Mira weaved the speeder through Coruscant traffic as quickly as possible without getting noticed by the local law. That could be a definite problem; if the Imperials detained the two Sith, Vance would not be happy. Not happy at all. Thoughts swirled through her head as she drove.

She had left Ben for dead in the sewers on Telos. Her lightsaber point had pierced him and he had fallen down into the sewers where those still-unidentified droids resided. If the fall hadn't killed him, she had thought, then surely the droids would. Ben wasn't skilled enough to evade them. Mira had barely escaped with her life. Surely the novice Jedi couldn't have gotten away.

But somehow he had. And then he had shown up here, the last place in the galaxy Mira would expect a Jedi to come, except perhaps Xa Fel or Korriban. What was he doing here? Perhaps he was following the same path she had. Maybe her talks had gotten through to him after all. Maybe she'd convinced him that the way of the Sith was the right way.

But no. That couldn't be. His last words to her had been that her way was not the right way and that he would never turn. So something else must have drawn him here. Perhaps he searched for the old Jedi Temple? But no, the Jedi were disbanded, and they had taken everything they could with them when they left Coruscant. Everything else had already been taken or destroyed by the Emperor.

Then a thought, or perhaps a premonition, occurred to her. He's tracking me! He used the Force to find me on Coruscant the same way he found me on Telos! This was not good. Ben would have to either die or turn, now. If he followed her to Coruscant, perhaps he could follow her to Xa Fel as well. If that happened, one of the last secret refuges of the Sith would be discovered. Mira would not let that happen.

The problem at hand was much more pressing, though. How was she to get away from him on this planet? Then she saw Ithron's shuttle approaching, the hatchway opening as it slowed. She brought the speeder underneath it and leapt through the hatch, leaving the speeder to stop on its own. Someone would undoubtedly pick it up later.

Now, safe inside the shuttle, Mira breathed. Ithron came back to make sure she was in, and immediately she noticed something different about him. He was darker, somehow, then before. If even that was the right word. Raw power flowed through him. "What happened to you?" she asked.

He stared at her, not comprehending. "The Diktator and I had a pleasant conversation. Then we felt you approaching and decided it was time to go."

Mira shook her head. "No, there's something different about you. What is it?"

"It's nothing," he replied. "You're just tired, that's all."

Mira knew differently, but there was time for that later. For now, she had to report what she knew. "Ithron, we need to get moving. I think we might be followed."

For the next half-hour, Mira explained her confrontation with Ben on Telos. She told Ithron how she had tried to corrupt him and had almost succeeded. Then she told him of the battle. Of how she had stabbed him and left him for dead in the sewers.

"He's here, on Coruscant," she continued. "I don't know how he escaped the assassin droids, or what help he had, but somehow he tracked me here. A prolonged confrontation would not be advisable here, so I fled. I don't want to tangle with the law here, since that would not make Master Jas happy, so I think we should head out now. Take the shuttle to Carida and go from there."

Ithron thought for a moment, then nodded in assent. The shuttle headed for open space, leaving Imperial City behind. As it flew, Mira thought about Ithron's condition. He had been dark before, but it was not as trecherous a darkness as now. What did he and Lupercus discuss? she thought. Perhaps a call to Master Jas later would help her understand. Or maybe she would talk to Perrin Descartes. Yes, Descartes would be able to help her.

Take the shuttle to Carida and go from there

As soon as the autopilot had the shuttle on the way out of the atmosphere, Ithron turned back to Mira.

"I don't see the local law enforcement being a problem..." he said with a smile, thinking of the power Lupercus exercised over his Diktat. "A Jedi? Here? Well, it goes without saying that he'll follow you off planet. But why is he so eager to find you, I wonder? We both know that revenge isn't the Jedi way."

The two Sith Apprentices shared a smile that had nothing to do with humour.

"What is it that he wants with you?" Ithron asked again, as if he hoped for an answer from Mira. The two looked at each other for a second, then Mira looked away.

"I don't know." she said.

Ithron shrugged. "No matter. If he catches up with us, he'll have the two of us to deal with. Who knows, perhaps he thinks you're alone this time? If that's the case, he's in for an unpleasant shock. Together, we'll destroy him."

For a brief moment, Ithron thought of a duel between himself and Mira and the mystery Jedi. He entertained the idea of stabbing her in the back at a crucial moment, but then put it out of his head.

I need her at least until we get to Korriban. He thought, remembering Lupercus' words.

Then he changed the subject, leaning back in his chair and making himself comfortable for the long flight ahead.

