The Jedi Temple stood as it always had.
High above the endless cityscape of Coruscant, its ancient spires overlooked a Republic that seemed peaceful from afar.
Yet beneath that peace...
Darkness continued to move unseen.
For several days, three Jedi Knights had traveled through hyperspace after departing Tatooine. The rescue of the kidnapped children had brought hope to one forgotten world, but it had also uncovered something far more troubling.
A single set of coordinates.
The only clue left behind by an enemy that refused to leave a trail.
Without delay, the three Knights made their way to the Jedi Council's private briefing chamber.
Waiting for them were Grand Master Plo Koon and Master Mace Windu.
The room remained quiet as Khan placed Aayla's datapad upon the table.
"This was all we recovered," he said.
Plo Koon looked toward him.
"Your report, give."
Khan nodded.
"Masters, while investigating Tatooine, we uncovered a criminal syndicate involved in the kidnapping and trafficking of children."
"The group operated from several camps hidden throughout the desert."
"We dismantled both encampments and rescued the children."
He paused briefly.
"But something happened during our investigation."
Mace folded his arms.
"Explain."
"We captured several members alive."
"They were prepared to answer our questions."
"But before they could reveal anything..."
"They died."
Neither Mace nor Plo interrupted.
"There were no visible wounds."
"No poison."
"No struggle."
"It was as though..."
Khan searched for the right words.
"...something simply took their lives."
The chamber fell silent.
Kit, who had remained unusually quiet, finally spoke.
"It happened every time."
"The moment they tried to tell us who they worked for..."
"They died."
Aayla stepped forward.
"The only thing we recovered was this."
She activated the datapad.
A simple star chart appeared above the table.
At its center...
A single blinking set of hyperspace coordinates.
"We searched everything else aboard the transport," she said.
"Communications."
"Cargo manifests."
"Navigation logs."
"Everything had been erased."
"Only these coordinates remained."
Mace studied the projection carefully.
His expression hardened.
"If events unfolded as you described..."
"...then we can only conclude that the dark side of the Force was involved."
No one argued.
The room grew noticeably heavier.
"Whatever lies at those coordinates," Mace continued, "is likely far more dangerous than the syndicate you encountered."
Plo Koon closed his eyes for a brief moment.
Through the Force...
He reached toward the distant stars represented by the projection.
Only silence answered him.
When he opened his eyes once more, his voice remained calm.
"Connected to the Sith..."
"...these events may be."
He looked toward the three young Knights.
"Alone..."
"...you will not go."
Aayla tilted her head slightly.
"Master..."
"Is it wise to not send us first and scout, this could end up being nothing?"
Plo Koon met her gaze.
"Wisdom is not measured by how little we commit..."
"...but by knowing when caution must come first."
Mace nodded in agreement.
"The Sith have already claimed two of our greatest Masters."
"We will not underestimate them again."
He looked toward Khan.
"You three have performed admirably."
"But if this trail truly leads toward the darkness..."
"...it is no longer an investigation suited for newly knighted Jedi alone."
Khan inclined his head.
"I understand, Master."
Plo Koon rested one hand upon the table.
"You will rendezvous with two members of the High Council."
"Master Yarael Poof."
"And Master Coleman Trebor."
"They are already concluding negotiations within the Mid Rim."
"The five of you will meet there before continuing to these coordinates."
Kit smiled.
"So..."
"Our little investigation just became much bigger."
"It would seem so," Aayla replied.
Mace deactivated the star chart.
"For now..."
"Prepare yourselves."
"Whatever waits beyond those coordinates..."
"...we must assume it was never meant to be found."
The meeting soon came to an end.
Kit and Aayla excused themselves to prepare the shuttle for departure, leaving Khan behind with Master Windu.
The briefing chamber gradually emptied until only the two remained.
For a few moments...
Neither spoke.
Khan finally broke the silence.
"How is Anakin adjusting to the Temple?"
