Chapter 6 – Blast from the Past, Part II
Thinking back on it, Louise did not handle the first few moments of consciousness well.
The first thing she noticed upon returning to the land of the waking, was that she was floating, fully encased in water. A mask covered her mouth and nose, a tube leading from the mask to the top of the vat, allowing her to breathe. Yet, the fact she could not breathe was the last thing on her mind as she frantically began searching for a way out of the unfamiliar transparent vat. Her breath quickened, faster and faster the longer she stayed submerged, soon hyperventilating as she thrashed around in the liquid.
Almost on reflex, she summoned the power of the Dark Side, thrusting her arms outwards towards the transparisteel walls of the vat, shattering it with a potent blast of telekinesis. Water quickly flooded out into the room, dropping the Sith onto the metal mesh ground. Scrambling up, she ripped the mask from her face, quickly casting her eyes around the room. It was a medical bay, small with just enough room to fit a single bed, a vital monitor and what she just realised must have been a kolto tank – yet, the entire room looked… different compared to the other medical facilities she found herself in over the past year. Instead of the grey walls, she came to expect from the Imperial facilities, it was a pale beige with far softer features to the architecture and no signs of Imperial decals.
Her hand swiftly reached for her hip, ready to grasp at a weapon that was not there. Looking down, she found that she was disarmed and disrobed, wearing nothing but a pair of simple black smallclothes. Once again, she looked around the room, trying to find anything that could be used as a weapon, but found nothing but the shattered transparisteel on the ground.
Cautiously, she approached the only door in the room, using the Force to clear her path of glass. Her hand went to the control panel, ready to explore the strange building she found herself in, but before she activated the panel, she hesitated. She could sense people drawing near. Quickly, Louise pushed herself off the ground, leaping back closer to the shattered kolto tank. Summoning the Force, she lifted the glass shards, readying herself for a fight.
A few seconds later and the door hissed open, permitting the entry of two frantic looking medical personnel – one, a human female, the other, a male devaronian.
"Who are you, where am I!?" Louise demanded upon their entry.
The two froze where they stood, both paling at the sight of her, eyes darting between the shards of glass floating in the air and the Sith herself. It was the human who answered her question. "I- I'm Doctor Resh and um… this is my assistant–" She gestured to the devaronian– "Irodin. You're currently at the Royal Iziz Hospital on Onderon. Please, miss, calm down, we mean you no harm."
Louise looked at the two with narrowed eyes. She could tell they were being truthful that they meant no harm, but she was officially under the eyes of the Republic, and she doubted she would be safe for long. "Why am I here?"
"The Jedi! They brought you here from Dxun," the devaronian explained quickly. "You were severely injured and needed medical attention."
The shards wavered before falling to the ground, clattering, as Louise shifted her stance to a more defensive one. She did not trust them but threatening the people who apparently healed her. "Where is Khem? Is he okay? What of Quorian?"
"Knight Dorjis recovered from his injuries days ago and–" Doctor Resh hesitated– "I don't know who Khem is…"
Louise sighed in annoyance. "The eight-foot-tall monster who doesn't speak basic."
"Oh… yes," Resh replied. "Then Khem has also recovered and, last I heard, he is waiting at your ship."
Louise sighed, feeling relieved. If they let Khem go to stalk around her ship, then things were probably better than she assumed… right? Nevertheless, there were many questions she still wanted answered, most importantly, "How long have I been recovering?"
"It's been just over a week since you arrived," the doctor answered.
"A week?" Louise asked, astounded.
"You were horribly injured upon arrival, miss…" she explained. "Several broken ribs, multiple breaks upon your right leg, fractured pelvis, arms and skull, as well as sudden and massive calcification of your skeletal structure caused by severe electrical exposure. You're lucky to be alive, miss."
Louise could only blink at the news. Had she really been so injured, so close to death? The news as like a punch in a gut, twisting and horrible. When she did not reply, the devaronian spoke up. "Miss, I think it would be best if we relocate you to a room not filled with broken glass."
Seeing no reason not to, she followed the two medical officers out of the room and through the facility. It was… odd, to say the least. The halls were just as alien as the room she woke up in. She could see a few people walking through the beige hallways, some looking as if they had urgent business to attend to while others passed by at a casual pace. She received many strange looks as she followed, leading her to remember that she was still, in fact, half naked. Unable to get any clothes at this moment, she tried her best to cover herself with her arms.
