Ask Continuing the Search

[Renfry]

It had been quite some time now that Jaikus and Renfry had been working on the writings from the scrolls. There had been delays, problems, and even conflict with Jedi along the way and it all contributed to why this was an ongoing issue.

Now on top of those other problems, Renfry was pregnant and wasn't going to risk the baby on a myriad of dangerous rituals that certainly would have killed the child had she been pregnant last time the pair had performed them. It would have to wait.

What didn't have to wait, though, was a delve into the archives. She had had numerous Sith writings moved to the palace basement where they were under safeguard and could be studied by the pair. But her intention in this wasn't just to continue their quest. It was also because of the rather unusual situation they found themselves in. She knew that Emryc had told Jaikus about what had happened, and she also knew that it had occurred before the pair were quite so exclusive. While she and Jaikus may not have been extremely close, she liked him and considered him a very valuable addition to the Empire. She supposed she wanted to get a gauge of how awkward things were going to be and perhaps confront them head on.

He would find her down by one of landings extending out over the water, enjoying the smell of the air and watching the waves crash against the shoreline.

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Stepping down the ramp of his ship, Jaikus couldn’t deny feeling some sense of anticipation to finally pick up where he and Renfry had left off with the scrolls. Quite a bit had changed since the last time they had actively pursued the texts, and Jaikus’ significantly busier schedule was one of those things. The end of finals season at the university where Jaikus taught meant that he finally had some time to dedicate to the project, and it was only then that he promptly made the journey to Serenno.

It had been over a year since Jaikus had originally retrieved the texts from the depths of the Telos temple, and pursuing their contents had been a task marred with nothing but challenges along the way - whether it was the rituals themselves or the long pauses required to decipher the bits and pieces of information they had gathered. Even the most recent ordeal with the Jedi, in addition to just being all together weird, hadn’t gone particularly well. Thus, Jaikus was hoping that this delve into the archives would prove to be worth the effort.

While some fact-finding was in order, Jaikus knew that Renfry’s current condition meant that continuing their quest - and thus, likely conducting a myriad of rituals equally dangerous to those that came before - wasn’t an option. Moreover, it was not something that Jaikus had any interest in pursuing without Emryc being a part of the process, not at this point. The half-Sephi had been there through every horrific step of Telos, and he deserved to be a part of whatever was gained through the scrolls. Jaikus had stated as much to Emryc back on Onderon, and the Axxilan had every intention of keeping his word.

Of course, Jaikus was intelligent enough to deduce that there was far more to this meeting than simply combing through ancient Sith literature, and likely had quite a bit to do with the Empress' current condition. It was something that Emryc had been entirely transparent with Jaikus about from the get-go and had been discussed at length, and he knew exactly where his partner stood on the matter.

Nevertheless, he knew it was bound to come up at some point during his trip to Serenno, and even if he and Renfry weren’t particularly close, the relationship there had been friendly and Jaikus quite frankly saw no reason to make things awkward.

He casually strode across the landing pad, gradually making his way towards where Renfry was waiting. Opting for something in his usual style, Jaikus wore a pair of black dress pants and a tight-fitting, navy button-up. His outfit was accessorized with his usual chrono-and-gold bracelet combo, while his hair was combed and styled neatly into place.

“My Lady,” He spoke smoothly, greeting the Dathomirian with a respectful dip of his head as he approached. “I trust you are both doing well?” He asked genuinely, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips as his brow raised ever-so-slightly. It was clear that Jaikus had no qualms about tackling the elephant in the room directly, and seemed entirely comfortable doing so.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She could sense Jaikus before she saw him, and fortunately she sensed no turmoil, malice, or latent anger in his approach. Of course, she could be wrong, but usually that sort of thing just radiated through the Shadow, and she sensed none of it. Just the same man that she had slowly gotten to know over the last several months. While they weren't necessarily best friends, she liked him and hoped the two would continue to get to know one another over time. Moreover, his relationship with Emryc - while it may have brought a tiny bit of buried jealousy - was all the more reason for her to treat him well. Not that she'd have planned to do any differently.

Good to see you, Jaikus, she said, turning to him with a genuine smile.

