LIVING HISTORY
by ardavenport
= = = Part 27
"Master Qui-Gon." The Castle Custodian bowed to him. "Venerate Sebo, Lady of the Tower wishes to see you, backstage, before the Play begins."
People were assembling in the gallery over Tamwa Hall. A voice had just announced that the doors were now open and that the audience was welcome to enter and be seated.
"Is there time? Before the Play starts?"
She nodded. "Yes, if we are quick."
He turned to Obi-Wan. "I will return." He did not wait for an answer as he strode away with the hurrying woman, past the platform to the far end of the gallery and around a corner.
It was a dead end.
"If you could please turn your back Venerate Jedi M - - "
With and impatient huff, Qui-Gon felt the Force around him, stretching out to the barrier. He waved a hand at the wall.
"HUH?!" The woman gasped at the opening he made.
"You said we needed to be quick." He went in first, but he waited for her to close the door behind them. She led him down metalloid, spiral stairs that had padding on the steps, muffling the sound of their descent. At the bottom, she paused fretfully and again, Qui-Gon opened the hidden door. Closing that door behind them, she led him out of a small dark room into a lighted corridor. They went toward the sounds of activity, and finally emerged through a set of double doors that slid aside, admitting them into a wide corridor of busy anxiety and fear. Peformers in costume, faces painted, perfumed and sweating, jittered through warm up exercises while technicians fussed over their clothes and hair. Someone called out a warning that the Hall was hot.
His guide led him past improvised work spaces and panicking performers. A few startled and jumped from his passing, but most were too self-involved to note his presence at all. The Custodian stopped at a dark door with a stylized symbol of a tall tower on it. The door slid partially open and the Custodian stepped back. He went inside,
Sebo closed the door. It was a tiny room with desk, mirrors and lights. Qui-Gon's eyes immediately went to the body-form with the Darth Yarr costume on it. And the small table with the open, triple-sealing transport container, Yarr's artifacts resting in their places.
"You intend to use these for your Play," he accused.
The fear left her eyes; she lifted her head in defiance. "Yes. And I wanted to warn you that Director Tykon has not given up on you playing my opposite at the end."
"Really? And how does he propose to accomplish that?"
She drew a breath to calm herself. "The shadow dances will be presented in pairs, the dancers coming and going on their own platforms on either side of the stage. When it is my turn, my platform witll pass by Custodian Tykon's seat and I will ascend it from there. A matching, empty platform will pass by your seat at the same time. That is your cue to join me." Her expression turned hopeful. "They'll swing around above the back of the stage, facing each other.
He frowned. "You are working with him."
"Yes," she hissed. "It's perfect. My final act as Venerate here. You have to do it!"
He shook his head, suddenly disgusted. Sebo wore a black body suit, covering everything and revealing how much she was not a Sith Lord. Putting on the mask and the black and red Yarr costume would be a travesty. It would be a degrading and embarrassing final act, a sad and flabby pretend-villaim clumsily swinging around a red lightsaber up in front of thousands of gawkers.
"No." He stepped forward, forcing her back to the wall in the tiny room. "I will not." He turned back to the box of Yarr's artifacts. "This needs to be sealed. Now. You have plenty of Play props to work with. And all the performers must have back-ups. Director Tykon will have to be satisfied with those."
"No! They are the sacred relics! They must be in the Play - -"
He whirled back on her. "They are not sacred!" He grabbed her arms, pushing her hard against the wall. "They are the symbols of an evil that thousands of Jedi died to banish from the galaxy a thousand years ago!" He lifted her up. She weighted nothing, her soft body yielding against him, her belly, her breasts. Suddenly dropping her, her turned again back to the box. If he sealed it, triple-sealed it, it could not be opened until it was returned to the Jedi Temple. The travesty could never happen. He raised his hand, but the box remained immobile, the holocron and lightsaber glinting back at him.
"Where is the key?"
"I - I don't have it."
His head snapped back to her.
Lie.
He seized her again, lifting her up, pressing himself hard into her body. "You. Will. Give it to me."
She panted back, her brown eyes wide and dialated, nearly black with fear and anticipation. They turned red.
Everything went red.
"Aaauuhhh!"
