"Of course there are aspects of the Sith within me," Mira answered as they walked. "I told you, I have studied many of the paths of the Force users. I have adopted those that seem expedient and right. Yes, good people are often overwhelmed by pain and suffering. The galaxy is full of such pain. But should we deny such pain, as the Jedi do? Should we not embrace the pain, allow it to make us stronger so that, in the end, we can completely eliminate it?

"On the same topic, who ever said that pain and suffering were necessarily a bad thing? Have you ever been to Coruscant? Seen a shadow moth? No? Well, let me tell you something. A shadow moth, when it is a larvae, builds a cocoon. After several months, it attempts to break free. It must struggle, it hurts, it feels pain. It suffers. Yet that suffering is necessary for it to become strong enough to soar through the air, sending forth beautiful songs that cheer all who are around. To cut it out of its cocoon is to doom it to a life of silence, an unfulfilled existance. So, in a way, pain and suffering can be good.

"As far as leading them to experience anger, who ever said anger by itself was a bad thing? See, the Jedi teach you to suppress your anger, to rid yourself of it. A select few Jedi teach that anger can be channeled but not used. They are closer to the truth. The truth is that anger is an emotion just like love or, as the Jedi would use, peace. It is a natural feeling, something that you are born with. Should we deny that which is natural? The Jedi do exactly that. They tell you to trust your feelings, your instincts, then they command you to suppress those instincts. Can that be right?

"I don't think so. I think that anger, when used with the right intention, can be a tool to make us stronger. Anger is not darkness. To use anger for wrong is darkness, but to use it righteously is light. You do not have to deny your emotions to serve the light. Neither do you have to give into them to serve the dark. It is when you use those emotions for evil that you are serving the dark.

"Do I kill innocent beings to achieve my goal? No. Have I killed innocents? Yes. I have. It is not something I am proud of. It was probably not necessary. But I have.

"Would I call someone with different views an enemy? No. I am talking with you, yet you have different views than I do. I have but two enemies: the state of the galaxy, and those Jedi who refuse to do something about it.

"You are right. Most things are not solved with violence. If that were the answer, I would have killed you when I first saw you, since you are a Jedi. But I believe that the Jedi can be persuaded to act in the best interests of the galaxy rather than stand by and watch. If I can persuade them to take action, what quarrel to I have with them? If I can persuade them to embrace the Force in all its aspects, to understand that the Dark Side is within them, not outside them, to use their emotions to strengthen them without giving in to the corruption of evil, then why should I fight them?

"To hear you say the Jedi are disbanded is news to me, but it does not surprise me. When I left the Order, I felt the fractitious nature. There were too many like me and you that wished for the Jedi to right the wrongs of the galaxy, and too many Masters that realized that the Jedi could not accomplish that under their archaic and limiting code, for it to remain cohesive.

"You say Sith only think of violence. This is not true. What Sith have you talked to? Some do think of violence. They are the weak ones, the Sith that have given in to the Dark Side and have lost control of themselves. One of the triumverate is in that position now, or so it is said. But the Master of the Sith Order is not of that mold. Violence is not always the answer to the Sith Order. Have you been around the Sith? Have you learned from them, as I have? No. Then who are you to judge what they Sith are and are not? Do you think yourself qualified simply because a Jedi Master told you something? The Jedi fear the Sith because they know that the Sith are stronger. They know that the true Sith embrace all aspects of the Force, and they are in terror. That is why they say the Sith only deal in violence. That is why they try to eliminate the Sith. Because they are afraid."

At that moment, Ben and Mira both spotted the girl. Ben raced forward in an attempt to save the girl's life, but it was too late. He whirled, grabbing his saber from his belt, and shouted at Mira. Crap, she thought. I almost had him, too. Time to do damage control.

Though his saber was out, it was not yet ignited. So Mira remained calm and spoke evenly. "Ben, how are you so sure that I did this?" She paused as he seemed taken aback for a moment. "Actually, I did. I told you I had killed innocents. If you must know, I am still in turmoil, still questioning those things I have learned, trying to figure it all out myself. My hand struck the girl down, yes, but in my mind I was simply striking at my own inner demons. I am sorry the girl died. It is hard to explain," tears began to well in her eyes, "so I don't expect you to understand. I had to come to grips with this concept on my own. I had to work it out myself. I didn't have anyone explain it to me as I'm trying to do with you." She moved forward slowly, step by step, subtly sending out a sense of pain and fear as well as calm through the Force.