Mace folded his hands behind his back as the two slowly began walking through the quiet halls.
"Better than I expected."
"He still struggles to fit in with the other younglings."
"He entered the Order much later than they did."
"That was always going to be difficult."
Khan nodded.
"I imagined as much."
Mace glanced toward him.
"Even so..."
"There is something... unusual."
Khan raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"The speed at which he learns."
"He absorbs every lesson placed before him."
"History."
"Lightsaber forms."
"Meditation."
"The Force itself."
"He advances at a pace I've rarely witnessed."
Mace's expression remained thoughtful.
"My only concern..."
"...is that such talent does not become arrogance."
A small chuckle escaped Khan.
"I don't believe it will."
Mace looked toward him.
"Anakin is a kind boy."
"He wants to prove himself."
"He wants to belong."
Khan smiled faintly.
"I'm confident he'll walk a good path."
The conversation slowly drifted into silence once more.
Eventually...
Khan spoke again.
"There is something we've avoided for long enough."
Mace already knew where the conversation was heading.
His expression hardened ever so slightly.
"The prophecy."
Khan nodded.
"When I was younger..."
"The Council believed I might be the one spoken of in the ancient texts."
Neither of them had forgotten those discussions.
They had simply stopped having them.
"But Anakin..."
Khan looked ahead as they continued walking.
"...fits the legend far more closely than I ever did."
Mace remained silent.
The only sound between them was the quiet echo of their footsteps.
Finally...
He spoke.
"Perhaps."
It was a simple answer.
Nothing more.
Khan smiled faintly.
"You still don't like speaking about it."
"No."
Mace's voice remained calm.
"I do not."
"The prophecy has influenced too many decisions already."
He paused.
"I will not allow it to influence the upbringing of a child."
Khan listened.
Mace continued.
"If Anakin truly is destined for something greater..."
"Then the Force will guide him there."
"It does not need the Council pushing him toward a future none of us fully understands."
Khan considered those words.
Then slowly nodded.
"I suppose you're right."
"We'll have to tell him one day."
"When the time is right," Mace replied.
"For now..."
"Let him remain what he is."
"A youngling."
"Nothing more."
Khan smiled.
"I can agree to that."
The conversation came to an end.
Ahead of them...
The Temple's landing platforms came into view.
Beyond them, Kit and Aayla were already waiting beside the shuttle.
A new mission awaited.
And somewhere beyond the stars...
A single set of coordinates quietly pulled five Jedi toward a mystery that had slept for far too long.
Jedi Knight Khan Kage, Jedi Knight Kit Fisto, and Jedi Knight Aayla Secura departed Coruscant aboard their Jedi T-6 shuttle.
Their destination...
A single set of coordinates recovered from Tatooine.
Several hours later, within the Mid Rim, the shuttle emerged from hyperspace.
Waiting for them were two Jedi vessels.
Two sleek Delta-7 Jedi Starfighters drifted silently through space.
As the T-6 approached, the familiar voice of Master Coleman Trebor came through the communications channel.
"Right on time."
Kit smiled.
"I've always been told punctuality is one of my greatest strengths."
Aayla looked over at him.
"No one has ever told you that."
"I like to stay optimistic."
Khan simply shook his head as he opened the communications channel.
"It is good to see you both, Masters."
The image of Master Yarael Poof appeared beside Coleman Trebor's.
His long, thoughtful face remained as serene as ever.
"And you as well, young Knights."
"The Grand Master has informed us of your discoveries."
"The coordinates have already been entered into our navigation systems."
Coleman folded his arms.
"Whatever lies at the end of this trail..."
"We'll discover it together."
Khan nodded.
"May the Force be with us."
One after another...
Both Jedi craft aligned themselves.
The stars stretched into endless streams of light.
Once more...
They entered hyperspace.
Days passed.
The farther they traveled...
The fewer ships appeared upon their scanners.
Established hyperspace routes slowly gave way to forgotten lanes.
