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_ "People say killing a Jedi is hard. It's not. You just have to be smart about it. No blasters, no getting close to them, no attacking them directly when you can gun down their allies instead." _

~Atton Rand

It was, to anyone who looked upon the site, a wasteland first and foremost. Dry riverbeds, jagged yellow and red outcrops of stone, tall cliffs from which massive carvings of ominous robed figures were formed. A powerful wind tore through the Valley of Sleeping Kings, spraying dust through the air and hissing as it slid against stone until there was silence once again, as deadly chilling as the night air. Though scant life lingered throughout the canyon, it was the ominous whisper of death that carried through the breeze.

A dry cackle escaped the beak of an avian scavenger perched upon the shoulder of a humanoid statue, as a figure in black trudged through the loose sediment. The bird squawked irritably, compelled it to fly away as it regarded this new intruder warily. Her strong footpaws struggled to find purchase in the sands as she approached a massive, steep staircase some 5 stories tall- damage near the top and at the base had unsettled the stonework, causing it to lean up and at an angle. Red eyes peered out from behind the black, loose-fitting balaclava, tracing up the steps warily. A brief moment passed as the figure sighed, rubbed one of her long, blue ears with a paw, before reaching out to touch the stonework.

Another hiss rang out and she whipped around, paws unholstering a pair of weapons in fear. In in her right hand, a modular blaster pistol aimed at where she heard the noise; in her left, a scarlet energy blade preceded by the snap-hiss of its activation, humming bright and dangerous. Her muscles tensed as she assumed a combat stance, scanning the area for movement.

It was not the movement of sand she had heard. With her ears uncovered she had heard it clearly- a voice. No mere animal warning, but a taunting breath from behind, or so she suspected. Yet despite her keen senses, she saw no movement nor heard any further noises. Instinct, a niggling voice in the back of her head, warned her that her ears heard true and were not deceived- yet she fought back that trepidation long enough to relax and deactivate the lightsaber. After a few more moments spent ensuring nobody was around, she sighed and returned her attention to the staircase. Once she'd reholstered her weapons and paused to regard the damaged structure, she started her ascent.

There had been a time when Saph regarded the legends of the Sith and Jedi as nothing more than exaggerated tales meant to inspire hope or fear. This was prior to her employment and recent fealty to a Sith Knight and his cult allies, where she had seen for herself Sith power and Jedi tenacity; yet even after that, traces of skepticism about the mystic power of the Force remained. This doubt had slowly eroded the moment she had set foot on Korriban, the purported center of the Sith race and culture, such that as she scaled the steps she could not shake the feeling that she was being watched and followed; sensations that were becoming impossible to ignore as she drew closer to the top.

A slip of her paw and she cried out, catching a step quickly to prevent falling to her death- another cackle issued from the scavenger bird overhead, and with it, another taunting hiss that caused the Lepi to shiver. With mounting anxiety, she scrambled to find a foothold, grunting from the effort of hosting herself up the last dozen feet and throwing herself onto the tenuously-connected flat walkway and gasping for air. Cold, chilling oxygen filled her breast as she panted in exhaustion.

Yet the feeling of being vulnerable lingered, and before long she staggered to her feet, no longer feeling safe. Her eyes traced up the short walkway, leading past a pair of hound statues and up to tomb embedded in the side of a mountain, beneath the bust of a monstrous-looking humanoid, tendrils hanging from the enraged expression and a scowl glaring from beneath his horned helm. A ruined arch hung above the entrance, haphazardly blocked by damaged stonework from the top of the arch. A derisive glare peered up at the ruined stonework, flicking down to the rubble "blocking" the doorway. She had been told she might need to use demolition charges to remove the rubble, supposedly left when a Jedi had recently "sealed" the temple, but all it took was for her to leap onto the stonework and crawl through a man-sized hole to the other side.

The path lead to an elaborately carved stone bridge, suspended above a menacing pit of exposed magma from which sweltering heat and an eerie red light emanated, unsettling the rabbit's already-frayed nerves further. Yet she took the search slowly, her footsteps soft as she followed the pathway forward, before it angled right and ended. Before it, two tall, massive doors stood open- and beyond it, the smell of death.

Saph paused again, a stronger feeling of dread washing over her as the unmistakable stench of an old corpse lingered in the air. She'd been told a battle had occurred, a Jedi victory that preceded the "sealing" of the tomb, and to be wary. Gathering her bravado, she continued onwards past the doors, into a dimly lit tomb. A wave of fear passed through her as the light danced off the large sculpture of an ancient Sith Lord, reclining in a throne of stone with an expression of anger on his features. Robed and armored, he looked much like an alien tyrant deciding on how best to abuse his subjects. It was almost easy to believe he was regarding the decayed corpse in the middle of the room with pure disdain.

Swallowing, Saph approached the corpse carefully, cringing as a pair of beetles scurried around out of a hole in the middle of the body's exposed midriff. It was, or had been, a human female- perhaps once beautiful, her face as marked with dried blue paint beneath her eye sockets, lips receding back and exposing rotting teeth.

But despite her curiosity, she did not want to spend more time lingering. Her eyes darted around. If Thresher had told her the story correctly, she would find what she sought in this very room. Taking a few steps back to get a better look around, her bare foot shifted against a black object, the sound of metal scraping across stonework ringing out in the silent room and causing the rabbit to jump from fear.

Yet the fear was quickly displaced with elation as her eyes fell upon a chipped and cracked black sword, it's length shattered but still lethal in appearance. She scooped up the heavy blade and checked the flat of the blade- unreadable script was etched into the weapon. Taking a moment to slide it into a satchel on her hip, she continued her search.

Before long, she spied several shards of metal littered across the tomb, each of them segmented tubes that seemed to form together in the shape of a long shaft. Next to the foot of the steps leading to the carved throne, the pronged head of a staff stood out against the sandy tan stonework of the stairs. Nor sooner had she laid a paw on it than a voice spoke.

"And what, I wonder, would you do with it?"

Saph froze, petrified in place as the voice echoed in the room. A glowing blue light began to fill the space above her, such that despite her mounting fear she turned her eyes, widening at the sight. Had she a mind to, she would have screamed, but fear kept her silent as her blood-orange eyes fell upon the floating, ethereal upper torso of an ancient Sith Lord. His features were painted with hatred and loathing, regarding the trembling rabbit with a contemptuous glare.

"I see your heart. It is filled with anger and hatred, passion for your goals. I wonder what you would do with the focus of my scepter, now that you possess it." He gestured to the corpse. "This one was skilled in the Force, enough so that she gave herself to me, to possess- yet she was one of weak will, unable to follow through. A failure. And now a traveler comes to me, her heart filled with fire... but is her mind ready?"

Saph shook violently, backing away slowly. "...What... are you going to do with me?" she whimpered.

"Only what you let me," the apparition cackled, as it floated towards her.

The last of her nerves disappeared and Saph lost it; possessing only enough awareness to grab the scepter focus, she turned in place and sprinted towards the exit as fast as she could. A roar of rage rang out in the tomb as the apparition flew over her, whipping around and shrieking in her face as she stopped short and slid across the floor, scrambling backwards.

Instinct seemed to guide her actions, as her rational mind left her. Her right paw dipped low, but not to her blaster- it was the lightsaber Thresher had given her that her paw grabbed. Holding the weapon up inexpertly, her thumb depressed the switch and the weapon activated, filling the room with a red light.

At the same moment, the spirit disappeared.

She did not lower the weapon, still holding it point first toward the space the ghost had been. But before long, a numbness overtook her, a feeling of loss and internal disorientation as her paw shook and her body began to seize up. Pure terror filled what little she could feel of herself as she dimly realized her body was no longer her own. The Sith weapon fell out of her paw, deactivating and clattering across the stonework as her body contorted and arched in unnatural positions. A chill, like ice in her veins, had filled her body and mind.

"GET OUT!!!" she shrieked.

"It is mine," a voice whispered in her head

"GET OUT, PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU- STOP!!!" she wailed. She let out a gasp as she felt the apparition stab into her mind, flickers of a long past taking shape in her waking eyes. A snow-white Lepi with a handsome face and winning smile looked down at her, as Saph's mind filled with grief and love without measure.

