The only sound was the wind blowing between the ruins of white pillars and buildings, a once glorious city reduced to rubble. Black sand coated every surface like a fine layer of dust on an ancient skeleton. Still, the path she needed to follow was clear. Her eyes scanned the ruins covered with unfamiliar engravings and drawings as she continued onwards.
Ahsoka Tano moved towards the heart of the city where three great statues stood. Stopping at their feet, she halted where the remains of a round structure rested. She studied the three figures, though their heads had long since crumbled away. Only the one at the center held a whisper of what the face's features had once been, but even this statue's head had been partially destroyed. Her attention drifted from the three guardians to the runic circle at the center of what she assumed was once a temple.
Kneeling at its side, she dusted the sand away. Closing her eyes, she remembered the vision she'd plucked from Elsbeth's thoughts. What she had seen in the woman's mind had been significantly different than what she saw now.
The mighty city on the planet of Arcana had once housed a prominent coven of witches, but something had brought forth its destruction. All that remained was nothing more than mere bones. But this was what she'd been searching for. She stepped back and unlatched her two lightsabers. Using the force, she held them downwards and ignited them. They pierced through the stone floor and cut a circle around her. Seconds later, she fell into a perfectly round room.
Light trickled above her as she studied the walls. They too were covered in symbols, mostly a mix of dots and lines but for three prominent carvings. Once again three figures, each placed in front of a pillar. She noted the symmetry of the room and moved towards one of figures. Each of them held a golden round object, a star map she presumed, in their hands. However, while two of them held it at their center, the third lifted it into the air to her right. Ahsoka studied the figures again. They were dressed in loose robes and though their pointed hoods were up, their faces were clearly visible, so masterfully created that Ahsoka thought they might move if she touched them. Her fingers trailed across the off-centered pillar nearest to her and she heard it. Whispers in an unfamiliar language from memories of a distant past. But hidden within she heard the scraping of moving stone parts.
Carefully, she turned the lower part of the pillar until she felt it lock into place as ancient mechanisms could be heard churning below her. She moved to the top where the metal covering was covered in lines and circles but for a thin channel-like section that cut through the left side. Lowering herself so that her eye could look through it, she turned the top of the pillar until it aligned with the star map in statue's hand across the room from her. Once again there were the sounds of shifting gears. She smiled and repeated the process with the two other pillars.
The ground trembled as a fourth pillar emerged, this one pushing up through the stone floor at the center of the room. On this three-sided, petal shaped pillar was a block of black sand. When she tapped it gently, nothing happened, the sand packed too tightly together. Carefully, but firmly she cracked it open and then it began to crumble away. Buried within was a round object like those the three figures held. But just to be certain, she dusted it off. It seemed to be made of different pieces that could be turned, but there would be time to unlock it later. She had found the star map. For now, she needed to contact Huyang.
"Huyang, I found it," she said after tapping her commlink. In return was a faint crackle of static and then,
"I'm not..." more static, "...jammed", was all that she managed to piece together from the droid's message. Again, he tried to speak, but something was jamming their signal, perhaps the distance or whatever stone this city had been built from. Either way, it was time for her to get back to the ship.
"Huyang?" she tried, but once again she only received a warbled response. She returned to the surface; however, she was no longer alone. In the entryway of the temple was a red HK assassin droid, like those Elsbeth had employed in the past. Tucking the star map away into the folds of her robe she pointed one of her blades towards the droid, but did not ignite it immediately, "come no closer" she commanded. The droid only tilted its head as though it were curious.
"The map, give it to us," it said and realizing her predicament she cast a quick glance around her. In total there were five of them, all had tucked themselves away in the ruins for an ambush but now they left their hiding places to step into the temple. Each of them held an electro-staff that they turned on as they surrounded her. She ignited her two blades once more and moved into a defense stance as she retreated towards the hole she'd carved in the floor. The first swung. She jumped back into the buried room.
Quickly she sliced three holes into the roof where the droids had been standing. When the floor gave way to the third droid, she leaped through it only to land at the feet of one of the assassins. She parried his overhead strike with her shorter blade twisting as she let her momentum carry her longer saber through the droid's body. The droid began to fall forward but she lifted his torso with the force and hurtled it at the leader of the droids. He blocked the initial attack but was too slow to counter the lightsaber swing that came right after.
