Into the Ruins
Steven stood before the council, hands linked behind his back to hide the way he fidgeted with his own fingers. He was doing his best to keep his expression neutral, to push his negative feelings out into the Force rather than have them be sensed by the Jedi and questioned. He didn’t think giving them his honest opinion of their treatment of Juhani was a good way to start his time as a Padawan.
“It is good that young Juhani has returned to the light.” Said the shortest council member with a scerne smile. Steven bit the inside of his cheek, eyes fixing on a spot just over Master Zhar’s head shoulder. That was easier than looking at their satisfied faces.
Master Vrook, with his usual ‘smelling something bad’ expression, grunted in agreement. “You are now officially a Padawan of the Jedi order. You will no longer be a liability as you and Konshu follow the vision given by the Force. Go to the ruins today. Report on what you discover.”
Steven bowed and left the chamber. He found Konshu standing outside the room. Looming. He always seemed to be looming.
“Are you prepared?”
“As much as I’ll ever be.” He grumbled. Walking with Konshu always made him feel a little silly; the other being’s legs were very long and Steven often had to take two steps to keep up. Once they’d left the enclave he waved a hand to get the Jedi’s attention. “So, I met- met someone recently.” He said. Konshu turned one massive dark eye on him, but did not slow down. “Jake said he knew you?” He tried to sound casual, the anxiety that he might have imagined the two bonds inside him flaring up almost painfully.
That made Konshu freeze, swinging his head towards Steven so quickly that his beak barely missed the human’s face. “Jake Lockely. I was not aware you two were in contact.”
“We weren’t. But… now I’ve met him and he said I should just talk to you about it. It’s… a normal thing right?”
There was a long, uncomfortable pause. “It is not… common. But not an issue, for now.” The Jedi said slowly. “It is well that you know of him. He is competent. Bring him out.”
“What?”
“Surrender the body. He will join me on this mission.”
“It’s my body! I’m not just gonna-” He almost choked as his mouth was jerked out of his control, accent changing and pitch dropping. “-he’s right. His body. His life. I’m just lookin’ out for him now and then.” He could feel Jake’s presence, close to his own, but the influence of his mouth was gone. He gave the other consciousness an irritated prod. Don’t do that without asking! He kept his eyes on Konshu. Frustration was rolling off the other, though his expression was as unreadable as ever.
“If the situation is dire, you will step forward to protect Steven Grant, correct?” He gritted out.
Can I answer? Jake dutifully asked in their head. Thanks for asking. “Yeah. I will. It’s what I do best.” Steven shuddered. The feeling of his mouth moving, the voice being his but still so NOT was beyond unsettling. Jake sounded so firm. It was a little heart warming.
Do you exist if I die? He asked. No. Body dies, so do me and Marc. That explained why Jake was invested in protecting him, at least.
Unaware of their silent exchange, Konshu let out a very long sigh. “Very well. For now.” And then he stalked off, Steven having to hurry to catch up. Jake faded into the back of his mind, but he could still feel the other mind. He wasn’t alone.
They emerged from a series of canyons before a tumble of dark standing stones and high mounds. Steven had been unable to visit the ruins while training and wished he had more time to look around, but unfortunately, Konshu was walking with purpose towards the biggest hill. In the side was a door with no clear way to open it.
“You want to or should I?” He asked brightly, hoping that a friendly tone would relieve some of the tension after he and Jake had refused to switch places.
“Open it.”
Sighing, he’d hoped Konshu would be less… short with him after weeks of training and finally being open about Jake, Steven reached out with his mind. The door was solid stone, but he could feel that it was meant to slide upwards. A touch of Force and it slid open with an unpleasant scraping sound. The inside was dark, but they had brought a light strip from the enclave. Steven held the door open while Konshu ducked inside, then followed, keeping his gaze fixed on the door. His anxiety was convinced he’d lose control and drop it on himself once he started moving. It didn’t fall on him and he was able to let it close without too loud a noise.
The inside of the ruin smelled like decay, the interior made out of dark stone just like his dream. They walked further inside, but both froze when the sound of machinery clicking into life filled the space. What had looked like a rock in the center of the room was shifting, metal joints clicking on the floor and little lights coming on.
