Private Chasing Shadows

[Dak]

[ THIS THREAD HAS BEEN REBOOTED -- NEW THREAD HERE ]

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C O R U S C A N T​

Galactic City, New Essonia District​

GalaTran Railcrawler Station, Platform 45D​

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The Core Worlds

Despite everything that had changed, they were still praised in the media for their historic significance and romanticized in folklore as ideological bastions for righteousness and virtue, or power and order. They were timeless monuments of a past that was less clouded by darkness and uncertainty, and less stricken by instability. But the truth was, the Core had become a constant flux.

Coruscant in particular had changed hands dozens of times in the last 900 years, seized by those who’d hoped to revitalize the Galaxy’s historic seat of power, or build their own legacy on the corpses of the great Empires and Republics that came before them. The ecumenopolis had seen devastation and renewed prosperity more times than modern history could count, and while such resilience was a testament to the Coruscanti people, it was not without consequence. The wounds no longer healed as cleanly as they had before, and the scars were starting to show.

Multiple generations of being used as a political or symbolic pawn had turned the people jaded. Their home-world was still facing recession, having never fully recovered from it's many calamities; be it the Vong invasion or Clockwork Rebellion, or the devastation of the Gulag Plague. For many, it no longer mattered what flag flew from the Palace or who called themselves the Emperor, Chancellor or King. The never-ending game of thrones held little significance to the common folk, if they were lucky. What mattered was survival.

Dak was one of the few people left who could remember the planet for what it had been. Just like the stories still told in the Outer Rim. Coruscant had stood for something once, and the droid still held hope that it could once again.

The transition of authority between the Imperial Remnant and the Grayson Imperium had been one of the smoother ones in recent past, but it was still not without issues. Despite the majority of the Imperial government conceding to their subjugation and even transferring to comfortable positions within the new regime, there were those who strongly and even violently opposed. Notably, the darkside adept ex-Imperial Inquisitors had promptly chose to retreat into exile in order to escape the punishment of the Ashla-aligned Essonian Knights.

Despite the Imperium’s best efforts, many continued to evade capture by hiding away in the labyrinthine under-cities. That is, until Dak accidentally located one of their sanctuaries while tracking down a rare TD-54 training droid. Originally, the old DAC planned to assault the base alone. But the Lord-Imperator saw the discovery as a unique opportunity to not only train his newest padawan, but familiarize Dak with his recently acquainted lost sibling, Talaya Grayson. The opportunity to connect with another member of the House he’d served for millennia was not something Dak would decline, and so he found himself waiting patiently for her arrival in the old Senate District, now known as the New Essonia District, at its bustling main railcrawler station.

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​

Galactic City was just as busy as he always remembered it. Since the Imperium's conquest it had become easy for the droid to forget that hundreds of years had passed, in some ways at least. Dak had found himself more and more distracted as of late. Ever since his encounter with the proto-code aboard the Droidforge everything felt different. He felt distanced; self-absorbed. Questions he had never thought to ask cycled through his primary performance banks constantly, and his memory banks seemed to be filled with ideas that were not his own.

Dak's head jerks up abruptly as he realizes he had wandered off in thought again. His read receptors shift within their sockets, sifting through the immense crowds that roamed the busy railcrawler platforms.

13:34

Almost twenty minutes had passed like a lapse in his memory. He tried to recall his thoughts but they eluded him. There were only fragments - he remembered voices. Or perhaps only one? There were colours, too. In shapes he didn't understand. It didn't matter.

She would be here soon.

Talaya Rade

 

[Talaya Rade]

Since the long-overdue meeting with her elder brother, the fledgling's life had taken a sharp turn for the better. Better, in this sense, meaning a life of looking over her shoulder, uncertainty and the active pursuit of an evil that harnessed the boons of the dark side. Despite the risks, it was a life of purpose. As she'd pledged herself to aiding her brother, The Empire and the defeat of the Sith. For both her sake, and her father's. It was this mission that directed Talaya to the Senate District of Corsucant. To meet with a droid whom, by rumor, she'd learned had serviced her family long before her time. Her feet tapped impatiently on the floor of the crowded transport bus she boarded minutes prior. "Jeeezz ..why'd I stop for that hotdog. I'm gonna be late."

