Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Naruto, Star Wars, or Knights of the Old Republic 2. All rights belong to Kishimoto, Lucasarts, Lucasfilm, Disney. The only thing I own is my story and my OC.

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

'Telepathic'

-Knight of the Stars-

3,951 BBY; Dantooine

"I remember the last time you were at this fountain," a dark hooded male stated. His face was covered with an orange spiraled mask, his one red, glowing eye boring at the hooded, older female. "It was the death of Kreia at the hands of the Jedi, or so you told me."

Her atrophied eyes, white as her hair, were covered still by her hood but she looked in his direction. Kreia was alive last in the Jedi Order, however her betrayal was her death. Giving her birth to another identity.

"If a lightsaber loses its power, is it still a lightsaber?" repeated the man, quoting of an earlier time. "A clever metaphor of your own experience."

"Have you come to mock an old woman?" Kreia asked firmly. Neither anger or anguish was laced in her voice. The man took a seat next to Kreia, sitting in silence as the fountain continued to trickle and overflow from the top then towards the bottom; repeating the cycle.

"Mock? No. But I always questioned your beliefs," admitted the man. "Though you've had more than your own share of ridicule."

"What do you wish to hear of me? That I once believed in the code of the Jedi? That I felt the call of the Sith, that perhaps, once, I held the galaxy by its throat? That for every good work that I did, I brought equal harm upon the galaxy? That perhaps what the greatest of the Sith Lords knew of evil, they learned from me?" Obito glanced towards the woman he once called master, now sat the shattered remains of her. She was always broken. And she tried to repair herself through him, Nihilus and Sion, and now with her newest apprentice- the Exile.

"During my time with you, I have learned what I already knew: there are two kinds of pain- pain that hurts and pain that changes you," Obito said, gently rubbing his fingers over his knuckles.

Kreia smile softly. He had learned much. "Whenever there is light, there is also shadows."

"The shadows of a mask," whispered Obito, gently touching his mask. "No one cared who I was until I put on the mask."

"You were the closest to the truth," Kreia stated.

"But not like Revan," Kreia faced her former student, keeping her head low. She had much faith in him, however he lacked vital qualities that Revan did. "You didn't answer my question."

I didn't, did I? I figured you would've figured it on your own," Obito's eye twitched at Kreia's deflection, but he didn't press further. To question Kreia was to question the Force; a mess of a paradox that ran in circles. He did love her as one would love their master; she taught him self-reliance, strength and opened his eyes to the Force.

The Force…

Chakra…

Two nearly interchangeable descriptions of power yet differed enough to claim their own identity.

His time, however, was drawing to a close. He needed to return home.

"I feel that our time is ending," Kreia noted knowingly.

"Hai," replied Obito. He stood from his seat before facing her. "What is the Exile's name? I've only heard rumors and tales from the events of Malachor V."

"Aladar Sol," he heard her voice soften when she spoke of the boy's name. Kreia stood from her perch and started away from him. "There is no truth in the Force. But there is truth in him, Obito. And that is why I chose him."

-Knight of the Stars-

"It is because you were afraid," Kreia knelt next to the unconscious form of Aladar Sol, the infamously titled Exile of the Mandalorian Wars. Such power in a body so young, a mind warped from the brutality of war. He was broken for a time, physically and mentally. He was something more, almost like… "As you would pass judgment on him, I have come to pass judgment on you all."

The threatening tone of Darth Traya spurred the three Jedi fools in front of her to ignite their lightsabers of green, purple, and blue.

"Do you wish to feel the teachings born of the Mandalorian Wars? Of all wars, of all tragedies that scream across the galaxy. Let me show you. You, who have forever seen the galaxy through the Force. See it through the eyes of the Exile." As the Jedi Masters charged hardily towards Kreia, a resounding emptiness in their bodies deafened them to the melody of the Force; flinging their bodies against the now cracked wall.

Their bodies were silenced from the Force, they were voids. Like the Exile once was.

