes to his face as he leers at you.
 
>"Did you enjoy your reunion, Nito?" He leans slightly closer. "She cried, you know. She shook with rage. I think she'll be a much better warrior for the Sith now that you have given her this gift."
>He waits for your response, and a number of violent things go through your mind.
>In the end, you settle on playing your part, like he wants you to.
"Yes, master. She will."
>"And how does this make you feel?"
"I feel nothing, my master."
>He chuckles. "Good. Good."
>Even with important business going on, he doesn't miss an opportunity to laugh at your plight, and he does so as he walks, cackling to himself with every step.
>"A tragic tale if ever there were... It could bring a tear to my eye if it were a poem."
>You imagine thrusting your saber into his back, severing his spine, and cutting that laugh short.
>But you keep walking, for this is not the time nor place.
>He leads you into the large war room, with people bustling about, carrying reports to their superior officers.
>Sith soldiers and lieutenants in service to the Empire are running to and fro, but they make way to part for Scorpan as he approaches the holographic table in the room's center.
>Several other high-ranking lords, including Ahuizotl, are around the table as he approaches it.
>"The time has come," Scorpan declares, as much to them as to the two of you. "Our Emperor, in his infinite wisdom and knowledge of the Dark Side, has foreseen our imminent attack upon the Republic."
>As you take your place at his side, Ahuizotl sneers and rubs the nose at the end of his muzzle.
 
>"What is our target?" another asks.
>Scorpan waves his hand over the table, and a building appears.
>It is large and somewhat pyramid-like, with four massive towers each corner surrounding a central and even larger tower in the middle.
>You know this building well, and though your emotions are controlled and concealed, a shiver runs up your spine.
>The Jedi Temple of Coruscant.
>"You cannot mean it," Ahuizotl scoffs. "We do not have the means to mount an assault against Coruscant."
>"We need only strike two targets," Scorpan says, again waving his hand as another building appears, this one more curved and smooth. "The Senate Rotunda will be in the midst of vital talks. The senators of the Republic will be gathered and unprepared for our strike."
>Another speaks up. "The Coruscant defensive fleet matches our own. We haven't the numbers since our last major invasion of Republic space."
>"I am disturbed by your lack of faith," Scorpan says with a smile. "Our Emperor has a plan. We will not only be striking from without, but from within. For the last few years, Darth Irrstra has been maneuvering her changelings into positions within both the Senate and the Republic Navy."
'Darth Irrtra... Chrysalis.'
>You recall well her attack on the conference you and your fellow Jedi were attending, and the scar left upon your face from a changeling's talons.
>Now only one of many, but you remember it well all the same.
>"And what of the Jedi Temple? Do we still have our agents in position there as well?"
'The Dazzlings...' you recall.
 
>"Indeed. Their work has been done as effectively as can be done---when we attack the Jedi Temple, half of their new generation of students will rise up against the Jedi Council. The Jedi have sown the seeds of their own destruction, and the time for reaping is nigh."
>You begin to think about what this information means for you and your friends.
>A direct attack on the Jedi Temple by the Sith means they will be in terrible peril.
>What's more, some of the other students have been swayed by the Dazzlings into fighting for the Sith when the attack happens.
>They will be caught completely unprepared...
>"Lord Tirek and I will lead the attack upon the Jedi. You will all accompany us. Our Emperor has graciously offered a reward and personal favor to those who kill the most Jedi, but Lord Tirek has set forth another condition: none are to harm Grand Master Celestia. He desires to claim her life for himself."
>"Will the Emperor not be joining this attack?" Ahuizotl asks.
>"He has other matters to attend to."
>Though incredulous, none of the Sith speak up about their Dark Lord's orders.
>As curious as you are about the Emperor and what his involvement, or lack thereof, in the battle could imply, you are worrying about your friends.
>You only recently found hope once more even after all light seemed extinguished, but now what will happen?
>Scorpan startles you out of your thoughts, but you do not outwardly react, as he places a hand on your shoulder.
>"Nito knows well the intricacies of the Jedi Temple. That is why he will lead the attack on the Jedi Archives."
 
>You look up at him as he adds, "And he also knows well the price of failure."
After a moment of silence, you ask, "What is my mission, my master?"
>"The Jedi Archives contain a number of potentially useful Sith Holocrons locked away. Our agents have ensured that one of the students closely associated with the archives will be in a position to open the way and allow you to claim the artifacts." He smiles as his grip on your shoulder tightens. "You are, after all, one of the best fetchers of Sith artifacts among our academy."
>Who, you wonder, could they have corrupted?
>It couldn't be Twilight, so you hope.
>Trixie, perhaps?
"It will be done, my master," you reply, realizing you had not yet responded.
>Satisfied with your answer, Scorpan turns back to continue planning the assault on the temple, assigning tasks to specific Sith Lords, which gives you a chance to break away and step back.
>Maud sees you do this, but does not risk being seen speaking to you.
>Still, her eyes tell you much---she doesn't like this situation any more than you.
>But on the other hand, this attack will be a critical and crucial moment, and the slightest of changes in the plan could result in a wildly different outcome.
>Could this battle be the Shatterpoint you have been foretold of?
>You will more than likely encounter the Jedi you left behind at the temple, including and especially your friends.
>Will you be forced to kill them?
>When last you clashed with the Jedi, it was on Manaan, and you had treated it like a game.
>This won't be anything like that---lives will be on the line.
>Not just theirs, but the Republic's as well.
 
>While you've never had any love or hatred for the Republic, the attack on the senate building alone will likely take a heavy toll on the politicians.
>And how deeply infiltrated could the Republic Navy be?
>Almost immediately, you start thinking of ways you could warn your friends.
>You don't want to see them harmed---that was never what you set out to do, even if the very act of you leaving hurt them.
>But, it will likely be a large battle, and there may be opportunity to help them.
>If you are caught doing so, however...
>You see Scorpan turning back towards you and quickly clear your mind.
>As he walks away from the table, he bids you and Maud to follow once more.
>"You will accompany Nito on his assignment, Maud. Like you graciously did during his unwelcome absence, keep an eye on him. Perform well, and I may have need of you for more critical tasks in the future."
>"Yes, Lord Scorpan."
>"And as for you, Nito, make no mistake: you'll be punished more severely for this insubordination when we return from our attack. But do well on your assignment, and we will see about lessoning the torture... I'm thinking, at a minimum, your right arm's replacement. I'm a fan of symmetry, aren't you?"
"Yes, Lord Scorpan."
>"Excellent. Perhaps your legs as well, if we can find suitable parts enough. In time, you'll be as much a machine on the outside as you are on the inside, hmm? Hehehe."
"It would be my pleasure, Lord Scorpan, to become a more effective killing machine."
>"Oh, I know. But before then..." He holds out his hand. "Your weapon."
>Maud watches as you stop and look at his red palm.
 
>"Your weapon," he quickly repeats himself, clearly losing his patience.
>You take out the Vehement and hand it over.
>His fingers close around it and he walks off.
>"This little journey of yours showed me that you're not yet fully under my control yet---you still have an idea of independence. The timing of this damned invasion is inconvenient, so you get to keep your limbs for a while longer yet."
>He stops in front of a door and opens it, revealing a dark room beyond.
>"You recognize this chamber, yet?" Scorpan says with a smile. "You'll be staying in here until we leave."
'Damn,' you think, as the creeping despair that is associated with this room slowly manifests. 'I can't do anything from in there. I can't warn them...'
>Does he suspect you want to?
>"Your home awaits," Scorpan says. "Go."
>Slowly, you walk into the dark, cold chamber.
>"I'll come for you when we are ready to depart. Until then..."
>He laughs softly as he seals the door, and the last glimpse of the outside light you get is Maud.
>She seems to mouth something, speaking without words, but you cannot see what she is attempting to say in time.
>The door shuts, trapping you once more in the darkness.
 
>Now alone, you slowly sit in the corner, thinking about what you are going to do.
>You don’t like this, being alone again in this room.
>It raises bad memories and has you on edge.
>You try to calm down to avoid getting too upset or lost within yourself.
>Taking a few deep breaths, you focus on what is to come.
>You'll be returning to the Jedi Temple and you'll be facing your friends on the opposite side of a conflict that is older than any of you, a feud thousands of years old.
>There will never be any chance of peace between the Jedi and the Sith, only between individuals.
'I'm going to help them,' you resolve. 'If I cannot warn them about the attack, then the least I can do is help them.'
>But if Scorpan catches wind of your scheme, how long will you last?
>He never mentioned accompanying you to the Jedi Archives, so you and Maud may be alone.
>With any luck, it will stay that way, and the two of you can make your move.
>But without any way to know how the battle will actually progress, you don't know what your move will be.
>So long as Scorpan holds the remote detonator, your life will be in jeopardy.
>Will there be an opportunity during the battle to steal it away from him?
>Perhaps while he is distracted, but he keeps it on him very closely---it would be too dangerous to take it while it was inside his cloak.
>The only chance to grab it would be while he has it out, in his hand.
>But whenever he has the remote out, it's because he's threatening to use it, which means all of his attention is focused solely on you.
>Perhaps a diversion would work, or if you had someone attack him while his attention was squarely upon you.
 
>But, with your deception about Mestare, you also know that you can lie to and manipulate your master, if only slightly.
>Therein lies the question: how to get that remote out of his hands?
>Could you use the Force to yank it out, sever his hand at the wrist, or perhaps stab him in the back?
>If the slightest mistake were made, the briefest of hesitation, it would give him all the time he needed to kill you.
>As you think about what failure could bring, you find yourself fixating upon death.
>What will happen to you when you die?
>Will you cease to be, utterly vanished?
>Or will your spirit live on, in the Force?
>You doubt that you have lived virtuously enough for that.
>The notion that your disbelief of you living on after your death because of the things you have done is what will actually keep you from doing so is quickly shot down as well, likely because of the same doubt.
>Doubt has always plagued you, always held you back.
>There have been moments where you have triumphed, but what are they in the face of your failures, your shortcomings?
>You once fooled yourself into thinking you could hide amongst the Sith, learn their ways and then simply leave with the knowledge.
>Are you just as much a fool for thinking that balance is still attainable?
>Here, in the darkness of the room, it seems as out of your reach as a peaceful eternity in whatever comes after death.
>Again, you doubt, and you slam your hand against your forehead in frustration.
 
>Your recent brush with Coco still has you emotionally turbulent, and this news of the impending attack on the Jedi Temple is only making things worse as you worry what may come.
>What if your friends all die, and you cannot help them?
>Cannot protect them?
>What will you do when all of the hope you have gained since seeing Master Luna and Sunset is crushed once more by the Dark Side?
>Is this what will happen?
>A never-ending cycle of crushing despair, followed by rising hope, only for it to be snuffed out again as quickly as one blows out a candle?
'Stop!' you think as you shake your head. 'Stop all of this! You're going to destroy yourself!'
>You stand up and feel the walls, pushing against them.
>Breathing harder and pacing around the room, you groan and lament the thoughts attacking your brain.
>Frustration mounts as the skin around your mask becomes agitated even more.
>You think you begin to hear voices in your head, faraway ones that blend into a confusing background noise of judgment and condemnation.
>They are of your former friends, losing their hope in you, judging what you have become.
>Fearing you, hating you, forgetting you.
'Stop...' you tell yourself. 'Stop it...'
>Is it the room that is doing this?
>It’s just the room, it’s making you nervous because of the time you spent here.
>Or is it all in your mind?
>Soon enough you're back on the floor, huddled in the corner, feeling vulnerable and afraid.
 
>What if you can't save them?
>What if everything goes wrong?
>What if you'll fail again?
"What if what if WHAT IF!" you shout, standing back up and pounding on the wall. "I just want to know! I just want to know!"
>You shout through your mask and your filtered voice is like sandpaper to your ears.
>Grabbing your mask, you tear at it, trying to pull it off.
>This thing you have become, Nito, you don't want it anymore.
>The game is ended, the ruse is forfeit.
>You hate it and want it to end.
>As you pull, your skin is pulled with it and your nerves cry in protest; stinging pain floods your senses.
>This serves to drown out the voices in your mind, a welcome reprieve despite the terrible pain.
>Try as you might, though, you cannot tear it off.
>In the darkness, you wail and headbutt the stone wall, bringing a bit of blood to your forehead.
>You slump down to the ground, breathing heavily, your head aching and sore.
>The bruise on your forehead throbs in tune with your rapidly beating heart.
>Eventually, after laying for a length of time you cannot be certain of, you pull yourself back up to a sitting position with your back to the wall.
>Things grow quiet and the voices cease.
>You're taken back to another darkness, one from long ago, but forever burnt into your memory.
>The mines of Kessel.
>Down there, in that abyssal dark, through the caverns of stone and cold, you fumble and fall.
>You no longer hear voices, but you do hear something else.
 
>The creatures are somewhere behind you, growing nearer and nearer with each second.
>You can hear their legs scraping against the stone, their mandibles clicking in excitement.
>As you struggle to escape, you wonder where Hero is.
>This is the part where he saves you by giving up his own life.
>But he's not here, and you're all alone.
'He's not here because he's dead,' you think.
>You stop and stand still.
"Just take me and end it," you whisper to yourself. "Just end this nightmare."
>The sounds of the energy spiders are growing louder with their increasing proximity.
>As you prepare to just let them take you, you feel a weight in your hand.
>Looking down, you see the Vehement.
>Turning it on, you are surprised to find the blade that forms to not be the fiery orange, but instead a brilliant red.
>It turns the walls around you to crimson, and like a torch in the darkness, it keeps the large creatures at bay.
>They hesitate beyond the threshold of the light, their many black, beady eyes reflecting the red light like rows of glossy crystals.
>Gripping the blade, you hold it in front of you, letting out a deep breath.
>"You needn't be afraid," you hear a voice whisper in your ear.
"No, I don't."
>"You are strong. You are stronger than you think. Use your power to conquer your fear. Do not shun it, deny it---conquer it!"
 
>Your fingers tighten around the hilt as you shout and charge at the spiders, swinging the brilliant crimson blade at them and chopping them down.
>Their semi-luminescent forms fall before you as you chop, hack, slash and slice them into charred pieces of carapace.
>And as they flee before you, as elation and satisfaction surge through your veins, the voice speaks again.
>"You have forgotten what it means to be powerful. You have forgotten what the embrace of the Dark Side can mean. No more fear. No doubt. Only certainty, only power to make what you want right be right."
>As you hold the blade and stare into its red light, you find a strange solace in those words.
>"No judgment, no masters, no chains... only the Dark Side."
>From where the spiders fled, you suddenly see a light and hear the snap of a lightsaber.
>This one is bright blue, cutting through the darkness just as terrifically as your own.
>Its owner, shrouded in shadow, charges towards you.
>"You know what you must do."
>Weapon in hand, you shout a mighty cry as you rush forward to meet him in battle.
>Just before your weapons clash against each other, you wake up with a startle.
>That was a dream, but it felt so real that you are shivering, but not because of the dream itself.
>You push yourself up from the ground and realize how cold you are, how chilling the room is.
>Looking around in the darkness, you spy nothing, even when you turn the lights on your mask back on.
>The room is empty, and yet... you feel an odd presence within this chamber, something unlike any you've ever felt before.
>You can sense it---there is life in this room other than yourself, but not life as you know it.
>It is like a shadow, dancing away from the lights of your mask wherever you cast them.
 
>Standing up, you feel around the room, but again discover no trace.
>But there is someone---something---here.
"Who's there?" you speak out loud.
>There is something, a whisper, but it is too quiet to hear.
"I know someone is there," you say again, turning slowly around.
>Your light reveals nothing.
>Slowly, you reach up and turn it off, and instead rely on the Force.
>As you attempt to discern its location, you feel the aura of it in front of you, beneath you, behind you---all around you.
"What are you?"
>There is no response, but you know you detect a mind, dark and twisted though it may be.
>Like a fog slipping away in the wind, the presence begins to leave.
>You desperately attempt to search for it, sense it, but it seems to escape through the crack in the door, the vent near the ceiling---any opening wide enough for air to reach.
>As the aura of darkness leaves you, you detect something else---something approaching the room from the outside.
>The door opens, and Scorpan is there.
>”It is time.”
“Master… How long was I…?”
>”Only a mere several hours.”
>Your eyes widen in surprise.
>How could this be?
>You don’t even remember the exact moment you slipped into unconsciousness.
>”Come along now, Nito. Your old friends are waiting.”
>He smiles and holds out his hand, displaying your lightsaber.
>After a moment of hesitation, you reach out and take it.
“I… am ready, my master.”
>”I should certainly hope so,” he smiles. “Because if you fail this mission, and if you don’t return with at least one kill to your name…”
>He pats the remote in his cloak.
>”Don’t disappoint me.”
>You stare back into his red-yellow eyes, those sallow, sunken, bloodshot orbs.
“I won’t disappoint, master.”
 
>You follow along behind Scorpan, who leads you up the stairs to a balcony.
>The metal platform overlooks a wide valley of red and orange rock, one in which an army is marching.
>Large ships at one opening of the valley are picking up the soldiers as they move in formation up large ramps.
>"The Sith Empire was driven back by the Jedi in the last war," Scorpan says, placing his hands upon the railing. "Today, we reclaim what is ours and destroy our enemy once and for all."
>You look behind him and briefly consider attempting to kill him right here, with his back turned.
>Slowly, you lift up your hand to the saber in its holster, readying to draw it.
>"I wouldn't," he chuckles, holding up the remote as his eyes turn over his shoulder. "One single press and it's over."
>You silently move to stand alongside him and look down over the armies.
>"You see, Nito, the Sith always have a reserve plan in motion, a plot underlying all others, no matter how subtle. You won't ever attack me so long as I hold the key to your very existence."
'So long as you hold it, yes,' you think.
>"I do appreciate the sentiment, however. I want you to want to kill me. Your anger at me, and your anger at your inability to end my life, will be a useful tool for you to exploit."
>You don't reply.
>Instead, you focus on looking down below, at a large procession of soldiers stopping to render a salute.
>From a large opening in the rocks below, a group of Sith emerge, led by none other than the academy master, Lord Tirek.
>This is the first time you have seen him standing up and moving, and only now do you realize that he is not fully of humanoid form.
>His lower half is equine in nature, with four massive black-furred legs with thick unshorn fetlocks over dark hooves that leave firm impressions on the Korriban dust with each step.
>Tirek's upper form, shrouded mostly in a cloak, is still just as tall and imposing as he was behind his desk, perhaps even more so.
 
>The two companies of soldiers salute him as he and his Sith warriors move past.
>"Remember well this sight," Scorpan says to you as you both look down upon Tirek. "Remember well the power and respect he commands. For one day, I shall kill him and claim his position for my own."
>Looking away from the parade below, you look at Scorpan as he stares at Tirek with hatred and malice, but most of all envy.
>And though he is your master, and Tirek is his, you find no envy for Scorpan.
>Hatred, yes, malice, yes, but not envy.
>Perhaps pity is a better word.
>The more time you spend with them and around them, the more the pettiness of the Sith seems profoundly self-defeating.
>They work together not out of a common interest, nor a willingness to bond in the Dark Side, but out of pure selfishness.
>It has made them powerful, yes, but to what end?
>They have clashed with the Jedi for millennia, each side failing to wipe out the other.
>As you look down at the field below, you can only think that Scorpan is wrong, just as he has been wrong about so much else.
>Today will not be the end of the Jedi, you will see to that yourself when you reach the Jedi Temple and can help them.
>As for the Sith, well, they too will likely endure, even if you disagree with their system.
>A smaller number of Sith Lords, working together for a common purpose towards a common goal, would be better, you think.
 
>But you are not in a position to change the Sith.
>Not yet, if ever.
>Down below, something is happening.
>Tirek approaches a large gate built into the opposite face of the valley wall.
>You have seen that gate before, but never paid it much mind; you assumed it was a small sub-hanger or warehouse.
>The slab of metal is gigantic, large enough for a freighter to fly through if it were raised.
>And as he stops and lifts a large red hand, that is what begins to happen.
>A great rumbling can be heard throughout the valley as the metal grinds against rock; dust falls from its surface.
>Something on the other side stirs and a great exhalation of breath kicks up sand under the opening.
>Whatever it is, it is alive and very large.
>Tirek now uses both hands to levitate the metal to its full upright position, locking it into place with a mighty metal clang.
>With light now reaching into the dark chamber beyond, you can catch a glimpse of skeletal bodies sticking out of the dirt that once served as meals.
>For a moment, everything is silent as the army and the Sith look upon the dark opening.
>Then, a roar emerges from within, a deep bellow that echoes off the valley walls, resounding far and wide.
>Two grey hands, whose fingers terminate in bone-white claws, reach out from the darkness and plant flatly upon the ground.
>What follows behind them is a creature of bulk, muscle and spiked protrusions of bone.
>You have read about these beasts before: it is a rancor.
>This one, however, is unlike any you ever read about.
>You recall the details about the beasts: massive, voracious appetites, extremely dangerous and ill-tempered, with thick mottled skin resistant to most forms of damage.
 
>But in what few images you saw, they did not possess the qualities this one does; namely the massive tusks around its jaw and other boney protrusions emerging from its back.
>The curved tusks, resembling those of a mammoth, are arranged in two pairs alongside its mouth, with the center two being larger than the outlying pair.
>Each seems almost the length of full-grown man, and end in sharp points.
>In addition to those, the creature possesses horns atop its head, impressive and black-blue in color, giving it a crown that heightens its frightening appearance.
>It seems almost a bit top-heavy, as it walks with the assistance of its forearms, moving on all fours.
>But when it fully emerges from its dwelling, it pushes itself to stand on its tree-trunk like legs, leaning back to splay out its arms and roar at the Korriban sky, its grey hide now clearly visible to all.
>When this is done, it looks down at Tirek, focusing black eyes upon the centaurian Sith.
>For a moment, it seems as though the creature is going to attack him, and takes a daring step forward to do so, until he raises a single hand and commands it.
>Through the Force, he bids that the creature kneel before him.
>The monster attempts to resist, until it is forced back onto all fours, with its face nearly buried in the dirt, like a slave groveling before a master.
>When this is done, he lowers his hand.
>"Quite a marvelous beast, is it not?" Scorpan says as you both look upon the master commanding the beast. "His executioner, the Iron Will."
"It is no normal rancor..."
 
>"Quite right, my apprentice. A bull rancor, a species native to regions of Dathomir and Felucia, personally raised by Tirek, experimented upon as he was. Tirek himself is not entirely chironian, you know. Sith alchemy has seen to that."
"I do not understand, my lord. Why is it called 'The Iron Will' when it bends before its master?"
>"A joke on Tirek's part, perhaps. But he has designed the creature as much as he has raised it. Its hide is impervious to damage, especially from that of a lightsaber. That is the grey discoloration to its skin---a trait from some other monstrous leviathan I'm sure. The beast knows only the command of its sole master."
>As Tirek commands it to rise, the mutant rancor joins his retinue, walking between the companies of soldiers, continually growling.
>"Tirek has long desired to lead the Iron Will into battle against the Jedi. It'll be quite the surprise for them when they see it tearing through their halls. I wouldn't be surprised if the creature alone manages to tear down the entire temple single-handedly."
>He smirks as he turns away, walking back towards the academy halls.
>"Come along, Nito. It's time to leave."
>You steal one last glance down at the bull rancor as it roars before turning back to follow your master.
"Master, are you not accompanying Lord Tirek?"
>"I am, yes, but I have a few final matters to settle. One of them is your assignment. You and Maud shall take your ship and infiltrate the Jedi Temple. Your mission will be to infiltrate the holocron vaults in the archives and recover as many of them as you can."
"My ship? Master, it does not have the hyperdrive capabilities that other vessels of the academy do..."
>"Precisely," Scorpan nods. "You will arrive only after the attack has begun."
>He stops and looks back at you, his eyes thin and suspicious.
>"If you had any plans, any manner of thoughts about arriving prior to the attack and warning your old friends, I would lose any hope."
 
>You swallow beneath your mask.
"I had no such plans, my lord."
>"Well, better safe than sorry," he smiles before leaving you. "Hurry to the hanger. Your ship awaits. And remember... don't fail me. Kill any Jedi you encounter and let none survive. None."
>As you watch him walk away, you curse so softly that it does not leave your mask.
>Turning down a hallway, you make your way towards the hanger bay.
'Damn, damn, damn,' you think to yourself. 'I'll have no way to warn them! The Jedi and the Senate are going to be under attack by the time my ship reaches Coruscant. It'll be good cover to get to the temple, but I'll need to move quickly to maximize my chances.'
>As you open a door and move past two guards, you continue thinking.
'Chances at what, though? Saving them? Where will they flee to if the Sith win? That is an 'if' though... The attack may fail. But they have the element of surprise on their side, and infiltrators in both the Jedi and the Republic Navy...'
>Upon reaching the hanger, you look around and discover Maud.
>You approach her and quickly get her attention.
"We're leaving now."
>"What is happening?" she asks, but you don't stop to answer.
>You run towards your ship and she follows, quickly boarding it right behind you.
>"Talk to me, Nito."
"We're heading to Coruscant, the Jedi Temple. But the Sith fleet will beat us there." Pulling the lever, you close the exit ramp. Once shut, you add, "We won't have time to warn anyone."
 
>"Let's waste no time then," she agrees as she moves to the cockpit.
>Once inside, you go through the startup procedures and quickly prepare to take off.
>You navigate the ship out of the hanger and aim it towards the sky, where you see massive cruisers and troop carriers hovering in the atmosphere.
>Already many of them are preparing to make the jump to hyperspace, but you have some time before the fleet makes its jump, as they'll likely want to move as one.
>Regardless, your ship's hyperdrive can only go so fast, and the ones upon their ships will be cutting edge, or at least several models and variations more advanced than yours.
>As you soar into the atmosphere, another ship catches your eye; small and dark, with red coloring upon its wings.
>The sole starfighter, equipped with an experimental hyperdrive, is the same one that Coco was working on when you first landed.
>As Scorpan did not mention her to you, her mission in this attack is a mystery, but you can feel that you will see her at the Jedi Temple.
>Once clear of Korriban, you enter in the coordinates to Coruscant and prepare for the jump.
>Regardless of your head start, they will still overtake you, but every second counts.
>As you make the jump, the hyperdrive kicks in, elongating the stars outside of your vessel to a series of white lines before it lurches forward into the blue-white corridor of hyperspace.
>After making some post-hyperspace checks, you sit back and attempt to relax.
>Now, the speed is out of your hands and all you can do is wait.
>Alongside you, Maud sits patiently.
"This is going to be... difficult," you say, breaking the silence.
 
>"Do you have a plan?"
"No, not really. Scorpan took steps to make sure I couldn't warn the Jedi. Then, he ensured that I would take my ship, so that I would arrive after the fleet itself had arrived over Coruscant and the battle had already begun."
>"But you don't intend on helping the Sith."
You look over. "You're still with me, right?"
>"Until the end."
"Good. You're my only solid ally right now, Maud. I don't know how the Jedi will react to me, and I never considered any of the Sith allies either. We'll be on our own, caught between both sides."
>"That is what someone who seeks to take the middle ground would be," she points out.
You chuckle. "Yeah. I guess it is. We'll have the advantage in that the Sith still think we'll be on their side, but if Scorpan catches wind of any plot on my part, I'm done for."
>"So what does that mean?"
"It means we'll have to play the role, like we've been doing. But don't kill anyone."
>"I understand."
"Our target is the Jedi Archives. Since Scorpan gave me that mission, I doubt we'll encounter any other Sith there. But three agents have been inside that temple for a while now, and have been converting other students, so we might run into trouble after all."
>"Tell me who to watch out for, then. So I know who to keep an eye out for."
"Alright... Twilight Sparkle is a twi'lek, violet skin. She fights with a purple saberstaff, favoring Niman style."
>"You expect we'll encounter her?"
"Assuming she's recovered, yes. She's closely tied with the Jedi Archives. A bit of a bookworm." You smile under your mask as fond memories return for a moment. "Her master, Starswirl the Bearded, is a thisspiasian."
 
