Something New
I took more pictures and made sure all the data had downloaded and checked through the files to see if I could make anything be of value without being able to understand the Bendu-monk-like language of the ancient Jedi. After a bit of searching, one of the files seemed to be a map. It took a bit, but I eventually pieced together our location and where we came from. Somewhat deeper in the mountains the map indicated a temple along the ridge, near a volcano. "Darra. Would you agree this place is safe for habitation? I think so. No pests, thanks to the Jedi Door. It's stood for thousands of years without anybody maintaining it. Probably would be good to get an engineer out here just to check things. There's another temple on our way back we should probably investigate."
Darra blinked a few times. "Oh, sorry, right, you were talking. Sorry. My mind kept sticking on the Old Code and comparing it with the new one. It's..."
I nodded. "It allows for Jedi to be people who have feelings, while still maintaining that the Jedi way is to not be controlled by these feelings, instead of denying the presence of feelings. I have to imagine it would make the old Jedi more in tune with the rest of the galaxy."
I marked the location of the volcano temple on the map in my datapad.
"We...I didn't bring enough supplies for an extended archaeology expedition, Riphath. The fact that we're bringing back the five lightsabers from probably the New Sith Wars era...wait...five. We need to go back to Fort McSith on our way back. Unless I miss my guess..." Darra trailed off.
I looked at the aged but elegant-looking lightsaber hilt I'd found earlier. "Vee Eff, from the New Sith Wars." I paused, my eyes staring up into the sky as I mentally paged through everyone it could be. "You think this lightsaber belonged to Valenthyne Farfalla?" I asked, returning to the outside world. "The circlet probably does too. It seems like the sort of princely style he was known for."
"He's said to have lead a team that attempted to eliminate the last two Sith Lords in the galaxy. If we can find the attack cruiser they landed here with...well, we might be able to find more information on the others, and instead of bringing back just some lost lightsabers we're bringing back Valenthyne Farfalla's lightsaber and some others, along with information on the group Farfalla assembled to try to take out Darth Bane. We learn more about the people who went after Bane, who knew more about him, maybe we can find something to use against the Sith who followed his teachings," Darra elaborated.
I blinked.
"I spent a lot of time in the library when I had my previous set of prosthetics. I learned a few things," Darra explained.
I laughed. "Seems like about the only thing you need me for is to make sure nothing sneaks up on you."
"I wanted someone I trust watching my back, and there's nobody I trust more than you," Darra said.
I froze, and then probably went pink. "...Of the people who could go on this sort of trip with you?"
"You gave me my arm and leg back. You've been with me ever since I've been using them to do worthwhile things for the first time since...since then," Darra told me.
I blinked a few more times. My emotions were a mess. "It's...you...I..."
Darra smirked at me. "Voorpak got your tongue?"
I laughed. "I've been glad to be part of it."
A brief search around Fort McSith found a long-abandoned
Paladin-class corvette, Aurebesh letters on the side calling it the
Justice Crusader.
I gestured to the locked boarding ramp. "After you," I said.
Darra blinked twice, then her eyes closed and she walked up to the boarding ramp, her left hand tracing along it and gesturing at certain points. As she completed her circuit, the boarding ramp dropped down. "Just a matter of finding the bolts and popping them open," she said with a grin. "Should be easy enough to lock it back up when we're done."
We explored the
Justice Crusader and I finally decided it would be better to just video everything. After isolating the circuit for the ship's computer, I collected a data dump from it and from anything else we could find. "Well, I had a choice in undergrad: introduction to holography or introduction to archaeology. A couple of buddies were going into holography and that made the choice for me. I really should see about learning more of the past, because apparently it keeps coming up...or in the case of this Sith stuff, never quite being as gone as we'd like."
When we walked back towards the campus of the Tython Jedi Temple, I hit a few buttons on my data collection devices to transmit a copy to my ship. The Watchers would want this stuff. I had no doubt the archaeology people would go crazy for it.
We presented our findings to the Council, who seemed intrigued at the structure we described and how it had been secured. They were also extremely interested in the lightsabers and circlet.
"We shall study your findings. If the lightsaber is indeed Farfalla's, perhaps the other owners can be identified with the data and we can learn more about the New Sith. Thank you for your investigation," Master Rogan said.
I went back to my guest house and was surprised to find Master Rogan knocking on my door about an hour later. He seemed to have something on his mind, so I invited him in.
"Thank you," Jedi Master Rogan said. "We're going to have to investigate that volcano structure, perhaps in a week or two. You and Darra worked well together and we may have you go investigate that soon. Speaking of you and Darra...you've only seen her continued growth, so when I say your connection to her was a focal point of Council discussion on attachments and relationships...the way the two of you bring out the best in each other was instrumental in convincing the Tython Council to be a bit more open-minded on the subject."
I blinked. "Things really do seem different here from the Coruscant Jedi. I doubt I'd have gotten such a warm reception from them."
Rogan smiled. "We're here on Tython because we had philosophical differences from the Coruscant Jedi. This is just more of those differences coming to light over time. Chief among them, at least from what I imagine to be your point of view, the Tython Council is prepared to try out the idea of allowing attachments and relationships. Both parties should declare themselves Luwoban before the Council. It's an old Dai Bendu word meaning, well, partners." He had a bit of a roguish grin on his face which suggested it had certain other connotations and I was reminded again that he seemed to have an interest in ensuring Darra and I would be close.
I realized that if they were familiar enough with old Dai Bendu words to use them as a means of formalizing relationships, they probably would be able to translate our findings fairly quickly. If I wanted the Watchers to get an edge, I would need to move quickly.