"I see it all. Your rage, your grief, the man you blame for it all. I see your brother, and the intimacy you shared with him. You loved him, despite taking you far earlier than you--"

"NO!!! THAT'S NOT-- GET OUT OF MY MEMORIES!!!"

"You fear you were nothing more than a receptacle for his lusts- an incestuous object he could abuse for his own enjoyment, to breed whenever he wished it."

More flashes of her memory appeared- of a night sky on Coachelle Prime, on the roof of their home. A Lepi doe with blue fur, naked and smiling wildly, rode her older brother's bare cock. The sound of gasping echoed in her mind as his flesh filled her tight folds, strong white arms holding her close. A deep kiss between them, then a pause as she stared into his gentle, fire-red eyes- she was rolled onto her back, squeaking and moaning as he drilled her depths, filling her with creamy warmth, the whispered promises of planting his kits in her womb making her cheeks burn with pride and joy.

"NOOOOO!!!" Her body convulsed as she screamed, experiencing the pleasure of her climax and the immeasurable sorrow of her loss at the same time, nearly breaking her mind. "HE LOVED ME!!! HE NEVER HURT ME!!!"

"You doubt this is even true. And you are shamed that you loved every moment of it regardless."

"FUCK YOU!!!"

"How could you compare, then, to a Jedi? You gave your body and heart to a man who cast it aside, favoring an emotionless dog whose schemes ended his life."

A flash- and the memory of her intimacy with Rik ended, now displaced by the image of her brother holding the paw of a young male wolf. White hot hatred filled her heart as she recognized the man, who wore a lightsaber on his hip. Silent conversation took place, and the wolf regarded Rik peacefully, sharing a brief nuzzle.

Another flash, and she was in his arms, as Rik explained his intention to marry his partner someday. The male Lepi's visage was blurred with her tears, yet the warmth of his embrace seemed to soothe her grief.

Another flash. The scene shifted. Horror, renewed grief.

It was nothing short of torture, to see her brother's corpse in the Jedi's arms.

"STOP... PLEASE... I BEG YOU..."

"What would you do to him?"

Another flash.

A short memory of the wolf walking away, disappearing over the hill and leaving her to grieve over Rik's resting place alone.

"_ I'LL KILL HIM!!! _"

"You stand no chance. How could you, when you lack the will to take back what is yours? You allowed your brother to take your virginity, you allowed a Jedi to take your brother- and now you will allow a dead Sith Lord to take your body."

"GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT"

"Mine."

"GET - OUT - OF - MY - BODY - MARKA - RAGNOOOOOOOOOS!!!!!"

"<I assure you, honored Jedi, you'll find no finer relics for your use than here!>" the elderly feline shopkeeper proclaimed, as she shuffled behind the wooden counter and rummaged noisily through several boxes. Locke and Keris waited patiently, flanked on either side by a Trianii Ranger. The shop itself was every bit as ornate as Locke had come to experience where it pertained to the Trianii culture- bright oranges and yellows, brilliant blues and greens; woven rugs and tapestries folded and stacked along the walls; cracked or fractured pottery and statues of Trianii make. It was a pleasantly stark difference to the mood and atmosphere outside, which for the last 3 days had been foggy and overcast whenever it wasn't outright raining, as it was now.

"<I appreciate you taking the time to help us, elder one,>" Locke replied politely as she set out a few trinkets before them- a moment later, she was back to rummaging through containers. "<We simply wish to ensure there's nothing dangerous among your collection, that's all.>"

"<I'm certain that I had-- aha!>" She backed up, holding up a long metal hilt of ancient design and placing it carefully on the counter. "<That alone should pique the interest of honored warriors like yourselves!>"

Locke and Keris glanced at each other for a moment before peering over at the weapon- a dual-bladed lightsaber with parts of its chassis missing. Locke regarded the Rangers for a moment. "<May I be permitted to check the weapon's internal systems?>"

The two Rangers nodded. "<Very well- but use your Jedi abilities to handle it. Do not put your paws on any items you are unsure you'll purchase.>"

Taking care not to reach out to take the weapon, he lifted the hilt into the air through the Force, peering into it as the shaft twisted around to his unspoken mental commands. Despite the change in focus, he managed to continue the conversation with the shopkeeper. "<To be honest, we're not exactly 'warriors', elder one,>" he corrected her politely. "<Though capable fighters, I suppose we're more like... scholars, perhaps. We fight only when we need to, and render aid whenever we can.>" A final twist and the middle of the hilt slid apart, revealing a pair focusing chambers- one contained a dull violet crystal, while the other was empty.

"One of the focusing crystals is missing," Keris pointed out telepathically as the investigated the weapon.

"Quite so," Locke agreed, before turning his eyes up to and smiling at the shopkeeper. "<You've come across a fine weapon here, one of Jedi design. The only thing is that it's missing a few core components.>"

"<And here I was, wondering why only one of the sides worked,>" she sighed. "<Is it still worth anything to you?>"

Locke nodded earnestly. "<Oh yes, we're more than willing to purchase this weapon from you. What say you to... 1,700 credits?>"

The shopkeeper folded her arms, giving him a wry smile. "<Just 1,700 for a weapon you'd have to muck around through the bogs to find? 2,500.>"

"<2,000- and it won't be our final purchase here, either,>" Locke added.

"<If that's the case, maybe these will interest you,>" she chirped, ducking behind the counter.

"<Is this not satisfactory to you, Jedi Master?>" one of the Rangers asked with a frown.

"<You may call me Locke, I am no master,>" the wolf assured him. "<And in the interest of safety, I'd just like to be able to see what she has available. The lightsaber alone could have been dangerous if handled inexpertly.>" He turned to Keris. "Could you count out 2,000 dataries, love?"

"Sure thing," she replied, searching through her pouches and counting out a number of credit chits quickly.

The shopkeeper reappeared, setting a box of smooth stones before him. Though hardly eye-catching at first, Locke's connection to the Force allowed him to see they were infused with energy. "<Where did you get all these?>" he asked, peering closely at the stones.

"<When we first arrived to this planet there were many spots one could look that possessed such treasures, usually on solid ground or washed up on riverbanks. If you were to ask me, I would guess there was some kind of war or battle that happened on this planet a long time ago,>" she answered with absolute certainty. "<The Trianii used to use stones like these in primitive times, in slings- they're smooth so they sail true through the air, and are etched in what I'm certain is lettering, perhaps some curse or witty remark for its victim. While these are not Trianii, I suspect these were for the same purpose.>"

Locke nodded, lifting one of the eight rocks telekinetically- surprisingly, it took very little effort to do so, as if sensitive to handle. "<You're quite correct about these,>" he said, eyebrows raised as he silently read out a brief and incredibly volatile Sith curse etched into one of the stones. "<The stones possess Sith script- very rude phrases, too. Not very dangerous to handle, but if a Force-sensitive child were to use them... well, it'd be like shooting a sand grain through a rail-gun.>"

"<Then best if you take them- 500 for the lot,>" she added.

The wolf sighed, but smiled and nodded. "<Fair enough. We have a deal.> 500 more credits for the stones, Keris."

The vixen nodded and counted the amount as Locke turned to the Ranger on his right. "<This appears to be everything I can see. One out of three is not a bad ratio for coming across these relics.>"

The Ranger nodded. "<This is the last shop we had planned for the day,>" she responded softly. "<You do your Jedi Order credit by offering a fair sum to purchase.>"

"<With artifacts like this, it's hard to put a price on them,>" Locke admitted, "<but more important is if we acquire them legally before someone tries to take them by force.>" He smiled and bowed politely to the shopkeeper as Keris handed her the credits, watching as the Trianii Rangers grabbed the items and slid them into their pouches. With a few more words of thanks to the elderly merchant, they left the shop and ducked into the rainy streets with their hoods on- for what little good it did them, as they were soaked again in moments.

"Took an hour to get dry in there, and now we're wet again. Does the sun ever show on this blasted planet?" Keris asked with a small whine, Locke quickly translating for the Rangers.

"<The few times it does, we spend at least an hour praying about it,>" one of the Rangers answered dully.

Fortunately, for all the bad weather the communications were clear- it was easy enough to contact everyone else. "Kajex, do you read?"

There was a brief pause and a sigh. "Yeah, I'm here. Just finished my transaction- no thanks to my escort," he added irritably.

