Sarafan Chronicles: Search and ye shall find

[Nicholas Kain]

<font color=#33FF00>

Searching..................... 99% Complete............


Search complete......

How would you like the results shown?</font>

It was about time Nicholas thought. He had looked to be an eleven hour search had resulted in one that lasted nearly four days.

<font color=#00FF00>List results</font>

Even before he finished typing the command he knew it was not exactly what he wanted but it was a start just finding out how many results there were and to see how they were listed.

Names of planets flashed down the screen faster than his eyes could keep up with even with the enhancement of a Vampyre.

<font color=#33FF00>205 304 entries with the requested search parameters</font>

Nicholas' eyes opened as wide as the planet he sat on. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that many results. No wonder the search had taken so long. Now to narrow the list however.

<font color=#00FF00>Search entries for references to artifacts or buildings such as temples or shrines.</font>

<font color=#33FF00>Searching.......</font>

While he waited Nicholas walked over to the bar and poured himself some blood wine and then returned to the computer.

<font color=#33FF00>Search complete......... 107 482 entries found.</font>

Well at least it narrowed it down to half the original list, Nicholas thought to himself. Taking a few moments he thought about how to further narrow the results.

<font color=#00FF00>Search entries for dates of discovery. List earliest discovery in comparison to the death of Pyetre Drackov.</font>

<font color=#33FF00>Searching.......... Found.

Earliest date in reference to discovery is 500 A.D.</font>

The result somewhat surprised Nicholas. He was not expecting that early of a discovery as it was now nearing 3 000 years since the estimated time for Drackov's writings.

<font color=#00FF00>Eliminate all discoveries made after 2000 A.D.</font>

<font color=#33FF00>Processing.......... Complete. 40 120 entries remain.</font>

Well it seemed that many of the discoveries were fairly recent. That did make things easier.

<font color=#00FF00>Search entries for references to the Sarafan, Pyetre Drackov, or Vampyres.</font>

<font color=#33FF00>Searching....... No references found.</font>

No matter Nicholas thought. It had been a long shot anyway.

<font color=#00FF00>Print last results</font>


Now the fun began. Nicholas would have to search through the 40 thousand results and narrow the list by hand. Something that would probably take him another four days.

[Death Knight Soth]

After Soth had retreated back to his chamber room after feeding that night on Roon, he quietly slipped back into the place were he always looked forward to after a long hunt. His lover Tatiana and himself slept together in the cryo-chamber were they held each other in a dark embrace. Later Soth awoke from his slumber. Gently the Dark Knight kissed Tatiana softly on the fore head.

"I shall return shortly my dark dream." Soth word's were low as not to disturb Tatiana as she stirred. But his word's would linger in her Vampyre mind, knowing were he would be as soon as she opened her eye's to the night.

As Soth exited the large sleeping chamber, he pushed a small button under the rim of the cryo-coffin were the lid slowly sealed it's self tightly over Tatiana. The Death Knight wasted no time in returning back to Nicholas room. Surely by now the search result's on the Sarafan would be complete...

There was a slight knocking that admitted on Kain's chamber door. The Knight was just in time as the result's were now coming through. Soth's fascination with theses so called Sarafan's brought him back hurriedly to his blood brother's room. The eleventh hour had arrived and Soth was looking forward to what Kain may have found or stumbled upon.

"My brother...I have returned,...may I enter?" Came Soth's muffled voice through the double iron clad door's.

[Nicholas Kain]

Nicholas had been studying the stacks of printouts that had been spewing from the printer for the last couple of hours.

To his right were the newest outputs from a list that printed out a number somewhere around 150 per page. Stacks of paper sat both on the floor around the table and to his left on the table. The ones on the floor were organized into the pages that contained little or none of the information that he was looking for. The ones on the table to his left were the pages with results that he would look into more thoroughly once he finished the first run of pages.

So far he had gone through nearly 10 000 of the 40 000 results, of which there were a few hundred that had caught his attention.

Not batting an eye or looking up from his work when he heard Soth's voice through the door he waved his hand and the doors flew open. It was a new "trick" that he had suddenly been able to do. He wasn't sure what it was but figured it was another Vampyre trait. Not that he particularly cared at the moment.

"Come in brother."

[Death Knight Soth]

The Dark Knight could tell immediately that Nicholas had not fed nor slept by the mountain of paper work that slowly built it's way around him. As Soth entered the large chamber, he glanced over to the fireplace where he had presented Kain with the rare Sith sword he had given to him. It was still in it's original position where Nicholas had left it. Soth knew the work on the Sarafan was a critical body of work that needed to be addressed immediately. However, his brother was paying dearly for it. His gaunt feature's were evidence of long hour's without feeding and the much needed sleep that all Vampyre's required.

Walking up slowly behind Nicholas, Soth placed his pale hand on the mans shoulder. Nicholas needed a break.

"My brother,...You look as though your life's blood has left you. Let me pour you some blood meed." Soth's word's were filled with concern as he glanced down at Kain.

