An Unexpected Reunion
Chapter V | Episode I | 7/19/2019
Idozzi strolled through the abandoned palace of Teemo the Hutt with comlink in hand, and said, “Yeah, Aklee, I think this place will work out great as the Good Trader’s latest expansion.”
“Well, I’d still like to take a look for myself.” Aklee’s voice chimed through the comms.
“Of course.” Idozzi replied cheerfully, “I’ll see you soon.” She then clicked off the comlink, and continued her work at one of Teemo’s terminals.
It had been three weeks since Teemo was killed. In that time, Idozzi rarely left the palace she once considered a prison. Luckily for her, no one else dared enter. Either the locals were too spooked by everything that had happened earlier, or they knew that anything of value was already gone. Either way, she welcomed the peace and quiet.
She had been trying desperately to find information, any information, regarding her missing parents. Unfortunately for her, she was no slicer. And Teemo’s files were heavily encrypted. The best she could do was locate their names in a set of files that she had no hope of cracking on her own. Much as she was loathe to admit it, she needed help. Help from a certain individual…
“Zanroy, meet Rackett!” Twil said happily, walking onto the Sovereign, accompanied by a slightly grungy, obviously used R7 model astromech droid.
“Rackett?” Zanroy asked, eyeing the garishly painted baby blue/pink droid.
“Well, his official designation is R7-T1, but I just think he looks like a Rackett.” Twil said, still smiling.
“Whatever you say.” Zanroy replied, “So, now that the ship has a new mechanic, are we ready to leave now?”
At this, Twil’s mood changed drastically. True, without R5 or Rath, the Sovereign was in desperate need of a new mechanic, which was why he had stopped by Nar Shaddaa to buy this new astromech. But in reality, the droid purchasing was really just a way for him to delay the inevitable. The fact of the matter was, Twil wasn’t ready to leave everything and everyone behind. He had promised Elaiza that he would investigate the places the strange compass led to, and the business with Teemo had finally been settled. Zanroy had even volunteered to go with him on his journey. But to leave everything else behind, to leave the Good Trader. To leave his friends, Rath, Idozzi, Gretta, Aklee, everyone… It was too much for the Zeltron to handle, even after three weeks of foot dragging.
“Technically, yes.” Twil said, “But, there is a slight problem. Rackett here isn’t set up to integrate with the Sovereign yet. Plus, I bought a bunch of upgrades for him that I haven’t had installed yet.”
“You couldn’t just hire someone here to do that?” Zanroy asked.
“The only person on Nar Shaddaa that I trust with my ship is Gretta, but droids aren’t really her specialty. Plus she’s pretty busy at the moment.” Twil explained.
“So… Rath?” Zanroy asked.
Before Twil could respond, the comms alert began to chime from the Sovereign’s cockpit.
Answering the call, Twil was greeted by a familiar face. “Hey, Idozzi!” Twil greeted the Twi’lek.
“Hi Twil, I’ve got a favor to ask.” Idozzi said.
“Anything!” Twil replied, cheerily.
“I’ve found some datafiles in Teemo’s old terminals, and I think they’re related to my parents, but I can’t get into them, they’re too encrypted.”
“I know about computers as much as you, I think.” Twil responded.
“I know, I was hoping, maybe Rath could… look into them for me.” Idozzi explained, hesitantly.
Twil let out a laugh, and said, “I was planning on paying him a visit myself! I’ve got a new droid, and he needs some work. You want us to pick you up first?”
“That would be great.” Idozzi replied, relieved, “Aklee is on her way now to check out the palace for our latest expansion, so it won’t be left abandoned. So this will work out well.”
“Excellent!” Twil replied, “Just make sure Aklee has plenty of security set up at Coruscant in the mean time. I don’t like that place being left vulnerable either.”
“Of course.” Idozzi replied, “I’ll see you soon.”
“So Mitth’raw’nuruodo really did overthrow the entire Ascendancy…” Rath said, more than asked.
