The Key

Posted on Wed May 30th, 2018 @ 5:48pm by Thane & Bomoor Thort & Amare & G2-O7
Edited on on Wed May 30th, 2018 @ 6:14pm

1,848 words; about a 9 minute read

Chapter: Chapter V: Unbound
Location: Red Raptor, Sheva
Timeline: 0230 Hours (Local Time), Night/early morning after "First Blood"
Tags: Sheva, key, vision, Caanus, givin

OLD

Coda and Thane had taken a number of books from the givin's collection that caught the latter's interest. The Shevan daylight was fast waning, however, and it was high time for them to end their sojourn on the industrial backwater planet and return to the stars. They made a brief stop at a local spare parts dealer so Coda could obtain what she needed to repair her personal slicing computer, and they purchased handy travel packs to help them carry their load of books from the givin.

Nestled safely away, Thane had insisted on several tomes he deemed relevant to both his and Coda's learnings. Having aligned himself with the resurgent agenda of Darth Bane and committed to training his Nautolan companion, it seemed only suitable to gather as much lore as he feasibly could for their multiplicity of ventures. Dark side materials, let alone Sith ones, had become an increasing rarity in the age of the Reborn Jedi Order.

Thane was committed to rebuilding the litany of texts and tomes that had once been the pride of Bane's Order, ranging from himself all the way through to Darths Plagueis and Sidious. He was also hopeful for the discoveries Bomoor would make with the Krayt holocron, given they were the most recent addition to the Sith saga - until Thane himself, of course.

NEW

The delicate fragrance of the musty tomes bought at the bookshop in Trader's Landing arrayed about the large circular comptuterised table contradicted heavily with the sterile and other-wise tidy environment of the Red Raptor's so-called strategy room. Open at various pages, the selection had been complimented by some of the other books and records Thane and Bomoor kept in their cabins and within the specially-built vault aboard the vessel, along with planchettes, scrying glasses and other Force-based oddments and study tools they had collected in their years of self-study beyond standard Jedi training.

At the centre of the table between the muss of books, smeared as each was in smatterings of diagrams and varying degrees of legible calligraphy, was a long, oddly-shaped bronze key, adorned in the centre with a glimmering red jewel - the final trinket 'gifted' to Thane and Coda by their mysterious Givin benefactor - if that is indeed would he would transpire to be.

With his gloved hands splayed out upon the table as he rested his weight upon it, his discerning blue eyes examining everything littered about before them, Thane still could not shake that overwhelming sense of familiarity he was experiencing from the peculiar talisman. Even its ornate style struck him, but he had thus far failed to divine why.

The young Sith's attention was drawn away from his bout of glaring by the easily recognisable footfalls of Bomoor as he entered the room, yet another volume tucked under his arm.

"Learn anything from Krayt's holocron?" Thane greeted his friend, finding his voice deep and tongue dry from lack of use.

Since returning to the Raptor, he had informed the Ithorian of what they had gained at the shop, as well as the basic details of what had transpired following that too, although he had not embellished the story or provided the deepest of details. At this stage, Thane was still mulling over all that had happened in that alleyway himself, but he had committed himself to discussing it with Bomoor properly at another juncture. This first mystery currently remained the more compelling one.

"The gatekeeper had much to say about such dark side Force artefacts," replied Bomoor, in his usual echoic voice, as he draw towards the table where the key in question lay and placed the tome down, "But his archives held no knowledge of this item, as I described it."

Through the Force, Bomoor raised the key into the air and slowly spun it so it could be viewed from all angles, "It has certainly felt the influence of a powerful darksider, but it appears to be dormant, awaiting a connection of some sort. Given the key design, I presume it is awaiting the right lock."

"The shopkeeper said it needed a special kind of charge," Coda said at the doorway, leaning casually against the side of the door frame with her arms crossed over her chest. Her head was tilted slightly and added, "That it took someone with the power of the dark to make it work. What do you think that means, master?" she asked Thane quizzically. The givin didn't exactly speak in riddles, but she remained confused as to what kind of charge the eerie skull-headed bookseller was referring to.

Thane glowered at Bomoor knowingly as Coda said the words, presuming the pair had drawn the same conclusion regarding the use of Force lightning. Bomoor himself could likely summon the same fantastical power, but if the key required it to be sourced from an actual darksider, Thane's use of the talent - and its possible success - almost seem to cement the fact it was the course he had chosen.

Either that, or it would confirm he perhaps had not. Not truly, perhaps. Musing on it now, the Caanan wondered if that was why he had not yet attempted the feat. Not that he was going to elect to allow an ancient key decide his fate.

