Ask Lettow - The Stone Breakers

[Magos Otahn]

Lettow certainly didn't look the part. Unimaginable generations ago the Legions of Lettow marked the first major split into the dark side. This order has survived, and had been galvanized into the Eternal Legion, the other half to Magos's Guardians of the Eternal. He was surprised that they had taken no interest in the world, but he now understood fully. It barely remembered it's past itself! The world know seemed identical to any second or third tier core world. It was no ecumenopolis like Coruscant, but it was still heavily human, wealthy and urbanized. He hoped to find any relics of the past but the search was starting to look foolish.

He and Korsak had easily gotten an archaeology permit from the blustering civil service representative at nearby Portai, it's capital. A bit of mental manipulation goes a long way. It was now mud afternoon and the crouched a mere 5 meters from a busy speeder lane digging through the unkempt field. This was the site of the First Temple of Xendor, and yet the two, even with their psychometric talents had come up blank, besides a tile that carried a faint essence of the dark side.

He looked over to his friend and wiped a bit of sweat from his bill. "Not sure what to make of all this, this IS the place, correct?" He reached over and slid the tile through his hand, savoring the ancient aura that surrounded it. The shape it made was a rectangle, it's four sides a value of the dark side, how fitting. A speeder truck roared by. "Almost makes me wish for Morabandan Flesh Flies!" Magos hoped is friend was coping well since Mustafar, he had gotten away with a cane, the Amaran had lost his arm, and, Magos feared, his grounding. But he was the heretic in this situation, so he stayed silent. He took a clump of soil into his hand and ran it through his fingers, shutting his eyes and feeling the faint memory of the wonder that once stood here. Time conquers all, the Force, he hoped, could conquer time.

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[Korsak Wulpez]

Korsak was starting to regret coming out to Lettow. Actually, that wasn't true, he'd regret coming here since he first set down, but now sitting in the sun and the mud by the side of a noise speeder road, watching uselessly as his Gungan friend rooted in the dirt really drove his sense of regret home. Sure, Lettow was the home of the Legions, one half of the Eternals, but it was also an overgrown jungle of duracrete whose history was buried so deep in the muck it was a wonder that the Legions had ever risen from this world. This was not like the relic hunts of Korsak's youth on rural Tanaab, where even a day without finds could be filled with the beauty and tranquility of nature. This was squatting by the roadside and clawing at the earth like a vagrant.

Well, Magos was the one doing most of the clawing, since losing an arm Korsak found using the Force was the best substitute, but in a public setting like this with the Eternal's orders of secrecy, he was little more than a crippled Amaran. At least the Gungan was just as frustrated as he was, though Korsak's anger was more low and simmering, while Magos appeared to be more openly unhappy.

"Yes, it is. But of course since these philistines let the temple fall beyond ruin and then proceeded to pave over it, I'm starting to wonder what, exactly, we're doing here." Korsak didn't bother with the tile, unless someone had poured their heart and soul into shaping it or it was used to beat someone to death, then its impression in the Force would be minimal at best.

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[Mila Tesara]

There had been a calling in the force, a siren's call that drew Mila to this world. Mustafar had opened up a festering wound inside the young jedi knight, an awareness of the darkside, and the creeping places that it lingered. She had an almost compulsion now to seek out the dark places of the galaxy and stand before them, perhaps she wanted to know that she wasn't scared of it any longer, or perhaps because there was just something within that she sought to understand. Why was it cold? Why could it be felt in such a way? It was both fascinating and horrifying, but most of all, a mystery she needed to uncover. Though she had no desire to tap into the forbidden power, Mila felt that if she could get some grasp of understanding about it's nature, she could be one step closer to combating it. It was this same darkness that she was now hunting, and for that reason she had come here with Brahe in tow. Her padawan had his run in with the darkness, indeed Mila had seen it first hand, or at least she suspected it; after Teth, she wasn't sure if that was a dream or some advanced illusion. This would serve as a good test for her padawan, if he could turn away from the darkness, then it would put her mind at ease quiet a great degree, and she had no doubts that he could do so.

At current, they were traversing the city-scape, trying to feel for any call that might point them in the right direction, though the jedi knight knew it sounded rather ludicrous, she felt that her gut feeling was right; there was something dark within this world, and it needed to be removed before someone else found it. "Brahe, do you sense anything?" She asked, glancing to her padawan as she merged into a hyper-lane.

