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Raze concentrated all of his Force energy into his sprint away from the Jedi. He seemed to move at blinding speed, but even so, Buwat and her Padawan, Janard K’alitaj, were right behind him. Throughout all of this, Tewhi didn’t utter a single word. She was simply observing how her apprentice was handling the situation. Soon he finally reached the hangar that contained his custom ship, the Raze’s Edge. He quickly boarded the imposing ship and fired up the engines. Master Buwat, sensing Raze’s departure, stopped and faced her Padawan. She instructed Janard to go and inform Lord Rusan at once about what had transpired. Janard diligently obeyed her master and ran off to the temple as Buwat made for the Jedi hangar. She found an unused X-Class Jedi Starfighter and hopped in. She quickly fired the engines and waited for all the systems to get online. As she was waiting, she reached out with the Force. She felt that Raze had not yet lifted off, so she had more time than she thought. When the ship was good to go, she lifted off for the Coruscant sky. She barely caught a glimpse of Raze’s starship as it raced into orbit. She pursued him closely, determined to catch him.
When the Raze’s Edge reached a safe distance away from the planet, it suddenly kicked in its hyperspace engines and vanished into the stars. “Let’s see,” said Buwat in her cockpit. “I have to calculate his trajectory to see where he went…ah hah there it is…he looks to be headed for…Dromund Kaas.” She punched the coordinates into the navi computer, and her starfighter sped off into hyperspace.
Back at the Jedi Temple, Janard was frantically looking for Lord Rusan. While she was looking, she received a transmission from her master. “Janard come in…are you reading me,” asked Buwat over the communicator. “Yes master I hear you,” replied Janard. “Janard, let Lord Rusan know that that I have tracked Raze to the planet of Dromund Kaas. I will attempt to find out as much as I can without having to confront him.” “Understood master, I will inform Lord Rusan of your actions” said Janard. She then clicked a button on the communicator that ended the transmission. After asking many Jedi for the whereabouts of Lord Rusan, she was finally told that she was in the Jedi Hospital. Rusan was still recovering from the attack that had taken place earlier on the Jedi Temple. Janard reached the main desk of the hospital in no time, and was henceforth directed to the 7th floor, room number 9. When Janard reached Rusan’s room, she saw that her friend and new Jedi Knight Soran Zacom was by her bedside. “How’s she doing Soran?” asked Janard. “She’ll be ok. She just suffered some minor laser burns,” replied Zacom. “Ok well unfortunately I must wake her…I have urgent business to discuss with her,” exclaimed Janard. “By all means” replied Zacom. After Janard woke Rusan up, she explained all that transpired with the interrogation and subsequent kidnapping of the Ambassador. Rusan then looked at Zacom and instructed her to go and help Master Buwat and Janard apprehend Darth Raze and rescue the Ambassador. Janard and Zacom then bowed in acknowledgement and departed.
Back on Dromund Kaas, Master Buwat slowly made her way through the seemingly endless swamps. Buwat only knew of two Jedi ever visiting this planet previously. If her memory served her well…the Jedi Knight Mara Jade had come here to rescue Jedi Master Kyle Katarn from the influence of the Sith Temple. But that was long ago. Many things were probably different here. As she wandered deeper into the swamp, she came across an ancient statue. As she approached it she felt a field of Force energy that would not let her pass the statue and continue on. Buwat decided to reach out with her feelings to try and find a way past this obstacle. It seemed as though the statue itself was watching her intently. If this were so, then maybe a mind trick to render her invisible would work. She channeled all of her energy into “persuading” the statue that she wasn’t there. It worked. She now passed through the area freely. As she continued along, she could sense the many animals of the swamp watching her. She became increasingly uneasy as she sensed a large animal that seemed to be watching her closely. Not only that, but also this certain animal was very hungry. Suddenly, a surge in the Force warned her that the animal was advancing on her quickly. She ignited her purple blade and thrust it backwards behind her. A shrill scream filled the air as she began to turn around. She recognized the animal that had wanted to attack her. It was a swamp wampa, and she had stabbed it right through the belly. She removed her blade from the animal and it dropped to the ground dead. Buwat breathed a sigh of relief. Her comfort was short-lived, however. She heard deafening screams emanate from the sky above her. She raised her saber in a defensive stance as a flurry of large insects descended upon her. She quickly raised her hand to them, and they were thrown to the ground by the Force. Buwat quickly threw her saber and concentrated on controlling its path. She sent the blade knifing through the exoskeletons of the large insects before they could react. With a come hither motion, Buwat’s glowing purple blade returned to her hand. She saw that all the animals were dead, and powered down her blade. Buwat moved quickly to try and find an entrance to the temple that was proving so elusive. As she rounded a corner in the swamp, she finally saw what looked to be an entrance. A large, deep pool of water was blocking the entrance. The pool had many large rocks on the surface that seemed like stepping stones with which to cross. Something seemed a little odd about the stones. Using her Force Sight power, Buwat was able to see that these “rocks” weren’t those at all. They were really deadly jellyfish. If Buwat were to step on just one, the venomous tentacles would reached up out of the water and kill her. She decided to simply levitate herself over the dangerous pool of water. Once she landed on the other side, all that lay in her way now was a massive stone door. She easily used the Force Push power to move it aside. She slowly poked her head into the pitch-black temple. She realized that she would need some light to navigate it, so she ignited her lightsabre.
