Dorn: A Star Wars Story

17. Guardian

"Thesh..." I slowly spun my chair to face him as he looked around my office with a satisfied nod of his head. "I wanted to know... what do you know about Sith artifacts?"

He paused for a minute and sucked on his teeth before he shrugged his shoulders emphatically, "Only what my father told me. He used to work at a museum on Alderaan before the Clone Wars.  They had a few, always locked away and under heavy surveillance. He said that they unnerved Jedi, said they claimed they would whisper to them, tempt them with forbidden knowledge or power or whatever else Jedi fall for so easily."

"Did uh... did he ever say non-Force sensitives could be influenced by them?"

"Well, I know he said that one time they whispered so much to one girl that she quit. Ran out screaming, to be exact." He paused and slowly turned to me, narrowing his eyes, "Dorn... Dorn, why are you asking?"

I hesitated before I pulled out the small metal box from my desk and dropped it there, sliding it to him as I popped it open to reveal the small red crystal inside. "Uh... This is why."

"Why in all of the kriffing Corellian hells do you have that?" He stared at it, but made no move to grab it. Probably for the best since it liked to chuck people around. 

"Long story. It's a kyber crystal, though. I have a Reclamation Service member on staff who verified that it was a Sith artifact and it, um... it likes to talk to me sometimes. Weirdly enough, it isn't intrusive most of the time. Even gives advice." I paused and assessed Thesh's reaction. "I still don't know whether that's good or not."

"Neither do I," Thesh admitted and walked towards it, leaning down to examine the small red crystal in the box where it sat. "I'll pass touching it, thanks."

"Oh, no, great idea. When Habea tried to take it, she got launched across a hanger."

That made Thesh pause and stare long and hard at me, "Then... why do you have it?"

"It... likes me, I guess. I'm not quite sure."

Competent, a voice itched in the back of my head, outstandingly competent.

"Dorn..." Thesh pinched the bridge of his nose, "Being liked by a murder crystal is not a good thing."

"I know, but what am I going to do? Destroy it and get chewed out by high command and maybe killed? I'll pass on that," I closed the box and slipped it back into my desk with a sigh. 

Thesh gave a resign nod and passed a hand over his chin. "This is a bloody mess, Dorn. Why Sith artifacts? What is Venn gunning for?"

What every being craves: power, and the freedoms that comes with it, the voice spoke in the back of my mind and I frowned as Thesh looked at me, confusion on his face slowly being replaced by concern.

"It's talking to you, isn't it?" he asked as he stepped towards me. "How long has that been going on?"

"Intermittently over the past decade," I replied, and that made him look even more nervous. "It always knows where Venn is, what he wants... Don't get me wrong, it's creepy as hell, but it has been a weird little member of my team."

"You don't... feel any different, right?" He asked.

"No."

Had I wanted your body, supplicant, then taking it would have been easy.

It was starting to talk clearer now, but never once did it feel intrusive. It was simply there.

"It claimed that if it wanted to possess me, it already would have..."