Star Wars: The Age of Peace-Chapter 121 – Refuge

Star Wars: The Age of Peace-Chapter 121 – Refuge

The speeder bucked hard as it skimmed over the stones that covered the flatland, thrown around randomly, being big and small. The vehicle itself wasn't anything new either, as I looked it over; its repulsors sounded and felt ancient, cobbled together to work from different parts, constantly whining in protest, making me afraid of exploding if Iowi pushed them too hard... Not to mention, the rain was cold as ice, lashing across us now. The storm had finally unleashed itself fully across the continent, covering everything in darkness, intensifying the Dark Side's pressure on us, and making me feel the cold even more than before. It wasn't deadly yet... but it was like a hand resting on the back of your neck, not squeezing at the moment, just waiting to slowly reach around and start strangling you.
“We have a, for now, hidden base, right this way!” Iowi shouted over the wind, leaning forward as he drove the speeder into a narrow ravine, “We can’t stay topside, not for long! They’ll sweep the platforms again once the storm eases and they do periodical flybys... robotic bastards.”
As we entered, the ravine tightened around us, its walls rising high and remaining uneven, soon blocking most of the sky and making the rain feel less of a downpour. I just hoped we won't get swept away by a flash flood. It was a possibility because ahead of us, half-hidden by the cascading water from above and big sheets of moss-dark stone, was a jagged opening in the cliff face... and we were heading straight for it as the speeder slowed, then dipped sharply as Iowi cut power and let it glide the last stretch, straight into a hole. I watched as the stones rolled down behind us, blocking the coming rain, the wind, and the coldness, and we were finally safe... inside an old mine.
Looking at it, the entrance was reinforced long ago with crude durasteel braces and scavenged platings, and above and below us, power cables snaked along the ground, the ceiling, and the walls before disappearing into the darkness of the different routes leading across most likely the entire mine. Not all the lights were on, though the ones that were were dim and amber, giving us a straight path to follow.
“We’re here,” Iowi exhaled, killing the engine, taking a deep breath, and when he did so, the sudden silence was deafening.
There were no questions to ask, well, not yet, so everyone moved fast to follow him. HK covered the rear automatically while Vila and I took point, sabers unlit but ready, making Iowi smile at us behind his unkept beard, but he said nothing. The moment we crossed the threshold into one of the shafts, the temperature increased noticeably. The air inside was dry, with a bit of a metallic tinge, and stale, recycled air wafting up from somewhere below us. The shaft itself sloped downward at a shallow angle, and while we walked, I noted the marks on the walls, telling me that this place hadn’t been touched since long before Iowi had found a refuge here.
“Down here,” he said, lowering his voice, "Watch your heads, it's easy to headbutt the hard stone and get a new scar."
We followed him as he led us down deeper, past two other junctions that were blocked off by collapsed rock or sealed with makeshift bulkheads. As we walked, the Dark Side pressure finally faded slightly the farther we went, loosening its grip on our necks and giving way to the more peaceful aura of the Light Side. As the feeling got stronger, we rounded a bend and stopped as the cavern opened into a vast chamber, reinforced into a crude underground settlement.
"Oh..." I exclaimed without thinking, because I wasn't expecting something like this.
Scanning the space, multiple cots lined the walls, then next to them, dozens of crates were stacked high, and numerous power cells hummed as they powered the interior lighting. At the far end of the cavern, a hydroponics rig churned in one corner, growing pale green plants under artificial light, able to feed the people who were stuck down here because... Yeah... There were more than just our missing friends. I hadn't counted, but there had to be at least twenty, no... more than thirty of them. Humans, Twi’leks, a pair of Duros, a Sullustan, a Gran with one eye bandaged shut… and near the center, towering over most of them, stood an Ithorian. First time I had seen one and damn... they are huge!
He was tall even for his species, I think, with extra-broad shoulders, his twin mouths pulled into a look of shock as he noticed our arrival. I guess, they didn't expect visitors to come back with Iowi. Then, when he saw HK, he reeled back a little, and fear spread amongst them, almost turning into a panic.
"It's okay!" Iowi said at once, feeling it too, "This is a different droid!"
[Statement: Of course, I am different. Offended Rebuke: Don't even try to lump me in the same category as those faulty washing machines.]
Ignoring HK and Iowi, I kept my focus on the Ithorian. It was evident that he was some kind of leader, and as I concentrated my senses on him, I noted that his hide was duller than it should have been, filled with mended scars and faded from pure exhaustion. Even for just being able to stand, he had to lean heavily on a carved staff reinforced with metal bands. When his deep, resonant voice sounded again, it echoed through the chamber like a growl.
“More arrivals…?” he asked, and I could sense the hope and fear tangled together in his question. He hoped we would save them... but was afraid we were now just as trapped as they were. “Iowi... What is this?”
Before anyone else could speak, another figure shoved past the crowd, and hearing his shout, I couldn't help but smile to myself.
“KAEL!”
"Jalo!" I yelled back as he rushed up to us and wrapped his arms around me with a choked, clicking laugh, his antennae on the top of his head twitching wildly. “I somehow knew it would be you who would find us,” he rasped, gripping my arms, patting me down. “What happened to your hand?” He asked, immediately noticing my cortosis-made prosthesis.
"I had it donated to the Mandalorians for peace," I joked as I let out a breath and returned the hug, clapping him on the shoulder. “You look terrible, too.”
“The type of isolation we got here will do that to you,” he shot back, pulling away just so he could hug Vila the same way. "Vila!"
"Good to see you too!" she giggled, not resisting, even if Jalo smelled like a broken-down hyperdrive.
