The Rebel Faction

Out of the blowing snow of Ilum’s perpetual storm could be seen a dark outline, several meter tall. It was hunched against the cold and wind, each step heavy and slow. Purposeful. Loud thumps followed each step. These were not the steps of beasts, though, if any beasts even lived on the forsaken ice world.

As it neared the shape became more visible, and became a tall humanoid wrapped snugly in thick brown robes. Only the top half of his face was visible over a tightly-wound scarf. It was grey, with a thin wisp of black hair running along the top of his head. His nose was two slits in the center of a flat face, and his eyes were two black almond-shaped orbs.

For a few moments nothing was said. Then, the being pulled up a massive, heavy hand and pulled down the scarf around his mouth - revealing a pair of short fangs sticking out of his upper jaw. He seemed to give Aleister an appraising look up and down, then shook his head.

Saying nothing, he pulled his scarf back up and turned around, walking back into the blowing snow.

The giant - if he was Dolash - said nothing. Instead, he continued apace through the blowing snow and freezing cold of Ilum. Aleister's words fell on deaf ears, and his presence seemed not to register with the cloak-wrapped individual for the duration of their long, wearying march.

At length a darkness began to loom from the thick storm. It was difficult to discern, but took the shape of a distant, jagged mountain. The walk towards it was surprisingly short if bitterly uncomfortable, and at the base of it there sat a gaping cave mouth that descended into darkness.

Not complete darkness, though. As they approached a singular torch could be seen illuminating a winding, rough tunnel that lead down into the depths of the mountain.

The giant's strides took it to the mouth of the cave and out of the whipping wind and snow. There he pulled back his robe's hood and tugged down his scarf, revealing his definitely alien visage. Humanoid though he was, his skin was grey an waxy and his features were smooth, streamlined - almost reptilian, though without scales.

He rested here for a moment, seemingly catching his breath from the ordeal of travel, when his eyes settled briefly on Aleister. He made no further move to acknowledge the newcomer, but the brief moment of eye contact established that he did know he had been followed, and that Aleister's presence was at least tolerable.

As they stood within the shelter of the cave mouth the wind continued to blow outside, rattling ancient rusted hinges set into the stone. The shadow of the mountain which fell over them exentuated the cold and dark, even though by the cloudy sky daylight could still be seen. If this were day, night promised to be even harsher.

His strength restored, the tall one turned inwards towards the winding passage in the cave. He set off, each footfall echoing down into the dark unknown with only the torchlight to see by, an ever-receding shadow in the deep.

The pair journeyed deep into the mountain. Torches were bracketed long stretches apart, keeping the majority of the winding tunnel in pitch darkness. Soon, however, glimmers could be spotted in the shadows. Something shone along the walls as it caught the dim light, revealing sharp edges and angles.

Eventually a great emptiness could be felt on the inner side, and by that faint reflected light an edge could be seen - the spiralling tunnel had opened up into a vast underground chamber. Far below could be seen torches and crystals that dotted the walls and hung suspended in the abyss.

The walk was long and wearying, and carried on in complete silence where even a footfall echoed thunderously. After what felt like an age the two arrived at the bottom of the grand spiralling walkway. What greeted them was empty space in every direction. The ground beneath their feet was worked stone, and the remains of pillars could be seen arranged in patterns around the base of the ramp. Once, long ago perhaps, this had been a temple.

The giant paused here to grab a small torch that burned in a bracket near where they stood. He strode into the darkness with familiarity, lighting torches as he went that seemed to outline a path forward and deeper into the former temple's main chamber. At last he reached a raised stone dias, and here sat a shattered old rock. It could almost be said to be an altar, bench, or throne, but time and wear had washed away any intent of the crafter and left only a rock.

Aleister's mysterious host climbed the rock and sat upon it cross-legged, blowing out the torch as he did so. In this dim circle of light he stayed, his eyes closed, not voicing a word.

The silence in the deep heart of the underground temple was absolute, a dry but bearable cold in the air. Here time slipped away as the two figures sat, still as statues, saying nothing and moving not at all. Seconds, minutes, hours all ran together - had mere moments passed, or whole days?

Only in such all-consuming peace could other sensations gradually become noticeable. The worked stone of the temple beneath the two inhabitants seemed to give off an air of vitality, as though despite the passage of time the temple itself was still alive. The dry air was crisp and free of dust or staleness. Even in the complete silence there remained echoes decades old and just barely unheard.

For a few minutes more the pair meditated in this bustling and noisy nothing, until a deep voice in Aleister's head said "Why have you come, creature?"

The words cut through the silence like a knife, and in doing so dispelled the unusual experience that the meditation had brought. A single eye of the great giant was open now, fixing Aleister with a solid black orb.

The barest, most rueful of smiles spread across the giant's face. He opened both eyes now, and in a gravelly-deep voice he said "I should hope Dolash is, for he is I. I am - or was - Jedi Master Dolash."

The giant, at last indeed identified as Dolash, leaned back and stretched his arms. "As for what this vision told you, it is true. There is a power known as the Force, possessed by a few gifted individuals. The Jedi are those who train to use this power for good, and have been the guardians of peace and justice throughout the galaxy. There are few of us left now, as the state of the galaxy may attest, but we that remain can still pass on the teachings and knowledge of the Jedi to other gifted individuals."

Dolash gave Aleister another appraising look up and down. His eyes seemed to bore deeply into the young man, and his expression gradually shifted into a frown. He drummed huge, gloved fingers on his knees before sighing and looking Aleister straight in the eye.

"Unfortunately, I simply cannot train you. Take your leave of this place."