Resistance base, Lothal - Outer Rim Territories
Jarik POV...
Before leaving Ahch-To, Mara and I made sure to bid the Vikings goodbye; Mara thinks we'll be gone for a week or two, but I honestly don't know when I'll be back.
After that, I made sure to gather up all of the items that I need to bring with me: my shattered lightsabers, and my Jedi holocron. I'm not fully sure what I'll need them for, as the wolf wasn't clear on that part, but I will need them. Now, having arrived on Lothal, we up with the Spectres and started to plan our next course of action.
"Alright, you both have our attention. Now explain what's going on," Hera says.
"This stone came from the Jedi Temple here on Lothal," Ezra tells us.
I look down at the stone, which was placed on a boulder in the middle of our circle so that we could all see it. There were three images of interest on the stone, namely hands that were each in a separate position. I stroke my chin thoughtfully, recognizing the similarity between the three hands and the painting of the Ones.
"That's far to the north. How did it get here?" Hera questions.
"The loth-wolves gave it to me," Ezra explains with a shrug. "They think the Empire's doing something terrible there."
"Loth-wolves?" Mara asks curiously.
"Ok, wait... they think?" Zeb interrupts skeptically. "What, did they talk to you?"
"Uh, just the one," he replies.
"Was it a black wolf?" I ask him.
Ezra furrows his brow in response, looking a little bit surprised.
"No, I haven't seen any black wolves," he states, a bit perplexed. "...have you seen one?"
Mara looks up at me weirdly, and I give her a side glance before responding to Ezra with a nod of my head.
"You might say that," I say in reply.
"I wish these wolves told you what these symbols mean... but maybe I could make more sense of it if I saw the temple up close," Sabine chimes in.
"Jarik, you've known about the temple for years now, right?" Ezra asks. "Do you have any idea what it means?"
"If what I'm thinking is true―which it most likely is―then we have to keep the Empire from getting their hands over what's inside the temple," I tell the group.
Mara rolls her eyes sarcastically at the first half of my response, which I ignore, and Hera looks around with a determined gaze.
"So let's stop them," she declares before looking down sadly. "For Kanan."
"Alright, then let's get going. We'll be taking your ship, right?" Sabine asks me.
"No," I shake my head in response.
"We aren't?" Mara asks in surprise.
"It's too recognizable," I explain. "And whatever the Empire is doing there, even I would have a difficult time flying too close without alerting them."
"Then how're we supposed to get there? Like Hera said, the temple is far to the north," Sabine points out.
"We don't need a ship," I state, looking over at Ezra.
Ezra looks back at me, momentarily confused, but then widens his eyes in realization and gives a small nod in reply.
Ezra led us out to the edge of the camp, where we stood on a flat surface of rock overlooking the endless fields of Lothalian grass. On the way, Mara moves up beside me with an expectant and confused look on her face.
"How come you and Ezra both know about something, but I don't? When were you ever chatting?" she asks me.
"We weren't," I tell her.
She gives me a weird look, but I just shrug back in complete honesty. Ezra stops at the edge of the rock and turns to look back at me questioningly.
"Jarik?" he asks.
"This is your home," I shake my head. "The wolves have a stronger connection to you."
Ezra nods his head in acknowledgement, a bit uneasy bit determined regardless, and he stares out at the grass field. He then closes his eyes and stretches his arm out to the field, sending out a call through the Force while the rest of us watch in silence. After a few moments the call is answered by the howling of a wolf, and Ezra lowers his arm.
In the field in front of us six loth-wolves emerge from the grass, one of them with a coat of white fur, another being the black wolf that I've communed with. She looks directly at me with her piercing blue eyes, and then follows the white wolf as they start walking over to us. Beside me, Mara widens her eyes in surprise and curiosity at the sight of the wolves, the rest of the group with similar expressions.
"Wait… I think I've seen that one before," Mara says, pointing at the black wolf.
"Probably," I remark.
She narrows her eyes at me.
"Great," she deadpans, and I smile back at her in amusement.
The white loth-wolf hops up onto the rock and approaches Ezra, followed by the other five wolves, and the black wolf stops near me. R5, Zeb, and Chopper cautiously back up slightly as the wolves all pile up with us on the rock.
"We're ready. Can you take us?" Ezra asks the white wolf.
In response it sits down on the ground in front of Ezra, a clear prompting for him to climb onto its back. The black wolf does the same for me, and we both get onto our respective wolves. The other four gray wolves seek out the rest, and Mara pats one of them on the nose in fascination as it approaches her, soon climbing up as well.
"Are these things faster than speeders?" Zeb asks nervously.
"Well, they got us here in the first place. I guess they can get us to the temple as well," Sabine remarks.
"What, are you afraid of the big bad wolf?" Mara teases.
"Hilarious," Zeb grumbles sarcastically. "I'm just, you know, more comfortable with speeders."
