jaigvision.

     HIS   BODY   FALLS   LIMP    _{under    the    inexorable    grip    that    only    continued    to    worsen    its    ferocious    assault    around    his    oesophagus.    He    grasps    hold    of    his    neck    trying    to    vigorously    FIGHT    away    the    imaginary    demons    that    were    the    cause    of    so    much    of    his    pain    ,    however    ,    his    pleas    for    HELP    would    go    unanswered.    His    lips    had    already    started    to    turn    a    bright    shade    of    purple    as    the    clone    mouths    something    in    the    direction    of    the    Jedi    ,    though    ,    his    DEPLETED    frame    can’t    muster    enough    strength    to    even    get    one    word    out.}

     _{Eyes    began    to    narrow    ,    his     body    TEETERING    on    the    narrow    edge    of    lifelessness.    The    world    turns    black    around    him    as    he    clings    to    the    ounce    of    FAITH    that    could    still    find    a    home    inside    him.} 

     _{Just    as    the    darkness    seemed    to    feel    like    second    nature    to   him          —    out    of    the    corner    of    his    eye    ,    a    bright    light    GLEAMED    directly    towards    him     ,    almost    like    it    was    beckoning    him    to    follow.    Too    far    away    to    tell    what    was    the    cause    of    the    ominous    glow    ,    he    thoughtlessly    started    to    make    a    PATH    to    the    unknown    source    of    light.    His    paces    quickly    shortened    the    closer    he   got    ;    voices    bellowed    at    him    ,    though    ,    it    was    impossible    to    hear    what    they    were    saying          —    yet    they    still    did    enough    to    HALT    his    progression.    Rex    very    quickly    grew    tiresome    of    the    voices    ,    STRIDING    back    &&    forth    impatiently    in    a    hope    he    might    please    them    while    at    the    same    time    ,    making    sure    the    light    stayed    in    his    peripheral.}

     _{Then    ,    a    voice    he    was    all    too    familiar    with    BOOMS    through    his    head.    ‘     Anakin    ?    ’        This    voice    sounded    more    of    a   cry    than    any    of    the    others    he    had    TRIED    to    distinguish    ;    a    touch    of    sorrow    laced    with    what    seemed    to    be    his    name.}   

    _{Just    a    quickly    as    his    vision    came    to    be    ,    it    would    quickly    FADE    to    grey.    He    slumped    forward    ,    seemingly    released    from    his    trance.    Rex    fell    to    his    knees    ,    white    armour    scrapping    against    the    unforgiving     floor.    His    arms    remain    outstretched    in    an    attempt    to    keep    his    FALTERING    frame    balanced.    Head    hunched    over    unwilling    to    give    the    Jedi    any    form    of    eye    contact.     The    clone    stumbles    to    his    feet    ,    legs    still    GROGGY    underneath    him.    “    It’s          —    it’s    okay    ,    sir.    This    temple    is    messing    with    us.    ”    He    coughed    ,    breaking    free    from    the    Commanders    grip   to    instinctively    reaches    out    to    the    temples    wall    for    support.    Gloved    hands    CLAWED    at    the    stone    wall    ,    fingers    dancing    in    between    the    narrow    holes    trying    to    fight    away    the    pain    that    was   still    evident    on    his    battered    frame.}

    _{“    Sir!    ”    he    bellowed    ,    a    sharp     pain    hitting    the    back    of    his    throat    without    remorse.    A    quiet    growl    ESCAPED    his    lips    knowing    the    Jedi    was    already    too    far    away    to    hear    his   cry.    He    looks    back    through    the   doorway    he    once    occupied    before    turning    back    to    the    Jedi.    Rex’s    HANDS    fell    down    to    his    kama    once    again   only    to    met    with    the    feel    of    a    single    blaster    occupying    his    holsters.    “    Great!    ”    He    cooed    in    frustration.    In    all    the    CONFUSION    he    knew    exactly    where    he    left    both    his    helmet    and    blaster    pistol    ,    however    ,    his    eyes    still    remain    on    the    Jedi    DISAPPEARING    into    the    distance.    Without    the    thought    of   his    equipment    he    left    behind    ,    he    begrudgingly    started    after   his    Commander    before    he    could    get    any    further.    “    I    know    finding    this    holocron    is    essential    to    you    ,    sir.    However    ,    take    a    moment    to    consider    this.    What    if    someone    wants    us    to    find    it?    This    might    be    for    NOTHING    is    what    I    mean.    ”}

               ANAKIN’S LONG STRIDES lead them from the room at a quickened pace; now sure && unfaltering with a renewed sense of purpose && phantom knowledge of their whereabouts. 

               Dank air closes around them as they file through the gloom, the cold stench of rotting flora && damp soil stirred up into their senses with the heavy fall of their steps. Anakin doesn’t look back at Rex, still flushed through with enough shame that he can’t trust himself to meet the clone captain’s eyes. 

               They step through an open archway that leads into a wide, open room. Big enough to have once been used for storage, or a hanger. Fog lolls in every cranny && writhes around the struts that carry an ancient walkway overhead. 

               He draws in a centering breath, now taking the opportunity to turn to Rex && address him head on. ❝ Whatever this thing is, Rex, it’s dangerous. && Powerful enough to get inside the heads of a non-Force sensitive && a Jedi alike. The Separatists are willing to use whatever methods necessary to gain an upper hand in this war. Imagine if Dooku had found this place before us— this holocron needs to be locked up, or destroyed, or something. But it’s our responsibility to make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. ❞ That is if their hands are even the right ones to bare such a power. How far do the effects of the holocron extend? The unbound lengths of its potential both frighten && intrigue Anakin. If the Republic could find a way to harness the holocron’s mental influence, they may have finally come across the thing that’ll tip this war into an end. 

               A stone staircase rises to the catwalk that runs below several niches in the rock wall. Something stands in the center niche, a pulsating glow rimmed by metal thorns. Each thorn hovers above an elevated stand in the middle of the niche, tipped with spines of light that interconnect to create some kind of self-contained energy field. ❝ It must be running on some kind of separate power source. ❞ Anakin murmurs, mostly to himself, fascinated by the inner mechanisms of such an unfamiliar piece of machinery. 

     ❝ Well, ❞ He angles a wryly tilting brow over his shoulder at Rex, extinguishing his lightsaber once again. ❝ No use waiting around here. Let’s get a closer look. ❞ His blood sings with every step, the sharper wire-pain of old wounds piercing through the burn of his overtaxed muscles. Exhaustion sets itself deep in Anakin’s bones, && they haven’t even performed their siege to take the capital yet. But he pushes through, using the pain to power his movements rather than hinder them.

               A buzzing, upper-registry noise begins to permeate his thoughts, intensifying the closer he gets to the center niche. Similar to the vibration of a ship’s core, it settles just before his sternum. Dazzling && racing through Anakin like a jangle of stars in his bloodstream, a tide’s rush merging with his pulse. The holocron from his visions sits suspended between the thin webbing of light surrounding it, gently rotating just as he’d seen before. ❝ This is it. ❞ The surface of begins to seethe with faint internal shadows in reaction to his voice, shifting like an oil spill on water.