Chapter XXX

Wild Nomad

The churning blue tunnel of hyperspace gave way to a vast, grey sphere dotted by yellow and orange lights, surrounded by a radiant set of rings and hundreds of thousands of spacecraft, orbital stations, and satellites. Save for its orbiting rings, the planet looked like an enormous spherical machine, some kind of artificial hive.

She had been gone for six years, but Jade still remembered the vast enumenopolis quite vivdly. The center of the galaxy, the center of politics, the joint capital of the Galactic Alliance and Galactic Empire, where ambassadors and leaders from the two superpowers and the Jedi Order met to help foster peace amongst the coalition that was the Galactic Federation Triumvirate. A planet that belonged to all three, yet was sovereign to none. A city of both thriving urban centers and ravaged factories, with a population ranging in the trillions. Prosperity and ruin, wealth and poverty, vast thriving cityscapes and abandoned, decaying underlevels devoured by fierce wildlife. Coruscant was a perfect microcosm of the galaxy over which it held dominion.

Welcome home, Jade thought to herself. She wondered absentmindedly what had changed in the Imperial Palace: whether her tutor Nalls still lived there or not, whether her room had been emptied.

For a moment, she thought fondly of Lulu, her family's excitable and loving pet strill. Her mother had told her that Lulu was still there, missing her. Jade couldn't help but wonder if her old friend was still okay, or if Thalia's absence had hurt them as well…

"I'm concealing us now," Bao meditated in the center of the cockpit, drawing upon the Force – with a little assistance from Jade – to conceal the Force-presence of the crew, hiding them in the surrounding ambient energy. Jade felt like she was being wreathed in mist, which uncomfortably reminded her of her nightmares.

"My lightsaber feels…strange," Riko declared, examining the hilt. Through the Force, Jade felt a misty pulse of energy emanating from the weapon, a reflection of the stealth field Bao had created.

"I feel it too," Jade confirmed, "Something in the focusing crystals."

"Aren't those Stygium?" Val asked. When Riko nodded, he explained, "Those are used in cloaking devices. Maybe they're amplifying your stealth powers somehow."

"I've heard legends," Bao commented, "It's not impossible."

"I've got something on comms," Riko said, "It's a police ship."

"Patch them through," Val ordered.

"Attention Green Beetle," the formal, yet friendly voice of the average Coruscant Security Officer declared, "Please broadcast your transponder signal."

"Do it," Val ordered.

"Dweet-breet-dreet!" Artoo said as he interfaced with the computer. Jade kept the Nomad on its present course.

"Green Beetle," the official declared, "You are cleared to land."

A deep coldness began to manifest in Jade's chest as the Nomad approached the planet's night side. Her grip tightened on the steering yoke as she directed the ship towards the hyperurban planet.

"Woah!" Riko's yelp of surprise stirred Jade out of her shock, and she quickly righted the ship's course.

"You seem to have deviated from your course, Green Beetle," the comms officer's voice was concerned, "Is everything alright?"

"Just a minor glitch in the thruster emission ratio," Riko replied, "We cleared it up."

"Very well, safe flying."

"What happened, Jade?" Val asked.

"You alright?" Riko asked.

"I'm okay," Jade lied, "I got distracted, my hand just slipped for a second. It's nothing."

It certainly wasn't nothing: she had recognized the dark presence on the planet below.

Asharr was waiting down there, on Coruscant. Considering Tau's public claims that she was dead, Jade assumed she had been taken prisoner. It was possible that she was within the Temple itself, another prisoner.

Jade knew what she should do. She had rehearsed this scenario in her head countless times over the past few days. She felt a jolt of guilt knowing she'd have to abandon her companions, especially Riko, but she knew that this was something she had to do herself, she couldn't drag any of them into this…

"You okay, Jade?" Riko asked.

"Not really," Jade admitted. She didn't want to lie entirely. Not to Riko. If he assumed she was just upset to see her homeworld again, that might be enough.

Jade tried to hold back her guilt and her doubt. She refused to be a detriment to their mission. She'd help Riko and the others free the prisoners and escape, then she'd find Asharr and kill her.

