Jedi, Imperials, and a Word From Our Sponsor

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

"Interesting."

Crossing his arm, the boy rubbed his chin with one hand in a subconscious gesture, seemingly lost in thought for a moment as he contemplated where to begin. Finally, the youth looked back up at the man. "Well, let me see if I can't start getting things connected for you."

Stepping forward, the teenage Anzat reached a hand out. From across the other side of the room, an electrician's spanner flew off a shelf to arrive at the boy's waiting hand. Approaching one of the main controllers, the boy knelt down as he began to inspect the installation of the components and wiring. It would be important to ensure that the server backbone was properly configured, before he could go about starting the set-up of the O/S Cresh load. Then, once that was done, the boy could start expanding out to the network terminals.

But, one thing at a time.

[member="Galven Solomon"]​

 

[Jeron Verity]

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]


Galven brought his hands together, "Good! I'll leave you to it, then. I'll leave my trusty Viskis here and some Troopers to watch for anything or help with whatever you may need. Just get my attention when you're done, yes? And do be careful, if you use too much power it might surge the generator. Just a warning."

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

The boy nodded with regard to the warning.

"I'll keep that in mind," he remarked in answer, as he set to work. The pin configuration on the primary crystalboard looked rather commercial. Carefully, the boy altered the board from a nine-pin connection to a more modern hard-mod, before setting to work on the physical memory caches. With the on board memory verified, he then ran a check on the actual wiring. The fiber cable was new. Aurodium tipped connectors. Good.

Glancing up at the crystal display, the boy rose back to his feet as the server harddrive was booted up. The O/S boot datadisk was waiting there for his use. Loading the kernal up, the boy's fingers moved like a concert pianist as he began configuring the BIOS for the initial load, verifying the installation.

Three keystrokes, and the server was booting up for the initial log-in. While he waited for that to load, the youth stood back with his arms crossed and waited.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

The operating system was loaded.

The network configuration for the server prepared. He'd tested it by connecting it to two other adjacent terminals, and it appeared that the system was ready to go live. Already, the computers that were operational in the server room were on-line and functional. At least, as function as they could be without a connection to the outside.

Turning, the boy looked over at Viskis. "Please inform Mister Solomon that the computer is now operational."

[member="Galven Solomon"]​

 

[Jeron Verity]

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]


Viskis nodded and made a call to Galven over the comms, getting his attention and telling him of the advancement. Galven was still on the same floor, as he was old, and preferably would rather using the stairs as few times as possible. He was mostly talking to some of his troopers, waiting out however long the hacking may have taken. As he came back he applauded the boy on his progress. "I wouldn't be one to say you did better than my engineers ever could, but you certainly did an amazing job. Please, let me inspect the server, let's see what's on it."

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

Bowing slightly, the young Anzat stepped aside to permit the man access to the terminal.

"I had to modify an adapter in order to connect it to the library databank," the young Jedi noted, for the benefit of his patron. The computer memory was old, but undisturbed. There ought to be some information that could be recovered. No doubt, the Imperial engineers were as good as the Republic ones. Even still, this was 20 BBY era technology. And Sor-Jan likely had more experience working with those computers and connectors than did the current generation.

[member="Galven Solomon"]​

 

[Jeron Verity]

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]


Galven stepped forward and began accessing the information within the server. He started to smile but then it was gone, sighing. "Well, it's as I thought. My troopers told me one of the servers might have been to damaged, and the terminal won't even register it. I'll check the others."

Galvrn wanted to check on the weaker server because that was his mentality; as strong as the weakest, and he cared about the weak. But if death is something that comes, you have to look back at the main road and see where it goes.

He started to smile again, getting anxious and getting faster on the Terminal. "Perfect, perfect! Even the plans for the hangar are in here. Oh, there's... There's so much, it's overwhelming." He turned his head slightly, "Hey, it wouldn't be hard to bring in new servers and transfer all this, would it? Join it with our collection?" he asked before takibg a datacard and inserting it on the terminal,copying some data

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

The boy gave a smirk at that.

