Chapter Six: The Star Map
Waves of unfathomable darkness poured from the room beyond, though it could not be seen. The light seemed to die as the feeling of screams and horror and things far more terrible poured outward. Meetra took a step back while Malak went for his lightsaber.
Beyond the horrors and growing darkness, Revan beheld a room of desolation with no sign of life. The air was old and spoke of decay and ages alone in desolation, and it was all they could do to stay where they were. The darkness flowed over them, surrounded them. Then it passed beyond, and then only they remained.
All that was left now was an empty tomb if it was such a thing. Revan walked through the desolate remains and looked around. "Well, this is cheery."
Meetra shot him a look.
"I'm not saying I'd like to move in here for good, but the architecture is quite nice," said Revan. "Clean the place up a bit, put some tapestries on the walls and add some lighting, and you'd have quite a nice space."
"Perhaps we should remain focused on the task at hand, Revan," said Malak.
"Yes, yes. Just remember, we cannot take anything out of here," said Revan. "Look around for any sign of... well, anything interesting, I suppose."
And they did just that. The darkness had faded or receded, though there was a tinge of agony in the air. Now Revan shined a flashlight on the walls and saw many carved figures on it. Malak waved a hand, and millennia of dust flew off the walls. The resulting cloud nearly choked them, and Meetra coughed.
"Malak," said Meetra.
"Sorry," said Malak, whose head was now covered in dust.
"This looks like some sort of entry hall," said Revan, gazing at the elaborate, gray stone carving.
"See here, hieroglyphs," said Meetra. "Maybe we can learn something from these."
"They are badly worn," said Malak. "But they look to be a warrior people. See this vessel here. It looks to be of similar design to the Ravager."
Revan saw he was right. There were many pictures with such vessels, often several at a time. Usually, they showed strange creatures with protruding eyes. "So that means they were connected.
"Do you suppose that all of them could channel the Dark Side of the Force?"
"Perhaps," said Malak. "But that might have been innovation or corruption of existing systems. He was quite intelligent."
"What of the aliens themselves?" asked Meetra.
"Nearly all of these symbols show them performing of brutality. Here are humans, Selkath from Manaan, Hutts, and many others.
"But I don't see any pictures of battles. Only the slaughters afterward and the ritual sacrifice. The closest you get is them pursuing fleeing enemies."
"Primitive cultures often tend to focus wholly on their positive aspects," noted Revan. "The concept of a worthy opponent is one that requires real sophistication. You must be able to acknowledge your enemy as being in possession of virtues. And that requires a level of self-awareness few Sith possess."
"There are some hieroglyphics here," said Malak, moving forward while Meetra stayed behind. "Can you read them, Revan?"
"They are in several different languages, I think," said Revan, examining them. "Selkath was one; there are a number of others I can't read. I've never seen anything like them at all. Also, there's Huttese. Some of the old dialects that were written on Coruscant. This was ong before the rise of the Jedi or the Republic."
"Those are dead languages," realized Meetra suddenly. "No one has written in them since galactic basic was spread during the era of Hutt dominance." Revan looked at her in surprise, and she smiled. "I've studied a lot of history under Master Vrook, Revan. Of a lot of races.
"None of them speak of a race that looks like this, let alone ones so brutal. Can you read this?"
"'Here was the great architect, Roash.'" read Revan. "His devices created this monument to the Star Forge that would stand the test of time. Duly rewarded by having his blood spilled in the rites of sacrament. Thus is the glory of the Rakata unveiled."
"Well, that's pleasant," said Meetra. "Any idea what the timeline is?"
"Well, the upper wall section seems to focus wholly on conquest," noted Malak. "The capture or destruction of worlds. Here, we see a people rise in rebellion, only to be annihilated from space if I have read it right. Their world was wiped clean in only an instant.
"There ones seem to deal with the process of colonization. We see a great deal of construction and execution and treachery."
"What kind of society idolizes a traitor?" asked Meetra. "Even people who benefit from treachery despise the one responsible. Or it encourages a repeat in their own ranks."
"The Sith might," noted Malak. "Although they do not view it as treachery. Master Kreia has taught me that the Sith believe a betrayal should advance the overall goals of the Sith. And it must also be a demonstration of superior strength.
"Aedal, for instance, did not betray the Sith.
"He decided that the Sith as an organized had outlived its usefulness. Thus he took what he needed and sought more competent subordinates. Such an act is not a betrayal to a Sith; it is nature taking its course.
