CHAPTER FIVE
"What exactly is in the Shadowlands?" Jast asked as he and the rest of the team followed Lysira onto an elevator basket that led down into the realm beyond Kachirho's tall wroshyr trees.
"Well, there are minstyngars," Lysira replied. "They're big simians that can squash you flat. Then there's these arachnids called kinrath, that can poison you. And then there are the katarns. You won't see them until it's too late."
Sev chuckled. "Sounds like another Katarn I know of."
"My, these Shadowlands sound very dangerous," C-3PO murmured. "Perhaps I should stay back here and wait for you to return."
"Fine by me," Anakin said. "Though I don't know why you insisted on coming with us if you're just going to freak out at every scary place we go to."
"Well, actually, I only came with you at your mother's insistence," the protocol droid replied. "I believe she wanted me to make sure you stayed safe."
Anakin sighed. "She doesn't need to worry. I'm a Jedi, like my grandfather who I was named after."
"I think that's what she's afraid of."
Anakin stared at the droid for a moment, wondering what he meant by that. Finally, he shook his head and said, "Just wait here until we return, okay?"
"As you wish, Master Anakin," C-3PO said. "Just...please do be careful."
Once Anakin was in the elevator basket, which just barely had enough room for him and the others, Lysira tugged on a strong vine and the lift began its descent into the dark forest below.
* * *
"We've only been on this planet for five minuted and already I'm getting bad vibes from this place," Arek muttered as he, Kyle, and their team walked through to deserted surface city of Manaan.
"Oh, so the fact that no one's here in the city despite what the ship's scanner said wasn't enough to scare you?" Jasel snapped. She shook her head. "Either you're very brave or very stupid."
Arek smirked. "Can't I be both?"
"Quiet!" Jokar raised a hand for silence and the others stopped. "I hear voices coming from that apartment."
They had arrived at a hallway with apartment doors to either side. One of the doors, from which Jokar had heard the voices, appeared to be damaged, with large dents covering it. It was almost as if someone had taken a turbohammer and tried to break in.
Kyle Katarn carefully and quietly walked up to the door and planted his ear against it. Behind it, he could make out at least three voices, speaking in quiet murmurs, but loud enough for him to hear.
"The preparations are finished," a raspy voice said. "We are ready to activate the Star Harvester."
"Excellent," a deep voice replied. "General Starka will be most pleased. We are now one step closer to making our move."
"Indeed," a nasally voice said. "It's a pity that Zordo failed, or else we'd be even closer."
"A pity indeed," the deep voice said. "But no matter. We shall carry out the plan. Old One, activate the harvester. It is time for this planet to go dark."
Kyle had heard enough. He unleashed a powerful blast with the Force, sending the door flying off its hinges. Inside, three, identical beings in silver armor were gathered at a round table. Upon Kyle's entrance, one of them aimed wrist-mounted weapons at him and began firing.
Kyle activated his lightsaber and deflected the shots, sending them back at the armored being. While most of the bolts were absorbed by their armor, the last one made contact with the being's neck, which was unprotected, and it caused them to drop to the floor, briefly twitching before dying.
The second being, who was a bit taller than the others, unsheathed a pair of blades and lunged at Kyle, who raised his lightsaber in defense. To the Jedi Master's surprise, the swords did not break upon making contact with the lightsaber and the resulting impact instead caused him to stagger back from the blow.
Before the warrior could attack him again, Kyle used the Force to make his opponent lose their footing and drop to the floor. He then raised his lightsaber over his head and brought it down to impale the warrior's shoulder, pinning the being to the floor.
Ignoring the agonized screams, Kyle stepped away from the warrior and brought out his Bryar pistol, aiming it at the third being, who was shivering with fear, their left hand hovering over a handheld remote control of some sort. Kyle fire his blaster at the device and turned it into scrap.
Suddenly, the other being whom Kyle had pinned to the floor let out a rage-filled roar. He grabbed Kyle's lightsaber and pulled it out of their shoulder, hurling it at the Jedi Master. Kyle dodged it in time and called it back to him with his mind. The moment the lightsaber had returned to his hand, the armored warrior charged toward him with their uninjured arm reeling back for a punch.
Just as they threw the punch, Kyle quickly sidestepped to the side and swung his lightsaber in a decapitating movement. The warrior's head quickly dropped to the floor with a resounding clang.
All that remained was the third being, who was cowering underneath the table. Seeing that they didn't appear to be much of a threat, Kyle deactivated his lightsaber but stayed alert, slowly approaching the being with caution.
"Mind if I ask what the heck's going on," the Jedi Master asked.
The being shook their head, their raspy, masculine voice trembling with fear as he spoke. "If I tell you, my masters will kill me."
"And I might kill you if you don't tell me," Kyle replied, pressing the blade emitter of his lightsaber against the being's abdomen. "So either way, it doesn't matter."
"Fine, kill me," the being (Kyle presumed he was the 'Old One') said. "If you want information from me, you'll have to extract it from my cold, dead brain."
Kyle smirked. "Actually, I have a better idea."
Igniting his lightsaber again, he swung it and severed the being's legs below the knees, which, like his neck, were unarmored. Although the Old One's face was hidden by his helmet, Kyle could still imagine his reaction.
"If you want prosthetic replacements, you'll have to tell me what you're up to," the Jedi Master said. "If not, you'll need to either crawl or have someone give you a piggyback ride."
Kyle could feel the cold stare the legless being was giving him. "Humiliation won't get me to talk."
"Piggyback ride it is then." Kyle lifted the Old One up from under the arms and carried him out of the room, where Jokar and the others were waiting, still gazing in awe at the quick duel that had just taken place.
"You kept on of them alive?" Arek said in disbelief.
Kyle nodded. "Don't worry, he won't be any trouble. Commander Jokar, how strong are you?"
The stormtrooper raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, I can lift up a steel crate with no problem."
"Good." Kyle then put the Old One in Jokar's arms. "You wouldn't mind giving out friend a ride on the back, would you?"
Jokar stared at him with a mix of contempt and disbelief. "Are you serious?"
"If I wasn't, you would know." Kyle signaled for the others to follow him. "Let's keep going. There's bound to be someone else in this city if the scanner said it was populated."
As they moved on through the apartment hall, Jokar called out to Kyle, "Is this all because I'm the only Imperial here?"
Kyle did not turn to face him as he said, "Of course not. I would've done the same thing to you even if you were Darth Vader."
He showed nothing in his voice to suggest which way Jokar was meant to take those words.
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