13:49

Through the thicket of the district's crowds emerged Talaya. "Excuse me", "Pardon m-..Hey!", "C-..Come on! I have to-...be somewhere-" Heard as moving against the grain of the crowd held its own difficulties. Minutes later, and a number of glances from with deep blue eyes, she'd spot [member="Dak"] . Or at least her best guess of what the droid might look like.

She'd approach the droid. Lifting her hand to wave some. "Uh ..Dak, right? Talaya. Cedric's sister."

 

[Dak]

“Yes, that is correct,” the droid responds along with a nod, standing as the young woman approaches. “It is truly wonderful to meet you, Madame Talaya. Your brother has been certain that he was the last of your family for many years now, and in my research I would have agreed.”

He could tell from just a quick look that she had been through quite the frantic journey so far, but there was a familiarity to her features that Dak had not found in the battle-hardened Lord-Imperator. She reminded him of Delara, his old master – softer and less jaded. Curiously, Dak found his mind lingering on this thought for reasons he couldn’t quite explain.

“I’m sure you’re well aware, but Master Cedric is incredibly enthusiastic about your unexpected arrival. I’ve been informed that he’s eagerly brought you under his wing as a padawan. If memory serves, you are much older than most would be when beginning these trials. But your lineage should increase your odds of success despite this. With significant effort on your part, no doubt.” Dak looks off to the platform to catch a glimpse of the next railcrawler’s arrival time; 4 minutes.

Beginning to make his way to the gathering crowd at the platform, he turns his head to continue talking as they walk “Has Master Grayson had a chance to explain to you who I am?”

Talaya Rade

 

[Talaya Rade]

She held a look of curiosity as the droid mentioned both it, and Cedric's beliefs on the Grayson family line. It didn't seem to offend her, as she was on the opposite side of the coin for just over two decades now. Belief that she was it. Having found the humor in it all, she playfully waved her hands and said: "Surrprisee~" She scratched lightly at her cheek, a short fit of hushed laughter before walking alongside [member="Dak"] . "So that's the name for it, huh? Padawan. Yeeaah ..yeah. That's me, alright." Her eyes lit with guilt at the mention of what her brother may, or may have not told her of the droid. Even with the briefing she received before the journey here, it made her uncomfortable how little she knew of one of her family's guardians. Perhaps this was the opportunity. "Uhh ..pfff-..Of course he did. You're like a ..aaa ..cool robot-..Droid. You uh .." Her brows tightened, as if lost for words. "Protect and-.."

She huffed. "Yeah ..I gotta be honest. Besides the name and the fact that you help Cedric? I ..got nothin'." Her eyes drifted over to see how long until the railcrawler would arrive.

"But hey. We've got some time, right? Tell me about yourself, Dax."

 

[Dak]

The girl’s cheerful attitude was unexpected, though upon further reflection Dak didn’t really know what he had expected after all. It seemed more obvious to him now that Cedric was much different than those he still remembered from before, but then again so were the times. Talaya brought him back to the years before the Clone Wars when things were peaceful, and the Grayson family seemed so happy. So… unaware of what would become of them.

With a bit of amusement, he opted to not correct her misnaming.

“Yes, Padawan,” Dak nods “at least that’s what they called it before the Purge of 19 BBY.” His lighthearted tone was wildly inappropriate for the statement, but he followed it with a solemn glance up toward the ecumenopolis’ polluted skyline. It carried a weight with it that time that he wasn’t able to rationalize.

“I have been in the service of House Gray-,” he pauses himself, breaking away from his stare to look at the woman as they walked “apologies, in the service of your house, for nearly two thousand years. Many of those were spend in an unexpected stasis, mind you. But the statement remains true.”

