Chapter 30 — Unearthings
Chillum
“They are Mak’Tora Runes…albeit of an little ancient dialect, and the crests on the columns are of the Xandir clan.” Le’Nas’Vam of the M’Tzigon museum explained summarising the initial findings of the Shrine beneath the Temple
They were in the labs beneath the museum, the crystal sitting in a safe field slowly changing from light to dark blue, Chillum himself, Len and Kir’Kas’Ren, a Silver Knight and responsible for analysing unusual Force artefacts, most recently Zearics daggers and the Oblivion Orbs, albeit with little success.
And of course Karmack who had refused to leave the crystal unattended and escorted it the whole way to the museum, his son-in-laws face etched with a mix of anxiety and anger.
“So far we’ve been unable to translate the words, there seems to be a…cipher of sorts in use…we’ve tried traditional ones, Clan names and such, but no success so far.”Kir’Kas explained having finalised his preliminary examination.
“And the crystal?” Chillum asked.
“That is a curiosity…it seems to have a suppressive quality, the likes of which we wouldn’t have even realised had we not spent so much time with Zearic daggers…we think it works as a kind of shadow field similar to Stygium crystals which are used in cloaking devices, pure ones - rare it must be said - were used historically by Jedi and Sith Shadows and assassins to augment stealth abilities,”
“But this is a Kyber?”
“It is, but it’s been - programmed - one might say…whoever made this was familiar with Stygium but wanted the better Force ‘capacity’ of Kyber.”
“Stygium…” Karm chewed leaning over the crystal in its small sealed transparisteel analysis chamber on the desk.
Chillum checked his watch, it had been just over two hours since they had gotten the crystal…
“I thought Kage Racc wanted to see you about now Son?”
Karm dismissed his concern
“This is more important, that crystal called out to me as soon as it was touched,”
“Master Mack…” Kirk interrupted…
“Not to underestimate your abilities…but we only just found this crystal, working all nighters it will take weeks to…”
Karm wasn’t even listening to his petty concerns, staring at the crystal in the field, it looked much like the ancient one, perhaps more smoothed on the edges, more oval shaped...feminine?
Without asking he reached out to touch it, deactivating the stasis field with a thought.
“Son be careful…” Chillums warning fell on deaf ears
As Karmack caught up the blue crystal, cool and light, yet unresponsive to touch it seemed.
He probed gently with the force…but it seemed…slippery, diiffuse…a thread there in the distance…stretched out…
Stealth indeedHe paused considering whether to use the Ancient One to enhance his probe…Chillum too wondered the same thing.
If it were Chillum…he would be cautious, putting too much power in a strange crystal was dangerous, it may have been found beneath the Temple surrounded by Mak’Tor runes…but were they warnings not to use it in a dialect long forgotten? And then those Aertemis girls had been in there for nearly an hour alone with it…had they set a trap?
Karmack considered none of these issues, confident in his connection to the Song and the power of the Ancient one- he was a Master Singer affirmed by Odjina himself – if anyone, in deed the only one who could scry the secrets was him.
Opening a channel of power he allowed the melodies of the Force all about him to flood in…there was Lens, Kirks…Chillum strongest of all…the underlying beats of the city of Sierra…
He focused in on the wavelengths closer to the crystal…faint…only the highest notes…closer still…the upper quarter of the spikes of song…closer still…there a pattern, a steady and gentle flow that wanted to stay close to the underlying rhythms of the force…stealth by subsuming within nature, elegant he thought…closer…
A blinding flare of blue hit him from all sides – his stomach was retched in a queer parallel to his vision surviving the thought bomb…the Ancient one burned in…
Recognition?“Whoa…”
He was not in the lab…no…yes…no…it was a workshop…queer archaic devices neatly arranged on the tables, metal arms holding two crystals that looked so familiar yet so…different…
IncompleteThere was a figure sitting beside another crystal whose outlines were so much like the one found in the Shrine…
A man, weary, determined…the Force flowing through him to the crystal…he was a filter for the power of Life, adjusting, choosing and shaping what flowed into the crystal….he was making it…creating the crystal Karmack was touching millennia later….it could only be
Klu Xandir himself!But then what was this crystal? Karmack knew of only the Ancient One – also known as the Sunfire, and the lost Starfire…what was the third?
