Reno stood next to Zarin in the middle of the courtyard, the cold wind biting at his exposed skin.  Reno shivered.  In front of them, pacing back and forth stood Darth Odium, their Master.  For years they had been training together at Odium’s facility on Rhen Var, training for this very moment.

     It was the day that the three would set forth and start their quest to take over the galaxy.

     Reno had waited for this day for ten years, as had his best friend and fellow apprentice, Zarin.  They had spent countless nights talking about their dreams, their goals, and what they would do when the time for hiding was done, and the time for fighting was upon them.  Zarin had even told him about his dream to one day create a squadron of force-strong pilots who could keep the justice.  Likewise, Reno had told him of what he dreamed at of night: Showing up one day at the Jedi Temple and showing all the Jedi Masters exactly how wrong they had been out him.

     He had come to Rhen Var as a scared little ten-year-old boy, ready for a new shot at life, a second chance at being a Jedi.  He had failed in his first try, and was eager to prove himself worthy in this one.  He had soon learned the truth, though.  Although he took to the idea of being a Sith slowly, he had eventually come around and embraced it.  He had tried living life as a street rat and failed.  He had tried being a Jedi and failed.  Now he was a Sith.  And he wasn’t going to fail.

     He might’ve come to Rhen Var as a scared little boy, but he was leaving a man.

     “Congratulations,” Odium told them as he paced back and forth.  “You have both completed your training.  The time for hiding is over.  The time for action has arrived.   We shall go forth into the galaxy and start our quest for vengeance.  What so deservingly belongs to us, control of the galaxy, will be ours.  But not all of ours.”

     Reno’s eyes narrowed slightly and he was suddenly overwhelmed with a foreboding sense of dread.

     "My old Jedi Master had two apprentices in his life.  They were both very similar to each other, though they were not apprentices at the same time.  Both failed as Jedi.  Both fell to the Dark Side.  In the end, he was forced to choose for them...life or death.  In both cases, he chose life, and in that he failed.  One deserved life, one deserved death.  That is how it should’ve been.  That is how it will be from now on.  When one day one of you becomes the Master, you shall do as I did.  You will take two apprentices, train both, and see which is the superior one.  Only in that way can you find out who is truly worthy to walk next to you on your path.  And, in that spirit, I now choose the same for you.  Only one of you will go with me.”

     Reno and Zarin shot a look at each other, both thinking the same thing.  If only one of them could go, who would it be?  And what would happen to the other?

     “Then who...” Zarin asked.

     “That is my choice, and my choice alone,” Odium said.  “Over the last ten years I’ve watched over both of you closely, how you react to situations, how you concentrate, how focused you are, and more importantly, how strong you are in the Force.”

     Reno gulped.  He wasn’t going to make it, he already knew.  Odium didn’t have to say who it was, Reno knew.  He wasn’t as concentrated as Zarin.  He didn’t have his determination or drive.  His motivation.  And to be truthful, he wasn’t quite as strong as Zarin was either.  There was no way he could win.

     “I have summoned my warship,” Odium continued.  “A prototype vessel created by the Empire that will be our command ship.  Once the ship arrives and the selection is made, we shall depart.”

     “Master, what happens to the one not chosen?” Zarin asked, although the way he asked the question led Reno to believe that he already knew the answer.

     Odium turned his head away.  “He would be a threat to us and our goals.  He would have to be eliminated, of course.”

     “...of course,” Zarin whispered.  They were both thinking the same thing.  After all this, after all they’d gone through...all the hardships, the trials, the tribulations...and this was it.  The last time that they would see each other.  They would not be achieve their dreams together.  Reno might never be able to show the Jedi that they were wrong about him.  Zarin might never be able to create his squadron of Sith pilots.  In only moments, one of their dreams would end.

     There was a soft beeping coming from the comlink on Odium’s belt.  The Sith master picked up comlink.

     “Odium.”

     “This is Captain Eltrar Vanicus,” a gravelly voice said.  “We are here, Lord Odium.  We are ready.”

     “Excellent...” he said.  “Stand by, Captain, and await the arrival of your Lord and Master.”

     “Yes, Lord Odium.”

     The transmission ended.

     “And we come to it at last,” Odium said softly.  “It is time for the Choosing.”

     Zarin and Reno exchanged glances briefly, then stared at Odium.  The Sith Lord walked back and forth between them, looking them over with a discriminate eye.

     “My choice is....Zarin.” Reno’s heart sank and he was filled with dread.  This couldn’t be happening!  Not now!  This meant that he had failed...again.  First he failed Kren Doneeta.  He had failed their last mission, and it had cost Kren his life.  He had failed to have another Jedi choose him as a Padawan.  When Odium chose him to be his apprentice he had been elated...this had been his chance to succeed!  Even if it hadn’t been in a way that he had been originally taught.  But now...he was even failing in this.  He wasn’t a Jedi.  He wasn’t a Sith anymore.  He was...