Kreia left the unconscious body of the Exile behind, hesitating once to look back at her most valuable student. He was nearly ready.

Waiting until she had left the courtyard Obito landed from his perch towards the recovering Exile; his soft, pained grunts escaped his lips and shook his head.

"You're almost as powerful as her," Obito mumbled absently as he crouched next to the Exile. "Aladar Sol… your reputation proceeds your age. Seeing such death during the Mandalorian Wars at a young age, then having to survive the travesty of Malachor V."

The young man looked at the blurred image of Obito, his orange mask the only thing he could visibly see. Rubbing his right hand against his eyes, he pushed himself to his knees. Such pain filled his body, along with a buzz in his skull.

Obito continued to observe the Exile; short hair of brown coloring, standard Jedi robes, and a lightsaber clipped onto his belt. The boy's amber eyes looked with clarity of the masked man then towards the Jedi Masters laying on their faces.

"Who are you?" implored Aladar, keeping his eyes on the bodies.

"A friend of your master," Obito replied. He looked towards the downed Jedi Masters. "She killed them, trying to save you from what they had in store for you."

Standing to his feet Aladar felt slight pain and tried to keep his balance. "Where did she go?"

"I do not know," Aladar faced the masked man, looking at his clothing. Not of any style he had seen in his travels across the galaxy. But his presence in the Force was strong, like Revan.

"You must've been her apprentice," Aladar gathered. "She hasn't mentioned you before."

"I'm Obito, that's all I will say of me," Obito explained. "We both have something in common with her- we have both been manipulated by Kreia."

Aladar frowned at the notion. "I had a feeling, but I just never pursued it. What would she gain from it, if it's true?"

"Something you wield, or rather something you once had I imagine," Obito said.

Aladar looked towards his hand. His lost connection to the Force. "I… don't understand." He looked towards Obito in confusion. "My connection to the Force isn't something she could gain anything from."

"Rather you didn't lose your connection to the Force at all, but instead turned your back to it unknowingly," Aladar stared at Obito hesitantly. That wasn't possible.

"No, no. That's not true," Aladar shook his head, taking a step and two back.

"You must know that it is true, think back to your time with her. The signs must be there," Obito continued. He knew that his master's life was filled with questions, as was it filled with bitterness. She hated the Force, its control over all living things. But she never said these things aloud or directly; only one as close to their master could they pick up on such signs.

Atris, The Handmaiden, Visas, Mira, Meetra …

He felt his bond to them as their bond to him.

"What do you gain from this?" asked Aladar. "I can tell that you are lying about Kreia- you know where she is going."

"I want to see what she sees in you. See how you and Revan are alike. And yes, the Handmaiden is escorting Kreia to your former master."

"Atris," whispered Aladar. The last he saw her; he was leaving for the Mandalorian Wars. She was extremely dedicated to the Jedi and believed in their righteousness.

He feared what she would think of him if he saw her now.

Yet, during his travels, he reflected upon the time they shared the titles of Master and Apprentice- she was strong, he was naive. She was dedicated, he was curious. She was dogmatic, he was receptive.

He was a child, she was… a woman. She was beautiful…

Obito watched the amber eyes of the Exile flux between a plethora of emotions; settling on lust, then finally at love. He knew of love, still knew its potency. He longed to see Rin again, once he returned.

"Come, let us hurry if you want to save your master," Obito ushered. Aladar nodded solemnly and rushed after Obito, leaving the bodies of the Jedi behind.

-Knight of the Stars-

Telosian Jedi Academy

"Who is there?" asked a beautiful woman with beautiful snow white. Her robes adorned the snow colored white, matching her image of purity that she saw within the Jedi.

"Who I am is not the question," Kreia spoke, hidden within the shadows.

"I am Atris, Jedi Master… the last historian of the Jedi… the last Jedi."

"Those are titles, words that cling to as the darkness falls around you."

"You are that which attacks the Jedi… you are Sith."

