Author's Note

This is not the last chapter. It's only the title of this chapter.

3rd Person

Jedi were to be instructed from childhood. It was an age-old custom.

Youth was the synthesis of the mind, a critical time of development integral to internalizing Jedi philosophy and techniques.

Naturally, the younger a youngling began their training, the greater their control over their state of mind.

It was for this reason the council was so hesitant to admit Anakin Skywalker at age nine.

For some galactic citizens, the practice of initiating children was... controversial.

In nearly every case, the order received permission from the parents of the child before collecting them from their homeworld. That being said... the circumstances in which the child was extracted were often subject to scrutiny.

Occasionally, at some point down the line, a parent grew to lament their decision... and the waters muddied.

Regardless, the vast majority of Jedi within the temple had little concept of family... at least in the traditional sense.

Robbing them of the bond between a parent and child was a necessary act to strengthen their discipline.

That was the consensus.

Perhaps something important was lost along the way.

And perhaps some made do... in their own way.

A Few Months Later

Zevon

'It was my shatterpoint, but that's just it... right?'

'It was mine...'

'Not the galaxy's.'

It seemed that every day, Burst was more and more right.

Did I really expect to change the course of a war, alone?

More importantly, the trade did bother me, but...

It didn't feel like failure.

'Why?'

I knew the answer, or... I thought I did.

'Maybe the win was all that mattered to me.'

I glared fiercely at the mirror, revolted.

That aside though, it wasn't like my personal feelings about the situation held any weight.

Every time I woke up, I felt more and more strongly that Burst was right.

Ending the clone wars... had never been on the table.

Or at least... the switch to decide so had always been deliberately out of reach.

Adi

Desolation. Darkness. Emptiness.

Cold.

I was alone...

Incarcerated in a prison of my dreams.

Again.

The same barren nightmare... which time was it? I'd lost track.

As usual, the sharp knives of frigidity assailed my skin for a while, eventually dissipating as I was embraced by numbness.

I wandered the gray prison aimlessly, intentionally avoiding the inevitable for as long as possible.

Yet, just as before, I eventually meandered to the outskirts of my prison.

The further I strayed from the center, the more I sensed fluctuations in the labyrinth's air currents.

Unsettling fluctuations... as well as unpleasant, distant sounds.

"Shoooooooooooooooooooooooo."

The faint whistle of wind.

"Tap."

"Tap."

"Tap."

Three footsteps, and then suddenly... I stood before it.

A cell.

No bars this time.

Instead, a door.

"Rap. Rap. Rap."

Muffled knocks echoed from the other side, and I pictured the small hands delivering such feeble cries for help.

"Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap."

The endless knocking filled my mind to the brim, overwriting all of my other thoughts.

"Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap."

I slumped to the frozen floor, my back to the door... my palms smothering my pitiful face.

Powerless to help even myself.

"Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap. Rap."

My eyes opened, hesitantly... but a veil of darkness still obscured my view.

My hands. I swiftly lifted them off my face.

I awoke, not in a cold sweat, but in an apprehensive daze.

The usual tasks came to mind: read my holomail, organize my things, polish my saber hilt, inspect my starfighter... yet my strong impulse to finish them was strangely absent.

I had to get up, I had to get moving...

I couldn't bring myself to leave my bed for almost thirty minutes.

After a long while of staring at the ceiling - wherein I eventually realized I had to meet Zevon at the meditation chambers at 7:30 - I jumpstarted my engines and hurried through getting ready.

"Pssshhhew!"

"Why do you think a lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi?" I posed, my saber flooding the chamber with light.

"Because they're cool?" my padawan responded sarcastically, fidgeting with his padawan braid. "No, I mean... I don't know. Do you think Jedi and weapons really go together in the first place? ...Not that I'm complaining."

"Yes, well... you may have a point there." I admitted, staring at the blue plasma with uncertainty. "Should combat be one of our duties? Especially under... these circumstances."

"Continue, Master, continue." Zevon pushed, steering me back on topic. "You did have an answer, right?"

"Because light that rends flesh and melts earth must only enter the hands of those who use it as a last resort." I stated reflexively. "Jedi. That's what I was going to say, only now... it feels almost arrogant."

"Oh? Yeah, I get that." Zevon remarked, contemplating the idea with skepticism. "Can't remember the last time I studied diplomacy."

"Sssshhhkk."

