The night was freezing on the surface of Korriban. An idyllic starry sky spread out above the frozen sand duhe exact same sight that repeated for many millennia.

  The otherwise beautiful sery was only disturbed by the corrosive ess of the surface.

  The p had little to no surface vegetation, helping to bahe sharp trast between the day and night cycles, ne water surfaces to preserve some of the heat radiated from the nearby star and slowly let it out over the nightly hours.

  Thanks to the brutal wars in the past, burning them up while the stifling presence of the dark side eliminated any remaining possibility of the natural regrowth of such vegetation.

  The p was a catab, its current state could not be embellished and there was little to no reason to even try.

  One should reize a futile endeavor when looking it into the eye.

  Yet, it seems that even in such a deserted pce, uhe heavy cover of darkness.

  Life could still find its way…

  A fickle gray light blinked over the frozen dunes.

  Someone was moving through the night. It was a young adult woman, a togruta, e skin with white montrals covered in blue stripes. A baffling sight in this inhospitable pce.

  As, the woman did not seem to be affected by the cold.

  The light she was carrying beloo a silver lightsaber, its weak shihe only source holding the darkness in an arm’s length. As miles and miles of emptiness surrounding her on all sides.

  She was covered in long gray robes from head to toe, robes that were strangely still even in the middle of these blowing and freezing winds. Her thin clothes could hardly deflect such winds, but this person had never seemed to rely on that possibility.

  After all, she was covered in the warm yers of the force like multiple bs, tightly hugging her body in a circur shield like shape.

  Yes, those people who the force itself cherished had little o cover from the elements.

  The young woman walked with a sense of haste. There was a clear goal in her mind, a pce she quickly wao reach.

  A few more dunes went by as the woman climbed upwards on the side of frozen sand, only to desd oher side a the whole process.

  Eventually, after about half an hour, she have e te ft pin. On one side, a rust-colored ron towered towards the sky while oher side were the endless dunes spearing into the horizon.

  Yet in front of herself betweewo the half buried remains of a destroyed ship could be found.

  A few more years, and the sand will pletely cover the wreckage.

  As the mysterious person stepped closer, her eyes fog on the ruins of the once proud spaceship.

  Her steps seemed to falter when seeing the familiar sight. Old memories blinked into the present. For a short time, the woman was but a girl again. C from the shadows and the dangers lurking within said shadows.

  The darkness, filled with the deteriorated spirits of long perished Sith lords, swirled arouightening around the bright presence of the lonely woman.

  Their gleeful ughter echoed through the clearing, their voices whispering in the darkness, raw gloating radiating from their presence, waiting-hoping for another soul to join them in their shared ethereal solitude.

  But the momentary weakness in the girl’s spirit passed, and the shadows run bato the fortable cover of darkness uhe sharp gre of the slightly shaken woman.

  She breathed in and out a few times. Calming the ued storm of memories.

  Soon she tinued her walk towards the foot of the nearby roation. Turning her ba the ruins of the once ship, leaving it to its iable decay.

  Reag the foot of the small mountain, she began to look around. Searg for a crevi the rocks.

  She didn’t have to search for long, as her eyes soon found a rge ripple on the rocks. And following the broken liched in the surface of the rock, she was led to a crevice rge enough that she could walk in if she crouched down a bit and l her head slightly.

  She moved into the crevice with a solemn expression frozen on her face.

  As she moved deeper in the small cave, the space was getting smaller. Soon enough, she had to crawl. The rge hood c her face was suddenly dragged back, as its hem got stuck to a spiky protrusion on the roof.

  Now pletely unc her features. The unique montrals belonging to her race.

  The montrals were those of an adult womahere was still a lot of room for them to grow. She was only twenty-two years old, after all.

  As the young woman tried to unstuck the stubborn cowl from the rocks, she began to whisper a series of curses in huttese.

  -E chu ta!

  It was one of the many nguages she received as a gift from her old friend…

  The voices kept pining in her head. They wanted her to refer to her as master randmaster… yet she stubbornly ighem.

  For them, she might have been one of those things… but for her, she was a friend.

  Nothing more, nothing less.

  She felt a light pull on the edge of her hood, a resence blinking ience by her side.

  Her eyes widened as she fell forward, her clothes free at st. She filed to catch herself and to turn around as fast as possible, but the strange presence had already disappeared.

  She kneeled on the side of the cave, body stiff, only her eyes blinked rapidly. Searg the inside of the dim pce. Before f herself to tinue her march.

  Her left eye was in a perma swirl of grey clouds, while the right was filled with the same blueness as it always was.

