Soon enough, the armoured transporter landed on Concordia's surface. For Obi-Wan, all of this lasted hardly a heartbeat. He remembered the moment their audience had ended, the following conversation with Ahsoka. However, after that, everything blurred, leaving only vague trails in the man's subconsciousness. This was a bothering discovery, something that, in the near future, could impact his decision-making, clouding his judgment. Nonetheless, it was hardly a time or a place to address the occurrence. For as long as Kenobi remembered, his memory was near perfect. As a former Jedi master, his mind should be clear and adaptable, with his senses honed and sharp.
With a short sigh escaping Obi-Wan's mouth, he finally unfastened the belts, standing up momentarily. Even though the journey was short, his muscles became stiff, needing a slight stretching. Rubbing a painful knot on his nape, the brown-haired man left the carrier, stepping onto the ramp. As expected, the transporter's other passengers assembled in front of the machine, checking the gear and sharing quiet conversations.
Kenobi decided to look around before joining the small team that the Republic chose for this assignment. Even though his vision was severely obstructed and limited by the vehicle he stood beside, what he saw was enough to formulate initial observations. They landed on the plain surrounded by severely damaged forest. Despite the substantial distance between the Jedi and the green wall, he noticed wounds inflicted on nature. More than a handful of these tall trees had been toppled by an unknown, brutal force. Behind them, a massive mountain range lingered in the distance, ruling over the surroundings with its eternal majesty. Unfortunately, due to the clouds hanging low currently, the peaks were invisible, hidden behind a thick vapour-like wall.
It was a bold – if not straight-up foolish - move on the Republic side to send such a small team, the Jedi concluded. Aside from him, Ahsoka, and Rex, the command decided – in their eternal wisdom – that five other clone troopers would be enough to search such a vast space as the Mandalor's moon. Instead of cursing aloud, he swallowed all the complaints that already formed on his tongue's end. No matter how much would he yell, it would not change a thing. However, with the minimal resources they were provided with, it seemed hardly possible for this mission to conclude successfully.
"Sir?" Rex's voice caught the Jedi master's attention.
"I am sorry, Rex," Kenobi replied instantly. "I must have drifted away. So … what does the situation look like?" he inquired quietly.
"Unfortunately, we know close to nothing, Sir," the Captain said, leaning into the holographic map repeatedly. "It might be challenging to pinpoint the precise location the signal is transmitted from. So far … we have concluded that whoever's responsible for it planned it well. The signal is coming from ten different locations, all of which are located near the abandoned mine complexes," he explained, excessively gesturing. "Though … with such limited manpower, I doubt we can justify searching more than one of the locations at a time," the officer added, unwittingly allowing his voice to be trained with frail anger.
"We are going to play a game of cat and mouse," Obi-Wan commented, expressing his dissatisfaction with a sigh. "The moment we start investigating one of these sites, the others will be notified almost immediately. No matter, we need to start," he added, trailing through his short beard.
"I don't see any sense in all of this, Master," Ahsoka said, catching the men's attention. "Should we rely on luck? We're the Republic's soldiers; we should act when we're certain, not when we're treading like children in fog."
"Ahsoka, it is rarely the case," the Jedi master chuckled, opting to turn the exchange into a lesson. "What you are referring to is the best-case scenario. I will agree that we would want to work with thoroughly tested intel, though we can not stand idly if it is not available. What would you do?" he asked, interested in finding what the answer would be. "What would you do differently?"
"Can't we inform the High Command regarding our discovery?" the Torguta female asked, visibly flustered with the older man's response. "With what we have here, we simply can't complete this mission. As you said, master, the moment we start investigating the first site, our cover's burnt, assuming whoever's behind this transmission isn't already aware of our presence," she concluded, slightly irritated.
"Ah, Ahsoka," Kenobi chuckled quietly. "Please, try to answer that question yourself," he said, folding his arms across his chest.
"We can't. Is it what you're trying to say, master?"
"Egh," Rex grunted, catching the teen's attention. "I'll answer the question if you don't mind me, kid. I wouldn't get my hopes high for the High Command to send any reinforcements. Even though they sent us here, they don't value the mission all that much to use more of their already dwindling resources. So, we can either start or complain, but it won't do us any good," the clone added, unusually snappy.
"Fine," Ahsoka sighed, giving up. "I'm sorry; I don't like being thrown into the unknown."
"I do not think many people find it thrilling," Obi-Wan commented. "But … let's return to the topic. After all, there is a mission on our hands."
The meeting did not last much longer, with Kenobi finally deciding that the most they could investigate was two locations simultaneously. Knowing fully well that he could only send one person towards the second site, he opted to do it himself. In his mind, it was a logical decision, given his experience and capabilities. Yet, it hardly silenced doubts flooding his subconsciousness. Before embarking on this solo assignment, he ordered the rest to remain vigilant as there was no telling who or what they would be against. Then, he hopped onto a speeder, heading towards the nearest marked facility.
Compared to the meeting, the journey to the site took him quite a while, allowing his conflicted mind to reassess how to approach the unknown. Even though it should not be technically possible, Kenobi could not help but wonder whether remnants of the Death Watch decided to retake their previous base of operations. The other possibility would be that some new organisation took hold of Concordia, led here, most likely by one of the past members of the terrorist group. However, these two options were relatively simple. They did not take into account multiple other details and possibilities that could lead to much darker scenarios. All in all, after minutes of intense thinking, Obi-Wan finally gave up, deeming it distracting. He would face whatever fate had decided to throw his way. Losing and dying was not an option as someone was waiting for his return, someone who had been so dear to him for a long time, yet unreachable till recently. Thinking about Satine brought strength to him, filling him with confidence that nothing was out of his reach. It seemed that love, indeed, was as powerful as others described it.
