Hello everyone!

(Gulps at all the weapons that are aimed at me)

Erm, sorry about the late update, like the really really really late update. But it's here now. Freaking work, not to mention the other story that I have been working on that I've been having a lot of fun with. But that's a different story.

Thank you to Obi-wan4ever, Ander Arias, Bountyhunter1977, and TaitanoRules555 for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are great.

Here is the next chapter. I hope that you enjoy it. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.

Chapter Twenty Three

Temple of the Ancients, Rakata Prime, Lehon System

Malak mused that he had made the right decision to bring Anakin to a cell on the topmost level of the Temple of the Ancients. The sheer power that Anakin had released with that Force scream had been far more powerful than even he had anticipated. It had caused the entire stone cell to collapse in on itself, and took out the chambers on either side of the cell.

The only reason he had avoided getting buried by the debris, and prevented Anakin from getting buried, was because of the Force. He had used it to catch the debris that had collapsed above them and had diverted the fallen debris to edges of the room, leaving the spot where Anakin was restrained and he stood untouched by debris.

Your power...it is amazing. I have never felt such raw strength in anyone, except one. There was no denying it. Anakin Skywalker's power was probably on the same level as Revan himself, possibly even surpassing the level that Revan was on.

Malak couldn't wait to make that power his.

He peered at Anakin's unconscious form. Unleashing that raw power all at once had caused a backlash that knocked him out but that was fine. Anakin would have to suffer with the knowledge that his beloved son was gone, that his bond with his child was broken, and Malak was prepared to use that to his advantage.

"Lord Malak!"

Malak turned as one of his followers made his way into the chamber, staring at the ruins of the chamber, and the chambers on either side of it, in shock. "Why are you disturbing me when I told you to leave me be?" he said.

"S...Sorry, my lord," the follower said. "We all heard the explosion and we simply came to check up on you."

"Fool. As if something like this can harm me." Though it had been close. Anakin's sheer power, and the uncontrolled release of that raw energy, did nearly knock Malak out. He had only been lucky that he knew it was coming and had prepared himself ahead of time to ensure that it wouldn't knock him out.

"Ah, of course, my lord. Forgive me for…"

"Go and do something useful. Go make sure that the rest of the Temple hasn't been damaged, and check on young Bastila."

"Ah, of course. Yes, my Lord." The follower quickly hurried out of the room while Malak turned his gaze to Anakin's unconscious form. He chuckled as he thought about just how to use those Sith apprentices' success to his advantage and manipulate Anakin into swearing his loyalty to him.

Yes, my goal truly is within my grasp, he thought.

Anakin stirred at that moment and Malak raised an eyebrow. The young man was waking up far sooner than he had expected, especially considering how much energy Anakin had released with that Force scream.

He truly is powerful, he thought, watching Anakin's blue eyes flutter open.

They were haunted, filled with a deep-seated grief and anger and loathing and Malak realized that the last emotion was actually directed at himself. Anakin was blaming himself for what happened, his loathing was self-loathing.

And I can use that to my advantage.

"So you are awake, young one," he said.

Anakin did manage to give him a glare and Malak had to admit he was impressed that the young man could still be defiant in spite of what happened, in spite of the severing of one of the most powerful bonds he had, the one that Malak could sense the young Jedi cherished the most.

"You..." The curse that escaped Anakin's lips was Mando'a, something he probably learned from Revan, but Malak ignored it.

"You can glare at me all you want, young one," he said, folding his arms across his chest. "But it is not my fault."

"You liar," Anakin snarled, fury flaring in his eyes.

"It is not my fault you were too weak to save your precious son," Malak clarified and smirked inwardly when Anakin flinched at that, that self-loathing flaring in his eyes again before he ruthlessly suppressed it. That didn't stop it from radiating off his Force presence. It was obvious Anakin couldn't seem to control all of his emotions at the moment, not that he had been able to that well beforehand.

That was one thing about Anakin. He may be a Jedi but there were times during the past four days where Anakin wore his heart on his sleeve.

"Your son is gone and you were not strong enough to save him," Malak said.

"Shut up," Anakin growled.

"You could have saved him, had you only had the strength, the power, to save him. You truly are weak and pathetic, young Jedi. That is what the light has made you. Too weak and pathetic to save those you care about."

"Shut up...You know nothing..."

"Your son is a Jedi too, is he not? Did you not tell me that he was far stronger than I thought? Clearly, you had been mistaken. The light made him weak just as it made you weak."

"Shut up!" The Force exploded out of Anakin in a furious wave that actually sent Malak skidding backwards a few feet.

He chuckled. "Such raw energy," he said, "such raw power, fueled by your anger, by your rage. Do you not see what it is you are missing? The darkness that is within you is trying to show you the power that could be yours. The light is only making you weak. It is because of the light, because of how weak the light has made you, that you lost your precious son."

"You're wrong!" Anakin snarled, eyes flashing.

"Am I?" Malak chuckled when Anakin scowled but his eyes averted and he bit his lip, conflict starting to rage within him.

"You are weak and it is because of the light that you so desperately cling to in spite of the dark's whispers, of the power and strength that it is offering you," he added.

"Shut up." Anakin's protest was starting to lack resolve and Malak grinned.

"But I am right," he murmured. "You know I am right. The power that the dark offers you...you felt it, didn't you? When you avenged your mother's death? If you only had that power now then you might have been able to save your son but you are weak."