"Easy, brother," Locke advised him gently. "I know he's making things tough for you, but at least we're done. Shall we meet back at the Gold Rush?"

"We're on our way right now," Kajex replied. "See you in a bit."

While Kajex had good reason to lament the presence of his Trianii escort, the Rangers assigned to Locke and Keris had fortunately been nothing but polite and helpful, guiding the pair through the city as they talked with the locals and shopkeepers, getting as much info on the relics they'd obtained and the 'temple' they'd be investigating eventually. The few Trianii settlers that had visited the ruins had been kind enough to offer what little information about the ruins they possessed, though the pack still had yet to formulate a plan on how to proceed.

This wasn't particularly troublesome, however, as part of the mission Moarn had laid out for them also included improving relations between the Trianii and the Republic (and off-worlders in general) by ensuring they could be as much help to the population as time allowed them to be. And while Chaq's consistent remarks attempted to install a modicum of distrust, it did not take long for benevolent word of the four Jedi and their allies to get around. Adamant on ensuring their first impressions of the group were good ones, the pack had gone to great lengths to treat those they spoke to with courtesy. It was easy enough for Syrra to generate appreciation for her healing abilities, yet the rest of the pack found a few moments over the last few days to alleviate any concerns about their presence, effectively nullifying the 2nd Sinth's naysaying.

Within half an hour they had reached the Gold Rush, which Keris lamented was half an hour too long as they filed in. Taking care to wipe their paws at the top of the ramp, they rounded the hall into the lounge, where everyone else was waiting- save for Kajex, Chaq and the other Rangers accompanying them. At roughly the same moment Syrra entered from the other side, carrying fresh towels and handing them to everyone.

"Kajex is still not here?" she asked, looking troubled.

"He seemed to suggest that Chaq might be holding things up for him," Locke answered with a sigh as he dried his face.

"I should have volunteered to go with the Sentinel," Pakka said, looking regretful. "After how Chaq referred to his father, that should have been enough indication that the two can't be left alone."

"It is an abomination, what his father has done," one of the few Basic-speaking Rangers started to say uneasily.

"<I don't give a damn!>" Pakka barked, silencing the subordinate swiftly. "<Raising tail doesn't prevent a Trianii for fighting for our people! Leave judgment to the gods, and the gods alone- it is not our place to measure the Jedi Sentinel for his father's preferences; and it certainly was not Chaq's place to divulge that information to anybody, as he clearly seems to have done!>" The rest of the Rangers looked to each other guiltily, with the one that had attempted to raise an argument regarding Syrra apologetically in their native tongue.

"<I'm... sorry, Jedi Syrra. Sinth Pakka is right, I should not speak ill of your mate's parents.>"

The Trianii Jedi nodded. "<I appreciate your apology, and I accept it. That said,>" she continued, looking to every other Trianii present, "<I will have words with any of you who attempts to judge my mate based on his upbringing. I stand by him.>"

"<As does the rest of his family,>" Talrik agreed resolutely.

Before anyone could respond, another set of footfalls marked the arrival of Kajex and the last few Rangers- in the wolf's arms were a few pieces of armor and what looked like an ebony blade, which he placed on the lounge table as he spoke. "Sorry for the delay, everybody, but my escort seemed to think that I didn't need any help carrying the goods."

Pakka glared at Chaq, who returned the look. "I see. I'll have to have a few words with your escort about that later. What were you able to find, Sentinel?"

The wolf sighed, catching the towel Syrra tossed to him and plopping down into one of the seats with a wet squish before responding in Trianii. "<A couple of pauldrons that look like they date from the Cold Wars; some manufactured lightsaber crystals, probably for Sith lightsabers; and a single phrik-alloyed vibroblade.>"

"<Never heard of that kind of metal- what does it do?>" Pakka asked.

"<The shorthand? It resists lightsabers,>" Kajex said simply. "<Rare as hell, if that weren't enough.>"

Miles bore a frown on his face as he approached the table and picked up the blade, looking it over. "It looks too new. Phrik by itself doesn't rust easily, but it needs constant maintenance in an alloy form to prevent wearing down. "

"<Could the bogs have preserved it?>" Pakka asked.

"<I doubt it,>" Kajex answered. "<Bodies, maybe, but not manufactured weapons. Besides, the merchant who sold me this said he found it embedded in the stonework of the ruins.>"

"<Well, that's pretty ominous,>" Talrik remarked. "<So... how do we do this, boss?>"

Kajex gestured for everyone to move to the holo-table. "Got the map we need, Sinth Pakka?"

The Trianii commander nodded, offering a data disk to the wolf. The display flickered as he inserted the device, showing basic topography of the area with the ruins in the center, looking very much like a destroyed pyramid. "<The temple ruins, or whatever they are, are located fifty miles southeast of the outskirts of this city,>" he started, with Talrik quietly translating for everyone else. "<Most of the terrain is unsuitable for a ship to land- the closest thing to a safe landing zone is a shelf of rock three miles east from the ruins themselves. Our best bet is to have the Sentinel drop off the majority of us at the ruins themselves, leaving us to find a means to access the site and investigate while he lands and returns on foot.>"

"<It is neither a Trianii nor Republic site,>" Chaq interjected gruffly. "<We'd be better off blasting the ruins apart and letting Kunik reclaim what is hers.>"

"<Would you be so willing to suggest such a course of action if the ruins contain some manner of pathogen or bio-weapon within?>" Locke asked with a skeptical look. "<The entire purpose of investigating the ruins is to ascertain whether or not it's safe to demolish it. And there's a chance that it may contain more of members of our species,>" he added, gesturing to himself and Kajex.

"<Depending on what we find, we may have to contact the New Republic and move quickly to secure the site,>" Pakka added.

Kajex nodded. "<As it is, I agree with Pakka's plan. It'll be a good twenty to thirty minutes before I can land the ship and speed my way back to you, but I'm sure you guys can stay out of trouble for at least that long, right?>" he asked, generating a bit of laughter. "<Of course, depending on what we find, we might also need to blow it, or at least restrict access to it.>" He turned to Talrik, who cleared his throat before speaking.

"<If it comes to it, once I've got a look at the place and figured out where everything is, I can set charges wherever they might be needed. Hopefully the interior will be little more than permacrete laced with durasteel bars, but I can carry enough on me to blow apart a capital ship.>"

"<I wouldn't trust an outsider with that much explosive if the gods themselves demanded it of me,>" Chaq hissed.

Kajex growled back. "<You've made it plenty clear who you won't trust with anything. But unless you're qualified to handle our charges I don't give a damn wha-->"

"Kajex!" Syrra cautioned him, looking tense. "Let it go."

"<No, Syrra- I agree with the Sentinel, you've spent far too long informing us of your opinion of who you would or would not trust, 2nd Sinth,>" Pakka said with a glower. "<We could do with less of it.>"

"<If it makes things easier,>" Locke interjected smoothly, "<we can divide up the explosives among the Rangers. They'll be useless in their hands until Talrik tells them where to place them, and 2nd Sinth Chaq can rest assured that they'll remain out of the hands of the outsiders he so distrusts.>" He fixed the taller Trianii with a firm stare. "<Is that more agreeable?>"

Chaq's glare was cold. "<Very well. Whatever gets the job done quickly.>"

"<Then it's settled,>" Locke informed them all, pausing to glance back at his twin- Kajex was still glaring. "<That's our plan- if we stick with it and remain cautious, there's no reason we shouldn't emerge from this unscathed. If that's everything, I suggest we all disperse and take the rest of the day to prepare in whatever way we may need to.>"

Pakka nodded. "<Very well. Rangers, on me- we'll meet back with the Jedi at 0700.>" He took a moment to bow to the pack- most of the other Rangers, save Chaq, followed suit. "<Till tomorrow.>"

"<Rest well,>" Locke offered politely as the Jedi bowed back, watching the Rangers exit the lounge and waiting until their footsteps could no longer be heard at the ramp before turning to his brother with a sigh. "That nearly got out of hand."

The Sentinel's had softened, looking apologetic as he slid down his seat a bit, ears flat. "I'm sorry, guys. It's just... taxing, having to put up with that asshole for so long, especially since he doesn't seem to want to make things easier for any of us."

