Torment 2

Luke, a glowrod in one hand, slowly moved down the dust-covered staircase he found himself trapped on. Leia was somewhere in front of him but he couldn't see her, the pale green light from his glowrod too weak to penetrate the gloomy darkness. The limestone walls around him seemed to press in, as if trying to squeeze the life from his fragile mortal body, but he was sure it was just his imagination. The Temple had stood all these ages and it wasn't about to come down on their heads just now. But the Sith, now that was a different matter. If only they'd listen to his advice! "Leia…"

"We need this information, Luke!" Leia's voice floated up to him from somewhere just ahead. "You know how important it is to win this war."

"Yes, I know." The staircase curved and Luke hurried to catch up to his bold sister, his boots throwing thick clouds of dust into the air. He could feel the dust brushing against his face, tickling his nose and he fought the urge to sneeze. The Dark Side was stronger than ever now and it seemed to hover around their little group like a dark cloud. The walls had also grown narrower and they brushed his shoulders on either side, the stone cold and damp. Han's boots clattered noisily behind him, the smuggler not even trying to be quite. A bit more distant was the occasional snort or grunt from Chewie, the sounds echoing off the enclosing stone. They had descended far more rapidly than the climb to the top of the step pyramid had taken, partly because this interior staircase was in better shape. "I just feel we should be more cautious, stick together. Anything could be living in here…"

"It's all in your imagination, Kid." Han commented from behind as he continued to clatter noisily on the stairs. "No one's been here since that guy died…"

Luke paused on a step, one hand pressed against the cold wall for balance. He glanced back at his friend, a curious look on his face. "What guy? Do you know anything about this place?"

"I heard a few things, but it all happened centuries ago. Nothing for you to worry about, Kid." Han's face glowed eerily in the light from the green glowrod that Luke held, odd shadows forming. "The guy must be dust in his tomb by now. Don't tell me you believe in ghosts?"

"What happened?" Luke asked, once again moving down the stairs. A few moments later he was relieved to see his sister waiting for him just ahead, the stairs changing into a flat, narrow tunnel that disappeared into the darkness. The floor beneath their feet was smoothed from use and pools of dank water had collected in a few hollow spots. He held his glowrod higher and noticed a flowing script carved into the walls. When the light from the glowrod fell on them, they started to glow, first white but then red. The red light reflected in the puddles on the floor, making it look as if blood had been spilt. "I don't like this."

"You don't like anything, Kid." Han grumbled as he squeezed past Luke to go stand next to Leia. "So, now what?"

Leia stared down the dark tunnel. "I guess we go that way. I don't see what other option we have. Our contact has to be here somewhere."

A loud boom echoed upward from deeper in the pyramid and Luke shivered, sure it was a bad omen. The sound reminded him of a huge door somewhere slamming shut. Or perhaps the pyramid wasn't as stable as it looked, unless… Luke's blue eyes widened in sudden realization of what the sound could have meant. Why hadn't he thought of it earlier? "Leia! Han! This place could have booby traps! We just can't go tromping around down here!"

"No kidding." Han remarked as he followed Leia down the wet passage. "Places like this are famous for traps and often they got really weird ones. I just hope a fifty-ton limestone block hadn't flattened our contact. You step in the wrong spot and BAM! All your worries are over. You still want to hear that story, Kid?"

A chill traveled down Luke's spine. He hadn't thought traps could be so … heavy. His empty hand moved to his lightsaber and caressed its metal handle. Just touching it made him feel better. "Sure, Han. But let's just find this contact and get out of here."

"Well, I don't know the complete story, just bits and pieces, rumors." Han's boots splashed through the red water, the odd glowing red script following them down the narrow corridor. "I heard the guy that built this place was a king, but he went nuts and killed someone close to him. Some say he killed his wife, others say it was his son. And I don't mean a regular killing but a sacrifice. Then he supposedly vanished. Others say he burst into flame and was consumed by the same gods he had offered the sacrifice to. I'm sure it really doesn't matter as it was so long ago."

"No wonder this place is strong with the Dark Side…" Luke whispered. Human sacrifices. This place was worst than he had thought, stained with human blood. Water dripped from above and the cold drops fell onto his head, others splashing into the puddles under their feet. Could the evil king's restless soul still be floating around down here somewhere? The thought was more than he could stand. A live Sith was bad enough, but a dead one could be far worse…that is, if the king had been a Sith and the young Jedi was beginning to be sure he was. Han obviously hadn't learned everything in the bits of rumor he had picked up from who knows where.

Just ahead, Leia had stopped in front of a towering door set in solid stone. A pair of eyes was carved onto the door's otherwise plain surface and the Princess stood transfixed, a horrified look on her face. "I… I saw them move!"