     ...a failure...

     “...the reason I chose Zarin is...”

     Reno blacked out.  He couldn’t even hear Odium anymore.  He could just hear the harsh pang of failure ringing loud in his head.  No…no…not again.  He couldn’t fail again!  He couldn’t allow himself to be destroyed!  He couldn’t fail!  He had failed Doneeta, he had failed Odium, and there was only one person left that he could fail...

     Himself. 

     And if it cost him his life, he wasn’t going to fail again.  This time he wasn’t fighting for the Jedi.  This time he wasn’t fighting for the Sith.  This time he was fighting out of rage.  Out of anger.  Out of desperation.

     Blind with fury, Reno ignited his lightsaber and charged at Odium.  The Sith Lord opened his eyes wide in surprise and reached for his weapon.  He was too late, though.  Reno jammed his red blade straight through Odium’s chest.  The Sith Lord let out an exasperated sigh and fell to the ground.  Behind him Zarin stood, dumbfounded, his eyes just as wide open as Odium’s...but his were filled with life.  All that Odium’s eyes showed was his waning life force.  Reno stood there, his lightsaber still in his hand, and a look of pure rage on his face.

     His lightsaber deactivated and fell to the ground.  As it fell, so did Odium.  Reno knelt down besides him and cradled him in his arms.  He was reminded immediately of cradling Doneeta as he died...also because of Reno’s actions.

     In his dying breaths, he heard Odium whisper, “...but...you were supposed...to attack Zarin...”                         

     Then his head tilted backwards and he died.

     It was in that moment that Reno understood.  Odium really had chosen him.  When he chose Zarin that was supposed to motivate Reno to kill Zarin...a very twisted kind of logic, but Reno understood it.  But...he understood it too late.  And now...his Master was dead.  Again.  He couldn’t return to the Jedi.  He couldn’t continue to be the kind of Sith that Odium had wanted him to be.  He had...

     ...he had failed again.  He was a failure.  His entire life was based upon failure.

     Behind Reno he heard a snap-hiss and a bright red glow covered the snow around them.  He knew what that meant.  As Odium had made his choice in Reno over Zarin...as Reno had made his choice in killing Odium over Zarin...so had Zarin had made his choice.  Reno had to die.

     What was there left to do now but die?  When your life is based upon one failure after another, what hope do you have?  He would forever be alone.  He knew that now.  There would be no one for Reno.  No love.  No family.  No friends.  No apprentices.  He could not afford to have any connections, as he would just end up failing them in the end. 

     He knew now that his dream would never come true.  He would never stand proud and tall above the Jedi. He would never show them that he was right, and they were wrong.   They would never know.  They would never understand.  He would not ever get the chance to show them why they were wrong.  Whether he lived or died today, his dream would never come true.

     But Zarin’s...

     That dream could still come true.  There was a new kind of command ship waiting in orbit, loaded with starfighters and troops.  It was armed and ready for battle.  That dream could still come true!  However...they couldn’t both be a part of it.  After killing their Master, Zarin would never be able to trust Reno again, nor would Reno be able to trust Zarin.  The dream of Sith Squadron could live on, but with only one of them in it. 

     He could take it!  He could take Zarin’s dream and make it his own.  It was what he wanted.  It was what he needed!  With an entire squadron of Sith pilots around, he would have family.  He would have friends.  He would have apprentices.  And he would never be alone.  What did it matter if the idea was Zarin’s or Reno’s?  What did it matter who thought it up?  The only thing that mattered...the only thing...was who made it happen, who made it go from dream to reality.

     He made a choice in that moment.  He would be that person.  Zarin’s dream was now his dream. Everything that was to be Zarin’s would be his.  It would all be Reno’s.  There was only one thing standing in his way now.  There was only one thing preventing him from achieving Zarin’s...no, his dream.

     Zarin.

     Reno lay the head of his former Master back down on the snow gently and reached over for his lightsaber.  He gripped it tightly, his finger running across the switch that activated the blade.  He sat on his knees in front of his dead Master, his eyes closed, his lightsaber hilt held in front of him.   

     Behind Reno stood Zarin, lightsaber activated and raised above his head, as if Reno’s self-appointed executioner. 

     Now, it was time to fight. 

     Fight for destiny. 

     Fight for life.

     Fight for death. 

     And fight for dreams.

     After he was finished, Reno didn’t know what to say.  It was true.  Zarin was right.  He had killed Odium.  He slew his Master in cold blood, and had then stolen from Zarin what was originally his.  Not just his future, but his dream.  By Sadow, it was true...

