The ocean world of Ahch-To looks to be nothing but blue seas from the distance of space. Dotting the oceans, however, are chains of rocky island that jut upwards to form shallow, sloping mountain ranges with small, flattened plateaus. Rich green trees and other small flora grow along the sedimentary stone, untouched by anything more than small avian creatures looking for a place to nest.Carved into the stones of the various Island’s are sets of winding, ascending and man made pathways.

The crisp, clean, air that wisps off the water planet help cool and maintain a fairly even tropical temperature during the day, with a healthy chill at sunset. Storms have been reported to flare up from time to time, leaving only the highest points of the islands safe from a rising tide.

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The Islands themselves remain a mystery to this day. The oceans themselves are still uncharted and unexplored. No one knows how the stairs, statutes, and other sporadic architecture came to be on the Islands. It was rumored, however, that they were indeed the home of first Jedi Temple back when the ancient order was first formed.

So the Jedi were once here? I wonder why they ended up on Coruscant. Probably so they could take control of the Republic.

The oceanic world of Ahch-To was an almost mythical place to some. It was not particularly difficult to locate, but it lacked intelligent life, nor did it appear to possess anything worth mining. The planet was far from dead, however; each of its many islands were teeming with life.

Andrelious had been sent to the planet after his Consul, Rhylance, had discovered that the Jedi Order tended to build their temples on planets that harboured kyber crystals. The Sith was reluctant to undertake the mission: the existence of an ancient Jedi temple on Ahch-To was only a rumour. Once he’d arrived, however, it quickly became clear to Andrelious that there had indeed been a Jedi temple here.

Having searched several of the larger islands, the Taldryanite was beginning to think that he was wasting his time when he sensed a presence in the Force.

That’s not a kyber. There’s another Force sensitive here.

Sure enough, as Andrelious reached the top of a set of stone steps, he spotted a ship below. He recognised the ship as being an XS-800 freighter, an older Corellian design.

The Force told the Taldryanite that the Force sensitive he’d sensed was aboard the ship. Deciding not to approach too closely, Andrelious noticed the XS-800’s custom paint job. Its view ports had been blacked out, but, more curiously, the rest of the ship appeared to be coated in a special, stealthy paint. Whoever owned this ship placed a high value on survival, rather than combat, while in space.

As Andrelious watched, the ship’s hatch opened slowly. The Sith’s hand moved instinctively towards his weapons. He wasn’t entirely sure who he was expecting to see, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. Pulling his E-11 from its holster, the Taldryanite pointed its barrel at the end of the XS-800’s boarding ramp.

Light footsteps rapped along the entry ramp, almost inaudible against the sound of the ocean’s waves smashing into the rocky island. Mimosa-Inahj kept his blaster firmly fixed on the ramp, ready to squeeze the trigger the moment that his potential enemy arrived. He still hadn’t been able to establish much else through the Force. All he could feel was the luke-warm signature of a Force user, indicating that the new arrival was no stranger to the dark side.

Finally, the XS-800’s owner came into view. Andrelious was surprised to see that he was a short, stumpy little alien with a long, blue tail.

A Ryn! There can’t be many of those that can touch the Force!

“What are you doing here, Ryn?” Andrelious shouted, his blaster now trained on the alien’s head.

The Ryn turned to regard Andrelious.

“Happy ter see me as ever, Chubs?” the alien asked.

Mimosa-Inahj realised that he was dealing with Kordath Bleu, one of Arcona’s more prominent members. Back when the Sith had also been part of the Shadow Clan, the two tended to clash, mostly over misconceptions and prejudices that they had about each other.

“I wasn’t to know it was you. Ryn all look the same to me!” Andrelious commented loudly.

“T’same can be said about yer Imperial types,” Kordath shot back.

“Such a shame you’re so far away from home. Atyiru won’t be intervening this time,” the Sith warned.

“I don’t need Blinky ter stop yer doings, Chubs,” the Ryn replied. A split second later, the Force screamed at him to move. Kordath dived to the right, just avoiding a bolt of plasma from the former Imperial’s E-11.

Always tryin’ to karkin’ kill me. Why won’t ‘e just sit down fer a drink? Kordath wondered as he dodged another shot from Andrelious.

“Enough dancing, Bleu. Are we going to fight, or what?” Andrelious hissed.

Kordath smirked. He placed a pair of brass knucklers onto his fists. He hated to take such a direct approach, but Andrelious was familiar with the Arconan’s preferred style of fighting.

“Yer want it, come an’ get it!” the Ryn taunted.

Kordath winced as another blaster bolt scratched his ship's paint job, sending sparks and slagged metal everywhere. He'd scrambled under the landing ramp of his ship for cover rather than stand out in the open to get shot. Of all the people he could run into, it had to be the racist bag of nerf dung that had tried to bully him when he first got to Arcona. The Human had been the so-called 'Rollmaster' at the time, though mostly he only seemed concerned about the honorific at the end of the title.

