Yish awoke to the sound of rain pelting down onto the hard stone outside the cave entrance. She lifted herself up into a sitting position and groggily stared at the world outside the cave. The rain was pouring down mercilessly while flashes of lightning repeatedly split the gray sky and deep thunder rolled over the landscape. As she stared out at the gloomy picture, her memories of that morning began to surface. She smiled as she remembered the experiences and sensations, and a deep warmth began to spread throughout her body. But her joy was immediately tainted by the deeper realization of what she had done.

She had broken one of the Jedi Order’s most cardinal rules. Jedi were not supposed to have emotional attachments, they clouded one’s judgment and led to pain and suffering, which in turn led to the Dark Side. What she and Kayle had done went far beyond emotional attachment, they were bonded now, she had felt it that first time. Sorrow and despair swept over her as she realized that she might never become a Jedi now, certainly not if the Council or any of the other masters found out what she had done. She could almost see the supreme disappointment on Master Neeman’s face when he found out. Even if she and Kayle could keep their relationship a secret, the fact that she was a hypocrite would plague her the rest of her days.

Her body felt weak and her heart fluttered as she slowly realized what she had to do, it was the only option that offered redemption of any kind. Just then Kayle stirred beside her, and her heart leaped with apprehension as she was confronted with the exact situation she had only just now realized was inevitable. Seeing her sitting up, Kayle moved in behind her and kissed her neck, wrapping one arm around her waist. She removed it, and spoke in as gentle a tone as she could muster, struggling to keep her voice steady.

“Kayle-”

“What? What is it?” He asked, genuine concern in his voice. Yish took in and blew out a shaky breath, still trying to prepare herself. “Yish what’s wrong?” Kayle pleaded, sensing her intense discomfort.

“Kayle, we can’t do this.”

“What do you mean?” Kayle asked, his voice higher in pitch. His own uneasiness and dread amplifying Yisheera’s as she sensed it through the Force bond between them.

“We can’t be together.”

“What? What in the Force do you mean Yish? Why not?”

“Our relationship flies in the face of everything we’ve been taught.” Yish said emphatically. “Jedi aren’t supposed to become emotionally attached, it leads to the Dark Side.” Kayle stared at her in complete shock and utter disbelief, then a look that Yish had never seen before flashed across his features, and she felt a tremor in the Force that left a deep sense of foreboding in her spirit.

“Says the woman who came onto ME last night.” He said, an undercurrent of anger in his tone.

“I know.” Yisheera admitted, hanging her head. “Trust me, that mistake will haunt me forever.”

“So that’s all this was to you?” Kayle shouted, making no effort to hide his outrage, “A mistake? An error in judgment? You feel nothing at all?!” Yisheera delayed her answer for a moment, considering what outcomes her answers could produce. After a long moment of consideration, she knew what she had to say. Even though it went against everything her body, mind, and heart were telling her was right, she defied them and said it.

“Yes.”

Kayle’s silence didn’t scare her as much as the abrupt coldness that was suddenly transmitted through the nascent Force bond. She shivered involuntarily, and after a long moment Kayle got up and walked deeper into the cave, vanishing into the dark.

Yish sat there in silence, staring at the rain, feeling more lonely and heartbroken than she knew she had any right to be. A single tear fell from her eye, then another followed suit, and the dam broke. Within moments, the rain falling outside the cave was reflected by a rain of salty tears falling inside it.

__________

Yish was preparing for the infiltration of House Thul when Kayle finally emerged from the depths of the cave. His face was as hard as stone, and Yish could feel his simmering anger towards her. She chose to remain silent and allow him to completely ignore her as she continued prepping. When everything was ready, without a word to each other, the two Jedi began the long descent down the mountain face towards House Thul.

The rain made for tough going, as formerly perfect handholds and footholds became dangerously slippery and visibility was significantly reduced, but with the help of the Force, the Jedi made it to a position where they could execute a Force-assisted leap over the wall and into the estate. By staying low and sticking to the shadows, using the Force to disguise their presence as best they could, they managed to make it inside the building Yish had identified days earlier as the best access point to the dungeons.

