Old Times; Old Worlds

[Andras Garon]

Keldabe
Clan Garon Archives

...time away had served Andras Garon well. He'd learned much in his travels. He'd studied the Sith and the Jedi, he'd made inquisitions where appropriate and he'd heard rumors of lost artifacts on worlds in the outer rim. Now he was back on Keldabe, in the midst of his people and in the wake of a great tragedy, however where others were still running like headless chickens to pick up the pieces Andras had already sought out opportunity. In the midst of possible destruction he had found a clue...

...it came to him as a whisper at first. He'd heard of it during his sojourns. A power that had been uncommon in older times but now bordered on a rarity which made it unheard of to most and unknown to the rest. Once he'd learned all he could from the rumors afforded to him by the barest of texts, stories and legends he'd come back here to Mandalore looking for an answer to his query. He'd come back home searching for answers...

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...he strolled down a hallway in the compound serving as a stronghold for the men and women of Clan Garon. Tall stone walls, dim light and vast shadows were all that greeted him here. Many of the Clan Garon had neglected their texts which is why the archive section often sat empty and unused but nonetheless valuable to the few who knew where to find it. Legends of Clan Garon spoke of great warriors and ancient conquerors but few spoke of Scholars and the learned men that tended to the history of the clan...

...Andras was surprised to find the entrance to the archive sealed, locked, the control panel was covered in a thin layer of dust. He punched in a code that wouldn't have been used for a decade at least and leaned forward to allow a retinal scan. When the control panel turned green and he heard a rumble of the door he began to smile thinly...

 

[Andras Garon]

...the entrance to the archives was blocked by a massive stone door. Once the retinal identification was complete it rumbled and slowly ascended vertically until it was out of view and access to the other side was granting. Andras looked ahead, there was only darkness beyond where he stood indicating just how long it had been since this place had seen the attention of someone else. Looking ahead he began to move forward, crossing the threshold into the darkness until his form disappeared entirely...

...eyes began to adjust almost immediately. Due to the low light of the hall leading up to this point Andras had some sense of the direction he was going and his surroundings. Light panels, remote activated by motion sensors, began to flicker to life however several of them sported glitches that caused them to flicker on and off. Andras shook his head once..."Ah, Strider."...he lamented about his cousin, leader of Clan Garon, as he moved down the corridor to the main archives..."Always more interested in the women you could bed and the men you could arm than the books you could read."...he had a genuine affection for his cousin however he understood his faults as well...

...the corridor stretched a ways until it opened into a large room filled with stone walls, shelves and archaic looking terminals that would assist of the research of information. All this had been transferred to data files some time ago however Andras always felt a personal touch helped assist the extent of ones research. As he entered the archives the lights activated, just like the corridors, however they came to life a tad dimmer than those outside lending to a type of ambiance in the room...

 

[Andras Garon]

...moving into the archives of Clan Garon Andras was quick to take a seat at a desk that looked like it hadn't been used in years. Ahead of him was a terminal which had been collecting dust for an untold amount of time. Outstretching his hand he wiped a path across the screen before reaching for an archaic holographic key board that came to life under the guidance of his touch. Initial commands proved unsuccessful which cause Andras to knit his brow together in thought wonder what the password was to access the files he was searching for, surely nothing was off limits to him though it had been so long he might have been forgotten in the tidal wave of memory...

...several key strokes later and Andras gained a small success. The terminal began to reboot which meant it would no longer be stuck in its previous query however he had to hope that the files he'd been looking for weren't corrupted somehow. As the terminal powered up again he sat back, his hands moving over the holographic keyboard, until a command prompt came up again and he entered a few keys once again. Excitement may have touched the corner of his mouth when a single word appeared on the screen of the terminal...

[Searching......]

...that was all he needed to see however this would take longer than one might have expected. Andras actually sat at the terminal for upwards of a quarter hour before the search finally came back to him with a location....

[D12-Row 213]

...then he would look up from the terminal as several automated lights flickered to life deeper in the archives. Difficult to appreciate the scope of these archives if you haven't seen them before but even House Garon had archives spanning at least a thousand years. Imagine how much they had been able to collect in that time from the trivial to the critical. Andras stood from the seat he'd been occupying and ventured deeper down into the archives in search of his prize. Whether or not he would be able to find it was something else completely. He might just ben walking towards nothing at all...

 

[Andras Garon]

...the way was open, it was made so by those who came before him, that sounded like a line he may have read in a text somewhere but as his thoughts drifted Andras couldn't quite place it at the moment. Progress into the archives beyond the terminal he'd left behind was slow, mostly because the archives were a twisting maze of different relics and information that had been stored here for countless generations. Unless someone had been here for all of it getting lost tended to be easier than expected...

