6BBY, The planet Kamarios, the Outer Rim
Chapter One - Cube and Pyramid
"Around average height, lightly built, roughly shoulder length, straight, shaggy black hair, green eyes, insincerely innocent expression and stealing from a stallholder," The Imperial officer narrowed his eyes and put down his datapad. "You must be the Shadowfriend."
"I think you've made a mistake, sir," The thief shook his head and smiled nervously. "You can't really think I'm the Shadowfr-" He looked past the officer and frowned. "What is that?"
The officer turned round to look, but there was nothing unusual behind him. He turned back to find the thief gone, disappeared into the many streets and alleyways of the town. "Damn," hissed the officer, reaching towards the stall. "Wait, where is my datapad?"
An hour later, about a mile from the town, the thief, fifteen-year-old Eryll Serolluin, shifted the wood covering the hole that led to his home aside. He climbed down, placing the wood back over from the inside. He pushed aside a curtain that covered the entrance and put the datapad down on the small table that lay inside. The rest of the room was almost completely filled with boxes of interesting items Eryll had stolen, aside from one corner, which housed his small bed.
He knelt down next to one box and retrieved three objects from it. One was a stormtrooper's blaster with the words Do not forget, do not forgive engraved on it. The other two were small and ornate. One was in the shape of a cube, the other, a pyramid. Both had their corners unaligned with the rest of the object. They appeared to be made of glass and metal, although Eryll was unsure of what the actual materials were. The cube emanated a blue glow, whilst the pyramid pulsated red.
Eryll put his hand on the stormtrooper helmet and closed his eyes, a single tear rolling down his cheek. "Do not forget," he whispered to himself. "Do not forgive." He placed the red pyramid in front of him, and, still with his eyes closed, pictured it in his mind. Concentrating on it, he forgot everything else for a moment. As soon as he did, it began to rise off the floor in front of him, its corners extending away from its main body and rotating in the air. A voice spoke from within and red smoke emerged.
"What do you seek..." The voice was like a snake.
"I want..." Eryll hesitated. "I want to drive the empire off Kamarios."
"Yes... That power is here... It could be yours."
"How?" Eryll opened his eyes. "How do I-" The pyramid fell to the ground, its corners returning to it. Eryll put his hand on his forehead, overcome by a sudden pain. Closing his eyes, the image of Admiral Dalion's face came to him. It was a face well-known to the people of Kamarios, for Dalion had been stationed on the planet ever since the empire had taken over the planet, in the very town that Eryll lived near. He opened his eyes. Admiral Dalion. That would be his next target. Too long had he stayed here, stealing from stallholders and shops to survive, taking ornaments and building up a large assortment of mostly useless items. He would now begin to strike at the empire and show them that they weren't wanted on Kamarios any longer.
He placed the wood back over the hole and knelt on one knee, looking up at the town that lay a mile south of him. He knew already what he would steal. Admiral Dalion had a medal which had been presented to him by none other than Grand Admiral Thrawn. It was an item the man bragged about in almost every speech, and it was an item that Eryll would take.
The admiral's house was, of course, the largest in the town, although it was still small in comparison to the houses of many other planets. Every door was guarded by two stormtroopers, one on the outside and the other on the inside, but to try and enter via a door was the mark of a fool. Eryll had a much better idea. From atop a wall that surrounded the garden and connected to the wall of the house, he leapt up and caught hold of the roof's overhang, pulling himself fully on to the shallow roof, all whilst making little to no noise.
He proceeded up the roof until he reached a chimney, which he looked into. The fireplace was a few feet down and the fire was out. He slowly lowered himself in, pushing against the sides so as not fall the entire way. He listened carefully, and upon hearing no noise, dropped quietly into the fireplace. The room was empty, but for a desk and chair. Upon exiting the fireplace, he realised his luck, for he had entered the admiral's own room and the medal was hanging on the wall. He crept over and inspected the small golden seal, which was suspended on a string. There appeared to be no alarm or connected to it, so he slowly reached up and took it from the wall. Silence. Luck. He slipped it into his pocket and looked around the room again.