"I was actually going to suggest as much," the young Anzat noted from beside the man. "Those databanks have been cold for a long, long time. Suddenly energizing them might cause damage to the circuits." Copying the information and then sorting through it later would prevent anything from getting lost if one of the crystalboards suddenly went up in flames.

The data mining would take a significant amount of time as well. Hopefully Galven had some good analysis droids to sort through all of that. If they were back in the Old Republic, even the Analysis Room of the Jedi Temple would have taken months, if not years, to sort through all of data stored inside this facility.

[member="Galven Solomon"]​

 

[Jeron Verity]

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]


Galven nodded in agreement and happiness before finishing what he was doing and ejected the datacard and taking it in his hand. He turned to the boy and tossed him the datacard. "My old organization had a fair bit if information on you, or less than they should. There's conflicting data on you, from the Clone Wars, very little but enough. Either way, it's none of my business... That datacard is a copy of the history of the clone wars and sone other information, or as much non-critical information I could fit on it. It's yours, maybe you'll find some use in it. Anyway, I had one more idea."


Galven clasped his hands together behind his back as he walked to the side. Galven had walked in this time with something metal on his waist, it's sense and ring made it special and heavy. "I was thinking about this," he said quickly, and without warning he grabbed the metal device at the boy, knowing he'd be able to catch it. "I call it Chahal. It means Weakness. If you show your weakness, you become stronger enough to over come it. It's better to show your weakness than strength, as if you show your strength in the beginning, the enemy expects what's coming." Galven crossed his arms as he watched the boy.

"Cortosis and Turadium, one of the keys I have to protect myself against force users. Not to fight them, and not to defeat them. I need help learning how to properly use it, if you wouldn't mind assisting with that... "

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

The datacard seemed to drift in slow-motion.

Holding out his hand, the boy reached out to palm the memory device as it floated into his waiting hand. "Considering the galactic turmoil in the intervening centuries, I'm impressed you were able to recover any information from that time," the young Jedi remarked, sincerely impressed at Galven's accomplishment there, as he tucked the datacard away into a pocket on his belt.

The second device, the boy caught without the use of the Force, though the weight caused him to take a step back as it fell into his hand. A 'guard-shoto' or lightsaber tonfa. Not unheard of, but certainly uncommon. It wasn't a style of lightsaber that the boy had trained or was accustomed to, but already his Niman-trained mind was trying to imagine what the benefits of such a design might be.

Form V? The reverse Shien grip? Yes. It seemed that would probably be where to begin. The boy performed several movements with the weapon in hand, slowly stepping through as though fighting an enemy who wasn't there in slow-motion.

He couldn't have activated the blade however. Anzati appeared on medical scanners as recently deceased human or near-human corpses. Their body temperatures at rest were notably below that of a human. Just another 'creepy' factor, to go with the 'not breathing' or 'no heart beat'.

He'd been told he'd driven his adoptive mother into hysterics as an infant. A sleeping Anzat looked, and felt, quite dead. Trying checking on your baby at night and finding that every nap time. "That wouldn't be an issue. I've taught someone before, with a similar wish," the boy recalled aloud. Holding the lightsaber out, he extended it out for the man to take back if he'd like.

"I named mine 'Paperweight,'" the young Consular noted with a wry smile.

[member="Galven Solomon"]​

 

[Jeron Verity]

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]


Galven chuckled from the boys mention of the name of his own, nodding as he leaned against the wall, reaching his hand out as if asking for the saber back. "You know, I've never liked Force Users, I've always hated them. It mostly started back when I was first being trained to be a Moff in the Imperial Remnant. By a Sith Lord, if you can believe it. Man oh man, that was not fun. But then I found this woman, we never met, but the records I pulled up... made me realize she was the reason why I am doing all this. Making GOMM, why I went through all the trouble. And wouldn't ya know, she's a Force User. Very ill... Her disease, actually semi-curable. But I haven't the heart to get her involved in all this, I wouldn't want her to risk her life to know who I am...." He sighed, taking a breath and becoming somewhat chipper again.


