Breaking The Pit

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael looked pensive for a few moments, unsure of how to answer his uncle. He guessed that Merovign was likely correct. After all once he had touched the tree he had been gifted with access to Sith Sorcery, perhaps one of the greatest bits of knowledge a darksider or any force user could ever hope to receive. Something about the explanation however seemed off, something about it was not right, and the newly christened Sith couldn't help but reject the idea, not wanting to fall into his mothers Shadow this early. He frowned slightly, breaking his pensive stare.

He liked the idea of the order that Dissero described, he after all searched for knowledge his entire life. Whether it was history, the force, or some other random thing Soliael had always loved to learn. But could the coincidence be so strong? Or could his mothers legacy really run through him this powerfully.

He shrugged slightly and shook his head, as if to clear his mind of thoughts. He gazed at his uncle for a moment, and then asked another question. “You mentioned one of your old masters.”

Soliael spoke in earnest now, curiosity peeking through.

“You said he sought the destruction of the force. How? I mean how did he plan on doing this?” Something bothered him about such a goal, and more so about the composition of the force itself. Everyone had their own view, though he had yet to establish his own. Dissero had his own, seeing the force as a thousand different things, some beautiful some ugly. Soliael was not so sure. He was beginning to think that the force was something entirely different. “Would the force even allow it?”

The Sith and Jedi had long since determined that the Force was a living thing, something that controlled and influenced the way of things. Soliael knew this from his readings the night before, and he figured now was the time to ask questions.

 

[Dissero]

"How indeed," Dissero glanced around the halls of knowledge surrounding them, eyes lingering over the back-lit forms of holos nestled neatly into the rows, "truthfully I do not know. My mother had told me the man was competent and powerful, but no less crazed than any other Sith Lord. He had delusions of grandeur, she said."

"If I had to wager a guess, I surmise the nexus he coveted so greatly had something to do with his plans, but he is dead now so there is little left to wonder. To answer your last question," the man stood from his chair and stretched, back popping in result, "I do not think he would have accomplished this goal of his. The forces of this galaxy are far greater than anything a single being could aspire to, let alone destroy. It is not for mortals to pander in the business of their creators, whoever or whatever that may be."

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Sith Lords always did end up rather on the crazy side. Perhaps it was an eventuality when using the Darkside of the force so much. The Darkside after all was corruption, it was like spice but so much more enticing. Difficult to resist and almost pure ecstasy when used right. Soliael wondered for a few moments how his Oma had survived for so long without giving into its grasps fully. Soliael himself had only touched the darkness once or twice and not giving in had been a...challenge. He frowned sightly, but did not ask his Uncle about his own challenges with the darkside.

“What Nexus?” Soliael pondered out loud. There was a great many Darkside Nexus' within the galaxy, Soliael knew of a few just because of their fame. It was difficult for force users of all sorts not to notice them when traveling around the galaxy, and Soliael himself had even stood on worlds that were considered Nexus' within the force.

They were not common in the galaxy, but Soliael had felt some even without training. Massive swirling voids of darkness.

 

[Dissero]

"The one on Byss," the man replied, "the one he personally created. If he has a legacy left, that nexus is it."

He strode by Soliael, unknowing of the man's origins or that the legacy of Darth Moridin did, in fact, continue on in both his blood and that of two others. But he was an Archivist - Dissero knew about many things arcane and ancient. He was not his mother and his own powers did not stretch to such limit like her own.

"You should sleep, Devin, tomorrow we go to Myrkr and test your new-found powers."

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael sat there for a few seconds, completely and utterly dumbfounded by Dissero's answer. He wanted to call out to his Uncle but he found himself too stupefied. Instead he just sat at the table, staring at the books in front of him. His father had trained Dissero, his father had tried to destroy the force. He couldn't help but sit there blinking for a few moments, taking in the implications of what he had just learned.

So his father truly had been mad by the end, so mad that he attempted to destroy the source of his own power. Soliael frowned, knowing that this would not be the end of it. He would look more into Moridin, he would find his fathers story. Determination crossed his face, he would have to ask Dissero more. Unlike his mother and Oma, Merovign seemed more than willing to answer his questions, and when it came to his father Soliael still had many more.

For now however he would cooperate, and slowly Soliael stood from the table. He began to walk away, stepping from the table.

