Chapter Two: "Darkness Is Coming"

Ashara Zavros felt useless.

She paced restlessly outside the entrance to Coruscant's medical center. Inside, Canlyn waited at the bedside to Master Yuon Par as she was attended by the best Jedi healers. But Ashara was not welcome.

She had defied the Jedi Council to accompany her friend to Coruscant. She had refused a direct order to return to Tython, a command from the Grandmaster herself. In response, she had been officially expelled from the Jedi Order. Atros Finn, the Jedi healer, had not directly barred her from visiting. Still, it was obvious that he preferred not to speak to her. She was worse than an outsider – She was an outcast.

Qyzen Fess, Master Yuon's Trandoshan friend, approached. The wounds he had suffered on the Brentaal Star had healed well. All that betrayed his injury was a slight, barely discernible slowness in his left leg.

Ashara smiled, genuinely happy to see a friendly face. "You look well," she said.

"Bacta tank did its work," he grunted. "Exercising to get strength back. I will be ready for next hunt." He cocked his head. "Why are you not with Herald?"

Ashara shrugged. "Lyn's not really the Herald, you know," she said. "She isn't even comfortable with you calling her that."

He shook his head firmly. "She is Herald, marked by Scorekeeper, even if she cannot see. She has heart of Trandoshan hunter."

"That's... um, quite a compliment." Ashara doubted that her friend would be nay more comfortable with that statement than with being called "Herald."

"I speak only truth. Why are you not with her?"

"I'm not exactly welcome."

"Understandable. You broke clan rules, violated trust. Among Trandoshan, you would be shamed for life, maybe even hunted."

That felt like an almost physical slap. She felt her face flush. "Are you judging me?"

"No. You were right to leave. You are hunter, not guardian. Jedi not right place for you."

Ashara was surprised by just how much tension lifted at his words. She knew that even Canlyn disapproved of her disobedience of the Council. Qyzen was the first one to actually validate her decision.

"Lyn's been in the Order all her life," Ashara said. "She doesn't know how the outside works. She needs me, whether she knows it or not."

Qyzen grunted.

"You disagree?" she said.

"Helping Herald is honorable," he said. "But eventually, she will return to Tython. Maybe soon, if Yuon recovers or…" Qyzen went silent, not wanting to finish that thought. "When she goes back, where you are no longer welcome, what then?"

Ashara said nothing. She realized that she hadn't thought that far ahead. She knew she wanted to make a difference, but what were her options? Enlisting in the Republic would be swapping the Order's regulations for the military's. She couldn't see herself doing mercenary work, or bounty hunting.

"Where do you think I belong, Qyzen?"

"Not for me to say." He held out a hand. "I go to see Yuon now. Will you come? Or are you frightened of bad looks?"

Another verbal slap, gentler but no less pointed. She had defied the Jedi Order. Did she really care about the opinions of strangers?

"Fine." She took his hand. "Let's see what's happening."

The Jedi only retained a token presence on Coruscant. Even so, a section of the medical center's second floor was reserved for them. It was rare to have Jedi patients. Most of the time, they assisted the researchers cataloging recoveries from the Jedi Temple, or lent their aid to general medical emergencies.

Now they buzzed around Master Yuon like a hive, monitoring her vitals and cycling through different medications and cleansing rituals. None of these had helped. Yuon's condition continued to deteriorate.

Ashara entered with Qyzen in time to hear the old woman raving deliriously:

"Once there were two little boys," Yuon moaned. "Their names were Parkanas and… and something."

Canlyn sat, helpless, at her master's bedside. Ashara could feel the grief from her friend, and caught her eyes just long enough to see that she was fighting back tears.

"Something," Yuon mumbled. Then she sat up and howled: "Why can't I remember?"

The healers rushed to push her back into the bed. Canlyn motioned them away, gently placing her free hand on Yuon's arm.

"It's all right, Master," she said. "I'm sure you'll remember eventually. Just relax."

"But I have to remember." Yuon's gaze fixed on Canlyn. "Padawan!"

Qyzen whispered in Ashara's ear. "Have never seen Yuon so. Not in all years of knowing."

Yuon's hand closed around Canlyn's in a white-knuckled grip. Ashara saw her friend wince in pain.

