The Hunger II: Jedi
Temple
"White
on white translucent black capes
Back on the rack
Bela Lugosi's dead
The bats have left the bell tower
The victims have been bled
Red velvet lines the black box
Bela Lugosi's dead
Undead undead undead
The virginal brides file past his tomb
Strewn with time's dead flowers
Bereft in deathly bloom
Alone in a darkened room"
-Bauhaus
"They say the force can do terrible
things
to a mind..." -Carth Onasi
The Jedi Temple. I’d not seen it since I was a padawan there. It'd been
years since I’d walked out of that place as I left for Dantooine. I had
transformed since then, becoming something greater than a Jedi. I had
never thought to be entering this building as a new emissary of the
Sith, but such was my mission now. Erissa had been sent to Onderon to
meet with General Vaklu to secure his support in our effort. Just as he
had served Nihilus, he would now serve us. His troops would become
ours, the vanguard of our new army. Whatever visions of power he held
for himself would be subordinate to our own plans. It was my mission to
seek out whatever remainder of the Jedi might be left. No doubt any
stragglers would gather here first to see what had become of the Order.
It would be my job to convert them to our cause, enable them to taste
the Dark Side, and reach their full potential under the guidance of
Lord Traya.
Once it stood out as a beacon on Coruscant, a monument to the Order,
and to freedom and justice as well. Now it was a dark and forbidding
structure, it’s lights extinguished and bearing the scent of death from
within. It had been added on to since the last time I’d seen it, as the
need for a larger academy was constant. I could well imagine it growing
into a massive fortress some day. As I drew near it, there was nought
but the homeless and late night denizens of the planet wandering about.
I slipped past them, through the shadows, using the Force to cloud
their vision.
Inside, there was a lingering dread, an echo of the fears of the Jedi
long past as they contemplated the end of the their Order. The briefest
of visions flashed through my mind, telling the story of this place, of
it’s final moments of glory. Of Jedi fighting invisible foes. Of the
hum of many lightsabers arrayed against their enemies. Of the screams
of the dying. Skeletons lie about to commemorate those final assaults
by the waves of Sith assassins that had descended on the place. Many of
those had been struck down, but they exacted a terrible price. Those
inhabitants of the Temple that did not flee were decimated.
It was clear the place had been ransacked by the invading Sith, and
then ransacked again by the scavengers that wandered Coruscant’s
streets by night. Refuse was scattered about throughout the structure.
Broken items littered the ground, the shattered remnants of datapads,
comlinks, and holologs. Pieces of force pikes and smashed lightsabers
lay strewn about. Computers were taken or smashed, decorations stripped
from the walls, and personal belongings of the former residents
absconded with. The power was out in the building, and I noticed in
several places wiring had been ruthlessly torn out of conduits. A thick
layer of dust covered everything.
I paused in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, vague recollections of it
when the waters still ran in the back of my mind. Now they remained
quiet, a testament that the Jedi had not returned to reclaim this
place. Wherever they wandered now, this place had ceased to be of
importance to them it would seem.
I was known as Padawan Graz Azgol of Alderaan when I'd last stood in
the room, and bits and pieces of my training came back to me as I
looked upon the empty fountains.. With the sounds of the water in the
background, I had spent many hours meditating there. Now, the stillness
was disturbing, and strangely, so was the cause of it’s cessation. Of
course, it had been necessary, the purging of the Jedi here, but even
though I knew this to be true, a disquiet grew within me. All at once,
I became aware of how much I had changed since those days, since my
imprisonment on Malachor V. I suddenly felt an alien in my own skin,
and only with great concentration did I drive the disturbing thoughts
to the back of my mind where they could be safely ignored. And then I
continued with my search of the building.
I’d just stepped into one of the training rooms, when I felt it. A
presence in the Force. I immediately switched on my stealth generator,
and began extending my senses, feeling out for the presence. But it
remained elusive, and I slipped quietly out of the training room in
pursuit, moving down a darkened corridor. I sensed it just up ahead,
and so I picked up the pace taking care to remain silent as I did so.
I wound my way through the hallways of the Temple, following it, just
as I’d tracked storm beasts on Malachor before closing in for the kill.
But there would be no killing here, today, not if it at all could be
avoided. For the goal was to swell our numbers now. The life of any
Force user lost senselessly now would be our loss. This one needed to
join us, though they might not yet know it.
I sensed the presence moving up a set of stairs. It had reached the top
before I began quietly creeping up behind it. As soon I’d reached the
top, I felt it fade out momentarily, and then there was flash of light
as a blue lightsaber blade sprang up out of the darkness. In it’s
illumination, the form of a Jedi in traditional robes appeared. I
instantly raised my force pike to ward off her downward slash. Her
blade met the cortosis weave of my pike, and sparks erupted from their
meeting. I drew the pike in an upward sweep in an attempt to push away
her blade and throw her off balance, but she was quicker. She withdrew
the blade and stabbed it toward me. I dodged to the side, knocking it
down.
