Log:Jedi Order: Lost Library pt 2
Jedi Order: Lost Library pt 2
OOC Date: May 8, 2020
Location: Empress Teta
Participants: Jedi Order: Vhe Tenara, Rey Skywalker, Finn, Elrych Cometburn, Yuun, Liren, and Ben Solo; with Special Guest Star Lando Calrissian
Empress Teta is one of the planets the First Order still maintains a presence in orbit over, but the forbidding silhouette of the Star Destroyer hovering far away up in the sky is barely visible from the planet's surface. A bustling hub of commerce and trade located near the Core, this world has been a key gathering point for knowledge and exploration for millennia. It almost comes as no surprise, then, that the Keepers of Knowledge would have chosen this as a back-up plan, a repository away from the Great Jedi Library where its secrets could be safely stored in the event that tragedy befell the trove on Ossus.
"We need to be careful and quick," Ben tells the others as they move through the crowded streets, relying largely on the cover of the high volume of foot traffic for protection from discovery. The Great Library of Cinnagar, an impressive edifice of stone and durasteel that towers over the street, looms large ahead. "I've made arrangements with my uncle to have someone... sympathetic to our cause meet with us and take us past the public areas. Mentioning the potential for a hidden cache of rare historical documents didn't hurt either."
A side door marked 'Employees Only' in understated gilt Aurabesh beckons, and Ben taps a code into the panel, sliding the entrance open and stepping inside, where the Drall employee is waiting with an older gentleman in stylish clothes leaning on a cane. "Ah, here you are!" the library employee greets, his golden-furred face lighting up while narrow fingers adjust his round spectacles, a custom pair of Tetan research eyewear. "I was just telling Mr. Calrissian how excited I am to meet you all! I am Eldo Flaggins, senior archivist. How do you do."
Teta is a massive city and worth moments of wonder and study that Vhe, in this moment is not allowed. She slows a few times but is kept up to pace by the others. Her sleeveless robes allow the woman free movements and luckily her wild hair has been tamed into a tight french braid down her back to swing in successive sweeps with her stride.
As they reach the door she keeps watch, keen amber colored eyes giving a quick study of their locale before they are allowed within the building. Her attention shifts from Calrissian to Eldo, giving a nod of understanding.
"/General/ Calrissian," Lando playfully corrects, pointing a finger at Eldo with a grin, wink, and a chuckle, straightening up and running his free hand down his shirt to smooth it out.
Lando offers a small wave to the new arrivals, taking a few steps forward to say, "I'm glad you cats made it here, safe." He's also glad that their arrival likely means he doesn't have to keep holding conversations about old things. 'Old' isn't a comparison that he likes to invite.
How did this fine group of Space Wizzards and Eitches get to this lovely and wonderful core planet? The Fair Mynock, a YZ-775 kitted out like a smuggling vessel should be. Fast hyper, upgraded engines. A sensor/com jammer. Elrych, piloting his ship had slipped through the blockade of Star Destroyers no problem, having grabbed a load of normal Cargo. He was also a known vessel and property owner of a droid shop and a whole market in the core district here on Teta. A silent partner but still had some influenbce. Right now though he was not with the others, "Yeah I'm kinda a big deal around here." He imbelishes, relaxing in the drivers seat of his Sorosub speeder He was talking over the comlink again to the others. "Yamo and Kirsti kept the Mynock running and I'm here with the Speeder if things get out of hand or weird and need a quick exit. I'll also keep an eye out." He was near the building they had gone in, keeping a well guarded eye out. "Just let me know."
Finn has never quite been able to shake that Stormtrooper kind of movement, even amongst gatherings like this. Though his weapon is slung against his back to stay out of the way, his head is constantly on a swivel and he unthinkingly moves in lockstep with the Jedi. The world is one of those glittering jewels the likes of which he never really encountered hiding out in the furthest reaches of the Galaxy, so he?s constantly looking at the various and sundry lifeforms chattering, peddling, and making their way through the street.
