Chapter Four: Silver Path
I dreamt I was back in the Sith library, fighting with Jona. My body was huge and grotesque, possessed by the form of Exar Kun. Claws protruded from my fists, dragging across the ground and leaving smoldering ruts. I held two double-bladed sabers, hammering down her guard as she desperately tried to defend herself. Opening my mouth, I sucked her Force energy dry, leaving her a mundane shell. As she fell to her knees, I slammed my foot into her chest, knocking her to her back. Throwing both of my sabers, they rotated like circular saws as they slowly passed through her. By the end, there was nothing left.
Returning to the surface, I was taller than the trees, knocking them aside as I sprinted towards the Praxeum. Trees were knocked aside, mountains were pulverized as I continued to grow. Easily stepping over the walls, the Jedi underfoot were crushed, their life force drained to fuel me as I grew larger than the planet. The galaxy was swallowed up into the void of my body. In the end, there was nothing but my hunger.
Shaking myself awake from the nightmare, I was covered in cold sweat. It was still dark, meaning I had only been asleep for a few hours. Going back to sleep wasn't an inviting prospect, so I went for a walk to clear my thoughts. As I got out of bed, my body ached from the uncomfortable position I had been in, and the frightened thrashing my nightmare had caused. Instinctively, my path took me to the battle training arena. Striding into the weapons shack, I grasped one of the training saberstaves. Outside, I felt Jona approach.
"Get me one too, Torr."
I grabbed her a single bladed saber and went out to join her. Tossing her the weapon, we began to face off. I started with a single blade on my staff extended, and as we sparred we started with no Force powers, just testing our martial skills. Our blades danced and locked, using a combination of finesse and strength to get the upper hand on each other. At one point her leg swept out to try and knock me down, but I jumped over it, using the Force to careen over her head. With that, we began to use all of the powers in our arsenals. She was almost overpowering with the Force, her telekinetic blasts knocking me off balance for her to follow up with her saber.
One of her strikes broke through my guard, and she restrained herself from making contact with my skin, with the shimmering yellow blade hovering over my neck.
"One." She said tauntingly. I resumed my fighting stance, and launched back at her. Jona was so much stronger than the last time I had fought her, effortlessly using her saber like a rapier to twist and parry my attacks before following up with her own Force-augmented strikes that left my arms feeling sore from blocking. When we locked sabers, I tried to escape by falling back to get distance. Jona took the opportunity to hurl me back with extra Force, making me fall flat on the ground. Rushing into the opening, she stood over me with one foot on my forearm and the blade of her saber held to my throat.
"Two." I said grudgingly when she didn't, and she let me back up.
Igniting the other end of my saber, I launched into the next attack, separating my staff into two separate blades. While I had her in a saber lock with one blade, I slashed at her legs with the other. My hand was suspended in midair as she gripped my saber with the Force. Digging my heels into the ground, I heaved against her and finally broke through. I held the blade an inch away from her leg, and she fell backwards in simulated defeat.
"One." I said, a smile crossing my face.
As she stood up again, our duel resumed. I switched up the pace of the fight by re-attaching my blades into a staff and whirled into motion. The exhilaration of battle was freeing me of my worries and stress, the familiar smells and scenery making me feel genuine joy. I was so distracted by the sensations that Jona was able to get the upper hand. She halted me in my tracks by trapping me in the crushing prison that she had used on me in the library, though not nearly as painful. I was barely able to resist it and raise my saber as she swung at me, deflecting her blow.
I could feel that dark hunger rising in me again, wanting to drain Jona's energies like before. Resisting the urge to turn it on her, I instead used the power to absorb the Force energies clamping down on me. A rush of power coursed through me as I devoured the energy that Jona directed at me, fuelling my movements and attacks. Every time Jona attempted to move me with the Force, I sucked up that power and struck harder.
