Siri sat astride a chair, planting her hands on her knees. "Don't be so poetic. It's just a planet."
"More than a planet," Obi-Wan said, gazing at the chart. "A source of evil that still calls evil to come meet it."
"I don't believe that," Siri said. "It's just a place where some old Sith bones lie."
"The Valley of the Dark Lords," Obi-Wan said. They had heard of the valley from their earliest days as students at the Temple, had used tales of the valley to scare each other as younglings. "The dark side of the Force still lives in that valley. Korriban has never recovered from the Sith occupation. That was thousands of years ago, and yet the planet has never formed a government or attracted settlers. It's not part of the galactic alliance. It has never joined the Senate."
Siri rose to study the holo-chart more closely. "Even freighters won't stop there," she murmured. "And freighters stop everywhere." As she moved to the opposite side of the chart, briefly, the image of Korriban was reflected on her face. She shuddered and moved away.
Siri sat back down opposite Obi-Wan. "The Commerce Guild has opened an office there," she observed.
"They're offering incentives to get corporations to open branches in the Dreshdae spaceport," Obi-Wan said. "I've been studying the files. Of course it is a world with no taxes, and that's a Commerce Guild issue, but it's still strange."
"They are just trying to gain influence on major corporations," Siri said. "Keep them in their backyard so they can control them. It's the same old dance."
"But Korriban?" Obi-Wan mused. "There has to be a reason… the Sith might be behind it, even if the Commerce Guild doesn't know it."
Siri waved a hand. "Then they'll get what they deserve."
While they were talking, the Padawans slowly drifted closer to join the conversation.
"So who is living on Korriban?" Ferus now asked.
"Three types of beings," Siri replied, checking them off on her fingers. "One, those who are forced to live there because of work. Two, those who have been stranded there. Three, those who choose to be there."
"Those are the dangerous ones, no doubt," Obi-Wan said "How are we going to find Omega?" Anakin asked. "Dreshdae isn't large, but he and Zan Arbor will be in hiding. And Korriban is huge. They could be hiding out anywhere."
"I don't think he's come to Korriban to hide," Obi-Wan said. "He's come for a reason. My guess is that he's been invited. He's succeeded in his goal — he's attracted the notice of the Sith. He's going there for his reward."
"More wealth?" Siri asked. "He certainly doesn't need it."
"Maybe help with his next plan," Ferus said. "He could need weapons, ships, droids… we don't know." Obi-Wan nodded. "True."
The instrument panel showed they were about to come out of hyperspace.
It was time to enter the coordinates for landing at Dreshdae.
Obi-Wan drifted to the front of the cockpit and the others followed.
They stood, looking out into dark space. There were few stars out here, and no planets. Korriban loomed in their vision, a large planet with blood-red clouds obscuring its surface.
"I've heard it called the cradle of darkness," Obi-Wan said. He realized that he had lowered his voice.
He felt it now, the dark side of the Force emanating from the planet's surface. Looking at the faces of the Jedi, he knew they felt it as well. It had a sick sweetness to it, something that seemed to pour through his veins, attracting and repelling him at once. It was the most complicated surge of the dark side he had ever felt.
He struggled to meet it, struggled to clear his mind.
Warily, Obi-Wan moved forward and entered the coordinates into the nav computer. His fingers hesitated even as they entered the data. It was as though making the commitment to land was sealing their fate.
He stood and joined the other Jedi at the cockpit windscreen. They couldn't turn away. The ship flew into the atmosphere, straight through the blood-red clouds, and dread entered their hearts as the surface of the planet grew closer.
Chapter Five
He would have to wear a mask. A mask of friendship. Anakin had decided this before he'd left the Temple. Ferus could never know his true feelings.
He would defeat him without Ferus ever knowing they were in competition.
That had been his plan, but it was hard to follow through when faced with Ferus himself. Anakin could feel his resentment leaking out like a gas. It was only a question of time before he exploded.
No. I will prove I am a better Jedi. I will not explode in anger.
They flew over the planet, over mountain ranges and desert and deep canyons.
"Where is the Valley of the Dark Lords?" Ferus asked.
"Invisible from the air," Obi-Wan told him. "The valley is narrow, a slit hidden in the mountains some distance from Dreshdae. Plus it is constantly under heavy cloud cover."
"There's the spaceport," Siri said, as it loomed closer.
Dreshdae had been built on a plateau in the middle of the largest mountain range on the planet. From the air, the Jedi could see a huddle of buildings cramped together with no effort at orderly design.
The landing platform was deserted except for a small number of cruisers behind an energy fence. There was no one to check them in and no one to care. The landing area itself had been recently refurbished, but it had been a hasty job and already the platform was pitted and scarred.
Soara, Darra, Ry-Gaul, and Tru came over to Anakin's ship once they had landed. The Masters huddled in the cockpit, going over some last-minute details. The Padawans stood on the ramp, looking out over the spaceport and preparing their equipment. Dreshdae looked as grim at ground level as it had from the air.
"Not exactly Belazura," Darra said as she stuffed her thermal cape into her survival pack.
"I've seen worse," Ferus said. "I hope."
Ferus might have meant the remark as a joke, but Anakin took it as a challenge. Ferus was showing off again.
"We all have," Anakin pointed out.
"I don't think so," Tru said. "I'd say we've finally made it to the worst the galaxy has to offer." He said this cheerfully as he wound one flexible arm around his back to fasten the strap on his survival pack. As a Tee-van, Tru could bend his limbs backward and twist them in surprising angles. It was one of the things that made him such an excellent fighter.
"I don't think you'll be finding any Terratta strips here," Darra teased Tru. "I have a feeling we'll be living on food capsules. I wouldn't trust the food on this planet."
"I never get the good planets," Tru whined, making a comical face.
They were joking now, wanting to displace the odd tension they all felt.
"We've come a long way from the Galactic Games, that's for certain,"
Ferus said. "Remember how nervous we were on our early missions?"
"Sure," Tru said. "I still am." He looked out at Dreshdae, and the humor drained from his face. "Especially here."