<span style="font-family: Constantia;"><span style="font-size: 125%; line-height: 116%;">The attack had gone smoothly, but time was of the essence.  Every second counted in a raid such as this - even if it wasn't meant to capture supplies or gather intel.  The attack literally had only one purpose - to damage the Sith's ability to control their territories.  Even as he was helping Squad Three wipe out a cornered resistance section near the main supply depot - Zyan noted something different about things.  Troops were retreating to the main part of the base's headquarters, and they were doing so en masse.  Though such a retreat made sense - there was a dark will behind it, and that made him wary.  It was not the orders of a Sith warrior, but someone darker.  His eyes narrowed as he approached the area he felt ten of his people get wiped out.  They were not dead, but they had clearly been defeated by someone all at once.  That kind of power could only come from one of the darker Sith.  He had been wanting to pit his skills against a Dark Lord or a Darth, and now that moment seemed to be soon at hand.  Eagerly, he wiped out the cornered resistance, and in doing so seemed to gather all the more energy for their defeat.  Knowing an enemy was ahead that could hurt his people - he had them fall back towards their assault shuttles.  The time was ticking, and they could not afford to be caught planetbound if Sith reinforcements arrived.<br/><br/>Then...<br/><br/>...she was there:  Keiran.<br/><br/>His old friend was there greeting him as the Dawn Knight with her lightsabers still clipped to her belt.  His own gold and emerald swirling blade remained actively humming and ready, and he immediately fell to classic Soresu with his eyes narrowed at her.  So many emotions came to the surface as their eyes met:  anger, disbelief, sorrow, anguish, regret, determination, fierceness, devotion, revenge...they all came boiling to the surface past all of his mental and emotional discipline.  The chance of seeing her again had been low - for anything might have happened to her, but here they were in the midst of a battle he had started against the side she had joined.  But, he found that he did not wish to be on the defensive.  That had gotten him no where the last time they had fought.  <br/><br/>"So, the life of the Sith murderers agrees with you, does it, <span style="font-style: italic">Old Friend</span>," Zyan stated with narrowed dark green eyes as he immediately shut his mind away from her.  The last thing he wanted was to feel any connection to the woman who had - in his eyes - betrayed the dream they had shared of joining the Jedi Order.  Oh, he knew she had done it in the hopes of stopping the Sith from gathering anyone else - especially him, but the truth was she had not saved anyone.  The town had been wiped out, and it was a sheer miracle he had survived after the wounds she had given him.  Oh, they likely would not have killed him by themselves, but combined with the severe lack of aid present with the town was wiped out had left Zyan as good as dead.  Had it not been for Master Nilenn - his life would have ended there.  Part of him wishes it had rather than find her as one of the Dark Ladies of the Sith.  <br/><br/>"It really is ironic," he actually chuckled for the first time since before their first duel.  "Here I am the son of two Sith, and my beloved best friend stops me from joining them, because it would forever change me.  But her own betrayal changed me - her betrayal of the dream we once shared.  For ten years I trained harder than any other Jedi to fight against the oppression of the Sith - to make them pay for what they did to you...to us, and I have only just begun to make them bleed.  Funny thing is, I am not even considered a true Jedi.  The Council was wiped out on Ossus before they could see for themselves how Nilenn had trained me.  Now, here we are...both of us failures to the other."<br/><br/>With that he swiftly moved from Soresu to Makashi in less than a blink of an eye.  His blade swept in the tight elegant strikes and stabs towards here with every ounce of skill and deadly intent he could muster.  He knew his attacks would not reach her, but he attacked all the same.  It simply didn't matter if she parried or not, because the duel was long overdue...by ten long years.<br/><br/>As their lightsabers clashed - Zyan continued:  "You - who failed to protect the village with your supposed sacrifice and hope that doing so would not have me changed when I have literally been trained for war against those you chose.  And, I failed you - failed to stop you that day...to make you see that your sacrifice would be for nothing, and now...now this is where <span style="font-style: italic">we</span> are!"<br/><br/>The Force flowed through him such as it had rarely done.  Never in the past ten years had his mind and energy been as focused as it was now dueling Keiran.  But, with each clash of their sabers was another couple of seconds lost for him to leave.  One of the assault transports could be heard on approach even as he continued to thrust and counter-thrust with every fiber of his being.</span></span>