His head flew off landing at the far end of the ruin. The three other droids had recovered and were emerging from the holes. But they did not attack, merely knelt on the stone ground.
"Initiate self-destruct protocol," the head of the decapitated droid said, its voice more robotic than previously. Within the bodies of all five droids a beeping began. Letting the force course through her, Ahsoka turned and fled. She tapped her commlink again,
"Huyang! Where are you?" she demanded as the familiar whoosh of her ship; a red and white T-6 shuttle drew overhead. She looked up as relief flooded through her.
"I am above your position," Huyang's voice was clear this time, whatever had been jamming their signal was no longer a concern. She slowed slightly as she reached the edge of the city, descending the steps that carried her out into a plain filled with black sand, "I shall set down," Huyang said but Ahsoka increased her pace as a distant explosion erupted.
"No, you won't. Keep going," she demanded as the ship flew directly overhead drawing ever lower.
"I don't understand. What would you rather I did?" Huyang's confusion was obvious, but they didn't have time. She could already feel the wave of heat building behind her.
"Just stay in the air but lower the ramp!" She looked upward and when the droid did as she asked, she jumped. Her fingers closed around the edge of the ramp as debris crashed into the earth all around them. Massive stones barely missed their ship and Huyang navigated through them. She climbed onto the ramp as below her the black sand was consumed by flames.
Ahsoka raised the ramp after entering the shuttle and the ship continued to gain altitude. They were nearly clear of the atmosphere when she reached the cockpit. Huyang turned his chair slightly so that he could look at her as she sat down in the pilot's chair next to him. His eyes glowed yellow as he studied her.
"Good thing I arrived when I did," he said as she put the ship on autopilot after inputting coordinates.
"About that," Ahsoka leaned back in the chair, staring out into the fading atmosphere, "where were you earlier?"
"I was keeping the ship at a safe distance," the droid's tone was mildly defensive, and she sighed in irritation.
"If you hadn't kept at such a safe distance, then maybe wouldn't have lost communication," she explained, closing her eyes to project a relaxed attitude.
"I am just following standard Jedi mission protocol," Huyang said and Ahsoka would have rolled her eyes if they had not been closed.
"The Order doesn't exist anymore, it's dead," she said as patiently as she could manage.
"Nonetheless, I have my programming," he said and Ahsoka opened one eye so that she could see his expression. His narrowed eyes let her know that he was equally irritated.
"Fine, but next time please stay close enough so that you can watch my back," she said trying to smooth away the tension brewing between them. It didn't work.
"That is the job of a Jedi Padawan learner. Which I am not." The droid's disdainful tone punctuated his words.
"This wasn't what I had in mind when you decided to help me and not Master Skywalker," Ahsoka muttered more to herself than to Huyang. She shifted in her chair and the unfamiliar weight at her side brought the mission back to the forefront of her thoughts. Sitting up, she pulled the map out, extending it so that Huyang could study it. "Regardless, I found it," she said, smiling faintly. Huyang's eyes widened as he leaned closer.
"The map?" he asked, and she nodded.
"Right where Morgan said it would be," she added. The Mark IV architect droid reached out to take it, but Ahsoka curled her hand away so that he could not.
"How did you get her to tell the truth?" He asked, Ahsoka rose to leave but paused.
"Let's just say I didn't follow standard Jedi protocol," she said, tapping his chest plate loud enough that the metal clattered slightly, letting the sound emphasize her point. Huyang opened his mouth to respond, but then shut it. The two of them and worked together long enough to know when a discussion was going nowhere. Still, Ahsoka didn't miss the disappointment in his eyes when she turned to leave. Before she could however, a transmission came through. It was fleet command.
"Fulcrum, this is Home One, do you copy, over?" Ahsoka returned to her seat as Huyang answered.
"Come in, Home One, this is Fulcrum, over."
"Copy, incoming transmission, Priority One: there's been an incident, we need you to return to the fleet immediately." Ahsoka glanced at Huyang, but the droid shook his head. He was as clueless as her.