Once inside, he takes up a position by the door with his chin lifted to try and keep one ear on the conversation and one on potential problems.
"The Great Library of Cinnagar!" C-3P0 announces with a jovial tone to his synthesized voice. "Look at its grandeur, Mistress Rey!" He waves his golden arms as best as his limited agility will allow him to.
"I see it, Threepio, it's lovely." Rey replies, her blue hood pulled up over her head, her hair braided in small buns on either sides of her head covering her ears. Her brown eyes do look up at the bronzium dome of the massive building as they approached it.
"It was designed in deference to the Republic Senate Complex on Coruscant! Oh how I long to see that building some day!" Threepio continues. "There are a /billion/ unique volumes of stories confirmed to be housed within this library, and likely many more than that even! If only Artoo were here, he could help me sort throu--"
"Threepio, come along, lets not get lost behind."
"Yes, Mistress." The golden droid wobbles along after her as she moves to catch up with the others heading inside of the structure. She comes to stand just to the right of Finn and gives him a glance from within her hood, a light smile, then her eyes go forward to where Lando and Ben are meeting someone.
Threepio, is doing a full 360 degree turn and marveling at the interior of the library, as he does.
Yuun arrived with the others, the older Initiate doesn't really look all that old moves through the throng of people here. A smile on his face as he looks around enjoying what he is seeing. Having finished up with the others on Denen and now here on Teta another planet with a large city, Yuun is enjoying himself. Catching up with Finn who is constantly looking around, "Hey, this is a pretty nice place huh?" he asks.
Once they make it inside, he nods to the others and the General Calrssian. Yuun looks around as well, he looks over the group of Jedi and their guide. "Well we've made it here ok, can't wait to see what's next."
The rush through the streets leaves Liren with only fleeting impressions of the city, monumental buildings in the same style as their objective shade the streets. They pass thriving shops selling unknown goods and open cafes with chairs and tables spilling out in the thoroughfare. The crowds they move through are a mix of the wealthy if their clothes are any indicator and the poor.
Pushing back her green hood, she presses in with the others through the quiet side entrance. Eyes fastened on the stylish general waiting for them, Liren studies him and Ben Solo, aware of how little she knows about the records they hope to find, being the youngest in terms of study among the initiates. Hands pushed deeply into her sleeves, head canted to one side, she listens.
"Yes yes, General Calrissian, semantics, semantics," Eldo replies to Lando, waving a small hand and grabbing at the lapels of his waistcoat. "You all have come to the right place for learning, I can assure you of that much, yes indeed," the little fellow extols, fairly brimming with pride. "The Great Library of Cinnagar has been a beacon of learning for untold generations. If there's anything worth knowing that's not in our library..." the light in his eye turns mischievous, "well, I should greatly like to know what it is." Turning abruptly, he waves them on. "Come! Come! This way!"
The Drall leads the group away from the employee's entrance, diverting down a narrow hallway with only dim lighting, chattering away while they follow. "I understand you believe a hidden cache of information may be squirrelled away somewhere within our library, or underneath it, or what have you," the senior archivist relates, taking a left around a corner and sidestepping a cart filled with holobooks. "If that were true, I can't help but speculate we would have found it centuries past, but... I can't resist a good mystery, can you?"
"Thank you for doing this," Ben murmurs to Lando as they go, glancing over his shoulder at Rey and Threepio's golden head bobbling along behind the other Jedi. "We make an impression. I needed someone you trust."
Eventually, the turning hallways come to an end and the group funnel out into a larger room. The smell of dust, age, and musty paper and parchment is omnipresent, clinging to every surface much like the dust itself. "Here we are," Eldo announces, brushing small hands together as he makes his way into the space. "The oldest wing of the Library. This is where it all began, before the more impressive additions were made." Shelves upon shelves upon shelves of original documents line the walls, stretching far up towards the lofty ceiling, many encased in transparisteel to preserve their integrity. "If your secret is real, this is where you'll find it."
