Why go back?

[Adron Malvern]

Adron glanced over to Kay as she stepped forward. A short sigh escaped him as he glanced over to Kay. She was likely hoping to solve things in a peaceful manner. Admirable.

One of the droids stepped forward, the black cloak it wore embedded with the ancient symbol of the Jedi. It was his voice they had heard this entire time.

“The Holocron was meant to be passed onto a worthy heir of House Dooku. However, as the ages passed, one never revealed itself. Each and every candidate wanted the Holocron for selfish, evil reasons. Long ago, Count Crixus Malvern decided to take the Holocron as his own. His daughter, Adronia Malvern confronted him. Forced to terminate his life, she decreed the holocron must never leave this room, never return to the galaxy.”

Adron’s jaw ticked as he heard the ancestor for which he had been named. Yet, he spoke up once again. “I cannot risk the Sith getting their hands on this Holocron.” Adron revealed, yet his own agenda was the path he had set the artifact on.

“I have monitored the Sith occupation of Serenno. It is likely that they will find the Holocron within the next ten years.” The Droid divulged.

“So you will let me take it?”

“I am sorry, My Lord. I am not programmed to allow such a thing. My programming is to use deadly force to ensure the holocron never leaves the vault.” The druid's staff spun in its hands a moment before the others began to encircle Kay and Adron.

“Deadly force it is, then.” Adron said, matter of factly before charging forward. In a quick flash, his violet colored blade connected with the Droid’s staff, sending off a loud crack as he entered battle.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

"Wait!!!" Kay called out as [member="Adron Malvern"] struck the droid's staff. Surely the droids knew logic and were programmed to follow it.

She stepped forward again. "By your own admission, you are doomed to fail in under a decade! Lord Malvern is it's Keeper! Don't you think that the holocron is far safer in the hands of one that's meant to protect it, than to fall to the Sith? If he had wanted it for selfish reasons than he would have come a long time ago...."

Kay wasn't sure of his reasons to retrieve the holocron, but she had hoped that they were good ones. She unclipped her lightsaber and held it's tip against the holocron under her arm. Whether or not she could pierce it, she wasn't sure. But it was a bluff anyways. "Let Lord Malvern do as he was charged to do by his family, or I will have to destroy it in order to ensure that the Sith don't get their hands on it." There was no selfish reason for her to do this, other than to get them out alive.

 

[Adron Malvern]

As Adron’s lightsaber collided with the droid’s staff he was forced to halt his attack. As they stood, their weapons locked on each other, the Droid looked up to Kay. Glancing back at Kay, Adron called out to her.

“Kay! No!” He called out to her.

Where did she get a lightsaber? Why was she holding the lightsaber to the holocron?!

The droid paused, before looking back down to Adron. “It may be destroyed. As long as it is destroyed here.”

Adron grunted before stepping back, allowing the droid to stumble forward. The moment was quick, but it allowed Adron an opening. Stepping to the side, his lightsaber flew down the droid’s torso, slicing it in half. Immediately the rest of the droids fell upon him, four of them surrounding Adron while two approached Kay.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Her bluff didn't work! It made her wonder why the droids didn't try to destroy it earlier.

She looked [member="Adron Malvern"] as he cut one of them in half. Everything was going to change now, and usually it did for the worse. But there was little choice that she had. With two of the droids already closing in on her, their staffs humming in anticipation, Kay dropped her guard and opened herself up to the Force. It felt like a rush as it flowed through her once again. Still gripping her lightsaber, she waved her hand as she ignited the red blade, and sent out a Force push, knocking one of the droids into the other. She approached them quickly and cut through their flailing limbs as though she was trimming wayward pines.

She pivoted on her heels, spinning around so that she now faced Adron and his opponents. Another Force Push was brought against a droid, and this time she sent the metallic being against the nearest chamber wall. Sparks flew as it struck the wall hard and landed in a crumpled mess.

 

[Adron Malvern]

​Adron could sense the shift in the Force as Kay revealed herself.

​I've been a fool. He mused, yet it was only for a moment. Two of the Magnaguards approached him, each baring their staffs towards the man. One hand outstretched to grip one of the droids with the Force. Unable to move, Adron's lightsaber swung in a wide arc, sweeping over the other Droid's staff. Slicing the weapon in half, Adron's lightsaber flowed straight through the Droid's chest.

​These droids sensors worked in a dual setting, so merely beheading them or taking a limb would do no good.

