Quick note here - several people were interested in the fact that I used the name Lothal for the dead city in the last chapter. I was confused by this until SandriasSaber pointed out that Lothal was the name of one of the planets in 'Rebels', which . . . I never watched. Talk about weird coincidences. :D

In reality, Lothal was one of the southernmost cities of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization. The name literally means 'City of the Dead', which is part of the reason I picked it. The other reason was that Lothal was built on a riverbank, just like the city I had planned out. :D

Also! Guys - spoiler alert, I guess, for yesterday's episode, but - HUNTER TRIED TO SELL WRECKER'S EXPLOSIVES! :D :D :D

Okay, okay, I suppose it was a pretty obvious move to make, but it's so cool to see similar things in the episodes as in this story. . . :) Sorry. Shutting up now.

The team crossed the span of empty land that lay between the city and the river bed. As they neared the first house, Crosshair slowed to a halt, carefully observing the vast cave from one end to the other. The ground was level. The buildings – those that had not been destroyed by the falling cave roof, at any rate – were flat-roofed and only one story high, with the exception of a mansion near the southern gate. The main road cut straight through the center of the uniformly-designed city, past the front of mansion, and ended abruptly at a second gate opposite the one they had just passed.

Beside him, Tech was turning in a slow circle, eyes all but glued to his datapad screen. Hunter paused also and folded his arms, quietly waiting for his teammates to give him any information they deemed useful.

Crosshair finished his sweep of the area and pointed at the mansion. "That's the best vantage point."

It was a ridiculously obvious fact. Currently, though, it was the only relevant information he had to give.

Hunter nodded. "Tech?"

"I am not picking up on anything irregular," Tech said. "Apart from the mansion, each of the houses seem to be built on one level only."

Crosshair eyed the large building again. There were no windows in the side facing him, but . . . "Four stories?"

"Yes, if we presume that there is no cellar beneath it." Tech tilted his head and went back to tapping buttons. "I should check that . . . Hm, wait, there is something irregular here. There is a cellar, and it extends well beyond the walls of the mansion itself."

Vythia, a short distance ahead of the others, folded her arms and glanced back. "At least our destination is obvious."
"Yeah." Hunter looked thoughtfully over the silent town. "I guess you're right."

Quinlan grimaced. "I dunno. Seems a little too obvious to me. If I were trying to keep something hidden, I'd put it in a place people would be less likely to look – not in the most important building."

The Nautolan woman was already walking forward. "We will at least begin there."

Wrecker trailed after her cheerfully enough, and Hunter glanced between Crosshair and Tech. "Keep your eyes open."

They nodded and fell back to rearguard position as Vythia led the way down the main road. Every so often, Tech would lift his datapad to run a scan.

Crosshair took his attention away from his surroundings for a moment to see what Tech was looking for. "Really, Tech?" he asked.

Tech looked up with a confused, "What?"

"You're making a map when we can see from one side of the town to the other?"

"Well. You can see from one side to the other."

Crosshair glanced up and checked the distance again. "It can't be more than a mile."

His younger brother's eyes twinkled slightly, meaning that he was smirking in his usual self-satisfied way. "Actually, it is one mile, four meters. And of course I can see that far. We all can."

Crosshair reached for a toothpick, remembered he had his helmet on, and settled for rolling his eyes. All he had to do was hold his tongue for a few seconds, and then Tech would give a real explanation.

One second – two – three –

"I am constructing this three-dimensional map because it gives me something to occupy myself with. I also suspect that there may be hidden areas that we will not notice without scans, given the speed at which we are traveling through Lothal."

Ahead of them, Hunter turned. "Good idea, Tech. But don't forget to check periodically for traps and lifesigns."

"I won't," said Tech, a little too quickly. Crosshair smirked. Tech had forgotten, and Hunter probably knew it perfectly well.

Turning his attention back to his own job, Crosshair turned around and glanced back the way they had come. Faint eddies of dust, raised from the ground by their passing, still hovered in the air, but that was all. It was so still, in fact, that when there was a tiny movement from the Havoc Marauder, it drew his eyes immediately.

