Grana, as always, woke up early and went to do his morning warm‑up, as he called it. In reality, it was more like a set of suicidal exercises that the eternally gloomy Kem performed every day in a special training room.
Unfortunately, Grana didn't understand Kem's language, nor did he know what species he belonged to, but one thing was absolutely clear—Kem was a great warrior and an excellent example to follow. And Taales himself trained there in the mornings too, without using his Force tricks. Just simple, straightforward training, the same way Grana did it. The only one who slacked off was Captain Gertis—but he was allowed to; he was already old. Though judging by his stories, he supposedly did a workout twice as hard in his youth… Grana doubted that.
After all, even Kem himself couldn't always complete the entire routine without taking a break—what could be said about the rest of them? Though, according to Taales's translation, Kem claimed he used to do even more before losing his shape during long stasis. Still, combined with the special food the captain had bought for this purpose, Grana was quickly gaining strength, no longer looking like the starved skeleton he had been when they first met.
The training hall was empty today, so he would have to exercise alone—Taales and Kem had left on a mission while he was still asleep. So he decided to simplify things and skip the exercises that required someone to spot him.
And while he trained, his mind wandered. About everything that had happened. It was always like this—he would fall into a sort of trance and move on autopilot, which was actually part of the training: teaching the body to act purely on reflexes, without conscious commands, before an enemy could shoot you with a blaster—or something worse.
Today, however, his thoughts were on their leader—the mysterious Taales, who seemed like a Jedi… and yet not. Grana, to be honest, never fully understood all the fuss about Sith and Jedi, even though it had been explained to him. In his mind, anyone who carried a lightsaber and moved things with telekinesis was a Jedi. No need for strange new words. But that didn't really matter.
What mattered was this: Taales, the one who had picked him up, had later sparked an entire revolution on Riflor. And those slogans had struck Grana so deeply that he almost convinced himself that the reason for Taales's sudden behavior—the behavior of a "Sith," such a strange word—was Grana himself, the state he had been found in during Taales's trip to Tatooine.
Imagine a world with no slaves, no beggars, where everyone could work and earn enough not to starve! Grana dreamed of such a world, remembering all his past suffering, and trained diligently so he could help build it. He had heard adults say that sometimes life forces children to grow up quickly. He believed that had happened to him.
Suddenly, his reflection was interrupted by the shrill beep of a comlink alert. A message from the Leader. Captain Gertis was probably still asleep, so the signal went through the ship's general network to all available devices. The message was short and to the point:
"Get us out of here. Immediately!"
XXXXXXXX
Yavin 4 greeted us with disgusting heat mixed with suffocating humidity. And when I say "humidity," I mean the kind where even the few cybernetic parts in my body started creaking from the sheer amount of algae in the air.
And that's not even mentioning the local equivalent of mosquitoes. Or the ticks the size of small mice. A paradise, truly. Even the usually unflappable Kem was in full agreement with me, constantly jerking his head around as if he sensed something and was trying to locate the source. He'd been doing that for hours with no success.
And yes, we could have landed right next to the local ziggurat—or pyramid, depending on how you look at it—and avoided slogging through swamps. But I considered that too rude. You don't just kick down someone's front door and expect hospitality. So we landed a bit farther away. Besides, I needed time to adjust to the oppressive aura of this place. At least we didn't have to worry about local bacteria.
I don't know what miracle cure the local eggheads invented against viruses, but no matter what planet we visited, we never needed any special precautions. Everyone acted like that was normal. Or maybe my crew was just insane. Hard to tell. Felt like riding a bus for two stops back home…
Ugh. Thinking about random nonsense to distract myself from the unbearable conditions wasn't working very well.
How was I supposed to know? It's not like I'd ever trekked through jungles before. I regretted my decision almost immediately, but turning back would look pathetic. A leader doesn't call the ship back at the first sign of discomfort. They'd call me short‑sighted. And sure, I am that sometimes, but only I get to call myself that.
Finally, the vine‑covered structures appeared in the distance. Surprisingly, despite standing abandoned for Force‑knows‑how‑many years, the vegetation mostly avoided them. And I didn't even need to "listen" to the Force to understand why. The buildings radiated a chilling, destructive Dark Side presence. I had never felt such concentration of it before—not even when dealing with Ventress. Her level wasn't even close.
