Darth Nox: The Master of the Force

Chapter 8: The Awakening

The galaxy had continued its inexorable march through time, cycles of birth and death repeating in an ever-changing tapestry. The rise and fall of empires, the echoes of ancient battles, and the fleeting lives of beings had all passed unnoticed by the dark figure encased in frozen stasis beneath the surface of Lehon. For over a thousand years, Darth Nox had been still, his body suspended in time, while his mind had been asleep.

Until now.

In 65 BBY, something stirred. The planet of Lehon, which had been a silent witness to the passage of time, began to tremble with an energy long forgotten. The skies, once heavy with the weight of a time-locked curse, shifted as if exhaling after a millennium of holding its breath. And within the dark recesses of Nox's mind, the sleep that had held him captive began to recede, giving way to consciousness.

His first sensation upon waking was the rush of the Force, flowing through him like a tidal wave. It was different now, a blend of light and dark, unified and balanced within him. His body remained still for a moment longer, suspended in the stasis that had held him, but his mind was free—sharper, more focused than it had ever been. At least on the force.

And then, with a subtle flex of his will, the stasis broke.

The cocoon of energy that had held his body in frozen time shattered, dissipating into the atmosphere of Lehon. Darth Nox opened his eyes, and for the first time in a thousand years, he breathed in the air of the living world.

The planet around him was still. The ancient ruins of the Rakata lay scattered, worn down by time, but Lehon itself felt alive with energy. The Force pulsed here, as it always had, but now there was something different. Nox could feel it—a shift in the galaxy, a disturbance in the Force that resonated with his awakening. The currents of the universe had changed during his long slumber, and he could sense the ripple effects moving across the stars.

He stretched his arms, feeling the power in his limbs, the strength of a body that had not aged a day since he had entered stasis. He looked down at his hands, marveling at how time had passed for everything but him. His mind had aged, grown wiser and more powerful, but his body remained as it had been—a vessel for the immense power he now commanded.

But there was something else.

He was not alone in this awakening. The Force had whispered to him even as he slept, and now he could sense another presence stirring nearby. It was a presence he recognized, one as ancient as the planet itself. Lethon, the ancient planet who had shared the stasis with him, was awakening as well.

Nox reached out through the Force, feeling the pulse of Lethon's consciousness. The presence was vast, dark, and primal, a creature of power that had slumbered for far longer than even Nox. But there was no hostility in the connection, only an ancient understanding, a recognition between two beings bound by the mysteries of the Force.

As Nox stood and surveyed the landscape around him, he felt the disturbance ripple through the galaxy once more. The galaxy had changed in ways he could not yet comprehend, but one thing was clear: his time of waiting was over. The Force had released him from his prison, and now it was time to reassert his presence in the galaxy. Whatever tasks the Force had in store for him, he would face them with the full weight of his knowledge and power.

Yet, there was another connection that pulled at him. A thread in the Force, delicate but persistent, tied to a presence he had not felt in centuries.

Lana Beniko.

Far above the surface of Lehon, Lana Beniko awoke with a start. It had been sudden, as though the icy grip of time that had held her and her companions had shattered in an instant. Her eyes shot open, her body jerking awake as if from a deep sleep. For a moment, disorientation gripped her, the memories of her last conscious moments flooding back—entering Lehon's atmosphere with Xalek and the HK units, searching for Nox, and then... nothing.

It was as if no time had passed, but Lana knew better. Something monumental had happened. She could feel the shift in the Force, an awakening of power unlike anything she had felt before.

"Nox..." she whispered, her voice barely audible in the quiet cockpit of her ship.

Beside her, the hulking figure of Xalek stirred, as did the sleek forms of HK-51 and HK-55. The droids, ever vigilant, immediately began their diagnostics, while Xalek merely rose to his feet, his eyes glowing faintly beneath his mask.

"Master?" Xalek's voice was a low growl, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his tone. He, too, had sensed the disturbance in the Force.

Lana took a deep breath, her sharp mind quickly assessing the situation. "We've been frozen in time. But now... something has changed."

She glanced at the ship's instruments, quickly recalibrating the systems. The planet's atmosphere still shimmered with the same energy, but the frozen grip of stasis had lifted. She could feel the planet breathing again, and more importantly, she could feel Nox's presence. He was awake.

"Prepare the ship for landing," Lana ordered. "We need to find him."

The droids obeyed without question, and within moments, the ship began its descent through the atmosphere of Lehon. As the vessel moved toward the surface, Lana's heart pounded with anticipation. Nox had been missing for centuries—time she could not account for, time that had passed in the blink of an eye for her and her companions.

When the ship touched down on the surface, Lana stepped out into the unfamiliar world. The air was thick with the presence of the Force, both dark and light intertwining in ways she had never felt before. It was as though the very ground beneath her feet was alive with ancient power.

Xalek and the HK droids followed closely behind her, ever vigilant, but Lana's focus was on one thing: finding Nox.

It didn't take long. The presence of Darth Nox in the Force was unmistakable, but changed, a beacon of power and darkness and perhaps something else, something lighter that drew her in. She made her way through the ruins, her steps quick but measured, her heart pounding with every step.

And then, she saw it: Nox's ship, still intact, its sleek form nestled among the ancient ruins. The ship was as she remembered it, a symbol of Nox's power and influence. But there was no sign of Nox himself.

Lana stopped in front of the ship, her eyes scanning the area. She could feel him—he was close, but he had not yet revealed himself. For a moment, uncertainty flickered in her mind. Had she been too late? Had something happened to him during the long stasis?

But no. She pushed those doubts aside. Nox was awake, and he was close. She could sense his power rippling through the Force, stronger than ever before.

"We wait," she said quietly, turning to Xalek and the HK droids. "He will come to us."

And so they waited, standing beneath the alien sky of Lehon, surrounded by the ruins of a forgotten empire. Lana's heart raced with a mixture of fear and anticipation. After so many years, so many unanswered questions, she would finally see him again. Darth Nox, her Commander, her ally, the one who had shaped the galaxy in ways no one else could.

She could feel it in the air. This was only the beginning. The galaxy had forgotten Darth Nox and Lana Beniko, but soon, it would remember. Soon, he would return.

And with him, the galaxy would tremble once more.