Let's take it right back to where it all began...

[Kana Truden]

Thud...

Thud...

Thud...

Thud...

Life in a prison cell was great. You got a whole three meals per day, a bedroom that doubled as a restroom and if that wasn’t enough, you had all the spare time in the world! From the frosty whites of the walls to the orange glow emanating from the lava pit right outside your door. It was the very epitome of living standards to be certain. The bed might have shared just a few too many similarities to a rock and the food might have been very similar to a tasteless goo, but it was a life. If you were a criminal that is. Perhaps part of Kana hadn’t realised the irony or hypocrisy in that particular line of thought yet, or perhaps it had. Agreeing to get herself locked inside a prison cell was, after all, the least she could do to repay the kindly Adele Adonai for patching her up.

She tossed the ball at the wall one last time. The well-known bang at the wall that her neighbors had grown accustomed to sounded once more before the object bounced back towards Kana who in her bored-out-of-her-mind state botched the catch completely. The ball hit her in the chest and with a small pained gasp she was once more reminded of the gutshot she had taken back on Nar Shaddaa. A small pain compared to the real deal, of course, but the pain was still felt.

There had been thinking to be had in the cell. Most of it about her own stupidity, both before and after getting shot. Being stuck in a small room for a while to clear her mind, to let herself get swayed into doing what had been done on Coruscant. The still unknown Sith Lord, the breaking and entering and the subsequent selling of information. Or rather, the giving away of information for free. That part was what still eluded even Kana to some degree. What was it that she had hoped to achieve with it? She was certain of the why of it all, but not what her real reason was.

Oh they had all forgotten her, that much she knew. The Order, Corvus, Avalore, Adele and everyone else. At least so she had thought until that fateful night on Nar Shaddaa. Someone had come for her, not the right person, but someone had helped her and then not long after that exploited the former Councilor who was near death.

Hell, at least it felt like it. Kana tossed the ball once more. Adele had saved her from certain death, along with the other guy. The drugged mind was hardly one for remembering names. Jake? Jason? It was something starting with the letter J, she could remember that much.

There was still a lot of thinking to be had.

Luckily, tossing the ball ensured that never happened.

All she had to do was keep on tossing.

Thud...

Thud...

Thud...

Thud...

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Kana Truden"]
Thud

Thud

Thud

Slap

Jacen held the small orange ball between finger and thumb. “Hmm, looks like they left m… this from the last occupant,” he said as he looked at it. Nearly slipped there. It would have been wholly inappropriate to reveal this cell had last been his. He looked up at Kana with a small smile.

“A lot of people are worried about you Kana, which is why I've been sent down to find out what path you travelled to end up on Nar Shaddaa. Because I don't know you. My name's Jacen Voidstalker, I'm a Jedi investigator and a friend of Adele's,” he said as he pulled out the small, plain metal stool that resided in the cell and sat down.

“I've been doing some digging, filling in the gaps from Telti to last week. But I'd like to hear your side of the story, if you could please. But before that you might have questions. I don't know exactly how much she told you as she patches you up, so is there anything to want to ask me first?” he asked. His elbows were on his thighs as he learnt forwards on the chair, watching Kana carefully. He had to remind himself that she had been a renowned Jedi warrior, but had since been seen fighting for the dark side. No one was beyond redemption, no matter how great the draw of the dark side.

 

[Kana Truden]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"].

She listened. Until a few seconds ago that ball had been Kana’s and like an insolent teenager she quickly diverted her eyes away from the law officer who had contained her within this very cell. Her arms had crossed, her brows furrowed. She wasn’t angry, not really. Insecurities, the unwillingness to look upon the actions she had taken and think on them for a second. In a sense it was something that had been a long time coming at this point, just that for all Kana had cared it was a day that wasn’t going to come until way into the future, preferably once she was dead. If it had come to that. Then again, it had almost gotten to that point once already, hadn’t it?

With a look that seemed far more frightened than angry she turned back towards this 'Jason Voidstalker,' eyeing him up and down before her eyebrows furrowed again. Distrust seemed to be her first line of thought. Spend enough time amongst the people she had spent the last few months around and it just seemed to grow ever the wiser to trust nobody. Things were easier that way.

