Shadows of the Past, Book One: Shadowed Domain

Timeline: 20 years after the Battle of Yavin

Chapter One: The Absentminded Professor

The blue-white streaks of starlight suddenly shrank around the small starship, coalescing into the vast emptiness of space. But that vast emptiness was not quite so empty, as blip after blip appeared on the ship sensors. A dozen craft from the size of snub fighters to as large as a cargo hauler were dropping out of hyperspace. In this desolate region of space, there was only one place that so many ships could go to: Station Corday.

"Hey, Ascera, wake up." The dark-faced youth shook her from bleary slumber. "Come on, featherhead. We're here."

The Twi'lek girl yawned and stretched; the rough homespun she wore chafed and further brought her from her soporific state. "Has it already been five days?"

"Yes."

Five days of hyperspace travel, with only three music holos to listen to and two holovids to watch. It had been a trying five days to stave off boredom. Even with the Force as their ally, it was a real challenge to stay occupied in the cramped Whitecloak starfighter they had been given.

Outdated even in the waning days of the Old Republic, the Whitecloak fighter had enough room to seat two people in a modicum of comfort. But five days in a cockpit was just too much, even for a pair of Jedi. Ascera was grouchy, her normal reserve of calm and serenity expended. Ran was even worse, and Ascera knew how easily susceptible to boredom he was.

"I don't think I'll be able to walk," the Twi'lek grumbled. She had lost count of how many times her foot had fallen asleep on their long voyage. "I can barely feel my leg muscles. Bet you must feel just as bad, huh, Ran?"

"I copy that," her human companion groused. Their tiny starfighter landed in the designated docking bay on the space station. Ran released the cockpit hatch and gingerly climbed out, testing out his sore legs. Ascera followed with the same amount of care. Her first step on the ground faltered and she nearly fell flat on her face. Luckily, she called upon the Force to steady herself just in time to save her dignity. It would not do for a Jedi to collapse as soon as she touched ground.

Ascera smoothed her brown-and-white robes and took stock of her utility belt, ensuring that everything was still there. With the way she slept, she would not be surprised if half of her food capsules had fallen out. But a quick check revealed that none of her pouches had opened. She patted her hip and groaned. Her lightsaber had fallen off. Again.

Ran lightly tapped her shoulder. "You dropped this," he said lightly, laughter apparent in his bright green eyes. In his hand was her lightsaber, offered to her hilt first.

She took the weapon with a huff. "You don't have to look so pleased. It's not like you pilfered it off me or anything." She clipped it to her belt with sharp hauteur. "Come on, we've got a job to do, so let's do it."

"Aye-aye, Captain Jedi," he rhymed in an off-key singsong voice, a crude imitation of her own resonant soprano.

"You know, you're not as funny as you think you are, Ran."

"And you need to loosen up!" He sighed as he threw his arms behind his head, his habitual way of releasing pent-up tension. "Ever hear about the rancor that was in a race with a womp rat? Well, the rancor was real fast and just kept right on running—ran so much that he just got tired. The womp rat, smart rodent that it is, just trudged along merrily until he won the race."

He slapped her hard on the back. "Come on, we've just spent five boring days in a cramped starfighter with barely enough room to breathe. All we could do is sit on our rears while eating stale rations and watching sub-par holos. I, for one, think we're due some kind of fun. Station Corday is known for being the last bit of entertainment in the region. I say we take advantage of it. We're no good if we run ourselves ragged."

Ascera had to agree with his summarization of their voyage. She could use some relaxation after all that time in the ship. Looking around, she also agreed with his assessment of the station. Beneath a transparisteel dome that allowed full view of the stars were scores of smaller hemispheres—buildings. She had read a little bit about Station Corday: that it was originally created by the mathematical Givin before being abandoned during Emperor Palpatine's rise to power. Smugglers used it as a base during the Galactic Civil War, but fled when the New Republic reclaimed the region. Now it was a resort of sorts, catering to the inhabitants of the Outer Rim, giving them a taste of Core World entertainment.

