#lonna vash

[hnnny]

I would have killed the galaxy to preserve you. I would have let the galaxy die. You are more rare than you know, and what you have taught yourself must not be allowed to die.

And it is for that that I love you.

(Alternates under the cut):

[lesbiannova]

Lonna Vash Mod for TSLRCM

This mod aims to restore the cut conversation with Jedi Master Lonna Vash by altering the Korriban plotline in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II.

With this mod, the player will see Vash alive in the secret tomb in the shyrack cave after the player confronts Darth Sion in the Sith academy. The player cannot enter the shyrack cave, and by extension, the secret tomb before facing Sion in the Sith Academy. Instead of Vash’s corpse, the player will find the corpse of Kaah Ohtok, Vash’s Twi’lek Padawan, in the Sith Academy. Eventually Vash will still be killed by either Sion or the player, but the player can at least talk to Vash before she dies.

This mod is an updated version of Sikon’s Lonna Vash Mod, made to be fully compatible with The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod (TSLRCM). This mod is for players who want more Vash content without using any M4-78 mod.

Visit the pages below for download links to this mod and more details and information about this mod.

MOD PAGE & DOWNLOAD LINKS:

Deadly Stream

KotOR 2 Nexus Mods

[tftor]

[lonewolfel]

Change

So um...I forgot about Star Wars day till this morning. So I didn’t have anything prepared so enjoy a quickly thrown together oneshot. 

Two figures stormed towards the doors to the council chambers. In the lead of the them was a young Jedi by the name of Reanash Dawnrider. She wore black robes and held a broken black and red Mandalorian mask in her hand. Her skin was tan and she lad lose wavy black hair. To her right was a man with black hair and pale skin wearing the uniform of the Republic. His name was Alek the best friend of Reanash. 

One of the guards tried to stop them, but they paid them no mind Reanash slamed the door open drawing the attention of the council.

“What is the meaning of this?” Vrook demanded. They continue to walk towards the center of the chamber. Reanash stepped forward to address the masters. 

“I stand here pleading that you will change your mind.” Reanash said

“Our position on the matter is clear, Knight Dawnrider. We ask that you respect and follow the Council’s wishes.” Vandar said and Reanash’s face hardened. She glared at the masters. 

“I will not.” Revan snarled. “We swore an oath to protect the people of the Republic. Yet the Jedi Council has turned their back in the Republic’s time of need. I will not stand by while people die.”

“People always die in war.” Vrook snapped at her.

“Perhaps, but it is better than siting here on my ass while others fight.” Reanash snapped back.

“Giving in to war will only lead to destruction.” Vandar said 

“And letting the Mandalorian win won’t.” Reanash demanded

“You only see one point of view. You are blinded by your emotions.” Vash said

“Or perhaps I’m the only one seeing clearly. As Jedi it is our duty to protect the Republic.” Reanash shot back

“Enough, we will no longer hear your frivolous protest.” Vrook snapped and Reanash smirked.  

“Then you leave me no choice.” Reanash said and she put on the mask. “Hence forth I will be known as Revan. I renounce my status of Jedi Knight and fully pledge myself to Republic Military.” Her voice was mechanical and unrecognizable. 

“Then you will be declared an enemy of the Republic and a criminal.” Vrook threatened

“Which side do you think the Republic will choose. Those that are going to aid them in defeating the Mandalorian or the Jedi that sit here watching the galaxy burn.” Revan responded

“Knight Alek...” Vash started but Alek interrupted.

“I stand with Revan. She will bring in a new era for the Republic.” Alek said

“You have made a powerful enemy today, pray that you won’t regret this decision.” Revan said and with that they stormed out of the chamber. Leaving the stunned Jedi Masters in their wake. 

[coruscantexpat]

Bonds Unbroken - Interlude II: Exile

The Jedi Temple

Coruscant

3960 BBY — 3 months after the end of the battle of Malachor V

Even among the glittering skyscrapers and highrises of the Queen of the Core, the Jedi Temple shone brightly. Meetra gazed out the window of the shuttle, drinking in the graceful lines and sharp planes as they led up to the three central spires jutting into the sky. It wasn’t home — that would always be Dantooine — but it was a haven, a welcome respite for any roaming Jedi. Which only added to her mounting dread.

The shuttle circled the western tower as its astromech pilot waited for clearance to land. Beneath her, Meetra could see people streaming in and out of the Temple, too far away to tell if they were Knight, padawan, or Master. Hesitantly, she reached out, stretching her mind down toward theirs… and felt nothing. Not even a void, as though they were blocking her through the Force — just an absence where there should be none. Tears burned at the edges of her eyes, but she blinked them away as the shuttle began its descent. She’d be damned if she let the High Council see her cry.

Part of her was grateful they had given permission to land on the tower’s dock instead of forcing her to walk through the front doors. Another part of her knew the Council had allowed it to keep the proceedings secret. The droid pilot they’d sent to transport her supported that theory. God forbid anyone else beat witness to the shell of a Jedi.

Meetra stood as soon as the shuttle’s struts touched down on the landing pad. The mid-morning light reflected off the tower and into her face as the loading ramp folded down, forcing her to squint at the tarmac. One hand strayed to the lightsaber hilt dangling at her waist, but she caught herself and pulled it back. A sign of weakness would do no good in front of the Council — while they were unlikely to use it against her, neither would it win her any sympathy. She stepped down onto the tarmac, and the smell of the city hit her: the temple’s incense mixed with street food from the alleys and the faint fog of speeder emissions.

Above her, the astromech pilot tweeted from his place atop the shuttle, and Meetra turned to scowl up at him. “Where am I gonna go?” He chattered back, pitch noticeably higher, and then swiveled around before she could respond. Meetra rolled her eyes and turned away, her heart rising in her throat as she closed the distance to the pad’s entrance. The door slid open soundlessly, cool air rushing out to ruffle her hair. She breathed a shaky sigh and hesitated, the liminal space yawning like a chasm in front of her, before stepping through.

The door closed behind her, trapping her in a long corridor of suffocating silence. The walls towered over her, and she couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. Meetra drifted down the hall, the slick floor like molasses beneath her boots. The door to the Council chamber loomed at the end of the corridor. The high ornate panels caught the light filtering in from the windows and filled the far end of the hall with dancing color. She passed through, her robes smattered with the flickering hues, as the doors open slid open.

The High Council chamber was the same as it had been for centuries: a spacious room with a high ceiling and circular in shape. A thin triangular pillar, half again as tall as Meetra, rose from the very center of the floor, twelve high-backed chairs arranged in a circle around it. Only five of the chairs were occupied — it had been several years since the Order had a full Council — and Meetra recognized every face. Vrook Lamar occupied the seat at her far left, his lined face etched in a permanent scowl; in all her twenty-nine years, he’d never looked at her with another expression. Zez-Kai Ell sat beside Vrook, his impressive mustache concealing much of his face, but the unease was clear in his eyes. In the middle, Kavar, and Meetra quickly shifted her gaze, unable to bear the disappointment on her former Master’s face. Next was Lonna Vash, by far the most impassive — she and Meetra had met on only a handful of occasions — and at the end, radiating barely suppressed fury, sat Atris, pale blue eyes bright and piercing.

Meetra stepped through the circle, head bowed, and came to a stop at the pillar. The five seated Jedi opposite her watched, silent. When the tension was almost unbearable, Zez-Kai Ell was the first to break it. “I confess, Surik, most of us did not expect you to return.” Vrook and Lonna glanced at Kavar, revealing which among them still had some small amount of faith in her.

“The Council summoned me; I came as soon as I was able.” Even to her ears, Meetra’s voice was flat. Like everything else since she’d lost the Force, the life had gone out of it. Since awakening aboard the Amberfall two weeks earlier, her senses were dulled: colors were more muted, sounds and scents less intense.

