Once, it was the home to the witches of Dathomir, otherwise known as the Nightsisters. Tucked away in from the rest of the galaxy in an isolated cluster, the Nightsisters were able to draw energy from the planet itself, and pursued a type of ritualistic magic. They ruled over the population of Zabrak—Nightbrothers—and used them as a warrior caste to serve their purposes.

Then, the Clone Wars. The Nightsisters were pulled into the conflict due to the machinations of Mother Talzin and her rival Darth Sidious. This ultimately led to the eradication of the Dathomirians and their settlements. The desolation was claimed by the Confederacy of Independent Systems after the last Nightsister fell.

Now, the planet known as Dathomir is a haunted skeleton of its former greatness. A perpetual crimson glow coats the planet. The bleak world has become an amalgamation of ruined forest, decrepit swamp lands, and withered mountains worn to the sands of time.

In the desolate swamps, faint echoes haunt the graves of the long-dead witches, infusing the green fog that spreads above the damp ground. Dreadful whispers rumoured to be lingering incantations defend the world from intruders. Tall tales and rumors of zombies and ritual sacrifice alluding to grisly flashes of imagery.

The trees, large and misshapen, promise misery to those who touch their tortured bark and open themselves to the memories of the place. Eerie as the voices over the wind, the water beneath the fog appears red and bubbling, as if the land itself were pockmarked in cauldrons of blood to keep the incantations alive.

Creatures unaffected by the purge of the Nightsisters still remain. Snakes, reptiles and insects of varying lethality wander the wasteland. Reports have even said that rancor still roam freely.

This is Dathomir.

Rasilvenaira found a clearing to set the Caliburnus down in. The vast and dangerous swamps of Dathomir spread out around them. She powered down the engines, then looked over at her companion.

“Ready to go hunting?”

Shadow grinned as she unbuckled the safety straps on her seat.

“You bet I am. I’ve been looking forward to this trip, Ras.”

Rasilvenaira smiled and laughed softly, “Good.”

She rose from her seat and stretched. It had been a long flight getting to Dathomir.

“R5, close and lock the ramp as soon as we’re out. I don’t want any curious creatures sneaking on board, or anything else that might lurk in these swamps.”

R5 beeped an affirmative.

“Veritas, you’re with us in case we need some extra firepower.”

The assassin droid’s photoreceptors positively glowed with delight. “Affirmative master.”

Rasilvenaira chuckled at the droid’s eagerness, then gathered up her pack and checked her weapons. Once she was satisfied everything was in order, she looked over at her companion.

“Ready to go?”

Shadow nodded, settling her own pack over one shoulder, and resting one hand on her saber on her belt.

“I’m as ready as I can get, let’s go.”

Rasilvenaira nodded and headed for the ramp and lowered it, knowing R5 would close it quickly behind them. Dathomir was too dangerous to leave the ship open and unguarded. Stepping out onto the crimson-hued world and the thick, swampy ground, she sighed softly. She had always held a strange fascination for Dathomir and its former rulers, the nightsisters. She glanced over at Shadow and then pointed to the north.

“Let’s head that way first, looks like the trees thicken, so we might find something fun to play with.”

Shadow arched one eyebrow, then shook her head. “Not sure I have the same definition of fun as you do, but it should be exciting at least.”

They headed off in the chosen direction and didn’t need to go far before finding one of the many dangerous denizens of Dathomir. A Bane Back Spider spat at them from a nearby tree, though it missed them both. It came scuttling down to attack them.

Both of them drew their sabers, Rasilvenaira motioned for Shadow to try flanking the creature as she drew its attention to herself. Shadow nodded and started slowly circling around to the creature’s side and back. Rasilvenaira struck at the spider singeing one leg which enraged the spider and it lunged at her. Rasilvenaira dodged the spider’s attack and motioned for Shadow to make her move.

Shadow’s lightsabers were already arcing through the air, her silver blade swinging upward and catching the more exposed underside of the spider’s abdomen. The green pustules on the flesh burst, the arachnid shrieking in pain before it whirled around and launched itself with its larger two fangs seeking Shadow’s gut. The Sith leaped back, her red blade quickly out in defense to keep the spider at bay while her strong arm pulled back from the uppercut and slashed for the other front leg.

The spider growled with rage, but the ferocity from before was absent as its life force leaked from Shadow’s strike on its underside. It stumbled and attempted to spit again only for two silver blades to pierce its head, Rasilvenaira having jumped on top from behind for its execution. There was no time to celebrate as another spider charged towards them, followed by two more of its brethren.

