“See?” Jaikus glanced over at Emryc from the co-pilot’s chair where he was sitting, flashing the half-Sephi one of his signature smug, shit-eating grins - the kind that emerged whenever the Axxilan was proven right about something after copious back-and-forth bittering and banter. “I told you we weren’t lost in Wild Space.”
Despite the overflowing confidence of Jaikus’ words, confidence which seeped into his each and every word, the fact that the pair had actually arrived at their destination without inadvertently flying into a star or ending up in the middle of nowhere was probably a bit of a relief to them both.
It was only after several weeks spent researching this rumored site that the pair had finally decided to make the journey out for a few days, wanting to spend some quality time together and properly celebrate their engagement away from it all. Unfortunately, the directions to reach the planet weren’t particularly clear. It meant that they had to physically take the controls and navigate at multiple points throughout the journey, and it was the source of plenty of debate between the couple.
Jaikus, of course, never took the controls. Instead, all of his suggestions came from the co-pilot’s chair as he sat and effectively did nothing else - emerald eyes fixated onto his fiance, burning with the same affection and mischief that Emryc had long-since come to know.
Just as the ship dipped below the dense gray clouds, the Axxilan swept his hands out before them, gesturing out the cockpit window of the ship to the horizon that now sprawled out before them. Exactly as had been described, the planet before them was mostly aquatic in nature - with endless, aquamarine oceans stretching out as far as the eye could see - clusters of tropical islands rising up from the waves and serving as the only landmasses visible.
It was exactly one of these islands where the dusty old tomes and journal entries pointed them.
Of course, the closer they got to the surface, it became abundantly clear just how backwater the planet really was. There was nothing close to a spaceport even as they approached what seemed to be a fairly large settlement on the largest island, and it meant they would need to land a good mile outside the town walls. Additionally, the pair would immediately notice that instead of durasteel and advanced mechanics, most of the structures were built from wood or stone.
Located far out in Wild Space, it all pointed to being extremely likely that neither of them would possibly be recognized despite the frequent media attention.
And, more importantly, that they would be completely cut off from conventional resources during their little journey.
Nevertheless, Jaikus couldn’t help but feel a distinct bit of excitement as they neared the surface - and it was only partially due to the chance of actually discovering the ruins they had read about.
It had been quite a bit of time since their last adventure, and he couldn’t deny craving an escape from their daily lives. So far out in the middle of nowhere, it was so easy to forget about the rest of the Galaxy. The Sith, the ISC, his work in Intelligence - all of it fading into the background. Until there was nothing else but Emryc sitting beside him and the endless stars surrounding them.
It was exactly the type of escape that Jaikus wanted to spend with the man he now called his fiance. The man he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and to hold close so long as their was breath in his lung.
And he intended to cherish every single second of it.
Jaikus, of course, was dressed as impractical as usual. Instead of hiking gear, or something befitting the humid and tropical climate, the Axxilan wore a pair of form-fitting dress pants and a low-cut red button-up that fit tightly to his torso. He wore a chain necklace around his neck, and sported his usual bracelet-chrono combo. Perhaps the only thing that really fit was the curly hair, which likely would’ve reverted to that state of being on its own.
With a comical thud, the Axxilan planted the stack of notes and papers onto the dashboard, glancing over a few of them before speaking. “According to the notes.. The trail ends at the island.. We’ll probably have to head into the town and see if we can’t find any more clues from the locals. According to this,” He pointed at one note in particular. “The legend is well-known enough that the people here should know.. Something..”
“Or at least, the locals from nine-hundred-and-sixty-nine years ago did.” Jaikus said as the ship finally touched down in a jungle clearing, roughly a mile from town. They would need to hoof it through the vegetation to reach their destination.
The Axxilan rose up from the co-pilot’s seat and stood up, stretching his limbs a bit before leaning down to plant a kiss right onto Emryc’s cheek. “Ready to hit the road, Gundark?” Jaikus flashed his fiance a grin, tugging the pack a bit higher on his shoulders.
@Sreeya