Neeka clutched Ren's arm and said: "Your mother's here? That's wonderful!"

"I'm not sure it is," said Ren. "If she's here, then that means she is after what I have already begun to unlock: Kalethian's power. She'll be jealous of me, or worse, demand that I use the power as a true Sith would." He looked around at his comrades. "It's difficult to predict what she'll do, but you have to understand that she's one of the most feared Sith assassins who ever lived. My mother is completely ruthless and deadly, and she could probably kill you and Cathock together in seconds in a fight."

"But why would she do that?" Neeka said. "We're your allies."

"My mother doesn't approve of allies; only slaves," said Ren. "This whole situation is probably going to infuriate her. She told me never to cross her path again."

"Well, that's rather foolish," said Dalvin. "Even if she's the best assassin alive, I doubt she can fight all of Sakar's forces herself."

"I don't know what her plan is, but she wouldn't be here wondering around if she didn't know what she was doing," said Ren.

"Will she know you're here?" said Dalvin.

"No," said Ren. He suddenly remembered the phials he had taken from the triplets. He pulled one of the two he had stuffed away in his pocket and held it out. "Put this around your neck. It will hide you from the senses of most of the Sith here."

Neeka took the phial and did as Ren told her, and then said: "Where did you get this?"

"From the triplets," said Ren. He thought of the three Sith girls again, and of his mother. The ways of the Sith were so utterly terrible and ugly. He wondered what would happen if his mother found him with pieces of Kalethian's knowledge rolling around in his mind.

"'I never should have come here," Ren whispered.

"What do you mean?" Neeka whispered.

He turned and looked at her. "I don't want you to die."

She smiled and gave him a very soft kiss on the lips, then whispered: "We're strong, Ren. Are you really worried this much just because your mother is here?"

"It changes things," said Ren. "I cannot walk away as cleanly as I would like to. This has been a game of death from the very start, but it's one I thought I could play from the outside because I have the advantage of detachment. But now that she's here... things are murky."

Neeka clutched his arm. "I don't claim to understand your relationship with your mother, but you don't have to do what she says."

Ren gazed at Neeka, marveling at the way she smiled at him and seemed so filled with hope on his behalf. This was a better life. This was what his master had told him to go and find for himself, and he had done it. He was free. But now that his mother was on the planet he could feel her dark coils slipping back around his throat. She had spent so many years making him kill. What would she say now that he had begun to attain Kalethian's power? He reached out to the currents of the Force that flowed through time, looking for an answer, and he saw death.

"I have to go and find her," Ren said, speaking the thought as it solidified within him.

"Then I'm going with you," Neeka said.

"No, I want you to get off this planet. You and Dalvin and Cathock and Malanctha should all leave here."

"Why? Just because your mother showed up?"

"Matters here have grown beyond what I can control," said Ren. "I need to alter my tactics and I need you out of the way."

"Why?" said Neeka. She sounded hurt.

"Because I can't let you die for me." He looked her in the eyes, letting her see everything that was burning inside of him.

"Ren," she said in a soft voice, taking his cheek in her hand, "if I were about to face death and I told you to leave me to it, would you?"

He stared at her for a moment, letting the words sink in to his psyche. Let her die? Nothing he could conceive of in the universe could drive him to that. "It's different," he said, "I have the Force."

"I'm quite dangerous as well, and you know it," she said, smiling so that her white fangs showed just under her lips. "I'm not leaving you, Ren Blakthar. If you wish to be rid of me, you'll have to kill me."

"Please, Neeka," he said.

"No," she said, and she took his hand in hers. "I'm with you, so you're going to have to find a way to keep us both alive."

"And what if I can't?"

"Then we die," she said with a grim smile.

"And you'll make this decision for your friends as well?"

"No one else is leaving, Ren. We all knew there were Sith here when we came. We're not going to turn and run just because one more showed up."

"Quite agreed," said Dalvin. "This actually works in our favor even if your mother is against us, provided we stay back and let her clash with Sakar."

"I'm not going to do that," said Ren.

"I suppose the issue is a bit cloudier then," said Dalvin. "Tell us, Ren, if your mother were to somehow defeat Sakar and gain access to Kalethian's treasure, would she kill all of us rather than share a portion of it?"

"Yes," said Ren.

"Would you help her, or at least stand by and let her kill us?" said Dalvin.

Ren looked at Neeka. "No," he said.

Dalvin cleared his throat. "Would you be willing to kill her to save us?"

"That's enough of that," said Neeka. She looked at Ren and said: "I don't believe all of this is necessary. Your mother won't hurt any of us."

"You don't know her," said Ren.

"You told me she let you go. I know enough about Sith to know that you wouldn't have this freedom if she didn't feel something for you more than what a master feels over an apprentice. You know that deep down, Ren, I can see it."

Ren gazed into Neeka's fierce yellow eyes. It was difficult to see where her faith ended and her wisdom began. Could she actually be right? He sighed and gazed down. "I'll go and find her," he said.

"We'll go," she said.

