**Chapter 811: Spirits of Yavin**
**Scene 1: Yavin 4 – Temple Ruins**
The humid air of Yavin 4 clung to Dagon Marek like a second skin as he stood amid the ancient Massassi temple ruins. Massive stone structures, overgrown with vines and moss, loomed around him—silent witnesses to millennia of dark side corruption. Exar Kun's spirit flickered before him, a swirling vortex of malevolent red energy bound in place by the Scepter of Ragnos gripped firmly in Dagon's hand.
Exar Kun had been a Human male Jedi Knight who fell to the dark side, assuming the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith and waging a destructive war against the Galactic Republic and Jedi Order during the Old Sith Wars. Apprenticed to the respected Jedi Master Vodo-Siosk Baas, Kun's burning curiosity about the Sith led him to forbidden knowledge. His path took him to Onderon, then Dxun, where the spirit of Freedon Nadd guided him to Korriban. There, Kun embraced the dark side. On Yavin 4, he enslaved the primitive Massassi, forcing them to build vast temple complexes. He banished Nadd's spirit, allied with Ulic Qel-Droma, and sparked a bloody conflict. His final stand ended in a ritual that trapped his spirit here for thousands of years—until Luke Skywalker's New Jedi Order briefly stirred him again.
Now, that same spirit raged against Dagon's grip.
The Scepter of Ragnos—a powerful dark side artifact once belonging to Marka Ragnos—terminated in a forked crest with a striated handle and blade. Slate gray and silver, it could siphon and store immense dark side energy, release Force blasts, reanimate corpses, and even awaken Force sensitivity in ordinary beings. Hidden within its handle was Ragnos's Sith sword. Dagon had claimed it during the exploration of the ruins, and now it served as the perfect anchor.
'Yeah, so a lot of bad ideas, and this Force ghost seems interesting,' Dagon thought, tightening his hold.
"Foolish mortal! Once I awaken fully, I will—" Kun's spectral form twisted in agony as Dagon channeled Force lightning through the scepter. Crimson bolts arced into the ghost, eliciting a howling scream that echoed across the jungle canopy.
"Huh. Weird ghost," Dagon muttered. "Look, got any special emotional attachments I can use to make you friendly? Family? Lost love? Something?"
"I will torture you for eternity!" Kun snarled, his voice a distorted echo.
"So that's a no. What about locations? Hidden armies? Equipment? Something similar to the Star Forge? I need kyber crystals—lots of them. From blue supergiants, the big powerful ones."
"I will never talk!"
"Oh, come on. You're sort of dead and doing nothing. What are you gonna do?"
Dagon's eyes narrowed. He sensed another dark side nexus nearby—the Golden Globe. Resembling a massive glowing golden crystal sphere, it emitted a powerful dark presence. Though only four meters across externally, its interior was infinite, capable of holding countless captives in a realm of sand and dust. It was protected by an energy shield and haunted by manifestations of Kun's followers. Bound by Sith magic, it could only be truly destroyed by Force-sensitive children from within—adults risked shattering it and the prisoners.
'Just children… but what about this?' Dagon thought.
"Wrath Shield, Change Shield, Soul Eater Shield!" he shouted.
The armor shifted with a mechanical hiss and surge of dark energy. Plates realigned into a devouring configuration, tendrils of shadow extending toward the Golden Globe. The artifact's protective field buckled under the assault. Souls—trapped followers and victims—screamed as they were freed, only for the Soul Eater matrix to consume the Globe's essence. It shattered into glittering sand that scattered on the wind, the dark side aura vanishing entirely.
Kun's spirit howled in fury and fear.
**Scene 2: Orbit – Grey Wolf**
Fleet Admiral Dittmar stood on the bridge of the *Grey Wolf*, watching the surface of Yavin 4 through the viewport. A spectacular multicolored spectrum of light erupted from the temple region—crimson lightning, golden bursts, and swirling shadows dancing across the green canopy like an aurora born of nightmares.
"Interesting," Dittmar murmured, stroking his chin. The readings from the surface were off the charts. Dark side fluctuations spiked wildly before collapsing. Whatever the Supreme Commander was doing down there, it was rewriting the planet's Force signature in real time. "Status on the landing parties?"
"Secure perimeter established, sir," a clone officer reported. "No resistance. The temples are… quiet now."
Dittmar allowed himself a small smile. With Dagon Marek involved, "quiet" usually meant decisive. The fleet held position, ready to support or extract at a moment's notice. Whatever ancient evil had lingered on Yavin 4 for millennia was meeting its end today.
**Scene 3: The Bargain and the Holocron**
Dagon regarded the diminished spirit of Exar Kun with cold pragmatism. "Well, you are of no use to me. Say goodbye to eternity. You will not be joined in the Force."
"Wait!" Kun's voice cracked with desperation. "A Star Fortress! It's a space station with a sun generator. There are designs in my holocron—use it!"
"The Eternal Empire had those, but they were all destroyed. Why would sun generators be useful? I need kyber."
"Okay, there is a Star Fortress the Brotherhood made at my discretion. No Sith knows of it because I killed everyone involved except me."
"Where is it?" Dagon demanded, sending another controlled burst of crimson Force lightning into the ghost. Kun screamed.
"Enough! Please, just listen. It's on Hoth, hidden under the ice—deep part of the planet, western sector. That is all I know. Please!"
"Very well. I set you free," Dagon said.
"Thank you—"
"Free from this cave." Dagon activated the modified Sith holocron in his other hand. The device, enhanced with Wrath Shield runes and soul-binding matrices, yanked Kun's spirit inside. The ghost thrashed futilely as it was trapped.
"Now you join the likes of Sith Lords of old by training those deserving," Dagon said with a smirk. "But unable to possess and corrupt anyone unless they want it."
"Hmmm. Nice armor. Ethan, bag the armor and send it for decontamination," Dagon commed.
"Yes sir. Drop en route. Where does the fleet go now?" the combat droid replied.
"Set course for Hoth."
Dagon deactivated the Soul Eater Shield, the armor reverting to its standard configuration. The Scepter of Ragnos felt heavier in his grip, its stored dark side energy humming with potential. Yavin 4's ancient temples stood silent once more, their greatest ghost finally contained.
As the shuttle descended to extract him, Dagon allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. One more relic secured. One more step toward the kyber he needed for the coming wars. The Dragon's hunt continued.