"Sith is a title, yes, but like you, the title is not who I am. It is not what I believe. For you… it is different. Know that there was a Darth Traya. And that she cast aside that role, was exiled, and found a new purpose. But there must always be a Darth Traya, one that holds the knowledge of betrayal. Who has been betrayed in their heart and will betray in turn."? Atris listened to the heeds, however refusing to heed it. She felt the presence of the woman lurking from the shadows stepping closer to her. "You have bathed in the knowledge of the Sith. But there is not enough truth in such teachings… but it will be a step for you."

"How did it happen?"

Kreia stepped next to the Jedi Master, both observing the Sith artifacts decorating the room. "Search your heart. It was never battle that called to you. Never battle that caused you to fall. Malachor V has touched many things, and it casts its echoes still."

"Why did he betray me?" A selfish, childish question…

"You betrayed yourself, and the Exile. Do not blame him for your arrogance, for your fear," Kreia chastised firmly. "When he needed you, you hid in the shadows; rejecting him like the cowardly fool you were. And unlike you and I, there is still a chance that one may be saved. The one you shunned away."

"Where is the Exile? I had thought…" Doubt crept in the Jedi, she shunned a child away in order to save herself. How would he forgive her? How would she forgive herself?

"Oh, he will come. But it will be too late to save either of us. It is such a quiet thing, to fall. But far more terrible is to admit it."

-Knight of the Stars-

Aladar Sol rushed through the chambers of the Jedi Academy on Telos. His amber lightsaber ignited as he entered the large chambers. The sound of grunts and shouts alerted him earlier of a struggle, and now, stood his master wielding the crimson blades of a saberstaff.

Kneeling before her in defeat was the Handmaiden, panting loudly in exhaustion.

"Enough," a storm of Force lightning flew from Atris' fingertips, torturing the Handmaiden. "Did you have feelings for him? Did you touch him, did you look upon him with love? There is no love in that one. He is a shell, devoid of any emotion."

"Much like you," retorted Aladar, his amber eyes focusing on Atris. "True to the end of the Jedi Code, right? Your noble Knights." Slowly walking around the centerpiece in the room, Aladar studied Atris; her subtle body movements, her ice blue eyes piercing through him in a slur of emotions. "… I needed you and you weren't there. Why weren't you there?"

She heard his voice grovel as he growled out that one question.

"You betrayed me and the Order by following Revan to Malachor V," started Atris chastely. "And one exile has come to save another."

The Exile glanced towards the fallen Handmaiden, having dared to look upon him while her mistress stood in front of her. "You truly have fallen to kill a helpless opponent. I killed Mandalorians who threatened the Jedi themselves while the Council debated like the Senators in the Republic. I followed the Jedi Code, not the Council's authority. You judged me while I suffered alone on that battlefield."

Atris grimaced at the heated words of her apprentice. Still, her pride refused to fall. "It is not a crime to kill the Sith or anyone who threatens the Republic. However, this is my battle and you are my enemy."

The Exile frowned at her words; she wasn't making any sense. She was contradicting herself… she was struggling internally within the Force. "Where did you get that lightsaber?"

"None of your concern," spat Atris, her ice blue eyes flickering to a light shade of yellow. "My path now lies in the darkness where I shall follow, where Kreia has followed."

"Where is Kreia?" demanded Aladar. His frown deepened at his former master's amused laughter.

"I don't know. I shall find her after dealing with you."

"This isn't like you-"

"Don't impugn me with your thoughts! I was your Master; you should have obeyed MY command! Instead you followed HIM to Malachor V… where you would've died, alone."

The Exile's heart quickened in anger and confusion. "You had the chance to "redeem" me during that trial with the Jedi Council, yet you said nothing. I was a child then, but I learned much of the Force during my exile. Something is wrong with you, I can… sense it."

"Stop your ghastly lies, you were stripped of the Force at the end of the war. You couldn't possibly…" Aladar sheathed his amber lightsaber and walked towards Atris defiantly, his bold steps angering Atris further. "Stop or I'll kill the Sith!"

