Ask Serenno Library Livin'

[Ash Valentine]

Ash had been on Serenno for about a week, preparing to retake the test for one of his medical certificates. He had previously been on Mandalore, having spent around a month there assisting with the still recovering world. Even after all this time the scars of the past wars hadn't truly gone away on many of the outer rim plants, and Serenno itself wasn't any exception. The place most notably responsible for housing Count Dooku, the leader of the separatist movement in the Clone Wars.

The planet had received heavy sanctions for its attempt at secession during the empires days, and its economic downturn only continued to spiral under the control of the New Republic and the First Order. Like everywhere in the galaxy, the once proud planet seemed to be recovering at a steady if agonizingly slow pace.

Regardless of all of that, Serenno still had functioning libraries, and staff on hand to assist with searches and any questions he might have. So, there he sat, staring blankly at a textbook. He sat at the very edge on the right side of a long table, his mangled face to the wall, so as not to disturb anyone. Trying so very desperately to focus on the words in front of him, but the melancholic malaise that had followed him from Mandalore was making such an important task very difficult.

Truth be told he never considered himself a true Jedi, but he figured some of their teachings would be worthwhile to put into practice in that very moment. He could meditate, but the whispers of his mind about past failure made opening up to the force a repulsive idea at the moment, so he just settled for draping his arm over his eyes and taking deep breaths. It was just like being back in school.

@Jowsh

 

[Lilly Lynn]

Lilly parked her speederbike outside the first library she saw in the city she was residing in currently. She had been sent to Serenno to aid the government in digging through ruins of Clone Wars era bases and was done for the day and made a stop at the library, the place she found relaxation and rest, before heading home. This assignment had been fortuitous indeed, letting her explore histories that genuinely interested her while still helping others, the order and herself. She was also lucky because the galaxy at large can be very distrustful of the Jedi, but Serenno had sins of its own to atone for. The stronghold of Count Dooku, figurehead of the Separatist movement... all a Sith plot... The peoples of Serenno wanted to forget this history, but history won't forget them shortly.

Being in such a major landmark of history excited her. Uncovering the secrets of the past: the Sith, the Jedi, and the Galaxy was fascinating and enjoyable. She was also grateful because her first assignment as a Knight wasn't too difficult for her. Only promoted a week earlier, she was still becoming accustomed to the newfound autonomy of her status. She could also already feel the pressure of expectation. Expectations to continue building the order... specifically in teaching a student of her own. She had no idea how she would be as a teacher, and she had only been a part of the order for just over 6 years. Am I qualified? she thinks to herself as she walks through the building.

No matter, now is not the time to dwell on these thoughts. As she walks, she notices a few patrons of the building studying or perusing the selection. This was definitely not the largest library she had been in and she had been in quite a few. The building was dimly lit, quiet... the only sounds that could be heard were those perusing the holobanks. Today she was trying to find an overview of the planet's history. She knew much of the Clone Wars and major galactic events, but each planet holds an individual history and that can make the galaxy overwhelming to understand. One planet at a time though... She stops and looks at the books in front of her. The book she was looking for was simple enough to find due to library's limited selection: An Overview of Serenno History: 100BBY to 100ABY. She smiles to herself. Academic works have such straightforward titles. She grabs it and heads to the study area.

As she's walking, someone... and a feeling... catches her attention. Huddled over a textbook was a human male who looked oddly familiar. Reaching out to the force, she realizes his presence feels familiar as well... She could sense faint trails of the Jedi of the temple on him as well. Ah, another Jedi here. Was I not the only one assigned here? she thinks to herself. She resolved to go sit with him, though it brought her discomfort. She knew that as a Knight now, she needed to establish her own identity and she may as well start now. She sits across from him and sees his face. The disfiguration shocked her minorly for a second, but then it caused her to remember his identity. She has definitely seen him around the past few years on Ajan Kloss. I believe he's also a Knight..., agh what was his name... Starts with an A...

"Hey there, uh.... Ash...ton?" she says unconfidently and quietly, knowing she butchered his name.

