With our enemy tied down in battle, we made significant progress distancing ourselves from him. Whoever he was, he’d have a hard time catching us now.

  The next planet in our path was Korriban—also known as Morraband—a place I had no intention of stopping at. The planet had a breathable atmosphere, but little else to recommend it. There was minimal plant life, virtually no inhabitants, and, most importantly, it was a Sith holy site. Its connection to the dark side was one of the main reasons I didn’t want to linger there.

  Retra, however, thought otherwise. “We should check it out. Some knowledge applies to both sides of the Force.”

  “The Sith ghosts there are infamous for trying to turn Force users to the dark side. It doesn’t seem wise, even if we’re all resistant to the draw of that path,” I argued, my tone firm.

  “You must go there, Roan,” Xanthe suddenly intervened, her voice a soft, insistent presence in my mind.

  “Why? What reason could I possibly have to go there?” I shot back.

  “The one you call Yoda was there,” Xan explained, her tone unusually grave.

  “Why should I care about that?” I demanded, frustration creeping into my voice.

  “Because he’s been there twice, and I believe the second time had something to do with you. I sense the Force connecting you to his last trip there,” Xan added.

  I sighed in resignation, feeling the weight of his words settle heavily on my chest. “Ugh,” I groaned, the frustration of it all creeping in.

  “What?” Retra asked, her voice filled with concern as she looked over at me.

  I shook my head, the weight of my thoughts swirling. “It’s Xanthe… she says we should go. Apparently, Yoda visited Korriban several times in recent years. She believes his second visit has something to do with me—something the Force is pulling us toward.”

  “Master Yoda!” Teya almost squealed excitedly. The powerful Force user had always been her hero, but after what happened, he wasn’t mine.

  “Aaand... we could learn some things while we're there,” Retra added slyly, her playful smirk showing through.

  I sighed. "I just know I’m gonna regret this, but fine."

  The girls cheered in triumph and set course for the surface.

  “What are you getting us into, Xanthe?” I asked, half-mockingly, but the doubt still lingered.

  A soothing feeling flowed through me. “Trying to find the truth. There is more to you than meets the eye, and there are truths upon truths about who you are.”

  I felt a shiver as cold sweat slid down my spine. Despite her attempts to soothe me, I found her words cryptic and worrying.

  The hangar doors opened, and I saw the desolate surface before us. A barren grey desert and mountains stretched out, laid bare before our eyes. The only sign of civilization was a Sith Temple nestled in the valley of the dark lords.

  I felt Xanthe point mentally at the temple. “There!”

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  I scoffed. “Are you out of your mind? That’s the Temple of Darth Bane.”

  I felt a mental shrug. “Perhaps he has the answers we seek.”

  “Oh yeah, let’s just walk into an evil ghost’s house and ask for story time and pointers,” I responded sarcastically.

  "Oh, what’s he going to do? If he could possess anyone, he wouldn’t still be here. Many have entered and left alive. I can sense it. So, he may be a grumpy and evil old man, but solitude will make even enemies talk," Xanthe responded, her amusement evident.

  Xan had a good point—he may have intended harm, but he had little power to do so. There was a reason Jedi could walk into the temples here without fear. Dead Sith, even as ghosts, were powerless to do anything but scare people.

  "I don't like it, but Xanthe says we should go to the temple," I told Teya and Retra.

  "Why?" Teya asked, concerned.

  Retra, on the other hand, just fist-pumped. "Sweet!"

  “Because Yoda was there, apparently,” I lamented.

  They both nodded, their enthusiasm unshaken.

  I led the way, and once inside the temple, we activated our lightsabers to illuminate the dark halls.

  “We're not far from the chamber where Darth Bane’s tomb lies. That’s where Yoda visited, but don’t worry. Even if he’s a ghost, there’s nothing he can do but talk,” I reassured them.

  We entered the chamber, and a loud voice spoke, “Welcome, young ones,” a strong, friendly, yet somehow familiar voice echoed.

  “Darth Bane, I presume?” I asked the armored figure with fire-red eyes. The figure looked terrifying, but he wasn’t trying to intimidate us.

  The ghostly figure nodded. “In life, yes. And the shell of him I am in death. Why does another seek me out?”

  “A master of the Jedi was here, named Yoda. I came to see why he was here both times,” I answered.

  “Oh yes, great master Yoda,” the ghost murmured. “The first time he came seeking answers on how to become one with the Force, similar to my current state. The second… he sought answers for an anomaly—a child from whom he sensed no darkness, but the workings of the dark side.”

  Xanthe spoke, “I sense the truth from him. He is not playing games with you.”

  Something about the honesty of this Sith worried me, but I pushed it aside.

  “What was the answer?”

  The figure fluctuated in agitation. “I told him it was not of my doing, and I did not know whom it may be. But seeing you... I can say he was mistaken. He thought you were the one causing him to sense darkness in the future. Instead, it was Darth Sidious and his apprentice, Darth Vader.”

  From my question, he must have gathered that I was the one Yoda sought answers for. “Why did he sense the dark side from me?”

  There was a pitiful head motion meant to convey an expression of sorrow. “Oh my child, do you not know what you are?”

  I couldn’t stand it anymore. A sick feeling overwhelmed my stomach. I fled, and the girls chased after me. I was made!

  “Roan, stop!” Teya shouted.

  I collapsed. This was the thing I had always feared, lingering in the back of my mind. Experiments were often done on slaves and their progeny. I was a Sith’s experiment, and it was less than ideal. Abandoned by the Sith first, and then the Jedi. I was cast out by Yoda because he worried I was something far more sinister.

  "Roan, no matter what you are, you are you, and nobody can take that away. We love you for who you are, not what you were intended to be. They may have modified you, but they did not make you. You were born just like the rest of us, and you are who you choose to be. I've seen you fight fate just like the rest of us," Retra hugged me.

  Normally, Teya would be reluctant to do the same, but she joined in as well. “It’s okay, Roan. I told you Yoda had his reasons, didn’t I? But he was wrong.”

  For several minutes, I stood there processing what I'd learned—that a Sith played a part in my creation.

  "It's an important truth, but it changes nothing. You are as you have always been. I also sensed an intention to mislead with the Sith's last statement. He spoke the truth, but it was twisted and meant to conceal something." Xanthe added.

  We entered the chamber once more, and this time, Teya spoke up. “Where did Master Yoda go?”

  The ghost shrugged. “He didn’t tell me, but he left something for the boy, should he someday find himself here.” Darth Bane pointed at an old flat stone tablet. The writing was carved into it with his lightsaber.

  It read: “Should you see this stone, young Roan, know the best choices I could make. With you take this stone, you must.”

  “The frack? He wants me to take a normal stone left as a letter?” I muttered.

  “Must be some secret to it, Roan. Yoda wouldn’t leave it for you if there wasn’t,” Teya insisted, putting the stone into her bag.

  I left the chamber, noticing Retra stayed to ask her own questions. Emotionally drained, I headed back to the ship.