The crowd begins to condense around them as the arrival time continues to count down, but Dak continues talking without much concern of it “Your brother rediscovered me 7 years ago, along with the Graywall; an ancient fortress built by your ancestors on the planet Ruusan.”

His receptors catch the rail-crawler approaching in the distance “A wondrous place, Madame Talaya. You would enjoy it, I’m sure.”

Talaya Rade

 

[Talaya Rade]

Her eyes subtly looked over the droid's features from time to time. Her affinity towards technology made her wonder what degree of genius went into creating Dak. Even with its metallic frame, and most of its functions relying on circuits and gizmos, she still found herself viewing [member="Dak"] the same as any other form of intelligent life. His thoughts seemed his own, and it intrigued her. "Graywall, huh? Yeah. Guess I'll have to visit sometime." As the crowd about them grew more concentrated, she glanced over at Dak. A brow raised towards something he'd mentioned. "You uh ..serious about that whole "Two thousand year" thing? 'Cause .." Her expression began to brighter. "That'd mean you know all the embarrassing things my ancestors did, right? Yeesh ..it's like so far I just hear about war this, war that. If my family goes back that far, I wanna know who they were. Like ..who I might've gotten my looks from, y'know?"

She'd subtly bump the droid's shoulder. "N' uh ..the whole ma'dam thing. It's kinda weird. Just Talaya is cool."

 

[Dak]

"Oh," Dak pauses, caught off guard by both the nudge and attention to a habit he barely noticed. If he were capable, he might have laughed. "Of course. The formality is simply an ingrained habit of old. I apologize, Talaya."

The rail-crawler finally comes to a smooth and silent halt a few meters ahead of them, obscured by the gathering mob waiting to board. Amid the sudden bustle of offloading the droid falls silent, watching the hurried passengers pour out. Talaya's questions revived thoughts that had become more difficult to dismiss these last few weeks since the proto-code: the fragmented memories that remained of his time with Delara Grayson and the knowledge of her death in open rebellion.

As the vessel empties completely, the two are able to meander forward with the crowd and slowly make their way aboard one of the cabins. Dak watches Talaya closely as they move, her features complimenting his thoughts by further reminding him of the times before his hibernation. Those centuries still felt like only a few years ago to him. Still fresh, yet faded. Once the two had found a seat and things began to settle down, Dak finds the time to reply.

"Quite serious, as difficult as it may be to image. According to my remaining factory code, I was initially constructed in 3665 BBY. This was a brief period, and one I cannot recall. I suspect a memory wipe took place before my de-activation." He looks away from her to watch the cityscape as it begins to shift by with the movement of the rail-crawler "I entered the service of your family almost a millennia later, after being discovered by Magetha Grayson."

"Regretfully," his receptors break away from the window and move to the floor "I don't remember much of these times. It would seem 832 years in a low-power stasis pod has taken many of these years from me." Dak looks back to Talaya. Unable to give her an expression to attempt to lighten the mood, he simply provides a nod "But yes, I do still remember them from better days. As people. Before they had to become soldiers, or hide-aways, or Lord-Imperators. Just good people."

Talaya Rade

 

[Talaya Rade]

Talaya took a seat, somewhat relieved to be free of the shoulder-bumps and frustrated whispers of the crowd. A leg went over the other, the supporting leg beginning to shake up and down subtly. She'd pull out her mobile device, glancing and scrolling through today's news of Coruscant to make the wait more bearable. The device later sat on her lap as she listened to [member="Dak"] . "Heey~ There we go. After we're done here, I wanna hear all about it, alright?"

Her eyes lifted after suddenly recalling something, then lowered back down to the droid beside her.

"Actually .." She leaned closer to him abit. Voice hushed: "What are we doin' here again? Just got word to meet you about somethin' important. That's uh ..about it."

 

[Dak]

It seemed curiosity got the better of him and he had forgotten to explain the nature of their get-together.