"It might interest you to know that Master Lupercus supports us on our mission. It turns out that he takes a keen interest in all that goes on in the universe. I have to admit that I thought him a self-obsessed old fool. Now though, I've been....educated.

"Has the thought ever occurred to you, Mira, that Vance's vision for the Sith Order is the one that's wrong, not Lupercus's? Vance sees the Sith as a brotherhood." Ithron spat the word, despite his earlier defence of its ideals. "Master Lupercus now.....he knows the true ways of the Sith. The ways of Master and Apprentice. The ways of power."

For a brief moment, the memory of those moments in the Diktat when the Master's power had surged through the Apprentice flashed in Ithron's mind and he sighed, almost tasting the raw energy.

"You cannot escape your destiny"

Nearly a year removed from his departure from Naboo, he once again found himself involved with the likes of the disbanded Order he swore would never survive, even if he didn't know it yet himself. By pure chance during his nomadic migration from world to world he had observed the first exploits of a particular force user, keeping tabs on his where-abouts despite the fact the two had never even met. For reasons unable to be explained, Marek's interest had been perked by the young man and his progress was monitored closely. Till this point Zolar had maintained a good bit of distance between himself and the indicated being, even going as far as not lending aid when the other's life was close to extinguishment. Marek knew the importance of trial by fire and he himself was not exempt from such tests. Suffering from his own demons regardless if they welded a light saber or not, kept him in check, right along with everyone else.

On Coruscant

"Well City that never sleeps..." Marek spoke to himself under his hooded robe. "How's our boy doing?" His attention fell upon the cafe a few yards away from his position, his focus on the man sitting inside. It didn't take long before another familiar individual made her appearance onto the scene. Had he not recognized her face, she might have slipped in unnoticed; he hadn't felt her force signature which meant she wasn't looking to be found. However, no surprise to anyone, she darted from the scene as quickly as she had arrived, only in a more dramatic sense. Marek watched as she tossed a hapless bystander from a passing speeder and jetted into the hustle and bustle of Coruscant traffic. His attention fell back onto his original interest, who rather than following in pursuit, simply watched as the other escaped lending no effort to try and stop her. Perplexed by the whole incident, the old pirate decided it was time to make his presence known.

Shifting through the gathered crowd he made his way to the other man, who from Mareks vantage point seemed to be talking into a Comm-Link of some sort.

"Speaking to anyone I know?" No doubt, the emergence of the voice and force signature startled Ben, if only for a moment.

Ben was standing at the edge, with the crowd gathering around after heading the man yell out. He was talking into the commlink and explaining what happened when the man went through the crowd. He knew he had seen this person somewhere before, but could not pinpoint it. His force presence suggested a Jedi, however, leaving Ben to assume it had been around the Temple.

He was a little surprised and slowly put the comm link down, wondering what this Jedi was doing here on Coruscant. Could it be that he was following Mira or some other Sith as well? Ben didn't know, but he had to find out.

"Well, unless you know someone in law enforcement on Coruscant, I don't think so."

"It might interest you to know that Master Lupercus supports us on our mission. It turns out that he takes a keen interest in all that goes on in the universe. I have to admit that I thought him a self-obsessed old fool. Now though, I've been....educated.

"Has the thought ever occurred to you, Mira, that Vance's vision for the Sith Order is the one that's wrong, not Lupercus's? Vance sees the Sith as a brotherhood." Ithron spat the word, despite his earlier defence of its ideals. "Master Lupercus now.....he knows the true ways of the Sith. The ways of Master and Apprentice. The ways of power."
Mira smiled. "The thought had occured to me once or twice, Ithron." As she spoke, she closed off her mind, boxing it and securing it so that Ithron would be unable to read her. She had to. Her suspicions were aroused, and being the curious sort she was determined to discover what had happened, through deception if necessary.

"I am going to assume your discussion with Lupercus was enlightening. Perhaps you can help me with some struggles in my own mind. I know the Dark Side is about power, at least partially. But don't you think there is more to it than that?

"For example, to take the life of an innocent gives you power. But is power desirable if it is not advantageous to you? Or is power of any use in a galaxy that is completely destroyed? If I had to guess, I would say that Lupercus would destroy the galaxy to gain more power. But what use would that be to him then?

"I know the question is theoretical, but how is one able to use the power one gains if there is no galaxy? Or is just the achieving of power the end goal? Because that sounds like the Jedi teaching that peace and serenity are the ultimate goals. Different subject, but the same teaching. Is not the purpose of the Sith to gain power that can be properly used?"

