Ask Good Idea, Bad Idea

[Darth Tiamat]

So, he had chose to stay with Veles.

Which, she guessed after seeing his grades and the remedial studies he had to complete, this...may have been for the better. Regardless, she was growing to like having an interns and still gave him the choice to join her when the opportunities rose like this one. It was a rather long flight to the far edges of the outer rim that hopefully in the sometime near future would be cut short with additional hypergates or even her engine project she was developing. The one thing that caused her the most worry on this hyperspace was the wildfire that had poisoned his body as she was uncertain of its continued impact other than what she had from the Imperial observations.

Altair was free to occupy himself in anyway that didn't destroy the interior of her ship or interfere with the notes, books and various droid and ship parts that were idly scattered around the ship. She had done her best to move most to a small corner and out of the way, however, it still carried an air of constant business with the scribbles of notes, drawings, equations and numbers along the interior walls of the ship. On occasion she would come out of the cockpit and write something else to answer what seemed to be an unfished equation, and then return in silence as she seemed to be transfixed on a problem only she could answer.

When they finally landed though, Tiamat seemed to come out of her researching scientist mode. The seriousness gone from her face, now more curiosity gleamed in her eyes as they would exit the Hawkward and be hit with humidity so dense, the redhead felt like she could drink the air. Despite being in the highlands, the climate was still hot, humid, and now it looked to be an overcast that declared that it could rain again soon. The shrine they were heading to was a bit of a hike, there was no where ideally close for landing near the shrine. Tiamat had her pack and she hoped Altair was a bit more mindful of these types of ventures and at least packed some necessities, but that bar was not set too high until she saw it.

"Stick close, stay alert, the records were uncertain of wildlife in the area."

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was unsure how things would go with Tiamat after he had turned down her offer of being his new Master. In some ways he wondered if it was the right decision, but in his heart he knew he wouldn’t have it any other way. However, that didn’t mean he closed any doors. He was happy to join her when she offered to take him on a mission. In truth, she was one of the smartest people in the faction and he knew he could benefit from being away from nothing but stupidity all the time.

He had asked permission to bring his guitar, surprised and pleased when she had no qualms with it. As a result, almost the entire time, Altair remained in his space and strummed tunes in the background. If she told him to stop, he would, but he found it soothing and enjoyable. As usual, he injected a bit of morphine to keep the wildfire edge off.

The tiefling stopped playing once they landed, and he grabbed his backpack. He was actually extremely well prepared for outdoor activities from his life on the farm. Coming from the country meant he had a wealth of knowledge about outdoor survival and adapting. He was dressed appropriately for the planet, already adaptable to hot and humid climates.

Altair fell into step beside Tiamat, appearing entirely at ease in the environment. He considered her words and glanced over to point out some plants, “You see those roots? Those have little buds for a subspecies of nysillin,” He explained, “Usually wildlife around these are oversized insectoids like gelagrub or perhaps even cousins of acklay,” Altair walked over to inspect the herbs, pointing at some berries that were brightly colored, “These can probably kill a person in a few hours.”

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

He had been a majority silent during the whole trip except for the occasional song he would vocalize. She was uncertain if it were in his nature to be as quiet as he was, but unlike other acolytes, there wasn't an eagerness to please or impress. Which she felt less pressure herself, oddly enough. He walked beside her; natural height and horns towering over as they walked beneath the green canopies. The acolyte pointed out some roots, quickly identifying their origin, though when he concluded insectoids being the dominant species around here, Tiamat internally grimaced.

"I hope then our presence to go unnoticed by anything...unpleasant." she frowned, watching him inspect the herb closer and Tia followed, her own curiosity piqued as he noted the berries' possibly toxicity. She gently pressed on the thin branch of the brightly colored berries to better inspect them and its leaves, though when seeing a thorned slug inching its way up the branch, the woman took a step back.