Blast, that was awkward... she looks him in the eye and then quickly looks down and opens her book to a random page she knew she wouldn't read in that moment, trying to grace over the social weirdness she just inflicted.

@Shax

 

[Ash Valentine]

Deep Breaths... He thought, silently to himself before heaving a great sigh and resuming his arduous task of studying. Bacta And You, the book was called, Bacta being the primary source of medicine all over the galaxy. The technology that has gone into the supposed Panacea, was impressive to say the least. Its applications were virtually endless, and its capacity for healing often removed entirely the need for surgery and therefore surgeons. Not that those jobs were obsolete, they were just relegated to droids. Ash, always carried several vials of Bacta on him in case of emergency.

He was getting distracted again, though this time it wasn't because of his mildly pulsating headache. Well, he supposed it was, in a sense. The back of his neck started to feel tingly, and he absently scratched it, paying no never mind to the light prodding of the force as it tried to get his attention. He was just thankful that the tingling had cause his headache to abate.

He only looked up, when the woman before him spoke awkwardly. For a moment, he didn't think she was talking to him, but the slightly cutoff way she tried to remember his name made his lips twist into what might have looked to be a cruel grin, but was in truth just an amused smirk. He himself sent out a pulse through the force, not forcefully -but most certainly not as gently as she had- searching for her in the force. She seemed familiar, both physically and in whatever metaphysical plane of being the Force was, and he supposed he should remember her. However, there were so many people he saw and met these days that lasting impressions from people were becoming harder and harder to get.

He was careful not to seem malicious as he rasped out, "Just Ash. Though I unfortunately don't know you. So you are already doing better than I." Maybe a bit of a distraction and a break from studying would be good, and talking to the attractive woman in front of him was an easy distraction. "What brings you to Serenno," he spoke again, before the previous minutes collective coincidences all connected and he felt like slapping himself for not being more attentive. "Jedi?"

@Jowsh

 

[Lilly Lynn]

While she looked down in her book to escape her embarrassment, she took a moment to calm down, and acknowledge the person in front of her. She could tell he was annoyed with his task in front of him, though she could not make out what he was reading without it looking obvious she was prodding. Then she felt the Force breeze over her... not an uncomfortable feeling, but not unmistakeable either. She realized he was feeling for her. She looked up and saw him smirking and then he spoke up. He hoarsely, but not rudely, corrected her introduced himself. Ah I was close. Though he did not know her, this did not offend her.

"That is okay... I am usually hiding in confines similar to this one on Ajan Kloss" she says, beckoning towards the library they reside in. "Indeed I am also a part of the order. I just recognize you because, if memory serves me correctly, we have been a part of it for a similar amount of time..." she trails off and tries thinking back. She joined six years prior and could always remember Ash being around through her time training. "Well Ash", she says, emphasizing his name to note she understood the correction, "My name is Lilly and I was assigned here to help the Serenno government with their archeology missions into old Separatist ruins." As she began talking about the Clone Wars, her eyes lit up and her voice became just slightly emboldened and more excited, "Everyone know thats Count Dooku, the Sith Lord heading the Separatist movement, was from here right?" she pauses, "Well apparently he had his own stronghold somewhere on the planet, though somewhere along the lines it was destroyed and buried, records of it erased from databanks. Our goal right now is trying to find it and find the secrets it may contain."

She reached out to the Force, passing by Ash and trying to feel the planet as a whole... Very subtly, she could feel it... the Darkside of the Force. The Count's actions have left a slight trace of it on the planet. It was cold and foreboding, a feeling she was not familiar with. Drawing back, she sighed and spoke again, solemnly, quietly, "I was hoping that I could feel for the Darkside of the Force to lead me to it... But the Count's atrocities have riddled the entire planet with its touch and it has been difficult to find." She takes a deep breath, goes back to smiling, "Well enough of me, what brings you here? I was not aware another Jedi was on the planet," she asks, waiting expectantly.

