Private Relief Efforts: Ghosts of The Bloodscrawls

[Sera Mina]

Wearing: This

Armed With: Herself, Charm

With: Vera Mina

Nathan Bloodscrawl was on an enforced break ,after having recently lost his arm in a clearing out of temple ruins on Tython. It had been while saving another Jedi. It probably counted as his trial of flesh.

Sera had cancelled all her appointments for the past two weeks to spend time with him.

He had done nothing but relax with his family, the idea of being truly happy something foreign to him still. Sera mainly watched movies with him, and even used the Pet Rabbit he had bought her as a Therapy Animal. Vera, his wife, was now noticably pregnant. Sera estimated another two months at least. Nathan had not even trained mildly, focused on total decompression from recent events.

The collapse of the Dark Empire meant their greatest asset, Kytrand, was once more safe.

And House Bloodscrawl lived again.

When she had first started interacting with the man who eventually became her adoptive Father, he had been very closed off, a shell of a normal man. Sera had rapidly grown to understand that it had been years since he had cause to be anything but a living machine, colder than any actual Assassin Droid. Sera and her Mother had provided the first legitimate emotional anchors that he had to this era.

The Patriarch of House Bloodscrawl was a much different man than the one she and Vera had met. He was slightly warmer to others. He was warm to them. Sera had eventually grown to love him as a parent. She had eventually aspired to live by the ideals of the reborn House, despite her social climbing.

Everyday, Bacta-Works grew in power and influence. It had even helped influence the decision for Fondor to remain the Alliance Capital...

THAT had made her a lot of friends with the local industry of that planet her speaking up in that chamber. Her sub companies had begun digging their claws into the planet, absorbing local businesses quietly into their subsidiaries. They had made another half trillion in credits, most of which was immediately donated to both The Alliance Military as well various devastated worlds near the core.

Sera, wearing jeans and a grey T-Shirt, and running shoes had kept her father company with her Mother as they had trekked across Kytrand's idyllic wilderness, uncovering old ruins they had no context for, picking them apart more out of curiosity than goals. Vera wore a long gray gown that didn't hide how pregnant she was. Sera was excited to have a brother...even if she didn't know exactly what it would be like.

Nathan sat in hiking gear on a log, examining local flowers as they swayed in the wind. Sera had been gathering logs for a campfire while Vera sat next to Nathan, keeping her company.

"Has Thel contacted you?" Nathan asked, having regularly kept track of Thel's activities (Nathan was so impressed he had gifted him a Bloodscrawl Kyber personally even though Thel wasn't a Force User...along with a GIE/LN. He also regularly tried to call whenever Thel was away. Vera had asked him to come to Kytrand as soon as he could after Nathan's injury, which had happened several days prior.

"Not recently, no..." Sera answered.

Nathan had spoken little. And when he did it was about unimportant things.

But as Sera finished starting the campfire (For it was evening in the wilderness) Nathan finally spoke about something important. Almost as important as Thel.

"Has all evidence of the Bloodscrawls been purged from Kytrand's computers?"

Sera looked up.

"We got everything worth getting. The clones are being rerouted to Site B..." Sera answered. "Dad, are you sure we should be telling Alicio Organa about this place?"

"It's time. Kytrand was meant to be shared with those who understand it's value. And besides ...we've dug in quite well as a corporate fiefdom." he replied. "Play dumb where you think you can get away with it. The Nexus alone will intrigue him. He will want to make sure this place is preserved..."

He's grown weary of constant secret keeping... Sera realized. The stress of hiding the Clones, an entire race of artificial grand children of which Percival Io had been a member, in addition to this devastating injury, had finally begun to wear down even his legendary tolerance for bullchit.

He wanted to unload some of the burden. She couldn't blame him. At least he wasn't lying to himself that he could keep it up forever the way his forever-fallen daughter, Laertia Io had.

Nathan wasn't a mountain. He had never wanted to be. He had always sought to be the blade of grass...

And it was time for his blade to bend where the wind blew.

"Y'know, Vera, I think you should go with her..." Nathan said. "To meet the Chancellor."

Vera raised an eyebrow. "Nate are you sure that's wise?"

"You're one of the most famous lawyers in the core. You can hide your Force Sensitivity. Not too much, but enough so he won't think you're too special. Besides. You're pregnant. Universal diplomacy advantage..."

Vera had to concede that... perfect logic. A pregnant woman does put visiting dignitaries at ease... usually...

