Chapter 5.4: Through Power, I Gain Victory

Subtitle: Through power, I gain Victory.

Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Meditation Gardens

3rd Person PoV

The tranquillity of the meditation gardens was shattered as the buzzing sound of lightsabers striking echoed constantly. A bright orange and green intermingled in a dance of destruction as Nadia unleashed her rage at the master before her.

Switching between Shi-cho, Niman and Juyo, Nadia unleashed an onslaught of twirls and kicks that were deflected expertly by her opponent. The master stood her ground shifting back and forth like water as she absorbed every blow and redirected it, only moving minimally as she expertly combined a style of Makashi and Soresu to absorb the blows.

The spectral form of the Barsen'thor looked on sadly as he watched his padawan slip further and further into the dark side, unleashing her rage. Nadia was controlled at the start, her raged funneled towards her opponent, but her could see her falling further into the darkness, slowly losing her mind.

Her eyes that were once bright red were now shifting to a sickly yellow, the grip of darkness coiling around her body and whispering in her ear. Her grip on what was happening in front of her started to slip.

He spoke up as the battle raged on, the grass sporting scorches, the benches around them destroyed, hoping to calm her down.

"Nadia, stop."

Her body only stopped for an instance at his whisper, before her next blow powered forward just that bit more powerful.

"It's not too late."

There was no sign she heard him as she went for a leg sweep to take the advantage.

"Let her help you."

The sickly yellow colour in her eyes only glowed stronger as she ignored him.

Misguided in his empathy he didn't seem to realise that his words only drove her anger further. Nadia's face was contorted in anger as she ripped more and more power from the force, her eyes locked onto the calm ones before her. She wanted her dead, gone, mutilated. Her once mission of leaving the room was forgotten as she fully lost herself in the fight.

Picking up one of the benches to the side she ripped it from the ground and flung it towards her opponent who was finally forced to jump away.

Both women were taking deep breaths as the battle lulled for a moment. The master was only now starting to realise the power that the misguided padawan she had found possessed. Her mind firmed in conviction as she determined she could not let her leave.

She didn't know who's padawan she was, but she had slipped too deep to the dark side. She had to stop and help her now, or stop her for good. It was regrettable, but what had to be done to stop the rise of one so dark.

After all her centuries of living this was one of the toughest fights Jedi Master T'ra Saa had ever been in. The Neti Master had sparred with many other masters, including Yoda, Windu, Drallig and Fay over the years, not to mention numerous dark Jedi that had sadly fallen.

Calming her mind down in the scant few seconds she had, she reached out and started to use one of her greatest skills. One that had helped her through many a battle and hopefully could help her here.

Battle meditation.

Nadia didn't give her much time as she sprinted forward again, her body enhanced by the force it blurred as it appeared to the left, ready to strike. Anticipating the attack T'ra Saa deftly blocked the blow and used the force to enhance herself.

The battle intensified as the two started to draw more of the force, flinging objects at each other looking for a weakness to expose.

But even then, with her centuries of experience, and using her vaulted battle meditation T'ra Saa realised that at the rate they were going it would soon be a draw. She could not find a break in the assault that was launched on her.

The technique of Nadia proving to be advanced and steadfast, as one would expect from one trained by the Wrath, though she did not know that.

But it was at that moment, realising that his words could not reach Nadia in her current state that the Barsen'thor made his move.

Nadia stopped her eyes blazing a sharp yellow in anger as her heart raced, her blood boiling for death. T'ra Saa couldn't see 'him', but she could. She could see him slowly integrate into her, bolster her connection to the force, strengthen her for the fight...

Against her!

"KAL!!!"

Her anger reached new heights as she screamed in furry at the betrayal.

'He would help her enemy!'

'He would betray her!'

'He would attack her!'

Her mind went blank her rage unstoppable as she lunged forward.

*****************

Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Archives

3rd Person PoV

Yoda was quiet as he took in the words of the beast before him, the dark predator that resided in the temple. Though it was in the form of a man Yoda could tell it was only a deception, for the darkness that rolled off his body was not something a sentient being could produce, or that was his opinion.

