I sat on the floor of my quarters, seeking guidance from the Force over where Aayla was. The Force, however, was, in its oh-so-infinite wisdom, being reluctant to help me. Not only could I feel that it was unable or unwilling to answer my requests, but part of it was actively seeking to block me. Something that, as I felt my anger rise, reared up as if both challenging me and inviting me deeper into it.

  My eyes snapped open at that shift in the Force. A glance at the chronometer on my arm drew a deep, guttural growl from me. Fourteen hours I’d been sitting here, seeking some kind of help and guidance from the Force but I had shab’an to show for my efforts. Or from any previous attempt I’d made since leaving Ord Mantell with Quinlan.

  “Why the fuck won't you help?” I snapped, directing my anger towards the Force. I knew it wouldn’t respond, but I needed to vent the anger and let go of the pointless need to blame the Force if I was to focus and move on.

  It’d been a week since Quinlan had sought me out, and a day since we’d left Ryloth without anything of Aayla’s that might help in locating her. The Twi’leks, while sympathetic to my need as a Jedi to find another of my Order, were unwilling to help given it was a Jedi that had killed Pol Secura.

  After that complete waste of time, Raven had slipped into hyperspace bound for the Core. Now, I knew that the odds of Aayla being there were slim, but once we had a hint of where to head to find her, we’d have access to all the major hyperspace lanes which, in theory, would make it quicker for us to find her than leaving from a random point elsewhere in the Republic.

  The problem was that neither I nor Quinlan were gaining any insight into where Aayla was, and to make matters worse the various meditative techniques I’d been shown by Dooku and Fay for seeking support and assistance from the Force were, to put it bluntly, failing. Now, I understood that some of the issue was that the Banite Sith had done something to darken the ability of those who used the Light Side – or in my case tried to use it – but the fact the Force was so hesitant to help me was infuriating.

  I’d never had issues before when trying to gleam a hint from the Force, save when Anakin was kidnapped. However, at the time I had thought the issue was that I was struggling to control my emotions. Yet now, when I was – bar the odd minor burst of irritation at the Force being as useful as a snowball on Tatooine – in control of myself, the fact the Force still refused to help was infuriating, and yet also interesting.

  Wanting to take a break from my so far failing attempts to glean anything of where Aayla might be, I stood, stretching once up. Thanks to Player’s Body I didn’t need to stretch and work out the kinks when I shifted after a long time in one position or awoke, yet I still did so, finding something relaxing about the ritual. Once up, I closed my eyes and reached through the Force for the bond I shared with Raven. She responded in less time than it took one to blink, and I intuitively knew the status of her various systems and the location of everyone else onboard.

  Simvyl was in the cockpit, monitoring the various mechanical systems while Raven soared through the strange energies of hyperspace. If anything was wrong, however, it would be Raven who alerted me first through our bond. Fenrir was resting, as semi-normal in the central area, lounging on one of the sofa-like seats there while the droids were in a small cargo bay that Anakin had converted into his workshop. The pair were either charging – as that was where the alcoves had been moved – or discussing whatever it was droids talked about in their downtime.

  Anakin and Quinlan were the only two really doing anything, as I could feel the pair enjoying themselves from within the bay converted into a training area. Even as I slipped from my cabin, I knew the pair would be sparring. Anakin dragged Quinlan any time he could to the training area so they could spar.

  After rebuilding my lightsaber, I’d given my shoto blade to Anakin so that he had a blade to train and use. At least until he constructed his own. For that, however, we first had to find him a crystal. Now, I could just give him one of those half dozen I had in my Inventory, but I knew that wouldn’t be an ideal fit. No, it was better if he found and selected the crystal for himself, or in theory created one. However, I knew he wasn’t anywhere near trained enough to attempt that last option as I remembered well the effort it had taken me to create the micro-crystal that was now part of my lightsaber and given it the new red central colouring.

  The most obvious place for him to find a crystal would be the caves on Ilum, however, that would need permission from the Council for him to head there. Assuming that Quinlan and Aayla returned to the Order once she was saved – something I had grown slightly less expectant to happen – learnt about Anakin, I had little interest in returning to the Temple with him. The Council would want to test him and there was far too great a chance that they’d discover Anakin was more than just my Padawan.

  However, I was less certain that Quinlan and Aayla would return to the Order, and that was due to the Interface generating two quests relating to Aayla’s disappearance, with the second being unexpected but potentially very exploitable. As I walked through Raven’s corridors, I pulled up both quests to quickly review them.

  The Lost Apprentice [?] [?]

  Find and save Aayla Secura alongside her Master Quinlan Vos.

  Rating: A

  Objectives:

  :a: Find where Aayla is inside half a year.

  :b: Ensure that Aayla is saved.

  :c: Make sure that Quinlan survives.

  Rewards:

  :a: 1500XP

  :b: 2500XP

  Passed test of Friendship with Quinlan Vos

  A Large increase in Reputation with Quinlan Vos

  :c: 2000XP

  A decent increase in Reputation with Quinlan Vos

  A variable increase or decrease in Reputation with Aayla Secura.

  Failure:

  :a: Death of Aayla Secura.

  A massive loss in reputation with Quinlan Vos

  Permanently lock Reputation with Quinlan Vos at hated.

  :b: Death of Aayla Secura.

  A massive loss in reputation with Quinlan Vos

  Permanent block Reputation with Quinlan Vos of hated.

  :c: Death of Quinlan Vos.

  A variable increase or decrease in Reputation with Aayla Secura.

  ...

  A Change in Path [?]

  An opportunity to alter the destinies of others has occurred.