  Thoughts swirled in her mind as she neared her goal, following one another almost chaotically.

  She never allowed them. Her eyes to get a siinge of yellow. She was a grey jedi, not a grey lord after all. Yet she didn’t judge those who did so. Just like Nizzal did. She was hellbent on the fact that the color of one’s eyes held little justice towards one’s character.

  Still, her jedi upbringing tio make her dislike the golden color in the iris. It was not really her choice at this point.

  Ahsoka Grey now knew Nizzal’s life pletely. Her hardships and suffering as a young child. The way she was kicked out to the street with nothing else but the clothes on her and the force following ieps.

  Ahsoka wasn’t sure if she could have survived such hardships. While still remaining a kind person in her core.

  It was what she respected the most about her friend’s memory. The fact that she even fave her father was simply beyond her. It was supposedly true that the man didn’t know about her existence… but she found such ve expnations a bit fishy. Aside from the fact that su expnation was not truly acceptable.

  It was Hondo’s nature…

  The voices reminded her.

  Still, maybe she was right tive him…

  Ahsoka thought, as the memory of Hondo’s expression came to her mind, after she told him that her daughter died like a hero. Seeing the always cheerful man bee so pale and sile a heavy impression on her.

  She never seen him sihen. Only occasional rumot to her ears. And those rumors were speaking about the formation of a space pirate guild, ohat seemed to only target the ships of the United Separatist Empire. Led by a certain woman…

  The voices whispered in her mind, repeating the world “traitor” endlessly. As if it wasn’t already etched into her mind, the face of the person who killed her best friends.

  But she took an important someone from her chess pieces, not the revenge she hoped for, but a good start he less.

  A light smile grazed her face. Mixed with a strange sense, as if someone, something was watg her.

  She looked with her force seeing eye. Her left eye, with a grey swirl like iris, which could see the force, the deructures of midi-chlorians. It was the perfect tool to find the unnatural elements of the world. And it usually worked without much effort on her part.

  Yet it proved hard for her to find a clear view of the presence lurking around here.

  Well, it was hard to differentiate an eluding presence which might not eve from the enormous forergy, or as Lily liked to call it, psioniergy pletely engulfing this world.

  Her swarm has found a perfee uhe frozen surface of this godforsake. A home that her kind teo call cozy and peaceful.

  Words that only Lily could say with a straight face to describe a p like Korriban.

  At least the zerg tinuous presence here offered the grey order the opportunity to make an actual temple and a telepate on the surface.

  Her only remaining pint was caused by the mysterious reason, which tio elude her uanding. Just why couldn’t they pce the two building on the same pce, instead of building them on the opposite side of the same pteau?

  If she had to guess, then it must have to do something with secrecy…

  Ahsoka tio head even deeper into the cave. Wild thoughts of the past years followed her slow dest into the narrow corridors.

  She was a grandmaster now. For a few years, to be exact.

  Her trial was sharply different from those of the grey lord title. Hers did not include a Sith name, for starter.

  Ohought passed through her mind and turned into another.

  Thinking about her one grey eye, she remembered when she figured out a way to get the best from both eyesight. It was a simple idea, but hard to maintain and took a long time for her to get used to a split and also unique vision in both eyes.

  Thankfully, her already heightened senses helped her adapt to it.

  Her gaze passed over the suddenly appearing rock wall in front of her.

  Looking into the thin crevices of the wall, no, looking behind the wall itself. Her left eye seeing the almost tangible gregation of midi-chlorians behind the wall.

  For another fra of a sed, she felt that earlier presence, but it disappeared before she could focus on it.

  She blinked, rubbing her left eye with some frustration.

  Was she overusing it? But that never really happened before…

  Sensing things that were not there was not unusual for her at this point… but it was he less discerting, especially if she couldn’t find an expnation for such things to happen.

  Still, she had to move forward. The entrance was just beyond that turhere.

  But where was she? Ah yes… knowing huttese and preferring to use the nguage specifically for explicit words still mao easily rile up Anakin… Even after all this time. He hated the slimy folk, and she could easily uand the reason. She even shared in it at one point and with an equal sense of disgust he less.

  However, after she was ged… she couldn’t quite feel the same disgust towards the hutts as before.

  They were at least true to their nature… and one does not easily turn against their nature. Even if it’s not impossible, only a fool would expect it to be the norm.

  Following one’s nature was also a respectable quality. But truly accepting what you are is not always as easy as it sounds.

