[center][h1]Aren's Temptation[/h1]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/vpcfMB7.jpg[/img][/center]

When Zsinj was finished with the young padawan he had coerced into his service, the boy was sent down to Serenno where he was thrown in a prison cell. For weeks he was left there to rot. The boy had served his purpose and Zsinj failed to fulfill his promise. He had betrayed the Jedi, his friends, and even his Master all for the sake of saving his family. A family, he now thought, had probably been killed by Zsinj. Some days, he would cry for hours and hours. He also refused to eat the scraps fed to him by the guards, who didn't seem to care whether he died or not. Recently, Aren had been dreaming about a voice in the dark calling out his name. For days now, the voice haunted his dreams. It would speak from a void of darkness that brought nothing but feelings of dread and in an indescribable amount of power. It was an odd yet terrifying combination. One night, Aren began to meditate in an effort to find out more about his dreams. A technique taught to him by his Jedi Master Kale. It involved reaching out using the Force to “see” things more clearly. It did not take long for the boy to sense something. A powerful dark presence in his cell. Opening his eyes, the young man saw nothing but concrete walls and the laser barrier keeping him inside the cell. 

“Who are you? What do you want from me?” Aren asked as he looked around in an attempt to find the source of the voice. Nothing. Waiting for a few seconds, he expected to hear something back, but it never came. He breathed a sigh of relief, perhaps he was overreacting to what was only his imagination. As he was about to give up, he heard the voice again. It was but a mere ghostly whisper that seemed to echo inside of his head. The sound sent a shiver down his spine and he frantically began to look around his cell. “Who’s there!?” He demanded. 

“A benefactor.” The voice answered, making Aren spin around, expecting to see someone behind him. But all he found was the concrete slab he used as a bed. “I can help you find your family. Give you the power to save them from their cruel fate.” 
Aren tightened his fists, as he erratically searched his cell to find the source of the voice. 
“How do you know that? Show yourself!” Aren’s demands were met with silence. Whatever he was facing, it was nothing like he had ever felt before. It was strong in the Force and powerful as well. 
“Does it matter? I have the means to assist you.” 
Whatever this thing was, spoke with an aura that made it hard to ignore. What it was offering made Aren rethink his stance. Did he have a choice? The alternative would be to stay here and die. Could he truly stay here knowing that his family was in danger? No. The boy timidly nodded, still looking around searching for the source of the whisper. “How will you help me?” 

“Observe.” Everything went quiet once more. Aren felt the presence move away from his cell and into the hallway. It walked toward the control center where two guards sat in front of the control panels, bored and eagerly awaiting for their next break. The boy heard the guards cry out and soon their voices went silent. Whatever surveillance system was monitoring the area only managed to pick up a shadow disintegrating the guards into mere ash. Soon, the barrier holding Aren inside opened and he cautiously stepped outside. 

“Move. Now.” The voice urged Aren, once again sounding like a voice inside his head. Aren wasted no time and ran over to the control panel. Using his instincts, he quickly found the override controls for the entire block and opened every cell, triggering an alarm. Prisoners from humans to aliens emerged from their prisons and began attacking guards that attempted to put down the ensuing prison break. In the chaos, Aren slipped out and reached an armory near the entrance to the prison. When he was first brought in, he made a mental note of where Zsinj’s men had placed his lightsaber. Retrieving it, Aren managed to escape the prison building and hop on a speeder away from the compound which was quickly falling into chaos. As he sped away, he glanced back seeing columns of black smoke emerge over the horizon. Breathing a sigh of relief, he steadied himself. 

“What now?” He asked, fearing that the voice had left him. 
"A ship awaits us beyond. Use it and we will leave this planet."
Aren didn't question why or how. At this point, if this ethereal presence could help him rescue his family from the clutches of Zsinj, then he would follow it to the very ends of the galaxy. All he wanted was to his mother, his father and his sisters again. 

After driving for over an hour, Aren encountered a remote outpost. Stopping his speeder by the entrance he looked around, searching for guards. However, the place was deserted save for an Imperial Lambda-class shuttle. He approached the shuttle and stepped up the ramp. The lights of the main cabin flickered on as he entered. Aren froze in his tracks as he laid eyes upon something he thought he would never see again. Sitting atop a crate was the Sith holocron Zsinj had ordered him to retrieve. 

"B-but how…?" Aren was overcome with fear once more. How was this even possible? He overheard the guards once say that Zsinj had ordered the holocron to be placed deep within the vault of his palace in Serenno, yet, here it was. 

"This is the power I offer, young one. I will make you more powerful than your former master. You will wield the tools to save your family and take revenge on Zsinj." Said the voice, this time coming from the holocron itself. 

"That's all I want." Aren replied, placing his lightsaber on his belt and walking over to the cockpit. "Where do I go now?" 

The voice spoke again, this time with a more gleeful tone. "Follow the coordinates in the navigation computer. It will tell you where to go." 
Without so much as a second thought, Aren turned on the ship and soon he was off. As he entered hyperspace, he made a silent pledge to never return to the Jedi Order. Now, with the aid of this being he would no longer need them. Soon, he would see his family again. That is all he cared about.