"What else can you tell me about this forest?" she asked with genuine curiosity. Tiamat waited to catch Altair's violet gaze before giving a small tip of her head to signal they should keep going. As they would walk, Tiamat kept her senses open for any unwanted trouble, but also to feel the pulse of the forest. The places she had been did not give her luxury to just feel, not since she had been on Dathomir or Felucia, or even home. Something perhaps she needed to attend to more, though for now, her attention refocused to the shrine and to Altair, who she hoped would share more on what else he saw in the forest that she did not see.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

“That’s unlikely,” Altair with a scoff, “The deeper we go in, the higher the chances of us getting mobbed by something way bigger than us,” He pointed out some of the insects that were scurrying about, all of them far larger than average. The oxygen levels and other elements on the planet were higher and different to allow for different and bigger fauna. When Tiamat asked what else he knew, he continued to inspect everything while they walked.

“Tracks suggest mostly insectoid species, but some mammalian as well that are, again, bigger than you’d find elsewhere,” He remarked, crouching every now and then to inspect, “The plants are also more resilient. Some of these wouldn’t last in this season on other planets, but they do here.”

Altair pointed out a few rows of different plants and flowers, “Those purple berries are edible, but everything else around it will kill you in minutes,” He continued to look through the flowers, “I know the anther and filaments on these flowers are morphed. They may even be able to survive for a bit longer without water or sustenance. Probably eaten by some of the critters here,” He picked out a particular large white flower with a beautiful golden center, “And I know this one will look mighty nice in your hair,” He said with a smile as he offered the flower to Tiamat.

After that, he began to walk deeper into the forest but he suddenly paused. He held out a hand for Tiamat to stop as well, “You hear that?’” He asked quietly in a whisper, “That’s the sound of silence. Somethin’ you don’t wanna be hearin’..”

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tiamat watched and listened to the acolyte as he took the offer to share what else he could observe in the jungle as she lead along the path to the shrine. She paused when he crouched down to examine some of the tracks, noting the size and the impact of the ecosystem here; his explanations were far from any guesses, he was able to comprehend and problem solve and certainly proved he was not some dumb backwater weapon. Her brow furrowed in her thoughts, questioning as to why he had been struggling so much in some of his courses. Did he not give himself enough credit? Were they too easy?

She paused, realizing she was a bit ahead of him when she turned to see Altair point to several deadly plants and noting the one that wouldn't cause her to drop dead. He picked a lovely white flower and Tiamat expected some fascinating facts, but when he offered her the flower, suggesting how it would look in her hair, Tiamat couldn't help her smile from spreading. In fact, she could feel her cheeks grow hotter, and despite thinking the jungle heat had already turned them red, it was clear to the tiefling that her cheeks were beginning to match her hair color. "I..ah, yes, uh," there was panic creeping up from the unexpected smooth move as she weaved the flower stem through her braid to hold the flower, "Thank you, it is very pretty." she thanked him, double checking to make sure it wouldn't fall out while attempting to hide her face until she momentarily recovered.

The woman checked her map, noting their coordinates compared to where the shrine was located. It wouldn't be much more of a hike, possibly within the next hour and noted the distance to Altair just as he put out his hand to stop her. She paused, listening to...nothing, he was right, silence meant danger and she pocketed the map caster, the woman grasping the Force to listen closer knowing trying to see anything was useless in a place where life has adapted for survival here. Tiamat unsheathed her vibroblade, but didn't activate it yet.

As they waited, nothing happened, it would seem like there was nothing to be of concern as the insects begun to buzz again. However, that seemed to be its cue as the ferns and plants were torn apart, and an insectoid-like creature came charging at the two sith.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair couldn’t help but give Tiamat a dorky lopsided grin when she was flustered. She would notice his tail waved back and forth as she adjusted the flower to secure it in her hair, “Looks real nice,” He remarked with a smile before he turned to start walking again. He noticed she relied on technology quite a bit, and if she looked she would realize he was walking along the path as if he knew where to go. He was basing it simply off where he saw specific treads and different growth patterns of plants to suggest a path forward.

