Galaxy Wars

EXEGOL

The descent onto Exegol was shrouded in eerie darkness, with violent lightning cracking across the clouds, casting brief, jagged flashes over the planet's bleak landscape. The Normandy's landing gear touched the ground with a heavy thunk, kicking up dust that seemed too dark to be natural. The storm roared outside, almost as if the planet itself resented their presence.

Inside the cockpit, Joker drummed his fingers nervously on the controls. He stared out through the ship's front windows, watching the dark clouds churn as unnatural bolts of red-tinted lightning forked across the sky. "Yeah, this is bad. This is real bad. I've got 'bad mission' written all over this one."

"You're not wrong," Master Chief said from behind, his armor gleaming faintly under the cockpit's dim lights. His eyes scanned the stormy landscape as if expecting something to emerge from the shadows. "Something's here. I can feel it."

Luke Skywalker stood nearby, his hand resting on the hilt of his lightsaber. His usual calm expression was replaced with one of deep unease. "It feels... heavy. Like the Dark Side itself is alive here."

Dean, fully suited as Eighty with his voice changer on, stood in the corner of the cockpit, arms crossed. Even with the helmet hiding his expression, the tension in his body language was obvious. "This place reeks of something bad. Can't say I like it."

Tali stood next to him, her arms wrapped protectively around herself, shifting on her feet as if the weight of the atmosphere was making her uncomfortable. "This doesn't feel right," she whispered. "It's too quiet."

"Yeah, I'm tellin' ya—nothing good ever happens in stormy hellholes like this." Joker leaned back in his seat, visibly agitated. "This place is all kinds of fucked. Like... Hoth levels of bad. And Hoth sucked."

Tiny Tina, sitting cross-legged on the floor behind them, hugged her knees. For once, even her hyperactive nature seemed subdued. "Exegol's got that 'ghost story, bad-mojo' feel," she muttered. "I don't like it one bit."

Master Chief checked his gear, running a gloved hand along his rifle. "We stay together. Whatever's waiting for us, we deal with it quickly and leave."

Dean tilted his head slightly. "This place has 'trap' written all over it, Chief. If we run into anything, shoot first and ask later."

Luke gave him a knowing look. "Not everything can be solved by blasters, Eighty."

Dean's helmet turned toward the Jedi. "That's rich coming from a guy who cuts people in half with a glow stick."

Luke cracked a faint smile at that, despite the ominous atmosphere. "Point taken, but we need to tread carefully. If Palpatine left something behind here, it won't be easy to deal with."

Tali glanced out the windows at the storm still raging. "If this is a trap, it's a good one. There's no way we can just get back on the ship and leave without something chasing us down."

Joker snorted nervously. "Yeah, I'm betting the something is a fleet of Star Destroyers, or a Sith ghost... or, knowing our luck, both."

"Stop with the jinxing, Joker." Dean slapped a hand lightly against the side of his helmet. "You wanna summon a whole Sith fleet, or what?"

Tina sat up slightly, grinning. "Ooh, ooh, if ghosts show up, I call shotgun!"

Dean chuckled under his helmet, despite himself. "Figures."

Master Chief glanced at Luke. "You sense anything specific?"

Luke frowned, closing his eyes for a moment, as if reaching out through the Force. After a tense silence, he opened them, and his expression darkened further. "It's hard to explain... but something is awake. Watching us."