Chapter 32
A/N: Hey everyone! Welcome back! Glad to see y'all here again. Anyways, I know y'all've been looking forwards to the next chapter, so I won't waste too much time here. Remember, I'm just the writer, I do not own Trezac, the Mandalorian Survivors, Star Wars or TDP.
"There's the Oasis," Nyx announced as the ambler lumbered over a large dune, "It's not much, but it's a safe haven from the soulfangs and the husks."
Scrambling to their feet, the three teens leaned over the rim of the saddle to peer around the ambler's head. From the black dunes a circle of white obelisks stood, a glowing blue light passing over the sands between them, thrumming with a feeling of light that Trezac hadn't felt since they first entered the infernal desert.
"How is it protected?" Callum spoke up, almost causing the padawan to facepalm. It wasn't as if the answer was staring him in the face or anything.
"It's surrounded by obelisks that create a circle of protection. It's a magical barrier around the oasis," Nyx explained. "Anyways, here's the Wonderwall."
Trezac winced as the light passed over his skin, seeming to burn at any trace of the darkside he had picked up while in the desert. It was rather amazing to see such a small area teeming with life in such a wasteland.
Stepping onto the ambler's tail, the small group let themselves be lowered to the ground. "Seems cozy enough," Rayla remarked.
"We'll probably need to make a fire, deserts tend to be pretty cold at night," Trezac said.
"That's what these are for," a voice called and sand flew up into the air as something slammed in front of them. Wiping the sand from their eyes, they watched as Nyx landed, picking up the bag and patting it. "Now, I only have three blankets, so someone's going to have to share…unless," she looked between Rayla and Callum, "you two need one?"
It seemed to take a second for both of them to process the statement before they began freaking out. "Two! Not one, two!"
"Two!" Rayla said snatching a blanket and handing the other to Callum, as she looked away from the other teen.
Nyx gave a shrug, picking up the last blanket "Guess that means, you and I will have to share handsome."
"Uh…I can use my cloak," Trezac offered with a shy smile, patting his backpack. "And make a fire. See, everyone gets their own blanket."
"Suit yourself," Nyx sighed.
Relieved that the situation was resolved, Trezac sighed and jogged over to Sol Regem as he crouched by the edge of the oasis, water dripping from his scales as he lifted his head. Pulling out his own flask, the padawan set it in the water to fill it up; it probably wasn't the most sanitary, but he'd had worse before. "So, how far away is that temple you were telling me about?"
"Too far for you to walk on your own and be back before dark."
Trezac sighed, sitting down beside the Archdragon. He needed to check out that temple, preferably before any of the inquisitors, or worse, the Sith themselves got to it and found whatever was inside. He didn't even want to imagine what unknown ancient horrors could be lurking in its vaults.
The problem was getting there. They couldn't afford a detour, not with the Queen being as ill as everyone was saying. So it was either tonight or whenever the next opportunity was—whenever that was—and just hope the empire or Viren didn't get there first.
It was an option he didn't like, but one he had to acknowledge. Sol Regem was right; there was no way he'd be able to make it to the temple before dawn on foot, let alone make it back. And that was assuming he didn't get bitten by a soulfang on the way there.
For a moment, he almost considered asking Nyx to fly him there. She'd probably be more than willing; however, there'd probably be a price to pay. It was rare for people to do things out of the goodness of their heart, everyone had an agenda, and Trezac wasn't sure he wanted to know what Nyx's new one was now that getting a reward for Zym wasn't an option.
Glancing up, Tezac eyed the ambler. The animal was suited to travel in the desert, and it was immune to the soulfangs from what he'd seen. So taking it was an option…but it was slow. And, of course, that left one other problem to contend with too: he had no idea where the kriff the temple was.
Being able to go out into the desert didn't have much use if he didn't know that particular detail.
"You are still concerned about the temple?"
Trezac was about to nod before he remembered Sol Regem couldn't really see the gesture, "Uh, yeah. Just don't want the wrong people getting their hands on any relics inside it."
Smoke bellowed from the dragon's nose, "The Midnight Desert is a hostile place, I doubt our enemies could make it this far."
"Maybe not the people of Xadia," the padawan shrugged. "But…the Empire, they could."
"The Empire?"
"Yeah, they're the reason I came to Xadia, their leader started the war that…" Trezac trailed off, "the war I was fighting in."
Sol Regem rumbled, his tail twitching. "I see. And what makes you think this Empire is already here?"
"Because I've already killed one of the inquisitors they use to hunt Jedi," Trezac answered. "Back at the Moon Nexus, we were ambushed by one, he was going to kill Rayla—probably would've killed Zym, Ezran, and Callum too."
"And you couldn't let him," the dragon said. "And what are these inquisitors?"
"I…I'm not totally sure," Trezac confessed. "I know they hunt Jedi, like me. They wield lightsabers, and use the Force too. But I don't know where they came from, for all I know Sideous could've been training them until he took over…or…"
"Or?"