After he paused, he looked around for a moment. He could tell Tiamat was getting antsy and thought there was nothing to worry about, but he kept his hand up all the same. Altair barely looked to the side when the plants were torn apart and a large laigrek emerged with its front legs poised for attack. The tiefling sprang to action at once, jumping to the side to position himself closer to the flank of the beast.

“The belly looks weaker!” He observed as he barely dodged a swipe at his head. Altair used the Force in an attempt to knock the beast on its side. Unfortunately he was too slow to act and the thing was much quicker than he expected. The left forearm swiped and slammed into Altair, knocking him bodily back and sending him sailing backwards into a tree. He yelped as he flew back, hitting his back harshly and landing with a thud. Altair groaned, dazed from the hit, looking down to see that the sharp leg cut into his side.

Attack roll: 2/20

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Surprises were nice, but not when they were giant bugs, hellbent on murder.

It divided the two Sith. Altair was closer to the insectoid's flank as he noted its underbelly, much too close though as Tiamat tightened the Force around the insect, keeping it from charging at Altair, but the acolyte still remained in the creature's reach. She heard the tiefling let out a yelp as he was hit and Tiamat grasped tighter against the primal instincts of the creature. The bug seemed confused and then frustrated as Tiamat kept her grip, the vibroblade ignited as she pulled the creature to her, however, as it did, it let out an ear-piercing cry. Its front appendages came down in fury when it thought it could strike the woman but within a blink, the vibroblade had amputated its arms and giving a clear opening to the creature's underbelly.

Unlike the lightsaber that would cauterize wounds, the vibroblade opened up the insect's belly, pouring out its contents as it fell over lifeless on the jungle floor. Tiamat felt herself gag some from the smell but remembering Altair, she was able to refocus, putting her blade away safely to see if he could stand.

"Can you stand? You need to get back to the ship." she asked him, already reaching into her pack for a bacta patch while examining the gash. She used her teeth to open the packing while already putting his arm around her shoulder, not waiting for him to answer. There was something that wasn't settling well with her, the sense of calm had not returned. Instinct gave warning, and she would heed to it as unknowingly to the pair of sith, the laigrek moved in packs and five more remained, hearing the call of its fallen.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair gritted his teeth as he slowly rose to stand, cursing himself for getting injured already. He looked down at the graze along the side of his torso and the wound was lightly bleeding. Thankfully, it wasn’t anywhere vital, though his clothing was shredded there. Altair looked ahead as Tiamat tossed his arm around her shoulder.

“What?” He said incredulously as he looked at her, “I ain’t going back! We just got here!” He quieted down as he felt that chill run down his spine again. Altair looked to the side where he could see the familiar rustling of leaves, “More are coming!” He called out right as another one of the things popped out from the treeline. This time he was more prepared, and he blasted it with the Force. Unlike before, the laigrek toppled over on its side. Altair wasted no time in closing the distance as he pulled back his fist and slammed it directly into a beady red eye. Enhanced with the Force, the powerful punch tore right through the gelatinous surface and directly through, instantly killing the laigrek. Altair appeared unconcerned as he drew back his gooey hand, wiping it off on the grass and calling it a day. Hints of his rage from being attacked earlier seeped through as he glared at the dead beast.

“Yeah, come at me now, bitch!” He yelled at the dead insectoid, bouncing around on his feet and making a dramatic show of downing it. Altair looked up, realized Tiamat was watching, and quickly cleared his throat. He felt shooting pain up his side and he looked back towards the treeline, “We can’t take them all on and they’ll mess up the ship before we take off,” He said quickly, “We gotta hide.”

With that, he stepped forth and grasped Tiamat by the hand and began to bolt. He clutched his side with another hand as he ran. He was slower than usual, but he knew he could navigate better than she could, and he led them to another side of the forest that was far more dense.

