The ocean world of Ahch-To looks to be nothing but blue seas from the distance of space. Dotting the oceans, however, are chains of rocky island that jut upwards to form shallow, sloping mountain ranges with small, flattened plateaus. Rich green trees and other small flora grow along the sedimentary stone, untouched by anything more than small avian creatures looking for a place to nest. Carved into the stones of the various islands are sets of winding, ascending and man-made pathways.

The crisp, clean air that wisps off the ocean helps maintain a fairly mild temperature during the day, with a healthy chill at sunset. Storms have been reported to flare up from time to time, leaving only the highest points of the islands safe from a rising tide. Porgs litter the islands, the oceans teem with a wide variety of fish, and large, docile Thala-sirens loiter on the rocky shores.

Although better known as the legendary home of the Jedi Order, a species of small-statured amphibious natives live simple lives as caretakers of the Jedi ruins. The ruins themselves are primarily small collections of stone huts, although numerous hidden caves dot the islands. Some contain evidence of previous habitation; many more house strong Force auras with mysterious effects on sentient beings, particularly Force-sensitives.

Heavy blackened clouds coalesced in Ahch-To’s sky. The sun was setting, orange flaring across the blue backdrop leaving shadows where it touched; They danced behind the growing pressure of the incoming storm.

Anderson stood behind the droid pilot, hands clasped behind his back. The storm would provide cover for their exact arrival, but it was likely that these cowards had detected his presence as soon as he arrived into orbit. None would be soon to forget the aura of the one who burned their enclave to the ground.

Tucked away for thirteen years, Anders could barely begin to fathom how these Jedi had hidden from him, though they had clearly taken extreme measures to do so. Retreating to the barely remembered planet of the original Jedi, where the most recent Skywalker shenanigans had occurred, was far from an ideal solution. Yet they had persisted like a cobweb in a forgotten corner waiting to be brushed away one final time.

“What’s our ETA?”

Anders didn’t turn to face Cole, looking down to the droid.

“Within the next five minutes. Then we should begin landing procedures.” It continued piloting as if uninterrupted.

“Anderson.”

“Farrow.”

Footsteps notated the Human’s departure, likely to gather up the multitude of weapons he brought with him. The light pressure of a lightsaber on Anders’ hip was all he needed to know he was equipped for what was ahead. Though Cole had already proven useful. Without his contacts, they may not have discovered this at all.

Five minutes came and went, the final time coming to ten before a rocky landing was achieved on the Ancient Island’s surface. The duo stepped out, getting clear as the ship’s engines re-engaged and growing winds made the ship tilt worrisomely before it rose once more into the air.

Their presence was undeniable on the surface. They weren’t too close yet, at least.

A shift of movement. Cole was drawing a blaster, settling with it gripped at the ready. Anders nodded slightly.

Anders began to speak as they walked, “They will find us before we discover their true location. Already, they will be approaching to attempt to ambush me.”

“We should keep some distance between us. If they have a lightsaber or opt to use the Force against me I’ll be forced to retreat either way. Providing covering-fire from the beginning would be the most efficient.” He spoke with a flat tone, one that betrayed little emotion. Most droids spoke with more inflection though such things meant little to those with the Force.

Cole was mostly calm even when his emotions were directly peered at. Apprehensive, though nothing of note.

Good. Anders thought to himself, contemplating Cole’s comment before finally answering the man.

“Very well. I presume your comlink is already prepared?”

“Yes.” Cole began to split off, angling for a path up the hill. Huts littered the path sporadically, there would be plenty of cover.

“Do not fall behind.”

The presence of light thickened, Cole’s presence remaining within reasonable distance even as the sun dipped lower. Minutes passed, the hideout not making itself clear.

Not that it needed to just yet. Anderson could feel the Jedi a hair raising moments before they appeared, telekinetic energy flashing by. He side-stepped it, meeting the gaze of the robed figure.

Fear. Hatred. It all pulsed below the surface of the calm that the Jedi loved to preach about.

Oh, to draw those truths to the surface.

The red flare of a blaster bolt flashed over his shoulder, forcing the Jedi to roll to the side.

Anderson drew his lightsaber, red bathing the ground and his robes. No matter what he had taken from them, they would not get a chance to steal what was his. Draca would not be swept away. He stepped forward, watching a blade of green formulate in defiance.

When they clashed, sparks of fire littered the ground in a violent recreation of the obscured sky above.

As the sun fully set, the only visible light came from their two lightsabers. Lightning flashed over the horizon like a bad omen, thunder booming from the approaching storm.