  Rating: A

  Objectives:

  :a: Convince Quinlan and Aayla to return to the Jedi.

  :b: Convince Quinlan and Aayla to join you on your travels so that when galactic war comes, they are more likely to fight at your side.

  :c: Convince Quinlan and Aayla to explore the galaxy themselves.

  :d: Begin training Quinlan and Aayla in what you have learnt over the last few years in preparation for the coming war so that they might fight at your side in it.

  Rewards:

  :a: 1500XP (for each that takes this path)

  Variable increases in Reputation with members of the Jedi Order once they learn of your actions.

  b: 2500XP (for each that takes this path)

  Variable, though small, increases in Reputation with the Jedi Order once they learn of your actions.

  Decent to large increases in Reputation with Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura.

  :c: 2000XP (for each that takes this path)

  Small to Decent increases in Reputation with Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura.

  :d: 3500XP (for each that takes this path)

  Creation of a new quest

  Failure:

  Paths :a:, :b:, and :c: are mutually exclusive, thus no penalty is assigned if one of these choices is taken of the others.

  :d:

  Potential for large losses of Reputation with Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura.

  Potential for the Jedi High Council to declare you a Dark Jedi and send members of the Order to apprehend or kill you.

  ...

  The first quest was exactly what I expected, and yet far more limited than I might’ve hoped for. Before Naboo, a quest was clear in what had to be done and listed several hidden objectives. Reveal the Hidden had taken away the hidden nature of some objectives, so I had expected this quest to reveal more than it did. Since it didn’t, all I could hope was that more objectives would appear as I learnt more about Aayla’s situation, as had happened with The Phantom Menace and a few other long-winded but time-restrained quests. Either that, or finding and saving Aayla was going to be far easier than I felt it should be, but when had my luck ever been that great?

  It was the second quest that had me wondering if the pair would return to the Order once Aayla was saved and was giving me a lot to consider.

  Assuming that the whole glitteryll incident happened in the other timeline, then both had rejoined the Jedi and fought for the GAR in the Clone Wars. While Aayla’s death was shown on-screen, Quinlan’s wasn’t. Regardless of that, they had returned to the Order, yet this quest was suggesting that I could alter that destiny for both of them; perhaps even to the point that they would ally with and learn from me.

  Now, they could still return to the Order, and I’d complete the quest, but that was the path that offered the lowest XP reward, and thus I assumed, the path with the highest likelihood of occurring but also the one that offered the least benefit to me. The other paths, to either travel with me or head off on their own, were more interesting. Not least as the implication that I could train the pair myself, helping them relearn what they once knew but from a perspective more aligned with my opinions on the Force and how it should be used.

  Now, I had been helping Quinlan with his training in the week since I’d agreed to help him, but I was keeping to purely Jedi techniques currently as while much of his training was still within him, his ability to understand and draw upon that was non-existent except when he stopped thinking too hard and just acted. That might not be an issue if he had better natural control over his emotions, but he didn’t and as such he was prone to, when pushed too hard, lashing out.

  To be clear, he wasn’t a danger around Anakin as he knew far more instinctively than Anakin did when I came to sparring, but on the occasions I had sparred with him and overwhelmed his form, there had been moments where he’d almost lost control. Thankfully, I was able to ensure he didn’t, though a few of those moments had been handled by drawing on teachings I’d gained from Adas. It was unlikely that if he returned to the Jedi, Quinlan would remember what I was showing him, but it was a concern and why I was sticking mainly to Jedi techniques even when those didn’t seem to be working that well for him currently.

  However, if the pair chose to journey with me after this adventure was over, and showed reluctance to return to the Order, I would consider training them, which was what I assumed the hint of a creation of a follow-up quest was based around. Plus, I couldn’t deny that the prospect of having Force-capable allies around my age with me wasn’t a tempting one.

  For a long time, I had felt the first to join me in such a capacity would be Serra, especially after our relationship evolved into a romantic one. However, after Naboo she’d been taken as Windu’s Padawan and given we’d not spoken directly since, I couldn’t be sure that she would still be willing to follow me along the path I was heading. If she did, that would be great as I missed having her at my side, but even then that would only mean her, me, and Anakin in this new group I was forming. Quinlan and Aayla would add two more bodies to that group; ones that I knew had fought in the Clone Wars directly in the other timeline. A comment I couldn’t make about Serra as she’d never appeared on-screen in any media I’d seen. Still, I was going to wait until Aayla was found and saved before considering how to approach the A Change in Path quest.

  As I neared the training area, the expected sound of lightsabers clashing with each other reached my ears, with the sounds growing much louder – and the sight of yellow colliding and moving around green greeting my sight as the door to the area slid open. I slipped inside quietly, not wanting to draw either from their spar. I could feel each drawing on the Force, and while he was younger and lacked the muscle memory that Quinlan retained, Anakin was the one shaping the Force to a greater degree.

  He was moving impressively fast for one so young, more so than I suspected I had even after maxing out the old Force Speed power I’d had via the Interface. Even so, it was clear that, as had been the case each time they sparred, Quinlan was overwhelming Anakin. He might not be able to utilise his preferred Ataru-based style in the cramped conditions of the converted cargo hold, but his size, reach, and power meant that for all Anakin could draw on the Force to a greater degree – and thanks to the training since Naboo, with more refinement – my son was slowly losing the spar.

  I leaned against the wall as the door slid closed behind me, watching the pair as they continued to spar. Yes, Anakin was again losing, but that was good for him. Not only did it teach him that he couldn’t simply assume because he had a great reserve of Force potential to draw upon that he’d win every battle, but it allowed him to face off against someone who wasn’t me. Now, I didn’t go easy on Anakin, at least not as much as I might do if I didn’t know what was looming less than a decade away, but he was still a child, not quite eleven yet, and there were limits to how I could push him.