Then he suddenly turned around, grabbing one of the books from the table. Before he closed the book a single symbol could be seen, three crossed horns. Soliael took the book and began to walk towards his room, falling asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow.

 

[Dissero]

Myrkr was just as Dissero remembered it: covered in jungle and the sickeningly thick presence of the Force. The flora here were a challenge for any space-fairer, as it had a habit of throwing technological instruments off. Coupling this with the presence of the Force-nullifying Ysalamiri, it was enough to turn the stomach of most staunch and practiced Force Users. As luck would have it, he was not heading to an area over-populated by the strange tree-dwelling creatures.

Standing in the cockpit of his ship while Mahet piloted it through the atmosphere, Dissero leaned forward as they swept in low over the mass expanse of green. The jungles here were thicker, darker than those of Onderon, but never so much as deadly as those of Dxun. Sure, they had beasts like the vornskr, but a pack of them held little contention against a pack of flying skreevs.

"There-" he pointed to a patch of tan within the verte sea, "the old headquarters of the infamous Talon Karrde."

He glanced back to his Apprentice, never once bothering to ask if the man had ever been to Myrkr. There chances were good that he had, and while both Silencia and Quietus held a certain fondness for exploration, they couldn't hold a candle to Dissero's love affair with uncovering the secret and hidden.

"I've spent the better part of two years researching this man in my spare time. It will never cease to amaze me the things people are capable of even without the Force."

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael looked out the window of the shuttle, Myrkyr a planet that he rather enjoyed. The last time he had been here Soliael had been incapable of using the force. The Ysalimiri that lived here had done nothing to him and the Vornskr that dotted the world hadn't been so eager to kill him. Now that would be different, now they would both effect him. He frowned slightly, as he wondered what his Uncle had in store for him.

With glazed over Orange eyes Soliael stared at the base, most of it was now rubble. Plants had overgrown the buildings, moss and tree's were everywhere, and the tree's themselves seemed to stretch everywhere. He perked and eyebrow slightly at Merovigns world.

“Yes. Amaze.” He sounded entirely dispassionate when he said the words, not disagreeing but obviously having a different view. While Dissero was impressed with the creativity of the non-force user more often than not Soliael found himself utterly disgusted. He had spent the last seventy years in a prison filled with the worst of the worst of the galaxy. He had seen murder, rape, manipulation, and every other unkind thing. Perhaps they were able to accomplish great things...but many non-force users were just as creative when it came to the other end of the spectrum.

He frowned slightly, and then turned about. “Let's begin with your tests Merovign.”

Soliael didn't want to contemplate the past, he was looking towards the future.

 

[Dissero]

Sometimes contemplating the past was necessary to reveal a clearer future.

After landing and gearing up, Archivist and Student disembarked to the sounds of their footsteps echoing in the daylight between the ruins of what had once been Talon Karrde's home away from home. It wasn't the buildings themselves, nigh even Karrde were the subject of the tests today. Dissero had already explored the old ruins simply to sate his curiosities. Presently he used the location as his own home base - their journey would take them out into the perilous wilds.

This is where he lead.

"What do you know of your ancestors? Your grandmother, specifically," Dissero queried as he pressed through a veil of vines hanging from the arch of an old perimeter wall, following a paved duracrete road now so overgrown and broken apart by Myrkr's flora it might as well not even be there.

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael walked after this Uncle, a look of interest on his face as he peered about the planet of Myrkyr. He had been here before, a long time ago. This had been back when losing the force had meant nothing to him. The Ysalimiri that were now so dangerous had meant very little, and the vornskr had always ignored him due to his lack of presence in the force. Now however that would be different, he was no longer a predator upon this world.

Suddenly Merovign asked about his grandmother. Soliael raised an eyebrow slowly and tried to recall as much information he could about Cerusia. He frowned as he remembered sitting by the fire, talking to his Oma about his lineage.

Not much information had been passed on even then, but Soliael remembered a few detail. “More than a bit but less than a lot. I know she lived on Korriban and Coruscant for a time, was one of Oma's favorites. She knew much about Sith Artifacts and the ancient texts, a Master Archivist most would call her.”

Soliael closed his eyes and tried to recall the image of his grandmother that Silencia had once shown him. When he realized that he could not a deep frown appeared on his face and he became visibly upset, perhaps he should have paid for attention, or perhaps his memory was fading, it was so many decades ago after all.

He looked at Merovign, curious why he was bringing up his grandmother.