In total silence they navigated the largely abandoned halls with eerie synchronicity, what few guards were on duty they easily avoided. A nagging little voice in the back of Yish’s mind told her that something was wrong, that this was too easy, but she pushed the thoughts away and stubbornly focused on the plan.

Eventually, they reached the entrance to the Thul dungeons and found two guards on duty outside the door. Yish removed her lightsaber from her belt, and the two Jedi sprang from cover and were on their targets in a flash, Yish’s opponent managed to squeeze off several shots from his blaster rifle before she sliced it apart with two swift strokes and sank the hilt of her lightsaber into his temple. The man groaned and collapsed to the ground like a sack of dirt. Kayle’s opponent wasn’t so lucky, he was lifted off his feet before he could even fire a single shot, invisible hands vising themselves around his neck and squeezing. He gasped quietly as his throat closed, making it impossible to even scream. Just when he was about to pass out, Kayle made a swift turning motion with his outstretched hand, and the man’s head violently rotated 180 degrees with a moist ‘crack’.

Yish turned back to stare at him in horror, but Kayle was already pushing past her and into the dungeons. After a moment of staring in shock at the corpse, Yish followed. The first few rooms they passed were empty, but soon they sensed the presence of other Jedi in the cells. Yish made a note to come back for them later as they rushed deeper into the dungeon, searching for the one Jedi that had been their reason for coming here in the first place.

They soon found him, locked away in his cell in the deepest part of the dungeon. Kayle ripped the barred hatch off of its hinges with uncanny strength, and Yish leaped down to the hunched, robed figure sitting just on the edge of the light.

“Master! Master Neeman!” The figure stiffened and its head turned. Master Neeman’s gray beard and piercing blue eyes settled on Yisheera, and she felt briefly overjoyed at seeing him again. “Come on master, there isn’t much time, we have to go!” She rushed to his side and began pulling him to his feet. He wordlessly obeyed, slowly getting up as if he hadn’t used his legs in days. Once he was on his feet and took a few tentative steps however, he seemed to warm up to the idea of walking quickly. Yish cut through his Force suppression cuffs with her lightsaber, and one Force leap through the oculus in the ceiling later the three Jedi were running back down the hall they had come from.

Yisheera stopped at the first prison cell they came to that housed a Jedi prisoner and sliced the command console. After freeing the surprised Jedi, Yish asked;

“Can you help free the others?”

A wordless nod, and Yish hurriedly gave instructions about where the other Jedi were imprisoned before sending the woman on her way. Along their way out of the dungeon they freed several more Jedi, many of which remained in the dungeons to free the other prisoners and create a jailbreak.

The trio rushed past the corpse of the Thul soldier Kayle had killed, the place where the other soldier had lain now empty. Just then, an alarm sounded, filling the gilded halls of House Thul with a horrible screeching noise. As the Jedi fled towards the exit, they kept encountering squads of Thul troopers led by one or more Sith. The first few squads were dealt with in short order, but squads started grouping up to form larger companies and began herding them through the corridors.

With no option left but to run, the three allowed themselves to be herded into the throne room, which was empty except for the legions of Thul guards and their Sith commanders pouring in from every entrance. With the three Jedi surrounded in the center of the room, the guards cocked their rifles and trained their sights on them to ensure they made no sudden moves.

“Well, well, well.” Came a familiar voice from above them. Darth Imperious leaped off of the overhanging balcony a full story up, landing lightly in the center of the throne room.

“I knew you would come to rescue your master but I didn’t think you’d make such a mess while you were at it.”

Yish desperately wanted to retort but was so full of fear and anger that she couldn’t summon up coherent words to say.

“Nonetheless I expected something similar, your recently freed Jedi friends will be dead or recaptured within the hour, and as for you my friends…” he drew closer as he spoke, “you will have the honor of being the first enemies of Alderaan that I officially execute as king.”

