How Common are Vacations for Queens, Anyways?

[Kay-Larr]

The Twin Canyons.



Almost identical, the Twin Canyons held their own treasures. One was more inclined towards minerals and gemstones, while the other was more for fauna, flora and exotic creatures. Each had their own dangers too, some of which had no names. That was the thing about predators on Commenor, they were hardly seen. It was why the populations resorted to living in certain areas of the planet. There was protection in numbers, the lights and sounds of vast civilizations seemed to keep the predators at bay. Some of the predators had faded into myth.

Spoiler

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But there was another myth that Kay was after. And that was of the Red Lotus flower said to grow within one of the canyons. Many had tried to find it in the past, including the Elders that once ruled Commenor, but they had all failed. Did this flower hold any special powers? No. It was just rare. Only one image was ever found of the elusive plant. Only one had ever been taken and that was long ago in the age of the Empire when Palpatine ruled the Galaxy. To find such a rare flower would make one a legend among the Commenori. And that's what their newly crowned Queen intended to do.

​

So she suited herself up for such an exhibition in an outfit that provided protection, as well as allowed for freedom of movement. She packed up her satchel with food rations, her tea supplies, blaster, rope and a commlink, should she need to reach anyone for help. Though within the canyons, radio contact wasn't exactly easily accessible. Her lightsaber was attached to her hip, no longer caring about whether or not people found out that she was a Force user.

Within the hour, she was well on her way, ordering the guards to remain behind while she prepared her speederbike.. She wasn't a child, she didn't need babysitters. There was no bounty large enough on her head to make a hunt worth it, no enemies that sought to find her. It was the perfect time for a vacation. And who wants to just sit around on a beach, anyways? Not this lady.

Ten minutes into the eastern canyon that held more fauna, she parked her speederbike and hid it with some branches. Kay smiled to herself as she looked at the vast maze before her. Something that was red shouldn't be hard to spot amongst all of the green and browns. But then again, she could be wrong. After taking in a deep breath and allowing herself to connect to her surroundings, she proceeded to walk deeper into the maze.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Did Kay know where she was going? Not entirely. Her eyes looked to the shadows cast by the naturally made pillars, then were drawn upwards. Only by the sun would she be able to keep her bearings. Unless of course she climbed. There was always that too.

She continued on the overgrown path, listening to the songs of the birdlike creatures. So far so good. There wasn't even any chatter on her commlink. Her plan was simple; go in and follow the paths less travelled.

As a couple of hours passed it gave her plenty of time to think. How many people could she trust in her new reign? Less than a handful. Her Master? He would probably be rid if her the moment that she lost her usefulness. So she had to keep herself useful. [member="Connor Harrison"] was one that she could possibly trust, though his loyalty was uncertain. More than likely he would move on as soon as he got his chance to become the legend that he wished to be. [member="Krest"] ? Now he came to Commenor to gain power from his ancestors. If the Temple wasn't there, would he have even come? It was difficult to say. [member="Veiere Arenais"] was a puzzle. Unlike the others that just wanted power, he seemed to just want her. But he was a Jedi. He wanted to return her to weakness and make her give up her crown. And for what? A life of nothingness? He was by all accounts a stranger, despite their Force Bond. It annoyed her beyond measure that she couldn't remember him nor many others. The voids in her memories were impossible to ignore.

Just thinking about it got her anger to grow. She stopped and let it boil inside until the need to let that bubble burst became too strong. Then she screamed. Not a high pitch scream, but a deep and gutteral one that displayed her annoyance and displeasure with them all, with herself. She needed to find her own way. Kay leaned back against the stone, closing her eyes as she heard her voice echo throughout the canyon. The wildlife all remained silent and for those passing moments, she felt as though she was the only living thing for miles.

Maybe that's as it should be.

 

[Kay-Larr]

That silence after her scream only lasted for so long. First came one howl, quiet and distant. And then came more of them, louder and in different directions. The Yotes...

Otherwise known as the Red Barons due to the blood on their fur and their superb hunting skills, these beasts of legend hadn't shown themselves to the Commenori for a very long time. Or perhaps they had just killed those that would speak of them.

Regardless, they were certainly going to show themselves now. Kay pulled out her blaster on instinct. She needed to get to higher ground, to give her a good vantage point and not allow herself to be ambushed. After the initial howls, there was nothing. That could mean anything. A warning? A false sense of security? Or perhaps they sensed the potential threat that she posed for them. It was difficult to say right now.

Kay turned to the left. There were bigger pillars of stone on that side. Perhaps there was a ledge that she could climb. She'd know soon enough. At least there was still a good five hours before sunset.

 

[Darth Ren Malgus]

The paths along the canyons were a treacherous, long drops in places you didn't expect, loose rocks that fell with a gentle push from the wind. But there was history to be found out here and she was going to find it.

