Private The Ossus Expedition

[Miri Nimdok]

Iris’ warning came too late. A Shadow emerged from the depths, lashing out at Miri with enough force to send her flying backwards.

She landed hard, rolling across the floor as her lightsaber winked out. Meanwhile the creature turned its attention upon Iris, whipping the Knight with tendrils of darkness.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"Miri!"

She wasn't dead, that much was clear by the colors, but now they had a threat to deal with. Her blade snapped into existence, burning through the air as she tried to batter the creature's assault away. Did, with a quick flourish as she scooted back to keep between it and the Padawan.

"Can you stand?"

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri sat up slowly, shaking her head as if to clear it. Her landing had been rough, but at least she was still conscious. “Look out!” she exclaimed.

The Shadow lunged at Iris again, this time with greater fury. Her blade had passed through it without wounding it, but it was angry that she had dared to defy it.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris just blinked before she met a similar fate to Miri and got thrown back. Stunned, for just a moment, before her eyes narrowed. She swapped her blade, the burning edge turning instead to the Entropic edge as the Shadow lashed out again. And again, her blade passed through it. But not before draining the figure. She couldn't harm it, but she could tire it out.

And get thrown around a bit in the process.

"Go back the way we came! We're leaving! Domxite, guide her back!"

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

“What?!” Miri exclaimed. “But we just got here!”

Staggering to her feet, she pulled a small pebble from a pouch at her belt and threw it at the Shadow. Already weakened by Iris' strange lightsaber, the creature was unable to fight the power of the Vita Stone, and was swiftly banished back to the Netherworld from whence it came.

Miri whirled on Iris, panting and clutching her sore ribs. “Why did you give up so easily?” she asked.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris blinked.

Like that, the creature was just gone. A stone?

She moved, stepping over beside Miri. Reaching a hand out to gently pull on the colors to start healing the wound. Or at least soothe the pain. "I wasn't giving up. I couldn't harm whatever that was and rather than spend time trying to figure it out in here where there could be other dangers, we regroup. What was that stone you used? I've never seen it."

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

“It was a Vita Stone,” Miri answered. “They can banish spirits back to the Netherworld, or create protective barriers guarding against them…”

She walked over, picking up the stone she had thrown, then offered it to Iris for her to inspect. “I apologize for… doubting you,” she said quietly.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris took it, glanced it over. Hummed. That was.. Useful. Very useful. Not that it looked like much. On the surface. The colors around it? A color she hadn't seen before. After a second she handed it back. Blinked.

"You doubted me? I didn't see any doubt."

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri frowned. “No, you wouldn’t. Not everyone is so easily read.”

She gestured toward the cleared entrance. Beyond it was a room full of shelves containing books and other means of storing information. It seemed they had reached the library.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"The colors don't tend to lie. Annoyed, disbelief. Frustration. Not doubt."

Iris shrugged her shoulders before turning her gaze towards what was once surely a library. Now, in ruins. It was amazing that the books seemed to survive such a long time. Without another word she reached up to pull down one of the books. Only for the papers to turn to dust the moment she tried to open it. Perhaps they didn't survive as well as she initially thought, then.

".. I take it you know of a way to preserve these?"

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri’s confusion only grew. “Colors? What colors?”

As they ventured into the library, Miri took a moment to tend to the worst of her wounds. Even then, it was little more than superficial cuts and bruises. They stung, but were nothing too serious.

She looked up at the sound of Iris’ voice to find her holding the remains of a book that had crumbled to dust. Wincing, she walked over and examined the books.

“No, actually,” she said. “Organic material like this… if it’s already in such a bad state that it crumbles like that at the slightest touch, there’s nothing we can do to preserve it.” Scanning her eyes over the shelves, she clasped her hands behind her back. "If you do find any that are in better shape, I can move them onto my ship and save them for study. Such as... this one." She gently slid a book off the shelf. The pages were not made of organic material, and thus didn't rot over time or fall prey to nature.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"The Force. I see it as a spectrum of colors."

