Private The Legend of Set and Veré: Epistrophe

[Ala Quin]

​

High above the desolate ancient Sith world of Katabasis, a single newly commissioned Republic control ship sat in stationary orbit above the world. It's captain had placed the ship between the normal hyperspace exit point, and the approach to planetside. Katabasis was a very large problem, and the patrol craft seemed less than what is needed.

"So you are saying the politicians haven't decided yet?" It was the voice of the Mirialan pilot, sitting at his console. His tone has been set to eleven on his mockery settings. "Go figure."

"There are a lot of needs in the Republic. We will get the resources when the time comes. We probably will not be assigned here anyway...so get used to be be first on the scene," said Captain Denn. He was glad just to have a command back. It had been a long road back from the disgrace of his first command. This ship was small, but it was new. There was some degree of trust that had been given, and he was not about to waste it.

The pilot sighed, knowing his Captain was probably right, but wishing to indulge his complaints further. Something had to be done to pass the time.

"Hyperspace exit detected, far side of Katabasis." It was the operations officer, reporting the arrival with a sense of urgency.

The atmosphere within the small bridge electrified.

"Intercept course, helm..."

"Aye, sir." The ship moved forward, rapidly accelerating. The inertial dampners compensated enough, but not fully.

"Unidentified craft. This is High Republic Patrol Vessel Moenia. You have entered restricted space. This world is off-limits to civilian and corporate interests. Please set a course for the nearest hyperspace bouy and leave the area immediately. I repeat. This is a restricted area. You will not be permitted to land on the planet. Every attempt will be made to neutralise your ship, but we cannot insure your safety should we be forced to engage. Return to the nearest hyperspace jump point and leave this sector...immediately."

The Temple of the Broken Chains has been sealed. Within, and without, armed droids patrol the vicinity. Several opportunistic grave robbers have sought their wealth, most were neutralised and captured. The other two are dead. Getting past the Temple and into the Heart will require the utmost skill and caution. Should you be discovered, or recognised, careers and reputations could be destroyed...if not worse.

Once you reach the Heart of Descent, you will be presented with further obstacles, and mysteries to unravel. Set and Veré may not be here, but there is still a chair in the humid air that speaks to a danger that is yet present. Tread carefully.

OOC:
Objective 1: Get onto the planet without ruining reputations or entering into combat with the Republic patrol craft.
Objective 2: Get passed the droids without being identified, or captured.
Let me know when you make it to the Heart of Descent. Happy RPing.

| Aiden Porte Balun Dashiell Sibylla Abrantes |​

 

[Aiden Porte]

Tags: Balun Dashiell Sibylla Abrantes Ala Quin

The ripple through the Force struck Aiden Porte before the words reached his ears. A cold tide, slow and deliberate, pressing outward from Katabasis like an exhale from some long-buried tomb. He sat in the cockpit of his vessel, as they exited hyperspace. Jedi Knight Aiden Porte accompanied with Jedi Balun Dashiell and Assembly Representative Sibylla Abrantes.

The comm feeds carried Captain Denn's challenge across the channel. Steady, official, threaded with a resolve that Aiden recognized all too well—the determination of a man to make a statement.

Aiden's jaw tightened. Katabasis had never been a world to take lightly. The Force screamed warnings here, wrapped in a silence so absolute it became its own kind of roar. He touched the comm switch at his side, voice calm, steady, carrying the weight of the Jedi.

"Greeting, this is Jedi Knight Aiden Porte of the High Republic. I am inbound, vectoring to your position. We have our course set for Katabasis, we have very little time to explain and humbly request your cooperation."

He could already sense it, dark edges brushing his awareness, as though the planet itself were bleeding shadows into space. He awaited word from the Republic vessel, a distance before them, awaiting response from them.

-What are you seeking- Aiden whispered, as he felt through the force, the planet reaching outward. The darkside of the force was seeping outward and he wasn't sure what this was.