Anakin didn't respond but Malak could still feel the conflict raging in him.

"Your son is gone," Malak added. "And you could not save him. You do not have the power and, because of your defiance, you will never be able to access that power. Give in, young Anakin. The darkness is reaching for you, calling to you. Give in and all the power that the dark has to offer will be yours."

Anakin gritted his teeth and Malak raised an eyebrow because the hesitation was clear. He wasn't giving in just yet and, while the seeds had been planted, the Sith Lord realized that it was going to take more than just the snapping of his bond with his son to get him to fall.

But he could be patient for a while longer.

Let him dwell on the severed bond, and on my words, and let us see just how long he will be able to resist the lure of the dark side now, Malak decided silently as he turned and calmly walked out of the destroyed chamber.

"Have young Anakin moved back to his cell," he said once he had called two Sith troopers to join him.

They saluted and made their way into the destroyed chamber while Malak decided to pay young Bastila a visit.

. . .

Sith Academy, Korriban

Dustil and Juhani stood across from Yuthura Ban and Uthar Wynn, both of whom had their lightsabers ignited and in their hands. Their faces were masks of calm but Dustil could see the betrayed fury that burned in Wynn's eyes and the cool calculating gaze in Ban's eyes.

"You seem to be leaving at a rather...suspicious time, Dustil, Juhani," said Wynn as he stepped forward, holding his lightsaber at an angle in front of him. "It is quite odd that you are leaving at the same time that an attack is occurring on the other side of the academy. Suspicious, yes?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Master," Dustil said. "We were simply going to get some help from within the Valley."

"Hoh?" Wynn chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Do you really think I will believe that? I am not a fool. I have suspected something was off for a while now, ever since the killings started occurring within the academy. I found it suspicious that it was only guards or troopers that were being targeted, not any of the students. And those killings do coincide with your return and Juhani's recruitment. Very suspicious if you ask me. Tell me, Dustil, am I right?"

"As I told you, I don't know what you're talking about. We were simply getting reinforcements, Master."

"I see that you are sticking by that excuse, even though I know that you are lying," said Wynn, narrowing his eyes. "Tell me the truth, young Dustil."

Dustil remained silent, scanning the area briefly with the Force to see if Wynn and Ban were the only ones who were there. He could tell that the vast majority of the academy's populace were congregated near the entrance but Drox and Maydla were close by, as were the four that the two Twi'leks said they would be speaking with. They were just close enough and Dustil could feel their disbelief through the Force. And then outright shock and outrage that told Dustil that they had been shown the datapad.

The six turned their attention to Wynn and Ban and Dustil tensed but Maydla and Drox inclined their heads before turning and quietly talking rapidly with Arnet, Thes, Genna, and Tiaba who seemed to hesitate then they nodded. The six of them turned and began to make their way to the other side of the academy, some of them pulling other students aside and guiding them to Maydla and Drox.

"Fine then," Dustil said, igniting his lightsaber. "You want to know the truth? The truth is I know the Sith are evil and I refuse to have anything to do with you anymore. You killed Selene for no other reason than you saw her as weak! I saw you kill her, Ban, so don't even try to lie."

Ban started, looking surprised for a moment, before she curled her lip in a sneer. "I see...you really are a fool. That foolish little girl really did make you weak and just as foolish as her. You are turning your back on the Sith, on the power that the dark offers you, and for what? A silly little girl who was too weak to avoid being killed?"

"Shut up! Selene was far stronger than you think she is!"

"And we will prove to you that the light is far stronger than the dark could ever be," Juhani said coolly as both she and Dustil ignited their lightsabers in unison.

"Do you think you can actually defeat the both of us?" Wynn demanded.

Dustil tightened his grip on his lightsaber. He wasn't sure if he could win, even with Juhani helping him, but he would try his hardest to win. He had to, for the sake of his comrades and for the sake of the students in the academy. He had to give them enough time to spread the word and get out.

Wynn and Ban didn't get to move very far when the ground suddenly rumbled violently beneath their feet and Dustil grabbed Juhani and throw himself out of the way just as the ground erupted from beneath the feet of the two leaders of the Sith academy. With screams of surprise and pain, Wynn and Ban were thrown in two different directions. Ban crashed hard into a pillar while Wynn was sent skidding down a side corridor.

"Statement: I do believe that was a perfectly good distraction," HK-47 said as it stepped out of the shadows nearby.

"What did you do?" Juhani said.

"Explanation: I simply planted explosive in the tunnels beneath the academy."

There was a moment of silence, then: "when did this happen?" Dustil asked finally.

"Explanation: while you were speaking to those Twi'lek meatbags," HK replied.

Dustil's eye twitched at the use of that term again. He made a mental note to punch Revan in the face again when he saw him next. "Never mind that. Let's just get out of here," he said.

"The other students?" Juhani asked.

"I know they will be taken care of," said Dustil. He reached out with the Force toward Maydla and nudged her, silently asking how everything was going.

He felt a reassuring nudge in return.

'We're out and we've taken everyone we managed to convince in the short amount of time we had with us,' she sent through the Force.

"Let's go. I've done what I can here. We need to get back to the Hawk and continue our mission," said Dustil.

"You are coming with us?" Juhani asked.

"I've come this far with you guys so I may as well see this through to the end with you guys as well."

Juhani smiled softly before she inclined her head. "Let us move before Wynn and Ban wake up," she said and, turning, she bolted out of the academy into the Valley beyond and Dustil followed.

