Sith temple, Malachor I - Outer Rim Territories
Jarik POV...
There's a gathering of a woman and several young children, seated in a brightly lit room.
'I want to be just as epic as a Jedi Knight!'
'I'm sure you will...'
The woman smiles at the boy in encouragement, and the boy grins brightly.
'...if something does not bend to your will...'
The day then changes to night. Plumes of smoke drift into the sky as the building is set ablaze.
'...it must be eradicated.'
A group of children are hiding inside a circular chamber, frightened. A Jedi shows up, filling them with hope.
'What are we going to do?'
Flashes of blue light engulf the room. Screaming can be heard.
Two figures are stalking through ancient ruins, on the hunt for something... or someone.
'They're close now.'
I wake up with a jolt, casting my eyes around quickly in surprise and alarm. Upon first glance I recognize the darkened surroundings as part of the Sith temple structure on Malachor, the ancient stones blackened and scorched by ash. Remembering where I am though doesn't yet bring me comfort, as I can sense something off. It was present, only for a moment... but it was there. Something is looking for us. Something familiar.
I look over to see Ahsoka still resting against me, breathing evenly in her sleep, which she probably still needs. The events of the last few hours had to have been seriously taxing for her, and she doesn't possess the same amount of stamina that I've grown to have. I stretch out with my senses in search of that strange presence I felt, trying to determine its source. It seems to have vanished though, as if it were never there in the first place. There's nothing for me to detect, no danger or anything of the sort. But there's still something nagging in the back of my brain, a feeling that something isn't right. And whatever that feeling is carries the smallest tinge of familiarity.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid, and the sensation that I'm feeling is just the emptiness of my Force bond with Ahsoka still trying to connect to her. But at the same time we're on a world shrouded by the dark side, and I don't want to take any chances. I start to gently shake Ahsoka in an attempt to rouse her from sleep.
"Ahsoka," I murmur.
She grumbles in protest and shifts on her side, trying to cuddle herself up into a more comfortable position. Undeterred, I shake her a bit harder to wake her up.
"Ahsoka, wake up!" I say firmly.
"...Jarik, if this is some..." she mumbles tiredly. "...prank or what... don't..."
"This isn't a prank. Wake up," I insist, gently smacking the side of her head.
Ahsoka jolts in surprise at the sudden contact and places a hand against her head with a grimace, narrowing her eyes at me.
"D-don't hit my montrals like that―" she starts to say.
"I think we're being followed," I interrupt.
She narrows her eyes confusedly for a second and then looks around, her drowsiness fading away after remembering where she is. Ahsoka's confused frown turns into one of concern and alertness as she looks back at me.
"Followed?" she asks. "By who?"
"I don't know. I only sensed something for a brief moment before it vanished, so I'm not sure if I was imagining things," I admit, getting to my feet. "But considering where we are, I don't want to take the chance."
She nods her head in acknowledgement.
"That's fair. We don't know what else might be down here," she says in agreement.
"Can you see if you can detect them?" I ask her.
Ahsoka nods and then looks out toward the ruins, her expression contorting in a frown of concentration. She twitches slightly and narrows her eyes, but after a few more seconds she refocuses on me with a skeptical look.
"I can't sense anyone, but..." she says slowly. "I'm not sure."
I take in her observation thoughtfully, finding her response to be similar to my own. We both stand up and I start packing my things back into my bag.
"If there's someone following us, then we need to keep them unaware that we know," Ahsoka states.
"Good idea. You stay here to lure them in," I suggest.
She looks at me with raised brow.
"Sure, I'll be the bait," she sarcastically responds. "And you?"
"I'll see if I can get behind them," I tell her with a smile.
"Jarik, we still don't know if we're actually being followed, much less where they even are," she points out.
"I know," I respond, glancing out at the ruins for a second. "But if there is, then this is a good way to draw them out."
Ahsoka sighs, shaking her head briefly in disagreement and concern, though she nevertheless concedes.
"Fine. But take this just in case," she says, holding her main lightsaber out to me.
"You sure?" I ask.
"We both know it's more dangerous in your hands than mine," she reminds me.
"Fair enough," I shrug in agreement.
I take her lightsaber and clip it to my own belt. The two of us then share a brief hug to reassure the other before I head off, silently jumping off the balcony and into the dark ruins below.
