Ask Exploring the Unexplored

[Renfry]

Between Emryc and Renfry the pair of them had schedules that could have kept at least four people busy. Managing, micro-managing, plotting, and planning took up almost every waking moments of their days, and because of this the two of them didn't really get to see much of each other anymore. It was something she didn't like, but had come to accept.

It was a rarity that the two of them actually got to break away and do something like this anymore. But ancient ruins and civilizations were something that both of them were interested in, and it wouldn't require either of them to be seen in public together... you know, suspicious.

She came down from the Ascension and took a deep breath of the damp jungle air. She was ecstatic to be in the jungle for this one, not stuck on some horrid desert world like Korriban. Insufferable planet.

The clothes she wore were much more like those she had worn when they had first met: practical for the jungle and adorned with her hunting knife and saber and a small pack on her back.

She reached into pocket and pulled out what would most accurately be likened to a "treasure map" and looked at it, throwing her mind into it and taking the opportunity to not to think about anything related to the Empire.

Somehow I don't think this map is going to be very accurate anymore, she muttered to herself as she twisted it around several times in an attempt to figure out which way was the direction she was actually looking at ahead.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

“Of course it’s not,” Emryc grumbled as he fell into step to join her, “This entire thing is a myth,” Which was exactly why the half Sephi jumped at the opportunity to go explore. He was dressed in simple civilian hiking attire, a full sleeved shirt, shorts with many pockets, hiking boots and a hat. Of course his usual cologne as well. There was a sporty chrono on his left wrist that suggested they had a few hours of daylight left. In truth, he missed doing this kind of thing with Renfry. Those days of them both fumbling through different ruins and temples seemed like centuries ago. Now they stood by one another as some of the most powerful beings in the galaxy.

And Renfry still couldn’t read a map.

Emryc reached over and turned the map sideways to align it to the path they were currently on. If she looked at it for a few seconds, it would slowly begin to make sense. He said nothing about it, keeping his usual poker face expression on.

The half Sephi stuffed his hands in his pockets as he began to walk. They had quite a ways to go, and he packed a tent and supplies in a pack he carried on his back. Renfry was usually the type to sleep outside and be perfectly comfortable anywhere. He wondered if that still held true now that she had a taste of that royal life.

“So, Empress,” He stated after a moment as they began to walk, “I’m impressed you haven’t tried bossing me around,” He flashed her a grin.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry continued to twist and turn the map all around in front of her before he finally righted it. She squinted at it almost angrily before looking up at the area ahead and decided that infuriatingly enough he was right despite only looking at it for about 3.5 seconds.

I don't usually use maps to navigate, she objected with a grumble. She hadn't needed maps on her home-world. Why she even the one carrying the map when she was clearly quite worthless with it.

Her lips twisted up into a pouting scowl and she made a throaty grunting noise before shoving it away again.

She fell into step next to him as they walked through the jungle, still getting a little beat of excitement every time he called her Empress. Not anyone else. Just him. She hated that he still made her feel that way despite her attempts to emotionally detach herself from him, but that momentary annoyance was quickly replaced by the quiet acceptance of her situation once again.

Yes, well would you listen if I tried? she asked, looking over at him with a "judgmental mother" look that still managed to be about 25% smirk.

It was only at this point that she really stopped to notice the disparity in what they were both carrying. What on Coruscant was he carrying in that backp... oh cologne! She got a momentary whiff of it and took a quick breath in to catch another. She missed that.

No, but really, what do you have in that pack of yours? she asked. Did you bring a whole box of Clorox wipes? she asked. She knew how obsessively clean he was about things and she still had no idea how he was going to survive camping.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc stared blankly at her as she complained about using maps.

“Who needs maps when you can just eat some shrooms and ask trees for directions?” The half Sephi shot back icily. In fact, that was exactly what he had seen some of the ‘priestesses’ on Dathomir do before they gave their profound speeches about speaking the word of the Fanged Spirit. Despite Emryc bringing it up with Renfry, she vehemently denied it and pretended it didn't happen.

