Ask Knowing the Unknowable

[Vizim]

At his core, Vizim was a seeker. He found things that others couldn't, typically people, but today it was something different. The Sith had ruled the galaxy as an Empire multiple times and even acquired enormous resources when in hiding. Throughout the millenia they had constructed temples on worlds near and far. Hidden temples.

After careful study and meditation, Vizim had finally derived the coordinates of a temple that was allegedly untouched. Deep in the Unknown Region and beyond the touch of the galaxy.

He would have preferred to travel the route alone, but he knew from reading documents about the temple at Malachor that it was likely that he would need a second person in order to navigate many of the rooms. He didn't want to get all the way out there only to find he couldn't even get inside.

Add to that the fact that the Unknown Region was notoriously difficult to pilot, and one Sith had come to mind as a potential partner in his expedition. Lord Tiamat was both a skilled pilot and one of the few Sith he actually worked with before. It seemed like a logical match.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

If Tiamat was being honest with herself, it really didn't matter where they were going, it was piloting through unknown regions that sold her on the expedition with Vizim. Tiamat was not someone who really ogled over temples and history unlike her teacher, but if anyone were to ask her to take them to one of these mystical places glorified in history books, she was on it. Though, Tia was uncertain if Vizim had gotten to the point to ask her if she would pilot, she seemed on board with the idea as soon as he mentioned Unknown Regions.

At least she didn't need to take her own ship, she was not too keen on the idea of moving her stuff to clear the way for a guest who could potentially touch something and misplace an important note. She guessed his ship was decent, not the best, but not the worst, what mattered it was workable, especially the navi-computer that seemed to be having a stroke as Tiamat senses guided them through treacherous stardust and whatever else resided in this part of the galaxy.

The ship jolted as it some sort of an anomaly, rapid beeping sounded along with flashing on the control console and Tiamat quickly flipped some of the blinking switches to reset from the surge. She inhaled and continued to focus, the coordinates rapidly approaching. "Strap in." she directed, pulling the yoke toward her as she rested her other palm on the center panel levers. There were more alarms sounding, now from the navi-computer as the numbers blinked in rapid succession, "3...2...1..." and Tiamat gently pulled on the levers, the stars surrounding the ship fell back into stillness and they had returned to the real-space of their destination.

Tiamat inhaled when she saw the world sit before them in the matte black of space. She didn't even break a sweat as she guided the ship through the atmosphere.

"Not a bad find..." she nodded in approval.

@Phoenix

 

[Vizim]

There was wailing from the navigation alarm as she tore through the Unknown Region at what Vizim deemed "suicidal speed." This wasn't how he wanted to die, and he found one arm clutching at the armrest of the copilot seat while the other tried to shut up the collision and navigation alarms.

Kriff, you're gonna get us killed, he growled, hearing the sound of a rumble as something solid bounced off the Hunter's shields. Kriff!

Yeah! I got that! he said as she told him to strap in. He was already secured by every strap he had available.

If she breaks this ship, there's no way out, he thought to himself. A crash landing would be fatal for all intents and purposes.

The ship made another short jump and then the stars turned back into pinpricks. He let out a sigh of relief as the desert world came into view below. While he wouldn't admit it, he was glad she had agreed to come along. He was relatively certain he would have jumped them straight into one of the asteroids in order to avoid the last blackhole.

He watched as she lowered the ship into the atmosphere and reached out to the terminal in front of him.

Coordinates point to here, he said, pointing to a spot on the holodisplay of the planet.

How are we doing on fuel and power? he asked. The shields had taken a few hits, but she had done a good job of keeping them out of the way of the asteroid fields.

The ship set down lightly and he peered out the viewport at the temple beyond. There she was. He had no doubt it would try to kill them too, but that would come in due time.

