This planet is nothing but a hellhole…

[Darth Zilti]

Formerly the Palace of the Jedi, it was huge, it was on Coruscant and most importantly it was free of Jedi.

Since their meeting on the icy planet, Maja had received a number of images of the woman and every time it was at the same place. And by place, she was very specific. The exact desk she was now standing over. Maja knew the time of day – given the light – and it was about now. But she didn’t know the date, so this was the sixth day in a row she’d been here. Twice she’d been forced to evict a couple of Acolytes, but she cared not. What she saw was only a potential future and anything that interrupted it could impact the validity of the seeing. The future was always in flux.

Unlike many here, Maja was broadly ambivalent towards the Jedi. She didn’t like them but she didn’t allow hatred of them consume her. There were many things she disliked. A stupid rule that banned eating chocolate whilst studying was currently top of her list. For in her week of waiting, she’d taken to reading up on the Vahla and the Ember too. Oddly…no, not oddly, quite logically, the area with the reference material was next to the desk she was now sitting at. It was no coincidence.

So she sat near the main floor of the former Jedi Archives, datapads, holobooks and datasticks were scattered on the desk in front of her and soon she was so focussed on her research that a Rancor could have sat next to her and she wouldn’t have noticed. And as long as he didn’t disturb her, she wouldn’t have minded. They were misunderstood creatures. She’d ridden one once that had taken a shine to her. But that was a long time ago.

She absent-mindedly put her hand in her pocket and pulled out a candy bar. She took a big bite and put it down on the desk in front of her. She was becoming a real rebel…

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

 

[Lassiter]

[member="Maja Vern"]

The weekend of solitude had ended and it had not helped her anger in the slightest. The fire was still burning bright inside of her as the annoyance of being stranded had been replaced by the irritation that she wasn’t able to prove herself worthy of her rank. An acolyte was only an acolyte yet the greatest opportunity she had to prove herself was ripped quite literally from her by the hounds as they had to drag her all the way back to the Temple of Vahl.

She wanted that shot and she would take it eventually but until then she would know well enough to prepare for whenever the moment would arise. So here she was in the old Jedi Archives, a defiled den of what was now a hub of Sith Lore as well as general knowledge and ignorance as well. Perhaps she was at fault for not despising the Jedi as much as she should. For all she cared they bled just like any other victim.

They also hadn’t really done anything to truly get receive the full brunt of her hatred yet.

From one of the many shelves she picked out the one that seemed to have gathered the most dust of them all. An encyclopedia on animals and plants. Anything to teach the girl how to survive against the natural phenomenons that sought to kill her.

Sena and the book found their spot along a great table. At the other end sat another redhead but the appraisal of ‘beauty’ would have to wait. A whole world of knowledge had to be soaked up in as little time as possible lest her master got any strange ideas again.

 

[Darth Zilti]

It was an odd moment. Maja was aware of the presence and was about to shoo the latest Acolyte to try to sit down away when she recognised the girl. Less so from the icy wastes and more from the images shed received – unbidden into her sleep, her meditation and generally during the day.

She swivelled on her seat, her right leg now draped over the arm of the chair. “You won’t remember me, but I recall you. Csilla? The hounds? I was…in the background so to speak.”

She grabbed at her candy bar and took another bite before putting it back on the table. “I can’t say why, but we’re connected in some way. The Force eh?” She smiled. “Sometimes,” she pointed to her head, “Images just find their way in. Normally when I want to find something, or something major is about to happen. But every now and then – like this time, there’s no rhyme or reason. Just..you know…images. Here…” She waved her arm expansively at the rows of shelves. “This table, this time of day and you.”

“Maybe I’m just here to make sure you don’t steal that book.” She glanced across. “Bed-time reading eh? Something to help you sleep? Or..kark it, I don’t know, just something, some connection.” She sighed audibly. “You do speak, don’t you?” The fact that Maja hadn’t allowed her to get a word in edgeways was somewhat lost on her.

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

 

[Lassiter]

Voxyn, vong and sithspawn. Sena had picked the wrong book. Her face planted itself across the word-strewn pages of the book in a moment of disappointment before promptly rising. She closed it in preparation to return it to its shelf. At least she was planning to. She found herself interrupted by her reading partner down the row. Redhead, tattoo in her face that she knew better than to question. Had an air about her that spoke of someone who was higher up, even if they seemed to be just about the same age.

