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.

“OK, this is way too simple.”

From what he’d heard about this particular target, Arden had no expectation to get this close this easily. Liam was supposed to be a wily one, despite his age. He was skilled in the Force and, though he was blind, the Plagueian didn’t expect an easy takedown. It was always his policy never to underestimate a target and he was trying to give full respect to the blind Jedi. What surprised him was not only the fact that his droid had located Liam, who was meditating near the base of one of the valley’s massive statutes, so quickly but that he’d managed to get within a hundred meters of the Jedi without challenge. There was no outward sign that Liam had even noticed the di Plagia’s approach.

It really couldn’t be that easy, could it?

Arden was running multiple possibilities through his mind as he lined up a clean shot at the Jedi’s head. Someone as skilled in the Force as Torun would have to know the shot was coming well before Arden fired. He’d more than likely dive out of the way and pull a lightsaber, but then what? There were so many possible variables here that Arden had to consider. Was he overthinking this? He had a clear shot at a target that wasn’t reacting to his presence. What was stopping him from taking it?

“Calm down Arden, you can do this. There’s no one else around, he has no backup. You can do this.”

Self-doubt wasn’t something the Sith normally experienced. He’d killed hundreds of targets like this before, this one should be no different. Shooting people in cold blood was easy for him now and was getting easier every time. Torun was an asset to the Lotus and threat to the Inquisitorious. No matter who was in charge, he was clear threat that had to be eliminated. That’s it, that’s what mattered. Torun had to die and no one really cared how.

"Stop thinking, just shoot.”

After making one last adjustment so the F11’s shot would cleanly hit Liam cleanly in the back of the head, Arden squeezed the trigger. In the time it took the bolt to reach its target Arden was getting ready for every possibility he’d considered. He was already lining up a second shot at the Jedi’s torso. There was, however, one possibility he hadn’t considered. When the bolt reached the Jedi, he didn’t jump out of the way. Instead, the bolt was stopped by a shimmering blue shield.

Arden was momentarily startled by the presence of the shield and he took a step back. At the same time, Torun jumped to his feet and ignited his saberstaff. He grinned at the Sith and gave a bit of a chuckle.

“Did you really think you could just sneak up behind me and shoot me? Even for a Sith that’s cocky.”

Arden simply shrugged. “Honestly, no. No I didn’t. Didn’t expect a personal shield generator though.”

Liam shook his head in a slow, mocking fashion. “The Force is a strong ally, but a little technology never hurts.”

“Indeed.” That was all Arden could say in the face of unfailing logic.

The Jedi was still keeping an even and almost friendly tone. “So, we still going to fight or would you rather just meditate on your failure?”

The Sith simply glared at the Jedi, his answer being obvious from the look in his eye. Focusing his aim, he was waiting for the Jedi to make the next move. Initiative hadn’t worked for the Plagueian, maybe reacting would.