Let's Go to the Library!

[Ayden Cater]

"Breaking news-" The new was buzzing throughout the air in just about every city of every planet in the Protectorate, and many others across the galaxy. "The Lord Protector announced just minutes ago-" "-the unveiling of a galactic repository-" "-library of antiquity." "A press release earlier today informed us that this would be-" "-say that this is perhaps the single largest public collection of knowledge in the galaxy."

On Naboo, with a celebration that rivaled even the coronation of a new queen, the city of Theed was packed to bursting with all many of sentients and droids as a parade marched through the city. The procession moved towards one of the largest buildings, one that had been renovated in secret for months and managed to be kept secret until now. Already, the lines to get in to the library were massive and would take hours, perhaps days to clear. And at the head of all of this, Ayden smiled.

It was good to be building rather than destroying. With all manner of fighting and betraying going on throughout the galaxy, it was necessary to remind people of the good in life. This library was meant to be just that; a beacon of hope and light to the galaxy. The center of the main building housed a massive cube structure, whose crystal lattice bathed all who saw it in a warm light. At night, its light would be focused through the top, generating a massive pillar of light that would stretch hundreds of meters into the air.

There were dozens of subsections to the library. Ancient history was a popular one, studying the relics of the galaxy thousands of years old. Other areas included things such as Wookie culture, the rise and fall of empires, noteworthy individuals of history, and even a look into the lives of one of Naboo's unappreciated species, the Gungans. Each section had dozens, hundreds of exhibits. Many included simple datatcrons designed to explain the history and nature of a piece.

But as fantastic as these were, they were not the crown jewel. No, that privilege belonged to the holocron library that had been assembled and set on display. These were relics that were not on open display like others, but were put behind glasteel panels. Information on them could only be retrieved through a datacron that would detail more about the individual who created the holocron and the nature behind it. They were not something that could be touched. Unbeknownst to anyone in the public, each of the pedestals or wall-frames that the holocrons were displayed upon were shielded from the Force through subterranean ysalamir, preventing any attempts to manipulate them through the Force. Despite the public, joyous nature of the library, it was not at all without its defenses. Ayden wanted this to be a center for learning, but that did not make him any less of a realist.

 

[Cira]

Damage control.

Those two words would quietly whisper through the former Lady Protector's head as her assistants left her to her quarters within the main library. A deep breath rose as she held it.

Gold eyes went glancing beyond the balcony at the city of Theed. Thoughts percolated through her mind. Was this a good idea? Doubt would eat at her. A shake of her head would lightly send her strands of auburn hair shifting over her bare shoulders. She wore a simple dark blue dress for the occasion. Modest by all standards, to include the lengthy zipper at the back.

Just breathe. She told herself. They had been preparing for this for the past months. Along her neck a small necklace hung a corseca pendant. Her normal one with the selab wax seal kept instead as a charm among others on her wrist, easily overlooked.

"Ma'am." a voice called at her from the sidelines. One of the library curators. "We are ready."

A nod came next.

Soft vine-silk rustled against her skin as she made her way across the large double doors towards the main grand hall...

 

[Matsu Ike]

Now this was a place to be, books and plenty of them all around. Enough to enjoy for a lifetime or two and as the jedi master stood in a plain white and red kimono with her hands behind her back. Her hair tied up and saber visibly shown. The rest of her equipment she could have brought but it seemed unneeded to go to a library with a discblade, swords and heavily force resisting cloak. "It is quite a lovely place."

 

[Linori Pryde]

Linori simply couldn’t believe her eyes. Well, it was kind of hard to do when you lacked the equipment for it. Her gaze lingers over the crowd towards the large walls and windows that made up the library. She was practically bouncing in place, her dark gray slippers pacing back and forth. It seemed to take every inch of control this miraluka had to not step out of her place in line and book it for the doors, but she doubted it would go well with the guard.

She groans and tugs at the dark red hood covering her eyes, her long silvery-white mess of hair spilling out from underneath the cover. They’d been standing in line for what seemed hours to get indoors. Linori had been simply lucky she’d heard the news of the library on the scanner, otherwise she’d likely still be in the back of the line.

Linori exhales slowly and leans back on her heels, looking about the crowd for any familiar faces. It’d been some time since she’d last been on her home of Naboo, and while she enjoyed being back, it was no longer what it had been prior. She absently scratches at the arm of her robe, thoughts lingering. She desperately hoped she didn’t run into anyone who knew her, else this was bound to be a very interesting trip.