Her son still unaccounted for, her husband dead. She was homeless and preferred to remain nameless. She had spent so much of her time with them, feeding into their desires she had long forgotten about her own, had forgotten that she loved being outside, and looking for the clues that showed the way to a secret long since forgotten.

Ren looked again at the map of the area as she stood on the outcropping it had been some time since she used her geology skills, looking down at the hoodoos she could see the different layers of rock. History of a planet all laid out in layers waiting for someone to come and figure it out. She looked around again to the plants, they didn't mean anything to her yet, except that one with the leaves of three, something about let it be, and she would.

From the silence came howling, Ren quickly looked in the direction the sound came from. oo she wasn't alone out here. What was it Seydon had said the darkness, she still couldn't remember, but she did remember him at least. Bits an pieces came, she missed [member="Coren Starchaser"] he had been her closest friend. But that had changed to when...everything else changed.

Sighing heavily she started back down the path to begin her descent further into the canyon.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

As Kay walked, she kept her footfalls as quiet as possible. Thankfully there were no dried twigs on the ground, but there was plenty of pebbles. She reached out with the Force, not using fear or anger to fuel her, but determination. She was not going to be the maiden in distress like her old self had been. No. She was much stronger than that. Anything that she was to encounter during this expedition was bound to be child's play when compared to what she had been through.

She kept the bubble of awareness all around her, but so far the only life that she had been able to sense were the plants. Why didn't she think of bringing a drone with her? At least then she could have sent it off ahead of her to see what was out there......No. That could be wrong too. To rely on technology was no different than relying on others to do the job for her. This was her own quest. [member="Connor Harrison"] might join her, but she had told him to give her a head start if he was. Who knows how long that would be.

Quite suddenly she felt her. Another person was wandering the canyon. But who was it? Connor? Maybe. Perhaps she'd spring a trap. Kay grinned to herself. She took out her tea cup and lay it on it's side on the ground. Then she walked backwards, shuffling and digging her heels into the pebbles and decaying plantlife, making it look as though she was being dragged. Then she waited behind one of the stone outcroppings. At some point, the individual would come. She flicked the blaster to stun and waited.

[member="Serena Bouie"]

 

[Darth Ren Malgus]

[member="Lady Kay"]

Ren walked up the path taking in the scenery, or trying to take it in. Her thoughts often wandered to Mythos and their life together, but her life before him was blurred and often hidden from her. It came at her in bursts, or in her sleep and then it seemed forgotten in the light of day. And her son, Adas James was he with the Galactic Alliance were they hurting him, she frowned at the thought. Was he even alive? They wouldn't kill him, he was a child. A confused child....with great power bestowed on him by....what was it again...she shook her head she couldn't remember that either.

Ren looked at the path, just as the teacup caught her eye. She stopped, kneeled down she growled low not wanting to do this but, she reached over and touched the cup. Images flashed, a woman. And colored water. Oh yeah the tea. But there were emotions attached to it, but it was confusing. She laid the cup down, the touched the dirt before her, it seemed fresh, not quite dried out, dragged? Ren looked around, and then did the other thing she tried to avoid, stretched her senses ....oooo she wasn't alone.

A single brow arched as she looked up the path, was this a trap? Was it a bounty hunter? Someone looking to take her to the Alliance? Were they even looking for her? What was this? She looked again, tapping the ground with her forefinger she wondered what to do...was there a danger....intent, evil...she laughed like she would know evil anymore. She lived with Mythos....

She sighed, "I don't have anything of value." She waited, narrowing her gaze, was she wrong? Or...was this a coy game of cat and mouse.....

 

[Kay-Larr]

A laughter echoed through the part of the canyon. It was [member="Serena Bouie"] 's laugh. Kay didn't quite recognize it however. And then the woman spoke as though she was expecting to be ambushed by some common thieves. But Kay was no thief.

For a moment, she waited longer. Should she just step out and confront whomever was in her canyon? Or continue on her merry way to search for the Red Lotus?

Her own curiosity won out. Kay tucked her blaster into her satchel and then stepped out from behind the pillar, making her way down the path and around the bend to where Serena stood with her cup. "Ah, there it is. I thought I dropped it somewhere...Thank you." She held her hand out for it.

 

[Darth Ren Malgus]

Ren looked up, every muscle in her body tensed waiting for this encounter to turn into something more than a chance encounter. Ren held the cup out, "You're a tea drinker."

Ren would not recognize [member="Lady Kay"] that part of her memory was blocked away perhaps one day to return, perhaps not. She wasn't pushing it. She looked however at this woman standing before her. What did she think of this? Ren laughed to herself, she had no idea what to think of this. Wasn't often she encountered anyone, and even when she did she tended to shy away.

So, now what personality would show up today to greet the stranger. Kind and thoughtful Serena, or the who gives a feth Ren. Was there a happy medium? It was too much to think about let the chips land where they may.

