Another hectic, chaotic week, but still a chapter is prepared for you all. Madness is nothing before the might of my methods! Enjoy! ~F
Chapter Thirty
Dark Secrets
Hermione was in her element. Work on the fleets was soaring, with two more ready to push into field use once the Jedi inspectors cleared them for combat, and the production teams had begun an additional four more, exponentially increasing their speed and capabilities, just as she had designed the facility to function. The more something was made here, the easier her workers would find to begin again and achieve faster results.
Even on her own end, locked away in her office, Hermione felt great bursts of insight, leading to new and creative designs for different weapons to aid the Republic, creating contingencies for many possibilities that the Sith Empire might throw at them, for both ground and space warfare.
But even as she worked, something about all of this seemed off. As though a haze lifted over her mind, Hermione momentarily grew very distracted from all the sheets of flimsi in front of her, and decided on the spot to tour the facilities one more time, just in case there was something not going just right and needed her attention.
However, nothing technical presented itself as a problem as she walked about the many construction and mechanics bays, even though there was some sort of oddity that she found. Every room she entered, the workers would glance at her, a few calling in greeting, before returning to work, but it was their faces. There was something oddly familiar about each one, more so than just a standard boss-employee relationship. It was as though Hermione knew that she had seen each and every one of their faces before somewhere, but she was finding it extremely difficult to place them, which was a strange sensation for the normally quite brilliant witch.
To make matters worse, by the fourth room, Hermione could've sworn that she'd seen the same face at least four times by then, and it was starting to distress her somewhat. How could every one of her workers be the same person?
Turning a corner sharply she almost ran straight into her husband, "Oh!" she said, shocked at his sudden appearance, "Theo, thank goodness, I've just be seeing the strangest things…"
"Why are you out of your workshop?" the man asked, and the tone of his question broke Hermione's line of thought.
"What? I do not know why that's important? I've just seen the strangest thing regarding our workforce…"
"Honey, I think you're tired, you need rest from overwork," Theo said gently, stepping behind her for a moment, but even as Hermione turned to protest, to tell him about the same familiar face she had spotted among her workers, the man she had married whispered something and darkness overtook her.
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"I've recaptured her, and her memory has been modified, my Lord."
Darth Veneficus frowned at the image of Theodore Nott, "The charms are starting to fade then,"
"They are my Lord; she had started to notice all the similarities in her workforce, although it is odd that the Jedi have not." Nott affirmed.
"The Jedi can only look for what they think is out of place, and they have encountered many races with extremely similar, if not identical, members. They will find nothing out of the ordinary so long as the original is not discovered. Tighten security and reapply the charms, stronger now, but still keep them subtle. It wouldn't do for the Jedi to recognize a sudden change in her behavior at this stage."
"As you command, your Majesty." The man said humbly, unable to disobey even if he wished to, and cut the feed to New Terra.
The Sith Emperor was not pleased with this new development. It seemed that everything was attempting to come apart at the hinges in his grand scheme, not an unforeseen event, but still an undesirable one. Granger was still far too useful to allow to simply slip through his hands at this time, and the original source of his armies secreted on New Terra was extremely valuable, so long as there was anything left for them to take and clone for his armies.
Things were changing in the aspects of the war. The Sith Emperor could already feel that champions were forming and falling among both sides. This was good, and it would cause greater devastation when their great heroes, and the Jedi, fell one by one. These initial attacks set the gravity of their struggle, and he could sense the renewed hope that the Republic had behind their new fleets that were flowing from New Terra.
He would allow this fight to escalate into full blown war, make the people of the Galaxy weep for the loss of life, and only when it seemed that the Galaxy would be plunged into chaos would he at last step in, the rescuing Emperor that would restore stability. And, barring that, there was always the option to burn through world after world until he had dominion of every last system in the Galaxy.
But there were still mysteries, even to his powerful sight. These rebellions within his own ranks, the Sith philosophy that would plague the ranks of those unworthy to wield the full power of the Dark Side, scrabbling over scraps of knowledge and power under his rule.
He had to change his approach to his own subjects if he was to make a more lasting impression, give them a symbol to rally behind, rather than the urge to usurp power from him. Loathe though he was to the idea, he needed to have a more public image for not only Dromund Kaas, but the entire Empire to see. And that mean that the Republic may need to bear witness of him as well.