"I knew I could trust you. In a few days I should be available, if you are. I'd definitely like to learn Form V, or at least part of it, in the end. The basics, Form I and II, but I'd like to specialize in Form III. Records showed that the ancient master Obi-Wan was a master, and could hold off two enemy force users at once. The forms, along with my lightsaber, are all for the ability to defend myself. That was the best type of saber for defense. If you'd like to train here, I've trusted you with the coordinates of my base in that datadisk. So what do you say?"

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

The boy simply listened as the man spoke of being distrustful of those who could use the Force.

It was easy to become offended by such things, but equally so to recognize that the offense was more a lack of understanding. Sor-Jan couldn't understand where the man was coming from. As an Anzat, Sor-Jan had been born with the ability to use the Force. All Anzat were. Their ability to sense their prey was telepathic, but not psionic. It lay in the Force, but like the sight-beyond-sight of the blind Miraluka.

That being true, he had no concept of what it was like to not be able to use the Force. To touch the Force. Or how such a person must view those around them who could. In that sense, a good deal of people probably felt the same way, or similar, to what Galven was expressing. It was just rare for such a person to say such things openly. At least to someone they knew was a Jedi.

Refreshing, to say the least. But, even if Sor-Jan could not understand where Galven was speaking from, he could at the very least respect his beliefs. Still, the boy opted to stay silent and allow the man to say his peace. The offering of any conciliatory remarks would doubtless appear to be baseless pleasantries or rote condolances. The two did not know each other well, beyond that they trusted one another. So the boy merely gave a bow in recognition for what the man was experiencing.

On the topic of Force Users, it appeared that Galven knew his Jedi.

He was already familiar with the seven forms of lightsaber combat. Or, at the very least, what they were called. He couldn't help but be taken aback when Qui-Gon Jinn's very nearly not-a-Jedi padawan once more came up as though he were the greatest Jedi who ever lived. If Galven thought that Obi-Wan Kenobi was impressive, he should have seen Luminara Unduli in action. Or Tyvokka.

Somehow, everyone seemed to think that Kenobi and his padawan -- what's his name? Starkiller? Cloudwalker? -- were the greatest thing since sliced food board.

"I would be honored to introduce you to Shii-cho," the boy supplied in answer. "The basics of lightsaber combat will aid you in understanding the more advanced forms, as well as help you identify which form suites you best."

[member="Galven Solomon"]​

 

[Jeron Verity]

[member="Sor-Jan Xantha"]


Galven took his finger and thumb and rubbed his temples, realizing what he had said. "I'm sorry, allow me to reiterate. Because of my past, Force Users have left a bad taste in my mouth, that I unfortunately remember forever... in more ways that one, but uh, anyway." He straightened himself out. "I need to get these plans to the engineers, we should be able to rebuild much faster. I'll call upon you when the base is finished."

He sighed, taking a calming breath through his nose. "I don't exactly hate them, but the majority of Force Users I have found and come across... haven't been the kindest. Thankfully I've met you and that woman, so things are changing. My men will escort you back to my ship and take you back to your planet, I'm sure your company misses you. Thanks for the help."

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

The young Jedi bowed respectfully once more.

"There is no offense where none is taken," the small Consular offered warmly, as he straightened back up. As he prepared to take his leave, the boy looked back to add, "I enjoyed this opportunity to get to know you and your men. I hope to have another opportunity to do so, again."

With a nod, the boy followed the stormtrooper out of the room to head back to the ship. With the datacard in his possession, he'd have a lot to consider or look over. With the Four Hundred Years Darkness, many parts of the history he knew had been forgotten. Perhaps now this would be an opportunity to correct some of the history recordings whose sources had become lost.

[member="Galven Solomon"]​