In this way, she got right next to him without his saber igniting, speaking as she walked. "That anger you feel, Ben, it is righteous anger. It is the emotion that you should use. But please, don't use it on me. Use it to right other wrongs." Slowly she reached out and touched his arm, her tear-filled eyes gazing into his. "Will you help me, Ben?" she asked, her eyes pleading. "Help me conquer the demons that drove me to do this?"

Gazing upon this now tear filled face brought conflict to Ben's mind. She had killed for no reason, but she says she did not know what she was doing. How could that be so? A person can control his or her actions, but she did not. Could it be that just like he surrendered to the force, that she was overwhelmed with darkness. Could it be that this dark side of the force had her kill the girl? If this was the case, Mira could be a good person just under a strong control power.


"Mira, this is exactly what I mean. You can use pain, anger, suffering, but to what ends? You say yourself that you learned to use it, but then you say you killed innocents for reasons you don't understand. I think you are loosing control of yourself and how is that good? I surrender myself to the force, but it guides me justly and makes me protect what is good. The force does not control me completely, I have to give it the power to control my actions..." He trailed off as she reached out to him.

Ben felt stiff, confused. Could he trust her after all she told him and after seeing this horrible sight? What if she was playing him? But what if she was not...? He had to find the truth, but he also had to help her if she really needed it. Perhaps there was still good inside her and he could bring her back from the darkness. If only he knew what to do.

Ben's arm slowly lowered with the saber hilt pointing down at the ground. He could not look upon her eyes and not feel sorry for her. His soul was caring and even though he was cautious, Ben knew he had to do something for her. IF she wanted help, he could not deny it to her.

"I... I will help you as best I can Mira, but you have to be truthful with me. Do not play trick with me, please. If you betray my trust, it is for good." Ben stated softly, his heart beating fast.

What could be do? How could he help her? He was so young and without much experience. This was really something Ben did not expect. He did not know what he would find on this ruined, sad planet, but it was not this.

Mira smiled. "I'm glad you will help me, Ben," she said as she stood straight. "But I think I simply need to learn more to gain control. Could it be that my lack of control is simply from a lack of knowledge, or perhaps a lack of will? You yourself grew angry when you saw the dead girl. Is that anger not forbidden by the Jedi? And you would have struck me down where I stood as vengeance. In passion. Is that not a violation of the Jedi Code?

"Of course it was. But were you wrong for desiring vengeance? Should you not seek justice for the life of the girl? This is why I ask if what you call darkness is always dark?" She paused. "What I did to the girl was wrong. It was corrupted, evil, yes. But by your definition, what you did was just as dark.

"Yet you know in your heart that you were right to do what you did. So are your actions actually dark? Are they equivalent to mine? Is it really a problem from outside us? Or is it a problem from within?

"Answer these questions, Ben, and you might just help me."

Mira knew he probably wouldn't listen. If he did, perhaps he would turn, and she would gain favor with Master Vance by bringing a new recruit back with her. If not, then she was buying herself time to take his measure and to sow doubt in his mind so if they had to fight, she would have the advantage. In the meantime, she practiced something she had learned at the Temple. Since she had sensed Ben outside the sewers, Mira had withdrawn into herself, shrinking her Force signature and hoping to keep her darker feelings from him. Now, she strengthened that effort, knowing that he would be scrutinizing her. She couldn't reveal her true nature just yet.

Ben thought about what she said, but she was wrong or maybe she just did not understand. He gazed at her and moved back just a little, being still cautious. Everything was happing so fast that Ben did not yet know what to think and who to trust.

"Everything is about control Mira. When you control your actions and your mind, many breakthroughs in character can be made. You say I had anger and wanted justice. That is not wrong. I was angry, but unlike you, I controlled myself. I did not rush you and try to killed you. First I wanted to find the truth and if that led to you being guilty I would have done everything I could to bring you to justice." He paused and looked once more at the murdered girl.

