《Star Wars: Silverlight Rising》 Part I: ForceFall ~ Prologue: Before The Council Silverlight Rising Part I: ForceFall Prologue: Before The Council ¡°I know my presence here is far from welcome.¡± My tone boasts more anxiety then I intended. ¡°Please understand that I wouldn¡¯t have risked my life coming here if it wasn¡¯t of the utmost importance.¡± I look up at the Council; their collective glare was overwhelming, making me to question whether it was a good idea to come here in the first place. ¡°We don¡¯t have to listen to a thing you say, murderer!¡± A wave of anger flows over me as I turn to meet the particularly caustic stare of Master Halish Qin. ¡°I have come here to deliver a warning¡­nothing more.¡± I remove my lightsaber from my waist band. Several of the masters quickly brandish theirs with trained precision. I re-actively lift my hand forestalling my impending demised, slowly placing the saber¡¯s hilt on the marble floor force pushing away from me. ¡°Please just here me out.¡± I beg. The room falls quiet with only subtle whispers echoing through the chamber. ¡°I can sense fear on you child, but it¡¯s not of us?¡± Master Reeva Alix¡¯s voice shatters the silence. She looks at the other council members quizzically. ¡°I for one would like to hear what the young Sith has to say.¡± ¡°Oh give me a break!¡± Master Qin scoffs. ¡°This is just what they want!¡± ¡°Calm yourself Master Qin!¡± another master snips. ¡°The boy came here for help and as Jedi we are upheld to do so.¡± He gestures towards me. ¡°I¡¯m with Master Alix, let the boy speak.¡± Where do I begin? These people¡­the Jedi are or were my enemy and yet I came here willingly. I take a deep breathe shaking away the numbing feeling in my hands. ¡°Several hours ago my master and I attended a secret gathering of the Sith Lords on Yavin 4. The intent of this meeting was to determine what our next move was after the Jedi¡­you destroyed our sacred home world Korriban.¡± I rattle off nervously. ¡°That strike was a decisive victory for the Galactic Republic as well as a victory for the light side!¡± Master Qin interrupts. ¡°We have already established that the Grand Council was split on the decision to destroy an entire planet whether it is dark side or light.¡± Master Alix responds looking towards me. ¡°The final decision was made by the Senate outside of our knowledge please understand.¡± Master Alix¡¯s kindness was unexpected given my history with the conclave. For the most part she looked the exact same as before with maybe a few more wrinkles scattered across her dark skin and strikes of gray hair waving through her long black dreads, but nonetheless she still commanded respect. Her auburn eyes don¡¯t hide a bit of dislike towards Halish, not much has changed at all. I simply nod my head and continue. ¡°We found an ancient ruin deep within the moon, at first we assumed it was created by Naga Sadow but further investigation indicated that it was built by something far more¡­Fascinating.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°What was it?¡± Master Alix asks. I can feel myself hesitate ¡°I Inquisitors learned of legends about the beginning of all things, when the galaxy was without shape. It never occurred to me until now but I believe what we found was an ancient device from the time before the galaxy took form.¡± ¡°What are you saying, boy!?¡± Master Qin demands. I glare at Halish Qin, this is the first time I¡¯ve directly looked at him since I arrived. I don¡¯t know what I was expecting, but the same feeling of burning hatred from years of repressed memories filled me as I stared at his cold gray eyes. He is a mediocre as they come, like Reeva, the signs of the years have not ignored him, but unlike Reeva, age is not becoming of him. His long sandy brown hair shows more gray in it than he probably likes to admit while his beard is almost completely white. Despite all this he is still brutish and large and undoubtedly still a force to be reckoned with. ¡°What I¡¯m saying is we found a means to destroy the Republic¡­and possibly everything else.¡± I respond calmly. ¡°My master along with the Inquisitors wished to destroy the core worlds including Coruscant while I wished to destroy the device and pray that we forget about it.¡± ¡°This is a complete charade!¡± Master Qin shouts. ¡°I refuse to believe this¡­you would have us think you all of a sudden grew a conscience!?¡± he says taking several steps forward and turning to the rest of the council ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he was sent here just as a distraction so his master and the rest of the Sith Lords can attack us!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± I yell. Master Qin turns towards me. ¡°Excuse me!?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know anything! You never have.¡± ¡°Hold your tongue Sith!¡± he responds squaring off with me. ¡°That is quite enough Master Qin!¡± Master Alix¡¯s voice echoes but Halish Qin wasn¡¯t dissuaded. ¡°When you and your brother left the conclave I should have stopped you!¡± Halish says in a low voice. ¡°We left because of you!¡± I look around the room. ¡°The rest of you may not know that one of your own is nothing more than a child abuser.¡± Halish Qin lunges forward grabbing me by the collar. ¡°Tell me where your brother is!¡± he shouts as the other masters run to intervene. ¡°Tell me where your master is!¡± The anger and sadness overwhelms me. ¡°Kavin is dead!¡± I scream slamming my forehead into Halish¡¯s face making blood spurt from his nose. Halish stumbles and glares at me drawing his lightsaber from underneath his robe and activating the blue plasma with a simple motion. ¡°I said that is quite enough!¡± Master Reeva Alix¡¯s voice was serious but her double-sided lightsaber was unrelenting with one end pointed at both Halish and I. she looks at me. ¡°Your master was Kavin, your own brother!?¡± I look at the ground and nod my head repressing the flood of emotions. ¡°He was always stronger than I.¡± She grimaces and retracts her blades. ¡°Tell us everything, Atlas.¡± Part I: ForceFall ~ Chapter One: Arrival Silverlight Rising Part I: ForceFall Chapter One: Arrival The air was thick and stale; I could feel my throat tighten as I breathed it in. Another massive engraved stone door skirted to the side with ease, revealing yet another long corridor. ¡°Do you feel that brother?¡± Kavin quietly exclaims. Which feeling could he have meant? Surely it had to be the overbearing sense of dread that had gripped me since we stepped foot into this place, leaving one with the feeling that no mortal should ever tread here. Or maybe he was talking about the raw force coursing thought the very stone of this ruined and ancient temple, emanating from every nook and cranny as if the very matter was made of the force manifested. Either way this culmination of feelings lead to a singular and decisive notion¡­that we should not be here. I glance up meeting my master¡¯s gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that, master.¡± ¡°You¡¯re my brother are you not?¡± Kavin¡¯s voice was low. What was he trying to do get us killed? Weakness is unforgivable within the order not to mention from one at such a high level and reputation. ¡°No, master I am your apprentice and you are Darth Ronan Sith Inquisitor of the High Council.¡± I could tell that wasn¡¯t the answer he wanted, but in the presence of the rest of the Council formalities had to be strictly followed. His red eyes shined bright with disdain against his dark blue skin. It was a great secret that Kavin and I were brothers by birth. Our only saving grace is the subtle differences in our appearance. With his sharp angular features, dark blue skin and glowing crimson eyes, more kin with our father. While I on the other hand take after our mother with softer features, light blue skin and orange eyes, it was all just enough to avoid suspicion. But ultimately looks can only get you so far¡­If it wasn¡¯t for our strength together then we would have died long before finding this relic. Kavin sighs rubbing his temples with is finger tips. ¡°If that is how you want it Exiled One, how about you join the rest of the acolytes in clearing the passageway.¡± I feel a frown beginning to form but I suppress the disrespectful gesture and nod. ¡°As you wish master.¡± I run ahead to where the other acolytes were lifting and moving massive boulders from the walk way. I make little work of several medium sized chunks of stone with a simple wave of my arm, pushing them to the side as if they weighed nothing at all. The work wasn¡¯t particularly grueling but it was completely degrading. We were considered the best of the best, trained for advanced combat and second only to the masters we served. To be reduced to petty laborers under their heel left a sour taste in my mouth. It is no wonder that the Sith thrive on self-mutilation as a means of growth but unlike my fellow dark brethren I find myself questioning what it is we are here for because in the end no society can be sustained by consuming their own. ¡°We found it!¡± one of the acolytes shouts. I pull my attention from my thoughts and gaze up at the colossal doors. Intricate hieroglyphs cover its surface depicting something that the makers of this temple felt should be passed on for the ages. I hear a hiss of excitement sends a shudder through me as Darth Axum approaches the doorway. ¡°This confirms our theories Lord Ronan. Naga Sadow did not in fact build this temple.¡± He says confidently brushing his fingers along the relief. Darth Axum¡­the Pure Sith, ancient by even ancient terms, his decrepit body reeks of darkness and death. He is the High Inquisitor and rightfully so, with wrinkled skin is as red as blood covered in dark tribal markings that do little to hide the deep scars of a lifetime. He is the founder of this new era of Sith and the initiator of our latest conflict. Kavin takes a step forward. ¡°Any idea how old, my Lord?¡± ¡°Hard to tell, but I can sense there¡¯s an unimaginably vast source of power just beyond this door.¡± Darth Axum says with a sinister smile. ¡°At last.¡± Kavin grins, removing his robe and taking several steps towards the door. ¡°It is just as you promised Lord Axum, the means to finally end this war and make the Republic and the Jedi pay for the destruction of Korriban.¡± Kavin lifts his arm and turns his body so that his left side was facing the door. He places his right hand and forearm parallel with his waste and with a lightning fast motion he shifts his stance thrusting his right palm towards the doors. A massive Force wave emits from is body and hit the doors with so much energy that they shatter and crumble to the ground. A plum of dust and debris blankets the area making it impossible to see. I slam my foot onto the ground quickly clearing the area. Behind the doors was a massive marble room with ornately carved stone columns. Kavin was the first to enter with his hands outstretched ready to embrace the gifts of long forgotten. Lord Axum was correct as soon as the door fell there was nothing keeping this well of force restrained. My senses were inundated with it and I felt as though I was an exposed nerve in a cold wind. It made my body ache with a lustful desire for more and yet I felt utterly terrified at the thought of my primal urge. ¡°My fellow Inquisitors.¡± My brother says confidently. ¡°Allow me to introduce you to our salvation. Over the ages its very existence was only expressed in the whispers of fiction or stories told to children before bed time but I always believed it to be true. May I present the Force Conduit.¡± He runs his hands through his trimmed purple hair. ¡°Force Conduit?¡± Darth Gilkiv says ¡°What is its purpose?¡± Kavin Smiles wildly. ¡°It acts as a magnet for residual force gathering it like a lake gathers rain water, just on a galactic scale.¡± ¡°Then what happens.¡± Gilkiv responds in an arrogant tone. Darth Gilkiv is a worthless excuse of flesh and bone and blood, head of the Sith academy that was once on Korriban. Gilkiv, while not being singularly remarkable amongst the Inquisitors, is megalomaniac and a sadist. I loathe his existence, not only for the hell he had put me through at the Acadamy but for other thing as well. His tan leathery skin shows years of neglect and abuse, his face is partially covered by a white and gray beard, utterly unimposing. He is simply an intellectual that does little to hide his fascination with torture and interrogation. ¡°Do you not understand!? It was because of these Conduits that the Galaxy took form in the first place. Life¡­light, hell even the very ground you stand on, Gilkiv, was once nothing more than the Force incorporeal. There is enough power here to virtually become Gods.¡± Lord Malitrix¡¯s voice echoes through the room. Kavin smiles. ¡°Mistress Malitrix it is good to see you. I hope your journey was without fault.¡± Malitrix grimaces. ¡°The Jedi and Republic scum are crawling all over the main hyperspace routes but¡­¡± ¡°But, yours truly knows a few secret routes the pompous sods don¡¯t.¡± Lord Jarus says conceitedly from behind Malitrix causing her to roll her eyes. Darth Axum claps his hand together. ¡°At last, the High Council together for the first time since Korriban, and what better place than this to commemorate our return.¡± Lord Axum was right, it feels as though ages have passed since the destruction of Korriban, The Inquisitors were scattered to the corners of the galaxy. For a brief moment in time the Republic thought they had finally defeated the last Sith¡­but they were wrong. Mistriss Malitrix steps into the chamber and noticeably shivers as she takes in the vast force energy. She is known as the Serpent for her fast and deadly nature. While being smaller than the other Inquisitors she is arguably one of the strongest. Her light brown skin is adorned with azure glyphs and her black hair is tightly kept in a bun. Her martial prowess is something to be fear. Then there is Lord Jarus, who is just as unremarkable as Darth Gilkiv as far as strength goes. Lord Jarus prides himself with his own overinflated legacy. Everything about him smells of arrogance, with the truth being he¡¯s only part of the Council because of his numerous connections with the Hutts, a powerful ally indeed. Jarus is red skinned Twi¡¯lek with black and gray stripes covering his face and head tentacles. He follows behind Malitrix closely with an overconfident grin on his face. The five Inquisitors greet one another as old friends do, but subtly they were sizing each other up determining what may have changed in their extended absence. It was the unseen power struggle that haunted the very nature of the Sith¡­there is no such thing as friends and no such thing as family. All five wanted to lead and they were willing to kill for it. As I stood there alert to my master¡¯s safety as every apprentice does; I couldn¡¯t help but find my focus returning to the ancient device resonating behind them. I knew what they wanted to do with it, knew that it would mean the death of so many innocents and as much as I tried to be excited at the thought of revenge I couldn¡¯t quell the absolute sense of self-loathing that grew inside of me for not stopping their plot. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The Force Conduit begins humming loudly gaining the Inquisitor¡¯s attention. ¡°I think we¡¯ve delayed enough¡­¡± My brother says confidently gesturing towards the device. Before I realized it I was kneeling before my brother. ¡°My apologies master, might I ask what you and the fellow Lords plan to do with the Conduit?¡± Although the Inquisitors were quiet I could feel their anger growing. I had over stepped my boundaries and they were silently waiting for my brother¡¯s punishment. ¡°Rise Exile.¡± Kavin¡¯s voice was harsh and low. ¡°Are you questioning your master!¡± he growls ¡°I meant no disrespect my lord; I¡¯m just speaking out of concern¡­¡± ¡°And you think I need your protection!¡± Kavin shouts lashing out at me. A moment later I slam into the wall across the room causing fractures to scatter across its surface. I slump to the ground feeling my body ache. That should have killed me I know it but Kavin held back. Another little lie to add to the pile, I remain still for several minutes suppressing my own energy. Hopefully the other Council members will be pleased with my brother¡¯s punishment but then again I¡¯ve seen apprentices killed for much less. I finally muster the courage to stand and meet the stare of the other Inquisitors. ¡°Thanks you master.¡± I say impishly taking a knee. ¡°You apprentice needs to learn to hold his tongue Lord Ronan.¡± Darth Gilkiv says. ¡°I cut the tongue out of mine for simply forgetting to greet me by my formal title.¡± ¡°You allow him too much freedom. An example must be made.¡± Lord Axum whispers. Kavin grimaces ¡°Need I remind you, my apprentice has done more for our cause than any of your so called prot¨¦g¨¦s.¡± ¡°Reputation is nothing when it comes to power. If you would like a show of it, please allow me.¡± Lord Jarus snaps his fingers and his Apprentice draws two lightsabers from underneath his robes, activating their crimson blades. I remain still, knee planted firmly onto the ground. But I can feel my blood rushing through my veins. The Council has been repressing their bloodlust for too long, I¡¯m surprised they didn¡¯t orchestrate a duel sooner. ¡°That is unnecessary Lord Jarus, we have more pressing matters to deal with.¡± Kavin¡¯s tone was formal but authoritative. Jarus scoffs ¡°It will only be a moment.¡± His arrogance annoys not only me but the rest of the Inquisitors. Jarus snaps his fingers again and his apprentice rushes forward blades leading the way. I¡¯ll give him five seconds; I push myself upright and draw my lightsaber and assume one of the many Niman fighting stances I had mastered during my long Exile. Now that I think of it he¡¯ll only last three. The overzealous apprentice was almost upon me. He was a brute and nothing more, crazily hacking and slashing away with little to no actual combat presence. He leaps into the air high above me arms outstretched with blades high above his head, novice mistake. I remain calm and still with my arm cocked back, Vermillion blade pointed towards the ground. My body was exposed and vulnerable but not without purpose. He comes down on me with both blades; the fool has committed so much to his first strike that he left himself open for a counter. I may have been a little nice giving him three seconds. I shift my weight slightly moving only as much as I needed in order to dodge his careless attack. His blades sink into the stone floor obliterating the rock around it. By the time he realized I wasn¡¯t there it was too late I had already followed through with a single precise strike severing both his arms at the elbow. He lets out a painful cry falling backwards onto the ground, staring at his smoking stumps with a mixture of shock and disbelief. His twin lightsabers lie on the ground with the blades still activated and his severed hands still grasping the hilts tightly. Ironic that he will never hold them again. I look up at the Inquisitors, all but Kavin, Malitrix and Axum showed signs of shock. Lord Jarus frowns ¡°Are we going to allow this insolence!¡± he shouts over his apprentice¡¯s screams for help. ¡°It seems your apprentice was no match for the Exile after all.¡± Malitrix says in a caviler tone. ¡°Now are you going to shut him up or do I have to for you?¡± Darth Jarus¡¯s scowls and lifts his hand snapping his former apprentice¡¯s neck with a flick of his wrist. Kavin grins. ¡°Now as I was just about to explain before our needless show of barbarism. The size of the Conduit is too large for us to transport it using our current resources. So I propose an alternative solution¡­¡±Kavin approaches the device and places his hand on it. ¡°If we siphon even a fraction of the Force stored within this conduit we should have more than enough power.¡± ¡°Enough power for what?¡± Gilkiv ask. ¡°Revenge.¡± Kavin grins. ¡°Do you think Korriban will be last planet the Jedi and Republic reduced to ashes? They will hunt every last one of us until the Sith is nothing more than a faint memory. This device will give us the strength to destroy the very heart of the Jedi and Republic¡­Coruscant. ¡°You¡¯re mad!¡± Lord Gilkiv states ¡°There is no way any number of us will have the strength to withstand that amount of¡­¡± Before he could finish Kavin activates the device drawing in immeasurable amounts of energy sending bolts of lightning everywhere. Wave after wave of raw Force emits from the epicenter where only the silhouette of my brother remained. A few seconds later the conduit falls dormant again. Kavin was hovering several inches above the ground with an eerie red glow emanating from his body. I could sense the power now stored within him and it frightened me as much as it astounded me. The other Inquisitors felt the same as Kavin approached them slowly losing his red aura. ¡°Do you see now? I possess enough power to do anything, but in order to avenge Korriban I need you all.¡± One by one the other Inquisitor take in the Conduit¡¯s gift barely able to scratch the surface the device¡¯s near infinite wealth of energy. Collectively they were now more powerful than anything I had ever felt. But something was terribly wrong¡­After Lord Jarus absorbed his share of the Conduit¡¯s power I began to notice the shadows in the room starting to move on their own. And I wasn¡¯t alone in this observation because without warning Kavin and the other Inquisitors drew their sabers. ¡°Who¡¯s there!?¡± Kavin demands. But there was no answer. The absolute feeling of dread that I had sensed earlier was now back tenfold making my heart pound and my pulse quicken. I grab my chest and attempt to control my heart but it only got worse as a silver mist began to appear. At first it formed at my feet moving slowly to the center of the room where it gathered into a cloud. It continued to accumulate and condense as small blue and white bolts of lightning darted across its surface. I found myself frozen in fear as the silvery vapor began to compress itself into the figure no more than six and a half feet tall. The Force Conduit began to buzz loudly causing the temple to shutter violently as lightning bolts begin emit from the conduit, striking the thick mist and releasing massive shockwaves. I attempt to brace myself but the force waves proved too powerful and I was thrown against the chamber wall along with the rest of the acolytes. The featureless mass began to shine brighter with every lightning strike until it was completely encased in light. The temple chamber was falling apart with chunks of stone being sucked into the light¡¯s vortex and thrown outwards. I could feel my body being pulled in all directions almost like the force was ripping me apart cell by cell. I recognized the feeling immediately; it was the same one I felt after Korriban¡¯s destruction. The light begins to pulsate, slow at first but growing in frequency until the brightness illuminated the entire chamber. Then, almost as fast as it was conjured the light disappears, the conduit stops humming and the temple settles eerily. It takes me several seconds to regain my composure; it felt like my head had been spit open. I look around at the other acolytes noticing several had been rendered unconscious from the chaos, except from one. He was frozen in a state of terror staring in the direction of where the light had been. I quickly turn to see what was there; in the center of the room kneeling towards the Conduit was a creature like nothing I had ever seen before. I could sense the being¡¯s power flowing from its body. After a few seconds it stands and looks around the room resting its gaze on Kavin and the other Inquisitors. ¡°I breathe.