Was there anything about the woman that she could focus on, not yet. "Out for stroll?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smirked as she took the cup, dusting it off before placing it inside her satchel. [member="Serena Bouie"] 's remark on her being a tea drinker was very obvious, but she just let it slide instead of making some witty comment.

Instead Kay just answered her question. "Sort of. Would you believe that I've come out here to pick flowers? Probably not." She shrugged her shoulders. "Red is one of my favourite colours and there's supposed to be a rare red flower that grows here. I wanted to see if I could find it."

Another faraway call of Yote was heard. Kay looked past Serena for a moment and then focused on her. The woman looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place her yet.

"And what about you? Lost or exploring?"

 

[Darth Ren Malgus]

"Good question, lost or exploring I often find that I'm always lost and always exploring." The color red what was there about the color red someone had said to her once, and flowers...she could almost see a building full of flowers...really big ones..with...arg she couldn't remember. What a PIA that this whole thing could be at times. "Today I am....lost and exploring" Then there was that lonesome howl again, Ren turned her head towards it, it could easily have been...who? what? Something small dark, lithe, and deadly. Groom. Grim. A G word...

"A red flower." Ren pulled out her map, "this map which is suppose to be...accurate..believe me when I say that is a bit inaccurate that an understatement. Doesn't show anything on here about flowers, but it does say that supposedly there are some ruins...in that direction" Ren pointed. "I'm going that way..if you want we can walk together to look for your flower, while we also look for these ruins. Or do you prefer to go it alone?"

Some were like that...like her...alone was often best.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Lost and exploring? Well maybe most people could describe their lives that way. Kay couldn't though. Did she know where she was going? Partly. Her path was set before her feet, though why and to what end, she didn't know.

Kay stepped forward to look at [member="Serena Bouie"] 's map. "I'm not surprised that it didn't have anything in there about the flowers. But the ruins...Some are of old Temples, others were hideaways for the Empire. It couldn't hurt to go together for a little while." Did Kay have any urge to go inside the ruins? Not at this moment. But it was hard to say how she'd feel later on.

She held onto the strap of her satchel as she started off, being mindful that she didn't make too much noise. "So where did you come from, if I may ask?" Obviously she wasn't Commenori.

 

[Darth Ren Malgus]

[member="Lady Kay"]

Ren looked over, "Inysh it's in the Core." She didn't offer much after that, "These flowers you seek is there anything special about them? Might make finding them easier, like do they like lots of water, lots of sun....does it eat bugs?"

Something her mother taught her? Maybe. Or something she learned on Felucia the memory was at the corner of her mind and yet refused to come.

Was this woman questioning her because....well why wouldn't she question? Woman alone in an isolated area, wandering around with a map and...who knows what up to. Yeah she'd be asking to. Ren tried to understand, and reason.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay shrugged her shoulders a bit. "There is very little known about them, other than they grow somewhere in these canyons. They could glow in the dark for all we know. Or maybe they are of the type that only blooms every hundred years. It's difficult to say. Perhaps their founder just didn't want anyone to know. But that's how myths are made."

She started walking, moving in her original direction. At times she'd glance at [member="Serene"] Bouie over her shoulder. "So what do you hope to find in the ruins? Buried treasure? Ancient artifacts? I'm not sure how many would be left by the Sith that used to control this sector of space."

The mines were open too, with plenty of workers moving in an out. However they weren't on this side of the canyon, it didn't mean that their tunnels didn't reach out this far.

 

[Darth Ren Malgus]

[member="Lady Kay"]

"But to every myth there is always a bit of truth so part of what you know you should be able to use to find it." They taught her that at school. Shame they didn't offer courses in other things that she really could have used for her life not just her profession.

Yeah, well..no time to cry over spilled milk. One of those things her mother had often said, she missed her mother. feth.

What did she want to find, herself actually. But how do you say that to someone and hope they understand. "I'm not sure maybe something that someone lost." That was one way to say it without saying it.

Ren walked a bit faster to catch up, "I'm called Ren, what should I call you?" Ren, a name her father...no not that spelling it was Wren you know the little bird that sang and lived in caves. She liked caves then, she liked singing then too..not so much now. Not so much for a long time.

 

[Kay-Larr]

"That's just the thing, there isn't much about them. Just an image and that they were found here. It's not really a lot to go on."

She furrowed her brows at [member="Serena Bouie"] 's answer to her question on what she was hoping to find. Maybe she just wanted an excuse to go for a walk. It was hard to say. Sometimes Kay did things for no reason at all too.

Then the lady introduced herself. Ren. It sounded like one of the First Order ranks. She knew of one among them, and had encountered a few more. But they don't bother her now.

She contemplated what answer to give. Should she lie? Or tell the truth? Best just to leave titles out of it. "I'm Kay. Good to meet you."