"The deadliest weapon, yet the deepest restraint. That's how I rationalized it when I was younger." I finished, retracting the blade. "When I was younger..."

"Was that during your philosophical phase?" my apprentice snorted. "Sorry, sorry..."

"If you can't entertain your purpose or duty in this order..." I voiced snidely in return. "...Maybe a change of career path is in order."

Strangely, the comment silenced my padawan for a moment.

Ah, of course... he also had his doubts. I should've expected as much.

Experiencing the existential fluctuations of life was natural for someone of Zevon's age... as natural as a juvenile octowhale struggling to navigate the vast oceans of Mon Cala.

Fluctuations.

...Someone of my wisdom should've already been set in their conviction.

"...Well, can you entertain heading down to Durasteel Strength in say..." Zevon trailed off, checking the time. "...Thirty minutes?"

"That, my padawan..." I chuckled, cracking a smile. "Is very easy to rationalize."

Acclamating to daily physical training - specifically, strength training typically unfamiliar to a Jedi Knight - had been a collosal task.

I was finally starting to fully enjoy it. The daily challenge, the incremental improvement, the small yet noticeable changes...

'Enjoying it isn't important. That's not what this is about.' I reminded myself, passing through the imposing gate with Zevon.

Our flowing brown robes earned us the usual inquisitive glances from Durasteel Strength's patrons.

As much as I'd hardened to the workouts, adapting to the synchronous fluctuations in my conscious was less straightforward.

The rush of adrenaline, the sudden emergence and subsequent heightening of thoughts and feelings I couldn't contain...

All of these things made it so hard to keep my focus.

"Clank!"

I touched a weighted bar to my chest - one hundred kilograms exactly - and brought it up again.

"Clank!"

I repeated the motion, over and over... until my pectorals burst into flames. I gritted my teeth - feeling my chest burn - and the disastrous events that had occurred over the past few months invaded my thoughts.

"Clank!"

Master Kenobi's decisive tone as he revealed a nigh-impossible revelation...

'Master Yoda insists it. Darth Maul... he lives. I'm who he wants, so I'm going alone.'

"Clank!"

My old master's raspy voice... calling to me as several temple guards dragged his half-dead body toward the temple infirmary.

'I barely survived... unfortunately, so did he.'

"Clank!"

Grandmaster Yoda, a being with infinite wisdom, yet limited power to push back against the questionable wishes of the galactic senate.

'To bargain with Grievous, the Senate has chosen. A mistake, I fear this is.'

A mistake, I knew it was.

The blasted Senate... they traded General Grievous - an instrumental key in ending the war - for some meager territory and a few high-ranking political prisoners.

...My padawan's great gift to the Republic, tossed aside like useless scrap.

"Clank!"

What a waste.

Fascinatingly, Zevon didn't seemed too troubled by it. Though, I'd spotted fresh pessimism in his blank expression when I broke the news to him.

"Clank!"

Seven... just one more to end the set.

Regrettably, when I brought the weight down for a final push, much like a faulty lightsaber.... my strength flickered out, and I was left squirming on the durasteel bench with the bar constricting my airflow.

That was the state Zevon and the gargatuan droid discovered me in.

Quite embarassing.

"Wow. Hold on a second, let me pretend to be surprised..." HK-74 sighed electronically, facepalming. "Frail-body-Adi does it again."

Zevon

My master and I finished our workout session, and as we exited Luca ambushed me with the usual spiel about his poor, sick sister. He grumbled when he recognized me.

We strolled through CoCo town, as we always did, when a certain landmark caught Master Gallia's eye.

A familiar one.

It'd been over a year, but I still remembered it: the ruins of a complex.

A collapsed entryway and a beheaded staircase, crumbled steps scattered around the base like disembodied vertebrae.

"Remember this place? You should know what it is by now." Master Gallia stated. "After all, I caught you sticking your nose in my book."

Finally. Unexpected, but she finally brought it up.

The first mention of her book since sending me off on that illusory journey to Mortis.

"I only had time to skim through it." I admitted unapologetically. "But I think I know."

"Then... guess away." she welcomed, flinching slightly.

"Is it your home?" I deduced, thinking it was obvious.

"It could've been." she responded simply. "'Make us proud...' those are the last words she left to me... my mother."

"What happened to them? Did they... die?" I asked cautiously, my gaze sweeping over the ruins. "Your family I mean."

"My father's health declined over the years, or so I was told." my master explained blankly. "But no, they left."