¡± The creature says with a deep and ghostly voice. ¡°I see.¡± The being''s voice sounded like many different things talking in unison. It raises it hands toward the council and shouts. ¡°I live again!¡± Part I: ForceFall ~ Chapter Two: Silverlight Silverlight Rising Part I: ForceFall Chapter Two: The Silverlight The Jedi Council hung on every word as I articulated the details of Yavin 4. Master Reeva Alix¡¯s face was mortified while the other masters reserved their expressions for the end on my tale. I pause for a second to regain my composure and to collect my thoughts. I had to convey something almost indescribable to a group of individuals who stood for reason and typically don¡¯t indulge the possibility of something unnatural. I let out a haggard breath, a headache was starting to percolate behind my eyes and I could feel exhaustion taking its toll. I open my mouth to begin again when one of the masters holds up his finger. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I am Master Bim Seto¡­I¡¯m fairly new to this council, transferred from Coruscant along with Master Vis Jarabus.¡± Bim¡¯s voice was formal and genuine. ¡°While I understand you are not finished explaining the circumstances with which you have decided come here. I wish to address the outburst between you and Master Qin.¡± Given the outburst between Halish and I, it was understandable. I stare at Master Seto¡¯s face; it¡¯s rare seeing a Cathar so far from home and as a Jedi master no less. The Cathar is not known for their level tempers. Yet something about Bim Seto struck me odd. His dark brown and black striped fur culminates into a lighter brown well-kept mane framing his chiseled face. He has a proud posture and yet he seemed calm and trustworthy. Master Vis Jarabus nods her head gaining my attention. ¡°Yes, I agree with Master Seto, as important as it is for you to finish telling us of this being. I feel that we must first be enlightened as to how you and Master Qin know one another.¡± Master Jarabus glances at Master Seto then back at Halish Qin. Her lips tightly pursed and hands¡¯ resting in her lap, to be honest it wasn¡¯t difficult to stare at her. The teal of her skin almost glowed against the monochromatic council chamber and her head tentacles were neatly wrapped around her neck. I have heard of her exploits in this long war, she is known for her swordsmanship, wielding duel cobalt lightsabers as if they was second nature. I feel a sting in the back of my head, I had wanted to fight her once¡­before all this. Halish Qin remained quite staring at the floor as he had been since Master Alix¡¯s intervention several minutes earlier. Alix grimaces and glances to her left ¡°Master Urv? You¡¯ve remained quiet this entire time. Do you have something to say on the matter?¡± Grand Master Dan¡¯dak Urv sat at the center of the Council and for all intents and purposes ran things for the Conclave on Dantooine. He was ancient and wise attaining the rank of Grand Master decades before the rest of his council members were even born. Over his life span he has seen the conflict between the Jedi and Sith consume worlds and destroy entire civilizations. He doesn¡¯t speak much but when he decided to say something it is usually imperative that you listen. He has not moved the entire time I¡¯ve been here with his pale gray fingers intertwined in front of his mouth. Master Urv looks at Alix and grins. ¡°Master Seto, Master Jarabus¡­¡± his voice was slow and calming. ¡°The young Sith before us use to be one of our very own. Years ago He and his brother Kavin Gordon fled the conclave and joined the Sith academy. Master Qin was their teacher and I presume Atlas¡¯s unexpected return has reopened some past scars.¡± Urv looks at me and smiles. ¡°Thank you master.¡± Bim Seto says ¡°But what of the boys claims of abuse at the hands of Master Qin?¡± Master Seto and Jarabus look over at Halish for a response, but he remains quiet and still. ¡°Those are serious allegations, not only from a Sith but a former student.¡± Jarabus presses. ¡°We will investigate the Young Sith¡¯s accusations at a later time.¡± Master Urv states. ¡°For now let¡¯s continue with his story.¡± He motions to me but Master Seto and Jarabus remain fixated on Qin. **************** The temple chamber was dreadfully silent after the creature proclaimed its return to the living. I studied it features carefully¡­it belonged to no race we have ever seen before. Its skin was reddish purple with specks of glistening silver refracting light as the creature moved. It stood six and a half feet tall with a muscular but not brutish build. A line blue bristly hair reached from the top of its head tapering to a point at its lower back. In a way it resembled a bipedal Kath Hound with long arms that stretched past its waist probably allowing it to run on all fours if necessary. The entire creature¡¯s body resembled that of a beastly monster, but it was much more than that. The way it carried itself was more reserved with an unexpected formal elegance. Its complexion was smooth and flawless and its face was not beastlike at all but more disturbingly humanlike with a few major differences. The first being a small second pair of eyes which were situated just above and slightly further apart from each other. At first they¡¯re not very noticeable mainly because they¡¯re completely black and never seem to blink a contrast from the being¡¯s main eyes which were completely blue with yellow and white irises which seemed to glow. Its facial features were sharp, broad and pointed but well-proportioned with the rest of its body. Ultimately though it¡¯s most drastic feature was a set of dark ribbed horns extending from the creature¡¯s forehead, swooping back and to the side in a tight spiral culminating into menacing points. All in all, the creature was a perfect hybrid between physical form and intellectual presence. The creature looks around the chamber, studying all the details. It takes several breaths and exhaling loudly stretching is body flexing every muscle group individually before glaring at the Inquisitors. ¡°To what cycle are we presently located in!?¡± It demands in a booming tone but it sounded like a combination of voices all speaking in harmony like a series of whispers combining to make a singular voice. The Sith Lords stood quietly motionless with various looks of shock and awe painted on their faces. The creature grimaces ¡°Did you not understand my enquiry, usurpers!?¡± It says in a surprisingly annoying tone. ¡°Or is it because this primitive language does not suffice in conveying my request?¡± It mocks looking around the room at the rest of us. Kavin clears his throat ¡°What do you mean by cycle?¡± The creature looks at him with a quizzical glower. ¡°So you do converse, it is no matter I will soon find out¡­Judging from the state of things it has been several since I last walked this side.¡± It frowns and sniffs the air. ¡°What is that stench? It smells of corruption and death¡­the VulDuun has been abused here.¡± he growls looking at the rest of the Inquisitors. ¡°What have you done!?¡± He takes several steps toward the inquisitors. Although I couldn¡¯t determine the creature¡¯s actual sex, based on its features I¡¯ve decided to consider it a male. Instinctively the Lords assume fighting stances activating their lightsabers causing the creature to stop. ¡°Back veil beast!¡± Darth Jarus commands in his typical arrogant tone. The being straightens and grins. ¡°So the slaves have attained the VulDuun, how ironic. And this one.¡± he motions towards Jarus ¡°Seeks to challenge the Jurif!¡± He lets out a noise that I could only equate to a laugh. Lord Jarus bares his teeth with malice and lunges for the creature slashing wildly at him. The creature easily dodges his assault laughing in-between bouts making Jarus attack even more brazenly. ¡°Hold still you bastard!¡± he shouts releasing a bolt of Force lightening at creature. In an instant the being had Jarus by the throat holding him high above his head. ¡°You dear use the VulDuun against me!¡± The creature yells slowly squeezing Lord Jarus¡¯s neck. The other Inquisitors jump into action collectively Force pushing the beast across the chamber and into the wall with earth shattering power. Jarus falls to his knees quickly retrieving his saber and prepares for another assault with the rest of the Inquisitors. Myself and the rest of the apprentices draw our lightsabers waiting for our master¡¯s call to battle. The creature pulls himself from the wreckage of the wall, lightly dusting off its shoulders. Then immediately launches toward the five lords with ferocious intent. The fighting was so fast it was difficult to follow; but it was obvious the being¡¯s battle prowess was like nothing I¡¯d ever seen. No matter what the Inquisitors did, they couldn¡¯t touch the creature as if he could predict their every move before even they knew themselves. I could tell the beast was enjoying himself and even toying with them which only fueled the Inquisitor¡¯s anger making them fight harder. This continued for several minutes with the creature vaulting all over the chamber as if gravity had no hold on him. His technique was amazing able to use the Force to slightly shift his body in midair with ease, but there was more to it as if he had an understanding of the Force we didn¡¯t. We¡¯ve utilized the Force as a tool for millennia, even letting it flow through us. There are even legends of becoming immortal though the Force. But as I watched this creature maneuver around arguably the most powerful Sith Lords that ever lived I realized that we mistakenly believed that we had mastered the Force, even assumed that we truly commanded it with our will. My thoughts quickly culminated into a decisive and disturbing conclusion¡­that even the collective strength of the Inquisitors was no match for this higher being. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. My theory was validated moments later with Darth Gilkiv being the first to fall. The creature had just dodged a duel attack from my brother and Malitrix with an elaborate mid-air roll. Defecting Lord Axum¡¯s saber throw with a Force barrier so strong it actually curved the saber¡¯s blade. Coming to a forceful landing right in front of the unexpected Gikiv, by the time the lord realized he was in danger the creature had already blasted him with a Force enhanced punch so precise and powerful that it left a hole about the size of my fist in his chest. Gilkiv immediately collapsed to the ground screaming for his apprentice as the other Inquisitors continued their assault. His apprentice was frozen in terror at the site of her master¡¯s agony. She understood what had to be done but she either couldn¡¯t move or she wouldn¡¯t. In the end Darth Gilkiv demise was similar to how he lived his life, insignificant and agonizing. The fight continued for some time after Gilkiv¡¯s death and it seemed like the being was getting winded by all the acrobatics, allowing the remaining four Sith Lords to close in on him. But what I soon realized was much worst. At this point he beast had probably gotten bored with the fight and instead of defensively dodging and vaulting around the room he assumed a more offensive tactic. There was a lag in the fighting where the four Inquisitors squared off with the creature. While the inquisitors showed signs of battle fatigue, their stances didn¡¯t suffer from the exhaustion. But the being seemed unaffected by the lengthy fight, not even showing signs of losing its breath or increased pulse. Lord Jarus show the most weakness though; sweat was trickling down his face and into his eyes causing him to wipe them every few seconds. His stance, while still being precise was starting to waver under the strain. The beast picked up on this and flashed a snide smile towards Jarus. He hadn¡¯t been alive for more than twenty minutes and he understood how to taunt his enemies. Jarus¡¯s anger mounts and he attacks without the other Inquisitors, slashing aimlessly at the creature. The creature simply grabs Jarus¡¯s hand, saber hilt and all and crushes it with a simple motion. Jarus screams in agony, provoking Lord Axum and Malitrix go to their fellow¡¯s need but the creature pushes them away with a wave of his hand. Kavin dodges the Force attack, leaping high above the beast coming down with a powerful strike. My brother¡¯s hit was so powerful it caused shock wave to emit form the impact kicking up a thick cloud of dust. I quickly waive away the cloud revealing the outcome of my brother decisive strike. Jarus¡¯s body was limp with his head and torso mangled from being too close to the shockwave¡¯s epicenter. Kavin¡¯s clothing was torn and shredded from the strike; I could tell he invested everything into the attack hoping that it would work¡­but it didn¡¯t, the creature was unscathed glaring at my brother with a mixed look of excitement and shock. He was holding my brother¡¯s crimson lighsaber blade with his bare hand as if it was nothing. Kavin looks at me, although he maintained a strong pose I could tell from the fading red glow of his eyes that he was shaken. He and I knew in that moment there was nothing left¡­the fight was over. The creature tilts his head twisting the saber¡¯s blade until it shorts out causing my brother¡¯s hilt to explode in his hands. Kavin falls to his knees as Lord Axum and Malitrix assume their battle stances. The other apprentices including myself activate our sabers gaining the creature¡¯s attention. But my focus was on Kavin, he was calm and unusually content as if he was at peace with what was about to happen. He notices my intent and subtly shakes his head with disapproval. The creature tosses Jaraus¡¯s broken body to the side, ignoring my brother for the time being. He lifts his hand up with the palm facing the ceiling of the ruined temple. Several moments later the same silvery mist that the being was born from begins to form in his hand condensing into a crystal. He lifts his other hand using the Force to grab shards of stone and metal from around the chamber, piecing the fragments together making a lightsaber hilt with silver crystal within it. He inspects the hilt, tossing it from hand to hand getting use to the weight finally activating the pulsating silver blade. The creature takes several steps away from my brother swinging the sword around before turning to face us. ¡°Let us resume.¡± He says assuming a sword stance I had never seen before. Axum and Malitrix both launch forward followed closely but the apprentices. I leap upward in order to study the creature¡¯s technique when I feel a force push throw me out of the chamber. I land in the corridor and quickly turnaround only to see my brother forcing the doorway to collapse. ¡°No!¡± I shout as tons of rock and debris filled the opening blocking me from the battle. ¡°Run, brother!¡± I hear Kavin¡¯s voice in my ear like a whisper. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­Why would you do that!¡± I demand The whisper returns ¡°There is no time, seek out the Jedi tell them what happened here.¡± Kavin¡¯s voice sounded as if it was getting further away. ¡°Run!¡± he demands. The temple began to shake violently causing parts of the corridor to crumble. **************** ¡°A part of me wanted to stay, even though I knew there was nothing I could do but at least I would¡¯ve died with my brother. But Kavin¡¯s last request was to warn you¡­so here I am¡± I finish my story with a loud exhale, adjusting my stance in a failed attempt to relieve the numbness of my lower legs. The council was quiet for some time, most simply looked off into space scrutinizing every detail when Master Alix stood up abruptly. ¡°May I be the first to extend my deepest condolences to you for your brother¡¯s sacrifice?¡± Sacrifice¡­a word not typically associated with a Sith but to me Kavin was more than just a Sith. I nod my head in appreciation, I didn¡¯t expect this to be so difficult but everything was still fresh in my head. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°This is all simply apocryphal, it has to be. A being of such immense power would be felt through the Force. There must be a mistake.¡± Master Jarabus interjects in a high voice. Bim Seto nods his head in agreement running his claws through his mane. ¡°I do believe that you encountered something. It¡¯s just two farfetched and frankly impossible for a creature to possess that much power.¡± He adds. It was expected that they wouldn¡¯t necessarily believe me, and truly they had no real cause to. I was the enemy the fact they even agreed to see me was a miracle. The masters begin arguing amongst themselves about the details of my story attempting to rationalize the truth of it. This continued on for several minutes when a familiar sensation comes over me. The room falls silent and Master Urv stands, decades of training couldn¡¯t hide the fear that was present on his face. I quickly turn around feeling my heart sink at the sight of the creature behind me. He was standing with his arms behind his back and a look of content on his face. ¡°Greetings¡± he says calmly adjusting the set of gray robes he was wearing. ¡°I will be the first to vindicate this Usurper¡¯s tale.¡± The creature takes a few steps towards the center of the room. Master Urv steps down from his pedestal. ¡°What is it that you came here for?¡± I have never seen Master Dan¡¯dak Urv move so swiftly, his talk and thin pale body almost floated down from the council platform with controlled ease. The creature smiles and looks at the rest of the masters. ¡°I thought it was obvious.¡± He says holding his arms out. The rest of the masters look at one another then back at the creature. ¡°You truly don¡¯t realize?¡± ¡°Are you here to help us?¡± Halish says quietly. The being looks at Halish and begins to laugh. ¡°Help you!? You pretentious usurpers have squandered this gift, why would I be here to help you?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Master Urv asks. The creature looks at Dan¡¯Dak Urv and grins. ¡°In my native tongue I¡¯m called Xyon-Kray Jurif¡¯VulDuun, but in your pitiful language it means Silverlight, Seeker of the VulDuun and I¡¯m here to take back the gift you have mistreated.¡± Part I: ForceFall ~ Chapter Three: Seeker of The Sentience Silverlight Rising Part I: ForceFall Chapter Three: Seeker of The Sentience Master Dan¡¯Dak Urv and the Jedi Council were silent, while Xyon-Kray stood with his arms out. I could hear my blood rushing through my veins and I could feel my pulse throbbing in my throat. Xyon clears his throat causing a noticeable flinch from the masters. ¡°Please.¡± He starts ¡°I can sense your apprehension, my presences in this cycle has been rather¡­energetic thus far. But I assure you I come with out malice in my soul.¡± He continues ¡°I can read each of you¡­we all want the same thing. The only thing that matters is the VulDuun.¡± Xyon places his hands behind his back and waits patiently. Bim Seto hesitantly rises from his stool ¡°Excuse me?¡± He says slowly. ¡°But where are you from exactly?¡± Xyon gazes at Master Seto. ¡°From? Look all around you, Je¡¯daii¡± he says mockingly ¡°All that there is, all that there was, all that there will be, and will soon be again exists because of the VulDuun. I exist because the VulDuun and as such I am from everywhere and everything. In truth your question shouldn¡¯t be from where but rather¡­from when.¡± ¡°When then?¡± Master Jarabus almost shouts with curiosity. ¡°The words necessary do not exist¡­but I can show you.¡± He holds his arms out, summoning the all too familiar silver mist out of thin air filling the room. Darkness descends on the chamber and in an instance I feel as though I¡¯m floating in a black space. ¡°Eons before the galaxy you now know was formed there existed only darkness and oblivion.¡± Xyon¡¯s voice echoes through the vacuum. ¡°Then within the void something was born. It was pure unadulterated sentience and in that moment, the very second this sentience realized its own existence, light was made a reality.¡± A blinding light emits from the center of the void illuminating the furthest reaches of space forming the beginnings of the galaxy we call home. ¡°As time passed this sentience took a name¡­the VulDuun and in its infinite grace my people were born the Alu¡¯VulDuun.¡± I zoom in on a planet within the unmapped recesses of the galaxy, where an entire civilization of creatures similar to Xyon built massive gorgeous cities all over the planet. ¡°This was more than three and a half billion years ago. Since then my people have become one with the VulDuun.¡± The room returns to normal with Xyon still holding his arms out. ¡°This VulDuun you speak of¡­it¡¯s what we call the Force is it not?¡± Master Jarabus asks. ¡°I am familiar with this¡­correlation, however in my presence you will only refer to it as the VulDuun.¡± Xyon says coldly. ¡°I have satisfied your request, you now know who and what I am. But my purpose here is far more important.¡± Halish clears his throat, gaining Xyon¡¯s attention. ¡°You said that you¡¯re here to reclaim the gift we squandered, while also saying that we want the same thing. Forgive me for being blunt but, could you get to the point¡­you¡¯ve dealt with the greatest threat already. The Sith Inquisitors have been defeated the remaining members of the dark side have been scattered. Peace and light will finally reign without threats. What is left for you to do?¡± Xyon grimaces. ¡°Light and Dark¡­feeble notions of a lesser minded civilization. On one hand you have diplomacy, peace and discipline. But it¡¯s as hard to maintain as it is to attain, a fragile ideal that only leads to failure. While on the other hand is passion, strength and freedom. What everyone wants but is easily corrupted and abused, a principle destined to consume itself.¡± He stares at Halish Qin. ¡°The truth of the VulDuun is neither light nor dark but a balance between the two. You cannot have peace without passion, no strength without knowledge, no power without serenity, and no victory without harmony. In the end there is only the VulDuun¡­nothing else matters.¡± Halish launches from his chair. ¡°This is heresy! You come here and spout your teachings as if they¡¯re law. The Jedi order has stood guard over peace for thousands of years! What authority gives you the right to dictate to us!?¡± Xyon-Kray tilts his head lifting his hand causing Halish¡¯s body to become rigid. ¡°Authority?¡± Xyon utters with a growl, lifting Halish off the ground and pulling him toward the center of the room. ¡°My authority comes from a place you could never understand. I have witness things entirely unconceivable to your underdeveloped conciseness and you have the audacity to question me. You claim your authority comes from thousands of years of poor practice and bad habits, while I stand here¡­Seeker of the VulDuun¡­Harbinger of reform; my authority trumps your measly thousands of year by billions more.