We are, she said, hand moving momentarily to her belly before it dropped once again. Though I have to say that I'm a bit jealous of your ability to wear tight clothes, she said, glancing down momentarily at the attire he had chosen. He always looked spiffy, and today was no exception. She thought momentarily of when she and Emryc had both been looking at him at one of the parties before pushing the thought aside as "probably not appropriate."

I appreciate you making the long trip out here. I know that our... umm... what's the word I'm looking for, she said, motioning with her hand as if it would in some way get the word out faster.

Investigation? Study? she said, before waving a hand. Whatever, you know what I mean. It keeps getting interrupted, but it turns out that this particular topic is well hidden and one that was supposed to remain a secret, she said. It had become something of a pet project for her, and she guessed it had for him as well.

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

“I am glad to hear you are doing well,” Jaikus spoke, citrine eyes briefly flicking down towards her swollen belly before moving back up once again to meet the Dathomirian’s eyes. There was something genuine to the Axxilan’s smile, and true to what Renfry sensed, there was little to no malice or tension that lingered within Jaikus over the entire situation.

Quite frankly, the Axxilan saw no reason for there to be.

He had been informed about Renfry’s condition from the very start, and he knew that it had occurred some time before he and Emryc were together exclusively. He was completely confident in the relationship he had with the half-Sephi, and Jaikus felt no reason for jealousy or resentment

Not to mention, Renfry was someone that Jaikus genuinely liked. While they weren’t extremely close, they had gotten to know each other in the time since they first met back on Serenno - whether it was at subsequent parties, their own adventures, or that entire boat trip with Tia and Emryc - and her friendship was something Jaikus hoped to continue to cultivate going forward. “Tight clothes or no, you are looking radiant as ever.” He said politely, flashing the Dathomirian a smile.

“And of course,” He nodded along when she expressed her gratitude. “It has been some time since we’ve last dedicated any time to it,” Telos had been the last attempt to pursue anything, and that had ended in what was effectively a stalemate. “Investigation, study..” He repeated the same words back to Renfry. “..All around pain in our asses. I think those are all accurate descriptors.” Jaikus smirked. Despite the Axxilan’s clear interest in this and most historical matters, there was no denying that their little project had nothing but difficult.

He tilted his head to the side ever-so-slightly, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. “With any luck, we'll be able to shed more light on whatever it is without nearly killing ourselves in the process.” Truth be told, the true origins of the scrolls and their contents were still a mystery. While they were undoubtedly old, and both of them had seen something within those visions on Lothal, that was largely the extent of their knowledge.

"I trust you've been able to narrow down the archives?" He mused, genuinely curious to know what she'd brought to the palace for study.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry knew that many Sith were adept at hiding their emotions and intentions, waiting for the opportune moment to stab you in the back... kriff, she had certainly done it on the political stage before. It didn't escape the possibilities of her mind that that was what Jaikus was doing. But she didn't think so. He seemed... sincere? He almost struck her as being too nice to be a member of the Order, but then there were some who would say the Order was soft now.

She smiled at his compliment though she wasn't entirely sure she believed it. She was not her thin, athletic-self these days and was approaching the point of waddling.

Yeah, I'm not sure about that, she quipped in return as she started near-waddling back in the direction of the main building. He turned his attention to the archives and her own mind had been turning there as well.

You're not wrong about it being... she didn't finish her sentence, shaking her head slightly at how much of a "process" this had been. I didn't expect to have to fight the Grandmistress of the entire Jedi Order while we were looking for answers, she admitted honestly. With any luck, they wouldn't have to do that again... or do much more on Telos for that matter.

I had several different attendants scour the archives that haven't been lost. There're several holocrons, texts, and parchment fragments that might discuss what we're looking for, she said. They had all been brought here for a more thorough investigation, but the Empress hadn't actually had time to do so herself yet.

She made her way inside the palace, the ornately carved walls and trimmings making the place look truly royal. It was such a change from her palace on Dathomir, and she had begun to grow accustomed to these "finer things."

But we'll be able to paw through all of those in due time. How have you been? Keeping yourself busy? she asked. She was aware of much of the behind the scenes work he had done for the politics of the Empire even though most people weren't. She appreciated it. The question she really wanted to ask was "how are you and Emryc" but she didn't know him quite well enough yet to be so directly snoopy. Emryc likely would have known precisely what she was thinking, but she at least temporarily kept her super snooper in check.