The darkness that had rolled into his body, battered his mind and suppressed the light slowly recoiled into his being as Yoda took in the armoured figure. They both did the same thing, sizing each other up, though Mace's opinion was already out there for the world to see, his disgust radiating through the force.

"I knew that the Order had become inept in its age, but I did not expect only their grandmaster to be able to sense my desecration of their hallowed halls." There was equal amounts contempt and disappointment in that one sentence. Contempt Yoda could understand, seeing as he was Sith, the Jedi's long-term enemy. But disappointment, Yoda would even go so far as to say sadness, that he was not expecting.

Though confused on the multiple emotions he could feel through the force Yoda still felt his anger rise at the statement, but he knew the Sith's words for what they were, a provocation... a test.

The Sith was testing his patience, his response would determine how they would interact from that very moment.

Not rising to the challenge and indulging him, Yoda only hummed in thought, searching for what was needed through the force. He had always trusted it and was never let down in where the force guided him.

His eyes almost subconsciously shifted towards the force ghost that stood next to the beast. There was a kind smile on her face, her presence soothing, peaceful and a beacon of light for all those around.

Thinking for a few seconds on what he wanted to say, Yoda grew bold in his response, a conviction drilled into him from his youth appearing to confront the jedi's greatest enemy.

"A dark presence I felt. Heart of your enemy, you have come. Leave I cannot allow." His words were steady, his mind set in what he must do to protect the galaxy.... but at the same time as he focused on his long thought convictions he missed the small pang of sadness that radiated through the force, trying to abate him from such actions.

At the same time, he missed the look of disappointment Satele threw his way. She too had once been brash in her young age, but as the grand master of the Jedi during the war, she had long come to know how to assess a situation properly.

This situation was not one where you should start conflict. His words, in this situation, were arrogant. Without Satele being there it would be debatable if Yoda could live through the encounter, though Mace could already tell the force wouldn't allow for this Jedi to die.

He had seen glimpses of the future, he had struck a deal with the force, he knew Yoda was the current grandmaster of the order, he knew of his importance in events to come. Though the order would not crumble with his death it would fundamentally change.

His own stagnation and indecision, Mace could already tell, would greatly benefit the other 'Sith'.

It didn't mean he would take those words lying down. Flaring his power once more, but keeping it contained in the archives his glare locked onto the miniscule master before him.

He was powerful in the force, stronger than most, but nowhere near those that mattered in his time. Satele, Marr, Revan. All could easily give Yoda a run for his money and Mace had faced them all.

Yoda's grip on his cane tightened as he felt the presence of the dark side return and strengthen. It coiled around his body wanting to constrict him, it was an overwhelming presence. Satele watched on silently not providing any help, this was a good wake up call for the grand master, much needed if he did not want the situation to deteriorate.

Yoda's breath hitched for only a moment as his arrogance was swept away and he remembered exactly what he was facing, the warning bells in the force letting him know of his prior folly. But he couldn't do anything about it now, no he could only strengthen himself to survive the battering.

Gathering the force to protect himself, grasping the light for stregnth and protection Yoda persisted in the darkness's grasp for a solid minute, it only getting stronger with each second, a sheen of sweat broke out on Yoda's brow as the pressure finally stopped. Mace finally spoke up, their eyes meeting, his voice one of derision and disgust.

"Maybe in your prime you could have put up a small amount of fight, Jedi..." He spat the word Jedi out as he finally let go of the pressure, Yoda taking a deep breath and leaning back to calm his racing heart. "... but now in old age you do not stand a chance."

His words were dismissive as he turned on his heel and started to walk deeper into the archives, Vaylin and Satele following behind. Yoda took a second to calm himself before following. What else could he do. The force had brought him here, it wanted this meeting to happen. For what purpose he wasn't sure, but 'they' had been waiting for his arrival.

He had to stop whatever the Sith were planning, or those were his thoughts.

In the small quiet that settled between them as they moved towards the back of the archives Yoda's eyes drifted to the force ghost again, wondering exactly what was going on here. Why had the Sith appeared in their temple? Why was this force ghost, so clearly a Jedi master, accompanying their long-fought enemy? What exactly did they want?

Yoda's eyes finally drifted to the other side towards Vaylin. Though he would be ashamed to admit it, this was the first Yoda had noticed of the young woman, his thoughts being preoccupied by the dark beast and light ghost that appeared in the temple.

