Author's Note: Sorry it took so long for me to finish this chapter. College has been keeping me busy.

Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill. I don't own Star Wars or Knights of the Old Republic.

Chapter Twenty

In hindsight, Atton should have realized that he was dreaming. For one, he was on the bridge of the Valiant, the ship he'd served on during the Mandalorian Wars. While, the ship survived Malachor V, Atton transferred off there to commence his training as an assassin. The Valiant was strangely bereft of any crew members, even though some technicians were always at their stations, in case of an emergency. For another, Bastila Shan was approaching him.

However, Atton only felt ecstasy to see his half-sister alive, well, and seemingly free of her Sith captors. He raced towards her and embraced her tightly. "Bastila, I'm so glad to see you!"

"Why would you be happy to see me?" Bastila hissed as she extricated herself from his arms. "After all, I thought you hated Force users."

Atton's heart sank as he realized that Bastila's eyes were a sulfuric yellow, a clear sign of dark side corruption. "Because you're my sister. You mean a lot to me."

"You mean I'm someone you feel obligated to save, and shelter from anything that could be potentially dangerous," Bastila retorted.

"I always knew you were a hypocrite," a familiar voice said.

Atton turned and saw her, the Jedi who'd informed him of his Force sensitivity. She possessed the same ebony, black hair that contrasted eerily with her ivory, pale skin. Except, that she wore the black robes favored by Sith acolytes and her eyes were the same sickly shade of yellow that Bastila's were.

"I'm sorry," he uttered. Atton recognized that there was no act of valor he could perform to atone for his torturing the Jedi, and then killing her because, she audaciously revealed the truth to him.

"Poor Atton Rand," the Jedi spat. "All those years despising Force users only to uncover he was one himself. It's rather fitting that he is what he abhors."

"He always was an ungrateful brat." Electra Lazuli entered the room, and glared daggers at Atton. "I would have done anything to possess even a fraction of the potential he displayed. And yet the man squanders his Force potential, and pretends it doesn't exist."

"Who says I have to utilize my talents?" Atton argued, and attempted to locate an exit. Unfortunately, he was surrounded.

"You certainly can't hide from them forever," the three women declared, before drawing ruby red lightsabers and pouncing.

Atton woke up then, his body spasming like the aftershock of an earthquake. It was only a dream. However, it was a dream that accurately transmitted the thoughts that warred within his mind. Korriban's dark nature was affecting him. The sooner they located the Star Map and departed from the Sith planet, the happier that Atton would be.

After a quick breakfast of mush from the food synthesizer, Atton departed with Canderous and Carth back to the Valley of the Dark Lords. Even with the sun beating down mercilessly enough to make him sweat, Atton still sensed something icy and cold about this particular area. There was a cave that called to him like a siren luring in shipwrecked sailors to their demise. However, in order to gain more prestige, Atton recognized he couldn't be jumping at ghosts.

"I don't think this is a tomb Atton," Carth commented, glancing warily from side to side as though he anticipated an ambush. Given his son Dustil, perhaps Carth had a touch of Force sensitivity himself.

"If I want to gain more prestige, I need to explore areas that haven't been picked over," Atton replied, ignoring the Force warning screaming within his mind.

"Well, we can't spend all day dilly-dallying outside a cave," Canderous said, clearly unbothered by the dark side.

The cave was practically pitch black, requiring Atton to pull out a flashlight. Bat-like shyracks swooped towards the trio, only to fall to Canderous and Carth's blasters. When one shyrack fell, a second took its place. It was easy to comprehend why the cave had been ignored by most Sith aspirants. Moreover, a bleak sense of foreboding continued to permeate Atton's thoughts as they moved deeper into the labyrinth network of caves.

Finally, the trio arrived in a cave that retained a modicum of light that illuminated it eerily. Instead of shyracks, there was a group of Sith students who drew their lightsabers in anticipation of a battle. There were two green skinned Twi'leks who appeared to be identical twins, a pale skinned, blonde haired human woman, and a brown skinned human woman. From their emaciated states, Atton observed they probably hadn't eaten a proper meal in a while.

"Wait!" Carth yelled. "We aren't here to kill you."

The brown skinned human woman who appeared to be the leader stepped forward cautiously. "You aren't?"

