CHAPTER TEN
Korriban
"Why are we going to a Sith World?" Leia asked, dumbfounded.
"Your last trial you must face, before a Knight you can become," Yoda said, closing his eyes in meditation. "Meditate we must, before we arrive."
As the Jedi Masters across from her meditated, Leia's mind was running wild. She had only heard bits and pieces of information about the Sith World, and that it was a horrible place, full of the Dark Side of the Force and Sith ghosts trying to destroy whoever came to the planet. What was Yoda thinking?
"You must quiet your mind, or the planet will only take advantage of it," Obi-Wan said softly.
"Yes, Master Kenobi." Leia calmed her breathing, shifting her thoughts to the gardens of Alderaan...
"We're here," Obi-Wan said, startling Leia. "Or we're about to land, actually. There are a few things you should know before you land. We will drop you off at the mouth of the Valley of the Dark Lords. Your trial will be complete when you reach the Great Sith Temple."
"How will I know I'm there?"
"You'll know," Obi-Wan said grimly. "A bit about the wildlife. The terentateks, they feed off the blood of Force-sensitives and look a bit like rancors. Their claws and tusks are poisonous, so don't get near them. The shyracks are batlike creatures with razor sharp teeth, and they'll swarm you if you go into any of their caves. However it is winter on Korriban, so they should be dormant. Tukata are beasts that guard the tombs, they have sharp claws and teeth as well, they can communicate with each other as well."
"Any other deadly creatures I should know about?"
"I believe that is all. Here, take this," he said, handing her what she recognized as an ancient homing beacon. "Activate it when you reach the Sith Temple, and we'll come get you."
"And where will you be while I'm exploring Korriban?"
"We'll be orbiting the planet, waiting for your signal."
"I'll make sure to keep this safe," Leia said, tucking it into a small pocket inside her cloak. She felt the ship slightly jostle as it landed, signaling the beginning of her final trial.
"I'm taking off in five minutes," the pilot yelled. She could sense his uneasiness from here, and knew he was going to stick to his timeline.
"A strong will you have, important on this journey, it will be," Yoda said.
"Your parents would be very proud of you, Leia."
"Thank you," Leia said, trying not to choke up at the mention of her parents.
"Now you go, Leia Organa, to become one of us," Yoda said, stepping forward. "May the Force be with you."
"May the Force be with you," Leia echoed, bowing her head slightly.
"Now your provisions, I must get," the little green alien said, tottering back to the cabin.
"Whatever happens, do not enter the Temple after sundown. Staying on that dustball an extra night is far better than what you'll encounter in there," Obi-Wan said quickly.
"Wise advice, that is," the Jedi Grandmaster agreed as he hobbled back into the room. "Great care you must take, but well you will do."
"One minute!" the pilot shouted anxiously.
"I better get going, I'll see you at the Sith Temple," Leia called over her shoulder as she pulled up her hood.
The sense of foreboding coming from the Valley of the Dark Lords was indescribable. Part of Leia wanted to activate her homing beacon now just to get away from this place, but then she would never become a Jedi Knight.
Ignoring what her instincts were telling her to do, Leia walked down the incline, making careful observations of the dark place she was descending into.
It was early morning now, and the valley was still in darkness, although how much of that was due to the legitimate lack of light Leia couldn't say. So far everything was quiet, although she could swear she saw things moving on the cliff walls out of the corner of her eye. Once at the bottom, she realized that the walls were not just mounds of earth, but rather columns of stone that had been erected what seemed like thousands of years ago. Much of the facade had crumbled away, leaving only the functional components. Everything seemed to be made out of the same deep red stone, the looming statues, the empty entrance ways leading to tombs that contained what were probably the darkest artifacts in the galaxy.
Already Leia could feel the effects of the dark side, the way the air was heavy and still, weighing on her shoulders like an invisible ton of bricks. Pushing it from her mind, she looked ahead, seeing the outline of a building larger than the rest.
That has to be the Temple, Leia thought to herself. It was several miles away, but she should be able to reach it before sundown. Picking up her pace, Leia barely had time to jump out of the way when a small, spiky rancor-like creature lunged out of one of the many doorways. Remembering Obi-Wan's warning, Leia gave the animal's claws and teeth a wide berth, looking for a chink in the beast's armor. And that was no easy task, as the terentatek was far more vicious than she had expected. It seemed to be able to anticipate her every move, and was completely immune to any Force efforts on her part.