Taunting his opponent was getting him nowhere. He might not like the man, and he might not respect him or think any thoughts that one would consider kind, but he also didn't recall him being completely daft. As long as he was pinned down and the Sith was mobile with that blaster rifle, this would end only one way. A quick revision of tactics was called for, decided the Arconan, slipping his left knuckler back into his pockets and drawing a grenade out. Eyes shut, he focused his mental energies and projected.

Across the mountain top — more a plateau as it was able to support the bulk of the thirty-meter long freighter upon it — Andrelious was sighting down his rifle. The little alien had to come out sometime. As soon as he showed his fuzzy head, it was getting hollowed out by the blaster. Instead of the Ryn showing himself, a massive beast seemed to appear from thin air before him, maw filled with teeth and a rumble in the air around them.

"Really? At least attempt some subtlety in your tricks," he shouted with a sigh, firing a shot through the illusion toward the hidden Arconan. As the conjured rancor disappeared, he heard a yell from near the ship.

"That was nae a trick, mate, just a distraction!"

"What's the differenc—" began Andrelious before his eyes were drawn to the ground where the Force-projected beast had stood. A small, metal canister landed in the grass and burst, apparently thrown while he'd been dealing with the imaginary creature. He tried to fling his arm across his face and throw himself backward from the blast, but age and bulk had slowed him. The bright flash and concussive force of the explosion knocked him to the ground, filling his ears with a high-pitched ringing as his vision turned white, then dark.

Kordath had been protected, mostly, from his own flash grenade by the ramp. He dashed out, knowing that speed was of the essence as he tried to close the gap before his would-be killer recovered. The Force flowed through his body, strengthening his muscles and adding a burst of speed. Before him, the chubby, out-of-shape Human was stumbling back to his feet, rifle clutched in both hands and teeth gritted in anger. The way he jerked his head about told Bleu that the man still couldn't see properly, though the Sith's command of the Force meant the condition wouldn't last long.

Just gotta be quick about it, eh?

He ducked low as he approached at a sprint, hoping to stay under the line of fire should the husky Taldryanite start blindly shooting his weapon. Kordath's right fist, adorned still with a knuckler, drove into Andrelious's stomach, directed upwards to pound against the Human's diaphragm. The outrush of air could be heard even over the Ryn's own heavy breathing. With his momentum spent from the blow, the Arconan pivoted to gain some more power, swinging one leg up to connect his boot with the Sith's rifle. It clattered down the steps, which he'd not realized were so precariously close. A malicious urge overtook him even as he glanced up and saw the man’s eyes starting to focus on him.

He brought his foot down from the kick and threw his body towards the ground, bracing with his open left hand as he did. Swinging his legs to gain speed and power, he slammed both of them into the Sith's shins. As he completed his spin, crouching in place to watch his handiwork. What Andrelious hadn't accounted for, or realized, was how far back he'd been forced.

It was like watching a squat tree falling in the forest as he overbalanced and tumbled backward down the stone stairs.

The Ryn stood and pulled his other grenade out, readying it for the inevitable and drawing the Force once more into his arm.

Andrelious found himself a prisoner of his own body as he fell to the bottom of the steps. On the way down, he collided with several sharp edges, leaving him with a series of cuts across his body.

The Sith glared angrily in the direction of Kordath. The troublesome Ryn’s powers had grown since the pair had last met, and with that extra power had apparently come a new confidence.

“There’s still a coward somewhere inside you, Ryn!” Andrelious roared as he began to ascend the steps once again. He stopped his advance only to retrieve his E-11, which he quickly re-holstered.

Kordath continued to wait at the top of the steps. He’d taken the time to begin smoking one of his cigarettes, but remained holding onto his grenade. As he sensed Andrelious approaching, he hurled it in the Taldryanite’s direction.

Spotting the small metal explosive as it headed towards him, Mimosa-Inahj grasped it with the Force moments before it hit the ground. With a simple flick of the wrist, the Sith guided the grenade away and into the vast ocean below. Kordath watched on in disappointment as the flash grenade exploded uselessly in the water.

Karkin’ Sith!

Turning away from Andrelious, the Ryn tossed his half-smoked cigarette away and began to sprint at full pace. Having lost his grenades, he was beginning to run out of ideas. He couldn’t keep his former ally away for much longer, whilst Andrelious was more than likely prepared for Bleu’s remaining weapons.

Feeling his legs starting to tire, Kordath paused for a few moments. He tapped into the Force, immediately beginning to restore his flagging energy reserves. Within a few moments, he started to feel a lot better. He turned to check on Andrelious; the Sith was closing in.

Kordath started to run again just as his opponent directed a wave of Force Lightning towards him. The attack sparked harmlessly off the ground, but the Sith’s intent was clear.

I thought he was a Ryn. Not a run! Andrelious thought.

“You can’t keep this up forever. You’ve probably not had a drink in a whole hour!” the Sith taunted.

“Like yer can talk!” Kordath snapped back.

Still running, the Arconan opened and took a long swig from his bottle of whiskey. As the warming liquid burned its way down the Kordath’s throat, he carefully smashed the end of the bottle against a nearby rock. He stopped and turned to face the approaching Sith.

