Ask Toxic Draw

[Renfry]

---​

The trip had gone smoothly, and Renfry was in quite the good mood. All sorts of new marks had been added to the tattoos her body bore, and she couldn't have been more satisfied with it. She emerged from her room and made her way to the cockpit. She wore a loose red shirt and dark pants with her hair bound and hanging over her right shoulder and was feeling far more adjusted to the ship and even to Emryc. Granted, she was still expecting some unpleasant surprises awaited yet.

By calculations they should be arriving on the destination world at any moment and she settled into the copilots seat once again. She strapped in and pulled up the console controls as the stars turned back into pinpricks. She punched up the scanners and started running through the standard scans, crosschecking it with the information they had seen in the visions.

Mountainous environment, but it looks like a breathable atmosphere, she said, eyes scanning over the important information.

I see a landing zone, but it'll be tight, she said, punching it up on the console and transferring it over to his display. It was a small mesa among the mountains near the area the holocron should have been located.

An impossible labyrinth of razor sharp rocks, she thought to herself as she looked out over the landscape ahead of them.

Do you have any idea who could have taken it? What's the call if it's other Sith? she asked, looking over to him. She didn't know how he felt about fighting others of his own (their own?) kind.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Having someone else aboard his ship for an extended time was less unpleasant than he expected. They had gotten to know one another a bit better, though he did spend a lot of time with his books and prayer. The truth of his religion and the extent of his devotion largely remained a mystery. He also certainly didn’t mind the extra benefits that came from having someone with little inhibitions around.

As she described the landing, he walked over to take a seat, “I’ll take over from here,” He said simply. Being born on a space station meant that flying was the only mode of travel. Almost everyone on there had become quite adept at it, and he had become especially so from all his traveling. He had even been called on to defend against one-off pirate attacks.

He kept his focus trained ahead as he took manual control to lower the ship. He didn’t look at her, but he considered her words. The ship had to be carefully tilted and flown to avoid scraping the sides or crashing. He was fully tuned in, slowing his breathing and relying on the Force to help guide him through.

In the end, he found a spot to gently lower the ship, and he had done so without a scratch. He exhaled in relief after it was done, switching off the engines as he grabbed a datapad of information.

“Anyone that has taken it may not have had the means to access it,” Emryc said at last, rising to stand, “There are no rules out here. We kill anyone in our way.”

He said nothing else as he walked towards the doors that led to the exit.

 

[Renfry]

She was more than happy to let him do the landing. Her flying skills were not the best. The bare minimum, one might say. She watched as he guided the ship expertly into place, setting it down smoothly on the narrow landing strip.

It set down and she heard him sigh in relief, betraying that he was either incredibly focused or nervous. Or both.

She unbuckled and stood, leaning forward to look out the viewport and get a better view of the peaks surrounding them. They stretched up to pointed peaks and she wondered how much trouble they might have navigating it.

Okay, she said in response to his answer, as casually as if he had said that they were going to be stopping to get dinner on the way. This was the way of the Fanged Spirit: the hunt. The galaxy was built on violence, and the Sith... well, they were just servants of that cycle. The strong survived.

She headed for the exit, throwing on a small pack filled with items they might need for hiking, exploration, or a variety of other needs. Living outdoors was something she was intimately familiar with and prepared for. After that, she headed for the exit ramp and made her way down.

She breathed deeply, smelling the fresh air. Despite the relative absence of flora and fauna, the world was still... alive. Vibrant in its own way as if there were things living below the surface of the mountains.

She made a quick walk around the landing area to search for their best way forward and realized their options weren't many.

How're your climbing skills? she asked. In her experience most Force sensitives seemed skill in the techniques, but it was worth the ask since it was likely to come up.

She dropped to a lower ledge only a few feet below and landed softly, eyes scanning over the terrain. None of it looked nice or approachable, but she spotted a ledge along the face of the cliff. It was narrow, perhaps only a foot wide and even less at its narrowest points.

Yeah, I know the drill. I go first... she said, turning around to point a finger at him ...but if I fall, you better catch me. She knew she could have simply teleported to the other side, but she wanted to save her energy. Such a maneuver likely would have had to be used repeatedly over the course of the hike and drained her quickly. No, it was time to put one foot in front of the other, so she headed over to the small ledge and put her foot out onto the stone.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc followed along without incident, exiting the ship and walking out into the terrain. It vaguely reminded him of some canyons on Korriban, but the air was not as dry. He had dressed appropriately, never too keen on revealing his Sith nature. Despite his strict devotion, he wasn’t foolish enough to stick out like a sore thumb at all times.

