The Search For Tython Part 2 The Archives

~\*{ THE SEARCH FOR TYTHON }\*~

"A one shot series about founding the New Je'daii Order"

Part two: The Archives

IC: Mab Bathori, Axel Drake & Terrogate

Locations: Korriban & Batorine.

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Music:

Í Tolundi (into the mist), by Eivør

https://youtu.be/pqnMkUcTmys

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After locating the subterranean chamber under Bathori Tower in early 158 ABY, Mab's search began to find the hidden world of Tython. For months the Iktotchi witch searched for clues, exploring the remaining tunnels and chambers beneath the tower but without success. She traveled in search of knowledge that could help her quest. She visited the Drall Library on Corellia, the Celebratus Archive on Obroa-skai, the Graf Archives on Orchis 2, the Great Library of Manuals on Te Hasa and many more libraries and archives around the Galaxy, all without success.

Bathori knew one place where she would find what she needed, one place she swore never to set foot on ever again: the Archives of the Sith Academy library on Korriban. The Empire had fallen, the civil war was still raging and Korriban was at the epicentre of it all. Having heard rumours that the Imperial Sith were trying to relocate the library, she knew it was 'now or never' and together with her apprentice: the Echani Axel Drake, she took the risk and traveled 'into the belly of the beast' to Korriban. In midst of the chaos of the ongoing war they managed to slip with the Busted Plugga past the blockade into Imperial Space.

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158 ABY: Busted Plugga, Sith Space

"We are closing in on Korriban Master" the security droid said sitting in the pilot seat. Mab's eyes flung open, she had been meditating in the co pilot seat "Excellent, make sure to keep transmitting that code." "Of course Master" K-0R9 responded and checked the coms. "it's an older code but it still checks out, it will give us plenty of time to break into orbit before they notice" she said as she stood up. The droid turned his head and stared at her "are you sure it will work?" She nodded "they are too busy focussing on saving what little they still have" a confident grin appeared on her face, she knew it was still risky but they had a good chance, she turned around "I'll go check on Axel" she said before leaving the bridge.

Turning left in the main hold she entered a narrow corridor that led to the crew quarters. She pressed the panel next to the door and stepped inside. "Apprentice you better get ready we are about to break into Orbit." The Iktotchi said without Greeting to the young Echani meditating on one of the bunks.

Drake looked up from his meditations “I’m all packed and ready to go, my mistress, but I admit...not without apprehension." Mab sensed his lack of confidence as he spoke "I am but an apprentice, and given my...less-than-glorious duel the last time I set foot in port, I am likely to be noticed and singled out. Are you sure my presence won’t endanger the mission?." Mab shook her head. "The Imperial Sith are far too busy trying to save their asses." She let out a small chuckle and continued "Korriban is in chaos, as long as they dont know we are coming it will be unlikely they will notice" she said sternly to the Echani assassin. Mab turned around, assuming he would follow she continued to speak as she walked "the last thing I heard is that they are in fact putting the library on transport, with the ongoing battle this maybe our only chance."

She exited the corridor into the main hold "I have faith in you my young Apprentice." This was no lie, she had faith in him, she had seen great potential in Axel. An excellent fighter and an assassin with a set of skills she could use for this risky mission. "We will use the darkness of the night to get onto the academy grounds. Korg will drop us off and take the ship to a safe distance where he will wait." Calmly she walked over to the table and picked up two black robes "Luckily I still had these" she showed him the academy sigil "we will blend right in. We will make our way into the academy library but most likely there will be guards patrolling the floors. What we need will be in the archives beneath the library which will be even more heavily guarded." She explained as she held out one of the robes for him to take. "Our main target is the 'book of Je'daii' but I will give you permission to take what you want from the archives as long as it doesn't endanger the mission. If it will slow you down you will have to drop it. Understood?" With a cold and blank expression she looked at her Apprentice.