"It's true," Revan acknowledged, his muffled voice filtering out of Kajex's satchel. The wolf quickly drew the holocron out and set it on the holotable. "Even stuck in the Sentinel's bag, I could hear him being a nuisance. A Jedi should know patience, but I don't blame you for your patience wearing thin."

"It's more than that," the wolf groaned. "I figured some of Kane's old squad would have remembered him if they were still alive, but I never would have expected meeting someone who had even a tenuous connection to him. The last thing I want is a constant reminder of the kind of crap my Trianii dad had to put up with."

"Well, keep your chin up," Syrra suggested softly as she drew in close to him. "If we're lucky, we'll visit these ruins, find out we need to destroy them, and then we'll be done with him here- it's not like he'll try to follow us off Kunik."

"I hope," Kajex sighed, turning to Talrik. "Any luck on your treasure hunt, kit?"

"A few shattered hilts- Miles says they had some Force energy in them, so they might've been Jedi or Sith war swords," Talrik informed him. "That's at least 30 artifacts in total."

"And few of them of any real significance," Locke pointed out. "Jedi and Sith weapons, some pieces of armor, a few old manuscripts; but no holocrons or other data receptacles. Compared to the artifacts I sought and delivered on behalf of the Inquisitorious, it's less than impressive."

"We still haven't checked the ruins," Miles started to say.

"True, but there are older and deeper mysteries than the early days of the Jedi and Sith," Locke countered. "The ruins might have easily preceded either of them, borne from another sentient race. In fact, I have to wonder what this place would have offered to either faction, if we haven't found anything of real significance so far."

"A hiding place," Revan replied as Kajex tapped commands into the holotable. "Planets like these are excellent at masking a Jedi or Sith's presence just from the sheer chaotic output of Force energy in the planet's biomass. When it's ordered and structured like most Core worlds, it's easier to spot Force-sensitivity, but when you let raw nature do its thing, the shroud can be almost impenetrable."

"Does that happen a lot?" Rook asked.

"Frequently, especially where the Sith are concerned," the holocron told them darkly. "They tend to go to one extreme or another- either find a planet teeming with life, or kill everything on it and warp the Force around it."

"Like Katarr," Kajex muttered softly.

"Master Skywalker mentioned that one of his mentors hid on a similar life-abundant planet," Syrra agreed. "I think Revan is right- the Sith might have tried to hide something, and the Jedi may have found out."

"Hopefully Master Moarn will have gotten back to us on what this planet might have been used for," Kajex sighed, as the table brightened. "Transmission went through, he's coming up now."

It took less than a minute for the signal to get a thorough lock, even with a massive storm overhead, though the weather did cause minor distortions in the Jedi Master's holoprojection as he stood in the middle of the lounge. "Good evening, everyone. How are things planetside?"

The Sentinel smiled blandly. "Wet and humid- but we're safe and alive. And we've got a lot done, we're ready to add a number of new artifacts if you'd like."

"It's not necessary for the moment- we can get the final count after we've discussed a few things. I had hoped you would contact me tonight, especially as you had wanted me to check with the NRI for information on this planet- I also took the opportunity to ask Master Skywalker if he could locate anything within our collection of holocrons concerning this planet."

"Does that mean you've found something?" Kajex asked

"Nothing concrete, I'm afraid," Moarn answered, shaking his head. "To be fair, we did confirm that this planet was once within the influence of the Sith Empire, but no records as to whether it was actually visited or exploited for any reason. The NRI's report was a little clearer, but not by much. They were at least able to confirm that while the Galactic Empire was in power, they made sporadic patrols along this region. That stopped about a year and a half after the Battle of Yavin."

"Was there anything to indicate that they ever touched down on this planet?"

"There's unfortunately no way to tell," Moarn admitted. "But reading between the lines, I have concluded that the possibility exists that they have. I went through the reports as thoroughly as possible, they were pulled directly from Imperial databases. The mission details and goals are marked as classified, and references to ships and personnel are almost non-existent, save one name- Rom Mohc."

Kajex frowned. "... Mohc. Name sounds familiar."

"A non-clone officer from the time of the Clone Wars," the Trandoshan informed him. "I seem to recall that he was an exceptional soldier, engaging droids in hand-to-hand when he could. From what little I could tell from these reports, he became a General of the Empire, but I've not had time to find anything else. The NRI directed me to discuss Mohc with Mas-- Kyle Katarn, but as it happens he is off on a mission and is not expected to return until later this week."

"Well, there's no need to pull him off-mission simply for our sake," Locke advised. "We'll just have to handle whatever we find tomorrow by ourselves."

"As most Jedi must," Master Moarn replied with a nod. "Then with that out of the way, we'll get on with logging today's new finds."

"Yay, boring crap," Keris mock-cheered as the crew converged on the holotable and started organizing relics.

"Careful," Locke cautioned with a small smile. "Perhaps tomorrow you'll have more excitement than you'd like."

Kunik's rather consistent weather meant that there was little point in establishing an meteorological station to track and predict the planet's weather systems, and thus there was no way to know what the conditions would be like in the morning. But as there was no reason to believe the weather would be anything but wet and rainy, nobody was surprised when they all woke up to the sound of heavy rainfall against the hull of the Gold Rush. It persisted through their morning meal, only slightly tapering off as they began gathering equipment and coming back in full force when the Trianii Ranger Squadron arrived only an hour later, completely soaked and (mostly) thankful for the surplus of towels being handed out for them.

As promised, Talrik allowed the Trianii Rangers to carry the explosives, and as a gesture of good faith Kajex informed them that they were welcome to borrow any equipment from the ship's armory. Though he was fully aware that it would not change Chaq's opinion of him, it was quickly apparent that he'd scored a few points with many of the other Rangers, who were equipped with effective yet unreliable slug-thrower rifles. Unwilling to take any chances, he and Locke had agreed it would be best to ensure that everyone would be equipped to handle any problems while he was separated from them. As he guided the ship slowly through the dense mists of the planet, sailing above the gangled and bent swamp trees, Locke had gathered the group in the lounge and was going over the plan.

"<My brother will drop us all off at the structure and find a place to set the ship down, then join us afterward while we find a way to penetrate the facility,>" Locke explained, gesturing to a map generated by the holotable. "<Should we find a point of ingress, I would suggest that we leave a small team at the entrance while the remainder investigates. Depending on what we find, we'll have several options which may include contacting the Republic- but for the duration of this mission we'll be deferring to Sinth Pakka's judgment and leadership.>" This generated several nods of approval, though Locke noted that Chaq still regarded the Guardian with a hard stare.

"<As it is, I agree with the Jedi assessment and plan- if it comes to it, we'll plant charges in the structure and shatter it from within,>" Pakka told them all. <"2nd Sinth Chaq will guard our point of entry in the event that we should find one, and I'll want one of the Jedi's translators to accompany his team.">

"<As you command,>" Chaq rumbled quietly.

"<We're coming up on the structure!>" Kajex called from the cockpit. "<Get to the ramp and I'll hover her over the largest flat piece I can find!>"

They wasted no time, the well-armed team hurrying towards the ship's starboard side with Locke and Pakka at the front. Before long they felt the ship pitch to the right and slow to a crawl- moments later, the ramp hissed to life and lowered, revealing mud-caked, rain-slick permacrete some five meters below. Locke and Pakka were the first ones out, leaping and landing on the stone with their weapons ready, scanning the structure visually- a four-sided pyramid of sorts, only with a cubed section of the apex cut out and creating a hexagonal platform in the center, cornered at four points by the triangular remnants of wedge-shaped spires. The northernmost of these wedges possessed a sealed blast door, the only visible entrance into the temple. Mud and moss covered much of the stonework, yet light fixtures were embedded along its surface, sporadically visible every few meters.

Syrra and Keris were next, landing behind them, followed by the Trianii Ranger squad; the Gold Rush drifted carefully above the structure as the soldiers were deposited from the vessel, with Talrik and Rook being the last to disembark the ship. "We're clear, bro," Talrik told him through his headset, as he held his C-rifle up and at the ready.

"Copy that- I'll find that shelf of stone to land on and come to meet you guys. Until then, may the Force be with you." With that, the ramp raise and resealed the ship, just as the roar of the Gold Rush's engines burst through the air and it sped to the east.

