Chapter 6 – Blast from the Past, Part I

The Sith Temple.

It stood as a citadel among the wilds of Dxun, one of the few signs of civilization on the Force-forsaken moon, and one of the grandest. It was a beacon, a nexus of the Dark Side in and of itself – a shining light to all darksiders who walked the moon.

Its history was shrouded in mystery, even to this day. Whether it was built by the Ancient Sith or the likes of the Dark Jedi, Freedon Nadd when he conquered Onderon and established his dynasty, nobody really knew which was correct. Recovered artefacts pointed towards the Ancient Sith, but Freedon very well could have pillaged the artefacts from their resting places. Nevertheless, it was a mystery Louise had no intention of solving. Instead, she had a different goal in mind.

Their base was nothing but burning rubble, bodies lying haphazardly around, buildings torn to scraps. With the only other option being to wait for help, hoping not to die, Louise and her allies found themselves wading through the thick foliage of Dxun, their weapons held tight in fear of ambush – their goal, the Sith Temple. However, no monsters barred their path like they had during their failed attempt to reach the Inquisitor. No, instead, she could sense the beasts hiding amongst the trees and plants, seemingly content to watch passively and little else. Though, this did very little to ease her mind.

After much trekking, they soon reached the base of the Sith Temple. It was deserted, the Republic base desolate, equipment abandoned, tents and tarps in disarray. Already, she could sense the unease of the Jedi and soldiers behind her as the Dark Side grew stronger around them like a chamber filling with water. Part of her felt elated at that – not only would she grow strong in the nexus, but the unease would keep her allies on edge, ready for everything. Yet, at the same time, she knew the dangers that would befall their untrained minds.

"Be careful," she warned, stopping before the mouth of the Temple, her eyes drifting to each of the Jedi as well as the soldiers, "the Dark Side is strong here, and I do not wish to deal with any of you if you fall into it."

One of the soldiers snorted at her warning. "Never expected a Sith to say that." What the other soldier thought, Louise did not know, but judging from what she could sense, incredulity was a high possibility. Nola, whose face was not covered by a helmet, seemed amused by the statement. Urik was impartial.

Louise could not help but twitch in anger at the rejoinder. "I say this," she hissed, turning to glare at the soldier, "because Jedi have a remarkable talent for not simply turning to the Dark Side, but tripping and falling down several flights of stairs right into insanity. Take Exar Kun for example, the arrogant bastard that he was. He began his path down the Dark Side right on this very moon, and it ended with him dead on Yavin IV. I know how to handle the Dark Side, I've trained to handle it. You lot? None of you have."

"She as a point," Urik mumbled, just loud enough to hear. "I mean, she's Sith, she'd know better than any of us. If she warns us about the Dark Side, let her."

"Are you sure this couldn't be a trick?" the other soldier replied, sounding sceptical. "For all we know she could be leading us to our death. She is Sith, after all."

Louise turned on the soldier, her eyes alight with indignation. But before she could express exactly what she felt about that accusation, Urik beat her to the punch. "If she wanted to corrupt us or kill us, she'd have all the chance in the world. Right now, we have no other option."

And just like that, the argument was over, though Louise could sense that they were not pleased with Urik's decision. Though, she felt surprised by his comment, if annoyed that the others only listened when he told them to. Nevertheless, they delved into the temple – their lightsabers and torches springing to life, lighting the way as they bathed the Temple halls in their glow.

Unlike when she last walked through the Temple, everything seemed… worse… darker. It was quiet. Before, there were many people working on the excavation, all working, chatting, and generally making a buzz. But now? Now, the only sound was the hum of their lightsabers, the rock grinding under boot and their breathing that seemed amplified by the Temple, making the already eerie atmosphere all the more ominous.

The six walked through, eyes ever watchful for danger as they passed through the entry chamber, deeper down until they arrived in the large chamber they made base in all those days ago. "Where to now?" Louise mused quietly under her breath, drifting from passageway to passageway, contemplating which would lead to the door in her vision.

