Last time: Oppie passed his Jedi Trials and became a Jedi Knight.

Now: The next planet is... shrouded in the dark.

Chapter 8- The Sith Temple

Ice covered planet? Nothing. Sand dune hell? Nothing. Dense Rainforest? Nothing! And that was just three of the several planets they had visited that had given them nothing. This search for the constellation was turning into a wild bantha chase at this point. For the past couple planets, they didn't even bother leaving the ship if there was no sign of a temple or anything that resembled the temple they were looking for. They would just cross the planet off their list and move on to the next. It definitely made the travel between worlds faster, but it was still becoming tedious especially as Tac would keep adding onto their list with more systems that could see the constellation. A wild bantha chase indeed.

And yet again they were going to arrive at another system that was probably going to be a dud. They weren't trying to be downers about this, but with the ever lingering threat of Dracul out there in the galaxy, they were moving as if on a time crunch through some of these systems. Plus the fact that they did spend almost a year of their lives running around to look at temples, this just one big case of Deja Vu and they didn't want to waste another year doing the same thing.

Kyr and Viran pulled the Shadow Runner out of hyperspace above their next planet. Viran looked down at the planet with an unsettled gaze. Something about this place felt… wrong. His head started to slowly ache the longer he stared at the planet. After a moment, he turned his gaze back to the console in front of him as they continued towards the planet below. Sasha, who was sitting behind them at the navigation station, let out a small groan. Viran glanced back to look at her to see that she was rubbing her forehead as if she too had a headache, but he couldn't see her face fully as her head was turned away from him slightly.

"Hey, Sash, you okay?" Viran asked her.

"Hmm, yeah. It's just a headache," Sasha said as she dropped her hand from her forehead.

"If you need to, go lie down for a bit and we can handle the constellation search," Kyr offered over his shoulder.

"No, it should be okay," Sasha said as she turned to look at them. Her face was pale, probably from the headache, but the look in her eyes told him that she wasn't going to rest for this one. "Besides, I sense something… unsettling about this planet."

"Unsettling? Like what?" Kyr asked with a slight worry to his tone. "The scanners aren't showing me that anything is wrong with this planet."

"I don't know, but… the Force is clouded right now," Sasha responded.

Kyr looked at Viran. "Are you sensing anything?"

"Yeah, there is definitely something… off down there. However, I still feel physically fine," Viran said. As he said that, his slight headache returned again which caused him to suppress a wince.

"Well if two are sure then let's get what we need and then go," Kyr suggested before pushing the throttle forward to guide them down to the planet below. "Tac just gave us coordinates to a weird building of some sort, seems like it might be worth checking out."

As soon as they broke the atmosphere, Viran's headache grew steadily and steadily worse, but it was nothing compared to how Sasha was fairing. He could sense her discomfort through the Force as he guessed that her headache was almost reaching migraine level pain. Shooting a glance back, Viran could see that Sasha was leaning against the console, her head in her hands. He frowned as seeing her like this reminded him of when Cien took control of her mind. Except this was different somehow. Viran turned back to the viewport and saw something he almost couldn't describe, but he guessed was the cause for their discomfort.

"Sash… you're gonna want to see this," Viran said.

Sasha looked up from her hands and gasped. "A Sith temple..."

"Think there's anyone home?" Kyr asked the cockpit as he guided the ship in to land in front of the grand entrance that adorned one side of the pyramid.

Viran shot him a sideways glance before responding. "I doubt it, but it might be worth a look around."

"Just a thought, if someone sent some airburst flechette your way, would you be able to deal with it very well?" Kyr asked innocently while lowering the landing gear and preparing for touchdown. He glanced down to the corner of his visor to make sure the fuel reserve for his flame projector was full.

"We will be fine," Sasha said bluntly.

Viran turned to face her in his seat. She looked so pale and so miserable, but her expression of determination told him that her migraine wasn't going to stop her.

"Sash, are you sure?" Viran asked carefully. "I mean I want to go look around too, but I don't exactly feel a hundred percent either. Kyr and Tac can look around for us while we wait here."

Sasha met his gaze for a brief second before looking back to the Temple. "Viran, when will we ever see a Sith Temple again? It's worth looking into. Besides, a little headache is not going to stop me."

"For real though," Kyr butted in, "if someone sent an airburst at you, could you handle it some weird Jedi way? Trying to figure out if we encounter some crazy Sith if Tac would need to send airburst or HE at them." Kyr said, getting up from the pilots seat.

Viran shrugged. "I think I'll be okay, but it will be difficult. Sasha, do you think you will be able to fend off a Sith attack?"

"I've dealt with Cien in my head," Sasha responded as she stood from her seat. "I can handle this."