After he realized that the movement was just the Marauder settling, and not some small creature or other, Crosshair turned and ran to catch up with the others.

They reached the edge of the mansion and continued along the front, stopping when Vythia turned to face the building. The grey stone of the wall was broken only by a single, metal-bound door. The door's handle was a large, gleaming silver ring, decorated by a matching skull.

Everyone eyed it for a moment.

"Well," said Crosshair at last. "That's not ominous."

Quinlan gave him an unwillingly amused smirk. "Hey . . . you guys have a skull as your symbol, right? Maybe this is a good omen."

Tech removed his helmet and leaned closer. "Hardly. This decoration has been here for thousands of years."

The Jedi blinked. "Okay, maybe it's a bad omen."

Tech turned to him. "My argument still stands."

Vythia was examining the door now, but Wrecker and Hunter were focused on Tech, who was still talking. "This decoration cannot be a good or a bad omen; in fact, it cannot be an omen at all, since an omen is supposed to foretell a future event, and the future cannot be known. Certainly, our arrival could not have been known by the person who built this mansion."

Vythia, who didn't seem to have heard him, turned the handle of the door and gave an interested hum when it clicked against a bolt on the inside.

Crosshair eyed Tech for a moment, then jostled him with an elbow to get his attention. Tech seemed to be even more obsessed with facts than normal. He usually did that when he was nervous.

Hunter had noticed it too, because he removed his helmet and said, "Tech, see if you can you find us another way in."

"One moment . . ." Tech moved a few meters away, typing into his datapad. Wrecker followed him, while Vythia wandered off in the opposite direction.

Quinlan waited for a moment, then whispered, "Seriously, what kind of person puts a skull on their front door?"

Crosshair smirked, remembering Hunter's bunk on Kamino. The sergeant had been rather proud of how his painting of the squad's insignia had turned out. . . Crosshair tilted his head thoughtfully. "Wouldn't be the weirdest place I'd ever seen one."

Hunter shot him a disgruntled look. "That's – different."

"What's different?" asked Quinlan.

"Nothing," said Hunter.

Crosshair glanced over at Vythia, who was observing a crushed building a short distance away, and lowered his voice. "Hunter painted our insignia – three feet high – in our quarters."

Hunter stared off into the distance, pretending he couldn't hear them.

"Cool," Quinlan answered in a loud whisper. He glanced at the sergeant and grinned. "I suppose he thinks it makes him look overly sentimental."

"Probably," agreed Crosshair.

Hunter rolled his eyes and turned to them, but Vythia returned to the door before he could say anything, so the sergeant settled for frowning.

Crosshair shared a look of smug satisfaction with Vos.

"There is no other way in," said Tech, approaching with Wrecker. "At least, not one I can find."

"Nothing?" Vythia asked, releasing the door handle.

"No." He looked confused. "Even if this is some kind of a fortress or stronghold, it doesn't make sense for there to be no other escape route. Of course, it is possible that there is an escape route underground, and that my sensors cannot penetrate that far."

"Looks like we're using the front door, then," said Wrecker, bringing his fists together eagerly. "Okay, Vythia . . ."

She stepped aside to let him at the door.

Wrecker grabbed the metal ring in both hands and tugged. When nothing happened, he twisted the ring and flung his weight backwards, then forwards. Crosshair had seen plenty of doors come off their hinges before when Wrecker used this method, but the mansion door barely creaked.

Wrecker was not phased in the least. He pulled on the door with one hand, drew his vibroblade with the other, and jammed it into the crack between the door and the wall. He brought the blade down hard, and a sharp snap sounded.

"Got it," he said, sheathing his blade. One final yank later, the door opened, swinging into the outer wall with a metallic crash.

"Good work," Vythia told him, stepping into the dark opening.

Hunter moved up beside her. "Wrecker, Tech, get out the lanterns."

Crosshair removed his helmet and clipped it to his belt. He could see well with it on when it was dark or bright, but in a dark area with uneven lighting it was irritating.