     “Congratulations, Renn,” Zarin said.  “More truth has come out of your lips in the last few minutes than has ever in a lifetime.  You still cannot bring yourself to tell the whole truth, though.”

     Reno narrowed his eyes.  “What are you talking about?” he whispered softly, but intensely.  “That was the whole truth.”

     “You’d like to believe that is true, wouldn’t you?  You’d like to believe he really did choose you in the end.  I was there, though, and I saw it all.  There was no whisper.  There were no final words.  There was only death.  His.  Mine.  And yours.”

     “That’s not true!” he yelled back, fighting to keep his emotions under control.

     “What you heard, old friend, was your mind trying to make its lies.  Your conscience, if you have such a thing.  It was creating the lies that have led us down this path.  You could not accept that you had failed again. You could not accept that everything about you was a failure.  You weren’t a good Jedi.  You weren’t a good Sith.  You weren’t as good as I was.  You were never good enough, Renn, and you never will be. Your entire life is based not only upon failure, but also upon a lie.  That is your truth. 

     “Sith Squadron...this thing you cling to as your dream...was my idea.  It is my life you live!  It is my ship you command!  My forces that you control!  They are mine, Renn, mine!  And you stole them from me...”

     “So that’s what this is all about,” Reno said.  “You’re angry that I stole your idea.”

     “It wasn’t just my idea you stole from me!” Zarin spat.  “It was my dream and my life!  Everything that I ever could’ve been you took from me, Renn.”

     “And now you’re going to take everything from me.”

     Zarin let out soft chuckle.  “I will only take back what you owe me.  My ship.  My crew.  And my life.”  He let out a wicked grin.  “Everything else you can keep.”

    Reno stared across at Zarin, still not quite sure what to say to the man whose life he stole.  Did he really steal his life, though?  He took his idea, sure...but an idea is just that.  It takes something more to make that idea a reality.  It took a lot of work and effort to make Sith Squadron come alive.  Perhaps the idea wasn’t his, but he did the work.  He made it all happen.  As much as Sith Squadron owed Zarin, it owed Reno even more.  None of that really mattered, though.  Nothing really mattered anymore.

     “So is that it?” Reno asked.  “Are we finished?”

     “Finished, Renn?” Zarin asked.  “How can we be finished when you don’t know why yet.”

     Reno felt like screaming.  He didn’t know what Zarin wanted from him anymore.  He had told him everything he knew...everything he remembered.  There was nothing left to tell.  Nothing.  Nothing...

     Maybe that was the point of all this.  Maybe Zarin had been lying all the time.  Perhaps the whole point of this had never been to show Reno the truth, but to just drive him insane by never making his intentions clear and constantly teasing him with death but never delivering.  But to what end would that purpose serve?  He didn’t know.  He didn’t know anything.

     “What can there possibly be left,” Reno asked weakly, “for me to tell you?”

     Zarin shook his head slowly in disappointment.

     “You still don’t understand, Renn,” he said, as he took a slow step forward.  Reno didn’t know how to react to this sudden advancement.  He couldn’t reach his lightsaber in time, nor could he fight back physically.  A wombat caught in the headlights of a speeder... 

     “I found this to be a very pitying trait in the beginning,” Zarin said as he inched closer to Reno.  “I felt bad for you.  I pitied you.  Your ignorance and naivety were so saddening that my heart actually felt for you.  Now, though, for you to have come so far and not understand anything....I just find it sickening.” 

     With that, he reared back and punched Reno across the face, forcing him to reel backwards, but not fall.

     “Disgusting.”

     A backhand. 

     “Insulting.” 

     Another punch.

     “How dare you call yourself a leader.  How dare you call yourself a Master.  How dare you call yourself a Sith!”

     Suddenly, Zarin whipped out his lightsaber again and activated it.  Reno thought he was going for a kill shot, but Zarin instead swung low, at Reno’s right leg.  The swipe cut straight through Reno’s leg, cutting it off above the knee.  With only one leg remaining, Reno fell backwards and landed in the snow again.  He expected to hear himself scream in pain, but it never happened.  At first he thought that his leg had been frost bitten, which is why he couldn’t feel it anymore.  It had been dragging for a while, but he hadn’t known why.  He looked down at his leg.  One would expect to see blood and bone inside a severed leg, but that wasn’t what Reno saw.  Instead his eyes fell upon metal and circuitry, wires and chips and artificial skin.  As he looked down at his leg, though, it became brutally clear, and the final piece of the puzzle slipped into place.

     He recalled the final battle he had fought against Zarin ten years ago.  Now that his walls were down, he recalled everything.  For years he told himself that he had defeated Zarin by outsmarting him.  He told himself that after hours of fighting he had faked an injury to lull Zarin into a lunge, where he had cut off Zarin’s right leg, and then threw him over the edge of a mountain.  That wasn’t what had happened, though...not at all.