"I'm sorry," Nola spoke up, her tone dripping with sarcasm, "but did you just say that you have no idea where we're going?"

Shooting the Togruta an annoyed glare, Louise replied, "Oh I'm sorry, does it look like I have a kriffing map!?"

"No, but you could've at least told us you had no idea where we're going!" replied Nola defensively, throwing her hands in the air. "We could've planned ahead, but no! Instead, we're diving head-first into a Sith Temple! A Temple you warned that was incredibly dangerous!"

"Valid point," Louise said through gritted teeth. "My rebuttal? This entire planet wants us dead!"

One of the soldiers signed loudly. "Do you at least know what we're looking for?" he asked.

"Yes, we're looking for an ornately carved door," she answered tersely, her voice rising as she spoke, "a door that I could find if I wasn't constantly being questioned by spiteful Jedi who seems to absolutely hate my mere existence!"

"Jedi do not hate, Sith," Nola growled.

"Oh, well you could have fooled me!" replied Louise, gesturing wildly. "I guess all the vitriol spewing from your mouth is just how you express your love and compassion!"

"Enough, you two!" shouted Urik, trying his best to stand between Louise and the other Republic personnel. "Enough! The sooner she can figure this out, the sooner we can stop whatever is causing this. So, stop this pointless bickering."

Nola growled. "Fine," she spat "but if this is a trap and you get us all killed–" she pointed at Louise – "I'm going to come back to haunt your ass!"

"Join the club," Louise growled back. After waiting a moment to make sure no one else was going to object, she tried her best to calm her mind to hear the will of the Force. It gave her a vision of the Temple, and she hoped it would aid her once again by pointing her in the right direction. As her mind cleared, she stretched out her feelings through the Force, pushing her senses out to the different pathways.

This way.

Louise's head twitched, pulled by the whisper-like voice that spoke far at the edge of her hearing, yet sounding so close. Her eyes opened, and what she saw was the passageway she and Master Korr had descended down all those days ago. The sense foreboding grew as she stared down the pitch-black staircase, her eyes playing tricks on her as the darkness swirled around, forming into vague silhouettes of people before morphing once again. "Down here," she called out to her allies who were busy investigating the room.

Urik quirked an eyebrow, looking down the passageway with scepticism. "Aren't there orbalisks down there?"

"Last I checked, yes," Louise replied. "All I know is that the Force is calling me down there."

"The Force is calling you down the staircase of death?" one of the soldiers asked incredulously.

"Yes."

"And you are just going to trust it?" he continued.

"Well…" she began, putting her hands on her hips, "we could pick another pathway at random and get our faces eaten by some unknown monster… or, perhaps, we could go back outside?"

The soldier sighed. "Well, if we're going to die anyway, we could at least make an attempt."

"Yay… for the Republic," the other soldier replied, pretending to wave a small flag.

Shaking her head, Louise began walking towards the staircase, stopping just at the threshold. "Come on, then. Let's not waste any time."

While Khem followed dutiful behind, muttering under his breath, the rest stayed behind hesitantly. After a few seconds of deliberation, the others soon followed.

As they descended, Louise could not help but feel anxious, especially when the staircase ended, bleeding into the hallway. Not only was there a fear of being swarmed with hundreds of golden shelled orbalisks at any second, but she began doubting herself. What if she was wrong about this? What if she was just leading them to their deaths? What if this was some kind of trap? Louise shook her head. There was no point changing her mind now, she needed to push on if only to save Quorian and get to the bottom of this mess.

Her eyes darted around, keeping an eye out for any of those golden insects, however, as they did, her eyes caught something. Stopping in her tracks, she peered at the walls of the hall, examining it under the light of her saber. It was a large mural, depicting a brutal battle of beasts tearing each other apart as caricatures fought with swords and lightsabers, each etched carefully into stone.

It was one of the carving from her vision.

Louise brushed her hand against the stone mural and shuddered. This was her first experience with a vision and the déjà vu, if she were to use the term from her homeworld, she felt was uncanny. "This is the right way."

"The vision?" Khem asked, looking down at her.

She nodded. "Yes. We're getting closer."