Locke watched long enough for the vessel to disappear into the mists before shifting his focus to the structure. Keeping in step with Pakka, he spoke loudly and clearly, his voice penetrating the din of heavy rain. "<This is undoubtedly a Sith structure,>" he informed them grimly as Talrik translated, "<though of a design I'm not familiar with. The central landing pad here is something I've never seen in any Sith temple designs.>"

"It's in the shape of the Sith Empire emblem," Keris pointed out. "That probably means this was a joint facility from the Galactic War millennia ago."

"You might be right," Locke agreed.

"You're missing something," Talrik piped up, staring at the platform with his head tilted at an angle.

Everyone turned to him. "What's up kit?" Syrra asked.

"Maybe I'm the only one who sees it... but the Imperial Crest is carved into the center," he pointed out. Sure enough, as they looked around they all noticed the hollowed disc shape within the larger thin circle, connected by six spokes. Along the outer circle, shallow carvings in the shape of aurabesh lettering could be seen, partially obscured by dirt and moss.

Pakka swore silently in his native tongue. "<I didn't even notice that in my flyby. The civilians that visited this place didn't tell me about this emblem, either.>"

"<What does it say?>" Chaq asked, frowning at the lettering.

"<Standard Imperial credo- 'Long Live the Emperor, Long Live the Empire,>" Talrik informed him. "<This isn't just a Sith Temple- it's an Imperial facility.>"

"Did you get that, Kajex?" Syrra asked.

"Yeah, I heard. That doesn't tell us much about what's inside, but I'll definitely have to inform Master Moarn about it now. Once I set down, I'll send a brief transmission to let him know."

"Shouldn't we call for backup?" Miles asked. "Just in case?"

"<We don't want to agitate the Trianii population with a Republic response team,>" Pakka cautioned. "<As Sentinel Kajex said, we still don't know what's inside. Although the chances of it being innocuous might be low, there's no sense in raising an alarm until we know there's something to alarm others about. Contacting the Jedi Order should be sufficient- for now.>"

"<I agree,>" Kajex replied. "<Just focus on getting into the facility.>"

Syrra was the first to reach the blast door, pulling a small datapad and a spool of wiring from her belt. "<I'll get the door and the alarm,>" she told them, as she used the Force to wrench the faceplate off the door controls and plugged the datapad into it's internal wiring.

"<We'll need a team to watch the platform- any volunteers?>" Pakka asked as Syrra worked.

"<I'll stay topside with these two,>" Chaq offered, as a pair Rangers flanked him. "<We'll be here to wait for the Sentinel.>"

"<I'll stay,>" Talrik said abruptly, stepping forward- though Chaq easily stood a head taller than him, his gaze was defiant. "<Rook too, she was hired to watch Kajex's back.>"

"<Do as you please,>" the Trianii grunted, folding his arms. "<I expect he'll take his time getting to us- if you wish to soak your pelt waiting for your leader, that is on you.>"

"<Enough, Chaq,>" Pakka warned him. "<Just inform us when he arrives, and keep your eyes out for anything unusual.>"

"<I'm in!>" Syrra chirped, grinning as her slicing efforts paid off and the blast door slid open slowly. A rush of cold, dry air blasted from the stone-carved stairwell, buffeting against the Trianii Jedi as she slid her datapad back to her belt. "<Smells of grease and stale air,>" she remarked, peering down the descent- on either side, dim lighting fixtures pulsed and flickered.

"Place still has power," Keris noted.

"<On your guard, everyone,>" Locke cautioned as he took point, his lightsaber held forward and providing better illumination. "<Time to see what the Empire was doing here.>"

It had only been three minutes since the Gold Rush had dropped everyone off at the Imperial facility, leaving Kajex to hurry off and find the marked landing point where he could also disembark- but he felt every second of relative silence as he hovered over the marshlands, with nothing but the sound of the ship's engines and his own heartbeat. Even the brief conversation he'd had did nothing to help, only exacerbating the growing sense of solitude he was feeling- it was the first time in a long time where he was the only person onboard.

Nevertheless, he shook off the unpleasant sensation and stuck to his duties, keeping his eyes alert as he scanned the terrain in front of him. The rainfall was making it difficult for him to get a visual on the rock shelf Pakka had told him of, and after a few minutes of flying the Sentinel found himself uneasy and frustrated.

"Take it easy," a voice next to him said, making him nearly jump out of his seat. His head whipped around to the holocron on the console space between his chair and the co-pilot seat, where Revan had manifested.

"Shit, I forgot you were here," the wolf sighed in relief, shuddering.

"You're letting your fear and frustration get the better of you, Sentinel," the Jedi hologram told him gently. "Relax. Concentrate. Your eyes are sharp and your ship's scanners are fine pieces of technology- but you can find your perch another way."

The Sentinel nodded distantly, falling into a calm at the sound of the Jedi Master's voice. Flying was already second-nature to him, but within moments it was as if there was no ship nor cockpit separating him from the environment outside. A part of him lingered beyond the physical, keeping pace with the ship as he reached out and felt the terrain around and beneath him. Every tree seemed to pulse with life, the light of each throb rippling invisibly through the water and muck of the marshlands around it; splashing against small spires of rock eroded from millennia of environmental wear and tear. Before long, the pulsing seemed to hit a large expanse of stone, twice as large as the Gold Rush itself.

"Found it," Kajex muttered, refocusing. Within moments he had pitched the ship west, and brought it over the shelf, easing her down slowly until her landing gear groaned against the mossy rock. A wave of relief passed through him as he powered down most of the ship's system, save for communication- he left this active as he brought a paw up to his headset. "Locke, gimme an update."

Nothing.

"... Syrra, do you read?" Still no response. His brow creased in concern and confusion, and he nearly poured focus into reaching out to his packmates telepathically when Talrik's voice rang out.

"Rook and I are here, topside of the temple," the fox told him. "The rest of the pack is hitting some kind of interference inside- probably a facility scrambler. We're not going to be able to talk to them unless they either find and deactivate it, or find the whitelisted frequency we can talk on."

The news only deepened the wolf's frown. "That's not a good sign. Imperials only install those when they don't want transmissions going in or out."

"It's the mark of a facility that has something to hide," Talrik agreed. "Don't worry, Alpha- I'm sure Miles knows that too. Have you landed yet?"

"Just touched down," the wolf told him, getting up from his chair. "I'm going to send a transmission to Moarn and then head out. Keep an eye out for me in a few."

"Kajex, get me to the holotable," Revan said abruptly.

The wolf sighed, expecting a request to leave the holocron with something to do. "Look, I understand you might be bored while I'm away, but you'll just have to deal--"

"You have most of the ships files and systems accessible through the holotable," Revan cut him off, folding his arms. "Call it the anxiety of an ancient Force-sensitive, but I have an incredibly bad feeling about this. You need to get to your pack now- let me handle sending Master Moarn the transmission."

Kajex frowned, peering at the hologram in confusion- there was an undertone of concern in the construct's voice, something that gnawed at the Sentinel's instincts unpleasantly. It took a few moments to come to a decision, but when he did, it was abrupt and absolute. With a firm nod he scooped up the holocron and jogged to the lounge, placing it on the surface and plugging the device into the table. Almost instantly, the table's holoprojectors sprang to life, generating a life-sized construct of Revan between them.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Like I said- intuition," the hologram responded as the projectors generated communication readouts. "I don't know what's going to happen, but I feel it all the same. Get to your friends quickly."

Knowing he'd be wasting time trying to get a clearer answer, the wolf turned away and sprinted for the ramp.

When Locke had investigated the ruins on Dakua with his cloned and surrogate brothers, it had quickly become apparent they were Sith in origin. From the outside, the same assessment could be made based on its exterior structural themes; but where the ruins on Dakua were old, dusty and damaged, the interior of the facility he was leading the team through were clean- though foul-smelling and dimly lit. The stairwell had led to what was clearly an administrative area, its walls lined with access consoles and meeting tables- farther ahead, a raised platform and a wide viewport through which nothing but an expanse of darkness could be seen. An active console with blank screens hummed quietly in front of the viewport.

"Emergency lighting," Miles said softly.

"Even if every one of us can see in the dark, we could do with a little more light," Keris muttered.

Locke glanced to Syrra, and the Trianii nodded wordlessly, moving ahead with the white wolf and flicking a few switches on the console while he activated his headset. "Kajex, we've entered the facility. We've no idea what this place is, but we're working on it." Silence. "Do you read?"