“Let us go Thul!” Yish shouted, Imperious laughed.

“Or what? In case you haven’t noticed I hold all the cards here.” He paused and seemed thoughtful. “Actually, you do have something I want.” He smiled wickedly. “Both of you submit to me and become my apprentices, and I will let your master go.” Yish stared at the Sith in shock, and for just a moment she actually considered making the deal.

Just then, an explosive wave of kinetic power burst out from Master Neeman, passing harmlessly over Yish and Kayle and sending nearly every soldier and Sith in the room flying like paper toys caught in a strong wind. Dozens of enemy soldiers hit the walls with loud noises that indicated they wouldn’t be getting up again, and all but the hardiest of the Sith were sent reeling and tumbling backwards. Imperious and several of the more powerful Sith commanders remained standing, having cast Force barriers around themselves moments before impact.

“Kayle, your lightsaber.” Master Neeman said, his hand outstretched. Wordlessly and without objection, Kayle handed it over. The green blade ignited in the Jedi Master’s hand, and he faced down Imperious with a confidence and stoicism that spoke of a thousand battles won, a million foes defeated.

“This is your last chance Sith.” Master Neeman said. “Surrender, or die.” Imperious grinned wolfishly.

“It is you who will die, Jedi.” He snarled, unleashing his growling, crimson blade. Master Neeman turned his head to the two padawans, indicating a now-open hallway leading away from the throne room.

“Run.” He said.

“But master-” Yish started to say but he cut her off.

“Run!” He said authoritatively. “And don’t you dare come back!” Yish wanted to protest but Kayle grabbed her arm and began dragging her towards the door Master Neeman had indicated. When she reluctantly began running on her own, Kayle fell a little behind, his eyes scanning the room. When he found what he was searching for, an outstretched hand called the black-handled lightsaber lying near the unmoving body of one of the fallen Sith into his own palm, and he placed it on his belt as he turned to follow after Yisheera.

Master Neeman had already turned his attention back to Imperious, his blue eyes filled with steely resolve. “Now Thul,” he said with icy calm, “let’s finish what we started in House Organa.” Imperious laughed.

“With pleasure.”

Imperious took off running and leaped at Master Neeman, his blade raised to execute a heavy downward strike. Instead of blocking it, Master Neeman simply vanished, Imperious’s blade striking the marble floor. Imperious stood up and looked around for his unseen foe, the other Sith in the room also on high alert for signs of the Jedi Master’s presence. Suddenly, the room echoed with the old man’s laughter.

“What’s the matter boy? Can’t find your enemy in the dark?”

“Come out and face me coward!” Another chuckle.

“I’m too old to be provoked by a challenge to my honor.” Master Neeman’s voice echoed throughout the massive chamber, seeming to come from everywhere at once. “If you want to find me you’ll have to do better than simple taunts.”

Suddenly there was the sound of a lightsaber igniting and a pained grunt. In a flash of green, one of the Sith that was still standing fell to the ground in a heap, a large lightsaber wound across his body. Imperious’s eyes darted around the room and caught another glimpse of the green flash as another Sith fell. He hurled his lightsaber at the place he presumed the old Jedi would be but his blade cut only through empty air. Realizing he was going to lose what advantage he had if he didn’t act quickly, Imperious reached into the storage pack on his belt and produced a pyramidal artifact. Focusing on it, he began to channel it’s power and the object floated in the air in front of him of its own accord.

In another flash, another of the Sith went down, and the fear and terror of the remaining three had become a palpable presence. Imperious fed on it as he continued to channel the power of the artifact. Suddenly, a gray aura surrounded the remaining three Sith, and they all clutched their heads and shrieked in agony. The artifact began siphoning their energy directly out of their bodies, drawing it into itself and channeling it back into Imperious.