‘Join us, Jedi.’ I put the thought in the others mind.
“Never,” she said through gritted teeth. “You will pay for what you
have done here, Sith.”
‘It was not I who slew all these Jedi. But you are entitled to your
revenge. I can show you the way.’
“Not revenge. Justice!” Or so she thought, but her righteous anger was
evident. This one had already taken her first few steps on the path. It
would simply be a matter of helping her along the way.
And so we did battle, and I warded off her attacks while I continued to
encourage her to trust her feelings, use them to strike me down. But I
performed my task too well. Her attacks became more and more vicious,
as my words took hold in her. Her emotions gradually overcame her until
with one violent thrust, she stabbed into my side with her blade. The
pain was intense, almost to the point that I felt myself slipping into
unconsciousness. The burning fueled my own connection the Force, just
as Lord Traya had taught me, and with a scream I extended a hand out
towards her and gave her a violent Force push that threw her back up
against the wall. Her body dropped to the ground and the lightsaber
rolled out of her hand.
Holding my aching side, I moved over to her and checked her condition.
She lived still, being merely unconscious. I took the opportunity to
pull out my small medkit and bandage my wound, however I repressed the
urge to use the Force to soothe the pain. Instead I forced myself to
endure it, feeling it strengthen my connection to the Force. I then
picked her up and carried her into the next room. Placing my hand on
her forehead, I fed on her Force presence, drawing it into me, until
she was a emptiness in the Force such as I. The rush of sensation that
accompanied it was exquisite. So much so that I did not hear the figure
behind me, but instead simply felt the blinding pain in my skull and
all went black.
When I awoke, I was lying on the floor with the Jedi beside me, still
unconscious. Looking up, I found myself in the darkened Jedi Council
chambers. Strangely, the chairs in the room were filled by individuals
in dark robes, wearing ornate masks. The Dark Side was evident in them,
and unlike Sith from Malachor, their presences in the Force were strong.
"He is a Sith, but not one of us. We should kill him immediately."
"He may be of use."
"He comes from Malachor. She sent him to destroy us."
“He is weak. He is no threat.”
“Speak, Assassin. Why are you here?”
I rose to my feet, clenching my teeth at the pain in my head and side.
“I am an emissary of Darth Traya. I have come to gather the remaining
Jedi to Malachor so that they may be turned to the Dark Side. Lord
Traya wishes no more death to those sensitive in the Force. Instead, it
is her will that the remaining Force users be gathered to finish what
Revan started.”
There was scattered laughter from around the room.
“Revan is dead and no old witch can take her place. Nor can a fool like
Sion or Nihilus.”
“The ‘old witch’ is dead. There is a new Lord Traya,” I said. “It is
she who will be restoring order to the galaxy.”
“He lies. Kill him, Halysia!”
A Sith assassin appeared from the shadows and stepped toward me, force
pike in hand.
“Halysia, stay your hand. He tells the truth. His thoughts are open to
me. This new Traya was a powerful Jedi.”
The assassin stopped where she was, pike pointed down at me.
“Understand this, Assassin. We did not bow before the former Darth
Traya nor will we bow before this one. A title is just that, and that
is all that she is. It is we who shall be taking the galaxy, just as we
took this Temple and just as we now control Coruscant. Unfortunately
for her, you will not be allowed to leave and tell her what you have
witnessed here. You will join us.”
And then I recognized the voice. “Danika? I had thought you lost.” It
was the voice of my old master, though it was muffled by the mask she
wore. Still, I could not be certain which of the figures it came from.
"Surely there is no reason for us to be at odds."
“Danika is no more,” her words came, from behind one of the masks.
“Danika sought to reclaim this place for the Jedi, but she is dead
now. Instead Darth Reanna lives in her.”
The Jedi murmured and began to stir.
“Lord Traya is a powerful Sith Lord,” I told them, standing up. “You
would do well not to oppose her. She slew not only Traya, but Sion and
Nihilus as well. And before that, Jedi Masters Cavar, Vrook and Zez-Kai
Ell. Those who stand against her will find only death. Do you desire
nothing more for yourselves?”
Then there was silence, and I sensed their hesitation at my words. I
sent a simple thought to the Jedi who had sat up, rubbing her head,
‘Prepare yourself.’ As I did so, I continued speaking to the Sith.
“Lord Traya had specifically requested that I not kill any I found her.
It is a token of her good faith that the galaxy is not only ripe for
the taking, but large enough for the Sith to divide amongst themselves.
