Chapter Twelve - The Prophecies of Revan
Darvix squinted into the darkness as he adjusted the pulley attached to the harness he was wearing. As he alleviated the tension on the pulley, the duracord he had dropped into the elevator shaft began moving through it faster, quickening his rate of descent into the depths of the Old Taris ruins. As he looked above him, he noticed that the sunlight was becoming dimmer and dimmer as he descended lower. He assumed that he had passed the Middle City a few hundred meters ago, meaning he was still a few hundred meters away from the Undercity.
"Explain to me," Vik said from below Darvix, "what's the importance of this location?"
Darvix reached up to his head, turning on the headlamp he had pulled out of a survival kit. As he turned it on, he looked down at Vik, who was forced to shield his eyes from the bright intrusion.
"I think this may have been one of Revan's stopping points during his excursion on Taris," Darvix replied as he continued to feed duracord through the harness.
"What gives you that indication?" Kasari asked from above him.
"Two things," Darvix replied. "First were a set of Old Republic travel logs that survived the Purge. There was a Jedi by the name of Bastila Shan who apparently was a central figure of the Jedi Civil War approximately four thousand years ago. Based on bits and pieces of data from the Jedi Archives and the history databanks on Coruscant, it appears that the Old Jedi Council appointed her to lead a taskforce to either capture or kill Darth Revan.
"Now, historically the last reported sightings of Darth Revan occurred somewhere in this system. It isn't far to believe that Bastila wouldn't be far behind him. According to the travel logs, she was on board the Endar Spire, a military transport that was destroyed over Taris approximately the same time the reports of Darth Revan's appearances surfaced. The Jedi Archives indicated that Bastila survived and wound up on Taris' surface."
Darvix glanced down again, still waiting to spot the ground below, "Now, the second reason we're coming down into this cozy little spot is a matter of logistics, so to speak. I got a hold of the schematics of the area Bastila reportedly wound up at. Old Taris was divided up into the portions, the upper city, the lower city, and the undercity. The entire planet was razed by Darth Malak, meaning that both the upper and lower cities were probably obliterated. Now, based on the design structure, it's highly probable that the undercity survived the onslaught based on its location. If there are any clues to be found, it would be there."
"So we're investigating a lead that was formed by spotty evidence and really is mostly conjecture?" Vik asked. "Can't say I'm overwhelmed by confidence right now, Dap."
"Does it help if I tell you I've got a good feeling about this?" Darvix teased.
"That's just the spice talking," Kasari replied.
***
Darvix released the duracord from his harness and stepped away from the mangled elevator shaft. Pulling his backpack off his shoulders, he reached in and retrieved the lantern he had brought. As he flipped on the light source, he was taken aback by what he saw
"Sweet mother of kriff," Vik said. "I can't believe this stuff is still standing after four thousand years."
All around them were makeshift huts, long since abandoned, but remarkalbly, still standing. The earth below them had begun taking over the shelters, but it was still apparent what had once been here. The Outcasts of Taris had been here at some point, and had likely survived the bombardment of the planet all those years ago. He was right that the undercity survived the bombardment, and if he was correct about a subsequent theory, than Darvix felt confident he would be on the fast track to discovering what happened to Darth Revan.
"What happens now?" Vik asked.
"We set up camp for the night," Darvix said quietly, "I need some time to think."
Darvix returned to his backpack and began to set up a survival tent, which he quickly retreated into. Prior to leaving Yavin IV, he had spent days in the Jedi Archives, studying every bit of information related to Revan he could get his hands on. When he had discovered Revan had been rumored to be on Taris prior to the end of the Jedi Civil War, Darvix decided to pull a few favors. Before he knew it, he had access to the history databanks on Coruscant, where he began to study Taris itself.
Of particular interest to him were the people of the Undercity. He knew that if any part of Taris survived the bombardment by the Sith fleet, it would have been the lowest portions. Darvix recognized that the chances were slim, but if the residents of the undercity survived four thousand years ago, their descendants may still exist on the planet. This theory was reinforced when he stumbled on to what appeared to be an old folklore tale that had been told to the citizens of the undercity.
The tale told of a so-called "promised land" that would spare the people from the hardships of the undercity. Darvix was shocked to find that the story had been preserved in the databank. Historically speaking, the story had been told by word-of-mouth for hundreds of years prior to the destruction of Taris. The story itself spoke of a land where cast-off beings of all races could find refuge and safety. At first, he had dismissed it as just what it appeared to be, a whimsical tale meant to give those suffering hope. Then he ran into one passage that changed his entire view.