"It will just be a Bacta-Works defense fleet in orbit..."

"He won't be there to conquer it..." Nathan replied. "It's already an Alliance world just by virtue of being in Alliance space. A hidden light side outpost with the kind of Nexus this world has? Too tempting to write off..."


Present.


Sera and Vera waited aboard an MCV-110 Corvette named Gaze of Natalya in orbit above Alderaan, a special invitation having been extended to Chancellor Organa. She has only said it was of utmost importance that he join her as a guest...in strictest secrecy. She was not so foolish as to request he leave his guard behind, but she cautioned to only bring those he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt could be trusted.

Sera waited in her most elegant finery, and Vera, despite being six months pregnant, looked gorgeous as well in a a gown of matching red color. Tea had been prepared for the journey, which wouldn't take very long with the route they were taking.

"So what's the Chancellor like?" Vera asked, sitting on a luxurious golden sofa in their private suite.

"Not stupid." Sera answered. "We must be very delicate in our approach."

"Aren't we always?" Vera asked with a slightly smug smile.

"I mean it, Mother. Organa has been around the block more than once. He's not some airheaded nobleman with more credits and power than sense. Don't underestimate him..." Sera warned, anxiously awaiting his arrival.

"I would never dream of doing so and risk unraveling your hard work..." Vera assured...

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio didn't visit Alderaan much, these days.

No, he spent most of his time either overseeing the Alliance on Fondor, or bouncing around the GA's worlds getting his hands dirty. He'd even begun the work of abdicating his throne on Alderaan, loosening his grip on his ancestral home finger by finger. It was only right- he was barely there, didn't have time to run a single world among hundreds, and refused to show favoritism. In addition to all that... monarchy had never suited him. He'd rather his titles were earned through work, not birth.

But he'd just so happened to be there to be picked up by Bacta-Works. The summons was out of the blue, disturbing in it's crypticism. He was no corporatist- he'd stepped away from his partnership with the medical/relief company as soon as he'd taken office. They wouldn't receive any favors from him, despite their assistance to him personally in the past. A vexing trait of the new Chancellor, to be sure, but one he held firm to.

But he did take this meeting seriously. And they had bought at least a little trust from him. So he came, truly, alone.

Alicio stepped from his shuttle, grey eyes dark and stormy with thought. Nobody else stepped off with him, not a senate commando, not a Shi'ido honor guard. But he was far from defenseless. The cloak he wore, dark on the outside, but layered with fabrics of puzzling colors, would be a curiosity to those touched by the Force. As would a strange, anathemous object hidden within a secret pocket, and a thin, cylindrical tube concealed in another. Not to mention the Future as his constant companion.

Thoughtful eyes locked on Sera in recognition, then Vera in curiosity. He made his way over, and offered a nod. "Sera." He paused purposefully, waiting to be introduced.

- Sera Mina -

 

[Sera Mina]

"Chancellor..." Sera said warmly, rising from her seat, looking immaculate in her red gown. "I'm so pleased you could join us. And you even came alone, I see...I thank you for the immeasurable gesture of trust you have displayed towards me in choosing to come alone."

She caught his glance at a pleasantly smiling Vera, looking utterly immaculate and gorgeous despite her heavily pregnant looking state as she rose and bowed, wearing a long blood crimson gown.

"Chancellor, this is my Mother, Vera Mina , Matriarch of Clan Li-Ves, a minor Royal House of Atrisia.

Vera was infamous as one of the best lawyers on Coruscant, and possibly the Core. She had never lost a case, and had defended and prosecuted in equal measure. Her very presence on a case was usually enough to make a rival legal team want to negotiate or settle out of court rather than take her on by trial. Her powerful Force Connection was reduced in strength to make it seem like she only had a milder, more heightened sensitivity to the Force, but nothing truly special, despite, if her OOC bio page was any indication, being a freak of truly epic proportions.

"A pleasure to meet you, Chancellor Organa..." Vera almost purred in her softest, most diplomatic and inoffensive tone, which still sounded beautiful enough to drive ordinary people wild with distant, buried lust. Her voice was a smoke-show even when it wasn't TRYING to be.

"My daughter has told me much of your commitment to a safer, more secure galaxy, and of the difficulties you face in the process..." Vera added. "We had discussions of what to do over the past few months to further our aid to the Alliance..."

