Knight-Errantly Chapter Six
Suggested Theme:
Main Theme- Brainiac's Daughter by The Dukes of the Stratosphear
Armitage Hux feels a weight settle on his stomach. He half-expects to feel Millicent's claws dig into his chest in her unique way of demanding his attention, but no affectionate pain rakes him. He opens his bleary eyes and squints until his eyes adjust to the darkness. A blue cowl obscures most of the Prince's face, except his nose, but he sees the yellow eyes glow in the darkness.
"If you had a Chakra, you would pass for a young Raven." And if he had red eyes, then an Evil Raven.
"….Get your cloak on." Dead-Star orders and finally gets off him, landing on the floor with his dark boots.
"Why?" Dead-Star grunts and then closes his eyes. When he opens them again, the Prince's brown eyes nearly disappear into the darkness.
"We're going to the Crystal Canyons."
"And this couldn't wait until the morning because?"
"Because the Barsen'thor's tomb will be closed by then."
"The Barsen'thor? Was that some ancient ruler?"
"No, a Jedi. They say that his tomb only opens at exactly midnight and only those with pure hearts can enter it without being struck down by his ghost."
"What's in the tomb?"
"Who knows? But we can find out."
"….I really hope this doesn't end with us being sealed underground. I'm pretty certain the Jedi isn't going to be as lively as Exar Kun!" He jokes but wouldn't mind a reappearance of the Sith Spirit.
"If that does somehow happen, the tour guides will find us in the morning."
"So how are going to get there? I doubt a taxi droid won't report a couple of kids pass their bedtime. Are we going to use the sewers?"
"We'd never get the smell out of our clothes and be caught red-handed by Chewie. We're going to use the skimboard."
"The skimboard?"
"It's a board that can hover above the ground thanks to the repulsors and microengines. Most skimboards can only go up one meter, but Chewie upgraded our family's to hover five meters from the ground. We'll skimboard from the rooftop and make our way out of the city."
"That sounds wizard, but there's one problem."
"Is it the power source? Because it's fully charged."
"No, but that's good. It's just that I've never been skimboarding, or regular boarding."
"Don't fret, this board requires two people on them. I'll control it, while you just follow my lead."
"Yes, my Prince!"
Anakin bursts into Xanatos's room and trips over something that reaches his thighs; he looks down and sees Bruck beneath him. Bruck's face scrunches up in pain and then opens his eyes to see the giant lug that nearly squashed him, and what smacked him on the face. His blue eyes widen in absolute horror and screams.
"That sounds like Bruck." Xanatos comments as he turns the page of his fashion holo-mag.
"Um, shouldn't you go to him?" Ahsoka asks with her head turned toward the direction of the scream like all of the patrons in the library.
"It's nothing life-threatening since we're already dead. And odds are he's probably screaming because he saw something horrible like Obi-Wan tied up by–"
"Please don't remind me of that!" Ahsoka holds out her hand, signaling for him to not bringing up Obi-Wan's bedroom antics. She and Xanatos share the unique experience of being the only ones in the Line to know what Obi-Wan's oh face looks like.
"And where the hells is Yoda? He should've been here like an hour ago."
Ben hasn't been skimboarding in over two years. But he feels it's a lot like piloting the Millennium Falcon, you never forget how to once you've learned it. Especially with a dragon breathing down his metaphorical neck.
Is there a solo version of this?
Yes, it's also literally named "The Solo."
You humans and names!
I didn't name it. Uncle Lando did.
I don't know who Lando is, but I thought it was going to be your father.
He's not the gift-giving kind.
How many karking steps are there? And why didn't we take the lift?
Because of the security camera in it. The stairs aren't part of the building's security feed.
Five minutes later, they finally reach the rooftop of the apartment. Ben and Armitage set the three-meter-long, metallic board down as gently as possible. Ben then helps to strap his Wistie's small feet in.
You're going to bring it.
Bring what?
The Solo.
Why?
What if the Great Dragon is adverse to the ground? We need something to be at his level.
Fine, I'll sneak it aboard for the Nagi trip. And when you get your dragon body, torch the thing for me.
Not before I torch the Academy down.
Oh, be my guest.
