Star Wars The Old Republic: The Jedi Crusader

CHAPTER 3 - MUSTAFAR - PURPOSE

Mara stared into the empty void of space through the view of her new ship. It was empty, lifeless, desolate and cold. She had never viewed it that way before. She sat with her hand on the hyperdrive controls, with her destination set for Mustafar. She held her eyes shut for a moment before punching the ship in to action as it soared off into hyperspace. The flight felt like an eternity as blades and daggers clawed at Mara's psyche. She had been trained to resist such thoughts, but the screams in her mind were becoming deafening as the weight of grief and guilt weighed heavier than ever.

Finally, the ship reached Mustafar. A planet with seas of lava and lands of ash that hung in space like a molten rock. Mara set her co-ordinates for where the Rat King had directed her. She didn't trust him, but it was the only lead she had. She landed her new ship on a dark cliff overseeing the Dread Masters' retreat. She could feel the dark side flowing through the planet as free as its molten rivers. No wonder they had chosen this place. She headed inside. It was barren. Everything was gone. No sign of the Dread Masters' presence anywhere other than crumbling statues of themselves; rotting monuments to their vanity.

The place had been stripped clean. Shockingly so. Scavengers had undoubtably picked the place clean when the news of the Dread Masters' capture spread. Whatever lead she was looking for, was gone. Mara yelled in annoyance as her shout caused the walls to shake and some of the pillars to rock and crumble. She fell to her knees, infuriated. But she realised something. A voice – no – an instinct. Something was calling her. It whispered with no voice. It beckoned her to follow. She did. She followed it through the ashen shores of the vicious planet all the way to a crumbling Jedi enclave – one that had been long forgotten. A stiff breeze would have blown it over. She approached to see a crystal on the floor.

It was red. But it had a strange blue hue to it. It called to her in a new voice. Her own. She grabbed it and held it in her palm. It was weightless. There was a small shrine erected in the centre of the structure. It was in serious disrepair, but Mara had a closer look to find there was something more than rubble and debris. She gathered the pieces of ancient stone and formed them into a formation. She realised what it was.

She knelt before it and closed her eyes. The stone formed itself in perfect formation into what she envisaged as the crystal sat as the centrepiece. It levitated before her as she grabbed it and opened her eyes as she ignited her new blade with a renewed grin on her face. The stone-saber sat comfortably in her hand and the red blade drew a beautiful blue outline.

The weapon of her conquest had been forged. The weapon of which she would slay the Dread Masters with. With seemingly destined timing, her holocom bleeped. It was the Rat King.

"Any luck?" He asked.

"Not really." She replied.

"Sorry to throw you a bad bone, but it was all I had. But now, I have something a little more concrete for you."

"Oh, you do?"

"Indeed. The warden of the Belsavis prison has gone haywire. The Jedi do not know yet. They will try to destroy it or rewrite it. You gotta beat them to it. Inside that thing is a pretty piece of information. It's been hacked and was done so to orchestrate the Dread Masters' escape. If you can get hold of its CPU, we may have ourselves a direct link to the Dread Masters if we can trace it. So, you in?" The Rat King licked his lips under his re-breather.

"Definitely."

"Well then, contact me when you arrive at Belsavis, and I'll give you a run down on what I know. I look forward to the results."