______Lom Kavolo's laboratory struck a delicate balance between the extraordinary and the mundane, the unique and the ubiquitous. This eclectic mixture was never constant; pieces would come and go, reflecting the current interests of the man himself.
______Core samples from an asteroid composed of nondescript minerals sat side by side with fragments of crystallized Tibana gas, one of the rarest and most volatile substances known.
______But it was the unknown that drew Kavolo, and the lab was dedicated to its discovery and understanding. It was a museum of accumulating knowledge in an ever expanding universe.
______It was also one of Aeon's favorite places in the entire galaxy.
______Aeon punched her code into the keypad, and the heavy blast doors slid open. These doors were few and far between in the Alliance headquarters. Kavolo liked them in that they protected the sanctity of his lab, and his work, but he knew the real reason they were there: in case one of his more delicate specimens exploded.
______Her father would have a fit if he knew Kavolo had given her the code to the room. The inherent danger aside, her father seemed to bear some ill will against him, but Kavolo never gave any indication that it was mutual. They rarely spoke, but Aeon noted with more than a little interest that when they did, Kavolo addressed her father by his first name.
______No one did that. To an outsider, one would think his first name was General. There was some fascinating history there, but neither of them was very approachable on the subject.
______Presently, Kavolo was nowhere to be seen. Normally that would be just fine with her. She had no problem whittling away hours examining the newest specimens, and could lose herself here for an entire afternoon.
______Today, however, she was dying to talk with him, and of course he wasn't around. She was eager to hear what he had to say about her discovery.
______He was the only one she could turn to-the only one who would really listen to her story. She wished she could tell her father, but that just wasn't an option.
______His life-his career-was centered around making snap decisions from little available information.
______In the Alliance, lives depended on his ability to do so. Unfortunately, that also transferred into how he interacted with his daughter. Three words into the conversation and he would have already decided on what he would or would not hear. He seemed incapable of really listening.
______It was frustrating. And she could swear that he hadn't always been that way, but that was more of a feeling than a memory. Things had changed when her mother died, and that was so long ago...
______No sense dragging that up now, she thought to herself. Of course, the old woman had encouraged her to feel, hadn't she?
______She ignored that thought for the time being.
______Star charts of certain constellations sat on the center table, and Aeon examined them in detail. It wasn't until she saw corresponding images of the temple layouts from above that she realized what she was looking at. They represented Kavolo's research into the correlation between the temple patterns and the constellations.
______She shuffled through the pile, and produced the constellation that contained the Solace system. It was the constellation that their temple complex was based upon.
______When they arrived on Yavin IV, a survey team noticed, by chance, that the temple complexes in the vicinity all presented a different layout. Kavolo found this curious, and decided to map the remaining temple complexes on the entire moon. Not one had a layout identical to another.
______While this might not have been anything, the geology and architecture of the individual sites gave him the inclination that there was some purpose to their design. The temples were built upon very exact angles to one another, their placements too precise to be chance.
______Often land had to be leveled or a base created to even out a sloping mound when a perfectly flat plot sat less than a hundred meters away. That meant that they were being built to a design, and each complex was assigned a different blueprint.
______Stargazing one night, Kavolo looked out at the canopy of stars, and saw a pattern that had been plaguing him for days-the constellation for which this complex was based upon.
______He stayed up for the remainder of the night until he had found a pattern for every temple grouping. They were all there-every single one, without exception.
______While an interesting discovery, the full significance of it was not known. They had no idea why the Massassi built the temples in celestial patterns, and probably would never know.
______What it did tell them about the Massassi is that, judging from the precision of the temple complexes, they possessed an extensive knowledge of mathematics, astronomy, and architecture. One could safely assert that they had developed past the very simple agricultural phase of development.
______Kavolo had made that discovery months ago, and she hadn't seen these images in some time. Had he uncovered something new?
______She would have to remember to ask him, after she told him her story. Sometimes he would get on a roll, and was hard to stop.
______The center table was orbited by similar lab tables, each covered with dozens of specimens. She had once joked that the entire galaxy was represented, but it wasn't that far from the truth. Kavolo probably possessed an item from every known world.
______In some cases, like the flowering Radiia plant from Alderaan, it was the only remnant. The beautiful pink petals continued to blossom, oblivious to the fate of its homeworld.
