Beyond - Legends Saarai (ASE short story)

Title: Saarai
Author: Darth_Dreadwar
Timeframe: ~145 ABY

This short story was written for the Great Summer Sith Civil War 2010 competition in the Star Wars Community. It utilizes characters and plot lines from the SWC ASE (Ancient Sith Empire), and is set in that fan made universe.

Note Saarai was originally going to be much longer and comprehensive; the nature of the competition prevented me from spending days writing what I originally envisioned. Basically, this was rushed and incomplete.

[image=http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/6489/saarai.jpg]

Sophen Noth jolted awake, the mess of a patchwork quilt drawn around his form being swiftly cast aside as the man rose. Ding... ding... ding... The distant bells were sounding, reverberating as they always did through the city, and the noise of the masses was already on the rise.

Sophen attributed his late rise to something he had drank the night before... He slid out of bed, his feet sliding into shoes that he tied in record time, his hand snatching a brown robe to cover the cream sleeping garments he already wore. As he rushed to his front door he achieved a further measure of wakefulness as the tower came into view. Still not something he had grown accustomed to seeing, or perhaps ever would, the stone tower was truly a marvel of engineering, an incredible testament to the gods, rising exactly one hundred feet into the air. The tower introduced yet more bells to the cacophony that always occured at sunrise.

No time to marvel now, however, as prostration was to begin any time. Sophen opened the door and ran down the short flight of stone steps that led from his humble abode to the earthen street below. As an assortment of smelly animals approached, a familiar voice called out. "Did you fight the ghost of a Jidai to be this late?" the voice laughed. Sophen winced. Teran Loan may have been his best friend in the world, but his use of those accursed devils in his day-to-day language was always an issue to him.

"Please do not use the word Jidai so casually," Sophen said, already hurriedly walking with the rest of the crowds, Teran falling into step beside him. "We've had this discussion before, Sophen," Teran replied. "The Grimoire does not call for cowardice in the face of a mere word."

"Now is not the time for another argument over scripture," Sophen sighed. "See you at prostration." Teran winked. "Happy prostrating!"

Sophen and Teran followed the narrow, winding streets and the mass of people around them, past the tower, and to a vast open square, where the ground was stone slabs, nearly splotless due to tireless cleaning and work. On every slab there was the Symbol, a great circle encompassed by three sharp, long triangles in each corner, producing the famous quad-sun of the gods. A raised platform gave way to an altar, a podium and then a great stone statue of a being in a horned helmet, all covered in scripture.

Sophen and the rest of the people grew quiet as a man in gray robes walked on to the platform. His hairline receding, his eyes covered in milky cataracts, the man was guided to the podium. The faint shade of red in his skin was what made him High Priest of the One Church. His calm, powerful voice broadcasted throughout the square.

"Praise be to the gods who created all." The crowd repeated after him, slowly, reverently. "Hallowed be the Sith'ari."

Four thousand years of no direct word from the gods had not weakened the faith of the planet of Salan. Saarai was not just the only and devoutly followed religion in the entire world, but comprised much of the population's entire lives.

Sophen smiled. He had faith now that the gods were hearing. They would come when they saw fit, of course, but happiness always filled his entire being when the priest talked to the masses. He prostrated before the gods, whispering prayer...

Saarai, the truth.

The lie.

---

Not ten meters from Sophen, a woman in a hooded brown robe knelt. She knew nothing of Salan or it's people, knew nothing of Sophen or the man in gray robes that spok