¡± Halish squirms in the grasp of Xyon¡¯s anger. ¡°Let me go!¡± he demands between gasps. ¡°I am a master of the Jedi order!¡± Xyon begins closing his fist causing Halish a great deal of pain. A sight I take great pleasure in witnessing. The other masters quickly stand and prepare to defend their brother when Master Urv holds up his hand. ¡°Enough!¡± Dan¡¯Dak shouts drawing his emerald saber from beneath his robe and pointing it at Xyon. Xyon-Kray smiles, releasing Halish and faces Master Urv, ¡°You¡¯re different from the rest.¡± He says pulling the stone and metal hilt from his waistband and activating the silver blade with a flick. Dan¡¯dak Urv takes several steps toward Xyon, raising his arms above his head as if to strike but instead he falls to his knees. ¡°I am your humble servant.¡± Master Urv says. ¡°The VulDuun has granted me a vision of your arrival; I will follow your teachings.¡± I feel my jaw fall open as an audible gasp escapes my mouth. The rest of the council remains silent at the unexpected surrender of their long time mentor. Xyon takes Master Urv¡¯s saber and places it on the ground in front of him and looks at the rest of the council. ¡°You are about to witness the truth of the VulDuun.¡± He slams his hand onto Dan¡¯Dak Urv¡¯s elongated head. A moment later the room fills with mist and lightening, circling and encompassing both Xyon and Dan¡¯Dak. The rest of the council slowly moves away from the swirling mass, grabbing their lightsabers and preparing for whatever comes out of the veil. Master Reeva Alix activates her double sided lightsaber. The yellow hue of her blades reminded me of same one I had when I was just a Padawan almost eight years earlier. She glances at me then at my saber hilt still lying on the chamber floor. I had completely forgotten I disarmed myself when I first arrived. The churning mist begins to dissipate causing me to panic, I need my lightsaber. Alix scowls and with a swipe of her arm slides the hilt toward me. I quickly grab it and active the blade gaining the scrutiny of the other masters. But none said anything because they understood who the real enemy was now. The mist bursts revealing Master Urv¡¯s unconscious body on the ground with Xyon-Kray stooped over him. With little hesitation the remaining four masters attack Xyon, but he was already a step ahead of them bouncing around the chamber similar to how he started with the Inquisitors. And I don¡¯t know why it didn¡¯t dawn on me earlier but I finally understood why, he was measuring them, learning their strengths and weaknesses. But he was more reserved than before like he was holding back his brutality¡­but why? Xyon-Kray lands with enough force causing the ground to shatter around him. He easily deflects the masters¡¯ attacks with his silver blade, throwing Halish and Alix across the chamber with a single wave of his arm. My hand tightens around the hilt of my saber causing my hand to ache, I knew I needed to help but I couldn¡¯t move. I was afraid and powerless¡­and I hated myself for it. Xyon grabs Vis Jarabus by the head emiting a light from his hand causing her to scream. Bim Seto rushes forward recklessly. He lunges for Xyon but his attack was unfocused, a mistake he paid for when Xyon severd Seto¡¯s main hand with a simple sweep of his sword. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Bim collapses to the ground letting out an agonizing shout, cradling his stump. Master Alix and Qin grab and pull him near me as Master Jarabus¡¯s unconscious body collapses at Xyon¡¯s feet. He turns to face us letting a confident smile creep onto his face. He lifts his free hand and waves for us to begin our assault again. I lift my sword, assuming an aggressive Juyo stance when Master Alix grabs my arm. ¡°No.¡± she says calmly. ¡°Why!?¡± I respond. ¡°We¡¯re just a distraction, do you feel it?¡± she whispers. ¡°Focus, why hasn¡¯t the rest of the conclave come to our aid?¡± I hadn¡¯t thought about that, the Jedi would never allow their masters¡¯ to be subjected to this without helping them. ¡°The Initiates!¡± Master Alix nods her head. ¡°Take Seto and get as many out of the conclave as you can, we will hold off Xyon as long as possible.¡± I¡¯m ordered to run again¡­to escape, but this time I have to save the ones I swore to defeat. I nod my head and lift the barely conscious Seto, wrapping his arm around my neck. We shuffle toward the massive double doors and I blast them open. Master Alix¡¯s fear were a reality the conclave was in ruins, Xyon brought something with him and somehow masked the assault from our senses. I drag Bim through the corridor lined with unconscious Initiates, Padawans, and Jedi Knights alike. There were obvious signs of battle but no evidence of the assaulting force, leaving me completely troubled. Bim and I make it to the hangar door I hit the switch and they begin to open when I sense someone behind me. I drop Bim and draw my lightsaber, the three young Jedi were afraid and confused. The closest one to me noticed the color on my blade and drew his sword in response. ¡°Stay back¡­Sith!¡± he shouts. His stance was on point but he was shaking wildly. ¡°Listen.¡± I start to say, deactivating my lightsaber. ¡°We have to get out of here.¡± ¡°Why would we trust you!?¡± he shouts. ¡°Knock it off Tome, we have to get out of here.¡± The lavender skinned padawan says grabbing his arm and pulling ¡°He¡¯s not one of them and he has Master Seto with him.¡± She adds. ¡°What do you mean by, one of them?¡± I ask. She opens her mouth to answer when the third and youngest of the three shouts ¡°There they are!¡± I quickly turn and feel my heart drop. The ship I had arrived in was destroyed along with every other ship that was docked. There was no way to escape, but the worst of it was the three looming silver shadows standing in front of the wreckage. I recognized them and at the same time I didn¡¯t. ¡°Ka¡­Kavin¡­Axum¡­Malitrix!?¡± They notice us and immediately begin running our direction. The younger Jedi grabs Master Seto and begins rushing in the opposite direction. I was frozen in a state of shock, my brother and the rest of the Inquisitors died on Yavin 4 I was sure of it and as my brother got closer I could tell he wasn¡¯t himself. His skin was a pale blue with a silver shimmer and he was carrying a silver lightsaber similar to Xyon¡¯s. But the most disturbing thing was his eye. There was no life in them, no iris they were just silver orbs and nothing more. I feel a yank on my sleeve, pulling me from my shock. ¡°We have to go!¡± The female padawan shouts. The three wraths were almost on us when I began following her and the other Jedi through a series of doors. I could sense the three beings chasing us through every corridor licking at our heels with every step. We barely make it through a large set of blast doors slamming them closed behind us. ¡°That¡¯s not going to hold long.¡± I say surveying the room. The three Jedi begin moving towards a stair case leading to the roof of the conclave. ¡°Bartle better be here!¡± one of them shouts, dragging Master Seto up the steps as one of the silver blades pierce that this metal door sending sparks in all directions. I run up the stairs stepping out onto the roof where a large ship had just landed and a man was standing in front with a quizzical look on his face. ¡°What happened!?¡± he asks running to Master Seto¡¯s aid. The younger Jedi grabs the man ¡°Quomas¡­we have to leave now!¡± ¡°But I just got here¡­¡± Quomas says while the Jedi drag Seto aboard his ship. ¡°I have supplies to unload first.¡± I draw my saber placing it near Quomas¡¯s throat. ¡°There¡¯s been a change of plans, get on the ship!¡± The man looks at me for a second and begins running up the ship¡¯s ramp. A moment later the craft begins lifting off the ground as the three wraths reach the roof. Their stare was just as disturbing at their lifeless postures almost like they were force sensitive corpses. We circle the conclave several times looking for anybody else that might have escaped the assault. For the most part no one was hurt or killed they were all just unconscious. At least two-hundred Jedi lived here and only three not including Master Seto made it out. I get ready to close the ship¡¯s ramp when I see a flare several hundred feet from the main chamber. ¡°There, in the field!¡± I yell. The craft pitches around gracefully hovering several feet above the ground where Halish Qin and Master Reeva Alix reside. Halish was beaten and bloody with his robe torn, beside him was Reeva¡¯s unconscious body. The three Jedi and I quickly help them onto the ship, taking Reeva to the medical bay and strapping her onto the bed next to Master Seto. Halish stumbles into the cockpit. ¡°We need to jump¡­Now!¡± he demands. ¡°I can¡¯t jump without coordinates!¡± Bartle yells. Halish walks over and slams his finger on a random planet. ¡°There now let¡¯s go.¡± He swings around and faces me. ¡°What happened?¡± I asked, but he pushes past me without an answer. I go to follow Halish to demand an explanation but the sound of buzzing coming for the ship¡¯s instruments catches my attention. ¡°Something massive just came out of hyperspace!¡± Quomas Bartle yells. I look out the window at a massive ship hovering above the conclave. It looked more like a sculpted piece of rock and stone with patches of metal and thrusters dotting its surface. ¡°What in the world is that!?¡± I gasp ¡°Jump now!¡± Halish¡¯s voice echoes through the ship. Quomas slams his hand on the Hyper Drive throwing me against the ship¡¯s bulkhead as the atmosphere of Dantooine disappears in a flash of light, replaced by the familiar blue and white streaks of hyperspace. The inertia dampeners equalize and I slide down to the ground letting out a needed sigh of relief. We had escaped the conclave, but I knew we were far from being safe. The enemy now had a name and a mission and he was stronger than anything we had ever seen before. The situation was dire but not hopeless we still had the Jedi High Council and Galatic Senate on Coruscant not to mention the rest of the Jedi Conclaves all over the galaxy. And I bet with the right leadership the remaining pockets of the Sith would fight this new threat. I push myself off the floor and walk over to the starmap. We were heading towards Dathomir, a popular place for Sith to hide. I click on the image of the ship and the designation Cardinal Phoenix appears beside it. I laugh at the irony of naming a ship after a creature that is only known for dying and being reborn from the ashes, but now that I think of it¡­is that not what we are doing now? Part I: ForceFall ~ Chapter Four: Aftermath Silverlight Rising Part I: ForceFall Chapter Four: Aftermath I¡¯ve always hated space travel; it¡¯s so cold and uneasy. The hum of the ships throws my senses off and makes me feel vulnerable. But necessity is necessity, almost like having to deal with the Jedi. I walk into the ship¡¯s common area where Halish gathered the surviving Jedi form the Conclave along with the Cardinal Phoenix¡¯s owner, Quomas Bartle. I made sure to stay in the doorway, close enough to hear what was being said and far enough to avoid unneeded attention. From the looks of it Quomas Bartle was a timid man small in stature and less incline to engage in confrontation. However he didn¡¯t hide the fact that our present predicament was an inconvenience on him. His look is strange to me though, as if he is a mix breed between a Zabrak and human. His skin is tan with a few dark brown marking and a crown of small horns circling his head. But unlike most Zabraks he has long dark blonde hair pulled into a pony tail hiding some of the horns. His eyes are bright blue and he has a neatly trimmed beard making one think he is human from a passing glance. He stood behind Halish Qin with his arms crossed in front of him and a look of displeasure painted on his face. ¡°It¡¯s important not to panic.¡± Halish begins in an egotistical tone. ¡°We all have questions, but the first thing we need to do is get somewhere safe.¡± ¡°What were those things master?¡± The female padawan from the conclave asks¡­although she was trying she couldn¡¯t hide her fear. Halish glances at me then back at her. ¡°I don¡¯t know Mara. But the Grand Council will hopefully know.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that is a good idea.¡± I say more or less involuntarily. Everyone stops and stares at me with mixed expressions. ¡°It¡¯s likely that Xyon would be heading to Coruscant. We should hide out on Dathomir, there are a few small Sith groups there I can contact them.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re not suggesting that we mingle with the enemy!¡± Halish barks. ¡°Well you¡¯re mingling with me¡­this new threat will need both the Sith and the Jedi working together¡­¡± ¡°Silence!¡± Halish shouts. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything more about this supposed enemy than I do¡­you¡¯re the one who lead him to us!¡± he snarls. ¡°If he was just coming after me then why did he let us go!?¡± I shout back, pushing off the wall. One of the Jedi, Tome I believe, activates his lightsaber. ¡°Hold your tongue Sith, you¡¯re speaking to a Jedi Master!¡± he yells. I hear a subtle wail beside me gaining my attention. There was a young girl no more than five or six hiding between some creates and the wall, she was scared I could tell. I look up at Quomas who notice my glance, his face flashes with a helpless worry. ¡°He¡¯s not my master.¡± I say coldly. Tome takes a step forward when Halish grabs his shoulder. ¡°This is not your fight.¡± He says then looks up at me. ¡°Then what, may I ask, was Xyon doing at the Conclave?¡± Halish takes several steps closer to me, placing himself between me and the other Jedi. I hear another fearful gasp from the little girl. ¡°Xyon went to the conclave because it was the closest concentration of strong force sensitives. I think he intends to remove the leadership of the Jedi just like he did with the Sith.¡± Everyone remains quite so I continue. ¡°He didn¡¯t kill all the Inquisitors¡­he turned them into something else, I think he raising an army.¡± Halish grimaces. ¡°So you¡¯d rather us hide and let him attack the center of the Galatic Republic?¡± I glower at him. ¡°No, when we exit hyperspace we send a message to Coruscant warning them of the attack. Then we find the Sith on Dathomir and start raising our own army.¡± ¡°I already told you, we will not work with the Sith!¡± Halish growls, taking another step towards me. ¡°Quomas!¡± he says sharply without taking his eyes off me. ¡°As soon as we exit hyperspace set our destination for Coruscant.¡± Quomas tentatively nods his head and leaves the room. I hear another whimper from the young girl as Halish takes another step towards me. ¡°You¡¯re going to get us all kill or worse, Halish.¡± I say taking a step back and away from the little girl. Halish activates his lightsaber, the cyan blade glares off the walls. ¡°Atlas Gordon, as the only remaining acting council member of the Dantooine Jedi Conclave, you stand accused of heinous acts of violence.¡± Haish continues to advance, raising his lightsaber above his head. ¡°I¡¯m not going to fight you, Halish.¡± Not here at least. A twisted grin forms on his face. ¡°You¡¯re accused of being a Sith sympathizer as well as being a member of the Sith terrorist faction, punishable by death.¡± Halish unleashed his fury forcing me to defend myself. The other Jedi crowd into the ship¡¯s corridor to watch as Halish lands volley after volley of deadly attacks allowing me only a fraction of a second to defend myself. There is no quarter in his assault, Halish Qin intended to murder me and if I were to defend myself and kill him then the other Jedi would attack me. I continue to block his attacks causing him to get more and more frustrated. His blows become more brazen, it was only a matter of time before he punctures the ship¡¯s hull and kills us all. I need to end this; I¡¯ll just half to deal with the others after. I lead him through the ship to the more open storage area and then I go on the offensive. My attacks were just as ferocious as Halish¡¯s with the only difference being I am in complete control. Halish senses my battle tempo and forces me away with a force push. We square off in the room; the rest of the Jedi was crowded in the doorway. Halish flicks his wrist making the doors slide shut. ¡°It¡¯s just you and I now, Atlas.¡± ¡°No need to keep up the charade now huh?¡± I mock, ¡°Now that your fellow Jedi can¡¯t see you. Tell me¡­how are you going to explain the fact that you murdered me to them?¡± Halish smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t have to¡­they know who you are, Exiled One. Your deeds precede you.¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. I point my blade at him. ¡°I hope that someday your deeds will be brought to light, maybe I¡¯ll see to it after I kill you.¡± Halish laughs. ¡°They would never believe the likes of a Sith assassin, especially one with a reputation like yours.¡± I feel the fire of hatred starting inside me. ¡°Let¡¯s end this old man!¡± I growl grasping my saber¡¯s hilt with both hands. Halish lunges forward madly, nothing but cold animosity in his eyes. I stand still waiting for my moment. For eight years I¡¯ve cared the burden of Halish¡¯s scar on me and finally it¡¯ll end, for Kavin and for our parents. I shift slightly to my left, Halish¡¯s attack will barely graze me but it will leave him open for a fatal strike. I prepare myself, calming my nerves like I have countless times before. That¡¯s when I saw her, the little girl from behind the creates. I had no idea she was in the cargo hold and yet there she was behind me. I only have a second to react; Halish¡¯s sloppy attack will hit her if I dodge it, however if I block his strike I¡¯ll lose probably my only chance to end this...to end him. Everything seems to slow down, a true Sith would let the girl die and take the kill. But I can¡¯t allow that! I shift to my right back in front of Halish¡¯s attack. A moment later our blades collide letting out a shock wave and throwing each other and the little girl back. The door slides open and Quomas runs in followed by the other Jedi. ¡°Peni!¡± Quomas shouts rushing to the little girl and embracing her. I go to grab my lightsaber but Tome already had it in his hand with the other two Jedi holding at the ends of their sabers. Halish was recovering from the shock wave when he realized the other had entered. ¡°Back away, I¡¯ll deal with him!¡± he orders, picking up his lightsaber and begins walking toward me with malice intent. Mara holds up her hand. ¡°He is unarmed Master, we should take him prisoner.¡± Halish glares at her. ¡°What! You forget your place Padawan!¡± he shouts, glancing at the little girl. ¡°He almost killed this defenseless girl!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lie!¡± I shout, ¡°I saved her from yo¡­¡± Tome punches me. ¡°The Jedi code forbids us to kill defeated enemies. We will bring him to the Grand Council on Coruscant for a trial.¡± Mara states confidently. I can tell Halish Qin isn¡¯t happy but he somehow regains his fa?ade and deactivates his saber. ¡°Very good Mara Nix you will make a very wise Jedi master one day.¡± I sit up and lick my busted lip where Tome punched me and flash Halish a mocking grin. ¡°What now Master Qin?¡± Halish looks at Quomas. ¡°Is there a place we can lock this Sith until we reach Coruscant?¡± Quomas glares at me. ¡°The starboard sleeping quarters would suffice.¡± His words were caustic. Mara and the youngest Jedi lift and take me to the makeshift cell setting me down in the middle of the room while Tome and Halish glower at me. ¡°We will each take turns watching him.¡± Halish says, ¡°Pensim, you get first watch after we eat.¡± He finishes. The youngest Jedi nods his head in response and closed the door. The room quickly falls silent with only the mind numbing hum from the ship filling the atmosphere. I half expect Halish to return and finish me, and there is a small part of me that really doesn¡¯t care anymore. I close my eyes and begin to meditate, reining in on my wayward emotions calming my mind and clearing it of anxiety. Before long I feel my heart sync with the gyrations of the ship¡¯s hull. My breathing soon follows my hearts example as I begin fluxing my force aura, a technique I learn when I was just a Jedi initiate to help ground yourself. I extent the aura to the walls and back again like a flowing ocean I do this several times before opening my eyes again. To my surprise my stare was met by the little girl. She stood quietly no more than three paces away from me. I see a lot of Quomas in her facial features, accept for some major differences. Her eyes are big and bright with light purple irises and her skin is dark pink with nearly burgundy hair twisted into little braids. Such a drastic difference in appearance between her and her father leading me to believe her mother was something entirely different. Peni continues to stare at me quietly ¡°Hey there¡­¡± I say awkwardly. ¡°Peni, was it?¡± the little girl slightly nods her head. ¡°Are you ok¡­you know from before?¡± I force the words out, it¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve talked to a child I¡¯ve kind of forgotten what I can and can¡¯t say. Peni frowns and lifts her arm showing me a large scrape on her elbow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­but you should really stay away from me.¡± But she doesn¡¯t move, all she does is stare at me. Jeez what¡¯s up with this kid? ¡°Listen, you shouldn¡¯t be around me¡­I¡¯m the bad guy.¡± I say softly. This time I see a single tear run down her face. She shakes her head violently and runs forward, giving me a tight hug around the neck. She knew¡­she knew I saved her life and that was all that matter. I take the time to control my emotions again, emotions I haven¡¯t felt for a very, very long time when she releases me and scurries out of the room letting the door slide shut after her. I am distraught, the feelings I have are not ones a self-respecting Sith should have. I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter anymore, nothing does in the wake of what just happened. Soon we¡¯ll be on our way to Coruscant where we will most likely meet Xyon and his army of Silverlights. That is, if Halish doesn¡¯t come in here and finish me before we make it there. If he has any sense, he would never allow me to stand trial because in the end the word of a Sith and ex-pupil still holds some merit even in front of the Grand Council. I struggle with my senses again having to ground myself once more when I feel the ship lurch forward. We just left hyperspace and Dathomir is probably well in sight, too bad we have a mad man directing us. I feel the Phoenix quickly pitch around and with another lurch we enter hyperspace bound for Coruscant. Eight hours left and we¡¯ll see who is right. Part I: ForceFall ~ Chapter Five: The Exiled One Silverlight Rising Part I: ForceFall Chapter Five: The Exiled One Why is it that when we are alone we find that our minds wonder aimlessly. Imagining what we will number one: never truly grasps and number two: never truly attain. I find myself grasping onto the words Xyon-Kray said to the council before his assault. How feeble and primitive our knowledge of the Force is, how we have squandered it and abused its gift. Everything in me begs to differ as if the words he spoke were meaningless and yet how can we deny his superiority. His power and tenacity on a magnitude greater that any Jedi or Sith to have ever lived. Is it possible to consider, even imagine for a second that he is right¡­Is it even possible to attain the level of power necessary to contend with a being of such caliber that he boggles the minds of our brightest with ease. Then there is probably the most terrifying notion of all, is this what the force wants? The sound of my makeshift cell door sliding open pulls me from my thoughts as Pensim walks in and greets me with a nervous glare. I smile in response making him even more uncomfortable. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m not supposed to talk to you.¡± He says in a timid voice. ¡°Well you just did¡­¡± I respond mockingly. He clasps his mouth together and sits across from me. ¡°How long have you been a Jedi Initiate?¡± He looks at me and frowns. ¡°I¡¯ll just keep talking until you respond.¡± Pensim glowers and folds his arms across his chest. His dull orange skin and short yellow hair flashes red with frustration or disdain. It must be difficult for him to hide his feelings. ¡°Since I was five.¡± He says reluctantly. Pensim looked to be about fourteen which meant he was on the verge of becoming a Jedi¡¯s Padawan. I remember the day I transitioned from Initiate to Padawan I was so proud and so was Kavin. ¡°Did you already have a Master?¡± This time Pensim gave me a sad look, causing his hair to turn pale white. ¡°He...Halgin was just a Jedi Knight he tried to protected us from those things.¡± He says softly, as if talking about the Silverlights would summon them. ¡°But he was no match for them.¡± ¡°Yeah, I get how that feels¡­being helpless while others fall around you.¡± I respond. Pensim stares at me strangely. ¡°You¡¯re different¡­¡± he stops before finishing. ¡°Different from the Sith you learned about?¡± I finish. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m starting to think the same.¡± He nods his head. ¡°You use to be part of the Conclave, right?¡± the color starts to return to his hair. ¡°Yes, that was a long time ago. My brother and I were orphans.¡± I respond ¡°Why did you leave? I mean, what made you fall¡­sorry.¡± He scoots back a little, this time his bright cyan eyes become almost black. I let out a chuckle. ¡°Not everything is what it seems, I realized that and had to leave.¡± Pensim nods his head. ¡°Does it have to do with Master Qin?¡± He was so innocent and untouched by this terrible, terrible war and yet I had the power to destroy the very thing he believes. It would be easy just one phrase and he would be shaken to his core but I remember how that felt when it happened to me. ¡°What¡¯s between Master Qin and myself has nothing to do with the matter at hand. You should focus on your training so when this mess is figured out you can finally become a Padawan.¡± The words I spoke were surprisingly supportive. What¡¯s wrong with me, a year ago I would have killed Pensim without a second thought, he was¡­is my enemy. Is it that I¡¯m sick of this conflict or am I getting soft or maybe it¡¯s when I look at Pensim I see a little bit of myself? I don¡¯t know, but I need a reality check. The room becomes uncomfortably silent; no doubt Pensim picked up on my conflicted thoughts. I feel a sting in the back of my head, the type of sting that indicated something bad was happening as if millions were being slaughtered or hurt in some gruesome way. From the looks of it Pensim noticed it as well. His skin turn near white and his hair turned almost blue. ¡°What¡­¡± he stammers ¡°What is that?¡± his eyes were darting from side to side, trying to make sense of the feeling he was having. I give him a grave look. ¡°That is what it feels like when the force echoes with turmoil something bad is happening. It¡¯s similar to what I felt when Korriban was destroyed, but not exactly the same.¡± Tears begin to form in Pensim¡¯s eyes as they were turning from shades of red to dark blue and gray. He is amazingly sensitive for such a young kid. Most children don¡¯t possess this level of acute sensitivity this early. ¡°Why is this happening?¡± he asks. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if we don¡¯t start working together we may never live to find out.¡± Again my words are overly supportive; I feel a part of me ache with self-loathing. The feeling soon dissipates; Pensim and I attempt to shrug it off and continued to carry on with our conversation. Most of what we talked about was his past and how he missed his family. A sacrifice all young Jedi make when they join the order. I was ok with his chatter; it gave me something to occupy my mind from of what was happening. In a way I could feel that he was calmer as well, the color had returned to his face almost like reminiscing on the good times was enough to shroud the bad times. It wasn¡¯t long before the door to the room slides open. Tome and Mara were standing there. ¡°Pensim, it¡¯s time to switch.¡± Mara says softly. Pensim nods his head and flashes me a slight smile before walking out of the room. Mara enters and closes the door. There is something different about her that not only intrigued me but also struck me odd since we began this little adventure. She is not like the other Jedi, she is confident and proud maybe even stubborn. Traits that Jedi Councilors typically don¡¯t possess. I clear my throat gaining her attention. ¡°Thanks for before.¡± She purses her reddish-purple lips tightly. ¡°There is no need to thank me; it was the right thing to do.¡± ¡°Do you really think so?¡± Mara gives me a quizzical look, pushing a lock of her blue-silver hair back behind her ear. ¡°I¡¯m your enemy; I wouldn¡¯t have shown you the same mercy.¡± I finish. She tilts her head a bit. ¡°Something tells me you would have; despite your past crimes I can see a little light in you.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but to stare into her ruby eyes. ¡°So is that why you saved me, you think you can bring me back to the light.¡± I respond in a sarcastic tone. She scowls, her cheeks change from soft lavender to a darker purple. ¡°The light does not discriminate, it never has. Worse people in the past have turned to the light all they need to do is seek it out. Besides, what happened at the Conclave has changed you.¡± She was right, no matter how hard I try to erase the image of my brother as that thing I can¡¯t. If there were any doubts I had about the order before they have been completely magnified. I feel as though I¡¯m falling apart at the seams, Xyon-Kray has changed everything. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. I look up realizing that I have been in silent though for several minutes. ¡°You know Master Qin will not let me stand trial.¡± I state matter-of-factly. ¡°He is a Jedi Master; he will uphold the laws and teaching of the order.¡± She responds in a much rehearsed fashion. ¡°And will you be there if he doesn¡¯t?¡± This time she looked surprised. I doubt she¡¯s ever been asked by a Sith for protection from one of her own, but hey she¡¯s already saved me once. She blushes a little before opening her mouth to hesitantly respond; years of training never prepared her for an encounter with a vulnerable Sith. ¡°I will do what I can.¡± She musters out in a soft but alluring tone. I bow my head in gratitude and the room becomes awkwardly quite¡­I hate quite. ¡°So what do you want to know about me?¡± Mara¡¯s face contorts into a confused look. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a Jedi Counselor; you¡¯re always seeking the truth and knowledge of the force. Finding diplomatic solutions to hard issues and what not.¡± I give her a satirical look. ¡°Well you¡¯re currently sitting in the same room as one of the highest ranking Sith Infiltrators, wanted for crimes across the galaxy and you, a Jedi Counselor, don¡¯t have a single question for me.¡± I finish with a wink. She fidgets uncomfortably as the dark shade of purple returns to her cheeks. ¡°I¡­well.¡± She starts and looks away. ¡°I only have one question.¡± I feel a smile grow on my face. ¡°I¡¯m an open data disc.¡± ¡°Why do they call you the Exiled One?¡± She rattles off quickly. I recoil in the wake of the question, I haven¡¯t thought about those days in an extremely long time. It wasn¡¯t her fault, she doesn¡¯t know. ¡°It¡¯s more of an insult than a grand title.¡± I say flatly. Her expression changes drastically. ¡°I apologize I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡± I hold up my hand forestalling her excuse. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I haven¡¯t thought about it in a while.¡± ¡°If it is too much¡­you don¡¯t have to.¡± Mara says genuinely. She stares at me intensely, I feel a fire start inside me but I suppress it. I look at her and contemplate telling the truth of my namesake¡¯s origin. A part of me doesn¡¯t want to relive those days on Korriban but then again, something about Mara makes me want to confide in her. ¡°When Kavin and I left the Conclave we join the Sith academy on Korriban. Kavin was naturally gifted and he adapted well under the Sith doctrines but I¡­¡± I hesitate. ¡°Struggled.¡± ¡°It must have been horrible.¡± Mara utter, subtly biting her bottom lip sending a burning sensation through my body. I nod my head and refocus. ¡°It was toughest at the beginning, the Sith promote infighting and betrayal as a means to weed out the weak. After months of this you quickly learn that you can¡¯t trust anyone, I was more alone than ever.¡± Mara¡¯s eye widen with reserved anticipation. ¡°At my lowest all I had was Kavin, but we had to hide our relation for fear of reprisal. Love and affection, while being incredibly strong emotions are frowned upon in the order.¡± Mara grimaces. ¡°They would have made you fight to the death if they knew?¡± ¡°Yes, we had seen it before and it wasn¡¯t pretty. Then I met Ny¡¯emma; she was viciously passionate and disastrously brilliant.¡± My thoughts return to the first time I met her, the smell of her cherry blonde hair and the touch of her flawless tanned skin. ¡°She was already an apprentice by the time our paths crossed, but we fell for each other nonetheless¡­meager emotions that cloud your judgment. We both knew it was forbidden but we indulged in our secret love for months.¡± Mara scoots closer to me, hanging on every word. ¡°Then the day I thought I¡¯d never be alive to see¡­my graduation.¡± The swath of memories and emotions cause a subtle ache in the back of my head. Mara notices my mood shift. ¡°What did they make you do?¡± she asks innocently. I look at Mara and frown. The memory was blurred by years of repression accept for Ny¡¯emma she was perfectly in focus, I can still remember the intricate details of the sash she used to hide the fact that she had no eyes. Despite her lack of physical sight, she was able to see better than most through the force. ¡°In order for an Initiate to become a Sith Apprentice they must first¡­challenge another apprentice and kill them in combat.¡± Mara places her hand over her mouth. ¡°Ny¡¯emma and I thought we were so clever, hiding our relationship for as long as we did. But we were so wrong. On the day of graduation they lined all the apprentices up and allowed each initiate to challenge them.¡± ¡°They made you kill¡­¡± Mara¡¯s words trail off. ¡°One by one each initiate in my graduating class challenged an apprentice, some winning¡­most losing. Then it was my turn, I confidently stepped into the arena. I was ready and when I turned to face my opponent my heart dropped.¡± My nerves were getting to me the memories of that day still haunt me even now. ¡°It was her wasn¡¯t it, Ny¡¯emma?¡± Mara gets even closer to me. ¡°Did you?¡± I look away avoiding Mara¡¯s eyes. ¡°I couldn¡¯t, we fought but we both knew we would never take the final blow. So they made us fight until fatigue set in, until we could barely stand and then they ordered me to kill her. Kavin watched in silent horror as I approached the girl I had loved with my blade extended over my head.¡± A spontaneous tear fall down my cheek. ¡°But I couldn¡¯t, she was killed in front of me by her master, Darth Gilkiv, and I was exiled to the wastes of Korriban for my failure and weakness.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t they kill you?¡± Mara asks brushing a tear off her cheek. ¡°Kavin vouched for me, he took a lashing so that I would be spared and exiled. In reality, however, exile was just as much a death sentence in of itself.¡± The barren wastes of Korriban where just as harsh and unforgiving as the Sith who resided there. The creatures were . That¡¯s why they call me the Exiled One because for three years I survived in a place where no one else could and when I returned I was stronger than they had ever imagined.¡± I stare at Mara intently as she slowly slides away from me. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry that happened to you.¡± She says I shrug. ¡°It¡¯s the past now, I cannot change what I cannot control.¡± Mara looks around the room for a second or two before staring back at me. ¡°How did you survive on Korriban that long?¡± I smile knowing full well that was the next question, the same question everyone asked me when I returned. ¡°That¡¯s a secret I will take to my grave.¡± Mara¡¯s crimson eyes narrow with curiosity. She opens her mouth to push the issue when the same familiar sting hits us both. Her eyes widen and her mouth opens a bit. The feeling was similar to the one Pensim and I felt as if millions of people were being killed but it was different. It felt as though people were being violently severed from the force. Mara gasps as the ache increases with ever second, culminating into one realization. We were heading for the source of the disturbance, we were heading for Coruscant. Part I: ForceFall ~ Chapter Six: Fleeting Light Silverlight Rising Part I: ForceFall Chapter Six: Fleeting Light Fear is an affective and volatile weapon, the Sith have always understood the power of it and have used it for centuries against enemies and allies alike. Fear, is the mind killer¡­the dark nothingness of doubt and uncertainty. It¡¯s infectious, creeping in to the recesses of your mind and spreading like a degenerate rot. I can feel the fear of every person on the Cardinal Phoenix flowing through the ship like a massive antenna as we grow closer to Coruscant. The uncomfortable ache in the back of my head was starting to dull, either because things were getting better or I was getting use to the feeling¡­disconcerting, to say the least, if it¡¯s the latter. Tome frowns under the weight of the sensation. Even the less sensitive can¡¯t deny the feeling that something terrible is happening. Mara places her hand on Tome¡¯s shoulder and gives him a confident nod before walking out of the room and locking the door behind her. Tome leans against the wall and glares at me, his mood was no different than ever. The overwhelming sense of dread continued to grow like a pit in my lower gut as we approached Coruscant. Everyone knew that I was right but no one was willing to admit it. ¡°Wipe that smile off your face, Sith!¡± Tome¡¯s caustic tone left me in a foul mood. ¡°You should learn your place, Padawan.¡± I retorted in a low voice. ¡°You forget who you address.¡± Tome grabs his lightsaber hilt from beneath his robe and dangles it by his side. ¡°What is that?¡± I start with a laugh. ¡°Are¡­Are you really trying to intimidate me, Tome?¡± Tome¡¯s face twists into a frustrated grimace. ¡°Shut up!¡± he demands with a growl. I let out another laugh. ¡°Drop the attitude, boy!¡± Tome launches off the wall and punches me. This is the second time he¡¯s punched me¡­and there will not be a third. I sneer at him as he returns to the wall with a grin on his face, he really feels like he isn¡¯t in danger. I¡¯ve dealt with plenty of his kind before, over confident and completely idiotic. It¡¯s obvious that his single-minded tendencies come from the fact that he is a young Zabrak striving to prove himself, understandable but foolish nonetheless. ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± He says, ¡°Maybe now you¡¯ll watch your mouth.¡± I study him for a little bit thinking about what to say next. He¡¯d make a phenomenal apprentice as a Sith, I can sense the anger in him, something I bet the Jedi were trying to force him to control. His eyes are dark green and did well to hide his insecurities. His reddish brown complexion was free of any markings or tattoos; he has yet to complete the Rite of Passage that is so essential to culture of his people. Judging from all this and the small set of horns that were starting to emerge from his head he was just reaching mature age. However that didn¡¯t detract from his powerful build, he definitely exemplifies raw brute force. He fit well as a Jedi Guardian, but it didn¡¯t lessen his foolishness. The stinging sensation in the back of my head intensifies; we have to be getting close to leaving hyperspace. I lick the blood on my lip where Tome¡¯s second punch reopened the wound from before and flash him another sarcastic grin. ¡°Tell me what you know about my exploits, Tome¡± He opens his mouth, but hesitates for a second. ¡°You¡¯re a killer.¡± He states. ¡°Wanted for the assassination of senators and high ranking members of the Republic Fleet and Jedi order.¡± He did little to hide his disdain for me. ¡°They say you¡¯ve never had a mark that got away.¡± ¡°They were right.¡± Over the course of the last four years I¡¯ve assassinated over twenty republic and Jedi dignitaries and high ranking military members. My feats alone have helped the Sith win battles and conquer planets all over the galaxy. But, it weighs heavily on me¡­ it was more or less my actions that forced the Republic and Jedi to do the unthinkable and destroy Korriban in an attempt to break the will of the Sith. I stare at Tome. ¡°And how many Sith have you killed?¡± For the first time I can see through Tome¡¯s confident front, he was scared out of his mind. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter.¡± He stammers. ¡°Oh but it does, see there¡¯s nothing quite like killing someone. You might be willing to commit the act but to actually do it is a whole different story.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡± Tome asks in a low voice. ¡°My point is you change when kill and even more when you kill a lot. It gets easier and easier and before long you find yourself not even bothered by the act itself. Do you understand what I¡¯m trying to say?¡± I feel my lips creep into a grin. ¡°Why are you telling me this¡± Tomes voice boasts more anxiety then he probably wanted to show. ¡°Because, I want you to fully understand the consequences of your actions, Tome. You are not as safe as you think and I¡¯m not one to easily forgive let alone forget.¡± Tome glares at me. ¡°You¡¯re not going to scare me.¡± ¡°Lying isn¡¯t very Jedi-like, Padawan.¡± I respond ¡°I know what fear feels like, I know it¡¯s smells and what it looks like and you¡¯re saturated with it¡­¡± My voice boasts more malice than I expected. Tome¡¯s eyes are locked on me, his body ridged and still. ¡°Don¡¯t ever lay a hand on me again, do I make myself clear.¡± I sounded calm but the words I uttered are irrefutable. For a fleeting moment I could tell Tome wanted to do something stupid but he simply nods his head. ¡°Good boy.¡± The room falls deathly silent; Tome slowly slips his lightsaber hilt beneath his robe. His face was a mix of frustration and hate. He needs to work on his temper before he gets himself into a regrettable situation. I can already tell he¡¯d lose his state of mind in a real fight. Even the Sith teach never to lose your control, it makes you sloppy and easily beaten. Tome has much to learn if he ever wants to be in this conflict¡­and live. The Cardinal Phoenix suddenly heaves forward, pulling me out of my thoughts. Tome pushes himself off the wall and glances at me, the unbearable sensation magnifies tenfold. We¡¯ve just arrived at Coruscant and things are more dire than I could have imagined. A second later I hear Halish¡¯s frantic voice come over the ship¡¯s intercom. ¡°Tome get to the bridge, now!¡± Without question Tome runs out of the room, leaving me alone. I can feel shock waves and shutters running through the ship¡¯s hull, there must be a space battle taking place. I clench my hands tightly and begin pulling the bindings¡­I have no intention of dying here, not locked in a room tied up like an animal. I focus on my bindings using the force to augment my strength finally feeling them slightly giving way. The Phoenix pitches downward and I roll forward hitting the door. A loud muffled bursting sound cause the ship the violently shake. Screw this¡­I pull hands apart even harder causing the bindings to dig into my wrist sending a searing pain through my arms. Then finally they snap just as the ship lurches to the side, the contents of the room spill out and avalanche across the room. The Phoenix levels out and I rush to the door, it¡¯s locked from the outside. I look around the room for anything that would help me open the door when I hear a small knock come from the corridor. I knock back and a few seconds later the door slides open revealing Peni and a stout little astromech droid working on the door controls. Several lights were flashing red in the corridor and Peni had a look of unadulterated terror on her face. ¡°Peni, I need to get to the bridge!¡± I say anxiously. Peni quietly sobs and shakes her head offering me her open hand. I take it and she begins leading me through the ship. A few moments later we turn a corner down a long walkway. We pass a room where I catch sight of Master Seto still strapped into the gurney. At first things didn¡¯t quite register, but I stopped in my tracks nonetheless and returned to the med bay. Master Seto was fine his vitals were nominal but that wasn¡¯t the issue. The medical bed beside him where Master Alix was strapped in was empty. I search the room for her but she was nowhere to be found when I feel Peni lightly tug on my robe. The tug was unnecessary because I felt the presence behind me, it was familiar and disheartening. It was the same thing I felt in the temple on Yavin 4 and the same overpowering feeling I felt in the Jedi council chamber. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. I slowly turn around expecting Xyon-Kray¡¯s disturbing eyes staring at me, but to my surprise it was Reeva Alix. She was staring at me but it was an empty stare as if there were no presence behind it. I grab Peni and pull her behind me. ¡°Master Alix.