“Yes mistress” Axel responded with a nod. The witch was able to sense the Echani's fear, nothing too overwhelming but she understood his worries about getting caught, she felt the same. If the Empire would catch them they would be made an example of, in the most brutal way possible. The Iktotchi still was confident that they would succeed, she knew the layout of the archives like no other and Axel had infiltrated facilities before, hunting down and executing single targets. Her apprentice had also been teaming hard with an old friend of hers and his skills with a lightsaber had improved several fold since his last visit. Mab knew he would be eager to test them out should the need arise. She smiled at him as he put the robe on "Remember the mission. An encounter with even a low-level guard could undermine the entire operation" she said, trying to make sure he wouldn't let his curiosity and eagerness overshadow his caution.

“Of course Mistress" he responded as he adjusted the robe "Under the cover of my umbrakinesis, you should have the necessary privacy to search the terminal’s database." He continued. Bathori put her own academy robe on and listened to Axel speak. "Even with proper dress and credentials, the less people see, the better”, he continued, his confidence began to show and that pleased the witch.

“to an Empire at war, texts like those will seem like nothing but sith mythology, now that they're at their most undervalued is indeed the best time to strike." Mab nodded in agreement, the book was unimportant to the Empire they wouldn't miss it.

"We are approaching the Academy'' the voice of K-0R9 said over the comms. Mab's eyes lit up at once, she was excited about the mission "we will not land the ship" she said with a devilish grin on her face she turned around and walked away to the back of the ship…

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158 ABY: Korriban

Moments later the doors of the Busted Plugga opened, the academy was in sight. Mab looked at her Apprentice "when Korg slows the ship down we will jump" she said with a grin and stepped to the open door. She never liked Korriban, too hot, even at night the air felt warm. "One minute till drop off" K-0R9 said over the comms. Mab opened the comm channel "take the ship south into the desert and wait for my signal to pick us up" she ordered the droid. "Yes Master will do….30 seconds till drop off" Mab motioned to her Apprentice to join her, "get ready."

The Busted Plugga slowed down, gliding over the roof of the academy. Over the comms Korg counted down "five.. four.. three.. two.. one." Bathori jumped out of the ship, using telekinesis to land safely on the central building of the academy. Axel followed her lead, landing next to her. As they both looked up they saw the ship speeding away from the academy.

Mab turned to her apprentice, she knew the academy but never had to infiltrate it. "Ok, you are the expert here. Let's get inside" she said to the Echani. His set of skills to infiltrate were the reason she had asked him along, she knew he would know the best way. He grinned "yes mistress, this way" he said as he wrapped both of them in shadows. She followed him to the roof's elevator access. "This is the most direct path" he said and pushed the button to call the elevator. As they waited he continued “We’ll want to avoid attracting attention at the library main entrance, but once we’re inside, security won’t be an issue until we get to the Archives in the basement."

The doors opened and the couple stepped inside. Drake pushed a button and at once the elevator started its descent. Having never officially left the empire, swiping his identicard was sufficient to get past the first level of security. Unfortunately, B1 was as far as it got them, as clearance to the archives involved tighter security. Bathori didn't have an ID card, she had lost her security clearance the night she got punished, it was too risky to even try her card as it might have alerted security. If she had stayed in the Empire she might have earned it back although the chance would have been just as slim as being allowed to get a new arm.

The doors opened and the two got out into a narrow corridor. Around the corner she sensed a presence, a guard sitting at his post. Making sure he was out of earshot, Axel whispered “Mistress, if you can start a conversation with that gentleman in the lieutenant’s uniform, I can snag his ID card and get us into the archives”.

Mab nodded and a grin appeared on her face. She waved her hand creating an illusion that changed her appearance. Axel's eyes grew bigger as she turned herself into a Zeltron, it was the first time her apprentice witnessed her use Sith magic and he was impressed. Mab had a plan, a silly one but with a simple guard she knew it would work.  With confidence in her step she walked around the corner and approached the guard. Hearing her footsteps he instantly looked up "Hey. You are not supposed to be here" he said with a surprised expression on his face. It was obvious he didn't expect anyone down there at that hour.

