"Your life matters. Don't let anyone forget it." - Michada Crasar, from Collected Wisdom of the Jedi Masters

"You know him?" Patrick said, glancing back and forth between Pete and the man who was holding a double-bladed lightsaber to his throat.

Pete nodded. "He's Khras' Padawan," he said. "Right, Brendon?"

"Amazing," Brendon said. "Every word in that sentence was wrong." Pete gave him a confused look, and Brendon explained, "Khras is dead, and I'm not Brendon Urie anymore."

"Who are you then?" Pete asked.

"I'm the Fourth Brother."

"What kind of a name is that?" Pete said.

Patrick looked to Pete, who seemed oddly calm, given the circumstances. Somehow, Pete was keeping Brendon - or whatever his name was - distracted, and Patrick wondered if his strategy might just work. Maybe if Brendon kept talking, they would be able to win this fight.

"It's the name Lord Vader bestowed upon me," Brendon said as he pressed his lightsaber closer to Pete's neck. "And tonight, with the powers he gave me, I'll be victorious."

Pete stepped backwards. "Hang on, Brendon," he said.

"The Fourth Brother," Brendon corrected.

"Whatever," Pete said. "Who's this Lord Vader person?"

"Oh, he's incredible, Pete," Brendon said. "You'd like him a lot. He lets me smoke spice and watch holograms and walk around the Imperial Base shirtless all day." Brendon went on and on about his new master, who was apparently a cyborg in black armor, but Patrick became more worried than ever when Brendon mentioned that this Darth Vader was a Sith Lord. This confirmed what the Jedi had suspected for years: after thousands of years of silence, the Sith had returned. The dark side of the Force was back with a vengeance, and if Pete and Patrick weren't careful, it could destroy them.

As Brendon talked, Pete reached for his belt and ignited his bright blue lightsaber. All of a sudden, he shoved it toward Brendon, using his lightsaber to push him away. Brendon stumbled backwards and then charged toward Pete, spinning his lightsaber as Pete stayed still and balanced, ready to parry his opponent's blows.

Their lightsabers clashed, and Patrick watched as Brendon carefully fended off each of Pete's attacks. His movements were energetic yet graceful, as if this was all a performance, as if he was the star of the show. On the other hand, Pete's movements were clumsy and ham-fisted, as if he was a nervous Youngling wielding a lightsaber for the first time. However, as he moved out of the way, hoping not to get involved, Patrick was sure that Pete would win. The light side always triumphed over the dark, after all.

Then again, sometimes he wondered why the two sides of Force couldn't just get along already.

Pete swung his lightsaber in Brendon's direction, but he easily jumped out of the way and counterattacked. He defended himself against Brendon's lightsaber strikes, but there were beads of sweat running down Pete's face as each attack came closer and closer to hitting him. One wrong move, and Brendon could end his life.

Pete parried off Brendon's attacks, but his opponent was too quick, too powerful, too elegant with a lightsaber. Before Pete could do anything, Brendon's double-bladed lightsaber was next to his face, singing off a few stray hairs. Pete looked terrified, and Patrick wished he could do something, but as he stared into the distance, toward the Imperial ship hiding behind the trees, he didn't think there was anything he could do to save his fellow Jedi. Torn between helping Pete and keeping the peace, he decided that he was better off staying out of this fight. He stood in the trees, keeping an eye on the lightsaber fight playing out in front of him.

"You know, I don't want to kill you, but I'll do it if I have to," Brendon said as he inched his lightsaber closer to Pete's head.

"What do you want then?" Pete asked.

"I want you to join me," Brendon said with a smile. "We can serve the Empire and the dark side of the Force together. It'll be just like old times."

"No way," Pete said. "That's not happening."

"Come on, Pete," Brendon said. "I know you've used the dark side before. Besides, you don't really want to be caught on the losing side of the war, do you?"

Pete paused. "I want to do what's right," he said.

"Vices and virtues are one and the same nowadays," Brendon said. "There's only power. And you could be powerful. You could rule the galaxy one day if you embrace the dark side of the Force."