Hearing Brianna's brief cry before it became overlaid with the struggle of choking, Aladar halted his advance. He eyed Atris' outstretched hand directed at Brianna; the Handmaiden's feet dangled above the ground, kicking about in desperation.

The shadowed orange mask of Obito watched the scene unfold from the entrance way behind Aladar, along with his crew of Visas Marr, Meetra and Mira.

"I don't like this," muttered Mira. "He's in over his head, even if he survived Malachor V."

"I am worried of him also, but we must have faith in him. There is a greater threat in the galaxy than what lies before the Exile now," said Visas steadily. Obito listened to the well-chosen words of the Miraluka; within her tone, if one listened carefully, laid care and concern, but not of platonic notions.

"She's right Mira, though the Exile needs to confront this on his own," Meetra interjected. "He needs to settle his demons here and now, then he can focus on healing."

"A hollow healing," Visas spoke quietly. She knew of his wounds, his troubles across the galaxy. Remaining with his fortified resolve, it confounded her. Yet it brought a calming presence to her; having someone who understood her as she understood him.

"Snap out of it!" demanded Aladar, amber eyes narrowing at his Jedi Master. "I have suffered enough, don't make me suffer anymore. I can't…" His voice grew hollow and dim, his strong presence dwindled quickly; a shell- an echo of his former self. Echoes- they were neither strong nor capable of much; much like him. His heart paced quickly as he looked upon the Handmaiden. His right hand trembled slightly. "I can't win here- if I kill you then you'll die with false satisfaction, yet if I don't stop you then you'll become worse further down that path."

Reaching for his lightsaber, its amber color casted its glow across his face; the shadows on his face darken- bringing to light his wounds within. Atris casted aside the Last of the Handmaidens with nary a care, a loud crash following. Charging towards Atris, he wielded the strength of Djem So as she retaliated with the passion of Juyo.

Her movements were static yet powerful. His fortitude and persistence matched blow for blow with his master. Amber and red spheres blended into the fiery color of war, sparks from their lightsabers showered each time they struck.

Aladar jumped over his master's long sweep towards his legs, hoping to slice them in half. Gripping his lightsaber tightly, Aladar's amber eyes remained poised on Atris; judging her next movements. The Exile blocked the overhead strikes of the rouge Jedi Master, steadily keeping her pace in synch.

Minutes drawled onward; Aladar's experience in the Mandalorian Wars hardened his skills with a lightsaber and in the Force. The Exile ducked beneath Atris' slash, slicing the three-meter-tall centerpiece in half. Thinking quickly Aladar lashed out the torn centerpiece through the Force and hurled the multi-ton stone piece upon Atris. Catching his breath, Aladar simply watched the fallen Jedi push the stone crushing her body off and ran deeper into the hallway behind her.

Watching her disappear from his sight, Aladar ran over to the Handmaiden, gently lifting her in his arms before setting her on her feet. "You came for me. I thought I had lost you."

Aladar smiled kindly at the older woman. "Sorry for being a little late, but better late than never." His smile dimmed at his next inquire. "Tell me what happened with Kreia. Now."

"Kreia… she said the Council had ended you. And all along, she was one of those who had sought to kill us," the Handmaiden clarified.

The Exile exhaled through his nose, thoughts running numb in his head. Knowing that she would be safe brought ease to his sense of self. "I suppose both carry their truth, in a way."

"When I heard her say that you were dead, I… I failed you. I let my emotion run through me, and I acted without thinking. I wanted to punish her… hurt her, see her answer for what she had done to the Jedi, for leading you to the council…" Aladar watched the Handmaiden, saw her weakness for him behind her beautiful blue eyes. He had pained her.

"Calm yourself- I am here now, it is alright," Without much thought, Aladar brushed his hand against her cheek; they were warm as they were soft. Startled by his affectionate display, the Handmaiden politely stepped back- a light shade of pink adorned her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

"As am I, forgive my display," the Handmaiden responded. "I… I am the last of the Handmaidens no longer. I am Brianna, disciple of the last of the Jedi. And the one who will stand with you against all enemies who face us."