        They had fought for hours, that part was true.  But Reno was starting to lose.  Zarin was always the better of the two.  As they fought their way up Mt. Procyon, Zarin fell to his knees, as if exhaustion had forced him down.  Lulled into a false sense of victory, Reno had lunged at Zarin with all his might.  Just as Zarin had planned.  A quick swing of the lightsaber later, and Reno had been on the ground, minus most of his right leg.  And there he lay...on a narrow mountain path, totally defeated, with Zarin standing atop him victorious, his lightsaber ready to deliver the kill shot when...

     No…no, he didn’t want to think about it.  He knew it was true, but he didn’t want to think about it.  Instead, Reno writhed in pain on the ground and Zarin advanced on him.

     “What kind of Sith are you?!” he yelled as he came upon Reno, kicking him repeatedly in the stomach.  “What kind of Sith wallows on the ground, crying out in pain!?  What kind of Sith allows himself to be so thoroughly defeated?!  What kind of Sith allows himself to be broken?!”

     The brutal assault continued.  Reno’s body hurt all over as Zarin kicked and stomped the hell out of him.  He could feel his ribs break as Zarin’s boot made contact.  He could feel his nose break as he was kicked across the face.  He could feel the warm blood running down his forehead and taste it in his mouth.  His lip was busted open, and he was sure that he was missing a few teeth.  The only thing that made this comforting in any way was knowledge of the fact that he wouldn’t feel any of this in the morning, as he wasn’t going to live to see another sunrise. 

     He was defeated.  He knew it this time.  There were many times recently where he had thought it was the end, only to continue on.  There were many times recently where he had thought he was going to die, only to live on.  This, however, was not going to be that time.  In all those other times, despite how bleak things might’ve looked, he had always clung to a little bit of hope.  There had always been a chance, however small, that something could happen to turn things around.  Not this time, though.

     Zarin had been right.  Reno was broken.  Not just physically, either, but mentally.  Everything he had thought he knew about his life was gone, replaced by a much colder and harsher reality than he would’ve ever wished known existed.  His life was not what he thought it was.  His past was not what he thought it was.  He was not who he thought he was.

     He couldn’t move.  He knew he hadn’t been paralyzed during the beating, but he still couldn’t bring himself to move.  Had he wanted to he couldn’t moved his arms to try and absorb some of Zarin’s assault, or curl up in a fetal position the best he could considering he didn‘t have a right leg anymore, but there was no point to doing it.  That would only prolong his pain and suffering.

     Suddenly the brutality ended.

     Zarin stood proud and tall over Reno, his chest heaving hard, though Reno doubted he was out of breath.  It was his rage.  He was out of control.  But he seemed to be trying to compose himself, trying to calm himself down.  But why?  What more could there possibly be?  Reno didn’t know.  He just laid on his back and let his blood seep into the snow underneath him.  Trying to understand the why of things no longer interested him.  Nothing did.  Except for death.

     Zarin stared down at Reno, probably surveying the damage he had caused, looking at the bloody remains of what once was his best friend.  Then, much to Reno’s surprise, Zarin knelt down next to Reno.  Much like Reno had down for Odium, and Doneeta before him, Zarin cradled Reno’s head in his arms. 

     Reno looked up the best he could and into Zarin’s face.  The rage was still there, but more reserved and pushed to the back.  Taking its place now was something else.  Pity?  No, not quite that.  Regret?  Perhaps...

     “It was never supposed to be like this, Renn,” he said softly.  “Never.  We...you, Odium and I...we were supposed to go out into the galaxy together.  We were supposed to rule together.  After that day, when we set out with Odium, I was going to create my Sith Squadron, with you, Renn, as my Second.  We would’ve torn the galaxy apart, you and I.  Think of what it would’ve been like, my old friend.  The Empire couldn’t have stopped us.  The Alliance certainly couldn’t have stopped us.  We were to have everything, you understand.  It was to be our destiny.”

     Reno tried to speak, but found that his voice wasn’t working.  His mouth wasn’t moving.  He couldn’t say anything.  Zarin, however, continued.

     “Instead...look at how it ended up.  Odium died before he could even start his campaign of conquest.  You are lying in the snow, dying, a broken and defeated man.  And I...I am worse off than both of you.  Odium died before he could realize he would never achieve his dreams.  You suffered much, but it will end for you soon.  I, however, must continue.  My pain and anguish and torment will go on.  I must live with having never achieved my dream.  Oh, I can kill you, and I will...but it won’t bring about what should’ve been.  I can take your Super Star Destroyer, but it will still be yours.  I can kill your squadron and form my own new one...but it will have already been done.  I cannot achieve my dream now without it coming with the bitter taste of defeat, knowing that I only got it by stealing it from you.  Perhaps you can live with yourself for making that choice, Renn, but I could not.  I will not steal Sith Squadron from you, Renn.  I will not steal from you that which you took from me.  I am no thief.  I will, however, destroy them.  I am not a thief, but I am a Sith.  And your Sith Squadron will fall.” 