@Shax

 

[Ash Valentine]

Ash listened patiently, absently placing a capped pen in the binding of his textbook before closing it for now. His lip twitched in amusement when she emphasized his name, but he nodded his head in acknowledgment of her introduction all the same. It seemed odd to him that the Jedi were assigning folks to search for Sith artifacts, but the reasons behind such a decision were ultimately none of his business. And regardless of that, the woman's enthusiasm for the subject was something he didn't want to ruin with questions like that.

He nodded at the appropriate times as she spoke, having cursory knowledge of the Clone Wars themselves though he was no true expert. The here and now always seemed so much more important than ancient history, though he wouldn't say he was disinterested in the subject. He was a little concerned when she casually spoke about following the Darkside of all things in search of her destination, but he would giver her the benefit of the doubt about her wording. But that didn't stop him from raising his one remaining eyebrow in question.

He considered her question for a moment, as he could go into the reasons he was here, however in truth, "I'm just here to study for a test." He said, holding his book up to display its title, and all the unnecessary accreditation underneath. "Certainly not as exciting as what you are doing, but it is necessary. I was on Mandalore recently, some clans had a bit of a spat leaving plenty injured. So I've been helping them out with healing and labor. But, its never a bad idea to catch up with recent advancements in the field, even if there haven't been advancements since before the Empire." He said with a light smile.

"I'm interested however, in why you seem so excited to go delving into a dead Sith lords sanctum. Or the council for that matter." He tried to say kindly, though his curiosity and suspicion were both rearing their ugly heads.

@Jowsh

 

[Lilly Lynn]

Lily grimaced as Ash asked his final question. Once again, there you go scaring men off, she thinks to herself self-consciously. Though Ash made a strong effort to hide the suspicion, Lilly could see it. Before addressing his concerns though, she spoke on the topic of Mandalore: "While the thought of people being hurt pleases me little, I am curious... The Mando clans have been rare since their purge, almost never coming out of hiding. I wonder what drove them to do so..." she wondered, trailing off. "But I'm glad you were there to help out, though I must say, I didn't take you for the 'healing type'" she said, smiling. "But good on you," she says, referencing the textbook and test he was studying for.

Then she dropped her smile. "I can sense your concern though," she says flatly. She didn't want to lecture him, but she knew she was about to speak for far longer than she intended. "The council gave me leave to explore this planet and learn its secrets about the Clone Wars. That doesn't explicitly forbade or condone looking into Dooku's lair," she admits, "but once I learned of its existence I knew I had to find it." She sighs, pondering how best to explain her interest and reasoning. "Surely you have heard the phrase 'those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it' yaddayaddayadda?" she asks, "Well how many times have the Sith returned from the shadows to confront the past Jedi?" she asks. She waits a moment, but before allowing Ash to respond she quickly interjects, "Atleast four times! And each time they have caused untold devastation. What do all of those instances have in common?" She pauses again and then states, "Complacency. The Jedi before us, each time the Sith disappear for long periods of time, get so extremely complacent in their power, safety, and comfort, and then the Sith return." She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "And as you know, the time before the Imperial Purge was the worst. Their hubris resulted in a single Sith Lord bringing the 10,000 Jedi strong Order down to its knees until only one is left so save them. Rey Skywalker... Complacency."

"So my reasoning for finding these ruins are twofold. How did the Sith disappear for so long and then bring down the entire Order in the shadows? Dooku was so familiar with Palpatine, who knows what secrets his lair may contain?" Her eyes did light up again though, "their history is lost to us, and understanding it can best help us not repeat the mistakes of the past." And now smiling once more, she says to him "And then pragmatically, isn't it best for us to find these ruins and relics and guard them for safekeeping? Sure the Sith are gone, but their trails are hidden throughout the galaxy. There will be more darksiders in the future and prevention may be the best route to limiting their impact," she states confidently.

She thought to her work tomorrow. Though her original plan of following the scent of the Darkside to the lair didn't work, there must something she missed. Some clue... something. She looks to Ash and says "If you're not doing anything tomorrow, maybe you could help me!" she says, possibly volunteering him herself. "I promise you I'm not using the Darkside. I was just trying to follow its trail. You can't ignore its existence. Its on this planet. Just feel and you'll find it." Though she portrayed and felt confident and unafraid of the Darkside, Ash's concern isn't likely unwarranted. She is relatively inexperienced and has not experienced the touch of the Darkside much in her training. Thus, another Knight there to assist her would be better for her anyways. "So whaddya say?" she asks, smiling.

