Story 7

Lost Treasure

Serreno's shuttle made its way to the docking area of the massive station. His shuttle made a safe landing at a clear spot. Awaiting on the Sith Lord was Tangren and a few guards standing beside him. Serreno made his exit out of the shuttle and sauntered towards the other Sith Lord and his guards.

"You and your pointless schemes," said Tangren. "If that was me I would've shot them on site."

"You never take the pleasures of killing your enemies do you?" wondered Serreno.

"I do but I do not waste my time doing it."

"Wasting time is not what it's called my dear brother. The Empress was right about you. You are predictable just like your father and that's how he lost the title to his throne."

"Enough, the holocron, where is it?"

"It's here in the palm of my hand." Serreno pulled out the small blue cube from his pocket and flashed it before his brother.

"Excellent," said Tangren. "I'll surely deliver the favor for you."

"Yes, deception is the key towards the New Empire's success. While you go to Etalon to deliver the holocron to the Empress, I will lead our enemies to another trap."

"Why not just hunt for them in the planet below. We have plenty of troops and acolytes that can hunt the Jedi down and kill them."

"No, Catome will die by my hand and mines alone."

"You and that woman. Fine, do what you must but I will deliver the holocron to the Empress for our final plot against the Jedi."

"Patience Tangren, wait for them to recover then leave immediately to Etalon. There, I will bait them into another trap."

"Then prepare yourself Lord Serreno."

Tangren snatched the holocron from Serreno's palm and stormed away with his cape flapping behind his lanky body as his guards followed. Serreno smirked and let out a smart remark.

"I already am Lord Tangren. I just hope you're ready."

Everyone was laid out for a few moments after the crash landing that transpired. The shuttle lied flat on the shore with smoke flaring out.

Jon was unconscious in the mud. He opened his eyes and found himself outside the shuttle with glass swarming him. The crash was a hard landing after having to fly out the window. He wondered if he was still alive. He was on his hands and knees grunting in pain. Scars covered the side of his face after the impact.

"Jon!" called Elissa. She ran towards him in comfort and checked any possible injuries he sustained.

"Are you okay?"

"So am I alive?" he wondered.

"You took a pretty hard shot but you made it through."

"Wonderful, how about Catome and Winthro?"

"They're in the ship in one piece."

"Wow, how long was I out?"

"Probably a few hours. Let's get back to the ship, Master Catome is forming a meeting."

Elissa helped Jon steadily to his feet and carried him to the ship for his wounds to have treatment.

"A few hours huh?" wondered Jon. "Not bad for a knockout."

Since there were no medical droids provided by the crew due to the shortage of droids, Elissa treated Jon's wounds in the medical facility.

When they finished, they entered the main hold where Catome and Winthro sat and waited.

"Are you okay Jon?" asked Catome.

"They're just flesh wounds. I've never felt better but thanks for asking."

"Well we're in a bit of a jam as you can see. The diagnosis of the ship reads crucial."

"What happened, the engine got blown up or something?"

"Actually one of the repulse converters let out a shortage after the last shot fired. That's why we weren't able to get a safe landing."

"Well what in the hell we're supposed to do now since the converter is apparently destroyed?"

"You didn't let me finish Jon. I have DW3 repairing all the damages to the ship with M-136."

"Oh wonderful, so will they make a new converter cause we won't be able to get off ground into space without three pairs? By the time we miraculously get one, the Sith will find us as sitting ducks."

"You know you are real stubborn Jon. I'm trying to tell you and the padawans my plans and you keep interrupting me. If you can just have patience I can tell you what I know for our plans to proceed."

"Fine, have it your way sister."

Elissa shook her head in disbelief of Jon's actions.

"The force is strong within this place," Catome continued. "But I sense its' corruption."

"What do you mean master?" wondered Elissa.