Her answer prompted an audible scoff from Atris, but the other Masters paid her no mind. Annoyed by their lack of a reaction, she sat back in her chair and folded her arms over her chest. “I am most surprised you did not follow your new master. Or did she leave you behind now you have served your usefulness?”

“Atris.” Kavar’s voice was soft, but commanding. He was the next youngest on the Council, but still some years Atris’ senior, and she deferred to him, though her scowl made it clear she would’ve like to continue her taunts. Her words were not without effect, either; the idea that Revan and Malak had purposefully left her to face the Council alone was not lost on Meetra. It was one of the few things that broke through the perpetual numb fog she’d been in since waking up.

“Meetra.” She glanced up, finding Kavar’s deep blue, almost violet eyes. “Why have you really returned?”

The quiet sorrow in his voice threatened to shatter her composure, and Meetra returned her gaze to the floor. “I came to accept the Council’s punishment.”

“For defying us?” Lonna leaned forward, but there was no judgement; as far as she was concerned, it was merely the reality of past events. “For following Revan and Malak to war?”

“No.” A flicker of heat accompanied the defiance in Meetra’s voice, and she lifted her gaze to meet Lonna’s without waver. “Not for that.”

Atris’ scowl deepened, her fingers clenched in the fabric of her sleeves. “Of course not.” Kavar glared sharply at her, and she settled back again, lips pressed together in a thin line.

Meetra ignored the barb, determined not to give her former friend the satisfaction. “I do not regret leaving to defend the people of the Outer Rim.” She faltered, gaze dropping again. “But I have made mistakes along the way.”

“That’s a word for it.” Vrook’s disapproval was almost palpable, and, unlike Atris, Kavar made no effort to check the old Jedi’s venom. ‘Do you know the effect you’ve had on those who remained, of the seeds of insubordination you’ve sown among the younger generation?” Disgust mingled with his anger now. “Your actions have tainted the Order’s reputation throughout the galaxy; we have no way to know when the people will completely trust us again. All because the three of you decided your justice was superior to our decision.”

“And I will not apologize for that.” Meetra stood straight now, shoulders squared and gaze steady. The anger, the outrage at Vrook’s words sustained her, gave her strength she hadn’t felt since she awoke. “Those people needed us — all of us. But you hid behind excuses, and if we hadn’t acted, the Mandalorians would have killed thousands more!” Her voice echoed off the walls, and she abruptly realized how loud she’d become.

Vrook’s face was thunderous; Atris, likewise, looked apoplectic, her cheeks and neck reddening with restrained anger. Kavar no longer looked at Meetra, his gaze fixed on the floor at his feet. After a long moment, Zez-Kai took control again. “Regardless of your motivations, the incident at Malachor V cannot be ignored. Some would argue it cannot be forgiven.” Atris’ head jerked up at this, haughtiness returning with the assumption her fellow Masters agreed with her. “Even now, I feel you do not fully understand the ramifications of your actions… and I fear you never will if you remain a Jedi.”

“We have reached a consensus.” Lonna settled back and folded her hands primly in her lap. “Meetra Surik: the High Council declares you an Exile, stripped of your rank and standing. You are forbidden from entering or seeking aid at any temple or academy, or from any individual within the Order.” She paused, and the barest glimmer of emotion crossed her face. “As you are no longer part of the Order, we require your lightsaber.”

The numb fog settled once again, and Meetra unhooked her lightsaber with mechanical practice. Unfair. The word cycled through her head on a continuous loop. The whole thing was unfair. She had defied the Council to save people, not to seek fame and glory. Sixteen years of her life, freely given to the people of the Outer Rim, and this was how the Order thanked her? Wasn’t it they who preached that a Jedi’s life was sacrifice, that their purpose was to serve and defend?

And then there were Revan and Malak, her friends, her comrades and family. She’d followed them willingly, pledged her service to their cause — shouldn’t they be standing here with her, facing the same punishment? Instead, they and the rest of the surviving Revanchrist had vanished, leaving behind a shattered planet and a broken Jedi. Had her friendship truly meant so little?

She had never been one for self-pity, and it quickly bloomed to anger, red heat cutting through the curtain of numbness. If the Council wanted to see her as defiant, she would give it to them. Meetra thumbed her lightsaber’s controls, the forward blade crackling to life. She had a moment to register the change on the Council’s faces — Atris’ triumph giving way to alarm, Kavar’s disappointment deepening, the rest dropping their disapproving masks to reveal shock — before she plunged the weapon to the hilt in the central pillar. It hung there, the blade’s hum still faintly audible within the stone, and Meetra gave it a last look before turning on her heel and striding from the chamber. None of them tried to stop her, not even Atris; she didn’t know if she wanted them to or not. The fog was rolling back in, and she wanted to be as far away from the Republic as possible before it settled completely.

Silence reigned in the chamber in the wake of Meetra’s departure. Vrook, Zez-Kai, and Lonna traded uneasy looks while Atris’ was laser-focused on the protruding lightsaber hilt and Kavar’s gaze remained on the floor. Lonna laid a cautious hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Kavar. I know she wasn’t officially your padawan, but this cannot be easy.” He reached up to cover her hand with his, but didn’t meet her eyes. She squeezed gently. “I did not realize she would feel so… empty. I suppose the rumors are true.”

“They are not rumors.” Kavar’s voice was soft, misery weighing down his words. “I visited her on the Amberfall, before she awoke… It was like looking at a corpse. She breathed, her heart beat, but I could not… cannot feel her in the Force.” He closed his eyes, looking suddenly older. “She is like a stone in the stream now, and my heart breaks for her.”

“I do not understand this sentimentality.” Atris rose from her chair and crossed to the pillar. She pulled Meetra’s lightsaber free and held it out at arm’s length, glaring down at the cyan blade before she switched it off. “Everything she did flew in the face of our tenets and traditions, with no regard for our concerns. We have lost nothing of value.” Kavar stiffened, and Lonna turned an admonishing eye on Atris, but she ignored it. “She was not strong enough to follow our teachings, and neither was she strong enough to follow Revan.” Atris shook her head. “We should not have let her leave. Her influence could spread; before long we may hear that she has rejoined Revan. Or worse, become a martyr to her cause.”

“She was your friend, Atris,” Zez-Kai pointed out. “They all were.”

“I do not count traitors and fallen Jedi among my friends, Master Ell.”

“She has not fallen.” The other four turned to Vrook in surprise. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. It’s the truth — she has lost the Force, but I do not sense the taint of the Dark Side on her. Some of us share your feelings toward Revan, Atris, but Surik isn’t her.”

“She is her dog.” The snide remark echoed around the chamber. Even Atris flinched at her own voice, but she continued. “She followed Revan’s every command. You cannot be sure her decisions were not influenced by the Dark Side.”

“Her actions were influenced by Revan, that I will grant you.” Lonna withdrew her hand from Kavar’s shoulder and sat back, suddenly introspective. “The question is where did Revan’s influence come from?” She glanced across at Zez-Kai. “Part of me fears our teachings hold some of the blame.”

Atris scoffed, but Kavar echoed Lonna’s words with a slow nod. “We should have told her.”

“We already have Revan to deal with, wherever she is. If we’d told her the truth, there’s a chance we’d only make another enemy for ourselves.” Vrook’s voice softened. “We’ve seen some of her fate, Kavar, as much as the Force will allow. She will survive.”

“Which is more than she deserves,” Atris interjected. The others ignored her.

“One day, we may be able to explain it to her and help her find a way to heal.” Zez-Kai shrugged, out of ignorance rather than malice. “Right now, she is not in a place to understand.” Kavar nodded, though it was clear the knowledge was no comfort. “Whatever comes, we must accept the Force’s will.” The others, even Atris, murmured in agreement, and Kavar lowered his face into his hands.

Full chapter available on AO3 and FFN.