 

[Ash Valentine]

Men and women were dead and dying and he could do something about it, whether or not they were part of the Mando clans wasn't and isn't particularly important to him. He just assumed they were because they were on Mandalore. It was nice to be acknowledged however and her 'healing type' comment did make him huff out a small chuckle and a genuine smile. Healing always came naturally to him.

He didn't feel guilty about being found out for his suspicions, he figured they were warranted after all. Her reasoning was sound enough where he didn't feel that same level of suspicion, instead it was replaced by a tiny bit of enthusiasm. Lilly's enthusiasm for the subject was infectious, and if he didn't have his level of natural cynicism he probably would have been coerced into volunteering himself without being asked for his service. That didn't stop him however from volunteering after she had asked.

"Sure, I've got the next three months to study for this test so I've got time." He said with a bit of a grin. The woman's levels of energy beginning to rub off on him. "Though in the future you might want to word yourself a little better. The master's won't like it if you use the phrase 'following the darkside' in any context." He continued, meanwhile shifting his right leg onto the other so he could sit easier.
"What have you found in regards to its location? I have a hard time believing something like that would just be swept under the rug. Especially considering it was the home of one of the local Counts, they tend to be ostentatious."

At the very least this kind of thing would be a good change of pace, and some actual danger might make him feel a bit more like a Jedi again.

@Jowsh

 

[Lilly Lynn]

Happy that her small quip amused him, Lilly relaxed. She understood where Ash's concern came from. To him, he just met this random Knight of whom he knows absolutely nothing about and she words her project like that without the details and context around it. Who wouldn't be concerned? She nodded. "You're right. I will take more care in the way I speak of these things," she responds, "sometimes I just get caught up." Lilly loves ruins, especially ruins with a strong connection to the Force and she often assumes incorrectly that people are as knowledgeable in her passions as she is.

"I'm glad you're willing to join though!" she says, knowing full well she sort of told him he should. "I'm hoping you can find something that I may have overlooked." She ponders how best to explain the situation. "The local archeologists inform me they believe it is located within a 300 kilometer radius of this city. Kind of a large area, but they also believe it is likely to the west, as it is known his stronghold was built into a cliffside and the most notable canyon is in that direction. Unfortunately though, the area in general is known for the many canyons that litter its landscape and theres no telling which one actually houses the Count's stronghold." She walks over to the nearby archive database, leaving her stuff at their table, and beckons him to join her. "You're not wrong that it shouldn't be hard to find considering how public he was, but it appears to me that someone deliberately erased all data referencing the stronghold's location... like someone wants it hidden." She pulls up multiple entries regarding it. There were many articles and write ups of the existence of the lair, some with extremely notable sources, but not a single one contains the location, none even give reference to something as vague as what hemisphere it is located. "I believe that someone wanted to hide it and removed just enough information to make it difficult to find, but not enough for it to be obvious that someone is manipulating it. That'd be a very Sith thing to do honestly. Subtlety and manipulation." She sighs. "We're only sure it's in this sector because the unique geology and this being a major enough city to make the stronghold logistically feasible." She returns back to their table, sits, and lays her head down on her arms resting on the surface, obviously stumped.

@Shax

 

[Ash Valentine]

"Well there is only one thing for it then. We go out and look." He rasped, good naturedly. "If there is no new information we can gather from looking at books then the only thing we can do is take a shuttle and try and find something that seems overtly evil. Or man made, depending on your perspective on Good vs Evil." He muttered at the end. He did wonder where they would get a shuttle though, he usually just used public transport to get around the galaxy. Maintaining and paying for a ship always seemed so wasteful.

It also wouldn't be fun taking the time to fly your way around a bunch of canyons, not to mention the amount of time it would take. Maybe they should just take a speeder and walk the rest of the way.