“I still don’t understand it all myself.” Nox replied, solemnly, “That night, when the House was attacked… It was so chaotic… It was all I could do just to escape with my life. I have no idea who survived, who died, or even if anyone else was lucky enough to escape too.”
“So, that video feed I acquired…” Rath asked, thinking back to the first piece of evidence he had found that suggested his family might still be alive.
“Yes, that was Mitth’raw’nuruodo’s public rally, declaring that the ‘old ways’ were no longer working. I attended in secret, hoping to find some answers. He claimed the ruling families were corrupt, that the aristocras were ineffective rulers, that he was the future for the Ascendancy, that they should rally behind him, a single ruler to bring glory to the Chiss.”
Rath’s stomach twisted into knots. Now more than ever he wished he had killed that conniving bastard when he had the chance.
“And Aristocra Ara’lani was with him?” Rath asked, unable to believe that the ruler of his own House, his aunt, his mother’s sister, would support that mad man.
“She was there.” Nox said, nodding his head slowly.
“I saw it for myself… but to understand the context of what that was… I still can’t believe it. She betrayed us all.” Rath said in dismay.
“She may have.” Nox said, “She was present at the rally, with Mitth’raw’nuruodo.”
“Present, but clearly not a prisoner. Not an example of what becomes of those who defy his rule…” Rath replied.
“No.” Nox shook his head.
“Our people believed him…” Rath said, again, as a statement, not a question.
“Many did.” Nox explained, “He was greeted with thunderous applause. He was smart, charismatic, said all the right things in just the right way. And he had the backing of House Mitth.”
“Which meant he had military support.” Rath said in understanding.
“It started with us. We were the first House to fall.”
“We were his biggest threat to his rise to power.”
Nox nodded, “With us out of the way, and the CEDF and Phalanx forces backing him, the other Houses crumbled. Some swore fealty. Those who resisted met the same fate we did.”
“Death, or capture for experimentation.” Rath stated, his stomach twisting even more. “And once he had control, the Empire strolled right in and took everything.”
“I can only guess.” Nox replied, shaking his head, “That night, after the rally, they found me. I only remember a syringe being plunged into my neck, then waking up on an Imperial ship.”
“And you don’t remember seeing anyone else there during imprisonment?” Rath asked, already knowing the answer. This wasn’t the first time he had had this conversation with his brother in the past three weeks, after all.
“Like I said, They had us pumped so full of toxins… The fact that I can remember what I do… I remember seeing fellow Chiss. But I was too out of it to make out faces. For all I know they could have been our parents, our brothers, our sisters, or complete strangers. I don’t know.”
Rath could not suppress the tears of rage from falling from his eyes. “Nox, I’m so sorry.” He said, collapsing, burying his face into his brother’s shoulder, “It took me eight years to find you. Eight years you were tested on, experimented on, tortured. And everyone else might still be in that same position. I should have done more! I should do more!”
“Hey, hey!” Nox replied, taking hold of Rath, staring him in they eye, “You didn’t know. You did exactly what I told you to do. I never said ‘rescue me,’ I ordered you to escape, to survive! And you pulled that off in ways that I still can’t even comprehend, no matter how much of your story I hear. You have nothing to feel guilty about. I’m here now. We’re together again. And you know full well what we’re capable of together. Mitth’raw’nuruodo will be sorry he ever crossed us. We’ll find the others. We’ll win our home back. We’ll save our people.”
Just then, Rath’s implant chimed with an incoming message.
Wiping away the remaining tears, Rath pulled up the long, rambling message sent by Twil.
With a short laugh, he said, “It seems my friends are coming by for a visit. Good. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
By the time Twil and the other’s had arrived, Rath was back to working on the fried husk of R5, and just casually chatting with Nox.
“Hey buddy! Long time no see!” Twil said, entering the room with the others in tow.
“It’s been three weeks Twil.” Rath replied, not taking his eyes off his work.