She sat back, and inquisitive look on her face. Mira had gotten very good at deception since Telos, so it was very unlikely Ithron would detect any duplicity. She would have made a wonderful interrogator. In truth, she was acting in that role now. She believed wholeheartedly in Master Jas's brotherhood of Sith, and rejected Lupercus's ideas. But she wanted to find out what had happened with Ithron and Lupercus and whether or not Ithron had turned from the brotherhood to Lupercus's ideas. Whether she would report her discoveries to Perrin Descartes or Master Jas, she didn't yet know.

Genuinely surprised at having started a discussion about the theology of the Dark Side with his companion, Ithron frowned. He didn't need to use the Force for his suspicions to be aroused.

Since when did she speak to me like this? he thought, referring to the open nature of her comments. Since when did she go in for open information exchanges?

Instinctively, he reached out to touch her mind with the Force but detected nothing. At a loss, he decided to continue the conversation - seeing no harm therein. Mira was going through the same confusion that Ithron had experienced earlier. Lupercus, of course, had ended that. Perhaps Mira genuinely was trying to choose the right path?

"Here's how I see it: Peace and Serenity are ideals - ideals that, as we both know, can't exist in this world. It's obvious to us that aiming for them is pointless, because it ignores the very nature of the Force..." He replied. "Power, on the other hand... is real, Mira. Master Lupercus showed me that. For a few brief moments, I felt the power that he experiences every minute of every day."

At this, Ithron sensed the barest hint of a tremble in the Force, but the other Apprentice's face was curious and showed all signs of listening intently.

Interesting....Was that what you wanted to hear, Mira?

He continued.

"Power isn't a means to an end. It is the end. The sooner you realise that, the better.

"Would he destroy the galaxy to gain power? Would I? The question doesn't make sense! In destroying the galaxy, he would liberate all those souls who currently live out their pitiful little lives under the shadow of his power. He would end the possibility of gaining even more power!

"Let us not forget that power is relative. We have much power compared to most people. Compared to us, the Sith Knights have much power. Compared to them, Vance's power, or Lupercus' is again much greater. In a Galaxy of one, how would you measure your power? And if you can't measure it, how do you know you have it?

"Anyway, despite your vaunted ideals of brotherhood, I'm sure you've considered killing Vance, and taking his place at the head of the Order...as if that's even possible! If anything, that goes to prove that the true path of the Dark Side is incompatible with Vance's ideals..."

Mira opened her mouth to speak, but Ithron cut her off.

"I don't know why you're asking me this...but if we're speaking openly, let me ask you something. You're trying to control it? Aren't you? You're trying to resist the Dark Side?"

An infinitesimal change in Mira's expression caused Ithron to sit up in his seat.

"I knew it! You can hear it, calling you, can't you?"

Now Ithron's expression changed again and his voice grew softer.

"But you're resisting it... Why? Is there some Jedi left in you? When we get to Korriban, I need you on side if we're going to complete this mission - Especially with your Jedi friend taking an interest. If you've got any doubts about whose side you're on, then say so now...." At this, Ithron's hand gently touched his lightsabre.

Marek couldn't help but smile.

"I've known a few in my day."

Zolar looked the other man over before continuing on.

"I'm sure your wondering what I'm doing here and who exactly I am, well, I honestly can't tell you what I'm doing here but I can tell you, that I'm a friend and in these dark times that’s the best anyone can offer."

Ben was still a bit taken a back by the newcomer, which was left to strange coincidence especially after the events that had just transpired with the dark force user.

"However, the longer we linger around here, the easier we make it for her to put some distance between herself and us."

Marek hoped that his appearance hadn't disrupted any plan that the other Jedi had in motion, it was his intention to help, not become an obstacle, until the other responded, he would have to wait and find out.

"Oh, I'm Marek for what it's worth."

Ben slowly nodded and looked at this Jedi that stood beside him. "You are very right in that. These days there are not many people you can count on for help."

He glanced down at his commlink, starting to think over his plan. Perhaps this Jedi and himself could actually find Mira without getting the police involved. They might start asking questions, questions he had no answers to. Could he even trust them? This was an imperial planet after all.

"I was hoping law enforcement could track Mira down for me, but maybe we could do it ourselves? Do you know how to locate her or where she is going?" Ben looked up at the Jedi.

"I am Ben, Ben Firestar. It is nice to meet you Marek."

Marek considered the question.

"Actually, it might benefit us to tap into the security holo-grid to catch up on where she is and where she's heading, there's alot of life on this planet to sift through and we need to capitalize on every opportunity we can get."

