Reboot

[Valae Heavenshield]

​

VOSS
Silver Jedi Temple - Archives
(continued from here)

In the hours following the news of Arisa Yune’s death, Valae Kitra had been busy dealing with the aftermath. Her head ached, so did her heart. And when she finally found a private moment to grieve, she let herself break down completely. Her friend was gone. Valae thought back to their first meeting on Klatooine, the chance meeting that had started their friendship. She even remembered the cream slice that Arisa had made that day. Her friend knew best of all that sweets were an easy way into Valae’s heart. It was one of those times that she might have normally sought the comfort of food, but she just wasn’t hungry.

As Valae reached for another tissue, she happened to notice her datapad flashing in an urgent way.

Dabbing her eyes, she pushed the device away. This just wasn’t the time. After all, it was likely reports concerning the events on Mirial. It was all just a bit too fresh, she needed a little time. But the flashing light persisted, and curiosity got the better of her. Reaching out, she slid the datapad back towards her. Activing the screen, she scrolled through her latest messages – it was just as she suspected. Then, her brown eyes went wide. There was a message that stood out from the rest.

Sender: Arisa Yune

She read the words over and over. How could it be? Valae closed her eyes for a moment; it could always be some kind of cruel joke. But then again, the news of Arisa’s death had only just been released. Her index finger gently tapped the message to open it, and she held her breath as the holovid played. The sound of Arisa’s voice made Valae’s heart sink for a moment, but she listened closely. Blinking, she whispered the word “Holocron.”

Of course! Arisa would have been prepared for such an event. Still, Valae wasn’t sure what sort of information this holocron held. Perhaps it was a last will and testament. She saw that the Colonel had been sent a copy of this message as well, and she glanced towards her communicator. Based on their interaction in the airfield earlier, she wondered if he would still speak to her… but it was worth a try.

“Valkren, it’s me – Val.” She said once his frequency was dialed in, “Meet me at the archives, it’s urgent.”

If he had already seen the message, then he would know. Valae threw on her robe and was out the door a moment later. And when she reached the archives, she paced back and forth in front of the entrance.

[member="Valkren Calderon"], [member="Arisa Yune"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Valkren shouldered through a pair of rangers, bruising quite easily as his unarmored body collided with the Katarn-clad soldiers that moved along on their patrol. Nonetheless, he moved through them, gritting his teeth as he accelerated into a sprint again. In his past, he might have slowed down to yell out an apology to the two soldiers, as he had quite the good reason to get to where he was going.

"What the hell?"

"Was that the colonel?"

The young officer simply ignored their questions and concerns, putting his brakes on as he skid somewhat on the floor to take a tight right turn. Valk had read the message the previous night from Arisa, but was not in the proper state of mind to make sense of it. He had been hitting the bottles pretty thoroughly that night, and had thought of it nothing more than a wasted dream.

But after Valae's message the next day, he had to take another look at his inbox. What he saw shocked him, and almost made him vomit. It was like she wasn't dead, or that a ghost was speaking to him through the monitor. His mind was already a mess, and this just threw more sithspit into the mix.

Valk turned another corner, almost truck-sticking a Jedi calmly walking along in meditation. He was sure to put a spin move up to avoid running into the peaceful man, as the colonel didn't know what to expect from running over one of his Jedi counterparts. After manuevering his way down another corridor, he came into view of the Grandmaster. His sprint turned into a jog, and then to a walk as he slowed his pace. A funny feeling brewed in his stomach at the sight of Miss Kitra, it wasn't anger or resentment..Something else. Ever since she had turned down his request to take a team back to Mirial for Arisa, the feeling was almost always there.. He knew he wasn't in the right mindset when he requested the mission be given to himself and his team, but he still couldn't believe her when she stated he couldn't leave.

Yet, here they were now..Arisa had brought them here.

"So..What are we dealing with then?"

[member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Arisa Yune"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae’s nervous pacing came to a halt when she spotted Colonel Calderon heading down the corridor. She cleared her throat, and clasped her hands behind her back casually. As he grew near, she could feel the strange tension between them. It was palpable. Unlike their usual interactions, there were no friendly greetings this time. Valae felt a bit uncomfortable, how she wanted things to just go back to normal. But she had to wonder if things would ever be the same again.

How could they?