Good work getting us here, he added after he finished brooding over the rough trip here. They were beaten up but alive.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tiamat hummed in agreement as she transferred the coordinates into the navigation system, guiding the ship to a flat and stable surface near their destination. Luckily much of the world was very flat and open, especially near the entrance of the temple. She touched her surroundings with the Force, feeling the dark side stir, sending long, slow ripples through the fabric of the Force. There seemed to be little resistance, but much like any place where the dark side resided, there was a hunger that called for those eager enough to seek it.

Her eyes refocused as she looked to the fuel and power readings; the woman grinned, "Still good, she's a hardy ship." Tiamat stated with a small grin and gently patted the console as though she were praising her pet. "Getting out of here will be easier now that there is more a path traced." she explained saving the coordinate records for their flight off-world. Tia landed the ship without further issue; Vizim seemed to relax once he was reassured they won't explode mid-flight. However, she shared the same thoughts about the temple most likely getting to them before she would mess up their flight.

The hum of the engines reverberated through the ship as she took it down near the temple. The landing gear creaking as the ship settled and the sith woman begun the process of shutting down non-essential systems, "Thank you, one of the most challenging flights I have done in a while." she grinned; it felt like a good stretch to use her senses to navigate, finding the innate sense like a familiar totem to guide her on her path through the folds of stars, space, and time. She followed Vizim off the ship, grabbing her pack as she swung it over her shoulder. Her blue eyes focused on the temple ahead, curiosity struck as to what called him to this location, it was clearly out here because it did not want to be found.

However, it seemed to allow them to find it.

"Any notions in texts as to what purpose this place served?" she asked him as they approached, rather cautiously.

@Phoenix

 

[Vizim]

Vizim exited the ship and scrunched up his face in disgust at the heat that hit him in the face. He was pretty sure he was already starting to sweat in the desert heat. At least she'd set them down nice and close to the temple.

As for what they would find... Vizim didn't know. That was part of the problem with coming out here. It was almost as if the Force had shown him the way, and he didn't like it. He wasn't some mystic or abstract Sith, but here he was "following" the Force.

To be honest, I'm not really sure what to expect, he stated honestly. He didn't like being unprepared, but surely there was a reason for this. He hoped it wasn't a waste.

He made his way over to the entrance to the temple and pulled off his glove, letting his hand run over the rough surface. Some carvings were placed into the stone, but there didn't seem to be a sign of a door.

There must be a hidden switch or maybe a Force-activated mechanism, he guessed, beginning to look around and following the markings around the edge of the temple to wherever they might lead. Or to nowhere.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

The air was dry and hot and Tiamat welcomed the arid environment; she had been stuck in the chill of space for too long and the months in the Republic prison left her aching for a natural atmosphere. Tia turned to look at Vizim to see he was probably not enjoying it at all, the beads of sweat already dotted his forehead and brow. She frowned before turning her focus back on the ominous temple ahead of them, the marauder admitting he did not know much of anything involved with this temple. She could at least expect the place would try to kill them. She had never gone any place sith where it did not try to murder you first.

They approached and Tiamat walked with caution, careful not to trip anything that would send the two of them face to face with a devious challenge. There would be plenty inside, but getting inside might have been the challenge; her fingers ran along the stone as Vizim mentioned a hidden switch. It reminded her when she was first locating and activating the hypergates. Many of them had hidden mechanisms that required some cleverness to open. She scratched away at what looked to be a crack, her gaze moving toward the ground to look for any recent movement of doors or structures.

Tiamat crouched down, brushing away sand with a wave of her hand, the Force carrying away the grains as it revealed the wear of something heavy that was once pulled through. The redheaded Sith rose, fingers extended as she focused her attention on the door, there was something there as the Force took to her command, moving it through the door and illuminating ancient runes along the entrance. Gold speckled through her gaze as she looked at the door, "That better not be a curse..." she grumbled.

@Phoenix

 

[Vizim]

Vizim continued looking over the temple, but finding next to nothing as he did so. But he could be patient. They were out here alone with nothing else to do but crack this temple.

Fortunately, it was Tiamat who found the first clue. The glow of runes in the side of the temple. She muttered about it being a curse, and he certainly hoped not. He'd heard stories about ancient Sith tombs and temples being haunted and laden with traps. Either of those were possible and neither was preferable.