"And we came to a decision...to show you our greatest hidden asset...a once lost planet, rediscovered and settled by us...we believe it has or had connections to the Jedi...once, before the Gulag Virus..." Sera explained. "A planet of great riches. Properly utilized, it could be of immense help in rebuilding the core and sustaining the Alliance...

"A world called Kytrand..." Vera said out loud. "Almost uninhabited, save for scattered settlements established by Sera's corporation."

"It has still functional and massive facilities for the production of Bacta. We think it rivals Thyferra, Chancellor. And our Clan scouts on and corporate employees who are sensitive report the entire planet is surrounded by an extremely powerful high strength light side Nexus. As you are an active Force User yourself...we wanted to take you to it for evaluation..." Sera explained. "We depart immediately...it will require a few random hyperspace jumps at first. It is very close to Coruscant. A stone's throw, really...but we must be very cautious. Kytrand was in danger of being discovered the entire time the Dark Empire controlled the Core. Only since their recent collapse have we begun to breathe easier."

"But we must still exercise yet more caution even beyond those measures...at a certain point, we will have to take a stealth shuttle the rest of the way." Sera elaborated.

"Provided you accept to travel with us under such circumstances, of course..." Vera added in a dulcet tone to Alicio Organa . "You would of course be a most welcome guest during the trip there. We would be happy to discuss what we know of it while we travel..."

 

[Alicio Organa]

Sera seemed impressed by his trust in her. It wasn't... entirely that, but Alicio wouldn't dispel the thought. He let his features warm a second, before cooling.

Alicio seemed uncharmed by Vera's objectively magnetic aura. He had a stronger will than most, and was entirely devoted to his wife and family. He knew better than to let someone's physical appearance and warm persona drop his guard. "Thank you for hosting me, Ms. Mina."

It also helped that he was suspicious of the Minas in the first place, with Sera having used their relief efforts to spearhead an advertising campaign on Alderaan, but that was neither here nor there.

He waited, watching with a politician's curiosity as they disclosed... oh. An entire hidden planet, with Bacta reserves, a connection to the Jedi Order, and already within the Alliance's cloud of influence. Alicio's eyes showed a bit of white from the surprise he failed to cover. If true, the discovery could be a massive help to the Galactic Alliance, and Bacta-Works was freely sharing it's location with him.

It was... well, impossible to believe. But too good to pass up.

"Provided you accept to travel with us under such circumstances, of course... You would of course be a most welcome guest during the trip there. We would be happy to discuss what we know of it while we travel..."

Alicio pursed his lips, impossible calculus writing itself behind his grey eyes. "I accept. Forgive me if I have... a lot of questions. But they can wait for the trip."

He needed to see it with his own eyes.

- Sera Mina -

 

[Sera Mina]

Sera and Vera smiled.

"We shall depart immediately..." Sera replied. "Please Chancellor, makes yourself comfortable..."

Ten minutes later...


Their Corvette jumped into Hyperspace, the first of three random jumps before heading to their destination proper. An attempt to lose any possible tracks on them.

Atrisian Tea was served, along with expertly prepared Sushi in limited amounts. The toppings were eel, squid, and salmon roe, in case you are curious.

"Kytrand had been long abandoned for the most part. It's a temperate world...but it's machines were still on automation creating Bacta, preserving it in vast stasis chambers in the ground. Oceans of it, really...some of the factories are even visible on the surface..." Sera began

They had taken great pains to remove any possible mention of the Bloodscrawls from the computer databases before telling Alicio Organa that. A computer forensics expert couldn't have retrieved what they had scrubbed from those computers even if you gave them a century and the latest tech. They had been that thorough.

"But what made us realize it was connected to the Jedi were these vault towers we kept finding...towers containing crystals like these..." Sera continued, retrieving a small box and opening it, revealing a shiny black pearl that hummed with the Force.

"We call them Dusk Pearls. We found lightsabers that were installed with them also..." Vera added as Sera produced another, longer box, opening it to reveal an ornate lightsaber that seemed to be made from an all black alloy with a simple activation switch for Alicio to test the effects of the installed crystal on in case Alicio wished to.

"These towers are all over Kytrand. It's not just Bacta either, or lightsaber crystals. There are gems. Bullion. Old mines just bristling with gemstone lodes and aurodium. We've been there a while now, and we barely scratched a fraction of the reserves we've discovered so far..." Sera explained, showing him photos of the strange mechanical guardians seen patrolling certain towers and ruins.

