Unity in the Force

[Laira Darkhold]

Three days in a bacta tank. That's what the medics had said about Ijaat, which given the circumstances wasn't so bad. Not every day did someone survive diving into the most dangerous part of a Kur'yida edee at all, and so three days in bacta was hardly bad news given the situation.

The Medical frigate they were travelling to Aldera on was comfortable, and Draco had been given his own quarters near the bridge from which he could finally re-attune himself to the Force after having been on Myrkr for a full day without it. The Mandalorian liked to reach out and feel each and every strand of the infinite web, at least as many strands as he could sense and reach when he was meditating like this. It reassured him of his power and proficiency, and brought out the subtle feelings of each being he touched in this way. For now, it was just the ship's crew, Ijaat, and of course Faith and the Twins, whom he could sense just about anywhere.

Once he completed that aspect, he turned his focus inside himself, sensing the tears and rugged edges of his presence, the torn pieces of him that no longer existed with him. He was glad for this fact, even though he was damaged, the Warrior wasn't psychotic, and so the tears and shreds of him were a good thing. At least for now.

He placed the two little objects, a small square that fit in his hand with a faint glowing blue light, and a small pyramid equal in size with a faint glowing red light. One made him curious, the other made his stomach turn and made him nauseous. Which to pry into first?

 

[Laira Darkhold]

After a moment's hesitation, Draco placed the red pyramid back into a small container lined with null resin, a little foam slot for both holocrons was present as he closed the lid back down and moved the small blue cube directly in front of him. The warrior rolled his shoulders, cracked his neck, and turned his attention, his senses, towards the little object before him. He could feel the presence of the Force inside it, not really the bright shining example of the Lightside he had experienced before, but neither was it the twisting darkness of the Holocron of Darth Bane, still owned by the Mandalorian.

He waited, studying the device through the Force for some time, studying how it interacted with his subtle probes and how his own presence reacted to it's responses. He took note of as much of the subtle interactions as he could in the hopes that he was not opening up a trap, or that it would not react negatively to him once he opened the device.

"Alright." He muttered to himself, turning the lights dimmer and opening his eyes, letting his presence flow through the device activating it and calling its presence forth to answer him.

After a moment, the image of a man, in his twenties at best emerged from the holocron. He wore dark jedi robes, with a tactical belt around his waist. Draco noticed a few subtle facial similarities between Faith's family and this man, the button nose, the way the brow was set. It wasn't obvious they were related, but he could see some similarity there.

"My name is Jacen Solo, and you are?"

 

[Laira Darkhold]

So at least the Force hadn't lead him in a wild goose chase, this was what they had been looking for. Between the two devices, one of them would have knowledge and aid in interpreting Ijaat's visions and help identify the artifact Ijaat wandered in with when they decided to go on this quest. That was after all, at least most of the driving force behind finding Jacen's remnants. But, Draco had his own reasons as well.

"I am Draco Vereen, and I'm actually marrying one of your descendants soon." Draco's voice was casual, trying to disguise his unease some. His own reasons for finding this device was because of what he knew about the man. The Organa's had books and datalogs about Jacen Solo, most recounted with a level of hatred and disdain for him, but the book written by Leia Organa, which he had later found was the unedited, handwritten, script for the exiled Princess's autobiography, had a different take on Jacen up to a point, and then it was just sadness and sorrow.

"Hmmm, really? I wasn't aware I had descendants later in my life. But, one doesn't activate a device such as this seeking congratulations. What is it you seek?" The holocron brushed aside Draco's greeting, and reveal some information about the device. It was made, and last updated prior to the ancient Jedi having children, which helped date it. Draco could toss guesses about it, but he figured there were about fifteen to twenty years of the man's life missing, given that the being before him looked to be early twenties.

