Knight Joe Durham has always relished his time away from battle, for the Twelfth Great Jedi War had taken its toll on himself and Clan Taldryan; both on their numbers and the very tenets the Clan stands upon. He has meditated on ways to keep the true spirit of the clan intact during such times, but his fear for the well being of Taldryan constantly lingers in his mind. He opens his eyes from his meditation sensing the approach of someone outside his quarters.
"You may enter," he says rising to his feet.
"We have passed through the atmosphere of Chyron sir.” Joe is informed by an ensign aboard the Nebulon B Frigate Merach’s Vein.
"Very good, is Augur Rian ready to depart?" Joe questions the young naval officer.
"Yes sir, all we require is your presence in the hanger and we can depart for the surface," the ensign replies, as he and Joe exit the quarters and proceed to the lift. They arrive in the hanger which is a buzz with movement as it always is, and Joe sees Rian standing alongside a transport flanked by troopers.
"Hello Master," Joe says bowing his head.
"Hello Knight Durham, or should I say for the purposes of your mission, Detective Durham." He said with a smile.
"Are you ready to depart for the surface?" Joe asks, and Rian nods his head before they walk up the ramp into the transport.
"Let’s go." Joe says as the shuttle departs the ship under the escort of two troop transports. They fly toward the swamp portion on the surface of the planet, which unlike the vast urban regions, is covered in mist.
"Do you think that this planet may aid us in our goal?" Rian asks Joe.
"Any systems we can persuade to join Taldryan will aid us my master and any one of them could be the stone that causes the flow of history to change," Joe answered.
"All I have read of the people in this swamp point to them being a non violent species who have kept to themselves for as long as planetary records go back," Rian said.
"Well I fear that our enemies will soon be at their doorstep, and they will not be as diplomatic as us," Joe explained. "This planet would be a prime location for a Taldryan base and outpost, but at the very least we must inform these people of the danger that will soon cast a shadow over this planet, and at least…" he says before pausing, unable to ignore a feeling growing in his mind, growing like ripples through the Force.
"What is it?" Rian questioned, feeling Joe’s unease.
"Something is wrong here," Joe said looking to the window and looking out upon the terrain, the feeling growing stronger in his mind.
"You sense the darkness, Joe?" Rian asked with a concerned voice, fear beginning to etch itself upon his face.
"No not darkness master, but I sense that something is out of place here," Joe said as they passed over one last range of hills and glide over an open green field of long grass, patches of wildflowers, and scattered dwarf trees. Behind it is a city of huge buildings resting upon a plateau in the shadow of a set of hills.
"Set down just outside of the city." Joe said as the transport landed.
"Commander, I need to borrow one of the transports, and a pilot," Joe said to the leader of the troops who had accompanied them, before reaching the end of the ramp.
"Do you need me to accompany you sir?"
Commander Raylen said saluting.
"No, I do not believe we are in danger, please escort master Rian to the city.’’Obi-Wan said.
“Understood sir.” Raylen said nodding.
"What could be of such importance that you would not accompany me to the city?" Rian questioned.
"The Force master, it draws me to something upon the world, and the will of the Force should not and cannot be ignored," Joe said walking to one of the troop transports, as Commander Raylen motioned for two of his men to accompany him.
"I will return soon, but do not keep their leaders waiting," Joe said as he stepped onto the transport and it lifted slowly from the ground climbing into the air high enough to pass over the hills, and flying back toward the swamps.
"There, land in that clearing," Joe said, pointing out the side of the transport.
"Yes sir." the pilot replied with a nod of his helmet, as he descended slowly and hovered over the swamp, dropping delicately down through the hole in the foliage and settling on patch of solid ground.
"We will accompany you sir." one of the soldiers said stepping off the transport holding a blaster rifle.
"No, I will be fine, stay here." Joe ordered holding out his hand, as he vanished into the mists of the swamp.
Several Hours later
"It can't be!" Joe said to himself as he pressed even deeper into the swamp until he came upon another small clearing hidden underneath a tight ceiling of foliage blocking out all but a few thin strands of sunlight. There was a small structure at the back of the clearing snuggled between two trees, the smoke of a fire still floating upon the air.
"Hello, is anybody…" but before he could complete his sentence he found himself reaching for one of his lightsabers and turned his eyes up to the trees where a cloaked form fell from the boughs, one of the few strands of sunlight gleaming off the red blade of its lightsaber. Joe rolled out of the way and rose to his feet just in time to parry the forms strike, before he extended his hand and reached through the Force to push the form away, at the same time blowing the hood from its head.
