Author's Note: There has been somewhat a rewrite of this story. That is why with this chapter their still on Dantooine when the last chapter that had been originally uploaded had shown their leaving for Tatooine. With the rewrite that chapter now is in Chapter 16.
The introduction of Mirin, Zaalbar's life-debt to Dawn instead of Sarryn/Revan (as was the case in KOTOR canon) and Mission becoming Dawn's adopted daughter. Are all things to potentially set up possibly a spin-off with Stargate. There is also a possibility of a small BTVS spin-off set in seasons 6 and 7 of BTVS, which would be where Dawn trains Buffy. Also I may not add in SWTOR to this story after all. I don't know for sure, but I am thinking as much as I would like to do it, it's not really needed. And I think I have Willow's pairing nailed down. For KOTOR 1 she is still paired to Tara. Then when Dawn and Willow get sent back to Earth 77 from their native universe of Earth 26 for KOTOR 2: The Sith Lords (after Tara's death), I think I will possibly pair Willow with the Exile/Meetra Surik.
Chapter 14: Dantooine Part 6
They had taken two landspeeders to reach their destination. Sarryn, Bastila and Juhani were in the first with Mirin, Dawn and Willow in the second.
When they arrived at the entrance of the ruins, they found a black wooden door was looming in front of them, looking not exactly inviting. A chill went through Dawn's spine, it was almost as if the door itself radiated hatred. She wasn't the only one thinking that, because Juhani said, "The Goddesses have long forsaken this place."
Dawn glanced sideways at Mirin, unable to contain her curiosity. "Cathar are polytheistic?"
"We have three Goddesses," Mirin answered, pleased that Dawn wanted to know about her people.
Mirin moved to Dawn's side while Juhani did the same with Sarryn. "Stay close to me," they ordered.
Dawn didn't object to the request. Sarryn on the other hand seemed to be offended.
"It's our job to protect the two of you," Juhani explained.
Bastila and Willow investigated the wooden door, and quickly figured out how to open it. The door slid open with a deep rumbling noise, revealing a grey stone hallway beyond. Juhani and Mirin were the first to enter the ruin, eyes vigilant and hands on their lightsabers. Next came Dawn and Sarryn, followed by Willow and Bastila bringing up the rear.
The hallway led to a wide set of stairs that descended deep into the ground. As they moved down the stairs, the air around them cooled down, becoming musty and stale. When they reached the bottom, they came across another door, similar to the one leading outside. This one led into the large, rectangular chamber Dawn and Sarryn immediately recognized from their shared vision.
It was ancient and a dull grey, covered in dust and cobwebs. Massive pillars with crumbling edges held the entire structure up. The six of them moved cautiously through the room, Juhani and Mirin making sure Dawn and Sarryn were not straying too far away from them.
As they proceeded inside there was only the dull, ominous silence coupled with a tingling sense of darkness, warning them of looming danger. As they reached the center of the chamber the feeling of danger was turning into a very real threat.
From the other side of the room they were approached by an apparition. It appeared to be made of energy, consisting of a ghostly silver body that flickered from time to time. Once it got closer They saw it represented a human male, bald with large tattoos adorning his scalp. Dawn and Sarryn recognized the Jedi from a very recent vision.
"Malak," Bastila gasped.
Mirin and Juhani activated their lightsabers and positioned themselves between their new teammates and the strange apparition of a young Malak. This wasn't the Dark Lord that currently tormented the galaxy, but rather the one that had just survived the Mandalorian Wars only to search for new resources to prepare for a whole new war.
Willow stared at the apparition for a moment and then began barking orders. "Mirin, Juhani, engage him on melee, keep him busy while I analyze him. Sarryn, Bastila, veer left and right, support Mirin and Juhani where you can, then engage him from a distance. Dawn, you are with me. We will be observing him for weakness. You will be my defense if it comes down to it."
None of them questioned Willow as they complied with her orders. Maybe it was because she was a Consular and she was best suited in trying to find a way of defeating the apparition.
Willow cleared her mind to the point of complete emptiness. Once she had become one with the Force, she opened her eyes to see the world in a completely new light. She saw Dawn standing beside her shimmering a bright green, she realized that she was seeing the Key, the energy that permeated every cell, every molecule, of Dawn's body. She saw Sarryn and Bastila as bright blue flames, lighting up each time as they weaved the Force around Juhani and Mirin, bolstering the two Cathars' speed and defense by adding a powerful barrier. She saw Mirin and Juhani were like blue streak of lights, moving faster than anything she'd ever seen, except maybe Master Vrook demonstrating his skill. Their blows were as fast as they were strong and accurate, but to her surprise Ghost Malak had little trouble with them. He had drawn a red lightsaber – which Willow quickly noticed was a real one, not an apparition – and used it with great vigor.