“Too long!” Twil replied cheerily, “Oh, and hey to you too, Nox! glad to see you’re up and moving around!” Twil greeted Rath’s brother, pulling him into a quick, unexpected hug.
Nox glanced over at Rath, but simply smiled and patted Twil on the back, awkwardly. Upon release, he smiled and nodded at the others as they entered.
Rath let out a short laugh and said, “Twil, he doesn’t speak much Basic. But he did want me to convey his thanks, to all of you, for what you’ve done.”
“Hey, any brother of Rath’s is a friend of mine!” Twil said, smiling, “So anyway, Rath, meet Rackett!” Twil said, gesturing towards the R7 unit rolling in behind him.
“R7-T1” Zanroy added, noting Rath’s quizzical expression.
“Of course.” Rath said, “Twil, you do know that R7 units are made primarily for use in the E-7 E-wing multi-role starfighter, right?”
“Nope.” Twil replied.
Shaking his head, but smiling all the same, Rath replied, “Sure, okay, I like a challenge. I’m sure I can retrofit this thing to work with the Sovereign.”
“You know, Rath, having this astromech would be nice, but I’d still like to take one more stab at trying to convince you to come with us. I know you probably want to just go straight back to the Ascendancy to save your family, but I think you’re crazy-”
“They aren’t there.” Rath interrupted.
“Wait, what do you mean?” Twil asked, taken aback.
“I mean, I don’t think my family is in the Ascendancy. Not anymore… I think we need to have a talk. All of us.” Rath said, looking at everyone in the room.
The others shared quick glances, before Twil said, “Sure, what’s going on?”
Rath took a deep breath before saying, “Twil, all of you… The ‘Teemo poison’ issue isn’t finished yet.”
“What do you mean?” Twil asked.
“Teemo’s dead.” Zanroy replied, “I mean, yeah we thought he was dead once before. But no amount of cybernetics is gonna cure a metal bladed chandelier impaling you in the head.”
“Yes, Teemo is dead. But there’s so much more to it than that. I don’t even know where to begin.” Rath started, “The Teemo Neurotoxin… It’s Project Aura.”
“Project Aura?” Twil asked, confused, “Isn’t that Draven’s thing?”
“It’s all of our thing.” Rath replied.
“Rath what are you talking about?” Idozzi asked.
“I, ugh, I don’t even know where to start, it’s all so complicated.” Rath said, clearly frustrated with his inability to explain, “Project Aura is the looming threat that ties this crew together, in ways that even I can’t fully comprehend. Project Aura is the name given to the mind controlling neurotoxin Teemo was developing, a joint project between the Empire and the Hutts.”
“Hutts, as in plural?” Zanroy asked.
“Yes.” Rath replied, “Let me lay it all out for you. There are so many more players involved in this than I could have possibly imagined…
“When Nox was captured, and under Imperial control, he heard them refer to the neurotoxin experiments as Project Aura. Once he told me that, and once I connected the two, so many things suddenly fell into place. Project Aura is intertwined into all of our lives. And the lives of so many others. And it all starts with that wretched woman, Moff ‘Doc’ Barris.
“From everything we know and have heard from Draven, Barris is the head of this project. She’s the mastermind behind it. And from what we know of Barris, we can start connecting dots.
“Think back to when we first met Barris, back on Yavin IV. What happened then? The Imperials were attacked by the strange troopers, the Legion of Codicious. That spooked Barris so badly that she wanted to get off planet, not back to an Imperial base, but off planet. And she didn’t even care that the people taking her off planet were a group of strange, unknown, clearly not Imperial, aliens.
“What does this propose? It proposes that Zes Codicious is also involved in Project Aura, which makes me think that the Force is somehow involved in this thing.”
“Wait, you think Codicious was working with Barris?” Twil asked.