"I think it means, Zaracoda," Thane said, his voice finding clarity the more it was used, "that I may have to bring a spark of my own power to it."

G2 rolled up and gently bumped up against Coda's leg to get her attention and strung a short few bleeps to her. Startled, she turned and looked down to see the droid presenting a pair of engineer's goggles dangling from its shock arm.

"Oh good," Thane remarked dryly, standing to his full height as he regarded the newcomer with a dismissive eye. "The robot's here."

"You're right! Safety first," Coda told G2 with a giggle and took the goggles and patted the droid on its dome head. "He couldn't help overhear us talking about locks and charging something up, so he wanted you to be prepared..." she passed the goggles over to Thane with the Force for a little practice. G2's reaction sounded like an awestruck "wooo" sound from its binary synthesizer.

"I appreciate its artificial concern," Thane replied, even as he placed the goggles to one side without adorning them, "but I somewhat feel I have dabbled in this talent enough to not require some cover for my eyes. The Force will offer its semblance of protection, and besides, if this is an ability I - and by extension, you - are going to use or have to defend against, we'll all have to learn to put up with temporary blotches in our vision."

Coda frowned, but nodded her agreement. His humourless words didn't sting her much, but she did wish he'd lighten up a little.

Thane let the slight reprimand hang for a moment before turning his attention back to the key, which Bomoor was still invisibly levitating. Thane raised his left hand, currently ungloved and free from the cybernetics that now ran through his dominant hand, and allowed a few small blue sparks to dance across his digits as he so often did, partly out of satisfaction and partly to prepare the technique in a more controlled fashion. He also had no desire to damage the key.

For a moment, Thane thought back to the small scoring he and Bomoor had caused in the training room whilst dallying with Force lightning before, but quickly brushed the consideration aside, safe in the knowledge he was not going to use a more pronounced form of the power - as much as he was keen on displaying the technique to Coda at some juncture. There was a lingering concern for the welfare of the aged objects that he had always felt an un-Jedi appreciation towards, which he swept aside with a small brush from the Force.

"If there are no objections?" He asked, looking first to his friend and then to his apprentice.

Taking a step back, Bomoor still kept the key firmly in the fixed space but he had stopped it spinning now so that the ornate stone affixed upon it now stared directly towards Thane, "Certainly," he nodded, brushing aside thoughts of safety goggles, "Don't simply focus on the lightning itself, but also on how you want it to affect the key. But do remember that this is likely a Force-imbued object. If you feel it pulling back on you, do not let it in."

Thane's apprentice was going to suggest being careful as was her maternal nature, but Shadrak whispered in her mind for the first time since their initial face-to-face on Irrikut, ~~~Zara, have you already forgotten what I said about the pursuit of power? Men like him take bold risks. Let it play out. Show him no concern.~~~

"Its secrets will be yours, master," Coda encouraged him and looked on with great anticipation, as did G2 beside her.

~~~Learn from this, Zara,~~~ Shadrak added to his nautolan's thoughts. ~~~There is great value in the wise application of Force artifacts. A worthy sorceress can divine their properties, their history, and perhaps even create her own. They can augment your power in miraculous ways, but they can also prove to be quite dangerous as well...~~~

With a small nod, Thane extended his left arm slowly, his forefinger carefully brought toward the ancient, hovering key. A small current of Force-imbued electricity was arcing gingerly along the Human's limb, the occasional subdued spark flickering at the end of his fingertip. As the young Sith drew closer, the sparks seemed to grow more erratic, and a sensation not unakin to static began to reverberate through Thane, making his jaw clench slightly in resistance to the oddly-pleasant, and undeniably dark, sensation. Finally, with just an inch to spare, a jolt slipped through the naked air and struck the key.

As if hanging on an invisible string, the key hovered perfectly still in the air before them and began to spin faster and faster in place as it conducted the Force lightning into the red gem embedded in its bow. G2 began nervously bleep-blooping at the light show as it went on. There was a quick feedback bolt that arced out and mildly stung Thane in return for starting the process, then the spinning gradually slowed. When it settled, the group beheld a transformed artifact. It was still a key with a bright blood red gem, but it wasn't the strange forked object it was before. It was more golden-hued rather than its previous fading bronze colour, and had a particular craftsmanship to it; an almost classical Caanan flair in its design. It hung in place in the air surging with small arcs of electric power along its short length awaiting the one brave enough to take hold of it first...

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