A speech perhaps, or some sort of event where the public would see that their beloved Emperor was indeed fighting for them, and not some bloodthirsty conqueror set out to dominate the entire Galaxy. It would take time and a great deal of patience on his part to organize such a task, but it could be done.
Summoning his guards from outside, the Emperor of the Neo-Sith Empire addressed them, "I need capable officers to come and assist in planning a new stratagem, bring me the leadership of Imperial Intelligence."
"As you command, your Majesty," the black robed guards acknowledged, bowing low before their master.
Idly, Veneficus remembered that there were a few that had perished in recent months, fighting Jedi in the field. He would have to travel to the secret location where he trained the newest generations of his Arcanamach, and prepare replacements.
The work of an Emperor never seemed to tire.
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Gor-lak had eagerly awaited the next battle of importance since the massacre on Junction. It was a pity that the next system they had traveled to, the Toprawa system, had been such a disappointing surrender to have not even so much have required a landing force other than those that went with their planetary garrison.
After receiving another supply of warriors and prefabricated structures from Yavin, the fleet had moved on once again to the planet Serenno, a highly powerful political player in the Republic and oft times a fast bed of dispute and treasonous behavior. Gor-lak wasn't exactly sure what to expect from these wealthy aristocrats that ruled this world, as it could easy ally with the Empire, or turn against them in a flash.
There would be a great deal of diplomacy needed at the least to sway the six Great Houses of nobles that ran the planet, but the ork expected that at least one or two of the houses would be sympathetic to their cause, and could form a partial alliance. But personally, Gor-lak was still hoping for much blood to flow in the near future, so he had already decided to attempt to spark a civil war upon the planet, and hopefully revel in the destruction as the rich and powerful nobles attempted to destroy each other.
Nodding at a communications officer, Gor-lak sent the silent signal to have their ship patch through to the planet below, so that he could request audience with one of the Great Houses. What he had not expected was for the heads of the six families to appear on screen. The humans, four men and two women, stared with almost bored expressions at the dark facemask that Gor-lak wore.
"So it has come to it at last…" the central figure said, hands at his side in a perfect posture of control, "The Sith Empire has come to our corner of the Galaxy, to demand our surrender and joining of your body to fight against the Republic I expect…"
Whether they were expecting Gor-lak to appear surprised by their insight, the ork was not about to give them even an inch of room to manipulate him by reacting. These aristocrats were far too used to getting their way and for everything to just fall into place because they deemed it so, and it was high time someone came a toppled such creatures from their lofty positions and asserted dominion over their assets.
"Naturally…" he said in an equally bored voice, slightly robotic from the modifier on the mask. "Long has it been known that the Lords and Ladies of Serenno has issue with many things that the Republic stood for, and here now presents the perfect opportunity to turn to your own needs, and separate yourselves fully from the devices of the failing Republic."
"So you think to say that we need to abandon ship like drowning rats from the Republic and its oft time flawed reasoning?" one of the women said imperiously, looking down her nose through the screen at Gor-lak.
"Now now, Lady Demici," a younger man said, the youngest in fact, "I think we should at least give them a fair say of what they have to offer Serenno before we reject them completely. Who knows, the deal may in fact be sweet enough."
"You may be the youngest and newest to the circle of ruling Lords, Dooku," the central figure said, irritation barely flashing through his voice for a split second, "but you need to learn your place. There is a long standing tradition between the nobility of Serenno and the Republic. Our coffers flourish because of the success of the Galaxy as a whole, and these tyrants have little to offer but poverty and slavery to our world."
It was as though Gor-lak stood there forgotten as these nobles engaged in their cunning word craft with each other, but what the stuffy fools forgot was that they dealt with a supposed Force user, and an observant Sorcerer in reality. It seemed this Dooku, a Count of some sort he learned moments later, was the most sympathetic to their cause, in part to greed likely as he was the one among the six with the least authority or prestige.
It would be easy to offer him complete control of the planet in exchange for assistance in bringing about the downfall of the other five families, and the occupation of their world by the Sith would be a pleasant bonus for them.
Soon enough, the nobles tired of their little game, and declined the offer to join the Sith Empire peaceful, cutting all communication rather abruptly, as though Gor-lak was little more than a nuisance and not a hostile fleet in orbit over their little world.
"Shall we engage, my Lord?" Admiral Uardono asked, but Gor-lak held up a hand to stop the man, "patch us through directly to this Count Dooku, I have more words for him specifically."
