As we were led into the corridors beneath the main auction hall, it didn't feel like it was part of the same building anymore. The upstairs, which was already hidden from view, had been full of gold and glitter... Yet now, only another layer down, here, everything was black stone, with some polished steel here and there, accompanied by a surprisingly sharp-feeling silence. If I had to guess, nothing would be able to spy on us here, as even HK's comms cut out the moment we were led in through a door, leading down here. I didn't really try to contact him again, but the fact that he hadn't hacked into the systems down here told me enough about its security. As we followed our guide, Vila walked beside me, the way her heels clanked against the metal floor, making it super loud in the surrounding silence, made me flinch. It was like a ticking bomb... Probably intentional, so sneaking would be harder for anyone stumbling in here, but it added to the creepy factor this place had going for it. As for me, I reached out to the two masked guards who led the way and to the four men who followed behind us. Because no one spoke, I didn't either, and the Force did the translation, as it told me they weren't really in the know about what was going on. They were simply escorting us, treating us as... valuable customers. Hm... Still, there was something weird going on with them, as they were... too focused. It was almost like they were only concentrated on their orders, with no other thoughts accompanying them at all.
"The deeper we go," Vila suddenly leaned over and murmured into my ear, "the worse it feels."
"Yeah," I nodded because she was right. The further we walked, the heavier the feeling from the Force became.
It was unmistakable, clearly a Dark Side influence, trying to block our senses and the reading we could get from the Light Side, shrouding everything in a haze, obscuring truth and lies alike. Did it know we were coming? That we were Jedi? Or was this just the emanating aura and presence of that lightsaber? I wasn't exactly sure yet. But we neared the source, and I would know soon, as at the end of the corridor, a final set of doors parted with a loud hiss, revealing a secure, guarded vault. The chamber itself was circular, its walls plated in gold filigree, showing the same opulence as the rest above us, with multiple forecfields and cages put up, with probably very valuable pieces of trinkets inside of them, waiting to be auctioned off.
As for the people inside, it was the auctioneer who was waiting for us. Up close, she looked different now, and I mean, she looked less polished, more... Erratic and... twitchy. Yes, her smile was still there, maybe even more expectant, along with her pupils that... After a second glance, they looked and felt slightly dilated. I immediately got the chills just by looking at her. Something was not right, and Vila felt it too... because her posture also became more... stiff. Scanning the rest of the room, my mind was drawn to the containment pedestal beside her, holding the lightsaber, floating behind a clear energy field.
"Welcome, my distinguished guests," she said, her tone overly sugary and slightly strained, in a way that if not for the Force, I wouldn't have picked up on... "Please forgive the formality and dragging you down to our vaults... It's our security regulations when it comes to such a valuable asset being handed over. Don't worry, nobody will know when you got it, and we will escort you to your ship, making sure you leave under perfect secrecy."
"We thank you for it," I nodded gently, watching as two more guards appeared behind her, standing at attention, rifles held upright, not even trying to conceal them. Then, as if prompted, Vila stepped forward before I could say anything else, creditchit in hand.
"I'll handle the transfer," she said lightly as she stepped past me, "You can… admire the decor."
"Okay," I smiled, "You mean stop staring at the host."
"Exactly." She didn't look back, but I could feel the jealousy radiating off her like static, now also amplified by the Dark Side energy, permeating the air inside the vault. It was honestly like stepping into a cantina, where everyone was smoking some kind of spice, pipe, cigarettes, hookah, whatever else they had. As a non-smoker... as a Jedi, I wanted to cough because it was super stuffy in here.
But I forced it down and let her comment slide, focusing on the weapon instead. The closer I moved, the louder its presence became. It was like the test in the Rakatan ruin, but less subtle and more raw, gnawing energy that was focused on domination and destruction. Simple, straightforward... less insidious. My skin prickled the more I looked at it, stinging my eyes as the Force around it writhed, like black fog. If I had to point at something that felt and looked evil, this thing here was taking the prize for it. HK felt... dangerous. But, not like this. This lightsaber was rage-inducing.
"Thank you," The auctioneer tapped a control on her wrist as Vila stepped before her, "Please verify the amount," she said, her eyes flicking between us, and even though he sounded bright, her eyes were... telling me she wasn't really here. "Then, after the payment is received, we'll transfer ownership."
"Sure," Vila nodded as she checked the figures and tapped the chit to her device. "Funds are being transferred."
For a brief moment, suddenly everything seemed normal... But of course, that wasn't the case the moment I blinked my eyes. The woman's expression changed in an instant when the money arrived, and I caught her lips trembling and a shiver running through her shoulders then down her spine... I could feel her thoughts... She felt, almost... no, not almost. She felt pleasure after getting the money. It was unmistakable. Her initial greed, which she already had, was amplified beyond what should be normal, beyond any limits. The thought of having the money made her... experience extreme pleasure... Which immediately turned to rage. It was as if the feeling she was experiencing hit me like a punch, as all that pleasure flipped into misery, and the thought of parting with anything from her collection caused her physical harm.