“People have a strange way of showing they worried.” Kana said and shook her head. “Is it really so that all it took for the Order to finally come look for me was for me to get myself shot through my abdomen?”

“Your people suck worse than before.” A finger was pointed ever so gently in accusation against the Investigator. “I have no reason to share anything with you. I know how you people in the Republic deal with high treason, I know what happens next.”

No, Kana had no idea where she was. Hazy was a very good way to describe her short-term memory.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Kana Truden"]

"The Republic?" Jacen asked. For a moment an incredulous expression flashed across his features. Despite being a skilled reader of body language, he was appalling at hiding his own. "No, no you're not in Republic space. Not much of it left now anyway.

"Some of us fell back to what was Protectorate space to form a new Alliance. This is where we make our stand. You're on Sullust now," he explained. "And we don't execute anyone."

Jacen sighed. This was going to be a difficult job it seemed. Saving her from bleeding out on Nar Shaddaa only won so much favour apparently. "I have barely seen Adele show a shred of emotion. Unless she was vastly different back before I knew her you've probably seen the same. I hadn't seen her let anything slip through until she realised you were in trouble. Threw me right off kilter seeing her like that," he admitted. In fact that was an understatement for how upsetting it had been to see the placid healer so perturbed.

"So..." he said opening his hands out wide. "We're not going to kill you. People here want to help. You've fallen. If I decide you're not a threat you'll be able to go up to the surface soon, escorted, maybe talk to some old friends of you want. I'm not going to force you to talk Kana, but it would be in your interests to tell me what you can," he said. Jacen spoke slowly and softly in his deep voice, trying to keep his expression neutral. He left a pause without finishing on a question, waiting to see if she would fill the space with words.

 

[Kana Truden]

Kana had raised her finger again as if to point at the idiot. Of course she meant the Republic. She never had the chance to utter her ‘duh.’ No, instead she blinked and an equally surprised expression set over her. Not in Republic space, and not much of it was left? Recent events hadn’t been her thing as of late. Not dying, making enough to get by and having a roof over her head had. That’s not to say that she hadn’t heard, but no real thought had gone into the extent of the One Sith’s onslaught and subsequent damage.

“I-...” Hesitation. Did she want to speak or not? “Last I saw Adele she was a ghost.”

That had changed since last. Her finger still raised towards Jacen for no apparent reason she opened her mouth as if to say something. There were no words forming in her mind, no syllables rolling of her tongue. Just a woman vaguely swaying her head back and forth as if she was gently throwing her entire vocabulary on the floor.

She finally sighed.

“I guess that changed.”

So, Kana was on Sullust and she was promised to not get a bad case of dying anytime soon. It felt like a mirror of the last time she got away with something like this ‘for free.’ Except this time there were far less embarrassment involved, far less touching and other unspeakable things. The man’s words, though most likely genuine, struck that one memory Kana truly did not want to think about in the slightest.

“Last time someone got me out of death row I...” She curled her extended finger, swept her hand against her neck and stared at the floor. “No. I am not thinking about that.”

“The hands, the... No.”

Besides, what would Kana even do if she got out of here? Go back to living like a vagrant and desperately cling to what few credits she could earn? Go back to fearing and causing a fear of death? Taking lives instead of fixing them? She had never been good at violence, fighting had never been her thing and anyone that actually knew her could attest to that.

“There are a lot of things I regret, Jason.” Kana spoke to Jacen without looking at him. “I don’t want to consider this unless you promise me, truly promise me, that it’s for a good reason.”

“I mean things like the Battle for Ziost. Did you hear about that?” Her hand swept through her hair. "The Primeval and the Silver Jedi Order... Thing."

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Jacen sat in silence, letting her talk for a moment. Eventually she came to a halt of her own accord. When you left space nearly everyone had a natural instinct to fill it with words. Of course he had expected this to be difficult for her. No one fell to the dark side for simple reasons. Well, that wasn't quite true, he reflected. They had a few naive padawans seduced over the years through particularly simple means. Yet seeing the pain reflected in her body language still made him uncomfortable, made his guts twist up in knots. If there was one aspect that defined Voidstalker, it was that he wanted to do right by other people. It was just that he often didn't do a brilliant job of it. It also brought back memories of sitting on that same cot, trying to describe his insecurities to A'dele.