 

[Darth Ren Malgus]

"K, like a single letter K?" Ren walked on and decided it was safe to share, "Sometimes I get lucky and find what it is I'm looking for. I...am good at it" Well Serena is good at it and getting her to perk up was proving difficult.

"Ok, so let's recap. The flowers are red, and rare. You don't know anything about them. And you're K." Ren felt like she had it right, she looked at the map. Thinking if a flower is rare that could mean it occurs only at certain times of the year, or on certain nights, that there has to be conditions met in order for it to bloom. It probably grew green all the time, but it needed something else to turn red.

It might have to do with mineral content. Or water..something in the water. Oooo...Ren looked at the map. Switching the view to topography she looked for a depression, a bowl even where water could gather...maybe this flower needed lots of conditions.

Deeper into the mountains this one depression was, it wasn't on a trail. She quickly switched back looking at the mountain, then she began talking out loud, "there's no visible path, the location would mean that everything is washed down to that point..if anything maybe seeds..." Ren studied the map, it was possible.

"I got an idea, do you see this?" Ren began explaining, "it's a long shot but we could hike there. What do you think K?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

((You forgot to tag me ))

"Sort of...K-A-Y. I blame my parents. I don't know why they chose it, but they did." She wasn't sure if she was named after someone or what. Her brother had a normal name, at least.

Kay stepped towards [member="Serena Bouie"] so that she could see the screen better. Her brows furrowed as she tried to figure out what Ren was seeing. "It's possible. But that could very well be Yote territory. You heard them earlier, right? We'll have to be very careful." Especially in the dark. But maybe fire would spook them. "Have you got any weapons?"

 

[Darth Ren Malgus]

"K, and you blame your parents for the name. Well you know it could have been something else like Raymajean, or Priscilla course then everyone would call you Prissy rather than K." It was then she smiled, "Devaronia, Apollonia, so many other names. K isn't a bad name, its short though."

Ren stopped, "I introduce to you now the Empress K." Her mouth wiggled back and forth, "yeah that sounds lackluster you need something more something like the Empress Katherine the First of name. K, Empress first of her name. That works." Ren then started to move along the pathways "Yote territory yeah there's always something with teeth, or someone who wants to shoot at you, or spirits who want to inhabit you. I've been there. What's one more...how much worse could it be...course...there are some things I haven't met."

She laughed, "there were man eating plants on Felusia bio engineered by some scientists, that was fun." she couldn't remember how she got out of the, "There were spirits on Mustafar, and...a planet near Dathomir with...." she bit her lip with....Venris? That sounded right. Then there was Adas' spirit on Korriban. Falling through a portal in the ocean to a room with Coren..that was weird...

For a brief moment Serena stood were Ren was looking around she could feel the force feel all of the life that was here on....wherever they were....the thrill of seeking something new was pulsing through her veins. How she longed for...and then Ren slid back in.

"Weapons. Yes I have a blaster, and my survival bag with a few things." Including a light saber that she knew nothing about how to use. She'd likely cut her own head off with it. "Rations, med kit, maps, things to make a fire and water purifier. What about you?"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smirked a little as [member="Serena Bouie"] rattled off some names. She had to laugh at some of them too. And Empress Kay? If only she knew. Empress wasn't quite the word, wasn't the title that she chose, but that was okay. To each their own. Still though, she kept that notion to herself.

She continued walking, following now instead of leading Ren seemed to have a better understanding of the map than she did. And it sure seemed as though she had been on a lot of adventures. "Wow. It sounds like you've come across a lot of interesting things in your travels. It makes Commenor pale in comparison, especially if we don't run into the Yotes. In a way though, that could be a good thing." Temples, spirits, lots of places had those and Commenor was no different. But she just left it at that instead of going into it.

At least Ren had a bunch of stuff with her. She packed smartly for such a venture. "I have food rations, my tea supplies, blaster, rope and my commlink. Although the Canyons can be a bit tricky when it comes to getting a good signal. It all depends on where we are. But that should be good enough between us."

 

[Darth Ren Malgus]

"Ok then K, we following this ridgeline for a while pray for no Yotes and we should be there within the hour. Are you use to hiking?" She looked at K again she wasn't sure if she was the outdoor type or just you know someone who got away from it all by taking long walks.

She nodded to her though, so..umm now what would they talk about until they reached the point where they could begin descending.

"Signal strength, it may turn out we lose it all together. Mountains are weird like that, and there are veins of minerals around here that don't like signals. And if we go down rather then up its a good chance there won't be a signal. So..no getting hurt cause help will be slow." Ren nodded, conversation, she knew how to start a conversation.

"So, what else is there to know about Commenor?" It was a start, she had the geological report, and the maps...so far it was pretty routine...except for red flowers they couldn't find, and the bowl they were headed for.

[member="Lady Kay"]