"These Droids are often found in Jedi ruins dating back to the Gulag Era. The data on which faction of Jedi created them is never present in their computer cores, suggesting that considerable effort was taken to conceal the identity of the manufacturer. But we have never seen them before in such large numbers. We're positive whoever built them, though, is largely behind what we discovered on Kytrand."

"Their pockets ran insanely deep. We found old Bulwark Cruisers there modified to act as mobile Jedi Temples..." Vera added, producing a small, palm sized holoprojector that showed an example of what had been discovered, before it switched to an example of a completely different ship.

"Whoever made them seemed to be utterly obsessed with making contingency survival plans for Jedi and their aligned governments. As far as we can tell, the builders wanted to create a situation where no matter how badly crippled a given incarnation of the order was, that they would always have a means of rebuilding. Kytrand itself may only be just one outpost of whoever made all this. We donated some of the ships we found anonymously to the Alliance over the years. Can't say if they are in anyone else's hands. They might be...the ships we found were hidden in asteroid fields or in orbit around stars..." Vera explained further...

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio wasn't one to turn down good tea.

Holding the cup gently within his palms, Alicio took a slow sip. He would've shown more enjoyment of the flavor, rich and layered as it was, if his mind weren't elsewhere. Still, it did taste good, and Alicio didn't have it in him to stop now.

Alicio studied the dark lightsaber in the box. It was exactly his style- ornate, grim, gothic. He reached out to touch it curiously... then, his fingers twitched, as if burnt by hot iron. He retracted his hand slowly, showing the concern freely on his face.

"So, somebody expected the Jedi Order to be in crisis." He felt like he was understanding well enough. "And were so thorough about keeping their failsafe secret that the Order itself didn't even know about it."

"I have a lot of questions. But most, I imagine, can only be answered by the original creator of this place. How they were able to hide the creation of so much industry, the movement of so many credits, without even one loose lip, being the first." He gave Vera a curious glance.

"So, instead, I'll ask; is Kytrand dangerous?" He'd fought more ancient guardians than the average Alliance politician, and knew to be wary around anything programmed to guard treasure. "Beyond the danger that it would attract, were it discovered?"

- Sera Mina -

 

[Sera Mina]

"Beyond those guardians...which many refer to as Plague Droideka, a few functional security systems but nothing absurd. Turrets at best..." Vera answered delicately, eating a piece of eel sushi.

"Kytrand is mostly temperate. Polar caps, largely unexplored. A desert here and there full of ruins." Sera added as she sipped more tea. "It's mostly forests and grassland. Lakes and oceans. The ships we found are stored in giant hangars but there are only automated ground drydocks to maintain them. No actual manufacturing systems or security beyond what would be necessary to guard them. It took us months to comb the computers for the disarm codes for the guardians. They don't attack us now and let us into the towers. But they don't truly obey us either. They only obey orders from Jedi. That is hard coded into their system."

"Before you ask, we had our finest computer forensics teams comb their computer cores. They couldn't find an ounce of hidden programming..." Vera said. "If you want, once we get there, we can try and retrieve a live one for you. Pick a spot and we'll take you to it."

"Beyond this, no. Kytrand has a few natural predators but nothing a laser rifle couldn't take care of. Nothing beyond even a common militia's ability to handle." Sera continued. "As for how they did it...it must have been piecemeal. Over a few centuries of building infrastructure quietly. Their information discipline would have needed to be beyond top tier. It was likely finished just before the Gulag Plague hit."

"They were very very good at their Job, whoever they were..." Vera mused. It was simple fact. Even she had been impressed at how tight a lid had been kept on the whole matter by Nathan's family. She thought her family knew something about being a knife in the dark. The Ancient House Bloodscrawl was stone dead and they were still running circles around groups like hers and even the modern SIA.

"It's really an incredible find..." Sera said. "The ships contain vast amounts of Jedi knowledge. Eventually, we realized we had to tell a Jedi. You're really the only one I know and trust enough with this info."

"More will be explained along the way..." Vera assured.

A few hours later.

They had systematically broken down the nature of the machinery and storage space, and the fact that the very crust of the planet was rich with Lightsaber crystals, some miraculously growing in the wild that were well known varieties, and others unique to Kytrand itself. Gradually, Alicio had been shown small samples of almost all of it, like the crystal variety known as the Crazy Lace as well as the Breathing Kybers. The population they had settled there under NDA was policed by Clan Li-Ves Security Forces (He was not told the nature of these warriors as they were mostly low level soldiers and scouts) and Bacta-Worka corporate Security. Small scattered settlements around water sources using environmentally friendly means of habitation made up the population, who were often refugees from war torn worlds.