"The weak are purged, and the strongest thrive."
"How could a society like this survive?" asked Revan. "Even if they had total military superiority, how could they win? There have been historical moments where the Sith were nearly triumphant.
"But they always degenerate into infighting and fail at the last hurdle. This society seems to be even less sophisticated than the Sith at their worst."
"These Rakata don't seem to have any worthy opponents do they?" noted Meetra. "And I mean that from our perspective. All of the space battles are between Rakata fleets.
"I don't even see any starships other than their own."
"If they were to be the first to be capable of interstellar warfare," noted Malak. "They might have simply overrun the galaxy by sheer ruthlessness. If no one else had a fleet, they could never lose a battle.
"Provided they were willing to glass the planet rather than accept a loss."
"Isn't this the part where Bastila storms in demanding we let her study for the trials?" asked Meetra.
That got a laugh.
Then they continued their investigations. Revan looked over the events and could see very little in the worlds resembling what he knew. Not once did they see any non-Rakata starships or even basic blasters.
"This seems to be before even the Hutts," guessed Revan. "The most challenging problem these Rakata might face is using their slaves properly. I don't think anyone would be in a position to oppose their fleets during that era.
"Or at least, not anything like what Aedal unleashed. There may have been a few minor powers, but nothing like the Ravager."
"Look at this," said Meetra, pointing near the beginning of the wall.
"What is it?" asked Revan, moving up to it.
"There are Rakata toiling in the fields here, in the first image," said Meetra. "And there is nothing above or below it. Nothing like it appears above or below.
"All the others fields are tilled by other species, usually humans."
"What does it say?" asked Malak.
Revan read it. "'Here is where the Builders began. Here is where you will end. All to serve the Infinite Empire.
'Glory to the Star Forge.'"
"Of course," said Malak. "A recruitment zone."
"Hmm?" asked Revan.
"You remember our history lessons under Master Dorak?" asked Malak. "He always told us that nobody knows why all the races are spread so far. Especially humans, they are everywhere. It's one of the reasons that many humans believe they are the master race.
"They theorize that there was some great, pre-historic human civilization.
"But this must be it.
"The Rakata seem to have been more or less all-powerful. They never lost their military power because of infighting.
"Look at these pictures. Most of these ships are transferring other races."
"The slaves," realized Revan before reading some more hieroglyphs under one. "'Here are those who are shipped to serve the Infinite Empire. This is your fate.'"
"This was a temple of sorts," said Malak. "An indoctrination zone where enslaved populations would be educated as to their purpose. Or perhaps, it is a place where their history is recorded."
"What kind of intergalactic empire needs wall-carvings to educate people?" asked Meetra.
"A society that is focused on military glory might have no use for anything that does not help that," noted Revan. "Our computer systems were developed for military purposes. But civilians adapted them.
"That led to computers becoming far more useful in many unexpected ways. This, in turn, allowed the military to adopt those technologies. The same for medicine and a lot of other things."
"From the looks of things, the Rakata had no civilian personnel," said Malak. "Aside from architects, of course. Those are the only civilians who any of these have shown. Their warriors don't use blasters or anything like it, only swords."
"How did their slaves not kill them?" asked Meetra. "If they were delegating all their work to the slaves, a bit of creativity could kill them all off."
"None of these pictures show the slaves making anything, do they?" asked Malak.
Revan looked at them and realized he was right. None of the work showed any industrialization at all. "These slaves all seem to be growing crops or mining raw materials. But none of them are manufacturing anything. What does it say here?"
Revan read under some of the images. "'...Here are the places that you will toil at, your efforts fueling the glorious Star Forge.'"
"Star Forge again?" mused Meetra. "They seem very fixated on it, don't they?"
"It must be some kind of production plant or factory," noted Revan. "Perhaps a system of factories."
"Why would a warrior race worship a forge?" asked Meetra. "You might as well have a Republic soldier worship the military-industrial complex. Maybe he needs it for his gear, but it's not that kind of need."
"It might have been for them," said Revan. "I wouldn't go so far as to suggest that this Star Forge was revered as a god. But it could have had a very important role in their society. After all, this is an entire race of warriors who are severely lacking in moral conscience.
"The Sith, or the worst of the Sith, define themselves in opposition to the Jedi.