>"I am unfamiliar with that species."
"Four-armed snake people. He's got a big beard---you can't miss him. His other apprentice is Trixie Lulamoon, a balosar."
>"Go on."
"Applejack is a blonde human. She's got two siblings, Big Mac and Applebloom. I don't know how many of them we'll encounter, but Applebloom is just a youngling. I'm sure the Jedi will prioritize the safety of its younglings, but if exits are cut off, they may try to hide in one of the temple's towers."
>"That seems like a problem."
"If they did, any Sith could stroll right up the tower and capture or kill all of the younglings. We'll have to try and secure an escape route through the temple's lower tunnels to get them out."
>"I may be able to create one with my powers."
"I'll keep that in mind. Rainbow Dash is a wroonian with blue skin and rainbow-colored hair. Rarity is a nagai, white-skinned; she has a sister too. Then there's Pinkie Pie---"
>In a very sudden move that you didn't expect from the reserved and monotone Maud, she reaches out and grabs your arm.
>"Pinkie Pie... a zeltron?"
"Yes..." You look into her wide eyes. "You know her?"
>She slowly lets go and regains her composure. "Yes, I do."
"What? How? You never mentioned her."
>"Neither did you," she quickly retorts.
"Fair enough. But how do you know her?"
>"Did Pinkie ever tell you about her time as a slave?"
 
"No... No, she never mentioned anything about slavery."
>"I don't imagine she would. Even with the cruelty of our masters, she was happy. She was a jester, I was a serving girl. She could make them laugh, entertain them, keep them from growing angry with us. It was her gift."
"That sounds like her."
>"She was good to me. Even after I became like this, quiet and boring, she was good. She cared." Maud's eyes drift down. "Like a sister."
"Pinkie never talked about a slave sister, or being a slave. Then again... I suppose it's not something she would want to talk about."
>"She was sold. I never found out to who---never got to say goodbye, either."
"She ended up at the Jedi Temple," you tell her. "She was wonderful, during my time there."
>You smile and chuckle as you recall the time she gave you some hard-hitting drink that made you tipsy with just the smallest amount imbibed.
>"Will we see her?" Maud asks, the slightest edge of hope to her voice.
"I hope so. She's a skilled duelist, the best at Ataru I've seen. With any luck, she'll be fine, and so will the rest."
>For the remainder of the journey, you and Maud come up with a plan, and plan for contingencies that may arise during the attack.
>You attempt to take some of the time to meditate, but your mind is too cluttered with worry to properly focus.
>Whenever you try, you find yourself distracted.
 
>After getting up to pace a bit, you enter the back of the transport where you find remnants of the disguise you put together.
>Discarded bits of clothing and scrap from the droid.
>Leaning down, you pick through some of it and discover a replacement eyeshield for your visor.
>Turning it over a bit, you wonder if you should wear it.
>Will it be easier, or more difficult, if they know who you are?
>How will they react to your sudden return if they know you as Anon, not Nito?
>If the Sith suspect you of working with them, and Scorpan gets word of it...
>After considering the possibilities, you slide the visor into place and secure it within the mask.
>Better they know you as Nito, not Anon.
>As you walk out of the room and past the exit ramp, you notice the box of mestarian crystals, but pay it little mind.
>Returning to the cockpit, you sit down alongside Maud.
"One more thing," you say to her. "Nito. Not Anon."
>She nods, and says nothing.
>A small blinking light on the panel tells you that you are about to drop out of hyperspace.
>Preparing yourself for whatever may come, you hold onto the controls tightly.
>When your ship exits the corridor into space, you find yourself holding your breath, for the sight in front of you is as spectacular as it is overwhelming.
>The Sith fleet and the Republic Navy are engaged in bloody and bombastic battle over the night skies of Coruscant.
>You had thought yourself prepared for it, but the sheer magnitude of vessels, explosions and lasers flying through space has you awestruck.
>In the darkness of space, with the system's star on the opposite side of the planet, you can see the flashes and explosions all too clearly, like fireworks in the night.
>Massive cruisers unload payloads of brightly-colored missiles and torpedoes as they flank each other while frigates and gunboats exchange fire.
 
>Countless starfighters whirl about the ships like swarms of flies, their blasts adding to the chaos of battle.
>As your ship nears the massive battle, you watch two Republic ships crash into each other, metal shredding apart as fire escapes from within, rending their hulls apart.
>The imperial flagship, a massive and ominous thing, moves into attack range of three Republic heavy battleships.
>The flagship is flanked by several smaller vessels, each of which forms a protective barrier of firepower around it, making way for it.
>Several imperial blockade runners carrying ground troops blast through the Republic line, aiming for smaller frigates and freighters to harry and harass them before aiming towards the atmosphere.
>You watch one vessel launch a series of modified boarding tubes at a cruiser.
>One of them is shot down, but the others land upon its surface and bore inside, to deliver boarding troops.
>You dodge and weave between bits of debris as the battle rages, but thankfully your small transport is not a prospective target for either side in the conflict.
>"Watch out!" Maud cautions you as a barrage of missiles heads in your direction.
>You turn and move out of its way as the missiles soar off and strike the side of an imperial vehicle lander, hitting right below its engines and causing the ship to explode from the back to the front.
 
>Starfighters whirl past, erratically shooting at each other as you make your way towards the surface.
>The upper atmosphere of Corsucant is not exempt from the fighting, for even here the ships exchange fire; starfighters and smaller naval gunboats attempt to shoot down troop landers.
>You notice a few escape pods crashing into a large building, cleaning shooting right though it and leaving a series of holes behind; the building collapses not long afterwards.
>Already the battle is taking a toll on civilians; evacuation shuttles are scrambling and soon fill the skies, but some of them are caught in the fighting and shot down by imperial ships.
>Keeping low, you fly across the active warzone, towards the Jedi Temple.
>As you fly over a large building, you see it in the distance, along with several columns of smoke in the surrounding area.
>In particular, you notice a large vessel currently dispensing troops outside of the main entrance to the temple.
"Here we go," you say, picking up speed.
>"Do you have a way inside?"
"We'll make one," you reply, approaching the hanger.
>Maud holds on tightly. "Does this ship have weapons?"
"None at all!" You accelerate even more and add, "We'll cut our way in from the top."
>Speeding across the surface, you catch only a glimpse of the battle taking place outside the temple.
>Imperial soldiers are exchanging blaster fire with temple guards and Republic troopers, each firmly entrenched in well-defended positions.
>Several Sith wardroids are moving forward, walking on four legs and firing volleys of explosive blasts, and the soldiers move behind them.
>And all around them, you see small flashes of light as lightsabers clash; Sith against Jedi.
>But you didn't have time to see any of your friends as your ship approaches the top of the temple.
>You land and lower the ramp, running down it with Maud.
 
>Looking up into the sky, you see fighters engaging each other in the sky and the naval fleets battling it out among the stars beyond.
>You don't look for long, though; you have a mission.
>Activating your lightsaber, you approach a vent and cut it open, jumping inside.
>Maud follows as you begin navigating your way through the large ventilation system.
>"Do you know where you are going?" she asks.
"I've been here before. Just not... in these ducts."
>"That bodes well," she replies.
"Don't worry, we're in the right quarter of the temple. I know where to go."
>As you move, you can sense activity all throughout the temple, but you could tell that from the occasional tremor as it is attacked from outside.
>Eventually, you turn your lightsaber back on and cut your way out, jumping down into a hallway.
>You know this hall well... you walked here once with Fluttershy after a troubling day.
As Maud lands behind, you look in one direction and point. "This way to the archives."
>The two of you move quickly as you lead her through the halls, stopping only to hide from a group of temple guards that run in the opposite direction.
>Once the masked guards are gone, you and she both approach a door that has been locked down.
>With one slash of your saber on the panel, you open it and walk inside, finding yourself on the second floor of one of the wings of the archives.
>The archives are just as fantastic as you remember them, with row upon row of stacks that stretch up to the tall ceiling.
 
>You recognize this as the third hall, and not where you need to go.
>Jumping down onto the first floor, you look around and see a multitude of harmless droids moving amongst the stacks, copying and preserving important texts.
>Maud follows as you walk towards the central rotunda, where you'll be able to enter the second hall, and at the rear of that, the holocron vault.
>But as you near the rotunda, you stop and stare at the individual working the central computer behind the desk.
>A purple twi'lek, who has not seen you yet.
>Your heart skips a beat as you look upon your friend for the first time since her injury.
>She looks well, for the most part, and you are elated to see her, but there is no time to catch up, given the circumstance.
>She moves with desperate purpose, clearly working very hard to transfer as much information as she can to a series of droids alongside her.
>One of which is purple and green, and projecting the image of a small dragon.
>It is the hologram that notices you first.
>"Uh, Twilight," he says, pointing a clawed finger in your direction. "I think we have company..."
>The twi'lek turns around and she sees you.
>"Oh, no," you hear her softly whisper.
"You shouldn't be here," you say as you enter the large rotunda.
>She hops over the desk, taking out her saberstaff as she looks at you and Maud. "I could say the same for you... Sith, isn't it?"
>No fear, no hesitation; she’s confident and strong, ready to defend herself.
"I'm only here for the holocrons. You should be evacuating the temple, or out fighting to defend it, shouldn't you?"
>"My place is here, helping to save the knowledge that you would destroy and corrupt."
>She stands firm, getting into a battle-ready stance.
>It's been so long since you've seen her…
 
"There's no need for that," you say, moving around and walking towards the second hall. "Just don't let the others find you here."
>The twi'lek, determined to not let you pass, leaps across the room and lands in front of you.
>"If you think I'm going to let you just stroll in and take whatever you want from this place, you're mistaken!"
>You've always admired her dedication to the archives.
>Her violet eyes are filled with determination as she asks, "Just who do you think you are, coming in here and trying to steal holocrons?"
"We haven't met. I'm Nito."
>She recognizes the name. "The girls fought you on Manaan..."
>Both ends of her lightsaber activate at once as she prepares to defend herself and the archives.
"The entire temple is under attack," you point out. "Imperial soldiers are storming the main entrance, and Sith Lords are not far behind them."
>"And until they get here, I'm going to make sure they get as little information out of the archives as possible!"
>She nods back at Spike, who resumes her work.
>"Kick'em in the teeth for me, Twilight!" the astromech calls out to her.
"You can resume your work, I won't stop you, but I need to get to that vault. My head depends on it."
>"Then come and try," she dares you.
>Fighting Twilight was not something you had hoped to do.
>You'd like to reveal the truth, but in this situation, you cannot be certain now is the right time to do so.
>You told Maud you would play your role, and now it is time to play it.
>Taking out your lightsaber, you similarly ignite it and hold it up.
"Very well, then," you say to her as you space your feet apart and wrap both hands around the hilt. "Let's see what you can do, Jedi."
 
>Twilight holds her ground as you approach.
"There are much greater things happening right now, bigger than you or I. I did not wish to fight you."
>Perhaps you should tell her the truth...
>"Take another step and I will defend this place!" she threatens you, holding up her purple blade and making you stop.
>You look back into her violet eyes and tilt your head a bit.
"Why not strike me down now?"
>"A Jedi should only act in defense."
"Spoken like a true Padawan," you nod. "But I'll just be on my way..."
>You take another step forward and, true to her word, she swings her saberstaff at you.
>It's an easy matter to stop the attack with a simple upwards parry, but even so, it catches you off-guard.
"I didn't think you'd actually do it," you chuckle. "I'm almost proud of you!"
>"I don't want your pride, Sith!"
>She brings the attacking end away from you as she swings the other upwards, towards your thigh.
>"I am defending the archives!"
>Turning your blade downwards, you counter her follow-up attack and position your feet more accordingly to her stance.
>As your blades are pushed against each other, you stare at her, daring her to continue making the next move.
>Gritting her teeth, she moves towards you, allowing you to push the opposite end of her lightsaber towards your shoulder.
>This forces you to lean down low and duck while blocking as she rolls over your back, ending up between you and Maud.
>When she swings her lightsaber again, it is at your backside, but with your weapon in your false hand, your elbow bends backwards to bring up the blade and parry it.
 
>Twilight is stunned by this unexpected maneuver, but quickly recovers with a Force push.
>Bracing yourself, you allow the kinetic power to wash over you, pushing you back across the smooth, polished floor of the archives, but you remain standing.
>When you straighten and turn around, you find her reassessing your abilities and mentally adjusting her fighting style---you can see it in her eyes as she scans you up and down.
"You'll find that I'm full of surprises," you tell her as you begin casually walking towards her.
>"So am I!" she shouts, suddenly flinging her lightsaber at you.
>The double-sided weapon spins at a high velocity, whirring as it flies towards you.
>Undaunted, you raise your false arm and hold it vertically in front of you, parallel with your body like a shield.
>Twilight smirks, satisfied with your seemingly foolish move, until both ends of her lightsaber strike the cortosis of your arm.
>The blades fizzle out and deactivate, causing the hilt to fall harmlessly to the ground at your feet.
>In shock, Twilight drops her concentration and doesn't summon the weapon back to her hand.
>"Cortosis..." she realizes.
"You haven't fought the Force Hunters," you surmise. "It pays to learn from your enemies."
>Twilight outstretches her arm to bring her lightsaber back, but you step on it to keep it where it is.
>After a tense moment where she feels suddenly vulnerable, especially with Maud behind her, you kick it over to her.
"Go on, take it. The cortosis has shorted it out. It'll be useless to you for several minutes."
 
>"I suppose you think yourself clever, Sith," she says, holding up her hands. "But my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is."
>Putting her hands together, she conjures forth invisible energy and focuses it before throwing her palms towards you in a powerful kinetic repulse.
>Raising your right hand as you feel the energy approaching, you summon enough power to shield yourself from the attack.
>You stand still as the blast hits you, causing your cloak and hair to blow violently behind, but your shield absorbs or redirects enough of her blast to keep yourself standing.
>She lowers her hands, once more thinking of a new strategy.
"The Force is with you. But it’s greater with me."
>You then lean forward quickly and push outwards, creating a blast of your own that she hadn't anticipated.
>She is blown backwards, into Maud's arm, where she gets the twi'lek into a full nelson.
>As she struggles, Maud looks over at you. "Let me handle this," she suggests. "You get the holocrons."
>As you look at her, the umbaran throws out a wink, which tells you that she understands not to harm Twilight.
"I won't be long."
>Twilight's efforts to escape are doubled as you dash away.
>You run down the second hall towards the holocron vault, but when you reach it, you discover it to be sealed with a security door.
>Taking out your lightsaber, you prepare to cut into it.
>"That won't be necessary," a voice says from behind.
>You turn around to discover none other than Trixie approaching you, lightsaber in hand.
 
"I don't recommend keeping me from my mission," you say, holding up your orange blade. "I need to get into that vault."
>"I know." She reaches into her robe and takes out a key. "That's why I'm here."
>Perplexed, you stand aside as she approaches the panel and inserts the key into it, sliding the card into its slot.
>A moment later, the red light on the door turns green and it opens.
"You're turning on the Jedi," you say your realization out loud. "You?"
>She gives you a strange look. "What of it? You don't know Trixie."
"Maybe I don't," you whisper.
>As she leads the way into the vault, you continue giving her a curious look beneath your mask.
>You recall the few, but key, interactions you had with her during your time here.
>She was arrogant, yes, but wanted more than anything to prove herself and rise above her origins.
>In fact, you, she and Twilight once had an encounter in this very vault that could have ended badly.
>But she seemed to be doing better towards the end of your time, you even recall her being on better terms with Twilight due to their mutual apprenticeship under Master Starswirl.
>Why, then, betray the Jedi?
>The holocron vault requires secondary identification, which she provides.
>Inside is a sealed and decontaminated chamber meant to help preserve the holocrons, which are on shelves in individual containers.
>Trixie approaches them and activates her blue crossguard lightsaber, holding it up.
>She slashes the cases with precision strikes, opening the cases.
>This causes small alarm lights to sound, but the doors remain open.
>"There is too much going on for them to respond to the alarm," she says, walking to the other side of the room to do the same.
 
"Why are you doing this?" you feel compelled to ask.
>"Does it matter? Help Trixie collect the holocrons. That's why you're here, isn't it?"
>As she opens another series of cases, you reach out and take one of them from the case.
>It is a Sith holocron, pyramidal in shape, with runes etched upon its surface.
>Merely by holding it and gazing upon it, you sense the Dark Side within, pulsing in tune with the Force.
>Contained inside of this device is dark knowledge: the collected works of whatever Sith Lord recorded them.
>Like normal holocrons, these could have extremely complex inner-workings, guarded by a holographic gatekeeper taken after the likeness of its creator.
>You could learn much from devices such as these, and they could greatly benefit the Sith archives...
>And your master.
>"We need to work quickly," Trixie says, collecting as many as she is able.
>She stops when she hears you drop the holocron onto the ground and use your metal arm to smash it.
>Her eyes turn wide. "Wh-what are you doing?!"
"I didn't come here to claim these artifacts," you say, activating your lightsaber. "I'm going to ensure they never fall into Sith hands."
>As you plunge your blade into another one, causing it to melt and let off a small explosion, Trixie quickly drops or sets down the ones she's collected.
>"Stop, stop, stop!" she cries, grabbing your arm before you can destroy another. "You---You cannot!"
>You look into the balosar's eyes.
"I'm disappointed in you, Trixie."
>Not as much as you are with yourself, but even though you left the Jedi Order, you will not betray your friends here, even if you must act the villain.
>She lets go as you destroy another holocron, taking out her lightsaber.
 
>As you stab at a fourth, she swings her saber down upon yours and prevents you from destroying it.
>"I won't let you!" she says. "I... I did too much to just let you do this!"
"You can always turn away," you say, withdrawing your blade and facing her. "You're making a mistake, just as I once did. Don't go down this path, Trixie."
>"You know nothing of Trixie!" she shouts, stabbing at you and forcing you to block. "Do not speak presuming that you do!"
"I know more than you think!" you cry, counter-riposting her attack and forcing her back against the wall. "I know you seek to become great and powerful, but this is not the way. This way will lead you to darkness, deceit and death."
>She lowers her weapon and cocks an eyebrow.
>"Who are you? What manner of Sith are you?"
>You ignore her and swing your lightsaber off to the side, destroying the last two Sith holocrons.
>All that remain now are Jedi holocrons---and those will be of no use to your master.
>You swiftly turn to walk out of the holocron vault, but Trixie follows you, intent on attacking.
>"You... You fool! I was instructed to reclaim the Sith holocrons! What will I tell them when they see I am empty-handed!"
>She swings at your back, but you deflect it with a vertical drop-parry as you turn around.
"Simple---a Jedi destroyed them."
>"You are no Jedi!" she shouts as she attacks again.
"No, I am not. And neither are you."
>When you parry her next blow, you use the Force to knock her back, pushing her back towards the vault.
 
"But you could've been," you say, turning off your weapon and walking away, talking as much to her as you are to yourself.
>You return to the central archive rotunda where you discover Twilight dueling with Maud, their sabers clashing against each other as they dance across the wide floor.
>Strangely enough, the twi'lek seems almost the aggressor, fighting with more outward passion than the reserved and quiet umbaran.
"It's done," you reply as they part, both turning eyes towards you.
>"Where are the holocrons?" Maud asks.
"Destroyed."
>Twilight gives you an estranged look. "What? But..."
"Don't worry, the Jedi holocrons are safe. Only the Sith holocrons are destroyed."
>"But... why? I don't understand."
>She half-turns to keep both you and Maud at bay, looking at you suspiciously.
"I never intended on delivering the holocrons to my Sith master. Doing so would only give him an advantage."
>"But then why not keep them for yourself?" the Padawan inquires.
"I have my reasons. Now stop fighting us and help me evacuate the Jedi Temple."
>"You expect me to trust you?"
"You're intelligent. You must see that I'm not lying---I don't have any holocrons on me. I had to fight my way past you because I knew you wouldn't believe me if I told you I was here to destroy those holocrons to ensure that the Sith could not reclaim them. But now I have evidence."
>You sense Trixie running up from behind.
"And speaking of which..."
>She shouts as she leaps at you, attempting to stab you in the back.
 
>You turn, unsheathe your saber, and block her attack, redirecting her and using her momentum to hurl her towards Twilight with the Force.
>Trixie lands on her feet and slides to a stop alongside her fellow Padawan.
>"Trixie? Master Starswirl told you to oversee the protection of the library. What are you doing here?"
>The balosar hesitates.
"Go on," you goad her. "Tell her how you allowed me into the vault to help me steal the holocrons, when you thought that stealing them was what I had in mind."
>Twilight faces her fully. "Trixie... No!"
>"Silence!" she says to the both of you. "If I cannot bring the holocrons to the Sith, I can at least bring them your head!"
>She charges at you, brandishing her saber and attempting to cut you in half.
>Flipping over her head, you land near Twilight and look at her.
"I am your ally, even if I came with your enemies," you tell her. "Trixie is one of many traitors within the temple. If you do not evacuate and pull back now, everything will be lost."
>"Trixie is no traitor..." the balosar mutters. "It is the Jedi who are the traitors!"
>The twi'lek hesitates as Trixie turns around.
>"Why are you doing this, Trixie?" she asks. "I thought we were friends."
>"The Sith will grant Trixie the power she wants," the balosar replies as Maud walks up to stand alongside Twilight, now three against one. "It doesn't matter who stands in the way! Too much has been done already... I... I burned the library with my saber!"
>Twilight's eyes go wide. "You what?! Trixie, those books were priceless! They contained knowledge, ancient and preserved for thousands of years across the galaxy! Authors from almost every species!"
 
>"Trixie knows!" she shouts, struggling to remain firm. "But there wasn't time to save any of it---there was too much and I had my orders!"
"You seem nervous," you say. "You're dropping your speech pattern."
>She breathes heavily as sweat runs down her forehead.
>"Trixie... I... I was told, told to---"
>"You betrayed everything you held dear!" Twilight cuts her off. "What have you done?!"
>"Trixie... I don't know..."
>Suddenly, she falls to her knees, having grown weak and confused.
>She deactivates her lightsaber and looks down at the ground, a dull look in her eyes and mumbling incomprehensible words.
>"What is she doing? What's wrong with her?" Twilight asks, concerned once more.
"Mind control," you say, approaching her and kneeling. "I've seen similar effects before on others. Like the Jedi mind trick, a user of the Dark Side can exploit the weaknesses of someone's personality and use it to control them. Trixie didn't want to do what she did, but someone wormed their way inside and made her."
>You regret your earlier words about being disappointed in her---mind control is something that can be hard for someone, especially as someone as prideful as she, to resist.
>"Who did this?"
"I know exactly who," you reply, standing up and turning around. "The Dazzlings. Undercover Sith agents who have been working on destroying the Jedi from within when this day came. I can only imagine how many other students they may have under their thrall."
>Twilight's eyes open, as though she finally put it all together.
>"I always knew there was something funny about Adagio..."
>"That's Inquisitor Adagio to you," a voice calls out, echoing in the hall.
 
>The three of you turn to see three more figures approaching from the first hall, confidently striding into the rotunda.
>Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk.
>Each of them wears a black matching uniform with the symbol of the Sith Empire upon their shoulder pads.
>The leader of the Dazzlings flashes a smile. "Good to finally let the nexu out of the bag."
"Inquisitor," you say, moving to stand between Twilight and Maud. "How long have you held that rank?"
>"Since long before I arrived in this pathetic temple," she replies.
"And your groupies? They are inquisitors as well?"
>"Don't be ridiculous. They are merely my acolytes."
>"That doesn't mean we're not still powerful!" Sonata declares.
>"And ease it with the 'merely' stuff there, Adagio," Aria adds.
>"Silence, both of you!" she commands them. "We need to finish our work here and get out of this temple."
>As they take a few steps closer, the temple rocks with another explosion from outside.
>The orange-haired theelin smiles wider. "And speaking of the temple, I'd make peace with it now, because soon it won't exist."
>"You'll never destroy the Jedi Temple," Twilight proclaims, "and you'll never destroy the Jedi!"
>"Such hope, it's truly inspiring," Adagio coos. She looks over at Trixie and sighs. "What a shame about that one. She resisted, you know, it was just as admirable. In the end she fell, just as you will."
>As she laughs, Aria rolls her eyes.
>"Let's get this over with," Aria insists.
 
>"No, let's drag it out and have long monologues!" Sonata says, making them both look at her. "What? It'll give the army a chance to cut off any escape."
>"Quite right," Adagio replies. She turns her head back to you three and resumes, saying, "It's useless to have hope in this dire hour, Twilight. The Jedi Order will soon be crushed into dust by the hammer of the Imperium's might."
>"Your words mean nothing to me," Twilight says. "You're nothing but a traitor!"
>"More like an 'infil-traitor!' Eh?" Sonata says with eyebrows raised.
>Adagio shoots the chiss a nasty look, who quickly clamps up.
"I think we've had enough talk," you say, holding up your lightsaber. "I suggest you move."
>The inquisitor laughs as she brings a hand up to her mouth.
>"Now, now, Nito, I think you know that I can't let you just leave. I think Lord Scorpan is going to be very interested in your sudden shift of allegiance. And you as well, Maud."
>"I don't believe we've met," Maud deadpans.
>"Oh, but we knew all about you. During our time here we frequently received updates from Korriban."
>"You filthy liars," Twilight says. "I should've known you were up to no good!"
>"Please, Twilight, even the Jedi Council didn't suspect us. If they didn't, someone as pathetic as you couldn't have. Don’t be disappointed in yourself, you’ve plenty of other things to be disappointed about. Like your choice of allies…"
>As Twilight maintains her calm composure, you step forward and point your weapon at her.
"My only allegiance is to myself."
>"You say that, but here you are, defending the Jedi. If only they knew your little 'secret' like I do..."
>The Dazzlings all snicker while Twilight regards you strangely.
"I suppose that means, if I am going to keep my head, I'll have to kill you."
>"You can try," she says, taking out her lightsaber, "but you will fail."
 
>At once, all three of them activate their weapons: Adagio wields a single orange lightsaber, while Aria carries a purple saberstaff much like Twilight's, and Sonata duel-wields a blue pair.
>Twilight holds up her own double-sided lightsaber while Maud prepares to defend herself.
>"I want Twilight," Aria declares, and as she smiles, strange worm-like tentacle probes emerge from her cheeks.
>They uncurl and twist around, prehensile and dripping with a thin layer of mucus.
"What the..."
>"She's an anzat!" Twilight says, calling upon her vast knowledge of alien species. "They use those to eat the brains of their victims, like cerebral vampires!"
>"That's right, little brainiac," she smiles. "And I've been just dying to feast on your soup. You think you're so smart... We'll see how smart you are when your ripe, juicy grey matter is drained!"
>”But you don’t look like an anzat… They have such bulbous noses!”
>Aria shrugs. “I got an operation. Best nosejob surgeon on Nar Shadda.”
>"I want that one!" Sonata says as she points both sabers at Maud.
>"Fine, fine, just don't get in my way," Adagio says, focusing solely on you. "Lord Scorpan will be most pleased when I bring him your head."
"You're the second person to threaten me with that today. Frankly, it's getting old."
>"Then let's make this quick."
>After a mere moment of staring each other down, both of your groups charge at each other.
>When you meet, lightsabers ring out and clash against each other; Aria tackles Twilight back while Sonata flips over Maud to attack her from behind.
 