"Yeah, I suppose so. I am Draco Vereen, and I am lost."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

The being nodded sagely, an act that seemed misplaced for a being so young, as though he had been there and traversed such a psychological adversity. "I understand. And you think I have guidance?" The Holocron was interacting with him some, but wasn't exactly providing answers. In fact, right now it seemed that this long lost meager remnant of Jacen Solo was actually controlling the conversation, guiding it. Something that troubled Draco a little.

"Well I lack understanding, knowledge. I can't move forward without understanding balance. I am a warrior, from a culture that glorifies war and conflict, betrothed to a culture that is the very symbol of peace and kindness. I know that there can be balance, but, I don't know enough about the Force and about balancing it, to be able to do it. At least, having fallen to the Dark Side and come back, I don't think I can find balance without slipping back into the pit." Draco spoke truthfully. It wasn't like this holocron could share his insecurities with other beings or that its judgement of him mattered to other beings. Jacen had been dead for eight hundred years, and had fallen and never really redeemed himself anyway.

"So, you want to know about the Balance of the Force?" The holocron asked, simplifying Draco's request like an old mentor might do to a young and confused apprentice.

"Yes. I guess so."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

The holocron's image waivered, looking at the man before it closely before deciding to answer. "The Force is too vast, too all encompassing to fully understand. It includes all things, all beings, living, dead, yet to exist, and even those cut from its touch like the Yuuzhan Vong. Yes, the Force has no presence within them, but they still have presence within the Force. The Force is what it is, and always will be. It wasn't it that fell to the Dark Side or pulled you there. It was you."

Jacen's accusation rang out, and brought up a heat of anger in Draco's chest. It's words up to that point had been filled with wisdom and Draco had followed every word closely, but now faced with the accusation, however true in Draco's mind, he almost wanted to hear no more of it.

"As difficult as that may be to hear, its actually a good thing. I've seen friends fall and return, though it was difficult for them, painful. They suffered the consequences of their fall throughout much of their lives, but they did find peace." The Guardian continued speaking, its voice level as an instructor's would be to a student.

"The Force is a whole. It cannot be exclusive or divisive. Only we can. That you have pulled yourself from your own darkness is good. It means you are capable of overcoming your own evil, given time. What you need is to understand the nature of the Force, and the nature of yourself. Then you can find your way."

Draco opened his mouth as if to retort before settling again. It wasn't like the guardian in the form of Jacen Solo was wrong. It wasn't like he hadn't been evil and dark at the time. It wasn't like he was still that level of depravity and despair. He was lost as to how to find balance and his place in the galaxy, where he could enjoy conflict and still enjoy peace and keep from getting restless. He needed to find his place between them, so that he could have his peace, and still be a warrior at heart.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"So what you are saying, is basically find where I am, then what I am, and the rest will follow." Draco said, breathing deeply. The shadow of the Jedi Knight was right after all. It wasn't some dark entity that lured him to the Dark Side, it was him that fell from his inability to deal with the circumstances of his life at the time. Perhaps the holocron would be able to help him keep from slipping back as well, but that was for another time.

"That would be the most basic description, yes." The image said, waiting to be asked or told how to respond.

"Well, tell me about the nature of the Force." Draco said, getting comfortable as he spoke, ready to sit and listen, take notes for a while.

"I've already explained. The Force is a whole. It is manipulated by the being for good or not, their intentions, their actions, determine light or dark. Not the Force. The reason it is often discussed as Light and Dark is because the Force is too big, too vast to understand, and so people make it easier for them to understand. The ancients understood what the Force really was, but over time, the divisiveness, became belief."

"You didn't always believe that. I've read about you enough to know you didn't used to believe that." Draco said, delving into the the subject a little more. He wasn't sure he really believed that dogma, that the Force was one, as he had seen how dangerous the Dark Side was, how hard it was to turn away from, how corrupting and physically palpable it was.

"No, I didn't. I used to believe the Dark Side and Light Side were two sides of the same coin. I've seen how powerful and visible the Dark Side of a person can be. But, the Force doesn't take sides, it doesn't have sides. A person becomes corrupted by the power of the Force and their own misguided emotions and convictions. Its the same as when a normal being becomes evil, one does not blame the Dark Side. One blames the person. So why would it be something else's fault when a Force Sensitive does it?"