[dalekofchaos]

Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic II:The Sith Lords fancast

My Other Star Wars fancasts

Canon

Legends

KOTOR

The Force Unleashed

Shadows Of The Empire

Darth Plagueis

Boba Fett

The Thrawn Trilogy

Prequel Trilogy Reboot

Original Trilogy Reboot

My other video games fancasts

Mass Effect

Assassin’s Creed

Life Is Strange

Life Is Strange Before The Storm

Resident Evil

God Of War

Mortal Kombat

Bioshock

Bioshock 2

Bioshock Infinite

Skyrim

Oblivion

Dead Rising

The Wolf Among Us

Telltale’s Batman

Telltale’s Game Of Thrones

Telltale’s The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead  The Final Season

Injustice

Red Dead Redemption

LA Noire

Detroit:Become Human

Red Dead Redemption 2

Charlize Theron as Meetra Surik/The Jedi Exile

T3-M4 will be computer voiced

Helen Mirren as Kreia/Darth Traya

Garrett Hedlund  as Atton Rand

Doug Jones as Bao-Dur

Matthew Goode as Mical The Disciple

Gaia Weiss as The Handmaiden/Brianna

Rinko Kikuchi as Visas Marr

Kristoffer Tabori as the voice for HK-47(I refuse to have anyone else voice my favorite homicidal assassin droid!)

Evan Rachel Wood as Mira

Peter Mayhew as Hanharr

Daran Norris voicing GO-TO

Adam Baldwin as Canderous Ordo

Kurtwood Smith as Master Vrook Lamar

Aaron Eckhart as Master Kavar

Iain Glen as Master Zez-Kai Ell

Lucy Liu as Master Lonna Vash

Fan BingBing as Atris

Idris Elba as Darth Nihilus

Richard Armitage as Darth Sion

[giza815r]

The Exile's Team Betrayal

Atton: You knew he was a traitor, and you let him on board? Kreia: Oh, but there are so many betrayals already.

The Exile's small team is overflowing with traitors (of course, it depends on the point of view):

Darth Traya/Kreia - she's literally the Lord Of Betrayal

Atton Rand - he betrayed his oath to the Republic and sided with Revan, then deserted from the Revan's Elite Special Forces

Visas Marr - she betrayed Darth Nihilus

Handmaiden - she betrayed Atris by learning the ways of the Force and becoming a Jedi/Dark Jedi/Sith

T3-M4 - in Kreia's view, he betrayed Bastila's confidence by revealing Revan's true mission to the Exile (she even struck him with lightning for that)

Disciple - according to Kreia and Atton, he is a traitor because he's a spy for the Republic

In addition, here is a list of of other great traitors of this game (and the previous one):

Jedi Council - they betrayed the Republic by avoiding the war and betrayed the Exile by exiling them 1.1) the surviving members of the Jedi Council betrayed the Exile a second time, trying to cut them off from the Force again (they would not have succeeded, because the Exile never really recovered theirs connection with the Force, but this isn't an excuse) 1.2) Atris betrayed the Jedi teachings

The Exile - they betrayed the Jedi Council by going to war

Darth Sion and Darth Nihilus - they betrayed Darth Traya

Darth Revan - they betrayed the Jedi Council, the Republic, Bastila, Carth, Jolee, Juhani, Zaalbar and Mission (it depends on player's choice, of course)

[incorrect-kotor-quotes]

Master Vash: You'll die before you reach the enclave, you maniac! Before you can even get a whiff of its power, you'll be shot and burned and stabbed and mauled to death a thousand times over!

Darth Sion: I loved every part of that sentence. Thanks for the tip, amiga!

[babineni]

The Exile: Is there anyone you like? What about... Nomi Sunrider?

Kreia: She doesn't have the range.

The Exile: Lonna Vash?

Kreia: She doesn't have the range.

The Exile: Zhar Lestin?

Kreia: She doesn't have the range.

The Exile:...Arren Kae?

Kreia: She doesn't have the range. I'm sorry, Arren, I love her to bits but she doesn't have the range.

The Exile:...but that's you.

Kreia: I don't care, I don't have the range.

[starwarsgirlsimmer1]

Knights of the Old Republic 1+2 Dream Cast Part 2

(This is my Dream Cast the credit goes to the creators and artist of both Kotor 1 and 2.) Kotor 2 dream cast

The Exile/Meetra Surik

Played By

Evan Rachel-Wood

Atton Rand

Played By Matt Lanter (I know he plays Anakin in animated clone wars but he’s a real good actor and to me looks and can probably act like Atton.)

Darth Treya/Kreia

Played By Either

Shohreh Aghdashloo, Helena Bartem-Carter or Helen Mirren Young

(Look into either one of these ladies films and you would understand why I have three choices here.)

Bao-Dur

Played By Mark Ruffalo (I always thought Bao-Dur sounded like Mark for some reason and kinda look like him.)

Mical/The Disciple

Played By Tom Holland 

(Let me Explain....I always Felt Mical was a bit younger then The Exile, I felt Tom would fit this role because of that also a.) hes  good newish actor and b.) Will probably make this character a bit more likeable. and if your worried about his hair....he can dye it blonde or something.)

Handmaiden/Brianna

Played By Sophie Turner

Visas Marr

Played By

Either Jamie Chung Or Jessica Henwick

Mira

Played By 

Emma Stone

Atris

Played By Lena Headey 

(Chose this Actress Because I loved her as Cersi and I feel like she can pull off crytical Atris so well.)

Master Kavar

Played by

Jude Law

Master Vrook Lamar

Played By

Either Patrick Stewart or Liam Cunningham

Master Zez-Kai-Elle

Played By Chiwetel Ejiofor

(I always felt the look of Zez Kai Elle was off but I enjoyed his character and I felt Chiwetel would be amazing as this Jedi Master.)

Master Lonna Vash

Played By

Either Qing Xu or Ming Zhao

Darth Sion

Played by Henry Cavill 

(I enjoy this mans performance and after seeing him in the Witcher with his fighting and acting I felt he could play Sion really well.)

Darth Nihilus

Played By

Benedict Cumberbatch

G0T0

Played By

John Malkovich

HK-47

Played By

Taika Watiti or David Tennet

Canderous/Mandalore

Played By

Jon Bernthal

[hnnny]

Lonna Vash has to have no fanart cause I cannot find any. I'm about to change that.

[lesbiannova]

I had considered trying to make an updated version of Lonna Vash Mod to be fully compatible with The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod as early as 2018, since I would like to have more Vash content without M4-78 mods. I had played KotOR 2 with M4-78 Enhancement Project before, but the mod became a slog to play through after replaying it a couple of times.

However, I did not have enough motivation to follow through my desire to update Lonna Vash Mod, because I could already see that just trying to identify the files and changes made by the original mod would take a lot of time and effort, due to the way the original mod was packaged. Additionally, some time later, I sort of lost motivation in making new KotOR mods in general.

But recently, after going back to making KotOR mods again, I decided to give Lonna Vash Mod another shot. After identifying extracting the relevant files, making adjustments and setting up the installation structure of the mod to ensure it will work with TSLRCM, a TSLRCM-compatible version of Lonna Vash Mod is now finally a thing. I'm so glad that I did it.

[renegade-skywalker]

Out of the Abyss, Chapter 19

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2  / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10 / Chapter 11 / Chapter 12 / Chapter 13 / Chapter 14 / Chapter 15 / Chapter 16 / Chapter 17 / Chapter 18 / Chapter 19: Missing Pieces

After years in exile, ex-Jedi General, Eden Valen (now going by Vale) continues to clean up after Revan and Malak’s mess of a war, only to find herself forever cursed with their unfinished business. As an ill-fated lead brings her to Tatooine, Eden finds that Revan’s mysterious plans go beyond the Republic, beyond the Outer Rim, and into the utter unknown. (A novelization of The Sith Lords and beyond)

Chapter Summary: Erebus unwillingly catches up with his former Jedi Master as Atris’ plans slowly fall into place. 