>But you pay little attention to their battles as you focus upon Adagio, the leader and most dangerous of the group.
>Both of you wield orange blades, though yours is narrower and brighter due to the mestarian focusing crystal.
>Hers, however, has a distinctly loud hum, easily more audible than a normal saber's and easy to hear when she swings.
>What's more, whenever it makes contact with your blade, it creates a small cry that takes you by surprise.
>Adagio smiles. "Do you like my saber? I call it Siren's Wail!"
'Huh.' And here you thought you were the only one who named your sabers...
>She slashes at your midsection, an attack you block with a powerful stance, pushing against the blow.
>"You didn't really think you could just betray the Sith here, did you?" she laughs. "The Temple is surrounded by us!"
"The only Sith I need to worry about right now is you," you reply, knocking her weapon aside to bring up a foot and kick her in the stomach.
>She reels backwards and leaps, spinning in the air to dissuade attack, before landing on the ground.
>Angered, she swipes her weapon across the ground, damaging the floor in order to attack your legs.
>Rotating your mechanical wrist downwards, you counter her sudden attack and assume a Makashi stance, body turned perpendicular to her own with your weapon keeping her at bay.
>She stands back up and attempts a few maneuvers, but you block each one.
>Despite this, you note her skill; she is not making any reckless moves that leave herself open to attack, and as such, you need to be just as cautious as she.
 
>Each of your movements are precise and calculated, your footwork perfect, a great contrast to the other two duels going on around you.
>Sonata bashes away with both of her lightsabers against Maud, who firmly refuses to buckle to her rapid and wild attacks.
>Her white lightsaber blocks each attempt with simple movements meant to converse her energy, and the chiss quickly finds herself tired out against the defense, but keeps going.
>Aria, however, has Twilight on the ropes.
>The stronger anzat forces the twi'lek into a defensive retreat, pushing her further away from the other two duels.
>Both of their saberstaffs whirl and twirl in their hands, with Aria being the more aggressive opponent, using the strength of her arms to keep the purple girl from gaining a reprieve from the assault.
>Twilight attempts to escape by leaping away, but Aria is right behind her, jumping to follow, and when Twilight kicks off the wall to land not far from you, Aria is on top of her, bringing her weapon down in a descending plunge attack.
>The twi'lek manages to desperately roll out of the way as the anzat's saber impales the floor, but Aria doesn't give her a chance to recover.
>Meanwhile, you continue exchanging key blows against Adagio, testing her defenses, finding them to be solid and honed.
>It occurs to you now that she must have concealed a great amount of skill during her time here, as she is more than a worthy opponent for you.
>Both of your focus is squarely on the other, but when you hear Twilight shout as Aria manages to score a singeing scrape along her arm, your attention is drawn elsewhere for a brief moment.
>That's all Adagio needs.
 
>Pressing a hidden button on her lightsaber, the blade suddenly enlarges by at least a third, much more quickly than manual adjustment would allow.
>This additional length and the suddenness of its appearance allows her to get past your defenses and score a hit of her own against your non-mechanical arm, burning the flesh there.
>The pain is stinging, but you push it back and ignore it, driving on and pushing away her saber.
'A dual-phase saber...' you realize, recognizing that tactic.
>"Did that hurt? Oh, dear, I'm so sorry," she coyly taunts you.
"I've been through worse than anything you could do."
>"Oh, yes, of course, I know all about it. And just looking at you now, I can only imagine how terrible it all must have been. I almost regret not being there to see it for myself!"
>She swings up high and you parry it, but she twists her body to acrobatically kick at your face, knocking her heel across your mask.
>The force this puts on your mask stings the skin around it, but by suppressing the pain, you see an opening to exploit.
>Raising your hand to her midsection before she lands, you blast her backwards with a Force push.
>As she hits the ground and slides away, you turn and look at Twilight just as Aria is about to stab down into her.
>Thinking quickly, you throw your lightsaber at them and cause it to block her attack, deflecting it off to the side, giving Twilight a chance to roll out from under the anzat and get back up on her feet.
>Aria shouts in frustration as she attempts to attack the hilt of your lightsaber, but it's already flying back to your hand.
>Twilight looks at you, realizing for the first time that you are what you say you are: an ally.
>You turn around just as Adagio gets up.
>"Aw, how cute," she spits, rubbing her chin. "After all this time, still trying to save your friends..."
>"Friends?" Twilight says, before defending herself from Aria's next attack.
 
"I've made my choice, Adagio. I stand with more conviction than you've ever had for anything in your life."
>"You're deluded. Deluded into thinking you can defeat the Sith, deluded into thinking that the Dark Side will ever let you go."
"I know it will never let me go, but I'll never be taken by it," you say, holding your lightsaber up high and wrapping both hands around it, preparing to unleash your training in Djem So. "You, however, are lost already, and killing you would be a service to the galaxy."
>"Pride cometh before the fall," she smiles.
"I've already fallen."
>When your lightsabers clash again, there are no more words to be spoken.
>Whereas before your attacks were measured and testing, now they are fierce and powerful.
>Adagio responds in kind, meeting your furious style with one of her own, using the longer blade of her dual-phase saber to keep you at a good distance.
>Through use of Djem So, you transition into Juyo, the Ferocity Form, pushing her back through strength and sheer internal concentration.
>You maintain your focus solely upon your opponent, trusting in Twilight's ability to defend herself, and soon you have Adagio to her back against the circular desk at the center of the floor.
>She backflips up onto it, allowing you to swing at her feet, but then she jumps again to the side.
>You hop up as well, continually pushing her back.
>Nearby, Spike continues interfacing with the primary computer of the archives, along with the other droids alongside him.
 
>A stray swing from Adagio cuts one of the droids in half.
>"Hey, watch it! I'm working here!" Spike calls out.
>She's too busy defending from your erratic and chaotic attacks to pay the astromech any mind.
>As your battle encircles the entire desk, her lightsaber continually ringing out as it clashes against yours, you notice her growing fatigue, and with it, desperation.
>She swings and you bring up your arm to block with its cortosis, hoping to short-circuit her blade, but she sees this coming and uses her dual-phase function to shorten it, avoiding this tactic.
>But this was your ploy, not hers, for you had anticipated this.
>With a swift slash, you manage to cut her across the cheek, giving her a deep scar.
>She lets out a cry and trips on a datapad on the desk, falling off the table and onto her back.
>You leap off and prepare to impale her, but before you can, she pushes you back while you are in the air, sending you soaring in the opposite direction.
>Landing near Maud and Sonata, you watch as the umbaran cuts off Sonata's right hand, taking advantage of how weary the chiss had grown.
>As the blue hand falls, still gripping its lightsaber, Sonata cries out in pain and crawls away, dropping her other weapon.
>Adagio gets up and looks over at Aria, who has been cornered by Twilight.
>She attempts to attack the twi'lek, who spins and suddenly brings her lightsaber down---right onto the center of Aria's own saberstaff, cutting it cleanly in half.
>Through use of the Force, she then pushes Aria away, knocking her up against the wall.
>Adagio shouts in frustration. "Dazzlings, on me!"
>Despite Sonata's pain, she gets up and dives towards Adagio, kneeling alongside her and holding the charred stump where her hand once was.
>Aria uses her power to burst out of Twilight's hold, then similarly dashes over.
 
>"Make for Lord Scorpan," Adagio tells her acolytes. "Tell him of Nito's betrayal, and he will activate the bomb!"
>They both nod and run off in opposite directions, heading for various exits.
"After them!" you shout, and Maud takes up the chase.
>"Wait, what bomb?" Twilight asks, running after you. "And I have to stay here to ensure the work is done!"
"Damnit, Twilight!" you skid to a stop. "There's a bomb in my head and if Scorpan finds out I'm not doing what I said I would, he'll blow it up!"
>Twilight is stunned, to say the least. "I know you're fighting for us, Nito, but I don't---"
>In a fit of frustration, you shake your head and cut her off.
"We don't have time for this! I'm not Nito, I'm Anon!"
>Before she was stunned, but now she is well and truly shocked.
>"Anon... It can't be..."
>She looks at you, finding familiarities in your height, hair and posture, even though you look so different, especially considering your arm.
>"How did---"
"I said there's no time! We need to stop them!" You lean closer and place a hand on her shoulder---your real hand. "I promise that I'll explain if I live through this. And I'm sorry, for everything."
>You leave her to chase after Adagio as Maud hunts Sonata, and after a moment, Twilight runs after Aria.
>As you run, you curse under your breath.
>You had hoped to keep your identity hidden for a bit longer, but with the sudden appearance of the Dazzlings, your plan was quickly ruined.
>At least you still have a chance to stop them from alerting Lord Scorpan.
>But now Twilight knows the truth, and will be expecting an explanation, one that's long overdue.
>Perfectly reasonable, she's earned it.
 
>Adagio is no fool, and she knows this temple as well as you.
>Probably better than you, actually, since she’s been here longer, and with a hidden agenda all the while.
>As you sprint through the halls, you hope that Twilight and Maud are able to capture the other two.
>Adagio is a skilled opponent, and her deception all this time in the temple proves her cunning, so you can’t underestimate her.
>Pushing aside all other thoughts, especially those about your revelation to Twilight, you breathe hard as you hunt for the inquisitor.
>You turn and slide along the floor for a moment as you round a corner you catch a glimpse of her running around.
>Where is she going?
>This path would seem to lead towards the front entrance, but all that means is she would have to go through Jedi to get to the Sith.
>As you enter the next hall, you see her large mane of orange hair vanish through a doorway and you change course to pursue.
>As you enter the same doorway, you are nearly caught by her saber as she swings it downwards, attempting to decapitate you.
>Instead you hop backwards and your eyes briefly meet before she takes off again.
>This time, when you enter the doorway, you throw your lightsaber towards her.
>But not quite at her, like she was expecting.
>Instead, you strike the panel of the next doorway she was intending to run through, sealing the door.
>She stops running and almost skids into it, cursing as she does.
>Forced to go a different path, she runs into a narrower hall with you right on her heels, your lightsaber flying to your hand.
 
>At the end of the hall is a closed door, but she holds up her hand and opens it with the Force.
>Afterwards, she tears off her shoulder pads, the ones with the Imperial symbol, and drops them to the ground.
>Her reason why becomes apparent as soon as you both exit the hall and end up in a hall with temple guards.
>”Sith!” she shouts. “Chasing me! Help!”
>The guards would know her well from her time here, but would not know of her deception.
>You, however, look all too guilty of not being from here.
>The three guards, who had been patrolling specifically for Sith infiltrators, can hardly be blamed for taking her word.
>They activate their double-sided lightsaber pikes and quickly move in.
>As Adagio leaps over their heads, they rush you, attacking at once from three different angles.
>This forces you to halt and defend yourself while she escapes.
“No!” you shout. “You don’t understand!”
>”Cease hostilities and you will be arrested!” one of the masked guards orders, attacking you again with another jab.
>You deflect his blade to the side before blocking another one as Adagio runs out of the room.
“Damnit, I don’t have time for this!”
>Switching your lightsaber to your false hand, you begin to spin your wrist rapidly to create a whirring circle of orange light in front of you.
>The white-clad guards back away to assess this new threat, which gives you your chance.
>You stop spinning it suddenly and throw out your palm, summoning a Force push to knock two of them aside.
 
>The one in the middle raises his pike and manages to hold his footing, but you swiftly twist your wrist and cut his hilt in half before running at him.
>They are not your target, just another obstacle, and to that end you treat him as such, planting a foot on his chest and then face, kicking off of him and making it to the other side of the room.
>The guard falls down, his white and gold mask now stained with your boot’s print as you charge after Adagio once more, running out of the room and slashing the panel to seal door behind you to cut off pursuit from the guards.
>You find yourself in the sparring dojos of the temple, but you’ve lost sight of her.
>However, she is running, and has little time to focus on anything else, such as hiding herself or masking her signature in the Force.
>You hold up your hand and close your eyes, expanding your mind outwards.
>As your senses broaden, it doesn’t take long to hear footsteps (or are they hoofprints?), along with heavy breathing and desperation accompanying them.
>Reaching out, you grab her through the thin dojo wall and pull her into the room you are inside.
>Adagio rolls along the ground for a moment, surprised by your grab, only to get on all fours and confront you with a hateful glare.
>Lightsaber in hand, you lift it up to your face, once more challenging her to a duel.
>She spits and gets back up, taking a moment to brush errant strands of hair out of her face.
>"You're better than I gave you credit for, Anon."
"The Force is with me."
>"Spoken like a true Sith," she compliments. "It's a shame you've thrown it all away in an attempt to save your friends. It won't succeed."
"I've already succeeded in destroying the Sith holocrons. Now, all that is left are the Sith themselves."
 
>"You're a fool," she says again, taking out her lightsaber. "But I suppose I'll have to deal with you myself."
"You may try, but you will fail," you echo her earlier taunt.
>She closes the distance quickly, attacking you with a vertical slash that you block; as you do, you turn and hit her in the face with your free elbow.
>Rolling off to the side after receiving the blow, she ends up alongside a rack of training weapons.
>Lifting three wooden swords with the Force, she hurls them at you as a distraction.
>The projectiles are easily sidestepped and sliced in half, giving you more than enough time to anticipate her next attack and block it.
>Your blades meet and push against each other, your faces growing close.
>That's when she surprises you by opening her mouth and letting out a shriek louder than normal beings could obtain.
>The banshee-like wail she emits stuns you and nearly forces an opening she could exploit to lethal effectiveness, but as you step back, you rotate your wrist again so as to shield her from you with the wall of light.
>Undeterred, she attempts to stab you through the spinning shield, but your blade stops hers as the speed of the rotation allows it to catch.
>She pushes up against the blade and prepares to shriek again when you turn off your lightsaber.
>As she was pushing against your blade when this happens, her blade pops up, slicing at the air because you have stepped to the left.
>However, she again screams, keeping you from attacking her by unbalancing you with her voice.
>Her wail actually causes the new visor on your mask to crack in front of your left eye.
 
>Thinking she now has an easy shot to cut you down, she swings her lightsaber down at you, aiming at your neck.
>You desperately fall to a knee, twisting as you do, and bring up your false arm in defense of your neck, causing her blade to come in contact with the cortosis.
>And much like Twilight's lightsaber, hers shorts out and deactivates.
>"What? How can this---Cortosis!" she realizes.
>She hops back to avoid your next swipe, which would have cut her in half.
>She desperately fiddles with her saber in an attempt to turn it back on, even trying the dual-phase function.
"You are disarmed. You cannot escape from me."
>She gnashes her teeth together and hooks the saber back onto her beltline before reaching for another training weapon.
>She grabs a metal staff and holds it up, preparing to use it to defend herself.
"Perhaps if I were using a training saber, that would mean something," you say, approaching her as she slowly backs up.
>Adagio makes her gambit and rushes forwards, swinging the staff.
>You slice through it and the attacking end flies off into the corner of the room.
>This ends with you holding your blade up to Adagio's neck.
>With the flick of a wrist, you will kill her, and she knows it.
>Her eyes meet yours, her pupils growing small.
>After a moment, however, she smiles and drops the rest of the staff.
>"Go on, then. Do it. I am at your mercy."
"I suppose you would enjoy that."
>"It's our way. We kill our prisoners when we feel like it. You know this."
 
"Or I could cut out your tongue," you say, moving the blade a bit closer.
>This causes her to back up against the wall.
>"Come now, there's no need for this barbarism..."
"I'm afraid there is."
>"We could work together," she slyly replies, though it is apparent she is stalling for time. "Scorpan doesn't need to know."
"As if I would ever trust you."
>"Fair enough. So do it then. Prove you're a Sith and take an innocent life."
"You're far from innocent. I think I could live with it on my conscience."
>"You haven't faced the Sacrifice yet, have you?" she asks, turning her head and smiling. "You're no Sith. You're just a lost little boy with no guts."
"I've been through more than you ever have. I don't need some Sith ritual to kill you, I'm already angry enough."
>"Then why haven't you done it?" she chides you with a large grin. "Why hesitate?"
"Perhaps it amuses me."
>"You know that my acolytes could be reaching Scorpan at any moment."
"I'm confident that my friends will catch them."
>"Listen to you... 'Friends.' Do you really think they'll welcome you back with open arms? That they'll ever forgive what you've done? You weren't here to see the fallout of your leaving. But I was. You should've seen what you did to them. Especially Fluttershy..."
>You are very still as she smiles, knowing she's struck a chord.
 
>"She was devastated. Didn't leave her room for days. A real mess, crying and sobbing... She was easy to reach. Not as easy as Trixie, of course."
>Slowly, your eyes widen beneath the visor.
"What did you..."
>"All we had to do was tell her that you'd come back if she did as she was told. It wasn't hard---dare I say, she was the easiest to manipulate."
>Moving your lightsaber aside, you reach up and grab her throat with your real hand, still keeping the blade near her face.
"What did you do to her?!"
>She chokes as she speaks, still managing to smile. "I was right... You know... You did come back. But I doubt she'll be happy with what you've become..."
"Answer me!"
>Suddenly, you hear another lightsaber activate behind you, and before you can react, it is held up to your neck.
>You were so preoccupied with interrogating Adagio that you failed to notice the other person entering the dojo.
>The blade is orange, and suddenly you realize the familiarity of the presence this individual has in the Force.
"Applejack..."
>"I shoulda known I'd find you crawlin' around the temple, Nito," she says distastefully, keeping her blade at your neck. "After our bout on Manaan, I've been itchin' for this. Now let her go."
"Put your lightsaber down, you don't understand what is going on."
>"Help... me!" Adagio says, feigning innocent.
>"I'm the one with the lightsaber at your neck, so I give the orders. Let her go."
 
"She's a traitor to your order. She works for the Sith."
>"Yeah, sure. I believe that. Enough now."
"She and her friends have been inside agents this entire time! They've been manipulating the students to---"
>"I said enough!" she interrupts you. "You really think I'm gonna fall for that?"
>Adagio coughs a few times, trying as hard as she can to appear like the victim.
>It's clear that Applejack won't believe a thing Nito says... so it's time to switch tactics.
"Applejack, I never spent much time with you, even though we were friends. I'm sorry for that."
>"What are you---"
"And when I left, I hit you. I've always regretted it."
>"You never... On Manaan, you---"
"Not Manaan. When I left here."
>She doesn't immediately reply as she attempts to discern the truth of your words.
>Then, it all comes to her in sudden realization.
>"...Anon?"
"I'm sorry I was a horrible friend to you. I could never forgive myself after I left, and can never repay the kindness you showed me during my time here." You look over your shoulder at her and add, "Thank you."
>Despite still holding up her saber, she looks like she's been hit by a ton of bricks.
>Adagio manages to gasp out. "He's lying!" she says. "He's lying!"
>Applejack looks between you both, before asking you, "How's this possible?"
 
"Adagio, Sonata and Aria are Sith infiltrators. She is an inquisitor. I'm asking you, please, as someone who was once your friend---believe me."
>"He's lying!" she claims again. "Save me!"
>You can see the conflict in Applejack's green eyes, the inner battle raging between what she feels and what she believes.
>Her face tells you everything you need to know; she simply doesn't know what to make of the situation, but she's the one in the position to act.
>Does she risk trusting you, or does she do what she thinks is right?
>The answer doesn't surprise you.
>"Let her go," she says firmly. "If you are Anon, then you know I can't just let you execute a prisoner."
"If I don't, I will die. She's going to tell my Sith master that I have betrayed them. There's a bomb in my head, and he has the detonator."
>Her expression conveys her surprise at that news.
"If she lives, I die," you reinforce your words.
>"We can... take her to the temple's holding cells," Applejack offers.
"There's no time for that!" As if to accent your point, the temple shakes from another explosion outside. "The Sith are not going to surrender. They're going to destroy the temple! There won't be any cells to take her to!"
>As Applejack hesitates again, you hear movement coming from Adagio.
>Her lightsaber has returned to its normal function and activates as she slashes upwards.
>Caught between her and Applejack's own blade, you have no choice but to let go of her throat and reach down with your hand to grab her wrist and keep it from chopping into you.
>Her other hand comes up and grabs your mechanical arm, forcing it backwards to keep you from killing her.
 
>Now you push against each other in a stalemate, with the only person with any agency to act being Applejack.
>The blonde girl steps back, carefully avoiding both of your blades.
>"Attack him!" Adagio shouts. "He tried to kill me!"
"She tried to kill Twilight! Her and her underlings!"
>"Everything he says is a lie! He left you, left the temple! He can't be trusted!"
"She never left and now look! Everything is coming apart!"
>The temple rocks again and a nearby weapons rack falls over.
>"Do your duty to the Jedi!"
"Do what you know is right!"
>She is caught between two extremes, unsure of what to do.
>So she acts on instinct.
>Swinging her lightsaber, she slices through Adagio's hilt, destroying it.
>You take advantage of this to twist her around and get behind her, holding the lightsaber up to her neck while facing her towards Applejack.
>The theelin shouts at her. "You idiot! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
"Shut up!" you tell her, turning her and forcing her up against the wall. "Now tell me what you did to Fluttershy! Answer me!"
>"What about Fluttershy, now?" Applejack asks.
>You ignore her and slam Adagio's head into the solid wall.
"I said talk! Now!"
>"Anon, stop!" Applejack says, grabbing your shoulder and pulling you away.
 
>You let go of Adagio, allowing her to drop to the ground, but you keep your weapon pointed at her.
>"You can't just beat someone up to get answers like that!"
"Let me handle this, AJ."
>"No!" She forcefully turns your head to face her. "If that really is you in there, under all that, then you'll let me handle this my way! We'll take her into custody."
>Below, the inquisitor laughs.
>"It's already too late," she says after you both look at her. "Sparing me now only delays the inevitable. You're all going to die! You, the Jedi, and especially you, traitor!"
"You're one to talk of traitors," you mutter. "Look at you now."
>"I never betrayed the Sith," she laughs. "You, however? You betrayed the Jedi AND the Sith! The only traitor in this room is you!"
>Applejack points her saber at Adagio, even as she laughs. "So, it's true then. You are with the Sith. You good-for-nothin' snake in the grass..."
"Tell me what you did to Fluttershy, now!" you demand.
>"She lowered the temple's defensive grid before the attack," Adagio answers. "You'll probably find her in the control room, bawling her pathetic little eyes out."
>At that moment, the doors to the dojo open and a familiar zeltron runs inside.
>"Applejack! The whole school's gone crazy! I saw Twilight chasing Aria and Rarity fighting Blueblood!"
>Pinkie pauses as she looks at you and Adagio.
>"Uh... What's going on? AJ...?"
>"Pinkie, Adagio's a Sith infiltrator... And this is Anon."
>Though she is holding both of her inactivated hilts, she brings up her hands to her mouth and gasps.
 
>"No, Anon! Say it isn't so! Say you aren't a Sith!"
"I'm not a Sith."
>She sighs and wipes her forehead. "Phew, that's a relief. Wait, then why are you dressed like one?"
"Because I was one... But never truly. I'm not with them, I'm against them, just like you. I stand with my friends."
>A bright smile comes to Pinkie's face, but Applejack is far more skeptical than the optimistic zeltron.
>"Now hold it, how do I know you're telling the truth?"
"Because I'm not your enemy!" you say to her. You motion with your lightsaber at Adagio. "She is! And all the others like her, and they're here, fighting you! I'm not fighting you!"
>As Pinkie springs over, Applejack asks, "But you fought us on Manaan! You enjoyed it, taunted us! Don't lie to me!"
"Things were... different then. I've changed. I'm already risking my life to help you! If the Sith find out about what I've done, they'll activate the bomb behind my eye."
>Pinkie gasps. "No! We can't let that happen! AJ, we need to help him!"
>AJ looks over at her. "Pinkie, we can't just trust him! He's gone for all this time, turns out he was with the Sith all along and was the one we fought on Manaan, and now we're just supposed to accept it?"
"Damnit, AJ!" you get her attention. "I don't care if you trust me or not! But the Sith are here, attacking the temple! We don't have time to debate, we need to act! I've already made my choice, and you did too when you chose to believe me! Now I need you to choose again!"
>The girl stares hard at you for a moment, listening to your words and repeating them in her mind.
>Finally, after a moment, she nods.
>"Alright, Anon. I'm with you. But you better have a damn good explanation for all of this when this is over."
>Pinkie Pie runs over and gives you a hug, a surprising and welcome thing to have happen.
 
"I missed you, Pinkie," you tell her as she fights back some tears. You look at AJ and say, "I promise you that I will. But we need to move."
>AJ takes charge. "Alright! Pinkie, we need to get Adagio to the cells. Anon, you go find Fluttershy."
>"She'll be super-happy to see you!" Pinkie adds. "Maybe for the first time since you left!"
>Adagio lets out a dismissive snort. "If you think I'm going with you, you're mistaken."
>Using the Force, she grabs one of Pinkie's lightsabers from her hand and brings it to her own, activating it.
>However, all this results in is an electrical shock as the hilt discharges a few volts.
>Adagio's orange hair stands up for a moment and she drops the saber.
>"AHHHH! What the hell?!"
>Pinkie bends over to scoop up the hilt. "Trap grip!" she says, activating her blue lightsaber and yellow shoto saber. "That way, nobody can use them but me, silly!"
>Adagio shakes her hand as both AJ and Pinkie point their weapons at her.
"Watch out for her voice," you warn them. "She's a screamer. Whatever you do, don't let her escape. I'll go find Fluttershy."
>"Be safe!" Pinkie calls out.
>As you turn to leave the room through the door that Pinkie came in from, AJ shouts out, "Anon!"
You turn around. "Yeah?"
>"...I'm glad you're on our side."
"So am I."
>You leave the three of them behind and enter a turbolift.
>You know the way to the control room, though you've never been inside.
>After the lift stops, you run down the hall and make it to the entrance, discovering two dead guards outside and the door open.
 
>Built into one of the towers, the room is circular in nature and has windows on all sides over control panels.
>As you enter, you discover a fallen figure on the ground, but not from wounds.
>She is crying.
>You rush over to her and pull down her hood, revealing pink hair and yellow skin.
>Fluttershy looks up at you with tear-soaked eyes and the sight makes your heart break.
>"Y-you've come..." she says in a weak voice.
"I have."
>"I'm ready..." she says, closing her eyes. "Go ahead."
"What?"
>"You're here to kill me..." she says, her voice devoid of hope.
"No, no!" you reply, grabbing her shoulders. "Fluttershy, I'm not here to kill you."
>"But... Why else?"
>You pause, looking at her face, and think of something important to both you and her.
"Did you get the other half of the necklace?"
>She doesn't seem to understand, but stops trembling. "W-what?"
"The other half of the necklace you made for me. I hoped that, when I left it in the transport on Kessel, it would find its way back to you."
>She doesn't respond immediately, perhaps trying to see through a deception, but there is none.
You decide to come out and say it. "Fluttershy, it's me, it's Anon!"
>At first, there is no reaction, as before.
>Then, as your words set in, her eyes move to stare into your visor, growing wide.
 
>Her lips tremble as she tries to form words, but cannot.
>A hand, delicate and soft, reaches up to touch your mask.
>Finally, she manages to say your name. "Anon..."
"I'm here," you whisper, moving to hug her. "I'm here at last."
>She collapses again in your arms, crying as she tries to hug you.
>"I d-did this," she says between tears. "This is all m-my f-fault!"
"No, no it isn't," you say, looking at her again as you hold her. "I promise you, this isn't your fault."
>"They k-killed them," she says, not bearing to look outside at the guards. "Ad-dagio and the D---the Dazzlings."
"I know. They tricked you. They did the same to Trixie, and I don't know how many other students..."
>She sniffles as she grabs your cloak, holding on tightly.
>For a few moments the sound of the room is just her crying gently against you.
>"I was never meant for this," she says. "I'm a horrible J-Jedi."
"No, you aren't," you say to her. "You're better than I ever was. You didn't leave."
>"What happened to you?" she asks, feeling the flesh around your mask. "Oh... Oh, no, this is horrible..."
"I was hurt. Badly. More than once," you say, downplaying the torture so as to not make her upset. "For a long time, I thought I was lost to the Dark Side."
>She is distraught by the news, but still she asks, "A-and?"
"I'm not," you say to her, holding the back of her head and gently rocking her. "I promise you, I'm not."
>There is a resonating relief that runs through her and a beautiful sensation of wondrous warmth that accompanies it.
>She closes her eyes and holds onto you tightly, glad to simply have you back and be holding you once more.
>”Your arm…” she says, placing a hand on the cold metal.
“I know.”
 
