After a reasonable long journey, the three Jedi finally landed their shuttle in Aldera, capital of Alderaan. Here it was where it was presumed the massacre took place and Alluria had no doubt that it was Kalin's work. Qurhon didn't mention anything but he could feel faintly the presence of him, so no doubt he was here on Alderaan, but he doubted if he would still be in the city. Dressed as common guards they attracted no attention to themselves as the place was still swarming with stormtroopers, specifically they were the elite, Vader's 501st Legion. They looked around and from the rumours they knew the massacre took place underground so that was the best place to start looking, though the place was heavily guarded it was not going to be easy to get passed the stormtroopers. But since it was so heavily guarded it was not that difficult to find out where exactly in the city the massacre took place.

"Amelia, stay close to me..." Alluria whispered to her as they didn't want to loose track of each other, "So Qurhon, do you have an idea where he is? I sense something but not much. I have to say I did not think the Imperial involvement would have been this substantial. They must be really suspicious about what is going on here. I just hope Viceroy Organa knows what to do to keep them off his back, should we visit him?" She asked curiously.

Amelia walked quietly by Alluria's side, keeping a look out the entire time...even though she didn't know what she actually looking out for.

A part of her was hoping that Kalin would just jump out from behind a crowd, or something and shout 'Here I am!'...but she knew that was impossible...as well as completely absurd.

Still...stranger things had happened in the past.

"So what do we do now?" she asked after a moment, a hand resting in her pocket casually...although it was actually gripping the hilt of her training saber that Alluria had given her. It wouldn't be as effective as a proper saber in a fight...but it made her feel slightly safer, anyways. Though she made sure to keep it well out of sight of everyone else. She wasn't that stupid.

Though he was answering to Alluria he looked at Amelia still with a smile to boost her confidence. He felt she was a bit afraid as they all were. "We'll meet the Viceroy first. I think he can give us the legal permission to go underground in the first place. Alluria should be our woman of expertise. She's more a diplomatic person than I am." In reality they were around equel level when it came to diplomacy, but Qurhon felt it was important that her Padawan in this desperate moment saw some of her stronger talents so that her Padawan would feel less afraid.

"Well, we should really try to look for an alternative way into the palace, we're not going to be able to get through security, it will only alert the 501st Legion to our presence here. But at the back of the palace as elevators, more used for escape purposes in emergencies, but we can use them without fear of being detected. The only problem is that they are operational only by a password, which each of the Royal Family members is aware of. However, I have a number of security spikes." She said as she reached into one of her pouches, "Here's something I've been saving, it's rare, but if this doesn't break the code then nothing will." She said, looking seriously to Qurhon.

"Right common, there's no time like the present. Stay down, try to blend with the crowd as best you can." She said as she made sure her hood was raised properly, a Twi'lek was never the most common species of planets like this, especially a female one. She began to lead the way, heading in the direction where the 501st were tighter securing the area as it was not far from the air ducts where Ayanna and Kalin had slaughtered the Jedi. Alluria could sense what happened there, and had no doubts that both Amelia and Qurhon also could. They were able to get past the line of troopers and head towards the back of the palace.

When Alluria stood at the entrance, she signaled both Amelia and Qurhon to keep an eye out while she set the security spike which she sure hoped would work. They waited for a few minutes with nothing happening, Alluria began to worry that it was not working, wasted a spike for nothing. But suddenly the elevator door hissed open for them. Immediately, Alluria held up her hand and crushed the security surveillance system in the booth so that they would not be detected. She looked to Qurhon with a hint of a smile,

"Just like old times..."

Qurhon was actually happy Alluria was showing some enthusiasm, which would work both ways. If Amelia's master showed more confidence, no doubt her Padawan would follow her example.
"Right I'm not really the one who knows this palace very well, I think we'll have to break some rules if we want to get to the viceroy."
The first guard saw suspicion in their presence. They were disguised as guards, but they were not supposed to be here at this time and the fact Alluria was wearing up her hood to disguise her Lekku didn't make it any better. "Easy my good man, we're hear to see the Viceroy, he is expecting us?" Qurhon said holding his hands up, showing he was bearing no weapons, slowly approaching the guard.
"Is that so? I wasn't notified about any appointments." The guard responded.
"Indeed no appointment has been made, but that is because the security is so tight now that the 501st is out there, the Viceroy doesn't want them to know about this meeting." Qurhon responded back, still slowly approaching the guard.

