CHAPTER FOUR
As Luke walked alongside his father across Praetus' rocky terrain, he could not help but feel almost scared by his father. Instead of the traditional brown Jedi robes, Anakin Skywalker had switched to darker, more Sith-like robes to blend in with Ra-Sal's followers. This, along with the yellow eyes and pale skin, gave him a rather terrifying look. Luke almost preferred the Darth Vader armor over this look.
The two Skywalkers arrived at a cliff, which oversaw a towering, black fortress that expanded across the horizon and encircled some sort of arena. Anakin signaled his son to follow him and they carefu;;y climbed down the hillside. Once they were on the ground, they approached the fortress, where a lone being donning black robes stood in silence.
When the Skywalkers were less than a feet away, the being spoke in a cold, echoing voice. "Who are you?" he asked.
Luke glanced at his father. He had never thought of false aliases, though apparently, Anakin did.
"I am Darth Invade, Dark Lord of the Sith," he said. "This is my apprentice, Lord Starkiller."
"How did you come to Praetus?" the being asked. "How did you learn the secret of the Whills?"
"My master taught it to me," Anakin lied.
The being stared at him for a moment before finally saying, "Very well. You may enter."
As the being led the two Skywalkers into the fortress, Luke whispered sharply to his father, "Darth Invade? Is that the best you could've come up with?"
"Hey, at least he fell for it," Anakin replied, smiling. "And I can't come up with good names on the spot, can you?"
Luke did not reply and instead continued walking.
* * *
The Raven's Claw jumped out of hyperspace to find itself before the unique world of Telos IV, also known simply as Telos by others. From what Toah had been told by Kyle about Telos, it was a world that suffered gravelly during the Jedi Civil War, which Kyle could not provide enough information about. The planet was soon restored by a project of the then-Supreme Chancellor and had remained at peace ever since.
The Raven's Claw flew into the planet's atmosphere and into its capital city of Thani. After finding an empty spaceport, the ship's wing raised to allow clearance for landing. Once the ship had came to a halt, Toah and Kyle got out of their seats and climbed out of the light courier.
"So, where do we start?" Toah asked Kyle. "Who do you think would know about the academy?"
Kyle shrugged. "Best guess would be the senator, but even then I don't know how much they would know."
"And just how do we find the senator?" Toah asked.
Kyle grinned. "It's obvious. Look for the fanciest building in the city."
* * *
"Father?" Luke asked as he and Anakin walked further into the fortress.
"Yes, Luke?" the older Skywalker replied.
"Does this remind you of anything from the Clone Wars?" Luke gazed at the hideous, primitive paintings on the hallway's walls. "At all?"
Anakin chuckled quietly. "Hard to say. A lot happened in the Clone Wars. I can't really remember all of it."
Suddenly, the being ahead of them came to a stop. He raised his arms and murmured a strange enchantment. The hall began to glow as a door mysteriously appeared out of nowhere and opened. As soon as Luke walked into the room, his eyes widened.
The room was circular, with a ring forming around Luke, Anakin, and the being. Making up the ring were nine, silver, ornate chairs, occupied by beings similar to the one that had led the two Skywalkers into the fortress.
"Well, Nek-Ros," one of the nine beings said to their guide. "What have you brought here?"
"I have brought two, pitiful lying fools!" the being known as Nek-Ros growled and he suddenly spun around and Force-pushed Anakin and Luke to a wall. "They claimed to be Sith, and gave me unimaginative names, like Darth Invade and Starkiller!"
Luke gave his father a look as if to say "I told you so."
Anakin ignored him and turned to Nek-Ros. "What gave us away?"
"Lord Ra-Sal granted us the ability to see through deceptions and ruses," the being replied. "Your simple 'Sith' disguise did not fool me for a second."
"Then why did you let us into your fortress instead of killing us?" Luke asked.
"It should be obvious," one of the nine seated beings said. "You two have somehow discovered the secret of the Whills, which is known to very few, not counting Lord Ra-Sal's followers."
Another of the nine turned to Nek-Ros and said, "You shall take these two to the Lord of Darkness and have them be tested."
Nek-Ros bowed. "It will be done, my lords." He forced Anakin and Luke to their feet and led them through the door which they had came through. As they entered the hall again, Luke glanced at his father.
"Obi-Wan never mentioned anything like this happening," he said.
Anakin smiled. "Well, son, Obi-Wan would have wanted to forget about anything like this."
* * *
"This looks fancy enough, don't you think?" Kyle said as he and Toah gazed up at a tall, decorated building, bearing the New Republic insignia at its top. Everything about it particularly said "Senator's office".
The two Jedi Knights slowly approached the door and Kyle cautiously knocked on the door. It was immediately answered by a female, white-skinned Twi'lek.
"If you wish to see Senator Zooranoo, I'm afraid he is busy," the Twi'lek said. "Besides, he rarely accepts visitors, unless they have a good reason for coming here."
"Then we have a very good reason," Kyle said. "Does Senator Zooranoo know anything about a Jedi academy that was here long ago?"
The Twi'lek glanced nervously. "Uh, no, of course not," she said. "If he had, Emperor Palpatine would have found out and killed him many years ago."
"Maybe he does know something about it?" Toah suggested/
"I doubt it," the Twi'lek replied. "I'm sure Palpatine made sure any knowledge of the Old Jedi was either purged or corrupted."
She then seemed to think for a moment before adding, "However, I do believe there is a person in these parts known as Sen-Axe Valan. He might have some answers for you. I believe he may be a Jedi or something..."
Kyle nodded. "Thank you," he said. "We'll be on our way."
"No problem," the Twi'lek said quietly. "And thank you for not bothering Senator Zooranoo. He really does not like being bothered."
The door closed as the two Jedi Knights headed off.
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