Suddenly Master Neeman appeared from nowhere and charged the Sith Lord, having realized what was happening. He was thrown back by a powerful Force wave that burst from Imperious as the artifact channeled the last of the gathered energy into its owner. Imperious glowed with a red aura and wisps of shadowy darkness drifted off of him like tendrils of smoke. His eyes shone blood red, and when he spoke his voice was distorted and reverberated on its own.

“Ahh yes…I’ve never felt such POWER!” He emphasized the last word by unleashing a Force wave that staggered his opponent, allowing him to close the gap between them and engage in martial combat. Who was the superior swordsman quickly became evident as they battled, with the old Jedi Master struggling to even keep up with Imperious. Most of the Sith Lord’s strikes were blocked with bare hands wrapped in the Force or a well-timed localized Force barrier, and soon the Jedi Master was forced into full retreat. He recovered quickly enough however when he managed to deflect a particularly heavy blow and use his foe’s momentary loss of focus to send him reeling with a powerful Force push. This in turn allowed the Jedi to dash away with Force-enhanced speed and put some distance between them.

When Imperious recovered, he was faced with Master Neeman standing halfway across the massive chamber, levitating three large, ovular chunks of marble and stone that had been telekinetically ripped from the floor. The first chunk shot forward, rotating like a drill as it spiraled towards him at high speed. Imperious unleashed a blast of lightning and kinetic Force power that shattered the rock into dozens of smaller pieces that scattered every which way. The second chunk was already following the first however, and Imperious was briefly stunned at the coordination of the attack. His surprise only lasted a moment however, and he leaped from the floor onto the spinning rock, running along its length and leaping from the edge directly towards the final third chunk, which was homing in on him like an AI-guided missile.

Channeling the Dark Side through his lightsaber, he swung the weapon downward and a kinetic wave sprung from the blade, slicing through the stone chunk like a massive scimitar. Imperious followed, flying through the cloven rock and coming down hard on Master Neeman’s lightsaber, which was raised in defense and reinforced by psychokinetic energies. For a moment they stood there, blades crossed, as Imperious channeled the Dark Side of the Force through his body in an attempt to overcome the Jedi’s willpower and the Jedi Master rallied all the willpower he could muster to keep his lightsaber from being driven back into himself.

Then in a flash of movement, the Jedi Master kicked Imperious’s right knee and used the brief distraction to duck out from under the Sith Lord’s squeeze play. Imperious whirled around as Master Neeman moved to end the battle with an overhanded swing that would cleave the king’s head in two, and dived forward under the sweep, driving his lightsaber directly into the old man’s chest.

The lightsaber clattered to the floor, deactivating once it left it wielder’s grip, as Imperious pulled his blade out of his dying foe. He stood back as the old man fell to his knees, then fell onto his face, the light in his blue eyes vanishing as he fell to the floor. The moment that the body would have hit the floor however, it vanished and only the old, dirty, tattered robes struck the cold marble, collapsing into a heap.

Staring in surprise at the filthy bundle of brown cloth, Imperious was struck by a sudden fear. It was impossible that the Jedi could have escaped; he had felt the life leave the Jedi’s body. He poked at the cloth with his foot. It seemed the old fool was simply…gone.

__________

Yish felt Master Neeman’s death the moment it happened, and tears started flowing freely down her cheeks. It became harder to run as her breath came in hiccupping sobs and she eventually stopped altogether, leaning over as the sobs racked her body. He was gone, the man who had raised her, taught her everything she knew, had always been kind to her, and never once lied to her was gone.

She failed to notice Kayle had stopped as well, and was watching her from a little ways ahead in front of the entrance to a side passage. He looked like he was about to say something when something in the passage attracted his attention. He stared in stunned surprise which quickly morphed into fear as he gazed at whatever had drawn his attention, seemingly terrified but rooted to the ground, unable to move.

Suddenly, he seemed to snap back to reality and quickly moved towards Yish, putting his hands on her shoulders and bringing her back up to a standing position. She wiped the tears from her eyes as he spoke, his voice bringing her somewhat out of the deluge of sorrow that had overwhelmed her when she felt Master Neeman’s death.

“Come on,” he said, “we have to keep moving.”