. . .

The Ebon Hawk, Outskirts of the Valley of the Dark Lord, Korriban

Revan bolted up the gangplank of the Ebon Hawk, causing Mission to jump in surprise from where she had been leaning against the wall, bored out of her skull. She turned. "Revan, what…?" she began.

"Get the medbay clear now!" Revan barked out. His tone was urgent but commanding in a way that Mission has never heard him and she found herself straightening and moving to follow his command without even realizing she was moving.

"Carth! Find all of the medical supplies that we have!" Revan shouted.

Carth didn't question Revan's words, probably sensing the same urgency in Revan's tone. He just bolted for the supply lockers while Mission and Zaalbar bolted for the medbay. They slipped into it and began clearing out the medical bed at its center. Mission sterilized it as quickly as she could with the supplies that she found in it while Zaalbar searched through the lockers in the small medbay for all of the medical supplies he could find.

The door burst open and Revan darted in. "Get something to stop the bleeding," he ordered and Mission immediately moved to the area where Zaalbar had put all the medical supplies he'd found. She dug through them and pulled out several packages of bandages and turned just as Canderous burst into the small medbay…

...with the motionless, bloodstained form of Luke laying limp in his arms.

Mission gasped, nearly dropping the bandages but managed to keep her grip on them. She couldn't focus on her many questions now. She had to focus because she could see the blood that was falling from the deep wound in Luke's gut. It wasn't falling as fast as she would have thought, given how severe the wound looked, but it was still falling.

Canderous moved to the medical bed and placed Luke's limp form on it while Mission darted forward and quickly used a medical knife that was resting on the table to cut away Luke's shirt to show her the entire wound.

"The stone didn't go straight through him," Canderous said. "And Revan's Force healing did heal quite a bit of the damage."

"My Force healing can only go so far right now," said Revan. "We need to bind the wound for the time being and disinfect it and then, when Juhani gets back, she can help me heal the wound with the Force. The wound is too severe for me to heal on my own."

Mission nodded and, handing the bandages to Revan, quickly darted back to the medical supplies and began digging through it until she found the disinfectant as well as some clean cloths. She darted back to Revan and, dousing the clean cloth in disinfectant, glanced at Revan who nodded.

"Be gentle. He shouldn't feel it, since he's unconscious right now, but don't put too much pressure. Thankfully, it's not bleeding as much as it was earlier," he said.

"Got it." Mission began to slowly, gently, dab the disinfectant into the wound.

She worked as quickly as she could, dabbing the wound with the disinfectant until Revan told her that she could stop. She stepped back and allowed Revan to gently bandage the wound, ensuring that the bandages were tight enough to slow anymore bleeding but also not tight enough to hurt.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Sith apprentices," Revan said and explained what happened in the tomb of Naga Sadow. She listened, her eyes widening in horror when she heard that the apprentices had been fixated on Luke for some reason.

"But why were they targeting Luke?" she asked horrified.

"I believe they might have been targeting him because of Anakin," said Revan. "There is a very powerful bond between Luke and Anakin, and Anakin cares for and loves Luke so much that if something were to happen to him, something as terrible as this, then..."

"It would affect him badly," Mission said.

"More than that...it is very likely Malak tried to kill Luke in order to turn Anakin to the dark side."

"That's terrible. But Luke's still alive, right?"

"The bond is incredibly weak between them, hanging on by a thread, so I don't know if Anakin knows that Luke is actually still alive."

The blue-skinned Twi'lek shook her head, biting her lip. She hoped that Anakin wouldn't give in, in spite of the fact that Malak purposely had Luke attacked just to force Anakin to give in. She didn't want to lose her friend.

"Is there anything else I can do to help him?" she asked.

"For now, no," Revan said. "The disinfectant will ensure that the wound doesn't get infected and the bandages will prevent him from losing too much more blood. Juhani and I will do what we can when she gets back."

Carth made his way into the medbay, glancing sympathetically at Luke, before turning his gaze to Revan. "Juhani, Dustil, and HK are back and I think part of the academy might have collapsed," he said.

"Stupid droid, you never said you had more explosive planted in the tunnels beneath the academy," Dustil's irritated voice exclaimed from beyond the medbay's door.

"Statement: you never asked, meatbag," HK-47's voice said with much amusement in his voice.

Mission turned and raised an eyebrow at Revan. "Didn't you just order him to shoot the people in the academy, except the students?"

"I told him to cause a distraction. He was the one who asked about the shooting people. He must have taken my orders to cause a distraction as a reason to go beyond just shooting people," Revan said. "Carth, can you send Juhani in here?"

"Yeah, sure. Juhani, Revan needs your help," Carth called.

"Tell Revan that I'm going to punch him as soon as he leaves the medbay," Dustil called.

Carth glanced at Revan.

"I heard," Revan said and Mission had the odd feeling the her companion might not be leaving the medbay for a while.

Carth stepped aside and the Cathar made her way into the medbay, her brow furrowing in concern as she gazed at Luke's limp form. "What happened?" she asked as she joined Revan.

"I'll explain in a bit. Carth, go ahead and take us off Korriban. I'll be there in a moment to input the coordinates for Rakata Prime," Revan said.

"Rakata Prime?" Mission echoed. "I've never heard of that planet before."

