The Jedi and the Beast

Chapter V: Echoes in the Force

Zane groaned, pushing herself up from the training mat. Her muscles screamed in protest, but a sliver of pride bloomed in her chest. Krieger had finally cracked a smile, a rare occurrence during their gruelling training sessions.

"Remember, Padawan," Krieger said, deactivating his emerald green lightsaber. "Control is an illusion. True mastery lies in adapting to the flow of the Force."

Zane frowned, wiping sweat from her brow. "But how can I adapt if I can't anticipate my opponent's moves?"

Krieger chuckled, a dry rasp that echoed in the training room. "Anticipation is a trap, Padawan. It clouds your perception." He ignited his lightsaber, its emerald glow humming to life. "Feel. Don't think."

Zane mirrored his stance, her own bright blue blade igniting. This time, she abandoned her usual textbook approach, focusing on a more intuitive style. The lightsaber felt like an extension of herself, flowing through practised forms with newfound grace.

Across the room, Xon watched intently, his datapad recording their every move. He couldn't help but be impressed by Zane's sudden shift. It was as if she'd tapped into something deeper, something beyond the rigid teachings of the Jedi Order.

Zane launched a flurry of attacks, her blade a blur of motion. Krieger, ever the pragmatist, parried each blow with practised ease. But then, something unexpected happened.

With a gasp, Zane's eyes fluttered shut. Her lightsaber, fueled by an unseen force, arced through the air, narrowly missing Krieger's head. He stumbled back, a flicker of surprise crossing his features.

Zane deactivated her saber, her face pale. "I... I sensed something," she stammered. "A disturbance."

Krieger frowned. "The Force can speak to us in many ways, Padawan. Visions, emotions, even whispers in the darkness. But it's crucial to maintain focus in the present."

Zane opened her mouth to protest, but Krieger cut her off. "Rest, Padawan. Clear your mind. We can explore this further tomorrow."

They bowed in respect, and Zane, her steps heavier than usual, made her way back to her quarters.

Alone in the sterile hallway, a strange sensation washed over Zane. The walls seemed to press in on her, the air thick with an unseen tension. A faint scratching sound, like claws scraping metal, echoed from the nearby corridors. Driven by a morbid curiosity, Zane followed the sound.

The scratching grew louder, culminating in a muffled voice. It spoke in a language she couldn't understand, a guttural rasp filled with desperation. Zane closed her eyes, reaching out with the Force. A wave of ice-cold dread washed over her.

"GET ME OUT!" the voice roared, echoing in her mind.

Zane's eyes snapped open. She found herself standing before Xon's lab door, her hand instinctively reaching for the door switch.

"Restricted access means you as well, Commander," Xon's voice cut through the silence. He stood behind her, a hint of unease in his expression.

Zane's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I... I don't know what came over me," she stammered, turning to retreat.

Xon watched her go, a frown creasing his brow. The encounter left him unsettled. Entering his lab, he approached the hidden panel with a sense of urgency. Inside, bathed in an eerie green glow, lay a figure submerged in a life-sustaining tank. It was almost complete, the flickering life signs a testament to his relentless work.

Xon placed a hand on the glass, a strange mix of emotions swirling within him. Hope, desperation, and a gnawing fear of what he might have unleashed

.***

Zane awoke with a gasp, her heart pounding like a trapped bird. It wasn't a normal awakening. This was different. A strange sensation lingered, a feeling of being unmoored. She blinked, her vision blurring as she realised she wasn't looking through her own eyes.

Her perspective shifted, revealing her sleeping body tucked neatly in her bunk. Panic clawed at her throat. This was an out-of-body experience, something she'd only encountered in forbidden Jedi texts. She was a disembodied consciousness, adrift in her own quarters.

Driven by an unseen force, Zane's ethereal form drifted towards Xon's lab. Her noncorporeal hand brushed against the cold metal door, sending a shiver down her non-existent spine. Before she could reach for the control panel, the door hissed open, revealing a chilling darkness within.

A wave of despair, thick and suffocating, washed over Zane. Then, the screams began. Shrill, inhuman shrieks that clawed at her sanity. They echoed through the unseen chamber, a symphony of raw pain and desperate rage.

Terror seized Zane. Every instinct screamed for her to flee. But before she could turn, the door slammed shut with a resounding clang. Panic turned to frantic urgency. She pounded on the barrier, her disembodied fists making no sound. The screams continued, growing fainter, until they were abruptly cut off.

A chilling silence descended. Zane's ethereal form spun around, searching frantically for an escape. In the heart of the darkness, a single, glowing point materialised. As it grew closer, revealing a grotesque figure with cracked, decaying flesh, Zane let out a soundless scream.

The figure moved with a terrifying grace, its mouth contorting in a silent scream. It reached for Zane, its eye burning with an unnatural hunger. A single word, thick with desperation, echoed in the vast emptiness of her mind: "FREE ME!"

Zane snapped awake, jolting upright in her bunk. Her body was drenched in sweat, her heart hammering against her ribs. The sheets felt like a suffocating weight. The memory of the dream, or was it a Force vision, clung to her like a shroud. The grotesque figure, the chilling screams, the word echoing in her mind - they wouldn't leave.

Trembling, Zane cast a glance at Xon's lab door across the hallway. It remained closed, bathed in its usual sterile light. But the encounter left an unsettling feeling in its wake, a feeling that the darkness within held a terrifying secret, one that Xon might be desperately trying to contain.