Ask Mending the Pieces

[Renfry]

The route to Exegol was a precarious one. Had she and her ship not been here before, she never would have found the way. The fact that it was still in her ship's navigation banks was something that she would amend after this flight, erasing it and storing the location in the Vault... as well as securing the wayfinder during their trip here for placement as well.

It was Renfry's pair of trusted Nightsister pilots (ironic as that may sound) who were behind the helm of the ship as it tore through the reddish space nexus.

She left the cockpit and headed back to find Emryc, knowing that she needed to discuss the procedure with him before it got started. She had brought a large variety of supplies with her, and they were all necessary for what was to come.

Things had been unpleasant for both of them since the Council purge, but she hoped this would be one step to getting them back to normal. Except for the fact that she was returning to Exegol... where most of her memories were tied to Art. She forced the thought aside.

How're you feeling? she asked, wondering if he would be excited to be heading to Exegol for the first time. It's history to the Sith was significant... both in the past and the present.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was fascinated by this journey. He had heard rumors about Exogol, but he didn’t think it had actually been brought to be operational again. It was risky trusting him with this kind of information and he had purposely not asked Renfry about it in the past. However, things had shifted dramatically since the purge, and Emryc was not one to shirk his responsibilities. He would do his duty as President as diligently as he would Dark Lord. However, it certainly meant he would be appointing an ISC Vice President soon to delegate.

The half Sephi pondered about the efforts Caelestis had put behind all of this. The man likely had a backing enough to start a civil war. Perhaps it was only his affections for Renfry that kept him from striking and seizing the seat of Emperor himself. Once again, Raze mused deep down, emotions ended up being nothing but a weakness in the end. He looked out the window, taking in sight of their approach.

Emryc looked at Renfry when she appeared, raising his temporary prosthetic and attempting to flex the fingers. It looked strained, and there was a noticeable look of discomfort on his face, “I detest it,” He stated flatly before setting the arm back on his lap.

“How many people know about this?” He asked her quietly as they began to make their descent.

 

[Renfry]

She looked at his hand as he raised it, noting how uncomfortable with it he looked. She hoped he would remember that feeling of discomfort when she started to tell him about what this ritual was going to entail.

Well, that's why we're here, she said. But I need to warn you about this ritual. It's going to be very unpleasant, she warned.

The ship began to make its way down into the atmosphere and flashes of lightning tore by outside, flashing relentlessly through the air.

Most of the people from this world weren't allowed off of it during Caelestis's management, she said. Outside of his people, there's you, and a few members of my royal guard who have control of the world's security droids. Those guards are also the ones who have been watching over your new arm. Sheehan, specifically, she said. It was a name Emryc would recognize. He had met her before and he would know that of all the Nightsisters, it was Sheehan who was not the captain of Renfry's royal guard, indicating the gravity she had placed on the security of this project.

I was intending to have Darth Staffros run it because I can't be here all the time, but I've begun to second-guess that decision, she said. She was loathe to hand over true control of the facility to anyone. I want to implement failsafes into the facility. Whether that's as simple as maintaining control over the droids or if it needs to be something else, I haven't figured out yet, she said.

The ship set down and she headed for the cargo hold, pushing a hoversled down the exit ramp. It was hilarious to see the Empress doing this herself, but some habits died hard. Plus she didn't trust many people. The Force moved differently here, pulsing with history, memories, and incredible power.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc grimaced slightly, “Why does it need to be a ritual? If you grow a clone arm, you simply need surgery to attach it to the stump like any other prosthetic, no?” He couldn’t help but wonder why Renfry always jumped to the arcane means of getting things done instead of relying on plain old modern technology. However, he wondered if she had some other plans for the arm beyond just a basic reattachment, “I don’t want any creepy shit,” He stated flatly, “Can’t do Holonet addresses if one of my arms looks gray and rotting.”

His eyes narrowed as Renfry mentioned Caelestis and all his connections, “His people is a dangerous notion right now,” Emryc said curtly, “You either need to eliminate them or put a leash on them,” He glared at her. Anyone loyal to Caelestis would no doubt be upset by his death, “We need to purge the Exogol ranks and inject it with people we trust.”