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Jaikus couldn’t help but smile towards Renfry, shaking his head a bit when she questioned the sincerity of his compliment. The Axxilan had been entirely genuine in his words but he certainly wasn’t going to argue with her on the topic. His expression faded a bit when the topic changed to Telos – clearly still a topic – and planet in general – that irked the Axxilan more than he could adequately put into words.

He gave her a small nod when she mentioned fighting the Jedi. “To be honest, most of what happened back there was.. unexpected. To say the least.” There wasn’t a lot of mystery behind what Jaikus meant. That entire situation with Byron.. Or whatever he became in the end, was one part of Telos lingered with the Axxilan. Partial because of was downright weird seeing a Jedi knight doing ballet moves and tapping into the Dark Side. And it lingered with him because Jaikus had been the one to deliver the killing blow – reducing the Jedi to nothing but ash.

“I am glad to have put it behind us.” He said simply.

As the topic turned to their research, Jaikus seemed to perk up a bit – genuinely curious to hear what the Dathomirian had dug up for this leg of their investigation. He didn’t expect her to have combed through much of it on her own, but he nodded along when she mentioned having brought in ancient texts and holocrons alike. “I have the scrolls, of course,” The Axxilan patted the satchel he had brought with him. He had kept the ancient texts in his care since their last adventure. “Perhaps being able to compare both will uncover some things.”

The Axxilan followed her along as Renfry began to make her way into the palace – keeping pace with her penguin waddles to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with her the entire time. Citrine eyes flicked across the interior of the palace as they crossed through the threshold, taking clear note of the ornate and expensive ornamentation that lined every inch of the building. It was not so unlike the opulence and wealth that he had grown up around himself.

He glanced towards Renfry when she asked her question, raising a brow curiously towards the woman. Even if she didn’t say it, Jaikus knew how to read between the lines and he knew there was still quite a bit of an elephant in the room.

“I have,” He nodded, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his dress pants. Whether it was his work in Imperial intelligence or his public work as a professor, the Axxilan always kept himself busy. Though a part of him knew that wasn’t really what the Dathomirian was asking.

“Life is good,” He said after a moment of pause, a genuine smile tugging at the corners of his lips. It was clear that the Axxilan’s mind was elsewhere for a moment – lingering on thoughts of his partner - and that bit of warmth shone bright through his expression in that moment. “I am happier nowadays than ever, if I’m being honest. Something I hope never ends.”

He glanced back to Renfry after a few moments. “And yourself? How have you been?”

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She nodded along as he told her that thing were going well. She smiled, though it was somewhat bittersweet. She wasn't going to say it aloud here and now, but she was glad Emryc was happy. And she was relatively certain that he was happy. Even if he'd found that happiness not with her.

I'm glad to hear it, she said sincerely. She pushed the bitter of the bittersweet out of her mind as she proceeded down toward her study area. She opted not to take the stairs and instead took a turbolift despite it only being two floors down.

I'm doing well. Busy, busy as always, he said. There was constantly work to be done to keep the Empire stable, but it had almost begun to run itself in a way. Her recent attention had been focused on keeping up appearances in support of Mon Cala, which was currently the galaxy's spotlight system.

You teach as a history professor, is that right? she asked. So that means you should just be able to do all this research by yourself? Or already know the answers? she asked in jest. Truthfully, she enjoyed looking into the arcane and between his history knowledge and her arcane knowledge, really no duo should be more suited to this task.

They arrived at the study a few moments later. It wasn't a massive room, but it also wasn't small. A rather large desk with comfortable-looking chairs had been pulled up across from each other so they would be able to face each other while they worked. The data they would be searching through was piled up on one end of the table and at another table across the room was a variety of snacks that were there for both their benefits, but even if he didn't take advantage of them, she certainly would.

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Jaikus continued to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with Renfry as they navigated the palace corridors. He turned to face the Dathomirian once again when she spoke, once again flashing her a warm smile in response. While he wasn’t blind to the fact that there was probably some lingering bitterness there, he clearly noted the sincerity in her tone and left it at that.

