A/N: The cave in this chap is described as it is because I find it hard to believe the in game location not a minute's walk from the enclave would have never been investigated over a thousand years or so.

Updated with end to chapter.

Chapter Eight

Flashing lights flickered in front of Alexa as red blade once more duelled yellow. The Jedi-Bastila her mind added-was shouting something, but the words were lost through the dulled quality of what she saw. Her opponent, cloaked in black robes overlaid with light armour, made no visible reply.

There was something different this time however; Alexa was consumed by the overwhelming feeling of not being alone. Someone was here with her in this murky dream state, a familiar presence she couldn't quite place.

Slowly the scene shifted away, and she was instead floating somewhere over what she knew to be the plains of Dantooine, moving forward into an open cave entrance to reveal two figures. First was a bald, pale skinned man with blue markings on his head, wearing light red armour, with a lightsaber clipped neatly to his belt. The second was shrouded in brown Jedi robes, though not entirely hiding her feminine figure, twin lightsabers her only other identifier. Some of the murkiness of the dream cleared, and she heard them speak as she once more felt the presence come to rest beside her.

"The ancient Jedi sealed this place before their records even began," the man said, running his hand over what Alexa realised was a wall of carved light stone, centring on a pattern in the very middle.

The woman didn't reply to her companion, instead reaching out a sleeve covered hand to the central circle of the wall's engraving. After a second, the wall split into four quarters, slipping sideways into the rock face to reveal a passageway before it, made up of blocks of the same off-white stone.

Across the room at that time, she heard a whisper, not of the time or place, but from the one she was watching this with.

"Alexa," it whispered with a familiar, female voice.

"Bastila," Alexa replied, recognising her as the scene began to fade. Something more was said as she was pulled away from the cave and into blackness.

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Waking up, Alexa was covered in a cold sweat, her breathing harsh as she sat up on her bunk on the Ebon Hawk. How the hell was Bastila of all people inside her dreams? It sounded like insanity, but she had heard and felt the Jedi woman with her, and those Jedi in that cave. Was that her own memory or something else entirely?

As quietly as she could, Alexa slipped from her bunk and got dressed, making sure not to disturb the sleeping twi'lek across the room. However, she left her vibro-weapons: she had no need of the weapons with two lightsabers in their place.

Walking through the ship to the rear boarding ramp, she felt almost that she knew Bastila would be waiting as she opened the hatch. True to her senses, the Jedi was waiting, looking slightly flustered.

"I have never, in all my time with the order heard of the like," she said, stepping up the ramp. "You saw it all as well, didn't you?"

"Aye, what just happened exactly?"

"I don't know. Where were you when it started?"

"Asleep, in my bunk. What about you?"

"I was meditating on, ah," Bastila looked slightly embarrassed, to which Alexa raised an eyebrow. "Well, you," she continued. "I was thinking on how to approach you on this afternoon's 'incident'."

"Incident?" Alexa replied confusedly.

"You attacked a room of padawans," Bastila stated, looking oddly at her.

"I offered a challenge, which Zhar accepted, but that's not important right now. What we know is you were concentrating on me; I was dreaming and, well, what? You invaded my dreams?"

"Firstly they would seem more like visions, and secondly how do you know if it's not the other way around?"

"I've seen the first before, of you fighting…" the name was on the tip of her tongue, she knew who the other character was.

"Darth Revan," Bastila answered, "on the bridge of the Sith flagship before Malak opened fire." Revan. The Jedi general turned Sith who went from eliminating the Mandalorian threat, to attacking the Republic with a suddenly amassed fleet.

"Right," Alexa confirmed, her mind whirling. "But the other one was here, on Dantooine."

"How do you know?"

"I just do, it's a cave a few klicks East."

"We should inform the council of this."

"No, we need to go there. I can feel it, the information we need is there." Somewhere from that dream, or vision, she felt the imperative to go to this place, to know. Alexa started for the cargo bay, where the swoop bike rested.

"But they said it was sealed away by the Jedi, that would be for a good reason." Bastila followed her into the small bay, gliding across the metal floor.

"I'm not a Jedi." Alexa replied, pressing a button to lower the bay to the ground, before jumping into the bike, settling herself into the drivers' seat. "You can either stay and inform the council, or come with me and get some answers. Up to you." Alexa looked at Bastila as the Jedi stood, torn between the need to report the strange happenings, and the want to know what this all meant.

After a long second, the Jedi slipped in, and Alexa powered up the engine. It was time to get some answers.