>After a moment, she looks back up, her hand tracing your mask.
>"C-can I see your face?" she asks, hopeful.
"No. I'm afraid the mask is fused to my skin," you mournfully reply. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy."
>She understands, but still holds you tightly and feels the flesh around the mask.
>Her fingers are so soft, so warm...
>"I missed you," she whimpers. "I missed you so much..."
"I wish things had turned out differently," you say, stroking her hair. "I wish I had never left, and become this, and spent so long away. I missed you too."
>She calms down a bit, but is still very upset.
>After another minute, she manages to form more coherent sentences.
>"The Sith are a-attacking the temple. What do we do?"
"I'm just glad you're safe. But the others might not be. We need to bring the system back up and sound the alarm for evacuation."
>"E-evacuate? Are you sure?"
"They outnumber us, and have had changelings in place in the senate and the navy. This battle is so much bigger than the temple; if we focus solely on mounting our defense here, we will fail."
>”Then… you are here to help?”
“As much as I can for as long as I can. I’ve already met Twilight, AJ and Pinkie. They know I’m here to help them. We apprehended Adagio and her minions won’t be long.”
>She seems relieved at that news as well.
>She lets go as you stand up and move over to the communications array.
 
>After fiddling around with the controls, you manage to reactivate it and you return the security systems of the temple back to full operating capacity.
>As to be expected, the entire temple hologram on the screen is covered with red breech marks.
>You move over to another panel and turn it on as Fluttershy watches.
>"They said that you'd come back," she whispers to your back.
"I know. They said whatever they needed to say to worm their way into your head."
>After turning on a panel, you turn to her, kneel and place a hand over hers.
"But it isn't your fault, Fluttershy. Only them. Only them. Do you understand?"
>After a moment, she nods. "I d-do."
>You smile beneath your mask, then wish she could see it.
"I'm smiling right now, you know," you say.
>In spite of everything, she manages to crack a smile and giggle as you chuckle along with her.
>"I... I did get it," she says. "The necklace."
"I'm glad," you say, tightly clasping her hand. "I wanted you to."
>She smiles warmly and hugs you again.
>Both of you stop when the sound of another explosion reaches your ears.
>Fluttershy remains seated as you approach another communications panel which links to starfighters that are connected to the Jedi Temple's hub of communications, allowing you to track their movements and listen to their comm chatter.
>Upon activating it, you immediately hear Rainbow Dash's voice.
>"Soarin, pull up! He's on your tail!"
>"I'm trying, I'm trying!"
>"He's got you locked in, I need another pass!"
>Master Spitfire's voice comes on next. "Soarin, pull back to position thirty-two-alpha-niner, we don't have a clear shot!"
 
>"I can't! He's right behind me!"
>Bringing up another screen, you see three green dots along with numerous red ones, but one in particular is right behind the lead green dot.
>Dash shouts over the comm, "Soarin, pull up!"
>You look out the window, trying to find where they are amongst the night sky, lasers and explosions.
>Focusing intently, you attempt to hone in on their presence, and soon enough you discover their ships.
>Dash, Soarin and Spitfire are all flying in their Jedi starfighters, but the one tailing Soarin is no ordinary pilot.
>It's Coco.
>"I'm gonna try losing her through the towers!" Soarin calls out.
>"Watch out!" Dash says as he flies between two of the pillars.
>Coco goes wide, turning right when he turns left.
>"I lost him!"
>Just then, the mandalorian circles back and cuts off his avenue of escape, having anticipated where he was going to end up.
>"Soarin, look out! He's---"
>Coco fires two missiles from her ship, and though one misses, the other impacts on the underbelly of his fighter, exploding and destroying its thrusters.
>Like a spear of flames, the ship spirals out of control.
>"Soarin!" Dash's desperate and fearful voice comes over the line. "Eject! Eject!"
>"I... can't!" he manages to transmit. “It’s jammed! I can’t---“
 
>You watch as his fighter crashes into the southwestern tower of the Jedi Temple, bursting on impact.
>Fluttershy gasps and covers her mouth as she stares.
>You both look on as the flames disperse along with the falling wreckage, and you no longer feel his presence in the Force.
>"GAAAAAH!" Rainbow's cry of anguish comes over the line. "SOARIN!"
>Coco's fighter quickly adjusts course to intercept Rainbow's, who is flying directly at her and firing.
>"Dash, break away!" Spitfire warns, but the wroonian is having none of it.
>You watch the ships fly towards one another, both firing their primary weapons.
>"COME ON!" Dash cries. "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?"
>It looks as though they may crash right into each other, but at the last moment, Coco turns her ship perpendicular to Dash's.
>The mandalorian iron of its sharpened wings cuts through Dash's wing, effectively robbing her of half of her ship.
>Much like before with Soarin, she begins to spiral out of control.
>"Dash, eject!"
>"I'm spinning! I'll hit the ground! I can make a landing... I can make it!"
>"Padawan, EJECT!"
>"I CAN MAKE IT!"
>You lose sight of her fighter as it comes in dangerously low over the temple.
>Fluttershy is terrified and your heart beats just as fast as her own.
>After a moment of pounding uncertainty, her voice comes over the comm. "I'm alright! I landed it on the roof, master!"
>"Good work, my Padawan!" Spitfire compliments her. "I've lost sight of the fighter. Where is---"
>Just then, Coco shoots up from the Coruscant undercity, having flown down into it after slicing Dash's ship.
 
>She fires two more missiles, both of which strike Master Spitfire's starfighter, briefly illuminating the sky with a fireball.
>For a moment, all is silent.
>Then, Dash's voice.
>"...Master? Master! Answer me!"
>Fluttershy can't stand to listen, covering her ears.
>"Master! MASTER! NOOOO!"
>You watch Coco's fighter spin off to engage some naval starfighters.
>When she is out of sight, you take Fluttershy's hand and lead her to the turbolift outside.
>"Where are we going?"
"The roof. We need to get Dash."
>As the lift activates and carries you both downwards, Fluttershy is painfully quiet.
>"I can't believe it," she says after a few moments. "Soarin... Master Spitfire..."
"If we don't hurry, the list will grow," you say with a grim tone. "We have to try and save as many as we can."
>You stop the elevator on the rooftop access exit and open the doors, stepping out onto the windy rooftop once more.
>You both rush out onto the rooftop and search for Dash; as it turns out, it doesn't take long to find her.
>"RRRRAAAAAGH! COME ON!" she cries, both lightsabers in hand as she hacks down a group of Sith assault droids that have scaled the temple walls.
 
>The man-sized four-legged droids fire powerful lasers, but she deflects them with one saber while hacking with the other.
>One of the droids opens up its primary weapon array after planting all four spiked legs in the ground, and launches a rocket at her.
>She jumps over it, causing it to impact on one of its fellow droids, destroying it in the process.
>Landing atop the body of the one who fired the missile, she impales both her sabers into it before leaping off as it blows up.
>More assault droids close in as she finds herself cornered.
>"Come on, come on! I'll take you all on! You think you can take me on? Huh?!"
>She carelessly swings both sabers to deflect another volley of rounds, but one hits her leg and forces her onto a knee.
>As you and Fluttershy rush over, you know just what to do.
>You activate your lightsaber in your false hand and hold it up before placing your real hand on the blade.
>It burns your glove but your hand is unharmed as you absorb the energy, feeling it surging within you.
>When you reach the remaining five droids, you shout as you hold up your hand and blast lightning at them, the bolts jumping from one to another like a chain reaction.
>The droids spark and twitch, their joints going crazy as they begin to explode, deactivate or fall apart.
>With one blast, you manage to destroy all five droids.
>Fluttershy runs to Dash's side, helping her up.
>"Shy... You're alive..." Dash says, managing a smile.
>It vanishes upon seeing you, however.
>"NITO!" she shouts. "You Sith bastard! Let me at him!" Fluttershy holds her back. "Let go! Let me at him!"
 
>"Dash! Calm down!" Fluttershy desperately tries to talk to her friend. "Don't give into your anger!"
>"Soarin and Master Spitfire are dead!" she says, fighting back tears. She reaches up and tears off her pilot's helmet. "All because of people like him!"
"Not like me," you say, approaching her even as Fluttershy struggles to keep her from leaping at you and attacking.
>”Let me at him, let me at him! I’m itching for revenge!”
“That’s not the Jedi way, now is it?”
>”Don’t you dare preach to me about what is and is not the Jedi way, you… You…”
>”Rainbow, calm down!” Fluttershy urges her again. “A Jedi must never use the Force for attack, only for defense.”
>”And look what it got us!” she shouts, throwing a hand up to the sky and the battle that rages all around. “We sat around and trained, sure, but what good was it? What good was it?!”
>She breaks free of the mirialan’s grasp and leaps towards you.
>”This is for Soarin and Spitfire!” she shouts, swinging her lightsaber.
>Fluttershy runs after her. ”Dash! No! It’s---“
>You see both blades coming at your head and only barely move your head just in time, but still your world turns white for a moment.
>Her blades make contact with your mask, running barely an inch away from your eye as she slices through your visor.
>When you fall away, the upper half of your mask is nearly completely destroyed, leaving only the half protecting your nose and mouth.
>You land on your back, your skin protesting the sudden exposure to fresh air.
>Rainbow plants a boot on your chest and points the blades at your throat.
 
>”I want to kill you! I want to… to…” Her voice trails off as she looks at your recently-exposed upper face. “…Anon?”
>Fluttershy gasps and rushes down to help you as Rainbow backs up, helping you up to a sitting position.
>”Your eyes…” Fluttershy says, looking at the milky white synthetic orbs. “Oh, no…”
>Dash is beholden to terrible truth, and at first denies it.
>”No… No, that’s not true, that’s impossible!”
“I’m alright,” you say to Fluttershy, breathing easier. You look up at Rainbow Dash as she stares in disbelief. “Dash, I---“
>”Shut up,” she interrupts you.
“Dash, let me explain---“
>”I said shut up!” she interrupts you again, louder and with an angrier face. “You… You joined the Sith! You turned your back on us! You… you betrayed everything you stood for when you were my friend!”
>You breathe as she blasts you with accusations, none of them more damning than the last.
“I know,” you say. “All of it is true, all of it. But I’m not with the Sith, not while I have friends here at the temple.”
>”He’s helping us,” Fluttershy says. “Rainbow Dash, please! Put away your lightsabers!”
>”Why should I,” she spits, holding them up in your direction, “when there’s a Sith right in front of me?”
>”That’s Anon you’re talking about!” she appeals to Dash. “He’s on our side!”
>”Was he ever?” she says, a single tear running down her cheek. “He joined the Sith. The Sith are attacking us. The Sith killed my friend and my master!”
>She holds her sabers up high.
>”I… I want to kill him!”
“I know what you’re feeling,” you say. “I felt it the day I left the temple. I felt it the day I lost my arm… I’ve felt it nearly every night and every morning since. The hatred, the anger, the pain of loss… Look what it did to me, Dash. Look what it did.”
 
>You hold up your mechanical arm and then point at your face.
“I know you want revenge---on me, on the Sith, on the mandalorian who shot down your ships. I know what that’s like. I’m begging you, please, don’t give in. Not for my sake, my life is already gone at the press of a button. For your sake, Rainbow. Don’t go down this path.”
>Rainbow’s eyes are manic, her breathing is quick and sweat runs down her forehead as freely as the tears run from her eyes.
>It doesn’t surprise you that she is this conflicted over your true identity.
>She valued the loyalty of her friends more than anything else, and holding true to one’s ideals.
>In some ways, it can be seen that you represent the absolute antithesis of everything she believes in.
>You fled the temple, abandoned your oaths, left the light and went into the darkness, lied about your identity, fought against those who were your friends, and now here you are, having come in the midst of a Sith invasion and attack on the temple.
>You sense the conflict within her, the raging fire ignited by the spark of losing those close to her.
>She yearns to claim your life, to in some way avenge them, even if symbolically, even if you had nothing to do with it.
“Please,” you whisper. “You have it in you to be better than I ever could be.”
>Fluttershy holds up her hand, shaking with trepidation.
>”Rainbow Dash, please, just listen to him. He’s on our side. Whatever he did, it doesn’t matter!”
>”Of course it matters,” she whispers. “He’s a Sith.”
“No, I’m not. I’m against them, just as you are.”
>”You came here with them! How do I know you didn’t lead them here and let them attack?! There was no warning, no alarm!”
 
>”Because I did that!” Fluttershy cries, clutching your shoulders tightly. “Adagio, and the Dazzlings, they’re with the Sith! They… They m-made me deactivate the temple’s d-defenses.”
>As she turns her head away in shame, Rainbow switches her focus to her. “What? How could---“
“It’s true. Adagio is an infiltrator and an inquisitor. She helped orchestrate this attack from the inside. I wanted to warn you, warn the Republic, but I couldn’t. My dark master sought to that.”
>Rainbow hesitates as you stand up, leaving Fluttershy kneeling.
You stare into Rainbow’s eyes as you speak. “I am not your enemy, Dash. Once, I was, and I’ll forever regret it, that thing I became… Nito. What you think I am---friend, enemy, traitor, Sith---it doesn’t matter. What matters is we evacuate the temple. People are still in danger, and more could die, unless we act.”
>She stares back, and slowly the look in her eyes is replaced with fierce determination.
>”Don’t think this makes us okay,” she says. “It doesn’t.”
“I know.” You pause to help Fluttershy stand as she grabs your false hand. “But even if you never want to call me your friend again after what I have done, I would still stand by your side and fight against these foes.”
>”Let’s hope you’re right, then, because this isn’t over yet,” she says, moving past you. “Now come on, let’s go sound the evacuation.”
>As the three of you walk towards the tower you just left, all three of you suddenly feel strange.
>Something is happening, and all of you sense it.
>Your attention is turned towards the main entrance of the Jedi Temple, and all of you run to the edge to look down upon the battle that has consumed the Processional Way.
 
>The stairs leading up to the temple are filled with makeshift fortifications, including fallen statues and crates, behind which cover can be taken by Republic troopers and antarian rangers.
>The bulk of the Sith ground force sent to capture the temple has been stalled here, and they have many defensive fortifications as well.
>Both sides engage each other as laser blasts, rockets and lightsabers flash, explode and clash.
>Corpses line the way, of both Jedi and Sith, Republic and Imperial.
>But leading the counter-charge against these foes is none other than Grand Master Celestia, leading other members of the Jedi Council with her.
>The diathim Jedi soars across the battlefield, carried by her wings as she telekinetically wields her golden lightsaber.
>She is a beacon for all to follow and rally behind, for the Jedi and the soldiers fight fearlessly behind her.
>Jedi Masters Starswirl, Roseluck, Octavia and Zecora are here, along with a host of temple guards and lesser Jedi.
>Working together, they use their immense skills in the Force to tear away enemy fortifications, deflect blaster shots and rockets and expose enemy positions for their soldiers, while battling and defeating Sith warriors in hand-to-hand combat.
>But the sensation you felt before, the one felt by all across the battlefield, is the descending Sith dropship that lands at the end of the large bridge.
>Positioning itself so that its exit ramp opens up to the bridge, it lowers, revealing Lord Tirek, Scorpan, Ahuizotl and the mutant bull rancor, the Iron Will.
>The rancor roars, a sound that echoes across the battlefield, as Tirek begins his approach.
>”What is that thing?” Dash asks.
 
“That’s a bull rancor.”
>”No, that thing!” she points at Tirek.
“That’s something much worse…”
>Grand Master Celestia lands on the bridge, effectively placing herself between him and the temple.
>The Grand Master and the Sith Lord lock eyes.
>This is where the line will be drawn.
>”We need to get down there and help!” Rainbow says.
“No,” you tell her. “We need to evacuate the temple!”
>”What good will that do if we can defeat the Sith now?” she counters. “We should be down there, helping fight them off! Now that my ship is destroyed, what else could I do?”
“What about the younglings? What about the others who cannot fight? If the fight is lost out on that bridge, what will happen to them?”
>Before she can reply, you both sense a new development.
>The other Sith Lords and the rancor linger behind Tirek as he brings up his hands, which begin to glow red and orange.
>With his palms facing each other, he begins to collect his energy in the form of a fireball that begins to form between his massive horns.
>The ball, a collection of hatred made manifest, grows only larger as he pours his power into it.
>A stray blast hits him in the chest but he is unfazed by it; in fact, it only seems to make him angrier.
>You three can all feel his malice, even from your faraway position.
>”What is he doing?” Rainbow breathes, but before you can reply, he uses it.
>Throwing his hands and head forward, he sends the fireball hurtling towards Celestia.
“Force Destruction…”
 
>During your time in the archives of the Sith, you read about ancient Sith Lords who could concentrate rage into fire, and utter destruction that it brings, disintegrating and annihilating everything in its immediate blast radius while spreading flames that burn hotter than flames should all around.
>You watch as Celestia raises her hand and creates a shield of golden light in front of herself resembling a halo, managing to absorb the blast when it strikes it.
>There is still a massive explosion of released energy, and stray blasts off it spiral outwards and destroy everything they touch, from stone to the bronzium statues and the men behind them.
>One stray blast threatens to destroy Master Roseluck before Octavia leaps in front of her and manages to use the Force to direct the energy elsewhere.
>As Celestia recovers from the devastation of the attack, Lord Tirek offers absolutely no reprieve as he creates yet another fireball, this time in both hands, and hurls them both at the same time---one at Celestia, and one at the temple entrance.
>She can only block the one aimed at her, and though both blasts are individually not as powerful, the one that slips by is devastating.
>Your eyes widen as you take in the sight of the inferno that rises from the points of its impact; flesh melts off bone and bodies are hurled away from it.
>The base of pillar at the entrance near where the energy struck is completely gone; moments later, it tips over, crushing several fortifications and men along with it.
>Celestia turns and sees this damage, before facing Tirek.
>The chironian raises his hands and his minions go forth into battle; Ahuizotl, the Iron Will, and your hated master, Scorpan.
>They each find readily available foes, but for him, only Grand Master Celestia herself will do.
 
>He reaches to his belt and takes out a massive lightclub, activating a beam that is easily the length of a man.
>Celestia, undaunted by the size and strength of her opponent, stands her ground even as the war around her wages on and her fellow masters battle the Sith Lords.
>Tirek charges on all fours towards her and they meet in furious battle.
>Each swing of his gigantic weapon is met with a telekinetic parry from Celestia, who must use all of her command of the Force to block the power of his attacks.
>Still, the utter ferocity of his fighting style, coupled with his sheer size and power, begins to force her back towards the temple.
>”We have to help her!” Rainbow says. “Come on, let’s get to the bottom floor!”
>As she moves away, you grab her arm.
“It won’t do any good! We need to evacuate the temple!”
>Dash wrenches herself out of your grip and faces you. “You can do that! I’m going to go help fight!”
“The Jedi Masters are doing their duty and keeping the bulk of their forces outside! Think of your friends, Dash! Think of the younglings---What about Scootaloo?”
>That’s got her thinking and reevaluating.
>Her brow furrows in frustration.
>”Argh! Fine! Let’s just go!”
>As the three of you make your way towards the turbolift, you suddenly feel something else.
>Not a threat from the Dark Side at the battle nearby, but something just as ominous.
>You and Dash both skid to a stop as Fluttershy makes it towards the turbolift and opens the door.
>She turns around. “What is it? Is something wrong?”
>You and she both slowly look behind you to see a mandalorian fighter landing on the roof nearby.
>Its exit ramp lowers and down strides Coco, sword in hand, fully armored and ready for battle.
>Almost immediately, both of Dash’s lightsabers ignite and you feel the anger swelling within her.
 
>”You…” she mutters, recognizing her from Manaan. She then casts at look at you. “She was your partner…”
“Not anymore.”
>”I knew I would find you here,” Coco calls out, looking solely at you. “Somehow, in the pit of my stomach, I just knew that you would run back and fight with the Jedi scum. It’s what you’ve always been… a Jedi!”
“I am no Jedi,” you return her words. “I am dark, I am grey, I am light, but I am no Jedi.”
>”Your words mean nothing,” she says, her voice full of venom. “Once a Jedi, always a Jedi.”
>Rainbow moves forward. “You! You’re going to pay for what you did! To Soarin, and Spitfire! I’m going to make sure of it!”
>Before she can move, you grab her shoulder.
>When she gives you a look that is equal parts anger and confusion, you speak.
“No, you won’t. But I will.”
>”Don’t keep me from this,” she says in a threatening tone. “I need it!”
“You only think you do! Don’t act in revenge. I know it hurts, but let go of your anger, let go of your hatred. It will only lead you to ruin. Trust me, it will.”
>”And what about you?”
“I can fight her, because I don’t hate her. I won’t lose. Let me handle this.”
>She’s about to protest, but keeps silent.
You look into her eyes. “I promise you, Dash. I’ll finish this. It’s been a long time coming.”
>Coco stands tall and silent as she waits for you.
>Dash grits her teeth. “I’ll get to the younglings. Fluttershy will sound the alarm.”
 
>As she runs to the turbolift, she looks back. “And Anon… kick her ass for me, and for the friends I lost.”
>You nod as the doors seal and you face her.
>The rooftop is lit up by an explosion above, and pieces of flaming debris from a destroyed fighter rain down, but neither of you pays any attention to it.
>Unlike any practice duel or sparring session you had, there will be no mercy, no quarter given, no ounce of restraint on her part.
>You can feel the cold, detached warrior that you have helped create as she suppresses any emotions, any feelings she has for you.
>To her, you are a Jedi, but not just any Jedi: you’re the one who broke her heart twice and killed her father.
>There are no words; there is no longer any need for them.
>There is no war going on around you, no battle between light and darkness, no fate of the galaxy hanging on the razor’s edge.
>It is only you, and her.
>She is ready, and so are you.
>The time has come.
 
>Coco charges at you with her sword down low before bringing it across her chest to swing at yours.
>With a strong stance, feet firmly planted, you raise your weapon and block the blade.
>The heavy weight of her sword makes this difficult, as your blade is weightless, meaning all the strength to block her attack must come solely from you.
>But you are used to this, having dueled her many times before.
>She knows this just as well as you do, and likely plans on wearing you down through powerful strikes, so it's to your advantage to defeat her quickly before she can.
>Or so it would seem, for you have another strategy in mind.
>Bringing her sword back down as it bounces off of your lightsaber, she turns and brings up a foot to kick you in the head.
>But you sidestep this attack, dodging the kick and backing up a few paces.
>She doesn't miss a beat as she lands, spins and attacks you again with an angled slash at your shoulders.
>Rather than block this time, you simply dodge again, a narrow escape as you watch the blade come within inches of your flesh.
>Her songsteel sword sings as she swings it, slicing through the air with a faint humming sound.
>You dodge her next attack as she attempts to stab you in the stomach.
>This gives you a chance to push her back with the Force, earning you some distance.
>The push takes her off of her feet, but she performs a blackflip in the air and lands flatly while simultaneously activating her jetpack which propels her forwards at high speed.
>Flying towards you like a rocket, she holds her sword parallel to her body and swings it at the last moment, an attack that would take your head cleanly from your shoulders if you couldn’t dodge in time.
>But rather than dodge or block, you leap up and grab onto her as she flies, and the two of you soar across the rooftop.
 
>Your hand finds her wrist and grabs on, turning her blade away as your leg wraps around hers for support.
>She attempts to headbutt you as you both spin out of control, eventually hitting the ground and skidding along for a moment.
>You manage to get your arm behind her and stab her jetpack with your lightsaber, causing it to explode and the two of you plummet away from it.
>As you land, you roll, but end up dangerously close to the edge of the ziggurat-like structure.
>Coco sees this and gets up onto a knee, bringing her arm up to spray flames from her arm-mounted flamethrower.
>This forces you to roll off the edge to avoid the flames, hanging on with your mechanical arm as your legs struggle to find a foothold on the smooth surface.
>Coco grabs her sword and rushes towards you, intent on cutting off your hand, but when she reaches the edge and looks down at you, you stare up into her helmet as she hesitates.
>You sense a strange feeling running through her mind, a kind of revulsion at this situation.
>She doesn’t want it to end like this, with you hanging here.
>She kneels and reaches for your arm, grabbing it before pulling you up.
>Once this is done and you are back on even ground, you roll over and look at her.
>She's panting a bit, tired and hurt from her jetpack's detonation as the backplate of her armor smokes.
>But not willing to end this yet.
>Pushing herself to her feet with her sword, she holds it up and steadies herself.
>You do the same, holding your lightsaber out in front of you.
>To your surprise, she reaches over and takes off her flamethrower and drops it to the ground, along with a blaster at her hip and a few grenades.
 
>With her free hand, she then reaches up to take off her helmet and toss it to the ground nearby.
>The wind blows fiercely as the battle rages overhead; her face is illuminated in the night by the fiery explosions in the sky.
>Your gaze meets hers for the first time since you left Korriban and you know how this is going to end.
>She wants to do this, but she wants to do it her way; no toys, no gimmicks, just her and her sword against you.
>Just as she discarded her additional weapons, you decide that you will forgo using the Force, wanting to fight this battle on her terms.
>With all you’ve done to her, she has more than a right to dictate how this battle will be fought.
>Weapons in hand, you face each other and walk slowly up before meeting and clashing once more.
>Swing after swing, parry after parry, you two duel in what must be the fiercest duel you've ever engaged in, far more passionate than any of your sparring matches with her before.
>The speed, the strength, the ferocity, the adrenaline, the battle around you feeding all of it---you have not fought like this since you faced Flash at the apprentice tournament at this very temple.
>Coco fights with a flame unlike any you’ve ever seen, even in Flash before he became your friend.
>Each thrust, each maneuver, every breath she takes is full of determination and grim purpose.
>She swings and cuts through your cloak, forcing you to tear the remainder from your shoulders and toss it into the wind.
>As you block a high strike, you bring up a foot and kick her in the chest.
>In response, she manages to land a punch on your jaw, right where the mask meets the flesh of your cheek.
>You fall back and whirl around, slicing the floor at her legs as she leaps up and attempts to hack at you.
>Rolling forward to dodge the attack, you get back up and turn just in time to block her next strike, a powerful mid-swing that nearly unbalances you.
 
>She pushes both of your swords down and moves in close, her face inches from your own as the destruction of a nearby vessel once more illuminates you both.
>Your milky white eyes gaze deeply into her blue pools, and within them you see only the rush and adrenaline of battle.
>When you part, she hops back and moves her blade to cut your arm as she withdraws, managing to draw first blood.
>Your blades meet again in a series of furious exchanges as each of you presses against the other's defenses, with you managing to strike her mandalorian armor twice.
>She is unharmed by these attacks, a testament to the strength of mandalorian iron.
>Another destroyed fighter from above rains debris down upon you, and you sense a larger portion of the fiery wreck hurtling towards your position.
>Looking back, you see the engines of the former fighter falling out of the sky like a flaming meteorite, aimed at Coco's current position, threatening to crush her.
>You bring up a hand and concentrate, using the Force to guide it away.
>It lands nearby and a burst of flaming metal in all directions emanates from the wreckage.
>Coco gives you only a brief look, one that communicates begrudging respect and gratitude for giving her the same chance that she gave to you, before resuming her attacks.
>The two of you dance across the rooftop, dodging and blocking each other's moves as you make your way back towards another edge.
>As you do, you begin to feel strange, as though all doubt and uncertainty are fading from you, freeing your movement and heightening your already-acute awareness.
 