Zeb backs away from one wolf but finds himself nudged by another that appears behind him, making him jump in momentary alarm.
"Oh! Oh, uh, hello. My name is Zeb," he says with a nervous chuckle.
"Zeb, those ones don't talk," Ezra calls out.
Zeb glances over to see all five of us mounted on our own wolves, looking at him in clear amusement. He scowls at us.
"How do you know?" he demands. "It talks. With its eyes!"
He nevertheless mounts his wolf and they move forward to stand at the very edge of the rock.
"Everyone ready?" Ezra asks us.
"I imagine so," I tell him.
Hera lowers her flight goggles for emphasis, and he nods in satisfaction. R5 and Chopper then come wheeling forward, both beeping out their protest, and I glance down at them.
"Don't worry, R5, you guys will be fine!" I call down reassuringly.
With that being said our wolves leap off the rock and into a sprint through the grass. Mara and Zeb's wolves both waited a few moments, and I shake my head in exasperation after hearing the panicked squeals of both astromech's followed by Mara's burst of laughter. I keep myself low and steady on the back of the black wolf, she and the white wolf leading the pack across the field.
"How far is it to the temple?" Zeb calls out.
"You don't want to know!" Sabine answers.
The black wolf lets out a short bark that's answered by a growl from the white wolf, and I tighten my grip on her back.
"Hold tight!" Ezra tells the others.
The wolves start to increase the speed of their run and soon I get the strange feeling of slowly sinking into the ground. Looking down is strange, since it's as if the wolf's feet were moving through the dirt as if it wasn't solid matter... or is the ground around us sinking? It's honestly difficult to tell. Eventually though we drop down completely into the grass, and my vision goes black.
*:*:*
'I'm Master Skywalker's Padawan. The name's Ahsoka Tano.'
'How feel you youngling?'
'I don't know... excited?'
'Oh you have Kenobi's arrogance!'
'I didn't achieve the title of Prodigy Duelist because I was eager to prove myself... But I'd be happy to demonstrate!'
'We all have our faults, Padawan Shan. Eventually, things will be different for us. Better, even.'
'I loved him like a brother, but at the end of the day I failed him.'
'The dark side is in both their natures. Always has been, and always will be.'
'Something greater between you and Ahsoka, I believe there is. Join you together in the Force it does, far beyond that of an ordinary Force bond.'
'I always thought the idea of being a Jedi, what Mom and Dad have trained me to become was awesome.'
'Sometimes we can never know what choice is right or wrong, only what we must do.'
'Every choice you have made, has led you to this... moment.'
'Always cherish every moment you spend with family and friends. You never know when they could be taken away from you.'
'No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you.'
*:*:*
I kneeled down on the edge of the cliff in a meditative position, quiet as I ponder over the mission. Beside me, the black loth-wolf steps forward and lets out a soft growl, prompting me to glance at her. She gazes at me with those constant, piercing blue eyes, and I look back out at the Lothalian landscape.
After a short while I hear footsteps approaching and glance back to see Ezra walking forward, the white loth-wolf close behind him. He looks up at the black wolf, which stares back at him in silence, before returning his gaze to me.
"This wolf is different from the others," Ezra starts to say, curious.
"She is," I confirm, and he looks at her in thought.
"I haven't seen her before," he adds. "Do you have a connection with her?"
I stand up slowly and then turn to face the black wolf, reaching a hand out to stroke her snout.
"In a way," I admit softly. "I don't fully understand how, but... she's still here."
The black wolf shuts her eyes briefly as I pet her, and Ezra gazes at us in curiosity... but also sadness.
"Ezra... Things won't always work out the way we want them to," I tell him with a sad sigh. "There are many moments in my life that I wish I could've done something different, been more attentive, and maybe, just maybe, it might work out."
He looks down at the ground sorrowfully, withholding the grief that I know is threatening to burst out within him over Kanan's fate.
"How... how do you deal with it?" he asks.
"Sometimes, I haven't. You've seen me before, when I haven't been able to," I respond, recalling when I held a blade to his throat. "But no matter what happens, the important thing is to trust that there is always hope for a better future, even in the darkest of times."
The white wolf then moves forward with a soft growl, and Ezra glances at it before looking back at me, nodding his head in acknowledgement.
"I'll try my best," he tells me.
I allow myself a small smile in response, knowing how that response would be taken by other Jedi Masters. Just then, the rest of the group finally awakens and moves forward to join us at the edge of the cliff. Hera stands next to Ezra, looking astonished at the drastic change of scenery.
"The wolves say the temple is not far from here, just a bit to the northwest," Ezra tells her. "But, we'll have to walk the rest of the way."
Mara stops next to me and looks up with a questioning gaze, and I smile back down at her in reassurance.
"How… how did they do that?" Hera asks the three of us, mystified.
"I don't know," Ezra admits, patting the white wolf's snout.