Glancing back the way they had come Vhe is careful with her steps at first. It is C3PO that gets a smile, an appreciative smile for his admiration for she may silently be doing the same. As they pass through the spaces that hold vast amounts of knowledge she reaches her hand out as her finger comes away with dust. "A wonder how they keep this in as good a state as it is," she admits before her eyes follow to Eldo. Her hand withdraws and she dusts her hands together, shaking free the years of accumulation she swept up in a second.
She glances to Liren and then Yuun. Brows furrow as she glances past the Drall. "It is quite a bit to get through." She remarks, her eyes quick to flit about from here to there in an attempt to find something a bit more obvious.
"Of course, kid," Lando offers back to Ben, giving his shoulder a squeeze as he passes him on his way to follow after Eldo. As they enter the large room, Lando's eyes move over the old shelves, brows raising in appreciation of the knowledge stored within.
Lando will of course smile at Threepio's ramblings. As much of a chore as the droid can be, he's still a very old and very true friend.
"Wow," Finn breathes, craning his neck to look up at the ancient shelves and the equally ancient documents they hold. When he speaks, it?s to nobody in particular, "I've read about the Great Library but it isn't how I pictured it. Even when you see holos, they don't really hold up to the real thing."
For his part, he stays to the rear of the group. He has no special esoteric knowledge, and his ability to sense things through the Force feels spotty at best.
As they reach the oldest section of the Great Library, Threepio has been rambling almost non-stop the whole trip. He approaches Eldo and offers the Drall a golden hand. "Hello! I am C. 3. P. Oh. Human Cyborg Relations and I am every so grateful for your generosity in showcasing this wonderful historic location to us!" The golden droid motions to Lando. "General Calrissian is one of my /oldest/ and /dearest/ friends, and this is a true example of his unprecedented clout within the galactic Core, to setup a meeting such as this--"
Rey's left hand curls around Threepio's left bicep, drawing his glowing eyes over to her, "Come along." She says to him, offering a smile to Eldo before she guides the droid away, his waddling steps carrying him off beside her. "I need you to help me sort through all of this." She tells the very sincerely kind--if a bit unaware--droid.
Rey and Threepio move to walk with Finn, and the droid responds to the former Stormtrooper. "I whole-heartedly agree, Master Finn."
To the others, Rey speaks softly. "We're looking for any information regarding the location of the Ossus Library, what region of the planet it might be found on." She nods to the others. "If we find anything, lets try to keep it quiet. I imagine there's many who'd love to ... explore such a place as well."
Elrych Cometburn in the speeder parked outside the library flips on the computer module and scrolls through a few songs. One of his favorite ballads zcatches his shaded gaze, grin now spanning his lips. He selects it and it starts to play. He humms along, a paur of finely dressed folks walking acroas the street and past the speeder. His shades lower, exposing his blue eyes as he winks towards them while mouthing the lyrics silently.
Yuun follows the others and to him this is just another part of their learning, trying to find what wasn't found before them. Looking around and watching the others, he grins a bit enjoying the mixed expressions, he watches as Finn moves to the back of the group. Deciding he's not gotten to talk to Finn much, he drops back as well, "WHy you move all the way back here?" he asks in a low tone.
As they reach the larger room, his eyes go wide, "Well looks like we have some research to do, though I wonder along with Vhe how they were able to perserve all of this." he says. Yuun looks to Threepio as he states what they are here for, nodding his head, "Well let's get to work." he grins and moves ahead and as he does he looks to Vhe, "Hey you, nice to have you on another mission."
The dust makes Liren's nose twitch as they traverse the corridors, a faint smile tugging her lips at C-Threepio's walking lecture. The sheer volume of the knowledge around them weighs on her. Gaping at the height of the stacks, she removes her hands from her sleeves, turning in place to gauge the number of books that climb towards the ceiling.