Exotic foods wafted across Ascera's nose as she and Ran made their way out of the spaceport and into the station proper. Her stomach rumbled loudly and a pink blush stole across her blue skin. Next to her, Ran was laughing hysterically, with his usual abandon. "After five days of eating space rations, I think I'm entitled to show a little interest in real food!" she snapped defensively. Ran only nodded, too busy expressing his mirth to verbally respond.

Finally, he regained some composure and offered, "I'll buy us something. I'm getting a little hungry myself." Still chuckling, he spoke with a nearby Aqualish vendor and returned with four half-shelled and hard-boiled eggs of some fowl that Ascera could not identify. Ran handed two to her. "Try these. I had some when Master Skywalker sent me to Yvista to take care of a band of spice smugglers."

"Oh, so this is why you smelled like bantha poodoo for two weeks?" Ascera wrinkled her nose at the acrid smell but popped one into her mouth. Her eyes widened. "Whoa, if this is what they taste like all the time, no wonder you didn't mind the other students making fun of you for being stinky."

Ran smiled and popped a foul-smelling egg into his mouth. "Good, aren't they? I kind of got hooked on them for a while on Yvista. I don't even want to think about how much I spent on these things. Or how much weight I gained. I had to do twenty lightsaber forms every day for a month just to get back to my original weight."

"I didn't think you were terribly concerned about such things."

"I'm not," he said, popping the second egg into his mouth, "but it's real hard to do flips if you're heavier than a bantha. Ah, look, there's Eon Park. That's where we're supposed to meet this Dr. Shemza character, right?"

The Twi'lek nodded. Master Skywalker had sent them to meet a colleague of his, a Coruscant University professor, and bring him to Yavin Four. There was no explanation as to why Jedi had to be the ones to meet with him, but Ascera suspected that the skills of a Jedi would be needed to protect the professor. Protect him from what was an entirely different matter. She had posed her concerns to Ran, and he agreed with them.

Ascera saw a lanky, thin-bearded man in wide-rimmed spectacles dressed in simple, nondescript garments. Though he had dyed his hair from its gray-brown to a dark red, she recognized him from the holos Master Skywalker had shown her and Ran. She walked over to the old man, Ran in tow.

"Dr. Shemza," she greeted perfunctorily. The old man stiffened visibly, eyes wide with fear. "I am Ascera Dax. This is Ran Tonno-Skeve. Master Skywalker sends you his greetings."

The doctor sighed in relief, his shoulders slouching. "Thank the Core Worlds that you're here, Master Jedi. You can't imagine how the past five days have been for me."

Ascera's eye twitched on reflex. "I'm sure I can," she said through gritted teeth and no small amount of pain in his legs. To the doctor's befuddled expression, she continued, "But that is neither here or there. We were sent to meet you, but to send two Jedi just to speak with you seemed a bit much. I believe that we are here as your guardians. Apparently, this is the case."

The doctor nodded. "I have a datapad in my pocket containing my research. Master Skywalker contacted me some years ago when I first started the project. But recently, I have received death threats and have even been attacked in my own home. I found my laboratory ransacked earlier this week and was attacked only a few days ago by Rodian bounty hunters!" He trembled, his small body quaking from head to toe. "I just can't stand this much longer, Master Jedi! I'm a scholar, not an adventurer! But I know that I must get this information to Master Skywalker. It is imperative that he see it."

Ascera only nodded, though questions brimmed within her. "All right. Come with us, our ship is in the docking bay. We can leave as soon as you're—"

"Ascera," Ran said in a stony, hard voice, looking past her and Shemza. Ascera followed his gaze. A quintet of Rodians carrying blasters was approaching. The park was empty, with not even a patrol officer in sight. Any fight here would go unmentioned; it was the opportune time for bounty hunters to strike, and Ascera knew it. There was no mistaking their purpose.

"I'll get the doctor to the ship," she said. "Hold them off, Ran." With that, she took the professor by the arm and led him down the street. Though she was loath to leave her friend behind on principle, she knew better than anyone else that Ran could take care of himself in a fight. Not even four gundarks had been able to bring him down, and that was when he was acting stupid. She heard blasters firing and Rodians screaming in pain as she and the professor turned a corner.