"Ooo...i...I'm sorry...i must have taken a wrong turn" Mab responded pretending to be nervous. "Wrong turn? You're not supposed to be out at this hour" the guard said sternly and stepped towards her "what were you doing here?" he added looking suspicious at her. Shy she looked away and softly responded "I.. I..  met someone down here." She could sense his surprise, "met someone?? Where is your accomplice?" "He left" Embarrassed she looked at her feet waiting for his response, her pink cheeks turned red "What were you doing?" He asked again, the way he looked at her showed he expected what she wanted him to think, that it was an intimate rendezvous. Nervously she kept avoiding his eyes, making it seem even more that he caught her trying to sneak out instead of trying to get in. "What house are you in?" The guard asked "Tenebris...but please please don't tell my Master." She said almost begging moving closer "I'm sure we can come to an agreement" she added with a slightly seductive glimpse in her eyes. The guard was tempted but shook his head "No. Who is your Master?"

Mab's eyes didn't move from the guard but she knew her Apprentice was about to make his move. "Please sir… can't you look away? I didn't do anything…" she tried to convince him as she moved away, making him turn his back towards Axel. Her apprentice took the opportunity and silently moved closer. He slipped his hand in the guards pocket and motioned to her once he had what he was looking for.  The guard was focussed on her and didn't notice Axel taking the card. Fortunately, the access terminal was around the corner and out of sight, giving Axel time to scan the card, rush back to return it. As she kept distracting the guard she heard her Apprentice speak Telepathically through the force "Mistress, once you finish up on your end and he’s out of sight, I can let you in."

Now the Iktotchi witch had to find a way to get rid of the guard without killing him. "Please sir, it won't happen again." Mab said softly, trying to convince him. She could sense that he was thinking about letting her go. "Please sir" she repeated again flicking her purple hair behind her ear. The guard finally gave in, a smile appeared on his face "very well, this time I will. But if I ever see you again I will report you and your. Ehm… your friend." Mab smiled "thank you sir, I will get back to the barracks at once." And she stepped away, when he acknowledged with a nod she turned around and walked back around the corner. Drake was waiting for her, keeping the doors of the elevator open. The witch slipped through and the doors closed behind her. "That was fun" she said with a chuckle, waving her hand over her face again, dissolving the Sith Illusion. The elevator moved down to the lowest level, the archives.

Only a few seconds later they had reached their destination and the doors slowly opened. The witch gazed into the long corridors, she could see the crates ready for transport stacked in the corners which made her worry if they were too late to find the book. Axel veiled the both of them with umbrakinesis as she stepped to an unused terminal in the corner facing the wall. His abilities weren't strong enough to veil them completely but just enough to blur the  computer terminal to any onlookers so that their search would remain incognito. Mab started pressing buttons, before she knew exactly where to go, she practically lived in the archives, but things had changed. They had already started to prepare the library for transport, the chance that what they were looking for was no longer there was a possibility. But she knew certainly that the one thing the Empire was good at was keeping records. She accessed the computer and started to search for 'Tython' and 'Je'daii'. The computer started scanning through the records, anxiously she waited.

It took a few seconds until something popped up "yes...Book of Je'daii" she whispered and read where she could find the book. She turned to her Apprentice, "ancient civilisations & lost worlds" she said and pointed down a long arched hallway. Compared to the rest of the library the archives were old, consisting of long arched corridors and smaller rooms for the separate sections. "That way Axel" the Iktotchi had a smile on her face and as quiet as possible she rushed down the long corridor, reading the signs at the doors.

In the distance she heard voices, there were guards nearby. She slowed down, avoiding making any sound. When they found the room they were looking for Bathori turned to her apprentice "You keep watch while I search for the book. I won't take long." She told Axel and entered the room.

The lights flickered as Mab made her way through the rows of bookshelves. The archives were very different from the rest of the library, here you would find actual books and Holocrons, no electronic datapads. Bathori used to spend most of her time down here, she loved the smell of the ancient books and scrolls. It was in fact the place where the S'kytri offered her an apprenticeship all those years ago when she had only just joined the academy.