 

[Balun Dashiell]

THREAD TITLE: The Legend of Set and Veré: Epistrophe
INVENTORY: Balun Dashiell's Jedi Robes, Lightsaber, K-16 Bryar Pistol.
TAGS: Sibylla Abrantes , Aiden Porte
"DUNGEON MASTER": Ala Quin

The day had finally arrived.

Balun Dashiell had been preparing for this ever since he had learned of Ala Quin 's comatose status, and apparent possession by a Force Spirit which some had surmised was the ancient Goddess Shiraya. Whether or not this had been the truth, Balun's priority had been invested into learning all he could with his limited access clearance within the Jedi Order, and then enlisting the support of Auren Vellisar of Jhaessa Prime to help sway the Council and the Senate into allowing him to venture to Katabasis in the hope of discovering some answer, or a cure for Master Quin if they were lucky.

Naturally, as he was still an Apprentice, the Council had instructed that he would be accompanied for this assignment. They had been apprehensive, and for a time, Balun had felt that they would deny him this request despite the pushback from Senator Velisar; yet when they had reluctantly approved the mission with the inclusion of Aiden Porte and Sibylla Abrantes , Balun had been quick to accept his good fortune.

"Unidentified craft. This is High Republic Patrol Vessel Moenia. You have entered restricted space. This world is off-limits to civilian and corporate interests. Please set a course for the nearest hyperspace bouy and leave the area immediately. I repeat. This is a restricted area. You will not be permitted to land on the planet. Every attempt will be made to neutralise your ship, but we cannot insure your safety should we be forced to engage. Return to the nearest hyperspace jump point and leave this sector...immediately."

"Greeting, this is Jedi Knight Aiden Porte of the High Republic. I am inbound, vectoring to your position. We have our course set for Katabasis, we have very little time to explain and humbly request your cooperation."

Balun had been standing beside Master Porte when the call had come in from the High Republic Capital Vessel. He had been watching as the world of Katabasis slowly grew larger and larger as they approached. Yet, the communications came to life in response to their proximity, as the world had been designated a no-fly zone for the safety and security of those who dared to go near it.

"Excuse me, Master" Balun took the initiative to apologise to Aiden Porte as he stepped forward to reach for the comms, patching himself in. "Patrol Vessel Moenia, this is Balun Dashiell of Jhaessa Prime. I am forwarding you our clearance codes now," He informed the other ship, while initiating the data package to be sent across to them. Within the message was the official clearance approval that Auren Velisar had acquired following Balun's approach to the man for a personal favour. It wasn't exactly by the book, but having a Senator as a friend and a business associate had its benefits. "As Jedi Master Aiden Porte has informed you, we have been granted authorisation for this mission under special assignment from the Senate and the Jedi Council. All required details should be reaching you now," Balun concluded, soon leaning back away from the co-pilot and glancing back to Aiden with a half smirk.

"Sorry, Aiden, but I didn't take any chances on this one. My Master's life is on the line for the success of this mission," He explained, not wanting Master Porte to misunderstand his being so direct. He didn't want to appear rude or dismiss the man's authority, but there was a timeline in his mind that he had every intention of following. The sooner he had an answer to Ala Quin's unconscious state, the sooner he could get back to her, and she would be back to her usual self.

Jedi Master: Ala Quin
Major Faction: The High Republic
Sub-Faction: Jhaessa Prime
Conglomerate: Dashiell Incorporated™
Subsidiary Company: Dashiell Retrofit™​

"Speech"
'Thought'​

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

Balun Dashiell | Aiden Porte | Ala Quin ​

Sibylla sat in the quiet hum of the ship's common area, a spread of archives and restricted data files cast across her datapad like constellations waiting to be read. She had insisted, nudged, and pressed likely more than she ought to be part of the mission to Katabasis, and now the weight of that decision rested with her.

Hazel eyes lingered on a passage she had read three times already, yet it refused to yield the answer she sought. Vere and Set. To some they were myth, to others a cautionary tale. To her, they were more than names lost to time.

