Convergence/Chapter 10

10
 As it turned out, the military base wasn’t nearly as fruitful as Corian had dared hope. Served him right for expecting something good to happen. They had found the site easily enough, a crumbling complex of ruins only a few kilometers away. The base had proven to be expansive, a large central fortress ringed by walls and surrounded by dozens of smaller buildings. In its prime occupancy, the place had possibly housed thousands of personnel. Three hundred years of erosion, earthquakes, and Yanibar’s hostile weather patterns had eaten away at the structures, though. Corian had noted that buildings were generally rugged and many were partially standing—evidence of solid, practical design coupled with an understanding of the world’s hazards—but that didn’t mean there was anything useful.

             The archaeologists had gotten themselves all excited about finding such a large habitation—it was apparently the size of the town they had unearthed farther to the south—but they’d forgotten why they were here. Corian hadn’t. He had been hoping for a ship, a transmitter, or even some parts that could be cobbled into a transmitter. However, while they had found plenty of old furniture and some ancient electronics, there was nothing like a subspace transceiver or hypercomm relay. A pile of potentially useful equipment had been inspected and brought out to a crude campsite by the speeder, where Kanjai had been cataloging it. Little matters like survival apparently didn’t slow them down from their original mission to dig up, catalog, and study all of this junk. However, Corian had also done some sorting of his own: the entire pile, into the “useless” category.

             He sat on the hood of the speeder, watching Yanibar’s sun start to sink. It would be dark in a few hours, and they would need to find shelter for the night. The soldier started thinking about what they would need. Someplace with a good view would be useful, to spot any incoming Grasp scouts. He didn’t dare trust that the droids would just give up the search. The risk of failing to plan for that contingency—and the consequences—were too great.

 The soldier unconsciously rubbed his neck with one hand. His throat still sometimes ached from the oxygen deprivation he’d sustained during the attack on the space station. The old throbbing tended to recur when he was stressed. Staring off into the distance, he was aware of Jhiranae’s approach, but chose not to acknowledge her.

 “How are you doing?” she asked.

 He didn’t even bother to look at her.

 “Does it matter?”

 Jhiranae didn’t give him an immediate reply, sliding over to sit on the hood of the speeder, just within arm’s reach.

 “Corian, you are a skilled soldier. You have already saved all of our lives. We are very grateful for you.”

 If it was an attempt at flattery, Corian was not impressed. This sounded like an attempt to get him to do something particularly difficult and unpleasant.

 “And?”

               “And I think you could do a lot better.”

             Corian was surprised by the direction she was going. Now he gave her a suspicious glance.

             “What’s that supposed to mean?” “It means that you don’t act like part of our team. I know you don’t know us very well, and you probably don’t like us that much. That’s fine! But while you’ve been quiet, we’ve at least been trying things. None of them have worked, so now I’m looking at the only person who hasn’t offered any ideas and asking him to work with us!”

             The words spilled out of Jhiranae with vehemence. Corian let her vent, his facial expression glacially neutral.