Darvix held a datapad in his hand, reading over that one passage.
And as fire rains down from the sky, a savior will appear, holding the keys to salvation. This savior is not of your world, but is of pure heart. Trust him, and salvation will come to those who have suffered long and great.
The story was almost prophetic. Darvix assumed the "fire raining down from the skies" was the Sith Fleet as they bombarded the planet's surface. As for the so-called savior, Darvix assumed that it was Bastila Shan. Everything seemed to come together so conveniently for it to be a coincidence. The Sith invasion, the appearance of Revan, the crash-landing of Bastila Shan. It was all connected, and connected to the people of the undercity. If this promised land truly existed, than the residents of this desolate place just may have survived. If they still lived, they may hold the answers as to what happened to Darth Revan.
Setting the datapad down, Darvix repositioned himself in the tent, sitting cross-legged. Taking a deep breath, Darvix placed his hands in his lap and began to do something he rarely did. Closing his eyes, Darvix called upon the Force. As the comforting warmth flooded over his body, Darvix began to meditate.
***
Kasari shivered and drew her jacket closer to her frame. Darvix hadn't spoken to either her or Vik in hours. Either he was deep in thought, or he had drugged himself up to a new high. How someone like Darvix could become a Jedi Master confused her on a daily basis. Perhaps Skywalker felt pitty for the broken man. More likely, Skywalker had broken into Zorvan's spice stash and had promoted Darvix to Master thanks to a drug-induced high. Kasari sighed. The Force worked in many strange and mysterious ways, and Darvix was most certainly strange and mysterious.
"You know," Vik mused as he sat beside Kasari, "I had forgotten how bad military rations were. I'm beginning to remember why I dropped out of the Academy."
"I often wonder how he made it through Starfighter Academy," Kasari said. "Was he a good pilot?"
"You have to be if you're drafted by the Rogues," Vik replied. "From what I was told, the Rogues were strapped for pilots and had to dig into the rookie pool. Knowing Antilles, he wouldn't settle for anything less than the top of whichever graduating class was produced that session. It just so happened that Zorvan was at the top of his class."
"Racked up a bunch of simulator kills, I take it," Kasari said as she opened her thermos of hot caf.
"He was near the bottom of the pool when it came to ship-to-ship victories," Vik replied. "What he could do was rack up assists faster than anyone else. While I was still at the Academy, I typically would fly in wing-tandems with him. I'd take the point, and he'd fly as support…He treated combat as if it were a puzzle, always thinking a few steps ahead to try and outwit the enemy. Instead of going in to take kills, he'd fly back and assess the situation, calling out commands to his wingmen, drawing enemy fire, and serving as a decoy while others focused on creating space-superiority. He was one of the most selfless pilots I flew with."
"Zorvan was a "selfless" pilot?" Kasari asked, raising a brow. "Are we talking about the same man?"
"Don't think he was being noble or anything," Vik said, "although he'd like you to think that. He flew with that style out of necessity. During his career in the Starfighter Corps, he was legally blind. He wore a set of cybernetic eye implants to make up for his loss of eye-sight. In head-to-head combat, he was as good as dead. His eyes couldn't keep up fast enough to log any respectable amount of kills. The ones he did get were pure luck."
"So how did he graduate top of his class?"
"Pure instincts," Vik replied, "and tactical smarts. He knew his ship and what it could and couldn't do. Likewise, he knew his wingmen and what they could and couldn't do. He could make the most out of any starfighter wing. Zorvan had almost everything it took to be a wing leader or squadron commander."
"So what went wrong?" Kasari asked.
Vik shook his head, "He couldn't command respect from those under him. People believed that Darvix viewed combat as a game of numbers and statistics, something that could be manipulated if he could solve the puzzle. What's unfortunate is that they were right. He showed numerous times that he had little regard for the living beings involved in combat. The only thing that mattered was achieving the goals required for success.
"That," Vik continued, "creates a dilemma. On the one hand, you have a man who is a tactical genius, who is always two steps ahead of the enemy. On the other, the same man won't hesitate to exploit you in his plans to stay two steps ahead. Who do you want to trust your life to more? Someone who can all but guarantee success, or someone who will devote themselves to bringing you home to your family at the end of the day?"
Kasari shook her head, "So in the end, he's just a cold, heartless bastard."