  Still, she could never fet the first time her ex-master heard her speak huttese. She could swear the man was thinking over the possibility of her getting possessed by the spirit of a hutt or switched out by a togruta like android while he wasn’t looking.

  She could tease Anakin with that moment for weeks.

  Her light smile, brought forward by the preemory, immediately dispersed as her eyes saw the end of the corridor.

  Another natural looking rock wall towered in front of herself, cutting off her way, this time food.

  Yet her left eye showed that this wall was not as natural as it seemed.

  It was another one of those secret doors, those which could only be opened by precise force manipution. The opening trigger of the door was simir to certain lightsaber igniters.

  Certain type of sabers could only be activated by the force, while others had more traditional activator buttons.

  Each to their own.

  She reached out with her mind, lightly pushing or pulling the opening meisms at just the right angles. It was like a small puzzle, only you o guide the pieces with the gentle use of the force. It took both patiend refined trol to succeed.

  Finishing the puzzle, the door quickly gave way for her, and she slipped into the silent hall carved into the rock.

  Her eyes took in the silent, but otherwise retively , room. The sand clearly didn’t find its way in here. Aside from the rare times, the door ened.

  e to think of it…

  With a wave of her left wrist, she closed the door behind her. Not intending to allow any more sand to sweep into the room.

  As the metal traption closed behihe chamber seemed to bee ever more silent.

  The stantly apanying noise of screaming wind was left behind the doorstep of the thick metal door, and the hundred meters of rock between her and the surface.

  This was an isoted pce. She uood. A pce with its own rules, here the as of the outside world didn’t matter. It was holy ground for her order. A tomb for the masters.

  But this pce was a bit different. As those who id here were not only belonging to the grey order.

  It was tomb for both jedi, and gray.

  It ember her beloved friends.

  And today, she finally give her respect properly.

  Her left arm reached into the depths of her clothes. Pulling out a minimalistic lightsaber hilt. Raising it in front of her head, looking over the simplistic elegant on.

  She ig. A sed silvery bde burst to life. This one had an almost uable dark hue to its edge.

  She genuinely smiled at seeing the glorious on ing to life.

  She felt a tight knot f ihroat as the memories of Nizzy swam into her sciousness.

  The cheerful yet awkward twi’lek, carrying the weight of the world on her small shoulders. Yet still finding the energy to smile and care for her friends.

  Someone she missed so dearly, just like she did with Barriss and Kalifa, who were also resting in this room.

  Two ptforms were raised in a jedi style, to remember their story. The stone carvings were holding their lightsabers like dles, pointing towards the sky as it was their only true possession.

  A few lines describing the events of their lives and their names.

  To symbolize the steady example which they drew by their lives and remind us of its ingrained fiess..

  And how many eerily simir stories were lost out there in the chaos of war?

  How many young Jedi’s died, and how many is perished.

  The only acceptable answer was:

  Too many.

  Yet today she came to give this bde back to its rightful owner. And she inteo do just that.

  Turning off the bde. She stepped in front of the oy ptform here.

  The one belonging to Nizzal Grey, the st Grandmaster of the Order of the Grey, and her cherished friend.

  She pced the saber on the raised podium and smiled, feeling as if a heavy weight have been lifted from her being.

  She carefully positiohe hilt into the middle of the storucture. So it will point towards the sky like the rest.

  -And now, everything is as it was meant to be, Nizzy.

  She felt a wave of relief now as the bde rested on the massive storucture.

  -I have brought back your saber, the one you got from your preaster. I took it back from the man who stole it… We made sure that he won’t hurt anyone else… ever again. It took quite a few of us to work together… both from the jedi nad the grey order, but we managed.

  A silent promise went unsaid in the fickle silence.

  She will be the .

  -You should have seen it… Even Anakin decided to take up a lightsaber for this particur battle. And you should know that he never ever used one since he was kicked out of the order. Aside from those ridiculous vibrobdes of his… He eve a week in Unity, just to learn the specifications of those vibrobde using maniacs of yours.

  She smiled lightly. While tinuing her speech.

  -I swear, the moment I hear the noise of an activated vibrobde, the small hairs are standing straight upwards on the bay neck… hehe….

  She ughed lightly. Then a solemn expression appeared on her face again.

  -You must have noticed my newly acquired jewelry…

  She raised her right hand, unc it from the tight clothes for the first time.

  The glint of a golden prosthetic robotic arm appeared. The silver hue of her ignited bde glinting on the cyberic extension.

  -The masters in my head are saying that with the right ritual, I regrow the meat and bone as if it was never severed.