>You feel immersed in the Force, anticipating each of her attacks and responding to them with speed and power like none you've ever felt or exhibited before.
>Everything seems to slow down, except for her; the battle around you both seems far away and everything, even the wind, feels just as distant and disconnected.
>As though in this point of time, the entire galaxy has stopped and you are the only ones moving.
>Despite your heart beating madly and your muscles aching, your mind feels calm and at rest, allowing you to press on and ignore the limitations of your physical body.
>There is a strange serenity in this battle, calmness in spite of the passion you both fight with.
>A strange clearness comes over you, a focused state of mind, and a purity of thought that becomes more and more apparent the longer the duel continues.
>Somehow, this all feels right.
>This was meant to happen, even as far back as you meeting her on Ord Mantell.
>The warrior who fights you now, the one who both loves and hates you, she was meant to be here, and so were you.
>Is this fate, then?
>It must be.
>Whatever comes of this battle, you will accept the outcome and are completely prepared to face it.
>The question, then: is she?
>As you raise your weapon to deter her next attack and dodge her kick by spinning in the air and landing nearby, you look up at her with a peaceful and calm expression.
>You know now what you must do.
>She slices through the air in another attempt to kill you, but again you dance away.
>Leaping and dodging, you avoid each of her attacks by turning your body just so or jumping out of reach.
 
>Rather than reassess her strategy, she grows only more determined and stubbornly refuses to stop attacking you.
>Again and again she swings, each one more powerful, more fearsome, more deadly than the last, but you continually move out of her reach, moving in time with her movements, constantly one step ahead of her no matter what she does.
>And soon enough, it takes its toll.
>She grows tired, her muscles yield, her arms weaken, but her spirit is unbroken and refusing to yield.
>Pushing herself past the limits of endurance, she continues attacking, relentlessly swinging despite her lack of success.
>You watch her, studying her face, waiting for your moment.
>This duel is already over, you see it now.
>The moment comes when she raises her sword high over her head, intent on using all of her strength to bring it straight down upon you.
>This time, instead of dodging, you bring up your blade and block it.
>She pushes against you, her strength and the weight of her blade against your arms, gritting her teeth as her eyes squint and shut as her body protests with fatigue.
>She shouts as loud as she can, letting out all of her frustration, her pain, her anguish in one bloody call that goes on until she is out of breath.
>You turn to one side and turn off your lightsaber, causing her blade to chop down into the stone of the temple.
 
>Then, as her body follows and she is thrown onto her knees, you turn it back on and with a flick of your wrist hold it behind her neck.
>She pants heavily, weary and tired, unable to move.
>Beaten.
>The war continues to rage over Coruscant, but as before, the two of you seem utterly disconnected from everything that is going on.
>As you stand still with her life in your hands, you wonder if this is the moment.
>The Sacrifice that was foretold, the Shatterpoint you must face.
>But as you reflect, as you feel the moment in the Force, you realize it is not.
>It doesn't feel right, it isn't yet the time, there is no choice to be made.
>She is far from an innocent life, she is a warrior who fought as hard and as long as she could, and lost.
>"Go on," she whispers. "Do it..."
"No."
>You turn off the blade and slide the hilt into your holster.
>Coco looks up, her face showing no anger, but sadness.
>"Why? Why let me live? Why must you torture me this way?"
"I can't kill you anymore than you can hate me. There may have been a time when I thought it would be a mercy, but I know better now."
>"It would be a mercy,” she claims. “All I feel is pain." She clutches her chest, now taking deep and unrhythmic breaths. "All I feel is this terrible, terrible pain where my heart once was." She gasps as she tries to breathe normally, and her eyes quickly become wet with tears. "And I can't beat you. I can't. I just can't."
"Not for lack of trying," you point out, kneeling alongside her. "You drew first blood. You fought with more passion and more strength than any other I’ve known. You're the greatest warrior I have ever fought."
>"I am weak," she shakes her head. "I will always be weak."
"No. You aren't."
 
>She looks up, her face a thing of pity and regret.
“I promise you, Coco, you are many things. But weak is not one of them.”
>Her shoulders slump as she sits down, her knees banging together.
>She looks up at you with a weary face, from both fighting and from heartache.
>"Why did it have to be this way? Why did you and I have to end like this?"
"I don't know. Maybe it didn't have to be... but it is, because of the choices we both made. Mostly mine." You look at her as she rubs her eyes. "For all the wrong I have done, for all the pain I have brought into this galaxy, none of it I regret more than what I did to you. What I made you."
>"It wasn't just you," she whispers. "I felt... that I had to. For my father, and my mother. I had to be strong for them, I had to avenge them. But I can't."
"Killing Jedi won't bring them back. Those two you shot down, impressive as it might be, did it make you feel better?”
>”No.”
“And even if you killed me, it won't fill the hole in your heart. Then you’d live in a galaxy that no longer had me in it."
>"It didn’t feel good, but like you said, it was my choice. I made the choice to take the Jedi as enemies. I made the choice to have you as my enemy."
“No, not that one. I made that choice for you." You look out over the war raging around the temple. "None of this, Sith or Jedi, Empire or Republic, none of it had anything to do with you and me. We did what we did to each other, no one else." Looking back down, you continue, "I made you into what you are. I took away a girl I loved, and I replaced her with you."
 
>You see in her eyes a reflection of painful understanding as she looks into your own.
>"I wanted to beat you," she says in a faraway voice. "In honorable combat. If nothing else, I wanted something like a victory over you, anything like that. I was so angry, so clouded, so…"
>You're silent as her hand grips and lets go of the sword hilt again and again.
>"But I couldn't. I can't." She lets her hand drop back into her lap and struggles not to break down further. "I tried as hard as I could, but I couldn't focus. I kept thinking, with each swing, it would take away the pain and the hurt from the betrayal, but I knew that was a lie I was telling myself. I know now that I just wanted to prove my strength."
"You've done that a hundred times over," you tell her. "You've survived."
>"But only because you spared me just now. In my culture, when you cannot defeat an enemy, your life is in their hands. You must acknowledge that they are stronger, that they are right through their greater might. You must follow their example."
"I don't care about being right or wrong. What's important is how you feel. I know you'll never forgive me for what I've done to you, just as I'll never forgive myself for what I made you into. What we had was... it was nice. Beautiful, even, because it blossomed while we were surrounded by terrible things. Ord Mantell... Korriban... Even while we trained and worked under the Sith. It was wonderful."
>"It was," she admits. "I love you." She wipes her eyes and looks away. "I wish I didn't, but I do. I can't change it."
>Daringly, you reach out with your real hand a take hers, even though she told you to never touch her again.
>This time she does not react with revulsion.
>She has been beaten, and forced to confront her feelings, and in so doing is allowing you to speak more freely to her.
 
“Nothing I can ever do will ever make up what I have done to you. I lied, I manipulated you, and I did it for selfish reasons. It doesn’t matter who I pretended to be, Anon or Nito, what matters is that I felt strongly for you but still kept you from the truth. I’m sorry. I was horrible to you.”
>She nods, wiping her eyes again.
>”It’s not like I was much better.”
“No, but you were in the right. I was the one who was wrong, sacrificing everything I had, my friends, my relationships, your feelings for me, in a quest to find balance… Never realizing what balance truly is, or what it means.”
>You squeeze her hand tighter.
"You fought well," you say. "You're the greatest opponent I've ever had, and I've fought more than a few."
>She’s grateful for the compliment, but now knows not what comes next.
>"What do I do?" she asks, her voice raspy. "Where do I go? I failed."
>She looks to you for guidance, for you are the one who defeated her.
"That is your choice. I've chosen to stand against the Sith, because I don't agree with them. Their ways, their hatred, their regime. I will never be one of them, one of their Empire."
>She pauses. "The Jedi, then?"
"I don't know. I'm not a Jedi now, and I may never be with the choices I've made. But Scorpan tortured me, he put a bomb in my head. I won't stand with him out of fear of death. I've made the choice to stand with my friends, Jedi or not. Whatever I become… It will be my choice."
>She shakes a bit as a cold wind rushes by. "I can't stand with the Jedi," she says. "Even if you are with them or not, I can't fight alongside them. I never will."
"Will you remain with the Sith, then? Will you forever be a warrior for their cause?"
 
>She closes her eyes, hugging her arms to her chest as you take your hand back.
>"No," she sighs. "No."
>She then turns, meeting your gaze, her eyes radiant as though she is looking into your very soul. "Because if you won't, why should I?"
"What will you do, then?"
>"I'll leave," she replies. "I'll return to my people. To Mandalore."
"Are you sure?"
>"There's nothing left for me with the Sith. Nothing I can do for them that I truly want to do. What will I gain if I stay here and kill more Jedi for them?"
>As you stand up, you offer her your hand.
>After a moment of hesitation, she reaches up and takes it, allowing you to pull her to a standing position.
>Her body is close to yours, and she reaches up to touch your mask.
>"I wonder if I always knew," she whispers. "Who you really were."
"I don't know. I wanted to tell you, truly. But you had such hate for me, it seemed..."
>"No, I know. We were both foolish. Scorpan and the Sith convinced me that all I wanted to do was hate you, and kill you. You even heard me say it, over and over again. They told me what I wanted to hear at the time, but when I learned who you were, when I watched Scorpan do what he did to you, that's when I realized that I couldn't hate you. I had hate for what you did, but I couldn't hate you. Not like they wanted."
"But the only reason the Sith did what they did to you was because of me."
>"But only because I let them. I wanted it, at the time. I let myself be consumed by hate and fear and self-loathing... But not anymore."
>She feels around your mask some more, staring up into your synthetic eyes.
>"I hate what they did to you. I hate what they did to me. To us and what we could have been."
 
>Through this battle, you both have come to better understand each other and the true nature of your relationship.
>Still, there is regret.
>She speaks of it before you do.
>"I wish things could have been different."
"So do I."
>With that simple, yet very far-reaching statement, you hug her then and she returns it, warmly responding to your embrace.
>But, eventually, you part ways with her.
>As you always knew you would.
>She lets go and steps away, picking up her sword.
>"I suppose this is where we part ways."
"You're leaving the battle?"
>"There's nothing else left for me here," she replies as she walks towards her helmet. "You should know," she says, picking it up and sliding it onto her head, "that we might meet again."
"I would hope so."
>"But it may yet be as enemies."
You nod. "I understand."
>With her gear gathered up, she approaches her ship, stopping at the exit ramp.
>She turns and looks back at you.
>”Anon…”
 
“Yes?”
>"It was a good fight, wasn't it?"
"Perhaps, one day, we'll have another."
>"I look forward to it."
>She walks up and closes the ramp, turning the ship back on when she reaches the cockpit.
>There are no more words or shared glances, no wave goodbye or some other pointless gesture; all that needs to have been done has been done.
>She takes off and slices into the night sky, flying through the battle, ignored by all.
>You watch her for every second that she is visible, and you feel a measure of peace within you.
>During your fight, the calmness and clarity with which you fought came from the realization that you would win, but would not kill her.
>You won because your actions were not guided by the fury that carried her sword.
>While her rage, her frustration and the reason she pushed herself so hard for so long towards the end came from her realizing the exact same thing.
>Only when the battle was done, as you stood victorious, did you both finally achieve the peace you feel within you now.
>What will she do when she reaches Mandalore, you wonder?
>Will she find someone else, leave behind her warrior ways, and seek out a normal life?
>Or will she continue down the warrior's path, seeking to better herself and grow as a fighter---perhaps becoming a leader among her people?
>When next you meet, will she be the one to emerge victorious over you?
>Perhaps she will.
>But it is not this day.
 
>When the last trace of her leaves, when you no longer feel her in the Force, you walk back to the lift.
>This battle may be ended, but the war is far from over.
>Or is it?
>Now that you are once more paying attention to the battle, you look out and see that the Processional Way has become a hellish landscape of fire, destruction and death.
>Most of the soldiers on either side are dead or are fleeing, with very few men and droids left to battle each other, leaving only the Jedi Masters and the Sith Lords.
>The Iron Will rampages across the bridge towards the main entrance of the temple, with Master Octavia on his back, attempting to stab into its scales with her lightsaber, but it bounces off.
>Not far away, Lord Ahuizotl battles both Starswirl and Zecora, fending off their attacks with his unorthodox fighting style.
>Though Zecora is the battlemaster of the temple and Starswirl fights with four green sabers, one for each hand, Ahuizotl keeps them at bay with wild and erratic moves meant to prolong and provoke them.
>With their attention focused solely on him, they cannot help their allies.
>Your attention is drawn then to Master Roseluck, who battles for her life against Lord Scorpan.
>She fights valiantly, bravely standing against the vile bothan, but her skill is not enough.
>You look at them just in time to watch Scorpan knock her lightsaber up high before turning and impaling her with his crimson blade.
>Roseluck drops her saber and falls to her knees as he withdraws his, turning his attention elsewhere and leaving her to die.
>You feel her life force fading quickly, but her last moments are not filled with fear and regret, but peace.
>She passes away on the battlefield, having held the line as long as she could, dying a hero's death, one worthy of remembering in the archives of the Jedi Order.
>Scorpan's work is not nearly done, however.
>He sets his sights upon Celestia's back and begins slinking his way across the battlefield towards her as she is locked in battle against Tirek.
>The Grand Master and this powerful Sith Lord represent, perhaps, the most physical manifestation of the light against the Dark Side.
>She fights with pure conviction, for the defense of her home, her Republic, her order and for those whose lives she has pledged to protect.
>Celestia remains, even in this darkest hour, a beacon of hope for those who yet fight on.
>While he is busy battling her telekinetic defense, she raises her hand to the sky, calling upon the power of the Force to use light itself as a weapon to banish this evil threat.
>Even though it is night, Coruscant’s sun still burns, casting its light throughout the system.
>By parting the clouds and manipulating those rays of light, she intensifies and focuses it to shine down upon the monstrous chironian.
>A magnificent golden ray, a column of pure energy, blasts from the heavens to scour her foe.
>Like an orbital laser, the Force-guided light falls squarely upon him, burning his robes and flesh as he roars in pain.
>Celestia holds him in place and he is unable to attack, holding up his hand to shield his face from the tortuous sunlight.
>An Imperial starfighter flies through the beam and is destroyed, and all who remain on the ground cheer as they see the Grand Master scorching her dark and terrible foe.
>Even you feel a great elation upon seeing this magnificent sight, but the feeling turns cold as you see what is about to happen.
>Scorpan, masking his signature in the Force just as he instructed you to do, sneaks up behind her.
 
>You are atop the temple, far away and above the bridge.
>Nothing you can do, no shout nor warning, will stop what is about to happen.
>From your position, you can only watch as he cowardly stabs her in the back.
>As this happens, you feel a terrible disturbance in the Force as Celestia gasps in pain, dropping her hand and losing her concentration.
>Her lightsaber deactivates and falls to the ground, bouncing away, rolling towards a hole in the bridge and falling.
>The light fades from the sky, the beam dissolving and the clouds return to seal the hole it had emerged from.
>Tirek, though burnt, very much still lives, his rage growing only fiercer.
>Scorpan, meanwhile, revels in his attack with wild laugher that resonates in the Force while Tirek recovers and holds up his lightclub in one hand.
>The bothan delights in this and withdraws his weapon, allowing Tirek to reach out and grab Celestia with the Force with his other hand.
>He chokes her and lifts her from the ground, holding her up for all to see.
>And all are watching, for the light has faded and all that remains is darkness.
>Tirek’s voice, thunderous like a cannon, echoes across the battlefield.
>"Behold... the light is ended!" he roars. "Celestia! Like the candle you are, I snuff you out! Now comes the time of darkness! Now, the Sith shall reign!"
>The Grand Master, her life already fading fast from Scorpan's backstab, closes her eyes and simply lets go.
>Tirek growls, his skin blistering and burnt, before he roars, "For my Emperor! For the Sith! For the Dark Side!"
>He swings his lightclub, intent on cutting her in half, but when he does, all he cuts through is cloth.
>For with her dying breath, mere seconds before Tirek would have slain her, she released all attachment to the mortal realm and became one with the Force.
>Her white robes fall down, stained with blood and blackened with ash, as her corporeal form dissolved into golden light.
>As Tirek's saber passes through the light, he meets no solid flesh, and it disperses with the wind, the golden glimmer fading into nothingness.
>You feel the tremor of Celestia's passing in the Force, and you know that everyone else does as well.
>Your legs feel weak and wobbly and your hands clench into fists.
>She was the most powerful user of the light that the Jedi possessed, and her death has caused a significant vacuum of positive energy in the scales of balance.
>Though you had your spite for Celestia, for it was she who all but forced you into exile, an action that led to where you are now, you cannot help but be greatly affected by her passing, for she was the one who rescued you from Kessel and gave your family a home on Sulon.
>You were never given the opportunity to make peace with her; all you had for her until this moment was bitterness and contempt.
>Only now, at her end, do you realize how much she truly meant to you, no matter what mistakes she made.
>It was she who led the Jedi through the darkness of the last war, she who rebuilt the order and she who gave you the chance to be more than you could ever be.
>Even if you placed all the blame on her for your path into the Dark Side, it was she who showed you what the light could bring.
 
>She may have been wrong about you, but all beings are wrong at moments in their lives.
>Could there have been a chance for you to make peace with her, to console your differences and rejoin the order under her leadership?
>Now you will never know, and the pain of loss from this is great, the pain of never being able to know what one’s life could have brought about had it not ended so abruptly and so before their time.
>So distraught with Grand Master Celestia's death, one of his oldest friends, Master Starswirl is caught off-guard by Lord Ahuizotl who manages to use his tail to stab him in the heart.
>Master Zecora, having been knocked aside and taken aback by Celestia's demise, watches his happens and shouts, tackling Ahuizotl off of the bridge and into the darkness of the significant drop, perhaps to both of their ends.
>Master Starswirl falls back, clutching his heart, until he too is claimed by the Force, joining Celestia in the netherworld.
>Again you feel the unbalance his death brings and you are shaken to the core---one after another, the lights of the Jedi are being smothered.
>Meanwhile, Tirek throws his head back in rage as he is denied his kill, for he cannot even take pleasure in the end of his foe if he was not the one to lay the finishing blow, and Scorpan is wise to avoid his sight, slinking away to hide within the rocks.
>He collects his hatred into another physical ball of malice and anger, focusing it on the front of the Jedi Temple, and launches it.
>His Force Destruction annihilates the main entrance, making the entire temple shake as pillars and stones fall.
>This creates an opening large enough for the mutant bull rancor, still rampaging near the entrance, to enter the temple proper.
 
>But Master Octavia continues fighting it, keeping it from entering.
>The Iron Will reaches up and grabs Master Octavia off of its head, roaring at her as it holds her up to its face.
>She struggles in its crushing grip, shouting in pain as it opens its mouth, and for a moment you worry that you are about to witness another death of a Jedi Master, consumed by the monster.
>However, down below, a single lone human, a brave antarian ranger, perhaps the last one alive on the battlefield as all of his comrades lie dead, dying or in retreat, aims his blaster at the beast.
>He knows he could run, hide, or otherwise survive, but instead he continues his duty and fights to protect the Jedi as he swore to.
>He fires, managing to blast it right in its right eye.
>The Iron Will roars in fury and flings Master Octavia off to the side, off of the bridge and into darkness like Zecora before her.
>It then brings up its fist as it howls at him, before smashing him into the stone.
>As the Iron Will makes its way into the temple, Tirek begins making his way down the Processional Way himself as Scorpan walks along behind him, out of sight lest he stir the centaur's rage.
>You realize that you have been standing here for too long, that you should get back into the temple to warn the others and help them evacuate, but then you sense something else.
>Or, rather, the lack of something else.
>A strange shadow in the Force, an absence, is approaching.
>You realize all too late what it is as a dark ship appears in the sky, flying low and towards the temple.
>The Force Hunters.
>Of course…
>They were the ones whose very appearance and creation brought the Jedi back into conflict with the Sith, bringing them both out of hiding!
>And now they are here to help finish the job started by their conflict.
 
>Tirek and Scorpan both look up as the ship passes by overhead, launching a series of man-shaped pods from its underside.
>These pods shoot to the ground and then open, and from them spring the cortosis-armed-and-armored figures.
>Whatever few soldiers remained on the field were the first to be cut down before they turned their attention to Tirek.
>Forging another fireball, he blasts it at them but they are immune to its effects.
>Each of them is surrounded in a bubble of Force-nullification that causes the explosive fury to simply pass over them as they run towards him.
>Tirek takes out his lightclub and swings it, but upon contact with them his weapon deactivates, even as large as it is.
>Using their cortosis blades, they hack away at his legs and hooves, drawing blood as he backs up and shouts in surprise pain.
>With his immense bulk and strength, he resolves to pick them up and throw them away from him, sometimes using them as bludgeons against each other.
>Your attention is drawn back to the ship as it passes by over your head, dropping several pods near the entrance and then on the rooftop near you.
>The Force Hunters jump from their pods and set their sights upon you, taking up their straight-edged weapons and charging.
>Unfortunately for them, you are more than prepared to face them and you have the weapon needed to do so.
 
>Your lightsaber is in your hand in an instant and it snaps into activation as you meet the charge of the nearest Force Hunter.
>The cybernetically-altered, bio-engineered clone meets your advance with absolute certainty and precision, utterly confident that you will fall against it.
>What he does not know is that you are armed with a mestarian crystal as your focusing lens, and so when your sword meets the cortosis of his, you slice cleanly through the blade before cutting the Force Hunter in half.
>His torso slides apart, having been sliced at a rough angle from his right shoulder to his left ribs, dropping in a pool of red-black oily blood.
>The other Force Hunters pause for a moment before moving in, undeterred.
>They move with the speed and strength of a champion combatant and the intelligence of a droid, their minds engineered and designed instead of grown.
>Abominations though they may be, they cannot calculate anything other than success when they target you, their minds hard-wired into throwing themselves against you.
>Which makes it all the easier to cut them down.
>Each one that attempts to attack you, you block their attacks, destroying their weapons.
>Their primary advantage has been countered, and though they are strong, fast and calculating, they are no match for your lightsaber and skill.
>When last you fought beings like this, you were but an inexperienced Padawan, but now you are so much more.
>You twist, spin and slice through two of them, decapitating one's head while chopping another in half.
>One of them leaps at you, trying to tackle you and give one of his fellows a chance to stab you, but you merely turn around and bring your saber straight upwards, vertically bisecting him with one clean sweep.
 
>With four remaining, you face them and dare them to advance.
>They quickly surround you and attack from all sides, moving as one unit.
>Though you cannot use the Force with them so near, you still have other advantages that they do not have.
>Your lightsaber passes into your false hand and you rotate your wrist while spinning your body around, creating a perfect defense against their four-pronged attack.
>Almost instantly, you cut through each of their weapons, even slicing off a hand of one of them, before you turn and begin cutting them in half.
>One of them manages to jump on your back, but you bend your arm backwards to stab him in the spine and make him fall down before finishing him off with a swipe across the neck.
>The final one, already missing a hand but with absolutely no self-preservation instinct, those having likely been engineered away, charges at you.
>With one final swipe, you cut off his head.
>You see more pods detaching and landing inside the temple, piercing its walls.
>Your friends are in danger!
>And they have no means to combat the Force Hunters, just as the Sith!
>However, you do!
>You remember the crate of mestarian crystals in your ship and you run across the roof towards it, charging up the ramp and finding the box right where you left it.
>Everything has happened for a reason.
>You have a chance to save them, to save the Jedi!
>Grabbing it with the Force, you lift it towards you and drag it down the ramp.
 
>You begin to run towards the nearest turbolift when you feel something odd.
>You pause, your heart racing, as a strange calming warmth begins to form nearby.
>Turning to look at it, you see golden light forming into a shape, humanoid, tall and with flowing hair.
>The angelic being looks upon you with a serene, yet worried, face.
“Celestia…”
>”Anon,” she speaks, her voice far away and ethereal. “I have failed. I failed to defend the temple, I failed to defeat the Sith… but I failed you and Master Luna, most of all.”
“Grand Master, I…”
>”We have little time. They are coming, the Sith and the warriors outside of the Force. Anon, I beseech you, even after all I have done to drive you away… Save them. Save the Jedi.”
>She holds up a hand, her face mournful and forlorn.
>”It is the only way to maintain balance. I see it now… I was blind. Please hurry.”
“I will,” you swear without hesitation.
>She fades then, closing her eyes and vanishing from sight.
>You waste no time in making it to the turbolift with the crystals and closing the exterior hatch, pressing the panel to descend into the temple.
>The purpose in your heart is absolute, your courage unshakeable, and your mind absolutely clear.
>You will save them, no matter the cost, even if it means your life.
 
>When the turbolift hits the ground floor, you take off running as soon as the doors slide open.
>You race to the main hall, which has now been turned into a long ruin of broken pillars and destroyed walls.
>As you pass by a meditation fountain room, you hear the sounds of lightsabers clashing and run inside only to discover Rarity dueling Blueblood.
>Both are well-trained in Makashi and prove an even match as they focus on their footwork while moving between the fountains.
>In fact, if memory serves, they were both Padawans under Master Zecora.
>Their battle is one of careful movement and strikes, but their concentration does not take precedence over their dialogue, apparently.
>Blueblood's cerulean saber strikes against her white, elegant blade in a series of thrusts, pokes and parries as he confidently declares, "I have already won, Rarity! I am the superior duelist, you have always known this!"
>Rarity blocks his attack with a slight flourish as she steps back before countering with a riposte of her own, both physical and verbal.
>"I can't believe you were ever someone I considered a fellow Jedi, you ruffian!" she says back, blocking each of his attacks. "And you are most certainly not a better duelist!"
>Blueblood wears a confident smile upon his chiseled face as he sways his head backwards to deftly part his blonde hair.
>"Face it, Rarity! The time of the pompous Jedi is over! Our fate lies with the Sith! Join me!"
>"I would never forsake my friends and my vows! The Jedi are my family now!"
>She swings at his feet as he hops back onto the edge of a fountain.
>"Think of it, Rarity! We could both join the Sith! The masters of Makashi, flawless and beautiful! We could do as we pleased! No more rules from the council on what we can and cannot wear or do!"
>Rarity pauses. "I'll take wearing those brown robes over being on your side any day!"
>He scoffs. "You jest."
>"The only jest I can make to you is one about your terrible hair!"
 
>That struck a nerve, clearly, as his eye twitches.
>"Then you will die, my dear!"
>"Just try it! I'm more than your match in skill!" She attacks him as he blocks again, still standing on the fountain.
>This is... a bit too dramatic for your liking.
>It's like something out of those holo-plays Rarity used to watch about those nobles of Tapani.
>Entertaining, perhaps, but you quite literally have no time for this foolishness.
>Setting down the crate, you throw your lightsaber at the fountain, slicing it in half and making him fall down.
>Water spills out all over him, ruining his regal outfit and hair.
>"Gah! What?! Who dares---"
>Your lightsaber flies back to your hand as you step fully into the light, drawing both of their eyes to you.
>Rarity lets out a startled gasp, bringing a hand up to her mouth. "A-Anon?!"
"In what's left of the flesh."
>"You look... Ghastly!" she says, speechless from your appearance.
"That's putting it nicely."
>Blueblood is just as surprised, and has not yet gotten back up, which gives you an opening to leap forward and knock his lightsaber aside before stabbing him in the chest in one fluid movement.
>He and Rarity both gasp as you puncture his heart, and his eyes roll upwards followed by a quick death.
>Rarity backs up against the wall in fear as you withdraw your blade and look at her.
>"You... You truly have gone to the Dark Side..."
"You were wasting time," you tell her, pointing a mechanical finger.
>"Your arm," she says, her voice a mixture of concern and apprehension.
>You don't have much time to explain, so you try to cut to the chase.
"Rarity! The others are in danger, and you're in here playing out some kind of dramatic fantasy duel!" You point at his body, adding, "You could've ended this earlier!"
>"I... I didn't want to kill anyone!" she says defensively.
 
