In search of the next story

[Sorel Crieff]

The prospect of large items caught Sorel’s attention. Although they were unlikely to be immediately practical for Sorel or Orihime’s use – large was invariably impressive.

“Just how large is large, and any idea what they might be?” Sorel craned her neck to read the data the database was sharing. “Not that I plan to see it all. We’d be here ten lifetimes I suspect and not be able to catalogue it all. I guess I just want to make sure I don’t miss anything too exciting.”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

"Going by this, the hand statue." She brought it up and there was an entire mountain to see that was being presented to them and then a map showing the statue with a platform and a large hand. "From their reports and what is known the victim would be put into the hand itself and the one standing on the platform would be given their lifeforce and energy. It tore the souls and force energy from the others making them into ghosts but no one has ever really figured out who made it. It was just there in the mountain when the jedi discovered it and fought darksiders using it. There is also the now destroyed oracle. It was destroyed so that others couldn't see the future when the empire was rising so no one would see it. The oracle was an ancient divining force nexus that let you see into the future."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel pursed her lips and gave a quiet whistle. “When you said big, I imagined ship size – but this is not what I had in mind.”

She looked at the mountain and the statue that adorned it. “Effective but not precisely something you’d want in the wrong hands. Or even the right hands. I suspect the effects could be reengineered for good – such as taking a small amount of life force from lots of people to make someone well again. But as it stands?” She shuddered at the thought of it.

“And an oracle? They’re tricky things as is the future. So open to interpretation and so easily changed. I’ve come to view my Farseeing as less of a science and more of an art. It helps me plan for eventualities but I would never rely on what I see.”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

"There are more things, they were tracking some other places like the remains of Loa. A massive planet sized temple in the unknown regions. A cult used it or the darkworlds. It is quite a good list and even includes studies of the single oasis that survived on Tatooine." THe oracle was well it was something to study, no one was exactly certain what it showed people but it was renowned for that as well as the danger's one could see from it. Orihime was walking and getting back into the hanger. "i don't know if the hand could be used for good, it is just to ancient and powerful to really try and study in a safe place. You'd have to move an entire mountain for it and even then experimenting with it would mean people would be harmed or have to die.... Jedi are for learning but not at some risks."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was aware of historic artefacts that posed great threats to modern society. Their construction and use was often lost in the passing of time and so even to try to analyse and investigate how they worked was a real risk.

“Sometimes things are best left alone,” she said and nodded at Orihime. “I agree that there is rarely a case where the end justifies the means. As Jedi, it is our role to find an alternative way wherever possible.”

“And I have to say that I’ve heard of the light-sided nexus on Tatooine and visited the planet many times, but I’ve never been to it. Have you?”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

"Yes I have, my mothers investigated how it had survived when the entire world have been turned to desert and didn't find much from it. They might have found more things later but I can't be certain." Orihime was walking through the rooms and arriving to one that looked over on the hanger it was one fo the rooms of the experiments that had managed to succeed and they had been able to use. A small look on her face where she brought up the different star maps they had in here. "Looks like they had managed to tap into some of the older relays. The star maps were able to hold images of the galaxy that had been updating and mapping it even after thousands of years.... There was a small expedition of droids sent by my mother to try and tap and find them but I imagine the relays were searched for previously. These could be used to find and have the data which would improve navigational data." She was also looking at things they had here with soem fo the ships. "They have some jedi courier ships and plans for mobile academies."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was always amazed that, despite the advancement of science, they regularly seemed to stumble across ancient civilisations that had more advanced technology or a greater knowledge of the stars.

“I guess that’s the whole point of being a galaxy – there are often places we haven’t visited, or found yet, but just because we haven’t worked out how to get somewhere, it doesn’t mean nobody has. And with every find of new star maps, we open up new places to visit and potentially new cultures to understand.”

“And mobile academies have been researched for some time now, I wonder if they had anything new that we hadn’t considered before.”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime was looking at it and at Sorel with a nod of her head. Staying there in the seat so they could elave and review some of the information as she grabbed some more food. "I agree, we'll find something quite nice going on there and we'll find more things we should be able to understand." She was looking forward to someof it, the chance to maybe see the gree and understand a little more about the force or what it was like when there were only you know a handful of species that went out across the galaxy. That was a very different, time.... with everything being something new and mapping it or even shaping it. Some of the oldest civiliations wre able to shape celestial bodies after all.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was a mix of excitement and trepidation. It was easy to become so focused on the possibilities that you lost sight of the probabilities.

Any adventure was enjoyable – but the effort had to be an investment of time not a cost. But she reconciled her thoughts with the view that, at very least, they would find nothing but at least be able to categorically state that nothing still existed. That was an outcome to be commendable and anything more would be a definite bonus.

“Let’s go,” she simply said.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

She was looking at it and leading the way back into the hanger as the ship was there, large but she got a chance to look over at all of the others. Not much in terms of design that was familiar. It was more like they were small courier type ships so the jedi could go between temples and locations. Maybe not full missions with battles but it would be enough to go around the galaxy. Orihime was checking out some parts of it with a few more thoughts as she touched it standing inside. "Looks simple enough, not armed beyond a pressor to keep things away and not really built for speed but it is unassuming. The jedi could use it most likely to get around the galaxy or between temples without attracting much attention.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel nodded. In the old days, Jedi regularly travelled in old transports so they would arrive at a planet incognito. It was why her own ship was so unassuming from the outside. It suited her mode of travel. She was aware of the benefit of travelling under the proverbial radar – and these ships fitted that bill.

