PROLOGUE
Located far out in the Outer Rim, Lothal was a planet that, outside of its history, did not hold much significance. A simple frontier world, Lothal had been a major hot spot of conflict in the early days of the Rebellion, thanks to the efforts of a small rebel cell. Lothal’s eventual liberation from the rule of the Empire coincided with a series of major victories held by the Rebel Alliance in the lead-up to the Battle of Yavin and helped solidify the Alliance as a credible threat against the Empire.
In the four decades that had passed since then, however, Lothal had gradually fallen back into obscurity and was once again a semi-obscure backwater world on the edge of the Outer Rim. Despite the efforts of its representatives in the Senate, the Galactic Alliance had largely ignored Lothal’s wishes since the Glorian War and left it to fend for itself.
It was perhaps due to these conditions that a lone starship was able to enter the Lothal system without disturbing an Alliance fleet, for there was no such fleet to disturb.
Even so, the occupants of the starship had not come to Lothal for any malicious purposes. On the contrary, their arrival was solely for the sake of business. Had there been an Alliance fleet blocking their path, Kodai Loh, curator of the Braglon Museum, was certain they would have allowed them to pass after understanding their endeavor was one of profit and nothing more than that.
The ebony-skinned Sakiyan stood behind the seat of the human pilot, adjusting the lapels of his expensive suit, which was a contrasting white. Standing beside him was his Sy Myrthian partner, who looked as if he would have much preferred to be anywhere in the galaxy but here. Kodai Loh could not fathom why, though; even if their efforts did not turn up any results, surely the mere prospect of what they might find on Lothal would have been exciting in and of itself. Then again, Doonluck Soota had always been an individual who was hard to please; Kodai had learned that first-hand back when he had been apprenticed to the old slug.
Once the small ship had passed through the planet’s atmosphere, it began its approach towards a patch of rural land that laid beyond civilization. Kodai couldn’t help but admire the mounds that populated the grasslands. He wondered if they perhaps had a connection to the Petrified Mounds that could have once been found on Alderaan, decades ago. Those landmarks were said to have been created by the ancient Killiks and similar such structures had been found on worlds such as Maridun and Sicemon. Perhaps some day, he would delve further into that mystery. Right now, however, he had more pressing answers to find; answers that could perhaps prove profitable.
Upon reaching their destination, Kodai Loh saw exactly what he had been expecting; a patch of empty dry land where the Jedi Temple was supposed to have been. Based on accounts he had found from his research, the temple had allegedly sank beneath the ground, preventing the Empire from using whatever it held within. For many years, he had doubted the validity of these accounts. But now… now, he was starting to believe.
Beside him, Doonluck Soota let out a snort from his nostrils. “I knew this was going to be a waste of time.”
“It’s supposed to be this way,” Kodai Loh snapped. “So far, everything is lining up with what I have already learned in my research.”
“’Everything?’ There’s nothing there! Nothing to prove or discredit your delusions.”
Kodai smirked. “Then we might as well take a closer look. Shouldn’t we?”
Soota rolled his eyes but said nothing further as the starship touched down on the empty site.
Once it had, Kodai Loh wasted no time in disembarking from the ship, not waiting for Soota to catch up, and stepped down onto the patch of land where the ancient Jedi Temple had once stood. A circle of grassland mounds surrounded the spot, indicating where exactly the temple was supposed buried. He crouched down and traced his black fingers through the dirt, a frown crossing his face.
“Perhaps we should have brought some digging equipment with us,” he mused to himself.
“Ha!” Soota barked, slithering up behind him. “As if you would ever get your hands dirty. Besides, I’m sure there are some contractors in the city that would be willing to dig up this spot for you… provided you have the money.”
Kodai sniffed. “I have more than enough. Get back onto the ship and make a quick trip to the capital. See if you can find anyone willing to do the work. I’ll be waiting here.”
“And what’s stopping me from just ditching you here and finding someone else to do your job back at Braglon?” Soota said snidely.
“Your moral integrity,” Kodai replied. “Plus the fact that our higher-ups would no doubt figure out the truth and have your hide. Now get going.”
Without even looking, he could tell that the Sy Myrthian was giving him a very rude gesture with his hand. Nonetheless, he heard Soota slither back up the ramp and, within moments, the ship was taking off for the capital.
As soon as it was gone, Kodai straightened up and took in a deep breath, savoring the fresh air. As he looked towards the horizon, marveling at the expansive beauty of Lothal’s grasslands, he noticed a strange white shape on the move. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the glow of the sun in order for him to make out any details. The figure was moving quickly — inhumanely quickly, now that he thought about it — and it was heading straight for him.
Frowning, Kodai reached down to his belt and unclipped a pair of macrobinoculars. He raised them to his eyes and adjusted the knob on its side, giving himself a clearer visual of the figure that was—
His heart nearly stopped. The binoculars fell from his hand and he nearly tripped over his feet as he staggered backward. The figure was getting closer now; much closer. He reached down for his comlink, only to fumble with it and drop it to the ground. Left with no other option, he started to make a run for it. He only managed to take a few steps when an invisible hand seized him and hoisted him up in the air.
The snap-hiss of a lightsaber activating filled his ears, though it was quickly drowned out by the sound of labored, mechanical breathing.
The invisible hand pulled him back and the last thing Kodai Loh saw before death consumed him was a flash of white light.
* * *
A crowd had gathered at the small transport that had inexplicably crashed on the outskirts of Lothal City. While no pedestrians had been killed in the incident, the same could not have been said for its two occupants: a human pilot and a Sy Myrthian passenger.
As speculation ran rampant as to the cause for this accident, news quickly reached the office of Lothal’s long-suffering governor. The matter was promptly placed at the back of a queue of incidents with striking similarities to this one.
She had lost count of the days since this had first started. She had tried several times to alert the Galactic Alliance of this issue, but they had yet to respond. Just as they had yet to respond to any of the other issues Lothal was currently suffering from.
The accidents, and the death counts that came with them, would continue to add up. And there was nothing she could do about it.
For the first time since the reign of the Galactic Empire, Lothal was well and truly alone.
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