“It’s a droid.” Steven didn’t know why he was whispering. He realized one of his lightsabers was in his hand without him thinking to reach for it.
At the sound of his voice, the droid let out a long series of strange noises. It sounded like speech, but was not any language Steven knew. The droid was shuffling on its insect-like legs, but not moving towards them. It had no exterior weapons that he could see, so perhaps it was not meant to be hostile.
“I don’t understand you.” He said clearly.
The droid paused and then began speaking again, in a different language this time, all harsh vowels.
“Perhaps it is broken.” Konshu suggested. He was tense, ready for a threat and it was putting Steven more on edge than he was already.
“No, it’s cycling through languages.” Steven told him. “It can probably understand us, but it might not have been programmed with the right phonemes to communicate with us.”
The droid tried again and this time the language had a particular hissing, gurgling quality that made Steven brighten up.
“Hey! I understood that!” He was smiling. “It’s an archaic variation of Selkath, from Manaan.”
“Why would a droid on Dantooine be programmed to speak Selkath?” Konshu sounded more thoughtful than curious.
“[Communication was vital to ensure that the slaves constructed this temple according to the wishes of the Builders. But you are not of the slave species. Neither are you of the Builders. You are like the one who came before.]” The droid interjected. There was a lot of information there, none of it clear without further questioning, but Steven decided to focus on the last part.
“Someone who came before. You mean Spector and Ammit? What did they want?” Was it just him or had Konshu stiffened even more?
“[The ones who came before you – the ones like you, not Builders but not slaves – sought knowledge of the Star Forge and its origins. They proved themselves worthy. They discovered the secrets of the Star Forge locked beyond the sealed door behind me. But there was another who failed to unlock the secrets and paid the ultimate price.]”
“Nemo.” Konshu named one of the other knights from the enclave. “He was sent to investigate while you were in training. He never returned.”
Steven shivered, guilt pricking him. If he’d studied more quickly, or if they hadn’t bothered to train him at all, would Nemo not have been sent alone?
“Did you kill the jedi who came?” Konshu asked the droid sharply.
“[ I am not programmed for combat, I did not harm the one who failed. This temple's own protections will destroy those who seek knowledge of the Star Forge if they are deemed unworthy.]”
“What is the Star Forge?” Steven cut in, wanting to finish questioning the droid before they accidentally agreed to proving themselves and whatever that entailed.
“[The Star Forge is the glory of the Builders, the apex of their infinite empire. It is a machine of invincible might, a tool of unstoppable conquest.]”
“Could you be more specific? Like what *is* it?”
“[The... The Star Forge is the glory of the Builders, the apex of their infinite empire. It is a machine of invincible might, a tool of unstoppable conquest.]” It was hard to be sure of emotions, both with the language it was speaking and its robotic tone, but the droid seemed almost sheepish.
“I has not been programmed with the knowledge we seek.” Konshu said with a sigh. “It most likely does not even know where the Starge Forge is.” The droid grumbled to itself, but didn’t protest.
“It sounds like it’s a weapon, maybe.” Weapons plant maybe? Jake murmured in his head. Steven repeated that outloud for Konshu’s benefit. “Since we’re trying to find where they got their resources, that could be a possibility.”
Konshu turned his attention back to the droid. “You spoke of Builders. Who were they?”
“[The Builders are the great masters of the galaxy, the conquerors of all worlds, the rulers of the infinite empire and the creators of the Star Forge.]”
“That doesn’t really help.” He glanced up at Konshu. “You ever read anything about an ‘infinite empire?’ Because I read a LOT of history and…”
“These Builders must have been an extinct people, though it is strange there is no record of their existence. Even the archives at the Jedi Academy make no mention of them. In the years before the Republic the Hutts were a dominant force in the galaxy, but they never constructed an empire. Something must have wiped them out.” The Jedi replied, a frown in his voice.
“[The empire of the Builders is infinite and everlasting. None can stand against their might and the power of the Star Forge.]” The droid protested.
