ISD Chimaera; Classified Location
3rd person POV...
Grand Admiral Thrawn was seated at his desk within his office, thinking over recent events. The holo-map on his desk was displaying several different images, including charts, map routes, intel, and video footage. The main focus of his attention is drawn towards the video footage, which is displaying the strange droid that showed up at the skirmish in the Yarma System. It was accompanied by the Corellian vessel, which he quickly identified as being the Knight Hawk, Jarik Shan's ship. Obviously this strange new enemy is without a doubt the work of Jarik Shan, yet something just seems, out of place.
At first he was heavily considering that this strange new droid was developed by Shan as a means to combat the Empire, since he's certainly capable of programming droids and large machines, and slicing into many forms of technology. Yet the more he studies this strange droid, the more he continues to dismiss that idea. The Rebellion's limited resources, and even Shan's for that matter, are not enough to produce something so obviously advanced. Even the Empire would have difficulties attempting to produce a droid such as this one.
This droid... the way it moves is, far too smooth and adapted. Regular droids that are programmed can reach exceptional levels in combat, such as the IG-series assassin droids popular amongst criminal syndicates, and the BX-series commando droids employed by the Separatists. Yet the way this new massive droid moved seemed almost as if it possessed a thinking mind... a learning mind, much like an Artificial Intelligence system. Much like... it was actually alive.
The door to his office opens, and Agent Kallus walks in, approaching the Admiral's desk. "You summoned me Admiral?"
"Yes, Agent Kallus," Thrawn replies with a nod, minimizing the holograms so he could better view him. "I wished to discuss something with you."
"I'll be happy to help in any way I can," he replies respectfully.
"Good," Thrawn says in satisfaction. "You are quite familiar with the Lothal rebel cell, are you not?"
"Yes Admiral. I've fought against them in many battles, although not always successfully," he admits with a frown.
"Yet you understand how they operate, and what they are capable of," Thrawn points out.
"I suppose..." Kallus says thoughtfully.
Thrawn gives him a nod, and brings up a still image of the strange new droid. "Tell me, do you believe that those rebels are capable of producing something like this?"
Kallus studies the image for a moment with a frown. "I do not think so, Admiral. They're mainly a small band that has operated on their own, at least until joining with the rebel insurgents known as Phoenix Squadron."
"Do you instead think that it could have been manufactured by Jarik Shan?" Thrawn asks.
"Possibly. He is renowned as one of the greatest slicers in the galaxy, perhaps even in Galactic history," he replies.
"A logical conclusion by that point alone," Thrawn agrees with a nod. "But I do not believe that this droid has been created by Shan, or even programmed by him at all, actually."
"What do you mean?" Kallus asks in confusion.
Thrawn puts away the image of the droid and then brings up an Imperial intelligence report, showing it to be related to the incident involving the Fondor II Imperial base on Zaloriis. Or rather, the former, base on Zaloriis.
"What do you make of the recently reported destruction to our base stationed in the Zaloriis System?" he asks.
"I... fail to see why that is relevant Admiral," Kallus replies hesitantly.
"I'll get to it. Please, explain it to the best of your knowledge," Thrawn requests calmly.
Kallus frowns but goes along with it. "Well, from what we've gathered the base was hit in an ambush by an unknown force. The entire place was completely leveled by the attackers, leaving no survivors."
"Who do you think caused this attack?" Thrawn asks.
"Rebel insurgents?" he offers.
"No, the rebels did not do this," Thrawn replies with a shake of his head. "Despite their growing forces, the rebels do not yet have the military capabilities of leveling an entire military base in one single strike. Nor would they senselessly kill all Imperial personnel, as their beliefs would not allow them to. Not to mention, Zaloriis offers them no strategic advantage whatsoever, were they to gain control of it."
"Then... who attacked the base?" Kallus asks in confusion.
In response, Thrawn presses a few buttons to bring up another file. "This image was recovered from what managed to survive the destruction of the base. Compare the two."