The half Sephi gazed out over the horizon, spotting mountains and cliffs ahead of them. He despised the thought of doing more climbing, but it made up for the fact that he didn’t hit the gym today.

“Depends,” He said with a faint grin, “If you ask nicely enough.”

Emryc stared at her vacantly at her preposterous questions about his pack. He was a large man, and the pack he carried was quite big. It looked as if he carried enough supplies and a tent to fit four people. Really it was because he knew Renfry was worthless and wouldn’t have packed anything.

“Survival is what I have in here,” He muttered dryly, “I brought three boxes, actually. High and mighty Empress and you’re still as uncivilized as ever,” He grumbled quietly, though a grin tugged at his lips. In truth, he would never change that about her. It was a quirk of hers that stayed with her for as long as he had known her. As Sith, they had to dismantle themselves and reassemble. Only a few pieces remained throughout that grueling process, and this was one he was glad she hadn’t shed.

They kept walking until Emryc spotted a rock formation shaped vaguely like a Taun Taun. He stared at it for a moment, “That’s a trail marker, isn’t it?”

 

[Renfry]

Renfry glared at him as they rehashed this topic yet again. You know that's not how it works, she objected. There were many herbal supplements and teas that certain people took to enhance their meditation. She didn't use them personally, but it wasn't getting high and talking to trees!

Ugh, of course you did, she said, rolling her eyes at the not one, but three boxes. That's what, three hundred wipes?! What are you going to use all those for?! she asked, shaking her head and sighing.

What's that saying? You can take the girl out of the jungle... she said. The jungle would always be her first home and where she was ultimately most comfortable. It was the place she retreated to when everything else was falling apart, though those days seemed long behind her now, and her trips back to Dathomir were far more sparse than they had ever been before.

As he pointed out the Taun Taun shaped rock, she pulled the map back out and looked at it.

Uuuuuuuummmmmmm, yyyyyyyyeeeeeessss, she said in a way that provided all the confidence of a 50 year old car with a smoking engine and flat tire. Yeah... yeah, she said, with slightly more confidence and an added nod as she slipped the map away again.

Taun Taun rock. It's supposed to point the way to the ancient city of Shemrilah, but most people say that's a myth as you so kindly pointed out earlier, she said. Ancient civilization filled with technological advances that rivaled those of the Gree. That's what people said, anyway, but who knew if it was true. She supposed that was what they'd find out... or not. More likely not.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc blinked at her as she asked about the wipes again. What was her obsession with his wipes? He always carried them with him wherever he went. He despised touching food and they came in handy for that among other things. He opted not to answer this time, quietly walking for a while till they reached the Tauntaun rock formation.

The half Sephi stared at her as she was incredibly unconvincing with her answer. Emryc blinked at her a few times.

“Well,” He began after a while, “Which end of it points out the path?” He looked back at the Tauntaun, “Its head or its ass?”

They both pointed in clear opposite directions with opposing paths. The tail was even raised up as if to point. The head could also appear to be pointing. It was a complete toss up. The two stood there in silence. A hawk shrieked somewhere off in the far distance.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry just looked at him with an "are you serious" face for a moment as a hawk screeched overhead. The moment of silence was broken by a wet splat as a bird dropping landed right between the pair, practically crossing between their locked eyes as it fell to the ground.

I'm fairly certain it's not that way... she said, thrusting her rear out in the direction the Tauntaun tail pointed ...because I've literally never seen anyone point with their butt before, she said, the absurdity of her action highlighting her point.

She shook her head and started walking in the direction the head pointed, noting how the "path" became more difficult to travel the deeper they went.

She swung her pack around and dug her hand around inside, grunting in annoyance as she searched for something and then pulled out a small bag of fruit snacks.

Have you tried these before? They're so good, she said, happily stuffing a handful in her mouth and offering some to Emryc. He liked fruit, right? These were basically artificial fruit. That made them healthy right?

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc spared a moment to stare at the splat of bird shit on the ground. That aptly summed up the level of confidence he had in this entire mission.