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[Brahe Sienar]

Brahe nodded, a bit of unease in his voice as he replied to his master Mila. He did sense something- a darkness on this world that was similar to the feeling he felt on Teth. It encouraged him to find it, no matter how faint the feeling was after eons of change had nearly wiped it all away. Brahe had a natural inclination to the dark side of the force- and it was the fear of this natural inclination that ironically drew him further in. Fear was the first step on the road to damnation.

"Yes master.....I have a bad feeling about this.....it's just like that time on Teth....but if you take a right here..."

He focused in on the feeling, letting the force guide him as they made their way through the city. Eventually, they reached the source of the feeling, however faint it actually was. As they continued along the hyper lane, Brahe spotted a couple familiar faces. The build-a-bear Korsak and the immaculately articulate Gungan he had met on Naboo, standing together on the side of the road.

"Master....right there- we need to stop on the side of the road."

Brahe felt a bit uneasy and confused. Why were those two here, of all places? It seemed extremely strange, given the vastness of the galaxy. Once Mila stopped the speeder, Brahe stayed inside, waiting only to exit once his master did so.

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[Magos Otahn]

"...so there I was, face to face with a gundark. Pesky brutes infest the fourth moon of Yavin, anyway, I was climbing over a piece of wreckage .... Korsak are you even listening?" Magos glanced back at his friend, now standing by the road, he grabbed his stick and stood up, shuffling up to him. Letting out his Force presence to sense down the road he felt a twin, light presence approach. "My friend, I do believe we have got other 'friends' on the way, probably Jedi. Best bet, much as it pains me, look like a bunch of vagrant rock breakers, we already have the tools." Magos, after checking his visuals, pulled his pick into his hand and leaned on it. Hit patted and rubbed some of the dust across his clothes and used the Force to throw up a cloud around them, knowing his companion might lack the dexterity to do so.

After the cloud cleared, Magos saw another speeder approach in the distance, knowing full well it carried those he sensed earlier. He leaned over, and began slamming his tool into one of the nearby boulders, and gave Korsak a look that said "Make yourself busy too!" The speeder eventually came upon them and too Magos's dismay it pulled to a stop along side them. It contained a Twi'lek female and a a young human that looked somewhat familiar. He whispered to Korsak "Hope-a youssa a good actor, messa bombad friend." He leaned a bit to feel his saber's weight under his cloak and hobbled to the side of the road and shouted, still a good ten yards away, hitting his cane for emphasis, "Whatsa do youssas want, wessa dontsa ask for handouts! Working mensa wesas are!" He glanced at the boulder to check that the tile still lay on it. He hoped the Jedi would not take it from them, or even notice it.

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[Korsak Wulpez]

Korsak hadn't been paying attention to Magos' story, he was barely paying attention to his surroundings at all. He was trying to meditate, if for no other reason than to tune out the constant rumble of the highway and the monotonous beat of Magos' pick against the rock. For a moment, he almost achieved a bit of peace and clarity in this cacophony, but that was quickly shattered when he felt two presences in the Force approaching.

"No, they are definitely Jedi." Korsak noted Magos suggestion and gave the appropriate response: "Yes, a six foot tall gungan and a one-armed amaran breaking rocks by a busy highway, who would ever suspect us? My advice: rub some mud in your clothes and pretend to be a half-wit."

Korsak was quick to scoop up some dust and pat it into different parts of his robe, hoping that the improvised disguise would at least make them look harmless in the face of two Jedi. Then he saw the two figures in the approaching speeder, a very familiar looking purple Twi'lek and...oh no.

"Forget the act-" But it was too late, Magos had already thrown himself full-tilt into a Gungan-stereotype act that, admittedly, might have even fooled Korsak if he didn't know Magos better. But Korsak knew both of these Jedi and he knew they would recognize him, so he abandoned any attempts to play the fool and simply scowled at them. Or at least, at one of them in particular.

"Brahe Sienar! If you've come here to degrade me again you could at least muster the vertebral fortitude to get out of the speeder and stop hiding behind your master's skirts!" He turned to the Twi'lek, slightly less venomous but still clearly annoyed, and cocked his now armless left shoulder at her. "And you, I see you crawled out of our last encounter no worse for wear. Your impulsive pet Theelin isn't with you, was she maimed beyond repair or was drudging up one painful past encounter of mine enough for you?"