"Well that could be true what you're saying, but surely he would still have informed his guards about this 'meeting' your talking about." The guard responded back still suspicious about what Qurhon was saying, however Qurhon was now standing straight before the man, and he waved his hand before the guard's eyes.
"The Viceroy is expecting us, you will escort us to him." Qurhon said using one of his mind tricks. He didn't feel proud doing this, but as he said in the beginning some rules had to be bend.
The guard fell under his mind trick and did indeed escort them to the Viceroy's office. No other guards were suspicious of their presence and they were allowed to enter.

As the three of them entered the chamber, Viceroy Bail Organa immediately stood up, wondering what was going on. The four of them were alone in the chamber as he looked them up and down for a moment.

"I'm sorry I don't believe I was informed of any more appointments today." He said suspicious.

Alluria stepped forward, lowering her hood, "Forgive us Viceroy, we are not here to cause trouble for you, on the contrary, we heard about what happened here concerning the Jedi that were hiding in your city. We are Jedi." She said with a smiling expression so that he would see they were trustworthy, though his face showed that he was not sure what to make of them, "My name is Alluria Starfire, this is Qurhon Vos and this is my padawan, Amelia Fitzwalter. We have traveled a long way to speak with you. Qurhon has connections with the Alliance base on Dantooine, and it was them who alerted us to your predicament, though we were already aware that something terrible had happened, just not of where." She said, pausing to let the Viceroy take this all in.

"Forgive my suspicions, you are not the first guests I've had today. Two representatives of the Emperor were here, a man and a woman, they did not introduce themselves but I recognized them. They actually were 'guests' at a dinner party I held about a year ago. I don't know what they were doing here but I suspect they were trying to investigate whether I have any affiliations with the Rebels, and of course with the Jedi. They left empty handed, but now they have returned. You are not long behind them, they were here a few hours ago."

Alluria looked sharply to Qurhon, almost startled to hear that they were so close on their tails.

"Well we are here to investigate the massacre that occured here, Viceroy. Though with the 501st 'protecting' and guarding the city, it's not easy to reach the place where the massacre occured. You said two representatives were here. Was it a fairly young man and a young woman?

The viceroy nodded. Qurhon sighed cause his doubts were now completely gone that it was indeed Kalin and his acolyte Ayanna.

"Their names are Kalin Thalis and Ayanna. We do not know the full name of his 'partner'. But we believe they were behind the massacre, Viceroy.

"Oh I have no doubts they did, they confessed as much, well at least the girl did. She seemed somewhat proud about it as well, compared it to pest control if I remember correctly. The man you speak of was more serious but I understood his point quite clearly, that the Empire were going to be keeping a close watch on things here. But of course this is always something I am cautious about anyway. I wish there was something I could have done, I knew there were Jedi in the city but I had no idea how many or how long they intended to stay. If they had come to me then I could have had them protected properly, rather than living and eventually dying the way they did. We live in a cruel time where vicious people flourish and the good are pushed aside." He said with a somber tone.

Alluria was surprised to hear that Kalin's acolyte had supposedly boasted about the massacre, which made her doubt about Kalin's teaching methods once again, but then again why she ever think otherwise, he was Sith, not the man she nor Qurhon remembered.

"That's not the attitude you told me she had on Naboo, you think she was faking it?" Qurhon asked in curiosity.

Before he expected an answer Qurhon turned immediately to the Viceroy, "I don't know what to think anymore. I knew this man very well. He was a man of compassion, though with conflicted emotions. Could you explain to me how he personally behaved. You said his acolyte was boasting about the murders, was he doing the same? I can't understand he would. If they were Jedi the Empire would rather capture them and if not why would they inform the governemt of this act. Most Jedi who were murdered were killed in secret and the Empire tries to hide them as much as possible, so I don't understand the behaviour to reveal this all to you, Viceroy. There's something that doesn't make sense." Qurhon asked confused.

"Well, he did not boast himself about what had happened. In fact he apologized for the girl's behavior, wait a moment. I think I can actually show you." He said as he sat forward and began to look at the surveillance feedback, "Ah here it is, you can see it for yourself. Understand that a man in my position must record certain conversations in case anything were to happen to me..." He then projected the conversation he had had with both Kalin and Ayanna.

Alluria watched it seriously, feeling uncomfortable to say the least, but she knew it would be worse for Qurhon, he had not see Kalin since the problem first occurred years ago. She did notice a difference in Ayanna, but immediately she understood it. Through the Force she spoke with Qurhon so that Bail Organa was not aware of it, but she made sure that Amelia would also hear the voice in her head also,

"The girl has gained a confidence, her and Kalin are now more than partners I think. Same bells ringing as before..." She then looked to the Viceroy as the projection of the conversation ended.