The half Sephi quirked a brow as Renfry stuck out her rear end to...make a point? His gaze lingered there for a moment before it flicked up at her again, “Hmm,” He vocalized simply before looking back at the Tauntaun again. He was privately positive the tail was what actually pointed the path, but he had a habit of being passive when others were declarative in these situations.

Emryc walked side by side with Renfry for a while, glancing over as she stuck her hand in the snacks. The half Sephi’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing, “Yes, they are decent,” Which in Emryc speak meant he was a huge fan. It also meant he was less than pleased that he couldn’t have any since Renfry fondled the entire damn bag with her bare hand.

The half Sephi gazed ahead, noting that the path began to incline upwards. Soon enough they would have to do a bit of climbing. They came across the edge of the path which narrowed into a ridge that was extremely narrow. It bridged the way to the other side with massive drops on either side. Emryc exhaled, once again cursing his massive frame.

“Ladies first,” He said to Renfry with a grin. They had to go single file in order to make it across.

 

[Renfry]

She smiled slightly as his gaze lingered on her and he let out a little sound of endorsement. She had to turn away slightly as the smile grew even wider because after all she couldn't appear to be that happy about it despite the fact that she knew he would know that she was grinning broadly with her back turned toward the next trail.

She watched him as she happily munched away on fruit snacks, noting the subtle way that his eyes flicked from the snacks and then to her hands.

Oh my... just eat some, she said, rolling her eyes. After everything we've done you're going to start worrying about my germs now? she asked, shoving the bag toward him and clearly not going to take "no" for an answer. She wasn't sure how he'd ever managed to bring himself to get down with her in a cave.

The terrain became rougher and she made her way up, starting to climb up the ledges from here to there as things became more steep. Eventually they crested and came to a very narrow passage that led across to the other side. She let out a throaty groan as she looked down at the bridge. She knelt down, trying to get a look at how steady the bridge looked.

How gentlemanly of you, she muttered, though she knew that he actually did have a tendency to be gentlemanly toward her. If I fall, you'd better catch me, she said, pushing back to her feet.

She bounced slightly on the ball of her feet for a moment before taking the first step across, carefully placing her feet with every step. She tried to step across quickly, making it to the other side without having the stone give way under her feet. As she surveyed the ground on the other side, she spotted what looked like a small river or creek along the trail and a small cave leading into the mountain. At its edge was a small piece of technology, carved into the stone.

She glanced back behind her again to see how Emryc was doing, knowing that while the bridge had taken her weight well enough, she was about half Emryc's weight.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc couldn’t exactly argue with Renfry’s logic. They had done...quite a bit. However, his aversion to touching food with his hands was inexplicable even to him. It was a habit he had for as long as he could remember. The half Sephi snatched the bag from her hand, but he didn’t reach in, tilting it slightly and shaking it to let a few of the snacks drop into his mouth.

He watched her as she began to cross the ridge, grinning at her words, “Surely the big bad Empress doesn’t need help from me,” His baritone cut in smoothly as she crossed. If she looked back, she would see him still holding the snack bag, tilting it to drop a few more into his mouth. Emryc waited till she was done crossing entirely before he stepped forth.

While the first few steps went okay, the ridge began to crumble soon enough.

“Shit,” Emryc muttered as it began to crack and collapse. The half Sephi tilted his body forth and straight up bolted, breaking into a full on run like a professional Huttball player beelining for the goal. The ridge began to crumble and collapse behind him, giving away as he avoided falling by mere inches.

“Out of the way!” He shouted to the woman that would get bodyslammed if she didn’t budge. Emryc ran at top speed, finishing the sprint by jumping into air to cross the last distance and slamming into a tree on the other side. His momentum caused an audible crack as the tree literally split from having his form slam into it. Emryc cursed a few times, looking back at the narrow path that was now collapsed and gone.

“Well,” He remarked quietly, “I guess the head points the way now..” He shook his head before spotting the oddity carved into stone. Emryc began to move towards it, spotting something similar to when he had been on a hypergate adventure.

