[Language unknown: "Est butfi maac ulstev urncsa."] Chu-Shkar grumbled.

"He stole the coral from the Sun Caves" the subdued renegade answered Klyn "we did nothing to the false water-breather but hold her captive for the theft. She stole again when she escaped" he accused Rekara.

"Karak told us that the prisoner and all aliens were here to steal the Golden Sun"  he answered Tera.

"I will speak with the prisoner" Cardo announced before anyone could ask more questions of them and took them into the Sun Caves.

"So...he did the same thing that you've just done?" Tera sighed "It's a pity to remove anything from the song." Tera nodded as Cardo suggested he speak to the prisoner. "Just one thing. You've seen the proof that Karak is in league with the fish killers. Would this sway any of his supporters to leave him?" Tera asked hoping they wouldn't have to harm many misguided Sedrians as they tried to recover Mors Odrion.

'I don't know, they released poisonous fish on their own people in a terror attack and stole holy relics – they're not exactly reasonable.' Lyla pointed out. She wondered what song Tera had been referring to; she'd seen a light but hadn't heard anything.

'I don't know how Odrion and Rekara are supposed to have stolen anything from these caves. Cardo didn't let them in, and they never made it to Fitsay. I think Karak framed them – and probably on Imperial fish-killer orders.'

Tera raised an eyebrow, trying to put some sympathy in her voice. "It's a matter of perspective. They think they're saving the holy relics. They wouldn't have been the first peoples to have been taken in by the Empires words...but you're right. I think Karak framed them and set them up to make his theft of the Golden Sun seem more reasonable and ingratiate himself with the Imperial commander."

While Klyn was a bit frustrated they didn't get more time with the prisoner, he answered Lyla's comment with a nod.

"I agree.  I don't think they would have stolen something like that. And that sedrian apparently didn't know anything about Rekara's current state which, in my opinion, is another proof of their 'benevolent' leader's deception."

He looked toward the place where the prisoner was transferred.

"The sooner we get a location, the quickest we can end this."

He then spoke to Chu-Shkar
"Our terrible, ill-prepared intervention had me thinking on how to use parts of the useless SG4 to build pistol version of the harpoon thrower.

I would gladly accept your help since we won't have much time to work on it."

"The larger portion of his followers might be duped and tricked into following Karak. But I would suggest it's safe to assume there's a core of followers who are either more loyal, or more in the knowing. Who will stand with Karak even if the truth is revealed... I suspect a fight with that core is inevitable.."

Cardo is only in the Sun Caves for a few minutes. Pek came to rejoin the Rebels once the remaining warrior monks had organised themselves. The Sedrian youngster was upset that Karak's renegades had attacked but pleased to see the Rebels had aided Fitsay.

The renegade when he emerged from the Sun Caves looked dazed and uncertain. Cardo spoke grimly "now I know the way to Karak's settlement". The High Priest signalled to Pek "ready the soldiers. We shall go parlay with Karak" he ordered.

Chu-Shkar nodded and was about to go with Klyn, when Cardo came back. After Cardo spoke, Chu-Shkar looked at Lyla for instruction.

'Hey! That's a damn good gun, that is!' Lyla interjected, patting her own SG-4 like it might be upset to Klyn's words. Her recent skill and some good shots with the new rifle had her swearing by it, even if she still missed her old DC-15a.

She looked up at the return of Cardo and the prisoner, quite sure she didn't want to know what had transpired in those caves for the priest to have gotten the location. 'First, your Highness, perhaps you could tell us what exactly the Golden Sun is? What does this coral the renegades stole do? ...Karak or his fish-killer bosses could use it as a weapon against us, and we need to be prepared for whatever they throw at us.' she advised warningly.

KLyn grunted playfully at Lyla's comment about her weapon.

He doubted the priest would give any more information regarding their secret wonder.
And it was a wise move, in a way.

What caught his attention was the 'readying the soldier' part, and the parley option.

He didn't think parley might still be an option and really hoped Karnak didn't made contact with the empire's AT-AT...

Tera paused for a moment, looking at Cardo. "A moment please, how did you do that? What did you do? Can it be taught?"