A swing, a lunge, a stab. It didn't matter what it was, the Force favoured Anders in their exchange, sending signals of the Jedi’s intentions through the Grand Inquisitor’s mind. Iridonia had felt like a distant memory, thirteen years that had been buried in his subconscious now re-emerging to the surface. Anders could still smell the fires, the burning of flesh and bone, the last gasps of air that escaped their lungs as he severed their Zabrak heads. It distracted Anders for a moment, causing the emerald blade to clip his robes.

This Jedi was a Zabrak too, if the vestal horns crowning his head were anything to go by. He was young, strong with the Force, just like Draca was. The similarity was almost impossible to ignore, the past coming back to haunt him. Yet, against an experienced Sith, this Jedi was quickly finding himself on the defensive. Once Anders composed himself, any leeway the Zabrak attempted was met with blaster bolts coming from the darkness nearby. Omnisight weapons truly were remarkable, especially in the hands of one as talented as Cole Farrow, a man so talented and treacherous that the Human could turn that expertise against him at any moment if Anders turned his back.

The Zabrak staggered back, snarling, desperation taking hold. He attempted to separate from Anders to deal with Cole, reaching out with the Force to grab a large boulder perched in the hillside. When he launched it, Cole had no option but to dive before he became pounded Human flesh.

“Kriff!” Cole exclaimed as the boulder came within inches of crushing him. He rolled down the small hill, stopping a few feet from the two Force Users.

The Jedi was about to capitalize and chase Cole down, but found his way blocked by Anders.

“Leave us! You've done enough damage, Inquisitor!”

So, there was more than just one and they knew who he was. Indeed, Anders could feel the fear dripping from this Jedi in particular. Oh, the sleepless nights he must have had, now seeing his nightmare in the flesh.

“It is amazing how history repeats itself. I found this remarkably simple thirteen years ago, and I find it trivial now,” Anders parried a horizontal swing, sidestepping the next and blocking the third, their blades locking. “I can make your death quick and painless. Tell me how many of you there are. Who leads you?”

“Go to Hell! You're nothing but a coward! I'm not afraid of you!” The Jedi proclaimed, trembling, pupils dilating.

“Good, I do enjoy a challenge,” Through the Force, Anders connected his mind to Cole's, relaying a simple message; an order.

The Jedi separated from Anders, panting. Lightning struck behind him and he roared in time with the thunder. He raised his lightsaber and charged towards the Grand Inquisitor, the slayer of Jedi.

Anders made no move to defend himself. When his opponent made to slice him in twain, another blaster shot rang out, striking him in the back of his hand. The Jedi wailed in pain, his weapon dropping out of his hands. A light swing of the Grand Inquisitor’s lightsaber cleaved through the Zabrak's left leg. A wave of satisfaction coursed through Anders as the Jedi fell to the ground in a heap, screaming in anguish, the expressions of shock, dismay, hopelessness, fear, and pain evident in his face. Deja vu was a powerful thing, indeed.

Anders stood over him, lightsaber poised at the Jedi's throat. He inched the lightsaber closer. How tempting it was to kill him where he lay. He should question him, rip the answers he sought from this man's mind. Yet, as this Jedi lay there, Anders did not see another living being worthy of life. Instead, he saw an obstacle to what he wanted, to securing Draca. To Anders, that made him worthy of his justice, of death.

The Grand Inquisitor raised his lightsaber and was about to plunge it through the Zabrak's throat when his wrist was grabbed tightly by a Human hand.

“The Hell are you doing!? We need him alive! There may be more. Interrogate him first. Kill him after.”

There it was: the betrayal. Cole's reasoning was sound, absolutely it was. If he were thinking clearly, Anders would have thought it too. Though, the Grand Inquisitor was a desperate man. He could not lose Draca, not under any circumstances. That boy was like a son to him, a piece of his heart he refused to have ripped away again. Who did Cole think he was, speaking to him in such a manner? He was yet another obstacle in Anders’ way, and like all obstacles, he would be destroyed if necessary.

Anders’ head snapped towards the Human, meeting icy blue eyes unwavered by the sneer given by the Sith. Lightning darted on the fingertips of the Combat Master’s hand, the same one that was being gripped tightly. Cole went wide-eyed, taking a deep breath as he recognised what was coming.

Farrow's brows furrowed as if daring Anders to go ahead and see what would happen next. He tightened his grip on Anders’ wrist further to an almost painful degree, almost making the Combat Master wince. The two stared at one another, thunder and lightning surrounding them as rain began to fall from the sky.

“NOW! DO IT!” The legless Jedi screamed at the top of his lungs.