“No. Not then.” Rath replied, “I think Codicious was working with Barris at some point, otherwise, that reaction would never have been had by Barris upon seeing Zes’s followers. I think Codicious was involved sometime earlier, but went rogue. Think about it. She had an army of Imperial troopers that clearly exhibited signs of mind control. She killed a squad of them, absorbed their life force, and the other troopers didn’t even blink an eye. I think that’s how she had access to so much Imperial equipment and men. She at one point, had free access to all of it, working with the Empire on Project Aura. And remember this: when we killed her, when Draven killed her, what did she say to him? She called him by name. And said there was so much she could have told him.
“Zes Codicious is connected to Project Aura. But who else? So very many…
“When we escaped Yavin IV, who picked up Barris at her request? The Immobilizer 418. A top secret Imperial super weapon. Very odd choice to pick up a then Imperial scientist, wouldn’t you say? And who led the crew of the Immobilizer 418? Grand Admiral Thrawn. Now, I ask you, why in the galaxy would a Grand Admiral act as a taxi for a lowly Imperial scientist?
“Thrawn is involved in Project Aura, deeply so. This leads me to answering your initial question. Why do I not think that my family is somewhere in the Ascendancy? Because of Thrawn. He overthrew the entire oligarchy of the Chiss Ascendancy. The ruling families, including my own, were destroyed. According to intel provided by my brother, the bastard used cunning, charm, and cheap words to gain the backing of the people, lying that the ruling families were corrupt, that he should be their sole leader to usher in a new age of prosperity for the Chiss. Any who resisted were taken prisoner and used as test subjects for Project Aura. The mystery behind the fall of my House has finally been revealed. We were all betrayed by Thrawn.
“I am linked to Project Aura.
“Zanroy, you might be wondering how you fit into all of this. As I said, we are all connected. Think for a moment. Your mother was held prisoner on the Immobilizer 418. Again, an odd choice of prison. I highly suspect she too may have been intended as a test subject. Along with Kor Zoroc.
“But even deeper, When the Immobilizer was in its death throes, who arrived on scene just before the Immobilizer was destroyed? The Solicitude. An Imperial Star Destroyer captained by none other than Dac Diggersby. Your father. Now, ask yourself, why would he be at that point at that time. We were on the edges of known space, far from any known Imperial installations. And yet, the Solicitude just happens to be there? I highly doubt it was just a coincidence.
“Zanroy, you and your parents are somehow connected to Project Aura. How? I am not yet sure. But I no longer believe in coincidences.
“Twil, you certainly must be wondering how any of this affects you. After all, you’re ‘just a businessman.’ I think there are more Imperials involved in this than just Barris and Thrawn. I highly suspect Tessala Corvae is also implicated in this.
“Think back, she wanted the Good Trader in the worst way possible. She was desperate for a way to move materials across the galaxy under the Empire’s nose. This has made me draw two conclusions: one, she is involved in Project Aura, wanting the Good Trader as a way to ship whatever materials (or people) she needed across the galaxy with ease; and two, Project Aura may not be an officially sanctioned Imperial project. If she wanted you to ship things without the Empire knowing about it, this gets even shadier than any of us thought possible.”
“But Tessala is gone, right?” Twil interrupted.
“She left the Good Trader.” Rath replied, “No one killed her.”
“But Elaiza did that mind trick thing to make her go away.” Twil protested, “She isn’t a threat anymore.”
“I hope that’s true, Twil. I’m no expert in the Force.” Rath replied.
“Could someone have undone it?” Twil asked looking to Zanroy.
Zanroy simply shrugged, not knowing, himself.
“This is all just hypothesis, Twil. I don’t have many facts.” Rath explained, “However, even if your company is safe, you hold something else that I suspect is of vital importance. The holocron.”
“The holocron?” Twil asked, “But Suljo Warde said that it held knowledge about how to use the Force to see the future. How would that play into mind control?”