"The darkness is coming." Youn's voice trembled with intensity, as if she was fighting to speak. "The man in the shadows, padawan. He's bringing the darkness. It's coming!"

The healers tried to intervene. Canlyn gestured for them to stay back. "The man in the shadows? Tell me about this man."

"I can't remember his name!" Yuon howled. "Where are you?"

Attros Finn, the lead medical researcher, rushed in. "Yuon!" He pushed past the healers, laying a hand on Yuon's forehead.

"I failed," Yuon moaned. Her grip on Canlyn's hand loosened. "I'm sorry I failed."

Then she fell back, asleep.

Attros wheeled angrily on Canlyn. "Why didn't you call for me? I could have eased her pain sooner!"

Canlyn met his eyes calmly, completely unruffled. "Master Yuon was attempting to tell me something. She spoke of a 'man in the shadows,' whose name she could not remember. It seemed to be something more than just delirium."

Attros's anger held for a second more, and then his posture sagged.

"We should talk in private," he said. "Please come to my office."

A backward glance showed his unhappiness at Ashara and Qyzen's presence. He paused at his office door, and Ashara suspected he was going to ask them to wait outside.

Canlyn cut him off before he could speak. "These are my companions, and Master Yuon's friends. Whatever you have to tell me, they will need to know as well."

Ashara was surprised by her friend's calm certainty. When had she become so confident?

Attros sighed, nodded. He waved his hand in front of the security sensor, and his door slid open.

The office was not large. A small desk for Attros, with just one chair opposite. It felt cramped with all four of them inside, even with Attros moving to the other side of his desk.

Ashara pointed Qyzen to the chair. He shook his head. "Should be Herald," he said.

"Your injuries aren't fully healed," Ashara replied. "Sit."

He glanced at Canlyn, who nodded. Reluctantly, Qyzen sat while the women remained standing on either side of him.

Once they were settled, Attros spoke. "Yuon's illness is unlike anything I have seen. There is no infection, no cancerous growth, no significant rise or fall in her blood cell counts. But as you have seen, both mind and body are failing."

"You think it's not a natural illness?" Canlyn asked.

"If it is, then it's either something new, or something very old. Either way, we don't have the knowledge to heal her, and even to stop her deterioration. Her only hope lies in the old Jedi archives, in the Temple ruins."

Canlyn leaned forward. "The archives have been recovered?"

"Excavations have only just reached the archives," Attros replied. "So far, much of what's been found has been unsalvageable. No surprise, given the scale of the destruction and the time it's taken for our researchers to dig it out. But they have found three intact Noetikons."

"Noetikons?" Canlyn exchanged a glance with Ashara, who shook her head. Neither of them was familiar with the term.

Attros elaborated. "The Noetikons are like holocrons, but more advanced. They hold the knowledge and personalities of the Order's greatest Masters."

"Like the holograms of the old Masters on Tython?"

"Much more advanced. The Tython holograms are specifically programmed for students, artificially created as training tools to provide limited responses to specific inquiries. The Noetikons are artificial intelligences. They are imprints of both the Masters' personality and knowledge, allowing new generations to freely interact with them. They were believed lost forever after the Empire's attack. To recover three of them intact is… Well, our researchers are very excited."

Canlyn looked wistful. Ashara understood. No one would have been more enthusiastic about such a recovery than Master Yuon, if only she was in a condition to be aware of it.

"Where are the Noetikons now?" Canlyn asked.

"Still in the ruins. They are connected to a system that remains half-buried under rubble. We don't yet understand how they work, or how reliant they are on that system - whether it's just a projector or needed to maintain them. The area is under guard while our researchers do their work."

"But they are functioning?"

Attros nodded. "It's like a virtual Jedi Council," he said. "Remarkable, truly. Though some of them can get a bit… argumentative."

Qyzen stood. "Let us go."

"Be careful in the Temple," Attros urged. "We've reinforced as we've excavated. Even so, it's not the safest place. A wrong step could destroy years of work – and leave you badly injured."

Ashara smiled at this. "Lyn and I have been at dig sites before," she said. "We promise not to break anything."

Qyzen grinned, revealing his glistening white teeth. Attros looked anything but reassured.

From their approaching speeder, Coruscant's Jedi Temple looked more or less intact. The spires still rose into the sky, though the center spire cut off abruptly, like a finger amputated at the first joint. Otherwise, the building's shell remained whole.

