Then with a little snort I simply turned away, and headed off after the tuk'ata, which quickened its pace the nearer and nearer it got to that suddenly ominous Temple.

[ 01-03-2005 09:02 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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...until at length she really thought about what had happened to her the last time she was here.

She had been drawn into the Temple, had gone into that room...

...and at length had been yanked from the place by Thoran himself, thankfully to later be rescued by Jharmeen, but...

"You ok?" Shayla heard Erik beside her query.

She shook herself from her thoughts. "Yeah, I think. And I'm really not meaning to sound so negative about all this stuff," she then said to everyone, "But I've got the creeps. Bad memories from the last time I was here suddenly coming back," she then explained, glancing to Erik who seemed to immediately take her meaning. He reached out and squeezed her hand.

"It'll be allright," he then assured, "We're all together this time."

She took a moment to look into his eyes...

...then got moving herself to join the others who had just begun heading towards the temple.

--------------------

"Hey, I guess we'll save the smootchies for later then," he whispered to himself.

He then winked at the wind, blew a kiss towards the receding Shayla, and took off after the rest.

[ 01-03-2005 09:11 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Thoran ]

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...he wasn't going to be wandering all that far away. For even with his seeming knowledge of Sith events and such, Terrin still wasn't quite sure whether they could entirely trust Thoran...

...so he for one was going to keep a good eye out...or at least, he was going to try the best that he could.

--------------------

The tuk’ata led them to the temple steps once again. Without hesitation it walked through the main antechamber, growling when it passed the corridor that led to the steps of the underground labyrinth. It hurried past and into a longer hallway. Phalomir followed Jharmeen, who in turn followed Galen. Panther stayed behind Phalomir, followed by Shayla, Erik, Jasyn, and Terrin. The tuk’ata paused at a set of double doors and looked backwards past everyone, glaring at Panthar.

--------------------

“I know this door,” he whispered. “But I probably don’t have to whisper, do I? This is where we found the frozen Phal and Gray, remember, Erik?”

Panthar pushed gently past Phalomir and pushed open one of the doors. Not surprisingly, there were two dark slabs on the floor, each about 1 meter square. A set of controls were visible on each, with a red light glowing from a diode. The floor was wet, and three sets of footprints led to the wall and stopped.

“But they’re not here now,” he said gravely.

--------------------

“I believe that is a mystery for later, Panthar. We have more pressing matters at the moment, that one will wait for us.”

The tuk’ata, as if in understanding, snorted and continued walking.

“I hope,” Phalomir added.

The tuk’ata led the group through more hallways. The deeper they went into the temple, the more twisted and turned the corridors and side passages became. It was if this part of the temple was designed to be a maze, to keep intruders confused perhaps.

Soon the tuk’ata stopped once more, this time in front of a non-descript door in long hallway of other doors. It walked a few steps more, then paused, and turned surprisingly nimbly in the small hallway.

Phalomir looked at all of his companions. All seemed to be looking back at him as if to say “hey, it’s your Clan!”

He nodded and pushed open the door.

The room was fairly small, but would easily accommodate the group. It was dark, the only light coming from a small white orb in the middle of the ceiling. The room held only a small table along the far wall, and on it was a silver dome.

“All right,” said Phalomir. “I’m open to suggestions.”

--------------------

She reached a trembling hand to the dome.

And staggered back a quarter of the trembling distance she had just traveled. Upon her brow, the Glyph flared in protest, blasting forth in dazzling splendor to dim the ceiling orb, reflecting off of the silvery dome to then blast into the eyes of those in the little group.

The tuk'ata yowled a protest, and she gasped, struggling to maintain her footing.

"There is great power here," she finally managed, steadying herself and fighting to dim the flaring sigil on her forehead.

"But... I cannot even touch it."

--------------------

“Um, maybe this is too simple, but um, maybe only the Dark Lord of the Armorers can touch it?”

Phalomir, in silent agreement, walked to join Jharmeen. He could feel the power emanating from the object, as if it were drawing him to it. He looked down at her, caught her eyes, and exhaled deeply. He then nodded again and turned to face the dome. He stepped forward and placed both hands on it.

The orb in the ceiling surged, then dimmed. The dome parted in the center and folded itself into the table, revealing another object.

It was a small block of what appeared to be stone, with a head at the top from which protruded two grips. It resembled an anvil of sorts, such as the blacksmiths of the clans would use.

Panthar turned to Terrin.

“Well, is that it?” he called back.

--------------------

“Well,” said Thoran, behind Terrin’s voice. “Gee, I don’t know. If it smells like a womprat, and it tastes like a womprat, maybe it’s a Shaldok? I can’t believe you have to rely on ME for this. Yes, that’s it!”