The sounds of lightsabers igniting drew the pair's attention. At least five different blades of blue and green, Jedi, all of them. The huts and rocks buried into the hillside were ripped from the ground and thrown towards them. The ambush was here, and worse still, they had the high ground.

The pressure from Anders’ wrist released, as the pair split, running in opposite directions. A boulder fell in the gap between them.

Cole fired shots behind him, using the moment for his blaster to discharge heat to switch on his helmet’s infrared setting. Anderson would have to restrain himself without aid. There were heat signatures that continued to leap into the fray as the crashing boulders quaked the ground. Dust rose in pillars of obfuscation. There were enough Jedi chasing them both that Cole focused on firing as many damn blaster bolts into the fray as possible. Some reflected them back, inaccurately, but thankfully most stuck to the defensive.

More so when screams resounded from afar. The clash of lightsabers was still recognisable over the din of crumbling structures and the rising rumbles of thunder in the sky above. Rain began to pour down. It gave Cole room to make distance.

Enough to scale the hill several meters and lay eyes on the Sith’s efforts.

Green and blue blurs whirled around Anders, the Sith twisting, creating great scars in the ground around him as he deflected, defended. Pillars of earth still crashed around until the Jedi nearly crushed their fellows, deflected only by Anders saving his own skin and throwing the mass of dirt aside. The Jedi’s assault pressed on, yet there was still fear in the air. Breaths were held as Anderson managed to duck an attack, cutting the overextending fool in half with enough momentum to block the next assailant.

The Chiss inhaled sharply, curving his lightsaber up to block the next opportunist. Soaked strands of hair stuck to his forehead. On time and in beat he danced the waltz, that if he slipped once, could end in his demise.

Cole had to turn away, dropping a flash grenade behind him before dropping down into one of the ditches the Jedi had created through the shifting of earth across the island. Footsteps were charging in, filling the distance he’d made. The piercing screech of the grenade still overtook Cole’s hearing, but the mercenary used those precious seconds of the enemies’ blindness to unclip and throw his gravity grenade toward the cluster around Anders.

It only landed towards the edge of the group, even thrown over the shoulder, and some dodged it with practiced ease. Most didn’t. They stood, frozen in place as if they were simply actors in a paused holovid.

With so many on the field trapped, Anderson spun on his heel and a wave of power shot forward. The rain seemed to hang in midair for a moment before the intensity registered with the world around it, sending a number of the remaining Jedi sprawling into the mud. For a scant moment at least, he was then able to focus on the whittled few around him.

Their screams were barely audible to Cole as he hauled himself out of the ditch again, boot digging into the surface layer of mud and finding purchase on the still dry soil below. Ears ringing with tinnitus, he turned and caught one of the Jedi mid-leap in pursuit. A flash of red struck them in the neck, Cole watching as their corpse fell heavy a few feet in front of him. He didn’t lower his blaster, walking backward.

The approaching Jedi hesitated, despite the rain one woman’s hair visibly rose before Cole’s blaster bolt burned a hole through her heart.

It was only when pink hued light filled the air that he understood why she’d stopped. Lightning struck further up the hill, its light flashing across the island.

Cole felt his blood go cold, his heart race. The ghostly sensation of electricity, a memory, shot through him at the sight. A breath caught in his throat and it was as if he couldn’t breathe. Fear flooded his body, instinct and logic battling each other to run or freeze. It didn’t stop him from firing, yet as the Jedi drew in it became obvious his hands were shaking. They were dodging the bolts with ease. A hostile hand reached out toward him.

“Kark.”

A rush of air as Cole’s stomach dropped into his feet. The ground moved unnaturally as he was flung down the hill, rolling and then sliding into a distant ditch.

Anderson stomped on the wrist of a Kiffar man, who’s fearful expression turned blank as the red blade of his saber sliced through the Jedi’s chest. The Sith’s Golden Envoy glasses pinpointed a location, gathering static in the air being pinpointed by a red diamond in front of Ander’s vision. He pivoted away, forcing the next duo to leap after him. With a raised hand, he held them mid-air and entrapped them in the epi-center of the lightning bolt.

Their screams were momentary. Cooked flesh, charred hair and the acrid smell of burnt atmosphere filled the air for a breath before the rain washed it away. He released their bodies, leaping sideways as a blue lightsaber gashed through his robes.

How dare they!

It was in the midst of handling that gnat that Anderson noticed the lack of blaster fire. He tapped into the Force, ignoring the handful of Jedi left. They were the ones who opted to move in and out, attempting to surround him. A handful more were in pursuit of what could only be Farrow, a remarkable distance away for one without the Force.