From the hologram, a blurry image appears in between them, taken by security footage on the military base that wasn't damaged to badly. In that image, Kallus can see the form of some massive robotic humanoid, the only discernible features being the arm cannon, grey armor plating with some deep purple, and two glowing red eyes on its head. Glancing at the image of the droid from the Yarma System, he slowly widens his eyes upon noticing the similarities. The droid on the hull of Shan's ship was also a large robotic humanoid with an arm cannon, except this one was colored pink, and had blue eyes.
"I imagine you can notice the similarities," Thrawn states.
"I do..." Kallus admits slowly. "Do you have any idea where they came from?"
"Not, a conclusive one at the moment," Thrawn admits with a frown, closing down the images. "But I do have a theory that these machines, or creatures, may come from beyond our galaxy."
Bendu's Abode; Atollon
Jarik POV...
Our discussion with the Bendu about the possibility of Ahsoka's fate left a whole lot on my mind, as well as on Mara, and Shaak-Ti. If she truly is alive, then where has she been all this time? Why did our bond shatter like it did? What has she been doing all this time? My questions unfortunately would have to wait as Kanan and Ezra walked back out of the krykna cave, and we all turned to them.
"Your conflict has ended. Perhaps balance is restored," Bendu states.
"Thanks, Bendu," Kanan replies gratefully.
"Your true struggle has only begun. Be warned. The darksider will not be able to open your Jedi holocron," he tells us. "That task will fall to one of you."
"So that means we'll have the power of both holocrons too," Ezra realizes.
"Do what you must, but such power comes with a price," Bendu warns us. "Once a secret is known, it cannot be unknown."
We all share grim looks with each other before I turn back to face the Bendu and nod in understanding.
"We understand Bendu. We'll, take this into consideration," I tell him.
*:*:*
Once we returned back to the base, Kanan sent in a request for an A-Wing ship. The five of us were gathered to discuss what to do next, and how to handle the situation with Maul.
"I'm gonna let you know right now, that Maul has no interest in holding up his end of the deal once he gets what he wants," I state.
"Are you sure?" Ezra asks cautiously.
"Yeah, he's pretty sure Ezra," Mara retorts bitterly, crossing her arms.
He glances at her warily and manages a small flinch, realizing why she's acting so bitter towards him. Before he could reply though, Kanan steps in and lays a hand on his shoulder.
"They do have a point. Maul isn't exactly the trustworthy type," he adds.
"And he is dangerous," Shaak says. "In combat he is a ferocious warrior, and was able to kill a fully-fledged Jedi Master before his supposed death."
"So, should we all go as a way of showing he can't face all four of us at once?" Mara asks.
"Kanan, Ezra and I will go," I decide, giving her a look.
"What about me?" she asks with narrowed eyes.
"You're staying behind this time," I state. "I don't want you to be facing Maul."
"And you're letting Ezra go too? He's only two years older than me!" Mara argues angrily, and Ezra flinches again.
"Ezra has to go, there's no choice about that," I tell her. "Out of all of us, Ezra is the only one he will let open the holocron, because he still sees him as his, 'apprentice.'"
"Something I really hate," Ezra mutters bitterly.
"But-" she starts.
"No," I interrupt firmly.
She growls angrily and crosses her arms, but reluctantly gives in. "Fine."
Vizsla Keep 09; Rings of Phelbos
3rd person POV...
The A-Wing transporting Kanan and Ezra was hurtling through hyperspace, also dragging along Elita One's vehicle mode behind it. Since the ship would only fit two people, they decided to have Elita tag along, connecting her to the A-Wing through a magnetic lock. This was mainly so that they could have hidden backup incase things went sour, and also to provide room for Jarik to tag along with the group. He was currently sitting in her alt-mode, which was fairly basic; consisting of two seats, a steering wheel, and anything else needed for a driver to work a car.
"This is your Cybertronian vehicle mode right?" Jarik asks.
"Yeah," she replies, her voice coming through the speakers.
"So why exactly do you have room for people to sit in, even drive if needed?" he asks with a raised eyebrow. "Not that I'm complaining of course."
"You know... I honestly don't know," she admits thoughtfully. "Guess we never really thought about it before. Probably just here in case we need to transport something in our vehicle modes."