Only as they grew closer did the gaps in the structure become visible. Large sections of walls were collapsed. Most of the damage was the result of blaster fire and explosives, though the walls also were interrupted by breaches that had been deliberately cut to allow reinforcements easy entry.

Canlyn remembered the classroom overview of the Sith attack, a lecture by Master Caecinius and Master Orgus. The initial attack had relied on stealth, with Sith and Mandalorian mercenaries infiltrating from above. Orgus was certain it had been planned by the Mandalorians, based on the invasion's precision. The attackers had moved quickly, killing Jedi they found sleeping or meditating while also using explosives to bring down ceilings and block off hallways.

The Jedi had quickly sensed the attack, but those first few minutes had been enough to isolate them. The assailants were a united force, one the individual Jedi had been left to fight alone or in small groups. The ones who survived were those who had realized the battle was lost and focused not on repelling the invasion, but on escaping it.

Qyzen looked unusually pensive as he stared upon the ruins, whose damage became ever more visible as they drew close.

"Yuon spoke of it." No trace of emotion in his voice. "Fortress became cage. She was with students, fought her way through to underground. Got all students out alive."

"She was there?" Canlyn was genuinely surprised. "She's never said anything."

"Some hunts you keep here." Qyzen pressed his fist against his heart. "Yuon was fierce hunter. Not soft thing at all."

A Jedi researcher waited outside the Temple as they docked their speeder. An earnest-looking young human, who bowed as they stepped out.

"Attros said you would be coming," he said. "I am Junior Researcher Reylon Wyn. I will escort you to the Noetikons."

He led them into the ruin not through the Temple entrance, but rather through one of teh breaches. As they approached, Canlyn saw that the opening was supported by scaffolding.

"The original entrance is caved in," Wyn explained. "We know that some survivors escaped through the main door, so it must have occurred after the main assault. Imperial shelling, or even resistance activity during the Occupation. Some of the fighting was quite fierce."

What remained of the ceiling was a great dome. Despite the rubble and scaffolding surrounding them, Canlyn could tell that the room had been vast. The Great Hall, she expected, recalling the maps and images she had studied. She caught glimpses on intact sections of wall: bits of the historical murals that had decorated them. In the vids, their colors had been vibrant, as if the depicted figures might leap out into the room. Time had left what remained of the images cracked and faded.

Wyn noticed her gaze. "Teams are trying to recover as much of the art as possible. It's painstaking work, and the assault left many gaps, but we hope to someday restore at least a portion of its former glory."

Canlyn nodded sadly. So much had been lost.

Wyn led them to an open lift that had been put in place in the original central shaft. It was controlled by a portable generator, and the descent was painstakingly slow.

"Is like a tomb," Qyzen commented.

"It is, in a way," Wyn said. "Many Jedi died here. Many Imperials, as well. We're constantly recovering bones, which we send to the lab for identification."

"Twenty years, though," Ashara said. "I'd think the work would be done."

Wyn shook his head. "Not even close. Every inch of progress has to be made with care, so that we don't destroy whatever survived the attack. In additional, every time we open up a new area, we have to structurally reinforce it. The damage was considerable, and time has done additional damage of its own. The work is slow, and the lack of personnel or funding makes it slower."

He glanced to Canlyn. "Not that I would ever criticize the Council," he added quickly. "I understand they have other priorities."

"Of course," Canlyn assured him. "When Master Yuon recovers, I'm sure she'll be impressed by what you've accomplished. Perhaps she'll be able to press the Council for more support."

Ashara frowned. Canlyn knew that she was thinking, "If Master Yuon recovers." But she would not allow herself that doubt.

The lift reached the lowest floor that had been partially excavated. It appeared to be a large circular chamber, though bits of wall indicated that it had actually contained several rooms.

"This was the Science Center," Wyn said. "We believe explosives were dropped down the original lift shaft. Fortunately, many of the support beams held, otherwise the entire structure would have caved in."

More scaffolding surrounded them as they moved in. Work lights created a fluorescent glare that stung Canlyn's feline eyes.

They approached a pedestal, only half uncovered from the debris. Three cubes sat in slots within the pedestal, the runes on their sides glowing from within.

