Chapter 77 – Unexpected

The few days of travel into the Phoenix went through with a good mood, the guest aboard the Phoenix was getting along fine with Lyn and Layan. As for the other guest, when everyone was sleeping the first day, Layan ejected him in the vacuum of space via the airlock.

"We should arrive in the vicinity of Aridus in a few hours. Rest for the time being."

As per usual since they left Devaron, HK was piloting the ship while the other passengers were enjoying themselves.

Inside the training room, now let free from its occupant, Lyn and Layan were enjoying themselves with a friendly spar.

"You really got better with all the times spent fighting against pirates and thugs in the worst parts of the Outer Rim."

"Can't stagnate, or you may send me burn on Mustafar, I'm sure it is a good idea in your sick mind after forcing me to stay on Hoth for three weeks."

"Poor thing, you really suffered. You'll make me cry."

Riyo Chuchi, or currently known as Jane Doe, was watching the friendly spar interrupted by their banter. The clashing of their blades and humming sound was happening in front of her eyes. It was really interesting as few were those able to watch Jedis trains.

After a few minutes of fighting, the two stopped as the droid contacted them through the ship's intercom.

"Statement: The cloaking device is hiding us from any detection means. Dozens of small-size ships were detected on the surface of the planet. Energy emission was detected between these ships."

"They are shooting each other's, at least they're not allies, they will take themselves out. We just have to wait until everything entered its final phase. Land on the surface, T3 try to intercept all communications."

Still invisible, they were spying what was happening through the monitors of the ship. Two ships were shot down in the sky, and the others after a heated battle succeeded to shake off their pursuers and land on the planet.

"Statement: Most of the ships landed for a short moment and took off just after without searching another confrontation, those who succeed to shake off the others fled in space. A pattern appeared. Three of the ships are hunting the others without searching to land."

"They must have dispatch ground teams to access the location of the vault. The true battle will begin only when the Jebble Box will be out. As for those three ships, they must be waiting like us and are trying to diminish the concurrent."

A few hours later, a radio communication intercepted by T3 started the main event.

"We got the Jebble Box, come to pick us up!! Fast!"

"Let's go!"

"No, wait."

"Statement: One of the ships just came back in the atmosphere and is heading toward the origin of the call. Other ships are following behind and trying to shoot him down.

Addendum: A dozen of small-sized ships just came out of hyperspace and are flying in formation toward the origin of the call while trying to shoot the other down. The three ships hunting down the others are communicating with these 12 ships."

Soon, the dogfight turned a bit more organized as the few small ships in numerical inferiority were cooperating to fight back against the largest group of ships.

The large group was reduced to ten while the disorganized alliance was annihilated under their firepower and numerical superiority.

"Statement: three ships just landed the others are patrolling in the atmosphere."

"Good, T3 take control of the ship and bring us the closest possible and undo the cloaking device at last second, just before shooting them. HK, we will cover you while you bring the Jebble Box inside. Once everyone aboard, we take off."

Coming closer, they saw the three ships landed on the floor with their ramps down. A small group with what looks like a coffin on their sides was doing their best to protect themselves from an onslaught of blaster fire.

On the other side, more than thirty thugs or mercenaries were shooting them down while moving forward more and more.

"T3, now!"

The Phoenix, ten meters above ground appeared and shoot proton torpedoes to the enemy ships on the ground, making them explode and making fall on the ground the crew under the blast of the explosion.

Lyn, Layan and HK-47 jumped down from the ramp with their weapons in hands. Layan's blue lightsabers flew in the air, bisecting those already down while Lyn and HK-47 were taking care of those still standing.

"Beep.Beep."

"The ships in orbit are coming down! We have to hurry!"

Using the force over the smallest group, he caught the eight individuals with a force choke and broke their neck instantly.

HK-47 was pushing the coffin-shaped Jebble Box toward the Phoenix, which landed during the short time of the fight.

"We have to leave! The energy shields won't hold long under such a rain of fire."

"Not without what we came here for."

Using the force, the two helped the droid bring the Jebble Box inside. With the ramp slowly closing, they could finally depart.

The ship took off the ground under the control of the droid, but Layan sprinted through the corridors of his ship and sat in the pilot seat.

"T3, give me back the controls!"

Making his best to avoid the shoot directed at the Phoenix, he activated the cloaking device while trying to get out of their firing line without being shot.

"Lyn, prepare to jump in hyperspace."

Once out of the gravitational attraction of the planet, the Phoenix jumped into hyperspace and outpaced his pursuers.

"You're totally crazy! It's a miracle that the energy shield held down for so long."

"I personally did all the upgrades of the Phoenix, it may be a small ship, but at equal size, he is the toughest, fastest and strongest of the galaxy."

"Holy! Why did you talk about this? He won't stop before an hour."

After the criticizes of the Pantoran girl, Lyn knew Layan won't stop talking about mechanic before a long time. This is why she avoids talking about this topic with him, when it was about his favorite topic, he becomes a chatterbox.

"Not today, we have a mystery to unravel. We have to find a world without few to none population to open it without being bothered by the possible harmful consequences."

After ordering the astromech droid to find the nearest uninhabited planet or moon on the galactic archives, he walked to contemplate his so desired Jebble Box.

"This thing is emitting a strange force field. The stories may be true."

While they were all examining the strange crate, the ship landed on a desolate moon in a backward corner of the galaxy.

Layan immediately walked to the safe and retrieved the Sith Holocron from inside before lowering the ramp of the ship and bringing the Jebble Box outside.

"What is this thing?"

A ray of light was emitted from the holocron and scanned up and down the Jebble Box.

"Item scanned. Browsing through the data bank. Sith origin. No data concerning this item is recorded in the holocron."

The usually so lifelike hologram took a robotic expression and told in an even voice. But learning that the origin of it was Sith, Layan was even more cautious with the opening.

"We'll have to open it to know. Jane Doe walk back into the ship. We'll bring it farther away before opening it."

When he was at a sufficient distance, he raised his arms, using the force to slowly raise the lid of the old artifact.

It raised up, and a profound white light illuminated their sight. Inside was not old artifacts, but someone.

"It's not a crate, but a stasis capsule."

The person lying inside was a human female, with a white skin tone more than a sickly skin tone, she looked like a corpse. Her hair was of a beautiful and profound black, a well-toned body and was wearing old design clothes and some protections. The most noticeable things were the lightsaber at her hips and the enormous piece of jewelry around her neck mostly made of gold and precious gems.

This thing got Layan attention as it looked like it was created using Sith Alchemy.

"What is this?"

"Item Scanned. Browsing through the data bank. Match found. Muur Talisman. The first of the three Great Amulets created by the Sith Lord Sorzus Syn designed for her fellow Lord Karness Muur.

The Talisman had the ability to turn other beings into mindless thralls that were at the possessor's command, the only one immunized being force-sensitive individuals and several specific races. The amulet can move by herself and took control of its host."

With the description, Layan knew he shouldn't have opened this casket. A Sith going to such length to seal a Sith artifact mean it can screw things big.

"Gasp! Zayne!"

The woman woke up hurriedly, seemingly terrified, and was a bit lost as she looked around. Her expression immediately changed when she saw the hologram of the Sith holocron in Layan's hand.

"Sith!!"

Immediately summoning her lightsaber in her hand, using the force and lashed at Layan.