3rd person POV...
The dark-haired woman slows to a standstill, frowning with a confused look on her face. She lifts a hand, prompting her companion to stop.
"Wait..." she murmurs. "Something's off."
"Have they noticed us?" the second woman questions.
"...I don't know, but..." the first trails off, thinking for a moment.
There's something oddly familiar nagging at her mind. She dismisses it.
"Never mind," she says.
"If they know we're here, we might run into a trap," the second warns.
"Agreed. Take an alternate route. I'll keep going," she instructs her.
Nodding, the second woman slips away and dashes through the ruins, almost blending into the landscape with her dark scales. The first woman resumes moving forward to the temple, much more cautious now.
Ahsoka POV...
After Jarik left I got to work on preparing for a possible confrontation. I placed his bag of things on the ground where we were previously resting and start gathering several nearby stones. Moving them into position with the Force, I then ignite my shoto blade and cut through them as quietly as I can, making the pieces smaller. After that I arrange the stones on the ground and then place Jarik's cloak over them, right beside his backpack. It's not the most believable thing, but if someone comes up here it should hopefully give them pause for just a second, enough time for me to catch them off guard.
With nothing much else to do I jump up onto a higher level just above it and crouch against the wall, just out of sight from that area. I then open myself to the Force to get a sense of my surroundings, feeling for any signs of intelligent life, namely a person aside from me and Jarik. The only feeling that I can make out is complete emptiness, with nothing aside from the sinister echoes of the dark side of the Force. I can sense Jarik down in the ruins, still searching around, and he can sense me. But it doesn't feeling like either of us can sense anything else other than ourselves.
I grimace when sensing Jarik, feeling another aching pain in my mind at the reminder that our bond is broken. I understand what happened, based on how he explained it... but at the same time I still don't get it. It's as if he's... changed, in a way. I suppose he has given it's been over two years, but I don't like it. It hurts just to think about it, and trying to reach out through our bond only gives me a throbbing headache; he also feels like an entirely different person, and if it weren't for the fact I know it's him I could almost believe that's the case. I don't know how we're supposed to fix it... if we even can.
If we can't, what then?
I fall completely still when a faint tingling in my mind surfaces. Despite being faint it's close by, keeping to the shadows, and oddly familiar... before I can get a better read on the disturbance it vanishes as soon as it appeared, and I quickly refocus my mental shielding as a precaution. I crouch down against the stone to stay as hidden as possible and keep an eye out, using all my physical senses alongside the Force to detect any sort of movement―
There!
A silhouetted figure steps out of the shadows and onto the balcony below me. They're still relatively hidden by the lack of light, so I can't tell who it is, but it does look a bit like a woman with long black hair falling to about her waist, wearing a loose garment that looks like a dress of some sort.
I watch the woman with narrowed eyes, my predatory instincts building up slightly while I keep silent, slowly reaching for my lightsaber. The woman moved like a ghoul almost, walking across the floor with slow, eerily silent steps, her focus shifting toward the trap I set out. She slows to a stop in the middle of the area, not making any noise whatsoever while regarding Jarik's bag and cloak, and I get ready to lunge out with my saber at the ready.
As I'm about to click the button to ignite my saber, however, I immediately freeze up in stunned astonishment when a ring of orange sparks appears around her feet, swiftly growing in intensity. I choke on my own gasp of shock when the woman suddenly falls straight through the floor, the ring or orange sparks suddenly opened up into a... a portal, of all things...
Through the portal, I can see the back of my head.
I cry out in alarm upon the realization and spring from the ground right as a glowing orange sword of fiery energy struck down, right where I was. Caught off guard by the woman suddenly teleporting behind me I stumble off of my perch and fall to the main platform below, barely managing to remain on my feet upon hitting the ground. I look up to see her jumping down after me with the sword in her hand, ready to strike again. I ignite my lightsaber and raise it to block her strike just inches from my head, my shoto clashing against her sword in a shower of orange sparks. The light from the two blades illuminates our faces, revealing a surprised expression on hers.