"Still doesn't explain the steering wheel," I point out, tapping it lightly.
"Alright yeah, I don't know," she deadpans. "Primus must have a strange sense of humor."
They remain in silence for another few moments, as Jarik mulls over the upcoming encounter with Maul, when Elita breaks that silence.
"So this Maul person... I get the feeling you really don't like him," she deduces.
Jarik lets out a sigh, nodding his head. "No I don't."
"Is it alright if I ask what happened?" she asks.
"Let's just say that he hurt me in a very... personal way, and leave it at that," he says slowly in response, his tone suggesting he doesn't want to say more. Elita respects his wishes to be silent, but is still concerned about the subject.
Meanwhile, in the A-Wing, Ezra was observing the Sith holocron with a wary gaze, still feeling tempted, and Kanan takes the moment to talk to him about it.
"You wanted it, now you got it," he says. "If you really think it'll help us against Maul, open it up."
"I'd rather hear what you have to say," Ezra replies hesitantly, handing the holocron back to him. "What's our play?"
He takes the holocron thoughtfully for a moment before replying. "I think we outta play it by ear."
"How can you take this lightly?" Ezra asks incredulously.
"The greatest power Maul has is our fear that he'll hurt hurt friends," Kanan reminds him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We have to control that fear. Stay relaxed."
"Ok," he sighs uneasily. "Relaxed it is."
"You don't sound relaxed," Kanan remarks.
"Yeah well I look relaxed," Ezra replies with a small grin.
The ship then blasts out of hyperspace, and Ezra navigates them over to the main hanger of the station. Jarik quickly identifies what the station is, having found out what transpired in the past here.
"Oh great, this place," he sighs.
"You know it?" Ezra asks through the com.
"Oh yeah. In the later years of the war the Republic tracked down Maul to this station, hoping to capture him, General Grievous, and Count Dooku all at once," he replies, crossing his arms. "Obviously we failed to do so."
"That sounds like an intense battle," Elita remarks.
"It was," he replies.
As the A-Wing comes in for a landing in the hanger - just behind the Ghost, which was also parked there - the group could spot Maul approaching from one of the side entrances, turning to look at them. Ezra got out first, and then turned to help Kanan out as well.
"Over here, Master Jedi!" Maul calls out with a grin. "Just, follow the sound of my voice!"
Ezra turns to face Maul with a seething glare, scowling at him, and Kanan lays a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Easy," he warns him. The two jump down from the ship and begin approaching Maul, who walks over to them as well.
"Welcome my young apprentice," Maul greets with a smile.
Elita's door then opens, allowing Jarik to climb out and face Maul with a stern glare, lips pressed into a thin line. Maul takes notice of this with some surprise, and then frowns thoughtfully, a small amount of amusement in his gaze.
"Well what do we have here?" he muses. "I suppose I must say welcome back, Master Shan, to a familiar battle sight."
"Maul," Jarik states, crossing his arms as he stops beside Kanan's side. "I'm not interested in mulling over past battles."
"Really?" he asks. "Not even the battles on Malachor? Especially that very... fateful one?"
Ezra growls angrily, but Kanan stops him again. Jarik's eyes narrow, flickering with some gold as he tries to contain his rage, and releases it with a heavy sigh, before smirking.
"If you're so interested in past battles, perhaps you'd like a reminder of Naboo?" he asks casually.
Maul's face darkens at the reminder, while Jarik smirks at him victoriously.
"Very well then," he growls, turning towards Ezra. "I trust you found the Sith holocron, illuminating?"
"I don't see our friends," he replies with a frown.
"They will remain my guests until we conclude our business," Maul states, and a door opens to reveal two droids. "I will take you to them now."
He then turns to the droids with orders. "Escort my apprentice to the command center."
The droids begin to lead Ezra through the doors, and he follows them diligently, the Sith holocron still in his grasp, when Maul gives another warner. "Uh, if you attempt to escape, or if the droids are deactivated, your friends will die."
"Good to know," Ezra retorts bitterly.