She too entered the ship and glanced around, not able to withhold the need to touch the ship. Having been on the organic ship, she wondered if this was in any way similar.

But she felt nothing. It was what it appeared – unassuming and solid. But entirely practical.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime looked at some of the things they had on it. "There isn't much here, just storage that they filled with equipment or empty space. We might not have a lot but we can work on more of it for ourselves." Several of these could be a nice thing to have, a runabout style ship that can be built in and built to be easy to replace. She knew the value of those as they could be destroyed and it wasn't as much a risk when thy were empty. "These types of ships could come in handy, runabout style shuttles that are easier to produce and can be replaced as opposed to the more complicated designs. I know my mother would likely have a number to show for all of us." She wanted to see it but wasn't finding much else in the ship

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Too often progress meant bigger, faster, more powerful or prettier. Sometimes it was all four. But that was a crude way to measure success. And this ship was a prime example. A simple design without any frills meant it was inexpensive. It was big enough. It was fast enough. It was powerful enough – and it had no need to be pretty. It was entirely functional and for that reason Sorel admired the engineering.

“I agree. Simple shuttles for capital ships that can’t or won’t pay the money for the state of the art latest model. What’s not to like?”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Well as she thought about it there was a danger to cheap and easy to make it usually meant less features which could mean no shields or minimal... you needed some shielding for debris in space and the atmosphere itself. She stayed there watching it when she looked out at some fo the shuttles or the ships before they looked around. "THe latest model isn't always needed but these should be very nice to see. We have been looking at a lot of it here when there was interest though. Some of these might be better if we can load some of them onto the ship for traveling around.. or at least won't be as slimy.... won't have to keep taking showers."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel laughed. “We can debate specifications all day. Speed, hyperspace capability, manoeuvrability, armament, shielding, cargo capacity, scanner quality. The list is endless. But the new one to consider – and in this occasion the most important – is their slime rating. And zero gets my vote every time.”

“Let’s face it, who has time for all those showers? And that has to be factored in, right?” The smile on her face meant she wasn’t taking the subject too seriously. But the point had been well made by Orihime.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Exactly see, Sorel got it, there was an importance at the slime rating they might have that could be a problem. Wondering about it where she was seeing the hanger doors opened now and the sun was coming in as she stood there prepared for any of it. Seeing up where the tendrils of the ship itself were clearing more of the water. Making it so that they would be able to get into the ship and into the hanger itself. Orihime was pointing to it and spoke. "Ship, could you load up some of these courier shuttles for us to take with us. Just in case and have some space for Sorels ship please." She said it wondering what might happen and there was a moment before the voice came out. "Sure." The large hangers of the ship opened when she started to bring the courier shuttle in hanger bay for them. She could also see the space above at them in space here. It was a small containment shield that kept the snow back from coming in.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was impressed at how quickly Orihime was coming to terms with the ship and its operation. And given its structure and design, it was both interesting and slightly uncomfortable to be able to give instruction directly to the ship and for it to carry the request out – like what to load in the hangar bay.

And she realised she still hadn’t come to terms with precisely who she was talking to. She cleared her throat and asked the question.

“When we talk, are we talking to the ship or the pilot? Or are you now one in the same? And what should we call you?”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime looked at Sorel and it seemed like something she had started well taking for granted now. She was uncertain about it so they were going. The sounds of the ship came with a small look on the jedi's face though. "Ahhhh I am the ship or am I still me? I don't remember we have been here for so long. So much time just by myself." Orihime felt a little sad though while she was entering the ship and a good thing was the ship could create its own airlocks for them to go through onto the ship and she could see it was working on many of the courier shuttles to get them around and into the ship with them. Orihime listened though with interest wondering if she had remembered her name. "And my name is ah.... I am the OriRel."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel listened and could tell that Orihime was equally touched by the voice that was interacting with them. It was too easy to consider it to be some advanced AI. It was once a real-life Jedi and it was linked to a living thing – albeit the thing was a ship.

But the voice was definitely melancholy and Sorel wondered how much of this was linked to so much time alone and if constant companionship going forward might be good for the ship. For she’d decided to refer to the joint consciousness as the ship.

“The OriRel…” Sorel echoed the name – it had a familiar ring to it, but she was unsure why it would be recognisable to her. “It’s good to put a name to a face,” she said. “And it suits you, OriRel.”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

"Thank you." She could be heard as Orihime was going through the ship as they had a chance and she could feel it jostling and moving for a moment. The massive size rising up as out of the viewports they were ascending through the hanger itself. The ship once she managed to get to the bridge of the ship showing them the planet when they were going towards the ship and the dome. They had a way into the facility and the beacon here so they could access it. The power was on for the shield that would melt and keep the snow just fine to allow them to return and land ships in to search. A small look was on her face though where Orihime was looking and with the ship in the air a lot more information was coming to them. "This feels different." she said it as she could feel the lightside of the force here on the ship and it was like a nexus of the force now that it was active. The sound and flashes on one fo the screen when it was showing some beacon. "What is this?" Orihime was curious and looking to get what it was while she walked over. "A distress beacon from a jedi team, or it was a long time ago. it is faint now."