Roll: Attack 12/20

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

He protested her directive to return to the ship, but there was no time to argue as she felt it also, they might have just arrived, but they also happened upon unfriendly territory that made her path to the shrine...difficult. Another one of the creatures burst from the ferns and bushes, but Altair seemed more ready for the fight as he launched another attack, giving him the opportunity to finish the insectoid with a fist through its eye. As the goo stringed from his withdrawing fist, Tiamat felt her stomach turn and abruptly vomited into a nearby flowering bush, that seemed to be just as insulted as the blooms suddenly closed.

The redheaded woman didn't catch the victory dance of Altair's as she quickly wiped her mouth with the back of her palm stumbling back from where the creature laid, "Okay, c'mon, we better-" she spoke as he did also, determining they would not be able to take them all if there were more and what they would do to the ship if they found it. He was right, what if there were a swarm? Hundreds? "Hide?" she seemed surprised by the suggestion, but the irking feeling of danger was growing and Altair grabbed her hand, taking her clear off the path of map. She ran close to him, "Altair, wait, this is not even close to the path that was marked." she protested, finding the foliage growing thicker and even less natural light seemed to filter through the canopies of the trees as they moved away from the grasses.

They could hear the cries of the laigrek in the distance behind them, their total numbers unknown, but now, the dense forest seemed to grant them refuge. Tiamat slowed her pace, "Wait, Altair, wait, we don't know where we are going." she gasped for a breath as she reached for her map caster, the image flickering on and off as it seemed they have moved far from the mapped trail. The woman hummed in disapproval before reaching into her pack again to pull out another device, the same problem occurring as they were too far off the registered map or the forest was just entirely too thick to get any signal, "This is not good, we're way far out." she explained, trying to avoid saying lost. However, she looked at him holding his side and frowned, pulling back out the bacta patch.

"Let me patch that before it gets infected." she said, feeling the minute spared to wrap it would be worth it before anything else tries to kill them.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair scowled as Tiamat complained that he wasn’t going the path that was marked, “No shit it ain’t! The other path’s got those things!” He called out quickly before realizing she was a former Sith Lord, “Er, my bad..” He mumbled quietly before finally slowing down. He ignored her complaints for a moment, grimacing as pain shot through his side. Altair looked down to see he was actively bleeding, some of it seeping past his fingers.

The tiefling looked up and sighed at Tiamat, “I know how to get back,” He said quietly, “You don’t gotta worry about that or need your GPS systems,” His gaze flicked over to her datapad and then back to her. He pointed towards the way they came which would tell Tiamat nothing, “The leaves, the treads, the snapped twigs, all of that traces our path back,” Altair said before he finally plopped down to sit on the ground, doubling over in pain.

He gave up and took his entire shirt off, revealing his muscled torso and the wound that traced along his side. Altair poked at it and winced, “All right yeah, we should prolly do something about this..”

In the meantime, the laigrek noises began to fade away, suggesting that the beasts had given up their pursuit for now.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tiamat's brows narrowed with an unsaid really when he responded to her observation. Though he seemed to realize who he was speaking to and quickly apologized, but she didn't say anymore. Instead she looked back at her devices, suddenly feeling more lost than she was willing to admit. It didn't bring any relief that Altair claimed to know where they were going and how they could get back, mentioning something about leaves, broken sticks, and tread?

The woman looked back at the ground, noting how it didn't look like anything. However, she knew her devices were now useless and she slid them safely back in her pack. It was met with discomfort, feeling suddenly useless and even naked without her technology, her thoughts looking to how she could make them useful now in future scenarios like this. He seemed to give in when she had mentioned his wound, the adrenaline would eventually slow and it would become more sensitive than how it seemed now. Altair took off his shirt, which seemed distracting to the redhead, he could have just pulled it up. She took a deep breath, clearing any thoughts about how much he worked out as she gently cleaned the gash, disinfecting it before applying the bacta patch.

