Chapter Text
The Republic must have spared no expense, I thought to myself while the ship’s archaic hyperdrive engine rang inside my head, seems like the only thing they can afford these days is to fund a galactic war. The engine was clearly overclocked, and most likely modified, to go at speeds much higher than it was originally intended. I had been trying throughout the flight to finish reading up on the research paper on Voss Mystics and their strange connection to the Force, but it seemed like the noise left me with no choice but to leave this for another time.
I glanced around to examine my companions, the Jedi sitting right across from me, and the two agents having a conversation near the ship’s holoterminal which wasn’t loud enough to penetrate through the engine’s hum. I had been trying to hide the fact that being accompanied by a Jedi for an excavation made me feel rather uneasy. Actually, everything about this situation made me uneasy. Too many weapons and too much secrecy for a project on galactic history. This was the research of my life, and now it’s all under the Republic and the Jedi’s grasp. I could not help but feel some sort of resentment towards my team for sharing our findings with the Republic Scientific Research Committee.
As if able to listen to my troubled thoughts, the Togruta Jedi asked “So, Doctor Prell, what drew you into researching the ancient Sith Empire?”. I paused for a second, then looked up from my datapad, yet she was still staring at hers. I could not make whether her tone was inquisitive or she was just trying to engage in a conversation to break the ice. “I simply think that it’s a shame we know so little of it”, I said, “there is a lot to gain from piecing together ancient galactic history to have a better understanding of our galaxy today”. She finally stopped staring at her datapad and met my eyes. She let out a subtle, yet warm smile, and said “I tend to agree”. Her smile was short, as she then fixed her eyes on the wall behind me, as she continued, “but if the legends are true about the place we are about to uncover, we have to prepare for unforeseen consequences.” I gave her a nod. I knew that the ancient Sith capital would be of interest to actors with malicious intent, and I knew that this was the reason Republic Intelligence sequestered our division. However, what I was really wary of was the intention of the Republic and the Jedi in all of this. Was this a mission to learn from our past or did they see this as an opportunity to fully get rid of it?
“Well then, what do you make of it Master Jedi” I asked with a hint of a grin, “what do you think the Jedi and the Republic will do with our findings from this mission?” She seemed thoughtful of the question, clearly calculating an answer. Finally breaking her silence she said “I can sense that you feel troubled about the involvement of the Republic Intelligence, and perhaps also me.” I felt a shiver racing down my spine, I had never felt in my life that I was being read this easily, and the idea was beginning to unnerve me. Perhaps prompted by my apparent unease, the Jedi leaned into the table with a soft smile, and continued “While your concerns are very much understandable, Doctor Prell, they are misplaced. I’m a historian in the Jedi Order, so I’m here with you as a colleague. I’m also very much interested in preserving the history we’re about to uncover. ”
I was confused. I realised that the briefing me and my team had received during the SIS takeover, was indeed a little brief. It was slightly relieving to hear that our Jedi companion was more than a laser sword wielding wizard, another historian, but I didn’t feel that I could entirely trust her yet. I decided to set aside my troubles for the moment, at least until we were on the field so that I could observe her during our work. “I appreciate the sentiment, Master Jedi”, I said. “Please, call me Beva, Doctor Prell”, she said. I could not help but smile, “Mina”, I said.
The cockpit’s door slid open with a hiss, and out walked Ned, my research partner, with a mischievous grin on his face. Probably chatting up the pilot, I said to myself. He approached us, and said “Our pilot said that we should be arriving to the Dromund system shortly”. Beva gave a silent nod, and I stood up to take my leave saying that I needed to prepare for the arrival. Ned followed me to the crew quarters, I could feel his prolonged grin through the entire trip to our room. Once we were inside, I finally asked the question he was so desperately waiting to be asked. “So”, I said, “what’s up with the goofy smile?” He gave out a chuckle, “You really don’t have any situational awareness do you?” I raised an eyebrow. “While you were busy staring into the soul of that Jedi, I guess you might have missed that the cockpit’s door was locked for almost an hour.” He had a proud smirk on his face while saying it. “Maybe if you tried flirting with her instead of staring at her like a stray puppy, you’d also have a shot”, he said. “Don’t be stupid”, I exclaimed, “I’m not going to fool around with a Jedi, especially during a mission such as this. Plus, I don’t know if the Jedi even allow these sorts of things”. Ned grinned, “So you did entertain the idea”. I gave a sigh, “Ned, no I hadn’t. I’m nervous as it is about all this, I’m not thinking about dating a Jedi at all.” His smile faded, he gave an understanding nod. I didn’t want to leave on this note, so I broke out a smile “What about the pilot, though? Tell me all about him”.
We soon left the quarters, after changing to our protective jumpsuits. I grabbed a jacket to wear on top of it, and we made our way to the cockpit to join the rest of the crew as we made our approach to Dromund Kaas. Walking in, Ned pointed at the pilot with his eyes, we both smiled. The two agents, Seta and Oldril were standing behind the two shoulders of the pilot at this time, while Beva was leaning against the back wall of the cockpit to the right. I walked over to the left control panel, but only to obtain a better view of Beva. She had donned black chrome armor plates that covered her shoulders, replacing the light coloured Jedi robes she was wearing earlier. The plates were fitted above her brown high-collared sleeveless top, and now that she was out of her robes, her lightsaber's hilt was visible, attached to the utility belt that held her long, flowing skirt together. She looked not so different than a Jedi general who was ready to rally their troops into a battle, something I hadn't encountered outside of HoloNet.
“The planetary scan is complete”, said the pilot turning to Agent Seta, “there isn't any communication signal going in or out of the planet, but we are receiving a faint signal coming up from the wilds.” Hearing this made Ned almost jump, “A lifeform?” he exclaimed. Agent Seta turned to us and said “That is very unlikely Doctor Sothmest. It’s most likely a primitive piece of equipment that stood the test of time.” She stopped to think for a second, tilting her head towards the window, and then continued, “Nonetheless, we should find the origin of the signal before we start our expedition.” We all nodded in agreement, and our pilot set course to the source of the signal. “Fly low”, the agent instructed our pilot, “just in case”.
As we approached the surface, I walked up closer to the viewport to see the planet. We made our approach through a vast ocean to avoid any kind of sensors that we could have been unaware of. The Sith capital was nothing like Coruscant. The stormy weather, the dark and oppressive atmosphere — barely any light was getting through. However, the planet wasn’t as artificially modified as Coruscant was. We were nearing the jungle and the view was absolutely breathtaking, the luscious dark woods and the fog visibly blanketing the surface of the planet — it looked really gloomy, but it also felt mysterious and magical. I had read so many texts and legends about Dromund Kaas, and now it was right in front of my eyes. I had dreamt of coming here many times and it felt like I was back in those dreams once again. However, this time, my dream came to an abrupt end as a faded and torn Imperial banner came into view, flowing from what I had realised to be the giant spaceport that used to serve the Empire’s capital. The port clearly had no power, and it wasn’t maintained through the millenia where it had been left empty. We all silently glanced over the port until the pilot broke the silence, saying “This is the source of the signal.”