Private We Ourselves

[Henna Ashina]

What do you want, truly?
Kaleth, Tython

Thunder rolled across the valleys beneath her as Henna took the last steps. A glance thrown behind her revealed clouds forming below the peaks of the mountain. The energy that charged through them permeated the air, causing the hair on her arms to rise. It was a warning to outsiders: this was not their place. Even still, the Jedi did not falter. Her quest drove her forward to the mouth of the temple.

It was not one they had been able to restore or man as of yet. The pillars which framed the entryway stood weathered but sturdy, tested by time in their eternal watch. A chill took the air as she entered the stone chamber. Soot stained the walls, a reminder of the atrocities committed here when the Sith had wreaked havoc across the core. Grimacing, Henna continued on, refusing to acknowledge the ghosts of the past which promised to return.

As she descended through the temple into the mountain, the carvings of the rooms became rougher. Henna stopped in a corridor which seemed to stretch an eternity. Matching pairs of red lights emitted from opposite alcoves. Another half-step from the master set them into motion. Two droids stepped out, blocking the path.

"Halt." The deep voice resonated, echoing through the cavern. "State your purpose, outsider."

"I am no outsider. I am a Jedi, child of the Jed'aii, who seeks balance. I come in pursuit of the knowledge of those who walked before me. Return to slumber, timeless guardians. You shall know no threat from me."

"There is no falsehood in her face." The other droid spoke, bringing down a threatening arm. "You shall pass. That which you seek lies in the heart of this temple."

With that, the droids moved back to their positions, unseen until she passed the cradles carved out on either side of the path. The passageway opened into a vast chamber only a few hundred yards down. Empty and cavernous, a small notion of wonder struck Henna. The ruined library must have been vast in its day of glory. Honey eyes swept across the floor until they spotted the insignia she had come in search of. A V-shape was carved in the stone, perpendicular lines coming off each break, the outline of a circle in the middle. Perfectly balanced.

Henna removed the matching stone from her own pocket and inhaled deeply. Then, she knelt at the base of the symbol, placing the disc in the hollow. Stone rumbled and groaned in protest. A crevice grew as either side of the circle departed, casting a glow from within. A silver triangle rose from its depths. Ornate decoration framed the source of light, cast from symbols that matched the floor. Carefully, Henna touched the point of the holocron. A hiss escaped as it opened, a form coming to life as it folded outward.

"You, bathed in light." The reptile's voice was deep, each word filled with impactful purpose. "Long have I slumbered, waiting for another to make this journey. Yet... you are not as I expected. For what purpose have you walked this path? Speak no mistruths, for I shall know."

 

[Henna Ashina]

What do you want, truly?
Kaleth, Tython

Comparing the Kwa to its kin on Dathomir would have been both an insult and an injustice. She had seen vague sketches, though no work could ever capture the sparkling intelligence in its gaze, nor the power that surrounded its form. In spite of the fact it was only an ethereal remnant of the ancient master, Henna still found herself humbled.

"The first Tythan." Bowing her head in respect, Henna greeted him as she might an old friend. "Those who journeyed before me have inscribed your history. I have heard your people's story. They knew only about extinction in the end. Today, I seek balance. I ask you to teach me the ways of those who became one."

The silence drew a blanket of tension over the master's form, the anticipation drawing her eyes upward. His face was a map written in another language. Her teeth moved instinctively to bite her lip, but she stopped short. There would be no action that could be misinterpreted. Though she was plagued by an uncharacteristic doubt, her purpose was far too important.

"I wish to believe you unworthy, but you have come this far. Yet even still, Tython detests the presence of you and your ilk, children of Ashla." Thunder boomed in the distance, emphasizing his words. Then, his head cocked slightly, his gaze at an angle. "Oh, I had not seen it before. A Jedi who has made the journey. Perhaps there is a possibility."

"Master, please. I do not come in pursuit of such knowledge solely for myself. I have made a sacred vow to protect Tython. There are those who wish to draw it into darkness. They wish to cast the same fate on my peoples as your own knew."

"I know this, child of Ashla." The kwa's voice filled with sudden irritation. "Yet would you not do the same to them, given the chance? You would condemn the darkness and shine the light. Yet one cannot exist without the other. You, too, would disturb the balance."

Suddenly, his hand flickered, and the temple around her fell away. Visions of all the best moments of her life played before her. Ascending to court. The publication of her first journal. Time slowed when it found Inosuke's face. Ishida and Bernard followed. Her younglings, her padawan. A'nangs voice echoed through her thoughts, pointed.

"The love and hope of Ashla. Aye, it is a beautiful thing child. Without it, we would exist as hollow beings, doomed to an empty fate. Yet, harmony cannot exist without chaos!"

The faces of all those she cared for melted away, replaced by more images. Inosuke appeared again, and for only a moment, he grasped her face, pulling her inward. A bird's eye view of Tython. The burning wreckage of the Coruscant temple, the day it was sacked. Finally, an unfamiliar face that seethed evil.

"Passion. Anger. Hate. All necessary. These are not evil concepts! They simply are! They are Bogan, and they are the force!"

The temple caved in, and once more, she was on Tython, her breathing heavy. The kwa had abandoned calm, his voice fervent, and he held that same tone as he pushed further.

"For centuries, your kind have been deceived, pitted against one another in the belief there were only two paths to walk, doomed to war eternally. There is a third path, long forgotten. A marriage of light and darkness. I believe you know as well as I the sacrifice required, else She would not have judged you worthy of your mantle. Yet still, I ask you: Can you accept this, child? Can you cast aside all of which you have been taught? Can you abandon the promise of serenity?! Do you still desire peace?!"