I might have thought the spirit I needed was signaling his presence—if not for my vague memories of what these structures were meant for. They were essentially Force capacitors. Without someone maintaining them, their efficiency dropped, but over centuries they still accumulated plenty of energy. Or maybe they simply hadn't dissipated what was stored long ago. Hard to say. Considering the planet itself was steeped in the Dark Side, both options seemed likely.
As we walked, another thought struck me: this place wasn't chosen randomly by the Rebellion for a secret base. And later by Luke for his Academy. The Dark Side here was so dense that my own Force presence was fading against it. I could barely sense Kem walking right beside me.
So I made a mental note—if I ever needed to disappear, this would be the perfect place. It had even been partially erased from maps. If you didn't know where to look, you'd never find it. Maybe I should tell our people this would make an excellent base. Even if someone came looking, the only way to flush us out of these jungles would be an Exterminatus—or the local equivalent. Viral bombs or something.
I stopped and quickly contacted the ship via comlink—the relay was weak, but functional. I tried sending a message to Darri in our prearranged anonymous chat, but he didn't respond, so I left a coded note saying I'd found a good planet to lie low on. Then, not delaying the inevitable any longer, I headed toward the ziggurat.
The pyramids looked monumental, I'll give them that. Even slogging through knee‑deep water didn't ruin the impression. The closer we got, the stronger the sense of dread grew.
Honestly, in both my new and old life, I had never felt such pressure from the Force. Taales had—back on Korriban—but not me. My knees were shaking. I mean, yes, I'm a cyborg now, but I'm still human enough to feel fear. Normally I just push through it, but this… this hit differently.
No idea how Luke managed to run an entire Academy here. Personally, I wanted to run back to the ship and blast this place off the map. But I couldn't.
Inside was just as gloomy as outside—plus freezing cold. The contrast with the sweltering jungle was… something. Thankfully, we didn't have to wander the bone‑littered corridors for long. I simply followed the pull of the Force until we reached the stone doors.
If I'd come here right after my "transfer," I'd have been stuck. But now I could manage a few Force‑user tricks. Time to show what I could do.
Unfortunately, the massive doors didn't care about my intentions. They didn't budge. Strange. I paused, smacked my forehead, and instead of pushing horizontally, I lifted vertically—raising the stone slabs that were partially slotted into grooves below, which was why they hadn't moved earlier.
Smirking smugly, I stepped forward, holding the massive stone overhead. Pure theatrics for Kem's sake. In reality, sweat poured off me after two seconds. And this was in a cold room.
Still, I walked with a steady, confident stride, one hand raised dramatically—though both arms were straining, with the second hand helping from below where Kem couldn't see.
Behind the first "door" was another section of the massive complex. So my initial estimate was wrong—we wandered through the ziggurat for nearly half an hour before I finally found the focal point of the Force emanations. There were several such points in the building, but according to the map on my comlink, the paths to the others weren't in this section. Or I missed a hidden door. Also possible.
Ahead lay a spacious hall—and someone was already waiting for us.
The Force spirit was indeed here. He sensed me too and watched us with strange eyes. I'd say yellow, like most Sith, but as a spirit, his colors weren't clearly visible.
The moment our eyes met, a stabbing pain shot through my skull. Like two needles driven into my temples, pushing toward my brain. Inch by inch, something pressed closer to where "I" was. My hands went numb, but on instinct I clenched the focuser as hard as I could, feeling its power. Even so, my limbs grew heavier, and after three seconds of silent struggle, I could no longer control my body. I would've face‑planted into the floor if everything hadn't suddenly stopped.
I looked up just in time to see the spirit recoil slightly, bracing himself against the wall as if something invisible had shoved him away from me. I glanced around—Kem still stood behind my right shoulder, clearly not the cause.
So what happened? A Force spirit failing to possess me in a place overflowing with Dark Side energy? Impossible. Or… maybe not. He hadn't left this place for some reason.
Rubbing my temples, I addressed him. His expression said, "Well, I tried." But he quickly composed himself, sitting down in a relaxed posture that betrayed his Jedi past.
"Visitors are rare. You're the first in a couple… thousand years. I sense the Dark Side in you, but… something strange. Who trained you?" he grumbled.
I stayed silent, staring him down.
Maybe he was gathering strength for a second attempt. Or maybe he'd try something trickier. Hard to say which was worse.
"A Dark Jedi, perhaps?"
Honestly, I didn't expect him to be so talkative.