On the third Hyperjump, they had all needed to transfer to a stealth shuttle a half hour later. Vera swooned slightly during the trip, the Baby in her kicking slightly. Sera had helped steady her.

And then it showed on the viewports...

Kytrand.

It was an extremely isolated system close to the very deep core, which explained a ton about why it had not been discovered until now. The nebula in neighboring systems also provided cover.

"It was a scout vessel, y'know, that found it. We were out here prospecting, trying to plot new hyperspace routes through the deep core..." Sera said, staring at the jewel of a world even as she handed Alicio Organa the sensitive hyperspace route data on an encrypted holodisc .

Granted, that scout vessel had been directed to it's coordinates by Nathan, but the Scout Vessel had found what it was looking for.

The planet even had its own small fleet, including five new hand me down Interdictor Cruisers purchased second hand (The more exotic battleships in the sub had been positioned on the other side of the planet to disguise the true strength of the world's defenses). Other ships of interest included one of the Lysandra Class Greenhouses that Alicio had not seen before (The name on its hull in red letters was Whisper of Lysandra). Sera was laying as many of her cards on the table as she dared for the Chancellor in the interest of honesty. Her father had wanted nothing hid from Alicio unless it would truly compromise their operations. Nearby Asteroid fields and Nebula clouds obscured the emissions of their vessels unless in system, along with it's sheer isolation made them extremely difficult to detect in the first place.

A smaller Vessel reminiscent of more ancient designs hovered over the North Pole.

"That vessel there? It's the first off the lot of one of our shipyards. It's a ship that generates an emergency planetary shield over a world, and can serve as a civilian mass evac vessel. We call it a Planetary Defense Centurion..." Sera explained.

Even from orbit, the light side Nexus could be felt but not much beyond that. But it grew more and more intense as they descended into the atmosphere. Until it was so intense it could be felt everywhere. They settled on a landing pad at a small starport in the woodlands.

The shuttle opened and they were greeted by grasslands, vast fields of flowers, and ancient factory for Bacta-Synthesis with a facade of stone seemingly organically blended into the environment.

"Welcome to Kytrand, Chancellor Organa." Sera said, gesturing for him to follow her to a cherry red landspeeder. Their first destination was the Bacta Synthesis factory...

 

[Alicio Organa]

"The ships contain vast amounts of Jedi knowledge. Eventually, we realized we had to tell a Jedi. You're really the only one I know and trust enough with this info."

Alicio found a thin frown at that. Technically, he wasn't a Jedi, and had never been one. But with his training, completed by two NJO Councilmembers, his personal philosophies, and his Light-side connection to the Force, he imagined he was as close as one could be. He wondered if it would be enough for these 'plague droidekas'.

The Chancellor was quiet throughout the transfers, absorbing information with veiled eyes, asking leading questions where he had them. His expressions were distant, obvious thought racing behind his eyes... but any hint as to what he was thinking about was kept to himself.

Except for when they entered view of Kytrand. There, Alicio's eyes widened in shock, and then narrowed in suspicion again. Bacta-works had a fleet around the planet. A hidden fleet, in the center of Alliance territory. Another Greenhouse, which they had not disclosed to him previously. How were they able to centralize so many ships in the Alliance's heart, without him ever even hearing rumor of it?

But they were showing him now. He knew it couldn't be all of their cards... but they were intentionally tipping their hand to him. And... as suspicious as he was, that had to count for something.

The closer they got, the more Alicio felt a familiar twirling in the air. He could sense the Nexus, clearer than the one he'd traveled to with Surtr on Alderaan, even though they were farther away. It started as a vague sense in the air, but soon enough, he could taste it all around them, like he'd dipped his tongue in the coolest seawater.

"Let's go. I'm eager to examine the facilities," he said stepping up to the speeder with sure steps... before pausing. "...I could sense the Nexus you mentioned before, as we entered atmosphere. Is it a nebulous entity around the planet, or is there a center to the energy?" If they wanted him to evaluate it... well, he was curious about it, too. He hadn't felt an infusion of the Force so strong since he'd been imprisoned above Exegol.

