They're here and their bloody fleet won't be far behind. There is no choice. They must dieDIEDIE!
This is war.
If Maris was surprised by the enormous warship, it was nothing compared to her shock when she felt the strong Dark Side presence down on the planet. Jedi were not usually very proficient at sensing the Darkness, their Light blinding them to the glaring void until it was usually too late. This weakness had indeed been one of the main reasons Palpatine had grown so powerful, back then.
Rogues, though, were trained to recognize the Dark Side for what it was: a dangerous tool to be carefully harnessed, similar, in that sense, to a lightsaber. They wielded it, but kept from being consumed by leaning on the Light. Anakin strongly emphasized having a personal motivation to keep oneself grounded; Skywalker had his family, and Ventress had the Nightsisters she'd helped reform. Maris's parents had died long ago, killed in the Clone Wars, but she still had a younger sister who was her whole world back on Iridonia.
The presence on the planet, though, wasn't a Rogue. It was utterly consumed by the Dark Side, and while that didn't necessarily mean it was a Sith Lord, Maris was inclined to think the person knew one, at the very least.
A transmission came from the Ghost. "Operative Brood, we're engaging the warship so you can get to the planet and question the crime lord."
Maris nodded, setting an entry course. "Affirmative. Be advised, a presence in the Dark Side seems to be planetside."
There was a moment of silence, though Maris couldn't tell if it was disbelief or a hard evasive maneuver that interrupted their conversation. "Understood. Will you be requiring assistance?"
The Zabrak snorted. "Not unless you plan to send a clean-up crew."
Maris cut the communication, and directed her custom interceptor to dive for the atmosphere.
"Cocky, isn't she?" -muttered Hera, twisting and turning the Ghost to avoid the deadly turbolaser bolts.
Kanan smirked at the co-pilot seat. "Rogues usually are. Never worked with one before?"
The Twi'lek barely shook her head. "Well, you've missed quite a ride. A rather violent one." -he said.
"Already on one, thanks love." -she quipped.
The Jedi Knight chuckled. Sabine walked into the cabin, bracing herself against the wall. "Well, this seems a little crazy. Not the craziest thing we've done, mind you, but it's up there."
"That business on Ord Mantell with the Rancors?" -said Kanan, fondly.
Sabine shot him a dirty look. "No, our vacations with the Angels of Iego...of course I mean the Rancors!"
Hera sighed. "Would you two please stop before you start? I really don't need the distraction."
The two looked at each other and wisely decided to stop. "I'll behave. Though it's only the one Destroyer. It's not like that's much of a challenge for you." -said Sabine, shrugging.
"Are you trying to jinx us?" -Hera deadpanned.
The old combat-modified astromech behind them warbled about incoming fighters.
"Ezra, Zeb, don't get sleepy on me, we've got company! Give 'em all nine Corellian Hells, boys." -she barked.
The Padawan, who was at the nose gun, immediately started shooting, the heavy laser cannons making short work of one of the odd, ball-shaped fighters. They had no shielding to speak of, and the solar panels that powered their ion engines made for very large and easy targets, but the small fighters were fast, extremely maneuverable, and their green laser cannons packed a serious punch. The Lasat manning the top bubble turret also added to the Ghost's kill count soon after, their sector clearing of enemy single craft shortly thereafter..
Alarms suddenly sounded, and the Ghost groaned to a stop directly under the Star Destroyer. "Karrabast! We're stuck in a tractor beam. Chopper, try the polarity flux!" -shouted Hera.
The astromech grumbled, but complied. The Ghost shook and struggled, but the tractor beams would not release them. "It's no use, the field is too strong. Spectre, prepare for boarding." -said Kanan, taking off his Jedi robe.
"By that you mean us boarding them, right?" -asked Sabine with a smirk and a twirl of her dual pistols.
Kanan rose, grabbing his lightsaber. "You sure you're not Mandalore's one and only mind reader?" -he said with a knowing smirk.
Sabine shrugged. "I can neither confirm or deny. Let's get to business."
"Right. You know the drill. I'm on pushing duty." -said Kanan, walking towards the airlock.
"Suppression." -said Hera and Sabine at the same time.
Chopper grumbled questioningly. Hera sighed. "You stay and guard the Ghost. Ezra and the furballs will bring up the rear. As soon as they wake up." -she shouted, annoyed.