​Turning back to the droid gripped by The Force, Adron closed his hand into a fist, watching as the metal creaked loudly until finally it was crushed, destroying it's sensors. A droid flew behind him, smashing into the wall, sent flying by Kay, he assumed. The droid before him caught him off guard, a quick flurry of strikes coming from the Magnaguard. Loud, rapid, cracks erupted as their weapons went into a quick flourish of parry's.

​Ducking from a wide swipe, Adron aimed his lightsaber for the droid's chest, running it through and immediately slicing up, destroying both it's sensors. As the final droid slid to the ground, disabled, Adron exhaled audibly. Running a hand through his hair, he glanced over to Kay apologetically. "Sorry. I wasn't expecting they would try to stop me." He said, before gesturing to the door that now stood open.

"Care to take our leave?" He asked, deactivating his lightsaber and clipping it to his waist. Glancing over at her own, he decided to keep his inner thoughts to himself. "Nice color." He said, making his way to the exit hall.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

As the last of the droids were destroyed, Kay lowered her blade, shutting her lightsaber off in the same movement so that it retreated and missed burning the ground. At least a door had opened so that they could walk out easily, instead of having to cut their way through.

She looked to [member="Adron Malvern"] as he spoke, apologizing for the attack. "It's okay..."

Still she expected anger or disappointment to come from him. Instead Adron gestured for them to take their leave. Kay clipped her lighsaber at her back beneath her coat and shrank her Force Signature back down once again. As she approached, she offered a bit of a smirk at his comment on her blade's colour. "I thought it fitting, given who's occupying this world right now." As soon as she reached him, she held out the holocron. "Here. And just so you know...I wasn't going to destroy it." That would have been stupid if she did.

 

[Adron Malvern]

Either Adron did not care to press Kay’s ability to use the force or genuinely did not care. It could be hard to tell as he simply treated it as if it didn't happen. Taking the Holocron from her, he eyed the small silver pyramid with an arched brow. After glancing back over to her, he returned her smirk and made his way through the door. Once again they would find themselves at the turbolift.

Adron stepped in and just like the first time offered his hand to the Queen. “Thank you.” He told her, nodding appreciatively.

Once they were inside, he looked up, praying the lift would be faster than it had coming down.

Slower.

A vein on Adron’s forehead grew as the lift crept up, back to the surface. He knew the lifts we're old and needed to be attended to, but this was a bit ridiculous. Nearly halfway up the lift began to speed up a bit, causing the Count to exhale. “I'm glad this is one of the last times I'll be here for a while.”

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

The lift again. Oh joy.

Kay took hold of [member="Adron Malvern"] 's hand and stepped inside with him. The small space felt a bit more uncomfortable, but more so on her end. She chewed the inside of her cheek as the lift slowly crept upwards, almost reluctantly so.

Again she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. "At least you got what you came for. Do the Sith know that it's here? They may try to stop it from leaving if they did. We'll have to plan for an ambush once we reach the surface, just in case...." And that wasn't something to look forward to either. But maybe they'd be lucky.

 

[Adron Malvern]

The lift continued to creep up and Adron chuckled a bit at his Queen’s words. “This vault was built before my family moved here. Even the other Count’s don't know where it is. We should be clear from here on out.” He said, just as the lift finally came to a halt.

The lift door opened and the cold winds coursed directly to Adron’s bones. His hand went out to stop Kay from exiting the lift. He took a moment and reached out with The Force, searching for anything that may be waiting.

Nothing.

Content with his results, he allowed Kay to step out of the lift, and followed closely behind her.

He would gesture to the pass, a nod of his head as they made their way down. “Come on. I could use some tea. Let's get out of here.”

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

One of these days [member="Adron Malvern"] was going to have to tell her the story of just who built the vault and who a lot of those treasures belonged to. If not from his family, then who? Kay looked down to the broach that he gave her. Was it from his family? Or another? She wasn't familiar with the design.

The lift soon stopped. The cold bit into her through her clothes. Right. She had forgotten about that. Adron bade her to wait, so she did. More than likely he was looking for the ambush that she spoke of earlier.

Nothing seemed to be there. Good.

Kay exited the lift when he gave the all clear. "That would be lovely." The snow and ice crunched under her feet as she walked, their footprints from earlier were still visible, although the wind blew parts of them away. "Thank you for not getting mad, by the way." Hopefully he knew what she had meant by that.

 

[Adron Malvern]

​Adron did something that could prove risky. Focusing on the Force as he passed through the pass, he glanced over to Kay. "I brought some Sapir tea. I know how much you enjoy it." He said, nonchalantly. However, once they passed through the wreckage of the gate, Adron turned back to his former home.