As Renfry asked about his climbing skills, Emryc didn’t even bother responding. In truth, he wasn’t the greatest at it, but he could get by. He silently followed along, watching as she began the first steps to pull herself up. He had to keep from grinning as she mentioned going first, but silently took in the different ledges and landing spots he would have to scale.

He began to follow after a moment, looking up when Renfry remarked about catching her. He grabbed a hold of another rock as he hoisted himself up, “You’re on your own,” He clarified as he continued to climb. Regardless of whether or not it was a joke, he wanted to make it abundantly clear he wasn’t exactly the hero type.

Climbing all the way up was far more draining than it looked, and he was exhausted by the time he yanked himself over. Up here, the terrain was flatter, but he could see what looked like a lab facility tucked away a respectable distance away. It was oddly out of place and it gave him pause.

He looked down at his datapad, “There’s no intel about any facilities or buildings existing here…” He muttered to himself.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry started sliding along the ledge to the other side and then started searching for handholds to ascend. While she was better with trees and the like, she'd worked the cliffs of Dathomir as well, finding her footing easily.

Yes, I'm on my own... a-ledge-edly, she said as she left the... ledge. She was sucking in her lower lip and chewing on it to try desperately not to burst out laughing. She knew he would hated it, but if he was going to be like that then she would make him suffer. Not that she believed him anyway.

She pulled herself over the upper lip of the cliff without difficulty, the strain of her pack making the ascent more difficult than she was used to. She was quite surprised to see the building at the top, immediately dropping into a crouch behind a boulder as he pulled himself up as well.

There shouldn't even be any people on this world, she said. The Unknown Region was sparsely populated if at all, and she assumed that anyone here was probably who they were looking for, particularly if they were this high tech.

It probably reaches underground, she said, looking at the mountains.

She started creeping forward, moving slowly and carefully from cover to cover as they got closer to the facility and could start to see some movement outside.

Stormtroopers of old patrolled the facility's exterior. Renfry looked down and couldn't help but think that it looked like it was torn straight out of the pictures from the old Empire 100 years ago. How had they managed to sustain themselves? They all should have died off of old age. Were they replacing their ranks? Cloning? Kidnapping? Recruiting? Questions in her mind abounded as usual.

A low humming sound rang out in the mountains and a pair of scout troopers appeared and stopped at the gate. It was clear that whatever was happening at this lab... it was old. Very old.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc had to privately agree with Renfry on how nothing should have been here. He had macrobinoculars in his pack and he quickly pulled them out to look. He hadn’t trusted what he saw at first, but he could clearly make it out now. The white and black armor was there clear as day, and there were several of them walking around. He looked to the side as the scout troopers appeared, the gates slowly opening to let them through into the compound.

He slowly lowered the binocs, his hands almost trembling from the sight. It was a glimpse into history directly in front of him, and his eyes were wide in shock. There was no holding it back and Renfry would see it clearly. He had to take a moment to catch his breath, glancing down at her.

“Imperial…” He said quietly, “Or perhaps just pretending…” He looked through the binocs again. However, he strongly doubted it if they knew to extract the holocron. This meant that their mission had gotten that much more difficult.

“Brute force isn’t the way to go,” He said as he lowered the binocs again and put them away, “We will want to preserve them and learn as much as possible while we take the Holocron. Do you have any tricks that may help us get in undetected?”

Emryc always had plans and strategies but he wanted to see if there was an easy button.

 

[Renfry]

She could tell he was shocked, and it was one of the few times that she had seen him genuinely caught off guard. She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised given his obsession with history. An Empire ruled by a Sith Emperor. Surely, Emryc would have wanted to learn everything about it that he could.

Which went right along with what he said next. Preserve them. That was the real trick. She didn't have much problem with killing or not killing, but it could make their job that much more difficult.

She paused a moment as he asked her about techniques to get them inside. She glanced back over the boulder she was behind and surveyed the environment. She was hesitant to try it, but... well, it would have to do.

I can get us through the gates at least, she said, waving him over closer to her.

She wrapped her arms around him.

Don't let go of me, she said, deadly seriously and indicating for him to wrap his arms around her as well.

And don't get excited, she added jokingly. She closed her eyes, focusing on the roof of the facility in her mind. She focused on the flow of the magick through the galaxy, riding one of the currents to where she wanted to go.