“Spiders. Why does it have to be spiders?” Shadow scowled as she spun her blades and quickly engaged the lead arachnid, her saber catching its leg with her left blade as it jabbed before risking thrusting her silver blade for the spot between its middle eyes just as it prepared to spit. She pulled back in time as its acidic saliva spluttered from the sack above its eyes, the corrosive fluid sizzling when it touched the tip of her retracting blade. She barely managed to twist away as one of the other two spiders launched itself on the corpse and spat at her. “And why did it have to be acid-spitting spiders?”

Shadow didn’t hear Ras’ retort, her attention glued to the Bane Back Spider as it launched at her again. She dove into a roll off to the side as it soared through the air where she had been. The Sith quickly turned as she stood up, and the spider collided with a tree behind her. Slightly dazed, the arachnid turned to face her only to meet its demise as both her blades sliced open its abdomen one after the other, splitting the exoskeleton and flesh beneath in half. A gurgling screech bellowed from the beast before it collapsed in a tangle of limbs. Several other screeches echoed through the trees, and Shadow knew the situation was about to be more interesting and dangerous as the swarm drew near.

“Why acid spitting spiders indeed,” Rasilvenaira grumbled under her breath. She hated spiders. Passionately. After the first one went down and they ended up with even more, she was so done with spiders, but more were coming. She glanced around and then nodded for Shadow to move to her left side.

“Veritas, are you sleeping on the job? Right flank, let’s light these bastard bugs up!”

The droid just finished blasting one spider that was headed for Shadow’s left side. He looked over at his master and let out a mechanical huff. “Negative, master, I do not sleep. Yes, let’s.”

She laughed, knowing how to get her droid’s ire worked up. It just meant he’d work that much harder at killing spiders if he thought he was falling behind on the kill count. He switched to his blaster rifle and took up his position just ahead of and to the right of Rasilvenaira.

With the size of the swarm coming, it would take too long trying to fight them hand to…spider leg. Rasilvenaira knew it would be too easy for the two Sith to be overwhelmed without a change in tactics.

“Use the Force to keep them at bay, let Veritas blast them.”

That said, she deactivated her sabers and placed them back on her belt. When the first of the second wave got within range and Veritas started firing, she added her assistance in the form of a vicious wave of Force lightning. Spiders shrieked and hissed, but they died before they got close enough for their acidic venom to be a danger.

To her left, Shadow hit the left flank of the swarm with a powerful telekinetic blast that had them slamming into each other and getting their legs tangled long enough for Veritas to blast another round to bits.

Two more waves and the swarm was finally defeated. Rasilvenaira stepped back, replacing her sabers on her belt after gutting one spider that had managed to dodge the blaster fire from Veritas. It was much larger than the others, and required a lot more effort to take down.

“This must have been their leader, queen or whatever you call it with spiders. Glad that fun’s over with. Spiders are disgusting, and you can’t even get good trophies off ‘em, even the big ones, cause they’re all goop inside.”

Shadow nodded, kicking at the legs of the last spider she killed.

“Agreed, they’re just awful. Do you think we’ll find anything really fun here?”

Rasilvenaira chuckled and pointed off to the north.

“I think that way. Some of the bigger things have probably been disturbed by the sounds of us fighting the swarm so they may come to investigate, especially scavengers.”

They turned and began making their way further from the carnage they left behind. Safer to avoid some of the larger scavengers that might be drawn to the scent of death. It would give them time to catch their breath after a long fight with the swarm. But Dathomir was not a forgiving planet, so danger never stayed away too long. Rasilvenaira tipped her head to listen to new sounds they heard on the wind.

“Wonderful, I hear some prowling Nydaks, we’ll be fine as long as we don’t run into an Alpha one. They’re tough to fight and about as well tempered as a baby rancor after someone stole its teething toy.”

“They sound lovely,” Shadow remarked, her eyes scanning the area as they pressed forward through the twisted grove. “Not that I’m complaining. Anything beats spiders.”

Silence passed between them from then on, the two focused on their surroundings while they sought their quarry. Now and then, Shadow glanced at Veritas, grudgingly thankful for the droid’s help despite her disdain for droids. His presence made her regret not bringing Eqkaesyr with her, the tuk’ata one of her usual hunting companions back home on Seraph.