Hopefully not, he said, looking at the runes. He didn't speak or read ancient Sith, but he wasn't going to stop now. They'd already come through near-death to get here. There was still more to do.

He headed inside, letting his fingers run over the stone again. It somehow drew him to it in a way that was unfamiliar and in a way unsettling.

Just inside the door came the next hurtle. Or in this case, a massive tone slab. He'd heard about one of these on the temple at Malachor. Passages that required two people to open. A series of massive stone slabs that had to be held in place to progress.

He reached out with the Force, straining to lift the first one as it moved into a recess in the ceiling. He moved to stand under it and waited for Tiamat to lift the next one so they could pass under it before he released his slab. Then he would lift the next. It was an exhausting exercise and one that had been born from the Rule of Two. That did something to assist them in dating the temple at least.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

As lock was triggered and the door opened, Tiamat quickly reached into her pack to pull out a note pad to scribble down the runes that were illuminated before they disappeared entirely from the temple's walls. Vizim shared the sentiment on the unknown writing and Tia wondered if there were ever anyone in the galaxy who would be thrilled to be cursed. Her brow furrowed in her thoughts as Vizim moved ahead and into the temple's entrance hall, only to find another obstacle in their short path inside. The redheaded Sith frowned as she tucked away the notepad, her senses reaching out again to see if the slab would open like the temple's front entrance door. Nothing stuck out to her of course, but Vizim seemed to recognize something as the Force stirred and he lifted the stone slab only to reveal a second stone slab.

Tiamat frowned, but she quickly caught on as she moved underneath the slab with him to focus on the second block. The Force coursed through her body and extended through her palms as she could feel the weight fight back while she lifted the slab into the niche above. She stepped underneath, realizing there was another slab for them to lift and the woman frowned, not finding this exercise enjoyable. Though as Vizim would lower the first slab, any source of light disappeared, "There's an illuminator rod in my pack." she told him, turning slowly so he could grab it before moving onto the next slab.

She hoped there was not too much of this, though, if she had a temple built, she guessed she would make it ridiculous to aggravate nosy sith who came to explore.

@Phoenix

 

[Vizim]

He let the slab slide down as they reached the next one and quickly scrambled to paw through her pack, using his lightsaber to temporarily light the room before he found the glowrod.

He flipped it on and lifted the next slab with a grunt. Their progress continued like this for nearly ten slabs before they made it through. The room inside glowed red almost as if they were standing inside a massive holocron. He assumed that wasn't an accident and handed her back her glowrod.

Architecture seems to point to Rule of Two construction, he said, starting to look around. So last 1100 years, he said. That didn't answer which Sith had built it or how they had built it, but it was a mystery perhaps they would find out.

Amidst the rest of the room was a circular platform and a gaping hole in the center that looked like it led to a bottomless pit. In the center of the pit was a platform suspended by some sort or tractor beam technology to prevent it from falling or being yanked toward them.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

The exercise was obnoxious and it was clear that with the number of slabs it was an exercise meant for two; a single force user, regardless of their strength in the Force would find this tedious and exhausting. Tia expected to find crushed bodies from the pervious attempts, but there was only the disappointment and lack of crumbled skeletons. At least they had some hint as to when this temple was possibly built as Vizim suggested the Rule of Two. Still grasping the glow rod, she sighed when he confirmed what she was not too pleased to hear. It had to be the least entertaining stories about the history of the Sith. She remembered those weeks of lessons on Bane and his successors. The urge to start to list off the the Sith and the years of their existence and significance sat at the tip of her tongue, but she was uncertain that Vizim would appreciate the history lesson trivia after lifting stone slabs and now confronted with another puzzle.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the soft glow of red as she quickly scanned the room, noting the empty center that held a floating platform. Cautiously she walked to the edge to just lean far enough to peek over the ledge to see nothing but black. She then stepped back to look up, but seeing nothing that would suggest anything open above them, perhaps they were go down.

