Chapter 1- Darkness Rising
"Stay with the shuttle, R-3."
Kyrah stepped off the loading ramp of the shuttle. The Council of First Knowledge had received information regarding a potential Sith presence on Arkanis. The report spoke of suspicious activity emanating from a cave system located South of a small trading outpost. Kyrah was one of the Jedi Order's elusive Shadows, trained to investigate and eliminate dark side artifacts and practitioners from the galaxy. Therefore, this task was assigned to her.
The Jedi had done some research on Arkanis before departing from Coruscant. The planet's climate was known to be unforgiving. As a result, she was unsurprised to meet a heavy downpour and strong winds, all encompassed by a deep gray sky.
As she stood on the shuttle's loading ramp, she began to feel more and more…cold? At first, she considered that the cold could be attributed to the weather. She pulled her cloak tighter around her, but it didn't seem to help. A moment later, Kyrah paused in realization. This was a different kind of cold; the kind she knew all too well.
The Sith had not been seen in the flesh for well over a millennium, yet remnants of their once-powerful empire still surfaced throughout the galaxy. Those attuned to the force could still find pockets of the dark energy left behind.
"HEY!" a male voice called.
Pulled from her thoughts, she looked around. The heavy downpour made it difficult to pinpoint the voice's source as she could only see a few feet ahead. Combined with how loud the rain hitting the landing platform was, it was surprising that she'd noticed it at all.
A moment later, a customs officer came into view, joining her under the shelter of the loading ramp.
"There's a fee to land here, miss." His voice was drowned out by the sound of the rain.
"Pardon?"
"I said, there's a fee to dock your ship here," he said, louder.
"Of course," Kyrah replied, matching his volume. "How much do I owe?"
"100 credits," he answered firmly.
For such a small port this far in the outer rim, the amount seemed exorbitant to her. She could sense something was amiss and suspected the man's intent was devious. Though she couldn't be sure, she decided the best course of action was to play along.
"Very well," she reached for the pocket on her utility belt to retrieve the credits and noticed a hint of surprise on his face. "Is something wrong?" she asked, feigning confusion.
"You're…you're not going to bargain?
"Is there a reason I should? I would imagine the docking fee you've mentioned is set by your governing organization?"
"Well, yes."
"And that fee is set to cover all customs fees and standard services rendered, correct?"
"Yes."
"Then why would I need to haggle with you on price? It seems only fair to pay the price at which both party's needs are met. Unless of course, there's something you're not telling me?"
The deck officer visibly tensed up. His previous expression was replaced by tight-set lips, wide eyes, and a subtle loss of color in his face. It took her a moment to perceive his reaction, but it told her everything she needed to know.
Guilt.
"Umm…uhh…FINE! The docking fee is 50 credits."
"Ah, there it is," she mused softly, a self-satisfied smile appearing across her lips.
Returning her attention to the deck officer, she continued. "Tell me, do you overcharge all incoming travelers or just the ones you think you can extort?"
"I-I-" he stammered. It was only when the wind displaced her cloak that he noticed the lightsaber resting at her waist. "I apologize, Master Jedi. I didn't-"
Kyrah held up her hand to cut him off.
"I'm sure you didn't," she replied coolly.
"How did you know I was lying? Were you using your Jedi tricks to read my mind or something?" He asked, still flabbergasted.
Kyrah fought back an eye roll.
"Don't be ridiculous, I can't read minds. Even if I could, I'm sure anything of value is few and far between in your case."
She began walking down the ramp, carefully slipping past him. "Perhaps there was a lesson in morals for you somewhere in this," she continued, "or perhaps you've only learned you have a pretty poor sabacc face. Either way, if you don't mind, I'd like to go about my business instead of standing here in the rain all day." She pulled the credits from the pouch on her belt. "Here, 50 credits. Good day."
Kyrah took off across the landing platform, into the rain, and out of the bewildered custom officer's view.
As Kyrah walked further into the town, the cold grew more intense. Upon reaching the outskirts of town, she found a speeder bike renter.
"How long ya need the bike for?" the old man asked.
"Just for the day."
"What's your destination? I ask all my clients in case something, uh, doesn't go as it's 'sposed to."
Kyrah looked at him quizzically.
"What do you mean? Should I be worried?"
"Nah, my bikes are in top condition, it's the riders that are inconsistent."
"I assure you, I am a capable rider," she replied. "I'm headed for the cave system just South of here." At the mention of the cave system, the old man's expression grew grim.
"I wouldn't go there if I were you. You'll regret it," he said.
"Oh?"
"There's something evil up in those caves. People go up there and when they come back, they've…changed."
"Can you elaborate?" she asked.
"Folks go up there to explore- nice folks. When they return though, they ain't so nice and their eyes…" he paused. "You look at them and ya know something's just not right."
"Well, if something is amiss, I think it's best if I go investigate," she mused.
The man's mouth fell open.
"Did you not hear a word I just said?!" he exclaimed. "Whatever's up there is powerful, too powerful." He paused as he eyed the saber, "even for a Jedi."
