Private In Fondorian Depths

[Efret Farr]

The artifacts from the Coruscant Temple's museum had arrived on Fondor about a week ago, and had been relocated in their packing crates into the decommissioned steam tunnel that had been selected by Efret's team of archeologists. Two of them, Toric and Kili, had stayed a couple of days to prepare it a little for Efret and Ran's arrival. Could her colleagues have set up the temporary museum relatively easily instead? Yes. They had worked with Efret long enough to know how she liked the collection organized and could have applied that knowledge to the dimensions of this space as well as possible, but the master had asked that they instead install some mobile walls and a few dehumidifiers.

She wanted this tunnel to feel less like a tunnel to any Jedi visitors that it attracted, and it was very important that nothing mold down here. If it did, that'd be a great but cruel irony: artifacts evacuated from the Core for their safety from the Dark Empire just to succumb to the elements.

Ran was Chief Archivist now, but Efret knew that handling artifacts was her paramount passion. The women had that in common. Collaboration between them with their positions on the Council was going to be so very natural.

"There," Efret said, the voice of her interpretation unit echoing through the wide steam tube that actively transmitted heat through the underground via a network of silver piping running along one wall. She led them into a branch of the main tunnel, but no pipes followed them; in fact, a T-fitting on the ceiling hinted that a pipe once travelled into the planet this way. They walked on for a good distance, bright lights fading behind with each step. Past another corner, they came to face a temple guard standing vigil in front of a vault door.

He nodded to them both, turning to silently open to door and step aside.

As Efret stepped through, she signed, "Thank you." What he had done was his job, but she felt it was hers to be gracious anyway.

Inside was a room of empty cabinets and display cases interspersed with many sealed cargo crates.

The door closed behind them as Efret turned to Ran with a smile. "We have a lot of work to do."

Ran Serys​

 

[Ran Serys]

As Ran Serys traveled alongside Efret Farr into the depths of Fondor, she thought of all the recent change in her life and of how it mirrored the journey of the artifacts. The artifacts were on display in the Temple’s museum on Coruscant, while Ran stood in full view of the galaxy on the frontlines of the Core Wars. The artifacts were being transferred and hidden in a vault for their safety, while Ran founded the Jedi Enclave on Selvaris as an escape from the galaxy's conflicts, and as a safe haven for her, and so many others. The enclave, like the relocating of the artifacts, represented the future of the New Jedi Order and the desire to preserve its culture and history. So as Ran rejoined the frontline as a member of the Jedi Council she took solace in these moments. Moments that said even if her life was in danger, the life of the New Jedi Order would not be, instead preserved by its culture and history.

Ran valued the legacy of the Jedi on a level that few did. Kindred Spirits, she had found along the way. No one greater, in her opinion, than the Chief Curator Efret Farr. Ran saw that the culture and history of the Jedi was a core contributor to the budding friendship between them. It was an extension of their roles as Jedi in the New Jedi Order as well as an extension of their character. They were very different women, but they traveled similar paths. As they reached their subterranean destination, Ran was grateful for it.

"We have a lot of work to do."

“Agreed.” Ran said and signed, returning Efret’s smile with her own infectious one. To say the Knight was excited to glimpse and handle the contents of each crate was an understatement. It wasn’t everyday that a Jedi got the chance to handle so much history, but as Chief Archivist it was becoming more common.

“Where should we start?” Ran asked as she found herself being pulled toward a few different crates. One for its size, another for its force aura, and several more for various other reasons.

Efret Farr​

 

[Efret Farr]

Efret shrugged somewhat facetiously, a smile tugging on her lips. "I don't know. Why don't you make a decision, Chief Archivist?" she asked with a playful wink. "We're equal now."

After, if needed, insisting on Ran's direction, Efret spent the next half hour unpacking silently. The boxes had been packed carefully to roughly preserve the organization of displays as they had been in the Temple, so Efret began putting out the artifacts in the same orientation as best she could. However, she'd ask Ran later if they should rearrange the exhibition either partially or in full. What better excuse to come up with a new way of doing something than a historic relocation? This was the first time in generations the entire Jedi collection of artifacts had been taken off Coruscant. It was exciting in a way, if one could divorce the event from the ones that had necessitated it.

The click of the mechanized lock on one of the crates echoed softly throughout the cavern and green indicator lights blinked, reflecting off Efret's downcast face. She slid the lid to the floor carefully with the Force. No sooner had she leaned it against the side of the crate than she looked away from the contents. "Ran?" her interpretation unit called to the Mirialan. "Would you mind switching with me?" She shifted her weight nervously. "It's silly but I...don't like the Zeffo artifacts. No, it's not that. They remind me of someone. I can't touch them, not now."

Ran Serys​

 

[Ran Serys]

They were equals. Colleagues, and members of the Jedi Council helping to take the Order into the future. Today they would work to preserve it. "I suppose we are," Ran beamed with the realization. Despite their similar age, she had looked up to Efret. Ran decided that it would be nice to stand on the same level as contemporaries. "And I will, Chief Curator." Ran returned with the same playfulness Efret gave her as she began carefully opening a crate and emptying its contents in an organized manner.

In the silence, Ran marveled at the displays she unboxed, specifically the lightsaber collection. In her hands she manipulated ancient hilts made of mysterious metals, intricate emitters and matrices, along with long dead and long preserved battery packs.The Archivist was halfway through unpacking a collection of the most unique lightsabers she had ever laid eyes on when Efret called out to her.

"I don't mind at all." Ran said as she crossed the vault. As Efret explained her need for help, Ran looked at her investigatively. "Forgive my curiosity, Efret, but who do they remind you of?" The Mirialan asked. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to." Ran added the caveat knowing firsthand the pain that names and memories could sometimes bring.

Ran reached her hand into the crate and pulled a series of metallic statues, sculptures, and ancient apparatuses out and away from Efret. Ran could feel a strange energy on the artifacts. It felt like history wanted to speak to her but couldn't. Ran had little talent for Jedi psychometry.

Efret Farr​