Could Sena speak? She nodded. “I speak.”

She just usually never chose to unless she was acting as voice for her master or, as brought up, was on Csilla. Her eyebrow perked up at that. To be in the background was a weird way to put it and the fact that she claimed they were ‘connected through the force somehow’ was even weirder. The last person to use that line on her ended up with a gash across their throat in a dark alley, not the best way to start off a relationship.

Not that it really took off in the first place.

“I just tend to not do it.” Sena added. “What do you want?”

[member="Maja Vern"]

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja had no friends. She had a sister she’d ignored for years – even though she adored her – and nieces she never saw but loved. She was unintentionally cruel it seemed on the surface.

But it was all linked to her lifestyle. She’d had two full-time Masters and her training had been dotted all over the galaxy. She still counted someone she knew for under 24 hours one of her best friends. In truth, the woman could be dead for all she knew.

It was not that this life upset her, or gave her cause for concern, but every now and then she wondered if she were a typical Sith or not.

Not that she was planning on asking this stranger to be her best buddy forever, it was just a random thought that entered her head as she laughed out loud as the woman face-planted the book she’d pulled from the shelf. And covered herself in dust in the process.

“You’ve got a spider…” She pointed to the end of her own nose. “Just a little one. I’d say leave it there. It could catch on you know.” She grinned widely.

“And you speak, that’s good.”

But the final question pole-axed her. She shrugged dramatically. “Usually this is where you say you’ve had visions too, we compare notes and go off and fight zombies before finding some lost Holocron. Or we go and rip a heart out of some unsuspecting trooper. You know...usual stuff.” Her voice was deadly serious. Clearly this was a genuinely held belief that such actions were normal.

“So…I’m Maja. I mean, that’s what I’m known as. It’s not my real name, but what I was given when I was a baby. Which is, I guess, how most people are named, but this wasn’t by my parents, at least I don’t think so, as there’s no record of a Maja Vern in any database. Not even my sister knows our real surname; she was raised by adopted parents you see.” She was talking at a rate of knots now, showing no signs of letting up.

“But now I do know my real first name, I learned it on Kashyyyk, but that’s a long story – and anyway I don’t use it, I’m saving it for when I’m a Sith Lord. Say, what’s your opinion on taking a Darth name? When you’re a Knight or a Lord. It seems the jury is split. What’s your thought on the subject?”

Finally she shut up, but didn’t seem at all out of breath.

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

 

[Lassiter]

“Oh.” Sena snapped the spider from her nose. “Of course I speak.”

Was she angry? No, just inconvenienced. To say that her interaction with non-cultists had been lacking as of late would be an understatement unless you counted random acts of violence, but even then it left her lacking in the social graces department. Add to that the fact that she had spent a majority of her life in a slave pit or out on the streets and you’d have a pretty solid excuse.

Not that she would ever be open about such things.

“I am... Sena. Sena Lassiter.” She entered a sidestare. “I don’t know much about my family.”

Was that all she could say? Not even mention the fact that her sister is probably dead, that she never knew her parents and they never cared that they lost her? The girl was a wreck when it came to family and the very core concept of it. For a brief moment a few months ago she found herself reunited with a sibling she didn’t even know existed. After that they never spoke again and it was all during the Breaking of Corellia. To say she hadn’t felt a thing would be a lie, but it was still pretty close to the truth.

“The title of ‘Darth’ is given to an individual once they prove themselves loyal to their Master and the Dark Lord. Maybe as a Knight or even a Lord, I don't truly kow.” Sena stated as if it was something she had read out of a book. “Maybe one day I will find myself worthy of the title but my first shot at proving my worth was ripped from me.”

“... On Csilla.” She sighed. “What were you even doing observing me? Did my master set you up for that?”

 

[Darth Zilti]

Finally Maja had a name – Sena.

And she listened as the fellow Sith spoke, nodding in all the right places. “Yeah, that’s what I figured about the title, but it didn’t help much. Darth Zannah took the name from the moment she was an Apprentice. Darth Maul too. But that was way back then – given the Rule of Two and what it meant. I mean, I suspect it’s given so I should wait for my Master to let me know. And there’s the Dark Mark too. Sounds like fun.”

