After a few days, me, Kara and Lena had left Bracca behind. Lena had been distant since she had opened up. I had debated going into her cabin, but decided she'd approach us in her own time. As the ship travelled through Hyperspace, me and Kara sat in the common room. "Do you really think it was the right way?" she finally asked. I hadn't wanted to have a long discussion over ethics, but I didn't shy away from it. "I don't know, if I thought we had the time to do it another way I might have tried that first..." I said. I firmly believed that we didn't have the time, but I knew things could have been done with more grace than they had been. "I don't think she appreciates that..." Kara said. I shrugged. "Maybe not, but I think she needs to, she wants to become a Jedi, I can't teach her to be one... at the very least I was able to help her overcome her past..." I replied. Kara nodded in understanding. "I agree she needed to confront it, I just don't agree with the method, but, you also need to stop giving her mixed messages. You either need to give it your all and teach her to survive, or tell her you can't. its not fair on her..." Kara finally finished. Although I didn't appreciate the lecture she was right. "Its up to her what happens next... she either takes what she learned and faces those fears and makes herself stronger, or, she can never truly become a Jedi!" I said. Kara gave me a look. "At least give her the tools to choose..." she said. I shook my head. "Its her path to walk, I can't guide her or help her anymore. Its her choice now, no one else's!" I said. "That's not right Czar and you know it!" Kara said. I didn't reply instantly, and instead we just flew in silence. Deep down I suspected Kara understood that Lena had to make the decision for herself. It was simply in my friend's nature to want to help, and I knew that, I understood that and even agreed with it. Deep down I wanted to do as Kara had said, to give Lena more tools, to help her walk the path, but it wasn't my place. Orion had confided that to me after I had been through such tests. Eventually I spoke. "Everyone who wants to be a Jedi goes through something like this, even me... my master confided in me that the hardest part was letting me walk that path alone. Every master, or in my case, Teacher and mentor; wants their student or padawan to succeed. However, its not our will that determines if one can be a Jedi, it's their will and the will of the Force... I wish it was different, but its not!" I explained. Kara's eyes softened. "Really?" she asked. I nodded. "Not all masters would confide in their padawans about such a thing. They wanted us to look up to them, but they didn't want us to see they were afraid as we sometimes were. In my experience, a master's greatest fear is that their student cannot become a Jedi Knight..." I explained. Kara nodded, finally understanding. "Its up to her to decide if she can truly walk the path..." she said. I gave a sad smile. "Yes, and only she can walk it..." I said. "It's the way it has to be, its quite difficult to teach..." I said, before getting up and going to my cabin.

It wasn't long before we landed in a remote system, there was life and settlements, but nothing else. I didn't mention it to Kara or Lena, but I had an uneasy feeling we were being watched. I didn't let that bother me, this was the outer rim and everyone who wanted to survive watched everyone else. As we entered the town, I saw an abandoned building I wanted to check out. "Both of you keep going" I said to Kara and Lena as I noticed it. "I'll catch up..." Kara gave me a look, but I nodded, showing I was sure. Without hesitation, I entered. It looked like an old warehouse, and a cold, familiar voice echoed out around me. "You're very brave or very stupid to come in here alone Czar Daraine...!" I didn't need to see him to know who's voice it was. "Joga Maraego, its been a while... have you gotten tired of hunting down Jedi who did nothing to you?" I asked. "Look around Padawan... this structure represents everything the Jedi believed... Dark and empty lies!" he said. I tried to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. I laughed. "So why are you afraid to step into the light traitor?" I asked. The Eighth Brother's laughter rang out. "Look around you padawan! I'm everywhere, The Dark Side allows me to be, I'm not barred by your pathetic Jedi Order anymore!" he snarled. I shrugged. "So why here? Why now? We both know you can't beat me alone!" I tried to sound more confident than I was. "Can't I? I seem to remember nearly killing you even before I was an Inquisitor