As Valkren spoke, Valae felt her shoulders growing tense. “I’m not really sure myself,”

Her eyes shifted away from Valkren and she punched in the access key to the archives. With a small wave, she motioned for the Colonel to follow her inside the dimly lit space. For a few awkward moments, there was only the sound of their footsteps on the ground. Thinking back to the message received from “Arisa,” she remembered the mention of a vault. As she brought the Colonel to this secluded corner, a small frown pulled her lips down. Coming up to the vault in question, her hand hesitated before moving to open it.

Fixing Valkren in a sidelong glance, she straightened up just slightly.

“Are…you mad at me?” She asked quietly, lip quivering sadly.

Valae was a bit scared to find out the answer, but felt it best to clear the air. After losing Arisa, she didn’t want to lose any more friends – especially Valkren. Situations like these usually brought people together, but she felt that she and the Colonel were drifting apart. She had reasons for keeping him here on Voss, but those orders had purely been professional, not personal. But of course, if he needed to push her away for a time, she wouldn’t object.

[member="Valkren Calderon"], [member="Arisa Yune"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

The door slid open to reveal a circular room lined with holocrons set on docks, each one glowing from their own power under the soft ceiling lights. Housed within the chamber was collective knowledge of hundreds of Force Users gathered over a thousand generations, from the very first order of Tython and Ossus to the Silver Order today.

All the holocons lay dormat save for one, a pearly white cube that detached from its dock once its sensed Valae and Valkren entering the vault. It hovered towards them, then stopped as it initiated a deep scan of the pair to verify their biometics.

Once it did, the holocron assumed a new configuration shifting from the shape of a simple cube to a mult-point star, exposing its spherical core that served as its primary sensor node.

The holocron then disappeared under the shroud of a self-generated hologram, a perfect full-color rendering of Arisa dressed in dark casual wear.

"Colonel Valkren Calderon, Grandmaster Valae Kitra, identities confirmed." The hologram's tone was a robotic, with a sober expression to match. "Full access granted."

Her expression softened then, looking almost wistful.

"So is it true?" she asked, her tone more natural now, possessing its usual lyrical quality. "Am I dead?"

From countless sources across the SJO networks and beyond, the holocron had long ascertained the answer, but the woman that formed the core of the AI's consciousness held out a small hope that the contingency plan had been launched in error.

[member="Valae Kitra"] [member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Calderon followed after the grandmaster with haste, itching to see what exactly was awaiting the pair despite his physical grim appearance. He was stopped short of his destination when Valae hesitated to move forward with the holocron that awaited them. Next came her question, which was one he had expected from his long time friend. His muscles tensed as the awkward moment grew, his feelings mixed within his head.

She doesn't believe in your men..

He couldn't be mad at her though, Val' and Arisa had taken in the young soldier when he had nowhere else to go. They had given him a new purpose within the Silver Jedi and a new family at that within the Rangers. He just couldn't be mad at the woman beside him. He thought of what he could say, what his conflicting emotions could produce that wouldn't be harsh.

"I'm angry with a lot of things, Grandmaster." The statement was all he could manage out, and he was kicking himself for making the pathetic attempt at an apology for the way he acted. His anger was being pointed at almost everything in his mind, his allies, his friends, and his own skillset and stupidity for not making the right calls. The only way he could divert that negative energy away from his loved ones was to focus it on combat, blaming everything on the chaos of war.

He began to turn to Val, making an attempt to create a more proper apology for the way he had acted, and to describe just how close Valae and Arisa had always been to him, but he was abruptly cut off by a floating cube.

"Val..You and Ari-...What the hell?" Valkren exclaimed as it scanned over the pair, and began to reconfigure before them. His eyes grew wide as Arisa's form soon took place of what remained before, listing off the pair that stood in the room with this figure.

Then came the question from what seemed to be a projection of Arisa to the young commando. Valkren was taken back as she asked if she was truly dead. He didn't know how to answer. The colonel had traveled to a number of family estates of his fallen brethren to inform their loved ones of their passing, all throughout his career.

Yet, this..This was telling a friend that she was dead.

How could he do that?

[member="Jyoti"] | [member="Valae Kitra"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae waited as patiently as she could for Valkren’s answer. But when the long and awkward pause slid between them, she let her eyes drift away. It was a tense silence that made her wince. And when he finally did speak, it was surely not the answer she had been hoping for. Her head bowed slightly, and her lips pursed gently. Valae supposed that she couldn’t blame him for being upset. So, she only nodded to signal that she’d heard him.

