Ask Treasure Within The Dunes

[Jayna Thorne]

From the precise moment she stepped down the ramp of her yacht, Jayna had begun to regret the decision to visit Ronika.

Silver eyes swept across the horizon that stretched out before her - basking at the dry and barren landscape that dominated the entirety of the planet. Jagged formations of red rock formed irregularities all around them, while rolling sands and dunes filled the space inbetween. Distant canyons and mountains formed silhouetted outlined a shade darker than the rest, hinting at perhaps the only semblance of life beyond the sparse, desert shrubbery.

The quarter-Sephi had deliberately brought her ship down in the middle of the desert - avoiding the few cities that dotted Ronika. The planet had long been utilized as a penal colony of the Tetan monarchy, and it brought little value to the world outside of its spice and mineral reserves. Jayna, however, had little interest in either at that moment. Instead, her focus was almost exclusively focused upon rumors of the lost Crown Jewels of Empress Teta - the pair of infamous daggers that had allegedly gone missing on Kirrek.

With symbolic and ceremonial value second to none, dozens of monarchs and nobility had searched for the daggers over the centuries - only to return empty-handed each and every time. It was a streak of failure that Jayna hoped to break.

She was dressed for the environment - every inch of her body hidden behind insulated gear, coupled with a cowl that concealed all but her silver eyes. Her belt was fitted with a simple blaster and utility equipment, while the satchel along her back carried enough water to last them two days at the very least.

Still, it did little to stifle the oppressive heat - something that already began to irritate the Heiress. Her brows furrowed ever-so-slightly more than usual, her posture more rigid and tense from a glance. Her gaze, eventually, flicked over to Leon - staring at the Jedi as he stepped down the ramp alongside her.

‘You look miserable.”

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Baudelaire’s eyes snapped open. Fear threatened to crush his heart as corporeal shadows wrapped up his arms and legs in a serpentine embrace. The veins in his neck bulged as he strained against the tendrils, but every move only increased the intensity of their constriction. The pressure was so immense he was positive at any moment his bones would ground to dust. Suddenly, a looming figure stepped into his periphery. Not directly in his line of sight, not close enough to be seen in detail.

The fear that threatened to crush him returned with vengeance as the shadow being spoke.

“Give up.”

The voice was thin and reedy like hearing a tendril of smoke speak, but there was an authority to the words that belied it’s tone.

“Give up. This isn’t your fight.”

There’s a shift in the tone, it’s seductive, pleading, there’s a part of him that wants to give in, that wants to let go— blinding white light fills his vision. The brilliance of it is staggering. It’s intensity is so great that even with his eyes squeezed shut all he can see is light— He’s weightless. Drifting as if a leaf on the breeze across what and where he can’t tell.

Not every thought you have is your own…

The words come from everywhere and nowhere. There is a familiarity to them, like the voice of someone loved and lost. A memory of a song not heard in years. The words are warmth and love. The syllables themselves light incarnate.

Trust in the Light ye who carries the eternal torch…

Leon opens his mouth to speak, but no words will form.

Tumultuous times create opportunity for those brave enough to take it…

The Adumari proverb hit him like an unsuspecting punch to the gut. The echoing words reverberated off the walls of his mind.

“ Wh—” suddenly he was falling, no, plunging downward. His startle reflex sucked air into his lungs sharply as his stomach introduced itself to his throat. Baudelaire sat bolt upright in bed. He was covered in a sheen of sweat and his chest heaved. His eyes struggled to acclimate to the dark room. He licked his lips and tasted blood. For a moment he was lost, no recollection of where he was or what he was doing when he felt something beside him move.

Jayna.

Leon slipped out of her bed and into the main lounge of the yacht. Peetwo’s head perked up when he entered and Leon waved him down, “ Just getting some water dude,” he lied.

The little droid warbled it’s disappointment then promptly returned to charging. Baudelaire got some water and took a seat looking out a viewport as the mottled blue hues of hyperspace ripped by them. His revolving plague of indecision and anxiety returned with vigor. He wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon.

Hours later…

Leon was dressed in an outfit nearly identical to Jayna’s along with Peetwo perched on his shoulder. The harsh terrain of Kirrek stretched out before them. The juxtaposition of the dirt, rock and copious flora was intriguing, but he could feel the trauma of this place. The pain of past battles. Of lives lost. Under his face mask his jaw was clenched tight and his gaze was as hard as the stone that lined the horizon.

Baudelaire looked over at Jayna sharply. More startled out of his revelry than as miserable as she seemed to think. His expression softened.

“Sorry, we can’t all look like we’ve just stepped out of a painting, Heiress,” he shot back.