He found he was enjoying this. Getting his mind off of everything he has been dealing with recently is a good move, and he doesn't even realize consciously that the thought of a change of pace has cause him to relax ever so slightly. Or maybe it was the person he was talking to, Lilly simply being someone who he can speak to without trying to save her life. Hopefully it would stay that way, he was tired of that kind of stress and he didn't particularly want to see her get hurt.

"Don't particularly see any other way of finding it. Figure once we get close we can 'follow the darkside' as you said," He said with a wry grin, mentally forcing himself to grin with the left side of his face as opposed to the non existent muscles on his right side. The feeling of his face was still there, not much therapy could change how you feel about your face.

@Jowsh

 

[Lilly Lynn]

"I guess that's exactly what we do," she said, nodding in agreement. "I believe there isn't any new information, but there are sector we've checked and sectors we haven't. We shall take a sector I haven't along Garan's Canyon." She starts packing up her stuff. "Because it's late we will start tomorrow. I don't know if we can get a shuttle, but I can get us a speeder from the authorities pretty easily. That canyon isn't too far off." She was happy that Ash would be joining her. In truth, being a knight was still a position she was growing accustomed to and having assurance helped her. Ash was also a bit different from her as far she could tell. A bit more blunt, a bit more "do it" she thinks. His perspective could be a great deal of help. "Meet me at the government center of town an hour after dawn and we can depart from there." She says goodbye to him and walks away to her quarters.

On her way back, she grabs some food, takes it back, and sits at her desk. She eats a salad and some choya bread and scours her notes. She was in the habit of staying up a little too late when reading so she set an alarm on her chrono to make sure she actually goes to bed. One last pour through of her notes led her to finding nothing new. Ugh. She thinks to herself. Maybe I need to let the Force guide me on this one... I know I'm close. The alarm goes off. She sighs and shuts them. She puts her notes into a small bag and lays it on the table. She places her lightsaber, comlink, and datapad next to it. After all of her needs for tomorrow were placed, she began the process of getting ready to sleep.

She lies in bed. As the light fades, she thinks of who Ash is, what tomorrow could bring, and her future...

---

Lilly, now at the government center, did as promised and arranged for a speeder. The locals were able to supply her with an XP-38 landspeeder that had the government's insignia on the front. Their journey would be about an hour and a half to the west. She had the coordinate programmed into her datapad, ready to navigate. She sat on it's hood, awaiting Ash.

@Shax

 

[Ash Valentine]

Ash nodded along, leaning back slightly as Lilly spoke. He was a little dissapointed she was leaving, she was easy to talk too and brought him out of his head for a few minutes. Not to mention was easy to look at, not that he let that train of thought go any further. In response to her packing up, Ash just sighed, knowing he was going to be here for a few hours longer. He quickly wrote something down on a piece of paper and slid it over to her. "There is my comm code. If I'm not there on time just give me a call, I'm probably distracted." He rasped, ending with a self deprecating smile.

He watched her leave a few moments before returning to his book, finding the words easier to read and the concepts easier to comprehend. Maybe all he needed was just a bit of a break and some conversation. His headache was gone, which was a relief, and he was a bit more awake. He still lost track of time, no doubt about that but the time spent wasn't as wasted as it could have been, and by the time midnight rolled around Ash was just leaving the library. He hailed a taxi speeder, and went back to the hotel he was staying at. Nothing fancy, but more than enough for him to relax in. A quick sandwich which required him to tilt his head to the left to eat, and he was ready for bed.

He woke with a groan and slammed the alarm clock before making himself presentable for the day. Another cab, and he was well on his way to the government center they were supposed to be meeting at. He had brought along his medical kit just in case which he had strapped over his shoulder and filled with bacta, as well as a backpack with some snacks. Its hungry business delving into dead Sith lord ruins.

He spotted his errant companion and made his way over to her. Not saying a word until he reached the speeder, he dropped the back into the passenger side seat with a thump and rasped an amused "Posing for pinup today?" gesturing to the position Lilly was in. He was a teenager once, and had seen a few of those posters in his time. He dismissed it regardless. "So, where are we going. Regale me with its history." He said, sarcastically, but not without interest.

@Jowsh