Qui-Gon threw himself back, drawing in a desperate breath. It was icy cold. She dropped all the way down to the floor. The lights in the room suddenly shifted back to white and blue. The sweat on his face and under his clothes turned clammy. He stared down at the woman, huddled on the floor, her eyes still large and black with longing.
Turning back to the box, he lunged, seizing the holocron with his bare hand. His own ightsaber in his other hand - - he didn't remember grabbing it - - he held up the holocron and dared to stare into it.
There was nothing. It was empty.
The flash of the Dark Side that had seized him was gone as if it had never been there.
He did not even feel the clean chill from his earlier vision, so cold it was hot. He threw the holocron down, but it did not break. Even ancient holocrons were not that fragile. It just bounced and rolled under the table. Sebo grunted, climbing to her feet. He whirled back to her.
"I will not do it. You will have to use someone else."
Before she could speak, he slammed his hand down on the door control and left.
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The Hall was full. Not just with people, but with their sounds, their random, all-voice mutterings and the low, nearly inaudible rumble of air recyclers overhead.
Obi-Wan stood in the velvety dark behind the curtains, waiting in the line of dignitaries to be presented before the Play. He wondered about Yana, her friends and all the other performers. Years of practice had led to this moment, just as a Jedi's training led to the Trials and Knighthood. He did not know if this one performance was as important to them, but it was the only equivalence he could think of.
Through the opening at the platform he saw the lights in the Hall go down and up four times. Worried, he looked around. Where was Qui-Gon?
Suddenly Qui-Gon appeared, the hood of his robe on, pushing past Custodian Tykon and her assistants. He did not stop to apologize as he took his place in line.
"Master?"
"Here." Qui-Gon grabbed his shoulders and pointed hm forward. Surprised, Obi-Wan complied. When he tried to turn around, Qui-Gon grabbed his shoulders again and pointed him forward again. "They're starting."
The lights in the Hall went down. The crowd noise from below snuffed out.
"Sentients! Communicants! Devotees!" the announcer began. Colored lights flashed in the hall. Qui-Gon's hands lifted Obi-Wan's hood and put it on his head. They had not rehearsed with their hoods up, but otherwise the presentations went as planned. The line moved forward and when it was their turn the audience below 'ooohed' and 'aaaahed'. They stepped onto the floater platform and it delivered them to their high viewing platform where they would watch the Play. The lights were not nearly as blinding with his hood to shield his face; that seemed to be a good choice. After their bow, they sat down, the lights left them and the next persons were introduced.
The data screens on the handheld screen in the slots by their seat armrests were lit. It was the play roster. The opening page had just the title 'The Tragedy of Darth Yarr' and in smaller glowing text at the bottom 'The Living History of the Lady of the Tower of Naardin Castle'. Obi-Wan touched the arrows and found a primary menu of options; writing and technical credits, character names, lyrics, revelation. He tried to access the lyrics and revelation, but he got a screen that said it was 'unavailable at this time' but promised a download of the revelation, lyrics and whole play in text along with a complimentary special holo-recording download of the performance itself, after the conclusion of the Play.
Going to the credits, he found the Creative Committee, the performers and their parts, the orchestra, the technical crew, the stage crew and builders, the holo production, the audition crew and a list of Naardin Castle Custodians and Living History Lands patrons. He scanned all the lists carefully. His name was not on any of them. Looking up, he wondered if it was important for him to be credited. Glancing to his side, he saw his Master staring straight forward, his face in shadow under the hood of his robe.
He shrugged. It didn't matter.
"WELCOME, welcome all!" the announcer's voice boomed over the applause of the audience. Custodian Tykon and her staff had just taken their seats. A huge cheer rose up. "Welcome to your HISTORY!" The roar increased.
The lights dimmed, the audience silencing as if the lack of light stole their voices.
"I am the Lady of the Tower, whose name was so dangerous it was taken from her." It was Sebo. An enormous bluish holo-projection of her face appeared over the stage, her shawl draped over her head, very faint at first, growing brighter as she spoke. "Who grew old and died there as Cloras the First rose to power and later united this world again from the chaos after the fall of the Sith Lord. I am the keeper of her name. I hold the Mystery. I live her life."