"Well, there you have seen it for yourself. They did not threaten me, but I could read enough from him that I was being intimidated, I'm someone who is used to it."

Qurhon felt really a sting in his heart just seeing Kalin on holo. Though he found Kalin's behaviour and above all his intentions very strange.
"He claimed the Jedi attacked him first out of fear? Hmmm it's not unlikely, still I'm not sure what to think of it. It also seems strange that he approached you about this in the first place as I said. If you think Kalin is truly so cruel, why did he bother to inform the Viceroy of a threat coming from the Empire, in the first place? Yes he still tried to intimidate you, Viceroy. But it seems that he wanted to do so, for Alderaan to bult it's defenses up. I know it's a peaceful planet and I can't trust him completely, but on the other hand I can't say I disagree with what he said on the holo, Viceroy. Sorry but I just can't detect much lies in his words. Seems he was actually concerned about the planet and that he wasn't too proud about what happened underground. It's only strange that suddenly his acolyte was. Sorry but I have to see the holo again, if you wouldn't mind Viceroy..." Qurhon asked politely.
They watched the holo again and Qurhon was still not convinced about Kalin being as cruel as Alluria expected him to be. He was Sith and certainly not a good person anymore as he used to be, but he still kept in consideration what he said about the evil he spoke of for the greater good. And the fact he said the Jedi attacked first didn't seem unlikely. These days Jedi weren't using the same principles as they used too. Meaning that the principle of using the Force for only 'Knowledge and Defence' was long forgotten by most Jedi.

"I cannot predict, you know this man, I do not. I had to merely judge on this encounter." The Viceroy said politely.

"I'm not convinced either, but that doesn't excuse this Qurhon. I'm not going to think the worst as I did before, but I'm also not going to assume that he has the best of intentions here." She said serious, "We have to find him, do you have any idea where they are now?" She asked the Viceroy.

"No I'm sorry I do not, they left and that was it. I have no indication where they could have gone." He said finally.

Alluria looked to Qurhon, wondering what his opinion was on all of this.

Qurhon sighed. His opinion had changed. First he didn't want to see the place where the massacre occured, but now he felt like he could maybe use his gifts to read objects to confirm if the Jedi indeed attacked first. If they did, it wouldn't excuse Kalin and his acolyte for killing them all, unless they really had no choice. But there was no way to find out. Qurhon informed Alluria of his new idea to investigate the place. He only hoped that there were still some objects of the Jedi themselves he could read of. If it was necessary he would read it of the bodies themselves. After all, he thoughts himselfs those were only objects themselves. A rare gift for a Kiffar, but it was useful, though it was considered to be disrespectful. He wasn't too proud if he had to do so, but if it was necessary he wouldn't hesitate.
"We thank you for your time, Viceroy. We only have one request. That is if you could help us to enter the place where this horrible event ocurred. We can't get passed the security" Qurhon pleaded.

As usual, Amelia had stayed back, out of the way...sort of melting into the background during the entire conversation. This was her way of learning. Stepping back and observing...quietly listening and taking everything on board.

And as she stood there now, a frown was slowly appearing as she tried to work everything out.

Kalin had murdered jedi...as had Ayanna. But then he'd come to the Viceroy of the planet and basically told him what he'd done...He'd brought the 501st legion down upon the planet...but almost as if on purpose to protect it...he hadn't revealed the location of the rebel base to his Master...nor the location of Obi-Wan Kenobi...

None of it made sense. Although she knew one thing for certain now.

The world wasn't just black and white. There were indeed many shades of grey...and Kalin and Ayanna were one of those shades. Just exactly what their intentions were, however, was unclear and she didn't like that.

The unknown was what scared her more than anything else, because it made her feel insecure...vulnerable...

Still, both Qurhon and Alluria seemed to be feeling more confident now than they had in the crystal caves, and that gave her slight hope.

The three of them quickly left the palace behind, making sure to avoid the guards which were swarming around the capital like a disease. Alluria was getting closer and closer to the moment she was nervous about, and she wondered how her padawan would hold up. she had high hopes for her, but she couldn't help but wish she had prepared her more. But tile was so limited and things moved on so fast that it was hard to catch a breath.

Alluria looked to Qurhon, "Do you sense them at all? I don't detect anything here anyway...." She said a little suspicious.