They clambered into the cockpit of the Whitecloak fighter, sealing the hatch above them. Ascera sent the ship into its start-up cycle as she bombarded the Shemza with questions. "What's going on here, doctor? Rodians don't hunt people for research data. What are you carrying? What were you researching?"

Shemza clicked his crash webbing into place, sighing as he reclined into the stiff seat. The cockpit must have seemed like a sanctuary to him if he could look so relaxed in that seat. Ascera felt a stab of envy and her legs ached in reply. "My research dealt with the Jedi of the Old Republic. My grandfather was a Jedi Knight, you see. And no, I'm not Force-sensitive myself. But he told my father many stories, which he passed on to me. I was always fascinated by the romantic tales of the Jedi, you see. So I became a historian and an anthropologist, and the Jedi became my hobby of sorts."

"And your research?" Ascera pressed.

"I found some texts—as in books, mind you, not datapads or digital databases—I found some texts in the Coruscant archives. They were in a very ancient dialect of Basic, and it was badly damaged by time and moisture. I was able to salvage most of it, though, and it indicated that there was Jedi Temple on a planet called Mathassi."

"Mathassi? I've never heard of any planet by that name. The archives at the academy have no record of it, either. Master Skywalker and the other scholars have poked them inside and out and haven't heard of it."

"This Temple was apparently a secret enclave, but I haven't the foggiest idea why it was like that." Shemza took a cigarette from his pocket and started to light it, but looked at Ascera in askance. "Do you mind?"

"Go right ahead," she allowed, "but be sure to put it out when we take off. You we're saying?"

"Oh, right." The professor took a deep drag and expelled a puff of smoke. "Well, Master Skywalker learned about my research and started funding a great deal of it. I figure his sister, Councilor Organa Solo, had a hand in that. For some reason, I don't imagine the Jedi being all that wealthy. Anyway, Master Skywalker wants a copy of my research. Since he's a Jedi, I figured it would be all right. He could put it to better use than me. But looks like other people want my research as well."

Ascera sat back in her seat, absorbing the conversation. "Don't worry, Doctor Shemza. We'll get you to Master Skywalker safely." Information about the old Jedi Order—about those heroes she found so amazing and godlike. That was something she and the professor shared, a deep reverence for the old protectors of peace and justice.

Suddenly, Ran's blue-cloaked frame splayed itself on the transparisteel viewport. He rapped on the hatch, which Ascera opened. The limber human slipped into the pilot's seat, buckled in, and put the ship into full throttle. "Doctor Shemza," he greeted merrily, "you're pursuers won't be bothering you now!"

The professor sighed again. "Thank you, young man."

Ascera gave Ran a sharp look. "You didn't kill them, did you?" she inquired, remembering the screams of the Rodians.

Ran laughed. "Of course not. I just scared them a little. Deflected a few blaster bolts into their weapons, blew them right apart. They won't be using their hands for a few days and I scared the daylights out of them, but other than that, they're hale as banthas."

They flew out into the stars, which soon stretched into the all-too-familiar blue-white of hyperspace. Ascera tried not to groan.


Ascera heard Ran curse loudly when they dropped out of hyperspace two minutes later. "What's going on?" she demanded.

Her companion was busily working across his control panel, pulling his controls out of automatic lock and calibrating the ship's sensors. Working as he was, he only absently replied, "Something's pulling us out of hyperspace. It has to be an interdiction field of some kind, but mere bounty hunters wouldn't be carrying that kind of hardware, would they?"

Suddenly, red-yellow light splashed across the viewport and Ascera grunted as the ship trembled in response. "Ran, get our shields up!" He did not reply, but his supple fingers danced across the panel. The splashes of blaster fire were soon outlined in the soft blue-green of energy shielding.

"Ascera, play navigator," Ran ordered, sending the starfighter into a sharp barrel roll. "I'm picking up three…no, four. Four snub fighters."

"What kind?"

"Don't know yet. Give me a minute."

Ascera thumbed on her own console. "Never mind that. I'll handle scanners and weapons; you just keep us flying. Doctor, how are you with astrogation?"