Soon enough, they arrived in another room built in much the same way, if only without the kolto tank. It was here, she was given a medical once-over, making sure she was fully recovered – which she was, though a few new scars had joined her collection. Soon after, she was given some simple clothes to cover up, something she was thankful for; just a plain pale tunic with some dark blue trousers.
When prompted about the whereabouts of her belongings she received the awkward reply of, "It was decided that it would be best if your belongings were kept on your ship for safety."
It did not take a genius to understand the meaning behind their words. By 'safety,' they meant the safety of the people around her and not for her property. For the sake of her mood, she did not press the point. Fortunately, another subject was brought up that stole away most of her attention. Urik was coming.
So, while the others left to continue working their jobs, Louise waited patiently for the Jedi Knight to arrive. Fortunately, she did not need to wait long. Soon enough, the door hissed open once again and in walked Urik, looking far better than he had on the surface of Dxun. "You're looking far better than when we brought you in."
"As I've been told," Louise replied. "What…–" She paused thinking her words over– "What happened after the fight? I heard that Quorian got out safely, but what happened?"
Urik scratched the back of his head. "Well, it… much of it was a blur. After you did… whatever it was you did…–"
Louise's breath hitched, Urik's voice becoming little more than a dull drone at the edge of hearing as reality came crashing down around her.
"I cast a spell," she muttered absently, her mind struggling to properly understand that simple fact. She had cast a spell. Not a Sith spell, but a spell from her homeworld – It ended in an explosion, just as it always had, but it was a spell nonetheless. She had cast a spell with her dagger… her wand.
"…uise? Louise?" Urik's voice drifted to her ear, snapping her back to reality.
Blinking, Louise turned to face the Jedi, feeling a strange sensation through her. "Um… sorry, I was distracted by something… what were you saying?"
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, worried, approaching Louise, only stopping when she waved him off.
"I'm fine, it was just something you said."
"Okay," he said, sounding unconvinced, yet, he let it go. "Well, after we woke up, all the sithspawn were dying or dead… the Sith… Desolus was nowhere to be seen and you were unconscious on the ground. Your friends, Khem rushed to your side tending to your wounds while the rest of us recovered…" he continued on, explaining how they explored the sanctum, eventually finding what could have been Desolus' chambers and how, beyond that, they found the Sith's experimental chamber. There, they found more of the abominations, nearly two hundred of them, all dead, however, they also found the missing Jedi. Unfortunately, the ones who had been missing the longest were dead, same as the sithspawn. Korr, Quorian and the rest were still alive, through each showed signs of the strange fungal growths.
Once they freed those they could, they left the Temple as fast as they could, and with Khem's assistance, they managed to get to the Inquisiteur before sundown. The ship, as they had hoped, was not a smoking pile of scrap, but in working condition – the only issue was Twovee who was found collapsed on the floor, disabled by some third party, explaining her unanswered calls.
Louise had to admit, hearing that her ship was fine, was just what she needed to hear. She did not know what she would do if her ship was destroyed.
After that, they simply jumped from Dxun to Onderon. While their reception was frosty at first, with it being an Imperial ship landing on a Republic aligned world, but after some diplomacy, Urik managed to get her and the Jedi medical assistance. Nothing much happened after that, those who required medical aid received it and those who recovered waited for the Jedi investigation team.
The Jedi investigation team…
While Louise could not blame him, she was not pleased to hear that Urik contacted the Jedi Council regarding the events that transpired on the Demon moon. He said that he tried putting it off for as long as possible but that did not stop the fact that an envoy of Jedi was en route to Onderon ready to 'question' her about the Temple and her presence there. While she could understand the Council's decision, she would rather fight Desolus again than deal with the investigation team. Fortunately, Urik decided to ignore the Council's order to keep her there and would turn a blind eye if she decided to disappear.
Then the conversation turned south as Urik decided to enlighten her about the apparently amusing reactions from various Council members concerning her decision to fight Desolus. Their reactions ranged from outright disbelief, calculating stoicism, resignation at the 'backstabbing of the Sith' – something which personally angered Louise – and then questioning: "One of the masters even asked if it were a sign you were turning to the Light," Urik had said jovially, as if it were some joke.