“I don’t know. But think back. The holocron was stolen from an Imperial Duke, Erron Irbian. Duke Irbian’s holocron was stolen, and yet, who did we find on the Renegade’s Blood, attacking Saral Aenet and her crew? Teemo’s men. Irbian and Teemo were clearly working together, and we know Teemo is at the heart of all of this. Vex is obvious proof. We know he was used as the administrator of the poison during Teemo’s experimentation. Even Barris recognized him immediately, trying to take possession of him at first sight. However, Teemo was not the ringleader we all suspected him of being.
“From what little I could pull from Teemo’s files, I found out some interesting things. Firstly, When Teemo was injured, by Zes Codicious, of all people, Jabba the Hutt took him in. We know Teemo and Jabba are of the same Desilijic Kajidic, but even so, this was an odd move. Jabba healed Teemo at Jabba’s own personal expense. I don’t know this Jabba, fellow, but I do know Hutts, and I know they are not kindhearted, generous souls. Why would Jabba go through such efforts for what is widely known as a small time hick of a crime lord? It doesn’t make sense.
“What’s even more disturbing are the other familiar names I pulled from Teemo’s files regarding this. Dalan Oberos, the human bounty hunter that tried to take us down on Nar Shaddaa. Banta, the Advozse black market merchant that helped you and Gretta find cybernetic parts for Zanroy. Angu Drombb, the man we crushed with massive mining equipment in New Meen. Vrixx’tt, the Gand bounty hunter that Zanroy met at the gun runner party on Geonosis. Trex, the Trandoshan bounty hunter that we all remember quite well. Tyber Zann of the Zann Consortium. And lastly, and most confusingly of all, Jyd Renner, the fight promoter of the Loaded Savrip on Ord Mantel.”
“Wait. What?!” Zanroy asked, “How do… that doesn't make any sense!”
“No, it doesn’t. But it just goes to show how deep and tangled this web really is.” Rath continued.
“I also found out that Jabba and Teemo both seemed to be in contact, and possibly taking orders from another Hutt by the name of Bossato. She is a member of the Gorensla Kajidic. There is another member of that Kajidic that seems to play a large role in all of this as well, unfortunately. A Hutt we all know: Kaltho.
“Kaltho, Teemo, Jabba, and Bossato. All of these Hutts and criminals, and possibly more, are connected to Project Arua.”
“And what about me?” Idozzi asked.
Rath turned to face the Twi’lek and said, “Idozzi, do the names Do’seca and Na’senna mean anything to you?”
Idozzi stammered in reply, shocked to hear the names, “Y-… yes. They mean quite a bit to me.”
“They’re your parents, aren’t they?” Rath asked.
“Yes.” Idozzi replied slowly.
“I found their names among the files Teemo had stored with what little I’ve been able to find regarding Project Aura. I fear they too may be being used as test subjects.”
Idozzi’s face fell, “So, you already know everything? These encrypted files I brought are useless?”
“Not at all.” Rath said, in an attempt at reassurance, “I’ve only just had time to skim the surface. What you’ve brought could possibly hold the key to much of what I understand, and I’d be happy to check them out later.”
“And what about Draven?” Zanroy asked.
“I suspect he, and his entire species, were taken as test subjects as well.” Rath explained, “In the time we’ve been apart, I’ve met a second member of Draven’s race, through my own work. A race, I remind you, that none of us even recognized. His name was Verin Psi. He apparently knew Draven, before Draven lost his memory. He claimed to be something called an Arkanian Offshoot. His wife and child were apparently also taken for Project Aura. I don’t know the specifics. But I can only assume they were targeted for some specific reason. Some genetic marker. I don’t know. But Draven’s involvement, although mysterious, is obvious.”
“So, wait.” Twil said, interrupting, clearly trying to wrap his head around everything, “What does all of this mean? How do we… What do we do about it?”
With a deep sigh, Rath dropped his head, and said, “I don’t know. I have all of these theories, but they’re just that. I’ve run out of leads. I was actually considering that I join you on your journey to the Unknown Regions. That compass once belonged to Zes Codicious. It might hold answers. It might even be where they’re conducting their sickening experiments.”