Slowly she moved along the shelves, her finger traced the titles on the books. "Where are you ?" She whispered frustrated as she noticed nothing was in order. The chaos of the war was most likely the reason no one bothered to put everything in alphabetical order, she was lucky that the books were put in the right section. Her finger stopped on a big book, 'Lost tribe of the Sith' the title read. This was not what she was looking for but she knew someone who would be very happy with that book. She pulled the book from the shelf and continued to search for the book she was looking for.

Meanwhile back in the corridor Axel cloaked himself and bent the shadows for further cover, but as he was doing so he heard someone approach. Quickly he pulled himself under the cloak in time. It was a guard doing his rounds, checking each room. Instead of staying put like his Master told him the Echani went back down the long corridor, to the computer terminal taking the opportunity to search for the books he desired. He was confident he could keep watch as he searched the terminal but the computer was facing the wall and the arched corridor was long and dimly lit. Even if he kept looking every few seconds to make sure no one was tracing them, there was a high chance he would miss them as he was preoccupied with his own interests.

It took Bathori a minute or so until she  finally found the book she was looking for "yes, there you are" she said as she pulled the 'Book of Je'daii' from the shelf. Just as she was about to make her way back to the door she heard it open. It wasn't Axel, but a guard doing his rounds. Quickly she jumped behind the second row of bookcases. Quietly she peeked between the books, the guard slowly walked into the room, his eyes scanning the shelves. 'Thanks for warning me Axel' she thought as she slowly snuck behind the bookcases, avoiding detection. Her eyes fell on a copper coloured dodecahedron shaped Holocron, the label underneath read: 'Prakith'. 'That could prove handy' she thought to herself and picked it up, slipping the polyhedron into the deep pocket of her cloak.

Back at the computer terminal Axel searched the database for several books including: Intermediate Juyo Techniques by Lord Kassim, Diplomacy by Darth Caedus, A Discrete History of Sith Warfare by Darth Tyrannus and Beyond Jedi and Sith by Darth Traya. The Echani  quickly jotted down their locations on a notepad before returning to his watch down the long corridor.

Inside the room the Iktotchi waited until the guard reached the back of the room. Quickly she went for the door, holding the heavy books tightly against her body as she snuck out. Outside she found Axel waiting again, without a word she signaled to follow, making their way back towards the terminal at the beginning of the long arched corridor. Bathori could sense her apprentice's confusion and annoyance as she noticed the notepad in his hand. She could see it contained a list and it became clear to her why he didn't warn her when she was searching for the book. She was disappointed in him, angry he disobeyed her order but he was lucky it was not the time or ths place to discipline him. For a brief period when they were out of earshot Drake turned to her “Mistress, may I suggest we split up once we reached the elevator. Both of us have effective means of concealment. I’ll take the back exit and head into the desert. You can contact me once you make it out" he told her. The Iktotchi gave a nod, she may look calm on the outside but inside she was smouldering. The Echani was right though, it had been a risk coming to Korriban Mab knew that, but in midst of the chaos she didn't expect there would be this much security in the archives. It would probably be easier to get out without detection if they'd separated. "Very well"  she said with confidence, Bathori knew the archives probably better than her young apprentice. Getting into the archives was difficult but getting out was more easy if you knew where to look. The witch had spent so much time down there during her own apprenticeship that she had found a map that showed all the original exits, being curious by nature she of course had checked if they still existed. Most had been blocked but there were at least two that you could use, but they were well hidden.

"Good luck" she said when they reached the elevator and they went their separate ways. Mab turned left and went down another long arched corridor with rooms full of knowledge on each side. She sensed another guard doing his rounds closing in on her. Holding the books tightly she quickly slipped into one of the rooms. The light flickered as she hid in the shadows waiting for the guard to pass.. his footsteps closed in, suddenly they stopped. He turned into the room she was hiding in but didn't bother to actually enter only shining his light over the bookcases. Mab made sure she wasn't visible but part of her started to feel worried, she could feel trouble was close at hand. Although the guard left, the Iktotchi waited a little longer. Her worries grew, she couldn't quite place it but she knew she had to prepare herself. With a wave of her hand and changed her appearance once more, again looking like a young Zeltron. She listened carefully, making sure the guard was out of earshot before she started moving.

