Indiana Jones and the Sith Stone
Posted by: Darth Danno 01.23.08 12:01am

Indy went back to his room. Minutes expanded into hours as he tried to wrap his mind around this first of...who knows how many puzzles. When IS a man, more than a man? He scratched his head as he paced. Was he to take the question literally? Or maybe he was to rearrange the letters or words in the phrase to spell out the answer. This could take forever, he knew, and he had less than a day. He crossed to the window and peered out at what was now darkness, pierced only by the lights of the buildings, and the vast number of vehicles that flew by in different directions. What time was it anyway, he wondered? No point in thinking about that, it would only add to his stress. He closed the drapes and continued pacing.

Somehow...somehow the answer to the riddle tied into one of the worlds he must go to, the first stop. Perhaps a man becomes more than a man when he becomes a Jedi, or a Sith. That would mean going to the Jedi enclave on Dantooine, or the Sith academy on Korriban. Wookies were like men, or very large humanoids to say the least. Perhaps men are more than men when they're Wookies??? Nah! Sandpeople are men, but many consider them more like animals, so perhaps their first stop should be Tatooine? Then of course there's the Selkath, beings that can live on land as well as in the water, so it's off to Manaan! Indy crossed back to his bed and flopped down on his back, placing his palms over his eyes. Immediately he sat up again, then stood up and commenced his pacing. Maybe he was onto something. Quite possibly, this wasn't a question at all, merely a play on words. Now he just had to think of other words that...

"I'VE GOT IT!!!" He exclaimed as he snapped his fingers. Now, to get some shut eye. Who knows what kind of sleeping arrangements he'll encounter on this juncture.

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The next morning, rather than being brought to Sidious, his host came to him, led by TC-10.

Upon seeing Dr. Jones asleep, Sidious remarked loudly, "I hope you've come up with an answer, Dr. Jones. I wouldn't want to think you're leaving here without knowing your first destination!"

Indy sat up slowly and covered his eyes as TC-10 opened the drapes, letting the morning in.

"Good morning to you too, sunshine." Indy joked as he stretched and yawned.

Sidious crossed to the side of the bed. "I have neither the time nor the inclination for levity, Dr. Jones. You had better have an answer to the riddle, and not just a snappy comeback!"

Indy sprung out of bed and met the dark lord face to face. "As a matter of fact, I do!"

Sidious smiled, "Excellent! I am most interested to hear it."

Dr. Jones began to pace as he started his summation. "Well, I knew the answer had to somehow tie in to one of the worlds of the star maps. I tried to figure out which one had men that were more than men. Of course Jedi, Sith, Wookies, and Tusken Raiders came to mind for different reasons. Then my thoughts settled on Manaan, not for the inhabitants of that world, but for the word itself. Manaan. The riddle's true question was what do you get when you add more to the word "man"."

"So it's off to Manaan then? Well done!"

"Not so fast," Indy interrupted. "I got to thinking that the main inhabitants of that world aren't called Manaanians, they're Selkath. So I had to figure out what else could be built off the word "man", and realized that a man is more than a man...when he's a MANdalorian."

"Oh, bravo sir!" TC-10 interjected. "An excellent use of your deductive abilities, almost droid worthy, I'd say. I would have been more than happy to assist you with this, but my master thought it best if you solved this first one on you..."

Sidious motioned for the droid to be silent immediately. "Most impressive! But if my recollection is correct, more than one world had Mandalorian raiders at that time.

"You are correct, Master." TC-10 interrupted once again. "There were Mandalorians on the plains of Dantooine, the Shadowlands of Kashyyk, and by the temple on the unknown world."

His bubble burst, Indy crossed to the window and watched the traffic go by as he plotted his next move.

"If I may interject once again, sir," TC-10 began. "The first world that Revan and his compatriots visited after leaving Taris was Dantooine. Also, the first world they encountered Mandalorian raiders were on Dantooine. So, unless anyone has any better ideas or suggestions, I suggest we start...on...Dantooine?" His gaze shifted between Sidious and Jones for some sort of approval.

Sidious also turned his gaze to Indy. "Well, Dr. Jones, do you have any better ideas or suggestions?"

"It's as good as any I could come up with. Dantooine it is."

"Very well. Let's hope it proves to be a wise choice. Now it's time to show you the vessel you'll all be traveling in."

Sidious led them out of the room, down the hall, and to the turbolift that would take them down to the landing platform. Upon exiting the lift, they headed outside, and Indy found the cool morning air quite refreshing after being cooped up inside for so long. The ship that sat on the platform was unlike anything he had ever seen before, but then again, everything he'd seen recently he'd never seen before.

"It's a modified J-Type 327 Nubian Starship. I know that doesn't mean anything to you, but I've taken the liberty of aging the hull and repainting the exterior so you won't be mistaken for one of the Naboo elite. I've also had it fortified with hidden armaments that could come in handy, but your pilot will be better equipped to use those. You just have to get in, sit down, be quiet, and hold on."

Wanting to leave as quickly as possible, Indy replied "I guess we'd better get underway."

"Not so fast. You still have to meet the final member of your party."

"As if on cue, another droid, resembling TC-10, except this one was gold instead of silver, came down the ship's boarding ramp and onto the platform. Sidious led Dr. Jones up to it.

"Dr. Jones, this is C-3PX."

"Hello," Indy said. The droid simply stared at him a few moments before it picked up a small crate lying next to the ramp and carried it up into the ship.

Sidious smiled, "You'll have to understand this unit has quite a different countenance than TC-10. He's programmed more for...defense than protocol. He will act as a back up for Zam Wesell, and also as an extra set of eyes to watch you, in case you run into any difficulty and Zam isn't around at the time."

Indy knew the real reason the droid would be watching him, but there was no reason to state the obvious, so he let it drop, and boarded the craft with Sidious following him, and TC-10 bringing up the rear.

Zam was in the cockpit, preparing for take-off. C-3PX finished loading the last of the supplies, and once that was done, Sidious gave his final instructions to all, said his farewells, and headed off down the ramp. He watched the ship lift off and head into the upper atmosphere. Once it was completely out of sight, he headed back inside to contact his apprentice.

Upon activating the holoprojector, the light blue visage of Darth Maul appeared before him. Maul dropped to one knee and bowed his head out of respect for his Lord and Master.

"Report." Sidious commanded.

"The bounty hunter planted a tracking device on the ship a few nights ago, just as you suspected she would. Per your instructions, I allowed her to do so. She is now heading to her craft to pursue them. Shall I follow her?"

"No need," Sidious responded. "We both know where she is going, and I highly doubt they're going to find the crystal on the first world they visit, so for now she'll simply observe and report back to her employer."

"Then what is thy bidding, my Master?"

"I have another mission for you, Lord Maul. It is time to make one aware the Sith have indeed returned, and that they may profit by it, or be destroyed."

Darth Danno