​He offered the manor grounds a silent gaze before one hand reached into the sky. Clenching that hand into a fist Adron allowed The Force to explode from him. The result was a loud clap, as a kinetic blast slammed into the top of the mountain. The blast forced the snow that had been built up for years to tumble and fall, slowly but surely inducing an avalanche. Adron watched as the Mountain snows threatened to cover his former home.

​He watched with an accepting smile.

​Turning away from the display he continued towards the shuttle, urging Kay to come along as well.

​As she spoke of him being angry at her, he arched a brow before shrugging. "You're like me, You forgot." He said, offering a warm smile.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Sapir tea. Was there any other kind? Of course there was, but Sapir was her favourite. "Thank you. I find it to be very comforting."

Kay paused as [member="Adron Malvern"] paused. She raised a brow, turning to look back at where they had been once he did. Even with her Force Sensitivity hidden, she felt the power building up in him, given that she was right next to him. Still the loud clap made her jump. The rumble was both heard and felt as the snow started to cascade down the mountain, covering what was once her advisor's childhood home. Did he have any other places to call his own? Even Kay had another residence on Commenor, one that Veiere had built for her. Perhaps his other home was somewhere in the Empire's territory. She had no idea.

It was done. Adron started walking again and so she followed. It was warmer for her to keep moving anywaus. She glanced around, looking for any signs of danger. Only now did he respond to her statement from earlier. Kay raised a brow. "Forgot? No, that's not it. I just...Nevermind. It's a conversation for another time." Although she didn't see anyone around, that didn't mean that no one was listening.

 

[Adron Malvern]

​Once they made it to their ship, Adron tucked the Holocron into a small black sack. He had plans for the device but they were not plans he could instigate before The Queen. Working to get the starship space worthy, Adron gestured for Kay to join him once again. "I never imagined the vault would try to stop me from taking the Holocron." He said, however his mental musings were kept to himself.

​As their freighter began to rock and quake, Adron arched a brow. "I havn't started the engines y- Oh kark...." He leaned up, turning on the rear monitor feed. The avalanche the man had started had crested the pass, now threatening to roll over their own landing site. "Strap in!" He told her, rapidly flipping the necessary switches to prime the engines. It was a common procedure to let your engines heat up before attempting to take off, but as that meant death Adron was not quick to follow procedure. He watched as the red light on the panel indicated the engines were still offline. In the meantime, he turned to the instrument panel, working to get that online as well. Every moment his eyes glanced up at the indication light.

Finally, as the avalanche broke through the base of the pass, the red light turned yellow, indicating the engines were ready.....enough.

His hand slapped against the throttle, watching as the engine sensors went crazy. A loud clap could be heard before the ship shot forward, Adron pulling back on the guidance controls. Snapping many of the trees they had landed near, Adron chuckled a bit as he watched the snow wash over the area they had just sat. "Well. I guess even nature though we didn't deserve a break." He joked, before priming the Hyperdrive and preparing to breach the atmosphere. The moment they came out of the thick wall of cloud and heat, Adron glanced around, happy to see there were still no Sith ships flagging them. "Let's get out of here." He said, glancing down to the Hyperdrive controls.

Pulling back on the lever, their ship flitted back into Hyperspace, their destination Commenor.

"Well, how about that tea?" Adron said, a true smile on his face for the first time in a while.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

"Well, for one thing, at least you know that it was capable of stopping others from getting it too." Kay stepped into the ship after [member="Adron Malvern"] had. Already she felt warmer, for the ship was quite insulated against the cold weather outside.

The rumble didn't sound good. She heard it just before the ship began to shake. Uh oh. Quickly she took her seat in the co-pilot's chair and buckled herself in, albeit with some trouble. The rocking of the ship made it difficult to snap the buckle into place, but the had done it.

Kay's head rocked back as Adron pushed the throttle, her hands gripping the arm rests of the chair. Her eyes closed, not out of fear, but just while she hoped that they'd get out of there in time.

And they did.

She breathed a sigh of relief before opening her eyes and letting herself relax somewhat. Of course she was looking through the viewport for any signs of enemy.ships coming to intercept them. But there were none. Thankfully.

Kay smirked as Adron asked for tea with a very pleased look on his face. "Coming right up." She unbuckled herself and got to her feet. Hopefully there were no gravity wells to stop them. Afterall, that might cause them to spill there tea and who wanted that? She made her way to the kitchen area and prepared there cups. It only took minutes before Kay was on her way back with a couple of steaming cups of tea. She sat down after giving Adron his, and then took a tiny sip. "Perfect." Leaning back in the chair, she looked to him in what one could guess as in a serious manner. "I'd appreciate it if you could keep my abilities a secret..." That was something that had always worried her as people don't tend to trust Force Users in positions of great power.

