Face pressed against the glass of the closed-top speeder, Lorash Entaira still let out a gasp as her eyes caught the figure of a Jedi statue rising through the canopy of the temperate rainforest. Even badly eroded, the image of the lightsaber held over the figure's head sent a shiver down the human's spine. "This really was a jedi temple once."
The two twi'lek children sitting behind her cheered. Tari and her twin brother, Maladar, were far newer to their training but had grown up on Master Vori's stories of the jedi.
The kel dor driver chuckled behind his mask as he brought the speeder around to land in a clearing just in front of the ruins. His metallic amusement always reassured Lorash. "One of the few places of the old order where some knowledge is said to remain. My friend Merga says it is quite safe. Even the beasts in the area seem to reflect the serenity of the place. I made sure it was scouted thoroughly before we arrived."
"Are there any jedi left?" Lorash asked. Even at twenty-four, her excitement seemed almost girlish. It pushed away all the shadows of fear of discovery that lingered even once they left populated space.
"Oh no. The order abandoned this place long before even the Emperor's orders. Most of the records that were here, at least the important ones, were taken to the temple on Coruscant." A faint mournful note infused her master's observation. The loss of Coruscant, even years ago, hurt his heart.
Master Vori was one of the few of his tradition to survive the purging of the order by the Empire, though he had been little more than a padawan when it happened. Now these three were his students, hoping to keep the old flame alive. Places like this meant reconnecting with the most ancient ways of the Force and Lorash looked forward to it immensely. She had only seen Master Vori's holo-recordings of another old temple. This would be the first she would set foot in such a place.
The four-person speeder settled down onto damp earth with a small thump and rattle. Already almost bailing out before the engines had switched off, Lorash grinned when the wet air slapped her face. It was breathable, not so different from her experience on her homeworld. Naboo had plenty of water, so this was not unbearable or strange. She flicked up her hood to protect her dark hair from the drizzle already starting.
It was going to be a good day to stay inside combing over the ruin. She turned to help Tari and Mal down, but the twi'leks were already splashing through the mud towards the hollow opening that led into the ruin.
"Children!" Vori called warningly.
Mal stopped obediently, his sister trying to pull him forward almost comically. "You said it was safe!"
Their master quickly caught up to them. "That does not mean we should not be cautious. It is important to remember at all times that the world can be quite dangerous, even when unexpected. Jedi must be careful in this day and age."
The twins hushed. They knew better than Lorash did how unsafe the world could be, at least when reminded, as children of force sensitives who had left one day and never returned home.
Vori had found them before the Empire. That was all that mattered.
Lorash put a hand on each of the twi'leks' shoulders, giving them a comforting squeeze. "Come on. We'll set up camp somewhere dry and then have a look around carefully. Bigs will grab the bulk of the supplies."
Their droid deployed from under the speeder. An old combat model, B1-78 had been refitted to serve as a helper more than a protector, though his armored chassis could take a serious beating. Tari and Mal had adjusted his name to something a little less clunky, which didn't seem to bother the droid in the slightest. He hoisted a few boxes and tramped after them into the ruin, servos humming with every step.
While everyone else hurried in, Lorash grabbed the portable lights and then followed quickly. She almost dropped the lights as she stepped in, awed by the massive vaulted ceiling. Rippling pools of rainwater filled depressions in the carved stone floor, but the detail work on the walls that had avoided erosion were still beautifully clear. A sense of peace surrounded them, from the flourishing flowers that bloomed on the beds of moss to the singing of flying bat-like creatures that clung to a far wall. A line of leaf-carrying insects trundled along just ahead, narrowly avoided by the enthusiastic twins.
"Camp first," Master Vori advised even as he padded around the doors to the other chambers, leaning slightly on his staff. The tough wood could survive anything, as far as Lorash could tell. She knew he was checking to make certain their immediate area was safe.
They had bedrolls and lights pitched quickly, the comfortable and almost homey atmosphere completed by a small stove. "Can we look around now?" Lorash asked playfully, kicking her bedroll open.
When she looked over, her master was still and tranquil, no doubt sensing the world around them. With how perfect his perception seemed, she doubted they would have trouble bumbling into the planet's beasts.
Their master seemed pleased as he refocused on them. "It seems we are alone. We should go room by room. The library first. We will no doubt spend most of our visit there. Bigs, if you would kindly watch the camp?"
The droid nodded and took up a sentry position, though it was to stop the native animal life from getting at their food more than anything else.
"Thank you, Bigs," Lorash said with a bow of her head. Droids were as worthy of her respect as any organic life.