"You're thieves," she hissed at us, "You falsified the payment! You're trying to steal it!"
"Eh?!" Vila froze. "What?"
Immediately, the guards' fingers tightened on their triggers, and they were taking aim... I didn't need the Force to sense their intent, as just as I felt before, they were singular and simple: kill. These people were not of a sane mind... They were controlled by the saber's influence, which filled the room, amplifying their worst characteristics, greed, aggression, deception, all those negative emotions.
"It's okay," I said quietly, stepping forward, raising a hand, sending my suggestion through the Force. "Put the weapons down. We are here to help you."
They didn't listen, of course... I could feel it when I tapped into the Force: using it, the Dark Side's influence acted as a shield, bouncing it back, making my mind trick ineffective as it had a greater hold on these people than what I was putting out.
Still, the first bolt never even reached us. Vila and I raised a hand, in perfect sync, and pulled. The next moment, the rifles, no matter how hard they were holding them, tore free of their grips and clattered to the floor. Then, as the guards behind us were also reaching towards their weapons, we swept our arms sideways, and the rest of the blasters, be it in their hands or the back-ups in their holsters, flew free and tumbled across the room, smashing into the far wall.
Yet, they didn't stop, and now they were attacking us physically.
Seeing them move, I stepped forward, caught one by the wrist, twisted it, and sent him crashing into the second. Behind me, Vila dropped low, moving quickly even in her dress as she kicked another's legs out, and used a small burst of Force to send him skidding into another, before grabbing two guards by the Force, lifting them high, and then smashing them down into the ground. As for my targets, I used more strength this time and suggested to them to... go to sleep. This time, the Dark Side wasn't strong enough to resist my full power, and I watched as their eyes fell backwards, falling over, and snoring before they hit the ground. Honestly...? The fight lasted less than ten seconds. Maybe five.
"No! You are not getting it! This is mine!" The auctioneer shrieked, "Mine!" and with that scream, she lunged for the display. Her hand slammed the release control, and the field vanished while the saber fell into her grasp as if it had been waiting for just this moment.
The double-bladed red glow burst to life with an aggressive buzz, flooding the room with its crimson light. Feeling it from this close, the way it sounded, it wasn't like a lightsaber at all, as for me, it was more like a totally maddened screech, making me imagine someone frothing from the mouth, wanting nothing else but to kill, maim, murder, no matter who or what, just make sure nothing else remained alive beside its owner. Well... as for the Twi'lek woman, she wasn't trained at all in any kind of lightsaber-related arts. She just swung it wildly, the blade dragging her body like a puppet's string... she wasn't herself.
Reacting first, Vila, she ducked as the blade carved a molten groove through the floor, easily dodging while I moved in before she could strike at her or me once again. When I took a step, she sharply turned toward me, her eyes glassy, looking at me, but also through me. I stepped inside the arc of her next swing, raised my right arm, and caught the blade against the metal of my prosthetic hand. Before she had any chance to react, the weapon's raging howl was cut off mid-note, as sparks flew out and it fizzled out, deactivating. Well, at least in the end, she used to hack at me with. Making sure she wasn't going to hurt herself, I caught her wrist and used the force to click the activator, turning off the other end too, and pulled the weapon free from her hand. And then... I had to strike her once across the neck with the edge of my palm, because she was about to lunge at me and bite into my face. It was quick and efficient, and I may have been a bit harder on her than I intended, as she slumped, unconscious, her head hitting the marble floor with a dull thud. Oops...
"Damn," Vila chuckled, stepping next to me, brushing a bit of dust from her dress, and fixing it. "Dark Side, huh?" she asked, looking at the hilt in my hand, "That thing is more dangerous than we thought."
"Especially if you can't protect yourself against it," I nodded, examining it, feeling the incredible rage contained inside the black hilt... No, not only rage. There were more feelings, including greed, madness, and a handful of sadism. "This thing needs to be destroyed," I told her, looking at Vila as seriously as possible.
Then, as I skimmed over the unconscious and incapacitated, grounded guards, I felt a drive coming from the lightsaber, wanting me to end their suffering, to go and kill them, but I held back, pushing the thought not only down, but out of my mind, shaking my head.
"The Grandmaster must take a look at this. As soon as possible!"
"I agree," Vila nodded, turning some of them onto their backs, checking their breathing. "It got into her head," she added, looking at the unconscious Twi'lek woman. "It... Twisted her and everyone else, too."
"And who knows how many others." I grimaced, shaking my head, "I don't know if we can help them, but we should go!" I stepped over their bodies, "We can't help them right now, but we can take the source away! Maybe that helps them recover. Let's go!"
"Should you really hold it like that?" She asked as we left the chamber, opening the door with the Force, using it to make the mechanism in the walls work and lift it enough for us to climb through the small opening.
"You know what my specialty is." I smiled at her, "I can keep it suppressed. At least until we can stuff it into HK's chest... then, we will decide what to do next..."