"No, I-"

"Ren," she hissed, "I'm going with you." He could see down to the core of her being that she would not bow to his will on this. There was no use arguing. He couldn't outrun her, and she could track him anywhere on the planet. Mind tricks were useless on her enhanced brain. Even if he could somehow render her unconscious, her healing ability would restore her almost instantly.

"Alright," he said.

Neeka smiled. "Thank you," she whispered, and she kissed him on the cheek. "Do you want to eat first? I suppose the mandalorians have plenty of rations."

Ren felt suddenly that he was hungry, as well as tired and thirsty. He was so wrapped up in Kalethian's knowledge and everything else around him that he had forgotten the simple, mortal needs of his own flesh.

"If you're looking for something quick," Dalvin's voice said, and there was a popping sound from his ship, which was still floating distantly above them. A small, black canister fired toward them and landed less than a half-meter from Ren's feet. It was cylinder roughly the size of a fist and twice as long, and it popped open on its side nearly as soon as it touched the ground to reveal a set of small, thumb-sized pellets. "I live off of these for months at a time," Dalvin's voice said. "They're just about nutritionally perfect for the human body. I call this compound proto-food. It'll chemically adjust itself to the specific needs of your physiology."

Ren picked up one of the pellets, popped it in his mouth, and chewed. It had a simple, lightly salty sort of flavor and went down easily. He ate five more quickly and then took up the canister and snapped it shut. It had a clasp so he fit it to his belt.

"Thank you, Dalvin," he said. "This kind of food would have been extremely useful to me on quite a few planets I've been on."

"Not a problem," said Dalvin.

"What about water?" said Neeka.

Ren turned his mind to the air around him. Kalethian's knowledge was still flowing through him in bits and pieces, but he thought he understood certain elements of it. He reached out with his mind and created a sort of micro-net with the Force with which he imagined to catch all the tiny fragments of moisture and bring them to him. Within seconds of visualizing this, a droplet the size of a thumb formed in the air just in front of his mouth. He willed it to float in through his lips to the back of his throat and swallowed. The water was pure and instantly satisfying.

"Could you always do that?" said Neeka, looking amazed.

"No," said Ren. "I wish I had more time to experiment with Kalethian's knowledge right now. I'm really not sure what I can do."

"We'll have time later," she said, smiling at him.

"We should go," said Ren. "I can sustain myself."

Neeka held her wrist computer up to her mouth and said: "Dalvin, when Cathock has finished playing with his new soldiers, would you please tell him where we've gone."

"Of course," said Dalvin.

With that, Neeka reached out and took Ren's hand and he led her to the cave opening from which they had emerged. Ren felt that his mother was underground, and though he couldn't specifically pinpoint her he was confident that he could feel her out with time. It would have been easier to psychically project himself to her, as he had done on accident even before he had acquired pieces of Kalethian's mind, but that might also be extremely dangerous. Ren still knew very little of Sakar's mental powers, and producing a vibrant, psychic image might amount to screaming out his presence and abilities to a powerful master of the dark side.

He wasn't sure what he would say to his mother, or at all sure how he would introduce Neeka. He wondered truly whether his mother would be at all pleased to see him. He had sensed her emotions as they had parted and one very strong element of what she had felt was relief. Her philosophy did not encompass a son who did not embrace the dark side. How much weight did her maternal instincts truly have over her identity as a Sith assassin? He didn't know, and perhaps neither did she.

As they walked, Ren felt a very sudden and powerful ripple in the Force and he stopped dead in his tracks, gripping Neeka's arm and stopping her as well. He felt Force energy far too concentrated to belong to a Krell, yet too serene to belong to a Sith. He turned his head down a cooridoor in the cave system and saw two shadows, which were almost immediately illuminated in the blue glow of a lightsaber.

"Hello," said a deep male voice.

Ren gazed at the outline of a tall, muscular looking figure by human standards. A set of piercing blue eyes stared at him fearlessly under bushy, silver eyebrows. The man wore simple, light gray robes, and had short cropped hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He stood tall and ready. The power of the light side pulsed from him in the way that Ren had imagined it might from a truly formidable Jedi master.

"Hello," said Ren back.

"He is the one, master," Ren heard Yesra say. The padawan stood behind the mighty Jedi, gripping her own weapon but not activating it.

"My name is Rylin Donthar," said the Jedi master. "I understand you wish to speak to me. Since you saved my padawan's life, I will hear what you have to say." There was neither bravado nor sarcasm in the man's voice. He would attack Ren in an instant, yet for the moment he had confined himself to neutrality.

Ren took a step toward the Jedi master. He was most impressed by this Rylin Donthar. There was an awesome command of the Force held in perfect focus and order within the man. He seemed the perfect opposite to the wild, passionate energies the Sith commanded.

"We're not your enemies," said Neeka. She was gripping the handles of both of her blasters. "Please put your light saber away."

"I'm really not certain I should just yet," said Donthar.

"Put the weapon away or we will not speak," said Ren. He stared hard into the Jedi master's eyes.

"Do you believe you are in a position to dictate terms, boy?" said Donthar, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," said Ren, "put the weapon away."