Leia's lightsaber hissed against the animal's hide once again and it let out a deafening roar, causing some rocks to break loose from the valley walls. Dozens more echoed in the distance, and Leia realized this was a battle she was not going to win. Twice the animal had already gotten it's claws far too close to her. As the terentatek charged towards her once again, Leia Force jumped out of the way at the last second, focusing all her energy on flying through the heavy air and onto a narrow ledge.
Leaving the confused beast on the valley floor, Leia darted along the narrow ledge, hopefully leaving the animal behind.
"You don't think Korriban is a bit of an extreme trial?" Obi-Wan asked, looking down into the valley.
"Sure she must be, of her power against the Dark Side," Yoda said, puzzled by her decision to not kill the terentatek. They had instructed her on how to take down various Sith beasts, especially since this would be her final trial. "And here we will be, if too much, it is."
"I hope you're right," Obi-Wan said, firing up the landspeeder as Leia ran towards the Temple.
Leia looked around at the Sith statues, trying to decipher who they were commemorating and why. It had been difficult fighting and using the Force in such an oppressive atmosphere and against such a vicious beast, but there had to be more to her trial than just killing various beasts. She'd already had to take out a few shyracks that had been disturbed by her sprint, but that was hardly challenging.
The Sith Temple was far closer than she had anticipated, and she jumped down from the ledge, satisfied she had left the terentateks at least two or three clicks behind.
An eerie light pulsed from the top of the red pyramidal building, a wide line of black bricks broke the monotony of red and divided the structure in half. The pyramid was supported by columns underneath, combined with the darkness it gave the impression of a cavern rather than a man-made structure.
Leia was on the opposite side of the courtyard, and even from there the building felt alive somehow. A dark, ancient energy radiated from the top of the structure, and only grew stronger and more overwhelming as Leia tried to find its source. Abandoning her effort, Leia fortified her mental shields and proceeded through the courtyard, carefully examining the statues for any sort of traps.
Surprisingly the temple didn't seem to have much in the way of physical deterrents, but Leia didn't dare let her guard down. Obi-Wan had told her that whatever was waiting for her down here would make itself known, a thought that wasn't exactly reassuring.
Her steps echoed throughout the stone space as she entered, the sound of her robes seemed to ripple across the smooth surfaces as well, yet nothing seemed to be concerned with her presence.
Examining the massive room before her, Leia eventually spotted the shape of a stone basin in the center of the space. Cautiously approaching it, she could see writing on the sides of the column in a language she could not understand. Her Force probes didn't detect anything inherently harmful about the object, and as she reached forward to brush some of the dust off, a voice said,
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
The green lightsaber was humming in front of her in a split second, it's light shining on a tall, thin, and pale man in dark robes.
"Are you one of the Sith Lords?" Leia asked.
"I am. Darth Bane," the man said, his voice low and unwavering. "What brings you here? You're strong in the Force, much stronger than anyone else that has come here."
"My trials," Leia said confidently. "Why shouldn't I touch it?" she asked, gesturing back to the basin.
"It will tempt you to the Dark Side," Darth Bane said. "After that I will have to try my hardest to show you the true power you possess."
"Wouldn't that be something you would want me to do then?"
"Not quite. Your power is quite impressive with the rudimentary training you possess. With my knowledge, I could make you several times more powerful, more powerful than Darth Sidious, the man you so despise."
That must be the Emperor's Sith name, Leia thought.
"Why would you want to train to overthrow a Sith Lord? It doesn't make any sense."
"You don't understand. It is far, far more exciting to have a pupil with your potential come to us willingly, ready to accept the trials of the Sith Order, than to be persuaded by brute force, or manipulated into joining. Instead of a dedicated apprentice you wind up with a rabid dog, biting at the first semblance of power. That method destroyed my order, brought about by Darth Sidious," the man scowled. "He thinks he will never die, that the Rule of Two will not continue without him! Fool! There is always one stronger, one more willing to due whatever is necessary. He is stagnating the Order, killing it! But you, you could restore the Order, bring balance to the galaxy. When my Rule was dutifully followed, we only grew stronger. Our Order coincided with galactic peace for millennia. And then Sidious and his predecessor, they went too far. They tried to control what was not theirs to control, and now look what has happened to the galaxy!"
"The Emperor destroys everything he touches, that I can agree with you. However, I'm afraid I've already chosen a side."
"Tragic, the strongest never seem to know their own strength. Have it your way, Skywalker," and with that, the man disappeared.
Slightly unsettled by the Sith Lord knowing her name, Leia steeled her nerves and took a step forward, touching the cool stone with her hand.
TBC...