So my Force perception last time really wasn't as strong as it is now, Amir thought quietly.
This time, under the "sight" of the Force, everything around him was far more detailed and precise. He spotted the hidden mechanism in front of them with ease.
"It's very similar to the one on Gudrian, but also a bit different," Amir said. "The real mechanism is behind this wall. It's called a wall, but like Gudrian, it's actually made of countless massive stone blocks—cubes, rectangular slabs, all kinds. To solve it, you have to keep moving those blocks around."
Amir closed his eyes, extended his right hand, and made small, controlled motions. A series of continuous grinding and shifting sounds rang out from the stonework ahead.
"Huh? Why is it shaking?" Millisyn exclaimed.
Very quickly, under Amir's control, the stone "wall" pushed inward—then slid left into a reserved gap—revealing a tunnel leading deeper inside.
"Is it possible you could just… yank the blocks out one by one?" Ahsoka asked, uncertain.
But the instant she finished that sentence, the smile on Amir's face froze solid.
Yank them outward...
It would've only taken—fine, two blocks. And he'd just done a massive engineering project inside the structure.
Amir swallowed, then forced out a couple of dry laughs. "Not a big problem. Same result."
Only then did Amir look at the broad platform and the smooth ice surface and realize: wasn't this exactly the space meant for placing the blocks after pulling them out?
Seems like I can't keep overthinking everything, he told himself.
"Let's go," Amir said, taking the lead into the tunnel.
"Let's go, let's go," Millisyn chirped, hopping forward with her hands in her pockets—until Amir pressed a hand down on her head and stopped her in place.
"Huh?"
"Get behind me. Something's off in here," Amir said.
"After opening the entrance, that uneasy feeling got even stronger," Ahsoka said, tightening her grip on her lightsaber.
Sssss—
A sound that made Amir's scalp crawl hissed from ahead. In the next heartbeat, a swarm of small winged creatures flew straight at them.
No. 32 stepped forward instantly, using his alloy body to shield them from the chaotic impact.
"No damage," Amir said after the wave swept past. No. 32's clothing showed no tears, and Millisyn hadn't even been frightened—she was looking around with curiosity instead.
"There's another entrance in here," Ahsoka said.
If there were living creatures inside, then there had to be some other connection to the outside.
"What do you think?" Ahsoka asked Amir.
"These creatures feel… agitated," Amir said, recalling the sensation. "Not like they're just panicking because they were startled. And when I sensed the ruins from outside, the Force inside felt… turbulent. I couldn't make out any details."
"Many Massassi temples were built where the Force converges," Ahsoka explained. "When multiple currents of the Force intersect, it can become more stable—better for meditation and perception. Or it can become extremely chaotic… like it is now."
"Oh. So that's what it is," Amir said, understanding.
Across the galaxy, the Force wouldn't be evenly distributed. It moved. It flowed—and as it flowed, it gathered, like water: trickles becoming streams, streams becoming rivers, rivers pooling into lakes… and even oceans.
Those lakes and oceans were convergence points. In places like that, the Force would be denser than the surrounding region—carrying information from distant reaches of the universe, meeting and mingling there, exchanging what it carried, then spreading outward again.
If a Jedi Temple was built at such a place, two Jedi Masters separated by half the galaxy could potentially communicate through those currents of the Force.
A Master as powerful as Yoda could even project his voice—and his image—into a Jedi Temple several sectors away, using those convergences.
"I have a feeling there's something seriously dangerous stored in here," Amir said.
"We'll see it soon enough," Ahsoka replied, staying at the rear to cover the group.
When they reached the end of the passage, Amir noticed a strange odor in the air.
"Do you smell that?" Ahsoka asked.
"I do. No toxins," Amir said, glancing at his bracer readout.
"Let me find the lights first…" This time, Amir didn't immediately locate the lighting mechanism. Instead, he advanced carefully, using his lightsaber to illuminate the path while searching. After entering deeper into the ruins, his Force perception felt as if it had simply failed.
That was the result of a chaotic Force field.
"Here!" Millisyn called. With BD-4's help, she found a floor-mounted lamp stand in the hall. Amir walked over and used the Force to activate its switch. It lit only a small patch of the room.
But that was enough. In that small pool of light, other lamp stands became visible around them.
"Alright, looks like we need to turn on—" Amir began.
Then, in his mind, a muffled, hazy echo sounded—only to vanish again a moment later. It was the kind of thing that made you wonder if you'd really heard it at all, like a hallucination.
"What is it?" Ahsoka asked, lighting another lamp and noticing the change in him.
"Did you hear a vo—... never mind. You definitely didn't," Amir said. He became even more alert.
Suddenly, Amir realized how quiet it was. He turned and scanned the room—and found that Millisyn and BD-4 had disappeared.
"Millisyn?" Amir called. No answer.
"No. 32, did you see where they went?"
No. 32 stood nearby, examining a lamp stand. He didn't respond—like he'd fallen into a trance.
"No. 32?" Amir called again. Still nothing.
"Ahsoka?" Something felt more and more wrong. Amir spun back toward her.
Ahsoka was standing in front of a lamp in the exact posture she'd held when she asked him a question—staring blankly. Her expression was frozen. Her eyes didn't blink.
A chill ran through Amir.
"Ahsoka!" Amir shouted.
No reaction. Not even a flicker.
Everything in front of him looked like it had been paused at a single instant—stopped. Even the wavering lamplight no longer flickered.
Amir tried to walk toward Ahsoka, but the distance under his feet felt infinitely stretched. No matter what he did, he couldn't get any closer.
The world around him started to glare and shimmer, growing painfully bright until it became hard to keep his eyes open.
Nothing could make them all stand perfectly still like that… so is this all an illusion? Is the problem me? Amir thought.
Then that hazy voice returned—only this time, he heard it clearly.
"Come here…"
"Where?" Amir forced his focus to its limit, reaching out into the Force around him, trying to find any clue that could break this situation. But all he felt was turbulence—pure chaos.
His irritation rose. He began to worry whether the others were experiencing the same thing, or something worse—something truly dangerous.
Millisyn wasn't even in his line of sight.
There was something unknown in these ruins—something beyond what he understood.
"Come here…" the voice said again.
Amir's brow tightened hard. He wanted to do something, but he didn't know what. He clenched his fist—the sensation was real. His Force senses gave him nothing useful, and moving felt like stepping in place.
With no other lead, Amir had no choice but to focus on the voice inside his head. Following its direction, he took one step forward.
"It works…" Amir whispered.
At last, he could feel himself moving relative to the world again.
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🌌 Star Wars: Relics of the Past
📢 The Force Calls! 📢
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