Phalomir turned to Thoran, hesitation in his eyes. He then looked to Jharmeen as if looking for some sort of confirmation.

“Oh, cripes,” Thoran called out, “either grab the dang thing or kiss her, but get on with it either way!”

--------------------

--------------------

He reached for the two grips, placing one hand on each. The tattoo on his forehead flashed into life, streaking bright white tendrils in all directions. His immediately stiffened, his entire body suddenly straight as his eyes flew wide open to stare into nothing.

Swirling mists surrounded Phalomir’s mind. No longer seeing his companions, the space in front of him transformed into a long hallway. Lining the hallway on both sides were many Sith, each dressed in opulent robes and holding a torch. At the end of the hallway was the familiar form of Lord Rean, who now beckoned Phalomir to step forward.

Phalomir took a step, and the first of the robed figures lowered his torch to block the path. From behind his hood, the Sith spoke.

“The Clan of the Armorers is the oldest of the Clans,” the hollow voice whispered. “Heed well the words of those who have gone before you.”

The torch lifted and Phalomir proceeded. The next torch lowered and the figure holding it spoke.

“The burden of Dark Lord is not taken lightly,” the voice rang out. “The responsibility is carried not only through life, but through death itself. There must always be a Dark Lord of the Clan, less the race itself falter into non-existence. If the living body can no longer be the temple of the Dark Lord’s soul, the temple itself shall be. Such is the secret of the clan, such is the tie of the temple and the Place of Places.”

Phalomir started at this bit of wisdom, but continued down the hall when the torch lifted. The next Sith dipped his torch.

“The Triumvirate is more than a ruling body,” the shrouded Sith spoke. “Governments are only as strong as the will and cunning of the persons who run them. Triumvirate is the spirit of the Sith, the strength of the race. Government is power only, the true strength lies in something different. Think carefully of what you strive for as an individual, and you will see the meaning of Triumvirate.”

One by one, each of the previous Dark Lords halted Phalomir and passed on a bit of wisdom. He paid close attention to each, allowing the words to filter into his mind. At last he reached the end of the hallway, and faced Lord Rean. Rean held a white glowing scepter in his hands.

“The clan has been without a Dark Lord for too long,” the spirit said boldly. “For even as I breathed, the clouds of darkness had spread though the Triumvirate. The clan is now scattered, the halls of the temple are quiet and laced with the sins of the past. But what is, is, and cannot be undone. But you, Phalomir, have the charge of beginning a new time, and the choices you make will determine the course of that time. Fear not that you are disjoint, for time is of little meaning in the natural order of all things. It is a fluid state, it is not a constant.”

Lord Rean lifted the scepter and proffered it to Phalomir.

“In taking this you are given a choice,” the spirit continued. “Each of us before you were made to choose, some wisely, some not. It is a simple choice, the same that lies before all in the course of one’s life. In the end, you shall have your answers, or die asking the questions. Take this, and begin your quest, and make your choice.”

Save for the cracking of the torches, the hallway became silent. The flames danced along the walls, and the white glow of the scepter cast a shadow on the wall behind Lord Rean. Phalomir stared at the scepter. It was a simple shaft, with a single white jewel embedded at the top in a small sphere. With a nod, Phalomir reached out with both hands and accepted it.

To the observers, it lasted only a few short seconds. The tattoo dimmed, and Phalomir released his grip on the Shaldok. His hands moved to his chest, as if they were clutching something to his body. His eyes searched and found the face of Jharmeen. His mouth curled into the start of a smile, then his eyes glassed over, his face went blank, his legs buckled and the Dark Lord of the Armorer Clan collapsed to the floor, unmoving.

The dome slid shut over the Shaldok.

--------------------

"Phalomir!" she called out, rising concern evident in the tone of her voice.

"Are you all right? What has happened? Have you been shown any answers?"

She fell forward, laying the side of her head on his chest.

"What are we to do now?" she whispered, feeling suddenly small and insignificant with the sudden surety that, for all the power which was at her command, in this one instance she was as weak and helpless as a tiny bird.

--------------------

“Oh, yeah,” he said meekly. “I forgot about that part. Um, he has to let the knowledge accept him… or something like that. Um, he should be out for just a little bit, then he’ll wake up and have the combined knowledge of the Dark Lords of the Armorers. All we need to do is wait, heh.”

Thoran wiped his forehead with Terrin’s sleeve.

“Or,” he said under his breath, “he could die trying to accept it all.”

--------------------

--------------------

The dark look I shot at Thoran was suddenly truncated when, from the dark corners of the chamber, our tuk'ata buddy suddenly began behaving in a manner most un-tukata-like. First it reared back on its haunches, face tendrils waving frantically, massive paws slicing the air as it waved them about. Then the room resounded with a mighty thunk as it came down upon all fours, only to bow it's head and scrape the cold stones of the floor with its fangs.