Shemza seemed startled at being addressed in a combat situation. Ascera heard him shuffle about in his crash webbing, and his voice was strained with tension. "Um, I can do the calculations, if you'd like," he replied timidly.

"Do them," she said simply. "If we're going to get out of this, we need an exit. Ran, fly us out of that interdictor field. I'll hold them off."

Ran took her words to heart, and sent the tiny starship into the most punishing maneuvers he could perform. Ascera gasped in surprise and tried to hold down her breakfast. She had not known that her friend had learned tricks like that. A series of blips on her screen drew her attention from her own discomfort. "Three fighters—all outmoded Headhunters—coming up seven o' clock."

The starfighter flipped over—Ascera fought back a lurch of her stomach—and righted itself behind the Headhunters. Seizing the opportunity, the Twi'lek regained her composure and fired the ship's lasers. Red streaks of energy split through the shielding and hull of one of the Headhunters; the crippled attack ship veered off and disengaged.

"How many are out there, anyway?" Ran inquired, strangely calm despite the chaos of a space battle. Ascera briefly wondered how he could retain that level of composure in a fight.

She glanced over at her screen. "Excluding the one that fled, I read six total: two Headhunters ahead, three A-Nines, and one TIE Interceptor. Looks like quite the pirate complement. A mix of military and fast ships. They came prepared."

Ran spun into a wild roll, blaster bolts slicing by the viewport; the interior lights in the cockpit started blinking a dull red. "Damn it!" he swore sharply, "the shields just gave out. Are we out of the interdictor field yet?"

"Fly straight head," Ascera said, "that's the limit of the field." She looked over her shoulder. "Doctor, how are we doing on calculations?"

The professor, she saw, was engrossed in his work, typing frantically across a keyboard with two onboard calculators streaming with numbers. "Give me three more minutes," he replied absently.

"You have one and a half," Ran told him grimly. The starfighter shuddered. "Make that fifty seconds. That last hit knocked something loose."

Ascera switched her screen from scanner to diagnostic. "Stabilizer was hit hard and our inertial compensator's almost had it."

"Well," Ran muttered as an aside, "you'll be feeling ten pounds lighter without having to exercise—just like you always wanted."

"Ran, remind me to strangle you when this is over."

Despite their predicament, her friend laughed. Another ship-shaking blast cut his mirth short. "Ascera," he said, serious once again, "dump all power from life support and weapons into engines. I don't care if we overload them. Give me enough boost to buy us thirty seconds."

"Understood." Two switches and a button later, the interior lights shut off. The cockpit was thrown into darkness. "Hit it, Ran!" The starfighter lurched and Ascera had to grit her teeth to keep from throwing up.

"Finished!" Shemza announced proudly a scant few moments later.

"Punch it, Ran!"

Ran hit a button and pulled a lever.


Five days later, Ascera and Ran were lying against the mossy side of the Jedi academy. Ran had his arms behind his head, as usual, with his knees crossed and one foot dangling in the air. Ascera was more conservative, lying flat with her hands folded over her belly.

It was a cool afternoon. Yavin Four was moving into a winter cycle. Ascera breathed in the air that always brought to mind the color of green. If green had a smell, she thought, this would be it. It was peaceful on Yavin, with not hyperspace lines, no strange old men, and no bounty hunters. There were just the trees, the air, and the quiet.

"How long have Master Skywalker and Shemza been talking?" Ran asked, breaking the silence.

Ascera groaned inwardly. "Leave it to you to ruin a nice day," she muttered.

"What'd I do this time?" he asked innocently.

She sighed. "Sorry, I was just enjoying the silence, that's all. As to your question, they've been in his office for about…oh…seven hours now."

"Oh." Ran blinked. "And you're not the least bit curious about what they're talking about?"

"Of course I'm curious, but it's not my place to pry. This is Jedi Master business."

Ran grinned impishly. "But you know you want to eavesdrop. I can tell; you're practically brimming in the Force with curiosity." He sat up suddenly, hastily. With a wicked and mischievous gleam in his too-bright green eyes, he said invitingly, "Want to?"