Grand and towering, the library seemed the most intact of all the chambers and halls they walked through. Decorated with statues and wall carvings, it seemed almost lived in. The records were mostly gone, but the walls themselves bore script: meditations on the Jedi Code in intricate, loving detail.
Vori set his backpack down, crammed with a scholar's tools. Immediately, he fell into his teacher's role. "Tari, Mal, we will discuss the role of the Jedi as protectors of knowledge. Lorash, you know these stories well enough. Read a section of your choosing from the wall and then find a comfortable place to meditate on the serenity of this place."
Lorash nodded, drifting to one of the further lines. There is no chaos, there is harmony. The following meditation on it was complicated for her tastes, so she set it aside mentally for a moment as she retreated to a quiet alcove. She could reflect given a bit more time.
As she eased herself down to sit, she placed a hand on the wall. A sudden darkness surged into her thoughts, a rage so powerful that it sickened her stomach. She recoiled away, letting out a cry.
Vori was on his feet in a moment despite his age. The kel dor grabbed her and pulled her away, making soothing sounds to the young human woman. "Lorash, what's wrong? Calm yourself and still your fear."
She tried to find her center again, sucking in a deep breath. "Something is here. I felt its anger."
"Where?"
She motioned to the wall. "I touched the stone there."
Her master approached it carefully, then placed a hand on the same section. He pulled his hand away quickly. "You are right. There is a Dark Side presence here, terrible in its rage. We need to leave." He spoke in a low voice, too quiet for Tari and Mal to hear. "I fear what may come if it awakes."
An alarm squealed from his comm, a proximity detector for other vehicles. They were no longer alone.
"Is it Merga?" Lorash asked, scrambling back over to the now worried twi'lek twins.
"He would have announced himself." Vori opened his comm and quickly called his old friend. "Merga, we have vehicles here. What do you see?"
His comm crackled to life after a brief pause. "An armed transport. Probably some bounty hunters or looters, but more than a few. You need to get out of there. Vori."
"Understood. Bring your speeder around the opposite side, Merga. We will ride out with you." Vori then focused on his little group of students. "Now is the time to be quiet. We will go out the back way."
"What about Bigs?" Tari asked wide-eyed.
"I'll get him." Lorash gave the twins a quick squeeze of a hug. "We'll meet you out back."
Vori put a hand on her arm. "Carefully, Lorash," he cautioned. "I do not want to lose you."
"I'm careful. If it takes me more than five, though, you should let Merga take you to a safe distance. If the Empire shows up…" Lorash tried not to think too hard about the risk. Vori had taught her a great deal about fighting and the Force, but she was hardly an experienced combatant. Most of her fights had been street toughs on various planets trying to rob them. Trained soldiers were a terrifying idea.
Her master nodded and ushered Tari and Mal away, grabbing his pack as he went. "May the Force be with you, Lorash. We will see you on the other side."
Once they were gone, Lorash pulled in a deep breath to center herself and hurried back the way they'd come. The sharp barks of blaster fire ahead sent a chill through her body, but she didn't dare open her own comm to check on Bigs. Instead, she crept forward, wishing she had more to defend herself with than the staff Vori had given her.
It was a sturdy piece of history, an alloy that included beskar strong enough to catch even the blade of a lightsaber, or so Vori said. The weight no longer bothered Lorash, as she had learned to move the staff with ease. She wasn't big, but she was wiry with strength enough to wield it effectively. Lorash wrapped her hands around it more tightly, trying to connect herself to the jedi who had carried it before her and center herself in their calm.
When she rounded the corner, her heart leaped up into her throat. Bigs lay motionless on the ground, clearly badly damaged by blaster fire. Mercenaries in scarred armor combed through the camp, all of them heavily armed.
"There are four," a rodian reported, kneeling in the middle of camp as he rustled through their supplies. "Intending to stay for some time."
The commander was a tall, burly man covered in scars of battle. One eye was cybernetic, glowing a dull red. "Looking for the weapon?"
The rodian rose and grabbed his heavy blaster rifle. "Why else would anyone come here?"
"Hey, over there!" one of the others shouted.
Lorash knew she had been discovered, even pressed against the stone carvings as she was. She turned and bolted, blaster fire striking where her head had been. She raced back to the library. Its little alcoves had plenty of places to hide. The sound of approaching boots sent adrenaline coursing through her veins.
There were more of them than she could ever hope to take in a fight. Against all her better judgement, she forced herself back into the area where she'd touched the wall, trying her best not to interact with anything that might stir more Dark Side energy. It was one of the few alcoves without light falling directly into it.
"We know you're here, little girl. Come out." The commander's voice sounded friendly on the surface, but it was easy to tell that it dripped with menace.
