Ask Dathomir Last Farewells

[Arla]

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Although Renfry had been many things in life, she saw herself as the Queen of the Nightsisters first and foremost. She had been a Sith Empress, but she wasn't buried as Darth Andruil in some great tomb on Moraband. Arla and the Sisters of the Forgotten Valley saw to it that she her ichor was drawn by ritual back to Dathomir and sealed within the burial pods as their people had always done, and her spiritual essence was allowed to pass beyond the Veil.

Everyone else was gone now, but the lingering wisps of green magick still surrounded the pods as Arla remained there. When she had first returned to Dathomir, she had wept. She was never given to being a woman of extraordinary emotion or outbursts, but Mother had always been there. She had raised the young Nightsister, an anchor in the rest of the galaxy that was taken from her now. And in those final days, Arla had not been on the greatest terms with her mother. She had left to find her own way and think on what she had learned from Raze.

She hadn't been here to defend Dathomir. She hadn't been here to defend her mother. She had failed.

Now, she just knelt at the grave alone. There were no more tears, no more shows of grief, just a stoic pair of silver eyes with emptiness behind them.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry knew what was coming before the Imperials ever set down on the planet. She knew what had been coming for her, and she knew it was unlikely that she would ever leave her homeworld again. It was why while the Nightsisters prepared for the assault, Renfry prepared her personal matters.

She had sent out invitations to those who she held dearest to her. Whether they would appear would be up to them. Some would come, she knew, others she didn't know.

Messages were left for each of those who were invited, small hologram recordings of the Queen and a set of coordinates or access codes or whatever they would need to access what had been left for them.

Arla​

My little Gizka, she said, a sad smile pulling at her lips.

I know you were upset with me even before this, and I know you'll be filled with questions now. I should have told you about the rest of our family, but don't give up on them now. You're the daughter of your father and I, but you don't have to follow either of our paths, she said.

I know you've struggled for a long time to find your place in the galaxy, but your path is your own. Don't try to be either of us, and don't worry about trying to live up to anything. Please don't try to go to war with the galaxy over this. Don't dedicate yourself to avenging this. Wherever you go, whatever you do, know that I love you and wouldn't have traded our time together for anything in the galaxy, she said.

Vash put' - vash sobstvennyy. The words will unlock a vault in our village. Inside, you'll find my most valuable possession recovered by your father and I many years ago. What you choose to do with it - if anything - is your choice, and yours alone, she said, a quiet sigh escaping her lips as her eyes dropped. She knew Arla would also find her holocron on alchemy and sorcery, but that was a far less valuable treasure.

If you turn your back on being Queen, Sith, and Nightsister and just travel the galaxy, I'm still so proud of you and everything you've done. I love you forever, she said, and the recording clicked to a close.

Emryc (@Sreeya)​

The recorder clicked to Renfry's face, a coy smirk on her lips that Emryc would have seen a thousand times over the years they had known each other.

Don't worry, Emryc, I already know you think I was a fool for staying here and fighting. But you know that I love Dathomir and I'm stubborn to a fault, she said, laughing slightly because she knew they would both know it to be true.

It's hard to imagine us back when we first met, she said, her eyes looking away from the recorder as she thought back to those first days. Their first interaction had nearly killed them both before their rather scandalous and flaming relationship had exploded.

It's amazing what you've built. The name you've become. A long way from where we were on Thyferra. Or fighting those Imperial remnant in the Unknown Region, she said.

Well, I could go on and on about the old times, couldn't I? she said, pausing a moment. Time would fail her if she talked about when she had shown up on Bothawui to tell him she had killed the Eternal. The way they had fought through Ajan Kloss together. The way they had watched so many other friends fall over the years and even killed them by their own hands.

I know you don't need much these days, but at the coordinates I gave you, you'll find a couple of things I want you to have. I don't know that you'll have need of either of them anymore, but just in case, she said with a smirk. At the location, he would find two things. The first was her grimoire. Although he had read it all before and knew most of what was in it, it was something she trusted to him, and the value she attached to it couldn't be overstated. The second item was a watch upon which she had transferred the powers of her amulet using a powerful spell.