"No one has. It had once been the capital of the Infinite Empire thousands of years ago but it is the location of the Star Forge. I suspect that Malak isn't going to make this easy for me so the disruptor field is probably activated but we should be able to get close enough to the planet before we hit that field so our crash landing won't be that bad."

"Wait, wait, wait, disruptor field? Crash landing?" Mission exclaimed, keeping her voice down so as to not disturb Luke, even though she doubted he was capable of hearing anything at the moment.

"I'll explain later," Revan said and turned to Juhani. "I need your help. Luke's wound is severe and, while I have already healed quite a bit of it with my Force healing earlier, I could use your help to heal the rest of the wound. I would ask Jolee but he's recovering from our fight earlier as well."

"Very well. What happened though?" Juhani asked as she sat down next to the medical bed and rested one hand on Luke's stomach while the other hand rested on her forehead.

Revan explained and Juhani's lips pressed into a thin line.

"I see. Very well."

"I'll leave you guys to it. If ya need me for anything, I'll be in the garage," Mission said and, when Revan nodded, she walked over to the door. She paused on the threshold and glanced over her shoulder at the tall brown-haired Jedi. "He will be all right, won't he?"

"Juhani and I will do everything in our power to ensure that he will be all right," Revan assured her.

"Good 'cause...if Anakin really does think Luke is...dead and he does fall then...I think Luke might be the only one who will be able to pull him back from the darkness," she said.

"I believe so too," Revan agreed.

Mission turned and walked out of the room, praying to whatever deities existed in this galaxy that Luke would be all right.

. . .

The Ebon Hawk, Hyperspace, En Route to Rakata Prime

Revan made his way into the hub of the Ebon Hawk once he had inputted the coordinates for Rakata Prime and made the jump to hyperspace. Carth followed him while Jolee, Mission, Zaalbar, Canderous, Dustil, HK and T3 waited for him in the main hold. All of them, with the exception of the droids, wore looks of concern on their faces, even Canderous though the Mandalorian was managing to mask it rather well.

"Any word on Luke's condition?" Revan asked as he came to a stop by the holoterminal.

"Juhani is still with him," Jolee said. "The two of you healed the majority of the damage but he hasn't stirred yet. Juhani said that she would let us know if he stirs. He's not in any danger now though. Thank the Force."

"It was a close one though," Canderous said.

"Poor Luke," Mission said with a shake of her head and then turned to Revan. "Okay, now that we know Luke isn't in any danger, we should probably know what the kriff we're getting ourselves into now. What the kriff did you mean by disruptor field and crash landing?"

"Wait, what?" Dustil said.

"What's this about crash landing?" Canderous said, raising an eyebrow.

"The Star Forge is protected by a disruptor field that originates from the Temple of the Ancients on Rakata Prime itself," said Revan. "It's a field that we will hit once we are within a certain distance from the Star Forge. Thankfully, we will be able to get close enough to Rakata Prime itself so that when we crash, it won't be as bad as it could have been. However, it will prove fatal to the Republic if it's not turned off before the Republic arrives after we send them the location of the Star Forge."

"So we've gotta turn off the disruptor field? Sounds easy enough," Dustil said. "So why do I have the feeling it's anything but?"

"Malak isn't stupid. I have no doubt that he knows I am heading for Rakata Prime so he likely made sure that the main control to the disruptor field is well guarded. He likely also activated the secondary control to better prevent us from deactivating the field."

"Secondary control?"

"A defense mechanism that must be turned off before the main control can be turned off. The main control panel will be shielded and the secondary control is what controls the shield around the main control panel. We need that shield down if we want to turn off the disruptor field."

"So both need to be turned off if we want any hope of not getting decimated by the Sith, right?" Jolee said.

"Yes. So, when we reach Rakata Prime, we'll split into two groups. Both controls will be within the Temple of the Ancients so we will have to, first, get there. The Rakatans will likely attack first and ask questions later but if we can get them to help us then we won't have to worry about fighting them to get to the temple. When I came here the last time, I did make a vow to a group known as the One to bring them the secrets of the Elders settlement to them in exchange for help getting into the Temple. Whether they still remember that, since it was three years ago, is up for debate though."

"And what exactly do you mean by bring them the secrets of the Elders settlement?"

"The Rakatans will guard their secrets with their lives, that was what the followers of the One told me. The only way to get those secrets would be to kill the Elders."

"And you vowed to them that you would that?" Mission exclaimed.

"At the time, I had already fallen so are you really surprised?" Revan folded his arms across his chest. "Of course, I don't intend to do that now. We just need to help the Elders out instead but I suspect that we will still have to fight since the Rakatans following the One won't be too happy that I broke my vow to them. Either way, we won't get out of fighting them or helping them."

"Well, at least we know of what to expect now."

"By the way..." Dustil walked up to Revan and slammed a fist into his face, sending him stumbling backwards.

"What was that for?" he asked as he rubbed his jaw.

"HK," was all Dustil said as he walked back to join Jolee.

"HK annoyed Dustil again and he said that he was going to punch you again for making him," Juhani said as she made her way into the hub. "I heard everything as well."

"How's Luke?" Mission asked.

"Stable," said Juhani. "He is sleeping now and the wound is not bleeding anymore and is pretty much sealed. I am keeping it wrapped for the time being but he will likely remain asleep for a while yet. The shock of the injury, as well as his head injury when the ceiling collapsed on him, is the reason."

Mission nodded.