“It’s speaking Selkath. Maybe they were the Builders.”
“[The Selkath were nothing but slaves and servants of the true masters. Like all the other species, they bowed down before the might of the Builders and the Star Forge.]” It grumbled, top shifting back and forth uncomfortably. Steven almost felt sorry for it; the thing must have been here for ages, just as forgotten as those who had put it there. He was about to question it more about its history, but Konshu spoke first.
“To prove ourselves, as the other non-builders did, what must we do?”
The droid was back in familiar territory. “[Enter the proving grounds to the east and west. Within them those who understand the will of the Builders can unlock their secrets and open the doors. But those who fail will be destroyed by the power of the temple itself. More than this, I am not programmed to say.]”
To the left and right were two large doors, like the one Steven had opened when they entered the temple. “You take the left one, I take the right?” Steven offered. Perhaps they should stick together for safely, but he wanted to get out of this creepy underground space as soon as possible. He hadn’t minded being underground when getting his crystal, but this room had an air of menace that he couldn’t shake. Konshu nodded his assent, stepped around the droid and went to the left hand door.
This door slid open without the slightest thought from him. The room was just as dark and unsettling as the main room. Steven walked forward cautiously and a light, a screen, flickered into life before him. It was a computer, ancient but still operational. Slowly, wondering if something awful was about to happen, he reached out and pressed a button at random. The computer hummed and a steam of incomprehensible characters appeared, one by one.
“Well, that isn’t one I know.” He murmured. The screen went blank for a moment, hummed and then a new series of characters appeared, followed by a rapid series of tones.
“HRSIKI? JSOOFS OIUWN SO H ITASOO’KHF?” The volume was too loud, echoing around the space painfully. He didn’t recognize the language, but remembered the droid speaking Selkath.
“[Testing again.]” He said, careful to over pronounce his words. The computer beeped and this time the next string of characters was recognizable, just obscure. Steven couldn’t remember what holo he’d learned it from, but it had been a long time ago. He had to sound out the words.
INTERROGATIVE: IDENTIFY THE THREE PRIMARY LIFE-GIVING SEED WORLD TYPES He read, along with a list of possible answers. There was no keyboard, so he figured speaking was the way to go, reading out his choices.
“Oceanic, Grassland, Arboreal.”
The screen went blank and then the words PLANETARY TYPE CONDUCIVE TO LIFE GUARDIAN ACTIVATED appeared on the screen.
See, that’s why this is your job. Who has the energy to learn unused alphabets? Jake said brightly before the sound of machinery activating distracted them. A droid, similar to the one they had spoken to before had activated and was shuffling towards Steven. Unlike the droid in the main room, this one had a weapons array.
His lightsabers bathed the room space in warm, yellow light. That’s not a blaster array. Don’t try to block, just dodge. Jake advised. It was a good recommendation because as Steven jumped to one side, the space he’d just occupied was soaked in some sort of liquid nitrogen, cold air rolling off the now frozen stone floor. He didn’t give it time to fire again, jumping forward and slicing off the array with one blade and sinking the other through the droid’s motion sensor. He jerked the saber blade free through the side of the droid, doing more damage on the way out. The thing shuddered and fell.
“Well, that was easier than expected.” He wasn’t even out of breath. As soon as the words left his mouth, he heard the sound of another lightsaber glancing off something it couldn’t cut and something that sounded suspiciously like a Flamethrower. Jake supplied helpfully. He took off running, across the main room and into the other room.
Konshu was fighting two droids instead of one, but did not seem overly pressed. He cut one in half and Steven took the legs off the second.
“What happened? Why were there two?” He asked worriedly, as soon as he was sure neither droid was in working order.
To his shock, the feeling radiating from Konshu was… embarrassment? “I appear to have gotten the question on ‘death giving seed worlds’ wrong. Therefore, it sent two guardians.”
Steven remembered the ease of the question he answered and the word popped out without him meaning to say it: “How in the Force did you manage that?”
Konshu drew himself up huffily. “Desserts often support life. They are not automatically death giving. The instructions were unclear.”