Also found on AO3 | fanfiction.net

3951 BBY, Hyperspace Erebus

Mical's eyes shuddered, moving rapidly beneath his closed lids as his fingers brushed the surface of the onyx pyramid that Eden left for Erebus. Not that she knew her brother by that name, at least not yet.

Erebus watched on intermittently, his gaze flickering between Mical and the sketches he had pinned to his workstation, sketches that roughly resembled the object before them all, granting the Republic officer with whatever visions it deemed worthy. Lonna Vash watched on unblinking, arms crossed over her chest, guarded yet somehow unfazed, as if none of this was news to her.

Before Mical could properly react, or even catch a breath, Erebus sighed with indignation and turned to Vash, his expression one of pure impatience.

"Now that we've completed your little pet project, will you finally tell us what this all means, pretty please?"

Vash met his gaze with an unwavering stare, her dark eyes deep and unyielding.

"I see nothing has changed," she answered curtly, her movements in contrast with her expression as she reached for Mical in what Erebus could only assume was meant to be an empathetic embrace. "What is it you saw?"

This last part she directed at Mical, whose gaze was middling, his eyes darting about Erebus' cargo hold yet focusing on nothing, as if reliving his visions once more before committing them to words.

"An empty hall on Coruscant, an unfinished data entry left unattended, forgotten… And then a desert stretching into the distance, endless, and it was somehow both night and day. I don't know how but I know that I was seeing the same desert over centuries, time passing… and then a flash and I was in the corps again, on the front lines at Jaga's Cluster, tending to the wounded when I heard that the Republic fleet commander was dead, that Cassus Fett had fled into deep space after severing his head… and then I was looking out over a deep chasm on Malachor, though I've only read reports, I-I've never actually been there. I don't know how I know it was Malachor, but something tells me that's exactly what I saw."

Erebus winced.

"What did you see in that chasm?" he heard himself say, regretting it the moment he said it, "Describe the sky."

Mical blinked at him, his gaze still unsettled, unready to focus just yet.

"A blinding green light. Fluorescent green, sickly. From the chasm, I mean. Unearthly, almost. The sky was… stormy. Lots of lightning. I could feel the thunder in my bones."

Erebus nodded, his eyes firm on Mical's, bright and blue, knowing his own eyes mirrored the scene on Malachor - pale green, bright, and venomous, no longer the once-soothing sage of his youth.

"Sounds like Malachor to me."

Lonna turned on him now, an arm still cradled around Mical's arms, firm but unwanted judging by the body language Erebus witnessed beneath her hand.

"I would ask what you saw but I have a feeling I already know," she said to Erebus darkly.

"Of course you do, but why don't you ask me anyway?" Erebus said, plastering a sickeningly sweet smile across his face, the sarcasm dripping from his every pore. Lonna afforded him a glance but said nothing as she released Mical from her grip and let the boy sit down. "Or better yet, why don't you tell me what I saw? All this talk of visions and you've yet to tell us what it is you already know, and why you're putting up with me."

"I know that's why you're making this difficult," Vash sighed, "I get it, I really do. After all these years, the Force begins to...wear on you. It's mysterious ways, it's indignation to divulge further details, failing to tell you what possible futures will come to pass and which ones are already dead in your wake."

Erebus wanted to retort but found that he couldn't, suddenly in odd agreement with Vash. He felt like a child again, playing the brat to counter his own frustration than anything else, not quite making it hard on those around him with the intention to be difficult but to feel less alone in his vexation. Not that it made his behavior any better…

"You're right though, I should explain myself."

Vash lowered herself onto the same crate she had claimed as a seat earlier, easing the weight off her leg as she did then, too. She watched Erebus' gaze as he surveyed her, nodding as she continued.

"I know, I know, there's a lot to explain and that will come into it, too," Vash glanced at her leg and winced, as if acknowledging it made the pain flare up.

"Old injury?" Mical asked, noticing as well. "I was a medic for many years. Many veterans develop the same sort of difficulty, even once the leg has healed it's-"

Vash held up a hand to silence him, smiling despite Mical's efforts as she silently indicated that he need not speak further.

"I'm well aware, but I'm afraid not. In fact, there is no injury."

Mical cocked his head, much like a curious gizka.

"I guess I'll start there," Vash laughed, her voice hollow, "The reason I mentioned your sister earlier, Aiden, is because I never stopped thinking about her. But there was more than just what the record showed of her trial. We on the Council never admitted to what we truly sensed from her, at least not in writing. You know we were cautious of her uncanny ability to create Force bonds, no?"

At this, Mical paled, though Erebus was unsure as to why. Part of him wanted to pry into his mind again, either out of his insatiable curiosity or the odd sense of territorialism he felt at seeing a stranger react to news about his sister. Instead, he only nodded, eager for Vash to continue and for any of this to start making sense.

"Force bonds in general are not wholly unusual. They can often develop after shared traumatic events, or even occur between siblings."

Vash paused, watching Erebus for a reaction. Their eyes met, understanding flowing in their gaze, but Vash did not elaborate further. Erebus' own connection with his sister was not seen as unorthodox when they were children, in fact it was almost expected of them, especially being twins. But once the nature of his sister's abilities became clear, where Erebus had no such affinity for bonds outside of the one he shared with his twin, the Council's attention soured.

"As you may very well know, our most recent war hero had a special affinity for such a talent."

Erebus scoffed.

"Are you talking about Revan and her famous fever dreams or the Jedi pawn Bastila's Battle Meditation?"

Vash's eyes widened but Erebus only waved a hand at her, swatting away her surprise.

"I knew Revan's redemption was oft contested but I wasn't the aware the details had reached even the Si-"

"Word gets around," Erebus cut in before Vash could insult him further. "Jedi aren't as good at keeping secrets as they'd like to believe."

"I would argue, but…. You're right. And not only that, but there are plenty of things that the Jedi unfortunately keep from each other," Vash sighed with resignation. "Which will unfortunately play it's own part in this tale, eventually. And I have a feeling you have some idea of what I'm talking about."

Vash nodded towards Mical, looking meek as always, unsure of whether he should speak. The man didn't seem bashful, more respectful than anything, and Erebus wasn't sure if that made him more annoyed or if it made him respect the man more.

"Aye, Master Vash. I know I was meant to convene with you at the Temple though nothing quite went as planned. I am happy to finally make your acquaintance, but not like this. No offense."

"None taken," Vash laughed, the light returning to her eyes for a moment before flickering out and making way for what Erebus assumed was her now-usual weariness. "Though I am curious as to why a Republic recruit with a relatively clean record would sign up for such a job."

"Job?"

"Your senses failed to tell you?" Vash replied sardonically, "Mical here was hired by one of our old colleagues. You may remember a certain Lucien Draay? Some would call him a heretic, but others might be familiar with his Jedi Covenant, a covert operation that tried to prevent Revan's rise to Sith power but unfortunately only made way for Darth Malak."

Erebus paled though he tried to hide it, hoping that his normal pallor would mask whatever winded him.

"Ah," was all he managed to say, instantly brought back to Atris' archive chambers, hard at work with little sleep trying to track down lost Jedi artifacts to win her favor. "I'm quite familiar."

"I'm not surprised, really," Master Vash said, her tone changing now as she glanced about the cargo hold, her eyes flickering over his sketches, stacks of notes and datapads, her gaze lingering on each item as if she knew exactly what moment of his childhood predated his current obsessions. And in a way Erebus would not be surprised if she did. Master Vash was the instructor he had during his most formative years, at least before the tumultuously formative ones he spent studying under Atris and struggling to make her see why she had chosen him as an apprentice, initially. "This all must strike a chord for you."