Qurhon shook his head. He thought it would be safer that their presence would remain a secret until they were actually proven guilty.
Next the Viceroy did manage to get them underground by intimidating these stormtroopers. They might work for the Empire, but on this planet the Viceroy was still in charge. The Viceroy made it clear that the Jedi had a clear passage. So down the deep they went. Qurhon and the others could already smell a certain stench. When they got down they saw the horrible massacre. Dozens of bodies still lay lifeless underground. Qurhon found it hard to believe that these bodies weren't moved yet, but at this moment there was nothing they could do. The only reason Qurhon could think of the bodies were still here, is for Darth Vader to see them with his own eyes.

Anyhow this didn't stop Qurhon to read the bodies. A gift rare for a Jedi and even for a Kiffar. From the visions he could indeed confirm Kalin and Ayanna did went underground and they had their lightsabers ignited. Though it was indeed the Jedi who attacked them first. Kalin and his Acolyte were surprised by the attack and it seemed they had no choice but to fight back. Could they have fled from the attack? Maybe.... From the other bodies it showed them that Kalin and his Acolyte were overwhelmed and they did use cruel methods to fight back, but considering they were far outnumbered, Qurhon didn't know if he could blame them from doing so. In the end he didn't know what to think about it, but he revealed anything he saw about the massacre that took place.

Amelia crouched down beside the body of a young boy and had to seriously fight back tears as she looked to him.

"He was just a child," she muttered, looking back to Alluria. "He was scared...he didn't deserve such a fate, whether Kalin and Ayanna were acting in self defense or not!"

Looking back to the boy again, she knew that he'd been just a learner...a padawan like herself. Was this the fate she had to look forward to, then?

An early death at the hands of two Sith who clearly showed no mercy? It wasn't a thought that appealed to her...but at the same time she wasn't a coward. She wasn't going to bail when the going got tough.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry," she said quietly to the boy as she reached out a trembling hand to close his eyes with her thumb and forefinger. Now that he wasn't staring emptily up at the ceiling, he looked a little more peaceful, but that still didn't make up for the fact that he was dead.

Alluria placed her hand on Amelia's shoulder, though she too was devastated to see what Kalin and Ayanna had done, "This is the nature of the Sith, merciless, pitiless. Nothing good can come from the Dark Side.... Nothing..." She said as she then looked to Qurhon, this evidence all around her was enough to confirm for her that Kalin was beyond their help. She could not forgive this, and she knew this was not the first time he had killed Jedi, but many of the Jedi here were very young or middle aged.

"If Kalin wants us to believe that his intentions are good.... Then I'm sorry but he's failed, Qurhon. You can't be blind to this anymore! Even if they did strike first, Kalin is stronger than these padawans! He could have found a way, any way to not kill them. He could have wounded them, forced them back to stop the attack! He didn't! He cut them down. I had hopes too that Kalin was perhaps not the Sith I thought him to be, he told me I was wrong, that he was not true Sith...... Now look.... These people died after our meeting on Naboo. After he spoke his lies, that's what Sith do Qurhon! Just like Palpatine, he lied to the whole galaxy, and look at how everything fell into darkness. Kalin is changed, he's beyond redemption. Perhaps a part of me wanted to believe him but remain skeptical, perhaps even somewhere in myself I do still care for him, of course I do. And perhaps even, if he had done terrible deeds before our meeting on Naboo, if he had proved his words were true from then onwards, maybe.... Maybe I could have forgiven him. Now I cannot." She said serious.

Qurhon shook his head, "Your emotions cloud your judgment, Alluria. You think of course that these 'victims' here are completely innocent because they bear the name of the 'Jedi' of course. Well they weren't. Let's not forget it was them who attacked first, not Kalin or his Acolyte. And it wasn't solely the Sith who used the Dark Side, but the Jedi too here. You didn't see what I saw. They fought in anger, in rage. Most likely of course because they were afraid. These are dark and dangerous times, so I don't blame them. But if you see how they just throw our principles away, treat them like dirt, then I feel ashamed. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense... Well not anymore. His acolyte only started to fight furiously back because one Jedi attacked and wounded her in a vicious way. Something you wouldn't expect of a Jedi. And yes I've seen Kalin defeat two or three Jedi with ease, but they were fighting an overwhelming force here. More than twenty Jedi. They were surrounded. How do you expect to defend yourself if you're completely surrounded by Jedi who fight dirty just because they were afraid of death. Should we be afraid of death. What happened to one of our most important principles, 'There is no Death, there is only the Force."? I guess that doesn't matter anymore either. Look I can't say Kalin was the victim here. It's still terrible what he did, but under the circumstances it's not so hard understand why he did what he felt he had to do, so you better first hear him out, before you speak with that hatred. Yes hatred, cause that is what is starting to boil in you. And that is also not the Jedi way. What are we becoming? Hypocrites or Sith ourselves!" Qurhon spoke in a harsh manner. Mainly because he was angry that so much was lost. Not only the lives but the principles of the Jedi. He couldn't even tell anymore if these were Jedi who got killed. They were only Jedi in name, but in their actions they walked too close to the Dark path.