             “I’m not part of your team,” Corian told her. “I don’t answer to you. You don’t answer to me. That hasn’t changed.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Jhiranae was slow to respond.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “You’re right,” she said. “I guess I thought that those distinctions didn’t matter as much after the Grasp killed all the rest of your unit.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Corian shrugged.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “My number one priority is to stay alive,” he told her. “My original mission was to protect your expedition. What you and your team are doing right now is not contributing to either goal. Don’t ask me to help you waste what little time we have digging through ruins.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “This base is huge,” Jhiranae countered. “Who knows what we could find?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Corian scowled.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “You weren’t listening earlier,” he said. “There were only a few logical places to house long-range communications gear or large vehicles. We’ve checked all of those.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Maybe there is something in a place not so logical,” Jhiranae offered.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Military bases don’t just assign random locations for key equipment like that. You and the doctor both agreed—this place was evacuated in an orderly fashion. Hell, even I can see that. The stuff that was left behind didn’t matter. There’s no reason to believe we’ll find a starship in the mess hall or a transmitter in the waste processing plant. This is a waste of time, and I tried to say that three hours ago, but you all got archaeology-happy. Don’t come asking me for help now.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Fine,” Jhiranae said, sensing the conversation was over and jumping up. “Get off the speeder.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Corian complied, easing himself to his feet. Jhiranae moved over to the driver’s door and opened it, sliding in with lithe ease.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Where are you going?” he asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “I’m going to explore another site,” she told him. “It seems safe enough here for the moment. If nothing else, it’ll give me a chance to think.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Wait,” Corian replied. “I’ll come with you.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Her answer was stiff and formal.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Thank you, Lieutenant, but that won’t be necessary. I can take care of myself.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Corian scowled.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “It’s not a good idea for anyone to be wandering off alone. You should take one of the others.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Jhiranae strongly considered that idea, then shook her head.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “The others have tasks they’re doing. You’re just standing there. Get in.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             She sighed, then murmured.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “I’m going to regret this.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Where are we going?” Corian asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “There’s another place on the map not far from here. It’s called the Hall of Remembrance. I was hoping that might have something.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Sounds like a tomb,” Corian replied skeptically.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “It might be,” Jhiranae said. “We won’t know until we get there. It’s not far.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Did you even tell anyone you were going somewhere else?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “I said I was going to take the speeder for a brief drive. This qualifies. It’s less than one hundred kilometers. We should be there in under an hour.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Corian was silent as the speeder left the foothills, descending into a broad plain. The glimmering swathe of a river bathed in the setting sun was evident to the west. Jhiranae followed the river’s course, heading south. The plain was desolate, scarred and barren like the wide lands they had seen previously. However, a few petrified trees bore evidence that the land had once been arable and verdant. The terrain undulated with the gentle curves of a long-established river valley, aside from the occasional fissure where earthquakes had torn the plains asunder. As they continued southward, the river’s steady supply of water provided the necessities for more plant life. Bushes and even occasional pockets of grass now pockmarked the terrain, giving it a more habitable appearance.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “This place might have been beautiful once,” Jhiranae commented as they drove through the remains of what had once been a riverside forest.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “It was inhabited as well,” Corian replied, indicating the ruins of a homestead.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “The map was accurate,” Jhiranae agreed. “Look.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Off in the distance to the west, she pointed out the ruins of another military base similar to the one being explored by the rest of the team. Corian scanned the site with his macrobinoculars.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Seems almost identical to the first one,” he said. “Central structure, walls, lots of outbuildings, some subterranean.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Is this one more intact?” Jhiranae asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Less,” came Corian’s curt answer. “Looks like it’s been flooded a couple times.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Jhiranae sighed.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Too much to hope for, I suppose. Maybe we can search there next.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Another time,” Corian said. “We don’t have much daylight left.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “That’s okay,” Jhiranae told him. “We’re here.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             As they crested a rise, a large cruciform building came into view. Though still several kilometers away, it rose from the landscape below them. It was made of the same earth-colored stone as the surrounding landscape, creating the appearance of a natural formation from a distance. A single ruined tower at the eastward end of the wings’ convergence jutted defiantly toward the sky. Half of the roof was collapsed and various chunks had been carved out of the walls, but it was still standing despite all that weather and time had thrown at it.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “That’s unusual,” Jhiranae said, as they descended down the steep hill towards the plain where the structure stood. “The map didn’t show the sea being so close.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             Corian compared what he was seeing with the map and noted she was right. The map had the sea some two hundred kilometers away, but now seawater lapped the steps of the structure. The entire southern horizon was dominated by ocean that glittered golden from the setting sun’s light.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “Are you sure this is the right place?” he asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">             “I’m sure,” she said, bringing the speeder to a halt on a sandy beach.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> A fifty-meter stretch of shallows separated them from the structure, and though the speeder could have crossed it easily, Jhiranae chose not to draw too close. She parked the speeder and they both exited.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “This place is probably flooded with every high tide,” Corian pointed out. “Anything electronic is probably useless.