  Even with the cargo hold limiting his options, Quinlan was still able to draw on Ataru, using the wall and ceiling to bounce over Anakin, forcing my son to roll to one side to avoid Quinlan’s blade as it swooped overhead. While I had adapted Ataru's footwork into my personal style as a way to overcome the handful of shortcomings Makashi had, I shared Dooku’s distaste for the form. It was too flashy, too energetic, and grossly inefficient for conserving oneself in a pitched battle. If the terrain prevented the space needed to truly exploit the more advanced velocities, then the form became even more ineffective.

  Now, in the hands of those who dedicated themselves to the form as I and Dooku had done with Makashi, then it could be a devastating form. Something that was seen in how Yoda could use it and his size to be a kriffing nightmare on the battlefield. However, it wasn’t a style that appealed to me. Function over flash was what I preferred. That said, I still considered it a better base for most Jedi than low-level Niman; which sadly far too many Jedi used but never bothered to master even to a basic level.

  In the hands of one skilled in the form, Niman had the potential to be incredibly lethal. Yes, it lacked the speciality of the previous forms, but it had none of their weaknesses and was a great base for using Force powers in battle, and I had slipped into elements of it at times when trying to adapt my Force powers into my combat style. However, for the majority of the Jedi, it was learnt simply because it was so karking basic and simple that they could devote their attention to other matters that appealed to them more.

  In times of peace that was fine, but as proven on Geonosis in the other timeline, in battle that logic only got them killed faster than others. Seven Hells, as he was now, I felt Anakin could defeat a few newly christened knights who use Niman as their base but failed to give it the attention it, like any of the forms, deserved.

  Quinlan landed with grace and his blade swept around preventing Anakin from advancing, showing that while he might not remember his training, the knowledge was ingrained into his mind. He then turned and came at Anakin using a series of quick, slightly in my opinion extravagant, sweeps and thrusts to overwhelm my son and drive the boy back. This spar was over, which was shown when Quinlan’s blade came to a stop close to Anakin’s head. The blades were set on low power so being struck by them would only sting badly, but still Anakin had lost. My complaint was that Quinlan could’ve ended the spar mere seconds after I entered the room, and then a dozen times after that before he finally did. Now, perhaps he was seeking to train Anakin and maybe remained uncertain of his actions, but it was a flaw that against a more experienced opponent would cost him a battle. As had been the case every time we had sparred since leaving Ord Mantell.

  Anakin’s eyes widened as he saw Quinlan’s blade close to his head and then his shoulders slumped. In the Force, I could feel his annoyance at losing, though I was pleased to see that any anger at another defeat was minor and quickly pushed away and forgotten. There was no point in dwelling on losing a training match.

  Quinlan powered down his blade and moved closer to the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You fight well, and your Master has done an excellent job in bringing you up to your current level in such a short amount of time. However, you lack the size, strength, and reach to truly use the techniques you want to use, and as such, it leaves you open against more experienced opponents.”

  I chuckled at Quinlan mirroring my words about his style as he spoke to my son. “That will change with age,” I said as Anakin realised I was there, and I shifted against the wall. Anakin’s face brightened at hearing my words, and I was glad once again that Quinlan was missing much of his training of the Force otherwise he might sense that the bond between my son and me was more than just a simple Master-Padawan bond. Of course, since he was hellbent on finding Aayla, even going so far as to reject retraining as a Jedi for the time being, he wouldn’t exactly have solid ground to stand upon to question the depth of my bond with Anakin.

  “How goes your mediation?” Quinlan asked, his thoughts instantly turning to Aayla, helping to prove my point.

  “The Force is still reluctant to help,” I replied, trying to not sound as vague as many Jedi were when they spoke about the Force. “While seeking guidance from the Force was never my forte, it has gotten harder for me to do so since Naboo,” I explained, glossing over why that was. “I’m not giving up though, I just think I might have to try something a little more… unorthodox,” I added slowly, my mind playing over an idea that had been growing stronger ever since leaving Ryloth.

  It was clear to me that using Jedi techniques wasn’t getting me anywhere, and with the shroud that the Banite Sith had placed over the Force limiting my ability to peer through the Force for answers even more, I wondered if I should instead use the veil for help. The issues with that were that I had little idea of how to peer into the Force and demand it reveal what I wanted and that the Banite Sith might sense my actions and use it in some way to either track me or influence my actions. Maybe even both.

  For the former issue, the obvious way to correct that problem was to speak with Adas. However, I was reluctant to do so as I knew I was turning to him too much for answers, that activating the holocron would be sensed by Quinlan, and that Adas might sense Quinlan’s presence as well. I’d rather not risk Quinlan mentioning that presence of something so steeped in the Dark Side in my possession to the Council if he returned to the Jedi, and I didn’t want Adas considering teaching another his methods.

  For the Banite Sith, the pair might well be able to sense when someone used the Dark Side and attempted to pierce the shroud they’d created to engulf the Force and limit the ability of the Jedi and others to see into possible futures. If that was the case, and I was leaning toward it being probable, then they could, in theory, use the shroud to try and influence me. Potentially furthering the idea that one or both had to either make me into their minion, or possibly even their apprentice.

  While I felt they knew I was, as the Council would put it, tainted by the Dark Side after my last visit to Coruscant – I knew the defences I’d created to hide my presence and usage of the Dark Side, while good wasn’t enough to ensure the pair of Sith ruling the Republic couldn’t sense something amiss – I’d rather not give them an opening, or another one at least, to tempt me to their side.