¡± is say nervously. She remains still almost statuesque like a lifeless manikin before her head tilts to the left, the color leaves her eyes and a silvery aura begins to circle her body. Her long dreads lift off her shoulders and suspend in midair floating freely as if gravity had no hold them. The thin mist continues to creep up her body turning her skin into a pale dark brown with a silver luster. It encompasses her face, turning her black dreads dark shades of grey and white. Then the silver aura absorbs into her eyes turning them into this same lifeless silver orbs that Kavin had at the conclave. I feel my heart drop; Master Alix has just become one of those Silverlight Wraths before my very eyes¡­and I have no means of defending myself. I feel another tug on my robe, I glance down at Peni. She¡¯s shaking with panic, fear is emanating from her like a flooded dam. She points at Master Seto¡¯s lightsaber on his waist band and with a swift motion I grab the hilt with the force and activate its violet blade. ¡°Peni, I need you to hide.¡± I whisper ¡°When I lead Reeva away go warn the others, do you understand?¡± I look at Peni who barely nods her head and takes several steps back towards the corner of the med bay. I grasp Seto¡¯s saber hilt with both hands and take a step towards Master Alix. She truns her head following my movements before pulling her double-side saber hilt out from beneath her robe and activating one of the yellow blades. For a single moment it feels as though time stands still then just like that Reeva begins her assault, lunging forward with her blade leading the way. I don¡¯t want to kill Master Alix but I need to neutralize her as fast as possible. I deflect her attack leaving her wide open for a counter on her left arm. I motion to strike when she activate the second blade of the lightsaber affectively blocking my attack and leaving me open to her first blade that was just to the right of my torso. I only have a split second to react, launching myself backwards with a force push nearly avoiding her upward slash. I¡¯ve never seen a Jedi use Tr¨¤kata with a double-sided lightsaber. Typically it was unbecoming of a Jedi to use trickery in battle but Alix was brilliantly different. She¡¯s taking advantage of the ability to activate and deactivate her sabers at will allowing her to have the element of surprise almost constantly and rule the battle tempo. I look down at Seto¡¯s lightsaber; I may be in a little trouble here¡­ Reeva Alix continues her attack, phasing her yellow blades in and out leaving me only fractions of a second to either dodge or block; which in turn leaves me open for another assault. Battle fatigue was quickly setting in as her attacks were becoming more and more relentless. If this was an open battle field I could probably force her to keep a distance but we¡¯re essentially in a pressurized metal tube it¡¯s only a matter of time before she gets lucky or I get unlucky. I hear the sound to footsteps come from the corridor as Alix and I lock blades. Violet and yellow sparks fly off our saber when everyone funnels into the common area. Halish, Mara and Tome quickly activate their lightsabers causing Alix to lose focus for a split second. I take advantage of this and release a torrent of force lightening throwing Reeva across the common area and into the bulkhead. I leap forward to ensure she¡¯s been knocked out when Halish and Tome attack me. I easily dodge Tome¡¯s clumsy slash and deflect Halish¡¯s assault catching sight of my saber hilt in belt. Mara was checking Master Alix who seemed to have been knocked out from the impact. Tome lunges for me again I counter his attack and force push him into a line of cabinets bolted to the wall. Halish almost catches me off guard with an attack from behind but I¡¯m able to dodge it and grab my lightsaber in the process. I square off with them as Mara and Pensim carry Master Alix¡¯s body out of the room; I really hope she stays unconscious...for everyone¡¯s sake. With a simple flick I activate my vermillion blade and assume a Niman duel saber stance. I can sense Tome¡¯s apprehension, but Halish was completely calm. There are no words to say¡­this ends now. I launch forward and unleash my fury on them with a series of rapid attacks forcing them to be on the defensive. I can feel the anger grow on me as Halish intentionally leaves Tome open for assault so he can try and get a better position on me. He eventually gets his wish when he dodges one of my swings and attempts to take the kill. But I¡¯m not so easily beaten¡­I quickly reverse the grip on my vermillion Saber hilt and deflect his attack. Halish¡¯s eye widen with shock, I guess he¡¯s never seen someone switch from an offensive technique to a more defensive Jar¡¯Kia technique in the middle of an assault. Halish quickly recovers and force pushes me across the room and into a circuit panel sending spark flying. The astromech droid from before rolls into the room and begins beeping and hooting incessantly. I lift the droid and a couple chairs off the ground using the force and prepare to launch them at Tome and Halish. ¡°Enough!¡± The booming and unexpected voice of Master Bim Seto causes me to drop the chairs and astromech droid. ¡°Stand down all of you!¡± he continues. Master Seto was leaning against the hatch cradling his severed arm. Although it was obvious that he was in an extreme amount of pain, it did little to detour from his intimidating presence. He glances at me then his lightsaber in my hand and grimaces; I deactivate the violet blade in response and lower my hand. ¡°Master Seto¡­you¡¯re awake!?¡± Halish stammers. Bim gazes at Halish and makes a disgusted face. ¡°How perceptive¡­¡± he says in a low voice. ¡°You can deactivate your lightsabers now, the Sith isn¡¯t a threat.¡± ¡°But Master¡­¡± Halish starts. Bim slams his left hand into the wall. ¡°Deactivate you sabers!¡± he shouts, everyone quickly obeys. ¡°Master Qin, as the more senior Council member I¡¯m assuming command.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not my senior!¡± Halish retorts. ¡°You¡¯ve just recently arrived at the conclave.¡± Bim glares at him. ¡°Need I remind you once again, Master Qin, I was a member of the Grand Council long before you were a Jedi Knight.¡± Halish opens his mouth to argue but remains silent. Bim looks at me. ¡°And what of you Sith, does the Exiled One wish to continue this fight?¡± I shake my head and cautiously approach the master. ¡°This fight wasn¡¯t my choice.¡± I hand Master Seto¡¯s lightsaber to him and place my own hilt back into my waist band, catching sight of Halish¡¯s glare. I walk past Master Seto towards the bridge. ¡°This is an outrage,¡± Halish begins ¡°You can¡¯t let that Sith walk freely on this ship!¡± I feel a slight grin form on my face as I reach the med bay. Master Alix was once again strapped into the medical bed with Mara, Pensim and Peni watching over her. ¡°Is she ok?¡± the question slipped out faster than I realized causing a strange expression to form on both Mara and Pensim¡¯s faces. ¡°All things considered¡­¡± Mara musters out. ¡°She¡¯s in perfect health.¡± ¡°She¡¯s one of those¡­things.¡± Pensim whispers to Mara. ¡°Yeah, Peni and I witnessed it happen.¡± I say in a low tone. Mara and Pensim look at Peni who simply nods her head in response. ¡°So¡­you weren¡¯t trying to kill her?¡± Mara asks looking away. ¡°No¡­I¡¯m not your enemy anymore.¡± My words were cold and unwavering. This is the first time I¡¯ve declared that out loud, but it¡¯s the truth Xyon and the Silverlights¡¯ are the real enemies now. Mara and Pensim nod their heads slowly. Another shutter echoes through ship making Pensim shake with anxiety. He glances up at me, his skin changes to a pale blue; his hair becomes a dark gray while his eyes are cold and white. ¡°What are we going to do now, Atlas?¡± Part I: ForceFall ~ Chapter Seven: Razing Hope Silverlight Rising Part I: ForceFall Chapter Seven: Razing Hope Coruscant, the beating heart of the entire Republic and the Galaxy¡­a bright light of reason and diplomacy shinning hopelessly against an ocean of darkness and ignorance. I once dreamt of conquering this planet, of subjugating its nearly three trillion people, and of ruling the galaxy the way I see fit at my brother¡¯s side. Such a foolish endeavor, to think we could have toppled this stronghold. But then again my brother didn¡¯t want to conquer Coruscant, he wanted to obliterate it and remove it from the texts of history so that on day no one will remember it ever existed, just like Korriban. How can we have been so wrong, so far gone that we were willing to murder trillions just to prove our power. What is wrong with us? ¡°This is Admiral Tolan Masii of the Republic Fleet; I¡¯m told you have important information about this unknown enemy.¡± Tolan¡¯s hologram stutters in the middle of the bridge. ¡°Yes admiral, I¡¯m Master Bim Seto of the Jedi Council.¡± Bim hesitates. ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of information about the enemy. However, we do know they are led by a creature named Xyon-Kray, he¡¯s a being of immense power.¡± Bim finishes with a painful wince. ¡°Is he part of the Sith? You¡¯re not giving me much to go on Master Seto.¡± Tolan¡¯s voice cracks a little showing the stress of battle. ¡°My apologies Admiral, What we think we know is this creature does not ally himself with either the Jedi or Sith. We believe he is following his own agenda.¡± ¡°Another faction that rivals both the Jedi and the Sith!?¡± Tolan looks off screen. ¡°There are more of them coming from hyperspace, how many, Lieutenant? That¡¯s impossible run the scan again!¡± He shouts and looks back at us. ¡°Master Seto, we¡¯re in dire-straits here, do you know anything that can help us defeat them?¡± Bim looks at me with a hopeful stare. I know what he wants but I don¡¯t have the answer. Xyon-Kray hasn¡¯t existed for more than a day and he¡¯s already amassed a fleet large enough to bring the Republic to their knees. I look at the battle field scans hundreds upon hundreds of asymmetric stone and metal ships continue to flash in from hyperspace like an unending flood of destruction. For ever one Silverlight ship destroyed by the republic, two take its place and this will go on and on until the republic can no longer resist. Coruscant was already under siege, its sprawling worldwide city was dotted with flames and chaos that slowly moved across the lighted skyscrapers like an unstoppable deluge. I look at Bim. ¡°We need to retreat.¡± The words flow out of my mouth with so much confidence it leaves Bim off balance. ¡°Master Seto?¡± Admiral Massi asks. ¡°Admiral, I don¡¯t have an answer for you as of yet. I must contact the Jedi council, can you patch us through?¡± Tolan makes a disgruntled face then nods his head. ¡°Patching you in momentarily.¡± A few seconds later the hologram of Grand Master Ventra Na¡¯Ray appears. Although she looked calm and centered the unmistakable sounds of battle surrounded her with glimpses of battling Jedi flowing in and out of the foreground like fleeting shadows. ¡°Master Seto!¡± she exclaims. ¡°Master Na¡¯Ray, I do not have time to explain¡­We must enact ForceFall Contingency Echo-114. We do not know enough about the enemy to adequately defend ourselves.¡± Bim¡¯s voice was frantic. Master Ventra grimaces. ¡°You know what that means for the republic, Master. You¡¯re asking me to order the Jedi to abandon an ally in need.¡± The muffled sound of screams and blasters echo in the distance pulling Ventra¡¯s attention from the conversation. Bim looks at me again then winces and stares back at Ventra. ¡°Yes, this new enemy can turn force sensitives into something we¡¯ve never seen before, we need to retreat and regroup on Tython. It¡¯s our only option.¡± ¡°Very well¡­¡± Ventra hesitates before composing herself. ¡°This is Grand Master Ventra Na¡¯Ray of the Jedi High Council on Coruscant. I am here by enacting ForceFall Contingency Echo-114, all Jedi who receive this message are to immediately disengage and retreat. I repeat¡­disengage and retreat. Authorization code 67 Specter ¨CAlpha, Coruscant has fallen¡­Coruscant has fallen¡± The Cardinal Phoenix¡¯s bridge falls silent with Ventra¡¯s saddened Hologram wavering. I check the scans of Coruscant and the battle space; thousands upon thousands of ships were lifting off and engaging their hyper-drives. Admiral Tolan¡¯s hologram appears. ¡°What are you doing!?¡± he shouts, ¡°There¡¯s still hope, why are you abandoning us!?¡± Bim¡¯s face show the regret of his decision with a flick of his finger he closes the hologram. ¡°Bartle,¡± He says quietly ¡°Set a course for Tython.¡± ¡°Wait, Master Seto, we need to think about our next move.¡± I say, following Seto out of the bridge and into the hall where Mara, Pensim, Tome and Halish were standing with various expressions of disbelief on their faces. ¡°ForceFall Echo-114 orders all Jedi to converge on Tython, that¡¯s our next move.¡± Bim says walking past the group without giving them notice. ¡°I understand that but¡­¡± ¡°How could you!¡± Halish shouts running past me. ¡°How could allow this¡­this Sith.¡± He points at me ¡°To, to influence you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough Master Qin.¡± Bim says softly Halish steps in front of Master Seto. ¡°No!¡± he shouts. ¡°We¡¯ve abandoned the Republic, can¡¯t you see this was the goal all along. This Sith is manipulating you!¡± he hisses through his teeth. ¡°I said that is enough, Halish!¡± Bim shouts with a painful shutter. ¡°We are sitting at the brink of total annihilation and all you care about is this Sith. What is it Halish¡­huh, you use to be a man of serenity and control but now you¡¯re frantic, it¡¯s unbecoming of a Jedi Master. The stench of anger and hate soaks you!¡± Master Seto says taking a step towards Halish. ¡°So what is it about this boy that makes you so scared?¡± The corridor falls silent; Halish drops his shoulders and glances at me. ¡°My apologies Master Seto I¡­should go meditate and get some rest, it¡¯s been a trying day¡­for all of us.¡± He half bows. Bim shutters with pain again. ¡°Very well.¡± His tone was daunting. ¡°Everybody needs to go get some rest.¡± Everyone leaves the corridor except for Master Seto and I. ¡°Master, I don¡¯t think it a wise decision to go to Tython. Xyon-Kray will most likely go there next.¡± Bim looks at me; he was starting to falter under the stress and pain. ¡°Then where would you have us go?¡± I think for a bit. ¡°Xyon¡¯s power is unique; we¡¯ve never seen this before. But I¡¯ve heard stories¡­legends really, about ancient Sith being able to forcibly subjugate others to follow their will.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you want us to do, just follow some Sith fairy tales and hope for the best?¡± Bim says through his teeth before turning to walk away. I couldn¡¯t fault him these stories were practically fairy tales told to all young Sith initiates to inspire them. I was standing there watching Bim slowly walk away when I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up ¡°Rhelg¡± the whisper penetrates the deepest parts of my mind causing me to whip around to see who was there but I was alone. ¡°What!?¡± I say aloud gaining Master Seto¡¯s attention ¡°Did you hear that master?¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Here what?¡± he asks curiously ¡°Rhelg.¡± the whisper returns this time with more force making me lean against the wall with my hand on my head. Master Seto approaches me and I look at him. ¡°Rhelg¡­does that mean anything to you?¡± I ask. Bim tilts his head and walks past me into the bridge where Quomas was about to engage the Hyper-drive ¡°Q, not yet.¡± Bim says causing him to jump. He approaches the star map and types in Rhelg. A moment later a terribly barren plant comes into focus. ¡°It¡¯s a planet¡­what do you know of it?¡± he asks. ¡°I vaguely remember it was an important stronghold during the hyperspace wars.¡± I say shaking my head. ¡°Master Seto, I heard this planet¡¯s name whispered to me just now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s in Sith space. What will happen if we go there?¡± Bim asks. I grab my chin and think. ¡°The Sith scattered after Korriban I can¡¯t imagine we¡¯d find anyone there. It¡¯s a holy planet, used for pilgrimages. But I have a feeling we¡¯re supposed to go there for some reason.¡± Although I can¡¯t explain why. Bim Seto exhales loudly before pressing the planet. ¡°Q, please take us to Rhelg.¡± He looks at me. ¡°I really hope you¡¯re feeling is right.¡± I nod my head as Quomas engages the hyper-drive. We¡¯ve abandoned Coruscant¡­something I never thought I¡¯d see and something the Jedi swore they would never do. The message would take several days to reach he dark corners of the Galaxy, soon everyone will know that Sith and the Jedi have been defeated and a new age of unknown has begun. I rub the back of my neck as the aching sensation finally starts to dissipate. It¡¯s odd, even though I know things are getting worse¡­I feel better knowing we are moving away from Coruscant. People all over will look at us and think we¡¯re cowards¡­and maybe we are for running. History has always condemned the cowards that lived and admired the heroes that sacrificed, but in reality heroes often die in vain and the cowards have to live knowing their deaths meant nothing. Bim places his hand on my shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I ask. ¡°I need to talk to you, in private.¡± He walks out of the bridge and into the med bay where an unconscienced Reeva Alix was resting. The Silverlight aura had disappeared and she returned to her normal self¡­more or less. Master Bim slowly sits down finally letting the pain show through. He injects himself with a pain stim and lets out a long sigh. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± I ask tentatively. Bim stares off into dead space for a few second before looking at me. ¡°Halish,¡± He says with a caustic tone. ¡°He has been losing it ever since you showed up at the council, he always been quick to action but this is different.¡± Bim brushes his golden mane with his remaining hand, and lets out another groan. ¡°I need to know what happened between you two.¡± I hesitate before standing and walking to wall. ¡°Is that why you and Master Vis Jarabus were transferred to Dantooine¡­to investigate Halish Qin?¡± Bim stops brushing his hair. ¡°Grand Master Dan¡¯Dak Urv sent for us, he suspected Master Qin was not all that he seemed.¡± It made sense, I think back to the council chamber and how Master Seto and Master Jarabus never took their eyes off Halish as I was telling my story. ¡°And what was going to come from this investigation¡­a slap on the wrist, removal from the council, incarceration?¡± ¡°It depends on the charges and whether he did them or not.¡± Bim responds, resumes his grooming. ¡°What if he¡¯s a murderer?¡± my tone was hushed as if I was keeping a secret from even myself. Bim stares at me. ¡°Those are bold charges¡­do you have proof?¡± I look at my hands, we¡¯re all murders here every single one of us. ¡°It¡¯s his word against mine.¡± Bim frowns. ¡°Then tell me your side of it.¡± I want to; it¡¯s been so long since I talked about it. Kavin and I stopped dwelling on the past long ago and the last person I told the truth to was Ny¡¯Emma. But then again what would come out of it, Bim was in no condition to detain Halish and knowing the good Master Qin, he would do anything to preserve his legacy even if that meant killing everyone including himself. No, there will be a time and place for this but not now. I walk towards Master Seto and place my hand on his shoulder. ¡°Now is not the time, if he even suspects that someone else knows he will destroy the ship. Of that I¡¯m sure.¡± I turn to leave when Bim scoffs. ¡°How can you expect me to act normal around him then?¡± I look at Bim and smile. ¡°How is it that you act normal around me¡­improvise, it¡¯s what the Sith do best.¡± The ship was eerily quiet when I walked into the common area searching for a suitable place the rest when I hear a sharp and low beep come from beside me. The little astromech droid was in the process of fixing the busted circuit board Halish threw me into. ¡°What¡¯s up little guy?¡± I say in an impish tone. The droid turns toward me and lets out a string of beeps and boops that I could only imagine is its way of telling me off. ¡°Yeah I didn¡¯t catch that, so what are you called?¡± I use the force to lift the droid towards me spinning it freely in the air stopping it on the model number. ¡°Q2-Z4, huh¡­¡± the Droid begins beeping louder as if I was hurting it when I hear Quomas clear his throat behind me. I jump and drop the droid¡­again. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve caused enough trouble?¡± Quomas says in an acidic tone. ¡°No, I¡¯m just getting started.¡± I retort almost instantly. This time Quomas gives me a grave look. ¡°I have a daughter that I have to protect.¡± I feel a stinging pain in the back of my head. ¡°Listen, Q¡­I didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°What you have to say doesn¡¯t matter, Exiled One. If there is any semblance of humanity left in you please don¡¯t hurt my daughter!¡± His words were rough, but deserved. I nod my head and he leaves in a hurry. It take a lot of courage to stand up to the people you know are far more powerful, some would say that it¡¯s foolish when you know you¡¯ll be beaten. But in a father¡¯s eyes, their child means everything. That type of love and devotion can save worlds¡­and destroy them. I feel the pangs of fatigue setting in as I continue to search the ship for a place to sleep, finally settling on the engine maintenance room. The loud roar of the hyper-drive does well to drown out my inner thoughts and the intense vibrations dull my senses. I thoroughly scan the room memorizing everything¡¯s placement before crawling into the corner and propping myself against the wall. I continue to study the room, gauging the distance from me to the door. While it is unlikely that Halish would attempt to kill me, not with Bim here. But one can¡¯t be too careful. A few minutes pass before I commit to my position and begin meditating and grounding myself. I soon feel sleep starting to overcome me, I quickly grab my lightsaber and rest it in my lap. The absolution of sleep has always been both welcomed and feared by me. It¡¯s a place I can go to escape the craziness of everything but it leaves me uncomfortably vulnerable. I shut my eyes feeling the Cardinal Phoenix¡¯s vibrations run through me. I ease my body, allowing myself to finally relax. What lies ahead of us is unknown, we¡¯ve ventured into the realm obscurity with little more than unanswered questions compelling us forward. Part I: ForceFall ~ Chapter Eight: Vestiges Of The Mind Silverlight Rising Part I: ForceFall Chapter Eight: Vestiges Of The Mind The Senate Chamber is a sight to behold, where the senate of the Republic¡¯s government deliberates Galactic affairs both miniscule and greatly influential in scope. Here is where the future is decided for trillions upon trillions of citizens. Xyon-Kray looks down towards me from the central platform and motions for me to approach. I hesitantly walk up the stairs, I¡¯m terrified¡­not of the notion that Xyon will hurt me but rather the thought of being near him, as if I¡¯m unworthy of his presence. He reaches out his arms and smiles as I move closer and the central platform begins to rise. The Senate chamber was filled with the representatives from all the galactic races and planets. Each had their own dais that circled the walls of the senate chamber like a honey comb spanning several dozen stories high. The representatives silently stared at Xyon with the same adoration that I felt in his company. Xyon¡¯s gaze rests on me; I feel my knees buckle and collapse under me. I brace myself avoiding direct eye contact. ¡°I¡¯m not worthy, Jurif!