"As you wish, but I fail to see what more we can accomplish…" the Admiral said, falling silent as the screen flared to life again, only displaying the rather young man that had been part of the governing body. "Ah, Sith, I thought it would be but a short time that you contacted me directly after I publically vouched for your cause."
"Indeed," Gor-lak agreed, "It was quite apparent that you are the only one of the council of Lords that has any vision of the future of your world, rather than clinging blindly to old traditions."
"Yes," the man said, his ego obviously swelling with the false praise, "my family has long been known for such clear foresight. Perhaps it would be best for us to discuss term and conditions regarding some sort of alliance between House Dooku and your Empire…"
"I quite agree, Count," Gor-lak said, "shall I come down from orbit and meet with you in person even, make everything official and come to terms as equals…"
"Yes, a most excellent suggestion," Dooku replied, "It'll show those old fools that their mandates are outdated and quite pointless. Please, come down in say, an hour, we can discuss terms over the evening meal."
"That sounds delightful; I shall be with you shortly, in person. Until then, Count Dooku…" Gor-lak said pleasantly, only laughing aloud when the communication was finally cut.
"Not the wisest of leaders, is he?" Admiral Uardono suggested, smirking slightly as Gor-lak turned to depart.
"No, but youth has that problem occasionally," the ork spirit agreed, "He could make a useful puppet from which to launch our invasion of the planet. Prepare several assault shuttles, as well as the heavy tanks, but wait for my signal to send them after us in the delegation committee…"
"As you wish, my Lord… and enjoy your evening…" the Admiral said, nut the powerful Sorcerer ignored the comment, knowing that he had precious little time to prepare everything that would occur this evening. Aside from the conversation with the Count, which was nothing more than a distraction, there was a major operation that was forming in his mind, and he needed the very best of his soldiers and commandos.
Naturally, as a foreign dignitary, he was to have some sort of protection with him, it would be expected, but what the noble did not know that Gor-lak would be bringing was to be the man's, and his whole world's, downfall. Several capable slicers as well as hacking astromechs would be secured in the shuttle, hidden among the heavily armored shock troopers that would be protecting them as they went about their world, negating the defensive network around the Count's manor, opening an area of the planetary defenses for his forces to punch through would losing a single ship.
It was simply brilliant, and all Gor-lak had to do was sit, eat and have idle chat with the fool and possible his family while it happened. Whether he was going to have to end the Count after this was yet to be seen, but so be it if it came to that.
The diplomat's shuttle was a sleek craft that was meant more to impress rather than actual firepower, glided through the atmosphere with no difficulty, having received clearance codes to land on the grounds of the aristocrat's property.
Ahead loomed the wide lawns and gardens of the Manor of House Dooku, and beyond them a rather elegant building set amid the others of the upper crust of Serenno's nobility, posturing with the other Great Houses for prestige even by the size and manner of their buildings. Personally Gor-lak felt that he would relish tearing each and every one of these manor houses to the ground with the might of the Empire, but it was not time for such thoughts.
"I will handle the direct conversations for this even, unless you are spoken to directly," Gor-lak said to the Imperial Diplomat, who had been looking rather uneasy with all the military personnel in his vessel, which by galactic laws had to be relatively neutral even though he clearly supported one side of the war over the other. For his ship to be used in such a deception went against the rules laid down for such a position, but little did the man have in the way of choice when Gor-lak gave him a direct order.
Soon enough, they touched down in the designated place for their ship, and the lamp lowered, allowing the guards and 'engineers' to disembark, along with their droids, to begin the process of refueling and securing the area around the ship. The main delegation however made their way to the main building, meeting several servants along the way, who directed their group to the main dining hall, where their master the Count awaited.
The chief of the servants met them just outside the dining hall, nodding at their appearance, even if the man appeared to disapprove of their attire, especially the horrific mask that Gor-lak continued to wear for the time being, and nodded at the other servants, who opened the doors with a flourish. "My lord Count," the senior servant announced, standing rigidly at attention, "announcing the delegation of the Sith Empire, led by Lord Gor-lak."
"Ah, just the guests I was expecting," the Count said, rising to his feet amid his family, ranging from several middle aged men and women to a few elderly figures, "please, take a seat whever you please, we shall have dinner now." the last was directed at the chief servant, who bowed partially and exited, the doors closing after Gor-lak, the Imperial Diplomat, and a few officers from the fleet. What troopers they had brought had respectfully waited outside the Manor proper, but in reality had returned to the ship to assist the slicers and their droids with whatever they needed to procure mass codes to permit the landing of their other ships throughout the district.