In the distance she could hear the creatures' cries and she frowned as she observed her work, "How far off-path do you think we are?" she asked him, quickly scanning the rest of his exposed upper body for additional wounds, turning him slightly, taking his hand that he used to punch through the creature to ensure it was fine too. "Anything else hurt?" she asked.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

There was a very logical reason for him taking his shirt off, actually. The thing was in tatters and he wasn’t stupid enough to let it get caught on errant branches and twigs. However, he was too focused on the pain to explain all that. He kept his gaze towards the path they came from to listen for more of the insectoids. Altair slapped away a few mosquitos that unsuccessfully tried to bite his thicker skin as she worked, gritting his teeth as she applied the bacta to his injuries. He finally glanced over at her as she went to check on his hand. It still had some of the eyeball jelly, but was entirely unscathed otherwise.

Altair gave her a lopsided smile when she asked if anything else hurt, “Just my pride from gettin’ tossed like a ragdoll in front of you,” He admitted sheepishly. Altair looked over at his shirt and simply stuffed it in his bag. The tiefling slowly rose to his feet, avoiding using Tiamat as leverage to get up. He looked around as he recalled her earlier question.

“We’re ain’t even a quarter mile off the path,” He said with a knowing grin. She likely thought they had been running for miles, but it was impossible to cover much ground in dense woods. Altair pointed to the left, “We can start walkin’ that way and cut back towards the path,” It was a detour of sorts to bypass the juncture where they met the laigrek.

This time Altair didn’t even give the illusion of following her and her technology. The tiefling began to walk forth, his tail swishing back and forth. The pain at his side began to fade and he felt more likely himself with each step.

“So uh…what exactly are we lookin’ for?” The details weren’t exactly clear on the destination beyond the path to get there and an approximate location.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

He seemed in better spirits once she applied the bacta patch, informing his ego was the only part of of him that was still feeling pained. Tia quirked an eyebrow, the corner of her lip pulled in a subtle smirk.

“Bruised egos heal pretty quick.” She reassured him.

He stood up and looked around, noting they were only a quarter mile off trail. Tiamat’s face contorted in thought as it suddenly took a moment to figure out miles compared to light years. That seemed relatively insignificant contrasted to the distances she would calculate on multiple tier planes of space and time. She suddenly felt antsy as she went to pull out her holopad only remembering how it was useless out here. Now instead she was putting her trust in the acolyte, who seemed in his element as his tail swished behind him.

This was a weird feeling given there were only a handful of those she held such trust.

He asked about what they were searching for anyways, which was fair given they were going through a lot of trouble to get there. “This shrine belonged to a Jedi exile; she was a crystalist…uh, a geologist who specializes in kyber and other Force attuned crystals. Supposedly, scholars had concluded this person was even too dangerous for the Jedi Order to allow to continue their research. This shrine was one of her labs before she was assassinated by the Jedi.” explained the woman uncertain where they were going as everything seemed to blend together. It hardly looked as though they were going anywhere.

Tiamat checked the white flower in her hair, one of the petals looked bent. She took out her journal as she continued, “I am hoping there is anything left that could be salvaged.” Tia gently placed the flower between the journal’s pages, closing it slowly to ensure it flattened nicely and wrapping it tightly. “Plus if there are any crystals that can be saber worthy, that would be a plus also.”

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

“Assassinated by the Jedi?” Altair asked in wonder, glancing back at Tiamat, “Damn, didn’t think they had it in ‘em to be badass,” He remarked, genuinely impressed. Anything he heard about the Jedi or padawans sounded like they were a bunch of losers that had potlucks instead of learning to fight. He shrugged vaguely at the mention of crystals, “‘Spose I’ll bring back some for my friends,” He suggested, betraying that he had almost no interest in kyber crystals or anything to do with lightsabers. It was a strange take, but even Andraste was known to dismiss sabers.

After a while of walking, Altair parted some tall leaves to spot a familiar path. He grinned at the sight, looking over at Tiamat, “If you wanna double check your equipment, we’re back on the path,” He said confidently as he continued walking. Altair looked back at Tiamat and noticed she had removed the flower already. There was no hiding the slight disappointment, but he had expected her to toss it after all. He looked back ahead and walked quietly for a while before he could spot some mountain ranges ahead.