"Great work, Sith," grumbled one of the Republic soldiers. "At least we know we're not lost."

The other simply snorted.

Louise could not help but grit her teeth at the soldiers and tried her best to ignore them. Instead, she renewed her pace, heading deeper and deeper into the Temple then she had ever gone before. And as she did, she could feel the Dark Side grow more potent in the air. There was something immensely powerful deep in the Temple and she needed to find it; not only did she feel that it would lead her to Quorian and the other Jedi, but it could possibly lead to her original mission.

Another flight of stairs stood in their path. They had not run into any of the skittering orbalisks yet, but that did not mean they would encounter them deeper down in the Temple. With bated breath, they began their decent further and further, deeper and deeper into the core of Dxun until her path was blocked.

A large stone door stood before them, illuminated only by their sabers and torches. It was bereft of detail; just two plain, if cracked and worn, slabs of stone that stood as an imposing obstacle in their path. She could feel the Dark Side oozing from the door, seemingly seeping through the cracks. She knew whatever it was that had caused all the pain and misery these last few days was right behind this door. Her mind conjured horrible images of whatever entity hid behind the door; from some powerful sithspawn created long ago by the ancient darksiders who walked the planet, or perhaps a Force entity bound in loose shackles and beyond their comprehension.

Steeling herself, she went to try and push the door open, but before her fingers could even brush against the stone surface, the door moved, opening itself. Stone ground upon stone, a grating sound that hurt their ears as each of them jumped to attention, their weapons ready to defend themselves.

Soon, the door was opened wide enough to make out the chamber beyond. It was large, lit by strange glowing organic growths like vines that wrapped up and around the walls, floors and ceiling. The lighting was uneven, large dark shadows skulking around some parts while others were brightly lit. However, that mattered little as it was bright enough to see that there was no entity her mind conjured, instead, a large humanoid sitting cross-legged with his back to the group.

For a moment, after the doors finished opening, the chamber was quiet. Nothing but the hums of lightsabers and the methodical sounds of breathing.

Then, a voice, a rattling gasp, grating as grinding stone and as harsh as the surface of Korriban, spoke. "I have been waiting." It did not originate from the being, but from all around the room, as if speakers had been hidden in every nook and cranny. The figure moved slowly from his place, standing up from the ground to face them.

Tall… tall was an understatement. He- It, the figure was at least eight-feet tall, possibly taller. It was one of the fungal creatures she had fought all those days ago, but not. It looked far more human, with discernible lips, eyes and fewer growths jutting from its skin. Not only that, but another difference was its eyes, which were not the silver of before, but fiery yellow orbs that bore into Louise's spirit, and Louise's specifically. It was also donned in robes, old and tattered black robes, but robe nonetheless, and around its neck hung a chain, clutching a dimly glowing green crystal pulsating like a heartbeat. "I am Darth Desolus, Dark Lord of the Sith. Might I ask your name?"

Louise froze, shocked, staring up at the figure. It was a Sith- no, a Dark Lord of the Sith? No… it couldn't be. It was not possible. The only true Dark Lords of the Sith were the Emperor and the Dark Council, and unless one of the Council members died recently, it could not be a Dark Lord. She would not believe it.

Behind her, Louise's companions were reacting to the news in their own way. Khem was amused; a wild card who proclaimed themselves a Dark Lord of the Sith. He knew this was going to end in one way, a fight, just as in the Old Empire. Yet, he feared that this meeting would end poorly for his little master, and for himself.

Nola, as well as the other two Republic soldiers, froze just as Louise, fear running down their spines. A Sith apprentice, they could deal with, but a fully-fledged Dark Lord of the Sith was not something they thought they were qualified for. At the same time, they felt a grim sense of satisfaction. It was all Louise's fault this happened, she had worked with the Sith to destroy their expedition and hinder the Republic's efforts.

However, it was Urik who was actively glaring, looking to Louise then back to Darth Desolus. "I am Jedi Kni–"

"I am not talking to you, Jedi," Desolus spat. "I was talking to her." The figure's arm moved, a single taloned finger pointing directly at Louise.