  She looked at the bare prosthetic. It was yet to be covered with silie flesh.

  -I decided to keep it for now. This way we look alike with Anakin now, but Padme seems te me to listen to the master’s for once. I might just do that, eventually. It’s a novel experience, you see… and they also said the ritual will be extremely painful. Regrowing nerves and bones and such…

  -Oh, e to think of it, Luke and Leia are sending their regards. They are quite cute.

  -Speaking of my arm… It would have been easier to reect it, only If I could find it. Ha-h-h… ahing crossed from the list with the things I never expected to do. Searg for my right forearm in the middle of a battlefield. Fasating…

  A heavy sileretched across the room after she fihose sentehe oppressive aura of the tomb was being a bit too much…

  -I guess… that is it for now. And yeah… I… I also wao say… that I miss you, all of you.

  -The masters were pretty angry with you when they realized you didn’t leave behind a funing avatar. It would have been nice, io meet with you whenever I want. It would surely have made the exges inside my mind a lot more enjoyable.

  Her face grown serious. As she hastily added.

  -But I guess that is only my selfishalking. Also, the masters are only angry because they ’t figure out how you did it. You might have to share that secret wheime es… I don’t pn to listen to their moaning to eternity either. Haha!

  -Anyway, girls… I have to go now, be good and… wait for me.

  With that said, Ahsoka turned on her heels, reopehe door with the force, and stepped through it. As she made another half turn to close the door, she found herself looking at three familiar figures smiling back at her. her one of them ged a si. They were looking just like in her dreams and memories.

  She blinked in utter disbelief and shock.

  But the sight of her friends did not disappear even after her rapid blinking.

  Tears began to fill her eyes as she looked at the impossible sight.

  Three voices began to speak in her head, each voice having a uniqueness of her friends while also a sharp trast to the tone.

  Barriss spoke in a darker tone.

  Nizzal in a ral one.

  While Kalifa spoke in a gentle one.

  -We also miss you, but now you have to leave, Ahsoka. Leave this pce, and never again e batil it is time. You will have to live your life.

  -We will always watch over you.

  With that, the massive door in front of her closed on its own, and out of nowhere, a seemingly endless flow of sand began to seep in into the corridor. F Ahsoka to flee the pce, allowing no time for hesitation.

  The few moments were a blur for her. As she fled the tomb as a rarely experienced sense of panic took trol of her body.

  Before she knew, she found herself ying on the sand just outside of the tomb, as the sand filled the ey of the cave… The cave she barely escaped from. Her breathing was haggard and uncoordinated as she tried to crawl to her knees. Looking at the mysterious cave entrance.

  Only to realize that she couldn’t even find the entranymore. It seamlessly melted into the mixture of sand and rock. Even if her mind khat it was right in front of her, she couldn’t see it anymore…

  There was a bit too much mystery here for her taste… and the whole situatio her speechless.

  Did she halluate all of that? But then, where would the cave go?

  The way her friends spoke also reminded her of something, something that she clearly heard before…

  As she thought about that, the three spirits of the grey order came to her mind almost instantly.

  The way they spoke was very simir, representing the three distinct dimensions of the force. And the spirits were very much capable of impersonating anyone. But they could not mimieone’s presence, and their presence was too simir to the inal to be overlooked.

  Ahsoka didn’t know what that meant… however, ohing was obvious.

  Her friends made it quite clear.

  They did not wish to meet with her in the near future. Or she should better prepare for a harsh scolding.

  She couldn’t help but smile, straightening herself and shaking her head helplessly from the sheer amusement she felt.

  -That’s one way to show me the door, I guess… you beautiful bastards.

  She didn’t know what was going on, and she didn’t care anymore. The future will tell her the truth about what she saw today. When it was time, and she was no lohe child who couldn’t wait.

  For now, she felt simply gd that she was alive, and she even saw her old friends… if only flimpse…

  The friends she never expected to see again.

  Eventually, she turned around and began her long walk back towards the gate.

  She stopped or a sed… Should I visit Lily befoing back? Hmmm… why not! She will surely enjoy hearing about all of this…

  -Now I only have to find a nydus worm…

  Her face morphed into a disgusted expression… as the thoughts about traveling through one sutity fshed into her mind.

  Should I postpone my visit for the opportunity?

  No… probably not… best do it now. While the experience is still fresh.

  By why couldn’t they make a simply stair to their …

  -Ugh… sometimes, I hate you Lily…

  Ahsoka grumbled to herself as she turowards the perma nydus entrance she know of. Luckily it was not too far from the gate...