Gor-lak reached up, and with dramatic flourish removed the powerful mask, revealing the stunningly handsome human face that he had stolen by possessing this body. It certain worked to draw the eye to him, especially that of the younger, unmarried women.
"Count, it is truly a pleasure to be here in person," Gor-lak said gently, setting the large and heavy face mask to the side as he took a seat opposite the Count, at the foot of the rectangular table, while the others filled in around him.
Servants appeared then, bringing trays of food out on shining metal dishes, romanticist of ancient days that even Gor-lak had once enjoyed. It was almost a shame that he knew this party would be ruined within a few hours, once the lights flickered just for one brief moment, perfectly overlooked by the residents of the building as a power fluctuation, but in reality was caused by his slicers hacking in to steal landing codes.
Helping himself to several pieces of some meat that had been searing in a very aromatic sauce, the ork spirit decided it was time to actually direct some of this meeting the way he desired, "So, Count. What is it that you hope to gain by aiding the Sith Empire here on Serenno?"
The younger man's smile deepened, and Gor-lak thought that, if the plots already excluded this man as a player, that there might have been potential for a dangerous foe in Dooku, but not this time at the least.
"Simple, I allow the Sith to have access to my home, where they take advantage of my hospitality and steal the codes required to bring their army from orbit, thus launching my world into a massive war, of the which my family remains aloof of, and when the ashes settle, we are the instrumental power on Serenno, acting as the go between from the public to the new management of the Empire…" the man replied, staring across the table for any reaction from Gor-lak.
He was impressed, not having expected for them to actually be simply allowed to do what they pleased when it came to this attack. "What what stops us from just happening to accidentally involve you in some sort of attack?" Gor-lak countered, truly curious about the man's contingencies, if there were any.
"Oh, there's no fear of that," Dooku replied, rubbing his clean shaven face momentarily in amusement, "We are far too useful for the Empire to dispose of, and far too loyal. The Republic has had their chance with Serenno, and while the other families are more than willing to continue playing their corrupt games of cat and mouse, we have tired of it. New leadership is needed, and if so why not us, acting in the name of the Empire?"
"Still, there has to be some sort of specific reason, I doubt that your goodwill would hold up well if say, the Emperor himself were to come here and want you removed…" Gor-lak pressed gently, seeking for something past the bravado that Dooku was poising, so confident that his family was important enough to the Sith to be kept alive without a cause.
"Why would the Emperor ever leave his important business and come here?" Dooku countered, "From what I hear on the Pro-Sith frequencies, he is currently holed up on Dromund Kaas, managing affairs of state and other important duties. Inspecting a fringe world of the empire would be last on the list of things he himself would be bothered with." The man wiped his face with a napkin, "No, dear sir, it is only you and I that are here to make decisions for our respective factions. I have granted your soldiers clearance to land on Serenno, allowing you to bring the war to this world, and I alone will be able to spin it in a way that will prevent the public from inciting rebellion, you need me as much as I need you to be in power."
"You do make one excellent point in that, then," Gor-lak finally agreed. There was merit behind the man's words, and they had the ring of a true ally, or one that was desirous for alliance. "So we remove your competition, and you become the greatest of the great houses, and manage the world in the name of the Emperor, after pacifying the people to submit to our rule."
"In exchange for better living conditions and more commerce through our world, as we are willingly giving up connections to the Republic and its trade routes, yes." Dooku corrected, shrewdly boxing Gor-lak into yet another concession. This one was indeed crafty.
"Agreed," Gor-lak said, finishing his food and starting to rise, where upon the officers leapt to attention, their own meals forgotten. "As pleasant as this meeting was, Count, I unfortunately have some pressing business that just cropped up, apparently someone allowed by landing craft clearance to set down on the planet, and the poor confused soldiers will need their commander to give them orders of where to go and who to attack."
"Well, that sounds very important, I wonder what fool allowed such a thing," Dooku added with a sly smile, "Good hunting then, my Lord."
Gor-lak departed the manor swiftly, knowing he had been outfoxed but resolute in the decision that if it had been anyone else, burning the manor to the ground would have been a viable option. But Dooku had had made an excellent point. They needed him to keep the public on their side, spinning what they were about to do this night into a story that would glorify the Empire rather than demonize it.