"Bits and pieces, but knowing some of the events are not understanding. I hope that makes sense," he said. "There's no rush, you've got time."

Plenty of time.

"You could do good things again Kana, in time. I need to understand what you did and why you did it so we can decide the course of action to take. You need to understand what you did so you can move on from the past and look to the future," he said. This time his previous impassive demeanour started to slip. The topic was personal to him, though his fall had been nothing compared to Truden's.

Jacen sighed. "Feth it, what's that proverb A'dele told...someone. 'When one finds themselves in a dark place, a little more knowledge lights the way'. That's the one. People don't do kriff for no reason and if you're going to turn from the dark and repent for what you've done you need to come to terms with the past. So that's the why," he said with a firm nod, trying to find eye contact. "I heard you showed up at Ziost. How did you end up with the Primeval? Why did you join them in battle?"

 

[Kana Truden]

“Soldiers have the loosest of lips.” Kana would mutter as she made herself comfortable on her cot. “I overheard an officer and his troops on Coruscant and figured it was the best way to get some sort of attention from the Order. I was hoping for a reaction. I wanted to make the Order know that I was still alive and that I had ‘seen the truth,’ so to speak. Make them come look for me, I wanted to be found.”

Of course she still saw the whole battle play out in front of her. The former Primeval member who went over to the Silver Jedi, to Connor Harrison of all people. Kana stared at the wall, blank expression across her face that wouldn’t speak of much other than her regret. That taste of blood as her teeth sunk into the man’s lip in an attempt to break free from his grip on her. She had gotten free and not long after that she had fled the field figuring that her message was broadcast loud and clear.

“I bit a man.” Kana uttered as her blank stare diverted to stare through Jacen. “Connor Harrison.”

“We had fought, he had overpowered me and when he finally managed to constrain me I just... Bit him. Right in the lip. The taste of blood, the sensation of just ever so slightly losing control of the situation and my reaction... Had it not been for Avalore’s necklace, I’m not sure what I would have done.” Kana reached for the pendant around her neck and let it be exposed. Kana eyed it like a precious stone. Which, obviously, it was. “There were times when I wanted to take it off. I never did, but part of me wanted to once it became all the more obvious that the Order didn’t care anymore.”

The Kasha crystal had always offered a measure, however small, of clarity. Kana’s lower lip began to tremble and her teeth quickly sunk down to bite it. Eyes glossed and with shaky breath she continued staring at the crystal. For all she knew or cared it had been the only lifeline she had been given. The greatest gift she had received.

“I still see their faces, knowing they judge me for the wrongs I’ve done.” Kana was referring to her old students and friends on Ruusan. Not that it would be all too obvious. “All I ever wanted was to help people, but somewhere I lost track of that.”

“... I wanted to find Hal, for Avalore. Ended up anywhere but.”

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Bit him. Right in the lip.

The corner of Jacen's mouth twitched upwards. Of all the confessions from someone turning to the dark side. She bit him. Right in the lip. Get a grip Jacen! After chastising himself there were no more failures in outward control. Yet.

Jacen dipped his head a few inches, trying to get her to meet his eyes. “I’m sorry that no one came to find you sooner, but you’re here now. It is all too easy to think you’re doing the right thing and get lost. The hardest part is you don’t even realise you’ve veered from the path. I know,” Jacen said earnestly. He thought back to Aela looking down at him with utter contempt. Kana didn’t need that now. She would have to atone for any wrongs she had done, but now wasn’t the time for judgement. They had to help get back on the right path.

“Avalore is here, with us, you know. When you feel you want to, you can talk to her. When you want to. So…you were trying to find out where Hal had gone and…”

Then came the second slip in control. For a man who prided himself on his ability to read and listen he’d let something slip straight through. She hadn’t said A’dele had appeared as an apparition, she’d said ‘ghost’. His brow furrowed in confusion. His mouth opened once, then snapped closed.

“When you say Adele was a ghost…”

 

[Kana Truden]

“Oh, figures.” Kana looked at Jacen who seemed to be struggling to keep his food in. Or something like that. “Well, I was trying to find Hal and-”

About Adele being a ghost. Kana’s head tilted a bit in mild curiosity. Was the man poking at her now? Her eyebrows rose in confusion as to whether she was supposed to be offended or not. Was he even listening or did it just take him this long to register that Adele had been a ghost last time Kana truly saw her?