A flash of green began to engulf them both, swallowing their bodies in a flash of warmth. It was feeling that was unusual but not unpleasant, feeling as if one had stepped through an overly heated room. Everything around them was like green flame, but none that burned.

And then the "flames" faded and they were standing atop the roof of the compound, far enough back as to be difficult for the guards to see.

She released her grip on him, her breath coming heavily and leaning over to stabilize herself on her knees. She frequently teleported herself without difficult but taking another with her was, as expected, far more taxing.

We should... get inside... before someone sees, she said. They weren't easily spotted, but each moment increased the risk.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc eyed her with skepticism as she blurted about getting them past the gates. Her next move caused both eyebrows to raise as she wrapped her arms around him. Was this some sort of game? He felt a jolt of annoyance go through him and he stood there stiffly while she held him. However, at her request, he finally caved and slowly wrapped his arms around her. It was a strange feeling - for all their times being intimate, it was clear that Emryc wasn’t too thrilled about close gestures like hugs or cuddling.

As soon as the green flames began, his grip on her tightened as he looked around suspiciously. Everything happened too quick for him to make sense of it, and he was suddenly somewhere else. He stumbled back a bit and suddenly felt weak. Without warning, he abruptly felt over, completely losing control of his limbs as they felt wobbly.

Emryc felt like vomiting, and he had to bite down on his fist to muffle the sounds of his dry heaving. He finally slowed down his breathing, focusing with the Force to clear himself of the onslaught. He exhaled slowly at last, looking over to glare at Renfry.

“You could’ve warned me instead of making a stupid joke,” He hissed. But then it wouldn’t have been her. She liked getting a rise out of him, and she had done just that. There was, however, no denying the brilliance of such a power. He felt along the ground beneath his hand, eyes widening, “Can this power be taught?”

He realized he was getting distracted before he finally peeled himself off to stand, but only into a low crouch to avoid detection. He jutted his chin towards a door that would lead to a stairwell down into the compound. He had a feeling the challenges would only begin there.

 

[Renfry]

Even gasping for breath, Renfry rather enjoyed the rise out of him. She didn't recall having such a violent reaction to the process the first time she'd... oh wait, no, yes, the first time. Oh, it had been rough, hadn't it? Well, now he knew.

It was clear that as he spent several moments recovering so was she. The process had been even more taxing than she anticipated, and she knew she would need to be careful with her reserves going forward.

I'm not sure this is the time, she said as he asked if it could be taught. She had many secrets, and while she'd been open to sharing them with him when he asked... she didn't typically volunteer information.

She crept over the rooftops to the door he had motioned toward and stopped at its entrance, sliding it open and revealing a stairwell down. There was a flash of green in her hand and a sword slowly formed. It wasn't particularly common for her to use weapons, but the less strain she could put on her magick going forward the better, so sword it was. It wasn't her area of expertise, but she was passable against most common opponents. Perhaps she would need to improve that if she was joining the Sith.

She pushed the thought from her head, stepping carefully down the steps and descending into the upper level of the facility. Everything was quiet, more so than she would have expected, but the sound of footsteps around the corner told her that they were not entirely alone.

Renfry stepped back, pressing her back against the wall of the stairwell as a pair of men passed. By far the most notable thing about them - in fact, one of the only things about them that could be seen - was that they both wore large, white biohazard-style suits, which made Renfry frown. What else were they working on here? Something she hoped wasn't in the air already.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc followed behind Renfry, listening for anything that sounded out of the ordinary. The biohazard suits caught his attention, and he watched as they walked down the hall and used a repulsorlift to descend down. They also appeared to have different key cards than the other operatives that passed by every now and then.

He realized that they wouldn’t be able to learn anything when the chances of discovery were high. He placed a hand on Renfry’s shoulder to stop her from doing anything brash, eyeing two men in Imperial armor walking their way. There was a utility closet nearby that a janitor had just left.

Emryc pulled Renfry in to stand beneath the staircase for a bit as the men approached. When they were about to pass, he coiled the Force around one harsh enough to make him choke and sputter. He quickly grabbed the man and pulled him into the closet, letting Renfry take down the other.

He didn’t care about killing the two of them to make the experience much easier. The life was choked from the man he took down and he quickly got to work to change into the armor. He grabbed the keycard, learning the name Dovan Klos and his field specialty and assigned numbers.

 

[Renfry]

It was a good thing that Emryc put a hand on her shoulder. Either he could sense it or he was getting to know her better, but she was fully ready to bring down the next set of guards.