 

[Dissero]

"Yes, yes she was."

Dissero smiled easily, a sort of fondness there that perhaps should not have been as it was a fondness meant for people you had met and known and cared for, not for those you learned about in stories. Dissero had never met her, of course, she had died ages before his birth, but the man had always felt a certain connection to her memory. Perhaps it was the fact that his interest in historical relics had in a way boosted the care from his own mother, as though he reminded her of the long lost daughter.

"Did you also know that she was married to the youngest Dark Lord of the Sith in recorded history? Your grandfather - a particularly cunning, intelligent Dark Lord and a very powerful sorcerer. He defeated his predecessor on the throne by tricking the man into wearing a trinket imbued with the Force nullifying properties of Ysalamir blood and then stabbed the man with a blade soaked in Hssiss venom. Darth Moriir," Dissero chuckled, albeit darkly for his generally amiable nature, "Force I would have liked to have met him. Studied him, picked his mind, ingenuitive monster that he was. ...Don't tell my mother I've said these things, she rather hated him."

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael nodded along, looking slightly comical as he did so. He knew that tale, his Mother had told him about it, albeit she hadn't really been wiling to divulge much more. That particular story had been told to him centuries ago, when he was still a young child. He remembered it well for some reason, though the names hardly found a place in his mind. Soliael simply walked along with his uncle, listening to him, the man knew much more than he did it seemed, even with things not regarding the force.

“Yes.” Soliael simply said in response, not really knowing what to add to the tale.

His line came from many powerful Sith, the blood that ran through him came form powerful Sith and Jedi. He was not born of the force or created through the manipulation of midi-chlorians, but his parents both held massively powerful force users in their family tree's. He knew this was why he ad such a connection to the darkside, because of inheritance.

He blinked for a few seconds, walking alongside Dissero he could feel the force fall away in certain places around the. The Ysalamiri were out.

 

[Dissero]

"The reason I bring them up," Dissero began, though gave pause as he, too, sensed their passing through a circle of Force Void. They were walking amidst the trees now, so this was to be expected. The Ysalamir were of little harm to them, creatures that they were. Even without the Force, both he and his nephew were far from helpless.

"-hem, the reason I bring them up is that their very first outing together, before they were wed, was here on Myrkr,"

It was at this point where the broken road beneath their feet came to a split. The left path was completely overtaken by the jungle and it was in this direction that he walked, pausing just before reaching the tangle of vines and branches.

"They came to search for an ancient scroll that would help to unleash one's potential in sorcery, hidden in a tomb beneath the mire of the swamps. I've brought you here to test your ability to track the traces of this history. There is no scroll left to find," in fact it had been placed in the care of Soliael's grandmother after it's unearthing and, consequently, left to linger for centuries in the vaults of the Empire, "but a wealth of self discovery remains."

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael raised an eyebrow slightly, the revelation came as a bit of a surprise to him. His grandparents had walked this very earth, this very path hundreds of years before him. For a second he felt a dull ache within his heart, a want of family and a calling to knowing his ancestors. A remorseful visage passed over him, and for a few seconds Soliael simply stood their, pensive sadness upon his face. He did not answer his uncle, but instead simply thought about his family.

After a few minutes he finally stopped, broken from his spell by one thing or another. He turned to face Merovign, his face slightly concerned.

“My father was gifted in Psychometry. I am not.” Soliael said to his Uncle in regards to tracing back old history. He did not know of certain wonders of the force just yet, that he did not need his father unique gift to see the history of his own family.

He was still very much ignorant in many ways of the force.

 

[Dissero]

The Archivist offered the man a wane smile, "You do not need your father's gifts," he shook his head, "you only need the Force and the shadows it leaves behind. They are blood of your blood. Their essence flows through your veins. Seek it, feel it. You will know it when you find it ... like recognizing a face you've never seen but deep down, you already know."

Dissero lifted his right hand, extending his arm towards the near non-existent path that lay before his Apprentice, "It is your journey to take. I cannot help you. I will be here, at the base, awaiting your return."

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael stared at Dissero for a minute or two, not sure if he believed the younger man. Eventually however the man who would become a god simply nodded to his uncle, turning around and beginning his walk down the path. He felt small here on Myrkyr. Soliael was not a person that was easily intimidated, the stature of both his Mother and Great Grandmother had seen to that. This planet however was different, he felt squished by the bubbles of no force, and he felt as though he were being watched whenever he did anything.

