Abandoned and forgotten, the ruins of the Dark Temple have slowly succumbed to the erosion of time. In the central chamber—the walls have crumbled, the ceiling has caved in, and the jungle now flourishes within the once pristine halls.

Green light filters itself through the temple, mixing eerily with the dark, violet hue of Dromund Kaas’ sky. Lightning flickers overhead, the raw energy of the Force clashing high above. The floor is overgrown with flora, large plants and grasses that have swallowed the old stone. Wild creatures roam freely, skittering away from the presence of intruders while vicious predators hide just out of sight.

The main hall is lined on both sides by towering statues, heads bowed in supplication. They stand in deference to the sculpture of a pure-blooded Sith, which towers over the chamber with outstretched arms. The sculpture has been split diagonally down the middle, as if cleaved in two by a rusted blade, but the majesty in the stone still echoes to the past.

On either side of the main hall, remnants of branches to inaccessible parts of the temple remain. One might tilt their head to take in what is left of the mezzanine—the balcony overlooking the chamber—still held aloft by the great pillars standing behind the statues. Several of the pillars have fallen, providing a pathway up to the mezzanine for those willing to take the risk for higher ground. Spirits of the Sith are rumoured to still haunt the grounds—waiting for poor, misguided fools to walk blindly into their domain.

The Jungles of Dromund Kaas were silent in the dead of night. The lone Taldryan Knight walked up the pathway, claimed by the native flora, towards the towering temple of old. The Dark Temple emanated strong dark side Force energies that the Gray Jedi could feel course throughout his body. The feeling of invincible power was tempting, more so than he ever thought possible, but Aiden Lee Deshra had a job to do. This time, he would not fail.

...

“Aiden Lee, I am most displeased with you.”

“I understand Zoron, Sir.”

“Until this point your record has been almost spotless, but this failure was too big to ignore. Luckily for you, I am feeling generous today. I am giving you another chance to prove yourself.”

“Anything you ask of me, I will accomplish.”

“For your sake I hope so. Travel to Dromund Kaas. There you will seek out the Ruins of an ancient Sith Temple. I want you to survey the temple for any artifacts. Bring your findings back to us and eliminate any opposition you might meet. Taldryan’s survival might depend on your success.”

“I will not fail.”

“No, you will not. Come back successful, or don’t come back at all.”

…

Shaking his head, Aiden cleared the memory of his Proconsul’s words. Continuing up the path, time’s erosion was apparent to his eyes as he walked through the wide open doors to the remains of the central chamber. What remained of the walls around the chamber lay on the ground in piles of brittle stone. Aiden moved through the chamber, the space around him lit by a greenish light. The Knight made his way into the Main Hall of the temple. The remains evoked awe and wonder at the state of the statues. The Giant Sith that towered over the others invoked the most awe, the feeling of the Dark side concentrated near it, as if a nexus of the Force lay at its feet.

“There has to be something here that’s worth taking back to Zoron.” Aiden whispered to himself.

The Gray Jedi began to carefully search through the piles of debris, hoping to find something of value. He could not fail this time. As he dug through the mounds of rubble, a feeling of foreboding spread slowly through his mind. Without conscious thought, Aiden gave into his feelings and ducked into a roll, dodging to the right as a crimson lightsaber buried itself into the rock upon which he'd stood, just barely missing him. Aiden grasped his curved hilt and activated his amethyst blade as he came out of the roll and landed on his feet to face the assailant. The crimson lightsaber withdrew from the rock, flying through the air and into the grasp of a white haired Epicanthix with a maniacal grin plastered onto his face.

“So kid, it is you. I thought your presence felt familiar.”

Aiden’s eyes widened as he recognized the warrior in front of him. The last time he’d seen this Tarenti Knight, the Gray Jedi was leading him away in chains aboard a Taldryan cruiser. Lightning crackled in the sky above them, the sound bouncing off of what remained of the Temple.

“Solas, how nice to see you again. How’s the arm?” Aiden asked full of mock sincerity.

“How about I show you just how good this arm of mine is? After what you did to me, I’ve thought of little else. Now? Now I’m going to make you suffer.” Black sclera and yellowish irises followed Aiden closely as Solas prepared to enact his vengeance. The Taldryan began to focus, his eyes barely catching sight of a translucent wall that surrounded him.

Solas thrust his left hand forward, releasing a burst of energy that moved through the air to collide with the Taldryanite. Keeping his concentration, Aiden felt the energy collide, and crack the protective wall. Breaking his focus, the Gray Jedi sidestepped the crimson red lightsaber that swept at his feet. The blade was followed by a jab as the Epicanthix spun around. Continuing his assault Solas fluidly slashed the crimson blade down. Aiden parried the blade with his amethyst lightsaber. His feet moved swiftly on the ground as he countered with his own fluid thrust towards the Tarenti’s chest.

Solas watched Aiden as his feet stepped around the debris that covered the ground. His grin grew bigger as he swirled around, sweeping his lightsaber with long arcs, while following through with his left fist, keeping the Taldryanite moving. Whenever Aiden redirected the crimson saber with elegant precision, the Epicanthix would continue his assault, trying to overwhelm the Gray Jedi.

Aiden caught Solas’s lightsaber against his own. Twisting his wrist to curl the blade away from him, the Taldryanite reached out with his mind, grabbing several rocks and yanking them towards Solas’s back. His body acting of its own accord, the Sith turned around to dodge the projectiles. Aiden pulled back his left hand and focused the dark energies in the air around him, before thrusting his arm at Solas’s back. The power swirling around his hand smashed into the Tarenti’s back like a hammer, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Aiden smirked as Solas fell, before his mind was assaulted by the memories of his failings. The temptations of the dark side were strong in this temple, and he could feel it all the more after tapping into the energies.

Kill him. Failure! Use your anger. Failure! Use your hate. Failure! Kill him!

The Gray Jedi’s eyes grew colder as memories of his past failures clouded his judgement, rage burning his iris's with a yellowish glow. He wouldn’t fail Taldryan again. He wouldn't fail his family. He couldn’t. And he knew that this swine in front of him was in his way, but not for much longer.

“No more games Solas. This time, you die!”