Their story was a tragedy stretched across eternity, two souls punished for daring to love. Millennia of exile and separation, the galaxy casting stones simply because they had chosen each other.

SAving the Jedi was reason enough, but Sibylla's chest ached with another truth. She wanted, with every fiber of her being, to believe that love so enduring, so defiant, might at last be given peace. That their suffering could end.

Her hands tightened around the datapad. Somewhere in this tangled web of myth and memory was the root of the problem, the path to resolution. She meant to find it, no matter how deep she had to dig.

 

[Ala Quin]

The reply came swiftly, words clipped and professional. Captain Denn of the Moenia had no intention of leaving room for ambiguity. He had clawed his way back into a command chair, and every order he gave was delivered with the weight of a man determined not to be found wanting again. Procedure was his shield, and Katabasis was the last place to cut corners.

"Jedi vessel, your clearance codes verify. Be advised, per Republic Directive K-19, only approved Jedi Order personnel and active-duty military are authorised to make planetfall on Katabasis. Civilian presence is prohibited."

"Transmit your full passenger manifest. Names and service designations, for official record. Jedi identification and military service numbers will be cross-checked against the clearance registry. Non-compliant entries will be denied. Any attempt to deceive Republic Command will result in immediate action."

The channel cut back to static, the captain’s words hanging in the moment. On Katabasis, the rules were clear. One misstep, and careers could be ended before a single boot touched soil.

| Tag: Aiden Porte Balun Dashiell Sibylla Abrantes |​

 

[Aiden Porte]

"You're right not to waste time," Aiden allowed, turning his head just enough for Balun to see his eyes. Calm, but sharp. "But understand, every favor we call in, every string we pull, binds us tighter to someone else's ledger. That's a chain I'd rather not have fastened around your neck… or mine."

The dark weight of Katabasis pressed against him again, an ever-present hum beneath the surface of his thoughts. He let the silence settle for a moment, grounding himself in the Force, then exhaled slowly.

"Ala Quin needs you clear of distraction when the time comes. Not chasing debts. Remember that."

His hand lifted, resting briefly on Balun's shoulder, a gesture not of rebuke, but of acknowledgment. The young man's determination carried a fire he respected.

"Moenia, this is Jedi Knight Aiden Porte.. Passenger manifest as follows: Jedi Knight Aiden Porte, Council-approved assignment; Jedi Padawan Balun Dashiell, clearance acquired through Assembly liaison Sibylla Abrantes and Voice of Naboo; no civilian personnel aboard. Full identifiers transmitting now."

Balun Dashiell Brandyn Sal-Soren

 

[Balun Dashiell]

THREAD TITLE: The Legend of Set and Veré: Epistrophe
INVENTORY: Balun Dashiell's Jedi Robes, Lightsaber, K-16 Bryar Pistol.
TAGS: Sibylla Abrantes , Aiden Porte
"DUNGEON MASTER": Ala Quin

The return transmission caused a hitch in Balun's breath as he paused to consider Sibylla Abrantes position aboard the vessel. They had met before, and he knew her to be a person of some importance, but couldn't recall her specific position. Thankfully, Aiden Porte clarified through the Comm's to the Moenia, forwarding their passenger manifest. She wasn't one of the Jedi, nor was she a member of the military, yet he hoped that her clearance would still be approved, given her political influence.

Moving to take a seat at the helm, Balun took the controls in hand and looked across to the central console for a readout of their primary and auxiliary systems. Everything came back in the green, including their shields. It had crossed his mind that there remained a possibility they would be refused entry; however, unlike his counterparts, Balun wasn't one to conform when lives were at stake.

This was the rogue in him, doing the right thing sometimes meant going against the grain to achieve it, and while Master Porte had the reputation of the Jedi Order on his back, Balun wasn't formally of the Order beyond his apprenticeship under Ala Quin ; And she was in no position to take responsibility for his actions.

