Clouded by the Dark Side

Chapter 46 - Carnage of Krell

Anakin Skywalker

Thunder rumbles in the distance as lightning flashes outside, briefly illuminating the room in a bluish glow. It's pretty much the only source of light in here. One hand on my lightsaber, we start moving through the building.

The room we're in is all clear, so we head into the main hall, and start checking through the rooms. For the most part, they look like a... living area, though most of it doesn't seem like it's been used in a long time. But so far, everything is empty. There isn't a single noise in the entire building, except the muffled sound of our own footsteps.

I don't like it at all. Everything is far too still, especially if there's really a Sith lurking somewhere in the shadows here. It feels as though any moment, he'll jump out at us, and the sensation isn't entirely incorrect.

An image suddenly flashes before my eyes – something like a vision, no doubt from the strength of the Dark Side in the building. Of myself in a room somewhere. It vaguely reminds me of a medbay, though I know it's something else. I feel trapped, and I don't know why. It disappears almost as soon as it appeared. What was that?

"You okay?" Aniya asks quietly.

I nod, trying to force the scene from mind. Something about it is extremely unsettling, but I don't have time to dwell on it. "We can talk later. We need to keep moving."

"Up or down?" Vos asks, turning to the stairs.

"Down," I answer automatically. Something about it feels important, like what we need to see.

If it's even possible, the Dark Side seems to hang even heavier in the air as we reach the bottom of the stairs than it did on the previous floor. Whatever we're looking for, it's down here. I'm certain of it. Somehow, I'm not certain we're ready to see it.

We slip down the stairs, and head for what looks to be the main room on the floor. The lights turn on automatically. Maybe we should have thought twice before coming down here. The room looks... like some sort of laboratory? What?

"In all the..."

"Quiet," I remind my sister. We don't need to draw attention, though we probably already have by coming here. There's no way he can't sense us, so why hasn't he come out of hiding yet? Yes, I have my shields up as tightly as I can, but if he's as powerful as it seems, he knows we're here. What is he planning? Some sort of trap?

The sudden sound movement makes me spin around, drawing my lightsaber. I stop midway from igniting it as I scan the room, eyes falling on a shadows figure in the corner. My heart skips a beat at the sight of him, before it almost as quickly registers that no, this person is not the Sith Master. He's a red skinned adult Mon Calamari. He feels... wrong in the Force, and he's looking at us like he's not really seeing. It's as though he's... only half-way there.

"... Hello?" Aniya tries cautiously.

No response.

Vos waves a hand in his face, and I withhold a snort at his antics. "Hello?" he says again, but there's still no response. The person stops in the middle of the room, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. He doesn't even blink.

"He's not hearing us," I frown.

"Something's... wrong with him. I can't place it," Aniya agrees.

Vos moves past us, going further into the room as we turn to look around again. "You should come see this," he hisses, suddenly sounding slightly appalled. Uh oh. If there's something in there enough to shake up a Jedi Master who's seen all sorts of things, I don't even want to know.