Upon hearing this, Twil seemed to enter some sort of a trance. Upon snapping out of it moments later, he looked at Rath and said firmly, “Pack your things, you’re coming with us.”
“Wait, what?” Rath asked, now his turn to be confused.
“You’re coming with us. You can even bring Nox. Idozzi, you’re coming too. This web of conspiracies that you’ve laid out, the answer is out there. Where we’re heading. I know it.”
Rath eyed Twil suspiciously before muttering, “Csse’sco veb.” Under his breath, in Cheunh.
“What was that?” Twil asked.
“Nothing.” Rath said, shaking his head. “Uh, yeah, okay. Let’s do it. But, I’m not going to bring Nox. I want him here. I want him safe. Let me explain everything that’s happening. Again, he doesn’t really speak Basic.”
“Of course.” Twil replied.
Turning to Nox, Rath slipped back into his native tongue of Cheunh and explained everything that had been discussed. He finished by saying, “I don’t want you coming with us. I want you to stay here. I want you to stay… safe. Nox, it took me eight years to find you. If something happened to you. If I lost you again… I can’t do that. I can’t go through that a second time.”
“Rath.” Nox began, “This goes against every instinct I have. I’m your older brother, remember? I’m the one who should be protecting you.”
“Nox, please. I can’t handle losing you again. We have no idea-”
“Rath.” Nox interrupted, putting a hand on his brother’s shoulder, “It’s okay. I’ll stay here. I might even be able to do some good here. You’ve explained the operation you’ve got running. I think I could be of help to it. I can even get that Axel droid of yours to teach me more of that crude Basic they all speak around here.”
“It is hideous isn’t it?” Rath said with a laugh, “Thank you, Nox.”
The two then hugged tightly, saying their goodbyes.
Rath then turned to Twil and said, “Alright Twil, let me just get some supplies, and load R5 up on the Sovereign, and I’ll be good to go.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You’re bringing that thing back on my ship?” Twil asked, eyeing the dead husk of a droid.
“Yeah, what’s the problem?” Rath asked, confused, “I’ve been trying to restore him for weeks, I’m not letting that project just stop.”
“Did you forget what was in that thing?” Twil asked.
“That thing was once a member of your crew, Twil. Didn’t you always say your crew was your family? Besides, the holocron was destroyed. It’s my hope, that if I can get him working again, without that holocron in him, he’ll be able to actually remember something of his past life. He may have answers.”
Eyeing the dead droid uneasily once more, Twil replied, “Yeah, okay. Just keep it in your quarters.”
With everything packed and ready, and with the newest member of the crew, R7-T1, or “Rackett,” expertly modified by Rath, the crew of the Sovereign was once more reunited. And with bated breath, the Sovereign made the jump to hyperspace, following only the coordinates given by the strange Force compass.
During the journey, Zanroy decided to try to spend his time as effectively as possible. Recent events had changed him from the man he always thought he’d be. And he was now hoping to rectify some of his more egregious mistakes. Starting with his lightsaber.
When he had first created the blade, he had forced the kyber crystal to comply, using the Dark Side of the Force to bend the crystal to his will. This caused the crystal to “bleed” which was what gave it its red hue.
It was a small gesture, but it was his hope to “heal” the crystal, through use of the Force.
Unfortunately for the former Bounty Hunter, this was not so simple a task as he had hoped. And all he got for his efforts was a lot of mental exhaustion.
“Another time, then.” Zanroy said, reassembling his lightsaber.
Meanwhile, Rath decided to take the time to acquaint himself with the new droid. He resented Twil for replacing R5 so casually, but he could hardly fault the Zeltron for wanting a working astromech droid when travelling into the dark reaches of unknown space.
Rackett seemed friendly enough. It was clear that the droid didn’t really have much personality, yet. Freshly bought, it was obviously memory wiped before purchase.
He also spent much of the journey decrypting the information he and Idozzi acquired from Teemo’s palace.