"It's quite a lovely name," praised Aladar. "It's nice to hear it."

"It is… good to hear it, after so long."

"Stay with Visas and the others back on the Hawk, I'm going after Atris," Brianna stepped in front of Aladar, preventing his next step.

"Leave her be, I beg you," Brianna pressed. "She…" The former Handmaiden paused as Aladar stared at her. He knew what she was going to say, even if it would hurt him further.

"That she is a lost cause?" inquired Aladar, a somber expression masked with a charming smile. "She should be left and forgotten? Exiled to contend with her thoughts and sins?"

"That is different!" Brianna casted her eyes in defeat and guilt. His warm hand lifted her face, his thumb brushing against her bottom lip affectionately.

"So is the path of the Jedi and Sith. Of the Force in all its complexity. I think that's what Kreia wanted to teach me- a web that tangles us in a desperate mess," Aladar continued. "I'll be fine. Now go."

Brianna obeyed the Exile's command, rushing back to the Ebon Hawk crew as Aladar rushed into where Atris had retreated.

-Knight of the Stars-

Faint crimson filled the spacious study room, the white light above cascaded upon Atris, her back turned away from him. "She said you would come here," the dark hum of her saberstaff igniting, flourishing a twirl of vast speed and intimidation. "If you think you can be defeat me, then you are wrong. All this collected knowledge, all these teachings of combat and the Force- they're mine to command. And if I must use them to defeat you, I will. Surrender, you need not die."

Aladar observed the Jedi Master, he noticed her phrasing had changed in turn of his fate. Perhaps there was hope still, maybe Kreia's teachings could become redeemable.

"Master Atris, you must be stopped. These holocrons have corrupted you to the Dark side, did I ever slaughter innocents in the Mandalorian Wars?" asked Aladar. If he could push her to rethink her actions presently…

"Atris?" her soft voice uttered. "That is not who I am, not anymore. She has not existed for some time, I think. There was something else inside me, it just took time for its voice to be heard."

The Exile clipped his lightsaber back to his belt upon seeing her eyes casted upon him. She would listen this time, he would make her.

"There was more to Kreia's teachings. Yes, there was the Light and Dark sides of the Force at play but listen to her words: those are the words of a troubled, bitter woman. Yet there is truth to them," Aladar clarified. "I don't think even she fully understands what she means, and I think that is the point. If you kill me then you are following the Sith Code- I am the chain that you must break in order to be free, to reach enlightenment."

"You said that you followed the Jedi Code and not the Council's authority when you followed Revan. What part of the Code did you infer that made your choice?" asked Atris. The Exile licked his lips, thinking back to when he was a Padawan.

"All of it," answered Aladar. Her shocked expression caused the Exile to continue. "There is no emotion, there is peace- I didn't react in a impulsive manner when Revan and Malak offered fellow Jedi to join them to prove my worth or anything. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge- the Mandalorian Wars taught me much of the horrors of war and death. It taught me the power and its wielder must be in synch for accomplishments to bear fruit. There is no passion, there is serenity- During my exile, I had time to calm my anger and reflect on my choices. I was angry at your betrayal Master, but I tried to understand why. There is no chaos, there is harmony- All things come full circle, by our choices and our own hands. Kreia taught me this through self-reliance. There is no death, there is the Force- I think my current situation should explain in full."

Atris glanced side to side to the holocrons around her, "This knowledge of Jedi and Sith is what I am. This is my attempt to hold onto the past, to try and protect the future."

"We both made mistakes then," Aladar soothed. "Please, join me. I don't want to fight anymore- there's been enough blood spilled. Kreia, Nihilus and Sion are our threats; not us. Kreia probably wants to destroy the Force through my example, that's far worse of anything the Jedi has faced in the past. I fear she could make that happen."

Atris winced, a sharp ringing screeched in her ear.

The Exile narrowed his eyes at the holocrons. "I'm getting you out of here. They've done enough damage to you." Aladar attempted to guide Atris away from the study room but she gently placed her hand on his chest.