¡± My words come out haggard and nervous. I feel Xyon approach me. ¡°Rise my Aluun, The VulDuun has chosen its savior, its Ryehl.¡± I feel the sentience pull me to my feet and lift my head to meet Xyon¡¯s stare. ¡°Do you fear the gift I have for you?¡± The question sat hard on my mind, all that has happened was predetermined by the VulDuun all along. Its will cannot be denied, so why do I doubt my own desires. I push through my uncertainty. ¡°I am ready, seeker.¡± Xyon smiles and places his hand on my head. ¡°All will witness!¡± The senate chamber shakes under Xyon¡¯s voice as it ricochets off the walls and echoes throughout the massive room. ¡°The birth of a new era!¡± a blinding white light begins to emit from under Xyons hand. A feeling deep down of complete release and freedom begins to course through my body as the silver fog envelopes both Xyon and I. ¡°You are charged with its safe keeping.¡± The light bursts into a massive pulse of energy running along the senate chamber blessing everyone with its Silverlight. I feel myself collapse, my body is aching and my sight blurred. Xyon hunches over cradling his arm, a certain amount of hue has left his blue and purple skin. After a little while he regains his composure and stares at me. ¡°I can feel it¡­¡± I say as my vision sharpens. ¡°I can feel the sentience and its infinite glory, my Jurif.¡± Xyon smiles. ¡°Rise then, and proclaim your new title.¡± I run my hands along the metal platform floor; I can feel the individual molecules gyrating under my touch. I push myself upright, lifting off the platform as if gravity had no claim on me anymore. The air lapped at my body and tasted sweet with life. I can see and hear¡­everything. All this culminated into one singular and irrefutable proclamation. ¡°I am Kazil-Kray Ryehl¡¯VulDuun, First light Savior of the Sentience!¡± my voice echoes through the chamber with confident ease. ¡°And my will is undeniable!¡± I jerk awake activating my vermillion blade in the process. The images of my dream flash across my mind with every blink. I grab my chest attempting to control my breathing, what the hell was that? I scan the room frantically looking for any hidden assailants when I hear the maintenance door slide open. With a flick of my finger I deactivate my saber and slide behind a terminal. Peni scurries through the doorway, stopping every few feet to look around the room before taking several more cautious steps. I take the time to hone in my senses before stepping out from behind the terminal. Peni looks at me and smiles. ¡°What¡¯s up little one?¡± I ask. She waives for me to come closer. I let out a sigh and walk towards her. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± she shakes her head and offers her open palm to me. Ok I¡¯ll bite; I place my saber hilt into my waistband and take her hand. Peni leads me through the ship to the med bay where Master Seto was sitting upright, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. ¡°She woke you up as well?¡± he asks without looking at me. ¡°More or less¡­¡± I respond. Peni scurries around the medical beds towards Master Alix and stares at us before placing her hand on Alix¡¯s forearm. The room remains silent for several minutes, Seto and I exchange glances. Then Reeva begins twitching, I take a step forward and place my hand on my saber hilt. A moment later Alix¡¯s eye open. Master Seto jumps to his feet and rushes to her side. ¡°Reeva!¡± he exclaims. Her eyes shift to him. ¡°Ma¡­Master Seto?¡± she forces out. ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been unconscious, how are you feeling?¡± Seto says softly. ¡°Strange, like I¡¯m an echo or a fleeting thought.¡± She responds. Seto looks at me and shrugs. ¡°Do you remember anything?¡± I ask. Alix looks at me, her eyes widen. ¡°Ryehl!¡± she says with admiration. I feel my heart skip. ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°He¡¯s waiting for you, all it takes is time.¡± She spoke more clearly not taking her eyes off me. The images of Xyon grinning at me flash through my mind, is this the force showing me the future. Is this what¡¯s to come? The question resonates through my head as Seto grabs my arm. ¡°What¡¯s she mean?¡± he asks. I shake my head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet.¡± Peni removes her hand from Alix¡¯s arm. A second later Reeva falls unconscious again. ¡°She needs to rest now.¡± Peni says quietly. Seto and I stare at Peni. ¡°So you do speak.¡± I say. Peni nods her head. ¡°They why don¡¯t you talk more.¡± Peni makes a face. ¡°Because sometimes words¡­can¡¯t show what you want to say.¡± I look at Seto who sighs. ¡°You¡¯re a very gifted young lady.¡± He says with a smile. ¡°Keep watch over Master Alix for us.¡± Peni smiles and nods her head in response. He looks at me and motions to the door, I follow him out into the corridor towards the bridge. ¡°What just happened, Master Seto?¡± ¡°Peni is remarkable; I¡¯ve never seen talents such as hers.¡± Seto response. ¡°I had my suspicion that she¡¯s sensitive but Force Projection is a skill that even masters struggle with.¡± Seto stops and looks at me. ¡°That wasn¡¯t Force Projection, what we witness wasn¡¯t deception.¡± He turns and continues down the walk way. A part of me knew it was true but I wanted to hope Alix¡¯s words were the overactive imagination of a child. ¡°Then what do you call it?¡± ¡°She¡¯s an empath; it¡¯s a rare trait innate to her mother¡¯s race. The Force only magnifies it, I had no idea she could channel others though.¡± Seto says entering the bridge. ¡°Quomas came to the enclave right after Peni¡¯s mother¡­passed. He needed help with her talents, I insisted that she be taken in as a Jedi initiate but he refused.¡± ¡°So she hasn¡¯t been formally trained and she¡¯s that naturally talented.¡± I respond. Seto simply nods his head. ¡°There¡¯s something interesting about all this, I haven¡¯t mentioned it until now. Everyone on this ship, more or less, have some special ability. It¡¯s interesting how we were the ones lucky enough to escape.¡± Seto shares his thoughts with me. ¡°You think we were let go, but why?¡± Seto brushes his mane. ¡°I¡¯m just speculating really¡­All I can say is Jedi don¡¯t believe in luck.¡± He rattles his fingers across the star map bringing up a display. ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± I look at the display were an estimated time of an hour and a half was slowly ticking down. ¡°What are you going to tell Halish and the rest? They think we are heading to Tython.¡± Seto looks at me and smiles. ¡°That¡¯s easy, I¡¯ll just blame you.¡± ¡°Naturally.¡± I respond with a huff. ********************************* The holographic display showing Rhelg shimmers in the middle of the common area. Everyone was sitting around the 3D image with Master Seto pacing around the room. He ties a sling supporting his severed hand around his neck before speaking. ¡°I understand the ForceFall contingency mandates that we must report to Tython, however we received intel that there may be something here to help us against this new threat.¡± Seto pauses waiting for Halish to jump in, but he doesn¡¯t. ¡°Q has already scanned the area and has found a somewhat suitable landing zone near some runes.¡± He pauses again. ¡°Halish, The Exile, Mara, Tome and I will depart to investigate the runes. For those who don¡¯t know this is a Sith planet, however Atlas assures me that the chances of finding a Sith here is minimal.¡± This time Halish audibly scoffs gaining a passing glare from Master Seto. ¡°Are there any questions?¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Pensim raises his hand. ¡°What intel, Master?¡± Seto glances at me. ¡°Huh, what?¡± ¡°The intel¡­you said we received intel that we should go to Rhelg. Did Master Na¡¯Ray send it?¡± Pensim elaborates. ¡°Not exactly¡­¡± Bim Seto responds. ¡°What master Seto means, Pensim, is that we are here because the Sith told Seto to come here.¡± Halish states in a scathing tone. ¡°Now hold on¡­¡± Seto argues. ¡°Because apparently it wasn¡¯t enough to abandon the Republic we had to abandon the Jedi as well.¡± Halish adds, giving me a foul stare. ¡°Halish Qin!¡± Bim says sharply. ¡°I will take full responsibility from the High Council; you can say you were a prisoner if that makes you feel better¡­though I don¡¯t think your out-of-control pride would allow such a lie!¡± Halish grimaces and crosses his arms. I catch glimpse of Mara and Pensim grinning behind him. ¡°In truth, yes, we are here because The Exile¡­Atlas received some sort of Force message. Needless to say when the Force speaks to you, you should listen.¡± ¡°Give me a break¡­¡± Halish mumbles under his breath. ¡°Alright, if no one else has anything productive to add,¡± He looks at Halish. ¡°Then we¡¯ll go ahead and proceed.¡± Seto and Quomas leave the common area while Halish and Tome walk the opposite direction leaving Pensim, Mara and me awkwardly standing there. ¡°So,¡± I force out ¡°How¡¯d you guys sleep?¡± Mara rolls her eyes and pulls out her lightsaber hilt. I feel my hand involuntarily flinch towards my hilt¡­bad habits die hard I guess. ¡°While we wait do you want to go over it again, Pensim?¡± Mara says in a sweet tone. ¡°Really!?¡± Pensim says eagerly. His skin flashes red with excitement. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s alright?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to have to learn sometime¡­¡± Mara responds lifting her saber hilt with the Force and disassembling it. ¡°Be careful with the focusing lenses and crystal.¡± She warns. ¡°I will.¡± Pensim responses as he begins identifying the various parts of Mara¡¯s lightsaber with rehearsed ease. ¡°Very good, your studies are paying off.¡± Mara says in an upbeat tone. ¡°Now can you assemble it?¡± This time Pensim hesitates. It¡¯s a rite of passage for all Jedi initiates to build their own lightsaber when they become a padawan. It is often the charge of their prospective masters to ensure the initiate knows everything there is about the construction of the saber before this ceremony. I run my fingers along the hilt of my saber; so much has changed but the feeling of building your first lightsaber will never change. The excitement, the responsibility and most of all the power and authority the saber brings. Two things happen when you become a padawan, first: you finally become a Jedi rather than emulating one and second: you are assigned to a Jedi sub-class. I gently sit down beside Mara and Pensim, his skin has turned a dark shade of blue because of his nervousness as he slowly lifts the pieces of Mara saber and assembles them with the force. His hands were shaking and his eyes focused. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Mara says softly. ¡°Everybody¡¯s scared the first time, Pensim.¡± She places her hand on his shoulder and he noticeable relaxes. I wonder what Pensim would be, a guardian, a counselor or a sentinel. He is too timid to be a guardian, they¡¯re the vanguard of the Jedi; focused on combat prowess and swordsmanship, often known for attacking first then asking questions. While on the complete opposite spectrum, the counselor focuses on the study and mastery of force and diplomacy. Though they can be very formidable in battle, they represent the pacifists, always seeking the humanitarian solution. Pensim certainly possesses the initiative to be a Counselor, but he lacks the confidence, and strong will that is needed. Then there are the Sentinels, who are a bit of an enigma within the Jedi. The easiest way to describe a Sentinel is adaptability. Known for their chameleon like ability to change for every situation, in other words it¡¯s difficult to catch a sentinel off guard. They¡¯ve been known to be vicious in battle as well as fearsome opponents in the diplomatic arena. Yes, the sentinels are the utter embodiment of peaceful destroyers, and now that I think of it Pensim fits the Sentinel better than the other two classes. ¡°I did it!¡± Pensim exclaims while swinging Mara¡¯s assembled lightsaber hilt through the air. ¡°Not quiet.¡± Mara says. ¡°Now you have to activate it and make sure it works.¡± Pensim freezes, simply assembling a lighsaber is only a fraction of the task. To truly know you did it right you have to activate the blade. This could disastrous if a single part was misplaced or off by a hair. Pensim grasp the hilt with both hands ensuring the front was facing away from him. He winces before activating the blade. The emerald colored blade extends without a hitch, illuminating the area with its subtle hue. ¡°Very good, Pensim. Now adjust the focusing nob to hone the blade, you want to get the max intensity out of the power unit.¡± Mara says. Pensim turns the nod causing the blade¡¯s color to intensify. ¡°How¡¯s this?¡± he asks. ¡°Impressive,¡± I say aloud gaining Penisim¡¯s attention. His skin changes to a greenish yellow. ¡°You¡¯d make an accomplished Sentinel.¡± Penism looks at Mara then back at me. ¡°A Sentinel?¡± ¡°Pensim is clearly more suited to be a Counselor like me.¡± Mara states confidently. ¡°I respectfully disagree¡­From what I can tell, Pensim is a perfect example of a Sentinel.¡± I respond. ¡°You really think so?¡± Pensim asks, while deactivating Mara¡¯s lightsaber and handing it to her. ¡°No,¡± Mara interrupts ¡°I¡¯m sorry but you¡¯re not a Jedi, so I doubt you would know what¡¯s best.¡± She finishes in a tone that flaunts her strong-will. ¡°Is that right,¡± I respond with a smile and a wink causing Mara¡¯s cheeks turn bright burgundy. I pull my saber hilt from my waistband and disassemble it. ¡°You¡¯ll find I know a little about what I means to be a Sentinel.¡± I pull two crystals out from my saber¡¯s hilt, one red and the other yellow. ¡°You¡­kept the crystal?¡± Mara says. ¡°It¡¯s the same saber I built at my Padawan ceremony.¡± I respond. ¡°Why do you think my blade is vermillion¡­?¡± I say matter-of-factly while reassembling my hilt. Mara¡¯s face contorts with confusion. ¡°But why?¡± ¡°Why not,¡± I shrug ¡°There is a point when you realize that you can choose what defines you, you can either allow others to dictate your future or you can rebel against them and forge your own legacy.¡± Strangely enough I made myself feel better about my dream. The future is always varying and the force only gives us a glance into one possible future, meaning things change¡­always. Mara¡¯s lips twitch into a subtle grin, she would never admit it but she knows I¡¯m right. But there was more to it than just that. Mara could see what was happening to me, the change that has started to grow in me. To her, I¡¯m not the cold killer that The Exiled One used to be, but something more. Maybe she¡¯s right, maybe I am changing, not into a Jedi but possibly something else. Part I: ForceFall ~ Chapter Nine: Whispers of Rhelg Silverlight Rising Part I: ForceFall Chapter Nine: Whispers of Rhelg Rhelg is not a majestic sight to see, most of it landscape is scarred from centuries upon centuries of ancient wars. As a whole this once thriving planet is for the most part dead. The Sith Empire only cares for its existence as a means of history and tradition. Many High Inquisitors and Zealots would travel here as part of their joining rituals, praising the ancient Sith race and following the foots steps of the first Dark Jedi who sired the beginnings of the Sith as we know them today. I never used to believe this was a holy place for the dark side, I had always seen this pile of rock as nothing more than another ruin to add to the rest of the remnants that make up the Sith¡¯s long and violent history, but now that I walk on its surface I can feel the darkness oozing from the nooks and crannies surrounding the ruins of Ludo Kressh¡¯s once insurmountable stronghold. ¡°What is that feeling?¡± Tome asks, clutching his stomach. ¡°That, my uninformed friend, is what happens with the dark side touches a place so profoundly that it leaves scars in its wake.¡± I respond in a low tone. ¡°Stay alert!¡± Master Seto commands. ¡°We don¡¯t know what to expect here.¡± Seto confidently nods towards Mara and Tome who are visibly shaken by the state of the Force here. It¡¯s completely understandable for them to be uncomfortable. I have only felt the Force like this twice before, and one of those times was in the temple of the Force conduit. I walk ahead a little when I feel Master Seto¡¯s presence behind me. ¡°This place¡­something¡¯s not right here.¡± I say without looking. It¡¯s quiet for a moment or two. ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t seem to hone my senses. What do you know of this ruin?¡± ¡°Ludo Kressh,¡± My words trail off struggling to remember the teachings of the academy. ¡°He was a Great¡­Sith Lord, cautious and dedicated to the Empire. He gave his life on Korriban defending it from his rival Naga Sadow.¡± ¡°That was over ten-thousand years ago, during the Hyperspace War.¡± Seto says. I nod my head and turn towards him. Seto was cradling his stump. ¡°You should really stay with the Phoenix.¡± ¡°Oh this is nothing,¡± He forces out with a wince. ¡°Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on you and Halish.¡± Seto¡¯s thin black lips twist into a grin. I let out a huff. ¡°Alright old man, but if you get stuck I¡¯m leaving you for the bats.¡± Seto¡¯s eyes narrow in such a way that they said ¡®you wouldn¡¯t dare¡¯ but I¡¯ll leave him guessing for the time being. Our marry little group begins traversing the jagged rocks toward Kressh¡¯s temple. I¡¯m not sure if this is where we¡¯re supposed to go but we need to start somewhere. The uncomfortable dark energy intensifies as we approach the ruins, which can be a good or bad thing. I look back at the rest of the group; Tome and Halish were keeping up fine while Mara was helping Master Seto over the rocks with genuine tenderness. She really is the epitome of kindness something I still didn¡¯t think I¡¯d care to notice¡­then again I keep finding myself caring without realizing it. Mara looks up at me and flashes me a timid smile; I feel a flutter in my lower stomach and quickly turn away. Damn-it man, get a hold of yourself! I drop down from a rough cliff face, landing in front of a gaping cave mouth. I take a step towards the darkness but hesitate, a numbing sensation course through the base of my skull like a paralyzing shot of lightening. Xyon-Kray¡¯s face flashes across my mind and my knees buckle and collapse under me. What it this? Why can¡¯t I move? I hear a voice call to me from the cave, it¡¯s the same voice that whispered to me on the Cardinal Pheonix but this time the words were inarticulate, however the notion wasn¡¯t, the voice was beckoning and urging me to enter the cave. ¡°Step away from him Halish!¡± Seto¡¯s booming voice echoes through the small valley. ¡°Tome, help him to his feet.¡± I feel a pair of hands grab me by the shirt collar and force me to my feet. I attempt to clear my senses, ¡°Did anyone else hear that?¡± Everyone looks at each other then back at me. ¡°Nobody heard anything.¡± Mara says softly. ¡°You just collapsed.¡± I shake my head, what is happening to me? I look at the cave mouth. ¡°Something wants us to go down there.¡± Seto takes several steps towards the cave, lifting his hand in its direction. ¡°The cave is the source of this darkness, are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I respond confidently. Halish scoffs, ¡°This is almost guaranteed to be a Sith trap.¡± He says arrogantly. Seto glares at Halish ¡°Then you can go back to the ship.¡± Before Halish could respond Seto was already walking toward the cave. Mara rushes forward to help him with Tome close behind her. I glance at Halish, shrug and jog ahead to catch up. A few minutes later the four of us enter a massive chamber. ¡°I think this is directly under the fortress.¡± I say assuredly. The dark energy now saturates every particle of matter in the cave. We hear something move behind us and quickly turn only to see Halish stumble down a rock face, he lands with a loud echoing thud. Oh joy, the Calvary has arrived. He glares at me while dusting off his brown robe. ¡°Glad you could join us Master Qin.¡± Seto says with an impish grin. ¡°Yeah well, I want to be the one to say ¡®I told you so¡¯ when he betrays you.¡± Halish retorts and gestures in my direction. I feel a grin form out of my lips before formulating a witty retort when the same overpowering sensation over takes me. This time the whispers came a little clearer, echoing and combining into one word. ¡°Come.¡± I collapse again and brace myself with my hands. The whispers return this time with even more intensity. ¡°To.¡± I could feel the ground vibrating beneath me, but I couldn¡¯t tell if I was the only one feeling this. My body goes rigid as the Whispers of Rhelg return once again but this time is was more of a scream that pierced my mind and made me ache. ¡°Me.¡± My head jerked upward towards one of the many paths leading deeper into the cave. I can sense that what we are searching for is down this path. But now I can¡¯t shake this feeling, this notion that whatever it is that resides in the depths of this cavern has been searching for us rather than us searching for it. I regain my bearing and slowly rise to my feet again. I look around the chamber catching the mixed reactions of everyone around me. Mara¡¯s mouth was half opened with surprise and concern. Whereas Halish had nothing but contempt painted on his face. ¡°Sorry.¡± I says in a low voice. ¡°I think it¡¯s this way.¡± Seto looks down the narrowing pathway then back at me. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Undeniably.¡± I respond with an involuntary tic. ¡°Alright then.¡± Master Seto says while taking a step towards the opening. Seto, Halish and Mara were no more the a couple steps past the opening of the tunnel when I noticed I hadn¡¯t moved yet. Almost as if I was being willed to remain still. Tome noticed my reluctance. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He didn¡¯t bother trying to hide his disdain. ¡°I, I can move.¡± I muster out with an anxious voice. Tome takes several steps towards me. ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t move?¡± He grabs his light saber hilt from his waist band. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. I couldn¡¯t explain it any better than how I already explained it. My legs refused to move like I was a statue. ¡°Help me Tome!¡± I demand. Tome hesitates before looking towards the others. I wasn¡¯t sure if he was going to leave me or call for them to come back. In any case it didn¡¯t matter because a moment later ground started to shake violently. Before I realized it my legs were working again and I was rushing towards the corridor right as the ceiling gave out and collapsed in on itself affectively cutting Tome and I off from Master Seto, Halish and Mara. Tome lets out a frustrated shout and punches the stone several times before looking back at me. ¡°You knew this would happen!¡± he hisses. ¡°Don¡¯t flatter me with such ridicules accusations.