Han moved closer to Leia and peered over her shoulder at the carved eyes. Each eye was as big as his hand and they were set at chest level on the door. They also looked realistic, the round eyeball bulging out from the eye socket. Even in the dim reddish light one could clearly see the cornea and pupil. But it was also obvious they were made from stone. "Luke is making you jittery with all his talk about the Dark Side, that's all. Look! It's solid stone! It can't move."

"But I saw it!" Princess Leia repeated. "They were closed and when I reached the door they opened! They're watching us!"

"I told you we shouldn't have come in here!" Luke quickly added, glancing around uneasily at the walls and ceiling. Who knew what other surprises lurked within the dark heart of a Sith Temple? It was also possible that they weren't really inside the Temple yet, even if they were deep inside the step pyramid. The Temple proper could start on just the other side of the door…

"I'm sure it was just a trick of the light." Han reassured Leia as he reached out for the door's handle. He gripped it with a tightened fist and pulled. Nothing. "Dang thing is stuck! Chewie, come over here and open this door!"

Chewie growled and shook his head.

"Don't be ridiculous! The door's not going to bite you! I don't care if it does have eyes on it! Now get over here and help open it!" Han ordered, aspiration in his voice. He turned to Luke and poked a finger into his chest. "You're spooking everyone with your nonsense and kooky old religion!"

"You just don't want to admit that there's things you can't explain or understand." Luke replied calmly. The young Jedi understood Han very well. His friend preferred to live in a galaxy where everything was rational and could be explained by science. Things like the Force were more supernatural and harder to explain, thus Han preferred to pretend they didn't exist.

Luke pressed his back against the damp wall so Chewie could squeeze past him. The big Wookie gripped the metal door handle with a fur-covered hand and pulled. With a loud screech, the door swung open to reveal utter blackness. The air that rushed out at them was foul and Leia covered her nose with a hand. They all stood still, listening for the slightest sound from within.

"Do you hear something?" Luke asked as he tilted his head to the side in a vain attempt to hear well. The sound was very faint and hard to identify.

Leia inched closer to Han. "Yeah, I think I do…"

"Maybe it's our mysterious contact…" Han said hopefully, but his tone suggested he didn't believe it at all. "Whatever it is, it's getting louder."

"And closer." Luke pulled his lightsaber off his belt and braced his feet in the ready position like Master Yoda had taught him. He vowed to be ready for anything. Perhaps Han was right and it was their contact. No one had ever said their contact had been human and the galaxy was filled with thousands of species. Still, Luke sensed it was something else. He stared into the utter blackness until he thought he'd gone blind, for he was starting to see red spots. The sound grew louder and it reminded him of stone clicking on stone. But if that's what it was, this would have to be a whole field of pebbles rolling at them. The red dots grew bigger and brighter until Luke realized what they were, the glowing eyes of hundreds of rats!

The first rat leaped at Luke and struck him on his stomach. He heard Leia shriek as the wave of rats washed over them, heard Han firing his blaster over and over. To his relief, most of the black rodents just raced past them with only a few bold enough to attack the intruders. The Jedi flung the gnawing rat off his stomach, its teeth taking a hunk of his black tunic with it. A few more were biting at his knee-high boots and Luke deftly sliced them with his saber. Then the flood of rats was past and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Is everyone all right?"

"Uggh! That was horrible!" Leia admitted as she rubbed at a bite on her arm. "What do you think caused them to act like that?"

"They were fleeing from something." Luke replied. He had felt the rodents' fear through the Force. "We just happened to get in their way."

"But what else could be down here?" She asked. "What could scare such a huge pack of rats?"

"Let's go find out." Luke stepped bravely into the dark room, the green blade of his lightsaber hissing. Han, Leia and Chewie were right behind him, their glowrods held high so he could see. They had entered what appeared to be a vast room or cavern, the walls to distant to be seen. No red sigils glowed here to light their way. They slowly inched further away from the door, the soft circle of their light giving them a false sense of safety. Then a new sound reached their ears.

Footsteps.

"It could be our contact." Leia whispered to the others.

Luke's grip tightened on his lightsaber, his palm sweating even though the room was cold. The Dark Side of the Force had just increased greatly, as if a Sith had entered the room with them. But that was impossible. There were only two Sith and they were both far away, weren't they? Then a new sound echoed through the large chamber.

Mechanical breathing.

Luke's heart leaped into his throat. That sound! He knew that sound!

The tall figure of Darth Vader stepped into the light cast by their glowrods. The pale light reflected off the shiny curves of his breath mask and his long cape fluttered in a stray breeze. "So, my Son, you are the one that has called me here so mysteriously but your choice of meeting places leaves much to be desired. I find it surprising that you have decided to switch sides, but I'm pleased. Now what is this important information you have on the Rebels?"

To be continued…