At the moment, all of us were up on the Reborn's bridge.
The instant we exited the narrow and unstable hyperspace lane, I felt it hit me. It wasn't something I saw with my eyes, heard with my ears, or even consciously sensed at first—it was the feeling of nothing. A sudden absence of everything, including the Force itself. Like... It was as if someone had yanked a thread straight out of my own existence, something that I hadn't realized was holding me together until it was gone.
The Force vanished... Then it was back. All of it was just for a breath, less than a second, no, less than a moment. It even made me question whether I felt it was right or just imagined it. I tried looking at the others, but their faces were the same, including Vila and Master Katarn. As for my Master? He was still in his meditation somewhere with Vestara, so I had no way to ask him what he felt...
Even so, if only I felt it... I knew it was real.
The connection that I always felt in the background, something that was part of me like the air I breathed, just blinked out of existence. It wasn't something that my mind could make up because I never even imagined such a feeling could exist. It wasn't just a mind trick. My heart kicked hard against my ribs, and I could still feel it beating in panic even when the sense of the Force returned.
And... as I focused on it... Something about it was... different.
It was as if someone had changed the shade of it... Or the temperature of the world shifted a little. Not to be immediately noticed, but... It did. Furrowing my brows, I blinked my eyes, trying to see something that wasn't visible, staring out the viewport. However... Even after a minute of silence, nobody else said anything. No one else seemed affected.
Was it really just me who noticed it? Or did it affect only me?
Thinking, my eyes resting on the outside look, I watched the dreamlike system unfold in full beauty. Around us, a golden glow shot and scattered through iridescent clouds of violet and ice-blue nebulae, painting the system in eternal twilight-like colors. Hearing the others beginning to speak, reading out the ship's readings, it turned out that we were in a binary star system.
In the middle of it all burned two suns, one massive and another much smaller, half its size. The main one was deep blue, hence the system's more nightly shade, while the other burned in a deep reddish light, mostly drawn out by its companion.
And there it was—a planet. It circled the two stars on a stable orbit, just at the proper distance from them, between two asteroid belts, surrounded by four moons, rotating lazily—one vividly colorful planet.
It looked actually alive... no, it felt alive.
As we headed closer, the scanners began spewing out their findings, and we listened carefully to the discourse between the Revani people around us. Most of the land was one continuous continent, covered with lush emerald jungles wrapping around uneven mountain ranges and especially vast rivers, some of them so wide that you wouldn't be able to see the other shore. The planet had a slightly higher than normal temperature, turning most of the zones down there very much tropical. The readings said that multiple storms were raging right now, too, as they boiled at the edges of the oceans, where the colder air met with the warm inland sky, ending up in cyclones and typhoons. But, despite that, nothing about the planet itself seemed hostile—just untouched and wild.
I felt the Reborn shift smoothly forward, its engines humming in a low and stable buzz, maneuvering with precision toward it, taking us into orbit. I could see the hull light patterns changing, and the ship's alignment was adjusting automatically as we passed over the other asteroid field as we flew in from an above approach vector.
I tried looking at the other readings, leaning over one of the Revani 'officers,' but the ship's sensors could only read as far as the system's edge went—no further. This was weird, but not impossibly odd, as the thick cloud of nebulae surrounding us dampened the ship's eyes.
As for the moons, they were small and barren, with no life at all. No matter how much I tried to look and sense... nothing seemed off anymore. It was all... normal. Well, Vestara had told us this place was hidden—shielded from normal perception, untouched for tens of thousands of years. But right now, it didn't look like a secret or something to be hidden because it was dangerous... Instead, it looked like a sanctuary.
And I didn't believe that for a second. Sanctuary? Yeah... Thinking about it felt like it was a suggestion that came out of nowhere, and that fact made my back shiver.
The bridge of the Reborn was already alive and active when my Master and Vestara finally arrived. Holographic displays lined the forward section, and charts and planetary scans were shifting and rippling in real time as our orbiting Star Destroyer continued scanning the planet. Crew members from Vestara's order stood at attention along the consoles when she entered, dressed in their crimson-trimmed robes, speaking quietly into headsets or manipulating star maps, updating our position and the route we took into this system.
I was looking at Ben, wanting to speak with him at once, but when he entered, he only nodded at me, telling me with his eyes to leave it for later... I wasn't happy about it, but... I obeyed and watched as the two walked along and stood at the forward platform, arms behind their back, looking down at the planet below. Vestara leaned forward after a moment, reading the reports while her brow furrowed. It didn't happen in concern but to focus, reaching out with the Force.
"So?" Master Katarn asked, stepping up beside them, finally breaking the somewhat weird silence on the bridge, speaking over the low murmurs and whispering reports.
One of Vestara's aides—a pale-skinned Mirialan with short-cut hair and no visible weapon—answered in a clipped voice, angry at the interruption.
"Orbit is stable." he began, making his report not to Master Katarn but to Vestara, "Local gravitational pulls are within norms. Radiation levels are low. The atmosphere is dense but breathable. Humidity is approximately ninety-three percent. The temperature on the surface hovers around forty-two degrees Celsius."