¡± I respond placing my hand on a large bolder. ¡°I can sense them on the other side. They¡¯re fine, Tome.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s move this debris out of the way.¡± He begins lifting a large rock with the force but it causes even more rubble to fall in its wake. ¡°You¡¯re just making it worse, Tome. Knock it off!¡± I shout, but he doesn¡¯t listen. I can sense his panic is clouding his thinking, if he causes another cave-in it might kill us or the others. His frustration mounts and he begins yanking stones from the pile in a half hazard attempt to break through. Damned foolish boy. ¡°I think I¡¯m almost through!¡± Tome yells. He begins moving a large boulder causing massive cracks to splinter along the ceiling and collapse again. I quickly yank him free of the debris with a swift force pull that sends him tumbling into the far wall just as the new collapse fills even more of the chamber. ¡°What is wrong with you!¡± I scream at him. ¡°You¡¯re going to get yourself killed, or worse, you¡¯re going to get me killed!¡± Tome jumps to his feet and glares at me, fresh scratches along his arm and face from my force pull. ¡°Why do you care what happens to me?!¡± ¡°Damn-it Tome, I¡¯m not your enemy here!¡± I feel the anger run through me. ¡°If you were my apprentice I¡¯d¡­¡± I stop in mid-sentence and regain my composure. Tome¡¯s face changes from one of hatred to more of a shocked surprise. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing¡­¡± I respond. ¡°We just have to find another way around, it¡¯ll work best if we stick together.¡± Tome and I stare at each other for a few minutes. What was I thinking just now? I felt like how my brother must have felt right after we escaped to conclave. Lost and yet he had to act like he knew what to do for my sake. Tome begins dusting himself off. ¡°Fine.¡± He finally says. ¡°Lead the way, Sith.¡± I look around the chamber, there are only three paths and one of them is the way we just came. Of the two that remain only one looks like it goes deeper into the network of caves. I lift my hand to both openings half hoping for a simple sign that this is the correct choice, but nothing comes. ¡°I think we should head this way.¡± I say flatly. Tome looks at the dark pathway and shrugs. ¡°Well we can¡¯t stay here, so...¡± I think that¡¯s as close to a ¡®yes¡¯ that I¡¯m going to get. I turn and begin walking down the corridor, Tome follows me cautiously, far enough away to feel safe but close enough to stay within sight. It wasn¡¯t long before there was barely enough light to see my hand in front of my face. ¡°Tome, don¡¯t freak out I¡¯m going to activate my lightsaber so I can see. You can use yours if that makes you feel more comfortable.¡± Before he responds I grab my saber and active the vermillion blade. The red-orange light bounces off the cave walls illuminating no more than five meters ahead. A moment later I hear Tome activate his lightsaber. The blue hue mingles with the light of my saber and together they increase our visibility greatly. The dark corridor narrows a little ahead. I look back at Tome who is visible shaken by the situation. I don¡¯t blame him really. We continue along the path and into another chamber big enough for us to sit for a minute or two. The air was getting thick and the dark energy was getting heavier with ever step. I could hear Tome¡¯s breathing steadily getting louder. ¡°Why did you save me back there?¡± Tome finally asks. I look at him the blue of his lightsaber underlined his face just enough so I could see the confusion on his face. ¡°I mean, you could have just let me die...You could have gone back to the ship and killed them and just left us.¡± I look down at my vermillion blade. ¡°I don¡¯t know why¡­that¡¯s the simplest answer.¡± I look at him but I can tell he didn¡¯t like my answer. ¡°I¡¯ve done horrible things. Things that, at the time, I thought was right. I only ever cared about myself and my brother and I was willing to do anything to ensure our survival.¡± The images of my brother, Kavin, as that silver wrath flashes through my mind. ¡°I used to think survival is all that mattered. Now I don¡¯t know what to think.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lost.¡± Tomes says in a sobering tone. ¡°Between the light and the dark¡­¡± ¡°Maybe, or maybe I¡¯m finally seeing the truth. Maybe there is no such thing as the light and dark, maybe there¡¯s just what people are willing to do and sacrifice for what they think is right. Whatever means they can use to justify their actions with.¡± I respond in the same sobering tone. Tome nods his head a little. ¡°Before when you said if I¡¯d been your apprentice¡­what would you have done if I was?¡± ¡°I misspoke, you don¡¯t need to look into it any further than that.¡± ¡°What were you going to say?¡± Tome Insists. ¡°I would have punished you¡­¡± I respond after a minute. ¡°Just like the Sith used to punish me.¡± Tome looks away. ¡°But then I remembered that I¡¯m not going to be like them anymore. You should be free to follow whatever path you see fit.¡± ¡°You were right though, I was acting impulsively. I forgot my Jedi training, I forgot what my master taught me.¡± Tome wraps his arms around his legs. ¡°I want things to go back to the way they were. I feel so angry all the time.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s the Zabrak in you, for sure.¡± I say with a huff. ¡°Your species is known for their tempers, I can tell you about some Zabraks I was in the academy with¡­man they were¡­¡± I pause and look down the path ahead of us. ¡°What is it?¡± Tome asks. ¡°Is it the others¡­?¡± I shush him, something was in the corridor watching us. I move my saber in its direction hoping to light the pathway but nothing visibly stands out. The sound of rustling echoes behind us causing Tome to jump to his feet. ¡°Did you hear that!?¡± I couldn¡¯t completely sense what the darkness was hiding in front of us but I could tell it was dangerous and it didn¡¯t like our presence in the cave. I hear some more rustling this time in front of me. It looks like a boulder separates from the cave wall and slumps down in the path and begins to extend upward. I feel Tome bump into me, I can sense his fear and doubt. The dark creature now encompasses the entire walkway. I elbow Tome to get his attention. ¡°Get ready to defend yourself.¡± The dark creature lets out a low growl and opens its eyes which glow eerily yellow against the darkness. As I stare into its hollow eyes, I can sense the nothingness behind them as if it¡¯s a body without a soul. I squeeze my saber¡¯s hilt¡­this is not the place where I die. Part I: ForceFall ~ Chapter Ten: Shadows of Dissonance Silverlight Rising Part I: ForceFall Chapter Ten: Shadows of Dissonance During the first few weeks of my long exile on Korriban. I realized that I was being hunted by a pack of deranged Tuk¡¯ata. Their glossy skin was black as the darkest night and hung on their bones in such a way that showed they hadn¡¯t eaten for days. Twisted and ribbed horns extending from their heads and spines. A true nightmare of a creature, warped by ancient Sith and turned into living demons of agony and dissention. They were ravenous and on the brink of insanity. I could see it in their glowing yellow eyes and I could feel in emanating from their emaciated bodies. However, their hunger did now diminish their intelligence, they were patient hunters, stalking me across the barren wastes for days. No matter how fast I moved or how far I ran every night when I finally couldn¡¯t go another step I¡¯d turn my eyes to the horizon and see these unholy creature¡¯s eyes glowing in the dark. Always close enough to watch the rapidly declining health of their prey, biding their time waiting for the perfect moment to attack. I waited for them every night going mad from lack of food, water and sleep. I was scared, truly terrified, there were moments I wanted to give up, hours where I¡¯d just let these hell hounds rip me to shreds simply to end my suffering. It was lowest moment in my life because I could see Death approach me and his eyes burned yellow. ¡°Atlas!?¡± Tome¡¯s desperate voice pierces the vail of my doubt. ¡°Wh¡­What are we going to do!?¡± Tome says. The stench of fear flows from him like an unbridled river. Another black shadow spawns from the cave wall behind us. Tome¡¯s back was now pushing against mine. I could feel him trembling, he was doing his best to hold a strong stance but his blue saber was quivering as a result of his fear. ¡°Tome.¡± My tone was calm and boasted so much confidence it made him jump in response. ¡°Do you want to die here?¡± ¡°What!?¡± he retorts. ¡°What the hell kind of a question is that?¡± The creature let out another deep growl. I stare at its yellow eyes and let out an exhale. ¡°If you refuse to die here and now then there¡¯s nothing to be afraid of. But if you must be afraid then let it give you strength. Embrace your fear and use it, cause it¡¯ll be the only thing that saves you.¡± Tome forces out a breath and steadies his nerves. I can feel him regaining his composure, that¡¯s good because I need his help if we both are going to make it out of this place alive. I refocus on the creature and its yellow eyes. Why hasn¡¯t it attacked yet? It¡¯s almost like they are simply holding us here. Which means¡­ ¡°What are they doing?¡± Tome whispers. ¡°They¡¯re intelligent, whatever is calling us here wants us to stay here...for now.¡± At least I think so. ¡°But why?¡± Tome responds. ¡°What could possibly be down here?¡± I think for a minute this whole situation has been dubious at best. Why have I been the only one receiving these whispers it doesn¡¯t make sense. I open my mouth to respond to Tome when another wave of whispers over take me. I let out a cry and fall to my knees, the whispers are now stronger than before. ¡°Kill!¡± the word echoes through my cranium. Tome whips around to face both creatures. ¡°Kill!¡± the whisper repeats. ¡°Kill him!¡± it demands. I look up at Tome who actually looks concerned for me. The whisper hisses away and the overwhelming feeling leaves me. ¡°Are you ok? Was it that voice again?¡± Tome rattles off quickly. ¡°Yes.¡± I respond. ¡°Well what did I say?¡± he insists. I activate my vermillion blade without breaking eye contact with him. He notices my fixated glare and slowly turns towards me. ¡°What are you doing?¡± his voice trembles. ¡°The whisper told me to do something.¡± I can see Tome subtly shake his head in a silent plea for mercy. ¡°It told me to¡­KILL YOU!¡± I lunge forward before Tome could reach and impel the shadow creature behind him. The creature lets out a piercing scream and falls to the ground. While the other shadowling rushes towards Tome and me. I quickly reverse my hilt grip and with an agile spin, decapitate the second creature. The monster falls to the ground at Tomes feet. ¡°You¡­you were going to¡­¡± ¡°No, Tome I wasn¡¯t.¡± I interrupt him. ¡°Now we got to find the others and get the hell out of here.¡± I turn without hesitation and run down the tunnel I can feel Tome close behind a few minutes later we enter another large cavern with more tunnels leading in every direction. We hear several loud screams come from the cave mouth behind us. ¡°Looks like they found the ones you killed.¡± Tome says while lifting his saber towards the opening. I scan the room and study its features. ¡°This is it.¡± I say, ¡°This is where we make our stand, Tome.¡± I look at him and he nods in response. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die here, Atlas.¡± He says refocusing on the cave opening. The sound of rushing steps echoes from all around us. There are a lot of these things and from the sound of it they are not happy. I back up to Tome and face the opposite side of the cavern. ¡°Whatever you do, don¡¯t hold back. Do you understand me Tome? These things reek with the dark side they won¡¯t show you any mercy.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± He responds with unexpected confidence. We remain still listening to the cave tremble as lord knows how many monstrosities make their way toward us. I catch site of several of their glowing eyes flash across the cave openings. What are they waiting for? Just then Seto, Halish and Mara come running in from an adjacent entrance with varying degrees of shock on their faces. ¡°There¡¯s something after us!¡± Seto shouts while activating his purple blade and joining Tome and me. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen something like that, what are they?¡± Mara asks joining the fray. Halish hesitates before getting in the defensive formation. ¡°This is all your damn fault Sith! What was the point of all this!?¡± he demands. Seto lets out a painful gasp. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter now let¡¯s just get out of here.¡± I can¡¯t help but agree with Halish, though. What was the point of all this? The dark monsters begin funneling in from all sides to many to count, it¡¯s hard to determine when one of the beasts end and another one starts, they look as though they are all just part of a growing gelatinous mass of darkness littered with yellow lights. The chamber becomes very quiets with only our collective breathing filling the air. Our sabers light mingle and shine against the encroaching darkness. All is still, all is calm. A single pebble falls from the roof of the chamber and collides with the ground. Within seconds the creatures begin their assault. Some eagerly jumping from the back while others rush forward with claws of rock and metal. In the true chaos of battle there is little room for formalities and technique, it is simply two brutal forces colliding with the victor being the most vicious. It is no surprise that Halish and I are the most adept to this type of close quarter slaughter. It doesn¡¯t take long for the beasts to recognize they needed to focus on the weakest members of our party. Master Seto, while still a force to be reckoned with, was suffering. His injury coupled with having to use his saber with a non-dominate hand meant he could only parry and defend himself at best. Before I realized it the creatures were pushing him further away from the group. These creatures seem to share a collective mind able to adjust their tactics on a moment¡¯s notice like flocks of bird and schools of fish seem to know when to change direction. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. I glance at Tome and Mara who were doing moderately well backing each other up. Mara is naturally defensive and Tome was rash and offensive they utilized each other¡¯s strengths to augment their weaknesses. But they were rapidly being overcome by the onslaught. Something had to be done before they¡¯re all killed. I slam my foot onto the dense rock blasting several of the beast back far enough so I could throw my saber and catch two of the creatures that were about to overtake Mara. She looks at me with a shocked expression. ¡°Get to Seto!¡± I shout launching off the ground towards Master Seto and pulling my saber back to me. I let off a volley of force lightening striking the creatures that were about to kill Seto as well as freeing up enough space for Tome and Mara to come to his aid. Seto takes a knee and cradles his stump while Tome, Mara and I defend him. Halish leaps from the center of the mass and crashes to the ground just beside Seto. ¡°There¡¯s too many, they just keep coming!¡± he shouts whipping away some green blood from his eyes. ¡°We need a plan!¡± Tome forces out between bouts. Master Seto forces himself to his feet. ¡°Collapse the tunnels.¡± He says through his teeth. ¡°Then we¡¯ll all be stuck!¡± Halish argues. Just then a fist sized rock hits Tome in the chest knocking him over and leaving Mara exposed for an attack. Two monsters descend on the Padawans with their claws eager for their flesh. Before I realize it was throwing my saber at one and jumping between Tome and the other. The creature¡¯s claw sink into my shoulder just as I pull my saber back and sever its arms. It falls to the ground and lets out a low chortling noise as if it didn¡¯t care that I had just severely wounded it. ¡°Halish!¡± Seto shouts. ¡°Ah, fine¡­Tome, Mara help me with this!¡± Halish yells as he waves his arm sending a large force pulse outward pushing the creatures back. ¡°Do it now!¡± he screams throwing another force pulse out. Without a moment to spare the two Padawans begin yanking the rock loose above the dark creatures. Seconds later the chamber begins to crumble and collapse around us Tome grabs me by my collar and drags me into the closest tunnel just as the massive boulders fill the room. The ground trembles for a few seconds as the muffled screams of the creatures slowly start to dissipate. We all rested for a bit catching our breath and gaining our barring, Mara was tending to Master Seto who quickly injects himself with some pain killers and forces himself to his feet. Tome sat staring at the cave-in with his saber hilt grasp so tightly that his knuckles were turning a bright white and red. Halish seemed to be the only one not bothered by the fight, he was energetically pacing the tunnel stopping every few moment to look at Master Seto then me. For the most part my wound wasn¡¯t all that serious, more of a scratch then anything. I ripped off a strip of my black robe and put pressure on the cut. ¡°Are you ok?¡± Mara asks. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯s Just the thing won¡¯t stop bleeding.¡± I say with a laugh. ¡°Let me see.¡± Mara insists she takes the makeshift bandage away and hesitates. ¡°Tome can you shine some light over here.¡± Without a word Tome activates his saber and moves it close to my shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± I ask ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± Mara looks at Master Seto than me. ¡°Atlas, your wound looks infected.¡± ¡°What!?¡± I pull my shoulder away from her and stand. ¡°That¡¯s impossible I¡¯m fi¡­¡± as soon as I go to take a step my knees give out beneath me and I collapse. The pain was searing and pulsing through my body. I could feel the poison working its way through my blood. So that was why the yellow eyed devil was laughing. ¡°Master Seto what do we do?¡± Mara asks frantically. Seto opens his mouth when Halish chimes in. ¡°We leave him, he¡¯s the reason we¡¯re down here in the first place.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not leaving him.¡± Seto says. ¡°What other choice do we have, carrying him will only slow us down and from the looks of it the poison will kill him long before we get out of here.¡± Halish retorts. I can see a subtle grin form on his face, all his problems are about to disappear. ¡°There has to be something we can do!¡± Mara almost shouts causing Halish to glare at her. ¡°Mara¡¯s right, Halish we take the Exile with us.¡± Seto says in an authoritative voice. Halish looks at Mara and Seto, then he activates his saber. The cobalt blade highlights half his face. ¡°Neither of you are fit to lead this group. If we want to live we have to leave the Sith.¡± Seto¡¯s hand slowly moves towards his saber when the whisper returns to me. I let out a scream and force myself to my feet. ¡°This¡­way.¡± I force out between gasps. There were no words this time but rather a feeling that compelled me to follow through the tunnel. It made my body ache and the only reprieve was taking another step towards the source even if it killed me. I stumble but Tome picks me up and pulls me along. ¡°Thanks¡± he whispers. ¡°For saving me.¡± I can feel his guilt. ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡± ¡°This would have been me if you hadn¡¯t.¡± He chokes and looks away. Padawans should never go through this nobody should have. ¡°I should be the one that¡¯s sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have brought us¡­¡± ¡°COME!¡± the whisper was so loud and painful it made me lose consciousness for a second. ¡°Atlas!¡± Tome yells. ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± I force out through clenched teeth. As we continue to through the tunnel the walls begin to widen and take on shape. Before long we were in the dungeons of Ludo Kressh¡¯s fortress. There was signs that someone was there because the walls and pillars had freshly lit torches lining them. ¡°This was the plan all along, those creature the voice. There is something very important here.¡± Seto says. I could feel my body growing even weaker but there was no way I was going to stop before seeing what this was all about. ¡°There.¡± I say with a gasp ¡°At the end of the hall that¡¯s it.¡± There was a massive door at the end of the hallway that look vaguely familiar to the temple door on Yavin 4 where we discovered the Force Conduit. ¡°Great we found a locked door.¡± Halish says sarcastically drumming his fist on the ornate construct. ¡°How do you suppose we open it?¡± he looks back and smiles at my deteriorating state. I push away from Tome and approach the door. The ancient relief could barely be seen from the countless years it has weathered. Instinctively I place my hand on the stone and the runes begin glowing blue and the door start vibrating and humming. It lets out a loud hum and begins sliding open just as the whisper returns with even more power and ferocity then all the time before. ¡°YES!¡± the whisper echoes in my ears making me shout in agony and collapse. Part I: ForceFall ~ Chapter Eleven: Remnants of the Lesser Silverlight Rising Part I: ForceFall Chapter Eleven: Remnants of the Lesser ¡°Atlas, Atlas wake up.¡± I attempt to open my eyes but the light was blinding and it forced me to squint. There was a silhouette of someone, they felt familiar. ¡°Atlas, I have you. You¡¯re safe now.¡± ¡°Ka¡­Kavin¡± the words escape my mouth involuntarily. ¡°Kavin is that you.¡± ¡°I promised I¡¯d come for you, little brother.¡± Kavin¡¯s voice was so comforting after all that has happened. My vision sharpens and I muster the strength to sit up. ¡°We¡¯re on Korriban?¡± Kavin looks concerned. ¡°Yes brother, Are you ok?¡± This isn¡¯t reality I know it, but everything seems way too real to simply be a vision or a dream. This is a memory of the day Kavin found me and brought me back from my exile. Why am I seeing this? Is this what they mean when they say you recount the past when you¡¯re on the verge of death? Now that I think of it this was one of my most cherished memories. ¡°I¡¯m better now.¡± I say. ¡°How did you find me?¡± Kavin looks at me and grins. ¡°I¡¯ll always find you, Atlas. No matter what happens, we are brothers¡­to the end.¡± I could feel tears beginning to form but I resist the urge to break down and cry. Weakness has no place in the Sith. ¡°What are we going to do now, brother?¡± I ask Kavin. He looks at me and smiles. ¡°Now, my dare brother, we rule.¡± I open my mouth to speak but the words escape me, in the far distance just on the horizon a dark cloud begins to roll in sucking the barren Korriban landscape into its epicenter. Kavin continues to smile at me, oblivious to the mayhem that¡¯s happening behind him. I attempt to warn him and run but I remain still waiting for the storm to consume everything. Arcs of purple and blue lightening lash out and destroy entire mountains. The end will come just as fast as it is deadly. I close my eye refusing to see the end when I feel someone¡¯s hand on my cheek. ¡°Master Seto, he¡¯s coming to.