"The Ossus Library," she repeats soundlessly, glancing at Rey and nodding in agreement with her assessment of its value.
"The manuscript we found seemed to have been written around 4000 ABY," Ben explains to Eldo, the former Supreme Leader glancing around at the ancient tomes that fill the shelves. "At least, according to him." A nod indicates Threepio where Rey's pulled him aside by way of distraction so that the others can get something done. "Does that give us any clues?"
"Well, if it was written in 4000 ABY /exactly,/ that would have been around the time /this/ room was being constructed. The materials here date to the same time period." The little Drall leads them around to a particular shelf, unlocking the transparisteel case the books inside rest behind. "These are the records that pertain to the library's founding. Perhaps you can find a clue inside?"
As fate would have it, or perhaps the will of the Force, there are seven volumes inside the case, and seven of them on this quest. "Everyone take one, see if you can find some sort of hint that might help us know where the Keepers would have hidden the records from Ossus," Ben suggests, pulling out one of the old books himself, very carefully so as not to damage it.
"/Carefully,/" Eldo's voice softly reminds, fidgeting with a button on his waistcoat. "It'll be my head if any of these are harmed. These books are four thousand years old! That's almost as old as I am!" He chuckles, then coughs. "That was a joke."
Vhe catches exactly how old the precious volumes are. She separates herself from the group, her fingers lightly dancing over bindings and unsettling years of dust from the very covers. Brighter hues shine through to show off the path her hand takes and as she pauses on a green volume in particular she tilts her head and attempts to read the contents but the gilded letters have worn from the side of it. Ages of use and passage of time has left it nondescript and worn at its corners when she finally pulls it free to study.
Her hand opens the cover and then starts to fan through the pages. Searching for titles of chapters or subjects within the book to point her on the way. She stops then, her hand guiding her quickly to leaf into a section that gives her something of interest. Dark brows furrow and she turns about to address the others. "Here is something," she says, finding the right place to begin. "This speaks of possible passage ways built beneath the library and during the libraries original construction a worker fell in and broke her leg. Which means that there were natural caves even before the library. Did we not fall into caves the last time?" She glances to Yuun with a nod.
Wandering around the stacks, Lando will pick up a book here or a datapad there, not overly interested in the information contained within. It's no great secret that Lando is not a scholar.
But...the man does love a mystery. One of the offered tomes is taken in hand and sat down on a nearby table to leaf through. "Now...let's see," he whispers to himself as he flips a page, a loud and very tell-tale RIPPING sound accompanying it. "Oh..." he attempts to smooth it back into place, just flipping the cover back closed.
Finn picks up his volume, holding it gingerly in both hands and treating it like one might treat the most fragile piece of technology. He sets it down at a table, pressing one palm against the surface and leaning over it to read. When he hears the ripping sound he looks towards Lando aghast, before clearing his throat and pointing to his book.
"This," another mortified glance at Lando, "This one talks about moving some scrolls from Silversisi to a collection of 'hidden arcana kept below the eye of the public'. I think it's because it was seen as dangerous."
Rey reaches for the one-of-seven tomes that seems to be fated to her. She accepts it and glances to the Drall to smile at him. "We've been handling a lot of old volumes of-late, fear not, we're experienced at this." She tries to reassure the Librarian. She turns then to the book and moves to a space to settle in and open it. Her hand sweeps her hood back off of her head and then sweeps her fingertips over the braided bun of hair covering the ear on that side of her head.
A few pages are flipped before Rey looks up to Threepio. "Threepio, what language is this?" She asks him. The droid eagerly waddles over to Rey's side and stares down at it. "I can't read it." she adds.
"Mistress Rey, that is not a language, that is smudged ink. I'm afraid time has taken whatever words these were and eroded them to mere splotches of lost information."