After two weeks, the Sovereign made the familiar lurch of exiting out of hyperspace. Twil and the others gazed out the viewport to see a wild planet seemingly covered in spire-like mountains. However, among the mountains, they noticed a massive scar across an entire hemisphere of the planet, it almost seemed as though the life of the planet was ebbing slowly out of the violent gash.
“Cozy.” Rath commented.
“Taking us in.” Twil said eyeing the compass, which he was grateful was not leading them toward the unsettling scar , “Idozzi, Zanroy, get on guns, be ready for anything.”
“On it.” Zanroy replied.
“Right behind ya.” Idozzi said, following the human out.
As the ship lowered down into the planet’s atmosphere, Twil could feel the change almost instantly. “Rath do you feel that?” He asked.
“Feel what?” Rath asked, confused.
“Exactly.” Twil replied, “There’s nothing. There’s no feeling at all. No light, no dark… no life.”
“I’d beg to differ about life, Twil, look out for those birds!” Rath shouted.
But it was too late. Twil had flew right into a flock of birds, their bodies thudded against the viewport in harsh thuds.
“Ugh, well. I’m sure R7 can clean that off.” Rath said, examining the mess on the viewport, “Where to?”
Shaking the distraction from his mind, Twil glanced at the compass, and read it’s directions. “Looks like… just past that ridge.”
As the Sovereign flew past the ridge, the crew was greeted by a most unusual sight. A strange, ancient temple like structure, built into the face of an extremely tall cliff. Even stranger, the structure appeared to be bathed in light.
“Let’s park it somewhere safe.” Twil said, eyeing the structure uneasily.
As they landed and disembarked, Twil gave the familiar orders to his new astromech, “Keep this place locked up tight, buddy, okay? No one but us gets back in, got it?”
Rackett gave an affirmative and cheerful beep before sealing up the boarding ramp, and activating the ship’s many security measures.
“Twil, do you feel odd, here?” Zanroy asked, as they approached the site.
“Yeah, like, a sense of… nothingness?” Twil asked.
“Exactly.” Zanroy replied.
“I think there’s more to this place than meets the eye.” Twil said.
“Agreed.” Zanroy nodded, “Should we feel it out?”
With a nod from Twil, the two closed their eyes, and reached out with a single hand each.
Twil was met with resistance, but Zanroy was able to break through the illusion and see it for what it really was.
The temple edifice was in fact in complete ruins. Not the slowly decaying beauty that the others saw, but something that had been purposefully and viciously ravaged. He also sensed echoes of screaming, pain, suffering, and despair.
Opening his eyes, he lurched back from the structure, and said, “That place is not good. There’s pain in there. Suffering. A lot of it. It’s also not empty. Multiple life forms. Not sure what, though.”
“What if this is where they’re performing the experiments?” Twil asked.
“Ugh, could be.” Zanroy said, fighting a chill down his spine.
“We can’t turn back now. Come on guys, let’s do this!” Twil said, doing his best to rally the troops.
Twil was trying his best to stay calm and support his friends, but deep down, even he was having reservations about this place. The overbearing feeling of nothingness was weighing heavily on him.
However, suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere, the voice of ELaiza Ren echoed in his head, “Captain Pinn, your heart is pure. You are a good man. You can empathize with the coldest of creatures as easily as with the warmest. In you, I see promise, potential for good and righteousness. I am giving you this compass in the hopes that you will find these locations powerful in the Force, and contain that power, or if needs be, destroy it. The galaxy has already suffered so much from the dark side of the Force. We cannot allow it to suffer further.”
“Right.” Twil said to himself in a whisper, “Let’s do this.”
Zanroy led the way into the ruined temple, as the others followed close behind.
It isn’t long though, before he realized that the others did not get far, as they seemed to be stuck in some sort of stasis field.
With no time to even attempt to help them, the human heard an all too familiar sound as a strange, bald, shirtless, grey-skinned human appeared before him, wielding an erratic looking, red, dual-bladed lightsaber…