Please watch out for Arla, she said. She knew that Emryc wasn't the type to make emotional overtures, but she also knew that he cared for her. Help her to become better than me. The things I couldn't teach her, she said. He would be able to look at her and see the many traits of her mother, but many from him that she had never been taught. She could be great and she didn't want her to make the same mistakes that Renfry had.

Thank you, Emryc. Thank you. You've been a friend and an anchor for me for years now, and nothing I could ever do would repay you. Goodbye, old friend, she said, and then the recording cut off.

Jaikus (@Altaris)​

The recording cut in to show Renfry looking at the camera. Not quite how I thought it would end, she said. She and Jaikus had had a strange start to their relationship, but he had become a good friend and almost a surrogate father to Arla over the years. Even when bridges had been strained and struggled over the years, the two of them had always stayed in contact.

Can you imagine if you hadn't been there to deliver Arla? she asked, laughing to herself. The statement was somewhat blurted out, and maybe in a way it was just an opportunity for Renfry to reminisce and remember about what had happened. A way for her to have her final words to those she cared about.

But that's what you do, isn't it? You've always been around for me and for Arla. You're the glue that's held this whole, somewhat dysfunctional family together, she said with a smile. The two of them had joked many times over the years about how dysfunctional they were, but they were all one, big family. When times got hard, they were always there for each other.

I know you're worried about everything that's happened recently: Raze, Ez, and now I'm sure this won't help, but take heart. Ez will come around, and the rest will work itself out with time, she said. She knew well that they could and would overcome anything.

I don't have a lot to leave to you, so what I want you to have is a safe haven. When all of the galaxy is overwhelming, I want you to go with the family to The Outpost, and just get away from it. Find the eye of the storm and ride out the storm, she said. She knew that he would know The Outpost was none other than the facility where they had all met after the Council Purge. Where Emryc's life had hung in the balance and where they all struggled with what had happened. It was a place where the rest of the galaxy never touched on a planet that was - normally - all but forgotten by the rest of the galaxy.

Take care of yourself and the family, Jaikus. Trust yourself, she said, and gave a small wave before disconnecting the recording.

Tiamat (@GABA)​

You know when I met a young girl living on the streets I couldn't have ever guessed she would become my little sister, she said. For a culture filled with Sisterhood, the only non-Nightsister that Renfry considered her sister was Tiamat. Before Andruil and Tiamat there was Renfry and Lyra.

You're always so hard on yourself, and now I'm not going to be around to bring you wine and give you advice. Thank goodness for that, right? she said with a laugh. She had always been terrible at providing comfort, reassurance, or advice. It simply wasn't in her wheelhouse, and they both knew it. They had joked about it before, but she always at least tried.

You've always been hard on yourself, expecting so much from yourself, and never believing in the power of what you've accomplished. You've done amazing things, and you need to give yourself a break, she said.

I left some things for you, and I think they require a bit of explanation, she said. The first is the lightsaber of the imposter Eternal and the other is my hunting knife that I used to kill the imposter, she said. Tia would recognized that the knife was one that Renfry had carried with her from the earliest days when they met even until the end.

Now she just had to figure out how to communicate the reason she had left these to Tiamat. They're reminders to you about the death and defeat of the Eternal. Those felled the fake Eternal, but you overcame the real Eternal. You are free and can always be free. Look into yourself and believe in yourself the way we all believe in you, she said.

Oh, and I left you a very aged bottle of Dathomiri wine, too, to crack open for a special day sometime. Take care of yourself, Tia, she said.

Ezra (@Sreeya)​

Hello Ezra, she said. Although he hadn't known the full truth behind "Aunt Ren" Renfry had come by several times throughout the children's lives in disguise, always bearing gifts, and always doting on them in the few times when they'd had the opportunity to be together.

I won't try to pretend to know what you feel about getting this message, but I hope that you'll be here to get it or that it'll find its way into your hands someday, she said. Of all those she had left messages for, she knew that Ezra was the most likely to be contentious about it, and she knew that he had taken the revelations the hardest.

