Private Chance Encounters

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: NJO Temple, Coruscant |
| TAG: Valery Noble |

The droid's body was warm. So often was it cold with sleek plating and lifeless steel, but with the overjoyed whirring of his servos, his head held a surprising coziness to it as Valery patted him. It wasn't so hot that one would pull away upon contact, but rather just the right heat to warm up one's hands ever so nicely. There's a faint rumble at his voicebox, almost the droid equivalent of purring, and BB-610 feels a tad disappointed as Valery gets to her feet to depart, as if the astromech had hoped the moment would last an eternity.

Tilting his head, BB-610 replies with a handful of bleeping, surprised as he repeats 'Daughter?' in droidspeak. It wasn't necessarily hard to believe, as, to his knowledge, organics reproduce all the time, though there's certainly an underlying shock hearing it from a Jedi. The droid's data on Jedi customs are fairly scarce and, of course, tainted with Imperial bitterness, but he could have sworn there to be a rather stern fixation on distancing attachment. Was Valery hiding her daughter? Had Jedi customs simply evolved beyond what he knew? Question after question litter his droidbrain, so BB-610 does what any eager data collector does: he intends on making those questions known.

Nodding, the astromech begins rolling, nearing the Temple's entrance before glancing back to wait on Valery, and then to subsequently allow her to lead the way as he quietly strolls by her side. The interior was everything he'd expected; no amount of propaganda would change how he'd seen Jedi compose themselves, and the Temple certainly reflected that. Grandiose, with every bit elegant, and it felt awfully bizarre to casually roam its halls. Out of newfound respect, BB-610 disables his internal recording software in the case that The Eternal Empire were to ever wish to retrieve him, fearful of them extracting Jedi knowledge from his databanks.

With enough time to take in the scenery, BB-610 peers up at Valery, deciding now to be a good opportunity to voice his inquiries. The droid chirps, curious as he asks her how the Order has allowed her to have a child, and that he thought it was strictly forbidden. His words are hardly accusatory, he's simply asking out of genuine interest, wanting to clarify and promptly rectify any outdated information he had on the subject. Following it up is another series of clicking binary, politely asking Valery just how old her daughter was.

Giving the Jedi time to answer, he idly thinks of the notion of having a home. A home... Living with somebody. A rather bizarre concept for him, really, as an astromech who's known nothing outside of constant patrols on starcruisers and bases and then powering down for the night in a cold, empty room with other emotionless droids. The idea of actively co-existing with a family felt awfully exciting.

 

[Valery Noble]

Adarlon

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610

"Mhmm, you'll meet her soon," Valery said with a soft smile when Bee seemed a little surprised about her having a daughter. The reason for it was beyond her at the moment, but after they reached the Temple entrance and began to head inside, he opened up the conversation again with a question about it that made it very clear. "Oh the Order no longer forbids attachments the way it once did," Valery explained with a chuckle.

It was actually quite funny that he brought it up with her of all Jedi.

"I'll let you download files about me soon, but I was born in the days of the Old Republic, a few hundred years after the Mandalorian Wars. Back then, I was part of an Enclave that was extremely strict about attachments, among other things. But after I ended up in a long stasis and was recovered about 6 or 7 years ago, I let myself be more open to my feelings," she explained before she let out a soft sigh.

"We still warn about attachments because we can't let them control us too much, and they can have negative effects on us too. But I've always felt that the strength those bonds offer far outweigh the risks if managed well." She turned to look at Bee, "When I gave birth to my daughter and looked at her, I just knew that it was the right decision, and I still can't be happier about it. She's soon actually going to turn six, so you'll be there for the birthday celebrations."

Vera was very much looking forward to it. "She's very much like I was when I was her age - energetic and a handful, but she's also very fun and loving. She's definitely going to be very fond of you," Valery assured her new friend, as they passed through the grand halls and reached an elevator. Inside, Valery tapped a few buttons, and the two went up, not just to any floor, but to the Council Chambers in one of the Temple's towers.

"Welcome to the Council Chambers. I try not to sit here too often, but my seat on the Council does require it regularly."

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: NJO Temple, Coruscant |
| TAG: Valery Noble |

Data. Sweet, sweet, precious data! BB-610 was amazed, listening attentively to every last sylable spoken. Not only was he learning more of Jedi history, but from an actual Jedi no less. Fascinated, the droid eagerly secures every last detail within his memory banks, swiftly updating his log entries and nodding along to Valery's words. They provided interesting insight, scrubbing away outdated knowledge as his self-learning subprograms idly rectify any stigmas he'd had against the Jedi. Truly, first hard experiences were far more invigorating than the insistencies fed to you by organizations grooming you to be a soldier, and BB-610 was more than happy to collect as much information as he possibly could, and hearing of Valery's past was enriching. Much like him, she had been around far, far longer than one would assume. The droid had certainly assumed, anyway, as the Jedi looks youthful enough to be in her prime.