Louise, however, found no mirth in the Councillor's presumptions. "The Jedi do not own the concept of self-sacrifice," she scowled. I wasn't even trying to save any of you, just Quorian and Khem. She thought though she knew saying it aloud would be a horrible idea.
The Knight's smile died at the comment. "I would say that's a no, then?" he said, trying to keep the mood up.
"The choice to either become that abomination's puppet or die trying to kill it was one easy to make, one many Sith would agree with," Louise replied coldly. "I am not turning to the Light and I do not like the idea of the Council entertaining this fact, especially as it could lead to my death."
Her statement seemed to be the nail in the coffin for their conversation. Urik quickly returned to his explanation of things that happened while she soaked in kolto… which was admittedly not much. Mainly, it consisted of the Onderon governments stance on her presence – which was either execute, imprison or just get rid of her – as well as their reaction to the dangers lurking on their moon. However, their conversation was soon cut short by the timely arrival of a Republic soldier – one of the soldier's who joined Louise on her failed mission to reach the Inquisiteur.
"Um, uh…" he began intelligently. "Lady Louise?"
Louise raised an eyebrow at the honorific but did not press the point. "Yes?"
"Master Korr wishes to speak with you," he answered dutifully.
Urik did not appear surprised by the request, and said, "I'll leave you to it, then." And with that, he left, leaving Louise with the soldier whose name escapes her.
"Alright," she said, "take me to him." Pulling herself from the hospital bed, she began following the soldier out of the room, and once again into the facility.
As they walked, Louise could not help but feel the anxiousness emanating from her guide in waves. It felt like he wished to say something but could not find a way to bring up the subject. Eventually, the soldier's anxiety started putting her on edge, forcing her to ask, "Do you have something to say?" She tried to make it sound like she was simply curious, though she felt as if she sounded impatient.
"I… wanted to thank you," he said awkwardly.
While she was pretty sure she knew what he was thankful for, she pressed on regardless. "For what?"
"Well, you stood up for us," he replied. "You could have sided with that… thing, but you almost died fighting it."
Louise shook her head, not sure how she felt about what the soldier was saying. She did not fight for them, she fought for Quorian and Korr, her friends. She shook her head. 'I could never have joined it," she said. "Either way, I would have been forced to become its mindless slave. I've been a slave once and I will never be again."
"Still you saved us, fought when you knew all was lost. It's an admirable trait." That was all said and all that needed to be said, leaving Louise feeling strange. Nevertheless, they soon arrived at what she assumed was Korr's medical room, though it was different from the other two she stayed in – a biohazard warning was painted onto the front door and the transparisteel wall that cut the room in half with Korr being on one end while she stood on the other. While she entered, the soldier stayed outside, letting Louise talk privately with the Jedi.
The Jedi himself, rested in his hospital bed, a white sheet covering half his body and right arm. A vitals monitor was beeping, his heartbeat steady, healthy. He looked fine, from what she could see from behind the glass, if uncomfortable.
"You're alive," Korr said, his voice seemingly omnipresent as it came through speakers hidden somewhere in the room.
"So are you," she replied, hoping her voice would reach him through the transparisteel by either a hidden microphone or through some other means. "From what I heard, you were infected by the pretender."
"And from what I heard, you almost died," he replied, smiling.
"I've already told Urik that I'm not turning to the Light," she said, half serious.
"I doubt the Jedi would suit you," Korr said. "But I still wanted to thank you for your help. I doubt any of us would be alive or even ourselves if you hadn't done what you did."
"Well, it certainly cost me," Louise muttered darkly.
Korr smirked. "Don't worry, we've paid your bill."
Returning the smile, Louise changed subject to more serious matters. "So, how are you? Still infected?"
"Well, aside from my arm looking like this," he said, pulling aside the white sheet to reveal, much to Louise's disgust and surprise, a full arm – well, full might have been an understatement, as the arm looked little like the fleshy arms of humans, but like Desolus' chitinous arm, ending with clawed four fingers. "I'm perfectly fine!"
"What happened?" Louise asked, repulsed yet intrigued by the sight.