"Okay," said the Jedi, stopping next to him. "How are we doing this, Vythia?"

"Just like in the academy," she answered. "Hunter?"

The sergeant took a lantern and entered the building beside her. Wrecker and Vos followed, leaving Crosshair with Tech.

The room they entered was empty and not particularly large, but their footsteps against the floor still echoed.

"Another door," Hunter said. "It's locked . . ." He drew his knife.

There was a click, then the soft creaking of hinges, and a rush of warm, dry air swept over them. Vos looked up curiously. "Huh. Why is there such a difference in temperature?"

Tech glanced between the two doors. "The front door was not sealed before we opened it. The outside air was able to get in – but not into the next room, which was sealed."

"Hm." Hunter raised a hand, halting the others. "Tech, check out the oxygen levels."

"Already done," Tech said. "They are fine, though we might want to wait a few moments after opening any further doors to let the outside air ventilate each room."

Hunter nodded. He entered the next room, took an immediate step back, and froze.

"What is it?" Tech asked.

Hunter drew an unsteady breath. ". . . Vythia?"

She moved quickly to join him, then relaxed. "They aren't alive."

Wrecker said nothing. Crosshair, Tech and Vos slipped past him. Hunter was staring at a face not five feet from his own. It looked alive, but –

"It's a statue," Crosshair said, before noticing that the room was filled with the stone figures. "They all are."

"Yeah?" muttered Quinlan. "Well, they didn't used to be."

Vythia nodded and walked over to a statue of a tall female Zabrak. The Zabrak's head was tilted slightly back, eyes closed and a faint smile on her lips – her expression was similar to the one Hunter sometimes wore when they were near an ocean and there was a breeze.

Vythia ran a hand along the statue's right arm and to the hand, which held a long, ornate staff. "Yes," she said. "Darth Tanis and his superweapon destroyed what remained of the Sith on Malachor. It petrified all life on the surface."

"Not much of a victory," Hunter said, folding his arms.

Vythia shrugged. "It was more of a victory than it would have been had the Jedi conquered Malachor."

"I dunno," Wrecker said doubtfully. "Killing everyone on the planet doesn't seem like a victory to me. Tanis died, too, right?"

"Of course. And all the Sith agreed beforehand as to what he would do if the Jedi's victory was assured. Not only that, but when Tanis was ready to activate his superweapon, he notified every Sith leader on the planet." She gestured to the Zabrak. "She knew it was coming."

Crosshair studied the statue's expression again. "If she knew it was coming, why does she look so happy?"

"Because she wanted it," Vythia said.

Wrecker shoved his helmet back on his head, looking utterly confused. "Hang on, she wanted it? But why?"

"Death was preferable to defeat."

"That is decidedly illogical," Tech said. "I have been researching the Jedi, and they have a long history of treating their enemies with compassion. Even the original Sith were allowed their freedom, though they were banished from the Republic."

"A decision which I'm sure the Jedi lived to regret," Vythia said, setting off through the room. "The Sith and Jedi have been mortal enemies for millennia now, and brought billions to their deaths. The deaths of a few thousand at the beginning of the confrontation would have been preferable."

Tech blinked, looking uncertain.

"Then again," Vythia added. "I suppose it would have been foolish of the Jedi to execute the Sith, since many in the Republic would have seen those who died as martyrs to their own beliefs."

Quinlan's eyes were dark with thought. Crosshair wondered whether or not he considered Vythia to be right. It probably didn't matter – it had been thousands and thousands of years since the Sith and Jedi first went to war. Still . . . The Jedi have a long history of being too compassionate, he thought, sounding cynical even to himself. Maybe it all started then.

Hunter glanced sideways at another statue – this one of a young, poorly dressed human girl whose eyes were wide in terror. One hand was pressed over her mouth as though to hold back a cry. "She doesn't look happy."

Vythia looked briefly in his direction. "No," she said calmly. "I'm sure the slaves would have preferred to be freed by the Jedi."

