Luis turned shaply as he felt a darkness and, reaching instinctively for his lightsaber, he faced the figure. Instantly, Luis recognized him as Arkan, the young Padawan he met in the Wookie Nights bar on Ossus. Luis narrowed his eyes and glanced at Master Baas as the conversation continued, he listened as Arkan declared that he would find the valley of the Jedi before they did.

He frowned deeply and stood next to Kenshin, glaring at Arkan
He spoke to Kenshin telepathically, using all his power to prevent anyone listening in:

//We should not tarry here too long, we need to get to the Valley before he does\\

Arkan sighed, caressing the spine of his amphistaff, signaling the creature to coil back onto his arm. He looked to Master Odon Baas then to Luis, both of them did not understand the way Kenshin understood him. He had gone into darkness, fully and willingly, but came out of that pit of despair rather with the same philosophy as before. Except for the fact that he had been trained to wish for more power, despite his wisdom.

He first addressed Odon, "No, Master, you underestimate the truth of the Force. You can see it as the Living Force or the Unifying Force, but in the end, it depends on how one has learned to percieve the Force. A darkness you percieve in me, but in reality, it is not by our abilities which define us... but by the choices we make."

Then he addressed Luis, "I don't believe that you know me enough to understand who I am... or... what I am. Although I can definitely tell you that underestimating the knowledge which I have painstakingly put my early second life through, has not forsaken me yet. I know a number of Force fountains in this galaxy and I only sought to help my roots, the Jedi, to get there before anyone else does. But seeing as how my aide has been disregarded... the alternate outcome shall occur."

And finally to Kenshin, "I apologize Master Katarn," Arkan bowed, "May the Force save you all..."

Without further wait or notice, Arkan took a step backward and suddenly became a pitch-black form. Pieces of him began to fly away, whisps in the Ruusan winds, until his entire being became nothingness.

----

Arkan felt pain. He felt betrayed by the Jedi, shunned because they did not believe him. Hunted by the Sith, distrusted by the Jedi. He was truly alone now. He would die a Force-Using hermit, unless Malice Draclau got to him first, or maybe Sedriss himself. Alone in this galaxy, dedicated to his education in the Force, Arkan knew nothing of how to find some other source of accompaniment, not even in power.

He remembered Luis's words, still ringing through is troubled mind, "I think you will be the one finding us, dark servant"

Arkan said silently to himself as he spanned through the canyon, spread out by miles on end, "No, dear D'nubra, I have already found it."

Scattered bits of Imperial constructs stood out from parts of the canyon system, some ruins, others too deep into the rocks to notice their condition. Although not too far away, he identified a large broken transport vessel, having been mostly consumed by the earth over the decades it had been there. From this ship, a canyon pathway led to a Tower-like earthen construct, easily mistaken as another earth formation, then to a larger, more open area, a place with scattered boulders and a dead end. This was the Valley of the Jedi.

Arkan's essence compelled itself to lower onto the open area, slowly but surely, his entire being once again assembled itself from the rogue whisps of darkness. Before him was the entrance to the Burial Ground, but he couldn't help but feel the history in the Valley. A large number of Jedi and Sith were here, Jedi under the command of Lord Hoth and Sith under the command of Lord Kaan. He looked towards the halls he would have to walk through, all the way to the very heart of this place. The place where the thought bomb was activated, killing all but Darth Bane because of the power the Sith invested in him during the fight.

"Necromancy," Arkan grinned to himself. He looked to the open valley and raised his left gloved hand out to the stretch of land. <font color="red">"Impieru novintare necropontis mesenjare,"</font> his voice echoed outward supernaturally. There, he left the Sith's magic taint upon the pockets of Force left in the past. In matter of hours, Jedi and Sith spirits alike would begin to relive the battle millenias ago. That would prove enough of a distraction since the Sith spirits would go attacking the Jedi they sensed.

Smiling to himself, relishing in his ingenuitive plan, Arkan pulled the black hood of his head and started traveling into the Burial Chamber area.

Jeren had followed his sister when she went to speak with Jacen. He could not recall exactly who this was, so he hoped to be introduced at some point, not wanting to interrupt the conversation at hand.

Kamon smiled.

"For some reason I felt drawn here. I'm not sure why, but oh well. I think I'd like to join you. I'd like to help train the padawans."

Kamon took his hand off his saber.

Odon smiled at Kamon, proud the younger man had made his way to Ruusan. While Odon was not a rogue, the older man knew that inside the prince held values similar to his own.

I agree Master Vondiranach, you should teach here, help us mold a new generation of jedi, more importantly, help us prepare for the trying days ahead.

"I got a new arm" said Jacen, he tol her what happen to him, Jacen behind Alana, "Who's this?" asked Jacen

Alana shook her head as she listened, "You would do that... anyway. This is my brother Jeren, Jeren, this is Jacen."

She smirked as she introduced the two and stepped out of the way so they could get aquainted.