"Desolus apparently decided that I needed a new arm, so he gave me one. So far, the diagnosis says that the fungus is dead, yet the arm works fine," he explained, articulating his point by articulating his arm. "Oddly enough, I'm not sure if I should keep it or not… I mean, it's cheaper than prosthetics, but…"
Louise personally thought he should cut it off. "Are you sure it's safe?"
"I'm not… sure…" he replied. "I could sense the Dark Side when it was attached, which I was unfortunately conscious for, but now? Nothing… at least, nothing from what we've observed so far. I'm not even sure if it's safe to remove."
"That's… odd," said Louise, looking at the arm warily, though her interest was still spiked. "If you do get it removed, could you send it to me? I wouldn't mind having a look at it, or perhaps getting a professional to do so."
"Well, I doubt the Jedi would be so quick to just hand it over. I'd say they'd push for it to be removed and burned."
Of course. Louise thought scathingly. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"
"No, not really. Why?"
"The Jedi Council thought it prudent to send an investigation team. I'd much rather not be here and interrogated by the Council, plus I have other business to attend to…" In that moment, Louise was filled with dread, realising that she did not have Tulak Hord's artefact on her, nor did she know it's location. She doubted Korr knew where it was but found herself asking anyway. "Speaking of, do you know what happened to the artefact I was looking for?"
Korr shook his head. "I wouldn't know. I remember Urik telling me about this green crystal the Sith had around his neck, but it was lost after your fight."
Louise stared blankly at the Jedi, trying to tell if he was lying or not, but the Force told her it was telling her the truth. Please… please tell me it isn't lost… She thought desperately. Please tell me Khem somehow has it. She shook her head. "Thank you for telling me."
Korr half-shrugged. "Sorry, I couldn't help.".
"It's alright."
"Well," the Jedi Master said with a sigh, "if this is goodbye, then I wish you well. May the Force be with you."
"May the Force serve you well." Louise left the room, meeting back with the solder. Thankful for the convince, she asked the soldier if he could lead her to her ship or to someone who could. Fortunately, it was the former. He knew where her ship was parked and without much prompt, he began guiding her out of the hospital and out into Iziz.
Iziz- no, Onderon itself was… different. Completely different from the few other planets she had visited. It seemed far more… normal compared to Elu, Korriban, Dromund Kaas and Dxun. It reminded her of her homeworld with the lack of storm clouds, deserts, slate or jungles, no dark atmosphere hanging like a curtain above everyone's head or gloomy ominous buildings towering menacingly.
Instead, large stone buildings topped with blueish grey plate roofs scattered around the cityscape. The hospital itself was simply massive, taking up much of what she could see with a large courtyard before it, leading out to streets filled with bustling populations either leaving, arriving or simply passing by the hospital.
It was weird.
Nevertheless, Louise and the soldier soon joined them, arriving at the transit station where she took a train to the docks, disappearing in the flocks of people most of whom seemed to ignore her almost completely – some did give her strange looks, but a simple glare dissuaded her gawkers.
Soon enough, however, they arrived at a transit station where they waited for and soon boarded a train.
It was uncomfortable, to say the least. Hundreds of people all seated around her, some brushing up against her while others brushed up against them, breathing, uncaring and unaware of the Sith in their midst. It was only through the Force that she was able to stay near the soldiers, and not soon enough, they arrived at the docks, which, while less populated than the transit station, was still filled with people coming and going.
Through the docks Louise and the soldier moved, wading through several different groups of beings, passing through gates leading to different landing platforms, eventually arriving at what could only be their gate and landing platform; the large blast door blocking her path, opening wide to reveal her Fury, the Inquisiteur.
Louise did not care if she was walking too fast to catch up, smiling madly, she just wanted to hug her ship as if it was the love of her life. But before she could, she was met by a familiar face she was surprised to see. "Quorian, what are you doing here?"
"Making sure nobody splices your ship, same as Khem," he replied with a shrug, causing Louise to freeze, confused. "We've already stopped one from attempting to bug your ship – Your friend wanted to make an… example of the suspect, but we managed to get him removed with a warning. I'm also to make sure your ship is properly stocked."
I would have gone with Khem's idea. Louise thought darkly, trying to not let her feelings show on her face… and then the latter half of what he said hit her. "Stocked?" she asked, "Food!?"