- Sera Mina -

 

[Sera Mina]

"No center. Our scouts sensitive to the Force say it is worldwide. Locals report feelings of pacification at times. Whatever happened here, happened all at once. We think it's why the crust of the planet is so loaded by gemstones and lightsaber crystals..." Sera answered Alicio Organa as the speeder headed to the facility with all of them in it.

They arrived at the exterior of the facility and Sera parked it in an ancient lot as Bacta-Works Corporate Security stood by at the actual gate, standing at attention as Sera approached.

"Miss Mina..." one of the guards said, his eyes widening as he saw Chancellor Organa.

"Good Morning, Bert. The Chancellor is here to inspect this facility..." Sera trailed.

"Of course. Right this way..." The guard said leading them to a golden turbolift that led to the automated Bacta-Synthesis machines, great waterfalls of it flowing from machines stylized to resemble holocrons held up by great statues of Obi-Wan Kenobi into giant reservoirs. These machines stretched into a vast distance. The facility was absolutely massive.

"This is not the only facility of this size we have uncovered..." she explained as she led them through the facility. "But we have no clue about the people who built these places otherwise. They wanted maximum deniability...they were extremely paranoid of discovery."

It was the truth...they had no clue because they had been carefully, systematically erased from the systems, often by Sera's forces under Nathan's orders.

"Kilometers of Bacta storage tanks beneath us. All the methods and materials to create it. That's not even getting into the Bullion and Gemstone vaults..." Sera added, leading him and her Mother deeper into the facility to a golden entrance guarded by more corporate security.

"We aren't exactly certain why they placed these small vaults throughout the facility...some of my experts think it was an emergency method of having means to fund pilots taking the parts to build all this to and from the core..." Sera explained stepping into a medium sized chamber with golden walls with recessed shelves of Aurodium and Gold Bullion and underneath those walls was literally a large pit of uncut Kytrand Diamonds. They walked over this pit via a semi transparent bridge, drones fetching scoops of it in industrial buckets out.

The diamonds, in varying colors, glittered in even low light. It still made Sera's breath catch in her throat every time she saw it.

"Finding this place was like finding some mythical fantasy realm..." Sera said to Alicio. "You have no idea how difficult it was for us to finally decide to tell you about all this. But restoring the core and damaged worlds in Alliance Space, funding the Alliance Military is more important than a hidden fiefdom of lost treasure."

Sera plucked a yellow diamond from the bucket of a passing drone, the uncut gem half the size of her fist before putting it back in the bucket, letting the drone fly off.

"Would you like to see more of this facility? Or one of the towers we spoke of?" She asked the Chancellor.

 

[Alicio Organa]

The rank-and-file didn't seem to expect his presence.

So the CEO's secrecy wasn't reserved only for him, then.

Alicio remembered being wowed by the generosity of the megacorporation when they granted their Greenhouses to Alderaan. The scale of the facility here was far beyond any of that. Acres of useful, life-saving supplies. Likely, all that was stockpiled here could singlehandedly supply the Alliance for years. An order of Jedi, indefinitely.

"You have no idea how difficult it was for us to finally decide to tell you about all this. But restoring the core and damaged worlds in Alliance Space, funding the Alliance Military is more important than a hidden fiefdom of lost treasure."

Alicio paused at that. Listened to her finish, then nodded. "I think I get the picture. Show me a tower."

Time to stop beating around the bush. Alicio let his grey eyes harden into stone.

"I've always lived on my own philosophy of collectivism, of doing what was best for the whole, no matter the personal pain or detriment." Alicio walked ahead, somehow knowing the path Sera was about to lead him on. "I may stumble at times, but I'd like to think I've kept to my code as best as a fallible man can. But never have I known, in my entire life, someone else with my level of... power, to give up all pretense of wealth and advantage, to do what was right."

"I don't trust you, Sera. I've seen you playing angles, attempting to get in my good graces as I continued to climb politically. I cannot believe showing me this is completely out of love for the Alliance and her people. But... you don't know how much I'd like to. This is incredible."