For someone with a facial tattoo and self-inflicted burns on her skin, she was probably the sort that would enjoy receiving a new piece of body-art. Fun was clearly a subjective thing.

“And yeah, Csilla, that kinda sucked.” She wrinkled her nose. “Haven’t seen that guy before, probably won’t again. But I wasn’t observing you under instruction – it was…I dunno…an instinctual thing. I was heading to meet up with some group or another and you were there. I knew it was wrong to interfere but I was drawn to watch.”

“Funny how the Force is like that. My sister said it’s because we’re Vahla. Farseeing is natural for us.” She shrugged, “I just know that when it wants me to know something, I’m forced to listen if I want to or not.”

“So no, I doubt your Master had anything to do with me being there…but then, given the Force, who knows. Who is she?”

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

 

[Lassiter]

She was well-read it seemed. Darth Zannah, Darth Maul all of them were names that had Sena shrugging. No, she was not well-read and she wasn’t much a sucker for history. She was here, the present and future. History had a way of reminding you of your own past. At least Sena could avoid contemplating it far too much as the girl mentioned Vahla. What a funny coincidence or half-coincidence, if you must.

“Well it doesn’t come naturally to me.” The acolyte shook her head. “My master is Darth Nephthys,” Sena took a deep breath. “... Of the Ember of Vahl.”

They were both Vahla by unequal measures. A mutt and a full-blown. She always wondered if that was traceable in the force and which of the bloods it would speak of the most. Was it the Corellian or the Vahla, the Duchess or the Criminal? It didn’t matter, Sena was who she was and her master seemed accepting of that.

“I’m, uh,” What was a good way to say ax crazy and in charge of the occasional freelance sacrifice? “Involved myself.” Close enough. “What about you? You’re Vahla, sure you’ve at the very least heard of the Ember.”

Because Sena certainly did not recognize the woman from the temple. How peculiar.

[member="Maja Vern"]

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja was not a social creature. She spent most of her time in space and so research was her only pastime. Zannah, and latterly the Ember of Vahl were her main interests, but of late she’d dabbled in anything relevant to her needs. She was not a student of history for the sake of it – it was always important to her for one reason or another.

Maja wriggled in her seat. The line of questioning was logical, reasonable and above all uncomfortable from the fellow Sith.

“Ah well. Long story you see.” She took another bite of the candy bar and offered it to the woman sitting beside her. “I mentioned I was an orphan – yet for all I know, my parent’s are alive…but that’s irrelevant, sort of.”

She was obviously finding it difficult to pull a train of thought together to explain. “I didn’t know I could use the Force until I was twenty. At least that’s how old I think I was…no birth record you see. And I met my sister, Silara. She is or was a Sith Lord. A Voice I believe and was a member of the Ember of Vahl. My red hair is significant or something. Anyways, my sister and I…you know…sisters and stuff.” She pulled a face. “We love each other but I wanted to be my own person. So I took off pretty much immediately. Learned nothing of the Sith or the Vahla – I just roamed the galaxy picking up knowledge.”

“I settled for a while with a Sith Lord – but then he died – and now he’s alive again…I’m never sure how that works. And then I found my new Master. Matsu. And at the same time I came across Darth Venefica. She told me more about the Ember and I asked to do the ritual even though I’m Vahla and that’s as far as I got. I’ve come here to get stuff to build my own shrine on my ship, so I was researching what I should have and where I can buy it. I guess it’s possible to purchase that stuff?” She looked at Sena as if for assurance.

“The thing is, I’ve got this far without using my sister’s name. Which makes me feel good, but sometimes I wonder if I could have opened doors quicker if I said who she was?”

“What do you think?”

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

 

[Lassiter]

Sena nearly took offense at first. No, she did not even remotely know about sisters and stuff, but at least the girl was keen enough to press the conversation ahead and into Vahl territory again. Sena nodded at the red hair issue and stroke her hand through the neatly groomed mop that she had turned her own into. She too was a redhead of Vahl, but still a mutt. She felt like a walking pile of sacrilegious excrements at times. A part of her running complex over the very fact that she was not a true Vahla by to the same degree as the others.