"Ran!" Ascera was mortified. "No! It isn't our place to get involved. If Master Skywalker wants us to know, he'll let us know. That's all there is to it." Her words rang hollow in her own ears, even if they were sensible. She was curious, terribly curious. But, she reminded herself firmly, curiosity gets the early worm eaten by the early bird. Jedi are open to knowledge, but they are not foolish enough to cross the border into stupidity for the sake of whimsical interest.

But her human friend only smirked in such a way that she found herself groaning. "Well, I guess I'll be doing it alone, then." He leaped to his feet, smiling broadly, and darted down the side of the academy, brushing leaves and vines away from his face.

Ascera's groan deepened and, much against her better judgement, she stood up and pursued. "Damn it, Ran, you're going to get us both in so much trouble!" she hissed under her breath. But her heart of hearts resonated with Ran's actions—what were Master Skywalker and Doctor Shemza talking about? she wondered.

They dashed through the halls of the academy, zigzagging past startled Jedi Knights and students alike, leaving them confused in their wake. Ascera sent looks of apology to each of them, but focused most of her attention on keeping up with Ran. Both of them could use the Force to give them a brief burst of speed, but Ran, she knew, was much more adept at it.

They came to a skidding halt by Master Skywalker's office. Ran raised a finger to his lips and Ascera nodded briefly. He kneeled by the door and pressed his ear against it. The Twi'lek suppressed a scoffing sniff at his mundane method. The Force was their ally, after all. She closed her eyes and fell within herself, immersing herself in the swirling energies of the galaxy's web. Her senses became keener, wider, farther-reaching.

In tune with the life energies around her, she could hear a group of students three rooms down practicing with lightsabers, the hum of their blades resonating with the songs of birds outside the academy walls, which were contrasting sharply with the soft bubbling of a pot of stew in the kitchen, which further accented the soft thrumming of starship engines in the hangar….

She could hear all of it as if she were right there in each room and walkway—but she could not hear beyond the office door. It was as if nothing existed beyond, an emptiness that surprised her with its frightfulness. All things were in the Force, all things but what lay within Master Skywalker's room.

The door suddenly swung open and Ran, leaning against it was he was, tumbled forwards and into Master Skywalker's legs. Ascera felt her stomach rise up to her throat.

"Ascera, Ran," Master Skywalker intoned with still gravity. He leveled a disappointed look at both of them. "Care to explain what you are doing?"

The question was rhetorical, Ascera knew. But she suspected it was pedagogical was well, teaching them to take responsibility for their actions. Though she could appreciate the subtlety, she did not appreciate being in the predicament. She mentally vowed to kill Ran later, dark side or no. "We…we were wondering what you and Doctor Shemza were discussing, Master Skywalker," she replied as steadily and calmly as she could. She hoped her downcast expression was appropriately humble.

Ran righted himself and stood, brushing his robes with one hand while scratching the back of his head with the other. He tried to appear nonchalant, but Ascera noted the uneasiness in his stance. No matter how many times he found himself in trouble, he never seemed to grow accustomed to punishment. Ascera sighed.

Master Skywalker seemed to remember all the other instances of Ran's truancy as well, for he sent a disciplinarian's stare at him. "Ran Tonno-Skeve, how many times have I had to talk to you about curbing that insatiable curiosity of yours?"

"Um, seven this month, Master," the human youth replied quietly.

"Make this eight. There is nothing wrong with wanting to learn, Ran. You know this well; I've told you more than enough times." Master Skywalker sighed, running a hand through his hair. "But only controlled curiosity that knows when to ask the right questions will yield the answers you desire. Eavesdropping won't. As for you," and he turned that strict gaze upon Ascera, "I expected better of you, Ascera Dax."

She dropped her head lower. "I apologize, Master. It won't happen again." She inwardly added: Because I'm going to kill Ran myself for this!

Master Skywalker sighed again. "Since you're so inquisitive, I suppose it's all right to let you in on the conversation. Come on in."

Surprised at their luck, the two young Jedi entered with a mixture of trepidation and anxiety. "Master," Ascera spoke, "when I tried to…um…eavesdrop, I expanded my senses with the Force. But I was unable to extend them into your office. Why?"

