Night fell upon Lothal. The rebels reviewed their plan, and decided how to make their move. Firstly, they needed two volunteers to scout the temple area, a mission which Aang and Ezra submitted their services. They took 0946 and 626's speeders and rode off into the night.
They rode on for an hour, as the speeder rides. They didn't have the Phantom or the Ghost's navigation systems to guide them, so their journey relied on the strange pull they both felt, obviously the work of the Force.
Soon enough, they arrived at the giant mountain Ezra knew well, but they couldn't get too close; there was a giant crater dug around it. In the crater, around the temple, appeared to be an abandoned worksite. There was excavation equipment everywhere, and a mobile Imperial command unit; Ezra even spotted a couple stone blocks from the temple removed from the temple itself.
"What happened here?" Ezra asked as he got off his bike, his voice displaying curiosity, concern, and suspicion.
"Abandoned, by the look of it." Aang observed. "I can sense something wrong, but it doesn't quite feel like a trap. . . At least not for us."
That thought threw Ezra for a loop. "Well, what else could it be?"
"I honestly couldn't tell you; I've heard nothing about this." Aang answered nonchalantly. "The Empire was here for a long time, last I remembered. It looks like something stopped them soon after they'd made some real progress. Whatever it is they wanted here was obviously important to them-"
"But not important enough for them to come back? They left all this equipment behind."
A dark thought crossed Aang's mind, and he was hesitant to express it to Ezra, but figured it's be more risky not to share all his thoughts. "If there's something involved that scared the Empire that much-"
Ezra seemed to agree with that logic, as he suddenly appeared concerned about the mission too. "Then we must be in the right place. Maybe whatever it is is connected to the tremors in the Force we've been feeling?"
"That's what we're here to find out. Temples hold answers. I have my own suspicion about what's going on, and this should confirm it. Contact the base, tell them to proceed. And hurry, I also sense we don't have much time before we're discovered."
The following morning, Bando prepared an official mission team for departure in the bay at the entrance of the Imperial headquarters. Mythus joined all of them shortly, donned in Imperial officer battle armor. "Feeling better?" He asked Bando with a deadpan attitude.
Bando sensed something was off in Mythus; he kept his mind on the mission, but decided to keep his senses sharp and on the lookout.
Mythus and Bando boarded a patrol aircraft and led the group out. They led one Y-85 Titan Dropship holding four AT-ATs, another holding four AT-DPs, and two Gozanti-class Assault Carriers carrying all the TIEs they could.
"Is all this necessary?" Bando asked Mythus on the fly. "It's not like the rebels are there; we'd have heard if they even entered the planet." Bando then felt a small pit of anxiety eminating from someone on the craft, but didn't care to think about it.
"There is equipment that has been abandoned that we cannot leave for just anyone to pick up. Should we find anyone there, we will execute them, and we will need these vehicles to store the abandoned equipment." Mythus explained, a believable alibi; he had his own reason for wanting to visit the temple, but he needed to cover it up. He was having all sorts of bad feelings lately, and he didn't know what to make of it; the last thing he needed was people higher up in the Empire getting word of such thingd and doubting his drive and efforts. Hopefully this would work out for him.
Meanwhile, the anxiety Bando sensed from within the ship had only continued to grow, and it got to the point where it was beginning to annoy him. He conducted a "proble" to estimate where the mass of anxiety was coming from. He slowly looked in the general direction (with his helmet, no one could guess he was looking at anyone specific), which came off as menacing; he inquired with a quiet and somewhat menacing tone, "Yes?"
"Um. . . sir?" The officer opened up, to which Mythus also faced him with an aggrivated and suspecting manner. "About all that. There's, been a big problem."
Mythus raised an inquisitive eyebrow in response.
"The blockade hasn't reported in in some time." The officer said very nervously, constantly swallowing his nervousness and his voice shaking, "And ever since, the um, recent broadcast, several of our own units have gone missing."
Mythus and Bando were furious, to say the least (and even that was an understatement). Mythus couldn't even begin to comprehend the loss that'd been endured, and not even mentioning the punishment he'd eventually endure for "incompetence," he imagined they'd say. "A whole. . . blockade?"
The officer could only nod.
"Where did it go?" He asked slowly, emphasizing each word. "Where, are they?"
"We sent a recon group up to investigate, sir. They're just. . . gone."
"Missing units?"
"Some are assuming the broadcast may have, caused some to desert. And they took Imperial property with them."
Mythus then asked, "And why am I only being informed now?"
"Several people tried to reach you, but you seemed to be shut in your office, unresponsive; and he was-" the officer gestured to Bando, "elsewhere."
Mythus's face twitched. He and Bando traded glances, both knowing their mission was about to become that much more difficult. "Then I suppose we'll have to keep an eye out for them, then. We can at least track the vehicles." Mythus said through grit teeth; he and Bando both then faced away from the group.