"This way, Master Jedi," Maul says, turning to Jarik and Kanan.
Jarik narrows his eyes suspiciously, but they begin following the former Sith Lord anyways, as he leads them down the corridor. Elita watches them go with some concern, coming to her own wary conclusions about the nature of Darth Maul's character. And she didn't like it.
"Where are you leading us Maul?" Jarik demands.
"To your friends. Is that not what you wished for?" he asks.
"Then why separate us?" he questions suspiciously.
"To ensure that my apprentice and I, are allowed to do what I desire without interruption!" he scowls in reply.
Jarik stares at him suspiciously, but doesn't reply. However he does keep his hand close to his lightsaber, just incase. A sure warning for consequences if Maul were to try something.
"Truthfully, I was never trying to blind you," Maul remarks to Kanan.
"Oh, no. You were just trying to kill me!" he retorts.
"Well, if at first you don't succeed..." Maul trails off.
Opening a door, Maul glances back warily at Jarik, who widens his eyes in alarm and moves to rush forwards. However, Maul reacts faster and swiftly yanks him forwards with the Force, while also ducking out of the way. Jarik slams into Kanan, causing them to both tumble through the door, where they jump to their feet.
"Hey!" Kanan exclaims.
"...try, try again!" Maul exclaims gleefully.
"No!" Jarik shouts.
He jumps at Maul with a yell, whipping out his lightsaber just as Maul shuts the door. However he doesn't let that stop him, and instantly stabs the lightsaber into the door and begins cutting.
All of a sudden, the door behind them opens, yanking Kanan and Jarik towards the now open airlock. They both cry out in alarm as the vacuum sucks them out, and desperately grab onto the airlock tube. Jarik stabs his lightsaber into the tube to try and slow himself down, and grabs Kanan's arm with his left hand as well. Still, the force of the vacuum quickly yanks him onwards, his lightsaber simply cutting through the tube as he's pulled along.
"No!" Kanan shouts in a panic.
The two go floating through open space thanks to their momentum of being sucked out, and the agonizing cold of space stabs into them like spikes. Putting his lightsaber away, Jarik makes sure to keep his breathe for as long as possible, the affects of space still not fully hitting them yet since their so close, and the oxygen that was sucked out with them still nearby, although rapidly dissipating.
They both scramble to grab onto the hull of Maul's ship, and Jarik grabs onto the metal plating with his left arm to do just that. Fortunately, just before they are sucked out into open space, where the situation would be hopeless, they grasp hold of the ship and stop their momentum. Now that they're in open space, there is no sound in their ears, only the painful throbbing as ice begins to form on their skin from the oxygen that got sucked out, which was freezing instantly. Jarik glances over at Kanan and grabs his arm, pulling him through space and throwing him over towards the hanger with a Force enhanced throw.
With Kanan steadily but quickly soaring towards the hanger, Jarik begins to pull himself up as well, reaching an arm out and pulling himself forwards with the Force. He grimaces in the sharp biting pain that stabs at his skin and face, his air quickly going away, some of it freezing inside of his body. As he keeps trying to pull himself up, he feels a presence approaching and glances up towards the hanger.
Elita was back in her bipedal form and quickly jumping down from the hanger, rushing over Maul's ship to get to him. Her otherwise loud footsteps were silent from the vacuum, but the vibration from her stomping was quite evident. As Jarik continues to pull himself towards the ship, growing more sluggish, Elita finally reaches him, her blue optics wide in worry.
She reaches down quickly to wrap her metal digits around his torso and then jumps back towards the hanger, carrying him with her. Once they're through the shield, she lands back onto the ground in a crouch, the noise returning to his ears in the form of a massive thud. Elita carefully sets him back onto the ground, and he grunts and pants heavily to get in much needed air, grimacing as the ice stuck to his skin breaks up painfully with his movements.
"Are you alright?" Elita asks in deep concern.
"Y-yeah, I think so," he mutters in reply, wincing again before slowly standing to his feet. "Did Kanan make it?"
"I did," Kanan says, also getting up from the ground with a pained grunt.
"What happened?" she asks them.