"Yeah, food and fuel, I remember–" was all Quorian could say before he was nearly tackled by a pink missile, arms wrapping around the Jedi in a tight hug.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she cried excitedly, shaking the entrapped Jedi around with surprising strength.
"Uh… you're welcome…" Quorian replied awkwardly.
Letting go of the Jedi, she skipped back a bit, smiling enthusiastically. "Finally, some real food!"
Quorian scratched his cheek, flustered. "So, um… I suspect you'll be leaving now?" he asked.
"Just about."
"Yeah," he said. "When I heard the Jedi Council were sending an investigation team, I thought you wouldn't want to stay much longer." There was a hint of sadness in his voice.
All Louise could do was shrug unhelpfully. "I'm sorry we couldn't catch up more."
"Nah, it's fine. Just like old times, I guess," he said, waving it off. "We hang out and I get experimented on by a Sith Lord."
Louise snorted softly. "Just don't make it a regular thing."
"It's not like I'm asking to be kidnapped!" Quorian huffed, crossing his arms. "Perhaps I should just become an accountant, they don't get kidnapped."
"It might help," she smirked.
"Well, I'll let you go. I'm probably going back to Tython soon – I've had enough excitement for this year, so I'm not sure when we'll meet next."
"I'm probably going to Nar Shaddaa next, so there's that…"
"We'll keep in touch," he said before bowing low at the waist. "May the Force serve you well."
Smiling and bowing equally as low, Louise replied, "May the Force be with you."
Going their separate ways, Louise eventually arrived at her ship, it's landing platform already extended, permitting her entry. Running a hand fondly across the hull, Louise ascended into the Fury, passing through the entry bay and into the lounge. Casting a cursory eye across the room, she found that it looked the same as it had before she left. Everything was clean as if someone had put extra care into making sure the ship was spick-and-span but other than that, there was nothing out of the ordinary. But before she could explore more, she was joined by another.
"Master, you are looking well," said Khem, his gravelly voice pleased, grateful.
Turning to the source, she saw Khem arriving from the right wing of the ship. Smiling at the giant, Louise said, "All thanks to you, Khem."
Khem nodded, before muttering, "You were foolish."
Sighing, Louise could not help but concede. "Yeah, I suppose I was… but, hey! I survived and saved you from being enslaved by that abomination."
"And for that, I thank you," he replied sincerely.
"Come on, let's get this shi–" She stopped, remembering something very important. She pinned the giant with a look that spoke leagues of how important her next question was. "Wait, where is Tulak Hord's artefact?"
"I smuggled it from the Temple and hid it in your room," he replied. "I will show you."
"Oh, thank the Force," Louise said, breathing a sigh of utmost relief. "Lead the way."
Following the giant, Louise was taken to her room and, oddly enough, directed to her drawers. Khem opened one of the smaller compartments revealing a collection of lacy, silk-like and plain sythweave panties and lingerie, all in the varying colours of monochromatic to deep reds, purples, and anything in between.
Louise, herself, was quite mortified by the sight and by the implication of what Khem's actions. "You hid it in my underwear drawer?"
"The Jedi would not dare to look in there," Khem replied with a slight shrug.
While not fully recovered from the thought of Khem Val shifting through her unmentionables to hide an ancient artefact of great power and importance, Louise could concede his point; if she found out any Jedi went sifting through her underwear, or worse, damaged some of the more expensive pieces, they would have Chaos to pay. Shaking her head, Louise began sifting through her small clothes, finding something long and hard hidden away. Pulling it free, she found what appeared to be an arm's length object wrapped in a greyish cloth.
While she was certain that the object was far bigger than the crystal, she unwrapped it nonetheless. What she found, she was not sure how to feel about; "Desolus' lightsaber?" she questioned, weighing the unfamiliar saber in her hand. As long as an arm and made of dull, near black, metal and wrapped in a weathered cloth strap, Louise thought the weapon could be like a club, especially with the spiked pommel.
"I thought you would be disappointed had it not been added to your collection," he replied simply.
Well, I'm more or less happy to be alive. Louise thought morosely, however, as she tested the weight of the saber, she knew she was grateful. "Thank you."