He joined Renfry on the turbolift that carried them up towards the study area, keeping his hands stuffed into the pockets of his dress pants. The Axxilan gave a quiet nod of acknowledgement to the response to his question, his mind briefly traveling to the entire ordeal with Mon Cala. It seemed that incident had kept most of the Galaxy busy. He glanced back to her when his public profession was brought up.

“I do,” A grin gradually began to tug at the Axxilan’s lips as Renfry went on jestingly, eliciting a dramatic roll of Jaikus’ eyes. “Why of course - I am sure I can do all the research heavy lifting to figure it all out. And I’ll be sure to take all the credit in the end, while I’m at it.” He quipped right back to her, his smirk tugging a bit wider before he turned back ahead, striding into the sizable study area.

As they entered the threshold of the room, Jaikus finally turned his attention to the satchel on his hip. Striding over to the work-related desk, the Axxilan unclipped the small lock and flipped open the leather flap of the satchel - proceeding to pull out a trio of very aged, worn looking pieces of roll parchment. He cleared out a place on the table before gingerly rolling them out - taking his time to avoid damaging anything.

Just as they had been the last time the pair studied the scroll, the trio of parchments were littered with runic markings and script in the ancient Sith language - cryptic messages and rituals described across the pages. While Jaikus’ grasp of the language was significantly greater than it had been the last time, the vague nature of the scrolls made them no easier to understand at a glance.

With his contribution to the study-pile made, Jaikus made his way over to the comfortable looking chairs and food-stocked section of the room happily enough. The Axxilan snagged a few strips of beef jerky before plopping into his seat - presumably beside the Empress - and began to munch.

After a few moments, Jaikus glanced up at Renfry. “Any theories on what it is?” He asked rather abruptly and curiously, but it was clear he was referring to the scrolls and what it even was they were chasing. They had both seen the visions on Lothal, and had fought.. Whatever that thing was on Devaron. None of that had shed any light on the true nature of their exploration.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Oh, no, no, I'll take the credit and the rewards. It's called "delegating," she shot back with a smirk. The truth was, though, that she considered Altaris a valuable member of the Order, even if he seemed adamant on not joining the growing ranks of Sith Lords. Perhaps she'd convince him of it yet. Merit should be rewarded.

As he pulled out the pieces of parchment, she was once again struck by the power that was inherent to them. They pulsed with a power that she recognized as being that of blood. Not physical blood, but the soul that had been extracted, life essence that had been drained in rituals like the ones they had already performed. Rituals that nearly killed them. Her fingers ran momentarily along the scars on the inside of her arms. The thought of bleeding herself dry now struck a different chord than it had before. Thoughts of her child being left alone, raised in this galaxy even by her sisters. The thought was terrifying and overwhelming. Tears started to well up in her eyes, glistening ever so slightly as she tried to push it aside.

This was ridiculous! She wasn't going to get weepy over the thought of dying. How many times had she nearly been killed before? She always survived. These emotional fluxes were insufferable, and yet the tears started to flow. Emotions she couldn't stop that she knew were out of place but it didn't matter.

She sniffed and wiped her nose. From Jaikus's perspective, it would appear absolutely random and spontaneous that she had started crying.

I'm... she cleared her throat. I'm sorry. This pregnancy has been... taxing. ...Alone she mentally added, but didn't say aloud.

Whatever it leads to, she said, starting to gather her thoughts once agin. Sniff. It's got to be old. Very old. Sniff.

It could go as far back as the Jedi Exiles or the first, real Eternal. I doubt it predates those since it does seem tied into Sith specifically, she said. She cleared her throat again, clearing away the last of that ridiculous outburst.

You must have a theory by this point, she said.

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Jaikus glanced over at Renfry, hands casually tucked into the pockets of his dress pants. “Mhm. I am sure you are an expert at ‘delegating’ by now.” He quipped right back playfully, that smirk on his lips tugged just a hint wider. While several new Sith Lords had emerged under the reign for Andruil thus far, Jaikus had purposefully avoided any such promotion. The Axxilan had always been someone who valued his own autonomy and freedom - purposefully keeping himself away from the front. It was for that reason that his contributions to the Empire - valuable and useful as they might’ve been - were covert and outside of the eyes of most of their Order.