"How long until we reach Rakata Prime" Dustil asked.

"Three days," said Revan.

. . .

Temple of the Ancients, Rakata Prime, Lehon System

Anakin tried to meditate. He did. It didn't work out quite as well as he had hoped. He couldn't get his minds off Malak's insidious whispers or on the pain that still radiated from the shattered bond, the bond he once had with his precious son. It still hurt, even though two days have gone by since the bond was broken. He knew the pain was liable to never go away, just like the pain of losing his mother never really went away.

He gritted his teeth as he opened his eyes. He just couldn't do it. He couldn't calm himself, calm the raging emotions that flooded him. Pain...anger...grief...self-loathing. It all surged through him in a storm that he couldn't find a way to calm.

Luke…

Anakin tried to draw comfort from his other bonds but he found it difficult to do so. He found it difficult to reach for his bonds and he knew that it was because they were so far away. Unlike his bond with Luke, which was powerful enough to span light years, his bonds with the rest of his friends weren't nearly as strong. And the one he had with Revan was the only one that was actually created through the Force and it still wasn't strong enough to span light years.

And then there were his actual Force bonds with Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, where almost four thousand years was separating them. Those bonds were basically nonexistent simply because Obi-Wan and Ahsoka wouldn't be born for almost four thousand years so, of course, Anakin wouldn't be able to feel their presences.

But he kept trying. He may have lost Luke but he couldn't give in to the darkness. Luke would never have wanted him to give in.

Even if it was so hard. The pain...the anger...the grief...the self-loathing. It was so hard to push those aside, to be reminded every time he closed his eyes that he hadn't been strong enough to save his precious son.

Just like he hadn't been strong enough to save his mother.

It was the same. He couldn't do anything. He was helpless to do anything. His son was gone and it was his fault because he hadn't been strong enough to do anything. He hadn't had the power to do anything.

The power that Malak was offering, that the dark was offering…

No! I won't give in! Anakin viciously shoved Malak's insidious words out of his head. He couldn't, he wouldn't, focus on those words. He couldn't. Luke would never want him to fall, to give in to the darkness.

And yet the light certainly didn't do anything to save your son. You certainly couldn't do anything to save your son because you are weak.

Anakin snarled and viciously shoved the thought, that sounded suspiciously like Malak's voice, out of his mind. That didn't matter. His son was gone, yes, and he hadn't been able to save him, yes, but that did not mean he was going to give in. He would not give in.

The door to his cell opened and Anakin quickly schooled his expression as best he could into a mask of impassiveness as Malak walked into it.

"Hello again, young Anakin," Malak greeted. He had been coming by every few hours during the last two days, always speaking words similar to the words he spoke to Anakin the day he lost his son. Those insidious words that clawed at him, trying to drag him into the darkness, the alluring whispers that he was struggling desperately to resist for his son's sake.

He couldn't give in.

Luke would not want that.

He had to stay strong.

Malak chuckled. "Your resistance is wavering. I can sense it. You keep on telling yourself that you will not give in but I can also feel that you crave the power that I am offering you, you want the power that the dark is offering."

"Keep on telling yourself that. It's not true," Anakin snapped.

Isn't it?

"And stay out of my head, you nosy shabuir!"

Malak chuckled, folding his arms across his chest. "You can hold on to your stubborn refusal for as long as you wish. It does not change the fact that you are weak and it will not be hard for you to gain the power that is being offered to you. All you have to do is swear loyalty to me and I will teach you all that the dark is offering you."

"Go to kriffing hell, you bastard! I'll never give in!"

Malak laughed. "You say that now, and I must admit that your defiance is far stronger than I had originally thought given that you are still refusing my offer, but I know that you will give in," he said. "After all, you want that power, you desire that strength, the power and the strength that could have been used to save your son."

Anakin gritted his teeth and jerked his head away. He knew that Malak was attempting to manipulate him into giving in but he would resist. He had to.

No matter how harder it seemed to be getting with each passing day.

"I will leave you be for now. I have a visit to make to young Bastila," Malak said and, turning, strode out of the cell, leaving Anakin alone in the darkness with nothing but his own thoughts and raging emotions.

. . .

Bastila winced as she tugged at her restraints. They weren't budging, and they haven't been budging in the last six days since she had been brought to this temple. She wasn't even sure where they were, as Malak hadn't deemed it necessary to tell her anything other than it was the Temple of the Ancients on a planet known as Rakata Prime. She didn't know where that was but she figured that they were probably pretty close to the Star Forge itself.

But that didn't matter. If she could just get free then she could find her way out of the temple. Once she was out of Malak's clutches then she could focus on the problem of getting off the planet and back to her comrades.

Of course, she also had to figure out how to get Anakin out too.

Anakin…

She had felt his sheer raw pain through the Force two days ago when he'd unleashed a Force scream that nearly brought the entire temple down on everyone's heads. It had been filled with such agony that Bastila feared that something terrible had happened and yet, when she had tried reaching for Anakin, she found that he was too filled with anger and grief and self-loathing that he hadn't noticed her touch.

Or, maybe, she just wasn't strong enough to get through to her comrade.

Malak had certainly went out of his way to try to convince Bastila that she was weak. He'd been showing her the power that he had at his disposal, using several of those powers on her, and kept trying to insist that she could have that power. That she was weak without that power.

But she had resisted. Even though the lure of Malak's words, of the dark side, was strong, she was still resisting.

