A Dark Legacy

2 years prior to The Force Awakens...
A persistent and interactive galaxy set shortly before the events of Episode VII

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Jagtai
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A Dark Legacy

Post by Jagtai »

Eriadu
Ten years earlier


She was cornered. She could hear her pursuer breathe, could hear him - it? - closing in. She looked around. Sarcophagi littered the room, most plundered long ago. She sensed more than saw the doorway. Freedom. She ran through. Now she found herself in a rectangular room, a single sarcophagus dominating the room. It was undisturbed. She could barely make out the name on the sarcophagus. Draakan.

She felt a hand on her shoulder.


Zaara woke with a start, sweat dripping from her every pore. She hit the switch on the lamp, bathing the room in soft light. It was empty save for her. Yet, she felt the presence from the dream. She took a sip of water and tried to calm herself, like Brodus had taught her. Slowly, the feeling - the presence - faded.

A knock on the door.

"Are you alright, Zaara?"

Brodus.

"I'm fine."
"Can I come in?" She sighed inwardly.
"Yes."

Brodus came in. He was a tall, muscular man, a former soldier. He had fought for the Empire once, but got out after the Battle of Endor. But she had always thought he was holding something back from her. Brodus pulled up a chair and sat down by her bed.

"Bad dream?"
"How'd you know?"
"You yelled at someone in the dream. Tell me."

She told him, trying to make it sound less frightening than it had been. Brodus nodded.

"I was afraid of this. I had hoped to avoid it."
"Avoid what?"
"Come on."

Brodus rose and led her into his study. She had only been there a few times before. He walked to a cupboard and retrieved something. Then he turned around and handed her a cylinder.

"What's this?"

Brodus did not reply. Zaara examined it. There were no switches. But...her fingers tingled whenever they passed a certain spot. She concentrated on that spot...

Whoosh!

A blade of purple light extended rapidly from the cylinder. A lightsaber!

She spent what felt like hours staring at the purple blade, trying to comprehend. Then she shut off the lightsaber. She looked at Brodus.

"What does this mean?"

"That, Zaara, is your legacy."
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Re: A Dark Legacy

Post by Jagtai »

Eriadu
Ten years earlier


"What do you mean it's my legacy?"

Brodus motioned to one of the chairs.

"Sit." She sat. Brodus didn't. "As you know, I am your guardian. But that term is actually equivocal. I am also your guardian."

Zaara shook her head.

"What?"

"My mission, Zaara, is to guard you with my life. Unfortunately, your parents died, and I had to raise you as well as guard you."

Zaara stared at him.

"What are you saying? What's going on?"

And then Brodus spun a tall tale. Zaara was the heir of an ancient Sith Lord, who had tasked his most loyal servant with preserving his line, and given the servant his baby daughter and his lightsaber. She was the last living direct descendant of this Sith Lord. Bradus was the last descendent of the servant. As she took it in, one question came to mind.

"Who was he? The Sith Lord. What was his name?"

Brodus shrugged.

"I don't know much about him, but I do know his name. Draakan."

Draakan...

* * * * *

"So my parents..."

"...were ordinary folk. They had the Gift, though."

"Gift?"

"The Force. Not in any great way, but it was there."

Zaara still couldn't quite fathom it.

"So, I come from a long line of Sith?"

"Jedi, actually. I know that several of your ancestors were Jedi."

"How? I thought they weren't allowed to..."

"Get married?" Brodus nodded. "They weren't, but they circumvented that problem. Draakan's line was the most important. Even for them."

Zaara pondered it all for several minutes. Then she looked at Brodus.

"What now?"

"Now, we train."
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Re: A Dark Legacy

Post by Jagtai »

Eriadu
10 years earlier


"Why are we leaving, Brodus?"

"You need training. The kind that will draw attention on Eriadu."

"And it won't draw attention on Akiva?

"No, not in the place we're going to."

Akiva
8 years earlier


Zaara dodged the slash, countering with a quick jab. Brodus parried, and followed up with a jab of his own. Zaara somersaulted over him, slashing as she passed above him. Brodus parried, but only barely.