"I can't reach Talrik upstairs either, it looks like we've been hit with a facility scrambler, boss," Miles told him, keeping his heavy rifle at the ready. "Somebody wanted to keep this place a secret."

"We might've stumbled onto one of the Empire's secret projects," Keris followed up uneasily. "Any idea what it could've been?"

Before Locke could answer, the facility shook gently as a burst of energy coursed through its walls, an audible thrumming filling the space around them as the lighting above brightened. Light flooded the area outside the viewport, revealing a vast, white-walled chamber filled with multiple levels of assembly lines and scores of cargo crates stacked along the corners of the room. The scene seemed frozen in time but for a moment, before those lines began moving again- the horrible screeching of unmaintained machinery penetrated the transparisteel viewport, echoing through the facility as dozens of agile automated arms grabbed at machined parts and set them into the crates.

Another moment passed as the Jedi and Ranger team lined the viewport and peered within, staring at the scene before them. "<What is this place?>" one of the Trianii asked.

Locke shook his head. "<I've no idea. Syrra, is there anything on that console to tell us what this place is?>"

The Trianii glanced at him briefly before focusing her attention on the computer, looking through several screens of data with a frown on her face. "<There are multiple references to a 'DT construct', pertaining to a project of some sort,>" she said slowly. "<Near as I can tell for now, it looks like a... droid factory, of some sort.>"

"That's unusual," Miles remarked after Locke had translated for him and Keris. "The Empire was never in the business of creating droids, they nationalized droid manufacturers so they could build them for the Empire."

"They look like specialized combat droids," Syrra replied, frowning as she brought up schematics of a humanoid-shaped mechanical construct. "It's just a basic outline of one of the models they built here, no detailed specs, but... it looks like suit of stormtrooper armor with integrated weapons."

"That makes even less sense," Locke said.

Pakka tilted his head. "Is there something that should not be, Guardian Locke?"

"By all rights, this facility would be considered illegal by Imperial law, or at least it would have been while the Empire was still active. War droids were outlawed after the Clone Wars, for very obvious reasons," Locke informed them, scratching his head.

"That only applied if you classified your product as a war droids," Miles corrected him as he seemed to stare directly at the basic schematic. "If you classified it as a 'security droid', like a lot of the Empire's subsidized companies did, you could get around that ban. Still, just from a cursory look this thing is armed to the teeth."

"Well, since when has the Empire followed their own laws?" Keris remarked as she peered out of the viewport. "What should we do now?"

The white wolf said nothing, glancing at Pakka- the Trianii commander seemed to understand the look grim Locke was giving him, nodding and addressing everyone. "<The ideal solution here is to find a means to deactivate this facility, then report to the Republic and the local yu'nar so they can investigate further. Syrra, can you pull the plug on this place from that console?>"

She said nothing for a few seconds, her narrow eyes flicking around the readouts in concern. "Not from here, no. All I did was reactivate this place's primary power generator. I can disable security from here, but we'll have to deal with any other systems in this facility ourselves. Give me a sec and let me see if I can bring up a floor plan of this place."

Locke nodded, glancing out of the viewport again. A chill passed through his spine as his eyes caught the sight of an automated arm lifting a war droid's head and circuitry off a conveyor belt. The brief angle at which he saw it made it seem like a skull and spinal column in the grip of a mechanical arm. Barely able to suppress a shudder, he swallowed and turned back to Syrra.

"Got it," she told them. "By the Force, this place is massive." It was an understatement- just from a cursory glance, Locke could see the facility was easily a square kilometer in size at the base, not counting the pyramid's five floors. "It looks like they retrofit almost everything this temple used to have."

"<For what purpose?>" one of the Rangers asked. "<Why would this Empire wish to make use of a religious site for a military project?>"

"<I expect we'll know soon enough,>" Pakka told them, "<so rather than ask the question we should start seeking the answer. We'll cover more ground if we split up.>" He pointed to three rangers. "<I want the three of you to go with Knights Locke and Keris- they are to lead, do your best to follow.>" He gestured to another three. "You three will follow me- Miles, I would like for you to accompany me as well. As you are a former Imperial soldier, I expect your insight will be invaluable."

"Fair enough," the Miraluka agreed.

The Trianii commander turned to his cousin. "<Syrra, as capable a fighter as you might be, I'd like for you to wait up here with my remaining two men- use the console here to our benefit if possible, find out more about this place, see if you can find or disable this facility's communications scrambler, and guide your mate to us when he finally arrives.>"

The Trianii Jedi offered him a lopsided smile, folding her arms. "<You're not doing this to keep me safe, are you?>"

He grinned. "<No- I'm doing it so there's someone upstairs to save my tail when things go south.>"

Talrik had made it abundantly clear through tone of voice and expression that he trusted Chaq to aid Kajex without any hindrance about as much as the fox was able to control the Force- which was to say, not at all. Though the Trianii Sinth had not spoken since Pakka and the rest had entered the facility, the Antarian Ranger could still feel the larger Trianii Ranger's cold gaze at the back of his head, or so he imagined.

Soon, however, he was willing to admit that the cold sensation trickling down the back of his neck might just be the rain working its way through his pelt. With his face soaked and fur matted, the only reason he wasn't too miserable being stuck out in the elements was because he knew he'd have to be on the lookout for Kajex, as the wolf had informed them he had landed the Gold Rush and was now making his way to the temple as quickly as he was able. But with no clear route between the ship and the facility, there was no way to know how long it would take.

He glanced to his side, noticing that Rook was keeping her eyes out as well, apparently completely unconcerned about the heavy rainfall- if anything seemed to be unsettling her, the tapping foot seemed to indicate the lack of action was getting to her. He chuckled. "Feeling restless?" he asked.

The Selonian glanced at him, giving him a half-smile and a nod. "Was kinda hopin' I'd be in there with the rest, but then you went ahead and volunteered yourself and me to look out for the boss."

He cleared his throat, ears drooping as a pang of guilt ran through him. "Ah, yeah... sorry about that, I should have asked first..."

"Nah, 's fine," she assured him. "You're right, he is my paycheck. And besides, I don't trust that fucker, Chaq. If he knew how to speak Basic, he'd probably try to have a discussion with me just t' piss me off." There was a pause, a brief moment where she looked into his eyes for the space of a long second before looking away with a hint of embarrassment. "'sides, I promised yer mom I'd watch your tail, didn't I? But it does kinda deprive me of possible action downstairs, so I'm gonna want somethin' to make up for it, yeah?"

"What'd you have in mind?" Talrik asked as she sidestepped towards him.

"It's red, thick, and 8 inches long, love," she purred, leaning over to nuzzle his cheek. "Think you can oblige?"

The words brought out a nervous chuckle from the fox. "I, a-ah... yeah, if it helps make up for it."

"If I don't get sick from all this damned exposure to the fuckin' bogs out here, yer dick'll more than cover the trouble," she said, sighing. "Mind, I like water like any other Corellian otter- but not when it smells like this. And that's not even countin' the company," she added, turning and gesturing to the three Trianii stationed near the hatch.

"Not a civil bunch," Talrik sighed.

"Or a smart bunch, either," Rook chuckled mirthlessly. "Kaj was nice enough to give 'em access to the ship's armory, and these assholes stuck with their slugthrowers."

The fox nodded without really thinking about it, glancing in their direction briefly. But in that moment, something clicked, prompting him to double-take. All three Trianii were indeed stationed at the blast door, with two flanking each side- but Chaq was crouched, his rifle slung over his back instead of held in any ready position. Even without his weapon, his appeared to be interacting with something.

"... What are they doing back there?" he asked warily. Rook blinked and followed his gaze to the hatch, eyes narrowed.

"... I dunno," she muttered, frowning.

With a creeping sensation of fear welling up in him, the Ranger quickly looked out over the marshes to see if Kajex was near- but the mists were far too thick to see beyond a few dozen meters, and so he turned back and approached the Trianii trio with a quick pace, with Rook following close behind. He could see one of the Trianii Rangers turn to Chaq, muttering something indistinct that prompted the 2nd Sinth to get to his feet, turning to the fox just as they were within speaking distance.

"<Something the matter, Antarian?>" the Trianii Sinth asked.