"Maul tried to kill us again," Kanan replies, groaning and holding his arms.
"That's the second, and last time I will ever be flying through space," Jarik adds bitterly, holding his right hand to his face with a sigh. His metal arm quickly went down to a critically low temperature, so he doesn't want to touch it just yet. Luckily the wiring and connection to his arm appears fine.
"Second time?" he asks in bewilderment.
"That's a story for another time," Jarik replies.
"Well this Maul obviously didn't want to waste any time in getting rid of you," Elita says with a frown. "I really don't like him."
"I can relate," Jarik replies dryly, shaking his hair of ice crystals.
"We've gotta find the others!" Kanan exclaims.
"I'm detecting organic life forms on the Ghost," Elita informs us.
Maul walks calmly through the doors of the command center with a satisfied smirk on his face. Finally, he's rid of those two blasted Jedi for good! Of course, their survival is possible, but that is only through the work of miracles. He turns to one of his droids and leans over to whisper a quiet order.
"Terminate the prisoners," he says, and the droid rushes off to do so.
Standing back up, Maul strides over to Ezra, who was standing at the viewport with the Sith holocron in hand.
"I lived up to my end of the bargain. Your friends are safe," he tells him, lying with a reassuring smile. "Come, apprentice, sit."
Maul sits down on the ground in a kneeling position, and watches as Ezra slowly approaches him with an angry frown on his face. Maul reaches a hand out with a grin, gesturing towards the Sith holocron.
"The holocron, if you please," he says. Ezra tosses it to him with some reluctance, and with a smirk, Maul returns the Jedi holocron. "I doubt that you comprehend the power that is within your grasp."
"I know if we open these holocrons together, any question we ask will be answered," Ezra retorts.
"So you do understand," Maul remarks with some surprise, a little impressed. "Well, my apprentice, what is your question?"
"You know what I want," Ezra states, raising a firm hand. "I want to destroy the Sith."
"You are as ambitious as ever," Maul states with a grin. "As for me, I seek something much simpler, yet equally elusive."
"What's that?" Ezra asks.
Maul looks at him through narrowed eyes. "Hope."
Ezra looks at him questioningly with a raised eyebrow, but Maul doesn't satisfy him with a response. If he were to know what he was looking for, then the boy would turn on him in favor of a new master. An old Jedi. Maul doesn't know, but he surely suspects the survival of his nemesis, especially due to the nature of Jarik Shan.
"Now, let us begin," Maul says.
Together, both Maul and Ezra close their eyes and then let their holocrons float into the air, gently towards one another. Gesturing with their hands, the Jedi and Sith holocrons both open up, their pieces swirling around each other and glowing. One the cores of the holocrons connect, a bright purple light streams forth from them in a brilliant flare. The Force revolves around them brightly, and is sent outwards in a massive explosion of mystical energy, bathing the two Force users in a brilliant light.
Jarik and Kanan both jumped on top of the Ghost's hull, while Elita watched their progress, standing beside the ship. The two were moving towards the airlock in order to secretly enter the ship when Jarik lets out a groan, pressing a hand to his head. The others notice, and Kanan turns to him in concern.
"Jarik? What's wrong?" he asks in concern.
"The holocron's have opened," he says slowly through gritted teeth.
"You can feel it?" Elita asks in surprise.
Jarik groans quietly again as the Force surges towards him, some powerful presence pulling at him, calling to him. He slowly collapses to the ground, sitting against the side of the hull, and Kanan rushes over to him in alarm.
"Jarik-" he starts.
"No! No... I'll be fine, just... just save the others," Jarik manages to say, shutting his eyes.
"I'll keep an eye on him," Elita says.
Kanan frowns uneasily, feeling concern for Jarik, but also for the rest of his crew. Finally he lets out a frustrated sigh but concedes, knowing that while Jarik was in some sort of pain, he wasn't in danger like the others were. Turning back towards the airlock, he jumps through while ELita stands beside the ship and looks at Jarik in concern.
Pressing his hands to his head in an attempt to shove away the strange force that was pulling at his mind, he groans quietly as he feels himself pulled into something... maybe a vision... then his vision is overcoming with blindingly bright light.