"You don't have control Mira. I don't know if that is the dark way of the force, or just that you need more training, but either way if you really wish to make things better, you should learn it. You let your pain and anger control you, making you much different from me. I would do everything in my power to prevent someones death. At the academy they never said you could not feel this or that, they only made sure to teach that it is better to control those emotions and not let them take you over. Perhaps you should come with me and let the Jedi teach you better control. Things have changed in the order, you shall see."

As Ben explained these things to her, his mind was raced with questions. Questions Mira would not answer. Well even she could, how could be he sure they were the correct answers, answers without trickery behind them. He would have to find out for himself. Maybe that was the only way one could truly learn? What if some answers could only be found within oneself? Could it be that somethings applied to one person, but not another? Were there many rights, just as there are many wrongs?

What Ben wondered had to do with anger. It was something the Jedi talked very little about. It was something that, as he said, needed to be controlled and limited within oneself. However, maybe it could be used for good? Ben knew the Sith used anger and pain to make themselves even more powerful, Mira had even said this to him. Why couldn't this power be used for good though? Did it only have to used for evil? If one has a pure heart and good intentions, could be not at times of need us that anger to strength himself and defeat evil?

There must be some kind of balance, Ben thought. There was always balance in the galaxy. The Mastered taught so in the Temple. So why could there not be a balance between the light side of the force and darkness? It was an area Ben had to ponder over later, after he finished with Mira.

"Perhaps you should come with me and let the Jedi teach you better control. Things have changed in the order, you shall see."

It was those words that set her mind off again. Mira had, since meeting Ben, been able to control her darker feelings. With the offer to return to the Jedi, all the hatred that she had been holding back burst forth like a dam that can no longer hold back water. The sound that came from her mouth was not quite a screech, but neither was it a yell. It was somewhere in between.

Ben started, his eyes widening. Mira's saber flew from her boot and landed in her palm. "I'll never go back to those kriffing liars, you fool! I have forsaken that path forever!" She seemed to calm for a moment as she said, "It is obvious, though, that you have been completely brainwashed by their ideas, duped by their teachings. I thought you might be stronger." She turned as she continued, "Perhaps we will meet again, Ben, under better circumstances. Or perhaps not!"

As she yelled the last sentance, she whirled, saber ignited. The emerald blade glowed brightly in the gathering darkness. Somehow everything seemed darker in the area in which the two stood. Whether the darkness was real or not was a matter of debate. It was growing late, and the smog over Telos was always bad. Or it could have been simply the revelation of Mira's true nature. Either way, the bright green contrasted with it well, momentarily blinding the Jedi and the Sith.

But neither needed to see. They had the Force. Mira closed her eyes and struck out, a downward angled slash that would have cut right through an untrained opponent. But Ben was far from untrained. Mira's saber met energy rather than clothing and flesh. Rebounding, she whirled and struck low, a strike that was also blocked.

By now, their eyes had adjusted. Mira's hate filled orbs made contact with Ben's, and the difference was astounding. But neither had time to contemplate it, as Mira quickly renewed her attack. They circled round each other, blades slashing and cutting. As skilled as Ben was, though, Mira knew this had to be a quick fight. By now, whatever mission she had been sent on was impossible to complete. It was time for her to leave.

Ben was completely taken aback by Mira's outburst. He could now see what she meant by loosing all control. One second she was talking to him like a normal human being, having a conversation that had much thought and meaning, while the next she was roaring at him and drew her lightsaber.

Surprised, Ben could only take a step back to put some distance between them both. His eyes watched her saber and inside he was still somewhat hopeful as her weapon had not yet activated. The hope quickly vanished, however, as darkness filled the space in which they both stood. It surrounded him completely and threatened to engulf him whole, making his body tingle and the hairs over his neck stand up.

He opened himself to the force and let the light move through him, the refreshing river of good that always went with him. As Ben clinched his training saber tighter, trying to push the darkness away, Mira ignited her saber. That moment was the slowest in his life. Everything he wanted to avoid was happening. Once more, his vision was coming true and he knew he would have to fight her.

Ben's thoughts ended at that moment. Unlike Mira, his eyes were wide open and he watched her twirl before moving to strike him down. It was this twirl that saved his life or was it something else? Ben did not know yet, but somehow in that split second his saber extended as well and met Mira's. The contact was hard and pushed him back, almost making him trip over a large piece of debris.