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I still want to have a look around,” Jhiranae told him. “There’s something about this place that’s drawing me. I don’t know, it seems familiar somehow.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Corian didn’t bother to answer that. The whole purpose of this expedition, from what he had been able to gather, was to dig up evidence for some kind of mystical hokum, which in his opinion was a waste of time. He had studied history. While Jedi and Sith and all that had existed at one point, that was all in the past. The galaxy had left all that behind, just as it had left behind cloned soldiers and planet-destroying superweapons. Hearing Jhiranae drivel on about her feelings and callings and drawings made him regret volunteering to come along. The only reason he’d come in the first place was that he hadn’t wanted to let their only vehicle out of his sight.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Instead, here he was, an unwilling participant in yet another joy-of-archaeology tour, listening to his “tour guide” wax eloquent about the ruins of a lost civilization. Sure, it was interesting that the map had proven semi-accurate, in a I-have-nothing-better-to-do-on-a-nineteen-hour-flight way. He was mildly surprised that there had been enough of a civilization on this desolate rock to build things like military bases and this monument, or whatever it was.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Jhiranae distracted him by starting up the broad stone steps to the front of the building. Its entrance was enormous, flanked by the crumbling visages of four humanoid statues roughly five meters tall. The doors had long since fallen or been torn away, leaving a gaping entrance into the western end of the structure.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Interesting,” she mused. “Each one seems different somehow. I wish I knew what their original appearance was. It might have told us a lot about this place.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I wish they were pointing to a working hypercomm,” Corian retorted.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Jhiranae ignored him, stepping over the threshold. Corian reluctantly followed, blaster ready. The interior was dim in the gloom of evening, as only faint glimmers of sunlight entered through high windows and slots in the ceilings where skylights had once nestled. He snapped on the glowlamp attached to his blaster, sweeping it over the walls while Jhiranae did likewise with a small glowlamp of her own. Rows of ruined humanoid statues standing in stone alcoves lined the walls, some male, some female. There were a variety of species, but it was hard to tell with the extent of the damage. The falling roof chunks had obliterated most of one side.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Corian heard a splash and looked down to see that the threshold was one of the highest points of the structure. The building was sunk into the ground, accessed by yet another set of stairs that led down to the main floor, which was covered in a shallow layer of water maybe ten or twenty centimeters deep. The sound had come from Jhiranae’s boots as she stepped into the water.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “It’s incredible,” she said. “So much. . . history carved into these stones.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Careful,” Corian cautioned. “There might be a hole in the floor; watch where you step.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Noted,” she said. “You were right—this place probably is flooded during high tide. We would need a retaining wall built around it to preserve what’s left while it’s being studied.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Corian snorted.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Do you ever stop thinking about archaeology?” he asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Not when I’m standing in the middle of a breathtaking find,” Jhiranae answered. “This place is magnificent!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Corian gritted his teeth, reminding himself for the thousandth time that the only thing worse than listening to a bunch of dirt-grubbing morons was being a dirt-grubbing moron. He did his best to give a relatively restrained reply, but couldn’t help the sharpness with which he spoke.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “But how does it help us?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> The edge in his voice seemed to startle Jhiranae out of her reverie.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Well, I don’t see much, but there are some power cables dangling from that wall,” she said. “This place did have power. It’s hard to see amidst all the debris.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “All right, that’s a start,” Corian admitted.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> He brought up his macrobinoculars and scanned the walls with their low-light filter. Maybe there’d be something useful. Even a working generator would be an improvement. To his disappointment—but not surprise—there was nothing useable. Extensive power lines and the ruins of some lighting fixtures were the only technological artifacts among the statuary and carved stones. He scanned the floor and noticed that the center seemed to have far more water than the perimeter.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Careful,” he cautioned. “Looks like a tunnel or basement collapsed under the middle of the floor. It’s a lot deeper there.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I see,” Jhiranae said, circling around the pool of water and sweeping her light through it. “Wait. . .”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “What is it?” Corian asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I thought I saw something metal in there,” Jhiranae said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> She walked over to the edge of the shallow water and leaned over, shining her light into the deeper murk. Corian turned his macrobinoculars on the water, but it was hard to see, even with the filter.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Pretty murky,” he remarked. “I’m surprised you saw anything.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I’m sure I did,” Jhiranae insisted.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “It’s probably a light fixture.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> The soldier and archaeologist were both silent for a moment, eyes fixed on the deep water. It occupied much of the central floor area, indicating that the collapsed subterranean feature that had formed that pool once underlaid much of the hall’s floor space.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I don’t think so,” Jhiranae said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> The beam from her glowlamp stopped at a particular point in the water.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “There,” she said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> She started forward, and Corian blinked in surprise. He had never suspected she might be this impulsive, but apparently he was wrong again.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “What are you doing?” “Going to see what it is,” came the answer.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Corian opened his mouth to lecture her on the dangers of plunging into unfamiliar and uncleared spaces, especially water, but suddenly, Jhiranae stepped forward and disappeared into the water. ''Shavit! She must have fallen into a sinkhole! ''Corian grimaced, willing her to reappear but she did not resurface. This was not good. She might be trapped down there, or maybe unconscious from hitting her head on a rock.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Nestling his blaster into the crook of a ruined statue’s arm, he hurriedly removed his jacket, belt, and boots, then waded in after her. Within seconds, the water was over his head. He tried to look around and catch sight of her, but the murky gloom made it impossible to see more than a meter ahead of him. How had she seen something metal in the first place anyway?

