The ground split open beneath Obi-Wan and Kaelen, stone grinding like ancient teeth. A rush of dust and stale air blasted upward, and from the darkness below came a low, guttural snarl—too deep, too resonant, too alive.
Kaelen steadied himself, purple blade igniting with a sharp hiss.
Obi-Wan followed, blue saber casting cold light across the collapsing chamber. "Stay behind me. Whatever that is… it's old."
The rumbling deepened.
A pair of enormous eyes—amber and burning like molten embers—rose from the pit. A massive head followed, covered in coarse, dark fur. Horns curled along its jawline, cracked and weathered. Fangs like stone daggers jutted from a mouth large enough to swallow a speeder whole.
A Kath Hound, but not like any recorded in modern holobooks.
This one had grown monstrous—its size twisted by centuries of isolation, exposure to dark energies, and the ancient Force echoes buried beneath Dantooine's soil.
Kaelen gasped. "I thought these creatures were almost extinct."
Obi-Wan took a guarded stance. "Clearly, someone forgot to tell this one."
The Kath Hound lunged, claws gouging stone. Obi-Wan leapt back, parrying its strike with a sweeping arc. Sparks sprayed off its hardened hide.
"Kaelen—flank it!"
Kaelen darted left, Force-enhanced speed carrying him across the room. His blade slashed across the creature's side—but barely left a scorch. The beast roared, sweeping its tail in a wide arc that sent Kaelen sprawling.
Obi-Wan groaned. "This thing is resilient."
Kaelen scrambled up, grit between his teeth. "Master—its hide is too thick. We need to distract it, expose something soft."
"Oh, wonderful," Obi-Wan muttered. "A giant hound and it's the one with armor."
The beast charged again, smashing through a fallen column. Obi-Wan leapt atop another slab of stone, using the Force to propel himself higher as the Kath Hound lunged upward to meet him mid-air.
Blue and purple blades clashed against claws hardened like durasteel.
Kaelen extended his senses—only to feel a strange presence beneath the battle. Mechanical. Silent. Waiting.
"Master!" he shouted. "Something else is down here!"
Obi-Wan parried a strike, nearly losing his grip. "Deal with that later, Kaelen!"
"No—now!"
Kaelen sprinted across the chamber, rolling beneath a swipe of the creature's tail. His purple saber cast long shadows across broken stone and ancient symbols etched in the walls. He followed the strange presence—like a void in the Force.
There, half-buried beneath debris, lay a humanoid shape of rust-red plating and angular design. A droid, its body intact but coated in dust. Its glowing photoreceptors were dark.
Kaelen froze.
He recognized the silhouette from faded Old Republic designs—never preserved in the Jedi Archives but mentioned in forgotten mercenary rumors.
"Master…" Kaelen whispered. "It's—"
"A droid!" Obi-Wan shouted from across the room. "Ignore it and focus!"
Kaelen reached for the dormant droid, brushing dust from the plating—
Its eyes snapped open with a crimson glow.
A deep, metallic voice rumbled from its vocabulator.
"Statement: Systems online. Combat mode: evaluating battlefield conditions."
The massive Kath Hound snarled and turned toward the sudden activation.
Obi-Wan's eyes widened. "Kaelen—get away from that thing!"
But the droid turned its head toward Kaelen.
"Assessment: Emotional pattern and biometric signature aligned. Recognition confirmed."
The droid rose, joints groaning softly as if waking from centuries of slumber.
"Acknowledgment: Master identified. Greetings."
Kaelen stepped back, stunned. "M—Master?"
Obi-Wan's head snapped toward them. "Master? Kaelen—what did it just call you?"
The droid ignored Obi-Wan entirely, rotating its head toward the Kath Hound.
"Observation: Hostile organic entity detected. Probability of lethal engagement: high. Recommendation: Immediate termination."
Before Kaelen could speak, the droid extended an arm. A built-in blaster slid into position with a metallic click.
"Excited Query: Permission to engage, Master?"
Kaelen hesitated—but the Kath Hound charged.
"Permission granted!"
The droid's response was disturbingly cheerful.
"Affirmation: Exquisite."
Red blaster fire erupted in rapid, precise volleys. Each shot struck the creature's joints and softer underbelly—just as an expert hunter would target.
The Kath Hound howled, stumbling.
Obi-Wan leapt from behind, landing atop the creature's back. "Kaelen—now!"
Kaelen sprinted forward, a vortex of calm and instinct guiding him. The creature reared, exposing the only unarmored part of its neck.
His purple blade carved deep.
The Kath Hound shuddered once—with a sound like a collapsing mountain—and crashed to the stone floor, motionless.
Silence fell across the chamber.
Obi-Wan dismounted slowly, breathing hard. "By the Force… what in the name of all the stars was that droid?"
The droid holstered its weapon.
"Clarification: HK-series assassin droid. Unit designation HK-47. Operational status: restored. Primary directive: Serve Master."
Obi-Wan stiffened. "Assassin droid?"
HK's photoreceptors brightened.
"Correction: Advanced assassin droid, optimized for large-scale organic removal. With style."
Kaelen winced. "HK-47… how do you know me?"
The droid cocked its head.
"Explanation: You match the biometric profile of my Creator's lineage. Designation: Master. Further elaboration unnecessary."
Obi-Wan whispered, "Creator… But not named."He frowned at HK suspiciously. "And your 'creator' is…?"
HK paused.
"Non-disclosure directive: Active."
Obi-Wan and Kaelen exchanged a look.
The droid continued:
"Assurance: Knowledge of the Creator is restricted by ancient programming. However, Master is biologically linked. Thus: loyalty."
Obi-Wan muttered under his breath, "I don't like this."
HK responded instantly.
"Agreement: The feeling is mutual, obsolete Jedi unit."
Obi-Wan's eyes widened in offense. "Obsolete?!"
Kaelen raised both hands. "HK—stand down."
The droid inclined its head.
"Compliance: Standing down. For now."
Kaelen finally exhaled. "Master… HK might know where Bastila's holocron is."
Obi-Wan eyed the droid warily. "Or he'll get us all killed. This… thing gives me a very bad feeling."
Kaelen turned toward the dark chasm where Revan's holocron had fallen.A faint, distant pulse of the Force still echoed from below.
And beneath that… another presence.
Darker.Older.Awakening.
HK-47's photoreceptors flickered as if sensing the same.
"Observation: Unknown power readings escalating below. Probability of catastrophic emergence: 97.4%. Recommendation: Immediate tactical withdrawal."
The chamber shook again.
Stone cracked.Metal groaned.Something deep beneath the ancient Enclave began to stir.
Obi-Wan ignited his saber again.
"Kaelen—whatever is down there, it's not done waking."
HK cocked his blaster arm.
"Cheerful Announcement: A new enemy! I do so hope it screams."
Kaelen swallowed hard.
The ground split open once more—
And a roar unlike anything they had ever heard erupted from the darkness below.