Snow and ice, ice and snow. Such an appropriate place for meeting ghosts of the past. All the more this particular ghost.

- Atris.

- I did not expect to see you again after the day of your sentencing. I thought you had taken the exile's path, wandering the galaxy. Yet you have returned - why? - she is the snow itself. She is the ice. Colder than cryogen, her white robes so fitting, her blue eyes so stinging. And somehow she seems to know the answer to that question better than Meetra does. What are you up to, miss High Councillor?

- I am just trying to find my stolen ship, - the Exile responds cautiously.

- Your ship - ah, the Ebon Hawk? It is not your ship. Unless you are admitting to the destruction of the Peragus mining facility.

- It wasn't my doing, I actually barely escaped the station's fate.

- So you say, - oh, she still knows where to sting.

- Did I ever lie to you?

- Now that I think of it, perhaps you were doing it all the way. Anyway, the ship is here, safe. Its records and navicomputer are being dissected to determine what caused the destruction of the Peragus facility.

- Dammit, you could have simply asked!

- I did't have to. If it is your ship, perhaps I should be questioning you as to what happened - and why you destroyed the facility and murdered all the miners stationed there.

- All the miners were already dead when I found myself there.

- A facility of over one hundred and fifty personnel - all dead before you arrived. A childish story to mask your crime. And with the facility destroyed, you think there is no way to confirm your story. But I will pry the truth from you, I promise you that.

- You haven't changed much, as I can see. Not really interested in truth, only in accusations.

- Your endless false excuses have not changed much, too. Do you know what you have caused with that act of destruction?

- Are you actually questioning me or telling your own stories?! You don't want to hear the testimony of an eye-witness before you jump to conclusions?

- I will hear you out, but we'll still need the evidence proving your words.

- Whatever. Where do I begin? Perhaps by telling that the Ebon Hawk really wasn't my ship before Peragus? I was a passenger on another vessel, and it got attacked. You will be most surprised when I tell you who attacked it.

- Go ahead.

- Turned out to be a Sith Lord, imagine that. Yeah, go ahead and ask me why not Revan or a hundred terentateks! The Ebon Hawk somehow picked me up and brought to Peragus, mortally wounded, as well as the old woman. When I dropped out of my kolto tank, I only found corpses. The station had been sabotaged, with all droids having gone rogue. To add to the top if it, the Sith took over the Republic vessel I was earlier aboard and came to Peragus. I managed to escape with the Ebon Hawk, but the fire they opened destroyed the asteroids. Boom. No more fuel. Here's your truth. The Sith are roaming the galaxy and attacking ships.

- You speak truly... you have encountered the Sith, - Atris seems to grow thougtful. - I can feel the scars on you. What would they want there? They can't have been looking for you.

- My, did you finally believe at least something? Guess I should start celebrating! They are hunting Jedi. They believed I was one of them, as well as Kreia.

- There are no more Jedi... except I. Like you, they turned from the Order, and now only I remain.

- You can't be serious, right? There must be more, somewhere.

- I said I was the last of the Jedi, exile, and I did not speak falsely. There are others who were once Jedi, but no longer. They will not take action against this threat.

- Hah! And you will? All alone? Against a Sith Lord and an army of assassins? What's your plan?

- Whatever force they can bring to bear, it will matter not - if they face a true Jedi, they shall fall.

- Ah, I see, they'll all die of laughter, no less!

- Spare me your wits, you've never been good at it. Just get 'your' ship and leave, before you place us in jeopardy.

- Come on, there must be something I can do to help. We can still come up with a real plan if you stop acting like... uh...

- You offer your aid? After turning your back on me... on the Council? The Jedi is not something you embrace out of fear. The commitment is stronger than that, something you never seemed to understand.

- I went to kriffing WAR out of my commitment, and you are talking about FEAR?!

- That wasn't the reason! You went there for your own excitement, for-

- Dammit, what's wrong with you, Atris?! Even after all these years, you sound like you never even tried to understand me! Even after that parody of trial!

- Oh, there was much about that day that haunts me still. Your words, your defiance - and when you stabbed your lightsaber into the center stone. I have kept it - so I would never forget.

- You hate me because I am right! I always wa- wait, that's really my lightsaber. I did not realize you still had it after so many years.

- I have always kept it, as a reminder of what can happen when your passions dictate your actions. I have kept it, so I would never forget your arrogance or your insult to the Order.

- Care to give it back to me now?

- Never! It is a Jedi weapon, and you are not one of them. Not anymore.

- Whatever. Perhaps it's for the best. But you are clearly unaware of proper responses to help offers, it seems.

- I need nothing from you! Except your departure from this place. I was wrong to even permit you to remain this long.

- I'll leave this place gladly. Where is my crew?

- My Handmaidens will take you to them. Now leave me be, - the stiff white-robed figure turns her back on the Exile and falls silent.

Back on the Ebon Hawk, Meetra doesn't seem to collect herself for a while. Does reconnecting to the Force have anything to do with this pain? Does it awaken and bring back everything she was unable to feel properly back then? She knows how the loss of the Force feels... but what does a severed bond feel like to those still in tune with the Force?

A loud insistent beeping brings her back to reality.

- What is it, T3? You... you did what? Downloaded all her archives? My, aren't you a wondrous resourceful little bastard! No, no, little one, I mean no offence, I was merely expressing my amusement. So, what was there? Aha. And the list of Jedi! You good boy. And...

And her trial record. No. She doesn't want to see it. Not now. Not after...

"I wish it had gone another way, T3... I wish she had given me a chance to confess the real reason I returned before the Council".

- Sure, play it.

- the end of chapter 1 -

I didn't really find any way to add author's comments, so I am attaching them in the end of the text. Hopefully, this isn't breaking any rules. So.

Credit for the image goes to the awesome copypastus who has created a load of adorable KOTOR art. The site hates links, so just look for her blog "copyplays" at Tumblr. Can as well add "/tagged/atris" to URL for Atris related only content.

Used some of the ingame script, hopefully not too much.