I should've expected as much. My master was born from a family well-known for their diplomacy skills, the same as her cousin Master Allie. Her family probably lived a nomadic lifestyle.

"Ah, so where are they now?" I laughed, relaxed again. "Probably Tholoth, yeah? Do you ever check on them?"

"No. They never moved back to Tholoth." Master Gallia muttered, glaring into my eyes without warning. "They joined the separatists, along with a political group that opposed the current Tholothian senator."

"They defected...?" I remarked, unsurprised but sympathetic. "That's... why are you telling me, anyway?"

"Don't you see?! Because it doesn't make any sense!" my master insisted, conflicted. "'Make us proud...' why would she say that, why would she let me go if she didn't believe in our cause?"

"She sent you away a long time ago." I pointed out logically. "Something must have changed."

"A hypothesis I've also considered." Master Gallia concurred. "Still, it's just a theory without confirmation. I've thought it over constantly, even though I know I shouldn't wonder..."

"Quit it with that." I snapped.

"What...?!" my master exclaimed, bewildered.

"My apologies, Master..." I sighed, taking a deep breath. "'I shouldn't do this,' 'I shouldn't do that...' 'I can't,' 'I shouldn't...'"

I droned on and on, yapping with the most mocking tone I could muster.

"...It's not wrong to wonder."

A firm declaration.

After making my point, I carefully observed her reaction.

"Ah."

Her expression was blank, unreadable... the oceans in her eyes dead calm.

"From your point of view, at least..." Master Gallia finally remarked.

The dryness of her tone convinced me that I'd failed to crack her shell.

She flipped around, the folds of her cloak forming a smokescreen to any further prying. With our dialogue concluded, we resumed our trek to the hovertrain.

While fidgeting with my padawan braid, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a twinkle of light in the corner of my master's eye.

A miniscule droplet of moisture, barely the hint of a tear.

The warm, easing type that stemmed from gratitude.

I silently shook my head in disbelief, but my heart was content.

Our daily routines diverged for a few hours. My master went off to perform her - yawn - council duties, I joined Burst at the barracks for a crash-course on blaster basics and gunplay.

Later, at the temple courtyard...

"There you are."

Out of nowhere, I heard my master's voice.

I zeroed in on her voice's point of origin, and promptly spotted Master Kenobi next to her.

"Are you going alone, then...?" my master remarked formally. "To search for Maul?"

"...And his brother, Savage." Master Kenobi responded gravely. "Another temple was attacked, and I intend to investigate a distress signal activated nearby. It paints an... odd picture."

"Might I join you?" my master requested. "You feel it's your duty to apprehend the one who's slaughtered so many, including your old master. It isn't much, but I feel similar."

"Ah, if I recall correctly... you were rather fond of Qui-gon's lectures." Obi-wan reminisced.

"'Your focus determines your reality.'" Master Gallia quoted whimsically. "Though, I'm starting to believe I misinterpreted his intent with focus..."

"Qui-gon floated in a different star-system than the rest of us." Master Kenobi assured, smiling. "At any rate, I could use the assistance."

"MASTER!!"

I yelled at the top of my lungs, receiving a startled look from everyone in the vicinity.

I dashed to my master's side, but she gave me no sign of acknowledgment.

"Master, I'll go as well." I declared.

"Sorry, Padawan, I know this is sudden." Master Gallia murmured, peering at the polished floor. "No. It's not a mission you're suited for."

"My ass!" I blurted out, glaring at her. "Who's the only one here that actually CAPTURED General Grievous?"

Master Kenobi raised an eyebrow, awkwardly stroking his beard as he watched our spat unfold.

"Then... have you FORTIFIED your whill?!" my master suddenly snapped, thrusting her palm into my face. "We can test that right now, if you'd like."

"Wha-? I... I..." I sputtered, clenching my fist. "No, I haven't. Not yet."

She relaxed her arm, allowing it to fall to her side.

"You had the proper tools and tactics to match Grievous..." Master Gallia explained, wincing with anxiety. "These monsters are Sith. It's a completely different scenario... and I can't bring myself to bring you along."

My stomach swelled with outrage, but I contained it.

"Okay... okay." I groaned, calm persevering. "Bring back a horn for me, from the big guy."

Adi

Obi-wan and I promptly departed, opting to travel in a shuttle.

While leaving the secure embrace of Coruscant's gravity, I experienced an odd sensation.