His arms were tired just from suspending himself in the chimney, so he wouldn't be able to get back out the way he came in. He'd have to find a window, or perhaps a door that he could distract the guards away from. He snuck out of the room and was greeted with a corridor and stairs down to the lower level. Choosing the stairs, he proceeded down and paused at a corner, listening for any sounds. There were none, so he crept along the corridor until he reached a door that was strangely unguarded, he paused at it for a moment. The door opened, revealing two stormtroopers and a high ranking imperial.
The high ranking imperial was tall and thin, with a gaunt face and pale skin. His eyes were cold blue and his hair was blond and cropped short, his chin clean-shaven. It was Admiral Dalion. The tall man glared down at Eryll, anger flooding his eyes and turning his entire face red with rage.
"Troopers," he commanded, his high imperial accent resounding across the room as Eryll backed away in fear. "Remove this street-rat immediately and find out how he got in. Then search him for any stolen items and beat him to make sure he doesn't return."
The soldiers advanced on Eryll and grabbed him, dragging him through the door and outside. They threw him to the ground and one seized collar while the other closed the door behind them. "How'd you get in, street-rat?" demanded the one holding his collar.
"Yeah," the other said. "This area's off limits. You're trespassing on the admiral's property. You gonna tell us, are do you want to be more beaten than you need to be?"
"I think that will be unnecessary, my friends," a deep, quiet voice spoke from the shadows, and a figure in a black cloak and loose fitting robe, with a mask covering their face, stepped into view, both arms behind their back. "Let him go, good people."
The stormtroopers glanced at each other. The one holding Eryll dropped him and stood up. "What makes you think you're our friends? You're trespassing as well." They held up their blasters, which were immediately torn from their hands and smashed against the wall behind them.
"Come, acquaintances," the stranger spoke, both hands still behind his back. "Allow me to sample your style."
One trooper ran straight at the figure, whilst the other advanced towards Eryll, who scrambled to his feet and backed away. He found himself cornered between the imperial and a wall. With no options, he raised his hands, ready to fight. The other trooper slammed into the wall next to him.
"No, no, no good," The stranger straightened up and turned away from the trooper. His hands hadn't moved. "You fight with too much imbalance, and you are inadaptive - stubborn. No good. Now fight me properly. Again."
The trooper stood up and charged back at the stranger. The other one glanced back at the fight, letting down his guard. Eryll took the opportunity to land a hit on his chest, but it simply staggered him and drew his attention back, after which he seized Eryll's arm and slammed him into the wall.
"Stay still if you want to keep your nose intact," growled the trooper, wrapping his arm around Eryll's neck and looking over at the stranger. "Hey y-"
The other trooper fell to the ground. "Improvement, if only a little," The stranger turned away a second time. "You need to be more precise, though. You are still refusing to adapt to a new style. Unlock your mind. Again."
"Hold up one moment," The trooper holding Eryll held a knife to his cheek. "You want this kid in one piece? You surrender now and I'll let his pretty face stay intact."
"Ah, you misunderstand," The stranger turned back to them. "I am not in a bargaining mood, and - I think this is more your language - I have the power here." The trooper's hand trembled for a second, then moved away from Eryll. At the same time, his arm loosened, releasing the young thief, who staggered away. The stranger shook their head. "You yield too eagerly, troopers. You must learn to use the force, not fear it. Still, you will leave now."
The troopers both picked up their guns and left, as if they had suddenly come under the stranger's command. The stranger turned back to Eryll. "Now, child. I would speak with you."
Eryll laughed nervously and backed away. "That sounds great, but I've gotta go." He turned and ran, leaping over the fence behind him and turning into the main street.
"No, child," The stranger stretched out a hand, then let it drop to his side and sighed.
Eryll looked back at the town and watched as the empire day celebrations began. Few people supported the empire's rule, but attendance was mandatory. Eryll was lucky not to be on the records, or troopers would be looking for him after the celebrations ended.