"No, we aren't," Atton replied. "Why exactly are you hiding in these caves?"

"My name is Thalia May, and I joined the Sith Academy, because I was drawn to their strength. But when Master Uthar commanded us to execute some unarmed citizens from Dreshdae, we refused. I'm surprised nobody's come to finish us off."

Envy prickled at Atton, that this woman was more moral and courageous then he could ever hope to be. However, he could assist in their escape, and deceive Master Uthar in the process. This thought chased away the dismal memory of his nightmare. "So why haven't you managed to escape from this cave."

"There's a dark creature blocking our path out," Thalia May replied. "We attempted to kill it, but only lost several of our friends. So, we retreated here."

"Was this creature resistant to Force powers?" Atton queried.

"Yes," Thalia May declared, obviously surprised that Atton was familiar with the creature.

"It's a terentatek, a creature of the dark side that's resistant to the Force," Atton explained. "It prefers to devour Force sensitives, so you're fortunate it hasn't attempted to attack you here."

"Then how do we kill it?" the blonde-haired woman asked.

"We could set some mines and lure into a trap," Canderous suggested. "Atton, you'd make excellent bait given your Force sensitivity."

"Maureen will provide you mines," Thalia May uttered, deciding that their gambit was worth the risk. "And you can borrow my lightsaber Atton."

"Thank you," Atton replied in shock that this stranger was entrusting him with her lightsaber.

"It's only to guarantee you can slay this terentatek. After all, my group can't depart unless you kill it."

The lightsaber fit nicely in Atton's hand, though he struggled to push aside his fear of embracing his Force abilities. It was an easy trek to the bridge where the terentatek lurked. Carth cautiously snuck closer while in stealth mode and set up the mines. Canderous and Carth then moved back to give Atton room to maneuver.

Atton unsheathed the red lightsaber, and waved it tauntingly in the air. "I heard you like swallowing Force sensitives. Well, let's see how well you fare against me."

The terentatek lumbered forward right into the mines, which exploded, sending projectiles into the creature's hide. Still, the terentatek lived, although seriously injured. Carth and Canderous fired shots, but most of them bounced off. Atton threw the lightsaber, finally managing to wound the terentatek. Instead of running back, he stayed still, hoping to give him companions a clear shot. Just as the creature was about to devour him, Canderous dealt a fatal shot to its body. The terentatek flinched and exploded into noxious fumes.

"That was a little too close," Carth commented. "But at least we can inform them that the terentatek's been dealt with."

Thalia May's brown eyes widened like saucers of hot chocolate as Atton returned her lightsaber. "I doubted you'd manage to kill the creature, but thank you for your assistance."

"I'll tell Master Uthar I killed you all so that should throw the Sith off your trail for a while," Atton said.

Thalia May and her companions bowed in respect, and departed. Atton hoped they managed to escape Korriban, and he was astonished to uncover that assisting them felt oddly euphoric. Perhaps, he should aid people more often.

…

By the time, Revan awoke from a dreamless sleep, Korriban's sun was at its zenith, although Atton hadn't yet returned with his group. After munching on a quick brunch of dried fruit, and cheese, he embarked to the tombs along with Juhani and Jolee. Revan had already cracked the tomb of Ajunta Pall, wasn't keen on battling the droids rumored to lurk in Marka Ragnos' tomb, and wasn't able to access Naga Sadow's tomb since it was sealed off until the final trial. Therefore, he opted to brave the tomb of Tulak Hord and its nest of fearsome tu'kata.

Just like Ajunta Pall's tomb there was an obvious presence of darkness, although Revan instinctively intuited that Tulak Hord had either moved on or was in far too deep hibernation to be disturbed. Unfortunately, the tu'kata made up for the lack of Force ghosts. They made the kath hounds on Dantooine appear docile and tame in comparison, with their pencil sharp horns and stamping feet. Fortunately, they were easy to fend off when one possessed a lightsaber.

The trio reached what appeared to be a locked door. Before Revan could dissuade her, Juhani attempted to force the door open with her lightsaber. Nauseous gas spread throughout the room, knocking them all out. When Revan awoke, he observed they were trapped in what appeared to be Tulak Hord's burial chamber. Moreover, there was a wizened humanoid male who was laughing maniacally at him.

