Sunshine Challenge: Moonstone

[extrapenguin]

Moonstone


Acina stared dubiously at the cold weather gear Nox had dumped in front of her. "Please don't tell me we're headed to Hoth."

"No, no, just a polar region on Ondrath. Cold and snowy, but not as cold as Hoth."

"Good. I have heard a great many things about Hoth, all of them negative."

Nox shrugged and kicked her feet onto the ship's dashboard. "One sort of gets used to it after a while. There are a few artefacts of Naga Sadow there; not my favorite dig, but Talos and I do go there from time to time."

"The archaeologist you stole from the Reclamation Service?"

"He volunteered." The ship shuddered as it exited hyperspace. "Here we are! Ondrath, a world completely unremarkable except in the Force."

Acina reached out with the Force as Nox piloted the ship down to a white-clad region of the otherwise green-blue planet. It did not feel like she would have expected, not the general mark of I exist most life-bearing planets wore, nor the half-sleeping threat of Korriban nor the fangs-out revelry of Dromund Kaas, not even like the infuriating serenity she imagined might plague a Jedi world. No, Ondrath was worn smooth. It felt old, like Korriban, but not like a monster one feared to awaken – simply a tired old servant who wished to rest.

"What was the indigenous Force sect like?"

"Oh, no indigenous Force sects here." The Fury set down softly onto a snowbank. Thankfully, it did not sink. "Just a breakaway sect of Jedi."

That would explain the Force presence – no doubt the Jedi had worn it smooth with their everything. "Time for some lightsaber combat, perhaps?"

"Not for some millennia. I suppose they underwent some calamity and either died out or joined the Jedi mainstream." Nox tossed on her winter coat and snowboots. "Come. Their temple is interesting."

Acina put on the clothes as well and followed Nox out of the Fury. The cold bit at her cheeks and the edges of her vision acquired a white blur as the tears on her lashes froze over. She winced as the wind picked up some tiny icicles and threw them at her exposed skin, sharp edges first.

"How long will we be traipsing through these plains?" she asked. She couldn't help it; she was a creature of Dromund Kaas's muggy heat. The bitter cold might fuel her ire and the Dark Side, but she did not like it.

"They built a structure that should shield us from the wind at least." Nox looked around distractedly. "There."

They waded through the knee-deep snow towards a rise in the land. Nox had promised a structure, so not just ruins. Half sunken? Built in a hollow?

Acina felt herself begin to sweat. "Next time, bring me somewhere nice."

"The Empress of the Sith wishes to visit a beach? I'll see what I can do."

"I never said beach."

"Oh, what, then? The Valley of the Dark Lords? Alderaan? Or perhaps- Ah. Here we are!" Nox declared triumphantly.

"I assume whatever it is is buried beneath three meters of snow."

"Only two." Nox waved her hand, brushing off a snowbank with the Force. A pair of rock pillars stood with a gap between them. "Shall we?"

"Lead the way."

Nox did. That she was willing to enter herself suggested the structure was not about to collapse. Acina followed.

The first thing she encountered was a stairway. After a descent of about a meter, it opened up into a hall of smooth, gray rock, inset with opaque gemstones with a peculiar luster cut into shapes of the phases of the moon. The hall was empty save for Nox and a giant orrery, the sun analogue the only light source in the room and the celestial objects that orbited it represented by shimmery spheres of the same stone that dotted the walls. The stone for some planets was gray, others blue or white. All had a shimmery internal glow and a stripe of light across them.

"What caused the schism?" Acina asked.

"The Jedi Archives might have some idea, if it wasn't lost on Ossus or during the Sacking of Coruscant, but so far they've denied my requests for the file. How rude of them."

Acina stared at her pointedly. Nox gave a brilliant smile, then continued, "Of course, based on what we see here, one can posit that they found orbits and lunations important. Perhaps they saw the cosmic status quo as a reflection of the will of the Force."

"No ancient techniques? No hints of cosmic power? I'm surprised you knew this place existed."

Nox shrugged. "To find the correct temple, one must first find the incorrect temples."

"You also cared enough to bring me here."

"Perhaps I wanted to show you something pretty."

Acina blinked. "Pretty? To the Empress of the Sith?"

"Why not?" Nox turned to her and made an expansive gesture, backlight drawing her outline and highlighting her horns. "Is the moonstone not pretty? Does this orrery not appeal?"

"I suppose you've succeeded, then," Acina said, more softly than she intended. Nox wanted to show her pretty things. Perhaps this shouldn't have surprised her, after the past locations. Perhaps it should, given they were both Sith.

Nox beamed. "Excellent. I do have a list of places I still wish to show you."

Acina said nothing, knowing she was inviting Nox to invite her along on an infinity of trips. She was Sith. Everything in her should rebel at being alone in a secluded location with another one.

Then again, she'd agreed to this trip as well. Even if she was getting cold. "For the next one, pick someplace warmer."

"Of course, my Empress. Your wish is my command."

The emphasis was almost imperceptible. Acina should, still, have snarled something appropriately threatening at Nox. Instead, she chose to observe the orrery.

They'd depart soon. She'd stop herself from further madness and reject the invitation for Nox's next outing like a Sith with a functioning self-preservation instinct. She would.

Comments

[enemytosleep]

Onto a new planet, then, but I do love that this seems to be Nox's favored hobby: investigating the histories of forgotten worlds and peoples on his days off (and then sharing those with Acina).

[extrapenguin]

Her days off, actually. :) And yes, the game's storyline for the inquisitor (Nox) is very much about investigating ancient ruins. Of course Nox would end up with an appreciation for it! And share it with her crush.

[bemused_writer]

Yes, more SWTOR fic! I like seeing their adventure here and the gift was a perfect touch. I especially liked this line: "To find the correct temple, one must first find the incorrect temples." It gave me a good chuckle and it's true. :D The ending feels appropriately Sith-like with the possessiveness.

[extrapenguin]

I am very glad you're enjoying this serialized SWTOR excursion! Very happy to hear you got a chuckle out of it.