"Oh." Rey quietly says, disappointment lacing her voice. "Thats disappointing." She then looks up to Vhe and nods over to her. "You're on to something. What we did find was in caverns that could've been similar to that. Keep looking, you might be close."
Rey looks then between Finn and Lando. "Where is Silversisi?" She asks, still turning pages in her book to try to find any pages that /isn't/ in smudge language.
Yuun wanders around until he finds something. He looks at a old brown book, he takes it off the shelf, dust drift off it and with a bit of help he watches it fall to the ground. He moves the book onto a table and opens it and reads. After a little bit, he quirks a brow up, "Looks like there may have Jedi here, it looks like the book I have was a visitors log of some kind." he says.
Yuun continues to read, he does look around at the others for a moment and he chuckles at Vhe, "Yeah we did." he grins. "You gotten better with your landings at least?" he asks a playful smirk is on his lips as he goes back to reading.
Wishing for gloves to protect the volume handed to her from her skin, Liren carefully carries the tome to a table to lay it down. The green cover has a sheen of dust on it, having been undisturbed in its protective bookcase, possibly for centuries. With a muted scrape, she pulls a chair out, smoothes her robe under her and seats herself in front of the book.
Barely touching the cover, she opens it, stopping to examine the opening pages, searching for the table of contents. After a glance at the others, she settles into the chase for the lost volumes. Unaware of the time passing, she leafs through the old tome, page by fragile page scanning rapidly down each leaf hoping to find a mention of the library or annotations by scholars concerning the Jedi. Nothing appears until she is three-quarters into the book. This page marked with illegible notes has one line heavily underlined: a note that mentions a specific volume, a copy of Uueg Tching's "Sayings", that would 'unlock the foundations of knowledge'.
Into the silence around her broken by the shush of pages being turned, she asks, "Does Uueg Tching's "Sayings" mean anything to anyone?"
"Unlock the foundations of knowledge," Eldo muses, rubbing at his fuzzy chin, "Below the eye of the public, falling into a chamber below, Jedi visitors, all very intriguing." The little Drall historian ambles around to the other side of the room, pulling his spectacles down to the end of his nose and squinting through them at the records on the shelf. "I know we have that one somewhere. It's on this wall, anyway." The wall is ten feet tall and thirty feet wide books, scrolls, holorecords.
Ben frowns from across the room, collecting the journals that document the library's early days and slipping them back into their case. "See if you can find it, "Sayings" by Oog Ching." Close enough. "It might be the key to... what was it? Unlocking the foundations."
Vhe carefully holds onto the volume that divulged the earlier information, keeping it tucked close to her chest to keep it from falling pray to run ins and buffeting of varying sorts. She moves closer to Eldo with a brief pull of the Force to guide her that way. Her attention flits over the shelves quickly, glancing at volumes here and there before pausing to the left of Eldo. Her free hand not marking the page and protecting the other volume reaches up as she lifts on her toes to pluck a book from the shelf that had the vague appearance of having a strangely represented name.
Turning it about she blows across the surface to clear it of dust as a white cloud puffs upwards in the wake of her unsettling. "OH...here is this it?" She turns it about to give the others a look, "I admit I am not sure how this particular person's name is spelled but it seems a good chance."
Seeing that he's effectively gotten away with it, Lando will look over to Finn with a shrug and pluck the book up so he can go put it back where it belongs, only a little bit worse for wear.
The old General moves out of the way of the young whippersnappers in search of their ancient book of codified wisdom, leaning against his cane and resuming his slow look around the area. He's helping!
At first, when Vhe pulls the book down off of the shelf, nothing much happens, but a few seconds after she blows that cloud of dust up, there's a rumbling from somewhere deep underground, and the sound of stone sliding heavily over stone. The floor quakes subtly as large panels of the floor glide away into recessed channels, revealing a staircase leading down under the oldest segment of the library.
Finn immediately sets off to look for more texts, striding in the almost exact opposite direction as Vhe. Rey's question prompts a thoughtful look from him, and he turns to answer when the sudden grinding of the stone and the opening of the passageway draws his attention.