"Awake already, are you?" the man queried. "Good! This is the tomb of Sith Lord Tulak Hord, if you don't know. I've taken up residence here for now…. it's dusty and full of critters, but it's home."

"Who are you?" Revan asked, curious about this mad man's identity.

"Ah, yes! Introductions of course! I suppose it is time, isn't it? This other student over here that I captured earlier you should know well enough. His name is Mekel. Say hello, Mekel."

Revan barely lifted his head and recognized the black-haired student, who moaned in lieu of an introduction. Sympathy bubbled within Revan's chest, since Mekel labored to remain upright.

"Poor lad. He's had a hard day. My name is Jorak Uln. I was once head of the academy, so I'm sure you've heard of me."

"No, I've never heard of you," Revan replied.

"What?! Can't that idiotic Uthar teach anything right?! Anyhow, I'd like to propose we move on to the main event. You see, I'd like to discover if you've got the pluck of an old fashioned Sith. Most of the dreck Uthar has been passing through these days is so pathetic. Take young Mekel here…. I already tested him. Didn't I, Mekel?"

Mekel mumbled, unable to articulate any comprehensible words, besides "I".

"Yes, yes, you're welcome. You see, Mekel here has the cruel disposition of a Sith…. but not the gumption I'm looking for."

"Look, we could talk about this," Revan suggested, as he scanned the room for any potential egresses. All the doors were closed and probably locked tight. Moreover, Jolee and Juhani weren't visible, and Revan briefly fretted about their welfare before focusing back on his own well-being.

"I'm sure we could," Jorak Uln chuckled. "However, nothing you say will convince me to release you before you complete the test. Perhaps you have some questions? I'm not above delaying the test a bit. The results are always the same."

"And if I pass this test?" Revan asked.

"Why, then you go free. Tell you what…I'll even pass onto you my own personal thesis on ancient Sith philosophies. They're based on all I've learned studying Tulak's tomb. It'll make you a better Sith, I'm sure. The chances of you passing, however, are sadly remote."

"Fine. Ask your idiotic questions."

"Now, now. There's no need to be dismissive towards educational opportunities. This is how it goes: I'm going to pose a moral question to you. Get it right, and I torture Mekel. Get it wrong and I torture you. Mekel here is a bit weak…. he probably won't be able to take much more punishment. Mind you…. get too many wrong and you'll die yourself. I don't know what you think of Mekel. Maybe you don't like him. Maybe you think he deserves to be murdered? Well here's your chance. Fair enough?"

"This is completely unfair!" Revan yelled, not because he truly believed that, but to provoke Jorak into attacking him. Unfortunately, the wily Sith master refused to take the bait.

"Oh? Just how long have you been a Sith anyhow? A bit dainty around the edges, are we? Well then. Any last comments before me begin, Mekel?"

"Uhh…we can…. both survive…. attack him together!" Mekel wheezed.

"Now, now, dear lad. Do you really think your friend here will answer questions wrong just to spare little you, risking their own life?" Jorak scoffed. "And how many correctly-answered questions before you die, hmmm? No, don't be silly…. you had your chance, remember? On that note, let's begin. Now, then. Your immediate superior amongst the Sith is an effective commander and fine leader. He trusts you and you like him. You see an opportunity to kill him. What do you do?"

"I do nothing," Revan replied. "He's a fine leader you said. He's good for the Sith."

"Incorrect! What sort of thinking is that? If all the Sith thought as you did, we would all be soft like the Jedi. Tsk. Ah, well. It is time for your punishment."

Force lightning coursed through Revan's body, and he couldn't prevent himself from screaming in pain.

"And so, we come to round two," Jorak Uln uttered. "You come across a group of humans who are threatened by dangerous animals. They plead for help, offering you a reward. What do you do?" Jorak Uln inquired.

"I accept the reward and assist them," Revan answered, recognizing that aiding others could potentially result in fruitful alliances in the future.

"So, you've made a profit, and now you have some sniveling, useless fools trailing after you. No, no, no. Bad idea. Bad idea. At any rate…. here is your punishment."

After this second round of Force lightning, Revan discovered he sympathized with Mekel's position far more, especially since he doubted this insane hermit would uphold his bargain, even if they both answered the questions correctly.