"Well, Master, let's just be thankful it's my neck on the line and not yours", Balun replied as he rerouted a significant portion of the vessel's power from their weapons systems to their shields and countermeasure suite. "If this goes bad, just remember you were never on the bridge when I sent us into evasive maneuvers".

Jedi Master: Ala Quin
Major Faction: The High Republic
Sub-Faction: Jhaessa Prime
Conglomerate: Dashiell Incorporated™
Subsidiary Company: Dashiell Retrofit™​

"Speech"
'Thought'​

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

Aiden Porte Balun Dashiell Ala Quin​

Sibylla was oblivious to what the pair of Jedi were communicating to Moenia. At times, she could still be very much the teenager she once was when swept up in a passion project. A devoted student of myths and lore, especially anything concerning Set and Vere, she had delved as deeply into the records as she could.

Even then, a woman has a sixth sense of things, and something prompted her to raise her head from the tome she'd been reading. She paused, slid her gloves along the cover, and shut the tome with a quiet thump. Rising, she brushed the leather of her vest, practical garb chosen over silks or ceremonial robes. Sturdy boots, trekking pants, and a reinforced blouse, all meant for wilderness, as she had adapted during her time as the Mandalorian Ambassador. At her belt hung a personal shield, vibroshiv, comm, and the compact disguise unit she had insisted on packing. Politics was ruthless, and the last thing she needed was her presence here twisted into some weapon against her.

That is why she had utilized the identity of her Handmaiden, Inez Valette, who, upon review, would be discovered to be a RIS attache liaison.

Her steps softened over the deck as she moved toward the cockpit. The low murmur of Jedi voices carried before her, and while she hadn't caught the substance of their exchange, she certainly felt the press of weight in the air was enough to know it mattered.

Her boots carried her closer amidst the sound softened by the hum of the consoles. She tipped her head, hazel eyes flicking from The Jedi Knight Aiden Porte to the Padawan Balun Dashiell .

"Is everything alright?" she asked again, quieter this time. The formality of her title was absent, her words simple and edged with a quiet concern.

 

[Aiden Porte]

"It shouldn't go bad, patience is needed my friend." Aiden understood that lives were on the line, carefully and decisively they would have to proceed. Otherwise there would be no help reaching back to Ala at all on their end.

"Is everything alright?

Aiden looked back as Inez had joined them from the back. He glanced once more between her and Balun, his voice quiet but steady.
"We'll be alright," he said, the reassurance simple but deliberate. "So long as we hold together when the storm breaks."

Just as he spoke they received transmission back from Moenia.

"Your clearance codes and manifest have been verified with Republic Command." A pause followed, the faint shuffle of officers conferring on their end before the captain continued. "Per Directive K-19, you are granted provisional authorization to make planetfall on Katabasis. Your mission parameters and authorizations are on record."

Another beat, sharper now.

"Be advised, Moenia will maintain orbit and monitor all traffic in and out of the system. Any deviation from your stated mission will be reported directly to Command. Communications are to remain open. If hostile contact escalates, expect no reinforcements. You're on your own down there."

"See, patience, and good intervening on your end Balun. Well done." Aiden said with a small pat on the Jedi's shoulder. He glanced over to Inez, "Are you okay m'lady?"

Balun Dashiell Sibylla Abrantes Ala Quin

 

[Ala Quin]

The Jedi transmission echoed across the bridge, names spoken with clarity. Aiden Porte. Balun Dashiell. And...each syllable of the first two carried clearly, ready to be caught by the Republic's registry.

The comms officer's fingers moved quickly across his console, keying the data into the manifest log. At that same moment, a static burst rattled through the channel, sharp enough to garble the final entry as he struck the key.

"Captain, data received. Jedi Porte verified. Dashiell verified. Third entry auto-filled as 'Valette, I.'...RIS liaison credentials attached."

Denn's eyes narrowed, but the display showed green. Cross-check confirmed: Inez Valette, Republic Intelligence Services, attaché. No alarms tripped, no flags raised.