"I said that initially, looking at the way he fought," Vik admitted, "but one day he said something that put it into perspective for me…Everyone who joins the military all but signs their death wish. They do it for their differing reasons, some for glory, some to make money, but just about every one of them lived through the Galactic Civil War when they were younger. They all join to ensure that no one has to go through what they did. Darvix knows that…As soon as he signed up, as soon as I or anyone else signed up, we said that the lives of the citizens were more important than our own, and we would go as far as laying down our own lives to protect them
"So he commanded others with that mindset, knowing that it was their duty to protect those that needed protecting," Vik continued. "That mindset was reflected in the way he led, and the way he flew. Sadly, he had one fatal flaw in his logic. He assumed that because he viewed his own life in a lesser light than the rest of the universe, that every other pilot and soldier shared that view on their own lives. Basic living instinct is to survive, but that instinct has been suppressed in Darvix's warped mind. He couldn't come to terms with that, and because of that, he failed to become a successful leader and pilot. For all that potential he had, it was all undone by his twisted view on his own importance in the Galaxy."
"It still sounds like he's a cold, heartless bastard," Kasari mused. "Sounds like he hasn't changed at all over the years."
"I suppose he is," Vik said. "Somewhere down there is buried some deep, virtuous seed of good. Unfortunately, it's hidden under the rest of his personality. His obsession with solving the puzzle at all costs gives him gratification, but isolates him from everyone else around him."
The two of them sat in silence for a little while longer before Vik spoke up, "I suppose one thing about him has changed, though…Now he's not afraid to show that he's miserable with himself."
***
He could hear them. Almost, anyways. Still, he was sure that they were out there, hidden somewhere on this decimated planet. As he stretched out with the Force, Darvix could sense faint whispering. Bits of a conversation here, the sounds of a child at play there. Darvix was convinced now; the promise land of Taris really did exist. Now it was simply a matter of finding it. Darvix reached out further with the Force, trying to formulate a vision within his mind to give him some sort of clue as to where to go.
It was pointless. Darvix couldn't use the Force to solve this puzzle, he needed more hard data. Data he didn't have. Sighing in defeat, Darvix exited the tent. He saw Vik and Kasari beside the lantern, no doubt gossiping about something. Kasari had been clinging to Vik lately, and for some reason, that bothered Darvix. Most likely, Darvix realized, it was because Vik knew much more about him than anyone else did. Darvix didn't want others knowing about his past as a pilot. If he could, he wouldn't reminisce about it himself. Shaking his head, Darvix strode away from the tent. Night had fallen, and the streams of sunlight that had been streaming in from the holes in the canopy had been extinguished. All around him was dark, barren wasteland.
Darvix stopped in place as he heard something snap from his side. Instinctively, his military training kicked in, as his hand darted to his side, poised to grab his sidearm. Stretching out with the Force once more, Darvix could detect the presence of someone nearby. It wasn't Kasari, and it wasn't Vik, that much he was sure of. Darvix released the safety on his blaster, pulling it out of its holster. Wrapping his hands around the handle and placing his index finger over the trigger, he brought his arms up, locking into a firing stance.
Warning bells suddenly fired off within his head. With the Force as his guide, Darvix jumped to the side, snapping off a shot. At the same moment, a red blaster bolt shot into the ground right where he was standing
"I swear if you don't show yourself right now, I'm going to blast you right between the eyes!" Darvix yelled.
"Not worried," a female voice said. "You missed me by five feet with your first shot."
Darvix recognized that voice. Lowing his blaster, Darvix stood up and pulled a glowrod from his belt, igniting it.
"Horn?" Darvix asked, tilting his head to the side.
"Ah, right," Mirax Terrik Horn said. "You're one of Wedge's boys."
***
"I can't believe she almost took his head off," Kasari said as he looked over at Darvix and the newcomer.
"I can't believe she missed," Vik mused. "Do you have any idea who that is?"
Kasari shrugged, "How should I know?"
"I don't know," Vik responded. "I suppose that if you've been hiding in a cave with your fingers shoved up your ears screaming the Vader Bantha Steak theme song at the top of your lungs, you wouldn't know. That's Mirax Terrik Horn, daughter of the great Booster Terrik."
"Kriff," Kasari groaned. "What is it with Zorvan and finding smugglers everywhere we go?"
"Smugglers make everything more entertaining," Vik mused. "They're like the drunken houseguest at a party."
"I'd find that to be rather rude and annoying."
"See, this is why no one thinks you're any fun," Vik said.
"Who says I'm not any fun?" Kasari asked.
"Myself, Zorvan, and most of the known Galaxy."