"So what do we do now?" Amelia asked as she slowly raised to her feet once more and gently shrugged off Alluria's hand...but not in an unkind way.

Then she pulled out her training saber. Whilst it would be effective against a real lightsaber...it wouldn't be as powerful, or nearly as deadly. Not that she had any intentions of using it to wound or harm...simply to defend if necessary.

But what if it really did come to a fight? Defending herself against blasts that she couldn't see was one thing...defending herself against a powerful and skilled Sith who had experience with a saber was something completely different.

"Do you think, when we find Kalin and Ayanna...that it will really come to a fight?" she asked, a little nervously as she replaced her weapon in it's safe hiding place in one of her pockets.

Alluria looked firmly to Qurhon, she did not agree with what he said and stood by her grounds when it came to Kalin and his acolyte.

"I don't know if it will come to a fight, it depends on their reactions and also their intentions. Surely you have to agree with at least that Qurhon. I'm not going to jump to conclusions or to my words when we encounter them. If we fight then it will because of their doing, not ours." She then looked to Amelia, "If you think you are prepared, then we should try to find them, reason with them. Maybe you can find our Qurhon, what I could not. What Kalin's true intentions are..."

Qurhon didn't look firmly back at Alluria, but he still stayed serious over this subject, "You really think you can keep your lightsaber on your belt when you see them. Something tells me different. However I could be wrong. Anyway I can't tell whether Kalin wants to fight or not. There could be several reasons why he wants to fight, Maybe there's a small chance that you are right and that he just wants to kill us all, Question is why didn't he just kill you on Naboo if he's really like you presume he is. Why didn't he kill Kenobi?"

Qurhon headed to the exit, cause he saw enough here, "Let's get back upstairs, I've had enough of this place. Best is to search Kalin out and confront him, if it comes to a fight I would want that your Padawan stays back and let us handle this. I have no doubts about her courage, but that alone won't help us now."

"Oh don't worry...I don't intend to fight," Amelia assured him as she followed him out, doing her best not to look at the destructive trail of bodies on her way.

"Talk first, defend yourself only after, if necessary...one of the first lessons my brother taught me. If Kalin could kill these padawans so easily...then I don't stand a chance. So that's not exactly incentive for me to get involved, is it," she reasoned. "But I won't leave you...so don't even ask me to hang back, or go someplace else...coz I ain't going."

Defiant and stubborn. That was her...all the way.

"Don't worry Qurhon, just as on Naboo I will not reach for my lightsaber. I will only do that if Kalin reaches for his, it's only fair." She said seriously, "I just hope you can talk some sense into him, I really do." She sounded almost somber in her last words, "I'm sure if he's reasonable enough, as he was on Naboo, well in the end anyway, then it will not result in conflict. I am just as curious as you why he let Kenobi live, but also why he allowed others to die. Are you saying that their deaths are justifiable? I hope not, a few may have attacked out of fear, but does that mean they deserved to die? I don't think so...." She paused for a moment, "We should go.... The sooner we find them, the better, though I get the feeling that they are already waiting for us...."

"No they didn't deserve to die. But can I ask you something else now that you brought this up. You think Kalin deserved to die?" He asked very intrigued.
Alluria replied sincere and truthful, "Of course not, that's the last thing I would want..."
Qurhon nodded, though he still stayed skeptical considering her feelings towards Kalin. But If nobody deserved to die here, then Qurhon barely saw any possibility how this fight could have ended without anyone dying. The trio headed back to the shuttle, General Dodonna provided for them and Qurhon headed it to Crevasse City. He just added to his comments, "If you do see him with his lightsaber drawn, don't be surprised. He's expecting us. If you truly want us to prove that we are better, then leave your lightsaber on your belt until he actually attacks. But I don't think he will. I think he only feels threatened now, which doesn't surprise me, after the attack in the capital."
After a short journey they arrived at the city, and indeed by far they could see a ship, the Thranta and Kalin and Ayanna were waiting outside. Kalin indeed wasn't surprised that they had come here. He did expect them and he prepared both himself and Ayanna for this encounter should it come to a fight indeed. The Jedi's shuttle landed and stepped down the ramp. Kalin already felt nervous by seeing his old friend Qurhon again.
"Hello Kalin, long time no see." He said which sounded like a friendly greeting, but his voice sounded grim.
Kalin nodded, "Hello my friend." He said slightly sarcastic back, "I wish I could say that it's nice to see you, but concerning the circumstances I cannot..."