"It's essentially a variation on hiding yourself in the Force, but by creating a 'Force-negative bubble,'" he explained. "Its similar to what the yslamiri on Myrkr do. One of the other students, a capable young lady around your age named De-Lanna Tamaran, discovered it." Ascera tried not to grimace; she had met the haughty girl on several occasions and found her self-important attitude only barely tolerable. Master Skywalker continued, "Some of the other Masters and I have been trying to perfect her technique." He indicated a broad square table, at one edge of which sat Shemza. "Please, have a seat, you two."

Once all were settled in, Master Skywalker turned to the professor. "Doctor, it seems your rescuers can barely suppress their desire to learn. They wish to know more about your research." Ascera flushed a dull pink of embarrassment; she noted that Ran sank deep into his seat, trying to hide.

Shemza seemed oblivious to their discomfiture. He simply shrugged and took out a set of datapads. "Well, I'm glad to see that academia is so highly regarded by even the youth of the Jedi. Um, where to begin? I know!" He cleared his throat noisily, apparently preparing to launch into a lecture. "As I told you two on that space station, my research was mostly based around the Jedi Temple on Mathassi, a forgotten planet the Jedi Knights visited when the Old Republic was still at the height of its power."

Ascera leaned forward, elbows on the table and her chin nestling on her linked fingers. Her embarrassment forgotten, she gave her full attention to the professor. She loved hearing tales of the Jedi when she was younger and enjoyed even more the stories of Luke Skywalker and his many adventures in maintaining peace and justice throughout the galaxy. To hear of the old Jedi Order was the culmination of her admiration for the ancient brotherhood she had joined.

Shemza spoke of the Mathassi Temple, of how the old texts called it a masterpiece of art and beauty, a true symbol of the Jedi. Indeed, Shemza had said with no small amount of awe, the Jedi Temple had been designed as a physical representation of what it meant to be a Jedi Knight. Ascera found that she had been holding her breath during Shemza's lecture, and she slowly released it. To see such a place, she thought wonderingly, that would be a dream come true.

Master Skywalker's voice brought her back to reality. "Doctor Shemza managed to recover the coordinates of Mathassi. If the Temple still stands, it is imperative that someone investigate it, check out any predators in the area, and ascertain if there is anything of value still within. Hopefully, there's something that can teach us about the old Jedi Order within the Temple's halls."

Ascera spoke vigorously, "Master! Please, send me!" Her outburst caught Ran by surprise, for her friend's green eyes widened to thrice their previous size. She ignored his shock, though in truth, she felt the same. Ascera Dax did not act on impulse! She noted, though, that Master Skywalker seemed unfazed by her unexpected energy.

"All right," he said simply.

"What?" Ascera mumbled dumbly, not actually expecting him to comply so readily.

A kind smile tugged the corners of Master Skywalker's mouth. "You're clearly interested in the subject, Ascera, and that drive is precisely what a Jedi should have when going on a mission. Not only that, but you're a bright girl with an appreciation for history. You'd be an ideal candidate for this task. But," and he raised a finger at this, "you will not be traveling alone." The finger leveled on Ran, who sat up straight in his chair. "You will be going with her, Ran."

Ran's face set into seriousness, which seemed an alien expression on him to Ascera's mind. "Of course, Master. Where Ascera goes, so do I." He threw a wink at her. "I mean, after all, someone's got to get her in trouble." The Twi'lek only sighed through her nose at his irreverence.

Master Skywalker apparently found him amusing, for her chuckled under his breath. "There will be one more coming with you, if you don't mind. I mentioned De-Lanna Tamaran. I think this would be a good experience for her."

Ascera nodded, a mixture of feelings swirling within her. She had a mission, one that was hers in spirit—a quest to learn more about the old Jedi whom she found so heroic. Unbridled joy swelled within her, only to be dampened by the thought that she would be adventuring with a tart.

Ran must have sensed her turmoil, for he laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. She smiled and grasped his forearm in thanks. Even if De-Lanna Tamaran was the most irritating girl she knew, there was at least Ran—the only one in the galaxy who could be even remotely more annoying.