She seeks unity amongst the Sith above all to avoid the chaos that fell
on Korriban, and drove the Sith there to destroy each other. Do you not
see the wisdom in this”? Rather than following a single-minded fool
like Malak or bending your knee before an abomination such as Nihilus,
there can be place for all.”
The Jedi rose to her feet, and I saw out of the corner of my eye, her
looking at me strangely.
I continued on, giving a slight nod to where her lightsaber sat at the
side of one of the Sith. “Lord Traya is not mad with the hunger for
power as certain Sith Lords of the past were. She is both wise and
powerful. And....” I looked at the Jedi and saw the recognition in her
eyes as she spotted the lightsaber and then looked back at me. I turned
my gaze back towards those seated around us, “...we will not strike
until the time is right!”
On that the last word, I called the force pike from the hands of the
Sith assassin into my own. Simultaneously, the Jedi called her
lightsaber to her hand, activating it immediately. I thrust outward at
the assassin who was caught off guard by my maneuver, catching her in
the chest with the pike and then withdrew it quickly, seeing the Sith
rising from their thrones. And then we ran, I shoving the Jedi ahead of
me and feeling Force lightning strike me from behind. The searing pain
was added to that from my other wounds. Lord Traya had taught me well
how to contend with pain, how to focus the Force with it adapted from
the methods used by the late Lord Sion, and I used it now to center
myself as I ran.
We were no sooner out of the Council chambers and into the corridor
when a group of lightsabers appeared out of the gloom ahead rushing
forward to meet us. The Jedi met their attack with her own, slashing
and stabbing at them from their midst, while I used her distraction to
attack those who were preoccupied. They were new apprentices. It was
clear from the manner of their attacks that they had but begun their
road to the Dark Side, and caught in between us, they fell quickly. The
Jedi fought valiantly, dispatching most of them herself. Her lightsaber
was a blur as it struck down one after another. The last one, I ran
through from behind as he attempted to flee.
There were more on the stairs, and the Jedi charged them, cutting each
of them down in turn as she ran, leaping over their bodies as they
fell. We quickly reached the bottom and ran down the corridor past the
training room, through another set of corridors. We were drawing near
to the entranceway when a figure in armor separated itself from the
shadows and appeared walking toward us, carrying a double-bladed
lightsaber.
The Jedi and I exchanged glances, and then simultaneously we
charged at the figure. I arrived first, and his blades went into
motion, blocking the thrust of my pike and then the slash of the Jedi,
as she moved up from behind me. We pressed him from either side, his
blade darting back and forth as he fended off our attacks and attempted
to escape from our midst. But we kept the trap sealed, adjusting to his
movements, keeping him on the defensive and unable to move far in
either direction. The battle raged on this way for some time, none of
us giving way, lightsaber clashing against lightsaber against pike. The
illumination of the blades cast the scene in an eerie glow. And then
she fled, and I was left alone with the figure in armor.
The expenditure of energy required for this battle began to take it's
toll, the pain from my wounds beginning to tax my reserves, and I felt
my movements slowing. I forced myself, even as I struck at the figure
again and again, to channel my pain into rage and rage into coalescing
the Force around myself deeper. But to no avail. The Force was slowly
but surely ceasing to respond to me. I gritted my teeth, feeling my
limbs grow heavier and heavier, the precision of my attacks failing and
my exhaustion overcoming me until one of my blows went wide of the
mark, and I saw the figure step deftly to the side, avoiding it. Then I
saw its counterattack, one of the blades of its lightsaber thrusting
out at me, and I was powerless to avoid it. It cut deep into my chest,
the searing pain like molten durasteel inside me. I looked down at the
wound, and then the blade disappeared. As I looked up in astonishment,
I saw that the figure had disappeared as well. I felt my last breath
leave me, and then all went dark....
I sat up, feeling the pain in my chest fading, and looking down, I saw
there were no wounds where the lightsaber had struck me. Only my other
wounds remained, the pain from them now dulled. How I came to be there,
I could not guess, nor how long I had slept. My force pike was missing,
and a damp chill assaulted me.
I had awoken in pit smelling of rotting refuse which I recognized as
the trash compactor of the Jedi Temple. I, like all other padawans, had
spent time here, performing one of the more dreary tasks around the
Temple. It was considered a test, as all things were, of one’s
patience, acceptance and tolerance. These three things were tested so
often here, it was a wonder we had any left upon becoming Jedi Knights.
The dampness originated from small pools of water that had gathered in
places, and the scurrying about of small creatures could be heard from
the corners of the room.
Most of my exhaustion had left me, and so I stood uneasily upon a mound
of trash and used the Force, which now had apparently returned to me,
to sense the iron rungs of the ladder leading out. Moving over toward
it, I began my ascent and quickly reached the hatch several meters up.