As Janard and Zacom landed their starfighters in the swamp, an eerie cold spot in the Force coursed through their bodies. “I definitely don’t like this place, Soran,” said Janard. “Keep your calm and concentrate on the living Force, my friend,” replied Zacom. Janard and Zacom had been best friends ever since they first met as child padawans all those years ago. They seemed to compliment each other perfectly and kept each other in line when times got tough. Through their more recent padawanship, they hadn’t been able to see each other much due to there training. But now Zacom was a full Jedi Knight, and soon Janard would achieve the same. They both dropped from their starfighters and began to move into the swamp.
Back at the Sith Temple, Buwat was carefully making her way though the dark passageways and corridors. She arrived at a large chamber with a ceiling that was very high. There were many torches on the chamber walls offering light, so she switched her blade off. The chamber was immense. It probably stretched out to a couple hundred of feet. It was possibly a commune chamber, she thought to herself. Buwat then saw what looked to be a large stone altar in the middle of chamber. As she approached it, she could feel evil energy flowing out of it. “Ah…Master Buwat…welcome to my home” said a familiar voice from the shadows. Buwat once again ignited her blade and looked upon the figure that had just emerged form the darkness. “So now I get to finish what I had started, Lord Raze” said Buwat. “I do not think so, Master Buwat,” replied Raze as he made a circular motion with his fingers. Suddenly, many hidden stone doorways in the chamber walls began to open. Out of each one came a hooded figure draped in a black robe. She counted about 25 dark figures, including Raze. “As you can see,” said Raze, ”you are impossibly outnumbered…now back down and you may live.” Seeing that she had no choice, Buwat turned off her blade and laid it at her feet. Raze then raised his hand to her, and the other dark figures did the same. Buwat felt her body go cold into a paralyzed state. She could feel the combined Force energies of all the cloaked Sith as they levitated her onto the altar. “Now Master Buwat…you will serve me a purpose for now, and then we shall decide what to do with you after. Do make yourself comfortable. You will not be able to move until I personally remove the stasis shield,” said Raze. With that, he dismissed the other figures, and they obediently disappeared back from whence they came. Raze himself then disappeared back into the shadows.
Janard and Zacom had finally located the temple entrance, but the way to it had not been without peril. Like Master Buwat, they too had run-ins with the swamp wampas, giant insects, and poisonous jellyfish. The entrance was wide open, and both Jedi made their way inside. Zacom took out a field light to illuminate their way inside the pitch-black temple. Slowly they both began to venture into the dark. “Soran”, said Janard, “ I sense my master…that way!” Without any warning the Padawan sprinted off into the direction that she had said. “Janard wait” exclaimed Zacom. But it was too late; for she was already many, many yards away from Zacom So she followed in hot pursuit of the Padawan. Only seconds later, Zacom heard a sickening laugh and Janard scream. As Zacom increased her speed, she rounded a corner just in time to see what happened to Janard. Janard was being held in a large chamber. She was also being levitated into the air by an as of then unknown source. Then she saw them. She saw what seemed to be about 20 or so dark figures emerge and make a circle around the static Jedi. A single figure stepped directly in front of the young Jedi. “Foolish young Jedi” said the solitary figure. “I am moved by your bravery, young one, but appalled by your foolishness. You have violated the sanctity of our temple, and for that you will die.” The lone figure then quickly reached into his belt and pulled out his lightsabre. He ignited the blade and swung it through Janard’s lower body. She let out a blood-curdling scream, and both halves of the now dead Jedi dropped to the ground. Zacom screamed out in terror, and by doing so revealed herself to the dark figures. “Murderers” she screamed at them as she beheld the gory sight of Janard’s body. “Janard…you…can’t be…no…” Each of the dark figures stood motionless, seemingly in shock at the sight of this new Jedi. After gazing down at her fallen companion, Zacom then slowly looked up at the figures across the chamber. Her face was a grim mask of vengeance and hatred. She reached for belt and pulled out two lightsabers. She quickly ignited both blue blades, one in each hand. With an earth-shattering battle cry that literally shook the foundations of the ancient temple, she charged at the dark figures. The speed of her attack was too fast for them to react in time. She immediately swung through the bodies of two of the figures closest to her. Their hacked up bodies dropped dead to the floor. One by one thereafter she killed them as swiftly as she had the first two, severing limbs here and decapitating heads there. The scene was a complete bloodbath. In mere minutes, each of the hooded figures lay dead in one maimed piece or hacked apart on the bloodstained ground. All of them, that is, except one. “Reveal thyself murderer” Zacom demanded. The hooded figure removed his cover, revealing himself to be Darth Raze. “I should have known. Only you have the audacity to commit such an atrocity, Raze,” exclaimed Zacom. And with that, Raze ignited his darksabre and engaged the young Jedi.