He knelt down and slid back the wood, swinging down into his home. He reached up and slid the wood back over, then climbed the rest of the way down the ladder. He pulled aside the curtain, revealing the stranger standing in the middle of the room, holding the cube.
Eryll stepped back and shook his head. He couldn't see how the stranger had found him, let alone got here first. He hadn't been followed. The stranger stretched out the hand holding the cube. "How did you find a Holocron on Kamarios?"
"Give that back," said Eryll, snatching it from them. "Go away. You'll be missed by the empire. The party's just beginning. Get out of my home."
The stranger shook their head. "I won't be missed, just the same as you won't be, Eryll Serolluin." They turned back to the box at the corner of the room and picked something else up. "A Jedi Holocron was interesting enough, but one of the Sith?" He was holding the pyramid. "Where did you get these?"
"Hey, give it here!" Eryll reached for it, but the stranger stretched their arm up towards the ceiling and out of reach.
"No, I think not," With their other hand, they deflected Eryll's fist just before it hit them, and knocked him across the room. "I want to know how you found these. Holocrons do not simply lie around on any old planet."
Eryll pulled himself up and reached behind him, seizing a long staff. Focusing on the Holocron, he cautiously stepped forward. "Give it to me."
The stranger sighed. "I do not want to fight you, Eryll. I want to know where you found the Holocron."
"You're beginning to sound like a broken hologram," Eryll leapt forwards, swinging the stick around his head, then striking at the stranger's legs. The stranger stepped back to avoid the attack and Eryll aimed several more swings, each one flowing into the next, each one being dodged until finally, he struck the stranger's legs. The stick responded to this by simply snapping in two, sending Eryll reeling. The stranger caught hold of him and held him in one place as he struggled to escape.
"Makashi? Interesting," The stranger dropped Eryll to the ground and picked up the cube, which had fallen aside. "So you have used it. My name is Kala." They slipped the cube into their pocket and extended a hand towards Eryll, still holding the pyramid in their other hand.
Eryll cautiously took the hand, and Kala pulled him to his feet. "What do you want with me?" asked Eryll, stepping back from Kala. "I'm just a thief."
"Just a thief?" Kala placed the pyramid on the table. "For just a thief, you move with surprising speed and precision. Your blow to my legs would have knocked over anyone else. You also appear to have used at least one Holocron to learn some of makashi, the second form of lightsaber combat. Where did you find them? "
"I..." Eryll shook his head and leaned against the wall, his arms folded, glaring at the floor. "I didn't exactly... find them. I stole them and when I found out they had that knowledge... It was interesting. I didn't know what they were. I still don't, but I could see they were Jedi artefacts."
"One of them," Kala threw the cube to Eryll, who caught it. "This one, however," He held up the pyramid. "This one was created by the Sith, the Jedi's eternal adversaries. Who did you steal them from?"
"I don't know," Eryll walked across the room towards the ladder. "It was a group of people who got in trouble with the empire. I stole them from their ship a couple of months back. I was lucky to get out when I did as well. They left in a hurry a few minutes later."
"Couple of months?" Kala shook his head. "You say you learned basic makashi in a couple of months?"
"Makashi?" Eryll shrugged. "Maybe. Those things didn't exactly say anything about makashi. There was just someone with a lightsaber demonstrating a fighting technique."
"What of the Sith Holocron?" Kala bent down towards Eryll. "Did you open that as well?"
Eryll nodded, averting his eyes from Kala.
"Ah, child," Kala placed a hand on Eryll's shoulder. "You mistake me. I am no Jedi and I do not fear the darkness. It is good that you have used both. To truly understand the force, one must embrace both light and dark. Balance is the only true way."
"I don't want to understand the force," Eryll reached for the ladder. "I just want to stay out trouble." He climbed up the ladder and was about to push the wood aside, but he paused and frowned. "Wait," he whispered. Suddenly, the moon's light shined down through the hole as the wood was thrown aside and Eryll was seized and pulled up.
Five robed people surrounded Eryll and stared down at him. One knelt next to him and extended a hand. "Do you still have them?" Eryll's eyes widened as he realised the people he had stolen the Holocrons from had returned.