I had climbed this ladder many times as a padawan, and the familiarity
of it brought some small comfort to me in this wretched place. Sliding
the hatch open, I slipped out into a corridor I knew to be near the
mess hall.
I crept stealthily down the hall, alert for any more Sith, but there
was only the sound of the wind rustling slightly through the building.
I soon discovered the source of it, finding a broken window midway
down. Strangely, it had been shattered from the inside out, the shards
of it lying on the lawn beyond as if some creature in a panic had
hurled itself through it to escape. Indeed, upon closer examination, I
could see the jagged edges of the hole were rimmed in crimson.
I moved on, stepping into the darkened Archives which I knew to be a
shortcut back to the entrance. The datafiles had all been removed, and
the readers smashed or missing. More broken pieces of force pike and
lightsaber were here, along with shreds of black and brown clothing.
The Jedi Archives had been thoroughly plundered, and that which they
had not taken had been destroyed.
Moving more quickly now, I stretched out with my senses attempting to
detect anything, any signs of life, but there was nothing. Now the
building seemed deserted, and with that sensation, my urge to leave
became greater and greater. To escape back to the controlled madness of
Malachor. To report my findings to Lord Traya and be done with this
Temple and this planet. To perhaps see Dantooine once more. My
quickened pace became a fast walk and then an all out sprint out of the
Archives, down a corridor and to the entrance again. I heard the doors
shut just ahead of me.
Rounding a corner into the entranceway, I found the doors shut tight.
Locked, but not by any sort of mechanism. The Force bound these doors
shut now, and a will drove the Force. I drew the Force into myself,
channeling it with the pain from my wounds again and hurled it at the
doors, willing them to open. They shuddered from the force of it, but
they remained secured. Again and again and I drove it with my will to
unseal the doors, but with each attempt I felt it ebbing, little by
little. Soon, as it was before. I could not feel the Force. It had left
me again, and once again I felt the despair moving through me, mingled
with a rising wave of panic.
Suddenly, from behind me, I heard the sounds of battle. I turned and
the illumination in the room became suddenly bright, almost blindingly
so. I saw a Sith assassin and three Dark Jedi doing battle with four
Jedi Knights. Lightsabers clashed, releasing cascades of red and blue
sparks. The warriors dodged, slashed and stabbed at one another. But it
was not just they who fought. From all around me now, I saw and heard
the signs of battle, the defenders of the Temple attempting to hold
their ground. I began to move room to room, not having any destination
in mind now, merely attempting to measure the extent of the battle and
avoid the combat myself. The warriors, however, paid me no mind, being
focused in their attacks on one another. Sith assassins and marauders
drove against the Jedi, padawans, knights and masters. Green, blue,
yellow, red lightsabers and even some more exotic colors danced
moving in a rhythm with one another. Screams punctuated the combat, as
one being after another was struck down.
I’d kept moving and noticed I was, once again, outside the Jedi Council
chamber. There, I saw a battle between a Sith assassin and a Jedi
knight. The assassin was struck down, a lightsaber thrust into him and
then quickly withdrawn. The Jedi, not pausing to watch his body hit the
ground, ran down the corridor toward the stairs. But he assassin landed
on his back, his faced turned in my direction. His mask disappeared
suddenly, and I gasped in shock at sight of the face underneath it. It
was my own dead eyes staring at me blankly. With a shudder, I turned
away from the sight of it. When I looked back again, he was gone and
the illumination had faded.
Again I pushed open the doors to the Council chamber determined to end
this once and for all, and again I saw the Sith seated on their thrones
staring straight ahead, not moving.
“You shall not leave this place, assassin,” said the voice again, but
from which of the figures I could not be certain. And then I realized
it was my own.
There was an empty chair in the circle now, and upon it sat a mask. So
I took my place amongst them, pulling the mask on. As I did so, clarity
came to me. The Force had shown me the truth. The deaths in this place
had left echoes in the Force, not of the magnitude of those that issued
from Malachor, but of a different sort. Echoes that brought knowledge
and understanding. The Force has a will, and I heard it more clearly
than ever before. My connection to the Force was never stronger than at
that moment, and my senses extended out from me to every corner of the
structure. Moving stealthily through the shadows, I sensed the Jedi
moving. Her presence in the Force was nil, but my senses as magnified
by the others in the room detected the sounds of her labored breathing
and of the dust being stirred with each step she took.
"Halysia," I said to the Sith assassin in the shadows. "Find the Jedi
and kill her."
This place had become a center for Dark Side energies, and it would be
our combined efforts that would keep it that way. Many Sith had died so
that we might control this Temple. The Jedi would never reclaim this
building so long as we yet lived...