The Ancient Chronicles of the Jedi

Book One: Will of the Force

Prologue

A lush jungle covers the area, the green broken only by the small ziggurat pyramids that scar the land, like great boils upon the surface, rising above the trees. There are four of them, all aligned to form a perfect square. In the center was an obsidian pyramid that rose far into the sky, outlined against the bright red gas giant that hung in the sky like a giant eye, looking down upon the planet. Inside the central ziggurat, directly beneath an opening in the apex, was a roughly hewn altar, carved in one piece out of the pyramid, as if it was purposefully left in place when the cavern was hollowed out.

Lying in the middle of the altar, enveloped in an almost shroud-like robe, was a body, lying motionless, except for the gentle rise and fall of the chest.

Surrounding the altar were a number of tall red candles, flickering in the darkness of the cavern, their soft light creating shadows in the deep recess of the cavern. Half illuminated, the shrouded faces of the robed motionless monks were in silent watch around the altar. The red candlelight shone on the front ranks of the monks, giving their black robes a soft reddish tinge.

In the background, the deep sound of a gong resonated through out the cavern, reverberating around the rough rock walls. The flames continued to flicker up and down the walls as one monk stepped forward, the silver runes on his thick black belt reflecting the soft light coming from the candles. This monk stood out from the others in the cavern for one other reason. At his throat was a silver clasp; of two snakes entwined around each other, devouring each other by the tail. Taking another step forward, he boomed out in a deep commanding voice.

"Begin it!"

Four monks stepped out of line, one on each side of the altar. They were holding large gilded staves, runes glittering up and down the length of it in the firelight. They were dressed akin to the leader, save for the snake clasp. As these four monks moved silently and purposely forward, there came in the background an ominous chant, soft coming from the mouths of the watching monks,

"Koura Matte Koura Lakembeh..."

The chant was soft, yet menacing, reverberating around the cavern as the monks increased the volume and the tempo until it sounded like a Jizz Wailers concert at full blast.

A short monk, dressed in a particularly drab robe made his way forward. Stepping up to the altar, he opened up the robe of the sacrifice, leaving them to drape over the edge of the altar. The victim is motionless, unconscious. Despite her grey-green skin, she was human in form with a full-figure, long legs and long ebony coloured hair, while on her stomach and chest were intricate tattoos of circles with pentagrams over the top and symbols to ward away the evil which now possessed her.

As the monks reached a crescendo, four men in finely cut robes stepped forward, taking up positions at compass points. These men carried staves in their hands, gilded with bronze runes and capped in gold and stood on each side of the altar, holding the staves by their sides.

The cloaked leader stepped forward and gripping his stave in both hands, raised it towards the sky as he began a chant that ran counter to that of the other monks. It wove in and out of their melody, high where theirs was low, low where it was high.

A crackling sound like superheated air filled the chamber as black lightning began rippling across the walls and roof of the chamber as a stream of black lightning crackled down out of the sky and came to a stop just above the victim's body as a ball. The men at compass points lowered their staffs, holding them so they intersected in the center.

All of a sudden, the chamber went completely silent. Not even the breathing of the monks was audible. The intense silence was louder and more deafening than their strongest chanting. Every monk in the chamber was sweating long black rivulets, running down their faces, drenching the cloaks, which stuck to their bodies.

The four men around the altar were visibly straining to maintain their positions, visibly shaking in an effort to hold their staves in position, the facial muscles writhing with the effort.

Silently, the cloaked leader stepped forward and lowered his stave so that it came to rest just above the ball of lightning. The silence in the chamber was palpable, the tension thick in the air.

Suddenly the woman arched her back and let out an inhuman scream, a howl which came from the very depths of hell.

Exploding silently, she was reduced to nothing more than an incandescent collection of dust particles. In that split second, the ball of black lightning fizzled out and disappeared.

With a resounding snap-crack it reappeared, stretched and elongated toward the sky, leaping up and away, arcing out into space.

Everyone in the chamber was silent in awe and amazement at what they had just witnessed. Some of them jumped in surprise when the cloaked leader commanded the ceremony be finished.

As the monks began to move in accordance with the prescribed ritual ending, there was a deep rumble, a crack as dust started falling from above. Quickly the groaning from the structure increased in volume. Suddenly, the first of the massive stone blocks fell from above, landing on a knot of monks, killing them. Monks began panicking, not knowing what to do or what was happening or why. Blocks of stone fell at random. Chaos reigned supreme.

The cloaked leader raised his arm, seemingly untouched by the continuing collapse of the temple. As he looked up to the sky, now open to view, a layer of stone dust could be seen on the leader. Raising his arms and stave to the sky, he began chanting urgently, with a dark intonation, trying to stop the collapse.

He was still chanting when he and everyone else within the temple exploded.

Reduced to an incandescent collection of dust particles floating in the air, mingling with the dust of the destroyed temple.