  What was amusing was that, in many ways, I might already be an apprentice to a Sith Lord. Oh, Adas had never used such terms whenever we’d spoken, but I felt that was how he was beginning to see me. Though, unlike Sidious and Plagueis, he wasn’t showing me the way of the Banite Sith, but those of the true Sith, and by that I meant the species and forerunners to the Sith Order that was created by exiled Jedi who ended up on Korriban millennia ago.

  That, however, was something I could think about in greater depth at another time.

  Pushing myself from the wall, I moved towards my son and Quinlan, getting the impression Anakin had something to say.

  “Um…” the boy began slowly, uncertain if he should speak up. A gentle smile and rolling of my hands encouraged him to continue. “Well, Qu… Master Quinlan is from Kiffu, right? Wouldn’t Aayla know that simply from looking at him and seeing the tattoo on his face and then searching the Holonet?”

  I paused for a moment, considering Anakin’s idea. “That is possible,” I replied slowly, weighing the idea in my mind. “However, facial tattoos are not unique to the Kiffar. Still, they are one of the more prominent groups to use such markings, at least from what I know,” I glanced at Quinlan who nodded slowly, uncertain in his confirmation. “But, as we’ve got little else to go on, and it’s not too hard to alter our flightpath once we exit hyperspace next, it’s worth a visit.”

  “Yes, and even if Aayla is not there, my great-aunt, who is the current Sheyf of the Guardians, might have some new clues to help us find Aayla. Or possibly ways to help me regain my memories.” Quinlan smiled as he spoke and then offered a small bow to Anakin. “My thanks for the idea, Padawan, and for pointing out something we adults should’ve thought of.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Anakin frowned for a second before returning the bow. Almost as if he didn’t think what he’d said was worth the thanks. That made me chuckle before I as I moved closer to the pair. “From what Raven’s telling me, we’ve got a few hours before we’re due to exit hyperspace,” I tapped at my gauntlet transferring the new destination to Simvyl so that, if I weren’t there he could input the coordinates into the hyperspace computer. “So how about to kill time we have another spar?” I asked Quinlan as I unclipped my hilt from my belt.

  Quinlan considered my request for a moment before nodding. “Yes, that is a good way to keep relearning what I have forgotten.”

  “And it might help us clear our thoughts before we next mediate,” I added as Anakin fist-pumped in excitement at getting to watch Quinlan and I spar again. So far I’d won every spar with ease which wasn’t a surprise given Quinlan’s mental state. However, I felt that I could take him most of the time even if he hadn’t lost his memories. He had never struck me as someone as advanced in Ataru as needed to be my equal as I was now, but I understood that sometimes luck played a factor in who won.

  Quinlan activated his blade and slipped into a standard Ataru opening stance. I mirrored him, though my lightsaber gave the familiar and comforting little roar it always did as power flowed into the blade, and after a little flourish that while impractical was something that worked with Makashi, I settled into my opening stance.

  As I waited for Quinlan to move, letting him have the first attack, I couldn’t help but smile at how good it felt to have my lightsaber in my hand again. Yes, the hand was now mechanical, but it and the blade were a part of me and with the blade ignited, I felt whole again in ways that I’d not realised I’d missed until the new crystal had been created.

  … …

  … …

  The swirling exotic energies of hyperspace slipped away as Raven slid back into normal space. My fingers flew over her controls as she scanned the nearby space and system, confirming we were in the right location. I smiled as it was confirmed we were in the system containing Kiffu and Kiffex; the homeworlds of the Kiffar sub-species and also where Quinlan was born.

  “I know I have said it before, but this ship of yours is something special,” the man in question remarked from the co-pilot’s seat. “To be able to sense her in the Force, and you say interact with her, is something I would not believe possible if I was not currently here to, however abstractly, experience.”

  “That’s something every Force user who’s been aboard Raven has commented on,” I replied with a chuckle as the long-range sensors reported their initial data. “Looks like we’ve got no orbital structures near the planets,” which wasn’t a shock as the two worlds often crossed close enough that, according to the Holonet, electrical storms could reach from the surface of one world to the other, “though there are ships of various sizes moving around Kiffu.” If I didn’t know that Kiffex was used as a prison world by the Kiffar, I might find that odd. “Are you sure Sheyf Tinte will be willing to help us?”

  Quinlan had revealed that Sheyf Tinte was both his great-aunt and a member of Clan Vos, but from how he spoke about their last meeting – before Quinlan had gone to Ryloth and killed Pol Secura – it seemed she disliked him still seemingly choosing the Jedi over his people. So much so that I was considering not mentioning I was a Jedi to her. However, I knew Quinlan wouldn’t see a need to hide that, nor did I want him lying to his aunt for my sake.

  “It is likely she will,” Quinlan replied slowly. “We have confirmed from the Force that Aayla is, if not here already, then on her way, and while my great-aunt dislikes the Jedi, she will help as we are the same clan and that matters to her.”

  I nodded in acceptance of his reply, and as Raven moved quickly towards Kiffu, I turned my thoughts back a few days.

  After Anakin’s suggestion about Aayla coming here based on Quinlan’s facial marking, I had meditated again on Aayla. The Jedi approach had been as unresponsive and unproductive as ever. However, after taking the time to find my centre and draw forth my focused fury, I had demanded that the Force confirm that Aayla might come here. In that instance, it had relented and granted me glimpses of something that had or would happen, confirming Aayla had some connection to the worlds Raven was now soaring towards.

