The Orb

[Cedric Grayson]

The device was one of grave importance; one that could not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands lest it wreak great chaos among the order's already dwindling member. No form of intelligence would be safe, all forms of communication would have to be assumed to be compromised. The let such a tool remain at large, even with the problems he was already dealing with, was horribly irresponsible.

Thus Darius Sedaire had set out for Ryloth to meet with the most unlikely of allies. His arrival had gone mostly unnoticed, making a scene was never beneficial in the line of work he'd found himself in lately. His lightsaber was worn freely on his belt as he strode down from the landing pad toward the entrance of the ruins. It was here that he was met with two Confederacy security guards, whom were both convinced to step aside after a brief explanation of alliance with the Silver Jedi and Darius' membership with that order.

Left to his own devices, the Jedi Knight descended into the ruins, the maddening call of the dread machine screaming out to him from the buildings' depths. Though it would have been deafening to most, Darius found it oddly familiar; a side effect of spending so much time in the presence of cursed artifacts.

A quiet sigh fell from his lips as he settled down to rest at the entrance to the ruins eastern wing. It was here that he chose to reflect on his situation, and properly commune with the force. Feelings of anxiety and doubt were cast aside in favor of clarity; a clarity that was broken by an unfamiliar presence.

Green eyes drifted open as Darius moved to size up this new visitor.

 

[Srina Talon]

Srina hadn’t actually been present during the initial excavation of the ancient Sith Academy that had been hidden on Ryloth, but as one of the Vicelord’s apprentices, she was often called upon for many tasks. This included, but was not limited to, escorting others through a potentially hostile territory. The ruins were, more than anything, dangerous and bleak. In her eyes, it was little more than a pit of despair, and not worth the trouble to scavenge artifacts from.

There was no power located within the layers of crumbling stone that she could not live without. But, Srina did not have the same mindset as some, and that was the reason the Academy was still under full lockdown.

The Sith Academy itself was shrouded in mystery and secrets, located beyond the crystal plains, and hidden beneath an eternal lightning storm. There were numerous obfuscation and warding spells that protected the location, and to that end, at her Master's request, she was scheduled to meet with Darius Sedaire. Some strings had been pulled, exceptions had been made, and through this, the Jedi had been allowed entrance where others had been denied.

The little Echani had arrived at the appropriate timeframe but she didn’t see anyone, outside of the appropriate mystical archaeologists, and droids that didn’t belong. Lightning crashed not far away, turning clumps of sand to glass, and the white-haired woman watched it with narrowed eyes. “Has anyone passed this way?”, she questioned the security droid at the door, holding a pale blue muslin scarf over the lower half of her face, while she waited for an answer.

“Yes ma’am. A Jedi. Darius Sedaire. He had clearance.”, the droid responded mechanically, before looking down at a datapad. He seemed confused as he looked between the Vicelord’s apprentice and his information. “Do you need back up?”

“No.”, Srina responded with a faint grimace that remained invisible due to her scarf. “Thank you.”

With that, she turned to head inside. The interior of the building was oddly well preserved. Likely, due to some sort of Force perversion or witch-magic. The pale skinned woman was clad for her duty, wearing onyx, form-fitting armor, from head to toe. Her lightsaber sat at the curve of her hip and long hair, seemingly made of liquid moonlight, remained braided back in one thick rope. A pair of goggles lay around her neck and she had a small pack to carry a few necessities.

From the entrance hall to the spacious main hall, she found a man seated nearest to the entrance of the eastern wing. It was good that he hadn't gone much further. Most of the traps had been dealt with already, but there were still quite a few, nasty in nature, that could easily ensnare a lone explorer. “Sedaire, I presume.”, Srina formally broke the silence, her voice echoing in the acoustics, with the consistency of morning bells. There was something in her stance that held a quiet confidence. She was not arrogant but it was obvious that the woman hadn’t slouched a day in her life. Her spine was straight as a pin. “I am to be your guide, as per the Vicelord.”

“My name is Srina Talon.”

[member="Darius Sedaire"]

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