The two Jedi soon reached a small shuttle pad three stories above ground level on which sat a lone shuttle, quite near the edge of the long permacrete platform. The rain was still coming down hard, and thunder pealed across the sky as they ran out into the rain. Kayle, who was closer to the shuttle than Yish, suddenly was stopped dead in his tracks and lifted off of the ground, his feet dangling in the air, his body rotating as it rose so that Yish could see him grasping at the invisible tendrils wrapped around his neck. She felt the familiar presence fall over her, and before turning around she knew exactly who was standing there.

When she saw Darth Imperious standing in the doorway, his one hand raised in a choking motion, his activated red blade in the other, she drew and activated her own lightsaber, the blue blade glowing brightly in the dark night.

“Let him go!” She demanded.

“Join me.” He replied. “Swear your loyalty to me and I will let him live.” Screaming, Yish attacked him. He dropped his free hand, allowing Kayle to fall to the ground as he engaged the furious Jedi padawan in a lightsaber duel. Yish’s furious strokes were wild and unpredictable, but sloppy and careless. Imperious passed up every opportunity that he had to end it however, and eventually simply Force pushed the young Twi’lek several meters away from him.

“Do you really think he cared about you girl?” He said, his face dead serious. “He was a Jedi Master, they don’t care about anyone, not even their own.”

“SHUT UP!” Yish screamed. “He was the only person I cared about in the entire galaxy and YOU TOOK HIM FROM ME!” She tried to charge him again but another Force push sent her tumbling back.

“So he really was the only thing you cared about?” Imperious pressed. “The man you would give up everything for?”

“YES!” Yish screamed, her freely-flowing tears mingling with the rain. She was about to attack again when she noticed that the expression on Imperious’s face changed. Moments before it had been a hardened mask of dismissive pride, but now an entirely new expression painted his face, one that took a moment for Yish to analyze. It was pity, empathy even.

Her rage spiked. She didn’t need or want his pity, she needed to make him suffer like she was suffering! She needed to-

The sound of a lightsaber activating nearby startled her. The noise didn’t nearly startle her as much as the strange sensation of something being terribly wrong with her stomach. She looked down, and was stunned to see a brilliant red blade sprouting from her abdomen like a morbid stalk. For a moment everything was still, then the red blade vanished with the sound of a lightsaber deactivating. It sounded hollow and far away. Yish couldn’t feel anything below her chest, then the numbness spread to her upper body and neck. She felt her body impact the floor and saw the world turn sideways, but she felt no sensation, no pain, no…anything. Her vision began to darken at the edges and the outside world grew increasingly distant. Even the light of the Force, which had been with her constantly since she was youngling, became dimmer. She tried to scream or cry out, but her body wouldn’t obey her, in fact she felt as if she were separated from it entirely. The shadows began to close in and her last thought before the candle of her consciousness winked out was:

Why Kayle, why…

___________

Darth Imperious stood over the body of the Twi’lek girl, watching the boy as he stared down at the corpse of his former lover. The young man seemed to have briefly lost all connection to reality for a moment, his body perfectly rigid, his eyes staring blankly at his fallen friend’s perfectly still face between the long bangs that hung over his eyes dripping rainwater. After a long moment, the boy came back to himself and sheathed his lightsaber, immediately turning to face his body fully towards Imperious and sank to one knee.

“My lord. I have slain the Jedi who attempted to escape.” Imperious smiled as he perceived the double meaning in the boy’s words.

“I see that, but for what purpose boy?”

“To beg a favor of you, my king.”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

“Please my lord, allow me to prove myself worthy of being your apprentice so that you may train me in the ways of the Dark Side and help me unleash my full potential.” Imperious’s smile grew bigger.

“You have already proven yourself worthy.” He said. The boy looked up at him, a new fire blazing in his eyes. “Rise, my new apprentice.” Obediently, Kayle rose to his feet, and as a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky behind him, a flash of yellow appeared in the depths of his faded green eyes.