The Disciples of Exar Kun Chapter Two
Suggested Theme:
Main Theme- The Heart Full of Eyes by Current 93
Hux realizes after thirty minutes into his break that he did not bring his survival pack with him. He distinctly remembers his survival pack, an Imperial-issued, green backpack, in the co-pilot chair when he was on the ship. And he also remembers rushing out of the ship with his sword without even taking a second glance at his survival pack.
He facepalms hard enough to leave a red handprint across his face that he can't see.
Stars, I'm such an overeager idiot! I had enough ration bars and water to last us like a week! Well, the tracker is still on the ship, so the Commandant should find the ship at the end of the week. Unless General Dickhead decides to make the meetings last longer than they should. Maybe the Commandant will finally lop off his head! He then sighs deeply and shakes his head; the Commandant wouldn't risk the wrath of the rest of the Shadow Council on him. Although, that action might earn him Grand Admiral Sloane as his ally. Maybe.
Focus! You're going to need start pleating a cup out of your shirt soon, but that's presuming there's water here. Maybe in the crevices? Force, I didn't feel anything wet from the walls…And that's presuming any water from here isn't poisoned. I didn't see any fish in that lake! He touches the Prince's plush lips; he can feel the bumpy, dried skin of these dry lips. He frowns. He then touches the Prince's forehead.
He feels a bit warm yet clammy. He might have a cold, but I don't feel any slippery snot dribbling down his wonderful nose. His stomach begins to twist painfully with worry. Any medicine he had is back on the ship. He gnashes his slightly crooked teeth together with anger. He finally decides to go for broke.
[Hey, Sith Lord of this temple, since you haven't immediately killed us or even sprung a trap on us, I presume you want us alive for a purpose. I don't have any food or water on me, so, at best, the Prince and I can survive three days. But the Prince might be sick, so it could be less for him. I urge you to either show yourself or at least show us the exit because you're going to have two dead kids that will be useless to whatever cockamamie scheme you have!] Hux speaks Ancient Sith perfectly. And he makes sure to use his anger to burn the desperation out of his words. Sith Lords do not respond well to begging.
And the Sith Lord responds by letting the wall behind his back fall.
There is no intermediary between the mouth and the stomach; the dead-star dragon has a throat, but it's not part of the beast's insides. Ben goes from the dark maw to the black pool. He sees the bubbling black liquid and then nothing; his eyes have been dissolved by the stomach acids. The body gives one last thought before its dissolution.
At least it won't take a thousand years.
Hux half-expects the second he felt the wall fall that he would drop into a deep, dark pit or tumble down a flight of hidden stairs. Instead, he falls back and lies on the cold floor with the Prince still sprawled across his lap. He tilts his head back and is once again greeted by the never-ending darkness. He sighs and hurries to get up and scoops the Prince into his arms.
Finally, a different path. I hope this actually leads somewhere! Hux once more resumes his trek with the Prince. He does not bother touching the walls of this new path; he's certain that the walls are the same as the walls from before, smooth and faceless.
After walking for six minutes, he encounters a change. The air gets mustier like a room that never gets aired out. It smells like Maratelle's library; there was no windows in that place and she rarely left the door open to cycle in fresh air. Except it doesn't smell as papery; it's more like dust on old antiques. So maybe I'm heading to some kind of treasure room?
At the peak stench of mustiness, Hux feels the temperature drop significantly like he's on Rhen Var again. Oh, Force, it's freezing! I must be in the heart of the temple! I don't know how the Prince can still maintain his warmth. The sleeping Prince in his arms is almost like being near a bonfire for Hux and gives the nearly shivering ginger some much needed energy.
[I made it to your heart, Sith Lord….so, would it kill you to kindle the hearth!] Hux had to pause in the middle to stop his teeth from chattering; Sith Lords also do not respond well to stammering.
The cold does not abate, but he finally gets to see.
The darkness of the chilling room is slowly lifted by the red light filling the room. Hux does not even squint because the red light is actually quite soft, even if the shade is a bit painful to look at. The light comes from a giant, red crystal, about thrice his size, hanging above a sarcophagus in the middle of the room.
Hux lays the Prince gently down on the cold ground and goes to examine the sarcophagus. The sarcophagus is about 1.9 meters long with a lid thicker than the walls outside of the temple. The sarcophagus's lid does have a face; the face looks like it has been worn away by age, but he can make out a large nose with equally large lips and ears. There are eyes; the eyes are two gray corusca gems that look almost rosy under the red light.
On the almost gone forehead is some strange symbol. Looks like a four-legged spider. He reaches out to touch the symbol, wondering if it might bite him. He quickly pulls his fingers back as though he were bitten.
FORCE! It's so pfassking cold! He has never felt something so cold. Not even when he was locked in all those Sith temples in the Unknown Regions when he was eight. Then again, this is probably the tomb of a real powerful Sith Lord. Does he still haunt this place? He has to because how else would I be in here?
[Sith Lord, show yourself! And your coffin does not count!] He adds that last part because he knows that Sith Lords love to take advantage of loopholes.
The Sith Lord's still form phases through his sarcophagus's lid and immediately stands at attention by the sarcophagus. The Sith Lord's spirit rose from his sarcophagus like a melodramatic vampire.