As he continued his Force-stealth technique, Bao was slowly able to maintain the shroud of ambient energy he used to conceal himself and the rest of the Force-users on the ship, until he was able to hold it with just a tiny piece of his focus, similar to the Force-shield Jedi reflexively threw over themselves whenever they entered combat. He no longer needed to meditate to stay hidden, and his mind drifted to other matters.

His throat tightened with anticipation as the Wild Nomad flew past the familiar lanes of traffic and neon lights towards their destination.

Despite its historical, political, and economic significance, Coruscant was a planet Bao rarely visited. The Force felt different here, more cacophonic than on most worlds, too frantic and chaotic for his liking.

"Padawan," Bao said, walking up to Riko's console, "An interesting thought occurred to me."

"What is it?" Riko asked.

"Why did the Jedi move to this place?" Bao asked, "Why here?"

"It's the center of the galaxy," Riko guessed, "Maybe they wanted to be closer to the Republic."

"What do you think that means?" Bao asked, "Its people or its government?"

"I'm not sure," Riko admitted.

"The Senate," Val chimed in, "Definitely. You guys have a history of getting too comfortable in places like this. It's why the Consortium doesn't like you."

"That's why?" Riko asked.

"Among other reasons," Val shrugged.

"I believe this was what Kali'sto was talking about," Bao suspected, "The Jedi cut themselves off from the galaxy. Coruscant is an important place, but you cannot understand the people of the galaxy by enclosing yourself on one world."

"Hang on, we're almost there," Jade declared. Bao turned away from Val's station and looked up towards the viewport.

A giant ziggurat rose over the surrounding cityscape, with five towers rising from the roof. Though the Sith structures had been largely torn down, subtle traces of the angular, menacing pyramid remained atop the smooth ziggurat, prominently clashing with the smoother, more elegant monastery. Some of the towers were sharpened, the lighting darker, the shadows heavier, the structure more imposing than welcoming.

Once the home of the Jedi Order, now a nexus of the Dark Side quarantined from the rest of the planet and the galaxy. A corrupted, abandoned fortress that had become a monument to the failings of the Old Republic and the Old Jedi. The remains of the old Jedi Temple. The Temple of the One Sith.

Once the temple was in sight, Jade took the Nomad down the vast urban streets, narrowly landing on what looked like an abandoned balcony in the shadow of the district's gigantic skyscrapers and industrial plants, six blocks south of the ruined district once known as Fellowship Plaza, two miles from the Temple.

"This is as close as I can bring us," Jade explained.

"Shame we can't land on a smaller space," Val commented, "I miss the Vagrant."

"I doesn't," Niner replied.

"Very well," Bao declared, beginning to rise from his seat, "Val, keep the ship on standby until…"

"About that," Val interrupted, "Bao, last time you did this, you got impaled by a bunch of glass and Jade got a nasty scar. I'm not letting you go in there without me this time."

"Val, be reasonable," Bao replied, "We'll need a pilot here."

"We got one," Val gestured to the doorway, which Emdee hovered through with the same grumbling attitude she always had when she was pulled from her medbay.

"Are you sure about this?" Jade asked.

"I updated Emdee's programming, copilot," Val explained, "And I asked the kid to give her a special upgrade in case we end up in a situation like this."

Emdee raised one of her many arms, the tip of which had been replaced by a scomp link.

"I might need my auxiliary hypoinjector, Val," the droid beeped/sighed, "But I can access the ship's systems directly and control the entire ship by myself, if I have to."

"Just grab a hypo with your hand," Val replied, "And yeah, she can do all that, and the Shadows won't be able to sense her coming because she's a droid. No Force-readings."

"You're certain she can fly as well as you or Jade?" Bao asked.

"Not as well as us, sorry Emdee," Val apologized, "But well enough to fly to the Temple and land. They can't have too many fighters here, it would draw too much attention. The Nomad's a tank, she can endure whatever they have in store, and Emdee knows enough to land her with no problem."

"Very well," Bao replied, "Riko, Jade, start scouting the landing pad, try and find a way into the Temple."

"Got it," Jade nodded. As Bao and Val moved to finish gearing up for battle, she made her way down the landing ramp and out onto the vine-infested platform, getting a wide-reaching view of the cityscape.

This city block was marked by factories and industrial plants, belching smoke and fumes into Coruscant's artificially maintained atmosphere. Among them were ruined skyscrapers, the remains of a battle that had been fought decades ago.

