USH'S GAME EPISODE III- 'ARTIFACT'. Dark Side area

Quam played his cards casually. He pretend to be absentminded out of a girlish enthousiasm of the artefacts, still uttering giggly and mumbling noises. Just some sounds to distract the conversation between Kuylen and Ascar, enough to keep them just a tad off focus from their own convo. That's all Quam needed to have an advantage when needed. But he also studied the artefacts with great scrutiny: there were a few with markings and inscriptions, symbols he had seen before on the Avalar tablets. Including the ones he ahd kept for himself.

Quam pretended to startle a bit, timed a little late in response to Ascar. " Oooooh.... you were talking to me. So terribly sorry. A lovely collection indeed, most interesting. Expensive... but not too exclusive I must say. But then, antique dealers do call me very picky about acient artefacts." A little bluff never hurt anyone, Quam thought. So he added: "So where is the really good stuff then?"

Takuan looked at Quam's strategy. He chose not to get too close involved with the collection for now, unless ordered. His eyes were still on that dark saber. It's art segnifficance was extreme for him. Everything, from the modells on it to size and shape. Takuan wondered if it's still in functioning condition...

I haven't a clue what a darksabre is...

"The lightsabre belonged to a Jedi many years ago. When he died he left it to his family, and it eventually found its way onto the private market. I would, of course, have no part in owning a sabre that had been STOLEN from a Jedi. The Order would obviosuly want it back."

For those of you who have never seen Malcolm Macdowell in action (probably the most likely place anyone here who ISN'T queeq might have seen him is in Star Trek: Generations, where he played Dr. Soren, the man who killed Kirk), Ascar speaks with a highly refined english accent; a well-spoken man indeed.

He turns to you, Quam.

"Well now," he says, "why don't you keep looking and tell me when you find something 'really good', hmm?"

"Look, are you going to help me or not?" says Kuylen. Ascar looks at him.

"You got the maps from Avalar?" Kuylen nods. "Where do you want to go?"

"The Mausoleum."

"Demnos' resting place? But of course... let me see the data." Kuylen hands over a small disc to Ascar. "If you will excuse me, gentlemen..." says Ascar, getting up and retiring to a private office further back. Out of this office comes another man, with two guards. This man is young muscled, and rather blonde, and keeps a close eye on all of you.

Quam, you aren't one to back down from a challenge so when Ascar indicates there is something to find it was hard nto to be intrigued. Looking around the exhibits, your instincts suddenly bring you to a halt by something which at first glance appeared to be some sort of brass sculpture, but on closer inspection (through its security case) is obviously mechanical in some way. It is not very big, and its purpose is obscure- most if it appears decorative, with small representations of planets not unlike a vast orrery, done out in miniature. Writings in Sith are all around it, none of which you recognise except for one, which you know full well is the Sith word for 'Avalar'.

Takuan gets closer to the exhibit Quam is staring at

(A darksaber is a metal sword that the Sith used. When activated it has a plasma-type energy casing that lightsabers cannot cut through, therefore it is a dueling weapon. The Witches of Dathomir also have these Darksabers)

Gald looks at the statue and sees the Sith letters for Avalar. "These must be planets that have the sites of ancient Sith temples and academies and other things. Korriban is probably somewhere on there."

(How did the Witches get them? They live in isolation, I thought! I'll ask Edna...)

Kuylen walks over to you, Gald.

"It's an astrolabe," he says. "A Sith astrolabe. And you are right, those are worlds with connections to the Sith. The astrolabe was used by the Sith to navigate from world to world- if you had the maps. Which we do.

"There is one of these in the Jedi Temple, but it is broken. Even the Jedi Council is not aware that Ascar has a working one. And it's the only one I know of anywhere in the Galaxy.

"I don't know how to use it, though Ascar does, of course. But if we can persuade him to give it to us I am certain we will learn. Or if not, if he just gives us the one location we need, that will do." Kuylen looks up at the man watching you all, obivously unwilling to speak about 'alternatives' to persuasion while being watched.

"Have any of you ever heard of the Mausoleum of Demnos?" asks Kuylen, suddenly.

(the Witches could build them, couldn't they?)

"Who the hell is Demnos?" asks Gald quietly. "My wild guess is a honored Sith Lord, right? And his Mausoleum on some isolated world like Avalar is."

Takuan, not part of the conversation assimilates the new knowledge

(actually you are part of the conversation)

"It's more legend than fact... as far as we know." Quam replied casually and sounding completely uninterested. He turned back to the display. "Well, Mr. Ascar, the astrolobe's rather nice. I have one that is not entirely in tact and it's bit younger than that one. But that's about it. Nice stuff for private collection though. Well done."

He then turned to Ascalar with a big childish smile hidden behind part of his veil: "Care to sell?"

( i know i'm part of the conv, i'm just not speaking that much...)

Takuan, still looking around at the rest of the exhibbits remembered what Kuylen said about violence. So far it wasn't needed. He hoped it would stay that way.

(queeq, Ascar wasn't in the room)

"What use would we have for it Quam? We can't read the Sith language."

Full marks to Rex, who spotted that Quam appears to be talking to himself.

"Demnos was indeed a Sith Lord," says Kuylen. "As in Darth Demnos. But he predates Avalar by many millennia. And unlike Avalar which was a rumoured myth, the Mausoleum is solid fact. The Jedi always knew of it existence but were never able to destroy it.

"The story about it says that Darth Demnos killed himself in a ritual ceremony that made him become one with his final resting place. He did so because he wanted, after death, to be able to teach new Acolytes. The story says that if a being worth of the call of the Sith approached the hidden location of the Mausoleum, the spirit of Demnos would make it appear to him, and he could go inside and learn.

"So much for the story; such a selfless motive does not befit a Sith Lord. Anyone who has studied the Mausoleum comes to the same conclusion; that Demnos was murdered by his own apprentice who then used the name as a rallying call to gather followers. But the rest of it is almost certainly true; you could never find the Mausoleum by error. I am sure you remember the mirror tests. The Dark Side has a way of KNOWING its own. Finding the Mausoluem is our new priority. If we can locate the damn thing."

He turns to Galder and Quam.

"Where are your ships?" he asks.

"My starfighter, the Raging Reek, is in the docking bay, next to Quam's starfighter. I take it that we'll be having a little day trip?" Gald asks, smiling curtly.

i forsee this Mausoleum of Demnos will be a most interesting experience... thinks Takuan

"One thing I do know is that the Mausoleum is a long way outside the Republic. A long way. The hyperdrives in your ships, and mine, won't be good enough. We're going to have to grab some long-range drives and have them fitted to the ships, which won't be very cosmetic but is very necessary. There's a depot in orbit we can get some from, though it will have to be very smash and grab."

"That will work, but we must get inside before we do it"

"Smash and grab jobs...one of my favorites..." Gald thinks. Gald leans close to Kuylen and whispers, "Is killing allowed?"

"I doubt the security there will just let us TAKE the drives," says Kuylen, "though we will have to do a through job of eliminating all records."

THe door to Ascar's office opens, and he re-emerges, smiling.

"i figured by now that thsi job implies doing things that you are not let to do....especially by security."