"It's not that simple." Jarda argued in the cockpit. They had been in flight for days. "How could it be more complicated than that?" Rey shot back in irritation. "It's a hidden planet Rey. They have you jump around systems to make sure no one follows you, and trust me, there's bound to be someone following you." Rey huffed in defeat as Jarda adjusted the nav again. It seemed like they had been going in circles just for the hell of it.
Rey had mentioned the fact that they had found a bug in the systems once they started researching the planet. Jarda was unsurprised. "As much as you'd like to think you eliminated all of the Sith and Dark Side users in the galaxy, there's a fair chance that contingency groups are monitoring key phrases like.. I dunno.. The major Sith planets." she's said with a roll of her eyes like it was common knowledge. "The First Order is just one part of a much bigger web as you found out on Exegol. While they may have been the most dominant, they certainly aren't the last. I wouldn't even be surprised if some of them were waiting for us once we get there."
The past few days had been more than interesting. Jarda and her men were quite guarded and on edge. Rey couldn't sense any immediate danger and knew they held little fear for her. Theo and Doj had spent most of their time playing Sabacc and arguing with each other. Jarda had kept mostly to herself and stayed out of the way, except when it came to piloting the ship, which was a constant point of tension between them.
Rey couldn't help her curiosity when it came to how Jarda knew all of this supposedly secret information. She looked quite young, early thirties, but had an air of innocence and softness that was often hidden behind her hard outer shell. Rey had asked questions on occasion but was always met with snippy remarks about how trust works both ways. "How should I believe telling you anything would be beneficial to me if you won't even tell me the real reason you want to go here anyway?' She'd respond. Rey couldn't blame her, but she couldn't risk the information so eventually she'd just given up.
"We've got three more jumps and we're there. Sixteen hours tops. Everyone better rest up while you have the chance. There's no telling what we're going to find once we get in the system." Jarda announced before making her way to the small quarters she'd been given. Rey sighed, she was probably right. Raising herself from the seat she had been in, comfortably watching yet another Sabacc game between the two men. "You heard her boys." she threw over her shoulder as she made her way back to her bedroom. She heard them moan and bristle at her words as she walked down the hall.
Rey made her way into the bed, kicking her boots off. She hated to admit it, but she was glad for the company on the ship. She had sorely missed any kind of interaction, and it was nice to feel, if only for a short time, like she wasn't so alone. Her knees pressed into the bed as she made her way to the center, sitting back down and pulling her legs to cross in front of her. She closed her eyes to meditate. Each time silently hoping that somehow she would be able to connect with Ben again.
Her mind travelled back to Jarda. The presence Rey felt when they met had seemingly gone undetected by the other woman. That, or she was doing an expert job at hiding her knowledge of it. They had immediately slipped into a rather cold relationship, keeping to themselves for the most part and arguing when they finally came together to pilot.
Rey had been cautious, but curious about the group. They hadn't offered any additional information about themselves, and no one was willing to bring anything up. They had a mutual goal, and that was it. But why had the Force been so adamant about trusting them? That was the unspoken question Rey meditated on that was continually left unanswered.
She wasn't sure how long she meditated before she felt her shoulders begin to droop. Instead of breaking the meditation, she let herself fall back slowly onto the bed and kick her legs out until sleep came over her.
When she woke, she found she had slept much longer than she had anticipated. Not to mention however long she had spent in meditation. They had a little less than an hour before they would reach the system. Rey readied herself and attempted to prepare her mind for whatever they would face. There was no telling who or what she might end up finding, and the little she knew and studied about some of the abominations the Sith had created were enough fodder for her imagination.
"You're driving me crazy with all of that" Jarda had commented once Rey reached the cockpit. Rey shot a sideways glance at the woman who adjusted the controls distractedly. "You can hear my thoughts?" she questioned. "Don't worry dear, not all of them." Jarda threw her a smug look. "But fear is wafting off like a stench. I thought Jedi had no fear?" She pushed.
Rey bit her lip in irritation. Jarda wasn't wrong, Rey was afraid, there was a lot to lose if she failed. She had thought she was doing a better job at masking her emotions though. "I'm not a Jedi." Rey said softly, remembering her time back on Ahch-To. This was a chance to bring balance back to the Force. The Jedi code and way of thinking, while better than the Sith in many respects, was still an unbalanced interpretation.
Jarda snapped her attention to Rey. "Wait, I knew you weren't formally trained but that's what you want, right?" Her green eyes clouded in confusion. Rey leaned back into her chair and stared at the ceiling. "It's… more complicated than that. I don't believe the Jedi or the Sith were correct in their beliefs in the Force. I believe the Force just.. Is. If you go too far in either direction you'll end up with an unbalanced perspective. So no, I'm not a Jedi, nor do I want to be, and yes" she looked back out to the stars in front of them. "I am afraid."
Jarda blinked for a moment, but stayed silent. Rey could sense the confusion in the other woman, and conflict with her own beliefs. "I thought that way once." she said slowly. Rey looked back at her. She was gazing out the window, but her mind looked like she was far away. She didn't offer any other comments and before Rey could inquire further the ship dropped out of hyperspace and the dark green planet floated before them.
The moment was lost as the thick, dark presence pushed against them. Any fear Rey had felt before was only amplified. It felt like every nightmare come to life. Pulling her conscious down into a sea of dread. She took a moment to breathe and steady her mind. Jarda had warned her that the presence of the Dark Side on the planet had been enough to scare even strong Jedi out of orbit. Rey knew fighting the Darkness would only make it work. She breathed in and let some of it enter, then exhaled and let it recede to the corners of her mind. "Balance" the voice whispered in her mind.