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[Mila Tesara]

Mila looked to her padawan as he pointed out where he felt darkness was most likely, and after conferring with her own feelings, Mila agreed. It took a small bit of maneuvering, but after several honks and disgruntled pilots, Mila was enroute Turning the speeder in the direction of this faint presence she now detected, Mila soon came upon a familiar sight, rather a familiar face. There was a Gungan that seemed to be busy clearing away rubble, but what really had Mila' attention, was the one armed Amaran who gave Mila a rather intense glare. Her eyes locked with Korsak, as while she still didn't know his name, she knew his face well enough, and that missing arm...it was unmistakable. "Brahe, tread carefully. I know one of these men." She muttered, before coming into ear shot of the pair now. The Gungan was trying to look busy, and if Mila wasn't so certain about his small companion, she might have been willing to buy it.

Her hunch was confirmed as the small alien began to speak of things he shouldn't have known about, but he knew her padawan as well? Strange business was afoot. Mila was quick to power down the speeder and disembark, as she stopped only a few feet away from the pair. This was what she was looking for, this was exactly what she needed. "I'd ask that you not speak to my padawan like that, it's unbecoming of you." Mila remarked, as she began to approach the pair, though keeping two arm lengths away. Her eyes fell upon what they were doing, clearing rocks? This clearly didn't look like a community service effort. Her expression turned into a frown as she witnessed the small alien's missing arm, perhaps that was all they had lost on Mustafar after all; which meant the rest of the Sith she had seen there were in fact alive. "I'm sorry about your arm. My companion lost her leg on Mustafar, but if not for you I might not have survived. I was hoping to see you in person so I could say this in person, though I doubt you would want to hear this, but thank you." Mila bowed her head respectfully, before motioning for Brahe to stand behind her; she needed to keep him safe after all. "What brings you and your companion here? You see to be looking for something, are you not?" Mila asked, crossing her arms, though she kept herself on guard for any deceptions. She put on a small smile now, as she gave a polite wave to the Gungan. "Hello there, you can drop the act if you wish. I know your friend here, and I believe I know what it is you do." She added, her gaze turning back to Korsak. "I think we share a common intrest friend, can you tell me your name? I'm Mila." The Twi'lek stated, hoping that like on Mustafar they could keep it civil. Yes, these were Sith, but they needed information, and she'd rather talk to a Sith than be forced to draw sabers.

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[Brahe Sienar]

Brahe was at a loss for words, and the rather hot headed apprentice responded, clearly fed up with the teddy bear. More importantly, he had been played. The gungan had been at that table on Naboo, the teddy bear too, and that meant that the others.....basically the entire "metal/rock band" that he had assumed were dressed in dark clothing were actually just a bunch of Sith worshippers, and not a local band!

He had been played, and that honestly pissed him off more than anything. He stood up, rushing to Mila's side, an incredulous look on his face that was clearly mixed with shock and anger at having been duped back on Naboo.

"You lied to me! And how the hell do you know my last name, you creepy teddy bear?! Let me guess- doing a bunch of schemes and framing people, huh?!"

Brahe's face went pale. That chick Trinity that he had been hitting on?

Probably a super crazy Sith chick. And now the teddy bear had no arm, it having been replaced by a synthetic one.

Brahe's face got redder as he looked at Magos.

"And you! You and your conniving little conversation to try and get on my good side! I remember your face from that cafe on Naboo!"

Brahe gritted his teeth......and then stopped himself, shaking his head.

Dang Brahe, get it together! Why're you so angry all of a sudden?

It'd be fairly obvious to all the force sensitives here that Brahe was dealing with a little bit of good ol' fashioned dark side corruption left over from his visit to Teth, and it was manifesting itself now as an unbridled anger.

How ironic it was- that dark side corruption was the culprit for what might've just passed as brash teenage ego at stake.

"Master, they can't be trusted!" He blurted out, clenching his fists in anger.

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[Magos Otahn]

Magos quickly dropped the itinerate worker act. He send a venomous glare in Korsak's direction and turned to address their new found acquaintances. "Young Master Jedi," He addressed Brahe, "of course you cannot. It would be best to return to your speeder and act as if this little coincidence never occurred. You are in my debt after all, as I just may have saved your life from a night with a serial killer back on Naboo." He turned to the new face, who apparently was present on Mustafar as well. "And you, Mistress Jedi, are the much anticipated Master young Brahe called to our little luncheon. I am sorry I could not meet you there in a more - elegant - setting, a dusty high way is hardly a place to meet a fellow sage."