Trade traffic disappeared.
Republic navigation beacons became increasingly scarce.
Eventually...
Even the star charts displayed little more than empty space.
The galaxy had not ended.
But civilization...
Had.
Inside the shuttle, the usual conversations had long since faded.
Even Kit found little reason to joke.
There was something...
Unsettling.
No alarms sounded.
No mechanical failures appeared.
Yet each of the five Jedi felt it.
A quiet pressure.
Like unseen eyes watching from somewhere beyond the stars.
It settled over them little by little.
Not suddenly.
Patiently.
Almost...
Waiting.
Aayla finally broke the silence.
"Do you feel that?"
No one answered immediately.
They all did.
Coleman Trebor's voice came across the communications channel.
"I thought it was only me."
Master Yarael Poof slowly opened his eyes from meditation.
"No."
His voice remained calm.
"The Force..."
"...grows restless."
Khan rested one hand upon the controls.
He had felt darkness before.
On Naboo.
During his duel against the Sith.
This felt...
Different.
Older.
Far older.
Not the rage of a single Sith.
But something that had lingered for generations.
As if the darkness itself had seeped into the very fabric of the Force.
Kit quietly rubbed the back of his neck.
"I suddenly miss Tatooine."
No one laughed.
Even he wasn't joking.
The silence returned.
Until the navigation computer chimed.
Destination reached.
Stars snapped back into existence.
The five Jedi looked ahead.
Before them floated a world unlike any they had ever seen.
Dark storm clouds swallowed almost the entire planet.
Brilliant veins of blue and violet lightning constantly flashed beneath the clouds, illuminating the atmosphere for only the briefest moments.
Vast forests stretched across the surface.
Ancient.
Untouched.
Their towering canopies hid whatever rested beneath.
From orbit...
The planet appeared alive.
Yet there was no sense of life within the Force.
Only...
Darkness.
A cold chill settled over the cockpit.
It was unlike ordinary fear.
Not panic.
Not uncertainty.
Something older.
Something instinctive.
The Force itself seemed to whisper...
Leave.
Coleman Trebor slowly exhaled.
"I have never felt anything like this."
Aayla unconsciously tightened her grip on her seat.
"It feels..."
"...wrong."
Khan remained silent.
The darkness pressing against his senses was almost tangible.
For a brief instant...
His hand instinctively drifted toward the lightsaber hanging at his belt.
Then another presence quietly reached them.
Calm.
Steady.
Unmoving.
Master Yarael Poof.
Though separated by another vessel, his presence within the Force spread gently across the small group.
Like a single candle standing against an endless night.
The suffocating pressure eased.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Yarael's voice came through the communicator.
"Fear..."
"...is what this place wishes us to feel."
He slowly opened his eyes.
"We shall not grant it that victory."
The five Jedi silently centered themselves.
Breathing.
Listening.
Allowing the Force to steady their minds.
Only then did Khan guide the shuttle toward the surface.
The three Jedi craft carefully descended through the planet's violent atmosphere.
Blue and violet lightning tore across the dark clouds, illuminating the endless canopy below for only the briefest of moments.
The turbulence grew stronger.
The T-6 shuttle rocked violently before Khan corrected its course.
To either side, the two Delta-7 starfighters weaved between bolts of lightning with practiced precision.
"This storm isn't natural," Aayla observed as another flash lit the cockpit.
"No," Khan replied quietly.
"It isn't."
The descent continued.
For several more minutes, the five Jedi searched for a safe place to land.
Most of the world below was swallowed by an endless sea of ancient forest.
Towering trees stretched toward the storm-covered sky, their massive branches weaving together until they formed an almost unbroken canopy.
Only occasionally did gaps appear large enough to glimpse the earth below.
Another flash of lightning illuminated the landscape.
Khan's eyes narrowed.
"Hold."
The other two ships slowed.
"What is it?" Kit asked.
Khan pointed through the canopy.
"There."
Another bolt of lightning flashed.