The sleek vessel hurtled through the darkness of space, a world that her captain knew very well hanging in the distance. Ruusan, the home of the Valley of the Jedi -- the home of one of not one, but two of the most catastrophic battles between the Dark and Light in the history of the Force.

The first had come four thousand years before, the second only a few years before. Both were well known to the captain of this particular vessel, though only one truly bore the significance to stop him dead in his thoughts, as he stared at the desert world in the distance.

The Battle of Ruusan, against his very son, and the army of Achrions -- Force imbued soldiers -- that he'd created alongside Grand Admiral Thrawn, continued to haunt Gash Jiren, even despite the time that had passed since then. Jiren had trained Jedi Masters, battled Sith Lords, conquered worlds, and built a Republic.

But something always drew him back to this. Perhaps it was because it had been his moment of greatest weakness, when he'd given in to temptation and grasped the infinite power of the Valley, pulling down a Super Star Destroyer from the sky above and laying it to waste in the desert world below. Perhaps it was simply because the thousands who had died still cried out to him in the darkness.

He was the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, this much was undisputed. With Organa Solo gone from the galaxy's stage and Amalia Azalin similarly disappeared, so much had fallen to him so quickly. And, he reflected, one of the most important duties was this.

Protection of the Valley of the Jedi.

Gash had been entrusted with it by default, made its guardian simply because there was no one else. Relatively indetectable sensor beacons had told him that there were intruders in the vicinity of the planet -- and there was literally nothing in the backwater star system to hold interest, but for the Valley itself.

Kasien Treseda, his deputy Head of State and longtime friend, started awake in the command chair beside him. The man yawned, and started to speak. "Don't tell me we're not --" But his words were stopped by the sight of Ruusan approaching. He, too, had been at the Battle of Ruusan, and it held nearly as much significance for him as it did for Gash. "Still gets me," he muttered. "We shouldn't have survived."

Gash nodded. They'd barely escaped in a shuttle, jumped haphazardly to hyperspace after nearly being killed in the explosion and ensuing fiery sandstorm caused by the crashing Super Star Destroyer. "But we did."

Kasien shook his head, clearing away the unpleasant memories. "Well? What're the Jedi senses telling us today?"

Gash looked down at Ruusan apprehensively. "That there are Jedi on that world. Kamon is among them. I don't know why they are there -- or who they are, more importantly -- but Jedi or not, they may be involving themselves with forces beyond their control. The Valley is an extremely dangerous tool."

Kasien snorted. "No shit."

The craft -- known as the Hermes, the official transport of the Ossan Sovereign-Elect -- streaked onwards, into the planet's atmosphere.



Gash didn't stop to think before exiting the Hermes. He could sense the presence of the other Jedi, he could sense Kamon -- and he instantly moved in their direction. Instinctively, he leapt into the air, levitating almost effortlessly, though it was a technique many Jedi could never master.

He flew onwards, the great hulk of the Super Star Destroyer looming in the distance, marking the entrance to the Valley of the Jedi.



"-- help us prepare for the trying days ahead," were the first words Gash heard from Jedi Odon Baas. The man's presence washed over the Rogue Jedi Master like a tidal wave of power, and instantly, his identity was apparent to Gash. Stories of exploits and training flowed forth, giving Gash an idea as to who the man was, before he blocked them out, continuing to stalk forward.

Gash's dark navy cloak was drawn about him tightly, the hood drawn over his face. The dark figure could easily blend into the shadows, moving undetected with the aid of the Force. The Temple of Light, as it seemed to be called, had been easy to penetrate.

Without ceremony, Gash strode into their midst, his hood still drawn about him. He noted Kamon, standing beside the other Jedi Master, and flicked his eyes toward his student but did not acknolwedge his presence. "I am Gash Jiren," he said, "Guardian of this world. There are great dangers on this planet, Master Odon Baas," Gash bowed only slightly to the other Jedi. "Dangers not only to yourself but to the galaxy. I had brought that Star Destroyer down on the Valley in the hope no one would ever utilize it again. You would do well to explain yourself."

Odon looked impassively at the jedi before him, scrutinizing him with his brilliant emerald eyes. The man had easily entered the temple but then any jedi of importance could. Walking towards the man he washed the gathering with the warm undercurrents of his voice.

We are here to find a home. Ours, Ossus, was devastated several years ago by the Sith Lord Sedriss. We searched for years until the force guided us here. I am aware of the dangers of this planet but we chose to protect it from the sith.

Rubbing his chin absentmindedly, the older man grinned.

Tell me stranger, who do I have the priviledge of speaking with? It seems you know my friend Kamon already.

Jeren slightly smiled and offered his hand. "Greetings Jacen. A pleasure to meet you." He looked over this person, as he did with all people that his sister spoke to. Sometimes he thought he was just overly protective. But in this case, it looked like Jacen was the good guy. He waited for his reply so that he could come to know this friend of his sister.