The Vornskr were dangerous, even to someone like him.

Quickly Soliael began to walk up the path, the worn vines and tree's overlaying it almost completely. He wondered how long it had been since anyone had even walked down this way, how much time had passed since the ancient Sith Lords that were his great grandparents went through this very path. It had to have been hundreds of years.

As he began to walk faster and faster, cutting his way through the overgrown path with a small blade time began to to meld together. Minutes became seconds, seconds became hours, and time itself seemed to disappear. Soliael quickly lost himself in the jungle, his mind wandering as his quest lay out before him.

Without his notice the force began to wrap around him, the Ysalamiri staying clear of him and the Vornskr watching him from the tree's.

His head began to swim as he traced back his ancestor's path, the force binding him and tying him to the walk of his ancestors. Without him even realizing it the thoughts in his mind turned to his grandmother and grandfather and their own journey onto Myrkyr. Their paths began to blend, and it was as if his journey matched their own.

Soliael moved through the forests until the air began to thicken and the jungle began to get more and more damp. The hard ground of the forest turned to muck, and the root's of the tree's began to reveal themselves more and more. The ground began soft and marshy, and tiny plants began to pop up everywhere. The sound of hissing Vornskr could be heard from just behind eyeshot, and Soliael began to frown. He was entering the swamps or Myrkyr now, so dangerous, so very dangerous.

He moved quickly, picking up his pace. As he walked he found himself shedding clothing as the heat god to him, first his robes, then his overcoat, until he walked in simple pants and a tight bodywrap.
As he fully entered the swamps Soliael completely lost himself. He did not follow the path anymore, but instead uses his connection with the force. He could feel where he was going, whether it was the force itself guiding him or some sense of his Great Grandparents he did not know. The Sith simply walked on, following an old and overgrown trail. As the day wore own and turned to dusk the force seemed to pick up around him, it became imbued in Soliaels very bones.

His mind began to fold together, and as he came to a fork something odd occurred to him.

The Sith stood for a long while, watching and staring at the two paths. Both were equally unused, both were overgrown and almost gone, he was at a loss. He let out a whispered sigh, unsure of his next step. Then a voice broke into his mind.

“It's this way.”

Soliael snapped his head towards the source of the voice, and found only an apparition for the briefest second on the left path. By the time he fully turned his head the ghost was gone, yet he had clearly seen it. The Sith frowned, and lightly began to step towards the path. It was the best lead he had.

Cautiously Soliael began to walk down the path, and as the sun slowly set he became increasingly aware of the Vornskr watching him, their faded yellow eyes popping up within the darkness of the tree's. The Sith kept on moving however, not wanting to risk stopping for the night. Every so often as he walked he began to hear voices. Snippets of conversations long past, cutscenes of talks between his grandparents.

After nearly four more hours of walking Soliael suddenly came to a stop. Before him within the darkness he could see two figures clearly standing in place, both of them moving, both of them speaking. Wearily the Sith stepped forward, his eyes focusing on the slimmer of the two forms.

“We should rest. We don't know what we will find.”

“No, lets keep moving. The Vornskr hunt at night.”

Soliael reached the two ghosts just in time to watch them disappear into the nothingness. He shook his head slightly, as if trying to dissipate the strange entities. He turned, as if to keep walking down the path when finally the Vornskr struck. One of the massive canines bounded at Soliael, biting scratching hissing and roaring. It bit and tore at his flesh, clawing into his arms and chest.

He screamed in a rage, drawing on the force in pure and absolute panic. He released a wash force lightning through the creature, not caring about the rebounding sparks singing his won flesh. The Vornskr howled in pain and despair then slumped, falling dead at Soliaels side. The Sith lay on the ground for a few seconds, recovering and relaxing when suddenly a growl piqued through the quiet of the night. Soliael opened his eyes and looked about himself, three more Vornskr encircled him, marking him as their prey. He frowned slightly, and tensed his muscles.

Another one of the canines pounced with open jaw. Soliael grabbed the creatures bottom mouth, grasping and then using a massive amount of force to tear the creatures face in two killing it almost instantly. The second of the creature was on Soliael before the first was dead, slicing its thick claws deep into his back and spilling blood. He let out a yelp of pain as he whirled around and kicked the creature in the face. Then he rushed at it, jumping onto the Vornskr and grappling its throat. He jerked his arm to the side and a loud snap could be heard as the creatures neck broke. Quickly Soliael stood over the third dead Vornskr, blood dripping from his body and his breaths coming out in cold panting.