The white wolf then turns away, and the black wolf gives me one last look before doing the same. She pauses beside Mara, however, looking down at her with an intense, yet gentle, expression, and Mara stares back with some curiosity, patting her snout as well. The black wolf then heads off to join the rest of the loth-wolves, and I get the feeling that I likely won't be seeing her again.
"Kanan said they're deeply connected to the Force," Ezra continues to say.
"That, and more," I add thoughtfully. "Distance isn't an issue for them, even across planets."
"Wait, what?" Sabine asks in bewilderment.
"How?" Mara asks curiously.
"I have a few theories, but I doubt we'll ever truly know," I respond. "Some things are just… beyond our comprehension."
"Well, I'm just glad they're on our side," Zeb comments.
"They're on Lothal's side," Ezra corrects him.
"Is there a difference?" Sabine asks.
"Technically, yes," Mara chimes in, and she rolls her eyes.
"That's reassuring," she replies.
"We should get moving," Ezra says.
By the time we reached the temple it was near sunset, the sky much darker. However, it quickly became apparent that the area was not as empty as I remember it to be. Up ahead I could just barely make out the giant floodlights illuminating something in front of the temple's main external structure. Mara, Ezra and I all share a concerned glance before waving the group forward much more quietly.
We come to a stop at the edge of a large excavation site, and I widen my eyes in disbelief: the Empire doesn't just have control over the temple, they've mined out the entire structure. The excavated pit is at least two hundred feet deep, if not more, and over three times as wide. Hundreds of crates, tables, and storage units covered the mined out hole, with excavation vehicles, drillers, and even two mobile command centers.
"For Force's sake… it's worse than I thought," I say in concern.
"No kidding. You could fit an entire cruiser in here!" Mara scoffs in agreement.
"Well, it's certainly no military operation," Sabine states, pulling out a pair of binoculars. "What're they searching for?"
"Let me take a look," Ezra asks, and she hands them over. "Wait, the doors they're both gone. It looks like one of them has been cut right off the surface."
I look up at the temple's main exterior, narrowing my eyes, and realize that he's right. Just where the main door should be, was only an empty cut-out.
"Is this really the temple?" Sabine questions skeptically. "It looks like solid rock."
"That's because it's protecting itself," I tell them.
"Will it let us inside?" Mara asks.
"I'd imagine so," I reply.
"Any idea what the Empire wants?" Hera questions.
"Power," I state.
"Yeah, we got that," Zeb grumbles. "Could you be a little more specific?"
I give him a brief look before responding.
"This temple is a gateway to a realm which would give one access to the ultimate form of power: the type of power that no one should ever have," I inform them grimly.
The Spectres and Mara all share concerned looks with each other.
"…So, I'm guessing we'd want to keep that gateway closed then," Ezra decides. "How do we do that?"
"The gateway can be entered through a large wall painting found at the deepest level of the temple," I inform them, scanning the site for any sign of it.
"Well they've uncovered a lot more artwork. Maybe I can figure it out if I get a closer look," Sabine says.
"Agreed. You four go while Zeb and I keep watch from up here," Hera states.
"Look," Zeb says, pointing across the area.
At the other side of the excavated hole, a pair of scout troopers were headed up the stone ramp on speeder bikes to begin a patrol.
"You're gonna need a disguise," Zeb remarks with a grin.
"Cool. Who gets the buckets?" Mara asks.
I take a second to look over her, Ezra, and Sabine before making the decision.
"Sabine and Ezra," I state.
"What about you guys?" Ezra asks us.
"I think we've got a pretty good handle on stealth," Mara says with a grin. "Especially me."
"You sure do, missy," I scoff in amusement, and she makes a face at me.
3rd person POV...
Acquiring a disguise for Ezra and Sabine was straight forward and relatively simple: Chopper displayed a hologram recording of Grand Admiral Thrawn to confuse the two scout troopers, which allowed Zeb to sneak up and knock them both out with a single blow each. Afterwards, the two teenagers changed into the outfits and took off with their speeder bikes while Jarik and Mara silently slipped down the side of the cliff, keeping to the shadows to avoid detection.
Hera, Zeb, and the two astromechs return to their spot at the edge of the site to continue watching, and Hera keeps track of Ezra and Sabine's progress through her binoculars. The two teenagers parked their speeder bikes and began walking around the area; workers of the Mining Guild stood at multiple tables, inspecting or cleaning the artifacts they had acquired.
"Well they're definitely on to something," Sabine tells Ezra.
As they pass by a large stone Sabine stops to kneel down and analyze the art on its surface, lifting her visor to get a better look.
"There's a language here, not so much in words but pictures," Sabine explains.
"I saw paintings like these inside the temple," Ezra replies.
Sabine inspects the art with a frown.
"Jarik said the 'entrance' was through a large painting at the deepest part," she recalls. "I wish he was more specific on what it looked like."
"Trooper!" a voice yells.