A slight pull in the force, barely a nudge...

An omen? A warning?

Odd, indeed.

"By the way, your apprentice reminded me of something I'd meant to tell you." Obi-wan brought up suddenly.

"Well, well... I've got a bad feeling about this." I chuckled, slightly on edge.

"A few months ago, Anakin convinced me to put in a request for a holocron from the vault." he revealed ominously.

"You say 'convinced' like that's not perfectly normal activity." I stated, emotionless.

"Forgive me, I've learned to be wary of these things with Anakin... and I still haven't divulged the contents of the holocron." Obi-wan pushed. "Anyway, I was suspicious, as we just established. When I watched him bestow the holocron to another, I was shocked to identify the recipient as none another than your apprentice."

"So, he's hiding things from me." I laughed softly. "And I thought I was the one just starting to open up."

"The holocron contained-" he started.

"The knowledge of form VII, Vaapad." I interjected.

"Yes, exactly. That's what it was." Obi-wan winced. "I only thought you had a right to know."

"I appreciate the tip-off." I thanked, feigning peace of mind. "He's a still a boy, and one forced to mature now at that. I assume this sort of thing is common?"

"I'm not sure Anakin and I are the best example... so I'm not the right person to ask." the bearded master conceded. "Maybe you and I received the outliers."

"Perhaps." I concurred, sighing. "You know your old pupil very well, it seems. More than you let on."

"Anakin is rather awful at being secretive, though he believes the opposite." Obi-wan chuckled, a sprinkle of melancholy mixed with his amusement. "He thinks that if I don't bring it up, I didn't notice."

"Then, confront him... otherwise, how will he ever know?" I insisted, seeing the obvious. "You may be doing him a disservice by letting your concerns fall by the wayside."

"If only it were that simple." Obi-wan groaned, exhaling the fatigue of ten years.

Zevon

"You could've just... stowed away." Ahsoka proposed, attempting to sound discrete. "Y'know... not that I've ever tried it."

"Kssshhh!" "Kssshhh!" "Ksssshhhh!" "Kssshhhhh!"

Ahsoka's twin sabers were swift and erratic. Parrying her blows was excellent practice.

"You're right, that would've be a good idea... if I had no respect for my master." I snorted. "We have a mutual trust."

"Anakin tells me otherwise..." Ahsoka sang melodically. "You've been keeping secrets, haven't you Zevon?"

"Kssshhhh!" "Kssshhh!" nnNNNNNN!"

One of her slashes finally screeched past my guard, courtesy of the conversation.

With that, we lowered our weapons... taking a breather.

"Sssshhhhkk!"

"Ssshkk!"

"Ssshhk!"

"Honestly, fair. You got me." I smirked sheepishly, recalling my indigo blade. "...Maybe we're not as straightforward as you two."

"...But you think she's right." Ahsoka pushed further, her sarcastic expression blooming into warm sincerity.

"I'm not happy about it, but I trust her judgement." I sighed, mildly disgruntled. "She's not really one to shield me from danger, and her reasoning made sense."

...

"Ahsoka..." I murmured, guilt a dash of guilt stewing in my stomach. "Do you hide things from Anakin?"

"Well, there was that time I lost my lightsaber... you remember." she chattered nervously. "Aside from that, no... not usually. I'm not someone who has much to hide."

...

Ahsoka waited an eternity for me to respond, eventually breaking the silence herself with perceptive insight.

"You feel bad for learning the form behind her back?"

"Yeah, I... ughh. It... it was easy at first, but then she started revealing her secrets." I admitted, stumped. "So, now it's eating away at me."

"It's fine to have some things you keep to yourself." Ahsoka assured me. "For kriff's sake... Anakin makes sure I never learn anything about his past."

"Really?" I sputtered, perplexed. "Huh."

"This is really weighing on you, though... so just tell her when she returns." Ahsoka insisted, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. "I'm sure Master Gallia will understand... well, after a few cold remarks anyway..."

Adi

"The distress signal is coming from here: the Meridian sector..." Obi-wan declared, preparing for our arrival out of hyperspace. "Cybloc system."

"It is close enough to the earlier attack." I observed, mentally analyzing the possible trajectory.

"I have a feeling it's them." Obi-wan uttered gravely.

Upon inspecting the origin of the signal - a private space station managed by an affluent Snivvian - we verified our hunch.

Security droid corpses were strewn throughout the hallways... melted, mangled, and severed.