"There are more artefacts I've hidden," Khem grumbled.
Raising a questioning eyebrow at the Dashade, she went back to rummaging through her underwear, her hand brushing against another item. Unlike before, it was not wrapped in any fabric. Uncovering the object, she found the green crystal, humming with powerful Dark Side energies. Louise smiled down at the artefact, feeling elated at the sight.
Reaching back in, she felt two other objects brush against her fingers. Pocketing the artefact of Tulak Hord, she reached in and pulled free the two items free. In one, there was the mowhef statue while the other held, much to her amazement, what looked to be a holocron, gold encrusted with black crystal.
"I found it in the pretender's chambers," Khem explained. "There were other artefacts, but this was the only one I could take without being suspected."
"Great!" Louise cheered, smiling from ear to ear. "Now, let's get this ship into hyperspace."
"Your wish is my command," Khem said, quickly excusing himself from the room. Quickly and carefully putting away her new artefacts as well as her delicates, Louise went to chase after him, only stopping to grab her utility belt, weapons included.
Entering the cockpit, she found Khem sliding into the pilot's chair, starting up the ship, the sounds of humming electricity filling the ship. The cockpit, much like the rest of the ship, looked the same as it had been all those days ago, however, there was one thing missing that she had noticed.
"Where's Twovee?" Louise asked, looking around the room for the timid droid.
"The droid is currently hiding from you in fear," Khem replied, sitting himself down in the pilot's chair.
Louise opened her mouth to speak, ready to… she was not really sure what to say. She could understand why the droid would be fearful of her; he had failed to keep the ship safe, however, it was not really Twovee's fault. Shaking her head, she slid into the captain's chair, relaxing into the chair like it was the most comfortable thing on earth.
"Where to, pink Sith?" asked Khem, carefully raising the ship off the ground and into the air. Unlike when Twovee flew, it was rocky, the Dashade's obvious inexperience causing the ride to be less than pleasant, though Louise knew practice made perfect; not that it terrified her every time the ship wobbled as it glided through the air, up into the outer atmosphere.
Louise opened her mouth, the name of the Smuggler's Moon on her lips, but she stopped, considering her words. Reaching to her belt, she pulled free her dagger… her wand. She stared at it for the longest time, as if she had seen it for the first time. "Take us… take us to Sith space, a nearby habitable planet or moon unused by the Empire. Anyone of them."
Obeying her command, he first steered the ship out of Onderon's sphere of influence, making sure to get as far away from the planet as they could before jumping to hyperspace. Once they were freely drifting in the solar system, he left the chairs, consulting the navicomupter for their desired planet. While it took a while, one was eventually found. The next moment, they were jumping to hyperspace.
When all she saw was the blue corridor of hyperspace, Louise left the cockpit and headed out towards her room, ready to get changed into something more comfortable. However, the universe seemed to deny her the simple luxury and upon entering she found herself accosted by two familiar ghostly figures.
"By the Immortal Gods of the Sith, are you insane!?" Lord Kallig shouted, advancing on Louise as he tried to rip his non-existent hair from his helmed head.
"I would assume so…" Ludo Kressh replied, casually standing there with his arms clasped behind his back.
Louise, however, had not been expecting the two and reacted rather poorly to their sudden appearance. "Putain de merde! Why are you two my room!? Oh, for the love of the Emperor, I almost had a heart attack!" she cried, clutching her chest as she leaned against her door frame for support.
"I swear if you die by something so plebeian...!" Kallig continued, pointing at her warningly.
But before anyone could reply, the sounds of beeping alerted them to a fourth entity in the room. All three of their heads snapped around, spotting what looked to be an astromech droid, but far older and dirtier with a poorly painted chassis of black and red. Sith + Nil = Only being in the room. Sith = insane?
While it was odd that she could understand binary, the language of droids, she was much rather concerned with the fact that there was a dirty, unknown droid sitting in her bedroom, looking at her with a glowing red photoreceptor. "When did we get a new droid!? Is there anyone else stalking around on my ship!?"
It was a sad day when Louise realised that she actually expected someone or something+ strange to walk through her door casually or reveal themselves spectacularly at that moment. Instead, she got Khem Val entering with his sword drawn while Twovee cowered behind him.