Alluria kept close to Amelia's side, feeling nervous about what was going on, she glanced to Ayanna who seemed to quickly look away from her and instead to Qurhon.

Ayanna couldn't deny it was almost slightly nice to meet Kalin's old friend, and also to see the padawan Amelia again, but not so much Alluria who she wanted to kick in the teeth.

"Hey Amelia." Ayanna said in quite a friendly tone, which sounded strange concerning the circumstances. She had been rather sharp before in the Viceroy's office, but she decided to hold herself back and try to remain polite. She looked to Qurhon, "Hello, I'm Ayanna Nyx...." She said finally, sounding almost as a sweet and innocent girl from a farm rather than what she in fact was, a Sith. But there was no sarcasm in what she said.

"I understand Kalin, we're just here to talk. Nice to meet you Ayanna. I'm Qurhon Vos. I believe you already know the rest?"
Ayanna gave a slight smile as she nodded.
"So Qurhon, are you here to 'punish' me for my crimed. For all the Jedi I killed in Aldera. If you didn't know they..."
Qurhon interrupted Kalin, "Attacked you first, yes we know. I saw everything Kalin just by reading the objects still left there. But did you absolutely see no way of escaping, so at least some lives could be spared?" Qurhon asked in a sincere voice.
"Maybe, but I admit I was afraid. Afraid they would follow us and I also attacked out of love. Yes love! Ayanna isn't just my acolyte. We love each other deeply. And I feared for her live, so I wanted to ensure her survival by killing everybody who could have been a possible threat to her, do you understand?!" Kalin replied, slightly angry he wouldn't.
"I understand Kalin, but..."Qurhon sighed as he knew Alluria still either wouldn't believe this or still wouldn't find it an acceptable excuse to kill all the Jedi in Aldera. "Just try to understand this from our point of view. There were younglings, women who were not very well trained and were probably as much afraid as you were..."
Kalin almost had an outburst, "So what?! Should I just have sacrificed myself and the one I love, for their sake. If they didn't attack us, they wouldn't be dead now. I would have ensured they would be taken to prison, cause sorry, they are enemies of the Empire and it's my duty to report any potential danger. They would have lived."
Qurhon didn't really know anymore what to say. It was indeed either their lives of that of the Jedi.

Alluria finally spoke up, "Kalin, you're more powerful than they are. You could have found a way to stun them. I think you to be a master of Force Lightning are you not? A brief shock would have imobolized them I think. It would've been enough. And concerning your acolyte, I'm sure she would have been fine to defend herself. She looks able enough to me to have knocked someone unconscious without killing them...."

Ayanna stepped forward, "I don't need you making assumptions on my behalf, thanks..." She said bluntly, "But the fact remains, we would not have struck them if they had not attacked. They took us by surprise, they did not even make their presence known. Couldn't they have atleast called out in the darkness? We had our lightsabers ignited yes, but it was because it was pitch dark, nothing more. We didn't know who was there, we were surprised, taken off guard. They may have been young but... Just common sense I think. Sure they may have been afraid, but surely they should have been more afraid of death." Ayanna said, still speaking in a kind tone so to not sound threatening.

"A Jedi does not fear death, young one. Attachment is forbidden, even to life. We rejoice for those who have become one with the Force." Alluria said as she looked to Ayanna.

"Oh really?" She laughed sarcastically, "Well I don't see much rejoicing on your part here do I... Jedi fear death just as much as any other person. Don't try to act all high and mighty, you're no different than the rest of us...." She said determined.

Alluria said nothing, sensing the same sort of attitude from the Nyx girl as she did from Kalin.