Lorash took a deep breath to calm herself and gripped her staff. There had to be a way to slip past. Unfortunately, she'd never learned to deceive the senses of others with the Force. Master Vori always said that such things could lead so easily to the Dark Side.
"I think she's over here, boss." The rodian drew closer and closer, several other human mercenaries creeping towards her position.
She shrank back, shoulder colliding with the wall. Again, darkness surged in her senses, a powerful rage roaring awake. She staggered forward and spun, colliding with a mercenary.
The wall slid open as a hidden panel released with the hiss of a hermetically sealed chamber opening. A figure in dark, armored robes with the hood pulled low across their face stood there, crackling with frost as some kind of cryogenic effect ended abruptly.
"The hell is that?" the man grabbing Lorash demanded, struggling to contain her.
Their commander shouldered his rifle, aiming at the hooded figure. "Identify yourself!"
The low, almost rasping, feminine voice's answer was audible even though Lorash was certain the figure's lips never moved. I am your death. One hand flicked up to grab the air as the other caught the hilt of an old, scarred cylinder from the cord at its hip.
Lorash heard a horrible choking sound and looked over at the commander. The air around his neck crushed his throat as the hooded figure suddenly tightened its fist. His struggle was brief, ending in a jerk of his entire body, before he fell to the ground like a dropped stone.
"Kill it!" the rodian shrieked, firing a shot.
By the time his finger had pulled, the hooded one was already in motion towards the nearest mercenary and the shot went wide. It struck one of the men across the face with its fist, knocking him back. The next movement became the roar of a lightsaber flaring to life in a brilliant, crimson rage.
Lorash was inexperienced in many things, but she knew that color meant bleeding kyber. It meant the Dark Side. It meant Sith.
The next blaster shot was deflected into the body of a different merc. These were experienced fighters, but the sith moved through them like a furious demon, crushing and bashing with the Force when the sweeping carve of a lightsaber wasn't enough.
Lorash grabbed her staff and went to sprint, hoping beyond hope it would be preoccupied with the mercenaries.
Invisible bands seemed to wrap around her limbs, halting her in the air like a statue. The more she struggled, the tighter it clenched, until she wisely stopped moving before her ribs shattered. The screams of the men behind her didn't last long. Lorash did her best to close off her senses, to mute the sound of sizzling flesh and tortured cries in her perception.
She felt the darkness coming closer and the searing heat that accompanied its lightsaber.
What is your name, jedi? The rage felt calmer now, simmering under the surface in the wake of its venting. Darkness prowled back and forth inside its mind like a vine cat in a cage.
The crushing pressure lifted just enough for her to breathe and speak without struggling. Her limbs were still utterly immobile.
Forcing herself into the calm was proving impossible. She felt ashamed of the quiver of terror in her own voice. "Lorash Entaira. Who are you?"
I am Seia Zadar.
"Please let me go."
Are there more of them?
Lorash tried to nod and realized she couldn't move her head. "Yes. Are you going to kill me?"
She felt the figure's amusement flash across her mind like a leaping shadow. Would that be a fitting reward for releasing me? The grip around Lorash abruptly vanished, sending her sprawling to the ground. If there are more, you are more useful alive than dead. Where is Nabeila?
Lorash turned to see the figure's gaze sweep across the ruined library. Its hood had fallen back, revealing a woman's face as the lightsaber extinguished as abruptly as it had flared. "I don't know anyone by that name."
Seia Zadar was a tall, powerfully built woman with a nose ever so slightly crooked from being broken many times, the burn scar of blaster fire or maybe another lightsaber following the line of her jaw on her right side. Her fair hair fell loose around her face, slightly singed from one of the rodian's shots. Everything about her expression was relentless intensity, from her beskar glare to the press of her lips into a grim line. Her armor was scarred from countless battles, her lightsaber no less battered. Both seemed strong enough to survive anything, just like their owner.
Even the bones are dust. More time must have passed than we planned. She stopped for a moment and the anger seethed in her like a twisting lump of lava. Or treachery.
"What do you mean?"
The gaze that burned into her felt more powerful than even the heat of the lightsaber. We will speak when the battle is done, not before.
The young woman grabbed her staff and steeled herself for what was coming. She didn't dare try to reach out to Master Vori through the Force with a powerful sith at her heels, but she could send him an emergency message with her comm. She flicked her fingers across it where it rested at her side, opposite the sith. He would know at least that he needed to leave with the twins.
She wasn't certain whose death was waiting for her at the end of the hall, but the rage boiling to the surface beside her promised a brutal, fiery end.