For a moment, as I inspected the decapitated head of one of the fallen robots... I mistakenly identified horror embedded in its frozen face.

Perhaps the metal was simply that reflective.

There was only one droid survivor.

"They ought to be flush." the Snivvian owner rambled. "Chips were all unlocked, no way to trace 'em. All done by two of the crabbiest Zabraks this side of the Hydian."

"They were alone?" Obi-wan asked politely, assuming his natural role as negotiator.

"Yup, yup..." the owner confirmed, scratching his head. "What were they, a couple of Jedi gone rogue or something?"

Obi-wan and I exchanged a look.

"They're not Jedi." my ally proclaimed.

"Do me a favor. Spark up that lightsaber, would you?" the Snivvian requested.

"Pssshhhew!"

Obi-wan obliged, birthing blue light that flooded the hallway.

"Mmhm." the owner grumbled, unsurprised. "Well, the droids that got attacked said that theirs were red."

In an instant, our ninety nine percent certainty rose to a hundred.

"They are Sith, and we need to find them before they strike again." Obi-wan declared.

"Well, they took my cargo ship." the owner shrugged. "The droid survivor said they heard something about the Sertar sector."

Suddenly, Obi-wan inhaled a deep, irked breath.

With all useful information extracted, Obi-wan and I gave the Snivvian our gratitude before taking our dialogue elsewhere.

"What is in the Sertar sector?" I inquired, unfamiliar with the region.

"That's where Florrum is." Obi-wan muttered, displeased.

"What can we expect?" I pried further.

"Pirates." he stated.

...

Indeed, Florrum. Home to the infamous pirate king...

Hondo Ohnaka.

"Adi, from this point onward, nothing is guaranteed... especially our survival." Obi-wan proclaimed gravely. "You don't have to follow me further... and you heard Master Windu, this is completely unrelated to the war."

"Good, I'm rather fed up with military matters anyway." I interjected, unfazed by the danger. "This is more... simple."

"Maul is very powerful... and his brother is a monster." Obi-wan warned again.

"If a Jedi can't find time to track down Sith, and bring them to justice..." I declared, resolute. "Then this republic is truly finished."

"Agreed..." Obi-wan concurred, now smiling. "Then let us bring them to justice."

Soon, I heaved our shuttle back into hyperspace.

The blue of lightspeed scattered an eerie glow throughout the shuttle cockpit.

This jump, there was no casual conversation. No lighthearted chatter.

Obi-wan and I simply sat still, sedated... collecting our thoughts.

Sorting them out...

Finding our composure within a heap of regrets.

Calm was a necessity for the coming battle.

'These monsters are Sith.'

That was an understatement.

The trail they left reeked of the dark side.

Now that I'd witnessed the ruin left in the wake of the Sith nightbrothers... nothing seemed certain.

Still, they had to be stopped. Now that we had the chance, backing out was out of the question.

How many more would be slaughtered if we did?

...Suddenly, jaded thoughts assaulted my mind.

Say we succeeded, capturing the brothers. What then? After Grievous, it seemed that any sort of victory would inevitably be overturned and rendered null.

Perhaps a win here would turn out the same.

...Maybe so, but that didn't matter.

I had to do it anyway. I had to, even if I...

Even if...

'And leave your student behind?'

Burst's accusatory words replayed.

'No, Burst.' I affirmed to myself. 'I don't plan to. Not yet.'

...

As we infiltrated Florrum's atmosphere, descending into an unknown fate, Obi-wan and I had eyes only for the mission.

Through the force, we had a silent understanding.

An acceptance of possible consequences.

The bleak, barren planet was of the arid type... unremarkable. Once you visited so many desert planets, they all blended together in your memory.

'Jedha...' I suddenly recalled.

Our first mission.

'Focus, Adi.'

Obi-wan set our course for Hondo's territory, the likely location of our targets.

"May the force be with you." I told my longtime colleague.

"And you as well." Obi-wan reciprocated

The sandy surface grew larger and larger, black and gray dots enlarging into buildings and vehicles.

Glowing pricks of red sprouted into blaster bolts.

From the skies, the pirate faction appeared to in a state of infighting.

Spotting the Snivvian's lost cargo ship, Obi-wan started the landing sequence.

No visible sign of the Sith.

We hurried outside, rushing down the landing ramp...

And I laid eyes on the fiendish Zabrak brothers for the first time.