The duel came down to our skill with the saber as her largest advantage disappeared. Jona now attempted to get distance between us, but I wouldn't let her go. I detached my sabers again and hurled one at her, using the Force to guide it. Throwing the other one to attack her other side, I caught her in a pincer between my blades. She blocked one of the airborne blades but the other one halted just before striking her. Lowering her weapon, she laughed and said "Two."
With that, she vanished. Jona was masking her Force aura, making her completely invisible to my sight. I could hear her footsteps approaching, so I reconnected my saberstaff and threw out my hand. Lightning burst from my fingertips, striking Jona as she blocked the bolts. I could 'see' her where she was in contact with my lightning, and I hurled my saberstaff at her, the double-bladed weapon spinning around towards her. Jona used the Force to stop its spin and caught the weapon, then stomped on the ground. A tremor ran under my feet, knocking me down.
All of the electricity that Jona had saved, she now discharged through my saber, sending electricity crackling and sparking into the ground. She leaped up high, and came down with both sabers striking. Rolling out of the way, I denied her and easy victory though I was still mostly blind. Deactivating the weapons, she was once again hidden. Using both of my hands, I cast out a wide arc of lightning but struck nothing. I heard her footsteps touch down on top of the weapons shack and whirled around to face her.
Jona ignited one of her blades, the only thing I could see of her, but I felt something behind me. I dodged off to the side just as she ignited my saber behind my back, attempting to stab me from behind. Yanking on it hard, I returned my weapon to my hands and barely deflected Jona's attack as she jumped down from the higher position on top of me. She was still mostly invisible, only her weapon emanating enough Force energy for me to make out.
Suddenly feeling a grip around my throat, Jona hefted me into the air with the Force and I immediately activated my absorption power, taking in Jona's energy and falling to the ground. I had my weapon out and ready, but Jona was already behind me, ready to grapple. Her hand knocked my weapon down, while her other hand twisted my free arm behind my back and her les knocked me off balance. I was on the ground in an instant, one hand pressing my face into the dust and the other holding a blaster pistol to my spine.
"Three." Jona said, breathing hard. The duel was over. Releasing me from the pin and helping me up, Jona gave me a tight hug. I gingerly returned it, my body sore from the thrashing she had delivered. She had beaten me, but I was happy for it. Ever since we had escaped the library, it was like everything was a learning experience. Jona and the Masters had shown me how arrogant I had been before, and now reality was hitting me hard in the face. I was not the best. I was not the smartest, and I was certainly not invincible. I hoped that under Master Katarn, wisdom would force its way into my reckless skull.
"Thanks," was all I could say. "I wasn't sleeping well, and I needed to blow off some steam. I think I'm ready to try again."
Jona smiled, and kept my hand in hers.
"Lead the way." She said.
We fell back into bed together and eventually fell asleep. She was still there when I woke up, one arm under her neck and one arm draped over her waist. Giving her a small shake, Jona stirred and rolled out of bed, collecting and donning her robes before departing without a word. It was another goodbye, but now I felt more confident than ever that I would come back. I got dressed on my own and waited in my room for a while. Kyle soon came by to talk to me.
"Well, Torr, the day is upon you again. The crystal caves are about a day's trek from here if you start now. Are you ready?"
"I am. I'm sure of it."
"Good, good. Stay confident in yourself, Torr. Remember that the Force is not inherently good or evil- it's how you use it. We walk a fine line between those two worlds, Torr, but stay true to yourself."
I nodded to my Master. "I will, Kyle. I'm ready."
Kyle nodded, and clapped me on the shoulder.
"Let's get you out the door then, apprentice. Hit the ground running!"
With that, he turned and started running out the door. After a brief hesitation, I grabbed my travel pouch containing the unfinished lightsaber and followed. He was fast, dashing through the corridors of the Praxeum with me close behind. As we entered the walled courtyard, he continued to dash straight for the wall and jumped, leaping over twenty feet and clearing the wall. Instead of jumping clear over the wall, a feat I knew I couldn't accomplish, I jumped on top of the weapons shack first and used that to boost me as I leaped over the wall as well. My Master was standing and waiting for me in the clearing between us and the jungle. A nearby road led to the exterior spaceport.