"Let's see…. ah yes. You discover an aspect of the Force that gives you great power. Do you share it and strengthen the Sith as a whole or keep it to yourself?" Jorak asked with an infuriating smirk.

Revan instinctively recognized that he would respond with the "incorrect" answer not only to protect Mekel from withstanding more torture, but because his strategic mind would tolerate nothing less. "I would share this information, and ensure that all the Sith would gain from it."

"You gained an advantage and share it freely! Let them rip the secret from my dead hands I say!" Jorak spat, finally beginning to succumb to Revan's incessant needling. "I mean …share it?! Are you mad?! Well, you did ask for this. It's for your own good."

This round of torture, Revan utilized a technique taught to him by Kreia to detach his mind from his body, so the pain wouldn't register as acutely. It was a temporary reprieve at best, and Revan comprehended that his body could withstand only so much agony before he succumbed.

"Still going? All right then," Jorak uttered, attempting to maintain the façade of joviality. "One of your underlings has made a major mistake which makes you look bad. He is normally very competent and skilled. Do you kill him or give him another chance?"

"Give him another chance," Revan replied. "If he continues to make inconvenient mistakes, then dispose of him."

"Another chance to make you look poor to your superiors?" Jorak jeered. "To make it look like you are weak and deserving of attack? No, no, no. Think again. Hmmm. Not that good help is easy to find. Oh, well, here's your reward."

Force lightning coursed through Revan's body, and he struggled to stay on his feet.

"Last question! You're about to die. Do you pass on your knowledge to your apprentice to make him stronger…. or do you use your last breath to strike at your enemies?" Jorak inquired.

"I refuse to answer this," Revan spat, tired of this ridiculous farce. If Jorak was considered a "model Sith" than Revan was ecstatic he was no longer counted among their kind.

"Hmph. Such insolent students I get, these days. You deserve this and then some."

The only thing that prevented Revan from falling to this round of Force lightning was his desire for vengeance against this ancient and insane hermit. If that wasn't a Jedi-like thought then so be it. Revan acknowledged in this moment, that the best way forward was to obtain the best portions of the Jedi and Sith teachings, and unify them, creating his own, unique personal philosophy.

"Now…this is odd," Jorak mused. "The test is over and you're both still alive. Well that's happened before. Hmmm. What to do, what to do…. Hmmm. I suppose this means you can go, Mekel. I'll just have to figure out what to do with our friend here. Run along now."

"Or…or I could use the Force to free them! And we could kill you! Seems you didn't think of that old man!" Mekel mocked.

Energy coursed into Revan's body, and while he wasn't one hundred percent better, he was healed enough to participate in the battle against Jorak.

"What?! Mutiny!" Jorak gasped. "Behave, students! I'll, that's it! Detention for all of you! Permanent detention!"

Unfortunately for Jorak, Mekel turned out to be a gifted lightsaber duelist. Moreover, while Mekel drew out the fanatical Sith Master's attacks, Revan's lightsaber breached the hermit's defenses and easily finished him off. In addition, the doors to the tomb slid open, admitting Jolee and Juhani.

"What do you know?" Mekel said thoughtfully. "I guess he wasn't a 'true Sith' after all. I can't believe that I'm alive. You saved me…you could have easily just answered those questions and let me die."

"Nobody deserves to die like that," Revan declared.

"Yeah well…I see what you mean. I've never…I mean, I've never been on that side of the fence before," Mekel sheepishly admitted. "It makes you think. I'd be dead if you were a proper Sith. But you're not, are you? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"This could be the chance to change your ways, Mekel," Revan compassionately suggested.

"You mean…the light side?" Mekel queried. "I've never thought about that. Can you…can you even go back? I've done some…. I mean, I've hurt a lot of people."

"There is always the opportunity to go back and atone," Juhani gently persuaded. "You just need to choose that path."

"I…I don't think that the light side is for me," Mekel said. "But maybe, neither are the Sith. Maybe, it's time for me to leave. Thanks, I suppose and good luck."

Revan waited until Mekel departed, before beginning to walk towards the Sith Academy. Korriban's sun was completing its long descent into the horizon. Various Sith students were packing up their archaeological equipment and departing for their beds. Master Uthar remained in the central chamber meditating. When Revan entered, he stood up. "What have you brought me?" Uthar questioned.