“I know of this ‘Silara.’ She’s been quiet lately, even for a voice, but since it seems she left us I guess that makes sense.” Sena rose up. “And I don’t know what to think about this. You are talking about a world I don’t even know about. Sisters, family, it is all alien to me. I was raised by-” She wasn’t going to delve into her past. “Others. I never knew my own family and when I did meet my sister she too abandoned me not long after. I have no idea what kind of doors you are even talking about.”

Now it was Sena’s turn to ramble. “Your altar speaks a lot more about you if you yourself acquire the required materials. A test and baptism for you and your ship to prove your continued loyalty to the goddess.” She went over to the shelves once more. “She sees all and knows all. She is your everything and if you are willing to accept that she will show you the way on your quest.”

She gathered the right book and returned to [member="Maja Vern"]. “I admit it is the first time I have heard of this being done for an altar on a ship, but if you are serious about this I will aid you. If you’d wish that.”

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja was oblivious to Sena’s interest in her speech – but that was Maja. She only stopped talking about herself for long enough for you to talk about her!

“Yeah, my sister met this guy and kind of disappeared off the radar. I can’t blame her. It’s not like it’s a family business you can raise kids into is it? I mean they could end up Sith and all that but…you know, if you love them, it’s a bit of a risk, being a prominent member of the One Sith I guess. I haven’t even seen my nieces. I figured it was best to keep away. And she’s still alive, I know that much…” Her voice trailed off. She was talking like she was an expert on relationships when in truth she was a very poor example of a sibling.

“Anyway, yes…help. I came to all this late and although it explains stuff, my weak bones for example, the whole Goddess side is new to me. I have no idea about what constitutes a shrine but know, in my heart, it is something I need to do. And as for my ship, I’m a real space nomad. I have no home. Well not true, I have a home but I think someone’s stolen it – but that’s not important either. I spend my life on my ship. If I spend one day in thirty on a planet I’d be surprised. So I need to have a shrine on my ship for that reason. Am I making any sense?” She cocked her head to one side and gave Sena an appraising look. “Hey, you’ve got red hair too!”

It was as if she’d truly looked at the woman in front of her for the first time.

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

 

[Lassiter]

“I do.” The acolyte’s voice cracked. “Doesn’t make me feel very special though.”

Lies. She felt special all the time, it was kind of who she was. Acting like the world circulated around her was what she did and it was the exact reason she used to go out every single day looking to make that fact known. Sena looked good and she wanted everyone to know it. Obviously even now in her all-black approach to life and style she was outshining most people around her.

The acolyte ran an up and down look of the knight that stood before her. Red hair, thin, tall, something in her face. Sena nodded in approval. She felt pretty at the cost of another person’s short-comings. Part of her wanted to ask about the burn but she was still an acolyte. Dying at the hands of another person other than her Master felt stupid.

At least until she would properly know how to protect herself.

“I am new myself, don’t get me wrong on that.” Sena spoke as she shook her head. “I am merely interested in the works of this. It’s a double learning opportunity.”

“First part of this is figuring out what we’ll actually need. If there’s nothing to be found here then there is bound to be more information on the matter at the Temple of Vahl.”

[member="Maja Vern"]

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja remembered her mother’s words. Or more accurately the words her mother was attributed with. But then the story might be a fake or the woman bogus. Not knowing was a real drain sometimes, so she tended to ignore the subject unless she was in one of her melancholy moods.

Maja cocked her head to one side as the fellow Sith spoke. “I can’t say I’m as much interested as drawn. In truth I don’t know what I’m letting myself in for – but I know I need to find out. I feel I’m expected to pursue it, maybe even destined to?” She shrugged, “Who knows. It might even kill me, eh?” She seemed to have a flippant attitude towards death – which did not come across as false bravado, but rather a fatalist approach.

“And as for what we need – I’ve only seen that shrine twice, for a minute or so at a time, so I’m in your hands. And as for the Temple…is it here on Coruscant?”

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

 

[Lassiter]

To that Sena nodded. The temple was near and built ontop of a mountain of all things. Though the question whether the mountain itself was artificial or not didn’t really have to be answered. Not because Sena didn’t know but rather because she didn’t care. It was there, the hounds and her master lived there and it was here that they met for study and that was good enough for her to not ever question it.

“The Temple is nearby, a short trip and we’re there.” Sena put her newly acquired book in a satchel and beckoned at [member="Maja Vern"] to follow her. “We’ll need to find one of the priestesses. One can usually be found by the sacrificial altar.”