Quietly she stepped out of the shadows to the door, the guard was nowhere to be seen, 'he must have turned into another corridor.' Mab thought and started to make way towards the hidden passageway. 'Almost there' she thought to herself when she reached the end of the corridor and went around the corner only to find a KX-Security droid holding a crate. Her heart skipped a beat, she had been so focused on the guards and finding the hidden exit she hadn't picked up on any droids. The security droid turns towards her still holding the crate "stop right there" the droid said, it was obvious he knew she wasn't supposed to be there, "Identify yourself." he said, but the Iktotchi started to bluff "step aside droid" she snapped at him trying to sound like she belonged there, but the droid wasn't convinced "Identify yourself" it repeated. She had no identification so when she reached into her pocket she conjured one with Sith Illusions and pulled it out. She held the card in front of the droid "you are not supposed to be here, state your business" the droid responded as he read the card "I'm here Tenebris business." "You are lying, Tenebris has no business here" the droid raised his cold electronic voice. She knew how Kx-Series droids worked, K-0R9 was one of them, she knew he had access to the comms and he was about to alert security. Without hesitation the Witch dropped the card, which instantly faded, and pulled her lightsaber from underneath her robes. Still holding the books in one arm she quickly swung her blade at the droid, cutting his head in half, disabling him. Instantly the headless droid dropped the crate and fell backwards on the ground. The crate had sprung open on impact and books fell out, instantly her eyes fell upon one book: 'Book of Laws'. "Well thank you" she said and took the book containing Dathomirian magic from the ground.

The falling crate had made much noise and she could hear guards approaching. Quickly Bathori made her way into the nearest room and went straight for the far end. She pressed against a slightly protruding stone and at once she heard a soft click. The bookcase in the corner was a door which she had opened, and as she heard guards outside the room calling for backup Mab slipped into the hidden passage.

Meanwhile Drake had taken the elevator to the library floor, covered in mists of umbrakinesis he looked down at his notepad, it was now or never. This would be his only chance to get the books he wanted. Quietly he made his way through the sections, like a true assassin he avoided detection. The Echani managed to get two books off his list: 'Intermediate Juyo Techniques and A Discrete History of Sith Warfare', before the alarms went off.

Mab could hear the alarm going as she pulled the bookcase back in place. It was completely dark, but she knew there was a narrow staircase that would lead to the library above. Using her minty green lightsaber to light the way she quickly rushed up the steps, cursing angry at herself for causing security to sound the alarm. "Kriff'' she snarled at herself as she reached the final step, wondering if her apprentice would be able to get out. At the top of the stairs she switched her saber off and reached for a lever that would unlock a door, again with a soft click it unlocked and she quietly pushed it open and slipped out into the main library. To her surprise she didn't hear any security, 'maybe it was a good thing' she thought realizing that causing the ruckus in the archives was actually a good distraction as most didn't know there were more ways to get out of the archives then getting in. Holding the books tightly in her left arm, Bathori made her way to the nearest exit, remaining in the shadows to avoid any detection.

At the sound of the alarm Drake had found his way back to the elevator. He knew of an exit in the boiler room beneath the library, a large ceiling window that opened up into the desert sands. Once he had reached floor B1 again he snuck past the guards who were busy figuring out how anyone would have been able to enter the archives without detection. Holding the two books in his arms Axel rushed down the corridor and snuck into the boiler room before the guards saw him. He climbed up and pushed the window open, just as he dropped the books out of the window he heard the door of the boiler room open. Three imperial's entered, quickly he squeezed himself through the window, hoping they didn't see him. The Echani grabbed the books and started running 'all good!' He thought to himself, relieved he made it out 'I probably could have saved Mistress Bathori some time by letting her know about this, but I’m sure she’ll make it out alright' he wondered as he ran North into the desert.