Kyle handed me a blaster rifle, a much larger weapon than my pistols which were now buried in the rubble of Exar Kun's library.
"Here, take this. It's dangerous out there and a blaster pistol won't cut it most of the time. Most Jedi scoff at using blasters, but sometimes the situation calls for a slightly less elegant solution. Never turn down a possible advantage over your enemies."
Taking the blaster, I felt its weight. It was surprisingly light, and a small display showed that its power cell was full. The weapon felt old and well-used, judging by scuff marks across the barrel and grip. It even looked like a lightsaber had scored the bottom of the weapon, but the damage seemed to be purely aesthetic. I bowed to my Master.
"I'll see you soon then, Kyle. Thank you for giving me another chance."
"I've used up more chances than I can count, you've got catching up to do." He said, laughing. He pointed towards the jungle. "If you're not back in four days, we'll start looking. Make us proud."
Nodding, I set off towards the distant woodland for the second time. As I was immersed in the jungle, I wasn't choked and oppressed by the darkside presence that surrounded me. It was background noise, not a smothering blanket. I made my way quickly and quietly through the jungle, not encountering any predators though I could feel them around me. I got the feeling they feared me, as they would clear out of my path as I approached them. Perhaps they knew that I had killed hundreds of them within Exar Kun's gauntlet.
As I went deeper, I began to realize that they weren't running from me. There was something else behind me, stalking me as I rushed towards the caves. It kept a low profile, but when I turned to face it, the monster attacked. I don't know how I didn't hear it, the creature was so massive. Four large, carapaced legs each ending in a wicked spike. The beast stood at least two times my height, with a long neck supporting its head that was more mouth than anything else.
Dodging back, I avoided the creature's initial bite. I raised my blaster rifle and fired several shots, striking the green beast in the neck and head. It shrieked in pain, but wasn't stopped by my initial burst. With stealth now surrendered to combat, I tried to escape the monstrosity but it was far faster than me, even when using the Force to speed my movements. It crashed through trees and shattered boulders. I couldn't escape it on foot.
Instead of continuing to flee, I turned to face it. The creature struck out at me with its limbs, trying to impale me on its spiked legs. I jumped up after one of its ground slams, landing on its back behind its head. The creature began to buck, trying to throw me off. I held on tight and placed several blaster shots on the base of its neck, which only enraged it further as it began slamming into trees to dislodge me. The blaster rifle was knocked from my hands during its frenzy, and I was nearly crushed against the tree trunks. Shimmying up the monster's neck, I placed my hands on both sides of its thrashing head and focused on changing its thoughts. Like the tuk'ata before, I could see its bestial consciousness and it was just a matter of changing its perception. I was not food. I was Master.
With that paradigm shift, the beast stopped its rampage. I grinned as I felt the beast calm itself. Using the Force to pull my blaster rifle back up to me, I directed my new pet to continue on towards the crystal caves. It dropped into a low, stealthy stance and began to creep through the jungle with me atop its back. It made scarcely any noise as it traveled, and its green body blended in horribly well with the jungle. I was lucky to be alive.
On top of my mount, traveling through the foliage was much easier than on foot. I reached the caves with about an hour of sunlight left, and its appearance was rather anticlimactic- the mountain itself wasn't terribly large, and the cave was a mere tunnel that sloped down into the ground. My pet sniffed around the entrance to the cave and growled; Laying a hand on its head ridge, I saw into its thoughts and found it was hungry. It smelled nothing to eat inside of the cave.