Mummy, six-year-old Jade's voice echoed in memory, why don't people live here anymore?

The Sith corrupted the Temple, Jade, Thalia had explained, It's not safe anymore.

As she descended the Wild Nomad's ramp, Jade couldn't help but smile in amusement as she saw that the Cyborg building – the nickname she had given to a skyscraper that was partially swallowed by Yuuzhan Vong wildlife – was still there.

"How does it feel to be home?" Riko asked.

"I have mixed feelings about it," Jade admitted, "I used to travel around incognito all the time. Mom thought it was important I…" She trailed off.

"It's a little overwhelming," Riko mused. Jade suspected he meant more than one thing with those words.

"It's a nice place," Jade replied, "You should really see the Coco district, the food's great."

"Maybe we could go," Riko replied, "If we get the chance."

"Maybe," Jade responded. The thought of having that time alone with Riko sounded wonderful, but…

She glanced up towards the vast, ruined Temple. She knew in her gut that Asharr was waiting there.

It couldn't be a coincidence that she was in the same place as the Jedi prisoners they were going to rescue. Jade thought back to everything she had been through in the past few days, and was reminded of Thalia's words before her confrontation with Tau, her belief that she was following the will of the Force.

This had destiny written all over it. She didn't know whether to find that reassuring or terrifying.

Emergency Elevator, approaching Level 2112

The shaft was long, narrow, and dark, accentuated by fungus and rust. As the aged lift descended further down the shaft, Riko started to see strange, alien vines and coral growing on the walls.

"Are you sure this is the best way in?" he asked. He was doing his best to avoid looking down, his hands clenching the greasy railing.

"I used to come down here all the time, Riko," Jade replied, "It's not as dangerous as you think."

"It's certainly a more secure way to enter the Temple," Bao reasoned.

"Doesn't mean I won't have my blaster out," Val quipped.

Jade had always been lax about following the rules. Riko would have fallen much further behind in his training if it wasn't for her willingness to disobey curfew. Even so, he was amazed that she had spent time in the Coruscant underworld parks…

"My mom also had a strong sense of adventure," Jade explained, "And I always had Lulu with me. I never got lost when they were around."

"It sounds wonderful," Riko commented.

"It was," Jade replied, "Before Grandma passed away. Once Mom became Empress, everything changed."

Jade stopped talking, her shoulders heavy with remembrance.

Riko reached out and touched her hand. He didn't say anything, instead looking straight into her eyes. She took his hand in her own, smiling faintly.
Then her smile faded. Riko guessed that she felt the same sense of dread and determination that gripped Bao. And Val. And himself. Even Niner and Artoo were muted by the silence of anticipation.

Suddenly the lift stopped with a creak, the rumble startling both Riko and Jade.

As Val surveyed the surrounding block with his rifle and rangefinder, Jade closed her eyes and tried to peer outward. She felt Asharr at the edge of her perception.

At last…you come…

"Looks clear," Val declared, "Bao, you sense anything?"

"I think we're safe for now. Be on your guard."

As Jade opened her eyes, Bao activated his lightsaber and stepped out of the elevator tube, the aged platform creaking with his footsteps. Val followed him. Artoo proceeded to join the trio in the overgrown street.

The street had long since been deserted, and was now a jungle. Vines wrapped around ruined buildings. Multicolored fungus sprouted in the streets and red moss found its home on walls in a manner that reminded Jade of some kind of organic graffiti. She could even see a pair of small lizards scurrying through the walkways, presumably looking for food.

As she took it all in, Jade resisted the urge to take a deep breath, knowing from experience that she didn't want to inhale too much underworld air at once.

She found the jungle to be both welcoming and terrifying. It was familiar, but felt different from the wilds that lived beneath the Imperial Palace. There was an undercurrent of fear and dread here. Something haunted this corner of the Yuuzhan Vong remains.

As they advanced through the wild streets, Niner was constantly rotating his head and body, frightfully surveying the area. On occasion, the droid yelped, startled by a noise.

"You okay, Niner?" Riko asked.

"I is scared," Niner admitted, "Are we there yet?"

"Almost," Val replied.

"Bwoot-deet-doot-breet-deet." Artoo assured him.

Jade glanced at Riko.

"You seem nervous," Jade noted.