Back at the academy Bathori had snuck out of the library. With the alarm sounding it was too risky to call K-0R9 to come pick her up. The only way to get out quickly was via the academy hangar, stealing a speeder. Most security seemed to have been called to the archives which allowed her to quickly make her way to the hanger without problems. But there the problems would start, because the imperial Sith weren't completly stupid, they knew that the hanger was the most likely way for any intruder to get out. But Bathori had a plan, she hid the books behind some crates and with a wave of her hand she altered her appearance once more. Now she was wearing a guard uniform and ran into the hanger. "The Intruders escaped the archives, they are heading east to the Colosseum!" She yelled. "Quickly, before they get away!" She continued as she ran for a speeder bike. Instantly without asking further questions the Sith jumped on their speeder bikes and took off. The witch chuckled as she saw them disappear into the distance. Quickly she collected the books and stepped into a landspeeder.

As the golden horned Iktotchi left the hanger the illusions faded she turned south and took the speeder into the desert. "Korg prepare for departure" she ordered her trusty droid over the comms. "Yes Master, did you get what you needed?" He asked in response. With a smile on her face she said "I did, and more" she paused for a moment and looked at the three old books in the passenger's seat, "did my apprentice arrive yet?" Mab added as she accelerated the speeder. "No Master, he is not yet here." "Keep an eye out, I'll be there in a few minutes." She knew Axel was resourceful, but still she felt worried about her young apprentice, she had no idea if he managed to escape or not.

A few minutes later she arrived at the Busted Plugga, leaving the speeder in the desert she rushed with the books in her arms, up the ramp. She went straight for the bridge, hoping to find her Apprentice but he hadn't arrived yet. "Master, I noticed the imperials are on high alert.. do we take off?" The droid asked her as he looked up from the pilot's seat. She shook her head "we will wait a few more minutes" Mab knew if they waited longer it would become more difficult to get off and away from Korriban.

The Echani apprentice had made his way to a rocky canyon two miles north from the academy temple. He reached for his comm and opened a channel to the Busted Plugga "Mistress I got out. I am at the canyon North from…" but before he could continue he got interrupted.

"Axel…. Axel??" Mab responded worried by the sudden cut off. She turned to Korg who was sitting at the helm "let's go get him." "Yes Master" the droid switched the thrusters on and took the Busted Plugga off the ground, and turned North. A few minutes later they reached the canyon, the Iktotchi rushed to the back and opened the doors for her apprentice. "What took you so long?" The witch asked as the Echani boarded the ship. "Three apprentices had trailed me, but they proved little challenge" he responded with a cocky grin "the wild hssiss of this canyon will consume what’s left of their flesh." He added as the doors closed. Bathori reached for the comms "let's get out of here and take us home Korg." "At once Master" the droid responded and took the ship up into the sky.

As the witch retired to her quarters her young Apprentice took his time to reflect on some of his thoughts. "Is that it?" He asked himself as he stared at the two books infront if him. It seemed too easy, they had just broken into the Sith Academy in the midst of a civil war and lived to tell the tale.  It could have gone very wrong but they got out with the books they searched for. With his fingers he traced the title of one of the books he took and opened it. The rest of the time he sat quietly, reading, clearing his mind and contemplating about what the future would have in store for him.

~\*~

158 ABY Batorine

Many hours later the Busted Plugga broke into Batorine's orbit. Mab sat in the pilot seat navigating the ship towards her home. It felt good to be back although part of her was anxious. The witch hadn't told her life mate about her trip to Korriban he would most likely be angry that she risked herself and her Apprentice for a book. "Switching to thrusters" she said softly and flipped a switch, "engage landing gear" she added and flipped another switch. The busted Plugga was much bigger than the first ship, it took more effort to carefully lower it between the tall trees to the landing platform. With a soft thump Mab landed on the platform next to Roar 1. "Take care of the ship Korg" she said as she shut the engines of and jumped off the chair. "Yes Master" the droid replied as she left the Bridge. Axel was sitting in the main hold with his nose in the book he had managed to take from the archives. "We are home Axel" Mab told him, he didn't react, carefully reading the texts. "Axel!.." she said more loudly and at once he looked up "we are home… you are dismissed" she walked to her quarters to collect the books, but turned around facing her Apprentice again "we will resume your training soon."