- Sera Mina -

 

[Sera Mina]

"If I play angles, Chancellor...it is no more than any other Corporate Mogul..." Sera replied delicately as she led the way. "And to be frank, Chancellor, only a fool wouldn't try to get in your good graces when the stakes are this high. Can you honestly tell me, Chancellor, that even with your impressive code of Ethics, you haven't worked any angles, ever, or at least considered the angles of a given situation?" She questioned as diplomatically as she could. "I'm the head of a Multi-Trillion credit corporation. I employ thousands of people across multiple planets. Many of whom were refugees from the Scar Worlds, Alliance Colonies. I have to work angles in order to remain successful. It just comes with the territory. Even before Kytrand was found, I had more money than I knew what to truly do with. There is such an absurd amount of wealth here that even if I had twenty lifetimes to spare I couldn't deplete even a fraction of it. And as my mother taught me, at some point, wealth can be even more of a curse than a blessing..."

Sera stopped, looked around.

"I suppose I could have kept it a secret from you. Leeched off the hidden treasure of Kytrand for years. But History has many real examples of those who clutched at massive treasures, hoarded them, with a jealousy that eventually degenerated into an outright psychosis, and met nothing but destruction for their efforts at the end of it, either through their own toxic behavior or the treachery of those they thought they could trust, greedy for the treasure themselves...I don't want to join history on that note, Chancellor...I don't want to be remembered as another scheming rich cretin concerned only with their own pockets and popularity who eventually destroyed themselves..." Sera stated crisply.

"I don't want my company, or my employees, destroyed by selfishness and greed over this hidden asset. It is better to use this place for its original intentions; to heal a wounded Galaxy. To erase the scars of Sith cruelty in the core. You may not trust me, but everything I have done so far, and continue to do, is to make sure the purpose of this world, and the purpose of my company, is ultimately towards a safer, healed Galaxy. In order to succeed at that, I have to make sure my company succeeds. I have to make sure that the one person in a position to truly appreciate the awesome gifts of this place knows I did not try to misuse it for short sighted ends. If I hadn't tried to get in your good graces as you rose in power, would you have even accepted the Greenhouses I gave your world? Or would you have dismissed them, seeing it as an attempt to simply manipulate and buy you off? Would you have even taken my relief program seriously, or would you have seen me as another clout chasing business-woman?" she questioned as she resumed walking.

"I am perfectly willing to let a Jedi Temple get established here. All I ask is that we continue to keep all of this a secret as long as we can. Kytrand cannot remain hidden forever. It was never meant to be. The people who built this place wanted the Jedi and their allies to triumph. To be able to recover from any devastation. Now that the Chancellor of The Alliance knows the truth, there is no way Kytrand can stay hidden." she asserted as all three reached the speeder.

Once everyone was inside, Sera made her final counterpoint for the moment before starting it up, hoping he would at least run her point through his head

"You may not trust me still but consider this...can you think of ANY CEO in the Galaxy, other than me who would have willingly told you about this place, when they could have comfortably milked it for years and years with you none the wiser? Would those folks running the Trade Federation or The Banking Clan have even dared hint at its existence, had they discovered it before my company scouts did?" she asked as she piloted towards one of the Towers, where two Plague Droideka waited, ready and active at the sides of the obsidian black entrance. The tower itself was covered in ivy and moss, surrounded by fields of flowers and was over five stories in height.

Sera hopped out. The Droids, though non hostile, otherwise didn't acknowledge her or Vera until their photo receptors laid eyes on Alicio. They had mild traces of scuffing and rust on their frames, but they were well armed, both having a retractable sword on one arm and a combined micro grenade launcher and continuous laser weapon system on the other.

"Unidentified Non-Combatant Detected. Presence Logged..." The Droids said in a computerized voice in unison but made no move to intercept any of them. "Please be aware that any attempt to desecrate or damage this installation will be met with force proportional to the threat demonstrated."

"There's no need to be worried. They always say that. We transmitted the Disarm codes way back when we first discovered this place. They won't even try to stop you from taking anything..." Sera said. "As long as you are not openly hostile, they won't take action."

Like all the Plague Droideka, they didn't have the info on who had built them contained in their Droid Brains, so Sera was not concerned if he decided to start questioning them. She had done so herself. They couldn't even tell him when Kytrand was first finished with its installations, or even when they themselves had been built. They had only a few purposes: Guard duty, and obedience to any ranking Jedi present. Nathan assured her and her mother that they wouldn't follow certain orders like any that would compromise information security that they did have.

The Ancient Bloodscrawls had been thorough AF. Paranoid AF. And a whole bunch of other things that had the "AF" qualifier applied to them.

"Would you like to try ordering them around, Chancellor?" Vera asked.