"So," Vila muttered behind me, "hot, wet, and sweaty. Sounds like fun..."
"You know I hate it..." I groaned, watching her grin at me, but my attention remained on the globe slowly spinning before us. "It's too calm," I said under my breath. "Something is off, and I felt something was very wrong when we entered."
At that, Ben glanced at me, making me reach out with the Force to ask him, not aloud, but with my thoughts.
"You felt it too, didn't you, Master?"
He nodded once, just barely, turning back towards the data. That was all I needed. Of course, Vila also noticed the quick exchange, and she was about to ask what it was because she clearly missed it, but then something changed.
A new report flashed across the screen before Vestara.
"Energy spike detected," the green-skinned Mirialan said. "It is not a natural source... Directional signature consistent with engineered emissions."
"What kind of emissions?" Katarn asked sharply.
"Localized harmonic field—low frequency but structured. Originating from the northern polar region." Vestara answered before her people could get angry at his commanding tone.
"Wait," another technician exclaimed, "we're picking up a secondary field... the Equator region. Narrowing it down... got it! It is island-based. It has an isolated land mass—size equivalent to... approximately 600,000 square kilometers."
Two spots... Two signals... Two unknowns. The tension in the room rippled like static because maybe the others thought the same thing I did: Are they trying to split us up? Of course, who were they? Haaaah... damn it, maybe I was getting paranoid.
"Generators," Vila said aloud, standing beside me, arms crossed, "Those are generators. They're running something down there."
"That's not possible," one of the aides muttered.
"Well, someone better explain the readings," Katarn growled at the opposing voice. "Because those aren't natural readings, as you heard."
A moment later, the holographic projection bloomed to life right above the command dais, showing the two emission zones. The northern point was icy and mountainous, barely visible beneath clouds, part of the icecaps. What the sensors could read out, penetrating the thick clouds, was nothing there but snow, ice, and... more ice. On the other hand, the equatorial island was vibrant, just like the main continent, filled with thick forest canopies and stone-like ridges forming strange patterns running across it.
"We are going down," Vestara said without hesitation, and her words were a command, not a question.
"We are," Ben spoke without turning. "And we'll split up."
Why did I feel that was a good idea? Because it wasn't. But it felt proper... But it wasn't! Something is off...
"No." Vestara shook her head, suddenly agreeing with me. "You don't trust my people enough to go alone."
I wanted to thank her because, after finally thinking about it and not letting first impressions dictate my feelings, splitting up didn't sound good.
"You don't trust mine either," Ben replied evenly. "Which is why we'll each send a team."
"..." There was a pause. Then she gave a single nod. "Fine."
No... it wasn't fine. But when I tried to speak, a simple movement of my Master's arm made me close my mouth.
"My people will go to the North Pole," Vestara continued. "It's more remote. Harsh terrain. A good test of resolve... If that is fine by you." She smiled at Ben.
"And the equator?" He nodded,
"I'll go," Vestara said. "With you and your Padawans, of course."
My heart thudded a little louder... Why was I suddenly nervous?
"Mhm." Ben nodded, his face remaining still and serene. "Very well."
"Great..." Katarn exhaled through his nose. "Just great. Jungle trek with Sith royalty. I missed this sort of thing."
"We are not Sith, Master Katarn." Vestara reminded him with a soft smile, and at that moment, a mechanical voice finally interjected, unable to hold back anymore.
[Impatient Declaration: Excuse me!] HK chimed in from behind us, and his voice modulator was louder than necessary. Of course, everyone turned.[Continued Declaration: I demand the return of my original body. As promised. Clarification: This is the logical moment. Before we embark on any pointless, life-risking descent, I would like my limbs back. Addendum: Please. Addendum #2: Preferably with weapons.]
While I couldn't help but chuckle, making Vila turn around, hiding her own grin, and flashing a quick thumbs up at HK, the room went silent, and even Vestara turned towards him. Her eyes studied HK with something that almost looked like amusement, and she expected more to come from him... Then, to everyone's surprise—including HK's own, probably—she nodded.
"Granted. We don't need it anymore."
[Unexpected Pause: Repeat that, please.] HK's tone shifted into a rare moment of genuine confusion.
"You heard me. Take your body back. You have earned it."
[Statement: My threat protocols are now experiencing joy. I may cry. Finally, a meatbag who isn't annoying.]
"You'll be reassigned to the island team," she added. "With us."
[Statement: I take my previous comment back. Dry Gratitude: How terribly kind. Shall I lead the charge or merely provide commentary on your likely demise?]
"We'll leave in one hour," Ben announced, ignoring HK. "Prepare for environmental exposure. No assumptions... When I say prepare, prepare. We don't know what's waiting for us."
Everyone nodded, including us. As the preparations began and the bridge slowly began buzzing even more, I looked down at the island again.
I don't know if I felt anything at that moment... But I had a very bad feeling about this.