The two panic for a second and quickly stand at attention, Sabine dropping her visor back down as she does so. They turn around to see an old human man approaching them, wearing a strange black outfit that resembled religious attire. The man, who was flanked by a pair of death troopers, observes them both with an irritated scowl. something about the man left Ezra unsettled.
"Get away from there at once!" he orders fiercely.
Ezra and Sabine immediately step away from the stone as he moves forward, allowing him to kneel down and inspect it for possible damage.
"I've said it before, none of you are to touch the artifacts!" he continues to say. "The tiniest blemish could erase evidence, which is critical to understanding the gateway."
"Gateway...?" Ezra murmurs, thinking for a moment before quickly nodding his head. "I mean, yes sir! Sorry sir!"
"Minister, Coruscant is contacting you," one of the death troopers says, his helmet's voice modulator giving him a deep growl.
The minister eyes the trooper with a thoughtful gleam in his eye and then moves forward, pausing momentarily to look at the second death trooper.
"This conduct reflects poorly on you, Commander," he states.
"Yes, minister," the trooper responds bitterly.
The minister then heads off, escorted by the first death trooper, on his way to one of the mobile command centers. Irritated, the second death trooper whirls around to glare at the two scout troopers in front of him.
"Alright you two. Numbers and clearance codes, now!" he demands.
Ezra glances at Sabine before lifting his visor, a smile on his face. He takes a step up to the death trooper and waves his hand at him.
"You don't need our numbers and clearance," Ezra tells him.
Instead of repeating him, however, the death trooper whips his head down to gaze suspiciously at Ezra, taking a thundering step forward. He grips his blaster rifle tensely, much to Ezra's alarm.
"What did you just say?" the death trooper growls.
Ezra falters in surprise, but tries it again.
"...I said―" he starts to say.
He's cut off when Jarik suddenly lunges out from behind one of the stones and tackles the death trooper to the ground. The death trooper sputters in surprise and attempts to call out, but is prevented from doing so when Jarik gets behind him in a chokehold with his arms around his neck while dragging him behind the rock. The trooper's rifle clatters to the ground, gagging as he struggles furiously to try and free himself from the Jedi's grip.
Ezra and Sabine nearly jump in place out of shock, taking a quick look around to make sure nobody is aware of the commotion. Soon enough, the death trooper's struggles weaken considerably and, after holding him in place for a few moments longer, Jarik releases him with a heavy sigh. Mara steps out of nowhere also, lifting an eyebrow at the sight of the elite soldier being knocked out.
"Nice," she remarks.
"Just so you're aware, death troopers are trained to resist that," Jarik tells Ezra.
Still stunned a little, Ezra nevertheless nods in acknowledgement.
"Thanks for the tip," he replies.
"No, thank you for the disguise," Jarik says with a small grin.
Who's outfit am I going to get?" Mara asks.
"No offense, Mara, but I think you're a bit too short to be a stormtrooper," he tells her.
Jarik starts to pull the unconscious death trooper backward and out of sight while Mara crosses her arms in exasperation.
"I'm not short…" she mutters. "I'm five foot three."
Ezra and Sabine can only offer a shrug in response, amused at her plight.
After changing into the black plastoid armor, Jarik snagged a small backpack from one of the work stations to place his usual attire in it, along with his holocron and two broken lightsabers. He gave it to Mara to carry, seeing as a death trooper or a scout trooper wearing one of those would garner some suspicion. In Mara's mind, she was a bit amused and fascinated, having never thought of being disguised as a death trooper before.
The group then followed the minister from a distance, watching as he went into the mobile command center. Once he was inside they snuck over to the side of the structure, where they would be relatively out of sight. Jarik raises a hand to his helmet to use his comlink.
"R5, reroute―" he pauses at sound of the voice modulator, and after a few moments deactivates it with an irritated sigh. "R5, reroute the incoming transmission from Coruscant."
Mara grins up at him, hearing the faint sound of R5's laughter through the comlink, to which Jarik rolls his eyes. They wait for a few seconds for R5 to tap into the Imperial transmission, and start to listen in eagerly as the minister's voice sounds clearly through the comlink.
"We have recently made some remarkable discoveries my Emperor!" he was saying joyously.
A terrifying, but familiar, voice then responds.
"We must discover the secret of the temple, for even now our enemies move against us," the Emperor states.
Mara, Ezra, and Sabine all share stunned, fearful expressions with each other, while Jarik narrows his eyes in grim acknowledgement.
Darth Sidious.
"We have reached the roots of the temple, and found some fascinating work," the minister informs sidious. "The symbols, and iconography, are reminiscent of a report I discovered in the Jedi archives."
"The Mortis gods?" Sidious queries.
"Yes, they are key to unlocking the temple, I am sure of it," the minister says in reply.
"There has been a great disturbance in the Force. The death of Kanan Jarrus has altered the fate of Lothal, though how I cannot say," he growls angrily.