"So...do we just stand on it, or do you think is there a switch somewhere to activate it." she hummed, questioning their next move as she slowly walked around the room, her fingers running along the wall. Though she hoped if there was a switch to activate it, it did not also activate a trap...like with a ghost or a creature.

@Phoenix

 

[Vizim]

Vizim didn't hate history, but he had never suffered through memorizing pointless names and dates of all the Sith Lords. Tedium at its maximum.

He went over to look down at the hole in the center of the room, bending over to peer into the void. Maybe. Leap of faith? Cloaked bridge? he threw out. It seemed unlikely, but possible.

Probably a switch, he agreed after a moment, standing to begin looking for it. Even as he stepped away, he felt something cold and dark drawing him back to the hole. It was almost as if something here wasn't natural.

Does the Force seem... different to you here? he asked after a moment. Is there a way to clear the darkness or something? I wonder if there's something in the hole, he speculated, his mind seemingly unable to pull away from whatever was different about it.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tiamat paused in her search for a mechanical switch when Vizim spoke again, now this time about the Force seeming different. It was enough curiosity that Tiamat fully stopped to focus on what he could be feeling and there was a tug for her to come back to the black hole. There was clearly a pull to go further into the temple, but the place was filled with puzzles that left Tiamat filtering through her past lessons to figure out which of the ancient lords enjoyed games like these ones.

"Hm..." she thought out loud as she knelt down, but now she dipped her palm into what looked to be just the dark of space, but quickly discovered a chill and something more solid, or at least, semi-liquid as she lifted her palm. Black mist flowed from between her fingers as she stood up, watching it wisp back into the pit and a smile grew in her fascination and curiosity, "Perhaps we do go down..." she pushed off from the ledge and landed on the platform to better look at it, "Just needs two people, one to steady the platform, the other move the mist?" she questioned feeling herself reaching back into the Force, her fingers extended and in pause as she waited for Vizim to join her.

"You know, there are many current scholars who disagree with the premise of Bane's law," she started, feeling a bit giddy about what else could be in the temple, "Mostly has to deal with the schools of thought left behind by the Drast Empire, since we seen the long success of such a family line and then how Sidious just seemed to take without thinking things through all the way."

@Phoenix

 

[Vizim]

He didn't move as he watched her reach down to touch the black ooze that was within what he was now going to start calling "the Well."

It took him a moment to catch on to what she was saying about moving the platform and the mist, but he realized it a moment later. He nodded almost absentmindedly as his mind churned through the puzzle in front of them.

Got it, he said, leaping across to the platform with a slight flip before landing smoothly on the other side.

I'll clear the mist. You have the platform? he asked, not wanting to begin moving the mist until he was certain she had a grip on their platform. He wondered to himself what happened if one fell into the Well.

And what's your opinion on the form and function of the Sith? he asked. She clearly knew a lot about it, and he assumed that meant she had a camp she fell into. For his part, he felt the Rule of Two was probably... unnecessary. Even Sidious had reportedly run forces of Dark Jedi under him. Calling them "Sith" or not seemed like it was one step away from being a moot point and semantics.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

When he jumped onto the platform with a flip Tiamat resisted a small frown and held her tongue from muttering something about being a show off. He readied himself on the platform, suggesting he would remove the mist while she held them steady as it would lower into the well. The redhead smirked to her thoughts and nodded in cooperation with Vizim, thinking about how ridiculous they would look if there was an easier way down and some spirit was now laughing at their work.

"Ready." she stated as she commanded the Force, holding the platform near stillness while Vizim focused on his part. The disk would wobble as he worked, but they kept afloat and soon the soft red glow of the room above them would disappear. Luckily the illuminator rod clipped to her pack gave them just enough to see their extended palms.