Six days. She had managed to resist for six days.

Even though the lure, the insidious whispers, the calling of the dark side was still there, still humming that alluring lullaby in an attempt to draw Bastila over to its side, over into the darkness.

The dark side's power was strong. She couldn't deny it but she wanted no part in it. She wanted nothing to do with the darkness.

Or so she kept on telling Malak but Malak didn't seem to believe her, always insisting that she was wavering, that she truly did long for the power, the strength, that the dark side could give her.

But I don't. I won't give in!

The door to her cell opened and Malak made his way into it. "Hello young Bastila," he greeted.

"Malak," Bastila said stiffly.

"You still look at me with such defiance. You clearly are still resisting your own desires, your own wants, because I know that you long for the power, the strength, that the darkness can give you," Malak said.

"I don't."

"Lie to me all you wish but that does not change the desire in your heart. You want to be strong, to have power."

"I don't."

Malak laughed as he held out his hands. "How long will your defiance last? You are lasting for longer than I had thought you would but it will not be forever. Young Anakin is already starting to break and it will not be long before you do as well," he said and Force lightning shot out of his fingertips to crash into Bastila's form.

She bit down on her lip so hard that she caused it to bleed as agony rushed through her veins. When Malak stopped, she gasped and then demanded, "What did you do to Anakin?"

"Hoh? You are showing more concern over your comrade than you are yourself."

"I know you did something to him."

"I did nothing. It is his fault that he was not strong enough to protect the one he cherishes above all others."

The one he cherishes above all others…

Bastila gritted her teeth. "Luke..." she whispered.

It made sense. The sheer raw pain she had felt unleashed in that Force scream, the self-loathing, grief-filled agony that was clawing at Anakin to where he couldn't even feel her presence attempting to comfort him.

It was because something terrible had happened to Luke, had happened to Anakin's child.

She may not know much about family beyond what she had managed to gain with her mother and with the fact that she did see the Jedi as her family but she knew that the bond between Anakin and his child was different. It was on a far different level than any bonds that she had, whether it was with her Jedi master or with Revan.

She had seen it. The pure light that existed along that powerful bond, the bond that had formed instantaneously when the two of them met on Kashyyyk

The powerful Force bond of a Force sensitive Father and his Force sensitive child, a bond likely created upon the birth of that child, even if said father and child were both from far into the future.

It was still there. It was a bond that couldn't be severed even by time.

But, she realized, it could be severed by death.

There is no death, there is the Force.

That last line in the Code may suggest that those who pass away actually live on within the Force but that didn't change the fact that death could still sever a Force bond.

"The child, Luke, is dead," Malak said with a chuckle. "And young Anakin is currently reeling from the backlash of the broken bond and of his inability to save his own son."

Bastila scowled. Malak was manipulating Anakin into actually believing that he was at fault for what happened to his son, that he had been the one who hadn't been able to save his child.

"Such anger," Malak said with a chuckle. "I can feel it smoldering within you. Lash out with it, young Bastila. Use it, and the power that it grants you. You can have all the power that the dark side has to offer and you can have all the strength that you will get from that power. All you have to do is give in and all that power is yours. Do you not wish to be strong? To have so much power at your fingertips? You are not like the Jedi, young Bastila, you can be so much more. The Jedi are weak but you do not have to be. You can be strong, both you and Anakin can be far stronger than you are now, far more powerful than you are now."

Bastila gritted her teeth but she found that it was getting harder and harder to resist the allure of Malak's words, of the dark side's touch.

Would it...wouldn't it be easier for her to give in? That power…

Were the Jedi truly as weak as Malak said they were?
She thought about Dantooine. The greatest Jedi Masters of this time, killed by Malak's forces as if they were nothing more than leaves to be turned to ash. They hadn't been able to save themselves from Malak, from the dark side's followers, and they were supposedly the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy.

If the light hadn't been able to save the Jedi masters then...was it truly weaker than the dark side like Malak has been saying?

Could this power...could she use it to be stronger, to survive, to become more than the weak Jedi that she was?

"You can become so much more, young Bastila," Malak murmured. "You can become so strong to where you can do anything that you want, even stop others from dying. That is what neither you nor Anakin can have while on the light. The dark side can grant you everything that the light cannot and that is why it can be your strongest weapon."

"My strongest...weapon?" Bastila murmured, the lure getting so much harder to resist as her thoughts continued to cycle over and over all of Malak's words, all of her thoughts.

"Yes. You can be strong, powerful, and all you have to do is give in. Let the darkness in, let the darkness give you the power that you are seeking."

"The...power that...I am seeking..."

"Yes. You are seeking power. That power can be all yours. Swear your loyalty to me, young Bastila Shan, and I will grant you all that power, all that power will be yours."

Bastila felt that she was losing the fight. The defiant stubbornness that she had been clinging onto in the hope of stopping the darkness from entering was starting to fade. She couldn't hold onto it anymore because...because she wanted to be strong, she wanted that power. The power that the dark side offered.

She wanted it all. She wanted to be strong.

"I...I pledge my loyalty to you, to the ways of the Sith."

. . .

Medbay, the Ebon Hawk, Hyperspace

With a groan, Luke slowly pulled himself out of the healing trance he hadn't even realized he'd slipped into somehow. He was pretty sure he had to be conscious to go into a healing trance, at least what was what his father taught him, but he certainly felt like he'd been in a trance.