Evidently, he was going to be needed. Justice would be executed either way.

The dark presence within Anders rose to the call for a quick exit. His robes swept out behind him, snarling with an outreached hand as lightning crossed the space between them. It latched onto each raindrop, spitting itself forward with hatred until impacting. The sky flared with light, another island nearby struck in parallel, thunder rippling through the air as the trio of Jedi fell backward, twitching. Howling and gasping.

Pathetic.

Anderson exited his self made arena, over the boundary of melting, burned ground toward Farrow.

Cole hadn’t had time to regain his feet. With the Jedi closing in, for what he could only assume was to confirm his death, he slipped a stim free from his pack. Moving slowly enough that the darkness would disguise it, he slipped back a sleeve and injected the drug. The next breath felt heavy, then light. The dizziness from the impact faded back as adrenaline flooded his system. It still hurt but it was enough that Cole managed to regain his feet before the nearest Jedi landed beside him, slashing the ground where his legs had been a moment ago.

Now that they knew he wasn’t dead, he registered that they yelled something at him. Thunder rumbled and it was lost to the rain.

Click!

The group leapt back a second before he activated the grenade. Smoke exploded around the Human.

They took in a slow breath, sensing his location whe-

A bolt fired just over their shoulder, the Force pushing them to dodge away yet-

Another bolt flared out of the smoke, striking them in the side. It burned their lungs, their heart, broken and cauterised in a flash.

Cole watched the heat signature drop to the floor after a belated second.

Two more were approaching, one more cautiously and one clearly intent to leap into the cloud. Cole inhaled through his helmet, the smoke tearing at his throat, only to flinch as lightning struck closer once more.

The shot caught the karker in the shoulder. They still charged forward.

Cole shifted, intent to dive forward and below the signature when another appeared. A second lightsaber’s hum filled the air, taking the place of the previous attacker. He fired again, ducking as the blast redirected off into the distance. Cole flicked off the infrared for a second, long enough to confirm the red glow of Anderson’s saber through the smoke and the motionless hand laying just within view. With the infrared back on, Cole peered over the Chiss' shoulder.

More were coming. Not as many, at least.

“Is that the thank you I get for saving your life, Farrow?” Anders sneered over the patter of the rain, turning on heel toward the remaining group.

Cole rolled his eyes, “Don’t take it personally, I almost shot myself once too.”

“And that tells me everything I need to know regarding your proficiency with blasters,” Anders’ eyes narrowed on him, then the discarded stim on the floor beside him. Of course.

“And that tells me that you're an asshole,” Cole shrugged. “Since we're here stating the obvious.”

“You are injured,” the Chiss shook his head. “You are hardly in a position to be making quips.”

Anders wanted to admonish him further, strangle him both for his use of language and for getting hurt. Maybe even a small dose of Force Lightning? Yes, Cole indeed seemed to have an unusual abhorrent distaste for it that Anders could exploit. Yet, it was only a fleeting moment's thought before the Force suddenly ricocheted through the Sith's subconscious. From above, the lightning illuminated a single silhouette, blue lightsaber drawn, descending upon them as fast as a bolt of lightning from the storm.

The Jedi's palm slammed into the ground beside them, a shockwave bursting from the epicenter like an asteroid crashing into the planet. The impact knocked both Anders and Cole off of their feet, dirt and soil covering them indignantly.

Anders watched as this Jedi followed through, his azure blade flashing in the darkness. This one seemed more capable than the others, more experienced judging by how he targeted Cole first, hoping to eliminate what he believed to be the weaker target. He slashed at the ground with Farrow rolling away again, and again like a wiley womp rat until he was pressed against one of the many boulders that had been thrown at them from the top of the hill. The Jedi raised his weapon and-

He spun, using his lightsaber to absorb the blast of lightning that streaked across the distance between himself and the Grand Inquisitor. Cole flinched beneath them, his chest heaving at the flashing lights before him.

“Don't you think there's been enough death tonight, Inquisitor?” The Jedi kept his weapon in a defensive position. “Then again, it’s never enough for you, is it?”

When he lowered his rain-soaked hood, a middle-aged Zabrak stood before them. Long brown hair dropping to below his shoulders. He gazed at Anders with an intensity that burned brighter than a thousand stars. When Anders took a cautious step forward, the blue lightsaber blade was poised at Cole's head in a threatening manner.

Anders quirked a brow. This was indeed a most interesting development. “Taking a prisoner? That hardly seems like the Jedi way.”

“Time's change, and so must we. Especially after everything you did on Iridonia,” the Jedi said.

