The Emerald King - Old dirty secret coming to light. (Patreon)

Obi-Wan Kenobi, En route to Ruusan.

“By the Lady, you look handsome in this” Satine whispered, as she ran her hands with extreme delicacy over the chestplate of his new armor.

Obi-Wan smiled softly, as he moved his arms and observed his new armor.

“This is truly incredible, I feel like an action figure,” said the knight with amusement.

Satine simply nodded and said:

“It is cutting-edge technology, designed for future Force users in service of the Empire, I was only able to get this because of my connection with Bo,” Satine confessed as she blushed.

Obi-Wan smiled with clear gratitude, as he took the blonde’s hips gently, inhaling the sweet essence that emanated from the princess.

Vanilla, it was called, a flower originating from Holy Terra and that had been introduced to the galaxy by Harold Potter.

From what little he knew, it was one of the most exotic, exquisite, and expensive things in the galaxy, and judging by the scent of Satine’s perfume, he could understand it completely.

“I still find it strange, you know?” Obi-Wan said cautiously.

“Hmm?” Satine asked, still lost in the sensation of Obi-Wan’s hands on her hips.

“That everything I once believed, the teachings of the Order, everything feels… stupid and empty, like i was blind most of my life” Obi-Wan confessed, as his mind leaned more and more toward taking that great step.

Leaving the Jedi Order.

A possibility he had discussed with Satine and that was becoming more and more real.

The princess simply took his face and kissed him, pouring all her feelings into that kiss.

“I… I would never ask you to do something like that, Obi, but… the doors of Mandalore will always be open for you, I could speak with my father and with the Emperor, I know Harold wants to create an order of knights for the Empire, but far less restrictive, or you could live in Mandalore, or perhaps…”

Satine would not stop talking, clearly nervous and full of hope that Obi-Wan would make such an important decision, even if she would never pressure him to do so.

“We can talk about that when we return, alright? Ruusan will be dangerous, every moment we get closer I feel the echo of the Force in the place, a powerful scar in space itself, I am surprised that Master Fay is capable of being there, to be honest,” Obi-Wan said with a sigh of concern.

The closer they drew to that place, the heavier the atmosphere seemed to become, as if the Force itself remembered something it wished to forget.

Satine nodded and said with determination:

“I understand, I will have a full squad of Iron Wolves deploy with you as support,” said the blonde with a smile, softly kissing the Jedi Knight.

Obi-Wan deepened the kiss with ease, losing himself in the sensation of Satine’s lips, as well as in the approval of the Force, which seemed pleased with their closeness.

For a fleeting moment, everything felt right…

“I imagine the Mandalorians are pleased to be under the Emperor’s command,” said the knight with amusement, laughing softly as he saw Satine roll her eyes in exasperation.

“Don’t even get me started, between the terraforming of Mandalore, the war campaigns in the Outer Rim and his possession of the Darksaber, many on the planet already refer to him as Mandalore the Supreme, and with the formation of the Iron Wolves Chapter the feeling borders on fanaticism,” said the princess with mixed feelings.

Obi-Wan laughed softly, although his mind could not help but drift toward something that was becoming quite common in the Empire.

The devotion toward Harold Potter.

With each planet that joined the Empire, with each planet liberated, the legend of the Emerald Emperor grew stronger and stronger.

And with that, something dangerous.

The devotion to Harold Potter as a divine figure.

During his short stay at Genesis Station in the Gaia System, it was common to hear inhabitants speak of Harold as some kind of divinity, treatment that also extended to many of his consorts.

And something told the young knight that this was only the beginning.

Faith, he realized, could shape reality… and that made it far more dangerous than any army, Harold, slowly but steady, was walking to a path never seen in the galaxy.

And that thought, terrify him like never before.

“It is a strange phenomenon worth investigating, I am intrigued to know if the collective belief about Harold would be capable of influencing the Force to… AGHHH”

Obi-Wan’s words died in his mouth as he felt his mind being assaulted by a sensation of agony, with the power of a thousand Rancor at the same time.

it was...a new meaning of the word pain.

“Obi? OBI!!” Satine shouted in terror, as she saw her beloved fall to his knees on the floor of the ship, his eyes moving erratically, while he held his head with both hands, desperation more than evident on his face.

