The Archives

[Mez-Jid Fie'r]

The Library and Archives of the Jedi had once been vast, practically comprehensive. Histories of the Galaxy, its inhabitants, star charts which were themselves almost works of art.

Those Archives were long lost, and these were still, three hundred years since the fall of Palpatine, a pale shadow in comparison.

[Nessa Henlen]

Nessa entered the Archives after the two Jedi and glanced around the room. How much knowledge was stored here? How much could one learn from simply spending one day in here? These were things she’d never know but she supposed the knowledge she had already would suffice for the time being. She turned to Fie’r and smiled behind her mask.

<”Impressive, it’s a wonder no one’s here but us. You’d think every Jedi or Force sensitive would be here seeking the knowledge of their forebears. I suppose that’s today’s youth.”>

She laughed lightly and reached into her robes and removed the bag containing the holocron. She thought of removing the artifact from the bag and tossing it to the Padawan but she was close now and the time for games was over. Nessa casually walked over to one of the tables and placed the bag on top of it then moved to where she’d been standing and looked at Fie’r.

<”Now if you’d be so kind to uphold your end of the bargain.”>

She turned her back on the two and began to wonder around the Archives, stopping every now and then to remove a datapad and read its contents or to remove a holodisk and watch what information it had.

[Mez-Jid Fie'r]

"It is night time, most of them are asleep, or should be."

The secure room would be safest. Ignoring the warning voice in her head, Mez picked up the bag, turned it over in her hands for a moment, and... drew out the holocron.

She carefully didn't flinch when it turned on.

"You seek power."

"I seek it under my own terms," because there really wasn't much point in lying to the damn things, whoever had made them had usually made them well enough to pick up a lie from the body temperature of whoever was holding it.

"You are weak, and I could make you strong."

"I have seen the price for such strength."

"Why have you awoken me, if not to receive my knowledge?" the holocron demanded, and really, that was funny. She was being told off by a piece of tech probably built before she even came into existence.

"Empirical evidence." Mez shut off the holocron, and put it back in its bag. "Jace, if you ever turn one of those on, I will personally see to knocking sense into you."

The secure room was the safest place for this thing.

"Jace, you stay where you can watch her."

Interesting. Her hands were shaking.

[Jace]

Jace watched the exchange between Mez and the holocron with fascination. He’d used Jedi Holocrons before but this Sith one was different, it radiated power. When she turned it off and spoke to him he simply nodded and watched her walk off. As he turned to look for Nessa a sense of unease came over him. He didn’t like being alone with this strange woman.

[Nessa Henlen]

Nessa continued to make her rounds through the Archives. When else would she have so much knowledge at her disposal again? She knew the answer to that question all too well and it’s what prompted her to continue her tour.

[Mez-Jid Fie'r]

Locking the damn thing in with the rest of the damn things made her uneasy. Having so many Sith holocrons in one place was always more than slightly freaky. But the room locked behind her once she left and the world started to feel a little more clear.

Jace was still watching Nessa, so she beckoned him over to a terminal, and logged in with one of the usernames and passwords she knew ought to work for this, then ran a quick search on her own name as a test.

A highly sanitised biography scrolled through the screen, probably Vo's fault. She flicked past the 'date of death' section, and searched for Rico Henlan.

Interesting.

"As promised, Nessa. Rico Henlan. Official records show he was last seen on Talus, several years ago."

She turned and looked right at Nessa, and hoped like hell Jace had the sense to get behind her, because she wanted to be between Jace and Nessa right then.

"Shortly before the death of the family of his Life-Debted Wookiee, Kallabacka, and his daughter." She kept her steady stare, not narrowing her eyes, not judging, not yet. "Nessa Henlan."

[Jace]

Once Mez was back a wave of relief washed over him and he quickly went to her when she beckoned him. When Nessa approached them he moved himself behind his Master simply out of the fact he didn’t like being around the other woman. He felt something in the Force from Mez that he equated to ‘be ready for anything’ he casually placed his hands on his hips, he wanted his right hand closer to the lightsaber and thought that the best way possible.

[Nessa Henlen]

Nessa listened quietly to what Fie’r had to say and chose to ignore her Padawan’s obvious behavior. She met the Jedi Master’s stare but what the two of them couldn’t see was the grin behind the mask, no doubt they could sense the pain she was in but she was always in pain.