The skeletal remains of structures long destroyed lay splayed out before them, more graveyard than city at this point. A niggling sense of worry began to sound the alarm, but Leon didn’t voice his concern yet. Where there was death there would be darkness. Rather than flee from the feeling he began to hone in on it. Because where else would the ancient daggers of a long lived monarchy be than at a place of darkness?

He spotted a particularly menacing monolithic structure and pointed, “ That might be a good place to start.”

@Altaris

 

[Jayna Thorne]

Jayna couldn’t help the grimace that gradually worked its way onto her expression - albeit hidden behind the linen veil she wore. Her silver eyes lingered on Leon - softening ever-so-slightly when the Knight shot back with commentary of his own. The Heiress merely shrugged her shoulders, turning back towards the sand-lined path that stretched on for miles ahead of them.

“No, I suppose not,” She shot back smoothly - readily agreeing with Leon’s almost certainly sarcastic comment. A grin threatened to tug at her lips, though the Knight certainly wouldn’t be able to tell.

Begrudgingly, Jayna began to take the first step off away from the landing - her boots shifting across the loose mounds of sand beneath her feet. Every gust of dry wind carried a cloud of dust along its breath, pelting their bodies and making the Heiress all the more grateful for the attire they wore. It was no mystery why Ronika had been a penal colony for the Tetan monarchy for centuries, forcing its inhabitants to work and terraform an otherwise inhospitable territory.

“The blades of Empress Teta are the only pieces of her crown jewels yet to be located throughout the centuries.” She said after a long moment, glancing back to Leon. “And easily the most important. They symbolize the strength of the Warrior Empress and her conquers within the system. A mark of legitimacy for anyone carries them.” There was weight to her words, though Jayna didn’t quite elaborate as to why she personally sought the twin artifacts. She knew Leon would be able to piece it together without her explaining.

“Hm.” She hummed, giving a small nod - moving in the direction of the ruins. The old city was only a remnant of its former self, pillars of sandstone and metal rising out of the unforgiving dunes. “Seems the best place to start.”

“How are things with the Jedi?”

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Jayna’s smooth reply drew a smile out of him, but it’d only be visible in his eyes. He let his gaze linger on her, relishing the fact that she was here in the flesh and not some iridescent hologram. As they made their way down the ramp, Jayna saw fit to let him in on why they were here. They were hunting something thought to be lost to time and space as sentient life knew it. Luckily, he just so happened to be the most experienced Jedi treasure hunter he knew.

Jayna’s little lesson left some things unsaid, and he knew she’d done that on purpose. He wasn’t exactly sure why she wasn’t open with him about it, but he’d let it slide considering how obvious the answer was.

Of course, he couldn’t help but ask, “Ooo, do I get to be one of The Warrior Empress’s heroic conquerors?”

The soon to be Empress of Teta agreed with his observation and they set off toward the foreboding monolith. Her question about the Jedi ripped a derisive chuckle from the Knight.

“How long has it been since you talked to Ezra?” he asked in answer to her question.

“Our leaders stand silent while our planets burn. We aren’t protectors, we’re philosophers with laser swords.” he said with more ire than he meant too. “Change is coming. The generation that’s come up with me and your brother are different… and I believe it’s coming sooner rather than later. It’ll have to if we expect to survive the assault from both the Empire, the Sith, and Raze.”

“How are the people of Atale?” he asked.

 

[Jayna Thorne]

Jayna couldn’t help but flash a smirk - glancing over in response to Leon’s half-serious quip. “Would you be even if I asked?” She said with a tilt of her head. The reality was that the Heiress had doubts of her own - and knew that her path in life wouldn’t be constrained by the morals of the Jedi Code. There was still a part of her that worried Leon wouldn’t be able to stomach the necessary decisions she would make as a politician. It was a train of thought that the Heiress promptly reigned in - keeping it buried down in the depths of her subconscious.

“Too long,” She said simply. Even if Jayna kept in regular contact with her twin, recent events had made their contact sparse. She had heard that he was leading the effort against Raze, and it worried her just as much as she cheered for his successes. “Change is precisely what the Jedi need. It is what the Galaxy needs,” She said without missing a beat, finally pausing where she stood.

“And it is why I made my announcement to the Galaxy,” The Heiress said after a pause. She knew that Leon and everyone else had seen it, even if there had been no discussion prior. It was a course of action that the Heiress kept entirely to herself until finally deciding to pull the trigger. Even from those closest to her.

Even with everything that it cost her.

Her gaze swept across the desert horizon - narrowing upon the sight of.. Something, lazily flying through the air in the distance. A swarm that moved between the natural formation of stone pillars and steep canyons.