On the other side of the makeshift campfire the party had set up, Darvix was glancing over a datapad he had brought with him, all the while idly chatting with Mirax. Darvix had first met her on his first assignment with Rogue Squadron. She had smuggled the Rogues into the Imperial controlled planet Telos, where they then stole one of the last remaining Phantom-D34 class TIE Fighters. It proved to be a rather traumatic ride, filled with all the clichés that could possibly be found in a B-Grade Coruscant holodrama. Ultimately, it culminated in him losing his left arm from the elbow down. At least now he could claim he was in the hallowed "Prosthetic Limb Society" within the New Republic military. Hell, he could probably be president of that society when he coupled that with his old cybernetic eyes.
No, Darvix mused to himself. That would involve me getting into more accidents than Hobbie. I don't want that.
"So what brings you out to this backwater, Rhakgoul infested wasteland?" Mirax asked.
"Visions of grand adventure, noble deeds, and saving damsels in distress," Darvix replied.
"Delusions of grandeur?"
"Nah, that's just the spice talking," Darvix said. "What about you?"
"Officially, I'm gathering information for a client," Mirax said. "Unofficially, I'm treasure hunting."
"Treasure hunting?" Darvix asked. "Seems a little juvenile, don't you think?"
"What can I say?" Mirax said. "I'm just a child in heart, I suppose."
"Well, you're child-like innocence confirms that," Darvix joked as his eyes glanced from her face to her chest, "but that rack says you're all woman, baby."
Mirax frowned at Darvix, sitting more upright, "You know, if I were like most other women, I would have either slapped you or poured my hot caf all over you."
"But you're not like most other women," Darvix mused. "Come on, dump that prude Corran. You could do so much better with me."
"Eh, you're right," Mirax admitted. "I'm not like most other women. I'm considering castrating you where you sit."
Darvix grinned, "I bet I can figure out who's the dominant one in your marriage."
"Damn straight," Mirax "Corran's whipped."
Darvix laughed and shook his head, "So, you're on a treasure hunt. What is this treasure you're looking for?"
"Not sure," Mirax confessed. "I stumbled across some rather archaic information in Karrde's library a few months ago. It's written in rather primitive Basic, but from what I gather, it's speaking of a 'promised land' hidden somewhere on this planet."
Darvix's head shot up, "Do you have this information on you right now?"
"Sure," Mirax said, raising a brow, "but it'll cost you."
"Fine, fine," Darvix said. "My tent, 0200 hours. Would you like it gentle and sensual or hot, steamy, and rough?"
"None of the above, thank you," Mirax said, brushing off Darvix's crude mock-advances. "Ten thousand credits."
"Done," Darvix said. "The Jedi Academy will cover it."
Mirax stared at Darvix in silence for a few moments, "Damn, should have asked for fifteen thousand."
***
How Mirax ended up with the information that now rested in Darvix's hands was far beyond him. He suspected that she bartered it off of Talon Karrde. That man seemed to have information concerning everything. If Karrde didn't have information that someone was looking for, than something was terribly wrong in the Galaxy. With the new data in his possession, the party left the camp, returning to the surface. That was nearly two days ago.
For months he had been looking for a break, some sort of connection between the surviving travel logs, journals, and this mysterious "promised land" legend born to the impoverished on Taris generations ago. Now he had it, and it only cost the Jedi Academy ten-thousand credits. Tens of thousands of years earlier, Taris had been a temperate and oceanic world. As the massive urban sprawl took over the world, the oceans and the trees vanished. After the Sith fleet laid waste to the planet, the original terrain returned. In the four thousand years since, trees returned to much of the surface, bodies of water replaced decimated cities.
Darvix looked through the left viewport of his X-Wing, glancing at the second identical starfighter flanking his wing. To his right was Pulsar Skate, Mirax Terrik Horn's personal smuggling vessel. Vik was waiting on the Tatooine Gallows, prepping the transport for immediate departure. Below him was a deep blue ocean, pierced every now and then by a small landform. Darvix eased back on his throttle as Zone beeped behind him. They were getting close to the coordinates he had pulled from the datapad Mirax had provided him.
"Visual contact," Mirax said over the comlink. "I'd say about five hundred kilometers across."
"Contact confirmed," Darvix acknowledged. "See any place to set down?"
"Got a clearing that should be big enough," Mirax replied.
"I do have to ask, Horn," Darvix said as he began calculating an entry approach, "how did you end up with this information?"
"I've got my resources," Mirax said.
"A lot of grammatical issues in this information," Darvix noted. "Looks like it's been translated from something else, I assume this is Karrde's work?"
"I'd venture to say that's a wise assumption."
"I'll have to pay Karrde a visit later," Darvix noted. "The bastard father I never had might have some information I need."