"I know you are too young and vulnerable to learn darkside secrets but sometimes going through dark trials make one stronger. It was over four millennia ago during the first Jedi Conflict in the Xenex Galaxy. The Xenex King, at the time, possessed a very powerful clear crystal. It was his most prized possession for when he found it on Xian Tay during a mining exploration in his youth. The Jedi and the Sith however, found out about the crystal and entered their kingdom on Cantooine. Since the Xenex Kingdom at the time wasn't involved with the conflict, the King negotiated with the Jedi and Sith of the crystal. He was willing to give the crystal up in exchange for one of theirs. The Jedi showed the King rare Adegan crystals from the Adegan system in the Star Galaxy. The Sith showed the King a rare Qixoni crystal. The King was interested in the Qixoni crystal so he agreed to exchange the clear crystal for their Qixoni crystal. The Jedi and the Sith weren't the only ones who heard of this rare crystal, the Flesians were also eager to take this crystal from the palms of the King. They cared less about the Jedi Conflict. All they wanted was riches for their planet to prosper. With a perfect opportunity in mid space, a Flesian raid attacked the Sith force after jumping out of hyperspace. The battle was intense but at the end the Sith were able to destroy the Flesian fleet. However, their ship was badly damaged. They went to a nearby system for repairs but they found their selves at an uncivilized system. With no contact from allies and crucial damage from the assault, their shuttle fatally crashed on the surface. The King and Queen of the rising Dark Kingdom were beyond upset at this point. They sent a force to find the shuttle and retrieve the crystal. They were unable to find the crystal but its power drew the Sith towards its' location before the Jedi. That's when they began building Atalon Station which is now hovering this planet."

"So the crystal is here?" asked Jon.

"Yes, and I believe it's in one of these oceans."

"Yeah, when we first got here I could sense its' power," said Elissa. "It's something I've never felt before. It's like an added sense."

"Jon, I want you and Elissa to find this crystal," said Catome.

"What, you got to be kidding me?" remarked Jon. "That crystal can be anywhere."

"The force is strong with you Jon. Trust me, it will guide you. Retrieve the crystal from its' dark presence. This will be your next task."

"As you say master."

"Follow me to the cargo hold Jon," said Elissa.

The two made their way out of the cockpit leaving Catome and Winthro alone once again.

"Let me know when systems are checked."

"Yes Master Catome," said Winthro.

The shuttle of the Jedi Council reached touchdown on Xena's unique surface. The aurora lighted night sky was the only light to shine throughout urban planet since it was far away from its' star. The Xenex Republic Capitol Building was over four thousand feet, the tallest building of the planet.

"This is Officer Danita of the X-Republic docking authority what is your business here in Xena?" said a man from the comm.

"Hello Officer Donita, this is Jedi Master Tae of the Jedi Council. We're here to discuss the case of the Sith attack on our world of Hahira with the Ministers."

"Yes, they have informed us of your arrival, you may dock at module 221. Have a nice stay here on Xena."

The Jedi followed the officer's orders and made their way to the docking module near the capitol building.

Elissa and Jon made their way out of the shuttle unto the moist, damp surface of Paru. They were in environmental suits for protection of the planet's cold climate as they were ready to take a dive into the vast ocean.

"Alright, we've walked a few miles over hills and we're near a dead-end," said Elissa. "Are you sure you know where you're going?"

"You're the one who's following," said Jon.

"Well master said this was your task. Mine is to just aid you in your task."

"Well you go ahead and do that."

The two were at the edge of the muddy shore. The water in the ocean stood still like grass. It was as if ice-covered the entire ocean. Without a word, Jon dove in the shallow cold water with Elissa following.

"I have a bad feeling about this," she said.

The ocean was dark even in shallow water. The two had to turn the light on their helmets just to see where they were going. The two saw exotic creatures crawling on the ocean floor with sea stars waving feeding on microorganisms. With no time to spare, the two companions swam their way to the depths of the ocean.

"Wow, look at this," said Elissa. "We must've reached the depths of the ocean."

"Yeah, I can barely see a thing," said Jon.

"But can you feel it?" said Elissa. "The source of the power is growing stronger and stronger the further we get to the depths."

"Yeah, it's like something is piercing through my skin, but yet more life is being brought to me."

"It's the force Jon," said Elissa. "It's calling you as the power of the crystal is reacting. Let's take a dive deep in the depths."

Jon agreed and dove further down in the depths of the ocean. A school of Paru Ice fish swam away from the two protégé as they continued swimming down with the force guiding them. The further they swam down, the more they could feel the crystal's power reacting to them.

"Its' power is intense," said Elissa.

"Which means the crystal is here," said Jon.

The two continued swimming down the vast dark water feeling the intense power as it drew to them like light. Suddenly multiple spots of light appeared as it passed by them. They were in a puzzled state, unsure if what they saw were real.

"The hell?" wondered Jon. "Elissa, you saw that?"

"Yeah, what was that?"

"I don't think we're alone here."

Suddenly a giant scale worm lunged towards them showing its' sharpened teeth. The two swiftly moved out-of-the-way using the force to guide them. To Jon, it was using personal instinct.

"I guess we're not alone," said Jon.

"Jon listen to me," said Elissa. "Find the crashed ship, it's on the ocean floor. The worm must be protecting it. Retrieve it while I distract this thing."