"I heard that!" -came Ezra's voice from the next deck. Kanan pinched his nose in exasperation. "Anyway, let's do this, Specter."
Korriban's atmosphere was breathable, but barely so. Its temperature was cold, much colder than it should be, even for the night side of a desertic planet. There was no wind, and almost no sound. A faint smell of scorched earth was prevalent.
It was as if this world had simply given up, consumed by the darkness.
Obi-Wan could not help but feel dread as he waited outside the Twilight. This was the homeworld of the Sith, the paramount enemy of the Jedi, come from the world younglings talked about to induce fear on each other. Now, at his 55 and a half years of age, he was standing on the most hostile territory to Jedi there was in the galaxy.
The spot they'd landed at was at the foot of a rock formation. The gravel crunched under Obi-Wan's boots, part rock, and part glass. The Force echoed around him, the Light all but absent, the Darkness prevalent and unchallenged. Ethereal whispers reached out to the Jedi Master, then shied away, his Light hurting them. Thousands upon thousands had died there, he could feel it. He knew almost nothing of Moraband's history, but it was more than enough, in his opinion. There had been so much violence in this world, that he wouldn't be surprised if the soil drew its color from the blood of the dead.
"This used to be an Academy, y'know? In the time of the Sith Empire. It'd churn out a few hundred Acolytes each year, which would then train to become frontline Warriors or developed their abilities in the Force to become something greater. Either way, there were more than enough Sith to bring the Old Republic to its knees."
Anakin exited his ship, muttering something to his trusty astromech, R2. He left the droid behind, and walked over to him, a smile on his face that did not quite reach his unsettling eyes. Obi-Wan, despite knowing his old friend could perfectly control the Darkness within him, could not help but worry endlessly over him. He was a Jedi, and as such he reviled the Dark Side, yet here was this man who embraced both sides of the Force, being a fair bit more powerful because of it.
But at what cost? He knew Anakin's relationship with his family -which still hurt a little, not being trusted with the secret- wasn't the best. He knew there was a lot of love in him, but he was never around to share it. There was always a reason, to be away from Coruscant, to avoid his children. Anakin kept almost daily contact with Padmé, and sometimes spoke with Luke, but he had a feeling Leia and him weren't on the best of terms.
"You've gotten distracted in your old age, Master." -he said, making Obi-Wan blink.
"Yes, well. This world is...unsettling. What is it you said?"
The Rogue gave him a knowing smirk. "I was thinking out loud about the parallels between the Old Republic and our current one. They were defeated in a brutal war with the Sith, and so they stepped up their military capabilities. We didn't really get defeated, but Sidious' efforts would've meant a lost Republic. Now, we're a force to be reckoned with, capable of protecting the trillions under our banner."
Obi-Wan frowned. "Perhaps. It's unfortunate that we had to lose so much of the culture and diversity that made the Old Republic great in the process."
His old pupil looked away. "Yeah. Unfortunate. Still, at least the bureaucracy gets results, now. It's a much cleaner system, less chance for corruption to flourish."
"Some would say this new system lacks accurate representation, the way humans have so many Senators." -the Jedi pointed out.
"Some would fail to understand just how widespread our species is, then."
Obi-Wan fell silent. He'd long ago given up hope that he'd change Anakin's views on politics, and his need for his species to be validated, even superior. It was ingrained in him, a result of his upbringing as a slave. His frightful talent and power only served to exacerbate his attitude. Palpatine's betrayal and his years in training had seen him mature, his temper restrained, but they had not taken away his arrogance. Not even Padmé tried to anymore, as Obi-Wan understood it.
Anakin pulled one of his lightsabers from his belt, tossing it to Obi-Wan. It looked much like his old one, but this one had a lot more black, and somehow felt...heavier. The elder Jedi raised an eyebrow. "What's this for?"
The Rogue answered. "Symbolism."
Obi-Wan ignited it, surprised at the crimson blade and unnatural sound produced by the synthetic crystal at the lightsaber's core. "Red's really not my color."
Anakin nodded. "Exactly. No Jedi would wield such a blade unless they were willing to accept the Dark Side associated with it. You're as Luminous as they come, so I'm lending you a 'Sith' saber so they'll know you're with me, and won't immediately try to kill you."