I wish you all the best and more, and I wanted to leave something for you, she said. If he traveled to the coordinates, he would find her lightsaber left behind for him.

The crystal once belonged to a Jedi Councilor, and has been in my possession for many years now. I give it to you so it can again be in the hands of a Jedi to be purified, she said. She took a risk by giving it to him since she didn't know how he would feel about its history, but she hoped he would see it for what it was: an endorsement and support for his decision to walk the path of the Jedi.

I'm proud of you for what you've done with the Jedi. I know that you'll do great things whether as a Jedi or in something else that you build someday. Wherever life takes you, I'll be beyond the Veil watching with pride, she said.

Jayna (@Altaris)​

I know the last several months haven't been easy on you or the rest of the family, but I know that you've handled it all with an unflappable spirit, she said. Ezra and Arla's reactions had been far more extreme, but Jayna had been the singular one of the Emlings to avoid a freak out.

Never lose that. I know I don't have to tell you that with your name you'll always be a target of unexpected difficulties and hardships, and that ability to respond coolly will serve you well, she said. Like Ezra, Jayna had only ever met Renfry as "Aunt Ren" the life-long and often-doting friend to Emryc and Jaikus who would appear with gifts and vanish nearly as mysteriously. Her face had always been concealed by the amulet, and only recently did they truly discover that her other identity was as Sith and Nightsister.

I know you already have a ship, but I wanted to leave you The Ascension. Its transponder is open for reprogramming. Pick a name you feel is fitting, she said. Renfry had seen to it that the ID transponder had been wiped and after it was renamed, it wouldn't ever be able to be traced back in origin to the Queen.

It was my home away from home for many years, and I hope it can be that for you, too, she said. Aboard, Jayna would find collections of different books from those on the academic use of the Force to cookbooks and ingredients for Nightsister dishes. What Jayna chose to do with any or all of them were now her decision.

Wherever the galaxy leads you, I know that you'll find great success. Find joy and happiness wherever you go, she said, and with that left the young heiress her final gift.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Countless calls, messages, attempts at contacting her through the Force. It had all been fruitless. Jaikus was fully adorned in his old Sith armor and Emryc had to physically restrain him from rushing into the middle of the battlefield. The half Sephi had to remind Jaikus of their vows, of their marital commitments that had the promise of never returning to the life of Sith. The commitment that had sealed Raze away inside his mind for over a decade until he was recently released. Emryc wouldn’t budge from that promise. For no one.

Renfry’s passing came in multiple waves. It began first with that odd, tingling feeling anytime she wanted to find him through the trace. It was soon followed by a hollow, empty feeling as if something was severed. It felt as if a part of him was torn from him similar to when Raze left his psyche. Except this was a component he had never known existed or had embedded itself so deep. Next came the emotional pain that washed over him like a tidal wave. He felt sick to his stomach, almost collapsing from the assault that Raze was no longer there to weather for him. He stayed firm, always a steady ship even in stormy seas. He had to be that for his husband, though Jaikus would see how hurt Emryc was without the half Sephi’s face ever revealing it. It would be the Axxilan’s turn to be the rock this time to a man that refused to ever admit he needed a rock.

Memories flooded through his mind without him ever wanting them there. He remembered his own long, unruly hair. He remembered that young teen girl that glared at him for wandering around in the ancient ruins of her ancestors. He remembered the times he taught her how to navigate the modern galaxy. He remembered all their promises of adventures, all the ways they grew together, all the ways they shaped one another into the formidable adults they became later.

Emryc could never love Renfry the way she loved him, but he had loved her as family. With the miles of walls he had between himself and others, only a handful had managed to break through. Renfry had been one of the firsts and had shaped him into the man he would become more than she knew. She was there with him in the beginning - before the conception of the Empire. And she was there near the end when they took out the last true Sith Council.

The half Sephi arrived quietly at the grave site. He spotted his daughter there, briefly reminded of the small infant with oversized ears from decades ago. When Renfry had still hoped for a different outcome. She surpassed him in strength now in his current state. One child surpassed him and the other was his equal. Both likely detested him right now. It was humbling and terrifying at once. He said nothing, his silver gaze fixed on the gravestone.