"He has information everyone needs," Mirax said. "The question is if you have enough credits to pay for that information. I suppose you could say he's got a monopoly on that particular market."
As Darvix set down, he lifted the orange visor on his helmet, undoing the harness holding him into his flightseat. Undoing the chinstrap, he took his helmet off and set it atop the flight console. Darvix stood and leapt to the ground below, wasting no time in opening the underbelly compartment of his X-Wing and pulling out his duffel bag. As he changed into more comfortable civilian clothing, he heard the ramp of the Pulsar Skate hissing open.
"I envy you Lisae," Mirax said aloud as Kasari jumped from her X-Wing cockpit to the ground below, "you get to stare at that rear end all day."
"You had your chance, Horn," Darvix replied. "You choose the money instead."
"What a shame," Kasari muttered.
"It truly is a shame," Darvix said as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Every woman should be able to experience the Sir Darvix firsthand."
"And you accuse me of having delusions of grandeur," Kasari said, shooting a glare at Darvix.
***
"Just what are you hoping to find?" Darvix asked Mirax as he pushed through the thick vegetation.
"I could ask you the same question," Mirax replied, "but knowing you were a Rogue, and you're now all cozy with Skywalker, I probably don't want to know."
Darvix chuckled slightly, "My reputation precedes me, I see. Regardless, my question to you still stands."
Mirax cast a sideways glance at Darvix, blowing a strand of jet-black hair out of her eyes, "It all comes back to information. Karrde pays for it, and pays well. Sometimes a smuggler needs to do something on the side to supplement the rest of her work."
"Karrde's hired you, I see," Darvix noted has he glanced up at the sky above. "I assume you'll get a pretty bonus if you find some useful information that he can put on the market."
"Can't blame a girl for wanting some extra credits on the side," Mirax replied.
"He's not the primary reason you're here, though, is it?" Darvix said, staring straight forward. "You're working for someone else right now, right?"
Mirax was silent. Darvix knew he had hit on something.
"Something was bothering me the moment you showed me that datapad," Darvix said. "If you had known where this place was, you wouldn't have ended up in the undercity. You were looking for me, because you had no idea what the hell to do with that information. I'm guessing that husband of yours told you I was here after you brought up Taris in dinner conversation. Certainly Jedi Boy would have some useful information."
Mirax was still silent as Darvix continued, "Of course, Horn wouldn't let you simply go out to some Imperial backwater world without a good reason, would he? Not that overprotective bastard. Unless you were running an errand for the Republic, he wouldn't dare let you go."
"Let's see," Darvix said, pausing for a moment. "A few Republic outposts in some neighboring sectors are involved in border combat, if I remember correctly. Must be difficult to get supplies out there from Coruscant. Could you, perhaps, be liberating some supplies from the Imperial naval base here on Taris in hopes of getting them to Republic forces? All the while, you're really information hunting for Karrde. My oh my, Mirax, you've been a busy girl."
"Corran told me you were an ass," Mirax replied. "He neglected to tell me you were an NRI criminal profiler by night."
"Nah, Jedi by day, children's holo-hero by night," Darvix said with a wry smile. "Tell me, my dear, how right was I?"
"Oh, hit and miss," Mirax said. "You already know I'm doing some work for Karrde. You are right in the fact that I'm smuggling some… liberated… supplies to a Republic medical platform nearby. You are wrong about Corran, though."
Darvix raised a brow, "Damn, I was sure I had at least that part of your story nailed down. Enlighten me, my dear Mirax. Whatever detail did I miss whilst deducing what you've been up to the last few weeks?"
"Oh, nothing major," Mirax replied with a smile, "other than the fact I didn't tell Corran I'm here."
"Well why stop there?" Darvix asked. "We could set up camp, share some spice, and keep eachother warm. You don't have to tell him that, either."
"Not in your lifetime," Mirax said as her hand dropped lower to her blaster.
"You don't know what you're missing," Darvix replied as he grinned broadly.
"Ignorance is bliss, in my opinion."
"Touché," Darvix replied.
***
They were close, so incredibly close. As Darvix stretched out with the force, the voices became more and more pronounced. The sounds of children at play and adults conversing echoed through his mind. Life was teaming, it was nearby. Somehow, the residents of Taris' undercity had survived the Sith onslaught over four-thousand years earlier. Now they were thriving, Darvix could feel it. Reaching into the pocket of his pants, he retrieved the datapad he had purchased from Mirax.