Yet even that seemingly endless ride came to a surprisingly abrupt end, leaving the man in front of a massive gap between rocks oozing darkness and cold. In the past, it was an entrance to a well-established mine complex, but it must have been years since then. Dismounting the bike, he stepped forward, stilling a few steps away from the hardly welcoming oblivion. Feeling a tad nostalgic, Obi-Wan allowed his mind to drift to the last time his foot had set on Concordia. As a wave of vivid memories washed over him, his eyelids closed, immersing the man further. It felt as if he was reliving these pieces of his past.
It would be impossible for Kenobi to say how long he stood there, blinded and preoccupied with his memories. A few minutes, perhaps? Or maybe a tad longer? Opting not to delve into this idea further, he snapped back towards reality. With a task on his hands, he knew what was expected of him – a goal was set. The Republic's will must be fulfilled.
The Jedi Master kept his lightsabre close as he descended into the shadows. With a small circular object levitating a tad above his head, he pressed on, relying on a slim ray of light cast by the piece of technology. It was sufficient now, but he feared what would happen once he left this narrow corridor behind. Pushing the doubt into his mind's depths, he continued the march, unwittingly slowing down as the distance between the passage boundaries widened.
Soon enough, the man's fear became reality as the corridor ended, facing him with an overwhelming darkness that his little gadget could not pierce. Letting out a deep breath, he grabbed his sabre and switched it on. Momentarily, the brunette's nearest surroundings were flooded with intense yet cold navy blue light, allowing him to assess the situation. He stood cluelessly inches away from the mining shaft akin to the depthless jaws of the abyss. A silent gulp rang loudly in his ears, filling him with fear.
Obi-Wan could hear his heart pounding rapidly against his chest. There was something unspeakable about this complex, something terrifying and inherently evil. Knowing fully well that the retreat was not an option, he only had two options. On his right, a narrow path steadily climbed, aiming to reach the shaft's peak. On the contrary, on his left, a much wider passage gently descended into the shadows, offering an opportunity to get to the complex's foundation. The choice was obvious, yet mustering enough courage took much longer. Feeling sweat forming beads on his brow, he finally stepped into the seemingly thickening darkness, completely oblivious to what he could face.
With each step taken, the temperature dropped, relatively quickly turning his warm breath into clouds.
Author's notes section:
[2023-11-09]: Hey, here is a preview of the story's next chapter. Please, bear in mind that it is, as mentioned, a preview. Some parts of it might not be included in the final release. I will try to finish this chapter as soon as possible. I would like to clean up some of the tasks in my schedule, and right now, there are many chapters queued there.
[2023-11-13]: Hey, I have a minor update for you.
[2023-11-16]: Hey, the chapter is finally concluded. I'm sorry that it took so long and for its length.
Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.
Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.
As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)
Changelog:
[2023-11-09]: A preview has been released.
[2023-11-13]: A minor update applied, focused on extending the piece.
[2023-11-16]: A minor update applied, focused on concluding the chapter.
Info: Please note that I will be approaching the canon events loosely. I will try to use them to my advantage, but please be not surprised if I decide to change them so they fit the story I am trying to tell better. As you might have already noticed, I will not use Japanese forms as I would inevitably make mistakes.
Info: I have included more stories in the schedule as I'm not 100% certain what I want to write next. Please, keep in mind that I might add or remove positions from the list. I might rewrite some of the older stories or extract some of the longer stories from `The story of one lost soul`.
Schedule:
- See the world through my eyes (finish the WIP)
- Bury the light (finish the WIP)
- Hidden in the mountain's shadow (new chapter)
- The rise of the Blood Moons' servants (new chapter)
- Black Diamond (new chapter)
- When the clock is ticking (Warhammer 40k new story)
- Sometimes it's just better not to know (new chapter)
- My home is where my heart lies (rewrite chapter 4)
- The heart not so cold (rewrite chapter 2)
- The family tree (revisit the previous chapters and apply adjustments)
- The Prisoner of Your Eyes (new chapter)
- Lifetime of war (new chapter)
- Hope is the last one to die (new story in SW universe)
- Sometimes it's just better not to know (finish rewriting the second chapter)
- Life is full of surprises (new chapter)
- Exiled you say? (new chapter)
- Until my last breath (new chapter)
- The family tree (new chapter)
- The story of one lost soul (new chapter)
- The broken heart (new chapter)
- My home is where my heart lies (new chapter)
- A new story in JJK universe - focused on Gojo/Geto/Shoko/Utahime
- A new story in Bleach universe (potentially a one shot) - focused on Byakuya and Yoruichi
- A new story in Demon Slayer universe (modern au, school)
- A new story in Demon Slayer universe (moder au, divorce setting)
- The shadows can be deceiving (new chapter)
- Forgotten World (a new story - translation of an old polish text that I wrote years ago)
- The silence of the shackles (new chapter)
- The war call (new chapter)
- Will you look past my mistakes? (new chapter)
- The Breaking Point (new chapter)
Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
An entirely new story (possibly Akali x [Irelia, Syndra, Katarina]).
A new short story (Vi x Cait).
An entirely original story (possibly even two stories, one taking place in medieval times, the other in the far future)
Bleach story. (Byakuya x Yoruichi / ?)
Naruto story. (Neji x Hinata / Neji x TenTen / Nagato x Konan)
Fairy Tail story. (most likely Erza x Mira)
Maybe some Star Wars?
References:
- Iron Maiden - Starblind
*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D
End of the author's notes section.