Evidently sighting our arrival, they had already charged our position.

"Pssshhhew!"

"Pssshhhew!" "Pssshhhew!"

Three ignitions. Three screaming blades of scarlet plasma.

Darth Maul scowled as he spotted his ultimate adversary, his shadowy facial markings distorting his crimson skin. He wielded a simple crimson saber.

The revived Sith sported a pair of spindly metal legs that bolstered his stature immensely, though they had no visible mechanism holding them together.

Savage Opress stood beside him, a hefty double-bladed lightsaber in hand. Even without his brother's metal augments, he was almost as tall.

Savage Opress.

A name so on-the-nose I wanted to let out a snicker.... it was too silly. Anyone would've laughed at such a name.

But when the seven foot tall, monstrous Zabrak leered down at you, suddenly it wasn't funny anymore.

Within the impenetrable vault wherein I'd locked my emotions... fear banged against the walls.

"Throwing in with pirates now?" Obi-wan jeered, cool and collected. "Oh, how the might Sith have fallen."

"Pssshhew!"

"Pssshhew!"

"Kssshhhh!"

"Kssshhhhh!"

Our blue blades burst forth from our hilts, and Maul was already upon us, focusing primarily on Obi-wan.

"NNNNNNNN!"

"Ksssshhhh!"

I evaded a fatal swipe by dropping my head, and Obi-wan intercepted the attack with his own blade shortly after.

Maul's thirst for retribution was beyond my expectations. Within his bloodshot, yellow eyes, I saw only sickening voracity for his enemy... Kenobi.

Nothing could stop his desire to do battle with him. Despite my intention to stay beside my ally, we were quickly separated.

"KSSSSSSHHHH!"

A single strike from Opress left a bad taste in my mouth.

Even with the months of strenuous physical training I'd endured... there was no contesting the dathomirian berserker's brutish blows.

Lightsaber Form III, Soresu: Skyscraper

"KSSSSHHH!"

"KSSSSSSHHHHH!!"

"KSSSSHHHHHH!"

I gradually gave up ground, eventually stepping off the edge of a cliff.

Obi-wan and I leapt below simultaneously, taking the battle into a pirate encampment rife with shoddy canvas tenst and heaps of scrap.

"KSSSHHHH!"

"I have plans, Kenobi..." Maul hissed from afar, striking Obi-wan's guard again with a heavy overhead slash. "And you will not stand in my way this time..."

"KSSSSHHHHHHH!"

Maul branched off further, clashing with Obi-wan.

I was left alone with the brute.

His laser 'sword' was more of a 'club,' a perfect complement to his barbaric fighting style.

Although brimming with talent, the rogue Sith Lord had refined none of it, resorting to crude, unpolished brutality.

"KSSSSSHHHEWWW!" "KSSSSSHHHHHEW!"

Yet, my disdainful criticism did nothing to weaken his blows. Even with a two-handed grip, my wrists shuddered through every parry.

Guarding a strike was like stopping a runaway light cruiser.

"NNNNNNNNNNN!"

I flipped my head to the side, avoiding a scarlet half-moon that slashed mere millimeters above my cheek.

"NNNNNN!" "NNNNNNNNNNN!"

"KSSSHH!" "KSsssh!" "Ksssshh!"

Lightsaber Form III, Soresu: Skyscraper

"KSSSHHHH!"

My pride struggled to admit it, but my nimble, refined swordplay was outclassed.

"KSSSSHHHHHHHH!" "KSSSSHHH!"

Lightsaber Form III, Soresu: Glacial Flow

Broken by sheer brutality.

"KSSSHHHHHH!"

Lightsaber Form III, Soresu: Ghost Viper's Visage

"KSSSSHHHHH!" "KSSSSHHHHH!"

Not only was he powerful, his stamina seemed unending.

"Huff... huff..."

I panted, frantically fending off his absurd physicality.

In my breathless stupor, I couldn't help but draw frightening comparisons between Opress and Grievous.

Both were brutes, raw in their combat. However... for all of the droid general's physical intensity, Opress was even stronger.

And... I sensed something darker in his psyche... a poison constantly informing his actions.

Nightsister witchcraft, surely.

Whatever dark magicks lay within him, Savage Opress was a feral beast... deadly and volatile.

"KSSSHHHHH!" "KSSSSSHHHHH!" "KSSSSHHHHH!"

