Dorn: A Star Wars Story

12. Successor

"Major!"

It had been three days.

"Major- oh! Sorry!"

I paused in the hallway as Peek also rotated himself to see who was hurrying up behind us, and standing there was Cai, his chest heaving and a datapad held in hand. He held it up as he struggled to catch his breath and I approached and took it from his hand. "What was it?"

"It is in a form of ecclesiastical High Sith, a very old, sophisticated form, but the syntax is, relatively, recent. It had to have been spoken at the end of the Galactic Civil War at the earliest. It was... instructions of some kind, for priests and... I believe the closest direct translation of the word is "supplicants"." I watched as Cai took a deep breath and righted himself, "It is telling of the location of a temple or a tomb of some kind where people could pay their respects to a Sith lord, but the name has been forgone for some reason. I couldn't say why. It was like it was left for people who knew what they were looking for."

"Where is it, then?" I asked, wanting to get my hands on it before Venn could if possible.

Cai paused and looked around nervously before he sighed, "That... That's the thing. There are several possible locations. I need to study the message more, but any ancient Sith burial sites are options. Meaning there is Moraband, Yavin, Hoth, Elom..."

I reached up and pinched the bridge of my nose with a heavy sigh. I figured it wouldn't be that easy. With a nod to Cai I turned on my heel, "Good work. Keep it up. Inform me if there is anything you find as soon as you find it. No exceptions."

"Of course, but Major-!" I paused again and looked over my shoulder to see Cai standing there and turning the datapad nervously in his hands, "I-I just wanted to thank you for inviting me into your squad! I won't disappoint, sir."

I paused before I smiled and nodded before turning and continuing down the hall with Peek in tow. Sevens and Director Dorne wanted to meet me, and apparently it had something to do with our recent finding. I kept walking up and down the stark halls until I found myself standing in front of the door to Sevens' office. They hissed open and I walked in to Sevens slamming his fist into the desk and looking rather furiously at Director Dorne, who looked more than a little angry.

"You have no right!" Sevens snapped as the director narrowed his eyes. "These are my men-!"

"Except Major Ruana is not one of your men. He is one of mine. You would do well to remember that, Admiral. I have been patient because of your father, but I am slowly losing my good will."

"And you're tossing them to the wolves!"

"Again, I fail to see how any of that is your concern!"

"Why don't we let me decide what to do and not to do with my men," I broke in as I made my way towards the desk. They two had been so engrossed in their little argument that I had gone entirely unnoticed and had been standing in the doorway like a droid for most of the heated conversation. I strode in and stood somewhat between them, "Because last I checked, we were the only people making any karking progress on this mission to catch Venn."

"I see that," the director snapped, "and I have given you free reign to do as you wish, Ruana! Do not make me regret that decision!"

"Then go ahead and tell him exactly how you plan to get them all killed!" Sevens shouted in, prompting the director to once again whirl on him with a look that could have killed a lesser man.

That... was never something I liked to hear. I looked from Director Dorne to Sevens and then back again before I folded my arms over my chest and gave a little bit of a cough as Peek gonked nervously beside me. "Uh... that... What?"