“Those mountains were some markers right?” He asked finally, pointing ahead. Altair picked up the space, thrilled to have a mostly clear path. He looked over at Tiamat after a moment, clearing his throat slightly before he spoke.

“I uh…” He began awkwardly, “I’m sorry for not goin’ with you after the party. I ain't mean no disrespect,” Altair said quietly, “I know you were lookin’ out for me. I just…well Veles has always been a great teacher. He didn’t know what Wildfire did and he left to go find a cure even if it kills him. I care about him so I wasn’t gonna leave him,” Altair smiled sheepishly, “You do stupid shit when you care ‘bout folks, I guess.”

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

She smirked when he seemed stunned to hear the Jedi were capable of unorthodox means of controlling the galaxy and those in their Order. There was a certain level of respect she carried for their members and their power, it was certainly something she would never be able to manipulate or control, but observing some of the feats they could accomplish was nothing to ignore. Her thoughts didn’t linger on the Jedi as her attention was drawn to the details of the jungle. Taking in a deep breath, she begun to notice the more subtle changes in temperature, the symphony of animals, insect and plants seemed to create as they found their own balance in this ecosystem. It reminded her much like the jungles on Felucia.

Altair spoke again, this time alerting her to the path change that told them they should be on track again. Her eyes lit up for a moment as she went to pull out her map, swatting away some gnats and other small flying bugs that occupied the trail too. “Good, we are.” She said let out a long sigh of relief for being back in the comfort of her tech, but noticed a look of disappointment in the acolytes’ eyes, “Good work, Altair.” She told him, uncertain what was going through his mind just now.

She looked up to see the mountains in the clearing as Altair pointed them out and she nodded, “Yes, the shrine’s entrance should be at the base, between those two peeks.” There was relief in her tone, hoping that their detour had avoided the nest of laigerks for the rest of their journey. The jungle grew a little darker as the clouds over the treetops started to grey and light rain begun to fall again. Altair spoke up, this time bringing up the issue of Veles, to which Tiamat felt a spark of annoyance to hear the Sith’s name, but she said nothing in response. She knew the feeling of doing stupid shit for those she cared about, but she did not feel it was her place to say anymore of the issue with Altair.

Quiet within her own thoughts, the entrance to the shrine could be seen in the clearing ahead.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair was surprised when Tiamat said absolutely nothing in response to what he felt was a very heartfelt apology. He looked away, deciding it was stupid to open up at all like that. He had to remember this was a Sith Lord in all but title, and he was being a bit too ‘human’. Altair decided to remain just as silent the rest of the way, spotting what looked like old ruins. There was a lot of debris up front and the tiefling stepped forth to clear off what he could. He didn’t want to tax himself with the Force, so he did a lot of it by hand, moving slabs of ruin. After he removed a decent bit, he got the rest out of the way with the use of the Force.

The path opened and he crouched quite a bit to step inside to allow his horns to fit through. He sneezed at once, the old air of decay carrying a stench. Altair grimaced as he continued forward, drawing out his comlink to light the way. There was a tunnel at the beginning and it slanted downward. He kept walking until he spotted a tiny chamber with old blackboards in it with handwritten formulas. Of course, this meant nothing to him, but he shined a light on it in case Tiamat could decode anything.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

They had arrived at the entrance and Altair got to work, lifting debris and stones and Tiamat helped with the larger pieces. A simple grab with the Force, she effortlessly moved them aside in the pile of debris, ensuring it wouldn't collapse back in front of the opening after they entered the shrine. As Altair crouched down, Tiamat, peaked inside beside him, noting his need for extra clearing as his horns would have scraped against the stone ceiling. Reaching into her pack, she pulled out a small case and popped in one of her holocam eye contacts to record what they are able to find inside.

The shrine had been sealed for quite some time, her nostrils flaring as the outside air created a draft, pulling the stale decaying vegetation odor in their direction. Tiamat walked slowly, noting what she could decipher with Altair's small illuminator. Her fingers ran against the cold stone walls, occasionally feeling the webbing of root systems that had found their way inside.