"All landers report that they were unhindered in their approach," one of the officers reported as they walked to the diplomats shuttle.
"Good, tell them that all troops are to depart for a ground assault upon multiply points, we will join them momentarily and give specific orders, the Great houses of Serenno will fall this day, and the planet will be ours."
Soon enough they were speeding over the wide landscape of the planet in the shuttle, heading toward a rather secluded area that was now filled with the armored forms of the Sith troopers, their weapons, and mechanical constructs for the express purpose of destruction.
Gor-lak relaxed somewhat, settling Kallig's Countance back upon his face. This was his element now, the preparation of battle, rather than the sordid affair that was politics and statecraft. In this aspect he did not envy the Emperor in the slightest. There was plenty of things to do that were interesting here on the front line, rather than sitting at some desk back on Dromund Kaas, keeping the others in line through fear of his position alone.
Then again, Gor-lak was sure that he could find a way to make even that seem interesting.
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Severus had been given nearly free reign to go where he pleased within the Jedi Temple, and whether he wanted to admit it or not, the place was a far cry from the metallic prison he had spent so long working in, and even if he had resumed his hated position as a teacher of children, or those at heart like Weasley, Severus was far happier here than he had been.
So, being forcefully reminded of the darkness at play in the wide Galaxy was not terribly pleasant, such as witnessing the preserved body of Colin Creevey, now a man somewhere in his mid twenties, lying in a secluded section of the Infirmary of the Temple, not too far from where the reported Jedi Grand Master lay in a coma caused by Potter, along with the suspicious trinket that Knight Lovegood, (he couldn't quite relate the confident Jedi knight to daft little Luna anymore,) had asked him to see.
Upon entering the room he already knew that indeed it was a work of dark magic, but it was of a signature that he was unfamiliar with, as he had spent a long lifetime studying primarily the work of the Death Eaters, which while rather comprehensive for recognizing their specific auras and tendencies with spells, left him slightly negligent of the possibility of other dark wizards. To be perfectly honest with himself, Severus had never expected to survive the war with Voldemort, but to be killed by one or the other side before the end. To have lasted this long was more taxing than the entire affair back on earth had been, but he had to press on for some reason. Fate had allowed him to tarry, and whether there was purpose in it or just blind luck, Severus had little choice but to go with it until a cause became clear.
Currently, it made sense to assist the Jedi against the madness that Potter was planning to unleash upon this Galaxy, but there was still a strange vacuum of purpose within him, some that that he just couldn't place.
Shunting aside these random thoughts, Severus set himself to the work of discovering who and by what means this amulet was made, and its intended purpose. Raising his wand, the item lifted into the air, the severed chain spreading out above it and turning several times as Severus cast diagnostic spells upon the trinket. Aside from the menacing purple aura, a small beam of white light shot from the center, pointing in a far off direction, while a teal cord of magic leeched itself from within the amulet, trailing to the ground where it dissipated, apparently the magic there severed abruptly.
To many, the small show of lights would be relatively meaningless, but Severus had seen all of these spells used before, just not in the same item or with such elegance in the spell crafting. While the dark aura was something he couldn't place, and chalked up to this mysterious 'Dark Side' that the Jedi had mentioned, the beam of white was a clear tracking and location charm, meant to allow the wearer to find a specific place or person, no matter where they went aside from concealing magic like a Fidelius Charm.
The severed cord on the other hand was the ill effect of a loyalty oath, although that raised powerful questions in Severus' mind. This particular spell was meant to be cast by a willing subject upon themselves in swearing undying loyalty to another, but by the look of the magic the oath had been forcefully transplanted onto the amulet, thus affecting whoever wore it to have the same oath, and punishment if they failed in the unknown conditions. To elude such a powerful spell, and warp it into effectively a curse was nothing short of miraculous, and the wizard that did it had to have been a genius to figure out such a simple, albeit probably painful, solution to such an oath.
It also presumable was the catastrophic downfall of little Creevey, the pendant itself being the physical manifestation of the loyalty oath, its removal functioned as though the oath was broken, and therefore broke the one who had, unintentionally and unknowingly, removed it. Not pleasant, not nice, and no countering what could not have been foreseen. It was a death that Severus wouldn't have wished on anyone, least of all the hyper little Slytherin that made the mistake of following after the wrong person so young.
There was little else for Severus to observe, as the young boy was quite gone to the world already, and all his other items had been categorized and examined by the other Professors, which meant that they weren't highly dark artifacts that specifically required him to look at them. The Potions master was about to leave the medical wing, when his attention was once again drawn to the form of the rodent-like Grand Master.