Though he called her young he could tell she was in her late 20's. Draped in a dark robe and facing away from him, he couldn't see all her features, but he could feel more through the force. The darkness that rolled off her was immense. Just as strong if not even stronger than most masters on the council.

This was not a good sign for Yoda, there was already reports of another Torgruta Sith already.

Just how many Sith had appeared?

Had they broken their long-time rule of two?

What would this bode for the galaxy?

Another Sith war?

All ideas were not options Yoda wanted to contemplate.

As Yoda drifted into his thoughts, feeling the force, trying to make sense of what he needed to do to protect the order and the universe, they finally arrived at the back of the archives and it was there that Yoda finally started to realise what was going on, what exactly the Sith wanted.

Mace turned, finally looking back at the grand master as they reached their destination, the Jedi Holocron vault.

He kept his words cold and provocative.

"I'll make this simple for you Jedi, I want the dark relics in your vault, I will not take no for an answer. Should you refuse, we will come to blows and my dark side taint will spread all throughout the temple, traumatizing the younglings and the rest of your elk."

As if to prove this point the dark side flared around him, ready to burst forth and spread throughout the temple. Yoda frowned deeply as his words continued.

"You can send every Jedi you want to attack me, but know you are sending them pointlessly to their deaths… and more importantly annoying me. So would you kindly open the vault, so I don't have to spend an extra amount of effort on this small task."

The two shared another stare down as their eyes locked, even though his helmet Yoda could tell the eyes were gazing at him in disdain and, through the force, slight amusement.

This continued as Yoda thought on his words. It was a given that he shouldn't trust a Sith's words, and the relics kept in the vault were there for a reason. Many a jedi had been tainted by such evil relics over the years and fallen to the dark side.

It was the reason they were locked up and couldn't be accessed by anyone outside of the council. It was only then that the order could be sure the information within couldn't corrupt of be misused. Now this Sith wanted to take that dangerous information they had spent millennia keeping locked away.

Yoda couldn't do that.... couldn't let him have such dangerous artifacts.

But at the same time, he could feel the force nudging him to do it. Yoda's eye furrowed deeper in concentration. The Sith's threat was real, he would start a massacre in the temple should he not comply, and the force didn't want to see that.

...It was urging him to do what the Sith wanted.

'Surely the Jedi could prevail if they all joined forces....'

That was the thought that appeared in Yoda's mind, but almost instantly the force seemed to reply, clearer than it had been for a long time.

'They could not'...

Yoda struggled to make a decision as he vied to buy some time to think.

"Do that anyways, will you not?" Though he was buying for time it was a good question, Yoda knew never to trust the words of a Sith. He could very well get what he wanted and then start a massacre or let the taint of the dark side affect the younglings anyways.

His mind focused as he thought over his options, Mace responding with a scoff.

"I personally don't care about your weak order, if I wanted to, I could destroy everything your order has built in the last few millennia…" Yoda eyes widened as he heard the statement, he would equate the words to a Sith's arrogance, even for one so powerful.

The words almost came to his lips, ready to condemn the weakness of the failed Sith philosophy, but the words stuck in his throat, his age-old mind trembling as the words rang true.

Not to his ears…but in the force.

The force rang as the words were spoken, unequivocally telling the Jedi Grand Master that he spoke the truth. His talons tightened on the walking stick in his hand, his hidden weapon in disguise, though it was but for a moment, the pride of his youth reared its head again, millennia of doctrine in the back of his mind telling him to pull his blade and do battle with the enemy of the Jedi.

To show him the folly of his order, his brash arrogance a decisive downfall of all Sith old and present. But as the thought crossed his mind Satele frowned and flared her powers only a little. Sending a short look Mace's way. He couldn't help but smirk back as he retracted the sudden darkness that tried to influence the master.

An old trick he had picked up from his wife.

Yoda didn't notice their small interaction as he regained clarity of the situation. The grip on his cane lightened. He was no longer a younger man, and as the Sith had pointed out, far past his prime. Not to say he couldn't beat quite a few of the masters still on the council, he would be the first to admit he couldn't not beat all of them in a pure saber duel anymore, relying more on his strength in the force to win.