"We uncovered the machine just two weeks ago," Wyn said. "We were able to route power to it, and Attros was able to activate the Noetikons for the first time just a few days before you arrived. He only let the program run for a few minutes, but the results were remarkable."

Canlyn stepped reverently to the pedestal. She looked at the three cubes, then at Wyn.

The researcher pointed to the cube on the left. "The Noetikon of Science," he said. "It's the most likely to have the answer you seek."

Canlyn reached out and let her palm hover over the cube. The runes glowed brighter, until there was a sudden flash.

They all gasped as the images of three Jedi Masters appeared. They appeared to be engaged in a conversation of their own, not noticing their audience.

A white-haired Arkanian Jedi was lecturing a short, long-eared Master whose species Canlyn didn't recognize.

"The fractal structure requires that it be removed from the – "

The short nonhuman interrupted. "With all respect, Master Arca, you are incorrect. The structure only appears fractal. If you view it through the lens of the Force – "

The Third Master, a human who was smiling with a mixture of indulgence and weariness, cut them both off.

"I don't suppose either of you is going to move past your petty geometrical squabble long enough to notice that we have a visitor."

He turned to Canlyn and her companions and bowed. "I am Master Tharis Orne, and my argumentative friends are Master Vandar Tokare – " The nonhuman inclined his head. "– and Master Arca Jeth." The Tarkanian nodded stiffly.

Master Tharis, Master Vandar, and Master Arca. Names from legend. Canlyn realized these were holograms, but they were so astonishingly lifelike that they might as well have been flesh and blood, standing in front of her.

She bowed deeply, had to resist an impulse to kneel. "I am sorry to disturb such illustrious Masters, but I am in need of information."

Master Tharis's smile grew broader. "No need to apologize, Jedi," he said. "They have a tendency to get carried away. The last person to use the Noetikon got so tired of hearing these two yammer, he shut us down right away. It was a mercy."

Wyn cleared his throat, started to explain. "Researcher Finn was just trying to safeguard – "

"My words were meant in jest," Tharis said gently. "Please relax, young researcher. You will give yourself premature wrinkles."

Master Vandar ignored the exchange, peering at Canlyn. "I sense your need is severe," he said.

Canlyn nodded. "An illness is affecting my Master. An illness we cannot identify. If we can't find an effective treatment soon, then…" She trailed off.

"If that is the will of the Force, then it will be," Master Arca said.

"True," Vandar replied. "But before we decree something is the Force's will, shouldn't be at least hear what the symptoms are?" Arca scowled, but he said nothing. "Come, Jedi. Tell us her symptoms."

Canlyn described Master Yuon's sudden collapse and decline. The Masters listened intently, asking questions for clarification or additional information as they went.

Master Arca frowned deeply as she described Yuon's ravings from earlier. "She claims, 'the Darkness is coming?' " His earlier dismissiveness had vanished. His expression now looked troubled.

Master Tharis spoke. "We've run your information against our extensive knowledge of biological, chemical, and technological diseases. I'm afraid this is beyond us."

Canlyn felt a wave of hopelessness. Master Vandar seemed to sense it and raised a hand to forestall her despair.

"Sometimes knowledge comes through ruling out false ideas," he said.

Master Arca nodded. "For once, Master Vandar and I agree. Yuon's illness is not medical."

Canlyn looked up sharply. Not medical? Then… what?

"Consult the Noetikon of Light," Arca suggested. "Masters Noab, Nomi, and Wole guard the Jedi Order's mystical knowledge. We can consult with them to find a solution."

More names from legend: Noab Hulis, Nomi Da'Boda, Wole Vahn. Canlyn's fur stood on end, overwhelmed by the prospect of conversing with all these figures.

Wyn cleared his throat a second time. "I'm afraid the temporary power line is too limited to activate more than one Noetikon at a time. Sorry."

Arca frowned. "Unfortunate. But I still advise that you consult them, after shutting us down."

"May the Force be with you," Master Vandar said with bow. "And remember: If you seek answers, you must always ask questions."

The holograms flickered, and then vanished, the runes of the Noetikon dimming again.

"For best results, must have more power," Qyzen grunted.

Wyn nodded. "I'll see about getting some additional cable," he said.

He all but ran back toward the lift.

"Not medical," Canlyn mused.

"An attack?" Qyzen theorized.