Obi-Wan swallowed, releasing his fear into the Force as quickly as it had come. "Who are they?"
His old apprentice scoffed. "We're going to the Valley of the Dark Lords, Master. Figure it out."
"What about you, then? You only have your 'Jedi' saber left."
Anakin shrugged. "As I said, I've been here before. The Dark Side is at my command, and their spirits can feel it. They don't...like me very much, necessarily. But they do respect the power I wield."
Obi-Wan didn't like the sound of that, but he didn't have much of a choice, so he accepted Anakin's words.
The Rogue led him down the Valley, which was really more of a canyon, a depression with high walls and ancient, in many cases broken sculptures of hooded figures and ancient runes impregnated with the cold rage of the Dark Side. None of them had visible eyes, and yet Obi-Wan could feel their gaze on him, as if the maroon stone they were carved out of was aware of his luminous Force signature.
"Which resting place are we...visiting?" -he asked distastefully, as he clipped Anakin's saber to his belt.
"Well, there are a few options we could pursue. We could visit Darth Bane's tomb; he hates his fellow Sith slightly more than he hates Jedi. It has been fifteen years since I last came here, but he was eager to teach me. I learned a lot about Sith history, especially the Rule of Two he created, and the current philosophy of the Order. The others...Lord Malgus isn't there, only a bunch of Imperial War Droids that somehow still work and regenerate after you destroy them. The Sith Triumvirate is probably a terrible idea, they're locked in eternal combat. I'd suggest starting with this one over here." -he said, pointing to the smallest archway he'd seen yet.
The two statues beside the entrance had long ago been slashed to pieces, evidently by a lightsaber...or several. What remained of the Dark Lord's hooded visage did not show a face, but rather a mask, reminiscent of ancient Mandalorian designs, though devoid of the iconic T visor.
Anakin hadn't stopped to gaze, so Obi-Wan quickly made his way inside. He was met by a narrow passage which led to even narrower stairs, going downward. The path got darker and darker until he could see nothing, and had to rely on the Force to guide him. Anakin's immensely powerful Force signature was still in front of him, a neutron star balanced at the edge of a black hole, his mere presence bending the Force around him. He did not remember any of it, but it was times like these when he understood Ahsoka's tale of Mortis.
Anakin finally stopped, Obi-Wan doing the same just behind him. The aging Master opened his eyes, and found himself opening his mouth in surprise as well. He was...in space. He stood on a floor of pure black and points of light, surrounded by the same imagery, everywhere he looked. Anakin had a bemused look on his face.
"What is this place?" -he asked, awed.
A blinding light formed in front of them, roiling like a star forming in seconds. The darkness rushed towards the figure, mixing with the searing glow, giving it form, and a humanoid one at that.
"This is my eternal prison, Master Jedi." -it said, two voices in one, one male, another female, both ethereal. "My curse, my blessing...ultimately, my tomb. You are welcome to stay."
Anakin who'd knelt before the androgynous figure, rose and turned to Obi-Wan. "Master Kenobi, allow me to present Darth Revan, Dark Lord of the Sith...and one of my teachers."
I suppose you could call this chapter a bit of a crossroads. I will be the first to tell you guys I'm no expert on Old Republic era Star Wars. I'm using what little I know, what I choose to keep from the wikia articles, and what I would like to see from that era and adapting it to my universe and story. I honestly wanted Revan to be a female, as the game allows it, but the Legends canon is pretty mutually exclusive as a male. Still working on perfecting my version of Revan, hopefully it won't make you hate this story.
Other than that, I have a bit of an announcement: I'll be pausing this story's updates in favor of going back and working through my backlog of other stories. It'll also give me a bigger chance to develop the Korriban plot (the Tatooine one is pretty much done already, some pretty cool things happening soon!), and finish up this first true arc of the story. I advise patience, it'll be worth it!
Also, yes, Chewbacca is part of Fireteam Spectre. Backstory will happen, but really the reason he's not living it up with his Corellian friend is that Kashyyyk was never enslaved, thanks to the New Republic (also, I needed a fifth member for the most unorthodox Fireteam in the NR Commandos, so there. A legendary Wookie with a bowcaster seems appropriate in a team where a modified astromech is a member). If you have any questions or concerns, do send me a PM or write a review! I'd love to hear your constructive feedback.
Until next time, Darthkvzn.