“Valid point, but it was multiple choice on my end. How many options were there?” Steven could feel Jake’s amusement as well as his own. Konshu ignored the question, heading back to the main room. And he didn’t even say thank you. Jake teased. He had it handled.
The droid expressed no opinion on their survival, simply entering the next part of its script. “[You have proven yourself worthy, the sealed door is open. If you wish to learn the secrets of the Star Forge you must pass through the door to the room beyond.]”
“It’s the door from the dream.” He murmured, walking to the fourth and final door in the temple.
They entered. There was no droid, no ancient terminal, but rather a large, three pronged projector which opened as they approached. The hologram that sprang to life flickered oddly in some places, but it was recognizable.
“It’s a map.” Steven breathed. He circled the hologram, trying to recognize any details. “I think it’s of this whole sector, but… it’s incomplete.” There were no labels, but he’d spent hours examining star maps in different forms and recognized some asteroid belts and systems.
“Spector and Ammit must have used this to lead them to the Star Forge. We could follow this map in order to retrace their steps.”
“This one looks like Korriban, a historically Sith controlled world.” The lights of the projection flickered worryingly when Steven pointed at the gray dot. “And if that’s Korriban, then this one is Kashyyyk.” He knew Konshu was staring at him, but could feel something like pride coming from Jake. Pride in him? “Then here’s Tatooine and… Manaan. That makes sense, with how the droid out there speaks.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.
“Perhaps those worlds hold more clues.”
That seemed like a jump to Steven. That was an overly complex way to find coordinates, but he heard Jake agreeing with the Jedi in his head. I’d bet he’s right. We’ll find more info on those planets. The other sounded so sure that Steven didn’t voice his doubts to either one. It was Konshu’s mission to lead, after all.
“We must inform the Council of what we have discovered. They must decide our next course of action, though I do not doubt that they will send us on this trail.” They left the temple, the droid shutting off as the heavy door fell shut behind them.
***
They’d only been gone a few hours and most of that had been the hike from the enclave to the ruins and back. It felt like it should’ve been longer. Time was hard to judge underground, of course, but it was still disorienting to check his watch and see it wasn’t even time for latemeal. His mind was still back in the ruins, questions about the Builders he knew would never be answered spinning around his head. Would there be more ruins on the other worlds, like Konshu and Jake seemed to think? How would they find them, trying to search whole planets?
Maybe the Force will guide you. Jake’s tone was unmistakably teasing. That’s what Jedi say, right?
When I start feeling like a Jedi, I’ll let you know. He thought, shaking his head.
Whatever other business the council had to tend to, they’d not moved from their usual spots. They watched Konshu and Steven approaching with looks of wary interest.
“Ah, you have returned. Have you discovered what it was that Spector and Ammit sought in those ruins?”
Steven let Konshu explain, just nodding whenever someone glanced at him. He was still thinking about the Builders. They’d made such long lasting tech… Wouldn’t it be amazing to read their language or just explore the ruins more? Sure, they were creepy, but he could live with creepy if there was interesting history to be found.
He was snapped back to the present by Vandar speaking. “The Council is in agreement: the Star Forge must be found! Spector and Ammit sought it out when they began their tragic fall; the Star Forge is surely a powerful tool of the dark side.”
“I am ready to do the Council's will.” Konshu said, voice flat. It occurred to Steven this must be the second time he was accepting this mission, albeit with more information than he’d had before.
“The Jedi numbers have been ravaged by this war, by defections to Ammit's cause and by Sith assassins. But we realize the importance of this mission. Yet if we sent a company of Jedi Knights with you we would surely draw the full attention of Ammit and the Sith, dooming your efforts to failure.” He remembered the Jedi, and everyone else, who’d died on the Endar Spire and shuddered. The larger force certainly hadn’t helped before.
“And Juhani has also asked to accompany you. After long deliberation we have granted her request.” Vandar finished. Steven perked up a little at that. It wasn’t that he particularly wanted another young person to come, but they already had Mission and Juhani might be safer in space than in the Enclave.