“I suppose that is an important detail,” he nods, receptors shifting to other passengers to ensure no one was paying them too much attention. There we other service droids aboard the rail-crawler at least, mostly protocol escorts running errands from the Senate District, so Dak did not stick out as much as he could have.

Choosing to mimic Talaya’s attempt at subtlety, he too leans in slightly to reply – though far less gracefully. “I have discovered something unsettling while searching for an asset. I’ve found evidence of a group of the previous administration’s inquisitors who have gone into exile in the lower levels of Tepasi City. They are attempting to flee the justice of the Imperium, and possibly rally resistance.”

He looks around them once more, still satisfied that no one had overheard their discussion. “Coincidentally, they have something I am after – a component, specifically. I had originally advised Master Cedric that I would attempt an extraction on my own, but due to the nature of the situation he thought it best that I bring aid. I will admit, this isn’t what I would have had in mind,” he looks her over, assessing his readings over her heart rate and nuance facial reactions to attempt to gauge her reaction thus far “but he thinks it could server as a valuable lesson for you.”

Talaya Rade

 

[Talaya Rade]

.....clunk.

The droid's attempt at subtlety resulted in the light smacking of its metalic-head against her own. The unintended headbutt left Talaya with brows lifted, eyes closed and an expressed that spelled "Ow" in ways she didn't want to verbally portray. Though she'd suffered much worse aboard her raggedy ship nicknamed the Junebug, and gave the droid a second shoulder bump with lips tugged into a smirk. "Like ..actually ow. Leaning. We've definitely gotta practice leaning."

After the comment, she'd listen intently to [member="Dak"] . The mention of residuals from Coruscant's past administration almost caused her ear to perk. A dwindled sect intent on accumulating numbers to pose a threat to the Imperium, and in turn, both herself and her circuit-ridden acquaintance. Despite her attempt to "play it cool", persay, her heart-rate was increasing. The thought of finally meeting something, or someone from the side of the force responsible for her father's passing? It left her torn between emotions. Sparks of frustration, sorrow, but mostly anger. She turned away for a moment, eyeing the railcrawler's interior until her eyes lost their sudden gloss.

"Just about everything seems like a lesson with him." The comment helped her expression transition into something more light-hearted.

"I'm uh ..I'm game." She'd glance through the window. "Any clue where we find 'em?"

 

[Dak]

If she hadn’t of said anything, Dak wouldn’t even have noticed their collision. His receptors shift to his shoulder after she bumps him the second time, caught off guard once again. “Oh. I apologize. It seems we do.”

He was certainly not used to such physical reactions. This would take some getting used to.

“Most things can be construed into a lesson with enough effort or thought,” he counters “I’ve come to understand that your brother is quite wise with subjects of the Force. He is not without flaws, but you would do well to trust his words. I assure you.” He nods again, this time in response to her agreement to join – though it was something he had already thought to be confirmed.

“I am happy to have you. Though, I must stress that this will be extremely dangerous. I’ve calculated a less than satisfactory 9.75% chance of us meeting our untimely termination. But we will do our best to avoid this, or at the very least I will do what is necessary to ensure your survival.” What he kept to himself was the fact that his calculated odds had gone down slightly with the addition of the untrained padawan.

The buildings outside had become nothing more than a blur now with the rail-crawler moving at full speed. Dak takes a moment to watch the scenery as best as possible, then finally replies without looking to his side “Yes. In a few hours we will arrive at Tepasi City, another one of this planet’s massive population hubs that has remained relatively untouched. From there I’ve arranged transport to Level 874. Somewhere there we will find an old manufacturing facility that was condemned decades ago. I believe they are using this as their hideout.”

Talaya Rade

 

[Talaya Rade]

"Level 874"
"A secret hideout-"
"And a whopping nine point seven percent to make it out alive. Let's uh ..let's round it up. To ten. Optimism, y'know?"