 

[Adron Malvern]

​As Kay disappeared to fetch the tea, Adron began to check the ship's engines. While the cold start certainly did not help the aged ship, it did not seem to cause any effects of notice. Unbuckling himself from the pilot's seat, he glanced at the Navicomputer. It would be many hours before they were safe within Commenor's space. Kay returned to the cockpit with two cups of hot sapir tea. Taking the cup from the Queen, Adron offered a silent "Thank you," before taking a sip of the drink. Sapir was certainly a tea he enjoyed, even though he felt he drank more than enough what with his proximity to the sapir addicted queen.

​The moment she sat, she offered him a serious gaze. Her expression gave the topic away before she had even begun speaking.

​So she was keeping this secret close to heart? Not surprising. There was no information in the Imperial Databanks about Kay's knowledge of the Force. One that was obviously above a novice. For Imperial Intelligence to be ignorant of such an important feature was rather disappointing. However, Kay seemed to hide it well. Even when Adron's assassin was sent for her, she did not result to using The Force.

​"I had no clue I was employed by a Jedi." He said, with a rather amused smile. Yet the words nearly made him throw up. Adron despised most Jedi. While some had proven to be competent enough, most were viewed by him as anarchists who cherished their precious code over all else. In many ways they were worse than any Sith.

​"Or perhaps a Sith?" He said, musing a bit out loud. "Now that would be interesting. The most esteemed Queen Kay, a Sith Lord in disguise? I'd buy that book."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

"Veiere was the Jedi, not me." She smirked a little as she had another sip of her tea. Veiere WAS the Jedi. And look at how well that turned out.

She stared at nothing for a moment, quietly contemplating just how she was going to answer [member="Adron Malvern"] , and how much she would reveal. Her old bodyguard would get after her for keeping such secrets, mad that she didn't trust him enough. Kay didn't want to repeat that mistake.

"My parents hated Force users. Once I showed the signs of having the sensitivity for it, I was given up for adoption. I learned though, from others. Most were outcasts, some were Sith. After my first husband was murdered in front of me because we tried to get out from under a Sith Lord's boot, I just kept it secret. I learned how to hide it from detection and went into politics, serving for the Republic. Force users were barred from serving, yet because I was unknown to them, I managed to keep my secret and serve. It all worked out well until I needed help. I sought it from a Jedi Master that also served the Republic. Yet instead of him helping me, he arrested me and brought me in. I was nearly executed then, and had to leave the Republic Senate. False reasons were given as the Republic didn't need a scandal." She took another sip of her tea before continuing on. "A Sith Lord caught me on Commenor once. I don't know how he knew about me, but he did. I was tortured for months on end before I finally gave in. And when I was finally returned home, the Elders that ruled Commenor had died. Given that they had no children and I was the elected President, I took their place. Although...it wasn't supposed to be this way, with a Monarchy. I was supposed to rule as they did, in a secret location and to just advise and oversee the elected leadership. But I didn't want to remain hidden from anyone. Nor did I want others to be targeted like I was. So...I changed things."

Kay looked to Adron then, focusing on him once more. "People don't trust Force Users in power. If everyone found out, then we could lose a lot of allies. They would think that I was the new Emperor Palpatine, but I'm not. He was far more manipulating and conniving than I could ever be."

 

[Adron Malvern]

Adron listened to the Queen's story intently, his lips taking to his cup ever so often to allow a sip. After she finished, Adron chuckled a bit at her reference to the ancient Sith Lord, Sidious, who brought the entire galaxy to it's knees. Setting his cup on the console for a moment, Adron adjust his jacket, offering a knowing smile to the Queen. "Your capacity to use the Force is irrelevant to me in almost every way. You're not a Jedi, nor a Sith, so you're not my enemy. You asking me to keep this a secret is no different than if you had a birth mark you wished others not to know about." He explained to her.

Clearing his throat, he chuckled a bit once again. "Of course, you have proven yourself an expert of deception. To hide such a thing from the known galaxy for so long? Impressive."

Taking the cup of tea back into his hands, he leaned back into his chair. Apparently stifling a yawn. "I think you should tell people the truth. I assume I'm not the only one who knows, and if it comes out the wrong way you could be in a lot of trouble."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smirked at [member="Adron Malvern"] 's remark on some secret birthmark. If only it was that simple, that easy to be dismissed. But it wasn't. Such a thing had caused her a lot of strife and in some cases a lot of pain.