It appeared to be written in a crude translation into Basic. From what language it originally hailed was unknown to Darvix. Somewhere, according to the datapad, the entrance to the Promised Land awaited them. It was nearby, perhaps a lift of some sort. Darvix had long suspected that this Promised Land was hidden well below the planet's surface. It was the only possible way the outcasts could have survived Darth Malak's bombardment of Taris.
The group had stopped about a half hour ago in the middle of a forested area to rest. Kasari was sitting atop of a large boulder, glancing around the area as if on guard. Mirax was leaning against a tree, idly polishing her blaster. As Darvix looked away from Mirax, something caught his eye. He tilted his head to the side as he caught sight of a wall of solid rock a few meters ahead of him. As he moved towards it, he spotted something odd: a small, almost unnoticeable vertical line. He traced his index finger along it, smiling to himself. This line was far too straight to have occurred naturally. Something was hidden behind this wall.
Taking a step back, Darvix raised his arm, his hand pointing at the crack. Closing his eyes, he called upon the Force. He visualized the crack spreading wider, opening as if it were a doorway. Darvix gritted his teeth as he put more effort into his attempt. Sure enough, the crack slowly widened, centimeter by centimeter, but not quick enough. After a few more agonizing moments, Darvix lowered his arm, trying to catch his breath. As he feared, his connection with the Force wasn't strong enough right now. He wasn't focused. Perhaps a shot of spice would help-
"I'll be damned," Kasari said. "You found it."
"Of course I did," Darvix replied without skipping a beat. "Now go ahead and open it, Lisae."
"Can't you?" his apprentice asked, raising a brow.
"I found it, you open it," Darvix said, staring straight forward. "It's only fair, after all. I can't hog all the glory."
"You can't op-"
"Open it, Lisae," Darvix said firmly, casting a cold glare at her.
"…Yes, Master," Kasari replied.
Darvix watched as Kasari repeated the steps he just took. He could literally see a sense of calm wash over her as she called upon the Force. Without even a hint of effort, she raised her hands, motioning for the two portions of the rock wall to part. The heavy stone obliged to her command, slowly separating to reveal a dark chamber behind it. Moments later, Kasari lowered her arm, casting a glance at Darvix.
"Looking for a compliment, Lisae?" Darvix asked. "You did your job, congratulations."
Before she could object, Darvix moved forward, pulling a glowrod off his belt and igniting it. As he stepped into the chamber, he cast the rod's light about. It appeared he had stumbled into an old elevator system of some sort. He wasn't sure when it was last used, or even if it was still operational. Still, this was a very encouraging sight. They were close to entering the Promised Land now.
***
Darvix sat on the floor of the lift as it continued its slow descent into who knew what. His hand idly stroked the cool metal of his lightsaber that he had pulled off his belt. It occurred to him that he had yet to ignite the blade. He was quickly approaching the two year mark, the last time he had wielded a live lightsaber. Ever since his ill-fated duel with Corran Horn, he had refused to use the weapon of the Jedi. In practice, he used old vibroswords the Academy had as training tools for younger students. Skywalker had once made him use his old lightsaber in an exercise upon his arrival at the Academy, but handed it to Skywalker at the end of the lesson, never to use it again.
That blade had been his fathers. The very lightsaber he had used to slay his own mother in a fit of rage on his homeworld of Nar Shaddaa. When Skywalker ordered him to resume the use of the lightsaber, Darvix refused to use that blade. Instead, he opted to construct his own lightsaber, the one that rested in his hands at this very moment. His skills were probably rusty, and he probably should brush up on saber-weilding skills. He knew as well as anyone else he would have to call upon his weapon in the future. That much was inevitable.
"I think I see something," Mirax said.
Darvix stood and peered over the railing of the lift. Sure enough, there was ground below, and lights not far off in the distance. It was as if they had dropped into a massive cavern, stretched further than the eye could see. As Darvix squinted into the distance, he realized just what it was he was staring at. A massive city, buried deep below the planet surface. This was the Promised Land! A safe haven from the Sith bombardment four-thousand years earlier.
"I'll be damned," Darvix muttered to himself. "That crazy prophecy was true."
"Prophecy?" Mirax asked, casting a glance at Darvix.
"An old transcript I found in the Coruscant libraries. There was an old legend passed down among the old Taris undercity residents of a Promised Land that would save them from a day when 'fire would rain down from the skies above.' I wondered just how that could be true…The raining fire was no doubt the Sith destroyer that laid waste to Taris' surface. Now it makes sense, they survived by going underground…Apparently it was so nice down here, they stuck around for four-thousand years."
"What do we do now?" Kasari asked
"Simple," Darvix replied. "Find someone and order them to 'take us to their leader.'"