Perhaps it was a developing coping mechanism of hers to use humor to mask her doubts and unease. No different than before, she was quick to jump on board. Ready to act before weighing the pro's and con's. With barely a relationship with the force, and the average person's equipment on her, she'd agreed to help eliminate inquisitors. Only now factoring in the chance of harm, or ..much worse. Her eyes drifted to the windows, the usually calming scene of passing buildings replaced by a blur. Running a hand through her hair, she'd sit back and groan.

"Talk to me, Dak. I'm not one to get all hung-up over numbers, but ..I also wanna have all my limbs intact by the time we get outta this. There's gotta be a way to bump up the odds for us. Let's hear it."

[member="Dak"]

 

[Dak]

"Round... up?" Dak ponders, unsure of whether the padawan had simply misheard him or had a death wish. Adjusting his volume to compensate for the noise of the rail-crawler and other conversations around them, he reiterates his previous statement "there is a 9.75% chance of failure, Talaya. For both of our sake, I don't think we want to raise that any higher than it is."

Once again, Dak opts to keep the recalculated odds based on an analysis of Talaya's response to himself. It would do neither of them good to further increase the stress of the situation. As far as the droid was concerned, Cedric's request for her to join the raid posed enough challenges to serve as a test for both of them. Perhaps that was the point. Clever.

"We will take this operation step-by-step, Ma-" he cuts himself off "-Talaya." His receptors follow the girl's, watching the blur alongside her "I will consider the bigger picture and do what I must to ensure your well being, but it will be easier for you to remain focused on what is necessary in the moment if I fill you in on the go."

He looks back to her now, glancing over her person to scan for equipment "First: weaponry and equipment. What do you have with you? Do you have any degree of formal training?"

Talaya Rade

 

[Talaya Rade]

She looked over to Dak after he corrected her. There was a pause, and then she smiled. "Heey~ Noooww we're talkin'." She'd pat his shoulder for a moment, then take a moment to feel around for her gear. "Had a few instructors back where I'm from. I'm alright with hand to hand, and uh ..I'd say I'm pretty alright with a blaster. As long as ..whatever I'm shooting doesn't move." She gave a quick glance to those within the railcrawler, then looked back to Dak. "Packed pretty light. Standard Issue Blaster. Surveillance Drones I made, and uh ..a vibro-knife. Left all my good stuff with the guys I used to run with."

"What about you? What're you packing?"

 

[Dak]

Talaya Rade
​

Recalculated again. Dak remains silent.

He had not expected Cedric to tip the odds to heavily against him when he assigned his padawan. The droid had at least expected the Jedi-to-be to understand some form of lightsaber combat for such a daunting mission. Regardless, it was too late to change things now. The Lord-Imperator's test, as Dak assumed it to be, was already in motion. This would be… complicated, to say the least.

“Well, I’m equipped with a VB-113 vibroblade,” he answers, gesturing with a nod to hilt poking out from the black mantle draped over the droid’s shoulders “and I've arranged a dead-drop for my ACR in the lower levels of Tepasi City.”

Dak thinks for another moment, trying to conjure any idea of what actions might be available to them. “I will lend you the rifle for this mission," he concludes, albeit with some relluctance "You may not be familiar with it, but the Jackal is a finely crafted and advanced firearm. It will serve you better than what you have now.”

This increased Talaya's odds, if only by a fraction, but left the droid in a difficult situation. He would be forced to engage the ex-inquisitors in melee while lacking sufficient means of protection from lightsabers. A risky move, but his only other choices would be to use the padawan’s generic blaster or hope to find something along the way.

Neither were ideal.