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"I suppose it isn't different." Draco did have to admit the Guardian's points were valid, though he wasn't sold on the idea. He would need to research it further and go far more into depth before he could really get into it and start debating the finer points with himself and with some guidance from the Holocron in front of him. He wasn't a strong believer in the Force as a living guiding entity. It was just against his nature to believe there was something taking an active role in manipulating events.

It was easier for him to believe that the Force was a whole, like the being was saying, and that it simply corrects its flow when someone, like Akala several years ago, contorted it and altered it too far to the extreme. And those corrections to itself could be interpreted as fate or what ever the Jedi bookworms believed.

"How about with things like Zonama Sekot. Those are hard to explain for you aren't they?" Draco asked, trying to poke holes in the theory the Guardian was presenting him with. At this point it wasn't about him believing or understanding. It was about testing the limits of the Force Doctrine.

"Not really. Its only difficult for you to understand because you have grown accustomed to the Binary representation of the Force. You don't adhere to Light or Dark, and yet you are bound by that thinking. Zonama Sekot was part of a massive living being, and assisted in correcting the Flow of the Force in regards to the Yuuzhan Vong. Its a similar situation to my grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, being the Force correcting the flow of the Jedi and Sith, how the Jedi had grown stagnate and how the Sith had grown too powerful. The flow was altered and adjusted through a living being."

Draco shrugged. He knew how the Force worked, and that it was connected to every living being was connected in someway to every other living being, however he had difficult believing that such things were connected, things that spanned hundreds of years.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"You say I'm bound by the binary representation of the Force. Well, aren't you?" Draco asked quietly, continuing to take down a few notes as he listened. Mostly for now, he was just trying to understand the first Holocron, the one that appeared to be of Jacen Solo, which would make the second one the Holocron of Darth Caedus.

"No. The Force is one, the Force is all. It has so many facets and distinctions beyond what anyone one person can actually understand or acknowledge, but it is all one thing, one gem. The Force has always been, is, and always will be, mysterious and hold secrets. It simply will be impossible to fully understand for any one being. Even a collective of thousands wouldn't be able to codify the Force. It is beyond that type of thinking. And that, mister Vereen, is the nature of the Force." The Guardian stood up a little taller, "In life, I experienced Oneness with the Force, as did my brother, and a friend before me. The experience taught me how little I know about the Force, how little I understand. There is no chart or book that can represent the Force, just as there is no way to calculate the number of stars in the universe. But, that does not mean it is impossible to come to an understanding of the Force. But it will never be a complete understanding."

Draco opened his mouth, thinking about the revelations the Guardian was passing on to him, how it was trying to instruct him about the Force and the Unifying Force. Such doctrine wasn't beyond what he believed as a Dark Jedi. He had always considered it a tool that answered to the strongest beings, something that was a power source that all Force Sensitives had access to, and the strongest of them were able to manipulate it without fail or issue, and though not without political consequence, without consequence in the Force. This belief, was not counter, but far more inclusive, more over-arching than what he had believed before he fell completely to the Dark Side, his Dark Side according to the Holocron's Guardian.

"Alright, I'd like to get as much information about the ideology of the Unifying Force from you as I can in a moment. But, I'd like to hear about your journey for right now. Its a subject of note in the information I've read from you." Draco flipped the pad of filmsi over, knowing he would be reorganizing his notes later for study and meditation, but wanting to keep them a little separate and filed differently as he took them.

"I'm afraid I don't know which journey you are referring to. You will have to be more specific, as I had many adventures."

"Your journey throughout the Galaxy studying fringe Force cultures."