"Man, these goo-gel things are sure tight!" Their Wistie comments as he tries to wiggle his feet free, but the stick-strips refuse to give in.
"They're called stick-strips, and they're tight on your end because you're not controlling the board." Ben answers and goes to the rear end of the board and straps his feet in.
"Is there like a weight limit on my end?"
"This board can easily hold two Wookies."
"Oh, so does Chewbacca like to use this for dates."
"I hope not since he is married and has a son."
"Really? Why isn't he with them?"
"His life debt to my dad keeps him bound to him, but it's mostly because Malla and Lumpy would rather be on Kashyyyk."
"Who's who?"
"Malla is short for Mallatobuck, his wife, while Lumpy is short for Lumpawaroo, his son."
"Did you ever meet them?"
"A few times for Life Day. My first Life Day was on Kashyyyk."
"Wow, mine was on stupid rainy Arkanis."
"Rain is your enemy."
"It is the plague bringer!" Their Wistie throws their hands up wildly in the air. Dead-Star glares at him in their collective mind, while Ben just smiles without any judgement. He uses the ball of his heel to press down on the ignition, and their Wistie immediately leans into him. He can smell the sea salt and starblossom conditioner in his hair; Ben pulls away once they reach the five meter limit. He then sweeps the tip of his foot forward in a fan motion, causing board to jolt forward. Armitage's hood is pulled back by the sudden thrust. His spikey, red locks twist in the air like embers riding a stormy wind. The waning moon spares some of its light to shine on his pale skin, making the brownish freckles stand out like the nighttime stars.
Focus, I don't want to die before getting my body back.
Relax, I can do air slashes with my eyes closed! But I won't because that may frighten our Wistie.
Good, and all the stuff you said about the tomb, was all that true?
The tomb of the Barsen'thor lies in the Crystal Canyons. But I did embellish some details.
The tomb opening up at midnight isn't real.
It isn't. But he doesn't know that.
Why lie?
He'll be amazed by the crystals, especially in the Barsen'thor's tomb. His adulation is well worth a lie or two.
I feel a knot in our stomach.
That would be guilt. It'll take some time, but it'll eventually go away.
Liar.
Xanatos finds Anakin nerf naked and cross-legged before his holoprojector. He looks at the screen to see that the kids are walking across a stone bridge surrounded by porous rocks and a very few crystals.
"Anakin, you are watching two underage boys in the nude. But most importantly, your ass is on my perfumed pillow!"
"Your Wrodian carpet made me itch, while the pillow doesn't."
"Great, now I'm going have to imagine a whole new room. And how did you know that carpet was Wrodian?"
"Because Palpatine had that very same carpet in his private quarters, but red." Anakin answers without tearing his eyes from the screen.
"You just couldn't spare a second of your peeping to put on some pants?" Xanatos's exasperation and disgust mix together into a noxious cocktail, but Anakin wouldn't partake.
"Is this another Sith tomb?"
"I don't think so. It's too brightly lit and natural to fit any of the tombs I've been through."
"And I don't recall anything notably Sith on Chandrila. This must be the famous Crystal Canyons, which should be renamed the Barely Crystal Canyons." Xanatos snarks.
"What happened to all the crystals?"
"Before Chandrila became the leader in environmental conservation, they used to mine the crystals and sell them for a tidy profit back in the Old Republic."
"I'm guessing that the Barsen'thor didn't foresee this happening to his tomb."
"Is that a name of a Jedi? 'Cause it's not a Sith I recognize."
"It's a title given to exemplary Jedi; it literally translates to Warden of the Order from Cerean."
"How come I never got that title?" Anakin pouts, while Xanatos rolls his eyes.
"Other than the fact that the Council knew such an honor would go to your head, it's because the title was retired after the Cold War."
"But the Cold War is going on right now with the New Republic and the First Order."
"Anakin, you can't be this stupid. I mean the one between the Jedi and Sith." Xanatos brings his fingers to his scarred cheek in utter vexation.
"Is that what they call the Sith going into hiding for like a millennium now?"
"I swear I will–"
"WIZARD! IT'S OPENING!" Armitage shouts. They both turn their attention the screen to see that the boys have ended up in an enclosed room. A stone coffin with a chandelier of pink crystals take the center of the room; the lid slides back as though someone was using the Force to open it.