"You have seen the Golden Sun. The coral caves are a mystery for our people" the priest paused and looked at the Rebels "it is not for strangers" he considered "however I see your intentions are good. I will tell you that the coral can seem to some as if it is alive. When I dream sometimes I feel it trying to talk to me. It energizes the crystals to power our tools. It can never be used as a weapon or to kill" he explained sternly at Lyla's belief it could be harnessed as a weapon.

The large and old Sedrian then began to warm to the subject of his life's devotion as well as Lyla's and Tera's interest "when people our ill they can be healed, however the more its power is used the weaker it becomes. Karak seeks to allow all to use the Golden Sun and I see that it will weaken and we will lose it. The power and mysteries of the Golden Sun will be taught to my son when it is his time to become the High Priest" he told Tera.

As they talked Pek returned with ten of the surviving warrior-monks "father we are ready" he told Cardo.

"Then we must whiskerback and go to speak with Karak before he takes us all deep enough that only the bubbles rise" Cardo announced and signalled for the warrior monks to follow him to the renegades lair.

"Something this precious should be preserved. I...have a favour to ask. Could it be used to cure one of our companions? She's lost some of her senses. It might help her." she looked out towards the warrior monks "Well, once we've done this."

She frowned for a moment "Klyn...do we have any way of projecting the recording and audio to show the others in his band he's in league with the fishkillers? We don't want to hurt any of the Sedrians that might just have been misled....do we?"

"Perhaps it can be arranged" Cardo conceded to Tera as he led the band of Sedrians to go confront Karak and his renegades.

Chu-Shkar was agitated at the thought of having to swim again, especially since he didn't have a good weapon for underwater, nor did he have a power suit that he could use.

'Well, coral is a living organism.' Lyla murmured, remembering her nature studies but not wanting to interrupt Cardo too much while he was sharing information. This Golden Sun was obviously so much more than a typical coral. Maybe it had this Force everyone talked about, and why not corals too? Maybe it had thoughts and feelings as well, or was like the Life of Isis, being a repository of other's thoughts and memories and natural connection. As a ranger, Lyla had learned to accept the weird and wonderful of life.



'But you use it to power your sun-staffs, don't you? They're weapons.' Lyla pointed out. 'The Imperials would use it to pull ships out of the sky, to hide their fleets. Karak and the fish-killers will pervert your Golden Sun if they can.' she warned, wanting the old priest to be ready and not blinkered by faith and commandments that had already been abandoned by his own renegade bishop.

As the warrior-monks gathered and the whole troop of Sedrians started swimming to Karak's hideout, Lyla began paddling after them, expecting her team to follow. She had to worry what they were getting themselves into here – a local religious rebellion was a nasty thing to get caught up in, even without Imperials egging them on. But the Imperials and Karak had already gotten the Rebellion involved, not she and her team had to get them out.

'All natural resources have to be conserved, else they'll be lost forever.' Lyla agreed with Cardo and Tera. 'The Golden Sun especially. You'll have to work out a way of balancing using it and conserving it, to put an end to Bishop Karak's rhetoric. Else more will follow him.' she advised, hoping to the Goddess she could put a stop to the larger war too.

"Projecting the audio is not really hard, but if you want to project the image too, it another level.  It also depend on whether we take the Gold with us or not."
answered Klyn.

[Language unknown: "O ll fo andtheder nte itecei, Iv lin haslarhas ted."] Chu-Shkar said.

"Might not be a bad idea to take the sun with us.. Remember, there's an aquatic war machine of the empire out there.. If they are assisting Karak.. could turn into a really uneven fight.."

The journey to Karak's settlement was not going to be a short one. The directions given to Cardo showed that they would be travelling around three hundred kilometres north. A trip that would take the Sedrians several hours of swimming. Any Rebels wishing to witness or take part in the parley can easily follow by speeder-raft or in the Alabak's Gold.

'No wonder we couldn't find their trail.' Lyla sighed as it transpired just how far away and in what direction Karak's hideout really was. 'And Quantros and I got eaten by a narglatch for nothing...'

She agreed with Jason, saying 'Yeah, let's take the Gold. We might need the ship's firepower, if not for the AT-AT then for a sea monster or some other surprise.'


OOC: I presume Jason meant "Gold" instead of "sun"?

Jason nods and decides to head to the ship to get things ready. He's confident that the others can handle matters with the Sedrians. And if they face anymore surprises, he'd prefer to be at the helm of their ship.