Jedi Brat!
After the Empire of the Lost's invasion, Braze hadn't been able to return to Lothal for some time. Following the Invasion of Coruscant, he decided to head back to the planet where he'd gone on his first official mission with Jasper Kai'el ; the very same mission that led to his transition from Initiate to Padawan under the Sentinel of Harmony himself. He was very shy then, and he was still shy even now. He had lost his initial bravado when Aliris Tremiru stole the Emerald Tide Lightsaber Crystal his father had given him when he was but a child. This was the planet where he ran into her again and helped her, the same planet where Loomi seemingly convinced her to join the Jedi, and the same planet where he also lost Aliris Tremiru to Alina Tremiru 's vile deeds. And now, all he could do was visit her as Aliris lay in a seemingly endless sleep. He wondered if he had done the right thing... maybe her life would be different if he had never met her in the Sith tombs that fateful day.
He'd retrieved the Emerald Tide kyber crystal from her present caregivers and had brought it along with him, along with other corrupted and bled crystals: the one from Teresa Zambrano | Darth Pellax and the one Lord Kalrath had bled on Tython. Braze hoped to seek solace in his sanctuary within the trees and work on purifying them.
He arrived on the planet accompanied by his ever-present watcher and confidant, leaving Aether of the Iron Order at the ship. Braze wanted to clear his head and check on things here. Coming up to the place where his treehouse was, he was puzzled by the sight. The massive structure he'd worked so hard to build was gone, and there was a large crater in the earth where it once stood. He frowned. He had a lot of good memories here... what happened to the treehouse? It wasn't destroyed, per se, it was just... gone.
He had met and spoken to so many people here, and now it was gone... gone like Thelma Goth , the little seamstress whose life had been flipped upside down at this very spot. He didn't really have a chance to get to know her or really talk to her before things changed drastically.
Braze stood at the edge of the crater, his eyes scanning the area where his treehouse once stood. The structure, which had been a symbol of his growth and the friendships he had forged, was now nothing but a memory. He crouched down, running his fingers through the disturbed soil, trying to piece together what might have happened. For a moment, he was in denial, feeling the loose soil between his fingers. It wasn't burned to the ground or left in pieces... it was as if someone had torn asunder the whole area and just removed it. He couldn't fathom why anyone would do such a thing. He thought about the gardens he had cultivated here and the little ponds and moat of fish he'd started... what could have happened to it all? It just didn't make sense to him.
He took a deep breath, the air on Lothal still fresh despite the changes the planet had undergone. The memories of his first mission with Jasper flooded back—those early days of uncertainty and shyness, and how much he had grown since then. He had been less interested in this place then, but now... there was a hole in his heart. Something else had been ripped away.
"Why would someone do this?" Braze murmured to himself, his brow furrowed in contemplation. He felt a deep sorrow settle in the pit of his stomach, and it grew, welling up inside him. The treehouse had been a sanctuary, a place where he had found a sense of belonging.
His ever-present watcher, Aether of the Iron Order , was a silent but steady presence, observing him from a distance, giving Braze the space he needed. Braze stood up and dusted off his hands, trying to shake off the initial shock. He couldn't linger in despair; he needed to understand why this had happened and what it meant.
Braze couldn't help but reflect on all the loss he had experienced lately. Lothal, Tython, Coruscant... nothing seemed safe anymore. There was no peace, no stability in his life. The empty, desolate sight of the fields, now missing their centerpiece, struck a deep chord within him. He felt his heart sink, and his eyes became glassy with unshed tears. The weight of his memories and the current reality felt almost too much to bear. Tears began to spill over, but he quickly wiped them away with the edges of his long sleeves, fussing with the fabric as he tried to regain his composure. He took a deep breath, finding his center even as the corrupted serenity crystal he carried tried to work against him. He was no longer that scared, nervous, awkward little boy he was nearly a year ago. He was something more now.
"I need to find out what happened here," he said, his voice stronger now. He knew that Lothal held many secrets, and perhaps the destruction- no, abduction of his treehouse was tied to something bigger.
With a final glance at the crater, Braze turned and headed back towards his ship. There were people on Lothal who might have answers, and he was going to uncover the truth.
His journey on Lothal however, was far from over.
As he made his way through the familiar terrain, Braze heard a distant howling, a sound that sent a shiver down his spine. The howling grew louder, more distinct, and Braze recognized it as the call of the Loth-wolves. The legendary creatures were said to be guardians of the planet, and their presence now could be a sign.
Braze paused, listening intently to the howls that seemed to echo through the very air around him. The Loth-wolves were often seen as harbingers of significant events. Deciding to follow the sound, Braze ventured deeper into the wilds of Lothal. The terrain grew more rugged, and the vegetation denser, but he pressed on. The howling served as his guide, leading him towards an unknown destination.
As Braze neared the source of the howling, he sensed a disturbance in the Force. The air felt heavier, charged with a dark energy that made his skin prickle. Suddenly, he heard new sounds—harsh, guttural tones that contrasted sharply with the natural sounds of the forest. He crept closer, using the trees for cover, until he saw them.
A group of corrupted beings, twisted by the dark side, surrounded a pack of Loth-wolves. Their once noble forms were now shadowed, their eyes glowing with an unnatural light. The creatures hissed and snarled, brandishing weapons and dark energy in a menacing display. Braze recognized them as Sith spawns, corrupted by the influence of the dark side.
The Loth-wolves were cornered, their growls a mix of defiance and fear. Among them, Braze spotted a small pup, its eyes wide with terror as the Sith spawns closed in. His heart pounded in his chest as he assessed the situation. He knew he had to act quickly to save the wolves and stop whatever dark ritual the Sith spawns were performing.
Drawing his lightsaber, Braze took a deep breath, centering himself in the Force. He leaped out from his hiding place, the teal blade of his lightsaber igniting with a hiss. The Sith spawns turned towards him, their eyes narrowing in recognition of a new threat.
"This ends now," Braze declared, his voice steady and filled with resolve. He moved forward, ready to protect the Loth-wolves and confront the darkness that had plagued these lands.
The Sith spawns snarled, advancing on him.
Amidst the chaos, Braze saw the small pup, cowering behind one of the larger Loth-wolves. He knew he had to reach it before the Sith spawns could. With a burst of speed, he dispatched the nearest attackers, clearing a path to the pup. As he neared, a particularly vicious spawn lunged at the defenseless creature.
"No!" Braze shouted, his voice carrying a fierce intensity. He intercepted the spawn with a powerful strike, sending it reeling back. The pup looked up at him with wide, trusting eyes, and Braze felt a surge of protective instinct.
He scooped up the pup with one arm, holding it close as he continued to fend off the Sith spawns.
The dark energy pulsed with malevolence, overwhelming Braze. Struggling to keep his footing, he fought desperately against the relentless Sith spawns. The two larger Loth-wolves battled beside him, their fangs and claws striking fiercely.
Despite their bravery, the wolves were overpowered and fell one by one. But the dark forces were too many.
Knocked to the ground, his lightsaber out of reach, Braze faced the encroaching Sith spawns. The injured and dying Loth-wolves' howls and the pup's whimpers echoed throughout the lands. Cornered and overwhelmed, Braze braced for the final assault, hope fading as darkness closed in.