Willow remembered only one other apparition, but James had been unable to do more than possess people. He could not actually affect the real world. This apparition was different, it was made out of Force energy and seemed immune to any attacks. She noticed Mirin and Juhani's attacks passed through him harmlessly. Even the Force pushes and pulls Sarryn and Bastila threw at it after they were done buffing the Cathars didn't have an effect on him. Ghost Malak seemed to be immortal. Willow grinned almost giddily, she knew a good challenge when she saw one and took it with both hands. Immortal, her ass. Someone had made this thing – probably Revan to defend the secrets of the Star Forge – which meant it could also be taken down again. She started analyzing his form to figure out how, as Dawn kept an eye out for the others to keep them safe.
Willow and Dawn hovered around the battlefield. Willow bellowed a command from time to time, repositioning the others as she deemed necessary, or ordering a strike when she saw an opening. Using her own powers, she tried adding distractions for the ghost, but it was completely focused on Mirin and Juhani, who were trying their hardest not to be overwhelmed.
Whatever Revan created; it was good. It seemed to have inherited all skill from the real Malak. The fact that Mirin and Juhani were able to keep up told enough about their melee skills. Sarryn and Bastila were also pulling their weight with their wide array of supportive powers and Willow made sure to fully exploit them, guiding them whenever necessary.
Mirin and Juhani were fighting the phantom with disciplined venom. It truly was a sight to behold, the Cathar going nearly berserk with their lightsabers.
While Mirin and Juhani were locked in their deadly dance, Willow was frantically trying to work out what made this phantom tick. Using her improved Force senses she tried unraveling its construction, hoping to trace the strings of Force energy back to its core. She tried different manipulations to tear it down, but none of them affected the ghost. She had to hurry, Mirin and Juhani were showing serious signs of fatigue and Ghost Malak was starting to get hits in, leaving searing wounds on their skin.
"C'mon Malakboy… how do you work?" Willow desperately muttered under her breath.
Willow was hit by a revelation and laughed at her own stupidity. She had been thinking way too deep into this, as always, the simplest answer was the correct one. She leaned in and whispered to Dawn her plan.
Dawn nodded in understanding as she strode forward.
"Bastila, Sarryn, Mirin, Juhani; to me!" Willow ordered. The four of them glanced at her as if to say what? Then they saw Dawn walking forward and realized Willow had a plan. "To me," she repeated the order. "Trust me."
Bastila, Sarryn, Mirin and Juhani reluctantly did as ordered.
"Throw everything you can into protecting Dawn," said Willow. She then turned toward Dawn. "Dawn! Now!"
Dawn activated her lightsaber and then disappeared in a flash of green. She would reappear for but a moment to make a strike to keep its attention on her, then she would disappear again only to reappear somewhere else and do it all again.
Willow raised her hand and molded the Force. When she finished her Force manipulation, the ghost vanished from the face of the planet like it had never existed. The only remaining evidence of its existence was the now deactivated lightsaber dropping harmlessly to the ground.
Dawn collapsed to the floor, she had never used the Key that much and it had been draining. Mirin raced over to Dawn and checked on the Padawan. "Physically exhausted. What was that she was doing?"
"It is an ability that only Dawn has," answered Bastila. "Willow and Dawn told me and Sarryn about it. It is known only as the Key. And as long as Dawn is alive it will reside in her for the rest of her life. It is something the four of us agreed the Masters should not know about, for fear that if they do, they could exploit this ability."
"Dawn told me about it," said Juhani. "When I first saw it, I knew the ability could be exploited. Imagine, Mirin, if the Sith acquired her, what they would do."
Mirin looked at her fellow Cathar. "If the Sith possessed her, the war would be over. All they would need is to send an assassin into the Chancellor's office. Assassinate him before someone could raise the alarm." She nodded. "Her secret is safe with me. I will take Dawn outside to minimize the risk of the dark side trying to corrupt her unconscious mind. There I will wait with her till she wakes."
"Thank you, Mirin," said Willow.
As Mirin left with Dawn, Bastila started examining Juhani's injuries, a faint blue glow shimmering around her hand as it moved over the Cathar's skin. "So how did you destroy that Force ghost?" Juhani asked looking at Willow. "I've never seen anything like that before."