Qurhon couldn't say much, cause these Jedi did fear death just as he said earlier to Alluria,
"They did fear death, these Jedi didn't fight like Jedi at all. Here look at this!" He said grabbing Ayanna's arm tightly, showing the wound. You couldn't see how bad the wound was cause the patch covered it, "Ayanna was taken by surprise and they wounded her, doesn't she have the right to defend herself and in these kind of fights, people die! But they asked for it. They did fear death otherwise they wouldn't have attacked in the first place! You're just acting like a hypocrite, Alluria just because you look down on me because I'm Sith. But neither you or those Jedi are better than us. They were afraid and tapped into the Dark Side. I was better than them. And sorry I was too much caught up in the fight to concentrate my powers. I just gave everything I had to defend Ayanna as best as I could. I'm glad she could defend herself as well as possible otherwise she would be dead now. If you didn't know they were numbered by more than 20. A bit unfair don't you think. It was either kill or to be killed. If you were there you would understand! But you weren't so keep your judgment to yourself!" Kalin said in his defense. Qurhon shook his head again as he thought this conversation would only end in bad terms.

Alluria nodded, "I accept that you were outnumbered, but shouldn't you have prepared yourself then? You talk of being in darkness, outnumbered, then why did you not simply plan instead of literally running in blind. I don't deny that you had to defend yourself, but you didn't think ahead. If your true intention was to simply arrest them, then why didn't you wait and immediately contact your troopers to come and help with the arrests, or even ask the Viceroy for help? Where is your excuse? They could have escaped? Well not if you kept an eye them, besides the troops arrived pretty swiftly from what I hear, so I doubt you would have to have waited long. But you didn't." She said, lowering her head slightly, then looking to Amelia, wondering how she was feeling about all of this.

Ayanna smirked, "Perhaps you should judge on the situation once you've experienced something similar."

Alluria didn't respond to what Ayanna said but merely continued where she had left off, "Besides Kalin, you speak of the Jedi being arrested, you know as well as the rest of us that Palpatine does not keep Jedi prisoners for very long. All are killed eventually...."

"No, Alluria, most of the Jedi that are captured are still alive and hold in strict cells. There's no choice, with their powers they could escape easily. You only like to believe the worst because you see everything so black and white. Well there's more to it... Mostly still the most unexperienced ones are kept in prison. The experienced one just refuse to surrender. Besides I could have send dozens of troopers into their deaths if I did call for them to clean up the 'mess'. No I had to investigate first to know what we were dealing with here. If I knew what was down there I would have asked for a whole army of troopers, but you think you can just ask for that like nothing. I don't have any authority over these troopers. Only my master does and he wouldn't send those troops into their deaths either for the sake of your little band! And asking the Viceroy for help. I know the man has connections with the Rebels, so how can I trust him... He should be happy I didn't report any of this to my master..."

"Yes I'm sure he's very grateful..." She said sarcastically, "I still don't understand you Kalin. You tried to convince me on Naboo that you were not true Sith, that there was a greater purpose. I just don't understand all of this. Is there no way that there is a greater purpose for you in the Light? With your friend? You had friends Kalin, Jedi.... Why do you hunt them now? How can I believe that you want good when you are killing people like this. Jedi don't do this...."

"He's not a Jedi, that's why...." Ayanna said bluntly.

"Well that much I do know, he hasn't been for a very long time. But what I ask myself is, could he ever be again? Well, could you Kalin? Why is it better to work for the Empire, than to work for the Rebels?" She asked.

"Sacrifices have to be made for the greater good. And you know I only killed those Jedi out of self defense, whether you believe that or not. If I was a Jedi I would be powerless and could do nothing. The Jedi I killed would still have been killed by someone who would have replaced me and possibly also would have killed me. What I'm trying to do is do my duty so I can live with my mask between the Sith as I already said on Naboo. If I'm not connected to them, I can't do what the Force wills. The Jedi were wrong during the Clone Wars of what the Force wills. When I became one with the Force I knew very well what I had to do. That is remain a Sith and that unfortunately demands duty, but the time is close for the Empire to fall, but until then I have to keep my allegiance to them, whether I like it or not."
Qurhon interrupted, "Then what does the Will of the Force tell you to do Kalin."
"I can't say, Qurhon, Anything I would, could jeapordize my plans and if you want the same as I do, you wouldn't want that."

Alluria didn't know what to say anymore. She found it to be a hard pill to swallow with everything that he was saying but she had little choice in the end.

"So where does this end Kalin? You said yourself that even if you were forced to hunt us then you would. How long will this go on Kalin? Until you one day look in the mirror and discover you have become the very thing you used to hate? Until Palpatine dies and Vader takes over the galaxy? With you at his side? The cycle of destruction and cruelty will only continue. What peace, what prosperity, what hope have you brought to the galaxy with the actions you have taken? I cannot understand you, you are a walking contradiction...." She said sighing.