  I’d seen flashes of two ships fighting over twin worlds, and then an escape pod from the destroyed vessel landing on one of those worlds. A Rutian Twi’lek had emerged from the pod, and while I couldn’t be a hundred per cent certain that it was Aayla I was seeing, I felt certain it was. Something that only grew stronger when Quinlan confirmed the markings I’d seen on one of the ships – the one that survived – were those of the Guardians of Kiffu and that the planets I described were those of Kiffu and Kiffex.

  There had been two unexpected events relating to the meditation, however. The first had been not being able to confirm it was Aayla who emerged from the pod. Something on the planet, something powerful, dark, and dangerous was partially blocking her from my sight, and I lost Aayla as she neared what appeared to be a jungle on the otherwise arid world.

  Who or whatever was blocking me was, while incredibly powerful, also paradoxically weak as hell. So much so that I wasn’t sure I was dealing with another Force user. Or that was the case until the quest linked to this mission added a new condition requiring me to defeat whoever was controlling and manipulating Aayla, and granting 6000XP for doing so. The wording of that objective – to eliminate them – made clear that unlike with Bo and Pre Vizsla, I couldn’t turn this sentient to my side, but given that they were controlling Aayla, I didn’t have any issue killing them, not when doing so granted me a Test of Friendship with Quinlan. At least if I was able to save Aayla in the process.

  The second surprising part about the meditation when drawing on the Dark Side was how long I’d stayed in communion with the Force. What had felt like only a few hours had been nearly two days, which while not unusual was far longer than I usual was in meditation. Adding that to the fact it hadn’t felt anywhere near as long meant that while it had worked, I was reluctant to delve into a Dark Side meditation again, fearful that I might not emerge from it. As much as I’d prefer not to, as I turned to him far too much, I needed to speak with Adas about the matter, but with Quinlan onboard that wasn’t currently possible.

  A beeping from the communications console drew my attention as we neared Kiffu, and I opened the channel.

  “Unknown vessel, you are approaching Kiffu which is under the protection of the Guardians. Identify yourself and the purpose of your voyage here.” The speaker who appeared as a hologram was a young male remarkably similar to Quinlan, though their facial markings were the obvious difference.

  I turned to Quinlan and indicated for him to respond. “This is Quinlan Vos along with Jedi Knight Cameron Shan,” He said, removing any hope he might simply choose to not mention I was another Jedi. “We are here to speak with Sheyf Tinte regarding a personal matter.”

  “Quinlan Vos?” The man repeated with some surprise. “But we were told…” He trailed off before shaking his head. “We will contact the Sheyf and alert her to your arrival.” The man paused again for a moment. “It is good you have returned home, Quinlan Vos. Something is wrong on Kiffex.”

  The channel closed before Quinlan could ask for further information, and once it had I turned to him. “Well, either we’re in the right place, or we’re about to be delayed sorting out whatever the mess down there is,” I muttered as Raven logged the arrival of a location on Kiffu for us to land at. Along with that came a series of clearance codes that, I assumed, granted us some form of priority landing permission. However, with how limited the space lanes were around the planet, I wasn’t sure such things were a massive issue. Certainly not when compared to most developed worlds, never mind an ecumenopolis such as Coruscant.

  As Raven raced towards the planet, I felt Quinlan reach into the Force trying to locate Aayla. While he barely remembered the emotional connection to his memories of her, the bond they shared in the Force was strong so perhaps…

  “Yes!” Quinlan said, cutting into my thoughts. “I feel she’s close,” he added as I opened his eyes and looked towards Kiffex. “However, something is wrong. The anger I can understand, yet there’s something… sinister that has enveloped her.”

  I grunted, already aware of that but having to play ignorant. “Then who or whatever it is needs to be found and removed so we can free her from its control,” I said as Raven brushed against the uppermost edges of Kiffu’s atmosphere. Hopefully, after Sheyf Tinte gave us more information about whatever was happening on Kiffex.

  … …

  … …

  “You have returned to us once more, Quinlan Vos,” an old woman said as I followed my fellow Jedi into a large, open room with clear views of much of the capital city of Kiffu. “And this time you bring a Mandalorian with you. An improvement, if only a small one.”

  The architecture of the planet was interesting, and the Guardian who’d met us at the landing platform and escorted us to this chamber – to this old woman I assumed with Sheyf Tinte – had been more than happy to explain why it was this way. Due to the massive electrical storms that occurred when Kiffu and Kiffex aligned, the buildings had to be designed to withstand them, while also being able to capture the energy of the storms to power the planet’s infrastructure. It was an interesting approach to the issue, and one that worked for the Kiffar, though they were smart enough to have backup generators and power stations on the chance the storms didn’t generate enough energy, or the people needed more for some unforeseen reason.

  “This is Cameron Shan, Sheyf Tinte,” Quinlan said, introducing me and confirming the old woman was his great-aunt and the current leader of the Guardians of Kiffu. “While he might not dress as one, he is a Jedi like myself.” I smirked at that, knowing full well that I wasn’t like Quinlan; either before he lost his memory or after.

  Tinte’s gaze turned to me, and I bowed slightly, “Sheyf Tinte,” I said gently, making sure the lightsaber at my hip was clearly visible.

  “As Quinlan Vos says, you do not dress like a Jedi,” Tinte remarked.

  I scoffed loudly. “Why would I want to?” I replied. “Have you seen how they dress? Like paupers and with no understanding of the need for armour in battle.”

  Tinte’s lips twitched at my comment as if she found my response amusing. However, she didn’t reply to me and returned her full attention to Quinlan. “You have still not found your Twi’lek Padawan?”