     How Reno yearned to say something, anything!  A sarcastic remark...a biting comment...a sharp quip...a proclamation of hatred or vengeance...anything.  But his mouth betrayed him, and he could not speak.

     “After you die, Renn, I will leave this place and never return.  I will have no more use for it.  And assuming Xanthis has not already eliminated your people, I will hunt them down, one by one.  First your Second, Thunder...she is a good dueler, there is no doubt about it, but she was never properly trained by a Jedi or Sith like me, let alone a Jedi or Sith from the old guard.  She will fall.  After that, save for who I wish to kill last...does order really matter?  Seven...Palin...Star...Skate...they will all die.  All of them.  Your SSD will burn, as well.  It is a constant and brutal reminder of what should’ve been mine.  I cannot have it stay.  Vanicus, too, will die.  He swore his life to serve Master Odium, not you.  For that betrayal, he will die.  Last, though...that spot does not belong to me.  That is a person that I choose not to kill, for there is another who wishes to do it.  And when the day comes that Xanthis eliminates Jace Sidrona, and the last remnants of what once was my dream are finally dead, I shall weep.  I shall weep for Odium, I shall weep for my lost dream, and I shall weep for you. 

     “And why?  Because none of this turned out as it should’ve, Renn, none of it.  It should’ve never gotten to this point.  It should’ve ended ten years ago...right here, on Rhen Var.  You should’ve ended ten years ago.  There should never have been a Thunder.  Never a Jen.  Never a Jace Sidrona.  There should never have been this right now. 

     “And do you remember now why we are here?  Do you remember yet why you survived when I did not?  You asked earlier why you were the one to leave Rhen Var if I was the one who won the duel...have you figured it out yet?  Do you remember?”

     He did.  By Sadow, he did.  But he didn’t want to admit it.  He didn’t want it out in the open.  He didn’t want to admit to yet another failure. 

     “I can see that you do...but let me help you.  I had just cut off your leg.  You were lying on the ground, screaming in pain and agony...much like today, actually...I was standing next to you as you pleaded for your life.  Your words meant nothing.  The only thing that mattered was that vengeance was served.  You were completely helpless.  You were broke and defeated.  You were dead.  I raised my lightsaber and was ready for the deathblow, and…”

     Reno tried to force the image out of his mind.  He didn’t want to admit it.  He didn’t want it out in the open.  He tried his best to shove the image back and force his walls back up.  He saw himself in his mind throwing the memory into a corner and trying to build a new wall, but the memory was like a mist and it seeped through the cracks every time. 

     He couldn’t lock it away anymore. 

     He couldn’t hide from it. 

     He couldn’t avoid it. 

     He had to face it.

     “The ledge on the path that you were standing on broke,” his hoarse voice said.  “You fell down the mountain before I even knew what had happened.  I never even saw your body.  I assumed you fell to your death.  I crawled back to the complex with one leg and called for Vanicus to bring a shuttle.  I just wanted to get away from there.  Away from the complex, away from Odium, away from you.  I couldn’t live with what had happened that day.  I couldn‘t stand to be there any longer, considering how I had survived.”

     “And how did you survive?”

     “By a fluke...it was nothing more than a fluke.  If that ledge hadn’t broken, you would’ve killed me.  You would’ve taken command of the SSD, and you would’ve formed your own Sith Squadron.  Everything that I have today I owe because of a simple stroke of luck...I didn’t earn it.  I lucked into it.”

     Zarin smiled.  It was a smile of not only relief, but victory.  He knew that he had finally won.  There was nothing left to be revealed.  Nothing left in Reno’s mind to bring out into the open.  He had won.  Zarin had won.

     Zarin laid Reno’s head back on the snow and stood up.  He didn’t seem to mind the blood on his hands, as he didn’t bother to wipe them clean.  He walked around Reno’s body until he was standing by his remaining foot.  He leered down at Reno, a sense of victory and superiority in his glance.

     “I asked you, when you first came here, who and what you were.  At the time you didn’t know. You were lost and confused.  I was your shepherd through the darkness.  I guided you to the truth.  Let me ask you one last time...who...what...are you?”

     Reno looked up at him.  He knew that he should fight back.  He knew that he should refuse to answer.  By answering him, he was admitting defeat.  He was admitting that Zarin was right about everything.  He knew all of this...and yet, he was going to answer.  Because he was defeated.  He was wrong about everything, and Zarin had been right.  Reno’s entire life had been nothing but failures built upon lies.  Knowing that, how could he not answer? 