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Corian swam a few strokes forward, his hands brushing against a crumbling wall. In the narrow confines he could easily see how a quick stumble could lead to a collision. He searched left and right, but couldn’t see her. This was near where she’d fallen, but he saw no sign of her. Making his way forward, he cautiously swam ahead, checking for hazards or entanglements. His lungs started to ache. He blew out the rest of his air in a stream of bubbles, then forged ahead another few strokes.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Finally, Corian caught sight of a silhouette ahead. As he ventured further, the blurry shape resolved itself into Jhiranae. Her long hair was billowing out behind her, obscuring her features, but she seemed to be conscious and moving. In fact, she was tugging at what appeared to be a metal box resting on a stone altar of some kind, but trapped under an algae-encrusted piece of stone. How typical, risking her life for some antiquity. Corian swam up and pulled on her arm. She turned to see him, eyes wide with surprise, then pointed down to the box. Corian shook his head and pointed upward insistently. He didn’t know exactly how long her species could hold their breath, but he was close to his own limit. Jhiranae finally nodded with obvious reluctance and kicked her way upward.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Corian followed and they broke the surface at roughly the same time, greedily sucking in the warm evening air.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I need your help,” Jhiranae told him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “That’s all you can say?” Corian spluttered, his frustration and annoyance exploding like a detonator. “You could have drowned down there! All for a stupid box! At least give me an idea of what you’re doing!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Jhiranae chose not to meet his fire, letting him fume. Eventually, Corian’s need for air curtailed his stream of invective and he was silent, treading water and breathing.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I’m fine, Lieutenant,” she told him conciliatorily. “I appreciate your concern. You’re right. . . it was inconsiderate of me. I saw the box when I stepped forward into that hole, and I got excited. I didn’t realize how long I’d been under, and I did tell you I was going to see what it was. I could have been clearer.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Corian growled something incomprehensible.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Thank you for coming in after me. I would have needed your help if I had been injured.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “What is so important about the kriffing box anyway?” Corian demanded. “It doesn’t look like a hypercomm, and even if it was, I doubt there’d be anything useful after a hundred years in dirty salt water.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I. . . I don’t know,” Jhiranae admitted. “Please, just help me get it. It was stuck under a beam.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Why should I?” Corian asked. “This whole trip has been a waste of time, and we need to get back to the others, set up shelter for the night.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Please, Lieutenant,” Jhiranae told him, that earnest idealism of hers that vexed him so much seeping into her voice. “I need your help.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “And what then?” he asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “And then I’ll gladly head back to the others and help implement whatever recommendations you have for setting up shelter. No complaints.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Corian’s eyes narrowed.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “And no side trips?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Jhiranae shook her head.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “No side trips. No detours. I won’t even talk about the box once we get it into the speeder.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> It was not, Corian reflected, the best of deals, but he was tired of treading water and even more tired of butting heads with Jhiranae. He regretted coming along on this asinine side trip in the first place. However, considering the circumstances, he couldn’t exactly bargain for a freshly-grilled nerf steak (medium rare, with braised topatoes and a nice vintage ruby wine) or a new multi-mode CX-5000 blaster rifle complete with those tri-light scopes he’d been reading about. It was better than nothing, especially if all he had to do was a quick dive to retrieve a water-logged metal box.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “It’s a deal,” he said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Thank you.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Corian submerged, with Jhiranae following a moment later. They swam down to the box, still pinned securely in place by the ruined stone pillar. Corian heaved and shoved against it, but it was slow to budge, and he couldn’t get any traction against it underwater. He braced his legs against the altar and tried again, but to no avail. Feeling the last of his air run out, he headed toward the surface to catch his breath. The murk wasn’t helping either which made finding solid gripping points difficult.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “That’s heavy,” he managed, gasping for breath.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Jhiranae surfaced alongside him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I know,” she said. “We can do it. One more try, please.