Star Wars: The Rise of Nexu

Chapter 2: Revelations

Chapter 2

Darkness surrounded Nikkus as he kneeled on the ground. He couldn't see his surroundings, but he was still aware. He knew that there were threats surrounding him, and he knew the greatest threat was slowly approaching him. He could hear the sound of boots hitting the cold ground, one after the next, coming closer and closer until they came to a stop right in front of him. His breathing slowed, and he focused on keeping calm. Suddenly, the room was flooded with the red glow of a lightsaber. Standing in front of Nikkus was a hooded figure. Though he couldn't see the face of the man in front of him, he sensed a familiar presence. One he couldn't quite place, but that relaxed him and made him not want to fight, or resist, Suddenly, he noticed what was behind the man, and it terrified him. On a wall, hung like meat in a butcher's shop, were all of Nikkus's closest allies. His friend Alek, who he grew up with and had trained with since he was a youngling. Master Ka. His brother. Master Danz. Kels, the young jedi who had always bested him in every single test during their younger years of training, and one last figure who he could not identify. It was a man, slightly taller than Nikkus, with very short, dark hair and a dark beard which was also kept very short. Nikkus could never remember seeing this man, but he knew that somehow he was important. That much was clear. As Nikkus changed his focus to look at the man in front of him, whose lightsaber was dangerously close to Nikkus's neck, the man spoke in a booming voice.

"You have failed your friends, and now you will pay the price for your blind devotion to a dead order" the man said as he swung his red blade towards Nikkus's neck.

Nikkus's eyes shot open. His breathing was heavy and sweat had begun to form on his forehead, leaving it slightly damp. He had been dreaming. Having nightmares. It had become a reoccurring thing since his brother's murder nearly a year ago. Since then, he had chased every lead, followed every order given to him, and put all of his power into hunting down the Sith Lord who killed Ryan. But the Jedi's efforts had been futile. They had failed in finding even a slight trace of Darth Zion. Nikkus was infuriated with their apparent lack of progress and each day he contemplated leaving the order. But he knew if he did, he would lose all hope of ever finding Zion, and avenging his brother's death. As Nikkus stood from the small cot he slept on, and began to get dressed, the metal door to his room slid open, and two people walked in. The first was Alek. Alek wasn't a very imposing figure. He was about 5'10", with brown hair and a slim build. His face was kind, and he always tried to wear a smile. Alek wasn't very big, and he certainly didn't appear to be a very powerful being, but looks are often deceiving. Alek was known to be one of the most gifted, perfect Jedi Knights the order had. Many suspected he could become the grand master of the Jedi one day due to his strict adherence to the jedi code. He could not be swayed by the Dark Side, and he represented everything that a Jedi should be. Though he was very different from Nick, the two had bonded over time and had become incredibly close.

The second figure was a female. She was the same age as Nikkus, and she was dressed in Jedi attire. The light robes contrasted her tan skin and her dark hair. This was Kels. Despite being rivals with Nikkus in their early days of training, constantly trying to show him up in every test they were given, the two became friends as they got older and went on numerous missions together. Nikkus would never admit it, but he had always had somewhat of a crush on her, despite such feelings being banned by the Jedi Order. He kept these feelings locked away, but he couldn't help but smile slightly as he saw her. Her big, brown eyes showed sympathy towards Nikkus as she clearly sensed that he was still in distress from his nightmare.

"Nikkus, we have news about the Sith Lord" Kels spoke in a soft, voice as she made herself at home, sitting down on Nikkus's unmade bed. Nikkus's eyes instantly flashed with a look of excitement as he paid close attention to the words that came next.