     “I am...a failure.”

     If possible, Zarin’s smile grew even wider. 

     “I have thought about this moment for so long, Renn,” he said.  “The moment when you truly understand what a sham your life has been.  When you truly understand why you deserve to die.  Because I knew that in that moment, when all is understood, I could kill you.  But now that the time has come, I’m not quite sure how to go about it.  I suppose I could pop a blood vessel in your brain...perhaps simple Force Choke you.  Or...”

     He activated his lightsaber again.

     “I could do it the easy way.  A simple thrust or swipe is all it would take.  You wouldn’t even put up a fight.  It doesn’t seem right, though.  It doesn’t feel right.  However much your life has been a lie...however much your life has been built upon failures...you do have a legacy, Renn, and it would be a shame to end it like that.  Or, I could...oh, but that would be perfect...poetic justice at its most ironic.”

     Zarin reached his hand out and, with the Force, summoned Reno’s lightsaber to his hand.  It dislodged itself from the snow and flew into his grip.  As soon as he had a hold of it, he clipped it to his belt.  Then he turned his lightsaber off and hung it on the opposite side of his waist.  He reached down and grabbed Reno, hoisting him up and over his shoulder.  He walked straight for the main gate to the complex.  What was Zarin doing?  Where were they going?  Why didn’t he just kill Reno and get it over with?

     “Where...”

     “It is time for the fall of the Lord Baron Reno,” Zarin interrupted.  “Literally.”

     Once they were out of the compound, Zarin turned towards the path that they had dueled upon ten years ago...the path where their lives had ended and begun...the path to Mt. Procyon. 

     Reno had no concept of time anymore.  He didn’t know how long Zarin carried him up the mountain.  He didn’t know how long he had been on Rhen Var.  He didn’t even know how long it had been since his capture.  Everything was a blur.  The only thing he knew at the moment was that he was being carried to his death.

     He didn’t fight it.  Not anymore.  There really wasn’t anything to fight.  Everything that Zarin had told Reno had ended up being completely true.  Reno was a sham.  He was a failure.  He was a lie.  He had murdered his Master, stolen his best friend’s dream, and was only alive today because of a fluke.  If anyone deserved death, it was him.

     What seems like years ago, Zarin had asked him that when the Force decided it was his time to die, that it was his time to pay for his crimes, would he accept the judgment set down upon him.  At the time he had avoided the question, since he did not want to accept the answer.  Well, the Force had definitely decided it was his time to die.  Much to his surprise, however, Reno had decided to accept his fate.  After everything that Zarin had shown him, he felt it was what he deserved. 

     Reno noted that as Zarin carried him up the path, neither said anything.  He didn’t think there was really anything left to say.  Not after everything that had happened recently...after everything that had been said...after everything had been revealed.  And so they continued in silence, with the only sound being the wailing of the increasing wind.  It was always windy on Mt. Procyon.

     Truthfully, though, he had only been at the very top of the mountain once, and that had been with Odium took he and Zarin atop the mountain as a test, and then proceeded to break Zarin’s leg and seemingly leave him to die.  That was the only time he had ever been at the top of Mt. Procyon.  The only other time he had been on the mountain was during his duel with Zarin after Odium’s death.  Suffice to say, neither visit to the mountain ended well for either Reno or Zarin.  He didn’t think this time would be any different.

     After what seemed like a minute and an eternity, Zarin finally stopped.  He threw Reno down to the ground hard and uncaringly, which would‘ve caused another injury if Reno’s body wasn’t already just one big injury.  He thought he felt a rib break, but he had broken so many recently that it might’ve just been one of the already broken ones breaking some more.  Who knew?  Who cared?

     Reno forced himself to his hands and knees, which was a lot more painful to do than he thought it would be.  He was not surprised to find that he was at the top of Mt. Procyon.  At the top of the mountain there was very large plateau, a couple hundred yards by a couple hundred yards.  Like everything on the planet it was covered with snow, at least a foot of it.  He was, however, surprised at the view.  Despite his hatred for the planet, he had to admit that from atop the highest peak, it looked magnificent.  Huge mountain valleys covered in snow...just magnificent.  If he wasn’t about to die, he might actually sit and stare for a few minutes.  As it was, though, his time was just about up, and he had more important things to do than look at the pretty mountains.

     Zarin stepped in front of him, impeding his view.

     “How the mighty have fallen,” he said.  “Once the apprentice of a Jedi Master.  Once the apprentice of a Sith Lord.  Once the commander of a Super Star Destroyer.  Once the leader of a squadron of Sith. 

     “Now, a Jedi Master lay dead because of you.  A Sith Master lay dead because of you.  Your SSD is to be destroyed, and your Sith along with it.  You have lost everything, Renn.  Your family.  Your friends.  Your ship.  Your dreams.  Your mind.  Your body.  Your soul. And now...”