“Juhani nearly fell to the dark side. Perhaps her presence will serve as a reminder to you of the dangers of that path.” Vrook said, watching him closely. Inhale, exhale. Release it into the Force. Don’t tell him exactly what you think of their teaching methods… For once his inner voice was all his own.
“You should leave tonight. The longer you wait the stronger Malak becomes. But first a warning, to both of you: The lure of the dark side is difficult to resist. I fear this quest to find the Star Forge could lead you down an all too familiar path.”
Konshu let out a grumpy huff of air and Steven bowed.
“May the Force be with you.” The council said as one. Steven thought he could actually hear the hopelessness in their words.
They left the chamber without looking back. “Well!” He shook himself a little. “It’s good to have a plan at least!” Konshu only grunted. “Meet you at the Ebon Hawk? Make sure Juhani is all packed.” He was going to keep his tone positive if it killed both of them.
“Very well. Inform the crew and see if any of them wish to remain here.” Konshu did a bad job at hiding the hope in his tone.
***
Unsurprisingly, no one wished to stay behind. Even Canderous said there was nothing to do on Dantooine and he was ready to leave. They set about making their preparations and Steven was about to try and find a way to help when Layla snagged him by the back of his robes and dragged him to the little medical room. He could feel she was unhappy, bordering on angry, but wasn’t sure why.
“Layla? What’s wrong?”
“I don't like being left out of the loop.” She said, voice low.
“What? I’m not leaving you out of any loops.” He said honestly, eyes wide.
“No? Well, you certainly aren't helping matters any, either, and it's really starting to irritate me.”
“I don’t get it.” His words did not improve her mood.
“I don't remember reading anywhere that it's a requirement that you remain with us after we left Taris, yet here you are.” That stung. He’d been part of the original mission, afterall, even in a very minor role.
“Well, I can help. Probably.” I hope.
“Maybe so, but why didn't the Jedi keep you on Dantooine for training. Isn't that strange?”
“Strange how?” He really didn’t like sounding stupid in front of her.
“I may not know much about the Jedi, but I do know they aren't famous for taking on old Padawans and sending them on dangerous assignments.” That made him pause. She wasn’t wrong, he knew.
“They said they didn’t have much choice… Because of the war and stuff. Not a lot of Jedi to send along.” Especially after the ones lost on the Endar Spire, he thought. “Maybe I’m more expendable?” Don’t say that!
“If you were, which you’re not, why would they bother training you at all?” She crossed her arms, finally giving him a little space.
“Layla, I’m not… I don’t have the answers or I’d tell you. We’re all in this together, so if there’s something we need to know, I’m sure Konshu would say. I mean, he’s not the nicest person, but this is important to him, so…” He trailed off.
Are we in this together? Why does it seem like the Jedi know everything and leave the rest of us out in the cold, then?” She challenged.
She’s right. They’re not telling us everything. Jake chose that moment to add his opinion to the mix. He wished the woman weren’t snapping at Steven about this, but he agreed with her suspicions and he had more of the puzzle pieces, even if he couldn’t share them. You said that before and unless you have more than ominous warnings and personal differences, then mind your own business. Steven snapped mentally. You are my business.
Apparently talking to Jake gave him a slightly glazed look because Layla was glaring at him more intently and he realized he hadn’t remembered to reply.
“I barely understand what I do, let alone why the Jedi do things. Please don’t ask me to explain things I don’t understand.” He said tiredly. His stomach twisted, thinking of how all her questions seemed to hinge on why he was still on the mission. “Are you saying I'm not needed?” Popped out. It would hurt if she said yes, but he knew she’d done most of the work on Taris, so her view of him was justified.
“No,” She groaned. “I don't… I didn't mean that you weren't wanted! It's just… damn it!” She backed off fully, turning towards the door. “I'll tell you this much… I am *not* going to wait around until I'm betrayed again!” Her tone was venomous.
Steven flinched and he thought Jake might have behind his eyes as well. “I’m not going to betray you!”
“Well, we'll see about that, won't we?” She left him, his mouth hanging open and his chest aching.
That could’ve gone better… Jake murmured.