"I know. That's why I took the choice away from you." You look back down at him and shake your head as you put away your lightsaber. "I never really knew him, anyway."
>Rarity, however, is still holding her lightsaber up defensively, and she gives you a nasty look.
>"You've changed," she says, a statement you find all too obvious. "You would justify killing a man simply because you do not know him? And now what? Are you going to kill me too? Have you joined the Sith?"
>You let out a sigh, getting tired of explaining this again and again.
"Please, set aside this drama and just listen to me, I beg of you. Yes, I killed him. He and others were going to join the Sith, and I'm trying to save what's left of the Jedi. Celestia is dead, and so are most of the masters, including Zecora! If you and the others don't escape the temple now, there won't be an order left!"
>She averts her eyes. "I know about Celestia. I felt her pass... But Zecora?" She looks up. "But how can I trust you, after what I just saw?"
"We don't have time for this, Rarity! The Force Hunters are here! They're attacking the Sith outside of the temple, but how long until they come for us?"
>Her blue eyes widen a bit more. "We... We must evacuate!"
You throw up your arms. "Thank you. Now, where are the others?"
>"Follow me, then," she says before pausing briefly. She looks you in the eyes. "But Anon, one last thing..."
>She stares into your eyes, trying to find something of the man she once knew in them.
"They're artificial," you whisper.
>"That's not what I was going to ask," she insists. "Anon, be truly honest with me, if ever our time together meant anything, as friends or otherwise: Are you truly on our side?"
"Yes. I promise you that I am."
>You bring over the crate and take out a crystal.
"These will allow you to cut through the cortosis armor and weapons of the Force Hunters. Use it as a focusing crystal."
>Surprised, she takes hold of it and inspects it. "Where did you get these?"
 
"It's a long story, but the important thing is that we have them and the Sith don't. Now do you believe me?"
>"Alright," she says, her confidence returning. "As I said, follow me!"
>Now she leads without interruption, taking you out into the main hall.
>As you step over some rocks, you hear roaring echoing throughout the halls.
>"Goodness, what was that?" Rarity asks, trying to find its point of origin.
"Something we don't want to run into," you advise. "Come on!"
>She leads you towards the center of the temple, where more battles are taking place.
>Here, Rainbow Dash and Applejack are fighting against Lightning Dust and Gilda.
>The winded s'kytri spins in the air as Applejack blocks her attack while Rainbow duels with Gilda.
>The wroonian continues to try talking sense into the troubled shashay.
>”Gilda! For the last time, knock this off!”
>”I can’t!” she says, though it sounds half-hearted. “I… I can’t!”
>Meanwhile, the much-less-conflicted Lightning Dust laughs gleefully as she strafes Applejack again, hitting her with both of her lightsabers.
>AJ blocks the attack, but is knocked to the ground.
>She laughs as she flies around, pausing for a moment in the air.
>"It's a shame you won't be joining us, Dash! This has been the biggest thrill since you and I joined this cruddy temple!"
>"There's more to this than thrills, Lightning Dust!" Rainbow shouts up to her as she blocks Gilda’s next attack. "People are dying! The Republic is in danger! This temple is being torn apart!"
>"I know," she smiles. "Exhilarating, isn't it?"
>Rainbow shakes her head in disgust as she forces Gilda backwards. "You sick sadistic---"
>"Oh, spare me!" she calls down. "You're weak because you don't want to go further than what others tell you to! You're weak because you limit yourself! Well, the Sith have no limits!"
"Speaking from personal experience on this matter, you're woefully mistaken," you say as you and Rarity walk up.
 
>You set down the crate as Lightning Dust looks over, narrowing her eyes. "Anon?"
"Look at you, so proud at tricked into doing their bidding. The Jedi should've screened the initiates a bit harder," you mutter.
>Landing on an upper perch of the hall, Lightning Dust looks down upon you and laughs. "Man, you look terrible! What did you do to yourself?"
"I took a trip into the Dark Side. So take a good look: this is where you're headed unless you stop acting like a child."
>She spits and then laughs again. "Yeah, right. More likely you just got wrecked because you were weak, just like Rainbow Dash there. I'm not going to be weak, like you! I'm going to grow more powerful than any one of you!"
>Rainbow is about to shout a retort when she notices something you see as well: a Force Hunter landing on the awning behind her and begin to sneak up to her.
>"Lightning Dust, behind you!" she shouts her warning.
>The s'kytri cocks a skeptical brow upwards. "Really, Dash? That's the best you can do? You know if there was something there, I would sense it, right?"
You shake your head and chuckle. "You'd be surprised."
>Her smile and cocky attitude vanish when a black cortosis blade is shoved through her back, ending up sticking out of her ribs.
>She looks down at it with wide, wide eyes.
"Annnnd there's the surprise.”
>The Force Hunter then kicks her and withdraws his blade, sending her plummeting below.
>Rainbow knocks Gilda down to the ground and runs over to try and catch Lightning Dust, but cannot get there in time.
>She hits the ground with a loud thud, dead as dead can be.
>Her killer then jumps down and lands behind her body, taking out his sword and pointing it at Dash.
>Eager to take him on, she's about to rush in when you step in front of her.
"Cortosis," you tell her. "He'd take you down. Or at least you’d lose a limb. Trust me, that’s not fun."
>"And what? He won't do the same to you?"
"See for yourself."
 
>The Force Hunter charges in and swings his sword at you, and like on the roof, you block it.
>His blade meets yours and is cut in half, allowing you to then chop off his head.
>When he crumbles down, you turn around and look at Dash, seeing Gilda running up behind her.
>You raise a hand and blast her back against the wall, ensuring that she would hit her head.
“More Dazzling mind control, like Trixie,” you say. “She’ll be alright.”
>Applejack looks at the body of the fallen would-be Sith. ”And Lightning Dust? Was she controlled, too?”
“Doubtful. She seemed to enjoy it too much.”
>Rainbow looks at the dead Force Hunter. “How did you cut through his armor and weapon? I thought that was their whole deal.”
"Mestarian crystals. They cut through cortosis, and I have a whole box of them with me."
>"I knew it!" a new voice calls out. You all turn to behold Twilight, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie running up. "I knew you had gone to Mestare!"
You look at the twi'lek and nod. "I did, and it's the reason I joined the Sith. But there's too much to explain now---the Force Hunters are attacking the temple and we need to get everyone out of here. Where are the younglings?"
>"Master Redheart, Master Waddle and Master Cadance are getting them out through the lower levels," Pinkie Pie explains.
>Rainbow turns and thinks for a moment. "Will they be safe, with the Force Hunters entering the temple? What if they come in through the lower levels?"
>Applejack points towards the front of the temple. "We need to get any survivors from the entrance out to the tunnels."
>"And then what?" Rarity asks. "Are we going to just abandon the temple?"
>"This is a battle we cannot win," Twilight says to her. "Spike and I have managed to preserve much of the archives. He and the other droids are being evacuated through the emergency turbolifts. Now we need to get to any survivors." She looks over at you. "Anon, what are you thinking?'
>You pause and they all look at you.
 
"I'm sorry, it's just... I know there's a lot going on, but I just realized that this is the first moment we've all been in a room together... since I left."
>Their expressions all soften as you look each of them in the eyes.
"Only Sunset and Luna aren't here, but I've met with them already. They’ve been looking for me. They're the ones who turned me away from the path I was spiraling down, reminded me of who I was..."
>Wordlessly, you levitate the crate of crystals over.
"Everyone, I... I'm sorry for everything I did. I betrayed all of you and hurt you, some worse than others." You look over at Fluttershy in particular when you say that. "But I'm going to make it up to you, I swear it."
>Applejack is the one to reach up and put a hand on your shoulder and give you an encouraging squeeze.
>"Would that we had more time," she says. "Big Mac and the others are near the entrance. We need to reach them."
"I'll go," you reply. "Everyone, take some of these crystals."
>They begin to take the white crystals and distribute them amongst themselves.
>"We should split up," Twilight suggests. "Rainbow, Applejack, Fluttershy---you three go with Anon, and Rarity, Pinkie and I will take Gilda for medical attention and head back to make sure the younglings and the droids get out safely."
>After everyone has taken some of the crystals, with a few extra for anyone else who might need them, you all are about to part when Pinkie interrupts with a small cry of, "Wait!"
>She gathers everyone up, including you, and initiates a group hug.
>As she wraps her arms around as many as she can, Rainbow groans, "Pinkie! We don't have time for this mushy stuff!"
>"It's important!" she replies. "No matter what happens, we'll always have this moment!"
>You close your eyes and return the hug, putting your arms around Applejack and Twilight, who are the closest two.
 
>For a moment... you're back on Yavin 4, and there is no war, no impending destruction, and no threat of the Dark Side.
>Only you, and your friends.
>”I’m just so happy!” Pinkie says. “I mean, people have died, but we have each other again! I just don’t know how this could get any better!”
>You hear a voice speak up at that moment, monotone and familiar.
>”The blue one is dead. I dropped her down a turbolift shaft.”
>Your group hug ends and you look at Maud, who just entered the main hall from a side door.
>Pinkie Pie gasps louder and longer than you’ve ever seen her and, as if on command, tears form in her eyes.
>”Maud?!”
>”Pinkie Pie…”
>The zeltron races towards the umbaran and throws her into a tight hug.
>”It’s you! It’s you it’s you it’s really really REALLY you!” she cries.
>Though it brings a smile to your face under your mask, you can’t help but think about how your hug wasn’t nearly as tight as that one.
>Maud returns it, but even in the face of such sweetness, her voice remains the same.
>”I missed you, Pinkie.”
As they hug, you look at Twilight. “Take her with you to the others.”
>”Are you sure?”
“She and Pinkie have quite a bit of catching up to do.” You pause for a moment. “Say… You got Aria, right?”
>"I wouldn't be here if I didn't," she replies. "And neither would you, right?'
>You nod and run back to join your group, glad that she was able to help you.
>The four of you depart from them and head towards the main entrance.
>With Maud having taken care of Sonata, that’s the last loose end solved.
>That may eliminate the Dazzlings as problems, but there are still obstacles facing you.
>This will be a tricky moment, as not only are the Force Hunters out there, but also any remaining Sith could spot you.
>Including Scorpan.
>However, the first thing you'll need to deal with is the massive bull rancor that steps in your way.
 
>You all slide to a stop as the monstrous creature knocks over a pillar with its arm, while holding someone up in its other hand.
>Thunderlane.
>You cannot see any struggle by the shistavanen as he is lifted to the beast's slobbering mouth, meaning he is likely already dead.
>"No!" Applejack shouts, hurling her lightsaber at the monster's face.
>The blade bounces off its cheek, leaving nary a scratch as it swallows the Padawan whole.
>After a moment, the Iron Will turns its attention to the four of you.
"Lightsabers won't do any good!" you say as Applejack reaches out and returns her hilt to her hand. "It's been mutated by Sith alchemy!"
>The spiked rancor knocks over another pillar with its elbow as it steps closer, roaring at you, drool falling from its mouth in thick globules.
>The hulking beast blocks your path, using its hands to reach out wide and completely cover the corridor.
>"Then what do we do?" Rainbow asks as the four of you slowly back up. "Everybody make a break for it and just hope you're not the one who gets grabbed?"
"I have an idea," you say, looking up at its burnt eye and remembering the antarian ranger's lucky shot.
>Lightsaber in hand, you begin to stride forward, intent on it grabbing you.
>"What in Corellian Hell are you doing?" Applejack asks incredulously.
>Once it brings you up to its mouth, you'll have one chance to stab it in the other eye.
>The bull rancor looks at you and roars again, fixing you solely in its sights.
"That's right, come on," you challenge it. "Let's see what you can do!"
>As the rancor roars and you prepare yourself for the confrontation, you feel a hand on your shoulder.
>Fluttershy turns you aside and steps in front of you.
>When you try and protectively grab her hand, she shakes you away, standing firmly as the rancor approaches, still slobbering for more.
>You watch as she holds up her hand and simply stares at the beast, reaching out through the Force.
 
"Fluttershy, no, it won't work on this one!" you tell her, realizing she is trying to commune with it as she would one of her animals. "It's just a mindless beast!"
>She closes her eyes and shakes her head.
>"Do you think, once upon a time, I would have thought the same of you?" she asks without looking back. "If I didn't know who you were on the inside, would I have judged you the same?"
"No, you don't understand, that thing is a Sith monster!"
>"But he wasn't always. Were you any different?"
"I never ate people, for one!"
>"And he doesn't need to."
>The bull rancor places both hands on the ground as it nears her, lowering its head as if to get on level with her.
>You think that it is moving into position to snap his head forward and gobble her up.
>Lightsaber in hand, you hold it up, ready to defend your friend in an instant.
>Surely this cannot work---only Tirek commands the creature, and he does so through the Dark Side!
>But before your eyes, and with Rainbow Dash and Applejack as witnesses, the rancor does not attack; instead, it merely continues to stare at her with black eyes, breathing loudly.
>"What a poor, unfortunate creature,” Fluttershy laments. “He wasn't born by his mother to be a killing machine." Looking up and opening her eyes, she beholds the beast. "Were you?"
>Slowly, Applejack and Rainbow Dash walk up behind the two of you, also with their lightsabers in hand.
>The rancor grunts through its nostrils, a threatening sound.
>"Put away your lightsabers," Fluttershy says.
>"Are you crazy?" Rainbow asks.
>"Put them away," she repeats herself. “I can feel him…”
>After a moment, you take the initiative and deactivate your blade.
>The other two follow your lead.
>"He knows what they are. His cruel masters use them."
>She begins to walk closer to him.
"Fluttershy, no!" you reach for her with your arm.
>Too late; she is touching one of the large tusks emerging from his mouth.
 
 
>She runs a hand along it and looks up at him, speaking gently.
>"You are not a monster," she whispers. “You are not a monster.”
>"Tell that to Thunderlane," Rainbow says. "Shy, that thing just ate one of us!"
>"He's afraid. He's scared that if he doesn't do what he thinks they want him to do, he'll be tortured."
>She looks back at you. "That's the way the Sith do it, isn't it?"
"...Yes."
>"If you can be redeemed... then so can he."
>She daringly places a hand on his bottom lip, now easily within eating distance.
>Her hair is blown back by each exhalation of its nostrils.
>The monster growls lowly and it almost sounds… sad.
>All three of you stand on edge as she continues speaking encouraging words to the creature.
>"There, there," she says in a serene tone. "You don't have to hurt anyone. You don't have to be a monster anymore."
>You can hardly believe what you are seeing, but she's doing it.
>She's actually reaching him.
>”By the Force…” Applejack says in amazement.
>"Go," she says, looking back at the three of you. "I won't be long behind."
>"Just what are you going to do?" Applejack asks.
>"I'm going to get us a new ally." She pets his rough, grey skin some more. "There, there..." As she rubs one of his tusks, she begins to sing a small song.
>The three of you begin to move around the beast as Rainbow smiles broadly. "The things that girl does to surprise me..."
"You and me both."
>"Double-time!" Applejack says once the three of you are clear.
>You run towards the main entrance of the temple, finding it to be the smoking ruin you thought it would be, the work of Tirek's Force Destruction.
>You pass by corpses of Jedi and Sith alike, along with footsoldiers on either side of the battle, and the wrecks of many war droids.
>Up ahead, you see five Jedi fighting for their lives against the Force Hunters: Big Mac, Fleetfoot, Meadow Song, Lyra and Caramel, possibly the only ones left.
 
>You notice that Mac is not fighting with his lightsaber, but rather one of the cortosis blades of the Force Hunters.
>A dead hunter lies at his feet, neck broken and twisted.
>Three hunters are attacking him at once, but he is managing to keep them at bay with powerful swings and skilled parries.
>Meanwhile, Caramel is backed up against a column, his lightsaber deactivated due to contact with the cortosis and is busy dodging the attacks.
>Lyra is injured and crawling backwards, holding her bleeding shoulder, while Fleetfoot and Meadow Song attempt to fend off two of the hunters.
"Stay back! Put those crystals in your lightsabers!" you tell Rainbow and Applejack as you run ahead, activating your blade and cutting down the hunter attacking Caramel.
>Before he can thank you, you're already running towards Fleetfoot and Meadow Song.
>As one of the hunters cuts through Meadow Song’s saberstaff, you chop him in half, saving the kel dor’s life.
>Without missing a beat, you step and slash again, doing the same to the one attacking Fleetfoot.
>You then pounce up into the air and land next to Big Mac and the three he is facing alone, bringing your lightsaber down as you do.
>As you slice off the arm of one of them, Big Mac stabs another in the face with his sword.
>This allows the third an opening to slice his leg, which causes him to grunt and fall down to a knee.
>You turn and swing over his head and decapitate the attacker.
>As Mac tends to his leg, you walk around to the front of him and hold out your hand.
>He looks up, seeing who you are.
>"Anon..."
>The other four look on as AJ and Dash run up to supply them with crystals.
"Are you alright?” you ask the tall Padawan.
>"Are you?" he asks, slightly suspicious.
"I'm here to help. I've brought crystals that can destroy the Force Hunters."
>You take one out and hand it out to him.
"And I brought your sister, too."
 
>He looks over and sees Applejack hastily disassembling her lightsaber in order to put the crystal inside of it.
>Mac then looks back up at you and reaches up to clasp your hand with the crystal, pulling himself up.
"Your leg," you say, looking at the red wound.
>"I'll be fine."
>He takes the crystal and inspects it.
>"This will cut through them?'
"You saw me do it yourself," you reply, looking back and seeing Rainbow help Caramel up to his feet.
>"Can you still fight?" she asks him, handing him a crystal.
>"I'll try," he nods, gladly taking it.
>Nearby, Meadow Song helps Lyra up to her feet, and Dash quickly supplies them with instructions on where to go to evacuate.
>”But what about the others still outside?” Fleetfoot asks.
“I’ll go look for them,” you tell them. As you step away, you look back and add, “Everyone, you have to make it to the exits and escape into the Coruscant undercity. You’re the last of the Jedi Order. It’s vital that you survive.”
>As Applejack runs up to Big Mac, her lightsaber now augmented with the mestarian crystal, you approach the main entrance.
>You hesitantly look out from behind a pillar in case Scorpan is there, but he isn't.
>However, plenty of lesser Sith warriors and soldiers are currently battling the Force Hunters.
>You don't see Tirek or Scorpan anywhere, however---could the Force Hunters have driven them off?
>Keeping your senses open, you jump over the pillar and run to join the battle, hacking down a hunter in your path as you run down the blasted stairs, and then a second when he turns his sights on you and leaps towards you.
>After putting him down with a dodge followed by a horizontal slash, you look down upon what was once the Processional Way and charge in.
>A Sith warrior is stabbed by one from behind, but both are quickly taken down when you cut them in half with a single swing.
 
>You see two hunters charging at you and you leap back to avoid their attacks, only to be intercepted by a third.
>Barely managing to slice through his blade in time before you would have been stabbed, you grab him with your mechanical arm and throw him at his allies before running up and hacking them down.
>Having earned a moment of reprieve, you look up into the skies and see that the battle, while still going on, has lessened quite significantly.
>The first few rays of sunlight are beginning to appear along the horizon, painting the sky red and orange.
>Turning to your left, you discover a surprising sight: the corpse of Master Roseluck.
>You kneel down and inspect her body, discovering that she died with a smile on her face.
>Taking her lightsaber, you place it on your belt.
>She was Fluttershy's master, and the mirialan may appreciate receiving it.
>Your attention is drawn nearby when you hear the sounds of swords ringing out, but not lightsabers.
>Poking your head over a bit of debris, you see a crashed escape pod belonging to a Republic ship.
>There, none other than Captain Shining Armor is battling for his life against a lone Force Hunter.
>The blue twi'lek wields a vibrosword, Republic-issue, which he is using to defend himself against the fierce attacker.
>Without a moment's hesitation, you leap over the destroyed section of road and stab the hunter from behind.
>Shining Armor then knocks his weapon wide and does the same, and together you both withdraw your blades as the corpse falls to the ground.
>He looks at you and defensively holds up his vibrosword. "Sith?"
"No," you shake your head. "I know you probably don't remember me, Captain, but I'm a friend of your sister's."
>He narrows his eyes as he tries to discern your identity. "Didn't we meet at the conference? Anon, isn’t it?"
"It ended not too differently from what's going on now, yes," you reply, looking at the devastation around you. "Your escape pod... You were forced to flee?'
 
>"My ship was infiltrated by those changelings. They were on a lot of our vessels. Things were chaos and then the Imperial Fleet appeared, only making things worse. Changelings stole fighters and attacked our own men, they didn't know who was friendly and who wasn't. And the Senate..."
"What of the Senate?"
>"We lost contact. Last I heard, those changelings were swarming over the dome."
>He approaches you as you face him again. "Tell me, is my sister alright?"
"She is. You landed here intentionally?"
>"I knew that if there was anyone who could help me fight, it would be the Jedi. But then these... things," he kicks the Force Hunter you both just killed, "showed up. Why would they attack me?"
“If you recall, the Force is with you, even if you have not trained it. These clones are programmed to attack anyone with any connection to the Force, I’d wager.”
>He looks away. "I figured as much. How is the temple holding up from the attack?"
"Not well. The Grand Master is dead, and---"
>Just then, a screeching noise is heard from above as a winged changeling leaps down upon Shining Armor’s back.
>The captain shouts as it scratches him with its claws, tearing his uniform, before he reaches up and throws him from his shoulders.
>You slice the mutated geonosian freak as it hits the ground, ending its pitiful life.
>Shining Armor goes to a knee as he grabs his chest, breathing hard.
>You remember the venom in those claws and quickly help him up.
”Come on, let’s get you to the temple,” you say. “The Jedi are fleeing through the tunnels, but we might be able to get you to them in time to cure that toxin.”
>”Don’t worry about me,” he grunts. “I’m---Gah! I’m tougher than I look, really, haha…”
>Making your way across the battlefield, one of the Force Hunters takes notice and closes in.
>However, Big Mac appears and shouts as he cuts the hunter down, giving you the cover you need to make it to the stairs.
 
>Now the Force Hunters seem to come out of the terrain itself, crawling over the debris and slowly moving in.
>Big Mac cuts down another with a powerful stroke, but as you look up the stairs, you see the path cut off by two more hunters.
>Applejack and Rainbow Dash appear at the top of the stairs and charge down at the hunters to attack them from behind.
>AJ stabs one in the back while Rainbow uses both of her blades to slice the other to pieces.
>As the five of you climb the stairs, more hunters appear, and all charge you at once.
>Though your lightsabers can now cut through them, the sheer number of the hunters threatens to be overwhelming.
>As AJ hacks at one, a hunter’s blade manages to strike her flesh, drawing a red line across her back and cutting her shirt.
>Rainbow kills that one with a backstroke, but when she does, another darts in and manages to cut her arm, leaving a nasty gash.
>Big Mac, using his sheer strength, grabs one and throws them at another, both rolling down the stairs.
>Two more hunters jump over them and charge at him, causing him to fall behind as he defends himself.
>Halfway up the stairs, as AJ and Dash fight off three more of the hunters, another appears and charges directly at you.
>Still holding onto Shining Armor, you use your mechanical arm to dismember his weapon hand, but he was only a distraction, as a hunter that was thought dead, and one would certainly think so as his arm and legs had been cut off, grabs his sword and stabs upward, plunging it into your back shoulder.
>You shout as you fall onto a knee, and Shining Armor is the one to stab down into the hunter’s neck with his vibrosword.
>”Come on! We’re almost there!” he says, pulling the blade out of your back. “I was always told you Jedi fought to the end!”
“I’m no Jedi…” you mutter, but still you stand and press on.
>The hunters come on and on still, having finished off what’s left of the Sith ground attack force.
 
>Caramel and Fleetfoot hold them off at the top of the stairs, but they are quickly taking on wounds of their own.
>The Force Hunters still have speed and precision, even if they lack in survival instinct.
>But in large numbers such as this, that can serve to their benefit; throwing themselves in waves against their opponents, they need only create an opening for one of their bio-engineered brethren to puncture.
>A sword is lodged through Caramel’s leg, causing him to fall.
>Fleetfoot runs over and grabs him by the back of his robes, dragging him into the temple as she fends off more of the hunters.
>You, AJ, Dash and Shining Armor have now made it to the top of the stairs.
>As you continue to press on and ignore the burning pain from your shoulder wound, your allies continue fighting valiantly around you.
>You let go of Shining Armor as you reach the top and turn around, looking down at Big Mac, who is busy fending off a new wave of attackers, still only halfway up the stairs.
>Lightsaber in hand, you curse and make your way down towards him and cut one down.
>Soon, you and he make quick work of the others.
>"Come on!" Applejack shouts from the top, helping to carry Shining Armor.
>Turning to head back up, you stop when you see that Mac is not moving.
>His eyes are focused on something in the distance, only just now barely visible along the horizon.
>Marching up the processional way is a legion of Force Hunters.
>In neat, orderly and efficient columns, the black-armored swordsmen approach the temple.
>Hundreds, perhaps a thousand or more.
>You and Big Mac both take in the sight with grim realization that no one, not even a small force of Jedi, let alone the several you have here, could keep them from storming the temple.
>And you see something then in his eyes, a realization of purpose and what he must do.
>He's not going to retreat or pull back.
>He's going to stay right here and hold the line.
 
>Fortunately, an alternative solution makes itself known as the Iron Will roars from the entrance.
>You both look back and see the great bull rancor standing in the destroyed entry with Fluttershy in front of him.
>She points, and the bull rancor obeys, charging down the stairs.
>You and Mac both duck as the creature rampages past, moving his limbs around you as he heads back onto the Processional Way.
>As it charges across the battlefield, it knocks aside several structures and bits of debris, which starts to give you an idea in your head.
>The first few ranks of Force Hunters charge up to the Iron Will with swords drawn, but the rancor begins savagely swiping his arms across the bridge, battering them off the edge or cutting them down.
>The black-armored foes who avoid the first few attacks manage to slip through his legs and start cutting at him, some of them even managing to climb up onto his back.
>Though the rancor is an excellent distraction, soon they swarm up over him.
>He grabs them off his arms, biting or crushing them, but there are many.
>Though the bulk of the army is slowed down, more and more are continually slipping through.
>You watch as twenty, then fifty manage to make it past the rancor, dashing across the battlefield and towards the temple.
>You and Big Mac both stand with firm grips on your lightsabers, realizing that you are the final line of defense.
>Sharing a single look, you see that he is resolute and will not retreat; his unspoken devotion inspires you to do the same.
>No words are exchanged as you both look back upon the looming threat, seeing the hunters closing in with each second.
>Then, Applejack is at both of your sides, ready to stand with her brother and friend.
>When the first wave hits, you stand firm and fight them off, slowly making your way to the top of the stairs as the corpses pile up.
>One after another, the Force Hunters throw themselves at you, falling by the dozen to your blade.
 