Emryc glanced out the window again, “Exogol is already compromised if people outside of you and I know about it,” He remarked quietly, “We will want to build another shipyard elsewhere. We have the resources to do so.”

After the ship landed, Emryc followed Renfry down, watching her pushing the hoversled in silence. He looked around ahead of himself, already seeing countless droids and vehicles ahead of them. It was obvious that this was all in production for some time and it worked like a well oiled machine.

“I had confidence in Caelestis” He admitted aloud, something he never had the chance to admit to the man himself, “But I will not easily extend that to his followers. They have done nothing but hide behind his merits. It is likely why he was broken by the time he arrived in those council chambers.”

 

[Renfry]

Renfry thought about what he said, turning it over in her mind a few times before speaking up again.

The leadership, perhaps, she agreed. I'm not sure that most of the people here could get off world even if they wanted to, she continued. The path out of Exegol was no less precarious than the one that led in. They were prisoners here in their own way.

But I do think that fully automating this place might be an idea to consider, she said. If they were not connected to an outside network, droids didn't usually get ideas of rebellion on their own. It was imperfect, but all systems were.

She found another moment where she was regretting Art's death, but pushed the thought from her mind. She couldn't afford to be weak anymore.

She frowned at him for a moment when he mentioned surgery. I mean, we could do that, but I recall a conversation once where you told me that you ripped someone's prosthetic arm off, she said.

What I intended would leave a circumferential scar, but it would involve 0 prosthetics. Genuine limb reattachment, she said. It had taken a great deal of experimenting, brainstorming, researching, and gathering supplies to get this all together.

She stopped dead in her tracks. If you want to do this surgically, then I'm not pushing all this stuff inside, she said, stopping and waiting to see if she needed to return all these ingredients and potions.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc raised a brow as Renfry recalled what he had done to Talak Rand, “You know if I fight a Wookiee, they can easily tear my other fully organic arm off, right?” He said snidely, never above bickering with Renfry for no real reason than the fact that he could. These days she was one of two people he bantered with. Most in his circle were either dead or changed to someone he no longer recognized.

“What are the downsides and side effects? Will it look strange and discolored?” Emryc asked suspiciously. He all but rolled his eyes as she complained pushing the materials. He strode past her, casually waving a hand to make the hoversled lift and float behind them, “Do you forget you’re a Force user sometimes?” He asked dryly as he waited for her to continue walking.

He glanced over every now and then towards her as they walked, “Do you regret what you did?”

 

[Renfry]

Renfry snorted as he mentioned that a Wookiee could rip his arms off. Oookay, well if that's the argument you're going to make, then maybe we just shouldn't get you a new arm at all, she quipped back. Their banter was one of those things that always made life feel simpler. Where she didn't have to worry about keeping up appearances or her public persona to others. He had known her long enough to know who she really was... or at least who she had been.

The downside is that the process is extremely painful while it is happening, but I can sedate you for the procedure, she said. He would know that if she told him it would be painful, it would be exactly that.

There will be a circumferential scar at the site of the merge like I said, but no it's not going to be "strange," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. It's a cloned arm. It's like your old arm except it's from a tank, she said.

They walked along with him now pulling the cart when he asked her if she regretted it. She paused a moment, thinking about what he said. Her answer to anyone else would have been very predetermined, but she gave him a real answer.

I did what I had to do, but I wish I hadn't had to, she said. So would she do it again? She wondered if she should have just stepped down and let Art take the throne. But it wasn't really Art, was it?

Someday I want to step down as Empress, but not until the Empire is in good hands. And not at the end of a saber blade, she said. It was remarkably honest, and the first time she had really spoken the words aloud. Perhaps she had simply been pushed over the edge by recent events or perhaps she just missed being a girl from Dathomir.

But until then, I intend to rule the Empire to the best of my ability, she said. Despite everything, her zeal for driving the Empire forward was perhaps stronger than ever.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

“I will be far more useful in cleaning up your messes with both arms intact,” Emryc stated quite dryly. Too soon? He didn’t care. He kept walking, floating the hoversled with all her junk in it. With how slowly she was waddling along, he half considered placing her in the hoversled and hauling all of them combined.