     Zarin ignited his saber.

     “...now you lose your life.  Whether you believe it or not, I truly am sorry it had to end like this, Renn.  Once upon a time, you were a good friend to me.  I would have mourned your loss at the Choosing, had it happened like that.  It didn’t, though, and here we are.  Take solace in the fact that I derive no joy from this.  To me this is nothing more than justice being done.  I have helped you as much as I could.  Before your death, I let you find yourself.  I let you see who you truly are.  It’s more than you would’ve done for me, old friend, were our situations reversed.  But enough talk. You've faced the demons of your past. It's only fitting that judgement be passed by the biggest demon of them all.  Goodbye, Renn.”

     With those words, he raised his lightsaber high.  Reno didn’t bother looking up.  He didn’t feel he was worthy enough to look Death in the eyes as he was dealt his final blow.  After everything that had happened...after all the truths that had been revealed...he just wanted to die.  He realized now that he was not worthy of anything.  He was not worthy of his ship, his squadron, or even his life.  It needed to end.  It all needed to end.

     Zarin started to bring his blade down...

     ...when he stopped. 

     Not because of anything Reno did, however.  It wasn’t even because of any change of heart on Zarin’s part.  He knew that at this point, there would never be a change of heart there.  No...he stopped because of the sound.  It was a loud sound coming from above them.  Reno and Zarin both looked up.  High in the sky, but descending rapidly, was a ship.  It was a ship that Reno had seen once before.  It was not a ship, however, that he was particularly delighted to see at this point.  The side of the ship had an emblem on it, a huge triangle with a circle inside.  Underneath read the words “fatale libere”, which translated meant “The Death of Freedom”. 

     It was the motto for TOS.

     It was a TOS ship.

     It was Xanthis’s personal ship.

     “He made it...” he heard Zarin whisper.  Zarin turned to Reno.  “Your death has been prolonged for a scant few minutes it seems.  I told Xanthis to only return once Sith Squadron is dead.  Now that he has made it this far, I shall not deny him the chance to watch you die, nor will I kill you before you know that your ship is destroyed, your squadron dead, and your dream ended.”

     They watched together as Xanthis’ ship descended the atmosphere and landed atop the peak they stood on.  Zarin stood next to Reno, who was trying his best to stay up on his hands and…well, knee, and watched the ship as it powered down.  Reno risked a glance at Zarin, whose face betrayed no emotion. 

     There was another loud sound and the boarding ramp to the ship started to slowly descend.  Zarin didn’t wait for it to stop before turning around and facing Reno again.  Despite his earlier words that he took no joy in this, Reno thought he detected a slight gleam in his eyes.

     He heard footsteps in the snow.  He couldn’t see Xanthis approaching, though, because Zarin eclipsed his view.  He only heard the crunch of footsteps.

     Zarin gave Reno a brief smile.  There were no words this time.  There were no speeches about past wrongs, about vengeance or words concerning justice.  There was only Zarin, Reno, and the approaching footsteps of Xanthis.  Nothing else existed.

     Crunch.  Crunch.  

     Again, for what Reno knew would be the final time, Zarin raised his lightsaber.

     Reno was almost dismayed to note that in his final moments he had no profound wisdom to think of or give, if anyone who cared enough to listen to him were here to listen to it anyway, that is.  He was going to prove wrong that "prophecy" that Odium’s hologram had told him about, though.  Zarin had programmed it to tell Reno that he would have to kill three different people in order for him to live, and that if he did that, he would live.  However, if he failed to kill those people, he would die.  Since he had never been given a chance to kill anyone here, he was seriously doubting it had any validity to it.  Actually, he had pretty much dismissed it immediately.  He was going to die right now, and any prophecy that had been spouted to him was nothing more than a load of crap.

     He did find, though, that was he was happy it was ending.  As much as he had wanted to escape earlier...as much as he had wanted to live...he no longer desired that.  He had looked into his soul and realized that he no longer deserved to live.  After all that he had done, he no longer deserved life.  He had cheated death once before at the hands of Zarin.  He would not do so again.

     Zarin swung his lightsaber down.

     Crunch.  Crunch.

     Xanthis’ footfalls drew nearer.

     Fate drew nearer.

     Zarin’s blade drew nearer.

     Death drew nearer.

     Reno was in the process of closing his eyes and preparing for death when a lightsaber  hilt landed in front of him.  It imbedded itself in the snow at his knees, but stuck out long enough for both Reno and Zarin to realize what it was.  The mere sight of the handle was enough to stay Zarin’s hand, and he stopped mid-swing, for it wasn’t just any lightsaber.  It was Xanthis’ lightsaber.  They had both seen it enough over the years to recognize it on sight.  Why had Xanthis thrown his lightsaber hilt at Reno and stopped Zarin from killing Reno?  It didn’t make any sense.  And judging by the confused expression on Zarin’s face, he was just as befuddled as Reno.