“I meant that she was dead, yes.” Kana shrugged and shook her head. “She died during the Battle for Alderaan.”

“... My home.” The mood felt as merry as ever.

“The Order went years without a healer. At least one that seemed to actually... Be around. No offense to Avalore.” Kana looked at Jacen. Her eyes were still as glossy as before, yet for now it seemed her own curiosity had taken the reins. “I do not fail to see the irony in having learned how to heal people from a dead woman.”

“Why do you care? Have she not told you that she was dead once before?”

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Kana Truden"]

“Oh.” Jacen replied, some of the colour draining from his face. He looked away for a moment and found a point on the wall to look at. He deliberately avoided the first part of her question; in truth he didn’t know the answer. He took a slow diaphragmatic breath as a sudden cold sadness welled up. His layer of controlled quelled that bubbling emotion so he could focus on the present task. He found this fact incredibly upsetting and had to fight to focus his thoughts.

This wasn’t the time for reflection, despite how many questions were suddenly percolating to the front of his mind. For a moment he was close to asking how Adele had died, but almost immediately he decided that was a question he couldn’t ask. If she told him the circumstances he knew he would be unable to carry on with the task at hand.

Jacen looked back to Kana, but he couldn’t mask the troubled expression. “No it hadn’t come up before. I didn’t know that. You’ve probably noticed that she’s not dead now,” he said, trying to force a small smile.

“I’m sorry,” he said, returning to the calm and deliberate tone he’d used before. “I didn’t mean to derail your train of thought. “You were saying you went to find Hal…”

 

[Kana Truden]

“Hard not to.” Kana responded. “She’s not a shimmering blue apparition, for one.”

“Right, I was looking for Hal Terrano. I figured that the best course of action was to get myself to Coruscant, which I did.” Kana let herself stand up to stretch her legs. “Only problem is that me and Coruscant have a history. Bad history.”

Family history. The kind of history that would push someone to murder without remorse. The kind of murder that would push Kana into the pit of confusion and fear that was typically associated with such acts. This was the part when the Sith Lord came into play, the part when she got arrested and later freed. She wasn’t going to forget that, nor would she live it down anytime soon. She looked at Jacen, the unwillingness to share exactly what kind of ‘bad history’ that they were discussing would be evident.

It all faded away quickly as she opened her mouth to ask a question of her own.

“What happened to the Republic while I was gone? You said they aren’t as big anymore? Has something happened to Ossus? What is this Alliance you talked about? How long have you known Adele? Is there anyone else around I might know? Does Corvus come around here?”

Diversion was the best way to handle this, clearly. The less time that Jacen had to ask about what kind of history Kana had, the better.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Jacen looked towards the ceiling thoughtfully as he separated out her rapid fire questions in his mind. The ruse was obvious, but also unnecessary; he'd make that clear after answering her questions. After all he'd offered to ask any questions, there was no need to deny her that right now. They had plenty of time. Being down here was disconcerting anyway. All that magma surrounding the cell, the plain walls so close. A bit of casual conversation would probably do the Jedi Master some good.

“So, the Sith cut a path through the middle of Republic territory,” he started, looking back and meeting her grey eyes again. “The Republic couldn't hold both sides of the blockade. We've been running relief missions down the south side of their former space since with the Silver Coalition. Ossus is now in the hands of the Coalition, we helped them secure it, lay down new defences around the Temple.

“The Alliance is just that. If you distill all the remaining will to fight in the Galaxy, compress it into a small ball and throw it to the arse end of the spiral that's the Alliance. Backs to the wall, fight to the last man. At the same time for the people in our territory we're hope.

“Right, that's four down,” he said, a twinkle in his eyes. “What came next… Adele, right. I've known her a few months and she helped me when I needed help the most,” he explained, this time looking down to the floor with a small smile. “Do congratulate her when she comes to check your recovery next. She's a Jedi Master now.