Now that caught Cole's attention, a ripple sent to the Jedi through the Force as his head snapped to the Human.

“He didn't tell you what happened, did he? What he's done? Of course not. That man is the entire reason we are here. Thirteen years ago, he destroyed an enclave of Jedi, attacked them unprovoked, burned them to the ground with no care, no reason. I remember the stench of ash in the air and the flames still flickering against the corpses and robes of my friends and Masters. Do you have any idea what it's like to expect home and find a graveyard waiting for you? Tell me, is that the kind of man you wish to follow?”

Cole's eyes locked with Anders. Even without the Force, the Grand Inquisitor could see the gears turning in Farrow's mind. He was an intelligent man. It was part of the reason Anders specifically chose him to handle Taldryan's Office of Secret Intelligence in his stead.

Finally, Cole shook his head. “You're doing this to stop Draca from leaving? You're an idiot. If he would leave you for them after everything you two have been through, then you deserve to be left alone for failing him.”

The Jedi's eyes widened. “Draca lives? He actually lives?”

“Master Trellis!”

They were surrounded by three more Jedi, Padawans, judging by their youth. A Pantoran woman, along with a Weequay and Arkanian male. They stood, their lightsabers drawn, though they seemed apprehensive to join the fray. Of course they were. They were surrounded by the corpses of their brethren.

“How many are left?” Trellis inquired.

“Just us. Everyone else is dead,” the Weequay answered, his tone solemn.

Trellis’ grip on his lightsaber tightened. He grit his teeth, and his eyes closed tightly like he was in pain. When he opened them, his gaze shot straight to Anders. If looks could have killed, then the Chiss would have been swallowed by the storm that very moment.

“What have you done?” Trellis snarled like a rabid animal, the Dark Side penetrative through the wall of Light the Jedi held so dear. “Look at what you've done! Look at what you both have done to us!”

“You did not train your recruits in the appropriate manner,” Anders sulked forward slowly, coiling the Force within him. “You are no Jedi Master. You attempted to fill boots far bigger than your capabilities allow and it shows in the corpses surrounding us now.”

“Shut up! If Draca knew what you were doing… What did you do to him, Inquisitor? How have you tainted him?” Trellis inched his lightsaber closer to Cole, much to the shock of the Padawans. “Answer me, or I'll kill him where he lay!”

“Go ahead,” Anders responded dryly, his eyes darting to Cole. “If he allowed himself to be caught in a precarious position, then he deserves his death.”

“Master Trellis, what are you doing!?” One of the Padawan's shrieked.

“I swear, I'll do it!” Trellis snapped, ignoring their plea.

Not one to take being threatened like a helpless schutta, Cole raised his blaster without so much as a second thought to his own safety, lightning flashing as his fingers curled around the trigger. Now this was the man that Anders hired. That ruthless efficiency was what he expected from him as two bolts of red shot forth, the first of which struck the Arkanian in the chest. The second was intended for Trellis. Yet, the Weequay pushed himself in front of the shot, sacrificing himself. Their bodies dropped in a clump besides Trellis, the Jedi seething as rage overtook him.

“You!” He turned to Cole, lightsaber raised.

It never connected. A gasp of air escaped his throat when the cerulean blade of a lightsaber pierced through his back and out of his chest. He turned his head slowly to face his assailant, the Zeltron Padawan whose eyes were glazed over, lifeless as if in a trance.

The Grand Inquisitor stood with his hand stretched out towards her. The Zeltron slowly removed the weapon as Trellis dropped to his knees and slumped over into the mud. With a heavy sigh, Anders released his hold of her, the Zeltron shaking her head like she was waking from a coma.

She glanced at the carnage around her, her lips trembling, her eyes watering, rivers flowing down her face matching the rain that splashed against her. She stammered, chest heaving, until the Grand Inquisitor ended her mental suffering by removing her head with a decisive swing of his lightsaber. The thud of her body falling to the mud signalled the end of their mission.

Anders deactivated his lightsaber and placed the hilt back on his belt. He took a moment as the rain drenched him further to observe as Ach-To wept, this sacred world once again becoming a resting place for Jedi. He inhaled deep breaths, his heart thumping in his chest. It was all over now. Draca was secured.

“Mr. Farrow,” Anders did not look at him, nor provide him any aid as the Human staggered back onto his feet. “You are not to speak of what occured here. Is that understood?”

Lightning struck, crimson orbs shining through the flashes of lightning, the vague threat in his voice hanging between them. Regardless, Cole stood defiant and unyielding.

“Yeah,” he gave a small nod. “Understood.”