Then she swooned. The Baby had kicked again. Hard. Sera caught her.

"Are you alright, Mother?" Sera asked.

"I'll be fine. Your little brother has a bit of a kick..." Vera replied. "I can continue..."


Alicio Organa

 

[Alicio Organa]

She protested. Vehemently. Her words were cool, measured, but the sheer number of them told him a story. She truly wanted him to trust her. To trust Bacta-Works.

He didn't plan to answer her flood with his own. He learned plenty just by checking her intentions, and listening to the aftermath. It was one of his skills, politically. Use words sparingly to upset the balance, and step back to watch the cracks form. But she did ask a question. One he intended on answering.

"You may not trust me still but consider this...can you think of ANY CEO in the Galaxy, other than me who would have willingly told you about this place, when they could have comfortably milked it for years and years with you none the wiser? Would those folks running the Trade Federation or The Banking Clan have even dared hint at its existence, had they discovered it before my company scouts did?"

"Not a single mega-corporation I know would do it without the promise of profit." It was a simple sentence, with plenty of implication. She said so herself- she did what would make her people credits. The idea that she could have monetized the situation in any number of ways, like how she had done on Alderaan, and instead decided to give this information freely, was what caused his distrust in the first place. It meant she was the most selfless autocrat in the history of the galaxy, or she was lying, and could secretly take advantage of the situation.

Of course, he would assume the second, until there could be no doubt. Oddly enough, he would've trusted Bacta-Works more if they'd attached a price tag.

Finally, they all entered the new building, and Alicio studied the ancient droids with curiosity, happy to leave the previous conversation behind.

"Would you like to try ordering them around, Chancellor?"

He was about to respond, but noticed Vera having difficulty with her child. His mouth thinned, his previously serious countenance fighting against sweet nostalgia. It reminded him of Amani, and the twins, a little. "Let us know if you must return. I spent my whole life not knowing about this place. It can wait a little longer, if need be."

He turned back to the Plague Droideka, standing a little straighter. "My name is Alicio Organa. What is my level of clearance?"

- Sera Mina -

 

[Sera Mina]

"Organa. This is a recognized Jedi Affiliation." One of the Droids said. "Limited Level One Command Priority is granted for bodyguard duty. This Unit will protect you if requested. Demonstration of connection to the Light Side will grant greater command priority..." The Droideka said.

"I'll be fine..." Vera assured Alicio Organa , both her and Sera heading deeper inside, the Droids following in with them.

The first chamber had a number of Lightsaber Crystals on display, from Lava Crystals to Barab Ingots and Ankarres Sapphires--

--to a strange collection of extremely red crystals that radiated the Light Side of the Force in the far corner. The chamber was lit in dull artificial lights, and at the center was a pristine set of Gold and Black Armor.

"The armor is pre-gulag. The first time Plague Droideka were encountered on a planet , they were guarding a suit very much like this. Along with these specific set of crystals..." Sera said, plucking one of the extremely red crystals from the display and handing it to him to examine.

"Not all the towers have this set up. One tower we found had no armor at all. But all the towers had these red crystals in some limited fashion or another. We are not certain if they are artificial...there are molecular traces of iron in their structure..." Sera explained, inwardly mulling over his response.

Bacta-Works had been so absurdly wealthy before Kytrand that the discovery of the lost treasure planet threatened to actually turn that wealth into an obscenity. Bacta-Works already had 'Feth-You' Money. With Kytrand in play, it was 'Feth You and the Bantha you rode in on' Money.

Sera had been utterly serious that trying to keep it to herself, to try and charge a price for access, was a genuinely bad idea. It wasn't what her Father wanted. In most respects, he was a genuine philanthropist. He could have lived the rest of his days without Kytrand in the lap of insane wealth. Instead, he decided to use it as responsibly as he could.

But even a man like Alicio was capable of being cynical.

Still, Sera continued telling him what her father explained to her.

"We tested them in a few lightsaber hilts. The blades they produce are red to the core. Thin blades too; not good for blaster deflection..." she noted, arms folding.

"I maintain what I said earlier by the way... trying to hold onto a secret this big would have only destroyed me and my company in the end. The entire Alliance should benefit from Kytrand." Sera said.

"And so should the Jedi Order..." Vera Mina spoke. "Would you like to take a break for now, Chancellor? It's close to lunch. I figured afterward we could show you the Automated Mollusk Farms. They seem to have been created as renewable food source..."