[Takadona Maz Kanata’s Castle](Asset Not Found)

When the First Order beset on Takadona, Maz Kanata’s castle took the brunt of the assault. Located on the shore of a lake that was owned by the pirate Maz Kanata, it served as a haven for travelers, smugglers and other unsavory characters. Sensor grids and advanced communication gear secured the castle from unannounced attacks, giving its owner and visitors enough notice to flee the scene.

The area around it is rumored to have been the battleground for the Jedi and Sith, being of strategic value for those willing to seek control over Takadona. Inside, the castle’s gray exterior vanishes into shades of brown, the color of sandstone. Tables and chairs fill the cluttered spaces where travelers could share tales or pursue their own controversial interests. Unfiltered smoke permeates the air, clogging the senses with a sweet odor. Various criminal groups have at some time or another sought shelter in the castle, their passage evidenced by the many-colored banners outside bearing their insignia.

[Takadona Maz Kanata’s Castle](Asset Not Found)

Now, the castle remains uninhabited. Several of its towers have crumbled under the First Order’s assault. Stonework pillars have toppled over, scorched from turbolasers and blaster fire. Other segments lie in ruin, still too new for the forest to have reclaimed the land around the castle.

Lucine picked her way slowly through the war-torn courtyard. The scorched walls and crumbling masonry spoke of battles in the distant past, while scuff marks on the ground spoke of more recent bloodshed. She was intimately familiar with the latter, as her last visit to Takadona had resulted in combat. It had been a humiliating defeat for her, made worse by the fact that she had lost her datapad while her opponent was tossing her around like a ragdoll. Now that she had a break between missions, it was time to retrieve her most precious possession.

She paused where the fight had begun and looked slowly around the courtyard, mentally reviewing the events of the duel. Emerald green eyes scanned her surroundings slowly, until they fell upon the pile of debris that had resulted when she had been thrown through the wall. It was as good a place to start her search as any.

The Arconan began to slowly sift through the rubble, her eagerness to be reunited with her datapad tempered by the fact that she did not want to break a nail. But as she pushed aside larger stones, worry that the device may have been broken made her movements more frantic. She continued to dig until she finally spotted the corner of the duraluminum case near the bottom of the pile. She pulled the datapad free with a sigh of relief, inspecting the device critically as she wiped off the dust. It appeared to be intact.

“What are you doing?”

Her gazed darted up to see an Epicanthix standing a short distance away. His nearness caused her to purse her lips in annoyance. She had been so caught up in her search that she had not been paying attention to her surroundings. “I am simply retrieving some lost property, darling.”

The Equite's eyes moved from her face to the datapad in her hand, and back again. “Give it to me.”

“I am sorry, darling, but that is not going to happen,” the Arconan replied as she stood up. To emphasize her point, she tucked the datapad into her cloak.

Anger flickered within the Epicanthix's eyes; as she looked closer, she noticed something else lurking in his yellow orbs. Madness. Biting her lower lip, she hastily examined him for other defining qualities. His white hair and the crest tattooed upon his neck provided clues as to his identity.

“Look... Solas. It is Solas, right?” she added hopefully. Offering no response, he continued to stare coldly at her. Lucine took a deep breath and pressed on. “I am all for sharing information between Arcona and Tarentum. However this is my personal datapad. It does not hold any information that is vital to the war effort.”

“You lie,” the Equite growled. Moving with deliberate slowness, he unclipped his lightsaber from his belt.

Lucine’s eyes narrowed, the implications of his actions not lost on her. He was quite correct; she was lying. It contained all of her personal notes, all of the intel she had collected. But she had no intention of giving it up, not after having recovered it so recently. If it came to a fight then so be it.

“I am telling you the truth,” she replied steadily, holding out her hands in a pacifying motion. “I have no reason to lie to you. Our clans are allied.” Her gaze dropped to his weapon as she hastily considered ways to diffuse the situation. “How about this? Throw your lightsaber away as hard as you can, and then we can talk like civilized people,” she said at last, weaving the Force into her words as she made another warding gesture.