Sena lead them out of the archives and into the great hallway and the grand gates that marked their entrance. A look of contemplation shot out at the elder Vahla of their duo. She had dreams of Sena, saw Sena and now Sena was graciously volunteering to help her. All things considered it was a bit of a daunting idea to think she was part of some greater image.

Even more angering to think the force thought of her as a pawn.

“Being drawn and being interested is the same thing.” Sena stated as they headed for the grand exit. “Maybe the goddess chose you for this. Saw you fit to carry her will in your nomad ways.”

“Maybe one day I will have that honor too.”

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja was an conceited as anyone could be – but had recently learned a large dose of humility. Her view of life in the One Sith had been so fairy-tale, it would not have looked out of place with a pretty bow around it, riding a pink unicorn.

Her love for her sister had blinded her to the harsh realities of life on the Dark-side. Love was a weakness that could be exploited. Open shows of affection were foolish and a belief that you were special or chosen would simply get you killed…quickly.

So Maja followed Sena and listened but finally interjected. “I am Vahla – all that means is that my parents were a given race. No more and no less. Yes, when I first found out I was descended from that lineage, I was wrapped up in destiny and such – but at the end of the day, I’m just a person. That might sound like blasphemy but that was not my intention. The goddess may have me earmarked as an example for foolish young girls who have ideas above their station. I may meet a grisly end just to show others the true way. So don’t think I’m necessarily honoured yet.”

“I may yet come to serve you, and will have to accept that fate. Do I hope for such an outcome?” She snorted a laugh. “Of course not, but I am a pragmatist. Honour is a fool’s prize. Glory is of no use to the dead.”

“So I appreciate your help given you’re part of the temple and I’m just a wannabe at present. And on that subject, what can you tell me about it?”

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

 

[Lassiter]

Sena looked at [member="Maja Vern"] as if she took slight offense. The acolyte was for all intents and purposes still a very impressionable youth. Say the right thing, use the right words and bring it out in a truly captivating way and there was a chance she would swallow whatever was being said whole. Obviously perhaps one day she would look back at this very moment and laugh quietly for herself and her eagerness to prove herself worthy to the cause, but that day was still very distant.

“The temple is located in the Manarai Mountains. It’s cold, it’s...” Sena went quiet as she remembered the hounds. “Like a second home. You will see when we get there.”

They left through the grand gateway. Coruscant was bustling as usual. Speeders and transports zoomed on by as the sun delivered it’s warmth through the tolerably polluted air. They reached a platform and the call for transport was away.

“Look, I know what you may be thinking. Blindly loyal girl following a cult or whatever without question, right?” She shook her head. “In reality I just owe them a lot. They’ve provided a home, power, knowledge. I just... Owe them. A lot.”

[member="Maja Vern"]

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja had grown up – but her desire to say it how she saw it was never going to change. Sugar-coating and manipulative words were useful for enemies if you wanted to bring them on-side – but as a rule she simply spoke without thinking. It had nearly cost Maja her life on more than one occasion – especially with her first Master, who had not appreciated her wise-cracks.

Maja had never heard of the Manarai Mountains but wasn’t bothered too much about the cold. At least not in theory. “OK, lead on.” She smiled in a friendly manner and having gathered up her things, took a big bite of candy before stuffing the bar into the pocket of her black cloak.

“I forget that some of this planet isn’t just one big city,” she offered by way of small-talk as they awaited a transport. “And I’d be a fine one to talk about following someone blindly. First my sister and then a dead Sith Lord. I just did what I thought they wanted me to do.”

She looked Sena in the eyes. “But this is no speech about being your own person. Whatever happens, happens. Whatever path you take must be yours. Nobody owns you and nobody tells you how to behave. If you want to follow a cult, that’s your prerogative. It’s a fine line between obedience and blind faith. Who’s to say which side of that marker any of us are on?”

“Loyalty is…good. I’m a little, how shall I say? Selfish and don’t probably give enough respect for what I’ve got. I want and I take. That’s me. At least the new me. Does that make me right?” She shrugged. “Who knows? But it’s right for me and me now. That’s all that matters, right?”

“Anyway…just how cold is this place?”