His small body almost seemed to age a few years as the unsettling realisation came to mind that he would have to go along with the Sith's whims, be blackmailed into giving him what he wanted. The Younglings and padawans in training took precedence in this case.

Albeit reluctantly, Yoda said no more words as his arm raised towards the holocron vault, the force moving in an age old and remembered pattern, as the wall moved before opening.

The satisfaction Mace revealed through the force as he watched his actions did not go unnoticed. "Dark the day is, shifting closer to the dark side the galaxy has." The words slipped from his lips as he watched the armoured Sith make his way into the Vault.

Though he now knew what the force wanted this day, it still saddened the age-old master as he trailed behind the Sith, the sound of his cane slow and defeated as he was forced to watch his greatest enemy pilfer the dark knowledge that had been locked away for centuries for this very reason.

'A dark Day Indeed.'

*****************

Courscant, Jedi Temple, Training Room

3rd person PoV

"Is that all you've got?"

Ashara's voice was calm....mocking.

*Haaaah* *haaaah*

Ashara looked calmly at Aayla in the small break in their bout. Though Ashoka might not have noticed the mocking tone in her voice, Aayla did. She gritted her teeth and tried to catch her breath.

She had already been practicing for hours before Ashara had arrived. That being the case she was long past due for a rest. But she forced herself to stay standing. Her arms felt weak though they had only been battling for 2 minutes, maybe a little less.

Aayla had only felt this once before when she faced the Sith on Naboo, the onslaught of techniques, the ferocity of the blows. She was finding it very, very hard to keep up. Her grip tightened around her blades.

'Has all my training only led to this?'

The thought appeared in her mind, she didn't care that she had already spent so much time training before hand... she didn't care that she was tired.... all she cared about was the fact she was losing!

Badly at that!

Lunging forward again with her left blade, she tried to bait a parry while swinging her right blade from the side. Ashara was disappointed in the move, lazily parrying the left feint into her sweeping strike, easily throwing her off balance. With that done her boot snapped out towards her mid-section.

Enhanced herself with the force Aayla was just able to twist out of the blow, making the boot glance off her thigh. The force behind the blow was tremendous though and caused her to tumble back a few feet. Gritting her teeth in pain her anger only seemed to increase at the humiliation of what was happening.

The utter ease with which Zavros was dealing with her.

Taking another moment to gain her breath, her eyes swept over the training room, looking for something anything that could help her. Sadly, the room was bare of any utensils that could be useful There were no training blades in sight, the equipment while heavy would be practically useless against such an adept foe.

It was as her eyes were scanning that she caught sight of Ashoka standing off to the side. There was a little frown on her young face as she watched the two battle. Though she was young, she was also smart, the battle between both Aayla and Ashara was too vicious. Though her little mind didn't use that word, she could tell there was something wrong with the spar before her. The lethality of the blows, how hurt they looked, it was all wrong and the more she watched the more an unease grew inside.

She was pensive and Aayla could sense that. Sensing the worry of such a young child.... a youngling, the worry that was starting to grow she finally came to her senses. Her head dropped for but a moment as she looked at the two blades gripped tightly in her hands.

She had been so enraged about the situation she had found herself in that she had lost herself. She hadn't only been training in her jar kai since Naboo, no she had been practicing all her techniques and forms.

Her mind but for a moment drifted back to the day in front of the younglings, when she had to put on a demonstration, her body flowing with the force as she faced that phantom menace, using the blades to their fullest potential and lethality to fit the situation.

Though she wished it didn't come to mind, his words once more rang through her ear, her mouth voicing them in a steadfast rising determination.

"Play to your strengths or you will pay with your life..."

Ashara tilted her head in question as she let her opponent re-organize herself, her eyes calmly dissecting the progress she had made over the short few weeks since they had met on Tatooine.

Aayla stared back, ready for another attack as she slowly turned off one of her lightsabres and clipped it to her belt. She could just make out the smirk Ashara sent her way at the action before she was back on her.

The two went into another round of heated clashes, their bodies augmented by the force making it look like a storm of blue and pink making its way around the training area.

"That's more like it!"