....making his way Andras eventually came to a junction that read...

[D6-12 Rows 150-300]

...it seemed to indicate that he'd been moving in the right track if nothing else. Navigating his next path he turned down the junction in search of his next destination. On the way Andras spared a glance to several relics which caught his attention, pieces of history from the earlier days of Clan Garon and items considered to valuable or important for anyone to keep as a trophy or private collection beyond one benefiting the entire clan. None of the things he saw were what he'd been searching for however he caught sight of several items that piqued his curiosity and would warrant another look sometime in the future if he had time. All in good time though...

...footsteps came slow, the ground he was walking on was ridden with dust likely from the stone that seemed to mold most of the floors beneath his feet, when this place was built it had been dug deep into the earth. At least he saw what he'd been searching for...

[D12-Row 200-250]

....only a matter of finding the exact spot he was searching for now. Shouldn't take to long. Andras noticed that the lighting back here, deeper in the archives, wasn't particularly functional but then it had probably been awhile since any type of maintenance droid had been sent down to the archives. A shame. Narrowing his eyes he focused down the path ahead and moved quietly, one of his hands had clenched into a fist and while Andras didn't expect trouble he had been prepared for disappointment; he just wouldn't take it well...

 

[Andras Garon]

...Andras finally came to stand before his prize. Moving down the corridor into row D12 he'd seek out am alcove numbered 213 which he slipped inside. Automated light which probably hadn't activated since this specific alcove was made switched on illuminating the area in a dim glow that allowed Andras to examine what he'd come to study. Inside the alcove was a pedestal holding aloft an ornate looking scroll case that was polished and craft of bronze, maybe a similar looking metal, that sat there waiting for someone to take it but Andras already knew it wouldn't be that easy...

...moving closer he'd take a knee. As he crouched down he'd look for a switch, a prompt or tell that that might indicate a trap, then he caught himself and chuckled briefly..."Doesn't hurt to stay sharp."...he'd chide himself before his hands came up and he removed the scroll case from the pedestal holding it as he rose back to his feet. Inspecting it Andras would squint, look closely, then when he was sure that was an authentic piece like he was looking for he'd have tucked it back under his arm for safe keeping. Naturally he couldn't remove the item from the archives however he could take it back to the entrance for study under closer scrutiny than was possible here in the dim light of the alcove. Leaving the alcove Andras would have retraced his steps...

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...moments passed, really it was almost a quarter hour, then Andras emerged out of the corridors into the central room of the archives where he'd studied the terminal previous to searching out the particular relic he had gone looking for. Moving to a table he'd take a seat before one hand went to the end of the scroll case and with a careful twist he'd remove the plug creating a short lived hiss as a small amount of gas used to preserve the scroll inside was released from containment. Tipping the scroll case over Andras would watch as what looked like aged parchment slid out onto the table he'd taken up residence at and placing the case aside he'd reach for the scroll so that he could unravel it slowly and study the writing...

 

[Andras Garon]

....the scroll was stretched out across the tabletop. Andras leaned closer, eyes narrowing, as he attempted to decipher the symbols that covered the old parchment. Unable to do so himself he'd access the archives via terminal again to unlock any records containing this particular item. Command prompts would come up with the expected response...

Searching....

...eventually a file on the scroll was produced. Apparently the symbols were an ancient form of writing utilized by some Sith from an era some thousands of years ago. The Scroll had been deciphered some time ago however the files that detailed the translation were only partially intact causing Andras to have to piece together what was missing in certain areas. It would prove a challenge but nothing he wouldn't be able to do in time....

....tracing several of the symbols on the scroll with one of his hands he'd attempt to link those that appeared similar to one another and eventually began to match them together so that he could complete the pieces of the translation important to him. All of this stemmed from rumors and legend that Andras had encountered in his travels throughout the Unknown Region and the Outer Rim of the Galaxy...

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....the legend was simple. Apparently at one time a tyrant had existed that thwarted the Jedi and his enemies by being able to disappear from one place and literally relocate into another. Teleportation as Andras understood. A rare technology even by todays standards and a power he'd only heard of a rare few Jedi ever possessing in modern times. No wonder he wanted it though; whoever had the power to vanish and reappear somewhere else on a whim would be a force to be reckoned with. Now it was just a matter of discovering where exactly this mythical figure was laid to rest. The Scroll was said to detail his fall and have clues as to the whereabouts of his last resting place. His tomb...