Keepers of Forbidden Knowledge

There is power here.

Power has seeped into the ground.

The stone has groaned for centuries. Storms burn the soil. The wind races over the rocks, howling and bellowing in its course.

The Scriptist has sent us here, our fourth questing so far. This place is rich with history, she says. Lore from which we might learn. If we survive, that is. Though my brushes with the Force of Life are still rare, I don’t need Abay’s connection to feel the conflict and the turmoil that coat the badlands of this planet.

Ossus is a cradle of knowledge, wrapped in danger and death.

                “Watch for Craven. Don’t stray into the open,” Rossami says to us all from the back.              

                “I can see the storms, Rossami,” retorts Abay, before correcting himself. “I’m sorry, that was short.”

                Rossami understands. “Planet’s got me on edge, too,” he says.

                “There’s darkness here,” I say. “Wars between armies. I don’t think the good guys won.”

                Abay looks at me keenly. “Something you’ve sensed?”

                I laugh. “The Scriptist told me.”

                He nods. “Putting aside the anxiety of our environment…are you excited, Van?”

                He can’t see my face. I don’t know what expression is on it, but I’d prefer it not be seen. “I’m always excited, Abay. That’s why I come to wastelands like this instead of gun-running. You better believe gun-running was a lot more profitable.” A flash of lightning a kilometer away crystalized the sand it touched. “And somehow less dangerous.”

                “Knowledge is the richest treasure there is,” says the Duros. Somehow I heard Rossami roll his eyes.

                I turned to him as we walked. “I know why Abay is here, and you both know why I’m here…what about you, Rossami?”

                “I’d really prefer if we kept watch…”

                “C’mon, man. Why’re you a Keeper?”

                “Hm,” he grunted. “You know how the Empire cracked down on temples, monks, Jedi, that sort of thing? All of ‘em connected to the Force. I spent so much time fighting the Empire, looking into it seemed like another way to rebel.”

                “Ha, you must have been a fun kid to raise.”

                He chuckled in spite of himself. “Anyway, that’s how it started. But you know how the Scriptists are. Trin kept me around.” His gun flew up as he spotted something. “Craven!” he shouted. “Three! On the rocks!”

                We turned our weapons on the hunched creatures above us. Abay just used his hand and his connection to the Force of Life. Rossami and I used blasters. Their bodies tumbled into the sand, and we scanned the rocks for survivors. We were clear.

                “They’re watching us,” I said. “Why else are they in such small groups?”

                “Then why do we keep seeing them?” Rossami growled.

                “Perhaps you’re overestimating their ability to stay hidden,” Abay suggested with a smile.

                I vented my blaster and frowned. “Clearly, the Sorcerer isn’t as dead as we thought. I know what you said before, but these things aren’t organized without it.”

                Abay nodded. “I agree. The creatures are thralls to its power. But until it shows itself, there’s nothing for us to do. Except, that is, exercise caution.”

                “Extreme caution,” Rossami said. “No more chatting, you got it? I’m talking to you, Van.”

                “Yeah, you’re right,” I said. “Let’s stay alert.”

                The ruins loomed ahead. Dark statues of robed figures. Pillars of stone tracing the cliffs. Dark tunnels and torched archives. I can’t believe my parents hung out in places like this. Were all Jedi buildings so dreadful?

                All I wanted was to learn. What they believed, why they died. A higher cause than how I spent my 20s.

                I felt something, in my…spirit, I guess. A tinge of comfort.

                But then something else. Warning. Doom.

                For a moment, the plains ahead of me, the lowlands before the temple, seemed filled with hundreds of blue figures, standing before a red fog. When I blinked, they were gone.

                This would have freaked me out a year ago. But this sort of vision, feeling, I was starting to understand.              

                “I just had something,” I said. Abay took notice. “A vision,” I explained. “Quick. Figures, not quite here. And a sense of danger.”               

                “I could’ve told you about the danger part,” muttered Rossami.

                “Yes,” Abay nodded. “I saw something too. Expect to be tested, Van. This place is the grave of thousands of force-wielders. I suspect some of them…linger.”

                “Abay…” Rossami prodded.         

                “Yes, come, we must hurry into the catacombs if we are to confuse the Craven.”

              That’s right, into the dark.

                Pillars loomed above as we walked, proud statues standing tall. Faces shrouded by hoods. Outstretched hands creased with age and effort. Stone cracked by chaos. The passion of the storm became distant as we passed inside the hollow temple doors.

                The dark sat before us, waiting for our arrival. Knowledge lay hidden in the dark. Death too. A gamble we were prepared for. For the sake of knowledge, for learning. For turning the tide, for opposing true evil. Evil was always with us.

There is power here.

There will always be.