 

[Placeholder 0123]

Graxin wasn't exactly a fan of returning to Naboo. The last trip had been rather chaotic to say the least. In simple terms, a man had died, and Linori had joined his little crew. While he certainly didn't regret the latter; the former bothered him. That damned Jedi [member="Kelios Shara-da"] had gotten to him. The Dark Lord's hand stood next to his rather excited companion with a bored expression on his scruffy face. He loved history, and the idea of visiting the Protectorate's new library wasn't the thing that made him uneasy. It actually excited him to a point. No, even though they were on the other side of the planet from the assassination, he was still afraid that someone would recognize himself or his companion.

They had been standing in the line for...oh, he didn't know how long anymore. His lightsabers had been tucked into the center pocket of his hoody. He had dressed very casually this time around. Wearing heavy armor to a library would certainly draw some unwanted attention. Especially when they legitimately just wanted to see what the new facility had to offer.

Graxin had no hatred for anyone other than his father and his cohorts. Attacks against them or their people were something he simply had to do. One day, he'd find out someday to repay the people who he caused issue--like he was now with Linori. To anyone looking at them, they would look like any other young couple out spending time together. There was no reason for that facade to fail,and if it did, well, Graxin had almost mastered Niman. He'd keep the girl safe.

"The Protectorate looks like they've really outdone themselves with this one. It's a lot cleaner than Mytus." He mumbled to his shorter friend; amber eyes narrowing as he stared over a sea of heads to steal a glimpse at the library's interior.

[member="Linori Pryde"]

 

[Linori Pryde]

“Its Naboo, of course it’ll be cleaner than Mytus,” Linori answers, waving her hand absently towards Graxin. She had no weapon on her, though it was rare that she would ever carry one in the first place. The miraluka folds her arms over her chest and lifts a brow towards the man. She talked as though there weren’t a chance in the world that Naboo could end up like Mytus, or worse. “You know, you didn’t have to come along, sir. I don’t need some sort of babysitter, nor am I going to run off.”

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

[Placeholder 0123]

"Didn't want you to get lonely." Graxin grunted. They had been standing in the line for...well, hours honestly. It at least seemed like they were getting closer to the entrance. Graxin blew an annoyed breath and tugged at the hem of his sweatshirt. He had been careful to refrain from using the force, detection could be bad depending on the circumstances. and had decided that if anyone sensed it and questioned him about it, he could use Linori as an excuse. That set him at ease as they sauntered closer to the entrance guard. "And stop calling me sir, alright? You're not enlisted. Makes me feel old."

Graxin slid his hands into the pocket at the front of his sweatshirt and looked at Linori sidelong. He was at least trying to help the girl get comfortable around him. given the circumstances, it was a prerogative. figure they'll have some kind of ceremony or something?"

[member="Linori Pryde"]

 

[Linori Pryde]

“I call everyone sir,”Linori responds, standing up on her tiptoes to try and get a better loook. “Don’t think it’s because I respect you or anything, cause you did kinda, ya know,”Linori looks over her shoulder, “kill my boss.” Though he couldn’t see her eyes, he could probably feel that the sass was strong with this one. She slowly returns her gaze back forward, waving behind her dismissively.
“Anyways. I figure they’ll have some sort of ceremony, maybe inside judging by how slow this line is moving.”

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

Already inside the library - he'd been inside it before even most of the staff, Sarge made his way through exhibits that would open to the public in a few hours. But beating the rush wasn't why he was here early. He was here to place one of the last exhibits into place.

He'd offered Ayden a donation for his Vong exhibit, and his old friend had readily accepted.

This particular piece was a set of old, battered coral armor - long dead. A tattered and frayed red cloak hung around its shoulders as a porcelain looking mask was set under the drooping hood. It's cheek was stapled shut like an old wound; an artistic addition, rather than a functional one.

Smiling faintly to himself as the armor he had worn as a child was set into place, Sarge took a step back and made sure to wrap the fake Amphistaff around it's feet, coiled and ready to strike. It wasn't real, just a museum prop to help finish out the display. Closing the glass case and running his fingers over the plague in front detailing what a 'Vong Familiar' was, he shook his head.

There was no record of who it had belonged to or why it had been donated, but the history of it was writ upon that plague - how this particular Familiar had welcomed scientists of all shapes and sizes to Sekot in order to repair worlds long since destroyed. Worlds like Carida, Alderaan and many more.

He was a part of history, and it filled him with a sorrow deep enough to pain his soul.

Casting his eyes downward, he made one last check to everything was as it should be before turning to look to the massive shelves of books and datacrons lining the walls with all manner of information on the Vong. A combined museum and library. How lovely.

------

Already, people were streaming in to admire the new work of the Lord Protector, and Sarge was in the center of where he didn't want to be. A crowd.

How he loathed crowds.

Disappearing into the deepest depths of the library, he found himself settling in with books on ancient Corellian culture from a time when the Old Republic was entering middle age. This was what he enjoyed, the study of history.