Vizim decided to ask her a question, somehow finding her mini history talk an opening to pull more from her. However, there was still a bit of giddy delight in getting to talk about such things. Emryc was usually the one talking at her about it, and then she didn't have really anyone else to pass on what she knew. "My opinion?" she hummed, "Certainly we have adapted well enough to move away from consolidating power to just one or two beings. Then there is the idea of one that will rule over all the systems, and well, looking at past Empires, there are clear lessons to be learned, even from our enemies. That's the key though, to adapt, if we keep sticking to rules set in because of tradition that never worked out well for our ancestors, then it would be foolish to continue to follow them." she stated and frowned with her own passing thoughts.

"Its time for change again, but..." she paused feeling she was suddenly talking too much. the platform wobbled and she refocused, "I don't feel I know when that would be or if I am part of it yet."

@Phoenix

 

[Vizim]

Vizim focused his efforts on the shadowy mist below, forcing it aside as the Force flowed through him. He could feel it resisting his efforts at first, but then it seemed to give way with greater ease as if the shadow wanted to swallow them up. It was almost unsettling in a way, and he tried not to think about it too much.

They continued to descend down, and he found himself thinking about what she said. He hadn't interacted with a lot of Sith Lords, but he didn't imagine them as the "giddy" type. And yet, that was probably the best word to describe Tiamat at that point.

Time to change again? That seemed like it could mean a lot of different things, and he wasn't sure which one she meant. Nor was he sure he agreed with her.

What kind of change? he asked. If she suggested going back to the Rule of Two, so help him he would kesh her here and now. Okay, probably not, but still. He knew there was a growing sect of the Order that wanted to see the Eternal removed, but no one had done it yet. No one could do it apparently. Vizim was no fan of the Eternal, but he had to respect someone who had a whole galaxy staring you down with hatred and no one with either the power or balls to bring you down.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Suddenly being in the middle of a dangerous temple seemed insignificant as she toyed with her thoughts; her eyes lost their focus but still continued with stabling the platform while they descended without much thought to it. She frowned in her thoughts as Vizim looked for clarification; she felt like she had this conversation with him before and she blinked, wondering if there was possibility to him being a part of this. Or he could be funneling this information back to the Eternal; though she did care what the Eternal knew, she wasn't bothered by the idea of it knowing her displeasure with the Order.

"To become anew." Tiamat simply stated, "As individuals, we must become anew if we wish to grow, shedding the past yet remembering as we build again, the Sith as a whole should also do the same." Tia explained and the air around them changed, "But how far does the order need to be tore down before it can start to move up?" she questioned, not expecting an answer, but it was certainly something she was chewing on and hopefully gave Vizim to think on it also. It was also the question that left her confused as to when this change would come. The redhead inhaled and let out a long sigh as the platform slid downward and soon the mist would remain above them as though there were a barrier that kept it from falling further.

"Strange..." she whispered just seeking black above them. The platform came to a slow stop, and Tiamat took the illuminator and held it up for them to see down the dark corridor. There were oil lamps along the wall, and a divot within the ledge that held them filled with oil. With a spark from her fingers, the oil ignited, lighting the path through the corrirdor and illuminating the area. However, they were not the only ones present as the skeletal remains draped out from niches in the stone. "Oh yes!" she said poking the skull of one of the remains, "Now this is what I was expecting."

@Phoenix

 

[Vizim]

He had his doubts, but he didn't say anything. Partially because despite his doubts he could see the point. There was dead weight in the order, but it was slowly being purged. The Council was being shaken up, and the Eternal... well, the Eternal wasn't as bad as some people tried to say. Perhaps a bit passive, but not as reckless as some of its former underlings.

Tear it down too much and there's nothing left, he said. Darth Bane betrayed Malon and the Order all those years ago and it nearly cost us everything for a millennia, he said. Yes, he had his misgivings about reckless decisions to tear at the Order.

They continued their descent and eventually the mist seemed to stop above them. A flash from her fingers lit the lamps throughout the hall, and the dead strewn throughout the temple became evident immediately.

Doesn't this seem a little excessive? he asked, motioning to all the skeletons. Surely they weren't all killed by traps, so they just decided to throw some people - dead or alive - down here, he said. It was just so... extra.