As if in answer Klu stretched out his task finished and lifted the blue crystal to the light
“For you Kay…the light of the Moon that shone in your eyes and under which you would run…”
Kay…who was Kay?Before he could get any answer he was back in the lab Chillum starting at him
“…arm…Karm…”
“I…I’m fine…just a vision…the…he…I saw Klu Xandir himself making this crystal…it was for Kay…the Moon…the Star…the Sun…the third piece, the Lost One, the Hidden One…the Moonshadow…its Song…I can hear it…I could always hear it…”
He stopped dead as he heard it…everywhere…and
Everytime… it was part of the background of M’Tzigon it was…
“ha…hahaha…Genius!” he boomed out
“This is…our first line of defence…the Moonshadow! It…is in the Song but it holds it, counters it, covers it up…disguises our use of the Force! A stealth device for
the whole planet! it masks our use of the Force with a counter song of such…such precision…such amazing precision…Klu was a true genius!”
Images, ideas, faces flicked across his mind as he opened a Channel
into the Moonshadow its history laid bare…
“And Dorian…he must’ve worked out how to use it…then…Odjina…he took it with him, set it here after the Exile…before he went to Vyth for the second colony…but never had time to…he had an idea…but didn’t…”
From the elation of Klu and Dorians, Genius Karmack suddenly felt the depth of tragedy for Odjina well in him once more…
“If he had time he would’ve made another…hidden Vyth in the same way…”
He had to focus…this discovery was…as important as the Ancient One…possibly more for this affected the whole planet
“If I can duplicate it…we can cloak all our knights, our ships…healing centres…not fully but at least in part…give us an edge…”
Chillum and Lens simply stared blankly.
For the last
three minutes Karmack had been babbling…his mouth running like a man on Death sticks, fast and incomprehensible…occasionally Chillum caught some words – Dorian, Cloak, there was an Odjina in there too. He leaned forward and grasped his son in laws arms
“Karm…Karm…Kirk get the healers!”
Karmack suddenly stopped
“What…why nothing is wrong, weren’t you listening?! This is wonderful…the edge we need!”
“Karm, you've been talking gibberish for minutes…”
How could they not understand…it was so obvious…but…they can’t hear the song…I keep forgetting…they’re so...deaf to everything“I…sorry I got carried away…but…” he looked to the crystal in his hand
“We need to put this back...it has an important role here on M’Tziogn, until I understand it better it needs to remain.” He glanced over to a printout of the rune from the Shrine, it explained the function of the crystal as he had just seen in the vision.
“But…it says it right there?”
Chillum looked at the print out.
“You can read that?”
“Of course…isn’t it obvious?”
Len looked astounded at him “It’s in a cipher…what is it?”
“Cipher…its…”
Karmack stared more intently…they were right it was…gibberish
“It’s covered by the Song…only a singer attuned to the crystal can read it…but I can translate,”
“Maybe you should sit down first son,”
“No…no time,” he pushed off Chillum and grabbed a pen
Chillum had heard of amulets that allowed bearers to read ancient Sith scripts, it made sense a Mak’Tor might use a similar method…and he was genuinely happy for Karmack, he had obviously found something important…still as he looked in Len and Kirks worried faces…
What is this power doing to you Son?Even as he thought his commlink buzzed on high in his pocket, leaving Karmack to frantically write he clicked it on, the chime was Arnor’s
“Love, what's the matter?”
“Dad where are you, we need to speak now,”
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Arnor
“We must go there straight away…find out what Aertemis has done…”
Karmacks tone broached no argument as they stood in the museum lab surrounded by barely legible scribblings of the translations from the shrine.
The father looked as drained and frantic as the son after Ken explained what he had not found.
Len, Kirk and Chillum all bore grave expressions, but ever the voice of reason Chillum spoke.
“We don’t know it was Aertemis,”
“Of course it was” Karmack snapped, “They are doing everything they can to destroy us, first Mendax now Morrigan, it fits the pattern,”
A pattern we only have your word for Arnor found herself thinking. Perhaps it was her anger at him literally running out to be with a crystal instead of her, she wanted to believe her husband but he was increasingly on edge.
Disturbingly she found herself agreeing with Cha in that respect. Her husband was not slowing down after the battle - if anything speeding up.
And she felt he was leaving her behind.
“You should speak to the Kage son,” Chillum said calmly
“She’s expecting you, I’ll check the cavern with Ken, call Ju’Lus to get some Silvers together on the way to help check it out thoroughly,”
Begrudgingly Karmack agreed,
“Fine, The Kage ought to know,” he checked his Chrono. It was nearly midnight.
He strode straight past Arnor, he hadn’t said a word , not even a glance.
Was she being selfish to expect some small nod of acknowledgement given the stress of the situation?
The door slid shut behind her husband as her father came up to her.
“You alright love,”
“Fine…” she lied
“Just tired,”
Chillum simply placed his hand on her shoulder seeing in her face every doubt and pain his daughter was feeling.
“I know love, I know, we just have to try and keep him grounded,”
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