Kyr looked at the two Jedi sideways as they left the cockpit, and patted Tac on his small round dome. "Just load both, bud." On the way out Kyr stopped at the armory and grabbed his T1 carbine, and stood at the top of the ramp, taking point as usual before heading out to an unknown world. As the ramp opened, the blood red light of the sun reflected off the dirt laced with iron oxide, washing the windswept desolation outside in shades of ghastly red.

Viran stepped off after Kyr, his lightsaber in his hand. The dark side of the Force flowed over them like a tidal wave. He squinted at the light and glanced upward at the temple. A shadow of dread washed over him as he stared at it.

"Not a very welcoming place, is it?" Viran commented dryly.

Sasha just stood at the foot of the ramp staring at it. The migraine mixed with the dark side of the Force was making her stomach turn and she was worried she might retch the contents of her stomach out any moment. Viran glanced at her and gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. He was actually grateful his connection to the Force was weaker than hers, because at this moment it was apparent Sasha was fighting a harder battle against this dark presence than he was.

"No signs of any recent activity." Kyr noted as he strode forward, his rifle hanging before him from its sling as usual, though he was a little more tense than he let on. This felt like walking into an enemies base, which was an ironic thought for a Mandalorian, he thought wryly.

"I don't sense anyone is here," Sasha said, her voice flat. "Except the dark side…" she added with a mumble. "This place is swirling in it."

"Like a vac tube?" Kyr suggested, to lighten the mood as they approached the front door. He looked around and saw no controls, no evident way to open it. He knocked on the hard stone slab for lack of any other ideas for how to gain entry.

The temple door didn't budge or respond. Sasha moved past them and towards the door. She raised a hand to it and with the Force, she opened the door. The moment the door slid open both Viran and Sasha were hit with a wave of darkness. Viran actually stumbled a little as he clutched his head. Sasha staggered back as her knees went weak. It was strange, but when the door opened it was as if a sinister voice filled her head. Die little Jedi, you will die here. Sasha shook her head hoping that the voice would leave her alone. It didn't. When Cien had taken over her head, she didn't try to flood Sasha with the dark side of the Force like this place was doing now. She just used her mind for her own advantage. This was an inky poison that was slowly flowing through their veins.

"It's a Sith temple. That means only the Force can open its doors," Sasha practically whispered as her migraine was becoming unbearable and the voice was a nuisance.

"Oh, I dunno breaching charges might have worked in a pinch." Kyr, completely unaffected, quipped. He looked worriedly at his two companions. "You guys sure you don't want Tac and me to handle this?" He said, his voice heavy with concern.

"Well…" Viran started but was cut off by Sasha.

"No, we will go with you," Sasha said stubbornly.

She had her moments of being stubborn, but this was almost a different Sasha. Viran didn't know what, but something was calling them into the temple. And while he was eager to ignore it and leave, apparently Sasha was eager to answer. But he wasn't going to let her go into a Sith temple without him. Besides, they still needed to check on the constellation and had at least an hour till nightfall. So he shut his mouth and nodded in agreement with her statement.

"'Kay." Kyr said as he turned his attention back to the opening. He brought his rifle up and flicked on the torch attached to the barrel. He also flicked on light enhancement for his visor, the inside was dim, lit only by a few working lights that only cast the room as varying shadows. "You guys looking for anything in particular here? They have treasure rooms or anything good?"

"According to the old Jedi Archives, I remember reading that the Sith Temples were known to have treasures and items of importance to the Sith in them, but the amount of data about the temples was scarce as usually they were either destroyed long ago or purified," Sasha recited as she had turned on her lightsaber to help provide some light. The green blade illuminating the space. "But at this moment, I don't know if we are looking for anything. But the Force is calling out to us."

"You guys take the lead, then. All I got is nothing but stone walls and moody lighting." Kyr said as he surveyed the temple with his blaster, the torches light playing out through the gloom in a beam that caught the floating dust and distant walls.

"Sounds like the Sith," Viran joked as he activated his own saber to provide some much needed light.

Together, Sasha and Viran led Kyr through the temple. With each step further in they took, the worse both started to feel. Even the temple itself was reacting to their mere presence as its walls would groan at them. Soon, however, they found a triangular shaped object sitting on a pedestal in the middle of a chamber. Sasha froze in place as she stared at the item. This is what was calling to them.

"Is that a Sith holocron?" Viran questioned as he stared at it.

Sasha didn't answer him. She just started to take a step towards it as if in a trance.

"Do we need to worry about booby traps? I've seen enough holovids to know this is when the walls will start caving in, or the walls will start shooting darts at us." Kyr asked as the Jedi started moving forward.

"If there are, they won't affect you," Sasha stated as she grew closer to the pedestal.

"Uhh.. no offense but that doesn't make me actually feel any better." Kyr said with growing concern for the two young Jedi.