“We should’ve asked Tia to come with,” He stated, “Ancient technologies are her forte.”

 

[Renfry]

She turned back to him as he started crossing over, hearing the sound of the stone crack under his feet. There was a flash of fear and concern on her face and she instinctively reached out to the Shadow, gripping the bridge in tendrils of green to keep it in place.

It was for this reason that she was just a bit late to stepping out of his way. She started moving and he still grazed her as he ran by, knocking her squarely off her feet as the majority of his momentum carried on to the tree beyond.

She was knocked back onto her butt, as the stones clattered and cracked down the mountain to below. She groaned as she pushed herself back to her feet, looking at the tree he had struck and suddenly very glad she hadn't taken the entirety of his impact. She was pretty sure it would have broken some bones.

Have you been working out more than normal? she asked, tilting her head to the side as she looked at the tree. Not that he wasn't always built like a slab of particularly shapely granite, but still.

I guess the spelunking starts here, she said, moving over and holding up just short of actually touching the odd piece of technology. Yes, Tia would have loved this, and Renfry was practically worthless when it came to the technology.

She would have been exponentially more useful than me, she agreed. She probably could have made this thing sing and dance for them.

Renfry reached out for some fruit snacks before realizing they had fallen down with the bridge, leaving them fruit snack-less and eliciting a discontented grunt from her.

She took the first few steps into the cave and stopped after a moment, bending down to look at some pieces of cloth that had fallen here. She got an unusual chill down her spine as she touched it and she frowned.

I think someone else has been here, too, she mumbled, holding up the small, blue piece of cloth for him to see.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was rubbing his shoulder from where he had trucked the tree when Renfry remarked on his work out habits. This drew out a grin, “If you mean I’ve stopped being that limp noodle I was for a while after the break up, that’s correct,” He even decided to be obnoxious and flex his biceps a bit as a follow up. It was the first time Emryc openly acknowledged a break up, and he was clearly in much better spirits since then.

The half Sephi caught Renfry reaching for her snacks and by the time she had a dejected look on her face, there was a snack bag back in her hand. Emryc had still kept the one he was munching on while Renfry crossed the bridge. He stared blankly as Renfry reached for the bits of cloth, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

He blinked a few times after she was done speaking, keeping his distance from the pieces of cloth.

“You know that looks like underwear, right?” He finally remarked, staring at Renfry holding up said article of clothing. Emryc lowered his pack and reached for one of his boxes of wipes, handing Renfry one to clean off her hand from touching that nonsense. It was a testament to his self restraint that he kept a perfectly straight face as he did so.

Emryc wasn’t particularly concerned about anyone else being here. Between the two of them, they could take anything on. The half Sephi kept walking inside, pausing every now and then to look at art that was painted along the walls. Instead of figures, they were geometric shapes and patterns. They meant nothing to Emryc, but he knew Tia would probably have a guess. He began to identify a trend after a while, however.

“I think there are multiple caves like this one,” He said as he studied the art for a while, “And...something has to be activated somehow in each cave to….make something happen,” It was one of the vaguest things he had ever said. Emryc glanced over at Renfry and shrugged, betraying that he was barely half a step ahead of her in being helpful.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry ran her tongue lightly along her upper lip as he started flexing and talking about working out, a mischievous look in her eye that he would have certainly recognized. But she restrained herself. She was glad to see he was in much better spirits than before, and she could only hope that would remain true as time went on.

She immediately perked up from her dejection when he returned her snacks to her and happily started munching again.

They aren't underwear, she said with a scowl and shake of her head before tossing them to the side of the cave.

Oh fine, she said, snatching the sanicloth from him. Not because they're underwear, but because I know you won't stop giving me death glares while eating the fruit snacks if I don't sanitize first, she grumbled. Happy?! she said, shaking her head as she finished up.

For your education... she said, reaching into her bag for something. She'd been waiting for a later opportunity to do just this, but this seemed like as good an opportunity as any. ...these are underwear, she said, pulling out a pair of panties and tossing them over his face with a single statement he would recognize well.