<”Well I stand before you now a solid ghost, a hoax, or a daughter who had a fate far worse than death.”>

She took a step closer to Fie’r but chose not to get as close as she had in the woods, not yet.

<”Or I could simply have the same name as his daughter.”>

She laughed at that then suddenly stopped.

<”The holocron was worth more than his location from several years ago. I need the location he’s been at for the past year.”>

Nessa chose that moment to step forward so she was once again staring down at Fie’r.

<”Do better Master Fie’r.”>

With that she turned and walked away heading back towards the section she’d been at before being so rudely interrupted by useless information.

[Mez-Jid Fie'r]

"I can only give you access to what the computer has to say on him. No more. You can read his file yourself. It all gets pretty dry after a Jedi leaves the Order, unless they become an active Sith, join the DJO, or express interest in returning. All conversations with Order members are logged, as are points of contact with other members of the Force-sensitive community. There's a subsection on his involvement with smuggling. And a note that Black Sun may be responsible for your death, but without proof there's no prosecution available, though with an active comment that if information comes to light it's to be dealt with immediately. I may have to update that to remove your name from the list of the dead, Miss Henlan."

Because the Force was telling her, in its quiet little way, she she wasn't wrong, Nessa was the Henlan girl, and she did not mean well to her father.

"But as far as his official file here is concerned, that's as dead as you're meant to be."

[Jace]

While he only felt pain coming from Nessa he could tell she was angry. The woman had had a Sith holocron with her and if that was anything to go by it meant the last thing he and Mez wanted was for her to get mad. He took a step back from his Master and unhooked the lightsaber from his belt, he could use it or throw it to Mez when the time came which he was sure was fast approaching.

[Nessa Henlen]

When Fei’r was done Nessa began to laugh uncontrollably. The pain and laughter made her double over and it wasn’t long before she was on the floor curled into the fetal position. Behind her mask tears began to swell her in eyes. It was almost too much but the laughter began to die down and the pain with it. She pushed herself off the floor into a sitting position then slowly got to her feet, she stumbled towards the Jedi, a giggle escaping every so often.

<”So what…heh…you’re telling me…hehe…Is that I…hahaha….wasted my time?”>

She stood several feet from the Jedi slightly hunched over, the pain coursing throughout her entire body. She noted that Jace was holding his lightsaber and who could truly blame him? Before him stood a laughing monster. Nessa slowly turned her head away from Jace and towards Fie’r.

<”I’d like my holocron…hehehe…back please.”>

The information didn’t quite meet the value of the holocron in her mind. It was only fair they give it back or at least something as valuable in return.

[Mez-Jid Fie'r]

Mez shook her head, because she'd seen crazier.

"Never the agreement. You wanted the information our Archives and Records held on your father, Nessa. I have given them to you. It may be possible, however, to give you access to the medical bay before you leave."

The Force was there, a little nagging tingle in the back of her mind, she means him ill.

[Jace]

He’d experienced fear before but this was something else. Jace was sweating as badly as if he’d just run several miles on Tatooine. He took another shaky step back and made himself stop from going any further. He was a Jedi. He focused on his breathing until his heart rate slowed down then looked up at Nessa again. The fear was still there but he could see her for what she really was; a broken person. He cautiously made his way back toward Mez’s side and handed the lightsaber to her, just in case.

[Nessa Henlen]

As if a switch was flipped the giggles stopped and she righted herself. They weren’t the ones she wanted, not right now anyway. They had slighted her though and she wouldn’t forget that. Nessa made her way towards the door, limping ever so slightly, then stooped.

<”Thank you for your help Master Fie’r and Padawan Jace. I hope the next time we meet it’s not in a dreary forest.”>

She laughed and then was gone.

[Mez-Jid Fie'r]

Mez pulled up a camera feed on the terminal almost on automatic, fingers relying more on muscle memory to find the appropriate keys, and watched until she was out of the building.

"And now, my padawan, we're going to take a little look at the stuff on her father that isn't in the Archives and official records, so we can work out why a Sith is seeking her father, and where he is so we can get both sides of the story."

She smirked. "Lucky for us, she asked all the wrong questions. We're going to have a look at the Intelligence and Security files."