Before I can jump into the attack she separates and backs up a few steps, her glowing sword vanishing into thin air. Caught off guard yet again by the strange behavior I keep my guard up and try to get a better look at the woman. She's definitely older than me, with age wrinkles on her face to prove it, has tanned skin with brown markings, and a few horns on her head that indicates her species as a zabrak. She's...
No...
"You are a Jedi," she says gently, her voice painfully familiar. "Forgive me... I thought you could have been someone of a more... suspicious nature."
The expression on her face is apologetic, but also kind, trying to be reassuring. I lower my blade with wide eyes, unable to believe what I'm seeing and continue to gape at her for several long seconds in total shock. While her face is more aged now, I'm more shaken by her voice... it's exactly the same as I remember.
"Master Irris?" I whisper in disbelief.
Her kind expression switches to surprise, confusion, and then suspicion, before realization seems to dawn on her face. She widens her eyes and takes a step back, looking at me critically for a few seconds before responding.
"Ahsoka?" she asks back.
A rush of emotion starts flowing to the forefront of my mind when she recognizes me, and I drop my lightsaber while walking up to her. She walks up to me as well and we stop right in front of each other in amazement.
"You're alive!" I gasp in astonishment. "Y-you're alive, Master!"
I then reach out to give her a hug and she returns the gesture, lasting for a couple seconds before she pulls back to resume looking at me, sporting a stunned but joyful smile.
"And so are you," Xudi replies, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I suppose being away from the Order did you some good after all."
I withhold myself from crying, finding it hard to stay composed at the revelation that the woman who was basically a mother to me as a youngling―and the rest of my clan at the Jedi Temple―survived the Jedi purge.
"How... how did you survive?" I manage to ask, wiping away a stray tear.
Xudi's smile falters slightly and she lowers her arm with a heavy sigh.
"Unfortunately, that has no simple answer. And it was not without a cost," she says grimly.
She holds up her right arm and I blink my eyes incredulously to see she's lost it below the elbow, somehow just noticing that for the first time. I let out a quiet gasp, looking at her lost limb and then back at her in sorrow.
"Oh no... that's terrible," I say in apology. "I'm so sorry about that."
"It's okay, Ahsoka. Considering the circumstances, I am rather fortunate," she reassures me kindly. "I wish we could talk longer, but there are more urgent matters at this time. Are you aware of another person that may be here?"
"Uh... y-yes, yes, definitely," I reply, withholding my questions for now. "Jarik is here with me too."
"Jarik?" she asks, eyes wide.
"Yes. We sensed we were being followed, so I waited here to try an ambush while he searched the temple grounds," I explain, smiling. "Turns out, it was just you all along!"
Xudi shakes her head, however, looking concerned.
"No, not just me. I also have a companion here, and sent her off for much the same reason..." she trails off in grave concern.
I drop my own smile in alarm and turn to look out at the ancient ruins. I can sense Jarik somewhere among them, but I can't get any idea of what his current status might be, and whether or not he's in danger. I look back at Xudi in worry, getting the sense that she's coming to the same conclusion as I am. Neither Jarik or Xudi's companion know each other, and both are suspicious. It's a recipe for disaster.
"Force, this is bad," I say uneasily. "We have to find them!"
I quickly rush over to retrieve Jarik's cloak and his bag, and then my lightsaber before rushing off with Xudi. Then I remember what she just did.
"Wait, Master, what did you even just do?" I ask her. "With your- your sword, and teleporting―"
"Let's just say that the Jedi Order was not my only affiliation," she interrupts.
I give her a strange look before dismissing it with a small sigh: I almost missed Xudi's stern no-nonsense personality.
"Come, quickly," she urges, gesturing me to follow.
I follow her up to the edge of the balcony at a brisk pace, about to ask where we're going when she lifts her arm and starts moving her hand in a circular motion. I watch with wide eyes, stunned into silence, by a fiery circle of orange sparks appearing out of thin air. Inside of the circle is a completely different location―still the Malachor ruins, but just a few steps away in a place where there should only be air. It's almost like the portals to the World Between Worlds, in a way.
"Wh- how...?" I stammer out.
"Later, I'm afraid," Xudi says, walking through.
I hesitate at first but I forgo my confusion and just run through the portal, watching as it closes behind me.
Jarik POV...