*:*:*
Sabine, Hera and Zeb were all lined up in the cargo hold of their own ship, and Chopper was lying helplessly on the ground beside them. Two of Maul's droids were rolling along behind them when the third came in, giving out orders. In response, all three droids readied their blasters and aimed them at the Spectre's who closed their eyes, waiting for the end.
Suddenly, Kanan leaps over the railing above them, whipping out his lightsaber. Before the droids could even react, he slices his blade through their necks and decapitates them cleanly. The droid's bodies all fall to the ground while the others look up joyfully, surprised and relieved. Shutting his lightsaber off, Kanan waves his hand and breaks their restraints with the Force. The others immediately get to their feet, and Hera turns to face him.
"Where's Ezra?" she asks.
"With Maul. Let's go!" he says urgently.
Zeb helps get Chopper back to his feet, and the droid beeps in response, shaking his dome.
Jarik POV...
I blink open my eyes, the blinding brightness slowly fading away. Looking around in confusion, I find myself standing on some strange mountain, on a dim planet with dark clouds and a sun covered by a moon. Seeing that I'm high up in some sort of archway, I turn around upon sensing a presence approach me.
In front of me, I see a strange, ghoul like creature or spirit floating down towards me from the stairs to move further above, and cautiously hold a hand closer to my lightsaber. I can't make out any physical features aside from the ripped, shadowy black cloak he's wearing.
"Welcome Jarik, son of Lara... descendant of Revan and Bastila," the ghoul states, voice echoing.
"You know me?" I ask warily, taking a cautious step back from him.
"It is my curse to know all who journey here," he replies.
"And where is 'here' exactly?" I question.
"The resting place, of something very powerful," he tells me. "Although you are not here in person, rather your physical body still resides where you came from."
I glance down at myself for a moment, furrowing my brow in confusion. "And why would that be?"
"You carry a great power, descendant of Shan. It would seem that the great mysteries of the universe wish to judge you," he says.
Now I don't like that at all. Not one bit.
3rd person POV...
The combined holocrons continued to glow with powerful rays of purple light, but no answers seemed to be coming forth from them.
"I see... nothing! Only oblivion," Maul says, and then growls furiously. "I must go deeper. Go deeper!"
"Wait," Ezra calls out, narrowing his eyes. "I see something."
"What do you see? What is it?" Maul demands.
"I see..." he says slowly, widening his eyes in awe.
"Tell me. Tell me what you see!" Maul exclaims wildly.
"I see..."
"Ezra!" Hera exclaims, she and the rest of the crew running down the corridor.
They suddenly let out startled cries of pain, holding up their hands as the holocrons flared up with blinding white light, making it impossible to see. Maul and Ezra were still focused on the holocrons, while the others tried to see, but keep the light blocked out. Having no trouble however, Kanan moves forwards calmly to the doorway.
"It's too bright. Where is he?" Sabine exclaims.
Sensing the power flowing from the holocrons, Kanan carefully takes off his mask and blinks his eyes. Instead of the familiar blackness that he came to associate with being blind, all Kanan could see now was a plain of complete whiteness. And within that plain were the shadowy forms of Maul and Ezra.
"Ezra," he says with wide eyes. "I see him! Maul's close. I'm going to get Ezra out. Be ready."
"Wait. You see him?" Hera asks incredulously. "Kanan!"
Kanan moves slowly into the blinding light of the holocrons, his vision fixated only on his apprentice. Ezra was still staring intently at the holocrons, looking for an answer when Kanan's voice reached him.
"Ezra. Ezra, listen to me! Look away!" Kanan shouts.
"Kanan?" he asks quietly.
"No!" Maul snaps furiously. "Stay focused, apprentice. Gain the knowledge you desire!"
"Remember Bendu's warning," Kanan urges. "Turn away before it's too late!"
"But it's so close! The key to destroying the Sith, is just a little farther!" Ezra pleads, pushing deeper.
A wicked grin comes onto Maul's face as he catches sight of a familiar figure. His nemesis... and most hated rival.