"Very well. Record it. Authorisation cleared. Plot them through the corridor. Katabasis awaits...though more fool them."

On the bridge, the clerical slip passed unnoticed. The wrong name had been captured, yet the system accepted it without question. What had been spoken aloud was not what was now written into the official record.

"Inbound craft...you are cleared to go planetside, please adhere to standard safety protocol and obey all droid enforcement on site."

| Aiden Porte Balun Dashiell Sibylla Abrantes |​

 

[Aiden Porte]

Tags: Balun Dashiell Ala Quin Sibylla Abrantes​

The last of the comm traffic faded into static, and the patrol beacon's green wash signaled them through. The vessel shuddered as they pierced the final security cordon, shields flaring briefly against the interference that laced Katabasis' upper atmosphere. Aiden remained standing behind Balun's chair, one hand braced on the backrest, the other loose at his side. The turbulence pressed through the deckplates like a living thing, each pocket of resistance, each unseen current, a reminder that this was not a world welcoming their arrival.

The landing struts met duracrete with a final jolt, and the cockpit went still save for the muted hum of the reactor winding down. Through the viewport, the barren gray plains of Katabasis were broken only by the harsh geometry of a Republic outpost, prefabricated walls braced against the ash winds, towers bristling with sensor arrays and auto-turrets, and patrol droids pacing along the perimeter like restless sentinels.

Aiden's eyes lingered on the walls. The defenses were strong enough to hold raiders or smugglers at bay, but they felt temporary, fragile, an island of order in a sea that wanted to drown it. The Force thrummed with unease, the planet itself pressing against the artificial lines the Republic had drawn.

"Moenia's leash ends here," he said quietly, stepping back from Balun's chair. "From this point forward, we're alone."

The boarding ramp hissed open, letting in the dry, acrid air of Katabasis. The smell was faint but undeniable, like stone baked too long under fire. A pair of Republic security droids waited at the foot of the ramp, their vocabulator units crackling to life.

"Welcome to Katabasis Outpost Theta. Clearance verified. Please proceed through intake."

Behind them, uniformed soldiers moved with disciplined efficiency, rifles slung but ready. Their eyes flicked toward the Jedi as the trio disembarked, respectful, but not without the quiet suspicion that came with posting on a world like this.

Aiden walked with steady purpose, his cloak tugging faintly in the thin, hot wind. He inclined his head in acknowledgement to the soldiers, then cast a glance at Balun and Sibylla. "Keep your guard up. These walls were built for security, but they won't keep out what Katabasis chooses to send."

His boots carried him across the duracrete toward the intake station, each step grounding him against the oppressive hum that rose from the world beneath.

 

[Balun Dashiell]

THREAD TITLE: The Legend of Set and Veré: Epistrophe
INVENTORY: Balun Dashiell's Jedi Robes, Lightsaber, K-16 Bryar Pistol.
TAGS: Sibylla Abrantes , Aiden Porte
"DUNGEON MASTER": Ala Quin

Their Starship had finally made landfall, and after all this time, Balun Dashiell now stood upon the infamous world of Katabasis, where his Master Ala Quin had become enthralled by the ancient Force Spirit, reduced to her comatose state back within the Naboo hospice. Now that he, Aiden Porte and Sibylla Abrantes were all here, he was itching to get underway and finally uncover what had happened, as well as what possible answers awaited them within the Temple of Broken Chains.

As the three of them departed the ship, walking in stride down the boarding ramp, Balun's gaze met the troopers who arrived to greet them—an armed escort, by the look of it. Security at an all-time high—It seemed that Katabasis had truly put the High Republic on edge. Whatever had happened when his Master and the others had first visited the Temple, Balun hadn't been present, yet it was clear by their welcome party that they weren't taking any chances this time around.

"Now that we're here, does anyone know where to start looking?" Balun asked, glancing across to Master Porte and Sibylla curiously, "I'm guessing there might be information held somewhere within the Outpost worth looking into before heading for the Temple of Broken Chains", he added in suggestion as they continued to walk together.