"Enough." Zaara recovered and turned.

"Already?" Brodus nodded.

"It's enough for today."

Akiva
6 years earlier


Pang.

The blaster bolt was parried by Zaara's lightsaber, crossing back and almost hitting Brodus.

"Again!" He fired another blast. Zaara parried it again. "Good. Again!"

Akiva system
5 years earlier


The small freighter weaved through the asteroids. Zaara sat at the helm, focusing on avoiding the obstacles, while Brodus sat next to her, watching. Now and then, he nodded approvingly when she avoided a particularly active asteroid. Finally, they exited the asteroid field.

"Well done, Zaara."

Zaara smiled.

"Thank you. Where to now."

"Let's just cruise for a bit now."

Akiva
2 years earlier


Zaara was on her way home. The speeder bike sped across the plain, weaving around rocks. She was so caught up in the feeling of freedom, that she was almost at the farm, when she sensed something was wrong.

Smoke was coming from the house, and the din of blaster fire rang out. She checked her belt and felt the reassuring touch of her lightsaber. She increased speed and sped into the courtyard.

Numerous armoured figures were huddled behind whatever cover they had found, firing on the house. Someone - presumably Brodus - was returning the fire. Several armoured figures lay on the ground, smoking holes in their chests. They wore white armour.

Stormtroopers?

Zaara turned her speeder and sent it crashing into the midst of the stormtroopers, jumping off at the last moment. She ignited her lightsaber in midair, and slashed at one of them as she landed. The stormtrooper went down without a sound.

Several of the others began to fire at her, but she parried one shot and ducked the others, as she ran for cover.

Deciding that the lightsaber was useless at the moment, she picked up the blaster rifle that had belonged to the stormtrooper she'd killed, and began firing.

Suddenly, the stormtroopers began to withdraw to the far end of the courtyard. Here, they mounted speeders and sped out of range. They left behind half a dozen of their comrades. Zaara made sure they were dead, before she went to check on Brodus.

Brodus was lying in a puddle of his own blood; it was obvious that he was dying. He dropped his blaster and raised his hand. Zaara kneeled and took the offered hand.

"Zaara..." his breath was bated, "...my travelling pack. There...there is a journal there that will...tell you all I know of your origin." He caressed her hand. "Take care of yourself."

"Who were they?"

"I...don't know. But...don't worry about...me. Just make...sure to...live." He spat out blood now. Zaara caressed his hand, trying to calm him. Brodus looked into her eyes. "It...it has been...an honour. Don't forget...me."

He let out a rasping breath. Then he sagged and collapsed, dead. Zaara kissed his hand.

"I won't."
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Re: A Dark Legacy

Post by Jagtai »

Eriadu
Present day


Zaara stood on the edge of the rooftop, looking down on the city below, particularly the road almost directly below.

Wonder that falling would feel like...

It had been two years since Brodus had been killed. After burying him, she had packed up her few belongings and returned to Eriadu. She had stashed the freighter in an abandoned warehouse she owned.

She owned. That had been a surprising discovery. When she had gone over her and Brodus' assets, she had discovered that she had the controlling interest in a capital fund. This fund, through a network of shell companies, owned property across half the galaxy. As majority stock holder, she had free reign to all of this.

She had made sure to be installed in one of the penthouse apartments owned by the fund, under the name of Kara Jorynn - all expenses paid. The fund provided the financial security needed for Zaara to investigate further.

She had found out more about this 'Lord Draakan' she supposedly descended from. He had been a powerful Sith Lord, who had vanished after some great war against the Jedi. He had resurfaced shortly before his death, and had been buried in the Valley of the Dark Lords on a planet called Korriban. She had scoured the star charts for this world, but had not yet found its location.

She had, however, discovered the identity of those responsible for the murder of Brodus; an organization known as the First Order...
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Re: A Dark Legacy

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Coruscant

Two hooded figures were standing on a balcony on the upper levels of Coruscant.

"You are sure?" Zaara, wearing dark clothes, inquired. The other, the aide to some ambassador - Zaara honestly didn't care which one - wearing crimson, nodded.