"Regardless, as a Jedi, I have an obligation to look into this."
"Ain't nothing I can say to change your mind?"
"No."
The man sighed, defeated. "Don't say I didn't warn ya." He then turned around to walk back towards his shop. "I don't even know why I bother; nobody ever listens," he muttered to himself. "You be damn careful up there, okay miss?" he said, turning towards her a final time.
"I will, thank you."
Upon bidding the old man farewell, Kyrah took off to the South. The sky seemed to get darker and the landscape more foreboding the further she deviated from town. Darker and colder, without a doubt there was some remnant of the Sith here.
After some time, she arrived at the cave system. She disembarked from the speeder and stepped inside.
The small amount of light the sky provided disappeared a few feet in. Kyrah reached for her saber. Though it was double-bladed, she chose to ignite only one end as a light source. The brilliant yellow light emitting from the blade contrasted sharply with the darkness around her.
At this point, she decided it was a good idea to transmit her location to the astromech she'd left at the shuttle. After pausing briefly to mark her position on her communicator, she continued onward. Aside from the occasional dripping water and hum of her saber, the cave held a foreboding silence.
After walking for some time, she heard it: "Kyrah..."
It was soft, barely above a whisper, so quiet she thought she'd imagined it. The voice was distorted, with no distinguishable gender. To her, it was comparable to audio from a corrupted holovid. She stopped for a moment to listen. Meeting only silence, she continued.
"Kyrah."
It was louder this time, calm but something was distinctly calling her name.
She felt certain she was heading in the right direction.
Not granting the voice a response, she continued forward.
"Kyrah!" the voice nearly shouted.
This was the right place. She was as cold as she'd ever been, and she began to feel a sense of dread manifesting itself in her. She persevered and rounded the corner. There, she met a small chamber off the path.
She entered the chamber and found a stone carving in the center of the room. The closer she moved towards it, the clearer its shape became. An obelisk, undoubtedly a Sith monument.
She then noticed the large rectangular form in front of it. Not a monument - a tomb.
Once she stopped in the center of the room, the top of the obelisk began to emanate a faint red glow, softly illuminating the room. As she replaced her saber on her belt, a black shadowy figure began to materialize over the sarcophagus. It had no defining features beyond the hooded cloak it wore. In fact, it didn't appear to have a face at all.
"Kyrah…" the voice spoke once again, returning to its previous volume. It now seemed to resonate all around her.
"Who are you?"
The figure moved closer and let out an eerie chuckle. "Does it matter? Yes, I suppose to you it does. However, I must disappoint you. You are here for a singular purpose. I can show you all that you could be. I have been waiting for you to enter my resting place."
Kyrah narrowed her eyes. She needed to proceed with caution.
"Waiting for me?" she replied.
"Yes, I can prepare you for what's to come. The others were not worthy."
"The others?"
"For too long, only the ignorant have disturbed this place. They did not deserve to set foot in this chamber, so I enlightened them."
"You corrupted them."
"Such a narrow point of view," the figure chided.
"Why did you do it?"
"Because I can, because actions are the only way to send a clear message." The faceless specter seemed to regard her for a moment. "And it appears I was successful."
"What is it you want, Sith?"
"I place no demands upon you. I only offer you a proposition…and a warning. Darkness approaches. The Republic shall fall and the Sith will rise again. I offer you my guidance. Allow me to guide you towards the first steps so that you might open the Holocron."
She glanced at the obelisk, now realizing what was causing the red glow at the top.
"Learn the ways of the Sith so that you might not be destroyed when the new order rises."
At that moment, Kyrah sensed a drastic shift in the force. It was so strong, she nearly lost her footing. To feel such a shift this far in the Outer Rim was major. Whatever the change was, its repercussions would undoubtedly be felt throughout the galaxy.
The figure chuckled again. "You feel it, don't you? It has begun." The shadow moved closer. "What do you choose?"
Kyrah contemplated for a moment before walking towards the obelisk. Using the force, she brought the Holocron down to her hand. Could there be a dark force rising? With the way she felt, it was clear this went beyond typical Sith manipulation. She almost believed its words-but what was the right response?"
Regardless of what would come, she had sworn her life to the order's protection. She knew this well. This was her duty, and she couldn't -wouldn't- falter now.
She held the Holocron suspended with the force and ignited her saber fully.
"A foolish choice," the figure observed. "You haven't figured it out, have you? You are making a terrible mistake. This path will yield nothing but regret."
"So be it," she replied emotionlessly. Kyrah raised her saber and sliced the Holocron in two.
"You do not yet realize what you have done, but I do," the shadow said darkly as it began to disappear. "It will become clear soon. Your life will bring nothing but tragedy. Every time you move closer to the fate you have chosen, I will always watch, just out of reach. During your darkest moments, my warning shall echo in your mind. One day, you will falter. Only then will you understand. Remember this well, Kyrah Zamora."
The shadow laughed vindictively once more, then disappeared, leaving Kyrah alone in the dark.