As he stood there, a shrill cry rang out from the skies. Giant wings flapped as the massive beast swept above them. It circled a few times before dropping low to perch on an elevated ledge. It was a chirodactyl, and a very old one. It calmly stared directly at Emryc.

The half Sephi didn’t react at first, studying it for a moment before recognition flashed across his face. The very chirodactyl Emryc and Renfry had rode on so many years ago. When it had all been so simple and carefree. His lips almost tugged towards a smile as he watched the beast linger only for a moment before took off again, soaring into the wide, open skies.

Renfry wasn’t gone. Not truly. She existed in these beasts, the trees, the air, the earth. Dathomir had always been alive, and Renfry simply returned home. She existed now in the faint breeze, in the wise gaze of the chirodactyl, in the fluttering wings of its children that now flew with it. She was all around them - a free and liberated queen of her domain. Free from his negative influences, free from the chains Raze had put on her, free from the burdens of expectations, free from her self doubts, free from all of it.

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@Phoenix @Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

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Jaikus had wanted to tear the Galaxy down around him. A thousand different methods of contacting Renfry had gone unanswered - even when the Axxilan knew exactly what was happening on Dathomir. The Spynet kept them apprised of the situation and everything that occurred during the invasion, but Jaikus knew without anyone ever needing to speak the words. He could feel it in the pits of his stomach - that dread and anxiety that spread like venom through every vein and artery in his body. It was knowing that something was terribly wrong, without the slightest ability to stop what was happening.

He’d felt it with the loss of his own family on Axxila, and he felt it immediately after the Council Purge. And he felt it right then and there.

It had taken every bit of Emryc’s strength to keep the Axxilan at bay - to prevent him from donning his Sith armor and rushing into combat. It was only the utterance of their martial vows - the promise that Jaikus would hold dear until his death - that kept him at bay. Even as the inevitable crushed him inside. The rush that pulsed throughout the Force, and the emptiness that followed. The final inhale, and the stillness of breath.

It brought Jaikus to his very knees - and the tears poured forth without end in sight. But perhaps for the first time in decades, the Axxilan saw just how much pain was lancing through the heart of his husband. All the suffering and agony that was normally hidden behind the monstrous veneer of Raze. It destroyed the Axxilan all the more to see Emryc as he was - to see their family in shambles. And it was for that reason that Jaikus hadn’t left Emryc’s side from the moment they both felt it. Calls and conferences from the President’s Office were silenced, and Aila was given instructions from the First Gentlemen that the family wasn’t to be disturbed. Not for anything. Not for anyone.

Jaikus arrived at the funeral without a word - moving in lockstep with his husband. Their fingers were intertwined, and the Axxilan’s other hand gently rested against his bicep. A leather satchel was slung around his shoulder, swaying with each step. Through every hardship and obstacle - through the worst storm they’d weathered in years.. Jaikus could be the anchor Emryc needed him to be.

But he couldn’t help the cracks in his own visage - stepping into the jungles of Dathomir. The gentle rustle of the breeze, and the song of its native beasts. The roar of rancor and chirodactyl on the distant horizon, as it weeping for their fallen Queen. For the monarch who loves their world with all of her being, protected it, and had become one with Dathomir and the mist in her final moments. It felt too real. It was real - and it brought hot tears to Jaikus’ eyes.

He thought back to every moment he shared with Renfry through the years. Theirs had been a strange and rocky relationship to start - underlined with a jealousy and drama that all orbited the man that they both loved. But it was blossomed into something more entirely. The Axxilan allowed his thoughts to travel through their many adventures together. From that first day on Serenno, to the the cave of the Eternal. To the many different planets and weird places they visited together, hunting the origins of those accursed scrolls. To the critical moment that Jaikus had scaled the cliff side with Renfry in his arms, bringing Arla into the world with his own hands.

They were more than friends. They were a family - bound together by more than blood. They had defended each other on more occasions than Jaikus could count, and the regret would never entirely leave him - knowing that he couldn’t defend her in that final moment. Instead, his gaze fell upon the greatest treasure that she had left behind. Towards the thing that Jaikus could guide and protect, cherish and love when she needed her family the most. Towards Arla.

