Private The Ossus Expedition

[Miri Nimdok]

The ruins of Ossus were like a gift that kept on giving. No matter how many times the planet was destroyed and the remaining structures on its surface plundered, there always seemed to be one more crumbling temple, hidden tomb, or abandoned academy to raid.

Miri was excited to explore the remnants of another era. She was less happy about the presence of her companion, the Jedi Knight Iris Arani.

Master Yenna had asked Iris to accompany Miri to Ossus. While Miri was more experienced with archaeology, Iris outranked her, and thus was technically the leader of their little expedition. Miri was a loner by nature and preferred solitude, or at minimum the company of trusted friends. She had met Iris briefly during Iris' knighthood ceremony, but otherwise had had little to no interaction with her. They didn't know each other at all.

With all this in mind, Miri waited for Iris just outside her ship, which she had parked in a field near the ruins they would be checking out.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

Miri didn't seem to remember Iris.

Iris certainly remembered her. It wasn't often she saw a friend bash another person's head off a counter. Ara was doing better. Going to make amends and the like when she could. When she felt ready. That just left Iris in a weird situation, especially now. It wasn't her place to say anything, judge anything. Whatever happened was going to be between them. But she still felt weird about it.

What did you say to your friend's x's new girl? Especially one that didn't seem to want Iris there. She didn't say anything, but the colors around her were more than enough for Iris to know that much.

"So.. You do this a lot, right?"

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Of course Miri didn't remember how Iris had helped her at the gala. She'd been unconscious part of the time, and suffering from a concussion for the rest of it. Memory loss was a given in that sort of situation.

Nor was she aware that Iris and Ara were friends. If she had known, would it have made a difference? Perhaps. Ara had yet to apologize, and Miri would've preferred not to discuss that night at all.

"So... You do this a lot, right?"

"Yes, and I've been doing it for a very long time." Miri eyed Iris as she approached. They had arrived in separate ships. "But you are in charge here, not me. You'll be making all the decisions, taking all the responsibility. I can offer advice on how to proceed, if you wish." That should at least prevent them from getting into trouble they could easily avoid.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"That seems.. Dumb. Just because I became a Knight doesn't mean I should suddenly take over something you've done for years, right?" Iris shook her head. She wasn't here to commandeer something from the Padawan. She turned her gaze towards the ruins, nodding once. "Well, unless you want to avoid responsibility I guess. I just don't want to take away from what you know, y'know?"

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri pressed her lips together in a tight line. “Well, you’re a new knight, so I get that the authority may take some getting used to,” she said. “But it’s officially yours. Even if I’m more qualified, I’m still just a padawan. If you transferred your authority to me right now, it would be an informal arrangement. That means if I were to make a mistake, get somebody hurt, whatever, the responsibility would fall on you, because you’re the official leader.”

The rules were designed to protect both parties. A young upstart padawan couldn’t seize power so easily, nor could an arrogant knight try to pin the blame on someone in a more vulnerable position than them. At least, that was how Miri understood the system.

“Whatever you may have heard about me, Dame Iris, you don’t really know me that well,” she continued. “Would you be willing to put that kind of trust in me?”

Her tone made it clear that if she were in Iris’ place, she wouldn’t trust her based on such a thin foundation.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"I.. Can't argue with that. Alright. When it comes to safety, at least in not doing things, I'll have the final say. Otherwise, I'll default to your expertise." Iris nodded once. That seemed fare. And the colors didn't show anything worthy of mistrust thus far. If that changed, well. Iris would know. She smiled as she stepped past, heading for the ruins.

"Of course. We're Jedi. If we can't trust each other, what are we doing?"

Blind trust? No, not again. But the benefit of the doubt? That she would always give. She looked over the entrance, humming just a little. Nothing familiar. Maybe? No, this was certainly Jedi. Ancient.

"How old do you think this is?"

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

"Of course. We're Jedi. If we can't trust each other, what are we doing?"