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The warm light of dawn was showing itself as the swoop wove its way through the grassy fields of Dantooine. Alexa squinted as light flooded the landscape, searching for what she knew had to be close by.

"Over there," Bastila said, breaking the silence that had existed since they set off. Alexa followed the direction the Jedi had pointed in and saw the jagged black cave entrance in a small cliff-side. Pulling the swoop up next to it, she stopped the engine.

As one, the pair slid out of the bike, and strode in-time to the cave entrance. True to their vision, the cave extended a small distance before being blocked off by the cream stone doorway, engraved with its twisting patterns.

"This is old, ancient even." Bastila said in wonder, surveying the stone.

"It was probably a building once, which this hill grew over with time," Alexa replied, instead concentrating on the central circle. She placed her hand on he symbol, and extended her senses outwards, into the wall. Within she found a mechanism, with a simple trigger that she pushed at with the force. Slowly, and with a great grinding noise, the wall split into four, moving aside for them to pass.

Together they stepped into a darkened room beyond, old lights flickering in the corners in response to their presence. The room was rectangular, with a wide door layered with metal bolts in front of them, and a door less exit to either side. In the dead centre of the room, a dilapidated black droid slowly powered up, its head lifting to look at them.

It chittered in a strange dialect, before the language switched to basic.

"-Systems rebooted, 60% failure on memory systems, motion servos non-functional."

"Hello?" Bastila questioned hesitantly. The droid's sputtering red eyes turned on her.

"Two visitors, one human female, one unknown species female. Both genetic keys match positive. Welcome to- Error, data lost."

"What are you?" Bastila inquired once more.

"Designation: IE Service droid 8-0-4-5-9. Left here by the –error, redacted- as keeper of the doors."

"Why would the doors need a keeper?" Alexa asked, something felt strange beyond the doors, a light ripple within the force.

"To certify the challenges are completed prior to entry."

"What challenges?" Bastila inquired, "what even is this place." The droid whirred for a moment before answering.

"Challenges must be completed to certify entry."

"It's not programmed with anything more than that," Alexa said, looking at the exits to each side. "I think the only way to find anything out, is to complete these challenges." The Jedi stared intently at the droid, before wordlessly making for the left hand exit. Alexa followed her into a long corridor, flickering lights flashing over the regal woman's face.

Beyond was a tall room, and as each of them inclined their heads upwards to look, there was a slight drop in the floor under them. Gears ground loudly in the walls, groaning from misuse. A door dropped down behind where they had entered, making them spin. Alexa reached out a hand to press against it, and feel for the mechanism in the force.

"There's a complex system of weights keeping it down," she murmered before her concentration was broken by more clanking. Around them on each wall, pillars and bars began sliding out from the flat surface. They didn't stop, constantly moving around to create what looked like an animated obstacle course.

"Up there," Bastila stated, pointing to where in the medley of moving pillars a lever was just visible by the ceiling.

"Right, we'll just need to get up there," Alexa replied, stroking her chin as she regarded the system, mapping the patterns and chartering a way up in her mind. She blinked as a golden shape flashed in one part, before her eyes caught up to the sight of Bastila jumping and flipping from place to place as she worked her way upwards. She moved back to stand against the wall as she surveyed the Jedi's performance of acrobatic ability, tracing her agile form intently. A/N: updated from here

Watching Bastila jump and fling herself from beam to beam was a show of amazing acrobatics, and Alexa found her higher brain functions shut down in lieu of watching the fluid grace of the Jedi. When she reached the top with a final, artful flip to press a hand to the panel, all the shifting stopped, and a clear stairway down moved into shape at the same time as the door opened behind them.

When the woman walked back down and out of the room, Alexa found herself blinking before hurrying after her. She couldn't think of quite another time she'd been so…captivated.

She caught up to Bastila standing by the droid as it gave its verdict.

"One task completed, one remains uncompleted. Both tasks must be completed prior to entry," it mechanically stated.

"I'm aware of that," the regal Jedi replied, turning towards the other doorway.

Once again, as they stepped through, the door slammed shut behind them. This room was somewhat different, an ancient looking computer console rested in front of three metal poles pointing up. Curiously, Alexa stepped over to the computer and pressed a few buttons experimentally. The screen lit up after a few moments, showing several green characters of an unrecognizable language. It stayed like that for a few seconds before the letters changed, though it was still indecipherable. When it changed for a third time however, she recognized it.