Moments later, with the books in her arms she walked down the steps to the house. Jovian had already come to welcome her "Welcome back Mistress, I see you found what you weren't looking for" he said pointing at the books. "I definitely did.. where is Terrogate?" She asked wondering why he didn't come to meet her. "He was outside with the children, they will be back soon." The Echani replied with a smile. "Excellent.. I will freshen myself up." "Of Course mistress." It felt good to be home Mab thought to herself as she walked up the stairs to their room.

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The moment Mab stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her, Terrogate rushed into the bedroom. She could see he had been running, he was breathing rapidly but the moment he saw her he smiled brightly. "Mab… I saw the Busted Plugga and I came running" the Catharian said as he approached her, his arms wide ready to take her into his embrace. She chuckled lightly, "I can see that" she wrapped her arms around him, inhaling deeply taking in his scent. "I missed you", she whispered, holding him tight. "And I have missed you'' he responded with a kiss on the top of her horned head. For a brief moment, that felt like an eternity, they stood silently in each other's embrace. Mab felt his breath slowing down, she could hear his heart as well, it was soothing, she was home. "I brought you something." Mab finally let go and looked into his eyes, the Catharian looked surprised "you have?" With an excited nod she walked to the side table and picked up the heavy book. "Tadaaa'' she said as she presented it to him.

At the sight of the title his eyes lit up, he smiled and opened the book. His hand moved over the old pages, tracing the sentences. He looked up "how did you get this?" "The archives" she replied trying to avoid telling him which archives because she didn't want to spoil the moment. He closed the book and examined it, his eyes fell on a stamp on the back and he flinched. Tapping on the stamp with his right index finger he looked up again, "this says it belongs to the academy on Korriban" he paused giving Mab the opportunity to respond but she froze. "Please don't tell me you went to Korriban" his voice was calm but she could sense his frustrations, he knew what her answer would be. With a nervous smile she looked away "it was a short visit" she walked back to the side table "I found the book of Je'daii" she held the book up trying to ignore the argument that was going to start. "And Holocron with maps of Prakith" she said and picked the copper dodecahedron shaped Holocron. Terrogate stood next to her and placed the book on the side table, still looking calm but the witch sensed the fire burning inside. He took her hand and pulled her away from the books, he took a deep breath "you went to Korriban?" The Iktotchi nodded "I did" before he could interrupt, she continued "it was the only place I knew I would find what we needed.. I searched every library I could find, none were old enough to have the knowledge about Tython." Terrogate shook his head, he let out a growl "I don't care about Tython! I care about you!!. You risked yourself and your apprentice's life for a book" "but…" he didn't let her continue "you have a price on your head and you went into the heart of Imperial territory… you are lucky you got out." He let go and stepped away from her. Mab didn't need her precognic skills to foresee this would happen, it was only natural that he would be angry with her. She went to Korriban without telling him, into imperial space she could have been captured or killed. "I'm sorry" she softly said knowing that the words wouldn't change anything. Without turning around the Catharian sighed "I know" he paused and looked at the window "I know you are.. and I know why you did what you did.. but that doesn't change the fact that I worry about you Mab" he finally turned and looked at her. "I should have told you.." her golden eyes had lost the excited twinkle, she looked sad, regretful for keeping things from the man she loved. "But I knew you would try to stop me" she added and looked down at the floor. "Yeah, i would have tried".. Terrogate stepped closer again and place his hand on her chin, lifting her face up to meet his "but I know it wouldn't have worked. No force in this galaxy is able to stop Mab Bathori if she set her mind on something" the anger in his voice was gone, there was only love. He took her hands in his "I don't want to lose you… I also don't want to stop you." The Catharian gazed into her eyes "but, I want to be there for you. I want to help you find Tython, if you'd let me." Mabs eyes grew bigger, she was surprised, more than anything she wanted him to help her on her quest. "Of Course…  yes, I do…" she smiled, overjoyed. "But what about Kesh?" She asked. "You can help me with that and I will help you with finding Tython" He took her into his arms again, holding her close "we will to this together" he said and kissed her on the forehead. The witch looked up and smiled "we better get started then, we have a lot of work to do." She said with hope and determination

To be continued…

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Art: Mystic Library, Jie Ma