He could tell that unlike him, she had trained before. She acted with confidence and knowledge, as well as rage and anger. It could be that these clouded her mind and made her somewhat more anxious to strike at him, without much thought and strategy. Whatever is was, Ben was greatful. He let the force guide his actions, just like in the rudimentary training he did aboard his ship.

Over and over he surprised even himself, blocked her savage blows, one after the other. The hits were harder than he imagined and knew that if he didn't do something soon, he might be really hurt or worse. Unlike his own saber, Mira's was real. There would be no coming back if she struck him.

There was a twitch in his mind or more like a command and he instinctively leaped back. As he jumped up into the air, his robe edges stayed in place for just a fraction of a second, getting cut by Mira's saber. Ben knew that if he had hesitated, he would be dead.

If he could only get a shot in, Ben knew he could cause her some damage, nothing permanent, but enough to numb her up some. The training saber delivered a large stun to any body part, even through clothing. If he got it to hit, he could possible make her arm useless for a little bit.

With that taught, he reversed the flow of the fight as best he could, lunging towards Mira. He made a faint at her shoulder before bringing the blade back around in a circles towards her leg at the last moment.

What Ben had not noticed, was their fight had pushed them slowly back in the direction they had come. They were now moving towards the place of their first encounter.

Mira, in her furied state, barely even saw the saber swinging towards her leg. She moved to block but knew it was futile. In the short time she had before contact, time seemed to slow to a crawl. Mira imagined what it would be like to live without a leg. Perhaps she'd get one of those artificial ones. It would lower her connection to the Force, though, wouldn't it?

Then the blade struck home. Mira felt a burning sensation, and her leg went numb. She fell to the ground, rolling out of the way of the expected follow-up strike. As she did so, she noticed that she still had two good legs. In shock for a moment, she looked up at Ben and smirked. Chuckling, she stood, her weight on the right leg. Then she slowly settled onto both.

She knew Ben would be surprised. What he didn't know was that she had learned to control and even use her pain. Had her leg been sliced off, Mira would not have been able to continue the fight. She would have been done. But it wasn't, and she wasn't. In her training duel with Ithron, he had beaten her, Force choked her, cut her, and thrown her around. Near the end of the fight, she had embraced her pain and used it to fuel her anger. Now, she used part of her pain to restore feeling to her leg. The rest she used to speed her movements and increase the strength of her strikes.

Blow after blow rained down on Ben's training saber. Mira had forsaken form for the moment, simply striking as hard as she could as fast as she could, forcing him backwards. Unlike Ben, Mira recognized the general area, mostly because she could see the sewer opening behind him. When they were close enough, she disengaged for a moment and stepped back.

"You're quite talented, young Ben," she said. "Raw talent, I assume, since you display no form in your movements. You would make a wonderful Sith." She reached out with the Force and felt his anger level rise a bit at those words. "Ah, you are growing angry with me. You fear me some, perhaps." She chuckled, and the sound was ominous in the ever growing darkness. "Join me, and together we can make a difference in this galaxy. Use your anger, draw on it for strength. When we are ready, we can even cast down the Grand Master of the Sith and take up the mantle together. We can overthrow Emperor Hyfe and reunite the galaxy under one banner, a banner of peace and prosperity. What do you say?"

Ben looked at her as though she were insane. "Your words will never sway me, Mira," he answered. "I know what is right and true, and what you are is not that. Your way is not the right way. I'll never join you." The last statement was definative, ending the conversation with a confident tone.

Mira's face hardened. "So be it then." She raised her saber, hilt by her right ear, point directly aimed at his chest. A slight movement of her left hand was all that indicated the next attack. Her saber switched from green to deep violet in an instant as the gems inside were swapped, and the saber extended from a meter to three in barely a milisecond. If Ben didn't move quickly, he would be skewered and die within a heartbeat.

Ben knew he could not last much longer. She had surprised him after his blow had landed, something he wasn't expecting. Every time he had used the saber, the person on the receiving end had ended up stunned and unconscious. It was not so with Mira, she advanced on him with more pain and anger. He could feel it filling her completely surrounding her whole word.

Her blows got harder and harder, smashing against his saber as he blocked each one. He drew on the force more and more, but it was getting harder to fight. Ben's muscles ached and tensed as he retreated back, his limited training no allowing him to reverse the flow of battle anymore. All he could do was defend himself as long as possible.