"I've only seen one apparition, but nothing like that," Willow replied, in the meantime scanning the chamber using her increased Force senses. When she was satisfied, she turned back to Bastila, who was swiftly healing the various wounds without leaving scars. She really was a very good healer.
"You've never seen such a thing before, yet you found a way to undo its existence within minutes?" Juhani asked skeptically.
"I had trouble with it at first," Willow admitted. "I was trying to destroy it with brute force, but nothing affected it. But then I took a step back and looked at it for what it was: a creation of the Force. No matter what you try to weave with the Force, be it a shockwave, lightning storm, or even the restoration Bastila is using at this very moment; all is created using the same methods and bound by the same laws and requirements. See it as a fire; you can put it out by taking away its fuel, oxygen or heat."
"So, you took away the ghost's fuel?" Bastila asked, looking slightly impressed while trying to hide it at the same time.
"Something like that," Willow nodded. "Force creations are a little more complicated than that though, there's a nice book called Laws of Metaphysical Dynamics at the library. You should read it if you're interested, though it's a bit dry and about fifteen hundred pages long."
Juhani blinked. "Why would anyone want to read something like that?"
"She's a nerd," Bastila explained with a conspiratorial look at Juhani and an exasperated sigh.
"Bastila isn't far wrong," said Willow. "I like reading and researching and learning. Always have."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
In the far corner of the room they stumbled on the skeletal remains of a Jedi. This must be the one Master Vandar told them about, the one sent to investigate the ruins. Judging by the state of his body he had been lying there for quite some time. "Damn. Revan was quite the Jedi if he manages to kill Jedi Knights even beyond the grave," Sarryn said.
"Those aren't things to joke about," Bastila sharply told her apprentice.
Juhani watched the dead Jedi impassively. "It was foolish to send him alone. The Council should've known better than to underestimate Knight Revan's ability." There was a hint of admiration in her voice.
"On that I agree," Bastila conceded.
Sarryn eyed Juhani and Bastila curiously. "Have I joined the club of Knight Revan groupies or something?"
"Battle prowess, strategic insight, empathy and charisma; warriors like him are born only once a century. If you can't respect the greatest of your trade you don't deserve respect yourself."
"Hey," said Willow as everyone turned toward her. "Can we at least pay some respect to our fallen comrade and have a moment of silence."
They all nodded in agreement and after the moment of silence, Juhani led them through the next door. As they entered the room behind it they were fiercely attacked once more, but this time their enemy did not come in a visible shape.
They had entered a shrine of the dark side.
The dark side of the Force was extremely intense in here, the vile power casted an overwhelming curtain of gloom on the trio. All happy thoughts left Willow, leaving behind a deep depression gnawing at her soul, attempting to tear her down. Her darkest thoughts came bubbling to the surface. It all came crashing down on her like a black waterfall of suffocating terror.
Bastila too felt it and as she looked toward Willow, she saw that Willow's eyes had gone black. "Willow," she said. "Control it, don't let it control you."
Willow nodded as she closed her eyes. Through sheer power of will she pushed the darkness away to the very edges of her mind, clearing it of the assailing evil and keeping the evil at bay with a steel mind. "I can still feel it on the fringes of my mind," she said.
"We all can," said Bastila.
"I have a quick question, why does the Force effect Willow like it does?" asked Sarryn.
"I'm fairly certain I've been corrupted," admitted Willow. "My first bit of magic was a spell that ripped a soul out of heaven and channeled it into a vampire. I've always tried to use my powers for good, but that darkness is always there. I think since arriving in your universe it has become harder to hold it back." She looked at Bastila. "You are right I am going to need a lot more training."
"And we will," said Bastila. "For now, we need to find whatever Revan was looking for and get out of here. This place is twisted. That said I must say I am glad that Mirin had the foresight to take Dawn back to the landspeeders. If Dawn was still unconscious and had been in here, I fear to know what might have happened to her."
"I must agree with you, Bastila," said Juhani. "The dark side can never take hold of Dawn or we will surely lose. Just as we would surely lose if the dark side took hold of you and used your battle meditation against us."
With the threat of the dark side dealt with they finally had the time to look around the room they were standing in. It was perfectly square, each wall being about thirty feet, with a door on either side. An odd-looking computer terminal was lining the door on the far end. Sarryn let out a small gasp when he saw what was guarding the door.