He can't suppress a broad, toothy grin as a genuine secret passage is revealed. He glances towards Threepio, giving the shiny golden droid a thumbs up, and moves towards the staircase.
Rey walks past Lando to return her book to the spot it'd been in, as the whole of the volume was smudged beyond any value. As she passes the General she speaks to him without looking. "Do be a little more careful, yeah?" She then gives a glance and a faint ghost of a grin to him before she starts toward where Vhe was. She'd spotted the book just before Vhe had...
But she comes to freeze as the rumblings begin. She stands careful and observant, watching and waiting for what. that. was.
Threepio chimes up. "Oh my! The floor!" He backs away, just in time to avoid falling down into the segment that spreads open!
Rey moves hesitantly closer to the droid's side to take hold of his arm again as she had before, to steady him and keep him safe.
She peers down toward the reveal. "That's, not, normal, I'm assuming." She looks to the Drall then.
Yuun is about to say something as he turns the page, when he hears the deep rumbling. He looks over to the Drall for a moment, "Has this ever happened before." he looks around at the others, "It's alright Threepio." he says. "Is everyone ok?" he asks and he walks over where the otehrs are.
Much in the same vein as Finn, Liren zigs while Vhe zags. She smiles when the young woman discovers the key that unlocks the next step to her adventures. The flooring grumbling and opening its maw to a dark staircase leaves her shaking her head at the literalness of the note concerning the 'Sayings'. Rey's question is a perfect reflection of her own thought, lining up behind the others she follows them down into the dark.
Elrych, still outside, is bobbing his head to the slow tunes he's desided to enjoy while he waited for the others. The sun was shining, the weather was great... it didn't smell like Nar Shaddaa. He reaches into his cloak and pulls out a plastic wrapped sucker, in a green color. "Last one in the Jar back at the temple, Elrych you sly devil." He unwraps it and sticks it in his mouth. After several moment of sucking, his nose wrinkles, making a face at the sour taste. "Uck!" He removes the barely eaten hard candy. "No wonder it was the last in the Jar..." He looks around for a trash bin to chuck it in nearby.
"Normal?!" Eldo demands, gawping at the secret staircase that has opened up in the middle of the floor. "I should say not! This room has stood undisturbed for four thousand years, and all this time there was a secret chamber underneath?!" Small feet stamp with excitement, not even bothering to scold Lando for tearing the book or Vhe for blowing pathogens all over the next one. "I- I should very much like to see what's inside," the little Drall scholar admits, antsy hands clutching at the hem of his jacket.
"No," Ben interjects, standing up from the bookcase across the room. "This is Jedi business and the Jedi will see whatever there is to see first. That was our condition."
"Of- of course, right, of course," Eldo reluctantly agrees, stepping away from the staircase with obvious hesitation.
Fixing the Drall with another look, Ben heads down the stone stairs into the darkness below. Despite the dim lighting filtering down from the hole in the ceiling, the general shape of the chamber can be made out through the gloom, a tall cylinder with the stone staircase wrapping around an unseen apogee towards the floor far below. On the walls of the chamber, empty shelves, rows on rows of empty shelves curl around the curved stone.
Ben's boots leave footprints in the dust at the bottom of the staircase as he steps from the last stair onto the floor of the chamber and crosses to the wall. There, standing out from the empty shelves, is a stone pedestal with the symbol of the Jedi Order emblazoned in faded gold and blue paint. Three round holes sink into the stone below what appears to be a locked case secured firmly to the pedestal. "This is the only thing here?"
Not sure if she should keep the book or not, Vhe elects to set the first book down and then glance back in the direction they had come from before tucking the volume that opened the secret cavern ahead of them. The is quick to follow, light footsteps carrying her down with the rest, no true hesitation as she keeps it tucked close to her. The pedestal before them is given a look and she tilts her head as she gears near, her hand reaching out to trace the circles.