He looked at her with mild surprise as she openly admitted wanting to step down one day. Emryc scoffed to himself, gazing ahead, “You’re not stepping down,” He declared flatly, “Our batch of leadership and potentials is pathetic. With Caelestis dead, the next time another true leader rises will be when that thing in your belly takes the helm,” Emryc had no qualms with admitting how much respect he had for Art (@Braden ). Despite his absence and moment of defiance, the man had what it took to be an Emperor. That kind of combination of quality came only once in a lifetime.

“You are the Empress,” He said with a vague shrug, “Nothing is stopping you from frocking around like a tribal wildling through Dathomir every now and then,” He muttered, the hints of a smile tugging at his lips.

“How long will it take to grow the arm?”

 

[Renfry]

Yeah, that's really the only reason I'm helping you, she quipped back quickly in response to his dry statement. They kept walking along, her waddling slowing down the pace hilariously further compared to even what she normally did with their height difference.

She was surprised when he told her that she wasn't allowed to step down. She hoped that meant that she was at least doing a decent job, then, because these days she had her doubts on pretty much a daily basis.

That thing is your daughter, she pointedly reminded him,, shooting him a dirty look. With a comment like that, he was asking for it.

As he talked about going out like a wild woman into the jungle, she assumed it was teasing, and yet it sounded incredibly appealing to her. If I weren't pregnant, I would have, she grumbled. She loved their child already, but wow she was over being pregnant. Never again. Well, okay, never again for more than one reason....

It's already finished, she said in response to his question. They crossed the threshold of the temple and headed down a lift that descended deep into the earth below. Eventually, when it came to a stop, they were presented with a lab and at the other end, a full arm floating in a vat of bacta.

Can you put that over there? she asked, pointing toward one of the tables and indicating that was where she would work with the contents of the sled.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc said nothing as she reminded him that this was their daughter. It was a strange feeling, and it almost made him a little uncomfortable. There was a time when he felt a strange attachment to Malicia when she carried his children. He had felt the kicks inadvertently when he lazily laid down next to her in that obscure village. Perhaps in some ways, Malicia was the closest he had ever gotten to loving a woman in that way if it were ever possible. However, her death killed something within him, a part he hadn’t known to exist before. As a result, he purposely distanced himself, purposely didn’t put himself close to Renfry or enough to feel the baby physically and also in the Force. There was no doubt the baby was already tremendously powerful in the Force.

The half Sephi was shaken out of his thoughts when she remarked the arm was ready, “What?” He asked, incredulously. What kind of technology was being used here? Emryc silently moved the cart over to where she indicated, finally setting it down. The half Sephi stood in silence for a moment.

“I don’t think using magick is the best way to do this, Renfry,” He said curtly after a moment of silence, “It will leave a mark and a presence. A presence I will not be able to deny. There is too much at risk,” Emryc stared at her, knowing she wouldn’t like this answer, “Let Thyferra’s surgeons reattach it.”

He exhaled after a moment, “Use the amulet. Come with me,” He wouldn’t tell her to stay behind or uninvolved. She was doing all this for him, and even he could see that.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry seemed quite unhappy as Emryc stated that he would rather have a surgeon do it for him. Hadn't she used her Nightsister techniques to heal him before? Was that not enough? After all the work she had put in, the research she had done, and the supplies she had obtained.

She stopped her unloading and turned to look at him with dissatisfaction, but relented before saying anything. He had now brought up his hesitations multiple times and... he had offered for her to come with him. She tapped her teeth together several times in thought and sighed before finally speaking.

Okay, we'll go to Thyferra. It's been years, she said. It felt like a lifetime ago and she barely recognized that part of her life anymore when they had last been to that world together.

We need to get your arm, and I need to pick up the wayfinder first, she said, not wanting the device to fall into enemy hands. She looked back at all the supplies she had gathered up and started unloading and then looked at one of the security droids. Alright, start packing this up, she said, to it, pointing at the things she had unloaded.

Come on, she said to Emryc, motioning with her head before beginning to waddle off in the direction of the vault.

Does Exegol live up to all your expectations? she asked, heading in the direction of the vault.