______She would have to tell Princess Leia about that. Maybe she would like to see something saved from her homeworld.
______Then again, maybe not...
______She shook her head-an outward expression of her attempt to ward off the melancholy that loomed over her. She was feeling deflated, and her earlier excitement waned. She fought to hold on to it, and turned her attention to something else.
______On the next table over sat the Tibana gas crystals. They were beautiful to look at, wisps of green smoke frozen inside crystalline shards. Their edges were razor sharp, but that was the least of the danger.
______Tibana gas was mined from a few sources in the galaxy, the most notable being the planet Bespin. Bespin was essentially a gas giant, like the planet Yavin itself, and was uninhabitable by any known life. Its only inhabitants were colonies of miners who lived in beautiful floating cities, and who existed in this dangerous world simply for the profits provided by the Tibana gas.
______Tibana in its normal vaporized state was a highly efficient combustible resource. The gas was 'mined' from the planet's middle to lower atmosphere, and was used as fuel for the mining stations and for the surrounding systems.
______Deeper than the level of the gas, almost towards the planets tiny core, the pressure of the atmosphere actually compressed some of the gas into a solid state.
______In its crystallized form, Tibana was up to one hundred times more combustible than in its gaseous state. The advantage was that it was slightly more stable, albeit not by much.
______Still, it was beautiful to look at. She grabbed a thick glove from the table, and gingerly picked up a small shard of the gas. She placed her other hand beneath it, in case it would fall. She wasn't sure if simply dropping it was enough to cause a reaction-a coldly analytical term for 'large explosion'-but she didn't want to find out.
______She passed the imaging computer, and placed the shard of crystal under a microscope. She bumped up the magnification, and the image of the crystal loomed largely in the frame.
______The image seemed to break the plane of the crystal's surface, and she delved inside. She felt a strange sense of déjà vu-this is how she had perceived her experience at the temple.
______From the exterior, the shard seemed to contain a pale green smoke, frozen in time as it wafted slowly. On the inside, the smoke was a sea of green ribbon, each layer a curtain pulling back to unveil another layer.
______She wanted to get to the heart of the crystal. What was at the center that caused these reactions? That seemed to be the question of the day.
______Just like your mother, a voice said. She sat up, startled first by the interruption, and then by his words.
______Lom Kavolo was standing in the doorway, smiling at her. She hadn't even heard the blast doors, but that didn't really surprise her. She often became engrossed in the lab.
______What? she replied, still not sure if she had heard him correctly.
______Your mother-she hated the imaging computer. She wanted to see things up close-with her own eyes. Kavolo came in the room, and the door slid shut behind him. Aeon was confused-why was he talking about her mother? Aeon wasn't aware that he had even known her mother? I never even used it until she found it in one of my old boxes.
______You never told me you knew my mother, Aeon said simply, but there was a hint of an accusation to it-as if withholding that knowledge was tantamount to lying about it.
______She helped me in my research-years ago. Quite a few years before you, in fact, he smiled. She would be happy to see the scientist in you.
______Aeon didn't know what to say-or what to think. Kavolo had never given any indication that he had worked with her mother, and it came as quite a shock to her now. It left her feeling hollow inside, but she couldn't understand why.
______Even the things he told her-that she was like her mother-made her feel good, but at the same time--
______Your mother was an amazing woman, Kavolo continued. She could see by the look in his eyes that he was seeing the past, and she was envious of him that he had such vivid memories of her mother.
______Her own memories seem to fade every day. Even remembering her mother's face was becoming difficult, though she would never admit that to a single soul.
______She heard an anonymous voice inside of her, warning her: Be careful of your feelings. She remembered how she felt when Luke reached out to the crystal. At that moment, she had realized that there are dangerous emotions, and envy is one of them.
______But dangerous how? she wondered.
______She was a dedicated scientist-obsessed with acquiring knowledge. Kavolo paused, and turned toward Aeon. She would be very proud of you, seeing the person you've become. I know--
______Please don't, Aeon interrupted. He stopped, and his smile faded. Please don't say that. It makes it...harder...
______Harder to what, Aeon? he probed. She didn't have an answer.
______I know it's not easy, he said, but you're going to have to deal with your mother's death some day.
______Does it have to be today? she retorted.
______He paused for a moment, and then looked on her compassionately. No, he said gently.
______Aeon's interest in the Tibana gas crystal had faded, and she slowly lifted it out of the microscope.
______Careful... Kavolo murmured, mainly out of habit, as she walked it back to the table. He trusted her, and she knew that.
