Eyes Up, Feet Grounded

Jasper Kai'el's eyes shot open. Grass... He could feel grass on his skin, brushing against his neck and bare arm. He shot up instantly, only to have his head throb with pain. He had sat up to quickly and was now paying the price. Immediately Jasper's hand went to his gut, where Lord Kalrath had impaled him to crush his insides... No wound. Not even the scars remained to show where it had been. Was he dead? Surely not. The Jedi Master could still feel pain. That, by every metric, was a clear indication of still being alive. He groaned as he staggered to his feet, assessing his surroundings. Grassy fields for as far as the eye could see, perhaps a location that would have reminded him of Lothal if not for the sea-foam green hue. The obvious question was what had occurred. Jasper remembered feeling as though he were going to die, right there on Ord Providence. He was ready to accept it to and rest. Then it was there. The giant pyramid. It told him to breath, called him Je'daii, then dragged him into the light.

And now he was here.

His immediate thoughts went to Braze. A subtle sensation rippled out in the Force... one met with no answer. Jasper was weak by nature. He wouldn't be able to hear anything if his son was trying to reach him. Still, Jasper knew the pain of loss. Braze was not yet gone. That was a consolation he could accept to keep his mind at ease. Marissa Shoda and Phy were his next thoughts. Were they going to be okay?

A strange sensation took him out of these thoughts, one which occurred when he went to scratch his chin. Hair. Lots of it. He had a beard, a sizable one too. Worse yet, his mane seemed to be wild and unkempt. How long had be been out of it? Jasper was quick to pat himself down, checking to make sure he had all of his gear. The Lux Ultima was still on his back, his lightsaber still at his hip. At the very least he wasn't without his two most important tools. It was better than nothing. Now was just the matter of figuring out where the hell he was-

A roar filled the air, a strong gust sweeping through the grass around him. Jasper's eyes were drawn up towards the sky. That's when he saw it...


"What the feth..?"

It was huge, maybe the size of a Star Destroyer, but it was about the ugliest thing that he had ever seen take flight. Smaller boat-shaped craft emerged from the larger one, sporting decks where he could see hordes of giant green men all chanting in unison, weapons bared for combat. Then they stopped, frozen in time almost. The cries died down... and a shadow appeared behind them. It was large and imposing, a void from which only two light sources emerged, placed as though they were eyes. Jasper recognized it as a Force illusion of sorts, but unlike anything he had ever seen. The shadow being twisted in unnatural ways, as though it were composed of tendons folding in on themselves infinitely. The sight seemed to defy the very laws of physics.

"That is the one Marked by Death?" the shadow boomed. It had a feminine voice, with a tone detached from reality. Almost mocking. "A disgrace upon my realm. Those worms were always certain to dredge up a filthy cringer, unfit to challenge mine presence. I have no interest in thee, cringer."

"Shall we dispose of him then, sire?" one giant aboard a warship asked.

"Rip out his entrails and stretch them across the planet," the entity commanded. "See the insect reminded of the place that fate hath given him. Have your men feast on the rinds."

"With pleasure, sire."

The shadow blipped out of existence in an instant, as though it had never been there. Jasper stood in a daze for a moment, trying to process what he had just witnessed. The returning rallying cry of the green men was quick to bring him back to reality. The Jedi Master took a deep breath...

Then promptly turned around and began running for his life.