Shaman
Walking towards the fire that light the camp site, Dante found himself standing with a clan of Twi'leks. Most were blue-skinned, some were red and even violet. As he looked at them, he noticed a certain form of tattoo on their foreheads that seemed like a star with its rays reaching out through the far distances. It was the tattoo that Rin herself had. Surely there was some similarity. As turned around, he spotted two large green-skinned male Twi'leks, their lekku curved drooped on either side of their head.
"Can'we'help'you'human?" One of them asked. It took the Jedi a moment to figure out what he said, remembering that the Twi'leks on the planet communicated with their headtails. They also had a tendency to make every word in the sentence come together as one whole word.
"Uh, I am Dante Ravenmoon. I am from the Jedi Order," the young man said. He began to contemplate whether or not the Twi'lek men were really interested in what he was here for or if they had ideas of their own. This was the area the holoimage displayed. It also appeared that this particular group of Twi'leks were not nomadic.
"What'is'it'that'you'want'from'us'Dante'Ravenmoon?" Asked the other Twi'lek.
"I was told that there is a powerful Shaman here. I would like to speak with this Shaman. They have answers to my questions," he replied, betraying no emotion. He knew that if this clan didn't have a Shaman, then this was the wrong group he was looking for. The Shaman was the answer to finding the second key and teaching the Jedi how to perceive through the Force in a fashion beyond most other Jedi. Most, if not all Jedi could channel themselves and see a future that lay ahead, but it is not possible when the Dark Side clouds it. From what Alec suggested, there was a way to pierce through the haze and see the futures that lay ahead. There were always more than one.
The first one who had spoke up earlier, replied once more to the Jedi. "What'if'we'say'no'Dante'Ravenmoon?"
"Then'I'will'have'to'teach'you'some'manners," came the reply of Rin Mesa. Both Twi'leks turned around and noticed a blue Twi'lek, brandishing her lightsabers at her hips. Looking at each other, they looked once more at Rin.
"Rin'Mesa'you'are'alive!" Exclaimed the other Twi'lek.
She paused for a moment, confused that these two Twi'leks knew who she was. Before she could reply, the sound of bones rattling interrupted the altercation. Dante turned around, as did Rin and the other two Twi'leks. The form before them had stopped, the bones on the staff had stopped rattling. The figure wore nothing except for the loincloths that covered her breasts and her hips, among other things. The staff was completely metallic, with a skull at the tip with ruby red eyes. There were strings that attached the ivory white bones of animals and other things that clattered together against the metallic skull and staff. The figure appeared to be a blue-skinned Twi'lek woman, aged no more than 39 years. She was immensely powerful in the Force. It began to make sense to Dante now.
Her family line must have been a group of Force-sensitives that had the uncanny ability to perceive the future in any way possible. She was a Force-seer, similar to the Miralukans, but much more powerful, in this case. She was responsible for safeguarding the key from others that would threaten to harm the Force and the Galaxy. Unlike the Miralukans, it appeared that she had learned a technique that allowed her to peer through to the future while the Dark Side shrouded everything else. He would need to learn this in order to get through to the artifact.
She nodded to both Jedi, and urged them to follow her. As she made her way towards a hut, Dante couldn't help but look at Rin, hoping she would have an answer to what the woman's name was. Rin only shrugged, unsure of who the Twi'lek was and how those two knew her. When the trio made their way into the round, beige-coloured hut, they found it to be well lit and carpeted with animal furs, mahogany coloured tables and a round shaped bed.
She ushered the Jedi to sit down with her, as she poured a red liquid into a cup. She sat down, and began to drink from it. After a moment, she looked up and finally spoke. "I am Nazri Mesa. I am your aunt, Rin."
Rin looked astonished, her jaw had dropped. "My, my aunt? What is this?"
The older woman looked at her solemnly. "This is your home, the Mesa clan. I am your aunt, your only remaining relative. Your mother and father had died when slavers tried to take you three for slaves. Your father was killed first, since they only prefer women." The venom in her tone was thick. She remembered the pain that she had accompanying her throughout most of the years. "I was the youngest. Your mother was strong in the Force, just like your father. I was only 15 when they had died. You were just born. I felt them die through the Force, but I couldn't make you out. Now I know you are alive.
And you must be the Jedi who is searching for the second key," she said, looking at the human Jedi.
"Yes, I'm Dante. I was a--"
"Student of Alec Ness, yes. I remember him," she said, interrupting the young Knight. Her tone, at the mention of the former Master, was much lighter. She had been fond of him. How exactly fond, he didn't want to know. It was unfortunate for him that she answered. "He came to Ryloth when he was a Jedi Knight. We were...close. We had some good memories. He helped me tap into my abilities with the Force. It is sad that he has passed on."
"Before he left, he imparted some knowledge about a key for the 'Unifier.' Do you know anything of this?" The young man was unsure whether or not the woman was who she said she was. Alec certainly made no mention of her, of course, there were times when he had referred to someone special, during some of the conversations the old Master and young Dante had shared.
"Yes, I know what you are talking about. He had spoken to me as well. Shortly before he conversed with you, young Dante," she smiled.
The young man had certainly begun to wonder about the abilities of the former Master. Not to mention the fact that he had some sort of relationship with the aunt of Jedi Knight Rin Mesa. He reached out through the Force and felt his counterpart's feelings of trepidation. Nazri had certainly brought a wave of emotions with the young woman.
To her credit, Rin had certainly appeared to have a calm demeanour. But, like most Force-users, that didn't stop other companions from reaching out into the Force and feeling her.