Ashara grinned madly as the two clashed, the power behind each other their blows became stronger and stronger as they each employed all the techniques, they knew. Though Aayla was best at Shi-cho, she had been gaining a new mastery in all the forms to perfect her duelling capabilities.

It showed as she switched between them as fast as possibly to eek out a win. Sadly, her opponent was trained by the wrath of the emperor himself. Being drilled in all techniques and forms until they were perfect, and then some that were esoteric in nature, though the bout was heated, it was clear to see after another minute that Ashara would come out the winner.

Aayla was panting for breath as the separated once more, a deep worried frown on her face. She couldn't let this go on like this. But she couldn't do anything. With the youngling in the room and Zavros before her it wasn't possible to call for reinforcements or escape.

Aayla was snapped out of her thoughts when Ashara jumped back creating more space between them.

"I'll admit that you have improved over the last few weeks knight Secura, I can see what 'he' saw in you." There was a playful look in her eyes as she said the words, the two gazes matching for a moment.

"Your dedication has earned you a little respect. You are worthy enough to know my name now. Ashara, remember it." Aayla's frown deepened as she made sure she did. She didn't know why it was so important that she did, but she engraved the name in her heart. A name that she would surpass, one that she would defeat, crush like all other Sith.

"But I'm afraid you still have a long way to go and I'm running out of time, so...." Aayla watched in almost detached horror as Ashara reached down to her belt and gripped her other hilt. Though she was annoyed, mad, angry and so much more that her opponents didn't think her worthy enough to face her with two sabers; even though she had learnt an important lesson about lightsaber combat through her defeat on Naboo....

Deep down she knew.

Once they used two sabers she would ultimately lose.

Unclipping the hilt and fiddling with it for a few seconds, Ashara's grin finally became predatory in nature as she drank in the fear Aayla was showing.

"... It's time we ended this."

*Snapp Hiss*

Aayla was caught off guard as the red blade ignited, she was stuck indecisive in whether to pull out her other saber or stick to her strength and use only one saber and that would cost her.

Before she could even think the force surged in front of her. Like a blur Ashara crossed the room, using more speed than shown all throughout their previous bouts. Reacting on instinct her blade came up in a defensive slash.

Her blade was parried easily as the pink saber deflected it to the right, a red blur coming from the right, stepping into the blow and reaching her hand forward, she called on the force hoping to push her backwards before the blade could connect and then...

She disappeared.

Aayla's eyes widened in disbelief as, in a feat of speed and force technique that shocked Aayla to the core, her hand pushed out into the disappearing figure of Darth Zavros, completely missing her target; a warning came from behind in the force.

'Was the gap in strength so huge?'

Ashara smirked only slightly as her red blade came down on her neck, a sense of death and unwillingness appearing in Aayla heart as she caught the red glow out the side of her eyes.

"I Can't wait to see your progress."

The blade connected with her shoulder sending a mind scrambling shock through her body.

"Ahhhh!!"

Screaming in pain Aayla was knocked out, crumpling to the floor as Ashara watched on. Turning off both her blades, she clipped one to her belt and twirled the other. As she looked down at her foe, she started to minutely influence the force to switch off her dampening emitter. She had quickly separated from her during the fight so she could turn it on.

She knew she wasn't supposed to kill Aayla, the force was very demanding on this fact, not to mention her Master had his eyes on her. 'This would be a good lesson. It'll motivate her to train harder. Master only accepts the best'.

She looked on in sympathy at her downed foe, only because she had gone through this process more times than she could count. There was only one type of training that Mace advocated for when training in lightsaber combat, real and deadly. The dampening would only go so far as to not kill, but it would easily leave burns and a shock to the system one would never forget. If you fucked up training with Mace, you would be like Aayla is right now, though Ashara had learned to push through a few blows such as that before dropping.

"Knight Secura!"

Ashara looked over at the small form rushing forwards. She had completely forgotten about her for a second there. Reaching out into the force, she could feel just the smallest amount of fear in the youngling's body as she moved closer, but she pushed through it to make it to Aayla's body.

'Good she is brave... head strong. The order and her will conflict if she stays the same.'

Realising that something was wrong the second Knight Secura had been zapped by Darth Zavros, Ashoka had rushed forwards. She wasn't too sure what was going on, but she was starting to doubt the Master before her.