Sneaking through the ancient ruins in Malachor's underground comes with pros and cons, both of which include the silence. The lack of noise makes it easy to hear if someone or something might be nearby, while at the same time makes me panic at any form of noise I make myself: it's so quiet that even the smallest pebble that gets kicked sounds like a cannon firing. Thankfully there's no plant life, otherwise stepping around would be a nightmare thanks to the crunch of leaves.
I move amongst the ruins as quietly as I can, constantly keeping an eye out for any sort of movement and also trying to sense any form of life or danger that might be nearby. The only living being I can sense in this place is Ahsoka, but we don't try to hide our presence from each other. There's no other life in these ruins, even weeds, beyond the people that once stood here before the Great Scourge, their screams still echoing very faintly in the Force. If there is another person out here in these ruins, right now, then they're very good at concealing themselves in the Force.
As I step around a broken pillar I hear a faint sound in my ears, almost like the shifting of pebbles, and I come to an immediate halt. I stand frozen for a few moments, hearing nothing but my own breaths. I might just be imagining things, but... I'm certain I heard something. Taking care to maintain concealing my presence, I look through the Force intently to find anything out of the ordinary. I still can't sense any life nearby, but...
I can sense something nagging at my mind. A sense of danger.
Resuming onwards far more cautiously now I keep my senses peeled for anything. I still can't make out anyone nearby, but I can sense that someone or something is watching me―even if they are concealing themselves in the Force, the feeling of being watched still doesn't apply to that ability. There's definitely somewhere here... it's possible that a spirit of some sort could be the problem, manifested by the dark side.
I stop once again at the sound of something sliding across the stone―just barely―still feeling a lingering sense of danger in the back of my mind, yet even though I'm stretching my senses out I still can't detect anything close by.
Suddenly, faster than I can react, something cold and scaly winds around my neck and pulls me straight off the ground. I widen my eyes in alarm, panicking, and grab at the thing around my neck as it starts choking me. It lifts me up to the top of a pillar, leaving me dangling in the air a few feet off the ground: on top of the pillar seems to be a humanoid figure with two yellow reptilian eyes, glaring at me with slitted pupils. I gasp in pain while trying to free myself from whatever is around my throat, only to realize that this... creature, is the cause.
It's literally their tail.
Feeling myself starting to pass out I muster enough energy to glare at the creature before winding up my left arm, swinging it with all my strength to punch the tail directly. The creature cries out in pain, releasing me with its tail. I drop to the ground, landing on my hands and knees and eagerly take in a few lungfuls of air. I look up at the sound of an angry yell and see the creature lunging down at me with the intent to strike, and jump out of the way. It hits the ground hard, lizard-like tail slapping the hard rock where I was moments earlier, and I roll to my feet and get my first good look at my attacker.
The first thing I notice is that they're definitely humanoid in appearance, looking a lot like a female, and also definitely a sentient being, not just an instinct-driven animal. The woman is clearly a reptilian species of some kind, though not one I recognize, with a long and obviously strong tail, two horns on her head, and head-tendrils. She's wearing a dark crimson tunic, and pants. A sash is hanging from her waist, likely a cultural piece of clothing for her species.
The yellow color of her eyes, however, is an immediate red flag.
"Let me guess: another devotee of the Sith?" I question suspiciously.
"Says you, Imperial scum," she hisses angrily.
I frown at her in confusion before realizing that I'm still wearing the death trooper armor.
"Oh..." I start to sigh.
Before I can continue talking the alien woman lunges at me again with a fierce growl. I backpedal and duck underneath a swipe of her arm, noticing the claws on her three-fingered hand. I bring my arms up to block her next swing and swiftly sidestep her, twisting around and shoving to let her stumble past me.
But that kriffing tail.
While stumbling past me she swung her tail around to grip my waist and slam me against the ground. I let out a startled grunt from the impact, groaning in pain for a moment and push myself back to me feet. She kicks her foot out at me and I backpedal to avoid it, but she twirls around with the momentum of her kick and swipes her tail again, slamming into my chest. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I picked a fight with a Wookiee. The power behind her strike broke a section of my armor and sent me flying into a wall, and I cry out in pain from the impact, stumbling into a crouched position.
I hold a hand to my chest, grimacing in pain and frustration at knowing that will definitely leave a mark. I've taken far worse punishment before, like when I fought Narzuc, but whatever species this woman is, her tail sure packs a walloping punch.