Solas started to take a step forward, but paused as her words reached his ears. He froze with a puzzled expression on his face before glancing down at his weapon. Finally, he lobbed it as far as he could; as they both watched, it clattered behind a half-wall.

The Equite's face contorted with rage at the loss of his lightsaber. Realizing that the time for talk was over, Lucine dove through the hole in the wall as he made a punching motion in her direction. The force of the telekinetic blow shattered the sandstone masonry behind her.

Lucine looked back over her shoulder as the wall behind her exploded in a shower of small rocks. Imagining what an impact like that would have done to her head if she hadn’t moved. She knew a small amount about this man, but not nearly enough to fight him. She had to move, quickly. Bolting for the entrance to the castle. She remembered how the interior was a maddening maze of tunnels and corridors. They would give her time to gather data, data that would help her plan for this… monster.

Solas watched as the girl ran for the door. Focusing on her hair as she ran, it reminded him of Kalin. It was the same warm red color. At first this fact made him smile, but then it filled him with rage.

‘How dare she try and confuse us by looking like Kalin.’ A voice inside his mind chimed.

‘She should die.’ Spoke another.

‘I would like to keep her hair, and her head. Hahahaha.’ A third voice cackled.

Solas wordlessly called his discarded weapon back to his hand. Speaking into the comm on his wrist.

“Gordon, take the Nihilus around and search for any other ships or lifeforms. Eliminate anything you find.” The deep baritone warble of the IG-100 MagnaGuard came over the comm. Moments later the sound of a Sienar X-C 2 ion drive array filled the air as the Republic Sienar Systems Star Courier flew away from the castle.

“Now to hunt.” He smiled a crooked grin. He gathered the energy around him to amplify his voice, unleashing a rage filled howl that shook everything around him.

Lucine stumbled when the wave of energy hit her in the back. For a moment she felt fear but the rapidly approaching door kept her grounded. Stopping herself just before colliding with the door, she punched the activator panel next to the door. The door slowly slid open. Waiting only until the opening was wide enough for her lithe frame to fit through. Slipping through the gap the human sprinted through the main hall. She ran as deep as her lungs would allow. Once she had stopped and had gathered her breath. She pulled her datapad out from her cloak. Quickly scrolling through the rosters, she found his dossier.

“Hmm, Epicanthix, Sith, forty-one years, he’s older than I thought.” As she read his file she remembered how large he had seemed when they’d met outside. But now it made sense.

“Two point oh five meters, he’s got ten inches on me. And he’s nearly double my weight.” The more she read, the more she understood why he didn’t talk much.

“He’s a warrior, through and through. And based on this analysis, he’s a juggernaut at that.” He’d put all of his training and knowledge into combat. He was a living weapon. The dull thud of the doors at the end of the corridor opening brought her back to the here and now. Taking her lightsaber in her hand she settled in an alcove. She watched tensely as the the Sith walked down the corridor. The white-haired man passed in front of her and stopped a few paces from her.

“Hello.”

“Hello,” Lucine replied evenly. Though her demeanor was calm, her mind was scrambling for a plan. A quick glance at her surroundings proved fruitless. The shallow alcove she had chosen provided little space for movement. Though the floor was littered with rocks and debris, none of it appeared heavy enough to be useful. Inwardly, she cursed herself for yielding to her need for research without finding a more defensible position first.

The Arconan assumed a relaxed position, holding her lightsaber loosely in her hand as she tucked the datapad away. She forced herself to look him steadily in the eyes, trying to ignore the creeping feeling of dread as she observed the madness contained in his gaze.

She's trying to stare us down? She's either brave or stupid, one voice hissed within Solas's mind.

Cut her down, take her head, a second voice said with a giggle.

She does look like Kalin, a third murmured with a hint of wistfulness.

“You're not her,” he said at last.

“Who?” Lucine asked with surprise.

“Her,” the Epicanthix replied simply.

Despite the icy terror that clutched at her, Lucine forced herself not to roll her eyes. Talking to the Tarenti was remarkably similar to conversing with a brick wall. Still, his few words had given her some clues. She bore a resemblance to someone he knew, but who was she? His mother? Lover? Close friend? She simply did not have enough information to go on, and the wrong move might send him over the edge. Too risky. Best try a different ploy.