"But the Rakata don't seem to have had any Jedi equivalent to stop them. So they had nothing to test their ideology against. Aedal was operating on a sophisticated set of principles. The conflict against the Jedi honed those principles. These principles served as a baseline for their ideology, and it was by them that they created their way of life.
"The Rakata don't seem to have had that and seem to have been almost... savages. At least in terms of everything but military power. Perhaps the Star Forge was a kind of idol. Something to provide a groundwork for their belief systems. Much like a morally bankrupt CEO might obsess over his collection of private yachts.
"Let's see if we can find anything else."
They moved through into the center of the complex, into a large circular room. There were no images or hieroglyphics here at all. But there was what appeared to be a machine.
"Nothing else here, yet," noted Meetra.
"There's machinery here, as though designed to manufacture something," said Malak. Then he saw a machine. It stood broken and shattered at the center of the room, rusted beyond repair. It had once walked on spider-like legs, though. "And this droid is broken, long inoperable."
"It was probably a defense system or information droid. Nothing could survive this many eons of neglect," noted Revan. "But, if we could repair it, it might yield us some real information.
"We're not supposed to touch anything, Revan," said Meetra. "Let's check the other wings, see if we can find out what happened to the Rakata."
The leftmost wing proved to be quite chilling.
Images of ruinous destruction were all around them. Seas boiling over like something out of Visas' predictions. There were also trees melting away into the ground beneath waves.
"...This is..." Malak halted. "Is this planetary destruction?"
"No, I think it's terraforming," said Meetra. "See, these plants are growing up, not being destroyed by the beam.
"What does this say?"
Revan realized she was right. The boiling waters were melting polar ice caps, and the trees were growing up. He'd had it backward. "'The creation of life-giving. Let the power of the Rakata in a life-giving stand as perpetual proof of the Infinite Empire's supremacy.'"
"You mean to say that they could grow places?" asked Malak. "Our terraforming ability isn't anything like this. They must have been truly powerful to have achieved this much."
"They seem to have had a preference for creating worlds with only one eco-system," said Meetra. "See here, water world, forest world, arboreal world."
"That would explain why many planets share similar keystone species," though Meetra. "The Rakata were utilizing them in their colonizing."
"Check the other wing," said Malak.
The other ring really was all about destruction. Shattered continents and lava flows rising up while Rakata survived on them. Children arrived in camps there and were trained to survive on the land. They were trained to fight and killed one another.
It was akin to the Mandalorians.
"'The creation of death-giving worlds," said Revan, reading aloud. "Let the power of the Rakata in death-giving stand as perpetual proof of the Infinite Empire's supremacy."
"Lava planets, ice planets, desert planets," said Meetra. "Why bother creating these?"
"Harsh environments can be an excellent training ground for troops. Remember why we went to Hoth?" noted Malak.
"And their entire culture was war," noted Revan. "So they train their warriors on death worlds. Then they conquer new worlds and turn them into whatever single ecosystem they want. Meanwhile, the slaves are used to provide the supply.
"But why do they need all this?
"What's the point of punching downward when they already have absolute power?"
"Perhaps they viewed their conquest as a kind of benefit for the slaves," thought Malak. "Historically, most tyrants justify their brutality as serving a greater purpose—both to themselves and others. Corporate CEOs justify overworking and underpaying their employees as an efficient business move. Dictatorships justify their murders based on keeping order against dangerous outside forces. Black ops groups justify violating the ideals of democracy on the idea of protecting it.
"Sometimes they are even right.
"Their entire society was based on war. I do not think it was possible to maintain it without bloodshed. Perhaps they viewed the conquest of lesser beings as a means of training for the true battle."
"Wait a minute, how did they maintain this Infinite Empire then?" asked Meetra. "The whole thing seems like a recipe for constant civil war. Sooner or later, one of the warlords would break off or start using slaves as soldiers, and that'd be the end of it."
"Yes, there is something we are missing," said Malak. "But we have one more place to check."
And they walked into the center room and saw one final door. Coming to it, Revan thought this would later be seen as a threshold in his life. "There's writing on this door."
"What does it say?" asked Meetra, interested.
"'Behold, the imagery of the triumph of the Rakata Empire, the eternal source of the star wars. Look upon our works, ye mighty and despair.'" said Revan.
He used the Force, and the door opened.
Beyond, he sensed nothing, heard nothing, and saw nothing but a dusty old chamber with a worn-down wall at the end. A leak seemed to have sprung, and little by little, eroded the imagery at the far end. Endless millennia of rain had washed away the idol that all that these people had worked for.