"I've considered it, but I've not taken such a journey in my life. You must be mistaken or my information is incomplete." Draco nodded, so there was the cut off as it were. From Leia's book he knew some dates, or at least a rough timeline of what was occurring, and where everything aligned. It was useful information considering he had found two of the objects.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Alright, well at least I know about where your knowledge ends." Draco said, looking at the box. He wasn't ready to open it and remove the other holocron for study. He still had so many questions for this one, and admittedly had such a minute understanding of what this holocron had to offer him. But, without the vast knowledge and experience from his journey learning the fringe Force cultures, Jacen wasn't of much use to him in regards to deciphering Ijaat's visions or understanding the artifact Ijaat had in his possession. That was the main reason they had sought these artifacts, even though Draco had his own reasons.

The Guardian didn't react, it simply waited for further questions and inquiries about its vast data-banks of information. Draco was still lost and confused about his next steps, but the Guardian had offered him decent advice. Understand the nature of the Force, with the realization that part of that understanding was that one could never fully realize the extent of the Force, and then focus on understanding himself. That was interesting for Draco, as he had not sat down since his journey to the Force Planet, the home of the Five Priestess, and really assessed what it was he was after. What it was he really wanted.

It had started above Alderaan. Draco had wanted Faith, he wanted to harm the Republic, and he wanted to strengthen his people. He saw a way to have all three, and his feelings for the princess had continued to develop throughout their time together until all he really wanted was her and everything else had been secondary.

He had ventured to Voss to meditate at the temple of mystics and learned about his destiny, then traveled to the Force Planet, where he gained little knowledge about the Force, but he did separate himself from his broken psyche. He was still heavily torn, and his Force presence was frayed and shredded, from that experience. As though part of him had been pulled apart and cut from him with a dull blade. His power with the Force was diminished, and the nature of his power with the Force had changed because of the experience. Upon being temporarily severed from the Force, he had focused on his physical well-being and attributes, and as the Force returned to him, his abilities mirrored his change to some degree.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Alright, so tell me about the Unifying Force, the ideology, the concept, the effects. Everything about it. If I'm going to prove it wrong or follow its doctrine, I must know everything about it." Draco said, moving his notes around to get his bearing of where to start and how to organize what was about to be said.

"There are many beliefs in the Force, they all have some place in the Unifying Force, though they are flawed in some way. And the Force is not something you can disprove, just as one cannot disprove the Universal Laws of the Universe. It is and will always be and has always been. Even if the beliefs and Ideologies have changed across the aeons of time." Draco nodded at the Guardian and it began speaking. Every few hours he stood and took a break, getting something to eat, listening to the guardian repeat certain subjects he had already taken notes on while exercising in the ship's heavy gravity room.

Ijaat's holocron showed him Alchaka, a form of body meditation that Draco took to very quickly. It wasn't exactly a fighting skill or anything extremely unique. Just a very physical routine of repetitive movements and positions, which he performed under slightly increased gravity while the holocron spoke about the Force and the Unifying Force, and how Jacen's philosophy evolved over time to fall in line with the doctrine. Doing these meditative rituals cleared his mind and severely drained him while he learned, but it assisted him in actually hearing and understanding what the guardian was actually saying and attempting to convey. It opened his mind to the concepts and philosophies being shared with him as he exercised.

Draco had always felt a sense of clarity after physical exercise, and the inclusion of his Force abilities into the routine allowed him to transition and learn to operate somewhat on instinct, whereas for him, the Force had always been a learned skill, something that required a degree of focus and attention for anything. It provided his senses and reactions to adjust ever so slightly to include the Force more naturally, instead of having to forcibly include the sense and skills into his movements and actions.

Combined with the teachings of the Holocron, which had determined he was not yet ready to learn any power or ability from its banks, as it continued sessions of teaching the meaning, importance, presence, sensation, and very being of the Force within the spectrum of the Unifying Force's doctrines and ideologies. It was effectively attempting to retrain him, something he didn't resist at for now. Draco knew he could make the holocron show him some abilities, but for now decided to operate following its advice. Regardless of what the being that made the holocron became, at one point he had been the most knowledgeable being of his era.