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

 

[Lassiter]

Sena simply nodded at the young woman. It made sense. follow out of a wish to follow and not blind faith in her master. Obviously Sena questioned the decisions her Master made at times, not often, but sometimes she did. Sending her off to Csilla was one such decision but in the end even that decision was something she could see the logic behind.

“Cold, but not as cold as Csilla.” Sena sighed as the transport arrived. “Manarai Mountains.” Sena instructed the driver before leaning back in her seat. “I suppose you have a point. The Ember are like family.” Sena shrugged. “I think.”

“They are always there, they look out for one another. Sometimes it may not be obvious, but we do. We care for the well-being of our own.” Sena looked out the window as she spoke in contemplation. “Csilla was a test of endurance. I didn’t see it at first but I came to realise that once my weekend of isolation was over.” For a moment her eyes sought out to achieve contact with Maja’s. “I was supposed to see how far I could go and how I would see about getting there. That was why the man interfering was seen as a breach of conduct.”

“You know, it’s weird to be doing this. Talking, I mean. I spend a lot of time keeping quiet. My master speaks through telepathy and after a while you realise that silence can serve an individual better than many words can do.” In reality it was nervous talks. A pot of fright was brewing in her gut. “I don’t talk to many people at all, actually. It’s... Hard.”

“All these expectations that people have that you have to share things about yourself. That’s even harder. I just don’t. Usually.”

 

[Darth Zilti]

Maja could not suppress a snort of laughter. Talking was her main pastime and when she’d finished talking about herself, she was always courteous enough to pause to allow the other person to talk about Maja too.

“Yeah, sorry,” the Sith Knight offered, “It’s just I like to talk. I spend a lot of time travelling, alone in my ship and well…you can only have enough of your own company. I grew up surrounded by people with no space and no time to talk. So the freedom my abilities have afforded me? Well I like to use it to do what I want – and chattering away is one such hobby. Mind you, it’s not universally popular, so I have learned to curb it when I need to but now, given we’re just…you know…chatting…I figured no sense in travelling in silence.”

She stared out of the window as they travelled. “You’re a long time dead and with no chance to talk – so I believe in making the most of when I can.”

“And the thing about family is…well you have to be careful is all. The Jedi seem to believe they’re better because they ignore emotions. We think we’re better because we embrace them. But a Jedi will sacrifice their best friend for the greater good…at least I think that’s how it’s supposed to work. Love and attachment? They’re dangerous for the Sith. You don’t hear of any Sith Lords in history marrying do you? So take me. I have what, four nieces. But I never see them. One day I might have to kill one to prove my worth – or let one die because they are unworthy. That’s the Sith way as I see it. I can’t be soft on them because they’re blood, can I?”

“Or maybe I can? Maybe I got it all wrong? Who knows? Who really cares? Listen – do it your way and then you can’t blame anyone if it goes wrong. I mean take the Ember. I will pledge my loyalty forever and a day and do whatever the goddess asks. But if her will was to kill you? If we became friends that might compromise the situation. So I have acquaintances, never friends. I respect but never fully trust.”

She sighed. “And I talk a lot. Maybe too much. I tend to over-think at times. Putting the Ember ahead of all others, that I can sign up to. Looking out for each other – I can do that. But complete and utter trust?” She sucked air through her teeth. “I’ll have to get back to you on that one.”

[member="Sena Lassiter"]

 

[Lassiter]

Solitude.

Peace.

Sena enjoyed it. In solitude and in silence there was a measure of peace that she had a hard time finding anywhere else. Thoughts could be collected, memories evaluated. Knives could be properly cleaned and anyone trying to enter your personal sphere for an attack was far less likely to succeed in an attempt at your life. The sound of silence was the first and last thing a person ever heard and if that in itself wasn’t proof that life was but a sick joke Sena didn’t know what was.

“Trust. Right.” Sena’s eyes wandered out the window as well. “Yeah, trust isn’t the best.”

The rest of the ride went on in silence. The mountains approached up ahead and the cab came to a halt at the base of it. Peaking up at the top one could make out the shape of the Temple. It wasn’t the tallest of climbs, but the path was perilous nonetheless. Steep falls, a few steps here in there in obvious disrepair. It took as much faith to reach the top as it took luck or the know-how of which steps were still somewhat safe.

Sena had walked this road many times before.

“It’s going to be a climb.” She shrugged. “Hope you’re prepared for that.”

[member="Darth Zilti"]