Woah, he's handsome! He has a perfectly big nose like the Prince, but his face is much bigger than the Prince's. Actually, he's bigger than the Prince in every way. He's as tall as his sarcophagus is long. He's ripped with muscles, even if they are hidden by his trench coat-like robes. And he has hair long enough for him to tie it back; I think I can even it swishing around the sides of his back. Huh, I didn't think there was a breeze in here. Hux sees the Sith Spirit smirk at him, making Hux turn redder when he realized that he was projecting his thoughts quite loudly.
[I am Exar Kun, the Sith Lord of Yavin IV.] Oh. My. Force. Kyle MacLachlan is a Sith Lord! Hux immediately covers his mouth with his hands, silencing the squeal that would've left his lips. He remembers his stiff upper lip training from the Academy and calms himself.
[I am Armitage Hux of the Unknown Regions.] I sincerely doubt he was born on this planet, so he just chose a planet that means something to him. Hux would not be surprised, considering how the Sith Lord has a temple here. The Sith Lord's red-tinged, silver eyes go to where the Prince is lying.
[And he's Prince Amidala. He's….unconscious.] Was that your doing? Hux nearly adds, but decides to keep his suspicions to himself. He hopes that he didn't broadcast that last thought. It's been a while since he actually had to hide his thoughts from a Force-user.
[Yes…..yes, he is. He'll wake soon. He's descended from fighters after all.] Hux nods in agreement. He knows all about lineages; he's descended from a long-line of bastards and will, probably, continue the family tradition.
[So….are you going to train the Prince into being a Sith Lord? He seems kind of young for that.] I think it was the Book of Sith that explicitly stated to train Sith Apprentices when they're full-grown because by then their lives have been harsh and unforgiving. I think the average age is like late teens, but Darth Zannah was like ten when Bane decided to train her. Then again, the Line of Bane has never been ones to follow tradition. He sees Kun's ghostly face momentarily crunch up like he's confused, but then it returns to his Sabacc face.
[I will train him…..and you.] Hux's purple eyes widen in surprise.
[I am not a Force-user. I cannot be trained.] He feels nauseous now because the last person who tried to train him in the Force was—Don't think about her! She's dead. She's dead. She's dead. You're okay. But he'll never be completely fine because of her.
[I sense your…..reluctance. I can assure you that I won't beat or starve the both of you. Pain is a teacher, but not the best one.] And Hux can almost believe him. But that was mostly because the Dune Messiah's voice is coming from him. I wonder if he's using the Force to alter his voice to sound like someone I would actually trust. He's a ghost and I've seen plenty of ghosts change their appearances on a whim.
[Sounds like something a Jedi would say.] He expects the Sith Spirit to be offended or even give him a Force-shove for such insolence. Exar Kun's smirk turns wolfish.
[The Sith came from them. You can't have darkness without light.] "The Jedi and the Sith will always be at war. They are each wholly uncompromising; their rigid philosophies make no room for mutual existence. But they fail to realize is that they are merely two sides of the same coin: light and dark. You cannot have one without the other." Hux recalls that quote from one of the last diary entries that Princess Sera of Doan made.
[So are you a Grey Sith?] Hux cringes as grey leaves his mouth. He has always hated grey because it seems demeaning, like being not wholly an absolute in the Force means you're a lesser being. And I wish there was a better term for Force-users that wield both the Light and Dark. Paladins? No, that's usually associated with the Lightest warriors. Witches? I believe that's trademarked by the Dathomirians and the Hapes Royal family. Monks of Bendu? I don't think the Bendu wants to deal with more Force annoyances….
[I was a Jedi and then became a Dark Lord. I've spent millennia ruminating on Jedi and Sith, on Dark and Light. And I came to the conclusion that it would be quite foolish to lean so heavily on one side when you can use both.] That is somehow an obvious conclusion and a profound realization. His Agent Coop is showing! Once again, Hux has to remind himself of his stiff upper lip training again and not spaz out.
[And the Prince is strong in the Light and the Dark Side of the Force, so, of course, you'd want to teach him. But why me? A rock has more Force-sensitivity than me.] Then again, every Sith Lord needs a legion of followers at his beck and call. I really don't want to be his slave, even if he has the hottest voice in the galaxy. I don't even want to be the Prince's slave either; I just want to be his friend. Hux is now scowling, trying to hide his worry.
[Oh, but you have—] The Sith Spirit is cut-off by a low groan coming from the Prince. Hux rushes to the Prince's side and sees the Prince finally stirring back to consciousness.
"Prince, you're—your eyes! They're orange!" They're actually yellow, molten gold, but the red light has rendered the Prince's eyes orange, while Hux's eyes are brown like the Prince's eyes used to be.
"Mmmmmmm, I…I hunger. I…hunger." Those orange eyes flit up to Hux's thin, soft throat. And before Hux can even blink, he is tackled to the ground with the Prince's teeth on his throat.
Author's Comments- No links this time.
Woo, it's been like a month since I last wrote anything. That's because I had university finals, papers, and projects to worry about. But I'm free this summer and I'll hopefully get around to writing more. Might even continue a certain Chaotic story that I've been meaning to get to.
Also, next chapter: Hux has to deal with the Dead-Star Dragon!Ben, Dead-Star Dragon!Ben is trying to figure out what he should do with Hux, and Exar Kun teaches his disciples something.