"That’s impossible!" Joe said in disbelief, lowering his green lightsaber to his side.
"Master, but it cannot be, I killed you!" he mumbled continuing to stare upon his former master and nemesis.
"But yet here I stand." Said Kromtal.
“How, I felt you die!” Joe said anger rising in his voice.
"That is of no concern of yours Durham; the only question that matters is how did you find me here, why can’t you just leave me alone?!" He demanded as he drew another lightsaber from inside his cloak.
"Wait Kromtal, I do not wish to fight you, I am only here on a diplomatic mission to seize control of this system for Clan Taldryan" Joe explained.
"Finding you here was the will of the Force!"
He said dodging a lightsaber swing aimed for his head.
He parried another strike with his lightsaber then jumped back.
“LISTEN TO ME!” He exclaimed, desperation in his voice. “Aren’t you tired of this back and forth, of constantly being on the run, homeless, despised by the entire Brotherhood.” Joe said, his voice beginning to strain. “ While you’ve been busy trying to dismantle the Brotherhood, Taldryan’s numbers have been depleted, the Clan on the brink of annihilation, Barely clinging to life!” Joe explained, his voice cold enough to send chills down the spine of a krayt dragon.
“ Enough give up this charade, Rian is willing to accept you back with open arms. Once a brother always a brother.” Joe explained, putting away his lightsaber.
"Then in spite of everything I have done, the things I had hoped to leave behind have found me.” Kromtal said, falling to his knees.
"The Force, the Brotherhood, the Clan, I only seek to be as far away as possible from you all, and still you find me," he said turning his gaze to him; one that was once was full of animus and hate, now somber and fearful, with tears streaming down his cheeks.
"You cannot run from that which your destiny and fate are intertwined," Joe said, offering a hand to his former master.
"What destiny, what fate?!" Kromtal questioned, slapping away Joe’s hand.
"I have betrayed and killed those closest to me, and I have slain too many brothers and sisters to ever even consider the possibility of forgiveness!" He said, his face a deep abyss of darkness and despair.
"You belong in the Brotherhood, Taldryan is your home, Sith Bloodfyre would never have wanted the path of a traitor placed you upon, nor would he want you living in solitude when you could be so much more," Joe explained, trying to mask his sorrow for his former master, as he felt the turmoil going on inside his once enemy.
"Forget it Durham, I am evil, it is all I will ever be," Kromtal said dropping his head.
"It is all I have ever known, even before I set upon this path." He said rubbing his fingers over his temples.
"I bear the marks to prove it," He said looking up into the boughs of the trees, a single strand of golden sunlight falling upon his face.
"I am worshiped as the God of Death among these savages, because that is all that I have known, all I have brought to this galaxy," He says somberly, a tear streaming down his face before he turned away.
"Then become something more, become what your former master would have wanted you to be!" Joe all but begged, but Kromtal only turned to him, his face wearing a wide grin.
"A member of the Brotherhood?," He said shaking his head.
"The Brotherhood would never allow me within a parsec of Antei!" He blurted.
"You would not be the first Dark Jedi who was brought back Kromtal."
"There is nothing to be brought back to Joe, no good deeds, no acts of selflessness, there is nothing but evil in my past,” He said.
"You told me to protect the the clan from the darkness, you said that perhaps I was right about you, and I still believe that I am." Joe said sincerely as he held out his hand to him.
"Your history is only full of dark deeds because you chose to make it that way by to living here in exile," he explains to Kromtal. "Write yourself a new history."
"Why do you care so much, I have tried to take your life on more than one occasion, why would you trust me, why is this so important to you," Kromtal questioned him, his eyes yearning for a something to hold on to, something real.
"Because I know that there is still good in you; I know you can do great things if you can only get past your guilt, your feelings of betrayal, you can be more than you ever were." Joe said as Kromtal dropped his head.
"It would be nice to be something more than a mere assassin or an exiled failure," Kromtal said, and Joe could feel Kromtal’s thoughts and feelings conceding to his words, but not for all the reasons that he would’ve liked.
"I do owe you for relieving me of my hatred and malice," Kromtal said sincerely.
"Then you will leave this place of solitude and return with me to the clan?" Joe questioned.
"If you can convince the Brotherhood to accept and welcome me, then such a miracle would convince me to stay and see what I can become under your guidance."Kromtal answered, as Joe finally approached him.
"But if not, you must agree to let me go, and never seek me out again," He said, as Joe nodded his head.
"Then I will return with you."
Kromtal said and they made their way back to the transport.