The head lowered its eyes and faded away. The audience hushed.
The orchestra spun up, grandly starting with an imposing overture, then switching to other tunes, fast and slow, until the medley wound down to a few instruments repeating the same refrain. Gray shapes formed on the black wall behind the stage and then resolved into projected rocks and boulders, forested hills in the background and a fortress with only a few towers, none of them taller than half the height of the body of the fortress itself, Naardin Castle in an earlier time. Real looking boulders, rocks and tall trees floated in and assumed their places. A jagged pebbled path rolled out, zig-zagging across the black stage. Two figures appeared on the left. One in blue, the other in dark gray and pale pink. They both carried lightsabers on their belts. The music rose.
The one in blue, Keth, began to sing. Obi-Wan looked down at his Play roster and saw the words flow by on the screen.
. . .
Keth: "We have a mission
A Jedi mission – destroy the Sith Lord!
Destroy the all Sith in their lairs!"
. . .
Keth had a fine voice; he was tall and broad-shouldered, his hair reddish-blond with a high receding hairline. His apprearance had been changed, now he looked older than any of the youthful performers Obi-Wan had seen during the auditions. He waved his arms out wide as if he was declaring himself to the rocks. Then Minigan sang.
. . .
Minigan: "We have a mission,
A Jedi mission
And we have come to end
The evil Sith Lord's nightmare!"
. . .
Then they sang together, leaping to stand next to each other, their outside arms out.
. . .
Keth and Minigan: "We have a mission
To defeat the Sith!
With lightsabers and
Wielding the Force we are with!"
. . .
They sang beautiful harmony, the two voices complimenting each other. Minigan was shorter, slimmer with golden skin and brown hair graying at the temples, again looking much older than the performers in the auditions. Minigan was also played by a woman, though 'she' looked very convincingly masculine, obviously meant to be a 'he' for the Play.
On either side, two floater platforms emerged high over the stage, one with a person in white accented in tan and swinging a blue lightsaber, one in gray accented in pink with a red lightsaber. Their blades were pale, not nearly as bright as the ones used in the auditions, but the black background behind them made them look bright enough. They both wore masks and 'fought' each other from opposite ends of the stage as the song continued.
Keth stepped away, separate from his partner for his next lines.
. . .
Keth: "This is my home world. It was my home world,
Before-the-Jedi-came-and-took-me-to-teach-me-the-m ysteries-of-the-Force,
When-I-was-just-a-boy-of-sixteen-and-just-learning -about-girls."
. . .
Minigan followed him.
. . .
Minigan: "We have a mission
Defeat the Sith Lord!"
. . .
Keth edged away from him. Minigan hopped toward him.
. . .
Minigan: "We have a - - -"
. . .
Keth leaped away and the lights suddenly brightened on him, the music going loud and harsh.
. . .
Keth: "The Jedi don't allow love or hate or avarice!
You swear yourself to live a life of selfless service!
And follow the Jedi Code!
You give your life before you know what living is!
At sixteen, sixteen, I became a Jedi!"
. . .
Keth paused, the lights went down. He took a step back closer to Minigan.
. . .
Keth: "We have a mission."
. . .
They threw their arms around each other's shoulders.
. . .
Keth and Minigan: "We have a mission
To defeat the Sith!
With lightsabers and
Wielding the Force we are with!
. . .
"We have a mission . . . .
defeat the Sith Lord!
What can't we do? The Force is with us!
How could the evil Sith defeat us?
They rule this world. Defeat the scum!
The Dark will fall. The Light has come!
. . .
"What can't we do? We are the Jedi!
It is our time, we will win or die!
"We have to try,
We'll win of course!
There is no try,
We wield the Force!
. . .
"What can't we do? The Force is with us!
How could the evil Sith defeat us?
Our mission is our life!"
. . .
Keth broke away again, head down.
. . .
Keth: "Because I'm a Jedi. . . ."
. . .
The Jedi and Sith figures continued their dance but their platforms pulled back until they disappeared behind the tall black sides of the stage as the last notes faded.
= = = End Part 27
( 'We've Got A Mission' is roughly filked from 'I've Got a Theory' from 'Once More with Feeling' - - Buffy the Vampire Slayer.)