Back at the Jedi Hospital, Const Rusan suddenly awoke from her slumber with an extensive sweat on her brow. “My Lord, what is it” asked the young Jedi Knight Ranga Oppo, whom had come to watch over Lord Rusan. “Pain…suffering…death I feel. Something terrible has happened. Young Zacom is in pain…terrible pain.”
Brilliant flashes of black light on blue lit up the temple chamber. Raze was felling somewhat overmatched against Zacom, but how could that be? He reached out with his feelings and discovered that it was her rage that was driving her on. As they locked sabers, Raze overpowered her for just a moment and used the Force to hurl her a few feet backwards. He took this opportunity to tempt her. “Very good, Zacom. You have started your journey into the dark side, but what you have done is not enough,” said Raze. He motioned his hand towards the immense ceiling, and Master Buwat’s incapacitated form came descending from it. Zacom silently looked on, both blue blades still in hand. “Strike her down…and realize your true destiny as a dark jedi, your true power!” Zacom, so enraged by all that had transpired, considered it. She wanted to handle things her own way, and the Jedi Order wouldn’t allow her to. Surely, if she were to kill a Jedi herself, her ties to the Order would be severed and she could then serve her own agenda. “So indecisive, aren’t you, Zacom” mused Raze, almost mocking her. With that comment, she decided her fate. She took both of her blue blades and swung them into Buwat’s figure. Buwat screamed as the million-degree blades pierced her body. Just like Janard, she fell dead to the ground from the air. “Excellent. Now my young pupil I will be seeing you again very soon” said Raze as he made off into the shadows. “Not so fast” replied Zacom. She used the Force to rip a chunk out of the wall and hurled it at Raze. It struck him in the right arm with amazing speed. He fell to the ground, badly injured. His arm was broken by the impact. “Curse you, Zacom,” said Raze as he clutched his arm. Zacom walked over to the grounded Sith Lord. She could taste the sweetness of the vengeance that she craved. “Now it is time for you to die,” said Zacom. She raised the blade in her right hand, ready to deal the deathblow. Suddenly, she was thrown back by blue lightning. As she recovered and rose back to her feet, she saw that a smaller cloaked figure was standing beside Raze’s fallen figure. “I don’t know who in the hell you are, but you will join that putrid scum as a dead man” screamed Zacom as she charged at the figure. The figure didn’t even flinch. It raised its hand to the Jedi, and Zacom dropped to the ground. She could not move or think at all. “You foolish young Jedi”, said the figure, ”your feeble skills are no match for the powers of the dark side. You have paid the price for your lack of vision, young one.” With that, the figure helped Lord Raze to his feet, and they departed. After some time, Zacom finally regained her movement. She arose feeling very disorientated. As she came to her senses and remembered what had taken place, she was overcome by guilt and sorrow at having killed Master Buwat. She looked over to where the Jedi Master’s severed body should have lain, but it was gone. “This can’t be…she shouldn’t have vanished. Something is most definitely not right,” she said to herself. Slowly, she made her way towards the temple entrance.
Raze and Scourge had reached the Raze’s Edge and were preparing to depart for Endor and the construction site of the Hand of Devastation. Raze glanced over to the captured Perel Buwat. “Thank you so very much, Master Buwat. Hahaha. One of your most powerful and promising young Jedi will soon be one of us,” said Raze. Scourge looked on in agreement. “You will not get away with this, Raze,” said Buwat. “Oh I think I already have” mused Raze. He powered up the ship and it rocketed away into the Dromund Kaas orbit.
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