"Actually," Riko admitted, holding his saber aloft, "I'm a little scared too."

"You're not used to wilds, are you?" Jade replied.

"Not really."

"Okay, city-boy," Val replied.

Jade laughed. Riko's brow furrowed. He knew what Jade's laugh was like, and this sounded…off.

He continued to mull over this as they took up position on a fire escape and surveyed the foundations of the Temple for an access point.

The structure was vast, taking up the breadth of Riko's view, and connecting with the vast ceiling that separated this level of Coruscant from higher tiers. It was ancient, resembling a giant support pillar encrusted with multicolored yorik coral, fungus, and mildew.

"There it is," Val declared, retracting his rangefinder, "An evac hatch. Our way in."

"Let's move," Bao ordered.

The closer they drew to the Temple, Riko noticed a faint glow through the plants and duracrete. It wasn't until they turned the final street corner that Riko saw what it was.

The blocks surrounding the Temple were covered with a series of stalks that resembled the texture of vines. From these dangled fruit that glowed with a variety of hues that Riko found captivating.

"Lambents," Jade explained eagerly, "Crystals grow within those pods."

"Is that how you got yours?" Riko asked, referring to the crystal that powered her lightsaber.

"Yeah," Jade nodded, smiling wistfully, "I was eight. I snuck out of the palace and came down to a field like this one. Before plucking the fruit, you have to stroke it gently to pacify it, or else it lashes out at you."

She raised her left hand. Peering closely, Riko saw a tiny white scar on the skin of her palm. He couldn't help but love the way the light of the nearby lambent pods subtly bathed Jade's skin in a golden glow.

His gaze lingered on the almost ethereal crystal pods for a moment more before turning towards the cold, dark permacrete of the Temple and reaching the door to an emergency escape tunnel.

"Breet-deet-dee-dee-weo," Artoo whistled with slight nostalgia as everyone made their way to the door.

"Okay," Riko said, "There should be an access panel around here somewhere…"

"Look," Val surveyed the surrounding streets, peering through his rifle's scope. Out of curiosity, Riko grabbed his macrobinoculars and looked in the same general direction. He saw a small hint of movement, a figure in some kind of spiky armor retreating from sight behind a rooftop.
"What do you see?" Bao placed his hand on the hilt of his lightsaber, "I don't sense anything."

"Could be a Mando scout," Val kept his finger on the trigger, "I can't tell from here."

"People call them Vongspawn," Jade remarked sadly, "They're people infected with Yuuzhan Vong viruses. There are…still a few of them down here."

"Let's stay clear of them," Bao instructed.

Keeping that in mind, Riko turned towards the wall panel. A segment of purple yorik coral had started to grow over it, but not enough to entirely cover the panel, or damage the circuitry that lay beneath.

Tracing the wall with his fingers, he felt the faint indentation of the panel's outline, keeping the interface port sealed. Riko took out his hydrospanner and, just like he had on Ambria, unscrewed the bolts holding it in place. Once he completed that part of the job, he grabbed the panel's edge and tried to open it.

He met resistance in the yorik coral, which creaked as Riko struggled to open the panel, grunting. The yorik was too strong, refusing to give way. He'd have to cut it away.

Riko ignited his lightsaber and began to slowly cut through the layer of coral.

"Bweet-deet-veet-beet-deet-deet-deet!" Artoo instructed.

Riko barely noticed Artoo's words, intently focused on the movement of his blade as it slowly sliced the branch of coral away from its parent stem. Once he finished, he proceeded to open the access panel door, revealing a computorial interface.

"This is an older interface port," Riko observed. Deactivating his lightsaber, he turned towards Artoo, who extended his still-unmodified scomp link. Riko removed the adapter that now perpetually covered it.

"See?" Niner commented, "Old models do come in handy."

"Bwoot-deet," Artoo sighed. The astromech proceeded to plug his older scomp link into the interface port.

"Be prepared for anything," Bao ordered. Muffled groans issued from long-dormant mechanisms awakened for the first time in decades, perhaps centuries. Riko couldn't help but grab his lightsaber from his belt, steeling himself to ignite it in a second.

Suddenly, a loud metallic screech tore through the air, causing Riko to wince as the coral-covered doors were pried open, revealing the gateway to the dark ruins that lay ahead.