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Corian gave her a sharp look, but he’d barely given it two minutes of effort after making his deal, and it galled him to admit defeat so quickly. He nodded.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “You know, it might be easier if I blasted the rock,” he remarked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “But what if you missed and hit the box?” Jhiranae pointed out.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Truth be told, that thought had struck him as soon as the words were out of his mouth, so he gave no argument.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Let’s try it again,” he said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “We’re not going to try,” Jhiranae told him firmly. “We’ll succeed.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Fine,” Corian replied sourly. “We’ll succeed.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> And then hopefully they’d succeed in getting out of there.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> He took a deep breath and plunged himself underwater again, heading for the pillar. This time, he braced himself against a ruined wall, putting his shoulder against the pillar. Jhiranae took up position at the far end. Corian thrust his legs against the wall, pushing off as hard as he could. The pillar wobbled a little, but didn’t budge. No doubt it had been there for a hundred years; dislodging it would be quite the daunting task. Yet Corian was not so easily defeated. This one obstacle was the only thing stopping him from a quick and direct trip back to the others, and while it was far from the solution to all of his problems, it was the most obvious one. He knew that if he succeeded here, he could at least claim some small victory. After feeling like all of his efforts until now had been barely staving off defeat, any victory would be refreshing.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> He released the last of his conserved air, gathered his strength and closed his eyes. His hands had found the appropriate purchase on the pillar; he just needed one final effort. Pushing against the wall, Corian shoved against the pillar. The stone block resisted him solidly, just as it had the last two tries. Gritting his teeth, he thought of the Grasp, of a shattered space station and a burning encampment—past defeats. He would not add a stupid rock to that list. Though his muscles were aching, his oxygen depleted, he heaved with all of his strength.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> He was rewarded. Finally. The rock slid loose with a dull scrape, rolling free of the metal box. Jhiranae stopped pushing against the far end to scoop the box free. As soon as she was clear, Corian released the pillar. It slid back into place in a cloud of bubbles and dirt, but Corian was already swimming for the surface. He broke the water quickly, gasping and coughing. Jhiranae emerged seconds later heading for the edge of the deeper water and pulling herself back into the shallows.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “You did it!” Jhiranae exclaimed as Corian dragged himself to the edges of the temple floor where the water was only ankle-deep.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Yeah, I guess we did,” Corian managed, suddenly tired from the exertion. “That thing must have weighed a hundred fifty kilos.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> He pulled himself up, water dripping from his clothes. The soldier retrieved his blaster, belt, boots, and jacket, but didn’t bother putting the jacket back on. He looked over to see Jhiranae setting the box on a ruined bench near the far end of the temple. It was ornate, half a meter long and roughly that width and height, made of some kind of black metal with a silver filigree. Though scratched and worn, there was a surprising lack of rust and corrosion. Corian watched as Jhiranae knelt down and started to open the clasps.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “What are you doing?” Corian asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I want to see what’s inside,” Jhiranae told him. “It must have been something valuable to place it in such an ornate as well as sturdy case.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I thought you said ‘no side trips,’” the soldier complained.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “After we got it into the speeder,” Jhiranae countered. “We’re still in the hall.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Corian’s eyes narrowed, but before he could say anything else, Jhiranae opened the box. The clasps gave way easily and the lid slid up with only a small creak. Jhiranae let out a quiet gasp of astonishment as she looked inside. A little intrigued despite his irritation, Corian walked over to survey the contents. There were two metal cylinders with various protrusions and grooves on them, and an elaborate looking box that seemed to be made of crystalline metal. Any of the artifacts could be held comfortably in a humanoid hand, but that wasn’t the first thing he noticed.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “It’s dry,” he said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Remarkable,” Jhiranae replied, reaching inside the box to feel its surfaces. “Not a drop of seawater on the inside.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “What are these things?” Corian asked, picking up one of the cylinders.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “If I had to venture a guess. . .” Jhiranae said slowly, picking up the other one. “I think they might be Jedi lightsabers.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Lightsaber? Is that a weapon?