Sunshine Challenge: Bloodstone

[extrapenguin]

sunshine_challenge, day 5: Bloodstone. Darth Nox and Empress Acina's adventure continues! In the meanwhile, Star Wars people here through the challenge, dreamwars exists.

Bloodstone (with bonus peridot)


Nox burst through the door of Acina's office. "You must come with me at once," she exclaimed, vibrating out of her skin. Acina wondered what had possessed her to give the other woman access.

"What is it? I have an audience in the evening."

"The Reclamation Service uncovered Rakatan ruins on Dromund Fels."

Acina set down her datapad. Dromund Fels was the next world out, arid but still marginally inhabitable. That the Old Sith Empire had settled there was common knowledge. Rakata? This was big. "I suppose I have the time."

Nox grinned and marched out the door. Acina had to almost run to catch up with her.

"Where did they discover the ruins?"

"The Reclamation Service cracked open a new dig in the northern hemisphere, a few thousand kilometers from the others, based on gravitational data. They'd uncovered a few things in a style different from the Sith ruins already excavated, but only when they found the remnants of a Rakatan console did they realize what they were looking at." They arrived at Nox's space ship. "Talos called me the moment they confirmed it. Get in, it should only be a short hop."

The official Reclamation Service report would be coming to her desk by the end of the day. Under regular circumstances she would probably only skim it. With Nox bringing her over – well, she'd probably only skim it, but that would be because she'd hopefully know all they had to say already.

The ship took off with a steady rumble. This time, they wouldn't be heading off to a faraway star, but doing a short intra-system jump from Dromund Kaas to Dromund Fels. With a shudder, the stars changed place. The system's sun was smaller. A red planet, eerily reminiscient of Korriban, though more quiescent, loomed large in the viewport.

Nox handled the landing permissions and piloted the ship down herself. Acina was perhaps the better pilot, but Nox was more than good enough.

They were greeted by a short, pale-skinned human man in Imperial Reclamation Service uniform. "My Lord! And the Empress! Welcome to the dig site. Oh, we would've prepared a better reception if we'd known you were coming; please forgive us."

"It's all right, Talos," Nox replied, confirming Acina's guess of who the man was. "I'll show Acina what we've already uncovered and make our way over to you."

"Of course, My Lord." Doctor Drellik bowed and scampered off.

"Shall we?" Acina asked.

"Certainly." Nox set out across the dusty rock. Acina followed.

There were taped-off squares everywhere, dinky little holes where the sand and rock had been taken away by diligent Reclamation Service personnel to uncover what might lie beneath. Nox led them over a slight dune to reveal a wide area free of sand, some sort of mostly green platform that might once have been level.

"We aren't sure what this stage was for, but the stone provides some clues." As Nox was walking over it, it must be safe to traverse. "The green jasper has inclusions of red hematite. The resulting stone has many names, but one of the most common is bloodstone."

"Blood sport or executions, then?" Acina asked.

"That is our suspicion as well, especially since we haven't discovered anything else made of the material."

"Are there any audience stands nearby? One would expect some if it were for public entertainment."

"We haven't begun those digs yet – there is more lucrative material." Nox had reached the other end of the bloodstone and stepped off. "Seismic survey data does indicate some sort of fitting structures buried deeper in the sand, though. In addition, we have uncovered some interesting little chambers. Come!"

With that, Nox took off towards another patch of sectioned-off desert with a speed through the sand that required use of the Force. Acina rolled her eyes internally and followed her.

Nox waved her hand to clear off a layer of sand, revealing a trapdoor made of a brown stone. Another wave of Nox's hand, and the trapdoor lifted. "We can prop this open with one of the struts – there." The dark mouth of the passage yawned before them. Nox stepped in without hesitation.

What was there for Acina to do but to follow? She carefully followed Nox down the weathered stairs, slightly shallower than humans might build, to the darkness.

Her eyes soon adjusted. An eerie green glow came from in front.

The stairs ended with a right-angle turn to a room perhaps five meters a side and three high. Each corner had a pillar of some translucent olive green mineral, lit from beneath, casting an odd light on everything. Nox's red skin was rendered an off-black that almost matched her markings, her yellow eyes aglow.

"This chamber's purpose is also unclear, but it is fit for a Sith," Nox quietly explained. "The crystals are peridot, one of the few known minerals that forms in the upper mantle rather than the crust. To get such excellent, unweathered speciments up in quantity..." She glanced sidelong at Acina, something anticipatory in an oddly vulnerable fashion in her mien.

It was at that moment that Acina realized what Nox wanted. A regular Sith might want power, influence, all manner of favors – or a chance to end her and steal her throne. What Nox wanted was her.

"Indeed, it is impressive," Acina temporized. "You mentioned discovering some sort of Rakatan matter transport system on Belsavis. Do you think they'd have used something like that to bring it up?"

Nox perked up. "That is an intriguing idea; I'll have to bring it up with the team excavating the Belsavis transport system."

Acina walked up to one of the pillars in the corner. It, too, had a perfect square cross section, like the room. "If we could duplicate the technology..."

"...the galaxy would be ours."

A bit more ambitious than what Acina had immediately been thinking – transport had been one of her main responsibilities back when she'd headed the Sphere of Technology – but something she desired. She quite liked Nox, as much as one Sith could safely like another; had for some time already. Nox had set things up. Now, the move was Acina's.

"Is there a ruin in this galaxy you have yet to visit?" Acina asked. "It seems you've seen them all."

"I'm sure there are places I have yet to discover," Nox said. "One of Dromund Kaas's continents is forbidden without Imperial permission and I'm sure Vitiate's hidden files contain many treasures."

Temples, then, rather than a reassurance that Acina could bring her wherever, and a desire to crack open as many secrets as possible. Did Nox truly want Acina's company, then, or just the key to her vaults? Or perhaps both? Acina would have to investigate. "I shall keep that in mind when I next have need of bedtime reading." She turned towards the door. "In the meanwhile, my time here is limited, and this but one of the structures. Have you uncovered more of the complex?"

"There's another chamber like this, and Talos's crew is digging up something we have yet to characterize. Come!"

Acina followed Nox to the surface. This time, she didn't pretend her observance was anything other than what it was: interest.

Perhaps even reciprocated.

Comments

[enemytosleep]

"Is there a ruin in this galaxy you have yet to visit?" Acina asked. "It seems you've seen them all."

I had the same question, ahaha. Love that this time she just burst into the office and was like, we gotta go on a ruins date Right. Now.

[extrapenguin]

In this, Acina is us all! Though she will find a place Nox hasn't seen, don't worry. :)