"No, you always knew where they were striking from, you always knew. These Sith are spawned from you, spawned from the Mandalorian Wars. All those deaths… All those Jedi… Their power is to feed on life until there is nothing left but a hollow galaxy- echoing of the screams lost to us." Atris smiled at her former apprentice, sincerely. "I know that you did not mean for this to happen. I am sorry for that."

"Did Kreia return to Malachor?"

"Yes, I had thought she was waiting for me at that place. But I see that she was lying, she wasn't waiting for me but for you. She has gone there; she has traveled to Malachor V to finish what you started."

The Exile furrowed his brow- it was funny to him of how much influence he has caused those last five years. Now everything would end by him. "She must be trying to recreate that echo…"

"Greater than the one before, greater than the one you caused," Atris looked towards her apprentice. "It will deafen all those touched by the Force until no life is left. You have survived it once, but few have your strength especially if they are unprepared. But she needs you there, if you choose not to follow, she will murder herself at the heart of Malachor, and you shall die along with her. However, you will not survive Telos, nothing will; that is because the greatest of her apprentices come to Telos and he will destroy everything, just like he destroyed Katarr and all the Jedi gathered there."

The Exile had enough. "This matter is finished."

"What will you do with me now? Abandon me on this dead world or end my life as I wish to end yours?" Aladar narrowed his eyes, taking slow steps towards her. So much he had suffered, so much had he learned. The one he lacked, amongst many, was this-

A bond.

He pressed his lips against hers- a brief, simple kiss. A kiss of honesty and love. Atris blinked in surprise, her posture firm as before. No real reaction on her face, watching the Exile smile sadly and turning his back to her.

Even when she betrayed him, he cared for her still. He spent many sleepless nights during the last five years, and now, honestly, nothing seemed to change. Neither him or her, the galaxy or the Force.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoy my "new" story!

HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I figure I would reupload an old story that I never really got off the ground, so I figure why not now lol.

I have a little surprise also in the future for you guys, it's a rather original (for me) story that I think y'all will enjoy... COMING SOON.

The first three chapters will be a mini arc that will setup Aladar Sol's character a bit more.

As you can see, the time frame stems towards the end of KOTOR 2, right before the interrogation of the Exile and the Jedi Council on Dantooine. Plus, hopefully, it gives a little insight between Obito and Kreia on some level.

Harem-

Have fun!

Power Scale-

Planet to Planet+:

Kaguya Otsutsuki (with Expansive Truth-Seeking Balls)

Hagoromo Otsutsuki (Small Planet- Created the moon with his brother; provided Naruto and Sasuke the ability to do the same, by his lonesome)

Hamura Otsutsuki (Small Planet-Equal to his brother)

Darth Nihilus

Kreia/Darth Traya

Darth Sion

Aladar Sol/The Exile

Obito Uchiha (trained under both Kreia and Madara)

Moon to Moon+:

Asura Ōtsutsuki

Might Guy (8 Gates opened)

Toneri Ōtsutsuki

Madara (Sage of Six Paths)

Continent to Continent+:

Madara Uchiha (with Susano'o and Majestic Attire: Susano'o)

Country to Country+:

Kurama (matched the combined Bijudama of five other Biju's with one attack of its own)

Madara Uchiha (with Kurama under his control)

Hashirama Senju (with Shinsuusenju [Destroyed Madara's Perfect Susano'o with Shinsuusenju and damaged Kurama])

Mountain to Mountain+:

Hashirama Senju (can battle both Madara and Kurama)

Madara Uchiha (Base/Perfect Susano'o and Gedo Mazo)

Minato Namikaze

Tobirama Senju

Itachi Uchiha

Orochimaru (Said to be stronger than any other ninja in Konoha, including Old Hiruzen, by Hiruzen himself. Is stronger than Tsunade, and at least equal to Jiraiya, who was stated to be comparable to Itachi Uchiha)

Town to Town+:

Rock Lee

Killer B