Balun hadn't been to Katabasis before, nor did he know anything about the World or Outpost Theta. Perhaps the Outpost was simply the point of entry for visitors since the public lockdown, or maybe it held other purposes beyond that. Research or excavation came to mind, given the last expedition that had been undertaken. Had Ala been with them, she would have been able to tell him all about it, no doubt...

Jedi Master: Ala Quin
Major Faction: The High Republic
Sub-Faction: Jhaessa Prime
Conglomerate: Dashiell Incorporated™
Subsidiary Company: Dashiell Retrofit™​

"Speech"
'Thought'​

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

Ala Quin Aiden Porte Balun Dashiell ​

It seemed the Jedi had everything settled. Or at least, they gave that impression. Inez arched a dark brow in quiet question, but let them move as they would. They would not knowingly place her in danger or lie to her. At least, that was the hope.

By the time they touched ground, she had already brought her datapad out to review her notes. The fragments she had gathered offered an approximate idea of what to expect, but nothing felt certain.

For a second, she paused, glancing around as she took in the world that had been a prison for Vere and Set for millennia. After taking a deep breath, she murmured a quick prayer to Shiraya -- to Vere really -- and asked for guidance.

Let me find what it is you need so that you and Set can finally be at peace.

The thought lingered in her chest like an aching promise, for even ancient love stories deserved their ending. Leaves stirred in the wind as though carrying the wish forward.

"I have some approximate coordinates," she said at last, moving ahead, her voice quieter than before.

"But this is more than just a search. If there is something I should know, anything that might bring us closer to an answer, tell me now. I would rather face it prepared than risk failing them again."

With that, she took point, using the datapad holographic map to guide them towards the Temple of Broken Chains. She did her best to try to blend in and stay quiet. Katabasis was not to be taken lightly. Word had it that there were some past attempts by grave robbers to get into the temple, and there were plenty of armed droids patrolling the vicinity.

"How will we make sure that we do not alert the guards and can get past them?"

 

[Aiden Porte]

"But this is more than just a search. If there is something I should know, anything that might bring us closer to an answer, tell me now. I would rather face it prepared than risk failing them again."

"You know as much as I do at this point. From here apart from apart from planning a route through, there's not much else to give. Unfortunately we will have to adapt as we come into the information we receive. Dangerous, but it is necessary." Aiden took an quick glance at the holographic map provided by Inez. He looked carefully trying to find a simple way through. "It seems there may be a back access corridor to go around, I just can't tell what sort of security they have in that area."

Aiden gave a casual glance around as he looked between the two. "Obviously we don't want to pick a fight right now. I say keep our faces down. Walk like we belong. Like we are meant to be here completely."

He glanced once to the perimeter towers, then back to Balun. "There will be records, patrol logs, sensor sweeps, perhaps even research briefs from the last expedition. The Temple of Broken Chains has not gone ignored."

He shifted his gaze between Balun and Sibylla as they moved deeper into the outpost. "We start by listening. To the soldiers. To the archives. To the walls themselves. The Temple will still be waiting when we're ready to face it."


Sibylla Abrantes Balun Dashiell Ala Quin

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

Aiden Porte Balun Dashiell ​

Sibylla gave a slow series of nods as Aiden laid out the plan, her datapad already in hand to pull up every scrap of information that had been logged before. The holographic map glowed faintly against her face as she scrolled through it.

"Well, we will have to first get past the security droids," she murmured, tapping the screen to highlight the patrol routes. "I've an ion blaster just in case... but..." Her eyes lifted to both Aiden and Balun.

"You have quieter ways of dealing with droids, right?" she asked, her steps steady as she continued forward through the thick jungle, keeping an eye out just in case.

She might have secured the knowledge, but it was the Jedi Knight and his Padawan she depended on to handle what waited ahead.