Her eyes lift to each in turn and she tugs her stunsaber free. Not a true saber does she carry but perhaps soon. She shakes her head and steps back, keeping her weapon in hand as she inspects the symbol, a brow arching. "There must be more, just as the book revealed. We may have the answer."
Finn gives a momentary sidelong glance to Rey and mouths the words 'Jedi business' while putting on a look of extreme seriousness, that after a few seconds gives way to a smile. He doesn't take a combative posture, but he does sling his carbine around on the strap to his hip so he can grab it if necessary.
He eagerly moves into the secret room as well, looking around. He's wary enough not to go bounding off into corners after his last experience jumping into the unknown, but he seems more intrigued that cautious.
"Goodness me, what a dark and unsettling tunnel!" Threepio says as he stands near to the Librarian. Rey walks over to peer down it just before Ben sweeps on past them to descend the staircase. Rey looks to their Drall escort. "We'll be careful, I promise. What we're doing is very important to the Jedi Order and, well, it's best if you stay up here for now. Threepio, keep him company."
"Yes, Mistress Rey. Gladly." Threepio will turn to their guide and start to ask many, many, many... questions.
Rey glances to Finn and shows him a grin at his mouthed words. She nods once to him, affirming them, and then starts down the steps with the others. Once she enters the chamber behind Ben and Lando she starts to look around, but ultimately eyes the pedestal.
"It looks like it needs a key of some kind." She expertly deduces.
"Goodness me, what a dark and unsettling tunnel!" Threepio says as he stands near to the Librarian. Rey walks over to peer down it just before Ben sweeps on past them to descend the staircase. Rey looks to their Drall escort. "We'll be careful, I promise. What we're doing is very important to the Jedi Order and, well, it's best if you stay up here for now. Threepio, keep him company."
"Yes, Mistress Rey. Gladly." Threepio will turn to their guide and start to ask many, many, many... questions.
Rey glances to Finn and shows him a grin at his mouthed words. She nods once to him, affirming them, and then starts down the steps with the others. Once she enters the chamber behind Ben and Lando she starts to look around, but ultimately eyes the pedestal.
"It looks like it needs a key of some kind." She expertly deduces.
Yuun walks over where Vhe and Elrych are and he looks to them, than to Ben as he speaks with the Drall. "I'm sorry." he says to the Drall, "We don't know what's down there and it would be irresponsible for you to come with us and something happens to you." he says. Trying to ease some of the tension in case there is some with how Ben spoke with the Drall. "Thank you for letting us in though." he bows his head.
Walking down the stairs, he glances back to check on teh progress of the others, checking for Liren as Finn, Rey and Threepio have begun their decent as well. Once down there, he looks to the pedestal. "So what do we think we need to do here?" he asks curiously.
A fine cloud of dust hangs suspended in the air. Liren hides her face in her sleeve sneezing her way down several steps with high pitched muffled achoos.
Sniffing, she frowns at the mystery of the three holes, which manifestly seems to have an answer for the others. Her hand unconsciously goes to her stun saber as she peers, eyebrows raised, at the base of the pedestal, gauging the size of the holes. She has an inkling of an idea but remains silent leaving it to the experts.
Elrych takes a glance towards the chrono, suddenly getting a feeling of ecitment and... discovery? He grabs the comlink and triggers it. "How you all doing in there. Ya'll okay?" He asks, un aware of the cool mysteries they are currently uncovering. He reaches forewards and turns down the music so he might hear a reply... if reception was even possible where they were.
At the top of the staircase, a Drall is waiting anxiously, walking down the top three stairs and then back up to the room repeatedly. It's hard to be Eldo.
At the bottom, Ben looks at the pedestal, at the three holes in the base, then at the weapons the others are holding. He steps back, reaching for his own weapon but doesn't pull it yet, giving the others a nod. "Do it. Whatever happens, we'll be ready."
