Star Wars_ Darth Bane 02_ Rule of Two - Drew Karpyshyn [36]
A few minutes and another healing injection later, he was able to use both arms to haul himself up through the exit hatch and clamber down the side of the Valcyn’s wreckage to stand, battered but not beaten, on Dxun’s surface.
He wasn’t surprised to find Qordis waiting there for him.
“You’re trapped, Bane,” the spirit mocked. “Your ship is destroyed beyond all hope of repair. You won’t find another vessel here—there are no intelligent or civilized creatures on Dxun. And you can’t wait for a rescue party. Nobody knew you were coming here. Not even your apprentice.”
Bane didn’t bother replying, but instead made a final check of his gear. He’d grabbed a pack of basic supplies from the ship and strapped it to his back. It contained food rations, glow rods, a handful of health stims, and a simple hunting blade that he slid into his boot. The pack and its contents, plus the lightsaber dangling at his belt, were the only things worth salvaging from the wreckage.
“The jungles of Dxun are filled with deadly predators,” the spirit continued. “They will stalk you day and night, and the moment you let your guard down they will strike. And even if you survive the terrors of the jungle, how are you going to get off this world?
“There is no escape,” the ghostly Qordis taunted. “You will die here, Bane.”
“It’s Darth Bane,” the big man said with a grim smile. “And I’m not dead yet. Unlike you.”
The reply seemed to satisfy whatever part of his subconscious was conjuring up the image, because Qordis abruptly disappeared.
With the distraction gone, Bane was free to examine his environment more closely. The thick forest canopy above blocked out most light; even though it was midday he found himself bathed in twilight. Still, he didn’t need his eyes to see clearly.
Reaching out with the Force, he took closer stock of his surroundings. He was in the very heart of the forest; the trees went on for hundreds of kilometers in every direction. And as he probed the surrounding foliage for signs of life, he realized that the apparition had been right about one thing: the forests of Dxun teemed with a host of deadly and voracious beasts. Bane wondered how long it would be before one of the jungle denizens decided to figure out where he fit in on the food chain.
Yet he wasn’t afraid. Even before Nadd’s tomb had been hidden here, the ancient Sith had been drawn to Dxun. The Jedi had condemned it as a place of evil, but Bane recognized it for what it really was: a world infused with the power of the dark side. He felt strong here, rejuvenated … though he was smart enough to understand that the creatures prowling the wilderness would be drawing on that same power.
And then his mental explorations came across what he was looking for. Many kilometers away he sensed a concentration of power. He’d located the source of the dark side energy that permeated the forest around him, radiating power like a beacon emitting a homing signal.
It had to be Nadd’s tomb, and now that he was here, Darth Bane felt the place calling to him. Leaving the wreckage of the Valcyn behind, he made his way toward the source. He marched in a perfectly straight line, taking the most direct route possible to his destination, using his lightsaber to hack and hew a path through the thick undergrowth that barred his way.
Keeping one corner of his mind focused on following the route to Nadd’s tomb, Bane focused the rest of his awareness into a state of hypervigilance. As in most forest ecosystems, the creatures that had evolved on Dxun were masters of their environment. More than a few had quite likely developed the ability to camouflage themselves, blending not only into the branches and trees but into the ever-present hum of the dark side that hung over the forest, as well.
Even with his caution, Bane was almost caught unawares when the attack came. An enormous feline creature dropped down from above, silent save for the faint hiss