[member="Ijaat Mereel"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Draco found that he learned best when he was doing something, using his hands or moving his body. So long as the act didn't require his total concentration or attention, he was able to retain more information without having to study his notes as much. The core ideology had been repeated by the Guardian many times. "The Force is one, and it is too vast and powerful to fully comprehend." A simple, yet difficult truth Draco had long agreed with and understood.

However, his journey was to find some understanding of the Force, enough to learn his place in it and how to find balance within it. The Warrior activated the holocron again, "Let's start where we left off last night." he said as the image of Jacen Solo activated and appeared from the glowing blue cube.

"Of course. You have a great control of the Force, but it seems that your training focused on the power of the Force, and hardly the understanding of it. Perhaps that is why your views have been so narrow-minded." Draco glanced at the apparition, and noted its slightly demeaning tone. It wasn't that it was mocking him, it was that it knew that it was superior in knowledge than he was, plain and simple.

Draco turned the force of gravity in the room up a bit, to one point two standard gravity. It wasn't what he was capable of sustaining in, but he was trying to cut back in order to focus on the Holocron, and still be challenged by the exercise routine. It was a point of pride, that he could manage it, but it wasn't all that impressive given the several months of training in high gravity. It hurt his knees some, and his back ached, and the bones grated from their injuries after a session, but for him it was necessary to keep going. To stop was to give up and accept defeat, that time and injuries had caught up with him. The Mandalorian had staved off the crippling, paralyzing injury given to him by Vrag, Hand of the Dark Lord more than a few years ago to him, and that each morning after he exercised it ached was a reminder of the weakness he had come from and he could be returned to.

The holocron's guardian began speaking while he began moving from position to position, striking as necessary, releasing a burst of Force energy as his knowledge of the body meditation went, which was rudimentary. Since he had begun practicing, his bonds to the Force began strengthening faster than before, and his instincts continued to refine and feel more natural. Couple with this information from the Holocron of Jacen Solo, it would be a good step forward.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Late in the day, Draco had taken a rest after listening and going through the precise movements for as long as his body could hold out, but now, he sat in double standard gravity, just sitting contemplating on the Holocron. His body was too tired to continue training and body meditation seriously today, so instead he planned to simply sit and listen. The added pressure would still pull on his muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones, and when he rested and healed, they would be stronger. He had, however made early mistakes and injured his tendons and ligaments by putting too much strain on them, and while he was able to manage a decent amount under two times gravity, he probably shouldn't do strenuous activity there for awhile.

"So, what about my peace? I have some understanding of the Force, how it works, what it means, what it is. You said I would need to understand the nature of myself. Well, what is that?" Draco asked, staring at the image of the being before him.

"How am I supposed to know that?" The guardian retorted quickly, unceremoniously. It crossed his arms and waited for Draco to ask appropriate questions in order to continue going.

"Alright, tell me how to better understand myself." Draco's voice was a little sarcastic, growing a little tired of the occasional condescension and snark from the guardian. There was little he could do about it, but it was odd being looked down upon by someone who had been dead so long.

"Finding your place is a very difficult thing, discovering your own inner wants and desires and how the piece together with your destiny is even harder. You will find that what you want, and what you can obtain are not always the same. In fact they rarely are."

"I am a warrrior, I enjoy fighting and conflict. I was born for it, bred for it, and trained my whole life for it. What little peace I've found for myself has been from her, and she is a peaceful person, a diplomat." The mandalorian tensed his muscles, testing the pressure of the room.

"It doesn't sound dissimilar from my parent's relationship. My father was able to attain his peace fairly well throughout most of his life, though there was conflict in the galaxy at every turn. He found peace with my mother, and exercised his adventurer's spirit when he wanted." The guardian said, shrugging. It was basic advice, nothing to do with the Force right now.

