EXT. ZIGGURAT – DAWN
Having emerged from the burial chamber, the four work their way up the staircase to the second level of the ziggurat; there they find another entrance leading into yet another chamber.
INT. ZIGGURAT/TREASURE CHAMBER – DAWN
Entering this second chamber, the ersatz explorers are greeted with a magnificent sight; countless dozens of chests and urns – all containing precious gems, metals, and other valuable items - line the walls in several columns, all surrounding a beautiful Sith yacht; onyx-black and inlaid with red jasper trim, the sensual organic contours of the ship look less the product of an automated assembly line and more the exquisite masterpiece of a peerless artisan.
ANAKIN: (whistles) That is one gorgeous ship!
Slowly, almost as if in supplication, they walk up to the Sith yacht.
BAIL: (runs his hand along the side of the ship) Amazing – it feels almost liquid!
OBI-WAN: Dark though the Sith were, it is hard not to be held in awe by them; they were master craftsmen – art was a religion to them, and they applied it to all walks of life.
CMDR. VANESS: It is a magnificent ship – too magnificent. (beat) There’s treasure in the top floor, a jade sarcophagus in the bottom – between the two, there’s a fair bit to steal; why isn’t this entire complex locked up tight?
OBI-WAN: Perhaps the builders were aware of their world’s fate and concluded that thievery wasn’t going to be a problem that would have to be dealt with.
Wandering over to one of the chests, Nik flings the lid open.
ANAKIN: (grins) Guys, you’re not going to believe what’s here.
The other three join him. Peering inside, they see just what it is that the apprentice has found.
BAIL: Food.
ANAKIN: Carbon-frozen food, as fresh as the day it was sealed.
CMDR. VANESS: (ecstatic) When the Sith pack a lunch for the afterlife, they sure pack it tight, don’t they?
Moving to another chest, Anakin flings it open, then moves over to yet another chest and flings it open; in both is more carbon-frozen food and water.
ANAKIN: There’s a month’s worth of food in these crates alone!
BAIL: We’ll take one back with us when we leave.
CMDR. VANESS: We should try getting aboard the ship. We can’t fly it out of here, but there may still be enough juice in its on-board systems to broadcast an SOS.
BAIL: (nods) Let’s do it.
INT. SITH YACHT/COCKPIT – DAWN
Having figured out how to open the entry hatch, they climb inside the cozy ship. As with the exterior, the interior is crafted along organic lines, making it look more like the inside of a living creature’s belly than a ship’s cockpit. Crossing over to the controls, they don’t find the usual switches or buttons but an array of control crystals, all embedded into the panel.
CMDR. VANESS: (frowns; to Obi-Wan) Do you know how to operate these controls? I certainly don’t and I doubt Bail knows, either.
OBI-WAN: (scrutinizes the control crystals) I’m not familiar with them, no, but most Sith technology was reputed to be Force-based; if these crystals are at all attuned to the Force, I may be able to intuit their function.
Positioning his hands over the crystals, Obi-Wan closes his eyes. Several moments pass, then he begins – with much concentration and consideration – to lay his hands down on the crystals, touching a select few of them in a non-random order. Once he has completed the sequence, those crystals which have been touched begin to resonate with a throbbing glow.
OBI-WAN: There – it’s done.
Grinning, Vaness takes Obi by the shoulders, spins him around, and plants a firm kiss on his lips.
CMDR. VANESS: If I wasn’t spoken for, I’d award you more than a kiss.
Try as he might, the knight can’t keep himself from blushing.
EXT. ZIGGURAT – DAY
With one of the chests of food and drink held between the four of them. Obi, Nik, Vaness, and Bail descend the ramp, en-route back to their three companions waiting by the drop.
INT. ZIGGURAT/BURIAL CHAMBER – DAY
Back inside the burial chamber, all is still and quiet. Suddenly, the twelve muraled panels on the walls begin to retract into the ceiling, revealing hidden compartments behind them.
As a heavy mist begins to billow out from the dark openings, a LARGE YELLOW HAND BEARING THREE LARGE BLACK CLAWS reaches out from one.