I believe these belong to you, she said, biting her lip for a moment and quickly turning away before her cheeks turned a little red.

Her mind was 90% distracted on... other things as he gave the least helpful statement he'd ever provided since she knew him. Wow, that was profound, she said, looking back to him with a grin.

Now we just need to figure out the something in this cave and then the where of the others, she said, continuing further in where a small, glowing etching of some sort was hewn into the rock. It almost reminded her of a map, but many of the landmarks she didn't recognize. Perhaps it was the locations of all the caves. She was so good with maps.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc didn’t argue back, though he was very certain they were underwear. He stared as she rifled through her bag, preparing to glance away when she tossed an article of clothing at him. Emryc snatched it out of the air before it hit, glancing down as his eyes visibly widened. The half Sephi blinked a few times before looking back up at Renfry, “You….still?” He couldn’t keep the surprise out of his voice. When this little game started, he still had long hair and a lean frame. And he stood only a few inches taller than her. In fact, it was so juvenile of him that his face suddenly grew hot.

He simply stood there for a few seconds, staring at the underwear in his hand, barely hearing what she said. Emryc quirked a brow and walked with her, “Is this how you make your formal appearances as well?” He couldn’t help but ask, genuinely fascinated.

The half Sephi took a few seconds to clear his mind which had gotten suddenly foggy. He looked at the etching and thought back to the art he saw on the wall.

“It looks like North, South, East and West,” He remarked quietly. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a compass, “We are… currently East. So we will find the other caves accordingly. The only clues we need is distance. I have a feeling these are the same distances apart.”

With that, he continued to walk, the cave descending lower. The tunnels grew dark and visibility began to grow poor. Emryc was looking for anything that looked out of place. Any sort of mechanism that could be activated.

 

[Renfry]

She couldn't help herself any longer, grinning broadly as she looked back at him and totally unperturbed by the fact that he hadn't heard anything she had said.

No, don't get too excited, she said. It's a one day special just for you. For old time's sake. I'll be severely disappointed if it's all for nothing, she said, noting how his face seemed to change just a shade.

Though if it'll get me a formal sit down with President Thorne, I'm sure I could arrange it again, she said.

He came over to stand next to her and they both looked at the map together for a moment before she whispered, It's much less exciting than what you were just thinking about, isn't it? She could still be an insufferable tease at times, bumping her hips momentarily into his before heading further inside the cave.

The darkness grew thicker and she was once again reminded of their days delving through the caves and nexus of Devaron. She muttered a quiet incantation over her hand and a small, green ball cast some light over the area to help them search for something to activate the lights.

With that little bit of help, it didn't take long to find something, and she flipped the rather large switch. There was a whirring in the cave and the sound of hydraulics as something opened, and Renfry stepped back, mouth slightly agape as a large hologram-type projection appeared.

I am the Orator. Please identify yourself, a voice said, sounding quite robotic as if it belonged to either a droid or an AI of some sort.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc shook his head with a grin at her words. Though the years had passed, some things never changed. She would be left slightly disappointed, however, as he said nothing in response. It was in his nature to be choosy about when he took bites or when he didn’t. This time he was very much focused on finding out where the other cave locations were.

As Renfry used magick to conjure up some light, he had to remind himself that he had similar skills. The effortless way in which she maneuvered that practice never ceased to amaze him, “You’ve mastered it,” He remarked, watching how she wove it with ease now and had a strict command of it.

“Ren-” He began to tell her to keep from flipping a switch without them inspecting things first. But then again, it wouldn’t be Renfry if she didn’t somehow land them in some deep shit. Emryc looked ahead as the projection appeared. He stared after it announced itself, looking around for the source of the actual noise.

After a while, he shrugged and cleared his throat before making his voice sound more dramatic, “I’m Lord Kravos."

Nothing happened.

“Alexa, where can I find the other caves?”

Nothing.