It was a droid. It had to be ancient, its design and technology were both primitive yet elegant in its simplicity. The body was shaped like a spinning top and hovering about a foot above the ground. Three utility arms were attached to the bottom of the construct, with various hinges and tools. Both Willow and Sarryn wanted nothing more than to dissect the robot on the spot to analyze every single part, but they knew that Bastila would not allow them the time to do so.
Juhani had activated her lightsabers, but the apparatus wasn't hostile. In fact, it didn't appear to be equipped with weaponry at all. As soon as the quartet approached, it started garbling strange noises.
"Is it broken?" Bastila asked, eying the droid cautiously. The droid made a different set of noises.
"I think it's trying to communicate," Sarryn noticed. "The second part was spoken in a different language than the first. I think it's cycling through various languages in its memory banks, to find the right one to communicate with us."
"I can reproduce any of the languages spoken by the slaves of the Builders."
"Hey, I recognize this language!" Sarryn exclaimed. "It sounds like an archaic variant of the Selkath dialect spoken on Manaan."
"I can understand it too," said Bastila, looking at the droid with renewed curiosity. "But why would a droid on Dantooine be programmed to speak ancient Selkath?"
"Communication was vital to ensure that the slaves constructed this temple according to the wishes of the Builders," the ancient droid told them. Apparently, it could understand Galactic Basic, but not actually speak it. "But you are not one of the slave species. Neither are you of the Builders. You are like the one who came before."
"The one who came before… it must be referring to Revan," Willow said. Since she loved learning, she had asked for additional instruction when she was still an Initiate. While she had devoted herself to the Consular branch, she had learned things from both Sentinel and Guardian branches as well. She had even tried learning a few languages, Selkath thankfully had been one she had learned.
"So, what is this piece of machinery?" Juhani asked. She had tucked away her lightsabers, but was still watching the droid cautiously, her body tense and ready to defend her three companions if necessary.
"I am the Overseer. The Builders programmed me to enforce discipline among the slaves while this monument to the power of the Star Forge was constructed. At project completion all slaves were executed. I was reprogrammed to serve should a Builder return in search of knowledge of the Star Forge."
"These Builders sure sound like a cheery bunch," Sarryn remarked dryly. "So, Mister Slaverbot, what can you tell us about the Star Forge?"
"The Star Forge is the glory of the Builders, the apex of their Infinite Empire. It is a machine of invincible might, a tool of unstoppable conquest."
"But what is it?" Willow asked. "What does it do?"
"The... the Star Forge is the glory of the Builders, the apex of their Infinite Empire. It is a machine of invincible might, a tool of unstoppable conquest."
"The droid is obviously not programmed with the knowledge we seek," Bastila pointed out. "The Star Forge sounds like some type of weapon, perhaps... though, in fact, it could be anything."
"It sounds more like a factory or weapons plant," Sarryn said thoughtfully. "That would explain how the Sith were able to amass a fleet so quickly."
Bastila nodded. "Yes, that sounds probable. Though I suspect the Star Forge is far more powerful than a mere factory. Created by a highly intelligent race, no doubt. Who are these Builders?"
The droid let out a proud series of beeps. "The Builders are the great masters of the galaxy, the conquerors of all worlds, the rulers of the Infinite Empire and the creators of the Star Forge."
"I've never heard of an Infinite Empire, or anything close to it," Sarryn said while searching her brain. "Whatever these Builders are, they're all dead."
"I find it strange there is no record of their existence," said Bastila, starting to sound annoyed. "Even the archives at the Jedi Academy make no mention of them, as far as I know. In the years before the Republic the Hutts were a dominant force in the galaxy, but they never constructed an empire. In fact, I know of no species that would fit with this information. Perhaps Master Dorak or Atris will know more."
"Maybe the Builders refers to the Sith," Sarryn ventured.
"I know nothing of these 'Sith', but they are not the Builders. The Builders are... the Builders. The empire of the Builders is infinite and everlasting. None can stand against their might and the power of the Star Forge."
"And how long ago did you last see a Builder, exactly?" Willow asked. She was sure she knew the answer. The Builders and their Infinite Empire very likely existed long before the Republic.
"My chronological circuits have marked over ten full revolutions of this system's outermost planet around the sun since the Builders left."
"Ten revolutions would take more than 20,000 years," Bastila gasped. "If this is true then this droid is nearly 5,000 years older than the Republic itself! There must be some mistake."
"There is no mistake. The Builders constructed my chronological circuitry using the technology of the Star Forge itself. My calculations are infallible."
"As I thought," said Willow. "That's why there's no mention of the Builders or their Infinite Empire in any of the archives. They predate the Republic."