The redhead took a deep breath before offering the Equite a disarming smile. “All right, Solas. You win. If you want my datapad so badly, then you can have it,” she said as she returned her gaze to him. “As I said, we are allies. There is no need for violence.”

Solas's eyes narrowed, but he kept them focused on her. The Arconan could see his tension in his face, and decided it was time to take her gamble.

Snap-hiss!

Solas reacted from instinct as he heard the sound of a lightsaber igniting behind him. His own crimson blade flared to life as he turned to face the threat. A dark figure rushed at him from the shadows, weapon raised to attack. Solas's face set into a snarl as he prepared to block the blow and deliver a devastating counter attack. The sapphire blade slashed at him—

—and harmlessly passed through his defense.

Realizing he had been tricked, he whirled sharply, using both hands to slash at the spot where the redhead once stood. But she was not there; instead, she was standing a few feet away. As he brought his weapon to bear, she lobbed something at his head. The crimson blade sliced neatly through the bag, sending a cloud of powder into his face.

Solas roared as the gritty dust flew into his eyes. Lucine turned and bolted for the door. Hearing the sound of her retreating footsteps, he closed his hand into a fist, concentrating all of his rage and hate into a single punching motion.

The Arconan felt something smash against the back of her skull. Black spots exploded in front of her eyes as the blow sent her sprawling to the ground. The black spots steadily grew, until her vision was completely obscured. She succumbed to unconsciousness.

Angrily, Solas scrubbed the dust from his eyes and settled his gaze on the Seeker. She was slumped on the ground near the door, red hair covering her face like a veil. He growled softly and stalked toward her. The sound of his footsteps were drowned out by the cacophony of voices within his head, screaming for her blood. He raised his lightsaber, aiming for her neck—

But she really does look like Kalin, a voice whispered.

The crimson blade lowered a fraction of an inch, but his hesitation only lasted a moment. Snarling, he raised his weapon again.

Kalin....

This time he lowered his lightsaber entirely. He stared down at the familiar hair, even as he remembered his wife's smile. Her laugh. It had been a long time since he had thought of her. He scrubbed his hand against the tears in his eyes, still irritated by the dust. Deactivating his lightsaber, he snatched the datapad from the pocket of her cloak. With a stony expression, he stalked out of the castle, leaving the unconscious woman behind. For once, the voices were silent.

The word hung in the air. It seemed as though that single word had settled on a tripwire and was about to set off a landmine. Seconds ticked by, soon a minute had passed and neither moved. Before long time lost its meaning for both. And in that moment, something in Solas’ mind snapped. Whirling around and activating his lightsaber in the same motion. His blade cut a glowing line in the wall of the alcove. The strike should have removed his opponent’s head, but the girl was nowhere to be found. This fact only enraged the Equite even more.

Lucine placed a hand to her chest hoping it would slow her racing heart. She allowed herself a small smile. Solas may be a living weapon, however this left him vulnerable to more subversive attacks. It had taken all of her concentration to pull it off, but Lucine had managed to hide herself with the Force while simultaneously creating an illusionary version of herself in her place.

This was her chance. He was distracted and she had the drop on him. Activating her weapon, a line of bright green light illuminated the corridor. With a wave of her free hand she cast out a push with the Force hoping the knock him off balance. Seeing the push hit her target Lucine took hold of her weapon with both hands and rushed the man.

Solas staggered as the wave of energy hit him. He shook his head trying to clear the confusion when something in the back of his mind told him to block behind him. Bringing his blade over his head to block his exposed back. But no attack came, instead he watched with surprise as his opponent slid under him. Bringing his weapon down in a vicious cleave, he drove it deep into the floor having missed the woman entirely. Howling in rage he looked up to find the woman gone.