Tech had clipped his datapad to his belt and was studying a statue of a male Zabrak. "This man doesn't look happy either, although, judging by the matching tattoos he and the others have, he is a Sith."

Vythia gave him a patient smile. "I suppose not many would be glad to hear that they were about to die, but they still preferred it to defeat. Darth Tanis could not have made his move without the permission of all the Sith Lords."

"In other words, the Sith Lords chose for the entire planet," said Hunter, sounding disgusted.

"Yes." Vythia paused at the next door and opened it. "After all, it was their planet."

"I guess you could carry that a step further," Quinlan said bitterly. "You could claim that the Jedi had no right to invade them."

"That is exactly what I think."

Crosshair usually stayed out of discussions about morals. As far as he was concerned, Hunter and Tech between them always made the right decisions anyway – as far as he knew. At least, when the two of them and occasionally Wrecker were done debating, Crosshair had nothing he wanted to add or argue.

But there was something about the dead-certain way Vythia spoke about that irritated him. "Right," he said sarcastically. "And I suppose you also think the Sith had every right to invade the Republic."

Everyone turned to give him slightly surprised looks, and Vythia tilted her head questioningly.

Feeling slightly defensive, Crosshair gestured at the nearest group of statues. "You really want to blame this on the Jedi?"

Vythia's eyes flickered between him, the statues, and Hunter and Quinlan. "I didn't know you were loyal to the Jedi."

Crosshair folded his arms. "Never said I was. And you never said you were loyal to the Sith, but you're defending their actions."

She laughed outright. "Fair enough. I apologize for drawing – what would you call it, Tech? An unreasonable conclusion?"

Tech hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. Crosshair was not expressing loyalty, or disloyalty, for that matter, to the Jedi. He was merely saying that the Sith were to be blamed for their own decisions."

"Hmm. . ." The Nautolan woman glanced at the statues again. "Yes. They were directly responsible, at least."

Quinlan gave an impatient sigh. "Look, no matter what Crosshair or anyone else thinks about Tanis and the Sith, it all happened already. What difference does it make who was right and who was wrong?"

She turned away with a careless gesture. "Oh – it doesn't. Can you tell whether any artifacts are nearby?"

"Uh . . ." He closed his eyes. "No."

"Then let's check each level." Vythia left the room.

Quinlan followed her, elbowing Crosshair on his way by. Crosshair wasn't sure whether it was in warning or thanks or both. Not that it particularly mattered . . .

Quinlan watched Tech working on his datapad as they waited for the others to return. The team had split up fifteen minutes ago, Hunter and Crosshair searching one half of the top floor while Wrecker and Vythia took the second and Tech and Quinlan checked the long hallway for any hidden rooms.

Quinlan rocked back and forth on his heels a few times. The muffled silence of the mansion bothered him. Judging by Tech's increased fidgeting over the last few minutes, it bothered him also.

"So," said Quinlan after another minute had ticked by. "Maybe there's no artifact here after all."

Tech shook his head, still studying the datapad. "I think there most likely is."

"Nuts." He glanced over his shoulder. "Let me guess, you think it's going to be in that stupid labyrinth."

Tech finally looked up, his gaze darting around the dusty hallway. "Yes. It would be the most reasonable place to hide something of value."

"I'm not sensing it."

Faint voices sounded to their right – Wrecker and Vythia were returning.

"I think you would sense it if you were to lower your shields." Tech pointed to his datapad, where a series of hallways and rooms were outlined in red. "This is what my scanners can pick up of the labyrinth. . . Look how many hidden vaults there are."

"Five – no, six. And that's only the first level of it?"

"Yes."

Quinlan rubbed his forehead hard with one hand. "I don't know which would be worse – lowering my shields or wandering around this place for hours."

Tech moved back towards the stairs, away from the door where Vythia would enter, and gestured for Quinlan to join him. When he did, Tech said, "We have no information as to how powerful an artifact may be stored here. Judging by the effects which we have already observed, for you to lower your shields now would risk exposing the entire mission. Besides, you still haven't recovered from the stormbeast's attack. None of us really have."