"Oh, you think?" Erebus tried not to balk, but the truth of what was happening was as clear to Vash as it was to him. Mical watched, his eyes volleying between each of them as they stewed in their thoughts, waiting for one of them to respond.

"I'm afraid I owe you an apology," Erebus found himself saying after a few tense moments, standing now and looking Mical square in the face, "From one historian to another, I knew what you sought to recover from the temple. In fact, I saw before I'd barely landed on that moon. In a vision, granted by that thing, over there."

Erebus pointed to the artifact, demure and docile on his workbench, yet sinister in its silence, its all-swallowing blackness, a surface so smooth that it should shine but instead soaked in all light as if it sought to snuff it out entirely. A blackhole in miniature. How quaint.

"Why are you telling me this?" Mical looked to Vash as if for an answer, despite not trusting either of them it was clear the boy was more inclined to ask the Jedi for guidance.

"Because it's why we're all here, isn't it?" Erebus said, spreading his arms wide, as if to show off his stores. But his crates were sealed - Mical and Vash could not see their contents. Though he had a feeling Vash already knew what was inside each and every one of the boxes stacked within the room.

"I guess it's my turn to monologue?" Erebus asked cheekily.

"I was hardly finished, but please, do go ahead."

A ghost of a smile spirited over Master Vash's lips and Erebus almost wanted to smile back, if not sardonically. How often he'd hoped to impress her as a child, or Atris, only to come up empty. As if the Force wasn't already hard at work making him bask in his own regret, it was now adding irony to the pot as well.

"I have a feeling this is all connected, but you already know that."

Master Vash's eyes softened as she surveyed him, soaking in the sight of him for a minute before nodding sagely. Yes, you're finally getting it now.

"You may have noticed that I have sketches of the very same object all over this workstation," Erebus started, pointing towards the desk. Mical's eyes followed, as if just noticing the pictures displayed there, though Erebus knew he'd taken stock of them the moment he stepped foot on his ship. "I've been searching for objects of import, particularly Sith in origin, that can extend one's life. Perhaps, unnaturally."

He glanced at Vash, who only raised her eyebrows, obviously displeased with his choice of words but otherwise keen enough for him to continue.

"On the behalf of my… benefactor."

"I take it your benefactor is a proper Sith Lord," Mical mumbled, his eyes still fixed on the sketches pinned to the wall beside the desk with interest, though Erebus could hear the honesty in his voice.

"Proper?!"

"Just, go on - please," Vash cut in, eyes flashing despite the polite expression plastered to her face, "Aiden."

Still feeling the child, Erebus obliged, though the edge remained in his voice as he continued.

"After years of research into an ancient cult there's little evidence of ever having existed, I was brought to Tatooine, believing it to have once been an outpost of sorts. There were several others but nothing remained. All reports were the same, detailing an outlying village with no ties to any major cities, sustained mysteriously with limited trade, though their one export was that."

Erebus motioned towards the pyramid, still sinister in its silence upon his desk.

"That makes sense," Mical mused, examining the sketches again, but this time his gaze danced from the paper to the object in question, as if he were cross-referencing it now. "Tatooine was likely home to a thousand cultures over the eons, each one eventually swallowed up by sand and fast forgotten. Even outposts as recent as sixty years ago have sunk beneath the dunes, never to be heard from again. But that's sort of the nature of the Outer Rim, isn't it? Once a resource dries up, you just move on. Onto the next, without another thought. Because there's no room for anything other than survival. But sand can be a preservative, there's probably a thousand lost civilizations beneath the Dune Sea."

Erebus wanted to say something biting and smart in return but found that he came up empty. The man was absolutely right, even if he didn't have to go on at length just to prove a point.

"No better place to hide a secret Sith cult, no?" Erebus joked instead, though his demeanor was nothing but serious as he continued. "At least, I'm not sure the cult knew necessarily that the objects they worshipped were Sith in origin. Much like you said, this town popped up out of nowhere some eighty years ago and disappeared just as quickly. No one batted an eye. I checked the records from the Tatooine spaceports, and honestly? They could care less who lives and who dies beyond Anchorhead, or any of the other major ports. There was hardly any record of the place alongside a thousand other settlements that had mysteriously either moved in anticipation of an oncoming storm or disappeared entirely."

He stopped, realizing he needed to take a breath. He looked from Mical to Master Vash, surprised to find them both at rapt attention. His throat dry, he attempted to swallow and continue, his voice a rasp husk of what it usually was as he went on.

"I'd been studying this place for some time, unsure of where it was on the planet exactly, and yet when I arrived in Anchorhead…"

I found Eden again, he almost said, the discovery dawning on him as if for the first time, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. It wasn't so much a surprise as much as it was validation. He'd been irrevocably connected to Eden since their birth, their connection through the Force the first thing he'd truly felt coming into this world and the only thing that remained a constant in his life - until Malachor. But it was because of this tether that he knew - he knew - that if Eden had perished that he would have felt it, that he would feel that tether wrenched from him as she left this plane of existence. He would know.

"I waited. A disturbance in the Force held me back. I quickly learned that my twin sister was living in the city, but she was out of town on a job. I waited around, hoping to… well, I'm not sure exactly what I hoped, but when she returned she was only keen on leaving Anchorhead and Tatooine altogether. And with good reason."

"I take it this is about the bounty posted by the Exchange?" Vash peppered into Erebus' offered pause. He nodded.

"Precisely, which is another coincidence I don't believe to be quite the happy accident it seems, though I haven't figured that one out yet."

"Wasn't there already a bounty on Jedi?" Mical chimed in, clearly confused now as he pushed away from Erebus' desk and began to pace the small space shared between them.

"Oh, you may not have heard, being held hostage and all," Erebus said with a casual air despite his growing discomfort at Mical's growing ease to peruse his ship as he wished, crossing his arms as he leaned against the cargo hold door with a careful nonchalance painted heavily with passive aggression, "The Exchange posted a bounty on all Jedi, yes, but General Eden Valen's records and most recent whereabouts and aliases were posted to the holonet boasting a handsome fifty million credits if she was found alive."

"Found alive? And what, brought to the Exchange?" Mical asked, almost outraged at the news.

"Presumably."

"But for what purpose?"

"Who knows?" Erebus countered, exasperated, "At this point I'd like not to care, but I'm honestly probably just as afraid as you are at the idea. There were rumors during the Mandalorian Wars of a rogue doctor testing Jedi, though I don't know what ever happened to him or if he was ever brought to justice. But somehow, whatever it was Eden was doing out there when I arrived at Anchorhead, she ended up coming back with that." Erebus pointed at the black pyramid again as if they needed any reminding, almost jarred by how serenely it sat there despite everything. "I won't get into the boring details of how we managed to leave the city and end up on Space City, but she found the outpost I had been searching for somehow. I'm not sure how or what else she took from there, but she left one piece. For me. Perhaps she saw the drawings and left it as a peace offering, I really don't know. But when I touched that thing? I saw the Temple, but more specifically, I saw Exar Kun. He led me there. To you."

"Exar Kun?" Mical repeated, inching toward Erebus with a furrowed brow, "In the flesh?"

"No, no, the mural of him.The one that graces the city walls leading to the Temple like a warning."

"A warning of what The Great Sith War might wrought if the true threat was not destroyed," Mical mused, still pacing.

"I take it this is where you fit into all of this?" Erebus asked, this time actively trying to wring his voice of all bitterness, in an attempt to play nice.

Mical paused and locked eyes with Vash, who only nodded before dropping her gaze to the floor, losing herself in thought before Mical elaborated.