“Fight me you coward!” Solas screamed. He could howl as much as he liked, Lucine knew that facing him head on was a near death sentence. So she would do what she did best, continue to strike from the shadows until she could execute a killing blow, or escape. Looking around she saw her next opportunity; an open access hatch in the ventilation system. Leaping into the shaft, she was pleasantly surprised to find it made of stone and not metal. Doing her best to hide her presence she made her way to the next vent. With a blast of Force energy she blasted the vent’s grate to the floor below. And then had only a fraction of a second to dive backwards as the area around the vent exploded in a shower of metal and stone. Lucine starkly understood that their skill, with arguably the most basic of Force abilities, was leagues apart. She had studied the technique, but Solas was truly adept with it. And the art of turning it into a weapon.

’That last attack was too close. I have to finish this soon or he is going to catch me.’ Lucine mused as she dropped out of the ventilation shaft at the far end of the corridor, and prepared to end the warrior. She knew how to do it too. She would literally run circles around the brute until he toppled over and then she would end him quickly.

’Hope this works.’

It would have to, otherwise she was in trouble. This tactic would severely drain her reserves. Gathering all the energy she could into her legs, a technique she wasn’t too well versed in, and began running. Rounding the corner on the man she could see him breathing heavily. He was winded, her plan would work. This pushed her, faster, harder. She ran passed him and felt the heat of his blade pass just behind her neck.

’Too close. Have to go faster.’

She spun on a dime, only just keeping her footing. She ran passed him again. And again she felt his weapon pass just out of reach.

’Faster.’

She turned again, and by god it wasn’t pretty. As she neared him she noticed something, his weapon wasn’t raised to attack. She passed in front of him-! Suddenly her upper chest exploded in pain and her world was spinning end over end. She landed hard on the floor. Looking back she saw her enemy standing with his back to where she had landed, his left arm extended out from him. She understood. The pain in her chest had been his arm colliding with her body as he clotheslined her. At first she was confused as to why it had hurt so much. Sure she had been running as fast as she could, but that shouldn’t hurt that much. Then she remembered his dossier, he had a cybernetic left arm. She hadn’t run into a limb made of flesh and bone, but rather one made of durasteel.

She rolled over coughing. The landing had partially driven the wind out of her. Still coughing as she got to her knees, Lucine looked down the corridor at the open door. She had to get away and regroup. Then she felt something press against her back, and then her chest collided with the floor. She was then forcibly rolled over onto her back. She looked up to she her opponent standing over her. The first thing that drew her eye was his weapon; it was hanging from his belt. The second thing that drew her attention was the look on his face. He was smiling at her, but not a happy smile, this smile was almost demonic. Something about it broke past her inner resolve and she truly felt fear. Especially as he dropped to his knees straddling her. In a last ditch effort she threw out a punch. Solas blocked and caught the arm, twisting it around until he heard the snap and pop he was waiting for. At the sound Solas’ eyes almost rolled back into his head as he released a sigh of pleasure that seemed somewhat carnal. Meanwhile Lucine screamed in pain as her arm was forcibly dislocated in two different places. He cries were cut short when the man’s fist impacted her mouth and it began to fill with blood. She looked up when she felt the front of her clothes grabbed and her shoulders lifted from the ground. She saw him raise his right fist and bring it down, smashing into her nose. The cartilage shattered and blood began to pour down her face. The next minute, although it felt like a kriffing eternity, was filled with pain and raining fists as Solas pummeled Lucine’s face. And just as she was about slip into the sweet embrace of unconsciousness, she felt his weight left from her. Forcing open the eye that hadn’t swollen shut, she saw him standing above her speaking into something on his wrist. A wrist comm she assumed. She saw him finish speaking and then walk over next to her. He knelt next to her head.

“Don’t die on me yet. We have so many fun things planned for you.” The tone in his voice sent a shiver down her spine. And in that moment she knew she had to get away from him, or die, frankly anything would probably be better than whatever he had planned. She felt him hoist her over his shoulder and start for the door. This was her only chance she knew it.

Driving her good elbow into the back of his neck, his grip loosened on her and she flung herself free. Clumsily getting to her feet, she made to run only to be forcibly thrown back to the floor. Looking up through the pain blurred vision, Lucine saw the epicanthix grab her by the throat and lift her off the ground.

Solas channeled all of his energy and rage into his left arm. And in a fit of pure anger drove his fist through the girl’s stomach and out her back. It took only moments for the life to leave her one open eye.