"So, what is your purpose here?" Sarryn asked the droid.
"Now that the slaves are gone, my purpose is to aid those who seek knowledge of the Star Forge… if they are worthy. The ones who came before you – the ones like you, not Builders but not slaves – sought knowledge of the Star Forge and its origins. They proved themselves worthy and discovered the secrets of the Star Forge locked beyond the sealed door behind me."
"We have to find out what they uncovered. How do we prove ourselves worthy?" Bastila asked.
"The power of the Star Forge is reserved to those who follow the dark ways," the Overseer explained. "Prove that you follow the dark ways to open the path."
"That's little to go on," Sarryn remarked, seeing his companions looking just as lost as he felt. "How did the ones before us prove their worth? The ones not Builder, but not slaves."
"The one before you used the dark arts to inflict grueling pain on his apprentice. He was deemed worthy for his act of cruelty."
Juhani let out a low hiss. "This place is evil to its very core."
"What do we do now?" Bastila asked, her voice bordering desperate. "We must find a way to unseal these doors to learn more about the Star Forge! The Republic is depending on us."
Willow had an idea; one she knew the others were not going to like. "Bastila, are you able to conjure lightning?" she asked the knight tentatively.
Bastila looked at her with wide eyes. "Willow, no! Whatever you're suggesting, no."
"Bastila, this might…" Sarryn said as he saw where Willow was going. If Bastila were to conjure lightning and use it on one of them the droid might let them in.
Juhani interrupted Sarryn. "You know the ways of the dark side?" she asked Bastila suspiciously.
Bastila shot Willow and Sarryn an angry look before turning to the feline. "I've fought my share of Sith Force wielders and managed to reproduce some of their techniques," she admitted. "I thought it would be to our advantage to wield the enemy's weapon against them, but I've never actually done so."
"The enemy's weapon consists of lies and torture," the feline countered fiercely. "Are you sure you want to use that on a person, no matter how evil they might be?"
A shadow briefly crossed Bastila's face. The shadow went as quickly as it had come and Bastila raised her head proudly. "No, I don't want that. I'm not going to lower myself to their pitiful methods."
"Yet now it might help us prove our worth to this droid," Sarryn pushed. "Cast lightning on me for a short moment and the secrets of the Star Forge are ours. I don't mind dealing with a little pain if it leads to the key of ending this war."
"There's no way I will allow this!" Juhani spat, standing between the Willow, Bastila and Sarryn and pushing them apart. "This place is designed to lure us to the dark side! We cannot allow this thing to corrupt us!"
There lay truth in the Cathar's words, it was very likely that this place was designed to do just that. This temple was constructed in a Force-bubble, similar to the one inside the crystal caverns. Except here lived only the dark side of the Force, filled with hatred for everything that lived. The droid tried to appease the wretched side of people, by luring them in with promises of invincible might and unstoppable conquest.
But they had to get through the door. If they didn't find out more about this Star Forge, their chances of bringing this war to an end were looking very bleak. "Bastila is strong," Sarryn told the feline. "She won't be corrupted from hurting me a bit. Hell, she has hurt me, Dawn and Willow a lot during our training."
"That was with good intentions," the Cathar countered. "Pain to encourage development. This is senseless torture."
"Enough," said Willow. "This is getting us nowhere. "We need a way in, not pointless discussion on the merits if Bastila would fall to the dark side because she conjured lightning and used it on one of us."
"Willow is correct," Bastila agreed. "Besides I will not hurt either you or Willow, Sarryn. The Code prohibits a master hurting her apprentice. And you both and Dawn are not just my apprentices, you're my friends as well. I'm not about to hurt a friend, no matter what."
"But…" Sarryn started.
"It's not going to happen, Sarryn." Bastila's voice was powerful and direct. "That doesn't mean I'm giving up on uncovering the secrets of this temple. Willow, Sarryn, can you two find a way to hack the droid, or that terminal? Or pick the lock on that door?"
Willow shook her head, "We're dealing with equipment that's twenty millennia old. Its code is written in a language that hasn't been heard since the Republic was founded. Not to mention that the programming is probably structured unlike anything you use today. Finding out even the basics would be a long study."
"And, if we try to get through the door by force, we'll probably trigger the defense mechanism," added Sarryn. "Who knows what weapons are hidden to mess up our day."
"Doesn't mean we won't try," said Willow. "Sarryn and I will try unlocking the door. You two will need to keep any droids that might show up and attack off our backs." No sooner the words had left her mouth, Juhani had activated her lightsabers and taken a defensive position.