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “They used to be. Jedi Knights carried them. I’ve never actually seen one.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Corian examined the weapon, turning it over in his hands.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Well, if this is a weapon, then I’m guessing this is the business end,” he remarked. “Could be an emitter on this side.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “What does that mean?” Jhiranae asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “An emitter?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “No, ‘business end.’ What does that mean?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “It’s the end you kill things with.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Jhiranae appeared disquieted by the casual nature of that reply, but Corian ignored her and continued checking out the lightsaber.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “And this. . . this might be an activation stud.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Carefully pointing the weapon away from them even though he was sure it was useless, Corian depressed the stud. Instead, to his surprise, a meter-long bar of cerulean light blazed forth from the hilt with a loud snap-hiss. Startled, Corian nearly lost his grip on the weapon, recovering just in time. Still, he added his other hand to the grip just to be on the safe side.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Oh my. . . ,” Jhiranae breathed.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “This doesn’t seem that impressive,” Corian remarked. “It’s a sword. Collapsible, sure, but just a sword.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “No, they’re not just swords,” Jhiranae said. “Jedi were said to be able to deflect blaster bolts with them and cut through just about anything.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Still wouldn’t do much on a battlefield,” Corian told her. “Though. . . I didn’t think it would work.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> He pushed the stud again to turn it off, but the lightsaber remained active, humming steadily.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Interesting,” he said.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> He tried pressing and holding the activation stud, but the lightsaber evinced no change. Corian frowned.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “How do you turn it off?” he wondered aloud.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> He thought about how he would have designed the weapon. Since it had to be held during furious melee combat, it made sense that simply pushing the activation stud again wouldn’t turn it off—an accidental shut-off mid-combat could be devastating. Similar logic applied to a press-and-hold mechanism. It would be too easy to accidentally do that. Unfortunately, the lightsaber didn’t seem to have any other buttons or controls, which meant deactivation had to be through the single button. A flash of inspiration struck him and he pressed the button twice in quick succession. The blade satisfyingly slid back into the hilt and vanished.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “So that’s how it works,” he said. “Once to turn it on, twice to turn it off.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I wonder if the other one works as well,” Jhiranae responded, picking up the other lightsaber.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> She pointed the weapon away from herself and Corian and depressed the activation stud. An emerald blade flared to life with the same snap-hiss as the other weapon. Jhiranae gave the weapon an experimental twirl, and it hummed as she swung it.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “It’s not very heavy,” she remarked. “Helps the blade is weightless.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Careful,” Corian warned. “If you’re right about the cutting ability, that’s a pretty easy way to lose a hand or foot.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Good point,” Jhiranae replied, following Corian’s example and pressing the button twice to turn the blade off.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> She replaced the weapon in the box, and then picked up the third object, the palm-sized crystalline metal box. This was clearly no lightsaber.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “What is it?” Corian asked. “Another weapon?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I don’t think so.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Turning it over in her hands, Jhiranae examined the markings and patterns. The device was artistically inlaid, with the crystalline surface etched and molded with sweeping designs and shapes. Some of them seemed familiar from other digs she’d been part of, digs with Doctor Ostrada and her team looking for Jedi artifacts on Dantooine.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Does it have a lid?” Corian asked. “Maybe it’s a storage box for more power cells?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Jhiranae turned it over again, looking at the top side of the box. Something seemed familiar to her about the symbol inlaid there. She was silent for a moment, her eyes distant. One finger reached out to touch the surface, and then suddenly, the symbol lit up and a hologram of a robed Human male shimmered into existence a half-meter above the box. His once-black hair was now mostly gray, his face weathered and lined with age and experience. The man looked directly at Jhiranae and, to her surprise, spoke to her.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Greetings, seekers. I am Jedi Master Selu Kraen.”

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