Trezac bit his lip, resting his arms around his knee, "Or they were Jedi who turned to the Dark Side."
The Archdragon growled, his massive claws carving deep grooves into the sand. "Traitorous cowards."
"They were probably just trying to survive."
"Do not defend them!" Sol Regem snarled, smoke erupting from his nose as he bared his fangs. "Remember, the dark side of magic and the force leads to unnatural consequences and death. They sealed their own fate by choosing to betray their blood rather than stand beside them."
Trezac remained quiet, looking down at the ground. The great dragon had a point, but what did that say about him? Did he not betray Anakin back on Mustafar? He had left his older brother to die even while he'd been begging for help. And what about the Galaxy? It was the Jedi's duty to protect it, and they failed…he failed. The Jedi had abandoned the Republic and left its people under the tyranny of the Sith. He couldn't even count the number of planets he ran from while on the run from the Empire and their inquisitors.
The young padawan was brought out from his thoughts as red and white tufts of fur passed over him as Sol Regem's tail settled around him. "It is not betrayal if they betrayed you first."
"Huh?" Trezac startled, looking up at Sol Regem.
"If you are concerned about those traitors, don't be," the dragon repeated rising to his feet. Shaking his head, the massive archdragon turned his head in his direction. "We shall head towards the temple shortly, I do not want to leave the others alone too long."
Trezac blinked, staring up at him, "You…You're taking me to the temple? What about the mission?"
"We will be back before dawn," the dragon rumbled curling his tail around the padawan, allowing him to climb up onto his back. "If what you say is true, then allowing our enemies to get their hands on these weapons is out of the question."
"And if I'm wrong and there isn't anything there?"
"Then this will be educational."
-.-
"Ezran, you don't have to do this," Corvis pleaded as he stood across from the young king.
"He's right," Opeli agreed as she looked at the boy, "if you do this, there'll be no going back."
"I'm afraid he doesn't have a choice," a new voice called.
Head snapping towards the door, Corvis's eyes narrowed as he spotted the advisor in grey and red robes. He was willing to bet that this man was the one who talked Ezran into this foolish plan. And now, this snake had the audacity to barge in before the boy had made his own choice. "How dare you—"
"I'm afraid Saleer here's right," a cold, familiar voice sang. The advisor stepped aside as red light began to emanate from behind him, revealing Ambassador Eleven. Gone was the long gown and jewels and replaced with tight black clothes; two burning scarlet sunforged blades in her hands, giving her golden eyes a sinister gleam as a wicked grin spread across her face. "The little king doesn't have a choice. Surrender now, and I'll give you the terms you ask for. Refuse…and, well…I can't promise your city will still be standing by the time we're done."
"We will never surrender to you!" Opeli snarled, looking ready to attack the woman herself.
Gold eyes narrowed as the woman sneered. "Oh, you will," she held her hand up and smirked, "one way or another."
Corvis gasped as his throat suddenly squeezed itself shut. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't protect Ezran from this witch. Eyes widening in horror, he glanced wilding around the room, his stomach continuing to drop as he saw the guards around the room grasping desperately at their own throats, Opeli's pale lips slowly starting to change hues.
"Stop!" Ezran exclaimed, his pale blue eyes wide with terror and he looked between them all. "Please stop!"
"Surrender."
"I surrender, don't hurt them," Ezran pleaded. As if to show he meant it, the young boy removed the crown from his head, tossing it aside. "Please."
Gasps could be heard around the room as people collapsed to the floor, desperately trying to catch their breath as they continued to watch Eleven stroll towards the boy. "Wise choice." Waving her hand, Corvis watched as the crown flew into her open palm, and she seemed to eye it almost looking bored as she sat down on Ezran's throne.
"Why are you doing this?" Ezran's watery voice spoke up as he looked towards the Ambassador.
Eleven smiled, resting her cheek on her knuckles as she crossed her legs. "Because, you were in my way. I need the human armies to remain unhindered if I want to conquer this world. Katolis will be joining our crusade whether you want them to or not. But, I am anything if not generous," she leaned forwards, "I will give you the terms you asked for, those who refuse to fight will be allowed to leave and they won't be harmed." Snapping her fingers, Corvis grimaced as men in white armor holding crossbow-like weapons rushed into the room. "Take him to the dungeon, and release Lord Viren."
"Yes sir!" two said, going up to Ezran and practically yanking the child to his feet and dragging him from the room.
Hands grabbed his arms and Corvis began to struggle, headbutting one of them men before grunting as the butt of the crossbow-weapon slammed into his gut. "And the rest of them sir?"
Glowing gold eyes met his own and Corvis bared his teeth at her, wanting nothing more that to wipe that grin off her face. "Get them out of my throne room," she waved. "And…should they try anything, let them know their actions will reflect poorly on the young king."
"You wouldn't."
If anything, her grin grew wider as she twirled Ezran's crown on her finger. "Try me."
By God she was serious. She was fucking challenging him just so she could hurt Ezran. She wanted to hurt him.
