There. That's Dreshdae. Spaceport should be near the center of the ruins.

Ithron nodded. There certainly seemed to be some sort of ruined structure ahead. It made sense to head to the centre of the ruins and use the spaceport as a landing site. With a few hand movements, he had the computer slow the small vessel steepen the descent. A second later, the ship trailing them disappeared off the scopes as the heat generated by the hull of the shuttle on entry temporarily knocked out the sensor array.

The ship began to shake as the it decended.

"Hmm. That's odd." Ithron noted, speaking out loud. "We shouldn't be getting this much turbulence. I'm sure..."

As the ground got nearer, Ithron became increasingly aware of the Force signature of the planet. He was used to the presence of the Dark Side - Xa Fel ensured that Ithron was comfortable, even used to, it. Here, though, there was something else. The power in this place seemed far more.... organic. The power in Xa Fel, by comparison, seemed ordered, clinical and logical. It was the power of the library, of the courtroom, of Roman Legions. Here, on Korriban was the power of barbarian hordes.

The ship was now flying at just over rooftop level but Ithron could see little of the surface - the dust kicked up by the shuttle obscured everything beyond more than a few tens of metres. He could neither see, nor sense, anything else in the immediate area besides Mira. There appeared to be strong Force Signatures elsewhere on the planet. Ithron couldn't identify them, only be aware of their being there.

Sighting the remains of a landing pad, Ithron brought the shuttle into a hover and gently lowered it to the ground. Once it was at rest, he deactivated the engines and the omnipresent hum that had become so familiar faded. Out of habit, Ithron checked his weapons.

"What do you reckon then?" he asked his companion, half genuinely asking and half teasing her. "Where are you planning to head, now we're here?"

Shadows. Darkness.

Not a physical darkness, though there was much of that as well. But a spiritual darkness, a darkness so deep that it seemed to penetrate everything. It was the darkness of a black hole, the complete absence of light, a space so full of the Dark Side that it drew all else into itself and smothered it.

Mira took a step forward, fear running up and down her spine. She tried to run through the Jedi calming techniques, at least those that she remembered, but without the ability to use the Force as she once had, it was significantly more difficult. But there was something here she needed to do.

Taking a deep breath, she took another step forward, careful to avoid any more skeletons. This was a dangerous place. Even had she not studied the history of the Sith and the Jedi so extensively, she would have understood that much. The danger, fear, anger, aggression…it was almost overwhelming.

Another step. Another step into the Valley of the Dark Lords.

“What am I going to do?” Skygge repeated, raising one eyebrow. “I’m going to do what I came here to do. And I’m going to survive.”

With that, Ithron set the ship down on the remains of the Dreshdae landing platform and shut it down. Skygge was on her feet almost immediately, moving towards the exit ramp. She got in one last comment before exiting the cockpit, though. “Ithron, last time I survived because I had cut myself off from the Force and was just getting it back. The Dark Side is strong here, and there are creatures that hunt through the Force. You don’t want to meet them."
***

“Their ship’s gone planetside,” Max said, staring at the scanners. “Here,” he continued, pointing. “Shouldn’t be hard following them down.”

Marek shook his head. “If Ben is right, and that is a Sith down there, then we don’t want to land right on top of her. Especially if she brought friends. We need to see what we’re dealing with first. Are there any other possible landing areas?”

Max pulled up a scan of the planet’s surface. “There is one. See here, this long flat canyon? We could land there undetected, probably.”

Ben stared over Max’s shoulder and narrowed his eyes. Calming his mind, he reached out. “I feel…strange. Darkness flows from that planet in waves. It is almost impenetrable. A cloud across my vision.” His eyes snapped open, wide with horror. “I know what this place is.”
***

“Did they notice us?” Thessalia asked her sister – not biological, of course, but sister in the Force.

Ishara slowly shook her head. “I’m not sure. Whether they did is no consequence to us, though. We have our task.

“Still, I think it would be best if we avoided the spaceport. What other landing areas are there?”

One of the other sisters glanced at the map of the planet that Lupercus had provided them. “There used to be a hanger bay somewhere near this valley. Perhaps we could land there?”

Ishara shook her head. “No. Lupercus wants us to let the Sith into the Academy first, then trap them there. No, I think we’ll instead set down in the Valley. It should provide cover for our purposes. And the darkness will hide us from prying eyes.”
***

Dreshdae was still deserted, just as it had been the last time Skygge had come here. The population had long since moved on. Rumor had it that Darth Vader himself had come through Dreshdae, long ago, during his apprenticeship, though what he did here remained a mystery to her. And most likely the records were confused. Still, it pleased her to know that she likely stood where the great Sith himself had stood.

Ithron descended the ramp behind her, weapons strapped to his body. “You’re the expert, ‘Darth Skygge.’” He said mockingly. “So, where do we go from here?”

She blinked once, refusing to turn and face him. Pointing a finger, she indicated what looked to be a collapsed doorway. “That used to be the main entrance to the rest of the city,” she said, getting her bearings. “It’s sealed tight, and wedged in place by the rubble that has collapsed around it.”

Ithron’s eyes narrowed. “So how do we get in?”

Skygge closed her eyes, remembering. “There should be an opening nearby, a vent of some sort, that was opened up when the rubble collapsed. We can enter there; it should take us into what used to be a cantina. From there we can pass through the city towards the old Academy.”

The other Sith nodded, his eyes glancing around for threats. “Then let’s do it. Lead the way, ‘Darth Skygge.’”