It then straightened, whirled an exact ninety degrees, repeated the performance, straightened, whirled, and again went through the pawing and scraping. After the fourth such antic, it returned to center stage, where it lifted its face to the ceiling and set the atmosphere ringing with a totally unexpected, extremely powerful but haunting song.

One with which, of course, the very rocks making up the Temple joined in.

My jaw dropped to lay, shocked, beside my feet. I couldn't move a muscle, found I really didn't want to in fact, that all I wanted to do was just sit there and take in the beauty of that other-worldly chorus now echoing about our heads.

[ 01-03-2005 10:54 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Galen ]

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"He will accept this, I know he will.

"He is strong."

Saying no more, she merely picked up one limp hand between the two of hers, squeezing it with all her strength, that even in whatever state the Sith was finding himself in, he would feel this.

Whichever of the two the gesture was meant to appease, she wasn't quite sure. She just sat there, holding onto his hand, waiting to see his eyes open.

--------------------

She turned inward as the song continued.

Was it now Phalomir's turn to choose Love or Power? Perhaps indeed it was...

...and that choice would most definitely determine the course which many more would follow. And perhaps the whole Universe at that, since every little thing impacts everything else in some way.

All to meet an end already preordained. Depending upon which road was chosen, of course...

Even as she pondered these things, Shayla still struggled to move...

...but managed at length to step closer to Phalomir and Jharmeen as she continued to bask in the song surrounding them, and the song she was beginning to find somewhere within.

"I am here to help, should my healing abilities be of any use," Shayla then stated, still standing but remaining close by.

[ 01-03-2005 11:10 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Shayla Stargazer Petrolu ]

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He waited, expecting a barrage of voices to ask him questions or demand him to make a choice. But there was nothing more than the quiet whispers.

Rean said the sins of the past haunt the hallways. I am charged with beginning a new time. Interesting choice of words, my Lord, for indeed we all are to begin time anew. But what of the knowledge? Wisdom you have passed, advice perhaps, but there is more. There is history, things perhaps even the great library of the Sith would not know?

But there is a saying, “knowledge is power,” and with power comes responsibility. The power to face Aelvedaar, the power to bring the rule of the Sith back to a real Triumvirate. The power to prepare the race for the coming of the Vong, that is my destiny! The Sith shall be strong once more, shall be ruled by strength. That is what is offered.

He voice of Jharmeen rose softly above the whispers. It was too faint to be clear, even with the keen hearing of the Sith, but it brought a new thought into Phalomir’s mind. A thought that originated not from logic, but from the heart.

No, the choice is not to whether to accept the responsibilities, that was made upon taking the scepter, was it not? Earlier than that, it was made upon my encounter with Lord Rean. But the choice I do see is a simple one. It is the same given to all life, and in the choosing we define who we are, and how we live our lives with what is offered. Do we use our gifts, our responsiblites, to attain power? The question is now clear, as the answer is indeed clear, it was always clear. Knowledge is but a tool, the answers come from another place. She was correct. I take the responsibilities, I accept the knowledge, and in the choosing, I choose…

And to the darkness, the whispers, to those who had come before, and to the room of companions, he declared his answer.

“Not power.”

Phalomir’s eyes fluttered open, his focus returning after a few blinks.

“Not power,” he repeated, softly, looking into Jharmeen’s eyes.

[ 01-03-2005 11:31 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

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She smiled, just a bit at first, then more broadly as his own vision cleared in front of her eyes.

"I knew you were strong, as do I know you will lead your people wisely," she said, not knowing how it was she knew this, simply knowing that a promise of it shone out from his eyes more brightly than could ever shine the light which rang forth from her Glyph.

"And you will begin by removing this seductive threat which has haunted them for so long... with me to help you, my love."

Basking in the song, lost in the splendor of the green of Life, she waited to partake in whatever it was she had to do to assure the Place of Places was removed from the universe, all achieved without harming a single hair on the head of any of the wildlife which thronged upon it.

The answer was so easy, had been in front of their noses all along, had in fact been bandied about and seemingly overlooked upon more than one occasion.

"We can achieve the unachievable, my love; we can bring life and light to darkness."

She sat back on her heels, letting her hands fall to lie limply in her lap. The look she kept pinned on Phalomir, however, was deathly serious.

"Shayla was right. We must move this planet into the Elseness... along with its sister and its sun.

"Light and life where none has been... and in the eternal moment of that timeless place, life shall continue on Koris'ian for the rest of eternity."

[ 01-03-2005 11:56 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Graysith ]

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“The effects upon the wildlife and vegetation of each planet should be negligible, if at all. The gravitational pull of the yellow star upon the red dwarf may have some adverse effects on the two other planets, I shall need to run an analysis, but this is indeed the start of a plan with much merit.”