Because of that reason she had rushed over to the downed form of Knight Secura, hoping to do something to help. Before she could say something else though Ashara waved her hand, a slight influence of the force making Ashoka's eyes heavy.

As her body also crumpled to the ground, falling next to and slightly over Aayla, Ashara kneeled down next to the small Torgruta. Ashoka tried to stay awake, but couldn't as her eye lids felt too heavy.

Ashara gently reached out to the sleepy child and gently caressed her head. There was a small smile on her lips as she thought back to her own people and their culture, not to mention her own fond memories of being a youngling. Ashoka could only feel warmth from the touch at her scalp, gently lulling her off to sleep, a few words caught in her mind before oblivion took hold.

"I'll see you later, young one."

With those words Ashara gently rested Ashoka's head on Aayla lap, the two would be unconscious for a few hours. By the time they were found or woke up, she and the others would be gone.

Looking around the slightly scorched training room, Ashara picked herself up and made her way out. The force was directing her in a certain direction. From what she could tell it was in the direction of her Master.

She could feel him... he was done with his objective and making his way towards.... Nadia.

The doors opened to the training room, her form gliding out silent and gracefully, her armoured form hidden by her dark robes but still domineering as she made her way out.

Just behind her form were two knocked out silhouettes and the partially destroyed training room.

She didn't spare a glance back as the doors silently closed, covering the scene from prying eyes.

*****************

Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Meditation Gardens

T'ra Saa PoV

I took another ragged breath as a lull in the fight ensued. I had barely been able to breath since this Padawan had started attacking me. It was concerning, the amount of power she possessed. I did not know who her master was, he was surely a master of lightsaber combat.

That did not bode well for me. I hadn't had a fight like this in quite a few years, I did not train with master Yoda or Master Windu anymore. I mainly took diplomatic missions. To find one so dark in the temple was another concerning matter.

Did none of the other masters sense the darkness that dwelled underneath?

Did she only fall right here and now?

But that didn't seem right.

Was she only just returning and something had corrupted her?

There were so many questions, but so little time. Though I was able to stave her off with my battle meditation and experience I couldn't rely only on that to win this fight.

I am ashamed to say that while at the start I had merely wanted to restrain her, I was already aiming to maim or kill. I could not take it easy in this fight.

"Let me help."

What?!

My calm broke for a second as I felt a new power well up inside, a voice in my ear. It was like nothing I had ever felt before. Like a pure dose of the force rejuvenating my body. I was one of the healers of the order, one of the best actually, but I had never felt something like this before.

Was it a technique?

Maybe a force spirit?

I had read in records that they could help Jedi in their time of need, but that was only thousands of years ago.

A sense of calm washed over me as I felt my connection to the force strengthen beyond belief, new techniques of the force appeared in my mind, techniques long lost, knowledge so precious I wish I could write it down right now. Some I had read about, others I had never heard, all skittered around my mind as.... something connected to me.

It was an experience I couldn't possibly describe and I wanted to analyses it, figure out exactly what it was but....

"KAAAALLLLL!!!"

The padawan seemed to lose it.

I felt the dark side gather, drinking in the raging emotions released by the girl as she lunged forwards. It had consumed her. She had lost herself to the power..... the darkness.

'No not yet.'

That soothing voice spoke in the back of my mind, a conviction so assured I was hard pressed to not believe it.

The blows that I found hard to block before, the strength that forced me to dodge seemed to weaken as my own strength fought back. A force I did not know, but could feel, radiated out quelling the emotions battering me.

I felt one with the force as my battle meditation reached a new level.

"Die!"

I could see all her moves before she made them, see all the tricks and attacks she would try to mutilate me.

It was all so clear, all so easy.

"DIE DIE DIE!!!!"

I finally caught a weakness in her onslaught and my mind drifted towards the quick and easy defeat of my opponent, an attack that would cripple if not kill her right away. But I stayed my hand. She was only a padawan that had lost her way, it was my duty as a master to help her recover.

And now I had the power to make that happen.

She stepped forward for a thrust, I leaned and parried shifting the force between the dirt at her feet. A slight nudge bringing her to imbalance, quick to capitalise I put pressure on her right, chest, shoulder and arm with the force to distract her.