Must be mind‑numbingly boring to exist for millennia with no one to talk to. Surprised he's still sane… if he even is.
"You're silent… I doubt you came here for no reason. You must have found records of my glorious past and come seeking ancient knowledge? Power? I have both."
Well, I wasn't about to tell him my life story—or Taales's—so I stuck to what I remembered about him.
"Yes, I've heard of Exar Kun, who tried to revive the 'golden age of the Sith Empire.' Fascinating story. And in the end, the woodsman—sorry, the protagonist's master—finished you off with the Chosen One. Sounds dramatic, doesn't it?" I said with a smirk.
When dealing with a cunning bastard, use every advantage. In my case—throw him off for a moment. And judging by his reaction, it worked. Exar laughed loudly, though a bit theatrically, leaning against the wall.
"A Sith jester… that's new. Did you come to entertain me? Tell me funny stories?"
Sure, laugh now. Later Luke and your master's ghost will finish you off—unless I butterfly‑effect the canon into oblivion first. But aloud I said:
"Just showing how to start a conversation—with a good joke, not an attempted possession." I grinned boldly, meeting his narrowed eyes. Not trying to provoke him, but I had to show I wasn't some pushover.
"Well… even if you had a teacher, he trained you terribly. But I can fix that. If you want my knowledge, you must first retrieve something. An amulet, somewhere on this cursed planet… What is that? Not the amulet, but the feeling…"
He stared at my raised left hand—the one holding the focuser.
The realization hit me instantly. Exar Kun's amulet—its properties: amplifying the Dark Side, strengthening the connection. Sound familiar?
The ancient spirit confirmed it:
"Incredible… you haven't gone mad using an amplifier. Promising. And now I see why I couldn't… never mind."
"So, what do I need to bring you to learn Sith knowledge?" I asked. His plan to drive me insane with an amulet had just collapsed, so now he'd have to improvise.
"Your goal is more power, yes? Then here's free advice—use your anger, hatred, rage, not that pathetic scrap you rely on now. You're worse than a Jedi! You have no idea what true Dark Side power can do!"
Oh, but I do, Exar. I remember Starkiller pulling a Star Destroyer out of the sky. And that ancient creature that literally ate stars. But I wasn't about to say that.
"I'm not playing with anger. That's a quick way to go insane. Don't try to fool me, Exar." I rolled my eyes theatrically and jabbed a finger at him.
He clearly didn't like that, but he regained composure and spoke with a sinister smile:
"Well then… I suppose you've earned some honesty. I've been waiting for you. Even in life, I saw you in a vision—and something else. For example…"
He shifted into a whisper and in an instant appeared behind me. Kem drew his weapon, but his new sword passed right through the spirit, nearly hitting me instead. Exar didn't even notice.
"The deaths of all your friends. Oh yes, you'll get what you want today and leave… but you'll crawl back to me with hatred in your heart. And then I will teach you the true Dark Side."
I spun around, suddenly face‑to‑face with him. For a moment, his eyes seemed to glow yellow like lanterns—filled with hatred, malice, and a deep hunger for revenge.
Then the vision vanished.
I met his gaze steadily. Exar didn't bother with a staring contest—he smirked and dissolved into the air, mimicking my earlier gesture and pointing behind me.
I turned and saw a pedestal slightly to the right—one I hadn't noticed before. Either it rose while he distracted me, or he pulled some Force‑ghost trickery. But the fact remained: on it lay a very recognizable square object, faintly radiating Dark Side energy.
A Sith holocron.
I glanced back—Exar was gone. I couldn't sense him anywhere. Interesting. What was inside the holocron? Did he already know what I needed? Or did he plant a trap? Probably the latter. I'd think about it later on the ship.
For now, I sighed and walked toward it. Nothing happened—not even when I picked it up.
A moment later, the temple walls trembled, and bits of stone fell from the ceiling. Flashbacks from games and movies hit me. I turned toward the exit just in time to see the block above the doorway sag under its own weight, a crack forming across the middle. A little more and we'd be buried.
I immediately used the Force, focusing entirely on holding the stone up and lifting the entrance slab while Kem hauled me onto his back.
So much for ghostly theatrics… He was testing my abilities. Definitely not a trap—too slow and too controlled, collapsing gradually from this hall outward. Next time we meet, it'll probably be somewhere else in this cursed ziggurat.
Fine by me. I've escaped worse.