“Who's here from the old guard… Marcello, Avalore, Stali, Rekali - the old sword of the Jedi - was here for a while. I don't think Corvus has been here. Last I heard she was setting up something on Lothal. I don't think I'm I'm her best books after Jorus gave me control of the Great Holocrons,” he said, just the hint of a mischievous grin appearing.

“Was that all? You know I'm happy to answer questions but if you want a break just say so. I'm in no rush,” he shrugged. “Not like I have anything to threaten you with other than taking my ball back,” he said, looking to the bouncy ball still in his hand.

 

[Kana Truden]

The Republic was in ruins, the Silver Coalition had taken the responsibilities of securing Ossus. Though the news were grave they still provided the former Jedi with a small glimmer of hope. The summary of the Alliance was good enough as well. A ball against the backend of the Sith. The description made them all seem a bit more suicidal than Kana could remember the Jedi being, but perhaps in the long run such a development would be welcome. In the end it wasn’t the description or even member list that got to her, for what it was worth she could pretty much say she was still in the Republic. No, what got to her was the ball.

Kana nodded.

“Taking your ball back?” She asked, eyebrow raised. “The ball was here from the previous tenant, or so I’ve been told.”

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Kana Truden"]

"I gave it to the previous tenant to give him something to do," Jacen tried on. There was a pause and he could see that wasn't going to wash. "I am an appealing liar," he added with a sigh. "I had to spend some time in isolation after using the dark side of the Force in the field. So yes, I'm well aware of how dull it can be down here, so if you'd like some books or even some other items to help you meditate just ask."

Jacen held her gaze for a few moments, trying to discern what was going on behind those eyes. She was busy processing the news it seemed. Clearly she'd been out of the loop. "Was there anything else you wanted to ask before we get back to you?" he asked.

 

[Kana Truden]

So her buddy in blue, ‘Jason,’ had also spent time on the inside. Not just any inside, but this very inside that they were within. Would it be accurate to say that it was no longer her cell but rather his, or did such trivialities truly even matter? Perhaps not, yet it felt somewhat reassuring to know that the person that Kana was talking to had an idea of what it felt like to be her. He knew how easy it was to just lose that grasp of control and let the darkness take the reins.

Was there anything else that Kana wanted to know before moving on?

“No, I’ll just-” She fell into that trap. Eye contact. “I- You- Uh.”

For a short moment there was another moment of panic. As much as she was enjoying affable company again there were still things Kana had done that she wasn’t willing to divulge just yet. Ossus came to mind.

“No. I’m good. What do you want to know?”

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Kana Truden"]

"Well I'd like to be able to know everything that happened whilst you were away, but I think there is neither the inclination or the time to get through that all now," Jacen said, trying to hold her gaze.

"So let's just get the big picture for now and you can fill in the details as you feel you want to. I will say it's going to be in your own interests to make sure we understand it all from your perspective. So you were on coruscant looking for Hal... What happened next?"

 

[Kana Truden]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

The short story of a short story. There was a moment of contemplation before they went back to their talk.

“I was looking for Hal.” Kana began before pausing to take a seat on her bed again. “Until I got arrested for murder.” She shrugged it off as if it was no big deal. “Patricide, I believe, is what they labeled it. At first.”

“I got away. The Sith took notice of my actions and they-” There it was again. That sinking feeling, or rather the punch in the gut. The tongue twisting shame. “They-” Kana took a deep breath. “I did something. I did something bad.”

“She was...” Alluring. Tempting? Kana couldn’t find the word. “There. She let me go.”

Second deep breath.

“And in return I told her about Ossus.” Her eyes closed. The shame mounting up, all the bottled up anxiety and fear over what she had done. Everything began to slowly resurface. “I told her about all of it.”

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Kana Truden"]

"Okay, okay," Jacen with a slow nod. His expression was serious now. To say he was taken aback by her admission of patricide was an understatement. Yet for now he glossed over that aspect of her story.

"You understand we really need to know what you told them about Ossus?" he asked. She was a bundle of emotions right now and he made a snap decision. "After we're done, we can go up to the surface for a while, if you'd like. Get out of these confines for a bit. But for now," he said, pulling a small data pad from the back pocket of his trousers, "I need you to try and recall everything you told them. The Silver Coalition are rebuilding the Temple's defences. They'll need this information."