Ayanna glanced to Amelia, shrugging her shoulders slightly as she felt as though she were really in the same boat as her, onlookers to a growing problem between these three people.

"You think I'm the only one involved in this. I can't do anything on my own. Kenobi understood me. I didn't even have to spell it out, Why can't you just have faith. Have faith in the Force, isn't that what you Jedi are suppose to do? I'm telling you know, cause you're not prepared, huge sacrifces have to be made and still have to be made, cause for this galaxy to be cured of all its evil, a huge change has to come and it will, but not now... I don't control things here. When exactly this change comes, I don't know. I can't answer. I only know that it will come in time... On the right time. Your messiah is still out there. He has to be found, but it's a lot more complicated. That is why I can't reveal anything or he will not want to be found. He's hiding now, I know where, but I can't reach him. I can't but I know someone who can... But he is not ready...."

Alluria didn't say anything, but looked to Qurhon for his opinion as in all this he had remained silent, "I will follow whatever Qurhon decides on this matter. I think both of you know well enough where I stand in all this, but most of all, I admit, I'm skeptical. But I won't hold my breath, that's all I can say...." She said bluntly.

Ayanna looked to Kalin, she felt less tense as she believe that this would not end in a fight, though sometimes things do change rapidly, she only hoped that it would not this time.

Qurhon felt exposed, like everybody was waiting for his judgement, and his judgement alone. "Well, what can I say? I think what happened in Aldera was a very unfortunate incident, but I think those Jedi are as much to be blamed as Kalin is. They did attack first and didn't make it easy for Kalin or Ayanna. Kalin could have changed his fighting methods, but he said himself that he was afraid as were those Jedi. So I can understand he wanted to fight as hard as he could to protect his love."
Kalin kept a serious face and nodded, suggesting he didn't disagree so far with what Qurhon said.
"I don't know what should happen next, we're on the opposite side, but it seems we're only that way on the surface, beneath the surface we do seem on the same side as Kalin claims and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But I don't want to see much more of these killings again!" He said his last words as a warning.
"Most likely you still will, Qurhon, sorry to disappoint you. I will only be able to keep the confidence of the Sith if I perform their dirty deeds. Don't think I take pleasure in it. But I see it as necessary. And I know you might disagree with me. Alluria surely does. But if you truly want to know more, I advice you to visit Kenobi. I already told you I can't share much more what I know with you, but I respect Kenobi's wisdom and if he thinks it safe to share this knowledge with you, I won't object. It's just a shame that Alluria is only able to look at the bad things I've done. I've done some good things too, to protect you, Kenobi, Jedi and even the Rebellion if you didn't know..."

Ayanna smiled slightly, as she felt that there was a great divide, and Alluria seemed to be on her own at the other side of it. Ayanna reached into her pocket before pulling out a comlink and throwing it to Amelia,

"You can keep in touch if you like. Like I said to you on Naboo, we're not evil, we don't do bad deeds because we enjoy them. If you want to learn the true nature of the Force then I wouldn't ask your 'Master', she sees the Jedi throw rose tinted glass, looks prettier but that's not what it is. I look forward to hearing from you..." She said kindly.

Alluria on the other hand was not happy at this exchange, she did not like the idea of Amelia and Ayanna discussing things, she worried that they would try to sway her against the light by clever seduction, but then again she could not and would not forbid Amelia to do it.

"And you, Ayanna. Where do you stand in all of this? We know where Kalin stands, but what about you?" Alluria asked.

"I stand right next to Kalin, that's where I belong and that's where I'll stay..." She said seriously.

"What did you expect, Alluria. That she would just walk over to you after all we've been through! And I still think you're making a big mistake with Amelia. You're just sending her to certain death! I wonder if you can live with the thought you did, would the time arrive. That's not a threat, it's a warning." Kalin said in a calm but sharp voice.

Qurhon remained skeptical about everything. He himself didn't know where to stand. It was like he was more standing in the middle between Kalin and Alluria, not knowing which side to pick. Though he was still a Jedi, so of course he wouldn't sway away from that.
"Kalin, I just hope you know what you're doing. So much blood has already been spilled, and I would hate if it was all for nothing."
Kalin looked firm back, "So would I, Quhon, So would I. I don't expect you to understand me. As I said I advice you to seek guidance with Kenobi. I respect him even if he is a Jedi. He has a great part in all of this." Kalin explained.