The small chamber caught her attention too, covered in blackboards with formulas, calculation, and geometric outlines. The redheaded sith slowly looked at each, ensuring she was able to cover the entirety of the boards to be recorded and transmitted back to her holopad. "This board is just jargon, reminders of equations so she didn't need to open up any additional books." Tiamat explained before moving onto the next, "But this one looks like an energy output, but I am not sure for what..." she looked closer, face contorting in confusion, "Weapons maybe..." she guessed before turning to the tables in the center, time had decayed any organic materials, what could have once been journals could not be differentiated from the dirt and dust that remained.

Tiamat nodded her head toward a closed door after getting Altair's attention. She was able to push it open just far enough to slide inside where it seemed to be more crowded with various metal parts, equipment, and several crystals that laid idly on work benches. Carefully she picked up some of the pieces, examining them closely before setting them back down. "See if you can find a terminal socket." she said as she begun to look around more closely.

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

A terminal socket? In this old dump? Nevertheless, the rest of the formula bullshit suggested this wasn’t your average old, decrepit tomb. He eyed her as she casually just grabbed whatever she could find without a second thought. He shrugged to himself and wandered around looking for a terminal socket. While he couldn’t spot anything at first, Altair did find a few journals strewn about. He reached down to pick one up, seeing some formulas. He ignored those and rifled through the other pages, surprised when he began to see actual words. It began to detail about loneliness and solitude, questioning Jedi principles.

The tiefling began to see words repeated every now and then without any rhyme or reason. Sometimes there were entire pages filled with random words that had no meaning, other times it was the word ‘hypothesis’. It was unsettling seeing this and he closed the journal and continued to look.

“Found one,” He stated after he spotted it behind a heavy desk he moved out of the way.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

She watched as he shuffled through some of the journals before continuing with the search for the terminal socket. As he set down a journal, Tia picked it up, seeing what he had been briefly reading until he announced he moved the large desk to reveal the port. The woman's face lit up as she approached, carrying the journal with her as she removed a data plug and cord from her pack. Scraping some of the moss and dirt build up, she plugged in the cords, downloading and transmitting whatever files were still salvageable. Watching the holopad's continual readout, she picked up the journal, seeing the word salad written wherever the scientist to could fit a word.

"She was a genius." Tiamat told Altair, she wasn't sure if he would believe it given some of the pages in the journal, "Her work took her to levels where the Jedi no longer could support it, more of the risk it imposed rather than actually damaging others." The woman shrugged, "I thought I could honor her persistence, ambition and genius by adopting her name, Asteria, for my own lab." explained Tiamat, with a small smile, "I just hope my own fate doesn't mirror her end." she glanced down seeing the data download nearing full, unplugging once it reached 100 percent.

She flipped through the journal once more, ready to set it back down, but paused, returning it to her pack. "I think I have enough, we should get back before nightfall."

@Sreeya

 

[Altair Din]

Altair stared at the words, feeling slightly unsettled by them. The discomfort was visible on his face even though he said nothing aloud. He didn’t think he could express himself too much without Tiamat either offering dead silence or considering him weak. Both were typical Sith responses. He compartmentalized his thoughts and moved on, pausing only when she spoke. He was surprised when she admitted to fearing a similar fate. Altair looked at the notebooks.

“You won’t,” He said quietly, “Because you’re free as a Sith. She never was and she was treated like some kinda monster for what she did, so she ended up in this cave by herself,” Altair shrugged, “If you do that, it’d be by choice.”

Altair didn’t bother explaining to her that there was no getting back before nightfall. The journey here took them a while and the path back would be difficult to navigate with the sun rapidly disappearing over the horizon. They would have to camp somewhere and he questioned whether she had the appropriate supplies.

Unlike before, he didn’t offer any casual conversation this time. Altair kept pace with her in silence, playing the role of the attentive student. He had promised Veles he would become a good Sith and a strong Champion, and sometimes that began with knowing when to keep his mouth shut instead of blabbing like he normally did.

@GABA