Lian sat ponderously as he waited for the councils to congregate via the holochannel. Lord Void stared at the blank monitor displays.
            ‘Protectors of the Force,’ he snickered. ‘Now that’s an interesting one. I hope Shadie knows what she’s doing. I hope she explained to them that she represents balance within the Force.’
            ‘She told them she was a benevolent Force-user,’ said Lian. ‘If they seek guidance from another, she will teach them what she knows. She will not convert them, but allies are allies. Even if we don’t like what they do or represent, sometimes it pays to give them a chance and find out more about them.’ Lian inclined his head and motioned Void.
            ‘A fair point,’ said Lord Void.
            ‘Only the pure evil ones cannot be reasoned with,’ said Lian. ‘If Shadie tells them she wants allies who will become benevolent, they will either adapt and adjust or turn away. The choice is theirs, but a choice it remains, and Shadie stands for that freedom above all else. She wants them to choose.’
            ‘Yet she presents that option to them so that they know they can choose it if they want to,’ completed Lord Void.
            ‘You’re starting to pick up some of her philosophies yourself,’ Lian said, smiling. He had to admit, Lord Void wasn’t such bad company. ‘Oh, I meant to ask… While you were exploring the Crypt, I learnt something else from the others. What do you know of a Maranna?’
            ‘Maranna who?’
            Lian shrugged. ‘Apparently, the Sith wanted her dead from the fear that she might learn to use her Force-absorption ability to an extreme to neutralise their powers. They obviously never encountered my father.’ Lian allowed himself to boast a bit. ‘Master Juun Kloh could absorb anything sent at him, transform it, send it back. He could absorb it more than Kromus or Lahnius could. He could negate it. And then it disappeared back into the Force from whence it was generated, sending it back to feed the Living Force around him, the Force that fed him his abilities to absorb in the first place.’ Lian looked down. ‘He was a great healer.’
            ‘You must miss him a lot,’ said Lord Void.
            ‘At times less, but he is always in my heart,’ replied Lian. ‘His death played a vital role in the shaping of the galaxy and in Fane’s ability to destroy Relsor. I would not change the past to make it so he lived just to have him by my side, as tempting as it might be if I had the ability, because I understand that in doing so, Fane would not have become capable of destroying Relsor. Many things would have been different, but I don’t know that the galaxy would have been better off.’
            ‘Such wise words. Your father would undoubtedly be very proud of you and of what you have accomplished.’ Lord Void sighed. ‘Alas, this Maranna rings a bell, but a very vague one. I believe I’ve heard of her, but I never encountered her.’
            ‘I’m told she claimed to have joined the Followers of Kromus and then sought refuge with the True Sith. Awgro has put a bounty on her head, but she is not a Kandera as far as Talyc knows.’
            ‘Then we will have to find her,’ said Lord Void. ‘If she is in danger of Awgro, there is a reason he is hunting her as much as he is hunting Talyc. I just wonder what business he has with her and who she is to him.’
            ‘The Protectors of the Force claim they briefly met her before she left Korriban. They don’t know what happened to her. She never re-emerged with the other Followers of Kromus nor with the True Sith.’
            ‘I wonder if there are some who follow Awgro,’ Void mused. ‘Yet if she followed him, he would not be hunting her. I admit it is very strange. Do you have an image of her?’
            ‘Yes!’ Lian showed the file he was sent regarding Maranna. The two considered the possibilities for a few more moments.
            ‘I can help find her’ said Void. ‘Regardless of what happens today, I still have contacts and friends in all corners of the galaxy. I should also like to go to my safe houses. Especially the one where I left the information regarding Relsor’s creation, birth, and malady. It’s clear to me he was there. I wish to know what he took and what he left. Then I wish to take what remains. I do not have many possessions, and I left nothing of import on Dromund Kaas.’
            ‘That’s good to hear, because Shadie said that apparently, they’ll want to lure you back so they can kill you,’ said Lian.
            ‘I could have told you that,’ Void said poitedly.
            ‘Well, whatever happens, once the verdicts are in, I can send Brenum and Trylia to help you.’
            Void narrowed his eyes. ‘You can trust me.’
            ‘I’m not trying to keep tabs on you, Void.’ Lian chuckled. ‘I want to help protect you from your enemies. We probably have the same ones.’

Continue reading Chapter Five

Bookmark Trials in the Force to catch every chapter

Catch up on previous Star Wars Fan-Fiction from the Protectors of the Force series

You might also enjoy other SWTOR fanfics, Dragon Age Fan-Fiction short stories,  Mass Effect Fan-Fiction, or Stardust Destinies the High Fantasy Fiction series.

As Shadie had suspected, her training led her to the Valley of the Dark Lords to communicate with the spirits of the ancient masters of the dark side. The place hadn’t changed much.
            Dust rose off the ground as wind swept past the red sand in the hot light of the sun. Shadie entered one of the smaller tombs, forgetting whose it was. It did not bother her that she had forgotten some of her former training. She was no longer Sith and these lords did not bear the same meaning to her now as they once did.
            She descended a short set of stairs and came to a large room. She looked at the statues that stood at the corners of the room. The beings depicted looked in agony.
            She heard whispers, not wispy ones from ancient spirits but ones that came from the living.
            She ignited her lightsaber and turned around. A tall Pureblood stood before her.
            ‘What business does a Mandalorian have on Korriban?’
            Shadie used lightning to push him away from her.
            ‘Why would one who has turned away from the dark side seek the guidance of a Sith master?’ came another voice. A lean woman stood nearby.
            From the other side came another voice. ‘Why would a Jedi think she would be safe in this place?’ The voice was male, from a yellow Twi’lek, Shadie noticed.
            ‘What do you seek to gain?’
            Shadie turned to see a Pureblood female standing behind her. Her heart thumped as she realised there were more Sith approaching. She was surrounded.
            ‘I do not need to justify myself to you,’ she said. ‘I do not need to explain myself. I’m here, that is all.’
            Dozens of red blades ignited all around her in canon, lighting the faces of the various aliens and humans who stood around her. Shadie focused and used the Force to pulse at her enemies and push them away. She crouched low, one leg out, holding her lightsaber out and poised for battle. She felt drained already.
            She recognised the face of the Miraluka, Storimbu, amidst the red glow from the blades. However, his lightsaber remained clipped to his belt. He stepped forward.
            ‘And you are absolutely correct,’ he said.
            ‘What is your game?’ asked Shadie. ‘Tell me, or fight me, but do not leave me waiting, or I will cast the first strike.’
            Storimbu smiled. ‘We test, we make sure, only to reinforce our decision.’
            ‘And what decision is that?’
            ‘To follow you!’
            Shadie powered off her lightsaber and brought her leg in close. She remained crouching and closed her eyes.
            ‘You would follow someone weak and drained? I would have the will to fight you and yet not the strength. If you wanted to, you could strike me down right here and now.’ She breathed deeply, quickly.
            Storimbu crouched before Shadie, taking her chin and bringing it up for her to look at him. His touch was remarkably gentle.

Continue reading Chapter Four

Bookmark Trials in the Force to catch every chapter

Catch up on previous Star Wars Fan-Fiction from the Protectors of the Force series

You might also enjoy other SWTOR fanfics, Dragon Age Fan-Fiction short stories,  Mass Effect Fan-Fiction, or Stardust Destinies the High Fantasy Fiction series.