As I struggled against him, barely holding out against the maelstrom of cleaves and slices, I called forth every defensive technique I'd ever learned.

Lightsaber Form I, Shii-Cho: Timeless Tree

A balanced, stable stance.

Lightsaber Form III, Soresu: Skyscraper

Robust, yet flexible movement.

Lightsaber Form VI, Niman: Boundary Layer

Telekinetic impact mitigation.

Lightsaber Form III, Soresu: Looking Glass

Redirection of an opponent's momentum.

Lightsaber Form IV, Ataru: Slipstream

Nimble, evasive acrobatics.

Lightsaber Form II, Makashi: Ichorous Kyber

Slippery, liquid-like technique.

Lightsaber Form III, Soresu: Ghost Viper's Visage

Swift, deceptive bladework primarily composed of feints.

Lightsaber Form V, Shien: Backlash

Effective utilization of terrain.

Everything. Every form but one.

All my skills, all my strategies...

My life's ambition.

'Why?' my inner voice interrupted, momentarily breaking my focus.

"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"

I leaned back, my chin barely slipping below the red plasma as it beheaded my afterimage.

Why indeed.

Decades of deliberate focus, desperately honing my blade.

Why? For what? For who?

For the faint memory of my mother, ever fainter by the day?

No.

For my old master, in the hope of finally gaining his approval?

What an insane delusion.

I obediently followed all of his his rules, catered to his wishes for years... but even when I sat next to him on the council, he wasn't impressed.

I never reached his heights.

I never even reached the heights of Anakin Skywalker.

"NNNNNNNNNN!"

The next cleave passed directly above my gaze.

The flicker of plasma half-blinded me, tainting the rims of my eyesight red...

Shaken, a face flashed in my mind.

'Zevon...'

My heart sank.

'What did I really teach you?'

'I focused far too much on teaching you how to fight...'

...

Did I instruct him as a proper student?

...Or simply as a vessel to overcome my failures?

...

'I didn't teach you enough about the galaxy, how to live in it...'

Indeed.

...

'What to fight for...'

...

'How to be a Jedi...'

Unfortunately...

I couldn't teach what I didn't learn myself.

Lightsaber Form IV, Ataru: Slipstream

"NNNNNNNNNN!" "NNNN!" "NNNNN!"

I weaved through a triad of brutal swings, vanishing into the wind with ease.

"KSSHHH!"

I parried an upswing, and then backflipped onto a canvas pavilion.

"Hhrrrgh!"

Opress grunted, leaning back while priming his saber arm...

"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"

"Tap! Tap! Tap!"

"SSSSHHHKKKKSSSHHHH!"

I jumped just as the flung saber took out the tent's ankles.

I soared over the red disc of death, falling into several rapid handsprings that put distance between us.

'Focus.'

By decree of my newfound resolve, dying here was unacceptable.

"Kssshhhh!" "Kssshhhh!"

Two effortless parries.

"NNNNNNNNN!" "NNNNNN!" "NNNNNN!"

Right, left, diagonal...

Three expert weaves.

Now to bring him to his knees.

Lightsaber Form VI, Niman: Thunderclap

"CRACK!"

Whirling into a force-enhanced kick, my boot smashed into the side of the Sith's knee, a weak point that held true for all humanoid crea-

"Rrrggghhh!"

Savage Opress bore down on me, unfazed.

My veil of composure instantly disintegrated.

"KSSSSHHHH!" "KSSSSSHHHHH!"

Though discouraged, I guarded two cleaves, but the second one surprised me with its power...

He caught me off-balance, targeting me with his palms, his hate spawned a violent burst of telekinetic energy.

I quickly rushed to defend, but not quickly enough.

"CRASH!"

The force push ripped me from my footing, and I flew several meters before crashing into the hull of a scrapped cruiser.

Disoriented, my focus lagged for a split second.

The daze lingered long enough that when my focus returned, and I spotted Opress's reckless, headlong charge...

I was too late to dodge.

Danger!

"Shhlickkk!"

His crown of jagged horns rammed into my torso, puncturing my gut... and splintering my ribcage soon after.

"Euugghhh.."

A wisp of agony escaped my lungs.

Opress removed his horns from my torso, standing back up.

I cradled the wound for a moment - blood oozing through the crevices between my fingers - and then crumpled onto dirt.

My vision flashed white, pain exploding throughout my body...

Then, without warning, everything plunged into darkness.

"NO!"

"SSSSHHHHHK!"