He pulled her toward him, waiting under the stairs for the two to get closer. Emryc dispatched his easily, and Renfry... almost did the same. She shoved her sword up, aiming to slide it into the space under the man's helmet and into his jaw. It didn't work out quite right. He managed to push the blade aside and it skidded off the armor, but she had already thrown herself bodily into him, knocking him back against the wall as her hand grabbed at his helmet.

The hilt came around, smashing into the side of his head as the helmet clattered to the floor. And again. And again. He stopped moving a moment later and she dragged he and his helmet into the closet.

She started changing into the armor as well, a little loose on her and she was a bit short, but it would have to do. She looked down to see that she was playing one "Jon Kalcintez." Well, she wouldn't be passing as him if she had to actually speak.

You might have to do the talking, she said, making sure the man was dead and that everything was stowed away. She'd have to abandon the sword, but palmed the blaster, before slipping it back into its holster.

She had to stop herself from "slinking" as she made her way back out into the hall. You're "supposed" to be here, she reminded herself, strutting with confidence as they returned to their "patrol" route.

She headed for the turbolift and hit the button to go down, waiting for it to arrive.

As they stood there, if he stilled his mind, Emryc would be able to sense the holocron for the first time. It was as if he felt the heart of darkness, and it called to him. Once upon a time, the spirit of Darth Kravos had been bound to the holocron, but with the spirits death that was no longer the case. And yet, a darkness seemed to cling to it in a way that extended beyond a normal holocron.

Emryc would already be able to tell that something was different about this one than the others. He would feel a craving within himself as if it promised everything that he might have wanted or hoped for.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc fell into his role quite easily, recalling his almost military like training on the space station. He walked for a bit before he could see some movement in the corner of his eye. He looked around to see Renfry ‘strutting with confidence’. This involved her walking as if she were the hottest thing around and swinging her hips a lot more and as if she were on the catwalk.

“Wait,” He paused and turned to face her, annoyance blatant in his mechanized voice, “What the hell are you doing? Walk properly. You’re a male soldier on patrol duty, not Candy from the nightclub,” He hissed, reaching over to push her chin up a bit more and shove her shoulders back to adjust her posture. He shook his head before releasing her, thankful that no one was there to witness.

He could only walk a bit longer before he felt it. He thought he would go an entire lifetime without ever feeling it. It was enough to almost make him hunch over. His eyes were wide beneath the helmet. He came to a pause, trying to grab at that faint thread that he felt. It was barely there, but it was there. It felt ancient and dark, and it called to the darkest parts of him - at the core of his being.

“Kalcintez and Klos!” A voice called out as a small group of troopers walked their way, “The wonder twins,” Laughter erupted behind them, “Heard both of you guys got demoted to cleaning duty. Don’t think I’ve ever seen a sorriest pair of shits.”

Emryc simply stared blankly at the men until they stopped. They stared back, clearly having expected a reaction. Within a second, Emryc looked down at the ground and kicked his foot at the ground, “Aw come on guys, that’s not n-nice,” He even threw in a convincing stutter. It couldn’t have been a sharper twist from his normal personality.

This resulted in even more laughter, “Ahaha there it is! Kluster and Kriff, the dynamic duo,” The man said as he took the time to pat both Emryc and Renfry on the shoulders mockingly. Just their luck in picking a pair of imbeciles to con as.

 

[Renfry]

She was surprised when he abruptly stopped her, confident he was exaggerating how she walked. There was a great deal of eyerolling behind her helmet.

You'd like it if my name were Candy, she muttered as he pushed her chin up and forced her to stand differently. She felt... stiff. For all of her training, this type of discipline was not in her normal repertoire. She sighed quietly and decided that if she felt stiff and uncomfortable she was probably on the right track.

Things unfortunately only got worse. She could feel Emryc's upheaval in the Force and the subtle way his stance changed as a result of... whatever had bothered him. She was about to ask what was wrong when she heard the other group of troopers.

There are two imposters among us.

Emryc quickly fell into playing the embarrassed trooper, and Renfry tried to stand there quietly, drawing as little attention as possible. One of the men came over and gave her a mocking pat on the shoulder and she made a grunting sound that was as masculine as she could manage.

One of the troopers gave her a slap to the forehead and laughed, much to the amusement of the others as well, it seemed.

Unbelievable, she thought to herself. Couldn't they just start shooting them already? She knew they couldn't, but it didn't mean she couldn't indulge herself a bit.