  Quinlan stepped toward Tinte. “No. However, thanks to the Force, we believe that she’s come to either Kiffu or Kiffex.”

  Tinte lifted a hand to her wrinkled chin and pondered his words. “Then it seems the Force has guided you here just as your people need your help,” She said slowly. “Less than a week ago one of our larger security fortresses on Kiffex, from which we monitored many of the prisoner settlements, went dark. As is procedure, a search team was dispatched after they missed two check-ins. They reported that everyone in the fortress was dead, but the rest of their transmission was garbled, and we remain uncertain as to what has happened.” She leaned forward and fixed Quinlan with a hard stare. “I requested the Jedi Council send you to help, but they claimed you were unavailable; handling another assignment the Council deemed critical.” I grunted at the bare-faced lie. “They offered to send another Jedi, but I will not tolerate one not of the Kiffar helping us. Only you are permissible to the Guardians to help investigate this matter.”

  “The Council… lied,” Quinlan said slowly as I sensed a shift in the Force around him: as if he was losing more faith in the Order. “I have not been an active member of the Jedi Order for some time now. Not since I was last here and you directed me to Ryloth to seek out my Padawan.”

  “The Jedi often lie,” Tinte remarked, drawing another, louder grunt from me.

  “No argument there,” I muttered.

  Tinte’s gaze shifted to me. There was the faintest of movements in the Force, as she could sense something through it before she offered me an amused smile. “I suspect you are not aligned with the Council?”

  I chuckled. “That’s one way to put it,” I answered. “I’ve had a handful of run-ins with them as a Padawan, and as I’m now a Knight I’ve chosen to simply… ignore their summons whenever I can.” I paused and gently reached out into the Force, seeking a hint of why something felt off about this meeting. “However, that isn’t why we are here, nor why Quinlan has come seeking your help as you wish for his. You want him specifically, and not just because he’s from your clan and a Kiffar.”

  “Distant from your Council you might be, but you have the insight of a Jedi,” Tinte responded slowly, with I noted far less of the distaste she had held a few moments ago when I’d been introduced as a Jedi. She turned back to Quinlan as she continued. “Your psychrometric heritage, your birthright as a member of Clan Vos, is the strongest ever recorded. I had hoped that you could learn something from the fortress that the search failed to discover before their deaths. We need to know who, or what attacked the fortress. I cannot risk any other Guardians on the planet until this matter is resolved, and as such all outposts and fortresses across the prison planet are now abandoned; though the Guardians made sure to remove their weapons and such equipment before they returned home.”

  As she spoke, I felt there was something she was keeping from us, and on the chance it might reveal it, I used Observe on the Sheyf.

  Tinte Vos

  Race: Kiffar

  Level: 31

  Health: 100%

  Age: 72

  Force Potential: Low

  Threat Potential: Low

  Reputation: Disliked

  Affiliation Loyalty: Guardians of Kiffu (100%), Clan Vos (95%) Tinte Vos (90%)

  Emotional State: Grateful/confused/concerned.

  Tinte is glad to see her grandnephew has returned to Kiffu, and that he seems to be at odds with the Jedi Order. Once the matter on Kiffex is resolved, she hopes she might be able to exploit this to bring Quinlan back under her control.

  However, she is confused as to your presence, not least why you wear the armour of a people often at odds with the Jedi.

  She is also fearful of what is happening on Kiffex. While not trained to use the Force, she can feel there is something wrong happening on the planet and wants the issue resolved quickly before it threatens Kiffu and her people.

  ...

  Nothing useful came from it, save that her loyalty to herself, while exceedingly high, was overridden by that towards her clan and the Guardians. It had to be from the loyalty to Clan Vos that she was so accommodating to Quinlan, and why she disliked the Jedi so intently for taking him from his clan when he was a child. Apart from that, there was nothing to hint at why I felt there was something off about the Sheyf, or that she was withholding something that might be important to Quinlan or his mission to find Aayla.

  “As this issue is possibly linked to Aayla’s believed appearance on the planet, we will investigate the matter, Sheyf Tinte,” Quinlan said after a second or two considering Tinte’s words.

  Tinte frowned. “No. Only you will go to Kiffex. He is a Jedi.”

  I stayed calm, pushing aside any irritation at her branding me with the same label she applied to the Council even as Quinlan took a step closer to her and I saw his hands clench. “Cameron will be going with me, Sheyf. While younger than me,” Tinte blinked in surprise at that reveal though as I wasn’t wearing my helmet, I’d have thought that would be something she’d have noticed was only about a month past my nineteenth birthday after all, and while broad, I still had a youngish looking face, “he is my friend. More than that, it was he who confirmed through the Force that Aayla is on Kiffex, and I know I need his help to find her and solve the mystery of what happened to your Guardians.”

  Tinte held Quinlan’s gaze for a few moments before turning to look at me. Her eyes drifted over my armour, taking that in before she stared into my eyes as if searching for something in my soul. “Why are you helping Quinlan?”

  “Honestly, he’s not a friend if that’s what you want to hear,” I replied carefully. “However, when I was once captured by a Dark Side cult, he was one of those who came to rescue me, disobeying the Council in the process. His Padawan was also there, and she is one of my oldest friends. We were Initiates at the Temple together and she was one of the first to become my friend after the Jedi took me in later than they normally would.” I knew that Quinlan had also been a late addition to the Order as his memories showed him with his parents when he was perhaps six or seven, so stating that I was also a late arrival to the Order might sway Tinte. “For her, for anyone I consider a friend, there is little I wouldn’t do to help them in their hours of need. Nor to repay a debt of honour,” I finished, gesturing at Quinlan to make clear that was a factor in my choice to help him, figuring it might further alter Tinte’s opinion on whether I could accompany Quinlan to Kiffex. Oh, I was going one way or another, but I’d rather do it with permission than without if at all possible.