Go hunt. I commanded it, and jumped off its back. The creature returned to the jungle to find food, and I stepped into the dark cave. It wasn't very deep, only going down about fifty feet. I could feel the Force all around me, trapped in crystalline form. Colors surrounded me as the crystals all called out for my attention. They were reacting to my presence like mirrors, taking in my aura and reflecting back warped echoes. I was stunned by the beauty of the place. Greens and blues, purples and yellows glittered like nebulas all around me. Running my hands along the crystals, I could feel them pulsing and flashing, talking to me in their own way.
I spent hours in the cave, investigating every single growth. I knew that I only needed to take one, but choosing one voice amongst the cacophony of lights seemed impossible. I noticed, in all of the clamor, a single dark spot. One crystal I had overlooked. I approached the anomaly and found a single runty three-pronged crystal that sprouted from the ground. It was silvery and cool to the touch, and easily broke off in my hand when I pulled on it. As I held it up to my face, the crystal began to break apart and dissolve, leaving behind two gleaming white pearls.
As I held the spherical crystals in my hand, I knew I had found what I had come for. Kneeling on the ground, I retrieved the unfinished lightsaber. Levitating the weapon in front of me and disassembling it, I placed one of the spheres in each of the sabers' focusing chambers. Reassembling the weapon, I ignited the saberstaff. Two brilliant silver blades extended from the hilt, thrumming as I swung it around experimentally. When I separated the staff into two single blades, the weapons felt light and powerful in my hands, like the crystal was actively helping me. I felt utterly in tune with my weapon, like it was an extension of my aura.
I was about to leave the cave when I felt an ominous force at the entrance. Far ahead of me stood some horrible monster, a tuk'ata of such monstrous proportions that it couldn't have been natural. I felt such powerful darkness emanating from it, I realized that I recognized the presence as Exar Kun. The Sith ghost had possessed the tuk'ata that was now facing me down. The animal growled and roared, barking out a series of harsh commands. Other tuk'ata began charging down the tunnel towards me, under the baleful gaze of Exar Kun. My lightsaber tasted battle immediately as the hounds swarmed towards me. The first two leaped at me and I beheaded them in midair. Another one lunged at me while his packmates tried to flank me, but I let out a telekinetic burst that flung all three of them back, impaling them on the crystals that surrounded us. Their wounded yelps echoed as I began to charge up towards the packmaster.
Reconnecting my saberstaff, I spun around in a vicious twirls as I worked my way back up towards the surface. More beasts started to pour in as I advanced on Exar Kun. Not just tuk'ata, but all of the dark creatures of the jungle seemed to follow the Sith Lord's command. Shyracks flew in, circular mouths full of needle-sharp teeth. I hacked their wings off and stomped on their fragile chests. Nexu slithered in, but I grasped their long whip-like tails with the Force and hurled them into the crystals, impaling them as I had the tuk'ata.
As I drew closer to Exar Kun himself, he began to snarl and prepare to attack. I had broken the last of his minions when a large green mouth descended and gripped Exar Kun, lifting him off the ground. My pet had returned, hearing the sounds of battle. Shaking the giant tuk'ata around, Exar Kun freed himself by raking his claws across my ally's face. Blood dripped from deep gashes across its eyes, and my pet stumbled backwards. Exar Kun went in for the killing blow, but I dragged him closer to me with the Force. Those hateful eyes turned back at me and I prepared to meet him. I tried to hold him still with the Force, but he shrugged it off. Exar Kun was using his own Force powers to augment the tuk'ata's natural Force resistance.
Roaring, he lunged at me and I slashed at him with one end of my lightsaber. Exar Kun's teeth gripped my blade and attempted to wrench it from my grasp, but I turned off that blade and swung around to strike with the other half. He dodged back, and we stared each other down for a few moments. Attempting to goad him into a headlong attack, I spoke.