The Jenet, or so he learned her race was called, looked completely peaceful in her slumber, despite the number of medical devises monitoring her vitals and the pair of droids watching over her at all times, but Severus sensed that there was something else afoot with the Jedi Master that possibly he could help with.
As he approached however, one of the droids rose to intercept him, but Severus raised his hands defensively, "I'm one of the Hogwart's Professors, may I attempt something, I have a feeling that there's something I may be able to help with regarding the Grand Master."
The droid seemed to pause, calculating the request, before nodding and standing to the side to allow Severus passage. Approaching the bed on which the Jenet lay, Severus once again waved his wand, a battery of diagnostic spells on his lips, checking for anything slightly out of the ordinary with the magic that surrounded the creature.
He knew that this 'Force' was drastically different from the wizard magic that he and the others from Hogwarts possessed, but there had to be underlying similarities, and maybe he could affect whatever was preventing the Jedi from waking via that connecting similarity.
The report manifested itself in the air above the unconscious Jedi, stating that she was indeed locked within her own mind by a power quite unlike, although vaguely similar to magic, and Severus paused for only the merest of moments, wondering if he should tell someone before attempting the mad idea he was contemplating.
Settling on the droids, he spoke quickly, "I'll need a chair, and will likely be here motionless for some time. If anyone asks, I am delving into the Grand Master's mind to see if I can lead her out of her own coma, and return her to consciousness."
"Understood," the robot said mechanically, not really understanding the ramifications. It seemed that the droids understood the Force and magic about as much as the ordinary muggle from old earth, but even less so.
Still, once the chair had been provided, Severus gently slid open one of the eyes of the Jedi Master, allowing his own consciousness to slip in through the completely compromised defenses over her mind, sinking into the creature's psyche.
At first, all he could see was the white fog of what had, at one time, been powerful mental defenses, similar in function to Occlumency, but clearly different from anything that the Potions Master had ever witnessed before. Whomever this Jedi was, she was clearly quite as powerful as the others expressed, if not more. However, due to her condition, all these barriers and traps were also completely deactivation, allowing Severus' magic to probe further in, edging closer to the mental landscape that organized the living thoughts of the Genet.
It was a close to true mind reading as Legilimency would allow, communicating with the subconscious directly. The mind was not some easily deciphered book that one could open and read at their leisure, even the Dark Lord had had limits to how much he could glean when Severus spied on him for Dumbledore. Mostly people had been content with siphoning surface thoughts, sometimes digging deeper to determine the truth of someone's report, but no further, or else it risked damage to both the person performing the spell and the victim, or in this case patient.
But for some reason Severus felt confident that this was part of the reason that he had come to the Jedi Temple, and so he strove onward, and soon saw, more so than felt, the walls of the Jedi Temple fall into place around him. But it was clearly not the infirmary that he landed in, and the sensations were off slightly, so Severus was able to determine that this Jedi had built her mind around the edifice, as though the very structure was in and of itself her sanctuary. Poetic, but relatively irrelevant to Severus, as it just gave way to the complexity of her thoughts and how difficult it would be to find and reactivate her conscious self, pulling her out of this state.
Thoughts were not stray wisps in the air either, like Severus had found in most minds, but formed and arranged around the items they pertained to, particularly the multitude of beings inside Fae Coven's mindscape Jedi Temple. It seemed that the Grand Master had memories and thoughts regarding just about every individual that had ever set foot in those halls, and there they remained for her, those with more or stronger memories just glowing brighter and brighter with their weight of her will about them.
Severus had to look away when Lovegood's image strode past him without a glance, as it seemed like approaching the surface of a star. From what he remembered, the Grand Master had trained Lovegood personally, so that made a bit of sense.
After what felt like twenty minutes of fruitless wandering, Severus stopped and thought hard. There had to be a few places that the Jedi Master would feel most comfortable in, and naturally would go to in the Temple. He could already think of a few, namely the Council Chamber, Infirmary, and the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Even Severus had to admit that the final one was a magnificent place, allow one to simply stand or sit there and be at peace, the rushing water drowning out exterior thought and creating an ideal setting for internal reflection.
That was where he decided to go first, bypassing several memories without even bothering to glance at them, as it was not his place to invade the Jedi's private thoughts. He was fortunate to know the way around the Temple, as the Genet was indeed within the so called heart of the Temple, meditating near a loud waterfall, cross legged and seemingly completely one with the universe.