Memories of what happened came back into his mind and Luke slowly started to sit up, only to stop when a blue-skinned hand rested on his chest and gently pushed him back. He turned his head to find Mission seated in a chair next to the medical bed, gazing at him with relief shining in her brown eyes.

"You're awake," she said with a soft smile.

"How long...was I...out?" Luke asked, his voice felt hoarse and he winced when he started coughing.

"Take it easy, Luke. You've been unconscious for almost three days now," said Mission as she stood up and walked to the other side of the small medbay that Luke recognized as the one onboard the Ebon Hawk. She came back with a small bottle and, after helping Luke sit up slowly, gave him the bottle.

"Thank you," he said as he opened it and swallowed a drink, the cooling water easing the hoarseness of his throat. "Where are we?"

"Hyperspace. We're about twelve or so hours away from Rakata Prime, the location of the Star Forge," Mission said, adding that last part when Luke gave her a puzzled look since he has never heard of that planet before.

"Oh. So we've left Korriban? Is everyone all right?"

Mission shook her head as she took the bottle that Luke handed her and put it aside. "Honestly, Luke, you seem to care more about others than you do about yourself," she said, folding her arms across her chest. "You were the only one who was severely injured. The only other person who got injured was Revan and that was only because Dustil punched him in the face again because HK annoyed him too much."

Luke snorted and winced because laughing hurt a little bit. "How am I still alive?" he asked. He didn't even remember much when the wall in Naga Sadow's Tomb exploded. All he remembered was a searing pain exploding in his stomach and then there was nothing. He was pretty sure the wound had been bad, if the fact that he had been unconscious for almost three days was any indication.

"Revan and Juhani used their Force healing abilities on you. It was a close thing, really. For a minute there...when Canderous first came in with you in his arms, I...I feared the worst. You were so still, so bloody, and so pale that I...I..." She trailed off but tears began to slide down her cheeks that she quickly wiped away.

"Mission..." Luke stretched out a hand and rested it on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you or anyone worry."

"You idiot, you don't have to be sorry 'bout anything. What happened wasn't your fault. I just...you're my friend and I almost lost you and just the thought of losing one of my friends hurt." She shook her head and gave Luke a watery smile. "But it's okay now. You're going to be all right and...that's all that matters. The past doesn't matter 'cause you're all right now, right?"

"Yeah," Luke said with a small smile.

"You should rest some more. I'm gonna go and tell everyone that you're awake," Mission said and, pushing Luke's chest until he, with a chuckle, laid down.

Once the blue-skinned Twi'lek had vanished out of the medbay, Luke closed his eyes and reached out toward his father, hoping to reestablish the bond that he could feel had been severed. He had likely been so badly injured that it had caused the bond to break.

Father...It's okay, Father. I'm still here. I'm still alive.

He reached out, frowning when he noticed that the bond wasn't as broken as he thought it was. It was...blocked?

He tried to reach through the strained bond. He could tell that it was blocked and that it was strained to the point of snapping, hanging on by a thread, and he realized that must have been what happened when he'd nearly been killed. With how weak the bond was, he wondered if it only seemed like it had snapped on his father's end.

He didn't know. The Force bond between him and his father was something that he has never really thought about too much. It was just there, and has always been there since the day he had been born. He knew that. He felt that he was right about that. Even if he hadn't known about the bond, even if his father hadn't been present at his birth and hadn't known about the bond either, it was still there, has always been there.

He reached out for his father's Force presence again but found it was still blocked.

No, Anakin seemed to be blocking him.

But Luke could sense that he wasn't doing it on purpose. He could sense his father's emotions—and he wondered if that was because they were getting closer to his father's location—and the main emotion that emerged more strongly out of all the rest was self-loathing. There were other emotions, pain, grief, anger, but the self-loathing was the strongest one.

What is he blaming himself for? Could it be…? Is he blaming himself for what happened to me?

Luke didn't know but he tried to reach out to his father, tried to reassure his father that he was all right and that what happened to him was, in no way, his father's fault.

But he couldn't reach his father and he shivered, feeling a cold chill run down his spine because…

He could feel the darkness, insidious claws sinking into his beloved father's Force presence, increasing the strength of the self-loathing, the anger, the grief.

His father was falling.

Luke trembled because he could feel it. The bond hummed with it, with the darkness that was leaking along it. He was sure that his father didn't know that he was leaking the darkness that was slowly filling his heart along the bond and that was only because he didn't realize that the bond was still intact.

Father...no...father! Please, don't give in to the darkness.

But he knew his father couldn't hear him.

Tears slid done Luke's cheeks. Father… He wasn't sure if he could handle this, could handle feeling his father fall again. He loved his father and his love for his father had only gotten stronger in the time he has gotten to know the man that his father had been before he fell.

He couldn't handle it if he lost his father to the darkness again, if his father became Vader.

Father, please!

But he knew it was useless. The bond may still be intact but Anakin didn't seem to notice it, was too engulfed in his grief and self-loathing, and in the darkness that was filling his heart, and he couldn't hear Luke's pleading cry.

A sob escaped his lips. "Father..." he choked out.

He felt a hand on his back and it took him a moment to realize that someone else had walked into the medbay while he had been trying to reach his father through their bond. He lifted his head to find Revan gazing down at him with calm, sympathetic, yet determined eyes.

"Revan?" he whispered, tears sliding down his eyes.