He took a careful step forward and wasn't immediately smote by a trap, which he took to be a good sign. He continued down the hall and with each step his mind almost felt like it began to become cloudy. It became more difficult to remember where he was going or why he was here. He was fairly certain he had taken several turns, but it was no longer clear. Was it a maze? Was it a maze with a hint of dark side illusion?

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

He was right, if things were filed too far down, it would cause more damage and ultimately take longer for the Order to build again, if it would ever allow to get to that point, as the rule of two seemed to immediately squash any sort of power base. She heeded his words though; a lesson in history that needed to be recognized, respected, but not repeated.

He continued, now more bewildered by the number of skeletons down in the corridor and how they arrived in here. Tiamat pulled on the head of one of the the skeletons, the bones clattering against the stone as she pulled the skull from the body. There was a small grin that tugged on her lip as she held the skull in her palm, "To be or not to be, that is the question." She said following Vizim, "Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer, the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?" she recited part of the verse from the old Alderaanian play.

The corridor kept going, turning and twisting, the skeletons still lined the walls and it was still light by the oil of the lamps. However, it was like a sense of deja vu as she glanced down to see the skeleton with the missing head. "To be or not to be going in circles..." she hummed and set down the skill on the ledge next to the light of a lamp.

"Maybe...these were all those who did attempt this part but never made it." she said slowly coming to the realization that the trap had long been sprung and now they needed to figure a way out. She looked over her shoulder, the corridor continuing onward behind them and no sign of the platform from where they had descended.

@Phoenix

 

[Vizim]

As they looked at the bodies, she started... quoting something. he really wasn't sure why she had memorized it. He knew it was an Alderaanian play, but that was about it.

Okay, he just said. He wasn't sure how else he was expected to respond to that, but he was sure that there were more useful pieces of information to fit in her mind than that. Maybe that was why she'd been forced to memorize all the names and dates of the Sith Lords: too much room in her brain that needed filling.

His mind was still swirling, though, as he made his way ever deeper. It was growing more and more difficult to think straight and after a moment he simply stopped. He centered himself, pushing back against the influence of whoever or whatever was trying to invade his mind.

Get out of my head, he all but growled internally. A moment more and he simply sat down on the ground, crossing his legs. They had light, they had space, and they had time. The Force could keep them alive for days or weeks down here, and panicking or starting to run around like headless chickens would help no one.

He took a deep breath in and then out.

There is a way out, he said more to himself than to her. It was as much to calm himself and center his thoughts as anything else.

He looked up at her whether she had sat down across from him or not. Panicking will do nothing, he reminded himself, forcing logic to prevail where instinct fought to the surface.

I don't think this is real, he said after a moment. The type of people who would even be able to make it down here, there aren't enough beings in the galaxy that would have made it this far. I think... I think we're trapped in our own minds, he said. The skeletons in the closet, so to speak. He certainly had plenty, and he was guessing she did as well.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

It was difficult to tell which corner they had already turned, the corridors seemed to twist and turn indefinitely. It was hard to tell if she had seen some marks on the wall from wear and she didn't have any charcoal or chalk to mark their way. The strangest thing was it felt as though there was something pressing on her mind, but her own mental fortress kept it at bay for now. She wasn't too interested in opening up to the malevolent forces that still existed in this temple.

When she heard Vizim speak about a way out she paused, glancing at the skull she had set down earlier. A frown crossed her face, realizing this was certainly a maze, but when Vizim suggested that it was not entirely real, Tiamat paused, thinking on the idea of the illusion. He had sat down in front of her, but the redhead remained standing as she took to her own thoughts. With how isolated and unknown this temple was to the rest of the galaxy, he was correct, the number of skeletons in here did not make much sense at all.

Slowly, Tiamat lowered to the cold floor, facing Vizim as she crossed her legs and placed her palms on her knees. "I think you're right..." she stated looking up at the ceiling and then over her shoulder to the blackened corridor, "Ok, then lets get back in control here." she hummed and closed her eyes to focus.

@Phoenix