"That's Manaan, though fairly ancient looking," Alexa said to her companion, pressing a button to acknowledge that she understood the language. The machine seemed to process the answer for a moment before more text appeared, as well as a series of glowing rings on the left hand pole. With interest, Alexa read through the instructions on the screen before leaning back and rubbing her chin.

"What does it say?" Bastila inquired.

"It's a logic test," she explained, "move all the rings to the right hand pole, and never move a ring above another one, only below or else the system will short circuit and release an electrical wave-no, surge, an electrical surge."

"Which means?"

"We pass the test or it kills us," Alexa replied calmly, resting her hands upon the buttons. It was with surety that she solved the simple test after a few moments. Once the rings were aligned it beeped, shut down the computer and re-opened the door. "I'm surprised whatever this is is protected by such a simple thing."

"Indeed," Bastila agreed as they walked back towards where the droid was waiting.

"The challenges are completed; door to –error, redacted- has been opened. Shutting down," with that, the withered old droid sagged, light fading from its eyes. As it had said though, the final door opened up, revealing a corridor beyond.

Curiously, the pair approached the space, which was lined in pictorials.

"I think, that this was a temple once," Alexa stated tentatively.

"To what, or whom?" Bastila inquired curiously.

"Whatever those are," the ravenette replied, pointing at an odd figure with circles either side of their head.

"Probably an old god from more primitive times," Bastila said firmly.

Their archaeological curiosity faded when they entered the room at the end of the corridor. Although it had a low ceiling, and was small, it was more impressive than the rest of the Temple. The murals had increased in number, and detail, depicting battlefields and more of the gods from the corridor. It was the centrepiece that was the main point of attraction however.

"Is that an altar?" Bastila asked, staring at the spike with three black sides to form a very tall pyramid.

"It looks more like a pedestal," Alexa replied.

"It feels wrong. Corrupted."

Alexa could somewhat agree with that, it was if it sucked in the Force from the local area and that it had…soured, and it was as if the shadows clung to whatever it was. Tentatively, she reached out a pale hand to touch it, immediately flinching back as her senses were filled with something other than what they should.

Playing through her head, like visions, were four different locations. Her brain thumped and she could feel the rush of blood and discomfort at the sensation before the images fled her mind, and she returned to where she really was.

"Did you see that as well?" Bastila asked breathlessly, to which Alexa merely nodded, cradling her aching head. What in the kriffing hell was all this? Some part of her understood it though, for she knew what the thing in front of them was even as it began lowering its three arms.

"It's a star map," she stated, which was quickly confirmed as it finished opening and displayed a holographic sphere of blue, and several bright blips of light.

"This is the galaxy, but…half the planets and stars are missing." Alexa nodded at her companion.

"This, and four others, each with incomplete data, on different planets leading to something presumably. Whatever it was Malak and Revan were looking for, I guess."

"A cave, a jungle, an ocean, and a…tomb?"

"Tatooine, Kashyyyk, Manaan, and Korriban," Alexa replied, going back to cradling her head as it ached significantly.

"How do you know?"

"The same way I knew where this cave was," 'Because it feels like I've been here before,' she left unsaid. The sense of déjà vu was killing her almost as much as the headache. "By the Force, my head!"

"Visions are often not kind to their recipient," Bastila moved over to her, looking deep into her grey eyes with her own startling blue. "You need rest."

"What I need is a decent night's sleep without kriffing interruptions from stupid…" she trailed off, her anger leaving as quickly as it arrived. What were her dreams? Visions perhaps, like those today. Why was she seeing her past in such a way though.

She was torn from such thoughts as she stumbled while walking towards the exit, quickly caught by the Jedi beside her.

"Come on, let's get to the speeder," the brunette said soothingly, helping her weak body along. Normally, Alexa felt she would have waved someone off rather than being seen as weak, but somehow she just didn't feel the need to with Bastila.

On the trip back to the enclave, Alexa woke only once from her slumber. When she did, she looked up from her place in the side seat to see Bastila looking intently forwards, the golden sun once more framing her head as it had the day before. With a smile, Alexa drifted back once more into the realm of sleep, absently watching the wind play with brown locks of hair.

A/N: Well, there's a chapter that took a year to write. May be laying it on a bit thick too early with Bastila x Alexa, but I'm not too good with subtlety really. Anyway, I'm going to be primarily updating TSAE rather than this, but I do have some of chapter nine written so it will be up at some point when I have the time to write it.