Shadow’s thoughts of the Sith hound drifted off as her twitching ears reacted to a distant, thunderous drumbeat quickly closing in on their position from up ahead. Shadow froze, reaching into the Force with her mind as she stretched out her consciousness. A larger consciousness collided with hers, a wave of confusion and primal hunger washing over her.

The half-Sephi’s eyes shot open the minute she stopped sensing through the Force. “Find cover, quick!”

Shadow quickly knelt beneath a tree, noticing StormRaven taking cover in another nearby tree. No sooner had they hidden themselves a large shadow swept over them, a shrieking cry piercing the air. Through the branches, Shadow caught sight of a large, impressive bat-like creature soar above.

“A chirodactyl,” Ras commented as soon as the predator was safely far away. “One of the few creatures feared by rancors and nydaks. It probably caught a whiff of the spider carcasses.”

Shadow nodded in acknowledgment, her mind in awe of the magnificent creature that had graced their presence. She was about to comment on the beast when she heard something like a branch snap behind them. Her hands shot forth and gripped her lightsabers, the blades coming to life with a snap-hiss along with those of her friend just as the nydak newcomer charged from the shadows and lunged for them.

“Sithspit!” Shadow cursed, scolding herself for being distracted as a long, dark grey arm with a three-clawed hand stretched forth to capture and tear her apart. She spun out of the way at the last second, swinging her blades with the spin and bringing them down on the creature’s limb. It howled in pain, retracting itself as it held its now-useless appendage. That pain was soon replaced by primal rage, and it charged again just as a second one broke through the foliage and lunged for Rasilvenaira.

The wounded nydak swung, Shadow ducking before she lunged forward, her silver blade humming through the air before piercing the beast’s chest. It let off a pained yelp, desperation and fear kicking in as the beast swung one last time, catching Shadow’s waist as she pulled away. It collapsed right after while the half-Sephi was sent sprawling back against a desiccated tree, blood trailing down her side from a gash in her side.

“Veritas, cover her!”

Rasilvenaira ordered as she engaged the second Nydak that dropped from the tree above her.

“Affirmative, master.”

The droid moved to comply, stepping closer to Shadow in case another Nydak came after her now that the scent of blood was in the air.

Rasilvenaira dropped low as the beast facing her leapt, and both silver sabers sank deep into chest and belly, drawing a rage-filled roar from the creature. It turned, wanting to attack again but the wounds were too severe and it lumbered half a step forward then fell on its side. A third leapt at Rasilvenaira from behind and she was thrown forward as it caught her shoulder, digging gashes into the flesh before she got out from under it.

Anger, pain, and hatred flared and she blasted the Nydak with a furious wave of Force lightning, then lifted it in the air with telekinesis to allow Veritas to blast the unprotected underside before dropping it near the first corpse.

“Come on, the scent of blood will only draw more, we have to get moving. How bad is it?”

Shadow shrugged, “Hurts, but I can manage. What about you?”

“About the same, we can take a better look and heal once we put some distance between us and these dead Nydaks. Lots of hungry things out prowling today. We still haven’t seen a sign of what we’re really after but there’s still a lot of ground to cover.”

Shadow nodded and clipped her sabers back to her belt and held one arm against her side as they headed out, moving a little more to the north east now. Once they’d cleared a good distance, Rasilvenaira stopped and looked around.

“We should be clear for a bit here, hopefully. How’s your side?”

Shadow sighed softly and held her hand against her side for a moment, focusing on the Force to staunch the flow of blood and ease the worst of the pain.

“I’m alright now, let me see your shoulder, it looks pretty bad.”

Rasilvenaira nodded, half her shirt nearly soaked with blood from her wounds. “Feels pretty bad, bleeding badly too which isn’t helpful.”

Shadow stepped closer, putting her hand over the worst of her friend’s injuries and focused on stopping the blood and doing what she could to ease some of the pain.

“Thanks, Shadow. I’m good for now, just means I’ll have to take it easy if we find our rancor, might have to use you as bait.”

Shadow laughed, “You smell more like blood than I do, how about you be the bait?”

Rasilvenaira smirked, “Fair. We’ll see wh…”

The sound of a distant roar and crashing vegetation cut her off.

“Sounds big, could be fun. Let’s go see what we got, though I hope it isn’t an Alpha Nydak, could do without running into one of them.”

Shadow’s eyes widened and the tips of her ears twitched at the sounds. She nodded and gathered herself for the hike, the terrain was getting rougher.

“Sure, let’s go. Why not, we’ve already made so many friends here.”