  “You know of this debt?” Tinte asked Quinlan.

  “I have a few fleeting memories of what he speaks of, but I can’t confirm the details.”

  Tinte tapped her chin, and I felt a gentle shifting of the Force; as if, even with her low potential she was able to get a faint read on others through it. “Very well,” She eventually said, “I shall permit you to accompany Quinlan to Kiffex.”

  I lowered my head as I replied. “My thanks, Sheyf Tinte.”

  She grunted. “I suspect that even if I had forbidden you, you would’ve found a way to go anyway.”

  “I’d prefer not to answer that,” I responded, drawing a crackling laugh from the Sheyf. “Since I have permission, I must ask a favour. I have a Padawan myself, but he is far too young to risk against whatever is happening on Kiffex. Might I ask that he, and a creature I have a Force connection to, remain on Kiffu with my vessel while I and my other companions move to help Quinlan?”

  Tinte frowned. “Your Padawan will be my honoured guest, and your ship placed under the protection of the Guardians while you are on Kiffex. However, these companions of yours, are they more Jedi?”

  “No. One is a Cathar member of the Antarian Rangers, the other a combat droid.” HK would be insulted at being called just a simple combat droid, but the less Sheyf and others knew of his capabilities, the longer it would be before people started asking questions. Especially with the second of the KOTOR trilogy, Shadows of the Sith due to be released in a month or so and HK, or a close facsimile of him, was part of the cover art.

  As for bringing Simvyl, I felt I needed to. While I had forgiven him for what had happened with Anakin and the Trandoshans, I’d been reluctant to have him accompany me since. This mission was an effective way to overcome what I knew was irrational distrust of him that lingered within me and prove to him that I wasn’t sidelining him. It would also let both of us see how the training of the last twenty or so months had improved him, as bar the Shapers, he had trained with the other groups and sects we’d headed to. Yes, Observe told me he was up a level since Anakin’s kidnapping, now sitting at Level 26, but I wanted to see the changes in him on the field of battle.

  “I have encountered an Antarian Ranger before,” Tinte said slowly as if measuring her words. “The Togruta was a noble being who showed respect for our ways. While it is strange to see a Cathar travelling with one who wears that armour, in the name of that Ranger I will permit the one with you and your droid to join you and Quinlan Vos on Kiffex.” She leaned forward as she continued. “However, I must warn you. Kiffex serves as the main prison for the entire sector. Many of those sent there should never be allowed free and might be sentenced to death in other sectors. Anyone you encounter who is not a Guardian should be considered a threat.”

  “Good,” I said with a chuckle that made Tinte blink and lean back. “Means I don’t have to worry about collateral damage or innocents getting on the battlefield.”

  Tinte blinked again, and her head tilted to the right before she chuckled. “Not what I would expect a Jedi to say.”

  “I’m not your average Jedi.”

  … …

  … …

  I stood at the back of the cockpit of the small Guardian patrol craft as it raced over the short distance between Kiffu and Kiffex. Quinlan was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat while another Kiffar named Maritan Kas was at the helm. The Guardian hadn’t spoken a word to me, or Simvyl and HK, since we’d boarded though he had talked in a few hushed whispers to Quinlan. Whispers that the microphones of my armour had picked up with ease, but which were all inconsequential to the mission.

  Simvyl and HK were in the small craft’s cargo hold, giving their armaments one final check. Normally, if I saw HK carrying the array of weaponry he was outfitted with for this mission I might ask him to leave some behind simply to avoid issues with local security forces as he looked like a one-droid wrecking crew. However, as Kiffex was a prison world, there were no Guardians currently alive on the surface, and what we were heading into was undoubtedly going to be more dangerous than I thought, then he might be slightly under-armed. The issue was he simply couldn’t carry anything more, even with a full satchel on his back carrying an impressive array of spare clips for his various blasters and dozens of grenades and detonators.

  To be fair, I was actually more heavily armed if I counted the array of explosives I held in my Inventory. After Naboo, Bo had helped me restock my supplies and I now carried enough explosives to take on an entire regiment of tanks single-handedly, and that was before considering what my armour contained or the fact I could command the Force.

  Yet with the growing power in the darkness on Kiffex, I felt I might need every edge I had in combating it. While I felt stronger now than I had when I’d fought Maul on Naboo, and I was close to Level 32, I had yet to test myself outside of spars and training. This was going to be the first test of my increased power. Yet I also understood that the source of the darkness on Kiffex wasn’t the only threat that awaited us there.

  As the atmosphere of Kiffex filled the entire transparisteel window in front of us, I could sense the Force shifting violently and excitedly. Quinlan glanced my way for a moment, suggesting he felt it as well. Whatever awaited us on Kiffex felt like an inflexion point of some sort. Not just for me, Quinlan, and Aayla, but for others as well. As if how events played out on the planet would have a wider impact on the galaxy than I could currently comprehend.

  My thoughts, as they often had since Sheyf Tinte had granted us permission to head to Kiffex, turned to the A Change in Path quest, and how events that were soon to happen might drastically affect the path Quinlan and Aayla walked. However, I wasn’t going into this thinking about how I could manipulate events to my benefit, or at least not as a major factor in my reasoning. Focusing on the future at the expense of the here and now was a great way to get yourself into trouble or killed.