"There's a temple hidden in the jungles. It gets worse the closer you get." Like clockwork, Rey felt the darkness grew heavier as they closed in on the planet. It was like Sith whispers in the back of their minds, tugging, pulling them down with them. Filling their heads. The Darkness in her consciousness expanded and Rey began to feel like she couldn't breathe. Her chest weighed her down and her eyes began to flutter. It felt as powerful as when she had talked to Harmaa in the cave. Kriff! That was exactly what it felt like. The raw, unbridled power of the Force. Only here it was deeply tainted.
Rey's mind raced. She would never be able to find the stone if she was in this state. She needed to get this under control. Her body felt like it was exploding with fear and anger. Rey pulled herself deep into her mind. She took a moment to identify the feelings she felt pulling her down. Fear. Anger. Guilt. Pain. She pushed them away and tried to focus on the emotions she had felt in the Jedi Temples. Hope, Love, Peace. The two sides were visible in her mind's eye and she felt the electricity spark between the two. Her breathing returned to normal. She could feel the turmoil in herself, but she had reigned it in far enough to function.
Next to her, Jarda seemed on the edge of explosion herself. Her knuckles were white, and her mouth was pursed into a thin line. Instinctively Rey grabbed a hold of the small amount of peace in her own mind and tried to push as much of it as she could out of her hand, placing it on the woman's shoulder.
Slowly Jarda's tensed muscles loosened. She looked back over at Rey. "How did you do that?" she questioned shaking her head. Rey only offered a weak smile in return. "Balance" she said in barely a whisper. Maybe that was true, but the inner turmoil in her mind said otherwise. Jarda only nodded her head before turning back to the controls. They were nearly in the atmosphere now. Jarda guided the ship down through the jungle. "It should be.. Here." she said and landed the ship on the overgrown launchpad. It was hard to tell what was nearby with all of the overgrown forest.
They made their way back to the ship but it was evident the planet was taking its toll on both of them. Theo and Doj stood ready and waiting. They both appeared to be much less affected then Rey and Jarda were. "Everyone ready?" Jarda eyed the group. "Remember what we talked about. Be on alert and if anything goes wrong.. We get the hell out of here."
Rey nodded with the rest. Jarda had been vague about what they would encounter. She had only heard rumors of the dark temple they were headed into. They hadn't run into anyone so far, but if what Jarda had mentioned was true, there was a good chance that another sector of Sith Eternal lived on the planet, and there was no telling if they would be walking right into a trap.
They exited the ship and the cool, misty forest air rose to meet them. Jarda led them towards a nearby hill which, upon closer inspection, was a black obsidian structure overgrown with large purple vines. Rey stood back as Jarda lit her red saber for the first time and began to cut their way through to the entrance. The rest followed closely behind, Rey's blue blade contrasting with the dark scenery around her.
The entrance had two slabs of stone covering the doorway. Jarda gave a subtle glance towards Rey and nodded to the side. They each pulled on the stones and felt the earth rumble as they parted. They took a breath and checked their surroundings before moving in. Rey was amazed to find the physical toll of using the Force was much harsher than she had imagined. She had been so preoccupied keeping the clashing sides in her mind at bay, and keeping a lookout for nearby disturbances.
They lit the passage as they moved forward slowly down under the earth. The narrow path sloped gently downward. The only light came from the gentle glow of their sabers, reflecting on the smooth and shiny obsidian walls. Rey began to notice the deeper they descended the walls were carved with a jagged script. The whispering in the back of her mind grew louder as though a thousand voices were speaking at once. Rey moved her eyes to the darkness in front of her and breathed a small sigh of relief as the hall opened up into a great room. Statues of dark figures loomed before them, all with the same dark texts written below them.
The center of the room rose to a tall pedestal with an intricate altar. It was long in width, but only a few feet deep. Every step Rey took towards it felt like a pull. Jarda and her men were walking the perimeter in search of whatever artifact they had come for. Manifestos, books, notes, anything. Rey began moving up the steps and noticed the top of the slab was cracked and broken. All of the darkness she had felt nearing the structure led to this one point. It was as though it was bleeding out of the stone.
This had to be it. Rey peered down and suddenly realized this was no altar, it was a tomb. An empty tomb. The cracked slab that had once been laid over the top was broken and in pieces around the base. Rey swallowed slowly and pushed the fear from her mind once more to peer down into the tomb. Whoever had laid here was intoxicatingly evil, beyond anything Rey could have imagined. The twisted corruption and perversion of the Dark Side that had been easy to ignore before was screaming all around her.
She willed herself to look down and search inside, only to find it empty. Frantic confusion swirled around her thoughts. All this and nothing was even there? No body? Artifacts? So much darkness simply lingered there. Rey backed away slowly and turned to join the others. "Jarda, there's nothing here. Please tell me you've found something." the called, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice.
"It's empty Rey. There's nothing here but the memory of the Sith who laid here." she said bitterly and thrust her saber into the stone nearby, sending red sparks flying around her. They stood silently for a moment. "Um, hate to bring this up but.. Does anyone know why the tomb is empty though. Should we be worried about that?" Theo gestured around them. He had a point.
"No. That was expected." Jarda responded. "The tomb belonged to a dark Sith lord who was revived from the dead." she eyed Rey. "It was said he also had a hidden fortress on the planet that none have been able to find. I was hoping we would find some sort of clue here." she kicked at the earth again irritated. "And you didn't think to tell me that little detail?" Rey's voice rose. Why had Jarda told her this was a temple? What else was she hiding?
Rey turned back around to the room in search of the exit. The whispering hadn't subsided and the intoxicating presence of the Darkness around them threatened to pull her down with it. She scanned the room. Paused, and scanned again. "Jarda" she called, fear creeping into her voice as she scanned the room for the third time. Jarda's eyes followed hers before she made the connection. Each of the black walls were smooth. The writing had disappeared, and so had their only way out.