Until all that was left was a map to the end of their world.
It made Revan sad as he walked forward to touch it.
"It's just a blank wall, covered in mold," said Meetra.
"It appears to have been damaged," said Revan. "But, I think I've found the reason why their empire never fragmented."
"What do you think it is?" asked Meetra.
"I think that the Star Forge was originally created as some sort of ultimate factory," said Revan. "Perhaps it utilized the Dark Side, perhaps not. Using it, they were able to supply all of their armies and build a great fleet.
"Without any serious opposition, they rolled overall resistance. The only thing that could slow them would be backstabbing and betrayal."
"So why worship it?" asked Meetra. "It's only a machine."
"Because they needed it," said Malak. "Perhaps the Star Forge could not be replicated. Or there might have been a deliberate policy to stop the creation of another. Either way, I think that the Star Forge was the center of all manufacturing.
"Leaders might have risen and fallen. But there must have been a taboo against interfering with the Star Forge itself. It makes sense. If the Star Forge was destroyed, your empire crumbles. If someone builds another one, your empire divides. Either event would lead to a slave uprising.
"I doubt they were popular."
"Over the course of many generations, the Star Forge might have taken on a religious element. Especially since it might have utilized the Force," noted Malak. "It began as them conquering worlds with the Star Forge. It ended with them conquering worlds on behalf of the Star Forge."
"So what happened to the Rakata?" asked Meetra. "Sorry if it's a stupid question, but I don't see any Infinite Empire's around today. These guys are basically what would happen if the Sith never had anyone to stop them. And they figured out a solution to the infighting problem.
"They had absolute military superiority, no shortage of resources. And they had no time to get complacent."
"It's obvious what happened," said Revan. "The system broke down, somehow. Maybe they forgot how to do repairs on the Star Forge, and it stopped working. Or there were social disruptions that weakened them. Perhaps they were hurt enough for slaves to overthrow them.
"Or, perhaps a bold strike team of heroes raided the Star Forge and destroyed it. Stranger things have happened."
"It can't be a strike team," said Malak. "If the slaves had overthrown them, Revan, we'd know about it. The fall of the Rakata Empire would be a defining moment in the history of at least a few races. I don't think they could have been militarily defeated.
"Whatever happened, the galaxy found itself lacking when facing the Rakata. There were no Jedi to protect us.
"We did not stop them. They won the war and lost the peace."
"Military camps have a tendency to spread disease," noted Meetra suddenly.
"Hmm?" asked Revan.
"Well, based on what we know, this was a completely militaristic society. One which had no regard for life," said Meetra. "I doubt their medical technology was very good, and they obviously kept apart from the slaves. They also traveled all over the place, and their supply lines would all run through the Star Forge.
"If you had some sort of Iridian Plague equivalent, it could easily run rampant. I doubt they'd have any idea how to respond to it. And even if they did, the sick would not abide by the quarantine. They'd try to break out or escape."
"In addition, quarantining a place would cut it off from the Star Forge," mused Malak. "And also everywhere that was connected."
"The Republic, the Mandalorians, and the Sith have been working overtime. We are coordinating with people over the galaxy to stop the plague," continued Meetra. "And despite that, all we can do is keep civilization intact.
"We can't wipe it out, not yet anyway.
"Imagine a Sith Lord trying to do it on his own with a fraction of the medical knowledge we do. And he'd be in a galaxy that universally despises him and who wouldn't cooperate. And in addition to that, the disruption is going to make every ambitious warlord see weakness and go to war.
"And once things get really bad, a lot of other things would go wrong."
"These Rakata seem to have done nothing to foster regional support," noted Malak. "If they were to be backed into a corner, the slaves would surely kill them all.
"If Meetra's theory is correct, it seems the Rakata met their end alone and surrounded by those who hated them.
"They were supreme in the darkness.
"And in the darkness, they were nothing." His voice was sad.
"Do you seriously feel sorry for these guys, Malak?" asked Meetra.
"Yes, actually," said Malak. "Most of the Rakata were simply doing as they had been trained. Their ancestors did not provide any positive role models. By the time this plague happened, they were already doomed.
"I do not think that anyone could have reformed such a society. And the evil deeds of their forefathers would ensure they would be hunted to extinction."
"Yeah, but don't you think it's ironic?" asked Meetra.