 

[Aiden Porte]

Sibylla Abrantes Ala Quin ​

The jungle of Katabasis swallowed sound in a way that felt unnatural, every snapped branch, every scuff of boot sole seemed to fall into silence almost too quickly, as though the world itself was listening. The faint glow of Sibylla's datapad painted her features in pale light, her voice low, pragmatic.

Aiden's gaze lifted from the shadowed treeline to her, steady and unhurried. The Force rippled faintly between them, carrying her unease like a whisper.

"We do," he answered, his voice calm, unshaken. "The Force can touch more than minds. A flicker of current in a circuit, a pulse to the motor, a whisper where no voice should be."

His eyes returned to Sibylla, grounding her in the moment. "Use your blaster only if the shadows break against us. Droids are patterns; patterns can be shifted. A bolt of light draws attention where we want silence."

The air thickened around them, heavy with the ash-sweet scent of Katabasis' undergrowth. Aiden let his hand brush the bark of a twisted tree as they passed, grounding himself in its pulse.

"We'll move when the patrol sweeps wide. I'll still their sensors, Balun will cut their chatter. By the time they know they've been blinded, we'll already be past."

He inclined his head toward the datapad's ghostly map. "Trust us to handle the machines, Sibylla. Your task is to keep us true to the path. The Temple waits, and it will not open its secrets to the careless."

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

Aiden Porte Balun Dashiell ​

Sibylla gave a firm nod to Aiden and Balun, grateful that was settled.

"Alright. Then we have our plan," she said softly, guiding them deeper into the jungle as they pressed forward.

The deeper they went, the heavier the air seemed to grow. Vines hung low, shadows clung like watchful eyes, and at last the treeline broke to reveal the Temple of the Broken Chains.

Sibylla slowed, breath catching. Awe and anger collided in her chest. This was where Vere and Set had been imprisoned for millennia, punished for daring to love. The thought made her blood burn even as wonder rooted her in place.

Droids patrolled the perimeter, and if one narrowed their eyes hard enough, they could even see the remains of previous scavengers that met a grim fate for failing. However, knowledge of who the victims truly were who suffered here struck her the most.

She drew a slow breath, whispering as she turned to the others.

"This is it... you're up now," Her gaze lingered on Aiden and Balun, trusting them to clear the way.

 

[Aiden Porte]

Sibylla Abrantes Ala Quin
​

Aiden let the moment sit with them, the hush, the weight of stone and story pressing down like weather. The Temple of the Broken Chains rose before them, a ribcage of blackened masonry and collapsed archways, its maw yawning as if it had been waiting for footsteps to fall into it again.

He took one slow breath and tasted ash on the air. The Force gathered like a cool cloth over his thoughts, steadying. This was not a place for bravado. It was not a place for mistakes.

"Follow my lead. Move on my signal."

Aiden felt the electrical whisper in the air shift as the young man bled a tiny, believable interference into the outpost's outer net, enough to tug a sweep off-angle, not enough to trigger full alarms.

Aiden stepped forward first, blade sheathed but the hum of the Force like a blade beneath his ribs. He reached out with intent, not to seize minds but to loosen focus. He brushed the nearest patrol droid's sensor-pattern like a stone skimming water, a tiny distraction: a delay in recognition, a slight recalibration that said, "Look there" instead of "Look here." The droid's optics blinked, its gait stuttered, then corrected as if nothing had happened.

It was then Balun acted, causing the droid paused, ghosting through the lee of an ash mound and taking the machine's line of sight. He fed a soft counterfeit of an external maintenance ping through the comms, and another pair of units broke formation to investigate, exactly as Aiden had felt would happen.

They flowed through that narrow window. Aiden kept his presence broad enough to catch sudden shifts, a droid's motor stalling, a sensor sweep beginning a degree too early. He nudged each one away from them with invisible, practiced pressure. It was not domination; it was persuasion, a hand on a shoulder in a crowded room, guiding without force.

