Alderaan - Love and Intrigue

Having been told by Kellen that he had some interesting findings to share, Kat showed up at the museum bright and early to meet Tethys and the professor.

Eventually would be shown through to Kellen's office. The dagger they had found was sitting on the table along with the book. A couple of datapads were open and the smell of kaff filled the room. Professor Rist was sat in his comfy professorial chair sipping from a huge mug.

"Oh good morning. Kaff? I rarely start my day without it."

"Good morning, Professor." Tehys had arrived just a few moments after Kat, catching up to her in the hallway. "Kaff would be extremely welcome, thank you. The cafe wasn't open yet when I left the festival grounds..."

"Good morning," Kat greeted to them both with a pleasant smile and bow. "Kaff does sound wonderful, thank you, professor."

She couldn't help but to look with interest at the dagger, before looking for a free seat in the office that wasn't occupied by books or any other archaeology-paraphernalia.

Kellen smiled and poured them each a mug of kaff. "Keeps the world of academia going." There was a laugh and then he got down to business.

"Right, well I've taken a look at everything we recovered and I'm pleased to say it was well worth the trip!"

He looked over at the dagger. "Shall we start there? It's an interesting piece."

Kat had found a clear space to sit, and happily accepted the mug of hot kaff. "Thank you. Kaff keeps the galaxy going around too," she joined in the humor.

Eyeing the dagger once more, she was pretty excited herself, even more so judging by Kellen's enthusiasm. "Please do. I'm quite curious about its history."

Kellen smiled and put on some gloves before handling the blade. Couldn't be too careful.

"Right, well this is a relic of the Black Circle. Thanks to Pimbo’s expertise in military history I was able to identify this as a warrior’s badge. They were gifted to members that earned a certain rank in the order." He pointed to some of the marks that showed the Black Circle.

"It seems that at one time they were alchemically treated or finished to be highly resistant to wear and damage. According to the sources they may even have been able to resist weapons as powerful as Lightsabers. I don't believe we have any texts that actually explain the technique, so it may have been lost, or perhaps it is out there waiting to be found again."

"That sounds like quite ancient techniques... I seem to recall stories that the ancient Sith knew of such alchemical treatments that strengthened weaponry in such fashions, but if it is true or not is a bit of a mystery." If her fellow padawan was here, he might've known for certain.

"It certainly matches what we had heard from Pimbo that the Black Circle and the Blackguards were active in very old times."

"Indeed, quite intriguing isn't it!" He placed the blade back and turned to the book. "Okay, now for the really mind-bending one." Kellen picked up the datapad.

"I can give you a full copy but here are the highlights. The book we found was the journal of a Black Circle initiate. It describes his training regimen, and then his initiation, which required a night vigil at a statue of an Alde Queen. Perhaps we can find it at some point. Anyway, once the ritual was completed they were gifted with a warrior’s badge to signify they were now a member of the Black Circle." He gestured to the dagger.

"Then the journal details a siege by House Organa and Ulgo. It seems the Black Circle had allied with the Jedi to overthrow the current queen. Organa and Ulgo appear to have destroyed them to the last, along with their Jedi allies." He watched the reactions of the two Jedi to this news

"The last journal entry reads:

They are inside now, Jedi Nazda Vim is the last of them, we make our stand. The Black Circle will fall our fortress will be shattered, but the Blackguards will ride again. We will be avenged.

So there you go! Food for thought."

"That's quite the intense discovery." Her brow furrowed with some concern. "Do we know anything else from that time period, of the royalty they were trying to overthrow or anything else about the political climate?"

"That's very interesting, Professor. And unexpected, I admit." Cradling her mug of kaff in both hands, Tethys leans in to look at the dagger more closely. "Getting embroiled in a planetary coup... that isn't something Jedi would have done lightly. That was a different age, of course, but--still."

She sits back again and takes a sip of kaff while sorting through her thoughts. "Nazda Vim. Well, we have a name for our late colleague. It's anyone's guess whether any of her records have survived this long, but Katarzyna and I can check."

"Yes, I'm glad you are both as intrigued as I am by all of this!" The Professor seemed very happy. It certainly beat the blank stares of undergraduates who only stopped in to ask if they could get an extra mark on their assignment because they needed it to get into medical school.

"Good. I can check the archives to see if I can uncover more about the politics, and I would welcome your assistance with Nadza Vim. If you have time of course. Perhaps we can identify that statue too?"

"Oh we have guests, good morning fellow Jedi..." she said nervously... looking around for explosions or murderers or explosive murderers.

"Aha, good morning Padawan Yil! Have you met Jedi Katarzyna Ulgo and Jedi Tethys Carrak?" He poured her a mug of kaff and handed it over.

"Yil here has been extremely helpful. She is the one who noticed our recent missing artifact. Now safely returned."

"Well met, Padawan. We haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet. I'm Katarzyna Ulgo, as the professor already introduced me." She gave a bow of her head to the padawan.

"Is everything alright?"

"Oh.. everything is fine, just fine. Just great, umm... about the relic, it looks like House Alde got a tremendous offer plus donation from House Organa... so they are selling it to Countess Verash Organa, just got the paperwork this morning, Professor," she said nervously.

Kellen stood up, somehow managing not to drop his mug. "They WHAT?! Selling it? Idiots! Backhanders to the board no doubt."

A few moments passed while he rubbed his temples. "Verash. I think we should pay her a little visit."

"... Is there a problem?" Kat asked, not sure if she should be asking this question.

The padawan got a messenger call and excused herself.

Tethys barely has time to greet Yil Kumos before the harried padawan rushes out again.

"... should we ask the Temple to send her some backup?" she murmurs, more to herself than anything.

Then, at a more normal volume, with a look to Kellen, she asks, "This is the stolen vase? Unless you have more than one suspiciously in-demand relic here at the moment... er, it sounds like you know this Countess Organa?"