When they reached the pedestal, Viran watched as Sasha slowly reached out her hand to grab it. However, his reflexes were faster and he grabbed it first. Why he needed to grab it first, he wasn't entirely sure. It was like both of their bodies were on autopilot. Suddenly, as he held the device in his hands, a gasp left his lips as his vision swirled. Sasha reached out and grabbed his hands as if to take the device, but she too let a gasp escape her lips as she was pulled in too. The world around them disappeared as a horrible vision plagued their mind.

Thousands of people mindlessly attacking innocent lives.

Dracul's menacing laugh filling their ears.

Blood. Destruction. Death. Nothing but endless death.

Screams of terror and of pain as more fall.

Red lightning fills the night sky.

Viran and Sasha release the holocron, letting it fall to the floor and smash into tiny pieces. Viran leaned forward against the pedestal, panting as if he had just run a mile. Sasha felt her whole body go numb as her knees buckled.

Kyr rushed forward to grab Sasha as she fell. He had stood there waiting for about a minute with ever increasing concern as the two Jedi stood in their trance. It had reminded him of when Sasha, all those months ago, would retreat into herself to talk to Oppie when he was trapped in the void, but he knew this had to be something different. He had been just about to shake their shoulders to try to wake them up when they both snapped out of it and Viran fell forward, and he threw his arm out to catch Sasha as the holocron smashed to the floor, forgotten. "What happened?" He asked with alarm.

"It… it was a… vision," Sasha stammered as she shook, clinging to his arm, as tears sliding down her cheeks. "It was so horrible…"

"We need to get out of here," Viran urged as gripped the pedestal tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"Yes." Kyr stated in full agreement and in a militant tone that broached no argument in case Sasha might continue being stubborn.

Sasha, however, nodded in agreement. The look on her face was enough to tell both of them that she was done with this hell hole. Kyr helped her start moving towards the exit, supporting some of her weight on his shoulder, but she quickly regained her footing and she shrugged Kyr off as she and Viran both started jogging towards the chamber exit, making for the temple's entrance and the relative safety of the Shadow Runner. Kyr followed behind, not entirely sure what they were running from, but feeling like it was probably a good idea to also run if two Jedi were running away from something.

As soon as they reached the entrance and were back outside, the temple door slammed shut, preventing their re-entry. The three of them slowed their running to a halt at the foot of the ramp to the Shadow. Viran collapsed against the ramp gear, breathless. Sasha collapsed to her hands and knees at the base of it, wheezing.

"Should we try leveling this place?" Kyr asked as he came to a halt beside them, looking back at the great stone edifice and wondering if he had enough HE warheads to take it out.

Viran and Sasha exchanged a glance before looking at Kyr.

"It won't be missed," Viran stated as he straightened up. "Destroy it."

"Roger." Kyr put a finger to the side of his helmet as he made his way up the ramp. "Tac, I got something that'll make your day…" The Mandalorian said as he left ear shot.

Viran watched Kyr go before looking at Sasha. She remained on her hands and knees as her breathing slowed to a rasp. He could physically see her body shaking. Suddenly, she turned her head and released the contents of her stomach onto the red dirt. Grimacing at the sight of it, Viran knelt down next to her and helped her to her feet once she was done.

"You okay?" He asked softly.

"No… this was a bad idea," Sasha admitted as she leaned against him, wiping the corners of her mouth on her sleeve. "Let's get out of here."

Viran nodded. He helped her up the ramp and into the ship's lounge. She sunk down onto the couch and leaned forward, holding her still throbbing head. Viran sat next to her, rubbing circles into her back while also rubbing his own throbbing head.

Overhead, they heard the whine of servos as the tubes for the missiles opened, and the mortar cannon rotated into place. They heard the muted pomph pomph pomph pomph sound as the mortar fired off four rounds, the high explosive shells impacting a few moments later at the corners of the pyramid on the sides facing the Shadow Runner.

Tac watched through his camera feed with excited glee as a few seconds after the explosions subsided, six missiles rippled off, flying briefly into the air and impacting at the sites the rounds had already weakened the structure of. The hollow pyramid, with a great cracking and rumbling sound, started to collapse in on itself. Kyr watched from the cockpit, listening to the happy chirps of the droid behind him, witnessing the oddly slow motion collapse of the huge stone edifice. Little could have survived in what was now just a pile of crumbled stone, and a gust of wind rushed at the ship carrying dust and small debris from the temple.

Viran sighed with relief as his head started to clear. Sasha also released a breath of relief, but she still looked ill. They could both feel the dark side clearing out, but their headaches were slow to disappear immediately. But, it was enough to make them both relax in their seats. However, the vision they both saw still lingered in the back of their minds as they sat there, enjoying the silence. That horrible vision that Viran couldn't quite understand and that Sasha wished would be purged from her mind as it still made her shake with fear.

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