>You immerse yourself in the Force, though simply being near them makes this difficult.
>Their very presence, due to the nullification genes inherited from the ysalamiri, slows reaction time as you attempt to use the precognitive abilities that are so common to both Jedi and Sith.
>All you can do is react when they attack, and hope you are fast enough.
>Perhaps this is why Applejack and Big Mac are both so adept at facing them; with difficulty in manifesting the Force already present in their training, they came to rely more on physical disciplines.
>Big Mac in particular is a monstrous foe to the Force Hunters now that his blade has been augmented with a mestarian crystal.
>With broad, strong strokes, they fall to him like flies against a bug-zapper.
>Your mechanical arm and the speed with which it strikes allows you nearly the same effectiveness, but the pillar of might that is Big Mac cannot be compared to.
>Applejack, fighting with furious skill in Djem So, is nearly as strong as her brother, but is also the first to sustain an injury.
>A stray blade manages to cut her primary sword arm, adding to the collection of cuts she's already earned.
>Your own wound burns as your muscles and bones ache from fighting for so long.
>Falling back a few steps, you use the Force to levitate a section of a fallen pillar and hurl it at a group of the hunters.
>They may not be affected by special abilities directly, but nothing is going to stop them from being crushed by rolling stone.
>Still on they come, and so you up the ante, picking up more and more large bits of debris and wreckage to throw at them.
>Applejack and Big Mac adjust to your tactics, cutting down any who escape your barrage, careful so as to let none near you and nullify your connection to the Force.
>Your mind strains and your body heaves as you continue to lift and throw, lift and throw, chucking boulder-sized rocks and broken fortifications.
 
>When you are out of those, you pick up a crashed starfighter and cause it to skid down the steps, sending sparks flying as it catches and crushes several hunters.
>But still more leap over it, onto its wings and then off, dodging the projectile and running up to attack the brother and sister defending you.
>Though your body is stressed to the point of breaking, you grit your teeth, breathe and find strength in the Force.
>If this is to be your final stand, you are going to make it count, and you know they feel the same.
>But one of you more strongly than the others.
>As you make it to the top of the stairs, with no more else to throw, your eyes are drawn towards the Iron Will, swarmed with Force Hunters, stumbling and falling off the bridge, taking many of them with him into the Coruscant underbelly.
>His final roar echoes across the district, but now your enemies have nothing to stand between them and you.
>Fluttershy runs down the stairs to stand at your side.
>"We won't make it if we stay out here," Applejack says, looking at her brother. "We need to fall back!"
>Holding his saber up, he stands straight and does not budge. "Yes, you do."
>Applejack gives her brother a strange look. "Well, then let's go! C'mon!"
>She turns back, but Big Mac does not.
>"Mac!" she calls out as you and Fluttershy linger nearby. "Come on!"
>He does not look back. "Go, AJ. Get the others out of here. Get Apple Bloom out of the temple. Survive."
>She looks at him as though he is speaking nonsense. "I'll do all of those things, but with you! Come on!"
>He shakes his head. "We won't make it unless someone stays back to hold them off. We'll get cut off."
"Then let me," you say, taking a step and stumbling from the exertion you used while throwing the debris.
>Fluttershy helps you up as Mac cuts down another Force Hunter.
>"All of you need to go," he says after putting his opponent down.
 
>AJ runs up alongside him and kills a second as she turns to him and says, "This is not up for discussion! We're leaving, all of us, right now! You are not making this family smaller!"
>"AJ," he says in a strong tone, "go."
>"I'm not leaving you!" she replies. "Stop being selfish!"
>He cracks a smile. "Selfish... One dead sibling, or three?" he asks her, and she cannot reply.
>AJ's lip quivers a bit as her resolve falters. "We need to leave," she says softly.
>Two more hunters dart up the stairs, whereupon Mac meets their charge and cuts them down.
>"Mac... You're going to die," she says, looking on at the legion bearing down on the temple. "There are too many..."
>His reply is simple. "There is no death."
>"There is the Force..." she finishes, tears coming to her eyes. "Mac, please, don't do this... What will I tell Apple Bloom?"
>He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Tell her that I will always be protecting her, as I am right now. That I'll always be there for both of you."
>"Don't," she begs, touching his arm. "Please..."
>He meets the eyes of his beloved sister for one last time, his gaze firm and unyielding just like his body.
>His final word to her is, "Go."
>She closes her eyes and turns away from him, fighting to contain her emotions.
>Distraught, she runs back towards the two of you, back into the temple, and never looks back.
>You look on as the others join her, then turn your attention back to Big Mac, standing like a giant amongst the corpses of his enemies.
You call out to him. "Mac!"
>He looks back, and you look at your old friend one last time yourself.
"...Make a mountain of them."
>With a single nod, he replies, "Eeyup."
>Then his attention is back on the force bearing down on his position, and with both hands wrapped firmly around his hilt, he wordlessly faces them down.
>You watch him as the first group reaches him, all darting in at once.
 
>With one mighty swing, he takes several of them down, stepping forward and chopping down another.
>"We can't just leave him, c-can we?" Fluttershy asks, her voice full of uncertainty.
"We can, because that's his choice," you reply, turning away. "Come on, or else it means nothing."
>There is a great part of you that regrets your words, but you rationalize them any way you can.
>You think that it should be you, but you know that you don't truly want it to be.
>As selfish as it may sound, you want to live---every organism inherently does.
>And Mac is no exception to that rule, but he wants his sisters to live more than he does himself.
>He is willing to make the stand that no one else would.
>And in doing so, is resigning himself to death.
>You spare a look back and see him, and a more magnificent sight there could not be.
>His movements are controlled to the absolute, his motions perfect and flawless as he clashes against the Force Hunters.
>They come at him again and again, despite the bodies falling down the stairs, but he does not relent, he does not budge, he does not give them any quarter.
>None get past him and his brilliant blade of emerald light.
>The display is a painting of human endurance, the triumph of willpower made manifest.
>You look away, feeling guilty, as though you are unworthy of such a sacrifice.
>One life for many more---you swear that you'll make it count.
>As you reenter the temple, Dash looks on before running to join you.
>Your group makes it deeper into the temple, dealing with the occasional Force Hunter that pops up or drops down from the upper levels.
>None are more zealous than Applejack in taking them down, unleashing her pain from leaving her brother behind.
>You almost feel sorry for them... almost.
>As your group has wounded and weary, your progress is slow, but you know that it would be much slower had he not stayed back.
 
>Your group reaches the tunnels and turbolifts that lead to the temple's lowest areas, where few were ever allowed to tread during your time here.
>The further you go, you more you blockade the path behind you, convinced that nobody else is left behind to follow other than your enemies.
>You seal doors, sabotage turbolifts and create wreckage behind you by any means you can, doing all in your power to stall them from reaching your position.
>The lowest foundations of the temple are a networked maze of maintenance tunnels, droid access areas, storage facilities and abandoned rooms.
>Here, you encounter very little trouble, as the Force Hunters have not yet swarmed down here, but there is no doubt that they will.
>For when you begin to reach the mountain upon which the temple is built, where the walls give way to stone instead of metal, your group feels a disturbance in the Force.
>He has fallen.
>Applejack stops and leans against a wall, clutching her heart.
>Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash both grow very silent as your group looks on at her, feeling her pain.
>She doesn't say anything, but the restrained sobs tell you everything you need to know.
>Though you share her pain, for Big Mac was one of the few who accepted you during a difficult time in the temple, after the tournament.
>How many did he take down, you wonder?
>Perhaps he truly did leave a mountain of corpses before enough of them got through.
>You doubt his body gave way to fatigue---more likely, they cut him down only after he had done the same to scores of them.
>He died fighting, you know it.
>With your last line of defense gone, all you have left is to move forward.
>Within the mountain, you find the other survivors: Masters Cadance, Redheart and Waddle, along with Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Maud.
>Trixie and Gilda, both having suffered from Sith-induced mind control, are unconscious and being attended to by Master Redheart.
>The younglings, too, are here: all of them.
 
>Even Spike and his fellow droids, all full of information saved from the archives, made it.
>As you group enters the stone chamber, lit by soft glowing lamps, they close the door behind you.
>Applejack immediately runs in and all but tackles her younger sister into a hug, holding her tightly.
>The young Apple Bloom doesn't say anything, for the sight of her sister and the nature of the hug has told her everything she needs to know.
>Twilight is positively ecstatic upon seeing her brother, and throws him into a hug. "Shining Armor! I'm so glad you're alright!"
>He returns the hug gladly, but it does not miss your eye that across the room, AJ sulks even further as she hugs her sister.
>A somber quiet takes hold of the room as you sit on a stone bench with Fluttershy while the other members of your group spread out to seek medical aid.
>Everyone is silent as wounds are inspected and cleaned.
>Fluttershy is the one who helps you with your shoulder, cleaning it after removing the upper portion of your outfit.
>She is silent as she does her work, observing the scars on your back and running her fingers along them.
>"So many..." she whispers.
>That sounds about right; you must have quite a few from Scorpan's torture sessions.
>Upon thinking about him, you wonder where he is...
>Using a light bacta gel taken from Master Redheart's emergency kit, Fluttershy applies the healing resin to your skin, but as she does, you mind wanders elsewhere, triggered by thoughts of Scorpan.
>You begin to think about where you will next see him.
>Perhaps it is because of Mac's sacrifice that has you thinking about what you have survived to face, or perhaps it is the ancient mountain you are currently inside that bestows upon you a vision.
 
>Old archival entries say that this mountain was once something much more than it once was, and looking around the chamber you are inside, with its strange hieroglyphic writing on the walls, you can only wonder what Force-worshipping group was here in ancient times.
>Prophets, perhaps?
>Is this room itself a conduit for seeing the future?
>Or, could it be similar to what you experienced on Mestare during your second visit---the glimpse into the future?
>For whatever cause, the Force grants you sight of what may be as everyone else in the room fades away, their conversations and thoughts growing distant.
>You see yourself standing before Scorpan, lightsaber in hand... with two beings alongside you.
>They are both unique and you recognize them immediately, for their stories are entwined deeply within yours.
>Flash Sentry and Noteworthy.
>Scorpan looks upon you, eyes burning with rage.
>"CHOOSE!" he shouts, his word echoing through your mind.
>You know then what this moment is.
>The Shatterpoint.
>The Sacrifice.
>A choice...
>You open your eyes as things begin to become apparent; you have survived the attack on the Jedi Temple, you have done all that you can, but now you must move on.
>And you know where you must go.
>Fluttershy brings you back to the present as she gently touches your arm.
>"It must have been awful," she says softly, looking at the joint of your mechanical arm where flesh meets metal. "How did you survive?"
"Hate," you whisper, even though it draws eyes from across the room.
>"Hate," Master Waddle says, shaking his head.
"Yes, master. Hate. I'm not proud of it, but when I had nothing else, hate kept me going, it healed me. Promised me revenge. While I was with the Sith, I learned what hate could truly do, and what I did and did not want it to do."
>"Kept alive, hate did not," Master Waddle says. "The Dark Side, other plans for you it had."
"I bed your pardon, master, but now is not the time to debate about the Dark Side and the light."
 
>"Anon is correct," Master Cadance says. "Regardless of the circumstances that brought him here, he is with us now and is helping us again. We should be glad."
>During this conversation, Fluttershy has remained silent as she continues applying the gel.
>You look over and see some of the younglings, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle in particular, regarding you with fearful eyes.
"Don't be afraid," you tell them. "I'm not so hateful at this moment."
>You take out Master Roseluck's lightsaber and hand it up to Fluttershy over your shoulder.
"Here. It belonged to your master."
>After hesitating for a moment, she grabs it and holds it close to her chest.
>The others are all quiet, for not only has Roseluck's death affected them, but so too has every death suffered in this crisis, especially that of Grand Master Celestia.
>Where is her spirit now?
>Should it not be here, giving guidance to this group?
>"Now what do we do?" Dash asks the room. "Where do we go from here?"
>"A series of escape tunnels, there are," Master Waddle replies.
>Redheart nods. "There is an old tram that will take us into what has become the Coruscant undercity. From there, we will avoid the Sith and Force Hunters."
>"And then what, master?" Rarity asks, gently rubbing her sister's head.
>"We must seek refuse elsewhere," Master Cadance says, standing up from sitting with Twilight and Shining Armor. "Not on Coruscant."
>"We just run away?" Rainbow asks, but a stern look from Cadance has her lose some of her bluster. "I mean... Master? We're going to abandon the seat of the Republic?"
"You have little choice," you say to her. "The Force Hunters are now attacking in large numbers, and both Jedi and Sith are facing heavy casualties. The only thing the Jedi can do now is regroup elsewhere."
>"Split up, we will need to," Waddle says, walking across the room. "Small groups. Harder to detect, they will be."
>"Then where will we go?" Twilight asks. "Yavin 4? Ossus? Taris?"
 
>"We could always go to Zeltros!" Pinkie suggests. "Come on, nobody would suspect it!"
>"Sorry Pinkie, but the fewer the people on the planet we end up on, the better," Dash tells her.
>"We will need to go somewhere the Sith do not and cannot know of," Cadance says. "Nor the Force Hunters."
"Then, perhaps, it would be best if you spoke of it while I am not here," you announce as you stand up and put your top back on. "I must return to the Sith."
>"Why?" Dash asks. "You've already done everything for the Jedi, why not just come with us?"
"I have to go back," you reply softly. "The man who controls the bomb in my head will be there."
>As silence falls across the room, you see Master Redheart stand up. "Anonymous, I do not have the facilities with me here, but if you accompany us, I may be able to remove it."
"Trying to do so might just be what sets it off," you reply. "No... I have to go back. I have to somehow get the remote out of his hands."
>"Now, just wait," Twilight stands up and says. "Don't just immediately assume that we cannot help you, Anon. You came back for us, you fought for us. Removing a bomb from your head is the least we can do."
After a moment in thought, you shake your head. "No. I have to go back. I've made my choice in this battle, and I chose to stand with the Jedi, and I helped you survive. That's what I came here to do."
>You look around the room at all of them, meeting their eyes with yours.
"But I am not one of you anymore."
>"Nonsense," Rarity says. "You could have helped the Sith! You could have kept the crystals from us. Anon, you are of the light! You belong with us!"
>"Yeah, what she said!" Pinkie adds. "If you go back to the Sith, you might..."
>Her voice trails off, but you know that she is imagining the bomb going off; it makes her shudder.
 
"I appreciate your words, I do, but I didn't do this for light or darkness, for the Jedi or the Sith. I did this because you're all my friends. But if I'm going to survive to make any of this mean anything, then I have to face my master."
>"Luna?" Fluttershy asks.
"No, I meant my Sith master. The one who did all of this to me. Scorpan."
>"I know of whom you speak," Cadance says. "It does not surprise me that he is responsible for your current condition. But Anonymous, surely you do not think you can face him alone?"
"I won't be alone," you say. "I've... seen it."
>"A vision?" Rainbow asks.
"I have to go back, for Flash and Noteworthy. They're prisoners of the Sith, just like I am so long as Scorpan lives."
>Fluttershy is terribly concerned. "But will he destroy you when you return?"
"I don't think so. He never saw me, and all evidence of my choice to help you has been taken care of. I hope."
>You look over at Twilight and Maud, who both silently return your gaze.
"Either way, my destiny lies with me returning to Korriban. That's where I'm going to confront Scorpan..."
>"And die?" Applejack asks grimly, speaking up for the first time since entering the chamber.
"Hopefully not. But at the very least, I have to try and save the others. And if I can, save myself too. Not just from Scorpan, but the Dark Side."
>"Anon, it's too dangerous," Twilight says. "You only just returned to us, and now you have to go back?"
"I know. I do."
>Another moment of silence makes its way through the room before Maud stands up.
>"I will go with you," she says, though Pinkie at her side is quick to protest. "It's alright. I came here with Anon. I'll leave here with him as well."
>The umbaran hugs Pinkie, who closes her eyes and returns it.
>"Just make sure you come back, okay?" Pinkie says. "Both of you. Come back and be Jedi with us. I know you can."
>Neither you nor Maud deny her request, but both of you know that the worst may yet happen.
 
 
"Before I leave, I want you all to know that I saw a spectre, a Force Ghost, of Grand Master Celestia. It was just after she passed."
>"What did she say?" Twilight asks.
"She apologized for... what happened between us. And she asked me to save the Jedi." You look over at Spike.
"You have the archives?"
>"You know I do!" the holographic dragon says with a thumbs-up.
>And next you look at Twilight.
"And do you still have the mestarian crystals?"
>"I do."
"Then I’ve done all I can do. Keep them. They'll be useful weapons against the Force Hunters, and so long as they stay out of the hands of the Sith, they will be one advantage you have that they do not. So will the archives."
>"Are you leaving now?" Rainbow asks, moving closer.
>"Move quickly, it would be best to," Master Waddle says, nodding at Master Redheart, who finishes helping Caramel and stands up.
>"We will proceed to the tram and escape. What of you, Anonymous?"
"My ride is on top of the temple, unfortunately," you reply. "But I know this temple better than the Force Hunters do. I'll sneak past them."
>"There's got to be a thousand of them up there," Dash points out. "You can't sneak past them all, let alone two of you!"
"We'll find a way. What's important is that you all get out of here. The Jedi Order survives with you."
>"Not just us," Applejack says, moving up from Apple Bloom's side. "But Master Luna, Sunset and you, too."
Your eyes stray off to the side for a moment. "Master Luna and Sunset are waiting for something. When I go to Korriban, I'm going to be faced with a choice, and that's when they're going to find me again." You look back to her. "I have foreseen it."
>"What choice?" Fluttershy asks.
"I shouldn't bother you with it now. Whatever choice I make, I'll have to live with." You place a hand on her arm and give her an encouraging squeeze. "But I promise you that we'll see each other again."
>She pulls you in for a hug, tightly wrapping her arms around you once more.
 
>Bringing her mouth to your ear, she whispers, "I'll be waiting for you."
>You nod and part from her after she has her fill of hugs.
>Turning to Applejack, you nod at her as well.
>"Good luck," she says. "Make Mac's sacrifice worth it."
"The same to you," you reply, shaking her hand before hugging her as well.
>Next, you move to Rainbow Dash.
>"I'd say come back in one piece, but it wouldn't feel appropriate," she tells you with a smile. "So instead, I'll just say this: come back."
>Pinkie Pie comes next, and she gives you a big, tight squeeze.
>"Stay safe, Nonny!" she says with a smile. "And know that I believe in you! I always did, and I won't stop now!"
"Thank you, Pinkie," you say with some mirth in your voice.
>The zeltron steps back to allow Rarity to walk up and hug you next.
>She doesn't seem quite able to conjure up words, so she lets her embrace speak for her.
>Moving away and wiping her eyes, that leaves Twilight.
>The twi'lek puts her hands together as she looks up at you.
"When I left the temple... you were still asleep. I committed the image to memory, it helped me leave, convinced me that what I was doing was right."
>She clears her throat with a swallow. "Can you still say it was?"
"I don't know. But here you are, and here I am. The Force brought us to this place, kept us all together, even if our paths were different. We can look back on our past actions with regret, or pride, or indifference, but in the end, all we can do is keep moving forward."
>She smiles. "Well said. I'll have to add that to the new archives."
"You could probably write a whole book on what we've been through," you crack a joke.
>She brings up her arms to hug you and you return it, careful to not use your mechanical arm to hurt her lekku.
>When you part, you look at them all one last time again.
>Then, Spike rolls over and bumps into your leg.
>"Hey, jerk! You forgetting about someone, huh?"
 
"Of course not," you say as you kneel. "I just had to get down onto your level first."
>"Ha ha." The holodragon's expression changes to one of concern. "You found me on Ord Mantell, Anon. You gave me a chance, but you didn't take me on your journey."
"The Sith probably would have melted you down for scrap, or worse."
>"No, no, you don't understand: I'm thanking you! Man, looking at how you ended up, you NOT taking me is probably the best thing that could've happened to me!"
>You give the astromech a clank on the head with your mechanical arm and the dragon laughs, one that you join in on.
>"Ah! The whole archives were just memory-dumped! Oh no!" the dragon cries in mock-pain. He then straightens up and gives you a smile. "See you soon, Anon."
>You pat him on the head and stand back up, looking at the others in the room.
>Words could be spoken to all of them, even the unconscious Trixie, but time is short.
>Instead, Twilight’s next words feel like all that need to be spoken.
>”May the Force be with you.”
“May the Force be with us all.”
>You'd like to say parting words to Master Redheart, and Master Cadance as she helps support Captain Shining Armor, but you decide that glances will do, for already the remaining masters are preparing their things and moving out.
>Maud holds Pinkie's hand as the entrance to the room is opened and people begin filtering out.
>As they pass by, the younglings look up at you.
>Some are awestruck, some are fearful.
>Little Apple Bloom, though, she's somewhere else.
>There is sadness there, for the loss of her brother, and yet also hope.
>For what?
>You cannot be sure.
>As the last surviving Jedi leave and descend further into the mountain, you get your last glimpse of them before the door seals shut.
>You are glad to have spent some time with them, no matter how short, before you face your destiny.
>It has given you a clarity, a sense of rekindled purpose, and hope for your future.
 
>Will you return to them, and become a Jedi?
>Once, you would have thought it impossible.
>Or perhaps the path of balance is yet within your reach?
>Difficult to say.
>As you reflect on their final words to you, Maud speaks as she stands very still.
>"Your vision," she says, once the others are out of earshot. "You saw where you would be for this 'choice'?"
"I did."
>"But I was not there."
"No... you weren't."
>She nods, a strange hint of resignation and acceptance in her voice.
>"That is because I am about to die."
>You turn to face her fully, growing just as still as she is.
"About to die? What do you mean?"
>"You had your vision of your destiny. Now let me tell you of mine. On Mestare, I told you I would, in time."
You blink as you begin to understand. "Are you telling me that, back in that temple, you saw your death?"
>"Yes. But not just any death. One that has meaning, like the brother who stayed behind. My death will be greater than any the Sith could offer me fighting for them."
You shake your head. "I can't let you kill yourself."
>"It is not your choice to make. The Force has shown me what I am doing, and why I am doing it. My death results in your escape, and consequently, the fulfilment of your destiny."
"Explain it to me, then."
>"You recall my powers?"
"How could I forget?"
>"Imagine them, but on a larger scale. I am going to use my powers here while you reach your ship. I am going to destroy the temple, with me inside of it, and every single Force Hunter."
"Maud... You can't take down this entire temple."
>"I can take down enough of it to bury our enemies alive. All of them."
"No, I meant that I can't let you just do that. I've already lost one friend today, I don't want to lose another."
>"The fact that we are friends is a great thing to me. And though I may have difficulty expressing it, I was happier today than I have been in a long while. I was fortunate enough to see Pinkie Pie again, which made everything worth it."
 
"Then live," you urge her, reaching out for her hand. "Live, and spend more time with her! Help me defeat Scorpan, and you could go on to become a Jedi!"
>She shakes her head, bringing up her other hand to rest upon yours.
>"I know that Pinkie would enjoy me to. And I know I may seem like an ideal for the Jedi---emotionless. But I'm not." She stares into your eyes. "I have hate, like you do. I have such hate and anger. I want to let it out, but I want to use it for good. I want to have an end to it all, an end to the pain, and hate..."
"But your end doesn't have to be this way."
>"I'm sorry, Anon. But for me to live with the Jedi, I would have to continue living with myself. And I know I can do that no longer."
>You are stunned by her words, unable to convince her of another course.
"How... will you do it?"
>"From here. I will use this mountain to tear down the temple, to destroy its foundations. If I can use my power like I believe I can, not much will be left. No Jedi, no Sith, and no Force Hunters."
"And no you, either."
>She merely squeezes your hand. "Thank you for being my friend."
"Maud, I... We didn't know each other for long. And for most of that time, I hated you."
>"I know. I wish that things had been different as well. I would like to live in a galaxy where I could become a Jedi alongside Pinkie Pie... but we do not live in that galaxy."
>You then pull her in for a surprising hug, and after a moment, she softly returns it, reaching up to clasp you tightly against her.
>You feel slight moisture against your neck, leaking from her eyes.
>"We must go now," she says as she pushes back. "The time has come."
"What will I tell the others? What will I tell Pinkie Pie?"
>Maud looks down, heavy in thought for a moment.
>"When she asks, tell her that my last thoughts while in this realm will be of her, and of my family. Tell her that I died... with a smile. She would like that. She likes smiles."
 
>And as she looks up, she gives you one, smiling amidst tear-streaked cheeks.
>She takes a small, smooth stone out of her pocket and places it into your palm.
>"And please, keep this safe. It is the last surviving stone I have from my farm."
"Shouldn't this stay with you?"
>"It has long enough. Keep it safe, for me, and the memory of my home will never die."
>You hug her one final time before leaving, your heart growing heavy.
>You know what you must do, and that she will not be dissuaded.
>As you step away, however, she calls out for you.
>"Anon..."
"Yes?"
>"I... would have liked very much to see those Muntuur stones you spoke of."
>You smile beneath your mask.
"Maybe in the next life?"
>She nods, and waves at you. "Fare well, Anon."
"Goodbye, Maud."
>You leave her then, heading back up into the Jedi Temple.
>As the route you left behind you is blocked off, you must find an alternate route.
>Thankfully, as the Force Hunters are preoccupied in following in the footsteps of the survivors, their attention is focused solely on the former.
>This allows you to sneak past groups of them at critical moments until you can make it to a turbolift which takes you back up into the temple proper.
>As the lift rises, you think about Maud, closing your eyes as you contemplate the meaning of her sacrifice.
>She chose this path, partly from seeing herself do so in her vision, but also from her desire to have her death mean something.
>Had she been planning this all along, ever since the temple on Mestare?
>Or was she merely waiting for the moment to come along, knowing she would accept it when it would arrive?
>Much like with Big Mac, you may never truly know her reasons for sacrificing herself until you are put into that very same position one day.
>And who knows, that day may be very near indeed...
>Your thoughts are interrupted by the turbolift opening, and three Force Hunters outside of it stare at you.
 
"You might want to catch the next one," you advise them before igniting your lightsaber and leaping out and hacking them down.
>Two more Force Hunters down the hall turn and see, immediately taking up pursuit.
>Further up in the opposite direction, four more give chase.
>You run forwards, knowing where you have to go from here.
>This maintenance turbolift brought you to the bottom levels of the temple, but your destination lies on its rooftop.
>It isn't long before you have a sizeable group of hunters chasing you, just barely on your heels as you dash through the halls.
>One of them leaps down from above and attempts to impale you by using your own momentum against you, but your reaction time is quicker.
>You slice his weapon, then his weapon arm, then his chest as you run up him and kick off, landing in front of a turbolift that will take you up to the upper levels.
>Sliding inside, you hit the emergency transport button and the doors slam shut, carrying you swiftly upwards even as you hear the sounds of blades and bodies hitting the exterior doors on the way up.
>When this lift stops, you discover the hallway empty and run ahead, stopping only once you feel a slight tremor and a strange yet familiar disturbance in the Force.
>Again the tremor comes, rocking the floor around you, like a pulse from a beating heart.
>It isn't like the explosions that hit the temple earlier, this is different because it seems to affect the entire structure and originates from... below.
>A third time is happens, only stronger than the previous two, nearly making you stumble.
"By the Force, she's doing it," you say aloud.
>Not that you doubted her power, but still, it's hard to believe.
>Another pulse issues forth from the depths of the Jedi Temple, causing objects to fall off walls, more than enough warning for you to run.
>The Force Hunters, making their way up to your level through whatever means they can, are ignorant of the tremors as they resume their chase.
 