"…I am Louise," she replied after a moments hesitation, a pit of fear forming in her gut as she tried to comprehend what was going on, "apprentice to Darth Zash, heir to Lord Aloysius Kallig. Who are you to call yourself the Dark Lord of the Sith?"

"I must admit," it said, suddenly looking at Louise warily, "I have been away for some time. Tell me, is this Darth Zash the current reigning Dark Lord of the Sith?"

Louise opened her mouth to answer but shut it when nothing came out. Her master, the Empress of the Sith Empire? She did not know why, but the visual was amusing, especially with Zash's disposition. She shook her head, focusing on the major point – the so-called Darth Desolus knew nothing about the Sith Emperor and possibly the Empire at large. How long has it been here? She mused.

"No," she said. "My master is not the current reigning Dark Lord of the Sith. The Emperor rules over the Sith."

"The Emperor? When did the Sith become ruled by a Sith Emperor…?" it asked, staring at the girl curiously – the previous weariness diminished into a slight cautiousness.

Louise's lips quirked. The more it spoke, the more proof she had that it had no connection to the Neo-Sith Empire and therefore, no Dark Lord of the Sith. However, this did not mean that it did not believe its claims; it was possible it was the remains of the false Sith factions such as the Exar's Brotherhood, Revan's Empire or even the Triumvirate. "You call yourself Sith, yet you know nothing of the Sith Emperor?" Louise challenged, her eyes narrowed.

"Darth Sion? Darth Nihilus?" Desolus asked, it's already harsh voice turning into an irritated growl. "Are those the ones you speak of?"

So, you were a part of the Triumvirate… Louise thought, not whether to be pleased or annoyed. The Triumvirate was far better than Exar's disgraceful Brotherhood, but that meant little as it was only able to get as far as it did because it's leaders were powerful in the Dark Side. "Sion and Nihilus are dead. They died three-hundred years ago. Killed by the Jedi Exile, Meetra Surik."

"I felt as much…" it sighed. "It has been so long…"

Now that she knew where his allegiances lie… or at least where they did, Louise thought it prudent to ask, "Who are you, how did you get here?"

Desolus raised an eyebrow, or at least a chitinous plate in its case. "Do you wish to learn my life story? Is that really all on your mind upon meeting me?" it asked, before grasping its chin in thought. "I have questions of my own, so I will humour you.'

"I was once a Sith Warrior under Darth Revan's Empire," it began, "but when that fell away, I joined the Sith Triumvirate. There, I fought for my lord, Darth Sion, during the Dark Wars where I proved myself time and time again. However, this all fell apart when we were sent here to get what power we could from Dxun to help against the Republic and the remains of the Jedi. During the battle with the Mandalorians stationed here, a ship crashed into the Temple while we were excavating, barring our escape.'

"Since then, we tried our best to find a way out, uncovering many ancient artefacts, some even belonging to the Dark Lord of Old, such as Tulak Hord." Desolus absently grasped the crystal around his neck but ripped it away the next moment. It took all Louise's willpower to stop herself from reacting at the sight, her easily making the connection. "With these artefacts, I uncovered many secrets and learned about one of the most powerful expressions of the Dark Side: Sith Alchemy. You've already encountered one of my creations…"

"Those monsters… they're yours!" growled Urik, glaring up at the Sith, his grip tightening on his lightsaber just as his teeth gritted. Louise could sense him begin to move, just as the others were, and quickly stopped him with a hand across his chest, shaking her head. Urik turned his glare upon her, but listened nonetheless, even though she knew deep in his heart, he wanted to fight.

"Ah… so you do recognise them…" Desolus said with a much too wide smile, showing a maw of many, many jagged teeth. "Yes… after many attempted mutinies, I decided I needed loyal followers, ones who would serve me and not themselves, followers who would not drain our recourses like the leeches they were. Now, they have been twisted into my loyal servants, my eyes and ears in more ways than one. Yet, we were still trapped here because of that blasted ship. So, I stayed, practising this new power and learned more eventually learning to extend my life.'