"What?" said Malak.
"Well, these guys are everything the Sith want to be," said Meetra. "Completely unstoppable, sociopathic, ruthless, and undefeated. They were perpetually fighting to ensure evolution and progress.
"And their empire collapsed because they were stagnant and weak."
"There's no proof of that, Meetra," said Revan. "Our guesses may well be wrong. We don't even know that it was a plague. It could simply be something as simple as a mechanical breakdown that spiraled into a civil war. Or they might have had an internal conflict that led to them abandoning their empire.
"They don't seem to have many permenant colonies, or the Jedi could never have sealed them all.
"It does not matter at the moment." And then his gaze fell on what looked to be a Holocron, with four metal limbs together in the rough shape of a flower. Light could be seen growing between them. "Let's see what this is."
Motioning, he sent forth the power of the force, and the limbs opened. Into view, Revan saw an image of the galaxy. A map.
"What is this?" asked Meetra.
"A star map," said Malak.
"And a fully functional one," said Revan, trying to make sense of it.
"Do you think this leads to the Star Forge?" asked Meetra.
"It doesn't lead to anything at the moment," noted Malak, who knew the most about space travel. "This map is badly out of date; all of the planets have shifted since it was made. So see, Coruscant is in the wrong place. Other areas have been wholly corrupted."
"Can you find anything you recognize?" asked Revan.
Malak moved forward and kneeled down to peer at it. "I think so.
"This is Tattooine."
"What makes you say that?" asked Meetra.
"Tattooine has two visible suns because of a peculiarity of its orbit," said Malak. "It's a completely unique phenomenon. And this planet which is marked would be us, I think. Dantooine.
"That makes this place Manaan, and here is Kasshyyk."
"Why have they been marked?" asked Revan.
"I'm not sure," said Malak.
"Perhaps these are similar areas," said Meetra.
"Yes, but what does it have to do with the Star Forge? Why this room?" asked Meetra.
"I don't know," said Revan. "Perhaps this was a map of the Star Forge and associated worlds. It might be worth looking for similar installations on the Planet's surface if we go there.
"For now, we've seen too much.
"Nothing of this is to be revealed without my orders. We'll speak to the Council and answer their questions. Let me do the talking."
They journeyed back out of the tomb and walked once more within the light of day. Such was his relief that Revan hardly noticed Masters Zhar, Vandar, and Dorak waiting. Vandar moved forward. "Young Revan, we have heard of a somewhat reckless idea that Master Dorak authorized. We think they may have been in error."
Revan smiled. "My apologies, Master Vandar. I'd seen several areas like this one, and I thought I might find something useful.
"Master Zhar."
"It is good to see you Revan," said Zhar. "Did you find anything?"
"A history and little else," said Revan. "There were some star coordinates within. But what they pointed to might not even exist anymore.
"The ruins are there if you wish to look." And Revan decided right then and there that if he looked, he'd drop the matter. If the Jedi Council went in personally to research the subject, he'd consult them before making any more moves.
"We believe it may first be best to debrief you," said Vandar. "Senator Yusanis will be arriving soon, and there are a great many things we must discuss.
"Perhaps you could tell us something of what was within as we walk."
Revan nodded, and they did walk. "It was the history of an ancient, dark-sided civilization, very similar to the Sith. So far as we can tell, no one was capable of resisting them. They conquered more or less everything. Then they managed to establish a stable system to avoid the usual problems of infighting."
"And what happened to this civilization?" asked Zhar.
"We don't know," said Malak. "Certainly, they are not around now. For obvious reasons, they were not able to chronicle the end of their Empire."
"If so, it could not have been a gradual decay," noted Dorak. "The end would have had to come suddenly."
"Not necessarily," said Zhar. "This may have been an outlying colony that was abandoned as the decline began.
"Still, what precisely do you intend to discuss with Senator Yusanis, Revan?"
Revan smiled. "Let's call it bait."
To Revan's disappointment, the doors were sealed again, and no Jedi Master ever set foot within. The Rakata were dead, and that was enough for them. They hadn't the slightest in researching the Rakata further.
Why study a thing that might tell you something you didn't want to hear?
They were content to take it on Revan's word that it all suited their worldview. Not because they trusted him, they really shouldn't, but because they did not want to know.
They'd wait for the echo to reach them.
But Revan would not. He'd travel to the source, sooner or later, and find what lay beyond...