"I suppose what worries me, is that I find myself craving battle. Longing for it late at night, to feel another being's life fade away by my hand. Just like I crave her presence when we are apart. She represents the antithesis of the other half of my life."

"It sounds to me, like you haven't conquered your inner darkness yet. Whatever you have done has not been enough. There is enjoying the thrill of battle, and there is craving the feeling of death. They are not the same. It sounds like you have some decisions to make and some crosses to bear yourself, for you may be correct. You may not be able to have both of those feelings. I've fallen before, and it is a struggle to return to the light, but not impossible. Its a journey you will have to make."

Draco winced as the Holocron closed itself, shutting off for the night as his Force energy began to fade. He knew, that in the pits of his heart he needed, he wanted Faith more than anything else. That he had been willing to hang up his sword for her if he must, reluctantly, but he would be willing. And so it came down to conquering his own feelings and his own mind. Change what he felt and what he desired. He could enjoy conflict and not crave it. He would have to, and to do that, he would have to show his people the way, or they would forever be trapped in a cycle of war and death.

Draco looked down at the floor for a moment, and then stood slowly, sorrowfully. He would study the device more later, and it would take time to actually delve through it. He still wanted to go over more of the philosophical data inside the Holocron. Tomorrow, with any luck Ijaat would be awake, if not up and they could sit and chat about their discovery. Perhaps he would peer into the other device before he bother Ijaat.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Draco spent the night restless, memories of his time lost and broken filling his dreams and causing him to stir early. Two days of studying the Holocron, and so far he had learned nothing of how to use the Force, it agitated him, scratched at his nerves. He had learned much about what the Force was, how it worked and effected people, how manipulating it effected the Force, its flow, and its presence within those you used it to manipulate, and the very nature of its presence. But he knew nothing more about how to manipulate it and that angered him for some reason, as though all he had was suddenly agitated by it.

When he woke in the middle of the night he decided that he would finally look into the Sith Holocron that had been buried alongside Jacen Solo's Holocron. It would likely be the latter half of the ancient Jedi Master's life, and hopefully information about his fall from the Light and into Darkness. That was what Draco truly sought to know, was how others had fallen so that maybe he could prevent himself from being pulled there again.

The Guardian of the other Holocron had been adamant and blunt about how it wasn't some supernatural force or external pressure that made Draco fall, it was himself, his own weakness and unworthiness, something many men were often unwilling to admit, something Draco struggled with, and had difficulty accepting. He knew it in the back of his mind, he had said the words before, but saying the words and truly believing it, accepting responsibility for one's actions were different things. He was coming to terms with it, and while it lifted a weight off his soul, it did add a level of worry and concern to his mind. What if he could not truly overcome his evil nature? He had done so much to do just that. He traveled to Voss and meditated at the temple of mystics, he went to the planet of the Five Priestess and severed himself from his darker, alter-ego, and yet, here he was, still struggling with his darkness.

The Guardian hadn't told him much about how to control, to overcome and suppress his evil, and it was likely it wouldn't be able to. How could it after all? It didn't know him, it didn't understand him even if it was capable of doing so. But the other one, it understood the temptation, the call of the Dark Side, it could reveal some lessons to him about the Dark Side that might aid him in forgoing that fate again.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

The little glowing red pyramid rested in the middle of the room, the gravity set just a little higher, thirty percent higher than standard gravity, just enough that he could feel the difference over standard. He intended to open the holocron up, and let the Guardian begin instructing him or informing him about the Dark Side and its fall, but, something in him changed his mind. Some little thing in the back of his mind.

The Holocron activated and a very similar visage to the other appeared. Dressed in black armor, wearing a black cloak, and with yellow eyes, the trademarks of a Sith, the image of the long dead Solo stared at him. "I am Darth Caedus. Are you worthy?" The voice was the same, the face was the same, but there was something different about the tone, the inflections of the sentences.