Talrik did not answer immediately, his heart leaping into his throat as he saw no fewer than 4 demolition charges lining the inner walls of the stairwell. A wave of fury built up in the fox as he glared at Chaq, though he kept his voice as steady as he could manage. "<I would ask you the same thing, 2nd Sinth. I don't remember any part of the plan requiring us to rig the entrance with explosives. Would you care to explain?>"

Chaq glared back. "<Perhaps you're new to soldiering, boy. I've been doing this for 15 years, now, trained by my father and grandfather- any good soldier will have a backup plan. Might as well have something to seal this temple off if it becomes too dangerous.>"

"<On whose orders?>" Talrik pressed with a growl.

"<I'm a 2nd Sinth, whelp,>" Chaq growled back. "<I do not require 1st Sinth Pakka's approval, and I certainly don't require yours. Now cease your tone and step away from me, Antarian- in case you've forgotten, you alone possess the remote trigger for these charges. Remove your rancid hide from our presence- and take the invader bitch with you.>"

In another time and place, these words would have been enough to cow the fox into submission, causing him to tuck his tail between his legs and run. But after nearly a year of fighting unspeakable evils, constant boosts to his confidence from his packmates, and now the approval of a skilled huntress, Talrik couldn't view Chaq's threatening tone with anything more than contempt. Still, seeing it was pointless to argue- and knowing that Chaq was at least correct about the fox carrying the only detonator- he merely shook his head and turned away.

"What's the word, love?" Rook asked, seeming to notice his anger at the feline guards.

"Chaq's being a paranoid bastard- he lined the entrance with charges as a contingency plan to seal this place up," he told her.

"He'd seal inside everyone else," she pointed out as the pair started moving back to the other side of the landing platform.

"No, he couldn't. I'm the only one that can set them off with the trigger," he reminded her.

"That can soon be remedied," a voice behind them growled.

It happened before Talrik could recognize the voice- he'd turned halfway before something slammed into the back of his head, the fox's skull bursting into a sea of color, sound, and pure pain, dropping him face-first to the wet, hard stonework. The taste of blood spread along his tongue as he heaved and blindly reached out to grab his weapon, his vision swimming with distortion. It was to no avail, as a feline hindpaw kicked his concussion rifle out of reach.

With a groan he rolled onto his back, seeing Rook doubled over, one of the Trianii Rangers having slammed his fist into her midsection. The otter's eyes were wide with pain and shock as she fell to her knees, holding her stomach as she gasped for oxygen, but she was allowed no reprieve as the same Ranger thrust his foot out and nailed her dead in the chest- the force of the blow knocked her on her back, the back of her head slamming against the stone with skull-cracking force.

Cold fear coursed through the fox as he struggled to crawl to the otter, yet before he could get within arm's reach a strong paw had grabbed the collar of his jacket and thrown him onto his back. Anger displaced that fear as he struggled to get up, only to stop dead still as the barrel of a slugthrower pistol pressed against his forehead. The third Trianii Ranger made use of the moment to grab the Amaran's shoulder and relieved him of his blaster pistol, tonfas, and combat knife.

"Struggle any further and I'll decorate this temple with your brains, whelp," Chaq threatened him in perfect Basic. "I can easily search your body for the detonator, but if you value your life you'll give it to me."

Talrik growled. "Fooled us pretty good, asshole... but no go. You can go to hell before I give it to you."

Chaq sneered at him as he cocked back the hammer. "You first." A pause, then a glint of inspiration. "Or perhaps..." he suggested, lifting the barrel away and pointing it at the gasping, stirring Selonian, "... her first."

The fury Talrik felt had chilled once again into fear. "You fucking-- why!?"

"Give me the detonator, and I swear upon the honor of the six gods of Trian that you will both be spared!" Chaq snarled in his face, ignoring the fox's question. "I will gladly send you to Kunik herself otherwise! Now, do it slow and smooth. No tricks, unless you tire of living."

The warm flow of blood from his nose mixed with the cold rain splattering on his face, his body shaking in anger and anguish as his right paw slid beneath his jacket and into the left breast pocket of his coveralls. From it he drew a slim, hand-shaped remote trigger, holding it up. Chaq grabbed the device, but Talrik did not let go.

"Why!?" he snarled, glaring at the feline.

Chaq chuffed angrily, ripping the detonator from his grip and standing. "Because he is unworthy."

20 meters below, Syrra was making slow but solid progress on the facility console. Now convinced that the control room she was waiting in was meant for Imperial officers to oversee the facility's project, she had fully expected her access to the rest of the facility to be limited- she was therefore pleased to see that it at least allowed her access to the factory's security systems, allowing her to monitor both team's progress. The only true limitation was in communications, yet the facility scrambler did not prevent her from reaching out to Locke or Miles through the Force (though the latter could not reliably speak back).

"The facility scrambler is located six levels below your position, Locke. The closest turbolift is on the northern side of the temple, about 100 meters to your left," she instructed him slowly. "I've partially lifted the facility's lockdown, you should be able to access any doors in your path past the next 3 levels- I'm still working on everything below that."

Gratitude flowed into her from the white wolf. "Very good, Syrra. Just take your time, there does not to seem to be any pressing need at the moment."

"True, but the sooner we get that scrambler offline, the sooner we'll have a better line of communication. I don't like the radio silence we have right now," she admitted with a shiver, her paws dancing deftly across the console and the datapad attached to it. "It's too quiet. And I don't like these reports I'm reading about the droids they were working on- these 'DT' constructs look dangerous. Just... be careful down there."

"We will," he assured her.

She nodded, sighing and pausing in her work- movement behind her got her attention as one of the assigned Rangers returned from scouting the area. "<This floor seems clear, Jedi Syrra,>" she purred. "<We found a small barracks area, but no armory. We did come across a storeroom, however.>"

"<What was in it?>" she asked, her head cocked to one side.

With her right paw, the Trianii drew a long, ebony blade that had been tucked beneath her belt; with her left, she extracted a handful of small, luminescent green-colored crystals. "<A curious short-sword of some kind, encased in a glass display case. There were also several portable cases containing these precious gemstones,>" she added, holding one of them up as it seemed to glow gently.

Syrra sucked in a breath of air sharply, sensing the energy radiating from the stone. "<It's brimming with Force energy,> she remarked, able to sense from it what she could now sense from the Healing Crystal around her neck. When the Trianii Ranger offered her the stone for a closer look, she took it, immediately feeling a warmth pulsing in her palm like a miniature heartbeat. "<Amazing... and I sense no corruption from it, either. How many cases did you say you found?>"

"<I'd say two dozen of them,>" the Ranger informed her. "<Shall I bring them out here so they may be transported with us?>"

Syrra paused for a moment, considering the question before nodding. "<Yes- that would be a good idea. I don't believe these stones could be dangerous, but better to take them with so they can be analyzed thoroughly. The Jedi Order will want to see it, for certain.>" She watched as the Ranger left, once again left alone as she channeled her focus to her fiancee. "My accompaniments found a cache of Force-imbued crystals," she informed him. "I'm having them collect what they found for extraction later."

The wolf's response was distracted, harried- even a little concerned, she noticed. "That's great, Syrra- just landed and I'm making my way to you. Stay sharp, Revan felt a disturbance in the Force."

The Trianii frowned. "Okay? Was there anything clear about it?"

"I don't know, but I'm sensing it too- keep tabs on everyone, I'll try to be there soon!"

"But I don't feel--"

Even as she said it, a powerful surge of pain filled her senses, the Trianii mewling sharply as the sensation overwhelmed her and caused her to stagger back. It was brief and fleeting, easily displaced by her Jedi training as she regained her balance and interpreted the flood of agony for what it was.

"Talrik... Rook!"

"Get upstairs to them now!!!" the wolf shouted mentally.

But she was already moving when he had said it, sprinting to the stairwell and ascending as fast as she could. Brief tendrils of thought reached her as Locke and Keris tried to reach out to her, having likely felt the pain of their companions as well, but she ignored them, channeling her focus into a burst of speed. They'd descended four flights of stone steps before reaching the control room, and yet even as she was leaping up the incline three steps at a time, it did not seem fast enough. Two flights up, she drew her lightsaber. One flight left, she could see the blast doors.

She stopped short halfway up the stairwell, spotting the trap in time.