He had no desire for that to change, though he couldn’t deny that the influence that came with Lordship would make his work in the ISB easier. In short, he had no desire for the notoriety and spotlight that so many of their Order seemingly were drawn to like moths to the flame.

Perhaps it was a concern that could be addressed and Renfry could convince him of it yet, but he certainly wasn’t going to bring it up let alone ask for it.

Jaikus turned his attention from his beef jerky to the ancient scrolls he had brought with him - the very things that had started this entire quest. The moment his fingers touched the parchment and he began to roll them out, the Axxilan could feel the energies of power that clung to the material like static - once more crawling across his skin and filling him with that familiar sensation of dread. It was power he had felt before, and it served as an immediate reminder of what they had already risked to get to this point.

The Axxilan couldn’t deny the emotions and feelings that contact with those scrolls caused to swell, though they didn’t manifest as anything more than a clear frown and scrunching of expression. Of course, they all seemed to have a more dramatic effect on Renfry.

He glanced over to his side, citrine eyes settling upon the Empress as the tears suddenly welled in her eyes and she began to sniffle. There was a faint frown that tugged at his lips just then. Even if they weren’t the best of friends just yet, it was clear that he didn’t enjoy seeing the woman in tears. Jaikus didn’t know precisely what had elicited the sudden reaction, and he had no intention of prying for information.

Instead, Jaikus reached out with the Force - coiling his grip around a box of tissues that was placed on the edge of the table. He levitated it over to himself, before proceeding to slid it gently towards Renfry. Alongside the tissues was some more of the beefy jerky snacks that the Axxilan had been munching on. Because snacks always made it better, obviously.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” He said very simply, offering her a small smile - no hint of judgment or mockery on Jaikus’ expression. . The Axxilan placed a hand on the table, stopping short of placing a hand on Renfry’s shoulder supportingly. She didn’t need to elaborate further for the Axxilan to know that her condition was a difficult one to deal with on her own, on top of the responsibilities that came as Empress.

He listened quietly as Renfry began to throw out her own theories about the scrolls - and well, the entirety of what they were looking for. The Axxilan purposefully waited until the Empress had fully recomposed herself and put the brief outburst behind them before he offered his own thoughts.

“I tend to agree with you about it being old.” He said with a small nod, gesturing to the parchment itself. “The scrolls themselves certainly point to that. The material used,” He drew a finger across the parchment, gesturing to the aged material. There was a small, barely noticeable sliver from the side of the page that had been expertly removed. “I had the opportunity to run some data analysis, putting it roughly around seven-thousand years old - give or take a few decades.” He placed a hand on the table, drumming his knuckles against the wood. “Which would line with the same time period as the Jedi Exiles and First Sith.”

The Axxilan leaned back in his chair, pondering for a moment. “The first Eternal is a real possibility. Whatever it is - whatever we saw on Lothal.. It was powerful. Immensely.” They had both seen those visions. They had both seen the crowds that bowed and supplicated before the shrouded figure and the raw power that radiated from it. It was a power that had brought Jaikus to his knees and matched Renfry’s own.

“Or another Lord from that time period.” Who was the question that lingered in Jaikus’ mind, though there was no clear answer to it. There were multiple figures of power from that time period that the Axxilan could name, but nothing about what they’d seen so far pointed to one or the other. “Or perhaps the Purebloods themselves.” It was a stretch, but not impossible. Though it wasn't a detail he intended upon sharing yet, the Crown of King Adas certainly lended some credence to that theory. But he still wasn't confident in it entirely.

“Perhaps we could start with some material from what time period.. See if we can find any connections.”

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She took the offered tissues and tried not to linger on it for any longer. It was a kind gesture and it occurred to her just how nice he was. It was almost too nice. Was it fake? No, she didn't think so.

She hadn't considered the possibility of it originating from the Purebloods. Predating even the Jedi Exiles, then? It was a fascinating possibility even if it wasn't the most likely explanation.

To the 7,000s we go, then, she said, reaching over and grabbing some of the books she had brought from that era.

Their studies went on for several hours. An enjoyable diversion from everything else going on, and a success for their journey into the history of the Sith.

@Altaris //Thread