Seeing that we were friends of Jalo and Iowi, the room also began moving once again as the initial shock gave way to murmurs, whispered questions, and more... hope. When we finally caught our breaths, the Ithorian finally stepped forward again, bowing his great head towards us.
“My name is Tharuun of the Deep Groves,” he said solemnly. “Speaker for those who remain.”
Looking into his dark eyes, they were large, surprisingly gentle, and pretty much old... He wasn't a young one of his species, that's for sure, but what was more surprising was that I could feel the Force within him. It wasn't as focused as it should be in a Jedi, but it wasn't crushing like the Sith presence above either. Still, it was there, undeniable, and I was sure that if he had to lift something with the Force, he could do it; he had that much control over it.
“You are Jedi,” Tharuun said, reinforcing his guess as he looked over us, “I didn't feel your arrival... this place is like a veil over my senses...”
"We are from the same Order," Iowi stepped forward, introducing us by name, “They came looking for us. I told you they would notice us gone; it was simply the question of when and not if.”
"Yes..." Tharuun closed his eyes, both mouths exhaling a long, sorrowful breath, and I could feel his pain, which wasn't physical but... came from mourning. “But now they are also stranded here... like you were, like we are...”
"Temporarily," Vila frowned in answer, “We have two leaders of our Order to come after us when they finish investigating another clue. Plus, we left a message up there to warn them.”
"Who will come?" Jalo asked, getting giddy.
"Master Katarn and Grandmaster Solo," I answered, seeing even Iwoi's eyes begin to shine, but before any of them could say anything, the Ithorian continued to speak.
"Hopefully, they will heed that warning!" He groaned as his hands tightened on his staff. “But this place is... insidious. Evil!” His voice trembled, carrying grief and regret that hit me like a cold wave, “I felt it first." He said, blaming himself while telling me their story, "It was a resonance in the flow, something that felt ancient. I am a historian by trade... and it's call was so strong, I couldn't resist it. It was... something that needed a witness, to be remembered, and so I came with my people to uncover and give peace to those who were lost in time.” He explained, looking behind him, at the group, making my stomach tighten. "But the call itself was a trap that finally found someone who managed to hear it..."
“How many of you came...?” I asked cautiously.
"..." Tharuun’s eyes slowly turned to me, and I felt that by just speaking about it, it made him hurt, physically speaking. “One hundred and twelve,” he said at last. “From many worlds.”
"He remembers their names, too..." Jalo whispered to me, warning me to not ask too many questions about them.
“When we arrived… the droids were dormant." Tharuun said, explaining without us having to ask, "We found nothing of the living sort.”
"Didn't you feel the Dark Side?" I asked, making the Ithorian fall silent, and I knew I had asked the wrong question, because his blame and sorrow intensified tenfold just then.
"I hadn't realized it..." He said in the end, not shirking away from the responsibility, "Or I ignored it because of my own excitement..."
"He wasn't trained, it wasn't his fault," Iowi continued, stepping beside me, “Even we were trapped in here, so they had no chance. They found the old stash of the Sith who lived here, and by just uncovering the remains of the ruins... They activated it."
"Those machines," Tharuun began again, "They came to life and began working, day and night, and at first, they ignored us completely. We thought nothing of it, as they were simply droids, old machines, doing what they were programmed to do. We tried to examine them, study them, to discover the past that was calling out for us... but then, in the end... they showed their true nature."
"The moment the first group tried to leave with samples, their ships were taken, hijacked by the supposedly deactivated droid they wanted to take away.” Jalo shrugged, explaining in more detail, "From then on... the droids had a means to come and go, probably what they wanted in the first place, so they turned on the expedition members."
"It was too sudden..." Tharuun bowed his head, remembering it, “Some of us fought, most of us ran." His voice broke a little, his massive body sagging, only propped up by his staff, “The droids hunted us all... Only we are left of those who came here.”
“They have been trapped here for years,” Iowi added softly, “After they were reduced to this, the droids apparently no longer showed interest in hunting them, no longer considering them as a threat.” He looked at us while speaking.
"Their suffering is a fuel to the Dark Side," Iowi grunted, crossing his arms, "And even if there are no Sith alive on this world, the Dark Side is still here. Their plight is the perfect fuel."
“Well... We kicked that part over," Jalo chuckled, continuing, "Iowi and I followed the trail those artifacts popping up showed us, and we managed to intercept a weird message that used ancient codings that were once broken by the old Jedi Order."
"See? Your fascination with those times paid off!" I grinned at Iowi, making him laugh a little, nodding his head.
"You could say that. In the end, following that trail led us here, and we landed at the same place as you did. We just didn’t realize it was… this... bad.”
"Our apologies... Jedi." Tharuun straightened, meeting my gaze fully, "Please, if blame must fall onto someone, it has to fall on me."
"I won't blame anyone right now," I raised a hand, looking over everyone present, taking in their despair, "Help is coming; we are just the scouts! So... We should get ready for when our Masters come, because we will not only take you all away from here, we will make sure that this place traps nobody else!" I added, raising my voice, making sure that every man and woman in here had their hopes truly ignited, wanting to give them a fighting chance before the Dark Side breaks them down entirely, "So while we wait, that does not mean we can't smooth the path for the moment when we leave this world." I finished, glancing at Jalo and Iowi, "I guess you know more about these droids?"
"We do." Jalo laughed, looking at us, "In fact... With you here, I think we have a fighting chance now..."

Chapter 121 – Refuge