"Have you been here this whole time Nicholas?" Soth continued as he sat the chalice down in front of his Shrine brother. The Death Knight had already retrieved the blood wine before Kain could even respond back to him from the bar some fifteen feet away.

"Nicholas,...Drink my friend, surely this can wait until then." The Dark Vampyre finished his smooth word's in low tone's as he sat next to Kain a few feet away. He couldn't help but to admire the dedication and fortitude in Kain. But something's were more important then grabbing at ghost's in the dark. Kain needed nourishment, the Sarafan could wait for now. So far that's all it seemed they had on the Sarafan. Mysterious and allusive ghost's from the past that weren't giving up any secret's. At least not for now it seemed...

[Nicholas Kain]

Nicholas looked up from the papers and took the glass. Taking a long drink he leaned his head back against the high back chair and let a long breath.

"What time is it brother?" He asked.

"Nearing four."

"In the afternoon?"

"No my brother, in the morning."

Nicholas did not reply, he had been at the work for a nearly 20 hours without a break. If Soth had not come calling he would have continued non stop for many, many more hours without even realizing it, and that was something quite unhealthy, even for a Vampyre.

This is bigger than I had ever dreamed. There are results from millions of worlds, and that's just to start. I narrowed it down to tens of thousands of good possibilities. The Sarafan almost seem to have around since our kind arrived in the universe. What is that saying... 'so many places, so little time.' That my friend is what I feel right now."

[Death Knight Soth]

"Incredible..." Was the only word that entered Nicholas mind as he glanced over at Soth. It had not dawned on Kain yet, but the conversation that was taking place between the two Vampires was one of the inner mind...Kain had the gift of "Thought Reading" but was to tired to note it at the moment.

Soth steepled his long Vampyre finger's together as he pondered the possibilities that they were now confronting. Why now would they concern them self's over something so trivial as this? It was indeed something more then they could have ever imagined. This constant and underlining nagging thought that rested in both there mind's, eating at them both like a Roon beetle that slowly consumes the carcass of the dead... Why now when the Sarafan's obvious existence had been one that was developed untold eon's ago. It was very simple...They were a threat! There was to much at stake and to much to loose if the Vampyre hive was found out. Something in the Darkside of the Force told Soth that they too were now being watched!...This was not just mere speculation on his part, it was a stark reality. The Queen Mother was now the focus of the Death Knight, she had to be protected at all cost. Soth knew that with such immense power that the Mother possessed, there also had to existed a curious fascination, a following of sort's that was now evident in theses so called "Watcher's"

"Do you think they know of the Shrine my brother?" Soth word's were even as he met eye's with Kain. No expression marred his marble like feature's as he questioned him.

"Perhaps this Drackov is still around, hiding in obscurity for the time being...I venture to say, that if he does, I am certain that he has gone to great length's to cover his track's very carefully. There is something far more sinister to this my brother..." Soth eye's were still locked on Kain's as he finished.

Yes, Soth had to agree with Nicholas, time was running out. And the little thought in the back of thier mind's that was nagging them both was telling them it was!

[Nicholas Kain]

Nicholas took another sip of his wine and slipped deep into thought for a moment or two.

"Drackov alive? No, the books talk of his death, there is supposedly a tomb containing even more chronicles, but it is not written where. Besides, his species is a humanoid variant, their life spans could be nothing more than a hundred years, maybe another fifty after that, but that would be a most generous estimate."

Nicholas closed his eyes and came to the sudden conclusion that he needed sleep. That could wait he decided, this was more important for the time being.

"As for whether the Sarafan know of the Shrine itself, I don't think so. Although you and the other founding members formed the group before I was brought here, I believe that it was only recently before I arrived. Correct?"

Nicholas received a curt nod from Soth to confirm that.

"That's what I thought. No I believe the Shrine is too new for them to know about. However I would not be surprise to find that they know about you, or any of the other Vampyres here. Of all of us, I would hazard a guess that I am the only one of which there is no written record, for obvious reasons of course."

Nicholas stifled a yawn. Perhaps sleep would not wait. He dismissed the thought and decided more blood wine would cure his weariness.

"One thing is certain in this whole situation though brother. The longer it takes us to find them, the greater the chance that they will discover the Shrine. We are isolated on this planet, but it is only a matter of time before word of our feedings gets out, and it is not like we can stop feeding."

[Death Knight Soth]

Soth knew it to be true as well. There had to be a clue of sort's, something that give them what they needed. But what to look for. As Soth thumbed through the many paper that Nicholas was working on, searching for the one possibility that would give them or show them the path that perhaps they had overlooked. Many of the writing's were encoded, other manuscript's were in ancient text. After long moment's Soth sighed and glanced over to Kane.

"I hope you are fairing better then I my brother. Much of this is indiscernible. Even with my years I find myself wanting here. Have you received any new information as of yet?" Soth paused as he continued to scan the paper's in front of him.