Severus approached, not near enough to loom over her, but close enough that his presence would be detected. Soon enough, the Genet did open her eyes and look at him in mild confusion. "I do not believe that I know you?" she said, honestly confused.
"I wouldn't presume that you would," Severus replied calmly, knowing that despite the Jedi's powerful control of their emotions, here in their own minds they wouldn't be in complete control, and disturbing topics might accidentally be brought up as they conversed. "I am not part of your memories." He added, presenting his wand as proof for the Jedi Master.
"Ah, you are a wizard, like the other Professors that Luna rescued from her home world." The Jedi said, nodding in her understanding.
"That is correct," Severus replied, "I am another of her Professors, who had arrived at the Temple some time after you had fallen into a coma, and because of my specialized talents I requested those guarding your body if I could try to assist by entering your mind and conversing with you directly."
The Jedi Master had sat silently through his minor explanations, and still looked thoughtful even as he fell silent. "So, that would explain the lack of peace that I feel from the Temple here. This is some sort of mental creation that I myself had created."
"Not the most impressive I've seen," Severus added, "but very close, and definitely the most complex. I wouldn't have dared to attempt entering your mind if you were conscious, as the defenses you have in place are quite formidable, but they were all lowered while you sleep. Hopefully I can assist you in returning to those at the Temple, who desperately want and need your guidance."
"Yes," Fae Coven said, standing to her albeit small height and walking toward Severus, "I must return, after I understand what the Force is trying to tell me here. I know I am missing something regarding our enemy, the Sith Emperor, but I cannot place what it is."
Severus knew what she meant. Often, as described by those in the upper levels of St. Mungos, magical patients who were in comatose states and revived spoke of some sort of quest or understanding that they had to achieve before waking, but many thought it just the mind actively working while the physical body healed. Now that he experienced it firsthand, Severus wasn't of the mind to disagree with those old thoughts.
"Well, waiting around here for the answer to come to us won't help," he suggested, "perhaps the answer is further inside the Jedi Temple of your mind, waiting for you to stumble upon it?"
"There will be dangers there, I can sense them…" Master Coven said, confidently.
"Probably, but it is the only way…" Severus answered, already noticing the lights of the chamber ahead starting to darken as they contemplated moving onward.
"There is something here trying to prevent me from learning what I need to save the Jedi Order… but we will brave the darkness once again…" the Jedi Master said, and at once her weapon flared to life in her hand, glowing with a violet hue as the small rodent creature led the way. Severus followed, wand giving off light of its own as he thought of the spell, but knowing that he was little more than an observer, and to try and fight anything himself could cause massive damage to both the Jedi and himself.
Through corridor there was a strange and rather abrupt change in the design and interior of the Temple. Gone was the pristine cleanliness that mirrored the real temple outside, replaced with rubble and ruins. There were no bodies to speak of, but the massive scorch marks and jagged edges to the walls spoke of a vicious battle that was waged throughout the building.
"What has happened here?" Severus found himself asking aloud.
"The fate that I fear for the Jedi Order," Grand Master Coven replied, holding her weapon aloft as its violet hue lit their way forward. "If answers are to be found, I know now where they may yet be recovered. We must go to the Holocron Vault, and consult with the Great Holocron."
Severus was not terrible sure what the small creature referred to, but dutifully followed. Through the twisting corridors they went, even having to scale down an elevator shaft as the mechanism had ceased to function. It was odd how realistic the Jedi's mind was, even in such a deep state of unconsciousness, but Severus prescribed it to being part of the highly powerful connection that the Jedi Master had with the building and its people.
Soon they arrived in the massive archive, its many thousands of records gone or destroyed, and the sealed door that Severus had seen one cast aside like scrap metal. There were lights far beyond them in the chamber beyond, sparkling invitingly.
Master Coven's pace quickened and Severus had to almost run to keep up. Nearer and nearer they drew, only to halt at the doorway of the chamber. They were not alone.
A black shadow emerged from the recesses of the room, and a blade of crimson flared to life, even as lights sprung throughout the room, glittering off hundreds of little cubes, pyramids, and a massive floating dodecahedral item that outshone all the others, shining pale white in the gloom.
"So, you've come at last, Master Coven," the dark shape whispered sinisterly, "and you've finally understood that which the darkness seeks…"