Her chestnut eyes were fixed on the floor, but flickered up as Valkren began to address her.

But then, motion caught her attention and held it. One of the holocrons had moved swiftly to greet them. For a moment, the Colonel and the Grandmaster were bathed in a blue light as the cube initiated a scan. Valae blinked hard as the holoimage of Arisa came to life. Her mouth dropped open, completely speechless. True, she had studied with holocrons in the past… but it was still a shock to see such a life-like image of a friend that had departed.

The hologram looked just like Arisa, it spoke with the same tone of voice that she had. And yet, it wasn’t truly Arisa. Valae felt her heart drop when the hologram posed what should have been a rather simple question – “Am I dead?”

Glancing to the side at Valkren, it seemed that he was just as wordless as she was. However, Valae knew that they couldn’t put off answering forever, no matter how much they might have liked that. Letting her eyes finally take in the blue-hued image of Arisa, Valae felt her lip begin to quiver once more. There were tears in her eyes, but she tried stubbornly to keep them from falling.

Drawing in a deep breath, she nodded.

“I’m afraid so,” She answered in a voice that was quiet and weak.

[member="Jyoti"], [member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

"I see..." she started, dark eyes now downcast. "I suppose it was only a matter of time, in this line of work."

After limping away from several close calls, from artillery attacks to suicide bombers, Arisa's luck had finally ran out.

She looked back up at her friends, studying their faces for a few moments before speaking again. "As you can already see, I am the gatekeeper of Arisa Yune's holocron, created exactly in her likeness. She created me near the beginning of her tenure as Grandmaster, and continued to update my databanks until about two months ago."

The AI unit that governed the Holocron was created from a perfect digital mapping of Arisa's brain, and the whole unit was infused with Arisa's spirit. For all intents and purposes, it was Arisa, if only but a fragment.

"Ostensibly, I exist as a respository of all knowledge accumulated by Arisa as a Jedi, but she created me with the intent to continue her work in the unfortunate event of her demise. In the short term, this means preserving the Silver Jedi Order. The survival of our Order is paramount in keeping the Sith and their minions in check."

[member="Valae Kitra"] [member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

"No."

The statement rolled out of his mouth almost imedietly, turning his side to the projection so he was facing Valae completely. Valkren raised a finger up in the direction of the Holocron that had taken Arisa's form.

"You can't be okay with this? This thing using her form? She's been dead for days, Val!" Valkren couldn't comprehend the situation what-so-ever. To him, this was just a bad joke at his dead friend's expense.

The colonel soon turned back to the projection, folding his tree-trunk arms across his broad chest in defiance before questioning it.

"So, what? You're just here to provide intel or some sithspit like that?"

It hadn't been long since he had stepped off the transport from Mirial, battered and bruised, only to have Val tell him that their longtime friend and practically family member had perished in a way none of them could prevent, and the fire that the situation had caused was still burning fiercely within the soldier.

[member="Valae Kitra"] | [member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

It was difficult to focus on the holocron of Arisa, just to see her face and hear her voice was painful. But of course, her friend would have taken precautions like this. She always had been prepared. Yes, the reason for creating this backup was understandable. However, it did seem rather strange to think about this new being carrying on in place of Arisa herself. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the loss was still so new.

A fact that became quite apparent when Valkren spoke up.

Turning to look at the Colonel, she could see the confusion written on his face. It probably was quite hard to accept – especially since the man was not a force-user. He could see this holocron with his eyes and hear the words it spoke with his ears, but could he feel it?

“I know,” She answered quietly, but then glanced at the blue image projected before them. “It doesn’t make up for the fact that she’s… gone. But this actually is a part of Arisa.”

Valae wasn’t sure if Valkren would come to terms with this fact at the moment. It was still rather strange, she had to admit. Judging by the Colonel’s reaction, she knew that it would not be wise to let the holocron of Arisa go about her business in this way. No, they would have to approach this situation with care.

She would let the holocron answer the question posted by Valkren, and she remained quiet for a moment to let the exchange happen. And then, Valae cradled her chin thoughtfully as she spoke up.

“Is it possible for you to take on another form?” She asked, looking to the familiar face of Arisa. “It may come as a shock for the Silvers to see this image, at least… so soon.” Letting out a sigh, she continued.