“Make them stop, MAKE THEM STOP, MAKE THEM STOP!!” he screamed completely out of control, thousands of voices shouted, filled with agony and desperation, seductive whispers, Light and Darkness fluctuating constantly.

Death, pain, and blood, with a feminine voice that was promising to make the pain away...

Obi-Wan lost awareness of everything around him, Satine, the ship and even the mission.

The knight only needed the agony to end, for the voices to stop, he wanted...

He wanted silence. He wanted oblivion. He wanted escape from something that would not let him go.

He wants to follow that woman's voice and beg for reprieve.

However, faith has other thoughts.

In an instant, the voices simply stopped, making the glorious silence return to Obi-Wan, who could do nothing but gasp pathetically on the floor of the ship, shivering like a child.

“Are you alright, Obi-Wan?” asked his concerned master, like him dressed in the emerald battle robe, his hood up and looking at the young knight with concern.

“The voices… they stopped, master,” said Obi-Wan, realizing that he now had the hood of his robe over his head, filling him with a warm and comforting sensation.

Like he was being shielded… like something unseen was now standing between him and the abyss.

Qui-Gon smiled softly, his vision tired but firm.

“Echoes of the Force, from the scar on the planet, product of the last desperate act of the Sith of old, what you hear are the final screams of thousands of people who gave their lives in the last offensive of the ancient Republic, and who never left the planet.”

Qui-Gon’s words were solemn and filled with respect for the brave men and women who fought on Ruusan hundreds of years ago.

However he knew that was not all, that woman's voice...it sounds primal, way older that the battle of Ruusan.

And above all, it sounds powerful.

“What stopped them? The… screams were overwhelming me, I could not concentrate at all, it was as if… they were right here,” said the Jedi Knight, now much calmer.

Qui-Gon’s response? He calmly pointed at the hood over their heads.

“I do not know the nature or the method of creation of these robes, but they are a work of art, imbued with the Force and what Emperor Harold calls ‘enchantments’, the hood in particular blocks external mental intrusions.”

At those words, Obi-Wan could do nothing but look at his master in disbelief, before asking cautiously:

“Is there anything the Emperor cannot do, master?” he asked, hesitation clear in his voice, being completely sincere.

The Jedi Master only sighed, but did not answer, worrying Obi-Wan even more.

And that silence… spoke louder than any answer could have.

“We have arrived at Ruusan, the pilot has sent a beacon across all imperial hypercom channels, with luck someone will hear us and assist us”

Obi-Wan, now more composed than before, looked at his master with sobriety and asked:

“Do we have any starting point to begin the search?”

Master Qui-Gon walked toward the observation deck, where the planet was already visible, so innocent on the surface.

And so dangerous and terrifying within.

A calm mask… hiding something ancient, wounded… and awake, clawing to escape.

“No, even so, the ship’s scanners should be more than enough to detect anomalies, meanwhile you and I will meditate to try to locate Master Fay”

At those words, Princess Satine stepped forward.

“The scout drones of the Pride of Mandalore are at your disposal, Master Qui-Gon, my Wolves are also ready for immediate deployment, my warriors are more than eager for an iron rain” said the princess, making both Jedi nod softly.

Obi-Wan was about to respond, when a powerful disturbance in the Force made him shudder.

A disturbance coming from the planet itself.

“Did you feel that, master?” Obi-Wan asked with concern, which only grew as he saw the solemn expression of his master nod slowly.

“I did, Obi-Wan, something is happening on the planet, of that I have no doubt, but it is not the Dark Side, this is more… savage and uncontrollable, I have never felt anything like it, volatile and untamed, it is… pure chaos,” he said solemnly, just as the captain’s voice came through the ship’s systems.

“Princess, urgent transmission from the surface!” said the man, and without waiting for a response, projected the distress signal directly onto the observation deck.

In an instant, Master Fay appeared, positioned behind what seemed to be a massive living statue, which appeared to protect her fiercely. Behind her, the silhouette of a person could be seen, a human apparently, clad in a black robe and cloak with a very old Mandalorian combat armor.

In his hand, he held a…

A twig?

The man moved the strange object in a circular motion above his head, causing a storm of fire to appear around them, burning enemies that Obi-Wan could not see clearly through the transmission.

The flames did not behave naturally… they twisted, coiled, hunted, as if guided by will rather than fuel.