“There are Jedi ideals, and then there is the nature of sentient beings,” Miri replied. But more than anything else, she simply didn’t know if Iris could be counted upon yet. Hopefully by the end of this mission, she would know.

But she was glad that Iris had accepted the arrangement without further argument. Taking out her datapad, she began taking pictures of the exterior of the ruins.

“This is part of what’s left of the Great Jedi Library. It was built during the time of Odan-Urr, almost six thousand years ago,” she said.

The building was barely more than a cracked foundation and a few pillars of stone scattered across an overgrown landscape. It certainly didn’t look like much… above ground, anyway.

“Based on what I read about past expeditions to this site, we’ll have to find an entrance leading underground.”

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris nodded once, lifting up her wrist to activate the holopad attached there. Pulled up what information she could. Six thousand years ago. It's a long time. A lot longer than she thought it might be, in any case. Ah. Buried. That made a bit more sense for.. Whatever reason. No, she wasn't sure why that made any sense. All that mattered was she was now looking for an entrance down into the place.

A quick survey revealed no such entrance. Whatever was buried was very much buried.

"Domxite, scan for an empty spot underneath. See if you can find where the floors the thinnest." Her ever faithful companion chirped in agreement before hopping off her shoulder. A flux of emotion emanated from them, which to most was just weird. To her, Domxite was humming a tune.

"In your professional opinion, how likely is this place to be sturdy?"

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri was having one of her off days. She couldn’t sense Domxite, whatever that was, or anything with the Force. For now, at least—her condition tended to improve or deteriorate at random.

At Iris’ question, she smirked to herself. She wasn’t a professional, she was just the daughter of one. “That depends on what you mean by sturdy. There could be cave-ins, falling debris, that sort of thing. When we find where the floor is thinnest, we’ll have to break through it to get inside. If we use explosives, that could compromise the structure.”

She continued to walk around the site, taking pictures, before stowing her datapad in her bag. “There’s presumably no power left, so anything mechanical will have probably gone dormant. We’ll be cutting our way through a lot of sealed doors, but on the bright side we won’t have to deal with security systems.”

Still rummaging around in her bag for something else, she figured she might as well try and start up a conversation with Iris about something other than work. “So… how long have you been a Jedi?” she asked.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"Well, good thing we have lightsabers."

Might be a little difficult to cut through the floor if it wasn't thin enough, but the doors? Easy. Iris watched as the little BD unit rushed around, scanning various parts of the ruined floor as the two walked behind them. She shrugged.

"As long as I can remember. You?"

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

"Since I was eight years old," Miri replied.

Iris' answer wasn't particularly surprising. It was almost word-for-word identical to what Kyell had told her, and probably true to the experiences of most Jedi. After all, it was best to start training as early as possible, and many Jedi still believed somewhat in the old philosophy regarding attachments.

"How did you come to know Master Yenna?" she asked as they waited for the droid to find what they were looking for. Perhaps a foolish question, given that they were both Jedi, but she was hoping for more of a story.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"A Sith agent infiltrated a rescue mission I was on. When I exposed them, they attacked. I cut off their arm and knocked them out before they could kill themselves for their failure. Then brought them to Alliance space. Master Yenna was the one who I got in contact with on what to do with the poor girl. We've been working on breaking her programing. Turns out the Sith like to ensure loyalty."

Yeah that covered all of it. They hadn't met each other long, but Iris already had her own reasons to help Yenna. And her own things she wanted to learn from the Jedi Master. Domxite beeped close by, letting out another series of complex emotion. Which Iris acted on, briskly walking beside the droid encased crystal.

"Here? You sure?"

Another wave of emotion.

"Right, right. I'm not doubting you. Alright." She unhooked her saber, glancing back to Miri with a grin. "Found our way in. Vents."