"I've brought sword of Ajunta Pall, and a tome of Ancient Sith knowledge translated by your former master," Revan explained.

Master Uthar clapped. "Well done! I suppose this means you are the winner of our little competition. The surviving students will have to wait until next year and compete again. Tomorrow morning you will be completing your final trial in the tomb of Naga Sadow, alone. If you succeed, you will be admitted into the Sith Academy for training."

Out of the corner of his eye, Revan caught a glimpse of Atton standing up from where he'd been meditating, and departing for the Ebon Hawk. This was excellent, since Revan instinctively sensed they wouldn't depart from Korriban without a battle.

…

"Revan's completing the final trial to become a Sith and acquiring the last Star Map tomorrow," Atton declared. He was relieved that Juhani and Jolee opted to return to the Ebon Hawk with him instead of accompanying Revan. In addition, the rest of the crew had chosen to stay on board instead of exploring Korriban in order to avoid unpleasant confrontations with aggressive Sith students.

"So, what do we do?" Mission inquired, her blue lekku twitching nervously.

"We make sure that the Ebon Hawk is prepped for takeoff. If there's any repairs that need to be done, we should do them now," Atton said.

Carth nodded in agreement. "I'll check all the systems and make sure we've got plenty of fuel. Could you send a message to Dustil to let him know that trouble might be coming?"

"Sure," Atton replied. "Meanwhile, T3, HK, Mission, and Zaalbar can guard the ship and ensure that no one attempts to steal it."

"We could watch the entrance to the Sith Academy in shifts," Mission suggested. "That way we aren't caught off guard when Revan returns."

"An excellent idea Mission," Atton said. "How about Canderous and Jolee take the first shift?"

"That sounds fine by me as long as you give an old man the chance to rest his legs a bit," Jolee replied.

"Carth and I can take the second shift," Juhani volunteered. "Carth should be done with any repairs we require to the Ebon Hawk by then."

With a unanimous consensus, the meeting was adjourned and Atton waited while Carth jotted down a quick message for Dustil. In the past, Atton would have envied the young man for having a father who cared greatly about his welfare. Now, he merely vowed to rescue his half-sister Bastila and hopefully uncover a cure for his mother's illness. Dustil turned out to be incredibly easy to locate in the sparring chambers battling his friend Kel Algwinn. It wasn't obvious initially, but Atton noted that Dustil was going easy on his friend.

"I heard you didn't win the competition," Dustil uttered with a smidgen of sympathy.

"Well, there's always next year," Atton declared with feigned enthusiasm. "I've got a message for you."

"Ok." Dustil took the offered datapad, and swiftly read the message. He seemed to contemplate the possibility the message could be a forgery before he replied. "I understand, and I'll be ready when the time is right."

"And Triish and I will support whatever y'all are planning," Kel interjected with surprising determination.

"Here's a data pad with some intel I got on the Sith," Dustil said. "It's not much, but it should provide some insights."

"Thank you and have a good evening," Atton said, and then quickly retreated back to the Ebon Hawk. Carth was not surprisingly, in the cockpit running through all the systems, and mentally preparing a check-list of parts the ship required.

"Dustil got your message and gave me a datapad with some information he collected on the Sith," Atton explained.

Carth gratefully received the datapad, but behaved like a ship in autopilot, out of focus and not paying attention. "Atton, do you know what it's like to be a parent?" he finally inquired.

Atton shook his head. "Honestly, I have no experience in that area since I don't have any kids."

"It's strange how I both want to wrap Dustil up and spirit him away from this desolate place, and yet I also feel fierce pride in the fact my son genuinely wants to atone for the wrong he committed while he was a Sith. Maybe someday you'll comprehend what I'm feeling right now."

"I think you'd better get those parts, before the Czerka store closes," Atton said, rapidly changing the subject. He doubted that any woman would accept a former assassin as a potential boyfriend.

"Sure," Carth declared as he left for the Czerka store, his mind now engrossed in the parts the Ebon Hawk required.

For now, Atton realized that he must wait patiently for Revan to return with coordinates from the Star Map, which would hopefully pinpoint the location of the Star Map. Then, they could finally annihilate the weapon and defeat Darth Malak.