"I am. I am Draco Vereen, formerly Darth Vulkan." He felt a growing pressure in the back of his skull, something he had not felt before as he spoke, as he met the yellow eyes that stared at him. Something was very different about this encounter than how he imagined it would be.

"Many believe they are worthy. Most are wrong. But you are lying. You don't think you are. You failed once, you fear failing again." The pressure kept building and Draco focused the Force to stave off the headache, his vision slightly blurring at the edges, a little dizzy. Perhaps the increased gravity was bothering him some, it did that from time to time.

"Then let me prove my worth so that I might gain the knowledge I seek." His voice was calm and level, though it felt odd asking a simple device for its acceptance, something he could pick up and put in a box was hardly worthy of passing judgement on anyone, much less capable of condemning someone.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

The Holocron smiled, not necessarily warm and welcoming, something that if a living being had done it would put someone more on edge than relax them. "Very well. What is it you seek, and I will gauge your worth for such information." The Guardian crossed his arms, a seemingly very natural pose for the being in life. This was far from the young boy that Draco had read about, the being pictured in the Palace at Alderaan with the rest of the Solo clan. This was a man, who had come into prominence during one of the bloodiest wars in galactic history, mastered the Force in a dozen different ways, and chose to become a Sith, to bring terror and fear to other beings. So different were its mannerisms that it hardly seemed like the same being Draco had spoken to earlier that night.

"I want to know why you fell. Why you turned to the Dark Side and why you stayed there despite all it cost you." Draco said, still matching the vision's gaze as he spoke, the pressure behind his skull still pressing against him. He would turn down the Gravity soon if it continued to be a bother during this session.

"I fell because I saw what the Galaxy would become if someone did not lead it away from that path. I succeeded, despite what history may say. I staved off a war and tyranny that was brewing, and eternity of conflict was squashed because of my actions." The visage replied, rather proud of itself.

"But that's not why you fell. And not all of your actions contributed to that. They say you shaved bothans, tortured them, and murdered them. That you used the Embrace of Pain on prisoners and plunged through their minds leaving them drooling messes. That didn't protect the galaxy." Caedus smiled when Draco finished speaking, turning its gaze away from the Mandalorian.

"I fell because I needed to keep the galaxy in order for future generations, that is all that mattered. I did. What I did while I was completing that goal isn't important. Did I do those terrible things? Yes. Did I like it? Yes. Was it necessary? No. Does that matter? Not in the slightest. Its just information used to attempt to corrupt and distort what I actually accomplished. What is the worth of a few lives made worse by one being if that being keeps the galaxy from falling apart." The being was quite confident, showing no remorse for its supposed crimes, even admitting to them as though it was nothing.

The pressure behind his eyes grew, Draco cracked his neck, allievating the pain for an instant before it returned just as strong if not stronger. "So the ends justify the means?"

"Sometimes you must sacrifice your reputation for the greater good."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Draco settled in for the long haul and began asking questions, trying to understand the actual fall of the Sith Lord, at least from the Sith's perspective. It didn't seem to bode well from everything he gathered. It seemed the Sith Lord fell with the best of intentions, and over time, forgot those intentions, changed them, realized the folly of those intentions. All that was perfectly clear was that at some point, Jacen Solo lost his way, and stopped caring about why he sacrificed so much and simply enjoyed being where and what he was.

It was troubling, but understanding that could assist him in staving off that fate for himself. From what he gathered, Luke Skywalker would have been a better teacher about defeating the Dark Side, though Skywalker would likely be mush less philosophical than Jacen Solo, more about the meaning of the Jedi, less about the meaning of the Force. The Jedi represented a lot of good during that era, but they rarely did anymore, at least from what he understood. Most Jedi by the standards of Skywalker's and Solo's era would have been excommunicated or worse.

The pressure in his mind continued, even as he slowly moved around the training room, listening, paying attention, asking questions when he felt it was appropriated, and Draco got it to reveal information about Solo's time travelling the galaxy alone, studying the Force. Caedus was wise in some aspects, and it was not as though he simply forgot all the things he learned, studied, the things that drew his curiosity during those years when he became a Sith, it was just, not what he expected.