Right. Not everyone knew. Though the news there wasn't a way to preserve some of them was.. Disheartening. Stories, knowledge, all lost because they couldn't be preserved. At least not all of it was rotting away. She nodded, glancing through the shelf. Trying to find one that wasn't made of paper or such. .. Like a datacron. She blinked as she plucked up the little cube, peering it over.

"Curious."

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

"I see." Miri had heard that some people saw the Force in unique ways, and she supposed this was no different. "Are these colors able to bypass mental shielding, then?" she asked. There was a note of discomfort in her tone. She didn't like the idea of strangers being able to see her emotional state, and had taken measures to prevent her thoughts and feelings from being so easily read by others.

As the two women continued to explore the chamber, Miri watched as Iris picked up a datacron. "You may activate it," she said, assuming Iris knew how to activate a datacron.

Iris Arani

 

[Iris Arani]

"If you're feeling it, you're feeling it. There's a lot artifacts and such can hide in the colors, but they don't stop you from feeling. .. And when you feel, well. They're there." It'd been the same way with Kai. Even with the artifact to hide what he was, she could still see his colors. See how he was feeling. Her expression dimmed a little before she clicked on the device without another word.

It sputtered. Flickered out an image. Then went silent. Her frown deepened.

".. You know how to repair these by chance?"

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

“Has anyone ever gotten angry with you for reading their emotions?” Miri asked coolly, crossing her arms over her chest.

She took the broken datacron from Iris, fiddled with it a bit, struck it against the butt of her hand a few times, then activated it again. This time, it worked. “There.” She handed it back to Iris.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"All the time. I generally avoid bringing up the subject." Except she was the one who did. She frowned for a moment, more at herself. ".. I'll work on not bringing it up."

She took back the datacron. Clicked it on again. This time it did activate. The image of a Jedi from an age long past flickered into life. It was a simple lesson in lightsaber ethics. When to use a saber, when not to. At least until the image flickered.

Then it turned to one of chaos. The Jedi from before now stood, older. Bruised and beaten.

"They- They betrayed us. Without hesitation they betrayed us. So many dead. .. I'll join them, soon. We- We can't be forgotten. The galaxy needs the Jedi. If you've found this, keep it safe. Hope for the day the Jedi will return."

Then it cut out, returned to the original lesson. Iris blinked, glancing to Miri for a moment.

"Huh."

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

“It’s not a matter of bringing it up or not that I’m getting at,” Miri said. “If you can sense people’s emotions to the point where you might learn something about them that they’re trying to keep secret, that could get you in serious trouble. Not to mention that it’s a violation of privacy.”

She didn’t fully believe that Iris could see everything, despite what she claimed. But it still needed to be said. Iris didn’t seem to be aware how dangerous her ability could be, or at least she didn’t understand why it was dangerous.

They both stood by and watched the datacron recording. It was a curious find, indeed.

“If I had to guess, that recording might be from the time of the Clone Wars,” she said. “Or perhaps a little more recent. There have been multiple Jedi Purges throughout history, and any one of them could be the one he’s referring to.”

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"That'd be easy to avoid, if I could just turn it off."

She sighed. Frowned. She knew how much her colors could get her in trouble. Better than most. She also just couldn't stop. They were as much her as breathing. Though, she didn't linger on it. The find they had was far more interesting.

"Multiple purges, huh? .. Spooky."

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

“You can,” Miri argued. “There has to be a way to alter your perceptions. There’s always a way when it comes to the Force.”

But Iris didn’t seem interested in continuing the conversation. Miri pursed her lips. She didn’t want to let the subject go, but if Iris wouldn’t talk, she had no choice but to move on.

“An Order of space wizards with godlike powers is bound to draw plenty of enemies, whether we were accused of being too passive or too involved in the business of others. There have been wars against the Sith, civil wars between Jedi, and a betrayal by the Old Republic, all of which led to Jedi Purges.”

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

That was a grim history. A very grim history. Iris just nodded as she clicked off the device. A record of history. If they figured out from how long ago, they'd know at least which purge. And maybe they could figure out who this Jedi was. Help them not be forgotten.

She gripped the datacron just a little more before slipping it into a pouch. Later.

".. You find anything else?"

Miri Nimdok