"I may be a Republic Scout but I have a history with the Jedi. I served with the Corps during Revan's war, made a few friends. There's a theory about some things they found during the Dxun campaign, as well as a few others, though Dxun being the most notorious. As you may know, Dxun and its history with the orbiting Onderon factor heavily in Exar Kun's fall to the… Dark Side." Mical said, his voice straying over the last two words as if he didn't mean to offend, perhaps not out of fear but out of confusion for just what their allegiances meant in close quarters like this, not quite enemies but still far from allies. "What with Revan's sudden change of heart and history repeating itself all over again, I don't think there's any coincidence about it. And the fact that there were skirmishes out on Tatooine, skirmishes that Revan herself fought in, not far from where you found that thing-"

"I didn't find it, Eden did," Erebus corrected, though his voice was almost whispersoft, afraid of growing accustomed to saying his sister's name out loud again - Eden, Ede - as if doing so might either summon or banish her, and he wasn't yet sure which was worse.

"Which is even more peculiar, I think," Mical continued, picking up his stride again despite the small space, "Considering there are reports of General Valen finding similar objects to this one on Dxun. Different in shape, yes, but with similar properties, similar makeup. Objects which were conveniently lost in transit. Revan, General Valen, the myth of Exar Kun, the Sith - it's all connected somehow. But, what I'm wondering is… why now? Exar Kun fell to the Dark Side and turned almost fifty years ago. But now the Jedi are vanishing, and Revan went missing earlier this standard year, the exiled General Valen suddenly re-emerges…" Mical shook his head, trying to make sense of it all. "There's something larger at work here."

Erebus looked at Mical square in the eye now, keen on making another smart remark about the Force and coincidences, but when their eyes met he found that he couldn't. Mical's bright eyes bore into his, almost pleading, and though it was in the spirit of making his case, Erebus felt as if he owed the man an apology - but for reasons unknown to him. If Erebus had not so easily succumbed to anger all those years ago, would he be anything like the man standing before him? Square jaw and sweeping blonde hair aside -

"Wait," Erebus said, the hair on his neck truly standing on end now as a memory took form in his mind's eye as he spoke, an image of the man before him morphing into something similar yet different - smaller in stature perhaps, and younger. Oh, so much younger. "I know you."

Though Erebus' eyes never left Mical's, he could see Lonna Vash smirk in his peripheral vision, though she remained quiet, watching.

"You came to the Archives, on Coruscant. You wanted to study under Atris, with-"

"With Eden Valen, yes."

The moment solidified as Mical confirmed it - a young boy of about twelve wandering into the Archives, bothering Erebus (Aiden, then) for an audience with the Master Historian, claiming to have a long-standing appointment, and Erebus arguing with him that it could not be the case because he knew every minutiae of the Historian's schedule down to the precise moment, only to find himself terribly wrong once Atris swept into the room to sweep the boy right back into her office without as much as a backward glance, much less an apology. Mical had been exceedingly polite then and almost as much now, circumstances willing, but back then he'd been Atris' attempt to keep Eden with the Order, a consolation prize meant to spur her onto Knighthood.

"You were meant to be her apprentice, her Padawan…"

I won't be bribed, Eden had said, If they wanted to make me a Knight they would have done it already, they would have assigned me to a proper Master and given me the same courtesy they did you. You didn't see what Revan showed me out there, Aiden, she'd pleaded, You have to believe me, it's worse than anything you could imagine.

All roads lead to Eden, he thought, laughing darkly.

"You knew this already, didn't you?" Erebus said, tearing his eyes away from Mical's equally surprised gaze, the words finding purchase as he looked Vash in the eye. "I think it's time you finish that origin story of yours."

Master Vash only looked back at him, the smirk she wore earlier fading slightly into something more serious. She brushed a strand of greying black hair behind her ear and reached into her robe, producing another black pyramid, this one smaller than the first, slight enough to comfortably hide in a closed fist.

"I was there when the Jedi found her," she began, her dark eyes fixed on the pyramid as she held it up to examine more closely. Mical's face paled.

"General Valen?"

Vash shook her head.

"No, Revan."

Neither Mical nor Erebus spoke, glancing at one another before awaiting Vash's response, a new kinship kindled between them in unknowing, the mystery unfolding before them both despite their past or their current affiliations. The Force would see to it that they were in this together, now, whether they liked it or not.

"We found her wandering the desert."

She didn't have to say which planet. Erebus already knew.

"She didn't carry anything with her. Only this."

Vash tossed the pyramid gently into the air, catching it gingerly in her palm, feeling the weight of it before she leaned over and set it on the desk beside its matching piece, the one Eden left behind.

"We brought her to Nespis, just as you had been, Aiden. I'm surprised this thing was still there."

"I take it the Jedi never discovered its true properties?" Erebus ventured. Vash shook her head.

"My Master back then saw a vision as well, when she first touched the artifact, though she never told me what she saw, nor did she let me touch it myself. Nothing indicated that she saw anything dark or disturbing. If anything, it validated her decision to bring Revan to the Jedi, to train as one of us."

Vash sighed, her eyes still fixed on the pyramids, now a pair.

"Your Master?" Erebus probed, uncertain whether Master Vash had ever mentioned any of the Jedi Masters that had trained her in their time together as teacher and student.

"Master Arren Kae."

A shiver ran down Erebus' spine at the name. Disgrace, he instantly recalled Atris saying, A traitor if there ever was one.

Master Arren Kae had not only gone on to train Revan but had also followed her to war, a grievous offense in Atris' book. She is the antithesis of everything it means to be a Jedi, a devout follower of the Light. Not only had she trained the next Exar Kun, but there were also rumors of Kae and an Echani General, whose name escaped Erebus despite how much it bothered him to forget something - regardless of how trivial.

Echani. Like the young women at the temple...

"My apprentice and I were scouring the old Temples for anything that could lead us to the new Sith threat, anything we could pass along to the Republic." Vash continued, interrupting his thoughts, "Lucien Draay had headed the effort years ago, but after what happened at Katarr, someone needed to take over where he left off. This pyramid was still sitting in the archives on Space City, unmarked, along with the cache you recovered, Mical, as well. I couldn't get to it once the Echani started watching the perimeter, much less when the Golden Company moved in."

The hair on the back of Erebus' neck stood on end as he followed Vash's gaze from the desk to the satchel Mical had brought aboard from the Temple. The cache so prized it was one of few objects set apart from the rest of the Archive's contents, let alone from any potential Dark Side users that might attempt to steal it - someone such as himself. But he'd glimpsed its contents when he had peered into Mical's mind, the mounting coincidences still not lost on him.

"Exar Kun's lightsaber," he breathed, almost reverent. Erebus almost expected Mical or Vash to make a face (A Sith? Fawning over the Dark Jedi Exar Kun? How cliché... ) but neither one reacted. It was the stuff of legend, but for Erebus is was both the dream and the nightmare. The famed object he'd coveted as a child yet feared all the same.

"I should have sensed the path you might take, Aiden," Vash said, her voice rasp with remembering, "You modeled your first lightsaber after this one, no?"

Erebus nodded, his eyes still fixed on the unopened satchel.

"What did you think of a Padawan fashioning his lightsaber after the weapon of a turncoat? Back then, I mean?"

He hadn't expected to ask, though he felt as if the question had been there all along, so much of his past coming to light that unearthing any more of it seemed only natural.

"I thought it was a coping mechanism," Vash admitted, "So many children were afraid, back then especially, but you most of all. The other Masters told me what happened when they first brought you to Space City, what you said about the mural. And despite whatever it is that brought you to where you are now, I suspect some of that still holds true."

"Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate. You know the rest." Erebus wanted to laugh, though his voice was far more somber than intended in his sarcasm. Vash smiled and glanced down into her lap.

"Something like that."

"I don't mean to interrupt this meaningful catch-up or anything, but-" Mical interrupted, polite as ever, his face painted with pure concern, "But you said you were at the Temple with your apprentice? As in… your current apprentice? Just hours ago?"

Vash looked at Mical and nodded, the weight of her unspoken answer clear on her face and obvious in her apprentice's absence.