"Come on," I mutter in frustration, pushing myself back to my feet.
I duck underneath another swipe of the woman's tail and she lunges forward, slashing at me with her claws. I backpedal again, then vault over her back when she charges forward. She snarls at me and attempts to turn around, but I react first by swinging my foot out to kick her to the ground. I withhold from attacking though, because something isn't adding up, and I'm not entirely sure now whether or not she is affiliated with the Sith. If she were an Inquisitor, she would've revealed a lightsaber by now―she also hasn't used the Force.
"Let me ask again: who are you?" I demand.
She glares at me and then laughs mockingly in response while getting to her feet.
"Here's a clue," she hisses.
She then starts to move her hands around in a specific motion, and I widen my eyes in shock when bright orange sparks appear out of thin air, forming several strands of glowing rope between her hands. She swings her arm and the fiery rope extends forward like a whip, hitting me directly in the chest. I let out a startled cry upon getting thrown away and hit the ground hard with a grunt of pain. Sensing another attack I roll to the side to avoid being hit by her whip and get back to my feet, whirling around in time to avoid another swing of it.
The woman sprints at me and swings her whip yet again, but I quickly grab Ahsoka's lightsaber from my belt and ignite the white blade to block it. Now it's her turn to pause in surprise, which I quickly take advantage up by thrusting my other hand forward to deliver a Force push. She's blasted against a stone pillar, crying out in pain, and I enhance my speed with the Force to dash over to her in a seconds and point my blade threateningly at her. I'm done screwing around.
"Any sudden movement... you get the idea," I say coolly, narrowing my eyes.
"You... you're a Jedi?" she asks slowly, looking up at me with wide eyes.
"Maybe I am," I reply. "And since that's been established, who are you?"
"I'm..." she starts to say slowly, still seemingly baffled.
"Jarik, wait! She's not a threat!" Ahsoka suddenly calls out.
I look over in surprise at seeing her running over to me, another woman running beside her. I step back and lift my lightsaber in anticipation, but withhold from attacking after noticing that Ahsoka is clearly aware of the woman with her.
"You sure?" I ask warily, eyeing my opponent.
"Yes, I'm sure," she replies quickly.
I look back up at hearing the strange tension in her voice. She isn't afraid or anything like that; she sounds tense out of... excitement?
"Jarik... you won't believe this, but..." she continues, gesturing excitedly at the woman beside her. "Just look!"
I regard her with a small frown of confusion and curiosity and direct my focus to the woman beside her. The first thing I notice is that she's lost her right arm below the elbow, but when I take a closer look at her face I'm caught off guard by her look of amazement and joy. I narrow my eyes at her, noting her age, the color of her skin, her long black hair, the horns on her head... wait a second!
"Master Irris?!" I exclaim with wide eyes.
"Still just as perceptive, I see," she replies, smiling at me.
I gape at her in astonishment, turning off my lightsaber and taking a few steps forward. I look her up and down for a few moments, unable to comprehend the fact that she's still alive after all these years. The reptilian woman cautiously gets to her feet, prompting Ahsoka to look at her in a bit of surprise, though I pay them no mind.
"Xudi, do you know them?" she questions.
"I do, Xiffé," she responds reassuringly. "I was once their teacher at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, long before the Order fell."
"Yes... she was," I murmur with some sadness, but I force it aside and approach her with a smile. "So... guess you wanted to be like me, huh?"
I gesture at my own arm and Ahsoka scoffs in exasperation, a bit irritated by the joke while also fond of my behavior. 'Xiffé' looks a bit peeved, but Master Irris seems to take it in stride with a small chuckle, shaking her head at me.
"Kept your wit too, I see," she comments.
"That's an understatement," Ahsoka dryly responds.
Author's Note: Not the best written chapter, in my opinion (doesn't feel as "natural" to me), but we get the wonderful reveal that Xudi's still alive! And she's got some surprising background to tell!
On another note, Disney and Lucasfilm need to screw off immediately with their garbage. Firing Gina Carano is going to bring some harsh backlash―the worst, in my opinion, since SOLO bombed at the box office. The cesspool of garbage that is Twitter does not represent Star Wars fans!