“Yer made me waste me drink,” the Ryn stated, pointing the jagged glass at Andrelious.

“That will soon be the least of your worries,” the Sith replied.

Snarling, Kordath charged at the Taldryanite, catching him off guard with the sheer speed of the attack. Andrelious raised his blade a fraction too late, allowing the Ryn to dig the broken bottle into his chest.

“Next time it’ll be yer face!” Kordath warned.

There won’t be a next time!

Trying his best to ignore the pain from the oozing cut, Andrelious slashed towards the makeshift weapon. Kordath attempted to move back, but the crimson blade remained perfectly on target, not only shattering the bottle but cutting through the Arconan’s wrist.

“You’re finished, Bleu. But I’m going to give you one chance. Leave this planet,” Andrelious ordered.

“Yer not goin’ to kill me? Why?” the Ryn asked.

“You once helped save my daughters. Kooki may not see it that way, but fortunately for you, I remember that day very well. But we are even now. If I ever see your sorry behind again, I will not be so quick to allow you to live,” the Sith explained.

Kordath could almost not believe what he was hearing. He’d never seen Andrelious show any kind of mercy, especially in battle.

“An’ how do I know yer won’t just be stabbin’ me when I walk away?” Kordath questioned.

“I do not lie when it comes to my family, Bleu.”

The two former allies stared at each other, as if unsure what to do next. Then, true to his word, Andrelious deactivated his lightsaber and began to walk away, clutching his wounded chest.

No more solo missions! the Sith thought.

Kordath stood at the top of the steps, allowing the Force to build up energy in his left arm. Below him came the very uncivilized curses of a man who'd seen many worlds in service to his Empire. He also heard a lightsaber coming to life, the red glow marking the Sith out more clearly as he came up the stone stairs. Bleu took a deep breath and waited for him to get closer, wondering just how far the man's bulk had taken him down the unforgiving steps.

"Now ya know," he yelled down, "ya started this yerself, eh? I did nae wish ta fight ya, but ya just had ta shoot at tha poor old Ryn."

A reply was shouted back up between the gasping breaths of an old man faced with a climb. Well, an old man faced with a steep set of stairs that he'd just been bounced along. Kordath well remembered how much stamina the Warlord had from previous bouts of sparring or drunken fights.

"I will...remove your tail...and your head...and ship them back to your beloved Shadow Lord!"

"Oh, ya, like nobody's tried ta take me tail before. And we call her a Lady, remember?"

"You know what I think? I think I'll keep you intact and dig through that soaked brain of yours. I'm sure someone as close to his so-called Shadow Lady will have information I can use," growled the Taldryanite as he neared the top.

"We'll see, Chubs," snarled Kordath, tossing his grenade down the steps toward Andrelious. The Sith's free hand made a dismissive motion, flinging the flashbang out into the air where it erupted in a small blast, too far to affect either of them.

"Not twice you won't, Ryn," spoke the man as he approached Bleu, saber coming up in a two handed grip, knees bent and weapon at the ready.

"Oh, blast, well too bad."

The Arconan shrugged, but his words sounded off; as if he wasn't that bothered by the turn of events.

Andrelious lifted his blade, hand high on the hilt and ready to push through whatever defenses the Ryn may have erected in the time it took him to retake the stairs. Instead, he saw the Arconan lift both hands, one still sheathed in a knuckler, up to about shoulder height as if surrendering.

No, you don't get off that easy, thought the Sith, preparing to at least remove a limb from the offensive little alien. His eyes were inexorably drawn to the Ryn's empty hand, the fingers widening and waggling at him to draw attention. A warning sang through him, a warning of danger which saved him from some of the bright flash of Force energy that erupted from the open palm.

The Sith lashed out with the Force unthinkingly, blinded once more, trusting in his memory of where the Arconan had stood as he did so. He was rewarded with a howl of pain as the lightning he'd sent arcing from his off-hand hit its mark. While his vision cleared, he sent another burst, and again was gratified by the sounds produced, though the smell of burnt hair was irritating his senses.

Blinking away the last splotches that clouded his eyes, Andrelious looked down to find the Ryn curled in a ball on the ground. The Arconan was hugging his knees to his chest; even his tail had wrapped around his legs. The alien was shuddering and shaking in apparent agony.

"You rely too much on tricks and the quickness of your feet, Bleu. Tricks you've run out of, and you shan't be running from this."

Andrelious squatted low, near the Arconan's head and laid a hand upon it.

"There will be pain, and you'll tell me many, many things you won't want to. And then, when I’m finished, I may kill you...or I may send you back home with the knowledge of how you've betrayed everyone who trusts you. But first, the pain."

Lightning played across the hand the Sith had rested upon the alien's head before skittering across the curled up form. Kordath screamed until he was hoarse and until his throat bled and his lips were splitting. Every part of him was in agony. When the lightning stopped, he felt the claws digging into his mind, searching, and knew he lacked the strength to stop what came next.

Kark...me... was his last thought before darkness overtook him.