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri listened intently to the story. She disliked the use of the word “programming” when it came to sentient beings, mainly because it was often used in a patronizing manner or as a means to absolve a person of blame for their actions. But when it came to the Sith…

“The Sith are a cult,” she remarked. “It’s a good thing, what you did. As my dad would say, ‘Whoever destroys one life has destroyed the world, but whoever saves one life has saved the world’.”

The droid found a ventilation shaft for them to infiltrate. Miri unhooked her lightsaber from her belt and ignited the violet blade. Given her preference for firearms, the weapon often served little purpose other than as a glorified cutting tool. She plunged the blade into the panel and began to slice a hole big enough to fit her body through.

“My first meeting with Master Yenna was nowhere near as interesting. I was assigned as her Padawan shortly after I transferred to the New Jedi Order from the Silvers.”

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"They are indeed. I'm not sure how to fix the programing. Genetic modification, organic chips in the mind. I've been doing a lot of reading trying to figure it out, but I'm no doctor yet." Yet being the key word. Maybe when the wars calmed she'd get back into her lessons. Maybe. She raised a brow, though. A Silver? She watched as Miri started to cut open the vent, simply letting her handle that part as Domxite hopped back up on her shoulder.

"You're from the Silvers too?"

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

“The Sith have done all that and worse,” Miri said, slicing through the last of the vent. It fell to the floor below with a loud thud. “But are you sure it’s not just programming in the sense of having been part of a cult?”

Someone who was born and raised under the influence of the Sith would be taught to believe in their philosophy and hate the Jedi. Miri didn’t know what the agent’s circumstances were, but genetic modification and implants weren’t cheap. It seemed much more efficient to ensure loyalty by controlling education and the like.

Iris seemed surprised to learn that Miri had been with the Silvers. “Yes. My father and I were both Silver Jedi.” Though she couldn’t talk too much about what role Dad had played within their Order. It was top secret, you see. “Were you also a Silver, then?”

The edges of the hole were still molten, though the red-hot durasteel was rapidly cooling. Miri braved the ring of fire and jumped down into the gap.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"She's a strandcast genetically engineered for loyalty. Part of it is the cult mentality for sure, worshiping the Sith Lord like a benevolent father and god. But there is more that needs to be fixed. Master Yenna thinks she can be helped, at least. I'm not sure how exactly, but I am eager to learn what she can do."

She watched the ring fall, then quickly followed Miri in. She clicked on a light on her hip, the dull blue calmly spreading around them.

"Kind of. I was brought there before I ended up here with the Alliance. I'm pretty sure I painted the temple a couple times."

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

“Ah.” Even more brutally efficient, then. Cloning. She pitied the being that had been crafted into a Sith agent quite literally from conception.

But she let the subject go as they infiltrated the ruins. They seemed to have ended up in a narrow, dark corridor, perhaps a service passage of some sort. The walls were unpainted duracrete, and there were pipes running along one side.

“You… painted the temple?” she echoed Iris’ words incredulously as she began walking forward, using her blade as a light source. “I think I would’ve remembered something like that. Assuming it happened while I was there…”

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"A couple times. It was.. Different, then. The Force is overwhelming at times. When I was younger, painting was the only real way to speak." Iris shrugged, glancing over the walls. Boiler room, perhaps? It clearly wasn't the sanctum or such.

"What do you think we'll find?"

Miri Nimdok

 

[Miri Nimdok]

“Probably not much. This planet has passed hands plenty of times, and no doubt the library has been raided just as much. But, you never know until you see for yourself…”

She followed the hallway up to a sealed door. Once again, she began to cut open a hole in the durasteel with her lightsaber.

Unbeknownst to her, something was waiting for them on the other side.

Iris Arani​

 

[Iris Arani]

"Oh. That's.. Kinda sad."

So much for the thrill of mystery. Iris let out a sigh, turning her gaze around. She frowned after a moment, raising a hand to stop Miri.

The colors had shifted. Danger. The Knight's gaze narrowed on the wall as she unclipped her own saber.

"We're not alone."

Miri Nimdok