Chapter Thirty-Seven, Part Two

"It sure is big…" May shook her head as they slipped from the phantom zone. They had left Gladius to protect the temporary colony and jumped into the Lehon system using symbiotes only. "But, it's like it's a parasite… in more ways than one."

"You're not wrong," Dan nodded as he patted Revan on the back. It was her first raw jump, and even warned, the time dilation was intense. "It consumes the star it orbits, and it feeds on the emotions of its users, even as it corrupts their hearts."

"Awed Recitation: It is a work of art…" HK-47 drifted closer, mechanical eyes bright. "Contemplative Statement: I have never seen such a sight, yet it is somehow familiar…"

"You've been here before," Revan shuddered a final time before she forced herself to return to the present. "But I imagine you've had several memory wipes since then, an assassin can't lead people to their master after all."

"Let's get going," Dan moved forward, only for May to grab hold of his arm. "What's wrong?"

"You should let me go first," May summoned her staff and began to weave a spell. "I'm going to cleanse this thing before anyone else gets near it."

A gate of runes formed at her back, a simple arch covered by a thin veil. Warm, golden light spilled from behind the curtain, the sweet touch of a summer day. May spoke in the language of magic and swept her staff toward the distant station.

Driven by her words, the gate rushed forward and expanded. It grew to an archway, large enough to rival the sun. Translucent and ethereal, it passed over the Starforge in a wave of light. Drawn through the veil, the station emerged tinted in gold. The mental taint, accumulated by centuries in Rakatan hands, was scrubbed clean, pulled away by the luminous archway.

"There we go!" May smiled, face slightly pale. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and shook her body like a cat. "That took way more energy than I thought it would… there was a huge amount of corruption in that station."

"You just wiped away a darkside nexus…" Revan shuddered as she took in the changed Starforge. It no longer held the toxic aura of evil, a blank slate in the force. "Is there anything your magic can't do?"

"The only limit is your own body and will," May shrugged, head tilted to the side. "Master Merlyn thinks that once I awaken my biofield I'll become far more powerful."

"More powerful…" Revan's shoulders shrank in exhaustion. "When can I begin my lessons?"

"We'll have classes for both magic and ki available once a week back on the colony," Dan drifted into the conversation and guided the group toward the Starforge. "I'd recommend all force sensitive attend both, I'd be interested to see how you adapt to ki control…"

"Ki?" Revan frowned, eyebrows raised in a question. "What's ki?"

"Life force, cultivated and controlled," Dan raised a palm and formed a yellow ball of energy. "I focus on using it for physical reinforcement and support, but it can be a powerful ranged weapon on its own." 

A flick of his wrist directed the orb toward the closest planet, into the world's ocean. The explosion that followed raised a light bright enough to be seen beyond its orbit, a mushroom cloud that sent ripples throughout the atmosphere.

"I can see how such a power would be valuable…" Revan shook her head. "You two have so many different abilities… it's hard to process."

"One day, if you remain a part of Krypton, you'll have many of the same powers," Dan glided toward one of the hangers and ignored the fighters that launched from within. Their group was too small and fast for the ships to target. "Even the biological abilities of our species can be given to others, up to a point."

Revan fell silent as they landed, while HK-47 waded forward and mowed down the soldiers and droids that dared to open fire on his master. Dan raised his eyebrows, but let the machine have his fun. These sith would not be brought back to their home universe, though some of them would have a purpose in the coming wars before they returned.

"I can feel this station as if it was alive…" May frowned and pressed her hand to the floor. "I think I might be able to control it like I do Gladius, though this thing is far more simple minded than her."

"Great," Dan smiled as he wrapped an arm around May's waist. "If you can, you should order the droids to round up the crew, while we hunt out the few force users on board and see if they're worth saving."

"Not a problem…" May closed her eyes, a small crease in her forehead as she sent out her will. "The droids outnumber the rest by a huge amount… there!" May opened her eyes and smiled. "I've sent the command and locked out all other users, we can track the Force sensitives by going to places where the droids are killed en masse."

"Query: What shall I do, Master?" HK-47 jogged in from the smoke of the battle scarred hanger. His quick actions had slaughtered and destroyed all the combatants in sight. "Supplication: If it pleases you, I can continue my hunt and cleanse the lesser droids and meatbags from the station?"

"Not yet," Dan shook his head at the bloodthirsty machine. A wave of his hand transmitted a vast amount of data to the symbiote clone buried inside the droid. "Study these blueprints and design yourself an upgrade… once we move this thing to a new star, I want you to begin the production of more HK units."

"Contemplative: There is technology here that will allow interconnected drones…" HK-47 stood frozen as his mind poured over the new information. The technical documents Dan had transmitted would let the droid begin his evolution into a new kind of being, a true artificial intelligence.

"Use it well," Dan waved as he turned to follow May, toward a likely dark side force user's location. "When we return to my home, I'll introduce you to your big brother… until then you'll have to make do with what I've given you."