"I'll keep the droid disabled," Bastila said, already gathering the Force. "You two work your magic on the door." She then looked pointedly at Willow. "Both figuratively and literally."
With their backs covered Willow and Sarryn approached the door's terminal, quickly noticing it was as ancient as the Overseer. Much to their surprise it booted up with a soft hum when Sarryn activated it. The green screen lit up with an array of strange characters that made no sense to either of them. Sarryn tried various buttons and commands to change the language, but it seemed it wasn't programmed to be used by the 'slave races'.
"Well we're not going to be able to guess our way through by finding the door code," said Willow. Sarryn nodded in agreement, they needed another way to open the door. She went for a computer spike. Only to find out none of the input ports were compatible with the plugs of her gear.
Sarryn grabbed his minitool with an assortment of screwdrivers, but to his annoyance noticed the bolt heads keeping the casing in place were of an ancient shape.
Willow glanced over her shoulder at Bastila and Juhani. "This may take a little longer than we originally thought."
"Maybe," said Sarryn as he looked at Willow. "It's time for drastic measures?" He patted his lightsaber.
"Try it," said Willow as she stepped back.
Sarryn nodded as he activated his lightsaber. With a loud hiss and a stream of sparks and molten metal he started working on the lower side of the metal casing, slowly but surely tearing it apart and exposing the inner workings. When he had enough access, Willow searched through the hardware, finding the chip she thought was the processor. She attached her spike to the wires coming out of it and much to her satisfaction her tool managed to connect to the terminal.
"There we go," Willow muttered as she issued a number of commands through the spike, successfully bypassing its defenses and forcing the door's override. She smirked when it started sliding open. "Success!"
She had cheered too soon; the Builders had been familiar with the concept of failsafe engineering. As soon as the door started opening a defense mechanism triggered and the side walls began sliding down, revealing hidden nooks behind them. No less than twelve droids were stowed away behind the two walls, of similar design as the Overseer, but equipped with an assortment of blaster weapons. The assault droids powered up and started targeting the intruders.
Willow spun and looked at the droids. It was three to one. Not that they couldn't defeat those odds with ease. But it would be so much easier with just a little magic. "Kali, Hera, Kronos, Thonic. Air like nectar, thick as onyx. Cassiel, by your second star, hold mine victims as in tar."
The droids found themselves held by Willow's spell. Sarryn, Willow and Bastila were able to dispatch them then with ease.
When the last droid was destroyed Juhani gave Willow an odd look. "What was that?" she asked.
"Magic," said Willow. "In the universe Dawn and I came from that is what the Force is, is magic. Witches like myself can harness it by casting spells like the one I just used."
"I must say," said Bastila. "It is nice to know that works in our universe. It appears not only will I be your Master but you will be ours. For I believe if we learned to wield the Force that way, we would have more avenues open to us."
With the last resistance gone they were finally able to pass through the now unsealed door. It led to the temple's last chamber, which was again rectangular. At the very end stood a strange structure, brown metallic and shaped like a spearhead. As they got closer the construct started moving; three separate arms folded away to the floor like a large flower opening to the sun. In the center a dark blue orb began floating upward, until it was suspended two feet in the air. Surrounding the orb were three prisms.
The orb turned out to be a projector, shining bright light into the prisms which in turn focused it into visible images. Bastila gasped when she recognized the blobs and nebulae that were projected in a wide, three-dimensional arc around the structure. "This is… this is a map. Some sort of intergalactic navigational chart. Revan and Malak must have used this to lead them to the Star Forge."
Willow and Sarryn watched the map in amazement, it was incredible that a civilization 20,000-years-old could construct something as sophisticated as this.
"You reckon we could use this map to follow their path and find the Star Forge ourselves?" Sarryn asked.
"Probably," Bastila muttered. "If Revan was able to find it, so must we." She turned to Willow and Sarryn hopefully. "Have either of you learned how to read navigation charts by any chance?"
Willow and Sarryn shook their heads. "I think Willow will agree, that it's one big heap of mumble jumble to us. If only Onasi were here, the flight commander can probably read this like a book."
Bastila nodded. "We're going to need his help if we want to go after the Star Forge ourselves. Last thing I heard he was deemed fit for active duty, so perhaps the Council can pull the necessary strings to get him back on the team. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We should download this chart and bring it to the Council for further analysis. They must decide our next course of action, though I suspect our task has only just begun."