"And then these Jedi appeared," it continued, gesturing to those around Louise, "ignorant of what dangers lay beyond the desolate ship, and began their excavation. And now, after so much time, we've tasted freedom.'

"Now, to return the question, I must ask: who are you and why have you come here, Sith?"

Louise opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, a voice behind her shouted, "Enough of this!" It was Nola, the togruta Jedi. Twisting her head around, Louise saw the girl stand, ready for a fight with her lightsaber raised threateningly. "Where are the other Jedi?!" she demanded.

Desolus sneered, glaring down at the Jedi Togruta. "The Jedi, you say? You needn't ask how to find them, you'll all join my horde soon enough…"

Nola's reaction was expected as it was brash and aggressive. One minute, she was standing just behind Louise, the next, she was charging the Sith-pretender, her lightsaber ready to attack. On her other side, Urik joined his fellow Jedi. But before they could even get close enough to strike at Desolus, they found themselves flung back by a powerful wave of invisible and potent energy, knocking them off their feet.

Snap-hiss!

The sounds of lightsabers igniting quickly filled the room, overwhelming the blue, green and yellow hues with a blood-like crimson. Roughly twenty of the fungal abominations seemed to have faded from nothingness to surround the sextet, their crackling ruby blades held threatening at all their necks. All, aside from Louise's.

Louise napped around, looking back to Desolus. "Let them go!"

"You would rather stand among the Jedi than with another Sith?" it hissed dangerously.

She glared at the giant, sneering. "You plan on turning my friends into your puppets!"

"Your friends?" it growled, advancing on Louise menacingly. "When I watched you partake in banter with the Jedi, I thought that it was simply to keep them from suspecting you – to make yourself seem friendly before stabbing them in the back. But now I see where your loyalties lie. You are no Sith! You are nothing more than a pretender walking side by side with our most hated enemy!"

"You dare insult me by comparing yourself to us?" Louise snarled back, her blood boiling as she spoke to the creature. "You're not Sith. The true Sith have lain in wait in the darkest regions of space, rebuilding our empire for a thousand years while you wallow in this pit, the leftovers of Revan's blasphemous Empire and the dying remains of the Triumvirate. Being a Sith is not about what you wear or how you fight, it is much more than that! It's a philosophy, a-"

"I know Sith philosophy, child," Desolus said, its voice dangerously low. "I can speak its code: Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Though power, I gain victory. I hav-"

"Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak. Wonoksh Qyâsik nun," she hissed with the fervour of a pious priestess; the Dark Side twisting and curling at her harsh utterance of the Code's final lines, her eyes alight with malic.

Desolus hesitated, its eyes narrowing as it looked around the room. It went to retort, to reply with some scathing comment, or perhaps to cut her down, but Louise would not allow it the chance.

"You can speak Qotsisajak, but you do not live it!" she spat. "it's not you, just words you throw around to feel superior to everyone else. Already your mind has been marred by your time in this Temple. You were never Sith, you will never be Sith. The true Sith are more than just philosophy, they're a culture, a people! The Sith Empire would see better use for you as cannon fodder, a test subject! And that's all you deserve."

"You claim to be so-called true Sith," it replied, "but you're nothing but a pathetic slave to the Light Side loving quims!"

Louise already knew she was to fight it, even if it was just more powerful than her, yet every word it spoke drew the inevitable ever closer. It not only stole away her friend and planned to turn him into its little zombie, but it held the one thing she was after: The artefact of Tulak Hord. And so, it was with no surprise, but great trepidation, that Louise shifted stance, her lightsaber held low in the traditional Niman guard position, ready to fight.

Desolus chucked at the moment. "If you wish to play with lightsabers, girl, then I would be happy to oblige." It reached into the tattered remains of its robes, and pulled free its lightsaber, igniting it with a flourish. Much like the rest of its monstrosities, the blade was serrated, crackling unstably, but it was longer, far more fitting for its size.