Five years old, soon to be six, is the answer he's given. That number was so... miniscule for an organic. She's a youngling, then. Age is such a foreign concept for a droid - BB-610 feels as though he stagnates, forever resting in a limbo he'll never outgrow. The astromech is nearing a thousand years old, and while a majority of his life had been spent deactivated, he nonetheless felt no older than he had on the assembly line. Organics grow, they change with the world around them. They lived and died and told their stories with the experiences that come natural to them.

It's almost like a power that they had. The power to change, to evolve. On some level, BB-610 envied that.

BB-610 doesn't know what it feels like to be a parent, nor will he ever. There's no frame of reference he could possibly form to give him enough of an analysis to relate to Valery's motherly instincts. But the warmth in her words, how her voice is so sweet and ripe with emotion, it tells the droid that Vera is awfully lucky to have such a welcoming mother. BB-610 isn't entirely sure how the young girl is going to be fond of him, as, in his mind, very few people have been. But if Valery's daughter was a quarter part as kind as she was, the astromech already held her in high esteems.

The elevator ride is sweet and simple. Slowly rolling out beside the Jedi's feet, the room is taken in with marvel and splendor. Even during his stay at The Eternal Empire, he'd never been granted authority to wander much. The Council Chambers give him an unfounded sense of importance - a rarity for him - with his dome head circling around his body as his optic gets to compulsively scanning every last inch of the room. Excitement aside, it did raise a sudden question that the droid hadn't even thought of before now. Turning to Valery with a string of inquisitive bweeps, BB-610 asks her what rank she is, and says that she must be incredibly important if she's allowed a spot on the Council.

And then his attention drifts to - what he assumes is - her chair. BB-610 slowly rolls up to it, eyeing it up for a myriad of seconds, before turning back to Valery. He looks back at the chair, then back to Valery, then back at the chair, and then back to Valery again. The droid doesn't speak, but the way his central optic has dilated shows that he's clearly asking if he can sit in it for a bit.

 

[Valery Noble]

Adarlon

​

Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: BB-610

"I'm a Jedi Master and sit on the Council," Valery said in response to his question about her rank, "I'm the NJO's 'Sword of the Jedi', which means that I lead our Jedi especially when it comes to the war effort." Although, having been Grandmaster of a small Enclave back in the Old Republic days, her current role felt quite similar to that already. The Order had no Grandmaster and that perhaps was always going to remain like that, but she often felt like she was.

Something BB-610 could read about more if he wanted to go through all of her service files.

For now, though, her new little buddy seemed to be distracted by something else — the large, very comfortable chair that she normally sat in during meetings was of course very appealing. He didn't ask about it, but the way his gaze shifted between her and the seat told her everything she needed to know.

"Go ahead, it's very comfortable," Valery chuckled and walked over, not to sit down herself, but to grab a datapad. All Jedi were allowed to have droids or other useful tools and equipment for their duties, but in this particular case, she wanted to make an official record of it. Especially with the first-order programming lingering within him. It wasn't going to have any consequences but she also didn't want to make it seem like she was hiding it either.

"Alright, everything should be handled officially, so the only thing that remains is going home and getting comfortable for the rest of the evening. I'll be getting you your own room with everything you need and want, but until it's ready, I'll set something up for you in either my room or maybe in Vera's." Knowing her little star, she was definitely going to claim BB so it'd feel like a sleepover.

"Is there anything else you'd like to get done or ask about? Anything you need?"

 

[BB-610]

| LOCATION: NJO Temple, Coruscant |
| TAG: Valery Noble |

A Jedi Master! Oooh, fancy, says BB-610 through a long coo of amazement. He'd never belonged to somebody of such high status before, even in his First Order days. The droid had been assigned mostly to pilots, with some ranking above average, but nothing remotely close to a noble Jedi Master. It was almost a little daunting on the little astromech, who'd led his life feeling rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

The droid of a Jedi Master, one with the Council. Oh, if those Resistance pilots were still alive to see him now, BB-610 would love to wipe it in their smug faces after being told that he'd never amount to anything.

A hypothetical he'd have to relish in another day, perhaps, as what's most important is all too clear to him: Valery had given him permission to sit upon a chair of the Jedi Council, and BB-610 was more than eager to accept. Giddy, the droid rolls forth, scaling along it as he pushes himself on top of it, taking a seat and slowly circling it as he takes in the moment. BB-610 glances at her, gets nice and comfy, and then begins to snicker and giggle, like a child posing in front of the mirror in their mother's clothes they were prohibited from touching.

He's unsure of what Valery is doing while she taps along the datapad, as the astromech is far too busy giggling playfully from feeling oh-so important, but once the Jedi was finished, BB-610 shakes his head and - begrudgingly - rolls off of the chair, inching close to her feet and tilting his head up so his optic can meet her eyes. With a quiet series of chirps, BB-610 says that he's all done, and that he'd love to go home.

Finally, for once in his life, BB-610 truly thought that things were going to be okay.