"I see him!" he growls triumphantly.
Kenobi...
"Twin suns..." Ezra says with wide eyes, seeing a planet.
"It's not worth it, Ezra. Trust me," Kanan tells him.
Taking his words into consideration, Ezra slowly begins to pull away from the planet with twin suns, and slowly begins to pull the Jedi holocron away from the Sith holocron. Noticing this, Maul widens his eyes and growls furiously.
"NO!" he roars.
As the holocrons begin to separate, the blinding white light slowly goes away, allowing everyone to see again. However, twisted energy swirls between the holocrons before exploding outwards in a tremendous explosion. Ezra, Maul, Kanan and the rest of the crew are all thrown back from the energy, and the holocrons fall to the ground in a heap of twisted metal.
Sabine gets up first, groaning and holding a hand to her head. Opening she eyes, she looks around in alarm, spotting something instantly.
"Where's Maul?" she asks in a panic.
Jarik POV...
"I'm not too fond of being 'judged,'" I state firmly, glaring at the ghoul.
"Nevertheless, when the holocron's were brought together, the mysteries of the universe saw the power surge, as an opportunity to commune with you. I must carry it out," he replies.
"And who are you then?" I ask.
"My name has long since been forgotten, lost when I was banished here," he tells me.
The ghoul slowly drifts down to the ground and begins stepping forwards, showcasing that he does have feet. He then steps into the light to reveal a red face, looking almost like a skull, having no nose. He looks at me with a neutral expression.
"Now I am just the Keeper," he says, his voice no longer echoing, now clear.
Before I can respond to the Keeper, I'm struck with another blinding light in my face. I close my eyes in response to the brightness, and feel myself being whisked away.
3rd person POV...
Maul opens the door and stumbles through it, half dazed and a little wild from what he saw in the light of the holocrons.
"He lives..." he says with an aching chuckle.
Opening the door into the airlock, he continues to stumble through and then enters his ship, closing the door behind him. Sitting down in the pilot's seat, he activates the ship's engines and then grabs hold of the controls.
"He... lives," he says again, chuckling in a mixture of delight and hatred.
*:*:*
Elita continues to look down at Jarik with her hands out hesitantly, unsure of what to do. He was simply laying there, silent and unmoving.
The sudden sound of a ship taking off gets Elita's attention, and she looks over to spot Maul's ship detaching from the station. Gkancing at Jarik once more, she decides to try and stop Maul and runs toward the shield, whipping out her energon blaster. As the ship begins flying away, she stops at the edge of the hanger and sticks her blaster through the edge of the shield. Powering up her blaster, she begins firing at Maul's ship as it begins flying away.
Maul growls in surprise, serving around the oncoming blue blaster bolts that are aimed for his ship, and brings up an image on his scanners. He narrows his eyes before looking through the screen in complete bafflement and alarm, spotting Elita shooting her blaster at him. Bringing the engines fully online, he blasts off at a high speed, and then jumps into hyperspace.
Elita stops firing with narrowed optics, and switches her blaster back into her hand with a sigh. Jarik gasping suddenly gets her attention, and she looks over in surprise, rushing back over to him in concern.
"Jarik? Are you alright?" she asks.
He glances around with wide eyes, panting heavily as he stands back to his feet, rubbing his head.
"Yeah, I think so," he replies, frowning. "I just saw... the strangest thing."
"What do you mean?" she asks.
"I'm not sure," he admits slowly. "But it's something I need to try and look into."
What a fun and interesting chapter! Strange things are afoot, revealed by the combination of two holocrons! And they will be revealed in time... :)
Also I gave a mention to the battle that took place during the Clone Wars, if some of you are familiar with it. The station this episode took place on was where Maul brought Grievous and Dooku after capturing them, and where Republic Forces fought Maul's Shadow Collective. I'm thinking of adding that storyline into the Legacy of Jarik Shan V2: The Clone Wars story (as extra bonus chapters before Season 7 comes out)! Of course I'll have to read the comic first if I wish to do so...
Also, Thrawn is onto the mystery of Cybertronian's...