Louise looked at the blade apprehensively. Most lightsabers she had seen and used were roughly three-feet long – give or take a few inches for personalisation – but Desolus' lightsaber looked to be an extra foot and a half long. She knew reach was an issue in a fight, the longer a weapon the further they could strike, yet there was no turning back now.

Summoning the Force and the power of her runes, she made a quick dash, keeping low to slash at its legs. The attack was blocked easily by Desolus, of course, but using its own lightsaber as a picot, she pushed herself around the pretender, aiming to give herself far more room to manoeuvre. However, it seemed it saw what she was doing, quickly moving her saber away, taking a step back out of the way of her blade before slashing down at her.

The move was telegraphed, easy to foresee and block, but there was much power behind its attack. Nevertheless, with her strength, she held steadfast, stopping the blade where it came. Desolus seemed to smile at her, bearing its jagged teeth.

They duelled, blades swinging, jabbing, blocking, and parrying around the room. Louise tried to use every advantage she could, from her speed and small size, to the augmentation of the runes and the Force to try and overpower her foe. But every attack was met by a quick defence and counter-attack before it moved on the offensive once again. Yet, even then, the attacks were sloppy, easy to defend against. It was like Desolus was toying with her- no, it was toying with her; it knew it was the better fighter, far more powerful than her, and it wanted to rub it in, taunting her like some form of non-verbal Don Möch. Yet Louise fought on, twisting her infuriation into rage as the battle progressed, parrying, attacking counter attacking whenever she could, trying to find a chink in its defence. And soon, she found it.

He overswung.

From what she saw, it was no conscious decision, his legs quickly trying to stop himself from losing balance as he tried to right himself. Moving quickly, before he could do much more, she used her speed and strength to latch onto his outstretched arm, pulling him closer to stab at his unguarded gut. Chition and flesh burned as her lightsaber cut into him, but before she could deal any lasting damage, it growled, kicking her with its powerful legs right into her chest – sacrificing balance for survival. The force of the kick sent her flying back, her lungs suddenly bereft of air as she crashed into the stone floor.

With the runes still active, any pain she felt was numbed, yet it did little to sooth Louise's mind. She growled in irritation and anger, pulling herself up from the ground. Why won't you just let me kill you!?

She flung her hands forwards, lances of purple-hued lightning bursting from her fingertips, racing towards the creature. But instead of dodging or deflecting with its lightsaber, it simply held his hand out, looking far too pleased.

Her lightning struck with the Force of a charging terentatek, but it withstood the brunt, seemingly blocking her lightning with the palm of its hand. She kept up her assault, trying to subdue it with sheer power, drawing upon all the hatred and anger she could conjure as well as the power of the Temple itself.

Yet, he still stood strong.

Louise ceased her attack, momentarily stunned by Desolus who simply brushed its hands off, as if it were cleaning off dirt. "So, you wish to play with the Force, now?" it asked as if it were speaking with a child. "Well, I am anything but courteous."

Before she could react, it flicked its hands, as if shooing a fly, and suddenly, Louise was ripped from her feet, sent flying through the air until she slammed into the wall behind her. Gravity pulled her down, and she prepared to land on her feet but before she could, she was sent flying through the air again, slamming into another wall, and then another, and another. The runes tried their best to numb the pain, but it did little to stop her from getting dazed and disorientated.

With a final flick of its hand, she slammed into a wall, a massive force pinning her, cracking stone and bone before vanishing. Like a stone thrown into a lake, she fell to the floor, her lightsaber falling from her limp grip.

Like a switch, her body suddenly screamed in agony, as if it were alight with the purest flame. Desolus took pleasure in her pain, smiling, taunting words on his lips as he began rowing into her failings as well as the supposed failings of the true Sith. Her companions hungered to help, to fight and destroy the abomination, but the sithspawn held their ground, their sabers unwavering from her allies' necks.

Louise writhed in pain, several fractures and broken bones making themselves known. Her arm floundered haplessly, trying to grasp the only other weapon she could use in this fight. Her agony made it hard, but soon, her fingers brushed against the hilt and suddenly her world became clearer once more, pain muting into a dull throbbing once again. She felt rejuvenated, strong again, allowing her to straighten herself. She could taste blood, the back of her head felt wet, her legs felt weak under her weight and she could feel an uncomfortable poking sensation in her chest. Louise doubted this fight was going to end with her standing victorious.