"Perhaps access to the temple will provide some clarity, my Lord," the minister suggests.
"We must seize the power within: a conduit between the living and the dead," Sidious says firmly. "It is of utmost importance that we act swiftly, for Jarik Shan already knows how to access it. If he learns of my plans again, he will attempt to stop us by any means he possesses."
Jarik listens with a hardened expression, already determined to do exactly what the Emperor doesn't want happening.
"I understand, my Lord. I have prepared everything I need to unlock the doorway," the minister responds.
"Good," the Emperor says in satisfaction. "Proceed, Minister Hydan."
The transmission is then closed moments later, leaving the group of rebels stunned and greatly alarmed.
"Hera, did you hear? What should we do?" Sabine asks worriedly.
"I don't like it. With the Emperor involved it's too dangerous. We should fall back," she tells them.
"No," Ezra says in disagreement. "Because of the Emperor we have to get involved. We can't let him enter the temple."
"Ezra's right," Jarik adds with a nod. "If he gains control over the power inside of it, then there would be nothing anyone could do to defeat him."
"And they'll crack the code, it's only a matter of time," Sabine points out.
Hera stares down into the excavation site while pondering what to do, afraid of what might very well go wrong. Zeb notices her fear, glancing at her with concern.
"Hera, remember why we came," he gently reminds her.
She glances at him but still looks down in disagreement, dreading what could happen should they continue to mess with something that the Emperor had personal involvement in. However, she then felt a wave of gentleness and calm wash over her, and closes her eyes. She feels Kanan placing a hand on her shoulder, an ever constant source of comfort and reassurance that has always helped her to move forward in even the toughest of times, and she lifts her own hand up to hold his, a small smile on her face. In a way, it's as if he was still with her, even in that moment, telling her that things will be okay. The moment soon passes, and Hera brings up her comlink to respond.
"Go, we'll keep watch," she says softly. "But I want you all out of there if I give the order."
"Absolutely," Sabine quickly assures her.
"Thanks Hera," Ezra says. "Let's go."
Hera lowers her arm after the transmission is cut, and Zeb looks at her with a reassuring gaze.
"They'll be fine," he tells her.
She wants to agree, but over the past year she's come to realize that it's not always a certainty: not even the great Jarik Shan, feared enemy of the Empire, was infallible. And now that Kanan... it hurts for Hera to even think about it.
"I used to always believe that," she whispers in response.
They swiftly return their attention to the excavation when a loudspeaker echoes across the area.
"Attention. There is a safety hazard zone in standing twenty five meters from the temple. Special teams are exempt, and look out for static charge. All operational departments signal by beeping twice," an officer says.
Down at the other end of the hole Minister Hydan approaches the less-explored area of the site, determined to carry out his master's instruction. Unknown to him, Jarik was one of the two death troopers escorting him, while Ezra and Sabine took the place of two scout troopers. Mara was sneaking around the side, hiding behind one of the construction vehicles to keep out of sight.
"We are close to our goal," Hydan announces firmly. "Now move the drill into first position. Everyone double shifts, through the night. Mind your priority assignments, and stay within your designated areas. Turn the flood lights on!"
The Mining Guild workers do as instructed, and a pair of giant lights shine brightly onto the exposed wall in front of them. Hydan, Mara, Ezra, and Sabine all widen their eyes, marveling at the brilliant painting on the wall before them. Likewise, Jarik was also partially amazed by it, having still never seen it this clearly due to the dark cave it was in, though at the same time he was also grim and alarmed at seeing it so open like this: it was orignally in a dark cave, and now it's open for anyone to access.
"Whoa. You ever seen anything like this before?" Sabine asks Ezra.
"Nope, but this temple is always full of surprises," he responds, looking over at Jarik. "Is this the painting you were talking about?"
"It is," he whispers back, so as to keep his voice from being heard.
"Lord Hydan, we have discovered something you'll be eager to see," a trandoshan miner reports.
"Show me," Hydan orders.
The minister starts to follow the miner, and Jarik glances at the other two.
"Focus on painting. I'm going to follow him," he says.
"Ok," Ezra nods.
Jarik walks alongside the other death trooper in escorting Minister Hydan while Ezra and Sabine make their way over to the painting. Once everyone had moved on to resume their tasks, Mara snuck out of her hiding spot and over to the wall next to the painting, where there was more cover, joining the other two teenagers.
"Can you make anything out of it?" Ezra asks Sabine.
"Mmm, I think so," she replies.
Mara stands beside one of the boulders in front of the painting in preparation to drop down at a moments notice while Ezra turns around, keeping an eye out in case anyone came close. Sabine lets out a sigh, lifting her visor for a better look.
"Very old, very intricate," she remarks. "Does any of this mean anything to either of you?"
Ezra also lifts his visor, he and Mara taking some time to analyze the painting: Mara's eyes glimmer with recognition.
