Scott's Rating:   4 out of 4

This short story was published in the Star Wars Gamer magazine. It takes place six months before the Battle of Ruusan (a thousand or so years before Episode I).

Jedi Master Crian Maru and her Rodian Padawan Dree Vandap are on the trail of a Dark Lord of the Sith - Kaox Krul. He's also known as The Marauder. After a battle with him in space, they all crash land together on an unihabited planet. Thus begins a game of cat and mouse between the Jedi and the Sith. Crian believes she can defeat the Marauder, but will her Padawan be a help or a hindrance? And can she defeat the Sith without turning to the Dark Side herself?

Scott:

    Though this story isn't tied in with the movies, it's still a fun read. Darkness Shared shows a classic battle between an evenly matched Jedi and Sith. It's truly impressive to see them battle for hours to a standstill and have the Jedi walk on the brink of the Dark Side. If you like action, you'll like this story.

Slavicsek has great fun with the Sith Lord in this short story. He's in top form and he exhibits interesting uses of his Force powers. One of the most interesting is when he uses the Force to boost his speed and chase down a speeder bike. It's an interesting extrapolation on the power as we saw it in Episode I.

The relationship between the Padawan and the Jedi was also well done. It was an interesting twist to see a Jedi Master worry about a Padawan holding them back and possibly being a hindrance during battle. Obi-Wan is so capable in the movies it's something that wouldn't immediately come to mind.

This is a story worth checking out, and Marc Sasso provides some beautiful artwork for it.

Scott:

    I can't think of anything bad to mention about this story.

Scott:

    The cover price for this magazine - $6.99!!!