Desolus stopped its lambaste of insults, his eyes wide with shock. "You still stand?" he asked, quickly trying to turn his surprise into amusement at her defiance. "I will give credit where credit is due; while the so-called true Sith are nothing more than disgraceful curs who slander the Sith Order, they are tough. Let's see how much pressure you take before you break… hmm?"

A barrage of blue lightning slammed into Louise, pushing her to the ground once again. She did not scream, pain numbed by her runes, but she could feel her energy waning, stripped away by Force lightning.

When the onslaught ended, presumably because of her lack of reaction, Louise did not rise. She felt her limbs empty of energy, weak. It was just far too powerful – Three-hundred years over her single year of training, all spent entrapped within a Temple dedicated to the Dark Side. There was no way she could defeat it, be it with lightsaber or the Force. She had nothing. Nothing but her dagger–

No…

Louise latched on to that last thread of energy she had, the defiance within her. She could not let it win, would not let it win. If she gave up now, she would either die or be twisted into one of his Force-forsaken monsters. Yet, it was not only her she wanted, needed to defend, but Quorian and Khem, two of her closest friends – one, to be twisted into its puppet, the other, either to follow the rest or beaten into servitude. No, she could not allow that, she would rather die. She wanted it dead, needed it dead. No screaming, no pain, just dead.

With these ambers of defiant hatred, she drew herself to stand, but try as she might, her legs were weak beneath her. The best she could do was prop herself up against the closest wall, glaring boldly at the abomination before her.

"Even now, you will not stay down?" it asked, sounding far more astounded than before. "What does it take to keep you down? Should I break your legs in two? Sever them? Leave you nothing more than a head and a body?"

Louise ignored it, instead focusing on raising her dagger, its tip pointed directly at its chest.

Desolus looked on confused, but weary, staring at her dagger with curiosity. "Ah… now what are you to do with that?" it asked, its body ready to move at a moment's notice, whether to attack or defend.

Yet even then, she ignored it. Years of recitation and practice all came flooding back from the deepest depths of her mind. Words she never thought she would speak again coming to her lips, little more than a whisper as she struggled to get them out. But with each word spoke, her voice grew louder and louder, until, by the final word, it was a roar: "Fireball!"

Pain.

Pain unlike she had ever felt. Like a white-hot nail driven deep into her brain with a single powerful stroke, overriding the numbing effects of the runes. Agony filled screams filled her ears and she longed to join them, but the breath was ripped from her lungs by an explosion blasting into existence from nothingness. Her head knocked against the stone wall once again, black spots bursting to live in her vision.

Despite the pain, her runes continued working, keeping her awake throughout the entire agony.

The room became quiet.

The pain was a continued presence, but she pushed it away, focusing on pulling herself off the ground. Her eyes, as blurred as they were, looked around the room, trying to spot anyone, anything.

The dust began to settle and around her, she found everyone on the floor; from Khem Val, to the Jedi, to the Republic soldiers, to even the fungal monstrosities who twitched on the floor. Almost everyone she could see was unconscious, the only one aside from herself who lay awake, was one of the soldiers who struggled to even stand. Louise ignored them, instead focusing on Desolus who lay against a wall, same as her, unmoving yet very much still alive.

Despite how weak she felt, how broken her body was, Louise crawled forwards, summoning all the power she could from the Dark Side to hold her body together as she did. But by the time she was close enough to touch, the pain was too much, making concentration almost impossible.

She fell onto it, straddling it. Her blurred eyes could make out the soft glow around its neck; the artefact, surprisingly undamaged. Taking it in hand, she pulled but found herself too weak to snap the chain that wrapped around Desolus' neck. She cut the thread with her dagger, the sharp blade making short work with the chain, then, with her last few ounces of strength, she plunged her dagger deep into its skull.

And then her world became black.