But a part of him wasn't sure where he'd find [member="Ayden Cater"] in all this, and he certainly didn't want to imagine where [member="Cira"] was.

Force knew they'd ask why he was in full armor, saber and duster settled atop his frame and an empty holster on his thigh. Then again, they'd probably know better than to ask.

 

[HK-36]

"Largest collection of public knowledge my shiny metal arse."
The droid muttered to himself in quiet mechanical grumble, his armored figure was accompanied by two Greycloak guards of his, the droid was supporting himself on a metal cane. Why? Because he was classy like that.
"Can you believe them?"
He looked over his shoulder to his guards,
"Creating library of pre-Gulag history and they did not even sent me a memo."
HK swatted his own chestplace with his cane,
"I am antiquity, bloody saw most of those things be created."
He muttered,

One of his guards answered in neutral mechanical drawl,
"Heart-breaking, sir."
If machines could only roll their eyes.

HK's cane tapped softly as he strolled the halls of the library with the company of his body-guards, looking here and there idly. Truth be told he wasn't really that interested in knowledge or gathering it. What knowledge he had of ancient times he would gladly give out, as he showed with his aid given to Levantines in creating a droid who knew dead languages and had plenty of cultural information in his databank. Of course, there was also information he had like the location of the lost planet of Mechanus or saber techniques and some knowledge of the Force techniques. It was that data that he really wanted to keep safe and from wrong hands.

Either way, he just kept strolling, passing time, seems he did not had anything major to attend to on Abregado so he took a bit of time off.
"Oh, painting gallery."
He quipped to himself, heading towards the room dedicated to art of image-creation.

 

[Cira]

The media enjoyed a having a bit of a tizzy. But they were more focused on Ayden and the library for the moment, and that is exactly how Cire preferred it for now.

They had not yet realized that Cira was among them, mainly because the paparazzi had been located towards the front of the building, where Ayden would be expected to give a speech.

Not something she was too keen on doing, but she would be expected to in time.

Instead, her wanderings from the grand hall had brought her into the dim lit painting gallery. In it, the magnificent and glorious art from various worlds stood proudly within their frames. There were several accompanying statues around, even a modern large empty wooden lifesized frame, said to depict how life was a work of art in itself.

In this, standing in the precise angle to seemingly appear to be a lifesize painting of the Lady Protector, wearing almost the same shade of dress as she had in a ball a year past, would Baron [member="HK-36"] see before him. The dim glow of the amber overheadlights an almost mocking fiery glow upon her form.

Perhaps as a taunt? A mocking reminder?

Who would know.

Either way, the voice of the Baron had perked Cira's ears, and it would be then that her head would turn, her face easing towards his direction.


As the faintest of smiles would linger upon her lips...


"Ach-Kay..."

 

[Placeholder 0123]

"Sorry about that." Graxin mumbled under his breath. He meant it, of course, and it had been repeated a hundred times over. "If it makes you feel better, I respect you." The would-be-Sith added quietly. The silence overtook them for the moment, and Graxin gave a subtle nod of the head toward the guards as they passed through the doors.

The library was as impressive as it was said to be. Graxin stared down at his leather boots and pulled at his lower lip with his teeth. Where should they start? "I didn't get to read much with father." He dare not say the Sith Lord's name in a place like this. "It'll be nice to see what they have...here's hoping you don't have a thing for the romance novels." Graxin cast a slip of a smile at his companion. "So, where to first? I hear they have some interesting stuff on the Old Republic, and a painting gallery."

He inclined his head toward the Miraluka and tried to lead her away from the throng of people. Crowds were confusing, and frankly, Lin was short. He'd rather not lose her in a large group of people.

[member="Linori Pryde"]

 

[HK-36]

[member="Cira"]

HK looked up at the painting, stopping by the large canvas and scanning over it. He remembered these flames well, the way Cira's painted body was just slowly consumed by fire and eaten away, the rush the droid was going through with the first sensation of powerful anger one could have against their own friend or kin. Especially if one was a woman raging with hormones.
The grip on his cane tightened. He could burn it this time just as well. He could burn it all.

Burn it all.

"Sir?"
The voice of his guard snapped him out of it and HK simply nodded to the Greycloak,
"Let us continue on."

Whether the droid heard the voice of Cira would be unknown, his audioreceptors were rather keen, but then again there would be some distance between them and she seemed to say it quietly.
Either way, the droid would continue his stroll into the Library, away from the painting, away from dark thoughts of destruction.
And away from Cira.

 

[Cira]

He walked away.

A frown drew across her face.

And just like that, the illusion of a painting would fade as she slowly went ambling forward, the small charms of her bracelet jingling slightly with every step.

"Baron Ach-Kay?" came her voice a bit louder, concern and a question in her voice as she went rounding the large wooden picture frame. Rays from under the amber lights would reveal she was not a mere portrait, but would kiss upon flesh, blood, and bone, highlighting the auburn streaks of her titan hair.