Yeah, I know a few things about this," she tells them, pointing up at it. "I know for a fact that this convor is significant to my parents."
"In what way? It always seemed to follow them around on Atollon," Ezra says.
"I'm not entirely sure. At least, I can't remember Mom and Dad talk about it," Mara admits, her brow furrowed in thought. "They were… kind of secretive about a few things, to be honest, even with me."
"Well that's helpful," Sabine sighs.
"They did tell me stories about those three figures though," she adds.
"Who are they?" Ezra asks.
"I think they referred to them as 'the Ones.' Mom and Dad met them during the War," Mara explains. "They didn't say much but, basically, the Ones are a family of 'Force gods.'"
"Gods?" Sabine asks, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "Like, omnipotent, all knowing, faith-requiring, Gods?"
"Not that type of god," Mara corrects. "Apparently they died while my parents were there. But... close enough."
"I guess that means all of their power was left behind inside the temple then, if that's what Jarik is referring to," Ezra theorizes.
"Probably," she nods in agreement.
"Look! There's a few loth-wolves too!" Ezra realizes.
He points them out at the foot of the dark figure. Sabine narrows her eyes at the picture of the wolves before a thought comes to mind, and she crouches down to set something on the ground, displaying a holographic image.
"The stone the wolves gave me," Ezra recognizes.
"Yeah. I thought I might need to refer to it," she tells him.
"Nice," Mara says.
They take a second to analyze the stone.
"Look! The hands," Sabine points out, picking the image-caster back up and pointing up at the wall. "They're the same on the figures as the ones here on the stone."
"And that means something?" Ezra asks.
"Ezra, it's art, everything has a meaning," she tells him.
"And based on that stone, I'd say the hands are the key to opening the gateway that my Dad mentioned," Mara adds.
Sabine nods her head in agreement, a smile on her face.
"I think this is it," she whispers.
"What?" Ezra asks.
"The painting on the temple is like a star map, but none that I'm familiar with," she responds, pointing out key features on the painting. "Those lines are like paths and the rings are planets, or, or doorways."
"Okay, but which one leads into the temple?" he questions.
"We're about to find out," Sabine replies.
Jarik POV...
The place that the trandoshan was leading us to was a bit more secluded near the edge of the dig site. Upon our arrival I instantly took notice of another person who quite clearly wasn't a stormtrooper, or a mining guild worker, but instead was dressed rather similarly to Hydan.
Like the minister, this person was an aging human man garbed in a black, somewhat religious, getup with dark headgear on, which means he must be another one of Palpatine's servants. However, unlike Hydan his outfit didn't seem as intricately designed with golden trimming, which likely means he's not as high-ranking as the minister. The man in question looks up as we approach, and Hydan spreads his hands with a crooked smile on his face.
"Ah, Druith, I hear you have uncovered something of interest?"
"Indeed, Minister," 'Druith' replies.
He waves a hand down at the table he stood beside, gesturing for Hydan to inspect what was on it. I remain standing guard with my fellow death trooper, but keep my eyes trained on what the two were analyzing. From what I can see it looks very much like a compass of some sort, but far more intricately crafted than usual. Symbols and star maps too small for me to see from here littered its silver surface, and a large blue gem sat in the very middle of the device. Stretching out with the Force, I look on in a bit of surprise at sensing a faint amount of energy within the gem.
"Remarkable…" Hydan says, marveling at the device. "Where was this located?"
"It was hidden in an alcove of one of the temple's chambers," Druith informs him. "The art on the wall surrounding it seemed reminiscent of a star map, though not one I'm familiar with."
Hydan takes in his words with a thoughtful gaze as he continues to inspect the compass.
"One would think a device such as this would have been lost to time, and yet…" he murmurs, gently touching its side. "...it looks untouched."
"Perhaps it was crafted through means that have since been forgotten?" Druith suggests.
"Perhaps," Hydan agrees.
"I see. Should I then have this taken back to the Sith Eternal for further study?" he then asks the minister.
Now that gets my attention.
I tilt my head slightly at the mention of the name, having never heard of its like before. It's obvious that they're related to the Sith, but in what way exactly? Why are they referred to as 'eternal?' Are they a group subservient to the Sith themselves?
Minister Hydan seems to respond negatively as he stills for a second before glaring up at Druith.
"Hold your tongue, Druith!" he scowls.
"Forgive me, Minister," Druith immediately apologizes, bowing his head deeply. "I… got carried away."
I narrow my eyes at them, thinking hard about this mystery. Hydan, meanwhile, regards the acolyte with a disapproving gaze.
"Far too often," he coldly responds, and Druith flinches in unease. "But in any case, see to that at once. There is much we can learn from it."
Druith acknowledges Hydan with another incline of his head, bowing as he takes the compass from him.
"I will not disappoint you," he proclaims.
3rd person POV...
"So, how do we open this door?" Ezra asks.
In response, Sabine pulls out her image-caster and displays the hologram of the stone.