Quinlan folded his arms, thinking. Tech was definitely right about the last two points, but the slicer didn't know one particular and relatively important thing: the longer they stayed on Malachor, the more the dark side would affect Quinlan. Depending on how quickly they went through Lothal and wherever else Vythia wanted to look . . . He turned around as he heard footsteps enter the hall. "Vythia, you said you wanted to visit four places, right?"

"Four, yes – unless I find other information that leads me to another place, of course. Why, are you eager to leave?"

Quinlan shrugged. "Just wondering."

"I am also curious," said Tech. "If we are going to visit many more places, I am going to need to refine my scanner's capabilities. Another run-in with a stormbeast like last night's might kill all of us."

Vythia raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement. "Last night was too close. We won't explore for much longer today – even I am not fully recovered, though I seem to have had the easiest time of it. You are probably worse off."

"You can say that again!" said Wrecker, smacking a hand against one side of his head. "My ears are still ringing."

Hunter and Crosshair entered the hall and moved to join them. "Anything?" asked Hunter. "The rooms we found were all empty. Not even any furniture."

"Same here," said Wrecker.

"The hallway we searched did not contain any secret rooms," said Tech.

Everyone looked at Quinlan.

He lifted both hands. "Sorry. I'm still not sensing anything. I'm not so sure there's an artifact here at all."

"We still have the basement to search," said Vythia. "If there is nothing, we can return to our ships until tomorrow."

"Okay," said Hunter. "Come on, let's get moving."

As the others followed him and Vythia, Wrecker shoved his helmet back like a hat and glanced at Quinlan. "Shouldn't be too bad," he said in a gruff whisper.

The Jedi folded his arms, scuffed a boot against the ground, and started after the others. "Yeah, sure."

"Aw, come on!" Wrecker patted him encouragingly on the back, making him trip over his own feet. "We've still got a few hours of daylight. Could be worse, right?"

"Right." Quinlan straightened up, realizing that he felt more cheerful, though almost unwillingly . . . Okay, that's kind of a weird feeling. "Yeah, you're right, Wrecker. It could always be worse."

Three flights of stairs later, Hunter held up a closed fist and pointed down the hall at an archway that opened directly onto another stairway.

Tech and Crosshair nodded and split to either side of him, approaching the archway first. Crosshair knelt, aiming his rifle down the stairs while Tech stood just behind him, running a scan.

"All clear," said Tech.

Crosshair stood. "Nothing in sight."

Hunter and Wrecker moved quickly down the stairs, followed by the other two.

"You were right," Vythia commented as the troopers disappeared from sight. "They do work as though they'd known each other for a very long time."

Okay, that kind of came out of nowhere. Quinlan focused on walking carefully down the narrow stairway, which had no walls. "Of course I was right," he said flippantly. "I'm –"

He stopped halfway down the stairs as an inverted flicker entered his mind from dozens of feet below him.

"You found an artifact?" Vythia asked, not looking at him.

"I – think so." He hurried down the remaining steps and carefully stretched his senses farther. Something else flickered in his awareness, like a dim flame at the very edge of his sight. Maybe even more than one.

"Excellent. Lead the way, Quinlan."

"It's pretty far down. Tech, I'll need to take a look at your map."

"Certainly." Tech handed him the datapad. "It is incomplete, of course, and some of the tunnels may have collapsed. The one we are in, for example, ends in a rockslide. In fact, one of the areas I thought was a vault is, in fact, an empty space behind a pile of rocks."

Hooray. Quinlan stared glumly at the red-marked area. "And the artifact doesn't seem to be in any of the vaults. Okay . . . I'm thinking we need to head at least two levels down. Maybe even three. This stairway looks like it goes straight down."

"Yes." Tech pointed at one corner of the screen. "It winds downward around the levels and ends at this door – which, by the way, is the entrance to a fascinatingly complex series of narrow tunnels. It appears to be a maze."

Quinlan glanced at Hunter. "That's where we're headed, then."