______She placed it gently with the others, and breathed a silent sigh of relief.
______I heard you were taken to the med-lab. Are you okay?
______She nodded, having forgotten all about the crystal. The discovery about her mother had overshadowed the excitement about her encounter.
______I remember examining that obelisk when we first came here, he said, piquing her curiosity.
______Really? she inquired.
______It's a fascinating piece, he began. He always referred to items of scientific curiosity as 'pieces'. Had it not been immobile, the crystal would have surely occupied its own corner of the lab. It resonates an interesting energy pattern-similar to a living creature-but its not organic in any way. I'm at a loss to explain it.
______What happened to you when you touched it? he asked.
______I-I don't know, she said, which was only half-untrue.
______She had been brimming with excitement before, but in the light of day-especially here: in the surroundings of this lab dedicated to science and reason, her story of princes, witches, and kings seemed implausible and ludicrous.
______Surely something so fantastic wasn't really possible, was it? But just a few hours ago she had believed that nothing was impossible.
______Kavolo continued. That's too bad, he frowned. I'd love to get some reliable data on that. I told the guards to alert me if they notice any changes, but you can't trust them. Most of them are too afraid to go near it
______Trust?. She remembered the most valuable lesson she had learned: trust yourself.
______Something did happen, she blurted out before she realized. Kavolo met her gaze, and she could see the anticipation in his eyes. He knew she was holding back.
______She clenched her fist unconsciously, summoning her courage. Something incredible...
______Tell me, he said, and his voice was anxious, not skeptical.
______Aeon took quick inventory of her surroundings, and selected a small stool on which she hoisted herself upon. Long story, she offered.
______He sat down facing her, and she began her tale. She was smiling, and waving her hands in gestures that began small, and grew more expressive, and larger as she continued. Her confidence was building with each moment.
______She started from the beginning, and told him everything that she could recall, sparing not the slightest detail. She told him about her first union with the obelisk, and of passing out. She told him very cautiously about her first strange encounter where she awoke as the handsome prince
______He nodded slowly-clearly she was stretching the limits of credibility, but he kept listening. She was on a roll now, telling her story with an innate ability to enthrall the listener. Kavolo was spellbound as she revealed Cammie's report that she had the 'dream' before she passed out, not after.
______Then came the second encounter, with more of the prince's life revealed to her. She spoke of the Ashla, trying to remember the witch's cryptic words verbatim. She told him how she merged with the planet, although she confessed to him early on that she didn't really possess the words to accurately portray the experience.
______The old witch also told her that she had a power within her, a power that somehow connected her to this planet. Yavin IV had felt like home as no other world ever had, and when she merged with it as the prince she never felt so whole.
______Her eyes fell upon Kavolo's charts of the nearby constellations, and it triggered a memory: when, as the prince, she had looked up at the sky, the stars had been out of place. It was the one element of the whole experience that had a dream-like quality-no where else had reality been distorted.
______She mentioned this more as a curiosity-a passing thought that happened to strike her.
______The most amazing part of the story was awakening to find she was standing in front of the crystal, having no idea how she had gotten there. Kavolo found this amazing as well, judging by his expression. He was a good listener, and a good audience.
______I think it was real, she concluded. Before he could say anything, she quickly added: I know I don't have any solid evidence, and I have no idea how to get any, but...
______Her voice trailed off as she struggled for the right words. She was so hesitant to put herself out there, but Kavolo said nothing. He was waiting for her to say what she wanted to say-to commit herself to her tale.
______I've always felt a connection here, and I think this has something to do with it. Whatever that crystal did-or does-something really happened to me. But I have no idea what it was. I need you to help me, she pleaded.
______What do you think? she inquired.
______Kavolo didn't reply. He didn't even give any outward indication that he had heard her, but she knew he did. He was looking off in the distance, his mind processing the data he had just received into possible conclusions.
______It wouldn't be an easy puzzle to solve-even for him. He leaned back against the lab table, and rested his chin in his hand.
______For what seemed like an eternity, he stared off at nothing in particular. Finally, he tapped his finger twice against his chin, and addressed her:
______Tell me again about the stars, he said.
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