     Then there was the familiar snap-hiss of a lightsaber being ignited behind Zarin, and the area was bathed in a cold blue glow.  Zarin never had a chance to react, and before he could turn to face his attacker, a dark blue lightsaber blade was sticking out the front of his chest.  Zarin’s own blade slipped from his grasp, the blade extinguishing, and fell unto the snowy ground.  The dark blue blade slid back out of Zarin, leaving only a gaping hole in his chest.

     Reno looked into Zarin’s eyes as he dropped to his knees.  Much to his surprise, there was no hint of malice.  There was no anger.  There wasn’t even hatred.  If anything, they held a look of relief, as if glad that it was all over.  There was also, however, pity, sorrow and regret. 

     And Reno knew why. 

     For years Zarin had dreamed of creating Sith Squadron, only to have that dream stolen from him.  After that, he dreamed only of the day he would be able to kill Reno and destroy the dream that he himself had created.  And now, after being so close, that dream too had been taken from him.  It was yet another dream in his life that would go unfulfilled.  This dream, however, had not been taken from Zarin by Reno.  Reno had been defeated by Zarin.  He had been broken by him.  He was in no position to stop Zarin from doing anything.  And they both knew it.

     They locked their eyes on each other, for what they both knew would be the last time.  Zarin was dying, his seconds dwindling quickly.  He was down to his one last breath, a spot that Reno had been in only moments before.  It seemed almost impossible, but he had once again escaped Zarin’s wrath through no skill of his own, and if only by sheer luck. 

     Zarin’s mouth started to twitch and it became evident that he was trying to say something.  Last words to remember him by, probably.  No doubt he would spit an obscenity at Reno, or a curse.  It is what Reno would do if here were in Zarin’s place.

     Zarin did neither.

     “Reno,” he whispered hoarsely, his voice scratchy and racked with pain and sorrow. “Some day the dream will end...”

     And with those words, he fell.

     Reno stared at Zarin’s motionless, lifeless body, a wave of emotions rolling over him.  It didn’t make sense that Xanthis would kill his Master.  It just didn’t.  Zarin had saved Xanthis’ life after Reno and Jace left him to die on that asteroid base.  He owed Zarin everything.  Why would he do it, then?   For the first time, he looked up at Zarin’s attacker, at who he thought was Xanthis. 

     It wasn’t.

     It was Jace Sidrona.

     The real Jace Sidrona.

     He stood proud and tall above Zarin, though looking a little worse for the wear.  In fact, he looked a bit haggard and worn down, not to mention tired and beat up.  He looked as if he had just crawled through nine different levels of hell to get here.  Reno suspected, though, that as bad as Jace looked, he looked much worse.  If Jace had crawled through nine levels of hell, Reno had done at least ten.

     For what seemed like a small eternity they stayed their ground and stared at each other.  Jace kept his saber ignited, held down at his side, and looked down at him.  He tried to read Jace’s eyes to see what he might be thinking, but they were a mystery.  He couldn’t read anything in them.  He had no idea what his apprentice was thinking.  Which was just as well, because Reno had no idea what to do, no idea what to say.  Moments ago he had resigned himself to submission.  He had resigned himself to the fate that he had created for himself.  He had resigned himself to death.  In fact, he had done more than resign himself to those facts, he had actually desired them.  He had wanted death, he had wanted it all to end.  He was glad that it was all going to be over.  But now it was different.  Now he was going to have to do one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do in his life.

     ...now he had to live.

     After resigning himself to and desiring death, how could he continue on?  How could he put this all behind him and continue on?  Or an even better question...did he even want to?  Here he was on the top of one of the tallest mountains on Rhen Var.  All he had to do was stand up, turn around and jump off and it would all be over.  No more pain, no more misery, no more sorrow, no more life.  It would be as it would’ve been had Zarin killed him.  All he had to do was stand up, turn, and jump...

     But he couldn’t do it.

     And it wasn’t because he didn’t have the physical strength to do it.  Despite missing a part of his right leg, he could stand up easy enough and fall off a mountain.  He couldn’t do it because he was a coward.  Because he was afraid.  He was afraid of death.  He was afraid to end his life by his own hands and his own decision.  He was afraid to let go of his life with the knowledge that things would go on without him around.  He was afraid to die with the knowledge that Zarin’s dream...his dream...whoever’s dream...would continue on without him. 

     All in all, though, he was just afraid.  

     Since he could not die, and since he didn’t think that he could live anymore, he did the only thing he could do.

     He cried.