***
As Darvix slowly trudged through the dark caverns, he felt his hand slinking closer and closer to his hand blaster. Something in the back of his mind told him that it would probably be best to leave the safety off today. He wasn't sure if it was the Force pulling at his nerves, or if it was simply the fact that he was hundreds of feet below the surface moving towards (what he assumed) was a city that may, or may not be, inhabited by people who were assumed to have been wiped out four thousand years earlier. Either way, he would be leaving the safety off his blaster.
Darvix took one more step forward. Suddenly the Force began pounding inside his head as if klaxon alarms had been surgically implanted in his brain. Quickly pulling out his blaster, he snapped off a quick shot into the darkness. Immediately, he knew he had missed his target. As he heard the sound of a blaster bolt, he stumbled backwards, just in time to see a red bolt land on the ground right in front of him. Before Darvix could move any further, Mirax fired two shots into the direction the enemy blaster fire had come from. The sound of laser on metal echoed through the cavern.
Metal? Darvix asked himself.
"For the love of the Force," Mirax said as she cast a sideways glance at Darvix. "You missed again. Who taught you how to shoot a blaster? My husband?"
"Well if you had taken me up on my offer, I could prove to you that I'm a much bet-"
"You comment on my sex life one more time and I swear, Zorvan," Mirax replied with a glare, "You will find your manhood on permanent display on the Skate."
"I appreciate you trying to clean up the gene pool, Ms. Horn," Kasari said from the shadows, "but you might want to take a look at this."
Darvix moved towards Kasari, igniting his glowrod. On the ground was a smouldering hunk of metal. It took Darvix a few moments to recognize just what it was: a droid. A rather primitive droid. It vaguely resembled a protocol droid; humoresque features, arms and legs, torso, a head. Clutched in its cold, metallic hands was what appeared to be a blaster rifle. Darvix prodded the droid with his foot, partly to see if it would respond, mostly to calm his nerves.
"I'll be damned," Darvix said to himself. "That part of the tale –was- true."
"What part of the tale?" Mirax asked.
"Apparently popular belief at the time indicated that the Promised Land was staffed by hundreds of servant droids," Darvix replied. "I didn't buy into it, though."
"Why's that?" Kasari asked as she pried the blaster out of the droid's hands.
"The answer should be obvious," Darvix said as he stood upright. "Droids would make lousy concubines."
"Servants, Zorvan," Kasari replied with disgust. "Not sex slaves."
"What's the fun in that?"
"Zorvan," Mirax interrupted.
"What?" Darvix replied as he bent over to look at the droid again.
"I think we're in trouble."
"Did you forget to use the 'fresher before we left?"
"Shut up," Mirax said. "Look up. You might want to put your arms in the air in a surrendering gesture as well."
Darvix did. Darvix regretted it. The three of them were now surrounded by droids, armed with blaster rifles, all of which were pointed right at them.
"I'm going to have to agree with your assessment of the situation, Horn," Darvix replied as he raised his arms to surrender.
***
Darvix frowned to himself as he tried to flex his hands, which were inconveniently bound behind his back. Shortly after he had been surrounded by the battle droids, two humans arrived on scene to take them into custody. His blaster and lightsaber had been taken away, leaving him utterly defenseless…well, defenseless against a bunch of Vitamin C deficient bottom-dwellers who spent more time in the dark than a horde of holo-gamers at a network party. If all else failed, he could shine a glow-rod in their eyes and escape while they were trying to recover their night-vision.
Grimacing as his human captor jabbed the barrel of a blaster rifle in his back, Darvix turned his head to the side, "You know, in some cultures it's considered rude to hold someone hostage and hold an armed weapon at their back… Although on Bothawuii that's considered to be a sign of affection."
Darvix's captor yelled something almost incoherent at him as he jabbed the blaster into Darvix's back again. Picking up the pace, Darvix glanced back at the man again. Had he just spoken an alien language? It wasn't like anything he had ever heard from another species, but at the same time, it seemed vaguely familiar.
"Excuse me," Darvix said, "Could you repeat what you just-"
This time the butt of the blaster found its mark on Darvix's kidneys. Stumbling forward, Darvix winced in pain as the shock knocked the air out of his lungs. As Darvix silently fumed to himself, whishing that he could call upon the Force to smite his captor, Darvix and the others were led deeper into the underground city. Before long, they were brought into a large audience chamber.