"We figured that, too, sir; and it seems, they did too." The officer implied the defects' tactics.
"Word of this gets out, it'll incriminate the entire division and they'll execute you. With everything that's happened on Lothal, I wouldn't be surprised if the Empire set the Death Star on this planet." Bando said quietly to Mythus.
"Then I'll have to trust that you'll take care of any, 'liabilities,' by whatever means necessary." Mythus replied, strongly emphasizing liabilities, implying even people from within their ranks.
"You'll have to trust that they might not kill you if we bring down all the rebels." Bando said. "They may be considered collateral, but will they cover the costly amount of equipment that disappeared under your not-so-watchful eye?"
"Not helping, soldier." Mythus grumbled.
"Keep your priorities straight; consider everything. Things are not looking bright for you."
Mythus didn't reply this time, only slightly turned his head and glared in Bando's direction.
Aang and Ezra treaded lightly across the grounds of the temple, keeping an eye, ear, and a sense out for any unnatural activity. Ezra seemed to keep ahead, so Aang naturally had to ask, "What is it we're doing?"
"You don't know?" Ezra asked. "It was your plan to come here."
"Yeah, but I've actually never been here before. I don't know your protocol when entering this place."
Ezra sighed, seemingly with a not-so-upbeat attitude. "It takes two to open the temple."
"Open?"
"Yeah, we use the Force, the temple lifts and turns, and a door presents itself to us."
"Uuuuuh," Aang looked behind Ezra at the temple. "To me it looks like it'll be in the air if it lifts anymore. I think the Empire dug to the bottom."
"If there's anything I've learned about Jedi temples, it's that you always need to forget everything you think you know. Temples are tricky, and can show you things you couldn't fathom knowing. Now, stand beside me." Ezra told him, mirroring what he and Kanan did. Aang stepped forward next to Ezra, who further instructed, "Now close your eyes, and listen. Focus." He said, closing his eyes and stretching out his hand.
Aang followed suit. He had never been inside a temple before, so his emotions were a few places at the moment; he did wish it was under better circumstances.
"Be calm." Ezra said, sensing Aang's internal goings on. "Just focus on listening."
"Right." Aang took a deep breath and paired his actions with Ezra's. One arm stretched out, and both eyes shut. After a few moments, he didn't feel anything going on; neither did he in a minute.
Ezra seemed to sense something wrong. "Why isn't the temple opening?"
"Maybe there's something else we're supposed to see?"
"But the temple won't open."
"Maybe, it's not on the inside?" Aang suggested.
"I've been around this rock before; I've never seen anything on the outside." Ezra said, approaching the temple anyway.
"You said it yourself, temples are tricky." Aang followed him.
Ezra reached out and touched the wall of the temple. "They were digging for something. But what?"
"The only logical explanation I can think of is that someone is after the mysteries of the temple." Aang deducted.
"But one would have to be very in-tune with the Force to be able to pull off something like that."
"So either there's way more to this Bando character, or we're in way over our heads."
"Well there's no better place to seek guidance." Ezra said, feeling up the stone. He looked around for something, a clue to help him decide his next move. He began walking around the circumference of the temple, keeping an eye out. 'There has to be something.' He thought.
As he neared the other side of the temple, he found something on the outside. 'A painting?' He noted. "Aang!" He shouted.
"I'm right here; I've been following you." Aang said, rubbing his ear.
"What do you make of this?" Ezra asked him.
Aang took a long look at the painting. Something stuck out as familiar to him. Three strange-looking figures; they each had distinct features that soon 'clicked' in Aang's mind that immediately became recognizeable to him. "By the stars!" Whispered Aang in awe, his eyes widened. "You don't know who they are?"
"I was only trained in my abilities, not too much in knowledge of the Jedi lore."
"These are the gods of Mortis. The manifestations of the Force's dichotomy, and the balance between them." Aang explained. He pointed to the figure on the left. "The Daughter, representing the light and the life that it brings," Aang pointed to thre right, "The Son; he is of the Dark and represents the death, the opposite of The Daughter," Aang pointed to the central figure, "And he is The Father. He is the balance, he keeps the balance. To put it simply, he keeps his children in check."
"Huh." Ezra huffed. "So why are. . ." he wasn't too sure how to word it, "why are, they, here?"
"Who knows? What did your master tell you to do when you first came to the temple?"
Ezra had to think back to that moment, four years ago. The temple was new, getting into it was a challenge; now the temple was presenting a new challenge. What was it that Kanan taught him? ". . . to listen." Ezra answered softly. He closed his eyes and hovered his hand over the stone; something was telling him he shouldn't touch the painting.