"Okay, look here. The hands represent different configurations," she explains, gesturing at the hologram first and then the painting. "Right now it looks like the painting is lined up with the central figure."
She then points to the hand on the left, the same one correlating to the woman's hand.
"I think we want this one, where the lines are together," Sabine finishes, putting her image-caster away.
"That makes sense. The woman is a representation of the light side," Mara comments.
"Great, what happens then?" Ezra asks.
"Well, I don't know," Sabine replies, looking at Mara. "Do you know?"
"No. But learning is fun, right?" she says.
"Uh huh. Now you guys do your thing," Sabine tells them.
"Right," Ezra states before pausing. "Wait, what thing?"
"Whatever it is you do to open the temple," she says in exasperation.
"Uh, Kanan and I always opened it together," he replies.
"Great, there's two of you here, so get to it," she states.
"I don't know if we can," he shakes his head in disagreement. "Kanan said it takes a master and an apprentice."
"Well, you're gonna have to think of something and fast," she urges.
"Why not just wait for Jarik?" he suggests.
"He's busy with the old guy," Mara says, rolling her eyes. "Come on, Ezra, I'm sure we'll be fine. That 'master and apprentice' stuff is more of a Sith thing, not a Jedi thing."
"Fine," he sighs in resignation.
He and Mara both step up to the painting, both getting up on the rocks to try and better reach the woman's hand. Sabine keeps watch, scanning the area to make sure their activity wasn't going noticed.
"Hurry!" she urges the pair.
"Just a second, this stuff takes time," Mara replies.
"Any idea on how to do it?" Ezra questions.
Mara frowns, looking up at the hand.
"Try placing your hand on it in the same position," she suggests.
Ezra nods, rubbing his hands together before reaching out to do as she said.
"And I use the Force, right?" he asks.
Mara rolls her eyes.
"No, you stab it with your lightsaber," she drawls sarcastically.
Ezra sighs in annoyance but shifts his focus to the painting. He closes his eyes and begins to concentrate, calling on the Force to aid him.
"Get down!" Sabine suddenly says, dropping her visor.
He and Mara immediately jump down for cover behind the rocks, crawling around to peek out and watch Sabine stall the two stormtroopers.
"LS-515, why aren't you on patrol?" the first one demands.
"I thought I saw something moving over here, but um, it was just the shadows," she tells him.
"That's a restricted area," he states firmly.
"I was just following protocol, sir, code 6-1-1-0," she says.
"That's military code," he dismisses her. "This operation is classified under directive AT-1-4."
"My mistake," Sabine responds, silently berating herself.
"You should have been informed about the new directive," the trooper says.
Ezra then pulls back, frowning in thought.
"The stone..." he murmurs.
"What?" Mara asks.
"That's the key to opening the temple," he explains in realization. "Listen to the stone and its story."
He then carefully gets back up so as to reach the painting, Mara going with him while keeping an eye on the stormtroopers. Sabine glances anxiously at them while also trying to pay attention to the stormtrooper in front of her.
"This is all very irregular," he continues to say. "We're gonna have to call it in."
"If you do that, I'll be late for my assignment," Sabine protests.
"Like you said, we're just following protocol," he rebuffs her.
Ezra reaches up and places a hand on the painting, and Mara glances up at him.
"515, affirmative. Copy that, over," the stormtrooper acknowledges over the comlink.
"I don't have time for this," Sabine argues in frustration.
"Operations says you and LS-412 deviated from your patrol route and never finished the perimeter sweep," he states with clear suspiscion.
"Let's go over to operations and straighten this out!" Sabine declares.
"Great, now we're both gonna have to file a report," the second stormtrooper groans.
The distraction works, however, and the two stormtroopers follow Sabine away from the painting, leaving the two Jedi Padawans in the clear.
"How's it going, Ez?" Mara asks.
"I... I get it now," he replies, closing his eyes in concentration. "Listen... Kanan said to listen."
Letting the Force guide him he shifts his hand more to match the picture, feeling a rush of energy flowing through the painting. Mara senses the strange shift in the Force as well, and they both gaze up at the painting with wide eyes as it seems to come to life.
The circle around the hand suddenly illuminates with a shimmering, golden glow, and Ezra takes a step back. Sections of the wall then start to move, a deep rumbling sound echoing through the wall as the lines around the painting connect together. Once they do so, every golden line flares with brilliant light for a second before gently fading away. Ezra and Mara share a brief glance and continue to observe the painting, feeling a powerful surge of Force energy.
'We are the ones who guard the power. We are the middle, the beginning, and the end.'
Mara gasps softly at hearing the voice, and they look on with wide eyes as the Daughter's head turns to look up at her Father before bowing her head. A deep thrumming sound filled with power echoes around them, as well as soft whispering of strange spirits. The Father's hand then moves, dropping down and pointing to the right. Then, one of the loth-wolves moves its head, as if it were staring right at them. It's followed by five other loth-wolves, which all let out a chorus of echoing howls before they start moving.