The final Vornskr stared and growled at Soliael, at then suddenly began to whimper. It ran from him, and the Sith breathed a sigh of relief

Slowly the Sith surveyed the corpses of the beasts, taking them in and then simply nodding to himself. There would be many more. Quickly Soliael moved on from the battleground, walking once again on the path. As he moved he once again heard a voice.

“I don't need protecting.”

If Soliael had to guess, it was His grandmothers voice.

After another three hours of walking Soliael came upon something else. He found a massive pit of what he assumed had once contained a creature. Tired and nearly dead the Sith Looked upon it, his eyes wavering slightly as he surveyed the ground before him. Suddenly another one of the ghostly apparitions appeared. He watched as the ghost fought with some sort of beast, tentacles grasping and lunging about. Soliael covered his eyes slightly as a massive flash of light appeared form the apparition, and in a ghostly whaling voice Soliael heard a howl of death. He blinked a few times, and then another voice broke through the haze.

“There, behind the creature. The tomb.”

Soliael turned his head, and surveyed the pit once more. Sure enough he found the rocky entrance of a man made structure, and slowly with effort he made his way towards its entrance.

The Sith Walked into the tomb, decrepit and nearly torn down as it was. He wandered throughout it for a time, not a sign of life. No Vornskr or other creatures made their home here anymore, no life could be sustained within the darkness. A few times he heard the voices of his grandparents again. He heard the sounds of battle and the flashes of lightsabers. The tomb was large, and he could sense the presence of darkness. The memories of his grandparents guided him however, and before long Soliael found himself within the central chamber.

“So? Now what do I do?” Soliael asked no one in particular as he walked into the center of the room. For a time he simply stood there, unsure of himself. Slowly as he approached the central pedestal however he felt something. The force began to tear at him, eat at him. As if a storm was brewing within the room.

Ghostly apparitions appeared once again, his grandfather and grandmother. The room began to shake with power, a storm raging and at the center of it Immortus. Soliaels eyes opened wide in shock and near horror as he watched the spectral image of the darkside. Power brewed everywhere and an untold strength ravaged through the room. Like a ragdoll Soliael was thrown against the far wall, pinned against the rock as the ghostly scene played itself out. The Sith did nothing but watch as he saw his grandfather pick up the artifact, and the storm come to completion. He saw Cerusia get flung about as he did, and as she slammed against a wall everything suddenly stopped.

The ghosts faded, the storm came to a halt, and Soliael fell back to the floor with a thud.

For a time he simply lay there, on his back. He contemplated what he had seen, thought about his grandparets, the ghosts in his life. For nearly a day Soliael lay still within the tomb.

~~

Three days after having left his Uncle Soliael returned to Merovign. His clothes were ruined, his face was nearly black with grime, and half of the wounds that covered his body were infected. Yet Soliael returned like a warrior from a hunt. He came down the path back to base like a champion returning from a victorious battle. His stride was confident, and he stepped back into the base without any hesitation. A look of stern pride was on his face, and quickly the Sith found his way back to where Merovign had landed the ship.

“Merovign!” Soliael called out, not in anger but simply in search. He wwas ready to leave this world.
TL;DR:Indiana Jones but with Force Ghosts.

 

[Dissero]

Dissero had waited patiently for the arrival of his nephew and Apprentice, busying himself with the study of Talon Karrde's ancient headquarters. The Archivist appeared as Soliael did, standing atop a parapet of stone entangled by vines and tree limbs. He regarded the older Soliael in silence - a man with the appearance of battered determination, stalwart personal victory. Dissero grinned.

"To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child," the man proclaimed, drawing a hand to the air as he dictated a quote from an old historical and philosophical figure, deep voice booming across the skies like some royal address, "For what is the worth of life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history? Yet forever we forget that the words of history are written by mortals and to that end our history is folly, for they seldom tell the truth except by accident. The art of written history, as we have learned, is the masking of these truths. What more, then, is there for us to interpret from history baring the notion that there is little to actually learn. I digress, for the further we look back and understand, the father ahead we may forge and know. That history is not one to take up idly, but to experience of the flesh and the mind, wholly, remarkably, unwittingly to our end."