"No use wondering," Ashara snapped. "Use the next Noetikon!"

Canlyn looked at the two remaining cubes, unsure which was the correct one. The cube on the right glowed brightest. She decided to activate that one.

Another three Masters appeared: a human male and female, and a male Miraluka, a blindfold covering his empty eye sockets. This had to be Master Noab Hulis, the savior of the Dark Jedi Chamma. Canlyn drew a breath to steady herself.

Master Noab's unseeing eyes turned to her. Despite the blindfold, Canlyn felt a sense of overwhelming kindness.

"The wise woman always seeks knowledge," Master Noab said. He let the sentence hang in the air.

After a moment, Canlyn realized that she was intended to finish. Fortunately, she had studied her proverbs as dutifully as the rest of her training. "She seeks knowledge," she said, "because she knows that she knows nothing."

Noab inclined his head. "Welcome, Jedi. It is wonderful to see a face so young pursuing knowledge of the light. You honor us."

Canlyn just stared at him, unable to form a response.

Ashara frowned at her, stepped forward. "I'm sorry, Masters," she said. "But we're here on an urgent matter."

Master Noab turned to Ashara. "Patience, child." The kindness remained, but as he looked on Ashara, Canlyn sensed sadness from him. "The more urgent the matter, the more that calm is required."

Canlyn found her voice. "I apologize," she said. "I just…" No. If she let herself think about the stories of the Jedi before her, then she would never get to the task at hand. "My Master, Yuon Par, is gravely ill. My friends and I are looking for a way to help her."

Canlyn again described Yuon's symptoms, and also the conclusions of the Masters in the Noetikon of Science. As before, the holographic Masters listened intently.

"This is most unusual." The human female, Nomi Da'Boda, who would later become known as Nomi Sunrider. Like Master Arca, she seemed troubled. "This illness - It sounds more like a kind of mind control."

Canlyn glanced at Qyzen, who nodded. He had been right. This was an attack.

"But how could anyone control the mind of such a powerful Jedi?" Canlyn asked.

"Well," Nomi said. "You could ask – "

For the first time, the human male, Master Wole, spoke. "No!" he said sharply. "The Noetikon of Secrets is the gateway to dark things. If the mind is not properly prepared…"

Canlyn felt a rush of blood to her head. If this was an attack, a gateway to dark things might be the exact place to find answers.

"I don't care about the risks!" she declared, her excitement getting the better of her. "I'll do whatever it takes to help Master Yuon!"

"Patience," Master Noab said. "Do not let your emotions guide you."

Canlyn drew a breath, calming herself. "That was unbecoming," she said. "I apologize. But may I ask why a dark Noetikon would be connected to the ones of light and science?"

"The Noetikon of Secrets is not dark," Noab said.

"But some of its secrets are," Wole added grimly.

Noab ignored his companion. "Go," he urged Canlyn. "Share what we have discovered with the Noetikon of Secrets. Its Masters will guide you."

The hologram flickered out.

Canlyn glanced at the lift. No sign of Wyn yet. No guarantee that when he returned, he would have a cable that could conduct sufficient power to run all three Noetikons simultaneously.

She looked at her friends. Qyzen and Ashara stood, urging her on with their gazes. Whatever risk the final Noetikon posed, they would face it together.

She reached out to the farthest cube, stretched out her hand.

Nothing happened.

She tried again, focusing her energy more intently.

Still nothing. Despite the glow from the runes, the cube sat inert. She felt no energy.

She heard the lift descend. Wyn emerged, grinning proudly as he held aloft a thick cable.

"We have a problem," Ashara told him. The grin vanished as she and Canlyn described the final cube's failure to activate.

"It turned on for Attros," he said. He stepped closer to the Noetikon, leaned down to inspect it. He frowned. "The runes look wrong."

He reached out, hesitating for a moment, clearly nervous about touching this artifact. He took a breath, lifted it from its place on the pedestal.

Even disconnected from the machine, the glow continued.

Wyn looked stricken, and the color drained from his face. Canlyn sensed anger from him as he harshly twisted the bottom of the cube.

A tiny light globe fell to the floor, shattering on impact. Inside what they had assumed to be the Noetikon of Secrets was… nothing.

"A fake!" Wyn cried. "It's a fake! The Noetikon of Secrets has been stolen!"