"I need the both of you to remain calm," came the mature voice of the older woman. "I want you both to reach out and touch the Force. Feel the relationship that bonds you both to this mission. Feel the air, emotions and the ripples and vibrations of the Force. Reach out and find the center within yourself and let go…" her words had drifted off as the three Jedi found each other within the mist of the Force. Their strengths grew, their weaknesses faded and suddenly the three had merged. They found themselves floating deeper into the Force, walking the thin line of the Dark Side and the Light. The balance within them was different. The Jedi had leaned towards the light, as opposed to the balance within them.
Nazri was different. She walked her fine line all the time. She had become one with the Force in such a way, she could perceive the Force through the Dark Side without harm to herself. In the Dark Side, the Force was not a tool, but a companion just as it was within the Light. She had found herself in tune with the Force because it was neither the Light nor the Dark that she served. The Twi'lek had found her way to understand the will and perception of the Force. Evil, good—it was merely a point of view. The Dark Side of the Force was inappropriately used. The Light had not even scratched the very surface of the Force. Somewhere, the Jedi Order had lost their way, finding itself pushed into the mundane as time grew on.
"The balance between Light and Dark is not as the Force intends it," her voice echoed within the trio. "The balance must remain equal. The Force will find a time to retaliate, unleashing its child to balance the matters of the Force if we continue to allow ourselves to hurt it once more. The child may become the warrior for what we perceive as the Light, against the corruptions of what we also know as the Dark Side. The child may yet become the tyrant of the Dark Side, but balance will be restored, one way or another."
"How can we restore the balance?" The voice of Dante had echoed, a soft and melodic tone that radiated towards the two women.
"You must seek the Unifying Force by bringing balance to yourselves, before you can move on towards the balance of the Galaxy. Many more must suffer before this can happen. The Jedi will lose, as will the Sith. One day, the Jedi will return to this path, Dante. You must take new disciples, pass on what you learn after the 'Unifier' reveals its secrets."
"What must we do to find the balance within ourselves?" Rin asked the wise Seer. Her voice echoed harmoniously within the Force-bond.
"You must embrace the Force willingly, find its voice in the center of your being. From there, the Force will guide you to the future. To the second key, you must travel down the valley of Shadows 3 days' journey from here. You must not take the vessel; only by walking will it open its doorway to you. 4 of you must go—you both and two others of your choosing. The second key will be found once you have immersed yourself more into the ways of the Force." She smiled softly, a warmth that expanded and enveloped the two Knights who were part of the meld. "Better swordplay does not make a Jedi any greater than a Sith."
Both Knights had felt somewhat embarrassed.
It happened. Dante saw three images. A figure stood in the Chancellor's office in Coruscant. The clothes the man wore were different, somehow regal, yet there was a dark presence about him. He smiled grimly, his nose was long, and he seemed more aged and tired. His silvery hair was slick back, some of it bustling from the cool air. Beside him stood another figure. This one was of a taller man, his expression was saddened. War. It had come to war, thousands of soldiers in white climbed aboard vessels that looked like the Sith warships in Dante's era.
The vision changed towards another one. A man in black armour stood silently, gaping out at the bodies that lay strewn across the sandy plains. There was no end to them. The man in black seemed tired, saddened by what he had become. The helmet that covered him was shaped like an onyx skull; nothing pierced through it. The man had become the shell that protected him. Nothing had mattered to him anymore. Everything he loved was taken away. His anger and hatred of all things had taken its hold over him.
A final image appeared to the young Knight. This one was more frightening than he had ever imagined—it was in his time period. A man with short cropped raven-coloured hair walked silently throughout the fire. His cerulean blade struck out against another blade. He turned to look at the figure and only saw an image of himself. The reflection had longer hair. As the figures looked at each other, Dante found himself looking at his very image. Dante was fighting himself. Flames were licking at them, biting them and searing the flesh off their bones. Dante brought his blade to bear on his reflection—only to find himself back within the mist and trio of his companions.
"Find what you both have been seeking for and you will feel complete." As the Shaman had finished her sentence, light mist suddenly grew dark, spreading like a wildfire. The mist became a fog; the fog became a shroud of darkness. Something was coming. "You must leave," she warned. Her attention had diverted and she knew that both Jedi would find their way with the Force. It was in their destiny. But destiny had a habit of being cut short when trouble arrived. "Remember, follow the path and the Force will find its way to you."
With that, the vision and meld had faded. Both Knights had opened their eyes and noticed that the Seer had risen and began to open her door for the Jedi to exit. Their time together had come to a close. As both Jedi began to exit, Dante paused and looked at the azure Shaman, her features had become worried and tiresome.
"What is it, young Ravenmoon?"
"Nothing. May the Force be with you, Nazri," he bowed to her before he left.
"You too, young Ravenmoon," she replied.
As Rin made her way out, she couldn't help but hug the older woman.
"I'm sorry we didn't have time to speak, Rin. But in time, we will, I assure you." The older woman smiled warmly towards her niece.
"I know, but I only wish I had known you earlier. I had always thought I was alone. I know now, that I never was." She held her aunt for a few more moments before she let go, wiping her eyes as she left. Dante was waiting for her and wrapped one arm over her shoulder, warmly reassuring her that the Force would make sure that Nazri and Rin's paths would cross once more.
As they said their goodbyes, they made their way towards the freighter; their cloaks were swirling around them. The cool night air had picked up and become a temperamental breeze. Their cloaks continued to ripple rapidly through the night air. The trip to the freighter was silent. They both agreed on one thing, however: Frreral and his apprentice K'Grhuk would join them towards the shadow valley.