Star Wars_ Darth Bane 01_ Path of Destruction - Drew Karpyshyn [107]
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As soon as Bane’s feet touched the Unknown World’s surface he felt it: a deep thrumming, similar to what he’d first felt on Korriban but much, much stronger. Even the air felt different: heavy with ancient history and secrets long forgotten.
Standing with his back to the ocean, staring into the virtually impenetrable wall of forest that covered the island’s interior, he sensed something else, as well: a presence; a life-force of immense size and strength. It was moving toward him. Quickly.
A few seconds later he could hear it crashing through the undergrowth. It must have been drawn by the ship’s landing on the beach, an enormous hunter looking for fresh prey.
The rancor burst forth from the trees and began loping across the sand, bellowing its terrible cry. Bane held his ground, watching it come, marveling at the speed with which the massive beast moved. When it had closed the distance between them to fewer than fifty meters, he calmly held up a hand and reached out with the Force to touch the mind of the charging monster.
At his unspoken command it stumbled to a halt and stood in place, panting. Careful to keep the creature’s predatory instincts firmly in check, Bane approached the rancor. It remained still, as docile as a tauntaun being inspected by its rider.
From its size Bane could see it was a full-grown male, though the bright coloration of its hide and the small number of scars suggested that it must have only recently come to adulthood. He laid his palm on one of its massive legs, feeling the trembling muscles beneath the skin as he probed deeper into its animal brain.
He found no awareness, concept, or understanding of the Masters who had once tamed such beasts for use as guardians and mounts. He wasn’t surprised: the Rakata had vanished many centuries before this rancor had been born. But Bane was looking for something else.
A collage of images and sensations assailed him. Countless hunts through the forest, most ending in successful slaughter. The rending of sinew and bone. Feasting on the quarry’s still-warm flesh. The search for a mate. Battling with another rancor for dominance. And then, finally, he found what he was searching for.
Buried deep in the creature’s memories was the image of a great four-sided stone pyramid hidden deep within the jungle’s heart. The rancor had seen it only once, back when it was still a youngling in the care of the herd mothers. Yet the structure had left an indelible mark on the brutish mind.
The rancor was an animal, the top of the Unknown World’s food chain. It knew no fear, yet it let out a low moan as Bane dredged up the memory of that Temple. The beast shuddered, knowing what was expected of it, but it was powerless to flee; the Force compelled it to obey.
It crouched low to the ground, and Bane leapt up onto its back. It rose carefully to its feet, its rider perched on its great, hunched shoulders. At Bane’s command the rancor lumbered off, leaving the beach behind and heading back into the forest, carrying him toward the ancient Rakatan Temple.
22
It took nearly an hour before Bane reached his destination. The vegetation around him was teeming with life, but as he was carried along through the jungle he saw nothing larger than insects or small birds. Most creatures scattered before the rancor’s advance, vanishing long before Bane ever came close enough to catch even a glimpse of them. Yet though they scampered away, the rancor’s keen sense of smell often picked up their trail, and more than once Bane had to rein in the beast’s hunting instincts to keep it on course.
As difficult as it was to keep the beast