“Better, since our visit.” She said simply about Atale. Somehow, Jayna knew the conversation was going to focus entirely on what she had said prior.

@Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

”If you asked me nicely, I’d consider it.” replied Leon as he pulled down his mask to reveal his little smirk before taking a sip of water. The terrain was as abrasive as the heat and there was something… something watching him. The Jedi inconspicuously glanced around for the source of his paranoia… but he saw nothing.

Even with the distraction Leon didn’t miss a beat in their conversation. He didn’t want to freak out Jayna if he was jumping at ghosts. “You’re preaching to the choir, Heiress,” he said, flashing her a coy smile before pulling his mask back up. She stopped suddenly and he took a couple more steps before catching on.

“You goo—” Jayna cut him off. Her announcement had shocked him to his core. Sorta. Initially, he’d wanted to throw up, but it made sense. The only way to get to the top was to start the climb and that’s exactly what Jayna Throne had just done.

Leon considered how to respond. Normally he’d just crack a joke and move on, but this felt important. He wasn’t fully aware of the fallout that had happened after her statement, but he could tell it was devastating. Baudelaire’s natural empathy was one of his strongest assets. He could feel the pain she was radiating and it killed him. He wanted to take it from her, but that wouldn’t be fair. This was her trial and he’d be there however she needed him to be.

“Thank you. I don’t know what you gave up with that announcement, but I know it was a lot,” he stepped toward her, taking her hand in his, “I won’t let you down, alright?” he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

“Besides, what kinda Heroic Knight would I be if I failed my Warrior Empress?”

@Altaris

 

[Jayna Thorne]

Jayna didn’t immediately break the silence between them - her gaze lingering upon the horizon. Despite her unyielding resolve, the Heiress couldn’t help the doubts that gnawed at the back of her mind. Was it worth the damage she had inflicted within her own family? Was her father right to chastise her? Had she isolated herself from potential allies? Her analytical mind had already spiraled into every possible outcome and likelihood, and none of them filled her with an abundance of confidence.

But neither would Jayna turn back.

“My father cut me off,” She finally said, glancing back at Leon. “From our estate and the resources of the family. For so openly supporting the Jedi.” The Heiress exhaled through her nostrils. “For being with you.” It would come as no surprise to Leon that Emryc Thorne wasn’t a fan of the Jedi Order, but it would be the first time that he was made privy to the President’s own thoughts on their relationship. Jayna had zero intention of revealing much else, but it was a key part of what had occurred over the past few weeks.

As if to get ahead of whatever Leon was about to say, Jayna shook her head. “It doesn’t change what I am doing to build this Alliance.” She had every intention of standing on her own two feet - building her own powerbase from the ground up. The rift in her family hurt worse than she’d ever admit, but it would not cripple her political ambitions. Emryc had taught her to survive, and Jayna would do precisely that.

Her head tilted ever-so-slightly, pondering the very last thing that Leon said. “Not a very good one,” She said, a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.

But it wouldn’t last. The very same movement that Leon had detected before manifested again - taking the shape of a humanoid figure moving from behind the dunes, blasters drawn and pointed in their direction.

Jayna barely had time to drop to the ground - just as the first volley zipped past where her head had just been.

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Jayna’s words stung. Leon was glad he’d pulled the mask back up because there was no way he’d be able to completely conceal his reaction. Guilt swelled in his chest, but he squashed it. He wouldn’t be selfish about this. He couldn’t fully understand the loss she felt, but he was very aware of how close the Family was. Being cut off from that… that’d be hard for anyone.

Leon didn’t try to cut in, he let her speak and once she finished he said , “I know you will.” He stepped toward her, “...and when you do it,” he slipped his hand into hers intertwining their fingers, “... it’ll be by your own hand, and no one will be able to take that from you.”

The Galaxy was at stake, Jayna had chosen the Jedi… she’d chosen him. He’d have to be thrust into hell itself before he’d let her down.

As Jayna's eyes widened, Leon's senses felt the threat. Instinctively he spun, Moonlight sprung to his hand in a reverse grip in a smooth motion the blade ignited and smacked two bolts into the ground while putting himself between Jayna and the gunman.

“To the left, there’s an outcropping, get cover and flank while I keep their attention!”

He didn’t wait, Leon rushed forward, Daybreak springing into his main hand and coming to life as he closed in on the assassin. The gunman kept up his barrage, losing interest in Jayna as Leon closed the distance. The force pooled into Leon’s legs and he dashed from the left to right faster than humanly possible.

As Leon neared striking range the assassin pulled a second weapon, but rather than aim it at the incoming Jedi he aimed it straight up and fired.

A crimson flare streaked through the sky.

“Well, that’s probably not good…”

@Altaris