“Mayday, mayday, sending this distress message through all available channels, to whoever is out there, we are under heavy fire, we need support, mayday, mayday—”

The woman’s face was dirty, with lacerations and bruises, she had clearly been fighting.

She looked exhausted.

Quickly, Master Jinn responded to the call.

“Master Fay, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn here aboard the Imperial Destroyer ‘Glory of Mandalore’, we are ready to assist, give me your location,” said the man firmly.

The woman’s face filled with relief and her eyes with hope.

“By the Force, I am very glad to hear your voice Qui-Gon, we are in trouble, something is attacking us, I found… something incredible, a transcendental discovery that will change galactic history as we know it, I need assistance as soon as possible,” the woman said urgently.

“Where are you?” his former master asked with the same tone.

And her next words froze both Obi-Wan and Master Qui-Gon.

“At the highest mountain in the Valley of the Jedi.”

A total silence took over the observation deck, both Jedi completely paralyzed at the mere thought of setting foot in that cursed place.

“We are… we are on our way, Master Fay, may the Force be with you,” Qui-Gon said cautiously.

“I will activate the beacon, Qui-Gon, I await your arrival with—”

However, her words were interrupted when the man fighting behind her shouted something… something slightly familiar to the Jedi Knight.

“Tempesta Solaris!” the powerful masculine voice roared, causing the flames surrounding Master Fay to shift from orange to an intense gold that roared with the Light Side of the Force.

The fire did not merely burn… it purified, it erased, it judged.

At the appearance of the powerful flames, terrifying shrieks of agony, accompanied by curses, began to be heard through the transmission, as humanoid silhouettes were briefly seen.

And all of them shared the same characteristics.

Deformed bodies, pale skin, expressionless gazes, their eyelids blackened and their eyes glowing with a sickly blue-purple light.

They did not move like living beings… they lurched, twisted, as if something inside them was forcing the body to continue.

Noticing how critical the situation was, Qui-Gon hurried to respond.

“We are on our way, Master Fay, hold on as long as you can!” the man said urgently, as he began running out of the observation deck with Obi-Wan ready to follow him.

At least until Satine grabbed his arm and, in desperation, kissed him, a gesture filled with emotion and love.

“Come back to me, please,” she pleaded, making Obi-Wan nod and run after his master.

They were out of time and could not afford to lose a single second.

The Force within him seemed to hold its breath, as if it were waiting for something… or someone.

Although Obi-Wan paid it no mind, there was too much at stake, and though he did not truly know what it was that Master Fay had found that was worth risking her life on this planet, something told him it was far more important than he could imagine.

And he was not wrong.

Princess Satine, Glory of Mandalore – Ruusan

With her heart in his hands, the princess watched as Obi-Wan ran after his former master, both of them willing to throw themselves into hell if it meant saving their colleague.

“The Wolves will have the rain they have long desired,” she whispered to herself, preparing to leave the observation deck.

At least until an incoming transmission interrupted her, coming from a familiar frequency that filled her with relief and hope.

The private frequency of the Marauder.

A second later, Satine almost cried with relief when she saw Harold Potter and her sister, both dressed in civilian robes, looking at her with concern.

“Emperor, thank the Lady you answer!” said Satine, and something in her tone must have alerted them that things were not well.

Bo, worried, looked at her intently and said:

“Satine, what happened? Where are you?” the desperation in her voice more than evident.

And the Princess of Mandalore answered them quickly. She told them about Obi-Wan’s visit, his vision, and Master Fay’s distress call, finishing by forwarding them the recording of the Jedi Master’s transmission.

Bo, as Satine expected, did not understand anything she was seeing, although it was evident that she was pleased at the notion of fighting whatever might be down there.

But the Emperor…

Harold’s face held only one emotion.

Recognition.

The Emerald Emperor had recognized something in the image and Satine was dying to know what it was, though she would never ask directly.

She was not that foolish.

“We will divert our course to Ruusan. Have the Wolves reinforce the Jedi Master’s position until our arrival. According to navigation data we will be there in a couple of hours, and we will get to the bottom of this. May the Lady’s blessing be with you, and good luck,” said the Emperor.

Satine nodded her head and said:

“Safe travels,” before cutting the transmission and focusing her gaze back on the observation deck, while the landing ships began to descend toward the planet.

Far below them, the ancient wounds of Ruusan waited… silent, patient, and very much alive, and with a revelation that will shake the galaxy to the core.

This was only the beginning.