 

[Kana Truden]

How could he be this nice? Admit to treason and he... Offers you to be let out of your cell for a bit. Was this really happening? Was Kana being forgiven for what she had done, or was it a trick? Didn’t matter. She had already told them enough to warrant a rifle squad, maybe if she kept talking it would just reflect in the size of said squad.

“All. Of it.” Kana reiterated. “I told them about the caverns that had been used by Sith Lords long ago. I told them about the location of dormitories, of training chambers. I even told them about the rough location of the Jedi Shadows. I don’t know where it is, but I knew what to look for and I told them about that as well.”

“All I wanted was for my farking friends. To come look for me.” Kana exploded. “I was gone, I had supposedly gone MIA yet what happens?” Kana’s teeth gritted, her hands curled up into fists. “Nothing. Not. A single. Farking. Thing.”

“So I set off to Coruscant. The only place I knew somewhat from birth.” She was, metaphorically speaking, burning. “Only my father lives there. My family lives there. I lived there until I ran away as a kid. I had hoped they would let me speak to them. Let me get some answers.”

“For days I paced up and down a street with a clear view of the place. The same street where I used to hide as a kid when things became too much. The storefronts had changed, but the reasons for being there had not.” Kana paused for a few seconds. “I wanted to kill him at first. I contemplated how easy it would be to just run in there and kill every single one I met. I struggled with the idea for a while. It really seemed to be the best answer.”

“But then.” Kana took a seat, uncurled her hand and grasped at the kasha crystal around her neck. “I had a moment of... Clarity.”

“I didn’t need violence. I just needed answers. To know why.” Kana looked to Jacen. “And I got my answer. He was crazy. All the pain he caused me, all the years of torment and self-doubt had been to fulfill some sort of farked up prophecy of his.”

“Kana the Empress.” Kana scoffed. Spat on the ground almost. “Just like that the taunting was back again and what little measure of clarity that remained just disappeared.”

“I tossed him out the window. It was... A long fall.” That much was certain. “I tried to leave the house, but I was arrested. Thrown in jail.”

“... That’s when she appeared. I don’t remember her name, but she knew exactly who I was. Tall, wearing that hideous vong armor. One of the big guys, I think.” Kana sighed. Swallowing air she closed her eyes. “She took advantage of me. She, uh, well...”

“It was her that I told everything to. After she was... Done.”

“Now that, I regret.”

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Kana Truden"]

Jacen breathed out slowly. A deep long breath from deep down in the gut. Despite his control a swirl of emotions caught him off balance. His head bowed towards the ground and his eyes looked from side to side as he tried to think on what to say next. Part of him was angry at her for such a petulant display. She was no child, she looked early thirties. Part of her story made him feel deeply sad. Caught out and vulnerable it seemed coincidence had delivered her to exactly the wrong person. The sith were creatures of base emotion and desire and Kana was clearly desirable, he could well interpret what had happened. There was a touch of misplaced guilt for what she'd been through. He audibly sighed as he dampened his emotions and tried to think objectively.

“You've done some terrible things,” he said bluntly, looking up at her. “But you're actually back with people who give a kriff about you now. I don't know how long you're going to be kept her Kana, but this is a good start,” he said, holding up the datapad he'd been making notes on. “No one here is going to take advantage of you, they're just going to help. So whilst I can't tell you what is going to happen I do know that for all the good will of others it's only you that can help you. You'll have to come to terms with what you've done, deal with your regret. That's how you'll get back to the light again.

“So, I need to get this information to the right people. If you want to get some fresh air - as fresh as it comes in an artificial dome - you can come with me to the surface and tell me how you ended up on Nar Shaddaa and bleeding out.”

His jaw was set tight as he slowly stood up, sliding the small device back into a pocket. Part of him was wondering how easily this could have happened to him. After all he had touched the dark side so easily before. Just a single event that pushed him over the edge and he could possibly have found himself in a Sith’s bed whispering away secrets. Yet his jaw was clenched from the fresh surge of determination he felt. The atrocities had to stop. The Republic had fallen, but this was the line. No more fallen Jedi. No more genocide. Each of them would fight to the last for their comrades. The same could not be said of the Sith. When they tasted defeat, and they would, they would not rally like the Alliance. They would start to wonder if they were really willing to die for the Dark Lord.