"What's with you and wizard?" Ben asks but with his yellow snake eyes on full display.
"Because I think it's cool like you!" Armitage smiles, while Ben starts to gag at the cheesy line. The kids walk up the few steps to reach the opened coffin. Armitage looks in and then uses his hand to snatch up a necklace. It has a silver chain with the Jedi moniker carved into the green glowing rock.
"Huh, I thought only the Sith made amulets."
"This is an amulet?"
"I presume so because most've the amulets I found were in tombs."
"What happened to those?"
"Usually left them there unless the Sith Spirit was being an arse, then we would blow up their tomb."
"We?"
"The Commandant and me. Sometimes my uncle."
"You think this will make me a dragon again?"
"We'll see." Armitage unclasps the necklace and then re-clasps it around Ben's white neck. They wait a minute, but nothing happens.
"Figures I wouldn't get that lucky!"
"And from what I can tell, the necklace didn't react negatively to a Dark Side creature like you, Dead-Star. This was not made to ward off the Sith. You should keep it."
"Why?"
"When we get to Warlord Nihl's court, there might be some Grays hanging about, so we can see if they know anything about it. Also, I think it complements your eyes!"
Dead-Star, the yellow-eyed persona (he hopes it's just that) of Ben, blushes and mumbles a near silent thank you.
"Wow, I didn't think Ben would become a Sith so soon." Xanatos whistles, and Anakin uses the remote to shut off the projector.
"That's not Ben."
"Are you really going to argue that Jedi and Sith selves are completely separate people poodoo again?"
"No! But this Dead-Star is….not Ben. Nor a Sith Lord. Certainly not a Force Ghost. I don't know what he is." Anakin then scratches his shaggy head. "But he's familiar!"
"You sure he's not like on of Vader's victims? Like a failed experiment of his?"
"But I've never really dabbled into sorcery. That was more Sidious's thing."
"Maybe, he was Sidious's victim? Perhaps, Sidious cursed your kin from beyond the grave!" Xanatos lets out a ghostly moan, which causes Anakin to snicker.
"I'm pretty certain he would've cursed Luke first if that was the case."
"Any other ideas then?"
"Not really. When was the Cold War?"
"Nearly, four-thousand years ago."
"So we should find the Jedi of that era and ask about the amulet!"
"How does this relate to Dead-Star?"
"It doesn't. I just want to solve a mystery that I can solve immediately."
"Shouldn't we just track down the Barsen'thor? Surely, he'll give us information about the amulet."
"You can do that, but I feel like being social!"
"…Given the vastness of the Afterlife, maybe those Jedi haven't heard of you and won't avoid you like everyone else."
"Exactly, and maybe we'll learn something!"
"You know what you can learn now?"
"What?" Anakin looks at him eagerly.
"Putting on some pfassking pants!"
Author's Comments- Here are the links:
And that Raven comment is in reference to the comic book version: a href=" . /marvel_dc/images/f/f7/Raven_ /revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/150?cb=20051027194433"Link/a
Also, Armitage is rocking his cloak like Three-in-One. I have a thing for cloaks: a href=" img/t/h/Three_In_ "Link/a
Here is an image of the Crystal Canyons back in the Old Republic, and even then, there were fewer crystals in the walls: a href=" . /revision/latest?cb=20070515071857"Link/a
Barsen'thor, which translates from the Cerean language to Warden of the Order, is a ceremonial title given to exceptional Jedi in the Star Wars: The Old Republic game. The Wookie offers no other description other than listing the people who received the title. The Crystal Canyons do hold the tomb of the nameless third Barsen'thor who was a male Jedi Master during the Cold War between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire; he was also known as the Scorekeeper's Herald amongst the Trandoshans.
That skimboard scene is like a truncated "Whole New World" without Ezra and the music. And weirdly more intimate, even though Armitage is fourteen going on fifteen, while Ben is barely ten. Once again, I'm wondering if I should've just stuck to my original idea of having them both be in their late teens.
Next chapter: the gang finally leaves Chandrila, while Anakin socializes with strangers.