They reached the outer ring without tripping the alarm. The last sentry droids were clustered around a toppled column; Aiden felt a single, threadbare current of attention still watching the approach from the tower above. He widened his field, the smallest of steadying pushes, and the tower's pattern moved on, bored, uninterested. Those of the outpost would call it luck. He called it listening.

They would soon be at the threshold of the Temple of the Broken Chains.

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

Aiden Porte Ala Quin Balun Dashiell ​

Sibylla kept her steps light, letting Aiden and Balun take the lead.

Watching them work was something she could not quite put into words. She could not sense the Force the way they did, but she saw its touch all around her, the way a droid's optics blinked and turned aside, the way the sweep of patrols shifted just enough to open a path. To anyone else, it might have looked like sheer luck. To her, it was trust placed in skill she would never fully understand.

Her grip on her datapad tightened until her fingers ached. Every scrape of boot against stone, every whisper of breath felt too loud. She only dared to breathe easier when the last patrol passed and the shadows wrapped around them once more.

And then they were finally at the temple gates.

The sheer weight of the place pressed against her chest with an almost heavy, suffocating, and melancholy feeling. She was no Jedi, yet she felt it all the same. The hush of ages, the grief and fury that clung to every stone.

Sibylla felt the knot in her throat grow. Millennia of chains for nothing more than love. Just the sheer injustice of it. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to take a breath as she brought her datapad up, her fingers moving carefully as she navigated the path to head inside.

"Do you know the story of Set and Vere?" She asked the pair in a low voice. Her hazel eyes flicked toward Aiden and Balun before lowering again as she gestured for them to follow.

"Do you know what was done to them? What it cost them just to love?"

She lowered her eyes, finding the path and urging them forward after grabbing a holostick light to illuminate their way inside.

 

[Aiden Porte]

Sibylla Abrantes Balun Dashiell Ala Quin
​

Aiden followed her gesture, the glow of her holostick light casting their shadows long against the broken stone. The first steps into the temple’s mouth were like stepping beneath a great tide, the air heavy, pressing down, as though the years themselves had condensed into weight.

At Sibylla’s question, he slowed, letting his gaze brush the walls where broken chains hung like old scars.

“I know fragments,” he admitted, his voice low, carrying a steady resonance in the hush. “Whispers carried through the Archives. Legends told in places the Jedi would rather forget. Two souls who defied a decree… who placed devotion above the iron of order. Set and Vere paid in chains for a crime the galaxy could never quite decide was sin or sanctity.”

His hand traced the air, careful not to touch the cold iron links fused into the wall. “The Council long before my time in another age, they taught restraint, that love leads to attachment, and attachment to loss. But every story has another side. We as Jedi have evolved since then, where one would consider love a weakness that could lead to the darkside. I am one of those, living proof that the will of Jedi outweighs the strength of darkness-” Aiden glanced down for a moment, his thoughts of Esme entered his mind, he still felt that ache at times. He had come to terms with her passing and what happened after. Based on the logic of those in another age. He should now be swallowed by darkness, woven by grief and despair.

But what isn't told enough is story of hope, and the strength of the heart. The Jedi Knight smiled, her face flashing through his mind.

She would be, for all intents and purposes, his greatest and truest love. Aiden looked up again after another moment. “What I feel here…” He drew a slow breath, eyes closing briefly. “…is not corruption. It is grief. The kind that lingers when vows are broken by force, not by choice.”

He opened his eyes again, steady and clear as he met Sibylla’s hazel gaze. “I don’t pretend to know the whole truth of their story. But injustice leaves an echo that even time cannot silence. And Katabasis still carries it.”

His tone softened when he turned back to Sibylla. “Tell us what you know. Not what the datapads say, but what you’ve learned in the quiet places where truth hides. If we are to walk where Set and Vere were bound, I would rather do it with open eyes.”

The light caught on more chains as they pressed deeper, their forms woven into the very architecture. The temple seemed to lean inward with every step, its silence alive with listening.