  “We’re approaching Kiffex,” Maritan said, stating the obvious as the ship began to vibrate as we were buffeted by the winds of the planet’s upper atmosphere. “When we are near the outpost, I won’t land but hover. You and your team must jump out before I accelerate upwards.”

  Maritan spoke to Quinlan, working under the misconception that his fellow Kiffar was the one in command. I was willing to let it go as it wasn’t a point worth explaining to the low-level grunt, but it still irked me to be so summarily ignored and dismissed by someone beneath me.

  Still, the fact Maritan was unwilling to land was a hint of how seriously the Guardians were taking whatever was wrong on Kiffex. That was something I’d sensed from him and other Guardians on Kiffu before we’d departed and made clear how unusual and concerning whatever was happening was to them.

  “Until we receive a clear signal from one of you, with the correct codes, no one will come to collect you. Is that understood?”

  “Yes. “Understood.” Quinlan and I replied together to the Kiffar’s question, and I used that as a signal to leave the cockpit and gather in the cargo hold for a combat deployment. However, as Maritan spoke again, quieter this time, I slowed as I passed through the door of the cockpit.

  “Quinlan Vos,” the Guardian all but whispered though my armour easily picked up his words. “We… We were not able to collect the bodies of the fallen. We cannot honour them as we should. Do you understand?”

  Even though my back was turned, the HUS recorded Quinlan placing a supportive hand on the man’s shoulder. “I understand, Maritan Kas.”

  I exited there and waited for Quinlan to leave the cockpit as well before I spoke. “Rituals for the honoured dead?” I asked gently as we walked the short corridor to the cargo hold.

  “Yes.”

  I nodded in acceptance of that and knew not to pry anymore into whatever ritual the Guardians had for those who fell in service. Entering the hold, I carried out a final check on my armour. Every addition to my gauntlets reported in the green while, unlikely to be needed as it was inside the armour, the extra features of my mechanical arm also reported as fully functional. At one hip rested my lightsaber with my beskad on the other while blaster pistols were also secured on the belt as there was always the chance that they might offer me a better option than my blades or the Force, though it was unlikely.

  I closed my eyes and reached out into the Force, seeking the familiar presence of Anakin on Kiffu. Along with Fenrir, he wasn’t happy about being left behind but had accepted that I wasn’t going to change my mind. As penance for leaving him behind, I’d arranged for him to train with potential Kiffar Guardians and promised him that we’d enter a hyperspace race he’d seen on the Holonet that he felt Raven could win.

  At the time of his request to enter the race, I’d accepted simply to appease him, yet with a day to think on the matter – at least when not planning for the mission – I’d changed my stance. I knew I wasn’t that brilliant a pilot, nor did I have the natural inclination for flying that Anakin and others, such as Saesee Tinn, held, but I couldn’t deny the idea of testing myself and Raven against others wasn’t appealing. I didn’t expect to win the race, but I was sure a kriff going to try. Even possibly using the Force and the depth of my bond with Raven to attempt to claim victory. However, for now, my thoughts were focused on Kiffex and finding and saving Aayla, so after sending a last impression to Anakin through the Force that I missed him and would be back soon, I brought my entire focus back to the cargo hold, those with me, and the mission.

  After a day to prepare, we were as ready as we’d ever be, yet at the same time, I felt that only I could challenge and take down the source of the darkness that was growing on Kiffex. I was now certain that it was a sentient, possibly a Dark Jedi or another who used the Dark Side without being any form of Sith, and that they were powerful enough to be a threat.

  I had no proof of it currently, but I was sure this figure had exploited Aayla’s rage at Quinlan and her lack of memories of her training to control and manipulate her. I felt we could break that hold once the Dark Sider was dead, but I hoped for Quinlan’s sake that none of the Guardians at the fortress had died due to lightsaber strikes. Even if Aayla never chose to return to the Jedi, the Council would not allow her to wander the galaxy after striking down so many in anger.

  The intercom clicked to life. “Get Ready,” Maritan’s voice echoed in the hold as I felt the craft slow.

  Behind us, the hatch opened, and the dusty surface of the planet came into view. HK jumped first with me a half-second behind. Simvyl came down next followed by Quinlan, and as his boots struck the ground, sending up another blast of dust, the craft pulled away, sending more dust into the air around us, I looked around and groaned at what the HUD was reporting.

  “So much for dropping us at the fortress,” I muttered as the sensors confirmed we were a good five klicks, up a rather steep hill that lacked dirt covering it from the fortress.

  Now, the location was great as it granted clear lines of sight of anyone approaching, at least on days when there weren’t sandstorms and the like, and there was only one clear path to the fortress. However, that meant that, in theory, we’d have to hike up that path, exposing ourselves to anyone who might be in the fortress, or watching from elsewhere for anyone approaching the location.

  As we started moving, and the HUD provided secondary routes to the fortress that while more direct weren’t exactly easy if one couldn’t call on the Force or powerful servomotors in their mechanical legs, I felt a shift in the Force. Whoever was behind the situation on the planet, and the one influencing Aayla, was aware of our presence, and a familiar tingle, that of us walking into an ambush, slithered down my spine.

  “Something wicked this way comes,” I whispered to myself, ensuring the words didn’t carry over the Battlenet or out of my helmet.

  “You feel it too?” Quinlan asked quietly, drawing my attention. “What does it mean?” He asked after I nodded in confirmation.

  “That we’re walking into a trap,” I replied with a chuckle. “So how about we spring it and see who's waiting for us?”

  … …

  … …

  A/N: For those who are aware, this 2-chapter arc is based on events from the Darkness arc of the Star Wars Republic comic.

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