Rasilvenaira chuckled, then glanced over at her droid. “Come on, Veritas, let’s find someone else to play with.”

“With pleasure, master.”

Anticipation prickled at Shadow’s mind as they trekked toward the source of the roar, the Blade Mistress eager to finally face their prey. They continued onward, eventually coming to the edge of a swamp where crimson water bubbled beneath a swirling, dense, green fog. Gnarled and twisted trees dotted the landscape, branches reaching out above the mist with blackened skeletal fingers as if ready to ensnare an unwary traveler.

As much as this terrain could be used to our advantage, it can easily become a nightmare. Maybe we should-

Shadow’s thoughts were interrupted by a tree snapping and falling into the water somewhere ahead of them, the sound echoing hauntingly throughout the swamp. Shadow reached for her lightsabers, removing them from her belt as she tried to peer through the green haze. The Sith reached out into the Force, her sense spreading forth toward the heart of the swampland. Numerous signatures of arcane echoes swarmed her focus, the energies dense as the fog itself. She pushed through, drawing on the Force energy around them to pierce through the haze until she felt a single consciousness rushing towards them. It was wild and hungry, but also wary of its surroundings.

“It’s closing in fast,” Rasilvenaira warned next to her, her lightsabers coming to life. “It’s charging way too fast to be a rancor.”

Shadow nodded, remaining focused on the approaching presence while also searching for whatever had the creature on edge. Then she felt it: a larger, semi-sentient beast closer to them, charging for the other animal. She ignited her silver and red blades, her muscles tensing as the thunderous steps grew louder.

Suddenly, the long-limbed form of an Alpha Nydak broke through the fog, only for a Rage Rancor’s larger, hulking, spiked form to intercept it. The monster’s large claws slammed down on the alpha beast followed by its enormous jaws crunching down on its neck with bone-shattering force. When it released its hold, the intruder’s corpse lay limp in the water. The Rancor let loose a bellowing roar of triumph before it focused on the three other intruders already on the move, its nostrils inhaling the scent of Ras’ blood-soaked shirt.

“Draw it away from the water!” Shadow ordered as she drifted towards the left. “I’ll flank! Veritas, Keep its attention and get it on solid ground!”

“Do as she says!” Ras commanded as she backed away from the oncoming beast.

“Yes, master. Blasting away!”

As the droid rained blaster bolts upon the towering beast’s armored hide, Shadow extinguished her lightsabers and vanished from view with the Force, edging her way to the brute’s flank as it neared dry land. An ear-shattering roar bellowed from its gaping mouth, the beast now charging towards her companions. Quickly, the half-Sephi waited for it to pass her before she leaped for its back, grabbing hold of the spikes. Her form became visible again as she climbed the right side of its back between the central dorsal spike and the right ones. The Rancor jerked and twisted, sensing her on its back while still charging toward Ras and Veritas.

“Hurry up, Shadow!” StormRaven shouted, the Sith Eternal ducking from a set of sweeping claws and parrying another while Veritas continued to fire upon it. “Any day now!”

Shadow held back a chuckle as she clambered toward the beast’s head. Hanging on to the dorsal spike with her left hand, she grabbed and ignited her silver blade before plunging it repeatedly into the tough hide of its head. The Rancor let off a pained screech, its massive claws now reaching and clawing for the Sith hanging on for dear life.

“Now, Ras! While it’s exposed!”

Rasilvenaira was already on the move beneath the hulking monster, her twin lightsaber quickly finding their marks on the behemoth’s legs behind the knees where the flesh was soft before leaping back away to safety. An enraged, agonizing cry escaped the Rancor’s jaws as it fell to its knees, nearly sending Shadow flying off.

Before the beast could try to get back up, Ras saw her chance and plunged her blade into the roof of the Rancor’s mouth. It let out another wail and shuddered before the life flame in its red eyes finally died out and it breathed no more. The hunt was over.

Sighing with relief, Shadow carefully climbed off the monstrous corpse, strands of loose hair plastered against her face. “Well done, Ras. Good kill.”

“Save the celebration for later. Other beasties will be swarming the area for its meat soon. Let’s collect what trophies we can, and go. Veritas, watch our backs.”

“Of course, master.”

With a curt nod of agreement, Shadow quickly began to cut away at a tusk, a smile forming on her lips. She silently thanked the beast for a good fight, the Sith respecting the mighty behemoth for its power and strength. Soon after, once they had each collected a trophy, the two started their trek to the ship, their hearts beating with triumphant flame from a hunt they would never forget.