"I'm... so sorry," Mical said, shaking his head as he crossed his arms. "If there's anything I can do-"

Vash put up a hand, pleading "Please, I appreciate it but I think the best thing we can do is consider our next steps."

"Our?" Erebus butt in, "And is this when you tell us where your injury comes from, finally?"

She nodded, inhaling a bracing breath before regaling her audience with an answer.

"I've yet to figure that out, to be honest," Vash winced again followed by a sharp intake of breath, "Though it's worth noting that my apprentice, Korath-"

She paused, a lump forming in her throat as she continued, her eyes welling up..

"Korath was taken down in a rain of blasterfire when the Golden Company arrived, completely severing his right leg."

She swallowed the rasp in her voice away, or at least attempted to, looking at neither man as she continued.

"He'd been touching the artifact when they materialized, the visions likely overwhelming his Force sense."

"And where were you?" Erebus said, at least trying not to sound accusatory, though his voice betrayed him despite it.

"I was in the library when they attacked him, watching you."

The Jedi he'd sensed in the Archive, of course, Erebus had figured as much. "But that still doesn't explain how you know-"

"I saw it," she said, interrupting him, "In my mind's eye, through the Force. It was as if… as if I was seeing it through his eyes. As if Korath wanted me to see. To perhaps help him, I…" she trailed off, shaking her head a shaking hand reached up to massage the back of her neck. "I don't know."

She looked down, her hands having descended from her neck to now wring together in her lap. "But I felt it, too. The pain in my leg. It was as if I was being shot at as well, bleeding out on the floor. You can see why your sister plays a part in this, and I don't think it's a coincidence that half the galaxy's now on her tail, either. Especially after all these years."

Erebus shook his head, though in sage agreement, knowing there was more to why Eden was of particular interest to Darth Nihilus and could not explain, and knowing that he had so many questions for what Vash sensed from Eden the day she was exiled, understanding why the woman would be wary to deign him an earnest answer.

"Korath was still holding the artifact when I found him, his fist closed tight." Vash mimicked the movement, her knuckles turning white. "And that's when I saw it. All of this, the Temple collapse, this ship, you… and Dantooine."

"So that's how you knew to find us here?" Erebus confirmed, Vash nodding solemnly as their eyes met briefly across the room.

"And what awaits us there? On Dantooine?" Mical asked, his voice soft but soothing in the seething quiet that followed Vash's vision.

"The next piece of this puzzle, I imagine," Vash said, sighing, "I think it's worth noting that an unaffiliated group of otherwise unknown Echani as well as the most notorious mercenary group in this sector were interested in what was kept in that Temple is a start. And like I said, I don't think it's a coincidence that these objects link to Revan and Exar Kun both."

Vash and Mical, as if on cue, both turned to Erebus, watching him for a reaction.

"Oh, I imagine this is where you suspect I come in, then?" he asked, clutching his chest dramatically to show his offense, since their imposing presence on his ship wasn't proof enough.

Vash shrugged meekly as Mical crossed his arms, his expression unchanging, neither one of them elaborating on their stance, though their opinions seemed set in stone.

"Ah, I see," Erebus said, sucking in a breath through gritted teeth, "Not only have I studied these objects, but I'm now supposed to be your stand-in for traitorous Jedi? Since it seems neither Revan nor Exar Kun could make it. Busy schedules and all, being either missing or dead. Okay, sure, I'll play along…"

Erebus stood up straight, pushing his out his chest as he clasped his hands behind his back, his fingertips already tingling with electricity. Calming himself with a measured breath, he continued, making sure to look both of them square in the eye, one after the other and back again, as he spoke.

"I will warn you, though I assure you I don't have to," he began, his voice a chilling monotone, soft enough that both Vash and Mical were forced to lean towards him in order to catch his every word, "That my Master is likely on our tail if he's not already on Eden's. He knows we crossed paths, I can feel it. And if he sees fit to catch up with us - with me - and demand answers? I cannot protect you, even if I wanted to."

"And your Master… is he- erm, are they-?" Mical started, though the words died on his throat before he could finish.

"Oh trust me," Erebus interrupted, his voice harsh and unrelenting, and not because he wished to instill fear in his unwilling companions but because the most he could do for them as well as himself was tell the truth, "You don't want to know. And if you did, you'd wish you didn't."

If you even want to refer to Nihilus as anything that might make him seem human, Erebus thought, thinking it best if he not elaborate - at least not out loud - thinking on the horror that was his Master. But for Erebus, it was the horror that fascinated him most - the horror and the awe, the utterly unfathomable thing that he was, something and somewhere between being and nonbeing, hunger without end. Vash's eyes were steady on him, her expression unwavering, as if she knew that Nihilus was the one responsible for Katarr. Erebus could only hold her gaze, regardless of what conclusion she came to, before breaking away and making his exit.

"We have three days before we reach Dantooine," Erebus finally said, breaking the silence, though his voice was just as severe, just as sinister, "I suggest you get some rest. I can't imagine we'll get much in the eons to come."

And with that, Erebus left Vash and Mical in his cargo bay - along with his notes, his life's work, and a slew of other things he'd prefer to keep from prying eyes - and closed the door so he was finally alone in the cockpit with only the white-blue of hyperspace for company. As soon as the thing shut, his fingers exploded with static energy at his sides, muffled only by the fabric of his robes.

Seething still, Erebus steadied himself with a few deep breaths, trying not to reach out with the Force to watch as Vash and Mical undoubtedly proceeded to peruse his things or talk behind his back. Instead, he sunk into his pilot's chair and, propping his boots up on the console, figured it best he take his own advice, and sleep.

------

3951 BBY, Telos Atris

"We should be arriving within a standard day, Mistress," Orenna spoke into the transponder, her holo-visage a ghostly blue in Atris' chambers, "We managed to retrieve some objects of import mentioned in your manifest, but overall we were unable to recover everything before the mercenaries moved in. Would you like for us to pursue?"

Orenna, like the others, was so serene, so calm. A pool of water waiting in a glen, stirring only with a ripple at the mere hint of the breeze. Concentric circles forming one from another, an echo in endless chorus until… nothing. Stillness, again. Calm.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

"Not for the moment, no," Atris said, matching her voice to the Echani's timbre. She wanted them to pursue, yes, but she needed to study what they found first, her thirst for knowledge as insatiable as ever. The logs she'd retrieved years ago divulged most of Nespis VIII's stores, but it was different seeing the objects in person. It was different seeing an object through the Force - raw and rending, like tearing flesh straight from bone. Pure and untainted.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

"We will re-evaluate the situation once you return," Atris elaborated, "We still have the Exile to consider."

"Understood, Mistress," Orenna nodded, reverent.

"And how is your sister?" Atris asked, her voice brimming with unknowing as she spoke, though she did her best to conceal it.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

"She is stable, for now," Orenna responded, looking over her shoulder as if checking on Brianna herself, though they were clearly separated by the walls of the ship, "I don't believe she is in any state to report, however."

"There is no need, at least not for the moment." Atris smiled, her expression tranquil as the gesture scarcely graced her features, "We will speak when you return."

Orenna nodded, a similar smile overcoming her face. Echani took after the physical appearance of the parent whose gender they matched, and though Atris had never met the sisters' mother she could still sense a bit of Yusanis' regality in the girls, in the way they carried themselves and the way they spoke, even if they did not resemble him physically. It was what had drawn her to the sisters from the moment she met them, tasked with divulging the news of their father's passing on behalf of the Jedi at the end of the war. But Atris had met Brianna's mother once, the bastard sister bearing another woman's face… but she could no longer recall her name, nor what she looked like, Brianna's face now a similar blur in her memory. And Atris did not know why.

"Mistress-?" Orenna interrupted, her expression growing concerned, "Is there anything I can-?"