Naturally, Ezra felt the call of the light, but also the pull of the dark. His hand was open, as was The Daughter's. He heard whispers of a soft female voice calling towards him. He turned towards the painting of The Daughter; he then put his palm flat upon the Daughter's. He listened. 'Is this like a key mechanism?' He thought. His instincts remained true as he turned his hand to a different angle, as if twisting a key in a keyhole.
Ezra stepped back and he and Aang both lightly gasped as the painting glowed; circles and lines -like a web- around each figure lit up, then the two Jedi felt slight disbelief as the painting of The Daughter moved. Her head turned and faced The Father, then bowed. Their attention turned to The Father as his left hand lowered and pointed to his left.
"What's he pointing to?" Ezra asked, not seeing anything to Father's right.
"Maybe those?" Aang asked, eyes widened more as he pointed to paintings of Loth-wolves on The Father's left, just a little below. He didn't know how to react to the wolf paintings boring their eyes into his soul.
Ezra saw the same thing. "Woah!"
The wolves then lifted themselves, and their heads to acknowledge The Father, before walking off, further to Father's left.
Aang and Ezra looked at each other, full of curiosity before they followed the wolves a few meters in their direction. They stopped when the wolves changed direction; they walked up, then down, and around in an apparent oval circle.
"This is, completely new. What do we do?" Ezra asked.
"We came here to find answers; we find answers by entering the temple."
"This doesn't look like a door." Ezra said, approaching the wolf circle. He cautiously reached forward, nervous about touching inside said circle. When he touched it, it looked like electricity shot out around his arm, but it didn't feel like it; it didn't hurt at all. Further suspending his disbelief, he could've sworn he saw his fingertips go inside the stone. "Ooooooh-kay that's definitely a way in."
"W-" Aang was about to reply, but stopped himself short when he felt something wrong.
"I sense it too." Ezra said as he looked around. They stepped back and looked to the sky. Sure enough, they saw Imperial ships, but they did not sense anything friendly about this group.
"Uh oh." Ezra said. "I really hope our ambush plan works."
"I vote we just enter the temple and don't get spotted, huh?" Aang suggested.
"Uuuh, right." Ezra agreed as he and Aang decided to make a run for it so they wouldn't be seen; they jumped inside the circle and disappeared into the stone.
But the keen eyes of Mythus would not be so easily evaded. He didn't know much about Jedi temples, but he figured the two Jedi didn't think they could avoid detection by hiding against the giant rock. 'There's probably an entrace.'
The shuttles landed before the ships dropped the walkers and deployed the TIEs. Bando followed Mythus in the Jedis' direction, but Mythus held a hand up and instructed, "You'll be needed out here; I doubt their friends are far behind."
Bando nodded and departed to help set up around the temple. "I suggest we station walkers all around the area." He suggested to the captain.
"On it already, sir." The captain replied, giving the order.
Bando looked around. He observed the carefully and purposefully dug hole in the ground they were standing in; he also took notice of the abandoned machinery and few misplaced temple stones. Everything looked like they'd been sitting out for a long time; the equipment was discolored and rusted, but the stones strangely looked untouched. "What was the Empire last doing here, captain?"
"I am unsure, sir. By the look of it, it all happened before I was positioned here on Lothal. If I had to guess, maybe the people in charge didn't find what they were looking for."
"No." Bando replied sharply. "The equipment wouldn't-"
"wouldn't be left here." Bando and the captain said at the same time.
"I see, sir." The captain realized.
"Who was in charge before Mythus?" Bando asked.
The captain was unsettled, for a reason he couldn't put into words. Someone higher up like Bando not being as knowledgeable as he should be made him question Bando's qualifications. "Grand Admiral Thrawn, sir."
"And where is he?"
"The Grand Admiral was. . . was. . ."
Bando slowly turned and looked at the captain. "You don't know either?"
'Either?' Bando's question gave the captain several more. He wondered who else didn't know, but more importantly and obviously, where was Thrawn?
"What was Thrawn's last report?"
"With all due respect, sir, I'm not the person to ask. I'm just a military captain. I only file my own reports; I don't look at others'."
"Hmmm." Bando grumbled under his breath. He looked around the abandoned camp again. He tuned into his Force senses and felt a wisp of something distantly familiar. Something distant, yet so close.
Mythus circled the temple, following pairs of footsteps he found in the dirt. Almost all the way around the temple, he found the paintings, and how two of the painted characters were gesturing further along the direction of the temple Mythus was going; he didn't stop walking along the edge until he too found the circling wolves on the door. He looked down and saw the footprints going towards and into it. Several questions were going through his head; he cautiously reached his hand forward to test one of his theories, and was very fascinated when he saw his hand go through the stone surface.
'Interesting.' He thought.