The Sith Lord's recounts of the Unifying Force weren't so different from the other Solo's but they were largely used to justify his actions rather than as tenants for balance, they were an excuse for being evil and cruel at times because his intentions were overall benevolent, even if no one else could see it.

A ringing in Draco's ears began, and the Mandalorian chalked it up to a long day spent in high gravity, however it wasn't as bothersome as the headache and so he did little about it, still paying attention to the Sith. He asked about the Fringe aspects of the Force, asking about how they fit in, what they meant and represented. If he was going to combat his inner darkness and purge himself of it, he needed to understand what it was, and he needed to understand how a very wise Dark Sider viewed the Force by comparison to a very wise Gray Jedi like Jacen in his younger years, leading up to the Second Galactic Civil War.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Draco continued to delve into the Holocron, the long Dead Sith Lord telling him thousands of secrets and revealing mysteries of the Force that Draco wouldn't have been able to discover without help if he had a hundred lifetimes. Truly, even with the two holocrons, his knowledge of 'How' the Force worked was extremely lacking, and it had been to the point of non-existence up until Draco began delving into it.

Vulkan had been obsessed with gaining power and knowledge it had been his only drive up until Draco re-established control, to some degree. The personality, the aching it had caused, and the rents in his mind and body, had taken a toll on Draco, but he was rid of it. He fought it on the Planet of the Force, and he had won, with difficulty. Draco stopped what he was doing and approached the dark robed specter emitting from the device, the painful ringing in his ear beginning to become more than an annoyance. It was strong, pulsing, throbbing pain. "So, tell me about how much stronger you got when you fell and why." Draco knew how quick the Dark Side was to aid those that pulled upon its power, and how quick it was to betray them for a stronger vessel.

"No. You are not worthy." Draco looked at the Specter and focused his presence on it, pushing his will upon the device, trying to force his way past the guardian. He stood quietly, straining, sweat building on his brow, muscles aching, tendons tense and taunt as he focused.

"I said, tell me."

"You are not worthy." The image smiled wryly, "You are weak, distracted by a thousand selfish reasons. He is strong, he is worthy. I would call him forth." The image of Darth Caedus raised its chin at Draco, and he felt a surge of pain from his ears, his brain seared in heat and agony.

"What?" The Mandalorian muttered, gasping for breath. The pain was intense, and his stomach felt like it was being impaled by something, the Force tingled around him and he felt a surge of power.

And Fear.

"I said, I call you forth." Draco's vision blacked out, and he felt his head strike the deck of the room hard, a heavy thud in his ears. Something wet touched his face and licked at his lips and eyes. He could not see, he could barely hear, all that existed was pain. Seconds turned to minutes, minutes turned to what felt like hours. Time seemed to spin around him as he struggled to regain his composure and drag himself out of the room. He must have been suffering a stroke or something.

His mouth started to move and Draco caught himself sitting up, smiling wickedly. He understood now. "No." His voice rang across the room and the image of Darth Caedus frowned. "That part of me is gone."

"No, that part of you will always be apart of you. You have just fooled yourself into believing you are not responsible for it, that a simple fight cured you of it. That part of you exists in you know. Pride and foolishness has blinded you. The spirit is gone, but everything else is in there, I can feel it." The image flickered and disappeared, the pain subsiding for the moment. The Mandalorian pulled himself from the gravity room and turned it off, walking towards the medical center.

"Doc, can you check me out."

A simple physical exam quickly turned into emergency surgery and then the Shaman, Argus, kept asking him questions about what Draco remembered. Three days, eighty full hours in the room, major bleeding in his skull cavity. After he came too, the shaman stayed with him, asking him questions, meditating with him and on him, focusing their senses on his presence, studying it hard, all while the Holocron of Darth Caedus sat in a box coated with nullification resin.