"Will do." With Jon diving further to the ocean floor, Elissa ignited her lightsaber and waited for the fifty footed scale worm to turn around. The worm turned its' massive body around and attacked Elissa squirming in rage.

"The darkside is with this one," she said.

The creature bit at her once again but she swiftly dodged its' bite and slashed its' teeth as it growled in furious pain. Elissa swam around the creature with her blade at hand evading its' every movements.

With enough distraction, Jon made his way to the ocean floor and spotted the crashed, rusty ship. It had the looks of a Sith Warship of the Old Republic era. He found an entrance and swam his way in.

Three Ambassadors of the X-Republic stood and waited for the Jedi's arrival in the public hangar of module 221 as the shuttle made its' landing.

The first to exit out of the ship was Jedi Master Tae followed by Neuss, Janice, and finally Tartan who strutted his way out. The Ambassadors met the four Jedi Masters halfway through the ramp with a pleasant introduction.

"Greetings Master Jedi," the man said. "I am Ambassador Tascam. With me are Ambassadors Elam and Quan. We will be your guide during your stay here in Xena."

"Thank you Ambassador Tascam. I am Jedi Master Tae. With me are my companions Masters Janice, Neuss, and Tartan."

"A pleasure, we've heard about your misfortune at the Jedi Temple back at Hahira. I hope the Ministers will get to the bottom of this."

"But to tell you the truth what the Kingdom has done is an act of war."

"And you said they used Flesian Battle Drones?"

"Yes Ambassador," said Janice. "We saw them with our own eyes. There were dozens of them and were very advanced in technology."

"So I see," said Ambassador Tascam. "But if you follow us we will show you to your rooms."

The Jedi Masters followed the three Ambassadors out of the hangar into the planet's surface. Surrounding them were skyscrapers over two thousand feet tall. They were walking on a bridge with air speeders swarming through Xena's thin atmosphere. A few shuttles swarmed above traffic, hovering over the planet.

"The area you are in is the Minister's Square," said Ambassador Tascam. "This is the only area in Xena which has the tallest buildings. Above you see the Xena Capitol Building. That's where the Ministers hold their meetings and press conferences. The top floor of the building is where the Prime Minister's Office located. Your meeting will be held on the 165th floor of the building."

"Sounds fun," said Tartan.

"So what are those shuttles hovering the atmosphere for?" asked Janice.

"Oh those are our safety patrols. They make sure there is enough oxygen for civilians to breathe in Xena's thin atmosphere and to make sure to keep intruders out who don't have access of docking here."

"So I see."

"So are there any more questions before I show you to your rooms?"

There was no answer which meant everyone was ready to move forth on their journey.

"Alright, let's get moving," Ambassador Tascam finally said.

The five Jedi Masters followed the three Ambassadors to a docking ramp and led them to a cab. A droid with strict discipline was the pilot of the speeder which was going to take the Jedi to their suite. The speeder was fit for ten which was very expensive for poor and middle-class civilians. The Ambassadors got in first then the Jedi. The speeder took off to the luxurious suite which was a mile away from the Capitol Building.

Jon swam his way inside the ancient Sith Warship and discovered the bridge in which he knew by instinct the crystal was. Sparks flew from old computers with droid parts from old modules floating around the place. A great source of evil was within the ship but it far phased Jon since he lived his whole life in a nightmare. Curiosity ran through his mind as he began toggling the computer's programming system.

"Amazing this damn thing still works after being sunken over a thousand years under water?" he questioned to himself.

He played with the system some more, checking on the data banks. His curiosity led him to ancient Sith knowledge. He knew it was forbidden to look into the Sith's tactics but his stubbornness was his worst character. He pulled up the Sith Code and read the lines;

Peace is a lie, there is only passion.

Through passion I gain strength

Through strength I gain power.

Through power I gain victory.

Through victory, my chains are broken.

The Force shall free me.

"Huh, sounds like my kind of people," he said. "I wonder what else these people got hidden in their data system."

He dug further deep into the archives to look into more files but the computer suddenly moaned and pulled up a holo-recording of a man in custom Jedi robes wearing a mask over his face showing only his eyes and slight long hair. He was with another man who had on an imperial suite with slick hair and glasses to cover his eyes.

"What is this?" wondered Jon.

"The Emperor will be so pleased when he collects this crystal," said the Imperial Agent on the holo-recording. "I must say this is a glorious day for the Empire. King Tarlan was a fool but yet smart to surrender that crystal over to the Sith Empire. Consider this your lucky day Jedi."

