Connor and AJ found themselves in a room filled with other kids. It could have passed for an old Jedi temple full of Padawans had the place not been filled with black. The dark side of the Force was emphasized in everything and the greatness of the Empire was prevalent.

Connor shuddered as he and AJ walked forward into the room. There were tables off to one side, some kids sat, many wandered around looking frightened. At least one kid was visibly crying.

"New recruits?" AJ whispered to Connor looking around. Other than the tables, black coloring, and a few pictures proclaiming the might of the Empire the room was filled with young kids, apparently all Force users.

"Form a line!" A familiar voice suddenly called out to them.

Connor gasped. "BJ!" He started to move forward but AJ grabbed his arm. "Wait, look at him!"

BJ had been gone a few months but he'd grown taller, more muscled. There was a redness to his eyes that hadn't been there before. He even had a light saber on his hip. He was dressed head to toe in black.

He was not a frightened child here either. He was in charge. He glanced around the room with a frown on his face as if looking for something that was out of place.

Connor sagged as he and AJ took a spot in the back of the group. AJ hoped that BJ couldn't sense them specifically in amongst this group but they'd found him at least. The question was, who was he now? A few months away had turned him...to this? He had been a natural leader before and it was showing now.

"Your training in this academy begins now, "BJ said calmly looking around the room. "I've been training for three months...if you learn quickly, and believe me you will learn." He paused and again his eyes swept the room as if something wasn't quite right. "You will progress quickly up the ranks. Gabriel come out."

An 8-year boy walked out and AJ recognized him as one of the children from the landing platform when BJ was first taken. "This is Gabriel." BJ said, "He's 8, but he's been training for a year. He's an excellent fighter. Watch."

Gabriel grinned as BJ moved off to the side. He pulled out a light saber activated one side and then the watching crowd gasped as he activated the other side into a double light saber and began performing a few acrobatics with it. When BJ was certain they had the room's full attention he moved forward again.

"All of us are here because our Force abilities make us unique in the Empire. We will become the Emperor's right hand. Keeping the law. Depending on each ability determines where you'll go." He paused and scanned the room for a third time his frown deepening.

Connor shuddered suddenly sure that there was no way BJ, his brother, could miss him or AJ hiding amongst these others. Not after having kept watch over them for so long. He began to wonder where Starkiller was and if they would get out of this alive.

"If you want to get out of this alive, you'd better train hard." BJ continued.

"You will meet here every morning 5am sharp. Dressed and ready for whatever comes. Girls will use the left side doors for their bunks. Boys go to the right. Any questions?" No one raised a hand, someone could be heard stifling a sob.

"Good." BJ smiled. "Go to your bunks now." He turned around and exited through the room that AJ and Connor and come through only a few moments before.

AJ breathed a sigh of relief but felt the trepidation radiating off of his cousin Connor. Connor looked over at AJ and neither said a word. They didn't have to. BJ was a Sith, they were either too late or it was going to cost them their heads.

"How do we get into contact with Starkiller?" Connor whispered as they followed the rest of the boys to the right to get into their bunks.
"I remember you two." At the sound of the voice both AJ and Connor jumped and Connor reached into his shirt almost gripping the makeshift light saber he'd constructed aboard the Rogue Shadow. He and AJ both had one.

It was a Torgrutan boy with orange skin, blue and white head coloring, and blue eyes. He smiled at them but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "You were with BJ when my Master took him."

Both boys froze and looked down at this kid. The rest of the boys were taking bunks but AJ and Connor hadn't planned on staying that long. "And now you are here." He looked around. "You may want to get beds. There isn't much room for escape, and I doubt they'll let you stay together once your past relationship is discovered."

AJ was astonished at the boy's vocabulary. He couldn't be more than 6, yet here he was addressing them with a bit of authority. He thought back to his own brother's happy personality and vowed never to let him fall into these hands. Where would his happy go lucky little brother go in a place like this?

"I'm Jessie," the boy continued, "look around now if you want. This is the last time you'll get free time."

They picked a bunk closest to the door. Jesseye had left them to it. Gabriel was also in the room oddly just keeping an eye on the rest. It was uncanny.

"In and out I thought," Connor muttered.

"Remember the dream," AJ replied. Connor nodded. "It was probably a warning that BJ was in deeper than we thought."

"How do we get him out and get to Starkiller? Where is Starkiller?" Connor asked. It was rhetorical question however; he wasn't waiting for AJ to actually respond.

They didn't have long to wait as all of a sudden the doors flung open and BJ strode in and immediately zeroed in on them. The room went so silent you could hear a pin drop.

His lightsaber clicked on, the red beam shooting out towards them. They simultaneously withdrew their own crude lightsabers both blue in defense. This brought BJ up short.

"You left me!" He snarled and brought the saber down onto Connor's blue one. "You all boarded the ship and fled and left me. After everything I have done for you!" His next swing went into AJ's direction, and he blocked it up but offered up no return attack.

Aware that everyone was watching and they could be caught at any time Connor began to feel a bit desperate. "It was not like that." He replied. "Joran had a tracker on him, the Inquisitor knew we were following you the whole time. He was already a step ahead the whole time, we followed you here."

"Likely story!" Said BJ vehemently. "But I did get one thing from that guy. I became much stronger than I ever would have been otherwise. I no longer have to run and hide in fear. Nor do I have to carry your weight on my back." He sneered at them again taking a swing which Connor only managed to deflect because AJ brought his saber out in front of him as well.

Connor dropped to his knees. "If you truly believe all that BJ then end it...I'm not going to fight you. You're my brother and I came all this way to get you out." He deactivated the light saber and dropped to his knees and bowed his head. BJ's eyes swung wildly to AJ as he too deactivated his light saber and dropped to his knees. This was not how he'd anticipated this reunion to go. He'd sensed them earlier but hadn't seen them in the group. He had thought he'd run into them on his own ship as a Sith but he was nowhere near as trained as he was going to be and a few years from actually being called a Sith. He hadn't expected to see them here in this school. It had shocked him to the core.

His rage was burning bright but also a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that they were telling the truth. It wasn't beyond the Dark Side to lie to each other he knew. His own Master had kept them in the dark about where they were going, but he'd taught BJ to fight and BJ had learned well. He had even surprised his new Master at how quickly he'd picked up saber fighting. Bane had shown him how to make a saber and then brought him here. He'd been placed over demonstrations for new comers as Bane had sensed that BJ was a natural leader. Gabriel and Jesseye had both gravitated toward him on the ship, and new kids listened to him. Even if they were frightened out of their minds.

BJ let out a howl. He just couldn't stay angry with them. They were family and they weren't even fighting him. They were going to let him take their heads. He deactivated his own light saber dropped to his knees in front of them and grasped them to his chest crying. He could hear the whispering begin behind him but he didn't care at that moment.