Giving Emryc’s hand a squeeze, Jaikus briefly left his side - slowly closing the distance to stand close to where Arla was. His gaze fell upon his niece - that somber look of affection and warmth still present, even in that moment. Jaikus brushed his hand across her shoulder, giving it the lightest squeeze without ever saying a word. He didn’t need to. Arla would feel both of her father’s presence, there in the moment she needed them post.

His gaze finally fell upon the grave itself. Without a word, Jaikus pulled the satchel from his shoulder - opening it with care for the items kept inside. Slowly but surely, the Axxilan pulled out several scrolls and a weathered tome that had followed him through the tears. The very same pieces of knowledge that he and Renfry had hunted without every reaching a conclusion. The passion project they both returned to every once in a while, sharing their love for the ancient histories and bouncing theories off one another. Perhaps there was something beautiful to the fact they’d never been solved. A mystery of life that would never be solved - and shouldn’t be, now that Renfry was gone from this plane.

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Slowly but surely, Jaikus laid the parchment and scrolls onto the ground - neatly stacking them on the jungle floor. With a slow roll of his wrist, Jaikus channeled the Force to carefully ignite each piece of parchment, watching as the fire spread across each rune and scrawl of ink. Crisping and burning, curling into themselves, until only ember and ash remained where their project had once been collected.

Jaikus watched as the ashes were gathered by the wind, swirling on the breeze before being carried off deeper into the jungle. Deep in his soul, he knew that Renfry wasn’t gone from this world. She had returned home - at peace in the place she loved the most. She was free.

She had found her own peace beyond the Veil.

 

[Darth Tiamat]

It was near impossible to believe, as a wave had suddenly flooded the woman and then receded just as quickly, she knew what it was, but didn't want to think that it was truth. Something had happened..., but death, it couldn't be, not until Tiamat reached out and there was nothing to grasp. The pain was different, unlike the loss of heartbreak, or even the tragic way her parents had passed, this was a new type of pain. It was one that forced the woman to slow down, to think, remember and to be reminded of the hollowness that was left with the living.

Her own change in behavior was enough to spark concern from her daughter, Theia; and though there were no tears, not yet, there was certainly a mental distancing from the present as Tiamat found herself avoiding the reminders of her friendship and love for Renfry. It was when she asked out loud, "Who else am I going to gossip with now, Renfry," did it hit Tiamat and it had been the hardest she had cried in quite some time. She did not know how to say good-bye, or if it were even possible; uttering such a farewell seemed definitive, not when the memories she had shared with Renfry were cherished like gold. Or perhaps it was the sheer stubbornness she had shared with the woman that Tiamat refused to believe this was an end to a chapter, and rather just a bookmark to pick back up when she too joined the afterlife.

However, grief was a funny thing to feel; Tia was wise enough at this point to know it would not just be tears for weeks and call it good. It was a lifetime of adjustment, and accepting of the space that Renfry had took, would be empty just until her own time came and she would in hope find peace as sister did when she joined her ancestors beyond the Veil. Until that time, Tiamat now felt more value to what she had, knowledge that the former Nightsister Queen was more than what the galaxy would ever remember, as a woman who remained true to who she was and what she valued. It would be ignorance to paint it as evil.

Tiamat arrived on Dathomir alone, managing to convince her daughter to remain on Naboo to focus on her mid-terms; however, she knew the girl was smart enough to figure things out and a conversation would need to be had when she returned. She saw Emryc and Jaikus had already arrived, and Arla stood nearby; and despite having set foot on this world several times to drink wine with the woman, this time it did not feel as it did. The hollow feeling returned and the ache grew in her chest, but there was comfort as she joined the others, a wholeness even knowing Renfry was not physically with them but still connected among each of them. Tiamat stood quietly, allowing herself to observe and accept peace even in its pain.

@Phoenix @Sreeya @Altaris

 

[Arla]

I miss you, Mother, she said in her mind. She knew that she was watching, and someday, perhaps when Arla communed with the dead, they would speak again.