boy! What makes you think you can possibly beat me now?" he asked. The Eighth Brother finally stepped into the light. I looked right into his eyes, as he had removed the helmet. "Your master was just as stubborn as you are padawan, that mistake cost him gravely... How long do you think he lasted against me!?" asked the Inquisitor. I made sure not to show the sadness at my Master's death. "More than long enough to help me escape you on Christophsis" I replied. The Eighth Brother laughed again. "Perhaps, but look where it has led you now boy, back to me!" replied the Inquisitor. I kept watching him. "So what now? You kill me? Or do you try and make me talk first... either way, I'm not giving you what you want!" I said. The Eighth Brother didn't seem bothered by this. "Why would I kill you now where no one can see you die? Right now, we are simply talking, consider it a truce if you must!" he said. I glared for a few moments. "Why would you come here alone Maraego? Surely you know I could end this all right now and no one would be the wiser!" I threatened. He nodded. "But you'll never know why will you Czar? That's what you've always wanted to know, isn't it? Why I lost faith in the Jedi, why I joined the Empire instead of fight for the Order that claimed to be Peacekeepers!" he said. I didn't attack or make any move to. "You can't manipulate me, you tried years ago and failed!" I retorted. The Dark Sider shrugged. "What if I offered you the truth? Would you really leave here without hearing a word I have to say?" he asked. I shook my head. "You think you deserve to have a say?" I asked. The Eighth Brother laughed again. "Is it not the Jedi way to hear me out padawan?" he asked. I didn't nod or shake my head. "What makes you think I'm still a Jedi? What makes you think I still believe in the code?" I asked instead. "Because you still behave exactly like one... Why else would you save all those people on Raxxaann not once, or twice, but three times!? Why would you save the girl and train her? If you truly believe that you're not a Jedi anymore, why else would you do all of those things!?" demanded The Eighth Brother. I stopped myself from laughing. "Because it was the right thing to do on all accounts!" I said. The Inquisitor laughed again. "There's no wrong or right boy! There is only survival!" he snarled. I started to circle the Eighth Brother. "Is that why you joined the Empire? To survive? Or because you wanted power!?" I demanded. "Because the Jedi turned their backs on me! As a Padawan they were ready to cast me out... throw me aside as soon as I started showing interest in the Dark Arts! Who do you think gave me up the first-time boy!? None other than your Master... Orion Charr!" he said. I didn't give a visible reaction. "Aren't you surprised boy? Ahsoka Tano was not the only one the Council wished to expel as soon as they doubted her! When your master was beaten do you know what he did boy? He begged for his life!" The Eighth Brother said, clenching his fist as we circled each other. "Do you truly think I believe that?" I asked. "All you want are his secrets and the holocron! I won't give you anything!" The Eighth Brother didn't seem impressed. "Your brave master thought the same thing once boy!" he said. "You think you knew Orion so well?" I asked. "I did, we trained together, we were closer than brothers once... we still would have been if he had joined me!" he said. I laughed. "Orion would never join the Dark Side! Your vision of him is still flawed even now that he has passed on!" I said. I made sure not to act in anger and walk away. "How are you so certain Padawan? Did you monitor his every move? the secrets he hunted for lean more towards the Dark Side than your precious Jedi Order and it's light!" the Inquisitor laughed. "All the more reason for me not to give you anything!" I said. "Do you even know what you are trying to protect? You only know the bare minimum! Yet you, a simple child, think you can stop the entire Empire!?" he demanded. I shook my head. "I don't need to stop the entire Empire, just you and The Eleventh Sister!" I said. "Perhaps, but I wager you won't be able to bring yourself to kill us! There's too much Jedi in you!" he said. "That's not a bad thing!" I said. The Eighth Brother summoned his helmet to him. "Your master said the same thing and thought the same way once... look what fate his desire to be a hero left him with! I hope you don't turn out like him, you have too much raw potential for us to waste!" The Eighth Brother said and walked away. I stayed standing for a few moments, before deciding to leave and find my friends.