Looking amongst them, Vhe steps forward and lets her stunsaber jump to life. "So then..." she looks at the stunsaber now ignited in its white glory and turns it about with a flick of her wrist to point it towards one of the openings. Slowly she steps forward and carefully aligns before attempting to find the key for the lock. The book still remains in her other hand and she glances to the others. "Same time?" If so she waits and carefully follows the flow of the blades timed as closely as she can.
"Speak for yourself, Kid. I'm too old to get out of the way," Lando says with a grin offered to Ben. A Ben Grin. Blaster held at the ready, Lando looks back at the gathered Jedi. His brows knit as he examines the pedestal for any hint of what might come once the group cracks the thing open.
Finn glances at the stunsaber on his belt for a moment, and then back towards the pedestal. After a moment, however, he simply shrugs his shoulders and brings the carbine up to bear. Let the people with laser swords handle this part, he'll keep an eye out for trouble.
Rey moves the light sandy hued bag off of her hip and behind it her lightsaber rests clipped to her leather belt. She slips it off of the leather and walks toward where one of the holes is upon the pedestal. She looks to the others as the white stunbeams activate and she nods her head once to them. "Here we go then." Rey's thumb swipes across her saber's activator ring and it twirls around the hilt's emitter shroud...
Once her blade is active she lines it up and waits for everyone, then pushes the golden glowing beam inside of the Jedi-marked relic.
Yuun readies his lightsaber and he looks at the four holes and he moves into position so that he is at the empty hole. He activates his lightsaber and as everyone prepares, he moves with them, focusing on what they need to do and he hopes this works and nothing crazy happens. But then again this is an hidden Jedi trove it's probably protected.
Elrych doesn't receive a reply, "Guys?" More silence. "Those walls must be thick..." There's a patrol coming, he knew this would happen. Black clad local constablery. He gives them a smile and a nod as the pass, playing the part of cool. Turns out, his confidence paid off for once as the boots keep walking past the speeder and down their route. Elrych knew the area well enough and that included how to not draw too much unwanted attention.
When the lightsabers and stunsabers alike press into the recesson the sides of the pedestal, once again it seems for a moment that nothing will happen. Maybe the stunsabers aren't-
Ka-chunk.
It's not that dramatic, but something releases within the pedestal and the painted lid pops open, revealing a simple, faded note left inside.
Ben steps forward and reaches into the box, pulling out the note and scanning over it briefly before reading aloud.
"'This is the log of Aeshi Voddair, Jedi Knight and Keeper of Knowledge. The galaxy is changing. The secrets we brought here from Ossus are no longer safe in Cinnagar. Under my direction and custodianship, select tomes from Silversisi and the Great Library of Cinnagar have been added to what we brought here from Ossus. This collection now represents the only surviving record of these teachings. It is too dangerous to remain here.'" He pauses to clear his throat, then continues reading.
"'I have /moved/ the combined secret archive to a new location, hidden on... Halowan.'" He swallows. "'Where a new library is being built.'" Ben's face slants to the right as he frowns, setting the note back down in the case atop the pedestal. "Well. That's... something."
The shelves are empty, the secret library they hoped to find, moved, but grown as well? The trail leads ON. "To Halowan, then." He turns to head back up the stairs, apparently leaving the note behind, unless someone else grabs it.
Withdrawing her saber, Vhe steps back in preparation for something larger, something perhaps a bit more threatening. Her stunsaber stays lit until the moment the box becomes apparent. She furrows her brows and turns her head just so in confusion as her blade lowers slowly. It hums a moment longer before it snaps out of existence with the press of the button on the side of the hilt.
She clips it back to her belt and keeps the book that brought them to this underground room in hand. Precious cargo and all that. She glances between the rest and makes a sound. "Will that be the last place or will they have moved it again? How old is this note? Four thousand? It could likely have been moved a great many times," or lost forever even.