Corvis felt sick as soldiers began to drag him from the room. What kind of monster had Saleer just let in?
He needed to warn General Amaya, immediately.
-.-
A shiver ran down his spine as he stepped through the threshold. Removing his helmet, the clone commander swallowed as his throat began to suddenly feel dry as he heard heavy breathing through the aid of a respirator. "Lord Vader."
"Commander Cody."
Cody clenched his jaw, doing his best to hide his nervousness. He had heard of Lord Vader, even from where he'd been stationed on Kamino after the war ended, how could he have not? He was the Emperor's right hand, practically the physical embodiment of his will; so what could he, a clone commander who couldn't even handle his own Jedi general, have done to deserve his acknowledgement? "You called for me sir?"
"Yes," Lord Vader said stepping closer. "I am assigning you and several men of your choosing to the 9th Assault Corps under the command of Inquisitor Eleven and report their actions directly to me."
Cody's brows shot up. He hadn't been sure what to expect from this meeting, but being given a special mission from the High General himself was beyond his expectations. "Yes sir."
"I also have a more important assignment for you, Commander," Vader continued.
Opening his palm, Commander Cody's heart almost stopped as he recognized the figure on the hologram: Commander Trezac Navo'x.
No, there was no way General Kenobi and he survived that fall. It was impossible. Even if they did, from that height the impact should've knocked them unconscious and they would've drowned. Commander Navo'x was dead.
He had to be.
"You failed to kill him and Kenobi on Utapau," Lord Vader said as if he knew what the commander was thinking. "Your primary mission is to bring the padawan to me. I want him alive and unharmed. He will lead me to his master."
The Enforcer turned away and Cody took that as his cue that he'd been dismissed. While he'd been upset that the Jedi had betrayed the Republic, he had known Kenobi and Navo'x to be good people. They hadn't been needlessly cruel like Krell, hadn't fought in the back like some other generals. No, his Jedi had always been on the frontlines with their men, throwing themselves into more danger than any clone in their regiment had liked.
Once he got the order, Cody intended to give his General and Commander a quick painless death—they deserved that much at least.
But now…they were alive. His General and Commander were alive in a galaxy that would kill them as soon as they were discovered. And he knew that their deaths would be anything but painless.
-.-
Soulfang serpents moved under his claws as Sol Regem trudged forwards. The Archdragon did not like leaving the dragonling alone with the untrustworthy Skywing elf, especially given that the other two younglings were so distracted with irritating each other.
Hopefully his warnings would make the little pest think twice before trying anything while he was gone. Otherwise, he was going to eat her and her ambler.
Sighing, Sol Regem came to a stop as he felt out with his arcanum. He could still feel the oasis behind them, it's light energy practically a beacon in the wasteland. Though faint to him, he could feel the power of the moon radiating from the direction he felt the sun set to his left, so he was going north. Which, from what he remembered, was in the direction of that infernal temple.
A growl escaped his teeth as his tail swiped over the sands. He should've razed it to the ground when he first found it during his adolescence—had he known what he had now he would have. Perhaps then this whole conflict could have been avoided.
Of course, that was assuming that the young Jedi was wrong about relics being inside the temple. But he doubted that he was wrong, dark magic practitioners would horde objects that would allow them to gain more power.
Sol Regem was more than happy to ensure that they never got their hands on such objects again. Though, a small part of him relished the idea of using their own weapons against them.
Being obliterated by the very things they created seemed almost poetic.
That was assuming any of the materials were of use. And even then, he'd have to make sure they wouldn't corrupt whoever wielded them—purifying was such a frustrating and painstaking process. However, the little Jedi would be able to identify the objects easier than he could, he would know what they can use against the wretched, filthy humans.
A small whimper came from his back, causing the Archdragon to stop as he turned his attention to his current charge on his back. The desert was quiet around them, and he could hear slow breathing coming from the form curled up in his fur.
A snort came from his nose, he forgot that Jedi were sensitive to emotions, and no doubt in his sleep, the youngster was more aware of them. Sol Regem would need to remember to keep that in check. The last thing he wanted was for the Jedi to run off to the other humans and get corrupted by dark magic. Well…more corrupted than he already was.
Sol Regem growled as he sensed the familiar taint in the youngling's signature. At first glance he appeared uncorrupted. But, now that he was better able to recognize the life forces of the hatchlings he was chaperoning, he could sense a small seed of darkness in the young Jedi. No doubt it had been placed there by his time with the humans, or by these traitors he mentioned.
It wasn't as bad as the other human's had been when they first met. However, unlike the skyling's, Trezac's didn't seem to be going away. If anything, the darkness seemed to be trying to root itself in there. That was concerning in of itself.
The energy around him shifted, and the Archdragon bristled as he sensed a powerful dark presence poking around his and the youngling's signatures. Flaring his own power in challenge, Sol Regem growled loudly, baring his fangs. Yes, there definitely was something dark trying to attach itself to the Jedi.
He wished it luck trying to get past him first.