"Don't cry, Luke," Revan said, stretching out his other hand and gently wiping the tears away. "What did you tell us happened when you confronted your father and that Sith Palpatine?"

"Y...You heard about that?"

"I was conscious enough to hear everything you said, even if no one had noticed. What did you tell us happened in the end?"

Luke frowned. "I...I...Palpatine tried to kill me because...because I wouldn't give in and...and Father...he sacrificed his...own life to kill Palpatine to save my life," he whispered. "He...He came back to the light, redeemed himself, to save my life."

"And did you ever give up on him?"

"No." Luke shook his head. "Never. I...I was the only one who felt there was good in him, who never gave up on bringing that good out, on bringing him back to the light."

"Are you going to give up on your father now?"

Luke jerked his head, his eyes wide as he realized what Revan was trying to say. His father may be fallen but...that didn't mean that he couldn't come back. Luke has brought his father back to the light before because he never gave up on the good that was within his father. And he knew there was still good in his father now.

"I...I won't give up on him," he said. "I won't."

"Then that will be your strength. You never gave up on your father in your own time and he came back. I have no doubt that, so long as you do not give up on him again, he will come back again. You will bring him back again. I believe you are the only one who can."

"Me?"

"Yes." Revan lowered his hands. "Luke, you are Anakin's light, you are the one he cherishes above everyone else in this time. You are the only one who can save him now. Reestablish your bond with him, pull him back from the darkness that he is being smothered in. I know that you can do it."

"But I can't. He...He's blocking me, probably subconsciously."

"Then reestablish it personally. Go to your father, show him that you are still alive, and show him you still believe in the good in him." Revan turned on his heel. "I suspect you will have to confront him, Luke, but I believe in you. You can bring him back." He walked out of the medbay without another word and Luke watched him go, his mind going over Revan's words.

Revan really does have a way with words, he thought and took a deep breath, ignoring the twinge of pain in his stomach, and determination went through him.

Father, if you truly have fallen by the time I reach you then I will bring you back, no matter what.

. . .

Temple of the Ancients, Rakata Prime, Lehon System

Malak made his way down the stone hallway toward Anakin's cell, after having sent his first new apprentice to prepare for Revan's arrival. He could sense that his former master was getting closer to the Lehon System and it wouldn't take him long to hit the disruptor field and be forced to crash land on Rakata Prime. He had less than a day before Revan's arrival and he knew he needed to get his second apprentice under his command before then.

But he could tell that Anakin was slowly being swallowed by the darkness that has been filling his heart. He had last for far longer than Malak thought he would but that self-loathing, that guilt, that anger, that grief, it ended up eating away at him until he could do nothing but reach for the darkness to ease the pain and give him the strength and power to keep moving forward.

The light was slowly being smothered within Anakin and that was perfect.

All he needed was the final push, the one that would send the young powerful Jedi willingly falling into the darkness.

He made his way into the cell. "Hello young Anakin," he greeted as he always did when he visited the young Jedi.

Anakin was sitting on the stone floor, his eyes closed but Malak could feel the darkness sinking its claws further and further into Anakin's heart. He was still fighting, surprisingly enough, but it was a losing battle. He was slowly losing his will to fight the darkness that was trying to engulf him.

"I see you are still resisting," he said as he moved closer. "Do you really think you can resist forever when you are as weak as you are? So weak that you could not save your precious son."

Anakin flinched.

Malak chuckled. "You are only fighting now because of your promise, because of the son that you couldn't even save with the power of the so-called light," he said. "But I can feel it within you. You desire the power, the strength, that the darkness is offering you. You want it, you crave it. I can feel that. You are simply resisting for no other reason than some foolish promise."

"It's...It's not foolish."

Malak raised an eyebrow.

"But..." Anakin's eyes remained closed as his hands clenched. "This power...can it really...make me...strong…?"

"Of course it will."

"I...I want to be strong, stronger than...than I am..."

"And you will be, young Anakin," Malak said as he moved forward, holding out a hand toward the young Jedi in front of him. "Join me, accept the darkness, and you will gain all the power that you desire, all the strength that you want."

Anakin remained silent for a moment before he lifted his head and, slowly, stretched out a hand. He rested it in Malak's as he whispered, "I pledge my loyalty to you, to the ways of the Sith."

And, with this, I can feel my goals are well within my reach now, Malak thought as satisfaction went through him. Revan, it will end today. My victory is assured!

. . .

A/n what do you think?

Blaze: poor Anakin. And Malak is an ass

Luke: (ignites lightsaber) I'm stabbing Malak...several times!

Obi-Wan: no, Luke, revenge is not the Jedi way!

Revan: (currently stabbing Malak several times) are you sure it's not?

Obi-Wan: yes, I'm sure!

Revan: oh (continues to stab Malak several times)

Obi-Wan: (facepalms) why do I even bother?

Blaze: everyone should know my stories by now though. Anakin rarely ever remains Fallen...actually, he never remains as a Sith

Obi-Wan: see, Luke? There's no need to avenge Malak

Luke: (deactivates lightsaber) I'm pretty sure Revan has that taken care of anyway)

Revan: (still stabbing Malak several times)

Obi-Wan: (stares) how is he still alive?

Revan: don't know, don't care

Blaze: well, anyway, I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated. The next chapter will, hopefully, come out far sooner than this one had...hopefully...I mean it did kinda take me two months but it's still better than that long ass hiatus I went on that lasted like five years or something like that.