"You've failed, Kun. Your legacy has crumbled. You now inhabit a beast. The galaxy will forget your name, and everything you cherished will crumble to dust"
Exar Kun fell for the taunt and rushed me, teeth snapping and claws swiping. Drawing my blaster rifle with my free hand, I fired several shots straight down the tuk'ata's gullet. Smoke and blood exploded out of Exar Kun's mouth as he stumbled back. The bear-sized hound was coughing, trying to catch his breath when I charged in with my saberstaff and slashed twice- once horizontally, nearly slicing the beast in half, and once vertically. The corpse of the beast slumped back, and I could feel Exar Kun's presence escaping from it.
Thrusting my saber into the ghost's misty blue body, I unleashed my hunger for the Force and drained the Sith Lord's remaining Force energy. It flowed into my body through my saber, energizing both me and my crystals. When the essence of the Sith Lord was totally gone, I finally let out a sigh of relief. There was no trace of his presence left, his incorporeal body drained and his willpower broken. He would never rejoin the Force, and his dark stain was banished.
Turning my attention to my wounded pet, I drew close to ease its pain. The slash across its face had blinded it, and I ran my hands over its face to seal the gashes. The animal's panic subsided and I helped it get to its feet. Guiding it to the cave, I acted as my pet's eyes as we crawled down into the cave to rest. The massive creature could barely fit without being stabbed by the crystals within the cavern.
Inspecting my saber, I made sure that its first battle hadn't left any damage. Other than blood and scorched fur, there was nothing wrong with it from what I could see. The crystals continued to radiate their silver aura, which matched so well with mine it felt like they were a missing part of my spirit that had finally been reunited with the rest of me. Already, I couldn't bear the thought of being separated from them.
I rested against my companion's belly as we both drifted off to sleep. It had been a long day of travel, and the battle had been particularly taxing. Absorbing Exar Kun had given me a brief rush of energy, but that had been drained when I healed my pet's wounds. I decided that the creature needed a name, and I certainly wanted to keep it.
"Torak. That was my father's name." I said, and Torak let out content chirping. Drifting off to sleep, I didn't wake up until well into noon the next day. Sunlight filtered through the cave mouth, muffled by the tree cover but still warm on me and my companion. Torak stirred awake at the same time I did, and I led him out by keeping my hand on its neck as we both walked forward.
I shared my sight with my mount as we began our journey back towards the Praxeum. It was a relatively uneventful trip back, as Exar Kun had called many of the local predators to the slaughter- and Torak still scared those who remained away. Since we started late in the day, nightfall came before we reached home. I allowed Torak to hunt for a few hours before walking the rest of the way home. As we emerged from the tree cover, I activated my comlink and contacted my Master.
"Kyle, I'm back. And I brought a friend."
He emerged from the Praxeum, and was visibly startled as I strode towards the entrance of the Academy. His hand drifted towards his lightsaber, but he didn't draw the weapon.
"Torr, you're riding an acklay? Sithspit, you're going to be a handful of an apprentice."
I smiled, now having a name for Torak's species. Sliding from my pet's back, I commanded the creature to stay put. Without me sharing my vision with him, Torak let out nervous whining.
I held my saberstaff in front of Kyle, and activated it. Two silver blades leaped out , illuminating us with a white glow. He nodded in approval.
"Very nice work, Torr. You're as properly armed as a Jedi should be. Now come on inside, and let's get some rest. Tomorrow we're going to Coruscant."
Following Kyle inside, I bade Torak to wait outside of the Praxeum for me.
"Are you going to want to take him with us?" Kyle asked, obviously worried about my answer.
"Of course, Master. He's blind, he needs me to see." I said.
"Mmm. Well, as long as he doesn't eat anybody, I can arrange to have him transported as well. Though I'm not sure how a ten-foot crustaceous carnivore will fit in where we're going."
"He's very well behaved, and can make himself fit into surprisingly small places."
"That's reassuring. And terrifying."
Back in my chambers, I was joined by Jona. She didn't spend the night, but we spent hours talking.
"I can feel how much better you're already doing." She said as she was preparing to leave.