“Arisa was a prominent figure,” She tried to speak without getting too choked up. “We… need to be careful. I think it’s best to keep your existence concealed.” Her gaze flickered from the holocron and back to Valkren. “At least, until we've figured out how this will work.”

[member="Valkren Calderon"], [member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

She winced at Valkren's diatribe, unused to ever having such vitriol from him directed at her. Then from Valae's reaction, who looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Valkren, I know this is a lot to take in right now, but as Valae stated, I come from Arisa."

The hologram raised her hand over her heart. "The friend you know may be gone, but a part of her resides within this holocorn. I promise that this isn't a trick or some sick attempt to torment you."

"As I said, I'm here to help," she replied in response to his direct question to her. "Admittedly, there isn't much I can do outside of providing counsel, not until the completion of my avatars."

She turned to her focus to Valae, now addressing her concerns. "I had no intention of revealing myself to the Order at large, hence the secrecy in calling for this gathering. The open nature of the organization has led to far too many leaks.”

Somehow, pieces of classified information related to Mirial were now floating across the holonet. Most troubling was the event of straight up treachery by at least one ex-Ranger. It was about time to clean house.

“You don't need to worry about me parading around in public in my natural state. I work much better in the shadows anyway.”

To make a point, the hologram shifted to a perfect copy of Valae, then to an original form of an Echani that would be stranger to them both.

“So what of the SJO? This offensive was our last shot at the Sith before moving onto more drastic measures.”

Said measures were contingency plans that Arisa had wanted to enact a long time ago, but her peers were still quite attached Voss, making the prospect of withdrawal a difficult one. But to defeat the Sith in the long term, they would need to reorient and reform like their wicked counterparts.

[member="Valae Kitra"] [member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae offered a nod when the holocron provided the assurance she needed.

Her eyes grew wide when the image of Arisa before them shifted into a perfect copy of herself. “My, my.” She said, finding it rather odd to stare herself in the face. But a moment later, the white-haired visage of an Echani replaced it. It was a delicate form, one built for grace and swiftless. While it was vastly different than the raven-haired woman they were used to, she knew this appearance would suit their friend quite well.

When asked about the current state of the Order, Valae placed her hands on her hips for a moment. Glancing briefly at Valkren, she looked hesitant to speak up. Indeed, the plans for their next move would need to be put into play quickly. Still… it was a topic that she was still rather afraid to broach. The council members had barely been briefed on the matter, there were few outside those chambers that were aware.

“We have decided to leave Voss,” Valae said, eyes turning down to the cold floor beneath her feet. In a way, it did feel like defeat. But deep down, she knew that there would be hope for a new start. At the moment, she needed to be strong – she needed the support of her friends to do so. There was a knot in her throat that prevented her from continuing, but after a few moments, she continued.

“At the time, we are investigating worlds within the core regions. One of the more promising locations is Kashyyyk – as we have a history there.”

With the news out of the way, she looked curiously to the Echani.

“Now that you have a new appearance,” She said softly, “What do we call you?”

[member="Jyoti Nooran"], [member="Valkren Calderon"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

Her silver eyes narrowed ever so slightly as Valae turned her sights to the floor. The expression wasn't for Valae, but for the idea that they would have to retreat from Voss to survive, all the while, the Galactic Alliance and other powers failing to provide support as they were gripped by fear of retaliation. Right now, it did seem like the Silver Jedi were alone in their fight.

"Kashyyyk? That is a good location," she agreed, trying to offer words of encouragement to her friend who was just barely holding it together. "Kashyyyk intersects many hyperlanes, and we have excellent relations with the Kashyyykian government after our assistance in reconstruction."

Processing things more strategically, the AI saw the real benefit of moving closer to the core. All the other powers based there would no longer be able to turn away and ignore the threat of the Sith and Imperials in the outer regions, as they would inevitable strike deeper with no real opposition to hold them back.

As sad as it was, nothing else would seem to make their 'allies' budge.

A question came up about her form as an Echani, Valae assuming she had settled into this new one.

"Well, I had thought to take up the appearance of a Seoulian..." Arisa admitted, then laughed. "Though I suppose this will do. For now, I suppose you can refer to me as Jyoti in public. Jyoti Nooran."

[member="Valae Kitra"]