There is no emotion, there is peace.

"No, no," Atris laughed genially, an inner calm falling over her like fresh snow, "Just alert me when you have arrived."

"And of the ship we saw dock at Nespis?" Orenna asked again, this time uncertain.

Release her records, the woman had said. The Sith will follow.

"We shall devise a plan upon your arrival."

Orenna hesitated a moment before nodding in affirmation, signing off. Business as usual.

Everything was falling into place. But now… Atris would wait.

She would retreat to her study until the sisters returned, meditate on what she knew to be true and what she willed to be so, trusting the Force to set things right and avenge the Jedi that sacrificed their lives for the secret she now knew to be true.

There is no death, there is the Force.

The future of the Jedi rested on her shoulders alone, now. And she would shoulder the burden, no matter the cost.

[copyplays]

I'm assuming you won't be playing M4-78(can't blame you) but it would be cool to see a comic with Master Lonna Vash alive, do you have any intentions to do one?

We’ll seeI’ll check out her scene again when I get to Korriban and see if I get inspired^^

[ergomaria]

Miles to Go Before I Sleep - Ch. 07

While Meetra assumed that this could be a training room by Sith standards, it looked more like a torture chamber. Cages lined one wall and various wicked-looking implements hung from hooks in the ceiling. But the main feature was a large stone table that sat off to one side, a set of lights illuminating a body that was growing bloated and discolored from the beginning stages of decay. Shrugging off Atton's hand, which was grasping her shoulder, Meetra walked stiffly into the room as she scanned the corpse for any distinguishing characteristics. Old, dried blood covered any areas that weren't decorated with cuts and bruises, making it difficult to see anything of note. But the hair was mostly clean and she immediately recognized the familiar gray and brown bun of Jedi Master Lonna Vash.

"It's her, isn't it?" Atton's voice was hollow.

"They tortured her…"

Idly tracing the scars that marked the skin beneath her robes, the Handmaiden nodded. "I can only assume that refused to give my master her secrets. The strength of her will must have been remarkable."

"It was."

The deep, gravelly voice sent a chill through the room and all of the Force users turned in unison towards the door. Sion's massive form now blocked the entryway, his cracked visage even more somber than usual. The snap of multiple lightsabers igniting filled the air as the crew spread out, trying to keep away from the Sith. But their tactic was hampered by the appearance of a second figure who seemed to melt from the shadows, his black robes making him seem nebulous and indistinct aside from the white and red mask hiding his face. While not as large as Sion, something about this new Sith terrified Meetra.

It took a moment for the former General to realize that the gnawing coldness encompassing the academy, a sensation that she had assumed was the aura of the building, was actually the signature of this cloaked figure. He exuded a ravenous, insatiable darkness that cloaked even Sion's remarkable presence, enabling the other Sith Lord to approach unnoticed. That was how they managed to trap the group in place.

A garbled shriek came from behind the mask, causing the Handmaiden to cover her ears as she collapsed to her knees muttering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Meetra's hand hovered near her commlink as she debated calling Bastila for assistance. The younger woman had firsthand experience with Sith Lords and might be able to help them escape alive. But there was a chance that Sion and the creature she assumed was Nihilus didn't know about the Hawk or it's remaining passengers and the former Consular couldn't risk endangering them by contacting the ship. But maybe there was another way…

'Kreia, can you hear me? Sion and Nihilus are here and I think we're in trouble.'

There was a flutter of acknowledgment in Meetra's mind but no other response. She clenched her teeth as she shifted her grip on her lightsaber, keeping both Sith Lords in her sight as she moved to shield the Handmaiden. "Leave her alone."

There was another garbled sound, this one almost akin to laughter. Sion joined in, a deep chuckle rumbling through his scarred chest. "You feel sympathy for an assassin sent to kill you. Strange, but I've come to learn that I should expect nothing less of you, Exile."

"What do you want from me? From us?"

"We have watched as you've searched for answers to questions that you have no reason to ask, all to aid an Order who discarded you without a second thought." Sion stepped forward, his broad form casting a long shadow across the floor. "Exile, surely you realize that this is not your fight. Abandon your quest here and now, and we will let you and your allies leave this planet unscathed."

Meetra slipped into an offensive stance as she raised her head in challenge. "I can't do that. If you've been observing me, you've probably realized that I have a habit of getting involved in fights that don't concern me."

"I have also witnessed the destruction that your intervention wrought upon Malachor Five. You know war and death, and I respect you for that. But though you have tasted darkness you did not embrace that power because you still fear it. And because you cannot hear the true call of the dark side there are things about the Sith that you will never fully comprehend." There was a low hiss as Sion ignited his lightsaber, the red blade glowing eerily in the gloom. "This is how it ends for you, Exile. Your futile search is your downfall."

"Did your master send you after me? Is it Nihilus? Some sort of true Sith?"

"I am my own master and who I pledge loyalty to is no concern of yours."

So, Nihilus wasn't the master. Meetra quietly tucked that information away should she manage to escape from this situation alive, which seemed increasingly doubtful. The Force was thick with her companion's fear, the combined weight of their dread settling heavily around her. But through it all, she could feel a flicker of hope and she was surprised to discover that the source was Atton. Glancing towards him, she noticed that his attention was focused just past Sion and into the corridor behind him.

Even without a true Force bond, she could sense the pilot's thoughts. If they could somehow escape the Sith Lords, he knew the inside of the academy well enough to lead the crew to safety. They just had to distract Sion long enough to run past, just like they did on Peragus. Meetra wondered if she could keep him talking. "You and your masked friend are the sources of the Jedi deaths and disappearances, aren't you?"

"The Jedi are the architects of their own doom, lost in their traditions and ignorant to the danger all around them. You know this as well as we do. We are merely speeding up what they have already set in motion."

Meetra wanted to object on principle, even as she mentally acknowledged the truth in the Sith's words. In the end, she said nothing. The Order had failed in so many ways that she had run out of excuses to defend them many years back. But there was still a question about one former Jedi that she needed answers to. "What about Revan? Where is he now?"

Sion shook his head. "I know nothing of the Revanchist excepted that he created you. That is all the information I need."

From the corner of her eye, Meetra noticed Atton shifting minutely, a slight shuffling of his feet that could easily be mistaken for nervousness or impatience. But he was actually trying to angle himself towards the doorway, something that both Visas and Bao-Dur also appeared to sense.

Nihilus must have felt a change in the room because he let out a garbled growl of warning as his masked face turned towards Sion. Though his expression was unreadable, the cloying darkness of his presence rippled and the air grew colder with his irritation.

Nodding once, Sion swung his blade into an attack position. "We have talked long enough, Exile and your final questions have been answered. Korriban is a planet of the dead, so it is fitting that you will meet your end here."

Despite the panicked pounding of her heart, Meetra's expression remained calm as she looked into the Sith Lord's good eye. "Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you."

Read the whole chapter on FanFiction or AO3!

[fanthatracks]

GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT - VOICE ACTOR Empire Con is thrilled to announce voice actor Vanessa Marshall! Her voice has been features as a plethora of character in the Star Wars gamin franchise. In "Star Wars: KOTOR II" her voice can be heard as Master Lonna Vash, Terlyn, Iziz Citizen, Mercenary, Settler, Telosian and a TSF Lieutenant as well as in "Star Wars: The Old Republic" as Master Bela Kiwiiks, Alauni, Chaney Barrow, Daizanna, Ensign Rosha,Kayla Perlis, Komi, Master Injay, Master Sumalee, Voss Pilgrim, and Yana-Ton. She has played dozens of other roles in prominent gaming titles over the last twenty years! Get your pass now to meet Vanessa and dozens of other guests at Empire Con now! http://bit.ly/EmpireCon #starwars #empirecon #vanessamarshall https://www.instagram.com/p/B4xslZdAXnB/