She was grateful when the turbolift dinged behind them and the other troopers seemed to get the idea that they should move back to their own work as well. Renfry had already entered the lift when one of the troopers paused.

You know, I think I want to watch you two go clean out the pits, he said, turning and waving the others off. He went inside and punched the floor for one of the lower floors

The doors opened on what must have been "the pits." It was absolutely filled with bodies, most of which looked horribly disfigured as if some experiment had been performed or they were failed clones. It wasn't entirely clear, but the site was grizzly by anyone's standards.

Well, get to it, you two! he said, laughing.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc had to resist the urge to make any commentary as the trooper slid into the lift with them. They rode down in silence, and he gazed ahead. The doors hissed to reveal some very disturbing creatures. They looked similar to what they had run into at the cave but also different. Emryc glanced around to see what ‘cleaning’ meant, and he saw a flyer on the wall to detail steps for safe clean up. It meant grabbing the bodies, popping them into a bin and into an incinerator.

They couldn’t use the Force, but he also didn’t complain. He reached down to hoist the creatures up and into the bin, pausing to observe them. Black ichor ran through long dead veins. He felt a jolt of rage course through him - had they opened the holocron? Had the secrets been revealed? How widespread was the knowledge if so?

Emryc took his time to wheel the bodies over towards the incinerator. He dumped the load in and stepped to the side to press the button. However, he glanced around and paused looking at the button instructions.

“Hey...uh..how do I...I’m confused...,” He sputtered to the trooper that came to watch them work. The man sighed and complained about their ineptitude and rattled off a whole host of insults. He walked past Emryc to where Emryc casually yanked the keycard off him. The Force shoved the trooper from the back, launching him directly into the chamber. Emryc didn’t hesitate as he shut the door before punching the button to incinerate the man. He hadn’t even had the chance to scream.

Emryc glanced down and swapped keycards, now becoming Avin Frost who had exponentially more clearance.

 

[Renfry]

Renfry was less than ecstatic with her new "duties" as they made it down to the pit to see all the warped and twisted beings down here. The room smelled of darkness and she could practically see it within the room. It was alluring and called to her as she began to clean up the bodies. She almost failed to notice how horrible their job was as she let her mind wander into the darkness.

She'd loaded a handful of bodies and started wheeling them over to the incinerator when she saw Emryc shove the man inside and quickly end him. Although she wasn't bothered, she marveled at the speed with which he could switch from calm to incredibly violent. It was in an instant always and reminded her just how precarious a situation she found herself in at any given moment.

But she knew they had little time so she didn't waste much of it on the thought now. She bent down to examine one of the bodies more closely. It wasn't entirely unlike what they'd seen at the Nexus, which indicated likely some form of Force warping.

Her gloved fingers reached down to run along the vessels of the creature. It was a tar-like substance that oozed from one of its wounds.

There must be other Force users here, she said. This world wasn't a Nexus so there was no other option that made sense. It also meant they would have to be particularly careful.

There're three more levels below this one, it's probably on one of those levels, she said.

Does that badge give you access to the lower levels? she asked as she started moving around the room, looking for anything of use to them.

That was when she spotted the chutes through which the bodies came. They came from presumably the floor above them and might be worth investigating as well.

Maybe we should get an idea what we're up against first. Might be able to corner who or whatever is warping the bodies first before moving against the guards at the holocron, she said.

Even as she spoke, they would both be able to feel the Force itself twisting above them. It wasn't the holocron, but there was someone using the Force in an incredibly dark way. There was no question that someone or something was up there.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc nodded at her words about Force users being here and also his new clearance. It irked him that he hadn’t factored Force users in as a possibility. The place was very remote in the galaxy and the lab itself was even more tucked away. He memorized his new keycard before glancing up, “Mask yourself in the Force,” He said quietly, “Do you know how to do that?”

He walked over to the repulsorlift, punching in for the floor above. The doors opened and right away he could see a set of biohazard suits. There was a chamber to walk into before they could enter the lab area. Emryc eyed the suits for a bit before walking over to put one on. One suit atop another was horrible, and it was heavy and hot.

After he was suited up, he punched the buttons for the decontamination chamber to open up, motioning for Renfry to step in with him. White smoke hissed at him before the other set of double doors opened to let them through. He had used his credentials to get them both in.

The lab was full of people in the suits and it was eerily quiet. There were large tanks lining the walls with figures of different shapes. They looked half human and half warped and in different stages.

 

[Renfry]

She could tell he was concerned about the presence of another Force sensitive, and she supposed that was for good reason. That individual - or individuals - would likely be the greatest threat in the facility by far.