The pace of the battle had become so fast that Ben realized only too late that he was at the edge of the sewer. The same one Mira had emerged from when they first met. It was at this place he had to make his stand. Ben called upon the force more than before, quickly blocking each blow in the hopes of preventing his fall.

Ben was on the edge of exhaustion when Mira stopped and asked him to join her. Could she feel him failing? Or perhaps it was just luck? This short breather gave him the little time he needed to react to her attack.

The attack, if it could be called that, was something Ben was never expecting. The force was the only thing that prevented his death. He surrendered completely it and it guided his actions.

As the blade extended towards him, time stood still once more. There was only one way out and it was down the sewer. He jumped back as the blade met his clothes and quickly burned through. Unlike his hit on Mira, this one actually caused damage, he could feel the searing heat burn into his body and push into his torso. It was unlike any pain he had experienced before and something he hoped to never again.

Ben did not know how, but mid jump he summoned all the strength he could and pushed it out towards Mira. He wanted to slam her back into the half shattered wall behind her. The action contained within it some of the pain he felt, the pain of betrayal. She had earned his trust, but then turned against him, with a will to kill him. It was not just about that, however, it was also about survival, he had to get her away from him before she killed him.

In his last act before the great fall, Ben gathered the force around him and like an extension of himself, punched it out towards Mira. Before he could see what happened, though, reality caught up with him. He accelerated down the sewer pipe, gravity pulling him into the abyss. His thoughts were those of failure and defeat.

The shock of the Force push struck Mira full in the chest. She flew backwards, lightsaber spinning out of her hand and deactivating, landing some feet away. She struck the wall with her back and fell to the ground. Her vision grew hazy, but she still saw well enough to watch Ben fall down the sewer. Then she blacked out.

She came to a few minutes later, slowly. Her first thought was that she needed to find her saber. Her second was that she hurt - bad. She would have a major bruise on her back in the morning. Every bone in her body hurt.

Still, she managed to pull herself to her feet. Stumbling over to the sloped tunnel, Mira stared down and saw Ben lying near the bottom. He was still alive, she felt, but that wouldn't last long. The droids down there would finish him off quickly. Even if he woke up in time, those assassin droids were good enough that they would finish him without Mira's help. And she had no desire to chance facing them in her current state simply to confirm a kill.

Wandering around, she found her lightsaber and reattached it inside her boot. With one last glance down the sewer, she turned and began to make her way out of the city, drawing on the pain she felt only to keep herself moving.

As she moved, questions raced through her mind. Why would Ben not turn? What was it that created such a strong attachment to the light? Was it simply the brainwashing of the Jedi? Was it something in their teachings? At the Temple, Mira had always been taught that the Sith were evil and to be avoided or killed. She had been taught that no one could control the Dark Side, that in the end it always controlled you. But she knew better. She was the proof that one could control the Dark Side. Sure, some like Ithron fell deeper and deeper into darkness and were consumed. But one could keep oneself from falling as well.

So was it the brainwashing? Or was it something inherent in the light itself? It couldn't be that, though, since Mira had easily turned away from it. Or was it? Was Mira's turning away so easy? The Jedi had betrayed the galaxy, at least in her mind. The Sith had not. But it was not an easy decision, she remembered. But could that be the Jedi teachings that held her down?

The questions abounded, but no answers were forthcoming. Perhaps they never would be. Or perhaps she could get an answer from Master Jas when she returned to Xa Fel. Either way, she had to quiet the questions, at least until she was off the planet. It was destroying her ability to sense others and hide from them.

After a short walk, she reached the outskirts of the city and her shuttle. She hadn't met anyone on the way, though she had felt them watching her. Apparently word of her killings and her fight with Ben had gotten around. Oh, well. At least no one bothered her now.

She started the shuttle up quickly, lifting off within two minutes of entering. She quickly plotted a course to Coruscant, from which she would head to Xa Fel. As the ship entered hyperspace, she began composing the report she would give to Master Jas about her mission on Telos. She also began wondering how she would ask him about the basics of the Dark Side, those very basics that this mission had called into question.

Pain surrounded Ben from the very second he regained consciousness. He wished nothing more than to go back unconscious so he would never feel it again. Since leaving Naboo and going out on his own, Ben had tried to help people and be a good person and Jedi. All that brought him was pain and bad luck. How could this happen to good people? Why did everything go so wrong when you did good deeds? These were questions Ben could not answer.