Emryc rubbed his chin in deep thought before deciding on saying something profound and wise, “Suck my dick.”

 

[Renfry]

She didn't truly expect him to respond just now, but she knew the thought had been planted in his mind, and that was enough for now. It could linger for a while longer.

As she started flipping the switch, she heard him starting to object but it was already done and they weren't dead, so she shrugged. Yes, indeed, it was very much like her to throw the switch and deal with the consequences later.

She didn't expect... well, anything that Emryc said next. Not very helpful and the "Orator" seemed like he had broken a long time ago.

Emryc, I hardly think this is the time, she chastised his final statement, knowing full-well what he meant and full-well what she said. It was clear she was going to be relentless for the time being and she wasn't making any apologies.

I'll go see if I can fix it, she said, an absolutely comical statement considering how useless she still was with most technology beyond basic datapad functionality.

She used her knife to pry open a control panel and stood there looking at the wires for a few seconds before wiggling some things around like she was checking for loose connections. Silently, she closed the panel, put her knife away, and walked over to stand next to Emryc.

That didn't work.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was not at all pleased by the lack of response. However, Renfry’s quip at him softened his mood a bit. His gaze followed what she was doing, watching with silent awe as she pried open a panel and fiddled with it with a knife.

“The fuck are you doing?” He called out, seeing right through her nonsense, “Are you trying to perform surgery over there?” Emryc crossed his arms over his chest, knowing fully well Renfry had no clue what she was doing. And of course, she marched right back moments later declaring that entire effort fruitless.

“This is stupid, I’m calling Tia,” He reached into his pocket to draw out his comlink. He stared at it and sighed, “Of course. Since when have I ever had service while exploring these bullshit caves…” Emryc stashed the comlink right back. He stared at the projection for a while.

“Obviously it’s wanting to hear a specific name like a password,” He looked over at Renfry, “We have to keep exploring this place to get that name. Perhaps it was the creator of all these sites..” Emryc looked around, spotting a tunnel that led off to the side. With a shrug, he began to walk in that direction. They would have to come back to this particular room to go any further. However, before that they needed to piece together the password.

“Maybe more of the art will answer it?” This time, he conjured up an orb to light the way, though it took him a few more tries. Emryc pointedly refused to look at Renfry, never keen on appearing as if he were struggling.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry look over as he pulled out his comlink to call Tia only to see the zero dots of coverage on the screen. They were in the middle of nowhere in a cave. Of course there was no coverage here.

Deeper we go, then, she said as she listened to his explanation. She really wasn't convinced that the problem wasn't just "the Orator broke after a few millennia" but maybe it really was looking for a password.

She headed deeper inside the cave, looking for more markings on the walls or other terminals to interact with. Surely she could find a new switch somewhere to pull!

The stone of the cave slowly began to change and a more "constructed" facade took hold. Actual hallways that had been built into the rock ended in a door that was locked.

We can just cut our way through that, right? she asked. You don't think it's some historical relic, right? Nah, she said, already reaching down for her lightsaber. Whatever was inside the door - and the room or building beyond it - was probably far more valuable. Maybe some personal memoirs, secret passwords, maps to the rest of the caves! So many possibilities!

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Renfry began to ask if they could cut through the door and Emryc simply shrugged. Without warning, he channeled the Force a bit and slammed his foot into the door. The door slowly creaked open, the lock mechanism shattered and opened. Emryc simply shrugged if Renfry looked at him.

Once the door opened, he used the Force to illuminate the room. All he could see was an empty room, but the stench was unbearable. Emryc covered his mouth and nose, scrunching up his face as he gazed in. Right away he could spot what looked like a skeleton in the corner. It appeared to be the remains of a man. From the looks of it, Emryc could recognize some of the clothing similar to the bits Renfry picked up. Perhaps those weren’t underwear after all.

“How did he end up here? And locked from the outside?” The half Sephi was suddenly uncomfortable at the thought of stepping into the room. A chill ran down his spine as he glanced at Renfry.

“Uh….Ladies first?” He blinked a few times.