"I'm not better." I confessed. "I'm still ashamed of myself, and afraid it could happen again. But training under Master- uh, Kyle- should help me. I hope to see you out in the galaxy."
"I'm sure I'll see you again. You might not see me, though." She said jokingly, but I knew she meant it. With her ability to hide from my sight, she could observe me and I would never know. As she stood to leave, we shared a final hug before she departed. I fell back into my bed to rest. When morning light came, I heard a shuttle pass overhead. It was an uncommon sound, usually only once a month when we received a shipment of supplies or a new recruit. That had to be the shuttle that would take me and Kyle to Coruscant.
Journeying outside, there was no fanfare. I waved goodbye to the other Jedi that I passed on my way out, and joined Kyle and Torak as we set off down the road to the spaceport. My Master and I both rode astride the acklay's back, jumping down to board the shuttle when we arrived. A cargo container on the underside of the transport housed Torak, environmentally shielded so he wouldn't perish in space. Kyle and I sat in the transport, strapping ourselves in and preparing for transit.
"We're going to have to teach you how to fly a starfighter." Kyle said, "We can't always rely on shuttles. It'll give us autonomy."
I nodded, though I was unsure. Force Sight on the ground was simple. In space, there was a lot more going on.
"This is your first time off-world, right?" Kyle asked, and I nodded.
"I haven't left the Praxeum in ten years."
"Well, you'll be in for a shock. There will be more people than you'll ever have thought existed around you, and not all of them are going to be friendly. Just keep your cool and stay near me."
The shuttle rumbled and began to lift off. I could feel Torak below us getting restless. Reaching out, I calmed his mind and encouraged him to sleep. There was a long flight ahead of us, and having a cranky acklay wouldn't be good for anybody. We ascended into the atmosphere, and I felt a weightless sensation in my stomach as we left the planet's atmosphere and crossed into open space. We continued to fly until we reached the edge of the planet's gravity well, then jumped into hyperspace. After a jolt, the shuttle lay perfectly still.
I could feel more than I ever expected to. We were passing through the stars at incredible speed, but the Force was still flowing all around us. While we had time, I relaxed in my seat to meditate. My lightsaber floated gently around me while I focused on stretching my sight through hyperspace. Coruscant hovered on the edge of my perception, a beacon of intense power. Life swarmed and flourished there, shining like a bright beacon of the Force. Billions of life-forms called the planet home. There was also a great deal of fear and anger. The planet was far from peaceful.
"I sense.. Conflict ahead." I said to Kyle, after a few hours into our journey.
"Coruscant is still a battleground in some places." Kyle said, "The Republic took back Coruscant from the Empire years ago, but there are still Imperial Remnant holdouts all across the planet. Pirates and other scum have taken advantage of the chaos and embedded themselves, scavenging and attacking both sides."
"I had no idea things were so bad."
"That's why I want to get you out of the Academy. You're the oldest, and of an age where you can be trusted with missions. The galaxy needs the Jedi to come back, and in the next few years your classmates will be joining us."
Towards the end of our trip, we approached a large space station in orbit of Coruscant. It ran regular shuttle trips to and from the station, and we pulled in to dock. There was a several hour delay on board the station while I was issued a Republic ID, and was introduced to the concept of money.
"Credits make the galaxy spin, Torr. While we're out here, we'll have to pay for some supplies. Many places will aid us as Jedi, but sometimes you need to flash a bribe."
I held up a hand. "We can affect minds, why not just persuade them to give us what we need?"
Kyle gave me a stern look. "The Force is not to be used in that way. If you can convince them, use your words and your wits, do not forcibly change their opinion."
"I understand, greed is an easy trap to fall into. How can we earn credits, then?"
Kyle handed me a datapad with a list of faces, and a credit amount next to them. Tapping on each face, it brought up a list of crimes, known associates and last known locations. I gave Kyle a quizzical look. He answered with a sly smile.
"Torr, you and I are about to become Bounty Hunters."