But there was no response.

The only sound to keep Arla company was the rustling of the jungle around her. At least until that rustling was broken by the presence of footsteps. She recognized Jaikus's presence immediately, but the other was less familiar to her. Her head turned and she spotted Emryc, the man she had only seen behind armor and on holonet.

This was not how she had ever hoped to meet him, but the galaxy seldom operated as one hoped or planned. She knew that his presence here was beyond significant.

There were no words exchanged at first, but the feeling of Jaikus's hand on her shoulder was warming in a way. Amidst the numbness in her chest, she felt a faint spark ignite again. The feeling that she was not alone, and that the galaxy might still go on.

She sensed Tiamat's arrival only moments later, another person who was one of the few off-worlders who Arla had truly gotten to know. Another person who was family.

Each and every one of them was remarkably difficult for her to read, but it didn't matter. Somehow, she knew what they were thinking.

She would have been irate if any of you had shown up, she said, and they would each know that it was true. Had they come out to risk their lives and fight beside Renfry, she would have been a furious mixture of hisses, growls, and screaming. She just had to convince herself of that now.

She stood to her feet and turned to look at them. For a long moment, she said nothing, her silvery eyes sweeping over each of them in turn. They were family, and they were her family.

@GABA @Sreeya @Altaris

 

[Jayna Thorne]

It had taken several hours for Jayna to process the news of Renfry’s death. While she’d known ‘Auntie Ren’ her entire life, it was only now - after the death of her beloved relative - that the Heiress truly understood who the woman was. Never in a million years would Jayna have guessed that the former Empress and Queen of Dathomir has been one of the key members of her family. Even still, it was a fitting contribution to the shocking truth that enveloped her entire family.

Unlike many within her family, Jayna had handled each revelation with unfailing calm and resolve. She had never been a woman prone to extreme bouts of emotion, in any case. She internalized and worked through it all within the confines of her own mind, allowing for very little to manifest onto the exterior. Perhaps it separated her from her sibling - it certainly affected them in a way it never would her - but it allowed her to navigate the chaos adeptly.

Nevertheless, Jayna couldn’t help the emotions that bubbled up within her - growing more pronounced as she physically arrived on Dathomir. Thorne’s were a close-knit family. There were few people that could ever truly enter into their inner circle, and Auntie Ren was one of them. Her loss was one that the entire family would feel, as the void was all-too-easy to notice. Jayna’s fingers lightly traced over an amulet that Renfry had gifted her some years ago, traveling across the platinum chain before grasping the deep green gemstone that hung low on her chest.

Renfry was gone from their world - and it was a loss that Jayna would feel for years to come. It forced the Heiress to turn instead to the people that were left after Renfry was gone, those who had loved her and been part of the family they all cherished. Auntie Tia. Her parents. Ezra.

Her sister.

Arla was family that Jayna didn’t even realize she had - and it was perhaps the only recent revelation that the Heiress saw as the silver lining in it all. Jaikus had instilled in her and Ezra just how important family was in this life, and to put them above anyone else on the Galaxy. Perhaps the sisters had never known one another before, never been there for each other prior to that point - but Jayna would be there for Arla in that most critical moment.

The Heiress stood out like a sore thumb amongst the wilds of Dathomir - consequence of her black mourning dress and hints of jewelry. She walked through the jungle until arriving at the final resting place for her Aunt, catching sight of her family already clustered around the pod. Slowly but surely, Jayna rounded past her fathers and Tiamat - offering each of them a small nod of acknowledgement. Her attention, however, quickly flicked to Arla.

She couldn’t help but stare back at those piercing silver eyes - the very same shared by her father and twin. It was no mystery that they were family, even if they would have never guessed it before. Jayna certainly hadn’t, the single time they’d met each other on that cannibal planet.

“Sister,” She said quietly, staring back at Arla. There was no profound statement or comforting words that Jayna had to offer. That has never been her forte and she wouldn’t force it then. It was the simple acknowledgement of what they were to each other. They were siblings. They were family - and they would stick by one another no matter what rose against them.