"Brendon, do you actually believe anything you're saying?"

"I told you - I'm not Brendon anymore!" he shouted. "I'm the Fourth Brother!" Brendon moved his lightsaber away from Pete's face and lunged toward him, narrowly missing his chest.

"You know, there's still some good in you," Pete said as he fended off Brendon's attacks. "I can tell."

"You'll never get me to come back," Brendon said. "It's better on the other side. You'll see."

"Remember what our masters said. Dark can't exist without light. There has to be a balance..."

"Our masters are dead!" Brendon shouted as he thrust his lightsaber toward Pete, who moved out of the way just in time. "They were weak! Just like you!"

Pete rushed toward Brendon and swung his lightsaber toward him, but he aimed a little too high. Brendon easily spun out of the way and attacked once again, and this time, Pete was too slow to parry. There was hardly anything Pete could do now. He was completely defenseless against his old friend.

To Patrick's surprise, Brendon put down his blade and lifted his hand. He looked Pete dead in the eye, and all of a sudden, Pete started to gag. Pete put a hand on his throat, but it didn't do anything. Brendon shifted his hand slightly, and his grip on Pete's throat tightened. He smirked as he watched Pete struggling to breathe, his skin slowly turning blue.

"I said it before, and I'll say it again," Brendon said. "I don't want to kill you, but I will if I have to. Just tell me that you'll join me on the dark side, and I'll let go."

Pete tried to speak, but all that came out were a few strangled sounds. Meanwhile, Brendon kept on tightening his grip, drunk on his own power.

Patrick couldn't stand by any more. He ignited his lightsaber and sprinted toward Brendon, his heart pounding. Brendon's eyes widened at the sight of his blue-green blade, and as he approached him, Patrick sliced through the air. Brendon blocked his swing, but he was distracted enough to release his grip on Pete. As Patrick and Brendon fought, each attack matched with a perfectly timed parry, Pete collapsed to the ground, desperately trying to catch his breath.

Brendon looked absolutely furious, but Patrick stayed calm as he let his years of Jedi training take over. Brendon's style was passionate but dancelike, and if Patrick wanted to defeat him, he would have to beat Brendon at his own game. He matched each of Brendon's moves, feeling the rhythm of his swings and parries. All of a sudden, as their lightsabers clashed, Brendon hesitated for just one second. This was his chance.

Patrick took one hand off of his lightsaber and held it in front of him. Before Brendon could attack again, Patrick used the Force to push him away. Brendon went flying, and he screamed as he crashed right back into his ship. Patrick used the Force one more time to slam the door, and then he turned to Pete.

"Come on," he said. "We have to get off of this planet before Brendon gets back."

"Can you help me?" Pete asked, still breathing heavily.

"Yeah, of course," Patrick said. He took Pete's hand and helped him off of the ground. As the two of them ran toward the escape pod, with Pete's droid close behind, Pete's hand stayed nestled in his. Somehow, having Pete so close made him feel stronger, like he could do anything.

Just as they were about to enter the escape pod, Brendon emerged from the Imperial ship, spinning his double-bladed lightsaber once again. Patrick sprinted ever faster, and when he got to the ship, he frantically opened the door, climbed inside, and started up the ship. As Brendon came closer, he pressed a series of buttons, preparing the escape pod for take-off. Before Brendon could get to the ship, it was gliding through the clouds, far above the surface of Devaron. Finally, they were safe again.

Patrick piloted the ship upwards until they were in outer space again. He didn't know where they were headed next, but for now, they were away from Brendon, and that was good enough. He turned toward Pete, who was lying on the floor of the ship. His breathing was still labored, but his skin was back to its natural brown. He opened his mouth and said, "Is...is this..."

"What is it, Pete?" Patrick asked.

"Is this more than you bargained for yet?"

Pete smirked, and Patrick rolled his eyes as he turned back to the control panel. However, even as the hours passed, he was still thinking of Pete. He was a wonderful guy, really. Either Patrick was going to kill him, or he was beginning to like him.