"Are you sure?" asked Hunter.

"No? I just feel like that's where the artifact's hidden."

Crosshair slung his rifle over one shoulder and took a step forward. "We're going to explore this maze and hope you can lead us through it based on what you feel?"

Hunter shook his head, looking a bit uncertain. "Vos did find the shard with his psychometry . . ."

"We will proceed," said Vythia, resting a thoughtful finger against her mouth. "It might be difficult, but I can't imagine that the artifact will be too hard to locate."

With Hunter leading the way, they traveled quietly down the stairways that led them to the labyrinth entrance. The entrance was dark and quiet – again, there was no door in their way. Nothing moved in the shadows cast by their lanterns, and Quinlan could hear nothing except the quiet clicking of armor from the commandos and his own slightly shallow breathing. The long flights of stairs hadn't done his vertigo any favors. Actually, it had, because the vertigo had increased, so . . . He reworded his previous thought in his head. The long flights of stairs didn't do me any favors. That's better. And – wow, my mind is rambling . . .

"I'll go first," said Hunter, entering the maze. "The rest of you, stay close. The last thing we need is for someone to get lost."

Vythia followed quickly, but Wrecker hesitated. "I dunno if I can even fit in there."

"You can," said Tech. "I have already run the calculations. You may need to move more slowly than the others, but you should be just fine."

"Gee, thanks," muttered Wrecker.

Hunter paused, looking back. The shoulders of his armor scraped lightly against either side of the tunnel walls, and Wrecker folded his arms, casting Tech a critical glance.

Tech blinked and turned back to his datapad. "I did not say it would be comfortable."

"Wrecker!" called Hunter quietly. "I think you'd better stay where you are. If we have to move fast, it'll be hard enough for me to get out."

"Sure thing." Wrecker slouched against the wall and sat down. "You guys go on. I'll just stay here, out of the action."

Tech hesitated, glanced at Crosshair as though about to speak, then entered the tunnels with Quinlan and the sniper behind him. "Which way are we going?"

"So far, Hunter's heading the right way." Quinlan ducked beneath a low area of the ceiling and twisted to get past an outcropping. "I'll let you know if it changes."

When he tried to feel the artifact's position again, a few minutes later, he stopped short in confusion. There were three positions now – three artifacts present in the labyrinth. Which one had he even been guiding them towards?

He'd been staring at nothing for several seconds when a hand pushed impatiently at his shoulders. Quinlan moved forward, letting Crosshair join him in the slightly wider section of tunnel he'd just found.

Tech, Vythia and Hunter were well ahead of them by now, and Quinlan walked quickly to catch up to the pale light of Tech's lantern. Which way . . . which way . . . "Which way?" he whispered, and felt an abrupt twinge of fear that was not his own. Raising an eyebrow, he glanced over one shoulder. "Crosshair?"

"What do you mean, 'which way'?" hissed the sniper, resting the palm of one hand against the low ceiling. "We've only been in the one tunnel."

"There are three artifacts." He closed his eyes again, then opened them and looked disbelievingly around. ". . . Four. There are – four – artifacts in this labyrinth."

Quick footsteps approached, and Hunter came to a stop in front of them, folding his arms. "Vos, what's the holdup?"

"There are four artifacts, but I don't think Vythia knows about the others."

"Let's keep it that way," said Hunter. "The sooner we're out of here, the better. Can you get us to the closest one?"

"Yeah, it feels like it's . . . about a hundred feet away. Right near Tech."

They joined Tech and Vythia, Crosshair still hanging back a few paces, and Quinlan closed his eyes again. The artifact appeared in his awareness again, about one hundred feet away.

Oh no . . . Quinlan ordered the others to wait and ran farther down the tunnel, forced to move sideways as the walls narrowed. When he reached his goal, he turned in a circle, carefully sending his thoughts out. The artifact's presence hovered tauntingly before him, always one hundred feet away.

To my guest reviewer(s?): Sorry I haven't been able to reply, but I appreciate your reviews! Thank you! :)