>From turbolifts and stairwells they pour, pursuing you even as you make it to the uppermost level of the temple that connects to the roof.
>A sea of dark-armored foes chases after you, the remnants of what the Iron Will and Big Mac could not finish off, but they cannot catch you.
>For when the next tremor comes, walls begin to crack and floors begin to cave in.
>You leap up onto the roof as the stairs collapse beneath many of them, for now the tremors come with no pause between them, no reprieve as they build to a grand earthquake in continual pounding pulses of power that begin to shred apart the stone structure of the temple from beneath their very feet.
>Some of the Force Hunters leap from stone to stone, keeping up with you, but the majority of them fall behind and are swallowed by the suddenly hungry floors, carried down to be buried by rubble and rock.
>You see your ship up ahead and race towards it, running up the exit ramp.
>You turn to cut down the few that made it to you, but with the rest falling with the temple, you realize that Maud was right: her sacrifice is what enables your escape.
>Running into the cockpit, you begin the startup procedures with dizzying speed.
>The four towers of the Jedi Temple begin to crumble and fall, one of them inwards while the others fall outwards.
>You manage to lift off just as the tower falling inwardly crashes along the roof, sending sections of the once-solid temple plummeting into itself.
>The central tower begins to sink into the temple as panels and support beams fall out; its very foundation is rendering it asunder.
>Your ship narrowly avoids the rising dust as you fly backwards to observe the cataclysmic sight before you.
>Though the vague shape of the temple remains, the sheer power that Maud is unleashing through its mountain core is causing the entire place to collapse inwards.
 
>The temple was built like a fortress, thick and seemingly unable to be destroyed, and yet here you look upon its final moments.
>So many different levels, so many different memories, all buried as Maud entombs every Force Hunter down inside the temple---along with herself.
>You watch this sight, unable to look away nor blink, as the crashing of the Jedi Temple resounds with the noise of the end of an era itself.
>For thousands of years, this temple stood...
>With it is now buried incalculable amounts of history, tradition, and bodies left behind by this terrible conflict, Jedi and Sith alike.
>As the sun rises over the Corscant skyline, the temple falls, taking the Force Hunters with it.
>But there is yet hope, for the Jedi Order has survived.
>What future do they face?
>What future do you face?
>There is only one way to find out.
>When you feel the power of the earthquake fade, when at last the tremors cease, when you know that Maud has at last become one with the Force, overloading herself and becoming a pure conduit for her abilities, you let out a deep sigh and take her stone, keeping it in your palm, and hold it close to your heart.
"Thank you, Maud."
>Aiming your ship away from the now-ruined temple, you take off into the sky, leaving the atmosphere behind as you soar past wreckages of Republic and Imperial ships.
>Setting the coordinates for Korriban, you engage the hyperdrive.
>As it blasts away past elongated stars, you close your eyes and prepare yourself.
>You can sense what is coming.
>You are speeding towards it on an unavoidable course from which there is no turning.
>The Shatterpoint.
>The Sacrifice.
>Your destiny.
>Everything, absolutely every single thing, has built up to the following moments of your life.
>Kessel, Yavin 4, Coruscant, Ilum, Ord Mantell, Nar Shadda, Dromund Kaas, Korriban... Mestare, and more.
>Friends, enemies, allies, memories...
>Lessons learned, oaths broken, pains experienced, promises made.
 
>Sunset, Fluttershy, Coco, Maud.
>Master Luna and Flash Sentry.
>Noteworthy.
>When you land, you will face the Shatterpoint, face the choice you must make.
>The person you are will end, for you will not be the same afterwards.
>Anon... Nito... or something else entirely.
>You will learn who and what you truly are.
>There is a slight distortion as the ship drops out of hyperspace and you drop out of meditation, opening your eyes to behold Korriban.
 
>It is time.
 
>You approach the planet and transmit the proper clearance codes prior to landing in the academy hanger.
>As you navigate in through the hanger bay doors, you notice that it is mostly barren, save for only a few of the ships that are reserved for non-combat purposes.
>After landing in the appropriate section and powering down the ship, you step outside and make for the archives.
>There is a new purpose in your head, one that is all too clear, but first you need to resolve one last loose end.
>Upon entering the academy's archives, you proceed to the primary computer and search for any and all information relating to Mestare; its location and otherwise.
>Doing this yields several results, but it appears that Scorpan never added the information from your ship's navicomputer to the archives.
>Likely to keep it all to himself, then.
>All for the better.
>As you leave the archives, you sense a dark presence approaching the academy: Scorpan's ship, right on time for a date with destiny.
>Your mind is clear and unclouded by doubt, fear or worry as you walk towards the hanger to meet with him.
>When the doors open and you lay your eyes upon him, he looks at you and smiles.
>Two of his attendants lurk behind him, hooded and faceless.
>"Nito," he greets you with a grin. "I did not expect to find you here so early."
Almost as an afterthought, you bow before him. "I was just returning from the archives, my master."
>"Ah, depositing the holocrons from the Jedi Archives? Good. Those holocrons are likely all that remains of the Jedi Order!"
 
>Uproarious laughter follows his statement as he clutches his side.
>He walks past you and you take up position behind him, with his attendants behind you.
"I left after my mission was complete, my master. But not before making contact with Inquisitor Adagio in the archives and assisting her in her tasks."
>"Nevermind that. The Jedi Temple is no more! The Jedi are no more!" he exclaims with glee you thought he would only exhibit during torture. He sounds positively elated. "And it was I, alone, who dealt the death blow to Grand Master Celestia!"
>His words, the way he walks, the wicked joy in his tone all make it clear that he is gorged on his own ego.
>"A shame that the Force Hunters appeared and ruined an otherwise flawless attack," Scorpan muses. "We will need those mestarian crystals from your vessel, Nito."
"Of course, my lord."
>As he approaches the door leading to the main hall, he stops and turns halfway to look at you. "How many Jedi did you kill?"
"I managed to execute several of the younger initiates, but the masters eluded me."
>"No matter," he smiles. "Enough of their council was killed on the field of battle. Undoubtedly many more died in the temple, to Sith or Force Hunter alike."
>He opens the door and strides into the main hall, clasping his hands together.
>"Great things are in the works, Nito! Fantastic things! When the Emperor learns that Lord Tirek failed to kill Celestia, and that I was the one to accomplish this task, he will undoubtedly reward me greatly!"
"I can only imagine, my lord."
>Scorpan pauses to look up the great steps to Tirek's office, undoubtedly imagining himself in his master's place.
 
>"The Force Hunters put a dent in our plans, but no matter. Coruscant is in chaos, the Republic Navy is scattered, half of the Senate was wiped out---and the Jedi! The Jedi and their temple are gone!"
"My lord, perhaps some could have escaped?" you point out
>He shrugs it off. "No matter. The council is broken without Celestia. All that remains are the Force Hunters, and if my intelligence is to be correct, most of them were buried with the Jedi Temple when it fell!"
>Again he laughs, the bothan stopping only after shaking his head and wiping his eyes.
>"I must say, I never thought a day such as this could make me so... happy."
'Then you will die happy,' you think.
>Scorpan composes himself. "I think there is only one further thing that can truly make this occasion, Nito." He looks back at you and continues, "The Jedi you slew; they died in combat?"
"They did."
>"Honorable ends, but not innocent ones," he muses. "I think, now that you have proven your devotion and loyalty, that it is time for you to face your final challenge before I name thee a true Sith."
"I stand ready, my master."
>Scorpan looks at his two attendants. "Fetch the prisoners for the Sacrifice."
>They both bow and leave.
>The bothan looks upon you with a face that seems almost proud.
>More for himself than for you, of course.
>"Ah, we've come a long way, haven't we Nito?"
>He approaches and places a hand on your shoulder, taking a deep, reflective breath.
>"This is the beginning of a new era, heralded by the Sith. Our Empire shall finally know true domination of the galaxy. Think of it, Nito---every planet, every people, subject to one rule, one ruler. We have paved the way for the end of the corrupt Republic and its mewling senators, the end of the Jedi and their foolish doctrines. The Force will soon be plagued no more by the Jedi, and the Sith will take our rightful place as rulers of the galaxy."
 
>You are silent as he removes his hand and takes a few steps up the staircase, his back turned towards you.
>With your hand on your lightsaber, you think about striking him down, but now is not the time.
>He may be high on himself, but he could still very well sense such an attack coming.
>No, you need him to open himself up to attack, to wait for the right moment to strike.
>For he is going to die on this day: you have foreseen it.
>And it will be by your lightsaber that he falls.
>He turns around and looks down at you, staring into your eyes.
>Slowly, his smile fades and his brow furrows slightly.
>"Tell me, Nito, where is Maud?"
>You do not reply, but keep your hand on your lightsaber in its holster.
>"She left with you, and was with you in the temple, was she not?"
"She was, my lord."
>"And where is she now?"
"All around us," you reply. "She has become one with the Force."
>He blinks as a subtle, suspicious shift in his face slowly takes form.
>"And just what is that supposed to mean?"
"It was she who destroyed the Jedi Temple. She used her power to move earth upon the mountain within its base, crippling the supports of the temple. This destroyed the temple, and buried the Force Hunters along with herself."
 
>"And why would she do this?" he asks, his voice sharp and growing sharper with each word.
"Because she had come to hate the Sith. She hated everything about them: their traditions, their treatment of lesser beings. As a slave once herself, she decided to not become a Sith, to not become what she hated the most."
>When Scorpan is silent, you decide to continue.
"And she did this so that I could escape from the Force Hunters, after I helped the remaining Jedi survive their attack."
>"Nito..." he growls, his eyes growing wide. "You will address me properly. Now explain yourself!"
"Of course, my master. After I destroyed the holocrons you had sent me to capture, I fought Inquisitor Adagio and her underlings. I then fought Coco and defeated her; she left the battle and killed no more Jedi. I reunited with all of my friends and ensured their survival by giving them the crate of mestarian crystals, and once they were free from the temple, Maud sacrificed herself so that we could all escape."
>You almost wish you had a camera, for the look upon his face is priceless.
>Visibly trembling with rage, Scorpan reaches into his pocket and takes out the remote, pointing it at your head.
>But he does not press the button.
>Instead, his hand shaking in fury, he snarls, "You... You have no friends!"
"I have many, and though I could not save all of them, I saved enough of them."
>The Sith Lord seems almost ready to explode as he shouts, "You think I will forgive this, Nito?!"
>But you are not afraid of him, nor of his remote.
"I don't give a damn what you forgive, my lord. I care neither for your approval nor judgment."
>"I hold your life in my hands!" he shouts. "You dare disobey my commands? You dare spit in my face and assume I will swallow these insults?!"
Unwavering, unyielding, you stare him down. "I dare."
>He takes a step down, still pointing the remote at your head.
 
>"Insolent, pathetic, arrogant fool! I created you! You only live because of me! Each breath you take is mine! Every second you exist is because I allow it! I am your master, and you are my slave!"
"I was never your slave, and I never will be. You failed."
>"I did not fail!" he all but screams, the veins on his neck and forehead bulging. "You are my tool, my weapon! I created you and I can just as easily destroy you!"
"Killing me means only that you have failed to control me."
>"Oh, is that what you think?!" He descends the last few steps to stand only a few yards in front of you. "I have always been your superior! My power is vast, far greater than your own! I am a Sith Lord, and I slew Grand Master Celestia!"
"You stabbed her in the back like a coward."
>"She fell to MY blade and MY blade alone!" he retorts. "I don't need a lightsaber to control you. I have THIS!"
>He shakes his remote-holding hand again, threatening to push the button.
>"Do you think me so cowardly that I will not push this, Nito? That I will not end your life in an instant?! You will obey, or I will annihilate you where you stand!"
>At that moment, the doors at the side of the room open up.
>You turn your head to the side and see who the attendants have fetched for Scorpan's ritual.
>It is as you foresaw in the mountain: Flash and Noteworthy, their hands bound in metal mag-cuffs.
>Flash has been their prisoner for a while now, and it shows upon his body.
>His flesh is pale from lack of light and he seems thinner from lackluster portions of food.
 
>Scars and bruises from torture sessions and interrogations have left a map upon his body, but one look at his face tells you that he was never broken.
>Even now, as he is forced to walk forward, he carries himself with dignity and strength.
>Noteworthy, comparatively, was a prisoner for a much shorter period of time but is much worse for wear.
>Without Flash's fortitude or faith, he broke easily.
>His face is streaked with tears and he is wounded, walking with his head bowed slightly.
>Flash approaches his doom without fear, but Noteworthy is already begging to be let go.
>They have to prod him with electric batons to get him to move up.
>You stare into Flash's eyes as he sees you.
>"Anon..." he mutters, almost surprised.
>"Please, I didn't mean it!" Noteworthy cries out as he is forced to his knees on your right while Flash is marched to your left. "I didn't mean any of it! Honestly!"
>You look down at the chagrian, who stares up at you.
>"Anon, please, you have to help me. Make them understand that I---"
>"SILENCE!" Scorpan shouts, and the attendant prods him again to make it so.
>The other one forces Flash onto his knees, so they are both made to kneel alongside you.
>Scorpan looks at them both, then at you.
>He holds up the remote.
>"Now listen well, Nito... I AM IN COMMAND! I am the one in control! You are nothing, do you understand? NOTHING!"
>He shouts, spittle flying from his muzzle as he looks at you with burning eyes.
>"You are going to obey, or you will DIE! You are my tool, and that means you are a tool of the Dark Side! You have no choice but to obey!"
>"Please!" Noteworthy again cries out, but Scorpan again shouts at him to be quiet, which earns him another beating with the electro-stick.
 
>He turns his attention back to you. "The only thing in your future is the Dark Side, Nito. I am your master, and that means you will be Sith! Now take out your lightsaber."
>You do nothing.
>He holds up his hand, threateningly keeping his thumb over the detonator. "I SAID TAKE OUT YOUR LIGHTSABER!"
>You slide it out of your holster and hold it, but do not activate it.
>The Sith Lord lowers the remote, but keeps it pointed forward.
>"Good little droid," he mutters. "You will not forsake your own life, I see, no matter how defiant you are... I was right. You will need more tinkering in the lab. Even if I need to replace your entire body and have you as nothing more than a brain in a jar, SO BE IT! You are mine, and you will OBEY!"
>Scorpan is silent for a moment as he fumes, taking deep breaths.
>Alongside you, Flash sits stoically, maintaining his composure, while Noteworthy softly weeps on the other side.
>The Sith Lord straightens, though he is still gritting his teeth hard enough to snap durasteel in half, before he clears his throat and speaks.
>"Now, then... The Sacrifice."
"I already know what it is."
>"You will not interrupt!" he shouts back. "It is a Sith tradition: the taking of an innocent life. Not soldiers in war, nor mercenaries hired to kill, nor pirates looking for murder, nor Jedi dying in battle. Truly innocent lives who cannot defend themselves, who cannot fight back!"
>He points at Flash and Noteworthy.
 
>"You will destroy an innocent life, and let the Dark Side change you! You will know the Dark Side, or you will be destroyed yourself!"
You look at each of them, then at him. "And which would you like me to destroy?"
>"I don't care," he says. His face changes a bit then, as if struck by inspiration. "But, how would you like your torture and procedure after this ceremony to proceed? Terrifying or terrifyingly brutal? If you would prefer the latter, kill both of them to please me."
"You are too kind, my lord."
>He immediately flies into a fury and all but screams at you, "Stand there and spit insults all you like! You only have a choice because I allow it to be so!"
>As you stare him down, you think about how much of a simpleton he now seems.
>The bothan, normally so composed and so in control, has been reduced to nothing but anger and rage.
>A Sith he may be, but at his core, when you take away what he thinks he has control over, he cannot maintain his bearing.
>All his power, all his posturing, all his superiority, it all fades when confronted with something he cannot control.
>This must have been what he was like after losing Sunset as an apprentice, and why he was so intent on controlling you through artificial means.
>As you witness him spitting and stomping, holding the remote that represents your death in his hand and keeping his thumb merely centimeters above the detonator, you are stricken with how little reverence he inspires as a Sith Lord.
>You stand here now, unafraid, with a clearer purpose than he ever could have instilled within you.
>As you are calm and he is raging, now would be a good time to strike.
>But the situation is treacherous...
>As angry as he is, his focus is still squarely upon you and there is a chance he could see the attack coming.
>If so, then you will die.
 
>The choice he has laid out to you must seem, to him, like a very simply one: kill one, kill both, or die.
>But you can already see the illusion there, for there are at least two more choices, and even then the choices only grow more complex when you reflect on them.
>To you, time seems to crawl slowly to a near stand-still, and you realize that this is the moment.
>Luna foresaw this, as did you.
>This is the Shatterpoint.
>It's strange... you had anticipated this moment, prepared for it, but now that you are here it is almost overwhelming.
>This moment, this choice, it represents the end of your journey up until now and the beginning of a new one.
>These seconds are your final moments as the person you have been up until this moment, for the choice you make now will change you.
>Time, like a single rope, is uncoiling into threads.
>Each thread winds outward from the same source, but is completely distinct from the others.
>And, the more you think about it, the more you come to realize that you have five choices in this moment.
>Five threads, five paths, five futures.
>But only one choice can be made.
>What are these five choices, then?
>Death, while lingering beyond each other option, is something you could choose.
 
>What would happen if you simply refused his offer?
>He would probably kill you, but the despair and frustration he would experience upon realizing his failure to control you, his failure as a master, would drive him to nearly unprecedented levels of self-destruction.
>Even if he were to raise the remote and destroy you, another could rise up and take your place to strike him down.
>Such as Flash.
>You look at him now, your fellow Padawan and friend, and wonder if he could still fight.
>He has stayed strong through his connection with the Force, uncompromising in his dedication to both the Jedi and the light.
>Even now, as he kneels and faces his possible death, he does not flinch.
>Flash's eyes stray upwards and meet yours, and there is no hatred in them, no fear.
>His breathing is calm and steady.
>If you were to fall, or if you were to attack Scorpan, could you rely on him for support?
>Memories of your time together with him play in your mind.
>You recall how headstrong and abrasive he was when you were first brought together on Yavin 4.
>How angry he was when you spoke with him before your match in the tournament.
>The fierce duel you two shared, and his defeat at your hands.
>Then, his change, as he came to accept you when you both became Padawans under Master Luna.
>He was there when you killed Coco's father, in order to save Flash's life.
>He was there when you faced a Force Hunter on Nar Shadda.
>And when you revealed yourself to him, when you showed him who Nito truly was, you remember how he reacted.
>He was disappointed in you, for perhaps the first time in your relationship.
>Because he had stayed true, while you had strayed from the light.
>And now here you stand, contemplating freeing him and risking both of your lives... or taking his.
>You recall well the words of the spirit on Mestare, the vision you experienced there.
 
>If you do not take a life here, you will not know the Dark Side, and you will not find balance.
>What would happen if you freed your fellow Padawan and attacked Scorpan?
>When he falls, what is left?
>The light.
>But then the question remains: can you defeat Scorpan?
>You have foreseen it, foreseen him dying at the end of your lightsaber, but can it be achieved by yourself?
>What if you want to achieve balance, but do not want to kill Flash?
>That leaves another option.
>You look over at Noteworthy now, and you cannot help but pity him.
>Running from both the Jedi and the Sith, being tortured inwardly by the former and physically by the latter, has taken its toll on him.
>He was always somewhat frail, in body and spirit.
>Nervous and self-conscious, and very aware of both.
>You recall saving his life on Ilum, and how grateful he was for it.
>In a way, he began to idolize you for it.
>You wonder if you leaving the Jedi was what inspired him to do the same.
>How must he have felt when he tried to sneak out, but was not confronted by anyone else on the way out?
 
>He got along with the others at the temple, but were you the only one he considered a friend?
>In breaking his vows to the Jedi, he sought power from the Sith, but he couldn't stomach their ways.
>And then, when he found out who you were, he tried to convince you to come with him.
>At the time, when you felt lost, you made the decision to take him to your master.
>An action you can now only regret as you look upon his hurt form.
>Or can you?
>Noteworthy could be your path to balance.
>His role, throughout all of this, could be that he is the key to freeing yourself from the bonds of the Sith.
>You could slay him, which would disarm Scorpan and think that you are falling in line, before freeing Flash.
>Then you both could take on the unprepared Sith Lord.
>But as you look upon Noteworthy now, can you honestly say that you are ready to take his life?
>The Sacrifice is not so much about the life you take, but what you give up of yourself.
>Flash is facing his potential death with dignity and without fear, but Noteworthy is very much afraid.
>He looks up at you now, silently begging to not be killed.
>But if you spare him, what future will he have?
>If he does survive, you could make amends with him for putting him through this torture and simply let him go, as he intended to before.
>Perhaps, if Braeburn yet lives, you can free him as well and send them both on their way.
>But there is little question in your mind as to whether or not he can help you fight Scorpan.
>In the condition he is in, he could barely swing a lightsaber.
>If you were to seriously consider killing one of them in order to remain in the grey, another important factor to consider is what impact they will have on the future.
>If Flash survives, he will most likely rejoin the Jedi and remain a warrior for the light, fighting against the Sith and the Force Hunters.
 
>If Noteworthy survives, he will most likely go off into hiding with Braeburn and not contribute to any of the wars ahead.
>In a way, then, could you justify taking Noteworthy's life as the lesser of two evils?
>Or, to put it more accurately, the lesser of two goods?
>But finding cause in killing either of them is null if you reject the Dark Side, reject the grey, and strive to save them both, either through attacking Scorpan or denying him.
>No… No, listen to yourself.
>You cannot treat these men like commodities!
>How can you possibly choose one life over another?
>Flash is your friend, your brother, your fellow Padawan.
>Noteworthy may have strayed, but you have no right to his judge, jury and executioner.
>Treating either of them like mere things that you need to be rid of in order to obtain balance fundamentally fails to value them as people who matter.
>To take one of their lives, just so you can get something you want, is selfish.
>But if you want to walk the path of balance, you must!
>And yet, there is a fifth option.
>You feel a slight chill creeping up your spine, but remain calm and collected as you consider the implications of it.
>Killing them both.
>Why have just a little taste of the Dark Side, when you can have more of it?
 
>Even as you think about it, you begin to see the possibilities it could bring.
>If killing only one of them would settle Scorpan, then killing both could truly lull him into a false sense of security.
>He would be so sure of his superiority, of his restored control, that you could destroy him in a moment of pride.
>What's more, the power you could stand to gain from the Dark Side would only be greater the more of it you allow into yourself.
>You could annihilate Scorpan and become even more powerful than you are now---it would only serve to benefit you.
>Yet even still…
>As you think about slaying the others, you recall another factor that will play a big role, regardless of the choice you make.
>Master Luna.
>It was she who first warned you of the Shatterpoint, of this moment, and she will deal with the consequences of your choice as surely as you.
>When this happens, when you make your choice, she will know.
>What kind of choice would she make, if she were in your position?
>How will she react to the choice you do make?
>And Sunset is with her.
>She, too, will have to deal with the consequences of your choice---and so will all of the others.
>The Jedi, Coco, the Sith---everyone will be affected.
>The pressure makes it almost difficult to breathe and it only becomes more constricting.
>The conflict within you builds steadily, getting worse and worse as you consider the consequences of your actions.
>It almost makes you wish you could do nothing, but doing nothing is a choice of its own.
 
>You are here, the choice is unavoidable; there is no way to escape the Shatterpoint.
>All you can do is choose.
>As you look up at Scorpan, the Sith Lord's lips slowly unfurl into a nasty snarl.
>Flash's mind is calm, clear, and this allows him to reach out to you and speak through the Force.
>"I forgive you, Anon."
>The words are staggering, and you know that regardless of the choice you make, Flash will bear you no ill will.
>Noteworthy, on the opposite side, cheeks stained with tears, is humming.
>You remember it as the song his mother taught to him; it brings him comfort in this terrifying moment of facing his mortality.
>He hums it now and thinks of her, knowing that she might well be the last thing he ever thinks about.
>You look down at your lightsaber, watching the light play off of its metal surface, thinking about how this will be the instrument of your transformation.
>Closing your eyes, you let go of yourself, seeking answers from the Force.
>You become the focal point of a nexus of time as you contemplate the choice for what feels like an immeasurable amount of moments.
>You see the choices, you have them laid out before you.
>The shadow of the Dark Side hangs over some of them, a few more obscured by it than the others.
>Some are bathed in the light, while some are bathed in grey fog.
>All that you have done, all that you are, has led to this.
>Not even the Force can prolong it any longer.
 
>As you open your eyes and time seems to resume, you grip your lightsaber tightly.
>Scorpan holds the remote and shakes it as he all but screams at you the word you heard in your vision in the heart of the mountain at the Jedi Temple.
>"CHOOSE!"
>His scream echoes through the hall, but resonates even more within you, echoing through your very soul.
>You can't say that you are ready, or that you ever will or could be, but this is it.
>The end.
>You look at him and make your choice.
 
========
 
Hey there.
 
Sarge here.
 
I feel compelled to, at this point here at the end, break the flow of things and speak to you, the readers, directly. I don’t normally do this in the context of an update, but I think it’s important now because I’ve been planning on this for a while.
 
Firstly, just to get it out of the way, I’m sorry for how long this took. A story this long in the making has been both creatively rewarding and frustrating, for me and for you. I won’t spend much time on this part---you know, life happens, excuses, whatever---but I will say that during my breaks from this story to work on other projects, I never forgot about you guys. You’ve made this a wonderful ride from beginning to end and I was always motivated to deliver the green and felt bad when I couldn’t because of how much I love you guys.
 
Secondly, and this is the very important part, the thing I’ve been building up to up until now, the reason why I’ve spent so long in planning and hiding, working in secret and such: YOU are Anon. You, the person reading this right now, are Anon. You’ve been Anon all along; after all, the story is in second-person perspective. You’ve been Anon since the beginning; you’ve been him during all the ups and downs. Maybe our protagonist hasn’t done everything the way you would have, but none of that matters at this moment, because you’re about to make a choice. The next post contains five choices, with five pastebin links. You’ve read the story, you know what’s at stake. You’re in Anon’s shoes. You decide what happens next.
 
And whatever ending you choose, that’s the one that you stick with. That’s the choice that you made in his place. Even if you go and read the others (which I encourage) you’ll always know, deep down, that when you were faced with this situation, you made the choice you made, and you’ll have to live with it and its consequences, forever, until you die.
 
No pressure or anything.
 
Good luck, Anon.
 
May the Force be with you.
 
========
 
>Kill Them Both
Take both lives. End their suffering! The only way to truly know the Dark Side is to immerse yourself in it. You know this to be true! Make them your strength and use your new power to strike down Scorpan to take revenge for making him kill your allies. Do it! Strike them down, and your training will be complete!
> - http://pastebin.com/94sUWXN0
 
>Do Nothing
Refuse. Rise above his threats, his boasts of control. The only one in true control of your destiny is you, and you choose to no longer follow him. Cast aside your lightsaber and stand as an example of his folley. Take away all of his illusions of control. Make him fail. You are not a droid. You are alive. He will never crush your spirit. Remember: There is no death.
> - http://pastebin.com/vPNR0wdr
 
>Kill Flash
Take Flash's life. Noteworthy is the more innocent of the two, guilty only of indecision and weakness. Flash upheld his vows to the Jedi Order. More than that, he is willing to sacrifice himself for you. Ending his life would please Scorpan and open him up to attack, but can you truly take his life? And what would Master Luna think of you killing him?
> - http://pastebin.com/yeCvFvAA
 
>Kill Noteworthy
Take Noteworthy's life. You must take an innocent life to know the Dark Side. If you do this, you could have Flash help you defeat Scorpan. Noteworthy fled from everything. This moment, this Sacrifice, is not just about you. It is about him as well, for his sacrifice will allow you to free Flash, defeat Scorpan and know the path of balance. But is it worth it?
> - http://pastebin.com/phAi0BE3
 
>Attack Scorpan
You feel the Dark Side, hear the commands of the Sith Lord. You will not obey. No more doubt, no more wallowing in darkness, no more fear. You know now what you must do. You fought for your friends at the Jedi Temple, and you will fight for them now! You will not forsake them, you will not take their lives, but you will take the life of this Sith and redeem yourself!
> - http://pastebin.com/Nw2DNbJy