He had tried to really help Mira and understand her, but all that led to was a brutal fight and him laying at the bottom of a cold, dark sewer, soaking wet and hurting in every part of his body. His stomach pain was getting worse and Ben knew he probably had internal injuries. At least he wasn't bleeding though, that was one good thing with getting cut by lightsabers.

As Ben lay there dirty, wet, and broken, both in body and spirit, he wanted nothing more than to go back to the Jedi Temple. It had been so good there before everything changed. The Temple had become his new home, the one place he felt safe.

He realized it wasn't Temple that he wanted, not completely. What he wanted more than anything was to be back in his real home, with his mother. The thought of her, here in the sewer, was the first one Ben had had since leaving the Temple. Shame filled him, bringing a tear to his eye. Was he starting to forget her? Should be think of her every day? Would not thinking of her make her sad? That was not what Ben wanted. He wanted his mother happy.

Thinking that of his mother's disappointment in him caused Ben to loose almost all control. He curled into himself and just lay there in the water, shaking uncontrollably. For the first time in his life, he did not know what to do. Perhaps he was dieing or perhaps he was not cut out to be a Jedi? Doubt and shame filled his mind, breaking his spirit even more. Ben felt so alone at this moment.

That loneliness quickly turned to fear, however, at the first sound of mechanical movement down the tunnel. Instantly Ben remembered Mira saying something about the tunnels being not safe. He opened one eye and looked down the tunnel. There was nothing except darkness for long moment, but suddenly a red light appeared and traced along the wall towards his position. The metallic sound started again, moving a little faster, getting closer and closer.

Ben shut his eyes and shook even more. His heart pounded in fear as he curled up tighter. Thoughts of becoming invisible filled him, consuming him entirely. Over and over the wish to not be seen rang through his mind. At the moment the beam of red light swept over him.

Shh it is alright my son. Everything will be fine, you will see. You have to be strong Ben. I know you are braver than this. I love you Benny with all my heart and you know I could never be displeased with you. I am proud of what you accomplished. You have grown up so quickly my little Benny. You have grown into a great young man, a young man with goodness in his heart. I know you wish to only help people and I want you to know how great that makes me feel. Help is often the most difficult thing we can do. Taking all that trust of others onto ourselves. It is a hard road to travel, Ben, but travel it you must. There will be many ups and down, but I believe in you. You must do what you feel is justice and right, always Ben. Remember what I told you before, if you fall, you have to get back up and tried again. We all fall more than we would like, but the difference is whether of not you try again. You have to learn to live with failures and disappointments Benny. Almost know, though, that I love and I am always there for you, no matter what.

It was the sound of his mother. He was in his head now. As Ben lay there, she was talking to him. His mind had cleared, there was no more pain, no more disappointment. The shaking had also ceased, Ben realized.

The droid had not seen him, how and why Ben did not know, and did not care about. All he knew was that monster was slowly turning around, scanning the entire area.

You know what you have to do Ben. Go after her Ben. Find her and try to make her see the wrongs of her way. Go and do good in this galaxy. Never stop Benny. Never rest. You are a Jedi, alway remember that.

Ben took a breath and registered his dead mother's words. How they came to him, he would never know, but it did not matter. The words had told him what he needed to hear. He was changed now. He no longer feared what was in these tunnels, nor what awaited him in the galaxy beyond. This had been a learning experience, nothing more, nothing less. He had to carry on.

Slowly his eyes opened once more, but this time with confidence. He watch the droid turn towards the other end of sewer and drew upon the force once more. Ben concentrated along the wall of the tunnel, pulling in different places, quickly moving from one to another trying the find a weakness. As he did, the droid once more picked up his signature. Before he would turn back around, however, the ceiling of the tunnel, just above its head, buckled and caved in. Tons of solid duracrete tumbled down and slammed into the bewildered droid, pinning him to the ground.

Whether the droid was disabled or not, Ben did not stick around to find out. He crawled to his feel quickly and found his training saber in the water beside him. With it gripped in his hand, Ben stared up the hole he was fallen through. Gathering the force around him one more, he leaped up. The only thoughts in his mind were those of the mission he had to accomplish. He had to locate Mira and face her once more.