For the briefest instant...
Something reflected the light.
Not water.
Stone.
Partially hidden beneath centuries of overgrowth stood what appeared to be the remains of a massive structure.
Only the uppermost section was visible.
A weathered spire...
Or perhaps a tower.
Most of it had long since disappeared beneath the forest.
Coleman Trebor studied the image through his cockpit.
"I see it."
"It doesn't look natural."
Yarael Poof remained silent.
He simply watched the distant silhouette.
After several moments...
He quietly spoke.
"Our destination..."
"...perhaps."
For several more minutes, the five Jedi searched for a safe place to land.
Most of the world below was swallowed by an endless sea of ancient forest.
Towering trees stretched toward the storm-covered sky, their massive branches weaving together until they formed an almost unbroken canopy. Only occasionally did gaps appear large enough to glimpse the dark earth beneath.
"There," Coleman Trebor's voice came over the communicator.
"A clearing."
Khan spotted it immediately.
A narrow patch of exposed ground surrounded by towering trees.
Barely enough room.
One after another...
The three ships descended.
Landing gear extended.
Engines slowly powered down.
Silence followed.
An unnatural silence.
The five Jedi stepped onto the surface.
The moment Khan's boots touched the ground...
A chill ran through his entire body.
Not cold.
Something far deeper.
The air itself felt heavy.
Breathing became strangely difficult.
Every instinct told him the same thing.
Leave.
The surrounding forest remained perfectly still.
No birds.
No insects.
No movement.
Only towering black trees disappearing into the darkness above.
Another bolt of blue lightning split the clouds overhead.
For the briefest instant...
The forest seemed alive.
Then darkness swallowed it once more.
Kit slowly looked around.
"I've officially changed my mind."
"This place is worse than Tatooine."
Normally...
Someone would have smiled.
No one did.
Even Kit's voice carried unease.
Coleman Trebor instinctively rested a hand upon the hilt of his lightsaber.
"I have never experienced such a disturbance."
"It feels as though..."
He searched for the words.
"...the Force itself recoils from this place."
Aayla quietly nodded.
"It almost feels difficult to breathe."
Standing slightly apart from the others, Master Yarael Poof closed his eyes.
His hands folded calmly within his sleeves.
Unlike the others...
His breathing never changed.
The Force gathered around him with quiet purpose.
Not as a weapon.
But as a steady current.
A calm stream flowing through turbulent waters.
Almost immediately...
The pressure surrounding the group began to lessen.
Only slightly.
Yet enough that each of the Jedi unconsciously relaxed.
Kit released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"...Thank you, Master."
Yarael slowly opened his eyes.
"The darkness surrounding this world seeks to cloud the mind."
"It feeds upon uncertainty."
"We must not allow it to guide our thoughts."
His calm voice spread through the group as naturally as his presence within the Force.
The fear did not disappear.
But it no longer ruled them.
Khan looked beyond the clearing.
In every direction...
Only forest.
Ancient.
Untouched.
The coordinates had led them here.
Khan looked toward where they had seen the distant silhouette during their descent.
From the ground...
It was gone.
The towering forest swallowed everything beyond a few dozen meters.
Only the rough direction remained.
Coleman looked toward the dense trees.
"If that's what we saw..."
"...we'll have to reach it on foot."
Khan nodded.
"The coordinates brought us here."
He glanced once more toward the endless wall of ancient trees.
"I don't think that's a coincidence."
Khan slowly knelt, placing one hand against the dark soil.
He closed his eyes.
For several long moments...
He simply listened.
The Force flowed beneath the earth.
Twisted.
Ancient.
Layer upon layer of darkness lingered below the surface like scars that had never healed.
He opened his eyes once more.
"We begin here."
No one questioned him.
The five Jedi gathered their supplies before slowly turning toward the endless forest.
Behind them...
Their ships remained alone within the clearing.
Ahead...
The unknown waited beneath the ancient trees.