"I told you already Jan that I left the Order," said the masked man. "The Jedi are weak, and when I learned about the Emperor's plan of expansion I couldn't resist."

"Although you are a turncoat you are still considered a Jedi to me boy."

"Enough, you must've forgot that this is my task. You're just along for the ride."

"If it wasn't for my tactics, you would've failed this task miserably and the Jedi would've gained the crystal towards their advantage."

"Regardless the crystal is ours and once I receive my reward of prestige, I will soon become a Sith Master."

"So you will. But soon this galaxy will be a part of the Empire's expansion. And with the uprising of the Dark Kingdom, the Jedi will be wiped out completely. The Xenex Kingdom will kneel before their Emperor and the Republic will crumble. A grand golden age will soon be at hand."

The recording stopped, leaving Jon in deep thought.

"The Emperor?" he questioned. "Was he referring to the Sith Empire back in the age of the Old Republic?"

" Jon!"called Elissa on his suit's inner comm. "Jon do you respond!"

He soon snapped out of his thoughts and replied, "This is Jon Quell."

"Did you find the crystal?"

"Not yet I'm still searching."

"Well hurry up, I can't hold this thing for any longer!"

"Hang on girl, I'm almost finished. I believe the crystal is somewhere on the bridge. I can feel it."

"Well search your feelings and get the damn thing before this creature makes an appetizer out of me!"

"Just hang on okay!" Elissa's signal was lost leaving Jon in worry.

"Elissa do you copy… Elissa do you copy, respond?" There was yet still a signal lost. All he could do was pray for the worst not happening. Jon muttered a swear under his breath and swam through the wreckage.

Avoiding the monstrous predator's grasp, Elissa continued to evade its' scowling attack. She swam towards its' backside but the worm snapped its' jaws at her menacingly twirling its' body. Avoiding the creature's bite, Elissa did a stunning back flip with the force guiding her. She saw an opening of the creature's tail and swam towards it. Taking quick and deep strokes, Elissa used her right hand to swiftly jab her blade into the worm's tail. In blinding rage, the creature wiggled and squirmed in pain giving Elissa enough time to make a second evasion. She swam away from the creature giving herself a head start. But eventually the creature saw through Elissa's plot and swam after her.

Jon was near the object. He could feel the power drawing to him. He moved droid parts out-of-the-way to clear a path as suddenly he heard a voice in his head.

Turn back you can't handle the power, it said.

Jon ignored the voice and kept stroking forward. He suddenly saw skeletal corpses of Sith Imperialists floating in front of him.

You are strong in the force, said the voice again. But the Jedi's influence makes you weak.

Jon closed his eyes in pain ignoring the voice but it was starting to get the best of him. He pulled the corpses out of his way but the voice continued running through his head.

I can sense your hatred, your power. I can sense your fear. Embrace it, and you will be set free.

"Shut up!" yelled Jon. He menacingly pulled and shoved the corpses out-of-the-way and spotted the crystal floating beneath him. He stared at its' glow and grabbed it.

"Wow, this thing started this entire ruckus," he said. "I better get going before more voices pops into my head. Elissa hang on I'm coming."

Elissa was near the ocean floor, a spot where she knew she was vulnerable. The massive worm swam viciously towards her with its' mouth open revealing its' monstrous fangs yet again. Elissa closed her eyes wondering if this was the end. Out of the blue, multiple missiles shot out of the ship and blasted the worm, wounding it critically. The creature shrieked in horror as Elissa stared in a puzzled state.

"Hey kid can you hear me?" asked Jon on the inner comm.

"Jon!" she yelled excitedly.

"Alright I got the damn thing now let's get the hell out of here."

"Right behind you."

With the creature distracted by its' wounds, Elissa quickly grabbed her lightsaber from the creature's tail and followed Jon to shore.

"What took you so long?" wondered Elissa.

"The ancient Sith distracted me," he said. "But I must say I was shocked to see that their cannon still worked."

"So that's the crystal?"

"Sure is what a beauty to behold. I tell you, selling something like that in the streets would give you a great fortune."

"Well we're not in the streets so let's head back to the ship before that monstrous thing comes after us again."

"Hey, that's where we're headed right?"

In no time, the two made their way back to shallow water without harm caused to them.

Darth Tangren entered one of the shuttles inside the main hangar and immediately took off. A few droids were with him checking the system's status as he flew the ship above Etalon station. By the time he had the clear, he took off for lightspeed to Etalon.

Serreno watched from a distance letting out a smirk on his face.

"Be my bait Tangren because soon I will restore order in the Kingdom. But for now I must prepare myself for departure. I feel Catome is ready to make a move."