¡± The sound of Mara¡¯s sweet voice jumpstarts my body. I jerk upwards and cough. ¡°Where are we?¡± I ask looking around the massive chamber. ¡°You¡¯re in the temple of the Lesser.¡± The voice was unfamiliar to me I glanced around the ornate room looking for the source. ¡°Who is that?¡± I ask. ¡°Are you the voice I¡¯ve been hearing?¡± ¡°It is so good to see you again, father.¡± The voice returns. ¡°How interesting it is that we should meet under these conditions.¡± Father? ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± I say ¡°Show yourself.¡± The torches around the dim chamber flash on with plumes of blue flame illuminating a large cylindrical crystalline structure in the center. ¡°Do you see what has become of us, father?¡± A vague silhouette of a being was suspended inside of the crystal. ¡°What is this? I¡¯m not your father.¡± The crystal lets out a low hum. ¡°I understand, you haven¡¯t fully realized everything¡­yet. That is disappointing I had expected this going differently.¡± The Lesser says in a sad tone. ¡°What is it that you wish to ask me, Exile?¡± ¡°Can¡­¡± I start. ¡°Help us fight Xyon-Kray!¡± Halish interrupts. The crystal hums loudly and rotates to face Halish Qin. ¡°You do not speak here!¡± the Lesser shouts causing the temple the rattle. ¡°Only the Exile may ask!¡± Halish takes several steps back and glances at me. I flash him a snide smile. ¡°Can you help us fight this new threat?¡± I ask. The crystal rotate and faces me again. ¡°I cannot, all I can offer a knowledge. This, Xyon-Kray, is beyond my understanding there is no hope of fighting him as you are now.¡± ¡°Great.¡± Tome mutters under his breath behind me. ¡°Then what was the point of calling us here?¡± I say with a wince. My shoulder was now aching incessantly and I could feel my stomach writhe in pain. ¡°I did not call for your companions¡­I called for you, Exile.¡± The Lesser responds. ¡°This is a sacred place reserved for only my blood. Why do you think I sent the remaining Massini to kill them?¡± The Lesser was referred to the creatures we fought as the Massini, a beyond ancient and thought extinct race of beings that were originally from Korriban, but the ancient Sith lords subjugated them and twisted them into dark husks for their biding. Then it occurs to me. ¡°You¡¯re¡­Elcho Kressh aren¡¯t you?¡± The Lesser is quiet for a moment or two. ¡°I have not hear that name for many millennia, there was a time long ago that I was referred to as Elcho, Son of Ludo Kressh, Kressh the younger. But as time moved on and as our once great empire crumbled I became known as Kressh the Lesser.¡± ¡°How was this possible?¡± I ask while clenching my shoulder. ¡°In the time of my father¡¯s reign he was at odds with his rival Naga Sadow. He feared for my life and obsessed over the search for ancient force relics from times long forgotten.¡± The Lesser explains. ¡°His search brought him here to this shrine and he worked tirelessly to master its secrets.¡± ¡°So the crystal sustains your life?¡± ¡°No, my life force is linked to a gauntlet that my father crafted with the secrets he stole. The crystal only acts as a means of binding my form. In my youthful carelessness I injured myself and had to be placed within this crystal prison. Forgotten by time and history.¡± The Lesser finishes. ¡°But you know all about the likes of this crystal don¡¯t you, Exile?¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°What do you¡­¡± the searing pain in my shoulder finally takes its toll. I collapse to the ground and tremble uncontrollably. Mara rushes to my side. ¡°Please you have to help him!¡± she shouts at the crystal obelisk.¡± ¡°The poison of the Massini has no cure, young one.¡± The Lesser responds. ¡°He could be saved if he bonds with the crystal like I have.¡± ¡°But wouldn¡¯t he¡¯d be doomed to the same fate as you?¡± Master Seto asks. There¡¯s a pause. ¡°Yes, he will be bound as I am for all eternity.¡± The Lesser responds coldly. ¡°There has to be another way!¡± Mara¡¯s voice sounds frantic. Why is she so concerned about my fate? ¡°Let him die.¡± Halish says matter-of-factly, but everybody seems to ignore him. Mara stands and approached the crystal and places her hand on its surface. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you and your father, I read about the great and terrible things Ludo Kressh did. But I also learned of your father¡¯s love for you. I can sense thousands of years has shown you prospective beyond most mortal beings. You are not the Sith lord you once were. So I implore you, please save him. We need him for the new war to come, a war that I know you can sense will bring an end to everything.¡± Mara¡¯s voice cracks a bit. ¡°Please, give your existence meaning again.¡± The chamber falls silent. Tome slowly approaches Mara and places his hand on her shoulder. ¡°Very well, young one.¡± The Lesser says. ¡°You have convinced me to save the Exile, but be warned he will not be the same.¡± ¡°Just do it. We¡¯ll deal with what comes after.¡± Master Seto says confidently. Halish scoffs and walks to the doorway of the chamber. ¡°Have him touch the crystal.¡± The Lesser says. Tome and Mara grab and gently place me by the crystal. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to me?¡± I force out between breaths. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it will hurt. The choice is yours and yours alone.¡± The Lesser says. I hesitate, not out of fear, but out of whether or not I should. I look at Mara who was doing everything in her power to keep from pushing my hand onto the crystal for me. Her lavender skin is flush with uncontrolled emotion, she can¡¯t truly be falling for me. She¡¯s too innocent, too naive to love a monster like me. If I let myself die now I would spare her of the hurt I¡¯d cause her, but if I died what will come of the future. Will she be doomed to the same fate as Kavin and Reeva Alix or worst¡­killed in some failed rebellion? I cannot allow that, because as much as I want to deny it I do care for her. I let out a painful sigh and place my hand on the crystal obelisk. I feel a sudden jolt of energy grip me. Within seconds I¡¯m back on Korriban kneeling before a massive crystal. ¡°What¡­what is this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m showing you the truth.¡± The voice of the Lesser echoes in my head. The flash back jumps ahead and I¡¯ve been living and praising this crystal for months. ¡°Why don¡¯t I remember this?¡± ¡°Your memories have been shrouded from you. If I am to join my life force with yours then you will begin seeing the truth. Your knowledge and power will grow the more you realize. But the mind is fickle and will take time to process all that it has.¡± The Lesser says. Another jolt of energy courses through me. The flash back jumps ahead again and now I¡¯m touching the massive crystal in various different places. A similar energy is passing through me and arcing to the nearby cave walls. It seemed like the crystal was sustaining my strength for the course of my long exile. ¡°Is what I¡¯m seeing the same thing you¡¯re doing to me now?¡± I ask. ¡°The simplest answer is yes. I¡¯m not only giving you my life force to keep you alive but also all my knowledge. You will experience waking visions until you grow strong enough to control them. I¡¯m sorry, if we had more time I could help you master this new gift but I realize that I¡¯m not the one destined to teach you the path.¡± The Lesser¡¯s voice begins trailing off. ¡°Thank you.¡± I say. ¡°Soon you won¡¯t be thanking me, I¡¯m unloading a cursed existence. I should be the one thanking you. Just make sure I¡¯m not forgotten.¡± The Lesser¡¯s voice weakens to a faint whisper and the chamber comes back into view. Mara and Tome approach me. ¡°He¡¯s breathing, but unresponsive.¡± She says to Master Seto. I attempt to move but I¡¯m paralyzed, it¡¯s as if I¡¯m completely aware but unconscienced at the same time. Tome reaches down and wraps my arm around his neck. ¡°Atlas, I have you. You¡¯re safe now.¡± His words brought the image of Kavin to mind. Halish was still in the doorway with a bewildered look on his face. Bim Seto walks up to him. ¡°Take point Master Qin get us out of here.¡± Before Halish could respond Bim was on the comm. ¡°Quomas, this is Master Seto we¡¯re ready for pick up. Meet us at the base of the ruined fortress.¡± He hesitates. ¡°And get a medical bed ready.¡± Part I: ForceFall ~ Chapter Twelve: Visions of Dawn Silverlight Rising Part I: ForceFall Chapter Twelve: Visions of Dawn That smell was all too familiar. I had thought I¡¯d never know its embrace again. It was my mother, I knew it without a doubt. I open my eyes and I¡¯m lying in bed with fresh tears on my cheeks. In the corner of the room was Kavin sitting on a stool and staring at the corner. He was no more than seven or eight. Which makes me three or four, it was obvious that we¡¯d been fighting and Kavin was being punished. The smell of freshly cooked food was permeating the entire household. I stand and walk to the window that looked out over the entire mountain valley. We were far from the nearest town which I could barely see on the horizon. There was a small dirt path that that twisted from the house all the way to the barn where my father was walking from. ¡°Daddy!¡± I shout running past Kavin and down the stairs. My mother stops cooking and follows me to the door. ¡°Stop running in the house Atlas!¡± she snaps. But I was too committed and leapt into my father¡¯s arms as he pushed the screen door open. ¡°Hey there Pup, did you miss me?¡± he says in a rugged by affection tone. He rubs my head and puts me back on the ground before hugging and kissing mom. ¡°Where¡¯s Kavin?¡± he asks. Mom glares at him. ¡°Your son is getting more and more powerful.¡± ¡°Uh, oh what happened now?¡± Dad responds with an apathetic gesture. ¡°Kavvy, pushed me off the highchair¡­again!¡± I shout while pointing at a fresh bruise just under my chin. Dad studies my wound and glances at mom. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him. Kavin, come here!¡± The sound of slow and tense steps echo from upstairs and Kavin appears several seconds later. ¡°Yes, father?¡± he says in a timid voice. ¡°What do I always tell you?¡± my father says in a stern voice. ¡°But, he touched¡­¡± Kavin starts to argue. ¡°What do I always tell you, Kavin!?¡± Father orders in a louder voice. Kavin averts his eyes. ¡°Never use my abilities to hurt.¡± ¡°And?¡± he demands. ¡°Always protect my brother.¡± He finishes in a soft tone. Dad places his hands on Kavin¡¯s shoulders. ¡°You guys are special, like your mother and me, but just because you¡¯re special doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re better that others. Power doesn¡¯t give you the right to hurt others, it makes you responsible for those who are weaker and powerless. Remember that always.¡± Dad lifts Kavin¡¯s chin and smiles. ¡°Always.¡± Just then a knock comes at the door, my father turns and faces the screen. ¡°Excuse me?¡± the man says. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to bother you and your family, but I wondering if you had some work I could do for a meal, maybe a place to sleep for the night?¡± My father opens the door and welcomes the stranger in. ¡°I¡¯m sure we could accommodate you. I¡¯m Vinik Gordon, this is my wife Ayanna, and our two son, Kavin and Atlas.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you sir. It¡¯s been several days since I¡¯ve had a good meal.¡± The stranger says with a half bow. ¡°By the way, you can call me Halish, Halish Qin.¡± I jerk awake, covered in cold sweat. I feel a hand on my wrist and pull away instinctively. Peni jumps in response and I fully realize I¡¯m back on the Cardinal Phoenix. ¡°I¡¯m Sorry Peni.¡± I says with a short breath. ¡°Just had a very intense dream.¡± Peni simply smiles and nods her head before walking out of the infirmary. I rub my temples, attempting to clear my mind of the vivid dream. The Lesser wasn¡¯t joking when he said I¡¯d be experience lucid visions. A moment later Tome, Mara, and Pensim walk in. ¡°How you feeling, Sith?¡± Tome says with a sarcastic voice. I ignore him and stare at Mara who slightly blushes. ¡°Thank you, Mara.¡± She takes a step back and turns bright burgundy, even Pensim turns a soft shade of purple. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t awake for that.¡± She says. ¡°I heard everything.¡± I respond without breaking eye contact. She continues to turn burgundy when Pensim clears his throat. ¡°So, that¡¯s the last time you guys leave me on the ship.¡± His cheeks turn red with frustrated jealousy. ¡°I had to listen to Quomas and Q2 argue about the hyperdrive torsion clamps, while you guys got to explore an awesome Sith ruin.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Pens, next time we¡¯ll bring you along as fodder.¡± Tome says with a laugh. ¡°So?¡± I interrupt. ¡°What happened while I was out?¡± Tome grimaces. ¡°Nothing good, Master Seto wasn¡¯t doing so well and we were running low on supplies so we decided to go to Sleheyron.¡± He says with a huff. ¡°Figured, cause it¡¯s in Hutt space we could lay low for a bit.¡± ¡°Hutt Space?! Whose bright idea was that¡­don¡¯t answer that.¡± I respond. ¡°That¡¯s not everything, Atlas.¡± Mara says. ¡°More of the core worlds have fallen to the Silverlights.¡± She brings up a holographic news feed. ¡°In the wake of the astounding defeat of the Galactic Republic on Coruscant and the equally unexpected Jedi retreat.¡± The news anchor says without emotion. ¡°The entity calling himself Xyon-Kray has issues this announcement from the Senate Chamber.¡± The Hologram shifts to Xyon-Kray. ¡°Free people of the Galaxy, I am Xyon-Kray, harbinger of change and reform. I stand here as your ally not as a conqueror, I will build a new government from the ashes of this flawed one. A government that exists without corruption, one that grants true freedom to those who want it. No longer will you be subjugated by their powerful, I am your liberator. Follow me into a new light.¡± Mara closes the hologram and stares blankly at me. ¡°Almost immediately after that speech he issued a Galaxy wide bounty on all force sensitives.¡± ¡°He wants to continue building an army of Wraths like Master Alix.¡± I say while looking at Reeva Alix in the medical bed beside me. ¡°Has he taken Tython yet?¡± ¡°No, a few days ago Tython deployed its Planetary shield¡­it¡¯s virtually impossible to get in or out at the moment.¡± Pensim says. ¡°I hope it¡¯s enough.¡± Me too, Pensim. ¡°Where¡¯s Master Seto and¡­Halish?¡± ¡°Masters Seto and Halish have been at the clinic getting Seto a new arm. Quomas has been ordering supplies and selling what he can for credits. We don¡¯t have a lot in way of creds.¡± Mara says. ¡°Oh, and we were ordered to lock you up when you woke up.¡± I let out a laugh. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re serious.¡± I say. The three of them nod their head in unison. ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine and all but I need to go get some fresh air. So¡­¡± I pause to see what their reactions are. Mara looks at Tome who shrugs and looks at Pensim who nods his head and flashs bright green. ¡°We figured you¡¯d say something like that, so we hid your lightsaber.¡± He finish with a satisfied grin. I place my hand on my belt where my hilt usually is and glare at the three gremlins. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking that back¡­right now!¡± I order with my hand stretched out. ¡°Nice try,¡± Mara says with a smile. ¡°But, if you¡¯re leaving the ship we can¡¯t risk being seen by bounty hunters. Master Seto and Halish left theirs as well.¡± She walks over to a locker and pulls out some cloths. ¡°And put this one, normal people don¡¯t were robes like that.¡± I scrutinize the common rags and study their outfits. ¡°Do you have anything in black?¡± I ask. Pensim actually laughs while Mara simply rolls her eyes. ¡°Or maybe a dark gray? I¡¯m really trying to stay consistent with my look.¡± The three shake their heads and funnel out of the room to allow me to change. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. I don¡¯t know the last time I wore normal clothes, it feels strange as if I¡¯m rediscovering a lost piece of myself. A few minutes later and I¡¯m walking through the ship towards the exit. Tome, Mara and Pensim were hanging out in the common area working on various force disciplines. Mara naturally assumed an instructor like role for Pensim to continue to grow while Tome practiced his fighting stances. Peni was behind some crates impishly studying their every move undoubtedly attempting to learn on her own. I exchange a glance with all three before walking out the hatch and down the ramp. It was nice being back on a planet. The ground felt a lot more stable under my feet not nearly as shaky as a ship for obvious reasons. I take a deep breath of the polluted air and let out a cough. Despite this being a Hutt controlled planet it was better than nothing. I walk around a little while before finding a nice quiet secluded area away from prying eyes and take the opportunity to meditate. I need to try and make sense of what happened on Rhelg. The Lesser¡¯s sacrifice saved my life but it came with a warning. I need to understand the visions he gave me, but also I need to master his power if I¡¯m ever going to come close to challenging Xyon. I assume a meditation posture and focus. I can feel something in the fringes of my mind like a word that you know but cannot think of. It itches at my cerebellum, incessantly nagging at my thoughts. I ground myself pushing my force aura out and back like the waves of an ocean. Before long I can sense myself entering a trance like state. Another temple comes into view, similar in architecture to the others but also different in many ways. Elcho Kressh was standing in front of me, he was in his prime strong and proud and I could feel a sense of love for him. ¡°Father, are you absolutely sure about his?¡± Elcho say. ¡°This artifact can make you the strongest being in all the galaxy.¡± There¡¯s a pause. ¡°Your correct son, but this power comes at a significant cost. I¡¯m not willing to pay that price.¡± ¡°So you lock it away?¡± I can sense the skepticism in his voice. I pause again and look at the large ornately carved stone case behind me. ¡°Someday I hope you¡¯ll understand that some things are best locked away. If our enemies were to ever get hold of the DawnWarden they will eviscerate everything in their wake.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand father. You always taught me that victory must come at the all costs.¡± Elcho responds. ¡°I know you don¡¯t my son, victory is only worth something as long as there is something left to be victorious over.¡± I place my hand on the casket. The surface felt cold and coursed with unimaginable power. ¡°The long forgotten ancients locked this away to be forgotten and it¡¯s my goal to honor their wish.¡± The vision ends just as abruptly as is began bringing the alleyway back into focus. I shake my head, what the hell was that about and what is this DawnWarden thing? Obviously, if it was so dangerous that one of the most crazed Sith Lords in history thought I was too much, then its power must be staggering. Interesting, it¡¯s plainly clear that the DawnWarden is what we need in order to fight Xyon and the Silverlight Wraths. But, to blatantly not heed the warnings of the past is reckless at best. ¡°Atlas,¡± Halish¡¯s voice pulls me out of my thoughts. Damn-it! ¡°How long have you been there?¡± ¡°Long enough.¡± He says in a low voice. ¡°It¡¯s good to see that my force suppression skills are still on par.¡± I scoff. ¡°What, you don¡¯t find the need to be sneaky as of late?¡± He¡¯s quiet for a moment. ¡°Not since I became a master.¡± Halish says. ¡°Though, you took to the skill rather well as a Sith.¡± ¡°I figured every time I used it to kill a mark I was subtly killing you, bit by bit.¡± I turn to look at him. ¡°I had a dream about the first time you came to our house, all those years ago.¡± ¡°How could you remember that?¡± He says. ¡°Side effect from the Lesser.¡± I answer calmly. ¡°Among other things.¡± Halish walks to a railing and looks out over the planet sized city. ¡°You really have them fooled don¡¯t you; hell, I think you¡¯re even starting to fool yourself. So let me remind you of who you are. You¡¯re the enemy, a Sith and you will be nothing else but that for the rest of your insignificant life.¡± ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, Master Qin. Where do you think I learned how to manipulate and use people from? The grand master himself.¡± I gesture towards him. ¡°At least Kavin and I didn¡¯t deny the darkness in ourselves, we made something of it. While you sulked in the shadows of the Jedi Order like rat. How exhausting it must be to always live a lie.¡± I spew my acidic words at him. ¡°I remember, Halish, I remember my father trusting you and my mother allowing you into our lifes. And what did you do¡­huh?¡± Halish looks away. ¡°You murdered them. For what, more power?¡± I mock. ¡°You really thought that Kavin and I wouldn¡¯t find the truth. You, in your infinite wisdom, never thought that two orphan boys would investigate their own parent¡¯s death.¡± I take another step towards Halish. I could feel my hatred boil. ¡°I want to hear you say it, Halish, say you murdered them!¡± I demand. Halish takes a step back. ¡°I don¡¯t have to.¡± He says with a smug look on his face. ¡°Because you¡¯re not my problem anymore.¡± He pulls a device out of his pocket and lifts it to his mouth. ¡°I got him, he¡¯s all yours.¡± Just then half a dozen bounty hunters flood the alleyway and tackle me. ¡°What the hell!¡± I shout. Halish smiles and approaches me, placing his hand on my chin. ¡°Seto¡¯s medical expensive were more significant than we had expected, but force sensitives are running 30k a head, 50 if they are renowned.¡± He says. ¡°However, I think I can get 70k when I tell them that you¡¯re the legendary Exiled One¡­How do you like that for infinite wisdom.¡± He turns and begins walking away before stopping. ¡°Oh, and one more thing.¡± He turns and faces me. ¡°I murdered your parents, it was nothing to me...I even enjoyed ending their pathetic lives. And you know what else, your father begged me for his life like a coward. But your mother,¡± Halish purses his lips with triumphant satisfaction. ¡°Your mother actually had some dignity in her death. Is that what you wanted to hear, Atlas?¡± Halish begins laughing loudly as one of the bounty hunters places a bag over my head. I struggle against my captors as best as I can but Halish¡¯s words echo in my head only making me more and more distraught. I can¡¯t focus and I feel my strength wane rapidly. Darkness floods my mind as I desperately attempt to free myself. ¡°I¡¯LL KILL YOU!¡± I shout. But all I hear is Halish¡¯s laughter reverberate through the alleyway mocking me, fueling my rage. Eventually one of the hunters¡¯ slams his rifle butt against me head and I collapse, teetering the line between consciousness and oblivion. This isn¡¯t the end by no means, but for now I¡¯m defeated. I have to bide my time and be a patient hunter. I swear on all creation, I will get my revenge.