Not five meters separated them... more if he simply kept on walking.

 

[Linori Pryde]

Linori falls into stride alongside Graxin, mouth slightly agape as she took in the sheer size and beauty of the library. A large smile crosses her features. She looked like a child stepping inside a theme park for the first time. She pulls down her red hood and slows her pace, taking in the sights. Folks of different races and genders rushed passed the pair, eager to see the new displays, but Linori seemed quite content to take her time. After a few moments, she’d turn to Graxin and gesture towards the stacks. “The Old Republic archives would be a good place to start, but I do want to get a look at these artifacts. The datacrons are supposedly to be quite in-depth for each.”

Linori spoke at practically a thousand words a minute, the excitement building. She were like a time bomb about to go off, which probably wasn’t the best thing in a library. “You don’t have to go where I go, I know I don’t have a thing for fiction novels,” she muses, walking away from Graxin. “But I can’t say the same for you."

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

[Placeholder 0123]

Graxin didn't miss a beat. He followed after his energetic friend? Comrade? Ally possibly. It was a shame how they met. Graxin had found that he enjoyed the Miraluka's company, odd as she tended to be. Few people really shared his love of simply knowing things. He had no idea where they were going exactly, but at the same time, he really didn't care. "I'm afraid our lives have enough adventure for me. Don't need a fake story to enrich mine."

it was true, he could go off for what he was interested in. there were stories of the Jedi Order...the one from centuries past that he found intriguing. Then there were the excerpts on the recent galactic politics that he needed to look into. This could all wait, of course. He had no doubt he would be content just to get lost in here anyway. It all interested him to some degree. "Lead the way, m'lady. I'll try not to bump into anyone."

[member="Linori Pryde"]

 

[HK-36]

[member="Cira"]

It was her seconds words that stopped the droid and his guards,
"Lady Protector."
HK spoke in his cold machine voice, which was also the voice of the teacher Mr. Feeny from Boy Meets World, fun fact.
Anyway, it was then that he realized it was not the painting he was staring at, it was not the painting he wanted to burn. It was actual Lady Protector.

And that made him feel.. uneasy. In his own hatred and grief he stopped recognizing original from fake, perhaps he was just too occupied with feeling sorry for himself and hurt at Cira's lack of communication, or maybe after all these years his mind was really starting to go and he was losing grip on distinguishing between the two, either way, the fact that he wanted to burn the actual Cira was rather disgusting to him. The way she disappeared and reappeared recently brought a lot of negative emotions with him, that was true, but he did not want to actually hurt her. Well he did, but not to the point of killing her!

Either way, his head slightly looked to the side to rest the cold gaze of one of his red dull photoreceptor on her.
"I am sorry, I was preoccupied in calculations to notice you."
He spoke simply, there was a lot he wanted to say to her right now, a lot he wanted to throw at her face. But he had enough self-control to keep that all nice and bottled up inside of him.

 

[Linori Pryde]

Linori wasn’t exactly sure where to go, so she followed after where most were going. They ended up in a room lined with holocrons and folks plastered near the glass to get a good look. She continues to hover on her tiptoes like some ballerina, trying to get a good look at each. The relics and artifacts were rare indeed, and she couldn’t imagine how hard of a time it would be to protect them here with so many present. Surprisingly, the thought bothered her more than it should. She bites her lip and taps at the computer in front of the display, the screen lighting up and listing the facts about the individual holocron.

“Wow…more information than I thought it would give, especially just for a display reader.”

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

[Placeholder 0123]

Graxin twirled about as he tried to gather just how much information was stored here. It was surreal in a way. Spending all of one's life locked away from any kind of extensive knowledge other than the history of the Sith; to arrive in an epicenter of information. The only word he could accurately describe it with was exhilarating. "Don't sound so excited." Graxin joked as he turned to peer over her shoulder. He was a good five inches taller than her, so it didn't take much work.

Enjoy yourself, alright?" He asked quietly, and he meant it. Graxin settled in next to her; his gaze drifting over to the holocron next to the one Linori was busy viewing. He leaned forward as information on the senate's reformation after the galactic Empire fell flashed across the screen. the former Apprentice was completely enamored for the moment.

He might not have served the Omega Protectorate, but he would certainly give them points for their work. They were careful with their history.
[member="Linori Pryde"]

 

[Linori Pryde]

Linori seemed to ignore Graxin completely, be it because she was so entranced by the information or because it was what she normally did. Either way, nothing stopped her from scrolling through the information then moving to the next visual. Her smile was gone, but replaced with the face of a scholar. The miraluka read the information slowly and carefully, as though storing it away for future use.

[member="Graxin Rade"]