He curtly bowed to both. "Seeing as it is most unlikely that you take my head and leave, I at least want to know if you know what once stood in this potter's field. It is important to all who study Brother Force. Can you sense it?" He snapped the tile into his hand with telekinesis, relishing its faint power once again, "The primordial nature of this place? Masters Jedi, how well do you know your - our - history?" He slid his foot across the dust, and kicked up a cloud of dust. As it flitted away in the wind, Magos inwardly smiled. His flourish had been backed by his skill at sensing things through the Force. Before his feet now lay a partly exposed tile walkway. He smugly addressed the two "So, now I must ask what brings you here to the broken stones of dusty old Lettow?"

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[Korsak Wulpez]

"Don't give me that look you overstuffed tadpole, the boy didn't treat you like a lost child." Korsak saw Magos disapproving glare and glared right back at him. He wasn't going to suffer more of Brahe in silence for the sake of Magos polite sensibilities. Kriff that.

"My dear tail-headed friend, I am exactly as becoming as this situation warrants-" He was preparing another tirade when the Jedi actually admitted that his advice saved her on Mustafar. While he knew this could mean the Jedi had the helmet of the Eternal, it also meant that his analysis was right and that this Jedi was willing to learn from her supposed enemies. It was admirable, and it softened both his tone and his posture towards her. "Actually, I think I rather needed to hear that. And if you would accept it, you are welcome."

It was rare for Korsak to have a genuine moment of goodwill and honest decency with another being, so it was only fitting that Brahe interrupted it by clamoring from the speeder and hurling some very insulting comments at Korsak. Goodwill and common decency, utterly spent.

"Well I was, now I'm wasting precious breath talking to an imbecile. So, kindly return to the speeder and buckle yourself back in your speeder-seat while the grownups talk." His tone was less venomous and more acidic, oozing with malice and directed at exclusively at the young human. Someone might need to reel the Amaran back in before he did something compromising. Or lethal.

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[Mila Tesara]

Was this who Brahe had met with on Naboo? It would make sense, given how nervous he seemed when describing them. Rather curious, even more so that they didn't seem willing to engage her in combat. How odd. Mila glanced to Brahe, as it seemed both of these darksiders knew who he was. Mila motioned for her padawan to stay back. It seemed they were not found of her apprentice, nor would she risk his life if they were to be at such a disposition to him. "Again, I'll ask that you not speak ill of my padawan." Mila restated, her tone more firm this time as she hadn't come here to listen to childish insults. She only managed to confirm that her small 'friend' here was looking for something, perhaps with his Gungan friend as well. The Gungan inquired about how well Mila knew of their history, which was to say, very little truth be told. It seemed she had an opening to exploit now. "I know little of your people. Hence why I've come to learn more." She took a step closer to the pair, crossing her arms as she felt a small bit of a chill shift about her.

"Why have you walked down this path? What is it that drives you both on? I'm rather curious, and if you could share your story with me, I'd be most grateful." Mia asked once more, looking to the two darksiders, wondering if they would be willing to share this knowledge with her. "What I do know of your order seems to be incorrect. Neither of you are what I was expecting. You and Edwast rather surprised me if I'm being honest." Mila continued, hoping that she could get them to share some history with her. She didn't trust them, but she did trust that they didn't want to fight.

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[Brahe Sienar]

Brahe clenched his fists, his distrust. and anger readily apparent as he eyed the two Sith cultists warily. At this point he was suspicious of not only these two, but the others that he had seen back on Naboo. His distrust and anger at the cultists turned to a bit of shock at his master's response, as she began to ask them about their past. As if she was curious...what the dark siders had to say?

He took a moment to contemplate Mila's words, and it did make sense to Brahe-as hostile as Korsak was, they weren't exactly what he had envisioned Sith worshippers to be like. They seemed a little too....comical for that. But then again, it was what Brahe had least expected. Perhaps that was the entire point. A lesson for the young Jedi to learn and remember in the future, no doubt.

He then remembered what had brought him here- the pull of the dark side. Surely it was not these two individuals that caused both Brahe and Mila to go across the galaxy just to find it's nexus? There was a darker, deeper secret here, and like a moth to a flame, Brahe's eyes inadvertently looked at the tile that Magos had oh so wishfully hoped would remain undetected. But Brahe was lured to it like a moth to a flame, and so he reached out with the force, and lifted it...