He sat up, his eyes glowing with glee. A smile creased his face, and as he came into a sitting position he took Jharmeens hands from her lap and held them in his own hands.

“Oh, my lady, I’ve barely had time to tell you how happy I am for your safety, for your return. Without you I am only a fraction of myself, and together--” his smile widened, a laugh accompanying his words, “together we will move worlds.”

“If it were simple, we would not actually have to move the planets. The trick could be for you to open a portal large enough to allow each planet in turn to pass into via its own orbit. The star would be exceptionally tricky with that method, as it does not move, at least not enough to make that plan work. In addition, you would need to keep the portal open for a very long time.”

Phalomir stood, his face alight with thought. Jharmeen stood with him.

“And the distance between the planets and the star would need to be constant, else the temperature changes would have a radical effect upon the life on the planets. No, we need to send the entire trio into the Elseness at once, all at the same time, do we not?”

Phalomir stopped to breath, his hands still holding Jharmeen’s. He noticed this and laughed, then gave her hands back to her.

[ 01-05-2005 12:31 AM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

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"But how to do it? Yes, there is the rub."

She lifted her head, stared into Phalomir's green eyes for a moment before lifting her head further to look into the periwinkle ones that yet towered over them. They merely blinked noncommitally; with a sigh she rose to her feet and addressed the group.

"The task is before us. This planet, it's sister and their sun must be moved into the Elseness... all in one fell swoop. I have the ability to create a portal, but I must make one large enough to encompass a very great deal of spacetime; additionally, since these bodies cannot be propelled through the portal by their own mechanics, they must somehow be induced, or pushed.

"This requires great power; the All is, as our friend here has stated--"

She indicated the great Eyes with a respectful bow of her head.

"--the All is the Life's Blood. Accomplishing this feat is but nothing to its power. However, although I use the All, I have not had enough experience to plumb completely into its depths.

"I need assistance... I have not the ability to wield the All as I must on my own."

--------------------

“So, you plan to put the whole star system into this Elseness thing… ok. But you are not strong enough to do it… ok. So, you need assistance… ok. But the only others that we know of who might even begin to be powerful enough to help are, um, maybe the Master, Aelvedaar, and that monster Roan. Soooo…..”

He smacked his lips once and scratched his ear.

“I take it that the All wasn’t something that the Armorers made a lot of devices for, eh, Phal?”

--------------------

Phalomir turned to Jharmeen.

“There is some very surprising information, my lady. The planet was moved here using a device that amplified Sith magick and allowed it to form a bond with something else, something others of our party have some knowledge of. There is a conspiracy of sorts, a secret collaboration. Two thousand years before Aelvedaar reached into the future to find an escape from the Dark Jedi, the Sith were visited by other users of the Force: the Jedi Order themselves.”

Phalomir could feel the unrest in the room, especially from Shayla and Erik. He smiled at them and spoke louder.

“As we know, there is something extremely special about this planet. The Sith saw it, as did the Jedi. It once was a moon of Korriban, nondescript, except for the abundant plant and wildlife upon it. The Jedi were called here, following what they said was a ‘convergence of the Force’, but it was indeed more than that, as they soon discovered. To make a long story short, the Sith would not relinquish control of the moon, but agreed to hide the secrets of the world. You see, in its current position at the time, it was physically impossible for life to exist here. The proximity to Korriban, the temperate and atmospheric problems that should have been occuring but were not – it made no sense! The planet was moved here, to a position in space that would explain how a world so small could sustain the life it has, and the Clan of Armorers was put here to protect the secrets – and to learn from them as well.”

Phalomir looked back to Jharmeen, but still spoke so the others could hear.

“But through the centuries, the Clan discovered some of the other secrets. What our hovering, large-eyed friend has not mentioned is that Korris’ian is still tied to Korriban. It is a balance: while this planet thrives, Korriban is desolate. The Life’s Blood flows from one world to the next, as it flows in all things, but in this particular case the term ‘Life’s Blood’ is more literal. Without Korriban, Korris’ian would be very different. An example of this connection lies in The Black River, which was once home to the Rael N'kuht, a thriving valley in an all-but-dead world. We do indeed need to move both planets, and the sun.”

Phalomir paused, allowing his companions to process this information, and awaited any questions they might have so far.

[ 01-05-2005 09:40 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Phalomir ]

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"Am I right to understand that the collaboration between the Jedi and the Sith was that together they moved Korris'ian into an orbit about the sun, in order to hide the fact that life existed on a moon where conditions precluded it?"

She stared round the party, then drew in a deep breath as logic reached an obvious, at least to her, conclusion.

"Then-- are you saying as well that it was a combination of Sith Magick and the Force which was used to move the planet?

"If this is the case...

"How did they do it?"

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