The Trianii Jedi was in the middle of leaping backwards down the flight of stairs when the charges went off, the explosion blasting her back down as fire and debris washed over her body. There was a brief moment of intense heat and pain, the sensation of falling, abruptly ceasing as her head struck the landing.

It ended in darkness.

"Locke... L-Locke, what... what just happened?" Keris gasped, hot tears running down her face as the white wolf stared up at the ceiling. The reverberations of the explosives going off were only just tapering away into silence, a chilling quiet that lingered as neither Jedi nor Ranger spoke, their breaths held and eyes wide as fear began to overtake them. Not even Locke answered her, not immediately.

It was her warm paw on his face that roused him from his shock, forcing him out of his dazed fear to look into her eyes.

"Is... is she dead...?" she whispered, trembling.

His response was slow, uncertain. "I... I don't know," he croaked. "I... I can't feel her. S-she might just be out cold," he suggested, though there was a lack of confidence in those words.

"<Jedi Syrra... there were Rangers up there with her,>" one of the Trianii reminded them, looking rattled but hopeful. "<If she lives, they will help her, I am sure of it.>"

Locke nodded, still feeling dazed. "<Yes... yes, they will. But... two more of our pack are still up there, and I suspect they were attacked. And my brother has yet to arrive, he may be in danger,>" he added, fear beginning to take root in him.

He would have started to sprint for the turbolift they had just used had the facility not come to life at that moment. Both the wolf and vixen were familiar with Imperial alarm klaxons- deep and foreboding, they supplemented the flashing red emergency lighting on a level that caused Locke to shudder.

Without warning, a loud clatter emanated from behind them, causing the group to jump and backpedal away- the wall closest to them had displaced itself, shifting deeper in before sliding up and revealing itself as a hidden hatch that held little but a dark hall behind it. Yet everyone of them were capable of seeing into the darkness before them, spotting the four large, near-skeletal frames of droids within, hunched over as if dead on their feet. A series of clicks followed and the frames began to move, standing erect and holding their heads up, their visual sensors generating a dangerous blood-red glow while their heavy, metallic footfalls thumped through the temple halls. Locke held his arms out and coaxed everyone back as the droids exited the hidden hatch- it was here that Locke could see the long, lethal vibroswords protruding from their right wrists, while a sturdy blast shield had been welded on their left.

But it was their voice that caused Locke to sway- the droid at the front of the group spoke, its voice eerily robotic, yet menacing as it continued it's march towards the Trianii and Jedi.

"BREACH DETECTED IN UPPER LEVELS. AUXILIARY SECURITY ACTIVATED. NON-IMPERIAL INTRUDERS DETECTED." It slowed for only a moment, hunching over as it seemed to stare at Locke- with astonishing speed it lunged for him, vibrosword slashing through the air at the Guardian just as he backpedaled and ignited his lightsaber. The blade clanged against the pike's Force-imbued shaft, just as Locke twisted his weapon forward and stabbed at the droid's head dead on.

The energy blade merely knocked against the chassis without a spot of damage. Locke's eyes went wide.

"Phrikite," he whispered. "It's made of phrikite."

The droid did not seem to react to his words- yet it might as well have been given its lethal response.

"PHASE I DARK TROOPER ONLINE. COMMENCING FACILITY PURGE."

"Give me your arm."

Talrik glared at him. "Fuck you."

Chaq glared back, swinging his paw out and slashing Talrik across the face- the fox howled as three claws drew blood from his jowls to his muzzle. "If I must rend every limb from your body before you comply, I will gladly do it."

"Leave 'im alone... you motherfuckers..." Rook gasped, weakly reaching out to the injured Ranger. Talrik quieted his cry of agony, growling and breathing hard as he tried to focus past the pain. With Chaq's pistol against his temple and another pressed against the open gash at the back of Rook's head, the fox was all too aware of what the Trianii traitor was attempting to do.

"Where... did you learn...?" he growled.

"I've no idea what you're talking about," Chaq hissed.

"Bullshit... you're trying to use... a Jedi-killing tactic to ambush him. To unsettle him. Who taught you to do it, you sick bastard?!" Talrik snarled.

"Your arm," Chaq reminded him, grabbing the fox's wrist and twisting his arm hard. A crack rang out from Talrik's elbow and the fox grunted in pain, fighting back the tears of agony. The Trianii holstered his pistol and pointed to one of his subordinates. "<You- bind the invader bitch.>" He gestured to the other. "<You- take his other arm and follow me.>"

Knowing it might be his only chance to fight back, Talrik struggled in their grips- yet as strong as he was, and as skilled as he'd become with the help of his Jedi and Ranger allies, his stamina had been sapped from the pain he was suffering, and Chaq and his men proved to be far stronger, easily wrenching his arms behind his back and carrying him to the eastern side of the landing platform.

"<Hold him down. Hold his right arm out,>" Chaq ordered them- one Trianii pinned his chest to the stone with his knee in Talrik's back, while the other yanked the fox's arm out and held his wrist under his heavy foot. "<And you- give me your blaster pistol,>" he added, gesturing to the one on Talrik's back.

The fox watched, heart thumping wildly as he saw Chaq adjust the blaster's settings. They were no longer set to lethal, but nor did they possess a stun setting. The traitor had set the weapon to its lowest lethal setting, checking it briefly before nodding in satisfaction. "<Give me your long-rifle, cadet,>" he ordered one of the Rangers, who complied without hesitation.

"So this is how fucking sick you are," Talrik growled. "Using the Burning like a sick piece of shit!? You think you'll ever get away with what you're about to do, in this life or the next!?"

Chaw merely smiled as he aimed the blaster at the Amaran's forearm. "Your alpha is coming. Be a good dog and howl for him."

Revan had warned him. Now he was too late.

The mists prevented him from seeing what had happened with his own eyes, but it was his connection with Talrik that he was able to piece together what had happened, and who was responsible. An ambush, treachery, betrayal against his own- and all to get at the Sentinel. Talrik was injured; Rook, barely conscious; Syrra... he could not feel her, but a calm rage in his heart refused to accept the possibility of her death until he could see it for himself, though not before exacting punishment on the one who had harmed her.

Years of Jedi training, of augmenting his body through the Force, were utilized as he dashed effortlessly across the soft marshlands leading back to the temple. He knew Chaq would be lying in wait, expecting the Sentinel to come directly at him- and despite the danger, he ran. Without a trace of fear or a moment of consideration, he sprinted directly toward the temple. In his mind, he could only think about reaching his pack and saving whoever he could.

The outline of the Temple appeared ominously through the mist, just as blaster-fire erupted from the ridge. His reaction was swift, the Jedi stopping short and igniting his lightsaber reflexively to defend against the barrage of rifle-fire- yet they did not come. The shots continued, a red glow visible above the lip of the eastern peak of the submerged temple as Kajex approached slowly, nearing a submerged boulder.

Then he heard it.

It was the most brutal scream he'd ever heard in his life, a howl of immeasurable agony and suffering that stabbed into his heart like a cold knife- the howl of his surrogate younger brother, one of the bravest soldiers he'd ever known, was enough to cause the Sentinel to freeze completely in his tracks.

The vision came after.

For a few brief moments, his eyes became Talrik's. They could both see the fox's arm held in place, could see the impact of the low-powered blaster bolts as they seared through flesh- already, the fox's right arm had been so flayed, robbed of fur and flesh that the pale bones of his forearm were showing. It was sight so horrifying, a crime of unforgivable magnitude, that Kajex did not hear the crack that brought him out of his trance.

A sensation not unlike a hard kick to his stomach knocked him back into his own body; yet the sensation continued, until within the space of a fraction of a moment, it had expelled blood and flesh out his lower back, leaving a grave exit wound as the bullet penetrated the wolf completely. Kajex staggered back a few steps in shock, eyes wide as he turned his gaze down slowly- blood was issuing from his stomach, pouring down his robes and staining them red.

When his gaze lifted back up, he could see Chaq looking down at him, a look of wild victory on his face. Bestial and cruel, it was the last thing Kajex saw before his legs lost their strength and he fell to his side, clutching his mortal wound as a freezing coldness started to overtake him.

A weak whine poured from his throat, moments before darkness overtook him- but he smiled as it did, muttering weakly.

"Bran... Kane... I'm comin'..."