Ben nodded in agreement as the two made ready for whatever they were going to do next.

"I suggest we find a means of transportation, because like I said, time is of the essence." Before he even finished his sentence, his attention had been caught by a derelict speeder parked not even a few meters from the very spot they stood at now.

"Perhaps, I've found it. Come on Ben!" Without a moments hesitation he had cleared the distance to the awaiting vehicle. Reacting solely to the fact that they were in a pursuit, Ben followed right along as well. It didn't take long until they were passing through traffic, weaving in out of lanes coming close but never really trading paint with other planetary motorists. While Marek piloted the craft in the direction they had watched Mira flee, Ben was attempting to hack the security mainframe.

"I'm sorry that everything is moving so fast right now, please don't think my theft of this vehicle was any thing other than simply a borrowing of sorts, we need to catch-up with that woman and quite frankly we couldn't afford the time to be tracing around Coruscant looking for either of ours." Marek chuckled to himself when he thought about their current, impromptu situation. He had just met this man not even a few minutes before and they had already stolen a speeder and were now trying to hack into an Imperial Security grid.

"Are you in?"

"I don't know why you're asking me this...but if we're speaking openly, let me ask you something. You're trying to control it? Aren't you? You're trying to resist the Dark Side?"

An infinitesimal change in Mira's expression caused Ithron to sit up in his seat.

"I knew it! You can hear it, calling you, can't you?"

Now Ithron's expression changed again and his voice grew softer.

"But you're resisting it... Why? Is there some Jedi left in you? When we get to Korriban, I need you on side if we're going to complete this mission - Especially with your Jedi friend taking an interest. If you've got any doubts about whose side you're on, then say so now...." At this, Ithron's hand gently touched his lightsabre.

Mira knew she had to answer fast. If Ithron decided to fight her here, she knew she would lose. He was naturally much stronger than she was. Later, perhaps, with the power of Korriban behind her, she might have a chance, but she would die on the shuttle if he was not satisfied.

So she thought quickly. If there was one thing she was very good at, it was thinking on her feet. She had proved that with Ben on Telos. Her reply was to the point. "Of course I hear it calling me, Ithron. Everyone who uses the Force can hear it.

"You ask why I am resisting it. Are you so sure I am? Are you so confident in your own power to read minds, to read emotions, that you feel you can make a judgement on me that quickly?" As she spoke, she filled her mind with dark thoughts, evil intentions, and suddenly opened it, sending out wave after wave of dark and twisted emotions. Most of those thoughts were exaggerated, but none were entirely false. As quickly as it started, it stopped, as Mira once again closed up her mind.

"But you're right. I am trying to control it in a way. Unlike you, I have studied the history of the Sith. I know what happens when it takes control. i also know what happens when the Sith controls it. Neither is any more or less Sith than the other. Darth Revan, for example, controlled the Dark Side and would have done a world of good for the galaxy if Malak had not tried to kill him. Darth Victivus controlled the Dark Side and lived a long life, achieving much more power than if he had simply surrendered total control. Darth Bane was able to control the Dark Side and so instituted the rule of two, which your Lupercus so willingly embraces. It was he that allowed the Sith to survive for so long.

"Freedon Nadd controlled the Dark Side and ruled Onderon for many years. Ajunti Pall controlled the Dark Side, even though he fell back to the light after his death, he still was a Master of the Sith. Marka Ragnos controlled the power of the Dark Side and ruled for over a century. Darth Rivan controlled the Dark Side and was so powerful that even a massive Jedi assault could not kill him.

"On the other hand you have those like Darth Malak, whose ambition and surrender to the Dark Side caused him to think himself immortal and so be struck down by the Master he thought he had killed. There is Darth Ruin, whose ambition and single-mindedness, and his surrender to the Dark Side, caused his followers to betray and murder him rather than to follow him. And there was Darth Sidious, who became so consumed with the Dark Side that he was blind to the threat that stood at his right hand for years.

"Which would I rather be, do you think? Is it better to surrender control entirely and be destroyed quickly or to control the power of the Dark Side, live long, and gain more power than you could ever imagine? I choose the latter. But that does not make me less of a Sith. And it does not mean that I have Jedi tendencies, though I admit that the years of brainwashing in the Temple is difficult to overcome.

"If you are on the side of Vance's Sith Order at Korriban, and if you are by my side, then I will be by yours. If you have any doubts, say so now."

And so she answered, turning Ithron's own words back on him. If he had joined Lupercus at the expense of Vance's Order, she would know in a moment.