The Jedi paused for a moment, staring at Ren, and then slowly the glowing blade of his weapon lowered. He switched his lightsaber off and hung it at his belt, though he kept his hand on the metal hilt.

"Thank you," said Ren.

The Jedi master gave the smallest of chuckles. "I suppose you know why I'm bothering with you, then?"

"You've come to realize that Sakar potentially represents the biggest threat to the republic in the universe if he gets ahold of Kalethian's knowledge," said Ren. "In the face of that, you're so horribly outnumbered that attack on the threat is out of the question. Your ship is too damaged to fly, and you cannot send radio signals through the portal back to the Jedi council. You're desperate for any kind of aid against this threat, even if it comes from a young man with a red light saber."

"Astute enough," said Donthar. "I would quite normally take a very different course of action with a young man of your... background though. Please forgive my unease."

"I normally would not engage Jedi at all," said Ren. "Sakar is every bit as much my enemy as he is yours though. I will be honest with you. I have seen through the Force that I am to kill him or he me."

"Oh?" said Donthar. He seemed ever so slightly amused at this. "That's quite a tall prophecy for one so young. Do you have any idea who – or I should say what Sakar is?"

"Some."

"Then you perhaps have some idea how ridiculous it is that anyone your age could kill him." He gazed at Ren, scrutinizing. "I mean you no disrespect, young man. You certainly seem to have a massive amount of energy coursing through you, but you must know that there is no way you could have the skill to take on a Sith Lord of Sakar's level."

"I do not estimate the task to be simple," said Ren.

"Try impossible."

"Nothing is impossible through the Force," said Ren.

Donthar gave a small chuckle. "I suppose you are correct in that at least." He looked Ren over again. "Tell me, what is your name?"

"Ren Blakthar," said Ren. He spoke surname without thinking, which surprised him. He was not in the habit of giving it out.

The man's face contorted in shock and a ripple of anxiety passed through his serene mind. "Are you of any relation to Magretta Blakthar?"

"Yes, she is my mother," said Ren. Again he was surprised at his own honesty. The truth simply leaped from his lips before he could stop it, almost as if the Force were willing him to reveal this information.

Ren felt a pang of shock and even fear rip through the Jedi master's mind, but just as quickly as it appeared it vanished and was replaced again by tranquility and order. Still, Ren could tell that the old man had a personal connection to his mother, and it was an intense one.

The Jedi said in a low voice: "Tell me, Ren, where is your mother now?"

"I do not know, nor would I tell you if I did," said Ren.

"She is not with you on this venture?"

"No."

"I see," said Donthar, and there seemed to be a small wave of relief to his psyche. "We – the Jedi – were not aware that Magretta Blakthar had... produced offspring. If we were, you would have been of great interest to the council. She has obviously trained you in the ways of the Sith."

"Yes," said Ren.

"Ren is not a Sith," said Neeka.

Donthar's eyes moved to Neeka. "This one certainly trusts you," he said, and then added: "she completely trusts you actually. I wonder if you're an excellent liar." He gazed into Ren's eyes, pausing. "Yet... I do not see deception at all." He frowned, as if trying to make sense of what he was seeing. "No, I don't know what the hell you are. Light and dark at once in almost perfect balance. Hell, you're not even teetering. You really shouldn't exist as you are, boy. You shouldn't be possible."

"Yet here I am," said Ren. "So what are we to do?"

"That's quite a question," said Donthar. "The gray path – the road between the light and dark sides of the Force – is incredibly treacherous and unstable. Do you have any idea how many have tried to walk it and failed? I'd almost feel better if you were a simple Sith. At least then I would know what to expect from you. But looking at you, Ren Blakthar... I have no idea." He gazed up at the dim filaments in the rock ceiling above him, as if searching for something. "Nothing in this place makes any damn sense to me." He turned back to Ren. "Tell me why you came to this planet."

"The Force brought me here," said Ren.

"To fight Sakar," said Donthar.

"No, to unlock the knowledge of Darth Kalethian."

"Oh-h-h-h, he's tied up in all of this as well," said Donthar. "Well, at least you think something like a Sith. Tell me, has the Force shown you where to find this knowledge?"

"I've already found it," said Ren.

The Jedi stiffened at this, and Ren felt Neeka squirm next to him. She did not think it wise that he be discussing such a thing with the Jedi. Ren found it strange himself how open and honest he was being, and he wondered if this Jedi were using some kind of mind trick, yet his instincts told him no.

"What do you mean by that?" Donthar said, and his grip on his lightsaber tightened.

"I have pieces of Darth Kalethian's memories – just fragments at the moment - but I am trying to unravel them."

"Memories?" said Donthar. "How did you get them?"

"I don't think that matters as much as that I have them," said Ren.

"I suppose you're right in that, boy," said Donthar, and he took a step closer, half lifting the metal hilt of his light saber, as if he were readying to attack. "You do realize my concern if you're telling me the truth?"

"Yes, you worry I am, or will become possessed," said Ren. "The thought has crossed my mind as well."