Her natural reaction brought her mind to push back and blocked the nudge as I cut from the left, in her state she only just blocked as I used the momentum to turn and sweep her legs.

Once more she only just recovered in fluster and jumped to dodge.

Using that momentum, I thrust towards her centre she reacted quick her mind strained to keep up with the pace focusing to block the deadly blow.

In that second, as her mind drifted, I raised my other hand and pushed her with enough force to disable her.

It took her by surprise, I could tell.

Her body lifting and being flung back towards one of the trees.

*Thwack*

*Urgh*

It was a solid impact I could see the breath driven from her body.

'Don't let her recover.'

The voice spoke once more and I had to agree. Quickly rushing forward, saber at the ready just encase I made it to her body before she could recover.

"Yield padawan!"

"I'll KILL YOU!"

She didn't listen to my words as she tried to rise violently, her blade sprung forth to take my life once more, her eyes a sick yellow, her mind lost in the dark. Parrying the blow, I added more weight to my attack, forcing her back down.

Seeing her go to rise again a new technique appeared in my mind, tapping into the force I started to restrict her movements, shackling her body, forcing it back down in a form of imprisonment.

In her mental state I could see her grip of the force starting to slip, she couldn't concentrate. She was raw energy, raw rage right now. But in that state, she couldn't properly use the force it was only instinctual.

"KAAAALLLLLL!"

She snarled as she tried to force her body up, fighting her restraints to attack once again. This time as I parried, I was able to force her lightsaber away. It fell to the ground off to the side but I paid it no mind as I continued to draw on this new power to force her down.

"KAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!! STOPP!!!!!"

Her rage was only building but I continued to keep her there. As she lost her mind it became easier and easier, sadly.

Though I strained to keep it up, the new energy was endless, and I found that I was starting to get used to it.

"KAAAAALLLLLLL! HELP ME, NOT HER!!!!"

Her body thrashed; her voice run ragged as I sadly watched on.

It was always sad to see one lose their way.

It was hard to watch the decent into the dark side.

With how far she seems to have fallen I wasn't sure if it was possible to help her.

'She can still be saved.'

The voice spoke again and this time I could hear the sorrow in it.

Could it possibly be her former master. Was he communicating... trying to help from beyond the force?

I could only pity the girl as she finally calmed down after a few minutes, the dark side still rolled over her, trying to force out more emotions, but they didn't seem to reach her.

She was broken.

In spirit and mind.

Her body had given out. I could hear a sobbing start as she realised the futile nature of the dark side.

It wouldn't help her, it would only hurt her.

"Why help her..."

"You're supposed to support me..."

"You've abandoned me again..."

Her words were quiet and sob filled as she kneeled before me. I could see the tears running down her face as she looked towards me.... no behind me.

She could see something there.

"I only want to help you Nadia."

Was that her name?

"She can help."

I gave a small nod, my powers keeping her still, I wasn't sure what would happen if I stopped.

"It's not too late padawan, the dark side is not the way. I don't know what happened but there is still hope. Let me help you."

"Let her help you."

The padawan...Nadia still seemed lost, her eyes blurry but already back to her natural blue, the hold of the dark side taint leaving her as her head slumped.

She was defeated, could she still be saved?

As I was thinking this, looking down at the scared girl before me, then the voice once more spoke. It was calm and soothing, emotional and sad, but reassuring as it spoke up. I could feel the emotions behind it, he didn't want to see her fall, he was trying so hard to save her.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

There is no death, there is the force.

My mind gained peace as the words finish, though it had been a tough fight I had prevailed in the end. Though it would be an even tougher fight in the future to help this girl, it would all be worth it to not lose another to the dark.

Now what to do?

As that question popped into my mind I felt a presence behind, it was dark, foreboding, suffocating.... but restrained.

How hadn't I sensed it before?

Next to it was a beacon of light in the force that was also restrained. When had they appeared, why were they restrained?

My mind whirled as I sensed another presence appear, it wasn't as restrained as the others, though it was nowhere near as strong... it was familiar.... it was... master Yoda?

As I felt the presence of the grand master, I heard a small whisper.

"No.... You are my Chain."