Okay, this can go one of two ways, Darvix mused to himself. Either we're about to be greeted with open arms, or we are about to be publically humiliated and thrown into prison. I'm banking on the latter
Darvix looked over at Kasari, whose faced was a tangled mess of fear and outrage. Momentarily, Darvix felt guilty for getting her involved in this mess. Had he been more alert, they wouldn't have been ambushed. Perhaps if he had just taken the time to do more research before he left, he would have been better prepared. Mentally, Darvix shrugged off that thought. Lisae knew what she was getting into. This was a part of the job description. If she was scared, she would have to learn to deal with it.
Their captors left them in the center of the chamber and walked away from them. At the far side was a single woman. Darvix watched as the men who had taken them into custody laid out the confiscated weapons. He tilted his head slightly as the woman bent over to pick up a lightsaber. Judging by the hilt, it was Lisae's. Suddenly, with a snap and a sharp hiss, the woman flipped the blade to life. A deep blue blade emerged from the hilt, its vibrations reverberating throughout the room.
As the woman turned off the lightsaber, she looked directly at Darvix. The woman motioned to a guard, who approached Darvix and undid the cuffs holding his arms behind his back. Darvix took a hold of his left wrist, rubbing it to try and return the feeling into his hands.
"What happens now?" Mirax asked.
"Honestly," Darvix said, "I have no idea."
The woman was fast approaching the three outsiders. Her skin was almost sickly pale, which was understandable. Little sunlight reached this place, and no artificial light could provide a pure substitute for the nutrients the planet's sun provided. Still, there was something almost mysteriously beautiful about her. All about her was an aura of intelligence and composure. Instinctively, Darvix reached to his side, trying to grasp for the hand blaster that wasn't there. Sighing inwardly, Darvix allowed his arms to drop to his sides.
The woman looked directly at Darvix for a moment before speaking. Though he could not understand what she said, the tone seemed to imply that she was asking a question. Once again, Darvix felt as if this language seemed vaguely familiar.
"Do you understand a word she's saying?" Mirax asked.
"No," Darvix admitted.
The woman spoke again. Suddenly, Darvix thought he heard something recognizable.
"Of course…" Darvix muttered.
"What?"
"Primitive Basic," Darvix said. "Well, pseudo-primitive Basic. Why didn't I think about this sooner? Four thousand years, of course there's going to be dialectical differences. Vader's Bones, I'm an idiot."
Darvix thought for a moment before he spoke to the woman, carefully formulating his words as he slowly replied.
"My name is Darvix," he said in the seemingly alien language.
"I am Ahmi Traln," the woman said, "I am the chief scholar of the Promised City archives."
"You're a Jedi," Ahmi replied, though it took Darvix a few moments to process that statement. "We've long been expecting you, Descendent."
"Yes," Darvix said, surprise showing on his face as the woman addressed him in that odd manner.. "I've been sent by the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV."
Ahmi shook her head, "There is no Academy on Yavin IV."
"No…the when the last Jedi visited your people, there were Academies on Dantooine and Coruscant, correct?"
"Yes…that is what our records show," the woman countered.
"The Dantooine Academy was destroyed almost four-thousand years ago…The Coruscant Academy fell almost twenty years ago," Darvix said. "Who…who is cited with giving you the information about these Academies?"
"Two people," Ahmi said. "Jedi Shan and her partner, Jedi Revan."
Darvix felt as if Ahmi had just punched him in the stomach, "P…partner?"
"Our mythos states that they were both close," Ahmi replied. "They worked together to bring us the information of the Promised Land. They saved my people. It is because of them we have thrived here."
"Are your records certain that it was Revan who brought you this information?" Darvix demanded.
"There is little doubt. Though we were not sure of his identity initially, Jedi Revan returned to us after we settled in the Promised Land to deliver to us another prophecy."
"Another prophecy?" Darvix asked. "What do you mean?"
"You do not know?" Ahmi asked, visibly shocked. "It concerns you, Descendant. Jedi Revan predicted that you would arrive here."
"What else?" Darvix asked, his eyes wide, "What else did Revan say?"
"He only referred to you as "The Descendant," Ahmi explained. "Jedi Revan said that you would come to tell us that Taris was alive once more, and that it was safe for us to return to the surface."
"Why?" Darvix asked, "Why did he call me the Descendant?"
Ahmi looked at Darvix with regret, "I'm sorry, Jedi Darvix, but I do not know."
Darvix looked to Mirax and Kasari, who looked back at him with an expression of sheer, utter confusion.
"What did she say?" Kasari asked.
"I…I…" Darvix stuttered. "Sithspit…Lisae, if what Ahmi told me is true then…Oh kriff… Lisae if this is true, everything we know about Revan is wrong."