"...I think I've seen it all," Mara says quietly.
"No kidding," Ezra scoffs in agreement.
They follow the wolves as they travel along the wall away from the painting. After going a short ways a way into a more shadowed area the wolves come to a halt, where they begin to form a circle. Ezra and Mara both look on in amazement, the former taking off his helmet with a smile.
"This is it," he whispers.
Mara gapes at the now formed gateway, a brief image flashing through her mind of a young boy with brown hair and Jedi robes standing in this exact same spot: her father, nearly 19 years earlier.
"It is," she whispers in agreement.
After his conversation with Druith, Hydan continues to oversee some of the work being done on the other newly uncovered artifacts. Jarik continues to follow behind him as his escort, gleaming every bit of information about Palpatine's minister as he could. Hydan's inspection is interrupted though when they're approached by a pair of stormtroopers and a scout trooper.
"Hm... what have we here?" Hydan questions curiously.
Jarik frowns underneath his helmet, sensing the scout trooper to be Sabine but also confused by Hydan's sudden curiosity and interest. There's nothing so far that would suggest his attention is needed, as the two stormtroopers haven't said anything yet. Jarik focuses more closely on Hydan, but can't detect any trace of Force-sensitivity in him either.
"Minister, we're bringing this trooper in for processing. There seems to be a discrepancy," the stormtrooper informs him.
"Indeed," Hydan smiles eagerly.
He approaches Sabine with a curious, thoughtful gaze, hunched over in an unsettling way. Jarik can tell that Sabine is try her hardest not to lean back, clearly uncomfortable by how close the old man was to her. Hydan reaches up to lift Sabine's visor and begins inspecting her, his face inches from hers. Jarik tightens his grip on his weapon just slightly, the tension rising even greater.
"Who are you and where is your friend?" Hydan asks.
Sabine's expression hardens and she doesn't respond.
"Restrain her!" he swiftly orders. "Lock down the perimeter. Order all units to report in, we have an imposter loose on site!"
The two stormtroopers quickly grab hold of Sabine while the alarms start to ring out in response to Hydan's call. Troopers rush around with newfound urgency, the death troopers also joining in the activity. Jarik pauses for a second, partially concerned about Sabine, but knowing she's not currently in any threat of being harmed he rushes off also to where he knows the hidden gateway is located, hoping to get there before anyone else does.
Ezra and Mara continue to stare at the gateway, a bit unsure of how exactly they should proceed.
"It's... not just solid rock, right?" Ezra asks cautiously.
Frowning, Mara takes a step forward and stretches her arm out to it, brushing her hand against what looks like stone. Instead, it passes through the rock as if there was nothing there, a brief shock of electricity bursting from it, and Mara pulls her hand back with a gasp of surprise.
"Nope. Definitely not," she says.
Just then a bright floodlight shines on the two, much to their alarm.
"Intruders in sector three grid two."
"There they are!" a stormtrooper calls out.
They both whirl around to see a squad of stormtroopers and two death troopers rushing for them, blasters raised and ready to fire. Mara reaches for her lightsaber, casting her eyes around in search of Jarik while they both step back to the portal, completely tense. Hydan then strides forward with his arms raised, praising the discovery.
"The gateway!" he says excitedly.
"Go!" Sabine shouts urgently.
Ezra and Mara both nod in reply and rush for the portal. Hydan glances at Sabine before focusing on the two Jedi in realization reaching an arm out with clear panic.
"Stop them!" he cries out.
A few stormtroopers move forward in response, but one of the death troopers suddenly lunges forward to intercept them just as Ezra and Mara vanish into the wall. The death trooper fires a shot from his blaster to take out one stormtrooper and then kicks the other away, much to everyone's shock.
"What the? Trooper!" Hydan sputters in disbelief.
"Looks like Sidious was right to be concerned," the death trooper says, pulling his helmet off to reveal a smile. "You just weren't swift enough."
Hydan steps back in fearful recognition, pointing a hand at him.
"You!" he exclaims.
The real death trooper moves forward, but Jarik raises his arms and blows him, Hydan, and the stormtroopers back with a Force push that leaves Sabine unaffected. He then jumps backward and enters the portal himself. Two stormtroopers that were attempting to charge him freeze for a second, baffled, but resume charging with confidence, only to slam headfirst into a very solid wall, knocking themselves out.
Hydan widens his eyes in despair, Sabine also gaping in shock and a bit of worry over the fate of her friends, all of them sharing the same question: what just happened?!
A wolf's howl echoes through the air.
Author's Note: Oh my gosh, the anticipation is killing me, and I already know what's going to happen! So I'm sure that means it's just slaughtering you relentlessly... Stay tuned! Next chapter soon!
P.S.: Bonus points for those who can accurate determined who said each quote and when. :)