An expert at deception. That wasn't really something that she wanted to be known for. Such a thing led others to be more inclined to think that she had some ill intent in keeping her Force sensitivity a secret. But she didn't. It was just to protect herself. And now her family too.

She sipped her tea, frowning slightly as Adron suggested that she let everyone know. He sounded a lot like Veiere, for he had said the same thing, for people had accepted him, a Jedi, with being King. In a perfect Galaxy she'd be treated with the same respect. But in her experience, that wouldn't be true. "It's too late for that. Doing so now would cause a lot of anger and distrust. It could turn people against us. It could bring about the question of how I came into power and put my leadership at risk. I can't do that..." There were so many different scenarios that she could think of. And all of them were bad.

 

[Adron Malvern]

​Adron was in no position to judge Kay for hiding her skills with The Force. In all honesty, now that he had solidified a place with Commenor, he did not care to use the information against her. Of course that could always change, however he did not see that in the foreseeable future. Raising his shoulders in a content shrug, Adron drank down a bit more of his tea. There was a look that flashed over his face before he spoke once again, perhaps a moment of reflection. He eyed the Commenori Queen before clearing his throat. "Kay, I'm leaving the Empire." He said plainly, clearing his throat. "Defecting, actually. As I'm the Deputy Grand Moff and Captain of the Imperial Guard I can't just leave....they won't ever let me leave."

​The man was taking a risk by revealing this to Kay, yet he figured now he had leverage that could keep her silent if need be. "The Emperor is a Sith Lord. Soon there is going to be a civil war and it's all a plan to destroy his enemies within the Empire." Adron seemed more human in this moment, there was no sign of a false face or hidden agenda behind the man. Even his presence in The Force was calm and unwavering. "I was a pawn in Sith games once before. I won't be one again."

​"When I joined the Empire it was so I could one day free my homeworld. That was almost seven years ago. The Galactic Empire isn't going to fight the Sith, I've accepted that." He said, revealing a soft smirk to the Queen.

​"The Empire isn't going to help me free Serenno. I doubt there is anyone out there who can. But I cannot do what I need to do if I'm tethered to the Emperor and his agenda." The divide of working with Commenor and the Empire had been strenuous enough, yet he was not sure he could keep it up much longer. And that divide had completely destroyed his personal agenda, of finding the enemies of the Sith Empire and exploiting them,

​"I don't know how Emperor Kardal will respond when I leave, especially seeing that more and more of my men want to leave with me. Aside from the Sovereign Protectors....The Imperial Guard is mine." He said, crossing his arms over his chest with a soft exhale. "I guess I'm telling you this because soon, Commenor may have to disavow me. Or risk tension with the Empire."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

The light shrug of his shoulders indicated his indifference to the whole thing. Kay wasn't sure if it was good or bad. But it didn't matter anyways. She was firm in her decision to keep her secret a secret for as long as possible.

A brow was raised as [member="Adron Malvern"] informed her of his decision to leave the Empire. More than likely it wasn't an easy choice to make. And hearing that the Empire wouldn't let him go, well that just reminded her of the Mandalorians. After being adopted into Clan Raxis, Kay found out that she couldn't leave either. Not through marriage, or ignoring orders, nothing. Even now she was further entrenched with their leadership given that she was now the aunt to their Mandalore. The more Kay tried to get out, the deeper she got in. Perhaps it didn't help that her daughter was getting training by a few of them either.

"The Emperor is a Sith?" So he was a lot like Palpatine. If word got out, then she would REALLY need to keep her own secret maintained. And it made her wonder about the 10,000 cloned troops that were gifted to her, as well as the favours that she still owed the man. "Civil war...If the Emperor feels as though he's losing, then he might remember the favours that I owe him and try to collect on them. And if he is killed...well...who would take his place?" The fact that Adron wanted to leave gave her the indication that he wasn't planning to be a part of it.

Kay sipped her tea as he continued. She felt bad for him as he was unable to free his world from the Sith at this time. But even her own government couldn't be of any help. They didn't have the military strength to take on the Sith themselves.

"You want to leave us?..." There were plenty that did that, using her government as a stepping stone to greater things. "You don't have to leave, you know. But I understand your reasoning all the same. Still, it's a shame to see you go." Veiere had told her to gather a close circle of people around her, with Adron being one of them. It was stability that she needed, yet that was difficult to grasp for long.

She remained silent for a time while gazing out of the window. "You're always welcome here. Even if it brings trouble to our door."