Yes, she responded, beginning to focus on her own presence, compressing it down to the size of a near pinprick.

She made her way over to the suits and started to climb into one as well. It was... even worse than the armor. She felt like she could barely move, she was already sweating, and she felt like she could barely breathe.

I don't think I make a very good scientist, she said. Couldn't she go back to being "Candy, the stripper stormtrooper"?

She climbed into the decontam room and jumped slightly at the hissing sound, trying not to show the fact that she was surprised.

As the doors open and it revealed a large number of men in similar suits, she tried not to draw attention to herself. She couldn't help glancing over at the variety of tanks and creatures inside. Science, then? she wondered to herself. Or some sort of dark science, more likely.

As they made it to the far side of the room, there was a small "balcony" that overlooked an observation chamber. Inside was a sight that could make the stomach churn. A young woman was strapped to some sort of table and being subjected to a variety of injections. She screamed and her body began to transform right in front of them. Inside the room, an individual inside a hazmat suit reached out a hand and the Force bent violently around them all.

The woman's body continued to change, warping and twisting before the heart monitor went flat.

Another failure. I don't know how Kravos and Evandrus managed it. Even with their instructions and our own formulae most of the specimens haven't turned out, said a man at the edge of the room who was taking notes on a datapad.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc stared at Renfry as she complained about not making a good scientist. She squirmed and looked obviously uncomfortable and he was regretting ever bringing her along. She simply had to look his way and even the trooper helmet seemed to project his deep unamusement. The gaze lingered only for a second longer before he looked away in complete silence.

He stepped over towards the balcony, looking over at the scene below. He could see the woman struggling, and he felt that surge in the Force. The woman contorted and twisted, writhing in pain as she began to change before his eyes. However, it only lasted for moments before she died.

Emryc heard the mention of Kravos and had to fight the impulse to act. He bristled at hearing that name casually thrown around. These heathens had opened the holocron. The holocron that had been coveted and sought after for so long. Not a single soul here was worth the glory of Kravos and any remnant of him.

Anger coursed through him, a rare sliver of emotion flaring up. Down below, the person in the hazmat suit slowly looked up towards the balcony. Emryc had to quickly contain himself. That gaze from the hazmat suit lasted far longer than comfortable, and it seemed to go on for minutes.

“So be it,” The woman’s voice said in a rather bored tone, “Bring in the next subject. Dispose of this one,” She said as she turned and began to walk off.

Emryc exhaled slowly, looking over at Renfry, “We need to get the intel they have,” He explained quietly, “Whatever data they pulled, whatever formulas they added. We need all of it.”

 

[Renfry]

Renfry watched as the prisoner's heart finally gave way and the woman inside the room ordered another subject brought in. Though she didn't say anything, she silently winced at the thought. Renfry wasn't a squeamish one, but the thought of what they were doing to these prisoners made her uncomfortable. She tried to push the thought from her head, unwilling to let those feelings sneak past her own mind.

Give me the access card and I'll access the database, she said, holding out her hand and waiting. She was sure he wouldn't love it, but in order to get the information they needed, she'd need data terminal access.

She took the card over and slipped it into the terminal. She picked up a nearby datapad and connected it to the terminal, beginning to download data. There were a wide variety of experimental drugs. Although she wasn't in the medical or scientific field, a quick skim over the field notes told her that they made the body more open to alteration. It seemed the scientists were trying to combine the rituals with modern science in order to more effectively alter their subjects. Most seemed to be failures.

Meanwhile, the woman who had walked off made her way out of the room, up a small technical lift, and over toward the observation room.

I've been subjected to the presence of every imbecile in this place, and yours doesn't belong. Who are you? the woman said to Emryc in almost as bored a tone as she had used when she spoke of bringing in another experiment. Despite the fact that she seemed to know that something was out of place, she didn't seem concerned with expelling him from the premises or fighting him.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

A part of him wasn’t entirely surprised. He had his back to her when she spoke, having given his access card to Renfry. He stared off ahead, not hiding himself in the Force then. He knew she had felt it when he looked down at her and when he bristled at the Kravos reference.

“Do the formalities really matter if you believe I’m never leaving here?”

Emryc slowly turned around to face her, able to make out a blurry face behind the mask. She wore no trooper armor. He was envious of her - envious that she had cracked open the artifact people had sought for centuries. He had wanted that experience for himself and it was robbed by this person standing before him.

“Did his presence linger?” He asked, “When you opened it?”