The Valley of the Jedi. The legendary location of the final battle under the surface of Ruusan, between the Army of Light and the Brotherhood of Darkness. The battle ended in an instant when Lord Kaan’s followers detonated the thought bomb in a reckless move to with the campaign, proving the catalyst for the Ruusan Reformation. Joining within the cavern that would be the site of a dangerous ritual, the Dark Lords were vanquished along with Hoth’s followers; the resulting vacuum consuming the souls of Sith and Jedi alike to be tormented for an eternity.

Standing near the edge of that cave, the tiered stone steps that circle the valley greet intruders with an otherwise unremarkable passage into its depths. The ground is rocky and uneven, sloping downwards towards the center. Stalagmites litter the floor, small outcroppings of rock thrust out from the ground like huge stone blades. However, those formations pale in size compared to the chiselled stone statues encircling the Valley in perfectly concentric circles. The sculptures seem almost alive, as if the faces of the dead had been perfectly captured in the carvings, still holding traces of the doomed souls they represented.

Inside the cavern lies the echoes of those who perished in the thought bomb’s detonation. Within its deepest recesses rests an oblong orb that floats just above the ground. Encased within the dreadful relict are the souls of those who were consumed at the ritual’s epicenter. Uneasiness radiates from the artifact as the helpless cries and echoes enter the minds of all those who enter the cave, driving most to madness before meeting death on the surface of Ruusan.

Qor Palpatine hobbled and leaped across the rocky terrain, a desperate look in his eyes that showed his determination to reach the cavern entrance. He hopped and rolled across the stone steps that led to the cave, as the lip of the vast mouth began to swallow the sunlight and leave Qor in darkness. A grim reminder of what happened here thousands of years ago. Rusted and sand-blasted weapons of the long lost warriors, both Jedi and Sith, littered the cave floor, while some were stuck inside the stalagmites. Behind the Quarren, the HK droid had already begun picking these relics up.

“Master, why oh why did we have to come to this death pit? There are far better places to collect lost lightsabers from. Why didn’t we visit Antei?” HK asked.

“Because, my Force novice, Antei is now a mass graveyard for anyone who wishes the most excruciating death. A sure death sentence for me.” Qor replied, but he wasn’t interested in the topic. The thought of the treasure within caused his mouth to grin endlessly.

“So why can’t we go there again?” HK tried not to chuckle, but a hiccup slipped out anyway.

“Inside, I can feel it. The uneasiness of the relic is within.” Qor leaped over the trivial obstacles, but then the tricky part of the journey came. Monolithic teeth raised from the ground and blocked Qor’s way. They reached high above the Quarren and his companion and scraped the ceiling clean. HK rubbed his metallic chin slowly.

“Hmm, you could just woosh-woosh it,” he moved his hands together as if symbolising a lightsaber cut. Qor agreed somewhat with the idea, but something in his mind told the Quarren that he should expect danger. A life force crept forward from behind the stalagmite and lurched there, as it listened.

“Wait. Something is here. Check round the back,” Qor whispered as he tossed the droid the slugthrower. The HK droid darted across the cave and flanked the stalagmite until he got a good aim behind it.

“State your business in this realm, criminal!” The droid unit shouted. But as he draws closer to the being Qor sensed, HK was lifted from his feet and blasted deeper into the tunnels of the cave.

“Master!” He yelled, as his echoes grew quieter with each second.

Then a stocky but old human stepped from around the pillar and held both of his lightsabers tightly. With a cigar chewed into his cheek, a crumpled and creased face, and full beard hugging his chin, the man grumbled as he inspected the Quarren.

“Are the Jedi Order accepting kids into their Knight ranks now?” Yvanos croaked as his yellow-stained teeth ground together.

“I’m actually a doctor with four advanced degrees, I am not a Jedi,” Qor replied, unsure of what to make of the aged man.

“Hmph. You’re not Sith. So who do you belong to, squid?” Yvanos ignited his red lightsaber and aimed the tip at Qor’s neck, his hand as steady as it could be.

Like a surgeon’s Qor thought. A gulp struggled to slide down his throat.

“I am not owned by any faction. I am myself. Qor Palpatine,” Qor smiled slightly.

“Palpatine, eh? From Scholae Palatinae I presume? Hard to be an individual when you use such an infamous surname.” Yvanos’ cigar smoke blocked our Qor’s face, as he choked and coughed.

“It has its perks when you need the extra credits or people. I need to get past.” Qor moved to walk around the stocky man, but he followed the Quarren and kept the lightsaber aimed perfectly.

“Sorry, buddy. But nobody is getting near that deathtrap. Turn around,” the human ordered, as his glare grew slender. Qor had to get past somehow.

“Ugh, fine. Which Clan are you from?” Qor slowly turned and placed his saberstaff back onto his back. As Yvanos was about to answer, the Seer quickly turned with palms open. The human felt this attack through the Force and managed to dive out the way. His silver pauldron clapped against the rocky ground and shattered the stone into rubble, while the pillar behind him shattered into pieces. The Quarren yanked his saberstaff free as Yvanos pushed himself from the floor.

Get him in the open, then the treasure is mine! He thought with a grin.