"Yes; it was copied directly from the Republic database."

"I've already searched it."

"Yes, but do you have the necessary clearance?" When Zaara didn't respond, he continued. "In my capacity as an aide to Amba...I mean, in my current capacity, I do. Now, do you have the agreed upon payment?"

"I have to check the file first."

The aide seemed reluctant, but eventually withdrew a datacard. Zaara snatched the card out of his hand and inserted it into her wrist datapad. It verified the information as authentic. She reached into a hidden pocket and handed him a credstick.

"50,000 credits as agreed."

The aide smiled, took the credstick and turned around to leave. As he was halfway to the door, he heard Zaara's voice.

"Oh, I almost forgot,"

He turned around and found himself face to face with her. He just had time to wonder what else she wanted, before a purple blade of light penetrated his abdomen and his heart and came out behind his neck. Zaara shut off the lightsaber, removed the credstick, and returned to the balcony. She turned and looked at the corpse.

"Never trust a Sith."

Then she jumped off the balcony.
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Re: A Dark Legacy

Post by Jagtai »

Zaara leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. It was a seven hour trip to Korriban - or Moraband, as it was called on the map she had procured from the aide. She had already packed what she needed for the venture; all she could do now was wait and take a nap. She needed to be rested for whatever lay ahead.

Moraband

The freighter descended on a plain near the entrance to what the map identified as the Valley of the Dark Lords. As soon as the freighter had touched down, Zaara shut it down, grabbed her pack and went to the entrance. She lowered the ramp, and was taken aback by the breath of hot air mixed with fine sand blowing in her face from outside. She took out a rebreather and a hooded cloak, and put them both on. Then she stalked down the ramp.

After closing the ramp, she pushed forward into the Valley proper. As soon as she entered it, she could feel someone watching her. She couldn't see anyone, so she continued inwards. The Valley was positively littered with monuments commemorating this or that Sith Lord.

She spent the day trying to decipher the words on the nearest three tombs. She succeeded, but had no luck. None of them contained a Sith Lord called Draakan. Eventually, she camped in the shadow of a fourth monument, setting up a tent and a small fire.

The feeling of someone watching her was still there, but no-one had bothered her during her search. She had a bite to eat – she wasn't very hungry – and sat back against the monument and closed her eyes.

* * * * *

Zaara...

Zaara sat op with a start and looked around, her fingers wrapped around the handle of her lightsaber.

No-one was there. Then she heard it again.

Zaara...

The voice was coming from within the tomb. She rose, grabbed a flashlight and cautiously ventured inside.

Sarcophagi littered the room, most plundered long ago. In the far end, she noticed a doorway. The scene seemed familiar. As if something out of a dream. She passed through the doorway and found herself in a rectangular room, a single sarcophagus dominating the room. Unlike the ones in the previous room, this one was undisturbed. A name was etched into the side of the sarcophagus. Draakan.

Welcome, Zaara.

Zaara turned swiftly, igniting the lightsaber as she did. A grey mist obscured the doorway she had come through.

“Who are you?”

I am the one you seek, Zaara. The voice was eerie, seemingly coming from everywhere at once.

“What do you want from me?”

The mist began to thicken, gathering at a single point. Then it was gone, replaced by a tall man dressed in black. His features was hidden beneath a dark hood, and his voice sounded amused when he replied.

“The question, I think, is – what do you want from me?” Zaara felt her neck-hairs stand up.

“Who are you?”

“Draakan,” he said matter-of-factly. “But you know this.”

“How do you know my name?”

“I have been watching you through the Force since the day of your birth, as I have watched all of my kin.” Zaara shook her head, trying to make sense of it all.

“Why didn't you help me, then? Why did you let Brodus die?”

“It was his time.”

“I don't believe that!” Zaara's voice reached a higher pitch, as the sorrow and anger over Brodus' death welled up in her. “Our fates are not pre-destined!”

“Everyone has a destiny, Zaara. Most of us just cannot fathom what it is.”
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