Star Wars: Duel of the Fates

Chapter 44

Kylo Ren stalked into his throne room, kneeling in the centre with the holocron reverently placed in front of him.

He stared at the bottom edge, marked with hieroglyphic symbols of an ancient Sith incantation: In the shadows there is great power.

The trace of a smile touched his lips before he closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, centring himself and focusing his thoughts onto the crystal.

The light from the holocron started to grow brighter as it lifted from the floor, the smaller crystal within beginning to spin rapidly. The bronze caps on the corners of the pyramid moved away from it, hovering unsteadily in the air.

He lifted his hand and held it just above the crimson surface.

Projecting his will within the holocron he felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information bombarding his mind, everything passing too quickly for him to grasp the meaning.

His fingers tensed, curling into a clasped claw.

Deeper and deeper he went, a thousand fragments of his grandfather's voice echoing around him.

It felt so close.

A distant whisper caught his attention and he channelled towards it.

He jolted back, his eyes opening as the holocron was activated.

A small holographic projection of Darth Vader appeared above the crystal.

"Many years ago before the rise of the Empire, I was summoned to a planet...called Mortis," his deep voice spoke, "There I discovered an incredible source of power. It was left abandoned and unguarded, the force wielders killed in a struggle for control. Now it stands dormant and dark," he waved his arm and the location coordinates appeared beneath him, "I feel that something more is concealed there...something forgotten..."

The holocron stuttered to a dimmer intensity as the corners returned to the crystal and it settled back down to rest on the ground.

In the shadows there is great power.