Dissero looked down upon Soliael, drawing his hand back to him, and fixed the man with a profound smirk, "To what end have you gone, Devin?"

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

Soliael looked at his uncle, the man seemed to be well off for three days spent on Myrkyr, and by that he meant he was still alive. This world was dangerous, and wandering around it usually meant ones death, with the odds getting smaller and smaller with each progressive hour spent on the world. Then again Dissero like himself was a Shamalain and they tended to beat the odds. He smiled at his Uncle, looking up at him against the harsh rays of Myrkyr's sun.

“Much.” Soliael said in simple answer. It was hard to describe exactly what he had seen and learned. Cerusia and Moriir's quest had been a long and arduous one, they had worked together and achieved their goal, the retrieval of some sort of artifact. He had no idea what the artifact was, but he had learned something about his heritage, the lengths his family would go to to get what they wanted. It came to a point where killing sarlaac's was almost nothing for them.

More importantly however Soliael had found that he shared a true connection with one of his ancestor's. He found that his grandmother had been much like him, and he had found a sort of solidarity with that thought, though now he found himself more curious than ever.

“I have learned more of my grandparents. Of the power they possessed and the lengths they would go to for what they wanted. More importantly I learned of their resolve.” Soliael spoke from the heart, though he did not share everything with Merovign. He felt that part of what he had seen should remain private, and so he did not voice every thought he had. “What was the artifact they sought?”

 

[Dissero]

Dissero, too, had taken the same journey along the trail of his ancient relatives. He had seen them overcome those great and dangerous challenges. There was nothing for Soliael to hide from him save his own personal revelations, but those were for him to keep.

"A Dark Sorcerer's Scroll," he replied, now making his way along the parapet to the stack of rubble that once stood as stairs, "that boosted one's ability to wield the ancient art. It is null, now, no more than a simple scroll. Your grandfather saw it's powers absorbed into him and left not a shred. It sits in my collection now, honored amongst its various kin of history."

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

“I see.” Soliael said after a few seconds of contemplation. He had wondered what the artifact had been, though now it seemed rather inconsequential. Perhaps it truly was the journey, and not the destination that counted. He scoffed slightly at the notion, more as a joke to himself than anything else. Such a thought amused him greatly, though to his Uncle he would likely seem like a weirdo.

“So what now?” Soliael asked loudly as he stared at his uncle “Where do we go next Merovign?”

He knew they were not done yet, this was only a pit stop, a training session. Soliael had a long ways to go yet before he was finished with his training. Then again perhaps he would never be done.

 

[Dissero]

"We go wherever we want," the man replied simply, motioning to the heavens and everything that lay beyond, "the realm of knowledge is boundless and free for the taking."


And that's exactly what they did. The following month found the pair traversing the stars, uncovering ancient tombs, discovering all the old mysteries and perhaps a few of the new. During the long stints of hyperspace Dissero taught his nephew the greater finesse of the Force and the tricks to harnessing its power. Soliael practiced the art of clearing his mind until his very thoughts dripped with sweat. They discussed the origins of these arcane skills in depth, they pursued the greater darkness of Sith Space, and then they returned home to Rudrig and its vaults and archives.

On a bright spring afternoon at mid day with the sun warming the fields of violet grass in the valley below, Dissero met his Apprentice in the Archives. He carried with him a golden device of which he set down on the table before his student. It was shaped similarly to a locket, only thrice the size of any one might wear around their neck. It sat with a fair amount of weight, and though it rocked back and forth on its rounded shell twice, it seemed to stop abruptly as if regaining its own composure.

"This is for you," Dissero said as he took a seat across from Soliael and reaching to depress the top latchkey. The metal casing lifted open with a gentle whir, just like a locket, revealing a crystalline covering over a handsomely hand-crafted face. It was quite obvious that the device held power and that it was very old. Anyone sensitive to these things in the Force would feel it, sense it.

"It is the tool of Mystics and Seers, Prophets and Oracles. It's called an Alethiometer. It measures truths and answers questions. There are three dials," Dissero indicated those at each side, "each controls one of the black hands. You position them over the symbols on the face that would represent your question and then you hold it in your hands and you concentrate on your question in your mind, lightly holding it in your thoughts. The fourth hand will spin, landing on symbols that correlate to an answer. But you cannot grasp at it, you cannot want for it, you must simply allow it to come to you on its own."