 

[Talaya Rade]

Talaya made note of Dak's equipment. Particularly the ACR, since it seemed very shortly she'd find herself tasked with using it. "I'll make it work, my man. Or-..my ..droi-..nah. Doesn't have the same ring to it." She went silent for the better half of a minute. As much as she didn't want to portray it, her nerves were setting in. The closer they arrived to their destination, the more she realized how grave a situation she'd put both herself and Dak in. The fledgling had left her home world to both see what the universe had to offer, and to no longer be a liability. The idea of holding back Dak, and the imperium's plans made her uneasy. Perhaps it'd be her fuel to perform her best. With puffed cheeks, she exhaled almost playfully and looked back to Dak. "I want to take my mind off all this. At least ..until we get off the crawler." She'd shift in her seat.

"The best joke you've got. Let's hear it."
Dak

 

[Dak]

Talaya Rade
​

His best joke?

Upon reflection, Dak couldn't recall the last time he'd willing attempted to spread humour. Though he could distinctly remember times when matters he considered to be serious gave way to laughter from those around him. Why? He didn't know. But processors running, he had found himself stumped by the girl's simple question.

He turns his head to Talaya, realizing she's absolutely serious and waiting for a reply. He was forced to think of something.

"Our odds" he finally states flatly, his unblinking gaze shifting to floor in front of them.

 

[Talaya Rade]

Her affinity for technology, more so that which seemed to hold sentience, peaked her curiosity in a number of ways. She was curiosity about the limits of Dak's sentience, or if there was a limit to begin with. Of all the ways she could test the droid, the idea of having him tell a joke surfaced. She'd look around while the droid came up with something. Waiting patiently until he flatly responded. Her eyes switched to his unblinking face. The lack of humor in his tone. She stared blankly for a few moments, then found herself in a fit of laughter. Talaya playfully bumped him with her shoulder, wiping at the crevice of her right eye. She'd yawn abit, and lean back into her seat. Arms crossed, and eyes slowly closing. "Guess we've got a bit of down-time."

After a minute, a smirk surfaced after remembering Dak's joke. Right eye peeking over to him. "Killer joke, by the way. Who knew you could be such'a nerf herder." Short Pause. "Kinda cool, if you ask me." With a subtle shrug, her eye closed and she'd try to get some sleep before they arrived. Dak

 

[Dak]

Talaya Rade
​

Dak watches in silence as the girl erupts, swaying a few times in his seat as he's repeatedly nudged and bumped. He watches Talaya lean back without saying anything, more in silent confusion of her attitude than anything.

"Killer joke, by the way."

There was an inexplicable satisfaction to those words. Like he had completed his objective. It was a momentary respite from the grim considerations that were otherwise occupying his PPBs. Dak looks straight ahead and rests himself further into his seat to much more rigidly mimic the padawan's.

The droid falls quiet at that, knowing she would need her rest for what was to come.

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Tepasi City, Tagge District
GalaTran Railcrawler Station, Platform 21D

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18:12

The rest of their rail-crawler journey had gone without incident. Without the concerns of discomfort and boredom, long bouts of time with minimal movement were easy for Dak. It gave him time to run in-depth diagnostic tests, optimize his surface-level routines and run scenario calculations to plan for their objective. This time around the latter had been his primary focus, but lacked impressive results.

Passangers begin to stir in their seats as the announcement is made that they are arriving in the bustling Tagge District of Tepasi City, another one of the ecumenopolis' political hubs.

"Talaya? We're arriving." Dak gives her a gentle tap on the arm to wake her.

 

[Talaya Rade]

Dak
Talaya seemed a heavy sleeper, barely budging from the gentle tap of Dak. She instead woke from the announcement. Her upper body jerked to life, confusion temporarily on her face before she gave a sigh of relief and nodded. "H-..Huh? Oh uh .." She went to rub her eyes. "Thanks." Talaya looked out the window to see the railcrawler coming to a halt. The inevitable stop leading to those on board lifting to their feet, and spilling out the various exits. Tucking a bit of hair behind her eye, the fledgling looked to Dak. "This is our stop, huh? Leeet's get movin', I guess. Take the lead, alright? Leet's put those big ol' shoulders to use." She said, more than willing to use Dak to avoid her smaller frame being juggled around in a moving civilians. Again.