"Master." He said, attempting to gain the attention of Mila as he lifted the tile off the ground.

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[Magos Otahn]

The Twi'lek addressed Magos, with curiosity clear on her face. He looked her in the eye, "Do forgive my irritable companion, Mistress Jedi, but I believe can answer your questions." He glanced down at the tiles beneath his feet. He would engage the woman, but he was not about to give clear answers, not yet at least. "In the context of where we find our selves, your history is mine history. There was a legendary time when the Jedi were among the only who probed the depths of Brother Force, and the time I speak of was 25 thousand standard years ago, while Coruscant still remained in the depths of the Unification Wars, though after her allies had created the Galactic Republic. Not to say that there were not rivals here in the core, the Alsakan Union, Durosian Kingdom, and Hergelic Star Empire to name a few. The Jedi then dwelt on Ahch To, and were Sages and Knights who traveled as far as the Tion Cluster. They followed Brother Force, though they imposed limits on him, unnatural limits. Magos's eyes warmed and yellowed. A massive fuel speeder roared by blowing any loose clothing the odd company wore. "They sought cut him off from emotion, that which makes us a live and part of him, they sought to castrate him like an Ox and domesticate him. An Ox has great power, but he legacy is dead, for he bares no new life. These sages aligned themselves with the Republic and went forth to do her will. They established other Temples accross the stars: Tython, Jedha, Lothal, Ossus, Ilum, Coruscant, Dantooine, and Lettow."

He felt young Brahe lift the tile out of his hands. He barely reacted, allowing the young man to do as he would with it. They shared the heritage, he deserved to relish in it. "The Temple on Lettow, was given over to a bold and courageous knight by the name of Xendor. He was a lover of Brother Force, and he plumbed its depths for nearly a decade. One legend goes that while deep in meditation, he received word that his wife had died, instead of rushing to her, he remained in his prayerful state. There he discovered a truth. The Force of the Jedi was not the truth, rather this: the natural state of Brother Force is not as light or dark, but as purifier. It is an untamed, predatory thing. It is of the Jungle, and it is the power of Natural Law. Sentient constructs only lead to despair and decay and stagnation. Evolution ceases when men learn to heal the weak, and all suffer for it. Brother Force is the hunter, the rebel, the sunrise, the iconoclast. So Xendor began to preach. His words were not welcome, and soon the other temples excommunicated the pure, good knight of Lettow. This only galvanized Xendor, who called his loyalists together and forged a new Order, the Legions of Lettow. This was what scholars know as the First Schism, I prefer it to be the Great Divorce. And war came to this world. Great battles followed on nearby Columus and Xendor was slain. The Republic had by then mostly unified the core, and Lettow was broken. The Temple was razed to its flagstones, and the noble Legions and their fearless leader was purged from history. Young Master Brahe, you hold a piece of your Order's first great triumph in your hands, treat it with respect. The Amaran and I are however, but adopted children of Good General Xendor, come to pay respects at his desecrated tomb. Does that answer your questions, Masters Jedi?" He pulled his cane to him and sat upon the dust in a meditative position. He leaned his head back against a large stone. "As for me, I just have a knack for counting, that is all."

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[Korsak Wulpez]

Korsak, despite his growing...perhaps tolerance was the best word here. Regardless of what word he used he was starting to not loath Mila's presence at this dig site, but he never intended to tell her anything about why they were here or what they were looking for. Sure she had not tried to attack them yet for their affiliations but Korsak did not know how far their tolerance would extend. For all he knew they might spring to violence at the first mention of Lettow or the Sith.

And then Magos proceeded to give the entire game away, opening his bill and spilling eons of extended lore onto the two Jedi. Sure it wasn't the whole picture, but it could be far, far more than anything the Jedi might have on Lettow, the legions, or Bakura. He was so stunned, so flabbergasted in fact that he couldn't move to stop Magos as he talked on and on about Lettow and Xendor and a hundred other pieces of lore.

Thankfully Brahe was able to break Korsak's stupor by trying to steal the tile from Magos' hands using the Force, which Magos apparently had no problem with. But Korsak did have a problem, a very big problem, so he subtly cocked his hand toward the tile while it was in midair and used his own telekinesis to snatch the tile before it reached Brahe.

"Were manners not part of your curriculum?"

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